Dec 2010: Mayhem Invades Disney World!!!

[boilerbabe]

I will have to see if I can get B-dude to have his own little "usless trivia" thread!!! LOL. I can't seem to get him back on the boards though. I miss having him around on here. I know he loves Sub, but after working with computers all day, he doesn't like to come home and be around the computer. It's nothing personal towards any of you!!! Trust me!

AWESOME photos M-dude!!!! Loving your report so far and yours too Amy! You have some beuatiful pictures so far! I still need to get started on my report. I ask for patience!

[Len90]

The trip reports are really enjoyable to read. I am really surprised, but not shocked by everybody having issues with their rooms. I honestly would not even stand for having one night in a room that is not what I wanted or can't accomadate my family's needs. Good to hear that the Mousekecouple were able to get moved to a room that was satisfactory after the first night. The pictures are EXCELLENT!

Keep it up and I look forward to reading more.

[mindflipper]

Wow, Amy, you got alot done in the first day considering you flew in, took the bus to hotel, and checked in. All that non-park activity takes a lot of time, and yet it seems you both got a lot done in day 1. Looking forward to Day 2!

[Amy]

Wow, Amy, you got alot done in the first day considering you flew in, took the bus to hotel, and checked in. All that non-park activity takes a lot of time, and yet it seems you both got a lot done in day 1. Looking forward to Day 2!

But not a single attraction , save for Fantasmic. Trust me, that was hard for me

[NaCler]

Wow... I'm sorry everyone seemed to have issues with their rooms on this trip. Now I feel bad about bragging about our great room at the YC. I wonder if any of the issues stemmed from the computer upgrades they were doing the last few months??? I know the dining reservations were having issues towards the end of the year. Sorry guys!

Amy - Great report so far. Only 12 days left, right? haha... That's the ONLY good thing about a short trip. Not too much to remember for the trip report!

M-dude - I echo the sentiments of everyone. Awesome pictures. I really wanted to bring our good SLR camera but I didn't like the idea of toting it around the parks. Next time I think I'll have to suck it up and do it. The quality is so much better.

[MmeLeota]

Wow, WOw, WOW!!!!!
Between all the fabulous pics and wonderful commentary, I am totally blown away by the reports so far!!!!

Great job everyone!!!!

[Amy]

Wow, WOw, WOW!!!!!
Between all the fabulous pics and wonderful commentary, I am totally blown away by the reports so far!!!!
Great job everyone!!!!

Compliments like that just may get you some more pictures and days of the trip report

[Mousekedude]

Thanks, everyone for the compliments. Amy, I’m loving your report and pics so far too. It’s funny that you liked the lighting changes on the entrance to RnR…. I got those exact same shots, for the same reason. I’m posting them in this part of the trip report. So here we go:

Day 3, Thursday 12-2-10

We awoke very excited this morning… our good friends, the Boilers were arriving today! Of course, we knew they wouldn’t be there until later in the day, so we decided to start off by spending part of the day at MK, then transferring to wherever they wanted to meet up with us when they arrived. It was very cold this morning, so we dressed warm, grabbed a quick bite in our room and headed out. I don’t remember all the details of this day, so I’ll just hit some of the highlights.


Hangin’ out with Mary Poppins (she was a good sport despite the cold… she must have been freezing in that thin lace):






Having fun trying to take pictures while riding BTMRR :






Riding POTC:






Chillin’ with Ariel. Mouseoholic looks a little choked up because she was still trying to compose herself after we both got all teary-eyed from watching Ariel interact with a little girl who was a cancer patient… and may have even been terminal. She was there with the Make-a-Wish Foundation for kids with life-threatening illnesses… it was very moving (I’m getting choked up again just remembering it):






By now, it was starting to warm up a little and turn into a gorgeous day. Mouseoholic was glad she had brought another lighter jacket and put it in a locker. So she changed coats at the locker, and then we proceeded to wander around doing whatever our whims and fancies directed us to. Then: good news! The Boilers’ plane landed! They were going to check into their resort and then meet up with us at DHS. Notice the look of mischief on Mouseoholic’s face upon getting the news… now some real mayhem can begin:




It was getting close to lunch time, so even though we knew it would two or three more hours before the Boilers could get to DHS, we decided to head over there early and see if we could get into the Hollywood Brown Derby for some lunch, even though we didn’t have an ADR for it. We were really craving their famous Cobb Salad. When we got there, they told us that there was nothing available at the time, but we could come back later and check again (didn’t sound very promising). So we dejectedly headed over to Fifties Prime Time, figuring we could at least grab a sandwich at the bar or something. Well, we got to the bar there, and it was super crowded, but we managed to squeeze in. As Mouseoholic sat there half-heartedly looking over a menu and getting more and more depressed (she REALLY wanted the Brown Derby…), I went ahead and ordered a drink. I figured she’d give up and order something eventually. But no, she just didn’t want to eat there. So knowing that I’d be in the doghouse if I didn’t try to accommodate her, I paid for the drink and agreed to try the Brown Derby again. I was getting pretty frustrated, because I thought it was a useless endeavor without an ADR. Imagine my surprise when they said not only that they had a table available, but that they could seat us right away! A miracle! We had an awesome lunch, including the scrumptious Grapefruit Cake for dessert. Mouseoholic was very pleased:




We wandered around the park doing various things, until finally we heard from the Boilers that they were now arriving at the park, and wanted to meet us at ToT. So we headed over there to wait. We were shocked to see the whole front covered with scaffolding and crawling with construction workers:



We panicked a little at first, but then realized that the ride was still operating. Apparently it was just some cosmetic work being done on the outside. So we settled in to wait for the Boilers. We spotted them long before they saw us, and I had fun playing “NCIS agent” and taking covert pictures of them as they searched for us:







We had really missed each other in the long year since we last saw each other, so when they finally found us we had a very happy reunion. When I started showing Boilerdude the “stealth photos” of them searching for us, he said “Alright, DiNozzo, that’s enough….” and we had a good laugh (we’re all NCIS fans):






Then we set off to create some mayhem. We had a fantastic afternoon and evening. Here’s a few of the highlights:

We rode ToT, but Mouseoholic took the chicken exit:



RnR queue:



Hidden Mickey on the wall in the Pizza Planet:




When it got dark it also got very cold again. So I got Mouseoholic’s parka out of the locker for her, and we all decided to get some hot chocolate and go see the Osborne Lights.
Waiting for the hot chocolate:



Enjoying the hot chocolate and the lights:



I tried to get pictures of all the Hidden Mickeys in the Osborne Lights, and I got quite a few of them. Each of these pictures has at least one in it. There’s even a Hidden Minnie in one of them. Can you spot them all…?





















I even took one shot of “the Bear who must not be named”… but only because it had Hidden Mickeys in it:




Afterwards, I can’t remember if we actually rode RnR again, but we did go over there. Here are those shots I mentioned in the beginning of this post that are the same ones as Amy’s (great minds think alike):






And finally… a haunting night shot of ToT. I emailed this one to Subsonic, and he likes it. He didn’t promise to use it as a background, but he said he might, so we’ll see:




By now the park was closed, so we all headed back to our resorts for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we’ll be meeting the Boilers for breakfast at Chef Mickey’s, followed by more mayhem. Stay tuned!

[Amy]

Whoo-hoo! Good day three We do have several similar photos M-dude...I am seriously envious of your shots on Pirates though. I only got 3 shots that I thought were halfway decent and certainly none as nice as the two you posted I'll be happy looking at your pictures though
The NCIS shots were fun. I think you might look a little more like McGee though He's younger and cuter than DiNozzo
Nice shots with the characters too. I was impressed with the face characters I saw, they really do a nice job matching CMs with the characters for the most part!

[Amy]

Alright, here goes the next day for Amy and F1gment...
Day 2 ~ part I
We got up sort of early so we could gather our things together for bell services to move to our new room. I did take advantage of the locking storage, called "the cage", at bell services for my laptop. After we had a little breakfast we set off for Animal Kingdom arriving around 10 a.m.
We set off to see Finding Nemo the Musical first. I had watched a few scenes on youtube after hearing the music on here. Nemo is an awesome show, right on par with the Festival of the Lion King. The only slightly disappointing thing was Nemo was a little flat on some of his, well her, notes. But the expressions on all the actors faces and the puppets were amazing! I took a ton of pictures, and will just share a few of my favorites here...


We then scampered off to experience the safari. Mom and I were in the last row of the vehicle and it was very rough back there. F1gment had strained her back a week before we left and the ride did not help her at all
We did get some nice photos though...
These were the girl hippos (cows, I believe they are called) We learned on this trip that they are kept in the pool on one side of the vehicle, while the bull hippos are on the other side in a separate pool.



I loved the way the mist came through the foliage in this section.
I then entered the single rider line for Expedition Everest. My first attraction, not a show, of the trip (on the second day ) was going to be a new attraction for me. I really enjoyed this attraction and decided it was a little scary but super fun!
We had a truly yummy lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. This is one of our favorite counter service locations at which to eat in the AK. I must say, the server really gave me a laugh for the day. When he was presenting me with the tray, he remarked how Mom's entree was a "Chernobyl Chicken" I must have looked a little confused because he went on to explain, they really have no idea how large any of the chicken halves will be after they cook them, but this particular chicken was a little on the large side. Ahhhh, "Chernobyl Chickie" got it!
I finished my pulled pork sandwich before she was even partway through her Chernobyl chicken so she was content to finish eating while I went and did a few things on my own. **Zip** I was off with my pigtails flying
I rode Dinosaur which was way rougher than I remembered it having been 10 years ago. I was holding on for dear life! And I looked a little shocked in the photo...

I figured my spinal adjustment wasn't quite finished yet, so I headed off to Primeval Whirl, another new attraction for me. I was a little leary since I remembered the similar mouse coaster out in DCA being super rough. I rode with two little girls who told me they had been on the ride "a lot" of times. I taped the ride with my camera since I wasn't sure if I would want to ride it again and I wanted to let F1gment see what it was like (I try to do that with attractions I know she is unable to experience firsthand so she can experience them vicariously) So I have the cutest video of the attraction with my time capsule mates giggling like crazy. It really is cute! Verdict on the ride?...fun and not nearly as bad as I expected. The addition of children giggling in glee probably added a lot to my enjoyment.

Well, this is where I will leave Day 2 for now...I'll get the second half of the day on here soon

[Len90]

Wow M-dude! I am liking the skills with the camera. Those face character shots are just fantastic. I really think it's a bit scary that Disney has the scaffolding fully visible as ToT is getting some exterior work done. They have been trying to hide that behind fake facades, but it's good to see it blends in at night and doesn't hurt that ominous gloomy appearance.

Amy, so far I am liking how Day 2 is going. Glad to see a picture of that baby elephant. It has grown a bit since I was there in July! I honestly am not a fan of Primeval Whirl. I went on it with my mom in 2006 and I just hate the feeling of coasters that make you feel like you're going off the edge.

I'll patiently wait for more

[mindflipper]

Nah, I don't want to be patient. More! Now! I can't wait!!!!

I want to see the double-boiler's Dive Quest!

[Amy]

Nah, I don't want to be patient. More! Now! I can't wait!!!!
I want to see the double-boiler's Dive Quest!

Ooooo! Me too!
But where is your portion of the trip report? Don't you have more to share?!

[Mousekedude]

Thanks for the compliments, all. The saying is true: "a picture is worth a thousand words." Great pics really capture the excitement of being there, so I like to include lots of them to share the fun with everyone. By the way, if anybody sees one they'd like to use as a background, just let me know and I'll email you the full-size file (these are all reduced size).
Amy, you have a lot of really great shots too... how come you don't post them larger? It's nice to see the pictures large enough to truly enjoy the details, and the Subsonic Gods allow us to post up to 800x600 screen resolution size, so don't hold back.

And I agree with Amy, Mindflipper.... where is your part of the story?

[Amy]

Thanks for the compliments, all. The saying is true: "a picture is worth a thousand words." Great pics really capture the excitement of being there, so I like to include lots of them to share the fun with everyone. By the way, if anybody sees one they'd like to use as a background, just let me know and I'll email you the full-size file (these are all reduced size).
Amy, you have a lot of really great shots too... how come you don't post them larger? It's nice to see the pictures large enough to truly enjoy the details, and the Subsonic Gods allow us to post up to 800x600 screen resolution size, so don't hold back.
And I agree with Amy, Mindflipper.... where is your part of the story?

I was wondering about the picture guidelines and hadn't gone and checked them out. I can make them a little bit bigger I guess. I just didn't want to overload