My first time as a "Grown Up!" March 2011

[PlutosRHM55]

YAY! UPDATES! Though I totally agree, when no trip is on the horizon, it's very hard to finish a TR so quickly, but glad to see you are back! Great M&G pictures at AK! I like the one where you guys are practically tackling Mickey LOL And why must you taunt me with the tie-dye cheesecake?! Something I must try if I ever stay at POP!

WOO! EPCOT! That's awesome Kris got to sit in the front on Soarin'. I've never been able to and I've heard people who REALLY like the ride have sat in the front before so I totally must try it out from the front. And you don't like butterflies? Wow, I'm shocked. They are really the only bugs that fascinate me, the characteristics of moths and butterflies are quite different, moths are ugly and pests, butterflies are majestic creatures of nature, but that's how I see it. Apparently not everyone is that way and I respect that

Can't wait to read more!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm hopping on board! You guys are too funny. Love all of the pictures that you guys take.

I remember taking my first "grown up" trip. *sigh* Seems like so long ago.

 

[jelloarms]

YAY! UPDATES! Though I totally agree, when no trip is on the horizon, it's very hard to finish a TR so quickly, but glad to see you are back! Great M&G pictures at AK! I like the one where you guys are practically tackling Mickey LOL And why must you taunt me with the tie-dye cheesecake?! Something I must try if I ever stay at POP!

WOO! EPCOT! That's awesome Kris got to sit in the front on Soarin'. I've never been able to and I've heard people who REALLY like the ride have sat in the front before so I totally must try it out from the front. And you don't like butterflies? Wow, I'm shocked. They are really the only bugs that fascinate me, the characteristics of moths and butterflies are quite different, moths are ugly and pests, butterflies are majestic creatures of nature, but that's how I see it. Apparently not everyone is that way and I respect that

Can't wait to read more!

Yeah... everyone tells me about the beauty of butterflies once they find out my fear but it does nothing to help my fear! Ha ha, I'm strange.

I'm hopping on board! You guys are too funny. Love all of the pictures that you guys take.

I remember taking my first "grown up" trip. *sigh* Seems like so long ago.

Hey! thanks for joining in! Man, I only took this trip 5 months ago but it seems like it's been much longer than that.

 

[jelloarms]

Day 5.2

March 19, 2011

At 11:00 a.m. the World Showcase opened. We bypassed Canada and the United Kingdom (but not before taking a few photos) and headed straight toward France. Kris wanted a pastry from the Patisserie. She ended up getting a napoleon.

Not sure why I posed so awkwardly there! Ha ha!

After I took this picture, someone actually used this telephone booth FOR REAL. AS IN TO MAKE AN ACTUAL PHONE CALL. Not just as a photo op. Everyone commented on it.

Awkward pose #2! Ha ha. I wanted a picture of me in the street but people kept passing by so I was just like "take the picture!" And that's the result.

Peter Pan is my favorite Disney male!

She is just CRAZY EXCITED for that Napoleon!

She was all excited to nosh, only to discover that her fork was missing a prong.



After she finished eating, we met Belle. She was an okay Belle. A little too perky than I would imagine Belle to be. At least she looked the part though.

We then we looked around Morocco. I love that pavilion even though there isn’t much to do there.

I initially thought the meeting spot for Aladdin would be here because of the backdrop. DECEPTION!!!

Who says Disney can't be relaxing? Ha ha!

 

[Vwdiva93]

That is just crazy that someone would actually use the phone booth to make a call!! I actually tried to picture someone really doing that and just couldn't

You all got some really cool pictures around the countries though! And that napoleon looks SO good. Can't wait to hear more

 

[PlutosRHM55]

You do know those phone booths you can actually make phone calls from or it maybe just to... I don't know, but when I was there, some of my friends were in there and one went on the phone and there was actually someone on the other end and after a guy walked by, asking the same questions the person on the phone asked. It was really sketchy, but it just proves that you can make phone calls in the booths.

Oooooo... that Napoleon looks GOOD! I love the French bakery, everything just smells so good and looks so good in there. I don't know how I've survived not buying anything from there, my mouth is watering just thinking about that place

Can't wait to read more!

 

[jenseib]

I have the phone numbers for those booths somewhere around here.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I love napoleon's! One of my favorite treats from the patisserie.

 

[jelloarms]

That is just crazy that someone would actually use the phone booth to make a call!! I actually tried to picture someone really doing that and just couldn't

You all got some really cool pictures around the countries though! And that napoleon looks SO good. Can't wait to hear more

I know right? Who uses phone booths these days? I think the last time I used a phone booth was in 2002.

 

[jelloarms]

You do know those phone booths you can actually make phone calls from or it maybe just to... I don't know, but when I was there, some of my friends were in there and one went on the phone and there was actually someone on the other end and after a guy walked by, asking the same questions the person on the phone asked. It was really sketchy, but it just proves that you can make phone calls in the booths.

Oooooo... that Napoleon looks GOOD! I love the French bakery, everything just smells so good and looks so good in there. I don't know how I've survived not buying anything from there, my mouth is watering just thinking about that place

Can't wait to read more!

Hm, I'll bet the guy who walked by afterwards was the guy who was making the calls. I know the numbers for the phones are around here somewhere on the boards...I know some people like to call the booths for fun but I could never do it. It would just make me sad that I wasn't there but this person that I am talking to is!

I love napoleon's! One of my favorite treats from the patisserie.

I've never tried it. I was too darned cheap to buy anything!

I have the phone numbers for those booths somewhere around here.

Have you ever called the booths before? What did the people on the other end say?

 

[jelloarms]

Day 5.3

March 19, 2011

Next we explored Japan.

It was pretty cool that they had an anime exhibit. I was surprised there were no reference to Sailor Moon when they talked about the rabbits though…I thought that show was kind of popular. Loved it as a kid...Sailor Mars was my favorite but now I like Sailor Jupiter better. My friends and I used to play Sailor Moon all the time at recess back in the 3rd grade. Hmmm...perhaps that particular anime is too old?

Woot!

Kris actually has this Inuyasha poster in real life! She had it displayed on the wall in her room for quite a few years.

Hah!



Also, I don’t know why I like Japan’s Mitsukoshi store so much. It’s pretty much Shirokiya on a slightly more expensive level. Shirokiya is a Japanese food/products store we have here at home. I don't know though...somehow I just find it so fascinating!

Had to take this picture with the ramen noodles! Everyone was obsessing over it and it just amused me immensly because they sell it at every single grocery store at home. In fact, I have it for lunch I would say at least 3 times a month. And it costs me way less than $2.75.



At about 12:00 p.m. we went back to Morocco to meet Aladdin and Jasmine.

Kris waiting in line.



I called Aladdin a street rat and he said that no, now he was reformed…he was royalty and the proof was in the fact that he was wearing purple! I too happened to be wearing purple so he said that I must be Hawaiian royalty. Ha ha!

Here we are, discussing the purple-nosity of my shirt.



They asked us where our princes were and told us that we have to look everywhere to find our diamonds in the rough or something like that. The girl who played Jasmine was very good. She actually looked like how I might imagine Jasmine to look. She wasn’t overly sweet either which was great because it was very true to the Jasmine character. The guy who played Aladdin was so pale but his voice and mannerisms were SPOT ON! I theorized that since Aladdin became royalty, he no longer hangs out in the sun as much and that’s why he was so fair skinned. Ha ha! I found it interesting that the photopass dude only took one photo of us but the cast member I gave my camera to took all the candids. But yeah...this was definetley a really fun meet & greet. I appreciate that despite the fact that we aren't kids, they took the time to really talk to us and not just a quick hello, snap shot, and goodbye.

I suggested we all pose in the "Aladdin stance." So we did!



Next we went back to Japan to watch Miyuki. We watched her make a flamingo, an elephant, and an owl. It was very cool. I thought it was strange though that she kept repeating herself, and saying something about caramel candy which was weird because the candy was clearly not caramel. I thought maybe she was sick or something because she seemed very worn down.

We went over to the American Adventure nextto see the Voices of Liberty. I was surprised that I recognized some of the singers from the last time we were there 3 years ago. After sitting in the theatre for a few minutes, they announced that they were having technical difficulties or something so we had to leave. What a LETDOWN! We waited around a bit, saw the Voices of Liberty again, and this time the show was working.

At some point, a photopass woman took our photo.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Oh man, that Aladdin does look quite pasty!

I love Miyuki. The very first time we visited WDW I was four and they had the candy maker. I'm not sure if it was Miyuki, but I was fortunate enough to have the candy bestowed upon me.

 

[jelloarms]

Oh man, that Aladdin does look quite pasty!

I love Miyuki. The very first time we visited WDW I was four and they had the candy maker. I'm not sure if it was Miyuki, but I was fortunate enough to have the candy bestowed upon me.

That is lucky! She doesn't hand the candy out anymore, I guess due to health concerns and whatnot.

 

[jelloarms]

After the show, we quickly looked around Italy. We actually were looking for somewhere to eat but didn’t realize Italy only had a sit down restaurant. Ha ha, we're too poor to afford to sit down and eat.

Anyway, we decided to go back to the United Kingdom because Kristina wanted fish and chips. It was VERY HOT at this point which made me a little grouchy. There were no seats available. Kris wanted to stand around and wait for a table while I just wanted some shade. She ended up waiting around while I went to go cool off in the shops. She called me when a table opened up. It was way too hot to eat fish and chips so only Kristina ate. I just relaxed, took some photos, and watched the seagulls. There was a lot of bird poop in the area. GROSS!

When Kristina was done eating, we went to watch Canada’s circle vision movie. It was my first time seeing it since the update. On our last trip, I didn’t watch it because I didn’t want to stand up. I sucked it up this time though. It was better than I expected. I like the old version of the Canada song better but the new version with the girl wasn’t terrible. Just takes some getting used to I guess.

Okay, let me explain the photo above. So during, the trip, once it started getting really sunny, I would put my hat on. I then kept it on for the rest of the day and didn't take it off until we got back to the room. I didn't want the ensuing ugly, matted, sweaty, hat hair to be seen by the masses. You will notice that the photos taken of me early in the day in my TRs are hatless but after that, the hat never comes off. Anyway, it was really dark while waiting for the Canada show and the brim of my hat shading what little light there was in the waiting area didn't make things any better. I decided that the only solution was to turn my hat around Ash Ketchum style. Yes, I actually made a show of it. Because hat hair is embarassing but being 23 and imitating Ash Ketchum dramatically turning his hat around isn't. When Ash turn's his hat backwards, you know something's going down.

Yes, I AM a 90s geek and I STILL watch Pokemon. I even have the entire Pokemon Pokerap memorized. Not sure if that's something to be proud of but it is what it is! Actually, just this evening, I joked to Kris that I was going to turn my biology notes into a fun rap because it would make it easier for me to remember. But ANYWAY, after I turned my hat around, I wanted to know what I looked like so I had Kris take a picture of me in it. When I saw the ensuing picture, I thought I looked super 90s. No one turns their hat backwards anymore, it's always tilted to the side just so. I had Kris take another picture of me with my backwards hat, making a super 90s gesture. WHAT-EVERRRRR!!!!!! Man, that takes me back to the 5th-6th grade!


But yeah, about the show...I had to wonder what Canadians think of it. Like I know when I see tourist shows about Hawaii, I always find them funny because it’s always over saturated with typical tropical island type stuff and not truly and accurate showing of what Hawaii is really like. I wonder if it’s the same way for Canadians…maybe they think it’s a good show for tourists but not an accurate representation of true Canadian life? If there are any Canadians out there reading my TR, I would love to hear your opinions.

Next we shopped in Mouse Gear for a bit then used our Fast Pass for Soarin. This time we were seated in the 2nd row. It was at this point when we parted ways. I went back to the hotel while Kris stayed to watch Illuminations. She had never seen it before. I had seen it once in 1997 and that was good enough for me. Not really big on light/water shows (Fantasmic doesn't count). Kris is trying to convince me that we should visit Disneyland in 2013. I tell her that Disney World is way better and aside from the Indiana Jones Ride and the Nemo sub, there really isn't anything there that is that much better. She brings up the fact that we have not seen the World of Color but I've watched it on Youtube and it doesn't look that great.

Also at some point, we took Photopass pictures.

I'm not a fan of Cars but took a picture with Lightning McQueen anyways.

Took this photo on the way back to our hotel. Every single day coming back to Pop, I attempted to get a good photo of this sign. Out of all the days, this was the best one I got.



I decided to eat dinner in the room. I had chicken Cesar salad, veggie soup, and a white chocolate raspberry cookie. I stupidly didn’t ask for a cover for the soup so walking back to the room while holding the tray was quite a challenge. Also, it was faster to walk back through the gift shop and past the bus stop to get back to our room so everyone in the gift shop and at the bus stop got a good look at me walking slowly and steadily, attempting to balance my soup. Oh man, and then halfway there, I realized I forgot a spoon so I had to turn around, walk steadily back to spill as little as possible, grab a spoon, and do the trek all over again. Oh and when I finally got to the room, I realized I didn't have my key out so I had to put the tray down, get my key out and put it in the lock, open the door and stop it from closing with my foot, pick the tray back up, then finally put it down on the table. It doesn't sound like much but that uncapped soup put such a damper on my in-room dinner plan. But the girl working the counter looked so grouchy, I just really didn't want to anger her by asking for a lid! Still, it's not like she could have spit in my food in anger, because I already had it on my tray. Hmm...oh well. DUMB!

My dinner.



After eating, I took a bath and called mom to tell her about how my day went. She was really upset that Kris and I separated. I guess she thought the Disney thugs were going to get her or she was going to get lost...or something. Keep in mind that Kristina and I are 20 and 23 years old. I know however, if it was the other way around…if I had stayed and Kristina had gone back to the room, she wouldn’t have been upset. It’s weird…because in a lot of ways, Kris is more responsible than I am even though I am older. Mom told me to tell Kris to call her when she got back just she could know that Kris was still alive.

At 9:45 p.m. Kris came back. I guess she somehow managed to evade the Disney thugs. She picked on some of my leftover salad scraps and decided she wanted one for herself so off to the food court we went. I also ended up getting more food…hard boiled eggs and cheese cake. Kris asked me why I was so into hard boiled eggs all of a sudden and why didn’t I eat them at home. I told her I didn’t know how to make them. I know!!! Sad right??? But yeah! I've never boiled eggs in my entire life!

That was pretty much it.

My after dinner meal.

Kris, watching some TV before taking a bath and going to bed.

 

[halleous]

Briliant TR just read it all this morning (was supposed to be doing housework but nevermind) Loving your pics. I know what you mean about waiting to go to Disney I am going in 2013 last time i went was 2001!!!!
It will be my first time as an adult lol i'll be 28 with a 2 nearly 3 year old and a husband agh! suddenly feel grown up lol cant wait for next update!
xx

 

[jenseib]

Hm, I'll bet the guy who walked by afterwards was the guy who was making the calls. I know the numbers for the phones are around here somewhere on the boards...I know some people like to call the booths for fun but I could never do it. It would just make me sad that I wasn't there but this person that I am talking to is!





Have you ever called the booths before? What did the people on the other end say?

No I haven't. The number is always left at home. I should bring it next time and call my DD. She would love that.

 

[jelloarms]

Briliant TR just read it all this morning (was supposed to be doing housework but nevermind) Loving your pics. I know what you mean about waiting to go to Disney I am going in 2013 last time i went was 2001!!!!
It will be my first time as an adult lol i'll be 28 with a 2 nearly 3 year old and a husband agh! suddenly feel grown up lol cant wait for next update!
xx

Thanks for joining in! I'm sure your trip will be fun! I've always wanted to experience Disney through the eyes of a small child. I am constantly telling my sister that she needs to have children someday so I can take my niece/nephew to Disney. Then she brings up the point that she is only 20 years old and I joke that she is just making excuses .

 

[jelloarms]

Day 6.1

March 20, 2011

So we got to Epcot a little after 8:00 a.m. Kris and I were just chatting when the guy in front of us noticed our Lime Green Mickey Head name tags. Apparently he was a member of the DIS too! I believe his user name was Surfer Dave or something like that but I have never been able to find him. So Surfer Dave, if you are out there...hello!

I kind of felt embarrassed because prior to noticing our heads, Kristina and I were having some sarcastic, cynical conversation, that probably wasn’t very "Disney Friendly". Some DISsers would probably be offended by it or whatever. Ha ha, oh well, the damage was done. It's not like we wear swearing up a storm or saying anything derrogatory. We were just being silly...and sarcastic...and cynical. Idk, it was fun! Don't judge! Can't be Disney friendly 100% of the time.

Anyway, the Dis-er was from Georgia and was there with his wife and daughter. They got there the day after us and were leaving the day before us. His wife showed us some of the pictures they had taken so far. The day before, they were at the Magic Kingdom and their daughter had the opportunity to pull the sword out from the stone! Very cool.

When the park opened, Kris and I bee lined it for Test Track and pretty much walked right on. We didn’t even watch the pre show. After the family of the day, we were the first car to go. The man sitting behind us commented to his kid that the ride was like driving with mom. I had to laugh because I remember saying the same thing 3 years earlier. We got a Fastpass for later in the day and re-rode it again because the line was still short.

After riding Test Track again, we got Fast Passes for Mission Space. We planned to do that as our very last attraction. Last time, we ended up getting nauseous from the ride and the nausea lasted the whole entire day. We figured if we got nauseous again, it wouldn’t be so bad because we could just sleep it off at the hotel.

Also, at some point we rode the Ellen ride. A little dated at this point but always good to ride at least once. STUPID JUDY!

Had Kris take this pic while waiting to get on. I love this shirt! It features a bunch of differen't movie bad guys and it glows in the dark.

Our next stop was the World Showcase. We bypassed Mexico and Norway for China because I really wanted to meet Mulan, my most favorite Disney character ever! It was an okay meet and greet I guess. Somehow I was expecting more…but what that more was, I can’t really say. I guess...a less rushed character experience? So far, the only face character meet that didn't feel like we were being rushed along due to our lack of small children was our meet with Aladdin and Jasmine the previous day. Anyway, since we are half Chinese, Kristina told Mulan that we were of the Chang family dynasty or something like that since it's our mom's maiden name. Ha ha! I also told Mulan that I knew that deep down inside, she wasn't super girly so we should pose like warriors instead. So we did!

After meeting Mulan, we browsed around China. The mini terra cotta army was pretty cool. The woman running one of the merchandise areas looked like she really hated her job. I feel like she was probably annoyed with me when I posed with her umbrellas but didn't actually buy one. She reminded me of just a regular old trinket saleswoman you’d see in the Chinatown at home. I must admit, I actually appreciated her lack of enthusiasm. It made China seem a little more authentic.

Kris likes the above picture so much that she made it her desktop background.

 

[meggiebeth]

Our next stop was the World Showcase. We bypassed Mexico and Norway for China because I really wanted to meet Mulan, my most favorite Disney character ever! It was an okay meet and greet I guess. Somehow I was expecting more…but what that more was, I can’t really say. I guess...a less rushed character experience? So far, the only face character meet that didn't feel like we were being rushed along due to our lack of small children was our meet with Aladdin and Jasmine the previous day. Anyway, since we are half Chinese, Kristina told Mulan that we were of the Chang family dynasty or something like that since it's our mom's maiden name. Ha ha! I also told Mulan that I knew that deep down inside, she wasn't super girly so we should pose like warriors instead. So we did!

[/IMG]

Great photo of Mulan! I know what you mean about getting rushed- it happened to us too. At least you got to meet her... I'm jealous! I love Mulan too, but we didn't have the time to wait in the long line to meet her. So annoying about having barely any Mulan merchandise, right?! I searched everywhere and all I could find was the things you have.

You're so lucky living in Hawaii- I have always wanted to go there. How many hours is the flight to Florida for you? For us it's nine hours... and that was bad enough!

Can't wait for your next update!

 

[disneygeeks]

So I have an update coming but I just wanted to share some Photopass pictures from the first park day. From here on out, I will be integrating them into my TR.

Ha ha! He took the pic as I was adjusting my glasses.

I finally made back to your TR...sorry been so busy with all kinds of crap going on, can't wait to get reading again