Weird and Ninja’s Pre-Disneymoon [Completed!]

[disneybarbie]

enjoying the World Showcase updates!
I have only done KP in China pavillion so far, but I really enjoyed it!! Like you say, I noticed soo many things in the pavillion that most guests would just walk by!

You're right about the CMs staying in character until they're safely backstage.. when I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour last year, the tour-guide pointed out a line painted on the ground backstage.. at which point the CMs could be seen by guests - just like on a theatre stage!

Heading over to the PTR now..

Emma x

 

[wdwgirl03]

You obviously got a different mission in UK than we did. I have done that one twice, once with Sarah and Emma, and once with Claire, and both times we got the one where you go into the phone booth and get the golf ball.

That is what I was going to say too. Awesome you got a different mission! I like how there are different ones for each country.

On my way to your PTR right now!

 

[wisblue]

Yes, that camera in France is part of the Kim Possible mission. We've done that one too. Maybe the people gathering around were waiting for you to get out of the way so they could continue their missions.

 

[floridascgirl]

Yippeee!!! I'm heading over to your PTR right now...our next trip is in February, too.

 

[klacey1]

I love reading about the KP missions!! Glad to see how easy they make using the Kimmunicator and such. Sounds really fun!! I have to make my way over to your PTR now!

 

[RachelNinja]

enjoying the World Showcase updates!
I have only done KP in China pavillion so far, but I really enjoyed it!! Like you say, I noticed soo many things in the pavillion that most guests would just walk by!

You're right about the CMs staying in character until they're safely backstage.. when I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour last year, the tour-guide pointed out a line painted on the ground backstage.. at which point the CMs could be seen by guests - just like on a theatre stage!

Heading over to the PTR now..

Emma x

I'm hoping to do at least 2 missions next February! It'll be even better because it'll be much cooler, so walking from place to place won't be hot.

There we go! It was probably from reading someone's knowledge from the tour! I seriously do love that they thought that through!

That is what I was going to say too. Awesome you got a different mission! I like how there are different ones for each country.

On my way to your PTR right now!

I'm glad that they mix it up. Even if a few of the clues are the same, they're still cool to see!

Yes, that camera in France is part of the Kim Possible mission. We've done that one too. Maybe the people gathering around were waiting for you to get out of the way so they could continue their missions.

Haha, that's funny! I didn't have a clue! Incorporated so well.

Yippeee!!! I'm heading over to your PTR right now...our next trip is in February, too.

Woohoo! February is just THE perfect month! I love the fact that it's not hot! Makes touring so much easier even if it's crowded.

I love reading about the KP missions!! Glad to see how easy they make using the Kimmunicator and such. Sounds really fun!! I have to make my way over to your PTR now!

Yeah, I was thinking that it'd be a little bit more complicated, haha. But then again, it is designed for kids!

 

[RachelNinja]

Monday, April 5: Overwhelmed by Mitsukoshi

The next country in our tour of World Showcase was Japan. As we walked there, there were more Flower & Garden carts and stands. Here's the Mickey gnome that a lot of DISers really like!

As I've said before, it kind of creeps me out because I mean, it's Mickey dressed up as a GNOME. Why do you want to be a gnome? I have a little bit of an issue with gnomes because I'm afraid that they come alive at night and try to break into your house. Too many Goosebumps covers in my past that showed inanimate objects coming to life (I never read them, all my peers did). The only gnome I like is the Travelocity gnome in the commercials ... as long as he stays in the commercials ...

Another F&G-specific souvenir was the Vinylmation. I thought about getting it because there'd be no surprise, and I actually liked it. I figured it would commemorate the trip as well. But I still couldn't justify the cost, so Weird just took a picture of it instead.

As we approached Japan, I tried thinking about what I knew about it. I remembered it from my childhood along with Mexico, Norway, and China. Haha, strange that I don't remember anything else! I'm curious to see what my cousin Danielle thinks of it (we're planning on going in February; PTR link in my signature!). She's been to Japan twice, the second time was just this past June.

I like this pic because even though anyone can get this shot, my head's in the one that Weird got! Haha, I still can't get over the fact that there are actually a good amount of pics of me on a vacation! It's so weird to see since it's usually just me behind the camera.

As we were approaching Mitsukoshi, I saw that Miyuki was there making candy! Ooo, I thought it was so cool that we were able to catch her!

It's amazing to watch her turn this little blob into an animal. She talks in the headset microphone that she has on, but it's a little difficult to understand her with her accent. I thought it'd be no problem since I'm Asian too, but it didn't seem to do me any good!

Weird took a lot of pictures as I video-ed it. It's pretty interesting to see that the people in the background don't really change position throughout all the steps of her making the candy. They were so intent! But who wouldn't be? With a few sudden pulls, she made legs and created the body of a giraffe! Or as she said it, "GEE-raff."

She goes back behind the cart and paints all the appropriate colors on the animal. What's even more amazing is that there are only a certain amount of people in the world who are trained to do this, and I believe she's the only woman. From what I remember reading, she was trained by her grandfather, I think.

During the show, my parents tried calling me, but I couldn't take my phone out in time so they called Weird. It was a little ... I don't want to say "annoying," but it was just a bit bothersome to have to keep playing phone tag. I told them to just go and explore and have fun, but there were a few calls here and there. There really is a benefit with going with just one other person or even by yourself! With larger groups, I imagine there's more tension. And to think, we weren't even a large group; it was just the 5 of us!

Anyway, here's the video I took of Miyuki working her magic! If you've never seen her before, see if you can understand everything she's saying. In the beginning, she lists a lot of animals. It's a lot easier to hear and understand now than it was when we were there (of course, I listened to it a few times!).



One more note about Miyuki. I love her long, straight hair!!! I especially love it now because I recently cut my own hair to donate it for the 3rd time (maybe over a month ago?). The first 2 times was for Locks of Love, and this past time was for Pantene Pro-V because they only require 8 inches and because my aunt had breast cancer last year. Anyway, I cut my hair because it's one thing that I can do every 2 years or so, but I do miss it!

Some of the lighting.

And look, lots of Pokemon! The blue ones were cute; they kind of look like penguins!

We headed on up the stairs and opened the huge doors. I was greeted by 2 woman who informed me that the store I was looking for was actually on the lower level. Oh. Haha, I felt a little stupid because I didn't know, but I thought the whole store was 2 floors! At least Weird was able to grab some pictures from there!

It does provide a great view!

When we went back downstairs and entered the store, I was immediately taken aback! Whoa, there's a TON of stuff in there, and it's rather overwhelming!!! Of course, they had a ton of Pokemon stuff everywhere, which wasn't all that exciting since I go to Chinatown every week. However, this shirt was pretty cute! I see this shirt done with like, the Sesame Street characters (Elmo, Cookie Monster) with just the facial features on a one color shirt. Cute that they did it with Pikachu!

Here are some bags that they sell there! Haha, I took pics of bags everywhere else, so I figured, why not in Japan?

I was also very interested in the Pick-A-Pearl. I actually considered doing it before we left for the trip. Even though I don't really wear much jewelry, I thought it'd be really cute to have one, especially a necklace with the cage. I looked at the oysters that were there.

Um, is it just me or does this area smell terrible?! Haha, I'm used to the fishy smell because in Chinatown there are a lot of fish markets. It gets even worse in the summer heat. However, this was pretty gross probably because I wasn't expecting it (although at least I knew what it was; it wasn't like red phone booth in Canada stench!). Haha, I expect it from Chinatown nowadays. Despite the smell, I had a lot of fun watching people get their pearl and have the Japanese girls go through the whole ceremony.

I took this next picture for a reason. I know it's not that clear, but for those of you watch The Office, doesn't the girl who's standing at the back behind the table (the one on the left side of the pic) look like the girl Michael liked in A Benihana Christmas? I couldn't get over that, so I had to sneak this pic of her!

I got excited when I saw Tamogotchi! I actually never got a Tamogotchi. I had a Dinkie Dino instead that I think was actually cuter. The Tamogotchi buttons often fell out/off and my friends were always annoyed. My cousin Danielle and I bought the Dino one from a store close to our church, and we had a lot of fun with that! I remember I made a little booklet of directions for my mom when I had to go somewhere without "Bean" (haha when he starts off, he's looks like a bean, just a circle!). Bean turned into a really cute dinosaur! Maybe about 5 years ago, I found it and turned it on again, but after a few days of growing, I think the batteries died.

Monchichi! I used to be scared of (ok, who am I kidding, I still think it's scary now) Monchichi. It's just weird. Like ... a monkey baby? Haha, and as great as most of Weird's pics turned out, this one is hilarious that it's so crooked.

There really is so much to see in the store. I resorted to these kinds of shots!

Of course, there were tons of Hello Kitty things!

The one spot I wish we had explored was the place where they have the snack foods! I wanted to know what they offered. Plus, I was extremely interested in seeing the prices because I knew it'd cost a lot more than Chinatown prices. Unfortunately, we left without getting a chance to explore! I was extra disappointed because I so would've been like, "Lou Mongello was here!"

As we left the store, Miyuki was posing with the candy she had made. Does she just collect them for the picture or does she keep them? I vaguely remember reading something about how the kids don't get to keep it anymore, but I might be mistaken.

Anyway, we were walking away from the store when I saw this spot! I immediately told Weird to stand there so I could get a picture. I wonder if anyone knows why.

Well, here's the reason why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtSScdJ425o Yup, it's because Lou Mongello went and bought snacks from Mitsukoshi and then tried them right there by the koi pond (around 3:10 in the YouTube video)! Haha, I was such a silly, but it really thrilled me to have Weird stand there IN THAT SPOT!!! I'm not a huge WDWRadio follower, but I love Celebrations magazine (Weird and I split the cost as each other's Christmas gift last year!). Plus, I have the trivia books that he wrote. Anyway, I can't help but be entertained to see a white guy eating Japanese snacks! Obviously I grew up on weird snack food, so it's so interesting watching someone else taste these things for the first time and be apprehensive about it!

Oh, and Lou Mongello is my buddy.

(Too many photos, continued in the next post)

 

[RachelNinja]

(Continued from previous post)

I thought it was only appropriate that this was next to a koi pond. Hehe, again, for you fans of The Office ... remember when Michael fell in the koi pond and they saw in the video that Jim didn't try to catch him? Haha.

I said a few updates ago that Canada would be a beautiful place for engagement or wedding photos. I think Japan would also be extremely gorgeous too!

The ducks seemed to be really happy there!

Lots of bonsai trees were on display. I don't know if they're always there or if it was a Flower & Garden thing?

Next time I'll be sure to check the times for the drummers.

I forgot to look for this, but as we were passing by this spot, I heard it!

This is something that the Japanese farmers used to put in their gardens to keep away the deer. As you can see in the video, the water fills up the tube and when it gets heavy and wants to empty, it tips and then it moves back into position and knocks the rock.



Before leaving the pavilion, I tried to take an artistic photo. Haha, I accidentally had it in video mode. You can hear me say, "Let's not record a movie" and Weird replying, "Mmhmm."



This was the photo I was trying to take. Haha, I think the video is more entertaining.

Okay, we finished (or at least passed by!) 5 countries ... still a few more to go!

 

[disneybarbie]

I love the Japan pavillion! particularly the Hello Kitty section of the Mitsukoshi store... it's soo .. pink!!
The pavillion always makes me think of my Dad because he used to go to Tokyo a lot on business trips when we were kids - and he'd always bring back Totoro videos or crazy plush toys!

Lol I'm a huge Lou Mongello fan too! always listen to his podcasts each week - brightens up my commute to work
Have you met him in WDW?! I almost did last December.. my sister and I went to the Celebrations Magazine meet, but unfortunately Lou's Dad was ill and he couldn't be there.. we did meet Tim Foster, Steve Barrett (Hidden Mickey guide!) and a ton of other people from the 'online/podcasting community' !

Emma x

 

[wdwgirl03]

OMG, Tomagachis, I remember those! My sisters and I actually got fake ones for a while because we couldn't find the real ones anywhere . We had to take them back a couple times because we thought they were broken...but now that I think about it, it was just because we weren't taking care of them right. Then we finally got real ones. Ohh those were the days.

Wow Rachel, you have good self-control when it comes to buying souvenirs. I always try but that usually doesn't work out too well.

Jealous you got to see the candy lady!

 

[peterpanlover96]

There's that gnome again... Haha, I've been trying to find something cute about it for the past few days, but i'm at a loss. Anyway I Japan in Epcot! Everybody is so nice and the shop's and buildings are magnificent. I actually did the Pick-A-Pearl for my 14th trip in June/July this year since its our last trip until construction at Magic Kingdom is done. I was weary at first because even though I LOVE pearls, dropping $50 on a necklace seemed a little steep. I walked through the store for awhile longer and thought what the heck and did it. I wear the necklace I made almost everyday! Its so pretty and it can be dressed up or dressed down. I have no regrets making it at all. Maybe you can do Pick-A-Pearl on your next trip! Love the Koi pond pick with Weird, very pretty spot! I rarely listen to WDW Radio, but I do know who your talking about. How cool that you got a pic where he was standing! Well I think I've already written enough, I'll stop now. Can't wait for your next update

 

[klacey1]

You're bringing up so many childhood memories for me lol! I LOVED Goosebumps books-- which is odd, because I was (and am) a scary movie wimp! Between my brother and I, we had a massive Tomagachi collection. We had the knock-off ones that turned into dogs, cats, etc. too. Loved them at the time, but I can't believe I was entertained by them now!
The Japan gift shop is my absolute favorite! I think the fish smell makes the oyster picking...authentic lol. I loved picking a pearl-- I had mine set into a ring. I'm not a big fan of silly souvenirs, so it was perfect for me! If you want to get one your next trip, you can buy a chain and cage for mega-cheap on ebay and only have to pay for the pearl at WDW. They have a Cinderella coach cage that I think I'm going to get for our next trip that's only $3.50 for a Buy It Now!

 

[Cat0727]

The japan pavillion is just so beautiful. I love going in Mitsukoshi! I always spend so much time in there and end up buying something.

Those Pokemon stuffed animals sure are cute!

 

[RachelNinja]

I love the Japan pavillion! particularly the Hello Kitty section of the Mitsukoshi store... it's soo .. pink!!
The pavillion always makes me think of my Dad because he used to go to Tokyo a lot on business trips when we were kids - and he'd always bring back Totoro videos or crazy plush toys!

Lol I'm a huge Lou Mongello fan too! always listen to his podcasts each week - brightens up my commute to work
Have you met him in WDW?! I almost did last December.. my sister and I went to the Celebrations Magazine meet, but unfortunately Lou's Dad was ill and he couldn't be there.. we did meet Tim Foster, Steve Barrett (Hidden Mickey guide!) and a ton of other people from the 'online/podcasting community' !

Emma x

I used to go to these stores that sold items with the Sanrio characters on them all the time on Sundays after church since we were in Chinatown. I loved them! Seeing all of the merchandise brought back so many memories!

Your dad must've brought home some cute things! When my dad went away on business in China, he used to bring home pajamas for my brother and me (the matching sets of sweats). Haha, I loved them and wore them for years as a little girl!

There's just something about the accessibility of Lou Mongello that I really like. Like you can just tell he's just like us with his interest in WDW! Haha, of course, he just knows way more than we do. As for why he's my buddy, haha, you'll have to wait and see.

OMG, Tomagachis, I remember those! My sisters and I actually got fake ones for a while because we couldn't find the real ones anywhere . We had to take them back a couple times because we thought they were broken...but now that I think about it, it was just because we weren't taking care of them right. Then we finally got real ones. Ohh those were the days.

Wow Rachel, you have good self-control when it comes to buying souvenirs. I always try but that usually doesn't work out too well.

Jealous you got to see the candy lady!

Oh yeah, it used to be so difficult to buy them at the store because they were always sold out! Haha, funny how into those things we were. They were just the beginning of making kids attached to technology! Of course, I think I'd rather have kids still play with those now instead of anything else. At least it fosters a nurturing attitude!

I did buy souvenirs when we went to Downtown Disney! But yeah, I don't think it's so much self-control as it is being cheap! I relate everything to after school tutoring money. If there's something I want, I'll think ... this is an hour of tutoring. Haha, and I'll figure out if it's worth it.

There's that gnome again... Haha, I've been trying to find something cute about it for the past few days, but i'm at a loss. Anyway I Japan in Epcot! Everybody is so nice and the shop's and buildings are magnificent. I actually did the Pick-A-Pearl for my 14th trip in June/July this year since its our last trip until construction at Magic Kingdom is done. I was weary at first because even though I LOVE pearls, dropping $50 on a necklace seemed a little steep. I walked through the store for awhile longer and thought what the heck and did it. I wear the necklace I made almost everyday! Its so pretty and it can be dressed up or dressed down. I have no regrets making it at all. Maybe you can do Pick-A-Pearl on your next trip! Love the Koi pond pick with Weird, very pretty spot! I rarely listen to WDW Radio, but I do know who your talking about. How cool that you got a pic where he was standing! Well I think I've already written enough, I'll stop now. Can't wait for your next update

Haha, yeah, I thought of you when I was writing about and posting the picture of the gnome! I think if you take off the hat ... and the beard ... and the outfit ... and put on red pants, the Mickey gnome will then be cute! Haha, because it'll just be Mickey!

The reason why I didn't get the pearl is because I don't really wear necklaces. I feel as if it makes my neck look weird. Haha. When I wear necklaces, I'm very conscious of it! I wouldn't get a ring either because it'd throw off what I already wear. Hmm, maybe if I Got a necklace that had a longer chain ...

If you wear it every day, the $50 is nothing! I'm sure it brings you a lot of happiness because it comes with good memories!

You're bringing up so many childhood memories for me lol! I LOVED Goosebumps books-- which is odd, because I was (and am) a scary movie wimp! Between my brother and I, we had a massive Tomagachi collection. We had the knock-off ones that turned into dogs, cats, etc. too. Loved them at the time, but I can't believe I was entertained by them now!
The Japan gift shop is my absolute favorite! I think the fish smell makes the oyster picking...authentic lol. I loved picking a pearl-- I had mine set into a ring. I'm not a big fan of silly souvenirs, so it was perfect for me! If you want to get one your next trip, you can buy a chain and cage for mega-cheap on ebay and only have to pay for the pearl at WDW. They have a Cinderella coach cage that I think I'm going to get for our next trip that's only $3.50 for a Buy It Now!

I remember all my peers loving Goosebumps, and I was too afraid to even TOUCH them! And I'm a scary movie wimp too! Can't even watch the commercials. I cover my ears and close my eyes and hum. When I'm with Weird, he wraps his arm around me and hums too, and then he tells me when it's safe!

Haha, we thought we were so cool to have a little virtual pet. We didn't know that they were going to make everything seemingly virtual for kids these days!

Haha, yeah, authentic is a good word for it! I really like the Cinderella coach cage and have looked at it before. However, I'm not that big of a fan of Cinderella! I actually like the cage that they have there at the store, the one that kind of twists around the pearl? That's what I would have gotten. I wonder if my cousin will do it when we go in February. I might be tempted if she does it!

The japan pavillion is just so beautiful. I love going in Mitsukoshi! I always spend so much time in there and end up buying something.

Those Pokemon stuffed animals sure are cute!

I didn't explore Mitsukoshi enough to find something to buy. I'm afraid that if I spend a lot of time in there, there'll be a bunch of things that interest me!!!

 

[RachelNinja]

Monday, April 5: Lemonade and Cannonballs

The next pavilion after Japan was America! I was excited to listen to The Voices of Liberty and finally see The American Adventure. I took a picture of Matt by the topiaries.

Of course, as I was taking that pic, Weird took this one!

And here's another one of those his shot and her shot! This is Weird's pic of The American Adventure.

And here's mine! Even though mine has people in it, I like it better! Hehe. Oh, and I forgot to specifically look for it, but you can kind of see it in these pics. Look at the #4 on the clock. It isn't IV, it's actually IIII instead! I think it's what they used to do a long time ago.

A helicopter! It doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but any time Weird and I see one, we laugh. When we dated the first time around back in college, Weird accompanied me to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage for a paper I had to write for a theology class. After touring the museum, we sat outside in the cold for a while. A helicopter started flying around in that area, and we joked that it was my dad who was spying on us! Haha, so any time we see one in the air, it's either my dad himself or someone hired by my dad to follow us!

At this point, I was starting to feel rather miserable from the heat. I was trying to call my parents to find out where they were, but my mom didn't pick up. She just opened her phone so I could hear the background and then ended the call. We do that and know that it just means the person can't talk (my dad used to do that during meetings at work). But I wasn't having a good time in the sun and standing on my feet for so long. Plus, I was thirsty. Even though I had water, I needed something with sugar (I'm also hypoglycemic) so Weird bought a frozen lemonade for all of us to share. I thought it was strange because I've shared with Weird before and I've shared with Matt ... they've never shared before though! Haha, I used the little spoon on the end of the straw to more or less shovel it in Matt's mouth!

Instead of sitting on chairs by a table, we decided to sit on the side of the building where the doors are to enter The American Adventure. It was nice and cool there in the shade. Haha, and it was the perfect opportunity for Weird to take this picture.

Stand clear of the doors! Caution: Doors Open Automatically.

Of course, I was teasing Weird at this point and saying stuff like, "Lights! Doors! Window! Take a picture! Sky!"

Haha, if anything, these pics (haha, except for this sky one) would make a very good game of "Where was this picture taken?"

The frozen lemonade was definitely refreshing. It was exactly what I needed. I would've probably collapsed had we not sat down and taken a sugar break!

Weird, of course, took pics of my sipping on it, and he caught a hilarious progression!

Haha, don't worry, it's really good! I just was hit with a lot of sourness in that sip! Haha, I just couldn't control my reaction. There was a good 10-15 pics of the whole event because he took them in quick succession.

When we finished the drink and were sitting there for quite some time, I decided to get up and ask the CMs there where the people come out when the show is finished. I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss them because it seemed like it was taking an awfully long time. I didn't know that the show really was that long!

Eventually we went on inside, and we were listening to this guy talk for a bit.

I don't like history or anything like that, but it seems a lot easier to take in when I'm at Disney! Especially since I try to find ways to link it back to my lessons (I do a lot of historical fiction, plus, I just like sharing random Disney facts with my students, so if it's related to school subjects, I feel it's even better!). Well, this guy just seemed very excited to be there and talking about what he loved, so it made it that much more enjoyable.

Weird and I wanted to go in the little museum area to the right. Haha, we stepped in and looked at something and then went around the corner and realized ... that was it. It was pretty small! I didn't really enjoy whatever was there though because I was still wondering when/where I'd get back in contact with my parents. It just got me nervous because I didn't want my dad to get upset that it was difficult to find us.

Isn't this place just gorgeous though? I saw a picture of someone who had a wedding reception or some other event in here. If I could afford, that's what I would do!

I did finally get a call from them when they were done, and we headed on back outside to meet up with them. I told them that I still wanted to watch the show. Oh, and that was also when I found out that they had caught the last show of The Voices of Liberty! That meant I missed it! AGHHH!!! That was one thing I really wanted to say, even more so than Miyuki. Oh well! I told my parents about British Invasion, and they were bummed about that, especially my dad. I guess that's just cause to go again!

My dad did get video of The Voices of Liberty singing though, so I'll post those here if you want a listen. Such powerful voices! My dad was very impressed.









Well, my parents were willing to sit through the show again just because the rest of us wanted to see it. So we headed back in. Before we did though, I told my mom about something the CM had said. When you're walking into The American Adventure, make a left. On the wall is a painting of an airplane that actually is like an optical illusion. When you look at it and walk from left to right, it looks as if the tip of the plane moves along with you! Wherever you stand, the nose of the plane is at the front! It's pretty amazing that that could be done with a PAINTING!

I took a video of it, and you can actually see this really cool effect!



Seriously, so so so pretty!

Here am I enjoying this attraction that I've never experienced before.

(Too many photos, continued in the next post)[/IMG]

 

[RachelNinja]

(Continued from previous post)

We were soon allowed to head on upstairs on the escalators or stairs to get to the theater. Tons of flags hung above us creating such a spectacular view. Haha, you can also see the spectacular view of all the people who chose to take the escalators and those who chose to take the stairs. When I take the ferry or subway in NYC, I often take the stairs because I don't want to wait. I also feel like it's doing a little bit more exercise. However, being in a Disney theme park is enough exercise! I was already tired, so we hopped on the escalator.

I would've been really scared to take this picture because even though I chose the escalator over the stairs, I'm always afraid of falling backwards!

We settled in our seats once we reached the theater. The chairs were pretty comfortable, especially after sitting outside on the concrete bricks, whatever it's called.

I was not comfortable, however, with the fact that the 3 women in front of us were talking about how 1 of them didn't feel well. I don't really remember the conversation at this point, but when the show started, I was afraid that this girl was going to throw up or something. I wanted to move away! Either that or I didn't want to get any germs from her. I think she eventually fell asleep, but I was just uneasy the whole time.

The show was pretty long. I do think it's something that everyone should try once, but I'll be honest with you ... I wouldn't really go see this again unless I needed to close my eyes for a bit! The animatronics parts were really cool, but after a while, it just wasn't interesting to see anymore.

There were a couple of highlights from the entire show though:

1. Ben Franklin walking up stairs and across the stage. That was something I was looking forward to seeing as I had read/heard about it beforehand. It was cool to see although part of me feels like the more realistic they make these animatronics, the more likely they'll come and attack us ...

2. When the cowboy dude (Will Rogers, I looked it up) stands there and spins a lasso! Afterwards, Weird and I were obsessing over that because obviously the animatronic had to have been programmed very well to do that. My mom wasn't watching that scene the whole time, and she thought that the rope was just hardened to be a circle. We were like, "Nope, when he stopped spinning it, it fell to his side as just rope!" Haha, very different than the little cowboy lasso-ing in "it's a small world"!

3. The montage at the end of important historical events of the United States. Of course, the stuff about 9/11 hit close to home. I still clearly remember the day it happened, finding out in school and not thinking much of it (when we all thought it was just an accident), and then seeing fellow students panic and try to call their parents on their cellphones because they worked in the towers or in that area. We weren't allowed to leave school early unless a parent checked us out. I remember feeling so uneasy that we weren't safe in NY. My aunt who worked very close to the towers heard about it and left right away. Others didn't think much of it, but she left and began walking to my dad's office closer to the ferry. When the towers collapsed, they couldn't see anything. They couldn't even see their hands in front of their faces. Seeing that moment in the montage got me a little choked up. It's obviously something really touching, but at the same time, it's a little upsetting because I know future generations won't see that in the same way. It'll just be an event in history in the same way that I see things that my parents experienced as kids as just events in history.

4. And to lighten it up (I switched the order of #3-4), the last part that Weird and I absolutely loved was when they had the son "A cannonball don't pay no mind." The introduction to it with the family portrait and all that and then the song itself got us laughing. Yes, I do realize it's not a laughing matter, especially after what I just explained in #3. But gosh, is it just me or does that song just sound really corny? I understand the point of it, that it didn't matter what side the brothers were on in the war because in the end it was war and people died, but I don't know ... the voice of the woman singing it or something really made it funny for us. Maybe we were just really bored and tired at that point ...

At the end of the show, I was afraid that the white statues on both sides of the theater were going to move or something, so I kept asking my mom over and over just to make sure! Haha. Walking out of the theater was interesting too because it was rather steep.

As we were leaving the pavilion, we were walking alongside this duck. I think someone was feeding it part of a pretzel or something.

Waddle waddle. Maybe we'll just follow the duck to the next pavilion!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I remember being so hot in May that I thought I was going to die, we had a frozen lemonade and it perked us right back up - something about them is just so refreshing!

Sorry you didn't enjoy The American Adventure all that much, I love it, but then again, I love history so that helps.

 

[therussells08]

I have missed so many wonderful updates! But I'm all caught up now! I love reading about your time in the WS! It makes me so excited to go back!

I have never tried a Kim Possible mission before, but I would love to someday! I have already decided that I am DEFINITELY doing PAP our next trip. That is one of the things that I had never even heard about until I read about it on Joni's (the other one, haha!) TR. I love jewelry, so I'm going to be all over that!

Your pictures are so pretty! I love the American Pavilion. When we took my sister in March 2009 I fell asleep during the show, though! DH and I saw the Voices of Liberty once and we were blown away by them! They were incredible!

 

[therussells08]

I just wanted to tell you, I was messing around on the Disney Store website and they have the F&G Festival Vinylmation figure that you wanted on sale for $9.99!

 

[peterpanlover96]

I have never in all fourteen Disney trips I've ever taken, gone inside the America pavilion. I think it would be nice to escape the heat, but i'd rather do it somewhere else where I won't be bored. I might do it the next trip, but only if I'm hot and tired. Anyway, loved the update and thought the frozen lemonade pics were to cute I love those, and def will get one the next time I'm off to read your PTR update