The One Where I Go To Disney World for the Tenth Time: Aug '14 TR - COMPLETE 5/21 LIFE U/D 7/7

[Leshaface]

Score on your terribly long wait for Teppan Edo

You and me both must have the same tastebuds...I can't tell skittle flavors apart either!

I really enjoyed Teppan Edo in the past, but it's been forever since we've gone.

I think we've only taken the Friendship Boat once and i'm sure it was because of how hot it was!

 

[Dugette]

Oh, cool to see Lighting McQueen in the LMA show!

I had no idea of that Guardians of the Galaxy Magic Shot. Is it still there and, if so, where? I bet Dug would want to do that.

Wow, that is a crazy line for GMR! I think I heard they are just changing the movie clips at the end?

Yikes on the falling tree! You’d think Disney would have some sort of force-field to prevent such unmagical things.

Oh, wow, that’s the second report I’ve read recently where the IJ show got cut short due to weather. Bummer.

Yes, I know that Beach Club bathroom – classy!

Yay, Off Kilter – love them! I’m sad that they aren’t at Epcot anymore.

Oooh, I remember the yum yum sauce too – tasty!

Glad the weather cleared up while you ate and that you got a boat ride in.

 

[kastoney]

Wow, can't believe all the rain you encountered today. Too bad the boat to Epcot wasn't running, it is a lovely ride. But at least you found my favorite word in the English language, P.U.B

What good look for teppan Edo to take you early. I haven't eaten there in years but it's usually a solid meal.

Glad you finally got your boat ride, however short ; )

 

[heathsf]

Score on your terribly long wait for Teppan Edo

You and me both must have the same tastebuds...I can't tell skittle flavors apart either!

I really enjoyed Teppan Edo in the past, but it's been forever since we've gone.

I think we've only taken the Friendship Boat once and i'm sure it was because of how hot it was!

I think you're the first person who has ever agreed with me about Skittles and not looked at me like there's something wrong me!

Oh, cool to see Lighting McQueen in the LMA show!

I had no idea of that Guardians of the Galaxy Magic Shot. Is it still there and, if so, where? I bet Dug would want to do that.

Wow, that is a crazy line for GMR! I think I heard they are just changing the movie clips at the end?

Yikes on the falling tree! You’d think Disney would have some sort of force-field to prevent such unmagical things.

Oh, wow, that’s the second report I’ve read recently where the IJ show got cut short due to weather. Bummer.

Yes, I know that Beach Club bathroom – classy!

Yay, Off Kilter – love them! I’m sad that they aren’t at Epcot anymore.

Oooh, I remember the yum yum sauce too – tasty!

Glad the weather cleared up while you ate and that you got a boat ride in.

About the Guardians of the Galaxy magic shot, I just searched on google and found a thread on here where someone said it was only for the movie's premiere. Sorry

Off Kilter is gone now too!?!? Aghh I didn't know! I would've made sure to stick around longer and watch even in the rain if I had known it would be my last chance.

Is that really all they're changing at GMR? I really like the montage at the end! I bet people will be disappointed if that's all that they're updating.

Wow, can't believe all the rain you encountered today. Too bad the boat to Epcot wasn't running, it is a lovely ride. But at least you found my favorite word in the English language, P.U.B

What good look for teppan Edo to take you early. I haven't eaten there in years but it's usually a solid meal.

Glad you finally got your boat ride, however short ; )

at the bolded

Hey! You have a trip coming up *very* soon!!

 

[heathsf]

Episode 23
The One with the Dead Manatee​

The Friendship Boat docked on the other side of World Showcase near Canada and we exited back to Future World. The weather had improved significantly.

We headed to the Seas to do some exploring and we had a FP+ to use later at Turtle Talk with Crush, which I had never done before!

We spent some time just wandering around and checking out the marine life in the tanks. And also the non-marine hidden Mickeys (and Goofys).

I had seen the Hidden Mickey many times before on previous trips…

But the Goofy was new to me!

Since it was later in the day the crowds here were pretty thin which was nice. It was nice to take our time just looking around and relaxing a bit while we waited for our FP+ time for Crush. When we got to the manatee tank we noticed that there was a manatee lying on the bottom of the tank not moving. We watched for a while and it still wasn’t moving. We became highly concerned, because we read on the nearby display that manatees need to surface every couple of minutes to breathe air. And this one wasn’t! We therefore concluded that this manatee must be dead! We looked around for a CM to alert but couldn’t find one. I considered taking a picture for this TR but felt that would be disrespectful to the deceased and decided against it. I was slightly horrified that a dead 1,000+ pound mammal was on display in Disney for children to see, but there weren’t many people around anyway. We eventually continued on our way upstairs to keep exploring and kept an eye out for any CMs.

 

[heathsf]

Episode 24
The One Where the Manatee is Not Actually Dead​

When we got upstairs at the Seas we found the upper-level Manatee exhibit where you can catch a CM feeding the manatees and educating guests about them. The area was currently closed because it was late in the day but there was a sign:

Resting, eh? We still hadn’t seen any CMs so at this point I took out my phone and did some googling: How do manatees breathe while sleeping? WELL… I can now tell you that while manatees need to breathe air every couple of minutes while they are active, during rest periods they can hold their breath for about 20 minutes. When manatees rest they either float near the surface of the water or… wait for it… they lay on the bottom of the tank! So clearly, none of the four of us have a future in marine biology And I was very happy to be able to declare that this manatee was, in fact, alive. Phew. And since it wasn’t dead I decided it was acceptable to take a picture after all And funny enough, when we went back downstairs there were now two sleeping manatees on the bottom.

It was almost time to talk to turtles, but first we needed to take Mr. Ray’s pop quiz.

There are no pictures from our visit with Crush but I’ll just tell you that it was so stinkin’ adorable. All the kids sit in the front of the room closest to Crush and the adults sit on benches behind them. The way Crush interacts with the room is really cool. That is some awesome technology at work. All the kids seemed to really be loving it. I give it two enthusiastic fins up!

I have to take a picture of this sign every trip because I think it’s so sweet

We had plenty more to do tonight so it was time to head on back to DHS. As we walked to the front of the park to exit there was an incredible sunset happening through the trees behind The Land Pavillion. We caught glimpses of it but we weren’t in a good spot to get any good pictures. Unfortunately, by the time we made it to the park entrance the sunset was already passed its prime and I missed that awesome photo opportunity. Oh well. You’ll just have to take my word for it. It was stunning.

This is the best picture I got and it does it NO justice:

One of my favorite things on this entire planet is the fiber optics in the pavement here (and the colorful ones nearby too).

I have very few memories of my early trips to WDW, but these lights are one of them, and few things make me happier in my life than standing here and watching them glow. If/when DH and I win the lottery, we will be installing these in our sidewalk and driveway. And you will all be invited to come and see. We’ll also buy DVC and take at least 3 Disney trips a year and writing TRs will become my new full time job

Anyway, I marveled at the beauty that is Spaceship Earth at night and then we caught a bus back to DHS.

 

[megveg]

Not gonna lie, I saved the following pic you took to keep as a phone background because its absolutely beautiful and I miss Epcot so much. The light in the sidewalk make me SO SO happy every time I'm there!

​

 

[Dugette]

If/when DH and I win the lottery, we will be installing these in our sidewalk and driveway. And you will all be invited to come and see. We’ll also buy DVC and take at least 3 Disney trips a year and writing TRs will become my new full time job

That sounds like an excellent plan!

Glad the manatee was okay - that would be really scary!

I love hopping back and forth between DHS and Epcot. Did that last trip and planning to do it a lot more in May. So nice to be able to get between the parks with a short walk or boat ride.

 

[heathsf]

Not gonna lie, I saved the following pic you took to keep as a phone background because its absolutely beautiful and I miss Epcot so much. The light in the sidewalk make me SO SO happy every time I'm there!

Yay! I'm flattered you liked the picture enough to use it as a background. Enjoy I liked the picture too, which is why it's now my new avatar since I lost my last one.

That sounds like an excellent plan!

Glad the manatee was okay - that would be really scary!

I love hopping back and forth between DHS and Epcot. Did that last trip and planning to do it a lot more in May. So nice to be able to get between the parks with a short walk or boat ride.

Thanks, I'm an excellent planner

My feeling is that it's very convenient to hop between DHS and Epcot except when it's 100 degrees, raining, or both I really need to schedule my next trip during a better time of year.

 

[kastoney]

This is quite the update. Good thing they didn't have any manatees in mr. Ray's quiz. I can think of 4 people who wouldn't of fared so well. I'm off to bed now. Don't worry though, when I'm lying on my bed if just means I'm sleeping ; )

 

[FFMatt12]

I, too, like your hopping between parks. I just began tuning into your TR on Wednesday and have been reading a little bit each day. I have only planned one WDW trip myself and my DGF (is that a DIS acronym? Not a DW yet ). Anywho we always did the one park per day even though we hopped once. I really like your way of doing things much better. Love the sunset pics from Epcot and congratulations on starting your family! Looking forward to the rest of this TR. --Fellow New Jerseyan.

 

[doodlesmommy]

Loving your trip report!

 

[heathsf]

This is quite the update. Good thing they didn't have any manatees in mr. Ray's quiz. I can think of 4 people who wouldn't of fared so well. I'm off to bed now. Don't worry though, when I'm lying on my bed if just means I'm sleeping ; )

Your whole response has me cracking up!!

I, too, like your hopping between parks. I just began tuning into your TR on Wednesday and have been reading a little bit each day. I have only planned one WDW trip myself and my DGF (is that a DIS acronym? Not a DW yet ). Anywho we always did the one park per day even though we hopped once. I really like your way of doing things much better. Love the sunset pics from Epcot and congratulations on starting your family! Looking forward to the rest of this TR. --Fellow New Jerseyan.

Welcome! Before DH and I were married I used to refer to him on here as BF and I've seen plenty of people use DBF or DGF so no pressure on getting married just for the acronym ! Thank you for the compliments and the congratulations Are you North or South Jersey?

Loving your trip report!

Thank you so much!!

 

[FFMatt12]

Welcome! Before DH and I were married I used to refer to him on here as BF and I've seen plenty of people use DBF or DGF so no pressure on getting married just for the acronym ! Thank you for the compliments and the congratulations Are you North or South Jersey?

Sounds good, I'll keep my acronym. I grew up in Bergen County north jersey but moved to Central NJ, Monmouth area in 2000. Yes, Central Jersey does exist! Lol

 

[heathsf]

Sounds good, I'll keep my acronym. I grew up in Bergen County north jersey but moved to Central NJ, Monmouth area in 2000. Yes, Central Jersey does exist! Lol

Hahaha, it kiiiiiiiind of exists I'm in Bergen County!

 

[Leshaface]

Oh my gosh the title?!!

Aw the hidden Goofy is cute!

And now that i've read more of your TR...Woah, that is crazy. And now I know for future reference if I ever see a mantaee laying on the bottom, he's fine (hopefully!) That's kinda cute that they're laying down to sleep, and now the 'dead' one has a sleeping companion

Turtle Talk is really cute isn't it?! DH and I would go often at DCA and watch it because of how fun it is.

Seriously, the seahorse fact!?

I will, for reals, be on the next plane to Jersey to see your Fiber Optics outside your house. Heck, while you're at it, might as well have some installed in your roman bath/shower (cause rich people have those right?!) That actually would be pretty sick though.

The picture of the ball with the palm trees is my favorite viewing spot. I get pictures from that spot every time.

 

[heathsf]

Oh my gosh the title?!!

Aw the hidden Goofy is cute!

And now that i've read more of your TR...Woah, that is crazy. And now I know for future reference if I ever see a mantaee laying on the bottom, he's fine (hopefully!) That's kinda cute that they're laying down to sleep, and now the 'dead' one has a sleeping companion

Turtle Talk is really cute isn't it?! DH and I would go often at DCA and watch it because of how fun it is.

Seriously, the seahorse fact!?

I will, for reals, be on the next plane to Jersey to see your Fiber Optics outside your house. Heck, while you're at it, might as well have some installed in your roman bath/shower (cause rich people have those right?!) That actually would be pretty sick though.

The picture of the ball with the palm trees is my favorite viewing spot. I get pictures from that spot every time.

I don't know if you'd want to be on the NEXT plane to Jersey because it is literally 12 degrees with a "real feel" of -7 degrees. Yup, that's a negative in front of the 7. And the low temperature tonight is going to be -1 and that's without the wind chill. Of course, we haven't won the lottery or done the remodeling yet, so hopefully that will be finished in warmer weather

 

[heathsf]

Episode 25
The One with Two Nighttime Spectaculars​

We took a bus back to DHS and got there a little after 9. As we walked up Hollywood Blvd we asked a CM for viewing tips for the Frozen Fireworks. We told him we didn’t care so much about seeing the stage, just a good view of the fireworks without battling major crowds. He suggested we go across the lake by Gertie.

This was the stage:

We walked over to the area the CM suggested and it was almost completely empty at 9:15 with the fireworks set to start at 9:45. Since it was so empty we had our pick of spots so we scoped out the whole area, trying to find the best place to watch from. We debating standing right up against the fence by the lake, or sitting back on the ledge on the other side of the walkway closer to Indiana Jones. We ended up kind of split with DH and I hanging further back closer to Gertie by the fence and M and S sitting on a ledge closer to American Idol.

View across the lake:

Zoomed in:

By the time the fireworks started, it still hadn’t filled in very much so we kind of wandered the area throughout the show trying to find the best spot to watch without the trees being in the way. If I remember correctly, we all ended up standing on top of the ledge by Indiana Jones toward the middle of the lake. We couldn’t really see the stage but we were only interested in the fireworks anyway. I had never seen fireworks at DHS before so I was super psyched and they were great. I think DH knows more words to the Frozen soundtrack than I do and we had a lot of fun watching and singing along.

As soon as the fireworks were over we hurried down Sunset Blvd to get seats for Fantasmic. Crossing over Hollywood Blvd was difficult because there was so much foot traffic with people going in different directions. Half of the people in the park were exiting and the other half were heading to Fantasmic and everyone crossing in each others’ paths made walking very chaotic We got separated but being 4 adults we were able to find each other again. At some point in the craziness I noticed it was “snowing” on Hollywood Blvd. This is my first experience with Disney snow that I can remember so I got pretty excited and distracted from my mission of getting to Fantasmic as soon as possible. I was just filled with all sorts of warm and fuzzy happy Disney feelings. I had just seen fireworks at DHS for the first time, experienced snow in Disney, and was on my way to Fantasmic – my fave DH dragged me along and got me back on track with walking down Sunset.

Sidenote: As I write this I’m laughing at remembering how excited I was about the Disney snow because I am so stinkin fed up with snow and winter right now. We were having a decently mild winter until a few weeks ago when I commented to DH that since my district hadn’t used any of our 5 allotted snow days yet and it was already the end of January, I was hopeful we could get through the winter without using any and when they were “returned” at the end of the school year, it would mean 5 less sick days I’d have to use for my maternity leave. Well, I totally jinxed it and I apologize to the entire Northeast for the neverending cascade of snowstorms and absolutely frigid weather I have brought to the area since then.

And here’s today’s weather advisory:

Anyway…. Speaking of faves:

Hello, Gorgeous. Sorry we don't have time for you right now.

We got to F! and walked right in and snagged good seats for the 10:30 show. We sat pretty much in the middle but a little toward the right, close to the back and on the aisle so we could make a quick exit at the end. The moon and clouds looked so pretty while we were waiting.

M and I decided we wanted snacks so we waited on a decently long line that was moving soooooo slooooooowww. She wanted a plain pretzel and I wanted a jalapeno cheese pretzel. I was really disappointed to find that they didn’t have any here and settled for a plain pretzel instead since there was nothing else there that I wanted. If it wasn’t disappointing enough that I had to have a plain, boring pretzel, it was even more disappointing that it was terrible. It was hard and definitely not fresh. DH ended up eating most of it. But once F! started I completely forgot about my silly pretzel because I freakin’ LOVE Fantasmic!!!!!

Since the last time I had seen it everything looked so fresh and clean. I LOVED the new floats for the dancing royal couples and the new dragon. There was a man behind us who was seeing the show for the first time and he loved it. He commented to his family that it was “crazy in a good way” and that “Disney always does it big.” I love hearing other people’s amazement at the wonder that is WDW, even if they are perfect strangers.

I didn’t really take any pictures because I had so many from seeing it other times and I really just wanted to take it all in and enjoy. It seems I only took these two:

On the very last note of the show we bolted and led the pack out of the park. We really were super fast getting out of there. Like if there was a speed-walking event at Run Disney we’d all have medals. We got on an empty bus right away, waited a few minutes while just a few other people got on, and then the bus pulled away while it was still mostly empty!

 

[heathsf]

Episode 26
The One with Breakfast Adventures​

We decided we would sleep in again this morning and not head to a park until later in the afternoon. But seeing as we were in Disney, I was awake at 8:15 like

I took a long shower and realized that with everyone else sleeping and no plans until way later in the day, this was a perfect opportunity for me to get a breakfast I had been waiting literally years for. When I got out of the shower M was awake and wanted to come with me just to keep me company. What a friend

We left our sleeping husbands at 9:40 and caught a bus to MK. But we didn’t go in, as tempting as it was. Instead we walked up to the monorail and caught one to here:

Since we had just been at the Poly and there was tons of construction going on everywhere, I didn’t feel the need to take pictures and we headed right to our destination: Captain Cook’s. Well, it was actually the temporary Captain Cook’s because the real one was also under construction. The atmosphere here was lacking, it just looked like a small, generic cafeteria. But that did NOT matter once I had my breakfast on my plate in front of me.

Oh no, one picture would not be enough.

Look at that beauty.

Yes, we trekked across property by foot, bus, and monorail to have TONGA TOAST!
And it was amazing. It was crunchy and soft in all the right places. The banana inside was warm and delicious. And you can never have too much cinnamon sugar so I was very happy that it was absolutely smothered in it. Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum x 1,000,000.

(By the way, this isn't too complicated to make at home. I made it a couple of years ago and it turned out delicious, even without using the right kind of bread or a deep fryer. Of course it’s better at Disney and without me having to cook it myself. But if you’re craving it, it makes for a fantastic Sunday morning breakfast )

M decided since we had traveled so far she would have some too and she really liked it. But I don’t think she liked it as much as me. I probably could have had another one but decided against it. Instead we got two more to-go to bring home for the hubbies. Aren’t we wonderful?

By the time we got back to the room, it had been a two hour round trip during which we spent no more than 15 minutes actually eating But it was totally worth it and while I wouldn’t have done it again that trip, I was really happy I got to cross something else I had really wanted to do (eat) off my list.

DH was still in bed and not yet fully awake but very excited to find that I had brought him tonga toast for breakfast.

He devoured it.

S, on the other hand, isn’t a huge fan of sweet things and didn’t want it Sometimes I don’t even know why M, DH, and I even assosicate with him. Anyway, M offered the extra tonga toast to DH who seriously considered eating it but ultimately declined, then she put it in the fridge to save for later.

It was now noon and M really wanted to go for a swim. Her plans were ruined last time by rain but it was hot and sunny this morning while we were out on our breakfast mission. However, it was starting to get a little cloudy on our way back. She already had her bathing suit on and was ready to go but S was refusing to get out of bed. DH and I said we would go swim with her, so DH got up and put on sunscreen. Meanwhile, I started hearing rumbles and asked if it was thunder. Everyone made fun of me and said no, it was just rollling luggage going past the room. DH asked M if she was putting on sunscreen and she said no because it was a little cloudy and she wanted a tan. DH asked how cloudy it is so I opened the door and it was absolutely pouring and thundering and lightning.

I was immediately hysterical laughing. The timing of it all was just too perfect. Poor M was so disappointed, but DH, S, and I were cracking up. I mean it was a complete downpour and the thunder and lightning were practically non-stop and there we were putting on our bathing suits and sunscreen to go to the pool

So instead of swimming we hung out in the room relaxing and I took a half hour nap. When we got hungry a little later we went to the Landscape of Flavors food court for lunch. M and S got pizza which they liked and DH and I both had create-your-own-pasta which was delicious.

I didn’t write down exactly what I got but if I remember correctly I got bowtie pasta with pesto sauce, broccoli, mushrooms, shrimp, garlic and parmesean cheese. It comes with garlic bread which was super yummy. The whole dish was a great meal. I wish very much that I could eat it right now for lunch.

We filled up our mugs and brought them back to the room to leave in the fridge for later. This was my first time having a refillable mug and I really liked it, except that the really long trip from the food court to our room made it less convenient. Even though I loved AoA, I think if I’m looking to stay in a value resort standard room in the future, I would choose Pop Century and pay for a preferred room. I think just for the convenience of saving time walking back and forth that would be money better spent. Especially since we’ll have a little one with us next time. Anyway, we dropped off our mugs and then headed all the way back to the bus stop. It was finally time to go to a park!

 

[heathsf]

Episode 27
The One Where I Want to be an Art Collector​

It’s hard to believe it was 3:00 and we were first getting to a park. I’d never done this on a trip before.

Spaceship Earth spam:

We had a FP+ for Spaceship Earth so while we were waiting for our window to open we went into the Art of Disney Store.

I could sum this place up in three words: I. Want. Everything.

I think my favorite thing in there were these beautiful little dioramas in light-up boxes. It was like portable disney magic. I wanted them all. But especially these:

I was seriously considering getting one but decided not to. Perhaps on a future trip with a bigger budget.

It was time to ride Spaceship Earth, one of my favorites. DH finds it boring but I love it. I know it’s partly nostalgia because I’ve always loved it, but I also enjoy the educational aspect and I marvel at how detailed every scene is. Also, I have a special place in my heart for the smell of Rome Burning, one of my favorite Disney smells

Thanks to FP+ we walked right in.