Last Trip? It was until we met Food & Wine -- Recap 2/12

[KatMark]

Wow, lots of great Dismeets! Tim has some cute kids.

Aren't they all adorable? Great kids!

Looks like a fantastic day...love the Olaf fans.

Jill in CO

It was fun having the Olaf fan...and they came in handy with the heat that day.

Two great updates and two great Dismeets! I always say the same thing when it comes to Dis meets "Dis friends are THE best!"

And you know I totally agree with you, Lisa.

What awesome Dis Meets and a wonderful day at DHS!

Thanks, Sara, it was a great time.

DHS is actually one of our favorite parks, although we think they definitely need to put some effort into it to make it more than a one day park! I like the Mickey hat, but I'm not sad to see it go either.

Definitely at the bottom of my totem pole and probably always will be. But that's okay...everyone has a favorite.

Hello my dear. I hope you are doing okay this week.

So far, so good.

How is Mark's new job going? I hope he's getting along well!

He had orientation on Saturday. He works Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday this first ten days from 2:30 to 4:30 (except Sunday it is 12:00 to 4:00). They are training him during these periods, but he gets paid for it. AND he got his Red Card which gives him the 5% off, but he gets an ADDITIONAL 10% off as an employee, and I get to use the card.

The famous DIS meet with Tim and family! Ana is an ADORABLE photobomber, no one else could've pulled that one off! I love that you are both wearing your anniversary buttons, that's good stuff!

Absolutely no one but Ana could have pulled it off. Luckily his didn't say 31 years like mine did or people might have questioned it with Mark, me and Tim together.

I'm currently reading Wendy's TR, so I was able to get a sneak peek at the DIS meet. She seems to be a fantastic person!

She really is!

Ahh, Starring Rolls, my favorite little gem in HS. I could go for a Butterfinger Cupcake right now!

I could go for any cupcake right now.

Yes, I agree. I enjoy MGM, but it's pretty clear why it got the Frozen festivities added. It simply needs more stuff.

Yes, it definitely needs a LOT of stuff.

Aw YAY, nothing like a truly anticipated DISmeet. So wonderful. And photobomb to boot, lol.

It was so good to finally meet them, and I love that Ana photobomed our photo.

Haha, I believe I was on the street watching that very Frozen parade.

I would never have found you in that crowd!

Back to back DISmeets plus DISmeet rides!!! Now THAT is how you do it. Love that so much!!

Yes, and wasn't it during that second DISmeet that you think you spied Mark and I. I could have had 3 famous DIS meets that day.

I don't know why you specifically don't like Hollywood Studios, but I know that you're not the only one. I love it, though, because it has some of my favorite rides and favorite characters.

It bores me after TOT and TSM as we don't do a lot of the shows as we've seen them so many times.

And I actually like the hat ... probably because I've never known the park without it (I've never known the park as "MGM" either - my first trip to Hollywood Studios was January 2008, about a week after they changed the name - some things still said "MGM Studios"). Without the hat, there's no major park icon that you can take a picture in front of (we like to get pictures with all the park icons - you can't really take a picture with the water tower).

For those who have never seen it without the hat, I'm sure it's a bit upsetting.

Yay for DIS meets! Looks like you had a lot of fun with two "new" sets of friends (and I love Tim's daughter's photobomb ... she's adorable!)

Thanks; we had a blast and Ana was the cutest photobomber ever.

All of your pictures look great! I wish they had those Olafs when we were there ... but no luck.

They stopped with the Olaf fans? That's too bad.

If we ever meet up at Disney (and I hope someday we can!), I'll go on Rock n Roller Coaster with Mark - I love it. You'll never get me on Tower of Terror, though.

I would love to say hello if we ever are there at the same time. And Mark would love company on RnR.

I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of your day at Hollywood Studios and hearing how you liked the sing-a-long!

Today or tomorrow I hope to get that update done.

Great update! Love that you had 2 Dismeets. I hope to have one someday.

They were a lot of fun, Clare, and so glad we were able to do them.

I love Mark's RNR pic. He's like a little kid! And I love your TOT pic. YOu're just like me. Taking pictures while the picture is being taken.

As Mark says, I may get old, but I refuse to grow up. That's how he approaches Disney and a lot of other things. This was my first attempt at pictutres on TOT...I was a nervous wreck.

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. I hope they can figure out what is wrong so he is able to come home.

He may come home tonight or tomorrow; waiting on one more blood test.

And I'm sorry you have to have unpaid time from work to care for your mom. You and your family continue to be in my thoughts.

It turns out I didn't have to do that. Mark only has to work 12:30 - 4:30 on Tuesday and Thursday and Andy said he could come stay with Grandma while his dad went to work.

 

[dizneeat]

Playing catch up ..... again!!!!!!

LOVE your DISmeets! I knew you were so looking forward to meet Tim and his family and by the looks of your photos, it turned out to be a great meet.
And to just walk from one meet to the next - what a great day.

And you were able to fit in some fun rides.

 

[KatMark]

Playing catch up ..... again!!!!!!

LOVE your DISmeets! I knew you were so looking forward to meet Tim and his family and by the looks of your photos, it turned out to be a great meet.
And to just walk from one meet to the next - what a great day.

And you were able to fit in some fun rides.

Thanks, Karin. I now many of my longtime readers knew of the long friendship Tim and I have had so it was really fun to finally meet. And then to meet Wendy and Johnny was icing on the cake.

 

[KatMark]

I forgot to add my TOT ride video, so here it is:

(just click on the black box)

This second one is when I went on with Tim and family:



So after Mark got his ride on RnR and I got a bonus ride on TOT, we decided to hit a few shops to cool off.





I saw this shirt and it had Andy written all over it. He is a sports junkie 24/7 and we often tease him saying this



And, yes, the t-shirt came home with us for him.

Then it was the hat picture of ALL hat pictures:



Seriously, could the man get any cuter?



I took some pictures of ALL the Frozen stuff that was available









We left the store and started to stroll to our next destination where we found some of the street performers







We went into the store that is ALL Frozen







After we exited the store, we saw this photopass opportunity









And this is a cute video with Olaf




Continued in next post

 

[KatMark]

And then we ended up here to see some old friends



We got into the waiting pen with only a minute to wait before they let us into the theater





























Of course we stopped in the dump shop











Continued in next post

 

[KatMark]

We then walked over to get in line for the FP+ for the Frozen Sing-Along. We had a few minutes before they were going to open up the line, so Mark and I made a quick bio-break stop. Mark waiting for me to get back



We got in line and were let in










(the two people in this photo with Anna who told the story of Frozen absolutely STOLE the show...they were hysterical)

























We really, really enjoyed this show and I am so glad they extended it so we could see it.

We left the show and decided to head back to the resort as our room was now ready.

Leaving the Studios



Up next, our room and some DTD

 

[TheMaxRebo]

what fun DISmeets! and you got some nice pictures out of it too

Also love the one of you and Mark where you are so cold - and the one of Mark on RnRC is great!

wow, 10 mins for ToT is awesome!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Awww I'm so bummed the ride videos don't come with Attractions+. That would be so neat to have.

Obviously the Olaf hat was completely necessary given the Frozen festivities. And no, he could not get any cuter.

You guys take such great PP photos, my goodness. Love It!!

I tried looking at your Muppets photos through some 3D glasses I have... Sadly it didn't work. But how cool would that be???

I sure do hope the Marie hat came home with you Kathy!

I enjoyed the Sing-A-Long as well but sadly, my crowd was boring. It's a Sing-A-Long people!!! SING!!! I will add that Anna is quickly becoming a favorite of mine though. She was just adorable in the show.

 

[disneygirlll]

Did not see the Olaf hat while there. Oh my that’s cute! And yes the model is pretty cute too. (Did you know that the dolls (not the one‘s in the box) are reversible. You raise up the dress of Elsa and the doll becomes Anna, and vice versa.)

The Frozen Photo Pass pics are incredible. Love your spirit.

We missed the Frozen Sing Along. Nice to see pictures of it.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Love the ride videos. They are so fun.

Great Hat pictures.

Gotta give the Muppets Love! They are a favorite of mine as well.

 

[dvc4life]

How adorable are those Frozen pictures of you and Mark. So fun!

The sing a long looks like it would have been really good to see.

What a fun day.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Love all of the Frozen pictures! And that Olaf hat is adorable!

 

[maddiebee]

You always tip me off to the best restaurants. I never had any interest in Rose and Crown but whoa now we definitely need to make that a priority! What a lovely view and SCOTCH FLIGHTS? Perfect.

I love that you are looking at your camera/trying to take a photo in the PP photo on TOT! I wanna see what that photo came out like!

Your photos with Sven and Olaf are perfect

I'm so glad you guys got to see the Sing-a-Long. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

Seems like you guys had a great day at HS!!

 

[SarahDisney]

I can't believe you got the SportsCenter shirt .... I hate that shirt (I love SportsCenter, but I much prefered the "This is Sports Center" ad campaign).

I love the Olaf hat picture! And I love all of the Frozen PhotoPass pictures!

And that Marie hat is adorable!

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the Frozen sing-a-long. We also really, really liked it (and I was convinced I wouldn't). The royal historians really were hysterical.

Looks like you guys were having lots of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the hotel (seeing as how that's as close as I'll ever get to Boardwalk ...) and reading about DTD!

 

[obxlvr13]

What a great day at DHS! The ride pic of Mark on RRC was the CUTEST thing I've seen! I just want to squeeze him!!!

 

[Sydney2977]

Loved all the fun Frozen pics! Hope they still have some of that around next year.

I'm so laughing at the ESPN shirt- Jared's gonna want that! Both boys can play the song cuz they play a version of it at the football games with band, but Jared's the sports nut and hums it around the house all the time!

Glad to see you getting in on the hat picture action- y'all are too cute!

 

[that's nice]

Glad I wasn't picking my nose during that TOT video.

We should of did the Frozen sing along but we really were trying to plan some downtime into our trip.

I should of put on my 3D glasses before looking at your Muppets pics.

I sent the girls into the Frozen store while I... ummmm... well, you'll see eventually.

 

[KatMark]

what fun DISmeets! and you got some nice pictures out of it too

Thanks, Phil; we had a lot of fun with Tim and family and Wendy and Johnny.

Also love the one of you and Mark where you are so cold - and the one of Mark on RnRC is great!

I told him after seeing that picture that maybe he was getting too old for RnR!

wow, 10 mins for ToT is awesome!

I couldn't believe it and it was too hard to pass up.

Awww I'm so bummed the ride videos don't come with Attractions+. That would be so neat to have.

What is Attractions+?

Obviously the Olaf hat was completely necessary given the Frozen festivities. And no, he could not get any cuter.

I couldn't believe it when I saw that hat.

You guys take such great PP photos, my goodness. Love It!!

Awww...thanks, Rob.

I tried looking at your Muppets photos through some 3D glasses I have... Sadly it didn't work. But how cool would that be???

Now that would have been cool.

I sure do hope the Marie hat came home with you Kathy!

Nope, it didn't. But as cold as they are warning us this winter is going to be, I probably should have bought it.

I enjoyed the Sing-A-Long as well but sadly, my crowd was boring. It's a Sing-A-Long people!!! SING!!! I will add that Anna is quickly becoming a favorite of mine though. She was just adorable in the show.

You know, ours was the same way. We had a dad with his wife and three kids right next to us, and he spent his entire time on his cell phone, and I'd say only half the audience sang. Why the check did you come people? I am with you...I love Anna!

Did not see the Olaf hat while there. Oh my that’s cute! And yes the model is pretty cute too. (Did you know that the dolls (not the one‘s in the box) are reversible. You raise up the dress of Elsa and the doll becomes Anna, and vice versa.)

We saw one guy wearing it walking around the park and I was determined to find it for Mark to try on. I did know that about the dolls...very cool.

The Frozen Photo Pass pics are incredible. Love your spirit.

Thanks.

We missed the Frozen Sing Along. Nice to see pictures of it.

It was great; I'm sorry you missed it.

Love the ride videos. They are so fun.

They sure are and a nice addition to the vacation memories.

Great Hat pictures.

Thanks.

Gotta give the Muppets Love! They are a favorite of mine as well.

The Muppets are great and we try not to miss it.

How adorable are those Frozen pictures of you and Mark. So fun!

Thanks, Chris. We had a lot of fun with those.

The sing a long looks like it would have been really good to see.

We really enjoyed it, even Mark who was hesitant at first.

What a fun day.

It turned out to be our best day ever at the Studios.

Love all of the Frozen pictures! And that Olaf hat is adorable!

Thanks, Steph.

You always tip me off to the best restaurants. I never had any interest in Rose and Crown but whoa now we definitely need to make that a priority! What a lovely view and SCOTCH FLIGHTS? Perfect.

Maddie, Rose & Crown is one of our top restaurants at Epcot; we have never had a bad meal and they have the scotch flight and a beer flight.

I love that you are looking at your camera/trying to take a photo in the PP photo on TOT! I wanna see what that photo came out like!

I was actually trying to take a ride of the outside...and I didn't post it because it obviously did NOT turn out.

Your photos with Sven and Olaf are perfect

Those are some of my favorites of the trip.

I'm so glad you guys got to see the Sing-a-Long. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

Us too; it was a lot of fun and I'm glad we got the FP+ for it.

Seems like you guys had a great day at HS!!

It really was a great day.

 

[KatMark]

I can't believe you got the SportsCenter shirt .... I hate that shirt (I love SportsCenter, but I much prefered the "This is Sports Center" ad campaign).

If you knew my son and his sports, you'd understand why I just HAD to get it for him.

I love the Olaf hat picture! And I love all of the Frozen PhotoPass pictures!

Thanks, we had a lot of fun with those.

And that Marie hat is adorable!

At that point Mark actually told me I was stealing his thunder.

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the Frozen sing-a-long. We also really, really liked it (and I was convinced I wouldn't). The royal historians really were hysterical.

The historians stole the show in my opinion.

Looks like you guys were having lots of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the hotel (seeing as how that's as close as I'll ever get to Boardwalk ...) and reading about DTD!

We really had a great day at the Studios which is unusual for us.

What a great day at DHS! The ride pic of Mark on RRC was the CUTEST thing I've seen! I just want to squeeze him!!!

Awwww...thanks; I'll tell Mark that when I get home tonight.

Loved all the fun Frozen pics! Hope they still have some of that around next year.

I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't keep it around for quite some time considering how popular it still is.

I'm so laughing at the ESPN shirt- Jared's gonna want that! Both boys can play the song cuz they play a version of it at the football games with band, but Jared's the sports nut and hums it around the house all the time!

No shirt EVER fit our son more perfectly. That's cool that they play parts of the song at football games.

Glad to see you getting in on the hat picture action- y'all are too cute!

For which I got yelled at for.

Glad I wasn't picking my nose during that TOT video.

So are my readers, Tim.

We should of did the Frozen sing along but we really were trying to plan some downtime into our trip.

That's too bad; I think the kids would have loved it. And I'm sure you had NO down time on the cruise.

I should of put on my 3D glasses before looking at your Muppets pics.

Hey Rob tried that and it didn't work.

I sent the girls into the Frozen store while I... ummmm... well, you'll see eventually.

I won't hold my breath for how long until I see.......

 

[KatMark]

I just wanted to thank you all again for the prayers, good wishes, etc. My brother came home last night. And although he has a long way to recuperate (very sore, tired, etc.), he is glad to be home and get some sleep. Mom, I am afraid, is taking a downward spiral, but we are all keeping close tabs on her. It will be nice though for Mark and I to sleep in our own house again.

I'm going to do one more update because the office is quiet and I have a house that has been neglected for three weeks so I know I'll be busy cleaning this weekend and I want to try and start my Christmas baking. So I figured I'd get this day completed.

We had just left the Studios and we took the boat back to the Boardwalk. Mark went up to the room and I stopped at Bell Services to ask them to bring our luggage up. I then met Mark upstairs and he was standing outside the door. I asked him what he was waiting for and he said, it won't open. I went down to the front desk to explain it to them and while I was waiting my turn the Bell Services CM joined me (he had tried with his Master Key and it wouldn't work either). They had to send maintenance upstairs to fix the problem. It turns out the battery was dead on the lock on the door.

So finally, about 20 minutes later we were able to get into our room.









We had a balloon, candy and a photo from Mickey & Minnie wishing us a Happy Anniversary (we also got a phone call from Mickey and Minnie a day or two later)



The bathroom (if I have one complaint about the Boardwalk, besides the scary clown pool, it would be that for some reason in the Studio, the bathroom seems very tight)









And our view to the right:



And our view a little to the left



Our view a little further left



More from the right



Back to the room with the drapes closed looking from the entrance



It is easy to say that we loved our view at the BWV this trip.

Cookie was situated and it was time for us to go to DTD



Walking down the hallway to go get our car







Continued in next post