We're Doing WHAT For My Birthday??? - Final Thoughts

[Trentmom]

Great Parade pics

Stepsisters are hilarious

I am guessing you head to Splash Mountain

I am going guess you are having dinner in the castle

 

[kaoden39]

The step-sisters are so great. I have never seen them at Disneyland. Yet another reason to visit during the Halloween season.

 

[cherbear]

Thank you, and yes those step sisters were having a great time with the crowd while Tremaine remained aloof as you would expect. If I was to play a character I would prefer it be a more jaded one

Oh, I'm sure the ladies who are told they are to be Anastasia and Drizella aren't happy to hear their looks aren't up to "princess" caliber

I have actually seen pics on the DIS of quite attractive "stepsisters", and also pics of 'less attractive' princesses too.

 

[mnmrmustard]

I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to have to deliver that news...

Nooooo, not at all!

Great Parade pics

Stepsisters are hilarious

I am guessing you head to Splash Mountain

I am going guess you are having dinner in the castle

Thank you! They are a blast for sure

Both great guesses especially given the proximity and one of them becomes right as it is the second place we go to keep cool

The step-sisters are so great. I have never seen them at Disneyland. Yet another reason to visit during the Halloween season.

That is true, I've only seen them at Mickey's Trick or Treat Party at CA.

I have actually seen pics on the DIS of quite attractive "stepsisters", and also pics of 'less attractive' princesses too.

Good point on that Cheri! Casting can come up with some interesting choices

 

[mnmrmustard]

The Dreams parade had finished and the heat was beating down on us. We had a quick conversation and decided our oasis would be the Country Bear Jamboree! We were able to go right in after parking the scooter and sat towards the back. I was feeling beat as it was around 4:30pm and I’d been there since the park opened. So I literally layed down on one of the benches and closed my eyes for a bit while the AC washed over me.

I still sat up to take a couple of pics

Large Version of The Bear Crew

The boys jammin’

The big finale

…and of course the guys on the wall

When we came out we still needed a cool-down so yes, we walked up the path to Splash Mountain – Whoohoo! The lines were at 45 minutes but at least a good chunk of it was in the shade. While waiting I had to take the obligatory shots of a log going down the chute

Again I had taken a BOAT LOAD of pictures inside this ride on our last trip and this time I was with my baby so we mostly just sat back and enjoyed it.

I did pull the camera out for the river boat

And Brer Fox in the briars

Along with Brer Rabbit kickin’ back

I didn’t get the best picture of us and there is a hand over Roxy's face, but if you look really close you can see Roxy and I smoochin’ in the back of the log ;-D

We came out and still had some time before our dinner rese so we decided to take in PoTC. The line wasn’t bad and I kept the camera tucked away since y’all can see plenty o’ pics of it at the beginning of this day. We had a nice ride on pirate waters and came out in time to see pirate Goofy.

It was 5:30pm now and time to head to my 5:45pm birthday dinner reservations at…



…wait for it



Liberty Tree Tavern!



It was our first time eating there and I had heard it was a great place to eat for a birthday celebration. It was pretty busy in there but we found seats in the waiting area. We were called pretty quickly and seated at a table in one of the upper areas.

Roxy at our table

And me eating some fine grub

At the next table there was a birthday girl with a crown that Roxy just had to get a picture of

There were several birthdays going on there that evening.

Time for my birthday song!

Our waitress was a real gem, had to get a pic with her and my birthday dessert

We had a wonderful dinner there and like Le Cellier we will make it a regular reservation destination.

Next up, the end of my Big MK Birthday!

Click Here for the Next Chapter: Day 6 Part 13 – The sun goes down on the Magic Kingdom

 

[Trentmom]

yay, I was partially right

Liberty Tree Tavern was great.....such good food and good atmosphere

that was a cute crown that girl had on


I have not seen Country bear in forever. Might have to Take Trent in there as he has never seen it

 

[kaoden39]

Oh my gosh I miss the Country Bear Jamboree!! I wish they still had that in Disneyland. I mean I think Pooh Bear is cute but I preferred Country Bear.

 

[mnmrmustard]

yay, I was partially right

Liberty Tree Tavern was great.....such good food and good atmosphere

that was a cute crown that girl had on


I have not seen Country bear in forever. Might have to Take Trent in there as he has never seen it

Yes you were! Liberty Tree was an absolute blast. We loved it. And yes, very cute crown.

Oh my gosh I miss the Country Bear Jamboree!! I wish they still had that in Disneyland. I mean I think Pooh Bear is cute but I preferred Country Bear.

Yes, the Jamboree is missed at DLR. And they've made the line wait at Pooh at WDW very interactive. You'd love it!

Well, I think its time to end my birthday celebration - last update from MK coming up!

 

[heaven2dc]

How in the world did I miss seeing your TR?!! I am only on Day One but am loving it already - can't wait to get caught up. I just moved back to Oregon from Virginia (now live in Central Oregon - Crooked River Ranch) and love this area. So howdy fellow Oregonians! Now back to reading...

 

[mnmrmustard]

How in the world did I miss seeing your TR?!! I am only on Day One but am loving it already - can't wait to get caught up. I just moved back to Oregon from Virginia (now live in Central Oregon - Crooked River Ranch) and love this area. So howdy fellow Oregonians! Now back to reading...

Hello and happy to have another Oregonian following along! There are a LOT of great TRs here and mine has been ebbing and flowing since April. I just seem to take forever with these things so it can end up floating onto the second or third page here and there.

Welcome back home! I'm down in Southern Oregon - Grants Pass area. We do a lot of camping in the summer so let me know if you have some good spots to go to around your neck of the woods.

 

[mnmrmustard]

We left Liberty Tree Tavern around 7pm and headed towards the castle. The sun was going down quickly but we stopped for one more photo op of me in front of it.

We slowly worked our way back up through Fantasyland. I stopped over by the fence where the new section is being built and popped off a shot

Alice and friends were frolicking

The area of the fence I was at had a cool Beauty and the Beast mural

Large Version of The Beast mural

Roxy and I decided to take in Winnie the Pooh next. As we rolled on that way I took a quick shot of Roxy with the Merry go Round in the background

On to Pooh!

The gophers were cute

I put the camera away when we got to the honey walls as the crowds stayed in front of them so I couldn’t get a good shot. I’m sure someone has a vid up of it anyways. Cute ride as always.

When we came out the sunset was really coming on

Big Sunset

The castle looked very magical

Large shot of Castle

2nd Large shot of Castle

3rd Large shot of Castle

Looking towards Liberty Square from the hub

Large shot from the Hub

We stood at the hub and contemplated the end of our evening. You may remember that the one reservation we couldn’t seem to land was for the Wishes Fireworks Dessert. We called several times a day each day and still no dice. The last CM we spoke to said that there were always no shows and we just had to hang out at the entrance an hour before it started and hope for the best.

It was 7:40pm and we contemplated waiting and then attempting to eat enough of the dessert to make the price tag worthwhile. We came to the conclusion that we were waaayyyy too full still from Liberty Tree and too tired to really enjoy the show. I had been in the park for just shy of 12 hours and was all birthday’ed out.

So back down Main Street we went

One last look back at the castle

Last look at the Castle

We made our way through the crowds and came out of the park. I turned back and took one last look at the station.

Looking Back at the Station

I slung the camera and we worked our way down to the bus depot. I was very happy that it was a downhill walk. The POP bus queue is all the way down and I pretty much collapsed when I got there. Now those of you who have been following along as I’ve posted will get a bit of a curve ball. I went back and added a paragraph right after our run on the People Mover in Part 9. We had picked up some stuff at Tomorrowland gift shops including a suitcase that we had sent to the front of the park. Well there we were at the bus stop with no suitcase!

Luckily Roxy had the scooter and rolled back to the entrance to pick it up. She made it back about 10 minutes later with the suitcase strategically wedged in her scooter. We loaded up and took the ride back to POP and after showers pretty much collapsed and slept hard.

Only one more day left and one more park unvisited. We were going to make our last day a leisurely stroll through the Animal Kingdom!


Click Here for the Next Chapter: Day 7 Part 1 – On to AK for our Last Day!!!

 

[cherbear]

thank God for Roxy and the scooter. That walk is unbearable at the end of a long day! Every time I make that walk, as I'm passing the closer stops, I think "we really should have stayed at Boardwalk. Too bad we are poor and have to walk!" LOL

I am excited to read about your AK day!

 

[mnmrmustard]

thank God for Roxy and the scooter. That walk is unbearable at the end of a long day! Every time I make that walk, as I'm passing the closer stops, I think "we really should have stayed at Boardwalk. Too bad we are poor and have to walk!" LOL

I am excited to read about your AK day!

No Kidding! The battery on that thing was really good, we never ran low on juice. And Roxy drove it like an expert. In past trips I was always the pack mule for everyone's extra stuff - this time Roxy could do it and still relax

Yes, getting pics together from the AK day now. I'll be out of town the next couple of days and will be working most of the weekend so there probably won't be a AK post until sometime next week. Ah well, darn that RL!

 

[Trentmom]

Sounds like the rest of your bday was great

Beautiful pics with the castle and sunset

Thanks goodness Roxy had scooter. That walk back would have been awful

 

[mnmrmustard]

Sounds like the rest of your bday was great

Beautiful pics with the castle and sunset

Thanks goodness Roxy had scooter. That walk back would have been awful

It was a wonderful day and a beautiful sunset. Amen on that scooter

 

[mnmrmustard]

After my big birthday at MK both Roxy and I were ready for a leisurely day. I put away my birthday button and hat and wanted to just be another guest on a safari date with his wife. We slept in until after 8am and were very leisurely with getting ourselves together for the day. We had out last breakfast at the POP food court and made our way out to the AK line. It was a Tuesday so we were hoping for a lighter crowd day. We caught our AK bus and made it to the park just before 10am.

Upon getting off the bus I noticed one of the survey markers, I don’t know why but I just love coming across things like this

We walked/rolled forward and I got a picture of Roxy in front of the Welcome sign

We continued walking towards the entrance and I snapped a pic of an empty tram – nobody leaving the park yet!

There was a PP photographer out front so we had her take some pics for us

No real lines at the ticket booth

I love the heads they have on the booths

We were through the turnstiles and security very quickly and on to the wildlife fun. Our first animal encounter was with a black swan

Purdy plumage

The parrots were very active

I can’t remember exactly what varmint this was but he was being bashful when we walked by

Past the windy entrance trail we came across the bridge and onto the Tree of Life backdrop and another PP photographer. First my camera

…and then hers

Kiss kiss!

I added in the bonus pics from PhotoPass online for your enjoyment

And a couple of obligatory pics of the tree itself

Next up we check out the fishies and then find a seat in the Circle of Life

Click here for the next chapter: Day 7 Part 2 – Nemo’s Friends and a Good Dose of Hakuna Matata

 

[heaven2dc]

Hello and happy to have another Oregonian following along! There are a LOT of great TRs here and mine has been ebbing and flowing since April. I just seem to take forever with these things so it can end up floating onto the second or third page here and there.

Welcome back home! I'm down in Southern Oregon - Grants Pass area. We do a lot of camping in the summer so let me know if you have some good spots to go to around your neck of the woods.

I found your TR and lost it lol Loving all of your photos!

One place I can recommend for camping is Crooked River Ranch (I actually live on it). There is a campground and also cabins to rent. The scenery is so different here in the high desert - gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. And lots of hiking areas around the Deschutes River. Years ago my late hubby and I used to camp at East Lake and Paulina Lake which is south of here. Beautiful lakes! Oregon has so much to offer, doesn't it?

After reading your TR so far and seeing all the pics, I am itching to go back! I might venture down to Disneyland this next Spring (my DS29 lives in L.A. so could plan to visit him and take a short jaunt to DL - it's changed so much since we were last there when he was 1 year old.)

 

[mnmrmustard]

I found your TR and lost it lol Loving all of your photos!

One place I can recommend for camping is Crooked River Ranch (I actually live on it). There is a campground and also cabins to rent. The scenery is so different here in the high desert - gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. And lots of hiking areas around the Deschutes River. Years ago my late hubby and I used to camp at East Lake and Paulina Lake which is south of here. Beautiful lakes! Oregon has so much to offer, doesn't it?

After reading your TR so far and seeing all the pics, I am itching to go back! I might venture down to Disneyland this next Spring (my DS29 lives in L.A. so could plan to visit him and take a short jaunt to DL - it's changed so much since we were last there when he was 1 year old.)

Thank you for the recommendations, always good to have some new horizons to explore

You haven't been to DLR in that long? Yes, you should take a trip down there. From what I hear a lot of the California Adventure re-theming should be completed in May of 2012 including the new CARS land. I haven't seen the new World of Color show there so I'm looking forward to making my way down there again myself.

Now back to my TR, see if I can get this thing finished!

 

[mnmrmustard]

It was our goal to hit some favorites and check out the stuff we missed the first time around. Last time we went it was with the kids in tow and they wanted to see the more spectacular stuff so it was Dinos, Nemo, Everest, and the Safari. This time we looked around the front a bit, seeing what the area around the Tree of Life had to offer.

I liked the lush area they had for the birds at the base of the tree.

And just down from it the flamingo pond

On to the left from there was some funky fish. This one wanted to say ‘hi!’

When we finished looking at the fish we made our way to Camp Minnie Mickey. This is an area we didn’t get to explore at all on our last trip. We crossed a bridge as we went ank it looked to me like the river was made of guacamole!

I guess this croc had too much guac himself and had to purge – lol

We made it into the camp and found Daisy taking the nephews for a hike

…while the guys enjoyed some fishing

We then caught a photo op with Meeko

After that it was on to the line for the Lion King. We had to wait about a half hour to get in and I was thankful that there were plenty of shade trees for us as it was just after 11am by then and getting hotter by the minute. We were able to go in first and get Roxy’s scooter situated in a pretty good spot. I have been racking my brain but can’t remember which animal group we were in – lol

Soon enough everyone was seated and the show began! Each area did their animal thing.

Some kids helped out

They got together and finished their part

Then the main show began

Very colorful!

Large View of Colorful Presentation

Dancing

…and more singing

…and even more dancing!

And here come the set pieces

Next up the Festival rolls on!

Click here for the next chapter: Day 7 Part 3 – The Festival of the Lion King Continues!

 

[Trentmom]

see I missed your last update and looks like you needed a bump

Love Roxy's shirt at AK. So pretty

You got a lot of great pics there. Black swan is really cool

Those freaky looking fishes are cool too

that river was super green

All caught up now

Now, where are you?