If we can DREAM it, we can do it! ..... another 30 day vacation Update 02/07

[annmarieda]

Since we had had an early night the day before, we were up at 7 and ready to tackle a park today.And since we had time to spare we decided to just drive over to Olivia’s and find out if we could have breakfast there. We were happy to see that there were only 3 other parties having breakfast and we were quickly led to a booth.
The server came by, introduced herself and gave a few recommendations to the menu. We placed our orders for coffee and tea, ordered some orange juice and then waited for our breakfast to come out. When there is something I really love at Olivia’s, it is the



Strawberries and Cream. So this is what I had ordered for a starter. It soon came out and it was as wonderful as always. Fresh, ripe pieces of strawberries, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with brown sugar. We had eaten a few spoonfuls of it when the “mains” arrived.
Tom had ordered the



Breakfast Cuban, Scrambled Eggs, Sliced Pork Loin, Ham, Swiss, and Tomato on a Grilled Cuban Roll served with Breakfast Potatoes. I had gone with my usual choice, the



Traditional Eggs Benedict, Two Poached Eggs with Canadian Bacon on an English Muffin with Key Lime Hollandaise. Just what we needed. We had our hot dishes, then finished off the strawberries, paid our bill and off we went.

I can not even tell you how excited this makes me! I am GOING to get those strawberries in a couple months!! Well... less than a couple months... but I am so excited. I love the pictures!

and when we walked under the railway station we walked right into a performance of the Main Street Trolley Show.

What a nice show. I think this is what I like about WDW sometimes... if you slow enough, you get to catch things like this.

and when we got close to Aladdin’s Flying Carpet, we noticed that Aladdin and Jasmine were in line with some other guests. We stopped and watched while they climbed on board with some guests and rode the carpets with them.











It was fun to see all the people stopping and watching while they rode and waved at people. Once the ride was over they got off and walked right towards us





and then over to the buildings to do some autographs and have some photos taken.

What a neat way to see the characters!!


[

[COLOR=". With the crowds so light we decided to head over to Big Thunder Mountain as we had not ridden it much so far this vacation. We picked up a Fast Pass for a little later and then headed over to the ride. Right when we walked up we were handed one of the red tags to find out how long the wait was and we happily took it with us. I think it took us about 5 minutes until we handed it to another cast member. They were only running one side and we asked if we could go to the back and were granted our wish with a smile. It was a fun ride


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and once we had gotten off and walked around

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we had a look at where the line started. We didn’t see anyone outside and the wait time said 5 minutes, so we got in line again. Again, we were on the ride in about 5 minutes

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and so we repeated the drill 3 more times,

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bringing us to a total of riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 5 times

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within one hour. After that the line grew just a bit and we decided to go and do something else.[/quote]

Ok, so this update is just KILLING ME with excitement! BTMRR is by far my favorite. I can ride it over and over. FIVE times? How cool is that?!


[[quote="dizneeat, post: 50093910"]

This time we just stayed in the regular line and were soon in the Stretching Room.

I love this room. I am so impressed you got such good pictures!
[

About 20 minutes later we walked over to Fantasyland, picking up another Fast Pass for Peter Pan and started to stroll through the stores around the castle. And once we were done we strolled along the construction fences over to Tomorrowland. And while we were standing in front of one of the drawings and pointing to the work you could see from there we were approached by a cast member who was not in a uniform, but had one of those earpieces. He asked where we were from and if we knew what we were looking at and started to explain about the New Fantasyland.
It was really nice to hear a lot of the details and it got us all excited. Then, he looked around a bit and lowered his voice and asked if we would be around in the early afternoon. Well, we had nothing special planned, so we told him yes, we would be.
He then told us that there was “a good chance” they were letting guests in behind the fence for a dress rehearsal of “Storytime with Belle”. Now that got us real excited. He proceeded by telling us that it was only a chance and no guarantee, but we had already set our mind on it. Well, we didn’t tell him that, but when we finally said our goodbyes all we talked about was the possibility of maybe have a peek behind the scenes.

What a special thing! Since it has opened, I have done it twice. I like it well enough... but to have been one of the first to see it must have made it just that much more exciting.

 

[dizneeat]

oooh! How exciting. Back then that was so exciting to get a glimpse of anything of the new Fantasyland!

We were so excited to maybe be able to peek behind the construction fence.
It was fun to be a part of the testing.

I can not even tell you how excited this makes me! I am GOING to get those strawberries in a couple months!! Well... less than a couple months... but I am so excited. I love the pictures!

I just love those strawberries for breakfast and am SURE to get them again in February when we stay at OKW again.

What a nice show. I think this is what I like about WDW sometimes... if you slow enough, you get to catch things like this.

In our quest to get on the rides we often just hurry by those extra activities Disney parks offers. We were so lucky that the crowds were low, so we just went with the flow and stopped to take EVERYTHING in.

What a neat way to see the characters!!

We don't usually get into character lines, so running into Aladdin and Jasmine was just awesome.

Ok, so this update is just KILLING ME with excitement! BTMRR is by far my favorite. I can ride it over and over. FIVE times? How cool is that?!

We LOVE BTMRR too! Such a fun ride. And we have such great memories of riding it again and again.
When they offered the e-ride nights and you had to pay extra for them we even got to stay in our seats when there was no one who wanted to get on. And even the CMs would get in on the fun.
But riding it five times in the morning was an awesome experience too!

I love this room. I am so impressed you got such good pictures!

That was the first time I tried to get pics in there and I was amazed at how they came out.

What a special thing! Since it has opened, I have done it twice. I like it well enough... but to have been one of the first to see it must have made it just that much more exciting.

We felt so special to know about it. Even if it was just the possibility of going to see it. It was fun to say - oh, we KNOW what is going on today and it really made our day.

 

[MEK]

I am up very early on this Sunday morning to go to church, but I had to sneak a look on the DIS boards. I know I must have missed updates on this TR, but I just read your last two.

Ahhhhh - to be in a park with NO crowds must be so awesome. I really do want to head back in September at some point. As much as I love F&W, the draw of no crowds is very tempting.

Breakfast looks delish. I did not get to Olivia's this trip, but its on the agenda for May.

Love the pictures from BTMMR and how cool that you got to ride it 5 times in an hour. Gotta love that.

Very cool pictures from HM. I love the pictures from the dining room. Nice!

 

[englishrose47]

Oh Karin A cliffhanger , Did you see Belle or not ??? That was quite a record 5 times on Big Thunder !! Sorry if I would not have done 1 but for you Thrill Riders I understand cuz that is how I would be if I got to ride Soarin 5 times in a row!!!

 

[dizneeat]

I am up very early on this Sunday morning to go to church, but I had to sneak a look on the DIS boards. I know I must have missed updates on this TR, but I just read your last two.

You haven't missed much on here, Mary Ellen. I have just restarted this TR as there are only a few more days to post.

Ahhhhh - to be in a park with NO crowds must be so awesome.Mar I really do want to head back in September at some point. As much as I love F&W, the draw of no crowds is very tempting.

It was awesome to not have to battle the crowds. Unfortunately this summer it wasn't that way.

Breakfast looks delish. I did not get to Olivia's this trip, but its on the agenda for May.

You really have to try Olivia's. The breakfast is super yummy and it has such a relaxed feel to it.

Love the pictures from BTMMR and how cool that you got to ride it 5 times in an hour. Gotta love that.

It is awesome to just walk around and get on again. Unfortunately most of the times we visit it isn't that way.

Very cool pictures from HM. I love the pictures from the dining room. Nice!

It was the first time I tried to take a photo in there and we were both pleased with the way it turned out.

Oh Karin A cliffhanger , Did you see Belle or not ??? That was quite a record 5 times on Big Thunder !! Sorry if I would not have done 1 but for you Thrill Riders I understand cuz that is how I would be if I got to ride Soarin 5 times in a row!!!

We love riding BTMRR so that was a real thrill for us. Oh, and BTW, I could ride Soarin 5 times in a row as well.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 25, September 4

A look behind the scenes - Part 3

We headed over to the Peoplemover and discussed how to go about all this. Our Fast Pass for Peter Pan was about to kick in, so we headed back to that area



and our hearts skipped a beat while walking past the New Fantasyland.
We got in the Fast Pass line for Peter Pan and in no time were seated and flying over London. We were both thirsty, so we headed over to Columbia Harbour House for a drink and for a snack.
I got a



Lighthouse Sandwich, hummus with tomato & broccoli slaw on toasted multigrain bread with potato chips and we got a Diet Coke to share. The sandwich was wonderful, light and just hit the spot.
We sat upstairs, looking out of the window and enjoying the day. Once we were done, refreshed and cooled down we headed back out again.
We strolled past the area and indeed they asked random people and took them behind the fence. And even though we walked REALLY slowly, they didn’t even look at us. We walked down to Cosmic Rays to talk about a strategy that would help being chosen, but our attention went right over to the crowd of people at the entrance to one of the stores. There was a little boy talking to a trash can. And would you believe it, the trash can talked back. We had run into Push! The little boy kept exploring and looking and running after Push, and when he lost interest, Push seemed to develop a crush on one of the young ladies



who were standing there watching. They had the funniest conversation and we all were cracking up laughing. After some time we decided to head back and try our luck again.
We stayed in the area watching what was happening. Again, there were cast members approaching guests to go behind the scenes. And then we saw a family go up to the door and just talk to the cast members there and they were let in.
We waited some more and there were other people just doing the same, so we took all our courage and walked up to the cast members as well. They didn’t blink, just smile and let us behind the construction fence. It was like stepping into another world.















The house of Belle’s father looked so inviting, the path was full of horseshoe prints and the cast members back there were in costume and so friendly. One came over to us and told us all about the storyline and what was going to happen. They let us know that the wait outside was about half an hour and that once we were inside the building there were several rooms to go through and we would be told about what was going on once we had made it there. We did not mind at all, we got in line, happy to be in line in the first place.
It took about 25 minutes and we made it inside the building.



The first room was Belle’s father’s living room.













There were lots of reminders of her childhood and it looked so much like a real living room. Next was a room with a huge mirror. It looked like a workshop and we were told the story behind it and suddenly the mirror changed into a walkway.



We were then inside the castle and a talking wardrobe picked some people to participate in acting out the story of Belle and the Beast.

To be continued ............

 

[eandesmom]

Oh my goodness you are updating like crazy!!!!!

I am dreaming now about the Frisco from Steak and Shake, one of my all time favorites anywhere!

YUM!

Fun updates and nice to see the lower crowds.

 

[jenseib]

I felt so special being part of the preview too. I went in during both Halloween and Christmas parties and so many people had no clue you could go back there and most had short lines. I want to go back!!!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Oh my goodness you are updating like crazy!!!!!

I am dreaming now about the Frisco from Steak and Shake, one of my all time favorites anywhere!

YUM!

Fun updates and nice to see the lower crowds.

That was one seriously good sandwich! I really could do with one now.

We so enjoyed the low crowds. This year we weren't as lucky.

I felt so special being part of the preview too. I went in during both Halloween and Christmas parties and so many people had no clue you could go back there and most had short lines. I want to go back!!!!!!

We felt SO special to be allowed behind the fence. And we really enjoyed our time there - storytime with Belle was so cute.
Oh, and Jen, you are not alone - I want to go back to WDW too! I cannot believe that the only visit we will have next year are 3 short days in February.

 

[KatMark]

Fun update. We still haven't seen the Belle thing and we probably won't (unless the girls want to do it in June).

 

[dizneeat]

Don't forget .......... the advent calendars started today. Don't miss fun pics and yummy pics!

Food Christmas calendar

Funny Hats Christmas calendar ​

 

[dizneeat]

Fun update. We still haven't seen the Belle thing and we probably won't (unless the girls want to do it in June).

It was really cute and you should give it a try, but only if the wait isn't too long. The pre-show is pretty impressing and the little story being played out is cute too!

 

[englishrose47]

Karin I totally missed that Fantasyland update . How cool to get in !!! I am hoping we have time to explore it next week. In October we did go in the Big Tent and see Minnie and Daisy !! That was pretty cool !!!

 

[englishrose47]

Almost forgot Tom I am LOVING day 1 of your calndars as always !!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Karin I totally missed that Fantasyland update . How cool to get in !!! I am hoping we have time to explore it next week. In October we did go in the Big Tent and see Minnie and Daisy !! That was pretty cool !!!

It was awesome to be able to peek behind the construction fence. There were quite a lot of people there, but we still felt so special to know about what was going to come.

Almost forgot Tom I am LOVING day 1 of your calndars as always !!!!

I am glad you like them, Rosie! You will have a lot to catch up on once you get back!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 25, September 4

A look behind the scenes - Part 4

We were then inside the castle and a talking wardrobe picked some people to participate in acting out the story of Belle and the Beast.
We were then led into the library and Belle appeared and they acted out the story. It was so much fun to watch.











A photopass photographer was at hand and took a lot of photos and at the end Belle was happy to take photos with people who had participated. Once the show was over we were walked outside, asked about our experience and then made our way towards the exit again.
We took a few more photos and then left the area happily.





It had taken us close to an hour to preview “Storytime with Belle” and now we were tired and hungry, so what we did was, we picked up a turkey leg on the way out of the park, had it wrapped up nicely and headed out towards the exit.



And since we were in such a good mood Tom got himself a cap that had a built in fan, one we had seen earlier in the day. He wore it on the way out and when we walked along the walkway, we passed a family of three. And right when we had passed them, I heard my name, so we turned around and it turned out that family of three was on the DISboards as well and they were reading my trip report. They were Brits living in Germany and enjoying a lovely time at WDW. We talked for a very short while, took a photo



and then off we all went again. Tom and I drove back to Old Key West, laid the table and had



the still warm turkeyleg, together with some salads out of the fridge, some chips and salsa.



It was a really lovely late lunch and we had a lot to talk about. For dessert we shared the





Carrot Cake Cupcake which was really nice and moist, with just the right amount of icing.
We sat out on the balcony for a while, waiting for the laundry to be done and when it was finally done around 6am we decided to head over to Epcot to spend a little more time in a park.

Don't forget .......... the advent calendars are open now. Don't miss fun pics and yummy pics!

Food Christmas calendar

Funny Hats Christmas calendar​

To be continued ............

 

[MEK]

So glad you got that sneak preview of Belle's Storytime. You got some great pictures. What a cute attraction for kids.

That hummus sandwich looks really good. I have wanted to try it for awhile but I'm always afraid I'll still be hungry.

Nothing like an impromptu DIS meet! So cool that you were spotted by a reader.

 

[dizneeat]

So glad you got that sneak preview of Belle's Storytime. You got some great pictures. What a cute attraction for kids.

That hummus sandwich looks really good. I have wanted to try it for awhile but I'm always afraid I'll still be hungry.

Nothing like an impromptu DIS meet! So cool that you were spotted by a reader.

It was awesome to be allowed behind the fence and Storytime was so cute. We were pretty impressed!

Mary Ellen, please try the hummus sandwich - it was really good and it really filled me up!

To be recognized by a reader was awesome and what was even funnier was that we later found out that they stayed at OKW as well and we ran into them at the pool again.

 

[dvc4life]

Hi Karin! I know I haven't been on here for a long time but I just wanted to say that my daughter just asked me the other day if there was going to be an advent calendar again this year like we have done the last couple years from those people on my web site. And I was so excited to see it this morning! Can't wait to tell her tonight when I get home from work. It is a great thing that we have done together in the mornings before school/work. Thank you and Tom so much for doing this!

 

[Teri1]

We are enjoying the calendars Karin! Tell Tom we said thank you! Still waiting on our Grand-baby Otto, he is taking his time. Lol!