That's the first time we had to wear a poncho in Disney! A Mar./April '11 TR DONE 9/5

[dawnbu40]

Your Pooh drawings are great! I am totally artistically challenged so I am very impressed

We really like the AI Experience and it does make you feel like you're there. Glad you enjoyed it

 

[Angies1274]

Catching up again....

Great updates!! Seeing all those beautiful pictures of the Poly makes me want to stay there even more!!

You got some really great pictures on the safari! I can't believe how many animals were out! Those Lioness pictures are amazing!

Love your castle and Wishes pictures!! I get misty-eyed too while watching Wishes....I just can't help it!

Sorry about all the rain...but yay for getting the Western scene on the GMR! Oh and your Pooh picture turned out very cute! Great job!!

 

[amyrella]

I really want to do the art of animation when we go... Just not sure how my 4 yr old will deal... She lives to draw do maybe thus wil be a good opportunity to relax in some ac.

 

[hollybearsmom]

Your Winnie the Pooh looks great!

 

[PirateKate]

Too bad it was so rainy that day. DHS is a pretty good rainy day park, though, with so many indoor attractions. Your Winnie the Pooh drawing did come out great.

 

[onelilspark]

How did I miss that you started this!!! Ugh...sorry!!

Subbing now, then going back and catching up!

 

[Caretames1]

I really like your Pooh drawing! I'd frame it too

Too bad it rain so much! Oh well, another reason to go back

 

[Nermel9]

Wow, your Pooh drawing is amazing!!! I really need to try the drawing class on my next trip! I have a feeling I'm going to be terrible at it, I can't draw at all!

Hope the rain stops soon!

 

[xoktenox]

You guys really made a good use of indoor activities to avoid the rain

I loveeee the Animation Academy!! We also drew Pooh once but yours and Claire's are wayyy better than mine came out haha yours is definitely frame worthy!

I like your PP pics! The one with the ears is cool...I think you're right, that may be a new feature...and if it's not, well it's new to us

 

[Jazzabelle508]

Sad that it was rainy that day! at least you were at the hollywood studios which is one of the best parks (in my opinon) to be at in the rain since everything there is inside. Nice pooh bear drawings from both you and claire! Both of them are waaaaaay better than my drawings ever are. I love going to the idol experience! Each time that we are in the disney studios we go and watch one of the preliminaries. Somehow the person we vote for always wins We always end up watching the finale from either inside the theater or outside by the big screen. it's become a really fun tradition and it got us to watch the show. Ironicly both years we watched it someone from our area (chicago) has made at least the top 3 on the real show. Another fun fact about the AI experience is that one of the contestants from last year (i think they made it to the top 5) did their initial audition in Disney and got the dream ticket. Obviously they tend to milk the story for all it's worth. Unfortunately for him that fact came out the day after he got eliminated. He might have gotten a few more votes otherwise if that had come out sooner.

 

[bellebookworm9]

That is a really fantastic Pooh Bear drawing!

On an un-related note, I was just playing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" on Facebook, and one of the questions wanted to know "Which poultry selling fast food chain is famous for being closed on Sundays?" and thanks to your TRs, I knew it was Chik-Fil-A, so thanks!

 

[cbg1027]

What lovely Photopass Pictures!

I love your Pooh Bear drawings! I love Animation Academy too - can't wait to go in three weeks!

 

[meeko_33785]

Hey Sarah! I just got caught up with your TR. It's been a fun read so far. Just a few comments from the posts so far

Glad to see you finally git your Chic-fil-a at the airport again.

How cool is that with the s'mores making at OKW? The DVC resorts feel really great at doing little things like that.

I guess I'm a creature of habit too. I always seem to watch the opening show at MK from the right side. It would be so weird for me to watch it from the left.

Great picture of the lioness! I don't think I've ever seen one that close at AK (or is it DAK? )

Enjoyed the photos and video of the night entertainment at MK. The light show on the castle looks great.

Yes, those Rapunzel pins do seem to be quite elusive, don't they. It took me two days and looking through a bunch of shops before I managed to find one in December.

 

[AlliGirl]

Brand new to dis boards and the wdw online community! Planning a trip in august for myself (college senior and an education major too!) and my mother! Can't wait because we haven't been for at least 10 years...last time I went those invisible dog leashes were popular...and I had one...light blue!

ANYWAYS...long-winded...loving LOVING your trip report! I'm so jealous of how much you and your sister were able to do in just the first three hours of your first day at MK!!! I fear long lines in mid August...

Oh AND I saw the pictures you and your sister had drawn of Pooh before I read the story about them and I completely thought, Wow one of the animators must have given them sketches! No lie, I totally thought that so I'm super impressed!

 

[OhMari]

I agree with everyone else.
Your Pooh drawings are excellent.

 

[wdwgirl03]

ugh rain!!!! At least you found things to do and didn't have to walk forever and ever to get to a ride or attraction! I love the Poohs!!!! I don't remember the last time it was I saw AI. We used to go a TON when it first opened when I lived there. After a while it became so hit or miss and they struggled to get decent people in off seasons so we stopped going haha.

I'm surprised because all of the shows we've gone to the contestants have generally been pretty good. Yeah, there have been a couple that weren't as good but overall they do a nice job.

Nice PP pics! Love the DHS one!

We drew Winnie the Pooh in January! The class was so empty that she let us vote! It was so fun! Your Winnie the Pooh's look great! Definitely frameworthy!

Thanks!

That's cool you drew Pooh and got to choose too!

Those are some awesome photopass pictures! I especially like the one in front of the Sorcerer Mickey hat, really said "Yeah, we're in Disney and we're having fun! DEAL WITH IT!" Haha And you and Claire did an awesome job at the Animation Academy. I've really wanted to do that since I once spent a summer just drawing disney characters and sadly never got to on my most recent trip That is so funny how at the American Idol show all three girls were Miss Hannigan back at school. I find that pretty funny, but I'm guessing they did that purposefully. And the deal with the teenaged girls is probably because of AI lowering the age limit for American Idol that they are becoming more of a majority. There were many this season though I'm not really keeping up with it since Simon's not there. Ok, moving on... good to hear your hometown contestant won! It usually is always between the last two that the decision comes down to and usually one of them wins. I think they purposefully put the one who pales in no comparison to the last to go first. Its kinda mean, but I think that's what they do. :/ Well, can't wait to read more! Update soon!

haha yeah, I like the DHS one mostly because we finally saw some blue skies! So of course I had to get that one. I am sure they put the three girls together for that reason but it was still pretty amusing. Really, what are the odds?!

You did an amazing job with your Pooh drawing....I'm impressed....and it's definitely frame worthy!

We love how like the show the set is of AI at DHS...I was blown away the first time we went in...we went in to get out of the cold in January and I couldn't believe how great the singers were. We stayed around and waited for the last show of the evening so we could see if our girl won!!

I love the set, seeing as it's probably the closest thing I'll ever get to the real deal.

Your Pooh drawings are great! I am totally artistically challenged so I am very impressed

We really like the AI Experience and it does make you feel like you're there. Glad you enjoyed it

haha, thanks!

AIE is always a fun show to see. We never get sick of it. It's interesting seeing what the contestants are going to perform!

Catching up again....

Great updates!! Seeing all those beautiful pictures of the Poly makes me want to stay there even more!!

You got some really great pictures on the safari! I can't believe how many animals were out! Those Lioness pictures are amazing!

Love your castle and Wishes pictures!! I get misty-eyed too while watching Wishes....I just can't help it!

Sorry about all the rain...but yay for getting the Western scene on the GMR! Oh and your Pooh picture turned out very cute! Great job!!

It seems everyone wants to stay at the Polynesian and I can't say I blame you guys. After all, we have stayed there and I am dying to go back.

I was so surprised the picture of the lioness turned out so well. But I love it. One of the best moments ever on a safari.

And thanks for the compliment on my Pooh drawing.

I really want to do the art of animation when we go... Just not sure how my 4 yr old will deal... She lives to draw do maybe thus wil be a good opportunity to relax in some ac.

Oh yeah, I've seen some pretty small kids in there. If she doesn't like it she can always just draw whatever she wants. Plus there's other fun things in the building too.

Your Winnie the Pooh looks great!

Thank you!

Too bad it was so rainy that day. DHS is a pretty good rainy day park, though, with so many indoor attractions. Your Winnie the Pooh drawing did come out great.

It was really depressing seeing so much rain. But we managed.

How did I miss that you started this!!! Ugh...sorry!!

Subbing now, then going back and catching up!

Glad you found me!!!

I really like your Pooh drawing! I'd frame it too

Too bad it rain so much! Oh well, another reason to go back

I really think it would be cool to frame a bunch of our Animation Academy drawings. They're such fun souvenirs.

I know, right?!

Wow, your Pooh drawing is amazing!!! I really need to try the drawing class on my next trip! I have a feeling I'm going to be terrible at it, I can't draw at all!

Hope the rain stops soon!

YES, do it!! I had the same fear because I stink at drawing anything other than hearts and flowers but look how mine turned out! You can do it.

You guys really made a good use of indoor activities to avoid the rain

I loveeee the Animation Academy!! We also drew Pooh once but yours and Claire's are wayyy better than mine came out haha yours is definitely frame worthy!

I like your PP pics! The one with the ears is cool...I think you're right, that may be a new feature...and if it's not, well it's new to us

I am so glad I read about the Animation Academy on here. It has definitely become one of our new favorites and we can't miss it. So much fun!

I had fun playing around with the different designs you could get for the magnets. I might have to get another one next trip.

Sad that it was rainy that day! at least you were at the hollywood studios which is one of the best parks (in my opinon) to be at in the rain since everything there is inside. Nice pooh bear drawings from both you and claire! Both of them are waaaaaay better than my drawings ever are. I love going to the idol experience! Each time that we are in the disney studios we go and watch one of the preliminaries. Somehow the person we vote for always wins We always end up watching the finale from either inside the theater or outside by the big screen. it's become a really fun tradition and it got us to watch the show. Ironicly both years we watched it someone from our area (chicago) has made at least the top 3 on the real show. Another fun fact about the AI experience is that one of the contestants from last year (i think they made it to the top 5) did their initial audition in Disney and got the dream ticket. Obviously they tend to milk the story for all it's worth. Unfortunately for him that fact came out the day after he got eliminated. He might have gotten a few more votes otherwise if that had come out sooner.

We love going to the finale shows too. We've never watched it from outside though but it's funny how they tell everyone to say hi to the people watching outside.

Yeah, last year Lee Dewyze was from Chicago...I love him! I did hear that too about Aaron Kelly, and you're right, I remember seeing it right after he was eliminated. Then this year they also said two of the top 12 guys got started at the AIE too. Very cool.

 

[wdwgirl03]

That is a really fantastic Pooh Bear drawing!

On an un-related note, I was just playing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" on Facebook, and one of the questions wanted to know "Which poultry selling fast food chain is famous for being closed on Sundays?" and thanks to your TRs, I knew it was Chik-Fil-A, so thanks!

Thank you!

That is awesome about WWTBAM. And you're welcome. Funny what you learn from the DIS.

What lovely Photopass Pictures!

I love your Pooh Bear drawings! I love Animation Academy too - can't wait to go in three weeks!

Three weeks...lucky!!

Hey Sarah! I just got caught up with your TR. It's been a fun read so far. Just a few comments from the posts so far

Glad to see you finally git your Chic-fil-a at the airport again.

How cool is that with the s'mores making at OKW? The DVC resorts feel really great at doing little things like that.

I guess I'm a creature of habit too. I always seem to watch the opening show at MK from the right side. It would be so weird for me to watch it from the left.

Great picture of the lioness! I don't think I've ever seen one that close at AK (or is it DAK? )

Enjoyed the photos and video of the night entertainment at MK. The light show on the castle looks great.

Yes, those Rapunzel pins do seem to be quite elusive, don't they. It took me two days and looking through a bunch of shops before I managed to find one in December.

Hi meeko! Welcome back to the DIS.

Yes, we do love our Chick-Fil-A.

It is cool how the DVC resorts have all kinds of activities going on. That was the first time we've ever really gotten to enjoy one though since we're always so busy at the parks. But it was a lot of fun.

haha, I like calling it DAK now. It sounds so official (somehow...).

The light show was awesome. Really amazing what they could do.

Yeah, the same thing happened to me. Luckily I managed to find one on our last day at DHS at one of the carts on Sunset Boulevard.

Brand new to dis boards and the wdw online community! Planning a trip in august for myself (college senior and an education major too!) and my mother! Can't wait because we haven't been for at least 10 years...last time I went those invisible dog leashes were popular...and I had one...light blue!

ANYWAYS...long-winded...loving LOVING your trip report! I'm so jealous of how much you and your sister were able to do in just the first three hours of your first day at MK!!! I fear long lines in mid August...

Oh AND I saw the pictures you and your sister had drawn of Pooh before I read the story about them and I completely thought, Wow one of the animators must have given them sketches! No lie, I totally thought that so I'm super impressed!

Welcome to the DIS! How exciting to be planning a trip in August. We've gone the past two years in August and it's been hot but definitely manageable. Wow, 10 years...you guys are going to have so much fun. A lot has changed over the years!

Glad you are enjoying my report. As long as you plan on getting up early, I think you'll be fine. Plus, like I said, it's pretty hot/humid and it's a little more comfortable when you're there for rope drop. Feel free to read my August TR too (the link is in my signature).

Oh wow, that is a compliment! haha There are a couple animators who do give their drawings away after the class but sadly we've never gotten one.

I agree with everyone else.
Your Pooh drawings are excellent.

Thanks Marisa.

 

[Jennifer48]

I can't believe how late I am to this TR!

What a great 1st day! You got in so many rides!

OKW looks great! For some reason I never had any urge to stay there but based on your pictures, I might just have to!

Yes that lioness pic has to the best one I have ever seen from the safari!

 

[wdwgirl03]

I can't believe how late I am to this TR!

What a great 1st day! You got in so many rides!

OKW looks great! For some reason I never had any urge to stay there but based on your pictures, I might just have to!

Yes that lioness pic has to the best one I have ever seen from the safari!

It's OK, glad you found me. We've still got a long way to go. hehe

I really liked OKW. I just told my dad the other day how I enjoyed it. I'd definitely stay there again!

Thanks for the compliment on my picture.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Happy Friday!! It's finally a really nice day here...I don't know about the rest of you, but we've hardly had any true spring days so far this year. I was kind of getting sick of it. Good way to start the weekend.

March 28, 2011 cont'd (part 3)

When we got to the bus stop at Hollywood Studios, I was kind of depressed. It really wasn't that late and I felt like we had just gotten there but all the rain was so frustrating. We needed to go back to OKW to dry off for a bit and just get out of the rain.

The sad thing was, looking at the forecast, it was obvious the rain was not going to stop. So we could either sit around in our room for the rest of the day or just deal with the bad weather. After a while, we decided to head over to Epcot. We ended up swapping our cheap ponchos for some that were a little bit thicker (yes, we came prepared). Let's just say it was slightly annoying having to hold onto the disposable ones because they were so thin and would whip around in the wind.

The good news is that a bus came right as we got to the stop so we didn't have to wait at all. But again, it was sad seeing all the families with little kids in all their rain gear. I felt so bad for them.

On the bus it was kind of amusing because we had our park bags on under our ponchos (Vera Bradley and heavy rain do not mix) so we had to figure out how we'd get our bags off to be checked without having to take off our ponchos. We figured out that if we took our heads out we could lift the bag strap over our head and it would work. Yay us.

I cheered up a bit once we arrived at Epcot and heard "One Little Spark" on the bus (how can you not love that song?!) and got our first glimpse of the Toy Story topiaries at the entrance for the Flower and Garden Festival.

Because we didn't want to get our cameras wet, we actually took all these pictures from under the overhangs at the turnstiles.

I was really looking forward to seeing all the flowers because when Dad and I went last year, the park looked gorgeous with all the colors. That was not how I imagined seeing them for the first time on this trip. But, we knew we'd be back another day when the sun would (hopefully) be out. Oh, and it was also cute how they were piping in music from Toy Story to set the mood.

Ready to take on the rain again, we made our way to Spaceship Earth. It had been a couple trips since we've done it. Plus it was right there and there was hardly any wait. We enjoyed the ride and I always like choosing your future at the end. After the ride I spotted the map where they show where people are from. While we didn't see our pictures at all, I thought it was quite amusing:

Do you think it was spring break in the midwest??? haha

Like DHS, the nice thing about Epcot is that there's tons to do inside. Our next stop was the Seas with Nemo and Friends. We went on the ride and then spent some time looking at the fish. I found Dory, atleast.

We also saw the manatees.

They were just finishing up a presentation and asked a couple of trivia questions. One of them was which animal is the manatee's closest relative (or something like that). Thinking I knew the answer, I shouted out cow. The presenter said that was a good guess because sometimes manatees are called sea cows. That was obviously what I was thinking but the correct answer is an elephant. Oops.

After enjoying the Seas, we did Journey Into Imagination. Again, there was a short wait. But as I always say, geez, the original JII was a million times better. I hear they are restoring the Tiki Room to its original version, so why not bring back Figment and Dreamfinder? That would be amazing.

One thing to note is that the What If labs (is that what they're called now? I miss the old Image Works too...) have changed a little bit. The kiosks where you used to be able to take your picture and add virtual stickers and such is now a create your own Figment! So Claire and I had some fun with that.

Claire working on her masterpiece...

And the finished product...

Kind of looks like the real Figment to me. I was a bit more creative.

I named mine Pigment. When we were done we emailed them to Dad and Emma.

In the gift shop on the way out I spotted this little guy, who I nearly bought. So cute.

I think we got dinner at the Land before ending our night at Innoventions. We got so caught up in taking some survey at one of the exhibits that we pretty much got kicked out. One of the CMs asked us if we were waiting for someone and said that they were getting ready to close up the building. I forgot most of Future World closed earlier. Thinking that Illuminations was probably in jeopardy, we decided to call it a night. Sadly, we left the park after a very wet day. The good news is that we did do a lot of attractions but it's just not quite the same when the weather's so crummy. Having been to Disney World so many times, part of the fun is being able to enjoy the Florida sunshine. But it was nowhere to be found that day. We could only hope that the next day would be better.

One more random story from that day. On the bus ride back to Old Key West, there was a couple and their two teenage daughters. You know how each resort has a specific music loop on the buses? For OKW, they played a lot of tropical, beachy songs. Well, this family was not going to let the bad weather get them down! They were singing along to all the songs. It was actually really fun. When we got back to OKW they apologized for singing but Claire and I both enjoyed it. I have to admit that when I got home, I downloaded Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville" from iTunes because that was one of the songs they would always play. So from now on, whenever I hear that song I'm going to think of Old Key West.

up next: Would the rain stop and what could possibly top our first safari???