The Seattle Princesses Have No Shame - June 2012 (Updated 8/5!!)

[Eight]

Hello and welcome!

My name is Eight, or Rachel, and this will be my third trip report!

My first was Club 33 (No, Not that Club 33) - A Disneyland Trip Report, and my second was Isn't 21 a Little Old For This? A January 2011 Trip Report.

You know, just in case you need a little more of the Eight's Trip Report Experience.

Anyway.

As I was saying, I'm Rachel, a 23 year old Seattleite (er, I guess I might be more of a Seattlesuburbite? Whatever.) and Disney fan. I love Disney parks, Disney movies, Disney music, Disney food, if it has the word Disney in it, odds are, I probably like it to some degree.

This is what I look like. I contemplated choosing a nice, smiling picture of me, but when it comes down to it, if I can do a goofy photo over a more "normal" photo, I'm probably going to go with the goofy one. (most of the time anyway, I do enjoy having some nice ones of me as well.)

I also love Stitch, the TTA, Expedition Everest, and overanalyzing things. I'm pretty awesome at that last one, by the way.

My traveling companion on this trip was my friend, who from here on out will be known as The Friend. Very creative, yeah?

Now I have to admit something. I kind of never actually told my friend I was going to be writing a trip report, because I had no idea how to bring it up. I mean, how do you say, "oh yeah, and also, I'm going to be writing about this trip on a message board filled with thousands of other Disney fans, who will learn all the messy details of this trip, and see photos of us, and you know.."

Actually, when I wrote that out, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Hm. Maybe I should have brought it up.

Well, until I ever do that, she will be known as The Friend, to protect her privacy. There probably won't be any photos of her, unless they're blurry and altered in some way.

Which means you're stuck with pictures of my beautiful face for now. ("You?... Think me beautiful?" quick! what attraction is that from?)

Wait, I'm getting distracted again. Getting back to The Friend. She's 24, and is a very lovely person. I took her on her first trip to WDW last June, and we had such a good time, we had to do it again. She might not be as much of a Disney nerd as I am, but I think she really enjoys going, and she learns all the tips and tricks and lingo quickly.

One of the (many) best moments on our last trip took place on our last night. We were on a bus to the Magic Kingdom, sitting next to a family who had just arrived. Before long, The Friend was talking to them, explaining how fast passes worked, pointing out Space Mountain... And at first, I was like, dude, that's my job, to help out the newbies, but then I realized, I've taught her well.

So that's us, more or less. I think you'll be learning more about us as this TR progresses, because what's a good story without a little character development?

Actually, that might setting some high expectations. This may or may not be a good story. Time will tell. And hopefully not a long time. My last TR took over a year to complete, so I'm aiming for like six months with this one. I can't promise regular updates, but I will promise that I'll finish. Eventually. It just might take a while.

And if you're wondering about the title, well, the princes part will come in the second chapter, but the no shame part had to do with my philosophy of this trip. Like... we're walking along and dancing to the music for the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party? It's no big deal, no shame. Dancing and singing (quietly, I might add) to Splash Mountain? No shame. Taking ridiculous photos in front of the Captain EO poster and posting them online? No shame.

I think you get the idea.

And I think that about sums up this introduction!

I'm hoping you'll stick around and comment! I love hearing from you all, and I'm friendly, so please don't be afraid to let me know what's on your mind. Tell me about your experience with an attraction, or what photos you like, or how you liked the food at a certain restaurant, or anything! I always appreciate it.

Until next time, take care!

 

[Eight]

Table of Contents

June 10, 2012
The Best/Worst View of a Lightning Storm

June 11th, 2012
The Seattle Princesses
The Best Attraction of All Attractions Except Maybe Expedition Everest
Sometimes some cute animals
come to my backyard.
Merchandise Fails

June 12th, 2012
Tonga Toast
Magical Fast Passes and a Twice in a Lifetime Opportunity

 

[Eight]

Admittedly, there were some days before we left where I was not feeling this trip at all.

There were a couple of things that had popped up over the week before we left that had put a damper on my excitement. At one point, I was asking myself, "do I really even want to go..?", which is something I never thought I'd be asking before a Disney trip. I told myself that I would be thrilled once I landed in Orlando, and I was just psyching myself out.

Sunday morning finally arrived, and I woke up at 6:30 to finish all of my last minute packing things. The Friend was scheduled to arrive at my house around 9:15, and my mom would drive us to the airport. We got a text from The Friend around 9 saying she was just leaving, which prompted me to freak out since she leaves about 30 minutes away. I'm more than a little obsessive about being on time, so this was stressful for me.

The Friend arrived around 9:25, and we were off to the airport.

I don't remember what time we arrived at the airport, but I'm guessing it was between 9:45 and 10:00. We had bought something called like preferred access or something, which was great, because it was like a Fast Pass for the airport. We didn't have to wait in the longer line to check our bags, and we got to go through a special security line. It was awesome and super fast!

We stopped for coffee (The Friend) and snacks (me), and walked over to our gate which was conveniently located right next to the Starbucks we had stopped at.

While waiting, we saw the Disneyland plane take off.

Here's a picture of the Disneyland plane that I took on my January 2011 trip. It's very cute, and says "We're Going to Disneyland!" on it. I've only been on it once, and it was on my way back from Disneyland. Of course.

Anyway, before long, the boarding process started, and we were some of the first people to board since we had preferred access.

The flight was pretty uneventful. So uneventful that I really remember nothing about it. We had a bit of turbulence, but nothing too bad.

I flipped through the SkyMall and decided that I needed one of these. I mean, it's only $400. That's a bargain, right?

Five hours later, we arrived in Charlotte. We had about 45 minutes before out next flight so we were able to get dinner. I almost didn't get anything because I didn't think I was hungry, and I could just get something in Orlando, but it ended up being a very good decision.

I had a weird feeling about this next flight. I had been looking at the weather forecast the day before, and scattered thunder storms were predicted. I kept thinking back to these two woman my mom and I had met in January 2011 at Universal Studios who had flown in the day after us in a storm.

"Yeah, there were people crying and praying and throwing up, and everyone applauded when we got on the ground."

That sounds... fun.

But our flight from Charlotte to Orlando took off on time, so I pushed my anxious thoughts aside, and tried to focus on the fact that I would be in Orlando is 90 minutes!

Plus, some really nice guy switched seats with The Friend so we could sit together! Originally we both had middle seats, one in front of the other, but this guy traded his window seat next to me for The Friend's middle seat behind me. What a sweet guy.

About the time we should have started to descend, the pilot came on. I couldn't understand half of what he said, but I did make out the words "storm" "code red" "MCO" and "we'll have to wait".

Awesome.

I started laughing, because really, what else could I do? I hate flying, I hate storms, I hate turbulence, and here I was, stuck on a turbulent flight that was in a holding pattern due to a storm.

Shortly after that, we were treated to the best/worst view of a lightning storm ever. It was pretty amazing to watch, you could see the bolts of lightning, which is always fascinating to me since we don't really see that in Seattle. It's usually only sheet lightning in Seattle.

So while The Friend and I were captivated by the show, we were also like, "hm... we're in an airplane... in the sky..."

But since I'm here, writing about this, I'm sure you can figure out that we made through unscathed.

We ended up arriving only an hour after we were originally scheduled to arrive, so not too bad.

Except that getting our luggage took about 30 minutes. We had rented a car, so while I got the luggage, The Friend picked up the car. We finally made it out of the airport around 11:20pm.

By the time we got to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we were both exhausted. We checked in, but were told we'd have to check in and out tomorrow since we had a separate reservation for this night. Thankfully, we wouldn't have to change rooms.

Our room was in the middle of those super long hallways at AKL, so we slowly made the trek to our room. The Friend kept getting distracted by the animals, I was more concerned with getting to our room and sleeping.

"Look! A zebra!"

"Just wait until we get to the room."

I had mentioned to her before that we had an Arusha view, but since The Friend had never stayed here before, I don't think she realized that we would have the same view from our room.

Finally, we made it, and I crashed hard. I was too tired to even take my obligatory "yay, I'm here!" photo. I fell asleep within in minutes of laying down, finally excited about what this trip would bring.

 

[Katavi]

Enjoying your trip report, I can't wait to read about your further adventures. My favorite Disney World resort is also Animal Kingdom. I love waking up to giraffes and zebras.

 

[Belle83]

I'm from Seattle too Can't wait to see more!

 

[Eight]

Enjoying your trip report, I can't wait to read about your further adventures. My favorite Disney World resort is also Animal Kingdom. I love waking up to giraffes and zebras.

I think The Friend also really enjoyed waking up to the giraffes and zebras. When she was packing up to leave, she mentioned something about how she would miss seeing giraffes in the morning. That part is pretty awesome, isn't it?

I'm from Seattle too Can't wait to see more!

Awesome! I love meeting Seattle Disney fans. And I have more coming right up!

 

[DisFan89]

Joining in!

 

[Eight]

Since we had arrived so late the night before, I allowed us to sleep in.

And by that, I mean we got up at 8 instead of like 7:45.

It took us a while to get ready that morning, because I stupidly insisted on drying my hair. This was stupid because a) I was going to pull it back anyway, and b) my hair and humidity do not mix well. At all.

That being said, my hair probably actually looked the best on the first day because I did take the time to dry it, but it wasn't worth it. By our third morning, I didn't even bother.

But enough about my hair!

The first bit of business we had to attend to that morning was not to head directly to a park, but to check out and in. This was important because because our second reservation had all the important stuff on it like park tickets and the dining plan.

Thankfully the process went quickly, and unlike the night before, the cast member helping us asked if we were celebrating anything.

I'm always up for celebrating things, plus I did have something I wanted to celebrate.

"I just finished a year of college!" I replied.

The cast member reached for what I assumed were those I'm Celebrating buttons.

To my surprise, she pulled out sequined princess crowns.

And some celebration buttons.

And some stickers.

It was awesome.

At first I was reluctant to wear the crown, but The Friend convinced me.

Plus, what's that old saying?

When life hands you princess crowns, wear them?

Well, it's something like that anyway.

Now the Seattle Princesses were ready to head off to their first park!

 

[Eight]

Joining in!

Fantastic! Thanks for reading!

 

[Whereisalyssa]

Joining in!
How did you get a crown! I'm so jealous!

 

[Eight]

Joining in!
How did you get a crown! I'm so jealous!

Welcome!
I don't know, the cast member working the front desk just decided we looked like princesses and needed them, I guess...

 

[Eight]

I forgot to post a very important photo in my last update!

My obligatory "yay, I'm here!" photo.

Normally I would take this the first night I arrive, before I unpack anything, but as I mentioned I was so exhausted, I didn't even think to take one. This picture is from the first morning, before we went out. You can tell because I don't look hot, tired, and sweaty yet.

I'm trying to get several updates in before next Monday, because I know I'll be super busy next week, and I'm not sure if I'll be up to writing any updates. We'll see. After that though, I hope to maintain a fairly regular update schedule. Of course, I said that on my last trip report, and it took over a year soo....

But let's get back to the report!

When we last left off, the Seattle Princesses had received their crowns, and were ready to take on the parks!

Do you know what park we're going to based on this parking lot picture?

How about now?

Soon we were getting our bags checked, and then I heard it.

One of my favorite Disney things.

Background music!

I was so thrilled! There's so much to love about Disney background music. Shall I make a list?

1) It means you're at Disney. Obviously.
2) I like 99% of the music. There's always that one song that I could do without, but the majority of it is amazing.
3) It sets a mood.
4) Life is better with background music. I mean, just think about how awesome your life would be if there was music that constantly followed you around, adjusting to the environment around you. You can't tell me that wouldn't be amazing, you just can't.

In conclusion, background music is amazing and a totally valid thing to get excited over.

Once we were in the park, I transformed in to Touring Guide Rachel.

We first stopped at the Land to get Soarin' FPs. I think it must have been a little past ten in the morning, and the FPs were already for 3:30 - 4:30. Woah. I thought that was late, but I figured we'd probably still be here then so it was worth getting.

Obligatory picture of the balloons.

Next stop: Journey into Imagination!

We hadn't ridden this ride last June, and I hadn't ridden it for maybe three years, so I figured we should give Figment a chance.

This living room set was displayed in the queue. I decided it was awesome and I needed it. Especially if the wallpaper was included.

Well... I hate to say it, but Journey into Imagination was.. Okay, I don't want to say it's bad ride, because I honestly don't think it is, but it's also not as cool as the living room set in the queue. Yeah. I'm just saying that if they somehow made a ride out of that living room set, it would be cooler than Journey into Imagination, but less cool than, say, Buzz Lightyear. I think that's a fair comparison.

Then it was time for The Best Attraction of All Attractions Except Maybe Expedition Everest!

Yes, I am prone to hyperbole, what makes you ask that?

Captain EO!

Confession: I developed an obsession with this movie on this trip. I've always liked it, sure, but this trip, man, I don't know. I fell in love with it. There's something so perfect and ridiculous about it, that I can't help but love. I suspect it has to do with the fact that Captain EO is creating beauty through the power of song and dance. I'm a big fan of musicals, so I believe deeply in the power of a good song and dance routine. Captain EO does not disappoint in this aspect.

Ready for the show!

The cast member hosting the show asked who was excited.

The Friend and I cheered and applauded wildly.

Everyone else just kind of golf clapped.

Clearly they don't understand the power of song and dance.

We were so moved by the movie, we had to take a picture.

Brave comes out today, who's excited to see it? I have my tickets for tonight, and I'm psyched!

After that, it was just about time to check in for lunch at Le Cellier!

Which you will have to find out about in the next installment.

Until then!

 

[RachelNinja]

I agree with you that Captain EO is just the greatest! During my April trip, the crowd was apparently filled with a ton of Michael Jackson fans, and everyone cheered when before and after the show. During my honeymoon trip, the people did that same "golf clap," and I was like, um, what's wrong with you all?!?

 

[Eight]

I agree with you that Captain EO is just the greatest! During my April trip, the crowd was apparently filled with a ton of Michael Jackson fans, and everyone cheered when before and after the show. During my honeymoon trip, the people did that same "golf clap," and I was like, um, what's wrong with you all?!?

Thank you for reading and commenting!
Yes, another Captain EO fan! I'm so glad there are people on the DIS who appreciate Captain EO too. I feel like I don't hear about it much, but maybe I'm reading the wrong TRs.
It's so funny how mixed the crowds are at Captain EO. I feel like there are the fans who love it, and then there are the people who were only watching it because they wanted to sit down in the air conditioning but had no clue what Captain EO was. And there isn't much in between on that spectrum. But that's just my theory.
Also, spoiler alert for my TR: we went again, and there was a way better crowd. Everyone was really in to it, and the CM at the end made everyone do their best Michael Jackson impression. It was awesome.



Also, as a note to everyone who was (probably not) wondering where I have been the past week, I was super busy with an internship. It was wonderful, I couldn't imagine having a better experience, but I was writing or helping high school students with writing, and when I got home at night, I was like, I could write my TR or I could something else that did not involve writing...

As you can tell, the second option won out.

My internship is over now, and I was aiming to get back to regularly scheduled updates. Notice I said I was aiming? My family goes to eastern WA every fourth of July, which is about about three hours away from Seattle, and guess what. I forgot my notebook with my trip notes. I can probably get one more update in based on memories and the pictures I took, but after that, I need my notebook to figure out what we did. I was frustrated when I realized I had left that at home.

At least that was the only thing I seem to have forgotten so far, so that's good, right?

And I'll be back in Seattle on Saturday, so cross your fingers that after I return, I can get back to a regular schedule. I need to get this done before September so I can do a TR for my Tower of Terror Ten Miler trip.

Until next time!

 

[brandihead2012]

On Board! Thanks for sharing!! I always meet the nicest people flying. I had a guy once offer to hold my hand! I'm jealous! I'm trying to convince the DBF that the extra money to stay at AK is worth it! On Board!

 

[wdwtwins]

Hi! I'm tagging along! I totally agree with the Disney Music thing! I love it!

 

[RachelNinja]

I told my husband that Captain EO would BLOW HIS MIND because it's just that spectacular. We leave the theater singing the song!

Hope you're having fun with your family! Can't wait for the next installment!

 

[Eight]

On Board! Thanks for sharing!! I always meet the nicest people flying. I had a guy once offer to hold my hand! I'm jealous! I'm trying to convince the DBF that the extra money to stay at AK is worth it! On Board!

Welcome and thanks for joining in!
It's always awesome when you meet nice people flying. It makes it a less stressful, doesn't it? I have a kind of funny story about my flight back, but I'll wait to tell that one when I get to it.
I think the AKL is definitely worth it! Especially if you go for a room that has a view. I love the atmosphere of the whole place.

 

[Eight]

Hi! I'm tagging along! I totally agree with the Disney Music thing! I love it!

Welcome!
Disney music is the best! Do you have a favorite background loop or attraction song?

I told my husband that Captain EO would BLOW HIS MIND because it's just that spectacular. We leave the theater singing the song!

Hope you're having fun with your family! Can't wait for the next installment!

Hahaha, it is mind blowing! <- That is now the mind blowing emoticon. I always leave dancing and humming, and I look like such a nerd because I can't dance at all. No shame.

I am having fun, thank you! Although we have 11 people at our house, in addition to my parents and I, and it's equal parts fun and oh my gosh, I need a break from these people! I really love my family though.

 

[Eight]

Hello?

Still there?

Yes?

Awesome!

I appreciate your continued patience! My family's fourth of July is always crazy, we spend it at our house in eastern Washington, three hours away from Seattle, with extended family. We had 14 people at our house this year, plus an additional 6 at another house nearby. And the week before that, I was busy with an internship that involved a lot of writing, so when I got home, it was hard to think of sitting down and working on this.

And this week, uh, I don't have a great excuse, other than just being busy with life.

But I am back in action now!

So.

Lunch.

We checked in to lunch at Le Cellier, where we had reservations for 11:30. If you get there before it opens, the servers and hosts will sing O Canada before they seat people. Do other restaurants in the World Showcase do this? I had reservations for Les Chefs de France at 11:30 last December, and got there before it opened, but I don't think they sang.

I thought it was brilliant, of course.

We were among the first to be seated, and we both knew what we wanted.

Cheddar Cheese Soup.

And I also wanted pretzel bread with that cheddar cheese soup. Oh my gosh, those two things together...!
Interestingly, The Friend isn't a huge fan of the pretzel bread. She likes it, but she lets me eat most of it. I think she prefers the sourdough.

Since we were on the dining plan, we ordered off the three course menu, so we could get the cheddar cheese soup.

I'm sure you know what we both got as the appetizer, but we also both ordered the hamburger for the main entree. For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse, and I don't know exactly what The Friend ordered, because I can't seem to find a menu online, but I think it was fruit sorbet of some sort.

I should probably tell you now that I'm not a food picture person, with the exception of good deserts. Good deserts I might take pictures of, but I rarely take pictures of the main dishes.

So I did take a picture of the chocolate mousse, because it's so cute!

The Friend and I though everything was delicious. It was The Friend's favorite meal of the trip, if I'm not mistaken, and in my top three.

The Friend also ordered a Magical Star cocktail, which are amazing. It's an alcoholic drink that tastes fruity and not terribly alcoholic-y, and it comes with a rainbow glowing cube.

Basically, this drink was made for me.

I did not order one, but don't worry, I ordered one later in the trip!

After we were well fed, and maybe a little too full, I know I was, we ventured back in to the heat to take a walk around the World Showcase.

I think the garden area in Canada is so beautiful. The Friend was telling me how it's actually based on some real garden in Canada, but of course, I cannot remember where or what it was. Soo.. Yeah.

It was super hot and humid out, especially for Seattle Princesses who are not used to such high temperatures and humidity, so our tour basically consisted of how fast can we get to a shop with air conditioning in the next pavilion?

When we toured the World Showcase last year, it was downpouring, so I kept debating which was better. The rainstorm or the extreme heat. I was inclined to say the rain. At least you could walk without feeling like you were about to melt. My feelings on this would change soon enough.

In France, we saw Marie, a character I've wanted to get a picture with for like the past four trip, but had somehow missed each time. So I insisted to The Friend that we get a picture. Thankfully, the line was short.

In Morocco, I also insisted that I get a picture with this fountain, as I've gotten several pictures here from previous trips.

The Friend taking a similar picture.

We stopped outside for a short bit in Japan to watch Miyuki, but before long, the air conditioning in Mitsukoshi called to us, and we spent a lot of time in there. I bought this cute bag and Hi Chews, which are pretty much my new favorite candy.

If you can't read the text it says,
Sometimes some cute animals
come to my backyard.
They run away when they see
my shadow.

I'm not sure if you can tell what size it is from the picture, but it's just large enough to hold my Kindle, wallet, cellphone, and other necessary items. It's pretty functional.

Somewhere, between two countries, maybe America and Italy, characters started coming out! I had seen this happen once before, but it was on the opposite side of the World Showcase, between Canada and England, maybe?

We saw Mickey, and tried the powerwalk to be the first to get a picture so we wouldn't have to wait in line, but some small children raced ahead of us. Oh well, it was still a very minimal wait compared to most.

We also got a picture with Pluto.

We went to go ride Maelstrom, but the line was all the way out the door! We waited in it anyway, because we knew we'd be in air conditioning soon enough. I mean, isn't that the point of rides in the summer? Air conditioning? Well, that, and Maelstrom is so ridiculous, I love it.

After Maelstrom, we stopped in Mexico for all of about two minutes. I think everyone had the same idea, go to Mexico because it's inside and air conditioned! It was super crowded and hectic in there. We both had the same thought, even air conditioning is not worth this madness. So off we went to use our Fast Passes for Soarin'.

This is my favorite building in Epcot. I don't know why, but I'm a little obsessed with it.

And I will leave you with that picture of Spaceship Earth.

Until next time!