The Skeptical First-Timers made it back home, here's the TR! Completed!
- Thread starter FosterA
- Start date
At the time I didn't want to taste it but now I do!! Looking at this photo makes me realize I missed out
I know! Photos in the dark and of moving things are way above my skill level!
yep, great place and our server was super friendly and funny!
whew! I was so glad that they blended in right with us and weren't bossy on the trip. Only room for one alpha leader on this trip and that was meI know how you feel with the always waking up at 6 am. I am like that with 7 am, no matter what I do I cannot sleep in! For me, sleeping in is sleeping till 8 amBut still, that rarely happens! Everyday seems to be waking up at 7 am! I dont mind it though at WDW, it just means I get more time awak at disney!
Im glad that your friends did not ruin your trip!Its fun to have friends along! For as long as I can remember my family has been going to WDW with 2 of my dad's closest friends' families. WDW is a place where more is merrier
I miss the Poly sooooo much. I honestly cried when we checked out. waaaaaahI'm glad that your planning is being appreciated by your family (and friends)!
The Poly looks amazing. It blew me away when I went there for dinner in August (nope, haven't got that far in my TR yet) It was my first time there and oh my gosh do I want to stay there now. And I know exactly which hammocks Allison was lying in because I was there too and would've been happy to spend the rest of the night relaxing in one of those. And the view from your balcony is just gorgeous!
Hope you have a great trip if you are able to pull it off!Wow, Allison's smoothie looks really yummy!
I'm glad you had so much fun with your friends there. We've been tentatively planning a future trip with my husbands family, and I'm a little scared. I love our "little" (ha, ha, I know how silly that sounds with a family of 7) family trips!
Thanks!! it's nice sometimes having tiny eaters, they're cheaper!Although I'm not a big planner .. i still don't like people interfering with my day .. especially at Disney. Glad your friends were able to meet up and go along nicely.
I don't do the dining plan either. My boys are tiny and don't eat very much at all. They usually share a kids meal (barely) and still have left overs.
Love the pic of Allison and her smoothie .. such a pretty girl !
Waiting patiently for the next update !
Thanks for sticking with me on my reports!!
btw...I remember you asking where we ordered our Thanksgiving food from and I can't remember if I responded or not. duh. But it was Bill Miller
We really did the GC order for water and Ian's Ensure (he's a horrible eater). I needed to 6-packs of those drinks and ea. 6-pack is like 12 dollars
So really, between the Ensure drinks and water we probably almost reached the minimum. Then I ordered a large bag of Doritos to snack on and a bag of sliced apples, a few bananas, and a lg. bowl of fruit cut up. If you have CL, you really don't need that stuff I bet. LUcky
No kidding!! I think we need a re-do trip just to get him in the magic mood. Our very last day at Disney was when he showed the most enthusiasm so maybe he just needed a few more days
Thanks! We had such a nice server at Kona and she was really funny too!I have never been to Kona but have made it a personal mission to go there now! Can't wait to hear more
DAY 2-part 2
So our family got to catch up with our old family friends over breakfast at Kona. Our friends had already been at Disney for 2 or 3 days by the time we arrived and they were leaving a few days before us so we really just had 3 full days together. That worked out good because they had their own family time, we had our own time, and then we had 3 days together. They drove and were not staying on property so that was actually good because at least at night we were able to go our separate ways versus if they were staying at the Poly also.
anyhoo....we finished breakfast which was wonderful. I really wanted to try the Tonga toast but for some reason or another, I just didn't have a sweet tooth for a change
Oh well...better book another trip just to try it.
The plan of the day was to go back to Mk and do a bunch of things since the night before all we did was Splash, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mt, and Philharmagic and of course the Christmas parade and fireworks. I also had plans to hop over to Studios this night for Fantasmic at 8:00. So....after breakfast the two families boarded the monorail which was fun since all we've done so far was the little boats. I thought that since we had to pass the GF on the way, we may as well hop out and see the gingerbread house and such. Here's some photos
Walking into the GF was quite impressive though the guy friend of ours commented that it just didn't feel like Disney in there though. We browsed around some but our two boys were acting a little whiny and bored so we didn't spend too much time at the GF.
We got back on the monorail to get to MK finally. My plan was to start in tomorrowland. I felt a little bad though because our friends had already done everything in Tomorrowland when they were there before we arrived so I told them they didn't HAVE to stick with us if they'd prefer to meet up later but they insisted they didn't mind doing everything again. I really felt bossy but I said to them many times that they didn't have to follow my plans and they absolutely said they didn't mind at all. So...I just had to believe them and go on with my day I guess. First stop was Space Mt. and there was no wait at all. There was no wait for anything in Tomorrowland! As a matter of fact, this was our second day at a park and we had yet to wait for anything and I was sort of dying to try Fastpasses out.
Here's a photo from the people mover.
For some reason I thought I took more photos of the area but I guess not Alot of times Allison had my camera when I wanted to take pictures. The kids ended up doing Space Mt. 3 x in a row. Us adults only did it once and that was enough. It's fun but once was enough for me! David said it wasn't what he expected. I didn't know he expected anything because I didn't think he even had heard of Space Mt. before. I asked him what he expected and he said he thought it was way too dark and he expected more solar system things and more of a being- in- space feeling versus so much darkness
The kids went nutso doing it 3x and it was pure bliss not to have lines!
After Space, we did the people mover and that got screwed up. Dave and I were with the other couple and when it came time to load in, they wanted us to get in the cart with them but I thought we'd sit in the cart right behind them so we'd have plenty of space yet could still visit. Well....I'm a newbie to this ride so I should have kept my mouth shut since it so happens you really can't visit on this thing unless your in the same cart plus they broke apart right between our 2 carts so we never even saw them after loading up! I felt kind of bad because I know my friend was sort of hoping for some chatting time without the kids (since we shipped them all off in another car altogether).
Oh....this would have been way better at night I'm sure!
We then worked our way over to Buzz and that actually was much cooler than I expected. I thought it would be similar to some of the things like that at other theme parks but it really was much nicer. That was a nice surprise. I rode with David and he kicked my butt of course. He liked this ride because he had an activity to do I guess.
We then did Carousel of Progress and well....that was ok. A little boring but it still was quite impressive the way it was done. I snuck a peek at David and he was sleeping! The kids enjoyed it but didn't want to do a second time of course.
After doing those things in Tomorrowland we started to work our way toward Adventureland since we had yet to do Pirates and Jungle Cruise. On the way we ran into this parade. Not sure what it's called but the music was fun! Actually, now that I see these photos they look like it's more at the entrance to the park so technically I think we ran into this parade right when we entered and before we got over to Tomorrowland. Either way, doesn't matter.
I felt like MK was pretty empty today. Not empty exactly but definitely a good day to tour this park! I used Tour Guide Mike and Easy WDW and they both were spot on! I also used my Lines app alot and that was super great!
On the way to Adventureland we saw Aerial and Allison really wanted to take a photo with her but her line was so long The only time I saw lines were for characters! I told Allison we'd try again later but I'm sad to report that we never did get around to it. As a matter of fact, this entire trip we didn't get ONE photo with a character I know, I know, what kind of losers are we!
So I soothed Allison with a Dole Whip! yep, the Dis people got me pumped up about these. We all took a break and slurped some down. Allison and I had the float and David had orange/vanilla in a bowl and Ian had plain vanilla. It was a nice break and we had plenty of available benches in the shade.
More coming soon...
So our family got to catch up with our old family friends over breakfast at Kona. Our friends had already been at Disney for 2 or 3 days by the time we arrived and they were leaving a few days before us so we really just had 3 full days together. That worked out good because they had their own family time, we had our own time, and then we had 3 days together. They drove and were not staying on property so that was actually good because at least at night we were able to go our separate ways versus if they were staying at the Poly also.
anyhoo....we finished breakfast which was wonderful. I really wanted to try the Tonga toast but for some reason or another, I just didn't have a sweet tooth for a change
Oh well...better book another trip just to try it.The plan of the day was to go back to Mk and do a bunch of things since the night before all we did was Splash, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mt, and Philharmagic and of course the Christmas parade and fireworks. I also had plans to hop over to Studios this night for Fantasmic at 8:00. So....after breakfast the two families boarded the monorail which was fun since all we've done so far was the little boats. I thought that since we had to pass the GF on the way, we may as well hop out and see the gingerbread house and such. Here's some photos
Walking into the GF was quite impressive though the guy friend of ours commented that it just didn't feel like Disney in there though. We browsed around some but our two boys were acting a little whiny and bored so we didn't spend too much time at the GF.
We got back on the monorail to get to MK finally. My plan was to start in tomorrowland. I felt a little bad though because our friends had already done everything in Tomorrowland when they were there before we arrived so I told them they didn't HAVE to stick with us if they'd prefer to meet up later but they insisted they didn't mind doing everything again. I really felt bossy but I said to them many times that they didn't have to follow my plans and they absolutely said they didn't mind at all. So...I just had to believe them and go on with my day I guess. First stop was Space Mt. and there was no wait at all. There was no wait for anything in Tomorrowland! As a matter of fact, this was our second day at a park and we had yet to wait for anything and I was sort of dying to try Fastpasses out
.Here's a photo from the people mover.
For some reason I thought I took more photos of the area but I guess not
Alot of times Allison had my camera when I wanted to take pictures. The kids ended up doing Space Mt. 3 x in a row. Us adults only did it once and that was enough. It's fun but once was enough for me! David said it wasn't what he expected. I didn't know he expected anything because I didn't think he even had heard of Space Mt. before. I asked him what he expected and he said he thought it was way too dark and he expected more solar system things and more of a being- in- space feeling versus so much darkness The kids went nutso doing it 3x and it was pure bliss not to have lines!
After Space, we did the people mover and that got screwed up. Dave and I were with the other couple and when it came time to load in, they wanted us to get in the cart with them but I thought we'd sit in the cart right behind them so we'd have plenty of space yet could still visit. Well....I'm a newbie to this ride so I should have kept my mouth shut since it so happens you really can't visit on this thing unless your in the same cart plus they broke apart right between our 2 carts so we never even saw them after loading up! I felt kind of bad because I know my friend was sort of hoping for some chatting time without the kids (since we shipped them all off in another car altogether).
Oh....this would have been way better at night I'm sure!
We then worked our way over to Buzz and that actually was much cooler than I expected. I thought it would be similar to some of the things like that at other theme parks but it really was much nicer. That was a nice surprise. I rode with David and he kicked my butt of course. He liked this ride because he had an activity to do I guess.
We then did Carousel of Progress and well....that was ok. A little boring but it still was quite impressive the way it was done. I snuck a peek at David and he was sleeping! The kids enjoyed it but didn't want to do a second time of course.
After doing those things in Tomorrowland we started to work our way toward Adventureland since we had yet to do Pirates and Jungle Cruise. On the way we ran into this parade. Not sure what it's called but the music was fun! Actually, now that I see these photos they look like it's more at the entrance to the park so technically I think we ran into this parade right when we entered and before we got over to Tomorrowland. Either way, doesn't matter.
I felt like MK was pretty empty today. Not empty exactly but definitely a good day to tour this park! I used Tour Guide Mike and Easy WDW and they both were spot on! I also used my Lines app alot and that was super great!
On the way to Adventureland we saw Aerial and Allison really wanted to take a photo with her but her line was so long
The only time I saw lines were for characters! I told Allison we'd try again later but I'm sad to report that we never did get around to it. As a matter of fact, this entire trip we didn't get ONE photo with a character I know, I know, what kind of losers are we!So I soothed Allison with a Dole Whip! yep, the Dis people got me pumped up about these. We all took a break and slurped some down. Allison and I had the float and David had orange/vanilla in a bowl and Ian had plain vanilla. It was a nice break and we had plenty of available benches in the shade.
More coming soon...
Forensicmom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2011
- Messages
- 370
I can't wait to read the rest of the days. We were there too and we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. I tried the Poly but DH wanted the lodge. I really wanted to see inside the Poly and maybe next time, IF, there's a next time.
Show some pictures of the inside.
Show some pictures of the inside.
Yep, we loved
the Poly. Funny thing is that just last night I commented to DAvid that I wished I had taken more photos of the Poly! I probably do have a couple more inside ones and I'll try to post them at some point but I really don't think we took too many! dang it, gotta go back now,It was crazy awesome. No lines at all! We didn't even eat breakfast until 10:30 that day so I'm sure it wasn't before noon when we finally arrived. As a matter of fact, the time on one of our space mt. photos was exactly 12:10!Oh my gosh! What time did you arrive at MK that it was so empty? Space Mountain 3x in a row with no lines! Oh my gosh I'm so incredibly jealous. I'm just about ready to plan a trip for next November!
FiveBoys
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2011
- Messages
- 36
Space Mountain is one of my favorites! My husband isn't a fan, though, so we usually only do it once. I don't remember anytime there were no lines! That is awesome that the kids got to ride it 3 times.
Buzz Lightyear is a must-do for us. The twins, especially, start asking for Buzz as soon as we get to the park. I don't get to do much shooting, a three year old at the controls pretty much guarantees you are going to spin in circles...
What are these Dole Whips? I've heard them mentioned here a few times since I joined. Have I been living under a rock? I don't remember seeing them on my thousands of trips to Disneyland!
Buzz Lightyear is a must-do for us. The twins, especially, start asking for Buzz as soon as we get to the park. I don't get to do much shooting, a three year old at the controls pretty much guarantees you are going to spin in circles...
What are these Dole Whips? I've heard them mentioned here a few times since I joined. Have I been living under a rock? I don't remember seeing them on my thousands of trips to Disneyland!
DAY 2- part 3
So after having our Dole Whip break we decided to hit Jungle Cruise and Pirates. The interesting thing that happened on this trip is that I THOUGHT we we would be faster going from ride to ride but it turns out our whole group was more on the mosey-ing along side. Technically since the park was pretty dang empty and there were no lines, we SHOULD have knocked lots of attractions off our list but we really didn't. We walked, talked, took pics of topiaries, tons of bathroom breaks, snack breaks, looking at little things here and there. I was actually ok with this too which surprised me! Our entire group (with maybe the exception of the two 11-year old boys) was totally ok just meandering. I'd say our touring style was sort of middle of the road...not commando but also not TOO laid back. After all, I didn't know when or if we'd ever come back so I did want to see alot but it only took one day to realize that no matter how organized I was THERE WAS NO WAY WE'D SEE IT ALL SO DON'T EVEN TRY.
We worked our way over to Jungle Cruise and my poor friends had already done that the day before but of course they were game to do it again with us. David, who barely noticed any detail on the trip, did like this flower arrangement thing.
I liked this ride but I think I was the only one laughing. Our guide was hilarious (to me anyway). The kids all really liked it too especially going into that cave place. Ok....I did do this ride when I went with my friend back in Feb, and I don't remember anything about that cave area at all. Is it possible that sometimes they don't do that route?? Did I doze off and just miss it? What the heck!
David didn't have anything in particular to say about this ride but at one point after we got off he did say that he thought it was the Pirates of the Carribean ride and I was like "no, we haven't even done that one yet!".
We did do Pirates and Allison was sooooo looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. The kids loved it!! As usual, this was their new favorite! Every ride was their favorite! Now, I'm not a shopper at all and usually just want to blow through the gift shops but David likes to linger. Sure 'nuf he found an acrylic skull thing that he took a liking too. He wanted to buy it but felt rushed (by me) to get moving so he said he might come back later to get it.
Here's a pic of Dave and Allison!
Next stop was the Haunted Mansion (we only did it once the night before). Finally....a ride our friends had not done yet! yay. My kids were very excited to be taking their friends on it since they were such the experts since doing it the night before! I don't know how it happened though but me, Dave, and Allison ended up in one cart. Didn't love that because we were pretty squished (thanks to my big butt!). Either way...I really love this attraction, my favorite at MK for sure. Dave still not impressed!
He's just weird that's all.
After this ride we ran over to check out Peter Pan and FINALLY something with a wait. As a matter of fact, it was like 40 minutes. ick! So weird because every single other thing was a walk-on. I thought about FPing it but the return time was kind of late and we needed to leave around 5:00 to get to Studios. This ride drives me nuts because I was never able to do it back in Feb when I went. Could not get on it during Christmas party previous night, and now still could not do it. Just not meant to be I guess. I then saw Small World but we didn't do it because I knew the boys would hate it plus I was afraid of scaring David right to the exit of the park. I mean, if I felt he was already feeling the magic I might have risked it but he so wasn't feeling the Disney magic that I didn't want to freak him out
Our family then decided that we needed to eat lunch and I had already picked Harbour House for this day. Remember, I did not give anybody choices on this trip! It was slightly awkward because our friends brought a small cooler with sandwiches and I felt kind of bad because I'm sure their kids wanted chicken nuggets and coke and whatnot but it really wasn't a big deal. I don't think their family was even really hungry because I don't remember seeing them eating out of their cooler really. Maybe just some drinks and sometimes they'd snack on goldfish and stuff while walking.
So...I really liked Harbour House. We had no trouble getting a nice table and it a good place to stop and regroup. Allison and I split a fish/shrimp plate and Dave had a sandwich. Ian had chicken nuggets. I don't understand why people complain of burn out from quick service food. I think there's tons of choices at the parks!
I did see a family ordering that was on the meal plan and to me it seems like you can waste alot of food on that plan. I saw lots of desserts and things being tossed all the time.
After lunch we went to Winnie the Pooh which was literally the only thing we did in Fantasy Land our entire trip. weird huh
Well, that had a bit of a line but probably only 20 minutes. Dave liked messing with this interactive goldish screen thing. I thought it seemed like a big germy breeding ground for sticky little fingers and I'm not even a germ freak! We got on this ride and I really wasn't too impressed. Sorry, but so far this was probably the least impressive thing I'd seen on the trip so far. Allison thought it was cute and Ian was riding with his friend and they were completely embarrassed to be on this ride I think because they kept rolling their eyes. Anyhoo...I can see why it's popular if you have little ones but with our group, it just wasn't a hit. I didn't even ask Dave's opinion because I was scared to
We then needed to start working our way out of the park to get towards some transportation to the Studios. The kids all wanted to do "one more thing, please please". Somehow they all agreed (miracle) to do Big Thunder. We started that direction and saw this alligator in the water by Tom Sawyer.
Us adults stood around and waited while they ran up to do Big Thunder. No waits as usual. David then thought he would take off and go buy that skull at the pirate gift shop. He had it delivered to our resort which was a little different that I thought. I THOUGHT it would be in your room that night but that's not the case I guess. It took until the next day and then he had to pick it up at the Poly gift shop. At least that's how it worked for us. Anyhoo....we waiting for the kids to get off the ride and I heard a funny thing from a couple standing by me. The guy goes "ok, after this ride, we need to get over to Magic Kingdom where we need to meet so and so". I was thinking "um, aren't we in MK?" I hope they got where they needed to go!
Ok, I'll continue soon. Next segment is Studios that night and F! and how one could easily have a complete panic attack getting through that surge of crowding! yikes!
So after having our Dole Whip break we decided to hit Jungle Cruise and Pirates. The interesting thing that happened on this trip is that I THOUGHT we we would be faster going from ride to ride but it turns out our whole group was more on the mosey-ing along side. Technically since the park was pretty dang empty and there were no lines, we SHOULD have knocked lots of attractions off our list but we really didn't. We walked, talked, took pics of topiaries, tons of bathroom breaks, snack breaks, looking at little things here and there. I was actually ok with this too which surprised me! Our entire group (with maybe the exception of the two 11-year old boys) was totally ok just meandering. I'd say our touring style was sort of middle of the road...not commando but also not TOO laid back. After all, I didn't know when or if we'd ever come back so I did want to see alot but it only took one day to realize that no matter how organized I was THERE WAS NO WAY WE'D SEE IT ALL SO DON'T EVEN TRY.
We worked our way over to Jungle Cruise and my poor friends had already done that the day before but of course they were game to do it again with us. David, who barely noticed any detail on the trip, did like this flower arrangement thing.
I liked this ride but I think I was the only one laughing. Our guide was hilarious (to me anyway
). The kids all really liked it too especially going into that cave place. Ok....I did do this ride when I went with my friend back in Feb, and I don't remember anything about that cave area at all. Is it possible that sometimes they don't do that route?? Did I doze off and just miss it? What the heck! David didn't have anything in particular to say about this ride but at one point after we got off he did say that he thought it was the Pirates of the Carribean ride and I was like "no, we haven't even done that one yet!".
We did do Pirates and Allison was sooooo looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. The kids loved it!! As usual, this was their new favorite!
Every ride was their favorite! Now, I'm not a shopper at all and usually just want to blow through the gift shops but David likes to linger. Sure 'nuf he found an acrylic skull thing that he took a liking too. He wanted to buy it but felt rushed (by me) to get moving so he said he might come back later to get it.Here's a pic of Dave and Allison!
Next stop was the Haunted Mansion (we only did it once the night before). Finally....a ride our friends had not done yet! yay. My kids were very excited to be taking their friends on it since they were such the experts since doing it the night before! I don't know how it happened though but me, Dave, and Allison ended up in one cart. Didn't love that because we were pretty squished (thanks to my big butt!). Either way...I really love this attraction, my favorite at MK for sure. Dave still not impressed!
He's just weird that's all.
After this ride we ran over to check out Peter Pan and FINALLY something with a wait. As a matter of fact, it was like 40 minutes. ick! So weird because every single other thing was a walk-on. I thought about FPing it but the return time was kind of late and we needed to leave around 5:00 to get to Studios. This ride drives me nuts because I was never able to do it back in Feb when I went. Could not get on it during Christmas party previous night, and now still could not do it. Just not meant to be I guess. I then saw Small World but we didn't do it because I knew the boys would hate it plus I was afraid of scaring David right to the exit of the park. I mean, if I felt he was already feeling the magic I might have risked it but he so wasn't feeling the Disney magic that I didn't want to freak him out
Our family then decided that we needed to eat lunch and I had already picked Harbour House for this day. Remember, I did not give anybody choices on this trip! It was slightly awkward because our friends brought a small cooler with sandwiches and I felt kind of bad because I'm sure their kids wanted chicken nuggets and coke and whatnot but it really wasn't a big deal. I don't think their family was even really hungry because I don't remember seeing them eating out of their cooler really. Maybe just some drinks and sometimes they'd snack on goldfish and stuff while walking.
So...I really liked Harbour House. We had no trouble getting a nice table and it a good place to stop and regroup. Allison and I split a fish/shrimp plate and Dave had a sandwich. Ian had chicken nuggets. I don't understand why people complain of burn out from quick service food. I think there's tons of choices at the parks!
I did see a family ordering that was on the meal plan and to me it seems like you can waste alot of food on that plan. I saw lots of desserts and things being tossed all the time.
After lunch we went to Winnie the Pooh which was literally the only thing we did in Fantasy Land our entire trip. weird huh
Well, that had a bit of a line but probably only 20 minutes. Dave liked messing with this interactive goldish screen thing. I thought it seemed like a big germy breeding ground for sticky little fingers and I'm not even a germ freak! We got on this ride and I really wasn't too impressed. Sorry, but so far this was probably the least impressive thing I'd seen on the trip so far. Allison thought it was cute and Ian was riding with his friend and they were completely embarrassed to be on this ride I think because they kept rolling their eyes. Anyhoo...I can see why it's popular if you have little ones but with our group, it just wasn't a hit. I didn't even ask Dave's opinion because I was scared toWe then needed to start working our way out of the park to get towards some transportation to the Studios. The kids all wanted to do "one more thing, please please". Somehow they all agreed (miracle) to do Big Thunder. We started that direction and saw this alligator in the water by Tom Sawyer.
Us adults stood around and waited while they ran up to do Big Thunder. No waits as usual. David then thought he would take off and go buy that skull at the pirate gift shop. He had it delivered to our resort which was a little different that I thought. I THOUGHT it would be in your room that night but that's not the case I guess. It took until the next day and then he had to pick it up at the Poly gift shop. At least that's how it worked for us. Anyhoo....we waiting for the kids to get off the ride and I heard a funny thing from a couple standing by me. The guy goes "ok, after this ride, we need to get over to Magic Kingdom where we need to meet so and so". I was thinking "um, aren't we in MK?" I hope they got where they needed to go!
Ok, I'll continue soon. Next segment is Studios that night and F! and how one could easily have a complete panic attack getting through that surge of crowding! yikes!
mom2clr
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2009
- Messages
- 498
I am planning a first trip for my sister and niece for next summer (and DD#2) so I am enjoying reading the excitement in your report.
I have gone twice with my oldest DD by ourselves as daddy is a grump and has ZERO in going to Disney so I relate to your situation with your DH.
My niece will be 14 (in 3 weeks) during the trip so it's nice seeing how your daughter is enjoying it.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip.
I have gone twice with my oldest DD by ourselves as daddy is a grump and has ZERO in going to Disney so I relate to your situation with your DH.
My niece will be 14 (in 3 weeks) during the trip so it's nice seeing how your daughter is enjoying it.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip.
DAY 2-part 4
We finally worked our way out of MK and of course my group was impressed with my great knowledge of how to get to Studios without a hitch. Just monorail to TTC then bus. That's a simple concept to us on the Dis of course but if I wasn't with this group, they would have thought you needed a taxi!
We loaded up and zipped off. Ian started pestering about Pizza Planet because I made the mistake of telling him it was there. He gets a bug in his ear and wont let up! sheesh. He really is a pizza fan and since he really doesn't like to eat much, I figured we better get to Pizza Planet asap or he'd drive us all nuts. The plan was to see F! at the second showing at 8:00. We got to the Studios probably around 6:00 or so so we had plenty of time to grab pizza and check out Osborne lights.
Here's the tree once we got off the bus
For some reason on our way in, David happened to glance up at the admission board things at the entrance and his jaw dropped when he saw prices. I about died laughing. He was like "wow! it cost that much a day?". I was thinking to myself...dude, you have no idea how much this trip cost! I teased him because we are on the end of our second day and he barely noticed any super cool details the whole trip but he did manage to see that sign with the prices. He knew I paid cash for the whole trip and it was a done-deal so no use fretting over the price at this point.
Once we entered the gates, David actually seemed to like it better than MK already. yipee! He even said something to the effect of this is way better than MK. I think MK is just to "kiddie" and fantasy for his taste maybe I had plans to do this park the next day so we really didn't want to get distracted by any rides. Our mission this night was 3 things. Pizza planet, Osborne lights and Fantasmic.
It took awhile to figure out where Pizza Planet was since this park had us all confused. Had to ask a CM at one point. We did find it though and David and Ian and our friends all got a snack and Allison and I ran into a cute little shop across the way instead. Oh...here's a cute photo Allison took along the way.
We looked around in the gift shop for a bit and Allison bought some trinkets for her friends. One thing I noticed about the CMs working in the shops is that they are SLOWER THAN MOLASSES! They are so over-the-top friendly which is great and they want to chat no matter how long the line is behind you. It's sweet but sometimes I just wanted to pull my hair out because it always took forever! I guess I was getting a little testy since it had been a long day and I was sort of getting panicky about getting to F! on time and still seeing the Osborne Lights.
After the gift shop, we went next door to hunt our group down at Pizza Planet. For whatever reason, Ian wanted to eat upstairs. Here's a couple pics though both my boys look really weird in this photo.
I didn't order anything to eat though I did eat the little side salads that must have come automatically with the pizza Ian ordered. So....our group was in complete relax mode nibbling on their pizza and I was getting a little frantic at this time because I had heard all the horror stories about F! and needing to be there early and such. I felt like I was rushing everybody but I swear, this group eats like old ladies having tea and crumpets! Even the friends with us, were totally laid back....like waaaaay laid back.
After Pizza we finally started towards Osborne Lights. And then low and behold we run into the Cars guys and everybody just had to get their photo taken. At this point, I probably just gave up trying to rush everybody, I was outnumbered. There was maybe 10 people in line but it wasn't too bad. I just had to calm myself down.
After the photo op, I directed everybody to the Osborne lights which were even more amazing than I thought! David really really liked these and was very impressed by how the music was synched and whatnot. He kept wanting to stay longer and keep looking at them. Whew! finally something he liked. Now, I get a little freaked out in crowds and have this crazy fear of losing my kids (I suppose most moms do). They are older and all but it still flips me out some. Allison kept getting mesmerized by the beauty of the lights and getting sucked deeper and deeper into the crowd and then we'd have to hunt her down. I don't even think it was that crowded our night compared to photos I've seen of other nights. I hate that I felt a little rushed this night because we really needed to get to F!. Plus, Ian was not that into the lights (I mean, it's not a ride of course) so he also sort of rushed us some. But...if you are going to be going to see these, they are worth it! Just plan on taking time to sit on the curb and really watch them versus just sort of zipping through like we did. We did see this guy in a scooter that was ripping mad and yelling though. He kept yelling at his wife saying "let's get out of here, I'm tired of people just walking right in front of me!" He was really really mad because I guess he had to keep making short stops on the dime for people. That's how you feel when you are not in a scooter though too, I always had to stop short for people in front of me. Though I suppose it's more frustrating in a scooter because it's more dangerous of course.
After the lights, it was really really time to get over to F! Let me tell you, that is a cluster getting into that place! If I were to do it over again, I would wait until 5 minutes before it starts and then head in and try to just find a little spot at the very edge or something. To me, it looks like you can see fine from almost anywhere. Anyhoo...we got into the line (if that's what you call it) about 7:15-7:30 for the 8 pm showing. I felt totally freaked out and squished. It's not an organized line at all. If my kids were toddlers I would have had a complete nervous meltdown. Thank goodness it was a beautiful night out though because we weren't hot and yucky. Words can not describe how it probably feels in that crowd when it's hot! ick. Hope I never find out. Well...we got up to the show and we were in a great spot. Sort of just a little off center and back quite a ways but I thought it was mostly perfect.
The show was pretty cool but I would not bother to see it again. Not worth the madness to me but again, I am sort of a nervous freak with huge crowding. If that doesn't bother you so much it might be totally worth it. Allison loved it so much and says it is probably her most favorite things of the whole trip! Ian liked it ok but he really is all about the thrill rides. David did not really like it. At one point, he was up buying beer taking his sweet time!
Didn't bother him at all to be missing some of the show.
Right during the show and I have no idea how I even heard it but my mother-in-law called. Normally I wouldn't bother answering but she was house/dog sitting and I was worried that maybe our old dog died or something. Either way, I managed to talk on my cell during the show which is crazy since it's so loud. Turns out she just wanted to know where we kept the dog brush She kept wanting to chat and I had to hustle her off the phone. Sheesh.
I'm sorry I could not take any good photos of F! and I wish I had taken a crowd photo but didn't. Dang it.
anyway....after F! I made the troops sit and wait on our benches because there was no way I wanted to be swept away in the river of people leaving. We waited for awhile and then skipped right on out. The CMs that were coming in to clean up after F! were so sweet and patient because we all stood around chatting about what our plans were for the next day and stuff and I know the CMs wanted us to get out of the way but they never let on. Always friendly those CMs!
We had to depart ways with our friends after the show because they needed to get to TTC and get their car and we were just going to take bus to the Poly. David got a little snippy when he saw the line for the bus and wanted to take a cab but I said no way. It wasn't that bad, it looked worse than it was because we all fit on the very next bus. We had to stand but we got on!
So....another great day had come to an end. Next segment will be all about our full day at Studios doing the attractions, eating at Sci Fi and the Luau!
We finally worked our way out of MK and of course my group was impressed with my great knowledge of how to get to Studios without a hitch. Just monorail to TTC then bus. That's a simple concept to us on the Dis of course but if I wasn't with this group, they would have thought you needed a taxi!
We loaded up and zipped off. Ian started pestering about Pizza Planet because I made the mistake of telling him it was there. He gets a bug in his ear and wont let up! sheesh. He really is a pizza fan and since he really doesn't like to eat much, I figured we better get to Pizza Planet asap or he'd drive us all nuts. The plan was to see F! at the second showing at 8:00. We got to the Studios probably around 6:00 or so so we had plenty of time to grab pizza and check out Osborne lights.
Here's the tree once we got off the bus
For some reason on our way in, David happened to glance up at the admission board things at the entrance and his jaw dropped when he saw prices. I about died laughing. He was like "wow! it cost that much a day?". I was thinking to myself...dude, you have no idea how much this trip cost! I teased him because we are on the end of our second day and he barely noticed any super cool details the whole trip but he did manage to see that sign with the prices. He knew I paid cash for the whole trip and it was a done-deal so no use fretting over the price at this point.
Once we entered the gates, David actually seemed to like it better than MK already. yipee! He even said something to the effect of this is way better than MK. I think MK is just to "kiddie" and fantasy for his taste maybe
I had plans to do this park the next day so we really didn't want to get distracted by any rides. Our mission this night was 3 things. Pizza planet, Osborne lights and Fantasmic. It took awhile to figure out where Pizza Planet was since this park had us all confused. Had to ask a CM at one point. We did find it though and David and Ian and our friends all got a snack and Allison and I ran into a cute little shop across the way instead. Oh...here's a cute photo Allison took along the way.
We looked around in the gift shop for a bit and Allison bought some trinkets for her friends. One thing I noticed about the CMs working in the shops is that they are SLOWER THAN MOLASSES! They are so over-the-top friendly which is great and they want to chat no matter how long the line is behind you. It's sweet but sometimes I just wanted to pull my hair out because it always took forever! I guess I was getting a little testy since it had been a long day and I was sort of getting panicky about getting to F! on time and still seeing the Osborne Lights.
After the gift shop, we went next door to hunt our group down at Pizza Planet. For whatever reason, Ian wanted to eat upstairs. Here's a couple pics though both my boys look really weird in this photo.
I didn't order anything to eat though I did eat the little side salads that must have come automatically with the pizza Ian ordered. So....our group was in complete relax mode nibbling on their pizza and I was getting a little frantic at this time because I had heard all the horror stories about F! and needing to be there early and such. I felt like I was rushing everybody but I swear, this group eats like old ladies having tea and crumpets! Even the friends with us, were totally laid back....like waaaaay laid back.
After Pizza we finally started towards Osborne Lights. And then low and behold we run into the Cars guys and everybody just had to get their photo taken. At this point, I probably just gave up trying to rush everybody, I was outnumbered. There was maybe 10 people in line but it wasn't too bad. I just had to calm myself down.
After the photo op, I directed everybody to the Osborne lights which were even more amazing than I thought! David really really liked these and was very impressed by how the music was synched and whatnot. He kept wanting to stay longer and keep looking at them. Whew! finally something he liked. Now, I get a little freaked out in crowds and have this crazy fear of losing my kids (I suppose most moms do). They are older and all but it still flips me out some. Allison kept getting mesmerized by the beauty of the lights and getting sucked deeper and deeper into the crowd and then we'd have to hunt her down. I don't even think it was that crowded our night compared to photos I've seen of other nights. I hate that I felt a little rushed this night because we really needed to get to F!. Plus, Ian was not that into the lights (I mean, it's not a ride of course
) so he also sort of rushed us some. But...if you are going to be going to see these, they are worth it! Just plan on taking time to sit on the curb and really watch them versus just sort of zipping through like we did. We did see this guy in a scooter that was ripping mad and yelling though. He kept yelling at his wife saying "let's get out of here, I'm tired of people just walking right in front of me!" He was really really mad because I guess he had to keep making short stops on the dime for people. That's how you feel when you are not in a scooter though too, I always had to stop short for people in front of me. Though I suppose it's more frustrating in a scooter because it's more dangerous of course.
After the lights, it was really really time to get over to F! Let me tell you, that is a cluster getting into that place! If I were to do it over again, I would wait until 5 minutes before it starts and then head in and try to just find a little spot at the very edge or something. To me, it looks like you can see fine from almost anywhere. Anyhoo...we got into the line (if that's what you call it) about 7:15-7:30 for the 8 pm showing. I felt totally freaked out and squished. It's not an organized line at all. If my kids were toddlers I would have had a complete nervous meltdown. Thank goodness it was a beautiful night out though because we weren't hot and yucky. Words can not describe how it probably feels in that crowd when it's hot! ick. Hope I never find out. Well...we got up to the show and we were in a great spot. Sort of just a little off center and back quite a ways but I thought it was mostly perfect.
The show was pretty cool but I would not bother to see it again. Not worth the madness to me but again, I am sort of a nervous freak with huge crowding. If that doesn't bother you so much it might be totally worth it. Allison loved it so much and says it is probably her most favorite things of the whole trip! Ian liked it ok but he really is all about the thrill rides. David did not really like it. At one point, he was up buying beer taking his sweet time!
Didn't bother him at all to be missing some of the show.Right during the show and I have no idea how I even heard it but my mother-in-law called. Normally I wouldn't bother answering but she was house/dog sitting and I was worried that maybe our old dog died or something. Either way, I managed to talk on my cell during the show which is crazy since it's so loud. Turns out she just wanted to know where we kept the dog brush
She kept wanting to chat and I had to hustle her off the phone. Sheesh.
I'm sorry I could not take any good photos of F! and I wish I had taken a crowd photo but didn't. Dang it.
anyway....after F! I made the troops sit and wait on our benches because there was no way I wanted to be swept away in the river of people leaving. We waited for awhile and then skipped right on out. The CMs that were coming in to clean up after F! were so sweet and patient because we all stood around chatting about what our plans were for the next day and stuff and I know the CMs wanted us to get out of the way but they never let on. Always friendly those CMs!
We had to depart ways with our friends after the show because they needed to get to TTC and get their car and we were just going to take bus to the Poly. David got a little snippy when he saw the line for the bus and wanted to take a cab but I said no way. It wasn't that bad, it looked worse than it was because we all fit on the very next bus. We had to stand but we got on!
So....another great day had come to an end. Next segment will be all about our full day at Studios doing the attractions, eating at Sci Fi and the Luau!
BridgetR3
Dreaming of Home
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2011
- Messages
- 2,469
Wow!!! You move fast!!! I leave for Thanksgiving with the in-laws and I miss 5 updates! WHEW!
I love the pic of Pizza Planet. We never saw it on our last trip but it is definitely a must do after seeing that picture of it!! Also, the Osbourne Lights are amazing. I would love to go down one time during Christmas to see them! I just showed them to my DH and he said, "oh WOW!" so maybe that's a good sign.
I love the pic of Pizza Planet. We never saw it on our last trip but it is definitely a must do after seeing that picture of it!! Also, the Osbourne Lights are amazing. I would love to go down one time during Christmas to see them! I just showed them to my DH and he said, "oh WOW!" so maybe that's a good sign.
I liked people mover too but I bet it would have been nicer at night with all the lights!Love not having any lines !! Although I can't do Space Mountain more than once. Buzz Lightyear is one of my kids favorites as well as the People Mover .. I just love the fact that its a nice slow and relaxing ride.
Thanks! David had a couple moments where he showed mild enthusiasm, but Allison and I "got it" the most.Hi there! I'm joining in.
Sounds like a great trip so far minus your husband not getting it. I think my fiance will be the same way when he goes.
I love the pic of your daughter and David in the airport! so cute.
Can't wait to read more!
The dole whip place is something called "Aloha isle" I believe and it's near Swiss Family tree house. Soft serve ice cream (or whatever that is) that is pineapple flavor or orange or vanilla or swirls. You can make it into a float too. We do pineapple in pineapple juice. yum! They also have it at the Poly at Captain Cooks but not in float form, just cups of soft serve.
Yes! it was real. unless...it was some crazy animatronic thing? Lots of people were watching it and it moved to several areas.Ok .. dumb question .. but is that a REAL alligator ?? Or is it just supposed to look real ? (great pics btw !)
I'm never in a big rush while in WDW .. we just sort of mosey about. I just love to take it all in.
The 14-year old will love it!!! Mine had a little attitude before we went but then she went crazy when we got there because she liked it so much!I am planning a first trip for my sister and niece for next summer (and DD#2) so I am enjoying reading the excitement in your report.
I have gone twice with my oldest DD by ourselves as daddy is a grump and has ZERO in going to Disney so I relate to your situation with your DH.
My niece will be 14 (in 3 weeks) during the trip so it's nice seeing how your daughter is enjoying it.
Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip.
yep, I'm moving fast because I'm so depressed that I'm back and I don't know when/if we'll ever go backWow!!! You move fast!!! I leave for Thanksgiving with the in-laws and I miss 5 updates! WHEW!
I love the pic of Pizza Planet. We never saw it on our last trip but it is definitely a must do after seeing that picture of it!! Also, the Osbourne Lights are amazing. I would love to go down one time during Christmas to see them! I just showed them to my DH and he said, "oh WOW!" so maybe that's a good sign.
writing this report is helping me come back to earth and I get to re-live it all. I just don't want my vacation to end!Yes, the Osborne lights are amazing but you really need to take time to just sit somewhere and watch them versus just walking through. The music timing is so cool
amytheobald
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2006
- Messages
- 435
Can't wait to hear about the Luau! We are headed down Dec 17th ... and the Luau is on our schedule too!
amytheobald
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2006
- Messages
- 435
yep, I'm moving fast because I'm so depressed that I'm back and I don't know when/if we'll ever go back
Yes, the Osborne lights are amazing but you really need to take time to just sit somewhere and watch them versus just walking through. The music timing is so cool
I understand this totally, my first trip report I never finished ... post disney depression!
disneylovin24
~Let It Go~
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2010
- Messages
- 2,849
Peter Pan always has a long line! Even during the quite times, the line is always so long. I really don't get why, I mean people are constantly boarding it so why is there always a long wait?! And honestly, IMO, it's not that great of a ride. Its pretty cool how the boats "fly", but besides that its not much.
I love the Jungle Cruise, all of the captains are hilarious! I dont get how your family didnt find it that funny!
When you send merchandise back to your resort they normally send it to the resort gift shop. Most of the time CMs do tell you that you have to pick it up in the gift shop, Im surprised that yours didnt. Sorry you had so much confusion over it.
I never end knew that Pizza Planet at DHs exsisted! Im hot a DHS fan so I guess thats why, I dont think Ive been there since like 2004 even
I know what your saying about F! though! My family went once in like 2003 and I would never rush back to do it again. It was not bad, but I was not amazed by it. Ive heard people say its better than Illumiinations and Wishes, I do not see that AT ALL. I guess F! just is not my type of thing.
Loving the TR overall. Cant wait for more
I love the Jungle Cruise, all of the captains are hilarious! I dont get how your family didnt find it that funny!
When you send merchandise back to your resort they normally send it to the resort gift shop. Most of the time CMs do tell you that you have to pick it up in the gift shop, Im surprised that yours didnt. Sorry you had so much confusion over it.
I never end knew that Pizza Planet at DHs exsisted! Im hot a DHS fan so I guess thats why, I dont think Ive been there since like 2004 even
I know what your saying about F! though! My family went once in like 2003 and I would never rush back to do it again. It was not bad, but I was not amazed by it. Ive heard people say its better than Illumiinations and Wishes, I do not see that AT ALL. I guess F! just is not my type of thing.
Loving the TR overall. Cant wait for more
Cool! I hope you all have a great time. I'll update tomorrow and talk about the LuauCan't wait to hear about the Luau! We are headed down Dec 17th ... and the Luau is on our schedule too!
Peter Pan always has a long line! Even during the quite times, the line is always so long. I really don't get why, I mean people are constantly boarding it so why is there always a long wait?! And honestly, IMO, it's not that great of a ride. Its pretty cool how the boats "fly", but besides that its not much.
I love the Jungle Cruise, all of the captains are hilarious! I dont get how your family didnt find it that funny!
When you send merchandise back to your resort they normally send it to the resort gift shop. Most of the time CMs do tell you that you have to pick it up in the gift shop, Im surprised that yours didnt. Sorry you had so much confusion over it.
I never end knew that Pizza Planet at DHs exsisted! Im hot a DHS fan so I guess thats why, I dont think Ive been there since like 2004 even
I know what your saying about F! though! My family went once in like 2003 and I would never rush back to do it again. It was not bad, but I was not amazed by it. Ive heard people say its better than Illumiinations and Wishes, I do not see that AT ALL. I guess F! just is not my type of thing.
Loving the TR overall. Cant wait for more
Thanks for reading along!
In defense of the CM working at the place where David bought the skull, I'm not really sure what they told him since I wasn't there. I just "assumed" it was delivered to room for some other reason. They might not have said that at all. David filled out a little form and knew where to pick it up. It was just me that didn't know how it worked. I guess I assumed you'd run around all day and then get back to your room to have all your goodies laid out neatly on your bed that you bought
joy13
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2005
- Messages
- 2,421
I loved the Osborne lights so much! I too felt rushed though because the night we went the park closed at 7:00 because there was a special event at 8:00. They didn't turn on until 6:00, so it was pretty crowded. I've never done Fantasmic because of the crowd to get in, doesn't seem worth it to me. Sounds like the day at MK was awesome though!
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