Peekaboo, I see Pluto! A 1st Birthday TR; Wrapping up PTR and TR 10/02!

[Pixel Dust]

I have taken some photos of PotC fire scene. However, none have come out the way i like. It's extremely dark and saturated with red. I did get Big Ben at PPF but I wish there was less motion blur or at least motion blur in the right places. I'm excited for our next trip to give everything another shot.

 

[marDgreen88]

Tiana is BEAUTIFUL. Good gosh. I've never seen a less than beautiful Tiana in pictures. It's funny, all the other princesses don't always get their 'beauty rest' but Tiana always manages to do so. Hahah. Although I think for the other ones sometimes the loads of makeup can overpower their faces. ANYWAYS...

Those HM photos are definitely awesome! I don't know how I've always missed that ghost hanging off the chandelier, but I've seriously never seen it before! How cool!

SCARY BRIDE NO.

 

[Missyrose]

Oh, wow!!! What an amazing morning.

I love all of your castle pictures. The closeups of Tanner broke my cute-o-meter! And it is really adorable the way Tanner is rasing his hand in front of the Walt-Mickey statue.

It was a great final morning at MK, a nice mix of attractions and soaking up the atmosphere.

What fun character interactions with Tiana and Pan. I think the "friend" of the Pan in your photo is a DISer. Even though Tanner missed out on the interaction with Aladdin and Jasmine, you still have some memorable keepsakes from that visit.

Tiana was great (so much personality) and Peter Pan was so over-the-top, it was amazing!

I'll have to keep an eye out for that "friend" here on the Dis.

That is so cool that you have Photopass pictures from the carpet ride. I would love if there were more photographers at some of the rides for pictures.

Finally-

Best.RidePhotos.Ever!



Seriously!

Love the colors in the picture of the Pirate queue. The pictures inside Pirates are amazing. Great shot of the Mansion and I agree with your review of the HM pictures. Space, too.

Question for Franklin- have you taken any pictures of the fire scene in pirates that you are happy with? I think I have mentioned to Missy that Big Ben in PPF is one of my "white whales". You nailed that one on a past trip. The PotC fire scene is my other one.

I still can't get over how well Franklin's ride photos turned out. The Haunted Mansion ones especially, I just love them!

Tiana is BEAUTIFUL. Good gosh. I've never seen a less than beautiful Tiana in pictures. It's funny, all the other princesses don't always get their 'beauty rest' but Tiana always manages to do so. Hahah. Although I think for the other ones sometimes the loads of makeup can overpower their faces. ANYWAYS...

Those HM photos are definitely awesome! I don't know how I've always missed that ghost hanging off the chandelier, but I've seriously never seen it before! How cool!

SCARY BRIDE NO.

That Tiana might be the most beautiful princess I've ever met at Disney. She was gorgeous up close and she was so much FUN!

That's the thing about HM, you can ride it a million times and find new details each and every time!

I can't look at the picture of the scary bride for very long, she totally freaks me out.

​

 

[teekathepony]

Awww, two great character meets! Tiana is a very beautiful princess, but that Jasmin is awfully pretty too.
Yikes, 12 minutes stuck on HM!? I get panicky getting stuck for 3 minutes on any ride!!

 

[bellaally]

Hello
My name is Alexandra and I am reading your TR, as I am planning to take my two little boys, either May or September. My youngest will be 1yr and two months by September and with the low crowds we will probably do it then. I love all the helpful tips and your nephew is too cute god bless him. Hope you enjoy your trip and hopefully I will be reading another amazing TR so I can get more ideas!

 

[heaven2dc]

Great HM pics! I don't remember seeing some of the ghosts on previous trips - possibly some new ones with the renovation? Can't wait to go back some day!

 

[Missyrose]

Hello
My name is Alexandra and I am reading your TR, as I am planning to take my two little boys, either May or September. My youngest will be 1yr and two months by September and with the low crowds we will probably do it then. I love all the helpful tips and your nephew is too cute god bless him. Hope you enjoy your trip and hopefully I will be reading another amazing TR so I can get more ideas!

Alexandra! Have fun planning your trip! Taking a really young one to Disney is so much fun! It's great to see everything through their eyes. One tip I will give you is to plan for breaks back at the resort (especially if you go in September!). September is really, REALLY hot. Kids that little will need a chance to cool off indoors and wind down in the middle of the day. Otherwise, they may get cranky and poop out early.

Great HM pics! I don't remember seeing some of the ghosts on previous trips - possibly some new ones with the renovation? Can't wait to go back some day!

They've revamped the graveyard to add some new animated ghosts. It looks very cool now!

​

 

[Missyrose]

Awww, two great character meets! Tiana is a very beautiful princess, but that Jasmin is awfully pretty too.
Yikes, 12 minutes stuck on HM!? I get panicky getting stuck for 3 minutes on any ride!!

Yeah, I was very antsy during those 12 minutes! Are you back from Disney? How was your trip?!!?!?​

 

[Missyrose]

Favorite Things to Eat at Disney

Another crazy football weekend of work is in the books, so let's get back to the countdown. We've got three days' worth so let's get to it...

5. F&W Potstickers, Sausage on a pretzel roll, beer, Cosmo slushie

Our No. 5 entry on the favorite Disney food countdown is a collection of our favorite treats from the Food and Wine Festival. And what better day to share these with you than the Festival’s opening weekend?

That’s right. The Food and Wine Festival is open for business and in just three days, we’ll be there front and center. Food and Wine has easily become our favorite Disney event. And this will be our third year in a row at the Festival.

Let’s get down to the food, shall we?

Potstickers

I’m your typical Jew, I can’t ever pass up Chinese food. And these potstickers are truly tasty.

Sausage on a pretzel roll

The sausage and mustard pair perfectly with the pretzel roll. They’ve changed the sausage this year to bratwurst, so I’m curious to see how this turns out.

Beer

It may be the Food and WINE Festival, but there’s no shortage of beer to try. Franklin especially likes the beer flights and getting to try a number of different beers. Plus there’s nothing better than getting a beer at the Sam Adams kiosk before moseying over to an Eat to the Beat concert.

Cosmo slushie

This drink is my happy place at F&W. I love Cosmos. So to make it frozen is the perfect way to drink it in the Florida heat. This is another item they’ve tweaked ever so slightly this year. I can’t wait to report back what I think of the new drink.

4. ‘Ohana salad, potstickers, noodles and bread pudding

I know the main draw at ‘Ohana is the never-ending platters of meats. Steak, pork, chicken and shrimp -- they never stop coming. But, funny enough, I keep returning to ‘Ohana because of everything else they serve.

Salad

I have three words for you: Honey. Lime. Dressing. Seriously, I don’t know what they put in the dressing, but it is to die for. Refreshing and light, yet plenty of taste.
Not to be missed.

Potstickers

These potstickers are perfectly crispy and the sweet and sour sauce to dip them in is really yummy.

Noodles

These have a unique flavor that is very different from your typical lo mein. The only downside to this dish is it can sometimes be overly greasy.

Banana caramel bread pudding

I’m sorry to anyone who read my previous TRs, but I’m going to use the same description here that I did there. I don’t like bananas, I don’t like caramel and I don’t particularly like bread pudding. And yet? This might be the best dessert I’ve ever eaten.

3. Popcorn

Disney popcorn. What is it about the stuff is so different than the popcorn you get at home? Is it the perfectly buttered flavor? Or maybe how it’s just salty enough. No matter what it is, it is the perfect snack to eat while watching a show or a parade. And the best part, Disney popcorn come in really cute containers! ​

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hi Missy!

I'm so sorry that I've been MIA for so long. Stuff went down and things got so busy. It's taken me forever to get caught up on everyone's TRs. So, this post will be long winded.

Lala looks so cute in that picture meeting Eeyore and Tigger! Tanner is so adorable touching their noses. He's so brave with them.

That was definitely a lot of characters that you met!

Aw, no Tower for you? That's okay, my Mom hates it. She's terrified of heights. She only does it every once in a while for my sake.

That photo with you, Tanner, and Franklin is so great.

The atmosphere at Sci Fi is what makes it so much fun.

I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of 50's vs Sci Fi. I love the food at 50's, it's definitely superior, but Sci Fi has it with atmosphere all the way.

I'm sure it was crazy for you during the Olympics! We were in London when they were getting all set up for it, it was crazy!

Woo hoo to no longer being a vampire!

If I was dressed up like Sulley in that heat, I would totally be laying flat out on that float.

Lottso is such a dichotomy. Villain, yet everyone wants to meet the cuddly version of him in the parks. Even I did!

Awww, Tanner reaching out for a hug from Beast while he's on stage. That's so cute!

The Beach Club is the best location for F&W! I love being able to walk to Epcot.

Kitchenettes are definitely one of the best things about the villas. I love actually being able to bring leftovers back and reheating them! Sometimes it feels like such a waste when you can't. Yup, I'm that person.

I am so stoked about the villas at the Grand Floridian. I can't wait until they're done so the resort can actually be on my list!

You will absolutely be fine on EE if you can do RnRC. I like to call EE a glorified Thunder Mountain.

Mmmmm, fried chicken at 50's. Good choice!

That's what I love about the Eat to the Beat series! Kids now are all like "who are these people?!", while we're jamming out like a bunch of goobers.

I absolutely love your favorite things to eat series! Such a good idea. May have to borrow that.

I keep hearing that the bon bons aren't offer anymore too! My guess is though that might not last too long with how much people love them.

Ohana has to be on my dinner list coming up. I keep on bypassing it. I just can't anymore.

As always, beautiful firework pictures.

Cupcake down, we have a cupcake down!

*drool* Tonga toast.

You are absolutely right, EoS is so worth it.

Good choice with Chef Mickey's for a final breakfast.

Clam chowder is so worth it, no matter the temperature! I agree with Franklin completely.

Oh yeah, French Onion Soup. Another great choice.

In addition to not sharing the bowl of cheddar cheese soup, my general rule of thumb when it comes to food at Disney is that I don't share anything.

It's not blasphemy to put the butterbeer on the list. It's just that good.

That Tiana you met looks adorable!

LOL, Franklin's SM picture.

 

[teekathepony]

Yeah, I was very antsy during those 12 minutes! Are you back from Disney? How was your trip?!!?!?​

I am back! We had a fantastic time, and if you don't mind a little shameless self promotion, I started my TR! Top line of my signature


Also... I don't know just what it is either, but I love Disney popcorn. It always manages to hit the spot!

 

[natebenma]

Once again, loving your food countdown. Heck, your descriptions and pictures of the goodies at 'Ohana almost makes me want to give it another try (as does Ben- he wants to go again)

I can't wait to hear your assessment of the F&W offerings and the special events you will be doing.

If I don't make it back here before you go

Have an amazing, magical, fantastic, delicious trip!!!

 

[Missyrose]

Hi Missy!

I'm so sorry that I've been MIA for so long. Stuff went down and things got so busy. It's taken me forever to get caught up on everyone's TRs. So, this post will be long winded.

No apologies necessary! Real life is totally allowed to get in the way of Disboards every now and then. I'm glad you got a chance to catch up! Let's take this one section at a time...

Lala looks so cute in that picture meeting Eeyore and Tigger! Tanner is so adorable touching their noses. He's so brave with them.

That was definitely a lot of characters that you met!

Aw, no Tower for you? That's okay, my Mom hates it. She's terrified of heights. She only does it every once in a while for my sake.

That photo with you, Tanner, and Franklin is so great.

We enjoyed all of our character blitzes on this trip, they were so much fun. I'm looking forward to trying Character Palooza at DHS on Thursday!

That photo of me, Franklin and Tanner is quite literally my favorite Disney photo of all time.

The atmosphere at Sci Fi is what makes it so much fun.

I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of 50's vs Sci Fi. I love the food at 50's, it's definitely superior, but Sci Fi has it with atmosphere all the way.

Mmmmmm, can't wait to have that yummy 50s PTC food again!

I'm sure it was crazy for you during the Olympics! We were in London when they were getting all set up for it, it was crazy!

Woo hoo to no longer being a vampire!

Work has been nuts for the past few months. The Olympics wiped out any sort of summer break for us, coupled with the Nationals being a first-place baseball team, nothing about the summer was slow. And then I got promoted and my entire schedule got turned on its head. So long story short, I'm ready for a vacation!

If I was dressed up like Sulley in that heat, I would totally be laying flat out on that float.

Lottso is such a dichotomy. Villain, yet everyone wants to meet the cuddly version of him in the parks. Even I did!

Awww, Tanner reaching out for a hug from Beast while he's on stage. That's so cute!

That was a fun afternoon at DHS, for sure!

The Beach Club is the best location for F&W! I love being able to walk to Epcot.

Kitchenettes are definitely one of the best things about the villas. I love actually being able to bring leftovers back and reheating them! Sometimes it feels like such a waste when you can't. Yup, I'm that person.

I am so stoked about the villas at the Grand Floridian. I can't wait until they're done so the resort can actually be on my list!

I'm so excited to try Beach Club and to have our first DVC stay! The kitchenette is going to come in so handy. And I actually like the idea of having a couch in the room instead of a second bed.

You will absolutely be fine on EE if you can do RnRC. I like to call EE a glorified Thunder Mountain.

Mmmmm, fried chicken at 50's. Good choice!

Thanks for the encouragement about EE, I think I will be okay. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

That's what I love about the Eat to the Beat series! Kids now are all like "who are these people?!", while we're jamming out like a bunch of goobers.

I absolutely love your favorite things to eat series! Such a good idea. May have to borrow that.

I love that Eat to the Beat is now my generation's music, it's like a wonderful, booze-fueled trip down memory lane!

No trademarks on the countdown, borrow away!

I keep hearing that the bon bons aren't offer anymore too! My guess is though that might not last too long with how much people love them.

Ohana has to be on my dinner list coming up. I keep on bypassing it. I just can't anymore.

Supposedly, the bon-bons are for sale at BC Marketplace. I'll give a full report when I get home.

'Ohana is a must-do, at least once. It's a polarizing restaurant, some love it while others dislike it. I just suggest a post-fireworks ADR, it's a much better dining experience.

As always, beautiful firework pictures.

Cupcake down, we have a cupcake down!

*drool* Tonga toast.

The cupcake down thing was hilarious. Though a big part of that could have been end-of-the-trip exhaustion.

You are absolutely right, EoS is so worth it.

Good choice with Chef Mickey's for a final breakfast.

Clam chowder is so worth it, no matter the temperature! I agree with Franklin completely.

Oh yeah, French Onion Soup. Another great choice.

In addition to not sharing the bowl of cheddar cheese soup, my general rule of thumb when it comes to food at Disney is that I don't share anything.

I like everything you said about the soups. And I love your rule about not sharing anything!

It's not blasphemy to put the butterbeer on the list. It's just that good.

That Tiana you met looks adorable!

LOL, Franklin's SM picture.

Cannot wait to get my hands on some Butterbeer again. Just a matter of days now.

Tiana was completely adorable, awesome interaction.

I am back! We had a fantastic time, and if you don't mind a little shameless self promotion, I started my TR! Top line of my signature


Also... I don't know just what it is either, but I love Disney popcorn. It always manages to hit the spot!

Yay! Thanks for telling me about your TR! I'll save the start of it to my iPad so I can read it on the plane!

I'm so glad to hear you had a great trip.

Once again, loving your food countdown. Heck, your descriptions and pictures of the goodies at 'Ohana almost makes me want to give it another try (as does Ben- he wants to go again)

I can't wait to hear your assessment of the F&W offerings and the special events you will be doing.

If I don't make it back here before you go

Have an amazing, magical, fantastic, delicious trip!!!

Thanks Dee! This countdown has been a lot of fun!

I can't wait to try all the F&W offerings, Twitter has been torture the past few days with all the live photos and booth reviews. I just want to eat already!
​

 

[Missyrose]

Favorite Things to Eat at Disney

2. Mickey bars, Mickey head waffles and Mickey head Rice Krispy treats

The first commandment of Walt Disney World is “Anything tastes better when shaped like a Mickey head.”
So with that in mind, I give you some of my favorite Mickey-shaped treats.

Mickey bars

We’ll start with the Mickey bar, the true Disney classic. The perfect sweet snack on a hot, sunny day. Just don’t savor it for too long, or else you’ll be covered by the melted remnants of a Mickey bar.

Mickey waffles

The Mickey waffles are a perfect way to start the day. I wholeheartedly believe the best way to eat a Mickey waffle is to start with the crispy ears and work your way down. And don’t think too much about the fact that you’re eating Mickey’s face.

Mickey rice krispy treats

This is Franklin’s favorite Mickey snack, here’s what he said about it:

It’s really, really good. There’s always lots of marshmallows. And they are great treats to take home from Disney. ​

 

[natebenma]

Favorite Things to Eat at Disney

2. Mickey bars, Mickey head waffles and Mickey head Rice Krispy treats

The first commandment of Walt Disney World is “Anything tastes better when shaped like a Mickey head.”
​

So very true!!!

On my class trip in June, faced with all the amazing choices for desserts in the food court, including make your own hot fudge sundaes, I chose...

The Mickey Bar!

You can get cheesecake anywhere in the world, but you only find Mickey-shaped ice cream bars in one place (well, a few places but you know what I mean)

One night on the way out of MK, I enjoyed watching the CMs make different Mickey-shaped treats like chocolate covered apples and ginormous rice krispie treats. It was mesmerizing!

Not that you need any inspiration, but there are lots of Mickey-shaped treats appearing in this installment of my TR:

Wildest Ride in the Wilderness


*******************************************************

Update on the AK Secret trail- I was reminded on someone else's trip report that part of the trail very close to the tree is closed down for safety reasons. Has something to do with a huge branch of the ToL that came down during a powerful windstorm in April

********************************************************

 

[teekathepony]

The Mickey bars are my dads favourite. Any time anyone we know goes to Disney he tells them, "have a Mickey ice cream bar for me!" hahaha

 

[IheartDDuck]

You are so right that anything tastes better when it's shaped like Mickey. It's a proven fact.

Mickey bars are my downfall. But they are oh so good.

 

[Missyrose]

So very true!!!

On my class trip in June, faced with all the amazing choices for desserts in the food court, including make your own hot fudge sundaes, I chose...

The Mickey Bar!

You can get cheesecake anywhere in the world, but you only find Mickey-shaped ice cream bars in one place (well, a few places but you know what I mean)

I'm totally with you. You can't ever go wrong choosing a Mickey bar for dessert. Sometimes I wish Disney would produce Mickey bars you could buy at home, but then I realize it would take that special factor out of enjoying a Mickey bar in the parks!

One night on the way out of MK, I enjoyed watching the CMs make different Mickey-shaped treats like chocolate covered apples and ginormous rice krispie treats. It was mesmerizing!

Not that you need any inspiration, but there are lots of Mickey-shaped treats appearing in this installment of my TR:

Wildest Ride in the Wilderness

Love those pictures! I could stand in the Confectionary for hours watching them make all the treats. I think deep down, Franklin dreams of buying one of those ginormous Mickey rice krispy treats. He'd give it his best shot, and probably puke in the process.

*******************************************************

Update on the AK Secret trail- I was reminded on someone else's trip report that part of the trail very close to the tree is closed down for safety reasons. Has something to do with a huge branch of the ToL that came down during a powerful windstorm in April

********************************************************

Thanks for the update on the AK trail. That's too bad. Maybe it will reopen before we go back in January.

The Mickey bars are my dads favourite. Any time anyone we know goes to Disney he tells them, "have a Mickey ice cream bar for me!" hahaha

That's so funny! I'm sure you have a Mickey bar for him on each trip, no one would have to tell me twice!

You are so right that anything tastes better when it's shaped like Mickey. It's a proven fact.

Mickey bars are my downfall. But they are oh so good.

They are, they really are.

​

 

[Missyrose]

Favorite Things to Eat at Disney

Well here we are, the day before the trip! These past few weeks have really FLOWN by. I’m so excited for everything we have planned. And I can’t believe that this time tomorrow, we’ll be strolling through our “private entrance” to Epcot and taking in all that Food and Wine deliciousness. But before we leave, we’ve got a countdown AND a trip report to finish, so let’s get started, shall we?

1. Casey’s corn dog nuggets

Of all the things to eat at Disney World, it’s this simple snack that tops my list.

The corn dog nuggets from Casey’s Corner are little bundles of deep-fried goodness. Corn dogs are quite possibly the world’s most unhealthy food you can possibly eat, which is why I only allow myself to eat them when I’m in Disney World.

And no matter how unhealthy they may be, the corn dog nuggets are my must-do foods on all my Disney trips. They’re just so tasty. Perfectly crispy outside, moist breading on the inside. And you get the taste of a hot dog, without those icky buns Disney now forces upon us!

So that’s it, that’s the list. I want to hear from you friends, what are your three favorite things to eat in Disney World.

And if any of you are interested in following along on our trip, I’ll be tweeting everything and posting to Facebook:

Follow me on Twitter: @MissyRosenberg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/missyrosenberg (I’ll have to friend you for you to be able to see what I post to my wall.)

Thanks for reading along as we prepped for this trip. Now comes the fun part, putting all of these wonderful plans to use!
Can’t wait to report it all back to you guys when we get back!

The last chapters of the March trip are coming up next...​

 

[Missyrose]

We last left off making our FP window for Space Mountain by the skin of our teeth. There was one stop we had to make before leaving Magic Kingdom to go have lunch at Downtown Disney.

I just couldn’t leave Disney World without a spin on one of my favorite attractions!

It was that time that we all dread in any trip, it was time to say goodbye to the Magic Kingdom. I knew we’d be back in just seven months -- make that just one day now! -- but it’s just hard to leave.

Goodbye Main Street.

Goodbye train station.

During the entire month of March, the monorail was closed during the day. The construction at the Grand Floridian needed the crane to lift stuff over the monorail tracks, so it would’ve been unsafe to have the monorail trains running during that. Since Kotkham couldn’t walk all the way back to the Contemporary to get the car, we hopped in line for the bus back to CR they had running in the monorail’s absence.

Looks like we’re getting out just in time, look at all those orange shirts from a tour group arriving by ferry.

It took all trip, but I finally made it on a Disney bus!

We picked up the car and made our way to Downtown Disney.

We had one goal in mind.

Lunch! After years of waiting and buildup, we were finally going to try Earl of Sandwich.

We took one look at the line wrapped AROUND the restaurant, and thought about running for the hills. But the line appeared to be moving, so our group broke into two groups: the ordering crew and the table procurement crew.
It took maybe 10 minutes for both to happen.

Lunch was delicious. It lived up to every expectation. For the record, Franklin had the Original and I had the Ham and Cheese. Both were excellent!

After lunch, we did a bit of shopping. First up was the Christmas shop. Lala’s entire Christmas tree is filled with Disney ornaments, so this was a must-do for her!

Then I made a stop at Goofy’s Candy Co. for some last-minute treats.

And who can shop at DTD without stopping here?

But as the sun began to set, it was time to bid adieu to Disney property and head for the airport. We dropped off the rental car.

And had little trouble getting through security and onto the plane, where we all collapsed into our seats pretty exhausted.

After an uneventful flight,

we made it home, safe and sound after another WONDERFUL Disney trip.

This trip was amazing, and went above and beyond all my expectations. It was the first time Franklin and I had gotten to spend more than a few hours with Tanner and we loved every minute of it. I was so happy to see how much Tanner enjoyed Disney and we all can’t wait to go back together (a trip tentatively scheduled for December 2014!).

I hope you have enjoyed reading this TR and following along with our journey. And as one trip ends, another begins. I can’t wait to share our next trip with you and hope you’re as excited to join us on our next journey!​