Tongue Tied and Twisted at the DIS Unplugged Mega Meet - 9/24 Final Update***

[TheMaxRebo]

The duos are great - that is usually what we get ... along with the bread service of course

I do like how it is a good place for kids to branch out a bit and their kids desserts are good too

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Aw, thank you so much! Yes, DH and I leave Saturday for a quick adults only trip

Have a great time! Jealous

We love the Germany pavilion as well - and of course the trains. My son could spend all day there and knowing the love Walt had for trains I think it is fitting to spend some time looking at them

- that sounds just like my oldest daughter - always coming up with more reasons why she should get what she wants

I loved the animatronics they added at the end of the Mexican It's a Small World ride ... I originally thought they were new but apparently they are just re-purposed from the Mickey Mouse Revue

Sounds like a break was a good idea

hmm, wonder if the app was just acting up or something as you definitely can make new FP+ using the app. We did it our last trip and as soon as it registers you are eligible to make more it asks you which park

Wow, that sounds like a scary accident - glad you all were ok and able to go on the trip ... definitely can understand the emotions of going to AKL though!

We didn't make it this last trip but Sanaa had become one of our favorites - glad you were able to share it with your parents

The trains always make me think of trips to Roadside America in PA back when I was a kid, but yes...I think Walt would have loved that there is a train display in Germany.

I also think your oldest is around the same age as Sammie. She's 7 and will be 8 in early November. Apparently, a little stein is the perfect storage for Nintendo DS games and certain Pokemon chips.

Thank you! Someone told me where the animatronics had come had come from, but I couldn't remember. I really like them though.

People on one of my Disney FB groups have reported spotty issues like this with the app. Thankfully, it all worked out, so I can't really gripe too much. Good to know it worked for you. Hopefully, we won't have any issues on future trips.

Yeah...it's really not the way you want to start off your Disney vacation. Disney and Southwest were really great about late arrival stuff and bumping around flights, but hoping nobody ever has to experience anything like this. Still, a savanna view at AKL brought a lot of peace at a really upsetting time.

I'd probably go to Sanaa every trip if we could figure a way to work it in. Great food, atmosphere and service.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I don't know how the rest of you spend your lunch break on a stressful Friday workday, but apparently for me...it's updating my trip report. Disney = peace!

So, we leave AKL and it's time to head to AK. We passed by the entrance on the way over, but somehow, I got all twisted around and didn't trust my instincts to turn. It didn't help that David didn't think it was the correct spot to turn. So, we had to go up, turn around and then drive in. OK...no biggie...not twisted around too much this time.

We were waved into the lot at AK and also were close enough that we decided to just walk. While this will come up later, I was also grateful that the guy in the car in front of us informed me where we were parked. I didn't see any signage, so I was kind of clueless. At least we got to see a small flock of cranes on the way in.

I'm not a huge fan of the Avatar movie, but put it in a Disney park- add some attractions- and I'm sure I'll at least - AT LEAST- like it a lot. Oh...and add Joe Rohde to that mix and I'm sure it'll be brilliant. So, can't wait to see the end product for that.

I'm not sure what my parents had planned for the night, but they weren't planning to ride what we wanted to ride. The FP I booked when back in the room was for Everest and we were getting down to the wire to making it, so we said our good-byes and headed off to EE. I have ridden this a number of times, Kendall has been on it once (and loved it), Sammie has never been to AK before when she was tall enough to ride it, and it broke down the last time I tried to get David on it. So, we had two EE newbies. And riding it at night would be a first for all of us. Our FP window was 8-9pm and we arrived right around 9pm.

A few things...
1. By timing it this way...we got to see Illuminations from EE...for a couple of seconds
2. It feels sooooooooooo different at night
3. I swear, some parts felt slower. Like I can't remember ever getting such a good look at the Yeti in the past
4. While I think the lack of light was just playing tricks with his mind, David swears he was almost flying out of the car on the turns

I think David enjoyed it, Sammie loved her first time on it, and of course K and I are still big fans. I actually prefer this to Rock N Roller Coaster. It's not a major drop, but I've always gotten a bigger thrill out of drops over loops....on a roller coaster- things like TOT are a different story.

On our way out of EE, we saw that the Jungle Book show had started. I originally had a package booked at Tusker House, but the video of the show really didn't appeal to me and the kids said they would prefer to get in another attraction. I snapped a quick pic, but from what I could see, I'm glad we skipped it. I know some people have enjoyed it, but it just wasn't our thing.

We debated for a moment about safari vs. Dinosaur. David was concerned it was just too dark to really appreciate the safari at this point, Kendall has never ridden Dinosaur, and Sammie wanted to prove that she was no longer afraid of it...so, we headed that way. I also got kind of sad passing by Nemo...it's my fave show at WDW...but at this hour...no shows. We arrived at Dinosaur...standby was something like 20 minutes...so we jumped in line.

A little backstory here...back in 2013, we hopped to AK for part of an afternoon. Kendall was finally over the 44" mark, but not Sammie. So, I took K to EE for her first experience there and David- against my wishes- took a 4 yr old (almost 5) Sammie to Dinosaur. For over a year, they maintained the lie that she LOVED Dinosaur...not scared one little bit. It later came out that she was not only scared...but kept her eye shut and head down pretty much the entire time.

So, Sammie made it through Dinosaur this time and kept her eyes open for most of it. Kendall closed her eyes as soon as she saw her first dino and didn't open them until the ride ended. And on a funny note, something always distracts me before they take your pic, so I'm normally looking away and smiling in the wrong direction...but this time, I faced the correct way the whole time. WIN
We had a little gift shop play time afterwards...

...and then the girls started begging to go on Primeval Whirl.

I actually don't mind the ride, but the wait was 35 minutes and David was getting worried about crowds exiting the park after the Jungle Book show. I thought it was going to be fine, but he had this crazy idea it would be nuts.

Sammie was off crying about Primeval Whirl- almost recreating her 2010 pout in this area about Triceratops Spin, but I slow-played our exit (also taking the focus off of grumpy Sammie) by taking some silly pics of Kendall and got an ice cream sandwich for the kids to share.

I also let Kendall dance a bit as we walked by the Harambe party.

Oh, and I wasn't leaving without seeing the tree. I warned him about this when we got there, and he clearly wanted to go, but we were watching...like it or not. As you can see from my video below, we saw the Circle of Life sequence. OMG, I was in tears when the lion face formed on the trunk! So cool to see in person!

You can also see that my video ends pretty abruptly. Yes, he's insisting we exit the park - NOW! Sure, things around the tree felt a bit crowded, but it really wasn't bad and you could tell crowds were really pretty light as we got to the park exit. The kids also made the executive decision that they didn't want to walk all the way to the car...not that it was that far..but we waited for a tram. There was one pulling away just as we arrived, but we had a new one just a few minutes later. We sat at the back and it was one animal joke after another...sort of an improv Jungle Cruise feeling. It was great! Also, that info on our parking section came in handy at this point...because I would have had no idea. I just would have been jumping out when we seemed close. In reality...my vehicle was pretty much out there all by its lonesome and stood out with very little issue.

We got to the car and hit the road. David was utterly shocked at how light things were and kind of regretted getting on my case to leave the park. Oh well...we were done...and now it's time to get twisted around!

One of the things I don't love about the AK/AKL area is that you can often see the backs of one of the maingates when approaching said area. In fact, we saw it on our way over earlier in the evening. I just don't like reminders of the outside world when I'm in the bubble and intend to stay in said bubble until checkout. Well, on our way back from AK, David got confused while navigating and navigated us right past our turn. It happens. But...his solution took us off property. Sure, it was just a couple of minutes...but everyone got all dramatic and was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - we can't leave Disney now! Just to erupt into cheers after we u-turned in some timeshare/condo place and drove back inside of the bubble. Still, don't love getting twisted around off property in the dark.

We parked, headed to the room, and cleaned up for bed so we'd be well rested for the next day.

Coming up...DAY 5- MK Morning with bad timing, Mega Meet and Disney Springs, Epcot Evening with some DIS fun, a run to MK, Goldilocks?, and the wounded.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

DAY 5
​

So, this would be our day to get in all of our fast passes at MK. I was also hoping to get there early enough to see the Welcome Show, as my parents have never seen it. We just had one little problem...

We took the bus...with only a minute or two wait - so no biggie there. I was aiming at arriving at MK by 8:15am. I was right on schedule, getting to bag check at 8:10am.

The only problem...when I was scouring summer hours, I was looking a lot more at closing hours vs. opening times. I noticed that nobody is standing and waiting for the show and while it's pretty certain the park is already open, I ask the CM who was there when I scanned my MB...and sure enough, the park opened at 8am. I was so caught up in closing, bothered that there were no 2 or 3 am hours like previous summer trips, that I totally neglected to notice that the park opened at 8. Not even EMH...the park just opened at 8am that day. Oh well, what can ya do? It's still early from a crowd perspective, I have FPs and MegaMeet on the brain, so we headed in...

This was also the day that we had on our family shirts...mom's idea. We were going to buy them, but the ones I really liked were pricey and the ones that were close to what we wanted to spend weren't fun. I'd seen lots of tie dye Mickey shirts, so I decided to try my hand at them. I bought a big kit on Amazon, bought a bunch of t-shirts at Walmart, and bought a bleach pen so I could form the Mickey heads using a stencil.

I had done some old school tie dye with my mom years ago, but this was my first time trying to do something more elaborate. The shirts turned out really well, so I was pumped. The kids even helped with this part.

The Mickey heads turned out better on some shirts than others, but all in all, I'd say it was a success.

And since we had these shirts, my parents wanted to do family pics in front of the castle.

It also came in cheaper than the cheap pre-made shirts we'd considered buying.

I snapped a few pics around the hub, but it was time to move on.

As I passed through the castle, I remembered @SorcererHeidi 's post about touching the slipper. I wasn't able to get in a full on selfie, but I wanted to capture a pic.

We were rushing so much that it was rather blurry...still, I slowed down some, because I wasn't 100% that this was the correct area. What's funny...DH thought I was lagging behind b/c of BBB. Both girls have done BBB a couple of times, but 2012 was the last time I could get either one of them to agree to go in there for some princessification. I was fine with this until he mistook my pausing for the slipper pic as mommy sadness over the kids growing up. It all happened so fast...both them growing up and this moment...but I got a quick peak into BBB and I had that "OMG! My girls are never going to dress up as princesses again!!!" mental moment. I'm not even into princesses...never have been....but it was such sadness to think about princess loving Kendall and how she's morphing into the kind of more grown up person who channels their love into princess purses and the occasional tiara or crown to be cute vs. the full on princess regalia.

While we had FPs today, the goal was to work in as many other things we didn't hit the other day as possible as well. So, first up was Peter Pan...since we all know what that line is like later on. It's also our first time seeing the new queue.

(more like walking in that direction in this pic)

Peter Pan is my favorite animated Disney movie, so this was pure magic for me. The bells and pixie dust were just so much fun.

(blurry second star to the right)

(blurry pixie dust maker)

The wait also was still pretty light...maybe 10 minutes???

And we're back from Neverland and moving on to our next stop.

Coming up...more time in MK

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Walking in MK...

Like I said before, Sammie LOVES Winnie the Pooh, so this was a must. The queue also has major nostalgia for us. It opened right before the kids' first WDW trip in 2010...like maybe a week or so before...so, whenever I see the kids playing in here...somewhere in my mind, they are still 2 and 4.

And right after we exit into the gift shop, Sammie immediately runs to a big stuffed Pooh and tries to convince me to buy her a new one for her collection.

She didn't win, but man was it tempting! Just like my fave mug that I always want to buy but can't do it, since I don't drink coffee!

K also always tries to sell me on ears, but she never keeps them on more than 20 minutes, so that's almost always a no. Today was a no.

We were trying to work in a bunch of standby things before our first FP (SDMT 9:05-10:05am). We were still doing good, so we decided to head over to Kendall's apparent favorite...

No, not EtwB.

As much as I love the little crabs in the queue (awful pic to follow) and the Under the Sea room, I really don't need to ride this one. BUT- somehow, this has become Kendall's favorite ride and apparently, she was really upset that I chose not to ride it in DCA back in December. WOW!

I really thought she was kidding or just trying to be different and pick a fave that none of us LOVED, but then I was in a position a few times to watch her during the ride (we were in different cars). Her face was full of joy...like seriously looked the way I must look during IASW. I now feel awful for depriving her at DCA, but so happy she has so much love for an attraction.

We get off - K's overjoyed - and we're thinking- What next? We look off to Dumbo...

...But there are too many vetoes and we're getting later on in our FP window, so we head towards SDMT.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

My parents chose not to get FPs for this, so it was just us four. David and I rode this a few times when we went on our kid free trip in 2014. I remember it feeling really snug on my hips back then, and I was a lot slimmer then...before all of the health issues I've been having. We were put in the last two rows this time and while it really gives you a better - more intense ride - my hips were not happy during the rocking this time. I'll use it as inspiration to push past the health issues and keep at it in the gym we just put in, but it kind of made it hard to enjoy this one this visit.

On a positive note, we had a longer stop in front of the cottage at the end, so I was able to get a few more pics than usual.

David must have been in a really kind mood that morning, but he didn't want to spin me until I was sick on the tea cups. Nobody was up for the Speedway either.

So, we headed to Buzz...

...K was CHOSEN.

Coming up...more MK time

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Wow - don't know how I missed the previously, but I have been enjoying it IMMENSELY!! Hope I remember most of the comments I had in my head while I was reading through - LOL.

First and foremost - I am so in AWE of your cake decorating and photography skills. Seriously - in awe. And add cool shirt making to that list now too!

I am so glad you and your family were not seriously injured (or worse!) by that moron that hit you! I am also glad to see that you are somewhat able to put your bad memories/vibes to rest and enjoy Sanaa and Kidani again.

I smiled SO big at your pic of the slipper (and I may have teared up a bit!) . THANK YOU SO MUCH for remembering, and thinking of me!!

Can't wait to read the rest of your report, I've been very much enjoying it so far, and can't wait to read "the DIS stuff". Having gone to some huge meets in the past, I can understand the "tongue tied", happens to all of us.

I THINK that's all the major stuff I wanted to comment on......they say a mind's a terrible thing to waste, but I don't remember.

 

[ariane37]

We're chilling in our room at WL since its been POURING tonight, so I decided to catch up here We actually saw the JB show and rode EE in the dark Sunday night. I agree Everest is SO different at night and totally cool!!! And DH and I both feel we saw the Yeti more clearly than when we ride during the day-not sure why?? I'm glad we saw JB since its ending; I can say I saw it lol. And hopefully come Nov. when we go again I can say I've seen ROL! The dancers were good and I love some of the songs from the new movie, but overall..... yeah it wasn't horrendous but I most likely wouldn't watch again if they were continuing it.

My DS10 loves Under the Sea I don't mind it at all and interestingly enough, neither DH nor DS14 ever complain about riding it a couple times each trip! So I guess my family is Team Kendall

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Wow - don't know how I missed the previously, but I have been enjoying it IMMENSELY!! Hope I remember most of the comments I had in my head while I was reading through - LOL.

First and foremost - I am so in AWE of your cake decorating and photography skills. Seriously - in awe. And add cool shirt making to that list now too!

I am so glad you and your family were not seriously injured (or worse!) by that moron that hit you! I am also glad to see that you are somewhat able to put your bad memories/vibes to rest and enjoy Sanaa and Kidani again.

I smiled SO big at your pic of the slipper (and I may have teared up a bit!) . THANK YOU SO MUCH for remembering, and thinking of me!!

Can't wait to read the rest of your report, I've been very much enjoying it so far, and can't wait to read "the DIS stuff". Having gone to some huge meets in the past, I can understand the "tongue tied", happens to all of us.

I THINK that's all the major stuff I wanted to comment on......they say a mind's a terrible thing to waste, but I don't remember.

Just a ton of trip reports that it's pretty easy to miss them.

Awwww...Thanks I need creative projects to keep me sane from my stressful work life. The photos are just as much souvenirs for me as anything I buy while on the trip.

Definitely not an ordeal I want to relive. I drive by the spot of the accident nearly every day, so I've gotten used to that...but it's not very often that I make it to AKL, so the sensitivity is still there. I guess the best cure for that is visiting more often.

I just wish I had been able to stop for a better pic of the slipper.

I really hope to get a chance to attend some meets or other DIS events in the future, so maybe I can get over the tongue tied factor. It might be a while since the anniversary celebration they've hinted at for June conflicts with some critical annual processes at work, but maybe something down the road. It's too bad because my husband suggested we attend.

Happens to me all the time when reading TRs. I think of so many things while reading and it all flies out of my head when I go to type. I can't expect anyone else to remember when I can't! LOL

We're chilling in our room at WL since its been POURING tonight, so I decided to catch up here We actually saw the JB show and rode EE in the dark Sunday night. I agree Everest is SO different at night and totally cool!!! And DH and I both feel we saw the Yeti more clearly than when we ride during the day-not sure why?? I'm glad we saw JB since its ending; I can say I saw it lol. And hopefully come Nov. when we go again I can say I've seen ROL! The dancers were good and I love some of the songs from the new movie, but overall..... yeah it wasn't horrendous but I most likely wouldn't watch again if they were continuing it.

My DS10 loves Under the Sea I don't mind it at all and interestingly enough, neither DH nor DS14 ever complain about riding it a couple times each trip! So I guess my family is Team Kendall

I was wondering if you guys were being impacted by that tropical system. Hopefully, the rain will let up some. I'd seen on FB that a lot of people are cashing in on last minute cancellations because of the weather. I really hope they're able to get ROL up and running by your next trip. I guess at least you saw the JB show and know how you feel about it. I just hope they continue some evening offerings in the park because EE and the tree were totally worth the nighttime visit. Still so crazy how much darkness changes things with EE.

I love the crabs in the queue enough that she won't get too many arguments from me on riding WDW's.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Day 5 continued...

So, we were heading into Buzz when I last posted.

Now that may not seem like a really high score, but that's the second highest I've ever gotten on this ride. David kicked my butt, but not by that much. I mean, it's not like he was a Galactic Hero or anything.Just an extra 300K points. LOL

This is also when we hit a snag. Sammie took off her sunglasses on the ride. They are $3.99 glasses, so we're not talking about a major loss here, but she LOVED them. So, we waited at the exit and the CMs watched all the cars as it made the full cycle around. No glasses. They did at least find another guest's cane. He needed his cane much more than we needed her glasses.

My parents decided to go do their own thing for a bit with the plan to meet up at BTMRR at 11am. They had no desire to go where we were headed next...

Yeah...that's the interior of Space Mountain. And I really think that last fuzzy pic from take off may make a really neat artsy photo with some work...but we'll see.

A few side notes here too...
- I took K on this for the first time in 2013. She was TERRIFIED! I had to reach forward the entire ride to try and soothe her. She was fine this time.
- I was afraid because I felt really sick after riding Hyperspace Mountain at DL back in December. I was fine on here. Maybe it's because there's really nothing of major interest to keep watching on the ceiling, but I felt perfectly fine.
- This was Sammie's first time on WDW's Space Mountain- handled it just fine.

We needed to head back to BTMRR, but David wanted to go back through Fantasyland. He felt there would be less congestion that way...so, why not?

We had breakfast on the go this morning and everyone was starting to feel a little hungry since we ate light. There was nothing really snack-wise that was fitting the bill, so we settled for ice cream. PARENTS OF THE YEAR!!! Actually, that's my ice cream (although, I shared a bit with Sammie). Kendall can't have the premium bars because Disney always says there's too much cross contamination risk with the chocolate coating.

We were walking, but still had some time...enough time to do something else.

(kind of loving the moon in this pic of "Potty Time with Rapunzel")

I wanted to do something we hadn't done yet either...so, I suggested the Country Bears (which I personally really enjoy)...

It's crazy, but this was the most people I've seen waiting for this one since the 1980s! But still no problems getting in and we got a nice seat in the back.

I also loved that so many of the people in there this time were fans. I heard singing along (nothing too major- just in a few spots where people were getting into it), laughing at all of the jokes, and the guy next to us was lip syncing the entire time. It also crossed my mind that we've never seen this with the kids. Well, now we have! The kids also recognized some of the music from one my old Disney CDs I used to use for them at bedtime.

We got out and power walked to BTMRR- not like we were far away, but it was about 10:58am and I wanted to check in right at 11am for our 11:05am FPs...since David and I would need to cut out right after to head to Disney Springs for the live show for the Mega Meet. My parents were waiting right at the entrance. They offered to hold our stuff so we could get through as fast as possible.

***That's it for now. Thanks for following along!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Ice Cream on vacation is always fine! Bummer that Kendall can't have the Mickey Bars though

I was going to mention that I love the picture of the moon over the 'Punzel Potties

Sounds like a fun crowd at the Country Bears ... did the kids like it?

We had a similar morning of trying to get to stuff and hit a FP as early as possible to then be able to get to the MegaMeet

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Ice Cream on vacation is always fine! Bummer that Kendall can't have the Mickey Bars though

I was going to mention that I love the picture of the moon over the 'Punzel Potties

Sounds like a fun crowd at the Country Bears ... did the kids like it?

We had a similar morning of trying to get to stuff and hit a FP as early as possible to then be able to get to the MegaMeet

I agree! Same with cake for breakfast! It's hard with her on those ice cream treats because she has had them before, so she knows what she's missing. It was prior to her massive reaction/testing, and while it was fine and it's just a cross contamination risk, I don't take as many risks on vacation.

It's funny because I don't think I noticed the moon that day. It was just when I went through my pics.

Yeah...I was shocked that everyone was really into it. The kids also enjoyed it and appreciated the humor, so that was a plus.

It was a lot of rushing around, and I will pay for it later in the day, but no regrets.

 

[ariane37]

Luckily we got out before the real storms were supposed to hit! As is typical for Aug. we had some rain every day, but we always seemed to be leaving a park or heading into a restaurant when the rains came Tues. evening was the only time it rained for more than say, 45 minutes, and that was a torrential downpour from about 4:45 through about 8:00 with drizzle/ moderate rains for another few hours afterwards. We were fine being back at the resort and staying put; had dinner there and also had a fantastic view of Wishes from our room

DS10 is a big fan of Country Bears! Nice to hear it was actually kind of crowded!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Luckily we got out before the real storms were supposed to hit! As is typical for Aug. we had some rain every day, but we always seemed to be leaving a park or heading into a restaurant when the rains came Tues. evening was the only time it rained for more than say, 45 minutes, and that was a torrential downpour from about 4:45 through about 8:00 with drizzle/ moderate rains for another few hours afterwards. We were fine being back at the resort and staying put; had dinner there and also had a fantastic view of Wishes from our room

DS10 is a big fan of Country Bears! Nice to hear it was actually kind of crowded!

That's good that it was more just the standard afternoon storms. I've never been at WDW during any more serious weather, but my brother and SIL were there for Hurricane Charley and it didn't sound like fun. Awesome that you had a good view of Wishes from your room. We haven't stayed at WL since December 2010, but we were on an upper floor and facing towards MK. Unfortunately, with all of the trees the view of fireworks was just so so. Still, it was nice...because Sammie had just turned 2 on that trip and boy was she a handful!

It was kind of shocking. The waiting room outside the theater was pretty full, but that's a good thing.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Day 5 Continued...

The clock struck 11 and we scanned our bands...

...and made our way to the front of the FP line.

I don't know why, but I always like taking pics on this one.

(this was one of the views I missed most at DL)

(this one too!)

(love the train names...U B DARING!!!!!!!)

Man, we have come a long way since I first got Kendall on this in 2011.

All in all, it's just one of our favorite things to ride as a family. Speaking of which, we exited afterwards, said our good-byes to the kids, thanked my parents, and bolted (well, tried to) from MK.

We had already given my mom and dad all of the stuff for the kids for the rest of the day/night. I even made lunch reservations for them at BOG and pre-ordered all of their food. I love the atmosphere in BOG, but I'm over it from the food part. I drove myself to tears getting us in there back in 2012. I spent close to 2 hours on the phone the morning reservations first opened up (since it was all by phone those first two days). I had even lied to the kids that it was for work (since I was holed up in bedroom and acting very nervous when I came out), but I got that dinner ADR. It wasn't the preview opening night one that I wanted (11/19/12), but it was the following night and the ADR and planning angels were with me, because I restructured that whole trip around that ADR and it all worked perfectly. OK- enough memory lane...between that 2012 meal and us being part of the ADR test group for lunch in 2013...I've had enough with BOG. BUT...Kendall still loves Belle, Sammie thinks the spot is neat, and my parents have never been. So, booking them a lunch there after we headed off seemed perfect. My parents loved their tuna, the kids were happy with grilled cheese, and they decided to splurge and have the Master's Cupcake. Kind of funny when your dad is texting you pics of cupcakes!

*looks like someone already got to the gray stuff!

They also had an ADR for Biergarten later...and I made sure the allergy info was on there...so all was good. The kids are now huge fans of this and are still saying zicke zacke zicke zacke oi oi oi!

And we were now FREEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Due to some unfortunate issues with my in-laws, this was our first kid free day/night in over a year! Seriously.

OK...so, I knew the kids and my parents would be set...now back to getting us out of MK.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I didn't plan on the dance party parade thingy going on when we needed to leave. All I know is we kept hearing Vamos up and down the street and were eventually stuck waiting for all of the units to pass.

* I think she's taking a pic of us, but it's only fair...I mean, we are photographing her too.

Oh...and that's the name...Move It Shake It. I always forget.

A little frustrating, but I saw Donald (too blurry to share), and I've never seen the Zootopia characters in person...so those were pluses of the delay.

We decided it would be best to go to the Contemporary to get a cab to Disney Springs and walking seemed like the better choice...so, we power walked to the Contemporary.

We didn't have to wait too long for a cab. It was also dejavu when we got to DS because the parking lot/drive thru route/etc. was everything we'd been through on the day we tried to go to Typhoon Lagoon. Oh well, we were there and had some time to spare. We made our way towards the La Nouba theater...

...and as soon as I saw the crowd, I felt my nerves kicking in. This was really happening!!! DIS Unplugged Mega Meet Live Show- here we come!!!

COMING UP- The DIS Unplugged Mega Meet Live Show, Lunch at Art Smith's Homecoming, and shopping.

 

[ariane37]

Ahhhh, I SO missed BTMRR on our trip earlier this week! Closed for refurb along with IASW
Funny about you being on the phone trying to get that BOG dinner reservation on the morning they opened back in 2012, because DH was on the phone then, too! He managed to get us one for the night we wanted-can't remember the exact date but it was the Monday after Thanksgiving. It has since become one of our favorite TS restaurants and we'll be back for dinner for the 6th time in November

Looking forward to your next update!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Ahhhh, I SO missed BTMRR on our trip earlier this week! Closed for refurb along with IASW
Funny about you being on the phone trying to get that BOG dinner reservation on the morning they opened back in 2012, because DH was on the phone then, too! He managed to get us one for the night we wanted-can't remember the exact date but it was the Monday after Thanksgiving. It has since become one of our favorite TS restaurants and we'll be back for dinner for the 6th time in November

Looking forward to your next update!

That's right! I forgot both of those were under refurb. As much as it bites, hopefully the BTMRR one leads to the addition of the dynamite scene. We really liked that part of the DL version of the ride. As for IASW, not sure what all they are doing and I'd obviously be VERY upset if it were down during my trip, but 1. they need to clean the face 2. they need to fix my fave sun. At least you're going back soon and I thought both are supposed to be up and running at that point.

Wow! You guys were there right after us in 2012! We left the evening before Thanksgiving, but had been there for a week. Hopefully, your husband didn't have to dial as many times as I did to get through for that ADR. It was such an ordeal! I think it took me over 1200 calls to finally get through. It was still a really neat experience and we made it a "Day of 2 Castles." We had a pre-park opening breakfast at CRT and dinner at BOG.

 

[ariane37]

That's right! I forgot both of those were under refurb. As much as it bites, hopefully the BTMRR one leads to the addition of the dynamite scene. We really liked that part of the DL version of the ride. As for IASW, not sure what all they are doing and I'd obviously be VERY upset if it were down during my trip, but 1. they need to clean the face 2. they need to fix my fave sun. At least you're going back soon and I thought both are supposed to be up and running at that point.

Wow! You guys were there right after us in 2012! We left the evening before Thanksgiving, but had been there for a week. Hopefully, your husband didn't have to dial as many times as I did to get through for that ADR. It was such an ordeal! I think it took me over 1200 calls to finally get through. It was still a really neat experience and we made it a "Day of 2 Castles." We had a pre-park opening breakfast at CRT and dinner at BOG.

Yes, BTMRR opens the day before we get down there in Nov and IASW will also be up again. We're also missing the RnRC refurb and the just announced HM one so I'm feeling pretty lucky lol!
My DH only had to stay on the phone for about 40 minutes to get BOG back then, on the first call He did get on right at 7am on the dot though while I slept I've continued to be lucky in getting BOG whenever we want it but I'll never forget walking in that first time. Also won't forget eating at CRT the first time, either!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Yes, BTMRR opens the day before we get down there in Nov and IASW will also be up again. We're also missing the RnRC refurb and the just announced HM one so I'm feeling pretty lucky lol!
My DH only had to stay on the phone for about 40 minutes to get BOG back then, on the first call He did get on right at 7am on the dot though while I slept I've continued to be lucky in getting BOG whenever we want it but I'll never forget walking in that first time. Also won't forget eating at CRT the first time, either!

Yeah...you always feel like you've hit the ride jackpot when you dodge refurbs like that.

Oh man! Lucky guy! Yeah...I was up just before 6am (Central time) to start calling and I think an hour and 47 minutes was my final tally on the phone that day. It definitely was breathtaking that first time you walk in there. For whatever reason, I am much more of a CRT person. Not sure why.

I also started getting into your PTR the other day, but things have been so busy with work, school and sports that you may be getting ready to leave for the trip by the time I get through it. I need to find a way to clone myself!