The One with the Breakfast Feet - A December 2018 TR *New PTR Link 6/13

[Cloe Colton]

I also saw the CP with Gary Sinese and loved it! We went on 12/17

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

So glad to hear you enjoyed the Candlelight Processional! I'm not the hugest fan, even if I saw it easily the most popular narrator, Mr. Neil Patrick Harris, not my thing. But I'm glad it was worth it for you and that Gary Sinise is still employed.

Ugh cronut, we stan.

Yay for a free slushie! You timed it just right for that magical moment hehe

Awww, I love your window. So so cute. The festiveness of your family, I love it!

Ugh, that's annoying about the towels. Hope you got them early enough the next day.

I could definitely see how it might not be to everyone's tastes, but it was a major bucket list thing for us (and especially for my mom)!

Mom said it was really good!

It was so unexpected, but definitely a nice way to end the day.

Aww, thank you! I was really happy with how it turned out.

We really loved The Christmas Processional, we saw it in 2017.

I miss Gary Sinse in the Mission to Mars, he doesn’t do the intro for the green side any more

Love your shirts!

It was such a fun experience, and I hope I get to see it again someday!

Thank you!!

So cool that Gary Sinise narrated for you. Such a treat!

He got teary a couple of times--it was so sweet!

Glad you enjoyed the Candlelight Processional; it's a pretty unique event Disney puts on for the holidays.

Mmm, a blue raspberry slushie, those are so good! And even better the CM was feeling generous and gave it to you for free!

It was an amazing experience, and we're so glad we were able to go!

Those blue raspberry slushies are my favorite!

What a fun night! I bet seeing Gary Sinise as narrator was a cool experience.

So nice of the CM to give you the slushy for free! Love moments like that!

Your room window came out awesome!! So festive!

It was really neat, and he was so into it that it made it that much better.

It was so nice and so unexpected!

Thank you!! I was pretty proud of it LOL

I also saw the CP with Gary Sinese and loved it! We went on 12/17

Wasn't he just fantastic??

 

[Cloe Colton]

SO good! I love his commitment to military so I definitely teared up a few times!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

The whole thing was honestly amazing, and I’m so glad we got to go! Gary Sinise has a great voice for narrating, and you could tell it really meant a lot to him to be there.

This seems like a great experience. Especially with a good narrator like Gary Sinise.

We wandered through the shop, and stopped at the photobooth on the way out.

I was a bit clueless with these photo booths. I didn't realize they were "a thing". They are a fun thing to do.

When I told the girl I wanted to use a snack credit, she said “Don’t use a snack credit on that!” and gave me the slushy for free! It was so nice and an unexpected sprinkling of pixie dust.

Nice! Most every trip we got some small thing for free, like an ice cream or drink. Not that I expect it, but it's nice when it happens. On my last trip in August we didn't get any freebie though. I guess it's just luck. Nice to know they still do it sometimes.

Mom and I finished decorating our window while Dad ate his wrap.

Looks great! A lot of the room windows look nice. I really never considered decorating, but if you stay for a while it's nice to do.

Mom also called about getting us some new towels (since we had opted out of mousekeeping, we had to specifically ask).

I was hesitant to opt out, since we were a family of 4 and stayed 10 nights. I wondered how well it all worked, when you need new towels and things.

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

SO good! I love his commitment to military so I definitely teared up a few times!

Oh definitely!

This seems like a great experience. Especially with a good narrator like Gary Sinise.

It was wonderful, and Gary Sinise was a great narrator!

I was a bit clueless with these photo booths. I didn't realize they were "a thing". They are a fun thing to do.

We discovered it outside Space Mountain first several years ago, and now we try to do them whenever we can! It's a fun little tradition for us.

Nice! Most every trip we got some small thing for free, like an ice cream or drink. Not that I expect it, but it's nice when it happens. On my last trip in August we didn't get any freebie though. I guess it's just luck. Nice to know they still do it sometimes.

I love the little sprinkles of pixie dust like that!

Looks great! A lot of the room windows look nice. I really never considered decorating, but if you stay for a while it's nice to do.

Thanks! We did it first several years ago because we were going to be there during Halloween, and it has become a fun tradition!

I was hesitant to opt out, since we were a family of 4 and stayed 10 nights. I wondered how well it all worked, when you need new towels and things.

Every other account I have read of this, it hasn't been a big deal. We had a little bit of trouble getting new towels, but that definitely seemed like a CSR issue rather than something that was super common.

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

RL Update

I feel like I am always apologizing for my extended absence, but here's another! My life has been completely insane as I've hit the halfway point of this semester. Juggling classes, work, and my role as vice president of my dance company has definitely taken its toll. I've been running myself ragged, and spring break definitely could not come fast enough. On a happier note, though, I have NEWS!

I found out a few weeks ago that I have been accepted into a study abroad program for this summer! It is such an incredible opportunity, and I am so excited! I am not going to share too many specifics, for obvious safety reasons, but I did want to share my happy news with my DIS friends!

And in other news, I am going to DISNEYLAND PARIS!!!

I have a friend who is also studying abroad on the same program that I am, and we have decided to spend a few days in Paris at the end of our program. 3 of those days will be in Disneyland! We are staying at one of Disney's partner hotels, and we are so so excited! I'm not sure if I'm going to write a PTR or not, but I will for sure write a TR when I get back.

If you guys have any advice/suggestions for DLP, please please PLEASE share! This is completely uncharted territory for me, and I could use all the help I can get!

And now, let's get on with this TR!


Celebrating Christmas Early
Day 4: Sunday December 16, 2018

Our Plans:
BTMRR 1:10-2:10pm
7DMT 3:25-4:25pm
Space Mtn. 5:20-6:00pm
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

This morning, our alarm went off at 6:30. When I got up, Mom asked if I remembered the power going out in the middle of the night…um, NO! Apparently, the power in our building went out at like 1:00am, but I didn’t really wake up all the way. I evidently woke up enough for Mom to tell me that the power was out and that she was going to call the front desk, and I asked her how she was going to do that if the power was out. Our building was the only one out for some reason, but they did eventually get it back on. This was when I found out that our towels had never shown up, so Mom called down again about the towels, and they were there 15 minutes later.

I ate a poptart and got ready to go, and we left the room at 7:54am. We only waited about five minutes for a bus, and then we were off to MK! We made it onto MSUSA by about 8:30, so we stopped for some pictures!

It was super foggy this morning, which made for a really interesting background!

We moved a little further down Main Street to get some pictures with the Partners Statue.

We headed over to the Adventureland Bridge to wait for rope drop. The CMs walked us aaallll the way to BTMRR. We walked on BTMRR twice and sat in the back two rows both times!
Mom tried to get a picture of me & Dad, but it was a little challenging!

After our rides, we made a quick bathroom stop, and then made our way over to Pirates. The wait time was posted at 5 minutes, but we waited closer to 10, which was still not bad at all.

Our next stop was the Haunted Mansion, which was posted at 30 minutes, but we only waited maybe 5. We actually made it all the way through without getting stopped.
There was a PP photographer outside the Mansion, so we stopped for some pictures.

It was around 10:40 at this point, and we decided to head over to Mickey’s Philharmagic, which has always been one of mine and Mom’s favorites.

After the show, we stopped at Pinocchio’s for some lunch. Dad and I each got a chicken parmesan sandwich,

and Mom got a margarita flatbread.

Pinocchio’s has become one of my favorite CS places in MK, and this time did not disappoint!

After we ate, we made our way over to Under the Sea and hopped in the 15 minute standby line.

From there, we made our way over to Tomorrowland. The crowds were definitely starting to pick up, so we got in line for Buzz, even though it was posted 40 minutes. We knew we were going to have to wait for things, so we were okay with it. We waited about half an hour before we got on the ride. I was super excited because I WON, and I was even a “Space Ace” which is wayyyy better than I normally do.

After our ride, we went over to the Purple Wall, so I could stop and take some pictures.

Then, we were off to Frontierland to use our BTMRR FPs! We sat toward the front this time around. It was around 1:25 when we got off the runaway mine train, so we found a spot to watch Festival of Fantasy in Frontierland. I ended up sitting right on the edge of the roped/taped off area, which is perfect for a short person like me! Since we still had a little bit of time before the parade started, Dad went over to Sunshine Terrace to get us some ice cream. He got an orange float for himself and a citrus swirl float for me.

It was so good, but so so SO SWEET. I couldn’t even finish it!

​

 

[disneyAndi14]

Congratulations on your study abroad! DLP will be so fun to visit. My daughter is going to be doing a semester abroad in Costa Rica and she is so excited, I will miss her but I can go visit during our cold winter!

The fog on the castle is both beautiful and eerie at the same time. Nice to hear a good review for Pinocchio Haus, we haven’t tried it in a long time.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Yay for studying abroad and getting to go to DLP!!!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Congratulations on your study abroad! DLP will be so fun to visit. My daughter is going to be doing a semester abroad in Costa Rica and she is so excited, I will miss her but I can go visit during our cold winter!

The fog on the castle is both beautiful and eerie at the same time. Nice to hear a good review for Pinocchio Haus, we haven’t tried it in a long time.

Thank you so much and congrats to her! That's so exciting!

Yay for studying abroad and getting to go to DLP!!!

Thank you!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Celebrating Christmas Early
Day 4, Part 2: Sunday December 16, 2018

Before long, the parade was starting! This is one of my favorite parts of a day in MK, so I was happy we had time to see it!

I knew that Maleficent was still out of commission, but I was surprised by the complete absence of Aurora, Philip, and the Good Fairies.

After the parade, Mom stopped at a cart to get a Mickey ice cream sandwich, and she ate it while we walked to the Hall of Presidents. I don’t think we waited very long for the next show to start.

We checked wait times on the app and decided to head to Pete’s Silly Sideshow. Goofy and Donald had a 10 minute posted wait time, so we got in their line. It definitely ended up being

We met Goofy first!

And then the Great Donaldo!

From there we headed over to use our 7DMT FPs. The line was pretty backed up, but since it was already 3:50 and our FPs expired at 4:25, we got in line anyway. We think we probably waited somewhere around 25 minutes, which was still way better than the people in standby were doing.

After our ride, we headed back over to Tomorrowland. We stopped by the MVMCP station and got our party wristbands! Then, we hopped in the short line for the People Mover.

We were all getting kind of hungry at this point, so we wandered over to Casey’s and placed a mobile order. Casey’s was chaotic, as usual, but I do think using the mobile ordering was the way to go.

Mom and I shared corn dog nuggets, and Dad got a footlong chili cheese dog (but I apparently didn't take pictures ).

Once we were done eating, we walked back to Tomorrowland to use our Space FPs!

Then, we walked over to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor right around 6:10. I just think this show is so cute!

Afterward, we started walking back toward the Hub, and stopped to take some pictures on the bridge.

We noticed that people were already starting to stake out spots for the parade and things, so we went ahead and did the same. We found a spot on the sidewalk across from the Tomorrowland bridge, right on the corner of the taped off areas. After we sat there for a little while, Mom and I walked over to Cosmic Ray’s to get some hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies. They were super yummy and definitely hit the spot—it was pretty chilly that night! We brought our treats back to where Dad was saving our spots and sat down to wait.

​

 

[amazingact21]

Congrats on getting to study abroad. Living overseas has been such a life changing experience for me that I hope it's the same way for you.

I am no expert on Disneyland Paris but have visited it 3 times since 2016 so if you have any questions feel free to ask!


Looks like you guys were able to get on quite a few rides in the morning before crowds picked up.

I love the selfie with Goofy. His nose barely fit in the shot!

 

[Newsies]

I'm so glad you liked the Processional! I'm sure Gary Sinise was amazing!!

Awww, "don't use a snack credit on that," so sweet!!! I love that for you.

Your window lights look amazing!!

DISNEYLAND PARIS?!?!? GIRL, THAT'S AMAZING!!!! SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!! Have the best time ever, I can't wait to hear about it!!!!

All of your shirts for this trip came out AMAZING.

Looks like this day is amazing already, with rides, pictures, characters, and snacks to boot!!! You guys have already gotten a lot done, I can't wait to hear about the rest of your MNSSHP night!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Great news about going overseas! I wish I had some good tips for DLP, but I only visited once 20 years ago and I am sure it has changed a lot since then!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Signing up!

I'm in the UK so have done Disneyland Paris a few times, so message me if I can help with any questions

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Congratulations on your semester abroad. How exciting!

The last picture you posted of the castle is just beautiful. There's nothing like seeing the castle all lit up for Christmas.

 

[Lesley Wake]

And in other news, I am going to DISNEYLAND PARIS!!!

I have a friend who is also studying abroad on the same program that I am, and we have decided to spend a few days in Paris at the end of our program. 3 of those days will be in Disneyland! We are staying at one of Disney's partner hotels, and we are so so excited! I'm not sure if I'm going to write a PTR or not, but I will for sure write a TR when I get back.

If you guys have any advice/suggestions for DLP, please please PLEASE share! This is completely uncharted territory for me, and I could use all the help I can get!

How much fun! I visited last June and loved it (I'm still finishing up the TR in my signature).

Some basic tips:
-Everything is so detailed there, its fun to just wander around and explore. All the shops and restaurants and just general atmosphere.
-The other guests aren't the best. Make sure to hold your own for parade and show spots and you should be fine, but don't expect them to follow typical theme park rules (I had a parent pick their kid up, life them over my head, and put them in front of me during a show once-when I was sitting on the ground in the front row!) But anyways, just don't let that spoil your overall experience.
-The food there was meh. I didn't have anything memorably good or bad. But the theming in the restaurants is amazing. It really sets the mood! Inventions was my favorite meal, though it was expensive (it's a character meal in the Disneyland Hotel).
-You can make ADRs online via the netherlands version of the website. Otherwise you have to call in. Even if you decide to stick to mostly Quick Service, I would recommend Chez Remy for a reservation because it is adorable!
-If you have a mastercard, make sure to bring it. The shows at Walt Disney Studios are wonderful and they have special reserved seats which you can get by showing your mastercard at guest services/city hall. Those can get grabbed up quickly, so make sure to stop in first thing (and the one at Disneyland opens earlier).
-I don't know if the partner hotels get Extra Magic Time? If they do, make sure to take advantage of it. If not, they still will probably let you into the park 30 minutes ahead of the advertised time and you can at least ride the EMT rides. Definitely worth it for low crowds!
-The summer means very long park hours. Which is good for accomplishing a lot, but also exhausting. The fireworks show won't start until sundown, which was around 11pm when I was there in early June.
-They use the paper Fastpass system, but return times are only 30 minutes long and the CMs are strict about those. They also only do distribution for certain hours (like it could stop around 7pm even though the ride stays open until 11pm).
-They do a lot of great things for special festivals. You should be there during Summer of Superheroes. The stage show is really well done with lots of special effects. It can have a long line (they filled up all the spots in the queue over 1 hr before the show started), but its worth seeing at least once. And there should be a Lion King/Jungle Book festival over at Disneyland, which could be amazing based on what the other things they've done lately.
-My favorite rides were Big Thunder Mountain (which is far and away the best version worldwide - it actually is on an island, so you go under the river to get there and back), Crush's Coaster (super fun coaster/dark ride, though it can have very long lines at all times of the day), Storybook Canal Boats (just very sweet and detailed), Pirates of the Caribbean (laid out differently and changes the whole storyline). Phantom Manor wasn't open, but I wish I could have seen it!
-Mickey and the Magician is just, wow, so amazing! Best Disney stage show I've ever seen.

Feel free to ask anything else or check out the TR if you want - though it has a lot of photos, so maybe don't check it out so you don't see spoilers!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Omg that's so exciting about your study abroad! Congratulations! I had a friend who went to Paris for an abroad program and she didn't want to leave and also made a point to see DLP. So yeah, you're gonna have a blast, for sure.

 

[missangelalexis]

Congrats on being accepted to study abroad and the chance to go to DLP!! I look forward to reading that TR

Super foggy morning! But the pics look kinda cool!

Sounds like a great morning with not too long waits!

Cute pics in front of the purple wall And I love the character selfies!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Congrats on getting to study abroad. Living overseas has been such a life changing experience for me that I hope it's the same way for you.

I am no expert on Disneyland Paris but have visited it 3 times since 2016 so if you have any questions feel free to ask!


Looks like you guys were able to get on quite a few rides in the morning before crowds picked up.

I love the selfie with Goofy. His nose barely fit in the shot!

Thank you so much! I am so excited!

I am honestly completely clueless, so any general advice about touring the parks (and dining in particular) would be greatly appreciated!

I'm so glad you liked the Processional! I'm sure Gary Sinise was amazing!!

Awww, "don't use a snack credit on that," so sweet!!! I love that for you.

Your window lights look amazing!!

DISNEYLAND PARIS?!?!? GIRL, THAT'S AMAZING!!!! SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!! Have the best time ever, I can't wait to hear about it!!!!

All of your shirts for this trip came out AMAZING.

Looks like this day is amazing already, with rides, pictures, characters, and snacks to boot!!! You guys have already gotten a lot done, I can't wait to hear about the rest of your MNSSHP night!

Thank youuu!!! To all of the above lol! I am so excited to study abroad and to see DLP, and I really loved how our shirts came out for this trip!

Our party day was sooo much fun and definitely a bucket list experience for me!

Great news about going overseas! I wish I had some good tips for DLP, but I only visited once 20 years ago and I am sure it has changed a lot since then!

Thank you so much!

Signing up!

I'm in the UK so have done Disneyland Paris a few times, so message me if I can help with any questions

Welcome aboard!

What are your favorites in DLP? I'm completely clueless and could use any advice you have to give!

Congratulations on your semester abroad. How exciting!

The last picture you posted of the castle is just beautiful. There's nothing like seeing the castle all lit up for Christmas.

Thank you so much!

The castle at night is my favorite thing ever anyway, and it's even more amazing lit up for Christmas!

How much fun! I visited last June and loved it (I'm still finishing up the TR in my signature).

Some basic tips:
-Everything is so detailed there, its fun to just wander around and explore. All the shops and restaurants and just general atmosphere.
-The other guests aren't the best. Make sure to hold your own for parade and show spots and you should be fine, but don't expect them to follow typical theme park rules (I had a parent pick their kid up, life them over my head, and put them in front of me during a show once-when I was sitting on the ground in the front row!) But anyways, just don't let that spoil your overall experience.
-The food there was meh. I didn't have anything memorably good or bad. But the theming in the restaurants is amazing. It really sets the mood! Inventions was my favorite meal, though it was expensive (it's a character meal in the Disneyland Hotel).
-You can make ADRs online via the netherlands version of the website. Otherwise you have to call in. Even if you decide to stick to mostly Quick Service, I would recommend Chez Remy for a reservation because it is adorable!
-If you have a mastercard, make sure to bring it. The shows at Walt Disney Studios are wonderful and they have special reserved seats which you can get by showing your mastercard at guest services/city hall. Those can get grabbed up quickly, so make sure to stop in first thing (and the one at Disneyland opens earlier).
-I don't know if the partner hotels get Extra Magic Time? If they do, make sure to take advantage of it. If not, they still will probably let you into the park 30 minutes ahead of the advertised time and you can at least ride the EMT rides. Definitely worth it for low crowds!
-The summer means very long park hours. Which is good for accomplishing a lot, but also exhausting. The fireworks show won't start until sundown, which was around 11pm when I was there in early June.
-They use the paper Fastpass system, but return times are only 30 minutes long and the CMs are strict about those. They also only do distribution for certain hours (like it could stop around 7pm even though the ride stays open until 11pm).
-They do a lot of great things for special festivals. You should be there during Summer of Superheroes. The stage show is really well done with lots of special effects. It can have a long line (they filled up all the spots in the queue over 1 hr before the show started), but its worth seeing at least once. And there should be a Lion King/Jungle Book festival over at Disneyland, which could be amazing based on what the other things they've done lately.
-My favorite rides were Big Thunder Mountain (which is far and away the best version worldwide - it actually is on an island, so you go under the river to get there and back), Crush's Coaster (super fun coaster/dark ride, though it can have very long lines at all times of the day), Storybook Canal Boats (just very sweet and detailed), Pirates of the Caribbean (laid out differently and changes the whole storyline). Phantom Manor wasn't open, but I wish I could have seen it!
-Mickey and the Magician is just, wow, so amazing! Best Disney stage show I've ever seen.

Feel free to ask anything else or check out the TR if you want - though it has a lot of photos, so maybe don't check it out so you don't see spoilers!

Oh my gosh thank you so much! That is so helplful! I'll be sure to go check out your TR!

Omg that's so exciting about your study abroad! Congratulations! I had a friend who went to Paris for an abroad program and she didn't want to leave and also made a point to see DLP. So yeah, you're gonna have a blast, for sure.

Thank you so much! I am beyond excited!

Congrats on being accepted to study abroad and the chance to go to DLP!! I look forward to reading that TR

Super foggy morning! But the pics look kinda cool!

Sounds like a great morning with not too long waits!

Cute pics in front of the purple wall And I love the character selfies!

Thank you!

That's what I thought too!

Aww thank you!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Celebrating Christmas Early
Day 4, Part 3: Sunday December 16, 2018

We walked back to where Dad was saving our spots, and before long, the Mickey’s Merriest Celebration stage show started! Unfortunately, I really couldn’t see it all that well because of the insane number of children sitting on their parents’ shoulders. This is always an issue for nighttime shows in MK, but it was even worse than normal tonight. I know it’s unrealistic to wish that everyone would just sit down, but if they did, then everyone could see. Anyway…I couldn’t see a ton of it, but I could still hear it! The music was super fun and cheesy and a great way to start the revolving door of shows for the night.

Then, at 8:15, it was time for a Frozen Holiday Wish. This was one of the things I was the most excited about, and it did not disappoint! The projections on the castle were insane, and the lights, of course, are just BEAUTIFUL.

And then…it was time for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade!!!

Honestly, this was one of my favorite parades I’ve ever seen, and was definitely one of the highlights of this trip!

Once the parade was over, everyone started to leave, so we moved a little closer to the castle in order to actually be able to see Mickey’s Merriest Celebration. We’re not really sure what happened, but not long after it started, it suddenly stopped, and they made an announcement that that performance was canceled. It was kind of odd, and we never really heard what happened. But we weren’t disappointed for long, because it was time for Holiday Wishes!

It was so breathtaking, and I definitely got a bit teary!

​