March 2012: The Year I Almost Survived Spring Break

[kadesha]

Just joining in on the TR today. We had the same experience at 1900 PF. I have no desire to ever set foot in the GF again. Definitely not for me. When we were making ADR's for our upcoming trip, the kids even said they didn't want to go back there. It's a shame because I've read some reviews from people that have really enjoyed it, but our experience was just the opposite.

 

[kittylady1972]

WOW...I just can't believe the horrible service you got at 1900 Park! I'll admit, it's been a while since we've been there but I am sure I would have recalled if it was like THAT! It's a shame because that food does look pretty good and how AWESOME that the chef was so GREAT with your daughter! That dessert looked FABULOUS! How DID she eat it???

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at the photo your DH took of ALMOST you and Lady Tremain! That's too much! Next time you would be better off handing your camera to another kid!

 

[Lidian]

WOW! I was a whole day behind in your updates.

First off, I can't believe you got so sick, and had to go to the hospital! That must have been so scary. I'm a baby like that, and I would have been scared to go all alone-but what choice did you have? Your DH had to stay with your kids since they're too young to be left alone.

I don't know how you made it through your AK day after the evening you'd had!

Sorry you didn't enjoy your dinner at 1900 Park Faire. The last time we ate there was for my DD's 16th birthday dinner, and we had a wonderful server.

Sorry, I tend to pile them on when I can ... because I never know when I'll have time with classes.

It was scary ... and I was terrified being alone in some strange place. DH wanted to get the kids up and all of us go, but I thought that was silly. Just because I was sick didn't mean everyone should be punished. I really wanted the kids to have a great time regardless of what happened.

I'm not sure how I made it through AK either. I'd stop and lean on something (usually DH) and then we'd keep moving. I'm not sure I could have handled it had we not had a "lunch" break.

I'm so glad you had a good experience. I won't claim that my experience was normal ... but it was bad enough to keep us from ever returning.

Just joining in on the TR today. We had the same experience at 1900 PF. I have no desire to ever set foot in the GF again. Definitely not for me. When we were making ADR's for our upcoming trip, the kids even said they didn't want to go back there. It's a shame because I've read some reviews from people that have really enjoyed it, but our experience was just the opposite.

Sorry that you had such a bad experience, too. We dined at GFC back in 2009 and had a similar experience.

I don't blame your kids for recognizing a potential shoddy experience and wanting to avoid it! Good for them! I am, however, sad that they recall such a bad experience.

We've been to the GF for dining twice ... and both times had HORRID experiences ... no thanks. We won't be back. The food at GFC and 1900 was good. Not amazing (well that soup was...), but good. Characters were good. But I think I'd rather dine where I'm welcome. I can find those characters in the park if I look hard enough ... and I know there's great food everywhere at WDW.

Are you ready for your upcoming trip? I didn't write it down, but I want to say I saw your ticker at 39 days?

WOW...I just can't believe the horrible service you got at 1900 Park! I'll admit, it's been a while since we've been there but I am sure I would have recalled if it was like THAT! It's a shame because that food does look pretty good and how AWESOME that the chef was so GREAT with your daughter! That dessert looked FABULOUS! How DID she eat it???

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at the photo your DH took of ALMOST you and Lady Tremain! That's too much! Next time you would be better off handing your camera to another kid!

I've heard so many mixed reviews about 1900, that it's crazy. We did it once, but won't do it again. I'm sure others will have amazing experiences to recant ... and others could join in with me. So long as people know that they may get horrible service and treated like slime when they book is all I care about. (Some people are willing to take that chance, and some are lucky. )

I was very impressed with their chef. We had a chef later in the week that ... well ... polar opposite. Most of the chefs were fine, but two stuck out ... an amazing one and one who might need to hang up her hat. I mean, seriously, a chef that does not know there is MILK in cheese? But that's coming up later ...

I was so mad when I saw the picture! I had talked about LT the entire night! I told him I didn't care if I got in with the other characters (I wanted to, but would be okay if I missed them)... so long as I got a picture with LT!!!!! And then he ruined it. Men.

 

[Lidian]

I'm hoping for an update after I get out of class today. If I get enough of my homework finished quickly, I may finish out the entire day (about 3 updates).

 

[DMGeurts]

TG I have the day off... I know how you update... LOL

D~ <---- Who can't seem to get this scuba gear off her head...

 

[cogero]

I need to get caught up. I am like 4 pages behind.

 

[sjs314]

I know I posted the other evening and it seems to have disappeared

Congrates on getting 100 on your exam! I have red of other who have had less thn. Magical expierence at 1900 PF.

I am curious about something .... When you checked in did they ask where you were staying. The reason I ask is I have heard others mention this happening and we had it happen when we checked into Cape May then we were handed a pager and told to go sit and wait blah blah blah. While writing a guest cme in and stated he did not have a n ADR but was paying $$$ to stay at BC and wanted to eat at CM. Within minutes a CM appeared and escorted this guest nd his party into the restaurant.

I did feel that a difference is made in waiting time depending on where you are staying, DH thinks so too. not going back to Cape May anytime soon and now PF is on that same list

 

[MissManda]

I just started reading your trip report and can't wait to see how this trip goes. It certainly has gotten off to a rocky start. So sorry that you were so sick and had to go to the ER

I love finding other female MMORPG players. I've played EQ, WoW, Rift and now SWTOR. So, I totally get all the references! Love it.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

UGH! Stinking Grand Floridian! I do have a kind of funny story about that hotel. I have a very wealthy uncle. He is just as country as cornbread and now runs a meat and three in his retirement, but he is wealthy. Anywho, after my aunt died he ended up marrying a somewhat younger woman...he was 50 something, she was 38, not too bad. She got pregnant, my uncle became a dad again at almost 60 years old.
Sooo, their little girl is now 9 yrs old and they all decided at the last minute that they wanted to go to Disney. They were told on the phone that there was but one room left in the whole World, so they just booked it...not knowing. My uncle cracks us up telling how they pulled up at the GF and it was like the red carpet was rolled out for them. Folks greeted them outside the door "you must be Mr. So and So". "Well, yeah, I am." Long story short, they had booked a room that was $1000 a night!!!!! He has $$$, but felt completely out of place at that stuffy hotel! I think they will plan better next time...

 

[Lidian]

TG I have the day off... I know how you update... LOL

D~ <---- Who can't seem to get this scuba gear off her head...

D, I'm about to go crazy, just because you have the day off.

Not sure why you can't get the scuba gear off your head. Have you tried removing your head? Someone mentioned once that Mickey can do that. I don't believe a word of it.

I need to get caught up. I am like 4 pages behind.

Oh dear ... you're about to be a bunch of pages behind.

Thankfully, I'm keeping the Table of Contents updated. So perhaps it will be of help when you get a chance to catch up ... pending you don't give up on me.

I know I posted the other evening and it seems to have disappeared

Congrates on getting 100 on your exam! I have red of other who have had less thn. Magical expierence at 1900 PF.

I am curious about something .... When you checked in did they ask where you were staying. The reason I ask is I have heard others mention this happening and we had it happen when we checked into Cape May then we were handed a pager and told to go sit and wait blah blah blah. While writing a guest cme in and stated he did not have a n ADR but was paying $$$ to stay at BC and wanted to eat at CM. Within minutes a CM appeared and escorted this guest nd his party into the restaurant.

I did feel that a difference is made in waiting time depending on where you are staying, DH thinks so too. not going back to Cape May anytime soon and now PF is on that same list

I'm sorry that something ate your post. I've had issues with the board lately ... showing I quoted some random post and replied with some random reply. It usually fixes it on my end if I go into the post to edit it ... but none have completely vanished. Very odd lately ...

Thanks for the "grats"! I'm very happy with myself, and I know my professor is, too. I'm excited that I'll have him for at least one of my classes next semester, but not all the ones I want to have him for.

Oddly, we were asked where we were staying. And so was Mrs. Rude-No-ADR. She was staying somewhere DVC, I don't recall. So I guess since we were in a mod and she was DVC, they gave her preferential treatment. We were asked a lot where we were staying when checking in for ADRs. I honestly thought they were just doing it like a poll. I never considered they were doing it as treatment. Statistics class is really getting hold of me ... and I view things as Stats now. But I think you're right. I think they're using it to determine who gets better treatment and who doesn't. I also noticed similar sized families checking in after us at places being seated ahead of us as well. (I get larger/smaller families not following the same seating requirements as their table size is different.) This was about every ADR we had to wait at (some we were seated quickly, others we waited FOREVER for).

However, a large party would be seated on a different timeline than a small one ... so take that into consideration ... but I do agree. It does seem that there may be some preferential treatment with guests at select ADRs. I've read too many bad reviews about CM lately ... I don't think I'll consider it for an upcoming trip.

I just started reading your trip report and can't wait to see how this trip goes. It certainly has gotten off to a rocky start. So sorry that you were so sick and had to go to the ER

I love finding other female MMORPG players. I've played EQ, WoW, Rift and now SWTOR. So, I totally get all the references! Love it.

It has gotten off to a rocky start ... but we still had a blast and I'd totally repeat the trip.

Like you, I love finding other female MMORPG players! We are far and few! I run a guild and I still get called "sir", "my lord", "dude", etc. The ones who join in vent (or know me personally) have accepted I'm a girl. The others, no matter how many times I tell them I'm a girl, just don't believe it. "Girls don't play games." Yep. They do. And they're great at it.

My DH has played all of the above. He was in the beta for all of them (original betas). I'm not sure when he stopped playing EQ .... but he stopped playing WoW once SWW went live. Actually, he stopped WoW during the SWW beta. I did the SWW beta with him, but I couldn't justify starting over in a new game (nor could I justify paying to play two games while being in school). SWW wasn't my thing ... but to me, it was like WoW in space. If I knew more of the lore, I may have been tempted to play the game. I'll stick to my WoW and enjoy my MoP beta. (I just got a beta for D3, have you tried it? Never heard of the Diablo series until Blizz announced it was included with the WoW AP.)

I do have more references coming up ... as we have more WoW-friend time in the week.

If you decide to return to WoW, feel free to PM me and look me up! We're always looking for girls to join us! (Currently recruiting for raiders *cough cough*, too!)

UGH! Stinking Grand Floridian! I do have a kind of funny story about that hotel. I have a very wealthy uncle. He is just as country as cornbread and now runs a meat and three in his retirement, but he is wealthy. Anywho, after my aunt died he ended up marrying a somewhat younger woman...he was 50 something, she was 38, not too bad. She got pregnant, my uncle became a dad again at almost 60 years old.
Sooo, their little girl is now 9 yrs old and they all decided at the last minute that they wanted to go to Disney. They were told on the phone that there was but one room left in the whole World, so they just booked it...not knowing. My uncle cracks us up telling how they pulled up at the GF and it was like the red carpet was rolled out for them. Folks greeted them outside the door "you must be Mr. So and So". "Well, yeah, I am." Long story short, they had booked a room that was $1000 a night!!!!! He has $$$, but felt completely out of place at that stuffy hotel! I think they will plan better next time...

I would be with your uncle. Totally feeling out of place. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely resort ... but not worth the stuffiness to stay there. (And my apologies if I offend anyone -- but most of the staff there are snooty, not claiming the guests are.)

I can't imagine paying $1k per night for a room! I mean, even if I had that kind of money to throw around ... I just don't know if I could do it. Maybe it's because I've grown up having to be frugal and live within means. We struggle to justify the ~$200/night for a room at a Mod.

I've been pricing out local cabins and hotels for our anniversary get-away, and DH is amazed at the prices I'm coming up with. I want to make it nice, so I'm not looking at the Super 8s and stuff. I'm looking at the resort hotels and nice cabins with luxuries.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

I would be with your uncle. Totally feeling out of place. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely resort ... but not worth the stuffiness to stay there. (And my apologies if I offend anyone -- but most of the staff there are snooty, not claiming the guests are.)

I can't imagine paying $1k per night for a room! I mean, even if I had that kind of money to throw around ... I just don't know if I could do it. Maybe it's because I've grown up having to be frugal and live within means. We struggle to justify the ~$200/night for a room at a Mod.

Oh, he was not too happy to be paying that either. He and his wife just didn't bother to ask what type of room they were booking, they just knew they wanted to go and I guess they are just used to doing these things on a whim. He has the $$$, but he just doesn't blow it on frivolous things. He grew up in a family with 10 kids whose parents lived through the depression! He is my Daddy's twin brother. Believe me, I think they learned a valuable lesson about trying to book Disney in a week or so!

 

[Lidian]

We overslept just a tad, and took too long to get ready ...

At 9:26AM, I posted to FB that we were waiting on an MK bus ... so far three EP and 1 of everything else. Deja vu! (From a previous CBR stay, never could find the one bus we needed.)

It was nearly 10AM before we were dropped off. The bus was PACKED. I mean, they had us in there like sardines (actually, I was jealous of sardines). We had both kids in our laps to make room for people. I want to say that were were one of the first stops and we didn't finish going around the resort. The driver couldn't pack anymore bodies on the bus.

Anyway ... so we get dropped off and I have a bad feeling about our day. Thankfully I didn't plan for too much, since FL was pretty much closed.

Here's some pics of the crowds as we were coming in at 9:53AM. It's hard to really see in these pictures (DH took most of them in an attempt to capture over people's heads in front of us). But the lines were INSANE and from the other direction (I'm guessing maybe boats?), the lines were WORSE!

Thankfully, we finally saw this:

It was around 10AM, so it took about 7 minutes to finish the walk and get through bag check and ticket line.

We enjoyed the tarps throughout the day ....

Not quite sure what this tarp was for ... but it was before you get to the theater. (I didn't make a note.)

Then we saw Mickey's new "home" ... and wait was 25 minutes already.

Hey look! TONS of people ... and another tarp (this one for the bakery).

We can sort of see the castle ... but stupid tarp is still in the way. Sigh.

There it is!!!!

What a sweet, sweet picture!

I was feeling still a bit icky ... so I decided no Space Mtn for me today (but at some point in the day, we did get DD a FP for it). We ran over and got FPs for Buzz, and then made our way over to ...

The wait was about 10 minutes, and we could handle that. DS started crying and refusing to ride. I got a little miffed ... as this would mean I'd have to sit out again. I missed it last year because of him getting upset. But we kept reassuring him that he'd be okay, it was a fun ride and the scariest part was the stretch room. DH promised to hold him in the stretch room if he promised to ride and let us prove it wasn't scary. Deal.

So we made our way through the line, we opted to skip all the stuff to make it less waiting. It was right about a 10 minute wait before we were boarding the ride (so that included the stretch room). Not bad. I took pictures, but you can't tell what anything is. It's all blurry or just a black picture.

We came off the ride, and it was about 10:25 ... so we made our way over to FL to see what was going on. We felt something was ... different, but couldn't quite place it. I noticed a random wall. I wasn't quite sure what used to be here, what should be here, why it's here. I was just lost.

Anyone know?

Look, IASW! And around that corner ... MOBS of people!

IASW wait was about 15 minutes, and DH was NOT going to wait for that. So we kept going. We bobbed and weaved through these people.

Let me go back a bit .... Let's talk about the CC momentarily. We've always gone to MK on recommended days ... and I think the lowest I've ever been to MK with the CC prediction was around a 6 or 7. Today, the CC said 1.4 BEST park. I whole-heartedly disagreed. More on this later. We have more bobbing and weaving.

I really wanted to ride Peter Pan.

Ouch, 40 minute wait. No thanks.

We considered checking into Philar ...

... but kept walking.

I really wanted a "then and now" picture of DD with Cindy's fountain ... but people are jerks. It didn't happen. This was the best I could do after waiting for nearly 10 minutes.

As you can see, there's no DD and still random people in the shot. I couldn't get DD close enough, and people wouldn't move so others could take a picture. I mean, how hard is it to let someone take a stupid picture? Ugh. I wasn't feeling 100% so I was getting cranky FAST.

We kept walking ... we went by the Rapunzel line and I heard people saying that the wait was over 2 hours. Sheesh! (It was wrapped all the way up near Cindy's fountain, IIRC.)

The wait for Speedway was 40 minutes. No thanks.

The wait for Stitch was 40 minutes. No thanks. (Not that you could get me in Stitch anyway -- but DD wanted to see it again.)

So we opted for...

It's now 10:43AM. We've been there nearly an hour and have only been to one attraction. So this makes attraction #2. I had to fuss at DD for her camera. She kept taking pictures and had full intention of taking pictures inside the room -- which WDW says is a "no no". I think at this point I took it away from her. I probably looked like a mean, horrible mom to anyone nearby ... but I was cranky, I was starting to feel bad again, I really needed to lay down. Plus, I was hoping for low crowds, low waits, and everything we looked at with the app had a 40+ minute wait. (Monsters was 10 minute according to app, but we were ushered right into the pre-show area.)

I sat down and put on a big, fake smile and hoped our family would be picked on at least once in the show. I really wanted DH to be "that guy". Close... it was the guy directly behind DH.

After Monsters Inc., where none of us was picked on at all, we decided to grab some lunch. I was on the fence about eating ... I wasn't quite sure I could handle food. But I decided that maybe food was what I needed. I went over dining options for DH and he picked CHH.

It was slightly after 11 when we arrived and a CM was ushering people in for lunch. We've dined here a few times over the years, and we truly love this place.

We walk through the doors ... and stop. The line was long and winding. The lines for all the registers were LONG. Wow. I told DH we forgot to get FPs for lunch. I guess the trend of eating lunch early was catching on ... because shortly after that, the line was well out the door. It moved slow, but not horrible. A CM was handing out menus to guests nearing the order-lines. We took two (one for DH/DS to share and one for DD/myself to share). DD wanted to know what she could order, so I went over all the options. None were amazing, and I assumed everything could have trace amounts of milk ... but she settled on what she wanted, and I narrowed down my options. I asked DH what he was ordering and he couldn't decide either. Finally, it was our turn to order. We all told the CM what we wanted. I said I'd wait in line for the food if DH would take the kids and go find a table.

Okay, I'm sorry, but I may offend people. There's no need for the entire family to stand in line to get the food. It's a small area, not everyone needs to wait. And I understand that it may take more than one person to carry food ... but really, there's no need for an entire family and their teenage kids to stand at the counter.

DH found a table, planted the kids at it, and then stood watch for me. He knew I'd need help ... and honestly, in hindsight, I should have taken the kids and gotten the table and let DH deal with the food. But, I'm a control freak, and I'd be worried DH wouldn't double-check to make sure we had everything (which I did have to request missing items before walking off with the food).

DH grabbed the trays and I went to get ketchup and other stuff from the condiment bar. He grabbed a table that was near the ordering lines and the condiments, so I was happy!

DH ordered the Lobster Roll (which I had considered):

(He got one of those chocolate cakes that I don't care for as dessert.)

I ordered the chicken tenders and fish (with fries).

(Does anyone else get frustrated with PhotoBucket crashing on them, or is it just me? It crashes at least 3 times when I do an update...)

For dessert, I got an apple crisp:

DD ordered shrimp (with that icky chocolate cake).

DS ordered chicken nuggets. I didn't bother taking a picture. Honestly, I wasn't in the mood to take pictures here, but felt obligated to do it for you guys.

We had waited nearly 30 minutes for food. The worst part? It was COLD. Not even warm. Don't get me wrong, I hate when they hand me food so piping hot that I can't eat it for 20 minutes or suffer 15 degree burns on my tongue ... but this was COLD, like it had been sitting in the fridge for an hour.

I was NOT happy.

I did manage to eat most of my meal. I shared it with DH (who devoured his lobster roll). I want to say I tried a bit of his, but I honestly don't recall anything about it. He loved it and would order it again. DD didn't like the cole slaw her meal came with. But she enjoyed the shrimp. The food wasn't horrible, but it was cold, so it was less than pleasant. I wasn't all that hungry and was feeling a bit icky. Between all of us, most of the food was devoured. I did try the apple crisp ... and didn't care for it either. It needed something ... I dunno. It just didn't taste good.

We'd still go back, but hopefully the food will be warm and more appetizing.

After lunch, we decided we should take pictures of each other with our phones. We just weren't ready to get up (okay, so I wasn't ready to get up).

My boys!

Us girls!

After we snapped pictures (actually, I think DS was still nibbling on his plate... yes, that's right... we took pictures to kill time while DS nibbled and finally took his food away since he was just picking).... Anyway, we cleaned up our trash and found a family with kids who were looking for a table.

So ... what's next for this cranky crew? Do we have a breakdown? Do we go back for a nap? Does someone get a time out for misbehaving? What do the waits look like later in the day?

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Hey Psst! Don't tell anyone, but I stole a couple of your food pics to use in my TR. We ordered some of the same things you guys did and didn't take any pictures.

Wow, those crowds are crazy! I don't think we experienced any REALLY bad crowd levels until the weekend on our trip. We just made the decision to kick out of gear and hit our must do's, then if there was time to spare we would pick up a few other attractions. So sad to anticipate and plan for a wonderful trip to the world and then end up with sick, tired and grump days... It happens to the best of us. I hope your day gets better...

 

[Lidian]

Lunch finished, we decided to go get FPs for Jungle Cruise (the wait was over 50 minutes). I had never noticed the sign before ...

I guess they were preparing for tomorrow, when they go live with the mandatory, no-forgiveness plan. But who knows, maybe I just never noticed the signs ... and only noticed now because of the upcoming rules being enforced.

We had some time to kill, so we made our way over to ...

We had never seen the original ... but we enjoyed it being "under new management" ... so we decided to check it out. We waited for what felt like forever, and then the pre-show started. I had no clue there was a pre-show.

I took pictures, but they came out so bad, I'll spare you the horrible photography.

Anyway ... we watched the show, and personally, we miss the management. We didn't care for the original ... and we'd only go back to get off our feet and out of heat in the future. We wouldn't go back for entertainment value. I know most people prefer this version, as it was the original and it holds a special place in their hearts. Honestly, I may feel the same way if we had seen the original first ... but we didn't ... and the management was "our" original ... and we missed it. We felt it was more entertaining with Zazu and Iago. But that's just us. (DH definitely agreed and claimed they ruined the show taking them out. lol)

After the Tiki room, we noticed it was time to use our Buzz FPs, so we made our way over to ....

We handed over our FPs and was ushered into cars shortly after...

I spun around to snap a picture of DH and DD:

DS threw a fit with me spinning the car. Okay ... let me share a story ...

Last year, DH and DS rode Buzz together. DS cried because DH wouldn't let him spin the ride. (DH takes these rides way too serious.) DD on the other hand, well, she did the same thing. Only she fussed that I spun Buzz too much. So this year, we agreed that DD would ride with DH and I'd take DS so he could spin all he wanted.

DS didn't want to spin the ride, and he kept fussing at me for spinning it. Ugh! I can't please these kids! DH didn't spin it enough for DD. Sheesh! We can't win for losing. lol

I rednecked our photos... Only ... you couldn't see me or DS in ours ... but I love DH's. Can you tell he takes these types of rides serious? He's very competitive. I dread riding with him. lol

Great picture!!! One of my favorites. lol

Afterwards, the kids were captured as fellow Zurgs...

Yes, DD is hugging Evil Emporer Zurg.

So let me share the story of the Zurg picture. We came up on the caged Zurg and another family was taking pictures of their kids in it. SO we waited patiently behind them while they finished. Only ... this was one of those families who thinks they should take the shot 48,931,412 times. I was starting to get aggravated, but wasn't going to say anything ... so when their kids cleared out, another family jumped in front of us. It was VERY obvious we were waiting, as our kids had dashed to the Zurg cage, too. I stood there for a minute, debating on what to do ... so I finally called our kids back and stated "We'd let this other family go ahead of us". So it's still obvious we are waiting for our turn, when the family behind them sends in their kids before the other family is even done. COME ON PEOPLE! I go really tired of people being rude. They snapped a quick picture and I sent my kids in. Another family did the same for their kids, only this time, I wasn't budging. I glared over at the family as if to say "move your kids before I go nuts over here and really get Un-Disney-like". They didn't want to move their kids, so I just stood there. DD started to walk back, and I commented that we had been waiting patiently while other families "jumped in front of us" and she was to STAY PUT. The other family finally conceded and called their kids back (they were not polite about it). But they were on the ride while we were waiting for our turn! So I could care less. I snapped the picture, quickly, and called my kids back and walked out.

I mean, really, how hard is it to do the right thing and wait your turn? I paid for my trip, too ... I want to get my pictures as well. Some people must not have ever had to share a toy as a child. Ugh!

Anyway ... the logical thing to do next was WEDway!

Here, I take some crowd pictures. We were amazed at how many people were there for a 1.4 best park. We were used to riding the WEDway and seeing some people below, but not crowds ... and during 7s!

And then the most amazing thing happened.

So it was actually a crappy thing.

The battery in my camera died. That's twice so far this week. SO I took out DD's confiscated camera.

And then the WEDway took us inside Space Mountain. I'm not sure I ever noticed the sign.

Coming out ... I noticed that DS decided it was so dark in there, he needed to wear his sunglasses. lol

After we enjoyed our trip, we did the only other logical thing ...

I'm used to waiting for the next room to become available ... but I've never had to wait for the second room to become available! Yep, we had to wait. And the theater wasn't packed, but it was pretty crowded. I'm used to being one of about five families in the theater. So I found it odd. (And yes, you can see my crowd pictures and tell that it's not "packed", but it was A LOT more crowded than I am used to seeing with 7s!)

I must bore you with my CoP pictures ... why? Because CoP is one of my favorite attractions! I was a bit sad that I didn't get to sit in the middle like I'm used to ... but at least I got to see it! Shall I sing while you enjoy these pictures? (Yes, my flash was turned off.)

Grandma cracks me up!

So after CoP ... we really needed to find something to do. I had already posted to FB around 12:36 that crowds were crazy and I'd rather have my 7s than these 1s ... we have done so little. (We're used to being mostly done by lunch time.) It was around 1PM and we have seen 6 attractions (HM, Monsters, Tiki, Buzz, WEDway, CoP). This was so not like us ... so not what we're used to. By now, we would have seen Monsters several times filling in space while waiting for FPs or because we were in the area.

So enough whining ... we make our way over to....

 

[Lidian]

Hey Psst! Don't tell anyone, but I stole a couple of your food pics to use in my TR. We ordered some of the same things you guys did and didn't take any pictures.

Wow, those crowds are crazy! I don't think we experienced any REALLY bad crowd levels until the weekend on our trip. We just made the decision to kick out of gear and hit our must do's, then if there was time to spare we would pick up a few other attractions. So sad to anticipate and plan for a wonderful trip to the world and then end up with sick, tired and grump days... It happens to the best of us. I hope your day gets better...

THIEF! I'm totally telling EVERYONE.

I was very upset over how many people there was ... compared to previous trips where we were hitting parks with crowds of 6s, 7s, 8s, and even 9s. I have never seen so many people at MK in my life. I was in utter shock. I had NEVER seen a wait for Stitch - EVER. Well, posted was always like 5 or 10, but I don't consider that a wait, since that's pre-show stuff. I've never seen Speedway over 30 mins either. I remember sorting the app by wait times ... and would tell DH there was nothing we could do because waits were 30+ minutes for everything. I recall later in the day that HM was over an hour (I hadn't seen it more than 40 mins in the past). It was nuts! I think PP at one point was 90 mins. Space was 90 mins most of the time. Even Splash had a hefty wait, and it was still pretty cool outside!!!

 

[solana131]

Okay, I am feeling a little better. Those crowd shots are helping me. If you say it is the worst level you have seen I think I can handle that. Yes, its crowded, but I won't have little ones to tote around and I think we can manage. I just won't have my expectations too high for checking rides off our list in a timely fashion

 

[Lidian]

.... Hey look! It's a castle!

But that isn't where we were going ... (however, we did stop for several PP pictures)...

We're getting closer ...

It was time for lunch! What's on the menu today?

Perhaps we should adopt a kitten?

I really could use a job ....

Finally we board ....

JUNGLE CRUISE!

Okay, I know you're all groaning. But this is seriously one of my all-time favorite attractions! I don't recall the name of our tour guide, but she did have fresh jokes (along with the same old ones). She was one of the best tour guides we had!

I took tons of pictures, but will only spare you some of them. lol

This is one of my favorite scenes, it really cracks me up. lol

It's not a good cruise unless your skipper is crouched and hiding...

And of course ... you HAVE to get a picture of ...

... THE BACKSIDE OF WATER! (Don't try this in the shower.)

After JC ... we made our way over to Frontierland. The kids wanted a snack. Ice cream to be exact. (Yes, I'm a horrible mother for giving my DD ice cream ... but she knows what happens when she has milk and said it would be worth it -- and she honestly did quite well!)

My precious babies! This, of course, went up on FB. It was too cold for me to have ice cream ... but the kids LOVED it. Plus, it's not WDW without a Mickey Bar, right? It was nearly 2:30 ... we we decided to battle this:

We were on a mission. We had a "must do" to accomplish. And yes, it was that bad.

Finally ... we arrived at ... Mickey's PhilharMagic!

CM: "Everyone! Look down at your feet! Do you see blue? That's empty space. Empty space is not allowed on my shift! Fill it up!"

We were really packed in there! But we did get a seat with the next showing .... and not a bad one either!

This was when I noticed something I had never seen before. A hidden Mickey. And I was eager to rub it in DD's nose (who can spot them a mile away). Of course she replies with she saw that years ago. Sigh.

After the show, we went back through FL to see what waits were. Too high for our blood ... so we kept walking. Same for waits in Tomorrowland. However, it was at this time that DD rode Space Mtn (I believe -- since there's a nice time gap between pictures). I know at some point in the day we got a FP for her to use. I was nervous about letting her ride alone ... but I couldn't bear riding it. I knew I'd get sick if I moved too much. At this point, I realized, I didn't know where she'd exit from. Eeep! But DH knew and took us into the dump shop. We browsed around for a bit, but I started to worry about missing DD. So I went over to the exit. A lady was taking up the whole bench to herself, but when she noticed I was looking for a place to sit, she cleared off a spot for me (thank you!). We chatted for a bit. She had been waiting for over an hour for her family -- they were doing the rider swap. I noticed she had a wee one in the stroller sleeping. She asked the time several times. I think when we left, she had been waiting for 90 minutes (she was still waiting when DD came out). We had to wait a bit ourselves, and I started to get nervous about them clearing out the line and sending her back out the entrance. I really started to regret sending her alone and felt like a horrible mother. I was anxious and worried ... and not sure if DD would know what to do if she couldn't find me. I kept seeing groups come off the ride, so I hoped that DD would come out soon. Sure enough, after about a 30 minute wait, DD came bouncing down the hall. I was SO RELIEVED to see DD and hugged her a million times. She was confused, but I had been terrified! I then asked DD what she would have done if she hadn't found us waiting for her, or if they cleared out the line, etc. Her answers were PERFECT! So I felt much better knowing that she'd do the right thing (she'd stay put, not talk to strangers, and if we didn't find her after a few minutes she'd notify a CM). I had gone over what to do if someone gets lost, but I hadn't expected a situation like this. Thankfully she understood it all to be the same. Smart girl!

After this fiasco ... we walked around. We kept checking the app for things with wait times that would be reasonable but everything was 40+ minutes.

DH was dying to get on PotC, so we made our way over to that area. By then the wait was posted as 25 minutes. DH said it was better than walking around and he'd deal with the wait. So into the line we went ... and then he regretted his decision when we lost contact with the outside world. (Yep, no signal on the cellphone -- which he had planned on using to keep himself and DS busy while waiting.)

The wait, was indeed, 25 minutes. It was a very long 25 minutes ...

I had been texting with D in the meantime. They had just arrived to MK as we were getting in line for PotC. After the ride, we made our way to restrooms and planned to head to Main Street for shopping. They had hopped a train and grabbed FPs for Splash.

They weren't far from where we were, as I could probably see the store they were in while we were busy shopping as well. DD wanted to make some purchases. DH found a shirt he liked as well:

After DD finished up her shopping, we headed towards Main Street ... but we were stopped by a show ...

We stopped and watched. D was near the Treehouse.

After Jack's show, we started heading towards Main Street and D was grabbing Dole Whips. I began searching for her and her girls. They were easy to spot, so as they passed, I turned around and tapped D on the shoulder and made a comment. Of course, as she spun around to see who the weirdo was, she seemed pleased to find it was only me. The bad news was ... DH and DS had kept walking and didn't notice me stopping for D. I had made a comment to DH, but he didn't notice it. We both had phones, so I wasn't too worried.

I had a good visit with D, when V had finished her tour of the treehouse. DD immediately fell in love with D's girls. DH and DS finally caught back up to us. They had got nearly all the way to Main Street when he turned around to ask where to first and noticed I was missing. lol He backtracked to find us.

DS then fell in love with D's girls. DH made camp on the ground while we all visited! Sadly ... no pictures. Not sure why I didn't hand DH the camera and told him to go crazy. I was just so excited to meet D and her precious girls! (Love and miss you guys!)

We finally said goodbye and parted ways. They were on a mission for Splash, and we had a date with some stores!

After some browsing (no purchases made), we decided to hop the train and see what we could spy in FL. We had to reassure DS that it wasn't a run-away train, but he accepted it quicker this time than in years past. It was just pulling in as we were coming up the stairs.

Did you know that there is a "no dancing" rule on the train? Don't believe me? See for yourself:

No dancing allowed. See the man and child dancing with the red circle and line through it. Yep. No dancing allowed. What a boring train.

Since the sign said we had to hold hands, we held hands -- which made for taking pictures a bit more difficult.

I had never noticed this before:

There were several other scenes I hadn't noticed before either. Have I really been oblivious to these things the past four years?

I couldn't really catch any good glimpses of FL stuff ... but we stopped at the FL train station.

There was a CM who was painting the station.

After our no-dancing train ride, we weren't quite sure what to do. It was too early to check in for our ADR ... but we didn't really have time to ride anything ...

The kids saw some CMs below the train station and asked if they could go play.

DD decided to jump rope:

DS wanted to hula hoop:

Then I noticed the sign for the new Sorcerers game. I had honestly forgot about it ... so I told DH that we didn't have time to play it right now, but we could play after dinner. So we ran in and got two sets (girls vs guys). We had to go through training, and the CM asked DS to show us all how it's done.

We still had time to kill ... but we decided we'd make our way over to dinner and lurk around the building for a bit ...

 

[Lidian]

Okay, I am feeling a little better. Those crowd shots are helping me. If you say it is the worst level you have seen I think I can handle that. Yes, its crowded, but I won't have little ones to tote around and I think we can manage. I just won't have my expectations too high for checking rides off our list in a timely fashion

Oh... wait for the one in update 3 ...

And I'm used to 7s .... and with the park being a 1 ... that's what was my shocker. But you're going when it's probably 9s or 10s! I don't envy that.

If you get there early, you'll get more done. Just remember, RD is your friend.

 

[KatMark]

You are cracking me up. Although not a fan of the "new original version" of the Tiki Room, I do like it better than the one with Iago, etc. (the new original is NOT quite the original). And the COP (Carrousel of Progress) -- I call that my naptime ride which Mark insists we do every trip.

I'm sorry your food was so cold at Columbia...that doesn't make for a pleasant meal. I'll take your chocolate cake next time...I rather like it.

The crowds are insane for what was supposed to be a 1.7 day. I've never yet followed a touring plan and with the exception of our July 2004 trip, we've been fairly lucky with crowds.

I'm sorry you still weren't feeling too great.

Oh...and I'm so with you on rude people. People are just really selfish in our society. I remember WAY back when our kids were small and there were no lines for the characters...you just went up and got pics and autographs. But MOST people formed a line and knew when it was their turn. I finally lost it one trip with a group from another country (I won't mention the country because I don't want to hurt any feelings). We had been waiting our turn to see Mickey and Minnie in Epcot in the promenade area before you enter World Showcase where they used to a show. A woman pushed her two kids towards the characters to get a photo and autograph. I stepped in front of her and loudly stated: "In America, we wait in the line that is so obviously there for our turn; we don't cut in front of people. Your money is no better than mine and I paid to be here too." I don't think she appreciated because she stompped off, but I got a round of applause from those waiting behind us. I was so happy when they started having CM's and making lines for the characters.

 

[Lidian]

You are cracking me up. Although not a fan of the "new original version" of the Tiki Room, I do like it better than the one with Iago, etc. (the new original is NOT quite the original). And the COP (Carrousel of Progress) -- I call that my naptime ride which Mark insists we do every trip.

I'm sorry your food was so cold at Columbia...that doesn't make for a pleasant meal. I'll take your chocolate cake next time...I rather like it.

The crowds are insane for what was supposed to be a 1.7 day. I've never yet followed a touring plan and with the exception of our July 2004 trip, we've been fairly lucky with crowds.

I'm sorry you still weren't feeling too great.

Oh...and I'm so with you on rude people. People are just really selfish in our society. I remember WAY back when our kids were small and there were no lines for the characters...you just went up and got pics and autographs. But MOST people formed a line and knew when it was their turn. I finally lost it one trip with a group from another country (I won't mention the country because I don't want to hurt any feelings). We had been waiting our turn to see Mickey and Minnie in Epcot in the promenade area before you enter World Showcase where they used to a show. A woman pushed her two kids towards the characters to get a photo and autograph. I stepped in front of her and loudly stated: "In America, we wait in the line that is so obviously there for our turn; we don't cut in front of people. Your money is no better than mine and I paid to be here too." I don't think she appreciated because she stompped off, but I got a round of applause from those waiting behind us. I was so happy when they started having CM's and making lines for the characters.

But .... I'm not funny, nor a comedian. How am I cracking you up?
I am glad that you are enjoying the updates.

I hated the food being cold ... especially since we waited so long for it (nearly 30 mins!). But it was edible, and it was better than nothing. We'd go back, but if food is cold next time, it would be our last trip to CHH, which is a shame, because the food is good.

DH loves the cake ... I just don't care for it. It just doesn't taste right for me. I think DD liked it, too, but honestly don't remember.

We didn't follow any formal plans ... I had made some on TP, but with the WDW official app going live to iPhone users, we scrapped any TPs. Plus, we didn't feel we needed one with such a low crowd. Boy were we wrong! DH complained about the crowds and even had me show him the TP website. He said the people who run it are nuts for claiming it was a 1-something (and said that all week). I don't think they factored in something correctly ... But oh well.

GOOD FOR YOU for standing up to the lady who insisted her child was next! I struggled with Americans and foreigners alike on this trip with people thinking they don't have to wait their turn. I know not all societies form single-file lines and such ... but regardless of your background, you should follow the society rules of the place you are visiting. And above all, you should be courteous to your fellow guests. We all paid money to be there, no one's money is worth more than the others ... and who cares if A paid more than B. We all still paid. So I applaud you as well for standing up to that rude lady! (I was kind of shocked, I stood up for my turn. And I know DH was as well. I think DH was worried I'd make a scene. )