ILUVWDW'S DISNEY DIGEST

August 21st - D23 Expo - The Ultimate Disney Fan Event

2011-08-23T08:12:00.000-04:00

Today is our last day of the D23 Expo. We have a late flight so we should be able to get in a good bit of expo-ing. In a way, it was sort of like the first day since Ami, one of my fort friends, was coming in! I was surprised to get a message from her that she was on her way! She is staying at Paradise Pier and we walk thru that lobby every morning. We decided after we loaded the car with our luggage that we would swing by and get Ami so we could show her around the exhibit floors. She was all ready and waiting for us!

When we approached the convention center, we noticed there were no lines to get in. Apparently, they started letting everyone in much earlier today. I had heard somewhere that it was a fire hazard to have the entrance blocked the entire way so they HAD to let everyone in. I was on a caffeine hunt but nothing opened til 9 in the expo and we had about a 15-20 minute wait til then. We sat down in the upper lobby area and watched people line up for the archives exhibit on one side and the archives store on the other. At 9, I went over to the charter member lounge to get a tea but was told they don't open til 11! We got in the short line for the archives store so Ami could see if she wanted anything. After that, there is a separate line to see the archives but we got in relatively quickly.

Once we got downstairs, I went over to the little stand that sells goodies and hot and cold drinks. I decided to just get my tea there. After I wrestled with the tea bag, I must have torn it cause when I put the hot water in the cup, tea grinds were all thru my tea! I got another bag and tried again; this time it was good and I finally had my cup of tea! Debbie and Pat went off on their own to see the Pixar Presentation and hopefully the Star Tours Presentation. I wanted to show Ami the collectors exhibits and vendors. There was ALOT to see. Along the way, we ran in to Margaret Kerry, the original model for Tinkerbell. She is one of the sweetest and most gracious women that you could ever meet! Her name tag even says Tinkerbell. She was telling everyone all kinds of stories and people were hanging on every word. She knew Walt personally and she said she worked for a genius.

After wandering the exhibits for awhile and picking up all kinds of freebies (including a sponge Handy Manny hammer), we went to the outdoor grill area and got some lunch. We found a seat at the end of the row of tables. It was a good place to people watch. We were starting to accumulate quite a loot bag and it was getting harder to handle! At some point during the day, we did the VoluntEAR activity and today's activity was either draw for Meals on Wheels or Postcards to the troops. Ami and I each did a postcard and we got a VoluntEAR tote bag and that was good for toting our stuff.

We had gone by the Marceline Missouri both, forget the exact name of it but they were marking down all their merchandise! So everything was $1 including these really nice shirts! I got one for me and one for Joe and also got Joe a hat and I got another tote bag cause it was cute. We felt like we were robbing them cause the quality of the shirts are great and the hat is really nice. So on our way, winding through the maze of the booths and all the collectible items, I was taking in alot more detail today and not taking as many pictures since I had already done that. As we came around the next to last row of booths, I looked over to the next row and OMG who do I see but Deb Wills and she was all by herself!!! Holy COW! I hurried over and introduced myself and she gave us some collectible trading cards which I have always heard about but never had seen. I told her how she was the very first person I had read about on the internet, her trip reports and back then she had Deb's Disney Digest; this was mid 90s or so. I have ALWAYS wanted to meet her in person but was never able to make a meet for one reason or another. This was better! We got a couple pictures taken with her and she said I moved her with my words to her and I truly meant every one of them. I could not stop gushing and all but clung to her leg, lol. We talked for a good 15 minutes or so. I promised her I was not a stalker just an admirer of a woman that has inspired and ignited so much of the magic in the online Disney Community. She was going to talk to someone from the MiceChat booth that she wanted to meet for years. We said our goodbyes and let her go on her way but I was happy as could be and I accomplished my mission for D23!

We continued walking around and saw a few costumed people. One particularly good one was someone dressed as a haunted mansion ghost and a girl dressed as the parasol lady painting in the haunted mansion. she had the pose down right down to her feet.

We then got in a small line for Parks and Resorts and went in to see models and movies of upcoming ride vehicles and models. Again, I took limited pictures and looked more at the details. I did take a picture of the new Walt statue that will be in California Adventure; I love it! Ami and went over the Aulani booth, she wanted to see it cause is GOING THERE IN A COUPLE WEEKS! We took our picture in front of the back drop so it looks like we were there, lol.

We eventually walked over to WDW Radio and there was moms panel Marc Lorenzo! Ami talked with him and he gave her some tips on the application process. She made it as far as finalist in last year's contest so she has a good chance of getting on next year.

We walked over around 1 or so to get our free cupcake and I took some pictures of the various cakes on the themed party tables. You would have to smell this exhibit to believe it, sweet icing aroma!

I took a few more pictures of various displays and paintings. This large 6 foot picture of Walt was done live by an artist over the 3 days. It was HUGE; not sure if it was commissioned for sale or what.

Ami wanted to check out the Shake it Up Show in the arena since her daughters are fans. They first had a teen back to school fashion show with the actors from the serious. These kids are SO talented! They sing and dance and have great personalities; you can see why Disney chooses them. They even gave the audience a dance lesson! No pictures! lol!

We took some time to shop in the Dream Store, some really nice stuff in here.

We came across a gathering of guests that had come in costume and they wanted a group picture of them so I was able to take the same picture. Again, some were really good and some were kind of comical. Also ran in to the Disney Geek guy there.

Disney Geek

Walking thru the vendors, I saw a painter that was doing abstract type Pooh paintings and I thought some were a little disturbing. Ami and I thought this particular one resembled the bat that was in my house last week, lol! Same teeth!

We came across a Small World merchandise booth that had Small World designed clothing, shoes and body butter and oils. We both tried some oil and body butter and decided we must have the lavender calming oil. I said I could have used some of that when I met Deb Wills, lol!

Some Walt quotes:

Everything was winding down and some people were packing things up. We decided to start walking back. We still had some time before leaving for the airport so we walked over to Paradise Pier and sat at a table for a bit. I shopped in the gift shop and bought a nice paperback pictorial book showing Disneyland on the left side of the page and then the exact same spot, modern day, on the right side. It is really interesting and I ended up looking at it on the plane. We were not able to make it in to the Vintage DL and WDW presentation which I heard was really good.

We decided we better head to the airport and so we said our goodbyes at the elevator. Ami was going back upstairs and then maybe to a park later. BOO HOO, we had to leave and I was not ready for all this fun to be over!

Here are some pictures of the flowers on the way back to the hotel:

I saw this huge tree and was impressed by how massive it was. Ami is in the picture so you can get a better idea of how huge and wide this tree is.

We got to the airport and went to our various gates. I bought one of this pillows that support your neck and before too long we were loading. Debbie was on a separate flight. Pat and I would fly to Newark and then I would connect to Pittsburgh. Flight took off at 9:25 and arrived in Newark at 5:21 a.m. I did not sleep too well on the plane as my seat did not recline for some reason. I had a half hour to get to my next flight and it sounded close but was quite a walk! Pat walked over with me until I was about to board. I said my goodbyes to her and thanked her for everything. She made this entire trip possible! I will never forget her telling me a year ago "WE ARE GOING TO D23"! Don't have to ask ME twice!

Sun setting on the way to the airport

I had a short flight to Pittsburgh, was there in no time. I had my ipod on but the battery died. I was thinking I was probably the only person on the plane listening to Usher/Lady GaGa/Cold Play/Partridge Family, lol. I forgot to load the Disney CDs in to Itunes. I was hoping the propellers out my window were well attached to the engine!

IN SUMMARY:

I can honestly say I went in to this trip fully expecting to not like Disneyland as much as WDW in Florida. Sure, DL does not have Epcot but once I saw the charm and detail of the park, this place does not need Epcot or any other park. It really feels like a charming little town model with all the various lands dripping in detail and magic. How many places can you see Dumbo fly during fireworks, ride in a circus train, take a boat through a whale's mouth and see Cruella teasing Pluto and Goofy! I also loved California Adventure. I love how they combine the wilderness theming (complete with Pine trees that SMELL like pine) with Hollywood area with a Boardwalk area and soon to be CARS area! It is going to be fantastic when it is all done.

I also loved seeing all my friends, both old and new, on this trip. I finally get to put real life faces with voices and laughter, got to meet Lou Mongello and the incomparable Deb Wills. The last day with Ami was a blast! I told her she was my good luck charm cause we were seeing people and catching bargains left and right!

This may have been my first Disneyland trip but I KNOW it will not be my last. I am already thinking about next year at this time. Like Walt said "Disneyland will never be completed; it will continue to grow as long as there is imagination in the world." Some times when I see this statue, I think Walt was explaining that very thought to Mickey and that is how this statue came about!!

August 19th-D23 Expo The Ultimate Disney Fan Event

2011-08-20T01:29:00.000-04:00

I don't even know where to begin with today's opening day of D23 Expo. First of all, last night around midnight, I got really sick for some reason. I felt it coming on and knew it was not good. Somehow, I managed to get a good nights sleep and felt rested in the morning. I was afraid to eat too much but Debbie and I bought a small loaf of banana bread so we shared that. I also bought OJ but thought better of drinking it.

I got up around 6:15 and hopped in the shower first. We wanted to be over at the convention center around 8:30 or so. We walked the few blocks over and most of the crowd was headed in the same direction. Imagine our shock when we saw that the line was already wrapping around the large arena. We could not even find the end of it. Once we did, we snaked around and they were forming the line down the sidewalk. It ended up that we were probably in the first 1/3 of the line. No one could find the end since it was so long and snaked everywhere. After about an hour, they finally let us in but even that took awhile for the movement of the line to reach us. Right as we approached the door, a guy comes riding up in a scooter and he and his wife were trying to cut the line. We had been chatting with everyone around them and knew they just got there. The guy behind us said are they with you and we said no and he told them where to find the end of the line. They did not listen, they just went behind him. Whatever. Just as we were going in, I noticed one of my FB friends, Diane, walking the other way and I turned around and I was sure it was her but they were already going the other direction and we were going in! I ended up finding her later on the escalator going down!

We were given our lanyards and guidebook and we weren't really sure where to go. We headed upstairs to the History of the Disneyland Hotel presentation. We somehow got seated very close. They thought Pat was a premier member and we got reserved seats! This was an interesting presentation showing tons of old footage of Walt and also the original president of the hotel. It turns out the architect of the hotel was in the audience in the row behind us, he will be 90 yrs old! The little kids we saw in the black and white footage are the kids of the president of the hotel and they were also in the audience. The man doing the presentation is the author of a book on Disneyland Hotel history.

At this point, we split up with Pat going to the Disney Store pavilion and Debbie and I getting a bite to eat ($14 for a small pizza, churro and water!) and then going to the line for the Legends Presentation. The line for this was unreal. You literally could not see the end of it. We waited about an hour and were told that we were on standby at that point and would probably not make it in. We stayed in the line just in case and it started to move so we were hopeful cause it was close to the front. Then we hear a CM saying all they were doing was emptying the line! It was so frustrating!

Debbie and I decided to roam the exhibit floor; tons of pin collectors, artists...you name it, they are here. I finally ran in to the WDW Radio booth and got to meet Lou Mongello! I have been wanting to subscribe to his Celebrations Magazine so I did that right there and got two free issues to take with me. Lou had live feeds going so the "in the box" people could be there as well.


Me and Lou Mongello


These guys were animatronic!

This giant balloon creation was at Lou's booth

The limo that Walt rode in on the way to Snow White premier

We continued our roaming and ran in to some celebrities...Rock Star Mickey and Constantine Maroulis, who was on American Idol at one point. Then we passed a booth and I look over and see Billy Dee (I love Brian Piccolo) Williams. He had no one in line for his autograph and it's no wonder, he was charging $40 for an autograph. He sat there like a lost puppy so I took his picture. He sort of gave a half smile. I swear it was the only booth without a line!

At 1:00, there was a free cupcake giveaway and yes there was a line! It moved and we got thru very quick. I took some pics of the awesome themed birthday parties.

We decided we better line up for the Parks and Resorts presentation. We ended up in the first half of the long line but it got much worse after us. We sat down for about a half an hour, in the line queue. I called home and talked to Joe for awhile but it was so loud in there that he had a hard time hearing me. They finally told us to stand as the line would be moving and it did move for a little bit and then came to a dead stop. For another half hour, we did not move. This poor lady in an ECV was having trouble negotiating the ends of the line queue and kept apologizing for making us wait. We told her, we're not getting anywhere fast and not to worry. Finally, we were all let in and we had good seats in the second level, almost center. This was an interesting presentation but I did feel myself dozing off from time to time. We got to see the ride vehicles for the new mine ride in the new Fantasyland and they did an Aulani presentation but not a mention of the letters DVC. Mickey came out playing the drums and then he chatted with Tom Staggs, the Disney Parks and Resorts president. During Aulani, they had some Hawaiian luau children dancing with a band. They did a great job!


Deb Wills talking to Lou

Pat went with some friends to eat and Debbie and I got in a short line for The Parks and Resorts Carousel of Projects. They showed us a short in the round movie and then opened the curtains where in front of us was the hull of a Disney cruise ship and it was playing the When you Wish Upon a Star horn. We got to see a model of the new Fantasyland which looks awesome and the actual ride vehicle for the mine ride. It is shaped like a mine car that will rock as you go around bends, sort of like a cradle on a track.

We took a few more pictures in here and then headed out. We walked back over to check the Hallmark Ornament exhibit and saw a big crowd with lots of media. There was John Lassiter who is the chief creative officer of Pixar. He was very friendly with the crowd.

Debbie and I decided to try a different place for food. Prices were not much better and the line moved sloooooooow. I got a hot dog and dr. pepper. It came with fries but I did not eat too many. Just that was $8.50! Debbie and I had stopped by the one stand to get brownies since I heard they were so good here. $5 a brownie!

We then attempted to get in to Voices of the Parks presentation; we had heard the Dick Van Dyke show was completely full, dang. We waited for awhile in this long line for Voices, only to find out it, too, was at capacity. We were getting a little irritated at this point and were #venting to the CM, she was very nice and listened. The #venting hashtag was becoming the theme for the day, lol.

We went downstairs to check out the Imagineering store. I did not buy anything. I considered this a successful day since I met Lou Mongello,saw Deb Wills at a distance and briefly saw Diane!

We limped our wretched bodies back to the hotel; got a cup of tea ($2.90!) and went back to our room to watch fireworks. Tomorrow is another day! More lines but it is still great to be here!

August 18th - Day 5 - Disneyland

2011-08-19T02:22:00.000-04:00

Once we all got up and got ready, we wanted to try a new place for breakfast in Downtown Disney called The Brea Bakery. I couldn't decide between banana muffin or croissant sandwich; chose the sandwich and it was a great choice!

Again, no line for security and we had a small line at the turnstiles. We headed straight back for fast passes for Splash Mountain since later it would be impossible to get on. When we got there, it was a walk on so we just rode it instead. In Disneyland, the splash boat seats are not side by side like at WDW, it is a single file seat. I noticed there was nowhere to put my camera and was a little worried about it getting wet. I decided to put it under my shirt, lol. The water canals seemed overflowingly full and we were really going fast. It seems like this version has more hills than at WDW. We were already pretty wet from overflow before we even got to the big hill! We finally reach the hill and splash landed at the bottom and waves of water came over us. We all got SOAKED! My skirt was soaked; I could wring it out! Somehow, my hair was spared, lol. Pat, being in the front, got the worst of it. It felt good and we knew we'd dry in no time.

After finding a ladies room and cleaning up a bit, we walked over to Pooh's Honey Pots and it was a walk on as well. Mostly the same as the WDW version.

We walked along the water over to Big Thunder Mountain. The line looked longer than the posted time but it was moving along ok. The ride surrounds the line queu so it is fun to watch the riders flying around. This ride is much faster and more rough than the WDW version. I kept smashing in to Pat on my left, lol.

We thought we better get over to the Nemo Subs before that line got too long. This is alot like the old 20,000 Leagues ride that WDW used to have but much much nicer and very well done. It is a slow loader since you have to go down the steps in to the submarine. Once you are down there, the scenery is much like the Nemo ride at Epcot, same type of technology. It was cute and also air conditioned!

We had special fast passes given to us at check in so we decided to use them on the new Star Tours. The stand by line was really long. You are in the same ride vehicle but the show is SO much different and SO much better! It is now 3D and it really makes it better than before. Pat may ride it later to see what version she gets.

Next we headed over to Toon Town. It cannot be measured how much better this is than the Wdw version. It really is a cartooney town! We did not ride anything, I just mostly took some pictures. A cast member showed me a hidden mickey! We hopped on a waiting train here and rode it all the way around to New Orleans Square to find some food.

We decided to get something to eat at the Hungry Bear. I had a cheeseburger and O-rings and Root Beer. I never drink pop but I wanted something sweet. The food was so so, nothing to blog about, lol. I didn't even take a picture. We sat along the water and watched the river boats and canoes past. That is what we did next, the canoes.

There was no line, we only waited a few minutes for a canoe to come in. We each got our oars and loaded our canoe. The guide had us raise our oars and then lower and paddle all together. The kids get smaller oars but they had trouble keeping the rhythm and splashed some, but it felt good! We went the whole way around the river, my arms were starting to hurt but when I stopped there was another guide in the back that said "DON"T STOP PADDLING", lol. I wish WDW would bring this back; it was fun and a first for all of us.

We had seen the Pirate Ship Columbia going around and it is the same ship that is used in Fantasmic. We walked over to the boarding area and were the next to board. You could roam all over the ship, even down below in the crew quarters. We had notice a little boy, barely 2, roaming all over by himself. At some points, all there are are ropes and we were afraid he was going to slip through. We finally found out who the mother/father was and of course, the mother was too busy texting to bother watching her son. Pat and I wanted to reach out and hold his hand. He was way too young to have the run of the ship.

We continued walking through Frontierland; it is so well themed I thought. We took the short cut passage over to Adventureland and wanted to do the Tiki Birds. While waiting, the Tiki statues, one by one, did a little spiel on who they were. Love these types of details. I enjoyed this show, it was like the original that WDW used to have. We had a front row seat and it was nice and cool in there.

Since we had not walked through Sleeping Beauty's castle, that is where we went next. We walked up the stairs in to the castle and followed along the story of Sleeping Beauty. You come down the other side and the story has a happy ending. Took a few more pictures around the castle.

We wanted something sweet so we stopped in at the Bakery on Main Street. There was absolutely no one in the line but the ice cream parlor next door was packed. I got a cinnamon stick and found some seats way in the back of the bakery. It was nice to take a rest and have a snack. I heard the Dapper Dans were outside singing so I went out there and took a picture and small movie. I absolutely love DL's Main Street!

We were ready for our break for the day, but first wanted to see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. We walked over that way and ran in to Goofy and Pluto together! Pat said let's wait in line for them! It was a short line, not alot of people noticed them. We got our picture with them, all together and then Cruella Deville just walks over and interrupts! THE NERVE! LOL! We were all laughing and the cast members were really joking around with her. In general, the CMs here at DL are much more in to their roles. They all seem to genuinely love being here. Well, who wouldn't!!

We walked right in to the next showing. It is alot like Hall of Presidents but just with Lincoln speaking. The Two Brothers song from American Adventure is in it and Golden Dreams song is at the end. It was a nice theatre too. This guy was sitting in front of me, which I thought was hilarious!

Next we exited the park but as we were walking out, out comes Ariel! None of the characters, costumed or face, have handlers here. They are always alone. Anyways, Ariel walks out towards the exit and runs right in to a little girl carrying an Ariel doll! We could not tell if this was planned or what but this magical moment just gave me chills! She took her by the hand and walked over to a bench in the shade and they talked and talked. Then Ariel said she had a little bit of time and wanted to have story time with them. They went off to find more kids. It was a great moment that only Disney does!

We walked back to our hotel for a break; Pat even went down to the pool cause she wants to go down that monorail waterslide. I was half tempted but want to rest up so we can go back in to the park tonight.

Well, so much for swimming. Pat came back upstairs and said someone left a "baby ruth" in the pool and they had to close it. Haven't they heard of Little Swimmers? I don't even have little ones and I know about them. To make matters, all the mothers and toddlers that left the pool relocated to the hot tub. ewwwwwwww!

We had decided to eat at Rainforest Cafe since it is right there at Downtown Disney. Pat and I both had $10 off coupons in our email for being Safari Club Members but we had no way of printing it. We went down to the convention center area and Pat found out it cost $7 to print something! um, no, we are not paying $7 to print a $10 coupon! We still wanted Rainforest since we had priority seating with our safari club card. We handed it over and were told 35 minutes wait. Even with the card. It was an hour or more without the card. Then she said we could sit at the bar if there were seats, which there were. We sat at the far left end, it was lower as if for handicap but there were no handicap markers. There were 3 seats so we sat there. I had a yummy creamcicle smoothie and a grilled chicken sandwich.

Beautiful picture hanging at check in

We hopped on the monorail right there at Downtown Disney and got off in hopes of riding Alice in Wonderland. It was down again, both times we tried to ride it. Instead we headed over to Dumbo with a 20 minute wait. The only adults without children, lol. We had fun flying around, as we each got our own elephant. It was beautiful up there with all the lights and I was feeling very happy and lucky!

After Dumbo, Pat and I hoped on the Carousel which was a walk on. Another fun and nostalgic ride. The CM kept saying "Please do not whip your horses, they can't go any faster". We thought that was so funny!

We headed on over to Small World which in Disneyland is where they project the Magic, the Memories and You. This is the first time I saw this show and I think it is pretty. I got chills all over when I heard Walt's voice at the end.

We started walking up a dark path and realized we were entering Pixie Hollow. All of a sudden all these lights and music started. It was just beautiful.

Debbie and Pat had fast passes left over for Star Tours so they did that while I waited at the exit. I needed to sit down for a bit and there was a bench where they spill in to the store after the ride. We were going to walk over to where Dumbo flies during the fireworks and lots of paths were blocked off but we finally found a spot where we thought he'd fly but when Baby Mine came on, no Dumbo. It was still beautiful to be right next to the castle to watch the fireworks. Right before they were over, we walked over to the monorail and got on a waiting train. A nice girl in our car asked if we wanted our picture taken all together; she used Pat's camera.

We exited at Downtown Disney which was still hopping with activity and music. We stopped in Tangaroa Terrace to get some breakfast items for the room tomorrow morning. We want to get an early start on the day since tomorrow is D23!

August 17th -Day 4 - Hooray for Hollywood!

2011-08-18T10:32:00.001-04:00

Today was the day Pat was taking us to the Imagineering Building, Disney Studios and The Disney Soda Shop. We had breakfast down at Tangaroa Terrace. I had the french toast with bananas and banana sauce. It came with 3 strips of bacon and was SO good! One funny thing that happened was, as we were sitting there a bird on the wire above me decided to relieve himself on me. Luckily it was easy to clean off my skin and did not land on my clothes. We picked up and moved away from the area with overhead wires. The very next table was open; it was so pleasant to sit outside in the morning; the sun was burning off the haze and it felt great.

After eating, we gathered up our things for the day and headed out. The DVC Preview Bldg. is right next door to us so we walked over there and they let us in to the Aulani model. Since someone was viewing it, we were allowed right in. These rooms are absolutely gorgeous! Because it is in Hawaii, you get a rice cooker in the room! Here are some pictures:


A bed comes out of the cabinet below the TV

We then gave up our great parking space and headed out for Imagineering. We had some GPS malfunctions but we finally got there and found a space on the street. Pat had to sign us in and we got GUEST badges. This is a really neat place, has a cafeteria and a cast store. We got a drink and sat outside in the courtyard which was filled with imagineers talking about projects. It was a very casual atmosphere and looked like a great place to work. We were not allowed to take a single photo but I did take a picture of my ID that they gave us.

After Imagineering, we were going to visit the original Disney Studios that Walt built. I have always wanted to see this. We had some more GPS malfunctions, the goofball guy was taking us in circles but we finally did find the Zorro Parking Lot which is directly across the street from the ABC Building. We parked in Zorro and headed out to the Studios Lot. It was bustling with activity all over the place. Right next door is the St. Josephs Hospital which is where Walt died.

We found the commissary and had lunch there before walking the lot at our leisure. We are all totally amazed that all we had to do was show an ID (pat) and we could literally walk around this lot anywhere we wanted. It just seemed to lack security. I took a picture of Pluto's paw prints in cement. It is located right at the base of the famous Mickey Avenue sign.

We walked over to the executive office bldg. which I call the Seven Dwarves Bldg. The courtyard in front of that has all the Disney Legend Plaques and also the Partners Statue.

We also walked in to the Archives Bldg and saw some exhibits. They were getting ready to take things over to the Expo so some sections were closed. We did see the original multi plane camera there. Also some hats that had belonged to and worn by Walt.

We shopped in the Cast Store, buying a few things that you cannot buy anywhere else. It was so cool to walk thru the studios. Lots of shows are taped here and at the ABC Studios right across the street.

It was time to drive to Hollywood; we wanted to check out the Disney Soda Shop and other things on Hollywood Blvd. This was a crazy funny area with all kinds of characters. Tour buses were driving by, people were handing us flyers for tours. We got seated immediately at the Soda Shop and we all got sundaes. The El Capitan Theatre is right next door and then next to that is the Jimmy Kimmel Show; it is really pretty. The Kodak Theatre is right across the street. We made our way over there to Grauman's Chinese Theatre and checked out the hand prints and then wandered all around the Kodak Theatre Mall. We went all the way to the top and got to see the Hollywood sign.

We decided to head back to the car; we were parked in the Kodak Theatre garage which was only $2 for the two hours! We were heading out of the area in the middle of rush hour. We were amazed that even though the traffic was backed up for a long time and moving slowly, motorcycles were zooming up the middle between lanes. Talk about stupid.

I noticed some amusing billboards on the way home. One was the legalized marijuana convention and the other was Dr. Tattoff for goofballs that realize getting a tattoo probably wasn't the smartest idea they'd ever had, lol.

When we got back to the room, our small lot was full so we had to park across the street at Paradise Pier. We hung around the room for an hour or so and then decided to walk down to Trader Sam's and get some food and drink. This place is new and just opened. It is sort of like Adventurers Club meets Tiki Room at the Polynesian. As we walked out of the hotel, the geyser was going off!

We ordered some appetizers and some drinks. I had a Hippopatomai'tai. Holy cow, this had two shots of rum and it hit me like a brick wall! Every once in awhile, someone would order a Volcano drink and the lights would glow red and everyone would yell. It's a really fun place; a little on the small side. There is outdoor cushiony couches and entertainment with tiki torches all around.

We finished eating and took our drinks out by the fireplace. We talked and laughed for a little bit and then headed upstairs to watch the fireworks from our window! We can literally lay in our beds and watch them with the music perfectly timed on ch. 47. Wow, another fun day with a perfect ending!

August 16th - Day 3 - California Adventure

2011-08-17T11:03:00.000-04:00

Today our plans took us over to California Adventure. We walked over via The Grand Californian lobby and also ate breakfast at Whitewater Snacks (sort of like their Roaring Forks). I had a really good egg and cheese/bacon sandwich.

We entered the park right there at the Grand Californian; there was no line at their small security station. As soon as we got in, we went right over to get our fast passes for World of Color later. We got the blue section which, according to Debbie and Pat, is a good one to get. Once we had that, we walked over to get a fast pass for Screamin, their thrill coaster. Yikes, this is a fast and high coaster with a fast take off. You could see why they call it screamin, lol

We walked over to Midway Mania which is their Toy Story Mania Ride. The line said 40 minutes and there are no fast passes. We had to bite the bullet and wait. Most of the lines in these parks have outdoor queus but it isn't too bad cause it is so comfortable outside, especially if you are in the shade. The line seemed to go fast and finally got on the ride. It is exactly the same once you are inside. Pat beat me at this game but I had higher accuracy!!

It was time for our Screamin fast pass and it's a good thing we had them cause the line was long. We were on in no time. I put my things in the pouch which didn't close too well. We pulled out and you hear 3-2-1 SCREAAAAAAAAAMMMMMM!! Which is exactly what I did for most of the ride! I started feeling a little queasy about half way thru. It was time for a break so we got some water and walked over to an exhibit with a/c that shows how they imagineered the Little Mermaid Ride. It was very comfortable in there. There was a pretty, interactive picture of the park in there.

We walked through Bugs Land which is so cute the way it is themed. Lots of details to see and some cute rides too. We headed over to the Monsters, Inc. ride and it was pretty much a walk on. Again, very well done and so funny. I love Roz at the end. She was saying to be sure to get her "good side" when taking a picture, lol. I found a cute antenna topper as we walked around.

Pat stopped to get some popcorn and we headed over to Hyperion Theatre to see the Aladdin Show. WOW! This is a broadway type show that just has to be seen to be believed. It was absolutely the best show and could go on Broadway tomorrow. The talent was amazing, especially the Genie. He was HILARIOUS! He told Aladdin to "put a ring on it" and started doing the Beyonce dance for the song. The crowd loved it. He made alot of modern day references that were hilarious.

It was time we got a bite to eat but the stands we saw did not have something we all would like. We walked around and found a great little stand with either steak skewers or chicken skewers. We walked right up and got our food right away. There was a great Irish Folk song band playing there and we found a table in the shade. I loved the lemon chicken skewers with chimichurri sauce and cucumber salad. I do not normally take a chance on this stuff but it was SO good.

After lunch, we headed over to Little Mermaid and it was only a 5 minute wait. It just recently opened and it is a really cute ride in a clam shell. We all really enjoyed it.

At this point, we were ready for an afternoon break. We got back to the room and all of us took a nice nap! We wanted to be awake for World of Color and a nap did the trick. We headed out around 7 and back in to California Adventure. We went to our fast pass area and waited for them to let us in. I was watching two adorable little girls in matching pink polka dot dresses. They had plastic princess dolls and were playing so cute together. Before too long, we were let in and no one even collected fast passes! We walked past a CM saying TICKETS TICKETS but everyone just blew past her to get their space!

We had about an hour wait but it went pretty fast. It is so pretty in this area with the lights on the wheel changing that you don't mind the wait.

World of Color started and it was just unbelievable. Words cannot do it justice. Neither can pictures. It was just so beautiful. Here are some pictures but like I said, you have to see it to believe it.

Afterwards we walked with the masses thru the park but it thinned out. Some were coming in for the 10:15 showing. We walked over to Whitewater Snacks and I had some tea and a croissant since we really never had dinner!

It was a great day with wonderful weather. I love how it cools down at night; we all wore light jackets. During the day, there is not a cloud in the sky! Tomorrow......Disney Studios tour with Pat's friend and and Hollywood!

August 15th - Day 2 - Disneyland

2011-08-15T20:06:00.001-04:00

I slept unbelievably well in these wonderful beds, despite waking up at 4:00 a.m. I dozed off and on and we ended up talking about things and all slowly made our way to the bathroom, one by one, to get ready. I LOVE this lamp fixture in our bathroom:

We walked over to Downtown Disney and found a little corner store that had grab n go type foods. None of us wanted a heavy breakfast. I got a little mini box of 2 Krispy Kreme donuts and they were really fresh. We ate outside since it was so pleasant and quiet.

After eating, we headed over to Disneyland but first went thru the empty security, we each had our own person. Once inside the park, we headed towards Tomorrowland to get Fast passes for Space Mountain. Our return time was 9:45. We had some time to kill so we headed over to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I miss this ride not being at WDW. It was great to be on it again!

After Toad, we thought we better do Peter Pan while the line was only 15 mins. since it would get much worse here and there are no fastpass machines here. I really liked this ride; it is slightly different than the FL version.

We passed the Casey Jr. Circus Ride and although it looks like it is a kiddy ride, there were alot of adults on. What a great little ride this is! It is much longer than it looks and the Casey Jr. song plays. I loved it! This is what Walt had in mind when he imagined this park!

We noticed some boats in the water while on the Casey train so we walked over to board those, with a very short line. Another wonderful ride and nothing like it at WDW. It was cool and enjoyable and you get to see all this little miniature Disney themed villages.

You enter thru this whale's mouth!

We then walked over to Small World. This is so much better than WDW! The line is outside and every single shrub is a topiary of an animal. The little characters came out and marched around. The outside facade was sparkling in the sun, just beautiful! I loved how there are Disney characters themed to small world inside. We saw Woody and Jessie, Ariel, Mulan and Pinocchio. This Small World is much longer here than FL.

After Small World, we ran in to some Star Wars storm troopers. They were trying to make their way thru the park but of course, everyone was stopping them for pictures. They did not seem to mind!

We then rode Space Mountain with our fast passes. Good thing we had FPs cause it was a 60 min. wait at this point. I love how the seating is side by side. This DL version is WAY better than the FL version, it's smoother and darker and the music is better. We then stopped at the Pasta place next to Space and ate outside.

We then rode Buzz. My score was pitiful, lol. Pat won with over 300,000 points! I like how these guns in this ride come out of the slot and you can aim all around.

We headed over to the hub and a horse drawn street car was just pulling up so we hopped on and rode to the front of Main Street. I taped the whole ride; it was so nice and relaxing with a nice breeze. Our horse's name was Lucky!

I took a picture of the fire station and Walt's Apartment and porch where he used to watch the daily parade. There was a light on in the station which has been on since he died. There were some great pictures in the Guest Relations City Hall.

I had heard that the bench that Walt was sitting on when he thought of Disneyland was on display in the park. I asked where and we went over to the Opera House to see it. Wow, this is the actual bench.

We then hopped on the train at Main Street and made the grand circle tour. The seating is sideways on this train because there is so much to see the whole way around. It even goes thru Small World.

At this point, we exited the park and made our way thru Downtown Disney, stopping in Marceline's Confections for a cookie:

We walked in to the World of Disney Store; it was very uncrowded and pleasant compared to the zoo in the orlando store! I found some cute antenna toppers and Mickey chip clips.

We headed up to our room for our late afternoon break. We have our Fantasmic Dessert Party tonight, we will grab a light dinner somewhere. I can't say enough how much I love this place. I called Joe during our lunch break and told him we MUST get out here sometime soon! Some hotel and grounds pics:

August 14th - Day 1 - My journey to the mothership aka Disneyland

2011-08-01T10:47:00.203-04:00

Well, here we are in Disneyland! We all had pretty good flights out, mine being 3 hours to Houston and then 3 hours to John Wayne airport. Pat and I flew together on the final leg and then met Debbie down by the John Wayne statue, we got our rental car from Alamo and were on our way! I was struck by how tall the palm trees are!

The next thing that amazed me was how many lanes across the traffic is! For a sunday, it was not too bad but I would hate to see this road on a weekday! It was a pretty short ride to the Disneyland Hotel. We waited for Pat to check in and we had cookies and lemonade in the lobby. Goofy came walking by!

Pat had a choice of rooms, one was handicap room with downtown disney view but the other choice had a day bed with a pool view. We chose that one and it turned out to be a great choice! We are in the Frontier tower and got a really good parking space near our building. We are on the 9th floor and not too far from the elevator which is great for coming back in the evening.

We unpacked our all stuff and took some pictures. Our view is AMAZING! The window is floor to ceiling, the entire wall! We can see for miles and miles. The matterhorn is off to our right.

We have this amazing headboard in this room that spans across both beds, the fireworks twinkle and it plays A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes! The music sounds like an old fashioned music box. It does turn off eventually; we were wishing it would play til we fell asleep, lol.

It was only about 4 (really 7:00) so we decided to head over to Disneyland to ride what we could. I let Debbie and Pat decide how we would get there; I just followed along. They said it was the scenic route. We walked along the pool area and the new Trader Sam's Tiki Bar. It has outdoor seating and a fireplace!

The grounds are beautiful here. We soon came along to see this:

We thought it was a wedding because they were talking about surprising someone with a slipper on a pillow but it ended up being someone's quinceanera. The girl and her court soon came walking by and the honoree was wearing a full Belle gown! I was not able to get a picture since we were asked to walk around the whole area and there was too much vegetation to get a good picture.

We continued on to the Downtown Disney area. I was stopping every few seconds for pictures and just taking it all in. I kept thinking I can't believe I am really here. The anticipation of entering the park was building. We went thru a small security area. It is nice cause once you are thru that, you can enter either park without going thru security again. I saw the train station and there was a train in the station waiting to load. I could hear the same Main Street Music. I LOVE the town square here with the tall trees; the street seems wider; familiar yet different. Coming around the corner, there was Sleeping Beauty's Castle. I just couldn't believe it, I am finally here!

We decided to keep with tradition and ride Pirates first. We first got fast passes for Indiana Jones since it is so popular. The line for Pirates was pretty long but I did not know the loading area is just inside the building so it was about 15 minutes. This Pirates is SO much better than the Fl version! The ride is longer and so much more to see. It makes you think they cheaped out in the Fl version by not putting all these scenes in. At one point, it is the same ride with the redhead and all but you go up a big hill at the end and there are two drops in the ride instead of one. I loved it! Blue Bayou restaurant as pretty busy in there.

When we came out, I looked for the Club 33 door. We found it and people were being let in so I peeked in but could not see much.

We then did Haunted Mansion after walking through the French Quarter area, which I loved. There was a Dixie Land Band playing; the whole atmosphere was just great and so well themed. Haunted Mansion was pretty much the same except the stretch room seemed way taller and the walk to the doom buggies was longer and more themed. We noticed a lit birthday cake with a girl blowing out the candles in the dining room scene. We didn't think that was in the FL version.

It was almost time for our FP for Indiana Jones so we looked around in the stores there. I saw a sweater that I would love to have but it was $64! We got our fortune told by a genie's lamp. It was a riot, he was saying all kinds of funny things like your team will win the super bowl, lol.

We then entered the Indiana Jones queu which was quite a hike but so well themed! This is the same type of vehicle/jeep that Dinosaur in Fl has for the most part. This ride was great! It seemed long and windy and was so much fun. The rolling ball at the end was great!

We decided to make our way out of the park and came up a busy Main Street lined up for the parade. We were going to get a bite to eat but found a perfect spot to watch the parade, which is new. It was just starting so it was perfect timing. We loved this...Mickey's Soundsational Parade. So many good character floats and they were all really in to their parts.

We made our way out of the park, thru Downtown Disney and decided to see what Tangaroa Terrace at our hotel had to offer. I got a flatbread pizza appetizer which was just enough for me, I could barely finish it. We sat outside to eat since the weather was just perfect. All of the tiki torches were lit and there was live music coming from Trader Sam's.

It was 7:30 or so (really 10:30 to use) when we finished so we headed upstairs to our room and decided to call it a night. We stayed up talking quite a while though. We turned on our fireworks over the headboard and the lights off in the room. Next thing we know, fireworks were right outside our big window coming up high over the building across from us. We turned on ch. 47 on the tv and there was the music to the fireworks! OMG, it was BEAUTIFUL! It had just started and I literally laid in my bed and watched them. What a way to end the day/night!

The rest of the pics are on Facebook!

Friday, October 29th, 2010 - Last Day - Magic Kingdom

2010-10-30T21:09:00.000-04:00

We said our last goodbyes to our balcony. This picture is taken from the couch, what a view! It looked to be an over cast day! Our original plans called for us having breakfast at Kona Cafe with my cousin, Lisa. She sent me a message that she could not make it, but we still drove over to Kona but ended up changing our mind about breakfast. As we walked down to the car at the Boardwalk, they were setting up pumpkins for a carving contest. I only saw this one that was made to be like Cinderella's Coach, looks like a winner to me!

The details on this was amazing!

We monorailed over to Magic Kingdom but I still needed to get something to eat and was wishing I would have gone down to Captain Cooks for something quick.

Polynesian Lobby

Our first stop was the Confectionary and I got a couple gingerbread men and Willy Wonka candy bars for the kids. I ended up eating one of the gingerbread men for my breakfast and it did hold me over til lunch.

Making rice krispie treats!

As we were walking down Main Street, I saw the Mayor in the middle of the street and stopped to take his picture. He said he wanted to stand next to a redhead (me?) and I wasn't sure who he meant but then realized he meant me, my hair is reddish in the sun, lol. So Debbie took our picture. He mentioned something about an old girlfriend he once knew had red hair. He was pretty funny!

We took a few pictures of the decorations in the hub and walked over the bridge to Liberty Square. I think at this point we went to Country Bears and had a 4 minute wait for a show. We sat down close, it was nowhere near full. We then walked back over to Splash Mountain area but instead went up to the train station and made a grand circle tour all the way back around to Frontierland.

see the rainbow at the bottom of the hill

This day in Magic Kingdom was definitely much more crowded than any other day this week. We heard Captain Jack's voice and sure enough, it was the "good" Jack. He could be Johnny Depp's brother, looks and sounds the same! We took one last ride on Pirates since we were right there.

We were both hungry and continued on through Adventureland. Right near Aladdin's Magic Carpets, I saw a Doberman guide dog in training. I know not to pet them but it is not easy for me!

We walked over to Cosmic Ray's for lunch via the hub where there was a castle show going on.

It was a beautiful day and not nearly as hot out so we ate outside. We both got the cheeseburgers, soooo good here. Had a great view of the castle while eating!

We stopped to see Sunny Eclipse on the way out though! What's the best thing to do after lunch? Ride the WedWay, of course! This was the second time in a row that as we were boarding people were asking "what is up there, a ride?" The cast member showed them how it goes all around Tomorrowland. I hope they never take this ride out!

from wedway, looking down at tomorrowland speedway

After Wedway, we decided to check out the Monsters Laugh Floor. This show is hilarious! It is always different and is even better when the guests are really in to it and this group of guests were; it was so funny.

Vending machine inside Laugh Floor

We walked over to Haunted Mansion and the line was pretty long. It seemed to be moving so we got in line. It amazes me how people back up and wait, when you are supposed to fill in all the space on both sides. Everyone was waiting for the one turnstile and the right one was completely not in use and no one was standing anywhere near it. Debbie and I went to the right and moved right up to fill in the space. There is not much to look at here, since there are walls up in front of the graves.

Debbie and I both wanted a snack at this point, a dessert of some sort. We stopped at the Sleepy Hollow stand. Oh dear, it all looks so good! I got the root beer float and Debbie got the chocolate chipped cookie with chocolate chip ice cream. We both felt guilty indulging like this but it was SO good. Hall of Presidents is right next door, so we ducked in there and it was good to sit awhile longer after that. I was thinking naptime but I ended up watching the whole thing.

It was now pushing 3:00, so we started making our way through the parade crowd and heading back towards the front of Main Street. I did want to stop and get Joe a bucket of popcorn; the very least I can do! I did that and out the gates we went.

The overcast day ended up being beautiful and sunny but not too hot! I was a little worried about the candy bars in my purse.

We monorailed over to the Poly and got the car, noticing our candy bars were slightly bent, lol. We got gas at the Hess, which was packed with cast members getting gas just about at every stall! We had no problems returning the car and getting up to security, the line took about 30 minutes to get through, it did not seen to be moving too fast. MCO-Detroit-Pittsburgh, arriving around 11:00. When we got off in Pittsburgh and took the train to the land side, there was Joe, Jake and Justin waiting for me! I was glad to see them all there! I wish I would have thought to take a picture. We talked the whole way home and then I came in to the dogs greeting, lol. It was pretty late, but I stayed up a bit to see them and then lights out. I was sort of hoping this was all a big dream and I had yet to wake up to start our trip! ha ha, not quite!

We had such a great time and everything went as planned. The weather was a little hotter than expected but not quite as humid as summer and the crowds were much lower than summer. Except for Splash, we did everything we wanted to do. Thanks to Debbie for taking me along to her home resort for another great trip. It was great seeing old friends again and meeting new ones. I was glad to get one more trip in on my annual pass. I got 19 nights in for 2010, almost 3 weeks!!

Thanks for reading and for all the nice emails and comments!! I'll end this report with the man who started it all !!

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

2010-10-28T22:23:00.000-04:00

Today's plan takes us to Disney's Animal Kingdom. We left around 9:30 or so and drove. We noticed the lot barely had any cars in it so that is a good sign! We hopped on a tram and were about to leave, the CM said no more boarding but somehow some family thought it was ok and a security person said to let them board. It was a short ride to the front since we weren't that far back to begin with.

We headed back for a FP for the safari. I think the stand by said 20 minutes but it did not look that long. We got our fast passes and headed for the Pangani Trail. There is so much to see along this trail and I wanted to take my time looking at it all. When we got to the gorilla exhibit, I was wishing Adie and Lisa were along so we could learn more about these fabulous creatures and identify them. It was so hot and they seemed to be just lounging around; they had just eaten the CM said. No sign of the little baby, or she was hiding cause the CM mentioned her being around.

We then walked back to the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. There was quite a crowd waiting already and the train ended up being full. Once we got inside, I took a picture of a pretty obvious hidden mickey and we learned there would be some well check ups in the vet window today; one would be on a Flying Fox bat and one on a Harris hawk.

See the not so hidden mickey?

I never seem to catch this at the right time so I was thrilled to be able to see this. It's fascinating how they perform their exam. The bat was anesthetized for the exam but the hawk was not. The hawk was found shot somewhere and they nursed it back to health and it now looked normal except for the eyes. It is blind. I was thinking what a great job this would be to have. The vet was very informative as he told us what was being done. They showed us the bat after he came out of his anesthesia. Fascinating stuff.

We also got to see and touch a Milk snake. They have hand sanitizer right there when you are done. Walking around, I noticed Jiminy Cricket and Rafiki and snapped their pictures.

We walked out to the petting zoo but they were all behind the ropes, except for a couple, and resting. I am sure they were as hot if not hotter than we were.

Insert funny caption,lol

It was now our fast pass time for our safari. We had a pretty good guide for our safari; he stopped for pictures and did not seem to be following a script; some of them do and it is not as good. I think because of the heat, there were not alot of animals out; a few of each kind. The lion popped his head up and laid back down. Not enough time for a picture. We did get to see a baby giraffe and also the baby elephant. Unfortunately, our two week safari was cut short cause of the poachers so we said kwaherini and were on our way!

We were both hungry and decided to eat at Pizzafari. It is always good here and large enough to have no problem finding a seat. I got the kids cheese pizza cause it came with a drink, grapes and a cookie! It was just the right amount of food for me. On the bridge out of Harambe, we noticed it was a little green:

After eating, we went looking for a popcorn cart; there is one on the oasis when you come in. I asked about the Mickey ghost container and she said she would call and check availability in the park. I heard someone answer that they were sold out property wide! I really wanted one of these so that is a bummer!!

We walked over to Expedition Everest; the tip board said a 10 minute wait! Sure enough, we get over there and it is a 10 minute wait. Debbie did single rider and that cut the wait in half, so she road twice! I stayed back; the backward speed bothers me and I wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of the day and with the heat, I knew to take it easy. While I waited for Debbie, I noticed a couple men wearing unusual hats. One really caught my eye; a Mickey Ears golf hat! I said I liked his hat and asked if I could take a picture. He started posing and kneeling down so I could get a good shot. Both of their wives were on the ride and they were both "holding the hats" that their wives insisted they buy when they came in. We talked about the unusually warm weather and they were not riding cause of the backwards section too! I thanked them for the picture and went to wait for Debbie's second ride to be over, in the cool gift shop.

We headed over past Nemo, a show looked like it was just filling up. We wanted to ride Dinosaur so that is where we went. Dinoland was going full tilt, games were clanging, and Primevil Whirl was spinning fast as ever with not much of a line. We got over to Dinosaur (remember when this was Countdown to Extinction?) and it said 20 minute wait but it looked to be all inside, no waiting was outside. That usually means much less than 20 minutes. Sure enough, we walked right up to the rope and were let in in a few minutes. We ended up with a fun car of riders, as you can see from our picture:

We are middle, far right.

We had seen about all we wanted to see and the heat was just brutal. We decided to head back to cool off and rest a bit. We walked out the opposite side of the oasis that we came in on. Took a picture of the really pretty parrots there. This area is tucked away and not alot of people notice it. There was only one other lady there.

When we walked back to the car, you could just feel the heat coming off the pavement. We caught a waiting tram and got off at the first start; had to wait a few minutes to cool off the car before we could get in; 104 degrees is what it said! We will wait til the sun starts to go down before heading back over to Epcot for the evening.

I worked on the report for an hour or so and then decided to take a short nap. I felt rested and cool when I got up. Around 6:30, we freshened up and walked over to World Showcase to finish off the booths we wanted, keeping an eye out for Adie and Lisa in case they were here, since they just checked in today. I bought a gift card at the festival stand, the kind that you wear on your wrist for convenience. It makes a nice souvenir too! We walked over to the Werther's Caramel store in Germany and it was almost empty, a far cry from the other night on the weekend! I wanted to get some warm caramel corn and Debbie got a cupcake. Tonight, we were going to do desserts first and then regular food, lol. We went over to the table area in Germany and Debbie got a hot pretzel. All of the tables were empty so we sat down and enjoyed our snack.

We walked over to Norway, I wanted to show Debbie inside of the Stave Church. She did not know there were exhibits in there! It was cool in there. I could see me sneaking my Norway Bakery stuff in here in the summer! lol Debbie and I decided these guys were probably good looking in "their day", lol.

We made our way over to Mexico. I was checking out the Margarita stand first. Wow, do these ever look good! Two guys standing there told me they are as good as they look. He said I should be drinking "around the world"; that is how you do it he said. I said I will not make it half way around the world if I did that, lol, but I did have my sights on a Cranberry Cosmo. I had to laugh when I overhead a women say "What I want to drink and what I can handle are two different things", lol. She summed it up for me quite well! We then went inside to look at the Tequila Bar; it is small like Dottie said. I have never been in there before.

We walked in to Mousegears but just casually looked around, there was nothing I needed to buy. As we passed the fountain, I took a few pictures, the water looked so refreshing in this heat!

We checked out a few stands along the way, the chocolate lava cake with Baileys Irish Creme ganache looked SO good but I really did not want another sweet item, I wanted to get the short ribs and mashed potatoes in France and also the Cranberry Cosmo Grey Goose Slushy.

Chocolate Lava Cake with Baileys Irish Creme ganache

There were very small lines at all the stands and none at all in France. I first ordered the short ribs and ate that and then went back over for my Cranberry Slushy. The short ribs were oustanding; I could have easily eaten two of these.

Short ribs with mashed potatoes on top

I was glad I had that first and the drink next. I took my slushy over to the fountain and I swear I was drinking it for 5 minutes and it just kept melting and did not look like I touched it! Before I even finished half of it, I was feeling it!

We sat along the fountain in France and I looked to my left and there were the same guys I talked to in Mexico and he asked me if I did get my Cranberry Cosmo and I showed him the empty glass, lol. I offered to take a picture of him and his friends by the fountain. I was hoping I was holding the camera straight; I told him I am not making any promises on that, lol.

We walked over to the bridge from France to UK and decided to watch Illuminatons there; it was the perfect spot for the higher fireworks. I called Joe to let him hear the music. He was waiting for my next trip installment, lol.

This is our last night at Disney; we have most of the day tomorrow at the Magic Kingdom but this is the last installment until I am home. I will finish up the report some time over the weekend. Hope you all enjoyed it! It sure has been fun living it!

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 - Epcot - Day 5

2010-10-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

Today, we are headed over to Epcot, starting in Future World and winding our back towards World Showcase after it opens at 11. One of the nice features of the Boardwalk is, you can boat or walk to the back of Epcot and enter via the International Gateway. We chose to walk over; you can usually beat the boat by walking, even though it was already quite warm at 9:00.

There was no line whatsoever at the security and turnstiles. Shortly after entering, I turned around and there was Anna and her husband entering behind us! We were all heading to Soarin to get our fast passes so we just walked together. It was already very busy in the Land Pavilion since Soarin is so popular. Our return time was 11:24. We parted ways here and headed over to the The Land boat ride. Yes, walking on again. It was relaxing and enjoyable and there were even some Fall decorations to see!

On to the Seas with Nemo (which will always be The Living Seas to me). Another walk on! Once it was over, we decided to see Turtle Talk with Crush; it's been awhile since I bothered to see this. As we were walking in to the theatre, I noticed a cute little fish, a puffer?, just staring up against the glass. It was like the poor little thing wanted someone to pay attention to him! I stopped to take his picture, he just has such a cute little face.

We left the Seas pavilion after Crush and wanted to check the line for Spaceship Earth. We cut through Innoventions just to catch some cool a/c! The line for Spaceship Earth said 10 minutes and it was a "moving" queue and they usually go fast, otherwise, I would never wait for this ride. We all know it is a walk on later on in the day and evening. It did go pretty fast and we were on in no time. I filmed our little cartoon movie at the end. They always turn out funny.

We walked over towards Imagination and rode along with Figment. I have NEVER ever seen a line at this attraction! If you do, you KNOW the park is busy. As expected, we walked right on. The interactive area at the end is all boarded up, to the left, where you email the images. I hope they fix them cause the emails never make it home!

At this point, we made our way back to World Showcase taking some great pics of the Food and Wine displays.

No Lady and the Tramp topiaries this year! We went left towards Mexico and I immediately found the Champagne booth and wanted to get the dessert trio. OH MY was this ever good! One was chocolate and I did not notice it fell off the edge of the plate and landed right on my white shirt and started to melt in the blazing sun. I tried to wash it off with cold water and Tide to Go and I mostly smeared it but it did get somewhat lighter. Oh well, it was worth it, lol! I noticed Duffy the Bear right beside this stand, so I snapped his picture real quick.

We made our way past the rest of the countries and food stands, snapping pictures here and there along the way. I heard Debbie say Oh My and there in front of us was a woman dressed in the strangest "top" with an open back! Just very strange to wear this to the parks and with her husband and child along!

We decided to go to our France lunch a little early. We checked in and were called within minutes. I was hoping to get the little sun room for our table but we were escorted to the front and close to a window too so this was great! Our waiter, Thibaud, soon came to greet us. Oh. My. I'm not sure what it was about him...the dimples, the accent, the charm? He was talking but I wasn't comprehending it all just yet. I was really hot from being out in the heat and Thibaud wasn't helping matters, lol. He had a really thick accent and it was hard to look at him and talk at the same time, lol. When he talked, he looked right in your eyes! Debbie and I were both smitten! (Joe, I know you are laughing as you read this, lol). I am usually chatty cathy with the cast members but I found myself just too shy to say too much. I wanted a picture but did not want to ask, so I snapped a quick shot when he was at the table next to us. We were trying to guess his age....early 20s, younger than my oldest son, lol. So yes, lunch was quite enjoyable!! Oh yeh, we both had the ham and cheese with salad!

Think Antonio Sabato, Jr.

We walked through France and noticed Princess Aurora was there and also some really beautiful Beauty and the Beast Topiaries. Belle is usually here but we did not see her this time.

We headed back towards the American Pavilion thinking we could catch American Adventure. When we got there, we walked in and Voices of Liberty were singing. They always sound so great. When we got in the theatre, Debbie sat towards the back so she could video the movie at the end and I sat up in the front. I was the only one in my row and then a little boy came with his dad and where does he sit? Right next to me. Well, he did not sit long, he kept jumping over in to his dads lap and then the seat and then the dad. Ok. Everytime he did this, the seat wobbled and vibrated. Once the movie started, he seemed to settle down. I was going to move down a few but he seemed to enjoy it once it started.

We decided to head back for a rest and to cool off. It is brutal out in the sun today, not quite as humid, just plain HOT. I took a few pictures of the Boardwalk Pool being closed. They are running shuttles over to Stormalong Bay for those that want to swim there.

Around 6 or so, we walked over to Epcot. The sun was setting on Crescent Lake and it was just beautiful!

We entered the park and were going to see Captain EO so we walked towards United Kingdom and Canada. Off Kilter was just walking out on to the stage and starting a set. I had to stop and take a picture of them in their kilts. Eye candy at its best! We listened for a few minutes; there was quite a crowd for them, no surprise there!

We walked in to the theatre for Captain EO and it was only a minute or so and we walked into an almost empty theatre. I love this movie more every time I see it. I don't know how anyone can sit still in their seat once he starts dancing. We left there and wanted to talk over to see Circle of Life. For the longest time, I had always ignored this movie but once I saw it, I absolutely loved it. It is very well done. Once we walked down the hill, I showed Debbie where the Epcot timeline is, which is right next to Club Cool exit. It shows when it first opened and all the dates of the various attractions and pavilions and when they opened. There is alot of unused open space in there.

We started walking towards Mexico and the World Showcase was definitely busier than earlier in the day! We wanted to get the cheese ravioli in Italy and got in line for that. Wow, this looked delicious!

As we exited the line, a cast member was there at another stand and asked if we wanted a cannoli. At first, I thought he meant a sample, lol. I actually did want to get one of these anyways. They are huge and really were good.

As we were sitting there on a bench in Italy eating our food, Billy Ocean was singing. We decided to walk over and get a seat in the back and eat our cannoli; just as he was starting Caribbean Queen. I thought he sounded great but was a little surprised by the gray hair. This was his last night at Epcot.

The next booth was America and I wanted to get a crab cake. I could have done without the slaw, but the crabcake was pretty good. On our way to Belgium for the waffle, we passed the belly dancer in Morocco. She draws quite a crowd!!

We found a table there at Belgium and sat there to eat our waffle and fruit compote with whipped cream. This was really good!

We realized we were in a good spot for Illuminations and it was starting in 10 minutes. It turned out to be the perfect spot for the fireworks, right over our heads practically. We watched it to the end and then proceeded with the masses back to the Boardwalk area. Another warm night and it felt good to get in to the a/c. It's amazing how fast time goes down here!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 - Day 4 Magic Kingdom

2010-10-26T23:36:00.000-04:00

We were going back to the Magic Kingdom today; arriving about 9:15 or so. While on the bus, I heard my phone ringing and it was Dottie and Joe! They, too, were heading over to Magic Kingdom so we would try to hook up later. When we got to Towne Square, I noticed the big double decker bus coming out from behind the gate near the barber shop. I have never done this before in the Magic Kingdom. They pulled up in front of City Hall and said All Aboard! We jumped on and walked all the way to the top and sat right smack in the front two seats. What a view we would have on our ride down Main Street!

Once we go to the hub, everyone had to get off. The Magic Kingdom was not crowded at all and it seemed like very few people were walking near the hub. We wanted to see about getting fast passes for Splash Mountain and headed back in that direction. It is so pleasant to walk through the parks when it is like this! We got to the Splash fast pass area and noticed the machines were covered. We asked the CM working there if they'd open later and he said no. I said, oh I wonder why and he replied he just does what he's told and something about low attendance, lol. I said well that is a good thing then! We were not quite ready to get wet so early in the day (seems to be our pattern, lol) so we walked over to Big Thunder and walked right down to a train coming in, no one ahead of us in the queue. They were only running the right side since so few people were in line. Love it!

After exiting Big Thunder, we walked to the right and noticed Woody and Jesse signing autographs.

We wanted to ride Pirates again and again, I heard Captain Jack Sparrow talking but when we got closer it was a different Jack, he was shorter but sounded the same. We walked in to the Pirate queue and literally walked straight on to a waiting boat! I think everyone slept in today!!

We continued on through Adventureland sharing it with very few people. I could not get over the crowds being so low. Touringplans called for level 1 today and it was right on. We crossed the Ad-Lib bridge and walked in to Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. I found a few more Toy Story ornaments, one is the Pixar Lamp!

We walked over to Haunted Mansion and as our good luck would have it, walked straight in to the stretch room. When we entered the ride area, the buggys were stopped, they were probably loading some wheelchair guests. It started up right away and we were on our haunted way! I took some video in there this time, mostly of the talking head stones. I checked out the gift kiosk when we came out for my niece but did not really see anything there. They did have a cute t shirt but it was very thin and not much for $28!

It was now about 11:15 and we were right there at Columbia Harbor House so we walked in and no one was ordering so we got waited on immediately. I got my usual Anchors Aweigh Tuna Sandwich with chips and ice water. Our food came quickly since we were the only ones there. There were others already upstairs eating; I went for my favorite spot by the window overhang so we can people watch those walking from Fantasy Land to Liberty Square.

We sat there for quite awhile enjoying our lunch and people watching. We finally decided to be on our way and noticed the Peter Pan queue was not even full as usual; there was a 20 minute wait which is better than usual but still longer than I like to wait for most rides. I suggested we go over to Snow White and see what that wait is.

The line at Snow White was not long at all; it said 15 minutes but we were on our way in about 5 minutes. We never do this in the summer since the line is ridiculously long. This is more like it! While in the ride, it stopped and the lights came on which gave us a chance to take a few pictures that we normally cannot get while moving.

As we were walking towards Tomorrowland, I noticed a voicemail and it was from Dottie. They were now in Magic Kingdom. I found an outside table at Cosmic Rays and gave her a call back, but got her voicemail this time!! While we were sitting there Alice and the white rabbit walked by!!

I heard the Move It Shake It Celebrate It Parade starting over at the hub so we started walking in that direction.

This is a fun and festive parade! It had just started so we stood there and watched it a little bit. Lots of Air Force Officers were in the crowd since this was the beginning of Air Force week. I heard my phone ringing somehow and it was Dottie and they were at Columbia Harbor House. We said we would be over in about 10 minutes. It took a little while for the parade to move around the hub. It was alot of fun to see everyone dancing and having a good time. The end finally reached us and we crossed over to the bridge to Liberty Square. I knew where Dottie was sitting so we went in and found them right away! It is always fun to meet up with friends on vacation at the same time! We sat down and talked for a good while. Dottie and Joe were then heading off to The Studios and Debbie and I were going to the Lunching Pad to get a FROKE (frozen coke). We made plans to meet at Downtown Disney later to look around in the stores and maybe eat at Earl Of Sandwich.

We ran in to PUSH the talking trash can in Tomorrowland. We noticed Push's sidekick right away, seemed so obvious to us. Kids were getting a real kick out of him!

It is a warm day and a frozen Coke really hits the spot. I was looking for my money and realized I did not have it in this purse. I may have left it in my other purse but was not sure. I had not needed it up to this point and just could not remember what I did with it. I had some money on my Disney Rewards card and used that. We decided to head back to the room to make sure it was in my other purse. It was just bothering me that I wasn't sure; today was our trash and towel day and I had hid my purse so it would not be out in the open. Debbie reminded me that the Air Force Thunderbirds had their fly over Main Street around 3:00 and it was about 2:30. We just decided to look around the stores a little bit and then I changed my mind and we starting heading out. Just as I got to the end of the street, I hear "Donna! Donna!". I looked to my right and I sort of recognized but wasn't sure, if it was Anna! I said, ANNA? IT WAS!! She is on our AOL DVC boards and we had never met but I knew she was here from Barbara telling me. She said she recognized me from posted pictures! It was great to meet her and I feel like I've known her a long time since we read posts all the time!!

We stood there speculating about when the fly over would be; before or after the parade. The parade was starting in Frontierland and there was alot of media and cameras on our end of Main Street so we knew the direction they'd be flying. Once the Grand Marshal car came down after the Main Street Band, we knew it would be soon. There were Air Force Officer standing all around the bakery and they cheered for the parade marshals as they passed. Right after that, we heard the zooming F16s heading street for us and WOW, it was loud and fast! I got it on video and Debbie took a picture.

The rush to leave the Magic Kingdom was enormous! We headed out to the left, thru the turnstile and out to a waiting Boardwalk bus. Luckily, there were a few seats left in the back. Those seats on top of the engine are HOT! We got back up to the room and sure enough, my money was in my other purse and I was so glad to find it! We chilled out and relaxed, I called Joe and talked to him; they are expecting some bad storms today.

We had plans to meet up with Dottie and Joe at Downtown Disney between 7 and 7:30. We were getting ready to leave the room and Barbara called and was on her way in to the Boardwalk to hopefully meet Rich (wearing their MSU shirts). I explained where to park and we went down in the lobby to meet them. I guess Rich was coming down to the lobby too so we would get to see him again! When we got down there, we sat down in the lobby and Rich soon followed. We all hugged and took a few pictures and went down to the quiet pool to see the rest of Rich's gang. On the way down, he explained the main pool closed suddenly cause it was having filter problems. Mud was coming out the clown mouth!

When we got down to the quiet pool it was very deserted except for Rich's group. We got to meet everyone and took another picture and we all chatted for awhile. It was about time for us to meet up with Dottie and just then she called to say they were down there. We all said our goodbyes and headed to Downtown Disney. Parking was full in Lot #1, so we parked down by T-Rex and walked up to Earl of Sandwich. I called Dottie to let her know we were in the loooooong line. Before too long, her and Joe walked in and joined us in line. Joe found us the perfect booth and grabbed it for us! We all ordered and got our food and the sandwiches here are SO good. I had the Italian one and got a chocolate pudding for dessert. Once we were done, Joe headed back to Beach Club Villas and us girls decided to shop! We started out first in the Christmas Store; I only bought a few small things..one being the cute little Dept. 56 accessory where Mickey and Pluto are ice skating. We then oohed and ahhed our way through the Disney Art Gallery; SO many nice things in there! We walked over to TrenD and checked out the new Dooneys, lots of new ones! We eventually made it over to World of Disney and I got a Toy Story Magic Towel. I love that we get an annual pass discount in the stores now.

I had no idea it was past 10:00! We said our goodbyes to Dottie and were parked in different areas. It is hard to believe that at this time of night, it is still 86 degrees! Heading over to Food and Wine Festival tomorrow to try a few things!

Monday, October 25, 2010 - Disney's Hollywood Studios - Day 3

2010-10-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

Today's plan takes us to Disney Studios. I slept pretty well; although I did hear some loud yelling down on the Boardwalk around 2:00 in the morning. Probably from Jellyrolls as it let out. I fell back asleep with no problem and got up around 7:30. We got ready and were out the door down to the boat by 9:00. We apparently just missed a boat; we had about a 15 minute wait for the next one.

I took Debbie's pass and walked swiftly to get our Toy Story Mania fastpasses. There was no line at the machines but the CM said I just missed the big rush; the return time we got was already at 1:50! We decided to go back to The Great Movie Ride and along the way saw a couple of kids dressed as green army men; they looked great!

There was no line at the Great Movie Ride and we walked right down and were the last two in one of the back rows. The volume was so loud back there that I could feel the vibration on my back! Our tourguides were pretty good I thought.

We then went and checked the tip board to see what the waits were for Rock n Roller and Tower of Terror. Tower of Terror said 20 minutes but we were hoping for it to actually be less. It did not seem that crowded to me as we walked down Sunset Blvd. At first the line seemed long but we noticed they were not using the entire queue once we got up in to the line. In about 5-6 minutes or so, we were entering the Hotel lobby and we just made it in to the library to the far right. We did not even have a full library which was nice for a change to not be packed in like sardines. We apparently had a room full of experienced riders cause everyone was shifted to the side where the door slides open. Once back in the boiler room, we were deciding which line seemed shorter. We chose the left side but it slowed down once we were in the line. Then they opened a second elevator on that side and we were the first to get on the numbered space and we would be right in the front! This is the one ride at Disney that I still feel a flutter of excitement from the anticipation, even though I have ridden it many many times. I was trying to keep my feet down so my purse would not fly up and I could put both hands up. This picture isn't that great, but Debbie and I are on the far left bottom row. It seemed like we went up and down 4-5 times, it was a great ride!

We walked over to Rock n Roller Coaster and Debbie decided to get in the single rider line. I was not wanting to take any chances getting knocked around after Space Mountain yesterday, so I waited for her in the store. She was off in about 15-20 minutes or so. She said stand by time was 40 minutes, not too bad; nothing like summer!

It was now about time for our lunch at Sci Fi; we passed through the center of the park and there was a show going on in front of the hat. I think it was a Disney Channel Rocks show or something like that. I never pay attention since I have no interest in that type of show. Lots of kids were up and dancing though, even though it was quite hot already.

We arrived about 5 minutes early for our lunch and we were seated in about 5 minutes so they were running on time today. Our car hop escorted us to the right and all the way to the back of the theatre in the very last car. We were the "hitchhikers" in the back seat. We had a pretty good waitress, although when she brought me a second iced tea, I could smell cigarettes coming from her, she maybe had just smoked; such a disgusting stench! Debbie got the grilled chicken and I got the burger; both were very good. Our lighting was poor so I did not take a picture and did not want to use a flash and blind everyone, lol!

We came outside where it was very bright and HOT! We looked around in the Writers Stop store. Usually, we wait in here while we wait for our table in Sci Fi, usually reading some books. It was not crowded at all. I've heard the carrot cake cookie is really good here but I was not hungry at all so did not get one. Heading out to the streets of New York, we noticed almost all of the Osborne Lights are up! Even the ground displays and the overhead ones too! I assumed the buildings would be done but not the props on the sidewalks. We circled around and walked through the muppets store, then the Christmas store, not really buying, just looking. There was an American Idol show coming up in a few minutes so we headed up that way.

The American Idol Theatre was barely full of guests already seated. We were escorted right down to the third row, front and center. This show consisted of two male singers who were so so and one female singer, who was a little bit older than they were. I had noticed a really handsome looking family right in front of us. The dad was wearing pink mickey ears and a pink polo. All 5 of the kids were wearing pink polos and khaki shorts except the little girl who was wearing a pink dress. They ranged in age from 2 mos. to about 7 yrs old! They were so well behaved and all looked so nice! I snapped a picture of the adorable baby who was smiling at me as the dad held him. During the show, one of the judges (the Randy Jackson looking one) commented to one of the contestants that he had seen everything now "except a fellow brother wearing a pink mickey hat and pink polo....oh wait, there's one sitting right here". The whole audience cracked up and they showed him on the camera.

Overall, the show was pretty good. The two male singers were blah, but the older southern lady did a Patsy Cline song and she was really good and of course, she did win. Debbie and I wondered if she was a "plant" cause she was dressed in long cuordoroys and a long sleeve sweater, in FLORIDA!'

It was not quite time for our Toy Story Mania fast pass so we took our time walking over that way and decided to look in the gallery at all the things I would love to have! There was an animator in there doing some drawings.

We were thinking about doing The Little Mermaid but it was a little bit of a wait since a show had just started. We walked back to Toy Story Mania and got there just as our time was up for our fast pass. The stand by line was up to 60 minutes which was down from 70 earlier in the day. Our line moved pretty fast. There was a VIP Tour Guide just ahead of us but I did not recognize the guest as a celebrity; just someone with ALOT of money! We were pretty far back in the line upstairs when I heard PARTY OF TWO, PARTY OF TWO!! We got to jump ahead of alot of people and told to go right downstairs to the queue! We were spinning our way to the targets in no time!! I did not do too bad; good for me but pretty bad compared to the 300,000+ high of the day!

Pretty sad score! Mine is on right

We strolled down Hollywood Blvd. looking through the stores along the way. I STILL do not get the vinylmation hype at ALL, just don't see the attraction or what in the world you do with them besides display them and collect dust! Sort of like "why did I buy all these pins?"

We walked out and walked over towards the boat and could see one waiting and there was no way I was going to run to get it in this heat. We walked a normal pace and so did everyone in front of us and the boat was waiting! We got our seat and a few more piled on after us too. We got off at the Swolphin and walked over the bridge to the Boardwalk, going in the back door and up to our room. Once you go in the back door and up the stairs to the 3rd floor, we are only a few doors down the hall. It was stuffy in our room and we were soooo hot so we cranked up the air and took some time to relax before heading out again.

Around 5:10 or so, we headed out for the car to drive over to Fort Wilderness. We would park at the Outpost and take any settlement bus back to Trails End. We pulled in and found a space and walked over to sit on a bench to wait. A few park buses came and finally a settlement yellow came along and we hopped on and got off at the last stop, which is the same as you would get for Hoop Di Doo. We were no sooner walking up to the entrance and I heard "Donna and Debbie"! Barbara and Roy were on the bus behind us! I immediately found an empty rocker and Barbara checked us in.

It was maybe 5 mins. and they called us. We were taken to a table in the Crockett's Tavern section on the lower level. We had sat here in August and it is not a good location. It is too dark and even worse we were boxed in by a table of 8 next to us. I asked for anything upstairs and he checked and came back and said sorry but nothing was open up there. He offered us an alternative table, still downstairs but over by the window. It was much better lit and more in the open so that was fine with us. I stayed and watched the purses and everyone got their food. I eat the fastest so this was probably the best way to go. I started out with a salad; my next trip was my main meal; my last was dessert. Of course, I had a couple sweet teas too!

I had this for my dessert, drizzled in caramel

Best fried chicken in the world!

While we were eating, our friend, Patti called and was just about done golfing but was not hungry enough to eat the buffet. She still wanted to come over and meet us though! I have been wanting to meet Patti for YEARS! In about a half an hour or so, Patti and her husband, Ray came in. It was just wonderful to finally meet and hug in person! I knew I would instantly love Patti; we have a good bit in common. I have always enjoyed her sense of humor on our boards and she is the exact same in person! Her and her husband, Ray, are so funny together!!

We chatted for awhile and took a few pictures and then headed out towards the buses. We first made a pit stop at the bathroom there at Pioneer Hall. I sort of gave an unofficial tour of this very well themed bathroom, lol. Patti and Ray headed out on a bus while the rest of us walked through a few very well decorated loops. The RVers really decorate for Halloween; you would have to see it to believe it. Some of my pictures turned out blurry cause I forgot to change the setting.

All these little characters were roasting marshmallows!

We met Roy up at the next bus stop and waited for the next bus to the outpost. A couple came by with their standard poodle, Brit. They were from British Columbia and loved Fort Wilderness, their first time here. It was great to see and pet a dog and their dog loved the dog park like mine do! Just then our bus came and we rode it out to the front and said our goodbyes to our great friends, Barbara and Roy. What a great night it was! Barbara and I planned this night for months and it was everything we wanted it to be! Thanks again to both of them for all the fun and dinner!

We came back and watched Illuminations from our balcony. Wishes was going off over the Yacht Club at the same time! The fun never ends here; wish time could stand still!

Sunday, October 24, 2010 - Day 2 - Magic Kingdom

2010-10-24T20:39:00.000-04:00

I was shocked to see that it was 7:18 when I woke up. I never sleep that late at home! I jumped in the shower and made some tea with a donut. We got ready and were on our way around 9 or so. We just missed a Magic Kingdom bus but one came right after it. I forgot we have to stop at Swan and Dolphin before heading to the Magic Kingdom. We got there around 9:30 and the park did not look busy. We got right through security and the turnstiles no time. I took a few pictures before walking through the tunnel to Town Square. It looked a little busy in this area but everyone was waiting for characters and taking pictures of the decorations. I don't remember Magic Kingdom being so decorated for Fall, it was all very pretty!

We made our way back towards Pirates but saw that Jungle Cruise was only a 5 minute wait so we did that and we had a great skipper on this cruise. It was fun and corny as usual!

We then headed for Pirates and walked right up to a waiting boat, we were pulled out to ride since there were only two of us. When we exited the Pirate store, I heard a familiar voice and looked over to my right to see none other than Jack Sparrow! Oh my, was this ever a good Jack! He looked alot like Johnny Depp but really sounded like him even more; the look on the kid's faces was priceless. In their eyes, this was the real Jack! I noticed the man next to me wearing some very different shoes I had never seen before. I wondered how comfortable these would be walking through the parks!

We walked over towards Splash Mountain and Big Thunder and Big Thunder wait was only 5 mins. We did not want to ride Splash just yet since we didn't want to get wet so early. Big Thunder was great and we got pulled out ahead being only a party of two. I took some pictures during the ride. We walked through a very empty Frontierland over towards Haunted Mansion, walking directly in to the stretch room. Lots of little kids in here looked very scared. Parents were trying to laugh so as not to scare them. We stood under the parasol lady picture and the door opened and we got right on to our doombuggy. We did stop several times during the ride and snapped a few non flash pictures.

We thought we'd get a fast pass for Peter Pan, the stand by was about 25 mins. We walked across the way to ride the new and improved Small World. I really like how you enter where the exit used to be. It makes alot more sense, as that area can handle more people in the line queue. Everything looked bright and new. Lots of happy and smiling kids on this ride! It was not quite time for our fast pass, so we walked over to Philharmagic with a 4 min. wait. We were surrounded by kids and they all just loved it and were reaching out to touch the images in front of them. I get a kick out of watching them enjoy it. Now it was time for our Peter Pan fast passes and it saved us about 1/2 an hour of standing in line. This ride seemed to go faster to me today.

We browsed in Yankee Trader on the way over to Liberty Tree Tavern. We were a little early for our lunch but thought maybe they could accommodate us. The place was mobbed thanks to the free dining! Since we were only two, they did call us pretty quick. The portions here are huge so we each got a salad, shared the pot roast and shared a Toffee Gooey Cake. It was perfect! Our waiter split our entree and the portion size was just right! It was about the size of a pot pie. Neither of would have ever been able to eat our own and it left us room for our dessert!

We then walked over to Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe and I found a couple of cute ornaments. Love the Toy Story ones!

We took the back path behind the castle and headed through Fantasy-Construction Land. This is going to be huge when it is done but right now it is a maze of boards everywhere. All for our future enjoyment!

We wanted to check the wait time for Space Mountain - WHOA...5 minutes! We got fast passes anyways but walked right in to the line and walked all the way up to the queues where we waited a few minutes and then got on! I have never seen so little crowds in here. This was a space mountain experience unlike anything I ever had! I don't remember it ever being so fast, so dark and so jerky! The girl behind me yelled I'M GONNA DIE! I was laughing so hard and screaming all at once! It seemed like it wouldn't end! I got out at the end and headed straight for a bench! I sort of had a headache when I got on, so it didn't help but a few minutes on the bench and I was good to go. I wasn't ready to go on again for awhile though!

What better way to recover from Space Mountain than to take a ride on the PeopleMover. It was so relaxing and SLOW, lol. When we exited, we went over to Carousel and got in on the next show and it felt good to sit STILL for a change! I felt fine after those two attractions and we headed for Buzz which was a 10 min. wait. It went faster than that though and we even bypassed those in the fast pass line. We each got our own car. I normally do NOT do well on Buzz but somehow I managed to score 423,700! I must have hit 4 of the 100,000 Z's. I had to take a picture for proof! No one at home would ever believe me! Debbie took my picture in the Zurg jail, lol.

We headed out towards Main Street and ran in to the beginning of the parade. We found an empty spot and watched most of it. It was right in the sun but I took some pictures and video.

We then walked over to the Emporium and did a little shopping, buying some slipper socks and an antenna topper. It was now 4:00 and the party goers were on their way in. We had a 5 min. wait for our bus and as it unloaded, lots of pirates and prince and princesses got off. Many adults were dressed up as well! We were back at the Boardwalk in no time and came back to the room to relax a little bit.

As I was working on the trip report, Barbara called and asked what we were doing for dinner. We had no plans at all and would probably just get something later but she suggested CiCi's Pizza Buffet. Our CiCi's closed and I have not eaten there in a long time. We decided to leave in an hour; they were picking us up! We left the room in 25 minutes and just as we passed Rich's room, his friend, Gary came out and I said hello! He said Rich was outside downstairs; I had a feeling he was just outside the window in the hallway and I looked down there and sure enough, there he was! I knocked and waved, it was funny! We walked down to the area where Magical Express pulls up and Barbara and Roy pulled up in no time. We headed out to CiCi's and had a delicious pizza buffet. Their warm cinnamon rolls are to DIE for and brownies too! We were all full when we left. Thanks so much to Roy and Barbara; it was a great idea. We had the best time talking and laughing as we ate.

They drove us back and we came back upstairs; we will watch Illuminations from our balcony tonight! Another Disney day is winding down. Today was practically perfect in every way; weather, friends, low crowds and good food!! Below are a few more pictures from the day:


Train Station-taken from Big Thunder line

Saturday, October 23, 2010

2010-10-23T22:30:00.000-04:00

Who: Donna and Debbie (friends and former coworkers)
When: Oct.23rd to Oct, 29
Where: Boardwalk Villas with Boardwalk View

Well, here we are at Disney's Boardwalk Villas. Our Delta flights went well; connecting through Atlanta, we got a little bit of a late start since they had to change the type of plane from a 757 to 767 and we were reassigned seats. We ended up with great seats in Row 11 and even had those little tv's in front of us. Time flew by and we were landing in sunny Orlando in no time!

Our luggage took awhile to come off the belt; we were getting a little nervous but it finally came through and we were on our way to National to pick out a car. As we entered the garage, Debbie spotted a brand new 2011 Chevrolet Impala with only 365 miles on it! It smelled wonderful! We tossed everything in the back and it all just fit (two pieces of luggage, 2 laptops and a carryon). We had no wait to get out of the garage and very little traffic; it seemed heavy at first, but it moved well and we only stopped to pay the tolls and a couple redlights. We pulled in to Boardwalk in no time and got our parking pass from the guard at the gate.

We were not sure if room would be ready since it was around 2:00. We parked and went to check in and walked right up to be waited on. Our room WAS ready! Since we were hungry, we opted to go down to Big River Grille and get our lunch and worry about the bags later.

Big River is our traditional arrival meal. We both got Brew Burgers and chips on the side with iced teas. It was all so good! We sat there taking in the warm breeze, great view and fantastic burger. I could have sat there for hours; it is fun to people watch and also listen to the boats coming and going. We finally got around to getting up and went out to the car. Debbie drove it to the front where we unloaded the stuff and she took car back. There were quite a few empty spaces in the lot. I bet that changes later!

We lugged our stuff up to the 3rd floor and we are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the other end of the hall from the elevators; right above the DVC preview center. The 1 br. appears to be in great shape, no problems that we noticed so far. No sign of the neighbors so far either. We took the obligatory room pics and started unpacking. Debbie brought along a router so she set that up and now we can both be online when we want to which works out great! Nice to be wireless!

One bedroom master suite

We relaxed a little in the room and then decided to head to Publix for a few groceries. I mainly eat yogurt in the morning but we needed water and a few other goodies. Once out on 535, it was a parking lot. I looked to my right as we sat there and I took a second look and there next to the Shell Station was a donkey! He moved! He was real! I thought he was plastic but he was alive and eating the grass! LOL! Of course, I was too in shock to get a picture!

My phone rang and it was Barbara (her and Roy arrived a couple days ago). She said they experienced heavy traffic there too before and ended up turning around and going to Walmart. I said that sounds like a good idea cause we were NOT moving and we're on Disney time! They had a few things to pick up too and were heading there as well. We had no trouble moving over to the turning lane and turning around towards Walmart. They are painting this Walmart and it's hard to tell that's even what it is! After we parked, I saw an example of why our friend, Sue, cannot stand Walmart. We saw a "woman" walking in in a bikini and mesh "cover" up. It did not cover much! I was shocked that someone would wear this to a public place other than a pool! She walked around like she was at Typhoon Lagoon! Of course, I had to get some proof for all my readers, lol.

We walked around getting the few things we needed and just as I picked out my yogurt, I hear Jiminy Cricket singing When You Wish Upon a Star (my ringtone). It was Barbara and her and Roy were here! She was heading right for us so I waved my hands and we had a nice little chat and thought it was funny that we were seeing each other in a Walmart, of all places! I told them all about the sights we saw on the way to the store. We will see Barbara and Roy on Monday for dinner, if not sooner!

We finished our shopping and headed back to Boardwalk. As we approached the entrance, the gate traffic was backed up to the road with people trying to enter. We wanted the lane for returning guests but could not get to it because of the guests coming off the road and blocking it. We finally were able to cross over and get in. At first, it seemed parking would be difficult but we found a space, probably just vacated, in the front row. We lugged our groceries up and put them away. Instead of Magic Kingdom tonight, we decided to stay local and walk over to Epcot and just meander around and enjoy the atmosphere. You just cannot beat World Showcase at night. The music, the people watching, the scents of food in the air; it is almost sensory overload!

Yes, that is the moon above the buildings!! This is our view at night.

We walked the full length of the boardwalk on our way to Epcot. I no sooner mentioned to Debbie with all the people we know that are here, surely we will walk in to someone out here, when I looked further ahead, there were Dottie and Joe coming right towards us! They were surprised to see us as well! They were on there way to Big River Grille to meet the rest of their group so we chatted for a few minutes and let them get to their dinner. We will definitely see them again this trip! It was the perfect night to be out and it was evident everyone else thought the very same thing!

Once thru the turnstiles, we headed towards France. As expected, it was very busy over here. We made our way through the crowd but the booths were too busy to get too close; we'll save that for a weekday. We checked out Norway but Maelstrom was 30 minutes; too long of a wait. We stopped in the bakery which was surprisingly uncrowded. I have been wanting to try school bread. I got that and Debbie got an almond pretzel. We tried each others and I really liked hers as well. I am a new fan of school bread, it was SO good. Not too sweet and not too coconutty. I also got a large ice water. When we came out to get a seat, there were none to be had. We thought about standing against the wall there but that would be uncomfortable. Neither of us wanted to go back out in that crowd with food. I turned around and glanced again at the seating area and a seat opened up! I was afraid I'd lose it if i walked around so I literally hopped over the wall and when I came down on one foot on the other side, my school bread slid off the plate and landed on the chair! right side up! LOL! I was laughing so hard. Then a bunch of seats opened up anyways! Oh forgot to mention, we also stopped in the new Weurthers Caramel Shop, OH. MY. I know I will be back here !

We continued on around the world showcase, stopping in Italy to smell some perfume and check out Via Napoli. We were starting to notice more and more people that had a bit much to drink. It was really bad when we got to Mexico. We noticed a loud group near the ride entrance and we got in line and sure enough, they came in behind us. One kept saying he was going to be sick. There was no way I was getting on the same boat as these clowns. We ended up with a wild bunch in the boat ahead of us, then us with a couple families and then the wild drunk group. They were yelling and whistling so hard at the end when you wait to get off, that it was deafening. We noticed a boat two ahead of us with a cone; someone had apparently got sick. ugh. Why does Disney keep selling to these people.

We continued around, checking out the new Hacienda restaurant, which looks really nice. We walked past Canada and stopped in United Kingdom to watch IllumiNations. We weren't trying to get the best spot, we simply stopped where we were when it started; both having seen it many many times. Once it was over, back to Boardwalk we came with the other hoards of people. Debbie and I decided to try an experiment on the way back. I was going to go up the back way, down by Atlantic Dance and she was going up through the lobby. I thought my way might be faster. We said no cheating and walk a normal walking pace. Just as I came around the corner from the stairwell, there is Debbie coming towards me and she got to the door before me! It is basically the same either way!

In checking my email, I find out that Rich and his gang are two doors down the hall! I will have to go banging on their door this week some time for sure, lol! We are now back at the room, just catching up with things. I am having a cup of tea and relaxing and ready to post today's report. Hope you enjoyed it! Rest of the pics can be found on facebook!

It's already October!

2010-09-30T18:26:00.000-04:00

In a little over 3 weeks, it will be time to check in to Boardwalk Villas with my friend, Debbie. Summer flew by, as expected and this trip is coming up fast. Come to think of it, this whole year went fast! Can't wait to see The Magic Kingdom all spruced up for Halloween!

December trip - Day 2

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Day 1 - Saturday, December 5th

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Here are our Plans so far!

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3 Weeks from today....can I wait that long?

2009-11-14T08:38:00.000-05:00

Well, excitement is building as we approach December 5th, 2009. Not only is it Walt's birthday, it is the day Debbie and I leave for Walt Disney World! Here is the link to my Disney Christmas Blog Report:

http://iluvwdw.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/3-weeks-from-today/

Comments not working!

2009-11-02T11:50:00.002-05:00

I've received a few emails telling me the comments link is not working properly. Not sure how to fix it, it's not working for me either! Thanks for trying!

Happy Halloween 2009!

2009-11-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

As we usually do, we trekked up 2 blocks to my sisters house for Halloween. My kids, being 14 an 24, are not so much in to dressing up anymore and that's ok. There comes a time in a kid's life where dressing up is fun and at some point, it crosses over into being "uncool". Then later, it becomes fun again. We are at the "uncool" stage right now. I think both kids do enjoy seeing their cousins, ages 7 and 2, go out door to door.

We gathered our goodies, including bags of "fun size" candy and a dozen spooky looking cupcakes, and walked up the two blocks to Laurie's house. It was a fun two-block walk. We saw people lighting their pumpkins, lighting their outdoor stoves and putting last minute touches on their funny halloween decorations. It was cool and breezy and made it all the more festive!

Once we arrived at my sister's house, I saw the kids in their costumes and everyone either set out for door to door trick or treating or plopped in front of the tv which was showing "Night of the Living Dead", lol.

We also were excited to meet my sister's new rescue dog, Sal. He is a shepherd/rottie mix and she only got him the day before. He was a little shy, but very nice and seemed to adapt well to his new home. He really loves my sister already, as you can see!

Another Halloween is over..now it's on to Thanksgiving! This whole year is just flying by!

December Trip Plans - Coming along....

2009-10-25T20:09:00.000-04:00

Here is the link to status of December trip plans.

http://iluvwdw.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/our-trip-is-getting-closer/

Updated Puppy Pics

2009-10-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

I've taken some more recent pics of me with the dogs. Also, my cat Mocha aka Pokey, also had to be in this picture. Joe calls me an animal magnet and I guess this picture proves it. This is where they spend a good part of their day, in my lap. Now that the dogs are getting used to having cats around, Mocha has decided to take his chances and jump in my lap when they're there. I have had him 4 years now, having found him October 12, 2005, in the bushes outside. He has always loved all of my dogs. I can't believe someone would let him out on his own. He's ours now!!

Here is another picture of the "back side" of Sandie, lol. When you put a pair of glasses on a stubby cocker spaniel tail, you get a funny looking face with a hairy nose. It's getting the glasses to stay ON, that is the tricky part!

Enjoying these beautiful days while they last!

2009-10-11T17:18:00.000-04:00

So today is a beautiful fall day. After watching the Steelers pull out a way too-close-for-comfort win, we decided to get the dogs out for a nice long walk in the Fall leaves. They start out like bucking broncos and by the time we're on the way back, they're panting and drooling and dragging, lol. This picture was taken the other day, but this is sort of what they look like right now. Sleeping puppies are a good thing!

2009-10-04T16:02:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't you, too, like to have your very on Disney Degree? Here is mine!

Pre-Trip Report Preparations

2009-10-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

I've started to prepare a pre-trip report for my December trip. Since wordpress seems to present a more attractive layout, I am going to link my report in to this blog. The link is:

http://iluvwdw.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/donna-and-debbies-december-disney-trip-plans/

Blessing of Pets

2009-10-03T11:46:00.000-04:00

This morning at 10:00, I took my dogs Sandie a cocker spaniel and Cassie, a golden retriever, to Blessing of Pets at our church. There were mostly dogs and cats, more dogs than cats. The cats wanted no part of holy water! My dogs mostly just sniffed the butts of the other pups and had no idea they even got blessed, lol. The priest gave us St. Francis medals for the dog's collars. Now both dogs are sleeping off their big day, lol.

Renewal of Inspiration

2009-10-03T09:26:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for some good reading and a true renewal of inspiration and what the power of a Disney Wish come true can do, read this thread. It's chock full of magical and inspirational stories of some wonderful families!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2039777

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I hope to be able to include pictures in my reports. What is Disney w/o pictures! Here are a few of my dogs to test the preview.

hmmm...may have to make these smaller for blogging purposes but at least I figured out how to do it!

10-2-09

2009-10-02T21:59:00.001-04:00

I've decided to start keeping a blog "spot", mainly to post my disney notes/trip reports and pictures. This is mainly for my own benefit, to have a record of my wonderful disney trips but also to share with anyone that cares to read about my Disney experiences. I used to write trip reports that are still posted on MousePlanet but this way, I have my very own blog spot! I am new to this but it's something I've always wanted to do since blogging became so popular.

I do have a trip coming up in about 63 days. Check back on this blog to read all about it!