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

[amazingact21]

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!

I was surprised at how few people were in the parks that day. I thought with it being the weekend and the holiday season we'd be squeezing between hordes of people. Luck was just on our side that day.


I didn't realize how much of a coaster junkie I am until I couldn't ride any of them. Those two trips were brutal in the sense that I had to walk past all my favorites and just tell myself they'd still be there once I returned pregnant-free.

 

[amazingact21]

Hello everyone, hope you all have been having a good month. It's been a little crazy around here, hence the lack of DIS time on my part. Alex has been swamped at work, and I barely saw him last week. Then, it was my father's birthday, so obviously festivities ensued. Plus, my parents celebrated their 30th Anniversary on the 22nd, which is just incredible. Alex and I can't even imagine what our lives will be like 30 (well, 28.5) years from now. All we do know is that April is creeping closer and closer, and we are slacking horribly on getting everything ready for DS's arrival. His bedroom has nothing but a glider and an organizer in it right now! Needless to say, we'll be doing a bit of scrambling come February. Especially since Alex will be away on a work trip for about 3 weeks at the end of next month.


But enough about how unorganized I am, let's get back to this December day trip! I should be able to finish it in either this update or the next one. So let's get started!



December Day Trip Part 04

When I last left off, my group of seven was entering the World Showcase. I don't know if it was the food, the moderate weather, or the fact that I needed a nap, but I was feeling a little burned out. My feet were really dragging, and I could see most of my group was almost an entire country ahead of me.

I caught up with them in Norway, and Steve and Jessica asked me where I could get good alcohol in the Showcase.

It's Disney-none of the alcohol is bad.

Not what I said, just what I thought.

Steve wanted a beer, and I can't remember where I told him to get one, because I don't drink beer, so I'm pretty ignorant on that front. As for Leslie, Liz, and Jessica, I told them about the stand in France.

Oh yes, that stand.



I believe my words were, "If you like orange creamsicles, then this is like that but for adults. It's a Grand Mariner Slush, and it's delicious."

If I had been a better DISer these past few months, you would know how I know about the Grand Mariner slushie and when I tried it, but alas, I haven't gotten to that part in my May TR yet. Hopefully I will soon, though!


After I put my two cents in on the adult beverage front, Alex came up beside me and told everyone that if they wanted to walk ahead, we'd catch up with them when they stopped for drinks.

In other words, "You guys continue walking at a normal pace, my preggo wife here needs to slow it down to waddle speed."




Eddie slowed down and kept Alex and I company while we trailed about ten feet back from the group. Nobody really wanted to stop and explore the pavilions, they just wanted to look at them in passing and take a few pictures here and there.

I was a teensy bit sad nobody stopped in any of the places just to take in the gorgeous architecture and the amazing shops, but I wasn't about to direct such a large group to all the things they were missing out. I knew I would be returning at some point in the future to enjoy the festivities of the World Showcase.

We made it all the way to Morocco before I had to stop for a restroom break. When I left the room, Alex had texted the rest of the group, and they said they had gotten their drinks.


Agh.
I thought it would take a little longer, but apparently the Epcot crowds were gathered in Future World that day. Everybody was trying out the new Test Track and gliding on Soarin'. For a Sunday afternoon during the holiday season, the World Showcase was relatively empty.

The group reconvened with each other, and Alex and I led them towards the International Gateway while they enjoyed their drinks.


I can't tell you what type of beer Steve got or whether or not he liked it. Sorry for my poor drink review, but I know Jessica and Liz got the Grand Mariner Orange Slushie, and they seemed to like it. Leslie got the Grey Goose Lemonade Slushie and I think all three preferred hers. One of the girls was worried there wouldn't really be any alcohol in it since it was dispensed through a mixing machine, but they were all pleasantly surprised.

But, of course, this began the next round of, "It's so expensive!"

Hmm...




I got to hear how pricey Grey Goose is and that if they put a cheaper alcohol in it they wouldn't have had to pay 10 flipping dollars for one glass and...



This rant on money lasted from France all the way over the gift shop that's located right in front of the entrance turnstiles. I simply turned to Alex and whispered, "Nobody told you to buy a drink. You don't like the price of it, save your money and make a drink back at your house."

This was my only grouchy moment of the trip (that I can recall) and it was only because they were complaining about something unnecessary. You get hungry after a day in the parks, you gotta eat, I understand that. They don't give the tickets away for free, understand that, too.

But nobody grabbed your arm and forced you to buy that slushie.

Just sayin...


I don't know how, but Alex managed to magically disappear inside the gift shop when nobody was looking. One minute he was standing on my right, the next he was gone.

Poof!


I swiveled my head around a few times, looking for his blue shirt, then my eyes honed in one shop and I just knew.

"Hey, guys, wait for a second, Alex wanted to look inside here for a bit."

I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

They all filed in and dragged the poor guy back outside, saying things like, "C'mon, Alex, you don't need any more pins," and "Let's go, I wanna get to Hollywood Studios."

So close!



If left to his own devices, Alex could spend an entire day just shopping around Disney, but today was not the day for that. The group had too many things they wanted to see and do to waste time in an "overpriced" store.

So, head hanging low, Alex led the group out of Epcot and over to the boat dock. Luckily, there was a boat waiting, and we managed to be the last group that boarded. It was practically full, so most of us had to stand until we pulled up to the first drop off.


I can't remember the order that the boat docks. Boardwalk, Beach Club, then Hollywood? Maybe? Probably??





Either way, the captain announced first thing that it'd be about 20 minutes until we made it to DHS. I could feel the rest of my group rolling their eyes and groaning, but I sat back on my bench and closed my eyes, happy as a clam.

Twenty minutes to rest my feet and enjoy a calm boat ride- it might not be a nap at a resort, but it was the next best thing.


The crowd dwindled significantly at the Beach Club, and we all were able to finally get a seat. The boys checked the football scores and discussed who'd win division titles, the girls Facebooked, and I closed my eyes and absorbed the happiness.

I guess I was slacking on my Disney skills, because Alex had no idea what the Boardwalk was when we came to it.

Oops.

He knows now, though. Took care of that problem.



While we passed the Swan and Dolphin, I could hear two of my group members murmuring to each other.

"If I ever won the lottery, I'd stay at one of these resorts."

I smiled. At least my brother in-law was being sucked into the magic of Disney, wanting to stay and experience a full-fledged vacation at the world.

My smile dropped at the reply he got, though, "Yeah, you'd have to win the friggin' lottery to afford one of those overpriced rooms."




I had a split second thought of turning around and diving into a long argument over the cost of Disney versus the joy you get out of it, and the value of happiness and magical memories, but I just shook my head and tuned them out. I needed some time to recoup before we hit Hollywood Studios, and I wasn't going to let anyone ruin my Disney fun.

(When I was listening to that discussion, I couldn't help but think about that Youtube Video a parent made of their family trip to Disney. How it starts off talking about the rising cost of Disney, then disproves how it's worth it by showing ten minutes of his two kids smiling faces. Does anyone else know that video? If not, it's really awesome and well worth a watch.)


Thankfully, I am happy to say that this was the last time I heard anyone mention money. And that whole ordeal was the only negative of the trip. I told Alex that if listening to people talk about the expense of Disney was the only thing that went wrong in a group of 7, we were darn lucky.


I'll take discussions on Disney prices over meltdowns, arguments, ride debates, missing must-dos any day of the week. I couldn't have imagined a better outcome for the day trip in my wildest dreams.



After a five minute delay at the Beach Club (someone dropped their lanyard in the water) we eventually made it to Hollywood Studios. I was feeling a thousand times better from my little break and suggested we get some photopass pictures in front of the tree by the entrance.






Alex's parents ended up loving the photographs of all the family together, so I'm really glad I decided to do that. It was like an extra gift to them.

I'll tell ya, I was winning all sorts of brownie points with the in-laws that day.





I tried to take a photo of the Sorcerer's Hat when we entered the park, but it didn't turn out so well.




Alex asked if anyone wanted to go on Rock N Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror before we headed over to the other side of the park for Star Tours. Turned out most everyone did, so we walked down Sunset Blvd. Both attractions had fairly long waits, so I told everyone that wanted to go on it to give me their tickets, and I'd go get them FPs for RNRC while they rode ToT standby.


Liz, Eddie, and myself (obviously) were the only ones not wanting to ride either ride, so we took the tickets and headed towards RNRC. When we got there, however, all the FPs were already gone for the day.

Tough luck.

Hollywood Studios was busy, but it didn't seem nearly as crowded as Epcot. And everyone that was there seemed to be focused on Pixar Place. Guess it was a busier morning than afternoon in the park.

Liz texted Jessica and told them about the FP situation. Meanwhile, I figured I'd be a kind and generous wife and go into one of the stores and buy a Pixar Vinyl for Alex while he rode Tower.

I thought it'd be a great half hour for him. He'd get to ride an attraction that he never goes on, because it's the one coaster I refuse to ride. Then, he'd meet up with me and get a souvenir.

Perfect.

I went into the store, walked straight to the huge Vinylmation display in the center of the room, picked up a box right in the front, and went to a checkout line.

Finally! Some shopping.

Then Liz walked up to me and said the group wanted their tickets back; they just wanted to get ToT FPs, since the return time was in about an hour.

Sadly, I had to put the Vinylmation box and leave the store to go meet back up with the group. When I saw Alex, I told him what he'd missed.

He looked more than a little downtrodden, like someone had just stolen his cookie.



Liz and I gave the other 4 their tickets back, and Alex told us to wait where we were. They got their FPs tickets, came back to us, and Steve, Jessica, and Leslie broke off to go ride Rock N Roller Coaster standby.

The wait time was posted at 50 minutes, and Alex wasn't in the mood to wait that long.

Not when he was conditioned to walking on.


So, the four of decided to head over to Star Tours to use mine and Eddie's tickets to get FPs for him. Eddie's a huge Star Wars fan, and he hadn't been on the new version of the ride, and he really wanted to check it out. He was crossing his fingers that he could go on it multiple times and see a few of the different stories that are given.


When we got to Star Tours, the return time for the FPs were for about 30 minutes later, which was great. And standby was only 20 minutes.

I don't think I've ever seen a long wait time for this particular attraction. Which is convenient when you're looking for a quick ride to do between Fastpasses or ADRs.

The others got FPs while I went to the restroom, and when I came back, I only saw Liz. Apparently, as they were walking away from the FP machines, someone had walked up them and handed over two Fastpasses that were ready to use. So Alex and Eddie were off taking advantage of another guest's generosity.


It was about 4:00 o'clock at this point, and I asked Liz if she'd mind walking over to the Writer's Shop and letting me get a coffee.

One of my few treats during this pregnancy is I allow myself one cup of coffee a day. Considering I used to be a 3 cup a day gal, this has been a huge cutback, and I miss it terribly. Whenever someone asks what's the first thing I want when I'm not pregnant anymore, I immediately say, a huge thermos of my favorite brand of coffee. Just bring it to the hospital, people...


It would be getting dark soon, and I was well past my puny dose of caffeine time, so I didn't waste any time in ordering an iced mocha coffee from the shop.

It was heavenly.

Liz bought a coffee, as well, and we went back over near Star Tours and sat down at a table that was connected to a restaurant. I feel like such a Disney slacker, but I have no idea what restaurant is next to Star Tours. I never paid attention to it before. Man, I need to get on the ball.

Liz and I sat around, drank our coffee, chatted about various things, and watched some of the Jedi Training Academy shows. I was feeling kind of tired, but the coffee did wonders for me, and I felt like I could make it til the end of the night.

About ten minutes later, Eddie and Alex found us. Alex told me he was going to head back over to Sunset Boulevard so he could meet up with the others and go on ToT. Then he'd bring everyone back to where we were to ride Star Tours again.

How that boy could go back and forth, I don't know. Just thinking about walking all over Hollywood Studios made my feet cry.

Eddie didn't want to waste the Fastpasses he'd gotten, so he went and rode Star Tours again.

Liz and I did more relaxing.


It was great.


Eddie bought a soda and rejoined us, and the three of us continued to sit around and people watch. We watched about 3 showings of the Jedi Training, and I was surprised that I didn't become bored with it.

It's actually a cute show, and I couldn't imagine how awesome it would be if I were a kid and loved Star Wars. To be able to fight THE Darth Vader...those kids had to have talked about that experience for weeks.

I made a note to add it to my list of potential activities for future DS.



About 5:00 o'clock, the 4 others met up with us. Alex had this huge grin on his face and told me how much he enjoyed going on Tower of Terror. He declared he'd be taking DS on it as soon as possible to get him hooked so that he'd have a partner in crime.

I was so ecstatic that Alex got to do something he normally wouldn't; I didn't notice the bag in his hand.




It was a blue plastic bag.

With the castle emblazoned on the each side.

With a certain Disney logo on it.


Could it be?


Could Alex have actually bought something?!?!



Up Next...December Day Trip Part 05

 

[Queenofallthings]

Great update hon! You look fantastic btw...and I don't know if I knew your were expecting...I've been gone so long and my brain isn't what it used to be! Congratulations!

It always fascinates me when people complain about the cost of Disney! I can stay at a value resort on property cheaper than I can stay in any hotel here in Canada!! I don't get it!! We went in 2007 with friends and I said never again! I stick with my sister, her family, Shan and Jeff! All they did was complain and I remember saying never again!!!!

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh my goodness. Those price complaints would have driven me crazy as well. Especially because yeah, nobody threatened them to BUY THIS ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE OR ELSE!

Ahhhh the friendship boats. Definitely my second favorite mode of Disney transportation (second only to the monorail)!

I'm glad you got a lot of nice relaxing time in there! What did Alex buy?!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Wow... I am really impressed with your stamina... 3 parks and pregnant... that's really pretty impressive and no coffee... well until DHS to boot...

(I really missed coffee too when I was pregnant... I allowed myself a cup a day... once I got past the fourth month ... I was crazy nauseous before that...)

You did a very good deed this day and I think that you are never usually sorry when you've done something good in the long run... I think the fact that you have a sarcastic sense of humor (as do I... that you were able to channel internally really help you get through some of the more trying moments...

What did Alex buy?

 

[amazingact21]

Great update hon! You look fantastic btw...and I don't know if I knew your were expecting...I've been gone so long and my brain isn't what it used to be! Congratulations!

It always fascinates me when people complain about the cost of Disney! I can stay at a value resort on property cheaper than I can stay in any hotel here in Canada!! I don't get it!! We went in 2007 with friends and I said never again! I stick with my sister, her family, Shan and Jeff! All they did was complain and I remember saying never again!!!!

Thank you.
I don't understand people that complain, either. Especially because it all comes down to what you choose to spend your money on, not how much. I could've easily pointed out the expensive items my group members had bought recently, that Alex and I chose to skip, because we'd rather that money go in a Disney fund. It's all about priorities....

Oh my goodness. Those price complaints would have driven me crazy as well. Especially because yeah, nobody threatened them to BUY THIS ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE OR ELSE!

Ahhhh the friendship boats. Definitely my second favorite mode of Disney transportation (second only to the monorail)!

I'm glad you got a lot of nice relaxing time in there! What did Alex buy?!

I don't think I've met a person who likes a mode of transportation better than the monorail. I mean, how can you?

Wow... I am really impressed with your stamina... 3 parks and pregnant... that's really pretty impressive and no coffee... well until DHS to boot...

(I really missed coffee too when I was pregnant... I allowed myself a cup a day... once I got past the fourth month ... I was crazy nauseous before that...)

You did a very good deed this day and I think that you are never usually sorry when you've done something good in the long run... I think the fact that you have a sarcastic sense of humor (as do I... that you were able to channel internally really help you get through some of the more trying moments...

What did Alex buy?

I've been very fortunate with this pregnancy in that I haven't gotten any of the major symptoms. During the first few months, there's no way I could've done a day trip, but those middle months were great. Aside from always being hungry and caffeine-deprived, I showed no other pregnancy signs.


I think people with our sense of humor can let things go pretty easily and just turn bad things into a joke. If ou go your whole life letting the little things get to you, then you're only hurting yourself, missing out on things.

 

[amazingact21]

December Day Trip Part 05:

With the group reconvened, Eddie was trying to get everyone on Star Tours. He just couldn't resist going on the attraction one more time, and the short wait time was too good to pass up. The others all agreed to give it a go, and just like that, Alex and I saw our opportunity.



It was almost too good to be true.


The five others all wanted to go on a ride.


A ride a certain pregnant girl had no choice but sit out on.


A ride a certain husband had just gone on an hour ago.


Yay!


"You guys go on ahead, I'll stay back with Alicia. Keep her company," Alex waved them all away, trying and failing to look sad at skipping Star Tours.

I won't lie, someone in our group got a little grouchy and made a smart comment about how I was a big girl and could sit by myself for half an hour. They were ticked off that Alex was picking me over them, but I didn't let it get to me.

Because, little did they know, Alex and I (without saying anything to one another) knew this was our one and only chance to break away for a few precious minutes and do some baby shopping.




As the others walked onto the ride, I took a quick pit stop at a restroom, and Alex and I sped over to the Muppets courtyard.

Is it the Muppets Courtyard?




I know it's probably not, but I think of it as that. They have this huge Miss Piggy fountain, and let's be honest, if you put Miss Piggy anywhere, she automatically dominates the space around her.

She's a diva like that.



Alex and I began giggling like school children. We were alone, just the two of us, in Disney!
It was like we were on a real vacation and were just spending a quiet evening in Hollywood Studios.

All our Disney fanaticism could pore out and there wouldn't be anyone with us to judge or poke fun.

What should we do first?

Go in a store!!!!

No, wait, let's see what's in that bag of yours, Alex.


Oh, hold on! There's a Cast Member with a cool pin lanyard.

Let's do a pin trade!

We haven't done that yet! We NEED to pin trade!



Way too giddy for our own good, Alex and I walked up to this very nice CM and asked if we could look at her pins. Alex spotted two that he really liked and was in a bit of a dilemma.

"You know you can trade 2 at a time," Mrs. Nice CM Lady remarked.

"I know, but I only have one pin I want to part with."


I glanced down at my lanyard. Meh, I saw a pin I was intending on trading at some point, so I took it off my lanyard and handed it to Alex.

"Well, aren't you the sweetest person in the world?! I don't part with my pins for anyone!"

"Well, we're married, so it comes down to the what's mine is yours, right? Besides, I'll get him to buy me a new one later."

"That saying doesn't apply to pins, honey."




The Cast Member was so nice and friendly, and little did she know Alex and I were trying to fit an entire trip's worth of Disney magic in thirty minutes, so we were more than willing to talk and joke around. She asked us if we were going to see the Osborne Lights later, and I dived into how it's my favorite thing to see at WDW. She agreed with me, and told me a little bit about the changes they made to that year's show versus the one I saw in 2010.


Alex and I spent a good three/four minutes talking with this lady before we said goodbye to her and walked over to a bench. If anyone happened to look at us at that moment, they would've thought we were nuts. We both had these ridiculous grins on our faces, and I might've been skipping a little.

I was completely in the Disney zone.


Sick of the anticipation, I finally asked Alex what was in the Disney bag.

His grin got wider.

"I might've stopped into a store on the way over to Tower and bought 2 Vinylmations."

Sneaky, sneaky.

"I waited to open them until you were with me, though. Wanna check out our luck, see what I got?"

Uhm, YES!


Just to show everyone, this is the Pixar Vinylmation Series.
Some really great choices, if I do say so myself.


I really, really, really, wanted Dug from Up, but I would've loved having Mr. Incredible and Mike, as well.


There were only 2 that Alex did NOT want to end up with. We had pretty good odds of getting something we wanted. (Even the chaser was amazing.)

Alex opened the first box. He got:



Yikes.

Apparently, it was Jackalope, from Boundin' Short. I've never heard of it before. But it was one of the two Alex was hoping NOT to get.


That's all right. Now we have something to trade. Box Number 2 is sure to hold Dug. I mean, every single time we've bought Vinylmations, we've gotten one of the ones we liked. We have never had a dud before. Our luck won't run out now.


Box Number 2 Revealed:

AGH!



Chuckles from Toy Story 3.


Correction...CREEPY Chuckles, the clown, from Toy Story 3.

Needless to say, this was the second Vinylmation Alex did not want to end up with.


Somehow, our luck with picking the magical Vinylmation boxes was not with us that day. We both swore that the box I had originally picked up probably contained someone awesome, and I cursed us by not buying it.

No matter, Alex and I wanted those two Vinylmations out of our hands ASAP. I believe my retort to Chuckles was, "I am NOT putting that in my display case to look at at my house. It'll make DS cry."


Now on a mission, Alex and I headed into Stage One Company Store and found the register that was doing Vinylmation trades. I took the Jackalope and ended up getting one of the robots; Alex traded the lovely Chuckles for a Frozen Lemonade Vinylmation.

Both were much, much better than those two Pixar Vinyls.


I know DISers have complained about the Phil Vinylmation, but I think Chuckles is a thousand times worse. I mean, he's a clown...a grumpy clown!

Who wants that?!

With that out of the way (Alex and I were still overcome with happiness, despite that little incident) we made our way to the part of the store selling kids clothes. We couldn't go to Disney and not buy something for DS.

After all this was his second trip to the world; we already sealed the deal that he's going to be a Disney nut like us.

As the two of us looked around, I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that I wasn't having a little girl. Do you know how much stuff there is for girls??? It's insane. I'd say at least three racks were filled with various princess and Minnie onsies.


To our credit card's relief, they only had one tiny little row of boy onsies. Alex and I found two adorable outfits that we had to have and a Mickey rattle. I'm sure the outfits will pop up on here later with DS in them; we bought them in a bigger size in the hopes that he'll fit into them on our next trip to Disney.


We went to check out, and Alex spotted the Purchase with Purchase deal going on. It was a throw blanket that had all four park logos on it, with a monorail, and Mickey Mouse, and Alex really wanted it.
So, we added that to the items we were buying, and I proceeded to do a pin trade with a CM standing around.


Leaving the store, Alex and I decided it would be best not to let the others know we'd been shopping. The last thing we needed was to hear how much money we wasted on a baby. So, Alex shoved our huge bag, blanket and all, in his backpack, and we began making our way back to Star Tours.


Our time was up, and we knew it was time to end our little getaway. But not before I made us both just stop and stand still for a few moments. I told Alex I needed a second to simply take it all in. The sights, the sounds, the fact that this very moment would be the last time we were in Disney, just the two of us, for many years to come.


The next time we were planning on returning, we'd have DS and probably my mother and it wouldn't be two young adults enjoying all Disney had to offer.

Of course, thinking like that made me get all teary, and I had to get us moving along again. If I dwelled too long on the fact that one type of touring style was ending for us, I'd become sad, so I pushed us right along.


We managed to stumble upon the group somewhere between Star Tours and Muppet Vision. They all had a good time on the ride and most of them wanted to grab something to drink before the Osborne Lights.

The seven of us strolled into the ABC Commissary. I went and found a few tables together, while Alex got a Coke, Jessica some coffee, Liz and Steve a beer. It was about 6 o'clock, and the sun was beginning to set.

I kind of wanted to see the Osborne Lights when they first turned on, but I wasn't going to get mad if the group wanted to sit around for awhile before heading to the Streets of America.


Nobody was in a rush.
All of us were tired, and with the exception of Test Track, everyone had accomplished their Must-Do's.

So, we sat around, talked, discussed our day so far. I asked Eddie about what planets he visited on Star Tours, and Leslie and I began making plans for dinner.

I'd say we sat there for a good fifteen minutes, killing time until it got dark enough for the Lights. I tried taking some photos, but as I said before, I only had my video camera, and it doesn't have a flash on it, so the quality is worthless at night.


Alex, a much happier camper after having gotten some shopping done.



I'm not sure why Leslie had a map out, I think she might've been looking at restaurants.



Like I said, not having flash makes picture taking a lot harder.



Once everyone deemed it dark enough, we all headed towards the Streets of America. It was right next to where we were sitting, so before we knew it, we were in among the throngs of people waiting for the show to start.

That is the only bad thing about the Osborne Lights.


You can't be claustrophobic.



But it's so worth it.


So, so worth it.


I was becoming excited. My absolute favorite thing at Walt Disney World was about to begin, and I was finally back to see it.


I love Festival of the Lion King, Thunder Mountain, Wishes, even the famous Dole Whips, but if I had to pick one thing that makes Disney so special to me, it'd be the Osborne Lights.

A dream of mine is to run the Wine and Dine Half Marathon so that I can run through them during the event.


They are just so stunning and festive and- well it's one of those shows that you have to see to believe. Words don't do it justice.

And I was about to see them again.



Up Next: December Day Trip Part 6

 

[MEK]

I caught up with them in Norway, and Steve and Jessica asked me where I could get good alcohol in the Showcase.



One of the girls was worried there wouldn’t really be any alcohol in it since it was dispensed through a mixing machine, but they were all pleasantly surprised.


But, of course, this began the next round of, “It’s so expensive!”


Hmm…





I got to hear how pricey Grey Goose is and that if they put a cheaper alcohol in it they wouldn’t have had to pay 10 flipping dollars for one glass and…..

Did they not just ask for "good" alcohol? What did they think was going to be in it, Smirnoff? Poplov? Please!

Although, next time you should point them to the Ditch for one of their $14 ritas ! That would make them But worth every bit of that $14 IMHO!


It must have gotten annoying to hear the money rants. What did they expect?

Alex’s parents ended up loving the photographs of all the family together, so I’m really glad I decided to do that. It was like an extra gift to them.

These are great photos. So awesome that Alex's parents really appreciated your effort!

One of my few treats during this pregnancy is I allow myself one cup of coffee a day. Considering I used to be a 3 cup a day gal, this has been a huge cutback, and I miss it terribly. Whenever someone asks what’s the first thing I want when I’m not pregnant anymore, I immediately say, a huge thermos of my favorite brand of coffee. Just bring it to the hospital, people…..

I hear ya sister. I drank one cup of coffee every morning when I was pregnant. The weird thing was, when I was pregnant one cup of coffee had the same effect on me as about 3 or 4 cups. I would literally get so buzzed I couldn't drink anymore.

It was a blue plastic bag.


With the castle emblazoned on the each side.


With a certain Disney logo on it.


Could it be?



Could Alex have actually bought something?!?!

Oh my - I can't wait to find out what's in that bag!

Awesome update! Your writing style was just great!

 

[MEK]

What? You just snuck in another update??????? I'll be back to read!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yay for you guys getting to sneak off and baby shop for a bit!!

I agree, I think the Lights are my favorite thing in Disney too! They really are so special and wonderful!!

 

[marDgreen88]

So glad yall got to sneak off and do some shopping/trading! Can't blame ya on the Chuckles vinyl though... yikes. He looks far less scary on the movie hahaah.

YAY OSBORNE LIGHTS.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Oh, Alicia you handle yourself a lot better than I would--the comment about you being a big girl would have gotten to me! Bless your heart for taking it in stride! I'm so glad the plan came together so that you two had some "alone" time for shopping! I couldn't help but smile when reading that!

So sorry about the vinylmations...what luck! But. I'm glad that you were able to trade them for something a little less "alarming"!

I've never seen the Osborne Lights, but when I realized that the Wine & Dine course runs right through them, that was the deciding factor to try and run it this year! I just know that I'll think of you if I make it through there!

 

[Aussiesalad]

Yayyyy for finally getting a moment alone!

YES it is totally the muppets courtyard, or at least thats what we always call it

Oh no! I can't believe you ended up with the two you didnt want!! That Chuckles is sooo creepy!!

That is the only bad thing about the Osbourne Lights.
You can’t be claustrophobic.

Haha I think this a general Disney rule ... no matter how well you plan, you will be uncomfortably squished in between strangers at least once during each trip.

 

[teekathepony]

Wow, you've got the patience of a saint. All the Disney bashing and expense whining and the big girl comment and I would have been jumping off the boat/tower of terror/nearest bus to get away. Good for you! And how wonderful that you two got some time alone!
Wow, what bad luck to get the two vinyls you didn't want! At least you got to trade them.
Sounds like a nice day though, despite the complaints about prices. I can't wait to hear all about the Osbourne lights! I AM claustrophobic, but I try to deal with it in Disney. Sometimes it works.

 

[amazingact21]

Did they not just ask for "good" alcohol? What did they think was going to be in it, Smirnoff? Poplov? Please!

Although, next time you should point them to the Ditch for one of their $14 ritas ! That would make them But worth every bit of that $14 IMHO!

It must have gotten annoying to hear the money rants. What did they expect?

These are great photos. So awesome that Alex's parents really appreciated your effort!

I hear ya sister. I drank one cup of coffee every morning when I was pregnant. The weird thing was, when I was pregnant one cup of coffee had the same effect on me as about 3 or 4 cups. I would literally get so buzzed I couldn't drink anymore.

Oh my - I can't wait to find out what's in that bag!

Awesome update! Your writing style was just great!

Thanks.
Now that I think about it, the Ditch would've been the perfect place for them. Wish I'd thought of that...


I wish my coffee would give me that caffeine buzz. Unfortunately, it's just enough for me to go, "All right, I'm awake now, time to get the second cup and enjoy it." But, it's better than nothing so I'll take what I can get.

Yay for you guys getting to sneak off and baby shop for a bit!!

I agree, I think the Lights are my favorite thing in Disney too! They really are so special and wonderful!!

Alex and I were so happy that we got to fit in a little baby shopping. As soon as we realized everyone wanted to stick together the whole day, we kind of assumed our shopping plans were out the window. So to get that half hour alone meant the world to us.

So glad yall got to sneak off and do some shopping/trading! Can't blame ya on the Chuckles vinyl though... yikes. He looks far less scary on the movie hahaah.

YAY OSBORNE LIGHTS.

That Chuckles Vinyl is incredibly creepy. Unfortunately, he made a return appearance in our lives, and as I type this, I can feel his glare through my display case. I'm stuck with him for a year!

Oh, Alicia you handle yourself a lot better than I would--the comment about you being a big girl would have gotten to me! Bless your heart for taking it in stride! I'm so glad the plan came together so that you two had some "alone" time for shopping! I couldn't help but smile when reading that!

So sorry about the vinylmations...what luck! But. I'm glad that you were able to trade them for something a little less "alarming"!

I've never seen the Osborne Lights, but when I realized that the Wine & Dine course runs right through them, that was the deciding factor to try and run it this year! I just know that I'll think of you if I make it through there!

I guess I was just used to all the little comments. Alex's family is very sarcastic, so I've kind of learned to just tune it out. And, in the end, I got to hang out with Alex by myself for a bit, so alls well that ends well.


I remember you mentioning on Facebook wanting to run the Wine and Dine this year in order to see the Osbourne Lights. You'll have to let me know if you are 100% doing it or not. The race seems like so much fun, and I know you'll love, love, love the lights!

Yayyyy for finally getting a moment alone!

YES it is totally the muppets courtyard, or at least thats what we always call it

Oh no! I can't believe you ended up with the two you didnt want!! That Chuckles is sooo creepy!!


Haha I think this a general Disney rule ... no matter how well you plan, you will be uncomfortably squished in between strangers at least once during each trip.

That is true. You definitely can't be worries about personal space when you're in Disney. Especially not during parades or fireworks. At least with ride queues, you can sort of do that stance you created on your trip, and people will get the hint to back off.

Wow, you've got the patience of a saint. All the Disney bashing and expense whining and the big girl comment and I would have been jumping off the boat/tower of terror/nearest bus to get away. Good for you! And how wonderful that you two got some time alone!
Wow, what bad luck to get the two vinyls you didn't want! At least you got to trade them.
Sounds like a nice day though, despite the complaints about prices. I can't wait to hear all about the Osbourne lights! I AM claustrophobic, but I try to deal with it in Disney. Sometimes it works.

Before this day trip, I thought a million things were going to go wrong, and I just knew the day was going to end bad. So, for my biggest gripe to be people complaining about the prices, is truly amazing. How 7 very different adults managed to all get along and have a great time, I don't know, but I love that it ended up that way. Makes me a tiny bit less hesitant to go with groups or with non-family members in the future.

 

[amazingact21]

I promise you guys, this'll be the last post about my Disney day trip. I can't believe it's taken me six posts to write about one stinking day. Long-winded, much?


December Day Trip Part 06:

My group of 7 didn't have to stand around long among the throngs of other guests before a voice began booming at us, explaining how the Osborne Lights came to be at Disney. Every time I hear about there being too many lights for one house to take, I think of my parent's place during the holidays.

That was a tame year. Normally, there are arches and more lawn decorations. If you've ever seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, that's my family's house. A part of me wishes I could drag my dad to the Osborne Lights; I know he'd be thinking, "Now, see, that's how you decorate for Christmas. Finally, someone who gets it."



Snow began falling halfway through the little speech, and we all were so busy watching it fall that we weren't prepared for the lights to turn on.

The moment when you go from boring, mundane decorations to millions of colorful lights takes your breath away. You can't describe it. Your visual senses just go into overdrive, and all you can say is, "It's so pretty!"

The Trans Siberian Orchestra's "Carol of the Bells" came on- a personal favorite of mine- and we all watched the lights dance.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Because I was in the midst of my favorite Disney event and I was 22 weeks pregnant, I started tearing up in the middle of the show. I couldn't help it. Disney can turn me into such a sap.

Alex gave me one of his signature head shake/smiles that said, "Oh dear, here comes the crazy pregnancy hormones again. Once she starts up, it's so darn hard to get her to stop."



We walked around and watched one more song before deciding to head towards the opposite end of the street for some Photopass Pictures.

Here's Alex and I during one of our breaks to check out the sights:


Everyone had a good time finding all the Hidden Mickeys strewn about the street, and I told everyone to keep an eye out for a cat, something that's hidden in the Lights every year. (Nobody found it.)


When we got to the Photopass Photographer there were about 5 people waiting in line ahead of us. The PPs have to wait for the lights to stop dancing to take their photos, so they get about a minute window every three/four minutes.

Not a lot of time. That was fine with me, though. I got to watch three more shows and talk with Alex for a bit.

You see, our goal is to return to Disney next December. We love the holiday season, and we figured DS would be a little older and by then we would've figured out what the heck we're doing.

Of course, nothing has been decided yet (it's always depressing when you don't have a ticker) but that's what we're telling people when asked. So standing at the Lights, Alex and I tried to envision ourselves a year from then, watching our little one stare at the Lights.

It made us so excited for the year ahead.


I wasn't thrilled with how our Photopass pictures turned out, but what can you do? I knew we were rushing, and that's what I'm blaming it on.


See, I've kind of got the crazy eyes going on. Maybe I was thinking of that Chuckles Vinyl...



Someone checked the time as we were leaving the Osborne Lights and saw that it was only 7:00 o'clock. Still pretty early in Disney time, and someone made the comment that we could probably make it to our 8:15 Test Track return time if we tried.

Before we could, though, Steve wanted a turkey leg and Eddie wanted to buy some pins.

Wha-?!?

You what, Eddie?

"Yeah, I bet they have some cool Star Wars one; I wouldn't mind checking them out."

Holy Cow!

I directed Steve, Jessica, and Liz to where I knew for sure there'd be a turkey leg. (Sunset Blvd.) I'm sure there was somewhere closer, but I don't eat turkey legs, so I've never paid much attention before. Bad DISer. And Alex and I took Leslie and Eddie over to our personal favorite pin shop in DHS.



The Sorcerer's Hat.

This was great.


This was fantastic.


This was...rewarding.


Alex and I had officially turned one of his family members.


Come to the dark side, Eddie, we have Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars.

I browsed and bought a few more pins while Alex explained the prices and the trading policies to Eddie. I think we ended up spending a good fifteen minutes shopping.

It was fabulous. Alex and I snuck mischievous, evil genius glances at each other. Like, "Look at how awesome we are, we converted another person to the Disney craze."

It was sort of rewarding, knowing that Alex and I took someone who had no special connection to Disney, and in less than a day, showed him so many good things about the world that he'd want to start a pin collection, something you keep up by making trips to the parks and trading.


Eddie works in correlation to the cruise ports down in that area, and he even made a comment that he'd like to get a Disney shirt for the days he's working with the Disney ships. (His uniform is Hawaiin/beach themed shirts.)

Alex and I were doing a jig in our heads, ya'll. We felt like proud parents, sending our child off into the world, packed full of the knowledge we bestowed upon them.



Once we all left the pin shop, it was a nice little adventure trying to find the other three. Most everyone's phones had died a few hours ago, so we had no way of getting a hold of them. We just sort of walked down Hollywood Blvd, looking for familiar clothes and faces.

Somehow (don't ask me) Leslie spotted one of them in a store.

I guess Steve had long since finished his turkey leg (HOW?! We were only gone fifteen minutes!) and Liz decided to kill some time by buying her nieces and nephews some Mickey ears.


With all of us back together, we left Hollywood Studios and headed towards the bus stop for Epcot. There was a bus loading as we pulled up, and I knew we weren't going to make it.

The driver sat there for awhile, pushing everyone to the back of the bus, then came out and asked if there was a group that wanted to stand.

Alex, without thinking, said, "Yeah, we will."


You guys, I started crying.


It was a little after 7:20 at that point, and I had been trekking around Disney for almost 10 hours straight. I'd been doing pretty good, and I thought I wasn't dragging the group down too terribly much.

But let's be honest.

I was exhausted.

Fatigue has been my one and only pregnancy symptom these last 7 months, and the idea of standing up for a bumpy, jarring bus ride was too much. Not to mention, nobody even consulted me.

I didn't even have the energy to fight or have a meltdown, I simply waved my hand and said, "You guys go on ahead, I'm waiting. I need to sit down."

The other six looked at me with these wide eyes. Like I said, "No, I don't want any ice cream, I'd rather have an extra serving of broccoli."


It was made very clear to me that no one was pleased at having to wait for the next bus, but honestly- I could've cared less. Throw those dirty looks my way, this chick is done. I was reaching the end of my rope, and I was well past the point of making everyone else happy.

Of course, because I was the sole person responsible for not taking the available bus, it just so happened that we had to wait 30 minutes for another one to roll up.

Oh yes, I heard plenty of, "We could've been there by nows," and "I don't think waiting for a seat is any easier."

Hurmm hmmmph.



An Epcot bus did eventually arrive and I plopped down in the first seat behind the driver, where that huge wall is. And then..

I dozed.


Oh yes. We didn't even make it out of the DHS bus stop before my eyes were shut and I was snoring.

I needed that little cat nap, and I had no shame.



By the time someone woke me up, and we all disembarked at Epcot, it was after 8 o'clock, and the other six were starting to worry they'd miss the Fastpass window. They all began power-walking towards the bag check, and I just couldn't do it. My legs were not going to move any faster than they absolutely had to.

Plus, I had to pee.

Again.

Sigh.

So, I pulled Alex aside and told him to go on ahead of me. He looked a little unhappy at the idea of leaving me alone outside of the park, but I assured him I'd be fine.

"Look, I'm just going to slow you all down. Go on, ride Test Track, I'll meet up with you at the exit."

We said goodbye, and they all took off. I lost sight of them within seconds.



So, that left me.

And Epcot:


Ahhh, what a beautiful sight!



I proceeded to take my sweet time, stopping to look at the Epcot globe a few times, amazed at how spectacular it looks at night. I don't know why, but the sight of Epcot at night makes me really appreciate where I'm at and all the things I've gotten to do in a trip. It's that one thing that I look at and go, "Wow, I've just spent my day in Disney. I'm so incredibly happy right now."

Sadly, I used my Annual Pass for the very last time. It broke my heart a little bit, knowing I wouldn't be returning between then and when the pass expires (May 5th).

It felt so great, being a passholder. If I was having a crummy day, it was nice to be able to close my eyes and say to myself, "If I wanted, I could get into the Magic Kingdom right now."

There's something special about being an Annual Passholder.



Once inside the park, I walked slowly past Spaceship Earth towards the Fountain of Nations.


Then I realized, I'd never stopped to listen to the Fountain of Nations soundtrack in front of the actual Fountain of Nations. I listen to it all the time at home, but never when I'm inside the park.

Well, why not do it now?

So, I found a seat and watched the show for a bit, feeling completely calm.

It was so peaceful! I happened to glance to my left, and what do you know...

My favorite shop in the world was right there. Filled with Christmas decorations. And I had nobody but little ol' me to worry about.

So, I went into MouseGears and perused the holiday specials for awhile.

Going at my own speed.

That, that right there was heavenly. Not worrying about what everybody else was doing or where my husband had run off to or what he was buying.


Unfortunately, I was too tired to be on my feet for long, so I had to leave after looking for about ten minutes to go find a seat by Test Track.

I found a nice, quiet spot close enough to exit to see if a group of adults were exiting the ride, but far enough away to enjoy the quiet night and look at the Christmas tree in the distance.







Even with my long, slow procession to the attraction, I still sat around for about 20 minutes before I spotted the group.

And I gotta say...that time alone in Epcot was really special for me.

I'd never been in Disney alone before, and it was nice. I got to enjoy Epcot the way I wanted to, and I was left to my own devices. I just sat on that bench and closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of Disney at night.

I guess it was so meaningful to me, because I'd been with a large group all day, so I wasn't able to hear the music being piped through the parks or stop and really stare at the sights. Plus, I knew an opportunity like this wouldn't happen again for me anytime soon.



When the group rejoined me, I asked Alex how the ride was. He said that even with Fastpasses, they had to wait about 30 minutes to get on the ride.

Wow, guess it was still pretty packed.

He told me that the new look and feel of the ride is very Tron-like, which I'm not so sure about. I didn't like Tron and loved the old design of TT, so I'm very curious to see if I like this new version.



By now it was nearing 9 o'clock, and Jessica, Liz, and Steve were ready to leave. Everyone else figured they'd made it that late, they might as well stay another half an hour and watch IllumiNations.


I should’ve left, I was well past my exhaustion point, but I really wanted to see Holiday IllumiNations. I just love all the nighttime shows, and I couldn't stand the thought of being so close and missing one of them.

So, against my better judgment, I decided to stay and grab a quick dinner in World Showcase. There was a bit of a debate on where to eat, and I got kind of cranky, walking back and forth across the World Showcase in search of what appealed to everyone.


Eventually, Leslie got something from Morocco while Alex, Eddie, and I just got chicken nuggets from the American Pavilion.


By the time we were finishing, it was right at 9:30, and no sooner had we walked outside then the show began.
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



My view wasn't horrible, but I didn't get many photos, so I apologize for that.






f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



Once the show was over, we all headed towards the exit. Alex insisted we stop inside MouseGears; he wanted to try his luck again with the Pixar Vinylmation and Eddie wanted to buy another pin.

There wasn't any way I was standing on my feet more than I absolutely needed to, so Leslie and I sat down outside of the store and waited for them.

This was our view:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


After another ten minutes of waiting, the two men came out with their purchases and we all hopped a monorail back to the TTC and took a tram to our vehicle.

The good thing about being so tired was that I didn't even have the energy to mourn leaving Disney. Any other time, I would've been a wreck, especially since I knew it would be a full year until I returned, but all I could focus on was the warm bed waiting for me an hour away.


Overall, the day trip went so much better than I could have imagined, and I'm so grateful that I got to do it with some of my family members. There were several great moments, seeing the Osborne Lights again being one of them, and the trip made me really look forward to taking DS one day.


I wish I could say our trip to Alex's family ended as well as it began. But, alas, our luck ran out when we left Disney.

Driving home later that week, our car decided to give us heck.

We were going through Tallahassee a few days later, three hours away from our home. It was pouring rain, rush hour traffic, when out of nowhere we were losing speed. We went from 70 to 60 to 50 to 40...

Thank goodness Alex made it to an exit and pulled into a gas station right before the car stopped completely and wouldn't move an inch.

Now, let me just include, we'd had Christmas at his parent's house earlier, and they'd given us a surround sound system.
So, in our tiny little 2 door coupe, we had the car packed down with luggage in the trunk, the surround sound system taking up the entire back seat, and our dog, Buster, who's the worst animal to travel with in the world, and we were stuck at a gas station in the rain 3 days before Christmas and on a Friday night.


We had to call our insurance to get a tow to a hotel, because it was 6 o'clock and no mechanic was open. First, we had to find a hotel that took allowed dogs and hope that the tow truck driver would let Buster in his truck bed.

Luck was with us and we ended up with a friendly tow driver, and we found a hotel not a mile away from us that was pet-friendly.

For 70 dollars a night, the Howard Johnson we were taken to was actually really nice. The room was very clean, no other animal smells or stains, and all the furniture looked in good condition.

So, we waited an hour for that tow in the cold and rain, with a hyper-active dog, found and were taken to a nearby hotel, unpacked all our valuable items from our broken vehicle, and woke up early the following morning to find a mechanic to look at our car.

The car was towed to a local mechanic who told us that the clutch was blown and that it'd cost us 1100 dollars to fix.


In the end, we got my parents to drive over, get a tow from Uhaul, and hitched a ride home from them.
Then, the week after Christmas, Alex and I went through the unpleasant task of car shopping. We decided to not fix the car, because a 2 door coupe with an infant was going to prove to be a nightmare. So we retired that car and got:


A family car.

It was a little sad saying goodbye to the old Cobalt. It had taken us to 6 Disney trips. Transported us to 2 Disney races, a Disney cruise, and countless Downtown Disney excursions.

Not to mention, that was not the way I wanted to round out our mini-Disney trip.

But that's all water under the bridge now. After this update I can get back to my May trip and all the adventures my mom and I got into during our last few days in the world.


We also made an online Disney order a few weeks after the holidays were over, and Alex bought himself another Pixar Vinyl. The one he bought at MouseGears turned out to be Flick, from a Bug's Life. Not bad, but not one of our favorites, either.

The Vinylmation he got with our online purchased turned out to be:

None other than Chuckles, the creepy clown.

Gah!!! So now we're stuck with him for a whole year.

He gives me the heebie jeebies everytime I walk past him in the hallway...

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Good job getting Eddie over to the Disney dark side!!! I do not blame you AT ALL for needing to sit on that bus!! And how nice that you got a bit of solo time in Epcot!!

 

[marDgreen88]

I'm so glad yall had a good day trip after all. The Osborne Lights really are spectacular, and I'm glad that the group got to ride Test Track, you got to have some along time (which can be SO Heavenly at the right times) and topping it all off with Holiday IllumiNations makes it that much better!

I'm sorry about the car troubles yall had but your new car is very nice!

Excited to hear about the rest of the May trip.

 

[MEK]

Another convert! You go girl!

Another fantastic update. You are turning into such a great writer! True confession - I skip reading a lot of the words in some other TRs, but not your. I just totally smile and laugh the whole time.

I don't blame you for being exhausted. That was one heck of a long day, but you got to do so much. I'm glad you got a little a lone time at the end of your day.

Congrats on getting a new car. You obviously were going to need one soon enough, so its one less thing to worry about.

I know what you mean about your AP. It's so sad when it expires. Mine expired in December. At least I have a new voucher ready to activate.

Cool that your parents like to decorate so much!

 

[Aussiesalad]

Awh I love that Osborne Lights!! They make me weep a little too

Yikes, such a long day! I would have been bench bound too after that day.

That is crazy about your car but your new one looks great! And it's all ready to start making Disney memories in again!

AHHHHH CHUCKLES!!! I cannot believe that you got him!! What a hilarious end to the trip!