Seriously...You're Going Again?! Yep!! The Final Wrap-Up!!! 12.26.13

[DisneyKid4Life]

HAHA, I always enjoy a Great Movie Ride report just to see if they get the gangster or cowboy. I swear, DISers just never get the cowboy. So funny.

First Fantasmic!... seriously?? Wow. I just LOVE IT!!! It's definitely a Do Not Miss for me.

 

[TinksThree]

HAHA, I always enjoy a Great Movie Ride report just to see if they get the gangster or cowboy. I swear, DISers just never get the cowboy. So funny.

First Fantasmic!... seriously?? Wow. I just LOVE IT!!! It's definitely a Do Not Miss for me.

We have actually gotten the western version a couple of times but the last several visits it has been all gangster!!

I know, can you believe that it was our first time at Fantasmic?! Unbelievable for a Disney lovin' fool like me!! Keith isn't into shows of any type much. I will definitely go back...I am just not too sure about Keith!

 

[mermaid764]

I once again fell massively behind on your TR amidst never having dis time anymore thanks to wedding planning, but yours is definitely one that I don't want to give up on reading. You always write the most entertaining TR's, and I always look forward to your updates

Lunch in France looked delicious, and the weather looked perfect for a day of touring world showcase.

The Oz area looked really neat, it's cool how Disney always incorporates its new movies into the parks like that even if its temporary.

Yay for your first time seeing fantasmic! This next trip will actually be my first time seeing it at WDW too after all our trips. I've seen the Disneyland version many times but it's just never aligned for us to see it at the world so this trip its on my must do list.

I can't wait to hear more

 

[TinksThree]

I once again fell massively behind on your TR amidst never having dis time anymore thanks to wedding planning, but yours is definitely one that I don't want to give up on reading. You always write the most entertaining TR's, and I always look forward to your updates

Lunch in France looked delicious, and the weather looked perfect for a day of touring world showcase.

The Oz area looked really neat, it's cool how Disney always incorporates its new movies into the parks like that even if its temporary.

Yay for your first time seeing fantasmic! This next trip will actually be my first time seeing it at WDW too after all our trips. I've seen the Disneyland version many times but it's just never aligned for us to see it at the world so this trip its on my must do list.

I can't wait to hear more

I can't seem to find much Dis time lately either, so I understand! Plus wedding planning takes a lot out of you!!

It was a great day in World Showcase! The weather was perfect even if it was a little cool. And lunch was delish!!

Fantasmic was good. I think you will enjoy the show! More to come soon!!!

 

[TinksThree]

Our second full day began bright and early with one goal in mind: Toy Story Mania!!! And as any good Disney planner knows, to ride TSMM you must be at Rope Drop! Okay, the way we like to do it, you must be at DHS at Rope Drop!! We make a beeline to TSMM, grab a Fast Pass and jump into the stand-by line!!

And that is exactly what we do!! We arrive early and as it seemed Rope Drop was going at DHS, they let us in about 15 minutes early!! We make our way back to Pixar land and soon we have our FPs in hand! And then we jump in the stand-by line! But something seemed amiss! These pictures were taken while in the stand-by line:









Notice anything...yep, that line was completely outdoors!! Now when you get into a line that usually has wait times in excess of 60 minutes, you tend to not want to give up your good spot! Even if it is pretty cool and the wind is a tad bit chilly! Especially since the CMs kept implying that the ride was down but should be up soon. I suppose soon in Disney terms is all relative?

Finally after waiting about 40 minutes and going back and forth about "do we give up/move on or do we stay?" a CM comes along and says it may be a while before the ride opens. Well, that did it!! We move on! But where?

We saw this:



And decide to give it a try. The attraction was basically two rooms you stand in and a story is told.





It wasn't terrible. It wasn't amazing. I would rate it about a 7 for a first time. Would i do it again? Probably not but I am really glad we experienced it and I would recommend to anyone who is a POTC fan!!

We leave and try to decide what to do next! After some contemplating and deciding we were hungry (by this time it was 10:30am...seriously!! We got to DHS at 8:30 am and the only thing we have done is stand in a cold line and see a ten minute pirate show!) so we decide to try going to Magic Kingdom!

We make our way to the bus stop and soon we are heading off to the the land of princesses and a new Fantasyland!!!! Well........almost!

What happens when you ride a bus from another park (DHS or AK) to Magic Kingdom? Anyone? Well, I will tell you that I am more than glad they are building that new bus loop because as of March you went to the TTC and what happens when Disney decides to do maintenance on the monorail to MK? They shut it down and it forces hords of people to stand in massive lines while vying for a spot on the buses they have going to MK or the ferry.

Now, thankfully, we were in good spirits because at this point we were more like "You have GOT to be kidding me!!!" "Is everything in all of Disney world down today!?!!?!?"

Well, what does every good Disney planner do? You start plotting and deciding the best attack plan. Now we could just go back to Epcot. That would be easy enough. We could grab lunch there. I was really wanting to try Be Our guest though so Keith decided what to do. The thing was we did not want to stand in more long lines! I plan for a reason!! We just want to keep moving!!

So the plan Keith came up with and worked like a charm: ride the monorail to Epcot, grab the first resort bus we see and grab a bus from the resort to Magic Kingdom! We board the Epcot bound monorail and enjoy our first real ride of the day! (Because we count the monorail as a ride!! Yes, we do!

And the views of the Flower and Garden Festival were just as grand from up above!!!





















Oh my goodness!! Have I stated how much I love Epcot and The Flower and Garden Festival!? Looking at these pictures again just makes me Happy,Happy, Happy!!!!

The monorail ride over, we make our way to the bus and the first one there? Coronado Springs...which we board and then get off at the first stop. Within two minutes, here comes the Magic Kingdom bus! Now, I did forget that the CSR bus has multiple stops but it didn't matter. From boarding the monorail to Epcot to stepping off the bus at Magic Kingdom we had spent a total of 40 minutes!!!! Even if the lines had gotten us there in 30 minutes (the estimated time CMs were quoting) I think our route was more relaxing and much more scenic!

By this time it is quickly approaching noon and we are starving!!!

But no matter how hungry you are, stopping for this gem of a photo makes you briefly forget that growling stomach!



Continued in the following post...

 

[TinksThree]

And then we are off to Fantasyland! We arrive at BOG and the line is so long (or so it appeared). I had a feeling this would happen due to the time it took to arrive.





So what do we do for food? Well, Pinochio Villiage Haus was close by and we have yet to give it a try, so we headed that way!!





We lined up and order our food.







And it was super yummy food!!!

Keith and Chris got the Meatball sub and fries:



Madison went crazy and ordered chicken nuggets and fries:



And I got the Barbeque Chicken Flatbread:



We were more than satisfied! This little place is worth the effort!

We finish up and take one more picture:



And now what?!?! We were definitely flying by the seat of our pants!! But will our choices actually be operating? Today's track record hasn't been too great thus far!! You will have to come back and see!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

The Pirate show whatever-it-is-called reminds me of the set that was there whenever the Narnia movies came out. Like you said, it's neat to see but not a must see.

Oh wait! My "must see" comment made me remember something that I wanted to comment on. Keith didn't care for Fantasmic? What the heck? We love it and it's definitely a must see in our book. The one time that we didn't go see it (we thought it was canceled because of a thunderstorm), we all pouted about it.

What a beautiful view you had of Epcot from the monorail. It's so pretty!

Pinocchio's is one of our favorite counter service eateries. While it's nothing spectacular, it's always consistently good.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Poor TSM really needs some TLC I think. Although, I'm not sure sure I'd want to be the executive to make the call to take it offline for an extended period of time.

Wow, that's some journey. It's amazing that you could take a route that long and still make it to MK in around the same time as just from the TTC. Don't get me wrong, I love the TTC and the Monorail journey into MK. I mean, it was the original intention to build that anticipation of arriving into MK. But since the monorails are getting older and less reliable, I think that original intent is now just a cause for frustration.

Ah, I totally love Pinochio Villiage Haus. It's the closest I will get to Small World.

 

[TinksThree]

The Pirate show whatever-it-is-called reminds me of the set that was there whenever the Narnia movies came out. Like you said, it's neat to see but not a must see.

Oh wait! My "must see" comment made me remember something that I wanted to comment on. Keith didn't care for Fantasmic? What the heck? We love it and it's definitely a must see in our book. The one time that we didn't go see it (we thought it was canceled because of a thunderstorm), we all pouted about it.

What a beautiful view you had of Epcot from the monorail. It's so pretty!

Pinocchio's is one of our favorite counter service eateries. While it's nothing spectacular, it's always consistently good.

I never went through the Narnia attraction because although we love that movie, I kept hearing negative reviews. But I do think (from what I read) that the two are close!

I really don't understand Keith sometimes! I do think sometimes he goes into something expecting to hate it and never allows himself to enjoy it! Oh the tales I could tell about his turn from Disney "hater"! We regularly watch Disney movies now...because he stops the surfing! Also he joins in in Disney trip planning ever so slightly so I am glad he "allowed" himself to enjoy this!!

Poor TSM really needs some TLC I think. Although, I'm not sure sure I'd want to be the executive to make the call to take it offline for an extended period of time.

Wow, that's some journey. It's amazing that you could take a route that long and still make it to MK in around the same time as just from the TTC. Don't get me wrong, I love the TTC and the Monorail journey into MK. I mean, it was the original intention to build that anticipation of arriving into MK. But since the monorails are getting older and less reliable, I think that original intent is now just a cause for frustration.

Ah, I totally love Pinochio Villiage Haus. It's the closest I will get to Small World.

Blasphemy!!! Take down TSMM for refurb!!! No...really I agree! There probably would be a riot but I read where it was down this week...or last (they all seem to run together!).

Totally agree on the journey! I love the monorails but that too needs an update! The concept is great but the frustration that occurs in reality...not so much!!

You sound like Madison about Small World! You will be happy to know you will NOT be subjected to pictures or video this trip!!

 

[amandaw]

That stinks that TSM was down! We definitely felt that pain in October!

But, it sounds like going to MK worked out....once you were able to get there.

Love the shots of EPCOT from the monorail.

 

[TinksThree]

That stinks that TSM was down! We definitely felt that pain in October!

But, it sounds like going to MK worked out....once you were able to get there.

Love the shots of EPCOT from the monorail.

I seem to hear TSM being down more and more on chat forums. We were beginning to think this day was goingto be a complete bust! When you only have 4 days...that is disappointing! But it didn't last long!! (Thank goodness!!)

 

[TinksThree]

So far this day had really not been very successful but now we are full from lunch and ready to see what the fuss about New Fantasyland is all about!!

Getting the boys into this part of the park was a huge undertaking!! But thankfully they didn't complain too much. The area around Gaston's and the bridge at Be Our Guest was packed! We skimmed through that area and decided we needed to visit a certain mermaid that has always been one of Madison's favorites!!



When I was at Magic Kingdom in December this ride was down so I was a little excited too!! In my excitement I took tons of pictures...surprising, I know!!!













Once we got inside, the queue is fairly long and no line. With people coming behind us, I tried to get pictures along the way, but we were walking pretty fast!! goodvibes)



"....Look at this stuff
Isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has everything?
Look at this trove
Treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?...."





"....Looking around here you think
Sure, she's got everything
I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I've got whozits and whatzits galore
You want thingamabobs?
I've got twenty!
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more...."





Before we knew it we were loading into our little clam car and heading off!!





"...The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?..."





"...Under the sea, under the sea
Darling it's better down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we're devoting full time to floating
Under the sea, ha ha..."





"...Under the sea
When the sardine begin to beguine
It's music to me
What do they got, a lot of sand?
We've got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here know how to jam here
Under the sea
Each little slug here gutting a rug here
Under the sea
Each little snail know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter under the water
Yeah, we in luck here down in the muck here
Under the sea..."









Continued in the following post....

 

[TinksThree]

Chris looked like he was surviving but Keith...well I am not so sure!! He was a good sport though!!!









Checking back in with the guys...



Maybe the girliness is getting to them???



"...There you see her
Sitting there across the way
She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her
And you don't know why, but you're dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl..."



"...Now's your moment
Floating in the blue lagoon
Boy, you better do it soon
No time would be better
She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl..."



"...Sha-la-la-la-la-la don't be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha-la-la-la-la-la don't stop now
Don't try to hide it, how?
You wanna kiss the girl..."









This was just like stepping into the movie and I really, really enjoyed it!!

As we left, we spotted Hidden Mickey's!!



Another thing I wanted to do was go to the Meet and Greet at Storybook Circus! So we make our way over...



And I have a photobomber!!







The guys decided to sit this one out, so Madison and I went in. We tried to decide who we wanted to see: Donald and Goofy or Minnie and Daisy. We decided to go with the shortest wait time of 20 minutes (although in the end it was more like 45 mintues!).



Donald and Goofy won this trip!!





Goofy was up first:





And then we saw Donald!!



This area is so cute and I hope to make it back to see Minnie and Daisy sometime! Not having little ones, we don't do a lot of Meet and Greets, but if it is someone we have ever seen or something new and interesting, I will seek them out. So glad I did this time!!

We breezed through the Big Top...



...to meet up with our now impatient guys. Since my phone service didn't work inside the building, they had no idea the wait time was double!!

Continued in the following post...

 

[TinksThree]

Then we made our way back through New Fantasyland:

Hello again Ariel!!



And we have a quick walk by shooting of Gaston's!!



My next mission was the new bathroom area...weird, huh!? Only Walt Disney World can make the public restrooms a destination point!! (Well...other than you know....)

The Rapunzel Tower and Square area:









Great use of space!!! This area had only been opened for a week or two and was packed!! So we decided to move on along!

Next up: We take on some additional "never done before" adventures!!

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

You just can't NOT take loads of photos of the LM queue. It's scientifically impossible I think.

 

[mickeystoontown]

The pictures of the not so excited guys on the new Little Mermaid ride had me giggling. Poor things! Your pictures turned out much much better than mine...they were so blurry.

I know what you mean about the new bathroom area. We had to go see it too because it was so well themed. And, I did have to tinkle.

 

[TinksThree]

Great pics!

Thank you!!!

You just can't NOT take loads of photos of the LM queue. It's scientifically impossible I think.

I know! I kept snapping away!! I also thing there is a law written stating that you must take loads of pictures!

The pictures of the not so excited guys on the new Little Mermaid ride had me giggling. Poor things! Your pictures turned out much much better than mine...they were so blurry.

I know what you mean about the new bathroom area. We had to go see it too because it was so well themed. And, I did have to tinkle.

Weren't they funny?! Poor fellows!! I had some pretty blurry ones but I didn't share those! I need to get caught up on your TR...again!

I think we took advantage of the stop as well!!

 

[TinksThree]

We departed Fantasyland and made our way to our next destination...one we weren't to sure what it would be! Haunted Mansion had a 40 minute wait so we decided to by pass it. The Liberty Belle was getting ready to load so we decided "Why not?!"

This was our first time to ride the Liberty Belle and although not a thrill ride, it is a nice break from all of the hustle and bustle of the park!

The weather vane (one of those very random pictures I take!)



This one makes more sense! The castle is in the background!!!



The crowds fighting their way through Frontierland while we are all relaxed and not cramped on the boat!!





Really, the crowds weren't that bad...and especially after being there last July!

Filling time before we departed, we took some pictures on the boat:





And then we were on our way!!!







People waiting on a raft ride to Tom Sawyer Island:







I think I had about 20 pictures of BTMRR...I won't subject you to them all!!











Relaxing by the river...



The Native Americans chose to live on either side of the railroad tracks....interesting!!!





Just around the river bend...



Continued in the following post...

 

[TinksThree]

is the end of the ride....



and Haunted Mansion!!



What a fun and laid back trip! This attraction actually had Keith tolerating Magic Kingdom! So what next?! BTMRR!!

Along the way...



And arriving at BTMRR we see the wait time is 70 minutes...no thank you!! So what to do??

How about a raft ride?









We waited about 10 minutes for a raft to come along and while we waited the Liberty Belle was going for another ride:





Before we know it, we have crossed the river and landed on Tom Sawyer Island! This was our first time here as well...so where to begin?!



We head through the cave and come out...somewhere!

We cross a bridge...



And then we find the fort!





Keith never seems to look impressed!!





While they rested, I walked around the fort...









And then it was time to move on!

Harper's Mill up close!







About this time, we got separated. Madison and I went to the top of a hill to see the marching band go through Frontierland. Then we went through various paths until we ran into Chris. This place is "huge"! Maybe not really huge but there are so many little pathways and detours it at least makes it feel that way!

Madison, Chris and I sit a spell and relax:



We enjoyed some snacks and water we had brought with us. It was actually warming up nicely at this point! Finally Keith locates us and we explore a little more before loading back up on the rafts.

We grab a FP for BTMRR



And then Chris and Madison head off to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mtn. (I forgot Chris had gone and grabbed FPs when we first arrived. And since Keith and I weren't riding, they each got two FPs!)

While they went off to Space, Keith and I grabbed Mickey bars (one of Keith's favorites) and stood on the bridge at Splash Mtn...watching empty boats drop. In my mind I was on that ride though!! I was sad it was still closed for refurb since it is one of my favorites!!

After we finished our yummy ice cream, we made our way to Main Street and parted ways. Keith was heading back to the room for a rest. I headed to Tomorrowland to wait for the kids.

So far this day started out poorly but then was filled with firsts! Pirates attraction at DHS, Pinocchio's Haus for lunch, Little Mermaid/Under the Sea, new Meet and Greets with Goofy and Donald, Rapunzel's fancy tower/bathroom digs, Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyer Island! So maybe this day hasn't been too bad after all!!

Up next: What do the kids and I find to do...will Keith return... and what's for supper!? We will finish out day 2!