"To Disney & Beyond" ~ Road Trip 2010 ~ Final Drive & Final Thoughts

[2xcited2sleep]

I just found you and am so glad I did. Love the report so far and am anxious for more. So you're sold on rope drop , are you? I've never seen it but am tempted to give it a try. You got some great parade shots. How cute is the girl wanting to take Minnie home? I've wanted to take Pluto and Tigger home plenty of times!

 

[Spartangirl]

GREAT update (as usual), your pictures are AMAZING! I mean they really are all so awesome,

Thank you so much, Shannon!

I need to hire you to come be our photographer for our trip next month

Ok...that is so tempting! I would LOVE that!

So - I am obviously a late starter to your trip report - but am SO glad I found you as a responder to another trip post!!!

WELCOME!!! So glad to have you here!

You have a way of making your trip everyone else's trip. I enjoyed Gatlinburg and even the travel report through GA. Since we are from Michigan also, (suburb of Detroit), we know this route quite well. The last time we drove down we decided to shake things up a bit and took WVA down through the Carolina's to GA to FL. It was a nice change and I always love driving through the Mountain Tunnel in Bluefield WVA.

Thanks so much! That sounds like a really nice and interesting route...I bet the Mountain Tunnel in Bluefield WVA is beautiful!

I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your trip report.

Thank you!!!

I do have one question - what type of camera are you using? The photo's you are capturing at marvelous - nice, clear, and in focus with crisp detail.

I use a DSLR...a Nikon D80. I've had it for several years now and I really have no complaints!

Magic Kingdom updates are always so much fun!

I agree, Jackie!

Lunch at the Pirate place looks very tasty! Too bad about the Jungle Cruise being down! That's something that doesn't happen very often!

It was very good! I was so glad it was open on this trip! We were pretty surprised about the Jungle Cruise...we've never experienced it being down before!

Cute picture with Frontier Donald!

Thanks!

Mmmm, Dole Whips and a parade! A perfect way to spend the afternoon! You got some really great shots!

LOVE dole whips! Thank you!

So cute about the little girl wanting to bring Minnie home! The mom's comment was too funny!

Oh my gosh...the mom was so witty and quick with her response! We thought it was great!

Your balloon guy.

Our balloon guy.

Funny that we posted the same guy within a couple of days on our reports. He's probably down there today making his way into other DIS pictures, too. We'll have to tell him he's semi-famous next time we see him.

I LOVE that we both took pictures of the same guy!!! I definitely agree that he's semi-famous now, at least on the DIS!

I get tears when it is time to walk out of the Magic Kingdom for the last time, too. I want to bring Minnie home, as well, and Mickey and Goofy and Pluto and Donald.....

I know...it's SO HARD to leave...

and most definitely - Naveen!

Fabulous update Lynne! Your parade pictures are great, I agree about the one with Mary Poppins - so good!

Thanks, Michelle!

We've eaten at the Pirate Restaurant a couple of times and really liked it, too bad it's not open all the time.

I agree...I don't know why they have to close it during certain points during the year. I told Chris that we were going to take full advantage of the fact that it was open this time!

I know exactly how that little girl on the bus felt, I want to cry on our last day most of the time too!

I felt so bad for her...she was so cute and just so sincere about not wanting to leave...

I just found you and am so glad I did. Love the report so far and am anxious for more.

I'm glad you found me too, Christine! Thanks so much for joining in!

So you're sold on rope drop , are you? I've never seen it but am tempted to give it a try.

Am I ever!!! Especially at MK! Definitely give it a try if you get a chance!

You got some great parade shots.

Thanks so much!

How cute is the girl wanting to take Minnie home? I've wanted to take Pluto and Tigger home plenty of times!

She was darling! I LOVE it!

 

[Spartangirl]

Life Update

At this point in time, Chris and I do not have another WDW trip scheduled. However, like many of you, I still like to keep Disney as a part of my everyday life whenever possible.

This past week, I sat down with my teaching colleague and we were looking at possibilities for 1st grade field trips for the year. Lo and behold, we found out that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be at one of our local theaters right around Christmastime. I am ecstatic!!! We called and already set up the trip!

In other news...it is that time of year where I do have to get back to my regular life......not so much time on the DIS or Facebook! This week I do have to report back to my classroom for meetings, open house, and teacher workshops and the following week the students report. However, I am still going to try to get as many updates on here as possible. I hope you all stick with me even though my updates won't be as fast and furious!

 

[punkin413]

how fun about snow white and the seven dwarves! i bet that will be so cute. no worries....real life sometimes intrudes. we all understand!

 

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

I am late to the party, but I am loving your TR!!! You and your DH seem like so much fun. I can't wait to read more!

 

[Shannon84]

Life Update

At this point in time, Chris and I do not have another WDW trip scheduled. However, like many of you, I still like to keep Disney as a part of my everyday life whenever possible.

This past week, I sat down with my teaching colleague and we were looking at possibilities for 1st grade field trips for the year. Lo and behold, we found out that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be at one of our local theaters right around Christmastime. I am ecstatic!!! We called and already set up the trip!

In other news...it is that time of year where I do have to get back to my regular life......not so much time on the DIS or Facebook! This week I do have to report back to my classroom for meetings, open house, and teacher workshops and the following week the students report. However, I am still going to try to get as many updates on here as possible. I hope you all stick with me even though my updates won't be as fast and furious!

That sounds like a GREAT field trip, I hope your class enjoys it

Good luck with the new school year!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

What an exciting field trip! We will all be here when you are ready, Lynne! Have a great school year! My DS and DDIL just started their 2nd year of teaching last week. They are quite busy, not to mention DGS starting K and flag football! I'm sure they won't come up for air until we see them at Thanksgiving! LOL

 

[Charleston Princess]

Lynne, taking your class to see Snow White will be so much fun!!!

Good luck heading back to work this week!

 

[SoonerGirl]

What a fun field trip for your class! Need any chaperones? I'd love to tag along

Good luck with your new school year!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Loved the update & now I want mexican food.
Mary Poppins is my favorite & I love that pic you got of her & Bert!
Really wonderful parade shots!
Cute story & that Mom really had a great come back!
Good luck with back to school & great field trip idea.

 

[LISAMWDW]

Hi Lynn,

Just found your trip report! I remember you last trip to WDW so I am looking forward to this trip report!

You two have so much fun!

Can't wait for more!

 

[floridascgirl]

Hi There, Lynn. You can add one more reader (and teacher) to your list. I followed your link from a post you made on CharlestonPrincess' TR and I'm so glad that I did. You and your hubby are so cute together...it's very uplifting. I must admit that I'm jealous of all of your trips, though. The trip to Gatlinburg really seemed neat. I showed that update to my DH and he said it seemed like a fun trip for us to consider sometime.

 

[cdotla]

Hey Lynn!

All caught up! All the best with getting back to school....how great that you have already come up with a way to keep Disney in the classroom!

Sounds like a great trip so far! Can't wait for more when you have the time!

 

[magichusky]

Hi Lynne-

"Back to disney" would be so much more fabulous than "back to school"! I'm in grad school and my mom is a 3rd grade teacher, plus my sister is a school counselor, so we all despise this time of year! In fact, I was just helping my mom rearrange her classroom furniture recently- CA just keeps cutting its spending on education, so my mom's class size jumped up from 19 students last year to 31 this year! Whenever I ask her how school is going she just replies with: "There are just so many of them!"

Anyway, along w/ everyone else, I thought that your parade photos were spectacular! It inspires me to go camera shopping; those shots were SO clear and colorful. You and Chris should for sure be rope droppers from now on. This weekend, I managed to stumble out of bed and roll into Disneyland for its 8am opening. I hadn't been there that early in quite awhile, and it was heavenly! So many great photo ops as well when you're not dodging millions of oblivious, shuffling tourists!

-Lauren

 

[Spartangirl]

how fun about snow white and the seven dwarves! i bet that will be so cute. no worries....real life sometimes intrudes. we all understand!

I can't wait for the play...we're not going on our usual New Year's Trip since we just did this summer trip, but at least I'll experience a "small" part of Disney with the play! Thanks, Dawn...

I am late to the party, but I am loving your TR!!! You and your DH seem like so much fun. I can't wait to read more!

I'm so glad you're here...Welcome! I'm hoping to FINALLY get more up shortly!

That sounds like a GREAT field trip, I hope your class enjoys it

Good luck with the new school year!!

Thanks, Shannon! I bet they will! I appreciate it...I'm really tired this week and I still have one day to go.......plus, the kids haven't even started yet!!!

What an exciting field trip!

I know...I'm so excited!

We will all be here when you are ready, Lynne!

Thanks, Tammie!

Have a great school year! My DS and DDIL just started their 2nd year of teaching last week. They are quite busy, not to mention DGS starting K and flag football! I'm sure they won't come up for air until we see them at Thanksgiving! LOL

Thank you! Oh my gosh...sounds like they are VERY busy!!!

Lynne, taking your class to see Snow White will be so much fun!!!

Good luck heading back to work this week!

I'm very excited!!! Thanks, Jackie!

 

[Spartangirl]

What a fun field trip for your class! Need any chaperones? I'd love to tag along

I can't wait for the trip! If you only lived closer...

Good luck with your new school year!

Thanks, Michelle!

Loved the update & now I want mexican food.

Thanks and I'm sorry!

Mary Poppins is my favorite & I love that pic you got of her & Bert!

I loved how animated and full of expression both Mary Poppins and Bert were..I'm sure you can tell from the pic!

Really wonderful parade shots!

Thanks, Melanie!

Cute story & that Mom really had a great come back!

I couldn't believe how quick the mom was with her response! I was very impressed!

Good luck with back to school & great field trip idea.

Thanks so much!!!

Hi Lynn,

Just found your trip report! I remember you last trip to WDW so I am looking forward to this trip report!

Thanks so much for joining in and reading another one of my reports!!!

You two have so much fun!

We do have a lot of fun together...life is never dull!

Can't wait for more!

My goal is to get another installment up tonight!!!

Hi There, Lynn. You can add one more reader (and teacher) to your list. I followed your link from a post you made on CharlestonPrincess' TR and I'm so glad that I did.

YAY!!! I'm so glad you joined in...welcome!

You and your hubby are so cute together...it's very uplifting.

Awww...thanks so much!

I must admit that I'm jealous of all of your trips, though. The trip to Gatlinburg really seemed neat. I showed that update to my DH and he said it seemed like a fun trip for us to consider sometime.

Gatlinburg was a lot of fun...it was a great trip for the two of us, but would be a fantastic family trip too! I'd love to go back...the Smokies were just incredible!

Hey Lynn!

All caught up! All the best with getting back to school....how great that you have already come up with a way to keep Disney in the classroom!

Hey Trish! Thanks so much! I know...I always try to incorporate Disney in some way!!! It's so much fun when the students learn about my love for Disney...they ALWAYS want to talk about it and many enjoy writing about it too! It makes it fun for me!

Sounds like a great trip so far! Can't wait for more when you have the time!

Thanks...my plan is for another installment tonight!

Hi Lynne-

"Back to disney" would be so much more fabulous than "back to school"! I'm in grad school and my mom is a 3rd grade teacher, plus my sister is a school counselor, so we all despise this time of year! In fact, I was just helping my mom rearrange her classroom furniture recently- CA just keeps cutting its spending on education, so my mom's class size jumped up from 19 students last year to 31 this year! Whenever I ask her how school is going she just replies with: "There are just so many of them!"

That definitely sounds much more fabulous! Wow! You know this time of year very well too! Awwww...I understand exactly what your mom is going through. The same things are happening here, in Michigan. I'm at my class max of 28 right now, which is so high for 1st grade. And don't even get me started on the "cuts being made for spending on education!"

Anyway, along w/ everyone else, I thought that your parade photos were spectacular! It inspires me to go camera shopping; those shots were SO clear and colorful.

Thanks so much, Lauren!

You and Chris should for sure be rope droppers from now on. This weekend, I managed to stumble out of bed and roll into Disneyland for its 8am opening. I hadn't been there that early in quite awhile, and it was heavenly! So many great photo ops as well when you're not dodging millions of oblivious, shuffling tourists!

-Lauren

I think rope drops will become part of our WDW routine! I bet that was wonderful being there so early in the park.....I really LOVE DL too...with your mention of it, it makes me want to head back there!

 

[Spartangirl]

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Summer Nightastic Indeed!

When we got back to the French Quarter, I snapped some pictures on the way back to our room. The grounds are very beautiful and we had a lot of fun walking around and exploring our lovely resort!

We had wanted to take a swim, but we noticed some dark clouds rolling in as we were checking out the pool...

We soon heard the thunder, and then the lightning flashed! Chris and I opted to fill our resort mugs and headed back to the room for awhile. Here are a couple more pictures that I snapped along the way...

Upon getting back to our room, we had a nice surprise...Mickey and Minnie left us an autographed anniversary picture!

After resting, we decided to head back to the Magic Kingdom at around 6:00 p.m. A bus pulled up within two minutes of us being at the stop, and soon we were back to the "land of magic!" It was so cool to walk in and see this...

Chris and I decided to go eat, but I had to snap this picture along the way...the castle's reflection was so pretty in the water!

Our choice for the night was Pecos Bill.

We both decided on burgers...Chris got his with fries and I opted for apples. Dessert was carrot cake.

After dinner, we finally got to use our FP from earlier for the Jungle Cruise.

Ryan was our "skipper" and he had our whole boat in stitches! I may have to go so far to say that this was probably the best time I've ever had on this ride...so fun! You probably noticed that he's staring right at me in the picture? Since it was dark outside, I think I nearly blinded him with the flash! He made some kind of a funny comment and the whole boat erupted into laughter! We really had a fantastic time on this ride!

Continued in the next post... http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38071922&postcount=278

 

[Spartangirl]

Continued...

Now came the part of the night that I had most been waiting for! Chris and I went to find seats for the Main Street Electrical Parade. The streets were pretty crowded, but we were able to find seats next to some very nice people who we talked to until the parade began.

Here is a very short video clip from the parade...this particular float and the music bring me right back to my childhood and the trips that I took with my parents...


Here are some of the pictures that I took of the MSEP...

I didn't remember this float from the original parade??? I know some of the people around us really liked it, but I found it kind of creepy!

Chris and I found ourselves dancing along to the music and it brought back so many wonderful memories from my youth. The parade had many of the original floats, but featured some new up-to-date changes that we both enjoyed.

Continued in the next post... http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38071934&postcount=279

 

[Spartangirl]

Continued...


During the parade, we had found seats in the circle near Tony's Town Square. The fireworks would be starting soon, and we wanted to be in the main hub. What a nightmare! Fortunately for us, we've tried this crazy escapade during New Year's Eve, so we knew what to expect.

We miraculously made it up near the Partner's Statue with about a 1/2 hour to spare. Here are some of my shots from the Summer Nightastic! Firework Spectacular.

The Pirates take over...

All is well again!

Check out this video clip...this Pirate's portion of the show was one of the highlights for both Chris and I!


What an AMAZING show!!! We both absolutely LOVED it! It may be my new favorite!!! I cannot think of a more perfect way to end our 1st full day in the World. Just spectacular!!!

Up Next: A New Favorite CS and Meeting the Mouse

 

[Shannon84]

Your pictures of the parade and fireworks are AMAZING! Watching that video gave me chills, Disney just knows how to do it right!