DON'T Read This TRIP REPORT If You're a Princess Hater!

[mom2rtk]

Intermission's over folks!

Let's continue on with our day!

As I mentioned, it's our tradition to see the first Beauty & the Beast show of the day, so after seeing the characters near the hat, we headed over to the theater. Katie sat down and I ran around the corner to get fastpasses for Tower of Terror. We got great seats down front and prepared to enjoy the show. Before it even started, one of the CM's came up and chatted with us. They loved Katie's gown and wanted to know if we could come to the 12:45 show to be that show's Princess of the Day. Come back you say?........... for a little dusting of Pixie dust you say??????? Absolutely! This had actually happened on a prior trip or 2..... and sure...... we were secretly hoping it might happen this time again.

Here are a couple photos from the archives. These are very special photo ops granted to us by some kind CM'S:

2009:

[/url] Two Belles and their Prince by mom2rtk, on Flickr[/IMG]

And 2008:

[/url] A Very Special Beauty & the Beast Photo Op by mom2rtk, on Flickr[/IMG]

I decided to push my luck a little and ask the CM if there was any way to get a photo with Gaston after the show. I figure I can always ask, and they can always say no. It never hurts to try. She thought for a moment then said sure. She could make that happen. YEAH! We were both really excited and she told us what time to meet her for the next show. So we happily went on our way to do some other things.

First up.......Tower of Terror. Now, Katie and I have only done this ride once, and that was just last year. I think the only reason Katie did it was because her best friend loved the ride. We both did OK on in in our inaugural ride last year, but I wasn't really sold........ But heck, if Katie wanted to go, I'd be a good sport and do it too. We did fine on the ride, but almost in unison after the ride said we didn't want to ever ride it again. I LOVE roller coasters, but Tower or Terror just doesn't do it for me. Apparently it doesn't do it for Katie either!

After the ride, it dawned on me that we still needed to get our Toy Story Mania fastpasses. Surely the stampede was over by then, right? So we headed down Sunset Boulevard. I also wanted our traditional photos in front of the hat. On our walk down Sunset, a couple of the Streetmosphere characters bowed down to Katie like she was royalty. Katie giggled and waved, but we didn't stop. We went on to the hat!

While we were taking our pictures we noticed that our 2 Streetmosphere friends had actually stalked us over to the hat! They wanted to play for a bit. They came over and made a big deal about bowing down to Katie again. They introduced themselves as Dara Vamp and Les Manley. Katie was grinning from ear to ear, just eating it all up. It was a very fun interaction:

We bid farewell to our street friends and headed over to get our Toy Story fastpasses. They were for right at 7 PM. We barely got in! Our next stop was the Animation Building to say hi to the Big Cheese!:

We had a 12:30 ADR for the Brown Derby, but decided to pass on that since we had to be back at 12:15 for the 12:45 BATB show. So we decided to grab some counter service over near the BATB Theater. Up until then, as you can see in the photos, it had been a beautiful sunny day. As we sat there eating it started to cloud over....... FAST. Those beautiful blue skies turned gray before we were done with our chicken and fries! So rather than take a chance, we quickly finished and headed for our locker, where we had stowed umbrellas and jackets. We just missed the deluge!

But we still had to get back to BATB theater in time! So we ducked into the shops on Hollywood Boulevard, quickly making our way to the theater, laughing and giggling as we dodged the raindrops.

We just made it in time and found our CM from earlier in the day waiting for us!

NEXT UP: There's a reason I'm still hoping Gaston makes appearances at his Tavern in the Fantasyland Expansion........

 

[Caretames1]

Oh sure leave us hanging I think you have a Pixie on your shoulder, with a large bag of dust! Oh, and I love the second Belle dress in your past pictures!

 

[basketkat]

Loving this report!!! I'm in!

 

[francis6306]

How cool that you have had such luck with the BATB! Love those pictures. I think your daughter will be a shoe-in for the College Program when she's out of high school!

 

[clearskies]

You are amazing Janet. You have helped create so many incredible experiences for Katie that I am sure she will always remember. I have never this many special character interactions. Katie looks so happy in anticipation of the show. Looking forward to see your experience with Gaston.

 

[dismagiclover]

Love the interaction with the Street characters. So cute! I also love the picture of Mickey and Katie dancing! From your tease it sounds like things don't work out with Gaston. What a bummer. I'm not trying to hijack, but I though you might like this picture I took with the B&B cast during my marathon. At the time I couldn't figure out exactly who they were. It didn't dawn on me until later that they was an actual cast. (This was at mile 24 and by that time I wasn't thinking clearly)

 

[KCmike]

Wow how did I miss the latest installment?
Really enjoying all the shots. Your daughter is wonderful in all those dresses/costumes. You should be so proud!

Really loving all the now and then shots. We do that all the time when we make our annual pilgrimages to DL or WDW. In fact we have our own photostory/slideshow/movie that we pull out and relieve the memories. How cool is that you were the Grand Marshals at DHS!?!

Alright so I'm finally on board. You will probably notice I went back to your old(er) trip report to see some of those gorgeous nature shots you took. We are thinking of driving cross country this summer but not sure exactly where.

Keep up the great work!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh sure leave us hanging I think you have a Pixie on your shoulder, with a large bag of dust! Oh, and I love the second Belle dress in your past pictures!

We really have been very fortunate to have some amazing moments at Disney! You'll see as the trip report goes on that it doesn't ALWAYS work out...... Regardless, we love to plot and scheme and try.........

And many thanks for the kind comment on Katie's gold Belle gown. (I think that's the one you were talking about???) After seeing Belle's gold gown in the stage show in January 08, I knew I had to do one in gold when we went back!

Loving this report!!! I'm in!

Yeah! And...........

How cool that you have had such luck with the BATB! Love those pictures. I think your daughter will be a shoe-in for the College Program when she's out of high school!

We've joked a bit about her doing the college program. She certainly has the outgoing personality for it! And gosh........ how fun would it be to come visit her there!

You are amazing Janet. You have helped create so many incredible experiences for Katie that I am sure she will always remember. I have never this many special character interactions. Katie looks so happy in anticipation of the show. Looking forward to see your experience with Gaston.

Many thanks! We're both like kids when we go together. And I guess that's why we like it so much.

I'm also looking forward to our experience with Gaston......... if that gives you any idea how this story goes!

Told you...... sometimes this stuff turns out great..... sometimes not quite as great......

Love the interaction with the Street characters. So cute! I also love the picture of Mickey and Katie dancing! From your tease it sounds like things don't work out with Gaston. What a bummer. I'm not trying to hijack, but I though you might like this picture I took with the B&B cast during my marathon. At the time I couldn't figure out exactly who they were. It didn't dawn on me until later that they was an actual cast. (This was at mile 24 and by that time I wasn't thinking clearly)

Ahhhh....... good instincts........... I'll have an update ready in a little bit.

And it's not hijacking at ALL. That photo is AWESOME! I'm glad you shared it.

But the TWENTY FOUR mile marker.............

I guess signing up and just stopping when I found the cast is OUT! I'm gonna need a new plan.....

CONGRATULATIONS on doing the marathon! You are setting a great example for your kids!

 

[mom2rtk]

Wow how did I miss the latest installment?
Really enjoying all the shots. Your daughter is wonderful in all those dresses/costumes. You should be so proud!

Really loving all the now and then shots. We do that all the time when we make our annual pilgrimages to DL or WDW. In fact we have our own photostory/slideshow/movie that we pull out and relieve the memories. How cool is that you were the Grand Marshals at DHS!?!

Alright so I'm finally on board. You will probably notice I went back to your old(er) trip report to see some of those gorgeous nature shots you took. We are thinking of driving cross country this summer but not sure exactly where.

Keep up the great work!!!

Howdy neighbor! I was just on my over to the summer trip report to answer your question and tell you I had decided to do one on the December trip. I'm glad you're on board!



On the summer trip I was shooting with the Canon Xsi. Right before this trip I upgraded to the T2i. Not a HUGE upgrade, but I REALLY love the higher ISO.

I didn't really consider this as much of a photography expedition as a mother/daughter girly trip, so while I got some shots I was really happy with, that wasn't really the focus. And given how COLD it was in the evenings, that really did mess with a lot of my night photography plans.

I think it's cool you're considering a driving trip with the family. You already know how much I recommend that. And don't give a single thought to how high gas prices are (easy for ME to say when it's not me paying, right?????) We drove to Sanibel Island FL in the summer of 08. Perhaps you remember the "summer of the insane gas prices"?????? Gas was 3.79 all the way across the country headed east then right at $4 a gallon when we got to FL. BUT......... I'm sure you know this time when your kids are the right age for car trips is short. Don't let the price of gas put you off.

And you KNOW what I would recommend, right?????? GO WEST YOUNG MAN!

I don't want to SWAY your decision.......... but:

Sorry for the distraction everyone............. NO, this is not the latest attraction at Disney.......... but it's on the WAY to Disney.......... well.......... sort of......... if you're headed west and detour through Arizona........

Let me know what you guys decide to do!

I've been working on my new installment here and will have it in a few minutes!

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

I agree... you really go the extra mile for your daughter. She will have so many wonderful memories to tell her kids about how wonderful their grandmother is. Though I suspect you shall continue the tradition and spoil them as well . I am not even married and you are making want to have a little girl right now so I can steal her down to WDW and dress her up to recreate all of your amazing memories . To bad they don't let dogs into the park I could dress up my my current child and parade her with pride .

INTRO.... Peanut: My special needs dog with the most adorable personality you will ever find in a dog. All who meet her fall under her spell of cuteness. Even full grown men. And yes, she is full grown .

She love a good sun spot, no matter how small . She is using the rug to brace herself up against the wall

 

[mom2rtk]

Now...........where did we leave off??????

Oh yes......... how could I forget? We had a very special invitation to come back for the 12:45 show of BATB so Katie could be Princess of the Day ane we could get a photo with Gaston after the show! We ditched the Brown Derby, ate counter service and just made it back through the rain. But it was all worth it for a little

As we got to the theater, we noticed it was already open, well ahead of the time they normally do that. I suppose they do that to let people into the covered seating when it's raining out. At the top of the ramp, I saw the CM who had invited us back. Before I could say a word though...... she came up to us..........

She had a really thick accent, so I'm not sure if I got this all straight. But she said she was really sorry, but there had been a problem at the 11:30 show. And here's the part that's hard to be sure of. And to be honest, I was caught so off guard, I didn't ask a lot of questions. She said either "Gaston" or "a guest" had a heart attack during the show and they had to cancel mid-show. "A guest" makes a lot more sense than "Gaston", but honestly it sounded more like "Gaston". So she was sorry, but while we could stay and watch the show.... no Princess of the Day.... and no photo after the show. WOW! I told her of course we understood and I was SO sorry and hoped that person would be fine.

So while we were both disappointed, our issues were obviously nothing compared to the serious health issues someone else was facing that day.

Soooooooo........ we sat down to watch the show. The confusing part was when they brought another little girl in to be Princess of the Day. I explained to Katie that she was probably the girl from the 11:30 show. Still, I do wish the CM had explained that to us. But I completely understand how distracted the CM's must have been long about then.

If anyone heard of any issues at BATB that day (12/12/10) I'd sure like to know how that turned out. We hope the issue wasn't as serious as it sounded and that they recovered.

What an odd day. In the midst of our frivolous excitement to be faced with a life/death situation was hard to process.

The show did go on. In my haste, I had left my telephoto lens in the locker, but still enjoyed photographing the show with my sorter lens. One of the things I love about Disney is that they are so accommodating of people with cameras. Their shows are SO visual....... and I love sitting there finding new ways to capture that beauty for my scrapooks:

 

[mom2rtk]

I agree... you really go the extra mile for your daughter. She will have so many wonderful memories to tell her kids about how wonderful their grandmother is. Though I suspect you shall continue the tradition and spoil them as well . I am not even married and you are making want to have a little girl right now so I can steal her down to WDW and dress her up to recreate all of your amazing memories . To bad they don't let dogs into the park I could dress up my my current child and parade her with pride .

INTRO.... Peanut: My special needs dog with the most adorable personality you will ever find in a dog. All who meet her fall under her spell of cuteness. Even full grown men. And yes, she is full grown .

She love a good sun spot, no matter how small . She is using the rug to brace herself up against the wall

OK........ Those photos needed to come with a CUTENESS warning!

Peanut is adorable!

And thanks for the kind words. I hope you have a little girl of your own one day to share in some princessy fun!

I have sold a few of Katie's special costumes to finance extra Disney trips. But we have kept most of them for her own daughter to have one day.

 

[Iwant2BAprincess]

Sorry about not meeting Gaston-I keep hoping one day there will be a villians restaraunt. Your BATb pictures remind me that one day we really need to get there early enough for better seats!

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

OK........ Those photos needed to come with a CUTENESS warning!

Peanut is adorable!

And thanks for the kind words. I hope you have a little girl of your own one day to share in some princessy fun!

I have sold a few of Katie's special costumes to finance extra Disney trips. But we have kept most of them for her own daughter to have one day.

What a great idea! I hadn't even thought of that part. The character costumes won't change you are set for grandmother of the year for sure! That is of course she only has boys

 

[mom2rtk]

It was still raining after the show, so we headed for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It felt good to get inside the theater and dry off. Apparently everyone had the same idea and the theater was pretty full. Regardless, I wanted to sit farther back anyway so I could get some decent shots without breaking my neck. Last trip Katie really wanted to sit in the front row. This time that wasn't even an option. I love that I feel like I get better at photographing this show with every trip:

Unfortunately my singing skills don't get better with every trip..... but I still have the urge to sing along. Sooooooo....... my apologies to anyone who sat near us!

The Great Movie Ride had the same problem as the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It was indoors and it was still raining! The park was busy, but not crazy busy, yet there was a 25 minute wait! Still....... I saw no point in hanging around out in the rain and we got in line. Thankfully it didn't take that long.

As we exited the GMR, we noticed the rain had mostly let up. I know Katie loves the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, so we headed over there to be sure we caught it before it started raining again.

We still had the fastpasses they gave us after the admission problem that morning. And my FAVORITE ride in all of WDW was calling my name. Katie had never done Rock N Rollercoaster.

Here's the back story on my experience with RnR: When we headed for Disney in 09, I still had never ridden it. When we helped open the park in 09, they were supposed to drive us over there in that cute little white car for the first ride of the day. But Katie had not yet discovered her inner thrill ride junkie. When our driver in the little white car heard that, he asked Katie what she would prefer to do (anything but TSM). She chose the Great Movie Ride. So he U-TURNED the car and headed back down Sunset Boulevard AGAINST the crowd that was pouring in........ yelling all the way to the crowds to get out of the way. It was a blast! But alas... no RnR that day. Later in the trip, my husband and one of my teenage sons (the one that doesn't HATE Disney!) I got to ride for the first time with my teenage son. It was AWESOME...... and a very special Disney memory of mine!

Then last summer........ the entire family went to Disneyland and Katie did indeed find her inner thrill ride junkie. We rode California Screamin 3 times in a row (with Give a Day fastpasses) and had a BALL!

Sooooooooooo............. Katie was ready for RnR, right? We had talked about it a LOT leading up to the trip and were both really excited. Well, I think that ride on Tower of Terror earlier in the day really did her in. She kept saying no every time I suggested that ride next. After the playground, she said she'd pick the next ride as a surprise. She had me help her find Hollywood Blvd, and by then I had a hunch what she was up to. By the time we hit Sunset Blvd, I KNEW what she was up to, but I played along and acted surprised when she led me to RnR. What a sweetie!

We had fastpasses, so the line wasn't bad......... but still........ by just as we got to the loading platform............. she said she changed her mind. YIKES! What to do?????????? What happened to my thrill ride junkie???????

 

[mom2rtk]

What a great idea! I hadn't even thought of that part. The character costumes won't change you are set for grandmother of the year for sure! That is of course she only has boys

Now cut that out! I want her to have at least one of each! At least Katie will let me talk about what her kids will be like one day. You should see the looks the boys give me!

Sorry about not meeting Gaston-I keep hoping one day there will be a villians restaraunt. Your BATb pictures remind me that one day we really need to get there early enough for better seats!

Well, it was just one of those things. I honestly can't complain. After all, someone's life was in jeopardy that day. So another time perhaps. But man, I hope they bring him out near his tavern once that phase of the expansion opens up!

I would LOVE a villain character meal. But I understand they used to do that for dinner at 1900 Park Fare and they discontinued it because it scared too many of the little kids. I really wish they'd at least make more of them available for meet & greets. We did MNSSHP last year and saw some, and that was great, but if you can't get there for Halloween, you're pretty much out of luck.

 

[dismagiclover]

Oh that is too bad about B&B show. I hope everything ended up OK. Leaving us with that cliffhanger! I surely hope she rides it!

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh that is too bad about B&B show. I hope everything ended up OK. Leaving us with that cliffhanger! I surely hope she rides it!

I sure hope everyone was OK too. I wish I knew. I probably should have posted here when we got back to see if anyone had any more information.

Wanna know what happened with RnR? I'll post the rest of our day in a bit, then off to get some other stuff done.

 

[DISNEYaddict4evr]

but still........ by just as we got to the loading platform............. she said she changed her mind. YIKES! What to do?????????? What happened to my thrill ride junkie???????

I've been there in 2004 my 6 year-old niece wanted to ride ToT, I was like I'll go if you want. We got right in, were in there room with the video. As soon as the lighting hit and the people disappeared I felt a tiny hand grab by shirt and start pulling. I looked down and there she was shaking here head "saying I changed my mind, aunt Erica! I don't want to go anymore!" So we wen tback outside then I had to go get back in lien while the rest of the family waited for me. The Poor thing. Needless to say she finally rode in 2008 when my mom and I took her back. I don't think she will be going again anytime soon

They could not have timed that any better, we kept looking at her telling her it was over soon, but all we kept doing was going up then dropping going up then dropping. I swear it was the longest sequence in recorded ToT history, the poor thing

Sorry if I keep hijacking your post with pictures I hoep you don't mind you just tell me knock if of if I get to much I am known to get over excited about sharing

 

[jenseib]

I LOVE that dress from 2008 (the gold one). It's gorgeous. Katie is one lucky girl. I'm sure she knows it though. I can't wait to read more. I am so happy you decided to do a TR.

Ok, I need to go read more and catch back up.