NO CAPES! A Nov. 2014 TR ~ 12/31: Departure Day - TR Complete

[SarahDisney]

Very nice update. I'm thinking that it was a bit chilly so the princesses had to wear their capes. Or maybe it was to irritate you....... They really should have had more consideration!! That's too bad about the repeated announcement at Soarin! Wow, you couldn't even sit and enjoy it without constant interruption. I would have been upset as that's one of my favorite rides! Besides, you can always watch the entire thing on YouTube, there's no need to record it!

I figured the capes were because of the cold (that was the night I regretted not having my sweatshirt with me), but still ... couldn't they have just worn a few extra layers under the costume to stay warm?

I was pretty annoyed at whoever was recording Soarin' ... I will never understand why people do that.

Sounds like a good time at Epcot. I had NO idea they gave out free chocolate at the Festival Center. I am really angry I missed that.

We discovered it last year and were very happy about it. And now you know for next time - there's a little Ghirardelli exhibit in the festival center, and they give you a little piece of chocolate when you go in

I am glad the extra FP+ worked on Soarin'. I hate when people disobey the rules and it ruins it for the others.

Great pictures with the princesses. I'm guessing it was a little chilly that night and why they had the capes on? I do have to say that in the past the princesses looked a LOT more like the princesses in the movies than they do now.

Thanks. It was chilly that night, so I guess I understand the capes, but still ... it violated our no capes rule.
I agree about princesses not looking like they did in the movies. Although we once had a Cinderella who looked like Carrie Underwood ... but very few of the princesses we've seen lately actually look like their movie counterparts.
Not to mention Ariel in her green dress ... which she never wears in the movie. But that's a complaint for a different time.

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 1: Monday, November 3rd
Part 3: I Think They Planted More Trees

When you last saw me, we had just gotten off Gran Fiesta Tour. It was almost 7:15 at this point, which meant our last chance to pop over to China to see something Beth had been very interested in …

The Jeweled Dragon Acrobats. This is something Beth had heard about and wanted to see. I love gymnastics, but I really have no interest in acrobatic shows generally, so I wasn’t particularly excited about this.

Boy, was I wrong. They were amazing. AMAZING! I think that’s all I can say. At one point in time I told Beth that it may have ruined gymnastics for me (which is pretty impressive, because I love gymnastics). For anyone who hasn’t seen the Jeweled Dragon Acrobats yet, stop by China on your next trip and see them – I cannot recommend it highly enough! (For those who have seen them, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about).
They’re definitely back on my list for the next trip (whenever that is).

When we were done being amazed, it was 7:30, which meant only half an hour until the last Eat to the Beat concert. We still hadn’t checked out the Chase Cardmember Lounge in the American Pavilion, so that was our next stop.
First we stopped to take a picture of the giant golf ball, all lit up at night (sorry for the bad quality – we may have a better one, but I didn’t feel like sifting through everything just to find it):

Unlike last year, when the Chase Lounge was our escape from the rain, this was just a short drop-in for us. Beth had some soda and I just sat down and relaxed (and since we also skipped Club Cool, that means I didn’t have any soda all day, just my latte and lots of water – go me!).
I don’t remember what the context was, but at one point in time my sister asked me if I had something on one of my trip planning spreadsheets.
My response: “Is it on one of my spreadsheets? Of course it’s on one of my spreadsheets!”
(By way of explanation – I made insane spreadsheets that covered any amount of information we could possibly want … and despite having known me for my entire life, my sister still somehow thought that there could possibly be something that wasn’t on one of my spreadsheets, as if I wasn’t a compulsive overplanner).

Once we were done with our little relaxation break, it was time to head out to the America Gardens Theater for …

(sorry, my night pictures aren’t great and we were standing all the way in the back … with a tree in our way).

That night’s show was …

This information was what actually drove us over the edge and into booking the trip.
Not that we’re huge Boyz II Men fans, but Shawn Stockman (one of the singers in the group) is a judge on a singing competition show that we love, The Sing Off, and we were hoping that he would be as hysterical in concert as he was on the show (spoiler alert … he wasn’t).

The setlist:
1 – A cover of some song, but can’t remember what it was
2 – On Bended Knee
3 – I’ll Make Love to You
4 – It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday
5 – End of the Road
6 – Motownphilly
I don’t know a decent chunk of their songs, so I’m glad they played entirely songs I knew.

We were standing very far back (seriously, that concert was crowded), so it was hard to get good pictures, but I still managed to get one where you can kinda see Shawn Stockman:

We went back later and took this picture of the sign:

Overall, the concert was okay, and I liked most of the songs they performed, but they were not as funny as the concert we saw last year (Sugar Ray).

Once the concert was over, it was time for dinner and to stake out our seat for Illuminations.

I could have sworn I took a picture of our dinner location, but apparently not. It was Liberty Inn.

Since I’ve noticed that food pictures seem to be a thing in TRs, here’s a picture of our food:

I’m guessing y’all are wondering why the food is in plastic packaging and looks like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
My sister and I are strictly Kosher-observant, which means that (in addition to not eating pork) we will only eat food prepared in a Kosher-supervised kitchen. While Disney does not have a Kosher-supervised kitchen on site, they do bring in pre-cooked food from an outside vendor, which they can reheat in any kitchen as long as the food remains in its original double wrapped packaging to prevent cross-contamination (Disney gets the food double wrapped and it stays that way from the minute it leaves the vendor’s kitchen until we open it).
These pre-made Kosher meals are available “on demand” at certain CS restaurants (generally 1 per park – including Liberty Inn at Epcot) & some hotel food courts (including AoA, although we didn’t end up eating anything at the hotel this trip), and can be pre-ordered at most TS restaurants with 24-48 hour notice.

So anyway, Beth had chicken strips with potato croquettes, and I had a burger in a bun (literally cooked inside its own bun) with potato croquettes.
Continuing with the food picture theme, here’s a picture of my burger, without the two layers of plastic wrapping:

Beth liked her chicken strips a lot. I didn’t particularly like my burger (the bun was much too hard), but it was edible.

We sat down at a table outside so that we would have a decent view of Illuminations (we’d done this several times in the past). Illuminations started … and we really couldn’t see anything. We think they must have planted some new trees since the last time we did this, because the view was definitely not what we remembered.

We finished our meal as quickly as we could and left Liberty Inn to go find a better viewing spot. We would up seeing most of the fireworks from a decent spot right outside of where we had eaten.
I don’t take good firework pictures, but here’s what I’ve got:

At this point the park was closed, so it was time to head to the exit. But first, we stopped to take a nice picture:

I also had one more very important stop to make because I wanted to do some souvenir shopping. I walked into a store I had already been in twice that day and walked out with this box:

When I saw someone looking at the charms (I didn’t actually get to see all the charms because even at 9:30, there was a line) I noticed some “holes” in the display … so I asked the CM who was helping me if the charms had been selling out. She said some of them had sold out even before she got there – which made me feel much better about my decision to spend the money on a charm at the beginning of the trip (originally I had been planning to just check them out on Day 1 and wait until DTD on Day 3 to buy one, but I changed my mind while at Epcot).

I knew right away that I wanted a park-exclusive charm – if I was buying in the park, I didn’t want something I could get at any Pandora store – so I asked to see those. Someone else was looking at them, so the CM who was helping me just showed me the pictures of them on a sheet of paper and said she’d get the ones I wanted to see. I was trying to decide between two charms (the CM took them both out for me to see/handle), a Mickey-head one and a WDW one, but I decided to go with the cheaper ($30!) one:

I actually wasn’t wild about this when I saw it, but my sister convinced me to get it, and since then I’m really growing to love it more and more every time I see it.

I also picked out what charm I want to get if I go in February … there’s a really nice 2015 one that I liked (I didn’t want to get it in 2014, and they didn’t have a 2014 one).

So, after all of the buildup, at MouseGears visit #3 … I got a Pandora charm! I don’t have the bracelet to put it on, but I’m going to get a necklace to put it on for the time being (I actually just put it on a silver chain (I know it looks a little gold in this picture, but it’s silver) and wore it over the weekend, but I want to get a black necklace to put it on), and when I have the budget for the bracelet, I’ll get the bracelet and put the charm I already have on it.

So, the day at Epcot had been a pretty good one, and I got my Pandora charm, so it was time to go back to the room … almost. On the way out, we had to stop for a few more pictures:

After taking this picture with Beth’s phone, the photographer took the pictures with the Photopass camera, and then said … “It gave me time to look at the pictures” and took more pictures with the phone because she didn’t like the way the original ones came out.

I think we both have devil eyes in this one …

Once we had finished taking pictures, we went to the bus stop, got on a bus, and went back to the hotel.

One of our favorite parts of Disney transportation is making new friends on the buses. And on our first post-park bus ride of the trip, we were not disappointed – we met some great new people.
We were standing, and a very kind gentleman (probably in his 30s) stood up to allow one of us to sit next to his travelling companion (it did not come up what their relationship is, but I believe they’re both teachers). Totally unnecessary (as New Yorkers, we’re very used to standing on public transportation), but still very appreciated. We got to talking a bit – they had been in NY recently for Comic Con and had not ridden the subway at all – and didn’t really like Times Square (that’s okay, I’ve lived in NY my whole life and I hate Times Square). They mentioned that they are from the DC area and asked if we’ve ever been down there – it’s been a while, but we have (I don’t remember whether or not we mentioned the story where I set off the White House metal detector). It also came up that we’ve been to Disneyland a few times, so they asked for advice, as they were planning to make a short stop there soon. I recommended that they do the rides they don’t have in Florida – and Roger Rabbit seemed to be a very popular suggestion.
Overall, they were very nice people and we really enjoyed chatting with them.

Once we got to the hotel, we said goodbye to our new friends. We knew we had to pick up the luggage we had dropped off earlier, but first we wanted to stop to fill up our water bottles and check out some souvenirs.
We saw a new (since the last time we were there) batch of Art of Animation stuff, so my sister picked up a postcard, a magnet for my parents, and a pin (really cute, but unfortunately I don’t have a picture of it). I picked up a postcard and keychain:

Close-up of the keychain:

Once we were done shopping, we went to luggage assistance to pick up our bags. As we were waiting for the guy to come out with our luggage (which had actually already been taken to our room), there was another CM standing by the desk. I saw that he had Mickey Mouse stickers, and I knew that my sister wanted one for her phone case (an otherwise boring phone case that I got for free for her), so we asked for one. He gave it to us, and also mentioned that he had other characters. We asked which characters … and he went to get a bucket of stickers for us to choose from. We ended up each taking a bunch – it was awesome!

Here are the stickers I grabbed for myself:

Anyway … once we got to our room (in the King Triton building), we unpacked what needed to be unpacked (and I hung up my dress for Wednesday, which was already a little creased from spending the day in my suitcase). Unfortunately, no room pictures, because I just totally forgot to take pictures before we messed everything up. I put everything we would need for Tuesday into my folder and we packed the backpack … we knew we wouldn’t have time to do it in the morning because we were planning on getting a super-early (for us at least) start.

And so ended day 1.

Bedtime: 11:40ish (Beth) & 11:51 (Sarah)
Day’s Totals (according to Sarah’s Fitbit):
Steps - 23,543
Flights of Stairs – 9 (that’s the one thing that I don’t get a lot of at Disney)
Miles – 9.83

Coming Next ... Day 2: Early Wake Up & Character Morning (Sorta)

 

[KatMark]

Sounds like a great overall day at Epcot.

In over 25+ visits, I have never seen the acrobats in China. I will have to make a note to try and catch them next October.

Sorry that your lunch wasn't great, but glad they are able to accommodate you and your sister's preferences.

We never watch Illuminations anymore (not a fan), but I vaguely remember that spot you and your sister sat in and I think you are right...they've added more trees (or the trees I have crown).

I'm happy you finally got your Pandora.

Cute keychains, and I love all the stickers you got.

 

[SarahDisney]

Sounds like a great overall day at Epcot.

It certainly was!

In over 25+ visits, I have never seen the acrobats in China. I will have to make a note to try and catch them next October.

Definitely try to catch them - I feel like it's something most people just skip over, but I think it's definitely worth it!

Sorry that your lunch wasn't great, but glad they are able to accommodate you and your sister's preferences.

We never watch Illuminations anymore (not a fan), but I vaguely remember that spot you and your sister sat in and I think you are right...they've added more trees (or the trees I have crown).

It was definitely a different view than we remembered.

I'm happy you finally got your Pandora.

So am I!

Cute keychains, and I love all the stickers you got.

Thanks!
We got more stickers later in the trip ... but that story will just have to wait a bit.

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 2: Tuesday, November 4th
Wake Up Time: Approx. 6:35 AM (Both)
Outfits:
Sarah – Ariel (mermaid)
Beth – Edna Mode (I never look back, darling, it distracts from the now)

Part 1: Character Morning
Those of you who read my PTR may remember my issues with my insomnia. Well on night 1, it was being a pain. I woke up many times in the middle of the night and at one point in time (my notes tell me it was about 5:45 AM), Beth was awake as well. So, of course, I had to quote Frozen.

(Side note: I don’t think the sky was awake yet)

We both finally got back to sleep and didn’t actually get out of bed until the alarm went off. We got dressed, ironed our hair (not that it made my hair look any better) and managed to actually get out of the room about when we had planned to. Breakfast was cereal we brought from home (Raisin Bran Crunch for Beth, Frosted Flakes with freeze dried berries for me) and coffee (for Beth). Even though we’re normally skim milk drinkers, we got 1% because, well …

I don’t know why they can’t put Mickey on the skim milk, but they don’t, so we have to drink 1% when at Disney (I would drink the Mickey-free skim, but … Beth insists).

Once we finished breakfast, we made our way over to the bus stops. We were on a bus to Magic Kingdom by 8:10AM. We made it to MK before 8:30, and it’s a good thing we did – because someone had trouble getting in.

My sister was afraid it was my MagicBand, which had been painted with nail polish. But I knew my MB wasn’t the problem. The problem was that my fingerprint wasn’t reading properly. No matter how many times we tried, it didn’t read. I don’t know why (if it had been my thumb, I would have understood, because I burned my thumb a few days before the trip and it was still healing). So the CM had to call over someone with an iPad, who asked me a few questions (probably trying to prove my identity – I offered to show ID, but they didn’t need it) and then reset my fingerprint so that I could get into the park. It took a few extra minutes, but we had plenty of time.

And then there we were, inside Magic Kingdom before opening.

First Selfie of the morning:

And then, 8:40AM hit, and it was time for the reason we had bothered to get out of bed this early … the Welcome Show.
The MC (I cannot for the life of me remember his name or significance):

The main mouse himself (I caught him with his eyes closed)…

Minnie, Mickey, and the family of the morning:

The Tremaines, the White Rabbit, Alice, and Minnie:

Anna & Elsa (our first sighting), Chip & Dale, Snow White, Pluto, Tiana, and Stitch:

Most of the characters, all in one picture:

This was our first time seeing the welcome show (we’re not rope droppers (or morning people at all) and came specifically for the welcome show), and we loved it! It was a little corny, but really super cute. If it wasn’t so early in the morning, I’d say do it every trip … but I’d certainly consider doing it again.

Once that was done, we were allowed into the park. Our first stop was to wait on line for a chat with an old friend:

According to all reports (it started after our last trip), this was the Mickey Mouse who could talk to guests – so we were really excited and thought it was the best way to start our day.

Much more than 5 minutes later (more like 20), we were in to see this guy:

And yes, I do mean see, not chat with … HE WASN’T TALKING! I was so upset. Had we known he wasn’t talking that day, we would have done something else (like Tinker Bell, who we didn’t get to see) – we had seen him the day before and knew we’d be seeing him again, so random not-talking Mickey wasn’t something that was on our Must-Do list and would not have been our choice for first thing in the morning.
I wrote an email to guest relations about it, and their response was basically “we never guaranteed that he would talk.” Actually, in October 2013 the Disney Parks Blog did, but … I don’t see a purpose in arguing, it won't get me anything. Hopefully in the future, they'll let people know if Mickey is being quiet at any given time, but I doubt it.

But anyway, back to happy stuff: more characters.
Our next stop was a visit to everyone’s favorite pet dog:

And of course, a picture of him signing Beth’s bag:

I also learned that he needs a pen to sign … I forgot to give him a pen to sign my bag, and when he needed one, I asked why he couldn’t just sign with his paw (I guess he would need ink for that …).

Next up someone had to make a pit stop (I drink a lot of water). When I got out, Beth told me she had seen a roving penguin, so of course, we tracked him down:

I believe that’s supposed to be a penguin from Mary Poppins, but really, those penguins wear black ties. Fail, Disney … fail.

Next up was a quick stop at City Hall to become certified Dwarf Miners. We had printed our certificates so we handed them over to the CM and she came back with them officially certified. Here’s mine:

At that point we were ready to start heading towards the attractions, but not before stopping for some assorted castle pictures:

Now that we had some castle pictures, we were off to our first land of the day …

Our first ride of the day is a tradition:

Buzz:

I was pretty terrible (seemed to be a theme over the course of the vacation), and Beth won. Best part – no wait. Here’s our official ride picture:

Next up – one of my favorite rides (Beth hates it):

It was just as awesome as always … although there were points where I was afraid my necklace was going to come off (not likely, as it was pretty hard to get on and off, but that ride sure does go fast). And … good thing I was wearing leggings under my skirt (seriously, that’s why I’m not posting the ride picture … this ride and that skirt didn’t really work very well together). Once again, pretty much no wait. We were hoping it would be a theme of the day.

After Space Mountain, we went back through the hub and over to the other side of the park to see some characters. Our plan was to start in one area and go around. Where did we start?
That is an excellent question – and one you’ll have to wait a bit to find out.

Coming Next: Princesses and other Assorted Fun

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hey Sarah!!! Just read through your two updates!! Yay for being an update Queen!! So, first of all, we’ve never stopped to watch the Acrobats either. It seems we are always on our way here, there and everywhere! Of course I never seem to read my times guide so that’s probably why I miss them. I’m glad you enjoyed them.

Ooooh, speaking of the Chase lounge, I’ve finally been approved for the Disney Visa. I have been trying to build up my credit since my first marriage ended and every once in a while I try to get one. Well, this time around I was approved and I will receive a $200 Disney Gift Card after I spend $500. I will be very, very careful with it, though! I hate the lure of credit cards, but the Disney Visa has little perks associated with it that I wanted to take advantage of. Yay!

I wish I could plan my trips around the Eat to the Beat concerts. I would love to see Dennis DeYoung from Styx! But we always plan almost one year ahead, so it just never happens. I’m glad you had fun, though.

Yes, the packaged food doesn’t look that appetizing, but you need to honor your beliefs. I’m glad Disney can accommodate you in that way. It must be really hard to be super careful like that. I’m a diabetic and should be more careful than I am with my foods, but it’s nothing like avoiding gluten stuff or eating Kosher.

Illuminations is my favorite fireworks show. You should have brought a saw and cut the trees that were in your way!! LOL!!!!

Ah the new Disney Pandora charms……I cannot wait to get one, or two, or …….. Yeah, I’ll have the money for ONE!! I do have the bracelet as my hubby bought it for me with several charms already on it at a pawn shop! I already have a Mickey head and crown on it. I can’t wait to see the charms in person. I’m so happy you got yourself one!!!

You previously set off the White House metal detector?? Oh, this is a story you must share!! Nice pictures and cute keychain!! Wish I would get a handful of stickers as well. They would be perfect for my scrapbooks!

Sorry you had issues getting into MK. At least you all figured out the problem and made it in time to see the Opening show. I’ve never seen that show but your pictures are great! I, too, thought that Mickey was the one who talks. That’s not fair!! What a disappointment when you were expecting to chat with him. Ugh!

We, well Victoria and I, love Space Mountain!! Yahoooooooo!!

Bring on the Princesses!!!

 

[KatMark]

Fun update, Sarah.

We love the opening show at MK. We don't do it every year, but we try to catch it every other trip.

Personally, I don't want to see a talking Mickey. I like him just the way I remember from my first visit. But I know a lot of people have enjoyed the talking version.

Yay....Pluto love.

You are right...the penguins have black ties in Mary Poppins.

Great pic on Buzz.

I am with your sister...I hate Space Mountain and if it weren't for a certain bet with a beautiful princess, my last trip on it would have been last June.

Can't wait to hear you see next.

 

[Guatemommy]

Lovin your TR - subbing!

 

[SarahDisney]

Hey Sarah!!! Just read through your two updates!! Yay for being an update Queen!! So, first of all, we’ve never stopped to watch the Acrobats either. It seems we are always on our way here, there and everywhere! Of course I never seem to read my times guide so that’s probably why I miss them. I’m glad you enjoyed them.

I think a lot of people don't do it ... but if you remember to check the times guide or happen to be around when they're performing, I highly recommend them!

Ooooh, speaking of the Chase lounge, I’ve finally been approved for the Disney Visa. I have been trying to build up my credit since my first marriage ended and every once in a while I try to get one. Well, this time around I was approved and I will receive a $200 Disney Gift Card after I spend $500. I will be very, very careful with it, though! I hate the lure of credit cards, but the Disney Visa has little perks associated with it that I wanted to take advantage of. Yay!

Awesome! I don't have the Disney card, I have 2 other Chase cards ... but I may end up getting the Disney card eventually if I close one of those two (I'm not a big credit card fan, so I don't want to have too many at once - I only got my first credit card about 2 years ago because I really am afraid of overspending)

I wish I could plan my trips around the Eat to the Beat concerts. I would love to see Dennis DeYoung from Styx! But we always plan almost one year ahead, so it just never happens. I’m glad you had fun, though.

That's the one advantage of not being able to plan far in advance - we have a lot more information on what will be going on when we're there. But I think most of the concerts are around the same time every year, so maybe you can plan based on when Dennis DeYoung has been there in the past (he probably would be really cool to see)

Yes, the packaged food doesn’t look that appetizing, but you need to honor your beliefs. I’m glad Disney can accommodate you in that way. It must be really hard to be super careful like that. I’m a diabetic and should be more careful than I am with my foods, but it’s nothing like avoiding gluten stuff or eating Kosher.

I like that they have the meals for us, but there's also a lot of other stuff we can get - the Mickey ice cream bars are kosher, as are a lot of the pre-packaged snacks. We usually buy pretzels and ice cream when we're there, and I bought Ritz crackers one day to go with my tuna. A lot of packaged food is certified kosher - most people don't realize that. But yes, you should be more careful with your food .

Illuminations is my favorite fireworks show. You should have brought a saw and cut the trees that were in your way!! LOL!!!!

I'm very big on eating slowly - but I scarfed down my food so that we could go and grab a better place to view the fireworks. I really love Illuminations!

Ah the new Disney Pandora charms……I cannot wait to get one, or two, or …….. Yeah, I’ll have the money for ONE!! I do have the bracelet as my hubby bought it for me with several charms already on it at a pawn shop! I already have a Mickey head and crown on it. I can’t wait to see the charms in person. I’m so happy you got yourself one!!!

There are a lot of really nice charms, and I was surprised by how affordable they were. The one I got was the cheapest ($30), but there were plenty in the $40-$60 range, so maybe you can get more than one! That's the other reason why I'm glad I bought it on Day 1 - I had a set souvenir budget for the trip, and I knew that I needed to save some money for later in the trip. If I had gone later in the trip, I probably would have spent all of my budget on a second charm.

You previously set off the White House metal detector?? Oh, this is a story you must share!! Nice pictures and cute keychain!! Wish I would get a handful of stickers as well. They would be perfect for my scrapbooks!

Okay, White House story:
I was 11 and was at the White House with my family. I had never flown, so I didn't really have any experience with metal detectors. Nobody told me to take off my coat, so I walked through the metal detector with my coat on and my pockets full of stuff. And the metal detector went off. So the guards asked me some questions - do I have any video games in my pockets, any keys, etc. The answer to all that was no, so they wanded me and it went off by my pocket. I emptied my pocket and we found the culprit - my metal glasses case (at that point in time I wasn't wearing my glasses full time, but I took them with me everywhere I went).
And that was how I set off the metal detector at the White House.

Sorry you had issues getting into MK. At least you all figured out the problem and made it in time to see the Opening show. I’ve never seen that show but your pictures are great! I, too, thought that Mickey was the one who talks. That’s not fair!! What a disappointment when you were expecting to chat with him. Ugh!

The welcome show was great ... it was our first time seeing it and we liked it a lot.
I actually spoke to guest relations this morning and she said that the reason why they don't say on the maps or anything that it's talking Mickey is because he doesn't always talk ... but they gave me some extra fastpasses for my next trip, which was nice (but would be nicer if I knew when I was going back)

We, well Victoria and I, love Space Mountain!! Yahoooooooo!!



Bring on the Princesses!!!

I love seeing all of the Princesses ... so I was pretty excited to go see them. The update with the next batch of princesses should be coming within the next day or so (it's all written, I just have to upload the pictures)

Fun update, Sarah.

Thanks!

We love the opening show at MK. We don't do it every year, but we try to catch it every other trip.

I also don't know that we'd do it every year (we're really not morning people and it means waking up earlier), but we really liked it!

Personally, I don't want to see a talking Mickey. I like him just the way I remember from my first visit. But I know a lot of people have enjoyed the talking version.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. I don't know that I'd want all of the Mickeys to talk, but I figured it would be a nice thing to see.

Yay....Pluto love.

Pluto is always one of my favorites ... he's so underrated, but he's awesome!

You are right...the penguins have black ties in Mary Poppins.

Thank you! I was a little disappointed when I saw the red tie.

Great pic on Buzz.

Thanks!

I am with your sister...I hate Space Mountain and if it weren't for a certain bet with a beautiful princess, my last trip on it would have been last June.

I understand why people don't like it, which is why I didn't ask her to go on again, even though the line was short. Left to my own devices, though ... I'd do it like 3 times in a row.

Can't wait to hear you see next.

Hopefully the next update is coming soon!

Lovin your TR - subbing!

Hi! Thanks for stopping by and saying hi - I'm glad you're enjoying!

----
Three trip/personal updates:
1 - I spoke to someone from guest experience services this morning (thankfully, despite the fact that I planned to sleep in today, I was still up by 9, so I was awake when she called). Basically, for my next trip, whenever that is, I will get 3 additional fastpasses over the course of the trip. Not sure if it's a generic fastpass that can be used for anything like I had this trip or if I'll have to choose when I get there (I have to go to guest relations at the park to get them). As of right now, it's for 2 people, but if when I go I'm travelling with a larger party, there's a note for them to extend it to everyone.

2 - I don't know when my next trip will be, but I know that I want to go in 2021 for the 50th anniversary, and I want to stay at one of the two hotels that opened with the park (Contemporary or Poly - my preference is Contemporary). It'll be a more expensive trip (because of the deluxe hotel), so I'm starting to save now - I opened my vacation savings account today (not a Disney account, just a new bank account that gets good interest rates). So, $25 down, a few thousand to go?

3 -Speaking of 2021, I decided when I want to go: November 14th-19th. It'll hopefully be less busy than October (the actual 50th birthday), and I'll get to be there for Mickey Mouse's birthday! Of course, I'm sure this will change by then, but as of now, I think that's the week I want to go.

Next update hopefully coming early tomorrow (maybe even later tonight if I have time) ... I have it all written up, but I have to upload all the pictures to photobucket and put them where they belong in the text.

 

[dreamseeker9]

Great update! I wish I'd known about that Mining Certificate, that's fun!

I love the Welcome Show, though I didn't make it to it this trip. It is corny indeed, but it totally gets you even more pumped up for a day at the MK!

Too bad about mute Mickey! I would've been very disappointed as well.

 

[SarahDisney]

Great update! I wish I'd known about that Mining Certificate, that's fun!

I love the Welcome Show, though I didn't make it to it this trip. It is corny indeed, but it totally gets you even more pumped up for a day at the MK!

Too bad about mute Mickey! I would've been very disappointed as well.

Welcome back! I hope your trip was awesome!
I don't remember how I discovered the mining certificate, but it was forever ago - like when 7DMT first opened. I was convinced I would walking into City Hall and the CMs would have no idea what I was talking about!

I'm really glad we did the welcome show - we probably won't do it every trip (in my book, mornings = evil), but it definitely started the day off on the right foot!

I was sad about mute Mickey, but at least I didn't let it ruin my day.

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 2: Tuesday, November 4th
Part 2: The Prettiest Bathrooms in Magic Kingdom

When you last saw me, we had just gotten off Space Mountain and were headed to the other side of the park. Where did we go?

Our plan was to see as many characters as possible and not really go on rides (we planned to come back and hit the rides later). That plan derailed pretty quickly, when the line for Aladdin and Jasmine was closed. So in the meantime we went on a nearby ride (with almost no wait):

We did not actually get a picture of the sign … and I’m still not entirely sure why I took a picture of the bottom of the carpet, but there you go.

Oh, and I can’t forget our pre-carpet selfie:

Our plan was to then grab some fruit for our morning snack (we didn’t eat it yet, just bought it) and then wait on line for Aladdin and Jasmine. That line was TORTURE. It was long, they took forever to come out, some of the kids were running around (most of the parents were controlling their kids, but a few weren’t… and that’s a pet peeve of mine), and it was super hot … I thought I was going to overheat on line. Plus, we had delayed snack past its scheduled time to wait on line … so I was a little cranky and hungry. Not good news.
But eventually we did get to see them, and they were fantastic – they were happy to hear that Genie is an old friend of ours. And Jasmine was princess #1 of the day.

After that we sat down (outside Columbia Harbor House) to eat our nutritious and delicious morning snack – apple & Nutella for me and banana & Nutella for Beth. Too many birds (although not as bad as Sea World San Diego, where I almost couldn’t eat because of the birds).
Side note: You really can’t cut an apple with a plastic knife
Second side note: Melted Nutella may be the greatest food in existence

After snack it was time for our first FP+ of the day … but first, another pit stop. Since we were headed over to Fantasyland, we stopped at the Rapunzel bathrooms. Some pictures:

Ruffians:

Tower:

Once we were done there, we were headed to meet the resident of the tower herself (along with a friend) at …

This was our longest wait with FP+ -at least 20 minutes, maybe even longer. It was bad news – I knew that if we waited this long to see Cinderella and Rapunzel, then we’d be waiting forever for Anna and Elsa.

But anyway, we finally got in. Cinderella was first …

Deep in conversation …

Next up was Rapunzel! My sister was very surprised that she was wearing shoes, but apparently Cinderella requires it when Rapunzel comes to visit her land.
Signing Beth’s bag (in purple, of course) …

Chatting …

Both Cinderella and Rapunzel were pretty good (although, unlike the one we met in California in 2012, this Cinderella did not look like Carrie Underwood). Beth actually really loved Rapunzel (they had a nice chat while I was taking pictures).
Cinderella and Rapunzel were Princesses #2 & #3 of the day.

Next up was a classic favorite …

On-horse photos:

(I’m not sure if you can tell from the way I’m holding the bar, but I sat sidesaddle. I had to in that skirt)

Not a great picture, but the castle as seen from the carousel:

After the carousel we were headed to an attraction that we hadn’t done since 2008. I didn’t remember it at all, but my sister remembered it and thought I would enjoy it as well, so we headed to …

(meanwhile, as we were waiting to go in to the theater, my mom was texting me …I had to put my phone on silent for fear that it would start making noise or vibrating loudly during the show)

The show was even cuter than my sister remembered – we loved it! I’d definitely do it again … not a must do on every trip, but certainly something to do when we have the time.

And that’s it for this post. Hopefully I’ll be able to knock out another update or two this week.

Coming Next … In which Sarah embarrasses herself (on purpose)

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 2: Tuesday, November 4th
Part 3: Sarah’s Favorite Movies, Come to Life (and More)

At the end of the last post, we had just done Mickey’s Philharmagic. Up next was an attraction featuring my second favorite princess, star of my second-favorite animated Disney movie …

It said wait was 30 minutes, but we pretty much walked on (maybe a very short wait).
Inside picture:

Last year my sister wanted me to get a picture with Belle at the end, but I didn’t want to because I wasn’t a little kid or a participant, so I thought it would be awkward (also, the 2.5 year old we were with was terrified of Belle). My sister really wanted me to get the picture, so I said that this year I’d try to participate.

Turns out, participating is even more awkward (although they let me sit on the bench instead of on the floor).

(sorry, the Photopass photographer is a bit in the picture)
Since I got a picture with Belle, to me it counts as a princess meeting … so that’s princess #4.

Next up was the character meet I was both most excited for & dreading the most:

He was great, I was terrible. I just can’t be funny with funny characters, I get too nervous. I made my sister take a video of it, but I never want to see it again … I should have done better, but I just couldn’t be funny enough. He was great, though. Next time I’ll make my sister do it, she’ll be better than me.
Also, apparently we don’t have the posed picture … but I think this one is actually more fun.

Next up was the attraction based on my favorite Disney movie …

And from another angle:

Also a very short wait – much shorter than advertised, and shorter than last year. As always, it was wonderful. No inside pictures, though, because that was part of my major resolution for the trip – enjoy the attraction, don’t just photograph it.

Once we got off the ride, of course we had to see the star herself (aka Princess #5)…
Chatting:

She asked about my necklace, wanted to know if it was shells – I said it was glass (I should have said sea glass).

Posed Pictures:

Someone has squinty eyes in this picture … that’s what I get for not putting my sunglasses back on

Next up was back to our friend Gaston … or his tavern, at least. We sat down and made our PB&J sandwiches and ate them while looking at this view:

Because who wouldn’t want to eat looking at Gaston?

Our plan was to eat lunch a little before 3, so that we could hit Peter Pan while everyone was at the 3 PM parade and hopefully have a shorter line. However, we were running late … and ended up getting to Peter Pan around 3:20, aka the same time as everyone coming from the parade. So the advertised 20 minute wait was actually about 40 minutes (and was the longest ride wait of the trip). But at the end of that 40 minutes, we got to enjoy …

This was the first time we had been since 2011 (it was being refurbished on our last trip). My sister said it seemed completely different. I was wondering if maybe she was remembering the ride in California, which is a bit different. It didn’t seem too different to me, but I also don’t always have a great memory for rides (like with wine, I know if I like it or not, but I can’t tell you much more).

Once we were done with Peter Pan, it was later than we wanted, and even though we weren’t done with Fantasyland yet, we wanted to make sure to catch Woody and Jessie before it was too late, so we headed over to Fronteirland.

As we were looking for their greeting area, we passed Splash Mountain about 15 million times. We’ve never been on Splash Mountain before, and it was only a 20 minute wait and the weather was okay for it.
We talked about it … but decided that Woody and Jessie were more important. We decided that if we had time between Woody & Jessie and BTMRR, we’d come back and do Splash Mountain, but if not, we’d skip it.

As was our pattern when waiting for characters, it was a long line – and they left right when we got on line (but they came back a few minutes later). We waited a while. And of course, the people right behind us (or maybe two groups behind us) were also DisneyBounding … but theirs were much better than ours. One of them was Woody, and Jessie pointed it out to actual Woody, who was very upset that someone else was wearing a sheriff’s badge – he’s the only sheriff in town.

Anyway, cute story aside (and because I’ve just done like 4 paragraphs of writing without a picture), we finally got to see them:

They were good - very interactive, seemed to enjoy our being there - all the things you want to see in a character.

By the time we were done there, it was about time for our BTMRR FP+. This meant no Splash Mountain, but we were okay with that. There’s always next trip (whenever that is).

Once we got to our destination and took the picture, it was time for one of my sister’s favorite rides… (I like it too)

We were able to get on right away – no wait! After waiting a while for our first FP+ of the day, this seemed like a good sign to us.

Once we got off of the most awesome ride in the wilderness, we headed back to Fantasyland to do what we had missed … and for our remaining FP+s (and yes, plural … I had my generic FP+ from guest relations for this day too). First, a stop at our new favorite bathrooms:

Next up was a Fantasyland classic … (although not a great picture)

Before we went anywhere, the CM making the announcements reminded us to make sure our seatbelts were fastened … check!
(Admit it, readers, you just did a double take and tried to remember if IASW has seatbelts).

Small World selfie that my sister took to send to her coworkers (this is when we discovered that her boss is afraid of IASW):

Wait time: pretty much non-existent. So far it was turning out to be a pretty productive evening. Which was good news, because we only had about 4 hours to our ADR and a lot of stuff left to do.

So what did we do next? You’ll just have to wait and see!

Coming Next … Continuing Our Super Productive Afternoon/Evening

 

[KatMark]

Two updates...yay!

They really need to move Aladdin and Jasmine somewhere else. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO hot in that area, but glad you had a good interaction with them.

I LOVE the new Rapunzel bathroom area...so pretty (did you see the hidden Pascals?).

I'm sorry but that Cinderella looks like she is forcing her smile. I'd rather see a Carrie Underwood look-alike who had a beautiful smile.

We have loved our interactions with Rapunzel...she is always a lot of fun.

I finally did the Carrousel this year for the first time in awhile...love it. And I love your photos on it.

We enjoy Mickey's Philharmagic and do it every trip but it was closed when we were there in September.

We still have not done Enchanted Tales with Belle. Perhaps when we have grandchildren.

Gaston is the best...what fun he is.

A nice spot to have your lunch.

I'm glad you got to see Ariel after your ride Under the Sea.

We rarely ride Peter Pan anymore (I won't waste a FP on it and will only go if the lines are short), but I don't remember much being different about it when we rode a couple of months ago.

Great pictures with Woody & Jessie (we've never seen them either).

Love Big Thunder Mountain (although my back didn't care for it after my last ride).

 

[SarahDisney]

Two updates...yay!

I was in a bit of an update writing frenzy ... unfortunately, that has slowed down a bit.

They really need to move Aladdin and Jasmine somewhere else. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO hot in that area, but glad you had a good interaction with them.

Agreed. I'm happy we got to see them and it was a good interaction, but I don't want to wait there again.

I LOVE the new Rapunzel bathroom area...so pretty (did you see the hidden Pascals?).

There are hidden Pascals? I can't believe I missed that! I'll have to ask my sister if she saw them (she loves Pascal).

I'm sorry but that Cinderella looks like she is forcing her smile. I'd rather see a Carrie Underwood look-alike who had a beautiful smile.

I get that. She was very nice, though, so I'm not too upset about the forced smile. I don't really care that much what they look like or if they smile, more how they interact.

We have loved our interactions with Rapunzel...she is always a lot of fun.

It was our first time seeing her, but she really was fun. I definitely want to see her again!

I finally did the Carrousel this year for the first time in awhile...love it. And I love your photos on it.

Thanks! We love carousels, so we always make sure to do it.

We enjoy Mickey's Philharmagic and do it every trip but it was closed when we were there in September.

That's sad! I really liked it a lot, more than I thought I would, so I'll definitely do it again ... assuming it's open next time I'm there.

We still have not done Enchanted Tales with Belle. Perhaps when we have grandchildren.

I love Beauty and the Beast, so I really like it a lot, but it is pretty kid-centric.

Gaston is the best...what fun he is.

He was hysterical. While I was waiting in line, he was having a discussion with someone about how the castle should be called "Prince Charming's Castle" not "Cinderella's Castle" (which actually makes a lot of sense)

A nice spot to have your lunch.

We did it last year too (also PB&J sandwiches, actually), but last year I was too cranky to appreciate it (last year we didn't snack and didn't have lunch until about 4:30 - so someone was very cranky)

I'm glad you got to see Ariel after your ride Under the Sea.

I've now seen her 3 trips in a row (once in California and twice in Florida) after having never seen her before 2012. I always like her, but that's because she's my favorite princess.

We rarely ride Peter Pan anymore (I won't waste a FP on it and will only go if the lines are short), but I don't remember much being different about it when we rode a couple of months ago.

I didn't really remember it being different either. I think my sister is probably mixing it up with the California version, which we had ridden more recently

Great pictures with Woody & Jessie (we've never seen them either).

Thanks! We've only seen them once or twice before, and they were just okay in the past. This was definitely my favorite interaction with them.

Love Big Thunder Mountain (although my back didn't care for it after my last ride).

I love it too ... but I can see why your back might not. I rode Expedition Everest with my back bothering me on this trip ... that was not fun (more on that later).

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 2: Tuesday, November 4th
Part 4: Anna & Elsa and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Two Walk-On Attractions

When I left you, we had just gotten off the classic ride It’s a Small World (yes, I like it, and I don’t mind the song being stuck in my head). We were ready to see more princesses, so we went off to use what is apparently the hardest FP+ to get (even though we didn’t technically get it – and I could have gotten it for my parents for their trip easily – but they don’t like meeting characters):

(and this was the point when I started Photoshopping my night pictures (well, some of them) to make them look less dark - if only I had thought to do that before I printed them)
We used our generic FP+ from guest relations. We were expecting a long wait (even with the FP+), but … we walked right in. It was awesome! We had to wait for one family before us, and then it was time for …

Chatting with Elsa as she signs my bag:

She asked me not to say anything, but since this was 2 weeks ago, I guess it’s okay to say something now … she said they were planning a party for Kristoff’s friends (the love experts) that night. As usual, I was too overwhelmed to say anything.

I don’t like that we both had to stand on the same side (and I should have had Beth stand next to Elsa), but I guess that’s just the nature of the dress.

Anna came to meet me as Beth was collecting the camera from the PhotoPass photographer. She was cute, but super super awkward (which I understand is the nature of the character, and she did a great job of it, but awkward characters make me more awkward).

We were talking sandwiches (among other things).

Overall, we liked them. I don’t know that they were worth the hype, but princesses #6 & #7 (okay, fine, queen #1 and princess #6) were pretty good. Anna was better than Elsa (who looked more like Idina Menzel than like Elsa), IMO. I was very glad that we got to meet them (and even happier that we didn’t have to wait at all), but I don’t know if I’ll do it again – depends on whether lines normalize before my next trip.

It still wasn’t anywhere near our 7DMT FP+ time (seriously, we were having a very productive afternoon/evening), we went for one of my favorite rides (which I had actually volunteered to skip when I thought we didn’t have time – but I’m glad we did have time):

I had told Beth my fun fact about Mr. Toad handing over the deed to Mr. Owl (if you don’t know what I’m talking about … google it), so we made sure to look for that – and we saw it! I love Winnie the Pooh, and this ride is just so cute. The line was pretty short and moved fast, so the interactive loud kids’ stuff wasn’t a problem for me (I don’t like loud noises and it was a huge problem for me in 2011, so I was a little afraid).

Next up …

I really like the way the neon came out in this picture … and the lights on the background look great too! I look a little stupid, but mostly this is a great picture, so I can forgive my stupid-lookingness (somehow happens a lot in pictures … I’m used to it).

On-ride selfie (other than the poor quality of my phone pictures, I really like this picture):

We still had some time before our 7DMT FP+, so we headed back to Tomorrowland to revisit one of our favorite attractions …

Once again, I lost. I don’t know what got into me this trip, but I was pretty terrible at Buzz.

By the time we got off Buzz, we were in our FP+ window, so it was time to check out the one new Fantasyland attraction that wasn’t yet open on our last trip:

Scanned our MagicBands and walked right on. Score! So basically, the two longest waits in the park (A&E and 7DMT) we walked right on. Awesome!

In case it’s not clear, I’m not screaming in this picture, I’m smiling (and not for the camera) … I don’t scream on roller coasters, except once on California Screamin’

Our review: We loved it! The theming was amazing, the ride was fun … it really lived up to the hype!
Yes, I know a lot of people complain that it’s too short, and I do agree, but I wouldn’t have thought that if I hadn’t seen all the complaining about it. We would have done it again right away had the line not been so long or had we had more time (seriously, if FP+ gave you unlimited rides during your window, we probably would have done it over and over again).
It’s a new favorite and I can’t wait to do it again.

We wanted to get a picture by Beast’s Castle all lit up at night. We got a decent picture of a woman and her stroller, and the castle looks okay (although there are lights in the way), but maybe not the best picture of me:

Next up we headed to the one area of Fantasyland we hadn’t hit up yet:

First on our list here was:

We went in and were directed straight through to the other side – skipping the play area. Score – another walk-on!
Or not. One of the Dumbos broke (right before we got there, actually), so it slowed them down a bit and we ended up having to wait for 5-10 minutes to get on.
We were on the Dumbo we didn’t go on last year – but I don’t know if it was the old one or the new one because I never remember which one is which.


Next up was a quick ride on the Barnstormer (this picture was taken from the Dumbo line):

It was a little more intense than I remembered it being, but still fine. Nothing exciting – there’s a reason why it wasn’t a must do for us, we don’t think it’s anything special (but we do it if we have time, because why not).

That finished up Fantasyland for us – it was time for our traditional night ride on POTC.
Looking at the app, wait time was about 20 minutes. Not as good as the walk-ons we had been experiencing over the past few hours, but acceptable.
As we were walking over to Adventureland, we passed by a FP+ kiosk.
Beth asked if we should stop and see if we can get another FP+. I said yes. We went, had problems with the touchscreen (and the CM there basically ignored us until we flat out asked her why it wasn’t working … I’m going to assume she’s usually nicer and was just tired because it was late) … and we got a FP+ for POTC, starting in about 5 minutes … aka about the time it would take us to walk over there and take a picture. So we went, we took a picture, and we walked right on … and were in a boat with 2 other people. Yeah, I don’t get the FP+ system for this ride – there’s a decent standby line, and they’re sending out almost empty boats from the FP+ line.

Anyway, here’s the picture – didn’t come out so great:

At this point we had hit up all the rides we were going to have time for, so it was time to start enjoying the night shows. We headed to the hub to stake out a spot where we could see Celebrate the Magic (projection show) and Tinkerbell flying over the castle in Wishes, but then make a quick escape because we had a 9:25 ADR (Wishes started at 9, and we weren’t sure if we’d have to fight through chaos to get to our dinner).

I had asked the DISboards if it was feasible to watch the shows and still get to my ADR (and where to stand), and someone recommended the hub area near the bridge to Tomorrowland. We went and we found a spot there behind a nice family with a stroller, decent view of the castle and the string for Tinkerbell, and easy access to the bridge to Tomorrowland. Beth sat down for a little bit (I stood – if I sit on the ground I can’t so much get up easily sometimes, especially because my leg tends to fall asleep) and we waited for the show to begin.

A little background: we had seen a bit of the projection show last year while eating our dinner at Cosmic Ray’s. We thought it was adorable, and really wanted to see it from a good spot this year. So we were pretty excited about this.

Pre-Show Castle picture (aka the view from our spot):

And then the show began … (some pictures are from Beth’s phone and some are from mine … I tried to pick the best from each)

It was really cute, and I’m glad we decided to stake out a spot for it – it wasn’t perfect (and there were some people who got a little in our way right before the show started), but I think our spot was pretty good.

Next up was Wishes – and trying to balance seeing the show with our dining reservation. Could we do it? Stay tuned to find out more!

Coming Next … Things falling from the sky

 

[stacy~**]

Sarah! I finally made it here and read through your report. Sorry I am late to arrive but I have been struggling to find disboard time lately!

Great first day at Epcot! You got sooo much done....especially with it being your travel day.

We have caught the end of the acrobats show in China but really need to make an effort to see the whole thing. Glad you enjoyed it!

Sorry your Illuminations spot wasn't the best. I LOVE Illuminations so I would have been quite sad. Its great you were able to scoot quickly to an acceptable spot.

Yay for the Pandora charm souvenir. Not convinced on them yet for myself but it might be a cool tradition to add one on each trip?

Loved your Fitbit tally at the end of the day. I would love to know that stuff about my trips.

Impressive that you made it to the Welcome Show. We rarely (and by rarely I mean 1 time and then twice saw the last seconds-fail.) make the Welcome Show. Its so special and cute.

So sad Mickey wasn't talking for you. We really loved our experience with him. Hopefully you will get another chance next time!

Ok. LOVE your Gaston picture. Its so perfect!! Really love it.

So many great character meets for you at MK that day. Wow!

 

[SarahDisney]

Sarah! I finally made it here and read through your report. Sorry I am late to arrive but I have been struggling to find disboard time lately!

I totally understand being busy. I'm glad you made it here and you're following along!

Great first day at Epcot! You got sooo much done....especially with it being your travel day.

We always get a lot done on travel day, but we were also really lucky to have pretty short lines.

We have caught the end of the acrobats show in China but really need to make an effort to see the whole thing. Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks. I think it's definitely worth taking the time to watch the whole thing.

Sorry your Illuminations spot wasn't the best. I LOVE Illuminations so I would have been quite sad. Its great you were able to scoot quickly to an acceptable spot.

I really wanted to see it (we skipped it last year), so I'm glad we were able to find a spot to move to.

Yay for the Pandora charm souvenir. Not convinced on them yet for myself but it might be a cool tradition to add one on each trip?

I love bracelets, so I figured it was a good idea for me. I love the idea of having something that I add to every trip ... although I'm hoping that eventually the bracelet will be full and I'll have to move on to something else.

Loved your Fitbit tally at the end of the day. I would love to know that stuff about my trips.

I think my Fitbit is one of the best $90 I ever spent - I love knowing how far I've walked. I just wish I got in more flights of stairs at Disney!

Impressive that you made it to the Welcome Show. We rarely (and by rarely I mean 1 time and then twice saw the last seconds-fail.) make the Welcome Show. Its so special and cute.

Until we actually made it there, I wasn't convinced that we would. We planned to leave the hotel around 8 - today I wasn't even out of bed yet at 8. I'm not a morning person, but I'm really glad we were able to make it.

So sad Mickey wasn't talking for you. We really loved our experience with him. Hopefully you will get another chance next time!

I've heard a lot of people had good experiences with it ... I really wish he had been talking. Oh well, I guess it's just another reason to go back (as if I really needed a reason to go back)

Ok. LOVE your Gaston picture. Its so perfect!! Really love it.

Thanks! I'm actually really happy that we don't have the posed picture - this one seems much more fun

So many great character meets for you at MK that day. Wow!

Yup, it was definitely a good character day. I think we had a good mix of characters and rides ... there were some characters we wanted to see and didn't, but that always happens. I guess that just means more new characters for the next trip.

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 2: Tuesday, November 4th
Part 5a: Fireworks Outside, Snowfall Inside (Part 1)

When you last saw me, we had just finished watching the beautiful Celebrate the Magic projection show.

It was about 8:55 when the show ended … so we had 5 minutes until Wishes started and about 30 minutes until our ADR. It was our first ever ADR and we were a bit nervous, so we wanted to be there early.
Our strategy was to watch the beginning of Wishes to see Tinkerbell, then head over to our ADR. There was nobody behind us, so we had a quick way out, assuming we could get away with “going the wrong way” to the Tomorrowland bridge (we saw them only letting people go in the opposite direction).

So 9:00 came, and that meant looking for Tinkerbell.

Who is that I see right by the castle in this very blurry picture?

That’s right, we had a Tinkerbell sighting … we just couldn’t really so much get a good picture.

Before we left I took one quick fireworks picture:

And then we were off to dinner. We got out, no problem, and walked to our ADR destination with no problems (although I did try to take a fireworks picture walking through Tomorrowland … I’m not posting that one, it didn’t so much come out very well). We got there very early, so we sat down and watched the fireworks.

Over our dinner location:

Over Cinderella’s Castle:

Turns out, this was a really nice view of the fireworks and not even remotely crowded (we wouldn’t have been able to see Tinkerbell from this view, though).

Once the show was over, it was time to check in for our ADR at

Bear with me, because there may be a lot of writing without pictures … but I promise, once dinner is over, there will be plenty of pictures!

This was my first ADR and I was so nervous. Yes, I know that they can provide kosher food with advance notice. And yes, I checked the week before to confirm that the kosher order was attached to the reservation. And yes, I am aware that the restaurant has been open for almost 2 years and I can’t have been the first person to order a kosher meal there.
But, yes, I also remember that my father said it was awkward when we had a dining reservation in 2000 and I remember them bringing us menus that we didn’t need and wanting to take our order.

So overall … I was pretty nervous about this. We checked in with a wonderful CM, Isabel (also a Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid fan). When we asked about the kosher, she wasn’t sure, but the CM who was coordinating with the kitchen, Anita, called the kitchen to find out … and when she couldn’t get through to them, she went back to the kitchen to check with the chef. Since it was the last seating, nobody else was really checking in, so we were able to chat with the two CMs who were there (I feel really bad, I can’t remember the other one’s name, but she was also really sweet … she’s a Pocahontas fan). I had read somewhere that the Rose Gallery was closed for dinner sometimes, so I asked about that – and Isabel said it’s usually open (and was tonight), and it really is only closed when they need it for staging for the Halloween party. Anita called to tell us that it was all good, so we were given our “beeper” and told to wait on the bridge.

We waited a while and saw a few groups go in. A few pictures:

I really love the way they do it. When our table was ready, the beeper went off, and then a CM came out and greeted us by name. Since the whole theme of the castle is dark, I was given Lumiere’s cousin (see below – I can’t remember his name) to hold as we were guided to our table.

And then we were guided through these doors:

The CM (I don’t really know restaurant lingo, but I’m guessing this would be the “host”) showed us the exit and where all the rooms are, including where Beast greets (the library), showed us to our table, and told us that our server, Jonathan, would be with us shortly.

Brief Interlude: I had heard that all three rooms were amazing. But if I could have picked, I would have picked the ballroom, preferably with a view of the snow falling on the windows. But I didn’t have a choice, so I decided to just be happy with wherever they seated us.

This was the view from our table: (I posted this picture to FB during dinner)

It was exactly what I wanted. I was so happy.
They gave us menus for our drink orders, and I had to take a picture just because:

And of course, a picture of the napkin in the shape of a rose (before we opened them and put them on our laps like civilized people):

So, we settled in, and pretty soon our server, Jon, came out. He was very nice and explained to us that they were preparing our food in the kitchen , took our drink orders, cleared away the silverware we couldn’t use, and asked if we wanted a bread basket (the answer is no – as crazy as it sounds, we can’t eat it). Beth got a Coke, and I got a Hoegaarden beer (not my usual, but one of the beers I’ll drink occasionally – I’m picky about my beer, and not necessarily in a good way) and water (and I alternated between the two while eating).

While we were waiting, we looked around the room – I was so impressed by the details. I was actually on the verge of tears at one point in time. It was so incredible and I was so glad that we were able to get the reservation and able to experience this incredible atmosphere (we had gotten a FP+ for lunch before we got the dinner ADR, but I don’t think I would have enjoyed lunch as much, for a few reasons).

Jon brought out the soda and water, and said he’d be back in a few minutes with my beer. He brought the beer in the bottle and a glass … and because we were in a civilized place, I had to actually pour the beer into the glass (which I am terrible at – I’d rather drink it out of the bottle because I never pour it right, and it didn’t occur to me to ask him to pour the first glass for me).

Once our entrees were ready, Jon brought them out, complete with silverware (yes, we need separate silverware … it comes wrapped too), and asked if we needed anything else. The answer was no thank you, so we ate. Beth had Chicken Breast with mushroom risotto and some vegetables (I don’t remember what – and I didn’t take pictures). I had Beef Brisket with potatoes, carrots, and peas (I think … unless I’m mixing up the veggies and Beth had carrots and peas and I had mystery vegetable). This was probably the best meal I had all trip – so random caterer gets props for this meal (and, of course, for providing kosher food to Disney in general, even if it’s not always very good). And I enjoyed my beer, which I felt was very deserved (especially because I skipped my coffee that day), as well as the knowledge that I was having alcohol in the only place in MK that serves alcohol.

Anyway, at some point during the meal, our esteemed host, master of the castle, came out through the dining room:

We continued to eat and enjoy our meal. At some point a CM came around and said that Beast would only be greeting guests in the library until 10:45, at which point he was done for the night. We were pretty much finished with dinner anyway, so we paid our bill, thanked Jon (both with our words and our wallet), and got ready to explore the castle (aka took out our cameras). We had a little bit of time, so we took pictures of the ballroom first.
Here’s what I’ve got:

Chandelier, no flash:

Gallery:

Blurry view of the entire room:

Small Chandelier, with Flash:

Chandelier, with flash, from directly below:

Once we were done with the ballroom, we went to the library to meet the Master himself.


We look really bad in the picture, but here’s what we’ve got:

We also printed the PhotoPass version of this picture to give to our relatives.

To Be Continued…

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 2: Tuesday, November 4th
Part 5b: Fireworks Outside, Snowfall Inside (Part 2)

Once we had met the Master, it was time to explore the rest of his castle. We started with the West Wing. For anyone who hasn’t been there, it’s super dark, so we may not have quite so many good pictures … but I’ll try to Photoshop them into viewability when possible.


Into the West Wing we went. Over the fireplace is this portrait:

What do you mean you can’t see a portrait? Does this picture help?

For reasons I don’t quite understand, but which I assume have to do with the amazing Disney magic and theming of the room, my camera wouldn’t capture the prince in the portrait, with or without the flash. Beth’s cell phone got it just fine, though (I don’t know what my phone would have done – it was in my pocket, I was using the camera for this – better resolution).

Next up, the highlight of the West Wing for this Beauty and the Beast fan…

Oh, you want the picture where the rose is actually there?

Here ya go:

Tapestry #1 (got a little cut off on the top … I really couldn’t see when taking pictures in that room):

Tapestry #2:

And, before we end our tour of the West Wing, you need to see the lights/ceiling:

And from there we were done with the West Wing. It was nice, but very dark – I’m kinda very happy we weren’t seated there.

Next up on our exploration menu was the Rose Gallery … where the lighting was much more to my taste.
The Music Box:

The light over the music box:

Paintings:

Tapesry:

More Paintings & Tapestries:

One last view of the ballroom:

And then it was time to leave BOG. But before we left, one last picture, by the mosaic near the exit:

Overall assessment: The castle/restaurant was beautiful, the service was fantastic, and we really enjoyed. For our first ADR, it was an incredible experience, and we would definitely do it again.

By this point in time it was almost 11 and the park had been closed for almost an hour. Much as we would have loved to stay, it was time to head to the exit.

Walking through Fantasyland, towards the castle (a view from 2 different cameras):

But just because the night was over and the park was long closed, didn’t mean the magic was over. Stay tuned for the final installment of the night (I hope) … and to see how the Disney details don’t end even after you leave the park.

Coming Next: The infamous Bathroom picture (a family tradition)