Jumping, Dancing & Jamming Our Way Through Walt Disney World! I'm With the Band Now!

[mickeystoontown]

Maybe they only do the "have food before getting a table" thing during the busier times, cause they definitely weren't doing it last month! I saw lots of families that were splitting up to go look for a table while the rest got the food, including at Pinocchio Village Haus.

I think I remember reading that they were "testing" the new no-saving-a-table when we were there. I haven't read anything recent about it though.

My son and I love the thrill rides too! Space Mountain is definately our favorite "thrill" ride in MK. Ben likes Splash Mtn also but I am not a fan of being wet so we usually only ride it once - right before heading back to our room so I don't have to be wet for long

I remember when you didn't get wet on Splash Mountain. Well, you might get a little wet but not soaked like you do now. I do not like walking around the park soaking wet.

Love Space Mountain! John can sit in the sun...I'm with you and your thrill seeker offspring speeding through the darkness of space!

We have never eaten at the Village Haus. Odd, considering Pinocchio is Jeff's favorite character.

I have no idea how John can sit in the sun like that. He says that it doesn't bother him but it definitely bothers me.

Pinocchio's is pretty much on par with the other MK counter service restaurants. We've eaten there multiple times and it's always been good.

I do get why they do the "you have to have food to get a table" thing, but I can see that getting cumbersome with larger groups and little kids! We haven't come across that yet!

I can see both sides as well.

I am so hoping they are not still doing the table thing when we get there in May. Dale usually goes and gets our food while Dallas and I go get the table. I would think it would cause a HUGE traffic jam at the ordering stations to have a whole family standing there. I know if all of us were to go it would be 6 of us instead of having 2 go for the food. OH well, I guess we will see!!

The other people in the parties were all in a group near the end of the lines. There were quite a few people there and I can imagine that it would get very crowded during busy times. They also did this at Pecos Bill's during one of our trips. They had a castmember stopping guests who didn't have trays.

I have heard that you have to have your food before you can sit down. I personally don't like that idea, only because I'm thinking of families with small kiddos. Usually one parent goes and get food, while one finds a seat and get the kids settled. I can see why they have that rule, to keep non-paying customers off the seats. Maybe a different approach is needed.

I had a casear salad in Disney in last Jan and it was very good too. I do like a nice big salad!

I can see both sides. We like to split up with me ordering the food and John and Hunter going to find a table. It's not that we feel the need to grab a table (well, sometimes we do) but rather why should you have all those folks standing in the line when only one has to place the order?

 

[mickeystoontown]

When we were ther in Jan we never had the wait to get your seat problem...thank goodness with the kids!

It was odd how we only encountered it twice in the counter service restaurants and not at all of them. I believe I remember reading that this was a "test".

 

[eandesmom]

I admit, I'm with John....sitting in the sun!

Not sure how I feel about the table seating thing, guess I'll need to see it live.

 

[MEK]

Fun update. Isn't it great when you get a completely random high score on Buzz.? I love that. It makes me feel like I am finally developing some skill.

I know what John means about Space Mtn. I do find those flashing lights to be somewhat annoying and disorienting and if I had a seizure disorder I would certainly want to avoid them. They remind me of a fire alarm that also has the strobe light. I hate that.

I have never eaten at PVH but your salad looks yummy. Maybe I can steer the clan there this summer.

 

[TinksThree]

I love Space Mtn! But I skip Stitch...been there, done that although I am contemplating it this next trip just for the fun of it! I don't care for not being able to get a table until all of the group is ready....but I can see the issues of non-paying patrons!

 

[Kathy Jetson]

I'm so happy for you that Lacey got to come home for TWO weeks I can't even imagine how happy you are!

I showed River the monster truck pictures and he was in awe. Now I'm gonna have to take him to one But it looks like it would be fun. He wanted to know where Gravedigger was.

I can't believe you got such a rude cm on the phone. Don't they screen their calls. It sounds like they have no idea what they are doing with these pin codes.

We never encounterd the not being able to sit down without your whole party either. I do know if I saw a huge line of people waiting to order I would leave and go someplace else.

I can't wait to see the rest of your day!

 

[racefanof88]

OK, I have to laugh at myself for this one. I saw your link on Facebook and I thought "YAY, Lisa started a PTR" , so I jumped on the link like a frog on a fly; only to be brought to page 13 of this report . Can you tell my mind is messed up from all my mess???

 

[pooh'smate]

Just joining in, now I am going back to read.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Just joining in, now I am going back to read.

Welcome aboard! I hope that my handy dandy links help get you caught up. Enjoy!

OK, I have to laugh at myself for this one. I saw your link on Facebook and I thought "YAY, Lisa started a PTR" , so I jumped on the link like a frog on a fly; only to be brought to page 13 of this report . Can you tell my mind is messed up from all my mess???

Girl, I am trying my best to get this thing wrapped up so I can start my pre-trip report. You have an excuse for your mind being messed up. You've had a lot on your plate lately.

I'm so happy for you that Lacey got to come home for TWO weeks I can't even imagine how happy you are!

I showed River the monster truck pictures and he was in awe. Now I'm gonna have to take him to one But it looks like it would be fun. He wanted to know where Gravedigger was.

I can't believe you got such a rude cm on the phone. Don't they screen their calls. It sounds like they have no idea what they are doing with these pin codes.

We never encounterd the not being able to sit down without your whole party either. I do know if I saw a huge line of people waiting to order I would leave and go someplace else.

I can't wait to see the rest of your day!

Tell River that I was looking for Gravedigger too! We have seen him before!

I wish I had gotten the rude CMs full name. I know it was something Lynn.

I admit, I'm with John....sitting in the sun!

Not sure how I feel about the table seating thing, guess I'll need to see it live.

I can only sit in the broad open sun for so long and then I start wilting.

Fun update. Isn't it great when you get a completely random high score on Buzz.? I love that. It makes me feel like I am finally developing some skill.

I know what John means about Space Mtn. I do find those flashing lights to be somewhat annoying and disorienting and if I had a seizure disorder I would certainly want to avoid them. They remind me of a fire alarm that also has the strobe light. I hate that.

I have never eaten at PVH but your salad looks yummy. Maybe I can steer the clan there this summer.

I can not play a video game to save my life so when I do hit one of the magical targets I giggle like a little girl.

It's odd that some of the attractions at Disney do not bother John but Space Mountain does. He can get turned upside down going 60 or so miles an hour on Rock N Roller Coaster and he's fine.

I am a salad lover to the max and the one at Pinocchio's was worth stopping for.

I love Space Mtn! But I skip Stitch...been there, done that although I am contemplating it this next trip just for the fun of it! I don't care for not being able to get a table until all of the group is ready....but I can see the issues of non-paying patrons!

We usually see Stitch once each trip. It isn't our favorite attraction but we gotta see Stitch 'cause he's there.

 

[mickeystoontown]

About to start on an update but thought I'd share a real-life update first. As I said before, Lacey has been home for almost two weeks now and Jesse was supposed to fly in last night. Our State was bombarded by heavy thunderstorms and high winds last night and they lasted through early morning. Jesse left Knoxville, Tennessee about 5:45 p.m. and flew to Houston, Texas. They were about 10 minutes early getting into Houston. Then, the storms started rolling in and they were delayed by 15 minutes and then 30 minutes. They took off 30+ minutes late and we watched the plane's route on the United Airlines flight status website.

The plane was about 20 minutes away from Monroe, La. and would be arriving about 9:40 p.m. When we clicked "update status", Baton Rouge was on the map and the plane was headed towards it. Umm, Baton Rouge is at the bottom of Louisiana and we're at the top. What the? The website had an message at the top saying that they were undergoing maintenance and they were slow in getting updatest posted.

Lacey's phone rang and, yep, you guessed it, it was Jesse and he was in Baton Rouge. The airline was giving them two choices: 1) get on the next flight from Baton Rouge to Monroe with the understanding that the weather may be too bad and they'd end up in Houston; or, 2) don't take the next flight and figure out how to get to Monroe on your own.

Baton Rouge is about a 5 hour drive from our house so we could drive down and pick him up but one of us would have to take off work because we didn't want Lacey driving in the storms (they were baaaad) by herself. We could rent a car for Jesse but it was after 11:00 p.m. and the rental car windows were closed. While we were trying to decide what to do, Jesse called his dad and then called Lacey back. The airlines were telling them that they had to make a decision right away so he chanced it and got on the next flight to Monroe. And..............................................








































he ended up back in Houston, Texas. The next flight out of Houston to Monroe was not until 7:20 a.m. Friday morning. By the time we drove to Houston to pick him up, it would be almost time for the Friday morning flight. So, Jesse spent the night in the Houston airport.

This morning, he boarded the airplane but then they were delayed by almost 40 minutes. But, all's well that ends well. Lacey just texted me and he is finally here! I know the poor fellow is tired and ready for a hot shower and some good food.

Tonight is the rehearsal dinner for my niece's wedding which is scheduled for tomorrow. The wedding is supposed to be in a large gazebo in a local park. My sister is having a meeting with my niece today because they may have to change the location of the wedding. The forecast is calling for 30% chance of rain tomorrow morning and then 70% chance of thunderstorms early evening. They do have other venues available to them (my sister was the event planner for the Convention Center and has access to several places) so I am sure it will all work out in the end.

Okay, enough about "real" life, let me go get started on Fantasyland.....literally.

 

[mickeystoontown]

By the time we were done with our lunch, the restaurant was becoming more and more crowded. It was time to let somebody have our table and go exploring some more. I wanted to try and take a few more pictures of the Fantasyland construction if I could. We made a pit stop at the bathrooms near Pinocchio first.

Once we were all accounted for again, I started taking pictures but I wasn't tall enough and John offered to pick me up. But, there were people standing around and the site of John holding me up on his shoulder would have made me stand out like sore thumb. I took these two:

Turned around and took this picture:

and this picture:

In my quest for more Fantasyland construction pictures, I climbed the stairs to the little balcony outside of Pinocchio's and took obstructed view pictures:

I climbed back down and we decided to go to see Mickey's Philarmagic but I wanted to go around the corner first and take a picture of the construction going on at the old Skyway building.

**Continued in next post

 

[mickeystoontown]

As you can see (well kinda sorta 'cause the next picture is dark), there was no line at all for Mickey Philarmagic and we were walking a bit fast to make it through the open doorway leading into the pre-show area:

I don't care how fast I'm walking, I'm always on the lookout for Hidden Mickeys:

You may remember (or may not since it was quite some time ago that I posted about it) that I took a few pictures inside It's Tough To Be A Bug and they turned out semi-well so I thought why not try during Mickey's Philarmagic:

Oops, they didn't turn out so good did they? Oh well, it was worth a shot.

We walked back out into the warm Florida sunshine and I took a picture of Dumbo with the construction in the background:

Because I knew that Snow White's Scary Adventures was going to be closing in the future, I steered everybody that way for our final ride. I love the painted mural in the loading area:

Soon, we were boarding our mine train and were off on our scary adventure:

**Up next: Bouncing and spinning!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Poor Jesse, having to put up with all of those flight difficulties! At least he got there safe and sound!

Great shots of the Fantasyland Expansion! Seeing the old Skyway always makes me sad, I used to love taking the buckets back and forth across the park!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I'm so glad Jesse made it! I'm sure it was an exhausting trip....yikes!

Thanks for the construction pictures. The closer it gets to opening, the more exciting it is! I can't wait to see the finished product!

I'm going to miss Snow White's Scary Adventures, but I'm glad she will still be represented in the new Fantasyland. I love Snow White!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Wow, poor Jesse! That must have been so frustrating, but I'm glad he is safe and there now. I'm sure he is glad too, and Lacey!

Love the pictures of Fantasyland, new and old.

 

[JanaJohn]

...Jesse was supposed to fly in last night.

Lacey just texted me and he is finally here! I know the poor fellow is tired and ready for a hot shower and some good food.

Jesse probably wishes he had driven down from Tennessee now. Sounds like he would have been there sooner had he taken his car. BTW, Lacey is now a grown woman and should be capable of driving in bad weather. You might want to dial back your "MOM" instincts a bit.....it that's at all possible. Hasn't she recently told you she's not a baby any longer???

 

[MEK]

I am going to wait until I get out of the no picture zone before I read your update, but I am so happy that Jesse finally made it to your home, safe and sound. What a PITA!

Have a wonderful rehearsal dinner today and a fab wedding tomorrow and, of course, don't forget the pictures. did I even have to ask?

 

[ronnmel]

Ugh, talk about a long plane ride! Glad he's finally home.

 

[jenseib]

Poor Jesse! I bet he's glad to be home with you all now. I hope the weather brightens up tomorrow, but at least you seem to have some back up plans.
I did out last snow white ride last April too. I never got to it again in Aug, but thats OK, cause my last memory on it is with Claire.

 

[shan23877]

I'm glad that Jesse arrived safe and sound. How exhausting for him!

I hope that you and your family enjoy the wedding weekend (where ever it may be)!