Let's see what this family does flying solo - the POST trip report!

[nilla]

Ever hear it played by a marching band? I will. 15 times this year...

As long as I never hear it sung by the cast of "Glee!", I'll be ok

 

[nilla]

After lunch, we walked over to the Mad Tea Party, where we had spotted Alice earlier, wearing her throwback uniform.

More importantly, there was a rabbit with her...a White Rabbit. Yes, the goal for the day. The "never met" character. This is huge!

We asked the CM staking out the area if they would be returning soon - 10 minutes. We were the first to line up. Others slowly accumulated behind us, then suddenly, she appeared. It's Alice! And the Whi- wait - it's just Alice. No White Rabbit. Where is he? The CM assures us he will be, and we let the family behind us play through.


And the family behind them.


And the family behind them.


And the family behind them.


Alright, this is getting ridiculous. I know he's habitually tardy, but this is going a bit too far. Another family appears out of the blue and asks us if we're waiting for Alice, and we tell them we're waiting for the Rabbit, so they step up next. Hold on - did they just completely line jump? No one behind us is complaining, so they get their shots out of turn. Another, presumably more senior, CM asks us what we're doing, and the other CM tells her. She has a talk with him on the side, and I assume she told him "don't let that idiot Jon mess up our orderly queue system with his demands to see a 'never met' character again". Kristin decides to walk down the pathway that Alice approached from in hopes of finding the elusive hare, heading all the way out of my sight when I spotted him. Ok, great - here's the Rabbit, but where's Kristin? I finally spot her, too, and she hurries back. What a production! Had they just had them both come out together, this would've been MUCH less complicated. We get the coveted shot...

...and a snap of some cool topiary...

...then move back into Fantasyland. Walking around the Carousel, we see a kid trying to pry the Sword from the Stone, but to no avail. I mentioned before that Dylan has been trying forever to get that thing loose, and here is photographic documentary of his struggle over the years:

2007

2008

This is made all the worse by the fact that Emily managed to get the Sword up on our first MK day on this trip. He steps up, more determined than ever, like Charlie Bucket opening that one last Wonka Bar...

...and gets nowhere. Oh well. You have to shoot to score, right? Can't fault him for trying. There's always next year. Emily wants to give it a go.

As she approaches the Stone, I notice two CMs talking to a guest, one of them with a black, over the shoulder bag hanging by her hip. I position myself within earshot of the CMs, then As Emily grabs the handle, I loudly instruct her to pull with all she's got; really give it a good yank...

The female CM reaches into her bag, presumably to grab a breath mint, when all eyes shift to our daughter:

Oh my...she got it up. AGAIN. Unbelievable! And if you think I'm shocked by this, just take a closer look at Dylan:

His expression says it all, and this quickly becomes our favorite photo of the entire trip. Moments later, he breaks down, in tears, absolutely devastated. Not getting the Sword out is no big deal, but when your little sister gets it out, TWICE, in the same year, it's crushing. Kristin tells the CMs of his plight, and asks if he can get it out, too. Not about to reveal the Wizard behind the curtain, the male CM tells her that the Sword will only come out for the born ruler of England, just as the plaque says. I'm on his side, and Dylan, unfortunately, goes another year without getting it out. We would eventually reveal the secret to him, but not after lecturing him on how he should be happy for his sister, and proud that she is a future Queen.

 

[KatMark]

A mixed marriage... how sweet.

 

[kate_wdw]

I don’t know how I missed your TR until now, but I really enjoyed reading it. Epcot is my absolute favorite, so I envy all the time you were able to spend there. (I’m also a big fan of the retro Epcot shirt.)

Before your TR, I never knew that the Sword actually comes out of the stone or that I should be on the lookout for signs alerting me to DeVine’s presence, so it was educational as well as entertaining. (That means that the past several hours reading your TR instead of working were well spent, right?)

Kristin, Emily’s Tink dress is adorably sassy.

I do have to take exception to one thing, though…Go Iggles!

ETA: That last picture of Emily, Dylan & the sword is amazing!

 

[KatMark]

After lunch, we walked over to the Mad Tea Party, where we had spotted Alice earlier, wearing her throwback uniform.

More importantly, there was a rabbit with her...a White Rabbit. Yes, the goal for the day. The "never met" character. This is huge!

We asked the CM staking out the area if they would be returning soon - 10 minutes. We were the first to line up. Others slowly accumulated behind us, then suddenly, she appeared. It's Alice! And the Whi- wait - it's just Alice. No White Rabbit. Where is he? The CM assures us he will be, and we let the family behind us play through.


And the family behind them.


And the family behind them.


And the family behind them.


Alright, this is getting ridiculous. I know he's habitually tardy, but this is going a bit too far. Another family appears out of the blue and asks us if we're waiting for Alice, and we tell them we're waiting for the Rabbit, so they step up next. Hold on - did they just completely line jump? No one behind us is complaining, so they get their shots out of turn. Another, presumably more senior, CM asks us what we're doing, and the other CM tells her. She has a talk with him on the side, and I assume she told him "don't let that idiot Jon mess up our orderly queue system with his demands to see a 'never met' character again". Kristin decides to walk down the pathway that Alice approached from in hopes of finding the elusive hare, heading all the way out of my sight when I spotted him. Ok, great - here's the Rabbit, but where's Kristin? I finally spot her, too, and she hurries back. What a production! Had they just had them both come out together, this would've been MUCH less complicated. We get the coveted shot...

...and a snap of some cool topiary...

...then move back into Fantasyland. Walking around the Carousel, we see a kid trying to pry the Sword from the Stone, but to no avail. I mentioned before that Dylan has been trying forever to get that thing loose, and here is photographic documentary of his struggle over the years:

2007

2008

This is made all the worse by the fact that Emily managed to get the Sword up on our first MK day on this trip. He steps up, more determined than ever, like Charlie Bucket opening that one last Wonka Bar...

...and gets nowhere. Oh well. You have to shoot to score, right? Can't fault him for trying. There's always next year. Emily wants to give it a go.

As she approaches the Stone, I notice two CMs talking to a guest, one of them with a black, over the shoulder bag hanging by her hip. I position myself within earshot of the CMs, then As Emily grabs the handle, I loudly instruct her to pull with all she's got; really give it a good yank...

The female CM reaches into her bag, presumably to grab a breath mint, when all eyes shift to our daughter:

Oh my...she got it up. AGAIN. Unbelievable! And if you think I'm shocked by this, just take a closer look at Dylan:

His expression says it all, and this quickly becomes our favorite photo of the entire trip. Moments later, he breaks down, in tears, absolutely devastated. Not getting the Sword out is no big deal, but when your little sister gets it out, TWICE, in the same year, it's crushing. Kristin tells the CMs of his plight, and asks if he can get it out, too. Not about to reveal the Wizard behind the curtain, the male CM tells her that the Sword will only come out for the born ruler of England, just as the plaque says. I'm on his side, and Dylan, unfortunately, goes another year without getting it out. We would eventually reveal the secret to him, but not after lecturing him on how he should be happy for his sister, and proud that she is a future Queen.

Poor Dylan. The picture is priceless...but I feel so bad for him. And Grumpy Emily looks as proud as a peacock.

 

[Zdog]

Nilla, you must be a Phillies fan. Someone as witty and talented as you, who lives near the farm club of the Fightins, who enjoys WDW the way I do, must share my passion for America's great under achieving baseball club.

But if not, I will still continue to read, enjoy, and laugh my rear off at your most excellent trippie.

 

[nilla]

Nilla, you must be a Phillies fan. Someone as witty and talented as you, who lives near the farm club of the Fightins, who enjoys WDW the way I do, must share my passion for America's great under achieving baseball club.

But if not, I will still continue to read, enjoy, and laugh my rear off at your most excellent trippie.

Not really a Phillies fan (when I was big into MLB, I was a Blue Jays fan), but I do like the Iron Pigs

 

[SoonerGirl]

Oh my gosh, poor Dylan! That face just says it all doesn't it?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Love the picture of Dylan's complete shock. But at least he will get to be prince of England or something.

Although that might not be a good thing, considering how the press treat the current royal family.

 

[njtinkmom]

Wow, thanks! This kind of comment makes me want to post more!

Not to correct you, though, but Enter Sandman is by Metallica, not Maiden Either way, awesome way to start the reception!

Thanks for the correction! Obviously I had some kind of mental breakdown - I was so engrossed in your TR I somehow had a vision of Enter Sandman - regardless who sang it (Unless it is the cast of Glee! ) as THE song... Ironically at work they call my Husband the Iron Lung (long story - it was really Iron Man, someone screwed it up and said Iron Lung and thus history was made!) and I am the Iron Maiden!!! Well enough of my boring life history lessons - back to your TR!

 

[burly]

oh Nilla, originally came over to read on the advice of MEK.
Then i stayed, then storms and no internet!
And finally with it back, i am all caught up.
I am absolutely in love with your family, positively gushy...

Great trip report, truly, wish it never had to end.

and now on with the show, um, writing, well you know what i mean.

KIM

 

[YukiPhnx]

Wow, Dylan's face in that photo is just priceless. It must be so devastating!!

I wonder why the White Rabbit didn't just come out with Alice. It's not like they were gonna let him take over Alice's place or anything, the CM kept telling you he was coming. Maybe some costume malfunction?

 

[nilla]

I wonder why the White Rabbit didn't just come out with Alice. It's not like they were gonna let him take over Alice's place or anything, the CM kept telling you he was coming. Maybe some costume malfunction?

What do you mean "costume malfunction"? Costume?

Oh, I see - you must be referring to his topcoat. For a second there, I thought you were insinuating that he is not an actual rabbit

My guess was either something like what you said, or they were playing up the whole "he's late!" bit. Alice didn't seem to say anything when he arrived, though, so it's probably the former.

 

[littlegoth]

As long as I never hear it sung by the cast of "Glee!", I'll be ok

God help me ... I would LOVE this! I think madness is listening to it being played by a group of classically trained chellists (Apocalyptica) at Download festival as 80 000 rock fans gently headbang along .... can't wait to see them again

 

[nilla]

God help me ... I would LOVE this! I think madness is listening to it being played by a group of classically trained chellists (Apocalyptica) at Download festival as 80 000 rock fans gently headbang along .... can't wait to see them again

You would probably love this then

http://www.amazon.com/Rockabye-Baby-Lullaby-Renditions-Metallica/dp/B000GY72JM

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Poor Dylan, we are so cruel to our kids! LOL Emily looked like the cat that swallowed Tweety Bird! At least there is something for him to look forward to next time. I'm just glad that Emily is not in school with Dylan, poor would never live it down!

 

[nilla]

Up next was another run at Philharmagic, which I honestly don't remember seeing twice this year, but if Kristin's notes say we did, I'm inclined to trust them. It's starting to feel really hot and muggy in this park, so I grab a set of FPs for Splash Mountain. It's pretty crowded up in this section of Frontierland at this time. The short term goal is to go over to Tom Sawyer Island and run around there for a while, but first, we cash in some of our remaining snacks for bottled waters.

We hop on the raft to TSI, and the temperature seems to have jumped from really hot all the way up to stinkin' hot. Don't get me wrong; I'd take this heat over a Pennsylvania Winter anyday, but something I've noticed as I get older is that once I start sweating, it's buckets. No perspiration here - it's an all-out sweatfest and there's nothing I can do to stop it. The humidity seems to be a prime factor in this, but I guess riding a raft over a creek under the blazing sun while packed in with at least 50 other sweaty people doesn't help matters much. We finally get to TSI, and it's not soon enough before we're in the shade of a cave.

Wow, these caves would be awful were I claustrophobic. Emily's not digging the darkness too much, so we don't really hang around too much inside. They enjoy the forts, though, and Dylan loves when I show him how he can pretend to take sniper shots at the train from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as it passes by at breakneck speed. I prefer to take a different kind of shot:

We walk across the crazy bridge, and I'm so engaged that I don't even notice the Haunted Mansion across the water. That stinks, because I remember that making for a great picture. We eventually decide to head back to the mainland, and by the time we return, I look like I've been on Splash Mountain. In fact, I'm so beat down by the humidity that I would LOVE to go on SM right now...the only trouble is that Emily is suddenly scared of the big drop and doesn't want to ride. We eventually convince her that Kristin will completely protect her from the water and hold her as tight as she possibly can, but even then, it was a struggle to get her to ride. The FP line is unusually long at this point, and I'm hoping we don't have a last second Emily bailout. We make it on, and now I'm praying to get hit with the "approaching log boat coming down the big hill" splash, which is the biggest splash of the whole ride. We turn the corner, and here it comes...

**SPLASH**

...and we get it. Nice

Afterwards, I'm feeling refreshed, but also enlightened by a new revelation - the best way to ride Splash Mountain is to ride it with Southerners. The other four in our log were obviously from somewhere in the deep South, based on their dead giveaway accents, and it honestly did add to the overall feel of the ride. Not knocking people from that part of the country, but I'd be lying if I said that comments such as "Look, y'all - moonshine!" and "The fox is fixin' to catch Brer Rabbit!" don't augment the overall feel of a ride based on a movie called "Song of the South". Overall, it was a great addition to the ride, and I can only hope for more Southerners next time we come this way!

Very brief rant: C'mon, Disney - release that movie on DVD. Let us decide if it's racist or not.

After Splash, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean again, and suddenly, Emily's scared of that, too. I guess she's just tired. She rides anyway, though, and doesn't complain once we're on, so it could be worse. After POTC, it's over to get our long awaited Dole Whips, which we enjoy as always:

Adventureland just wouldn't be the same without them! Still roasting from the heat, we decide next that we'll find a place in the shade where we can finally see the 3:00 parade. Behind the refurb wall at the Liberty Tree Tavern looks like a good spot, but we eventually move up when we realize we can get a spot right near the rope. Kristin quickly rushes off to find out when Princess Tiana will be back for photo ops (antother "never met"!), and then it's parade time!

 

[nilla]

The theme of the parade, or the beginning of it, at least, is saluting volunteers, but for us, the theme turned out to be character hi-fives, as evidenced by this series of photos:

Dylan loved it. He's still a big softie for the characters. We had a great spot, and got some really good non-hi-five pictures, too:

I don't know who the Beast was pointing at in that last shot, but I'm glad it's not me. He looked mean. In fact, he always looks that way. If you ask me, we should gather up a bunch of our friends and go and hunt down that thing before it hurts someone. Who's with me? You? Great. You grab the pitchforks, while I go light some torches.

Wait - what's that?

Oh, that girl who likes to read (the nerve!) says he's not a beast at all, and is really kind at heart. Does he look kind to you? Well, he doesn't to me, so it's time to go up to that castle and - hold on - did I just hear someone say Princess Tiana is coming back soon? Ok, hold that mob justice for now - it's autograph time!

 

[nilla]

So we rushed over to wait for the Princess, and the Frog. Well, he was once a frog. He's a prince, now. Actually, she was a frog, too, but - well, you saw the movie, so you know the story. I actually really enjoyed that flick (especially the little voodoo spirit guys), but Kristin wasn't as thrilled by it. Anyway, it's a Princess, and it should make for some great pictures and special moments for our kids.

We talk to the CM running the line, and she really likes Dylan's Pokemon shirt. In fact, he's gotten several comments about the shirt from other guests today. See, Dyl, I told you it was cool! Anyway, this CM tells us she's leaving for Tokyo in a week, and we're greener than frog-form Tiana with how envious we are at this. As you know from reading this TR, I LOVE Japanese pop culture, and both of us think Disney Sea looks absolutely spectacular. We'll get there one day, I swear. That and Disneyland Paris, for the POTC redux and Phantom Manor. But enough about that, because here come our stars: Prince Naveen and Princess Tiana! We get to the front, and Dylan's up first. Naveen is asking him about his shirt, and messing with him pretty bad. He was really good. Tiana was nice, too.

Emily was up next, and she did the whole shy/giddy/ecstatic thing she does with all of the Princesses, then poses for some snaps.

Afterwards, we rode the Magic Carpets of Alladin. I don't remember getting squirted by the camel before, but we did, and it felt great We hit Haunted Mansion next, getting stuck near the end of the ride, near the opera singer, for at least five minutes. We weren't sure how much Emily would like seeing the ghost pop up from behind the headstone again and again and again, but she was ok with it.

Wait - did I already say that happened on a different day? I don't recall. Seriously, this TR has become more confusing than Jeff Spicoli's new class schedule!

Oh well, does it really matter? No! Back to our story.

After we said a tearful goodbye to my beloved Haunted Mansion, we rode It's a Small World. Kristin has pointed out before that there are only two American dolls in this ride: the Cowboy and the Inuit (Eskimo for the politically incorrect out there). However, I think that's wrong - I think it's the Cowboy and the Native American (see "Peter Pan" for several politically incorrect terms for that culture, if interested). However, this time, it's only the Cowboy - the Native American girl is missing! It's just an empty pedestal. What happened? Fortunately, we haven't read any of the Kingdom Keepers books yet, so we're no scared; we're just curious. The CM outside tells me that, though she's not aware of any missing dolls, she does know that when a costume needs mending, they just take the whole doll with it. Mystery solved!

Speaking of IASW, I would LOVE if they would add the Disney characters to this ride like they did in Hong Kong. It really adds something cool without taking away the original, well, coolness. After IASW, we rode Peter Pan, saying goodbye to Nana. It's at that point every year that it really sinks in that this is all coming to a close, but we've had such a long, wonderful trip that it's hard to be upset. Anyway, it's too early to be upset - it's not even close to dinner time, and we still have Tomorrowland to close out!

 

[KatMark]

Great parade pics, Jon, and great high fives too! I love that little extra "pixie dust" with the kids. Hi, Kristin.