It'll Be All Right -A May 2012 TR Closing Thought and PTR Link 8/12*

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Oh boy....that sounds like quite the frustrating start to your day!!! Thankfully Alex's eye was able to eventually stop twitching!!

I absolutely cannot WAIT to see New Fantasyland in person! It looks amazing! (Especially Belle's Castle )

 

[marDgreen88]

I'm with you, I call it Beast's castle, too. It was Beast's castle long, long before Belle ever set foot inside.

MK is perfect to visit on a party day. Perfect! I've learned that hahah.

Hahaha, I hope Alex gets to go shopping soon.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

It is the Beast's Castle... (it's time to pull the DVD out...)

We got to see the New Fantasyland in previews at the very beginning of December and it was fabulous...... so incredibly well done... you should try to get back into the BoG to eat... we had Lunch... Maybe a 10 minute wait? and it's really cool in their... it's its own attraction...

They must have been having some trouble with BTMRR last month... it was down when we where there too...

I really hope Alex gets some good stuff over at Epcot...he deserves it...(especially with the eye twitch... lol)

 

[amazingact21]

I'm a bit behind, but congratulations on your little BOY!!! Boys are amazingly fun (as are girls, I'm sure ), and I LOVE that y'all just happened to have the It's a Boy Vinylmation. What a great story!

Thanks! I grew up with boys and babysat boys, so I'm happy that I know little boys and how to handle them. I am really excited, and I cannot wait til April when I get to finally meet him in person.

Oh boy....that sounds like quite the frustrating start to your day!!! Thankfully Alex's eye was able to eventually stop twitching!!

I absolutely cannot WAIT to see New Fantasyland in person! It looks amazing! (Especially Belle's Castle )

Haha, it was an interesting beginning to the day, but honestly, there were bound to be complications with 7 people going. It's difficult at times to manage Alex and myself, so I'm gratfeul with our 9a.m. start time.

I'm with you, I call it Beast's castle, too. It was Beast's castle long, long before Belle ever set foot inside.

MK is perfect to visit on a party day. Perfect! I've learned that hahah.

Hahaha, I hope Alex gets to go shopping soon.

Alex and I had another discussion over this topic the other night over dinner. In his opinion, the Princesses rule all things Disney, nobody even remembers the princes, and in his words, "Let's be honest, who runs that house? Plug the movie in, you'll see that it's DEFINITELY Belle's Castle."

It is the Beast's Castle... (it's time to pull the DVD out...)

We got to see the New Fantasyland in previews at the very beginning of December and it was fabulous...... so incredibly well done... you should try to get back into the BoG to eat... we had Lunch... Maybe a 10 minute wait? and it's really cool in their... it's its own attraction...

They must have been having some trouble with BTMRR last month... it was down when we where there too...

I really hope Alex gets some good stuff over at Epcot...he deserves it...(especially with the eye twitch... lol)

I really wanted to take a peek in the inside of the restaurant just to see what it looks like. Based on all the pictures I've seen on-line, it looks incredible. But I was afraid someone in that waiting line was going to freak out on me, thinking I was cutting.


I have noticed in a lot of people's TRs that Thunder was down a lot in December. Wonder what was up with that. Hope they get it fixed before Splash goes into refurb, otherwise there'll be a lot of unhappy guests over in Frontierland.

 

[teekathepony]

OH, oh oh oh oh! New Fantasyland is just so absolutely stunningly gorgeous! I can not wait to see it some day!

Also yes, definitely Beast's castle. Maybe if more than half of the movie had consisted of Belle living with him consensually instead of as a prisoner...

No, even still. It's his castle.

 

[PrincessCooper's Mom]

Congrats on the baby!!!

I have a friend who is wanting to take her little boy to Disney and was asking question about military tickets. I was hoping you can help me help her. Her father is retired military.

My friend, her son and her mother are going to visit her brother that lives near Disney. Her father is not going.

Can her father buy military tickets for him at the local base?
Does he have to be with them when they go?

I told her I did not have a clue but might could find out. When she asked I thought of you and was hoping you could help.

 

[amazingact21]

OH, oh oh oh oh! New Fantasyland is just so absolutely stunningly gorgeous! I can not wait to see it some day!

Also yes, definitely Beast's castle. Maybe if more than half of the movie had consisted of Belle living with him consensually instead of as a prisoner...

No, even still. It's his castle.

Glad someone else agrees with me on the whole castle situation. I never even thought to call it Belle's Castle until I heard others in my group doing it. Yet another way the princes kinda get ignored in Disney.

Congrats on the baby!!!

I have a friend who is wanting to take her little boy to Disney and was asking question about military tickets. I was hoping you can help me help her. Her father is retired military.

My friend, her son and her mother are going to visit her brother that lives near Disney. Her father is not going.

Can her father buy military tickets for him at the local base?
Does he have to be with them when they go?

I told her I did not have a clue but might could find out. When she asked I thought of you and was hoping you could help.

Thanks.

As far as the military tickets go, you said your friend's mother is going, as well. It sounds like she's the retired military person's spouse, and if she if then it is okay if her father is not there.

In order to activate the tickets, either the active duty/retired, etc military member has to be present or their spouse. If the spouse is going, then they can also buy the tickets ahead of time at a local base.

Just remember to tell her that only one of those 2 people can activate them and that they can only purchase 6 tickets in one promotional period.

The good news is, once the tickets are activated, you don't need the military member/spouse to use them. We activated my in-laws tickets, but only used one day of the 4 available. They are going to go back this summer and use the remaining 3.


I hope that all made sense. If not, there is an amazing thread here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2972608

that covers any and all information about the military promotion. If you still have questions about it, you can post there and someone will bound to answer it for you.

 

[amazingact21]

It's January 11th already?! I can't believe half a month has gone by without me even realizing it. My goal was to have this trip report finished before April, when DS arrives, but I have my doubts. Sorry guys, for dragging this on forever, I've just been so incredibly busy, and in the last few weeks Alex and I have begun home projects such as cleaning out the garage and creating a nursery. I haven't had much time to DISboard! And when I do get on I can't help myself from reading all the discussions (or debates, in some cases) about the new MyMagic plans.
But I really want to get through this December day trip, so here is another update on that:


December Day Trip 03:

When I last left off, the group of 7 of us were exiting the Magic Kingdom and going to Epcot for some food.

I attempted a group shot of everyone while we were waiting for the monorail to arrive, but it kind of failed:


Ah, well. The two girls in the striped shirt and the purple blouse are Alex's older and younger sisters, Leslie and Jessica. The person who's kind of hidden with sunglasses is the "adopted" sister, Liz. The guy hiding behind Alex is Jessica's boyfriend, Steve. And the guy waving is Alex's older brother, Eddie.

I can't believe I made it to 3 updates before having a picture of anyone to post. Yikes. Shows that I was suffering from a major case of baby brain that day.


My group hopped aboard the monorail when it showed up, and Leslie brought up the subject of the Food and Wine Festival while we rode. I guess her and Jessica had been one year and loved it, but she couldn't help but go on (and on) about how expensive it was.

"I dropped at least 200 dollars at the festival, and that didn't even include my park ticket."

Ho Hum.


All right, I know Disney's expensive, but let's please not open THAT can of worms.

Alex, without hesitating, ended the whole discussion with a blatant, "Yeah, but it's worth it."


The usual overwhelming sense of excitement hit me when I saw this gorgeous structure right out my monorail window:


Even my non-Disney fanatic group members couldn't help but smiling when they saw it. Steve made the comment, "I know it's lame and silly, but I just love seeing that Epcot globe."

Which I thought was pretty interesting. It showed me how big of an appeal Disney can be to just casual visitors. It has such a draw that very few can resist.


After we all got off the monorail and through bag check, I asked if everyone was all right eating at Sunshine Seasons. I told them it was in Future World, so it'd be close and described the variety of menu items. I figured seven people with seven different tastes could all find SOMETHING to eat at that particular restaurant.

Alex had figured out that was where I was planning on going and while everyone else was saying they'd be fine with that choice, he was proclaiming that he was going to get Fastpasses for Test Track first.


I couldn't blame him.

Riding the new Test Track was his one To-Do he had for the day, and we all knew the wait time would be insane. We conversed for a few minutes, then Alex and I decided we would divide and conquer.

I was starving and not about to walk all the way over to an attraction I couldn't even ride, so Alex and the menfolk took everyone's tickets and shuffled off to get Fastpasses, while I led the girls to the Land and the restaurant.

Along the way, someone (I can't remember who) pulled out a park map and was trying to tell me where to go.



"Thanks, but I know the way. Sunshine Seasons is near one of the more popular rides, so I've made this trek a time or two."

Understatement of the year, right there.



Epcot was significantly busier than Magic Kingdom, but amazingly, as soon as we walked into the dining area we found two empty tables pushed together that would seat 7. Perfect!
We decided to grab it while the getting was good and took turns waiting for the boys/holding our spots/while others ordered.

Jessica and I manned the tables while Leslie and Liz went to get their food, and we had a nice chat just the two of us. With such a big group, I didn't think I'd ever spend any one-on-one time with anyone, but it turned out my day was just the opposite. I was able to spend five minutes here and there with everyone, and it made the trip extra special.


Alex and the others found our table about ten minutes after we sat down, and they weren't thrilled. I guess the return time they got for their Fastpasses was 7:15 and 8:15.

Like I said, Epcot was really crowded that day. Everyone was avoiding the Magic Kingdom like the plague and was congregating where we currently were.


Alex and I went to get our food. He chose the Mongolian Beef with fried rice, and I got the Chipotle Turkey Sandwich with potato salad. And both of us, without thinking, ordered desserts.
We were so conditioned to the dining plan, that we did not stop to think that a dessert wasn't necessary.

It was just habit.

You order a quick service meal, you get an entrée, a drink, and a dessert.




Duh.

It was a humorous mistake that we giggled about on our way back to our seats.
When I sat down, I heard Leslie going, "17 bucks for this lunch. 17! Don't get me wrong, it's good, but why is that expensive. I didn't even order a drink, because I wasn't going to pay 5 bucks for a bottle of water."

This time, it was my eye that was twitching.




So...that's how it was going to be.

We buy something-

We get a fifteen minute rant on how overpriced everything is.

OH.

KAY.

Rather than fall victim to the "Disney'll wipe out your bank account" discussion, I turned to Alex and apologized for the late Fastpass time.

"It's okay, I knew there was a chance of that. If we can't ride it, we can't ride it, no big deal."

"Yes, big deal. You've been looking forward to it for months."

And with that, I decided it was about time to get a status update with the group while we were all sitting down together and figure out the rest of the day. I didn't care if nobody wanted a concrete set of plans, this was me in Disney and that's how I operated.

"Okay, I know we have two Must-Do's later this evening. Eddie wants to try out Star Tours, and I want to see the Osborne Lights. What else is there?"

Insert lots of grunts and map browsing.

"Spaceship Earth!"

Oh, that's right. Steve had made it very clear when we were walking through bag check that Spaceship Earth was a must for him.

"All right, we can ride that after we eat. What else?"

"I'd like to walk around World Showcase and see the countries. I don't have to visit each one, I just want to see them."

That was Leslie's choice.


"I'd like to go on Test Track, whether we use the Fastpasses or not," Alex's answer, of course.


"We've got to do Spaceship Earth!"

Got it, Steve.



Okay. Oh boy. Let's see. How best to go about this...



I was using all my Disney planning skills to come up with the easiest and most efficient way to make sure everybody got what they wanted, and we weren't wasting time running back and forth across parks.

"Why don't we just go do Test Track standby and be done with it?" Someone asked.

"Because the wait time is 120 minutes."


After everyone gave their input and suggestions for a good five minutes, I finally hashed out a plan that seemed foolproof.

"Okay, why don't we walk around the World Showcase, starting with Mexico, head towards the International Gateway, take a boat to Hollywood Studios. By the time we get there, we'll have plenty of time to ride Star Tours and get a good spot for the Osborne Lights. We'll watch the show, then head back over here and use the Test Track Fastpasses."

"What about Spaceship Earth?!?!"

"All right, we'll ride Spaceship Earth before we go to the World Showcase."

Geez, hold your horses, it's SE. I love it as much as the next person, but there's no need to have a panic attack over it.


I felt exhausted after formulating that plan.
It's quite the balancing act, trying to appease 7 people with 7 different ideas on what's fun at Disney.


I won't lie, I was hoping to avoid the brutal trek around the World Showcase, just because I knew we weren't going to do anything, but since we needed to get on a Friendship Boat anyways, I figured I could suck it up and walk the 6,789 miles around the world.

"Hey, guess what?" Alex was whispering in my ear.

"What?" I replied, curious.

"I cut through MouseGears when we went to get the FPs. I got to go in a store!"



My poor husband. He was definitely missing his perusing time.

"Don't worry, you'll have enough time to buy your Vinylmations, I'll make sure." Alex had had his eye on the new Pixar Vinyls, and I knew he'd be sorely disappointed if he didn't get to pick one up while we were there.


Lunch was eventually finished (sorry there were no pictures, I wasn't going anywhere near that can of worms with this group around) and we all headed back to the Epcot globe.

I tried for another group shot:


Pretty good!

Except... Eddie wasn't in it.

Ah well, that's what Photopass is for.


Spaceship wasn't busy, and we all walked right on. I do love the attraction, but the exertion of making sure so many folks were happy had taken a toll.

I dozed off before we even made it to Rome burning.

Like most everything, I blamed it on the pregnancy.

And the fact that I was full and it was about 75 degrees outside, and the attraction was nice and cool and dark.

Either way, I felt a million times better afterwards.

With Steve a happy camper, we all headed towards World Showcase.

Doesn't Epcot look beautiful in its Christmas garb?




I felt very lucky to be able to see the holiday decorations and enjoy Disney one last time as Annual Passholders.



Alex and I stopped and took a few photos in front of us his favorite tree on Disney property.


I tried to find one where his hand wasn't all up on my belly, but there wasn't one.


I agree with Alex; that particular tree is very cool. I love that it's decorated in various languages and that it shines like a beacon in front of the Epcot globe if you happen to see it from the American Pavilion at night.



We directed our group to the left and took off into the countries. I was hoping nobody would notice if I slowed way down, and Alex was hoping he could break away for five seconds and shop. It was nearing 1 o'clock and the boy had yet to buy one single souvenir.

My mother happened to text me around that time to ask how I was holding up, and my answer back read, "Surprisingly good. Everyone's having fun, but Alex is going to develop a complex if I don't get him shopping soon."



Up Next: December Day Trip 04

 

[wakica]

Too bad your castle pic didn't show up on your cd Too bad you couldn't get it from the Asian people that took one. LOL. You know, I'll bet you just about ANYTHING it's on Facebook or Instagram somewhere!!!
If i ever come across it by fluke I'll let you know

Ariels grotto does look GORGEOUS!!! She's my fave too! Wish I could have seen it.
and Belle is my 2nd fave and DD's fave princess so totally jealous that you got to see all that area too. haha but you are DEFINITELY right on Gaston!! I agree, they don't have to be spot on for example if you want to make Prince Charming with no muscles go right ahead - the movie doesn't focus on that but come on!!! The focus in Beauty and the Beast and Gastons part is that he's a great big muscular huge brute!!! The muscles HAVE to be there weather real or fake.

Enjoyiing to stories Even if there are not many pics. You guys are very brave - we've vowed to NEVER tour theme parks with a large group. Nuh huh, not gonna happen bc we are too selfish with our theme park time. We are comado all the way. Well, ok we're getting older now so once we get older we'll be willing to do groups when dd has kids and we'll do the calmer kid stuff and her and her dh can go comando Works out perfectly i think.

 

[MEK]

How did I get to be two updates behind? How did THAT happen? Probably started to read at work and gave up.

Belle's castle? Did that make your eye start twitching again?

I love the new mermaid ride. I thought it was fantastic and I love your pictures of the area.

So sorry you can't ride BTMRR while you are pregnant. But I had to laugh just a little that no one else could either.

OK - going to read the newest update now.

 

[MEK]

Sunshine seasons - good choice - but no ahi tuna for you missy!

120 minute wait for TT - ugh - I am looking forward to riding it myself.

How great that SE was a walk-on.

I like your planning skills. Did you really go over to HS? Good plan.

Cute picture of the two of you in front of the tree!

 

[marDgreen88]

Ahhhhhhhhhh EPCOT. Why is it so amazing?

Okay, seriously? How could any one person ever spend $15 on lunch at Sunshine Seasons? I mean, seriously... how? Did she get two lunches?

I hope Alex gets his Vinyl!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

You were definitely doing an awesome job of balancing 7 people's wishes!!! Poor Alex, not getting to shop - at least he was able to sneak into MouseGears!! I've never been to Sunshine Seasons, but that sounds like a great choice for a big group!

 

[teekathepony]

Wow, quite the balancing act indeed to make 7 people happy, but I do like your plan. Hope you got to ride test track! I need to hear some reviews! Was it worth them shutting it down for so long!?!?
Also... I tear up almost every time I see SE. Ahhhh I love Epcot!

 

[amazingact21]

Too bad your castle pic didn't show up on your cd Too bad you couldn't get it from the Asian people that took one. LOL. You know, I'll bet you just about ANYTHING it's on Facebook or Instagram somewhere!!!
If i ever come across it by fluke I'll let you know

Ariels grotto does look GORGEOUS!!! She's my fave too! Wish I could have seen it.
and Belle is my 2nd fave and DD's fave princess so totally jealous that you got to see all that area too. haha but you are DEFINITELY right on Gaston!! I agree, they don't have to be spot on for example if you want to make Prince Charming with no muscles go right ahead - the movie doesn't focus on that but come on!!! The focus in Beauty and the Beast and Gastons part is that he's a great big muscular huge brute!!! The muscles HAVE to be there weather real or fake.

Enjoyiing to stories Even if there are not many pics. You guys are very brave - we've vowed to NEVER tour theme parks with a large group. Nuh huh, not gonna happen bc we are too selfish with our theme park time. We are comado all the way. Well, ok we're getting older now so once we get older we'll be willing to do groups when dd has kids and we'll do the calmer kid stuff and her and her dh can go comando Works out perfectly i think.

I was disappointed when I saw that the MK pictures never turned out, but Alex said the PP was having some camera issues, so that probably contributed to the problem.


Normally, I would hate to tour Disney with such a large group. The only reason I was okay with it was because it was just for a day trip, Alex and I had visited just 11 weeks earlier, and I couldn't ride any thrill rides. I think in any other case, juggling 7 people in the world would not have been nearly as fun.

How did I get to be two updates behind? How did THAT happen? Probably started to read at work and gave up.

Belle's castle? Did that make your eye start twitching again?

I love the new mermaid ride. I thought it was fantastic and I love your pictures of the area.

So sorry you can't ride BTMRR while you are pregnant. But I had to laugh just a little that no one else could either.

OK - going to read the newest update now.

Agh, I ask everyone I know now who's castle it is, Belle's or Beast's. Eventually I'll get Alex to admit it's Beast's.


I'm not too ashamed to admit, I got a sick thrill out of nobody else being able to ride Thunder Mtn. They still have 3 days left on their tickets, they can ride it some other time when I'm not there.

Sunshine seasons - good choice - but no ahi tuna for you missy!

120 minute wait for TT - ugh - I am looking forward to riding it myself.

How great that SE was a walk-on.

I like your planning skills. Did you really go over to HS? Good plan.

Cute picture of the two of you in front of the tree!

I tried Sunshine Seasons in October, and I fell in love with restaurant. It's now my favorite Quick Service place to eat in Epcot. And I love that there's such a variety; everyone should be able to find SOMETHING they like there.

Ahhhhhhhhhh EPCOT. Why is it so amazing?

Okay, seriously? How could any one person ever spend $15 on lunch at Sunshine Seasons? I mean, seriously... how? Did she get two lunches?

I hope Alex gets his Vinyl!

I'm not sure how much she spent, but honestly, any amount would've caused her to complain. she just hated lining Disney's pockets. Which I know is a common complaint by people visiting WDW, but to me, it just takes away from the magic.

You were definitely doing an awesome job of balancing 7 people's wishes!!! Poor Alex, not getting to shop - at least he was able to sneak into MouseGears!! I've never been to Sunshine Seasons, but that sounds like a great choice for a big group!

Sunshine Seasons is actually really good, as far as QS goes. To me, it's a major step above burgers and chicken nuggets. It's my now go-to place at Epcot.

Wow, quite the balancing act indeed to make 7 people happy, but I do like your plan. Hope you got to ride test track! I need to hear some reviews! Was it worth them shutting it down for so long!?!?
Also... I tear up almost every time I see SE. Ahhhh I love Epcot!

I couldn't ride Test Track, but everyone else in my group went, so I'll be able to talk about their opinion of it.

 

[Nermel9]

Your day trip sounds like it's been fun so far, except for getting there, of course!

Isn't New Fantasyland amazing? I love Eric's Castle, it's so beautiful! I love the queue, but you're right, no way would I be able to wait outside in the summer!

I can't believe Be Our Guest had a 30 minute wait! Although, I did eat there for lunch, and it is kind of worth it, it's so beautiful inside and the food is really good!

Yay, Epcot! Ugh, wow, those TT FP's were pretty late! And 120 minute wait? That's the first thing I'll be going on when I go in Feb. I can't wait, but there's no way I'll be waiting 120 minutes!

Hope everyone enjoyed Spaceship Earth, since it seems like someone wanted to go on it pretty badly!

I love Epcot all decorated for Christmas, it's perfect!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I'm sorry but my eye is beginning to twitch just reading this last report...

I'm empathy twitching...

I think you earned wings this day...

 

[Aussiesalad]

Ahh the eye twitching made me laugh so hard!!

Gahh I hate when people go on rants about how everything is overpriced at disney. That is theme park life my friend, you can pack an granola bar or two and drink some fountain water if you don't like it. It's still a million times cheaper than food in Australia

That is a LOT of people and opinions to work into a plan but it sounds like you did an amazing job!

 

[amazingact21]

Your day trip sounds like it's been fun so far, except for getting there, of course!

Isn't New Fantasyland amazing? I love Eric's Castle, it's so beautiful! I love the queue, but you're right, no way would I be able to wait outside in the summer!

I can't believe Be Our Guest had a 30 minute wait! Although, I did eat there for lunch, and it is kind of worth it, it's so beautiful inside and the food is really good!

Yay, Epcot! Ugh, wow, those TT FP's were pretty late! And 120 minute wait? That's the first thing I'll be going on when I go in Feb. I can't wait, but there's no way I'll be waiting 120 minutes!

Hope everyone enjoyed Spaceship Earth, since it seems like someone wanted to go on it pretty badly!

I love Epcot all decorated for Christmas, it's perfect!

I've heard nothing but good things about the food at Beast's Castle, and I really want to eat there next time I'm there. I just couldn't believe how long the line was. Guess everyone in MK had the same idea for lunch that day.

I'm sorry but my eye is beginning to twitch just reading this last report...

I'm empathy twitching...

I think you earned wings this day...

It was a challenging day, but I was glad to be able to put my Disney planning skills to the test.

Ahh the eye twitching made me laugh so hard!!

Gahh I hate when people go on rants about how everything is overpriced at disney. That is theme park life my friend, you can pack an granola bar or two and drink some fountain water if you don't like it. It's still a million times cheaper than food in Australia

That is a LOT of people and opinions to work into a plan but it sounds like you did an amazing job!

Yeah, to me the prices of theme parks just come with the territory. I know if I'm going to buy an ice cream in Magic Kingdom, then it's going to cost 4-5 dollars. Just something I'm used to, I suppose.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I think you are doing an awesome job of juggling everyone's preferences and ideas and touring with a big group! I also think you guys are getting loads done for the time of year! Three parks in one day is ambitious on a low crowd day.

I can totally sympathize with how hard it is to sit around while everyone rides the thrill rides! Next trip for you and me both we'll be able to get back on Thunder. It feels like years since I've been on!