They Tried To Make Me Go To Rehab, But I Said No No No! Updt 11/7: Solo no more Pg.27

[jake&samsmom]

I am looking forward to the next part of your trip!

I hope you enjoyed reading it. Thanks for loyally keeping up with this TR.

 

[DisneyTiger]

I wish I would have tried the Noodle Station. It was on my itinerary but that flew out the window the day we got there

Love, love, love the report

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

How cool that you had a Dis run-in on the bus.

Wow, that ticket machine alarm sounds scary.

 

[Ellester]

Great report! I'm looking forward to reading about your boy's arrival!

 

[Mickeypal1]

It was so nice to meet you on the bus also. I really did feel like I met a new friend that day. That was one of the most enjoyable bus rides that I had on the trip. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

 

[jake&samsmom]

I wish I would have tried the Noodle Station. It was on my itinerary but that flew out the window the day we got there

Love, love, love the report

Hey Girl! Thanks for always catching up on my TR The noodle station is really good and very inexpensive too! If you like Asian food, this is a good CS place to get it from.

How cool that you had a Dis run-in on the bus.

Wow, that ticket machine alarm sounds scary.

I always say everything happens for a reason. Just think, had I not gone to register for the conference, the DIS-meet would have never happened.

Great report! I'm looking forward to reading about your boy's arrival!

Thanks for reading along! I've been uploading the photos of when the boys arrive. There are just too many of them -- I have to warn everyone in advance! LOL!

It was so nice to meet you on the bus also. I really did feel like I met a new friend that day. That was one of the most enjoyable bus rides that I had on the trip. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

You are so nice to say that! Thank you for being so kind. Meeting you and your DH was one of the highlights of my MK day. (I just wish I had the presence of mind to take a photo for my TR. )

 

[snowwhite325]

What a nice unexpected DIS meet you had I love that you asked the man next to you if you could put your arm behind him because you didn't want him to think you were getting fresh with him It put a smile on my face this morning

 

[MeMom]

It's so nice to meet other Disers! That's great that you had that chance. It's also cool that you got to speak Filipino with someone. You probably hadn't expected that!

I haven't eaten at Tomorrowland Noodle Station. I didn't really know they even had orange chicken and rice, but I will make a point to get over there in the future, because I do love orange chicken. I'm going to check out the full menu right now.

 

[jake&samsmom]

What a nice unexpected DIS meet you had I love that you asked the man next to you if you could put your arm behind him because you didn't want him to think you were getting fresh with him It put a smile on my face this morning

Hi Snow! Glad you continue to enjoy this TR

It's so nice to meet other Disers! That's great that you had that chance. It's also cool that you got to speak Filipino with someone. You probably hadn't expected that!

I haven't eaten at Tomorrowland Noodle Station. I didn't really know they even had orange chicken and rice, but I will make a point to get over there in the future, because I do love orange chicken. I'm going to check out the full menu right now.

How'd you like the selection, MeMom? Thanks for reading along!

 

[jake&samsmom]

After my yummy dinner, I walk towards Fantasyland by going around the pathway on the left side of the Castle. I come upon Cinderella's Fountain:

Notice that it is actually a working drinking fountain. If you look up at Cinderella while you are drinking from the front faucets, you get to see the Princess wearing her crown:

Do you see it?


I make my way around the back of my Castle:

I arrive at my next destination, Its A Small World!

I love how Walt himself personally supervised the creation of this ride. It is a charming, whimsical and imaginative trip around the world. I also think that this ride has a great message: shared humanity while celebrating diversity.

For me, the prettiest dolls here are the ones dancing in front of the Taj Mahal:

A closer look:

On her barge, Cleopatra winks at all of us who pass by:

The lone Filipino doll, dressed in the traditonal national costume, the "terno":

This little one looked like one of my sons:

Though we all speak different languages......

......We all sing the same song (all together now): "It's a Small World afterall!"




More of Fantasyland coming soon!

 

[snowwhite325]

What a cute update You always include such wonderful tidbits of information

 

[mommyk8]

I finally found you again I thought I had lost this TR. Can't wait to read more!

 

[MomofCKJ]

How fun to have an impromptu DIS meet! That is great! It is exciting to spot "one of your own" out there in the World!

And love your pictures! Makes me feel like I'm there again!

Allyson

 

[DisneyTiger]

What a great day in MK. I had read somewhere about a crown and if you looked at it the right way, it would look like it's on Cinderella's head. Too bad I didn't realize it was at the fountain. We got a drink of water there! Oh well, something to notice next time! I love IASM too. My DD got such a kick out of it and sang the song the whole time. Great report. Keep it comin'!!!

 

[Sarilas]

I'm catching up and LOVED the parade shots! My 1 year old (Lexi) was on my lap the whole time and she was practicing saying all the characters names... She can rock "Mr. Smee" like nobody's business!

 

[sherry7]

This is an awesome review, and I'm really enjoying all of the pictures.

I have a question for you. Earlier in the post, you stated you used a Canon SD1100 camera. I have "almost" the same camera, the SD1000 model. I was amazed at the great pictures you got of Illuminations with a small point & shoot camera. Can you tell me what camera settings you used? Thanks!

 

[jake&samsmom]

What a cute update You always include such wonderful tidbits of information

Thanks, Snow As I said before, I love Disney Trivia. Actually, I really do enjoy a good game of Trivial Pursuit in general.

I finally found you again I thought I had lost this TR. Can't wait to read more!

Welcome back! I'm glad you "found" me again.

How fun to have an impromptu DIS meet! That is great! It is exciting to spot "one of your own" out there in the World!

And love your pictures! Makes me feel like I'm there again!

Allyson

Hi Allyson! Thank you for dropping by I'll try to do a mega-sized update this weekend

What a great day in MK. I had read somewhere about a crown and if you looked at it the right way, it would look like it's on Cinderella's head. Too bad I didn't realize it was at the fountain. We got a drink of water there! Oh well, something to notice next time! I love IASM too. My DD got such a kick out of it and sang the song the whole time. Great report. Keep it comin'!!!

Hi Talissa! I am so busy planning for Jake's Birthday and our yearly camping trip, I haven't been good at updating lately I will try posting a good one tonight, though!

I'm catching up and LOVED the parade shots! My 1 year old (Lexi) was on my lap the whole time and she was practicing saying all the characters names... She can rock "Mr. Smee" like nobody's business!

Hi! I love it when the boys read TR's along with me! Another thing we have in common!

This is an awesome review, and I'm really enjoying all of the pictures.

I have a question for you. Earlier in the post, you stated you used a Canon SD1100 camera. I have "almost" the same camera, the SD1000 model. I was amazed at the great pictures you got of Illuminations with a small point & shoot camera. Can you tell me what camera settings you used? Thanks!

Hi Sherry! I used the nightime setting (the very last option in the menu). I have to warn you though, your hands have to be absolutely still, not the slightest tiny wiggle, or else it will make your photo blurry. I cannot even tell you haw many blurry pics I had to delete/edit. Almost wish I had a tripod, but they are too cumbersome to lug around. Thanks for reading along!

 

[jake&samsmom]

So when I last left y'all, I had just finished my happy cruise around the Small World. Next, I wanted to see if I could take a photo with Ariel at her grotto. Sadly, I had to skip this one because the wait was over an hour long! I was quite disappointed of course -- Ariel is #1 on my Princess list as I can relate to her the most. She and I are both strong-willed (read:stubborn), love water, will go to great lengths to get achieve our dreams, and we both love to sing! I was comforted by the thought that I already had a photo with Ariel this trip from my dinner at Akershus the day before (yikes! was that just yesterday??!)

So I decide to get on a Fantasyland ride always skipped by the family as it is deemed too "baby-ish" by my boys . It will be a first time for me, and I am excited to try it:

It was not a long queue, so I hopped in line. The family in front of me had a little girl around Jake's age (7), and having nothing else to do while waiting in line (I suppose), she decided to start a conversation with me!

She asked me about my Ariel jibbitz on my Crocs, and she told me she could sing all the songs from The Little Mermaid. I didn't tell her I could too! Her Mom then encouraged her to give me an impromptu performance of "Part of Your World" -- and she did! It was the cutest thing ever! I wish I had the presence of mind to videotape it, it was a pure Disney moment! After she sang it was time for them to get on the ride. I remembered I had been saving a cute Ariel sticker in my little planning notepad (it was a freebie from the pediatrician's office when I brought the boys for their annual check-up). I quickly handed my Ariel sticker to the little girl and thanked her for singing for me. You should have seen how wide her eyes got when she saw it, she smiled from ear to ear, and thanked me right as their ride took off. Disney Magic can be found in the most unexpected places.

It was my turn to get on the ride....

Here's Pooh hunting for some honey by grasping onto the string of a balloon, hoping to rise up to a beehive:

Roo swings gleefully from his scarf, while Mom Kanga holds on to it like a kite:

Here's Owl's toppling treehouse, a limb has crashed through the roof:

Tigger suddenly pops up and invites us to bounce with him:

I think this ride is cute, and very much suited for the preschool and under age group. I don't think I'll be getting on it anytime soon with the boys though. I am sure they would say, "See, told you Mom - this is for babies!!"

Next, I get in line for Snow White's Scary Adventures. In Disneyland, the Evil Queen periodically looks down on the queue from her stained glass window up on the second floor of the ride building. Here at WDW, this is what we see:

OK, not as dramatic. Cute nonetheless.

This ride always gives me the shivers! I think its because the evil queen is so hideously frightful as the old hag, and her ugliness has always terrified me since I was a little girl!

Don't bite the apple, Snow!!! It's poisoned!

I was so glad I was not riding alone, or else I would have shut my eyes for the entire ride! Fortunately, I was riding with a lady who was with five (5!) very young children. I spoke with her while we waited in line. Apparently only two of the little ones were hers, the rest were her cousins' kids. The other grown-ups went to ride Space Mountain, while she volunteered to watch the kids. Four out of five were on kiddie leashes. That's what caught my eye in the first place. She was very nice, and I recommended for her to go to Mousesavers to get up to date WDW discount info.

I wanted to ride on Aladdin's Carpets once more, so I headed in that direction. Again, I had some awesome ride karma and I waited little in line. I didn't take any photos this time, and instead took in the breathtaking views of the Magic Kingdom as the sun started its descent. I was completely spellbound.

Night was approaching, and that meant one thing - another visit to my favorite (Haunted) Mansion!

For me, riding the HM at night adds to its mystery and charm. I love how the CMs seem to act more creepy after dark. One CM silently crept behind one of the other ladies in the stretching room, then startled her by saying "Please step into the DEAD center of the room!" It made everyone in there giggle.

As I bid the HM farewell I realize it is almost time for Spectromagic to begin. I head to Main Street, but am disappointed to see that the prime viewing spots have been taken over by hordes of Brazilian tourists (the same rowdy group from Epcot yesterday!). There were a few open spots beside them, but since their pre-parade chanting and clapping did not appeal to me, I refused to sit anywhere near their group. I am sorry if anyone is offended by what I just said. I just wanted to honestly express what I felt at that time.

So I walk towards Liberty Square to find an alternative viewing spot. And boy did I get a really good one! Yay! I sat where the parade makes a left turn in front of the Square, close to the Riverboat dock. So I got a good front view as well as a side view of the floats as they made their turn.

I had a few minutes to relax in my spot before the parade started. However, my reverie was interrupted by a unnerving phone call from Jake (using his Dad's cell phone). Apparently, they had missed the 7pm flight because Derrick (DH) picked them up late from summer camp, and they had to fight Houston rush-hour traffic to boot!

DH knew I would be fuming mad, after I had reminded them so many times to get to the airport early! So he made Jake call me! I wasn't panicking, and neither were the boys, but I was quick to hang up and call DME to explain the tricky situation. The boys were rebooked for the 9pm flight which arrives in Orlando after midnight! DME assured me that they would make sure the boys would be delivered safely to OKW.

So, I called the boys back, and Jake answered. I told them not to worry, and that they'd have a coach waiting for them when they arrived. Jake said they were eating dinner at the airport, he sounded happy and cheery, and so did Sam. So I hung up and pondered on all that has happened so far.....Since the boys were arriving later than I had expected, I realized that I didn't have to hurry back so quickly to the resort. Being Mom, I wanted to be there when they arrived, and their flight delay gave me a few more precious solo hours at the Magic Kingdom (how's that for positive thinking?! )

My thoughts then turned to the parade that was just about to enter Liberty Square.

Let me tell you that for me, Spectromagic is the perfect Disney parade.

There's this joyfulness inside me that beams brightly when the Magic Kingdom turns off its lights as Jiminy Cricket proudly announces:

"Welcome to the splendor, the spectacle, the sparkling sensation.
Where the romance, the comedy and the thrill of Disney fantasies
come to electric life.

And now the Magic Kingdom proudly presents,
in a million points of musical light,
the magical worlds of Disney -
in Spectromagic!"

I decide I am not going to take any photos except that of the Chernabog, Sam's favorite Spectro float.

I do, however, take lots of photos during the second Spectromagic parade of the evening. I wanted to simply relax and enjoy the moment during the first parade, then go back into commando photographer mode for the second one.


Coming up: Wishes and Spectro (part deux)!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I simply adore Spectro as well, there is much love for this parade in our family.

 

[Sarilas]

Man, I'm going to really miss the facades I'm used to at DL, aren't I.

But YAY for Haunted Mansion at night! I love standing in the 'dead center' and watching the CM for who's going to have the wits scared out of them for standing on the outskirts...