a Fantastical Wooden Coaster-Ride-of-a-trip

journ116 · Jul 1, 2013

bethymouse said:
Cool TR.

Thank you!

HouCuseChickie · Jul 1, 2013

Firstly, soooo sorry you felt so yucky! Sounds just awful

Seeing all of your Akershus pics makes me kind of sad that we're skipping it this time. Also reminded me that I really need to get us into Pick a Pearl. What a crack up with that couple and the fastpasses. That could be someone's classic Disney comedy skit.

journ116 · Jul 1, 2013

HouCuseChickie said:
Firstly, soooo sorry you felt so yucky! Sounds just awful Seeing all of your Akershus pics makes me kind of sad that we're skipping it this time. Also reminded me that I really need to get us into Pick a Pearl. What a crack up with that couple and the fastpasses. That could be someone's classic Disney comedy skit.

Thanks for the sympathy ...it seems that someone in our family ALWAYS gets sick before, during, or right after a WDW trip, no matter what time of the year we go!
I contemplated on canceling the ressie at Akershus due to my particularly picky eater that is my youngest DD. However, we didn't really plan on participating in any other meet-and-greets considering we had just been there at the end of April, and in Nov. 2012, which is why I kept the meal on our list.
Please, please, please, pick a pearl just once in the Japan pavilion! The unknown is soooo dramatic!
I still laugh at that whole interaction with the elderly couple!! (I'm laughing right now!!)

journ116 · Jul 1, 2013

Sun., 6/9: Picture Day

**Preface and shout out to @gwhb75: After reading said forum members' PTR (http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...y-our-last-september-ptr.862118/#post-5394162), I saw these beautifully set-up professional photos taken in EP, and I wondered, "How did they get those done?" I found out that Disney Event Photography provides such a service, ranging from a short and simple session to a more inclusive and expensive session:

http://www.disneyeventphotography.com/

Since EP is our favorite and most visited park, we opted for the Enhanced 1 hr. session there! Once I get the professional CD (I was told 4 weeks from our actual session), I will definitely share some with all of you!

AM
*Early to rise: Wanting to look all perdy for our pictures and not arrive late, sweaty or out of breath, I was up by 6 a.m., followed by DH at 7 a.m. and the girls by 7:30 a.m.. I was wise enough to place a room-service breakfast order at 11 p.m. the night before, for an arrival between 7-7:30 a.m.. I wanted to make sure that every member of our family was well fed and with food that they'd actually eat! With that said, I ordered the "Community Chest Sampler:" scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, Mickey waffles, OJ, coffee (for 1), and fresh fruit (cantaloupe, honey dew, and grapes). Oh, how I wish I would've remembered to pull out the camera to photograph our feast!!!

**Disney Event Photography Experience:

-Pictures at 9 a.m.: Seeing as how we were staying at an EP resort, we were able to walk to the IG, which was our meeting point. We arrived at a leisurely pace, but were sweating a bit because the sun was already heating up the atmosphere. Thank goodness I brought along the two fans and 4 bottles of water! Met our photog guy, Rick, and his assistant, Dave, who were waiting near another Disney Event Photographer and her assistant. Rick commented, "I'm glad someone read the website!" in reference to our outfits of white and khaki.

Rick was very welcoming and extremely good at his craft. After a few pictures he'd say, "Hey mom, come check out this shot," or, "You're gonna have to build a fireplace for this picture," or "The grandparent's are gonna want this one framed!" He was such a patient man and full of life! Here's some more awesome info on Rick:

http://www.disneyeventphotography.com/weddings/photographers.php?album=photographer-rick

Dave, we found out, was originally from California, with DLR being his "home." He graduated with a degree in photography and had been working for Disney since 2006, but only recently was promoted to an assistant in 2010. We commented to him that our next trip would be to DLR and wondered if tours of Pixar were available. He didn't think tours were given but had a short story to share: his friend, a chef at one of the restaurants on DLR property, was working when John Lasseter came in. His friend had commented how much he enjoyed Mr. Lasseter's work and the films that have come out of Pixar, that Lasseter responded by inviting him to the Pixar Studios to receive a tour...."Just tell them I sent you," was Lasseter's final comment!

-First pics were in the UK: The light was right so we started under the garden trellis...after this though, we lost Eliza's enthusiasm and patience. "C'mon kid! Really?! Of all days, you don't feel like hammin' it up for the camera?!" Did some more photo sets here, and after much persuasion and seemingly helpful words from Rick, "You know who's going to look at these pictures later? Mickey and Minnie! Yup, they're gonna have lunch and spread out all the photos taken of you today and decide which one they like the most!" and, "Hey mom and dad, will there be a treat after this? Cookies or ice cream for the kiddos?", Eliza opened up a little and posed for more pictures.

-Moved across the bridge to Italy: Man, did I feel bad for Rick and Dave...they didn't have a drink on them and were obviously sweating. We had already opened up all 4 bottles of water to sip on, so I had nothing to offer but our fan...they declined. Chloe was such a great little model and listened to everything Rick said. Eliza could not be persuaded and we waisted 15 min. alone trying to get her out of Italy, with no pictures of her! GRRRR child!

-Japan was next: Our favorite pavilion in EP and we were only able to get one family photo due our uncooperative child. And I was not about to lose my cool while dressed up!

-Morocco: Finally, I figured out how to get Eliza in a picture: we played a game! I hid with her and then we'd "scare daddy." She thought this was hilarious and started to loosen up a bit! I looked at the clock and we only had 5 min. left with Rick

We didn't even get to go to our 2nd favorite pavilion: France.

In conclusion, I would totally recommend this experience to everyone! Photopass photographers have nothing on the Disney Event Photographers and their amazing "touch ups" lab! Save for it! Plan on it! Book it! and bring some props if you want (i.e. favorite toy, Mickey ears or gigantic hands, or an empty frame)!

*After coaxing Eliza out of the bushes near France (which were set up to prevent guests from going any further thru WS), I caught up with my family, Rick and Dave at IG. We thanked them both profusely for their time, patience, and professionalism, and then said our good-byes!

*We had had it with Eliza and headed back to the resort for "a good talking" to her: She had a 3 min. time out, had to apologize to us (I should've made her apologize to Rick and Dave as well), and was told that if she could not listen, she would not get to go anywhere else today...and today we were going to see the animals at AK!

*Wardrobe change for DH, hairstyle modifications and new shoes for me and the girls, and copious amounts of water: We were back out the door by 11 a.m. to catch the bus to AK.

(this is how I did my DD's hair, except I didn't put it in the big braid until after the photos)

DSC_1175 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1176 by journ116, on Flickr

(here they are in their outfits, complete with an applesauce stain on Eliza's dress...thank goodness that happened afterwards!)

DSC_1174 by journ116, on Flickr
(and "no," they did not wear sneakers...they had lovely silver sandals)

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*Arrived at AK by 11:45 a.m.: Glugh! The heat! Let's stroll thru this park!

DSC_1186 by journ116, on Flickr

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gwhb75 · Jul 2, 2013

journ116 said:
Sun., 6/9: Picture Day

**Preface and shout out to @gwhb75: After reading said forum members' PTR (http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...y-our-last-september-ptr.862118/#post-5394162), I saw these beautifully set-up professional photos taken in EP, and I wondered, "How did they get those done?" I found out that Disney Event Photography provides such a service, ranging from a short and simple session to a more inclusive and expensive session:

http://www.disneyeventphotography.com/

Since EP is our favorite and most visited park, we opted for the Enhanced 1 hr. session there! Once I get the professional CD (I was told 4 weeks from our actual session), I will definitely share some with all of you!

Wow...look at me getting a shout-out in someone else's trip report...This must be howe celebrity's feel

Sounds like the photo shoot went well. Isn't it funny how kids always choose the most inopportune times to decide to act up. I'm sure the pictures will turn out great.

Pooh'sBuddy · Jul 2, 2013

So many comments... I'll try to remember them all!

Your girls are adorable, and your pictures are great! Oh, to do a photo session! How cool!

On an egocentric note, I keep thinking, "OK, on this day, we were over there and I was wearing that." Especially, when you start talking about the heat and the torrential downpour, it takes me back....

That storm Saturday the 8th was awful and long.

I seriously think we can interchange our kids, and we wouldn't miss a beat. I looked at your princess pictures and thought, "Here's happy Eliza, and here's not-so-happy Eliza!" Our Wyatt wears his emotions on his sleeve practically all the time, too. I seriously thought about placing him in it's a small world and denying knowledge of the incident a few times.

Oh, and the Soarin' fastpass scenario. All I can say is bless their hearts.

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

gwhb75 said:
Wow...look at me getting a shout-out in someone else's trip report...This must be howe celebrity's feel

Sounds like the photo shoot went well. Isn't it funny how kids always choose the most inopportune times to decide to act up. I'm sure the pictures will turn out great.

Hey, I even used you, well your forum member name, as a referral when I set up the photo session!
The photo shoot didn't go as well as I had hoped, but that was due to my youngest DD putting on her 'Grumpy hat!' That girl can go thru all her 'Seven Dwarfs' hats in one afternoon! Look out teenage years

!

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

Pooh'sBuddy said:
So many comments... I'll try to remember them all!

Your girls are adorable, and your pictures are great! Oh, to do a photo session! How cool!

On an egocentric note, I keep thinking, "OK, on this day, we were over there and I was wearing that." Especially, when you start talking about the heat and the torrential downpour, it takes me back.... That storm Saturday the 8th was awful and long.

I seriously think we can interchange our kids, and we wouldn't miss a beat. I looked at your princess pictures and thought, "Here's happy Eliza, and here's not-so-happy Eliza!" Our Wyatt wears his emotions on his sleeve practically all the time, too. I seriously thought about placing him in it's a small world and denying knowledge of the incident a few times.

Oh, and the Soarin' fastpass scenario. All I can say is bless their hearts.

Thanks for the kind comments! And the photo session kinda made us feel like VIP's for an hour!

Also, I keep doing the same exact thing in other forum member's TR's who were there around the same time my family was..."let's see if I can find...me!"

LOL! Kids!

Just thinking about my interaction with the couple outside Soarin's entrance still has me chuckling!

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

**PHOTO ADDITION to Sat., 6/8:

DSC_1168 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1170 by journ116, on Flickr

(look who came out to wade thru the rain)

DSC_1172 by journ116, on Flickr

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

more from AK on 6/9:

*Safari time?: We arrived at the Safari to find an enormous Stand-By line, so we grabbed 4 FP's and decided to head to Flame Tree BBQ, a staple in the good ol' Disney diet!

DSC_1201 by journ116, on Flickr

DSC_1202 by journ116, on Flickr

FTBBQ4 by journ116, on Flickr

FTBBQ3 by journ116, on Flickr

FTBBQ2 by journ116, on Flickr

FTBBQ1 by journ116, on Flickr

FTBBQ5 by journ116, on Flickr

Eliza and EE by journ116, on Flickr

I was surprised to find virtually no lines at FTBBQ, so I was able to place our enormous order in a matter of moments. But, receiving our food took a bit longer...the CM's behind the counter looked confused and were redundant. After 10 min., my trays of food came out; however, when I finally found my DH and kids tucked away in the far corners of the ever amazing maze of FTBBQ's seating, I noticed I forgot to pick up my fruit platter. Down and around the path I went to retrieve my 2 lbs. of nutritional goodies. We consumed most of our food and sat for awhile in the shade to let our food digest.

(I really miss the cornbread and frozen lemonade offerings here Gave so much more value to the meals!)

The only other family under our pavilion asked me if we had been in a wedding earlier (because the girls and I were still wearing our white dresses), to which I replied, "No, just had our photos taken over at EP this morning."..."Well, you all look very nice!"...."Thank you!" That was actually a running theme for the rest of our stay at AK, people wondering, "How did the wedding go today?"

tink65 · Jul 2, 2013

Just got all caught up on your TR and am loving it! I will be excited to see your photos from the shoot. We've never done that but I may need to check into that for our next visit. Can't wait to read more. Thanks for sharing!

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

(cont'd)

*FP time: By the time we reached the Safari, the Stand-By time dropped from 50 min. to 15 min.! Guess everyone was having lunch! We made it thru the line in 5 min. and were on our way to tour the savannah. I had to hold onto Eliza and take pictures, so I apologize in advance for some blurriness...

DSC_1206 by journ116, on Flickr

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(I forget the name of this type of giraffe, as I only have ever photographed the other kind here...)

DSC_1219 by journ116, on Flickr
(...the reticulated giraffe...this was taken in Nov. 2012...I just wanted y'all to have a visual)

DSC_0195 by journ116, on Flickr

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(this fella was holding up the safari)

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This safari ride was nice...hot...but nice! Our safari guide was funny and had a lot of side comments! We had a few first timers in our truck, so they had no idea the routine of things...we come to the rickety bridge and the driver really played it up:

"Oh, I'm not sure about this bridge. Kind of looks unstable. Ah, let's give it a try anyways! Y'all have health insurance, right?"

Their was a family of four sitting directly behind us, thoroughly enjoying every moment of this experience; but, when that bridge started rocking back and forth, the mom yells for all to hear:

"WHAT THE F....!" (she cut herself off).

The whole truck started laughing (well, the adults at least), including our driver! Ahh, good times, good times!

*Safari under the belt, onto Everest and the Rapids: The combination of heat and the bouncy safari ride, my tummy was not feeling up to EE...another time Yeti, another time

EE by journ116, on Flickr

Alright, let's see what's going on at the Rapids...

*As we approached the ride, CM's were just putting covers over the FP machines: they were gone for the day! Well, let's check the Stand-By line...only 20 min. Now, let's check Eliza's height...yup, she was tall enough! She received a wrist band to let the other CM's know she was indeed vertically approved...but we declined to ride the Rapids at that point due to an impending meltdown from the older child.

*"I think we're done here.": After much discussion and hydration, we decided to browse a few shops and then leave for the day. On our original itinerary, I had us coming back to AK first thing in the morning on Tues., 6/11; so, in theory, we could finish up the rest of the park then. We unloaded the stroller, folded it up, and hopped on a bus (which we surprisingly had all to ourselves) back to our resort!

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

(cont'd...yet again)

PM
*We all took a much needed nap, and the girls and I had a wardrobe change: Man, that FL sun is brutal! We felt so sticky that I did a quick sink bath for the girls, but a full-on shower for myself! With that all in and about an hour nap later, we checked the weather for the evening and decided to go to MK for the nighttime festivities.

*Time check: 6 p.m.. and monorail ordeal: We decided to cut thru EP and hop the monorail over...anything to not have to unload and fold the stroller. As we were waiting, a huge herd of non-English speaking guests arrived, most of whom decided to pile in the first two cars..."Are you kidding me?"...there was plenty of room elsewhere! Spread the love!

So, the monorail comes and one of the guests didn't think and tried to pull him and 10 members of his family in front of us..."HECK NO!" I told my DH to move over and block the chaos, just so we could get the stroller in. We left the stroller open so the girls could have a safe and uncrowded spot to sit, while my DH and I stood guard.

Packed in like sardines and we were on our way to the TTC. However, this group was grinding on my nerves. Several members of 'that group' decided to keep on not respecting personal boundaries and used our stroller to brace themselves for the ride..."I don't know you. I don't know if any of you have a cold or didn't wash your hands!" So, I sanitized the handlebars shortly after.

Another moment that struck me as bizarre, was when we were all heading toward the ramp at TTC, another member of 'that group,' took it upon himself to run his fingers thru a little girls' hair...she was NOT a member of their party!! I asked my DH to take over the stroller as I caught up to this teenager, and put myself between him and that other family. I then looked back at the hooligan and stared him down, mouthing:
"Nao toque em. Obrigado." ("Do not touch. Thank you.")

In fact, in preparation for this trip, I learned a couple of phrases in Portuguese, should the occasion arise in which one of them was needed

"Por favor, aguarde a sua vez." ("Please, wait your turn.")
"Por favor, fique quieto." ("Please, be quiet.")

*My DH and his bright idea: He noticed the herd going toward the MK monorail, so he suggested we take the ferry boat over...good call, hun! The boat was already there and not at all full!

DSC_1264 by journ116, on Flickr

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(whom our boat was christened after)

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Zortek · Jul 2, 2013

Thanks for the warning. Now at least I know if I run into you, I am not to run my hands through anyone in your party's hair. (Seriously, who does that???)

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

Zortek said:
Thanks for the warning. Now at least I know if I run into you, I am not to run my hands through anyone in your party's hair. (Seriously, who does that???)

Uh huh! That's right! Unless you don't mind spending some time at the First Aid station

LizC · Jul 2, 2013

journ116 said:
Thank you!

Thanks! Whenever we go to WDW as a family of four and staying on our DVC points, we typically select a studio. There was plenty of room, even with the sofa bed left open for the entire vacation. Only thing I missed: having a washer/dryer IN the room...you'll find out why

I am sure you are right! We decided on splitting a 2BR with my parents, so we will have that washer/dryer. Thanks for the advice.

Now I am on to finally read the rest of your report, real life got in the way for a while.

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

*Nothing but time in MK, but I had a plan: With how crowded MK was, I felt that we needed to stake out our spot for the parade, castle projection, and fireworks. One of my favorite viewing areas is along the path between Tomorrowland Terrace and the HUB. I found that the whole path was empty, even at 7:30 p.m. (yes, that's how long it took us to get here). My DH was questioning our position to which I replied, "This is the exact spot we sat when we were here last November! A CM will not tell us to move!" There's a cutout along the railing, which creates a little alcove...we were out of the way, yet had a small piece of MK to ourselves!
(our view)

MK castle at night by journ116, on Flickr

TL by journ116, on Flickr

We had an 1.5 hours to waist, so my DH used the bathroom and got himself a snack. When he came back, I had to take Chloe to the restroom and then we grabbed some food at the Noodle Station for miss Eliza. But, by the time I got back, my DH had moved us over a bit so he could let in a nice family of five from England. At first, I have to be honest, I was a bit perturbed that my DH 'lost' part of our viewing area...but, we had plenty of room and between our two families, we conquered that little viewing spot.

Eliza did not like her food and was growing restless just waiting. She spied a cart selling overpriced light-up toys (you know the cart I'm talking about). I had just enough cash on me to buy two different toys, because I hate buying two of the same thing just to appease the kids. They have to learn to share! Sure enough, the toy I handed Eliza was the one Chloe wanted...but, I pointed out a neat feature about the light-up toy in her hands, and she calmed down.

*Almost time: The crowds began to encircle our location and at one point, guests were blocking one of the path's exits...a CM quickly remedied the situation. It was getting darker:

DSC_1280 by journ116, on Flickr

*Parade time: I love this parade, but not as much as Spectromagic!
(our one photo )

MSEP by journ116, on Flickr

*Castle show (whatever it's now called): We got to view the Summer Edition, which was nice...but overall, we much preferred 'Magic, Memories, and You' edition.

*Time for the main event: Wishes! All was fine until the first big "BOOM!" My DD's lost it, I mean serious tears of fear! Chloe calmed herself down, because she likes to "watch fireworks, just not hear them." She proceeded to take her stuffed Cheetah that she had bought in AK, and placed it over her ears (yup, another stuffie was coming home with us). However, I had to take Eliza away. As we were making our way across the TL bridge, the crowd got thicker and thicker, hardly enough room for even a single person to manuever! Finally, we made it out of the madness with the fireworks 'booming' overhead and hopped into the gift shop next to Stitches Great Escape. We moved over to the coffee/ice cream/smoothie station where I got an iced coffee and a chocolate milkshake for Eliza.

*The show was over and I told Joel where we were: by the People Mover. It seemed that after the fireworks, the crowds exploded in every direction...wait times tripled in a matter of moments! We decided on the PM, but as we went to get in line, we found that the queue was jutting out toward SRS's entrance! Only 10 min. passed before we got into our vehicle and we had a nice 'stroll' thru TL. A cool thing about this ride at that moment, with Space Mtn. closed, the lights were turned on inside and we could see what the ride actually looks like! (No pictures because I was too preoccupied with taking everything in! Lo siento.)

*After the PM, the rest of the night was a bust. The wait times were too long and we had had a long day anyways. We decided to take a bus back to our resort. The girls passed out with only 3 min. to go, so I was left trying to wake Chloe up, carry Eliza and our stuff, while making sure I didn't hit anyone with said 'stuff' or Eliza's feet. Some kind guests next to me saw my plight (because DH was already off of the bus with the stroller), and helped me with my belongings. Thank you nice guests!

*Quick bedtime routine and lights were out by 11 p.m....everyone slept very soundly that night!

journ116 · Jul 2, 2013

LizC said:
I am sure you are right! We decided on splitting a 2BR with my parents, so we will have that washer/dryer. Thanks for the advice.

Now I am on to finally read the rest of your report, real life got in the way for a while.

If we could swing the extra points, we would much rather stay in a 1-bedroom villa, specifically because of the in-room washer/dryer. Alas, we like to take several small trips, so a studio is the only option to comply with our travel habits.
This TR is taking much longer to post because of non-Disney related events (in addition to staying up way later than normal to catch up on other members' reports)!
Thanks for sticking with me!

Pooh'sBuddy · Jul 2, 2013

That's an interesting giraffe. Your ferry pics are cool. Love all the blues!

Oh, wow. Space Mountain with its lights on. What a treat.

I do find the contrast in people amazing. Weirdos invading personal space vs. considerate strangers helping you off the bus.

LeCellier.Lover · Jul 2, 2013

Your DDs braids looked so cute and perfect, I can't wait to see the pictures!
I hear ya about the heat, I just got back on Sunday and man o man was it humid and sticky!

I love the close-up that you got of the hippo on the safari ride, so cool! I'm sorry about the rude people you guys encountered on the monorail to the TTC! I can't believe they touched your stroller let alone ANOTHER GIRLS HAIR?!

I've taken spanish for the past 6 years so when I need to tell someone to "Callate!" (even though it's not Portuguese) I have no problem doing so haha!
You're family's so cute, I love all the pictures! Can't wait to read more

a Fantastical Wooden Coaster-Ride-of-a-trip

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