Nibblesandbits Amazingly Wonderful Trip Report Number 3 (Sept. 14-21)

The Pre-Game: (Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this TR! )

This trip was absolutely great. My DH (What's His Face as he is commonly known around here-also abbreviated WHF) and I had a wonderful time and even during this last trip we were already talking about going back, since we were offered the Free Dining for next year. We didn't take Disney up on their offer, as we were still mulling where we want to go for our next vacation, but going back to Disney World is definitely in our minds again. (Right now, we are considering Vegas and Disneyland however).

What's His Face and I have been planning this trip for about a year now. I remember hearing about the Halloween parties last year and knowing that I wanted to go when those were going on. I also knew that I wanted to go in Sept. b/c crowds were small and with the hope that Disney would be offering Free Dining. I got my wish on all accounts.

Now, after reflecting on all my trips, I realize I actually learn something new each time. The last trip before this one, I learned not to kill myself by trying to accomplish everything in a short window of time. This time I learned a very different lesson. As a Disney Fanatic, we all try to plan, and plan, and plan our trips. This then skews our expectations on what we believe our trip will then turn out like. (Then we wonder why people come back complaining about what a crummy time they had or problems that occured.) For me, while I do try to plan, I don't over plan...this just works well for me. However, I guess I'd been hyping up this trip for so long in my head, that I was still a little disappointed when things didn't go as I had "planned" in my head. Next trip, I am going to try not to "plan" so hard in my head. (Good luck to me! :ROFLOL: )

Just so you know, I am DEFINITELY NOT complaining about my trip. I did end up having a blast, however, the way I got there was not how I planned and I think that's why I may feel a little sad now. I did a lot of things that were new or different than usual on this trip, including, but not limited to, going to the (very soggy) MNSSHP, going on my first tour (a Segway Tour!), meeting up with a couple of friends for the first time that I've "met" from here, going to Pleasure Island for the first time and falling in love with the Adventurer's Club (Kungaloosh! ), getting to eat in restaurants I would have never dreamed I'd be eating in, and seeing attractions that normally, I wouldn't pick to see.

As you can probably tell, this trip was jam packed with action...so let's get down to the fun! (And of course, the pictures!) :sohappy:

 

[nibblesandbits]

I forget.....how many days we talking about here?

This is going to age me like the Harry Potter series....

7...just like Harry Potter...:lookaroun

 

[nibblesandbits]

What does WHF have to say about all these strange guys you seem to know? :lookaroun

Very nice picture, but I find it interesting that you have all the mood lighting and poor WHF is in the shadows....:lol:

Um...he got along with Vince just fine. At first he thought it was weird, but once they both started making fun of me, they had a great time together.

And I had no say over how the picture was lit...:lookaroun

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Monday Sept. 17
Typhoon Lagoon, DTD, and Boardwalk

Today, we got up, got ready and headed straight for the busses for Typhoon Lagoon. This was my first time there. I had been to Blizzard Beach before, and really liked it, so I really considered going back there, but since this was something I hadn't experienced, we decided to go there.

The first thing we did was find a spot to put our stuff. We found a nice area right by the main eating area. It was relatively secluded and we found a semi-shady spot. After that, we got something to eat, since we were right there. I got pizza and WHF got hamburger. We saved our desserts for later. (If you asked them to, they would hold onto your ice cream until you were ready to eat it.)

Once lunch was over, we went to Gangplank Falls. This was the family ride and we absolutely loved it! We both thought it was one of the better rides in the park! We rode it back to back since there was no line. From there, we headed over to Mayday Falls. This is touted as the longest ride in the park, but it sure didn't feel long. I didn't like this one as much. I also didn't really like Keehaul Falls much either, but did like it better than the other.

From there, we headed over to Humunga Cowabunga. I was really nervous about this. I did not enjoy Slush Gusher when I went on that at BB and this was semi-similar. I faced my fear though and thought it was cool, but man does that thing give you wedgies and squirts water in places that it doesn't belong!


.

Know what you mean. Went with DS two years ago and he insisted on doing it 4 times. It was difficult explaining some very unusually placed black and blue marks when I got home...:lookaroun

 

[Connor002]

Why is this trip report 14 pages long?

Nibblet...

 

[nibblesandbits]

Day 4 Continued:

After we got showered and changed, we headed for the bus to DTD. We noticed that the Marketplace was closed for busses, so we got let off at the Westside entrance.

We went straight to World Of Disney, b/c I had Disney Rewards Dollars from my credit card and they were burning a hole in my pocket! So we shopped around for a bit and took some pics as well...of course.

Yay! I found the parrot!

From there, we got on the bus b/c we were going to head to Boardwalk for dinner. I let WHF pick one place for dinner and tonight was the night. He really wanted to eat at the ESPN Zone. This ended up being a tiny mistake. Not b/c of the food or anything, but we forgot it was Monday night...Monday Night Football night. So, there was of course a long wait to get it, but we didn't have any ressies any where for that night, so we just simply waited. (And waited, and waited.)

Finally we got seated. This was one of the only restuarants that we recieved medocre service in. The waiter was simply not that attentive to us. He never really asked us when we were ready to order, I had to tell him we were ready. And he only had 2 other tables...both of whom were done eating, but were there watching the football game. He was only one of 2 that I didn't give an extra tip to. I got the clam chowder and pulled pork. WHF got the nachos (which was enough to be a meal there) and the hot dog. For desert, we had cake, that I wasn't that impressed with.

Now, this was also my first time coming to Boardwalk. Wow, that place is amazingly beautiful! Some pics from the night:

After that, it was late, so we went back to DTD to take the bus back to Pop. Maybe not the best way to do it, but it was the only way that would work at that time of night.

Up next we will have AK and MGM!

 

[nibblesandbits]

Why is this trip report 14 pages long?

Nibblet...

Don't ask me! Ask the rest of them! :lol:

 

[dandaman]

Sorry you didn't have great service at ESPN. I personally love that place.

And the whole mask-flooding thing constitutes one of my worst memories at WDW in which I almost drowned and the lifeguard had to swim me across the pool.

 

[nibblesandbits]

Today, we got up late and went straight to AK so I could catch Finding Nemo. After hearing so much about it and missing it completely earlier in the week, there was no way I wasn't going to see it. So, I got in line for Finding Nemo and I sent WHF to go get FP for Expedition Everest. I just had to see it again before I left.

I have to say, I really liked the Finding Nemo Musical. I thought it was very well done. Only a few of the songs really stuck with me though and that was Big Blue World and Crush's song (that I don't know the name of it).

After that, we went to go ride E:E. This time, I tried to get some on ride photos.

View going up the lift hill:

After that, it was time to leave b/c our day was originally planned to go to MGM. On the way out of AK though, we got some popcorn and took a survey for the company. Luckily, the bus was there, so we ran to catch it.

As soon as we got to MGM, we noticed it was almost time for the parade. WHF had never seen it and I didn't have any major objections, so we grabbed a spot on the curb and watched the Streetmosphere characters play it up. OMG! I knew they were fun, but just being a captive audience and not having to go anywhere, they were an absolute blast!!! We talked with a bunch, but my favorite is this guy...who I know if I heard his name, I'd be like...yep, that's him. But I for the life of me, cannot remember what it is right now!

 

[nibblesandbits]

Now, it was time for the parade. This was my first (and now my last) time seeing this parade. I thought it was cute, but I'm not a real parade loving kinda gal.

Some of my better pics from it:

And for Vince:

 

[nibblesandbits]

From there, we hurried to Star Tours. WHF actually rode it this time and pretty much enjoyed it. (Last time he didn't b/c he remembered getting queasy off of it.) Then we had a quick, quick lunch at Pizza Planet and then went straight to Muppets. I really love that show, but wish they would do something new with it too. The should not touch the pre-show if they do a new movie though. This pre-show cracks me up every time I see it.

This just made me giggle:

And my best attempt to get them:

After that, we ran to catch BATB, which I had never seen before. I thought it was good, but after seeing Nemo in the same day, Nemo was better. Then we got FP for Voyage of the Little Mermaid (WHF's idea to FP it...)

And then we went straight to Great Movie Ride. I didn't realize it before, but this ride desperately does need a rehab. Not so much for the movies that are portrayed, those are fine (though it would be nice to see something from this century in AA form), but now, what I really noticed is that the AAs are definitely not up to par on this attraction. They are definitely not as realistic looking as other attractions and most of them now have a waxy look to them. Also, the audio on that nice long ride vehicle, you can hardly hear if you're in the back, like we were. This is definitely one attraction that needs a little TLC. I still love the premise of the ride though. And the Wizard of Oz scene is one of my favorites.

After GMR, we went to see the Animation Tour. WHF liked this, I however, only thought it was ok. We didn't have time to go to the place where you actually draw a character though b/c now it was time to see Voyage. So we went over there, saw our dear friend Ariel and then it was time for our ADRs at 50s Prime Time Cafe.

Last time I'll be seeing this:

This was my first time here as well, and I absolutely loved the atmosphere. Even though I didn't grow up in the 50s I saw a lot of decorations I recognized from various facets in my life. We had a great waiter who really did a good job with me. He constantly made fun of me throughout the course of the night. He got me on putting my elbows on the table, talking on my cell phone (not my fault...my mom called on a work problem! Stupid mom got me in trouble!) and he even did the airplane thing with my veggies. (Hey! I ate those!!!) For dessert, I had the smores, which was delicious...and for dinner...I had meatloaf...which at the time I had a craving for, but usually don't like all that much.

After that, since we had missed Fantasmic, we waited a little for the crowds to die down. Then we went back to the hotel, and remembered we had our packages to pick up that we'd sent home from DTD.

Now, I do not like the way they do package delivery at Pop. It is essentially a free for all. They have a little area now over in the food court by the Concoctions bar...where they have a table set up and chairs all around it. You give them your slip, in the chaos that is there, and then have to wait for them to find your package, and once they come back, you still have to wait for them to call out your name. Now, all of this sounds fine and dandy, however it is entirely way to chaotic...no one seems to know what's going on, there's no one directing you on where to stand, who to give your slip to, etc. This system would work well if it weren't so messed up. A process that maybe should have taken 5-10 minutes took 15-20 at least.

After that, we went back to the hotel room to relax and get ready for our next busy day at MK! (Get ready for another Vince meeting too! )

 

[Nicole220]

Great pics Nibbs!

Keep 'em coming!

 

[nibblesandbits]

Day 6 - Wednesday, Sept. 19
MK and Pleasure Island

Today was our only full day at MK. (And even it wasn't entirely a full day. This is the part that I think disappoints me...it was my only full day at MK...next time, I will plan that better). We got to the park and immediately headed for Adventureland b/c I still wanted to see Pirates! Unfortunately, no dice, the line was too long.

Pretty Castle:

Instead, we went over to BTMR, since we hadn't ridden that yet. This is where my wet day began, b/c we got sprayed from the gusher at the end of the ride. That hadn't happened before.

Then we went over to Splash, and OMG! I got so incredibly soaked! I've never gotten that wet when I went on Splash, but the boat was completely full and we apparently got some backlash after we went down the main hill. My butt ended up being soaked all day!!!

From there, we went to visit our dear friends at the CBJ! I knew I hadn't really enjoyed this the last time I went on it, but this was WHF first time seeing it, so I went along. This is definitely one of those other attractions that does need some work. Now, I'm not saying that they should gut the attraction and start over or anything. I don't even think you need to change the songs...the biggest problem with this attraction is you can't hear ANYTHING! I was in the middle front and couldn't understand what they were singing...I'm positive that the people in the back couldn't hear a darned thing. Give this attraction just a tiny bit of TLC and it will be fine.

After that, we went to get lunch at Columbia Harbor House. We both got the fish and chips. I thought it was ok. I like the clam chowder better. After that, we made our stop at the HM...again.

It looks so good:

I liked this sign too:

After visiting our favorite Haunts...we then were going to go to Tom Sawyer Island. WHF hadn't been and he was kind of intrigued. I however was less than so...so we compromised and saw another one of WHF's favorites, the Hall of Presidents instead. After my nap, ahem, I mean, after the HOP, we then went to see Philharmagic again. We didn't have much time left, b/c we had an ADR coming up soon, so we hopped on Snow White since the wait time was nonexistant. Then we ran over to Space and got a FP for later that night.

We left the park, got on the monorail and then went over to the Contemporary for our dinner at Chef Mickey's.

Now, this place holds a very special place in my heart. Chef Mickey's is where I got engaged over 2 years ago and I hadn't been back since. So I knew when I got the free dining, this was going to be a place we had to stop. We got seated in the back area, where we had a great view of the castle. And since it our ressie was for 5:00, the place was practically empty when we got there, so we got to see all the characters within the first 15 minutes. (Oh, and I love Mickey Domes...at least I think that's what they are called. They are the most delicious dessert!)

 

[nibblesandbits]

During our way back to MK, I got a call from Vince. He was on his way by monorail to MK, so we met up with Vince out front. Our first stop, once we had collected Vince was to meet Captain Jack! This was the new meet that was talked about on here, I however, didn't realize it was new. I just thought, what the heck.

I had Vince take the picture without a flash, so that we could see the ambiance...this ended up being the best one:

Funny thing is...when my mom saw these pictures, she was like is that a cardboard cut out? That really looks like the real deal.

After that, we finally got to see Pirates! And since I am so behind and this is my first time seening it with Captain Jack, I have to say, I really liked it. I was kind of worried I wouldn't, but I actually enjoy the little storyline that was added and think it was a nice touch. It flows very well.

Once we got off, Vince and WHF had a cutlass fight. I of course, had to get a picture!

After that, we went to ride Space with our FP. This is where I got a little peeved. These two old ladies jumped the FP line right in front of us. I thought once they got to the front and didn't have passes, they would be forced to leave...unfortunately, the didn't get asked to leave! :fork: Then the one smiled at me while we were waiting in line...I was just seething.

Once that was over...we then met back up with Vince and I suggested that we go see the Carousel (Vince gets really excited) Of Progress (Vince gets really sad). (Hahahaha!) Once that was over, Wishes was going on, so we caught the very tail end of that from the Tomorrowland bridge.

Once Wishes was over, I did not want to get caught in the mad dash of people leaving, so I suggested we go get some ice cream. I bought Vince's ice cream (you remember that Mermaid! :lookaroun)

Then I wanted to go take some good night shots of the castle, so I left the two of them there for the time being.

My favorite little nook:

 

[nibblesandbits]

After the picture taking fiasco, in which apparently Vince and WHF got apprehended by a security guard b/c they were looking for me. And I was busy talking to a security guard about his job. (This part is a little fuzzy for me...I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm sure if you ask Vince he'll tell you).

Vince then suggested that we go to the Adventurer's Club. Now, I had never been before. And I wasn't sure I would like it. (What was I thinking?!) So, Vince drove us (Thank God he didn't kidnap up! :lookaroun) and he got us in cheaper b/c he used his DDE card. (Thanks Vince!)

Now, since I had never been, I didn't quite know what to expect. Vince explained the premise to WHF and I and then off we went. The first thing we saw was the maid in the Mask Room. This was really my first sense of the place...and I was kinda liking it. It seemed like a ton of fun.

Then we went in to see our first show of the evening...which was the telethon adventure. OMG! That was hilarious. We had such a blast that even though we had to get up super early for our Segway tour the next day, we just didn't want to leave!

After the telethon show, we saw Samantha's singing cabaret, the Maid's show, and then the Hooplah! It was a blast!

Also, while we were getting inducted, WHF got made fun of for his Nascar hat. (His driver is Bobby Lebonte, who drives in the Cheerios car...need I say more?)

Oh! And one of the best jokes from the night! I almost forgot! The Club President was on stage doing her thing, when this kid walks by wearing a Batman shirt and carrying a Star Wars bag (if this kid is on Magic, I'm sorry for laughing, but it was hilarious!) Anyway, so as he walked by the President, she just looks at him and says, "well you just reek of geek don't you?" I swear, I haven't laughed that hard in ages!

More pics from the evening:

After the shows were all over, we left and Vince took us home...where we proceeded to get lost (there are no signs telling you where Pop Century are!!!) And finally, after a long, lost drive back, we got home. I gave Vince a hug, knowing that I didn't know when I'd be seeing him next and we went back to the room to get some sleep for our early early day!

 

[Monty]

After that, we went to ride Space with our FP. This is where I got a little peeved. These two old ladies jumped the FP line right in front of us. I thought once they got to the front and didn't have passes, they would be forced to leave...unfortunately, the didn't get asked to leave! :fork: Then the one smiled at me while we were waiting in line...I was just seething.

I always wondered about that. If you jump the line, there really isn't any way to escort you out... I wouldn't do it, but I imagine the CMs are instructed not to make a big fuss. Arguing with guests in front of other guests just isn't good show... regardless how some guests should be argued with!

 

[MerHearted]

Once that was over...we then met back up with Vince and I suggested that we go see the Carousel (Vince gets really excited) Of Progress (Vince gets really sad). (Hahahaha!) Once that was over, Wishes was going on, so we caught the very tail end of that from the Tomorrowland bridge.

Once Wishes was over, I did not want to get caught in the mad dash of people leaving, so I suggested we go get some ice cream. I bought Vince's ice cream (you remember that Mermaid! :lookaroun)

That was evil! :fork:

And I got you half off to PI, ice cream paid for and then some!

 

[MerHearted]

After the picture taking fiasco, in which apparently Vince and WHF got apprehended by a security guard b/c they were looking for me. And I was busy talking to a security guard about his job. (This part is a little fuzzy for me...I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm sure if you ask Vince he'll tell you).

After the shows were all over, we left and Vince took us home...where we proceeded to get lost (there are no signs telling you where Pop Century are!!!) And finally, after a long, lost drive back, we got home. I gave Vince a hug, knowing that I didn't know when I'd be seeing him next and we went back to the room to get some sleep for our early early day!

Nibbs was trying to sneak by security and got apprehended. :lol:

I wasn't lost! I knew exactly where I was going! :lookaroun

 

[nibblesandbits]

That was evil!

And I got you half off to PI, ice cream paid for and then some!

Oh yeah...well don't forget what I did for you and EMH! :fork:

And that wasn't evil...you just got excited before I could finish what I was saying. I can't help it if I thought it was funny.

Nibbs was trying to sneak by security and got apprehended.

I wasn't lost! I knew exactly where I was going!

I did not get apprehended! I asked the people if I could go take a picture and they said yes. I was walking back to Main Street with the security guard out of my own free will! No apprehension necessary!

 

[Nicole220]

That was evil! :fork:

And I got you half off to PI, ice cream paid for and then some!

Vince, I love your signature! It's too funny!

:ROFLOL:

 

[MerHearted]

Vince, I love your signature! It's too funny!

:ROFLOL:

Thanks! He is... :fork: