Polynesian Pixie Dust: A Love/Hate Vacationship. An October 2017 TR *updated 2/12x3 and Complete*

Sorry, this isn't trip report related but I know that you like WL a lot and just stayed at AKL recently. I'm looking at booking a 2 or 3 night stay at a Disney resort before we go on a Disney Cruise and I think I narrowed it down to those 2 resorts. We aren't doing any parks (at least that's what we're telling ourselves) so I'm looking for a resort that has a lot of activities for the kids and has a nice pool. Just wanted to hear your thoughts.
 
You sure had a nice view while eating your food at Flame Tree!!

Good choice doing the safari before calling it a day!

Love the sunset photos!

So nice that you could watch HEA while eating some treats in the lounge- your own little dessert party!

It's so pretty back there! There were only a couple of other people that far down by the water and it was nice and peaceful. I'm sure it was uncrowded b/c it was an off peak time for eating, but hey, I'll take it!

I cannot resist a safari!! It's one of the rare rides that if I *had* to, I'd actually wait longer than 30 minutes for. And 30 is my max. Not many rides have that distinction, lol!

It was like our own dessert party! I seriously had at least three of those little cherry pies, they were so good!

Mac and cheese with pulled pork! That's a game changer for me. The fries sound delicious too!

In Sept we did ITTBAB... DH's aunt jumped out of her seat at the end :rotfl:

It was so good!! the crunchy onion ring on top of all the soft stuff was the key, I think!

LOL!!

Maybe it's the same big guy we saw one evening at the Poly. I've got a picture of him somewhere, too.

No way! Awesome pixie dust!

It's like you stole this thought right from out of my head.

WHAT? How is this wall a thing I didn't know about! New Insta trend!!

I think this one is my fave. lol

AMAZING! I love this!

Think ten times!! Are you done thinking?? THINK AGAIN!

Amen to that.

I think this is a really true statement. You really have to experience it.

No way! I was worried when you said you had this FP. Good for her for sticking it out!! My mom has issues with motion simulators, and she didn't have any problem with FoP. There's something about it.

Doesn't seem promising...

Oh. My. Gosh! You got soaked!!

I can't get over how wet you both were in these photos...

Bahaha yes! :rotfl2:

:lovestruc That view though...

No way!! The rhinos are almost never up and moving...

Ew. Lame. But glad it was good otherwise.

The Poly Snail. We should make this a trending thing, too :rotfl:

I was so excited about the passes! I thought Everest would be a no-go for me on this trip unless I found a short single rider line, so it made my day. Even more when mom rode!

I made Matt pose for an Awkwardly Shaped Monkey Wall selfie on our AK day, LOL!!!

I love the picture with Donald, the balloon one makes me laugh. My mom was very committed, haha

NEVER STOP THINKING ABOUT POACHING. or NOT poaching...um, just don't poach. (I feel like i need this poster in my house, i love it!)

Oh my gosh, our uber driver from Movies to Kidani was Brazilian, and the way he said giraffe. I die. Matt and I can't even say the word right anymore, they are now and forever jee-ruffs.

Pandora was slightly less magical this time...I think b/c it was like, 30something degrees, LOL! Still beautiful though, and one day I will see it during a blue sky and not a cloudy one!!

Mom said she thought the motion sickness didn't hit her b/c the seat moved with the movement on the screen, and nothing was static. She still talks about this ride and tags me on Facebook if it's mentioned anywhere, lol

I was so displeased with how wet we were! It was almost like a practical joke, b/c I was so adamant about not wanting to get wet when it was kind of cool out!

I wanted to touch that rhino so badly!! I'm still holding out hope that one day a giraffe will walk over and like bend down and let me hug it. I mean, if the GIRAFFE is the one who walks over, and it isn't ME running wildly across the savanna, surely there is less of a chance they will escort me off property. Right??


Glad you enjoyed your NY trip even if it was cold.
Looks like you and your mom had a great day.

I thought the same watching it from the Grand Floridian.

We did! It was nice to get away and actually relax for a change while at WDW...well, not so much in some of the crowds for NYE, but overall, lol

I think it was one of our best days at the parks!

I'm glad I"m not the only one who feels that way. I was impressed by it, and while I'll always miss Wishes, I do love HEA

:rotfl: But now I want to see it.


What if you saw Kevin Bacon drinking water atop an elephant drinking water? :scratchin


:rotfl: Sure you can!


Boo!

I might send it to you...I don't know, it is WAY worse than any of the ones from yesterday we were sharing. Way worse.

I don't even know if I could handle that!! What do I freak out over first? Kevin? The elephant?? (probably Kevin, b/c HOW did he get to ride the elephant in the first place when they'd surely kick me out for hugging a giraffe! )

I just wanted to touch his nose. Surely it was a nice rhino and wouldn't charge the truck or anything, lol

I pretty much hated everyone in the lounge that night

Worst ride EVER! My first trip to Disney, I was pregnant with my daughter so I couldn't ride it. I was so upset because it looked like so much fun. Fast Forward to a year ago when I finally got to ride it with my son, hated that ride. Could it be any rougher? It hurts. I make dh ride it with my son while I do triceratops spin with my daughter.



I think you made the right choice. We did the pulled pork fries this last trip and they were just okay. I think the mac n cheese would have been better. We'll try that next time.

It is a painful ride! The boys like it, so they can just go on it on their own now. Goofy's Sky School at California Adventure is similar but not so rough and jarring. They rode that one like three times in a row!

That's good to know about the fries! The mac and cheese was good, just heavier than I wanted...but I ate it all anyway b/c it tasted good, lol

Sorry, this isn't trip report related but I know that you like WL a lot and just stayed at AKL recently. I'm looking at booking a 2 or 3 night stay at a Disney resort before we go on a Disney Cruise and I think I narrowed it down to those 2 resorts. We aren't doing any parks (at least that's what we're telling ourselves) so I'm looking for a resort that has a lot of activities for the kids and has a nice pool. Just wanted to hear your thoughts.

I do really love Wilderness Lodge, it's my absolute favorite. But AKL is definitely in second place now after two stays there. If you aren't doing parks, I would recommend AKL! The food options are amazing, you can see the animals at various points around property, the pool is beautiful, and they do these cool activities for kids where they can earn beads for participating. There is a board up at Kidani (and there might be one at Jambo, I just never saw it) with their daily schedules.

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You can see the beads available on some of the cards in those pictures. I wanted to do the bead activities myself, haha!!

The shuttle between Kidani and Jambo House runs every 5 to 10 minutes right out in front of each building and it makes it super simple to go back and forth.

I think it's the perfect place for a non-park trip!
 
The Poly Snail. We should make this a trending thing, too :rotfl:

It needs an Instagram account. It will be a thing.

I made Matt pose for an Awkwardly Shaped Monkey Wall selfie on our AK day, LOL!!!

Oh my gosh. I'm looking forward to this one. :)

Oh my gosh, our uber driver from Movies to Kidani was Brazilian, and the way he said giraffe. I die. Matt and I can't even say the word right anymore, they are now and forever jee-ruffs.

Jee-ruff! My heart! :lovestruc

Pandora was slightly less magical this time...I think b/c it was like, 30something degrees, LOL!

For realz though!!

I wanted to touch that rhino so badly!! I'm still holding out hope that one day a giraffe will walk over and like bend down and let me hug it. I mean, if the GIRAFFE is the one who walks over, and it isn't ME running wildly across the savanna, surely there is less of a chance they will escort me off property. Right??

I'm pretty sure if the jee-ruff leans into the truck and wedges its head between your arms and snuggles you, there's nothing you can do to prevent it... :rolleyes1
 
I do really love Wilderness Lodge, it's my absolute favorite. But AKL is definitely in second place now after two stays there. If you aren't doing parks, I would recommend AKL! The food options are amazing, you can see the animals at various points around property, the pool is beautiful, and they do these cool activities for kids where they can earn beads for participating. There is a board up at Kidani (and there might be one at Jambo, I just never saw it) with their daily schedules.







You can see the beads available on some of the cards in those pictures. I wanted to do the bead activities myself, haha!!

The shuttle between Kidani and Jambo House runs every 5 to 10 minutes right out in front of each building and it makes it super simple to go back and forth.

I think it's the perfect place for a non-park trip!

Wow! You have no idea how helpful all that info is to me! That's amazing input for sure. The beads are adorable. Thanks so much!
 


I might send it to you...I don't know, it is WAY worse than any of the ones from yesterday we were sharing. Way worse.

I don't know if anything could be worse than the first one I sent you :lmao:

I don't even know if I could handle that!! What do I freak out over first? Kevin? The elephant?? (probably Kevin, b/c HOW did he get to ride the elephant in the first place when they'd surely kick me out for hugging a giraffe! )

That's just part of him being Kevin Bacon he magically appears in places no one is allowed in :laughing:

I just wanted to touch his nose. Surely it was a nice rhino and wouldn't charge the truck or anything, lol

No of course not :rotfl:

I pretty much hated everyone in the lounge that night

I would have too.
 
Fun, right?? It was like hitting the Photopass lottery.

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I love this!

The ride line was pretty to look at, and it was fun to see something I hadn't seen for a long time.

Looks like your mom loved it!
 
I'm all caught up! I hope you and your DH had a fabulous time at Disney and I'm anxious to read all about it. So bummed we never were able to meet up, though! Next time... ;)



this is probably my favorite character photo ever!!
It would be mine as well - how fun! :thumbsup2

Pandora is DH's main priority for our trip this week, and I feel a little bad that we're not going to AK until our last day. The weather is supposed to be chilly the day we're there, so I'm hoping that it keeps crowds away.
How'd the chilly weather play into your crowd levels? Our mornings were so much better because of the weather crowd-wise but holy cow everyone and their brother showed up later in the day :faint:

Festival of the Lion King is my FAVORITE SHOW.
I have such amazing memories of FOTLK this trip because I got to see it with my niece and nephew for their first time and it was nothing short of pure magic. :wizard:

Don't you just love the level of detail all around Animal Kingdom?
Yep ::yes::
 


Boy am I late 13 pages late....:o
What a wonderful gift to share Disney with your Mom and her first trip too :goodvibes
We stayed at POP in May for our quick 5 day trip. We were in the 50's section and overall liked the resort especially when traveling on a budget.
Congrats on your upgrade to CL at the Poly :cool1: but having the bathroom floor flood YUCK
Yay for DIS meets :cheer2:
Your ears with Snow white and the Evil Queen are adorable
Love HEA we've done 2 dessert party's since it began and not for the desserts but for the love of the music and projections
Such a great pic of you, your Mom with the 7 Dwarfs
Great PP pic with the Headless Horseman
Love all your pictures and now I have to find your New Years TR
 
Soooo awesome you were upgraded to club level! That is some amazing pixie dust! Now you have me debating on whether or not I should do online check in before my trip! :rolleyes1
 
I have half an hour to get in an update before I have to go do a little shopping for Odyssey of the Mind before our meeting this afternoon!

It's kind of a parallel universe b/c this day takes place at Hollywood Studios...and that's also where I am in the January TR! The park will look a LOT different on this day!

Rewinding to October for...

Chapter Six: Those Hollywood Nights...er...days!

So I do have to think a little harder about these October updates since it's been so long ago and things are getting muddled in my aging old mind!

We were heading to Hollywood Studios for the first part of the day. I'm not sure of our Fast Pass situation on this day, because none of my planning sheets have times listed. I *think* I had made FPs for this day, but then switched to Epcot for a Test Track FP. Spoiler alert, we do not ride Test Track, so I really have no idea, LOL :rotfl:

First things first, we started with a quick snack in the CL lounge so mom could take her pills. It's awfully pretty in there first thing in the morning - but BUSY!


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After a quick bite, it was time to head down to the bus stop. The backdrop of the Poly is easy on the eyes as you wait for one to roll up!

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The bus ride must not have been all that memorable, but I was definitely anxious to get to the park...I had a date. A date with...

TERROR!!!

*dun dun DUNNNN*

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See the line where the screams meet the sky? It calls me...

We entered the park, and I was so happy it was a sunny blue skied day!

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I stopped to pose with a special friend

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Are you my new daddy??

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I love this cute little area...although I like the similar one in California Adventure a little better...b/c it's called Oswald's

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I just shared photos from these windows on my January TR, but here's what they looked like in October:

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No holiday hats this time around!

After a quick look down Hollywood Blvd...

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I was in a hurry to get to Sunset instead!

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But there's always time for a photo or three!

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And now it has been like six hours since I posted everything above this pink line...I just thought you ought to know that I can't even get ONE post up in the allotted time, LOL!!

Mom did NOT go on Tower of Terror with me...she braved Everest but the Tower was too much for her I guess!

I love the look of the whole building, and I think this is a new angle for me:

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By the time I'd exited the ride, the line had grown from walk on to 50 minutes. I was shocked! RnR was down, so that might have been part of it.

Our next stop was going to be more mom-friendly, but first I had to take a little detour. I always try to do new things each trip, and somehow I had managed to never try a carrot cake cookie while at DHS. I needed to remedy that fast!

Sweet Spells, here I come!

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Gahh! Why is my wrist bent at such an unnatural angle?? Maybe I'm an alien.

At any rate, whatever species I am, this was delicious. It's also huge! I had to go to a kiosk selling light up Ariel wands and lightsabers and get a bag to carry it in b/c I could only eat a couple bites at a time. It's comically large, and you'll see it in upcoming photos.

We were making our way to Toy Story Midway Mania, and we were going to ride it standby, so we needed to get moving.

I loved the artwork for Toy Story Land

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One of my favorite signs:

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It's so refreshing to see these pictures and remember this trip after the trauma of New Year's Eve week, LOL! The crowds are so low! I love early mornings at Hollywood Studios

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This was my first time riding standby, so I loved seeing some fun things I've never seen before!

Like, the lights are plugged in! PLUGGED IN!

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And there is a nightlight!!

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How cute is that??

And even better?? I won! My highest score ever.

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It was a fun visit to Pixar Place, but we had a lot of other things to do around the park!

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More later, Friends!! Have a good night!!
 
Oh, what the heck? Let's go ahead and get one more quick post up!

Chapter Six Part Two

As we were leaving Toy Story and Pixar Place, I saw something that made me shriek with excitement. No lies, I literally shrieked.

Cruz Ramirez!! I loved Cars 3 (and the original Cars, but we shall never speak of Cars 2. More like, Cars Who?, because it was awful, and we pretend it doesn't exist!)



I had to pose with her of course!



I love her. She's a strong female role model. #GirlPower (yes, I also was really into the Spice Girls when I was 15. Scary Spice was the BEST spice)

My photoshoot was cut short when a lady told her kid, "It's ok, go up, she's just a grown up."

Just a grown up. Please. Do you even know me? I wear mouse ears and have Peter Pan on my shirt.

Fine, fine, I guess I'll let the "just a little kid" have their picture with the positive influence.

We'll just go get our picture made somewhere else instead!







And then we decided to do another first for me, and of course a first for mom since it was her first EVERYTHING...Voyage of the Little Mermaid!



Prior to this trip, I had promised a few people that I would take the time to see this, Frozen Sing Along, and Beauty and the Beast, since I'd never taken the time to see them before.

We ended up at the tail end of a line, coming inside just as they were preparing to shut the doors, and ended up in the front of the theater. I don't want to spoil anything for you in case you've never done this before, so skip the next part...

We were sitting so close we could see the performers running around and working the puppets, so we lost a little of the illusion that the fish were just free floating. My overall opinion is, this show is fine for a time killer, or to get inside out of extreme hot or cold, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it unless you just want to cross it off your to do list. I think it could do with a refresh.

Ok, safe from Little Mermaid spoilers now!

After voyaging along with Ariel, we had an awkward amount of time left before lunch. I wanted to go show off the Chinese Theater, so that was our next stop. Still so sad about the Great Movie ride :sad: I'm pretty ok with changes at WDW, but this one is the hardest for me to take, I think.

Progress and all that, though, I guess. Blah! Give me sky gondolas, sure, but don't take away my GMR!

Since there's nothing we can do to stop it, let's give a warm welcome to Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad



It had been a long time since I'd stopped and looked at the names and footprints in the cement, so we spent a little while doing that. Get ready for pics of my favorites!



Oh my gosh, I cannot even tell you how much I loved PeeWee's Playhouse. Or how much I was traumatized by the lady trucker (Large Marge?) in PeeWee's Big Adventure. Ah, childhood.

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Tim Burton always delivers.









(fun fact, I was at the St. Louis Six Flags the week after Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie were there, during their brief marriage. I was in middle school, so it was very cool at the time to have been somewhere a week after MJ had been IN THAT VERY SPOT.)



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And then finally, the queen of queens:



Thank you for being a friend, Betty!!

After checking out all of the signatures, we stopped for....you guessed it...MORE photopass! This time with the funky fish eye lens:





Ok, that's REALLY it for tonight. Thanks for reading along, and I'll have more of this day for you soon!!
 
Good to see you back! I kept checking to see if you'd been around :goodvibes

Are you my new daddy??

:laughing:

I love the look of the whole building, and I think this is a new angle for me:
I don't think I've ever looked at it from that angle, it's neat!

My photoshoot was cut short when a lady told her kid, "It's ok, go up, she's just a grown up."

:furious: You're nicer than me, I probably would have purposely moved closer to Cruz :rolleyes1

Prior to this trip, I had promised a few people that I would take the time to see this, Frozen Sing Along, and Beauty and the Beast, since I'd never taken the time to see them before.
I remember being surprised you'd never seen any of those shows! Although, boys :rolleyes: Sorry you didn't enjoy VoTLM that much, I do like it but don't need to see it every trip. Frozen sing-a-long we've only done once so I would like to do that again.
 
So I do have to think a little harder about these October updates since it's been so long ago and things are getting muddled in my aging old mind!

:rotfl:

Are you my new daddy??

This reminded me of Riverdale and the Archie/Hiram daddy off as I call it:rotfl:

(and the original Cars, but we shall never speak of Cars 2. More like, Cars Who?, because it was awful, and we pretend it doesn't exist!)

Mater is so cute, but before the 3rd one Josh was like the car isn't going to be a spy again right? :laughing:

My photoshoot was cut short when a lady told her kid, "It's ok, go up, she's just a grown up."

Ugh, I hate when people want to cut in front of pictures/interactions just because you're an adult so it shouldn't matter and their kid should go first. I feel like a lot of people had that attitude with the Christmas tree pictures, they wanted to do a full on photoshoot in front of each one with their kids, and I just wanted to snap a quick picture!
 
I feel you, working harder to remember and forgetting things about October. August feels like a lifetime away...I really need to get that written and done...

I was definitely anxious to get to the park...I had a date. A date with...

TERROR!!!

*dun dun DUNNNN*

:rotfl:

See the line where the screams meet the sky? It calls me...

:rotfl:


I love these ears!!

Mom did NOT go on Tower of Terror with me...she braved Everest but the Tower was too much for her I guess!

I'm not shocked. I still haven't worked myself up to the Tower. I don't know if I ever will.



Gahh! Why is my wrist bent at such an unnatural angle?? Maybe I'm an alien.

Bahaha yes, obviously this is the most likely explanation! :laughing:

Like, the lights are plugged in! PLUGGED IN!


:goodvibes I've never noticed this! We rarely ride standby. This is so cute!

Cruz Ramirez!! I loved Cars 3 (and the original Cars, but we shall never speak of Cars 2. More like, Cars Who?, because it was awful, and we pretend it doesn't exist!)

Uggh Cars 2. I still haven't seen Cars 3 after the nightmare that was Cars 2. But it's on my list because I've heard from multiple sources that it's wonderful.

My photoshoot was cut short when a lady told her kid, "It's ok, go up, she's just a grown up."

Just a grown up. Please. Do you even know me? I wear mouse ears and have Peter Pan on my shirt.

Ummm...what!? Excuse me!

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Thank you for being a friend, Betty!!

:lovestruc:lovestruc
 
So many cute PP pics! Sounds like a great morning getting to do ToT and Toy Story and see Voyage of the Little Mermaid! I agree that when you sit up close you can definitely see the actors moving around.
 
Joining the party late but I have to tell you I have really enjoyed reading your TR! Your writing style really captures the attention and I loved reading about your adventures with your mom.

Looking forward to reading more and now I am going to head over to start on your NYE TR. :goodvibes
 
Good to see you back! I kept checking to see if you'd been around :goodvibes


:laughing:

I don't think I've ever looked at it from that angle, it's neat!

:furious: You're nicer than me, I probably would have purposely moved closer to Cruz :rolleyes1


I remember being surprised you'd never seen any of those shows! Although, boys :rolleyes: Sorry you didn't enjoy VoTLM that much, I do like it but don't need to see it every trip. Frozen sing-a-long we've only done once so I would like to do that again.

I'm alive, I'm alive!! LOL! I think part of the hiatus was severe Post-Disney Depression.

I got so used to being dismissed as unimportant during my May trip that this didn't even shock me anymore. I did consider jumping the little rope and getting right up next to her, but that mom probably would have called the Disney cops on me!!

Haha, yeah, darn boys! I think the seating had something to do with our enjoyment of the show. I did like the laser effect to make it look like we were under water - I want one of those for the house!

:rotfl:

This reminded me of Riverdale and the Archie/Hiram daddy off as I call it:rotfl:

Mater is so cute, but before the 3rd one Josh was like the car isn't going to be a spy again right? :laughing:

Ugh, I hate when people want to cut in front of pictures/interactions just because you're an adult so it shouldn't matter and their kid should go first. I feel like a lot of people had that attitude with the Christmas tree pictures, they wanted to do a full on photoshoot in front of each one with their kids, and I just wanted to snap a quick picture!

I'm getting old, it's true!! :rotfl:

That whole Hiram/Archie thing was so weird!! And last night's episode :scared1: You'll have to let me know when you watch!!

I was REALLY glad Mater wasn't a spy. That whole storyline was ridiculous. I feel like that movie was only made b/c of how popular the first one was and how well the toys sold - it came out when I worked at the Disney Store, and people were insane about collecting some of those cars. I was yelled at so many times when we didn't have certain ones in stock. Like I was personally responsible for all the Clown Maters being gone!

I agree that it's really bad in front of the trees! I don't understand the attitude that kids should go first. Learn to wait, kiddies!


I feel you, working harder to remember and forgetting things about October. August feels like a lifetime away...I really need to get that written and done...



:rotfl:



:rotfl:



I love these ears!!



I'm not shocked. I still haven't worked myself up to the Tower. I don't know if I ever will.



Bahaha yes, obviously this is the most likely explanation! :laughing:



:goodvibes I've never noticed this! We rarely ride standby. This is so cute!



Uggh Cars 2. I still haven't seen Cars 3 after the nightmare that was Cars 2. But it's on my list because I've heard from multiple sources that it's wonderful.



Ummm...what!? Excuse me!

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:lovestruc:lovestruc

They are one of my favorite pair of ears!

Tower is a must do for me...but I understand how it might not be great for you! I would be worried about it making you feel sick.

I was probably overreacting to all the new-to-me stuff in the standby line, lol. My mom didn't know what the big deal was.

Oh, put Cars 3 back on the list! Just forget the second one ever happened!

That was my face! I literally looked like President Obama. Flag background and everything! :rotfl:He has the best reactions to everything.



So many cute PP pics! Sounds like a great morning getting to do ToT and Toy Story and see Voyage of the Little Mermaid! I agree that when you sit up close you can definitely see the actors moving around.

I was really happy with the photopass pictures from this day. I got super lucky getting to ToT before everyone else did, and then managing the low wait on Toy Story.

Joining the party late but I have to tell you I have really enjoyed reading your TR! Your writing style really captures the attention and I loved reading about your adventures with your mom.

Looking forward to reading more and now I am going to head over to start on your NYE TR. :goodvibes

Welcome and thank you!! I'm glad you're enjoying them both. I have to admit it's harder to juggle both TRs than I thought it would be, but I'm trying to hang in there, LOL!
 
Oh, put Cars 3 back on the list! Just forget the second one ever happened!

It just so happens that they just put it on Netflix, and that may or may not be how I spent my afternoon after school. Lovin' Cruz!!

That was my face! I literally looked like President Obama. Flag background and everything! :rotfl:He has the best reactions to everything.

:laughing:
 
There's a little bit left of this October Hollywood day, so let's get on with it, shall we?

Chapter Six Part Three

We were still trying to kill time before our lunch reservation at 11am, and we had *just* enough time to catch the next Muppets 3-D show and make it right on time for lunch - so that's what we did!



I almost always take a picture of this and make some kind of comment about needing to visit the Stress Department myself. Probably because it's true!

In the spirit of being inappropriately in love with Zac Efron AND The Electric Mayhem, I had to capture this gem:



He's only like five years younger than me or something, so if DH dies before me when I'm around 85ish, and Zac Efron is still a young, spry 80, I'll be waiting. OMG, please don't ever tell him I said that. DH I mean. You can tell Zac Efron if you want to, that's cool.

Anyway...I got a little off track there, didn't I?

We got out of Muppets 3-D with just enough time to get to Sci-Fi.



Sci-Fi made quite an impression on me after my first visit in 2001, and it has remained a favorite ever since. The atmosphere is hard to beat, and I knew my mom would think it was cool.

It didn't take too long to be seated - we were hitchhikers. But we didn't murder anyone. I've seen a lot of horror movies, and hitchhikers are generally murderers, so I wanted to reassure you in case you were worried :littleangel:




I do have pictures of this meal, but I will warn you, they are terrible. The lighting in here is really bad, but I'm sharing them anyway, because I"m not always good about remembering to take food pics, and I just want to be proud of myself for a minute, ok?

We started with the fried pickles:



They're not as good as Carnation Cafe in Disneyland, but they're still worth eating! I loooove a fried pickle.

My mom had the Reuben:



which she liked, but if I recall, she preferred the one at Everything Pop on arrival night.

I was devastated that they no longer had the salmon BLT on the menu, because it was one of my favorite things EVERRRR at Walt Disney World. I thought I'd try the chili lime salmon fiesta salad as a consolation prize:



:rotfl::rotfl:

This picture cracks me up b/c you can't really see anything other than the avocado dressing on top. But I promise you there was a huge, delicious piece of chili lime salmon underneath that, as well as a massive amount of lettuce and other salady type things. It was so big I barely made a dent in it.

After lunch, we saw this wall:



Which if you've seen my January TR or any other recent photos, you know is down and the big gray wall is now a photo spot instead, and will soon be the entrance to Galaxy's Edge.

And at some point we stopped for this:



We were on our way back over to shop in the Muppet shop - which is pretty misleading b/c there is barely anything Muppetty for sale in there. They never have Fozzie stuff and it makes me sad!

But, even without Fozzie stuff, the shop is super cute and full of fun Muppet decorations









And because we were in such a hurry to get IN the building before lunch, I now had time to take in this sad, sorry state of affairs:



Piggy's fountain was under a BOX. WHY?

I was very happy to see it back up and running again a few weeks ago (was the new year really only a few weeks ago?? January has been the longest month ever, holy cow!)

Ah, so NOW I am remember the fast pass situation. We did have them for this park, we just didn't use the one for Toy Story b/c the line was short enough standby. We DID use the one for Star Tours because standby was around 40 minutes. Mom felt like she could handle it since she'd done ok on all the other rides. I did explain this was a simulator, and not as smooth as Flight of Passage, but she still thought she could handle it. Here goes nothin'...



I could tell immediately afterward that she didn't deal with Star Tours as well as she had all of the other rides so far. We grabbed some water bottles and decided to get in line for Olaf, because his wait time was posted at 20 minutes. The wait here is kind of staggered. They bring in groups of people from the outside line inside the building. The wait wasn't anywhere close to 20 minutes, we were already up front within five minutes of being in line. Right before we were getting ready to go inside, mom said she didn't feel well and needed to find a restroom. So we got out of line.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I sat in the shade and ate the rest of my carrot cake cookie while I waited for her.

When she got back we decided to start making our way out of the park, but we did stop to take in the sights along the way





and popped into a couple of shops

I gracefully accepted the Best Daughter award



and mom got in on the act with Best Mother

https://www.flickr.com/photos/143888229@N08/

She looks a little unsure about that...

We took the bus back to the Poly and mom laid down for awhile in the room. I sat outside on the patio and talked to DH, then I went out to get something very, very important.



A dole whip vanilla/pineapple swirl of course! Hey, I had a salad for lunch, it's fine!!

I eventually went back to Hawaii and sat in the lounge for awhile so mom could rest a little more, before finally going back to the room to get her up and ready for our evening adventures.

We were heading back to Epcot to take care of some unfinished business!!

See you next time!!
 

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