Cdn Friends of Pooh
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Great TR so far...we're just getting caught up!! 
It's Not So Very Scary - My 2007 Disney Halloween Extravaganza! MNSSHP and HHN!
- Thread starter CriminyCrafft
- Start date
hi ,just got back from disney today and was catching up on the trip reports when low and behold there we are sat at the brown derby in your photo! (me dh dd and ds ) we had a great meal too and then got wet through watching fantasmic ,but it was so worth it!
CriminyCrafft
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Great TR so far...we're just getting caught up!!
Yay, thanks for signin' on. I'm off to read your first TR installment now.
WOW that is amazing! I wondered if anyone would see themselves in the photos. Your kids are very cute! You all were at Disney quite a while - LUCKY!!! I hope you had a great time!!
Thanks for reading!!
CriminyCrafft
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Hello there, thanks for joining in! I always enjoy your helpful comments on the Universal/IOA board!
I'd love to see your HHN pics! 
Here comes another installment!
CriminyCrafft
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Day 3 - Epcot and MNSSHP!!!
I woke up early the next day to make the Epcot morning Extra Magic Hour, and thus began a tiresome routine of trying to rouse my friend from bed. He didn't want to get up and said he would meet me later on in the morning. I tried to explain that he was going to miss out on some rides but he wouldn't listen. Oh well, his loss. So I caught the Friendship Launch to Epcot, which landed at World Showcase. Here is the empty UK that greeted me.
Soon I could see Spaceship Earth.
I had to hurry on down to Future World to ride Soarin', because I knew it would be slammed by 9 am. Aaaaaaaaaah, The Land!
I waited in standby for about 20 minutes and rode Soarin'. I don't love this ride. It's pleasant enough, but I prefer Mission: Space and Test Track! Which is exactly where I was headed next! I rode these two in quick succession. I really love Mission: Space.
I talked to a very nice CM in line at MS who asked me where I got my Haunted Mansion tshirt, and we talked about the refurbished Haunted Mansion and Haunted Mansion Holiday. After I did these rides I headed over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. MINE! MINE!
I did the clams and then hopped over to see Turtle Talk with Crush. This wasn't open when we went last year so I was pumped to see it. In the Unofficial Guide I read that Disney has only two CMs who have the improvisational skills to do Crush, so it puts them on "healthly living" plans with frequent doctor visits so they don't get sick. That seems almost too nuts to be true. Anyway, I loved Turtle Talk, it was hilarious. The guy who did Crush was great, and the little kids were entertaining.
After that I was getting hungry and wanted to eat lunch in an hour or so, so I decided to call my friend and ask where the flip he was. He said he was on the boat and would meet me in a few minutes. So I went into Mousegears to browse and bought a yellow "Epcot Center" tshirt. Soon my friend showed up. We rode Test Track in the single rider line and then rode Mission: Space again. He said he felt a little sick afterwards but not too bad. Then we headed over to the Land. By this time, as I suspected, the fastpasses for Soarin' had a return time of late afternoon, around 3:50 pm I think. That wasn't going to work with our MNSSHP and dinner schedule. Oh well, again, his loss.
So it was off to do Living with the Land. I love this ride. My friend said, with rolling eyes, "I don't think I'm going to like a BOAT RIDE" but he did like it. In the spirit of Halloween, I got this pic:
I decided it was time for lunch. Sunshine Seasons was a perfectly decent choice. I got the vegetarian Cuban sandwich and a side of pasta salad:
It was very good, I'd definitely get it again.
After lunch we popped over to the Imagination Pavilion to visit Figment. Journey into Imagination is better than its last reincarnation, but oh how I wish they still had the original version with the Dreamfinder!!! It was SO MUCH BETTER. I recently watched a ridethrough of the original version on youtube, and I SO wish they'd bring it back. I've heard there's a revamp in the works but who knows.
After Journey into Imagination I wanted to go to the Meet Figment spot. Another annoying thing about my friend - he wasn't keen on pictures with characters and didn't want to wait in line. At this point I was trying to keep him fairly happy, so I said okay, let's check out some countries! So it was off to World Showcase to stroll around and check out the F&W Festival stands. Here's me in the middle of Future World and World Showcase.
We went to Mexico and got in line for the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Cabelleros. We waited about 5 minutes for this, amazingly, as the park was getting so crowded. The updates are okay, they definitely make the ride more interesting in my opinion. The best part of the ride for me is always floating by the San Angel Inn!
We then headed to Norway and rode the Maelstrom. Unlike the River of Time/Gran Fiesta, this ride is actually fun. I remember DH ogling all the cute Norwegian CMs last year!! After that I had to pop in Kringla Bakeri og Cafe to get the good ole Schoolbread. Here's me, all greasy and pigging out.
Yes, I ate the whole thing. It feels very lite - it's not a heavy pastry! Did I mention I am a piggles?
We cruised by China. We would be back here later on in the week. Little did I know we would be eating at Nine Dragons that Saturday nite!
I really wanted to do the American Adventure, as I hadn't done it in years and I kept hearing that song "Two Brothers" from the show on Sorcerer Radio over and over. On our way there we saw these guys:
They did a great little show, I loved them! These kinds of things popping up everywhere and surprising you is part of what makes Disney so fantastic.
We went into the American Adventure and soon we were treated to the Voices of Liberty. They were AMAZING.
The lady on the far left came over and started being all flirtatious with my friend, and then acted like she needed to back off because he was with me. After the show she came over and said "Thanks for letting me borrow him!" I said "We're just buddies, you can have him - and in fact, please take him!"
I loved the American Adventure - I'm no flag-waving uber-patriot but the show was moving. It's at the top of my to-do list at World Showcase!
We cruised over to Japan and caught the taiko drummers.
Great show!
After that we cruised through France and the UK, and then checked the wait time for Soarin' again. No dice! We had to take the monorail over to Magic Kingdom for MNSSP. I was so excited about Boo to You, Hallowishes, and riding the refurbed Haunted Mansion!
Continued in next post!
I woke up early the next day to make the Epcot morning Extra Magic Hour, and thus began a tiresome routine of trying to rouse my friend from bed. He didn't want to get up and said he would meet me later on in the morning. I tried to explain that he was going to miss out on some rides but he wouldn't listen. Oh well, his loss. So I caught the Friendship Launch to Epcot, which landed at World Showcase. Here is the empty UK that greeted me.
Soon I could see Spaceship Earth.
I had to hurry on down to Future World to ride Soarin', because I knew it would be slammed by 9 am. Aaaaaaaaaah, The Land!
I waited in standby for about 20 minutes and rode Soarin'. I don't love this ride. It's pleasant enough, but I prefer Mission: Space and Test Track! Which is exactly where I was headed next! I rode these two in quick succession. I really love Mission: Space.
I talked to a very nice CM in line at MS who asked me where I got my Haunted Mansion tshirt, and we talked about the refurbished Haunted Mansion and Haunted Mansion Holiday. After I did these rides I headed over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. MINE! MINE!
I did the clams and then hopped over to see Turtle Talk with Crush. This wasn't open when we went last year so I was pumped to see it. In the Unofficial Guide I read that Disney has only two CMs who have the improvisational skills to do Crush, so it puts them on "healthly living" plans with frequent doctor visits so they don't get sick.
That seems almost too nuts to be true. Anyway, I loved Turtle Talk, it was hilarious. The guy who did Crush was great, and the little kids were entertaining.After that I was getting hungry and wanted to eat lunch in an hour or so, so I decided to call my friend and ask where the flip he was. He said he was on the boat and would meet me in a few minutes. So I went into Mousegears to browse and bought a yellow "Epcot Center" tshirt. Soon my friend showed up. We rode Test Track in the single rider line and then rode Mission: Space again. He said he felt a little sick afterwards but not too bad. Then we headed over to the Land. By this time, as I suspected, the fastpasses for Soarin' had a return time of late afternoon, around 3:50 pm I think. That wasn't going to work with our MNSSHP and dinner schedule. Oh well, again, his loss.
So it was off to do Living with the Land. I love this ride. My friend said, with rolling eyes, "I don't think I'm going to like a BOAT RIDE" but he did like it. In the spirit of Halloween, I got this pic:
I decided it was time for lunch. Sunshine Seasons was a perfectly decent choice. I got the vegetarian Cuban sandwich and a side of pasta salad:
It was very good, I'd definitely get it again.
After lunch we popped over to the Imagination Pavilion to visit Figment. Journey into Imagination is better than its last reincarnation, but oh how I wish they still had the original version with the Dreamfinder!!! It was SO MUCH BETTER. I recently watched a ridethrough of the original version on youtube, and I SO wish they'd bring it back. I've heard there's a revamp in the works but who knows.
After Journey into Imagination I wanted to go to the Meet Figment spot. Another annoying thing about my friend - he wasn't keen on pictures with characters and didn't want to wait in line. At this point I was trying to keep him fairly happy, so I said okay, let's check out some countries! So it was off to World Showcase to stroll around and check out the F&W Festival stands. Here's me in the middle of Future World and World Showcase.
We went to Mexico and got in line for the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Cabelleros. We waited about 5 minutes for this, amazingly, as the park was getting so crowded. The updates are okay, they definitely make the ride more interesting in my opinion. The best part of the ride for me is always floating by the San Angel Inn!
We then headed to Norway and rode the Maelstrom. Unlike the River of Time/Gran Fiesta, this ride is actually fun. I remember DH ogling all the cute Norwegian CMs last year!! After that I had to pop in Kringla Bakeri og Cafe to get the good ole Schoolbread. Here's me, all greasy and pigging out.
Yes, I ate the whole thing. It feels very lite - it's not a heavy pastry! Did I mention I am a piggles?
We cruised by China. We would be back here later on in the week. Little did I know we would be eating at Nine Dragons that Saturday nite!
I really wanted to do the American Adventure, as I hadn't done it in years and I kept hearing that song "Two Brothers" from the show on Sorcerer Radio over and over.
On our way there we saw these guys:
They did a great little show, I loved them! These kinds of things popping up everywhere and surprising you is part of what makes Disney so fantastic.
We went into the American Adventure and soon we were treated to the Voices of Liberty. They were AMAZING.
The lady on the far left came over and started being all flirtatious with my friend, and then acted like she needed to back off because he was with me. After the show she came over and said "Thanks for letting me borrow him!" I said "We're just buddies, you can have him - and in fact, please take him!"
I loved the American Adventure - I'm no flag-waving uber-patriot but the show was moving. It's at the top of my to-do list at World Showcase!We cruised over to Japan and caught the taiko drummers.
Great show!
After that we cruised through France and the UK, and then checked the wait time for Soarin' again. No dice! We had to take the monorail over to Magic Kingdom for MNSSP. I was so excited about Boo to You, Hallowishes, and riding the refurbed Haunted Mansion!
Continued in next post!
skywaywaver
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- Jul 27, 2003
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- 780
Great job! Please update soon! 
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
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- Sep 11, 2006
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We arrived at Magic Kingdom and used our MNSSHP tickets to get in the park. I was sooooo excited! I immediately bought a MNSSHP tshirt at the gift shop outside the MK gates. Let the Halloween fun begin!
We had a reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern coming up, but I wanted to pop on the Haunted Mansion beforehand. The wait was about 10 minutes, I think, and the CMs had their MNSSHP makeup and spiderwebs on. I LOVE the new additions/renovations! LOVE the staircases, LOVE the bride stuff. One of my favorite rides ever!
It was on to LTT. THere was a family dressed up like the Wizard of Oz characters - Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion. I got a pic but it's very dark. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated, and then we were taken to a little nook off the main dining rooms. Here's the decor in our nook:
Here's a crummy pic of the Bill of Fare, mostly because I just like typing and saying "Bill of Fare":
I wasn't going to eat the Patriot's Platter 'cause I'm vegetarian, and I knew I would be plenty full from mac 'n' cheez, mashed potatoes, salad, bread, and cobbler. Our server was very nice and tried to convince me to get the vegetarian entree to no avail. She also sadly confirmed that the stuffing is NOT vegetarian. Oh well. First came the salad!
Delicious!
Then came the Patriot's Platter and the sides:
YUM!!! Drooling on keyboard right now!
I feel like I definitely got a pic of the cobbler (it was apple) but I couldn't find it when I downloaded stuff! Dagnabbit. It was yum-tastic.
Characters made their way over throughout the meal. First was Goofy!
Then Minnie!
Chip and Dale!
and finally Pluto!
I told each of the characters that I liked their costumes and said "See you in the parade tonight!" I wonder if that annoyed them?
We finished up dinner and headed back to hit some rides. We caught a little bit of Dream Along with Mickey. Check out the dude in mid-air!
After that we rode the Fantasyland rides we had missed before, like Peter Pan. Then we rode Splash Mtn again. It was getting dark and the Treat Trail lights were glowing!
We wandered over to Toontown to look around and I wanted to check out the character lines. You can sort of see the spiderweb projected over the Toontown sign in this pic.
Boo to You parade and more MNSSHP in next post!
We had a reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern coming up, but I wanted to pop on the Haunted Mansion beforehand. The wait was about 10 minutes, I think, and the CMs had their MNSSHP makeup and spiderwebs on. I LOVE the new additions/renovations! LOVE the staircases, LOVE the bride stuff. One of my favorite rides ever!
It was on to LTT. THere was a family dressed up like the Wizard of Oz characters - Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion. I got a pic but it's very dark. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated, and then we were taken to a little nook off the main dining rooms. Here's the decor in our nook:
Here's a crummy pic of the Bill of Fare, mostly because I just like typing and saying "Bill of Fare":
I wasn't going to eat the Patriot's Platter 'cause I'm vegetarian, and I knew I would be plenty full from mac 'n' cheez, mashed potatoes, salad, bread, and cobbler. Our server was very nice and tried to convince me to get the vegetarian entree to no avail. She also sadly confirmed that the stuffing is NOT vegetarian. Oh well. First came the salad!
Delicious!
Then came the Patriot's Platter and the sides:
YUM!!! Drooling on keyboard right now!
I feel like I definitely got a pic of the cobbler (it was apple) but I couldn't find it when I downloaded stuff! Dagnabbit. It was yum-tastic.
Characters made their way over throughout the meal. First was Goofy!
Then Minnie!
Chip and Dale!
and finally Pluto!
I told each of the characters that I liked their costumes and said "See you in the parade tonight!" I wonder if that annoyed them?
We finished up dinner and headed back to hit some rides. We caught a little bit of Dream Along with Mickey. Check out the dude in mid-air!
After that we rode the Fantasyland rides we had missed before, like Peter Pan. Then we rode Splash Mtn again. It was getting dark and the Treat Trail lights were glowing!
We wandered over to Toontown to look around and I wanted to check out the character lines. You can sort of see the spiderweb projected over the Toontown sign in this pic.
Boo to You parade and more MNSSHP in next post!
CriminyCrafft
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The lines for the characters at Toontown were INSANE. And this was a Tuesday! There was no point waiting (plus my friend was getting antsy) so we decided to ride Space Mountain and Pirates again. Then, it was time to find a spot for the parade. I found an okay spot right near the start of the parade route. At this point my friend was getting frustrated and said "I think I'm just going to go ride some rides." I said "Okay, call me later." He thought Jammin' Jungle Parade was "lame." This parade avoidance would come back to haunt him (pun intended)!
Soon the horseman announcement came on. I, unlike many people, respect the rule that you're not supposed to take pictures of the Horseman because it might scare the horse! The horseman flew by and I knew I had about 15 minutes to wait before the parade started. I decided that this parade I would take pictures, and the 10:30 parade I would just watch only. These Boo to You pictures are crummy, but we ended up going back to MNSSHP on Friday and I have better ones to come! I LOVE BOO TO YOU!!!!! It's one of my favorite events at WDW, ever!
I LOVE Eeyore's new costume! All new costumes for the characters, and no Christopher Robin this year.
I'm pretty sure the Lost Boys weren't in the parade last year.
Captain Hook's pirate ship was definitely new!
Pirate dancers!
Barbossa! I was so excited about this addition. I got a better pic of him that Friday.
My favorite part - the Haunted Mansion.
My pics of the gravediggers were not good, but better ones are coming up soon!
Villians! It's good to be bad!
Dark Goofy.
Best parade ever!
After this I headed for the Haunted Mansion again. I ran into these guys as I was leaving Frontierland.
I think they have a name, but I forgot!
Rode the HM and then I went to check out some of the Halloween Dance Parties. I loved these last year. I went to the one in Fantasyland as it was easier to just stand and watch that one by myself than the one at Cosmic Ray's.
SO CUTE!
Around this time my friend called. He came and met me and we rode Winnie the Pooh. Then it was time to find a spot to watch Hallowishes. No pics - my fireworks pics turn out worse than my normal ones! My friend confessed to me that he caught a bit of Boo to You as he was shuttling between rides and wanted to stay for the 10:30 parade. Good, I said, because I was staying anyway! Then we found a spot on the bridge from Tomorrowland and watched Hallowishes, which is the best fireworks show I've seen. It's just amazing. Our spot was not the best but good enough. Then we got a spot in the main hub for the 10:30 parade. I didn't take any photos at this one, I just wanted to take it all in. Second parade was great, very glad I stayed. My friend loved it (more on this later!). After that we got another smoothie at the Main Street Bakery and then headed back to the Dolphin. I love MNSSHP and I will definitely be back next year!
Up next - Day 4 - Islands of Adventure and Halloween Horror Nights!!!
Soon the horseman announcement came on. I, unlike many people, respect the rule that you're not supposed to take pictures of the Horseman because it might scare the horse! The horseman flew by and I knew I had about 15 minutes to wait before the parade started. I decided that this parade I would take pictures, and the 10:30 parade I would just watch only. These Boo to You pictures are crummy, but we ended up going back to MNSSHP on Friday and I have better ones to come! I LOVE BOO TO YOU!!!!! It's one of my favorite events at WDW, ever!
I LOVE Eeyore's new costume! All new costumes for the characters, and no Christopher Robin this year.
I'm pretty sure the Lost Boys weren't in the parade last year.
Captain Hook's pirate ship was definitely new!
Pirate dancers!
Barbossa! I was so excited about this addition. I got a better pic of him that Friday.
My favorite part - the Haunted Mansion.
My pics of the gravediggers were not good, but better ones are coming up soon!
Villians! It's good to be bad!
Dark Goofy.
Best parade ever!
After this I headed for the Haunted Mansion again. I ran into these guys as I was leaving Frontierland.
I think they have a name, but I forgot!
Rode the HM and then I went to check out some of the Halloween Dance Parties. I loved these last year. I went to the one in Fantasyland as it was easier to just stand and watch that one by myself than the one at Cosmic Ray's.
SO CUTE!
Around this time my friend called. He came and met me and we rode Winnie the Pooh. Then it was time to find a spot to watch Hallowishes. No pics - my fireworks pics turn out worse than my normal ones! My friend confessed to me that he caught a bit of Boo to You as he was shuttling between rides and wanted to stay for the 10:30 parade. Good, I said, because I was staying anyway! Then we found a spot on the bridge from Tomorrowland and watched Hallowishes, which is the best fireworks show I've seen. It's just amazing. Our spot was not the best but good enough. Then we got a spot in the main hub for the 10:30 parade. I didn't take any photos at this one, I just wanted to take it all in. Second parade was great, very glad I stayed. My friend loved it (more on this later!). After that we got another smoothie at the Main Street Bakery and then headed back to the Dolphin. I love MNSSHP and I will definitely be back next year!
Up next - Day 4 - Islands of Adventure and Halloween Horror Nights!!!
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
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- Sep 11, 2006
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Great job! Please update soon!
Thanks for reading! My next update might not be till Friday. I need to actually do some work now.
Great pictures and report!!
I have to ask... how coconutty was the schoolbread? We eyeballed and drooled over it but I can't get past idea, and my dislike, of the coconut
Thanks for stickin' wif me! Schoolbread was not very coconutty to me, it's mostly creamy and fluffy. I think it just has coconut shavings on the top. But I love coconut so I could be misremembering!
Disney Brat
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Great installments once again!!!
chiefdragon
DIS Veteran
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Lovint the TR. The pictures are amazing....can not wait to see and read more.
CriminyCrafft
Mouseketeer
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- Sep 11, 2006
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Thanks! Hopefully I will be posting a new installment soon.
Thanks for reading. I wish I had gotten more and better pics.
I am really loving your trip report
Thanks! I may not be able to post a full installment till TUESDAY - I need to crack down work-wise today and I get Monday off for Veteran's Day. Perhaps I can post something this afternoon if I really get going!
Cdn Friends of Pooh
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Loved your parade pics from MNSSHP...we missed both parades when we went 
CriminyCrafft
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Loved your parade pics from MNSSHP...we missed both parades when we went
Oh no - how did you manage to miss both parades? Illness? Rain? I hope not. Either way, can't wait to read about it in your TR!
Cdn Friends of Pooh
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CriminyCrafft
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Day 4 - Islands of Adventure and Halloween Horror Nights!
Sorry, faithful readers, for not updating in awhile. Today I will finish Day 4. But first, I have some exciting news. I'm definitely going to Disneyland in March! A friend of mine's family lives in San Diego, so we're going out there to stay for awhile and will then drive to Disneyland and spend three days there. Now I'm debating whether to spend the extra cash and stay on-site. There seem to be a lot of decent hotels right across the street, but part of me wants to get the "full Disneyland experience." I went to Disneyland for a day in 2001 on a trip to Los Angeles, but I haven't been to Disney's California Adventure. I'm so excited and can't wait to ride Mr. Toad again!
Anyway...on with the TR!
I had booked a Mears shuttle to pick us up at the Dolphin and take us to Islands of Adventure. We planned to stay there all day and then go to HHN Stay and Scream. I was so excited as I'd never been to IOA before. We went outside and waited for the shuttle, and lo and behold Mears had sent a town car for us! So we got a nice car ride for a mere $32 round trip! I guess they have to do this if they don't have enough people for a shuttle?
We got to IOA around 9:30 am. I was so excited to see this stuff on the way in:
Last year was my first HHN after YEARS of wanting to go, and now I'm totally addicted. I *will* be there every year unless I'm maimed or dead!
I was pumped to see this, as I'd never been to IOA:
We were quickly admitted to the park. We then did a little nosing around the Port of Entry. It was very nicely themed.
I could see the Hulk! We booked it over there only to find that the ride was down! Argh. I noticed the park was not crowded AT ALL, so I hoped that it wasn't some last-minute non-peak season repair! We then headed over to Spiderman.
We hopped in the standby line. The wait was only ten minutes! I bought the express passes for us because I wanted to make sure I got to do everything, but we definitely did not need them. I think we ended up using the express pass one time later in the day. Oh well, at least they bought me some peace of mind in the pre-trip phase!
The queue for Spiderman was pretty cool. I was expecting a lot from this ride, and I have to say the first time around I was a little disappointed in it. We were in the back row of the ride car, so I wondered if that made a difference. I didn't enjoy it as much as Revenge of the Mummy at Universal. I knew we would ride it again later, so I thought I would reserve judgment until after the second ride.
After Spiderman we hopped over to Dr. Doom's Fear Fall. This was enjoyable, but nothing special, I thought.
I began to notice two things. First, that the loud rock music at Marvel Superhero Island was annoying (probably because the park was so dead that there were no voices around to cloud it), and second, that there were a ton of British people in the park. At WDW I feel like there's always been a decent number of our pals across the pond, but at IOA I seriously think we were some of the few Americans there that day. I would discover that everywhere we went, everyone around us had some sort of British accent. I felt like I was in Europe. It was pretty cool. Strangely enough, I only encounrtered two groups of British folks at HHN later that nite!
We headed on to Toon Lagoon.
Again, this area was very nicely themed. We walked past Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.
This looked like so much fun!!
It was then on to Jurassic Park!
I watched the Jurassic Park River Adventure for awhile at the observation area.
Then I decided to go on it. My friend didn't want to get wet so he waited at the observation area. Again, virtually no wait at all! This was a fun ride. Steggy!
Tussling raptors:
I didn't get too wet on this ride. It didn't compare to my previous soaking on Kali!
We passed by Pteranodon Flyers and I thought they looked really cool. Unfortunately I didn't end up doing them.
I was hungry by this point so we went over to the Burger Digs. I knew they had veggie burgers and a fixin's bar. My friend began another annoying habit - refusing to eat. He had been eating very little at all the restaurants so far, which made no sense because he's not a slim fellow by any means. But today he said he didn't want any lunch. This would become a fairly regular thing. When you're on a trip where eating is half the fun and you have dining reservations, it gets pretty irritating when the person you're with won't eat, just picks, or isn't on a normal eating schedule.
Here's my veggie burger and fries at Burger Digs.
After lunch we headed over to Lost Continent. Here's the view from the bridge from JP to LC:
It was time for the moment I'd been waiting for - Dueling Dragons!
Again, virtually no wait! The queue looked very cool but I was just walking briskly by it all. I LOVED this ride. It was so much fun. We rode it three times. We did Fire first in, I think, the fourth row. Then we did Ice in the back somewhere. THEN we did Fire in the front row (courtesy of the awesome "front row" special queue). Being in the front row was AMAZING and made for a totally different experience. I want to go back to IOA before they close DD down for the Harry Potter transformation. I hope they don't change it too much because this ride RULES! Does anyone know exactly what they're going to be doing to it yet? I heard it's going to be a "Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia" ride. Either way, I've gotta get back soon!
I had my first locker trauma after DD. The locker I put my bag in wouldn't open. It wouldn't recognize my thumbprint. So I had to get the locker tech dude to come get it for me. It was all good, but I almost had a heart attack thinking I wouldn't be able to get my bag back.
As we were leaving DD, I snapped this pic of Enchanted Oak Tavern. I thought it was so cool! I enjoyed imagining how the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is going to look, as I'm a huge Potter fan. I read that Enchanted Oak will be turned into an HP-themed restaurant.
I wanted to eat there but I looked at the menu when planning the trip and it looked very non-vegetarian-friendly.
We then went to the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad show. In the line there was a British family in front of us, and one of the sons looked just like Dudley from Harry Potter (well, Dudley in The Order of the Phoenix movie at least - in "Big D" mode). This show was totally corny and silly but fun.
Lost Continent was very cool. Someone commented on my Tokyo Disney TR that Tokyo DisneySea looks like Islands of Adventure. I now think that is true, to a certain extent. TDS is a *tad* more nifty, IMHO! This looks similar to Arabian Coast in TDS.
We walked by Poseidon's Fury but didn't go in.
Here's me on our way over to Seuss Landing.
Ahhhh Hulk, would we ever get to ride you?
We breezed through Suess Landing, taking in all the cool theming but wanting to book it back over to Hulk and also ride Spiderman again. We made it back to Hulk and it was back up! We got another locker and hopped in line. The wait was about 10 minutes. We were surrounded by British folks in line again. I really liked the Hulk - the launch was amazing. It did give me a head and neck ache though. No matter - I'm fine to ride again! We rode Hulk two more times (last time using Express pass) and then got the bag out of the locker. Back to Spiderman I went!! This time we rode in the front row. It was a whole different experience, IMHO. I liked it much better sitting in the front!!! I didn't like it as much as DD or ROTM, but still very very cool and super fun.
After Hulk I wanted to head over and ride Dudley Do-Right, but it was not hot that day and I didn't want to get cold later on at night if I got wet. Ithink it was about 4:00 pm by this point, and I wanted to go back to Seuss Landing and check out the HHN Stay and Scream area, where I would cross over to the Studios for my early entry into HHN! I had read online (thanks, Universal disboards peeps!) that the Stay and Scream area opened around 4:30 and that they start letting people into the houses at 5:45 (HHN officially opens at 6:30). So I wanted to get in line ASAP to knock out as many houses as possible.
We poked around Suess Landing for awhile. That place was pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty cool (as Larry David would say). Really neat theming. I got this pic of the Caro-Seuss-el.
As we were nosing around I saw what I thought to be the Stay and Scream area but there was no sign up for it yet. So I walked back to Guest Services at Port of Entry to ask when it opened. The woman there told me 5:30. Hmmmm, I know that can't be right, I thought. Unfortunately my friend heard this and now he didn't want to go to the Stay and Scream area till 5:30. I told him I'd read online that you can go much earlier than that to get in line, but he wouldn't listen. Instead of starting a fight, I suggested we stop at Croissant Moon Bakery. I had a delicious slice of key lime pie. I sat around there for a few minutes and then decided I was going to the Stay and Scream area. My friend said he wanted to sit there a little longer. Just fine, sez I, call me later. And I was off to Stay and Scream!
Continued in next post!
Sorry, faithful readers, for not updating in awhile. Today I will finish Day 4. But first, I have some exciting news. I'm definitely going to Disneyland in March! A friend of mine's family lives in San Diego, so we're going out there to stay for awhile and will then drive to Disneyland and spend three days there. Now I'm debating whether to spend the extra cash and stay on-site. There seem to be a lot of decent hotels right across the street, but part of me wants to get the "full Disneyland experience." I went to Disneyland for a day in 2001 on a trip to Los Angeles, but I haven't been to Disney's California Adventure. I'm so excited and can't wait to ride Mr. Toad again!
Anyway...on with the TR!
I had booked a Mears shuttle to pick us up at the Dolphin and take us to Islands of Adventure. We planned to stay there all day and then go to HHN Stay and Scream. I was so excited as I'd never been to IOA before. We went outside and waited for the shuttle, and lo and behold Mears had sent a town car for us! So we got a nice car ride for a mere $32 round trip! I guess they have to do this if they don't have enough people for a shuttle?
We got to IOA around 9:30 am. I was so excited to see this stuff on the way in:
Last year was my first HHN after YEARS of wanting to go, and now I'm totally addicted. I *will* be there every year unless I'm maimed or dead!
I was pumped to see this, as I'd never been to IOA:
We were quickly admitted to the park. We then did a little nosing around the Port of Entry. It was very nicely themed.
I could see the Hulk! We booked it over there only to find that the ride was down! Argh. I noticed the park was not crowded AT ALL, so I hoped that it wasn't some last-minute non-peak season repair! We then headed over to Spiderman.
We hopped in the standby line. The wait was only ten minutes! I bought the express passes for us because I wanted to make sure I got to do everything, but we definitely did not need them. I think we ended up using the express pass one time later in the day. Oh well, at least they bought me some peace of mind in the pre-trip phase!
The queue for Spiderman was pretty cool. I was expecting a lot from this ride, and I have to say the first time around I was a little disappointed in it. We were in the back row of the ride car, so I wondered if that made a difference. I didn't enjoy it as much as Revenge of the Mummy at Universal. I knew we would ride it again later, so I thought I would reserve judgment until after the second ride.
After Spiderman we hopped over to Dr. Doom's Fear Fall. This was enjoyable, but nothing special, I thought.
I began to notice two things. First, that the loud rock music at Marvel Superhero Island was annoying (probably because the park was so dead that there were no voices around to cloud it), and second, that there were a ton of British people in the park. At WDW I feel like there's always been a decent number of our pals across the pond, but at IOA I seriously think we were some of the few Americans there that day. I would discover that everywhere we went, everyone around us had some sort of British accent. I felt like I was in Europe. It was pretty cool. Strangely enough, I only encounrtered two groups of British folks at HHN later that nite!
We headed on to Toon Lagoon.
Again, this area was very nicely themed. We walked past Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.
This looked like so much fun!!
It was then on to Jurassic Park!
I watched the Jurassic Park River Adventure for awhile at the observation area.
Then I decided to go on it. My friend didn't want to get wet so he waited at the observation area. Again, virtually no wait at all! This was a fun ride. Steggy!
Tussling raptors:
I didn't get too wet on this ride. It didn't compare to my previous soaking on Kali!
We passed by Pteranodon Flyers and I thought they looked really cool. Unfortunately I didn't end up doing them.
I was hungry by this point so we went over to the Burger Digs. I knew they had veggie burgers and a fixin's bar. My friend began another annoying habit - refusing to eat. He had been eating very little at all the restaurants so far, which made no sense because he's not a slim fellow by any means. But today he said he didn't want any lunch. This would become a fairly regular thing. When you're on a trip where eating is half the fun and you have dining reservations, it gets pretty irritating when the person you're with won't eat, just picks, or isn't on a normal eating schedule.
Here's my veggie burger and fries at Burger Digs.
After lunch we headed over to Lost Continent. Here's the view from the bridge from JP to LC:
It was time for the moment I'd been waiting for - Dueling Dragons!
Again, virtually no wait! The queue looked very cool but I was just walking briskly by it all. I LOVED this ride. It was so much fun. We rode it three times. We did Fire first in, I think, the fourth row. Then we did Ice in the back somewhere. THEN we did Fire in the front row (courtesy of the awesome "front row" special queue). Being in the front row was AMAZING and made for a totally different experience. I want to go back to IOA before they close DD down for the Harry Potter transformation. I hope they don't change it too much because this ride RULES! Does anyone know exactly what they're going to be doing to it yet? I heard it's going to be a "Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia" ride. Either way, I've gotta get back soon!
I had my first locker trauma after DD. The locker I put my bag in wouldn't open. It wouldn't recognize my thumbprint. So I had to get the locker tech dude to come get it for me. It was all good, but I almost had a heart attack thinking I wouldn't be able to get my bag back.
As we were leaving DD, I snapped this pic of Enchanted Oak Tavern. I thought it was so cool! I enjoyed imagining how the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is going to look, as I'm a huge Potter fan. I read that Enchanted Oak will be turned into an HP-themed restaurant.
I wanted to eat there but I looked at the menu when planning the trip and it looked very non-vegetarian-friendly.
We then went to the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad show. In the line there was a British family in front of us, and one of the sons looked just like Dudley from Harry Potter (well, Dudley in The Order of the Phoenix movie at least - in "Big D" mode). This show was totally corny and silly but fun.
Lost Continent was very cool. Someone commented on my Tokyo Disney TR that Tokyo DisneySea looks like Islands of Adventure. I now think that is true, to a certain extent. TDS is a *tad* more nifty, IMHO! This looks similar to Arabian Coast in TDS.
We walked by Poseidon's Fury but didn't go in.
Here's me on our way over to Seuss Landing.
Ahhhh Hulk, would we ever get to ride you?
We breezed through Suess Landing, taking in all the cool theming but wanting to book it back over to Hulk and also ride Spiderman again. We made it back to Hulk and it was back up! We got another locker and hopped in line. The wait was about 10 minutes. We were surrounded by British folks in line again. I really liked the Hulk - the launch was amazing. It did give me a head and neck ache though. No matter - I'm fine to ride again! We rode Hulk two more times (last time using Express pass) and then got the bag out of the locker. Back to Spiderman I went!! This time we rode in the front row. It was a whole different experience, IMHO. I liked it much better sitting in the front!!! I didn't like it as much as DD or ROTM, but still very very cool and super fun.
After Hulk I wanted to head over and ride Dudley Do-Right, but it was not hot that day and I didn't want to get cold later on at night if I got wet. Ithink it was about 4:00 pm by this point, and I wanted to go back to Seuss Landing and check out the HHN Stay and Scream area, where I would cross over to the Studios for my early entry into HHN! I had read online (thanks, Universal disboards peeps!) that the Stay and Scream area opened around 4:30 and that they start letting people into the houses at 5:45 (HHN officially opens at 6:30). So I wanted to get in line ASAP to knock out as many houses as possible.
We poked around Suess Landing for awhile. That place was pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty cool (as Larry David would say). Really neat theming. I got this pic of the Caro-Seuss-el.
As we were nosing around I saw what I thought to be the Stay and Scream area but there was no sign up for it yet. So I walked back to Guest Services at Port of Entry to ask when it opened. The woman there told me 5:30. Hmmmm, I know that can't be right, I thought. Unfortunately my friend heard this and now he didn't want to go to the Stay and Scream area till 5:30. I told him I'd read online that you can go much earlier than that to get in line, but he wouldn't listen. Instead of starting a fight, I suggested we stop at Croissant Moon Bakery. I had a delicious slice of key lime pie. I sat around there for a few minutes and then decided I was going to the Stay and Scream area. My friend said he wanted to sit there a little longer. Just fine, sez I, call me later. And I was off to Stay and Scream!
Continued in next post!
Disney Brat
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Awesome job once again!! Congrats on going to DL in March!!
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