More Adventures in WDW: June, November and December Trip Reports

[dawnbu40]

I enjoyed the flashback to the Stars and Motor Cars parade. We loved that parade I wish they would do more rotating of the parades and shows. It would make things seem more fresh if it wasn't the same thing for several years.

 

[meeko_33785]

I enjoyed the flashback to the Stars and Motor Cars parade. We loved that parade I wish they would do more rotating of the parades and shows. It would make things seem more fresh if it wasn't the same thing for several years.

That was another great thing about Stars and Motor Cars- the switching out of the units. I know one year they added Lightning and Mater to it and another Giselle from Enchanted was in it (one and only time we saw her in the parks). It was fun seeing the new characters rotate into the parade. Reminded me of the old days when Disney would add units with characters from The Little Mermaid or Oliver and Co. to the MK parade when they came out.

 

[meeko_33785]

I haven’t really mentioned much in the way of Disney characters yet, so, since taking photos of the characters is one of my favorite things to do in Disney, I thought that I’d post a little something about the characters that I’ll be on the lookout for during the trip. Based on what I’ve seen on the DIS and other Disney sites, all of these characters have been coming out for regular appearances at either Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios this summer, so hopefully I’ll be able to find them.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from The Princess and the Frog
Meeting Tiana and Naveen in Liberty Square will be my main character priority for the trip. It’s been years since I’ve has a new Prince and Princess to photograph, so I’m excited to see them.

Lotso from Toy Story 3
Another new character for me, I’m hoping to see Lotso as early as possible at Hollywood Studios. Hopefully he won’t have a 40-something minute wait like the UP characters did last time.

Ariel and Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid
Since Ariel’s Grotto in Fantasyland is now gone, I hear that she (now in human form) and Prince Eric have moved to Adventureland, which is exciting especially since Eric is usually so rare to see.

Piglet
It’s been years since I’ve seen Piglet out and about, but I hear he’s been coming out fairly regularly at the Hat at DHS, so I’ll be looking for him there. Hopefully I’ll able to get his autograph for the first time.

Mary Poppins and Bert
Mary and Bert have apparently been over near the Carousel lately. Since Bert isn’t a character I tend to see very often, I’d love to be able to get some pictures of the two of them.

The Incredibles
It’s been a while since I’ve gotten any pictures of any of the Incredibles, so I’ll be checking for them at DHS- particularly Mr. Incredible and Frozone.

Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story
Since Buzz (my brother) is interested in going to meet Buzz (Lightyear) and Woody at PIXAR Place on this trip, that makes it a priority for me too. The location looks really cool, so I’m interested in seeing it.

Pinocchio
I’m not a big fan of Pinocchio and always seem to skip meeting him, but I’ve updated my camera twice since the last picture I got of him, so I really would like to take a better quality picture of him.

Hopefully, I’ll come back with a bunch of character photos and maybe a few autographs from the report as well.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I'm really loving how you are talking about your favorites! It's really neat to see and I'm still loving the music portion!

I'm so excited to meet Ariel & Eric. I like the together meets of the Princesses & Princes.

The Toy Story area at Pixar Place is really cute, we had a good meet & greet there back in January.

 

[meeko_33785]

I'm really loving how you are talking about your favorites! It's really neat to see and I'm still loving the music portion!

I'm so excited to meet Ariel & Eric. I like the together meets of the Princesses & Princes.

The Toy Story area at Pixar Place is really cute, we had a good meet & greet there back in January.

Glad you're enjoying the favorites. It's been a fun addition to the pre-trip, I think. There will be more music discussion pretty soon too.

 

[meeko_33785]

We’re getting closer and closer to the trip, and recently Buzz and I have been putting together a mix CD of Disney music to listen to on the way to Disney. We tried to pick songs that fit the parks we’ll be visiting, so there’s a lot of music from both the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios included along with songs from other Disney films and stage shows. I’m happy with the playlist we came up with; I can’t wait to hear it as we drive over there. Here’s a sneak peak at the songs we’ll be listening to:

• Mickey Mouse March (Walt Disney World Band/ WDW Official Album)
• I Want 2 Go! (Summer Nightastic Theme)
• Overture (from The Little Mermaid Broadway Cast Recording)
• Life Is A Highway (from Cars)
• In The Mood (Sunset Boulevard area music/ Glen Miller)
• Down in New Orleans (from The Princess and the Frog)
• Bang! Goes Old Betsy (Frontierland area music/ Country Bear Jamboree soundtrack)
• Give A Little Whistle (from Pinocchio)
• He’s A Pirate (instrumental from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl)
• Let’s Go Fly a Kite (from Disney’s On the Record Cast Recording)
• The Scare Floor (instrumental from Monsters Inc.
• Grim Grinning Ghosts (from The Haunted Mansion/ WDW Official Album)
• Overture (from 101 Dalmatians)
• Bear Band Serenade (from the Country Beat Jamboree/ WDW Official Album)
• Sorcery in the Sky (former Disney-MGM Studios fireworks show/ WDW Forever)
• Little Wonders (from Meet the Robinsons)
• Caderas (Adventureland area music/ Balafon Marimba Ensemble)
• Happiness Hotel (from The Great Muppet Caper)
• The Winter Garden Rag (Main Street USA area music/ Paragon Ragtime Orchestra)
• You’ve Got a Friend in Me (instrumental version from Toy Story 2)
• Fantasyland Castle Medley (Fantasyland area music/ WDW Official Album)
• Tower of Terror Theme (from the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror/ WDW Official Album)
• Main Street Electrical Parade (WDW Official Album)
• Ever Ever After (from Enchanted)
• Infinity and Beyond (instrumental from Toy Story)

 

[Lady Lallie]

Great songs! I think my personal favorites are Down in New Orleans, Ever Ever After and Life is a Highway. All great songs to listen to in the car!

 

[meeko_33785]

Great songs! I think my personal favorites are Down in New Orleans, Ever Ever After and Life is a Highway. All great songs to listen to in the car!

Thanks LL. I'm glad that we got a chance to add a Princess and the Frog song to the playlist. It's nice to have a new Disney animated musical to join the rest of the classics.

 

[meeko_33785]

Well, we’re getting pretty close to the trip. I can’t believe it’s so close! We still have a little while left before Buzz, Goofy and I head off to Disney, but most of the planning, I believe, is complete and I thought that now would be a good time to wrap things up a little with a few last thoughts for the Pre-Trip.


We all have our tickets bought! Buzz and I both got the Florida Resident 3 Day Play Passes- 2 days of which we’ll be using on this trip and one of which we’re planning on saving for a future one. Goofy ended up getting a one-day Florida Resident ticket for Hollywood Studios since he will be busy with his conference on the day Buzz and I are going to Magic Kingdom. No park hoppers or anything since I don’t think that we’ll need them.


We’re staying pretty flexible for dining this time around and still have no ADRs made. Buzz and I pretty much know where we would like to eat at Magic Kingdom- Casey’s Corner and Cosmic Ray’s. The three of us have been talking about House of Blues for Downtown Disney, but nothing is set in stone as far as that evening goes. Not much of an idea on dining at Hollywood. I’m guessing we’ll figure it out when we get there. I have a feeling we might end up at Pizza Planet, which would be just fine with me.


As far as the weather, we’re expecting the usual summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms. After the pleasant weather of October and the cooler (yet damp) weather of December, Buzz and I may be a little spoiled, but hopefully we’ll manage. As for Goofy, this is the first time we’ve ever been to a theme park with him, so I’m hoping that he’ll manage well at Hollywood. I know that he’s done parks before though so I figure he’ll do fine. It should be interesting hitting a park with someone who’s never been there before. Besides, Goofy is a cool guy, so I’m sure we’ll have fun.


That’s about it for now. Not much left to do regarding the trip besides running a few last errands and packing. Hope to “see” you all when I get back, and hopefully I’ll have plenty of great stories and photos to share.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I hope you have a wonderful trip filled with lots of pixie dust!

 

[jenjolt]

I'm all caught up!! WOOT!! You are going to have a great trip!! Loved the music list!!!! I will have to add some of those to my list!

 

[meeko_33785]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to pop by and say that I’m back. I, my brother Buzz, and our friend Goofy had a great time at Disney World. I thought “Unconventional” might be a fitting title for this portion of the report not only because Goofy was there largely to take part in a convention, but because this trip also broke a lot of Disney trip “conventions” for Buzz and I since we typically just go with each other or on family vacations. Heading to Disney with someone else- especially someone who was visiting many of the locations we were going for the first time- was a new experience, but a fun one.


I should be starting the trip report fairly soon, but while I’m working on gathering thoughts and uploading pictures, here’s a little sneak preview at what’s to come:

A two-night stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort…

An evening of exploring and going out for dinner at Downtown Disney with Buzz and Goofy...

A day at the Magic Kingdom with Buzz enjoying classic Disney attractions and meeting characters …

And a thrill-filled day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Buzz and Goofy



This thread will be moving from the Pre-Trip Board to the Trip Report Board pretty soon, so keep an eye for it. Hope to see you there!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Welcome Back!

I can't wait to hear about your trip.

 

[meeko_33785]

Welcome Back!

I can't wait to hear about your trip.

Thanks LL! Hopefully, I'll be able to get the first photos uploaded pretty soon so I can start.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Can't wait to hear about your trip!! Glad you had a good time.

 

[dawnbu40]

Looking forward to hearing all about your visit!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi Meeko!

Thanks for the link to your new PTR/TR, not been on DIS for weeks so missed getting here earlier.

Sounds like you had a great trip, can't wait to hear all about it and see all your photos!

We always eat at Columbia Harbour House too, so it will be good to get your opinion on other CS places in MK.

I love meerkats too, great photo from Busch Gardens! You might like this link - http://www.comparethemeerkat.com/home, I love Aleksandr, thought you might find it funny too! It's from a UK based company, don't know if it's made it across the Atlantic.

Di x

 

[meeko_33785]

Can't wait to hear about your trip!! Glad you had a good time.

Thanks. I'm hoping to have the first chapter up tomorrow, so you shouldn't have too much longer of of wait.

Looking forward to hearing all about your visit!

Awesome! Hope you'll enjoy it.

Hi Meeko!

Thanks for the link to your new PTR/TR, not been on DIS for weeks so missed getting here earlier.

Sounds like you had a great trip, can't wait to hear all about it and see all your photos!

We always eat at Columbia Harbour House too, so it will be good to get your opinion on other CS places in MK.

I love meerkats too, great photo from Busch Gardens! You might like this link - http://www.comparethemeerkat.com/home, I love Aleksandr, thought you might find it funny too! It's from a UK based company, don't know if it's made it across the Atlantic.

Di x

Hey Di! Looks like you've made it just in time for the trip report.

Columbia has been out go-to CS restaurant at Magic Kingdom too, but I think our CS horizons have been expanded a bit after this trip.

I've never seen that meerkat site before. It's pretty cute, although I have to admit, I'm not sure I understand what it's supposed to be completely.

 

[meeko_33785]

Welcome to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort! Buzz, Goofy and I arrived mid-morning.

The layout of the El Centro, the lobby/ shopping/ dining area, reminds me a lot of the main building at Port Orleans Riverside. At the entrance to El Centro, though, we’re greeted by this tropical fountain.

To the left of the entrance is one of my favorite resort shops- Panchito’s Gifts and Sundries. Not only is it fairly good-sized, but the Three Caballeros theming is especially fun.

Remember this little guy from The Three Caballeros? Burrito, the flying donkey, stands at the entrance to the shop and serves as a popular photo opportunity.

Inside, a statue of the shop’s namesake is featured.

Looking down from a window, Jose Carioca keeps watch of everything.


When we got there, Goofy checked-in with his conference, and then the three of us went to check in to the resort. I really didn’t expect them to have our room ready quite yet, but it turned out that they did! So, while Goofy took care of some more things in the convention center, Buzz and I re-parked the car and starting bringing the luggage into the room.

This was Buzz and my first time back to Coronado since they remodeled the rooms a few years back. I have to say that I did miss the more colorful look they had before, but the light blues and dark browns on the current rooms were very nice too.

The desk area made the whole room feel a little more business-like than the other moderate resorts that usually have a table and chairs in this space. I’m sure it’s perfect for the conventioneers, but it does make it feel a little less homey than someplace like French Quarter or Riverside. Also strangely enough, besides the mirror above the desk the room was devoid of any art on the walls, which made the room feel a little bare.

The bureau complete with TV and coffee maker. Another thing I liked about the room but didn’t get a photo of was the sink area of the bathroom can be separated from the rest of the room by two large pocket doors as opposed to the curtains you’ll find at the Port Orleans Resorts or the Caribbean Beach. You don’t get the double sink in the bathroom that you would get at those resorts though, which is not quite as convenient. All in all, I liked the room, but I think out of all of the four moderate resorts, the guest rooms here were my least favorite. I did enjoy it enough, though, that I certainly wouldn’t mind staying here again.

After getting everything settled, Buzz and I went back to catch up with Goofy for lunch. Our room was out in the Ranchos section of the resort which was near the back and pretty far from El Centro where all of the restaurants were. They did have a internal bus that just went between the resort’s four bus stops, but Buzz and I decided to take the scenic route and walk there, taking the opportunity to explore the resort a little.

The Ranchos have sort of a rustic look with some nice desert landscaping.

Across the lake is the beach-like Cabanas area.

About the time we made it to the Cabanas, we were certainly feeling how hot it was! Suddenly I was not excited about the prospect of walking around Magic Kingdom the next day in that sort of heat. Still, for today, we only had a little ways left until we reached El Centro and its air conditioning.



Next chapter: Conventions- Disney style

 

[Lady Lallie]

The rooms are not nearly as "Disney" as other resorts but the bedding looks quite soft and comfortable. I hate the Disney bedspreads, they are so scratchy!

I love that little Donkey, he is so cute.