Lesson learned. Need more days in Disney!!! Aug 2010 (NEW 1/20-COMPLETE)

[Terkina]

How lucky you two were for being grand marshalls in the AK parade. The interaction with the caracters while you were waiting for the parade to start sound great.

 

[ronnmel]

Wow! Being part of the parade must have been such an awesome experience!! And the private character interaction that came with it too.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Wow, AWESOME updates Yuki.

First, congrats on owning a piece of Disney.

Then, how AMAZING is it that you two were GRAND MARSHALLS of the AK parade?!! Your interaction with Baloo and Rafiki sounded like a lot of fun. And it's so neat to hear that kids along the parade route were excited when you waved to them. You must have thought, "hey, a few minutes ago I was just another park guest, like everyone else." So cool though!

The AKL lobby is pretty spectacular when you first walk in, no doubt!

I'm glad you liked Boma, but am surprised that Andrew didn't find much to his liking. We love that place. Oh yeah, their pasta salad is the bomb, isn't it? What the heck could they possibly do to make pasta salad so good???

Thanks Glenn! It's such an amazing feeling to say I own a bit of Disney.

It was such a DREAM COME TRUE. I mean, I've ALWAYS wanted to be picked for something like that, and to think I got picked for my favourite Disney parade too! Pixie dust like that only comes once in a lifetime.

Yeah, it was so cool to wave to the people watching the parade!! It was just mindblowing, to be asked if we wanted to be in the parade. I can't imagine anyone ever turning that down. One thing I kept thinking was, "I'm a part of ALL THESE PEOPLES' vacation photos and videos!"

I can't wait to see the lobby in the daylight. It would probably take my breath away.

Yeah, I was surprised he wasn't a fan of it either! I really liked it but to him, he found it mediocre. That pasta salad was SO GOOD! I wasn't expecting much when I took some but wow, it was great. Mmm, I'm getting myself hungry. But boy....that mustard....

How lucky you two were for being grand marshalls in the AK parade. The interaction with the caracters while you were waiting for the parade to start sound great.

Yeah, it was a lot of luck and pixie dust to be picked for the parade. I mean, I never would've thought a couple with no children would ever be picked!

The interaction was such a plus. All the CMs and characters were so much fun to hang out with.

Wow! Being part of the parade must have been such an awesome experience!! And the private character interaction that came with it too.

It'll be hard to top that experience, that's for sure! I mean, for our first trip together to be SO AMAZING. The parade photos are also our favourites of the trip. I hear about great character interactions, but never really experienced it until that day. I'll definitely spend more time with the characters on my next trip.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Yuki! What exciting updates!

You have alot of changes coming up for you! I can't remember - are you moving because of a new job?

I don't remember seeing a kangaroo there, either.

How cool that you got to be Grand Marshalls! It looks like they picked the perfect couple - you had so much fun with the dancing and the crowd!

The lobby at AKL always amazes me, too! Too bad your Boma experience wasn't a little more magical. We didn't really like most of the foods there either. We had a great time - wonderful service and delicious wine - just not crazy about cinnamon and nutmeg on EVERYTHING! I have to confess - I'm not impressed with Zebra Domes either - just sweet goo without flavor, I thought. ITA about the banana bread pudding, though.

We ate brunch there and loved it much more the next day - more "normal" breakfast foods, and the cinnamon was welcome at breakfast!

You look so cute all dressed up together! Too bad you didn't get any pixie dust for your anniversary or Birthday - (except the parade I guess). It maybe depends on how busy they are.

 

[__disneygirl]

Hey Yuki! Caught up on your updates.

WHOA at the giraffe skull! I must have missed that when I was there. That has to be the coolest skull I've ever seen.

I LOVED reading about your parade experience! So much magic and pixie dust. I sure hope we get picked to do that someday, it looks SO much fun. You look so insanely happy in the PP pics, it's like you're smiling so big you're about to pop LOL. Love it!!

Yay thanks for the shout out! I had never heard a WORD about the kangaroos either which is why I was so shocked to see them. So happy they're there.

Just a tip - the Magic Kingdom & MK resorts are North and separate of everything else at Disney so you went far out of your way to get to Boma. I used to do the same thing but then I learned more about the property. So to save time, I'd only take a bus to the MK if the resort I was headed to was one of the MK resorts. So if I was going from Pop to AKL and AK was closed (like it was when you were headed to dinner), I'd go from Pop to Hollywood to get a bus to AKL since Hollywood is the closest park to Pop. Confusing I know LOL but I just thought I'd mention it b/c the busses take so long as it is, it's always good to know some shortcuts! And what's the point of having a brain filled with Disney info if you can't share it?

YAYYYYY you got food drunk at Boma! Something everyone should experience IMO. Too bad Andrew didn't enjoy it as much. I can see that, the food is eclectic. I filled up on the less exotic stuff and then almost killed myself eating mass amounts of desserts LOL.

I can't believe you guys didn't get anything at restaurants for what you were celebrating! For my birthday I got something at almost every place and Boma's was the best. I guess it depends on the night and people who are there.

 

[YukiPhnx]

I found a job!! I'll be starting tomorrow, so I'm going to try my best to finish my TR TONIGHT (that sounds familiar, doesn't it?). I'll be working at an event marketing company, helping to fundraise for local and national charities. I'm very excited about this position and finally joining the adult world!

Hi Yuki! What exciting updates!

You have alot of changes coming up for you! I can't remember - are you moving because of a new job?

I don't remember seeing a kangaroo there, either.

How cool that you got to be Grand Marshalls! It looks like they picked the perfect couple - you had so much fun with the dancing and the crowd!

The lobby at AKL always amazes me, too! Too bad your Boma experience wasn't a little more magical. We didn't really like most of the foods there either. We had a great time - wonderful service and delicious wine - just not crazy about cinnamon and nutmeg on EVERYTHING! I have to confess - I'm not impressed with Zebra Domes either - just sweet goo without flavor, I thought. ITA about the banana bread pudding, though.

We ate brunch there and loved it much more the next day - more "normal" breakfast foods, and the cinnamon was welcome at breakfast!

You look so cute all dressed up together! Too bad you didn't get any pixie dust for your anniversary or Birthday - (except the parade I guess). It maybe depends on how busy they are.

I'm just moving back in with my family. I found a job in Toronto!

Haha, I'm not sure how many other marshalls dance along with the CMs. It just felt weird to sit and wait for people to wave too, because some parts of the parade would be empty. It was still tons of fun. Whenever I listen to the parade song, I always dance along now.

Yeah, I ate a lot and I'm easy to please, but it was too bad Andrew didn't love it. Man....I'm totally craving that bread pudding now. Oh, I'll have to try breakfast one day, then!

It was VERY busy at Boma. The CMs could barely move around. Completely understandable since we probably used up all our pixie dust to be in that parade, haha.

Hey Yuki! Caught up on your updates.

WHOA at the giraffe skull! I must have missed that when I was there. That has to be the coolest skull I've ever seen.

I LOVED reading about your parade experience! So much magic and pixie dust. I sure hope we get picked to do that someday, it looks SO much fun. You look so insanely happy in the PP pics, it's like you're smiling so big you're about to pop LOL. Love it!!

Yay thanks for the shout out! I had never heard a WORD about the kangaroos either which is why I was so shocked to see them. So happy they're there.

Just a tip - the Magic Kingdom & MK resorts are North and separate of everything else at Disney so you went far out of your way to get to Boma. I used to do the same thing but then I learned more about the property. So to save time, I'd only take a bus to the MK if the resort I was headed to was one of the MK resorts. So if I was going from Pop to AKL and AK was closed (like it was when you were headed to dinner), I'd go from Pop to Hollywood to get a bus to AKL since Hollywood is the closest park to Pop. Confusing I know LOL but I just thought I'd mention it b/c the busses take so long as it is, it's always good to know some shortcuts! And what's the point of having a brain filled with Disney info if you can't share it?

YAYYYYY you got food drunk at Boma! Something everyone should experience IMO. Too bad Andrew didn't enjoy it as much. I can see that, the food is eclectic. I filled up on the less exotic stuff and then almost killed myself eating mass amounts of desserts LOL.

I can't believe you guys didn't get anything at restaurants for what you were celebrating! For my birthday I got something at almost every place and Boma's was the best. I guess it depends on the night and people who are there.

I need to catch up on YOUR tr. I've been so busy trying to get ready for my first real adult job.

I think I smiled so much, my face hurt. That always happens when I'm at Disney. Maybe when we do the Girls of the DIS trip, we'll get picked! I mean, how can they say no to a group of hot girls in matching shirts that walk around the park singing and laughing?

I'm really looking forward to seeing the kangaroos again. I mean, it's not every day you get to be that close to one!

OOOOH!!! Thanks so much! I didn't study the maps as well before I left, so we always just hopped on the first bus that showed up. Duly noted.

Haha, I love all the different foods they had, so I ate a lot of those. I almost didn't have enough room for dessert.

Yeah, I think it really depends on how busy it is. I was hoping to get the special Boma dessert. I've seen so many pictures of them and I love macarons. OH, how was the Boma macaron?

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Congrats on the job!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Thanks Lessa! I'm so excited and nervous at the same time, haha.

 

[ronnmel]

Yay! Congrats for the new job!!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Chapter 32. Day 7 pt.1- The beginning of the end

When I was planning this trip and trying to figure out ADRs, I had originally thought to eat at Boma at the beginning of our trip. But then I wasn't sure how Andrew would react to it and thought I should ease him into it with a lunch at WCC first. In hindisght, it was a great idea to have Boma at the end of our trip. It was like...we had even more things to be thankful of because of the great trip we've been having. He finally appreciated all the crazy obsessive research I've been doing and told me he didn't expect to have such a good time. And then the unexpected happened (the parade) and he had even more to enjoy about the trip. It was like a great almost-ending to our trip.

But the end of a Disney trip is never THAT good right? The only thing that kept me from breaking down completely in the lobby of Pop was knowing that we WILL be returning. Whenever we didn't do something during the trip, Andrew would always say, "We can do it next time." It was very reassuring, knowing that he was willing to come back to Disney with me! It also made the trip more relaxed, knowing we didn't have to rush to do EVERYTHING.

Today was our last full day at Disney World. Hollywood Studios (MGM on my first trip and in my heart) was the only park we didn't spend the day at. Having spent some time in this park, I was very excited to go on ToT again!

It was probably the only time we had to wake up early 2 days in a row. We left for HS at 7:45am and you can early see how sleepy we still were.

The funny thing about this picture is that when we showed it to our moms, they BOTH asked us who took the picture! We had to explain to them that we were just PRETENDING to be asleep to show how tired we were. Haha, I love our moms.

We didn't get just any old Disney bus. For some reason, a Magical Express bus pulled up! So we were given a ride to HS to the tune of Stacey. It's like somehow...somewhere....someone knew it was our last full day and wanted to make it special. I'm really starting to worry about using up ALL of my alotted pixie dust on this trip. I mean, we only get so much right?

Now, here's where I misunderstood the park hours for the SECOND TIME on this trip. You'd think the months of studying the parks would make me an expert. When we got there at 8am, we THOUGHT we were an hour early, but the park gates were strangely empty....

The closer I got to it, the more I finally realized that HS had a morning EMH! I felt SO SILLY! Good thing we got there just after it opened. A part of me was hoping that the majority of the (hopefully non-DIS) crowd would head straight to TSM, where it was closed for refurb, leaving Sunset Blvd empty for our enjoyment. We headed to RnRC first and weren't so lucky. A 30 minute wait time? Hooray for fast passes! We grabbed an FP and tried our luck with ToT.

Cha-ching! The wait was the coveted (by me) 13 minutes long!!! I can't remember if I took a picture of that already. I've heard about it and have always wanted to capture it. As great as ToT is, it still terrifies a lot of people and even some thrill-seekers, which means the waits are never continuously long throughout the day. Another reason to love it.

Our first redneck photo of the day! We're in the top left row. This picture cracks me up A LOT. It's just such a weird pose for the two of us to be doing!

We did a funny pose on every ToT ride. We're already planning poses for our next trip!

When we got off the ride, we ran to the front to check the wait time and it was only 10 minutes! So of course, we hopped right back into line.

Not before some photos though.

The park was starting to fill up.

While waiting for our 2nd ride, when we had reached the entrance to the building, someone in front of us fainted! A woman was already in the lobby and she suddenly collapsed on the floor. Everybody that could see her was very concerned and people were already running out of the line to get a CM. I really wanted to help her, but she only spoke Spanish. Being anemic, I've had LOTS of experiences with fainting and so I know what to do when it happens. I tried to tell her family they needed to get her to drink some water, but I don't think they heard me at all. Eventually, some more CMs showed up with a stretcher and she was carried out of the line. I'm sure she was in the best hands by then.

Here's our 2nd redneck photo of the day.

We chose the Scott Pilgrim pose for this one. 10 points to the House of the student that knows this!

Oh my gosh, what happened to THESE people???

We checked out RnRC's time again and it was only 20mins, so instead of using our FP, we just hopped in line. It felt more like 10 minutes. I loved the Selena Gomez posters they had!

I'm not sure what compelled Andrew to do this....

Quick, we have to get to the concert ALL THE WAY at the other end of town!!!

Andrew really loved this ride! It's probably one of his favourite rides. We couldn't wait to get back on this with our FPs.

Rock out!

Another view of ToT from the RnRC courtyard. I really can't get enough of this place. When will they let us live in it already???

On our way out, I grabbed a root beer float with chocolate ice cream. The one at Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland was much better though.

Great Movie Ride was next on our list. On our way there, Andrew took this shot.

I wish I had a hat like that.

Spot the Yuki? Nah, it's too easy.

Welcome to the movies!

We took this shot because we had a very funny CM host.

I heart Gene Kelly and this movie. Sorry it's so blurry, we didn't DARE do any flashing.

We got the gangster scene. It was our first time on the ride, so we don't have anything to compare it to. I've heard the western scene is better, but I guess we'll see next time.

I loved when the CM joined the actors! I had no idea that was going to happen. I also loved that another CM came to continue the ride. My favourite part was probably the Alien popping down from the ceiling. Very cool.

We wanted to watch VotLm next, but the line was just WAY TOO LONG. Instead, we went in search of Starring Rolls. It was only 10:15am but we learned to eat our meals earlier in the day to avoid the insane crowds. That way, we could try out more Disney foods. Expect for our TS meals, we bought one serving of something and just split it. It worked very well for our trip!

Coming up next: At least it started raining at the end of our trip

 

[YukiPhnx]

Chapter 33. Day 7 pt.2- For a small park, it sure is confusing.

We actually had a hard time looking for Starring Rolls. It's this tiny little building attached to some larger buildings. We consulted the park map and knew it was around the area SOMEWHERE but it didn't pop out at us. After walking past it TWICE, we finally found it!

It was a lot smaller than I expected. I guess I was expecting a large QS place like Pizza Planet, but it looked more like a little cafe. I ordered the food while Andrew found a seat outside (which wasn't hard because it wasn't packed at all).

We ordered the Turkey Foccacia.

With extra packets of Gulden's of course.

It was.....DELICIOUS. Andrew named it his favourite park food. It was so cold and juicy and full of meat. It had the perfect amount of cheese and pesto. Definitely one of my faves too. I can't wait to go back for this. We didn't order a cupcake because it felt too early for something so sweet. I had planned to come back for one, but just forgot about it...

After lunch, we just kind of...chilled and watched a bit of the HSM3 stage show. I had to stop for this because my BFF and I love HSM. I admit it! Also, HSM3 has some of the best music of the series.

And then we saw something ADORABLE. This just goes to show that Lesson number 20. Take time to people watch. You never know what you'll see.


We walked back down Sunset to grab FPs for ToT and to ride RnRC again.

This time, we did the Zoltan hand symbol.You can only see Andrew's though.

20 points awarded to the House of the student that gets THIS reference! Hint: It's from an Ashton Kutcher movie. (pretty big hint, I think)

Something tragic happened during the ride though. I lost the Minnie Mouse pen I bought at World of Disney. But good thing they sell those everywhere!

We had had enough of the Sunset strip for now and sauntered over to the Streets of Amerca. This is one part of the park I've never been to. I was also eager to find the Dancing in the Rain umbrella.

I was surprised to see a dinosaur in HS!

I thought it felt a little out of place, but it was still very cute.

I stopped to write down some notes and Andrew took this photo of just me in it! He actually had to wait for it to empty out.

The next show was just starting, so we decided to just come back for the next one.

The wait for Star Tours was a complete walk-on at 11:30am! I was really surprised because I thought this was a popular ride and that more people would be on it because it would be closed soon. I remember waiting in a long line my first time here.

This is what I looked like during most of our trip. Consulting the park map. I'm not a veteran just yet!

Right outside the line, there was this little guy.

I bet WDW must be like heaven for these little critters.

For some reason, before this trip, whenever I was thought about my first trip, I had a REALLY hard time remembering what happened during thr ride. I remember the queue because I videotaped it, but I just COULD NOT for the life of me remember what the ride was like.

I remember NOW of course. It's probably one of my favourite queues. I love the stuff the talking robots say. In fact, one of my favourite soundtracks of the parks is the one for the old Star Tours line. It's very cute!

I'm really looking forward to going on the new one! It sounds like a lot of fun.

Where did we go next? Across the street to Sounds Dangerous! This attraction has a special place in my heart. On our very first trip to Disney, it was waiting for this ride that we realized our trip was already half over. It was very sad, but we still had MK to look forward to!

This ride kind of scares me. Well, the bees part. I always take the headphones off for that part. Also, a baby ALWAYS cries during the show. At least one.

When we got out, it was POURING. So, we spent a lot of time around the building, exploring the little things they had for you to do. Except that most of it was not working. Instead of trying to wait it out, I changed into my flip flops and we headed out under my umbrella towards Muppet Vision 3D. Less number 21. Always keep a pair of flip flops in my bag if I'm not already wearing one.

We ran towards where I THOUGHT was Muppet Vision, but we ended up back at Hollywood Blvd. We ducked into a store so we could consult the map once more and finally found our way to the Muppets theatre. We were getting pretty wet, but not soaked. Lesson number 22. Keep a small hand towel in the bag for times like these. It was great to be able to dry off.

We really enjoyed the show! This was another attraction that was also a first to the both of us. We thought it was very cute and loved their use of 3D. When we came out, it wasn't pouring but it was drizzling. We decided to try our luck at LMA and hoped the show would still go on.

On our way there, we found the umbrella! Now, I notice that a lot of people take a picture of them UNDER the umbrella, but this song is about singing IN the rain. This is how you do it people. (Because I'm the self-claimed expert on these things)

I'm SIIIIIIIIINGING in the RAAAAAAAIN!!! I've got a SMIIIIILE on my faaace.

Ok, I just noticed something strange. I KNOW I saw the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, but I cannot remember when! I have no photos or notes about it, but I'm very sure we saw this show. What a mystery....I remember thinking that the stage was bigger than I remembered. Hmmmm...curioser and curioser.

Coming up next: Cars, tours and bugs!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Thanks for your congrats Mel! It's finally time for me to grow up.

 

[dizneeat]

First of - congratulations on the job, Yuki! I am sure you'll be the best person for it!!!

Love your updates, brings back a lot of memories of the time we met! I am so sorry to see your trip coming to an end - you better get another one booked!

You got a lot of rides done at DHS! We love ToT too and especially when the wait is only 13min.
Next time you go back you HAVE TO try a Carrot Cake Cookie at the Writers Stop! They are so good and definitely big enough to share!

 

[__disneygirl]

Big congratulations on scoring that job, Yuki!!

Sigh... I love Hollywood Studios. But I must tell you, you HAVE GOT TO TRY a Starring Rolls Cupcake next time. I don't care if you are there at 6:00 am, just do it. Trust me on this one. LOL. I would totally kill for one of those right now! Best cupcakes ever! I think that I am going to try to duplicate the magic that is their red velvet cupcake because I simply can't wait until next trip. Wow, have I really been going for a paragraph about cupcakes?

 

[YukiPhnx]

First of - congratulations on the job, Yuki! I am sure you'll be the best person for it!!!

Love your updates, brings back a lot of memories of the time we met! I am so sorry to see your trip coming to an end - you better get another one booked!

You got a lot of rides done at DHS! We love ToT too and especially when the wait is only 13min.
Next time you go back you HAVE TO try a Carrot Cake Cookie at the Writers Stop! They are so good and definitely big enough to share!

Thanks for the congrats Karin! I've been doing really well so far and hope to keep it up!

Ohhh, I think about that meet ALL THE TIME. I need to book another soon! It's too bad we'll be missing each other in Feb/Mar. It would've made my YEAR if I got to see you again. I miss you!

Yeah, ToT is fantastic. It's so often overlooked. Low wait times throughout the day. How can I say no when the wait is under 15mins? It's just impossible.

We actually didn't even SEE Writer's Stop. I think it was because of the rain. It impedes our vision and keeps us from seeing the AWESOME that is around us. That is for sure our must stop on my next trip. I always trust your food judgement

Big congratulations on scoring that job, Yuki!!

Sigh... I love Hollywood Studios. But I must tell you, you HAVE GOT TO TRY a Starring Rolls Cupcake next time. I don't care if you are there at 6:00 am, just do it. Trust me on this one. LOL. I would totally kill for one of those right now! Best cupcakes ever! I think that I am going to try to duplicate the magic that is their red velvet cupcake because I simply can't wait until next trip. Wow, have I really been going for a paragraph about cupcakes?

Thanks Lia!!!

I love HS too. Like...so much. I could spend days there. Some people think it's a half day, but there are so many great things to do!

Ok! Morning cupcake it is! Nothing like a whole lot of Disney sugar to get me started for the day right? Red velvet cupcake? I am ALL OVER THAT. I'm like, crazy about red velvet. Who came up with this most heavenly of baked creations? I want to try my hand at making it too. I think most importantly, I need to make the cream cheese whipped topping real good. I find that it always comes down to that for me.

Ok, now I'VE just written a paragraph on cupcakes. You are contagious, girl.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Congrats on the job, Yuki! I hope you get the card I sent (long overdue from last year ) before you move.

My mom used to make the Red Velvet cake when I was a kid - She didn't invent it, but I thought it was only a homemade treat until a few years ago when I started seeing it everywhere.

 

[dizneeat]

Merry Christmas!!! ​

 

[ronnmel]

Joyeux Noel to the both of you!!

 

[englishrose47]

To all my Dis Friends

 

[YukiPhnx]

I may be a little late, but I hope everybody had a wonderfully Merry Christmas!