Clear Skies, Full Bellies...Can't Lose! A September 2012 Trip Report

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

We got back to the station to see...NOBODY. There was no one waiting for the next train. So we just asked the guy "Can we stay on?" and he said "Sure no problem!" SWEET.

Then we hopped over to Splash - 5 minute wait. We grabbed FP anyway and then jumped in standby. Again - empty log waiting for us. We had the log to ourselves!

We walked through Liberty Square - which was pretty empty.

Then over to Haunted Mansion which was also dead....(BAHAHAHA)

We figured this would be a good time to play around in the scenic route. We had seen it before but it's a cool little addition to Bill's favorite ride.

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

After Haunted Mansion - we were both pretty hungry. So we split up - I headed over to Main St Bakery to pick up a cinnamon roll and Bill went to Sleepy Hollow to get the Nutella/fresh fruit waffle. Along the way I snapped some pics in the hub.

As I snap that last picture thinking "that's a good picture...good thing the trolly was stopped so I could get a good shot. And then I see WHY the trolly was stopped. I don't know if I can post this picture...if I'm asked to take it down then I'll understand. But I found it amusing none the less. My immature 10 year old self came out on this one...

Hey...everybody pees. No big deal.

Anyway back to Main Street...

Went into the Bakery with only the cinnamon roll in mind. But this dude's apple tart in front of me looked pretty tasty...I meant to go back another day but never did - NEXT TIME!

But alas cinnamon roll, I only had eyes for you.

Bill was a very food fiance and did not cut into his waffle until I got there. Even if I was about 10 minutes late...

Then we headed out and got some FP for Peter Pan and got a surprise for Mickey's Philharmagic. PLUS our Splash ones ready to use. AND some nice couple gave us some Big Thunder Mountain FPs. So we went to put these babies to use!

After Splash and Big Thunder we went on Haunted Mansion again on our way to hit up some of Fantasyland while waiting for Peter Pan FPs to be valid.

And then...guess what time it was?

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

Time for my favorite 4D show in all of Disney!!

Sorcerer Mickey is my FAVORITE Mickey!

Then we grabbed a fastpass for Pooh bear!

And got Surprise DUMBO Fastpass! WOO

We decided since we pretty much had straight sugar for breakfast we should have a substantial snack. Corn dog nuggets were calling my name! So over to Caseys!

A few photopass pics

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

A little shopping...

Off to use our Pooh and Dumbo FPs.

HEY POOH AND ENTHUSIASTIC CM!

BEASTS CASTLE! So excited for this!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 22, 2012

So were ya feelin' okay wakin' up at 7:30??? Trust me, as you get older the recovery gets harder! LOL!

What a productive morning you've had! Awesome! I showed Chandler Bill's Nutella waffle. That boy loves him some Nutella! ((He likes to dip animal crackers in it.)) The cinnamon roll looks sooooo yuuuuummy!

And that was one good fist full of fastpasses! Good job!

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

Now I'm not really a character person in that I don't wait in long lines to see them. Character breakfast? Sure. Short line? Absolutely. But staking out a spot in line 40 minutes early? At Disney where time=money? No way. BUT today I had a change of heart as I was dying to meet Ariel. Due to this...

Ok it's not really a surprise because I have the picture of me at the castle in that shirt but in case you didn't put it together - that's Ursula. My favorite Disney character. If you follow me on instagram (jess_plaz) you see I have an Ursula barbie. She is just my favorite. And a badass villain. So I'm a big fan. I found this shirt online months ago and HAD to have it because they never have Ursula merch. And that does not include that Villains collection where Ursula is a skinny lady - because that's just ridiculous. But Ariel wasn't doing meets until later so we decided to use my Dumbo FP.

At this point it had started to sprinkle. Bill decided to sit this one out so I went solo.

Then we got in line for the Barnstormer. Which I don't think I've ridden since my first trip as I don't remember it at all.

In line we saw the Steam Engine getting filled with water.

Bill looking like Jack the Ripper in his rain gear

Oh now I know why I don't remember the Barnstormer - because it's stupid. Haha. It's a great coaster for little kids though. A very awesome "first coaster" as it's over quickly so if they hated it then they were off soon.

Over to Tomorrowland. First up was TTA. Followed by Buzz buzz buzz Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

Space Mountain? 10 minute wait? More like 10 minutes to walk through the queue. Yes please.

Then Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress (said in old TTA narration voice)

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

We decided to hit up Adventureland for our next snack via the hub.

Time for a snack at Sunshine Tree Terrace! Bet you can't guess what I got?

Did you guess Dole Whip?

Because you'd be wrong - they don't serve them there, silly! We went for the OTHER Adventureland staple...

Citrus Swirl! This was my first time having the citrus swirl and I must say - I far prefer it to the dole whip. Now don't get me wrong...I didn't HATE the dole whip. But I didn't think it was the end all/be all of Disney snacks as I was led to believe. That plus maybe I just like orange flavor better than pineapple.

Also..Bill got a mocha float

We rode/watched the Enchanted Tiki Room. So happy to see this back to it's original self. Bill couldn't have cared less as he had never seen the original. But he didn't mind busting me chops by saying (repeatedly and sarcastically) Iago was the perfect addition to it. Boy I really miss the Under New Management version. Wow what a classic attraction then they ruined it with these other birds, man. Pshhh my fiance - what a dork.

Then I looked and saw Ariel and Eric would be meeting guests in about 20 minutes. Now waiting in 20 minutes for a character who isn't even there yet? Yes for this opportunity I would do it. So we got in line. And I got just the reaction I wanted from her...

It was something along the lines of...
Eric: Woah we've got a problem. I don't like your shirt.
Me: Yeah well....
Ariel: Do you know her?
Me: Yeah.
Ariel: Do you know what she did to me? She stole my voice
Me: Technically you gave it to her
Ariel: Aren't you afraid she'll steal your voice?
Me: Well I have a terrible singing voice so not really...
Ariel: She may steal something else! But we like you and if you like her...maybe she's changed.

It was pretty cool.

We then rode The Jungle Cruise. We had a skipper named Cathy. She was FANTASTIC. Really a wonderful skipper. Hilarious! Great timing on every joke. I gush about her because I never really thought there were BAD skippers. That was until later in the trip. When our skipper was so bad I was actually rolling my eyes. WORST EVER. I won't say her name though...but she was nowhere near Cathy level!

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

Time to bid adieu to MK and head to EPCOT via monorail.

I love the EPCOT monorail loop!

And we've now entered EPCOT again. Which means it's time for...SPACESHIP EARTH PHOTO SHOOT!

We rode SSE of course (4th?) and then headed over to World Showcase for dinner tonight was at Via Napoli.

First...MORE SSE!

Drumming at the Outpost

plaz10 · Oct 22, 2012

Dinner at...

We ate here last trip and really loved it. No brainer must do ADR for us.

First up some bread...

Bill got the Carfoci pizza - Artichokes and truffle oil

I got the Quattro Formaggi.

Dessert was Tiramisu

And apple cake

Bill enjoyed his Tiramisu (I don't like coffee) and my apple dessert wasn't that great. But I was so full from the pizza I just didn't care.

On our last trip we enjoyed the food but the service was so-so. This trip...we had remarkable service! Really loved the dude (Domenico) Super nice and explained about what made the pizza so authentic and such. Attentive but not bothersome. Definitely a step up from our last trip. This will continue to be a must do ADR.

We ventured to Norway to ride the Maelstrom

And then to Mexico to ride the 3 Caballeros

Doesnt this look like a pendant a from Legends of the Hidden Temple??

Back towards the front of the park - rode SSE (5th) and then bus back to POFQ. We had a date with some resort activity.

We changed into gym shorts and tshirts and went to watch Lilo and Stitch in the garden!

Mirror Shot, Hol!

We really enjoyed watching the movie from the garden. It was a neat way to wind down after a long day at the parks. After the movie we headed into bed. It was a very productive day!

s&k'smom · Oct 23, 2012

I love when there are no lines for BTM, every year my hubby and daughter ride it together and go back and back with no lines.

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 23, 2012

Your mention of CoP totally made me smile. I recently set my ringtone for when Tracey calls me to "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". Last week when I was in my car and he called it started playing thru the car speakers loud...in steeeereo...and I burst into rolls of laughter at the sheer awesome-ness of it!

plaz10 said:

Okay. We need to pause to discuss this picture. Chandler was sitting behind me when I was reading your update. Before either of us read about your dialogue that goes with this picture we both sorta stared at the scene here and I said, "Is it just me or does it look like she's checkin' out Eric's junk? And laughing!" I know, am I 38 or 8! LOL! I had my 16 year old giggling, tho. Heehee!

Via Napoli...aaahhh...Chandler said, "I see they got the stroller-view table...." We then went on to ooh-n-aah over your pics. This is one restaurant we all really love. That tiramisu is Tracey's all-time favorite dessert ever. I've been getting a lot of comments from the guys saying they're ready to go back to WDW. I dunno. I think I could leave it most days but I feel bad for them. They make me feel so guilty!

Blueskyze · Oct 23, 2012

Have I mentioned I am loving your TR?! And your pictures?! Well, I am!

I was Ursula for MNSSHP this year, so I was very excited to see your shirt. The picture of your meeting with Ariel was hilarious. And don't worry about offending anyone with your picture - it made me giggle, too...but then again, I'm pretty sure that I have the sense of humor of a 14-year old boy. Oh, and I MUST try a Lapu Lapu on my next trip! The Wedding Pavilion story was awesome.

ExtinctJenn · Oct 23, 2012

1) Love the Ariel/Eric interaction - your responses were actually hilarious (technically you gave it to her) LOL!
2) I could've done without seeing the peeing horse but hey that's what scroll buttons are for

ctosh · Oct 23, 2012

love the report... makes me want to be there now

plaz10 · Oct 24, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
So were ya feelin' okay wakin' up at 7:30??? Trust me, as you get older the recovery gets harder! LOL!

What a productive morning you've had! Awesome! I showed Chandler Bill's Nutella waffle. That boy loves him some Nutella! ((He likes to dip animal crackers in it.)) The cinnamon roll looks sooooo yuuuuummy!

And that was one good fist full of fastpasses! Good job!

Yes I was OK at 7:30 am...luckily not an EMH hour morning where I'd be up around 6. But I was OK!

I love productive MK mornings. They are the best. I've found that the best mornings at MK are when another park as EMH. We went to MK last year over Star Wars weekend...it was dead the entire day. Loved it. Oh Chandler and Bill would get along great - both love that Nutella. I think it's just OK. I made some sweet Nutella cookies once - I'll have to get you the recipe!

s&k'smom said:
I love when there are no lines for BTM, every year my hubby and daughter ride it together and go back and back with no lines.

I just love no lines at all! But 2 rides in a row is great - one to enjoy the ride and one to take pictures and look for little details. Early mornings are where it's at!

sweetpee_1993 said:
Your mention of CoP totally made me smile. I recently set my ringtone for when Tracey calls me to "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". Last week when I was in my car and he called it started playing thru the car speakers loud...in steeeereo...and I burst into rolls of laughter at the sheer awesome-ness of it!

Okay. We need to pause to discuss this picture. Chandler was sitting behind me when I was reading your update. Before either of us read about your dialogue that goes with this picture we both sorta stared at the scene here and I said, "Is it just me or does it look like she's checkin' out Eric's junk? And laughing!" I know, am I 38 or 8! LOL! I had my 16 year old giggling, tho. Heehee!

Via Napoli...aaahhh...Chandler said, "I see they got the stroller-view table...." We then went on to ooh-n-aah over your pics. This is one restaurant we all really love. That tiramisu is Tracey's all-time favorite dessert ever. I've been getting a lot of comments from the guys saying they're ready to go back to WDW. I dunno. I think I could leave it most days but I feel bad for them. They make me feel so guilty!

I LOVE my some CoP and so does Bill...which makes my heart smile. Because most people who aren't obsessed with Disney don't appreciate CoP - but Bill really likes it. Which makes me love him more!

OOOOOOK...2 reasons I was NOT checking out his junk (just blinking!)
#1 - I'm about 99% sure that Eric was gay. Because right when Eric & Ariel came out...this very feminine looking man came over to the side and was waving frantically for Eric - then Eric noticed him and smiled and when the kid they were with was taking pictures...Eric whispered to Ariel and they turned for a picture for that man. And they gave each other knowingly nods. I think it was Eric's boytoy. Haha.
#2 - Eric is like...the 3rd hottest Disney prince! Behind the Aladdin and Flynn Rider. Aladdin held the top spot for YEARS but has been de-throned by the smolder of Flynn Rider.

Via Napoli is just fantastic. And pizza is my favorite food so that helps too. You could always take the boys there for just a few days pre or post cruise. I'd probably say pre cruise because then you hustle your bum off at Disney and then just relax on the cruise. WIN-WIN.

plaz10 · Oct 24, 2012

Blueskyze said:
Have I mentioned I am loving your TR?! And your pictures?! Well, I am! I was Ursula for MNSSHP this year, so I was very excited to see your shirt. The picture of your meeting with Ariel was hilarious. And don't worry about offending anyone with your picture - it made me giggle, too...but then again, I'm pretty sure that I have the sense of humor of a 14-year old boy. Oh, and I MUST try a Lapu Lapu on my next trip! The Wedding Pavilion story was awesome.

Aw yay! Ursula is the best!!! We were sitting at Akershus seeing Ariel walk around and Bill said "You should have worn your Ursula shirt" and I though SH*T I should have. So knowing she meets at MK I knew I had to wear it and find her.

Hey...everyone pees. I think the picture is funnier to me for 2 reasons. 1 - people were all stopping and staring at it on Main Street. Like...really? You're wasting 2 minutes of precious Disney time to watch a horse pee? (I guess I wasted 10 seconds of it to get a picture) and 2 - the Mickey on the horse just makes me giggle...like a Disney peeing horse is funnier than a regular peeing horse.

ExtinctJenn said:
1) Love the Ariel/Eric interaction - your responses were actually hilarious (technically you gave it to her) LOL!
2) I could've done without seeing the peeing horse but hey that's what scroll buttons are for

Yeah Ariel was probably thinking "Who is this trying to sass me at Magic Kingdom?" but she was really nice and funny about the whole thing. And yep scroll buttons are great for peeing horses...and trip reports where people post pictures of big snakes from Animal Kingdom. Scared the crap out of me at work one day. A warning on the python/anaconda/boa constrictor pictures please! Haha

ctosh said:
love the report... makes me want to be there now

I look at Disney pictures now and just think..."I can see myself standing in that very spot!" and really wish I was there. Trip reports are a double edged sword...it's great for reading and getting ready for your next trip but they also make you want to be there/ride that/eat that right now! Thanks for reading!

tiaragirl · Oct 24, 2012

I always enjoy your updates/TRs because they're so entertaining + Bill is a fabulous sport (I.E. being 30 minutes late and not eating his waffle and waiting for Princesses and especially all the photoshoots)!

The Ariel/Eric interaction is too funny - as was @sweetpee_1993's comment. I'd look at Eric's junk - he's a prince. Don't be ashamed. We all have needs.

Enjoying the SSE PHOTOSHOOTS!!!*!*!@&@ in every update, obviously it means a ton to you guys and it makes me happy that you just give'er when you're there!

That pizza looks incredible.. want..

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 24, 2012

plaz10 said:
I love productive MK mornings. They are the best. I've found that the best mornings at MK are when another park as EMH. We went to MK last year over Star Wars weekend...it was dead the entire day. Loved it. Oh Chandler and Bill would get along great - both love that Nutella. I think it's just OK. I made some sweet Nutella cookies once - I'll have to get you the recipe!

You are totally killing me! I have just 1 day..a single, solitary day.. on-property in January. I'll send you an email to see what you think. I may be totally overthinking everything. Then again, it's got the makings of a completely EPIC day written all over it... Email to follow!

plaz10 said:
I LOVE my some CoP and so does Bill...which makes my heart smile. Because most people who aren't obsessed with Disney don't appreciate CoP - but Bill really likes it. Which makes me love him more!

**sigh** I love CoP, too. It's a happy place. I sing the song everytime it comes on during the show. At first I was put off by the change from song #2 back to song #1 because I grew up knowing the CoP song as "Now is the Time". But, the original has grown on me in such a huge way.

plaz10 said:
OOOOOOK...2 reasons I was NOT checking out his junk (just blinking!)
#1 - I'm about 99% sure that Eric was gay. Because right when Eric & Ariel came out...this very feminine looking man came over to the side and was waving frantically for Eric - then Eric noticed him and smiled and when the kid they were with was taking pictures...Eric whispered to Ariel and they turned for a picture for that man. And they gave each other knowingly nods. I think it was Eric's boytoy. Haha.
#2 - Eric is like...the 3rd hottest Disney prince! Behind the Aladdin and Flynn Rider. Aladdin held the top spot for YEARS but has been de-throned by the smolder of Flynn Rider.

Oh no! Eric cannot have a boytoy! Such a waste! ((shaking head...face palm...)) Agreed about Flynn. The smolder is so endearing to me because he's trying to be irresistable but he's actually achieving more of a "awww...he's trying so hard and failing but it's cute anyway". I also like Flynn bestest because the other princes are so proper. You can't just walk up behind one of them and grab their butt. But Flynn, yeah, you totally could! <--did I just say that??? What is WRONG with me?!

plaz10 said:
Via Napoli is just fantastic. And pizza is my favorite food so that helps too. You could always take the boys there for just a few days pre or post cruise. I'd probably say pre cruise because then you hustle your bum off at Disney and then just relax on the cruise. WIN-WIN.

Tracey is really wanting to be at the parks while we're cruising. When I get back we can stay until like Sunday morning or something. That'd give me a couple days with them...

s&k'smom · Oct 25, 2012

Thank you again for the pictures they are just what I needed to put me in a good mood before work!

plaz10 · Oct 25, 2012

tiaragirl said:
I always enjoy your updates/TRs because they're so entertaining + Bill is a fabulous sport (I.E. being 30 minutes late and not eating his waffle and waiting for Princesses and especially all the photoshoots)!

The Ariel/Eric interaction is too funny - as was @sweetpee_1993's comment. I'd look at Eric's junk - he's a prince. Don't be ashamed. We all have needs.

Enjoying the SSE PHOTOSHOOTS!!!*!*!@&@ in every update, obviously it means a ton to you guys and it makes me happy that you just give'er when you're there!

That pizza looks incredible.. want..

Bill definitely gets an A+ for not devouring his waffle until photos were taken. I love that he is becoming a bigger disney fan every trip - just a few days ago he "saw" (meaning he was looking) a Disney travel mug on the Disney website and said "The next time you order stuff (which is always) you should pick this up for my bday" Well of course! I can't turn him down when he asks for DISNEY stuff? Oh I'm in so much trouble when I have kids...

Oh I'd definitely check out a Prince's junk...don't get me wrong. But this was not an Eric that was worth checking out.

SSE is just...the best. There are plenty more photoshoots because I just can't get enough of it.

sweetpee_1993 said:
Oh no! Eric cannot have a boytoy! Such a waste! ((shaking head...face palm...)) Agreed about Flynn. The smolder is so endearing to me because he's trying to be irresistable but he's actually achieving more of a "awww...he's trying so hard and failing but it's cute anyway". I also like Flynn bestest because the other princes are so proper. You can't just walk up behind one of them and grab their butt. But Flynn, yeah, you totally could! <--did I just say that??? What is WRONG with me?!

Tracey is really wanting to be at the parks while we're cruising. When I get back we can stay until like Sunday morning or something. That'd give me a couple days with them...

Yes I really think Eric had a boytoy. Flynn absolutely seems like a fun guy who doesn't mind their butt grabbed...and that's clearly what I look for in a man! Hahaha! But I totally get it...but I think Aladdin is that way too because he isn't really this proper prince...he's only doing it for his lady. He's got that fun side too. Yes I'm comparing cartoon characters to being real life dating possibilities...SO WHAT?! hahaha.

s&k'smom said:
Thank you again for the pictures they are just what I needed to put me in a good mood before work!

Awww I'm glad! Hope you have a good day at work! Thanks for reading!