Will You Chill Out if I Sprinkle You With Pixie Dust? The End p136 *New TR Link* p138

[englishrose47]

Okay do I have ESP this time

CO is definately Marvworthy !!! Put those 2 together and look out !!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'll take pictures of Illuminations any way I can get 'em....phone photos, crappy photos or great photos. I absolutely love Illuminations and always gets teary eyed when I watch it. Okay, so that's not really saying much 'cause I get teary eyed at most things that have to do with Disney but Illuminations is one of the biggies for me.

Yay for a Dis Meet! What a great looking bunch you all are! I had to laugh when you said that you had to convince Denny that it was okay to go out to dinner with a bunch of internet strangers. I had that same problem with my mother but she's coming around to it now that she knows us Disers aren't a bunch of axe wielding wackos.

 

[vamassey1]

What a great night! After years of trying to get the family all together to see Illumination, we finally did it in 2010. Such a great experience. I'm glad your brother's family got a chance to end their trip with such a great show.

You're so lucky to leave by such great Disers. It really looks like you're having a blast. I've been to one Dis meet her at our mall but no one but me hangs out on the trip report boards.

 

[Nermel9]

What a beautiful night in Epcot! I love your Fountain pics with the sunset in the background, so pretty! And Illuminations! I really like watching from Norway, you're right, it's never really crowded over there! Glad everyone loved Illuminations, it's such a magical show!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

YOU know... I'm always jealous of your photos-when you are using your camera...

but now Seriously...YOU TOOK THOSE FIREWORK photos with your phone?

Hey what Cheesecake Factory were you at... Hmmm...Malls in Delaware...thinking about that...... Looks like you had a nice time...

(the thing that's great about the Cheese Cake Factory is when you're trying to lose a little weight... you can order from the light menu-which is actually pretty good and then justify (lie to yourself) and order cheesecake...

You did a very good thing for your nephews...

 

[MEK]

I'm so glad to hear that your evening went so well and that Illuminations was enjoyed by all!!!

It was a really lovely final evening at the parks with my Brother and his family. We were definitely all feeling the magic. Great way to end a trip.

Wow, a hometown Dis meet!! How awesome!! Looks like fun and yumminess too!

We had a great time. I have to thank Glenn for arranging it. It was really a lot of fun and it is always fun to meet DISers in person.

MEK it looked like you enjoyed the cheesecake !! Than Glenn for sharing

You know I did!!!! That was the tuxedo cheesecake and it was heavenly. I took a piece of the cookies and cream home to my kids and I think that was even better, if that is even possible.

So sorry you lost your original post. I really wish the DIS had a better "redo" button that would restore what you had before the prior keystroke. I have certainly been there!

I have lost updates before, but this was one of my worst blunders. I went to replace a picture and I must have deleted everything above the picture. I was so depressed that I almost shut down the DIS for the night. It was a major loss. I am still grieving.

Great Dis Meet! I'm sure it was a lot of fun! I find everyone's trip report comments to be very clever so I'm sure it was lively conversation around the table in between bites of scrumptious food.

It was so much fun and its great that it always feels so natural when I meet a DISer in person. I am really glad that Glenn arranged it and that we were all able to attend.

I don't think I have been to a Cheesecake factory!

This was my first visit and I had heard the food was good. That was no exaggeration. If you get a change, you definitely should try it.

Glad you had another great ride on Soarin'. Thanks for sharing your additional renegade photos.

You can always count on me for renegade photos. It's my specialty.

Thanks for sharing your secret Illuminations spot! That does look like a great view! We (I) usually watch from the UK/France bridge so it doesn't take long to slip back to the Beach Club.

I used to watch from there, but its always deep with people when you line up late like me. That's why this spot makes a great alternative. Empty every time!

Beautiful pictures of the fountains AND Illuminations.

I love the way the fountains turned out. I used a cool photobucket edit on them and it worked great. My Illuminations photos, on the other hand, are not all that, but at least you get the idea. I will take some with my real camera in the next couple nights.

Ugh, yes. Test Track looks terrible right now! I got so depressed looking at it! I hope it doesn't end up being steel like that. It's not welcoming.

It really looks like an eyesore. Why is it all stripped down like that? I can't wait to see what it looks like when the refurb is done. I hope it turns out great.

IllumiNations is the best. It's so beautiful and the music just makes it that much better.

I agree. It's my favorite show and I never get tired of seeing it. It's always magical!

Looks like a fun DISmeet!!

We had a blast! I am so glad everyone was able to get together. We planned it pretty quickly and it worked.

What a nice Dis-Meet. I don't think I will be having a meet on this trip, no one seems to be going this week.

Having DIS meets is always so fun. I think you are right in between people. I know teeka is not leaving for a week and Kathy leaves in 4 or 5 days.

Tomorrow early we leave for WDW, I really need it this year!

I hope you are having a wonderful time right now as I type this. How can you not be? Take lots of pictures and have a rita for me. please.....

Going to try to find that viewing area of yours.

I am surprised more people don't stand there. I really like it because it is so reliable. I can always count on it to be there AND empty!

Hey Wicket's mom - have a great trip!!!

Yes - and Wicket's dad too. You kids stay out of trouble now, you hear?

I must have been posting when you put up the last part of your update.

Great DIS meet - I love the Cheesecake Factory - big menu! Thankfully the closest one is on the other side of the city, so I don't go often - I'd eat way too much!

I do that all the time. Our meet was a ton of fun. I was so glad we were able to do it. Great food. Great company. Great conversation.

Yeah - now that I have tasted the CCF it will be hard to pick another spot for dinner out, although it was really crowded there so I think I will have to avoid it on a Friday or Saturday night.

Oh my gosh, I hate losing updates, that's the worst! I type all my updates in Word now because I've lost them before and just gotten so frustrated at having to retype everything out.

I usually do type the wordier ones in Word. I guess I didn't realize I was going to be as wordy as I was in the original update. On top of that, I used all cell phone pictures and when they get uploaded to photobucket they are so out of order and I can't reorder them. So half my time was used locating the right picture. What a nightmare

Soarin' feet!!!

Soarin feet look much better in a picture than they do in front of your face.

I'm not going to lie, the very first time I went on Soarin' (which was back when it was only in California Adventure), I totally flinched when the golf ball flew at the screen. Such a loser.

I still flinch! I know its coming, but I end up bracing myself anyway.

I'm going to have to remember your favorite Illuminations spot. I like the idea of having a good spot right before the show starts.

It's always good to have a backup plan and that spot is great if you need a last minute spot.

I thought it was always okay to eat with internet strangers?

You should have heard my oldest son giving us a hard time about going out with "internet strangers". I'm glad he is actually that concerned about us.

What, you've never been to the Cheesecake Factory?! Oh, you are so right, it is not like Applebee's or Ruby Tuesdays. Sooooooo good.

Nope, ever been. In my defense, I am not a big mall person. Practically the only time I ever go is when I have to visit the Apple Store. So, that's my excuse. But I will definitely be going back to the CCF in the future. I really enjoyed it.

I must search out this Cheesecake Factory place next time I go to U.S.

Trust me, you won't regret it. The food and the cheescake were very, very good. YUM!

Luvin the illuminations pics.

Spoiler alert: In a couple nights we go back with the real camera and I am hoping those pictures turned out much better. I haven't edited them yet, so I hope I'm not wrong.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Ok, I'm here! Better late then never! Right!?

I swear, I will catch up! I can't thank you enough for the chapter links

 

[MEK]

Hi everyone -

It may take me awhile to get to all my replies. I have a crazy busy week this week with work and extracurricular activities. Tomorrow is marching band practice and a 9/11 memorial service that I always attend. I am also rehearsing feverishly for a wedding I am playing on Saturday. It is a non-religious wedding so its all acoustic pop songs from Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars, U2, Train, and One Republic. I know you are probably thinking 'how is she going to cover all those". But actually, I never try to cover anything exactly. I always put my own spin on it and its turns out to have that folk singer - songwriter twist. It's a great creative outlet.

I hired a lead guitarist to play with me. Actually, I split my check with him. He's a good friend and he's pretty talented on guitar, so he is responsible for the rifts and the pretty stuff. We are actually pretty pleased with how the songs have turned out and if we can keep our nerves to a minimum, we will be good.

I also take pictures for Nick's soccer team, which means I have to edit and upload them. You know I can upload until everything is edited perfectly. That's just the way I am.

Any way - I will get to replies as quickly as possible! But this week is going to be a crazy one.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I do love Illuminations! I even have the CD for when I need a fix.

What a fun DIS meet! I have heard good things about the Cheesecake Factory, but we have never eaten there. After seeing that picture, I may need to fix that. LOL!

Good luck with your busy week.

 

[teekathepony]

Ack! I hate when you get something big all typed out and then something glitches and you lose it.
Considering all those pics were taken with your phone, they're pretty good! I love the Soarin' pics, I could totally feel that excited jolt in my tummy at the moment of take off! And the IllumiNations pics, they made me feel pretty excited too. AAAAAAAAAAA Only 6 more days until I get to see it all for myself!
What a wonderful Dismeet! How lucky of all of you to get to do that!
I've always wanted to eat at a Cheesecake Factory, but mostly because I'm a Big Bang Theory fan (that's where one of the characters works, in case you're not familiar!) That cheesecake looks scrumptious!

 

[dawnmichele]

Your Soarin pics made me feel like I was there. Thanks for sharing them.
And Illuminations!
That show is pure magic.

 

[MEK]

Where is that spot by Norway? I 'll have to look for it although in December we have the CP dining package so I think we get to go to the reserved area for Illuminations.

The spot is right across from the Askerhaus. It's very easy and obvious to see. With the CP dining package you get reserved seating for the Candlelight Processional. In the past I don't recall a reserved section for Illuminations, but maybe that has changed.

Wow- the week went fast with your brother. Is that because they took the train?

They were away for 1 week and 2 nights were spent on the train, so yeah - the train ride cut into their vacation, but we also only reserved the treehouse for 5 nights.

Cool Dis Meet!

It was a lot of fun! We all had a great time!

Oh bummer! Sorry to read that.

Ugh - that was one of my most frustrating update loses to date. I almost wasn't going to update because it was that frustrating.

I'm sure Denny can help you with that, he knows all the details.

Yeah right Sure he does

Yep, we had a great time! Thanks for coming out to meet us.

Thanks for arranging it. We had a great time. It was a lot of fun and I hope we all get to do it again sometime!

I posted my pictures too. You can see them here

Your group shot turned out great. Thanks for briging your good camera. It was nice to see a good picture!

We commented that the menu is like a book -- so hard to decide. Judy always gets just an appetizer and then cheesecake, of which she only eats half and takes the rest home. You really need to try the cheesecake sometime!

That's a smart move, because there is no way you can eat a full meal and a piece of cheesecake. I learned that lesson!

So glad the rain stopped and that y'all were able to have a nice night in EPCOT!!

It turned out to be a lovely night. The weather was perfect. No rain. No humidity. Love it!

And what a fun DIS meet! I love the Cheesecake Factory sooo much! YUM! I wish there was one by us where we live. Although that's probably a good thing there isn't as much as I love cheesecake.

The Cheescake factory was really good. I really enjoyed it and I think that might be my new "go to" eating spot.

Yay for a new ticker! A cruise sounds like a great way to pre celebrate a milestone birthday!

I am SO excited for this cruise. It's a whole new type of adventure and I think its going to be a ton of fun to plan it.

Loved your Soarin pixs even if you did get in trouble. We have only ridden Soarin once--we never manage to get FPs early enough and waiting in a two hour line is nuts!

Ugh - I don't think I could ever wait in that line. I would probably have to skip it. We got really lucky on the timing of the FPs. Glad you like the Soarin pics. They aren't good, but they do make you want to ride, don't they?


H

ow nice that you finally found your brother's happy place in Disney! !

I am too! I knew ( or at least I hoped) that he would find at least one ride that really tickled his fancy.

You and Denny should get major points for letting your bro and sil go to dinner alone. And it looks like you had a nice dinner as well![/QUOTE]

We did have a great time with the kids and since Denny and I were nearly our alone time, taking the kids out to dinner was not a problem at all. Those kids are so cute. I miss them.

 

[MEK]

Can I just say that I am flunking DIS 101 this week. My internet explorer just closed on me and *poof* No more replies. I will, eventually, get these replies done.

 

[MEK]

I was going to post 3 Judys too!!!!

I think you should great credit for 3 Judys. Just saying!

Illuminations is wonderful. I really like the full orchestra music. have great memories of that show, so I keep going back.

I think the music adds so much to the show. It really is moving. I can't wait to see how my "good" pictures turned out as I have not looked at them since I uploaded them.

What a fun DIS meet! I love Cheesecake Factory... although I once made the mistake of looking at the nutritional information. I don't recommend doing that. You're better off not knowing...

It was a great DISmeet. I really enjoyed it and I am extremely relieved that I did not see the nutritional information on anything I ate. I am sure the cheesecake alone is over 1000 calories. No wonder they have a "skinny-licious" menu.

We watched Illuninations not far from that spot in December... not the EXACT spot.. but it was still pretty nice.

I love that spot. It definitely isn't the closest vantage point, but it feels so wide open and not crowded. That's why I like it so much.

How fun to have such a big dismeet. I envy all of you in the midwest to east part of the country...seems like there are more disers out there. Course... I know there are actually few of us out this way( eandesmom ) just not as many.

Our meet was so much fun. I'm glad we were able to do it. There are so many DIsers here in the mid-atlantic and northeast. It makes sense - our weather here stinks in the winter, its a 2 - 2.5 hr flight, and you can even drive there if you really need to get away. We are the perfect population to be drinking the koolaid.

So glad your brother's family got to experience Illuminations. I'm a big fan of the show. I have never tried a Norway viewing spot... maybe I'll give it a try in October.

Norway is especially handy for picking up a "to go" rita in the Ditch! Walk a few hundred feet and watch the best show ever!

 

[MEK]

I'm so glad that you guys got to watch Illuminations for your nephews last night. It is a wonderful way to end a vacation! Its sad that they have to leave, but I'm sure you appreciated a little breathing room. Its always nice to vacation with extended family, but its nice to have a little solo time too.

I agree that if you are going to vacation with extended family you need to tack on a solo portion to your trip at the end. It really made their departue bitter sweet. I was glad that we vacationed with them, but I was also happy to get the adults-only part of the vacation started.

3 judy's ooops wrong threadBy the way I won that round of Judy's !!! Great piz of Soarin' and Illuminations !!!

Did you really win over there on Glenn's thread? Woo Hoo! If only I could win one of these days, but it will probably happen as long as he posts during a time I can't see pictures!

Congrats on your win!

You are such a rebel.

Who? Me? Nahhhhhhhhh!

I can't wait to see what it's like when it opens again, though!

I hope it's really cool. I'm not even sure when it is supposed to open. I hope they work fast.

Ah, yes. Where vikings, trolls, oil rigs and cruise ships combine to tell the story of...something.

Well, at least I am not the only one who doesn't quite get the whole maelstrom story. I really would like to get a picture of that creepy troll in the center of the ride. I'm going for it next time.

I wish I had known of this spot. I think your cell phone pictures turned out better than ours.

Thanks, but hopefully the real pictures turned out. I totally forget what they look like since I uploaded them like three months ago. I'll get there - eventually.

I still think they spend too much time on the globe spinning around.

Yeah - maybe. You sort of sit there and think ....."OK, I'm waiting"........."Come On......You can do it"

That is a cool part of the show.

It really is, because, really....who doesn't love a big flame of fire? And I usually can get one decent picture of it.

But you were also a tiny bit relieved, right?

Nah! Oh wait - you better believe I was. I kept feeling like a had a whole other vacation to go!

I had a great time at our meet. It was really fun!

What a jerk. I would have kicked him in the shins.

In my defense, that was on about the 80th picture we took.

Ah uhm - exaggerating a bit, aren't we?




I enjoyed meeting him. He probbaly thinks I'm hard of hearing because I kept asking him to repeat himself. [/QUOTE]

Hopefully you already read what I wrote because this line cracked me up when I first read it. I kept thinking that Denny was mumbling, so I am sure that's why you couldn't hear him. Hmmmm - for some reason that just doesn't seem as funny now.

 

[MEK]

Love the pictures from Soarin'.

Thanks! My bootleg rebel pictures?

Great update on Illuminations, MEK. I did not know about that spot. If we stop for the show (I'm not a big fan....I know I'm in the minority), maybe we'll check out your spot.

Well, my spot is perfect for someone who doesn't care whether or not they see the show because you can just basically roll on up, watch for a couple minutes, and keep right on going. No obligation to stay required.

for a DIS meet! And why am I NOT surprised that a certain DISer is giving you bunny ears?

You know - he kept saying something about bunny ears, but I thought he meant Julie. DOH! I should have known.

Yeah - I'll know not to sit next to you next time!

Whew. Well that's a relief!

Yup - no hearing aide yet for you. At least not for a few years anyway.

Hmm, I don't think I've thought to watch IllumiNations from Norway before. I'm going to store that little tidbit of information away for the future.

It's a good spot if you are in the general vicinity or if you are walking in late. I have literally walked up 1 minute before show time and gotten a great view. that's why I like it.

Even with your cell phone, I think you got some great Illumination shots.

thanks. I am anxious to see how my real pics turned out. I uploaded them so long ago that I forget.

And that picture of the fountain on the way to MouseGears. Made me wish I were in Epcot right now.

I love the way that picture turned out for a cell pic. I used one of the photobucket edits on it and it turned out pretty cool.

That's really cool that you got to have a DISmeet dinner. Sounds like a lot of fun. I've never been to the Cheesecake Factory before, either, but the dessert definitely looks delicious!

If you ever get a chance to eat at the Cheesecake Factory definitely do it. The menu is big. There are almost too many things to choose from. And that cheesecake was super yummy! It definitely gets my seal of approval!

 

[Tink rules]

Can I just say that I am flunking DIS 101 this week. My internet explorer just closed on me and *poof* No more replies. I will, eventually, get these replies done.

Your first mistake is to be on Internet Explorer... try Chrome.

 

[MHTeacher]

I had some catching up to do, but thanks to your links I think I've done it!

I'm so glad your brother really liked Soarin'--I mean liked it even as much to smile! That was so sweet.

Illuminations is not my favorite, I must admit, but that is a beautiful picture of Spaceship Earth with the palm tree in front.

YAY for your DIS meet. Looks like fun!

 

[MEK]

Okay do I have ESP this time

You totally do Rosie, you totally do!

CO is definately Marvworthy !!! Put those 2 together and look out !!!

I trust that it would be a bad idea to be in the room with both of them at the same time.

I'll take pictures of Illuminations any way I can get 'em....phone photos, crappy photos or great photos. I absolutely love Illuminations and always gets teary eyed when I watch it. Okay, so that's not really saying much 'cause I get teary eyed at most things that have to do with Disney but Illuminations is one of the biggies for me.

I love Illuminations, too. It's my favorite and I did see it twice more before we left. AND, I have the pictures to prove it. Somewhere.

Yay for a Dis Meet! What a great looking bunch you all are! I had to laugh when you said that you had to convince Denny that it was okay to go out to dinner with a bunch of internet strangers. I had that same problem with my mother but she's coming around to it now that she knows us Disers aren't a bunch of axe wielding wackos.

We really had a great meet. It was so fun. Yeah - Denny kept saying "no" right up until about noon and then he must have had a weak moment when he agreed to go.

Yeah - we DISers are definitely a bunch of crazed, axe-welding weirdos.

What a great night! After years of trying to get the family all together to see Illumination, we finally did it in 2010. Such a great experience. I'm glad your brother's family got a chance to end their trip with such a great show.

Isn't it a wonderful show. I knew they would love that show and I think it helped that there wasn't much of a crowd standing where we were. I know my nephews were really into it. It was a great experience.

You're so lucky to leave by such great Disers. It really looks like you're having a blast. I've been to one Dis meet her at our mall but no one but me hangs out on the trip report boards.

Our DIS meet was so fun! Props to Glenn for setting it up. It was a great evening.

What a beautiful night in Epcot! I love your Fountain pics with the sunset in the background, so pretty! And Illuminations! I really like watching from Norway, you're right, it's never really crowded over there! Glad everyone loved Illuminations, it's such a magical show!

It was an unbelievably beautiful evening. The temperature was perfect. Norway is a great spot, isn't it? But, just wait because in a few days I will be watching Illuminations from a brand new viewing spot and I have the pictures to prove it (I hope ) Stay tuned!

 

[TinkyCheeks]

I just caught up with your last couple of updates. Props to you for a successful dinner with all the kids! From the mother of three boys, I bow to you.

It takes a lot to get me worked up, but I’m not gonna lie: when I read what your nephew wrote about your brother smiling, I had tears in my eyes.

Loved the Illuminations pictures. It’s so powerful, isn’t it?

How fun that you had a Dis meet! I haven’t really hung around the boards enough yet to make any real friends, but I just love love love reading about it.