Canadian Buffoon's Semi-EPIC Vacation - 10/29 - Link to new TR!

Yay another update!
:laughing:
AK is my fav park. But not a fan of the new bird show. Nope. One and done for us. Lame.
I've heard several people
comment on the new bird show.
Not glowingly.
I get the Miso glazed salmon at Y&Y. Really good.
Thanks! I'll try that next time. :)
Did you eat at the new QS in “Pandra” lol. The bowls are great. My new fav place to eat at AK.
I have eaten there once.
I think I need to again.

But still prefer the seating at Flametree. So pretty.
Will probably wind up there
this coming trip.

We’re from BC. Did I hear you’re moving to the US? Something about US Visa? Was skimming thru comments.
No, someone else mentioned
the process.
I was curious and wanted to

know what was involved.
 
Yes, Wednesday I will find out when I start and what I am doing as well as how much they will provide me for Disney...I mean salary.
So? How was it?
What are you doing?

Hmmm...alibi checks out. I trust you.
You do?????

er… I mean...

Of course you do!
Well It won't be Bill Gates money, but it will be nice to have steady income again!
::yes::
ahhh, I believe you slugger.
:laughing:
Alright alright, I'll let this one slide.
Phew!
Close one.

It probably doesn't help that I will occasionally give her food but hey, I love her and shes a good pup.
:goodvibes
most pups are good pups.
was probably around 9 and oh my, my dad was just laughing and my sister who was 7 was laughing and I'm just terrified.
:laughing:
Awwww....
I don't think so, but she would know it is in jest.
Grammies are like that.

I couldn't quote the picture

from work, but thanks for that!
 
Oof! Waiting half an hour for a bus? This doesn't sound like you at all!
I know, right??
But the truth is...
I really don't mind that much.
The bus service here at home
is so bad that a 30 minute

wait is nothing.
I work on this particular speech pattern with a lot of my little ones in my speech-language pathology internship! :rolleyes1
In your passology internthip?
It WAS sad! Fortunately, the dragon seems to be in good health now and was able to prove you wrong. :)
But unfortunately, I didn't get
a picture of it. Ah well...

KirspQK.jpg
I was wondering if anyone
would go there!

Fantastic! A little bit of Mickey magic can turn up in the most unexpected of places.
::yes::
No way! What are the chances!? I'll file that tip away for later. Sounds like something Nathan would eat.
:laughign: You're welcome!
:laughing:
#Canadianpetproblems
:rolleyes1
I need to figure out how to get myself one of these.
They're not generally available
to the common folk.

How very kind! The entire gift, really. Doc is a very thoughtful friend.
A friend indeed! :)
Oh my goodness gracious!! That's really amazing, and so thoughtful. I've heard spectacular things about Doc's cheesecake. That must have been an exciting surprise!
A delicious surprise. :)
 


I had forgotten to activate my
VIP bus pass before I left home.
I had been lulled into thinking
I had, because of our zero wait
for DME, earlier that day.

one thing about deluxe resorts is that the buses do not run as often as values/moderates.

Is there anyone who isn't
affected on some level by that
first view of the castle?

I almost feel like it is more magical with each trip. It's like coming home for me now.

(In the above photo, you can
actually see a float in front
of the castle.)

I was wondering what that was.

I've never been a big fan of parades.
But this one is just so over the top
with the colours and designs of the
costumes and floats...

I love it.

the sounds are also a big factor for me. I love all the music that goes with each float.

"I don't think it's me!" She nervously
cried out.
And to prove it, she showed me her hand
while laughing uncontrollably.
I'm surprised they didn't blame gus-gus.

But have you ever tried unbuttoning
a jacket with only one hand?

I actually do this a lot with suits -- but only with my left hand...which would be difficult for Hook.

And of course, as soon
as I took that picture and
put the camera down...
it breathed fire.

Oh well.

How did you not know the first was back? Bad Diser! Bad! Bad!

Safe being another term for
exceptionally crowded.

At least you're not having to traverse that with a stroller. It can be a nightmare...especially when people suddenly stop in the middle of the street, because...you know...OMG...CASTLE!!!

When we got to the top
of Main Street, we paused
for a bit to listen to some
ragtime outside Casey's.

I don't think I have every sat there and listened to him. I've watched the Dapper Dans and the band (personal favorite) -- but never the piano guy here. I might try and hit it up when I'm there in July.

Even though I didn't get it
until later, I already had a
sneaking suspicion that I'd
be getting an AP.

Good thing you picked one up before the recent price hike. Holy hell.

We wandered over to the
wishing well and I told Elle
to go and make a wish.
She told me she thought
she had a coin.
Perfect.
"Just let me get my camera
<Plink!> <splash!> ready..."

So instead you get this photo
of her looking in at her tossed coin.

I had no idea there was a wishing well there...my question is why though? Shouldn't this be tied to Snow White???

So as the ride started,
I reached over and choked
her until she stopped talking.

That's one way to get 'em to shut up.

"Dad? Can we ride Dumbo?"
Well, of course we can.
We got in line and I cracked
up when I read this woman's shirt:

That is the greatest shirt I've seen! Although black would be a bad choice that time of year.

In a very short time, we were on
the ride.
I remember when you'd wait an hour
or more for this ride.
Or have to rope drop it.
Not anymore.
Or maybe we just got lucky.

It's two fold -- they doubled the capacity of the ride -- and moved it to a less trafficked area, so demand went down while supply went up.

It was time for our second FP
of the day. Any guesses where?

SEVEN DWARFS!

I'll give you a hint:
It was 7DMT.

YES! I'M GOOD.

We saw this gentleman slowly,
precisely engraving a glass.

You would think he'd be wearing eye glasses. Doesn't seem safe.

We didn't wait too long for the grub
to get plopped down in our faces.
(I'm trying my hand at TR reporting.
How'm I doin' so far?)

Literary master. The word choice just makes the food come alive.

Unless you're vegetarian,
like Elle is.
Then you have to decide
if you want marinara or alfredo.
Then you don't decide and order both.

HIDDEN MICKEY!!!

Elle mixed the two sauces together...
and not only did she love it...
but today I asked her:
"What was your favourite meal
at Disneyworld?"

Her answer?
"Tony's!"

I might have to try this mixture.

You know what else is really good mixed together? Pina colada and strawberry daiquiri mix. It's soooo good. It's called a miami vice, and if you're ever at a pool bar, it's the perfect drink. Especially with an extra Meyer's topper thrown on top.

We skipped over to HM,
where I had not heard that
they were taking photos now.
Which explains why I look
like a moron and Elle looks
confused.

Again -- how did you not know this???

I asked if Elle wanted to leave
or try for another FP, or... ?
"FP Pooh!" She said.
So I did.
But when we got there,
the ride was down.
No Pooh for us.
Kinda like when I cross a border.

Did you at least get your FP converted to an anytime FP? If it's late enough in the night (last hour of park opening) -- it'll convert to anytime and be good for that day AND the next day! If you're skilled, you can find rides that are down and book FPs for them and wait for them to convert to the coveted anytimes. It's known as the "late night lotto."

Doc had baked us a cheesecake
and had given me some of what
he described as "the best bacon
you'll ever eat."

That was very nice of him.

Yes -- I saw it. marvin loves him some parades. What's weird though is that his eyes seemed to blink every now and then.
 
Even though the alarm
rang at a reasonable 7am,
(reasonable for Disney, at least)
getting up this morning
was a bit of a struggle.

That first full day at Disney can be so hard to wake up for if you hit the parks hard on arrival day...which is hard not to do b/c you're so excited about being there that you just HAVE to do a bunch and stay up super late.

Let's go!
We scooted out of the room
and zipped down the stairs
only to see a bus go by,
heading towards the bus stop.
"Come on!" I cried out.
We ran... at eight freaking
o'clock in the morning.
We sprinted

No time to sashay!!!

I grabbed my VIP bus pass and
realized that in my sleepy state
last night, I'd forgotten to
charge it.

It won't happen again!

Ain't no VIP bus service at the deluxe resorts.

Once on the bus,
a gentleman spoke with us
and wanted to know if we
were heading to DHS to
take part in the 30th anniversary
celebrations.

Uh... I had no idea that was today.

Again -- how did you not know this??? Do you ever read the Disboards?


Sir Mix-a-lot would approve.

I do know that there was
a lot of First Order marching
going on, so... maybe that was it?

that is very strange. It would be funny if the people lining the streets didn't even know why they were doing it...but were only doing it b/c they saw other people doing it.

But when it's obviously
a ploy just to cut through
the line... I get annoyed.
If you're comfortable enough
about letting your child go
ahead of you, unsupervised...
Then you're comfortable
enough to have them wait
for you until you get there.

BOOM!

But did you at least, in true Canadian fashion, apologize for not letting her cut in line?

These unfortunate guys,
who'd obviously lost
a paintball battle to a
green team, slinked by.

Can you imagine how hot those uniforms would be? I can't even. They should get hazard pay.

I love the design of Woody's Lunchbox.
It's... well... a lunchbox!
The thermos holds up one
side of the lunchbox,
while a tinker toy holds up the other.
The kitchen is inside Tupperware
containers, and Babybel cheese,
carrots, celery and animal cookies
make up the contents of Andy's lunch.

I've never taken the time to actually look at the details. I'm always rush, rush, rushing when I'm there. Pretty amazing.

Obviously, Babybel has paid
Disney a schwack of cash for
advertising.
I'm okay with that, actually.

Clearly those sponsorships are helping to keep food and ticket prices from increasing.

oh wait.

Well... it's in the DIS bylaws
that you are not allowed to
write a TR without at least
once mentioning the heat

And you also have to mention the humidity too. It ain't no dry heat.

Did you see it
in this chapter?

Well done -- took me three sweeps to notice it! marvin was well hidden.
 
I noticed the gondolas were moving,
but still covered at this point.
Gonna make getting around just that
much easier in the near future.

I just bought some points at Riviera and am looking forward to using the gondolas. Hopefully they will be more reliable than the monorails.

We arrived at the AK bus stop
at 1:03pm, and only had a moderate
wait (1:20pm) for the next bus.
I really need to charge that VIP
bus pass tonight, though!

You must have used up all your bus mojo on that one trip where you waited a grand total of like 60 minutes all week.

When it was almost our turn,
I started to get impatient with
this one woman who wouldn't move
out of the way quickly enough.
I told her to move, she told me
what to do.
I don't respond well to that.
I spun and hit her squarely
with a spinning back kick and
hit her so hard she flipped
right out of her wheelchair.

410417

Okay, okay.
That didn't happen.
I don't know karate
so didn't hit her with a
spinning back kick.

410418

I hit her with my tripod.

410419

Okay! Okay!
I didn't bring my tripod, either.

410420

As we made our way over
to grab our snack, we stumbled
across Kevin, strolling about.

Do you think the job listing actually states that the person must have bird legs?

When Elle last went to Disney,
I heeded the UoG's advice
and skipped this attraction.
She was 12 at the time and
probably would've been fine,
but Kay (my younger DD)
was only 8, and I was more
worried about her.

I made my 18 month old go on that thing -- and my oldest has been on it at ages 18 months, 2.5 years, 3.5 years and 5.5 years old.

We enjoyed the show.
Which cannot be said for
everyone in the audience.
The UoG was right.
There were kids screaming
and crying all over the place!

My oldest (now 6) laughs at the spiders and thinks it's funny b/c of all the crying children.

I might have created a monster.

At 3:00pm on the dot,
we entered the FP queue.
(I now know (thanks @franandaj)
that I could've gotten in a bit
earlier. Ah well.)

5 minutes before and 15 minutes after. you just have to be careful if you have any "anytime" FPs on your account b/c it will use those instead since you aren't technically within the time window.

Poor kid had just wanted to get
his car back that he'd dropped.

So, no. She didn't see the parrots.
She was too busy watching the scene
unfold in front of her and saving the day.

She's going to make a great teacher.
She's always watching out for the little ones.

:lovestruc
And... just what we needed!
Seats!
Air conditioning!
Oh, and there was some kinda show, too.

A few lackluster shots from what is possibly
one of the best shows on property.

definitely my favorite. The visuals and music are a hard combo to beat.

After we disembarked,
we made a mad dash
over to Yak & Yeti.

Love this place.

I will maybe go back...
and try something else...
but I'm not in a rush to do so.

You gotta get the firecracker shrimp app and/or the ahi nachos. Both of those are very good. The steak entree is also pretty good.

Elle could've gotten the fish stuff, right?


that standby line looks pretty long.


That's a bunch of newbs on that ride. Everyone has a vice grip on the front handles.

Did you see it
in this chapter?
He was well hidden in the crowd again.
 


I agree, far away!!
Pack a lunch when
leaving the park.

Kevin is so fun to see, she makes me giggle like a little girl every time
:laughing:
I'd like to see that!

I have this on my list for August!
Good! I think you'll
love it. Soooo good!

I secretly love watching all the freaked out kids in there, makes me laugh! It definitely is scary for the little ones!
:laughing:
You're secretly (or not so secretly)
an evil woman!

:lmao:
Sounds good to me, rolls off the tongue!!
A convert!
Seeeee????

Oh no! I hope she didn’t wait in the SB line, I love this ride, a favorite of mine!
Can you imagine?
"Just another hour...
Just another 30 minutes...
Almost there...

Made it!... Nope!"
Only in AK will that work!
Try it at home, just
to make sure.

What a bummer! We love Y&Y, I have always had such delicious food!
You're not the first person
to tell me that.
I'll give it another shot. :)
I would give it another try, the Tikka Masala is delicious and the Kobe burger is yummy
Okay, that's three dishes
(along with the Miso Salmon)
that I can try. :)
Ugh, I never see it, I’m terrible at this game, I will keep trying!
[/QUOTE]
It was a tough one this time
for sure!
 
I hope so. I'll looking forward to trying it.
Me too!
As long as they're not hot.

Beautiful photo!
Thank you! :)
Something else I'm hoping to see.
We just happened to be
in the right spot at the
right time. :)

Elle spotted him first.
I agree. You get to see so much more and up close.
::yes::
It's a good queue to
go into, just for that.

I always enjoyed others reactions until last trip when the grands freaked out.
Whoops!
Is that... karma???
Love this one!
Thanks! :goodvibes
Yes you do!
We did!
She's a hero!
::yes::
What did Elle think?
She wasn't as blown away
by it as much as I was.

Kids these days. :sad2:
You have a valid point.
All my points are valid. :snooty:



:lmao:
Not lackluster and I agree it is one of the best shows.
Thanks and... yes it is. :)
You're giving me anxiety.
Whoopsie!
But all was well. :)

You got one of @Steppesister 's tables.
:laughing:
I thought of that as
I was writing that update.
I wondered what name

she would've called me?
Sorry these disappointed. I had some of the best crab cakes last week @ the WWII museum restaurant. They weren't pretty but they were so good.
Oh really!
Where is that?

I've read this but haven't seen it for myself.
Just look up when you
get close to the cars. :)

Bitter disappointment.
Very.
Not sure if I can rectify
that in the fall.

Too big for one person!
Yes I did but I had to look real hard. Hope he enjoyed it.
;)
 
Holy crap -- work has been kicking my *** for the past couple months...hopefully I'll catch up soon! Going to comment on a delay for a bit until I get caught up!
But you're here now!
:welcome: to the TR!

do you canadians not have credit cards that don't have foreign transaction fees? I usually only carry about $100-$200 in cash on me when going to Disney -- and it's basically to cover tips for bags and slight emergencies.
I do... but Elle is still a student,
and her card has a $500 limit.
So she needed the cash to

pay for meals, etc.
NOW you tell me. You're 7 years too late buddy!
But I've been saying it for
7 years and 6 months...

oh.

holy schnikes that is early!
:sad2:
Too early.
And I'm doing it again
in the fall.
I see Elle packs super light.
That's why she needed cash.
She just bought new clothes
each day.
I hate it when they do that!
Totally rude.
Nice. those are essentially business class seats here in the US for domestic travel. Surprised those didn't come with free bags...
Good point!
Never thought of that...

Hmm... I suspect it's because
if you book them ahead of time,
(for much more money)
you do, but not when you pay

the little bit extra at flight time?

I never bothered to check
since my bags are always free.

this is actually not a bad idea.
For her, I think it maybe was?
Not for me since I don't sleep
on planes.
I really hate it when they do this. Such poor planning on airports.
"So if they run, and get through
security in record time and
get through customs in record time...
It'll take how long? Okay, let's make

the connection time for exactly that long."
:laughing:

::yes::
:laughing:
Me too!
Wow -- that is impressive.
I get that every time. ;)
And that is why I ALWAYS go to the front desk when I arrive...and it's also why I try to get there as early as possible.
::yes::
Time I can't change, normally.
But asking for a different room
is fairly simple. :)
I've heard good things about that place.
I've eaten good things
at that place. :)

You would think if you owned the seats, your bags would fly free.
:rolleyes:
 
Oooh that makes more sense, but I hate that this is a thing!
Worked it to my advantage,
once I figured it out. :)

:sad2:

Funny thing... it got... worse.

You'll see. Later.
I feel the same way when this happens.
Two people don't matter...
I happily let a mom or dad
with a little one through
when it's obvious they just
went to the bathroom...

But it's... jerks... I detest.
(Not the word I wanna use,
but the mods frown on the one

I do wanna use!)
Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for sharing this picture! I had a rough day today at my internship and this makes me feel a little lighter.
:goodvibes
You're very welcome.

What happened at work?

Wanna talk about it? :hug:
Gotcha! Makes sense. I suspected that might be the case for their privacy. But I did wonder briefly whether you and your wife just had a penchant for classy timeless one-syllable names for your children.
Actually, both have two syllable
names. :)

Check! I'm pretty sure my choice attribute was "the surface of the sun"
::yes::
Ooooh I'm glad you fixed this! I can't eat it now due to dietary restrictions, but I have long believed that the sandwiches are superior to the bars.
Must make a scientific
study on this. ::yes::
 
one thing about deluxe resorts is that the buses do not run as often as values/moderates.
Really?
How sure are you of that??

And why on Earth not???
I almost feel like it is more magical with each trip. It's like coming home for me now.
::yes::
That feeling just doesn't
got away, does it?

I was wondering what that was.
Mystery solved!
the sounds are also a big factor for me. I love all the music that goes with each float.
And not for me.
For some reason, I am practically
deaf when it comes to things
like that.
I get overwhelmed with the visuals

and don't register the sounds.
I'm surprised they didn't blame gus-gus.
Yeah. It's his fault!
I actually do this a lot with suits -- but only with my left hand...which would be difficult for Hook.
Really?
Okay, tell me more...

How did you not know the first was back? Bad Diser! Bad! Bad!
Because I spend all my time
trying to catch up on TRs!

At least you're not having to traverse that with a stroller. It can be a nightmare...especially when people suddenly stop in the middle of the street, because...you know...OMG...CASTLE!!!
Funny you should mention that.
I saw several strollers or scooters
and wondered how they managed.
I don't think I have every sat there and listened to him. I've watched the Dapper Dans and the band (personal favorite) -- but never the piano guy here. I might try and hit it up when I'm there in July.
Love the Dapper Dans and will
stop dead in my tracks when
I see/hear them.
Good thing you picked one up before the recent price hike. Holy hell.
:sad2:
I had no idea there was a wishing well there...my question is why though? Shouldn't this be tied to Snow White???
I don't think wishing wells
are exclusive to her are they?

That's one way to get 'em to shut up.
Effective. :rolleyes1
That is the greatest shirt I've seen! Although black would be a bad choice that time of year.
Wonder if they suffered
from that later.
Did I mention it was HOT!!!
It's two fold -- they doubled the capacity of the ride -- and moved it to a less trafficked area, so demand went down while supply went up.
::yes::
SEVEN DWARFS!
Good guess!
YES! I'M GOOD.
Pretty darned remarkable!
Like you're psychic... or something.

You would think he'd be wearing eye glasses. Doesn't seem safe.
I think there was a shield there?
Not sure...

But then again, the engraving
was on the far side of the glass,

so maybe that's enough?
Literary master. The word choice just makes the food come alive.
I'm glad I could do that for you.
You know what else is really good mixed together? Pina colada and strawberry daiquiri mix. It's soooo good. It's called a miami vice, and if you're ever at a pool bar, it's the perfect drink. Especially with an extra Meyer's topper thrown on top.
Nope!
1. I don't like rum.
2. I definitely do not like coconut!
Again -- how did you not know this???
See above!
Did you at least get your FP converted to an anytime FP? If it's late enough in the night (last hour of park opening) -- it'll convert to anytime and be good for that day AND the next day! If you're skilled, you can find rides that are down and book FPs for them and wait for them to convert to the coveted anytimes. It's known as the "late night lotto."
I had never heard of that!
Wow!

That was very nice of him.
very!
Yes -- I saw it. marvin loves him some parades. What's weird though is that his eyes seemed to blink every now and then.
;)
 
That first full day at Disney can be so hard to wake up for if you hit the parks hard on arrival day...which is hard not to do b/c you're so excited about being there that you just HAVE to do a bunch and stay up super late.
Then you need to rely
on adrenaline.

Or just be like me.
A shift worker who's used
to getting by on little

to no sleep.
No time to sashay!!!
Nope!
Ain't no VIP bus service at the deluxe resorts.
Oh, ye of little faith...
Again -- how did you not know this??? Do you ever read the Disboards?
:rolleyes:
Sir Mix-a-lot would approve.
He can have it!
that is very strange. It would be funny if the people lining the streets didn't even know why they were doing it...but were only doing it b/c they saw other people doing it.
I'm pretty sure some did.
Human nature.

BOOM!

But did you at least, in true Canadian fashion, apologize for not letting her cut in line?
Nope!
I won't apologize to that type.

Can you imagine how hot those uniforms would be? I can't even. They should get hazard pay.
:sad2:
Nope.
Glad I'm not doing it.

Then again... maybe they are like:
"120 minute wait for SDD? Those folks

should get hazard pay!"
I've never taken the time to actually look at the details. I'm always rush, rush, rushing when I'm there. Pretty amazing.
That's usually me, too, but...
when you're forced to sit there...
You see things. :)
Clearly those sponsorships are helping to keep food and ticket prices from increasing.

oh wait.
:sad2:
And you also have to mention the humidity too. It ain't no dry heat.
Ah, yes! Good point!
Well done -- took me three sweeps to notice it! marvin was well hidden.
It gets harder. ;)
 
I just bought some points at Riviera and am looking forward to using the gondolas. Hopefully they will be more reliable than the monorails.
Did you!
I would think, barring some rare
times when they might be down
for maintenance... or... hmmm...
I wonder if they'll shut them down
for thunderstorms?
That would seem... odd...

Anyways, I would think since they never

stop that they'd be more reliable.
You must have used up all your bus mojo on that one trip where you waited a grand total of like 60 minutes all week.
Oh, this trip is just getting started.
:lmao:
Do you think the job listing actually states that the person must have bird legs?
Person? What person?
Kevin is a bird!

I made my 18 month old go on that thing -- and my oldest has been on it at ages 18 months, 2.5 years, 3.5 years and 5.5 years old.
Any reactions from any of them?
My oldest (now 6) laughs at the spiders and thinks it's funny b/c of all the crying children.

I might have created a monster.
:rotfl:
5 minutes before and 15 minutes after. you just have to be careful if you have any "anytime" FPs on your account b/c it will use those instead since you aren't technically within the time window.
Ah! Thanks for the tip.
definitely my favorite. The visuals and music are a hard combo to beat.
Possibly my second favourite.
Love this place.
Er... um...
You gotta get the firecracker shrimp app and/or the ahi nachos. Both of those are very good. The steak entree is also pretty good.
Okay, now I have several options. :)
Elle could've gotten the fish stuff, right?
Yep.
that standby line looks pretty long.
I wouldn't know.
We didn't use it. :snooty:

That's a bunch of newbs on that ride. Everyone has a vice grip on the front handles.
:laughing:
Well, not everyone.
And I was going to do a
peace sign behind Elle's head,

but mistimed the photo.
He was well hidden in the crowd again.
;)
 
When it was almost our turn,
I started to get impatient with
this one woman who wouldn't move
out of the way quickly enough.
I told her to move, she told me
what to do.
I don't respond well to that.
I spun and hit her squarely
with a spinning back kick and
hit her so hard she flipped
right out of her wheelchair.

Wow….note to self…stay out of pkondz's pictures :scared1:

We then were able to get our photo
undisturbed and unencumbered.

DSC07269_zpshxuwom9b.jpg

Perfect ::yes::

I hope it was worth the jail time you'll serve for it :thumbsup2


As we made our way over
to grab our snack, we stumbled
across Kevin, strolling about.

DSC07272_zps9tyylhyq.jpg


DSC07273_zpsuqulpgxy.jpg

I love Kevin, and I love that she just wanders so you don't have to wait in a line to see her :love:


When Elle last went to Disney,
I heeded the UoG's advice
and skipped this attraction.
She was 12 at the time and
probably would've been fine,
but Kay (my younger DD)
was only 8, and I was more
worried about her.

I did the same in 2006, and again in 2008 based on my Unofficial Guide. Totally off topic, but I read that book cover to cover in 2006 and again in 2008 and I still love it :lovestruc I continued to purchase new versions up until about 2015, or so because I pretty much know everything now.


In the end, the poke was more
funny than painful for both of us.
(See what I did there?)
And Elle was surprised by the
bugs "leaving" the theatre
and laughed about it later.

I actually like the ride now and still laugh at the poke and the bugs :goodvibes


Bug selfie!

IMG_1741_zps5glbwuzf.jpg

Nailed it :thumbsup2


What was she doing?
I was mystified.
She quickly stooped, picked up a small
Hot Wheels car and handed it
to the little boy, who immediately
stopped crying.
Poor kid had just wanted to get
his car back that he'd dropped.
She's going to make a great teacher.
She's always watching out for the little ones.

That's really sweet. Sounds like she's definitely going into the right profession :lovestruc


Once again we arrived at our next FP
about 20 minutes too early.
I didn't mind this time either.
While last time we sat and relaxed,
this time we were in Pandora and
she had never been.

It's so cool the first time you see it. Also cool are the second, third, fourth, etc...


Once we were safely mounted on
our respective simulated Ikrans,
the woman beside Elle says:
"Yeah. No."
A CM came and released her
and she left.

The wait time at that point
was 110 minutes.

I still wonder if she waited
110 minutes just to walk away.

Oh my. There's not way I would wait that long and then bail. Crazy!


A few lackluster shots from what is possibly
one of the best shows on property.

Agree. I love this show :worship:


Behold! The rare, Bearded Rhino!

DSC07353_zpsx8z1aq6k.jpg

:P Poor guy, just trying to have a little lunch in peace.


There was a strange
"tic-toc" emanating from
the beast's open mouth
in this next photo.
We presumed it was
indigestion.

DSC07357_zps5fdw1z4a.jpg

Oh, no. Were there any pirates around as well?


We were stuck, moving intermittently
a few feet only to stop again, for
20 minutes.
I kept looking nervously at the time.
We were not going to be on time
for our ADR.

All because of these guys.

DSC07365_zpshtzw9ouq.jpg


DSC07368_zpsahkl3drt.jpg

I love when the animals just go wild and hold up your safari! But I probably would have been nervous about missing my ADR too.


We arrived for our 6:00pm ADR
precisely at... 6:17pm.
I explained that we'd been delayed
by a giraffe and the host replied with
"It happens."
I'm going to use that excuse
everywhere now!
Worked like a charm!

I wonder if you'd get the same response at say, Via Napoli :rolleyes1


Within five minutes, we were
escorted up the stairs
and sat at a table by a window.

IMG_1742_zpsxyfbs4ps.jpg


IMG_1743_zpsosforpjo.jpg

Shhhh…don't tell @Steppesister . I think she's still a little salty about not getting that table :rotfl2:


I presume since it was very overpriced
for the serving size that it was "special"
to the restaurant's bottom line.
The crab cakes were flavourless
and a bit on the soggy side.
Very disappointing.
Elle remarked that "Tony's was better"
and I'd have to agree with her.

This led to her dubbing the place
as "Yuck and Yeti".
She still calls it that.

I've never been here. I've never had any interest and the menu does not appeal to me at all. I do like the Y & Y quick service for lunch though.

One of the hidden gems is in
the queue, just before you board
your ride vehicle:

IMG_1752_zpsomjjjlv7.jpg


The pipes have the chemical formulas
for ketchup, mustard and mayo.
Why?
Because McDonalds was once
the sponsor of the ride.

So cool! I never knew that!

While I wouldn't normally
stand in line for this,
it is a visually stunning ride.
And since Elle wasn't likely
to get another chance...

Meh. It doesn't even hold a candle to IASW, which is what it gets compared to most often.


We spent a bit of time
exploring Pandra in the dark
and then headed out to
watch the Tree "Awakening".
Kinda enjoyed that.
I didn't know they had shows
on it as well as the lights,
and moving critters.

I love that show and could stand there watching it for an hour. I notice you didn't go to ROL, was that on purpose? I've still never seen it and I have had plans to but when it comes time, I just can't be bothered. One of these days I'll have to stick around to watch it.
 
Last edited:
Wow….note to self…stay out of pkondz's pictures :scared1:
Or he'll do something worse...

Photoshop you into an

embarrassing situation!
Perfect ::yes::

I hope it was worth the jail time you'll serve for it :thumbsup2
:lmao:
I love Kevin, and I love that she just wanders so you don't have to wait in a line to see her :love:
Me too! I tend to almost
never stand in line to see
a character, but...
When they're just wandering...

it makes it part of the Disney magic. :)
I did the same in 2006, and again in 2008 based on my Unofficial Guide. Totally off topic, but I read that book cover to cover in 2006 and again in 2008 and I still love it :lovestruc I continued to purchase new versions up until about 2015, or so because I pretty much know everything now.
I've done almost exactly the same.
I did buy a UOG for this trip, though...
But not the Disneyworld one. ;)
I actually like the ride now and still laugh at the poke and the bugs :goodvibes
Me too!
Nailed it :thumbsup2
:laughing: Thanks!
That's really sweet. Sounds like she's definitely going into the right profession :lovestruc
::yes:: She's amazingly good with kids.
It's so cool the first time you see it. Also cool are the second, third, fourth, etc...
It's amazing what they've
done in there.

Oh my. There's not way I would wait that long and then bail. Crazy!
:scared: Right????
Agree. I love this show :worship:
It's very well done!
:P Poor guy, just trying to have a little lunch in peace.
:laughing:
Oh, no. Were there any pirates around as well?
Not anymore.
I love when the animals just go wild and hold up your safari! But I probably would have been nervous about missing my ADR too.
I kinda like that too...
I just won't make an ADR
close to it again. :)
I wonder if you'd get the same response at say, Via Napoli :rolleyes1
Oh, I'm sure I would.

ahem...
Shhhh…don't tell @Steppesister . I think she's still a little salty about not getting that table :rotfl2:
:laughing: I was thinking that
when I posted the update!

I've never been here. I've never had any interest and the menu does not appeal to me at all. I do like the Y & Y quick service for lunch though.
Well, if you look at some of
the others' comments,
they have some better food

suggestions. :)
So cool! I never knew that!
You heard it here first, folks!
Meh. It doesn't even hold a candle to IASW, which is what it gets compared to most often.
I'm sorry, I don't think we
can be friends anymore.

I love that show and could stand there watching it for an hour
It's... mesmerizing.
I notice you didn't go to ROL, was that on purpose?
Yes it was.
I think you have to choose between
seeing Pandra at night or ROL.

I've seen ROL before and... meh.
I've still never seen it and I have had plans to but when it comes time, I just can't be bothered. One of these days I'll have to stick around to watch it.
Do see it. Maybe you'll like it
more than I did.
 
Hi! :welcome: to the TR!
Your very first! And you chose mine!
I'm very flattered! :goodvibes

Thank you! :)

Yeah, you'll need some coffee

for that one. It's a bit on the
"longish" side. :rolleyes1

Well, howdy neighbor!


(See how I used "howdy"?
him being basically a cowboy

and all. ;))

Congratulations!

Can you tell me a bit about that?

I'm interested as someone else
recently said that it was quite
the process.

Will he have dual citizenship?

:laughing:
Pretty good gift! :)

Slightly warmer in winter.

:) Glad you liked it.

Oh! Then there's a chance
that I've already met him!

You're welcome!

Come back and comment
some more if you feel

so inclined. :)

Thank you, thank you!

Hahaha to the "Howdy". He's the furthest thing from a cowboy, but his dad was actually a real cowboy back in the day! When I got off the plane on my first trip to Calgary, there was a man wearing a big white cowboy hat who gave me a smile and big ol' "Howdy!" My initial reaction was to laugh, until I realized he was serious. Then a year later I went to the stampede for the first time and everything made sense.

The immigration process is very lengthy, especially over the last few years. First, I have to send a petition to the government asking for permission for him to apply for a visa. In this application, I had to provided a TON of proof that we have a bona fide marriage. Since we don't live together yet, it's a bit tougher to prove since they prefer joint bank accounts, mortgages together, etc. So, I had to provide things like invoices from our wedding (to prove it wasn't a shot-gun wedding just for a visa), photos with friends & family (to show that others know about us), receipts from trips taken together, samples of chat transcripts from every month we've been together, and the list goes on.

About a week after you send that through, you'll get a receipt telling you which USCIS processing center it went to. After that, you wait. And wait. And wait some more. The processing center we got takes an average 8-10.5 months to process & approve this part of the application. And that's one of the faster centers!

Once this part is approved, you'll get another packet in the mail explaining your next steps. This involves a 40 page online application for the beneficiary spouse (the one applying for the visa, I'm the petitioner). I also have to fill out another form called the "Affidavit of Support" and send off my last 4 tax return transcripts, proving that I can support him until his finds work.

During this time he also has to get finger printed and request a police record from Canada and gather tons of documents and copies of those documents to get ready for this interview. At some point after he sends everything off he'll get a notice with his interview date.

The only consulate in Canada that does immigration interviews is in Montreal. After he gets his interview date and at least a week before his interview, he has to go for a physical. There are only 4 places in Canada that do the physicals (one in BC, 2 in Ontario, and 1 in Montreal). One interview location and 4 physical locations...Because, you know, Canada is so teeny tiny, it's obviously easy to just bounce around to these places. So, the easiest thing for him to do, is go to Montreal a full week before his interview and get his physical there. Then wait 4 days at which point he'll be able to pick up his physical packet (which comes in a sealed envelope that he is NOT allowed to open...ever). Then he goes to his interview with all of the paperwork.

He'll have his interview and (fingers crossed) get approved. Then he goes back home to Calgary (with his still sealed physical envelop) and waits for his passport to be mailed back to him which will have his visa in it. Once he has this in hand, he has 6 months to go through a POE (point of entry), one just so happens to be at the Calgary Airport. So he'll go through immigration and get taken to one of those scary little rooms where he will hand over his sealed physical envelop and his passport with the visa. They then open the envelop. (I swear the whole envelop thing is just a test to see if we can follow instructions). He'll get a stamp on his visa which basically activates it and will start of the process of his green card getting created.

Then we wait for the green card to be mailed to his new address in the US. After he gets that, he can go get his SSN and will officially be a "Conditional Resident" for 2 years. Before those 2 years are up we have to apply for his "Immediate Relative" visa which will last 10 years. He can either keep renewing this or apply for citizenship after 5 years.

The fun part is that each one of these steps costs A LOT of money. And then they go and throw in that week long trip to Montreal. I don't know how we're going to afford Disney after all of that, but he's certainly going to have earned it!

Sorry for the lengthy reply! We probably have the visa in hand now as I'm sure it's taken a year to read through all that, haha!
 
We arrived at the AK bus stop
at 1:03pm, and only had a moderate
wait (1:20pm) for the next bus.
That's very specific.

I spun and hit her squarely
with a spinning back kick and
hit her so hard she flipped
right out of her wheelchair.
Exactly what she deserved!

(Something to do with EMT's and
some lady on the ground. Whatever.
Things to do. Places to see.)
Was it the karate lady?

Besides, it's almost worth
going, just for the queue alone.
You know you can see the queue and not the show (and therefore skip getting poked in the back??)

Pan-d'oh-Rah.... horrid.
Pandra. Much better.
This reminds me of the creation of "prolly" to replace "probably"
I guess the bab is silent there.

I'm going to use that excuse
everywhere now!
Worked like a charm!
Please, please use this excuse somewhere else and then let me know how it works.
 
I noticed your current ticker, and it looks like we'll just miss each other once again! Assuming it's an east coast Disney trip in your future, I'll likely be leaving WDW just a short week or two before you arrive. One of these times, hopefully, we'll finally cross paths!

I stopped and snapped this for
@Steppesister as I know she likes
her lights. I liked the birds holding
them up.

DSC07270_zpssxasqgtg.jpg

"We don't mind holding 'em but what a headache!"

Never noticed this detail before. Neat!

Besides, it's almost worth
going, just for the queue alone.

DSC07277_zpspseyisxh.jpg

It's a pretty beautiful and entertaining queue, really.

And Elle was surprised by the
bugs "leaving" the theatre
and laughed about it later.

Listening to reactions to this part is my favourite moment of this little show.

So, no. She didn't see the parrots.
She was too busy watching the scene
unfold in front of her and saving the day.

She's going to make a great teacher.
She's always watching out for the little ones.

I love this story! Sounds like she'll be an excellent teacher, indeed!

What I am trying to start
is that everyone refer to
Pandora as "Pandra".
I've decided the "O" is silent.
(Rhymes with Sandra)
Besides, you can say it much
more quickly.
Try it.
Pan-d'oh-Rah.... horrid.
Pandra. Much better.

Hmmm...I'll give it a shot. Not sure whether it'll stick or not. It seems to me that the most common pronunciation of Pandora that I've heard onsite so far has been "Avatarland" (rhymes with shmavatarland.)

The pictures don't lie, folks.
(Unless I want them to. ;))

You're very sneaky this way.

I explained that we'd been delayed
by a giraffe and the host replied with
"It happens."
I'm going to use that excuse
everywhere now!
Worked like a charm!

:laughing:

I'm sure this will work well anywhere, regardless of location and proximity to Animal Kingdom.

The pipes have the chemical formulas
for ketchup, mustard and mayo.
Why?
Because McDonalds was once
the sponsor of the ride.

This is neat! I seem to remember also seeing this somewhere else...maybe Restaurantosaurus? I don't spend much time around the Dinosaur ride since it makes me feel like tossing my cookies.

No, just being silly.
Perhaps it was a poor decision?

Oh I certainly am not offended, but I just wouldn't have been surprised to hear that your brain was as compromised and wonky as my own! ;)

Then let's make this happen!
Between the two of us, we can
come up with that $10,000 cash.
I'll bring the first $50.

You do the rest.

That sounds fair...hey! wait a minute...

In your passology internthip?

You got it!

They're not generally available
to the common folk.

You should know by now that I'm definitely uncommon folk. ::yes::
 
Far side....
Great comic.

I loved that comic!

I noticed the gondolas were moving,
but still covered at this point.
Gonna make getting around just that
much easier in the near future.

I wonder if they are going to be scooter accessible, somehow I think not.

One fish, two fish.
Three fish (swallow),
no fish.

:eek: gross

Our snack was from Eight Spoons,
the Baked Macaroni & Cheese with
Shrimp and Sweet Chili Sauce.

I really want to try this, but somehow, I don't think we are going to make it there this next trip. Short, and we have plans in the three other parks.

"This is the one that pokes
you in the back, right?"
I told her not to worry,
that it didn't hurt...

Much.

We don't have that attraction anymore, Bug's Land is gone in place of it Marvel Land is coming.

The UoG was right.

UoG? :confused3

(I now know (thanks @franandaj)
that I could've gotten in a bit
earlier. Ah well.)

You're welcome. :)

She's going to make a great teacher.
She's always watching out for the little ones.

She's a much better person than me. I would be thinking, "Lady, take the kid back to the room if he can't shut up!"

What I am trying to start
is that everyone refer to
Pandora as "Pandra".
I've decided the "O" is silent.
(Rhymes with Sandra)
Besides, you can say it much
more quickly.
Try it.
Pan-d'oh-Rah.... horrid.
Pandra. Much better.

Never going to catch on. So much nicer to say Pan-door-a

Once we were safely mounted on
our respective simulated Ikrans,
the woman beside Elle says:
"Yeah. No."
A CM came and released her
and she left.

The wait time at that point
was 110 minutes.

I still wonder if she waited
110 minutes just to walk away.

People are nuts. Why didn't she try the thingy outside before waiting that whole time.

Seats!
Air conditioning!
Oh, and there was some kinda show, too.

Always a bonus when you can be entertained while enjoying the seat and AC.

We were stuck, moving intermittently
a few feet only to stop again, for
20 minutes.
I kept looking nervously at the time.
We were not going to be on time
for our ADR.

What did you want them to do? Honk the horn, yell "get outta my way!" and run it down?

I don't know why, but I've
always liked the warthogs.

Me too, I think they're cute.

After we disembarked,
we made a mad dash
over to Yak & Yeti.
We arrived for our 6:00pm ADR
precisely at... 6:17pm.

No biggie, just tell them you got delayed by a giraffe.

Within five minutes, we were
escorted up the stairs
and sat at a table by a window.

Did they give you Liesa's table?

I ordered the egg rolls
which I had originally planned
to split with Elle, but they
had pork in them.

Tell her its just tasty tofu! :laughing:

I ordered the crab cakes.
I don't see it on the menu
and I'm pretty sure it was
the day's special.

I make some pretty good crab cakes, and I'm usually never pleased with those I get at a restaurant.

I will maybe go back...
and try something else...
but I'm not in a rush to do so.

I actually prefer the QS. We order a couple egg rolls, and an order of Fried Rice to split. Perfect light meal for two of us.

We checked the wait time
for IASM (It's a Small Moon. Aka Na'vi)
and the wait time was 45 minutes.

That's not bad, I've definitely seen it over 100 minutes a lot of times.

We exited the park and got
to the bus stop at 9:33pm.
Elle wasn't looking so great.
I asked her if she was okay
and she said she had a headache.
Too many awake hours and not
enough sleep hours, I figured.

I hope that this is not foreshadowing of something more ominous.

Did you see it
in this chapter?

Yes I did, hard to tell if he was being entertained or part of the show.
 

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