Memories that will live on forever! Oct. 17-24, 2010-UPDATED 10/7/11 and New TR Link

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

One of the fabulous things about an October trip is the weather.

Tell Erin and Ava to check out their picture (from afar) with Alice. I just put it up on the TR.

The girls were very excited to see themselves. I had to laugh because Stu was in another room while we looked at it. He yelled from across the house asking if he was in the picture! What a goof.

I am so excited! I know we have over a year but I am already planning. Trying to decide where to eat. I am going to check out your other TR also. Can't wait to hear more!

I planned for over a year when we took the girls the first time. I think planning is part of the fun!

The beach looks like so much fun! And ice cream for dinner...yum. Good job to Ava for riding ToT. Bella will be 6 when we go and is still scared of it...I would be surprised if she rides it. And we are not taking a stroller this time, either. Glad to hear it went well for you!

The ice cream for dinner really topped off our day. Thankfully the girls haven't asked for a repeat of that meal.

I hope that Bella will ride ToT. Erin didn't like it very much when she went on it last time, but this year she thought it was great. Will you take a stroller to the other parks? I think DHS was just the right size to get by without one.

Yay to Ava for riding ToT! She is a big girl! What a bummer about RnRc though. I agree that the Writer's Stop is fabulous. I've been there a couple times and enjoyed my treats each time.

I had a couple of disappointed members in my party with RnRc being down. I bet Stu checked the board or directly at the ride six times throughout the day in hopes that it was back up.

What have you tried from the Writer's Stop? I am always looking for suggestions when it comes to yummy treats!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

After joining back up with Stu we decided that we would try out the Backlot Tour before having some lunch. We had never taken the tour before, so we weren't sure what to expect. We had a little bit of wait before the next group was brought in.

After waiting for about 15 minutes we were ushered into the tank area. I like that the guy that they had chosen to get the major deluge of water hadn't seen the show before either. He so doesn't know what he is in for!

On our way back to the trams Erin was very excited to find the chicken house from the Hannah Montana Movie.

The advertising was out hard and heavy for Tangled. Erin was really looking forward to the movie, so she felt the need to take a picture of the movie advertisement on our tram.

Erin was starting to discover that this would be a great ride for her to get some pictures!

I thought the ride was interesting enough, but I really enjoyed it because it was so much fun to see Erin in action. She had such a great time taking pictures of whatever struck her fancy.

We decided it was time to grab a bite to eat. On our way we ran into a green army guy.

Stu really wanted a pretzel dog from Min and Bill's, but when we got there they were closed! Stu was not having any luck when it came to things he wanted on this particular day. Since we knew we wanted to catch the Indiana Jones show we decided to have lunch at the Backlot Express. The food was nothing special, but the Coke tasted especially good here!

Up next: ...and the lady in the pink shirt!

 

[princessjv]

Look at those amazing eyes! So darn sweet!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I agree that the Backlot Tour is really only there for pictures. It's good that Erin got to work on her picture taking skills. Looks like she did a great job!

 

[MeMom]

What have you tried from the Writer's Stop? I am always looking for suggestions when it comes to yummy treats!

The white chocolate macadamia nut cookie is good.

I thought the ride was interesting enough, but I really enjoyed it because it was so much fun to see Erin in action. She had such a great time taking pictures of whatever struck her fancy.

Stu really wanted a pretzel dog from Min and Bill's, but when we got there they were closed!

What kind of camera was she using?

A pretzel dog sounds wonderful to me, even though it's way too early in the morning to even be thinking about one!

 

[dismagiclover]

I really need to get on the Backlot Tour. We've never done it. I liked the pictures though. It's fun to see details.

 

[kcandbella]

Looks like you have a future photographer on your hands! How long is the Backlot Tour? If I remember correctly, it used to be really long (way too long) when it was MGM studios...but I think they shortened it considerably. Looks like a fun day at the Studios so far!

And we are not planning on taking a stroller at all this trip...I may regret it though.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I think the Backlot Tour is pretty neat. Not a thrill ride but definitely interesting. She got some great pictures!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Look at those amazing eyes! So darn sweet!

Thanks! She was fortunate to get my dark eyes with my DH's awesome eyelashes.

I agree that the Backlot Tour is really only there for pictures. It's good that Erin got to work on her picture taking skills. Looks like she did a great job!

It was a perfect opportunity for Erin. She was confined to her seat on the tram, so she could just snap as she went along. Thankfully we weren't sharing a row with anyone else and she was able to lean over me if she needed to get a picture on my side.

The white chocolate macadamia nut cookie is good.

What kind of camera was she using?

A pretzel dog sounds wonderful to me, even though it's way too early in the morning to even be thinking about one!

Good to know about the cookie! Those are one of my favorites. Mind you, there aren't many cookies that I have met that I haven't liked!

It is just a little Vivitar ViviCam. I only spent $30 on it so it wouldn't be as big of a deal if it got lost. The picture quality isn't that great, but she could care less. I was surprised at how well it took action shots. The pictures she got from the moving tram and the ones she got of the monorail were better than any of the ones that I got with my camera!

Is it ever too early for a pretzel dog?

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

I really need to get on the Backlot Tour. We've never done it. I liked the pictures though. It's fun to see details.

Since you haven't been on it before it is worth a try. It kept the girls interested. It is also nice to have a chance to just sit for awhile!

Looks like you have a future photographer on your hands! How long is the Backlot Tour? If I remember correctly, it used to be really long (way too long) when it was MGM studios...but I think they shortened it considerably. Looks like a fun day at the Studios so far!

And we are not planning on taking a stroller at all this trip...I may regret it though.

I would say with the pre-show and the tour it took about 30 minutes. I'm not sure if that is any shorter or not. We had a good time and it gets even better!

The only park that Erin really dragged in without a stroller was Epcot. Some days I wish I had a stroller to ride in when I am in Epcot!

I think the Backlot Tour is pretty neat. Not a thrill ride but definitely interesting. She got some great pictures!

The Backlot Tour was what we needed right then. It was nice to sit back, ride, and see some fun things along the way.

 

[laashley]

Great shots that Erin got on the Backlot tour. I noticed the christmas decorations in the streets of america. A little preview of what was to come.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Great shots that Erin got on the Backlot tour. I noticed the christmas decorations in the streets of america. A little preview of what was to come.

Erin got a scrapbook from my mom for Christmas, so we just ordered some prints for her to get started. She chose several of the ones from the Backlot Tour. It will be interesting to see how the scrapbook turns out. She really seems to have an eye for design. I don't know where she got it from!

The Christmas decorations were definitely making their way out on the Streets of America. Maybe someday I will get to see them all lit up!

 

[Kathy Jetson]

Erin got some good pictures on the Backlot Tour. Her pictures are better than a lot of mine. Alot of mine were blurry that I took from the tram.

Maybe she'll grow up to be a photographer and you can say it all started at WDW!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Erin got some good pictures on the Backlot Tour. Her pictures are better than a lot of mine. Alot of mine were blurry that I took from the tram.

Maybe she'll grow up to be a photographer and you can say it all started at WDW!

I think she did a pretty nice job. I'm not sure if her camera happened to be on an action setting, because it did a pretty decent job with motion pictures. Disney World is a great place for her to have gotten her start in photography!

 

[onescgirl]

Great pictures! Looks like y'all are having a great day. Love the Army man!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Great pictures! Looks like y'all are having a great day. Love the Army man!

Thanks! It was fun to cross paths with the Green Army Man. Ava wasn't so sure what to think, but she decided to be in the picture at the last minute.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

We let the girls choose between LMA and Indiana Jones and Indy it was! In all of prior trips we had never made it to the Indiana Jones show. We arrived in the theater and chose a spot in the middle section. I told Stu that he should act like a nut because I had read that they chose extras for the show. He didn't really seem receptive to the idea. When the casting gal came out and started to pick I decided to raise my hand. Next thing you know she calls out, "and the lady in the pink shirt!" That's me! I made my way to the stage and listened to the directions from the casting lady.

After the warm-up they sent us to the top of the theater to sign waivers and get dressed in our "wardrobe." The casting gal gave a little pep talk about how we were chosen because we stood out in the crowd to her and we should just have fun with it. We made our way on stage to be extras in the scene.

The funniest part of the whole thing is a spoiler if you haven't been to the show, so you have been warned! In the scene where the "extra" gets beat up we believed he was really an extra. After the first hit I realized that he was part of the show, but the guy next to me just didn't get it. I still think to this day that he believed that the guy was just a random person from the crowd that had amazing acrobatic abilities!

After we were done we were brought back to the top to watch the rest of the show and they provided us with some water. I made it back to my family and when I was making my way through my row a gentleman told me I made our row proud. It was cute.

After my acting debut we decided it was time to stake out a spot for the Block Party Bash. We knew we wanted to sit somewhere along the second stop. As we made our way by American Idol we saw some steps that were in the shade. We asked the CM if we were able to sit there for the parade and he said. "of course!" I was shocked we were able to score elevated spots that were in the shade! While we were waiting Erin and I went in search for some treats and we got a Mickey Bar and an Itzadadoozie. Both of them were very tasty on this warm afternoon.

I snapped a few pictures as we were waiting for the parade to arrive.

Continued in the next post.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Soon the party began making its way towards us.

The first section of the parade to make its way by was from Toy Story-

It made its way just past us and the next section with Monsters Inc stopped right before us. It was perfect because we were able to see characters from both shows, but it was mainly Monsters Inc characters that came right in front of us.

The energy that the performers put out is awesome! I can't believe the stamina that they possess.

The girls decided that they needed to join in on the fun. I was so excited to see that Ava wanted to join in this year. Last year she was too timid. It is amazing the difference a year makes.

It was time for the party to pack up and head on its way. We really enjoyed ourselves once again. We just love the energy and it was neat that the kids got to join in on the fun.

Up next: You want to do THAT?

 

[dismagiclover]

Great update! How fun that you got picked to be in the Indy show! Looks like you made a fabulous extra! I love the pictures of Ava at the parade! So cute. We never saw that parade and now I guess we never will.

 

[Harters2WDW]

After our trip around the small world I had a surprise for the girls. They were not aware that Tiana had a meet and greet because I had read on the DIS that the waits could be terrible. I didn't want to get their hopes up in case we weren't able to meet her. I knew that if we wanted to see her we should try to make it to the first meet of the day. We headed over to Tiana's Garden Glen to find a line with about five families in it!

We made our way past the sign without Erin seeing it, so they still didn't know what we were in line for! She started to hear some music playing and she said, "that music is from Princess and the Frog!" I asked her why they would be playing that and it finally dawned on her what we were doing. She was very excited. She had on her pillowcase dress with Tiana on it and she couldn't wait to show it to her.

Naveen and Tiana were awesome! They took so much time to meet the girls. The girls started showing them their silly bands and they patiently looked at all of them.

So sweet! Where exactly are Tiana and Naveen located? What time of day were you there to see them??

Love your report! I have to DDs -- 5 and 1. I can't wait till DD1 is a bit older and the girls can really interact. Some of your photos of the two are just precious!