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

[Marssiful]

I once got stuck on Pirate's at Disneyland for close to 45 minutes! I feel your pain!!!! We could not be walked off so we had to just sit and wait it out. I had the theme song stuck in my head for days. I was terrified they would turn the lights on but thankfully that didn't happen.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

We got stuck on Test Track in Oct when we rode single rider. It was HORRIBLE!! My car got stuck just as we were getting the "thermal" pic taken and DH was in the car behind us...he said they had to go around the fast part of the track so slowly and that the car was on it's side and it was VERY uncomfortable. We sat there for soooo long...I didn't time it, but I started to panic and had to talk myself down in my head because I was with a bunch of strangers and most of them spoke Spanish. Not fun. So I feel your pain! Glad you got something out of it...we had to ask to be able ride again...I sometimes feel like the Test Track CM's are lacking in the customer service area..but then they have to deal with a lot of problems because that ride seems to ALWAYS be going down.
Glad you survived the Splash Mountain Incident part two!

 

[Pixie Princess]

That was a crazy video! My DD heard me watch in and thought I was watching someone being tortured. Which of course, I was. Good grief! You know, you think they'd come over the intercom and tell folks "if you choose to stand up, we have to start our process all over and everyone is kept in place longer. Please do not stand up."

 

[Luvmepluto]

Joining in! I feel your pain getting stuck on splash mountain......it happened to us last year!!! Luckily, we were outside and not inside where most of the music was........we also got FP's because of it, my sis....who lives in Fl and was visiting us receive a free ticket to come back to MK.

Also....is the electric parade not running anymore? I have not heard anything about it.

 

[danimaroo]

Yikes! What an awful Splash Mountain experience. That's ridiculous that people can't follow directions and have to ruin things for everyone. I'm glad that they gave you something to make it up to you. The picture you took at the beginning is absolutely beautiful!

Mmm... More yummy food to drool over! I think I'll be about 50 pounds heavier after we go, because I want to try everything!

Yeah, it was prettttty not fun at the time, but it provided a funny memory for us to look back on! We made the best of it, even though our legs were cramped, I nearly peed my pants, and we were being tortured by the music/Brer Bear noises.

The FPs were definitely a nice. For that amount of time I would hope they'd give everyone something because it really did take away from our plans in getting to Epcot by a certain time.

I love that photo! It was really neat to see the castle with MSEP moving through at the same time.

The food was so good. Believe it or not, with all of the walking we did every day, I didn't end up gaining anything! And trust me, I ate a LOT of bad food. Thanks for commenting and feeling my pain!

OH.MY.GAWD! That is insane! I think I might have died. We had a similar experience in 2008 when we got stuck in the TARZAN room on the movie ride...he kept swinging and doing his Aaaahhhh-eeee-ahhhh noise and we were only stuck for about 10 minutes! I cannot imagine 50!...and having to pee!

I'm jealous of your nighttime ride on TT, Savannah was in tears our last Epcot night b/c we missed out on riding it at night. Next time!

It really was crazy and not fun at the time! That doesn't sound fun to be stuck with Tarzan.. but I'll take 10 minutes over 50 minutes, when 30 of it is spent hearing those awful Ooh ouch ahhs. And yeah, the having to pee was NOT an added bonus.

Night time on TT is pretty awesome, I have to say. That's a bummer about missing out on it, but it just gives you ANOTHER reason to go back.

Oops you posted right before I Submitted... You were reading my mind On getting that update up... . I'm sorry about splash mountain... It's better than IASW right?? I didn't watch the video yet as I'm at the salon amd I don't want people staring at me funny... I'll watch as soon as I leave...

Can't wait to read more!!

Haha I kind of figured! I'm quite the mind-reader. It's okay, we survived and I still love it. I'm not sure if in that instance it was better than IASW, especially with the bees buzzing, the music, and Brer Bear's noises. I'd rather hear IASW probably, just because it's not as loud! Like we were stuck in an area where the volume was REALLY high for Brer Bear. If you watch the video you'll understand why I say this.

OMG NOTE TO SELF: always go to the bathroom BEFORE THE RIDES!!!

Oh ok. Yeah that doesn't sound fun. Ewww.

Ugh yeah, never again, especially on Splash Mountain. That just was not an ideal situation! I'd never been happier to see a bathroom!

Wait did you really fall asleep?? HAHAHA.

HAHAHA not really but that would've been amazing. Can you imagine if we'd fallen asleep when the CMs came to release us?!

UGH people! Why would you stand up if the ride could start at any moment? Hello. If you're standing you could fall to your death... OH PEOPLE.

Ugh it was really frustrating to hear that basically because people are ridiculous and can't stay in their log, we had to experience that. They kept telling people to remain seated but there were girls a few logs in front of us who kept standing. THIS IS WHY THEY HAD TO PUT IN THE LAP BARS ON SPLASH. Because people aren't smart.

OMG I just said "TEST TRACK BABY!" in my head before I read that you wrote it! Hahaha.

I love that you definitely thought the same thing... as soon as I wrote Test Track I knew I had to say it!

OMG (I have said OMG a lot in this comment... my apologies) what if you got stuck in the hot or cold rooms on Test Track?? OH MY GOSH IMAGINE THE TORTURE.

This is kind of an OMG-worthy update, I think, because of its absurdity! I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS SO MANY TIMES THOUGH! I could deal with the cold room since it's not that bad, but that hot room? If I ever got stuck in there I would cry.

I've never had school bread but everyone seems to be obsessed with it! BUT I don't like coconut! So I'm sad. Question though... if that a NEW pin next to the almond pretzel? I have this new obsession with Disney pins haha.

OMG (yup I did it), that is sad... You wouldn't like it due to the coconut, but it's too bad because it's so good. I miss school bread an awful lot now. BUT that is so funny you brought up the pin in the background. I didn't even notice it!

So I realized my one downfall during this trip was not always taking photos of the things we bought. I don't know WHY I didn't do this, but I think I just figured I'd wait until we got home? I don't know, but I'm mad at myself for it. I will have photos of everything we purchased at the end of my TR, including all of the pins I traded for and new ones we bought.

Anyway, that pin specifically was one I thought about trading but ended up keeping because it was a cute MK one of Mickey in front of the castle. I got it for super cheap, took it off its card, but ended up keeping it. I'll show it off later. Pin trading is a dangerous addiction but so much fun! It's a great way to talk to CMs and other people and I highly suggest it!

Ok I have been loving this report quietly but that last update has brought me out of lurkdom. 50 minutes?!?!?!
Let me just also say that ToT is downright scary! Especially to someone who was actually in a real plummeting elevator. Yep, suffice it to say that anytime there is a thunderstorm I take the stairs. Still, my son conned me into riding for his birthday using "mommy guilt" and the result was not only the most hilarious picture (for everyone including the CMs, except me) but certain deafness for the woman next to me.
Now, back to this very entertaining report

Okay, first, THANKS for coming out of lurkdom and saying hi! Even if it's the only post in my TR, I'm glad you came out and commented at least once.

But yes, 50 minutes. We couldn't believe it! And thank you for agreeing on ToT, though it sounds WAY more terrifying for you! I have had an experience like that, from 53 floors up.. For whatever reason the elevator was going WAY faster than normal, and ended up taking us below the lobby. I think we got on just as a building employee switched the key over, so I'm guessing it wasn't supposed to travel that fast and they didn't know people were in it. Needless to say, plunging elevators are NOT fun.

That is hilarious though about the photo. I love funny attraction photos! I'm with you on deafening those around me though, so don't feel too bad.

Thanks again for commenting, I really appreciate it.

So I have to admit that I JUST NOW found your TR after taking a long hiatus from the boards. I'm so sad I missed your play-by-play, but before I immerse my evening in catching up on your tale ... I had to let you know I am SO in ... can't wait to read through your TR and get to know both of you!!

I am so glad you found my TR though! I feel special. It's okay, you can totally catch up and be up to speed, I'm not even halfway through our trip, so you're not really far behind, I promise. But I'm glad you are so in and I hope you enjoy it!

I got to the bottom of post # 1 and, well ... seeing that tall cool Biergarten glass in your husband's hand ... and your quote "Let the Wild Rumpus Begin" ... that alone was enough to push me over the edge. So I've read nothing more ... but will catch up in maniacal fashion and look forward to every twist and turn!!

Haha, see, I love when people get me! And you're the first person to notice my Where the Wild Things Are reference! Matt and I are huge fans of the book (and the movie)... Hopefully you don't mind me going off on a little side note but.. We loved it enough that my MIL made custom-Chucks (she is super talented) for us to wear on our wedding day that were absolutely beautiful (we were already planning on wearing Chucks, as did the rest of our wedding party):

That's just part of them, but you get the picture. ANYWAY, glad you liked my little WTWA nod.

Great updates!

I do not think I'll be able to do Tower of Terror. I feel so bad because my SO really wants me to try it, but stories like yours freak me out. I know you said it was fun (but scary)...but..

Yay thank you! Okay I promise though if I can do it anyone can. My number one tip? GO IN THE MORNING. (I talk about this later in my TR), but trust me, if you decide to finally go, do it then. I will say the theming is SO cool, so at least go in and check that out, then if you want you can always take the chicken exit. I did feel better when I went on it that other really little kids were riding it and seemed to have a blast. Made me feel a little more confident that I could do it.

 

[danimaroo]

That video of the debacle on Splash made me cringe ... wow ... who knew that the bowels of hell existed within such an amazing ride (and yes, like you, it would still be among my faves). Interestingly, I was just reading in the past week about all of the issues they've been having on Splash Mtn ... animatronics are breaking down, the ride mechanics keep stopping, etc etc ... I'm waiting (any day now) to read of a long shutdown for the ride so they can resolve it.

Yup, I'm pretty sure that we were close to it. WHO KNEW, Splash Mountain, who knew?! But yes, it's still my favorite, regardless of that experience. We still managed to go on it many more times.

There were a LOT of things breaking, than working, then breaking again, or something new being broken. One frog kept working then breaking. At one point none of the boat's lights turned on at the end scene, one of the hens was "sleeping" (she was not shakin' that tambourine!).. What makes me sad is that I'm pretty sure it'll be closed next January when we're thinking about going back.

When we were last at Disney, we experienced about a 7 minute stop on SM ... while waiting, we were actually near the beginning and I could still talk to one of the CM's. In our case, he told me the stoppage was because yet "another" person had gotten out of their log. Apparently, this can happen up to a dozen or more times a day. When it occurs, it naturally becomes a HUGE deal ... and causes everyone misery because it breaks apart their experience. FOR WALT'S SAKE PEOPLE ... STAY IN YOUR LOOOOOOGGGG!!!!

It drives me insane when people don't stay seated! Like how difficult is it, really? Then people die and the park gets sued because the person thought it was a good idea to stand up. I love that you said "For Walt's sake" by the way.

OK ... on another note ... I confess I have NEVER tried school bread ... but with the pics you've captured of that custard ooozing from the delicious pastry - it has quickly become snack priority numero uno on our Oct trip ... THANK YOU!!!!

You MUST try it. It's so good! If you like custard and coconut, you will enjoy school bread. I will say this though; don't go into expecting it to be like a donut, as the bread really is more like an actual bread and it's not super sweet. The sweetness comes from the custard and the coconut. I personally love this because it's not overly sweet. Ohhh how I miss it.

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I love love LOVE that you and Matt hold the same mentality as my family ... there are (often) those times when we hit a park only to discover it is SO FULL that enjoyment is sacrificed ... so we head back to our resort, bed down (or pool down), and LOVE the reality that, "Holy CRAP ... we're on vacation in Disney World and it's BEAUTIFUL"!! I know, for some of the "commandos" on the boards, this mentality is unforgivable, but I say BRING IT ON ... my time by the pool trumps your time in line ANY day!!

Absolutely! Sometimes you walk into a park and when the crowds are that absurd, you just need to figure out what you are/are not okay with, and make a decision to stay or head out... and sometimes, IT IS OKAY TO HEAD OUT. I'd rather be back at the resort relaxing and not being snappy at Matt than trying to brave crowds for something I know I'll be returning to within the next few days. And I think sometimes people forget... YOU ARE ON VACATION! Sit back and relax every once in awhile. I don't like running around stressing out about things. We're trying to find the balance between getting a lot done but also enjoying our vacation, too. Next time I think we might have more laid back mornings, but we felt like this trip we had a pretty good balance of staying happy. Glad you understand it, too.

OK, I LOOOOVVVEEE this pic!!!!!

Me too. I think I will take the advice of another DISer and print it off and frame it. It makes me really happy.

It is my family's tradition to make the Cape May Buffet our "first night" dinner when we arrrive at WDW. We have NEVER been disappointed and, looking at your pics, I can't wait to repeat this wonderful tradition!!!

I love traditions like that! Our tradition tends to be eating at Crystal Palace, either for breakfast or dinner, just because... But Cape May was SO good, especially that first night!

Question: Last time we were there, they had a separate dessert station where a chef was preparing made-to-order Lava cakes with whipped cream ... any chance this is still happening?

Maybe, but not when we are there either of the nights we had dinner. They just had all of the desserts out in the dessert area.. But that lava cake sounds AMAZING.

"Ruh Roh RAGGY!!!"

Ruh roh indeedie. I'll get into that whenever the heck I finally get to that day.

So was it worth it having the Lines app??

Yes and no. I think we'd have been fine if we'd just used a different app. I had 3 on my phone and sometimes found Lines to be WAY off (and no in a good way). I remember the day we went to ToT and it was 40 minutes (definitely a TRUE 40 mins. according to the CM), my Lines app said something waaay shorter. I just noticed it would be off at times, while another app would actually be more accurate. BUT I will say without Lines, I never would've known about the sudden new showing of MSEP on our first night and we more than likely would've missed it, as we were not planning on staying for that long in MK... So who knows, I'll probably keep it for our next trip since it has valuable information about things other than attractions!

Nope, I feel like a total Dis VIP when I get one ... I even narcissistically convince myself it MUST have been something about the glean in my eye that made them choose ME to assure them their line timing was accurate

Haha I am glad I am not alone in this sentiment. I'm like, yes, I am going to be the one that changes that wait time sign outside because of my valiant effort to return this card when I get to the front.

Oh no! I cannot even imagine getting stuck in Splash Mtn for that long! But what a great way to end the evening! The school bread and the almond pretzel looked really yummy, I will definately have to try that on our next trip.

I know, it was just not fun, but we got over it pretty quickly, especially with the FPs and also me making it to the bathroom. Both items were delicious and you should give them a shot! If you're unsure of the school bread, you can always buy it and split it with someone, so you don't use up 2 snack credits in case someone doesn't like it.

Cape May is yummy! We went there once and had a waiter who looked at our kids like they were crazy any time they spoke, though. I mean, I look at them like that quite often, but nobody else is allowed to! Still, the food was good. Now I'm reminded that I need to go back.

It really is! Okay, I'm kind of wondering if wait staff is hit or miss there, and you'll see why when I get to that part in my TR. But I agree, the food is really tasty!

Wow, that really is an annoying spot you were stuck in! And so loud! Glad you made it to the bathroom in time! My family always makes fun of me for my constant restroom stops, but it is totally worth it. It's all fun and games until somebody pees their pants, folks.

That was my biggest issue was how LOUD it was. Brer Bear's volume was way turned up, so it just made it painful to hear over and over. I'm definitely glad I made it there, because I was thinking I was going to pee in the log and that just would've been bad for both me AND Matt. Alsoooo I definitely laughed really hard at your last line when I first read it yesterday, "It's all fun and game until somebody pees their pants, folks." And I'm laughing again as I type this.

Test Track, BABY! ZOOOOOOOMM!! I don't think you've gotten to that part of my TR yet, but there's a video on there of a very excited Brynn doing her Stacey impression. Stacey addicts unite!!

Ohhh Stacey, why you gotta be so fly, girl? I am STILL working on catching up on your TR, I swear. Yesterday after I posted my update, I was not on the DIS aside from reading responses, as we had a way busier Saturday than I expected. But now I am really excited to read it because I love videos of kids doing amazing things LIKE Stacey impressions!

Just getting caught up. I love your shadow photo with you two and your ears on. Also, I have been thinking about getting one the Pandora bracelets just for the sole purpose of loading it with Disney charms. We loved Cape May as well and we really enjoyed our time there. I too, want or marry the Oreo bon bons. So yummy. I would have never made it on Splash mountain that long. I have to pee too often. I know, TMI, but you mentioned farting so I figure I'm safe ... lol. Looking forward to reading more !!!

Thank you, I love that photo, too. There were a lot of beautiful Disney charms to choose from! I was worried about the quality of Mickey, but he's held up pretty well with the rest of my Pandora charms, so it's not bad for a knock-off at all!

Oh those Bon Bons are so so good. I want to go to Cape May right now!

I don't know how I did it. I think by keeping my brain off of it, I did not pee my pants. And yes, this TR is a safe place for the more TMI moments.

Can't wait to post another update, though I'm out of pre-written ones, so I've got some writing to do today!

 

[danimaroo]

when you said you were stuck in the worst possible spot I was thinking it would be on the drop! we are so lucky we didn't get stuck on anything! although I was walked off of snow white at disneyland, not sure why, we weren't even stuck all that long!

that is so cute about the little boy on test track. I am thinking my son might like it, can't wait till I get to take him on!

I would have rather been stuck on the drop than being stuck next to Brer Bear screeching for that long, no joke. I'd rather take the physical pain of being stuck on an incline than the mental torture that we dealt with due to Brer Bear and the bees. That's weird about evacuating from Snow White if it wasn't a long time sitting there!

It was so cute and I really enjoyed riding next to him. It made me excited for having children and bringing them to Disney in the future.

I once got stuck on Pirate's at Disneyland for close to 45 minutes! I feel your pain!!!! We could not be walked off so we had to just sit and wait it out. I had the theme song stuck in my head for days. I was terrified they would turn the lights on but thankfully that didn't happen.

UGH so you know how it feels! That stinks about having to wait it out. We got stuck during our honeymoon next to Jack talking at the end for around 10 minutes, but that wasn't too awful.. And yes, when they turn the lights on it is a little weird... even weirder walking through the attraction itself.

I'd never want the lights to be turn on in Haunted Mansion; I feel like that would really ruin things for me. That and Space Mountain. For some reason when I've seen photos of SM with the lights turned on it REALLY creeps me out!

We got stuck on Test Track in Oct when we rode single rider. It was HORRIBLE!! My car got stuck just as we were getting the "thermal" pic taken and DH was in the car behind us...he said they had to go around the fast part of the track so slowly and that the car was on it's side and it was VERY uncomfortable. We sat there for soooo long...I didn't time it, but I started to panic and had to talk myself down in my head because I was with a bunch of strangers and most of them spoke Spanish. Not fun. So I feel your pain! Glad you got something out of it...we had to ask to be able ride again...I sometimes feel like the Test Track CM's are lacking in the customer service area..but then they have to deal with a lot of problems because that ride seems to ALWAYS be going down.
Glad you survived the Splash Mountain Incident part two!

That does NOT sound fun at all to be stuck like that on TT! There is a point where you're still hearing nothing and you start to panic a little bit. It's not fun, and probably ten times worse if you're on as a single rider! I was just happy I had my phone to text and Facebook with, plus have Matt next to me.

That is so weird that they didn't offer some sort of compensation for your time lost, nevermind having to ASK to ride again! I definitely would've been upset in your situation. We didn't experience any closures with TT, but Splash was something that kept breaking down during our entire trip, which was kind of sad.

That was a crazy video! My DD heard me watch in and thought I was watching someone being tortured. Which of course, I was. Good grief! You know, you think they'd come over the intercom and tell folks "if you choose to stand up, we have to start our process all over and everyone is kept in place longer. Please do not stand up."

I'm glad people are actually watching it because I want people to know that I'm not exaggerating with this.. IT WAS SO LOUD! That is hilarious that your DD walked in and thought it was someone being tortured.. Though it kind of was; both us and Brer Bear!

They actually did come over the intercom numerous time telling people to stay seated, but people were just not listening and it was very frustrating. These little girls in front of us kept standing and saying they needed to get off because their mom was waiting for them out front. The CM kept telling them that it'd be fine, their mom would still be there, but that they needed to stay seated... and the girls kept REFUSING. It was seriously annoying and I felt bad for the CMs trying to restart while dealing with people standing up.

Also, not to be a jerk but there were a lot of non-English speaking people who were also standing up so I'm not sure any announcements would've gotten through to them, as they were definitely part of the group causing issues.

Joining in! I feel your pain getting stuck on splash mountain......it happened to us last year!!! Luckily, we were outside and not inside where most of the music was........we also got FP's because of it, my sis....who lives in Fl and was visiting us receive a free ticket to come back to MK.

Also....is the electric parade not running anymore? I have not heard anything about it.

Yay thanks for joining in! Glad you understand the pain, though also not glad because it's not much fun! Not too bad being stuck outside though which is better than inside. I'm happy the CMs took care of both you and your family. It sounds like your sister got a good deal out of it, as well!

MSEP is still running, but during our vacation from around the 20th-early February it's been closed due to them repaving Frontierland. Sooo we were fortunate to catch one of the final performances before it went dark for a few weeks!

 

[danimaroo]

Hey guys! Glad so many people enjoyed the last update; it was quite a doozy!

Just thought I'd give a quick update that my last update was the last bit of a ton of writing I'd done last week, soooo now I basically need to start writing a LOT more material for updates, which as we know, takes a bit of time. I like to write out my entire day, then go back and split it up into chapters. It makes it flow a bit better...

That being said, I'm hoping to get something up for tomorrow, but after that I'm not sure if my updates will be as frequent as they have been. Work has gotten a little busier, with some other outside stuff going on (hopefully I can tell you guys about it in a few weeks!) Anyway, this might be a good thing so I don't overwhelm people with a new update every day. I never know if doing daily updates are a good thing or a bad thing.

Any feedback on this would be good though, because if you guys like it I'll try keep updates going, buuuut if you'd rather it be every other day or few days, I can do that, too!

Just thought I'd let people know in case you don't see updates as much as I have been recently. Life's just getting a little busier for the next bit, and I'm also thinking it might be a good thing to not overwhelm people with long updates so frequently!

 

[nessz79]

I'm on board! Love your review!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Hi~
YIKES! I can't believe you got THAT stuck! I figured you would talk about being on there for a few minutes, etc.....the fact that you had to be evacuated! WOW!
and that you had to pee...while being stuck on a WATER ride - that must not have been good...:scared1
Hey, at least you got a fast pass out of it...what we dis'ers wont do for a fastpass

That poor CM...i can understand those people being upset since it was only park day, but the CM did not make the ride stop..

I so appreciate the work your putting into this report...I can't imagine the time it takes!
so please, do what works for you...if your busy for everyday that's ok....every couple days is ok as well....
just don't forget about us, please!

 

[danimaroo]

I'm on board! Love your review!

Thank you for joining! Hope you continue to enjoy my TR.

Hi~
YIKES! I can't believe you got THAT stuck! I figured you would talk about being on there for a few minutes, etc.....the fact that you had to be evacuated! WOW!
and that you had to pee...while being stuck on a WATER ride - that must not have been good...:scared1
Hey, at least you got a fast pass out of it...what we dis'ers wont do for a fastpass

Ugh I know, I never thought we'd get that stuck on an attraction! It was not a good situation, so I'm just glad I made it to the bathroom. And yes, the FP was very nice to have. We'll see what we end up using it on.

That poor CM...i can understand those people being upset since it was only park day, but the CM did not make the ride stop..

I know, I just felt bad for her because the people weren't very nice. She didn't stop the attraction, and in fact, it was people standing up who made things worse!

I so appreciate the work your putting into this report...I can't imagine the time it takes!
so please, do what works for you...if your busy for everyday that's ok....every couple days is ok as well....
just don't forget about us, please!

Thank you! It is a surprising amount of work but also REALLY fun to write. I love writing as it is, so writing about my trip to Disney World? It's way more enjoyable than writing about other stuff! That being said, it is pretty time-consuming, but when I have lazy Sundays like today or quieter work days, I'm able to get a lot of writing done!

I think I'll be able to keep up the pace, as I just finished writing about Day 4, and Day 5 is on the horizon... Though Day 5 will be VERY long (you'll see why), so who knows how long it'll take me to write. But don't fret, I'm sure I'll have an update posted tomorrow for everyone to enjoy.

I definitely am not going to forget about you or this TR! I am dedicated to seeing it to the end, because I totally get bummed when I'm enjoying someone's TR and they just seem to drop off the face of the Earth. It's like leaving everyone hanging on this epic ride you're taking them on! So don't worry, I'm here for the long haul.

 

[marDgreen88]

Girl, update at your own pace! No rush, us readers will still be here.

 

[danimaroo]

Girl, update at your own pace! No rush, us readers will still be here.

Haha I know, it's actually really fun to write my updates in my free time, gets my mind off of work stress and onto happier things! But as you know, it definitely takes some time to do updates. I just don't want to forget about my TR and not finish it, especially since the memories are still pretty fresh.

That being said, after I posted that I ended up writing all of Day 4, while Matt was playing a video game.

But it's nice to hear kind words if things do come up/get crazy (which they might around here soon, but we'll see), that you guys will still be here. I just don't want people to think I've disappeared if I don't update as frequently as I have been.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Wow! I found your TR on someone's TR who was reading MY TR - and so far, I think we may somehow be related! My first full day this year was YOUR first full day, and we say a lot of the same things about similar rides. In fact, a couple of your pictures I have almost the twin of in my own TR - for example, I was at MK on 1/18, but for EMH, and took a very similar photo of the horseless carriage in front of HR.

I've only read through a few of your chapters, but I'm IN! Enjoying for sure! I've only read the chapters and none of the chatting, but I'll finish it all soon!

Edited to add: I'm at chapter 10 and it's starting to get even creepier - Ghost Dad? I remember that as a kid! Never equated it to ToT but now I might! Still seeing parts of my vacation in your TR, and thought I saw myself in one of your pictures but the woman is wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt instead of my short-sleeved one. I can't believe how similar our trips are so far into my readings of your TR! I feel similar about ToT - I love it but I hate it. I enjoy it, but it scares me.

I still have never ever ridden Star Tours; I meant to do it on this trip, but I was always so darn BUSY.

As you're leaving HS on Thursday, I'm hanging out at Epcot, watching Illuminations (which you have pictures of!!). Definitely very cool!

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

I can't believe you'd never been on Soarin' (my absolute favorite!) or Test Track (my girls favorite, which they finally dragged me onto on our last trip and I now love!). We're wondering what TT will look like after the refurb.

I'm glad you loved Cape May. I really enjoyed your review (and your pictures) because that is a new one for us that we are hoping to try on our next trip. I'm wondering what your next experience was like there, though...(waiting on the edge of my seat to find out.)

The one liners are cracking me up! You two have a great sense of humor.

 

[ash-n-brensmom]

We will all be patiently awaiting your next installment.......it's worth the wait!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'll be here no matter how long it takes for the next update! I'm torn between slowing down to savor it but worrying that I will forget so wanting to get it done!

 

[danimaroo]

Wow! I found your TR on someone's TR who was reading MY TR - and so far, I think we may somehow be related! My first full day this year was YOUR first full day, and we say a lot of the same things about similar rides. In fact, a couple of your pictures I have almost the twin of in my own TR - for example, I was at MK on 1/18, but for EMH, and took a very similar photo of the horseless carriage in front of HR.

So funny story. When I saw your name I was like, huh, I recognize that... and then realized I'd started to read your TR the other day but then forgot to come back to it! I realized we were there at the same time and wanted to see how your trip went! Thanks for commenting and finding me though, I read through your entire TR last night before bed and plan on commenting there after I get stuff done over here.

ANYWAY, totally hilarious how we had twin days! I was laughing at the photo you had of HM! I will laugh so hard if we find each other in one of our photos!

I've only read through a few of your chapters, but I'm IN! Enjoying for sure! I've only read the chapters and none of the chatting, but I'll finish it all soon!

Awesome, glad you're enjoying it!

Edited to add: I'm at chapter 10 and it's starting to get even creepier - Ghost Dad? I remember that as a kid! Never equated it to ToT but now I might! Still seeing parts of my vacation in your TR, and thought I saw myself in one of your pictures but the woman is wearing a long-sleeved gray shirt instead of my short-sleeved one. I can't believe how similar our trips are so far into my readings of your TR! I feel similar about ToT - I love it but I hate it. I enjoy it, but it scares me.

Haha I am so glad you remember that movie! That stupid elevator scene just always made me terrified of elevators... That would've been awesome if you were in the background of one of my photos. I've been keeping an eye out for myself in yours! So weird how we are having similar experiences though!

I still have never ever ridden Star Tours; I meant to do it on this trip, but I was always so darn BUSY.

Ooooh you will have to do it next trip! It's so much fun! And I really like that you get new scenes, so it's always a different experience.

As you're leaving HS on Thursday, I'm hanging out at Epcot, watching Illuminations (which you have pictures of!!). Definitely very cool!

How weird is that to think like, oh hey, I just passed near you on a boat?! It's such a small world!

I can't believe you'd never been on Soarin' (my absolute favorite!) or Test Track (my girls favorite, which they finally dragged me onto on our last trip and I now love!). We're wondering what TT will look like after the refurb.

I KNOW, it was kind of crazy! But I really did love TT. I am wondering what the new experience will be. It sounds REALLY cool, in testing a car you built, etc., so I'm hoping it's worth all the time they will be spending on refurbing it!

I'm glad you loved Cape May. I really enjoyed your review (and your pictures) because that is a new one for us that we are hoping to try on our next trip. I'm wondering what your next experience was like there, though...(waiting on the edge of my seat to find out.)

That dinner was wonderful! Don't worry, I think that day is coming up.. Okay wait no, not til Wednesday, so you have to wait a bit longer. The food is SO GOOD there though, so you never have to worry about that.

The one liners are cracking me up! You two have a great sense of humor.

Haha I'm glad someone else is laughing at these. I keep laughing when I write some of this stuff. We keep each other laughing a LOT, which is why I'm glad I married him.

We will all be patiently awaiting your next installment.......it's worth the wait!

Glad to hear it! I actually will have an update for today! I wrote all of Day 4 yesterday and have an update for nearly every day this week. I'm addicted to writing this TR, it's way too much fun remembering all of our moments from the trip.

At the same time, because I update a lot, it's hard to keep up with I'm sure. If you fall behind a day or two, you've got a lot of reading to do!

Either way, thanks for the support, glad to know people do care!

I'll be here no matter how long it takes for the next update! I'm torn between slowing down to savor it but worrying that I will forget so wanting to get it done!

YAY! Glad to hear it. Speaking of updates, I need to get my butt over to your TR because I have some catching up to do. I spent so much time typing up day 4 that I haven't caught up with all the other TRs I've been following, including yours.

It's true though, deciding whether or savor it or get it done so you don't forget all the wonderful memories! It's hard. Anyway, glad you're sticking with me.

 

[danimaroo]

Chapter Fourteen: "Look, it says LOVE! Oh, wait, nevermind."
Day 4: January 21st, 2012​

Like I mentioned in my last update, today was our day off from the parks due to having a 10-day park ticket. When we initially did the 10-day, I was a little sad that we were going to be away from the parks for a whole day.

But guys, I have to be honest, by the time we got to this day I was SO excited for a more laid back day, full of swimming and other fun stuff. It was nice to not have to worry about being somewhere by a certain time, outside of our ADR, and to not really have any plans for the day outside of, well, relaxing! Oh, and this is also the day that our brilliant idea for Day 5 was born... but more on that later.

Anyway, we woke up to Stitch telling us NO SLEEPIES! I think I might've had Matt pick up the phone this morning (even though I slept right next to it), so that definitely made him quite happy. Evidently we had our alarm set for 8:30, so we got dressed, but not in a rush, and made our way over to the Boardwalk Bakery for some breakfast.

Of course, we forgot something in the room, so Matt ran upstairs to grab it (no, I can't remember what it was), so I stopped to take a few photos with my nicer camera right outside the Villas entrance..

Anyway, we were finally on our way after our minor hiccup. Going to the Boardwalk Bakery was something Matt had really wanted to do, as did I, so we figured what better morning than to take a stroll over to the Boardwalk for the first time and kind of check things out.

Side tangent about Boardwalk and DVC: This was something I talked about in my PTR, but I'll catch everyone up to speed... When we booked our room through DVC, this was a decision made in September, so around 4 months before the dates of our trip.

For those who don't know how DVC works, you can book your room up to 11 months in advance when booking at your "home" resort, and up to 7 months in advance at any other DVC resort. Even then, we were only booking 4 months in advance, so we had discussed our top 3 choices for resorts, in order, so if our #1 choice wasn't available, we had back ups.

When Matt called, and said we were looking to stay at Beach Club, we were told that it was available all but one night, but it was in the middle of our stay. We decided we really didn't want to have to pack up and leave in the middle of our vacation, only to then go back to BC, as it'd leave us feeling unsettled, so we opted to go with our second choice, Boardwalk Villas instead, which WAS available.

We asked to be wait-listed for Beach Club... and a day later we got our #1 choice. ANYWAY, point is, I was excited to see the Boardwalk just because we were pretty close to actually staying there (though that clown pool was something I was NOT looking forward to)... SIDE TANGENT OVER.

We headed inside to the bakery and were delighted by the many different options they had... except... when it came to breakfast, most of them were items we could get in the Beach Club Market Place! That was slightly disappointing, but also good to know for the future!

However, the bakery also had what I was looking forward to trying out, something to eat later in the day... those huge, delicious-looking.. CUPCAKES!

The line wasn't very long, so we both ordered the cheese and egg croissants again, along with an Oreo cupcake (for Matt) and S'more cupcake (for me).

As Matt was dealing with paying, I headed outside to get us a table on the Boardwalk.

I sat and watched the scary man-eating seagulls, when Matt came over with our food.

Of course, I had to get photos:

My S'more cupcake (better photos to come later)

Matt's Oreo cupcake..

Breakfast sandwich!

We ate our sandwiches and drank our coffee, which we'd grabbed on our walk over, while enjoying the beautiful view...

After some people-watching, we decided to head back and get changed into our swimsuits for a morning hanging around Stormalong Bay!

Now, when you stay through DVC, housekeeping is different. They come on the 4th day, vs. every day, and if you're staying past 8 days, they will come again to do a minor towel/trash change. This is one of a few ways that DVC is definitely more like staying at a condo or home... Anyway, this was our 4th day, so we knew they would be coming into our room for a full-cleaning.

When we arrived, we were lucky that they had JUST finished with our room, and we smiled at the housekeeper as we went inside... and this is what we walked into:

How fabulous, right?!

After marveling at our new friends laid out on our bed, we got changed and headed downstairs, swinging by the Market Place to grab refills in our mugs. We arrived at Stormalong Bay at around 10, showed our cards, and found a nice spot in the sun by the sand-bottom pool.

We couldn't have picked a better day to enjoy the sun and the pool!

After getting warm in the sun, we went for a swim and tried to find the jet in the sand-bottom pool that literally makes the sand act like quicksand. We found one that was actually working (no other ones, which Matt said was kind of sad since last time he'd been there, there were TONS of these fun jets), and it was such a weird feeling!

After I pretended to be Princess Buttercup as I sank into the sand, asking Matt (aka Wesley) to come save me, we floated around for a bit longer, then hopped out to get some sun and relax!

I was one happy gal! Of course I made Matt take a photo with my sunglasses on...

What a totally radical dude.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure Matt read a book on his Kindle while I played with my iPad (yay for free poolside wifi!)... Then I spotted this in the sky!

Okay so, I thought this was totally neat, a skywriter! Until he continued and it went into something like "GOD LOVES U!" and then something about Jesus... and well, okay so I'm not a super religious person and have no problem (for the most part) with people who enjoy God.

However, I don't need that to be shoved down my throat when I look up into the sky in the middle of Disney World. All I'm saying is that I think it would've been way better if it said "MICKEY LOVES YOU!" But I did enjoy the initial sight of just LOVE. It made me happy, even if only for a few minutes.

We hung around the pool for awhile longer, then decided to head back to our room at around 12 so we could change and head to our next destination for some lunch and shopping at a place we'd been dying to return to...

Continued in next update.​

​

 

[amyrella]

I'm all for daily updates... Or whatever you can manage! I look forward to your updates!

Those cupcakes look yummy! I think my next trip will involve renting DVC points and staying at The Boardwalk... I'd love to wake up and go have a cup of coffee on the boardwalk and people watch!