March 2012: The Year I Almost Survived Spring Break

[DMGeurts]

That sounds like an amazing breakfast Liddy!!! We don't even watch that show - but the interaction looks great... I wish that DHS had a few more dining (character dining) options.

The kids are so adorable, as usual... I loved dd's Kermit shirt... and DS is a handsome guy in his sunglasses!

The CMs looked thrilled to be asked to be in a photo... I love most CMs, they really do go out of their way if they can.

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

D~

 

[pharmjenn]

Okay, now I need to watch more Disney Jr. We have H&V booked in July for Jake, but now DS4 has decided it is a baby show. He only wants to watch Power Rangers currently, but knows the others from daycare. Is it bad if a character shows up and I have no idea who they are? I had to look up June!

 

[johnsonginad]

looking at some of your pictures makes me shudder. We had crowds similar to what you saw in MK when we were there too.

 

[MHTeacher]

We've always enjoyed our meals at CP, but you're exactly right, that being quick is not their best trait. I usually find that dinner at CP takes almost two hours, but I feel as if they sometimes rush me through breakfast.

Gotta love walking into DHS and seeing that empty street. Never tried H&V. Looks as if your kids enjoyed it!

 

[Lidian]

great, now i've got another ADR to consider... i'm curious how this was timed, if you guys got out before the ropedrop crowd got to TSMM, how early they let the ropedrop TSMM crowd in, etc. i had never really considered H&V but now am thinking of how much James loves those shows.

I won't say anything to ruin the integrity of my TR lmao:), but I wouldn't hesitate to book the first seating of the day for H&V.

On a similar note ... I've heard that they really "drop the rope" about 30 minutes before official park opening time. I can't verify this, but I've seen many counts of people show up 30 minutes and they start slowly letting people in. I think your questions will be answered soon.

we thought the podium people were rude when we went to 1900 last year too. and oddly enough, we did not have a dessert bar like that. we had ice cream toppings, and no ice cream. we didn't know the server woudl bring us a bowl of ice cream LOL.

I never noticed an ice cream bar ... as I'm sure DS would have LOVED that.

those MK crowds sure don't look like a 1 to me... curious- for our trip last May, i had made a chart with the crowd calendars- both the overall numbers and the various park numbers. i went back to the history a month or so ago to compare the predictions for october to what we had seen the last two trips. well, some "prediction" numbers for 09 and 11 didn't match up. sure, they could have updated them last minute, but i checked them pretty regularly up until it was close to departure. especially because we had the addition of pixar weekend and the cars2 state farm thing etc. anyway, most were things like prediction- 2.3 actual 2.6, very reasonable. but the mk day that we hd crowd trouble was predicted a 5.5 and actually a 9.1, and our dhs day was predicted 1.8 and actually a 7.5.

I updated the CC numbers the day we left, so I could verify we had as accurate as possible info. So if they changed numbers, it was after they realized how "off" they were.

And we saw much heavier crowds with 1-3s all week versus previous trips when ranges were 5-9s. I remember my first ever park visit, and really didn't think crowds were bad at all (and it was in June). And thinking back to June 2009 versus March 2012 ... BAD BAD BAD.

oh, and what is IIRC?

If I Recall Correctly.

That sounds like an amazing breakfast Liddy!!! We don't even watch that show - but the interaction looks great... I wish that DHS had a few more dining (character dining) options.

I thought it was an amazing breakfast, and totally looking forward to booking it May 2013!

I agree, I do wish DHS had more character dining experiences ... as it's either toddler faves or none at all.

The kids are so adorable, as usual... I loved dd's Kermit shirt... and DS is a handsome guy in his sunglasses!

Thank you! I kind of like the kids myself. I spent forever trying to find DD a matching Perry shirt, but never could find one in stock. Then I realized DS and I matched, and I felt bad. I have a matching Kermit shirt.... I should have matched with her one day.

The CMs looked thrilled to be asked to be in a photo... I love most CMs, they really do go out of their way if they can.

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

D~

Thanks D! They seemed kind of shocked that I asked ... but they were happy to take a picture! I think the Brian was worried I was meaning for him to find the characters or something, but I really wanted a pic with Brian and Emily with the kids! It turned out really well!

Okay, now I need to watch more Disney Jr. We have H&V booked in July for Jake, but now DS4 has decided it is a baby show. He only wants to watch Power Rangers currently, but knows the others from daycare. Is it bad if a character shows up and I have no idea who they are? I had to look up June!

Tell him that my DS6 thinks it's a big boy show. We love Jake. DS has decided Little Einsteins is a baby show ... but he still loves Manny and Oso. I understand the Power Rangers thing ... as it's watched a lot by DS now. I don't care for the Power Rangers at all.

It's not bad at all if you are unfamiliar with a character! I wouldn't have known who June was if it wasn't for reading about it prior to the trip. I would have recognized her from Little Einsteins, but that was it. If I hadn't known, I would have asked a CM once I saw the unknown character circulating the room for info.

(I can tell you that DH only knew Manny and Jake -- he had no clue who Oso or June was.)

looking at some of your pictures makes me shudder. We had crowds similar to what you saw in MK when we were there too.

But it was supposed to be crowded when you went ... not when I went.

We've always enjoyed our meals at CP, but you're exactly right, that being quick is not their best trait. I usually find that dinner at CP takes almost two hours, but I feel as if they sometimes rush me through breakfast.

Gotta love walking into DHS and seeing that empty street. Never tried H&V. Looks as if your kids enjoyed it!

I just don't understand how servers think it's okay to be so SLOW. It was roughly 2 hours for us ... and that's not okay in my book. Especially when we had seen all the characters in a timely manner. The characters were great ... and I felt that the "pace" of them was much better at CP than other places. Some places they were arriving as we were getting seated (so no food), and others one character would leave and another would show up. I do wish they could do something with the timing sometimes. And the bad thing about character buffets is having to note where a character is and try to plan if you have enough time to hit the buffet before they'd arrive.

The kids had a blast at H&V! DS has already requested we go back, and DD agreed. I loved the empty DHS! Such an amazing experience!! (Perhaps one day I'll get an empty MK ... but an empty DHS is better in my books!)

 

[pinkxray]

You are updating way too fast over here! I can't keep up.

I am so sorry to hear about your awful night of being sick and the trip to the ER. I can't believe that you pushed on and went to a park the next day.

I have booked Park Fare dinner a few times, but always end up cancelling. After your review I am happy we never made it.

I can't believe the chef at CP was so awfully informed about DD's allergy. Thank goodness she didn't have a life theatening allergy.

The chef at H & V sounds great, the way you expect Disney chefs to be. We haven't tried breakfast there yet since DD doesn't know the characters. One of these days I would like to try it anyway, even if we don't have a clue who the characters are.

 

[katt789]

Oh Islands of Adventures! I have heard horror stories about that parking garage, when we went, we cabbed it, and even from there to the entrance seemed to take FOREVER. There’s so much more in Islands of Adventures that I want to see, we really just did WWOHP, and I only went on the FJ (I was still a ride chicken) Super excited to go back in Nov, and I’m loving the amount of info I’m getting from your TR, so thanks for that!

That Dagwood sandwich looks absolutely delcious! Haha, that’s good that the kids were keen for any characters, even if they didn’t know who they were. Honestly, there have been so many different varieties of X-men over the years, I’m not too surprised. I grew up with the awesome cartoon on tv, and loved it, then there were the new cartoons, and then the movies, and the old cartoons are honestly just the best (again, that is just my opinion haha)

Oh Butterbeer, I cannot wait to drink you again! How awesome that the kids got wands to pick them! Gah! Totally magical! AAHHH Betty Boop, that’s fantastic! The Green Goblin looks scary! I can’t say I would want to meet him.

Oh no, that sickness certainly isn’t nice way to end a vacation day! Holy! I’ve never seen the line that bad for the safari! Baby animals are the cutest!!!! WOW crowded, that is insane! I’ve done Tusker for breakfast, and really do want to try lunch or dinner, I also had no clue they did character lunch! Overall, sounds like a great lunch.

I love how King Louie & Baloo are always kinda hidden, and lots of people don’t notice them. I love those pens! They’re so cute! Haha, how funny that King Louie was scared of it, and that does suck that the pp photog wasn’t taking pics. TIGERS! IEE…so close!

EE is definitely one of my favorite rides, absolutely loved it, glad that DD loved it too. Oh my goodness they were SOAKED…and this is why I refuse to go on KRR, if it was at least a “turbulent” ride or something I’d be okay, but I feel like it’s a super lazy river ride followed by a waterfall soaking you…

Wow that experience with GF doesn’t seem too great so far....wow…really not that good. I have done breakfast there in the past and the waiting to get seated wasn’t the greatest, but that was about it. You guys really got the bad end of the stick there, that sucks. How great that the chef was that amazing! I had a similar experience at Ohana (I have some lactose intolerancy as well) and even after I said I would be fine with the regular food, the chef insisted and brought out special waffles and eggs for me. Sometimes they really do go all out! Oh Prince Charming, certainly sounds incredible!

That salad looks amazing, yum! Anastasia sounds great, but the rest of them kinda sound meh. That’s definitely some intricate substitute meals for DD, I honestly wouldn’t expect something like that…then again…when you’re a chef for a buffet, I guess if you get the opportunity to cook something intricate, you will.

YUM! Now I’m super excited to eat there in a week! YAY! The food looks great!GASDAGNDFS that dessert! WOW, they must have had fun making that! Overall that’s definitely not a great experience at GF, that totally sucks.

I completely agree with the only one person needs to stand in line, two from that party at the most, but one of you can definitely order, especially when on the dining plan. We would always just order together to keep the lines down, it’s all coming off the same kttwc, right?

(Oh my goodness photobucket, mine hasn’t been crashing, but it certainly has been a complete pain in the butt while I’ve been trying to do my updates)

CHH is another place I want to try, it’s been on my list for a while, but in MK I seem to always go back to the places I know are great and not try anything new haha. I’m pretty sure the FP signs were not always there…something new so everyone knows they’re enforcing it.

Seems like your wait for CP was MUCH better than ours, we waited and waited, and were down by the fence (where our pager was said would work) and watching the parade/mm&y show, and when the show finished, they were calling for us and said they had paged us 3 times already…uhm..no you hadn’t…

An empty park looks so great! I honestly kind of want to do the play & dine, but the only reason I know the characters are because of the disboards one of these days there will be a kid in my party haha

YAY! I’m finally all caught up! I’ve been reading for probably an hour, but hey, it’s a good TR, and now I’m looking forward to reading more!.

 

[smellyia]

I'm getting caught up on your report, but wanted to say your kids are adorable! Your potential TR titles had me cracking up.

 

[teetee830]

Hi, I just caught up with your TR. I've been staying away so I don't want to book a new trip to soon.

We were at HS the same day and our breakfast ADR's were at the same time. I think you just missed my ds in your dancing pictures I think he might have been behind the little girl in pink. I'll have to check my pics for you kids. LOL

That is one ADR we never miss. My DS was over the moon to meet Jake.

 

[Lidian]

You are updating way too fast over here! I can't keep up.

I am so sorry to hear about your awful night of being sick and the trip to the ER. I can't believe that you pushed on and went to a park the next day.

I have booked Park Fare dinner a few times, but always end up cancelling. After your review I am happy we never made it.

I can't believe the chef at CP was so awfully informed about DD's allergy. Thank goodness she didn't have a life theatening allergy.

The chef at H & V sounds great, the way you expect Disney chefs to be. We haven't tried breakfast there yet since DD doesn't know the characters. One of these days I would like to try it anyway, even if we don't have a clue who the characters are.

I just toss out updates when I can in between classes and homework.

If you're interested in 1900PF, try it! Just because we had a super horrible experience doesn't mean YOU will! For every bad review, there's a good one at any restaurant. Just make sure you come back and tell me about your experience (good or bad) if you book it one day!

I was shocked when she said that DD could have cheese. I asked her to repeat it because I thought maybe I just didn't hear her correctly. But she said that DD could have cheese, so I flatly said "No she can't. Cheese has MILK in it." She looked like she wanted to argue with me, but realized that "the guest is always right", but clearly she didn't believe me. So she listed off items that had cream and cheese in it. At that point, I just walked with DD and said "that's probably safe, maybe you should skip that".

I highly recommend H&V for breakfast! You can always check to see who's "meeting" there before your trip and google the characters so you know a bit about them.

Oh Islands of Adventures! I have heard horror stories about that parking garage, when we went, we cabbed it, and even from there to the entrance seemed to take FOREVER. There’s so much more in Islands of Adventures that I want to see, we really just did WWOHP, and I only went on the FJ (I was still a ride chicken) Super excited to go back in Nov, and I’m loving the amount of info I’m getting from your TR, so thanks for that!

That Dagwood sandwich looks absolutely delcious! Haha, that’s good that the kids were keen for any characters, even if they didn’t know who they were. Honestly, there have been so many different varieties of X-men over the years, I’m not too surprised. I grew up with the awesome cartoon on tv, and loved it, then there were the new cartoons, and then the movies, and the old cartoons are honestly just the best (again, that is just my opinion haha)

I searched and searched for good IoA PTRs/TRs, and came up pretty empty. SO I really wanted to showcase how awesome IoA is for a day visit. I'd never give up my WDW trips for it ... but it was an amazing day! So much new stuff!

The only bad part about the garage was just how confusing it was. The walk to the elevator wasn't bad at all, and we were parked on the far end of the garage. I mean, it wasn't a short walk, as it's a HUGE garage ... and I don't know how many elevators they have, so if you're trekking from one corner to another, that would be BAD. I thought the walk from the circle veranda to the gate was the worst of it.

If you can handle FJ, you can handle the coasters at WWoHP. FJ scared the bejeebus out of me.... which I'm still waiting on Kouga to send me the pictures as proof. Best. Picture. Evah! And yes, I can totally laugh at myself.

DH loved the Dagwood. He ate it all -- well, what DS didn't steal from him.

Oh Butterbeer, I cannot wait to drink you again! How awesome that the kids got wands to pick them! Gah! Totally magical! AAHHH Betty Boop, that’s fantastic! The Green Goblin looks scary! I can’t say I would want to meet him.

Oh no, that sickness certainly isn’t nice way to end a vacation day! Holy! I’ve never seen the line that bad for the safari! Baby animals are the cutest!!!! WOW crowded, that is insane! I’ve done Tusker for breakfast, and really do want to try lunch or dinner, I also had no clue they did character lunch! Overall, sounds like a great lunch.

I miss Butterbeer.

I was so excited to meet Betty Boop! I know the kids had seen her from watching Roger Rabbit, but they didn't know who she was.... her story.

I don't know much about the Marvel characters. So not really sure what the Green Goblin was doing to DD ... but she loved it. DS wouldn't go near him.

I hadn't seen a line like that for the Safari either! Usually, I can get INTO the queue (even with a 45 minute wait) ... and for posted to be 20 and the line out the "street", there's no way the posted was remotely correct.

TH just started character lunch in December, so still pretty new. I can't WAIT to go back!

I love how King Louie & Baloo are always kinda hidden, and lots of people don’t notice them. I love those pens! They’re so cute! Haha, how funny that King Louie was scared of it, and that does suck that the pp photog wasn’t taking pics. TIGERS! IEE…so close!

EE is definitely one of my favorite rides, absolutely loved it, glad that DD loved it too. Oh my goodness they were SOAKED…and this is why I refuse to go on KRR, if it was at least a “turbulent” ride or something I’d be okay, but I feel like it’s a super lazy river ride followed by a waterfall soaking you…

I had never known there was a pathway up there, let alone, characters. So it was great that I happened to notice them! I think next year I'm going to have to say, TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES. Ugh, I shouldn't have to, should I?

I hated missing EE .... but at least I was at AK! We visit DollyWood some, and I kind of prefer their "river rapid ride" over KRR. I wasn't impressed when I rode KRR in 2009, and have no interest in riding it in the future ... let alone, get soaked when it's COLD outside.

Wow that experience with GF doesn’t seem too great so far....wow…really not that good. I have done breakfast there in the past and the waiting to get seated wasn’t the greatest, but that was about it. You guys really got the bad end of the stick there, that sucks. How great that the chef was that amazing! I had a similar experience at Ohana (I have some lactose intolerancy as well) and even after I said I would be fine with the regular food, the chef insisted and brought out special waffles and eggs for me. Sometimes they really do go all out! Oh Prince Charming, certainly sounds incredible!

That salad looks amazing, yum! Anastasia sounds great, but the rest of them kinda sound meh. That’s definitely some intricate substitute meals for DD, I honestly wouldn’t expect something like that…then again…when you’re a chef for a buffet, I guess if you get the opportunity to cook something intricate, you will.

YUM! Now I’m super excited to eat there in a week! YAY! The food looks great!GASDAGNDFS that dessert! WOW, they must have had fun making that! Overall that’s definitely not a great experience at GF, that totally sucks.

I was very thankful for the amazing chef at 1900PF! I love it when they want to pay special attention to someone with an allergy/intolerance. It's great! Everyone stares and gets jealous of the amazing art being delivered!

I completely agree with the only one person needs to stand in line, two from that party at the most, but one of you can definitely order, especially when on the dining plan. We would always just order together to keep the lines down, it’s all coming off the same kttwc, right?

(Oh my goodness photobucket, mine hasn’t been crashing, but it certainly has been a complete pain in the butt while I’ve been trying to do my updates)

CHH is another place I want to try, it’s been on my list for a while, but in MK I seem to always go back to the places I know are great and not try anything new haha. I’m pretty sure the FP signs were not always there…something new so everyone knows they’re enforcing it.

Seems like your wait for CP was MUCH better than ours, we waited and waited, and were down by the fence (where our pager was said would work) and watching the parade/mm&y show, and when the show finished, they were calling for us and said they had paged us 3 times already…uhm..no you hadn’t…

An empty park looks so great! I honestly kind of want to do the play & dine, but the only reason I know the characters are because of the disboards one of these days there will be a kid in my party haha

YAY! I’m finally all caught up! I’ve been reading for probably an hour, but hey, it’s a good TR, and now I’m looking forward to reading more!.

Sorry that you've spent so much time reading.

Our wait for CP wasn't horrible ... but it felt bad since I was feeling icky.

I highly recommend trying out CHH sometime. Our cold food and long wait was NOT typical from all the times we've eaten there. It was a shock to us, but we knew it wasn't typical, so we didn't complain.

Who says you need kids to book a character meal? I'd totally visit H&V on an adult-only trip!!

Thanks for joining us! (Another update soon, I hope)

I'm getting caught up on your report, but wanted to say your kids are adorable! Your potential TR titles had me cracking up.

I'm glad I amused you! Thanks for the compliment on my kids! I think they're adorable, too!

Hi, I just caught up with your TR. I've been staying away so I don't want to book a new trip to soon.

We were at HS the same day and our breakfast ADR's were at the same time. I think you just missed my ds in your dancing pictures I think he might have been behind the little girl in pink. I'll have to check my pics for you kids. LOL

That is one ADR we never miss. My DS was over the moon to meet Jake.

Okay, I have to ask, what was your DS wearing, because I have more pictures. Wondering if he popped out in one? And if you did the same thing we did next .... I'm sure I have pics of your DS.

I'm glad your DS and my DS both were super excited for Jake!

 

[DisneyDreamerMom]

Hi from Kingsport! (About 1hr and 1/2 North of you)

Love this TR! We are headed to Disney and Universal (Universal for the first time) in November and your tr is getting me so excited. I'm sorry you've had some rough patches but overall it looks like you are having a blast.

I can't believe you've had issues with the allergy at Disney. We have an allergy issue and they've always been great with us, but maybe we've just been lucky with the chefs we've hit.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[teetee830]

Okay, I have to ask, what was your DS wearing, because I have more pictures. Wondering if he popped out in one? And if you did the same thing we did next .... I'm sure I have pics of your DS.

I'm glad your DS and my DS both were super excited for Jake!

We went with the Phineas and Ferb thing as well. He was wearing a green Phineas and Ferb shirt and khaki shorts. I bet we did do the same thing after. Well we got signed up anyway, we didn't actully do that until 11:30.

 

[lbuzz52]

that was pretty much what i was trying to imply descreetly re: TP

 

[Lidian]

Hi from Kingsport! (About 1hr and 1/2 North of you)

Love this TR! We are headed to Disney and Universal (Universal for the first time) in November and your tr is getting me so excited. I'm sorry you've had some rough patches but overall it looks like you are having a blast.

I can't believe you've had issues with the allergy at Disney. We have an allergy issue and they've always been great with us, but maybe we've just been lucky with the chefs we've hit.

Can't wait to read more!

Hi neighbor! I've been to Kingsport a time or two -- but now I can't recall why. One of my friends is originally from Kingsport, but living here with her hubby.

Are you doing both parks at Universal? Do you have a PTR? Are you going to do a TR? I'd love to follow along!

Overall, our trip was still amazing! Even if there was a lot of downs.

I confess, most of the chefs were great. Some better than others, but only one was ill-informed, and shouldn't be a chef. Some seemed busy and didn't care as much as others, and some were absolutely amazing and I want to box them up and take them home. But I think some forget that with allergies at a buffet, there could be cross contamination. If DD's allergy had been severe, I would have spoke up... but she can handle small quantities of milk and not suffer much.

We went with the Phineas and Ferb thing as well. He was wearing a green Phineas and Ferb shirt and khaki shorts. I bet we did do the same thing after. Well we got signed up anyway, we didn't actully do that until 11:30.

Hmm.... if that isn't your DS in the green shirt, then I don't have any pics of him hiding. (There's a boy in a green shirt in some of the pics, but can't tell what's on the shirt -- but I think it may have been the top of your DS's head that's in one of them instead.)

11:30 huh? I think we were nearby, in the area, and stopped to peek, but I think that's when DS told me to run because he might be seen by someone. I'll have to check my notes. We may have been eating lunch. How did you get to be that late? If you were at H&V with us, I would have thought you'd be doing something much earlier.

(Sorry for being cryptic! Details soon.)

If you have pics of my kiddos, I'd love to see 'em! Now I wonder if our paths crossed any later in the day.

Okay... off to upload pictures for more updates!

that was pretty much what i was trying to imply descreetly re: TP

I am so lost... lol

 

[Lidian]

Breakfast was finished, DS was a tad bit upset (but I had a distraction until we could find Handy Manny at his spot in the park), and we had to pounce on our plan, while it was still a good idea.

I handed DH all the KTTW cards. He took off running for TSM FPs. It was about 10 minutes until 9, but it was obvious, they had opened the gates early as there were people everywhere. (Well, not crowded... yet, but we could see plenty of non-breakfast people.)

I took the kids and ushered them over to a line.

Ugh, lines already mom? They didn't seem to impressed.

And then ... we were next in line!

I snapped a few pictures, and the CM at the counter decided to pose (but I missed it. Grrrr!). She asked both kids several questions. Important questions! And she took some info from the kids.

They were to be in the first show of the Jedi Training Academy! (FYI, I didn't complain that they misspelled DD's name ... especially since they didn't ask how to spell it in the first place.)

We were told to meet at Sounds Dangerous at 9AM. We had a couple of minutes to spare, so we headed to the restroom. Might as well get that taken care of! At this point, DH is calling me wanting to know where we are. I told him to wait where he was and we'd come find him.

He scored us TSM FPs to use around 10ish (don't recall the exact time frame). I had sent Kouga a text before I sent DH off, but he said he wouldn't arrive until nearly 10, and I didn't want to miss TSM this year -- and had already warned Kouga that if he was late, he would miss out on TSM. It was the first day of enforcing the return windows, so it was his loss for oversleeping. lol

We came around the corner and found DH. The kids decided to use this time to play (DS made a friend -- this kiddo was popping up everywhere -- they played in line before breakfast, played at breakfast, and got to play some more!).

DS was posing for us.

DD was kinda "too cool for school".

DS posing behind her. lol

One of the CMs was still rounding up kids and was telling everyone they could use the restroom if needed or hang out. We had a few minutes before we'd line up. I was nearby and he was kind of explaining to us moms that they set the time earlier than lineup time to give families a chance to use restrooms, hang out, tell jokes, etc. So I asked him to tell us a joke. And he did!!! He told us lots of Star Wars jokes! (I didn't get many of them, but DH was shaking his head -- they were corny, but right on a kid's level.) Some of the kids got the jokes, or answered the joke-questions. So it was great!

Then ... It was time to line up! He called everyone's name and had them line up so he could verify all the kids were there (we had no MIA kids).

Then they marched the kids (and the parents) down to the stage for the JTA.

They had the kids sit on the curb and the CMs asked the kids LOTS of trivia questions!

I claimed a spot on the line near the stage (so I could take pictures ... and video!). So while I couldn't see the kiddos very well, I could see the stage great.

After lots of trivia -- and some of these kids were really impressive! DH knew all the questions, but there was only one or two questions the CM had to "give" the answer to. There was a couple of boys who knew it all ... it was great! Of course, my kids knew none of them ... just like their momma. lol

After trivia, it was time to get into their training robes!

DS had some issues with his, and the assistant had to come back and help him. lol

Aren't they adorable???!!!

So after they were all robed, they lined the kids up by height (shortest to tallest). So of course, DD was waaaaaaay in the back. DS, surprisingly, was near the front.

(I couldn't see DD at this point.)

And the lovely assistant!

So then the trainer came out ....

Jedi Master Jin Kai La (okay, so I dunno what his real name is, but that's what it sounded like he said, and that's how I'm guessing it might be spelled).

Our Jedi Master tossed aside his robe to show his identity....

And then performed a little show for us with a lightsaber!

Okay, fair warning here ... it is going to look like we favor DS more ... BUT ... that's NOT the case. DD was hidden in the back and I couldn't see her half of the time. She was usually hidden behind the Jedi Master or another kid ... so there are very few shots of her during training. I'm sorry, and I feel awful. But if I moved, then I wouldn't have been able to see EITHER kid (because I'm short and the show was packed).

I was able to zoom in and snap this picture of her!

See? She's hidden by the Jedi Master. And I think DS is a bit lost on what to do. However, if you look closely, you can see DD's arm. She had her hands on her hips most of the show. lol

The Jedi Master showed the kids what they'd be training with ... a Training Saber. You can see DD in the back (if you look closely), with her hand on her hips ... "too cool for school". lol

DS got a blue lightsaber. And if it was real, he just cut off his hand. lol

And this picture ... it's just hilarious. DS is staring down his lightsaber. I'm not sure why. But it's hilarious!

And here he is, slicing off his hand again ... he struggled to "get it to go back down".

And they start practicing some moves....

Continued in next post due to picture limit.

 

[Lidian]

We left off with the kids being trained on how to properly use a lightsaber.

There's my girl! (She got a green lightsaber. Both kids got lightsabers that matched their shirts. lol)

DS couldn't grasp the concept of using BOTH hands. I think it was partly because the hands-free mic was messing up, so the Jedi Master was carrying around a microphone and was just using the lightsaber with one hand. Monkey see, monkey do.

And then ..... Storm Troopers came out of nowhere! I think it startled DS a bit, and he lagged behind...

The Jedi Master had to reassure DS that it was okay but he needed to quickly join his "classmates".

And then .... HE appeared.

He circled the stage again, trying to get a reading of the "audience", I guess.

Uhm.... I'm not sure if he's pointing at me, or the person next to me. Kinda creepy. lol

And then each child was instructed to show DV what they had learned.

DS was not the first child, but he was one of the first few kids. Each time a child went up, DV would try to get them to join the Dark Side and the Jedi Master would reassure the child that it was a bad idea. Most of the banter between DV and the JM was pretty funny!

DS had his turn .... so pics of him denying the Dark Side!

I swear, it looks like he's a bit full of himself ... like "how dare DV challenge ME!". lol

There he goes with the one-handed lightsaber!

I snapped as many pics that my camera would allow.

And his turn was over ....

DD was one of the last kids to fight DV.

She was fearless, and she was ready to tear into DV.

She attacked as if her life depended on it!

After it was her turn, she sent back to stand with the other kids. A few more kids had their chance to fight DV ... one kid upset the Storm Troopers!

So he used the force on them!

After all the kids were finished ... there was more banter and the Jedi Master told DV that he was clearly outnumbered and had all the kids activate their lightsabers!

DV was debating attacking.....

But realized that my kids would whip his rear! So he decided against it.

He scurried off back into the building ... and then the kids all cheered and were released back onto the stage (once the Storm Troopers went away).

The Jedi Master announced the class and gave them each certificates.

Before the show started, each family was given a PhotoPass Card. It was different in design than a normal one, as it was specifically labeled for the JTA. It included ALL of the pictures taken during the show. We could see a kiosk and have irrelevant pictures removed, but that would have taken time out of our day. So we just took it as is. We added the card to our PP account ... so PP pictures will be up at the end.

Also, a picture of the "diploma" will be up at a later date. I have to find them. Eeep!

And if anyone wants to watch the video ... here's the link of the video WE took and uploaded to youtube:
http://youtu.be/TrnC4oxP27M

Hmm... someone test that and tell me if it works. That doesn't look right, but that's what youtube is telling me the URL is.
DS is at 9:16 and DD is at 12:14.

The show is really cute, and I highly recommend people watching it at least once ... and if you have kids, I'm sure they'd love it, even if they aren't SW fanatics!

This REALLY made all of our day ... it just really perked up the kids. DH filmed it ... so ... sorry ... lol I was busy playing photographer!

We will definitely sign up for this NEXT year as well! I'm not sure if DN will do this ... but I know DD and DS are looking forward to it! Granted, I'm not sure what the age cut-off is ... DD may be too old. Sigh.

Regardless ... it wasn't even 10am yet ... so we had a whole day ahead of us. What were we going to do next? And does Kouga ever arrive?

And before I forget ... while we were here, we grabbed FPs for ST before we headed on to our next item on the agenda! We were vocally told that we HAD to return during the window (or else). Some of the CMs were kinda snippy about it, others were more "hey, I'm just being informative". The "snippy" CMs really worked my nerves all day. You can remind people to return during a window ... but you don't have to be hateful about it.

 

[pharmjenn]

Love the JTA. I am really looking forward to having DS do this. I still have the video playing on another screen, and it is the first time I have seen the show. My DS has really no idea about SW, but his older cousins and uncle are diehard fans, so it will be fun to bring a video home for them. We do have a lightsaber, but DS just thinks it is a sword.

 

[Lidian]

Love the JTA. I am really looking forward to having DS do this. I still have the video playing on another screen, and it is the first time I have seen the show. My DS has really no idea about SW, but his older cousins and uncle are diehard fans, so it will be fun to bring a video home for them. We do have a lightsaber, but DS just thinks it is a sword.

I had caught glimpses of the show in the past ... both live and via the 'net. But I had never seen the "whole" show.

We've tried to get both kids to watch the movies when they're on TV ... but they have no interest. My DS, like yours, uses it more as a sword (or gun) more often than not.

The best part is, the CMs on stage react to the kids. They have great banter. And they react to the crowd. I do look forward to the kids doing JTA again. (We tried to sign the kids up last year, but the line was long and DH, nor the kids, wanted to wait in it.






On a side note ... I'm really missing my favorite emoticons on the list. I wish we could personalize the list! OH HEY! The and are back!

Today is "catch up on homework day". Once I'm all caught up on homework, I'll start going through the rest of my pictures and planning for another update.... HOWEVER .... next week is the last week of classes, followed by FINALS. Odds are, it will be after finals before I can really dig deep ito the TR. Then I'll probably toss an update out every day or two and finish this thing up. Then I can post the PhotoPass pictures! And after that, I can start my next PTR!

 

[MHTeacher]

Jedi training looks like fun! It's something we've never tried!

Only 10 a.m.? Wow, you had already done a lot of stuff-and you still have the entire day!

 

[DMGeurts]

I loved seeing the kids having fun at JTA~! So cute!

I can't believe this is just the beginning of your day... I hope you're gonna go take a nap??? LOL

D~