Tales of the Tye Dye Gang: an April May TR -Magic Kingdom, Epcot & home 10/27

Caught up. thanks for giving me the heads up so I could sub while still on vacation. I finally made it back to read.

Isn't the Kidani 2BR amazing? I absolutely love it there. You got an amazing view for a standard view. Ours was literally of the bus stop. But the villa and that amazing bathroom more than made up for it.

Good idea to cancel your ADR and enjoy more pool and adult beverage time.

You look great in your pictures. Wow - you only had that surgery 6 months ago? You look like a different person. :thumbsup2

Cute bathing suit.

Kidani 2BR really was amazing. I am looking for ways to go back, and fear that I have contracted the dreaded DVC-add-itis but compiled with the national disease kindagotnomoney:rotfl2:

Have to agree that canceling the dinner ADR was a good idea. Joe & I have agreed that next trip, we will have a resort only day. (well okay I did make a note that the MK is open late in case by evening I am feeling a little too relaxed and antsy for park time)

I was amazed that the bathing suit was so inexpensive.

Thanks for the compliment -- I have had no small amount of inspiration from you & a few others here who so very faithfully run or exercise even on vacation. I have logged at least 6 hours a week in exercise since last November, with the only exception being the week I had surgery. I've actually even managed to work a bit of jogging into my treadmill time and have been thinking about trying to get Katie to go on short jogs with me in the evening. It will help both of us!

Just found your TR. Subbing in!

:dance3: WELCOME!!!:cheer2:
 
Wow, I am FINALLY here, Thanks for the heads up! Sorry it too me so long ot get here :blush::blush: but I KNOW you will not hold it against me, you are so understanding. :flower3: I can't get over how much Katie has grown and hse is such a beauty. LOVE that you got to go home finally!! I am very excited to see how things change now that you are owners. popcorn::popcorn::
 
Thanks for the info about the drive. Someday I'm sure it will happen.

Love the photos of Kidani. Every time I see photos of Kidani or AKL, I want to stay there so badly, but I always talk myself out of it. Did you find that it was really far removed when you were using the busses? That's always my biggest concern...well, that and the fact that Max hadn't been too into animals, but that's changed somewhat.

Also love the info and photos about the kiosks at Flower and Garden. Our April break falls with Easter this year (2014), but when it doesn't, I want to get down there for that! As a teacher, Food and Wine in the fall is out, so if I want EPCOT all gussied up, its gotta be Flower and Garden.

I love Maelstrom, too! I find it hilarious and Mark and I have a long-running joke going about that ride. Personally, I"d of been fine without going on anything, but I'm weird that way, although Spaceship Earth is probably in my top five. :thumbsup2
 
Wow, I am FINALLY here, Thanks for the heads up! Sorry it too me so long ot get here :blush::blush: but I KNOW you will not hold it against me, you are so understanding. :flower3: I can't get over how much Katie has grown and hse is such a beauty. LOVE that you got to go home finally!! I am very excited to see how things change now that you are owners. popcorn::popcorn::

Judy so glad you stopped by -- I know how absolutely crazy and demanding life is for you. Can't wait to follow along for your new upcoming trip!

I keep thinking about taking a day out of my vacation to volunteer at GKTW. I know that the rest of my gang will not be so into it (well Katie would but she is too young yet), but someday I will just ditch them for a day! It looks like a fabulous experience.

Here's what I think is a "downside" of DVC ..... it TOTALLY feeds the "i want more" fire. seriously. we have gone from an every other year trip to once a year and by the end of 2013 Joe & I will have made 3 trips to Florida. At this point we are counting the years (sad) till Katie graduates from college & we can just move to FL permanently.


Thanks for the info about the drive. Someday I'm sure it will happen.

Love the photos of Kidani. Every time I see photos of Kidani or AKL, I want to stay there so badly, but I always talk myself out of it. Did you find that it was really far removed when you were using the busses? That's always my biggest concern...well, that and the fact that Max hadn't been too into animals, but that's changed somewhat.

Also love the info and photos about the kiosks at Flower and Garden. Our April break falls with Easter this year (2014), but when it doesn't, I want to get down there for that! As a teacher, Food and Wine in the fall is out, so if I want EPCOT all gussied up, its gotta be Flower and Garden.

I love Maelstrom, too! I find it hilarious and Mark and I have a long-running joke going about that ride. Personally, I"d of been fine without going on anything, but I'm weird that way, although Spaceship Earth is probably in my top five. :thumbsup2

Tina I don't remember ever waiting very long for a bus to or from AKL. Even the one night when I literally JUST missed a bus from the park to the resort, I think I waited about 10 minutes for the next one.

Max would enjoy the resort. The pool alone at Kidani is great when you add in the water play area. There is a lot to see, and they have cast members, many from Africa, around the resort to answer questions & give information about the animals & show things like footprints, skulls, maps, etc. And we didn't even go to the actual kids programmed activities because we don't know how to slow down for more than an hour at a time :rotfl2:. There are wonderful covered verandahs with rockers and animal guides so that even if you don't have a savannah view, you can sit out here and watch animals, and they'll let you use night goggles. Katie and I took forever to walk anywhere because we would stop at every window to watch what the animals were doing in that location. I will definitely be trying to find a way to return to AKL.

We have enjoyed EPCOT twice now during flower & garden. BEAUTIFUL! and the kiosks that they added this were were great. They were a big tease for the Food & Wine ...which I am so psyched for!! I really want to get in as much EPCOT time as possible. ..although I can't wait to see MK in it pumpkiny fall decor. okay I am just a big kid and want it all!:hyper:

We just did spaceship earth for the first time (spoiler!) this trip. what fun!
 

Gee I almost forgot to share this bit of pixie dust!
As we rode on the bus on our way to Epcot Saturday, we were chatting about plans. Joe & O’Malley were going to run to see if there was any chance of a FP for Soarin! Duchess checked her phone app and saw that they were all gone. As we chatted, a woman sitting next to the guys kindly handed us a stack of open use fast passes for Epcot – to be used on any ride, any time before the end of the week. HOW AWESOME! We thanked her profusely, tickled to have our choice of FPs to use.

When we arrived at Epcot on Saturday, it took much much longer to get into the park than we anticipated. We had to go to Guest Relations in order to get our park passes. What we did not expect was that about 40 other people were also in line! Apparently there was some sort if snafu with annual pass holders and the new scanners. Every annual passholder who tried to get into the park had to go wait in line for something. I had no idea what they were waiting for, though the two girls in front of us were seriously :headache: :mad:because their pass worked fine at DHS earlier that day, but apparently not at Epcot.
AND when it was finally our turn, the cast member who helped us accidentally gave us week long park hoppers instead of non-hopper passes. :thumbsup2WOW! Too bad we had told Duchess & O’Malley not to buy park hoppers. :confused3

AND, its taken me a while to edit my photos, but here are my photo pass pics from Saturday evening. Remember, Joe is internet photo shy, so his face is blurred, its not your eyes J

O’Mally, Duchess & Marie got into the park before us and I’d clued Duchess into the photo pass. I had pre-purchased the plan so told her to get as many photos as she could….I like to get my money’s worth!
Photo0002FourBySix.jpg


Photo0005FourBySix.jpg

Photo0021FourBySix.jpg



Photo0024FourBySix.jpg

I can’t claim to own them, but I love seeing and using the extra photos that are included in your photopass cd.
Photo0007FourBySix.jpg


Photo0011FourBySix.jpg



As you see, Joe & Katie are missing from this one….that would be proof that “I’ll take you back to the room” is no empty threat in our family.
Photo0025FourBySix.jpg

and I have NO IDEA what is going on in O’Malley’s head right now (quite possibly its “Could she make us take any more freakin’ pictures:scared1:” ummm YEP!:lmao:) but it makes me laugh so I had to frame it with a grumpy Donald!
Photo0027FourBySix.jpg

Ok moving on… (I will try post part of the next day before my boss comes out of her meeting!)
 


Mary Ellen, what an amazing dusting of Pixie Dust and I LOVE the pics...ahem, these old eyes could use them a wee bit bigger if you are so inclined! :flower3:

Judy, Pete, Christian, David, Rachel and Lisa
 
Wow! What a heck of a dusting of pixie dust!

We were thrilled, and made good use of them later in our trip!

Mary Ellen, what an amazing dusting of Pixie Dust and I LOVE the pics...ahem, these old eyes could use them a wee bit bigger if you are so inclined! :flower3:

Judy, Pete, Christian, David, Rachel and Lisa
Love the picture Judy! I will try to remember to make the pictures a bit bigger next time I upload more. sadly you may need your glasses for the next few posts. :rolleyes1


Sorry I am so AWOL. July has been absolutely nutty for me (as usual!) July 8 was Katie's 10th birthday, and so we could not let her enter double digits with out celebrating. Lunatic that I am, we planned a birthday party camp out bash for her.

I spent July 4 cleaning the house, cutting the grass and baking birthday cupcakes and a cake. July 5 Joe and I took her to Hershey Park for the day.

July 6 saw me finishing up food prep and house work and setting things up in the yard. Her friends started arriving right at two. we have a small pool (the seasonal 'pop up' type) that the girls swam in till the crafts and games began. Did I mention that it was in the 90's all that week? HOT HOT HOT ! The girls decorated cloth tote bags with sharpie & fabric markers and the flowers off of two or three silk leis from the dollar store.
We played some crazy games that I found on spoonful.com and pinterest, and the girls had mini cakes, ice cream cones, hot dogs & mac & cheese.

(here is an eye opener. I admit, I normally go for the boxed mac & cheese mixes. boil noodles add cheese sauce. done! well, I can't believe I'd never really noticed the nutrition label before. zowie 1000 mg of sodium per serving!!! I have started making mac and cheese fresh now. if you have to have it, you might as well enjoy it with out all that sodium and crap!)

anyway, after most of the party girls left, a few stayed on, some adult family abd friends came over (Duchess, O'Malley of course!) and we grilled out, sang happy birthday to Katie again with cake this time, enjoyed a few adult beverages, and finally pitched tents in the yard, lit a fire in the fire ring and camped out.

yeah, I am crazy. but it was a fun birthday for my girl, and that's what its about right? I'll show a few photos here, but want to get on to my much delayed TR update! photos coming after I read to a sleepy head. but I am saving now so I don't lose everything!
 
You got pixie dust on both accounts. Free FP's and a ticket upgrade. May the mojo be with you!

kindagotnomoney? :rotfl2:

Love the pics!
 
Aargh, I missed this update somehow. That is some awesome fast pass and ticket pixie dust and I love the pictures!!!

But....I want to know....what happened to enforce the we will go back to the room threat? I know it well and no, it is not empty but oh, no fun to use!

The birthday party looked like a blast on FB, glad you got to finally relax at the en with friends and an adult bevvie :)

Processed food can be scary huh! Although real Mac and cheese is a bit so in its own right but oh....so good.
 
You got pixie dust on both accounts. Free FP's and a ticket upgrade. May the mojo be with you!

kindagotnomoney? :rotfl2:

Love the pics!

Proud member of corny jokes R Us :rotfl:

Aargh, I missed this update somehow. That is some awesome fast pass and ticket pixie dust and I love the pictures!!!

But....I want to know....what happened to enforce the we will go back to the room threat? I know it well and no, it is not empty but oh, no fun to use!

The birthday party looked like a blast on FB, glad you got to finally relax at the en with friends and an adult bevvie :)

Processed food can be scary huh! Although real Mac and cheese is a bit so in its own right but oh....so good.

It was late till I finally got to enjoy that adult beverage but it was worth the wait. I'd bought all the ingredients for rum runners and fixed a pitcher of my favorite sangria with frozen fruit instead of ice. I felt obligated to have a bit of each.

and yes, I can't believe I had never looked closely at the sodium on mac & cheese before -- I look at the nutrition labels of almost everything. We really have cut out most packaged foods ...between the fat, the sodium, and the excess additives, when we want to indulge in something, we want to do it right!

So the back to the room story.... when we finally got to sit down to see/hear The Orchestra, Katie had a temper tantrum. They were too loud, she didn't want to be there, she wanted to go somewhere else, she didn't like them..... she started seriously carrying on in a huge way. Joe and I told her to move back to particular spot if she really felt the music was loud, but no, the drama continued. warnings were issued, along with a "this trip is for 6 people, not one. 4 of the 6 want to see this show. deal with it quietly." Joe had enough, and the instant the concert ended, he fast walked her right out of the park to the bus & back to the resort. I'm sure it was not a pleasant trip back for her, and he told her that the attitude needed to end or he would fly her home on Monday.

As you will see, the next day was still a bit tense .... attitude, overtiredness from the drive, miscommunications abounded. :faint:



If you hadn't guessed, I fell asleep the other night after I put Katie to bed the other night, so just finally finished uploading photos from her birthday weekend. Here are a few to show our fun & festivities

Hershey Park -- finally a "jolly rancher" and able to ride all the big rides
IMAG1473.jpg

riding the coaster
IMAG1475.jpg



--- did you notice the Mickey on Katie's hat in the Jolly Rancher? She's also wearing her Mickey crocks, and she and I both wore our Mickey bathing suits, I wore my Mickey hat, used my Animal Kingdom day bag & brought my Wicked Princess jacket for the ride home. We may have been at Hershey but we were channeling Disney. We are such junkies LOL!
-----
Birthday Party freckling game (you put paper dots from using a hole puncher in a bowl of water & stick them to each others faces)

IMAG1485.jpg


IMAG1489.jpg


IMAG1491.jpg


Popcorn relays (put cups on your feet with rubberbands & fill the cup with popcorn. run to a box trying not to spill popcorn. dump the popcorn from your feet into box & back to next person in line)

IMAG1508.jpg


IMAG1503.jpg


IMAG1499.jpg




cupcakes, ice cream & presents!

IMAG1517.jpg


IMAG1516.jpg


IMAG1518.jpg


and finally later, birthday cake for the adults
IMAG1521.jpg


IMAG1519.jpg



bags that the girls decorated

IMAG1548.jpg


IMAG1546.jpg


ok...on to our regularly scheduled Disney report!
 
Sunday morning, despite not getting a great night’s sleep, I woke up pretty early –eew the time on my photo says 5:30 am – and wandered out to our balcony to catch this lovely view:

042813_1sunrise.JPG



042813_1sunrise2.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-...VTAUdoWjGNI/w724-h543-no/042813_1sunrise2.JPG
I got myself together because Duchess and I had a date – but nothing terribly interesting. We were heading out for some supplies before the gang woke up.
What we learned while unpacking the day before: do not let 9 year olds pack their own stuff, or put them in charge of hygiene products. Marie packed her clothing, but no underwear. Katie didn’t pack her toothbrush & toothpaste when she finished with it Friday morning.

Duchess & I headed out for an early Walmart run – grocery items, water, coffee creamer, tees for autographs, odds and ends that were missed or that we had planned on picking up when we got there.

While we were out getting supplies Joe and Katie were out on the balcony enjoying the view:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAADFM/xtAF-TGCkjU/w494-h370-no/DSCF0288.JPG
DSCF0288.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAADFM/xtAF-TGCkjU/w494-h370-no/DSCF0288.JPG

DSCF0290.JPG


DSCF0304.JPG



DSCF0303.JPG


DSCF0299.JPG



Before long we were back at the resort & were getting ourselves ready to head to Hollywood Studios for the day. I want to say that I made pancakes for breakfast –and learned that our kitchen was missing the spatula. I managed to make due with a bit slotted spoon & a fork, but wished I had known about the missing spatula before we made our Wal-Mart run.


(Which would need to be repeated because the tee that I bought for Katie’s autographs did not fit & I had to exchange it the next day!)

It definitely takes 2 families longer to get it all together and cleaned up than I anticipated but still we were on our way by a little after 9 a.m. Not quite the “rope drop” I had hoped for but not bad in my book.


We sent Joe & O’Malley off for TSM Fast Passes & told them we’d meet up at Rockin’ Roller Coaster to wait on that line.



But first, a few photos & sunblock all around for the girls !

Hello Bo, I surely have missed you…even more than I miss diet coke!


IMAG0947.jpg


IMAG0948.jpg



not too crowded:
IMAG0949.jpg





Sadly we took so long at the entrance getting sunblock on that the guys met up with us at the top of the first roadway. We headed over to Rockin Roller Coaster, pausing for photos of course.


IMAG0950.jpg





IMAG0952.jpg


Photo0032FourBySix.jpg



Photo0030FourBySix.jpg


Photo0033FourBySix.jpg



We had about a 45 minute wait for the ride. Marie taught us this game that she learned in school – it’s a cool game that teaches math skills & strategies & you play it with your hands. It’s a great way to keep kids occupied in line. We all played for a while (I got bumped out first so snapped a photo of the rest of the group.)


Here’s how it works. Each player starts with one finger on each hand. The first player touches the hand of another player, and that player has to add the number of fingers out on the hand that touched plus the number they had out. You go around taking turns. If the total is five or more, that hand is out. You can “bump” your out hand back in by splitting the fingers from the other hand (so if the other hand had two fingers open, you can split it to one finger on each hand).you play until only one person is in the game. Strange but it kept the girls occupied for a little while.

IMG_0039.JPG



IMG_0040.JPG



IMG_0041.JPG


IMG_0042.JPG



continued next post

 
Now here is where we had a major miscommunication that, well, made the morning a bit rough. My picture taking got a bit interrupted due to the unfortunate incident.
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
I’ll skip the details, just sum it up by saying Irish/German temper meets Italian/Portuguese is not pretty. How lucky that Katie has a lovely combination of all those tempers!!!
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
However, Rockin Roller Coaster WAS AWESOME!!!
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
IMAG0953.jpg
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
After RnR we headed over to Tower of Terror. The wait was not bad at all – maybe 25 minutes? The line moved along pretty well, and Katie & Marie both braved the story line to ride the best elevator in town! I wonder if the two of them think back to the story of the haunted elevator that we heard on our Gettysburg Ghost Tour two years ago and tie that into the TOT story line. Makes it a bit extra creepy in my mind anyway.

[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
IMG_0046.JPG
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMG_0045.JPG
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]


IMG_0044.JPG
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
I think that Marie was TOTALLY freaked out by the bouncing. Katie loves that part of it, and just gets scared by the Twilight Zone intro.
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
IMAG0955.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMAG0956.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
Red neck photos…

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMAG0957.jpg
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
whew. Here I am 2 months after coming home trying to remember how our days played out. I did not take notes this trip. Thank goodness for time stamps on digital pictures!!
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
After TOT we were hungry and headed over to our favorite counter service in DHS- Studio Catering. I didn’t take pictures, but Katie had a turkey club, Joe had the buffalo chicken sandwich, and I had the pressed Tuscan deli sandwich (which Joe finished off for me!). We always find something we like at this tucked away CS in Hollywood studios, so much so that we have not tried any other places since we figured it out. Maybe someday we’ll try something different, but frankly we find the food choices at DHS rather lacking so feel like we should just go with what we know here.
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
After lunch we walked across the walkway to explore the Studio Backlot Tour. WE had only a brief wait before the show started. I was more than a little disappointed to see that they did not take any audience volunteers to participate in the special effects demonstration. I remember reading a TR here on the boards where two brothers were participants and it was hilarious. Oh well. I wonder if they stopped it all together, does anyone know?
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
I always want to be able to take my time wandering through the shelves of movie props, but always feel as if I am being hurried along by the people behind me. Maybe I’ll have to make it a point to be at the end of the line so I can be nosy.
Here are a few pics from our tour:
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMG_0050.JPG

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMG_0051.JPG
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMG_0054.JPG
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMG_0055.JPG
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]







[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
Tour competed, we wandered our way down the street stopping to greet a Pixar Soldier as we debated a visit with Buzz & Woody.
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
Katie & green army man:


IMAG0959.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
Its all fun & games…
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMAG0960.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMAG0961.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMAG0962.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMAG0963.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMAG0964.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMAG0965.jpg

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMG_0057.JPG
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
After we entertained ourselves with silly photos we decided that the wait was too long, and rides were calling!
Off…..to the Great Movie Ride
 
[FONT=&quot]Great Movie Ride really needs no prelude.. here are a few photos:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
IMG_0061.JPG
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMG_0060.JPG
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMG_0059.JPG
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMG_0058.JPG
[FONT=&quot]Still the cowboy plot eludes me.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Finally it was time to use our fast passes for Toy Story Mania[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMAG0970.jpg
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
IMAG0971.jpg
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I am not sure why the lines are so empty…there was close to an hour’s wait, so I can’t figure out where all the people are.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]After TSM we were going to visit the new Pirates of the Caribbean display, but first Joe and I were a bit leary because the former resident of this location, Narnia, was rather disappointing.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Secondly, some poor fool had heaved in not one but two massive puddles around the 20+ minute wait. Ummmm no. I saw that Star Tours had only a 10 minute wait posted, so we headed over. The new Star Tours had just reopened during our last visit, and we had not tried it. I don’t to very well with simulator type rides, so I was hesitant but gave it a go.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
IMAG0968.jpg

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
IMAG0969.jpg
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I could only take those two photos because I was seriously fighting the nausea. I could not even tell you the plot of our story line. When the ride ended, I slowly walked to a bench where I stayed for a good 5 – 10 minutes until my tummy and head where no longer flipping and spinning.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]By now the overtiredness of the drive, and not sleeping well the night before, the nausea from the last ride, plus the miscommunication of the morning were evidence that at least two of us really really needed a time out. And it was not either of the children. Yup. It was Joe and I. I was just feeling really really wiped out, and was guessing that the tension emanating from my hubby was evidence that he was feeling the same. Katie and Marie were really anxious to see the Indiana Jones show, and much as Joe and I love seeing the show, we left Katie with O’Malley & Duchess and headed back to the buses.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Joe and I both crashed and burned at our resort. I pulled the drapes tightly closed (I have to have dark to sleep) and took a nap. I think Joe did too but even once I heard him up and about, I burrowed my head in for a few more minutes of quiet and snoozed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The gang all came back to our room about an hour or so after we got back, I think, and everyone took a bit of a siesta.
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](I still have the evening to go but Katie has her little cousin sleeping over so I have to get them settled into bed now.)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
 
So sorry about the nausea on Star Tours...:scared: I don't have that on Star Tours but we went to Disney Quest this past trip and I started to feel really poorly on one of the "rides" there-that's an awful, awful feeling...

Love, love ToT's atmosphere-just so cool...

so did you get the gangster or the cowboy? (I have yet to get the cowboy)

That was lovely touch of pixie dust getting those Fast Passes..

Hershey Park is a pretty great place... granted not Disney...;) but lovely all the same... So a Jolly Rancher is it? Congrats on having a Jolly Ranger...:goodvibes
 
So sorry about the nausea on Star Tours...:scared: I don't have that on Star Tours but we went to Disney Quest this past trip and I started to feel really poorly on one of the "rides" there-that's an awful, awful feeling...

Love, love ToT's atmosphere-just so cool...

so did you get the gangster or the cowboy? (I have yet to get the cowboy)

That was lovely touch of pixie dust getting those Fast Passes..

Hershey Park is a pretty great place... granted not Disney...;) but lovely all the same... So a Jolly Rancher is it? Congrats on having a Jolly Ranger...:goodvibes

Patricia, how did I miss replying? sorry! We always get the gangster ....I know the cowboy story exisits -- KatMark posted pictures! but I've yet to experience the elusive cowboy story.

I do love ToT, and its even more fun at night!

The nausea on Star Tours is a prime reason why I doubt we will ever do Disney Quest. I can't see paying to get in when I know that most of the "attractions" there will have me turning shades of green and grey.:sad2:
 
(I can hard believe that we will be back in Disney in 57 days….and my TR is only on our first full day!!! I have been uploading and updating images so that I can finish this up and catch up on all the great TR’s I am subscribed to, before school, girl scouts, sports, and our next trip consume ALL my time for the fall!)

Napped & freshened up, we headed back to DHS for dinner at 50’s Prime Time

IMAG0977.jpg
Again, sorry but I did not take any food pictures. I wish I could remember our server’s name because she was great. She was fun –having the girls set the table, reminding us of elbows & manners, etc ---and chatted with us about her experiences as a Disney World employee.



I don’t remember what everyone ate – Katie and I shared the sampler plate, and Joe had the pot roast. What I do remember are the huge milkshakes that Marie and O’Malley had before their dinner. Really big! Milkshakes were to be come a running theme at dinner time.


After dinner, we made our way back to the Muppets. On our way back I spotted a photo pass photographer, and had the gang stop for some random photos. I’d pre-purchased a CD and darn it, I wanted that puppy filled!

Photo0036FourBySix.jpg

Photo0038FourBySix.jpg

Photo0047FourBySix.jpg

Photo0045FourBySix.jpg

Photo0043FourBySix.jpg

Photo0040FourBySix.jpg

Photo0048FourBySix.jpg


Photo0049FourBySix.jpg

Photo0052FourBySix.jpg

Photo0054FourBySix.jpg




Photo0062FourBySix.jpg

Photo0057FourBySix.jpg

Ok, time for a ride! Into the Muppet Theatre we go! The wait was not too long and there was no line—right into the theater. We checked out the props and headed in.

IMAG0978.jpg

IMAG0979.jpg

IMAG0980.jpg



IMAG0982.jpg

IMAG0983.jpg



IMAG0984.jpg

 
I think after the Muppet ride, most of the gang went back over to Star Tours to try a different scenario.



I begged off, as did O’Malley, who also did not have a great reaction to the simulator ride. He & I headed over to the Writers Stop for a refreshing cup of coffee. (By the way, not my best idea to have coffee and not decaf, as it was after 8 p.m. now . I had yet to have a decent night’s sleep since Thursday. Sigh)




We chatted and people watched, stopped at the DVC kiosk to see what new bits of information I could pick up about our new membership. We chatted and people watched some more (I love people watching!) and finally the rest of the gang appeared.



They’d done Star Tours twice in a row –not bad! Joe got himself a cup of decaf (smart man unlike his wife) and we headed over to the Animation Studio.


By the way, you can not go past the turnstyle with coffee. So Joe and I hung out and chatted with the cast members while he finished his coffee & we joined up with the group.


IMAG0986.jpg


IMAG0987.jpg



IMAG0988.jpg


This is where Joe is truly happiest. He really is an artist at heart, but never fully developed his talent when he was younger. I think he was quite jealous of the group of young 20-somethings who had gone in about 8 times that day to draw all different characters.



IMAG0989.jpg



https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAD00/XBJdSyMelNw/w819-h461-no/IMAG0989.jpg
IMAG0990.jpg

IMAG0991.jpg

IMAG0992.jpg


IMAG0993.jpg




We finished our art session about five of 10. We rushed over to catch the late showing of Fantasmic. Nothing like packing it in!


I love going to the second show of Fantasmic because even though it gets quite a crowd, we’ve never had a problem getting a decent seat. This time we were about four or five rows from the front, and had a few minutes to spare when we got seated.

This is a hard show to get photos of, but I did manage a few decent ones:

IMAG0995.jpg


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAD1o/3nq_AIHq3tE/w683-h384-no/IMAG0997.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAD1o/3nq_AIHq3tE/w683-h384-no/IMAG0997.jpg
IMAG0997.jpg

IMAG0998.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAD1w/bvCwWQ_Zk8k/w819-h461-no/IMAG0998.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAD1w/bvCwWQ_Zk8k/w819-h461-no/IMAG0998.jpg
IMAG1003.jpg



IMAG1004.jpg

IMAG1006.jpg

IMAG1007.jpg

IMAG1008.jpg

IMAG1009.jpg



IMAG1010.jpg



IMAG1011.jpg




IMAG1012.jpg


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAD3E/IK09qHOPSU0/w819-h461-no/IMAG1013.jpg
IMAG1013.jpg
 
After Fantasmic, we need to get more rides on! Here the families split up. Duchess, O’Malley & Marie headed over to do Rockin’ Roller Coaster again, while Joe, Katie and I were looking for a little Terror in a tower J Bouncing and looking out in the dark was a cool experience. Too bad I could not take any pictures out of the window that opens.

IMAG1014.jpg

After TOT, we had time for one more attraction, which Katie had been waiting to see. We headed over to the last showing of the Little Mermaid, where O’Malley & company met up with us. What a good show! And again, great seats in the front (but not too close). We haven’t seen this in a few years, so it was all new to Katie again.





IMAG1015.jpg



IMAG1016.jpg

IMAG1017.jpg

IMAG1018.jpg


Exit Photo pass

Photo0064FourBySix.jpg


Photo0066FourBySix.jpg







Remember the coffee? Well once we got back to our rooms, I think we adults all had a night cap, and even with that I was still wide awake. Ridiculously so. What did I do? I did a load of laundry and read.. what time did I finally fall asleep? Ugh. 2 a.m. I am really NOT a night owl!

[FONT=&quot] (speaking of not being a night owl, its 12:30 AM and my alarm rings at 5:30. ugh. but at least I got our first full day up & our second day is written so maybe tomorrow i can get that online too!)
[/FONT]
 
So I see I have missed a couple updates. And now I am speed reading and can't respond properly, so I will be back.

Katie's BD party looked fun!

Great PP pics except for Joe's face. :rotfl2:

Great character drawings - your really rocks.

So much more, but gotta get ready for work!
 




New Posts









Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE











DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom