Jack Frost Nipped at Our Noses But Not Our Spirits! Day 6 - Tonga Toast & Epcot

[Tinkermom76]

Hey guess what... AK is not warm in December I hope you had a good time anyway!!!!1

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

I remember that day. It was frickin cold. I remember standing at the bus stop waiting for the bus to come and overheard a guy behind me talking to his buddy. He said "I refuse to wear gloves in Florida just on principal".
Well buddy, I hope you didn't get frostbite while trying to stick to your principals. This was our finish up what we didn't get done day and we hit two parks, then went back to the resort to relax.

It was also the day I met two fellow DISers, and the grand total time of both meetings was probably 20 seconds.

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

After the safari and the Pangani trail, we headed over to Pizzafari so we could have some breakfast.

More spiders:

Breakfast at Pizzafari was, meh. Nothing to write home about. I had the breakfast pizza and the bread on the bottom was gross. I basically just picked the meat, cheese and eggs off of it. Bobbi was on the adult dining plan this time around and it was hard. There are times when she has a heartier appetite and will eat different things, but there were points during this trip where she wanted things on the kids menus. Luckily they were flexible about just letting her order off the child menu and then just giving her the extra juice or dessert. They both had the kids french toast sticks and DH had the breakfast platter. We should have just had pastries and coffee and saved the counter service credit. At least it was warm in the restaurant.

Then we headed over to see Finding Nemo: The Musical. I've never seen this before so I thought it was really cute.

For those of you who have seen it, you'll know how the main song gets stuck in your head....in the b-i-i-i-i-g bl-u-u-u-u-e w-o-o-o-r-r-r-l-d. If you've just gotten over that and I put it back in your head, my sincere apologies.

I thought it was a great production and I would love to see them do a major production of it on Broadway. It's in the same style as Lion King on Broadway and I loved the way they come out and use the puppets and everything.

After the show, we were headed over to Rafiki's Planet Watch and we saw Terk on our way! I was excited b/c we've never gotten a picture with Terk before.

I was seriously trying to use Terk as a blanket. That fur felt so good. Terk looked at my shorts and started making the laughing at me gesture so she tried to keep me warm but hugging me, LOL.

We made our way over to the train and hurried to skip the crowd because we knew Pocahontas would be leaving soon and we wanted to take our pictures with her because we had never seen her in the parks.

Look closely and you'll see the kids still have on eyeliner from the Pirate's League. That stuff is really hard to get off!

We also found Rafiki:

and the kids got to play with some rats !

We jumped on the train to get back and when we pulled into the station, I saw Daddy_of_Princesses!!! He may have thought I was crazy because I did a run-by on him and his family. I pulled the "OMG, I KNOW YOU FROM THE DISBOARDS!!!" and he had this amused look on his face, kind of like, "who the heck is this crazy person?". I quickly introduced myself as my family and I were headed to Dinoland and his family was just about to get on the Wildlife Express. Stay tuned because this won't be the last time we see each other!

On our way to Dinoland, we saw that the It's a Bug's Life show had a 5 minute wait time so we ran in. DH took a picture of me wearing the very fashionable glasses...

For some reason, the bugs during this show were extremely rough. The hornet sting hurt a little even through the hoodie I was wearing.

We picked up a FP to Dinosaur and finally reached Dinoland! We saw that Goofy and Pluto were out so we jumped on line. Goofy like my hat and pulled me over to take pictures, LOL.

We took a picture...

and then went on the rides!

Primeval Whirl had a 15 minute wait and last time we came to Dinoland, Michael was too small to ride and the line was ridiculous so we ran on. One of the cast members was calling out to the girls on line to have them sing and he had a beautiful voice. He kept everyone laughing near the front of the line. Afterward, we rode Triceratop Spin (no wait) and then jumped on Primeval Whirl again. The kids really liked that ride.

Now, the time had come for us to use our FP's for Dinosaur. I had never been on this one before so I was looking forward to it. I love how Disney uses celebrities (in this case Phylicia Rashad) in the attractions.

I liked the ride but DH says that it used to be more intense when it first opened.

After Dinoland, we started heading over to Asia because we had an early dinner reservation at Yak & Yeti and we wanted to see Flights of Wonder and the parade before we checked in.

Phyllis Diller:

Flights of Wonder was really cool and VERY funny. I loved when they brought out the bald eagle.

When we exited, the parade was 15 minutes from starting so we found a spot (right in front of the ropes again!) and waited for it to start.

Baloo was trying to wish a little girl next to me a Happy Birthday:

I noticed that all CM's go out of there way to wish a Happy Birthday to anyone who had a birthday button on. I thought it was really sweet.

Rafiki:

When the parade was over it was about 4:30 and our ADR was for 4:45 so we high-tailed it over to Yak & Yeti.

Right after we checked in our names were being called and we were seated on the 1st floor towards the back of the restaurant. I thought the food was good. Here's where Bobbi loved the adult menu because she was thrilled with the ribs she got, along with a full size dessert. DH and I paid OOP for the appetizer, Thai Chili Chicken Wings. Not too spicy, not too sweet. We thought they pretty good. I also had the Shanghai Express. Worth the extra $. DH & I both had the steak and shrimp for dinner (YUMMY!) and the fried wontons for dessert (SUPER YUMMY!). Usually I try to order after DH so that we can get different dishes so I can taste his and vice versa but he tricked me into ordering first.

I finished all of my dinner but couldn't handle dessert. I had a few bites and I was stuffed!

We settled the bill and it was about 5:45 when we walked out of the restaurant. We started to walk towards EE and a CM stopped us to say the park was started to close. We told her where we were headed and she let us by.

DH & Michael aren't fans of EE so it was just me and Bobbi on this one. The ride was empty and we were so excited we ran through the queue and were immediately seated. If I thought I was cold before, once we started to go up the "mountain" my teeth were chattering. I think it was a combination of the cold and the excitement. If you've never done EE while it's dark outside make sure it's a to-do next time around. It's so much fun when it's dark outside!!! We came off the ride and into the shop and DH asked if we'd do it again. I looked at DD, she shrugged her shoulders and said "sure". Off we went again, running through the queue, giggling like madman. I love these Mommy/DD moments.

Now Bobbi's teeth were chattering and we were seated a little closer to the front, but not all the way up. I'll have to do it next time although it looks pretty scary when you get to the torn-off track. We laughed and shivered through the ride the 2nd time and when we got off the CM asked if we wanted to do it again. Again, I looked at DD and she said "Nah, I think we're good". 1/2 hour later, we're shopping in one of the stores and she says "Mommy, we should have gone on a 3rd time". So I said "there's always next time".

Oh, in the store, there was a woman who made wood carvings of the animals and we spoke to her for the longest time. Michael was really interested in the woods she used and how her father and grandfather did the same thing.

By the time we finished up, it was almost 7 so we headed back to POFQ to change into warmer clothes (I WAS NOT staying out a minute longer in shorts) and to rest a bit before Magic Kingdom that night.

Next Up - Can we last until 1 AM at MK?

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

Hey guess what... AK is not warm in December I hope you had a good time anyway!!!!1

Yeah, I think I figured that one out the moment I walked in. Little liars those guide books, they are, LOL....I still had a great time.

I remember that day. It was frickin cold. I remember standing at the bus stop waiting for the bus to come and overheard a guy behind me talking to his buddy. He said "I refuse to wear gloves in Florida just on principal".
Well buddy, I hope you didn't get frostbite while trying to stick to your principals.

I didn't wear shorts on principle. I really thought I would be warm.

It was also the day I met two fellow DISers, and the grand total time of both meetings was probably 20 seconds.

Oh you mean you met someone else for 19 seconds? You must have thought I was the hugest (but shortest) nut.

 

[Tinkermom76]

your DH doesn't like EE I love that ride!!!!!

I am really glad we skipped Pizzafari for breakfast (oops haven't got to that point in my TR yet )

I wasn't fond of Nemo... I don't know what I was expecting but I won't rush to see it again

What do you mean the bugs were rough... I want to see the tough ITTBAB show sometime but Emma really doesn't like bugs at all so I would never ask her to go see it but I thought the bugs we just visual... do they really touch you? I don't get it

 

[mermaid764]

Your Ak day sounds awesome, aside from the not so good breakfast.

We also loved the nemo show when we saw it....loved the puppetry.

Yak and Yeti sounds delicious, and it must have been a great respite from the cold.

Looking forward to more

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

your DH doesn't like EE I love that ride!!!!!

I am really glad we skipped Pizzafari for breakfast (oops haven't got to that point in my TR yet )

I wasn't fond of Nemo... I don't know what I was expecting but I won't rush to see it again

What do you mean the bugs were rough... I want to see the tough ITTBAB show sometime but Emma really doesn't like bugs at all so I would never ask her to go see it but I thought the bugs we just visual... do they really touch you? I don't get it

Sssh, I won't tell anyone you skipped Pizzafari for breakfast, LOL.

I LOVED Nemo. Have you ever seen Lion King on Broadway? I liked that they used the same theatrical elements. They did cut a lot of the story out but I guess it's to make the show shorter.

In ITTBAB, when the hornets "sting" you, you feel a poke in your back. I must have been sitting really close to the back of the seat because it was a really sharp poke and Michael complained about it also. If you see it, don't lean too far back.

Your Ak day sounds awesome, aside from the not so good breakfast.

We also loved the nemo show when we saw it....loved the puppetry.

Yak and Yeti sounds delicious, and it must have been a great respite from the cold.

Looking forward to more

Thanks, it was an awesome day! I'm hoping to finish the TR soon, let's see how fast I can work on this.

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

I didn't wear shorts on principle. I really thought I would be warm.



Oh you mean you met someone else for 19 seconds? You must have thought I was the hugest (but shortest) nut.

To be perfectly honest, the last thing I expected when waiting to get on the train was to have someone run up and say "You're Daddy_of_Princesses! I'm PRmamiDEdos!" Not sure what we said after that since I was still trying to think in my head, who is PRmamiDEdos, and where is she from. Of course I didn't get it right until you were gone, I think the last thing you said was "See you in the park". Our next meeting was much more relaxed, but I could have done without the 6 day wait to get a Dole Whip, man that line was slow. But that's a story for another day.

 

[Tinkermom76]

Sssh, I won't tell anyone you skipped Pizzafari for breakfast, LOL.

I LOVED Nemo. Have you ever seen Lion King on Broadway? I liked that they used the same theatrical elements. They did cut a lot of the story out but I guess it's to make the show shorter.

In ITTBAB, when the hornets "sting" you, you feel a poke in your back. I must have been sitting really close to the back of the seat because it was a really sharp poke and Michael complained about it also. If you see it, don't lean too far back.

I have not seen Lion King on Broadway yet.

Your seat pokes you? Anything else I should know before I go in there?

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

To be perfectly honest, the last thing I expected when waiting to get on the train was to have someone run up and say "You're Daddy_of_Princesses! I'm PRmamiDEdos!" Not sure what we said after that since I was still trying to think in my head, who is PRmamiDEdos, and where is she from. Of course I didn't get it right until you were gone, I think the last thing you said was "See you in the park". Our next meeting was much more relaxed, but I could have done without the 6 day wait to get a Dole Whip, man that line was slow. But that's a story for another day.

LOL. Your wife didn't grill you for info? LOL I would have been telling DH, "who the hell was that and where do you know her from?"!!

The next time we meet is a story for another day. At the rate I'm going, it should be Thursday or Friday, LOL.

I have not seen Lion King on Broadway yet.

Your seat pokes you? Anything else I should know before I go in there?

The roaches exit before you do. Right under your butt.

Lion King is a must do. I want to see it again. We went when I was 8 months pregnant with DS and DD (under 2 at the time) sat in my lap. She loved it and stayed mesmerized throughout the whole show. When you plan it, call me. I think I get a DVC discount and we'll go together!

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

LOL. Your wife didn't grill you for info? LOL I would have been telling DH, "who the hell was that and where do you know her from?"!!

The next time we meet is a story for another day. At the rate I'm going, it should be Thursday or Friday, LOL.



The roaches exit before you do. Right under your butt.

Lion King is a must do. I want to see it again. We went when I was 8 months pregnant with DS and DD (under 2 at the time) sat in my lap. She loved it and stayed mesmerized throughout the whole show. When you plan it, call me. I think I get a DVC discount and we'll go together!

She grilled me after the first person we met, you were our second DIS Meet of the day. She doesn't have much of an online presence, and thinks message boards are wierd since you are talking to people you don't know.

I have to update my TR, and we will be on the same day with our TR's. Of course, at the rate my TR entries have been going this day will probably need multiple entries. Stinks you can only add 25 images per entry.

We tried the nemo thing in 2007 but we were sitting about 6 miles from the stage on metal bleachers and walked out after about 15 minutes. Of course that was also our first day there in 2007 after driving all night, so maybe if I had more than an hour of sleep I would have been more willing to watch the show. We skipped it this time around, along with all of DinoLand. My kids wouldn't have wanted to do Dinosaur, and I didn't want to waste time on the rides in that area.

 

[stephielela]

AK is the hottest park, in the summer. For some reason that park is always the sweatiest most humid park, especially in August! So you were half right!

How fun that you got to run into people from DIS!

We liked Yak and Yeti too. It's owned by Landry's so we were going to see if we could use a gift card my sister had, but naturally we forgot it.

We rode EE in the rain, after getting soaking wet just walking there. That was cold as well.

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

She grilled me after the first person we met, you were our second DIS Meet of the day. She doesn't have much of an online presence, and thinks message boards are wierd since you are talking to people you don't know.

I have to update my TR, and we will be on the same day with our TR's. Of course, at the rate my TR entries have been going this day will probably need multiple entries. Stinks you can only add 25 images per entry.

We tried the nemo thing in 2007 but we were sitting about 6 miles from the stage on metal bleachers and walked out after about 15 minutes. Of course that was also our first day there in 2007 after driving all night, so maybe if I had more than an hour of sleep I would have been more willing to watch the show. We skipped it this time around, along with all of DinoLand. My kids wouldn't have wanted to do Dinosaur, and I didn't want to waste time on the rides in that area.

What's funny is right after I ran up to you and then got back to DH, he tells me "you're going to get people in trouble with the way you run up to them". What can I say, it's like seeing long, lost friends!

You have to try Nemo again and get a seat that's behind the center stage. We sat all the way to the left and they run up into the center of the audience. I want to see it again from the center b/c it really is a cute show.

"m-y-y-y-y D-a-a-a-a-a-a-d....." love the music, LOL.

AK is the hottest park, in the summer. For some reason that park is always the sweatiest most humid park, especially in August! So you were half right!

How fun that you got to run into people from DIS!

We liked Yak and Yeti too. It's owned by Landry's so we were going to see if we could use a gift card my sister had, but naturally we forgot it.

We rode EE in the rain, after getting soaking wet just walking there. That was cold as well.

I thought it was a Disney restaurant until that night. DH & I were discussing the long coats that some of the CM's in the park were using and how nice all of the uniforms look. We thought that Disney takes the uniforms back and cleans them so they maintain a "standard" look. We asked the waitress and she explained that Y&Y was owned by Landry but when she did work for Disney, they did take the uniforms to have them cleaned.

EE in the rain and cold? That does not sound fun at all!

Why I thought that a park that's sweltering in the summer would be warm in the winter is beyond me. Yup, brain fart.

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

I have the say the buses were pretty on point during our stay at POFQ. Aside from a few late night trips back from the parks, we always had a seat. That being said, we were headed from AK back to the hotel to change, rest and get ready for some nighttime fun at the Magic Kingdom. I had Tommorowland on our list of things to do for this evening. I'm assuming because it was so cold, we were able to dip into the Fantasyland rides also.

We got to the park around 8'ish and the first thing we did when entering the park was get the nighttime PP pics in front of the big tree and then in front of the castle. Forgive me, we don't have pictures of this night as our camera batteries had died during the day and we didn't have the extras.

First up, Buzz Lightyear. We got on and try as I might to beat everyone's scores, I fell short. Everyone scored over 50K and up whereas I had a measly 10K. Next was Laugh Floor. I love this show. Mike Wasowski said someone was supposed to buy us all churros but when we got out I couldn't find him. Damn, I really could've gone for one too...

We then ran across the street to Stitch. A lot of people don't like this ride and I gotta admit, the nacho burps REALLY STINK, but I have such a love for Stitch that we have to do this everytime. My family indulges me, they really do. Michael thinks it's funny so he always tries to burp like Stitch.

Right after, the line for Buzz was non-existent so we got on again and again....I sucked. I don't know why I can't beat anyone at this game!!!!! The 2nd time around I rode with DH and he kept spinning the seat around and I never got a chance to aim for what I wanted. He on the other hand scored high (above 150 I think). I think he cheated. That must be it, he cheated.

We went on Astro Orbiter next and that was kind of scary. I don't think we've done that one before. It felt kind of freaky to be that high up but it was beautiful at night with the castle and the cold wind in your face. The CM asked if we wanted to go right back on but I think once was enough for us. After taking the elevator back down, Bobbi & I grabbed FP's for Space Mountain. It was a 20 minute wait at that point but DH & DS didn't want to wait for us since they won't go on. DH had a bad experience on there when he was a scrawny 12 year-old, but that's a story for another day. Since the return time was 11:45-12:45, we rode the Tomorrowland Speedway and then ventured over into Fantasyland and saw Philharmagic. I usually like this but I must have really needed a nap because I PASSED OUT! I woke up when Donald was getting the wand back. After the movie we jumped on Tea Cups. A few minutes and one dizzy spell later we walked into Dumbo. It was just me and Michael this time around. DH wasn't feeling well after the Tea Cups . I think Bobbi spun him too fast. Michael specifically wanted a boy elephant so we walked around until he found one with a blue hat that was empty. After Dumbo, we walked over to Pooh's Adventures. I love the new queue for this. The interactive honey wall is really cute. After that we got on IASW. I like the new music and the dolls look "refreshed". With every ride, I was checking in to Gowalla so that I could get the Disney stamps. This became a habit with me throughout our trip. DH didn't get into it until we were headed home and he saw what the stamps looked like, LOL.

Anyway, it was now past the time for us to return to Space Mountain. I wanted to do Snow White and Peter Pan, but we were cutting it close with the FP. Bobbi and I ran back to the ride and it was shut down. The CM's said it would be a few minutes so we took the time to make a pit stop. While we were waiting, I kept thinking about how DH almost fell off the ride when he was 12 and if there was something wrong with it now, should I take the chance and go on with DD? I chased the scary thoughts away and decided to just do it. Since DH and Michael weren't going on, DH took him to the People Mover while Bobbi and I rode Space Mountain. We had the chance to go on right after and did it. I noticed that the ride is much smoother now. Some people say the way you "jerked" around each bend is what makes it fun but I enjoyed the rehab. I prefer the smoother ride and the fact that it didn't feel like your car was going to fall off the track as you went around a bend.

At that point, it was close to 1 AM so we dilly dallied in the stores and did some shopping. When we reached the Tomorrowland Terrace and DH saw the signs for the dessert party, he asked why I didn't reserve it for us. Bobbi heard dessert party and that's all she needed to go sniffing around asking where they were, LOL. I told him how much it was per person and he said we should do it next time.

When we got back to Main St, we decided to stop in the bakery and use some of our snack credits on some bedtime goodies. We took our hot chocolates and cakes to go and got on the bus.

Next up: Sleeping in and the Candlelight Processional!

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Since the return time was 11:45-12:45...Anyway, it was now past the time for us to return to Space Mountain. I wanted to do Snow White and Peter Pan, but we were cutting it close with the FP.

For future reference, you can use the FP anytime after the return time, it doesn't have to be in that hour. Our first day a HS when the guy gave us the FP passes for Voyage of the Little Mermaid, they were set for an hour that had already passed a couple of hours previous. I went up to a CM and asked if they were still good and she said yes. After that I got FP's and didn't worry about the exact time I could use them at anytime after that first time listed.

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

For future reference, you can use the FP anytime after the return time, it doesn't have to be in that hour. Our first day a HS when the guy gave us the FP passes for Voyage of the Little Mermaid, they were set for an hour that had already passed a couple of hours previous. I went up to a CM and asked if they were still good and she said yes. After that I got FP's and didn't worry about the exact time I could use them at anytime after that first time listed.

That's what I told DH, but being the cop that he is, he's so stuck on doing everything by the book. In his eyes, if Disney tells you you have to come back by 12:45 the latest, it's for a reason .

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

That's what I told DH, but being the cop that he is, he's so stuck on doing everything by the book. In his eyes, if Disney tells you you have to come back by 12:45 the latest, it's for a reason .

Sure they have a reason, they want to see which suckers will return at the time listed.

If they ever enforce the time they would have people get mad, so that will probably never happen.

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

Sure they have a reason, they want to see which suckers will return at the time listed.

If they ever enforce the time they would have people get mad, so that will probably never happen.

Hey! That sucker is me!!!

 

[Tinkermom76]

That's quite a few rides you got done!!! I have never been on SM before this trip so I don't know what it was like before but Eryka and I enjoyed it this trip

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

I was surprised at how much we got done in 4.5 hours.