No Sleep Till Disney! We can save money by flying at 6am! (Updates!! 12/7 - p.12)

[JenSop]

subbing - a great TR! So jealous that you became a Disney TA - agreed a dream job!

Thanks for joining!

I am so super happy about the job! (Was just ordering more business cards before I clicked on the disboards! )

 

[JenSop]

New update coming soon! I promise!

(Gee, I hope I didn't scare every one away...)

 

[monorail girl]

Hi! Just read your report, its great so far. Looking forward to your next update. Your reviews of Jiko and Sanaa are great. I need to try them sometime. I also need to get over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a visit first though. We just haven't made it there yet!

 

[JenSop]

Hi! Just read your report, its great so far. Looking forward to your next update. Your reviews of Jiko and Sanaa are great. I need to try them sometime. I also need to get over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a visit first though. We just haven't made it there yet!

Thanks for joining my TR - so glad to have you along!

And, yes, you MUST get over to AKL/AKV! If for anything, just to eat there!

It's an absolutely beautiful resort and has plenty of look-outs to see the animals, even if you're just stopping by for a quick visit!

 

[JenSop]

Day Three conclusion.... Another EMH at MK!!!!!

So once we got dropped off at MK, we walked back to our room really quick to get changed for another EMH.

The plan was to just stay for a little bit, do some rides, and catch the parade again.

After a quick change, we headed out to MK just in time for the next parade. We got a great spot on Main Street and were ready to go!

Brian was playing around with the camera as we waited. Here are some of the balloons for sale....

And "photo art" with an extended shutter setting, while moving the camera around in a pattern....

OMG! OMG! The parade is gonna start really soon!

Yes, I am proud to revel in my Disney dorkiness....

Here comes the parade!

Yup... back to that feeling of being a little kid again. Almost weeping with joy and nostalgia! Pure joy - that's what it is!

Wow - again, I can't put in to words how much I love this parade. Where else can you go that makes you feel like this?!?!?!

During the parade, I was dancing and bopping along to the music. I looked to my left and there was a girl there with her family - probably somewhere between 10 and 12 - and she was boppin' and dancin' along too. We looked at each other dancing, smiled, and kept on moving! We shared that moment of understanding...that feeling of "how much fun is it being at Disney this very moment" feeling. I thought to myself, "Now there's a future Disney dork in the making!" Yeah!




So, after the parade, Brian and I thought, well, we're near the beginning of Main Street, so how far can the parade really have gotten? Maybe we can run through Adventure Land and cut it off right before it gets to the end so we can make it to Big Thunder..... (this never works.... but the human brain doesn't always think clearly this late at night...)

We cut through all the gift shops up Main Street, and exited through Casey's. We ran through Adventureland (always being cautious through crowds, of course!) And we got to the crossover from Adventureland to Frontierland...................... at the MIDDLE of the parade. D'oh!

Hopefully we'll REALLy have learned our lesson this time and know that you can't beat the parade! We watched again for a little while, then decided to double back and cross over up a bit.

It's in these instances, that it's so great knowing the parks inside and out, back and forth, and all around. We were able to get around that tail end of the parade and get over to Big Thunder with no wait!!!

Big Thunder was my very first roller coaster ever. Although this time, I noticed that the boulders that shake around at the end and look like they're about to fall..... well, they weren't moving at all. There were no shaky boulders about to fall or anything! What's up with that!? (Has this been shut off for awhile, or was it a fluke thing?)

After riding, we looped around really quick and rode again. This time we waited, but only a few minutes.

Since our plan was to just hit some major stuff then head back to the room, we crossed over to Tomorrowland to check out Space Mountain. The line was out the building and there were no FP's. So - no Space Mountain this time!

We headed back to the hub and got some pics.

So can you guess where we headed next? Huh?

(You know you know it.......)








Adventureland!!!! (Haha!)


We noticed just how crazy busy the Dole Whip stand was, and wanted to get a pic. But we didn't want to look like creepy weird people taking pictures of strangers....

So we took a picture of........me..........in Adventureland..........with all the people getting and eating Dole Whips behind me!

Yeah, we're slick like that.........

Then guess what I saw next?! Swiss Family Tree House was open! Open for EMH! Was this a mistake on their part? There was NO ONE there, but I HAD to go in!

Okay, so Brian does NOT get my fascination with the Swiss Family Tree House, but like so many things relating to childhood nostalgia, these things don't always make sense.

I mean, who DIDN'T want to live in this Tree House when they were a kid?!

So it was just us and that fun organ music - I was dancing all around and making a complete fool of myself and having a blast doing it!

Here I am leaning in to one of the rooms....

After that, it was time for some Pirates. (We were REALLY making up for last year's paltry Pirates riding!)

We went on Pirates twice. (No wait!)

Then we had some fun in the gift shop. No, let me be honest.... this is how it went...

Me: "Brian, let's take pictures to make it look like we're having a Pirate duel!"

Brian: "I really don't feel like it."

Me: "Please - it'll be fun. I want to make it look like a back and forth battle!"

Brian: *exasperated sigh*

Brian: *reluctant Pirate pose*

Me: "Okay, now take my Pirate picture!"

Here are the results....

We then walked over to check out Splash Mountain. The stand-by line said 5 minutes, I think? But the line was all the way to the front of the entrance. And not really moving. No way was that 5 minutes. I agreed to leave the line and skip it.

We stopped for a moment so Brian could do the pose he WOULD have done if we HAD rode....

At this point, we decided to call it a night. And guess what... it was just about 2am already! We had made it to the end of another EMH!

Fortunately, we only had to walk back to BLT, so it wasn't long before we were home.

But we saw a cute little critter crawling by closer to the hotel. We think it was an armadillo? We got this shot just as he was entering the bushes:

After this crazy long day, it was time to call it a night!

Next up - a morning at Typhoon Lagoon!!!!!

 

[ChiCat]

I LOVE your trip report and that picture you made into an avatar is adorable!!

 

[JenSop]

I LOVE your trip report and that picture you made into an avatar is adorable!!

Thanks!! So glad to have you along for the adventure!

 

[Shannon84]

That looks like an armadillo to me, though never seen one in person nor did I know they have them in florida thats too funny that you saw it

I have never been much of a parade person at WDW, but I think this trip I am going to try and check them out for once, because the more TRs I read with parade pictures the more interested I get

 

[JenSop]

That looks like an armadillo to me, though never seen one in person nor did I know they have them in florida thats too funny that you saw it

I have never been much of a parade person at WDW, but I think this trip I am going to try and check them out for once, because the more TRs I read with parade pictures the more interested I get

Yeah, that little critter was just shuffling along there on the side walk.

And I'm right there with you (usually) on the parades. Not much for them during the day at all! BUT - the Main Street Electrical Parade is just different from anything else! Don't get me wrong, I do like Spectromagic, but it doesn't take me back to my own childhood, as it wasn't around yet. MSEP totally transported me back to when I was a little girl and that's something that is just priceless!

I would recommend everyone see it if you can! And the music is awesome in a cheesy, dated way! Haha! LOVE IT!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I am definitely subbing in! I love your pictures! I also love that you're a Disney Dork!! HAHA! I didn't get to be one as a child, so I guess I hope my kids grow up to be just like you. The picture of you gazing up at the castle is so gorgeous! I've never seen MSEP, and you really make me want to see it! Can't wait to read updates.

On a side note, my 4 year old came over to the computer while I was reading and got so excited. She said, "Mom, where did you FIND THIS!?!?!" I explained to her about the DisBoards (sigh...yep, she'll be a DISer one day for sure!) and that I just started writing a PTR that includes her. Now she's so excited about that, too! I just hope that if that PTR becomes a TR that I do as good a job as you have! You have great pictures and fabulous descriptions of your activities.

 

[JenSop]

Before I do my next update, I have to share a really cute story from today (and a bit of yesterday.)

I have two nieces. The oldest is 5 and the youngest will be 3 in October.

The oldest has been talking about wanting to go to Disney since she was 3. (She had friends who went.)

We've been planning for a LONG while now, that in 2012, we're going to use our points to get a Grand Villa for a BIG family trip to WDW. So the oldest niece has been counting down to it ever since this was announced. (She knows that she'll be 7 on the trip, so she's counting down to that birthday!)

So we were at my parents' house last night and they had the girls over. To get the oldest niece to eat her dinner, we told her that eating well will help her to get good and tall so that when she goes to Disney she can ride all the rides.

It worked!!! Really well! She is so super excited now and will eat her vegetables because it means she'll be tall enough for the rides at Disney!

Then today at our mini-picnic, she kept coming up to DH and me, asking us to tell her more about Disney. Brian pulled out his smart phone and started showing her pics and video. She was captivated! She's hooked already and hasn't even gone yet!

Yes, my work here is done......

 

[JenSop]

Day Four, Part One (Mon. 7/26/10)

Typhoon Lagoon day!

We decided that on this trip we definitely needed to get back to Typhoon Lagoon. I've been a fan since my early teens when we went when it first opened. It's like no other water park you've ever seen! It's a beautiful lush tropical paradise with water slides!

We got our tickets the day before at our hotel concierge, so we wouldn't have to deal with buying tickets when we got there.

Brian even likes TL, and he really dislikes water parks! But, it's that lush tropical setting that wins him over!

We didn't feel like renting a locker, so we didn't bring ANY valuables. We just had our tickets, ID's, and money in Brian's swim suit pocket. We didn't quite make it for rope drop, as it took FOREVER for a typhoon lagoon bus to come to the hotel.

So even though we got okay chairs, they weren't as good as we would have liked. We also didn't bring our camera, so we had to manage with just a few photopass pics.

Now, I SWORE to Brian that I would not show the pictures of us that were taken when we were in our actual bathing suits. At least no shots of mid-sections. (He's a bit self-conscious.) So here's the closest to that, that I thought was still okay... *crossing fingers*

After getting chairs, we were off to Crush n' Gusher. This ride is SO AWESOME!!!! It's basically a water slide coaster. You not only go down hill, but it shoots you uphill as well. (Just don't let your butt hang down through the tube at all, or you will truly regret it...)

We rode about 7 times before the line started to pick up. So fun!

Then it was time to head to the storm slides. (We rarely do the tube rides on the left, as they always seem so crowded.) The "Storm Slides" always move nicely along. You never have to wait really long. But the line queue itself is almost as great as the ride itself. It's a trail that winds along the little hill side - over bridges and through really pretty (and shaded) scenery.

After about 5 or so slide trips, it was time for some lazy river action. The lazy river at TL is really long. Plus, we noticed that there were spots with mist shooting out that we didn't remember from our last TL visit 2 years ago. I hope it's there to stay!

We did a full lap around the river, but it was also getting crowded, so we were off to the wave pool!

TL's wave pool is huge. It's about 2 and a half acres large and has great waves. Now, I had a personal goal here - to tread water in the deep area next to the roped off part for as long as I possibly could. Years ago, I did really well. But last trip (two years ago) I was pretty pathetic. This year would be different. I worked my way through the shallow water crowds and swam out there to the deep water - and Brian came too. But he had to swim back after a little while.

I was having a great time out there. It's not crowded, as you have to be a pretty decent swimmer to hang out there for any length of time - so you're not getting plowed into by other bodies every time a wave comes through.

I was doing so great and feeling so proud of myself. But after almost half an hour went by, they changed over to those chaotic, all-over-the-place waves. It was twice as draining as the other waves, and I just couldn't take them any more. I had to head in and rest.

By this time, we were starting to get hungry. We split a CS over at Typhoon Tilly's, then headed back to our lounge chairs. (Almost lost them! We couldn't figure out where they were....)

After laying out for a bit, it was time for more wave pool fun. But this was just a quick swim. The park was INSANELY crowded by this time, and we were getting out of there!

We took a quick loop around the gift shop (got a new bracelet) and started on our way out.

As we walked towards the exit, we couldn't believe the hordes of people still coming in. Crazy.

On our way out - suits still wet....yeah, maybe not the best shot...oh well, I'm obviously not easily embarrassed.

Believe it or not, we actually went back to BLT and went swimming for a little. lol! But it was time to get ready to head out to our next dinner AND to meet up for a brief visit with my mom's cousin who lives in the area.

More to come! Don't go away! (I hope there's still some readers out there!)

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

Typhoon Lagoon looks like so much fun!! We've only ever been to Blizzard Beach; have you been to both? If so, how do you think they compare? We're still trying to decide which one to choose for next year.

 

[redlight]

Just found your TR. Love the pink in your hair!

 

[JenSop]

I am definitely subbing in! I love your pictures! I also love that you're a Disney Dork!! HAHA! I didn't get to be one as a child, so I guess I hope my kids grow up to be just like you. The picture of you gazing up at the castle is so gorgeous! I've never seen MSEP, and you really make me want to see it! Can't wait to read updates.

On a side note, my 4 year old came over to the computer while I was reading and got so excited. She said, "Mom, where did you FIND THIS!?!?!" I explained to her about the DisBoards (sigh...yep, she'll be a DISer one day for sure!) and that I just started writing a PTR that includes her. Now she's so excited about that, too! I just hope that if that PTR becomes a TR that I do as good a job as you have! You have great pictures and fabulous descriptions of your activities.

Thank you so much! You are so sweet! I wish nothing but future Disney dorkiness on every child out there! It's a good thing!

I'll be sure to check out your PTR! The hardest part about a TR is really sticking to it. I failed my first attempt in 2008. (I actually found the notes for it earlier tonight buried under stuff on my desk! ) But now, I'm resolved to stick with them no matter what! Especially since I have another Disney trip coming up in less than a month - a girls-only trip for F&W and MNSSHP! We're going to try to be really creative for that one...

Typhoon Lagoon looks like so much fun!! We've only ever been to Blizzard Beach; have you been to both? If so, how do you think they compare? We're still trying to decide which one to choose for next year.

We've never done Blizzard Beach - Brian has no desire. Like I said, he usually really dislikes water parks, but it's the aesthetics at TL that get him to agree to go. I've heard that Blizzard Beach is a bit more "thrill-oriented" (as much as a water park can be.) TL is more laid back.

Just found your TR. Love the pink in your hair!

Welcome! Thanks on the hair - it's just about almost faded. (Finally!)

 

[ChiCat]

My fiance and I are planning my first trip to WDW next year (he's been there before). He really wanted to go to the water park Typhoon Lagoon and I was like ok but I totally didn't want to go but after reading your post and seeing your pictures it sounds like a lot of fun

 

[ShesAPirate]

Great TR so far! And I LOVE that you posted pics of the Value Studio at AKV. Would love to see more if you have them. I'm hoping to stay there next trip!

Looking forward to your next entry!

 

[JenSop]

My fiance and I are planning my first trip to WDW next year (he's been there before). He really wanted to go to the water park Typhoon Lagoon and I was like ok but I totally didn't want to go but after reading your post and seeing your pictures it sounds like a lot of fun

You will totally love Typhoon Lagoon! It's really beautiful - like a tropical island. Hit Crush n' Gusher first! (After snagging good lounge chairs, of course!) Congrats on your upcoming first trip - how exciting!

Great TR so far! And I LOVE that you posted pics of the Value Studio at AKV. Would love to see more if you have them. I'm hoping to stay there next trip!

Looking forward to your next entry!

Thanks for joining! I'll see if I can find more pics from the value studio. (The layout makes it really feel quite roomy.) In the meantime, I know there's tons on last year's TR (we stayed in a value for 5 nights on that trip - and we had a savanna view that time.) I have a link to it on the first page of this TR, but also down in my signature on each posting.

More updates coming soon!

 

[Missyrose]

Just stumbled on your TR, it's great. I'm subbing so I can hear the rest of your story!

It sounds like the two of you had such a fabulous time!

 

[JenSop]

Just stumbled on your TR, it's great. I'm subbing so I can hear the rest of your story!

It sounds like the two of you had such a fabulous time!

Thanks so much for joining my TR! We DID have such a great time - but it's Disney! How can you not have a great time?!