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

[Shannon84]

WOW! thats all I can say...I listened to some of your songs and it is just amazing!! Now that is talent!!

 

[JenSop]

WOW! thats all I can say...I listened to some of your songs and it is just amazing!! Now that is talent!!

Aw thanks! You're too sweet!

 

[Minnie J]

I love that album cover. I know that when you get that baby off the ground you'll feel a load lifted!! Congrats on the album =)

 

[jwwi]

Really enjoying your TR, I think the title sold me, but your writing style is very engaging too. I am always on the early flight to FL, and late flight coming home, trying to spend as much time on a trip as possible at Disney.

Your album cover really turned out great. I would love to try a stay at BLT, it must be just great to be able to walk over to the MK. Are you doing a TR for your girls weekend? I just love MNSSHP and enjoy F&W too.

Very cool that you are also doing some travel agent work. I think most of us on these boards would like to think we would be good Disney travel agents, but I'm not sure how many of us would try it. Sounds like you are busy.

thanks for taking the time to write a TR..........

 

[irishdancer86]

Just found your trip report! Would love to stay in AKL some day and looking forward ro reading the rest of your report!

A new hair colour for Disney each year is so cool!

 

[JenSop]

I love that album cover. I know that when you get that baby off the ground you'll feel a load lifted!! Congrats on the album =)

Thanks! I think my friend did a fabulous job with the finished design! Although the load is not yet lifted - the printing proof came in the mail today and it's too dark. This always happens to me! So we spent a bunch of time today trying to figure out how to alter the levels a little lighter so that they'll print the way we want them to. Of course, this delays the printing of the project for a bit, which will ultimately lead to me having to pay more to have it ready by my deadline. *sigh* It's always something! Thanks for the congratulatory wishes!

Really enjoying your TR, I think the title sold me, but your writing style is very engaging too. I am always on the early flight to FL, and late flight coming home, trying to spend as much time on a trip as possible at Disney.

Your album cover really turned out great. I would love to try a stay at BLT, it must be just great to be able to walk over to the MK. Are you doing a TR for your girls weekend? I just love MNSSHP and enjoy F&W too.

Very cool that you are also doing some travel agent work. I think most of us on these boards would like to think we would be good Disney travel agents, but I'm not sure how many of us would try it. Sounds like you are busy.

thanks for taking the time to write a TR..........

Thanks for reading along! And thanks for the compliments! I already told my husband that you liked the title - he's so proud about that! And I'm TOTALLY doing a TR for the girls' trip - it was such an awesome time! I stayed up really late one night and already loaded my pics onto Photobucket - just gotta get the Photopass pics added!
One thing I'm learning from the travel agent end that I never thought of before is just how time consuming it is. Wow. Really gives me a new perspective. But I do LOVE to help others plan their Disney trips, so in the end it's totally worth it - it's great to share my knowledge!

Just found your trip report! Would love to stay in AKL some day and looking forward ro reading the rest of your report!

A new hair colour for Disney each year is so cool!

Thanks for joining my TR! Glad to have to along. I can't recommend AKL enough - you would love it!

And I have to say - it was fun trying out different hair color experimentation, but I think I've learned to steer away from the really dark intense colors. It was a little too much for blonde hair!

 

[npierce25]

your trip report is so much fun!!!!!! I checked out your web site too, my daughter (4) is now practicing her ballet to your beautiful music!!! Makes me remember my music department performances every week in high school. the singers were always so calming!

 

[JenSop]

your trip report is so much fun!!!!!! I checked out your web site too, my daughter (4) is now practicing her ballet to your beautiful music!!! Makes me remember my music department performances every week in high school. the singers were always so calming!

Thanks and thanks!

I'll hopefully get a new update up really soon!

 

[JenSop]

Day Five, Part Three!

"Ummm.... still really hot!"


So after leaving the insane heat at Epcot, we headed back to BLT. Since dinner was LATE this night, we had plenty of pool time to relax.

But that's boring, so I'm going to skip to the next awesome part..... dinner at California Grill!!!

We'd been wanting to try out CG for awhile, and decided this was the trip.

We had a 9pm ADR, so we could watch the fireworks while we were up there. Well, we got some pixie dust and had a Magic Kingdom view from our table. We didn't need to move to the outside viewing area - we were going to be able to watch right from our table!

Jose was our server and he was great!

Waiting for dinner....

Jose got our picture!

We started with the Cheese Board. It was super yummy!

(Don't know if you'll be able to read that, but it explains all the different types of cheese.)

Mmmmmm......cheese....

We both ordered some drinks.

But not this one.... ....

Actually, I think that was on the dessert menu, but still. Holy cow!

We got wine and it was very good.

We also split the California Roll appetizer. Now I have to say that I don't like regular sushi. I've REALLY tried to like it. I just can't. It's a texture thing more than anything else.

BUT - this California Roll was made with crabmeat! Crabmeat that was cooked! Yes!!!! (I freakin' love crab!) It was so delicious. And the wasabi completely cleaned out my sinuses! Wowzers!

For dinner, Brian got the herb lamb with garbonzo beans...

...and I got the halibut with veggies and all kinds of yummy asian flavors going on...

They were both excellent! (Are you starting to see a theme to this dinner? Everything was so good!!!!!!!!)

For dessert, Brian got the Sweet Celebration, which was a peach dessert thing. (Yeah, sorry, a little sketchy on the details three months after the fact. )

I got the Strawberry Napolean with an orange-rosemary cream...

(And the fireworks exploded as we ate our dinner!)

After all that food, we were of course insanely full. Since we were on the regular DDP at this point, the appetizer wasn't included. BUT, the awesome Jose let us know that the cheese plate could count as a dessert (even though it was a lot more expensive.) So he counted that as one of our desserts, to help us save some out-of-pocket bucks! Yay!

Being as stuffed as we were, we couldn't go straight back to the room, so we decided to check out some of the grounds behind the Contemporary.

We walked out to the boat pier and checked out both of the pools. And I had some fun with the Mickey shrubbery...

But then it was time to call it a night. We were going to be getting up early for EMH at Animal Kingdom. (Cause we're crazy like that!)

 

[ZehnJahren]

It's never a trip to WS without stopping in at Germany! We bought some Mozart Kugeln, which are yummy German chocolates. I got a bunch when I was in Vienna in March and we discovered that they sold them in Germany in Epcot!

I got to practice some of my German with the CM's. It's funny, I'm really good at saying some of the basic introductory stuff, but German grammar is insanely hard, and that's where I forget so much. They always compliment my diction (pronunciation), but as an opera singer, I had to take TONS of diction classes and study, so that's actually something I'm really good at. And I always know how to say that my grammar is bad - haha! "Entschuldigung, Meine Grammatik ist schlecht."

I lived in Germany for a bit going to school, and love to speak German when I can (we also speak it to my cat, and I have a few friends who live in Germany), but meine Grammatik ist AUCH schlecht. Started learning it almost a decade ago, but still manage to mess it up all the time.

Really enjoying your TR; we're going in a month and I can't wait. My travelling partner, I think, doesn't really care - he just needs a vacation. But I got to do all the fun planning, and am ready to get there and relax. Will be following the rest of your travel!

 

[JenSop]

I lived in Germany for a bit going to school, and love to speak German when I can (we also speak it to my cat, and I have a few friends who live in Germany), but meine Grammatik ist AUCH schlecht. Started learning it almost a decade ago, but still manage to mess it up all the time.

Really enjoying your TR; we're going in a month and I can't wait. My travelling partner, I think, doesn't really care - he just needs a vacation. But I got to do all the fun planning, and am ready to get there and relax. Will be following the rest of your travel!

Thanks for joining in on my TR! I'm jealous of you going in a month!

Grammatick ist SEHR schwer!

Fortunately, I've found that in speaking, one's grammar can be a little off, and you'll still be understood. I wish I had more people to practice with. My dad and his parents came over to this country from Austria when he was a young boy, but he speaks an insane dialect that barely resembles the hoch Deutsch I learned in school! I keep meaning to really buckle down and study so I can become fluent, but there's just never any time. *sigh*

 

[Shannon84]

Cali Grill looked AMAZING!! That was sweet of your server to help you out with the dining plan as well I LOVE me some sushi now, but it has taken me a while to try it and start liking it so much

Your new avatar picture thing is super cute!!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Thanks for joining in on my TR! I'm jealous of you going in a month!

And I'm jealous of you going with friends. I've moved so much over the past few years that I don't have any friends where I live now except my DBF (who I moved for after dating long distance for a year). No family either. It's lonely!

Grammatick ist SEHR schwer!

Fortunately, I've found that in speaking, one's grammar can be a little off, and you'll still be understood. I wish I had more people to practice with. My dad and his parents came over to this country from Austria when he was a young boy, but he speaks an insane dialect that barely resembles the hoch Deutsch I learned in school! I keep meaning to really buckle down and study so I can become fluent, but there's just never any time. *sigh*

Oh, when I stood in the Marktplatz after getting off the plane and heard all the people speaking around me, I got SO angry at my teachers. All I could think is "they didn't teach me German. I don't know what they taught me, but IT WASN'T GERMAN." That got better, though. Plus, Austrians? Can't understand a word they say.

Anyway, get back to writing your TR.

 

[JenSop]

Cali Grill looked AMAZING!! That was sweet of your server to help you out with the dining plan as well I LOVE me some sushi now, but it has taken me a while to try it and start liking it so much

Your new avatar picture thing is super cute!!

It was great! I totally recommend it!

And thanks - that's my Tink costume that I wore to MNSSHP on the Girls Only Trip at the beginning of the month. But that's for the next TR!

And I'm jealous of you going with friends. I've moved so much over the past few years that I don't have any friends where I live now except my DBF (who I moved for after dating long distance for a year). No family either. It's lonely!



Oh, when I stood in the Marktplatz after getting off the plane and heard all the people speaking around me, I got SO angry at my teachers. All I could think is "they didn't teach me German. I don't know what they taught me, but IT WASN'T GERMAN." That got better, though. Plus, Austrians? Can't understand a word they say.

Anyway, get back to writing your TR.

Yeah, the Austrian dialect is pretty intense! I was okay when I was actually in Vienna - things were closer to hoch Deutsch, but we headed out for a day trip to the countryside in western Austria to see the house that my dad was born in. I barely understood half the words people were speaking!

I'll hopefully get another update done tomorrow!

 

[Sooze]

Hey you! I'm sorry I've not been replying more frequently, but I had to hop on and tell you a few things:

#1 Congrats on the CD. It looks just lovely... perfectly matching of the angelic sound you produce!!

#2 SO glad you guys got to finally do CG. And with a perfect view, too... yes!!

#3 You looked gorgeous at dinner.. that necklace was fab!!

I know you are entering your uber-busy caroling season. We will be here waiting for your next update... even if it's not until 2011!

 

[JenSop]

Ack! Sorry everyone! I know I haven't had a chance to do an update. My goal was to get this finished before 2011 and I intend to do it!

Thanks for posting Sooze! And that necklace is a favorite of mine - Brian actually commented on how I always get compliments on it when I wear it. Haha! So I try to wear it as much as I can!

So here's the update on my life, dear readers...

My album is released, but not up on CDBaby yet. In the next couple weeks, it'll be on CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon, and other online retailers. I'm also working with a promoter on last year's CD (Echoes of Christmas Past.) The promoter specializes in classical and jazz and gets radio play on NPR stations and satellite radio. So here's hoping that it gets some play!

But right now I'm smack dab in the middle of my show. I'm singing the role of Elsie Maynard in "Yeomen of the Guard." It's probably one of the least known of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. It's also considered their most dramatic and most operatic. It's been lots of fun, but as usual, is keeping me super busy!

I also have several travel clients getting ready to go on their Disney vacations. (So jealous of them!) So I'm having to make sure everyone has their travel documents, itineraries, my special tips, etc.

I might be able to get an update done tomorrow evening. But the good news is that ALL the photos are loaded on Photobucket - for the rest of this particular trip AND for the Girls-Only trip from last month! SO everything's ready to go!

Thanks to those who have hung around! You're all awesome!!!!

 

[BelleTinkMom]

I'm still here. Congrats on the CD. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[JenSop]

Thanks awesome loyal readers for hanging in there!

I'm going to work on an update tonight! woohoo!

BUT - I wanted to share some fun news - remember how my caroling group sang for the PHilly stop of the Disney Christmas Carol Train Tour last year?

Well, we'll be singing on TV Thanksgiving morning to promote the DVD release!

For those of you in the Philly area, tune in to KYW - CBS during the 6:30am half hour, then WPSG - CW during the 8am hour! We'll be singing with news anchor Ukee Washington! (We don't know exact times, but are given blocks of time where it can fall, so between 6:30 and 7:00, then between 8:00 and 9:00.)

 

[JenSop]

Day Six!!!

Alright! Let's get on with it Jen!

So we had an early start the next morning, as we were headed to EMH at AK!!!

Check it out - right at the front for rope drop!

(By the way, this is my first day using the updated Photobucket - so far so good! *knock on wood*)

They had rope drop right inside the gates this time.......

Walking quickly right behind the rope carriers...check out the clear view of the empty park...

We were on the very first safari vehicle of the day!!! However....





..... they didn't have all the animals out yet. :-/

We still got some good shots, but couldn't help notice that many of the regular animals were missing.

Then this hungry guy ran out of the bushes at full speed right past the vehicle. All we got was a shot of his butt as he ran on by...

cheetahs!

And we got a great view of the lions - awake!

After the safari, I ran to get us FP's for Expedition Everest. I met Brian back in Pangani, very eager to see if we could get a glimpse of the baby gorilla!

Sadly, we got there and found out that she was away because of having to see the vet. (They were using some new medical technology on her arm - like an internal cast - as momma gorilla was new to the parenting thing and grabbed baby's arm a little too hard.)

I was so bummed to not see the baby gorilla!

But because mom and baby were not there, daddy gorilla was beyond agitated. He was downright flipping out. As a result, the single males on the other side were also freaking out. It was quite the show!

Gorilla stare down!

(Gee, so much time has gone by now, that the pics are all starting to run together in my mind - I hope I'm not getting the pics mixed up! Eek!)

After leaving Pangani, we wanted to head over to Rafiki's to see some vet visits, but it was too early for the train to be running, so we headed over to Asia and waited the 5 minutes left before we could get our next FP - for Kali!

We decided to walk through the Maharajah trek. We learned some awesome stuff from one of the CM's in the bat area!

.....Now I will pause for a brief public service announcement.....

When you are observing animals in AK, stop and talk to the CM's!!! They really know TONS of awesome stuff about the animals and they are eager to talk to people who want to learn more!!!

....Okay, back to the TR.......

I noticed that a CM was giving something to one of the bats on a long pole. I asked her about it. Turns out, many of the bats are a bit older and have arthritis. They get glucosamine tablets to help with the arthritis! All the bats have names and distinct personalities - just like pet cats and dogs! They train them to help in their own check ups too! They can be trained to lift their wings or do other things so that the vets can do better check-ups! How cool!

We're always excited about getting to the tiger area - will they be awake or asleep?!?!

Well, the first 3 were asleep this time - in the normal places at the first set of windows.

BUT - two others were awake farther into the area.

Oh - so cute! I seriously have to keep reminding myself that they would rip my face off, cause I just wanna hug 'em so bad!!!

After leaving our adorable tiger love fest, we headed over to EE to use our FP's!!! We requested back row (the Best!)


Dude, nothing describes the awesomeness that is EE!!! Love. It.

We figured it was time to head over to Rafiki's and see if we could catch a Vet visit! Guess who we saw on the way?! Devine!

But we noticed that we were able to get new FP's, so we grabbed some for the safari, in hopes of seeing some baby animal action later on!



(continued......)

 

[JenSop]

(......continuing.....)

We headed over to Rafiki's and were super excited that we were going to see two vet visits!

Now, they might not have been the most exciting of animals to observe, but we LOVE animals and, well, I'm a dork and am into educational things!


The first was a chinese alligator (or was it a chinese crocodile? hmmm.... not exactly sure. A lot of educational retention there.... ) The little guy was getting ready for a transfer and had to be checked out.

Next up was a domestic turkey. He was one of the turkeys that had been pardoned by the president a few years ago. Now he lives his life out in happiness and comfort at Disney. (Lucky turkey!)

When we got back from Rafiki's, we were able to use our safari FP's! (Timed that one well - oh yeah!)

And it was meant to be! I am SO GLAD I had the idea to do the safari again!!!!!!!!!

I will cut right to the chase and hit the major highlights! Baby animals!!!!



Not just the baby elephant, but the baby giraffes too!!!!

Yes folks, the baby elephant was frolicking in the water!! Cuteness overload!

And we got a slightly better shot of the cheetahs this time!

It was now time to go on Kali. But we were ready! We dressed for it!

We got VERY wet! What better thing to do on a hot day when you're soaked than to go get some food! We ate at the CS at Yak and Yeti, then left to go back to the hotel.

But before I wrap up this part of the day, I'm going to share our Photopass pics from earlier with ya. "Oh, cool!" you might be thinking. Haha. You have no idea. No idea of what I really mean when I say that I sweat like crazy.

Come along and let me show you. This is not for the faint of heart.....

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So you know those ink blot test things that they show people to see if they're crazy? Well, you can see them in my sweat! yeah.

Hey - it's a butterfly on my belly!!! No wait, it's Mothman!



Well, I cropped one to at least have something acceptable to show people....

Those pics were taken long before Kali. This is why I hate the heat, people!


Next up - dinner!!!!! But will we stick with our original plans???? hmmmm.....