Follow Me! I Will Lead Us Into Battle! A Thanksgiving 2013 TR *COMPLETE*

[courtneybelle]

Hi everyone! This is potentially my last post before I leave for Italy (!!!) for the next week, so I apologize in advance for getting behind on all your TRs. I'll see you all when I get back!

Hmm, I thought I was all caught up on here over the weekend, and I just noticed that I was not!

Oh my! I absolutely love Kylie’s socks!!!!!!! And what a fun time with Push!

Your MK time is off to a great start with all the mountain riding!

No worries at all! I'm about to get super behind on the DIS because I'm traveling, but it's all worth it.

Aren't they great? I'm so glad we got that last encounter with Push!

We got a lot done that early in the morning. I was really happy!

Your Dad totally cracks me up. He must really be into mushrooms because he seems like such a fun...gi...

heh.

We had tried to meet Push on our last trip but didn't end up running into him and I'm sO bummed that we won't get to meet him I really hope that they bring on something similar!

HAHAHA excellent pun right there.

I'm so devastated that Push won't be meeting in the park anymore. I'm sure Disney has lots of good things up their sleeves, though!

 

[RGirl]

Have a great trip!!!!

 

[JessM]

Another great update! I love all the pictures

I actually never got a chance to see Push, but I'm glad you guys got to spend so much time with him! Such a cool thing its a bummer he's not there anymore

You are good, I've been around Punzie's place a few times now and I've only seen one Pascal... fail

I love Splash too, its so fabulous! And long!

 

[khertz]

Great update!!!

Really sad that PUSH is gone. He's so funny! And it was a great little touch to the parks.

I can hardly pass up Splash Mountain without riding EVER, much less with a 5 minute wait! Now that's heaven, right there!!

Have so much fun in Italy!!!! I hope you will share some pics when you get back to get me even more excited about my upcoming trip! I actually just went and applied for my passport today, so it feels more "official" now!

 

[emmysmommy]

Courtney I hope you enjoy your Italy trip!

I'm getting caught up here just as you are taking off! Next to Neil Patrick Harris, I would love to see Gary Sinise. Considering he's always so welcoming when we ride Mission Space, what's not to like. CP followed by pizza at Via Napoli, that's a great evening!

You did a great job finding those Pascals. I'm good for two and I don't think I've seen one of the Pascals that you pictured.

Kylie's socks are a riot! I can see why PUSH felt the need to compliment her. Speaking of PUSH, sadly I never encountered this adorable guy.

 

[courtneybelle]

Have a great trip!!!!

Thank you!! It was absolutely amazing!

Another great update! I love all the pictures

I actually never got a chance to see Push, but I'm glad you guys got to spend so much time with him! Such a cool thing its a bummer he's not there anymore

You are good, I've been around Punzie's place a few times now and I've only seen one Pascal... fail

I love Splash too, its so fabulous! And long!

Thanks so much, Jess

I know, I'm so disappointed he's gone, but very glad we got this last chance to hang out with him.

I want to say I'm up to 5 or 6? I spend a lot of time there haha.

Number one favorite ride!

Great update!!!

Really sad that PUSH is gone. He's so funny! And it was a great little touch to the parks.

I can hardly pass up Splash Mountain without riding EVER, much less with a 5 minute wait! Now that's heaven, right there!!

Have so much fun in Italy!!!! I hope you will share some pics when you get back to get me even more excited about my upcoming trip! I actually just went and applied for my passport today, so it feels more "official" now!

I know! I'm hopeful Disney will come up with even better things, though.

Ugh it really was! So happy we got the chance to walk right on.

I had such an amazing time! You guys are going to LOVE it there.

Courtney I hope you enjoy your Italy trip!

I'm getting caught up here just as you are taking off! Next to Neil Patrick Harris, I would love to see Gary Sinise. Considering he's always so welcoming when we ride Mission Space, what's not to like. CP followed by pizza at Via Napoli, that's a great evening!

You did a great job finding those Pascals. I'm good for two and I don't think I've seen one of the Pascals that you pictured.

Kylie's socks are a riot! I can see why PUSH felt the need to compliment her. Speaking of PUSH, sadly I never encountered this adorable guy.

Thank you so much, Brenda! It was a really great trip

Gary was awesome, although it was odd not getting space-related instructions. The pizza was icing on the cake!

Finding Pascals is one of my favorite hobbies. I'm hoping to find all of them in July.

Mom found those socks for Kylie and me, they were definitely fun for a party day! I had encountered him twice before, but this meet was definitely the best.

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Eighteen: He’s Talking!

Next, we got on the train and rode over to Main Street to meet up with a very special friend.

We got in line for Mickey and soon we were in the Mouse’s dressing room…AND HE WAS TALKING.

It was amazing seeing him interact with other guests. He said “Hola!” to the Spanish-speaking family and did the Hot Dog dance with some younger girls. He also did a card trick with a young boy. It didn’t work out quite right but that’s okay.

Finally it was our turn. Mickey walked over to us and said, “Just when I thought my day couldn’t get better, you guys showed up!” He then looked at me and said, “Hey pal, nice ears!” I was in complete and utter awe. I’ve met him over 20 times, and now he was talking to me!

Then he said, “Hey, guess what I did today? Sailed the seven seas with Captain Jack Sparrow!” He also told us a joke. “Where do pirates keep their cookies? In a jarrrr!”

He asked us if we’d do our pirate poses with him, and of course we did. He told us to enjoy the rest of our adventures today!

Of course Dad got in for a picture.

We left the room and my mom got this lovely photo of me crying.

This was just an incredible and emotional experience. I have grown up with Mickey Mouse and don’t remember a life without him. It’s always a treat to meet him, but to have him talk to me was just unlike anything I’ve ever imagined. Mickey’s arguably the best-known character in history, and here he is, talking to me. Walt would be so, so proud of how far Mickey has come. I just felt this enormous sense of joy that is exactly what Disney is about for me.

The CM behind the counter asked if I was okay, and I said I was just happy to finally talk to Mickey. She said, “Yeah, he used to be pretty shy, but not anymore!”

Continued in next post
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[DisneyKid4Life]

OK first, I love being able to watch the interactions with the groups in front. So many people just wanna get in and out, but watching those interactions are part of the fun I think.

And second... TALKING MICKEY!!!!!!!! I'm getting chills all over again. Just hearing that voice directed at you is beyond any words.

Courtney, I can't tell you how touching that last photo is.

 

[JessM]

Ahh talking Mickey! That sounds so magical I would probably cry too! I'm so bummed his line was always so long in Feb!

I love the last picture! It captures the emotion of finally having Mickey talk perfectly!

 

[CarolAnnB]

When people always ask why we keep going back to WDW, I should just show them that last picture.

You sure were a bundle of emotions this trip. Good thing it was only 3 1/2 days!

 

[emilyindisney]

Welcome back- I hope you had a great trip!!

Talking Mickey looks amazing!! I've read a lot of TRs where people get to meet him and everyone just seems to be in awe- I can't wait to see for myself!

 

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

We were also super excited with Mickey talking. There is no way to explain the feeling you get, you have to experience it to know what people mean. For us it was just fantastic.

Do give detail about your trip to Italy. Where did you go??? What did you see and do??? I am very curious to find out

 

[maddiebee]

You meeting talking Mickey makes ME want to cry. I just can not wait. I get so emotional every time I think about it.

 

[courtneybelle]

OK first, I love being able to watch the interactions with the groups in front. So many people just wanna get in and out, but watching those interactions are part of the fun I think.

And second... TALKING MICKEY!!!!!!!! I'm getting chills all over again. Just hearing that voice directed at you is beyond any words.

Courtney, I can't tell you how touching that last photo is.

Me too! I love seeing people interact with characters because it's always something new and different.

I know, Rob. It was such a highlight of the trip and I'm already looking forward to my next chat with Mickey.

I'm glad you think so it was a very emotional experience.

Ahh talking Mickey! That sounds so magical I would probably cry too! I'm so bummed his line was always so long in Feb!

I love the last picture! It captures the emotion of finally having Mickey talk perfectly!

I hope you get to see him on your next trip! It was absolutely amazing!

When people always ask why we keep going back to WDW, I should just show them that last picture.

You sure were a bundle of emotions this trip. Good thing it was only 3 1/2 days!

Dawww. It was a very emotional trip, that's for sure! Hopefully I hold it together a little better in July.

Welcome back- I hope you had a great trip!!

Talking Mickey looks amazing!! I've read a lot of TRs where people get to meet him and everyone just seems to be in awe- I can't wait to see for myself!

Thanks Emily!

I can't wait for you to meet him! It's such an out-of-this-world experience. It's the kind of thing you only dream of, and then it happens in real life.

We were also super excited with Mickey talking. There is no way to explain the feeling you get, you have to experience it to know what people mean. For us it was just fantastic.

Do give detail about your trip to Italy. Where did you go??? What did you see and do??? I am very curious to find out

It's so tough to put it into words! Thankfully, Disney people just get it.

I am definitely going to write a post in the next week or two about my trip! I went to Florence and Venice and absolutely fell in love.

You meeting talking Mickey makes ME want to cry. I just can not wait. I get so emotional every time I think about it.

Ahhh I know you will love it!!!

 

[RGirl]

Welcome back!!! I hope you will post an update about your trip!

Talking Mickey sounds like so much fun!!!

 

[courtneybelle]

Chapter Nineteen: Back to My Village

There was a FP+ kiosk next to Town Square Theater, so we headed over to see if we could change our last FP+ to Enchanted Tales. There was nothing, but the CMs told me how much they loved my shoes! Belle was their favorite, too. We decided to change our Splash FP+ to the Jingle Cruise.

I looked at the EasyWDW Waitz and saw that Belle only had a 30 minute wait, which is about as short as it gets during the day. The male CM screamed, “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? RUN!!!” so we booked it to New Fantasyland, laughing all the way. We had so many good CM experiences this trip. I was so happy about that, because the holidays are so busy and it is so stressful, but there were so many lovely people there!

Maurice decked out his cottage for Christmas. It was beautiful!

MY CASTLE!

You can tell which one of us is a bigger Belle fan.

The line did take about 30 minutes, and I was a little worried because we would be cutting it close with our BOG FP+. But soon enough we were in Maurice’s workshop!

Dad was chosen to be the suit of armor. We’ve done Enchanted Tales four times, and he’s been a suit of armor each time. I don’t want to think about a day where he doesn’t get chosen. I was the feather duster!

I definitely prefer rope dropping this attraction, just because in my experience it’s easier to get chosen for a role when you get there first thing, and the “actors” chosen are a lot more enthusiastic. But it was still fun!

Belle was lovely, as always.

She gave me a bookmark and thanked me for being part of her story.

When we got out of Enchanted Tales, we had five minutes to get over to Be Our Guest. Luckily, it was right next door and we did so with no problems!

We got to go directly inside my castle and only waited a short time before we ordered. I live here and so get priority.

We picked a table in the ballroom, my favorite place to sit.

I ordered my Croque Monsieur. I debated trying the pork, but this is honestly one of my favorite meals so I just can’t see myself straying.

Mom and Kylie got turkey sandwiches, which they liked a lot.

Dad got French onion soup and a roast beef sandwich. He enjoyed them both.

For dessert, Kylie ordered the lemon raspberry cream puff. She liked it but thought there was too much filling.

Dad, Mom, and I all tried the newest dessert…the Master’s Cupcake. AKA THE GREY STUFF CUPCAKE.

Yes, friends, I finally tried the grey stuff, and it was delicious. Kylie refused to try any because she wants to wait until her birthday dinner. I thought it was fantastic. The cake was really moist and delicious, and the grey stuff was delectable. Five stars.

After we ate, we went and looked at all the Christmas decorations. I loved seeing the castle decorated. The tree was beautiful and the ornaments and wreaths were precious.

“As long as there’s Christmas I truly believe that hope is the greatest of the gifts we’ll receive…"

Continued in next post​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Amazing when a 30 minute wait for anything is a welcome sight. I'm kind of sad I did have a FP so I missed some of the queue theming. Generally I prefer the short wait, but not as much the first time through.

PLUS, this is a pretty good build up to BoG, my new favourite CS restaurant. I do regret not getting a Grey Stuff Cupcake though. I just had it in my head that someone would give me a free one for my birthday, lol.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Welcome back from Italy. Courtney. I hope you had a good trip.

We just got back from another WDW trip and did ETWB for the first time. The only adults in our show were the two men who did the suits of armor. The rest were children and the little girl who played the Beast just giggled when she was supposed to roar. It was adorable. I thought Lumiere was the best character. The way they animate him is brilliant. I think the lines are getting shorter for ETWB. It seemed like they weren't as long in March as they were in December. Maybe this is the kind of attraction that most people only see once and that is enough, especially with the new fp+ limits.

Amazing when a 30 minute wait for anything is a welcome sight. I'm kind of sad I did have a FP so I missed some of the queue theming. Generally I prefer the short wait, but not as much the first time through.

PLUS, this is a pretty good build up to BoG, my new favourite CS restaurant. I do regret not getting a Grey Stuff Cupcake though. I just had it in my head that someone would give me a free one for my birthday, lol.

I felt bad that we missed some of the theming by using a fp for Belle, too. One of these days we'll try the long lines. The same is true for Haunted Mansion. One of these days we need to go through the standby line so that we can see some of the special things there.

And BOG has become my favorite counter service in MK. I love the braised pork and my sister and I loved the gluten-free Lemon-raspberry puff. It was delicious. I'm going to order one from now on.

 

[emilyindisney]

I agree- RUN!!

As alway, BoG looks delicious! Why can't every Christmas dinner be in the Beast's castle? Or, why can't he come decorate my house? Those ornaments are super cute and that tree is awful fancy!!

 

[khertz]

That's great that you managed to catch Enchanted Tales without a super long line! And to top it off, lunch in Beast's Castle. What could be better??

It looks really awesome in there dressed up for Christmas. And all of the food looks really good. I liked the strawberry cupcake I got in October, but I was sorely disappointed that they don't offer the grey stuff cupcake for dinner. I totally would have gotten that!