“Frosty Gets Caught Picking His Nose” Trip Report – With Photos UPDATED **Added Video

[blestmom]

We love living in Alaska. And one of our more talented (and funny!) exports is Chad Carpenter, who draws “Tundra Comics.” My son actually credits Tundra Comics with helping him learn to read, as he would sit in the back seat of the car while we ran errands looking at Tundra Comic books over and over again when he was younger. He’s had the pleasure of meeting the author several times.



And one of my son’s favorite shirts is one with a Tundra comic on it…this one:


Day 14 - "Two very special souvenirs"

So naturally, he brought that t-shirt to Disney on our recent November 2011 trip. Wow! We were amazed at how many reactions he got to his t-shirt. Everybody loved it. We had lots of cast members comment on his shirt. One of the guy singers at the “Hoop Dee Do” broke out laughing during his song when he read the shirt. Another castmember at the Animal Kingdom turnstyles was crying he was laughing so hard, and he came and put his arm around my son and thanked him for making him laugh. And another castmember said it was the ‘t-shirt of the day’…LOL! Seriously, he got so many comments on his shirt we couldn’t possibly keep count.

All of this is relevant because…

I couldn’t come up with a catchy, clever name for my trip report, so this was the best I could do.
And with that out of the way…on with the trip report.

Cast:

Me (Mom)


Sierra (15)


Andrew (13)


This trip consists of me and my two youngest children. My two oldest boys are in college, and my oldest daughter is too busy with dance to make the trip. This is the second time just the three of us have gone. And we have a nice, long trip planned…2 weeks.

Links:

** Click here to see a 2-minute video summary of our trip to the Magic Kingdom.
** Click here to see a 2-minute video summary of our trip to Epcot.
** Click here to see a 3-minute video summary of our trip to Hollywood Studios.
** Click here to see a 3-minute video summary of our trip to Animal Kingdom.

Day 1: MNSSHP
Day 2: Front row seats…and Ohana, too
Day 3: Mmm...Food and Wine Festival
Day 4: "Alaska Needs a Dine-In Theater"
Day 5: “The Magic Kingdom all to ourselves…almost”
Day 6: "Wow...that a LOT of food."
Day 7: "I'm All Out of Love"...UGH!
Day 8 - "No ma'am...there's no pink in that hamburger"
Day 9 - "The DIS boards are a good place to make new friends"
Day 10 – “Finally! We do the Hoop De Doo!”
Day 11 - "Yay me! I rode Tower of Terror!"
Day 12 - "My favorite day...Everest 12 times and the Magic Kingdom until 3 a.m."
Day 13 - "No Tonga Toast for me"
Day 14 - "Two very special souvenirs"
Day 15 - "Wow...it's HOT!"
Day 16 - "Until next year...and some lessons learned"

 

[blestmom]

Day 1:

Our frequent flyer flights are at some pretty tough times on the way out. Our flight out leaves Anchorage at 6:03 a.m. That means getting to the airport by 4:00 a.m. Which means leaving home at 2:00 a.m. My plan was to be all prepared and take a nap in the afternoon after church. Well, it was a good plan, but it didn’t end up happening. So by the time we do get to the airport, I’m pretty tired.

Anchorage airport:




At the Minneapolis airport, we had a two-hour layover. After having something to eat, Sierra played a Nancy Drew game on her computer, Andrew watched “Dirty Jobs” on his computer, and I watched “Hogan’s Heroes.” All-in-all, a very relaxing layover.



And I got a mocha...yeah! I love coffee. I'm going to miss my Kaladi's for the next two weeks...it's the best coffee in Alaska.



The flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta went fine, and I was thankful for my Kindle. In Atlanta, we had another layover. We watched the Chiefs/Chargers NFL game on the airport t.v. The last flight went well, and once at the Orlando airport, we quickly claimed our luggage, and headed over to the Magical Express counter. We were the only ones on the bus…which didn’t surprise me, being almost 1 a.m. in the morning.

We got to Pop Century around 2:00 a.m. A cast member named “Sherry” checked us in…a very sweet girl. They originally had us put in the 70’s building. I asked her if there was anything available in the 50’s building. At first she asked if first floor was okay, but I asked her if there was anything else possible. We ended up with a 3rd floor, corner room facing the pool! Wow. That was so great.




We got in, and even though we were tired, we were so excited to unpack. Finally, about 4:00 a.m. we went to bed. What a great day!

 

[blestmom]

Day One: MNSSHP


We were pretty tired after flying all night, and missing an entire night’s sleep. I got up, however, around 7:30 and called the person in the DIS Pop refrigerator swap before me. I got the refrigerator, and hooked it up. Then, I went back to bed. We slept until noon.

We got up and went down to the Pop Century food court to buy our refillable mugs. After that, we headed on over to the Magic Kingdom. We first went to Guest Relations and got our Annual Passes, a Tables of Wonderland card, and our tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. And into the Magic Kingdom we went!




As tradition has it, we went to “Pirates of the Caribbean” first. That ride always tells me, “We’re at Disney World!” We also rode Snow White, Space Mountain (twice),



Peter Pan, Small World, Tea Cups,



Big Thunder, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. ALL were walk-ons…even Peter Pan, which we went on at the very end.


We got Casey’s corn dog nuggets for dinner...which is something we had been really looking forward to...we love those!



We watched classic Disney cartoons in Casey’s while we ate. We also got two cream cheese pretzels to share.



MMmmm! One of my favorite snacks by far were the glazed almonds and pecans. Oh my…they are delicious.




While waiting for the parade to start, we saw this talented castmember 'drawing' Disney characters with water. Pretty cool.



Although we had been given party bags for the trick or treat candy, we realized soon that they were not going to be big enough. We got so much candy, we had to get a large shopping bag. And we filled every inch of it with candy…they were scooping it out by the handful. We ended up with 14 lbs. of candy.







We watched the party fireworks from Liberty Square, as I wanted a good place for the MNSSHP parade. It ended up being a fantastic place…I got a great video shot of the headless horseman, and it was a great place for the entire parade. We loved the parade!












On the way out, we stopped by and got ice cream, so we could wait for the crowds to take the busses back to the resort, and we could ride with less crowds.


Next up: Day 2: Front row seats…and Ohana, too

 

[blestmom]

Day Two: Front row seats…and Ohana, too

We are still catching up on sleep, so we slept in once again, since we were up late at the MNSSHP party until midnight, and not back at the hotel until after 1 a.m. We got up and after getting ready, we went over to Hollywood Studios.



Since we were getting there later in the day, the headliner rides were all pretty full up, and we were too late for shows, so we just did some other rides. We rode the “Great Movie Ride” as it is Sierra’s favorite ride.





We got to sit in the front row. We also rode the “Backlot Tour,” and the new “Star Tours.” We grabbed a snack at Starring Rolls on our way out.






We had a dinner reservation at Ohana at the Polynesian at 6:30. We had time at the Magic Kingdom for a few rides before dinner. We rode “Pirates of the Caribbean” and got to sit in the front row. We also rode “Jungle Cruise.” Then it was time for dinner, so we took the monorail over to the Polynesian. We had a great dinner….I have always wanted to try it. We really liked it. Sierra and I really liked the sides (bread, salad, chicken wings, pot stickers, broccoli and sesame noodles) and Andrew really liked the meat.










We all thought the bananas foster with caramel sauce was outstanding. It was really a great meal. We headed back to Pop Century. Andrew went swimming, and then we all got a very good night’s sleep.




Next up: Day 3: Mmm…Food and Wine Festival

 

[blestmom]

Day 3: Mmm…Food and Wine Festival

Today we got up a little earlier, even though we are still trying to get caught up on sleep. We started our day at Animal Kingdom. We rode Expedition: Everest twice in a row. Such a great ride. Then we rode Kilimanjaro Safari.








We walked the Pangani Forest trail after that, and saw the cutest meerkats,



and also a silverback gorilla,




and a baby gorilla.



So cute. We then rode Dinosaur, and then went to have Picnic in the Park. We took the food to Flame Tree Barbecue to eat. It was great.




After that, we headed over to Epcot to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival. First we did some things in the Future World section. We rode Spaceship Earth, got Fastpasses for Soarin, and then rode “Living With the Land”…front row. Then we went to ride Test Track. It had been down for repair, and so it took a while to wait in line while they got caught up on Fastpasses. Other rides were walk-ons. After that, we rode Ellen’s Universe of Energy (front row), rode Soarin’ then headed on over to the Food and Wine Festival.

We got a wrist band gift card to make getting the food samples easier. Sierra and I tried the cheddar cheese soup from Canada, Andrew tried the salmon from Canada. We all tried the milk chocolate crème brulee from France.



Sierra tried the chocolate molten lava cake from Ireland. We all tried the ravioli from Italy.



Andrew tried the sausage roll from Germany. We then headed back to the Future World section to spend some time until the Illuminations fireworks. We rode Spaceship Earth again. We also rode the Norway boat ride, and the Mexico boat ride. Then we went to the French bakery. Sierra got a chocolate croissant, Andrew got the crème brulee, and I got the lemon tart.











Then we went over by Italy to watch “Illuminations.” Excellent, as always.

Next up: Day 4 - "Alaska Needs a Dine-In Theater"

 

[mrtoffee]

Im in

 

[blestmom]

Day 4 - "Alaska Needs a Dine-In Theater"

We’ve been having late nights at the parks, and we want to do a late night at Magic Kingdom Saturday night, so we slept in again. We decided to have a quieter day. We went to Downtown Disney, and spent some time looking in the shops. Something happened that was so cute…

We were taking pictures of some of the creations made at the Lego store. I was all set up to take a picture of a Woody creation, when a little girl and her brother stepped in the picture. I waited while her mom and dad took their picture. The mom apologized that the little girl ran ahead and stepped in front of us. I said it was no problem, and waited for them to take the picture. Then the little boy leaves, but the girl hangs back. The mom tells her, “Honey, these other people are waiting to take a picture.” So she says, “Okay,” and proceeds to pose her bear and herself in front of Woody, and turns to me so I can take her picture. What a cutie! I took the photo and told her she looked beautiful, and thanked her for letting me take her picture. The mom was so embarrassed but I thought it was adorable:



As she skipped happily away with her family, I was able to get a shot of my own daughter with Woody:



Another absolutely adorable thing we saw was the BBB Boutique Princess Parade. Little girls who had gotten their hair done, many of them in princess costumes, did a short little walk in Downtown Disney. They were all holding on to a rope, just like they do on preschool outings. They were waving as the princess music played…they must have felt like they were real princesses in a parade, waving to all the people watching. So cute!

We had ice cream at Ghirardelli. Andrew had a Mint Bliss Intense Dark Chocolate sundae:



and Sierra and I split an Espresso Escape Intense Dark Chocolate sundae:




We then went to watch “Puss-in-Boots” in 3D at the Dine-In movie theater. It was an experience we wanted to try. We don’t have that in Alaska. We ordered the Loaded Potato Skins as an appetizer:



Andrew ordered the Chicken Fried Steak, Sierra ordered Buffalo Chicken Wings, and I ordered the Chipolte Chicken Pizzinni. It was all delicious. And it was a really fun way to watch a movie.

We then went back to Pop Century for just a bit, then headed back on over to the Magic Kingdom. We first went on Carousel of Progress. We also rode Astro Orbiter



and Buzz Lightyear. Then we rode the Tomorrowland Speedway. The fireworks were going off as we were driving, which was cool. Then we went over to Frontierland, and rode Splash Mountain. I sat in the front row, and I got a big splash of water in my face…it was lots of fun! Then we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice until the park closed. The Magic Kingdom is so beautiful at night...I especially love Frontierland...




We ordered Casey’s corn dog nuggets on the way out for dinner, and to pass time while the busses loaded up. We got back to Pop Century, and relaxed before going to bed.

Next up: Day 5: “The Magic Kingdom all to ourselves…almost”

 

[blestmom]

Click here to see a 2 minute video summary of our trip to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[stich626]

soo jealous. sounds like you had a blast so far.

 

[blestmom]

soo jealous. sounds like you had a blast so far.

Oh, we did! We had a wonderful time, and can't wait to go back. Even with 2 weeks, there is still so much more to do!

Thanks for reading my trip report.

 

[blestmom]

Im in

Glad to have you aboard.

 

[blestmom]

Day 5: “The Magic Kingdom all to ourselves…almost”


Since we are hoping to stay up very late tonight for Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom, we decided to sleep in a bit. (Yes, this is getting be a trend. Part of having teenagers, I think.)

We headed over to Animal Kingdom for just a few rides in the late morning/afternoon. We started out riding Expedition Everest twice, using a Fastpass for the second ride. Awesome as usual. We then walked on the Majarahesh Trail. We saw the baby gorilla again, and a lot of tigers.













** (Just an aside...why does the water at the park look like this?...




I finally got a mocha from the Royal Anandapur Tea Company. Oh yum...yum, yum, yum! I got the kids caramel lattes. They ARE spoiled...I love them. We watched the “Finding Nemo” show,



and went on Primeval Whirl. Andrew’s “Tundra” t-shirt has gotten a lot of attention. One worker there said it was the best t-shirt of the day.

We watched the Animal Kingdom parade. I love this parade!!








We then rode Kilimanjaro Safari before heading out, and we got to see the lion pacing. That was really neat.













We went back to Pop Century and relaxed for a few hours. Watched some t.v., worked on photos, and the kids went swimming for a bit. We ate dinner at Pop Century (chicken penne alfredo) and then we were all ready to head to the Magic Kingdom for a late extra magic hours evening...until 3 am!

We got there around 10 p.m. We started out going on Pirates, but on the way there, we just caught the glazed almond lady before heading in, so I grabbed another bag. By far my favorite snack this trip. We then went on Aladdin’s Magic Carpet ride, and Jungle Cruise, which is always fun at night.

On the way over to more rides, we stopped to watch the “Electrical Main Street Parade,” which was great. Oh wow...I REALLY liked this!!!





Then we rode Haunted Mansion, Small World, Peter Pan (a literal walk-on), Philharmagic, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, Tea Cups, Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Carousel, Big Thunder and Splash. We stayed right up until 3 a.m….it was a blast…there was hardly anyone there at the end.







We were exhausted though, and fell right asleep when we got back to Pop.

Next up: Day 6 - "Wow...that a LOT of food."

 

[blestmom]

Click here to see a 2 minute video summary of our trip to Epcot.

 

[Annal606]

sounds like you had a blast so far.

 

[ChattaAlley]

Your photos are awesome!!!!

 

[blestmom]

Gosh...this is starting to be a trend.

While writing my trip report from 2 years ago, right in the middle, my hard drive crashed. I can't believe it but...it's happening again...with the laptop I got to replace the other one.

At least I was wise enough to back up info and get the extended warranty!

 

[blestmom]

Day 6 - "Wow...that a LOT of food."

Another late night means another day of sleeping in. I got up at 10, and got the kids up at 11. We headed over to the Magic Kingdom for a lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. It is a gorgeous restaurant, and the food portions were gigantic. None of us could finish our meals. The food, however, was excellent.





Before we went to lunch we had time for TTA and Monsters Laugh Floor.

After lunch, we headed over to Hollywood Studios. Getting there late after eating, we opted out of the big rides…we started with the Great Movie Ride, then we went to see “Beauty and the Beast.” Excellent, as always.







Then we went to watch the movie portion of the Animation Academy, got some snacks (almonds, popcorn, cotton candy and sodas) and headed over to watch Fantasmic. It was a great show and we had great seats…just the line is so huge to get in.







We were still pretty tired from the super late night last night, so we headed back to Pop Century when Hollywood Studios closed, watched some t.v. and worked on photos. A good night’s sleep sounds great.

Next up: Day 7 - "I'm All Out of Love"...UGH!

 

[blestmom]

Click here to see a 3-minute video summary of our trip to Hollywood Studios.

 

[blestmom]

Laptop back...check
New hard drive installed...check
Transfer stuff from external hard drive to laptop...check

And now, back to my trip report!


Day 7 - "I'm All Out of Love"...UGH!

I could tell that the kids were getting a bit worn out. With the late nights for the MNSSHP, the late extra magic hours at Magic Kingdom, and a late night at Epcot, I decided to let them sleep as late as they wanted today, and take some time to just relax. And that is what we did. We slept in, I did two loads of laundry ( like Pop's laundry rooms)



and I worked on photos for a while. The kids went swimming, and we had lunch at Pop Century. After a nice relaxing morning and early afternoon, we were ready to head back to Epcot for the evening.

We had a good time in the Future World section. We got fastpasses for Test Track later, since we didn’t get there until a bit after 4, we rode Living With the Land, Figment, and Finding Nemo. We spent quite a bit of time in the Living Seas pavilion checking out all the sea life. Andrew and I also designed a roller-coaster in Sum of All Thrills.

After this, we headed over to the World Showcase. Wow. It was crazy busy. I like the fun food of the Food and Wine Festival, but not the rowdiness or the crowds. Air Supply was playing…ew. I'm sorry, but I'm not a fan. And it was LOUD. Which would have been okay if it was a band I liked. Which it wasn't. We just sampled some food from some countries, then left.

Flan from Mexico:




Apple Strudel from Germany:




Both were very yummy.


The band in England was way super loud too, and they were playing "Bohemian Rhapsody." Again, not a favorite of mine. I like a quieter World Showcase, so we will go during a weekday earlier in the day, and also after the Food and Wine festival ends. On the way out, we used our fastpasses for Test Track. We shared a car with a young boy and his dad, and he was so cute! It was his first time on the ride, and he was so excited. He loved it. It made the ride much more fun. Back to the hotel where Andrew watched the Eagles-Bears game. What a nice, relaxing day.

Next up...Day 8 - "No ma'am...there's no pink in that hamburger."

 

[blestmom]

Day 8 - "No ma'am...there's no pink in that hamburger."

Today we got up after a great nights sleep. We went to Hollywood Studios, and we had had just enough time to do a class at the Animation Station. We drew “Dug.”









Then we went to lunch at the Sci Fi Diner. That was fun! They had fun old movie clips and videos playing. We had milkshakes, burgers and fries. I am one of those people that cannot eat a hamburger if there is any pink in it. So I always order it "very well done." Well, my hamburger looked mighty pink to me, so I asked the server about it. He said that the lighting in there makes the burgers look pink when they are not. He even took out a pocket flashlight (I assume enough people have questioned it) to show me, but I still thought it looked pink. I ate around the hamburger, but didn't eat the middle. What I ate was good, and I loved the fries and milkshake, and the atmosphere. The kids loved it and said they definitely want to return there on another trip.



Then we went on the Great Movie Ride, as it started to sprinkle rain and we wanted to get indoors. Then we watched the parade,







We then went to the Indiana Jones show. I love the beginning of that show a lot.









Then we left, and went back to the hotel to rest. After that we went down to Downtown Disney. Andrew and I went to Ghirardelli and Sierra got a caramel apple from Goofy’s Candy Co. Then we just window shopped, and grabbed sandwiches to take back to the room at Earl of Sandwich. A quieter, relaxing day.

Next up: Day 9 - "The DIS boards are a good place to make new friends."