These Kids Make Me Wish You Could Curse on the DISBoards (May '11 Trip) - DONE 9/14

[nilla]

I feel like I'm kinding rushing tonight's updates, but that's ok, because I think that captures the feeling rather well. Plus, it's past midnight real time and I have to work tomorrow. So let's keep going, shall we?

Up next is Snow White's Scary Adventures, which is truly underrated, if you ask me. I think a lot of parents shy away from it due to the "Scary" bit, but it's really not bad at all. Nowhere near the best ride in this park, or in Fantasyland, for that matter, but we will still miss it.

Why?

Because this is our last time riding it. Ever. I'll try to enjoy it, but it'll be tough. Let's see if our illuminatingly challenged camera can get a few shots:

Well, at least we got one. Oh, it's lighter here at the end - maybe we can get another:

Whoa, wait! Where's Dopey?

No, I'm serious!

Did he leave the attraction early? Is this "Kingdom Keepers" coming true? What's the deal?

Whatever the explanation, we don't get to say goodbye to Dopey, but perhaps we'll meet again sometime, some mine. Until then, goodbye, Snow White...goodbye, Dwarfs...and yes, goodbye, Wicked Queen. We'll miss you all

 

[nilla]

After SW, we rush on over to It's a Small World, and when I say "rush", I mean it. As in, "we didn't even take a moment to get ANY pictures of this ride" rush. But we still enjoyed it, and it completes our four-ride Fantasyland last ditch circuit. Goodbyes are brief, because we can still hit one more ride before Wishes. So what should that be?

"Splash Mountain!"

No, Dylan, not Splash Mountain.

"But why not?"

Well, because it's dark out, and damp, and I don't want to be walking around soaking wet.

"But you promised we could go on it!"

Dylan, we've been on it like TEN TIMES this week. Besides, it's all the way back in Frontierland, and we're here by the Haunted Mansion-

HEY! Here's an idea! One more spin on the Doom Buggies? How about it?

Of course, I'm ALWAYS down for this one, since it's my all-time bestest ride in the entire universe. In fact, over the last few days (in real time, not trip time), my previous plans for a Fantasia Broom tattoo have morphed into plans for a Haunted Mansion tattoo, and ultimately into a Broom/HM hybrid design. I'm really hoping to have it in time for the next trip report, so you'll see what I mean by then. Tune in next year!

 

[nilla]

But wait! We're not done with this year's story yet! We still have to ride the Haunted Mansion! With haste we move through the queue, playing with the new gimmicks briefly as we pass them. Once inside, Emily again does the "hold me" motion, not because she's tired of walking, but because she's scared of the hanging corpse in the Stretching Room. She's under the impression that it's actually coming down at you, though I've explained to her countless times that's not the case.

One thing I love about the Stretching Room is that you can immediately tell the riders who are "in the know" from those who are not by how they line up. Lots of people trying to get near wall to the right this time, but we're not giving up our spots. Position is everything!

The doors close as we try to find a way out (ha ha ha), and just before I finally give in and try "his way", the wall slides open revealing the Doom Buggies. It is at this point that we start to play a little game that I like to call "no one ever wants to ride with Dad".

So how does it work? Well, it starts with one kid wanting to ride with Kristin because she's tired and scared, but gets complicated when the other kid points out that the first kid got to ride with Kristin the last time we were on here. It usually leads to some needless arguing between the kids and an inferiority complex on my part, but takes a surprising turn tonight.

"Why don't both of the kids ride with me this time, and you ride by yourself?"

Are you serious, Kristin? I get to ride by myself?




AWWWWWWWW HELL YEAH!!! This is gonna be great! When I ride with one of the kids, they usually talk too much for my liking (especially that boy), and I KNOW Kristin doesn't enjoy this on the same level that I do, so this is perfect.

And it was. I enjoyed the Haunted Mansion like never before. No slight to my family, but I think this is the best time I've ever had on it. Thanks, guys!

After having my head blown up like a balloon and launched by a holographic ghost, and after being encouraged to hurry baaaaaack (with my death certificate), we exit the ride, and I'm all smiles. This was truly a great experience, and I really appreciate the opportunity.

Now that we're outside, we can finally catch our breath. Excuse us for a moment...



*Whew* That was crazy! Seven rides, back to back to back to back to - well, you get the point. And all great rides, too, topped off by a personal favorite. A near-perfect way to end our last night in Walt Disney World...



...and by "near perfect", you're probably wondering what we could due to make it completely perfect? Well, you'll have to wait until the next update to find out, but I'll give you a hint: It involves Castles, Photo Pass waivers, fireworks, and forgotten characters made out of light bulbs. Stay tuned!


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[shan23877]

Great updates, they always make me laugh! Your kids are adorable. Can't wait to see how this ends up

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Another fun update! I am getting a bit sad as you are saying goodbye, Goodnight Moon style, to all the attractions. perhaps you could stretch this out with some highlights, top 10 lists, best/worst from each of the family, anything? Do I sound desperate? well, anyway, maybe you can prolong to tell us about your ADRs for next year.

Great sunset photos!

The Peter Pan queue is a slow mover...guess that is why they are putting in some interactive elements.

Dopey is MIA???

 

[Dizneydaz]

More great updates! And even though it's about 8:30 in the morning here I am craving the Tuna Oscar at Kona! That is one of my favorite meals at WDW. We are doing QSDP for the 2nd time next month and one of the things I miss most is going to Kona. We usually go twice during out trips. And yes, I know we could go and pay OOP, but that's just crazy, isn't it?



We are now counting weeks without months!

 

[KatMark]

Jon, what awesome UPDATES! I truly do love the way you do your TR's. You got a lot accomplished after dinner. I could not believe when I saw the picture and there was no Dopey. I'm going to miss not being able to go on Snow White in two weeks.

 

[mimiecp]

Great updates, but sad too. I love the early evening shots. When is Snow White closing? I hoped we would get to ride it in two weeks.

Anyway, we are now down to 15 days and my current strategy is to spend most of my waking hours trolling the Internet for all things Disney. Luckily no one monitors my Internet usage at work (at least I hope not...)

I made an ADR at Kona for lunch on Sunday. We plan on hitting MK in the morning, eat lunch, go back to the CSR to swim and nap and then hit MK for the parade, wishes and EMH until 1 a.m. At least that's my plan now.

 

[nilla]

Great updates, they always make me laugh! Your kids are adorable. Can't wait to see how this ends up

Me neither! No, wait - I already know. I think...

perhaps you could stretch this out with some highlights, top 10 lists, best/worst from each of the family, anything? Do I sound desperate?

Yep, already have that planned. You can rest easy

And yes, I know we could go and pay OOP, but that's just crazy, isn't it?

Out of pocket? Are you nuts???



We did that for Sci-Fi last year, but only because we really wanted to go there and already had an ADR for Mama Melrose. We'll avoid OOP if we can, though. Fortunately, we get a meal credit for the night we arrive, so we can always use that.

Jon, what awesome UPDATES! I truly do love the way you do your TR's. You got a lot accomplished after dinner. I could not believe when I saw the picture and there was no Dopey. I'm going to miss not being able to go on Snow White in two weeks.

Yeah, seeing the Native American doll from IASW missing last year was one thing, but Dopey was just plain bizarre. Maybe someone swiped it as a souvenir

Anyway, we are now down to 15 days and my current strategy is to spend most of my waking hours trolling the Internet for all things Disney. Luckily no one monitors my Internet usage at work (at least I hope not...)

Hey, I would call that productive use of company time. I give you permission.

HOPEFULLY I'll update tomorrow night, but if not, fer sure on Saturday. See you then, and thank you all for the compliments!

 

[MEK]

What a great last night!!!!

Love your pictures at dusk. The park looks so pretty then.

Yeah for you and getting to ride HM by yourself. That is such a cool ride.

Sorry to see your trip come to a close. You guys are definitely hard core in the park touring department.

 

[Moira222]

Nilla you have a good camera -- I just love how clear and real your photos are. makes me want to be in WDW even more!

Your Kona pictures are sooo tempting. We visited Poly fir the first time this may for the Luau and I know that we will back for Kona. Between your dinner and thatsnice's morning jaunts I just HAVE to go there!

Oh No! I just looked and realized that all of the comments I made last week disappeared! oh well. despite the lack of snarky comments, I have thoroughly enjoyed your TR. guess that sorta makes me a lurker. cool

 

[rndmr2]

Great couple of updates! Kona Cafe is on my list for our next trip (whenever that is...) You guys got a lot done in that last couple of hours in MK. Can't wait to see how the night ends up.

 

[nilla]

You guys got a lot done in that last couple of hours in MK. Can't wait to see how the night ends up.

We got a lot done the whole trip. Of course, with 10 days (if you don't count the arrival and departure), we SHOULD get a lot done, but our all-out touring style and Kristin's meticulous planning make it all the better. She's helped several of her friends plan their trips, and while they're nowhere near as nuts as us, she does a lot to make sure they don't come back feeling like they missed anything.

Nilla you have a good camera -- I just love how clear and real your photos are. makes me want to be in WDW even more!

It's just a Canon Powershot SD870 IS Digital ELPH, not a DSLR or anything fancy. It gets a bit dodgy under fluorescent lighting, but I'm really happy with how it takes outside shots.

Your Kona pictures are sooo tempting. We visited Poly fir the first time this may for the Luau and I know that we will back for Kona. Between your dinner and thatsnice's morning jaunts I just HAVE to go there!

Yes, you do

Oh No! I just looked and realized that all of the comments I made last week disappeared! oh well. despite the lack of snarky comments, I have thoroughly enjoyed your TR. guess that sorta makes me a lurker. cool

I was wondering why your comments disappeared. I thought that maybe you got "poster's remorse" and retracted them

Yeah for you and getting to ride HM by yourself. That is such a cool ride.

What a highlight that was. I hope I get to do it again.


So let's see - tonight, I played Monopoly with the kids, bottled the Mezza Luna Red I've had sitting in the fermeter for 2 months, brewed my annual Vanilla Porter, and got everything sanitized for making a Pinot Grigio (which I'll do later tonight). I apologize, but I just don't have any time to do an update right now.


...or do I? Well, I just typed one up a few minutes ago, so I guess I do!

 

[nilla]

After our all-out blitzkrieg ride-o-rama, it's starting to get close to "Magic, Memories and You" time. Of course, there is always that last minute "we can hit one more ride!" panic (Jungle Cruise at night! C'mon, we can make it!), but in the end, we decide to set up camp to watch the show.

And what a show it is. As I said on my recap of our second Magic Kingdom day, this really has to be seen to be believed. Yes, they pop up pictures of guests who were in the park that day and are also not in the witness protection program. But it's so much more than that. And look - I've got pictures this time! The best our camera can get, at least. It started off with some pictures:

Since these appear to be in black and white, I'm guessing this was when the photos then transitioned into the "Skeleton Dance" scene, which I'm a big fan of no matter what it's projected on. More photos:

I haven't seen us yet, but whatever. It's still cool. Not sure what this is, but I like it:

Now this next part was really cool. I almost feel bad spoiling it for anyone who hasn't seen this show, but here it is:

On the castle, two images of firework trails "shot out" to either side, and when the reached the edges of the structure, REAL fireworks took their place. Timed perfectly. WOW. Remind me to never doubt Disney again.

At this point, I decided to forego the photos and just enjoy the darn thing. And I enjoyed it. A lot.

As MMY concluded, the castle started to do that chameleon thing it does right before Wishes:

And then it does this stuff:

I'm actually really happy with how these pictures turned out, even if the camera at times was more interested in the pink ribbon in the girl's hair in front of us.

I always tear up during this show, by the way (which isn't much different than when anything else happens at Disney), and being our last night, I was moved even more. Heck, we even got to see Tink fly. What a great night.

 

[nilla]

But wait, it's not over! At least, not if I can help it!

The obvious next step, to me, is go find a spot on Main Street so we can get a good view of the Main Street Electrical Parade, which we have yet to see (this millenium). Potentially throwing a wrench in my plan, however, is Emily, who is wearing a sleeveless dress (as usual) and is starting to get cold. But hold on, problem solved! I finally found the Mickey t-shirt I wanted today, so we pulled that out, and voila, instant long sleeves for a 5 year old girl!

Pretty forunate that we were unable to find that shirt at World of Disney the other day, wasn't it? I'd say so, and I'd also say that we should go grab a curbside seat right away! The others, however, have other plans, and those plans involve ice cream. And the huge line that goes with it. Yep, ice cream sounds like the logical choice, especially right after we almost left because Emily was too cold.

But who am I to argue? I wait outside the ice cream shop...paitently...hey! Someone just tapped me on the shoulder! Who is it? It's the guy who sat next to me at Biergarten! It's always nice when you run into people you've seen earlier in the week, especially when you bonded over giant beers a few nights before.

So here come the rest of my family, and we do still manage to find a good seat for the parade. We've got a while to wait, but at least they can enjoy their ice cream. I grab some pictures:

The CM with the cart o' merchandise in the middle of the street has one of those bubble guns, and he's being fairly liberal with his demonstrations:

Kristin swears she saw a second floor window above one of the shop mysteriously fly open, but no one was at it. I missed it, so I really can verify, but could this have been Walt's ghost? Or Roy's? Or Oswald's?

Speaking of Oswald, with the release of "Epic Mickey" for the Wii, I'm really surprised that we did not see one bit of Oswald merchandise anywhere in WDW. Well, maybe some prints, but no stuffed Oswalds, no shirts, no ears. I had expected a bit more. But oh well. Besides, I have other things to worry about right now, like my bladder, which DEFINITELY will not make it through the parade. So around the corner I go.



"Dude, you're talking about going to the bathroom in your Trip Report now? You've really run out of anything interesting to say, haven't you?"


Thanks. And no. That's NOT the point of all of this. The point was to explain where I got this shot:

I live the colorwheeled castle. Ok, ok...so I got like 15 pictures of that castle before, so the whole bathroom subplot was a bit pointless, but I started typing it thinking there would be more to it than just one picture. Cut me some slack - we're on the 11th day of this TR, and I'm exhausted!

 

[nilla]

I get back just in time to find a run-into-the-ground Emily asleep in the stroller, and a parade about to start. I love this music, mostly because when Kristin and I were dating (mid-90s), we used to play it while driving through the "Lights in the Parkway" Christmas light display in the town right next to ours. It fit. And it fits this, too:

These guys were a hoot:

More floats. Not to much different from Spectromagic; just different theming:

Alice was great, reading aloud and waving to everyone. She's one of my favorite in-park characters, and fortunately, we've met her often.

Speaking of Alice (SEGUE!) we took Emily to a gymnastics show a few weeks back (she LOVES that stuff), and one of the hostesses was an actress from several gymanstics-themed movies and TV shows. Emily got her autograph, and she was really nice.

The bad part was that, when we got home, I looked her up on IMDB and found that she also has done stunts in a TON of movies. In fact, she was Alice's stunt double in the recent version of the film. Oh, how I would've loved to tell her how great she was when she was "almost Alice"! It's these moments in time that you wish you could have back.

But back to the present. And by present, I mean the time I was trying to tell you about before I got off track with gymnastics and stunt women and what not. You know what I mean. And here it is:

Wow, Emily would've LOVED this. We recorded the entire parade with our camcorder and watched it a few weeks ago. Emily told me she really wished I would've woken her up. Yeah, you would've like it, Em, but I'm not waking you up after a long day in the Magic Kingdom. I've seen you in similar situations where we've been forced to wake you up, and it's not pretty. Now back to our show:

...and that's it! For our pictures, at least. And for this family, because we're all pretty tired now. What a great, fun-filled day (and night), though. We really went out in style this year.

We boarded the bus back to Coronado Springs, getting back to the room around midnight. And as if we had forgotten that we were leaving tomorrow, Disney kindly reminded us with that "hit the road, guys! You've been here long enough!" envelope on our doorknob

Up next...we don't have time to hit another park, but we DO have time for about 875 more CSR pics! Stay tuned!



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[mimiecp]

I'm excited to see the parade - I'm not a huge parade fan, but something about nighttime and cute lit-up snails on wheels makes me enjoy it more.

I'm always up for more CSR photos!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

You most definitely went out in style!! I missed the electrical parade in May so am hoping to catch it next month (love saying that!) but not sure how often they will hold it with all the Halloween parties.

I hate that "hit the road" envelope. Disney should really come up with a more gentle way to tell us it is time to go!!

Looking forward to 875 more pictures!

I am intrigued with your home wine/beer operations. Too bad you can't offer samples thru the DIS.

 

[jdd]

Your trip report has been so fantastic - can't believe it's almost over! In fact, is there any way you can drag it out for say, 17 more days?? Otherwise, I'm going to have to go back and re-read....actually not such a bad plan!

My kids always point out those envelopes on other people's doors - like "hey, they have to leave today and we have __ more days!". Then it's always heartbreaking to finally see it on YOUR door

 

[phineasfan100]

Your trip report has been so fantastic - can't believe it's almost over! In fact, is there any way you can drag it out for say, 17 more days?? Otherwise, I'm going to have to go back and re-read....actually not such a bad plan!

My kids always point out those envelopes on other people's doors - like "hey, they have to leave today and we have __ more days!". Then it's always heartbreaking to finally see it on YOUR door

About re-reading...
GOOD IDEA!