Irisbud's PJ & Wedding TR: 1/22/09: NOW COMPLETE! 3/26/2009
- Thread starter irisbud
- Start date
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Amy, your report is great, and the 2 of you look fantastic.
And your anniversary is now the day before mine....although Dave and I have been married 21 years now....I am certain you will be married that long too.
Cheryl
Thanks!
How neat is that? 20+ years is great! That's what we are hoping for 
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Day 11, Part 2
A was truly surprised! The officiant asked J & A where they would like to do the vow renewal, and A chose a spot close to the lake in the center of DTD. J gave DH his camera (thank goodness someone had one!) and DH took a few pictures during the ceremony. It was so sweet it made me want to cry! The whole time, people were walking by and exclaiming over the ceremony, pointing and gawking.
A& J vow renewal:
It was all over fairly quickly. J paid the officiant, and DH gave A the pin we had purchased earlier that morning. A was still really surprised. She asked us if J had told us about this and we said that he had when she was handing out tips on the ship. He had told her that we had scored CG ressies and would be unable to meet them that evening as an excuse to get to DTD that morning.
We walked around in WoD for a little bit, waiting for RFC to open, as A said that is one of her favorites. DH had never been and it had been years since I went to the one in AK so we were happy to join them.
Finally it was about time for RFC to open so we headed that. It was still a little cold and drizzly but it was bearable to be outside. We were glad it hadn’t poured during their vow renewal! We spent a little time browsing in the gift shop and then headed over to get a table. I think we were next to some animatronics elephants.
We had a really nice lunch. I enjoyed my food and the conversation was great. It was fun to hang out with some other people and not having GB and CL there made the meal much better. J told everyone about how he had planned the VR. He had looked for an Orlando church that would be willing to do something with him, and the church he had found was comprised mostly of members from J & A s hometown! We knew they were celebrating their 10th anniversary, and the vow renewal had taken place on the exact day! DH complained that now I would remember that and he would be forced to live up to that standard.
After a while we finished up and headed outside. A & J were going to do some of the parks as they would be leaving the next day and DH & I were unsure of our itinerary. We talked about meeting up again at EPCOT that evening for Illuminations and EMH but didn’t set any firm plans. I was hoping things would work out so we would get to hang out again that night!
Once we parted ways, DH asked me what I wanted to do. I wasn’t sure and it was still a little nasty, so I asked him if he wanted to do the DVC tour and take a look at some of the actual models. Though DH dosen't believe me, I didn't really go with the intention of persuading him to buy. In all honesty, I just wanted to have a look. Mostly, I went for the free ice cream at the end of the tour.
We headed over to the kiosk, and there was a really nice gentleman working there. We talked to him about how we had done the presentation on the ship, but were interested in seeing the actual models before we made any decisions. We chatted for a little while and DH tried to trade pins with the other CM there but didn’t find anything he liked.
Finally a golf cart pulled up to take us over to SSR. I thought about how nice it would be to walk between DTD and SSR if we ever wanted to as the pathway was nice and sort of pretty.
We were dropped off at the DVC center and told to indulge in Pepperidge farm cookies and drinks while we waited, which we did. Finally, our guide came over to us and gave us a quick rundown. We were then led to a little room and shown some literature. We already knew much of what she was telling us from the shipboard presentation.
At last we were able to see the models. Right now, they have models of AKV and BLT as both are still for sale. There is also a miniature model of THV. We were led through the models and I have to say they are really lovely. I hated the BLT pictures, but in person they really are nice. I also liked the AKV rooms, and I wonder if they will have that much light in person or if they will be really dark like AKL (which we didn’t like). The only issue with the rooms for us is that the studios have a queen bed and we sleep on a king. We did okay on the ship, though, so we think it would be fine when our dog isn’t sleeping with us.
The models were fairly crowded that day. One of the guides was joking with his group that the DVC accommodations come preoccupied by DH and I. I wish I could have that job: just sit around and occupy DVC accommodations in WDW. As long as we could go to the parks etc. I would be fine.
We headed back to cell, er, room 21 and got some more of the spiel. The guide then left so we could talk it over. DH and I decided that this really would be a good value for us, especially since the points aren’t limited to use at Disney. They were offering some pretty good incentives ($5 pt back taken off the down payment, matching developer points with limited use for free, immediate use year, etc) so we paid the down payment signed the papers and bought in with the minimum of 160 points! We bought in at BLT for the longer contract (50 yrs vs. 48 left on AKV) and lower dues (over $1 per pt less than AKV).
After everything was put in order we were taken to get some “free” ice cream to go with the canvas tote bag and big sheaf of literature we had just purchased. I got coffee flavor (I hate coffee but love coffee ice cream, figure that out) and DH got butter pecan. I enjoyed watching the train circle the room as we waited for one of the vans to take us back to the CR. The man scooping the ice cream said he knew exactly how many seconds it took to get around as it could be really slow there and sometimes there was little to do but watch the train go around As we left, we had a truly horrendous picture taken.
We got in the van and had a nice conversation with the gentleman driving. He had worked for Disney for quite a while and was trying to stump us with some Disney trivia. I listened politely but I already knew much of what he was saying. It was fun anyway though.
Our new "home:
When we got back to the CR, we decided to rest for a little bit. I looked over the DVC info some more to get some trip ideas while DH watched TV. The room was fairly non stinky so I was happy enough.
I was going through our info packet the CR gave us as I thought EPCOT would be doing Illuminations at 8:00 Pm rather than the usual 9:00 on Fridays and I found a voucher for a set of four lithographs from the WoD store in DTD! Grrrr….we were just there.
We decided to go pick them up anyway ( we like things that are "free"
), so after a couple hours we took the bus back to DTD. The man who had set us up on the DVC tour was still there so we stopped by and told him we had bought in and chatted for a few minutes. We then headed over to WoD and picked up our lithographs, which were pretty nice (and free!). 
We browsed through a couple more stores (DH wanted a hat) but couldn’t find anything we liked so we headed out to the bus stops and decided we would take a bus to BC and walk into EPOCT through the International Gateway.
The bus came fairly quickly. DH and I weren’t paying much attention and almost got off at YC instead of BC but figured out we were wrong at the last second. We headed through the BC lobby (I like the lobby here: the rooms, at least pre-renovation, not so much) and into EPCOT.
A was truly surprised! The officiant asked J & A where they would like to do the vow renewal, and A chose a spot close to the lake in the center of DTD. J gave DH his camera (thank goodness someone had one!) and DH took a few pictures during the ceremony. It was so sweet it made me want to cry! The whole time, people were walking by and exclaiming over the ceremony, pointing and gawking.
A& J vow renewal:
It was all over fairly quickly. J paid the officiant, and DH gave A the pin we had purchased earlier that morning. A was still really surprised. She asked us if J had told us about this and we said that he had when she was handing out tips on the ship. He had told her that we had scored CG ressies and would be unable to meet them that evening as an excuse to get to DTD that morning.
We walked around in WoD for a little bit, waiting for RFC to open, as A said that is one of her favorites. DH had never been and it had been years since I went to the one in AK so we were happy to join them.
Finally it was about time for RFC to open so we headed that. It was still a little cold and drizzly but it was bearable to be outside. We were glad it hadn’t poured during their vow renewal! We spent a little time browsing in the gift shop and then headed over to get a table. I think we were next to some animatronics elephants.
We had a really nice lunch. I enjoyed my food and the conversation was great. It was fun to hang out with some other people and not having GB and CL there made the meal much better. J told everyone about how he had planned the VR. He had looked for an Orlando church that would be willing to do something with him, and the church he had found was comprised mostly of members from J & A s hometown! We knew they were celebrating their 10th anniversary, and the vow renewal had taken place on the exact day! DH complained that now I would remember that and he would be forced to live up to that standard.
After a while we finished up and headed outside. A & J were going to do some of the parks as they would be leaving the next day and DH & I were unsure of our itinerary. We talked about meeting up again at EPCOT that evening for Illuminations and EMH but didn’t set any firm plans. I was hoping things would work out so we would get to hang out again that night!
Once we parted ways, DH asked me what I wanted to do. I wasn’t sure and it was still a little nasty, so I asked him if he wanted to do the DVC tour and take a look at some of the actual models. Though DH dosen't believe me, I didn't really go with the intention of persuading him to buy. In all honesty, I just wanted to have a look. Mostly, I went for the free ice cream at the end of the tour.
We headed over to the kiosk, and there was a really nice gentleman working there. We talked to him about how we had done the presentation on the ship, but were interested in seeing the actual models before we made any decisions. We chatted for a little while and DH tried to trade pins with the other CM there but didn’t find anything he liked.
Finally a golf cart pulled up to take us over to SSR. I thought about how nice it would be to walk between DTD and SSR if we ever wanted to as the pathway was nice and sort of pretty.
We were dropped off at the DVC center and told to indulge in Pepperidge farm cookies and drinks while we waited, which we did. Finally, our guide came over to us and gave us a quick rundown. We were then led to a little room and shown some literature. We already knew much of what she was telling us from the shipboard presentation.
At last we were able to see the models. Right now, they have models of AKV and BLT as both are still for sale. There is also a miniature model of THV. We were led through the models and I have to say they are really lovely. I hated the BLT pictures, but in person they really are nice. I also liked the AKV rooms, and I wonder if they will have that much light in person or if they will be really dark like AKL (which we didn’t like). The only issue with the rooms for us is that the studios have a queen bed and we sleep on a king. We did okay on the ship, though, so we think it would be fine when our dog isn’t sleeping with us.
The models were fairly crowded that day. One of the guides was joking with his group that the DVC accommodations come preoccupied by DH and I. I wish I could have that job: just sit around and occupy DVC accommodations in WDW. As long as we could go to the parks etc. I would be fine.
We headed back to cell, er, room 21 and got some more of the spiel. The guide then left so we could talk it over. DH and I decided that this really would be a good value for us, especially since the points aren’t limited to use at Disney. They were offering some pretty good incentives ($5 pt back taken off the down payment, matching developer points with limited use for free, immediate use year, etc) so we paid the down payment signed the papers and bought in with the minimum of 160 points! We bought in at BLT for the longer contract (50 yrs vs. 48 left on AKV) and lower dues (over $1 per pt less than AKV).
After everything was put in order we were taken to get some “free” ice cream to go with the canvas tote bag and big sheaf of literature we had just purchased. I got coffee flavor (I hate coffee but love coffee ice cream, figure that out) and DH got butter pecan. I enjoyed watching the train circle the room as we waited for one of the vans to take us back to the CR. The man scooping the ice cream said he knew exactly how many seconds it took to get around as it could be really slow there and sometimes there was little to do but watch the train go around As we left, we had a truly horrendous picture taken.
We got in the van and had a nice conversation with the gentleman driving. He had worked for Disney for quite a while and was trying to stump us with some Disney trivia. I listened politely but I already knew much of what he was saying. It was fun anyway though.
Our new "home:
When we got back to the CR, we decided to rest for a little bit. I looked over the DVC info some more to get some trip ideas while DH watched TV. The room was fairly non stinky so I was happy enough.
I was going through our info packet the CR gave us as I thought EPCOT would be doing Illuminations at 8:00 Pm rather than the usual 9:00 on Fridays and I found a voucher for a set of four lithographs from the WoD store in DTD! Grrrr….we were just there.
We decided to go pick them up anyway ( we like things that are "free"
), so after a couple hours we took the bus back to DTD. The man who had set us up on the DVC tour was still there so we stopped by and told him we had bought in and chatted for a few minutes. We then headed over to WoD and picked up our lithographs, which were pretty nice (and free!). We browsed through a couple more stores (DH wanted a hat) but couldn’t find anything we liked so we headed out to the bus stops and decided we would take a bus to BC and walk into EPOCT through the International Gateway.
The bus came fairly quickly. DH and I weren’t paying much attention and almost got off at YC instead of BC but figured out we were wrong at the last second. We headed through the BC lobby (I like the lobby here: the rooms, at least pre-renovation, not so much) and into EPCOT.
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Day 11, Part 3
(sorry no pictures; I never did pick up my camera from the room that day! There will be lots of pictures for days 12 & 13 though)!
We made our way into EPCOT and I tried to call A&J to let them know about the earlier time for Illuminations in case they didnt already but got no answer. We wandered through World Showcase, both of us feeling a little hungry. We decided to stop at Tokyo Dining and see if there were any tables available at the last minute since we had enjoyed our sushi there so much the year before.
We rode up the smelly little elevator that looks straight out of the eighties and DH asked the hostess about availability. Unfortunately, they were booked solid so we had to come up with a new plan (and traverse that gigantic set of stairs; I wasnt about to get back in that stinky elevator for a second time). 
We headed counter clockwise around the countries looking for an alternative meal but couldnt find anything that sounded good. We started looking for a place to watch Illuminations from instead, trying to find a spot large enough for four people that still had a good view. It was approaching 7:00PM at that point, and people were just starting to stake their claims.
We finally settled on a spot between the Mexico and Norway pavilions. We still hadnt heard anything from A&J, so I left my phone with DH and went into the bakery in Norway to get us a snack. This place was teeming with people, and the line was hardly moving. Finally I was able to battle my way through and get a sandwich for DH and two desserts for me.
I took our snacks back and we with our backs to the fence, trying to stand as wide as was humanly possible since the crowds were starting to encroach upon us. While I finished up, DH called A&J again and finally got in touch with them. He told them where we were standing and they said they were heading our way.
At this point, we felt as though we might be risking our lives to hold our spots. People were starting to fill in every inch of space available, including shoving small children between us and the rail and giving us nasty looks for saving spaces.
Finally A&J showed up and they elected to stand near the back of the crowd. DH and I turned and watched the show. Honestly, this was one of the clearest and best views we had ever had, though the inferno barges did not go off for some reason that evening. There was a lady standing next to me who was seeing the show for the first time and was simply enamored by it.
This was the point in the trip where I first felt the end of trip blues. While I was watching the fireworks I started having last time thoughts; those thoughts where you think about each thing you are doing and how you are likely doing it for the last time on that trip.
I tried to push them away so they wouldnt dampen my mood and was marginally successful. I knew that this would be our last time in EPCOT as a whole on this trip, as DH does not particularly care for that park.
After Illuminations concluded we went on Maelstrom with A&J. Luckily, the movie at the end was not running so there was no possibility of being trapped by it. It was EMH by then, so we had to go through the annoying process of showing our tickets to all of the ride CMs.
After Maelstrom, we headed into the little Norway museum which is in the building that looks like a church. They have a couple of interesting displays in there and it was nice to get out of the cold.
From Norway we journeyed to Mexico where we rode El Rio de Tempo (or whatever it is). We spent most of our time talking and laughing, which made for a much more enjoyable ride.
We thought about Soarin but the wait was super long, so we headed to SE where we got to create our futures. After SE A&J bid us goodbye as they were leaving the next morning.
We though about trying TT since we had missed out the day after the wedding but found it broken again so we decided to give up and head back to the CR. We got on the monorail platform and asked the conductor if we could ride up front. He told us we would have to wait for a couple of trains but we didnt mind.
We finally got on and a man and his son joined us. The man had been loudly announcing his displeasure to his wife before the train pulled up. Apparently, he was angry that we were waiting to ride up front so there wouldnt be room for his whole family. If he had been nice, DH and I would have waited for the next train but he wasnt so we didnt.
We really enjoyed the ride. Even at night riding up front is so much better than riding in the back. I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance, especially between EPCOT and the TTC.
We switched over to the resort monorail and headed back to the CR. We still had one more full day and the better part of another left to go!
(sorry no pictures; I never did pick up my camera from the room that day! There will be lots of pictures for days 12 & 13 though)!
We made our way into EPCOT and I tried to call A&J to let them know about the earlier time for Illuminations in case they didnt already but got no answer. We wandered through World Showcase, both of us feeling a little hungry. We decided to stop at Tokyo Dining and see if there were any tables available at the last minute since we had enjoyed our sushi there so much the year before.
We rode up the smelly little elevator that looks straight out of the eighties
and DH asked the hostess about availability. Unfortunately, they were booked solid so we had to come up with a new plan (and traverse that gigantic set of stairs; I wasnt about to get back in that stinky elevator for a second time). We headed counter clockwise around the countries looking for an alternative meal but couldnt find anything that sounded good. We started looking for a place to watch Illuminations from instead, trying to find a spot large enough for four people that still had a good view. It was approaching 7:00PM at that point, and people were just starting to stake their claims.
We finally settled on a spot between the Mexico and Norway pavilions. We still hadnt heard anything from A&J, so I left my phone with DH and went into the bakery in Norway to get us a snack. This place was teeming with people, and the line was hardly moving. Finally I was able to battle my way through and get a sandwich for DH and two desserts for me.
I took our snacks back and we with our backs to the fence, trying to stand as wide as was humanly possible since the crowds were starting to encroach upon us. While I finished up, DH called A&J again and finally got in touch with them. He told them where we were standing and they said they were heading our way.
At this point, we felt as though we might be risking our lives to hold our spots. People were starting to fill in every inch of space available, including shoving small children between us and the rail and giving us nasty looks for saving spaces.
Finally A&J showed up and they elected to stand near the back of the crowd. DH and I turned and watched the show. Honestly, this was one of the clearest and best views we had ever had, though the inferno barges did not go off for some reason that evening. There was a lady standing next to me who was seeing the show for the first time and was simply enamored by it.
This was the point in the trip where I first felt the end of trip blues. While I was watching the fireworks I started having last time thoughts; those thoughts where you think about each thing you are doing and how you are likely doing it for the last time on that trip.
I tried to push them away so they wouldnt dampen my mood and was marginally successful. I knew that this would be our last time in EPCOT as a whole on this trip, as DH does not particularly care for that park. After Illuminations concluded we went on Maelstrom with A&J. Luckily, the movie at the end was not running so there was no possibility of being trapped by it. It was EMH by then, so we had to go through the annoying process of showing our tickets to all of the ride CMs.
After Maelstrom, we headed into the little Norway museum which is in the building that looks like a church. They have a couple of interesting displays in there and it was nice to get out of the cold.
From Norway we journeyed to Mexico where we rode El Rio de Tempo (or whatever it is). We spent most of our time talking and laughing, which made for a much more enjoyable ride.
We thought about Soarin but the wait was super long, so we headed to SE where we got to create our futures. After SE A&J bid us goodbye as they were leaving the next morning.
We though about trying TT since we had missed out the day after the wedding but found it broken again so we decided to give up and head back to the CR. We got on the monorail platform and asked the conductor if we could ride up front. He told us we would have to wait for a couple of trains but we didnt mind.
We finally got on and a man and his son joined us. The man had been loudly announcing his displeasure to his wife before the train pulled up. Apparently, he was angry that we were waiting to ride up front so there wouldnt be room for his whole family. If he had been nice, DH and I would have waited for the next train but he wasnt so we didnt.
We really enjoyed the ride. Even at night riding up front is so much better than riding in the back. I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance, especially between EPCOT and the TTC.
We switched over to the resort monorail and headed back to the CR. We still had one more full day and the better part of another left to go!
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Day 12, Part 1
We woke up the next morning to more cold but at least a little bit of sunshine. It was a little late by the time we were ready and moving, so we decided to forego breakfast and get something quick at DHS. We had an ADR for MM at 2:00, but my stomach was already starting to growl as we waited for the bus to pull up.
We made it through the turnstiles and headed for TOT to grab a FP. The return time was for about 30 minutes later, so we went over to the nearby food stand and DH got a hamburger while I grabbed a pretzel. I didn’t want to fill up too much before going on the ride.
This guy was taking handouts:
We still had a little time when we finished, so DH stopped to pin trade (using my pins) with a couple of CMs. When he was through with that, we headed to the FP line for TOT. I hate TOT. It is the only ride at WDW that truly terrifies me. Once it is over I tend to be glad that I did it, but I scream in true, sheer terror the entire time. This was no exception as we were seated in the front row and our car stayed in the dark the majority of the time. The ride seemed to last forever, and I couldn’t wait to get off.
TOT, How I loathe thee…
After making it through that, we headed over to RNR and grabbed a FP then got in the standby line as it was only twenty minutes. We enjoyed this as usual (without all the bobby pins in my head it didn’t bash my head around so much).
We headed over to TSM to find all the FPs gone (it was about 12:00 by this point) and a 90 minute line. We are not big line people, so we decided to skip it and do One Man’s Dream instead.
I love One Man’s Dream. There is so much history in there and so many awesome pieces. I love the little scale models of the icons and some of the rides from the Disney Parks around the world. We do this every trip, but until this time we had never stayed for the movie. I was glad we did on this trip, as I really enjoyed it.
Models:
Sparkly floor outside OMD theater:
DH waiting for movie to start:
After One Man’s Dream, we made our way back to RNR where we rode again and grabbed another FP. We wandered around a bit, avoiding the HSM show and ending up at Muppets. I love the Muppets show. This time, I spent a good part of the show watching the two old men heckling in the upper balcony. It amazed me that they continued to fidget and move in time with the action throughout the entire show, even when no one should be watching them. Their actions made everything even funnier.
We did a little wandering on the Street of America and DH traded another pin. We still had a little time before our ADR, so we looked through a couple of stores, trying to see if there was anything we wanted to buy. We saw a couple of wedding items, but the stores didn’t have the deal where you could pay the extra money and get a throw blanket as well, which I really wanted, so we decided to wait until we went back to MK that night for Wishes and pick our souvenirs up there.
It was nearing 2:00, so we made our way into MM, which smelled fantastic (or maybe I was just hungry). We were seated fairly quickly. I have to say, I wasn’t impressed with the interior of this restaurant and the food failed us as well. It was okay, but nothing great, and it seemed really expensive, even by Disney standards. My dessert was really good, but it didn’t do enough to make up for our lackluster meal. I was disappointed as I had really been looking forward to this.
After giving up an arm and a leg to pay for our meal, we did one last sweep past TSM which was still overflowing with people (the queue was outside the building) and did RNR one more time.
It was about 3:30 at this point, so we decided to make a quick trip to AK to do Everest again. When we got to the back of the park, it was pandemonium. The standby line was huge and they were out of FPs. We decided we might as well stand in line as we had nothing pressing to do.
Are we there yet?
After about five minutes, a CM came up to us and gave us a set of FPs as our “wedding gift”! As he walked us through the line, he provided us with two more sets. We were thrilled and got to ride three times with almost no wait in the FP line (we got number 12 again, twice).
After three rides though I was feeling a little queasy. We started to make our way back to the front of the park, wanting to beat the mad rush. We had to stop and sit on a bench along the way so I could gather myself and we saw this:
Put on your sunglasses:
My eyes started to burn and I had to look away. DH wanted me to take a picture, but I couldn’t do it without being obvious so we had to track her and her group through the park and act like we were shooting the outside of a store (Geeze, we sound like stalkers…).
In case it didn’t burn your retinas the first time:
No…we were taking pictures of this…why would we look at your pants…
After getting our picture, we stopped at a gift store on the way out and purchased an wedding ornament that we thought was sturdy enough to make it home in one piece. We made our way across to Discovery Island where we stopped for some ice cream and DH got annoyed by some less-than-magical CMs who suddenly decided to start a new line that left us and the three people behind us being cut.
We made our way out of the park with our ice cream (DH still grumpy at this point) and I stopped to take a few pictures. They brought the characters out to wave goodbye to everyone which I thought was fun as I had never seen it before.
Birds roosting again:
Pretty Flowers:
Bird near exit:
See Ya Real Soon! (Translation: hurry up and get out of here!):
We headed out and got on the bus back to the CR. I wanted to watch Spectro and Wishes from Main Street, but I was still feeling a little ill so I hoped a nap would make it better!
We woke up the next morning to more cold but at least a little bit of sunshine. It was a little late by the time we were ready and moving, so we decided to forego breakfast and get something quick at DHS. We had an ADR for MM at 2:00, but my stomach was already starting to growl as we waited for the bus to pull up.
We made it through the turnstiles and headed for TOT to grab a FP. The return time was for about 30 minutes later, so we went over to the nearby food stand and DH got a hamburger while I grabbed a pretzel. I didn’t want to fill up too much before going on the ride.
This guy was taking handouts:
We still had a little time when we finished, so DH stopped to pin trade (using my pins) with a couple of CMs. When he was through with that, we headed to the FP line for TOT. I hate TOT. It is the only ride at WDW that truly terrifies me. Once it is over I tend to be glad that I did it, but I scream in true, sheer terror the entire time. This was no exception as we were seated in the front row and our car stayed in the dark the majority of the time. The ride seemed to last forever, and I couldn’t wait to get off.
TOT, How I loathe thee…
After making it through that, we headed over to RNR and grabbed a FP then got in the standby line as it was only twenty minutes. We enjoyed this as usual (without all the bobby pins in my head it didn’t bash my head around so much).
We headed over to TSM to find all the FPs gone (it was about 12:00 by this point) and a 90 minute line. We are not big line people, so we decided to skip it and do One Man’s Dream instead.
I love One Man’s Dream. There is so much history in there and so many awesome pieces. I love the little scale models of the icons and some of the rides from the Disney Parks around the world. We do this every trip, but until this time we had never stayed for the movie. I was glad we did on this trip, as I really enjoyed it.
Models:
Sparkly floor outside OMD theater:
DH waiting for movie to start:
After One Man’s Dream, we made our way back to RNR where we rode again and grabbed another FP. We wandered around a bit, avoiding the HSM show and ending up at Muppets. I love the Muppets show. This time, I spent a good part of the show watching the two old men heckling in the upper balcony. It amazed me that they continued to fidget and move in time with the action throughout the entire show, even when no one should be watching them. Their actions made everything even funnier.
We did a little wandering on the Street of America and DH traded another pin. We still had a little time before our ADR, so we looked through a couple of stores, trying to see if there was anything we wanted to buy. We saw a couple of wedding items, but the stores didn’t have the deal where you could pay the extra money and get a throw blanket as well, which I really wanted, so we decided to wait until we went back to MK that night for Wishes and pick our souvenirs up there.
It was nearing 2:00, so we made our way into MM, which smelled fantastic (or maybe I was just hungry). We were seated fairly quickly. I have to say, I wasn’t impressed with the interior of this restaurant and the food failed us as well. It was okay, but nothing great, and it seemed really expensive, even by Disney standards. My dessert was really good, but it didn’t do enough to make up for our lackluster meal. I was disappointed as I had really been looking forward to this.
After giving up an arm and a leg to pay for our meal, we did one last sweep past TSM which was still overflowing with people (the queue was outside the building) and did RNR one more time.
It was about 3:30 at this point, so we decided to make a quick trip to AK to do Everest again. When we got to the back of the park, it was pandemonium. The standby line was huge and they were out of FPs. We decided we might as well stand in line as we had nothing pressing to do.
Are we there yet?
After about five minutes, a CM came up to us and gave us a set of FPs as our “wedding gift”! As he walked us through the line, he provided us with two more sets. We were thrilled and got to ride three times with almost no wait in the FP line (we got number 12 again, twice).
After three rides though I was feeling a little queasy. We started to make our way back to the front of the park, wanting to beat the mad rush. We had to stop and sit on a bench along the way so I could gather myself and we saw this:
Put on your sunglasses:
My eyes started to burn and I had to look away. DH wanted me to take a picture, but I couldn’t do it without being obvious so we had to track her and her group through the park and act like we were shooting the outside of a store (Geeze, we sound like stalkers…).
In case it didn’t burn your retinas the first time:
No…we were taking pictures of this…why would we look at your pants…
After getting our picture, we stopped at a gift store on the way out and purchased an wedding ornament that we thought was sturdy enough to make it home in one piece. We made our way across to Discovery Island where we stopped for some ice cream and DH got annoyed by some less-than-magical CMs who suddenly decided to start a new line that left us and the three people behind us being cut.
We made our way out of the park with our ice cream (DH still grumpy at this point) and I stopped to take a few pictures. They brought the characters out to wave goodbye to everyone which I thought was fun as I had never seen it before.
Birds roosting again:
Pretty Flowers:
Bird near exit:
See Ya Real Soon! (Translation: hurry up and get out of here!):
We headed out and got on the bus back to the CR. I wanted to watch Spectro and Wishes from Main Street, but I was still feeling a little ill so I hoped a nap would make it better!
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Day 12, Part 2
We watched TV for a little while, but I still wasn’t feeling any better when it was time to head over for Spectro so we decided to skip it since we had seen it the week before. I wasn’t about to miss Wishes though, so we decided to walk to MK at about 7:00 so we would get there in plenty of time to find a good spot.
I tried to snap a few pictures of the Castle and the monorail as we walked, but I was having difficulty with the settings and nothing turned out well. This disappointed me, since I had already been thwarted in my plan to video Wishes due to an uncharged camcorder and now it looked as though my camera was going to be uncooperative as well.
When we entered the park we could see the tail end of Spectro heading around the hub. DH and I hurried towards the hub, trying to stay back and centered far enough to make the show really good. I tried a few more shots with my camera but they were nothing great:
Just before the show started, I remembered that my camera had the ability to capture video as well! I set everything up on it and started rolling, missing only the first couple of seconds. I still haven’t downloaded it to see how it turned out, though on the camera playback it seemed fine.
I cried during the show of course. Knowing that we were leaving the next day made me sad, but a lot of my tears were happy tears as well. I believe so deeply in the power of dreams, and while WDW as a whole plays to that belief, I think that Wishes is especially profound about it. It was true, on this trip all of my wishes had come true.
After the show was over we let the crowd clear out a little. We walked towards Adventureland but then decided we were hungry. It was EMH so we weren’t sure what was still open or not and asked a CM. He was very nice and gave us a few suggestions, of which we opted for Cosmic Rays as it sounded like it had the most variety.
We got in the restaurant and DH and I split up. I headed for the salad and soup and he went for the burgers. I got my food and waited and waited for him. Suddenly, I remembered that we needed to get checked in for our Southwest flight about an hour earlier! I called my dad, and he was able to still get us in at the end of the A group.
Finally after about 20 minutes DH showed up looking crabby. Apparently they were out of a lot of toppings he wanted (like cheese sauce) and ordering had taken him forever. They had said they would bring some cheese sauce out, but he had grown tired of waiting before it ever appeared.
Once we finished up, we headed over to BTMRR and rode 4 or 5 times with little or no wait. We liked this MUCH better in the dark. The part with the bats in the beginning was SO much better, and when you were climbing the hill and the sky was clear above you it was just awesome. It really felt like you were in a mountain range in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, none of my pictures of this turned out, despite my best efforts.
We walked past Splash but it was chilly and we had ridden it several times so we skipped it even though there was no line. We decided to do Pirates one last time (there was no line for this either), and then stopped on Main Street to pick out some souvenirs. We bought the bobble head Mickey and Minnie, a hat DH has been eyeing for our past visits featuring Mickey through the years, and some mouse ears for our dog so we could reach the $50 limit and pay another $20 for a throw with the castle and Mickey, Minnie, and Tink on it. We never buy souvenirs, but we thought we might regret it if we didn’t this trip.
Splash:
Main Street at night:
Petey with his ears:
We left the park and got on the monorail heading back for the CR where I packed up most of our things and tried not to get choked up then set our alarm for early the next morning for our 8:25 ADR at Crystal Palace and our very last day.
We watched TV for a little while, but I still wasn’t feeling any better when it was time to head over for Spectro so we decided to skip it since we had seen it the week before. I wasn’t about to miss Wishes though, so we decided to walk to MK at about 7:00 so we would get there in plenty of time to find a good spot.
I tried to snap a few pictures of the Castle and the monorail as we walked, but I was having difficulty with the settings and nothing turned out well. This disappointed me, since I had already been thwarted in my plan to video Wishes due to an uncharged camcorder and now it looked as though my camera was going to be uncooperative as well.
When we entered the park we could see the tail end of Spectro heading around the hub. DH and I hurried towards the hub, trying to stay back and centered far enough to make the show really good. I tried a few more shots with my camera but they were nothing great:
Just before the show started, I remembered that my camera had the ability to capture video as well! I set everything up on it and started rolling, missing only the first couple of seconds. I still haven’t downloaded it to see how it turned out, though on the camera playback it seemed fine.
I cried during the show of course. Knowing that we were leaving the next day made me sad, but a lot of my tears were happy tears as well. I believe so deeply in the power of dreams, and while WDW as a whole plays to that belief, I think that Wishes is especially profound about it. It was true, on this trip all of my wishes had come true.
After the show was over we let the crowd clear out a little. We walked towards Adventureland but then decided we were hungry. It was EMH so we weren’t sure what was still open or not and asked a CM. He was very nice and gave us a few suggestions, of which we opted for Cosmic Rays as it sounded like it had the most variety.
We got in the restaurant and DH and I split up. I headed for the salad and soup and he went for the burgers. I got my food and waited and waited for him. Suddenly, I remembered that we needed to get checked in for our Southwest flight about an hour earlier! I called my dad, and he was able to still get us in at the end of the A group.
Finally after about 20 minutes DH showed up looking crabby. Apparently they were out of a lot of toppings he wanted (like cheese sauce) and ordering had taken him forever. They had said they would bring some cheese sauce out, but he had grown tired of waiting before it ever appeared.
Once we finished up, we headed over to BTMRR and rode 4 or 5 times with little or no wait. We liked this MUCH better in the dark. The part with the bats in the beginning was SO much better, and when you were climbing the hill and the sky was clear above you it was just awesome. It really felt like you were in a mountain range in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, none of my pictures of this turned out, despite my best efforts.
We walked past Splash but it was chilly and we had ridden it several times so we skipped it even though there was no line. We decided to do Pirates one last time (there was no line for this either), and then stopped on Main Street to pick out some souvenirs. We bought the bobble head Mickey and Minnie, a hat DH has been eyeing for our past visits featuring Mickey through the years, and some mouse ears for our dog so we could reach the $50 limit and pay another $20 for a throw with the castle and Mickey, Minnie, and Tink on it. We never buy souvenirs, but we thought we might regret it if we didn’t this trip.
Splash:
Main Street at night:
Petey with his ears:
We left the park and got on the monorail heading back for the CR where I packed up most of our things and tried not to get choked up then set our alarm for early the next morning for our 8:25 ADR at Crystal Palace and our very last day.
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Day 13, Part 1
We woke up fairly early for our last day. I finished packing up all of our odds and ends with a heavy heart while DH got ready for the day. In some ways I was ready to go home, but I never really feel like I am fully ready. Knowing we will come back makes it easier, but it dosen’t make it easy.
As we headed out the door, I noticed that our ME information had not been left as it should have the night before. I commented on this to DH, and we decided to ask about it if it had not been delivered by the time we returned from breakfast. We walked over to the main building, and DH decided he would prefer to ride the monorail to MK instead of walking. We had plenty of time, so we jumped onboard and made the circuit around Seven Seas Lagoon.
We went through the early entry line into MK again and found ourselves on a mostly deserted Main Street. I wanted to take a few pictures of the castle, but we were getting close to our ADR time and DH was apparently hungry.
Hurry up…I’m hungry:
Picture of castle taken while walking:
Crystal Palace:
We got checked in with several people in front of us. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly but the sky was very blue, making it even harder to think about leaving.
Castle from CP porch:
We finally made it inside to find this on the table
Pixie Dust:
Tigger was just about to reach us, so we held off on heading to the buffet until after he came. Since DH was sitting in the aisle, he got all of the character interaction.
Tigger and DH:
Once Tigger left I found myself a little less anxious. This was DH’s first character meal and I wasn’t exactly sure how he would react. I was afraid he would think the whole thing was stupid, but I should have known he would jump in and have fun with it. Or at least he would do a good job pretending to enjoy it for my sake, LOL.
We got out breakfast and chatted for a bit when Pooh showed up
Pooh and DH:
Right after Pooh left, our server brought out a special cupcake for us. I was stuffed at this point, but who can resist a cupcake for breakfast?
Cupcake:
Our server then said that we were wlcome to join in the parade around the CP, which was the last thing on Earth I was going to be doing. I saw DH grin at me and I began to feel a little worried. I think DH would do anything to make me laugh…
DH plotting:
Sure enough, when the music started, DH didn’t just twirl his napkin in the air, he got up and joined in the parade. I decided to be happy he was enjoying himself (or pretending to) rather than being mortified.
Pooh leading the Parade:
DH in the parade:
Eeyore in the parade:
After the music ended DH returned to his seat. A few of the servers came by and praised him for his participation while scolding me for not joining him. I said I had to have photographic evidence.
When our server brought out the check, he also brought out a magical moments certificate and a bag to save our pixie dust in for a rainy day.
We waited around for a couple minutes because Eeyore and Piglet were coming near. Eeyore stopped by for a minute.
Eeyore and DH:
We waited for Piglet, but after he finished the table before ours he had to go on break. We didn’t want to spend another thirty minutes so we just grabbed this shot instead:
But….we were next! NEXT! You pig!
We left CP and MK for the last time and headed back to the CR to check our bags with bell services and straighten out our ME information before heading over to see the horse barns at Fort Wilderness.
We woke up fairly early for our last day. I finished packing up all of our odds and ends with a heavy heart while DH got ready for the day. In some ways I was ready to go home, but I never really feel like I am fully ready. Knowing we will come back makes it easier, but it dosen’t make it easy.
As we headed out the door, I noticed that our ME information had not been left as it should have the night before. I commented on this to DH, and we decided to ask about it if it had not been delivered by the time we returned from breakfast. We walked over to the main building, and DH decided he would prefer to ride the monorail to MK instead of walking. We had plenty of time, so we jumped onboard and made the circuit around Seven Seas Lagoon.
We went through the early entry line into MK again and found ourselves on a mostly deserted Main Street. I wanted to take a few pictures of the castle, but we were getting close to our ADR time and DH was apparently hungry.
Hurry up…I’m hungry:
Picture of castle taken while walking:
Crystal Palace:
We got checked in with several people in front of us. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly but the sky was very blue, making it even harder to think about leaving.
Castle from CP porch:
We finally made it inside to find this on the table
Pixie Dust:
Tigger was just about to reach us, so we held off on heading to the buffet until after he came. Since DH was sitting in the aisle, he got all of the character interaction.
Tigger and DH:
Once Tigger left I found myself a little less anxious. This was DH’s first character meal and I wasn’t exactly sure how he would react. I was afraid he would think the whole thing was stupid, but I should have known he would jump in and have fun with it. Or at least he would do a good job pretending to enjoy it for my sake, LOL.
We got out breakfast and chatted for a bit when Pooh showed up
Pooh and DH:
Right after Pooh left, our server brought out a special cupcake for us. I was stuffed at this point, but who can resist a cupcake for breakfast?
Cupcake:
Our server then said that we were wlcome to join in the parade around the CP, which was the last thing on Earth I was going to be doing. I saw DH grin at me and I began to feel a little worried. I think DH would do anything to make me laugh…
DH plotting:
Sure enough, when the music started, DH didn’t just twirl his napkin in the air, he got up and joined in the parade. I decided to be happy he was enjoying himself (or pretending to) rather than being mortified.
Pooh leading the Parade:
DH in the parade:
Eeyore in the parade:
After the music ended DH returned to his seat. A few of the servers came by and praised him for his participation while scolding me for not joining him. I said I had to have photographic evidence.
When our server brought out the check, he also brought out a magical moments certificate and a bag to save our pixie dust in for a rainy day.
We waited around for a couple minutes because Eeyore and Piglet were coming near. Eeyore stopped by for a minute.
Eeyore and DH:
We waited for Piglet, but after he finished the table before ours he had to go on break. We didn’t want to spend another thirty minutes so we just grabbed this shot instead:
But….we were next! NEXT! You pig!
We left CP and MK for the last time and headed back to the CR to check our bags with bell services and straighten out our ME information before heading over to see the horse barns at Fort Wilderness.
4th_little_pig
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2009
I have to say I really did enjoy the character breakfast at crystal palace . My favorite part was doing the parade with the kids ,you should have seen their faces when i joined in you would have thought i was carrying a four pack of mikes hard lemon-aid.
I kept thinking one of the kids was going to start yelling " stranger danger stanger danger " causing a child stampeed resulting in a trampeling death or injury to pooh . 
Luckely the music stopped about this time and all the kids scurried back to their respective tables and the finger pointing began I returned to Amy at our table as i was sitting there a door opened in the corner and i saw tigger in there with his head off and I swear to god it was Chis Hansen Iknew he was looking at me funny.
Is it just me or do i look an alot like piglet,pink and round.
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Day 13, Part 2
When we got back to the room, DH wanted to rest for a few minutes. Apparently marching in the parade had been taxing for him. I got all of our luggage in order during this time, and looked all around the room and outside to see if the ME information had appeared in our absence. It hadnt.
Finally DH proclaimed that he was ready to continue on to Ft. Wilderness. We rolled our luggage all the way to the main building to bell services where I asked about our ME information. They provided me with a number to call, where I confirmed that the flight information they had on file was correct. I was given a confirmation number and the bell stand outside produced a voucher for me and DH.
Thinking that the situation was now under control, we headed out to the Marina to catch a boat to Ft. Wilderness. We had never been there before and werent sure what to expect. We were just interested in seeing the horse barns.
I liked this sculpture on the way to the marina:
Waiting for the boat:
Two monorails!:
We climbed aboard the boat and were the only passengers, unless you count this guy:
We made it over to the fort and were half lost almost immediately. The maps were a little confusing, but we found our way by meandering along the roads.
We saw this on the way:
We got to the barns and they were nice enough, but not as nice as I was expecting. They were very clean and well maintained though and I suppose the rustic look was just in keeping with the them of the place. I was hoping there would be some CMs working in the stables that we could talk to, but they were all way at the other end where guests were not allowed.
Barns and paddocks for petting area:
We headed outside and into the petting area to look at the ponies. We saw several children being led on pony rides by their parents and were shocked. During a lull, we talked to the CM manning the pony rides and she said that they (the CMs) are not allowed to lead the ponies due to liability issues. I figured it would be the other way around. She also told us that the ponies in the petting area being used for the rides were the same ponies that pulled the coach and we talked a bit about the preparations for that.
Ponies in petting area at Ft. Wilderness:
After finishing up with the horses we had to figure out a bus route. We decided that, judging from the map, any of the buses would take us to the front of the park. We hopped on the first bus that came by and had a short ride to the front where we waited for a DHS bus in the hopes of doing another ride on TSMM
Area near internal bus stop:
We didnt have to wait too long for a DHS bus. We made it to the Studios quickly and headed straight for TSMM. The wait time posted was 40 minutes but we decided to go for it as we really wanted to ride again and the FP return time was after our departure time.
The line moved pretty quickly and was still fairly visually interesting. I think we were through in about 25-30 minutes. DH beat me again.
TSMM is more fun than a Barrel of Moneys (sorry, I couldnt help myself!):
DH in line:
DH has his own toys!:
When we got out the line was still showing 40 minutes but was even shorter than the last time, so we rode again. This is one of my new favorites.
I asked DH if he wanted to do RNR (his favorite) one more time but he declined saying we had done it enough times for one trip and we headed back to the front of the park
I never noticed the Dragons on the roof of the GMR before:
On the way out we stopped at the little Curios and Antiques store (DH likes anything that says Clearance sale or antique on it). We had never been in there before and they had several interesting things.
We still had about 4 hours before we had to get back to the CR, so we decided to go to AK one more time, as it is probably our favorite park for walking around in. There was a bus already at the stop so we did a sort of running walk towards it and managed to get on board.
When we got back to the room, DH wanted to rest for a few minutes. Apparently marching in the parade had been taxing for him. I got all of our luggage in order during this time, and looked all around the room and outside to see if the ME information had appeared in our absence. It hadnt.
Finally DH proclaimed that he was ready to continue on to Ft. Wilderness. We rolled our luggage all the way to the main building to bell services where I asked about our ME information. They provided me with a number to call, where I confirmed that the flight information they had on file was correct. I was given a confirmation number and the bell stand outside produced a voucher for me and DH.
Thinking that the situation was now under control, we headed out to the Marina to catch a boat to Ft. Wilderness. We had never been there before and werent sure what to expect. We were just interested in seeing the horse barns.
I liked this sculpture on the way to the marina:
Waiting for the boat:
Two monorails!:
We climbed aboard the boat and were the only passengers, unless you count this guy:
We made it over to the fort and were half lost almost immediately. The maps were a little confusing, but we found our way by meandering along the roads.
We saw this on the way:
We got to the barns and they were nice enough, but not as nice as I was expecting. They were very clean and well maintained though and I suppose the rustic look was just in keeping with the them of the place. I was hoping there would be some CMs working in the stables that we could talk to, but they were all way at the other end where guests were not allowed.
Barns and paddocks for petting area:
We headed outside and into the petting area to look at the ponies. We saw several children being led on pony rides by their parents and were shocked. During a lull, we talked to the CM manning the pony rides and she said that they (the CMs) are not allowed to lead the ponies due to liability issues. I figured it would be the other way around. She also told us that the ponies in the petting area being used for the rides were the same ponies that pulled the coach and we talked a bit about the preparations for that.
Ponies in petting area at Ft. Wilderness:
After finishing up with the horses we had to figure out a bus route. We decided that, judging from the map, any of the buses would take us to the front of the park. We hopped on the first bus that came by and had a short ride to the front where we waited for a DHS bus in the hopes of doing another ride on TSMM
Area near internal bus stop:
We didnt have to wait too long for a DHS bus. We made it to the Studios quickly and headed straight for TSMM. The wait time posted was 40 minutes but we decided to go for it as we really wanted to ride again and the FP return time was after our departure time.
The line moved pretty quickly and was still fairly visually interesting. I think we were through in about 25-30 minutes. DH beat me again.
TSMM is more fun than a Barrel of Moneys (sorry, I couldnt help myself!):
DH in line:
DH has his own toys!:
When we got out the line was still showing 40 minutes but was even shorter than the last time, so we rode again. This is one of my new favorites.
I asked DH if he wanted to do RNR (his favorite) one more time but he declined saying we had done it enough times for one trip and we headed back to the front of the park
I never noticed the Dragons on the roof of the GMR before:
On the way out we stopped at the little Curios and Antiques store (DH likes anything that says Clearance sale or antique on it). We had never been in there before and they had several interesting things.
We still had about 4 hours before we had to get back to the CR, so we decided to go to AK one more time, as it is probably our favorite park for walking around in. There was a bus already at the stop so we did a sort of running walk towards it and managed to get on board.
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Day 13, Part 3
When we got to AK we decided we were pretty hungry. We stopped for a few pictures of Discovery Island then headed for Africa where we grabbed a FP for KS, then headed over to the Yak & Yeti counter service location. We had eaten there on our last visit and been really pleased with the food so we decided to go for it again.
These guys are ugly:
Nice to look at; don’t want to own one:
Pretty flowers:
I found a table near the fountain while DH ordered our food. The outdoor seating area for this CS is really well themed, though I imagine the heat is unbearable during the summer. Even with all of the noise around me, I felt very peaceful listening to the water running in the fountain.
Fountain we sat next to:
I love the theming and colors of the seating area:
We enjoyed our lunch and the warm sunshine, then headed over to ride KS one last time. We were seated almost immediately and given our own row, which was nice so we didn’t have to lean over anyone else for pictures. The CM doing the safari was fantastic! He was, by far, the best one we had ever had. He gave a lot of information on the animals, tried to slow down as much as possible to let people take pictures, and downplayed the poachers story line to the greatest extent possible. We had a really great time because of it!
Some safari photos:
When we finished the safari, we went down the Pangini Forest Trail, where I discovered that my camera had run out of batteries yet again. For some reason, the battery would just suddenly die with no warning whatsoever!
It was too bad it wasn’t working, because there were a lot of animals out that day, and many of them were really active, including the gorillas. I like both of the trails in Animal Kingdom, but I think I like the Maharaja Trek better. I think the theming is more spectacular in that area, but it is just a slight personal preference.
When we finished up with that, we stopped outside of Tusker House to watch a musical act that was going on. It was fun and pretty interesting, especially when they pulled people in from the audience. I was glad no one picked me to participate since I cannot dance.
We had about an hour left before we needed to head for the bus so we decided to stop by the Tree of Life and watch the Bug’s Life movie, which we hadn’t done for a while. I had forgotten how many effects they used in this. At least I remembered to sit forward so I wouldn’t be bashed in the back by the stinger, which I do not like at all.
Tree of Life and surrounding area (taken earlier):
Once the show was over, we decided it was time to go. At this point, I could feel myself becoming really emotional because I knew that this really was the last time. I knew we would be back and I tried to reason with myself that it wouldn’t be special if we were always there but I was having a lot more trouble than I normally do even. I suppose it was because I had spent so much time planning this trip and the wedding and now it was about to be well and truly over.
I spent the bus ride back to the CR lost in thought and a little depressed. DH tried to cheer me up and it worked somewhat but I was still really sad. It was the double whammy of post wedding and post WDW blues setting in.
When we got back to the CR we collected our luggage and waited around in the lobby, looking out the window just in case an ME bus showed up early. When we had about fifteen minutes left until our pickup time, we headed out to wait. The CR has no benches in their waiting area, which was not cool as I had to sit on my luggage. There is some seating nearby, but the bell man warned us to stay near the ME sign so the drivers wouldn’t pull through without stopping.
Ten minutes after we were supposed to be picked up, DH got tired of standing and a little grumpy so he went to sit near the entry to the CR. I declined to join him, still wondering where the bus was and still feeling super down that we had to leave.
About twenty minutes more passed. DH was just about to ask where the bus was when the bell man decided to become concerned by the situation. He asked if we could have missed it and we explained that we had gotten to the stop early and had been watching before that. He asked if we had the right information and I assured him that I had just spoken with ME about our flight that morning since we had received no documents.
The bell man took our confirmation number from me and called the ME office. It turned out that they had our flight info correct. Somehow, we had been booked to be picked up from ASMu! DH informed the bell man that we never had (and never would) stay at ASMu. The bus had been waiting for us, apparently, but had had to go on.
Finally, they got things straightened out. They were going to send a bus for us, but just then ME pulled up to pick up another guest and the bell man talked our way on. We got on board and I made DH move as he had decided to sit right behind the driver on an otherwise empty bus; I think he wanted to breathe down his neck to get us to MCO faster. I wanted to be free to tear up in peace when we saw “See Ya Real Soon!” on the exit gates.
We stopped at WL on the way out, which agitated DH, then we were off and I was trying not to be a wreck. The whole time we kept hearing the radio discussing DH and I and how we needed to be picked up, LOL.
We made it to MCO in plenty of times, our bags made it through (I was afraid they would be over weight), and we got through security quickly. We had a snack from McDonald’s and DH watched the Super Bowl on TV while I read.
Our flight home was full but uneventful with Super Bowl updates the whole way. My parents were waiting at the airport with our car and our fur baby Petey who was torn between joy at seeing us and anger at us leaving him and stayed that way for nearly a week.
When we got home, my dad had set up a cabinet I inherited from my grandma and placed some wedding things they had purchased for us inside like the wedding snow globe I had wanted but dismissed as too pricy and a stuffed wedding Mickey and Minnie. They had also put out a digital picture frame and the pictures my dad had taken at the wedding were rolling through, a nice surprise as they were the first we had seen.
All in all, we had a wonderful wedding and a wonderful trip. I can’t think of anything at all that I would have changed about the entire experience. I am so glad we did everything that we did, and I have no regrets whatsoever. All of my memories are happy ones.
I love Disney because it really is the place where dreams come true and where magic lives. When I am there, nothing else in the whole world has to matter for that little bit of time. For a moment, I believe with all of my heart that anything is possible and that wishing on a star really does work. That little piece of time reminds me of the hope I have inside and helps carry me through my day to day life. It helps me to remember just how lucky I really am, and how so many of my wishes and dreams have come true.
To everyone who has followed along: Thank you for reading. It means a lot.
When we got to AK we decided we were pretty hungry. We stopped for a few pictures of Discovery Island then headed for Africa where we grabbed a FP for KS, then headed over to the Yak & Yeti counter service location. We had eaten there on our last visit and been really pleased with the food so we decided to go for it again.
These guys are ugly:
Nice to look at; don’t want to own one:
Pretty flowers:
I found a table near the fountain while DH ordered our food. The outdoor seating area for this CS is really well themed, though I imagine the heat is unbearable during the summer. Even with all of the noise around me, I felt very peaceful listening to the water running in the fountain.
Fountain we sat next to:
I love the theming and colors of the seating area:
We enjoyed our lunch and the warm sunshine, then headed over to ride KS one last time. We were seated almost immediately and given our own row, which was nice so we didn’t have to lean over anyone else for pictures. The CM doing the safari was fantastic! He was, by far, the best one we had ever had. He gave a lot of information on the animals, tried to slow down as much as possible to let people take pictures, and downplayed the poachers story line to the greatest extent possible. We had a really great time because of it!
Some safari photos:
When we finished the safari, we went down the Pangini Forest Trail, where I discovered that my camera had run out of batteries yet again. For some reason, the battery would just suddenly die with no warning whatsoever!
It was too bad it wasn’t working, because there were a lot of animals out that day, and many of them were really active, including the gorillas. I like both of the trails in Animal Kingdom, but I think I like the Maharaja Trek better. I think the theming is more spectacular in that area, but it is just a slight personal preference.
When we finished up with that, we stopped outside of Tusker House to watch a musical act that was going on. It was fun and pretty interesting, especially when they pulled people in from the audience. I was glad no one picked me to participate since I cannot dance.
We had about an hour left before we needed to head for the bus so we decided to stop by the Tree of Life and watch the Bug’s Life movie, which we hadn’t done for a while. I had forgotten how many effects they used in this. At least I remembered to sit forward so I wouldn’t be bashed in the back by the stinger, which I do not like at all.
Tree of Life and surrounding area (taken earlier):
Once the show was over, we decided it was time to go. At this point, I could feel myself becoming really emotional because I knew that this really was the last time. I knew we would be back and I tried to reason with myself that it wouldn’t be special if we were always there but I was having a lot more trouble than I normally do even. I suppose it was because I had spent so much time planning this trip and the wedding and now it was about to be well and truly over.
I spent the bus ride back to the CR lost in thought and a little depressed. DH tried to cheer me up and it worked somewhat but I was still really sad. It was the double whammy of post wedding and post WDW blues setting in.
When we got back to the CR we collected our luggage and waited around in the lobby, looking out the window just in case an ME bus showed up early. When we had about fifteen minutes left until our pickup time, we headed out to wait. The CR has no benches in their waiting area, which was not cool as I had to sit on my luggage. There is some seating nearby, but the bell man warned us to stay near the ME sign so the drivers wouldn’t pull through without stopping.
Ten minutes after we were supposed to be picked up, DH got tired of standing and a little grumpy so he went to sit near the entry to the CR. I declined to join him, still wondering where the bus was and still feeling super down that we had to leave.
About twenty minutes more passed. DH was just about to ask where the bus was when the bell man decided to become concerned by the situation. He asked if we could have missed it and we explained that we had gotten to the stop early and had been watching before that. He asked if we had the right information and I assured him that I had just spoken with ME about our flight that morning since we had received no documents.
The bell man took our confirmation number from me and called the ME office. It turned out that they had our flight info correct. Somehow, we had been booked to be picked up from ASMu! DH informed the bell man that we never had (and never would) stay at ASMu. The bus had been waiting for us, apparently, but had had to go on.
Finally, they got things straightened out. They were going to send a bus for us, but just then ME pulled up to pick up another guest and the bell man talked our way on. We got on board and I made DH move as he had decided to sit right behind the driver on an otherwise empty bus; I think he wanted to breathe down his neck to get us to MCO faster. I wanted to be free to tear up in peace when we saw “See Ya Real Soon!” on the exit gates.
We stopped at WL on the way out, which agitated DH, then we were off and I was trying not to be a wreck. The whole time we kept hearing the radio discussing DH and I and how we needed to be picked up, LOL.
We made it to MCO in plenty of times, our bags made it through (I was afraid they would be over weight), and we got through security quickly. We had a snack from McDonald’s and DH watched the Super Bowl on TV while I read.
Our flight home was full but uneventful with Super Bowl updates the whole way. My parents were waiting at the airport with our car and our fur baby Petey who was torn between joy at seeing us and anger at us leaving him and stayed that way for nearly a week.
When we got home, my dad had set up a cabinet I inherited from my grandma and placed some wedding things they had purchased for us inside like the wedding snow globe I had wanted but dismissed as too pricy and a stuffed wedding Mickey and Minnie. They had also put out a digital picture frame and the pictures my dad had taken at the wedding were rolling through, a nice surprise as they were the first we had seen.
All in all, we had a wonderful wedding and a wonderful trip. I can’t think of anything at all that I would have changed about the entire experience. I am so glad we did everything that we did, and I have no regrets whatsoever. All of my memories are happy ones.
I love Disney because it really is the place where dreams come true and where magic lives. When I am there, nothing else in the whole world has to matter for that little bit of time. For a moment, I believe with all of my heart that anything is possible and that wishing on a star really does work. That little piece of time reminds me of the hope I have inside and helps carry me through my day to day life. It helps me to remember just how lucky I really am, and how so many of my wishes and dreams have come true.
To everyone who has followed along: Thank you for reading. It means a lot.
MiaBella05
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2006
I enjoyed reading your report, i hope you and your hubby are enjoying life as newlyweds!! 
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
I enjoyed reading your report, i hope you and your hubby are enjoying life as newlyweds!!
We are. Thanks for reading!
figmentfan814
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
Somehow I ended up way behind in your recaps, so I have some random comments from catching up.
Congrats on buying DVC! I have to admit I'm a little jealous
We just got an updated point chart in the mail since we toured last year while we were down for the wedding. I think they should give discounts for WDW couples during their wedding trip I'm surprised you chose BLT since you seem like CR wasn't that great of an experience for you. Although after seeing the model pictures in our new brochure I love BLT too!
That is so cool how you got to see the VR of your cruise friends. Its nice that you were able to meet up with them several times to visit. I know we had a blast meeting other couples from the boards, etc.
I totally agree about TOT; I hate that ride even though I love rollercoasters. DH just rode it for the first time on this trip with my dad. Thankfully he didn't like it that much either, so I won't be dragged on it again! MM wasn't that impressive to us when we tried it either. Its been probably 7 or 8 years though, so its good to know we still aren't missing much.
The green pants picture is pretty funny from AK. Sounds like something DH would want me to do too (taking the picture)
Congrats on buying DVC! I have to admit I'm a little jealous
We just got an updated point chart in the mail since we toured last year while we were down for the wedding. I think they should give discounts for WDW couples during their wedding trip I'm surprised you chose BLT since you seem like CR wasn't that great of an experience for you. Although after seeing the model pictures in our new brochure I love BLT too!That is so cool how you got to see the VR of your cruise friends. Its nice that you were able to meet up with them several times to visit. I know we had a blast meeting other couples from the boards, etc.
I totally agree about TOT; I hate that ride even though I love rollercoasters. DH just rode it for the first time on this trip with my dad. Thankfully he didn't like it that much either, so I won't be dragged on it again! MM wasn't that impressive to us when we tried it either. Its been probably 7 or 8 years though, so its good to know we still aren't missing much.
The green pants picture is pretty funny from AK. Sounds like something DH would want me to do too (taking the picture)
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QUOTE]
Our dog has the old style ones which go over her ears; these are so much better! Petey looks super cute in them.
The ending of your report is so touching. I know how surreal it was when we left from our wedding trip too. Kris and I were still living in separate states at the time which made it even worse. Our anniversary trip was also pretty emotional; I even cried when we went into the AAR for the first time since our wedding. I'm sure on your first trip back you'll have lots of "we went there" or "we did that" when we were here for the wedding moments like we had
Bride-to-be
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2009
I just saw your wedding pictures - I love them!!! I especially like the ones with mickey and minnie! Your cake looked amazing - I especially like the topper - I feel like its different then ones I have seen in the past.
I can't wait until I have more time to read through your TR. The pics made it look like you had an amazing cruise and time at disney.
Does anyone know if you can hire mickey and minnie for MK photoshoots? Now that I have seen these pics I kind of want mickey and minnie too!
I can't wait until I have more time to read through your TR. The pics made it look like you had an amazing cruise and time at disney.
Does anyone know if you can hire mickey and minnie for MK photoshoots? Now that I have seen these pics I kind of want mickey and minnie too!
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
Congrats on buying DVC! I have to admit I'm a little jealous
Our dog has the old style ones which go over her ears; these are so much better! Petey looks super cute in them.
The ending of your report is so touching. I know how surreal it was when we left from our wedding trip too. Kris and I were still living in separate states at the time which made it even worse. Our anniversary trip was also pretty emotional; I even cried when we went into the AAR for the first time since our wedding. I'm sure on your first trip back you'll have lots of "we went there" or "we did that" when we were here for the wedding moments like we had
I think they should give wedding couples a discount too! We actually chose BLT because it had the longest length of contract and the lowest maintainence fees. We also thought it might be the easiest to resale or to sell points from if we ever need to go that route. I don't know if we'll ever even stay there. I'm sure we will at least try it out but I think there will be other DVCs we prefer.
We did have a fun time meeting other people on our trip. I only wish we could have run into some people from the DIS as well!
Petey was not very thrilled about having to wear the ears. He thought we were torturing him.
It must have been really hard to come home and then not live together too. I can't wait to go back, but I'm sure it will be emotional for me like you described.
DH bought me that cake topper as my wedding gift
. It is a Lenox piece. You can have it personalized as well, but we didn't have time.We did have a great time, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
IDK if M&M would be avalible for the photoshoots or not. It dosen't hurt to ask though.
Thanks for reading everyone!
peteyfanclub
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2009
Irisbud, As a complete stranger that has never met you on a cruise I thought you would appreciate a completely unbiased review of your review. Just a few random thoughts. I would have loved to see more information and pictures on J&A. They seem like incredible, wonderful, caring, extremely attractive people. Especially that J. guy. He appears to be an amazing man. Hopefully your husband learned many lessons from him in the short time that they spent together. His wife A. seems like a real keeper and way cute too. I was just surprised to see what she was wearing when she renewed her vowes. If I had to come up with any criticism it would be the posts from your husband. They seemed a little desperate and hateful. I am sure that "goat boy" was really a charming young man. Maybe you could arrange for your husband to spend some more time with "J" sometime over the summer. Maybe even on a boat. I really think that "J" may be able to help with his obvious behavior problems. Good luck to all of you in the future.
4th_little_pig
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2009
What a coincidence. We have a dog named Petey! Which of course you would have no way of knowing because we have never met on a cruise and you are a complete strange-er.
As for the pictures of J&A, we had a lot more but the FBI took our camera...something about an international incident with a group of Japanese government officials...something about yelling "Godzilla" . The FBI informed us that J was actually a Bulgarian superspy named Bertha. As for A, you are right she was totally hot. I heard through the grapevine that she is a semi-pro pillow fighter. Maybe she will make it to the big leauges someday.
I'm sure you are right that GB is very nice an I could probably learn a lesson or two from him. For example, if I just smelled my food
instead of eating it I would be a lot better off. We do plan on spending more time with J&A on the lake. We plan on playing Pirates of the Caribbean and perhaps I too can become a Bulgarian superspy named Bertha
figmentfan814
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
I just went back to see some of the pictures from your last post and I noticed the part at FW. That is so neat how the horses are the ones for the carriage. My mom and I did the regular horseback riding there a few years ago and it was a lot of fun!
irisbud
I wished upon a star and... ...Disney Bride in 200
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
I can only imagine how "helpful" that experience would be
. As for what A was wearing, how can a Mickey sweatshirt be bad? 
I absolutely loved reading your PJ and TR, Thank you for getting it done so quickly. I'm glad you had a magical time.
Thanks!
We saw some people getting ready to head out for a trail ride while we were waiting for the bus to DHS. I wouldn't mind doing one there sometime. DH thought the ponies were the ones for the carriage and asked; I would have never made the connection otherwise
4th_Little_Pig: You are wierd
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