A Private Dance with Cinderella... Our Surprise Trip Jan 2011

A Private Dance with Cinderella... Our Surprise Trip Jan 2011 (Completed 7/18!)

Exhibit A: Your Letter Confirming Your Reservation At The Nuthouse

Dear Sir/Madam:

This letter confirms your willingness to enter the strange, yet enticing world of the ramblings of the amateur writer known in the Disney community as BigTex71. Please sign the guest log (by replying in this thread) and let it be known that you waive all your rights to a normal trip report. By acknowledging your willingness to continue down this dangerous path, I cannot be held responsible for any sudden outbursts of laughter or rashes on your scalp due to the head-scratching some of my keyboard-induced quirkiness may induce.

Consider yourself warned.

Possibly Sincerely,
BigTex71

 

[foreverbelle]

Ugh I hate the waiting. But love the report!

Thank you for posting pics of the Harry Potter stuff, and Universal. I am not a Harry Potter fan myself but have to admit the stuff looks pretty incredible. I just may have to convince the husband to head over there at some point.

And the colors are amazing at the Suess attractions.

And again your family is adorable, I love how your daughter poses She looks quite the character!

 

[jenseib]

WE WANT MORE!!!! :ROFLOL:

This is really good. I am so glad you are sharing with us.

 

[BigTex71]

And the colors are amazing at the Suess attractions.

And again your family is adorable, I love how your daughter poses She looks quite the character!

I have to admit that I did some post-processing on those photos. I increased the saturation to make it look more like what it really looked like when we were there. My photos were a little flat and didn't do it justice.

That situation should be remedied soon - DW has ordered me a Nikon D90 DSLR and some lenses for my birthday! Finally, my first DSLR! :sohappy:

 

[BigTex71]

WE WANT MORE!!!! :ROFLOL:

This is really good. I am so glad you are sharing with us.

Thanks! I am trying to finish the next chapter today so I can post it.

 

[WDW_Emily]

Thanks! I am trying to finish the next chapter today so I can post it.

Its been over a week! I want to read more!

Love this trip report so far:sohappy:

 

[Menise412]

What a great report -- it looks like you and your family had a wonderful trip! Looking forward to the rest!

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Just read through your entire trip report so far and I love it! And so cute with your daughter and Cinderella

And I have to agree with you about The Forbidden Journey, went there just a few weeks before you did and the crowds were really light I rode it 4 times that day! (It helped I was a single rider after the initial go through the whole line to see all the amazing sights) It is incredible seeing what they did, amazing technology as well for that ride.

And I love how you guys all had matching shirts every day! Can't wait to see the rest of the report!!!

 

[BigTex71]

I have uploaded my pictures to PhotoBucket for the next chapter. Now to finish (or start - whatever) the writing part. Work has been hectic! If it slows down at work tomorrow I may be able to get back to writing.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

 

[Rose99]

I can't wait !!! Your kids are soooo cute and so well behaved ! Praying I'll be able to say the same when I go with mine !!! :hammer:

 

[BigTex71]

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!

DW and I are going back to Walt Disney World from April 2 - 5 to celebrate both our 40th birthdays! :sohappy:
This will be our first trip there without the kids. I have heard it is a whole new experience - we are looking forward to it!

It is a goal for me to have this TR done by the time I leave for this trip - so I better get to it! :dazzle:

 

[BigTex71]

Chapter 7: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Drives

February 1, 2011 – Day 5 (Hollywood Studios Day)

After I had picked my mom up at the airport and went back to the condo, it was then nearing midnight. Needless to say, the kids… well, if it was needless to say, I guess I don’t even need to say it then, huh? What? You can’t read my mind? Sheesh. OK – even though it IS needless to say, the kids were asleep when we arrived. They would have to wait until morning to see grandma. Since we had planned on being at rope drop at Hollywood Studios in the morning, we decided to just call it a night and get some rest.

Our human alarm clock (read: DD) was up by 6:45am – so we were also, shortly thereafter. I wanted to leave the condo by 8:00am to ensure a good position for rope drop and the mad dash to the Fast Passes at Toy Story Midway Mania. I would be the FP volunteer and would get the Fast Passes while the rest of the family would get a quick breakfast at Starring Rolls.

The original plans had us near the gates at Hollywood Studios at least 15 minutes prior to rope drop. Back in the reality world: we pulled into the parking lot at 9:00am sharp. Why did I say ‘sharp’? It’s not like we were early...or even on time. I thought it would give the false impression we were somewhat on a proper schedule – but, as you will see, rope drop at the parks will be an unattainable goal for me for the rest of this trip (minus the 8:05am ADR at Crystal Palace on an MK day.) Luckily, since this was the slow season and we picked the least crowded parks per day – rope drop would not be such a mandatory item.

We went in the gates and I went towards the Fast Pass machines at TSMM while the family went towards Starring Rolls. I was slightly upset with our timing, so I was expecting a major line for the FPs to be stretched out to the Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream (like it did during the summer when we were here.) I was pleasantly surprised to see the fast pass machines had only a two-deep wait. I snagged the passes and went to meet my family at Starring Rolls.

Here is a picture of me and mom sitting outside Starring Rolls:

After we finished getting our grub on, we went to see The Little Mermaid show followed by a visit to The Magic of Disney Animation building for character Meet N Greet for the girls. Here is DD with Sorcerer Mickey:

Also, there was someone working at a desk there behind the glass in one of those offices. This is the first time I have seen someone in there while we were there. Here is a pic:

While they were meetin’ and greetin’, DS and I did the animation class and learned to draw Dopey. DS and I both love those classes. If you haven’t done them before, you really should try them out. You don’t have to be a great artist to be able to draw the characters – they explain and show you with simple terms. Anyone Can Draw! Wait, isn’t that supposed to be Anyone Can Cook! ? Whatever.

When we finished up, it was now time to use our Fast Passes for Toy Story. This is one of my favorite attractions. Here is DM and DS getting ready to ride:

And DD and I between levels:

We then walked across the ‘street’ to the Buzz and Woody Meet n Greet building. I love the props they have in here for you to get great photo ops while waiting in the queue. Here are some of ours:

Next we walked through the Streets of America section and saw Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater. A family shot:

Next was Muppet Vision 3D. If you haven’t been to this attraction for a while, you should be pleased to know that they have changed out the projector with a new digital 3D projector. The film is much cleaner and you can see much more crispness and detail (and better color.) It is worth going to see again – it almost feels brand new.

Once we finished there, it was lunch time. DD fell asleep in her stroller and we thought we might check at the 50s Prime Time Café for a walk-up (we had an ADR for 50s PTC on our next scheduled day at DHS, but with DD asleep – we thought it would be better to try it than go into the Pizza Planet for lunch.) I asked if we could bring the stroller in so DD could sleep and they said it wouldn’t be a problem. I got the typical spiel from the girl who took my information, “It could be about 30 – 45 minute wait.” I said that was fine. As soon as I walked out to tell DW it might be a little while, the pager went off to let us know we were ready to be seated. I expected that. They were not busy, and I heard on a PodCast (maybe WDWToday) that they will usually tell you it will be a wait since you don’t have an ADR. If you end up saying that is ok, you usually get seated rather quickly (as long as it is not overly crowded.) I guess that ‘test’ determines if you really want to eat there or not.

Once we got to our table, DD woke up and did not want to fall back asleep. She loves that place! I do too. The food is really good and I love the sense of humor and the themeing. While waiting for our entrées, an older man at a table near us apparently got in trouble. Maybe he didn’t eat his vegetables – I don’t recall. But the server made him stand in the doorway with his nose against a circle on the door jamb. Here is a pic:

I also have some video of DS getting called out for smarting off to the waiter (all in fun, of course.) I am debating whether to post it on You Tube or not – he was quite embarrassed. The waiter made him do the “I’m a Little Teapot” routine. Funny stuff.

(continued on next post)

 

[BigTex71]

Chapter 7: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Drives (cont'd)

(I had to break this into two posts, since the board only allows 10 pics per post.)

Anyway, we finished lunch and then strolled over to watch the new Pixar Pals Parade that was about to start. I had heard some bad reviews, but we watched it anyway. I will admit that it was not that bad. The kids loved it – especially DD:

After that we made our way over to the Great Movie Ride and then it was our first time to watch the Lights, Motor, Action StuntShow. I captured this pic when the red (good guy) car was jumping between the two white trucks:

Not a bad show. Anything with fast cars, gunfire, and explosions will always garner a decent rating with me, though. We then split up again. The girls went to the Beauty and the Beast Live show, while DS and I saw the American Idol Experience. After that, we met up with the girls and we all went to the daily finale of the American Idol Experience.

After that, the park was closed and it was time to leave. We went back to the condo and cooked a frozen pizza for dinner. Then it was time to download pictures to the laptop and start getting ready for bed. Tomorrow would be an early 8:05am ADR at Crystal Palace!

Here is a picture I really like that I snapped of DM and DD walking together while heading to the Lights, Motor Action show:

Next: Chafe and a haircut, 2 bits.

 

[WDW_Emily]

YAY! AN UPDATE:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

And this picture is too precious.

Here is a picture I really like that I snapped of DM and DD walking together while heading to the Lights, Motor Action show:

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[TakeMeThere81]

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!

DW and I are going back to Walt Disney World from April 2 - 5 to celebrate both our 40th birthdays! :sohappy:
This will be our first trip there without the kids. I have heard it is a whole new experience - we are looking forward to it!

It is a goal for me to have this TR done by the time I leave for this trip - so I better get to it! :dazzle:

This is awesome!! Good for you two!! I have been saying this in my posts a lot this morning...but I'm so jealous! Yes, jealous! Even though DH and I just came back from our couples-only trip!! You will have a great time!! It is so freeing to not have your stroller and one thing I realized we got to do a lot...hold hands(not strollers-lol). Anyway, get some great signature dining ADRs and live it up!

I was pleasantly surprised to see the fast pass machines had only a two-deep wait. I love the props they have in here for you to get great photo ops while waiting in the queue.

But the server made him stand in the doorway with his nose against a circle on the door jamb. Here is a pic:

I can't believe the NO LINE for the TSMM FPs!! Wow!

We've never hit up the Buzz and Woody meet n greet. Those photo ops are great! Your DD looks tiny next to Woody and Buzz. What always gets me is...isn't it supposed to be the other way around? :lol:

Love 50s PT Cafe. So fun!! Funny picture of the guy with his nose on the wall!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Oh...and one more thing. The walk-up thing. The same thing happened to us over at Trail's End. We got to the hostess and she said that there was like a party of 70 coming in and any walk-ups would be at least a 60 minute wait. With the day we'd been having, that wasn't an issue, especially because it is such a lovely place to be waiting(DH snagged us rocking chairs right away). Anyway...about 10 minutes later, our buzzer went off! I thought it was odd...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'd been taking a break from reading TRs, but I'm back and am on board! Loving this! The video of your daughter w/Cindy really choked me up. I'm so glad she was also ok after her fall. Your pics of Universal also have me seriously considering a day there when we go back in August...love Harry Potter, but the kids don't do well w/rider swap- so who knows. In any event- can't wait to read more and congrats on your upcoming bday trip! :wave:

 

[BigTex71]

I'd been taking a break from reading TRs, but I'm back and am on board! Loving this! The video of your daughter w/Cindy really choked me up. I'm so glad she was also ok after her fall. Your pics of Universal also have me seriously considering a day there when we go back in August...love Harry Potter, but the kids don't do well w/rider swap- so who knows. In any event- can't wait to read more and congrats on your upcoming bday trip! :wave:

Thanks and thanks!

 

[BigTex71]

YAY! AN UPDATE:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

And this picture is too precious.

Thank you! I love it, too.

I can't believe the NO LINE for the TSMM FPs!! Wow!

I know, right?!

We've never hit up the Buzz and Woody meet n greet. Those photo ops are great! Your DD looks tiny next to Woody and Buzz. What always gets me is...isn't it supposed to be the other way around? :lol:

I know, right?!

Love 50s PT Cafe. So fun!! Funny picture of the guy with his nose on the wall!

I know, right?! Wait... yeah, that is turning into one of my favorite TS places in The World.

 

[BigTex71]

Chapter 8: Chafe and a haircut, two bits


February 2, 2011 – Day 6 (Magic Kingdom Day)

Since we did not stay out too late the night before, getting up early to make our 8:05am ADR at Crystal Palace wasn’t too painful. We drove to the TTC and were parked and walking towards the monorail by 7:40am. We made it to the gates by 8:00am.

We quickly made our way towards the Crystal Palace, but stopped for the obligatory PhotoPass picture of the family in front of the castle. They also got a special picture with Tinkerbell.

So we were a little behind for check-in and had to wait about 10 minutes for our table. This is one of my favorite places to eat breakfast – mainly because it is well within the Magic Kingdom and you can get ADRs for an hour before the park opens. The fact that they have good food and characters for the kids makes it that much better.

I also like the fact that you can eat your breakfast and be out of there and waiting in the ‘hub’ for the ropes to drop to the different lands when the park officially opens. For those of you who have never done this (or an early CRT breakfast) – you are actually inside the park before rope drop, but you cannot get beyond the hub area by the castle, because they have actual rope barriers to keep you from going into the different lands (ie. Adventureland, Fantasyland, etc.) The trick to eating and being out at the ropes before they drop is to ask for your check as soon as your server brings out your drinks. This gets the process started to get your bill paid for. Since it is a buffet, it is easy for your server to get that for you – and they know the way it works (they know you are no Doofenshmirtz if you request this early.) Pay it immediately when they bring it out and then you can finish up eating and meeting characters and then casually stroll out the door just before 9am. Most people eat and then ask for the check, and then by the time it gets settled it is past 9am. And now you know… and knowing is half the battle. Goooooooo Joe! (obscure reference from my childhood.)

Well, we didn’t quite make it out the door before 9am, because we had to wait for Piglet to make his way to our table for DD before we left. This would not cause any problems, since this was predicted to be a low crowd day. Normally we are able to see all the characters before 9am, but we were not seated until close to 8:25 this time. So we finished up and left to go to Fantasyland.

We rode Dumbo first, then we walked straight on to Peter Pan’s flight.

On the way over towards Snow White’s Scary Adventures, DD had to stop and see her favorite character: Mary Poppins. If this was summer time, I would have tried to talk her into waiting until after we rode a few more rides to see Mary. Since we were nearly the only guests in Fantasyland (minus the lines starting to form at Dumbo) this wasn’t an issue. Since no one else was waiting to see Ms. Poppins, DD got several minutes of great interactivity with Mary. Priceless.

Next, we walked on to the Snow White ride with no wait - how great is Fantasyland when you do the early ADR for breakfast? The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was next. The sign stated a 10 minute wait time, but it was walk-on. This meant we didn’t have time to play with some of the new interactive queue items, since people were starting to come in behind us. Well, we could have… but then it would have caused that awkward situation where the people behind you are not sure if they should be nice and wait behind you, or go around you while you play – thus creating another awkward moment as they pass you wondering if we would say anything to them for ‘cutting’ (which we wouldn’t.) So I decided to avoid that whole situation by motoring past the interactive stuff to get to the meat and potatoes of the attraction.

The Mad Tea Party was next, followed by an Alice and the White Rabbit meet.

We made our way over to ride the carousel and then It’s a Small World. At this point we were done with Fantasyland (minus Mickey’s Philharmagic – which we would ride later.) The time was now 10:58am – we completed all of this in an hour and 45 minutes. Sweet niblets! Love that early ADR!

Now it was time to go to Toontown so DD could ride her favorite thrill ride: Goofy’s Barnstormer. She had to do the Princesses Meet n Greet next and then we all went over to Pirates of the Caribbean. After that, we were getting hungry. We took the monorail over to the Contemporary resort so we could use Disney transportation to Downtown Disney. This sure beats going back to the TTC, driving to DTD, then driving back to TTC to get back to MK ASAP. OK?

We relax on the bus ride to DTD and get there around 2pm. Earl of Sandwich was then invaded by my crew. I LOVE that place – they have such great sandwiches! I always have to eat there when we go to Walt Disney World – it is on my cannot-miss-this-place-before-you-leave list. Here is the Hawaiian BBQ sandwich I had:

After eating our scrumptious sandwiches, we walked through some stores and had sundaes at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop. After a while DS started complaining about his inner thighs hurting due to chafing (is that TMI?) So we caught a bus back to the Contemporary, then the monorail to the TTC so we could drive to Walgreen’s to get him some powder to relieve his burning thighs. In hindsight, it may have been better to drive the van to DTD this time. But, if we had (knowing my luck), he wouldn’t have had chafing and something would have occurred to require us to go back to the Magic Kingdom – making the plan of driving the van a whipping. Murphy’s Law, right? Heck, they should just call it BigTex’s Law – since stuff like that always seems to happen to me.

While driving to Walgreen’s, DD fell asleep in the van. We decided to go back to the condo so DS could go clean up and apply his stuff to his area (you know what I mean) and the girls would drive around and let DD sleep in the van. We then drove over to the Polynesian Resort to check in for our ‘Ohana ADR.

In hindsight, it may have been better to skip lunch. ‘Ohana should be renamed to O’ My Gawd That’s a Lot of Food. Actually, I think that is what it translates to in English. I will soon have my take on ‘Ohana posted as a review on the DIS Dads Club website (www.disdads.com). Speaking of shameless plugs for my other stuff on other sites – please check out our new DIS Dads PodCast. We have done our first podcast and should have the second one posted soon. It can be found here: http://disdads.com/?feed=podcast . (I hope this is allowed here… if not I will remove these links.)

This about sums up how we felt after ‘Ohana:

Notice the one hand on the belly, and slouched back in the seat. We were nearly miserable from all the food. But it was so good, we just couldn't stop eating it! (Oops - so much for tempting you to read the review, huh?)

After we stuffed ourselves silly, we slowly waddled our way to the van to drive back to the condo. I literally had to move the seat back to fit my now even more humongous self-contained food storage compartment behind the steering wheel. - aka my Buddha Belly. Disney transportation to a resort would have been really nice in this situation. I was barely able to stay awake on the drive to the condo, as my digestive system was putting in some major overtime.

Up next: the next chapter (I am still thinking of a name for it.)

 

[TakeMeThere81]

The time was now 10:58am – we completed all of this in an hour and 45 minutes. Sweet niblets! Love that early ADR!

In hindsight, it may have been better to skip lunch. ‘Ohana should be renamed to O’ My Gawd That’s a Lot of Food. Actually, I think that is what it translates to in English.
This about sums up how we felt after ‘Ohana:

LOL!!!! This was how I felt after eating at Jiko, Le Cellier, Boma, Kona...need I say more? By the third day the thought of eating had lost its luster a little and I started ordering salads. Seemed like a sin at WDW, but I couldn't handle much more!

LUV the pictures! Tigger, Mary, Alice and WHITE RABBIT!!! Great meet n greets, and you guys made awesome time getting through Fantasyland! That is like a dream come true!

Awesome update!! I agree, the early morning ADR is the best thing in the world!! Last trip we did this, and got that awesome 8:05 time(money!!)...then after we arrived for vacation Disney decided that crowds were large enough to move the opening to 8am. :brick::brick::fork: I was sooo mad! Oh well, maybe next time!