"Norway? More like No Way!" Goobers' Jan 12 TR! Up.x2 4/6: FINAL THOUGHTS!

[ash-n-brensmom]

Oh yes, that silly face on RnRC is SO not like you! Good for you and conquering your fear!! YAY!!
(That's you going up and down on TOT)

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I just finished writing about my Epcot day in my TR yesterday, so it's fresh in my mind. You day (or part of the day) there was so similar to ours...except, ya know, we had three kids to schlep along with us...

I so want to swim in Stormalong Bay! When you were on the lazy river, did you think, "Look at all those laaaazy people on the laaaaazy river?" Cause that's what popped into my mind when I read that. Love some old school Stacey, and I didn't even go to WDW when the old school show was on. That's dedication.

I, too, have a love/hate relationship with ToT (YES!! GHOST DAD!!). After the first time I rode it, I swore NEVER AGAIN. But I just had to do it this last trip, and I wasn't nearly as freaked out this time. Yes, I still screamed like a baby, but I loved it. Promise.

I think I must have a soundtrack that just plays all the time in my head, because now I have "Barbie Girl" repeating inside there over and over. Thanks for that!

 

[danimaroo]

OMG, yay HS! Love this update. Ok, so ToT scares the bajeezus out of me too. I tried to conquer the fear back in 07 and went on with my nieces. Nope, NADA, fear is still present and in full force. So as I am going through Park Maps with DS about our upcoming trip he claims he may want to try out ToT. Um, WHAT?!?!? Shocking because he's such a little chicken. So, I told him weakly, "ok, we can try that one too." meanwhile I am already shakin in my boots about going on it. Waaaah.

Okay so, you are talking to the girl who is terrified of elevator breaking while on them AND grew up terrified of the Twilight Zone theme song.. If I can do it, YOU CAN, TOO!

I swear, it's a ride you love to hate. And I'll give you a little secret that I learned on our TR, and I'll bring up later on when I realized it but... They MUST make the drop sequences ten times worse at night than they do during the morning. Just remember this; if you decide to go on, for your first time, go in the morning. It's a LOT tamer than at night, so definitely shoot for that if you end up going for it!

when I was in Disney in 07, we stayed at the Dolphin. (my only time staying "on site"!) We didn't know we couldn't use the pool at the Beach Club and walked over there. They told us we weren't supposed to be able to go in, but let us in anyway. Guess we got lucky!

This trip, I didn't realize the stage in front of the hat is not always there - good thing so I wasn't disappointed!

From what I've gathered, they've become a LOT tighter now about making sure people are BC guests, and I can definitely say they nearly studied our cards every time we went in. Security around that pool is intense!

Ugh, I wish the stage would just goooo away. Not a fan!

Oh yes, that silly face on RnRC is SO not like you! Good for you and conquering your fear!! YAY!!
(That's you going up and down on TOT)

I had a feeling you would totally point out that the face is SO me. I just don't know why I made THAT face when it's so dorky. Guess I just felt like shaking things up a bit.

And thank you! It was definitely a big feat for me to actually go on it, even though it was beyond terrifying and I thought I was going to fly out of my seat.

I just finished writing about my Epcot day in my TR yesterday, so it's fresh in my mind. You day (or part of the day) there was so similar to ours...except, ya know, we had three kids to schlep along with us...

Okay, I TOTALLY missed that you have a TR! I must go visit it after this, because I feel like I will enjoy it immensely! That is funny that we had such similar days. I like when I find other people who tour similarly to us.

I so want to swim in Stormalong Bay! When you were on the lazy river, did you think, "Look at all those laaaazy people on the laaaaazy river?" Cause that's what popped into my mind when I read that. Love some old school Stacey, and I didn't even go to WDW when the old school show was on. That's dedication.

It's SO awesome. And no, I didn't, but now I wish I did! Seriously, it pushes you along so you can be super lazy and just.. float and enjoy life.

Stacey is just fabulous. And yes, that is dedication right there when you missed the old school stuff!

I, too, have a love/hate relationship with ToT (YES!! GHOST DAD!!). After the first time I rode it, I swore NEVER AGAIN. But I just had to do it this last trip, and I wasn't nearly as freaked out this time. Yes, I still screamed like a baby, but I loved it. Promise.

Is it weird that I could hug you for actually knowing what I'm talking about with Ghost Dad?! Every person I've ever told about it (Matt included) has looked at me like I'm a weirdo for having ever seen that movie, nevermind the scene I'm even talking about! SO THANK YOU for totally knowing what I'm sayin' here!

But yeah, I was scared but had a blast on it! I think I enjoyed it more than Matt did, for sure.

I think I must have a soundtrack that just plays all the time in my head, because now I have "Barbie Girl" repeating inside there over and over. Thanks for that!

That is so funny that that song popped into your head. I always have a soundtrack in my head. This morning I couldn't stop singing, "Everybody's got a laughing place, dootdootdoot..." It's been stuck in my head since last night because I was working on my TR (I like to be ahead of things and have my posts ready to roll for a few days) and talking about our next Splash Mountain incident. ANYWAY, it's seriously been stuck in my head nonstop now!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

OMG, I 'm so super jealous!!! First off, bestest update ever! Secondly, I think you guys got the low crowds and left the crowds to us a week later! Thirdly, you rode TWO things that I didn't get to ride at DHS and then had a nearly empty park! (Star Tours and ToT) That rocks! But, your update did not give me more courage about ToT, it scared me even more. This is three times I have chickened out, this time b/c no one would go with me...I'm not sure I'll ever get up the courage, I really hate the feeling of falling.

oh oh oh...and FOURTHLY...fireworks at DHS?!?! How freaking cool is that?!?!

 

[Moodyzblu]

Awesome update !
I'm sitting here laughing out loud at my iPad and my kids are giving me weird looks !
Oh well ... I'm having fun !

Looking forward to the next update !

 

[danimaroo]

OMG, I 'm so super jealous!!! First off, bestest update ever!

Hahaha, thank you!

Secondly, I think you guys got the low crowds and left the crowds to us a week later!

Evidently! We had only one incident with crowds that left us feeling overwhelmed. Weekends were definitely busier, though usually just Saturdays were kind of yucky. So weird that you guys got hit by crowds because I always thought the first week of February is also supposed to be really slow, too!

Thirdly, you rode TWO things that I didn't get to ride at DHS and then had a nearly empty park! (Star Tours and ToT) That rocks! But, your update did not give me more courage about ToT, it scared me even more. This is three times I have chickened out, this time b/c no one would go with me...I'm not sure I'll ever get up the courage, I really hate the feeling of falling.

Oh no, why no Star Tours?! Yes, this particular night was by far the slowest we saw DHS, except for perhaps one other time during a morning. It seemed like this park was otherwise ALWAYS full of tour groups. It was kind of weird. Anyway, I'm sorry I might've scared you with my experience. BUT don't be scared away! I have some tips about ToT in one of my future updates for people who are a bit intimidated by it. Though if you really don't like the feeling of falling, it might be just something that you avoid because when the ride throws you up and then straight down with no stop, THAT is when your stomach totally flips and flops!

oh oh oh...and FOURTHLY...fireworks at DHS?!?! How freaking cool is that?!?!

I agree, it was really cool to be there for something that I'm not sure they've ever done. I wouldn't say it was my favorite show (because it was really a fireworks show with the band playing), but it was DEFINITELY really neat to see fireworks in DHS!

Awesome update !
I'm sitting here laughing out loud at my iPad and my kids are giving me weird looks !
Oh well ... I'm having fun !

Looking forward to the next update !

Thank you! And that is so funny that my update made you laugh. That's kind of my intention because we had some seriously funny moments on our trip! Plus, I totally will bust out laughing at something I'm reading on the DIS and Matt will give me this weird look of like, "What on EARTH are you looking at over there on your iPad?!" Hey, if it makes you smile and laugh, it's a judge-free zone over here!

I'll have another update tomorrow morning, and while things start off rough, they DEFINITELY get interesting later on in the day.

 

[Pixie Princess]

What a great first ToT story! I absolutely loved that ride the first time I went on it. DD hated it, and was mad at me for making her ride it. The second time we rode it, we had a friend of hers with us on the trip so she consented to ride. I have to say that second ride was far more "terrifying" than the first simply because I knew exactly what was going to happen. My heart was racing before we even locked in to place for the first drop. It was still tons of fun, but I was literally shaking after the ride was done. I could barely walk. It was hilarious. DD's friend was shaking too, and we had a good laugh over it as we waited to "stabilize" in the gift shop.

I love when catching air in the seat on that ride. Phun with physics!

I'm Star Wars geek also, and LOVE the re-boot on Star Tours! I really want to be the rebel spy so I can justify spending the $$ on the "I'm the rebel spy" shirt!

 

[okw19]

Love the stunna shades comment, and you would've loved the random scenes in the old boat ride.
Shame on you guys for ruining 4 people's viewing of the Norway film!

SAB sounds amazing! I'm not one to spend time in pools on vacation, but if I ever stay there I will definitely be going swimming! We loved the boats this trip too! We took them to DTD and from West Side to the marketplace. They are soooo relaxing.

I'm so glad you guys went to HS! Love that park so much. 40 minutes for ToT?! No way. I feel like I vaguely remember that scene from Ghost Dad, but I haven't seen it in ages.

Those burgers look yummy, do I spy onion rings on them?

I LOVE Star Wars! I actually watched A New Hope last night. I kind of only love the original 3 though. I especially didn't like Ep II & III. Anyways, yay for Start Tours!!! You guys must of had a better ride sequence than we did, because I was a wee bit disappointed in the new version. That might just be because I loved the old one so much.

I hate the stage too.

ToT looks awesome at night and it's way more fun to see everything lit up. Sidenote: I love the Shining. Are we the same person? Awesome CM!
I used to miss the one big drop thing. When they first switched over to "random" sequence it was kind of a puny ride compared to the original. Since then they've obviously amped it up. I actually think every time we rode it this trip it was great! I agree with Matt that it's hands down the BEST overall ride experience as far as theming and the attraction as a whole from walking up through the gardens to exiting at the lobby and gift shop! It's just Disney Imagineering at it's finest.

Love Aerosmith and RnRC. I can quote the whole pre-show so I'm always thankful when the doors open early. Your ride pics just keep getting better and better!

You guys got so lucky for an empty HS EMH night! Ours wasn't as good, but my mom and I did hop in the queue for the last TSM run of the night! It was only a 15 min wait a few minutes after closing even though the sign said 40.

More Star Tours. More ducks. More boats. More awesome Matt one-liners.

I'm sitting here trying to picture you walking like Barbie and I almost choked on my coffee! That's the best.

 

[danimaroo]

What a great first ToT story! I absolutely loved that ride the first time I went on it. DD hated it, and was mad at me for making her ride it. The second time we rode it, we had a friend of hers with us on the trip so she consented to ride. I have to say that second ride was far more "terrifying" than the first simply because I knew exactly what was going to happen. My heart was racing before we even locked in to place for the first drop. It was still tons of fun, but I was literally shaking after the ride was done. I could barely walk. It was hilarious. DD's friend was shaking too, and we had a good laugh over it as we waited to "stabilize" in the gift shop.

Haha, I can totally see why DD hated it! I would've HATED it when I was little, especially when the Twilight Zone part happens.. I was shaking after we got off our first time on there! It was seriously intense and I felt like I needed a moment to regather myself.

I love when catching air in the seat on that ride. Phun with physics!

See it's fun but also scary that first time it happens and you weren't expecting it! I was like, "OhmygoshI'mgoingtodie!"

I'm Star Wars geek also, and LOVE the re-boot on Star Tours! I really want to be the rebel spy so I can justify spending the $$ on the "I'm the rebel spy" shirt!

Heck yes, LOVE Star Wars, and the reboot was seriously awesome. I totally get the want for being the rebel spy! That shirt is really awesome. I have a funny Star Tours story actually in one of my future updates!!

Love the stunna shades comment, and you would've loved the random scenes in the old boat ride.
Shame on you guys for ruining 4 people's viewing of the Norway film!

Haha, what can I say? Stunna shades were a necessity! And I bet I would've loved the random scenes... and yes, I felt guilty for ruining such a beautiful film for so many people.

SAB sounds amazing! I'm not one to spend time in pools on vacation, but if I ever stay there I will definitely be going swimming! We loved the boats this trip too! We took them to DTD and from West Side to the marketplace. They are soooo relaxing.

I hear you! This trip we spent WAY more time in the pools than I think we thought we would, but between the heat and sometimes just needing downtime, we went in a lot. It also felt good on my legs/feet that were SO SORE.

And I agree! We took the boat from OKW to DTD one evening and I just love it!

I'm so glad you guys went to HS! Love that park so much. 40 minutes for ToT?! No way. I feel like I vaguely remember that scene from Ghost Dad, but I haven't seen it in ages.

Those burgers look yummy, do I spy onion rings on them?

Yeah, 40 minutes was not happening. I think people were trying to get on before the fireworks show started. And yes, that scene, it's like stuck in my brain forever... I've slowly gotten over the fear, which is good since I work on the 33rd floor of my building!

Oh and yes, onion rings on the burger, making them even more delicious!

I LOVE Star Wars! I actually watched A New Hope last night. I kind of only love the original 3 though. I especially didn't like Ep II & III. Anyways, yay for Start Tours!!! You guys must of had a better ride sequence than we did, because I was a wee bit disappointed in the new version. That might just be because I loved the old one so much.

ME TOOOO! We're going to probably get the complete set on blu-ray at some point. And yes, fully agree, original were WAY better. I told Matt I'd be fine skipping the first three when we re-watch them all. That's too bad about your disappointment! I have nothing to compare it to, so of course I was in love. We got a LOT of different sequences which was nice!

I hate the stage too.

It needs to just go away... now.

ToT looks awesome at night and it's way more fun to see everything lit up. Sidenote: I love the Shining. Are we the same person? Awesome CM!
I used to miss the one big drop thing. When they first switched over to "random" sequence it was kind of a puny ride compared to the original. Since then they've obviously amped it up. I actually think every time we rode it this trip it was great! I agree with Matt that it's hands down the BEST overall ride experience as far as theming and the attraction as a whole from walking up through the gardens to exiting at the lobby and gift shop! It's just Disney Imagineering at it's finest.

I know, it's WAY creepier at night. And yes, I think we are the same person! I just re-read the book again around Halloween. Have you ever read it? It's so good and scary and way different than the Stanley Kubrick movie. But I also love the movie, too!

That CM was awesome. And you are way more brave than me because one huge drop would probably make me throw up. It is definitely more intense than when Matt rode it, which I'm guessing was during the puny times. The theming really is amazing though for that attraction.

Love Aerosmith and RnRC. I can quote the whole pre-show so I'm always thankful when the doors open early. Your ride pics just keep getting better and better!

Haha yes, totally agree. I like the pre-show okay but it just kind of gets old when you just went to get through. They should have a line like HM that allows people to just skip the pre-show, kind of like how you can do the interactive queue or not... But my guess is a lot of people would skip it. And I'm glad you appreciate my ridiculous faces.

You guys got so lucky for an empty HS EMH night! Ours wasn't as good, but my mom and I did hop in the queue for the last TSM run of the night! It was only a 15 min wait a few minutes after closing even though the sign said 40.

It was SO DEAD! I couldn't believe it. But it sounds like you guys had some like with TSMM, which is REALLY nice since it's always mobbed!

More Star Tours. More ducks. More boats. More awesome Matt one-liners.

Haha, this TR IS FULL OF THEM. Glad you thoroughly enjoy it all!

I'm sitting here trying to picture you walking like Barbie and I almost choked on my coffee! That's the best.

Oh my gosh it was so bad. At first I tried to protest his observation, but then realized.. No, I was definitely walking like Barbie, so I just totally lost it because of how accurate it was!

Thank for commenting, I love your comments.

 

[danimaroo]

Chapter Twelve: Uh oh, we've got a case of the grumps over here...
Day 3: January 20th, 2012​

We woke up at around 8:30, to I believe a wake up call, though it very well could have been from this sun shining through our window..

We got ourselves going, grabbed some coffee and muffins at the Market Place, and headed outside to of course, yet another beautiful day.

I got a blueberry muffin

while Matt got a chocolate chip muffin

and both were deeeelicious! I was a big fan of all of the pastries they had available at the Market Place. Anyway, while we ate, we noticed some little birdies hanging out near the bush, and had a feeling that they were hobo birds. Matt put a crumb from his muffin out to see if that's what they were interested in...

And they found it delicious! After hanging out with our new bird friends, we caught a bus over to Magic Kingdom, as we planned on spending our morning/early afternoon there. After we arrived to some bigger crowds, we made our way into the hat shop to pick out our Mickey ears!

We began the tradition last year, but it's a rule that every year we go, we pick out a new set of ears, get our names embroidered, and wear them on occasion (though especially on our final day!). Anyway, we tried on various hats..

Matt was torn between Donald and Goofy. I knew I wanted Pluto, as he has always held a special place in my heart. After some debate, Matt chose Donald and we dropped off our hats to get them embroidered.

We hung around for a few minutes, trying on more hats..

But then decided we would just come back for our hats, and instead do something I'd really been wanting to do... Go see Mickey!

The posted wait said 10 minutes (though I think in reality it was more like 15ish), so we kept ourselves amused in line and looking at the fun posters..

When we finally got into the room, I about nearly lost it when I saw Mickey and Minnie...

Unfortunately, I don't have our PhotoPass photos back yet, so once I get them I will definitely post the photos from this experience. Mickey gave me a kiss on the cheek, as did Minnie, now that I think about it.. Anyway, we joked around with them for a bit, they pointed at our Anniversary pins, and the CM made a joke about not saying anything to Minnie about when Mickey planned on proposing. It was very cute, and I remember the CM commenting on my Goonies shirt, saying how much she loved that movie.

Anyway, after spending some lovely time with my favorite mouse, we headed back to get our hats!

We decided to make our way down Main Street, and we knew it was going to be an interesting day. The crowds were WAY bigger than what we'd seen the past few days, but we thought maybe the attractions wouldn't be terrible in terms of their lines. Yeah, not so much... EVERYTHING was busy.

We went to Splash Mountain, buuuut it was closed, which was a bummer. I'd spotted a Splash Mountain towel on our first day, so we decided to go into the shop to pick it up. Because Splash was closed, there was no one in the store, so when we walked in the CMs literally started clapping and cheering and wishing us Happy Anniversary. It was really cute and pretty funny because of their excessive excitement that we were coming into the store. We picked up the towel I wanted and thanked the CMs for their cheerfulness, then headed out..

Anyhoot, attraction after attraction had ridiculous lines. Like we're talking 50 minutes plus.. Half hour for Haunted Mansion, etc. We knew this was NOT normal, but unfortunately the crowds and lines put both of us on edge. Frustrated, we finally gave up and decided to go get lunch at the Columbia Harbor House, and try to figure out what we wanted to do.

We both ordered the fish and chicken with french fries, and when I went to order the apple crisp that I'd been wanting to try, the lady told me that they were out of it. UGH. I know it's really stupid, but I was already frustrated as it was, so this just made my mood even worse. I was really not in the mood for the chocolate cake in the cup, but got it and figured I'd just take it back to the room for later.

By the time we both sat down to eat lunch, well, neither of us were in fantastic moods. It probably looked kind of ridiculous to see us both sitting there in our Mickey hats, but with total grump faces on. We were both just frustrated with the huge crowds when Friday was supposed to be a GOOD day for MK...

We started talking about it and realized, uh, dur, of course it's insane here today. EVERYONE thought Obama had closed down all of MK the day before (we heard this from countless people, which was not true. They just closed down Main Street and let guests in a different area, where you could get to any attraction you wanted), so everyone skipped MK and evidently moved their MK day to Friday. This resulted in THE worst crowds we saw for our entire trip. We talked things over, apologized to one another for getting snappy, especially when it's nothing we had control over, and decided that it would be best for us to head back to our room for some downtime.

Yes, even adults need a break and some downtime. I'm just glad we got out before one of us had a meltdown...

On our way out of Magic Kingdom, we decided to pop into the Watch store so Matt could look at some watches. While he looked, we realized they also have Pandora (well, knock-offs) charms! I love my Pandora bracelet, so after looking for a bit, I decided to get a cute Mickey Mouse to add on. Every single charm on my bracelet has significance to me for one reason or another.. So it only made sense to get one from Disney!

Continued in the next post​

 

[danimaroo]

Chapter Twelve: Uh oh, we've got a case of the grumps over here... CONTINUED
Day 3: January 20th, 2012​

Once back, we got off at the Yacht Club and took advantage of the beautiful weather as we strolled back to our room, both feeling a lot calmer once we had escaped the chaos that was Magic Kingdom (and yes, if you couldn't tell, I will not go during a busy time of year, it's really not my cup of tea and I have a hard time not getting stressed out in crowds, so I'm glad Matt and I both have that in common)..

We hung out in our room, where I hopped into bed with a cold beverage from the Market Place and did some DISing!

Matt was reading his Kindle, and I was done reading the DIS, when I got the itch to go down to the quiet pool for some sun and relaxation. Matt wanted to keep reading and needed quiet time, so I headed down without him.

Growing up, I was a total water baby and LOVE to go swimming, even if it's chilly out, and while Matt likes swimming, he doesn't love it quite as much as I do. Anyway, I headed down with my new Splash Mountain towel and enjoyed the HECK out of the quiet pool..

It was seriously perfect for going swimming and just floating around and soaking up the sun. It was very quiet, with only one other person in the pool while I was, and this was exactly what I needed. I remember very distinctly sitting in the pool and thinking, "Okay, NOW I feel like I'm truly on vacation. I'm sitting in a pool, it's 80 degrees out and not a cloud in the sky. Yup, this is perfect." I hung out by the pool for about an hour, then went back upstairs to our room. I cannot tell you how nice it was to have our room so close to the elevator by the pool. It made us go night-swimming way more often than we probably would have otherwise.

We farted (yes, I said farted, but just meant we hung out ) around the room for a bit since we had an ADR at Cape May for that evening, and I took a shower and got changed. We were totally starving by 4:30, and the dork I am thought that was fine since our ADR was for like 5:30... Then I checked it again and realized, yeah no, try 6:25. Wompwomp. We decided to try our luck and headed down to check in early at 5:30.

We were given our handy dandy buzzer, and sat and waited to be called..

After a 10 minute wait, we were seated and greeted by a very friendly waitress. She took our drink orders, chatted with us for a bit, then told us about the buffet.

This was my plate. I got a little caesar salad, some type of baked white fish, macaroni and cheese, some pasta, and of course, crab legs.

Matt's plate... He got crab legs, salad, some sort of rice, and some ribs

This was my second plate.. I got a seafood pasta dish, roasted red potatoes, roast beef, corn bread, a garlic butter roll, and some fried shrimp.

Oh my gosh, the dinner was DELICIOUS. Everything was fresh and hot and we just really really liked it. We seriously stuffed ourselves, and those garlic butter rolls are dangerous, as is the corn bread! I can't say how much we enjoyed our dinner!

Of course, we left room for dessert..

My plate... Top is the Oreo bon bon (that Cape May is known for), a peanut butter bar, and a cupcake.

Matt's desserts... Oreo bon bon, peanut butter bar, key line mini pie, and a sugar cookie.

I LOVED the Oreo bon bon. I wanted to marry it. It had delicious Oreo cream, with an Oreo cookie on the bottom. IT WAS SO GOOD. Matt enjoyed them but said it wasn't his favorite. The peanut butter bars were also very good!

Anyway, as we were enjoying our desserts, our waitress came out and announced that we were celebrating our anniversary, and had Matt give me a big kiss. Matt is NOT the type who likes to be in the spotlight at all, but he was a good sport and kissed me while people cheered. Our waitress then placed a really pretty chocolate mousse type dessert in front of us..

Matt had me blow out the candle..

And I don't know how we did it, but we ate the dessert.. which was also really good!

Overall, we loved this dinner. The buffet was excellent, the desserts were great, and our waitress was wonderful as well. Keep this in mind, as we make a return to Cape May again in our trip, but the next time isn't as magical as this dinner was...

After we stuffed ourselves silly, we decided to give Magic Kingdom a second shot. I'm guessing this was in part due to me looking at my Lines app and seeing the lines had gone down a bit, otherwise I know we wouldn't have risked going back and being overwhelmed again. After catching a bus, we walked into my favorite park at night...

Seriously, how can you not just fall in love with this EVERY time?!

I asked Matt what he wanted to do first, and we went to his favorite of course! Haunted Mansion!

As we walked on, I was given one of those red card passes as we strolled in. Am I the only one who feels all cool and important when I'm handed one of these?!

I told Matt that I really wanted to find the bride's ring. We had read online about all the new changes they made, like the new queue, the new end sequence with the Hitchhiking Ghosts... and had also heard that they'd put in a little nod to the old legend that you could find the bride's wedding ring outside of the mansion (which in reality was just an old ring stuck in the ground from a metal post that they'd removed)..

On our way in, I looked around but didn't see anything, and when I went to ask the CM at the door about it, she told me she had to shut the door and ended up ignoring me/my question after we walked in. I wasn't really upset since she WAS trying to control a massive amount of people, and figured I'd just ask another CM later.

So after our first ride on it, as we went to go on again (because the line was super short), I asked the CM by the front if he could give me a little hint as to where I could find the ring! He told me it was near the Captain's tomb in the interactive queue, off in a corner, but said it'd be hard to find in the dark. I thanked him and we went through the interactive queue, where I looked and used the light from my iPhone to find it!

MAJOR kudos to Disney for doing this. I always thought it was fun how the legend about her ring was originally created by CMs and guests, but for Disney to actually recognize that and play along by putting in an actual ring? THIS is why I love Disney... Their attention to detail is amazing!

Oh, and funny side note, this was ride number FOUR for us on Haunted Mansion, and can you imagine that we actually got the same exact Hitchhiking Ghost ALL 4 TIMES?! By ride #4, we were laughing at the fact that we just could NOT get a different ghost! We kept getting our heads blasted off... Evidently that ghost really liked us!

Now guys, I have to interject here because I'm going to leave you with a big ol' cliffhanger. But I can promise you one thing... You do NOT want to miss my next update, because it's pretty hilarious and ridiculous and you'll get a little taste of what it's like to be stuck on Splash Mountain in the most horrible spot you can think of. (Yes, this means there is a video involved!)

So definitely stay tuned for what I think is probably the most entertaining update I've written for this TR!

Continued in the next update​

​

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

OMG, I cannot WAIT to hear all about it...and video too?!?!?

Well, maybe Friday's have just gone to pot for MK b/c our Friday (2/3) was worse than our Sunday there! They actually extended park hours b/c there were so many people!

I had no idea the ring was there at HM! I thought it had been taken out! Wish I had found it and taken a pic. How cool!

I'm also glad (for me, not you) to see that I'm not the only person to get grumpy with crowds! I actually felt really guilty for it, I felt almost spoiled by our previous trips, but I just get easily aggravated with them. Luckily Disney is the best place for this as it goes away about as quickly as it arrived!

How cool that they made such a big deal in the Splash gift shop! Looks like you got lots of Anniversary pixiedust on your trip! I cannot WAIT to go on a trip with just Rey, no idea when that will be though.

 

[marDgreen88]

Haha for some reason I was wondering why I had already heard that wrong room number story. I was like uhh... didn't this already happen? But I realized you told me on MY tr... not this one. Hahaha. Duh.

OMG Stormalong Bay. Okay, so I know that you know by now how obsessed I am with the Beach Club but I am going to say it again anyway. COOLEST POOL I'VE EVER NOT SWAM IN. OMG yall are so lucky. It looks like the most fun pool ever!!! That does stink about the construction though!

I know some people don't enjoy the boats to Epcot/DHS but I love them! I think they're a lot of fun and definitely nice and relaxing.

I feel the exact same way about Star Tours! IT IS SO FUN. There's a good story coming up in my TR (in about 500 years) about it too! But anyways YES. STAR TOURS.

YAY for you doing ToT!

CUTE tradition!!! Come to think of it... I think I've done the same thing! Not embroidered, but I've gotten a new set of ears (Mickey OR Minnie) every trip! AKA... I have 3 now haha. Score.

Wahhh why was Splash closed??? That's so funny about the CMs though. And I LOVE the towel!

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL BEACH CLUB PHOTO. I THANK YOU.

Hahaha NO, you are not the only one who feels cool and important when given that red card thing. On my first trip I was given one when we were going into Mickey's PhilarMagic, and I thought it was some big deal thing, and that the CM had given it to me because she saw my first visit pin. Yeah... nothing happened after that hahaha.

HAHAH yay for the next update!

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

Oooo....I'm all on the edge of my seat now!!! Tell me, tell me, tell me!!! I HATE cliffhangers...well, unless I'm the one that leaves you on one..

Awesome update!! Love just hanging out in the pool and floating....

I have to say that now that I've seen your report, I think we may have to try Cape May...I'm not a seafood person but DH is and I was afraid that I wouldn't like what was there, but your plate (minus the crab legs) looked delish!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Oh and I forgot to tell you that I LOVE that shadow pic!

 

[danimaroo]

OMG, I cannot WAIT to hear all about it...and video too?!?!?

YES! You have no idea how hard it was for me NOT to post the next chapter! Buuuut I didn't want to overwhelm people with more than what I posted today, since it was a longer chapter. BUT YES! I can't wait, and the video just enhances it.

Well, maybe Friday's have just gone to pot for MK b/c our Friday (2/3) was worse than our Sunday there! They actually extended park hours b/c there were so many people!

You know what's funny though? The following Friday, theeee 27th? was so not bad! I'll get to that when I do, but it definitely was 10 times better than what we experience on the 20th! I am pretty sure the 20th was solely due to Obama messing things up.

I had no idea the ring was there at HM! I thought it had been taken out! Wish I had found it and taken a pic. How cool!

Yeah, how neat is that?! They took out the old one, which really was not a ring at all, as it seriously was WAY larger than a ring that you'd put on someone's finger, but because of that legend, Imagineering decided to keep the fun going and put an actual ring there! SO COOL!

I'm also glad (for me, not you) to see that I'm not the only person to get grumpy with crowds! I actually felt really guilty for it, I felt almost spoiled by our previous trips, but I just get easily aggravated with them. Luckily Disney is the best place for this as it goes away about as quickly as it arrived!

Haha, I had a hard time writing this chapter because I was a little concerned people would be like, "STOP BEING A GRUMP YOU ARE IN DISNEY WORLD!" But the day was just not what we were expecting, and in turn we just both were agitated with people. But that's why I love Disney World; you can turn that mood around pretty quickly!

How cool that they made such a big deal in the Splash gift shop! Looks like you got lots of Anniversary pixiedust on your trip! I cannot WAIT to go on a trip with just Rey, no idea when that will be though.

Haha yeah, it was awfully cute at how excited they were. We got SO much anniversary pixie dust. I have completely left out how literally every 2 seconds we would hear "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!" no matter where we were! You'll notice a few days where we don't have our pins on, sometimes because we forgot, and sometimes just because we wanted to not necessarily be noticed. No, but it just made it easier on days we were trying to get a lot done, so we didn't have to stop and talk to every person who said it to us and we could keep moving.

Haha for some reason I was wondering why I had already heard that wrong room number story. I was like uhh... didn't this already happen? But I realized you told me on MY tr... not this one. Hahaha. Duh.

Haha I've so done that before and then been like.. oh yeah, whoops, forgot that was mentioned here! I had to share it early with you because it made me think of this!

OMG Stormalong Bay. Okay, so I know that you know by now how obsessed I am with the Beach Club but I am going to say it again anyway. COOLEST POOL I'VE EVER NOT SWAM IN. OMG yall are so lucky. It looks like the most fun pool ever!!! That does stink about the construction though!

It seriously is the best pool EVERRRRR. The construction was a bummer (because when you got a whiff of the shellac while you were trying to lay in the sun, it was SO BAD), but we rolled with it because we were in SAB and it was so much fun!

I know some people don't enjoy the boats to Epcot/DHS but I love them! I think they're a lot of fun and definitely nice and relaxing.

Oh I just adore them! They might take a little bit of time since you have to make a few stops but I really enjoyed them every single time we found ourselves on one!

I feel the exact same way about Star Tours! IT IS SO FUN. There's a good story coming up in my TR (in about 500 years) about it too! But anyways YES. STAR TOURS.

YES! I can't wait to hear your story, and I'm wondering if we'll end up telling a similar story... It is QUITE a possibility!

YAY for you doing ToT!

I'm still proud I did it, because ugh, I was definitely shaking a little afterwards!

CUTE tradition!!! Come to think of it... I think I've done the same thing! Not embroidered, but I've gotten a new set of ears (Mickey OR Minnie) every trip! AKA... I have 3 now haha. Score.

It's such a fun tradition and then when you get home you have a nice little memory you can display! All of ours are on display, I'll post a picture at the end of my TR!

Wahhh why was Splash closed??? That's so funny about the CMs though. And I LOVE the towel!

Okay, Splash would break down A LOT during our vacation. Seriously. I remember countless times being excited to go on and looking at my Lines app and realizing nope, it's temporarily closed. It was kind of frustrating, but at the same time, I was just glad it was open at all since it's normally closed in January (they kept it open since BTMRR was closed, which was sad!)

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL BEACH CLUB PHOTO. I THANK YOU.

You are so welcome!

Hahaha NO, you are not the only one who feels cool and important when given that red card thing. On my first trip I was given one when we were going into Mickey's PhilarMagic, and I thought it was some big deal thing, and that the CM had given it to me because she saw my first visit pin. Yeah... nothing happened after that hahaha.

Haha I laughed out loud at this comment! That is so funny, because I'm pretty sure the first time I got one I thought it was some special thing! Buuut no, it was not.

HAHAH yay for the next update!

Haha it should be pretty funny!

Oooo....I'm all on the edge of my seat now!!! Tell me, tell me, tell me!!! I HATE cliffhangers...well, unless I'm the one that leaves you on one..

Awesome update!! Love just hanging out in the pool and floating....

I have to say that now that I've seen your report, I think we may have to try Cape May...I'm not a seafood person but DH is and I was afraid that I wouldn't like what was there, but your plate (minus the crab legs) looked delish!

I KNOW! It's actually killing me to not post it already! It's not that fun to leave people hanging (okay it is a little bit) but this one I just want to share!

And thanks, it was so relaxing and definitely what we needed to help cure the grumps!

You should totally go to Cape May! They have plenty of food other than seafood, enough that DH could enjoy the seafood but you could enjoy everything else! The food is great there, service well, we'll get into that a little later in my TR.. BUT our waitress the first night was great!!

Oh and I forgot to tell you that I LOVE that shadow pic!

AWW THANK YOU! I love it, too. We were walking along by Stormalong Bay towards the Beach Club and I noticed our shadows and it made me very happy. Just proof of how quickly Disney makes you turn that frown right upside down!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Great updates!

good for you for going on ToT....I never have and probably never will! (well maybe, LOL)

Love the shadow picture! so cool. You should get a large print of that, frame it and hang it in your house...it is really neat.

Sorry you guys were grumpy....that's no fun on vacation
But your time at the pool seemed very nice and relazing and so did your dinner...the cup cakes look really YUMMY!
Can I ask you how the temperature of the pool water was that time of year? do they really warm it up?? or does it have a bit of chill to it??

The colors on the castle are beautiful~

add me to the list - I also feel really cool and important when I get that red card
Cant wait for your next update...don't keep us waiting too long!

 

[danimaroo]

Great updates!

good for you for going on ToT....I never have and probably never will! (well maybe, LOL)

Thank you! I'm definitely glad I did it. I felt like a goober being terrified while these little kids were totally just strolling on like it was no big deal! I feel your pain, but if I can do it, you definitely can!

Love the shadow picture! so cool. You should get a large print of that, frame it and hang it in your house...it is really neat.

This is such a good idea and I think I am going to do this. Thank you for that suggestion!

Sorry you guys were grumpy....that's no fun on vacation
But your time at the pool seemed very nice and relazing and so did your dinner...the cup cakes look really YUMMY!

The grumpiness was gone once we figured out what to do and came up with a plan. Plus, you're in Disney, you can't be grumpy for long! Our dinner WAS fabulous, and I'm telling you, I'd love to have an Oreo Bon Bon right now! YUM!

Can I ask you how the temperature of the pool water was that time of year? do they really warm it up?? or does it have a bit of chill to it??

For the mostpart it was definitely warm, but I thought it was colder than last year. BUT I think it might've been because it was SO WARM out during the day, so with the sun out the water was absolutely perfect. At night it was definitely chillier but still very nice to swim in! But the water at night was always warmer than it was outside!

The colors on the castle are beautiful~

It's a big part of the reason I LOVE MK at night.

add me to the list - I also feel really cool and important when I get that red card
Cant wait for your next update...don't keep us waiting too long!

I'm glad I am not the only one! And don't worry, it won't be too long. I'm sure I'll post it tomorrow morning/early afternoon. I can't leave everyone hanging for too long!

Thanks for commenting.

 

[cecily318]

I am so late to this party, but I just read through your whole report to date and am loving it! You had me when you said Ticket to Ride.

Can't wait to see what happens next!

 

[Pixie Princess]

I LOVE that Mickey charm. I MUST get one for my bracelet! Thanks you so much for sharing the picture. I would never have even thought about it otherwise.