"ENCHANTED TALES with ROB" - A Birthday/Christmas DISer Celebration! **NEW TR LINK**

[DisneyKid4Life]

I could've sworn that I commented, but somehow it just disappeared or never went through. Sorry!

Ahh, walking through the Osbourne Lights is one of my favorite things about Christmas at Disney. It totally just engrosses you in the spirit of the season.

I love how many DIS meets you're having on this trip! So cool!

Awww you're too sweet. It's all good Lauren.

Oh my goodness does it ever. It's like Christmas exploded... but in a good way.

Me too. They are what made this trip so super special without any doubt.

Hi Rob all caught up once again! Goodness this was the day we started at Epcot too and ended with MK! We were literally like 10 min off with our Soarin FP too! Dang. Wish I had known you back in December lol.
Wow the Strawberry Shortcake pic makes me really really hungry! I have still yet to try this seeming yummy treat but I will someday.....someday.
I liked your comment about not buying merchandise because....well....I'm poor meee tooo!!!! Dang you Disney obsession!
Ummmmm.....BTW Disney has nothing on your small world shirt, just sayin'
and yes the small world children are terrifying and they haunt my dreams too. I am really surprised the Disney/ABC has not yet incorporated them into Once Upon a Time as some sort of weapon or dark magic.....or maybe that's just too dark for television lol. Speaking of which have you seen the small world dolls that you can now buy from the disney store that have them sing the song? Oh my goodness that's just not right! I can't lie though there was a brief moment when I entertained the idea of buying them all and hiding them in my DH's closet and have them all start singing at the same time to scare the crap out of him.....but he knows too much about my fears and revenge would be too scary.
Awww poor lonely Circle of Life CM. Why is this and Captain EO still there?
Ooh the Epcot display with the desserts and such.....I wanted to eat the whole Disney Village....it was made out of food right? I did not just imagine that.....right......?
Yay for a DISmeet in Italy!!! and they sang Happy Birthday to you in Italian?! Gasp!! How awesome is that?!
The slushies looked yummy...were they strong? I remember trying a margarita once at San Angel and it was too much for me. Don't get me wrong I like a mixed drink every now and then but I don't like to taste the alcohol too much. Bleh.
Loved your Aurora meet and greet! I agree her new look is so much better. Still not a fan of the hair though. It's just so pretty in the movie. Why does Disney seem to have such a hard time with this? It ALWAYS looks like a cheap wig to me IMO. And your poor Birthday cupcake! I would have cried!
I liked your story about the guy who got in the DVC line lol! Bahahahaha
SANTA DUFFY! GAH!! Was he not the softest bear in the world? Love him!
Man you had a lot of DIS meets! How awesome is that to just get recognized?! Pretty stinkin cool! Loved the part where Brenda mistakes Em for someone else lol. Totally sounds like something I would do.....big ol' production and all! And finally TOT Arm in Front of My Face Guy.....epic Rob. Just Epic

Hi Jenn!!! I KNOW. It's so funny that we were almost literally following each other all day and had no idea. The good thing is it would never happen again!
Oh that SB Shortcake. Seriously, I think I could survive on that. So good.
Haha, yeah, I try to be very careful of my spending. If I had my way, I'd just buy everything and be done. Since that is no where near possible, I make sure to pick the best.
Thank you!!! Their shirt sucks, lol.
OMG I could not watch that. They make Chucky look like a saint. Yeah Chucky kills people, but THOSE DOLLS ARE TERRIFYING!!!!! And yes, I have heard about those dolls you can buy. In fact, the person in the next update has some. And yet I still consider her a friend. Go figure. OMG though,that would have been EPIC! What a great Halloween idea.
He just made me so sad. Poor guy.
Yup, it was indeed food. And yeah, a little tempting to be putting that out in the open like that. Impressive as hell though.
I still get chills a bit thinking about that. It was so unexpected that I can't believe it really happened. Plus, sharing the moment with a whole gang 'o DISers just made it all the more incredible.
They are yummy. Hmmm, you know, I would say they are on the strong side, which I found really surprising. I found the Orange GM to be stronger tasting than the Grey Goose Lemonade though. I preferred the GG Lemon. That one I found perfect.
She was so pretty. That dress is just so much better looking than the old one. I get what you're saying about the hair though. I find this to be the case with a lot of the Princesses sadly. Aww my birthday truffle. It was sad, but still edible. Plus, the whole gesture around it was way more special than the actual treat anyway. So no need for tears.
OMG that stuff cracks me up. This guy literally just walked up and stopped. Never asked any questions, just stood there. I was dying...
HE IS!!!! He gives Pooh a run for his softness money. I have a HUGE fondness for that bear. I'll explain that more in a little bit.
Considering I had only been on the DISboards for about 9-10 months at that point, the amount of DISers I met astounds me. Bahaha, Brenda's mis-identification for some reason just set me off. God I found it funny. And despite having Arm in Front of My Face Guy, I wouldn't trade that ride photo for anything.
Oh, and stay tuned for the next update. It contains something I think you'll recognize...

Ahhh, the Osbourne Lights, my favorite. Looking at all your pictures made me wish it were December again! I just love how festive they are, and if music could be streamed through the posts, I think everyone would understand what you mean by how spectacular they are.

A DISmeet ride photo?! How cool!

Well, now I'm very curious about your MK evening...

Yes they are. I won't even pretend to compare my experience with yours Alicia. But nonetheless, it's always memorable to see and enjoy those lights.

A real highlight and something I was dying to get. So happy to have it on one of my favourite rides.

Coming up soon. I imagine for some it will appear like any other MK night. But for me, it was so very special.

What a fun day so far! I LOVE all the pictures of Epcot all decorated for Christmas. The storytellers are a really cool touch, I'm really sad all the Christmasy touches won't be up for our trip. Ah well, gives me a reason to plan a December trip!

The Osborne Lights look so beautiful! One of my favorite parts of Christmas is all the lights, so I was super excited to discover the other day that we'll get to catch them on our trip in November! Your pics of them have me so excited!

Love all the DISmeet stories and photos, that sure does make a trip extra fun!

It sure was. Epcot may have the best tree of all the parks and the subtle decorations are great, not to mention the awesome storytellers.

Oh my goodness you will die. There is nothing that can prepare you for the sight of seeing them in person. Pictures are great, but live is unreal.

Without a doubt, the DISmeets absolutely made this trip the best I've had.

Love the awesome Dismeet/Tower of Terror mashup and resulting photo (despite being arm in face guy!)
You're so right, words really cannot describe. Those lights are just so stunning, and you'll never get it all in a picture, but I love seeing as many pictures as possible!! And yours are awesome!!
Well it certainly sounds like a really wonderful evening already, and more to come!

Oh me too Wendy, believe me. No amount of arm in face was gong to ruin that photo for me.
There's not much more that can be added really. They need to be seen. But THANK YOU for the compliment.
It was a day I'll always remember for sure. So much greatness, and a little cherry on top to finish off the night.

 

[happy tink]

Hi Rob!

I just wanted to say that while reading your, If this is a Dream TR, I noticed that you and others don't like It's a Small World. Now I must admit I only rode once in MK, I will probably not ride it there again. But in Disneyland IASW is awesome! Okay it's tranquil, but it's fun and wholesome and beautiful, especially at Christmas time. So it you haven't tried it at DL, you need to.

Also your photos are great, both threads. Loved the artsy castle pics.

Loved the Splash Mt photo bomb! And Splash Mt with Ariel!

Your writing and photos are superb! And I'm waiting!!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hi Rob!

I just wanted to say that while reading your, If this is a Dream TR, I noticed that you and others don't like It's a Small World. Now I must admit I only rode once in MK, I will probably not ride it there again. But in Disneyland IASW is awesome! Okay it's tranquil, but it's fun and wholesome and beautiful, especially at Christmas time. So it you haven't tried it at DL, you need to.

Also your photos are great, both threads. Loved the artsy castle pics.

Loved the Splash Mt photo bomb! And Splash Mt with Ariel!

Your writing and photos are superb! And I'm waiting!!!

Hi Linda!

I've only been to Disneyland one time, and I did refrain from riding Small World. Obviously I was impressed by it, but I didn't ride. I know they added some Disney characters throughout, which I think is cool, but the song. Oh that song... However, I would absolutely do it at Christmas when the overlay in insalled.

Awww THANK YOU!!!

Hahaha I will never forget my ride with a mermaid.

Thank you SO MUCH!! I'm readying the next update right now.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

“JUST BECAUSE I CANNOT SEE IT, DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T BELIEVE IT”
Day 7 – December 9, 2013 Part 5



I arrived by bus at the TTC and just as I arrived I received a text from Carrie (cheekypoppins on the DIS).
She and daughter Riley had arrived just that afternoon, and were now on a bus and on their way to Magic Kingdom as well.

We had corresponded prior to the trip to arrange a meet up, settling on the next day for a little FP attraction known as Enchanted Tales,
So this was a somewhat unexpected and unplanned DISmeet for this evening.

I won't lie; I was a little nervous this time.
Not for the DISmeet, as I knew based on our prior exchanges that Carrie was going to be wonderful.
But by adding a kid into the mix, a pre-teen no less, I just wasn't sure how she would take to a stranger.

Even though Carrie and I were looking forward to meeting, I didn’t want it to be at the expense of her daughter’s fun,
Nor did I want to interfere in their mother/daughter time.
So, if I sensed she was even a little uncomfortable (or bored) having a stranger around, I would simply and politely excuse myself.

But I also took it as a challenge of sorts...
This would be the first time I'd ever done anything Disney with an actual kid.
And since kids deserve to have the best Disney experience possible, I was determined to try and do everything I could to help make that happen.

I took the Monorail over and walked right down the middle of Main Street USA.
On the one hand, you have to; The song says so.
But on the other, there was NO FREAKIN’ WAY I was going to get out on the fringe again with no hope of getting back.

So, nope, I’m staying right smack in the middle of the street this time, thank you.

I posted on Facebook:
"It does not get any better than this... Waiting for Wishes."

I texted Carrie to let her know my exact location, which ended up being roughly in line with Casey's, and a very short time later we were meeting for the first time.
I instantly thought of Brenda and Emily because of how they joked with me about whether I had a “Canadian accent”.
Carrie definitely lived up to that with a ton of “eh’s” peppered throughout her dialog.
I loved it.

We chatted for a bit and I said hello to Riley, but we didn’t have too long to chat as Celebrate the Magic was just about to begin.
It was as amazing as it always is, and the new Frozen section once again solidified my stance that “Let It Go” is an instant Disney classic.

Then the Grand Pooh-Bah of nighttime shows, Wishes and I were reunited, and I was finally in the proper spot, unlike on my birthday.
It was incredibly precious to watch as Carrie teared up a bit and Riley was right there to offer her mom a supportive hug.
If you get teary during Wishes, then we can for sure be friends.

I have ZERO photos of Celebrate nor Wishes, as I just wanted to watch and feel it, and I did just that.

Every little bit of it.

Once it was over, we all agreed that food was a good plan, and Carrie's suggestion of Pinocchio’s sounded perfect.

It was here that Riley and I started to bond a bit, as we explained the differences between "Chicken Fingers" and "Chicken Nuggets" to Carrie.
It’s a tried and true formula folks; When trying to connect with a kid, ganging up on the mother is a good strategy.

After ordering and finding a seat, we finally got our first DISmeet photo,

(photo courtesy of Carrie)

And I in turn got a picture of them.

And Riley in turn got a picture of me.

(photo courtesy of Riley)

Then came the apparently tough decision of what to do next, as they each went back and forth,
“No you pick”… “No YOU pick”.
Riley had told me that she wasn’t big on the “Thrill” rides, but did like creepy type thrills, so the decision to me was obvious…

It’s a Small World. You just can't get creepier than that.

"Sadly" it was still down for refurb so I suggested the other obvious choice… The Haunted Mansion!

This resulted in a huge “YEAH!!!!!!" of approval.

On the way to HM, we saw that the "Liberty Square Electrical Parade", or LSEP, was coming through, so we stopped first to watch it.

Then Haunted Mansion time, and my one photo to show that we were in fact there.

Carrie was dying to go to Pirates (apparently Johnny Depp is good looking or something) but decided on the Jingle Cruise first.
The Jungle Cruise is always so different at night and the CM’s loading the boat loved my shirt, so this was a wise choice.

We went to Pirates next and were seated in the front row, where Riley and I had a blast running our fingers through the mist before the drop.
And speaking of the drop, I’ve been on Pirates a countless number of times in my life and I have NEVER gotten so much as a drop of water on me.

Until now.

We hit the drop and I swear the entire contents of Bay Lake AND Seven Sea’s Lagoon was thrust upon us.
OK, that’s a mild exaggeration, but it was still a lot of water, and I was in absolute shock.
It actually became a talking point for quite a while.

We made it through the rest of the ride unscathed, at least until the dump shop where an intense fight broke out.

(photo courtesy of Carrie)

This has become one of my absolute favorite photos ever in Disney (and is currently my FB cover photo).
I usually just blast through the gift shop, so I just had so much fun just… Playing.

Oh and Carrie also licked a picture of Jack Sparrow (well not actually licked, but close).
I just felt the need to point that out because he’s apparently good looking or something.
And Riley and I bonded further laughing and making fun of Carrie for the licking or non-licking, whatever the case may be.

After spending way more time in this store than I ever have before (yeah we played with the guns too), we went to get a snack.
But before we got into the line... a guy came along... stopped... took a picture of my shirt... and left.

Only in Disney.

After consuming this deliciousness, we ended up on Main Street, and since the evening seemed to be going really well,
Why not get a group castle photo.

We swung around and into Tomorrowland since I knew they wanted to ride the Speedway.
I decided not to since I drive all the time, so driving 2 miles per hour over a rail is less than appealing.
Plus, it gave them a little bit of private mother/daughter time, which I thought was important.
I had hoped to get some photos of them driving, but totally missed spotting them even though they spotted me failing to spot them.

Epic Fail on my part.

Nonetheless, we regrouped and headed into Fantasyland where a certain normally long lined adventure had a really short wait.

The CM’s out front noticed my giddiness, which was partly the result of the late hour,
But mostly the result of photographing Peter Pan with a 10 minute wait!!!!
The CM excitedly told me that it really wasn’t even that, it was a walk on, and she even tried to change the time to 0 for me to photograph.

CM's get this stuff.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t do it manually which resulted in this huge honor and responsibility.

The CM told me to come right back out front after riding, as it would be showing 0 once that magic card was scanned.
Unfortunately, I blanked and completely forgot to go back out front and get the photo of a lifetime.

Yet ANOTHER Epic Fail... But by God I was having fun.

As EMH was coming to an end, we wanted to do at least one more thing, so we headed into the non existent line for Winnie the Pooh.
Even though time was short, we still got a little distracted on the way in and almost missed riding entirely.

(photo courtesy of Carrie)

Kids…

We were the last ones to ride for the day since when we disembarked, EMH was over, so we made our way towards the front of the park.

During our slow walk out, Carrie told me that Riley had just asked her if they were going to be meeting up with me the next day as well.
I already admitted I had been a little nervous at the beginning of the night, since you never really know how kids will take to you.

Carrie even commented to me that she was surprised since Riley's not normally this "clingy" with people she's just met.
It just made my night to know that she was actually excited that there would be an encore performance the next day.

As an added bonus, Carrie had mentioned to me that Riley doesn’t wear her birthday button (it was in October, but this was still a “birthday trip”),
Since she didn’t like all the attention and whatnot.

But, as we made our way to our respective bus stops, them to All Stars, me to POP,
They yelled over that Riley had decided she wanted to wear her birthday button the following day…

... Just like me.

It may not sound like that big of a deal, but I honestly thought it was the sweetest thing ever.

I posted on Facebook:
"Wonderful Night of Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom with Carrie and Riley. I had such a great time. Thank you both!!"

That statement really doesn’t even begin to capture how much I enjoyed this night.
Carrie was even more fun, warm, and welcoming than I could ever have expected,
And Riley just completely stole my heart.

The evening was just the perfect ending to what is one of, if not the ABSOLUTE BEST, Disney days I’ve ever had.

And tomorrow would bring more Memories and Magic, as I was set to experience my second Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.



UP NEXT… "IT'S THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON, YOU CAN FEEL IT IN THE AIR."
​

 

[teekathepony]

Well, you guys certainly got a lot done together! So many rides!

But let's face it, that's not at all the highlight.

What a wonderful time spent together. I can understand being a little nervous, but I've met you and can see why Riley took to you so quick, you're just a nice person! Now I need to meet Carrie and Riley too, they both sound really awesome.

Loved this update so much! I'm feeling all sappy happy here.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[ElenaJane]

Oh my gosh! What an update! I'm tearing up a little bit here! I not only cry during Wishes, but now your super-sweet updates as well! Jeesh!

 

[PopArtGal]

Awe, I love how Disney can make us befriend people and feel like there's an instant connection.

 

[natebenma]

Between the latest updates from you and Glenn, I had to break out a new box of tissues!

Wow, what a fantastic night you had with Carrie and Riley. Kudos to you! Tweens can be tough. Believe me, I know. So being able to warm over Riley like that is huge!

But then I see that photo from the Pirates dump shop and I get it.

I can see why this was such a special day for you.

10 (actually 0) minutes at Peter Pan?!? That's even more unbelievable than 30 minutes at Swiss Family Treehouse. The only time I see PP with that kind of time is first thing in the morning.

 

[Wood Nymph]

On the way to HM, we saw that the "Liberty Square Electrical Parade", or LSEP, was coming through, so we stopped first to watch it.

We watched that parade from Liberty Square, too. Although it was good, we were distracted by the crowds of peopling trying to push their way through the parade watchers. People watching can be fun, even when it is unintended.

We hit the drop and I swear the entire contents of Bay Lake AND Seven Sea’s Lagoon was thrust upon us.
OK, that’s a mild exaggeration, but it was still a lot of water, and I was in absolute shock.
It actually became a talking point for quite a while.

I've heard that the new boats are poorly designed and people are getting drenched. That would be really bad on a cold night in December.

This has become one of my absolute favorite photos ever in Disney (and is currently my FB cover photo).
I usually just blast through the gift shop, so I just had so much fun just… Playing.

You might need to add more kids to your Dismeets. You're a natural, maybe because you are a kid at heart, too.

The CM’s out front noticed my giddiness, which was partly the result of the late hour,
But mostly the result of photographing Peter Pan with a 10 minute wait!!!!
The CM excitedly told me that it really wasn’t even that, it was a walk on, and she even tried to change the time to 0 for me to photograph.

CM's get this stuff.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t do it manually which resulted in this huge honor and responsibility.

The CM told me to come right back out front after riding, as it would be showing 0 once that magic card was scanned.
Unfortunately, I blanked and completely forgot to go back out front and get the photo of a lifetime.

Now I've learned something new. We have been given those reds cards to take through rides before, but I guess I didn't realize that they were the things that changed the ride times. I'm not sure what I thought. Maybe I'm just surprised that it takes someone walking through the ride to actually change the ride time. I guess that is why it isn't always accurate.

 

[courtneybelle]

So before I get to individual comments, I just have to say that this update as a whole made me melt. Rob, you have such a talent for making us feel like we're actually there playing in the parks with you, feeling all the things that you feel. I study English and I'm surrounded by people who try to achieve this in their writing, and the fact that you do it so easily with a finance/accounting background is just AWESOME to me. OKAY done gushing.

I miss the Castle Dream Lights!!

I also select my friends by whether or not they cry during Wishes so I'm glad Carrie passed the test.

Hehehe LSEP. Good point.

OMG I got soaked on Pirates tooooo!!! It's the worst! You aren't expecting anything because it's not that big of a drop, and then BAM.

Love love love the fighting photo in the Pirates shop. You gotta love those unexpected moments of fun.

What a great CM at Peter Pan!! That was so sweet that she tried to get the time to 0 for you.

LOVE that Riley wanted to wear her birthday button just like you!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I must mop my melted heart up off the floor.

 

[happy tink]

Haha, great fun with Riley & Mom! My son would have loved to have you to sword or gun fight with! So cute!

 

[livinlife25]

loving your Trip Report! Can I ask what your latest t-shirt is about?

 

[emmysmommy]

Your sword fight photo is epic! Such fun times! I'm so glad that you had an awesome evening - including Wishes in the proper spot!

This is really freaky but we were in MK for EMH that night as well and I have a photo of the Main Street clock almost exactly an hour before you were there. Goes to show that you had more stamina than us that night since we were on our way out by 12:30am.

And yes, I do believe that I've heard Johnny Depp is good looking or something!

 

[amberg93]

What an awesome meet! You guys sound like you had such a great time. But of course people would take to you, Rob. How could they not?

You guys accomplished so much too. Look at you with all your rides that you got out of the way. Plus my two favorite MK rides? Pooh and HM? That's some good times there.

It's sweet of you to leave them some Mother/Daughter time even though the meet was happening. That's the way to do things. Four for you Rob, four for you

And awww how cute that she wanted to wear her button after meeting you! What a sweetie. I can't wait until we get to go with my cousins next year. I agree that probably going with kids would add an extra level of magic to the whole experience.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

a, very nice story Rob! Glad that the meet went well ... or, really, better than "well" - can totally understand being nervous but sounds like it went great! Really sweet that Riley wanted to wear her button just like you!

I mean, I can understand her not wanting extra attention since she probably already gets quite a bit of stares given that she has 2 hooks for hands and all

Glad you got to totally suck in you (belated) Wishes goodness!

 

[happy tink]

Hi Rob, just wanted to tell you I sent you a friend request on FB. My sons friend has the cutest tee from D Land, it says "I don't tweet, I Quack" with you know who on the front. So cute!

When is your next WDW trip coming up? Perhaps Christmas again?

Linda

 

[cheekypoppins]

OKay Rob you're grounded!!
I didn't even make it past the first pic without crying because of how much respect you had for us before even meeting us but also because of the amount of magic you brought not only to our trip in December but even after.
OMg EH? LOL everyone always tells me "you say EH alot"I don't even realise it most of the time it just comes out!
Yes I cried at wishes and crying again now oh geez !
OMG I'm like in stitches over here laugh cry laugh .
My left leg was totally soaked on Pirates Like I'm talkin Splash Mountain soaked!!!!
that's one of my fave Disney pics too!
Honny depp IS apparently good looking OR SOMETHING!!!! Right brenda? Make him a pirate though n oh my he becomes a rather tasty treat!
Riley adores you so much and ever since then you've been a popular topic of conversation here Hailey can't wait for the day when she gets to meet you!I hope u don't mind cuddles cause she loves to give them !I was totally shocked because it usually takes ry quite a while to warm up Hailey is typically the one that takes to people easily.




WEndy Wu- we absoloutely need to have a dis meet at some point!!


along with anyone else here on the boards I'm always game!

 

[katt789]

What wonderful updates!!

AH! TINK IN TRAINING!! I know that friend of hers too (sorta…lol…tumblr & insta friends & I see her all the time in the parks now) that's awesome!!

Yay for fish & chips! The best you can get!!

What a lovely evening at dhs! I do love that you had SO many dismeets throughout this trip, they really do make it so magical, spending time with people who feel the same about disney as you do! lol.

Yay for the emh & getting along so well with carrie ann & her daughter, that is truly wonderful! It really does look & sound ike a fabulous evening!!

 

[khertz]

What a positively sweet update! I'm glad the time with Carrie & Riley turned out even better than you imagined and that spending the evening roving around MK with a pre-teen was not uncomfortable, but instead delightful! That sword fighting pic is absolutely adorable.

 

[khaleesi]

What a sweet update! That kind of stuff makes me melt. There is so much ugliness in the world, and then reading something like that just makes me smile.

I absolutely love that she decided to wear her birthday button because you had yours on.

And for the record, yes. Johnny Depp is good looking. Or something like that. And for some strange reason, it's when he's dressed at Captain Jack that he is at his finest