The Sloneckers’ January Trip to Disney–The Princesses and MK, TOD, Illumi-Part 3 of 8

[Obsessed w/Disney in OH]

The Sloneckers’ January Trip to Disney–The Princesses and MK, TOD, IllumiNations Part 3 of 8

Slonecker Family:

Russ-DH, a converted Disney fan after trip in summer of 2000

Lisa-the compulsive planner–fanatical DIS fan; been dying to go back to Disney since summer of 2000

Holly-13; wants to set a new record for the number of times on Rock n Roller; definite list of “have to’s” and “can skip” attractions

Emily-10; Has enough energy and curiosity for all of us! Ready and raring to go–most excited about missing school to go to Disney

Jana-6; Says she is ready to go and see Mickey and Minnie again. Thinks she’s brave enough to try Rock n Roller!

Trip:

5 nights, 5 days at Port Orleans Riverside. January 16-22



Awoke during the night to find DH Russ asleep on the floor–geez did I kick him out during the night(we usually sleep in a king size bed!). I woke him to hear him say the bed was so uncomfortable and it hurt his back so he moved to the floor. This immediately set off my panic mode since he has had 2 emergency back surgeries in the past, but he assured me it was going to be OK. A sigh of relief in the morning when the hard surface of the floor helped ease his back pain and we decided to switch beds with the girls the next night to see if that bed would be better.

Russ went to the food court to fill our mugs–love this feature. We do get our moneys worth of these especially since we had ones from our last trip. Emily got in our bed so she could hear Mickey. We were ready and out really early. We are so excited about our breakfast plans and MK!! The bus came immediately–we were quite comfortable in shorts, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. We left behind 20-something degree weather–this feels awesome!!

The bus arrived soon after we got to the bus stop. We saw a couple with white Mickey ears with a veil and groom Mickey ears. I asked if the girls could see their hats. The newlywed bride showed us her ring with Mickey engraved in it. WOW–our girls immediately decided that Disney would be a perfect place for THEIR weddings in the future.!! DH is just rolling his eyes, you know “his girls” can’t even think about boys, let alone talk about their weddings!! LOL

We arrived at MK at 8:15. We were the only people there except for people with priority seating before the park opened. (Our former commando EE style is leaking through!!) Our p.s. was for 9:40 for Cinderella’s, and I really didn't think we'd get in sooner, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. The lady said, No–sorry. We can get you in earlier at Crystal Palace. No thanks--we're going to see the princesses!! So, we found a place to sit and plan our day.

We only sat there about 5 minutes and the lady came over and said, “You know, why don’t you just go back anyway and see if they might get you in early”–I guess our enthusiasm was showing! This was soooo awesome. The walk into MK before the park opens gave us an unbelievable thrill. It was like having the whole place to yourselves! We took some great photos, and just took our time meandering to the castle. It just gives you that shiver of Disney Magic when you look up and there it is–the castle in all of it’s glory!

We checked at the desk, “No problem” they say. We are surprised and pleased. We sit while the girls enjoy the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming. How DO they find perfect people for these characters!? After about 5-10 minutes, they announced “The Royal Slonecker Family”. I love the stairway leading up to the dining area. We sat down to fruit, rolls, eggs, bacon, sausage, and of course–cream cheese french toast(my favorite!). We saw Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Jasmine(had to cover DH’s eyes), and Mary Poppins. Emily loves to hear the accent of Mary Poppins and of course immediately began to annoy her sisters with continuing to talk this way for the remainder of the breakfast. This breakfast was delicious and fun. Total with tip: $80.

We left the castle and hit Fantasyland. Within an hour, we did Dumbo, Small World, Carousel, Snow White, Pooh, Teacups, and Peter Pan. This is so nice compared to our summer crowds. We headed to Adventureland. They had a crowd waiting in front of the castle to see Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration so we joined them. The girls weren’t sure they wanted to take “ride time” to do this, but they were pleasantly surprised. Character appearances followed–had a fun time with this too. Somehow, people continue to miss the concept of taking turns and the common courtesy of waiting. This is annoying to me–the kids aren’t bad–some of the parents who are shoving their kids in front are the worse. Enough said on that topic!!

We went to the lockers about 11:30 to ditch our sweatshirts. This is very exciting to us Ohioans! We head to the Aladdin’s carpet ride–this was fun. People likened it to Dumbo, but we all enjoyed this more than Dumbo. We especially enjoyed it when the camel spit right at Holly’s face–we had a laugh out of that! This whole area is neat. It really does look like Agrabah in Aladdin–the shops, the details in the walkways, etc. Headed to BTMRR–rode it again and then again and then again. This is just such a fun, fun ride. We walked by Splash Mtn. boo, hiss, sniff, sniff–I know they have to renovate some time, but we missed our Splash Mtn fun!!

We headed to Haunted Mansion. Jana was not sure she wanted to do this–but we convinced her it would be OK. Unfortunately, the ride stopped suddenly at a very scary, loud part. Jana started to cry. After a short time, the ride moved again–Jana stopped crying. Suddenly, it stopped again. OH NO! This time, the scene is not so scary and the wait is shorter but we are relieved to get off. I think this will be Jana’s last ride on this!!

It was time to get a spot for the parade. We headed for Adventureland to find the elevated platforms Michelle from DU had suggested for us. (Around Country Bear Jamboree). This was a great spot! Russ and Holly and Emily headed to Space Mtn. while Jana and I ate ice cream and saved our spot which you have to guard like a hawk!!

You also have to shoo away the birds constantly. I don't remember any birds when we were there in the summer. This trip, we noticed that Adventureland and Frontierland were full of pesky birds that don't hesitate to swoop down for a bite if they want. I also had a squirrel who used the top of my head as a stopping ground half way down from the tree we were sitting by. Now that was a surprise!! I don't mind bird and squirrels...there were just so many and they were a bit too friendly for me!

They got back from SM just as the Share a Dream Come True Parade started. This was neat with the globes, but short. There was so much detail, it was hard to take it all in at once. I thought it was good, but we were not overly impressed with this parade. Emily who is our “artistic one” was impressed with the artists who are drawing while they bike down the street–this is impressive! I was glad we saw it, but I wouldn't spend as much time saving a good spot the next time--I would arrive at the last minute and just catch it if I could.

After the parade, we decided to head to Tom Sawyer’s island. We had not gone there before and the girls thought it would be neat. I didn’t realize you could actually SEE it from the other side. I guess I thought it was farther away, but it’s a 30 second ride on the raft! We also had heard rave reviews about Aunt Polly’s so we ate there. We thought the bread on the sandwiches was dry and the pie was so-so. We could also hear the "moans" from the Haunted Mansion which somewhat interfered with our pleasure of just sitting there relaxing while we ate.

Jana got a root beer float which she promptly tipped right onto Emily. Emily was not happy at all to have sticky root beer float on her. DH got Emily cleaned up while I tried to clean up the area. The employees at Aunt Polly’s were kind and gave her a new float. We ventured around the island and enjoyed the barrel walk the most. It was OK, but we probably wouldn’t need to go back.

Headed back to BTMRR–this is a fun, fun ride. I was determined to see Hall of Presidents this time, but when we went by, we were too late and there was only one more show scheduled for the day. We headed to Buzz Lightyear–Jana made it to 600,000!! I have no idea how she did that, she was pretty excited!! We got out and had a couple of minutes to get to HOP. The girls really didn’t want to see this, but they were willing to for me. We ran and got in with 65 seconds to spare!!

The girls kept looking at me while they played the beginning film. “This is pretty stupid”...their looks said. Pretty soon, the curtain came up for the presidents. This attraction is one of the few things I remember from my childhood trip to WDW. Jana leaned over and said, “Are you SURE these aren’t real?” When I told her they weren’t...she still wasn’t convinced. She said, “They’re blinking their eyes!!”. I think the girls were truly impressed, and I enjoyed re-visiting my memories for this attraction.

Holly and Emily wanted to repeat Space Mtn. They wanted Jana to go too. This made me really, really nervous. I went on SM on our last trip and I was terrified that one of the girls would fall out–it just seems like you are only half in the car–do you know what I mean? Well, 3 begging girls convince me and they set off for a posted 30 minute wait at SM.

I knew I couldn’t just sit there because I would worry, so Russ and I headed to the Tomorrow land Transit Authority. This is OK–just relaxing and not too scary for us!! LOL!! We returned to our bench to worry and wait. Soon, they came out–Jana said, “I LOVE THAT RIDE!!” All smiles.

We headed out of tomorrowland just as Tinkerbell flew overhead–very cool!! We headed out as the fireworks began(we knew we were coming back and would see it on Friday) and because we wanted to catch the monorail to Epcot for TOD and Illuminations. As we got to the monorail, we were in line at the beginning of the car. Just as we were getting in, I just happened to ask, “Are you taking passengers up front?” He said, “Come on up”. The girls and I did this–limit 4. It was dark outside and neat to see the lights. It felt like we were flying down the track!! This was a great experience.

We headed into Epcot–gosh, I forgot how big this place is!! Jana was tired of walking by the time we got to Canada!! We were also starving, so we settled in between Japan and US. Russ headed to Liberty Inn for burgers and fries. About $36 for food and drinks. While he was gone, Emily decided to occupy her time by watching the funnel cake makers in the stand across the way. They teased at her–making faces at her, and laughing with her through their window as they made funnel cakes. Pretty soon, she came walking back with one!! She said, they called her to the window and she thought they were going to tell her to go away, but instead gave her “a free sample”. Very nice of them. Of course, maybe they did actually want her to go away–she had to sit down to eat, ya know! LOL

The parade started–such few people there–it was strange. I thought it was good, but compared to when we saw TON–it seemed to lack some of the energy and enthusiasm. I really, really like the music that accompanied TON, so maybe that was the difference or maybe it was the lack of a crowd on the parade route. I did enjoy the new puppets, but I was sad they took out the opportunity for kids to join them and dance in the parade with them. That was such a magical part of TON–sigh.

We stayed there for IllumiNations–was an OK spot, but I wouldn’t particularly recommend it. They park the globe there–that was distracting as it moved into the water. But, overall, Illuminations was AWESOME as usual. This is such a fantastic show–really, really great. Don’t miss it!!

We made it to the bus stop and there was standing room only. A young boy gave me his seat and Jana sat on my lap. I appreciated the seat, since Jana fell asleep on the way back.

We got back to the room–we are tired. It was a big day. I had asked for additional towels for the room(and left a tip), but had fewer towels than we had when we arrived! Oh well, I’ll ask again tomorrow. Lights out–tomorrow is RnR and MGM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pumba]

an awesome time.......now all I have to do is make funny faces at the CM's and they did THAT!!?? ROFL......I love Buzz Lightyear too......that is so much fun that my husband and I just keep on doing it......NOW......if your little daughter can do Space Mt. MAYBE I can too.......I have 70 or so days to think about this too........thanks again

 

[Belle1962]

Sounds like ya'll had a great time. Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[Marla Hellwig]

Hey neighbor. Another great day in the world. Thanks for posting!

 

[Mickey Nut 50]

Great reports - Buzz in one of our favorites - in fact my son says that's the very first thing he's going to do! I hope Splash is renovated by the time we get there.

I'm really enjoying your reports, but won't get time to read the rest until late Saturday. Looking forward to reading the rest!

 

[Dee & Greg]

I bought an Epcot music CD last time we where there... it has the TON music as well as Illuminations-Reflections of Earth. this music is so cool! Makes me feel like I'm there! I highly recommend it!

 

[Obsessed w/Disney in OH]

To all,

Thanks for your replies. It is so nice to hear from you. Disney is a wonderful place, but DIS is a close second!

 

[KayleeUK]

Thanks for the report

Kaylee

 

[Misti]

Another great day!

 

[yepod]

Glad the 'young ladies' liked Cindy's. Lisa, it sounds like you are a type C personality (detail oriented)! This by no means is criticizm. Believe me, I know the feeling! Try the Unofficial WDW Guide, IMHO it is better than Birnbaum in that it covers both the good & the bad of WDW.