~~~~~ Sew, the heat is… ON! ~~~~~ June 2019 ~~~~~ Update x4 6/30!!!!!!!!

[DMGeurts]

The first time we stayed at the Contemporary was in January 1981 and there wasn't a half wall. We also stayed at the Polynesian in the early 1980's - no half wall. And then there was the Beach Club in the 1990's - no half wall. We also stayed at the Disney Inn, aka, Disney Golf Resort, aka, Shades of Green - twice, and that was the only place we saw the wall.

Interesting! Well - the walls were still there as of our January 2018 trip... I doubt they are structural, so they could remove them? I just wish they would find a way to put the bigger bathrooms in those rooms... I'd love a pool view with a bigger bathroom - we could have the bigger bathroom, but we'd have to go very far into the resort, and it's a long walk!

Your hair turned out great! You all also did quite a bit for it being your travel day. I find that I'm so tired/anxious from the travel day that I am ready to go to bed even earlier on our travel day.

Thanks - even now, I am still loving my hair. I think it's much lighter in person than it appears in pics.

Yah - we were kinda regretting that decision by the end of the day... But I totally understood V too - it was the only time she was planning to wear that outfit, and she put a lot of thought into it - so I can see where she'd want pics in front of the castle.

Following along!

Welcome!

I haven't been on Disboards in I don't know how long, but I wanted to read the latest trip report.

Welcome back Shannon - it's great to see you!

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

Good morning all! It's great to be back on the Dis and writing a TR. I still feel badly that I never finished the one from Paris - it was just too difficult with the technical difficulties I was having with my phone. Always happy to answer questions about that trip though.

V and I went to see Toy Story 4 last night... We were super excited! In our honest opinion though - it wasn't nearly as good as the previous 3. There were definitely some great parts to it - we loved the RV at the end... And the story line was cute. We just felt it was a bit lacking and didn't meet the expectations previously set by the other movies. I'd definitely pay matinee prices to see it in the theater, but I don't think I'd pay more than that?

Wishing you all a great weekend - I am hoping to crank out an update or two, so watch for those.

Prayers and Pixie Dust to all!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Friday, May 31, 2019

Day 2, Part 1

I was up at 5am this morning, with my coffee... As the trip progressed, I made coffee less and less in the room and got coffee from Java Cafe instead... The room coffee was terrible this trip - the coffee pot barely worked - and even though it was the same brand of coffee they have always had, it wasn't very good...

So, after Allison got up - we went and grabbed Caramel Macchiatos from JC.

For some reason - I didn't note what time the girls were up... A little out of practice in my journaling I guess? LOL

I was super excited to be wearing my Splash Mountain set on this day! And V was wearing her "Snacks" outfit - which was SUPER CUTE too!

We were on the Shady Shuttle to the Poly at 7am ----> Monorail ----> MK

It was an absolutely perfect sunny summer day at MK!

The park opened at 8am for EMH - and we were towards the front of the pack, but lost that advantage when we stopped for pics - as we always do.

We did not have a game plan for this morning... We just wanted to get here early and ride a few rides before it got busy. Most people were headed towards 7DMT, so as we were standing in the crowd, we decided to go for Peter Pan.

We were among the first people on the ride for the day...

And this is the first time EVER that we have actually walked the queue... Sooooo freaking cute!!!!! Almost better than the ride itself!

The ride itself is very cute! I do believe that this was V's first time riding this ride since she was a little girl... Having actually been to London herself - she loved "seeing it from the air"...

After PP, we were kinda just looking for something to do... V decided she wanted to meet some princesses... There was really not a line for the first 2, but a decent line when we came back through for the 2nd 2.

ETA - I missed a ride, LOL... After the princesses, we went to ride VOTLM - usually this one is walk on at any time of the day - but we had time before the park opened, so we wanted to squeeze in one more ride.

Once we were done here, it was almost time for the park to open officially to other guests... We headed over towards the massive crowds gathering at the entrance to Liberty Square... It was quite honestly a mess - and not something we were expecting at all. Why they only open portions of MK during EMH is beyond me - because it creates this huge mass chaos when the park actually opens.

We made our way to BTMRR - losing V (as we always do) - she has this uncanny ability to make her way in a crowd, as Allison and I straggle along behind. We can usually keep her within sight - but not always. This time, we lost her completely, but once we came out of the bottleneck area - she actually wasn't too far off from us.

We met up with her and got in the insane line - which surprisingly - for as far back as we felt, we were actually at the front of the pack. We actually almost walked on.

After - we decided we wanted breakfast and we all were looking forward to the nutella waffle at Sleepy Hallow... I guess - everyone else had the exact same idea???? It was totally NUTS over there - maybe it wouldn't have been too bad under normal circumstances... but with the refurb of that walkway and the mote - there were refurb walls up everywhere, and no where to sit. It was total chaos - like - I just cannot even explain how bad it was. I don't think someone thought this area out well at all.

Anyways - waffles in hand, we went to seek out *somewhere* to sit... We ended up sitting on a bench across the bridge - it worked out OK, but definitely NOT ideal. However - the waffles were excellent and hit the spot - I'd say they were worth the trouble.

At this point - we decided we were done for the day. LOL It was like, 10am, maybe? But it was hot and we sure felt like we got a lot accomplished in a short amount of time.

We shopped our way out of the park... Stopping for a few pics along the way.

Monorail ----> Poly

Then we shopped a bit at the Poly... Decided we wanted to try the Te Fiti cone... FYI - they DO tell you that the flower is "edible" - I tried a little nibble, and decided it wasn't edible enough for me. Allison chucked the whole flower in her mouth, chewed, said it was "tasty", chewed a bit longer and spit it out - said it was the nastiest thing ever. Soooo... It may be "edible" - but it's really not. LOL

We walked the path back to SoG... Which - not sure if any of you know this... The entire SoG property is 1000% ID check... If you don't carry a valid military ID, or if you aren't a guest staying with SoG - there is NO WAY you will get on to the grounds... The entire property is gated. This also includes the buses... Not only must you show ID and a valid room key to board the bus, but the buses also stop at the guard shack on the way into the resort and the guard boards the bus and checks all Military IDs and room keys... This was new to us this trip.

We decided, once back to our room, we wanted to swim... So, we threw on our suits and headed to the pool - which was a much longer walk this trip. I don't normally swim, because I don't like having to shower and get ready twice in one day... but I was hot enough this time, I did get into the pool. It was SO NICE!!! And it felt so good! However, I did try to avoid getting my hair wet, as I had JUST had it done and didn't want the chlorine to turn it an awful color. LOL

After our swim, we laid down for our traditional "Disney Nap"... Rarely a day goes by in WDW that we don't take an afternoon nap.

Link to Day 2, Part 2

D~​

 

[Wood Nymph]

I was super excited to be wearing my Splash Mountain set on this day! And V was wearing her "Snacks" outfit - which was SUPER CUTE too!

Your outfits are very cute. I love the way your colors matched perfectly, even your sandals. The Splash Mountain ears are one of my favorite of all your ears. V's snack outfit is very clever. The one ear looks like Cookie Monster took a big bite out of it. Her shorts are cute, too.

It was an absolutely perfect sunny summer day at MK!

In June that translates to "hot". I love a sunny morning at WDW.

as we were standing in the crowd, we decided to go for Peter Pan.

You must have walked fast because it looks really empty in front of Peter Pan.

And this is the first time EVER that we have actually walked the queue... Sooooo freaking cute!!!!! Almost better than the ride itself!

We did the standby line for the first time ever in February. We were at MK on Princess half marathon day and had taken the boat to MK from Wilderness Lodge. The crowd never gets to MK too early on race days because of the road closures. So we decided that it was a good opportunity to see the famous standby line. It was very cute and I'm glad we did it - once.

I do believe that this was V's first time riding this ride since she was a little girl..

We do this ride usually every trip. Did V recognize any of the landmarks in London?

We made our way to BTMRR - losing V (as we always do) - she has this uncanny ability to make her way in a crowd, as Allison and I straggle along behind.

It is funny how some people can read a crowd and some can't. We traveled to Disney with a friend who was able to do what V can do. I am good at it too, since I work in downtown Chicago and have to deal with sidewalk crowds all the time. But this friend was even better than I was.

we all were looking forward to the nutella waffle at Sleepy Hallow.

We have never tried this but it sure looks good.

Not only must you show ID and a valid room key to board the bus, but the buses also stop at the guard shack on the way into the resort and the guard boards the bus and checks all Military IDs and room keys... This was new to us this trip.

I told my husband about this extra security and he thinks that they must be having problems, maybe with relatives or other unregistered guests trying to come to the resort.

After our swim, we laid down for our traditional "Disney Nap"... Rarely a day goes by in WDW that we don't take an afternoon nap.

Actually, it is a really good idea to swim early in the day because rain usually comes in the afternoon this time of year. We always have nap time, too. It is extra nice if the room is clean by then.

 

[WDW2012]

V's snack outfit is adorable!!! I don't blame you for being done by 10:00 am, it is so stinking hot and with all those people - ick! We were thinking of seeing Toy Story this weekend but now I'm not so sure. I STILL cry during Toy Story 3 so if it is not going to pull on my heart strings as much....I'm not so sure. Plus I'm not sure I can get emotionally attached to a spork!

 

[cwiklamama]

Loved the video. What a great job.

Always enjoy your reports and looking forward to this one.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Great first day! I too love Satu'li Canteen. Yep, those pods are delicious!!!!

 

[Terkina]

V and you have great outfits. I hope you did something fun for the rest of the day. Being out of MK at 10 am is very early, but I can understand it since it was very hot outside.

 

[disny_luvr]

The pork nachos at Capt. Cook’s is one of my favorite foods in all of Disney.

We experienced the stand-by queue at PP last summer and it is totally cute. Kind of makes me not want to FP that ride anymore, lol.

 

[DMGeurts]

Your outfits are very cute. I love the way your colors matched perfectly, even your sandals. The Splash Mountain ears are one of my favorite of all your ears. V's snack outfit is very clever. The one ear looks like Cookie Monster took a big bite out of it. Her shorts are cute, too.
In June that translates to "hot". I love a sunny morning at WDW.
You must have walked fast because it looks really empty in front of Peter Pan.
We did the standby line for the first time ever in February. We were at MK on Princess half marathon day and had taken the boat to MK from Wilderness Lodge. The crowd never gets to MK too early on race days because of the road closures. So we decided that it was a good opportunity to see the famous standby line. It was very cute and I'm glad we did it - once.
We do this ride usually every trip. Did V recognize any of the landmarks in London?
It is funny how some people can read a crowd and some can't. We traveled to Disney with a friend who was able to do what V can do. I am good at it too, since I work in downtown Chicago and have to deal with sidewalk crowds all the time. But this friend was even better than I was.
We have never tried this but it sure looks good.
I told my husband about this extra security and he thinks that they must be having problems, maybe with relatives or other unregistered guests trying to come to the resort.
Actually, it is a really good idea to swim early in the day because rain usually comes in the afternoon this time of year. We always have nap time, too. It is extra nice if the room is clean by then.

Thank you! I tend to put way more thought into my outfits than any one person should. LOL I start matching fabrics and color coordinating months before our trip... And to get everything right - it often leads to many returns and exchanges. Typically, I choose my bag themes first and order those fabrics - then I cut swatches from those fabrics and carry them with me so I can color coordinate in person, which is easiest... I also take my chances and order things online a lot... I am also very conscious of return policies and timelines, so I know if I order something online (Old Navy, for instance) - I like the ability to return to a store if I can. But yes... Waaaay too much time spent on outfit planning. LOL Sadly - I've passed this trait on to Victoria...

Not too fast... Like I said - 98% of the people from our crowd of people were going to 7DMT - so we lots the masses there. I am very glad we did the PP standby line too - it's so cute!

Well - she recognized Big Ben for sure - She really didn't say much about it, except for the fact that it was cool and realistic.

Not sure if they are having problems? Or if it's just a nationwide DoD thing? Regardless - we felt VERY safe there. LOL Even more safe than before.

That was the only time I swam during this trip - and I am kind of sad now that I didn't do it more - it was very relaxing.

V's snack outfit is adorable!!! I don't blame you for being done by 10:00 am, it is so stinking hot and with all those people - ick! We were thinking of seeing Toy Story this weekend but now I'm not so sure. I STILL cry during Toy Story 3 so if it is not going to pull on my heart strings as much....I'm not so sure. Plus I'm not sure I can get emotionally attached to a spork!

Yah - I loved how her Snack outfit turned out too, it was very cute and a cute idea.

It was very hot - and like I said, we sure felt like we accomplished a lot...

I took tissues with to the movie, as there hasn't been a TS movie yet that hasn't made me cry... No tissues were necessary for this one. I am not sure if we just had too high of hopes? Or if it was just a dud??? I'd happily go see it again in the theater if Josh or Allison wanted someone to go with them - but I wouldn't pay more than matinee prices for it. That's just my opinion though - so, take it for what it's worth. LOL

Loved the video. What a great job.

Always enjoy your reports and looking forward to this one.

Thank you - welcome back! I love watching that video, I feel like she just did a great job capturing the essence of our trip and our personalities.

Great first day! I too love Satu'li Canteen. Yep, those pods are delicious!!!!

Yah - this is on our "must do" quick service meal list from now on... I mean - the flavor is definitely different - but overall, you get a lot of food and you don't leave the restaurant with that uncomfortable feeling like you sometimes get at other places. And the pods are awesome!

V and you have great outfits. I hope you did something fun for the rest of the day. Being out of MK at 10 am is very early, but I can understand it since it was very hot outside.

Thanks Lillian!

Oh yes, we have a big night planned!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

The pork nachos at Capt. Cook’s is one of my favorite foods in all of Disney.

We experienced the stand-by queue at PP last summer and it is totally cute. Kind of makes me not want to FP that ride anymore, lol.

You snuck in on me - LOL...

Yes - they are definitely a favorite of ours!!! We eat them multiple times on every trip - mostly because we walk right past CC going from SoG to the monorail station, and it's easy to grab a meal on our way by.

Agreed totally... I felt like the queue was better than the ride itself.

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 2, Part 2

We took a nice long nap after our swim today. I love SoG's room darkening curtains - literally, you close them and you'd think it was the middle of the night. We started to leave them cracked just a smidge, otherwise we'd wake up disoriented. LOL

We woke up at 3:30pm... We were out the door at 4:05pm.

Shady Shuttle ----> Poly

We stopped for dinner at Captain Cooks again... This time I opted for the Pork Sandwich with fries... I notated in my journal that it was "Super good!!!" - ahh, but I didn't take a picture of it. If memory serves me correctly - I wanted to have this again over the course of our trip, but I didn't get to it.

Monorail ----> MK (and it's trying to rain...)

Despite just having had dinner, V wanted a Stuffed Cream Cheese Pretzel - so that was our immediate mission...

Stopping for a castle pic on our way - because #newoutfit

We stopped at the Lunching Pad... V got her pretzel, Allison ordered a Frozen Coke and we all split the GIANT Mickey Head Donut (Strawberry flavor?) - which ended up being Pixie Dusted to us - not sure why??? They had a whole stack of them sitting there, so maybe they all had cracked frosting or something? We were happy about it though.

We found an open table, just under the roof of the Lunching Pad - it was still trying to rain - and we had a bit of time to waste... What better way to do that, than snacking at Disney?

After a while - we were tired of sitting there... So, we left our spot and started to make our way to Fantasyland...

On our way - we stopped for one of my only "official Now n' Then" photos...

2003

2008

2012

2016

2019

I know, this Now n' Then we have done on every single trip - but I can't seem to find the ones from 2013 & 2014.

When we finished taking pics... The girls and I headed towards Philharmagic - one of our favorites... Gotta love us some Donald!!!

We still had time before our FP time started... So Allison and I went to ride TLM, the posted wait time was 15 min - more than what we'd normally wait for this ride, especially considering we'd already ridden it once today... but we wanted to stay in the area and we had time. So, we queued up - and the line was longer than we'd ever seen it. And it was HOT. We waited in line for about 20 minutes, and once we got to the next room to see that they had also queued it in there, we exited the line... There was probably still another 20 minute wait.

We did take a moment for a few PP pics though...

We met back up with V (I don't remember where she went) at Pinocchio Village Haus, where I went in and grabbed large waters for all of us, we sat on a bench and rested.

Eeeek!!!! Guess what time it is??????

It's time to meet up with Suzi!!!!! I haven't seen her since my trip to Ft. Myers in February 2018!!!! It had been too long!!!!

Waiting for Suzi...

Just the cutest video of us... Neither of us are happy about how we look... but it's the sentiment that counts!!!! I love this girl so much!!! We talk almost every single day, and don't get to see eachother nearly enough.

She was in WDW for her birthday... Traveling with her cousin Holly and Holly's little dd... They were super nice and so cute!!!

We all had FPs - which only overlapped by 5 minutes - so we had to be precise about when we rode, so we could all ride together. This was the only FP we were able to coordinate during our trips.

But it was a GREAT ride!!!!!

No worries... Allison fixed it.

I think you'd all agree that Allison has some crazy wicked talent! Right?

Sadly - we didn't get to spend much time together tonight... Suzi and clan had a Dessert Party to get to... And we had the rest of our FPs to use up.

Big hugs for everyone all around, and we parted ways.

The girls and I headed to Splash Mountain...

Afterall - I NEEDED to ride it once with my Splash outfit on, right? (It was super busy - wait time was well over an hour - we were completely shocked that we had a log to ourselves!) My guess - is that they *know* we sing the song for the entire ride... We are those people.

From here - we used our FP for BTMRR...

And we immediately exited the park at 9pm.

Monorail ----> TTC ----> SoG bus and arrived back at our resort at 9:20pm. Not too shabby!

We were in bed at 10pm - ready for an EARLIER day tomorrow. And we ended our day with 21k steps.

Link to Day 3, Part 1

D~​

 

[solana131]

Oh my gosh, what a perfect time for me to jump in! I figured out that if I view it through Explorer vs Chrome, I can see more photos. Not all still, but most.

So glad we got to meet up a few times! It made the Birthday trip so special!

And yes. Allison definitely has mad photoshop skills!

 

[lovegrumpy]

I heard that Shades had change there id policy but didn't realize it was like that. We have only stayed once years ago but drove most if the time.

 

[DMGeurts]

Oh my gosh, what a perfect time for me to jump in! I figured out that if I view it through Explorer vs Chrome, I can see more photos. Not all still, but most.

So glad we got to meet up a few times! It made the Birthday trip so special!

And yes. Allison definitely has mad photoshop skills!

Perfect timing, as usual - my friend! Glad you figured it out, so you can at least follow along!

Me too - it was a great birthday for both of us!

Yah - we got lucky with that one!

I heard that Shades had change there id policy but didn't realize it was like that. We have only stayed once years ago but drove most if the time.

Yes - I was a little baffled, at first, at how strict it had become... But it was nice too - knowing that the odds of someone being there, who shouldn't be there, are pretty slim.

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

Hoping to throw in another update this morning, while Josh is sleeping in.

D~

 

[NJlauren]

Here and following along!

Wow, that Video made me cry when you and Suzi met up, so that's where we are now!

Love your trip reports and your relationship with your girls love following along!

 

[mymainmouse]

Awesome updates! The themed outfits are so cute! I wish I looked that put together when we go to WDW. We usually go in September and I am sweating to death because of the heat, so I just look melted in my pictures.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I wondered when you would get to Splash Mountain. After all, it was the theme of the day.

The meeting with Suzi was really sweet. You can tell how much it meant to both of you.

And we immediately exited the park at 9pm.

Monorail ----> TTC ----> SoG bus and arrived back at our resort at 9:20pm. Not too shabby!

We were in bed at 10pm - ready for an EARLIER day tomorrow.

That is great transportation speed. But I thought the SoG bus ran on a schedule. Did it take you from the TTC when it wasn't during a scheduled time?

 

[DMGeurts]

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Day 3, Part 1

I was up at 4:30 when my alarm went off.

We were out the door promptly at 6am.

Java Cafe wasn't open by 6:05, and there was a considerable line in front of us. We needed to be on the 6:15 bus to AK for AM EMH at 7am. We opted to skip our morning coffee and grab it at Starbucks in AK. Which we were glad we did - as that early AK bus was FULL - standing room only!

We were in the park at 7am... While everyone else veered off to snag FoP, we were the sole people headed to Starbucks.

See... We had the rest of the park to ourselves!

There was a very small crowd waiting with us for the bridge to the Safari to open... I mean - EMH starts at 7am right??? I felt a little cheated that they "officially" don't open the park until 7:15 (and in MK - only part of the park is open... I feel a bit jipped).

We were in the 2nd row of the very first Safari vehicle to depart for the day - so that was nice.

Lots of safari pics ahead - in no particular order...

Honestly - the giraffes are my favorite! I love seeing them!

And the flamingos... I've been loving flamingos ever since Aruba - which is funny, because there is only ONE place to see flamingos in Aruba and it's on a private island - yet they've become a "mascot" for the island? LOL We definitely see more flamingos in AK.

After the safari - we headed over to EE... We rode standby twice together...

After that, we were kinda trying to kill time before our breakfast ADR at Tusker House... We decided to head over to Dinoland to ride Primeval Whirl - which V doesn't ever remember riding.

A quick photo stop on our way...

And since there was only a 10 minute wait for Dinosaur, we decided to do that one too... V rode this one once in 2008, and hasn't ridden it since... She had no memory of this one either. Allison and I tried to put her in the perfect spot in the ride vehicle, but we got it wrong. LOL And she wasn't scared anyways.

AK was JUST opening now - so we got a LOT done during EMH.

We headed back to EE to ride with our FPs...

We had a bit of time yet before our 10am breakfast reservation... So we found all of the Photopass Photographers we could find on the way...

Kinda reminded us of home...

(I still make the stupidest scared face ever... LOL)

We tried to check in a few minutes early for our reservation - but no luck... So, we waited around nearby and checked in again as soon as they allowed - which was 15 minutes early, I believe. We checked in at exactly 9:55 and we were seated at exactly 10:05.

We always look forward to this meal a lot! I am not sure why??? We don't really do much with the characters anymore, and the food - IMO - is a little "meh"... But for some reason - we continue to do it and look forward to it. Honestly - it's a bit over priced for Mealie Pap and Mickey Waffles - which are our favorites here.

However - they did have a little bit of lunch stuff out (I think?) - there was a curry chicken dish there that I had never seen before - and I LOVE curry!!! It was actually very good - I prefer my curry to be a bit spicier, but this had very good flavor.

After breakfast - we paid our bill and snuck out the side door which dumped us almost in front of the Safari... We had a FP to use for that... The FP return line was VERY long (thank you Suzi for warning us of that), I was very unimpressed by the FP return lines this trip - it's almost like a 2nd standby line...

There were far less animals out this time - I honestly prefer riding this ride right at opening.

The giraffes were closer though...

It was HOT and we were done!!! We felt like we were able to get everything done that we wanted to do... With exception to FOLK - the show times just did not align with our plans at all this trip - so we didn't even get to see it. Super bummed, as it's one of our favorites!

We made our way to the front of the park... Stopping for a pic on our way out...

And just as we were about to exit - we stumbled upon Devine... We have only seen her once (2012) and she is just mesmerizing!!! I was shocked at how many people mocked and laughed at her as they walked by - not knowing what a treat it is to get to see her and what a talent she has... She is very beautiful! So, here's a few pics for you.

We exited the park at 11:25, not realizing our bus was waiting and left at 11:30 - we made it on time, just as the bus was leaving. Oops! I misread the bus schedule - apparently. LOL

We were in our room by Noon.

Time for another Disney nap.

Link to Day 3, Part 2

D~​

 

[DMGeurts]

Awesome updates! The themed outfits are so cute! I wish I looked that put together when we go to WDW. We usually go in September and I am sweating to death because of the heat, so I just look melted in my pictures.

Thanks! I love outfit planning! It's so much fun! Yah - I understand - we were pretty melted too! LOL

I wondered when you would get to Splash Mountain. After all, it was the theme of the day.

The meeting with Suzi was really sweet. You can tell how much it meant to both of you.


That is great transportation speed. But I thought the SoG bus ran on a schedule. Did it take you from the TTC when it wasn't during a scheduled time?

Right? And that was our ONLY ride on SM for the entire trip. So sad!

Yah - she is one of my BFFs, I wish we could see eachother more often.

Yes - SoG buses do run on a schedule... But from the TTC it's always every 20 minutes - so if you use the TTC as your hub, you wait is never very long. So, we prefer to use the TTC when we take the monorail, because we know we can grab a bus every 20 minutes - rather than going to the Poly and walking... It saves our feet a lot.

D~

 

[Wood Nymph]

There was a very small crowd waiting with us for the bridge to the Safari to open... I mean - EMH starts at 7am right??? I felt a little cheated that they "officially" don't open the park until 7:15 (and in MK - only part of the park is open... I feel a bit jipped).

But it gave you time to drink your Starbucks.

After the safari - we headed over to EE... We rode standby twice together...

The nice thing about FoP is that you can get on so many other rides before the crowds get there.

We decided to head over to Dinoland to ride Primeval Whirl - which V doesn't ever remember riding.
... since there was only a 10 minute wait for Dinosaur, we decided to do that one too... V rode this one once in 2008, and hasn't ridden it since... She had no memory of this one either. Allison and I tried to put her in the perfect spot in the ride vehicle, but we got it wrong. LOL And she wasn't scared anyways.

It is like a whole new trip for V.
[

So we found all of the Photopass Photographers we could find on the way...

Those colors look good on you. I love the Walt with Mickey silhouette on your bag.

The FP return line was VERY long (thank you Suzi for warning us of that), I was very unimpressed by the FP return lines this trip - it's almost like a 2nd standby line...

There were far less animals out this time - I honestly prefer riding this ride right at opening.

We have seen really long standby lines for the safari, too. I agree that the early morning times are the best. It can also be good after it rains. The animals like when the rain cools things off.