PRINCESS Palooza 2011! 9/9 Update: Departure Day

[mom2rtk]

Happy Easter!

​

Thanks Jenn!

And HAPPY EASTER everyone!

 

[Glennie5]

Katie looks stunning in her Belle dress -you always do such an incredible job! What do the characters say when they see your dresses?

 

[DisneyFreak06]

Wow! I'm all caught up. You are an amazing photographer! Those pictures are incredible! And mostly handheld.... just... WOW! Thanks for sharing them all. (And the tip on that lens... I can't wait to have it in my hands!)

 

[mom2rtk]

Did you guys think I got lost? Sorry...... life's just crazy right now. Between Timmy's tennis schedule, and Katie starting softball practice..... I've been in peak "crazy running" schedule.

I'm working on an udate and hope to have one in a bit!

Gorgeous Belle dress! Just as pretty if not prettier than the original!

I do the same as you and use my time stamp on my pictures to keep up with most of what we do. I also take pictures just for the sake of TR writing and time keeping. It just works for me.

I agree that the new FP rules are going to be a pain. I'm not looking forward to it either. IMO, the only park that it won't be a huge deal at is DHS.

I thought the same thing as you about Soarin' also. I am very surprised that they have not cleaned that screen or whatever it is they need to do to get rid of the streaks and black marks. Very annoying!

Great jellyfish shot! That's a tough one! I've never gotten one that wasn't blurry.

So was the food at the Teppan Edo good? I've debated eating there, but hated to 'waste' a dining credit there when we have a place like that here at home. We may end up there eventually though. Your chef looked like lots of fun!

Awesome TT picture too!

Thanks for all the kind words Rinky! I'm afraid I've gotten way behind on your TR but have it open on my desktop to catch up soon! I still haven't even finished your Epcot day!

Teppan Edo WAS good. I never like to use it as one of our Epcot ADR's because I want to try something new. But I alway seem to get outvoted. But thei food IS good, and the experiece is great, so it's not like you will have a bad experience there. It's just that it's something we can do at home, so I don't want to NOT do something else to do that.

I also don't think the FP enforcement will be a huge problem at DHS..... unless you want to do what Katie and I did and ride RnR 5 times in one day..... That one's still coming up.......

I've been trying for that jellyfish shot for a while. It's hard to get a shutter speed fast enough to avoid blur. AND it's hard just to get the camera to focus in such low light. The smart and capable photographer would switch t manual fous. But I guess that's not me, because I never do. I'm just too lazy to practice, then never want to try it on my brief opportunty on the ride.

Katie looks stunning in her Belle dress -you always do such an incredible job! What do the characters say when they see your dresses?

Thanks Glennie! Through the years, I think Belle has been my favorite princess to make. And it's tons of fun to watch the characters' reactions to Katie's gowns. Through the years we've made some character friends as a result and ended up with more than our share of magic.

Wow! I'm all caught up. You are an amazing photographer! Those pictures are incredible! And mostly handheld.... just... WOW! Thanks for sharing them all. (And the tip on that lens... I can't wait to have it in my hands!)

Many thanks DisneyFreak! Glad you found us over here!

You really can't go wrong with this lens. I noticed the difference from the first day I put it on my camera.

I've always said the most expensive lens is the one you have to buy twice...... meaning that if you don't get the one you want in the beginning, you'll just be right back in the market shopping for another one soon enough.

 

[mom2rtk]

TUESDAY December 13th: MAGIC KINGDOM:


This was our really early morning. Drew had to leave on the 6:15 Magical Express. Oddly enough, his bus was actually a Disney Cruise Lines bus. It was on time and we said good-bye. Once the bus left, I took a few pictures around the POP and we went back to the room to get ready for our day.


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We had early ADR's at Crystal Palace and would be doing the Christmas party that night. So I had to decide if we should bring what we needed for the entire day, or just the morning and take a mid-day break. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I opted for the mid-day break plan. While I organized..... Katie dug out Bubbles and decided to put on a show.....


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This was also the best day to try for family of the day. So maybe this is my second strike in the "getting old" column, but I decided to pass on that. There are lots of reasons. First, I have continued to read any post on the DIS related to being chosen family of the day. Second, this was our 5th park day and I was wearing down a bit. Third, I was really looking to sitting in the Crystal Palace with Katie sharing our hot cocoa and talking about our day. Fourth, they changed the setup at the gates. The early ADR people now line up on the same side where I expected them to pick the FOTD. Given that our plan would be to CLAIM to not have an ADR, then skulk over to the ADR line when we saw them choose someone else, I wanted a little more than a few feet available for skulking. Fifth, RIGHT before we left, I read an account of a woman and her daughter who got to the gates super early, chatted it up with the CM's in secret hopes of being chosen, then watched as they chose the family that walked up behind them. So....... we didn't even try.
The "funny" part is that when we got there at 7:40 we got right into the ADR line. It was only then that I looked over to the turnstiles and saw........... NOBODY. Yep. NOBODY. I didn't beat myself up too much over this. And it DID cross my mind that we could try sneaking over, claiming to have been in the wrong place. But honestly, there was no way to know at that point if they had already chosen somebody and taken them into the park. So I let it go......... and just a moment later we were let into the park.

Maybe next trip? Who knows. I would TOTALLY give up my $10 per head CC guarantee at Crystal Palace to be chosen..... Hmmmmm...... we'll see. I'd also like to see some reports about whether they change the experience to more like it was before with the huge character meeting and riding in on the train.


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I truly am addicted to early park entry. There is nothing better than walking in and being able to SEE the park instead of fighting the crowds around us. We took a few shots on Main Street and headed for the castle. This is where we got to our "yuck" moment of the trip. Katie and I still grimace when we recall it.....


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We were in line for pictures in front of the castle and there was a woman right in front of us alone with a small girl around 4. While waiting for their turn, she was trying to get the girl out of her stroller. The girl was obviously very tired and didn't want to get out. As we stood there, we had a front row seat to the escalating interaction. By the time their turn came, the mom was yelling at the girl and threatening to take her to the bathroom for a "discussion". I guess I regret not saying something to her, but honestly couldn't believe I was standing in front of Cinderella's castle listening to this. The mom finally got the girl out of the stroller and got a few photos of her holding her crying child. It took me a few minutes to shake that off.


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See the red jacket behind us in the above photo? That's her. Yuck.

We shook it off and headed for the Crystal Palace.


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Breakfast at the Crystal Palace was lovely as always. It was great to sit there in gorgeous surroundings planning our day. And it was even BETTER to know we would not be stepping out into a bitter cold morning like last year! The Pooh characters were fine, but not really the reason we were there. The highlight of breakfast for me was Pooh's puffed toast! I had read comments about it on the DIS, but had never tried it. I made such a fuss about it, Katie surprised me by getting me more on her next trip to the buffet. I just love when she sees I like something , then says "I'll be right back" then shows up with more of what I like. I returned the favor by ordering hot cocoa for her while she was at the buffet.


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The server we had looked VERY familiar so I asked how long she had been there. She said over 20 years, and I was pretty sure we must have had her as a server before. We settled our bill and were on our way out into the Magic Kingdom for some girl fun!

 

[mom2rtk]

12/13 Continued:


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Our first stop for that day was already planned. We had a very important date......... to find our Fairy Godmother! Schedules indicated she would be out at 9 then again at 9:45. I think we just missed her first set but decided to wait around for the second set.


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The guy working in the shop saw us waiting and offered to pixiedust Katie:

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In between Fairy Godmother sets, the Tremaines meet & greet in the same location. At first Katie didn't care to get in line. After all, we had just seen them Sunday night and we would be seeing them again at 1900PF later in the week. But I talked her into it, and I'm so glad she agreed. Drizella called Katie by name as we approached, which really surprised me. She looked familiar but she wasn' t the one we had seen Sunday night. We hadn't seen her at all this trip. She asked Katie what other gowns she had for this trip, and I gave her a glimpse of the special costume I had tucked into my bag. At one point she mentioned the pink Cindy gown Katie had worn on another trip. Man, she's good. That was 3 years ago! I'll never know if she really remembered Katie's name, or if our Fairy Godmother gave her a heads up, but it was really fun.



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And back to waiting......


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Soon enough, we were treated to our own personal reunion with the Fairy Godmother. As always, it is awesome to walk up and have her call us by name. I love that she calls Katie "Kate". It's like she KNOWS that when we named her Katie, I always envisioned her as "Kate" as an adult.


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We met her with Katie in her winter Cindy gown, then we circled around to the back of the line so we could pull out our surprise.

I had last done a Fairy Godmother costume for Katie in 08, our first time meeting this Fairy Godmother. I thought it would be fun to surprise her with another one this time. It was hard to get our photos since the wind was playing havoc with the costume, but it was fun anyway.




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[mom2rtk]

12/13 Continued:

Once we were done catching up with our Fairy Godmother, we walked into Sir Mickey's. Katie saw the Cinderella slipper ears and asked for a pair. Given all the Cinderella fun we had just had, how could I say no? I knew she wouldn't wear them a LOT, but she did wear them for a while and they are great keepsake. Does it get any better than having your 11 year old, the one who's growing up WAY too fast........... ask and want to wear personalized mouse ears in the Magic Kingdom?


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Katie got to choose our next destination. Surprise, surprise... she chose Space Mountain! So we headed over behind the castle toward Cosmic Rays to change before heading for Tomorrowland. On the way we stopped at Cinderella's wishing well for what turned out to be my favorite pictures of Katie in this Cinderella gown.


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After riding Space Mountain, I wanted to meet Ariel and Prince Eric, so we headed back across the park toward Adventureland. The line was closed, but they told us when they'd be back. We had just enough time to ride something, and Katie chose BTMRR. I honestly lost count on how many times we rode that this trip. I'm sure glad we won't be there during the time it's closed this spring. Now that Katie's finally riding thrill rides, we're having a ball with it.


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When we got back to Adventureland, the line for Ariel and Eric's next set had already filled most of the queuing area so we got into it quickly. We were done there around 12:30 and headed for the front of the park.


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I really loved Katie's Aurora capri set she wore that day. The top was one I had reworked from a prior trip, and Gretchen made the fairies as patches for me so I could put them on capris. I wanted some photos of her in the outfit and what better place to get them than with Aurora herself? The princess line was short, and we were on the bus by 1. It had been a full but fun morning of girly fun.


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On the way out, we couldn't just walk past the sewing machine agan without playing a little more.......


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OK..... I try to be nice and not say anything too snarky about the character CM's we meet in the course of our trips. But honestly...... the Cinderella we met that morning....... Let's just say she didn't look a THING like Cinderella. Maybe it was the really DARK eyebrows..... but she wasn't even CLOSE to the real thing. She was nice as can be....... but it just didn't work for me.

 

[AprilRenee]

Oh Man! I didn't want to say anything either...but boy! She really doesn't look like Cinderella! And her smile looks kinda like she's in pain. Maybe something happened to the scheduled Cinderella and this girl had to step in cause she just happened to be backstage at the time and was trained as a princess.

 

[mesaboy2]

OK..... I try to be nice and not say anything too snarky about the character CM's we meet in the course of our trips. But honestly...... the Cinderella we met that morning....... Let's just say she didn't look a THING like Cinderella. Maybe it was the really DARK eyebrows..... but she wasn't even CLOSE to the real thing. She was nice as can be....... but it just didn't work for me.

Before I got down far enough to read this last bit of text, I thought the same thing. That Cindy is not how I envision Cindy either. Somebody in casting needs to revisit that assignment.

Great pictures as always!

 

[katt789]

Akershus looks awesome, of course!
You take suuuch amazing pictures, they’re so fantastic! Gotta love the no wait for Test Track. I did really enjoy the idea of Soarin, but I just can’ deal with it, the way the screen works, just makes me nauseas, booourns.
Pick A Pearl is something I’ve kinda always wanted to do, but I’m still not sure
Oh Pop Century lobby! I’m home! Especially at Christmas…so awesome!
An empty Main St is so magical! I need to start taking longer trips so that I can have 1 day of MK with the rope drop ceremony, and one day of getting in early for that empty sight! I love it with the Christmas wreaths too!
The Pooh’s stuffed French toast is half of why I made the CP ressie for next week, SO EXCITED to try it!
Also just have to say that it’s raining outside at home right now, and in CP with some hot chocolate would be the best place to be!
AH! Adorable pic of tigger & Katie!
Wow that Cinderella dress is fantastically amazing!! I have to say, I was looking for some adult princess costumes online for Halloween earlier, and definitely found your etsy! So much incredible work!
My gosh that’s so incredible that Drizella remembered Katie & the pink dress! (defs one of my faves!) it definitely proves that you guys are memorable!
So many great costumes! I love that you guys also have some of the less classic ones, like the kiss the girl, and the pink Cinderella. It must be awesome for the characters to see a dress they don’t usually see our & about in the parks!
I’ve met the same Cinderella & I have to agree, I don’t think her & Cindy really match up that well

 

[Glennie5]

I love that you and Katie have your very own Fairy Godmother. Julia and I visited her that same morning too. Beautiful pictures as always!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Thanks for all the kind words Rinky! I'm afraid I've gotten way behind on your TR but have it open on my desktop to catch up soon! I still haven't even finished your Epcot day!

I know you just don't want to read about Epcot!



Just kidding! Please don't feel bad about getting behind on my TR. I know everyone is busy and just does this Dis thing for fun whenever they can find the time. Besides, even if you never read another word of my TR, I'm still going to read yours! I promise I'm not keeping score.

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh Man! I didn't want to say anything either...but boy! She really doesn't look like Cinderella! And her smile looks kinda like she's in pain. Maybe something happened to the scheduled Cinderella and this girl had to step in cause she just happened to be backstage at the time and was trained as a princess.

LOL! I really didn't want to say anything. But really..... she has to have really dark hair, and I'm afraid the blonde wig just doesn't do it for me.

Before I got down far enough to read this last bit of text, I thought the same thing. That Cindy is not how I envision Cindy either. Somebody in casting needs to revisit that assignment.

Great pictures as always!

Glad to hear I wasn't alone in my thoughts on the matter......

Thanks for the kind words.

Akershus looks awesome, of course!
You take suuuch amazing pictures, they’re so fantastic! Gotta love the no wait for Test Track. I did really enjoy the idea of Soarin, but I just can’ deal with it, the way the screen works, just makes me nauseas, booourns.


Pick A Pearl is something I’ve kinda always wanted to do, but I’m still not sure

Oh Pop Century lobby! I’m home! Especially at Christmas…so awesome!
An empty Main St is so magical! I need to start taking longer trips so that I can have 1 day of MK with the rope drop ceremony, and one day of getting in early for that empty sight! I love it with the Christmas wreaths too!
The Pooh’s stuffed French toast is half of why I made the CP ressie for next week, SO EXCITED to try it!
Also just have to say that it’s raining outside at home right now, and in CP with some hot chocolate would be the best place to be!
AH! Adorable pic of tigger & Katie!
Wow that Cinderella dress is fantastically amazing!! I have to say, I was looking for some adult princess costumes online for Halloween earlier, and definitely found your etsy! So much incredible work!
My gosh that’s so incredible that Drizella remembered Katie & the pink dress! (defs one of my faves!) it definitely proves that you guys are memorable!
So many great costumes! I love that you guys also have some of the less classic ones, like the kiss the girl, and the pink Cinderella. It must be awesome for the characters to see a dress they don’t usually see our & about in the parks!
I’ve met the same Cinderella & I have to agree, I don’t think her & Cindy really match up that well

OK, I was going to just put my replies in red, but all of a sudden the text colors aren't working for me. Not surprising given the other oddities that have been going on here on the DIS today!

1) That's a shame about Soarin. I LOVE the sensation of flying that goes with Soarin.....

2) You should try Pick a Pearl. It doesn't have to require a big outlay for an expensive setting. I just got Katie a pearl cage on ebay before we left. And it's a lot of fun to watch the ceremony unfold.

3) Isn't it awesome when you walk into the resort and just feel like you're home? Although after thoroughly photographing the POP this last trip, I DO find myself thinking it would be cool to try something else. AoA would be grand, but I'd be surprised if they offered free dining there in Nov or Dec.

4) You really should do everything you can to get early park entry into the MK. It's worth its weight in gold. We entered with the crowds twice on this trip, and I think it really just loses something. Or maybe I'm spoiled?

5) Thanks for the kind words on the Cindy gown. I really did like how it turned out. And we certainly got a lot of use out of it. I think this last update was it though. And yes, we have had TONS of fun with the lesser known character costumes. Probably more fun than with the more well-known costumes. We love to try and stump the CM's. I made a copy of the gown Cindy wears in the parade and loved it when a couple CM's stopped us to tell us they knew it was the parade gown.

I love that you and Katie have your very own Fairy Godmother. Julia and I visited her that same morning too. Beautiful pictures as always!

Thanks Glennie! I definitely want to go to WDW this year, but am considering DL for 2013. So how sad is it that I'm having a hard time getting over the fact that we'd miss our Fairy Godmother!

I know you just don't want to read about Epcot!



Just kidding! Please don't feel bad about getting behind on my TR. I know everyone is busy and just does this Dis thing for fun whenever they can find the time. Besides, even if you never read another word of my TR, I'm still going to read yours! I promise I'm not keeping score.

LOL! You kill me. I can read about other people going to Epcot. Heck, I can even say I LIKE Epcot. But do I want to give up a 4th or 5th day in the Magic Kingdom to go there myself........ Hmmmmm....... THAT.... is the iquestion!

And yes, I WILL catch up. My comments just might be a little out of sync when I do post them. Maybe I'll just blame them on the time warp that IS the DIS these days!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

I am so so so so so so impressed with your stepsister interaction! That is awesome that she called Katie by name and remembered a dress from 3 years ago! ONLY at Disney! Actually all your CM interaction was pretty impressive (well except for that Cindy ). I mean, that lady working at CP for all those years really says a lot about the company. They must be wonderful to work for!

Love all the character pic and outfits! The FG outfit is so unique! Love it! And the Ariel dress... I bet they've never seen that one before! I really love the capri set too. My DD would love that one. She hates wearing costumes b/c they are 'itchy and hot' but I'm sure I could get her to wear that! Very cute!

Love the slipper ears too! Just perfect!

 

[mom2rtk]

I am so so so so so so impressed with your stepsister interaction! That is awesome that she called Katie by name and remembered a dress from 3 years ago! ONLY at Disney! Actually all your CM interaction was pretty impressive (well except for that Cindy ). I mean, that lady working at CP for all those years really says a lot about the company. They must be wonderful to work for!

Love all the character pic and outfits! The FG outfit is so unique! Love it! And the Ariel dress... I bet they've never seen that one before! I really love the capri set too. My DD would love that one. She hates wearing costumes b/c they are 'itchy and hot' but I'm sure I could get her to wear that! Very cute!

Love the slipper ears too! Just perfect!

Nope. I'm sure they've never seen that one before......


LEGS and FINS by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I too was really impressed with Drizella's memory. I guess our Fairy Godmother could have told her we were coming (since she knew) but I don't think she would have remembered the pink gown. I don't think we ever saw her in the pink gown that trip:


Cinderella in Pink Gown by mom2rtk, on Flickr


Those are MY beads! by mom2rtk, on Flickr


We've seen this dress before! by mom2rtk, on Flickr

I just realized it was the same Lady Tremaine too! I thought she looked young for the role, but man, she was even younger looking in 08!

 

[Scraps-of-heaven]

Oh I love how the capris turned out! So cute!! And Aria is squealing over those cinderella slipper ears. :0) I really hope we can meet up with you two in Disney some time, after years of emailing it would be kinda like a family reunion. LOL

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Okay... those Cinderella ears have GOT to be the coolest ears. EVER.

I can't believe I've never seen them!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I just showed DD the Cindy ears and she flipped!

She also lamented that she wanted Katie's outfit!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

And finally...

WOW, just WOW! At the memory of the CMs.

I've always wondered what the life expectancy of a character CM is.

I'm in awe that you have your own Fairy Godmother, but you've also got your own Tremaines!

Now we're going to have to come up with new virtual MNSSHP costumes - the Tremaines are covered!

 

[Finally08]

LOVE that Drizella....this last trip we saw her a couple times. She ran across the parade route screaming "MY BABY EUGGEEENNNEE!!" and tried snatching Layla's Flynn doll days after we'd met her.
But then there are a LOT of CMs here...and on other websites (ahem, tumblr) and I've seen some of your photos with Katie pop up a few times. So I definitely think some of the character friends "know" who certain guests are....whether from previous interactions, or shall we call it...internet notoriety? lol

BTW...hurry up and get to the next MVMCP!!!!