Is 7 Days Enough to Make a First Timer Fall in Love??--Aug'11 TR-- FINAL UPDATE 8/26

[heathsf]

Monday, August 22 - Part 4

After watching the monkeys play for a bit we decided to catch the Flights of Wonder show. I had seen this once before, five years ago, and remembered liking it. We got there just a few minutes before the show was starting (earlier shows tend to be less crowded) and were able to get very good seats towards the front although not in the center. But there are no bad seats. The CMs were directing families with small children to sit in the back where the benches were set up like stadium seating - as opposed to the front section where all benches are level so if someone tall sits in front of you it will be very difficult to see. By the time the show started there were plenty of empty seats around us so we moved back one row so that there was an empty bench in front of us and we didn't have any heads blocking our view. By the way, don't be late because the start of the show is very cool.

Again, I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I could have/should have because I just wanted to enjoy the show. I did snap a few though. The birds are spectacular and the story line is cute (even if it is a little corny )

After the show we were ready for lunch. We decided to eat at the Yak & Yeti Quick Service since it was close by and I had eaten there in February and really enjoyed it.

Sweet & Sour Chicken:

I was pretty disappointed in this. I got it in February and really liked it a lot. In August...not so much. I couldn't tell you what was different but I just remembered it being better.

Honey Chicken:

This one I just didn't like the taste of. BF and I were supposed to be sharing both dishes but I just couldn't eat the honey so I mostly ate the Sweet & Sour chicken. BF thought both were okay.

For dessert we both got the Chocolate Cake:

Always yummy, although a little rich for me. Yet I somehow manage to eat it all We ordered the cake because the frozen lemonade was just down right bad when I had it in February (in my opinion anyway - I'm sure there are people who enjoy it).

I got a bottle of water and BF got a coke. Lunch would have cost $34 but we used two quick service dining credits. For me, that meal was a real disappointment. I will definitely find a different QS next time. There are so many places I haven't tried yet.

After lunch we used our EE FP and had no wait. I really liked our picture (we hammed it up) but I wasn't able to catch it on my camera and I didn't like it enough to pay $15 or whatever a ride photo costs. Oh well.

Next we used our FP for Kilimanjaro Safari. We had a short wait on the FP return line and soon we were sitting in the front row of our vehicle (by coincidence - I didn't ask for this one). The way we were standing in line, I would have been sitting on the outside but BF kindly asked me if he could have that seat so he could see better. Of course I let him have the better seat, I was so happy he was interested enough to want the spot with the better view!

Now I'm sorry to report that again I have failed you in the picture department. I have been on this ride so many times and I have spent the entire ride snapping pictures every time. I feel like I missed out on a lot by looking at everything through my camera lens so I left my camera in my bag and just sat back and enjoyed the ride. And I really really did enjoy the ride. It was nice to relax and look around without worrying about my camera. BF really enjoyed it too. I've had better rides but we got to see a lot of animals and I was happy that BF was happy. Fun fact about KS: Just this one attraction itself is the size of the entire Magic Kingdom!

After KS we were hot and tired and ready to go for a swim back at the hotel. I felt a little rumbly in my tumbly as we were walking toward the exit so I used a snack credit on a Mickey-Cookies 'n' Cream-Ice Cream Sandwich. I must have gobbled it down quickly because there is no photo evidence but I can tell you it was yummy!

After eating my snack we stopped for a few Photopass pictures in two different places. BF wasn't thrilled about it at the time but he agrees now that we got some really cute pictures out of it. We had two great photographers.

Just for fun, we'll start with the picture that the photographer took with my camera to compare:

And now PP:

For this one the photographer said, "Show me how hot it is!" (Ugh, we were literally dripping with sweat at this point)

We left AK 1000% exhausted, hot, and sweaty. Yet we were also in great moods and I think at least part of that is due to those two Photopass photographers who were so much fun and really made us feel we were in a magical place.

Of course, things felt a little less magical when we arrived at the bus stop just in time to see a POP bus pulling away. We sat down on the ground in the shade to wait for the next bus. 15 minutes later another bus came and we were on our way to the hotel. Of course, the bus is so air conditioned that I wasn't nearly as hot by the time we got back to POP I was still ready for a swim though!

Up Next: Our long-awaited swim and an adventure outside of WDW

 

[heathsf]

Monday, August 22 - Part 5

We arrived back at Pop Century at 1:45. Although the bowling pin pool was the closest to our room, we decided to swim at the Hippy Dippy Pool (the main pool) since we heard music as we walked past it on our way to our room. However, it was nice to know that we had the option of a much quieter, less crowded pool if we had wanted it. I left my camera in the room so it would be safe, so once again I ask your forgiveness for the lack of pictures.

The pool was just the right temperature for me, which means it was probably a little too warm for most people. I grew up swimming in my grandmother's 90 degree pool (ie. bathwater) so when a pool is colder than 85 degrees it takes me some time to slowly get my whole body into the water. I had no problems getting right into this pool though! It was fairly crowded but not so crowded that we couldn't find our own space to hang out in. The flower showers are very cute, I had never noticed them before. This was actually my first time swimming in this pool. I had only ever swam in the bowling pin before. There was a DJ/MC running a music trivia contest. The first contest (which we only caught the end of) featured Disney music. The second contest featured both Disney and Pop music. Makes sense, right? BF and I didn't officially participate but we had a lot of fun trying to identify all the songs. We were really having an awesome time. It was great to just relax and enjoy the pool. And I was thrilled that BF was having so much fun listening to the songs (even the Disney ones!) and trying to guess them.

After the contest the DJ started naming states to find out where people were from. Well, no surprise but the vast majority of people were from the Northeast like us since we were still enjoying the end of our summer vacation while most of the country was already back to school.

After about an hour of swimming we went back to the room to change for dinner. We figured this would be a good time to make our way to CVS so I could pick up the prescription I filled over the phone yesterday while at Epcot. I called the front desk and a very helpful CM arranged for a cab to pick us up at 3:30. She then gave me directions to the pharmacy that way we could make sure that the cab didn't take us some roundabout way in order to charge more money for the trip.

We walked to the front entrance at 3:30 on the dot and our cab was already waiting for us. The driver was very friendly and knew exactly where the pharmacy was. Apparently I am not the only person who goes on vacation without enough prescription medication. It was about a fifteen minute drive to the CVS and the driver waited outside while I ran in to pick up my Rx. It took a few minutes and then he drove us right back to the hotel.

I have to say, it was very weird to be out in the real world in the middle of a WDW vacation. To be honest, I didn't really like it Well I will say this, it was nice to have the option to buy things like water, bandaids, and snacks without paying a fortune! But when I'm in WDW I love feeling like I'm somewhere else away from the real world. Next time I'll try to avoid the trip to CVS. On the plus side, we got to pass under "The Sign" again when we crossed back onto WDW Property. It was an interesting little adventure. We considered taking the cab directly to Magic Kingdom before our dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe but it would have been way too expensive. We arrived back at POP at 4:10, so we were gone for a total of 40 minutes. Not bad at all. I didn't write down the cost of the trip but I want to say it was around $40. I also didn't write down the name of the cab company but they were recommended by the resort so if anyone has need of a cab, just ask your front desk.

As a side note, there is a pharmacy in the area that delivers but they do not accept insurance. That was not an option for me as my Rx at full price costs much much more than a $40 cab ride.

Up Next: An update with pictures (I promise!) as we make our way to Wilderness Lodge for dinner

 

[heathsf]

Monday, August 22 - Part 6

Happy to be back inside the World, we took a bus to MK where we planned to take the ferry to the Wilderness Lodge for dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe. This would be my first time on the ferry and my first time to WL. I was very excited for the evening.

Since we had a park hopper, we could have spent some time inside MK but we decided to just head to the WL so we could explore a little before dinner.

It wasn't too long before I saw a boat off in the distance. It seemed to take a really long time to finally arrive, dock, and let people off. The sky was getting dark just as people started boarding and we were five people away from where the line cut off. No room for us! As we watched the boat slowly pull away and make its way toward WL it seemed like it would take forever for it to get back to us. I was starting to wonder if maybe we should have just taken a bus. I entertained myself by taking a few pictures. Notice the gray clouds rolling in...especially compared to the bright blue skies that greeted us when we first arrived at MK not too long ago.

Before I could get too grumpy another boat pulled up from the other direction. It docked on the side for Fort Wilderness but we were boarded and soon on our way to WL. Once we were on the boat I was very happy we had waited for it. It was quite relaxing and scenic. It may not be the fastest mode of transportation but it was fun and it felt special. Part of that may have been because it was my first time on the boat and was on my way to my first visit at WL. As soon as we docked I pulled my camera out and started snapping pictures as we walked toward the lodge.

Gorgeous

Inside

BF is exploring his surroundings. The funny part is he would have been doing this even if I didn't have the camera out

I promise he isn't as miserable as he looks here. Just tired and ready for dinner.

"Attention to Detail" picture of a light fixture

We checked in at Whispering Canyon Cafe at 5:30 for a 6:10 ADR. It was nice that it was located right in the lobby so we got to explore a little more while we waited for our table. Then we relaxed on the couch until our name was called.

Up Next: Don't ask for Ketchup!

 

[heathsf]

Monday, August 22 - Part 7

Our ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe was for 6:10 pm. We checked in at 5:30 and although the CM told us very nicely that they may not be able to take us early, we were seated at 5:45.

This cute setup greeted us at the entrance.

WCC is located in the lobby of Wilderness Lodge and I was a little bit leery because I had read about how loud and rowdy it can get. Given that, I was very happy about where we were seated. Here is the main restaurant:

And here is where we were seated:

We were in a small section in the back, it was almost like a patio to the rest of the restaurant. It definitely felt like we were in a separate private area which we liked but you may not if you want the full, rowdy experience. There were very few tables back here though so the chances of being seated here are not very likely.

This was the view from our table into the lobby:

BF was ready to eat! Which was good because we were ordering the all-you-can-eat skillet!

But first...some Hokey Pokey!

Even though we were sitting in the back, we weren't excluded from the activities. There was also a horse race that took place in the main dining room and the waiters and waitresses made sure to include the children who were sitting in the back. Actually, not only did they include them, but they wouldn't take "no" for an answer. The two children sitting next to us didn't want to participate but the waitress wouldn't relent until they agreed to go. They may have left unenthusiastically but they returned very happy and excited so I'm assuming they had a great time.

Soda is served in a glass jar. I had seen other peoples' pictures of this before the trip so I knew what to expect and I was very excited when I was in Dallas in July and we were served water in very similar jars.

First up: Mixed Greens Salad - Mixed greens tossed in apple vinaigrette with tomatoes, cucumbers and onions ($6.99 a la carte but included in the skillet)

This was quite yummy. We didn't finish it though, we were saving room for the heavy-duty stuff.

Main event: Our Famous Canyon Skillet All-You-Care-To-Enjoy - Includes mixed greens with apple vinaigrette and fresh baked cornbread, smoked pork ribs, pulled pork, oven-roasted chicken, beef brisket, mashed potatoes, creamy coleslaw, cowboy beans, and corn on the cob. (Priced per person. - $28.49)

The skillet was just delicious!

Seconds on the chicken and mashed potatoes. We ate until we were practically about to burst.

My favorite item was definitely the mashed potatoes. BF's favorites were the ribs and chicken (he couldn't pick just one!). He also noted that he "highly enjoyed the corn bread."

I had read in other peoples' TRs that you shouldn't ask for ketchup unless you want every bottle in the restaurant brought to your table. Well, had I wanted ketchup I would have asked for it anyway but the food was delicious enough on its own that I didn't feel I needed it. The kids next to us however did ask for ketchup and we watched as kids from the main part of the restaurant came over to help the waiters deliver all the ketchup bottles. It was quite amusing and the kids were having a great time. A little while later, a waiter came back and asked those kids to help bring all the bottles to another table and they were happy to do it.

Our waitress was very good. She was attentive but still played the part of being "rude" as fits the theme of the restaurant. For example, she took a handful of napkins and threw them at us instead of putting one down in front of each of us. She also threw quite a few straws our way. It was all a good time.

For dessert I ordered the Bread Pudding ($6.49) which came with a fig sauce but I requested to not have it. It was still served with some figs as a garnish on the plate.

It was good but about halfway through I just absolutely could not put another bite in my mouth. I ate way too much food and my stomach was not happy about it.

BF ordered the Apple Caramel Pie a la mode ($8.99) and he loved it. Apple pie is his favorite dessert but he couldn't finish it because he, like me, was just too full.

We used two table service credits on the dining plan for this meal. It was a fun restaurant with great food, just be careful not to eat too much like we did. I ended up with a stomach ache but that wouldn't keep me from eating there again. I'll just (try to) eat a little less next time!

After dinner we contemplated going to HS for EMH but decided to just stick to our plan of going for RD in the morning. We hung out in the lobby of WL for a little while, sitting in rocking chairs and talking. It definitely wasn't how I thought we would end the night when I was originally planning the trip but it was so nice and relaxing. And we were just so full!

Eventually we decided to leave but first I wanted to check out the front entrance.

And we discovered this:

It was a nice ending to our day. We took the first bus that came which happened to be an Epcot bus. From Epcot we were able to get right on a bus to Pop Century. We were back at the hotel at 9 and sleeping before 10. We would be well rested and ready to take on Hollywood Studios tomorrow morning for Rope Drop!

Up Next: You guessed it! Hollywood Studios!

 

[Leshaface]

Tons of updates!

I love the video you got of the Tiger. He looks so lovable and cuddly...then I remembered this was a ferocious beast who could rip my head off in a second

The PP pictures looked great! I've never seen the picture where you're holding the box and stitch pops out of there. So neat!

Ugh, all that food looks so amazing! Last time I asked DH to take me here back in January, and that didn't happen. I'm hoping next time he'll allow me to make ADR's here

 

[FosterA]

Great updates and lots of juicy details which I love!

I'm very excited about AK, I just loved that place when I went. The theming is over the top! Kali is a pesky thing to plan in though because I really don't want to walk around wet all day. I think when we go we'll hit that very last. You are lucky you didn't get all that wet!
I ate at Yak CS that time I went and wasn't all that impressed either. But..I was starving so of course I ate it all anyway.
I loved the photos from the Trek in AK. I am really looking forward to the trails! I need to figure out how to use my camera before we go. Whew! I've got alot to do in 2 weeks

Oh and I did Dinosaur before and hated it. It didn't scare me at all but it just beats you all up which I didn't like. I might send David and the kids on this one by themselves.

Keep up the updates!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Wow, that was a lot of updates.

Okay, I always seem to get the hottest at the Animal Kingdom. I don't know what it is there, but it was just downright oppressive when we were there in July. It's no wonder you felt like you were sweating buckets.

Glad you enjoyed your meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe. It stinks that you were so full though. It's a Disney curse. You keep eating even though you shouldn't!

 

[okw19]

WCC is so good! Yum! I agree that AK is always 10 degrees hotter than the other parks. I can't stand going there when it's hot.

 

[heathsf]

Wow, that was a lot of updates.

Okay, I always seem to get the hottest at the Animal Kingdom. I don't know what it is there, but it was just downright oppressive when we were there in July. It's no wonder you felt like you were sweating buckets.

Glad you enjoyed your meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe. It stinks that you were so full though. It's a Disney curse. You keep eating even though you shouldn't!

Yes it was a lot of updates! Sorry to scare you I haven't had work the past 3 days because there are schools in my district that are still without power & heat after that crazy October snowstorm so I pretty much spent the day yesterday writing updates. It was so nice to relax and reminisce about the trip.

I wonder if part of the reason AK feels so hot is because it's huge and requires so much walking to get anywhere...

Tons of updates!

I love the video you got of the Tiger. He looks so lovable and cuddly...then I remembered this was a ferocious beast who could rip my head off in a second

The PP pictures looked great! I've never seen the picture where you're holding the box and stitch pops out of there. So neat!

Ugh, all that food looks so amazing! Last time I asked DH to take me here back in January, and that didn't happen. I'm hoping next time he'll allow me to make ADR's here

The bolded was exactly what I was thinking! That tiger reminded me of my dog and I so wanted to scratch his belly for a moment there. I'm sure that wouldn't have turned out well.

You and DH ate at Artist Point at WL didn't you? I'd much rather eat there Maybe next time!

Great updates and lots of juicy details which I love!

I'm very excited about AK, I just loved that place when I went. The theming is over the top! Kali is a pesky thing to plan in though because I really don't want to walk around wet all day. I think when we go we'll hit that very last. You are lucky you didn't get all that wet!
I ate at Yak CS that time I went and wasn't all that impressed either. But..I was starving so of course I ate it all anyway.
I loved the photos from the Trek in AK. I am really looking forward to the trails! I need to figure out how to use my camera before we go. Whew! I've got alot to do in 2 weeks

Oh and I did Dinosaur before and hated it. It didn't scare me at all but it just beats you all up which I didn't like. I might send David and the kids on this one by themselves.

Keep up the updates!

That's true about Dinosaur. It really throws you around a lot. I think saving Kali for last is a good idea...I wonder how warm the weather will be for your trip. You may not feel like getting soaked if it's on the cooler side. And I can't believe your trip is so soon! You better figure out how to use that camera!

 

[heathsf]

WCC is so good! Yum! I agree that AK is always 10 degrees hotter than the other parks. I can't stand going there when it's hot.

Absolutely!

 

[heathsf]

Tuesday, August 23 - Part 1

We arrived at HS at 8:55 this morning, a little later than I was hoping to.

Can you believe he put these on out of his own free will!? AND he let me take a picture!

Here was the pack we had to get behind. We were entering just as the opening show was finishing up.

And then everyone was off...

To the same place...

Our original plan was to grab a FP for TSM and then head back to Sunset Blvd to ride ToT or RnRc. But when we saw where the end of the FP line was, we decided to just keep walking and ride it without a FP. Here's looking back towards the end of the FP line which is out of sight, somewhere around the entrance to One Man's Dream. It was much worse than I remember it being in February during President's Week.

Meanwhile the standby line was also doing crazy things. It went down towards the Backlot Tour and then looped back again. It was total chaos! I knew it would be from my experience in February but I still can't get over it!

As we passed by the entrance I snapped a few pictures. Notice the posted wait time.

This is the line heading back towards the ride entrance, it goes all the way down past that garbage can you can see on the right side of the photo. The girl in pink just looks thrilled doesn't she? I think that about sums up how most people felt when they saw the line.

By the time we looped all the way around and were entering the building, this was the SB wait time.

That was pretty much exactly how long it took us to get on the ride. So if you count the time it took to walk over from the entrance, maybe we only actually waited on line for 25 minutes. It wasn't terrible. BF was enjoying the queue and he was definitely excited to ride it given all the hype and seeing how crazy the lines were. Notice he is wearing his glasses underneath the 3D glasses. He was taking this seriously.

He really enjoyed the ride and thought it was "very cool." He was also very excited about his triumphant victory over me. He just had to point out that this was only his first time riding it while I had already been on several times so I should have had the advantage. Pffft.

As I'm sure you were able to figure out, I was Player 1 and he was Player 2. When we exited I noticed that the wait time was now 70 minutes, only forty minutes after the park opened. It's just wild. So since it seemed like everyone was at TSM, we walked back to Sunset Blvd to check on the wait times at ToT and RnRc. On the way we passed the still-extraordinarily-long FP line for TSM. It was still long enough to just about reach the entrance to One Man's Dream.

When I see ToT at the end of the street, I just can't help but get so excited. I love *everything* about this ride. EVERYTHING! The storyline, the theming, the music, the queue, the preshow, the ride itself, the special effects. Ugh it's just the perfect Disney creation! I was also very happy to see it looking beautiful, since it was covered in scaffolding during my last trip in February.

The only thing I did *not* love, was that the wait time was posted as 80 minutes! WWHHAATT!!!??!!?? How on Earth could the wait for ToT possibly be longer than TSM!!! I just could NOT make sense of it and I was so disappointed. I may have been overreacting a bit but it felt like the day was ruined. I just couldn't fathom what the wait times would be like for the rest of the day if ToT was already 80 minutes at 9:45am! Clearly in distress, I obtained FP for a return time of 11:10. This wasn't terrible, less than an hour and a half away, but I was feeling down.

I was afraid to find out what the wait time would be for RnRc but it was only posted as 30 minutes. We got on line and it was already so so so hot. We were on line outside for what felt like a really long time. The ceiling fans weren't doing too much to help either. The wait ended up being a little longer than 30 minutes, most of which we were outside for and it was not a fun wait. But let's be honest, I was quite moody at the time and that really didn't help things either. I guess I was too upset to take pictures because I don't have any at this point.

BF wanted to wait for the first row so he politely asked the CM at boarding. We only had to wait for one extra limo and we were off. He thought it was great (I knew he would as it's one of the more thrilling rides at WDW) and agreed with me that the first 5 seconds is the best part. He definitely noticed how short it is though.

I was feeling more cheery after the ride. As we exited, we were discussing what to do next but I wanted to check the ToT wait time first. Lo and behold: it was posted as 20 minutes! I was *so* excited I would have down cartwheels if I was able. I grabbed BF's hand and dragged him onto the queue as quickly as possible.

The wait was short, it was just under 20 minutes. This was one of the things I was most looking forward to sharing with BF and I was so happy to finally be doing it! He was really into it and we were both excited when we were seated in the first row without asking! The ride was awesome of course, although I had experienced better. I love that it's random every time so you never know what you'll get. It makes me want to ride over and over and over (although I'll bet that's what they were going for when they redesigned the ride! ) BF loved it, he even said he liked it better than RnRc! Here's our photo:

Afterwards we had only a few minutes to wait before another FP would be available. Since we still had the ones for ToT we decided to grab some for RnRc. We sat in the shade for a few minutes, got the FP, and then headed towards our next destination: The Backlot Tour.

Up Next: BF volunteers to get a little wet!

 

[Leshaface]

Omgosh I LOVE ToT too!!

I've been trying to get my brother on it for SO long, here at Disney's California Adventure. He'll get on all the big rides at other theme parks but is afraid of the drops on this one I'm like, at least check out the queue with me, you can take the chicken exit at the end, but he doesn't trust that there will be an exit at the end

I can't believe how crazy the times were for ToT at the park opening Did you happen to use any of the touring plans suggestions for the parks?

Also, huge LOL at the guy sitting next to you on ToT!

 

[FosterA]

I love how that guy in the TOT photo is staring at you two like you're crazy

Awesome that you were able to swing back by TOT and get in quick with standby!
I think the TOT themeing is incredible and I can't wait for David to check it out. I can't decide if he'll be more impressed with that or with Rock Roller Coaster. He is a huge music buff and loves loud music and likes Aerosmith alot too. Plus he's a guitar player himself so he might be pretty impressed with the pre-show stuff. But then TOT is sooooo incredible. um....we'll just have to see.

I can't wait to do HS and now you got me even more excited. I think EVERY park is my favorite and can't wait to do it though

 

[heathsf]

Omgosh I LOVE ToT too!!

I've been trying to get my brother on it for SO long, here at Disney's California Adventure. He'll get on all the big rides at other theme parks but is afraid of the drops on this one I'm like, at least check out the queue with me, you can take the chicken exit at the end, but he doesn't trust that there will be an exit at the end

I can't believe how crazy the times were for ToT at the park opening Did you happen to use any of the touring plans suggestions for the parks?

Also, huge LOL at the guy sitting next to you on ToT!

So does your brother not like drops? When you say he goes on big rides at other parks, do you mean roller coasters? He's totally missing out! It's so funny that he doesn't believe you that there's a chicken exit! You should google it and show it to him and get him on it when you're at DL in a few weeks. My mom took the chicken exit in WDW and it's actually an elevator! But one that isn't possessed by ghosts

So before the trip I studied and studied and studied the touring plans from Easy WDW and Touring Plans and sort of combined them to get an idea of the order to do things. TSM throws everything off though because it just takes so long unless you're at the very front of the pack at RD (which we definitely were not). I don't know if the 80 min at ToT was an unusual freak thing or what but I was definitely not expecting that!

And I wonder what that guy next to me was looking at. Ha! Didn't really notice him before.

I love how that guy in the TOT photo is staring at you two like you're crazy

Awesome that you were able to swing back by TOT and get in quick with standby!
I think the TOT themeing is incredible and I can't wait for David to check it out. I can't decide if he'll be more impressed with that or with Rock Roller Coaster. He is a huge music buff and loves loud music and likes Aerosmith alot too. Plus he's a guitar player himself so he might be pretty impressed with the pre-show stuff. But then TOT is sooooo incredible. um....we'll just have to see.

I can't wait to do HS and now you got me even more excited. I think EVERY park is my favorite and can't wait to do it though

Yeah he really does seem to be looking right at us. I definitely didn't notice that at the time!

If that wait time for ToT didn't go back down to something normal I think I might have cried. I wouldn't be able to handle it if I only got to ride it once that day. It is my favorite!

The theming and the special effects at ToT are second to none. But isn't it fun to wonder which ride your DH will love more? It will be *more* fun when he loves them both so much that *he* can't decide which one he loves better! I seriously can't wait for your TR (not that I'm rushing the end of your trip - I hope it goes slowly so you can soak up every magical moment ) but after seeing my BF have fun in WDW - I'm so excited for your family to experience the same thing

 

[heathsf]

Tuesday, August 23 - Part 2

After riding TSM, RnRc, and ToT, we walked back to the other side of the park to do the Backlot Tour. There was only a five minute wait for the next show and very few people waiting, but I had something else on my mind. I had asked BF if he would be willing to volunteer for something without knowing what it was that he was volunteering for. Now if it was me, I would be saying "Heck NO!" to something like that. I don't like volunteering to be on stage for anything, whether I know what I'm getting myself into or not. But my dear BF, being the good sport that he is, said "sure." I found a CM at the entrance and asked him if they were looking for volunteers for the next show. He asked us to wait where we were and went through a door. A minute later he came back and said sure! And then I just had to make sure to add, "This is his [BF's] first trip so he has no idea what the Backlot Tour is!" The CM just smiled and asked us to follow him.

Note: This was one attraction I made sure not to divulge too many details about to BF before the trip because I wanted him to volunteer but without knowing what he would be doing. I figured that would make it more fun...for both of us!

*SPOILER ALERT*
If you have never experienced the Backlot Tour and don't want to find out what happens to the volunteers, skip this update!

The CM brought us through the door that he had entered before. I can't tell you how flipping cool it was to be going in a backstage area! I know I sound totally nerdy and it's not even that big of a deal because we didn't go anywhere super secret - in fact it really is an area designed for WDW guests - but I was just ecstatic!

From where we were, I had a side view of the show that was currently ongoing. I could also see the whole audience but we were blocked from their view by a few walls. This was the dressing room for the volunteers.

A different CM helped prep BF for his role. She was also very nice (of course) and I made sure to tell her right away that this was BF's first trip so he had no idea what he was volunteering for. She laughed, and I laughed, and BF watched us laugh together. He was still such a good sport. He didn't even try to ask what was going to happen. Of course, the current show was happening right next to us so I'm sure he was trying to listen to what was going on.

BF started to get dressed. His new outfit gave him a big clue as to what would be going on and why I found this all so funny!

He started with the boots:

Then realized he should put the jumpsuit on first

We're about to part ways so he's giving me a hug goodbye that clearly says, "I may have to get you back for this!"

By the time BF had finished getting ready, there were two other volunteers joining him. It was also their first trip and they didn't know what they were volunteering for either. When the previous show ended and everyone had moved on, the CM let me and the family/friends of the other volunteers pick our spot in the audience before they let everyone else in. That was pretty cool too.

Not long after I left the backstage area, BF and the other volunteers came out and were given directions by a CM. BF told me after that the CM kept saying that the most important part was that they did NOT use any vulgar language.

Empty set:

When they let the rest of the audience in, they made the usual announcement to move all the way down to the end of the row. Even though I knew I was allowed to stand where I wanted (which was right in front of the area where I knew BF would be located), I felt like such a jerk that I wasn't moving down when everyone else was. Oh well...nobody said anything to me and if they had I would have just explained.

Here's my little star:

These were the only pictures I took because I was trying to film as much as I could. Unfortunately, my camera sometimes decides to stop recording on its own and I did miss a little bit. But here are some very short snippets of the show:
(For some reason I couldn't get them to upload on photo bucket so I linked them to youtube instead)

Backlot Tour - Part 1

Backlot Tour - Part 2

And here is the final version of the "movie." Unfortunately, they don't provide volunteers with a DVD so I had to film the TV screen. Also unfortunate is that my camera stopped recording in the middle and I missed BF's first "scene" in the movie. Here are the links to that (they're only a few seconds each):

Movie Part 1

Movie Part 2

Movie Part 3


BF had a lot of fun being the volunteer. I wouldn't have volunteered him if I didn't think he would enjoy it but it was still really nice to hear that confirmation that he had fun! Of course he figured he was going to get wet when he put on his costume, but I don't think he ever guessed *how* much water would get dumped on him. He was really excited to see the videos I took. Surprisingly, he really didn't get wet underneath that jumpsuit. He was warned a few times not to turn his head to look at the water though. Otherwise I'm sure it would have gone down the front of the jumpsuit.

By the time he was ready to leave we had to walk quickly through the props area to catch the tram. Most people had boarded already so we had to go all the way to the back. Once again, I didn't take any pictures because I already had so many of the same things from every other time I'd done the tour. This time I just wanted to sit back and relax. As much fun as he had volunteering, BF though the rest of the tour was boring with the exception of Catastrophe Canyon. Oh well, you can't win them all, right?

After it was all over, we wandered a bit through the Streets of America and ugh was it hot. Thankfully we found the fire hydrant that mists out some water so we could cool down just a teeny tiny bit.

At this point it was 12:15 and we were ready for lunch so we headed here:

I had a cheese pizza which came with a small caesar salad and a dessert with the dining plan. I chose the rice crispy treat.

BF ordered the Meatball Sub which also came with salad and a dessert. He got a chocolate chip cookie.

It was packed and very difficult to find a seat. We ended up sharing a table with a husband and wife because eating outside just wasn't an option. It was way too hot! But after refueling and cooling down, we were ready to take on the afternoon!

Up Next: Stars, Cars, and More Stars!

 

[Leshaface]

Yep, it's drops that get to him, even though he can get on rides that go extremely fast and upside down all day. He says he's worried about how his stomach is going to feel afterwards? Oh and what's kind of ironic: I was on the Disneyland boards the other day, and there was a post asking about ToT. A lot of people said they don't do 'drop' rides but they'll do upside down, etc. I guess I just don't understand what they're saying, but those people are totally missing out. Less waits for you and I, I guess!


Okay, so I LOVE that you asked your BF to volunteer! I forgot about the mounds of water that gets dumped on the pour soul in that building. It's great that you have your pics and video to remember this! Also, how did you make your videos private to other people, but not private to us? This is something i'm wanting to do if I get any video on the ship.

I'm normally not into just plain, cheese pizzas, but that looks so delicious!

 

[heathsf]

Yep, it's drops that get to him, even though he can get on rides that go extremely fast and upside down all day. He says he's worried about how his stomach is going to feel afterwards? Oh and what's kind of ironic: I was on the Disneyland boards the other day, and there was a post asking about ToT. A lot of people said they don't do 'drop' rides but they'll do upside down, etc. I guess I just don't understand what they're saying, but those people are totally missing out. Less waits for you and I, I guess!


Okay, so I LOVE that you asked your BF to volunteer! I forgot about the mounds of water that gets dumped on the pour soul in that building. It's great that you have your pics and video to remember this! Also, how did you make your videos private to other people, but not private to us? This is something i'm wanting to do if I get any video on the ship.

I'm normally not into just plain, cheese pizzas, but that looks so delicious!

When I uploaded them to youtube, the options were:

Public (anyone can search for and view)

Unlisted (anyone with the link can view)

Private (only people you choose can view)

I chose unlisted.

 

[FosterA]

That is so awesome!! I of course had to cheat and look at all the clips. I didn't even know about this attraction. Maybe I'll volunteer David! lol

 

[heathsf]

That is so awesome!! I of course had to cheat and look at all the clips. I didn't even know about this attraction. Maybe I'll volunteer David! lol

I bet your kids would love that! Do you think he would enjoy it?

 

[heathsf]

Tuesday, August 23 - Part 3

After lunch at Pizza Planet, BF and I decided to get FP for Star Tours. It was still closed during my last trip in February so I was really excited to see the new version of the ride. After grabbing FP, we continued on our way to see Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show. I have no idea how many times I've seen this show already but I always enjoy it. The first time was back in March of 2005 during its soft opening and I've seen it at least once per trip since then. So I guess I do have some idea of how many times I've seen it. But anyway, I knew that this would be something that BF would enjoy. Unfortunately, we arrived much later than we should have and had the worst seats ever in my experience seeing the show. Now when I say "worst seats", I only mean that every other time I've arrived earlier and had better seats. These seats weren't horrible. Just not ideal. If we couldn't still enjoy the show we would have left to come back and see a later showing. The show was just about to start as we were being seated. We had to sit all the way on the left side at the tippy top. Pros: We were high enough to have pretty much the whole stage in our field of view without having to turn our heads very much. Cons: There were pillars blocking some of our view, we were far away, and exiting from this side is awful because you are at the back of the pack and there is a lot of traffic. Definitely sit on the other side if you can because you will be the first to exit.

I was very surprised to see Lightning McQueen had joined the show! A few other things had changed as well (a new motorcycle scene) and I had no idea so that was an unexpected surprise.

BF did enjoy the show (it's a great show!) and next we planned to go to The Magic of Disney Animation. But it took forever to get there. We were definitely sitting on the wrong side of LMA. It took so long just to get down the stairs because there was so much foot traffic. It was very hot and very uncomfortable being stuck in those crowds. Eventually we were able to break out of the pack and head over to Animation Courtyard.

There are two ways to enter here. There is a [usually very short] line to see a brief skit about Disney animation starring a CM and Mushu from Mulan. It is very cute, it makes me laugh, and I 100% enjoy it every time I see it, even if some of the CMs are a little awkward in the way they interact with the cartoon . Even BF was chuckling at some of the jokes. The other way to enter is to skip the line and the show and go right to see the characters and/or animation academy.

If you see the show, sit near the back right-hand corner (when you are facing the stage) near the door so you will be the first one out. In the next room you will usually find Mickey Mouse and other characters so you'll want to get out quickly so you can get on line for the characters.

After the show, we did get on line for Mickey Mouse but he was currently taking a break. When we heard a CM say it was a 30 minute line we changed our minds and decided to do Animation Academy. So much fun!!!! Unfortunately, the secret must have gotten out because now the wait for this can get quite long. When I first discovered this a few years ago, the wait was never longer than the next class, usually 15 minutes. Now the classes are every half hour and sometimes the line is long enough that you will have to wait for two classes, which can mean up to an hour of waiting!

We had to wait 30 minutes which BF wasn't thrilled about but I promised him it would be worth it. We were hot and tired anyway so sitting down and resting for a half hour wasn't a bad deal

We sat down at our art tables and prepared to draw...

Mickey Mouse! The animator polled the room to find out if anyone had already drawn Mickey Mouse today because she wanted to make sure everyone was drawing something new. I thought that was nice.
BF took his drawing very seriously.

He did love it, just as I promised him He was also very very proud of his drawing. His Mickey definitely came out better so I will show you mine first. My Mickey has been eating too many meals at 'Ohana and Le Cellier...

And here is BF's:

Anyone who read my PTR will remember that BF already had some experience drawing Mickey Mouse from when he made me my birthday card a week before this trip

Afterwards, we spent some time browsing in the shop. There is some really neat stuff in there. Even BF seemed to be enjoying browsing. If I had seen something in my budget I would have liked to buy something but I didn't find anything that had the right balance of price & how badly I wanted it... It's a very cool store though.

The sky was ominously dark when we exited. We had thought that we would go back to Pop for a break after doing Animation Academy because we had been so hot earlier, but after sitting for an hour and being in the air conditioning, we felt a little more refreshed. It was also significantly cooler outside so we decided to stay.

Even though the Voyage of the Little Mermaid was closed for refurb, the gift shop was open so we spent some time browsing for a gift for BF's 5-year-old cousin who *loves* Disney Princesses, especially Ariel. We ended up buying some cute princess figurines in sparkly dresses. It was definitely something I would have loved when I was little. As we were paying and discussing with the very friendly cashiers how we expected it would storm soon, there was a loud clap of thunder and just like that, the skies opened up. Don't you hate being right?

It was absolutely pouring but we didn't want to spend the duration of the storm in this tiny gift shop that we had already spent at least 20 minutes in, so we ran (yes, we were running) to the Great Movie Ride. I literally snapped this picture mid-run toward the line, thus the blurriness and crookedness. Sorry.

The posted wait time was 40 minutes and the line ended outside for the first time in my memory. At least we were covered though. Under normal circumstances I would never get on line for the GMR with a 40 minute wait but since it was pouring and we needed to seek shelter anyway, we may as well be on line for something. When we got to the movie room, I asked the CM if they were running both sides (gangster and cowboy) but only the gangster side was running. The line moved fairly quickly and we were boarding after only 30 minutes.

I always enjoy this ride, especially the montage at the end. I think I may be in the minority in this though. I know there are a lot of people who think the ride needs to be updated and I won't disagree with that. But I do still enjoy it in its current form. I think maybe I have a soft spot for it because this is my mom's favorite ride in all of Disney World. BF thought it was just okay. I thought he would enjoy it more because he loves movies but I wasn't too disappointed. It's not like he hated it.

After the ride it was still raining although it wasn't pouring buckets like it had been before. We put on our ponchos and headed to RnRc to use our FP from earlier. On our way, I couldn't help but notice that the wait for ToT was only 10 minutes so of course I had to get on line. We were outside the hotel, not far from the front door, and not moving at all. After standing in the same spot for ten minutes, I found out from a CM that only half the ride was working. Meanwhile, lots and lots of people were getting on the FP Return Line. After about 15 or 20 minutes of waiting (and BF becoming quite impatient) we decided to exit the line and go back to our original plan of using the RnRc FP. I noticed that the posted wait time for ToT was now 30 minutes. At RnRc there was no wait on the FP return line and we were boarding within a few minutes. We let fate take over this time and sat in the 3rd car from the back. We had fun with this ride photo.

After the Aerosmith Concert, we headed to Star Tours to use our FP. There was no wait in the FP Return Line. There was no wait in the standby line either. None. At all. Coincidentally we sat in the 1st row. I love when that happens without having to ask! I was so excited to see the new 3D version of the ride. I really didn't know what to expect. It's so much fun to experience something for the first time at WDW. BF was excited too. I know it's hard to tell in the picture though

Since we were the first ones on line in this area, we had to wait a little bit for the doors to open.

The ride was fantastic! Now I'm not totally up on all of my Star Wars names, locations, and lingo so bear with me. We started out on a planet with Wookies. It was very pretty and forest-y. Next we were in a battle in space. And for some reason I didn't write down where we finished our ride. It was a lot of fun though and the 3D was very subtle yet the effect was very cool. It was a great ride! I got a kick out of how they show you the rebel aboard your ship! It was so much fun that we decided to take advantage of the no-line-situation and ride again on standby. We walked right through the queue and boarded a ship that ended up going underwater. This ride was even better than the first one! We were both giddy and laughing as we exited. I'm not even sure who loved it more, me or BF, and that's really saying something!

Next we headed to Muppet Vision 3D (in non-rainy weather - yay!). BF really likes the Muppets so I had high hopes for this one. We caught the preshow somewhere in the middle. I had never noticed this sign before and it made me laugh so I decided to take a picture.

This attraction is classic. It's just fabulous. Gotta love the muppets. BF was laughing through the whole show and totally loved it. It made me so happy. Before the trip, he would never have admitted to looking forward to seeing a 3D show starring the Muppets yet here he was, thoroughly enjoying it. I just love WDW.

We were hungry for dinner at this point so we went to the ABC Commissary which had very short lines. I had the Fried Fish and BF had the Angus Burger with Fried Shrimp. We were looking forward to trying a new CS dessert because all we had eaten every day so far was the chocolate cake. Which is yummy. But we wanted something different so we were excited to see on the menu: Chocolate Mousse. However, when we ordered, we were informed that they were out of mousse and instead were offering... the chocolate cake. Ughhhhhh. We both ordered the no-sugar-added Strawberry Parfait.

I enjoyed my fish and BF enjoyed his burger. It was nothing spectacular but it was good. Dessert was okay. It was very empty in the seating area and we enjoyed a relaxing dinner.

After eating and resting for a bit we decided to try ToT again since we still had FP to use. On the way I snapped a few photos and we took some PP pictures.

The ride was fully functioning again so we got on the FP return line. I thought this ride was much better than our earlier ride. Don't get me wrong, I love any of the rides, but some are just more outstanding than others. Ride photo:

I promise I'm not as bored as I look. It seems that BF figured out when they take the picture. And it looks like the couple next to us are having a great time too!

Up Next: A Fantasmic! end to the evening