Peoplemover TTAs August 2011 Trip Report - But Wait...There's More!

Now that I've been back for a few days, it's time to get started on my first, full-fledged WDW TR. As some of you may know, it's with a somewhat heavy heart, as my mom passed away at the end of June, very suddenly. We booked this trip last August, and had been counting down ever since. My family new that we still had to take this trip, to heal, and because my mom would be mad if we didn't .

I don't want this to be a depressing TR, and I won't dwell on the loss of my mom...I tried to take advantage of this trip to remember her and honor her spirit, and hopefully I was able to do that a bit!

For some of the backstory on the trip and it's major players, details are in my PTR here.

Here's a basic overview:

Originally booked in POFQ with free dining from 8/20 - 8/28, we had to add two nights when airfare on those days was literally twice the price. So, we bookended our trip with overnight stays at POP. Our trip instead became 8/19-8/29. My sister, cousin and I were flying Jetblue, and my grandma and aunt were driving.

Wednesday morning (8/17), I received a text that my grandma was in the hospital. Turns out, she was in renal failure! She was hospitalized for 2 days, and insisted to the doctors that she was going to Disney World and to get it figured out. Not sound medical thinking, but my grandma is 78, has tons of health problems, and we had been through a lot...she wanted to make it on this trip!

Her renal failure was actually caused by medicine she was taking. They tested her extensively and restored all her levels where they should be, then gave explicit instructions so nothing happened while we were on vacation (and she ended up being fine, thankfully). She literally got in my aunt's Equinox on Friday morning after being discharged and hit the road!

With everyone raring to go, we approached 8/19 with excitement. Stay tuned for Day 1 (the first day is a little wordy, but I'm setting up things to come, so bear with me...I hope I don't disappoint ).

 

[irmavep]

Day 5 (Continued)


Anyway, one time about 10 years ago, while planning a WDW trip, my sister and I both happened to mention the most random thing that was our "favorite" part of SSE. Not the smell of the dark ages (although when I was a kid, whenever we went camping I'd tell my mom, "I smell Spaceship Earth," lol). It was the little projection of the Roman and buggy that used to come out of the buildings and ride down the street in Rome. Do you know the projection I'm talking about? We both randomly discovered that we looked for it every trip, and had an unnatural love for it :lol:. I mention this, because each subsequent trip, we'd give a knowing nod at this point, and on this trip, we bowed our heads in memory, lol. I mean it was a simple projection, why take it away!? So sad

Me Too! :lol:

I used to love that little Roman on the buggy projection in SSE! I would watch it cycle through over and over while we passed Rome.....such a shame it's gone.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Me Too! :lol:

I used to love that little Roman on the buggy projection in SSE! I would watch it cycle through over and over while we passed Rome.....such a shame it's gone.

Add me to the list of people whos sad it's gone... My sister and I both loved it and we were both soooo bummed out in May when it was gone.... *sigh*

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Me Too! :lol:

I used to love that little Roman on the buggy projection in SSE! I would watch it cycle through over and over while we passed Rome.....such a shame it's gone.

Add me to the list of people whos sad it's gone... My sister and I both loved it and we were both soooo bummed out in May when it was gone.... *sigh*

It makes me feel better to know that other people feel our pain, lol But in all seriousness, it was just a stupid thing to remove...what's the cost there, a $.99 light bulb? Ah well...

 

[mamamouse]

YAY for meeting"Carrie from Canada" I am also Carrie from Canada actually I live not far from u I'm very close to the border ( the queenston lewiston bridge is 5 minutes from me)pretty cool huh,and yes sunshine seasons has the #1 strawberry shortcake!!!!:wave:

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Excellent report so far, peoplemover! I am so sorry about your mom. And so glad you still felt like you could go!

Love all the food pictures and stories!! Keep it coming!

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

YAY for meeting"Carrie from Canada" I am also Carrie from Canada actually I live not far from u I'm very close to the border ( the queenston lewiston bridge is 5 minutes from me)pretty cool huh,and yes sunshine seasons has the #1 strawberry shortcake!!!!:wave:

Hi, Neighbor :wave:

Just thinking about the strawberry shortcake from Sunshine Seasons makes me hungry...what a great meal (and an awesome use of a counter service credit!).

Excellent report so far, peoplemover! I am so sorry about your mom. And so glad you still felt like you could go!

Love all the food pictures and stories!! Keep it coming!

Thanks, Tammy! It was very healing for us to go to a place that my mom loved so much, and I take comfort in knowing that she was there with us, in spirit.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Day 7 - August 25 (Thursday)

I was giddy with excitement as I answered the ridiculously-early wakeup call. That’s right, folks, today is the day I finally enjoy breakfast at Kona Cafe!

Ignoring the grumbles from my family about the early wakeup, we proceeded in my aunt’s Equinox over to the Polynesian for our 7:05am ADRs (oh yeah, that explains the grumbling, lol). Come on, folks, it is SO worth it!

I have no idea what anyone else ordered because I was focused on one thing: Tonga Toast! After reading about it for several years here at WDWMagic, I would finally be indulging in this awesome breakfast treat. Strangely enough, I am the only one in my family who likes a big breakfast. I could take or leave lunch, but when there’s a breakfast buffet nearby, I am there.

Along with my Tonga Toast, I had the French-pressed coffee (OMG, the smoothest cup of coffee ever) and the lilikoi juice (is that right?). This was my big meal of the trip (and because everyone else’s meals were around $10, we didn’t use the dining plan for this one. Mine, with all the bells and whistles...lil bit more!).

Here is my amazing meal, before I devoured it:

Mmmmm, juice:

So, here’s the deal. Tonga Toast doesn’t look that big. I mean, it’s toast, right? So even though it’s puffy, it doesn’t look “HUGE.” Au contraire - that thing filled me up! And it was outstanding...the toast itself was great, but the strawberry sauce was the most outstanding part of the meal! I was literally lapping it up with the remaining toast. I am not a cavewoman; however, I was close to licking the plate, it was that delicious!

Everyone else was pleased with their meal (although not over-the-top excited like me, lol), and once we were done, my aunt and grandma went back to POFQ to get some more ZZZs, while my sister, cousin and I hopped on the monorail to hit the Magic Kingdom at opening.

See, they don’t look tired:

Need a lift?:

Finally, some quality Magic Kingdom time!:

I started snapping away, because I can never get enough of Main Street:

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Day 7 (Continued)


Strange pose time (I love Casey’s, and made my sister take my pic outside, lol):

Not today, Crystal Palace, but soon enough!:

I’m sure I have about 20 versions of this same photo, but I can’t help but stare in awe every time I see it:

Although the turnstiles were open, the park technically didn’t open until 9, so we decided to start in Adventureland:

And, to be a lil bit different, we elected to start off on the Jungle Cruise. First cruise of the day!:

Then, we had to hit the one attraction in MK that I was looking forward to the most. So much, that I made my sister commemorate the moment by taking my picture:

Look, they’re excited too (sorta):

After singing like the birdies sing (oh yes I did - extra verse, be darned!), we headed into Frontierland, and I had to stop for a pic with Donald (side note: When I was a kid, I had to have a raccoon cap when we went into Frontierland, lol):

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Day 7 (Continued)


Pausing mostly for ambience in Frontierland, my sister and cousin wanted to go on Haunted Mansion again:

After visiting the happy haunts, my cousin and sister were losing steam, and decided to head back to POFQ for a nap. Strangely, I was still going strong, so I kept a’goin!

TTFN!:

As a single gal hitting up MK solo, where did I decide to go first? That rambunctious attraction known as...

Hall of Presidents, lol:

I love the re-do of this show (although I think that President Obama’s AA is a little off, they totally get his hand gestures perfectly, lol), and always leave feeling patriotic. From there, I tried to take a peek at the happenings over at the FLE.

On my journey, I noticed this awesome popcorn cart. Awesome, you say? Why yes, because it is the first BatB-themed item I saw in Fantasyland! The expansion is coming, lol! The CM looked at me like I was strange, but whatever, here’s the pic:

If that popcorn cart has been themed to Maurice since...forever...don’t tell me, because it will kill the moment, lol.

FLE map? Yes, please!:

Now, I made my way into Tomorrowland, an area I can literally just sit in, all day long!:

When I was younger, Mickey’s Star Traders was one of my favorite stores. Now, it sadly has the same old stuff:

Making my way into TL, I noticed that “Space” Chip and Dale were doing M&Gs, so I immediately got in line. The photopass pics turned out better (this actually looks a little creepy, lol), but there was an awesome interaction with Chip and Dale, as they started fighting over me. It was too cute, and made my day:

The CM said she only got that pic, and asked if I wanted more. “It’s okay,” I said, “It’s all about enjoying the moment!” Chip turned to me and gave me a big thumbs up. I can only imagine how many parents make their kids pose for 5 pics because they didn’t capture just the right photo. Folks, the photo is only special because it recalls the memory of the moment! So enjoy it .

After my awesome encounter with those two handsome fellas, I saw a personal favorite:

I grabbed a FP for Space Mountain at this point, which was only a short 45 minutes away (nice!). Then, I headed into Buzz Lightyear to defeat the Emperor Zurg (Side note: Don’t you just love how much you can get done when you’re by yourself in the parks? Although, I have to admit, I feel like my mom was kind of with me as I made my away around MK solo).

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Day 7 - The Conclusion

I waited around 15 minutes for Buzz, got into my car, and...

Yeah, so there was something wrong with my car - darn it! It stayed in the “dashes” mode the entire ride, so I couldn’t turn my car or shoot at all. I mentioned it on the way out, and the CMs actually let me reboard and give it another go, which I appreciated.

After Buzz, I stopped at the Lunching Pad to try a snack that gets rave reviews here at WDWMagic:

I also put my feet up for a bit, as my feet were swelling for some reason (this whole trip, I had a problem with it...I think it may have been from a new medicine I was taking).

The cream cheese pretzel was...okay. Unless it’s in a dip, I’m not a huge warm cream cheese fan, but it was pretty tasty. When I ordered, the CM made a point of asking me, “You know there’s cream cheese in this pretzel, right?” I guess people order it without realizing and complain a lot. I knew what I was getting into, though!

After relaxing with my snack for a bit, I decided to take a spin on my #1 attraction in all of Walt Disney World:

Well, I’m hoping you guessed correctly...it is my name after all! I could sit on the Peoplemover all day and all night - I just love it. As a matter of fact, after one relaxing ride, I asked the unload CM if I could ride again (there was no one in the queue).

One more time? Don’t mind if I do!

After another relaxing spin around Tomorrowland (strangely enough, the City of Tomorrow narration didn’t kick in this ride), I headed over to Space Mountain to use my FP. I probably shouldn’t have ridden with slightly elevated blood pressure, but I took the risk, and even texted my sister to say I was riding (if, heaven forbid, something happened, I wanted her to know I made the choice to take the risk...after recent events, and yes i know it’s strange, I think of those things, lol).

Of course I was placed in the last seat, lol. Wow, it really is a bumpy ride back there! I barely noticed the new audio, and I didn’t notice much of a difference overall, but it was still a nice ride (SM in DL still gets my vote for best SM, hands down).

As I made my way back into TL, my aunt gave me a call to let me know they were just about to park the car and make their way back to MK. I decided, then, to head back to Main Street and put my feet up for a few minutes while I waited for them.

One more obligatory gorgeous castle shot:

Quiet benches where I can soak up some ambience...perfect!:

This area was completely deserted, so I didn’t feel badly putting my feet up and sprawling across the bench. I rested for about 25 minutes, actually, and took a minute to also check my personal email and clean out my inbox. I’ve largely avoided anything related to the “real world” until this point, but it paid off that I checked my email, as I received a referral from one of my freelance clients, and heard from a new freelance writing client (if anyone needs a copywriter, feel free to PM me, lol).

Finally, my sister, aunt, cousin and grandma found me (they took the ferry boat for a change), and we made our way over to Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner.

But first, we stopped off at the Smucker’s store by HM (I can never remember the name of this store...is it Yankee Traders?). I picked up a french press coffee maker, which I sent back to POFQ, and made nice conversation with another CM who was “earning her ears.” I apparently was her first traveler’s cheque transaction (I try), as her trainer thanked me for using one, lol.

That line can get very long, very quickly, and that’s just what happened. We left my aunt and cousin in line at the store so we could relax and wait for our table at LTT. Now, LTT was my sister’s pick, because the last time we ate there in 2006, we loved the characters (boo!), but most importantly, my sister LOVED the....apple crisp! So, she picked the meal, knowing there were no characters, solely for the crisp. I can respect that, lol.

I got bored while waiting and headed upstairs for a random shot of my sister and grandma waiting:

Not sure why I love this sign so much, but I do:

We were seated in a cute little corner, where a revolutionary apparently hung up his garb:

Our ADRs were for 4:30, and even though we let them know our party was partially across the way, they still seated us. I had unsweetened iced tea, and my grandma and sister headed to the handicap restroom (they had to go all the way to the breezeway, as the restrooms were upstairs at LTT, and not accessible for wheelchairs). I just took the opportunity for a peaceful moment, waiting for them to return.

I wish I could remember our server’s name, but alas, it eludes me. She was on the ball, and timed our meal perfectly! After a 5-minute wait, my aunt and cousin joined us, and we also indulged in some bread and butter (mmmm....bread). Shortly thereafter, my sister and grandma returned, and we dug in!

You’ll be proud to know that we only needed a refill on one thing...green beans! Our server commented that it wasn’t something she saw very often, lol. What can I say, we like our green beans (they were prepared deliciously!).

Refreshing tea:

No food pics, alas, because we dug in too fast! Overall, the food was okay. The mashed potatoes also went over well, and I had a little bit of turkey. I was surprised how delicious the mac and cheese was (I thought it would be too heavy in the heat, but it was yummy!). I wasn’t too keen on the stuffing, though. My mom made the best homemade stuffing ever, and this tasted more like Stove Top.

Fully satiated, we waited the highlight of the meal (for my sister, lol): dessert!

And when they brought it out...her face fell. I looked outside and sure enough, LTT is no longer sponsored by Stouffer’s. They’re sponsored by...Craisins. Yeah, odd choice.

The dessert, instead of delicious apple crisp a la mode, was now a really gross, mealy craisin cake. Who goes to Disney World for craisin cake?! Ah well, the meal was really good overall, sans the cake.

At this point, the day was catching up with me, and even though it was only 6pm, my legs were really swollen, so I decided I had better get off my feet. My cousin wasn’t feeling well either, so we headed back to POFQ while my grandma, sister and aunt stayed in MK.

One last shot on the way out:

Even though I missed out on the rest of the night, I still felt like I accomplished a ton...because I did! I like having some solo time in the parks, and I really enjoyed my solo afternoon.

My cousin and I watched the Princess Diaries on ABC Family that night (fun!), and caught up on Hurricane Irene. Apparently it was going to miss Florida, but it was going to hit NYC and Boston! Did I mention that our flight home connected in Boston? I grew slightly nervous, but knew there wasn’t anything I could do about it yet, so I vowed to monitor the situation.

Oddly enough, I noticed that the rash I discovered on my leg before was still there, too. Still didn’t hurt or itch though, so I didn’t worry about it.

Coming up: You can never have too much MK!

 

[fractal]

Great update! Sorry about your feet and no apple crisp. Having some solo time in the parks is a great idea!

We rode Peoplemover for the first time this trip and loved it! I can't believe we never tried it before.

 

[Kristia]

Day 5 (Continued)




Anyway, one time about 10 years ago, while planning a WDW trip, my sister and I both happened to mention the most random thing that was our "favorite" part of SSE. Not the smell of the dark ages (although when I was a kid, whenever we went camping I'd tell my mom, "I smell Spaceship Earth," lol). It was the little projection of the Roman and buggy that used to come out of the buildings and ride down the street in Rome. Do you know the projection I'm talking about? We both randomly discovered that we looked for it every trip, and had an unnatural love for it :lol:. I mention this, because each subsequent trip, we'd give a knowing nod at this point, and on this trip, we bowed our heads in memory, lol. I mean it was a simple projection, why take it away!? So sad

I thought I was the only one! That is one of my favorite parts too! Everytime I ride it now I hope that they have brought it back. It just seems so empty with the street and no horse galloping down.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I've NEVER gone solo in the parks!! A few years ago I wouldn't have even dreamed of it. I always thought people would look at me and say "That poor girl by herself, what a loser!" lol.. But now I'd do it in a second. You can go at your own pace and dont have to worry about anyone else!

And that's great that you felt your Mom's presence with you while you were there. (That def made me tear up a little bit, not gonna lie!)

 

[SeaCastle]

I'm really enjoying reading this report. I'm very sorry to hear about your mom's passing, but I'm sure she would have wanted you guys to enjoy your trip (and it looks like you had a great time!)

We thought Kona was great, too. We have never stayed at Port Orleans before, so I'm really liking that perspective. And you can't go wrong with foodie pictures. Can't wait to see more!

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Great update! Sorry about your feet and no apple crisp. Having some solo time in the parks is a great idea!

We rode Peoplemover for the first time this trip and loved it! I can't believe we never tried it before.

Thanks, fractal I've gotten behind on your TR, so I have to go and check it out again!

And I'm so glad you finally experienced the Peoplemover! It's been my favorite since my first trip in 1986. Even though I loved thrill rides, even back then when I was 6, there was just something amazing about good ole TTA.

I thought I was the only one! That is one of my favorite parts too! Everytime I ride it now I hope that they have brought it back. It just seems so empty with the street and no horse galloping down.

Okay that's it, we're starting to form a group here :lol: It makes me feel so much better to know there are others out there who miss that lil guy!

I've NEVER gone solo in the parks!! A few years ago I wouldn't have even dreamed of it. I always thought people would look at me and say "That poor girl by herself, what a loser!" lol.. But now I'd do it in a second. You can go at your own pace and dont have to worry about anyone else!

And that's great that you felt your Mom's presence with you while you were there. (That def made me tear up a little bit, not gonna lie!)

Thanks, derelicte19 - I'm sorry to make you cry! I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but I definitely cried several times on this trip (twice during Philharmagic, for which my mom and I shared a special "inside" thing that no one else in my family got...it was just "our thing."). I think it was all a part of the healing process though.

The first time I hit a park solo was actually in Disneyland, in 2005. I almost always travel with my sister (we just "get" each other so well...she is my favorite traveling companion!), and on this trip she wasn't feeling well and decided to lay down. Well, I wasn't going to waste valuable park time, so I ventured out into DCA...and loved it!

I've actually done a 4-day solo WDW trip since as well (back during EE passholder previews). It's a totally different way to experience the parks, but a fun one as well. When I was younger I used to be so embarrassed by my mom talking to strangers while we were on vacation. Now, I'm proud to realize I'm just like her - it's fun talking to people you don't know...mostly :lol:

I'm really enjoying reading this report. I'm very sorry to hear about your mom's passing, but I'm sure she would have wanted you guys to enjoy your trip (and it looks like you had a great time!)

We thought Kona was great, too. We have never stayed at Port Orleans before, so I'm really liking that perspective. And you can't go wrong with foodie pictures. Can't wait to see more!

Thanks, SeaCastle! I've been super busy with work, so I've fallen a bit behind on my TR, but I will try to come through with more food pics

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

The first time I hit a park solo was actually in Disneyland, in 2005. I almost always travel with my sister (we just "get" each other so well...she is my favorite traveling companion!), and on this trip she wasn't feeling well and decided to lay down. Well, I wasn't going to waste valuable park time, so I ventured out into DCA...and loved it!

I've actually done a 4-day solo WDW trip since as well (back during EE passholder previews). It's a totally different way to experience the parks, but a fun one as well. When I was younger I used to be so embarrassed by my mom talking to strangers while we were on vacation. Now, I'm proud to realize I'm just like her - it's fun talking to people you don't know...mostly :lol:

My sister is always my travel companion as well (we're 2 1/2 years apart) We enjoy the same rides, same shows... It works out perfectly!!!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I love that in both your trip report and Fractals, ya'll are not afraid to go your own way! Like staying in the park when everyone left! It's so awesome!!

I need to try one of those cream cheese pretzels!

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

My sister is always my travel companion as well (we're 2 1/2 years apart) We enjoy the same rides, same shows... It works out perfectly!!!

There's just something about traveling with sisters - they're perfect traveling partners!

I love that in both your trip report and Fractals, ya'll are not afraid to go your own way! Like staying in the park when everyone left! It's so awesome!!

I need to try one of those cream cheese pretzels!

Thanks, Tammy - it can be so much fun to search for solo adventures in WDW

And definitely try the pretzel on your next trip. It's worth trying once, although I probably won't ever get it again :lol:

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Day 8 - August 26

Now, we were finally hitting our stride with quality MK time, and this morning, we were MK bound again!

Of course, I scheduled a second early breakfast in a row as well...much to the chagrin of my family.

Yup, 8:05am ADRs at the Crystal Palace were on tap for this morning. I scheduled this breakfast that early so we could get some great photo ops on Main Street before the park opened.

Remember how I mentioned that I always gave suggested departure times to my aunt? Now’s when we learned this lesson. She continually insisted we had more time, and about half the time, it worked out for her. I’m a member of the “better safe than sorry” crew myself.

And thus the “we have more time” driver caused us to rush through TTC and down Main Street to make our breakfast.

Riding the monorail to (hopefully) make our ADRs:

I said, “I told you so,” once or twice

I did snap a few pics as we hustled down Main Street to our ADRs, though:

Hurry!


Ironic that I’m the one telling everyone to hurry, yet I’m behind snapping the pics, lol:

Oh, I certainly wish:

Legends:

Almost there:

And...then we wait:

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

Day 8 (Continued)


We ended up with a really cool table overlooking the lake leading into Adventureland. I made my cousin pose by the window for no good reason:

My grandma had something very interesting to tell Eeyore. What that was exactly, I have no idea, but they seemed very into it:

My shot with the gloomy guy:

No jokes about bacon, please:

Lookin good for 8:05am:

We enjoyed a great breakfast, met Pooh and the gang, and decided to hit a few attractions before, you guessed it...back to bed! Gosh, these guys are party poopers!

Just as we left CP, we caught one of my top 5 favorite things in MK:

Yes, I know all the words, and I have to see this every trip!

In my quest for cool Facebook profile pics, I asked my sister to take a nice side castle shot:

I grabbed a nice shot of my aunt and grandma:

Such a pretty fountain. Didn’t this used to be right against the castle? I feel like it was moved (and wasn’t it in a smoking section, or am I insane?):