"So what do you want to do next?" An April '10 TR...final thoughts 8/2 p. 63

[tinkgurl]

Haha..I love when the wait says 13 minutes. Such a clever bit of detailing.

Aw man, you didn't hear the gargoyles?! Of course, I read about them in the book too..so we waited back and could hear them just for a quick second. You have to be on your toes and listening hard!

How neat you got to meet Rachel! I love her TR!

Ugh, I completely understand what you mean..it is so hard getting back there right after parade time!

 

[Angies1274]

Yay! on the Dis meet!! That's so cool that you were able to meet up!

Love the Haunted Mansion!! I'll have to look for the Mr. Toad statue next trip!

Great parade pics! Oh and I'm guessing you go to Epcot next!

 

[not_Joanna_eggs]

Mr. Toad was one of my favorite rides. I'll have to look for the statue next time!

I can't believe how much you got accomplished before lunch!

 

[RachelNinja]

OMGoodness, I'm sorry I am dragging this out so long, I can't believe I'm not even halfway through our first day yet. You're probably all thinking get on with it already! Thanks for sticking with me though.

Haha, first of all, I have to say this is funny just because ... well, we're still in Georgia!!! You're moving through yours pretty well! And the other thing I wanted to say is that I started laughing when you mentioned we both listen to David Archuleta because I'm listening to him RIGHT NOW!!! Haha, I ended up taking a nap after school because I was feeling under the weather, so now that I actually have to finish up lesson plans, I thought, "Hmm, what would put me in a good mood?"

Anyway, back to your installment ...

I wanted to wait to see if I could hear the gargoyles too, but I didn't wait that long to find out. I think I just got a bit too scared in there with the darkness! But I agree with you about the crowd! I don't remember it being so chaotic in the past. The line would just get narrower and narrower and everyone would inch forward. We had an encounter with a rude group of people here too; one big guy said something to my mom to the extent of, "Are you going to go or just stand there?" Um, hi, we couldn't move anywhere. Next time, I think I might actually just wait in the back of the crowd. What's the difference if I have to wait 5 more minutes, at least I won't have to deal with the squishiness!

Yum, we went to Columbia Harbour House too with the 20% coupon! Best idea ever to save some cash and to go without any crowds.

Weird said to me before that it's fun reading my TR because even though he was there, it's reading it from my perspective. I have to say that it is really fun because I got to read your perspective of our meet even though I was obviously there!

I'm just so glad we were able to meet. MONTHS ago when we knew we were going at the same time, I didn't think it'd really be possible since you and I both don't plan our park days so far in advance. Thankfully, we were both in MK that day!

Haha, phone tag was interesting. I think the time you called back was the brief moment that I leaned against the wall waiting for Haunted Mansion. I put my bag on the ledge so I didn't have to carry the weight, and that must've been when you called because literally a minute later, I checked my phone and there was a voicemail! Yay for your dad's suggestion to wait in Liberty Square! Thanks wisblue!

The little bit of the parade that I saw was actually really fun! I'll have to keep it in mind to set time aside to watch it for real. Maybe it'll be the perfect time for a snack!

Walking towards Thunder Mountain was probably the worst part of the entire day. Too many people! I can't imagine trying to lead an entire family with small children through that crowd! It didn't help that Frontierland is under that bright sun!

I'm also happy that the GAC came in handy so that we could ride TM together. When we planned to ride a ride together, I didn't even think about the fact that it'd be packed like that! Haha, you and your dad had the opportunity to listen to Matt's long "ahhhhhhhhhhhh" during the ride! Haha, I have a video of it and will post it on my TR! (Hehe, and thanks for linking to mine!)

Lastly, here's the picture!

Haha, you know how there's that little shrine or something across from Everest ride that actually has identical peaks to the Everest mountain? Haha, I feel as if this is our version of it with Thunder Mountain because I'm so much shorter than you are!

 

[wisblue]

A couple of comments.

First, Sarah mentioned the lunch coupons. These were only good until 11:30 AM as they were obviously trying to spread out the lunch rush. When I get up at 5 AM and eat breakfast before catching the bus at 6, I want to eat lunch before 11:30 anyway. But, I was happy to accept the discount.

One recurring theme you'll see in Sarah's report is that we usually don't spend a lot of time and money on meals at WDW. The Disney Dining Plan would make no sense for us. Between breakfasts of cereal, milk, muffins, and OJ in the room, a lot of counter service meals, and use of Disney Rewards for a couple of dinners, this was a low budget trip. In fact, when we got home I tallied how much we spent on meals and snacks, and I'm not sure if I would be proud or embarrassed to say how little it was.

About the crowds. Although it was getting more crowded as we were leaving MK at about 1 PM, it was still less crowded than we have seen it for other holidays. According to the board, the longest lines were still under an hour, and the waits for a some of the secondary attractions (Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, POC) were 20-30 minutes. Still, I was glad that we were able to do all of those things with virtually no wait and still have a lot of day left.

 

[dismagiclover]

What a great update! I too wish Mr. Toad was still in FL. I love that ride in Disneyland! Glad you were able to meet up with Rachel and fam! Awesome last picture of the castle. Such a bright blue sky! Love it!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Oh my goodness! I used to love Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. It was like my favorite thing ever when I was younger. I always wanted to sit up front so that I could pretend to drive. And my parents would "heckle" me for "my" terrible driving. It was always good times. I miss it a lot.

And you've never experienced the madness that is queuing up to get into the doombuggies before? You are lucky. It seems like every time I ride HM, it's a mad house. My sister and I always link arms so we don't get separated in all of the pushing and shoving. We've tried to hang back a bit, but even that's next to impossible when the herd of people rushes to empty out of the Stretching Room. It's so intense that by the time we finally get settled into our doombuggie I need a nap.

Your DIS meet-up sounds like fun. It's gotta be really cool to meet up with other DISers "in the wild".

You know, at first I don't even know if I really liked Mr. Toad but as I got older I enjoyed it. I always remember the train scene where it looks like you are going to be hit. In the latest issue of Celebrations magazine there is an article about the ride.

No, in all our trips I honestly don't EVER remember it being so nutty trying to get into the doom buggies. Maybe since we're always there early?

It was so much fun finally meeting a DISer!

How fun was that video? I am totally the CM that would be moving it, shaking it and celebrating it!

So, did he find her card?

I like your blob picture. Now that I know roughly where it is, I'm going to put that on the list of pictures to get.

Isn't that push-fest to get on a doom buggy insane? I remember commenting to George on our last trip that they realllly need to revamp that. Everyone just merging together to file into a single line is nuts.

How cool you had a DIS meet!

LOL, she was great. I just enjoy that whole video because after I uploaded it I watched it and the kids are so funny too. Love it!

Glad I could help make it a little easier. Toad tries to hide, plus it doesn't help there are a lot of trees so it's kind of dark.

It was crazy! That had to be a first for us.

Yes it definitely was cool meeting Rachel, Weird, and the rest of her family.

I had read about the random discounts offered when you were there, how fun that you got to use it at CHH. I have always enjoyed the soup and sandwiches here. I hate it when there are so many people waiting to get on the doom buggies too, I wish they would just have you wait outside instead.

Fun, a Dis meet, with a ride on BTMRR too.

Did you go to EPCOT next? You said you had a Long day...........

We enjoyed Columbia Harbor House and it was cool looking at all the decor too. I know there were some pirate coins right near our table which was kind of interesting.

You might be right about Epcot being next. But there are a couple reasons why we decided to go over there which you'll have to wait and see.

Wow I love DIS meets! So cool that you got to meet up with Rachel...it's so fun to finally meet someone who you talk to so often on here. It's like a little family of friends

Isn't Columbia Harbor House so yummy? We ate there when we were on the Keys to the Kingdom tour and we loved it!

It is! I can't wait to read about your trip with tinkgurl.

CHH was very good. And not crowded when we went either.

Haha..I love when the wait says 13 minutes. Such a clever bit of detailing.

Aw man, you didn't hear the gargoyles?! Of course, I read about them in the book too..so we waited back and could hear them just for a quick second. You have to be on your toes and listening hard!

How neat you got to meet Rachel! I love her TR!

Ugh, I completely understand what you mean..it is so hard getting back there right after parade time!

No, sadly we didn't hear them. Maybe on our next trip.

I love Rachel's TR too!

Yay! on the Dis meet!! That's so cool that you were able to meet up!

Love the Haunted Mansion!! I'll have to look for the Mr. Toad statue next trip!

Great parade pics! Oh and I'm guessing you go to Epcot next!

I'm glad it worked out since my attempt at a DIS meet in August didn't work out.

haha, yup, you are right too about Epcot!

Mr. Toad was one of my favorite rides. I'll have to look for the statue next time!

I can't believe how much you got accomplished before lunch!

All the more proof that EMH are AMAZING.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Haha, first of all, I have to say this is funny just because ... well, we're still in Georgia!!! You're moving through yours pretty well! And the other thing I wanted to say is that I started laughing when you mentioned we both listen to David Archuleta because I'm listening to him RIGHT NOW!!! Haha, I ended up taking a nap after school because I was feeling under the weather, so now that I actually have to finish up lesson plans, I thought, "Hmm, what would put me in a good mood?"

Anyway, back to your installment ...

I wanted to wait to see if I could hear the gargoyles too, but I didn't wait that long to find out. I think I just got a bit too scared in there with the darkness! But I agree with you about the crowd! I don't remember it being so chaotic in the past. The line would just get narrower and narrower and everyone would inch forward. We had an encounter with a rude group of people here too; one big guy said something to my mom to the extent of, "Are you going to go or just stand there?" Um, hi, we couldn't move anywhere. Next time, I think I might actually just wait in the back of the crowd. What's the difference if I have to wait 5 more minutes, at least I won't have to deal with the squishiness!

Yum, we went to Columbia Harbour House too with the 20% coupon! Best idea ever to save some cash and to go without any crowds.

Weird said to me before that it's fun reading my TR because even though he was there, it's reading it from my perspective. I have to say that it is really fun because I got to read your perspective of our meet even though I was obviously there!

I'm just so glad we were able to meet. MONTHS ago when we knew we were going at the same time, I didn't think it'd really be possible since you and I both don't plan our park days so far in advance. Thankfully, we were both in MK that day!

Haha, phone tag was interesting. I think the time you called back was the brief moment that I leaned against the wall waiting for Haunted Mansion. I put my bag on the ledge so I didn't have to carry the weight, and that must've been when you called because literally a minute later, I checked my phone and there was a voicemail! Yay for your dad's suggestion to wait in Liberty Square! Thanks wisblue!

The little bit of the parade that I saw was actually really fun! I'll have to keep it in mind to set time aside to watch it for real. Maybe it'll be the perfect time for a snack!

Walking towards Thunder Mountain was probably the worst part of the entire day. Too many people! I can't imagine trying to lead an entire family with small children through that crowd! It didn't help that Frontierland is under that bright sun!

I'm also happy that the GAC came in handy so that we could ride TM together. When we planned to ride a ride together, I didn't even think about the fact that it'd be packed like that! Haha, you and your dad had the opportunity to listen to Matt's long "ahhhhhhhhhhhh" during the ride! Haha, I have a video of it and will post it on my TR! (Hehe, and thanks for linking to mine!)

Lastly, here's the picture!

Haha, you know how there's that little shrine or something across from Everest ride that actually has identical peaks to the Everest mountain? Haha, I feel as if this is our version of it with Thunder Mountain because I'm so much shorter than you are!

OK, this deserves its own post since there is so much to respond to!

I like how you are talking about your trip down there...you guys made a lot of stops which was part of the fun! Can't wait until you make it to Florida though. It was funny when you mentioned David Archuleta in your TR because honestly I hadn't listened to his CD in a long time but when you said something about him I was like hmm, I should listen to that again. haha He is so good for being so young. I also have his Christmas album which is amazing too...the Christmas songs suit his voice so well.

Glad I'm not the only one who felt that way about the lines at HM! Seriously, we've been there how many times now? I have never seen it like that. Strange.

Yeah, I can't wait to read about our meet in your TR.

The same thing sort of happened to me on TTA, I checked my phone before we rode and there were no messages but when we got off there was. Yippee!

That's actually what we did before the parade. We just got a soda and hung out near the Rivers of America. I still wish they would do a completely new parade though. They've had that one forever!

Can't wait for the video...your brother was so cute. haha

Thanks for posting the picture and thanks to Weird for taking it! That is funny how we are the "shrine" of BTMRR. I took a picture of the one near EE too!

 

[wdwgirl03]

A couple of comments.

First, Sarah mentioned the lunch coupons. These were only good until 11:30 AM as they were obviously trying to spread out the lunch rush. When I get up at 5 AM and eat breakfast before catching the bus at 6, I want to eat lunch before 11:30 anyway. But, I was happy to accept the discount.

One recurring theme you'll see in Sarah's report is that we usually don't spend a lot of time and money on meals at WDW. The Disney Dining Plan would make no sense for us. Between breakfasts of cereal, milk, muffins, and OJ in the room, a lot of counter service meals, and use of Disney Rewards for a couple of dinners, this was a low budget trip. In fact, when we got home I tallied how much we spent on meals and snacks, and I'm not sure if I would be proud or embarrassed to say how little it was.

About the crowds. Although it was getting more crowded as we were leaving MK at about 1 PM, it was still less crowded than we have seen it for other holidays. According to the board, the longest lines were still under an hour, and the waits for a some of the secondary attractions (Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, POC) were 20-30 minutes. Still, I was glad that we were able to do all of those things with virtually no wait and still have a lot of day left.

I'm glad we ate at CHH...now there is just another place we can go at the MK.

That is true about the crowds. I thought we looked at the board and didn't really remember seeing any waits that were too long.

What a great update! I too wish Mr. Toad was still in FL. I love that ride in Disneyland! Glad you were able to meet up with Rachel and fam! Awesome last picture of the castle. Such a bright blue sky! Love it!

Thanks! Yes, that picture of the castle is one of my favorites from this trip. It just looked so pretty with the sky and the spires were glistening. The picture actually doesn't do it justice.

 

[MarieTheCat24]

No, in all our trips I honestly don't EVER remember it being so nutty trying to get into the doom buggies. Maybe since we're always there early?

That's definitely possible. I mean, I always go to WDW in July and pretty much always ride HM in the middle of the afternoon. So I guess I'm just asking for pandemonium.

 

[Bridora]

Hooray for the DIS Meet!
That's cute that your heights match the peaks behind you!

We love Columbia Harbor House--have to make a stop in there on every trip!

I'm so glad you guys are having such a great day there with low crowds & wait times! That just makes a trip that much better, you know?

 

[Cory's Gal]

Hi Sarah!!! I finally got ALL CAUGHT UP!!!! LOVING your first full day especially the cool pics at MK at 7am!!! We like the Move It Shake It parade too, my kids love to boogie down so it was SUPER fun for them!!! You and your dad got so much done at MK that day!! I think the blinking characters are weird...
Anyways, let me know if and when you find that Brewers Mickey, I too would LOVE LOVE LOVE a Twins one!!!! Looking forward to more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cat0727]

ooo very sneaky how they put Mr. Toad in the cemetery, indeed! I LOVED that ride. I definitely have to get a pic of him next trip! Although
I always have trouble getting pictures through the gate, I haven't figured it out yet

Yay for a Dis meet! I love reading Rachel's TR, she is so sweet

 

[MickeyisBeast]

I'll have to look for Mr. Toad in the pet cemetary, sounds interesting!

Yay for the DISmeet, sounds like it was fun

 

[wdwgirl03]

That's definitely possible. I mean, I always go to WDW in July and pretty much always ride HM in the middle of the afternoon. So I guess I'm just asking for pandemonium.

haha. Yeah, we're never at the MK past 2:00 in the afternoon it seems. We're either there right away or at night.

Hooray for the DIS Meet!
That's cute that your heights match the peaks behind you!

We love Columbia Harbor House--have to make a stop in there on every trip!

I'm so glad you guys are having such a great day there with low crowds & wait times! That just makes a trip that much better, you know?

It is pretty funny.

Yes, it was an awesome start to our day that we were able to do so many of our favorites.

Hi Sarah!!! I finally got ALL CAUGHT UP!!!! LOVING your first full day especially the cool pics at MK at 7am!!! We like the Move It Shake It parade too, my kids love to boogie down so it was SUPER fun for them!!! You and your dad got so much done at MK that day!! I think the blinking characters are weird...
Anyways, let me know if and when you find that Brewers Mickey, I too would LOVE LOVE LOVE a Twins one!!!! Looking forward to more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aww, I'm glad your kids enjoyed the parade! The little ones do seem to enjoy it a lot. I kind of agree, while the blinking characters are cool it is kind of strange.

Sure, I'll let you know! They just started selling them on the Disney Store website but it said they'll ship in 3 weeks. We'll have to keep checking the store at Miller Park to see if they get them otherwise we're definitely ordering one!

ooo very sneaky how they put Mr. Toad in the cemetery, indeed! I LOVED that ride. I definitely have to get a pic of him next trip! Although
I always have trouble getting pictures through the gate, I haven't figured it out yet

Yay for a Dis meet! I love reading Rachel's TR, she is so sweet

The Mr. Toad isn't with all the graves that you see on the way in...look for him on the way out. It was kind of hard for me to get a picture too even with the zoom on my camera. But it is a fun tribute to the old ride.

I'll have to look for Mr. Toad in the pet cemetary, sounds interesting!

Yay for the DISmeet, sounds like it was fun

The DIS meet was fun! So glad I got to meet Rachel.

 

[wdwgirl03]

More Disney news...have you guys heard about the new resort they are going to be building? You know how they never finished the legendary years at Pop Century? Turns out they are going to be using those buildings for a different resort called the Art of Animation Resort!

I actually saw on Danica's (ZeroToHero) facebook that they were planning on doing this.

Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_Disney_News/Walt_Disney_World_to_build_new_value_resort.htm

 

[jenbear123]

More Disney news...have you guys heard about the new resort they are going to be building? You know how they never finished the legendary years at Pop Century? Turns out they are going to be using those buildings for a different resort called the Art of Animation Resort!

I actually saw on Danica's (ZeroToHero) facebook that they were planning on doing this.

Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_Disney_News/Walt_Disney_World_to_build_new_value_resort.htm

Wow that's such exciting news!!!! I'm definitely staying there as soon as it opens! Anything that has The Lion King attached to it is a must do for me

 

[Mickey_Mom]

More Disney news...have you guys heard about the new resort they are going to be building? You know how they never finished the legendary years at Pop Century? Turns out they are going to be using those buildings for a different resort called the Art of Animation Resort!

I actually saw on Danica's (ZeroToHero) facebook that they were planning on doing this.

Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_Disney_News/Walt_Disney_World_to_build_new_value_resort.htm

Yay, this is making its way around the boards quickly eh? I was just reading it myself this afternoon and just posted on Angie's TR too. THis is fabulous! Great for my family of five and ready for when we go back! I'm loving the Lion King and Cars themes.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Wow that's such exciting news!!!! I'm definitely staying there as soon as it opens! Anything that has The Lion King attached to it is a must do for me

It does sound really cool. Can't wait to see what it's like.

Yay, this is making its way around the boards quickly eh? I was just reading it myself this afternoon and just posted on Angie's TR too. THis is fabulous! Great for my family of five and ready for when we go back! I'm loving the Lion King and Cars themes.

I think the movie choices are really interesting. Somehow I doubt we will ever stay there with DVC but it would definitely be worth checking out.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 cont'd (part 6)

After our successful morning at the Magic Kingdom and having my first DIS meet, we decided to continue the fun by heading over to Epcot (good job to those of you who guessed that ). We took the monorail to the TTC and then transferred to the Epcot monorail. There really weren't too many people there...I think most people were heading to the MK still. I love those monorail rides to Epcot. They remind me of our days of staying at the Polynesian. As a completely random side note, something today brought up the CM discount for hotels. As you might remember, my sister is seriously considering doing the College Program next spring. Let's just say CMs get a pretty nice room discount so Dad said if she does end up going down there we should stay at the Poly (funny because I was totally thinking that when he mentioned it ). Ohhhh that would be so exciting. I know that has nothing to do with my report but I had to get it in somehow because it's so fun to think about! ANYWAYS...back to our day...

Within a few short minutes we arrived at Epcot! As we were circling Future World on the monorail I could tell it didn't look all too busy. I couldn't wait to see some of the displays for the Flower and Garden Festival. At the entrance to the park we were greeted by these guys:

The theme for this year's festival was "Celebrate the Great Outdoors."

There were so many amazing topiaries. The park looked beautiful...so many colors. Near the pin station/attraction board were several Lion King topiaries including Timon:

We had a couple reasons for going over to Epcot:
1. Dad and I are both Disney Visa card holders. Every afternoon at Innoventions (West, I believe) they have the Visa character meet and greet where you can get a complimentary 5x7 photo. Since we are relatively new card holders, we were curious to see how it worked.

2. Wednesdays=Welcome Home Wednesdays for Vacation Club members. They have WHW over at the Boardwalk so it made sense to go to Epcot so we could head over there if we wanted to.

So we first made our way over to Innoventions to see if we could get into the meet and greet. There were a few other people in line...I think we waited maybe 15-20 minutes or so. All you have to do to get in is present your Visa card and then you get to meet the characters! We were greeted by Mickey and Pluto. They have a photopass photographer in there to take pictures. I also had one taken with my camera:

Umm...for right now I'll blur out Dad's face since I don't know if he wants his pic on the internet. haha

We were told we'd have to wait about 45 minutes before we'd be able to view our pictures at the Camera Center near Spaceship Earth so we had some time to kill. I was getting kind of thirsty so I suggested we head over to Club Cool to try some sodas.

I think I tried 2 or 3 different kinds: The Mezzo Mix, which pretty much just tasted like Coke to me, something watermelon flavored, and I think the Fanta (unless that is the Fanta, I can't even remember ). No, I am not stupid enough to try the Beverly and I don't think I could get away with tricking Dad into drinking it.

After our free drinks, where would we go next? I'd continue but it's Wednesday which means it's American Idol results night. GO LEE!

up next: Full House flashbacks