Meeko Goes to the Pirate and Princess Party!!! A Trip Report with Photos!

[Joanna71985]

Keep it going!

 

[meeko_33785]

SmallWorld71- Thanks. I'm sure you'll have a great time in August.

Shubunk- Best ever?! I hope I can live up to that. lol

Joanna71985- Chapeter Seven is on the way.

Glad you all are enjoying the report.

 

[meeko_33785]

Chapter Seven: Visiting the Princesses



Buzz is still trying to figure out what to do. He makes it back to the Jungle Cruise and discovers it’s down to a 30 minute wait. Since the ride isn’t going to be open during the Party, Buzz decides to go ahead and get in line.




On the opposite side of the park, I’m getting in line at the Hall of Fame. This is one location I rarely ever go to since the lines are often long and slow-moving, at least for the Princesses, but I had heard that the lines are often fairly short right before closing. The CMs at the entrance are saying that the lines will be closed in about five minutes, so everyone will only have time to do one of the three rooms. Belle (in her gold ball gown) and Cinderella- the heroines of my two favorite Disney films- were listed as being in the Storybook Room, so I get in line. Who could ask for better? I actually was going to be looking for Belle during the Party anyway since I usually only see Belle in her blue village dress in the parks, so this should be a nice change and should free up even more time during the party for me as well. Plus, it's always nice to see Cinderella too. The wait isn’t too long and it's not long until I’m in the Storybook Room which looks beautiful now (last time I was there, it the same backdrop as all the other rooms in Toontown)

The first character was Snow White who was somewhat of a surprise since she was not listed as being there. Snow had quite a voice today; sort of a high pitched Shirly Temple meets Carol Channing. She was nice though and good with the kids that I saw her interacting with.

Cinderella was the second princess. It seemed like some people were skipping Cindy to go straight from Snow White to Belle, but I pay her a visit. After all, she is the Magic Kingdom's resident princess. It would be a shame to come all the way to her Kingdom for the Pirate and Princess Party and not see her and chat for a little bit.

Last but certainly not least is Belle. Now I like Cinderella and Snow White, but Belle always seems like the most down-to-earth of all the princesses in the parks- even when she's dressed in her beautiful ballgown. I told her that she was may favorite Princess and that I thought it was great that she liked to read, so we end up having a conversation about books. She asks what my favorite is, and I can’t decide. I end up telling her than her story is my favorite. She agreed that it was a good one. After saying goodbye to Belle, I decide to head to the Tip Board on Main Street to see if there are any short waits in the park.




By this time, Buzz’s wait at the Jungle Cruise is nearly over. Once on the cruise, there’s just one problem - the jokes aren’t going over very well. Most seem to just be going over people’s heads, and before leaving the first scene, the skipper notices, prompting him to change the spiel to a somewhat more self deprecating one. After one joke goes flat, he breaks the mood by declaring “Walt Disney World Presents: Awkward Silence!” Awkward indeed. It was the end of the day, and it seemed to Buzz like the skipper was just trying to make it through. As they’re pulling up to the dock, the skipper asks the boat to at least cheer and applaud as they finish so people in line will at least think that the ride is worth the wait. The ride is just about over when fireworks begin to explode in the sky- Wishes has begun! Buzz heads out of Adventureland through the cut-through near Country Bears and watches the show near where Frontierland becomes Liberty Square.




At the same time, I’m also watching Wishes from the other side of Liberty Square closer to the Castle. I had checked the Tip Board for wait times, but discovered that it had already been switch to simply a list of the attractions that would be open for the Party. As a newbie to hard ticketed events, I didn’t know that they don’t run the wait times on the board during the party. No matter, Wishes was about to start, so I decided to watch it from outside the Crystal Palace. The spot was great for the first few minutes when all the fireworks were shooting over the castle (which looks a little like the Walt Disney Pictures logo before a Disney movie, no?), but when other fireworks begin, I discover that the nearby trees blocked them all. This prompted my move to Liberty Square. Neither of us had never seen the show before and thought is was well done. The lighting effects on the Castle were great a nice touch, especially the Sorcerer’s Hat. Everything seemed to go off pretty well except Tink didn’t fly. We didn’t really notice while the show was going on, but after the Party I was reading a post by another DISer who had been there that night and mentioned that there was no Tink. Having never seen the show, we didn’t know when she was suppose to appear, so we didn’t notice she was missing. I’m actually still not sure when she is suppose to make her appearance.

After the fireworks, the park began to close to non-partygoers, and the Pirate and Princess Party was about to begin- officially!

 

[tksbaskets]

Having fun sharing your trippie

 

[Joanna71985]

Yay. Bring on the P&P party!

 

[meeko_33785]

Chapter Eight: Neverland, The Briar Patch, and Under the Sea



As the last strains of “Wishes” fill the park, it is now officially closed for everyone but party goers. The wait is over; it’s finally time for the Pirate and Princess Party to begin! There was still about half an hour before some of the festivities start, but all the rides were open and with short waits to boot! As the crowds of guests file out through Main Street, I head back to Fantasyland. One of my main priorities at the Party is going to Ariel’s Grotto and seeing all the characters there, especially Sebastian, Flounder and Prince Eric. Most people who had visited my Character web site before the Party know that this would not be the first time that I met Prince Eric. I actually met and got autographs from him and Ariel pretty randomly at MGM Studios years ago where the Villains shop is now, but didn’t get a picture. The only one I had was this screenshot from a video taken during that trip.

As you can see, it’s not that great. You really can’t even see Eric face, but since I didn’t have a better one, it was better than nothing. Since Eric is so rare to see, I didn’t think I’d ever get a second chance to find him again, but thanks to the Party I finally got one. Because the lines at the Grotto always has notoriously long lines and will probably be one of the longest lines of the night, I figured I’d head there a little bit before the Party started and be one of the first in line to see Ariel and Eric. Before that though, there was still plenty of time for me to do my favorite ride in the park- Peter Pan’s Flight.


Half-way across the park in Frontierland, Buzz was getting in line at his favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom too. So far, Buzz had already tried to do Splash Mountain twice since he’s gotten here, but third time is defiantly the charm. The ride is a total walk on. It’s so empty that he even got an entire log to himself. Now, if I had an entire log to myself, I would sit in the very last row to get less wet. I’m not a huge fan of getting wet on rides. Buzz, however, chooses to sit right up front, but wears a disposable poncho. Well, to each his own, I guess. He had a good time, though did say that the hopping Brer Rabbit animatronic and the Brer Bear animatronic in the same scene were not working. Now I’m glad I passed on it earlier. That’s probably my favorite part of the ride (well… not counting the drop I guess) and I would have been really disappointed if I waited 70 minutes and it was broken. Besides that, everything goes smoothly until after the drop when the ride stopped during the outside portion. It wasn’t too bad though; Buzz even said it was kind of pleasant with the view of the waterfall and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” playing in the background. Plus, it gives him time to take off his poncho. He tries to take some pictures too, but it’s too dark. All in all, if he had to get stuck, he was glad it was after the drop and not before the drop. After 3 minutes or so, the ride starts up again.




The line for Peter Pan was a little longer than Splash. The sign at the entrance said the wait was 20 minutes, but I would be surprised if I was in line for even 10. You could tell that everybody in line was there for the party. I’ve never seen so many kids dressed as pirates and princesses in my life. Once I’m on the ride, I’m reminded me again why it’s my favorite. It seems different that all the others in the Magic Kingdom. It’s beautiful, peaceful, and charming. Somehow the dreamy version of “You Can Fly” that accompanies the journey, the twinkling lights of London far below you and the pure fantasy makes it unbeatable for me. Oddly enough, the only ride I like better in WDW is Tower of Terror which isn’t peaceful or charming at all. Anyway, it seems like the perfect ride to begin the Pirate and Princess Party since it does have pirates (Captain Hook and his crew) and a princesses (Tiger Lilly), not to mention Tinker Bell who sometimes seems to think she is a princess.




After Splash, Buzz heads to another perfect ride for the party- Pirates of the Caribbean. Along the way, he stops at one of the Treasure Spots near Pecos Bills and gets a few chocolate coins. Pirates is also a walk-on, though not quite as deserted as Splash. No boat all to himself this time. Having done everything he wanted to do on that side of the park, Buzz heads across the Hub to start on the other side.




After Peter Pan, I decide to try another Fantasyland dark ride- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. By now, the CMs are checking wristbands and an announcement about buying your tickets at City Hall if you haven’t yet goes out over the PA system. Pooh has no line to speak of and I get a honey pot all to myself. It was odd at first since I’m use to sharing vehicles on rides like this with family, friends, or at least complete strangers, but after a couple of scenes, I had fun with it, playing along with the ride, waving at Tigger and silly things like that. After the ride, I check to see how the line is at Ariel’s Grotto. About 10 minutes before 7:30, there’s already somewhat of a line forming, so I join in. By the time 7:30 rolls around and there’s no Ariel and Eric. Turns out they’re a little late. Some people begin to get impatient, but the delay ends up only lasting a few minutes though. and eventually, they make it and the line starts to move.

After a few minutes, I’m at the front of the line. Both Ariel and Prince Eric are friendly and all, but unfortunately Ariel is having some problems. As she has been meeting everyone, it becomes apparent that something seems to be wrong with her costume. She keeps messing with her shells, which is slightly awkward for most everybody in the room. By the time it’s my turn everything seems to be fine, but there were a few moments when I was worried that Ariel just might have a wardrobe malfunction in front of everyone. Between that and more than a few crying kids, there’s no surprise that she may appear to look a little stressed in the picture. When meeting them, I comment to Ariel that when I saw her last in Norway she had her feet, but now she was back to being a mermaid, but she says that her daddy can change her back anytime she wants. How nice of King Triton to do that.

After getting a photo of the two of them, I mentioned to Prince Eric that I got a photo of Ariel by herself in Norway, and asked if I would have a picture of him by himself as well, which he agreed to. At last, I have a better picture of Eric. So in the end everything worked out. I got to meet Ariel in her Grotto which I rarely ever get do, I got a new picture of Eric to replace my old one, and Ariel got through the meet-and-greet without the embarrassment of losing her top. Mission accomplished! For some reason, I thought that some of the CMs had said there was a Treasure Spot when you exit the Grotto, but while I was leaving, I didn’t see anything. No big loss though. Next, I head over to the Under The Sea Dance Party which is already in full swing.

Carmen and Fantail are dancing by themselves on the dance floor. It’s not too crowded yet, neither really minded posing for photos. It’s nice to see them out. I’d only seen them before in the 25th Anniversary Parade at Magic Kingdom years ago, so it was fun to get to interact with them like this.

When I go to take Sebastian’s Photo, he acts like he’s shy though and puts his claws over his face. Eventually, he takes them down enough for a picture before he heads off to dance some more. I can honestly say that I had never pictured Sebastian as the type of crab who would be so into dancing around to music from “Hannah Montana”, but apparently he is. Who knew? Flounder isn’t out yet, so I decide to check back later. Now, it’s off to Liberty Square to find more characters.

 

[Joanna71985]

Sebastian is a crab of many interests.

Great report so far.

 

[DISNEYFREAK13]

Enjoying your pictures and Trip Report
Good thing Ariel did not have a wardrobe malfunction!
Can't wait for more

 

[IATink]

I just got caught up today. Wow! You are so lucky, you saw so many characters that I have never seen out and about before.

We are debating on whether or not to extend our trip in August to do the P&P party. I have two daughters, do you think it would be worth it?

 

[Joanna71985]

I'm not Meeko, but I think the P&P party is definitely worth it. So much fun.

 

[meeko_33785]

I just got caught up today. Wow! You are so lucky, you saw so many characters that I have never seen out and about before.

We are debating on whether or not to extend our trip in August to do the P&P party. I have two daughters, do you think it would be worth it?

Hi. I highly recommend the Party. How old are your daughters? I think that as long as they are able to stay up later, I think it's definatly worth it. Since it lasts from 7:30-12:30, I would think that if thy can't stay up and bail early, it might not be worth changing your trip's plans. If you think that they can make it through the evening, I would say go for it. Lines are short for the rides, there are tons of characters, and the entertainment is wonderful (I'll be talking more about the Parade and Fireworks latter on, but I'll say now that they are wonderfu!).

Glad you're enjoying the report.

 

[meeko_33785]

Chapter Nine: Buzz Battles with Buzz and Meeko visits with Meeko



Tomorrowland seems like the biggest stretch in theming as far as the Pirate and Princess Party goes. Personally, I never really ventured very far into the land that night, but Buzz says that theming wasn’t incredibly different from usual. There were dance parties and entertainment, but it didn't seem to be particularly themed to pirates or princesses. The one change that was even close was changing the music loop to include music from Treasure Planet. If only that movie had been a success! It would have been great to see Jim Hawkins and the gang out and about but, alas, they were not at the Party. Both of us liked the movie, but it seems like not many others did. Oh, well. Buzz still said Tomorrowland looked great just like it always does at night.




After arriving in Tomorrowland, Buzz’s first stop is Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. It’s listed as a 10 minute wait and the line moves pretty quickly. Buzz says his game wasn’t great (which means he probably got at least twice as many points as I usually do ), but did hit a secret target on the back of the giant orange robot’s hand which earned him a bunch of points. After the ride, Buzz heads over to Treasure Spot outside the closed Carousel of Progress to get some more chocolate for his loot bag. Oddly enough the preshow video for the show is still playing without sounds so a silent Walt smiles down on the crowd as they’re in line for their free candy.




After meeting the Little Mermaid characters at the Grotto, I head to Liberty Square to find the Pocahontas characters. I had heard that John Smith would be out, and wanted to be sure to find him since I had never seen him out for meet-and-greets before. Plus, and this should come to no surprise to anyone who has even glanced at my screen name, Meeko is one of my all-time favorite characters, so I wa looking forward to seeing him again since I haven’t on my past few trips. When I get to the Enchanted Glade behind the Christmas shop, I see Pocahontas, John Smith, and Meeko all together, so I get in line. After a few minutes though, the CMs say that Pocahontas and John Smith have to go to see Grandmother Willow. I ask the CM when they will be back, and she said about 30 minutes. Meeko continues to stay out though, so I stay in line to see him.

While I was in line, Meeko (the raccoon, not me) was having a little problem with some young pirates who seemed to think it was fun to poke him with their plastic swords. The pirates’ mom finally noticed what her tiny buccaneers were doing and got them to stop. The things the characters have to put up with! Once it’s my turn, Meeko poses for some pictures. It had been so long since I’d seen him that I didn’t even have a digital photo of him! That defiantly got remedied tonight. And no, I did not poke him with swords, but he did get a hug.




Next, I head over to Adventureland to see if Abu or the camel from Aladdin are out. I walk past Captain Jack’s line and the CM says that the line is well over an hour now and it’s stretching all the way outside the building and into where Timon and Rafiki usually do meets. This line is never going to get shorter! I pass on the Captain and head Agrabah and find not one but two camels greeting.

Even though I’d heard that camel had been signing autographs with the name “Camelisha” during previous Parties, neither of them were signing that night. I’m guessing the camels are like Mr. Penguin and don’t sign if there are more than one of them out. I still get their photo though. I hadn’t seen these characters out since the Aladdin parade at MGM Studios years ago, so it’s nice to see them back. And yes, they are very tall! Next, I checked to see if Abu is out, but Princess Jasmine is out instead. I pass and her and see if anyone interesting is near Pirates. Hook and Smee are appearing in front of one backdrop and Pirate Goofy and Pluto are in front of another. I get in line for Goofy and Pluto for a couple of minutes, but decide to head back to Fantasyland instead to see if Flounder is out yet.




As I’m walking half-way across the park to find a giant yellow fish , Buzz is still in Tomorrowland at Space Mountain. The wait is about 20 minutes but, not surprisingly, doesn’t last that long, It’s been a few years since Buzz had done this ride and it was better than he remembered it. Next, he heads off to Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. The ride apparently has some awesome views of the Magic Kingdom, especially when you ride it at night. Then, the Castle and Space Mountain are all lit up. I had forgotten that you could see the Castle from the Speedway. Shows you how many years it's been since I was on that ride. Before leaving Tomorrowland, Buzz pays a visit to the Treasure Spot outside Cosmic Ray’s and picks up some more candy before heading on.




Back at the Under the Sea Dance Party, Flounder is out and is apparently very popular with the young set. I could barely see Flounder because there were at least a dozen kids crowded around him just feeling him. It was quite a sight. I ask a CM if this happens every time he comes out. Apparently it does! There must be something extremely attractive to kids about Flounder, or he feels really good. I realize I’m not going to be able to get a good picture of him, and it’s almost time for Pocahontas and John Smith to come back by now, so I head back to the Glade. Now I wish that I’d stayed in line for Goofy and Pluto. Oh well. Hindsight is 20/20 you know.




When I get back to the Glade, Meeko is still out, so I stand off to the side. A few guests see me and say that I can go in front of them because they’re waiting for John Smith. I tell them I’m waiting for him too and join them. I notice a lime green Mickey head hanging off of one of them. A DISer! It turns out to be bairdbeth who admits she’s a bit of a lurker on the boards. We chat for a little while until John Smith and Pocahontas show up. I rarely ever see any DISers in the park (I’m rarely that observant to spot the lime green Mickeys). If you’re reading this bairdbeth, it was nice to meet you.

Once it was my turn, I tell Pocahontas that I already have her autograph, but ask John Smith for his. As John signs his autograph, Pocahontas asks if we met at the Animal Kingdom. Well actually, I met her many years ago at EPCOT. I tell her that was when how she taught me to say “wingapo” (hello in her language). Upon hearing this, she admits that she hasn’t been to EPCOT in a long time. After informing Pocahontas and John Smith that I’ve seen all pretty much all of the other princesses there lately and naming a few, Pocahontas turns to John and says, “All my friends!” We all decided that it would be great if the two of them started to visit EPCOT again. After getting photos, Pocahontas teaches me how to say goodbye in her language as well- “ana”. It was nice to finally see them together. Next it’s off to Adventureland to see if Abu is out yet.

 

[SLDL]

Okay, I apologize if I missed it, but which party did you go to? We were there on March 5th.

Great trip report, btw!

 

[meeko_33785]

Okay, I apologize if I missed it, but which party did you go to? We were there on March 5th.

Great trip report, btw!

Thanks. This was the February 23 Party. Don't worry, you didn't miss it in the report so far. I didn't even think about posting the date in it when I was writing it.

 

[meeko_33785]

Chapter Ten: The Longest Wait



Even though the Party has only been going for about an hour by now, by how much we’ve done, it seems like it’s been going longer. In just one hour, Buzz has already done a number of attractions and I’ve already met ten characters- most of which I’d never seen before! This isn't even counting everything we did at the park before 7:30pm! By this point, there were now only two characters that were appeaing in the party that I had never seen- Abu and Captain Jack Sparrow. The Captain’s lines have been ridiculous all night, so I’ve pretty much given hope on him, but Abu is a must-find. Luckily, once I get back to Agrabah, he and the Genie are doing meet-and-greets together where Jasmine was earlier.




When I get there, I encounter my first cranky CM of the trip. When I get in line, she shouts at the guests in somewhat of a rude tone of voice, “When you get into this line, you will see either Abu and the Genie or Princess Jasmine! I have no control over what characters you see!” She repeats this over and over. It doesn’t take a genius to see what’s going on. Obviously, the characters switch out with little notice, and the CM has been getting a lot of complaints from people lining up for one character and then meeting another when they get to the front of the line. It’s not her fault, but unfortunately, she’s getting the blame. As I’m in line, the 8:30 Enchanted Adventures Parade begins, and everyone in line with me can see it through the pass-through to Frontierland nearby. I saw some video of it online before the trip and wasn’t too impressed, so I figured I’d skip it. After seeing it from the line though, I thought it looked great. I’d be willing to sacrifice some ride time to see the 10:30 parade.




Once I get to the front of the line, I get to meet Abu and Genie. They both sign their autographs, but Abu becomes curious and wants to see my camera. Sure enough, he takes it and hides it in his vest like he’s steeling it. I ask if he’ll give it back and that I would like to take his picyire, but he refuses. Genie begins to notice this and comes to my side. After trying to wish for my camera back, Genie shakes his hands at Abu like he’s trying to grant my wish. Still, Abu’s will is too strong. Finally, cranky CM has had it. She comes in and takes it from him, and gives it back to me. Abu acts like he's mad. I ask for a photo, but he refuses, so I get one of the Genie instead.

After some time, Abu gets over it and poses for a picture too. So remember, next time you see Abu, be very careful. Like Aladdin say, he is a hairy little thief.

By now, I’m pretty satisfied with how many characters I’ve met, so I decide to head back to Fantasyland to do some more rides. Along the way though, I notice the line for Captain Jack looks shorter than usual. The line is almost completly inside the building and doesn't seem to be spilling out into the outdoor queue very much at all, a sharp contrast to earlier in the evening when it looked full whenever I passed. The CM at the entrance to the queue says that the wait is 45 minutes. That still seemed pretty long to me. I ask if she thinks it will get any shorter than this at any point during the night, and she says no because the line is usually shortest between the first parade and the fireworks. I don't know if this is true or not, but it seems logical, doesn't it? It still seems like a large chunk of time from the 5-hour party, but he is the only character in the park that I haven’t met before. If I get in line now, I’ll be able to see the Captain and still get out in time to see the fireworks with Buzz. Besides, this may be my one and only chance to see him. Alright, I’ll do it! I’m going to meet Captain Jack Sparrow!




Back in Fantasyland, Buzz continues riding the rides. Now, he’s made it to Fantasyland and another one of his favorites in the park- The Mad Tea Party. Anyone who has ever ridden the teacups with Buzz knows that he is the master of spinning them. Nobody I’ve ever met can spin a cup faster than him. It'a nother of his talents;I don’t know how he does it. Anyway, Buzz takes his usual high-speed spin on the Tea Party. The ride stops pretty abruptly though. Unfortunately, Buzz’s body was still in motion from the spinning even after the ride stops, and proceeded to fall over at the end. That's how fast he spins.




After all the spinning, Buzz dizzily staggers to Mickey’s Toontown Fair. First stop is Mickey’s Country House where he looks through and gets some photos of. Pirate Captain Mickey is doing meet-and-greets in the backyard, but the line seems a little too long for Buzz. Instead, he waits in a shorter line for the Barnstormer. Before leaving Toontown, he takes a quick look in the County Bounty shop before heading on. Out of curiosity, he checks how long the waits are for the princesses at Toontown Hall of Fame, and they seemed pretty long to him too- at least 40 - 60 minutes. I think to Buzz, any wait for characters that's more than 5 minutes is too long. And for those of you keeping score, no, Buzz has not met a single character yet on this trip.




Earlier in the evening, Buzz and I had agreed to meet up around 9:30 in front of Casey’s Corner, so after Toontown, Buzz started to head in that direction. He attempted to walk from Toontown to Fantasyland and get to Main Street via one of the paths around the Castle. He’d forgotten than all of that area was blocked off in preparation for the fireworks; so instead, he walks all the way through Fantasyland and gets to Main Street via Liberty Square. Dream Along with Mickey is having its second performence of the night at this time, and Buzz can see a bit of the show on his way back to Main Street. There’s one noticeable change from when we saw it togetherearlier in the day. Now, the characters faces aren’t animated anymore! Glad we saw it when we did.




Before the trip, Buzz had read somewhere that there something interesting inside the restaurant, but couldn’t remember what. Once inside he realizes what he heard about was the tiny movie theater that plays old sports-themed Disney cartoons. How long has this been here? What a cute hidden treasure! Buzz takes a seat and watches some of the cartoons while he waits for me.

Back in Adventureland, I finally get my chance to meet Captain Jack Sparrow after a little less an 45-minutes in line. The set up they’ve got for him is really elaborate. They’ve even got his island throne from Dead Man’s Chest as part of the setup. Usually I’m not very self-conscious about talking with the characters, but as I’m meeting him, I’m finding a hard time figuring out what to say to a pirate captain such as Jack. The only thing I can think of is, “How are you doing”. He thinks really hard for a while and answers, “Alright.” He was perfectly in character. He asks me the same question and wants to know what I'm doing here. I tell him how I've been having advantures and meeting princesses. The Captain says he's been doing the same (there were a number of princesses of the child-sized variety coming to meet him). We chat for a little while and before the Photopass people take out picture. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a bright flash in my life than the one they had for those pictures! How does Jack bear it? Well, I’ve done the one thing I was sure I wasn’t going to be able to do- see Captain Jack Sparrow. It was the longest line of the night, but I think that it was worth it. Now, I’m out in time to meet Buzz and watch the fireworks!

 

[KMH1]

Unfortunately, Buzz’s body was still in motion from the spinning even after the ride stops, and proceeded to fall over at the end. That's how fast he spins.

I think to Buzz, any wait for characters that's more than 5 minutes is too long. And for those of you keeping score, no, Buzz has not met a single character yet on this trip.

Back in Adventureland, I finally get my chance to meet Captain Jack Sparrow after a little less an 45-minutes in line.

You are a great writer Meeko...you have me LOL! What a visual, thinking of a grown man falling over in a teacup! But, are you sure you're related? Please tell me Buzz eventually meets a character on this trip!

And congratulations on meeting Captain Jack! He was the only character we missed at the party, because there was no way our children were going to tolerate even a 45 minute line.

Amy

 

[IATink]

Meeko, I'm still loving your report! Can't wait to hear about the fireworks. I've heard it is pretty good.

Thanks for the advice on the P&P party. My daughters will be 6 and 5 when we are there. We still haven't made a final decision on if we're going to change our dates or not.

 

[meeko_33785]

You are a great writer Meeko...you have me LOL! What a visual, thinking of a grown man falling over in a teacup! But, are you sure you're related? Please tell me Buzz eventually meets a character on this trip!

And congratulations on meeting Captain Jack! He was the only character we missed at the party, because there was no way our children were going to tolerate even a 45 minute line.

Amy

Thanks Amy. And yes, I'm possitive that Buzz and I are indeed related . As for whether or not he meets and characters by the end... you'll have to keep reading to find out. Sorry, but I can't give too much away before the end. lol

Meeko, I'm still loving your report! Can't wait to hear about the fireworks. I've heard it is pretty good.

Thanks for the advice on the P&P party. My daughters will be 6 and 5 when we are there. We still haven't made a final decision on if we're going to change our dates or not.

Glad you're liking it, and glad I could help you. 6 and 5 seem like a good age for the party, but, like I said, it depends on whether or not they can stay up late enough to make it worth it. I think that if your trip was currently during the one of the Party nights I would say go no matter how late they could stay up, but as far as rearranging the whole vacation, I'd only do it if they could make it through the whole Party.

My review of the fireworks will be in the next chapter too.

 

[meeko_33785]

Chapter Eleven: Fantastic Fireworks and a Pirate and Princess Parade



It’s about 9:30 and I’m back on Main Street standing in front of Casey’s Corner just where Buzz and I had decided to meet for the fireworks. Unbeknownst to me, Buzz has been inside the restaurant enjoying the cartoon clips being shown on the movie screen he found in the back. I stand outside the restaurant waiting for him until he decides to come out and look for me. As soon as we’re reunited, he just has to show me his latest discovery. We stay for a couple of cartoons until we go to find a spot on Main Street for the fireworks.




We find a spot near the Plaza right across the street from the Tip Board. While we wait, we talk about some of the things we’ve done since we’ve split up. Buzz begins and tells me a few of the things he’s done. It isn’t long before the Magic, Music & Mayhem Fireworks Spectacular begins. I heard a lot of great things about this show, and I was not disappointed. It really was beautiful, and the music was great. The show is narrated by Cinderella'd Fairy Godmother and the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty (and yes, there is a battle between Flora and Merryweather on whether the fireworks should be pink or blue). The pirates segment was defiantly a show-stopper with its explosions. It got me wondering how loud it must be if anyone was inside the Castle Suite! The Little Mermaid segment was great too and there were some really well done effects on the Castle. Plus, unlike at Wishes earlier tonight, Tinker Bell flew. We were right across from where Tink comes in for a landing, so we had a great view of her. All in all, the best fireworks show I've ever seen at Magic Kingdom. If you go to the Party, don't miss it.




Once the fireworks end, I asked Buzz if he was interested in seeing the Enchanted Adventures Parade. Sitting down and watching the parade sounds really nice after standing up for the past few hours meeting characters. Plus, it looked so good from what I saw of it while in line for Abu and Genie that I really wanted to see it and be able to get some photos. Buzz was up for it, so we headed to Frontierland. We do make one stop in Fantasyland first though to see if Flounder is out. Nope; it’s just Carmen and Fantail. We head off to Frontierland and find a seat. Most of the curb is full already, but there are some spots still left where we could have an unobstructed view. We talk some more, check out the photos on each other’s cameras, and Buzz shares some of his chocolate loot with me since I still haven’t gone to any of the Treasure Spots... or eaten anything else tonight. There will be time for food after the party.




The Parade was great. I know that a lot of people complained that a lot of the floats are just reused from other parades like the Boo to You Parade and Very Merry Christmas Parade. Since I’ve never seen either of those, it was like a brand-new experience. I will admit that some of the floats were rather old. I remember some of the floats from parades in the 80s. Still, that added a bit of nostalgia for me though, so it was nice. This was also the first time I had seen the Princess Float that has been in the Share A Dream Come True Parade/ Disney Dreams Come True Parade. The only time I'd seen the parade, they did not have that float out due to rain, so it was nice to finally see it. It really is beautiful. The only weakness I can think of it the music. It didn’t impress me very much, but it did stick in my head for the rest of the night. Actually it still won’t get out. “Enchanted dreams and grand adventures can come true…. Just for you….”

The Princess segment begins the parade with fairytale fanfare.

The Seven Dwarfs accompany Snow White's unit in the parade carrying buckets of glowing jewels.

Princess Aurora (in her purple gown from Cinderellabration!) waltzes with Prince Phillip on their own float.

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather follow close behind waving their illuminated wands.

The Princess Float has arrived! Cinderella's Fairy Godmother waves from the front with Cinderella and Prince Charming just behind her.

Ariel and Eric are all dressed up. I don't think I've ever seen her wear the blue dress in a parade before.

Another shot of the Princess Float from the back with a random swordsman who jumped in the shot while I was taking the picture.

Next, it's the pirates' turn to come out to play. Here's the new pirate ship float.

Captain Jack Sparrow on his float. He was so high up it was hard to get a good picture from where I was.

The Peter Pan unit comes down the street. Even some Lost Boys are out tonight.

The new Tinker Bell float. It’s nice to see he out like this since I never had before.

Finally, Mickey and friends in pirate gear and royal regalia finish the parade on the classic Castle float. This was my first glimpse of most of the characters in their party outfits. Very cute.

Princess Daisy!




After the parade, we follow it back through Liberty Square on our way to Fantasyland. Our big mistake though was to turn off the main path and onto a small path by the river that was too small to allow traffic to go both ways. In reality, I think it might have been an exit ramp for those who got off the riverboat, the entire crowd was trying to fit through it. People had to carry their empty strollers over their heads to get through. What a mess! We made it through though and continued on.

 

[Joanna71985]

Very good so far.