tweetylori
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2004
What a FUN report...can't wait to hear more! 
If Grandma's riding it can't be too bad... 12/20 Wrap up: Travelling home, souvenirs
- Thread starter -Hope-
- Start date
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
What a FUN report...can't wait to hear more!
I'm going to *try* to update later today. 
:
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
Even though I really wanted to stay and explore Springfield more we decided to move on. I knew it would all be there waiting for me later. We had a lunch reservation at Finnegan's and I really wanted to see the Blues Brothers show scheduled nearby right before it. 
So we made our way to E.T. And in this line Jace uttered the words that made my mom sputter and cracked us all up for the rest of our trip. As I've said before, he isn't much of a thrill junkie. He knew I'd done my research and questioned me endlessly about each and every ride before he'd decide whether to ride or not. He started to ask me about E.T. but then stopped, looked at my mom and said, "If Grandma's riding it can't be too bad!"
My mom, always the good sport but queen of the guilt trip, laughed with the rest of us and then used every opportunity after that to remind Jace that she was a feeble old woman (like when she wanted him to carry her bag).
So, we were all feeling great and laughing together as we walked onto this ride. I had REALLY been looking forward to it and I was not disappointed. It's similar to Peter Pan and when we flew over the city on our "bikes" with the moon hanging low I was in nostalgia heaven.
And then as we were leaving my name was chosen for the goodbye message and I swooned a little more.
We made our way to the PC spot at the end of this ride.
I honestly wish I'd have thought to get my pic taken in the closet while we were there. I LOVED this movie as a child and this was a real treat for me.
As we were walking out Jace spotted the Spongebob store and really wanted to check it out. At first I said no because I still wanted to catch that Blues Brothers show but I could see that he was disappointed. He likes the Blues Brothers but he LOVES Spongebob. I knew the shop would be there when we returned later but it seemed like a good idea to just go with it.
As we walked up SB's handlers were trying to get people to pose for pics and the kids hopped in line. It was a short wait but the character interaction was disappointing. He was about to go on break and they simply got their pic, the HANDLER (not Spongebob) stamped Kya's autograph book and they were pushed along. They completely rushed us through even though we wouldn't have even noticed the line if they hadn't pulled us in.
On the up side this was our first (and only) character interaction that included PC.
The store itself was really cool. There were a lot of unique items we hadn't seen other places but the real excitement was getting to go inside Spongebob's pineapple...
And pet Gary...
The kids didn't buy anything here but it was so much fun to explore and look around. We never did make it to a Blues Brother's show but it was worth it.
Continued in next post due to character limitations...
So we made our way to E.T. And in this line Jace uttered the words that made my mom sputter and cracked us all up for the rest of our trip. As I've said before, he isn't much of a thrill junkie. He knew I'd done my research and questioned me endlessly about each and every ride before he'd decide whether to ride or not. He started to ask me about E.T. but then stopped, looked at my mom and said, "If Grandma's riding it can't be too bad!"
My mom, always the good sport but queen of the guilt trip, laughed with the rest of us and then used every opportunity after that to remind Jace that she was a feeble old woman (like when she wanted him to carry her bag).
So, we were all feeling great and laughing together as we walked onto this ride. I had REALLY been looking forward to it and I was not disappointed. It's similar to Peter Pan and when we flew over the city on our "bikes" with the moon hanging low I was in nostalgia heaven.
And then as we were leaving my name was chosen for the goodbye message and I swooned a little more.
We made our way to the PC spot at the end of this ride.
I honestly wish I'd have thought to get my pic taken in the closet while we were there. I LOVED this movie as a child and this was a real treat for me.
As we were walking out Jace spotted the Spongebob store and really wanted to check it out. At first I said no because I still wanted to catch that Blues Brothers show but I could see that he was disappointed. He likes the Blues Brothers but he LOVES Spongebob. I knew the shop would be there when we returned later but it seemed like a good idea to just go with it.
As we walked up SB's handlers were trying to get people to pose for pics and the kids hopped in line. It was a short wait but the character interaction was disappointing. He was about to go on break and they simply got their pic, the HANDLER (not Spongebob) stamped Kya's autograph book and they were pushed along. They completely rushed us through even though we wouldn't have even noticed the line if they hadn't pulled us in.
On the up side this was our first (and only) character interaction that included PC.
The store itself was really cool. There were a lot of unique items we hadn't seen other places but the real excitement was getting to go inside Spongebob's pineapple...
And pet Gary...
The kids didn't buy anything here but it was so much fun to explore and look around. We never did make it to a Blues Brother's show but it was worth it.
Continued in next post due to character limitations...
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
And as we walked by the Delorean Doc Brown was out...
Oh. My. Goodness.
This was such a great character interaction! He was so funny. When Kya walked up with her autograph book he was completely in "absent-minded professor" mode and pretended he didn't know what to do. He asked if she was delivering a package, had a petition, and several other things before she finally asked for his autograph.
The squirrels in the area are pretty bold and when one came up to them he stopped to talk to it as if it were a TM. When it ran away without doing anything he commented that woodland creatures didn't respond as well to direction at this park as they do at others.
Even though we were headed to lunch everyone was pretty hot and thirsty so we stopped at a drink cart and used some drink exchanges from our FD plan to grab some water and power ade to take with us. Aas we made our way back from the Kid Zone to NY we noticed the camp from The Walking Dead and had to get a pic...
We knew The Walking Dead was going to be a major part of the theme for HHN and even though we had no desire to attend the actual event Jace and I were excited to see the stuff from the first season scattered throughout the park. (Kya isn't a fan and doesn't like zombies in general. Jace and I LOVE it though!)
When we spotted the station wagon later I had to snap a pic of that as well...
I put my camera away before I realized the note for Sophia was on the windshield but that's such a sad moment I didn't want the pic anyway!
The tank from Atlanta was also around somewhere, as well as Daryl's truck and crossbow but I didn't have my camera out when we saw those.
So, lots of great character interaction, cool drinks, photo ops. Finally we were headed to NY for some lunch with just enough time to see if we could find the gift shop that carries Doctor Who goodies. But then we were sidetracked again by street blockades. We had inadvertenly stumbled upon Spongebob's afternoon dance party. 
No wonder he'd been in such a hurry before.
And then a truly amazing and magical moment happened. At first this seemed like a regular parade but then all of the fish started pulling kids into the street. Jace and Kya resisted a bit but the fish was insistent and pulled them both right over to Spongebob. Jace had been resistant to character interaction but when cajoled had played along. I expected the same thing here but this Spongebob was really great at interacting even though he couldn't talk to them. I made my way over to where they were just in time to capture this moment...
Do you see that look of pure joy on his face. That, ladies and gentlemen, is my zombie loving, video game obsessed 14 yo fully letting go as he met one of his favorite characters. It was one of the best moments of the trip for me.
Ah, I was going to try to fit in lunch but that seems like a perfect place to leave off for today. Up next, Finnegan's!
Oh. My. Goodness.
This was such a great character interaction! He was so funny. When Kya walked up with her autograph book he was completely in "absent-minded professor" mode and pretended he didn't know what to do. He asked if she was delivering a package, had a petition, and several other things before she finally asked for his autograph. The squirrels in the area are pretty bold and when one came up to them he stopped to talk to it as if it were a TM. When it ran away without doing anything he commented that woodland creatures didn't respond as well to direction at this park as they do at others.
Even though we were headed to lunch everyone was pretty hot and thirsty so we stopped at a drink cart and used some drink exchanges from our FD plan to grab some water and power ade to take with us. Aas we made our way back from the Kid Zone to NY we noticed the camp from The Walking Dead and had to get a pic...
We knew The Walking Dead was going to be a major part of the theme for HHN and even though we had no desire to attend the actual event Jace and I were excited to see the stuff from the first season scattered throughout the park. (Kya isn't a fan and doesn't like zombies in general. Jace and I LOVE it though!)
When we spotted the station wagon later I had to snap a pic of that as well...
I put my camera away before I realized the note for Sophia was on the windshield but that's such a sad moment I didn't want the pic anyway!
The tank from Atlanta was also around somewhere, as well as Daryl's truck and crossbow but I didn't have my camera out when we saw those.
So, lots of great character interaction, cool drinks, photo ops. Finally we were headed to NY for some lunch with just enough time to see if we could find the gift shop that carries Doctor Who goodies. But then we were sidetracked again by street blockades.
We had inadvertenly stumbled upon Spongebob's afternoon dance party. 
No wonder he'd been in such a hurry before.
And then a truly amazing and magical moment happened. At first this seemed like a regular parade but then all of the fish started pulling kids into the street. Jace and Kya resisted a bit but the fish was insistent and pulled them both right over to Spongebob. Jace had been resistant to character interaction but when cajoled had played along. I expected the same thing here but this Spongebob was really great at interacting even though he couldn't talk to them. I made my way over to where they were just in time to capture this moment...
Do you see that look of pure joy on his face. That, ladies and gentlemen, is my zombie loving, video game obsessed 14 yo fully letting go as he met one of his favorite characters. It was one of the best moments of the trip for me.
Ah, I was going to try to fit in lunch but that seems like a perfect place to leave off for today. Up next, Finnegan's!
Twoboysnmygirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2008
OMG, rolling!!! Seriously teared up as you were talking about Jace & Sponge Bob! What a magical moment!
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
tweetylori
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2004
This is awesome! Where else could you possibly hear "the fish started pulling kids in the street", and know that's a good thing?
Seriously loving your report, your pictures, and your excellent writing!
Seriously loving your report, your pictures, and your excellent writing!
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
This is awesome! Where else could you possibly hear "the fish started pulling kids in the street", and know that's a good thing?
Seriously loving your report, your pictures, and your excellent writing!
Thanks for following along with my particular brand of rambling crazy.
And yeah, where else can you get a fish to ask you to dance? 
schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
Lovely couple of updates Hope........so cute with Sponge Bob and your son
natebenma
Beach Club Dee
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2008
So sorry for getting way behind!
The shoes are the worst part of a wet vacation. Wet shoes stink! Sometimes literally! I think my sneakers are still wet from our trip during TS Faye (our Fayecation) in 2008!
I really like the March wand, and the Luna one is cool too. We have Dumbledore and Viktor Krum. Our souvenirs on both of our trips were chocolate frogs (Hufflepuff and Dumbledoor for cards) and Bertie Botts. This year Ben added the Honeydukes Lemon Drops.
So it sounds like you liked the Spiderman ride more than Transformers. We do.
Where is the Spiderman photo taken? We only got ride photos with our Photo Connect. We didn't get the cool Spiderman, ET or Simpsons shots. We didn't know about these, and I think you mentioned the Simpsons one is new. No characters for us, either. Or the cute entry shots- we always came in on the US side, and never saw photographers over there.
Neat picture with the 3D Glasses in Despicable Me. You're in the photo, too!
What a hilarious interaction with Doc Brown- the squirrel comment is too funny! And that is a heartwarming picture with SpongeBob at the parade.
The shoes are the worst part of a wet vacation. Wet shoes stink! Sometimes literally! I think my sneakers are still wet from our trip during TS Faye (our Fayecation) in 2008!
I really like the March wand, and the Luna one is cool too. We have Dumbledore and Viktor Krum. Our souvenirs on both of our trips were chocolate frogs (Hufflepuff and Dumbledoor for cards) and Bertie Botts. This year Ben added the Honeydukes Lemon Drops.
So it sounds like you liked the Spiderman ride more than Transformers. We do.
Where is the Spiderman photo taken? We only got ride photos with our Photo Connect. We didn't get the cool Spiderman, ET or Simpsons shots. We didn't know about these, and I think you mentioned the Simpsons one is new. No characters for us, either. Or the cute entry shots- we always came in on the US side, and never saw photographers over there.
Neat picture with the 3D Glasses in Despicable Me. You're in the photo, too!
What a hilarious interaction with Doc Brown- the squirrel comment is too funny! And that is a heartwarming picture with SpongeBob at the parade.
Jade's Mom
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 25, 2005
Great report so far!
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
Lovely couple of updates Hope........so cute with Sponge Bob and your son
Thank you!
Yes, absolutely. One of those magical moments that makes all the planning, stress, $$ worth it!
Yes, we did get some great shots with the Photo Connect card. I'm really pleased with it and would do it again just for the ride photos and scene shots. I still wish they had a few more photographers roaming around but it's still a great bargain at $50.
And yes, E.T. is a great nostalgic ride. I'd be sad to see it go but I'm sure whatever they put in it's place would be great too. So many people were upset when Jaws was taken out and that's where the Diagon Alley expansion is going so it all works out in the end.
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
So sorry for getting way behind!
No worries, I was pretty behind with replying to comments! Life gets busy!
The shoes are the worst part of a wet vacation. Wet shoes stink! Sometimes literally! I think my sneakers are still wet from our trip during TS Faye (our Fayecation) in 2008!
I really like the March wand, and the Luna one is cool too. We have Dumbledore and Viktor Krum. Our souvenirs on both of our trips were chocolate frogs (Hufflepuff and Dumbledoor for cards) and Bertie Botts. This year Ben added the Honeydukes Lemon Drops.
So it sounds like you liked the Spiderman ride more than Transformers. We do.
Where is the Spiderman photo taken? We only got ride photos with our Photo Connect. We didn't get the cool Spiderman, ET or Simpsons shots. We didn't know about these, and I think you mentioned the Simpsons one is new. No characters for us, either. Or the cute entry shots- we always came in on the US side, and never saw photographers over there.
The Spiderman photo spot is in the queue. It's easy to miss and we walked right past it our first time through. When we went to the PC counter (because we thought there might be a ride photo) the woman at the counter told us about it. So, when we hopped back in line we looked for it and found it just past the Daily Bugle offices.
The ET shots were in the store that the ride empties into. The Simpson's shot is brand new, it opened the week we were there. You can't miss it though, it's the bright orange couch directly across from the Simpson's ride entrance.
Neat picture with the 3D Glasses in Despicable Me. You're in the photo, too!
Haha, yep. I wondered if anyone would notice that- good eye!
What a hilarious interaction with Doc Brown- the squirrel comment is too funny! And that is a heartwarming picture with SpongeBob at the parade.
We were really lucky with our character interactions. That Spongebob shot is one of my favorite pictures EVER!
Thank you! Welcome to the mad house.
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
I'm soooo sorry that it's been so long since I've updated! 
Life has been a bit hectic lately between work, kids' activities, Halloween and some family stuff going on. I don't really see it slowing down anytime soon though so I'm going to try to squeeze in this quick update this morning.
First of all,I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! We had a fun night that started with the kids trick-or-treating with friends and ended with a party at a friend's house. They had loads of fun and their costumes were pretty great this year...
Jace wanted something comfortable, simple, but also original. He decided on Jake from State Farm. Kya was a bit more classic and went as The Tenth Doctor (from Doctor Who for those who aren't familiar). We're probably heading to the Comic Con in our area in a few months so her costume will get double duty. Yes, we're a family of big ol' geeks. But we're okay with that. 
So, anyway, back to the trip...
After the Spongebob parade and dance party it was nearly time for our lunch ressie so we made our way back to the NY area. We were about 15 minutes early but decided to see if they were ready for us anyway. They were and we walked right in.
Finnegan's was actually a bit deserted for lunch time. This is one of the major differences between WDW and UO- at slow times in the park it's usually possible to eat at a TS restaurant without an ADR, you can just walk up and wait for a table. However, I know that it was like that at WDW before the DP was introduced so that may change now that UO is trying theirs out.
We were seated near the bar and had a good view of the street near The Mummy. Which meant we could see these guys walking around while we were waiting...
We also saw the Blues Brothers roll by in their car but I didn't get a shot of them. We were too busy enjoying the yummy cinnamon apple butter that came with the complimentary bread...
Mom and I both got the seafood pie...
It was okay but a little bland to be honest. I thought it would have been better without the mashed potatoes on top because it masked the flavor of the seafood.
The kids got... fish and chips... again...
They both enjoyed it a lot, Jace said it was better than the fish and chips at the Three Broomsticks, Kya disagreed but still thought it was really good.
And finally we'd get to see what the mysterious "Dining Plan desert" was that's listed on the DP info. I'd read it was dessert shots but wasn't sure what to expect. Our waiter came out with a rack of various shots and let us choose...
Sorry for the missing bites in the pic... we almost forgot to take one at all! Anyway, Kya decided she wasn't hungry so didn't get a dessert. From left to right Jace got the cookies 'n cream shot, I got the raspberry cheesecake and mom got coconut cream. These were SO good! I was apprehensive about the "DP dessert" but was very pleasantly surprised. The shots were not only delicious but also the perfect size to end a big meal. Not too big so you aren't walking away stuffed but big enough that you can enjoy a little bit of a sweet treat at the end of your meal. Perfect!
After we ate I pulled out my pre-planned tip only to realize that when I'd gotten the pre-banded tip money from the safe that morning that I'd inadvertently switched them... Our housekeeper got a $15 tip and I had $4 in my purse for our waiter!
After being mad at myself for about two seconds I pulled out some extra cash for our waiter and decided that our housekeeper probably needed the money. What else could I do at that point.
After we ate we discussed a break but wanted to squeeze in a few more things before hand. Especially the shop that carries Doctor Who items (remember, geek family).
So, we set off to find it...
Up next... Where the heck is this shop? Hmmm... maybe these men dressed in black can help us...
Life has been a bit hectic lately between work, kids' activities, Halloween and some family stuff going on. I don't really see it slowing down anytime soon though so I'm going to try to squeeze in this quick update this morning.
First of all,I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! We had a fun night that started with the kids trick-or-treating with friends and ended with a party at a friend's house. They had loads of fun and their costumes were pretty great this year...
Jace wanted something comfortable, simple, but also original. He decided on Jake from State Farm.
Kya was a bit more classic and went as The Tenth Doctor (from Doctor Who for those who aren't familiar). We're probably heading to the Comic Con in our area in a few months so her costume will get double duty. Yes, we're a family of big ol' geeks. But we're okay with that. So, anyway, back to the trip...
After the Spongebob parade and dance party it was nearly time for our lunch ressie so we made our way back to the NY area. We were about 15 minutes early but decided to see if they were ready for us anyway. They were and we walked right in.
Finnegan's was actually a bit deserted for lunch time. This is one of the major differences between WDW and UO- at slow times in the park it's usually possible to eat at a TS restaurant without an ADR, you can just walk up and wait for a table. However, I know that it was like that at WDW before the DP was introduced so that may change now that UO is trying theirs out.
We were seated near the bar and had a good view of the street near The Mummy. Which meant we could see these guys walking around while we were waiting...
We also saw the Blues Brothers roll by in their car but I didn't get a shot of them. We were too busy enjoying the yummy cinnamon apple butter that came with the complimentary bread...
Mom and I both got the seafood pie...
It was okay but a little bland to be honest. I thought it would have been better without the mashed potatoes on top because it masked the flavor of the seafood.
The kids got... fish and chips... again...
They both enjoyed it a lot, Jace said it was better than the fish and chips at the Three Broomsticks, Kya disagreed but still thought it was really good.
And finally we'd get to see what the mysterious "Dining Plan desert" was that's listed on the DP info. I'd read it was dessert shots but wasn't sure what to expect. Our waiter came out with a rack of various shots and let us choose...
Sorry for the missing bites in the pic... we almost forgot to take one at all! Anyway, Kya decided she wasn't hungry so didn't get a dessert. From left to right Jace got the cookies 'n cream shot, I got the raspberry cheesecake and mom got coconut cream. These were SO good! I was apprehensive about the "DP dessert" but was very pleasantly surprised. The shots were not only delicious but also the perfect size to end a big meal. Not too big so you aren't walking away stuffed but big enough that you can enjoy a little bit of a sweet treat at the end of your meal. Perfect!
After we ate I pulled out my pre-planned tip only to realize that when I'd gotten the pre-banded tip money from the safe that morning that I'd inadvertently switched them... Our housekeeper got a $15 tip and I had $4 in my purse for our waiter!
After being mad at myself for about two seconds I pulled out some extra cash for our waiter and decided that our housekeeper probably needed the money. What else could I do at that point.
After we ate we discussed a break but wanted to squeeze in a few more things before hand. Especially the shop that carries Doctor Who items (remember, geek family).
So, we set off to find it...Up next... Where the heck is this shop? Hmmm... maybe these men dressed in black can help us...
Twoboysnmygirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2008
Omg! Did she leave a ton of extra towels or anything? Lol
-Hope-
Always dreaming of adventure...
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2009
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