The Dream is over, but I don't want to wake up...Sailing into a New Year

[tokyodisneydad]

AHOY!!!!AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING STILL READING THIS BLASTED TRIP REPORT WHEN THERE IS A PIRA....I MEAN THIEF ON THE LOOSE. NOW ME BLOODY FAVORITE HAT IS MISSING. YOU BETTER REPORT TO DUTY ON THE DREAM SOON OR I'LL MAKE YOU WALK THEE PLANK.

 

[perfectmatch300]

Thanks for sharing the link to your previous report. I have finished the parks section. Now I get the references here. I admire how well you handled the adversity you encountered during that trip. I am looking forward to hearing more about your adventures on this current TR. I am also following your mystery as it unravels, waiting for your next clue.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Thanks for sharing the link to your previous report. I have finished the parks section. Now I get the references here. I admire how well you handled the adversity you encountered during that trip. I am looking forward to hearing more about your adventures on this current TR. I am also following your mystery as it unravels, waiting for your next clue.

More coming soon... Except for one upcoming bad night this trip was excellent.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok it's time to travel back in time and maybe pick up a dinosaur. Dinoland USA is probably my least favorite area in the Animal Kingdom. I think I would have rather they built the enchanted creatures area that was in the original plans. Having said that I did enjoy this day.
Myfavorite part was my wife trying to take a picture with the Dino mural but finding she was too short.





I wasn't too short just too fat.

We rode Primal Whirl first. I swear I remember being able to spin the cars like the teacups last time, but this time there wasn't a wheel. Am I losing my mind? I talked about spinning the car the whole time we waited in line. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't. Our group split up in two cars.

After our whirl on Primal Whirl it was off to ride Dinosaur and use our first fastpass.



Now the base story for Dinosaur is ok and the que area is well themed, but personally if I never rode this ride again I would be fine. Indiana Jones uses the same ride system in Tokyo Disney Sea, but the Dinosaur version is just too rough for old bones.

Exiting Dinosaur we passed by Nemo and asked showtimes. Maki wanted to see this show as she had never seen it before. For now though it was off to catch a Yeti.

 

[marquislaura]

Following along.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok back. First of all let me apologize for the short bursts that this report has been so far. That's what my brain is able to handle at the moment. Second when we get to the first day of the cruise...not yet....I suggest putting the little ones to bed early. I won't go into details now are even so many details when we get there, but there was a time that night that this report may have to leave the G rating. Other than that really disppointing time everything was great.

Now back on safari. Expedition Everest: Absolutely one of the best themed and put together coasters on the planet in my opinion. Along with Rock and Roll rollercoaster, Everest is one of my favorites. Our fast pass time was coming up and we were on our way. Now Hidemi and Maki don't like coasters at all. In fact they are afraid of them. But somehow either I convinced them or their husbands convinced them to give it a try. Final results were . They seemed to enjoy it, but also would not be doing it again. Me personally I could have ridden it ten more times, but unfortunately there was still alot to do.
Immedietly after getting off the attraction it started to rain. It was a brief drizle/downpour /drizzle that is typical of Florida. We were soon on our way again. Since we had some time before our next fast pass we decided to get some lunch. Of course everyone turned to me. In my mind I wanted two things at that moment...one I wanted to go see the Flights of Wonder show ( never made it even close to there) and I wanted someone else to decide. Neither happened so it was off to Pizzafari for lunch. This turned out to be a great decision as you will soon see.


First of all Shuichi had a magical moment when he was ordering. The staff in the kitchen saw his Birthday badge and started singing. They also gave him a cupcake. I got the cupcake just not the song. I was fine with that as I didn't need it pointed out that I was getting old.
We ordered too much food. A pasta dish with salad,a pizza and bread sticks. We ended up saving the breadsticks for breakfast the next day. All the food was great. I didn't want to overeat though as we ad 8:00 reservations at Bomas.
After lunch it was off to a safari.

Sorry to leave you anging again, but my brain has other things on it's mind and my wife is sick so I will call it an evening. Next time aIpromise to finish off this day so we can et to the part you all want......the cruise.

 

[DisneyZell]

Nice update. I would like to point out, however, that it is just wrong to leave people hanging. I agree with you on dinoland...waste of space. and the Dinosaur version of Indiana Jones just isn't as good. Keep it up and hope the wife feels better!

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Finally time for an update. Sorry I have been very busy interviewing for a big step up within my company. I will know by Wednesday if I get the job. It's alot more work, but I've never been afraid of work. It's kind of funny last trip report I got a promotion also....then the company went out of business. That shouldn't happen this time.

Ok let's get us out of this park atleast.

We finished lunch and it was time for our last fastpass and my favorite part of the Animal Kingdom...Kilamanjaro Safari. Now this time was as great as usual and our truck driver was great, but without the little side story of the elephant poachers it felt as if something was missing. He did give lot's of facts and I was listening because when he tested te people in the truck I was the one who answered them all. Ok ahead of myself again...here is one of those times these new Mickey bracelets caused backup in the fastpass line....so they just started letting everyone through. Anyway here are some pictures of the animals we saw....enjoy.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

While we were in line we were discussing what to do. It was just before 3. There was a Lion king Show at 3:30 we decided on that. Maki had wanted to see the Nemo sho, but the next show was at 5 and I was meeting up with a friend in Down Town Disney at that time before dinner. I told zMaki that they were welcome to stay in the park and meet up later, but in the end we decided to stay together. On the way to the Lion king Kiyomi wanted another picture in front of te tree so we stopped at a different spot.







After that it was off to see the Lion King. Now if you have read my past trip report you know why I like this show. I was sad that we would be seeing one of the last shows before it closed to start Avator land....but I will be excited to see it reopened in it's new theater. I'm hoping they the AA animals a little love before it does as they were looking a little rough on the fuzz.



The show was great as usual, but the main singer wasn't as good as past shows. Though the fire dancer was incredible as usual.

After that we had about 40 minutes before we left and my more beautiful half wanted shopping. I said go for it...found a bench and watched the afternoon parade pass by.





Overall the Animal kingdom was a great day. My wife was happy and I enjoyed it. I was let down about not doing everything I wanted, but hey it just gives me a reason to get back. I will definitely see the Flights of Wonder show next time if it's still there. Also definitely get over to the Raffiki Conservation area. Probably will skip Dinoland, but Everest and Safaris are a must. In addition by the time I get back Avator land will be open.

Ok well we have one mor update about Downtown Disney and dinner before Cruise day comes. Thanks for hanging in there.

 

[DisneyZell]

Hey! hope you get the new job at your company! Good stuff...hopefully more money so you can travel over to the states more.

We aren't going to hit Disneyworld when we are there in March....so won't have to deal with the wristbands. but maybe next year? I'm kind of surprised that they didn't test it more to make sure there weren't any issues...very un-disneylike.

So do they not do normal fast passes anymore? DW probably knows but I don't.

Good update...but...uh...a little short. ha!

DZ

 

[ilovedevin]

John Heald posted this on Facebook tonight and I thought of you! It's Carnival's version so not sure if it's as good as Disney's but thought of you when I saw it LOL.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE



Ingredients unitsPortion 16 each

• Frozen pie shell bake to light brown 2 ea

For the filling
• Butter 1.5 oz
• Sugar 0.5 oz
• Semi-sweet chocolate 1.5 oz
• Egg yolk 2 ea
• Peanut butter paste 2 oz
• Heavy cream ¼ cup


Procedure

• Mix cream, butter, sugar & egg yolk’s
• Add peanut butter & melted chocolate
• Divide equally into 2 pie shells
• bake at 180F for 20 min (until fully cooked )
• Cut the pie and serve in room temperature
• Do not keep in the fridge

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Hey! hope you get the new job at your company! Good stuff...hopefully more money so you can travel over to the states more.

We aren't going to hit Disneyworld when we are there in March....so won't have to deal with the wristbands. but maybe next year? I'm kind of surprised that they didn't test it more to make sure there weren't any issues...very un-disneylike.

So do they not do normal fast passes anymore? DW probably knows but I don't.

Good update...but...uh...a little short. ha!

DZ

Ok yep it was short, and I've been neglectful with updates. The reason being is that I got the promotion. Yep eventually that means more money for Disney, but I have to work to get there. I promise an update and to get us on the ship tonight when I'm home alone. The wife has to go and help her parent's at their restaurant so it will be nice and quiet.

John Heald posted this on Facebook tonight and I thought of you! It's Carnival's version so not sure if it's as good as Disney's but thought of you when I saw it LOL.

PEANUT BUTTER PIE



Ingredients unitsPortion 16 each

• Frozen pie shell bake to light brown 2 ea

For the filling
• Butter 1.5 oz
• Sugar 0.5 oz
• Semi-sweet chocolate 1.5 oz
• Egg yolk 2 ea
• Peanut butter paste 2 oz
• Heavy cream ¼ cup


Procedure

• Mix cream, butter, sugar & egg yolk’s
• Add peanut butter & melted chocolate
• Divide equally into 2 pie shells
• bake at 180F for 20 min (until fully cooked )
• Cut the pie and serve in room temperature
• Do not keep in the fridge

Peanut Butter Pie....now that brings back the memories. I'll give it a try.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok an update didn't happen and here is why....warm blanket plus raspberry vodka with gingerale equals me falling asleep on the sofa. Then today my house looks like the winter olympics could be held in my front yard as the heaviest snow to ever it this area is coming down.



Man do I miss Castaway Cay

Well if the internet will hold out through this bad weather I will atleast get us through the night before boarding the Dream.

After leaving the Animal Kingdom we were headed back to Downtown Disney. I was going to meet a friend from a Disney pin trading site to do some pin trading. I personally love trading, but since it's not allowed in Tokyo Disney I never get the chance to trade in person. Well Brian had agreed to drive down to WDW and meet up to trade. I had some Japanese pins that he was interested in and he had some Goofy and Star Wars pins I was interested in. We ended up talkig and trading for about an hour. Everyone else in the group including my wife went shopping. I really enjoyed meeting new friends and appreciate Brian driving to meet up. If anyone wants to see pictures of pins that we traded let me know. His daughter also made me a very cool tshirt that had Goofy and Donald painted on it.

Ok sorry this is cut short again, but a neighbors car is stuck in the snow outside my house so I7m going to help then I will be back.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

See I'm back already . I'm not so cruel as to leave you hanging that long. I will say that this day is really crazy with this weather. I mean we never and I mean never get weather like this. A friend of mine is at Tokyo Disney and has been sending me pictures of everything covered with snow. I wish I was there but also quite glad I'm home and warm.



After our all too brief stop at DTD we had a ADR at Animal Kingdom lodge and Bomas. I had been REALLY looking forward to this for a long time. I had always wanted to see the inside of the AK lodge. On top of that I was meeting a looooonnnngggg time friend for the first time. Again a fellow pintrader that I had known for atleast 8 years through the pin forums. She was also the only person I trust enough to host the Disney Murder games that I developed. Afterall she helped me iron out all the rough spots with rules and things. Ok I know I have lost some of you so I will put a link here to the last game I hosted. It was a short one and is finished now, but it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

http://disneypinforum.com/showthread.php?38425-MURDER-MANIA-in-Tokyo-Disney-SEA-the-GAME-begins

Anyhowww it was off to dinner. I messaged Stef and we finally met on the stairs going down to the restaurant. I wont share a picture of her yet, but I will say she is a really nice person whose friendship I cherish. The good part is that we had been planning this meetup for awhile and you will see more of her on the cruise.

Now to dinner....the lodge was beautiful and the Christmas decorations amazing. I would love to stay there one day, but it is a little dark inside. If you have never been to Bomas i can honestly recommend it The variety of food was huge and quite tasty. I especially loved the zebra desserts...I forgot what they are called. I can see getting in trouble with those if I had more room in my stomach, especially because whatever alcohal they contained was quite strong.






Shuichi got another free birthday cake. I didn't this time because I had taken off my button, but that's ok because I needed the space.

Final judgement...I will definitely do Bomas again.

After dinner it was a liitle shopping in the lodge gift shop then a goodnight and see you tomorrow to Stef. Then we went back to the hotel...afterall we had a ship to board the next day.

 

[tokyodisneydad]

Ok I'm not sure if everyone has just gotten board with my TR or if everyone is just as busy as me. Well either way I promise to atleast get us onboard the ship in this update.



We woke up the next morning early and with great anticipation.Our bus wasn't scheduled to leave until after 11 so it was off to breakfast in the foodcourt. I ordered pancakes with bacon and we had the leftover bread from Animal kingdom. Kiyomi bought a yogurt and coffee. When she went to fill her coffee cup I quickly ate the bacon with a few dips in syrup.

After breakfast we looked around the hotel some more and took some pictures.



As you can see the sky is a bit cloudy.



It sprinkled off and on.



This is my favorite figure at the All Star hotel, but because of rain I just took a quick picture.



Here we say goodbye to our room and head to the lobby. The gentleman that was signing in everyone for the bus was a really nice older gentleman. He talked with us for awhile because we were the first group to sign in. After waiting awhile we got excited when a DCL bus pulled up. we jumped up and started for the doors, but quickly sat down when we realized that it was just dropping the group that had just gotten off the Dream. About twenty minutes later our bus came and we were off.


***Continued next post****

 

[tokyodisneydad]

We were watching the skys as the bus got closer and closer. One minute it was clear, but the next it was cloudy. About 45 minutes later we were pulling into the drop off area. I could definitely see a big size difference between te Dream and Wonder.

We got off the bus and went through security. The staff was shocked at how many things he could see in my bag. I just said it was pins and he understood and sent it through with no problem. I was a little surprised at how many people were in line to check in when we got up the escalators. Last time in 2007 we went straight to the desk to check in. this time there were two long lines.



It was about this time that I remembered that it was my 45th birthday. A day that I had been planning every detail for a really long time. At first our group got in line all together. Mickey was out taking pictures with passengers waiting to board.



It was then that Maki and Hidemi decided that they needed a picture right at tha moment with Mickey. well no way I was getting out of line. I tried to explain that there would be plenty of chances once onboard, but my advice fell on deaf ears. The four of them left the line. We stayed and finished before they even got to the front of the line. We got our room cards and Silver Castaway club lanyards. One was broken so they exchanged it with no problem. Our boarding number was group 9. They had not called that number yet so we watched our group take pictures. I laughed inside when Mickey and minnie changed before they got to the front of the line. After they took a picture they got back in line. i saw it would be awhile for them and told Kiyomi then them that I was boarding as soon as my number was called...with or without them. We then went out to the viewing area to see the ship a little closer.





It wasn't long before they called our number. I waved to Maki and Hidmei and pointed to the ears. They said ok and we were off to board. emotionally I was ok at this moment and kept it under control atleast for awhile. We took our picture...it was awful...I take terrible pictures as you will see so we didn't even think about getting it.

Welcome Aboard the Conley Family and Happy Birthday!!!

They said our room was ready. We decided to go and see it and drop off our bags before meeting back with our group and going to eat. But a quick picture with Donald's statue and the piano player.





NEXT UP: The PERFECT ROOM for me

 

[figment52]

I'm still reading - I check everyday for updates. Please keep posting.

 

[Shazzie B]

Me too

 

[dededisney]

I'm still with you! Better hurry up though... we leave in 36 days!!

 

[pepe3penelope]

Glad I'm not the only one who checks daily for any updates!