The Pirates and the Frog (7/17 Welcome to the Next Adventure!)

[thecapells]

The boat stopped at this point and the show started.
The cast sang about 5 songs from the up-and-coming movie and even had guests help them out.
Tiana and her boys started off with "Almost There":

Check out the umbrellas:

Luis and Naveen watched from the bow

And then Luis had Naveen for lunch!

Just kidding but it does look like that in this pic.

And the finale

Luis then took center stage for “When I’m Human”

And the boat “sang” along

Then darkness fell as Dr. Facilier made his presence known for “Friends on the Other Side”

“The cards, the cards, the cards will tell…”

And then the “friends” appeared themselves.
It was “Transformation Central!”

But Tiana and Naveen returned to “Dig a Little Deeper”

Take it Louis!

And then the guests selected for the gospel cruise played their parts

I think we all liked this number the best.
Even X was clapping his hands!

The Liberty Belle started back up and the cast broke back into “Gonna Take You There”

It was a great preview for the movie and we all had a blast.
I think even DS enjoyed the music and was looking forward to the movie.
DD was excited as she had just met Tiana and Naveen the day before and now she heard them singing – she wanted to see the movie NOW!
But we were hungry.
So we (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) skipped the Haunted Mansion again and headed back to Main Street for lunch.
Believe it or not, we actually did get back to Haunted Mansion the entire trip.
Isn’t that blasphemy?
Anyway, stay tuned for a quick lunch before a Circle Tour of the Magic Kingdom!
All aboard!!

 

[dawnbu40]

Great update! How lucky you were to see that show since it was only there for such a brief time It looks like a lot of fun and you got some nice pictures!

 

[MEK]

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It’s a neat view from this angle.

This IS a great shot. I really, really like that. Very different.

The show was very cute. Thanks for posting all the pictures. I'm Sorry it didn't last very long. I think I would have liked to see it.

 

[dtr_angel]

great update - that is SO awesome that you got to see that show - I wish it would've stuck around!

 

[thecapells]

Great update! How lucky you were to see that show since it was only there for such a brief time It looks like a lot of fun and you got some nice pictures!

We definitely lucked out.
In fact, I've been doing pretty good as I caught the short-lived Stitch's Supersonic Celebration as well.

This IS a great shot. I really, really like that. Very different.

The show was very cute. Thanks for posting all the pictures. I'm Sorry it didn't last very long. I think I would have liked to see it.

Thanks!
I thought it was a fun angle you don't see very often.
And the show was alot of fun - it definitely got us excited to see the movie (which we really liked BTW).

great update - that is SO awesome that you got to see that show - I wish it would've stuck around!

I hear a remnant of it still exists in Disneyland which makes more sense since they have a New Orleans Square.
As for Florida, I always thought they should add a touch of Tiana in Port Orleans French Quarter.
That seemed an easy way to promote the new princess.

 

[englishrose47]

I'm jealous would have loved to see that show !!!

 

[thecapells]

I'm jealous would have loved to see that show !!!

I believe they have a non-steamboat version at Disneyland.
So you'll just have to trek over there soon!

 

[thecapells]

After Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee, we headed back towards Main Street.
Of course, Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! was going on… AGAIN.
I remember being able to walk down Main Street in relative quiet.
But does anyone else think there’s something always going on near the hub or on Main Street causing congestion? Ugh.
Also, due to this fact, it seems that you never have to actually PLAN to see this parade.
I think we saw it 5 times on this trip – we just kept running into it over and over and over….
Ugh…

Anyway, where was I?
Ah yes, a relaxing lunch at an old favorite – the Plaza Restaurant.

Plaza has always been a place for a nice sandwiches and great ice cream – a perfect lunch in the Magic Kingdom.
We had a 12:50 ADR so we settled in to check out our menus.

Right after ordering, a newspaper reporter burst into the restaurant.

A very loud woman stormed in with him.

Apparently they were here to select and announce the 1000th guest of the day or something like that.
After much to do, they finally found the lucky family and there were treated to a free dessert I believe.
The commotion died down and we enjoyed our lunch.
Apparently I forgot to take any food porn but here’s the breakdown.
I had the Cheesesteak with a salad and fries while Mom had tomato soup followed by a cheeseburger with fries and a root beat float.
DS and X had grilled cheese with fries and grapes while DD had grilled cheese with fries and bananas.
The kids thought it was fun to make Hidden Mickeys with the grapes.

For dessert (and yes I remembered the pictures this time), I had a mint chocolate chip sundae with hot fudge and pineapples

DS had the legendary Mickeylodean with chocolate ice cream

DD had Mom’s brownie sundae with everything on the side (so she could make it herself)

X had mini cookies and Mom had DD’s mini cookies
We headed out stuffed and happy.
And, since we were on Main Street, we figured this was the perfect time for a Circle Tour around the Magic Kingdom.
So we headed for the Main Street Railroad Station.
On the platform, we encountered our favorite sign once again.
Since now this was a running joke, DD decided to “break the law” and do what it said he couldn’t do:

We all laughed so DD tried as well:

While we waited, I decided to get yet another shot of the castle from yet another angle…

The train arrived and X (a train lover) was getting very excited.

X had so much fun – he even met and talked to the conductor while we were waiting.
He spent the whole ride just looking around and enjoying his surroundings.

Frontierland was the next stop (for those of you keeping score at home).

My shot of the inside of Splash Mountain didn’t come out.
But I got a couple of Big Thunder Mountain as we chugged by.

The village of Pocahontas was next up:

Finally we rolled into Mickey’s Toontown Fair.
The conductor was really cool and made the trip special for X.

He even gave him a Conductor Card!

 

[thecapells]

We exited the train and the kids announced they needed a pit stop.
So we headed to Pete’s Garage…

I love the details here.
See, it was hard to use the restrooms since Pete kept the restroom key inside the Gulp Gas pump.

Then it was back to the train station so we could take “Daddy’s Secret Path” to Tomorrowland.
I still don’t get why nobody else uses this path.
[Author’s Note: Well, now it’s boarded up but you know what I mean]

Once in Tomorrowland, I spotted my favorite detail – the Palm of the Future

We used our Buzz Lightyear FP’s (I grabbed some while the family was checking into the Plaza) to finish off our day.
DS was upset once again after losing to dad – even though I tried to coach him through what to hit.
He did end up with 127,500 points so it wasn’t too bad.
So, after we broke DD out of jail, we made a beeline for the exit.

The goal was to get out before the 3:00 parade rolled through.
By the way, does anyone know what time the 3:00 parade starts?
Unfortunately, it was in full swing.
So we walked alongside it down Main Street taking pictures of the chars.
And, no, before you ask - I have no idea what King Louie was doing...

Why leave the park so early you may ask?
Well, we had plans of course.
Stay tuned to find out what they were!

 

[dawnbu40]

Great update!

Glad you enjoyed the Plaza. We tried it for the first time last August and enjoyed it as well.

How cool that the train conductor made the ride extra special for X! You have to love the extra pixie dust!

Looking forward to hearing how you spent the rest of your day

 

[thecapells]

Great update!

Glad you enjoyed the Plaza. We tried it for the first time last August and enjoyed it as well.

How cool that the train conductor made the ride extra special for X! You have to love the extra pixie dust!

Looking forward to hearing how you spent the rest of your day

Yeah, it's all the little things I think the kids remember the best.
The next segment will be very picture heavy - I hope to have it ready by this weekend.

 

[barbosee]

The intention of this site to provide a thorough study of the U.S. Navy Cutlass M1860 model, the sword and the frog assembly manufactured by Ames Manufacturing Company in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

 

[MeMom]

DD had Mom’s brownie sundae with everything on the side (so she could make it herself)

This is such a cute picture. She looks quite happy with her treat.

 

[thecapells]

The intention of this site to provide a thorough study of the U.S. Navy Cutlass M1860 model, the sword and the frog assembly manufactured by Ames Manufacturing Company in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Ummmmm - sure. That's what I was going for...

This is such a cute picture. She looks quite happy with her treat.

Indeed she was.
Ice Cream. Brownies. Toppings. What else could you want?

 

[thecapells]

We headed out of the park and towards the Monorail and hopped aboard Monorail Gold.
This was important as X was now addicted to the monorails and announced each color as it appeared.
He also would declare which color he wanted to ride and was upset when that did not come to fruition.
So, a couple of stops later we arrived at our destination.

And if that didn’t give it away, how about this:

We headed downstairs right next to the main entrance and the kids settled in at the “Kids Lobby.”
It’s a great little area where there are some crayons, paper, crafts, and even Mickey Toons on the TV.
The kids loved these cartoons so much when I got home I had to go out and find “Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Living Color Volumes 1 and 2.”
They are expensive (since they are out of print) but we now watch them all the time.
It’s amazing how cartoons from 1935-1938 are still great today.

And, of course, there are tons of Hidden Mickey’s

We had some time so I strolled the lobby to admire my favorite resort.
Ariel is very present frolicking with everything from manatees

To dolphins

Then it was time to get ready.
In shifts, Mom and I took the children to the restroom to get changed into our Polynesian attire.
Then, to the kids disappointment, we made them leave the Kids Lobby and we headed upstairs.
On the far side of the 2nd floor from ‘Ohana, there is a small Photopass Desk and we checked in.
We were here for our Family Portraits – Polynesian Style!
We had a 4:15 appt and even already reserved the “extended session”.
I think the total cost was about $120 and that was for all of the portraits to be included on our Photopass CD plus an 8x10 and 3 5x6’s.

We were assigned a photographer (whose name I forget) but he took us everywhere!
He knew all the nooks and crannies and best places for pictures.
So, let’s see how it turned out.
First, some pictures of our gorgeous model – The Polynesian Princess
Some of them were too perfect even to add borders to…

[Author’s Note: Below was one of our 5x7’s]

Next up was our eldest – Mr. I really don’t want to be here but I’ll be a good boy:

[Author’s Note: Below was one of our 5x7’s]

Then we headed to the beach for the ultimate family shot.

[Author’s Note: Below was our Holiday Cards for this year]

Then we took a walk…

Then the ultimate Castle shot:

 

[thecapells]

Next stop was the marina.
X hopped on the speedboat and took charge.
Oh how happy he was!

“Look Ma! No Hands! Woo-Hoo!!!”

Then it was time for Mom and Dad pictures.
Sept was our anniversary.

Then we headed for higher ground to catch a bit of the volcano

Remember that monorail fascination I mentioned?
Well, here’s “Monorail Blue!”

“Monorail Red!”

No, he would not turn around.
There were monorails to be seen!

Then it was back to the lobby.

And one more snuggle…
Okay, everyone now, “Awwwwwwwwww”

Our photo session was done and we were ecstatic looking at the results.
In our opinion, this is TOTALLY worth it!
And now we have the copyright for every single shot he took and can reproduce them whenever we want.
Cheaper than any photo session we’ve ever been to.

But the kids were now exhausted from all that smiling.
Time for some good eats!
And where else does one eat after Family Portraits – why the restaurant that means Family of course!
Stay tuned for dinner at ‘Ohana!

 

[englishrose47]

I have to give the Plaza a try someday !! It;s just there are sooo many other choices in Disney!!I love CP at MK and am having a hard time skipping it again both times this year !!

 

[englishrose47]

Your last update came up on my laptop after I posted !!! How weird is that !!Anywho those were some awesome pix !!

 

[thecapells]

I have to give the Plaza a try someday !! It;s just there are sooo many other choices in Disney!!I love CP at MK and am having a hard time skipping it again both times this year !!

There is definitely lots of good food to go around - we can't argue with that!
Plaza happens to be a nice quick place - and pretty cheap if you are not on a dining plan and are eating out of pocket.

Your last update came up on my laptop after I posted !!! How weird is that !!Anywho those were some awesome pix !!

That is funny.
Glad you liked the pics!
We had a blast during that photo shoot!

 

[All7OfUs]

You got some really, really amazing family shots! I can't say any of them are my favorite because they are all just so super!!

Another thing that popped out at me was the Plaza menu design- I know, random. But that 's the look I'm going for in my house. I would love to get a copy of that- does anyone know who to call to ask ?? Guess services?? disney dining??

Those ice cream sundaes there looked HUGE!! I'll bet they were just as good as they looked!