I Knew You Would Eventually Get Tired of Disney World - April '12 TR - Completed 2/9

[nilla]

The wake-up call arrives at 7:00, as planned, and I am pulled out of bed to the tune of the Toy Story closing credits music. I'm showered, shaved, and dressed, and fed (Nature Valley protein bars are the 2 minute breakfast of choice for me this year), and no one else is up yet. I wake Kristin, then head down to El Centro.

It's a beautiful day out - a few clouds in the sky, but mostly clear. The forecast for this week is calling for occassional thunderstorms at times, but today should be relatively rain-free. I look over at the benches where we met and left Dan and Jeanette last night, and they're there again.

Me: "Did you two ever leave?"

Jeanette: "No, we slept out here on these benches."



We talk briefly, but I'm out here on business, so I have to run. While the walk to El Centro is a bit farther than it was from Casitas 3 last year, it's still not that far. Nonetheless, I have to stop to take pictures every 15 feet, so it's a while before I actually reach my destination.

Now which way am I going?

Cool, that helps. Almost there...

I'll take this walk over the walk from the Casitas any day. There's just something about the transition from the white sand of the Cabanas to the more developed concrete of El Centro, all to the backdrop of Lago Dorado. I'm on the lookout for turtles in the water, and ultimately, that alligator who supposedly lives here but I've never seen. I'm not spotting anything yet, but the views are still amazing. I'm coming up one some buildings:

I finally get to El Centro, and into Rix I go. Kristin did not request the (unsweetend) iced tea today, and I'm trying to avoid caffeine in the mornings (backwards, no?), so I'm here exclusively with the mission of grabbing a chocolate chip muffin for Dylan's breakfast. Chocolate chip - not blueberry. I won't make that mistake again!

Even with our first park day on the horizon, the kids are a joy to wake as usual. Dylan did NOT want to get up...buck up, kid! We haven't even hit a park yet!

Em is in a better mood than her brother. She and Kristin are complimenting each other on their nail polish, to which Emily offers a nail-clicking toast of "nail prost". she's ready for the Biergarten.

We've finally get them ready to go, and it's off to Bus Stop 4. But first, a front shot of the room.

We're the one straight back from the light post on the right. But enough of that - let's get to a park!

 

[nilla]

We loved Bus Stop 2 last year, since it's the first stop the buses pick up from and drop off at, but it's the farthest from the room this year, so we'll give 4 a shot. This stop is literally right around the corner from our room, so it's not much of a hike at all. The stroller is folded up, instructions on who needs to hold what on the bus are ironed out, and all we need to do now is wait. Emily is now a tour guide, so she shows us where we need to go.

Since we have a moment, I'd like to reflect on one of the reasons I love Coronado Springs so much - the variety of wildlife you see here. There are turtles...

birds...

FlightlessDucks...

...and fish.

Scott is a co-worker of mine, and it's funny that we would run into him on our first day here. I've joked before that I see more people I know in Disney than I do at Bethlehem's annual music festival. Scott and his family are off to the Magic Kingdom today, so we part ways when our bus arrives.

Our touring plan this year is no touring plan. Or very little touring plan. Of course, we still have our ADRs and know what park we'll be at on what day, but there are no color-coded, minute-by-minute laminated cards to guide us this year. Part of that is because the new FastPass system is still uncharted territory for us, but the big reason is that we've done this enough that we feel we can make reasonably good decisions on the fly. We'll see how that goes.

Of course, we do know that once that rope drops, it's back to Toy Story Mania for FPs and a possible stand-by ride. While we often joke that we should run back there with the herd, only to branch off into One Man's Dream (the same joke we make about Circle of Life in Epcot), we flow with the masses back into Pixar Place. But first, we need to get into the park! Disney gives some advice:

Don't mind if I do!

In we go, and it looks like we just missed rope drop. Oh well, back to TSM we go. We grab our FPs, and the stand-by line is already something like 50 minutes.

We head past the Backlot Tour. We'll hit this, but not yet. Onward we go, stopping only to get a picture of the girls in front of a prop from Splash...

and for Dylan to pose unknowingly under a ton of bricks.

That shot was taken outside some small merch store that was tucked under a roof of some sort, but it was themed pretty cool:

Star Tours is our next stop, but can we find it from here? We've had problems navigating this park before.

 

[nilla]

As it turns out, navigating this park IS really easy, since it's so small. Basically, wherever you want to get, walk and you will get there eventually. We walk down the Streets of America, if that's what this is. Correct name or not, it's completely vacant:

If you ever wondered about crowd levels in May, that should answer it for you. Amazing the detail on these "buildings":

This cracks us up for some reason:

Ok, a few family pics, then I want to get to Star Tours!

Not that this has anything to do with Disney, but here's a shot Kristin took on our trip to San Francisco last year. What's interesting is that we have the same clothes on that we wore to Hollywood Studios.

"Ok, enough already. Get to Star Tours."

You know, he's right. That voice in my head is sometimes right. I SHOULD just get to Star Tours. This TR is on page 4, and we still haven't hit an attraction. What is the hold up?

"That's what I want to know."

Ok, settle down. We'll go there right now. In fact, there's the gift shop:

 

[nilla]

There's virtually no standby wait, so in we go. We convince Dylan to cross the rope so we can get the "kid being crushed by an AT-AT" shot, but he is immediatlely stopped by a Cast Member. Bad parents!

In we go. The weather looks nice for our trip:

The queue has changed slightly - mostly the display I just showed. These two are still here:

...unlike this guy:

Wait, isn't that our tour guide? Our pilot? It says he's "defective". And look, the robot Splash Mountain vultures have been caged:

That's how you update a ride queue. Leave some traces of the old, but throw in some new. I LOVE when Disney works the ride changes into a story, like they do with the picture of Mr. Toad handing the deed to Owl in the first room of Winnie the Pooh. Here are some more updates:

The last one was a doorway showing silhouettes of various Star Wars characters walking past.

In we go, and it looks like we're TOO early. We're the first ones in our vehicle, which means that one of us will be sitting in the front right corner. So who wants to do it.

Anyone?

Alright, I'll do it. We're seated, C-3PO shows himself, and we're off.

I don't want to give up too much about this ride, but it's AWESOME. I never really liked the ride itself in its former incarnation, but this is solid. They nailed it with this one.

The ride is a combination of 4 different scenes - 2 possible intros, 3 first planet visits, 3 hologram messages, and 3 second planet visits. 54 possible combinations. We get Hoth and Naboo, and both are fantastic. The 3-D is amazing...such a step up from Muppets, and even from Philharmagic. The glasses fit a bit better, too. I was hoping to visit Hoth, since the AT-AT scenes are probably my favorites in the entire Star Wars series.

We exit our first ride, completely blown away. Even Emily loved it. We're definitely coming back. And you know what? The "worst seat in the ride" actually wasn't bad. You still felt like you were in the center of the action. BIG thumbs up to Disney for what they did to this ride, and what a way to start it off!

 

[nilla]

More detail as the exit the Star Wars gift shop:

Dylan can't get his speeder bike started, and he's not happy.

Oh well, guess it's back to walking. We hit the Muppets next, pausing for a fountain photo:

We go in, and I get a kick out of this:

Look, someone hit it! Haha! Brilliant! Oh, wait - it says the guy in the ticket booth is out. No problem, though - the key is under the rug:

Inside we go, and I flip out at "Pigs in Space":

I had a lunch box of that when I was a kid. I'd still use it if I had it today. The movie is fun, but definitely a bit dated. Our favorite line was from Sam Eagle:

"It's a tribute to all nations...but mostly America."

More silly theming outside...

...and then, it's back to Backlot tour. Only it's down. Ok, move on. But not until after the kids complete basic training.

Again, brilliant! And "brilliant" hasn't even become our word yet (SPOILER: that happens at Epcot in 2 days).

Our TSM FPs aren't valid yet, so we step into the Animation Studio. We watch the presentation, but don't go into the drawing class just yet. I do check out one of my favorites, the "coming soon" wall:

Ooh, sign me up for that first one! Who am I kidding - I'll see all of these.

But all of this not riding rides is getting me hungry - let's go get lunch.

[POST=44863955](next update)[/POST]

 

[JeanetteK]

We feel so honored to have made it into your trip report!

I'm really enjoying your writing style! You're a hoot I am continuing to follow along!

 

[phineasfan100]

Any celeb sightings this year, or even better, Buckingham sightings? TR is absolutely hilarious and I am anxious for more!

 

[nilla]

We feel so honored to have made it into your trip report!

We couldn't possibly have left you out! Who knows - you may turn up again at some point. You just never know.

Any celeb sightings this year, or even better, Buckingham sightings? TR is absolutely hilarious and I am anxious for more!

You'll have to wait to find out! We're not going to Grand Floridian for anything this year, so the Buckinghams will be a tough spot. What are the odds we run into them at the Hoop-Dee-Doo?

Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad you're both enjoying this!

Now, back to our show...

 

[nilla]

The adults are starting to get hungry, but we're faced with the age-old problem of "where the heck can we get a good quick service meal in Hollywood Studios?" We tried Pizza Planet once, but were not impressed. I was expecting it to look like the one in Toy Story...not the case. Not even a rocket-shaped Big Choice filled with little green aliens. Would that have been so difficult?

I know, I ranted about that in my first trip report. It's worthy of another rant, but I'll cut it short because we really need to find somewhere to eat. I seem to remember a place near Indy Jones that had burgers and the like, but we can't seem to find it on AllEars or a map. The ABC CommisSary sounds interesting, so we head off in that direction.

"But wait! What about your Toy Story FastPasses?"

No worries - we'll just use them later.

"But what about the new policy?"

...

Shoot. That's right. Ok, we knew that, but I'm just trying to make this TR more dramatic. It slipped to page two on the TR list today. PAGE TWO. Do you know what that does to my ego?

We head back over to Pixar Place against our will, but if Disney says these are the rules, we have to stick to them. We don't have to like it, though.

We make it to the entrance...but the ride is down. Ok. What about our FPs?

A CM ensures us we can come back later and use them.

Alright, so let me get this straight: there is a new FP policy that says we must use our FPs within the alotted one-hour window, but here we are, able to use our first FPs of the trip any time we feel like it. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer to see how the new rules affect us!

We head on over to check out when the Voyage of the Little Mermaid starts, but a show just started. So off to the Commissary we go. Only it's down as well. What the-?

Oh, maybe it's not down - it's just not 11:00 yet. Alright, we'll wait. While outside, we realize that every show Kristin watches is on ABC:

I can actually get into those two as well, unlike her collection of hospital dramas or that MTV show about the actors living at the beach in New Jersey. The doors finally open, and the CMs inside are lined up on either side to the carpet, welcoming us to the restaurant. How nice! Meals are purchased, and down we sit. Dylan locates the Mayo packets (crucial to him eating), and we're ready to go. Kristin, Dylan, and I all get the 1/3 lb Angus Cheeseburger and Fried Shrimp.

As you can tell, I didn't immediately remember to snap this meal. The shrimp was crap, but the burger was good. Dylan even did a decent job eating. Thank you, mayonnaise! As the song goes, "best present from the French since the statue of the chick."

Emily gets something too boring to photograph, but soon enough, it's on to dessert:

As you can see, we all love Chocolate Mousse. No, not the character from "Top Secret". Well, ok, we love him, too, but this is the dessert. Very good, too. Dylan asks, "do I get desserts like this at every meal". Yes, son, you do. Welcome to the wonderful world of adult dining!

It looks like I watch some ABC shows, too, as evidenced by the following get-ups:

Modern Family is SUCH a great show. Definitely in my top 5. Every character is great.

The restaurant was decent, but in true DHS quick service form, it wasn't anything special. We'll come back, though, if necessary.

But enough of that - let's get back to the park!

 

[nilla]

We decide to hit the Great Movie Ride (or as I once called it, "Iron Maiden - The Ride"), and as is customary, we have to read some of the signatures in the pavement. But hold on, there's Minnie!

No, not her signature and footprints. Minnie Mouse! The actual Minnie Mouse! Too bad we won't get to meet her right now, because she's off to the place where Disney characters go to become magically rejuvenated before immediately returning to the park.

"Minnie has time to meet just one family. Would you like to meet Minnie?"

Are you kidding? Of course! Snap snap, thanks Minnie, and yes, we WILL have a magical day!

Minnie steps away, and we're stoked to have been the "one family". It's the little things, guys. The little things. Now back to our sidewalk gazing.

Lots of interesting names here. There's Betty White...

And there's her pal...

And there's her confidant...

Wait, that's not right! Ok, let's try again. And there's her confidant...

That's better No Dorothy, but I'm guessing this happened after she passed. I'm not sure what year that was, and I don't feel like looking it up right now. Let's just leave it at "no Dorothy", shall we?

Oh, hey - there's Betty White's confida- um, I mean, Donald Duck!

He does the character switch-a-roo as well, but we won't get a chance to meet him right now. Oh well, guess we'll head inside then.

 

[nilla]

We decide to refrain from photography during this one, which goes well with Kristin's comment to me that this TR has far too many pictures. We travel through such classics as Mary Poppins, the Wizard of Oz, Iron Maiden's "Powerslave" album, Iron Maiden's "Final Frontier" album, Indy Jones, and Tarzan. This is always a fun one, and our driver is great.

Once done, we decide it's been entirely too long since our first run on Star Tours, so back over we go. We get Tattooine (which the iPod's Notes app auto-correct to "tattooing") and the Death Star. Still awesome, but I preferred our first ride to this one. I'm not disappointed, though - this ride has quite possibly cracked my top 10 with the newest updates.

After that, it's back to Toy Story Mania, which we ride with expired FastPasses. Take THAT, tyrannical new Disney policy! We just recently learned that the premise behind this ride is that we've been shrunk to toy size and are now in Andy's new Midway Games playset. After seeing the queue and the ride itself, I'm ashamed we didn't figure it out on our own:

Since it's early in the vacation and Emily is not yet in full blown "cling to Mom" mode, she rides with her brother, leaving the adults to duke it out on the other side. We get competitive with this - Kristin and Dylan probably the most, but I'm certainly not giving anything less than 100%. My burning right forearm can attest to that. I have a pretty solid lead going into the last event, thanks to a stellar performance on the ring toss. Kristin, however, is not done - she turns it up on the final challenge and passes me on the bonus round. I just couldn't get my plate to switch from 1000 to 2000. Oh well, we'll settle this at Buzz Lightyear!

 

[nilla]

Alright, let's go draw something.

We skip the presentation part this time and head right into the holding pen for wannabe Disney artists. We have a great time trying to "guess the characters" as the appear on the screen on the wall in this area, and it's obvious that Dylan thinks the beginning stages of every character drawing looks like Simba.

The doors finally open, and in we go. We did this for the first time last year and loved it. None of us are particularly great at drawing, but we try our best here. Dale is the character we'll be taking a stab at...no, not literally. Anyway, here are our attempts:

...and since I don't have a picture of his attempt, here is the boy:

My picture is far too awesome to post here, since I know one of you will copy the image and try to sell it on eBay. I'm on to you DISers.

Outside we go, and we're going to try to hit Voyage of the Little Mermaid again...but we're sadly a few minutes too late AGAIN. Ok, at the very least I'll get a picture:

We grab Emily a pacifier...

...and then it's off to the big kid rides. Hollywood Hotel, here we come!

 

[nilla]

Emily has emphatically stated that she does NOT want to ride this ride again, but we're not about to listen to the concerns of a six year old, especially when the inconvenience of having to use Rider Swap is on the line. She reluctantly joins us. Hopefully, her opinion of this ride will change. Dylan didn't like it at first, but now he loves it. Let's leave the stroller for the valets...

...then grab some pics before we head on in.

Kristin and the kids stop for a pose...

...and then it's intro time. We walked right into this, no FastPasses needed. With the exception of TSM, this park is dead today. And we love it.

Dylan points out several items in the queue that were from the movie, and every time, I remind him that the movie was made AFTER the ride. Eventually, he gets it.

Downstairs we (think we) go, and I try to mess around with the camera's light settings:

Meh. I hate using flash, so I'll keep trying to figure this out. Meanwhile, let's check in on Emily to see if she's lightened up about this ride.

Yeah, guess not. Oh well, here we go!

 

[nilla]

Emily is fine with the ascencion, fine with the imagery...fine with everything up until the drop. Even though Kristin and I are both holding her down (as we fly out of our seats), she still doesn't enjoy it. She is adamant in pointing out that we forced her to go on it, and we are just as adamant that she will certainly grow to love this if she gives it just one more chance.

Up next is Aerosmith's Rock 'n Roller Coaster, which Kristin hates and Emily is too small to ride. Dylan and I enter via the single rider line, which is really the way to go if you can do it. It's like having FPs, but you don't have to waste an FP timeslot on it. We've never been on separate trains - I mean, limos - either.

I love this ride. The initial shot is nuts, and the music works perfectly, even if I'm not the biggest Aerosmith fan.

We meet up afterwards with the girls, and Kristin wants to ride TOT again. Emily is definitely NOT interested, and we're not going to push her to go back on...yet. So Kristin and Dylan ride it by means of the 10 minute standby line. Here's proof, if you don't believe me:

That's right, there's NO ONE here today. At least outside of Pixar Place.

I fill up Emily's water sprayer, and we wait for the others to return. The two of us head over to RnR again for pictures, and something else which I can't put my finger on right now. But here are the pictures, anyway:

Back inside the ToT store, I find evidence that Disney really does have personalized merchandise for everyone here:

My only question is, "why is there more than one on the rack? How many would He possibly need?"

The riders finally are done (after a bit of a wait), and we're contemplating what to do next. It's not yet dinner time, but in the present, it IS bedtime, so I'll wrap up tonight's update right here. There will be no update tomorrow night, which should give the thousands of DISboards users who are not reading my TR a chance to catch up.


[POST=44887794](next update)[/POST]

 

[yourMaire83]

Loving your TR so far!

 

[MEK]

Great picture of the family!

Now - wooooh - SLOW down. I can't keep up. I was too busy to read at work the last few days and even if I wasn't, I can't see the pictures there, which are the best part.

So much to comment on.

So funny that the kids woke up and were in a panic that you were right outside the door. Hopefully you wore them out everyday in the park so they didn't do that again.

Swedish fish vodka? Do explain.

So glad you all loved star tours and that picture of Emily in the queue at TOT is priceless. But I think you are making progress!

Dylan is really getting tall! Pre teen is just around the corner! Then you'll NEVER get him out of bed in the morning.

So Bethlehem Brew Works has good fish tacos? Every since Kristin mentioned that I have to figure out how to fit in a visit there pre-flight. I've got to figure out what time to leave here to go see Denny's mom and then make a stop there. I definitely want to check it out.

Great updates!

 

[teekathepony]

Hello! A newbie to your TRs here, all caught up and joining in.

 

[Disneymom77]

Loving it so far! The beginning of May seems like a great time to be there!

 

[TriniandBre]

Awww man!!! I was enjoying reading and I can't wait until your next update. I love the Ziploc bag thing with the clothes. I am going to have to try that with my kids clothes for our next Disney trip (which will be next year ) My oldest daughter is loving your pictures.

 

[nilla]

I am posting this comment right now for two reasons:

1. To let everyone reading know that I will be responding to their comments and posting more updates sometime tonight.

and

2. To get this TR back on page one! The corporate sponsors require visibility!

More to come tonight