Princesses, Slushes, LEGOs, and a maxed CC - Sept 2009 1st Timer TR

[crocko]

Yes, they still do the rope drop show. I was in it! Not on the day you were there, a couple days before.

Nice TSM score! Joe is determined to break 200K next time we're there.

Thanks! Yeah....200k is definitely a very good goal to shoot for. If you can get to the ride first thing and get a 200k, good chance you might show up as top 3 for the day.

We got to see Jenny and Joe in the show!! I can't believe the FP line was that long...I'm so glad we didn't experience that.... Woo-Hoo for getting to walk up to take your pic with Sorcerer Mickey!! And Playhouse Disney looks cute--When my sister was little, my mom took her, and it was when Bear in the Big Blue House was new.

Awesome that you got to see them in the show.
And this was our only non-meal time to see Mickey so very cool that we had 0 wait time for him.

Great report! Cannot wait for the next installment!

Thanks!

Is there a separate entrance to the characters or do you have to go through the whole annimation tour? We haven't made it there yet. Madeline loves the playhouse disney show.

That is one long fastpass line!

Yes....you may remember that typically you go see the show and then get to see the characters and then come out through the Animation store. Well, you can also go through the store and simply backtrack to the characters from there....bypassing the front entrance where you have to wait for the show.

 

[crocko]

Day 7 (Hollywood Studios Day)
Chapter 2 -- Magical Moments at Hollywood Studios



After the Playhouse Disney show, we went back into the Animation area to see how big the line was for the Up! Characters. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad.

While Bridgette and the kids waited in line, I went around to where the characters were to practice some pictures. While out there, I noticed that Dug was being a pesky puppy. He took one man’s backpack and started going through it. He tossed a few things out of the bag until he finally found a snack!

And then, I saw my family come around the corner….we were up next!

Russell was out when we got in line, but apparently he had to go take a Wilderness break. So, we got to see Carl and Dug (with Kevin looming in the background).

Yay….that was fun. We had been looking forward for quite awhile to getting to see the Up! friends. With that done, it was time to head to the other side of the park to meet my family for lunch. On our way out, some of the meet ‘n’ greet characters were “changing shifts”

Goliath and JoJo were on their way out to meet some kids.

And June was on her way to go take a break.

Note: June is Samantha’s favorite Einstein’s characters and just one of Samantha’s favorite Disney characters in general. Obviously, these Disney friends work hard out in the sun and like to quickly get inside to take a break….so, we just stood to the side and waved….
Well, instinctively June could tell that this little girl was a good friend of hers.
She paused on her trip back inside, to come over and give a special hello.

In that 2nd picture you can see that Samantha is holding June’s hand….she did not want to let her go. So amazing, from the Pooh breakfast in which she was terrified……to a week later and she’s so happy that she just wants to keep holding on to June’s hand.

Obviously, June could have just waved to us and kept walking, but she took some extra time to come over and give a hug. For me, this was one of the most memorable highlights of the entire trip – a definite magical Disney moment!



After June walked off, we saw that Leo was coming out to take her spot.

And then as we started walking out some more, here comes Handy Manny!

I was unaware that Manny was out and about at the parks….so it was really cool to see him. We walked by him and waved….the kids may have even had an opportunity to give him a five.

LOL – who would have thought that some of the best character moments would come simply as they were passing by…to and from their meet’n’greets.


Now time to cross the park…….

And meet up with my family at……..


PIZZA PLANET!!

Joshua had been waiting expectantly for when we would get to eat here.

My dad found a little time to get in some pinball…..

Some cool Pizza Planet decor…

We all had pizzas here and to my surprise, they tasted different than the one’s over at Pinocchio’s. Fortunately, these pizzas were better….Very Tasty! And….at Pizza Planet, you can get Mickey Rice Krispy Treats as your dessert

Okay…..now for the true highlight of lunch. Had nothing to do with the food or the cool atmosphere, but with a game that they had upstairs. It is called Jett Rider.

While waiting for our food, the kids got in the seat for this game and just “played” with the game. Well, after eating, Bridgette decided to go ahead and let them have a real play.
What is the game? It has a big seat (big enough for both of them together) in which you simply sit back and watch the screen as you go on a “rollercoaster” Very cool. Kids didn’t have to steer or do anything, just sit back and enjoy. There are 3 different coasters, so we let them play all 3. (If you do that, you even get a bonus 4th coaster for free!)

The kids absolutely LOVED this ride/game. For them, it felt like they were on a fun, exciting ‘coaster…plus, the back of the seat would vibrate helping them the riding sensation.
The 4th coaster (the bonus one) was extra fast and turbulent. It got quite the squeal out of Samantha:

I normally wouldn’t let the kids do something like this, but I’m glad Bridgette insisted on letting them, because it was another one of the true Highlights of the trip. I can still hear Samantha’s voice saying “Ah….” While her whole body was vibrating in the seat….

Between June’s hug and Jett Rider….just proves that you can’t plan out the best moments of your trip….just have fun and let them happen.









Up next: Can I improve on my Toy Story Mania score on round #4? Or will I turn into a 3D bust?

 

[crocko]

Quick note about the upcoming trip.



ONLY 15 DAYS UNTIL BRIDGETTE AND I OUR HEADED BACK!!





Sadly, though, my camera was broken on Wednesday. Bridgette took it back to Best Buy for fixing/replacement. It is one of those deals where apparently they have to send it on to Nikon. The expectation is that it will be back in 2 weeks. That's definitely cutting things close!


Worst-case scenario, I think I could borrow my mom's camera and still get some good, quality pictures.

(Plus, we'll have Bridgette's camera which is the better one anyway)

 

[jenny105]

So sweet that June stopped to give a special hello to Samantha!

I hope your camera is fixed in time for your second trip. I can't believe you'll be there again in 2 weeks!!

 

[jordanyosh]

Remember when the characters just kind of roamed free.

Great memory made with June.

 

[WrightFamily06]

Two very nice updates ! That's awesome you got to ride TSM so many times . Love all the pictures from Animation studio , another place we have somehow missed on all our trips but is def on our list for next time . What a magical time the kiddies had w/ June & Jett Rider and your totally right the best moments can't be planned !

 

[SoonerGirl]

Awwww, thats so sweet that June stopped to give Samantha some special attention

Looks like you were having a fabulous morning!

 

[Charlefours]

Awe! What a special treat for Samantha to have June stop for her when she was heading for a break--truly a magical moment.

I cannot believe you are off again in 15 days!

 

[crocko]

12 DAYS TO GO!!

So sweet that June stopped to give a special hello to Samantha!

I hope your camera is fixed in time for your second trip. I can't believe you'll be there again in 2 weeks!!

Yeah, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Remember when the characters just kind of roamed free.

Great memory made with June.

Yeah....character greeting is a much more "planned" event these days it seems.

Two very nice updates ! That's awesome you got to ride TSM so many times . Love all the pictures from Animation studio , another place we have somehow missed on all our trips but is def on our list for next time . What a magical time the kiddies had w/ June & Jett Rider and your totally right the best moments can't be planned !

Oh you gotta hit Animation Studio! One of my favorite areas.

Awwww, thats so sweet that June stopped to give Samantha some special attention

Looks like you were having a fabulous morning!

Yep -- great morning!

Awe! What a special treat for Samantha to have June stop for her when she was heading for a break--truly a magical moment.

I cannot believe you are off again in 15 days!

It indeed was very nice of June....sneak peek --> what happens next time we see June?!?

 

[crocko]

Day 7 (Hollywood Studios Day)
Chapter 3 -- If the shoe fits...




After a yummy lunch at Pizza Planet…..we popped into the Muppets store and did a little shopping. One of the CM’s in there asked if the kids had seen Lightning and Mater yet. As a matter of fact, they had not, so she ushered them over to where the two cars were meeting fans.

Next, Joshua and I were ready for another trip into space, so we plopped over to Star Tours (where there was another no-wait line) and took another exciting ride with Rex (it is still his first flight) LOL

Meanwhile, Bridgette made a couple returns. Remember those two toys we bought back on Day 3 at Tatooine Traders (dual light-saber and Star Tours vehicle). Well, the light-saber was not only not working correctly, but they also didn’t inform us that only one of the sides would actually light up. So, we just simply returned it. On the vehicle, Rex broke off just in the process of getting the vehicle out of the box. We managed to get it exchanged.

With that done, time to go use our Toy Story FP’s. On the walk across the park, a DVC kiosk CM gave Samantha some more stickers. LOL

Joshua and Bridgette rode together this time.

I once again was by myself. I was feeling better in the zone this time around…..and managed to set a new personal record!!

Woohoo!!! Over 200K!!

On the way out, we decided to see if the Buzz & Woody line was very long and the CM said it was only about 15 minutes (which was pretty accurate…maybe only 10 minutes).

And then, we figured we were about ready to head back to AKL…..grabbed a Woody-sized slushie on the way out, though.

Back at AKL for the afternoon. Remember how on Day 6, Bridgette found out that if you did the DVC presentation you could get $100 in Disney cards? Well, she had managed to get us a time slot booked so this afternoon, we went ahead and did a quick tour at Kidani Village (since we were already there). Meanwhile, my mom played with the kids at Community Hall.

While waiting for our guy to show up, I was looking around the Kidani lobby and noticed two individuals walking around that seemed very familiar. It was stacikristine and her husband!! We got to chat for a couple minutes, which was fun. They are from Oklahoma as well, so it is cool to think that we all traveled to Orlando to meet each other. LOL

Then, our DVC rep came by. He quickly showed us some rooms (which we knew what they looked like since we were staying in one) Haha. And then he gave us the fancy presentation showing us the numbers and what-not. At the end, as we were patiently expecting…..we received four $25 Disney cards. Woohoo!!

(Will they last very long?)

With that done, we went back up to the room, relaxed for a few minutes and then got ready to go shopping at Downtown Disney again. Tonight, we planned on being the “BIG” DTD shopping night. The kids were coming with us and we were ready to spend some money.

Toward the end of our trip, they were doing work on the Marketplace bus stop, so we were let out instead over near Pleasure Island. We were hungry to start, so headed straight over to Earl’s.
(I stopped in McDonald’s to see if I could get some nuggets for Joshua. They are listed in the Dining Plan guide as a QS place, but according to the McDonald’s workers, that is a mistake). Oh well.

At Earl’s, we all had some very tasty sandwiches (per usual) and with our bellies settled, we were ready to start shopping.

The highlights: Spent quite a bit at the Christmas store (several cool ornaments). We looked in Once Upon a Toy, but most of the items we wanted in there, we could get at WOD (with a 10% Visa discount). And at World of Disney, we definitely did some big shopping. Samantha’s shopping highlight came in this store, when she was allowed to pick out a princess dress. She checked out all of them carefully and decided on a Cinderella dress w/ slippers. The dress is a size too big, but that means it should last longer.

On our way out…LEGO store to get a few more fun LEGOs to play with.

As soon as we got back to Kidani, Samantha wanted her slippers on. Luckily there was a prince nearby to help her out.

Back in the room….time to get that sparkly dress on!!

And then, time to wrap up the night. But not before Samantha managed to get a hold of a camera…..here’s apparently what I look like at Samantha-eye-level

Day 7 over. Another fun and wonderful day!! (Oh and did the Disney gift cards last? No! Gone within 5 hours Haha!

Back to Magic Kingdom for day 8.











Up next: Costumes and a missing Mommy!

 

[stacikristine]

What great updates!! I love that June came over and gave Samantha a hug--I think I would love to be a character for times like that And I can just imagine the kiddos squealing on the coaster ride! Woo-Hoo this was the day we met you! And that is SO cool that you got gift cards for going on the DVC tour. I wish we would have known to stop by one of those kiosks... We'll be sure to next time! And Samantha looks adorable in her Cinderella dress. What a fun day!

 

[crocko]

What great updates!! I love that June came over and gave Samantha a hug--I think I would love to be a character for times like that And I can just imagine the kiddos squealing on the coaster ride! Woo-Hoo this was the day we met you! And that is SO cool that you got gift cards for going on the DVC tour. I wish we would have known to stop by one of those kiosks... We'll be sure to next time! And Samantha looks adorable in her Cinderella dress. What a fun day!

Yeah...there would be tough parts about being a character, but would love the opportunity to real make the day for some family or little kid.

 

[crocko]

Day 8 (Magic Kingdom Day)
Chapter 1 -- Can't we all just stay together?




Day 8 is here and amazingly, only our 2nd time to enter Magic Kingdom (we’re crazy!) EMH morning so we we’re up and ready to get off to an early start. Got to the bus stop in good time when Joshua said that he wanted to wear his Peter Pan costume today. Uh oh, we didn’t bring any costumes. I would have gone back, but Bridgette didn’t want to have to explain where all the pieces of the costume were, so she went.

The plan was to go ahead and get on a Magic Kingdom bus if one came around and she’d catch up. We waited several minutes when finally an MK bus came. I tried to stall as far as how quickly I got on…just in case she would appear at the last second. Shortly after sitting down, my phone rang AND the bus started to pull away. Bridgette was at the elevator….she missed the bus by about 2 minutes. Oh well.

I called to get an update when we pulled into MK and she had just got on a bus at that point. Ach! She’s not as close behind us as I was hoping.

Well, we went ahead and entered the park and found a cozy spot to sit while waiting for the pre-show.

Then, the pre-show started…..during the pre-show, Bridgette called and said the bus was pulling in (it was hard to hear over all the noise)

Once the show was over, they started to let everyone in the parks. I told my family to take the kids and head towards Dumbo, while I waited for Bridgette. Just a couple minutes later, she made her way through baggage check and into the park. With the kids, my family wasn’t moving too quickly, so we managed to catch up in the middle of Main Street.

Whew!! All together again.

So, plans to start the day……they would take the kids to Dumbo while I would head off to Splash Mountain and get some FastPasses.

Kids and Family:

Meanwhile……I had to wait at a rope drop for Frontierland for about a minute. Then, the rope came down and we were all escorted forward into Liberty Square. Some broke off toward Haunted Mansion, while the rest of us were passed off to some other Frontierland escorts. After all the bridges, some broke off toward Thunder Mountain and the rest toward Splash. I quickly saw some FP machines right in front of me and raced over to get tickets (fast-forward a few hours later, and I would actually LOOK at the FP’s and realize that in going to the first FP’s I saw, I ended up getting BTMR FP’s not Splash FP’s) Doh!

It’s really fun to be able to get park pictures when nobody is around yet.

After all that, I actually managed to make it back to Fantasy Land and to Dumbo before my family even got on…..so, I stood around…took some pictures and got ready to watch them.

After Dumbo, Samantha was ready to put her Alice dress on for the day! (Joshua was not quite ready for his Peter Pan costume) Haha

Our next plans were to get on the Teacups when we noticed that a certain look-alike (Alice!) was in the area. So, we hustled over to get in line to see her

Our turn!

Yeah, it was fun to see Alice again (although, we thought the Alice in the UK was better) (just sayin’)

Now…let’s get in a no-wait line for Tea Cups!

Up next: A once super-cool awesome ride that has unfortunately become quickly out-of-date and overshadowed.

 

[chicagoshannon]

So sweet that Samantha got to meet June. That's how we met all the characters when I was a kid. Standing in line for them just doesn't have the same magic. We've never had luck in that character area. JoJo is always out and Madeline has no idea who that is. I'm surprised they haven't retired her yet.

I have to agree with you on the Pizza Planet pizza. SO GOOD! We'll have to try out that roller coaster game when we're there in Feb. We didn't even go inside the seating area.

I love Samantha's new Cinderella dress.

 

[crocko]

So sweet that Samantha got to meet June. That's how we met all the characters when I was a kid. Standing in line for them just doesn't have the same magic. We've never had luck in that character area. JoJo is always out and Madeline has no idea who that is. I'm surprised they haven't retired her yet.

I have to agree with you on the Pizza Planet pizza. SO GOOD! We'll have to try out that roller coaster game when we're there in Feb. We didn't even go inside the seating area.

I love Samantha's new Cinderella dress.

Yeah....it can be hard to see the characters some times. Luckiily, being there in September, we were able to find some short lines fairly often.

Definitely try to find Jett Rider....and remember, it is upstairs.

Samantha loves her new dress, too! That girl has worn one of her dresses probably every other day since we've been back. She's hilarious.

 

[longing2Batdisney]

Great updates!!! How fun on the DVC adventure and it really enhanced your shopping evening at DTD!! the kids look adorable and happy as always!!!

 

[crocko]

Great updates!!! How fun on the DVC adventure and it really enhanced your shopping evening at DTD!! the kids look adorable and happy as always!!!

yeah....was definitely nice to have an extra $100 in our pocket that night.

 

[crocko]

Day 8 (Magic Kingdom Day)
Chapter 2 -- To Infinity and Beyond!



Last update, we had just seen Alice and were about to ride on some Mad Cups….

After our swirling….the kids were thirsty, SO….time to go get another slush (love snack credits! Plus, the slushes were big enough that normally we could get one for J & S to share together, using only one credit at a time)

During their snack break, we also found this a good, quiet time to visit Pooh’s Playful Spot

While there, we were tipped off to a cool piece of Disney history hidden here. For those of you who remember, this part of the Magic Kingdom once was 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In the wood around the edge of the play area, Bridgette found this

The kids finished playing up there and it was almost 9 o’clock. Time to go get in line for the Tomorrowland rope drop….we hadn’t hit any of TL yet.

The rope dropped and we hustled over to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.

I remember the first couple trips I was able to ride this and absolutely LOVED it. It is still fun, but definitely overshadowed by the new Toy Story Mania. Buzz’s ride is more difficult and the guns that you have to shoot can be difficult to control and quickly start to hurt your hands. That said…..both kids really enjoyed this ride (especially Samantha who could barely even reach the shooter)

My score….not too impressive

Next on our TL agenda: Astro Orbiter!

During our Disney letter of the week countdown to the trip, our first ride to learn about was Astro Orbiter (for the letter A). The kids had been talking about this ride for 26 weeks….and thus were excited to finally get on.

All-in-all, I think they liked it…..Joshua liked the speed of the ride, but I don’t think he liked sitting “by himself”. I think he liked the Dumbo-style where you are sitting next to someone, not in front/behind.

After orbiting some astros we headed over to the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Joshua had fun getting to drive. Apparently we were in a fast car, because we passed a car and hardly had anyone behind us after zooming off. Joshua did pretty good steering, but every once in awhile he sent us into some head-banging turns (ouch!) I believe Bridgette had a similar experience with speedster Samantha.

Right after, I took Joshua to the restroom and upon coming out, he got goofy on me and decided he wanted his shirt tucked in (okay, Urkel)

With Space Mountain closed, one more must-do item on the Tomorrowland list….Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor (I love this show)

None of us got called on during the show, but my dad was put on the big screen once. They showed the kid in front of him and the screen said to watch out for the guy behind (my dad!)

Samantha did okay during the show….probably a little nervous about the monsters and didn’t get the jokes. There were several times though that Joshua laughed hard at some of the jokes.

Me? You would have thought I was an 8-year old. There was one corny joke that got told that I almost fell out of my seat from laughing. Oh man…..if people are nervous about the future of Disney World and the ability to create great new attractions….look no further than Laugh Floor (and Turtle Talk) and Toy Story Midway Mania to know that Disney innovation is putting out some fabulous stuff right now.

After Laugh Floor, it was time to head to the front of the park to catch our lunchtime reservation for the Whispering Canyon Café. We exited to the park and headed over to the dock to catch a boat over to Wilderness Lodge.

For the record….it is really weird to take a boat OVER cars…..so crazy.

Over the cars…and then…..under the monorail

Up next: How neither of our kids managed to show up for lunch…..

 

[chicagoshannon]

You take a boat OVER cars? I've never noticed that. hmm I'm sure I'll have a chance in Feb.

Your Buzz score is better then mine always is. I can't seem to aim those guns correctly. How much longer do you think Buzz will be there?

I never noticed that Sub in the Pooh playground. I'm definitely looking for that next time!

 

[stacikristine]

Right after, I took Joshua to the restroom and upon coming out, he got goofy on me and decided he wanted his shirt tucked in (okay, Urkel)

This is hilarious--I literally laughed out loud at work! My brother and I used to go Urkel all the time....

What a fun morning (even if you did get split up)! I love that Samantha got to meet Alice again, and that your kiddos got to ride the ride that started your countdown! I'm anxious to find out how neither kid showed up for lunch...