We Got No Troubles; Life Is The Bubbles! 04/18 - Complete!

[teekathepony]

We walked back to the busses -- we had somewhere to be!

Along the way I took these pictures of the front of the resort. It really is a beautiful, totally Disney resort.

We hopped on a fairly empty bus, it was still quite early. Where were we headed?

We went through the no-bag line and on our way we saw (or noticed I should say, as I'm sure we've seen it before) the beautiful castle design in the walk way. I was trying to get a picture without getting in anyone's way coming in, but luckily no one was coming. The two security guards letting people in were incredibly friendly and chatty, telling me where to stand to get the best angle! I got lots, but this one's my favourite:

We entered the waiting area since the park wasn't open yet. We found a spot behind a large concrete planter where no one could stand directly in front of us, therefore giving us a slightly better view. It also offered something to lean on until the show began.

Not too long after we got settled, we heard a train whistle. I was so excited, can you believe I've never seen this show?

We watched the whole thing and took SO MANY pictures. I culled a lot and here are some of the better ones.

It was really exciting to see so many characters all at once!

The crowd was really excited too. It was easy to feel really happy in that environment!

So now I get it. If you've seen this show before you know what I mean, but if you haven't... all I can say is see this. Get to MK early and see it. It's a way to really start your day off right.

As the crowd pushed toward the entrance, eager to get fastpasses for BTMRR or Splash or Space, we turned around and fought the flow to get back to the bus stop. That's right -- we weren't even going in! But that's another thing crossed off our list.

We had an ADR to get to, one we skipped the year before and a favourite of ours. We were eager to get there.

Where were we going?

Cont...

 

[teekathepony]

BOMA!

Ahh I love their breakfast. I believe our reservation was 10:00. We allowed lots of time to get there. We did stand at the bus stop a long time before a bus came to take us back. We explained to the driver that we had a breakfast reservation. Soon we were there!

I believe we checked in a little early and were seated soon. We had a nice seat by a window.

Here's my only plate. I'm sorry to say I didn't have much appetite.

It was delicious though! And another check off our list!

We took our time over breakfast but soon enough we were on our way back to MK. When we got there we saw this glorious sky and felt like we were in for a great last day.

I'll leave it there for now. I'll be back to wrap this up soon!

 

[Linda67]

I just love your photos

Exciting that you have another trip to plan !

 

[MEK]

That last photo is really cool. I also love the B&W shot of the MK. It's perfect! So glad you finally got to see the opening show. I really want to see it this summer and I am hoping that my nephews will be up in time to go. Please. Please. Please.

Since we are staying off-site I know they will depend on our AP's for their free parking and my plan was each one of us got in a separate car, but hey.....if we have to wait too long you never know.

I think the cars section of AoA is really cool also. Great photos.

I can't believe its your last day. Boo!

Your Boma breakfast looks so yummy! Love that place!

 

[teekathepony]

I just love your photos

Exciting that you have another trip to plan !

Thank you x2! I am very excited to start planning the next one, trying not to get ahead of myself!

That last photo is really cool. I also love the B&W shot of the MK. It's perfect! So glad you finally got to see the opening show. I really want to see it this summer and I am hoping that my nephews will be up in time to go. Please. Please. Please.
Thank you! I am also very happy I finally saw it, well worth it for sure. I hope your nephews will be up to it!

Since we are staying off-site I know they will depend on our AP's for their free parking and my plan was each one of us got in a separate car, but hey.....if we have to wait too long you never know.
I can see it now... a note on the counter... "Must make rope drop. Find your own way."

I think the cars section of AoA is really cool also. Great photos.
It's really adorable, they did a great job!

I can't believe its your last day. Boo!
Yup, we have come to it at last! (6 months later!! )

Your Boma breakfast looks so yummy! Love that place!
Oohh me too! It's high on my list of favourites!

 

[OrangeJuice]

Glad you got to see the show! We usually can't see anything because we are standing in the entryway waiting to speedwalk to our first ride. The music always brings me to tears though. We always say that the next time we'll stand in the middle so that we can see but we have yet to do that.

Love your pictures of Boma. I keep hearing how great it is, we really need to try it eventually.

I also love that last picture of Main st. You really captured the hustle and bustle of mornings in MK.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

The Cars section of AoA looks really cool! Cars wasn't my favorite movie, but I know my niece would LOVE it!!

Yay for the opening show!! Isn't it such a fun way to start a Disney day??

Mmmm Boma breakfast! We love it there!!

 

[natebenma]

We had a few missions to accomplish this day. It would not be a relaxing last day by any means. Several things that had been on our to-do list had yet to be checked off.

- Take pictures of all of the resort
- IllumiNations
- MK opening show
- Swim in the Big Blue pool
- Fastpass +

Plus a breakfast ADR!

Not necessarily in that order!!!


Wow- Disney really nailed the theming at AoA!!! Your pictures of the Cars section are incredible.

I didn't know about the castle in the pavement. That's awesome! Now I am going to have to go back to some of my old pictures to see if I can see it.

As card carrying members of the early wake up club, we have seen the opening show many times. Love it! My favorite part though is going through the entry and walking up Main Street alongside the characters who are going to get into position. I couldn't believe how quickly Alice and Mary can haul in high heels!

Did not see Boma coming as your breakfast destination! Especially since you were at MK. But it is a great breakfast!

I agree with the others- that shot of Main Street is amazing!

 

[teekathepony]

Glad you got to see the show! We usually can't see anything because we are standing in the entryway waiting to speedwalk to our first ride. The music always brings me to tears though. We always say that the next time we'll stand in the middle so that we can see but we have yet to do that.
I usually get to the parks about 5 minutes after the show so I'm glad I got to see it. You should stand in the middle to see it -- seeing all the characters is adorable!

Love your pictures of Boma. I keep hearing how great it is, we really need to try it eventually.
I highly recommend it!

I also love that last picture of Main st. You really captured the hustle and bustle of mornings in MK.
Thanks oddly (thankfully!), it was not as busy once we got in the park further!

The Cars section of AoA looks really cool! Cars wasn't my favorite movie, but I know my niece would LOVE it!!
Oh it was so nice! Any fan of the movie would be super happy here I'm very sure!

Yay for the opening show!! Isn't it such a fun way to start a Disney day??
Yes! It was just so happy!

Mmmm Boma breakfast! We love it there!!

Mmmm indeed! We do too, we've skipped it on past trips and regretted it.

Not necessarily in that order!!!
No, certainly not!


Wow- Disney really nailed the theming at AoA!!! Your pictures of the Cars section are incredible.
They did for sure, the Cars section itself is really fantastic. And thanks!

I didn't know about the castle in the pavement. That's awesome! Now I am going to have to go back to some of my old pictures to see if I can see it.
I had seen it before but never stopped to pay attention. It's really beautiful!

As card carrying members of the early wake up club, we have seen the opening show many times. Love it! My favorite part though is going through the entry and walking up Main Street alongside the characters who are going to get into position. I couldn't believe how quickly Alice and Mary can haul in high heels!
Once we had an early breakfast in the park. When we got out of the restaurant the opening show had just finished, so we actually got to see the characters coming toward us! Hehe

Did not see Boma coming as your breakfast destination! Especially since you were at MK. But it is a great breakfast!
We did a bit of hopping this day for sure, and we're not done yet! Haha

I agree with the others- that shot of Main Street is amazing!

Thanks! The sky that day was just perfect and of course, MK is beautiful itself.

 

[DisneyFreak06]

All caught up! I had given up the Disboards for lent, so I was behind!

I understand about not being too tall, I've got about 1 inch on you. It's hard to get good fireworks shots. Did you carry your tripod with you? I want one that gets smaller. Mine is annoying to carry around, but I'd like it for Fireworks.

And you are totally making me want to travel to WDW in the Fall. How am I going to do that when I teach? I don't get any time off in the Fall.

 

[teekathepony]

All caught up! I had given up the Disboards for lent, so I was behind!
You gave up the Disboards for lent!? Wow. You're stronger than me.

I understand about not being too tall, I've got about 1 inch on you. It's hard to get good fireworks shots. Did you carry your tripod with you? I want one that gets smaller. Mine is annoying to carry around, but I'd like it for Fireworks.
I rented a locker and stored my tripod for most of the day, but I have a tiny little one that folds up to about 16" (I think?) in length and fits in my little park bag I carry. It's also really light. Not the sturdiest thing in the world but it works. I just got a new Gorillapod SLR too that I'm going to try next time! Only problem is having something to attach it to... lol

And you are totally making me want to travel to WDW in the Fall. How am I going to do that when I teach? I don't get any time off in the Fall.

While I admit the early fall is a wonderful time to go there, I've had enough of it. I've been there in September 4 times now so I am dying to see something other than Hallowe'en decorations! Hahaha

 

[teekathepony]

I know it's only been a few days, but I'm somehow just ready to be done with this TR so I'm going to do another update! Also I have time now and I don't know when I will again so I'll just take advantage of it.

We left off just arriving back at MK after a delicious Boma breakfast.

Saturday, September 22
"More like Fastpass Minus..."

We arrived at MK just in time to see the very end of the parade so we hopped upstairs to the train station to watch the last float and get this picture, which I showed you last time.



Before I get into the story, I need to go back in time a little.

Our trip began on a Sunday. Johnny and I both worked until 5 the Friday before. When we got home there was a message on our machine from our travel agent saying that she had some surprise Fastpass Plus cards there for us since they were doing trials at that time. Her office closed at 5 and was not open on the weekend! How could we get it?? I thought for sure she would have enough sense to at least drop them off at the mall branch of the same company -- they're open on Saturday at least. I called them, no luck. The manager of that branch however, was a little ticked on our behalf that our TA didn't (A) call us sooner or (B) arrange something so we could pick up our stuff! So she called her at home! Our TA dropped them off at the mall and we picked them up that evening.

The next day, the day before we left, we went online to register for which fastpasses we wanted to get. I can't remember exactly which ones we used, but I do know we had Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Dumbo... maybe Philharmagic. Lots of Fantasyland, since we were going to be in that area (or so we thought). We could only pick 5. We registered for later in the day, around 3-4 figuring we would be all day at MK.

Back to present day.

Our plans were foiled. Having spent the previous evening at the MNSSHP, we got a lot of MK done that we didn't think we would. Also, we did NOT see IllumiNations, which we did think we would have. That messed up our plans for the day. We went to the nearest Fastpass+ kiosk. They advertise that it's easy to change your choices!

It's not.

Everything earlier was "sold out" so to speak. We were unable to change a single one of our fastpasses. We were a little at a loss for what to do. We had already "finished" the whole park other than Fantasyland and we had about three to four hours to wait until our Fastpasses were good. We were starting to see the real downside to this system!

We decided to wander a bit, get pictures, and hopefully come up with something to do. (Doesn't that sound weird in Disney??)

We got a bunch of Photopass pics:













Since we were heading into Tomorrowland anyway, we decided to do a few of our favourites.

Even though the jokes hardly change, I still love this show. Monsters Inc. is my favourite movie.


Next we took a spin on an old favourite:

(And that's my proof that I was really there -- no denying that left knee is mine!)

We decided to do Carousel of Progress next, more because it's a longer show and we needed to waste time, and less because we really needed to see it.




I am assuming we needed a bio break because I'm pretty sure that's where I found this guy:


And then it was finally time to use our first scheduled fastpass --


I don't have any pictures, but it was for Peter Pan.

So we got to the line, swiped our nifty card on the RFID scanner and into the FP line we went. (Also we were given yet another red card. Johnny's face must scream "PICK ME!" because we get this on almost every ride. It's become a bit of a joke with us.) We had to scan our FP+ card two more times throughout the line, just like you would show your ticket. We got through, rode the ride and enjoyed it as always.

Our next FP was an hour and a half away. This new and "improved" system was really getting on my nerves. We decided to walk the trail around the castle and come out at Sleepy Hollow for some snacks.

On the way:






I put in my order with Johnny and grabbed a table with a nice view of the castle. I took pictures while I waited for him.






Of course Sleepy Hollow was decorated for Hallowe'en!


Here, if you can believe it, Johnny actually took my picture!


(No matter how many hints I drop about looking back on our photos and not being in any, he almost never gets a picture of me! If we ever had kids I'm sure they'd say "Mommy, why did Daddy go to WDW alone so many times?" )

After enjoying our funnel cake (with icing sugar) and my rootbeer float, we decided to just forget about the rest of the Fastpass+ we had lined up and go back to our resort. We had already done the rides and were just anxious to get moving with our day. We had to pack, had yet to try out the Big Blue Pool, and we had plans for the evening.

As you can see, it was NOT a convenient system for us.

*** Alert! Fastpass+ Review ***

While the idea of the system is sound, in practicality it does not work. Planning your rides a week or more in advance is not easy and does not allow any wiggle room should your plans change (as ours did) mid-trip. While I did enjoy not having to zig zag the park, not waiting for one FP to be up before getting another one, etc., the timing did not work out for us. The system was fairly rigid with limited times to choose from and forcing up to two hours between tickets. They tell you that you can change your choices in the parks or on your smart phone, but when we tried there were no earlier times available. When I arrived home I was sent an email from Disney asking me to review the system which I did, and unfortunately my review was almost all negative. I sincerely hope they do not keep this system in place, I don't think it works for anybody but super-planners who stick strictly to an itinerary.

1/5 stars, and that one is only because the RFID scanners are cool.

****************************************************

I'm going to cut it off there for now, I'm at work and it's getting close to time to open up the store. Stay tuned for more of my last day!

 

[amazingact21]

Thanks for posting about your Fastpass+ experience. I've had some fears about the new system since I began learning about it, and unfortunately you described some of them. I wondered how easy it would be to change the FPs if you decided to switch plans the day of, and I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised the earlier times were already sold out. I think a lot of people prefer to use their FPs in the first half of the day, which really puts those plan-changers in a bind.
I'm very curious to see how the new system pans out in the long run...

 

[teekathepony]

Thanks for posting about your Fastpass+ experience. I've had some fears about the new system since I began learning about it, and unfortunately you described some of them. I wondered how easy it would be to change the FPs if you decided to switch plans the day of, and I hate to say it, but I'm not surprised the earlier times were already sold out. I think a lot of people prefer to use their FPs in the first half of the day, which really puts those plan-changers in a bind.
I'm very curious to see how the new system pans out in the long run...

When I saw how much I didn't like the system I felt panicky! Haha like I didn't want to be stuck with it in the future. I too am curious to see how they deal with it in the future, it seems to me not many people did like it.

 

[MEK]

I have to admit that I am a little naive when it comes to the FP plus system so I really appreciate your review.

Here are my comments / questions:

1. I can see it work for your first or second day of the trip, but after that things are likely to change and it doesn't seem to allow a lot of flexibility.

2. Is the eventual intention of the FP system for all guests or just on site guests? I would think on-site, but I'm not positive.

3. What happens if you have wanted to use the conventional FP system in addition to your FP Plus. For example, what if you had wanted to use FP earlier in the day.


Love your Stitch PP photo. That is just too cute.

 

[DisneyFreak06]

While I admit the early fall is a wonderful time to go there, I've had enough of it. I've been there in September 4 times now so I am dying to see something other than Hallowe'en decorations! Hahaha

I see from your ticker that you're working on changing that! From Hallowe'en to Christmas! Good for you. I think I'll need to take a year off or something just to travel to Disney as much as I would like! Hahahaha

I've been in March, twice, and the summer 4x basically. So that means I have only seen the parks in their normal attire, except maybe with a little extra flowers and plants as they get ready for the flower and garden festival.

 

[teekathepony]

I have to admit that I am a little naive when it comes to the FP plus system so I really appreciate your review.

Here are my comments / questions:

1. I can see it work for your first or second day of the trip, but after that things are likely to change and it doesn't seem to allow a lot of flexibility.
I'm not too sure how it would work for everyone, but as ours was only a trial we were only able to select one day and it was either the last or second last day of our trip that was available to us. I would say you're right though, you would be able to plan out your first days better than your last.

2. Is the eventual intention of the FP system for all guests or just on site guests? I would think on-site, but I'm not positive.
I can't honestly say I know. I do hope that if they keep the FP+ system, they also keep the old system and leave that open to off site guests. I would hate to see it become like Universal with exclusive FP access to on site guests.

3. What happens if you have wanted to use the conventional FP system in addition to your FP Plus. For example, what if you had wanted to use FP earlier in the day.
For us personally, we were able to use the normal FP system as you would any other time, there was no way that I know of linking our Keys to the World to our FP+ card, so to the knowledge of the FP machines, we didn`t have any FPs yet. I hope it would stay that way if they were to implement the FP+ permanently.


Love your Stitch PP photo. That is just too cute.
Hehe thanks, I love it! I had never seen that magic shot before!

I see from your ticker that you're working on changing that! From Hallowe'en to Christmas! Good for you. I think I'll need to take a year off or something just to travel to Disney as much as I would like! Hahahaha

I've been in March, twice, and the summer 4x basically. So that means I have only seen the parks in their normal attire, except maybe with a little extra flowers and plants as they get ready for the flower and garden festival.

We are working on a Christmas time trip! We've gone once in November for our honeymoon and it was magical, I can't wait to do it again. Gone 4 times in September and once, in 1991, in May! (So that doesn't really count!)

We should switch! I'd like to see the park in normal attire some time! You should go in the fall. I'll teach your class for a week. I've always wanted to be a teacher!

 

[geckodani]

*** Alert! Fastpass+ Review ***

While the idea of the system is sound, in practicality it does not work. Planning your rides a week or more in advance is not easy and does not allow any wiggle room should your plans change (as ours did) mid-trip. While I did enjoy not having to zig zag the park, not waiting for one FP to be up before getting another one, etc., the timing did not work out for us. The system was fairly rigid with limited times to choose from and forcing up to two hours between tickets. They tell you that you can change your choices in the parks or on your smart phone, but when we tried there were no earlier times available. When I arrived home I was sent an email from Disney asking me to review the system which I did, and unfortunately my review was almost all negative. I sincerely hope they do not keep this system in place, I don't think it works for anybody but super-planners who stick strictly to an itinerary.

1/5 stars, and that one is only because the RFID scanners are cool.

****************************************************
!

First of all, I'm loving this TR!

I'm sorry to hear that you did not enjoy FP+. My mom and I tested it out in December and LOVED it. Maybe because we had less planned as far as parks to be in etc?

When I scheduled mine, they were all about an hour apart, and that worked out really well for us. I also scheduled mine starting at about 11:00 on our MK day (I think we started at Ariel, then Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion and then Splash) so the evening would be free. I did the opposite at HS; scheduled 3 (Star Tours, ToT, and TSMM) and scheduled them so that our TSMM window ended just before our Sci-Fi ADR. I didn't try to change them though, so that may have something to do with my satisfaction level.

On our next trip, I think I'll do something similar; schedule them leading up to an ADR at the same park.

 

[teekathepony]

First of all, I'm loving this TR!

I'm sorry to hear that you did not enjoy FP+. My mom and I tested it out in December and LOVED it. Maybe because we had less planned as far as parks to be in etc?

When I scheduled mine, they were all about an hour apart, and that worked out really well for us. I also scheduled mine starting at about 11:00 on our MK day (I think we started at Ariel, then Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion and then Splash) so the evening would be free. I did the opposite at HS; scheduled 3 (Star Tours, ToT, and TSMM) and scheduled them so that our TSMM window ended just before our Sci-Fi ADR. I didn't try to change them though, so that may have something to do with my satisfaction level.

On our next trip, I think I'll do something similar; schedule them leading up to an ADR at the same park.

Very interesting! I'm glad to hear of someone who liked it, I haven't read many positive reviews. I can definitely see how it could be a very good thing, especially if you didn't have much planned. Our biggest issue was that due to changes the day before, our plans for that day changed and then we couldn't change our times to something earlier. Not being able to change them definitely put a sour taste in our mouths for this experience, I think we might have liked the system more if not for that. If we get the opportunity to try it again we probably will, hopefully we can do it earlier in our trip!

Oh, and thanks! I'm at work now, but I'm subbing to your TR to read when I get home!

 

[geckodani]

Very interesting! I'm glad to hear of someone who liked it, I haven't read many positive reviews. I can definitely see how it could be a very good thing, especially if you didn't have much planned. Our biggest issue was that due to changes the day before, our plans for that day changed and then we couldn't change our times to something earlier. Not being able to change them definitely put a sour taste in our mouths for this experience, I think we might have liked the system more if not for that. If we get the opportunity to try it again we probably will, hopefully we can do it earlier in our trip!

Oh, and thanks! I'm at work now, but I'm subbing to your TR to read when I get home!

I think that being able to schedule things on EACH park day (which you can, as I understand the actual system) rather than just a one or two day test might tip the scales too. If you miss a window but you've got another later in the week - no big deal.

And I've got to say, being able to get to HS at 4:00 and just walk right up to TSMM, wave the card and walk on was AWESOME.

For my mom and I who are early risers, getting FPs isn't too bad, but DH likes to sleep... and swim... and meander... and by the time we get to the parks the FPs are gone. So - FP+ will probably work well in those situations as well!

Oh - and you've inspired me to check out Behind the Seeds next time DH and I go!

And aw. I hope you like my TR as much as I'm enjoying yours!