We finished up our second ride for RnR and noticed that our FP window time was open again, so we grabbed a set of Fastpasses for RnR before we left. Now it was time to explore the park some. There was a Disney "secret" I had seen and heard about that I wanted to show the boys, so we headed back toward Echo Lake. I had seen it before on the DIS, but was reminded of it recently reading Glenn's latest TR so I remembered it on this trip. We arrived near the entrance to Indiana Jones and my goal was to locate
(Thanks to Glenn for letting me use his great TR picture of the well!!!)
The boys asked me what I was looking for. I told them about the well and they had actually seen it before so they knew where it was, but they didn't know the significance. We walked up to the well and I told them to pull the rope. We could hear what sounded like construction noises and people talking from inside the well. (We were so intent on pulling the rope and hearing what happened I never even thought about getting a picture, which is why I had to use Glenns above) It is funny how many ordinary things we pass right by every time we go to Disney and don't realize the special little details the Imagineers put into them. We continued to explore the surrounding area of the Indiana Jones "dig site." Sadly this is the only picture I took that came out okay....
After exploring the area around the Indiana Jones dig site we headed towards the Streets of America. On the way we passed this photo op and Andrew wanted to get a picture. The line was short so the boys waited their turn and finally got to pose for some pictures. While the PhotoPass Photographer took some shots I got some with the camera on my phone.
We finally arrived at the Streets of America and I had a couple of goals in mind. First I had to pay tribute to my DISbuddy Jordan like so many others have by replicating the Karate Kid crane stance here....
While we walked around looking at different things I noticed all the lights that would turn this place into something very special later that evening. I also noticed this guy and since I was starting to get a little hungry I was hoping he would ask me to join him.
Before leaving the Streets of America I had one more tribute I had to finally make on this trip for my DISfriend Rosie.
And yes Rosie, I got some strange looks from the boys when I asked them to take the picture!!! Hope I lived up to the high standard you set on the DIS!!!
DHS wasn't very crowded since it was NYE day and most people are typically trying to get into the MK and Epcot for the huge NYE celebrations that night. As we exited the area of the Streets of America we saw one of the boy's favorite shows.......Muppet Vision 3D. They really love the wisecracks from Waldorf and Statler, and often quote the ones from the show, or that they find on the internet. I like this show, but I really wish they would do a refurb and change it up some so there is something new to laugh at. I don't do this show every trip, but it is still fun if I haven't done it in a while.
While we waited for the show to start I walked around and got some pictures of the props in the lobby area.
About the time we got done it was time to meet the DW. We were ready to eat so after meeting her we discussed what we wanted. The boys wanted to go to Pizza Planet, but Alison and I weren't really wanting Pizza, so we told them to go ahead (one nice thing about the DDP, they could get their own meals) and we would find something else. Alison wasn't very hungry since she had a little to eat before leaving the room so we decided to just share something, especially since we had an early dinner ADR at Cape May Cafe. We ended up at the Studio Catering Company where we had a Pressed Turkey Club sandwich and the cheese cake for dessert. We both thought the sandwich was pretty good and we only had to use one CS credit on our meal plan. I got a sprite with the meal and we used a snack credit to get DW a diet coke. For the record, Matthew and Jonathan had the Pepperoni Pizza Meal and Andrew had the Meatball Sub at Pizza Planet.
After we were done we wanted to meet back up so I was texting back and forth with the boys. We headed towards TSMM to meet them when we found a kiosk that had Toy Story characters, including the Slinky Dog that Andrew wanted to get so I texted the boys and told them we would wait for them there before riding TSMM.
As we were standing there waiting for the boys this little boy walked up to the CM running the kiosk and informed her that he had lost his parents. The CM was talking to him and he informed her that his name was Oliver, and he was 7 years old from London, England. The CM contacted Security so they could come help Oliver get reunited with his parents. It was taking a while for Security to arrive but Oliver was quite calm and very brave. He said his family was on the way to Tower of Terror but they got separated near the Sorcerer's hat. I'm sure his parents were probably in that area looking frantically for Oliver.
This is a scary event that I'm sure happens all too often at Disney. It reminded me how important it is to teach your young children what to do if you become separated in a huge crowd like that. I'm sure Oliver thought he was headed in the right direction to find them instead of staying put, but at least he knew enough to eventually find a CM and ask for help.
While we were waiting on the boys to arrive, and Oliver was waiting nearby for Security to come help him locate his parents a humorous event happened that helped break the parental tension Alison and I were experiencing for Oliver and his parents. This man came walking by in front of us with his little girl sitting on his shoulders. I had just turned my attention back in the direction they had come from keeping a watch out for the boys when all of a sudden I heard this combination thud and ping sound. Quickly turning my head back towards where I had last noticed the man and his piggyback riding daughter I saw the man staggering backwards a little bit, rubbing his forehead. He had run straight into a lamppost. I don't know what he was looking at to not notice it right in front of him but it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. Alison and I both looked at each other and shook our heads, snickering quietly to each other. Where is the lucky timing to capture something that funny on video so I can put it on AFV??? It would have been right up there with so many others I have seen on that show.
Security finally arrived and headed off to help Oliver find his lost parents. The boys finally found us and after purchasing Slinky Dog for Andrew it was time to use that first set of FPs for TSMM since the second set wasn't quite within the ride window. Since Alison wasn't with us when we arrived that morning, there were only four FPs so I decided to sit it out while she and the boys headed in to ride. I worked my way into the exit and stood across from the loading area until they showed up a few minutes later. It was a great chance to grab some pics.
After they departed on their journey to conquer some Midway Games I wandered back outside and waited for them here, just in case they needed to contact me to jump into the battle with them.
The family finally came out to join me with Jonathan the high score victor this time around. It wasnt quite time we could use the other set of TSMM FPs so we headed off to use the RnR fastpasses. There were only four of them and since DW hadnt had the chance to ride much so far I decided to let her and the boys go ride while I waited. I found a bench and decided to people watch while hoping to catch some Streetmosphere performers. Time continued to drag along and the longer I sat there, the more I was no longer into staying and catching any more rides. Finally I texted the family and told them I was heading back to the room and they should go ahead and use the rest of the FPs. They needed to hurry though so they could get back to the room in time for us to make our Dinner ADR at Cape May Café.
Coming Up ..Cape May and a Light Show!
(Thanks to Glenn for letting me use his great TR picture of the well!!!)
The boys asked me what I was looking for. I told them about the well and they had actually seen it before so they knew where it was, but they didn't know the significance. We walked up to the well and I told them to pull the rope. We could hear what sounded like construction noises and people talking from inside the well. (We were so intent on pulling the rope and hearing what happened I never even thought about getting a picture, which is why I had to use Glenns above) It is funny how many ordinary things we pass right by every time we go to Disney and don't realize the special little details the Imagineers put into them. We continued to explore the surrounding area of the Indiana Jones "dig site." Sadly this is the only picture I took that came out okay....
After exploring the area around the Indiana Jones dig site we headed towards the Streets of America. On the way we passed this photo op and Andrew wanted to get a picture. The line was short so the boys waited their turn and finally got to pose for some pictures. While the PhotoPass Photographer took some shots I got some with the camera on my phone.
We finally arrived at the Streets of America and I had a couple of goals in mind. First I had to pay tribute to my DISbuddy Jordan like so many others have by replicating the Karate Kid crane stance here....
While we walked around looking at different things I noticed all the lights that would turn this place into something very special later that evening. I also noticed this guy and since I was starting to get a little hungry I was hoping he would ask me to join him.
Before leaving the Streets of America I had one more tribute I had to finally make on this trip for my DISfriend Rosie.
And yes Rosie, I got some strange looks from the boys when I asked them to take the picture!!! Hope I lived up to the high standard you set on the DIS!!!
DHS wasn't very crowded since it was NYE day and most people are typically trying to get into the MK and Epcot for the huge NYE celebrations that night. As we exited the area of the Streets of America we saw one of the boy's favorite shows.......Muppet Vision 3D. They really love the wisecracks from Waldorf and Statler, and often quote the ones from the show, or that they find on the internet. I like this show, but I really wish they would do a refurb and change it up some so there is something new to laugh at. I don't do this show every trip, but it is still fun if I haven't done it in a while.
While we waited for the show to start I walked around and got some pictures of the props in the lobby area.
About the time we got done it was time to meet the DW. We were ready to eat so after meeting her we discussed what we wanted. The boys wanted to go to Pizza Planet, but Alison and I weren't really wanting Pizza, so we told them to go ahead (one nice thing about the DDP, they could get their own meals) and we would find something else. Alison wasn't very hungry since she had a little to eat before leaving the room so we decided to just share something, especially since we had an early dinner ADR at Cape May Cafe. We ended up at the Studio Catering Company where we had a Pressed Turkey Club sandwich and the cheese cake for dessert. We both thought the sandwich was pretty good and we only had to use one CS credit on our meal plan. I got a sprite with the meal and we used a snack credit to get DW a diet coke. For the record, Matthew and Jonathan had the Pepperoni Pizza Meal and Andrew had the Meatball Sub at Pizza Planet.
After we were done we wanted to meet back up so I was texting back and forth with the boys. We headed towards TSMM to meet them when we found a kiosk that had Toy Story characters, including the Slinky Dog that Andrew wanted to get so I texted the boys and told them we would wait for them there before riding TSMM.
As we were standing there waiting for the boys this little boy walked up to the CM running the kiosk and informed her that he had lost his parents. The CM was talking to him and he informed her that his name was Oliver, and he was 7 years old from London, England. The CM contacted Security so they could come help Oliver get reunited with his parents. It was taking a while for Security to arrive but Oliver was quite calm and very brave. He said his family was on the way to Tower of Terror but they got separated near the Sorcerer's hat. I'm sure his parents were probably in that area looking frantically for Oliver.
This is a scary event that I'm sure happens all too often at Disney. It reminded me how important it is to teach your young children what to do if you become separated in a huge crowd like that. I'm sure Oliver thought he was headed in the right direction to find them instead of staying put, but at least he knew enough to eventually find a CM and ask for help.
While we were waiting on the boys to arrive, and Oliver was waiting nearby for Security to come help him locate his parents a humorous event happened that helped break the parental tension Alison and I were experiencing for Oliver and his parents. This man came walking by in front of us with his little girl sitting on his shoulders. I had just turned my attention back in the direction they had come from keeping a watch out for the boys when all of a sudden I heard this combination thud and ping sound. Quickly turning my head back towards where I had last noticed the man and his piggyback riding daughter I saw the man staggering backwards a little bit, rubbing his forehead. He had run straight into a lamppost. I don't know what he was looking at to not notice it right in front of him but it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. Alison and I both looked at each other and shook our heads, snickering quietly to each other. Where is the lucky timing to capture something that funny on video so I can put it on AFV??? It would have been right up there with so many others I have seen on that show.
Security finally arrived and headed off to help Oliver find his lost parents. The boys finally found us and after purchasing Slinky Dog for Andrew it was time to use that first set of FPs for TSMM since the second set wasn't quite within the ride window. Since Alison wasn't with us when we arrived that morning, there were only four FPs so I decided to sit it out while she and the boys headed in to ride. I worked my way into the exit and stood across from the loading area until they showed up a few minutes later. It was a great chance to grab some pics.
After they departed on their journey to conquer some Midway Games I wandered back outside and waited for them here, just in case they needed to contact me to jump into the battle with them.
The family finally came out to join me with Jonathan the high score victor this time around. It wasnt quite time we could use the other set of TSMM FPs so we headed off to use the RnR fastpasses. There were only four of them and since DW hadnt had the chance to ride much so far I decided to let her and the boys go ride while I waited. I found a bench and decided to people watch while hoping to catch some Streetmosphere performers. Time continued to drag along and the longer I sat there, the more I was no longer into staying and catching any more rides. Finally I texted the family and told them I was heading back to the room and they should go ahead and use the rest of the FPs. They needed to hurry though so they could get back to the room in time for us to make our Dinner ADR at Cape May Café.
Coming Up ..Cape May and a Light Show!
Don't you have kids of your own? 
....
Oh well, that's why I don't feel guilty about getting 3- 4 extra days without them this trip. 
