They Let Anyone In these Clubs Now! An Aug. 2017 PTR * TR link! 8/17!*

[ariane37]

Good morning everyone! I have been absolutely terrible with this PTR, worse than I've ever been with my previous reports! I didn't expect to be as busy this summer as I am but I'm going to do my best to get another update done either today or tomorrow. Thanks for hanging in there!​

 

[docsoliday1]

Good morning everyone! I have been absolutely terrible with this PTR, worse than I've ever been with my previous reports! I didn't expect to be as busy this summer as I am but I'm going to do my best to get another update done either today or tomorrow. Thanks for hanging in there!​

We can wait...I'm sure many of us understand busy!

 

[ALEXandFAB]

Hi Ariane! You may not remember me but I was on the disboards a lot last year while planning my November 2016 trip. I haven't been able to log on since late last year when my office decided to block the site . (I don't have time to log on at home ) But it's now unblocked and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way. Knock on wood!

I caught up on your Nov. 2016 trip and dining reports and I'm tagging along as you plan your new trip . Looking fwd to reading more!

 

[Dream426]

Hi. I know you are leaving in a couple weeks for your trip but I just found this and I am excited to read how your trip was. We are planning an August trip for next year towards the end of August. So excited to read about your pre-trip and your trip.

 

[ariane37]

HAPPY THURSDAY EVERYONE! LET'S SEE IF I ACTUALLY GET THIS DONE WHILE IT'S STILL THURSDAY LOL! I CAN'T SEEM TO STAY OUT OF THE CAR LONG ENOUGH TO COMPLETE AN UPDATE. OR DO LAUNDRY, DUST, OR THINK ABOUT WHAT I'M GOING TO PACK. FORGET IT NOW WITH MY 3 NEPHEWS HERE, IF I AM HOME I'M EITHER GETTING FOOD FOR SOMEONE, TRYING TO KEEP MY FLOORS RELATIVELY CLEAN OR TRYING NOT TO VOMIT WHEN I LOOK IN THE TWO BATHROOMS ALL THE BOYS USE I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THE 2 WEEKS THEY'RE SPENDING HERE BUT WHEN THEY LEAVE, I SWEAR I'M LOOKING FOR A COMPANY THAT WILL ENCLOSE MY HOUSE IN A TENT AND STERILIZE THE HELL OUT OF IT!!
In Disney news our 2nd set of MB's came however our luggage tags did not, which is exactly what happened to Steve and I in May. We did get the ones for All Star Sports but I'd called and told them we'd switched to Pop and requested new ones. Oh well, I was a bit concerned anyway because we're supposed to land at 8:20pm and if we get majorly delayed and land close to or after 10, ME won't get our luggage anyway. Well they will, but most likely we won't receive it until the next morning. So I was thinking we'd just get our luggage ourselves but I hate the extra time it takes.

Now, on to DAY 3 PLANS!
​

Something important I left out of day 2, is that we'll have transferred to CL at my favorite resort, the Wilderness Lodge! In March Steve took one of my favorite pictures from Geyser Point very early in the morning while I was still sleeping:



And seeing the totem pole makes me very happy even though I look more weird than happy!



I'm not sure exactly when we'll check in but my guess is after Sanaa lunch. I'm SO excited for the boys to see the resort because they've only been here once, when we at at WCC years ago. It was back in 2011 or 2012 so Chris doesn't remember it much and Ricky only remembers a little about the lobby. When I told them we were staying here they both asked if it was a deluxe and Ricky asked if it had a gym, because apparently I'm raising hotel snobs
Since this will be our first morning waking up at WL, our breakfast will be in the CL lounge. I can't wait! Steve and I can go when we're ready and the boys can go when they are, even if it's 2 hours after us. We're having a lazy, sleep in morning 1.to enjoy the lounge and resort and 2. to make the boys happy after 2 early mornings. I'm going into the day with the idea that the boys can swim, but Chris is more likely to want to do that than Ricky, so I may take Chris to the pool while Steve and Ricky hit the gym. Ricky has spent the last month since school ended as well as the last 2 months of school working out for football and basketball. Lately it's 6x a week and when we get back and the actual football practices start it's going to get crazy. So while the break will be nice for him he doesn't want to not work out at all. Steve and I glanced in the WL gym on our first visit but that's it. I love the name, Sturdy Branches!



Inside view:



If for some strange reason both boys want to go to a park, I will give them tons of hugs and kisses and off we'll go. If not, I'm also planning lunch at the resort at either Geyser Point or Roaring Fork. Honestly I'm not loving the new RF menu; I think Steve and I will most likely choose GP when picking between the 2. The nice thing is that since the boys are older, if one or both want RF they can go by themselves and either eat there or bring the food where we are at GP. And speaking of eating at GP I'll have to see how hot it is sitting out there during the day in Aug.........

Whether we stay at the resort today or do go to a park, I know where we'll be heading mid to late afternoon: my sad to say formerly favorite park, Hollywood Studios.

FP's:
TSMM 3:00
*dinner 4:00*
Frozen sing a long 5:30
TOT 6:30

Back to lunch, we'll have to either eat that kind of early or just have snacks because of our 4:00 dinner reservation here:



It's no Il Mulino and I know it doesn't always get good reviews but Steve and I ate here in May.....that's all I'm going to say because I haven't gotten to my review yet in my current dining report It made sense to eat in HS and there's only one other restaurant here everyone was interested in eating at, and I saved that for another day.

Two FP's after dinner, hopefully more than 1 ride on my beloved TOT if the lines aren't too long or there are more FP left. I'm also debating doing the new Music of Pixar show which is at 6:45 so we probably won't make that unless we do our TOT FP a few minutes early and the show isn't crowded, or catch the 8:00 Music of Pixar show. I don't think the boys will necessarily like this and after making them sit through Frozen Ever After it may be too much, but it might be a good time killer if ride lines are long and no FP's are available. We need to stay in the park because our goal tonight, which might surprise some of you, is to see the SW fireworks at 9:30. Yup! Yours truly, the non SW fan who has never seen any of the movies, is going to watch the show. A few months back Ricky started watching the movies and requested we watch the show; who am I to say no when one of my kids actually ASKS to do something in WDW? I'm thinking we can wait until at least 8:45 to find a decent spot so that 8:00 Pixar show might work, although I am hoping for decent FP availability or at least not crazy headliner lines.

There is a character meet I'd like to do while here that we've never done before: Olaf. I'm not a Frozen fan by any means but the pictures I've seen of Olaf meets are just so cute; I'm hoping to talk at least Chris into doing it with me. One more thing I want to do that has now become much more of a priority than it was, is Great Movie Ride. Christopher loves this ride and if Ricky and I go on TOT or RnRC when there's a long wait for TSMM, GMR is where Steve and Chris always head to. I also love it, although I liked it better when the CM's did the narration. It also is one of the very few things that still reminds me of what HS USED to be and why I fell in love with it. If my first visits to the park had been in say, the last 5 years or so there's no way it would have ever been my favorite park. Back when the Backlot Tour was a tour of an actual working movie stage it was fantastic; I've talked about this here before but - passing the Golden Girls house???? OMG such a highlight!!! And there used to be so much going on along the Streets of America all day long. That's not even the half of it. In my first PTR last year I posted pics of the Stars and Motorcars parade and old character meets there, it was a wonderful park that screamed "Old Hollywood" all over the place. That's what I remember, that's what I fell in love with, and that's what I wish it could still be. The Great Movie Ride leaving, to me, is the last bit of Old Hollywood leaving with the exception of the Citizens of Hollywood and I won't be a bit surprised when I hear they're going.

Sorry about that guys I'm just sad about it and not very good with change! Back to SW: in preparation for Ricky possibly wanting to do some SW stuff next month, back in May Steve and I ventured in to the Launch Bay. We'd gone in once when it first opened but didn't go past the very first room since we had no idea what anything was except the million dollar Vader costume. This time, we went ALL the way through!

FYI I knew this was a JAWA but Steve had no idea. Score one for me!


How adorable is this! Someone had their guide dog in there. Actually not sure if he's a guide dog or a therapy dog, because I thought you couldn't pet guide dogs?? Or is it just guide dogs in training? Either way I thought it was so cute:



I had no idea there was WINE in the Launch Bay!



That will be our day! I think I'm looking forward to enjoying the resort which is something we never do, although I think it'll feel weird to me not being in a park during the day. Might feel better about it after a couple drinks at the pool.........

 

[xlsm]

I love going to see the tigers

Me too! They weren't out during my May trip, their habitat was closed. there was a sign but obviously the words meant nothing to me, since I don't remember the reason for the closing, lol!

I'm going to do my best NOT to get the Butter Chicken, not because it's not good, but because I've gotten it every single time we've eaten there and I should really try something new this time! It's also a given that we'll get the bread service; in fact I think it's a law that you have to.

For lunch there I had the tandoori chicken open faced sandwich thing. If it's still on the menu, I recommend that. It was SO GOOD. And the bread service...yum yum yum!! I think about that red chili sambal alllll the time.

TRYING NOT TO VOMIT WHEN I LOOK IN THE TWO BATHROOMS ALL THE BOYS USE

#boymomlife

My kids' bathroom is upstairs and I go in there as infrequently as possible. It is a swamp.

we're supposed to land at 8:20pm and if we get majorly delayed and land close to or after 10, ME won't get our luggage anyway. Well they will, but most likely we won't receive it until the next morning. So I was thinking we'd just get our luggage ourselves but I hate the extra time it takes.

Same for us in October. We are supposed to land at 8:27pm, and I told her we were just going to get our own bags. She was disappointed b/c I told her about the delivery service, and I think she was looking forward to that.

gorgeous!!

And seeing the totem pole makes me very happy

The boys love Humphrey so much, and even when we just popped by to see the decorations in December, they ran over to rub his nose for good luck. I miss the Lodge!!

I love the name, Sturdy Branches!

It makes me think of Sturdy Wings from the movie Role Models

One more thing I want to do that has now become much more of a priority than it was, is Great Movie Ride.

It also is one of the very few things that still reminds me of what HS USED to be and why I fell in love with it.

I've talked about this here before but - passing the Golden Girls house???? OMG such a highlight!!!

All of this. I am in mourning for the DHS of old...MGM Studios!! I have a shirt I bought there in 2001 that I will never get rid of - navy long sleeve with the MGM emblem on the front and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer down the sleeve. I love it.

Have I told you that I used to have my picture of the GG house framed?? I think it's upstairs somewhere, I need to go find it!

That kind of looks like Dreidel the Disney Dog! He's a service dog I follow on Instagram...I think he's not as fuzzy though. Dreidel meets lots of characters.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I SWEAR I'M LOOKING FOR A COMPANY THAT WILL ENCLOSE MY HOUSE IN A TENT AND STERILIZE THE HELL OUT OF IT!!

Ha!

Amazing photo! I am def looking forward to checking out Geyser Point.

If not, I'm also planning lunch at the resort at either Geyser Point or Roaring Fork. Honestly I'm not loving the new RF menu; I think Steve and I will most likely choose GP when picking between the 2. The nice thing is that since the boys are older, if one or both want RF they can go by themselves and either eat there or bring the food where we are at GP. And speaking of eating at GP I'll have to see how hot it is sitting out there during the day in Aug.........

Have you seen the Cheesy BBQ Brisket? It sounds sooooo good.

.that's all I'm going to say because I haven't gotten to my review yet in my current dining report

cliff hanger!!!....

After it may be too much, but it might be a good time killer if ride lines are long and no FP's are available. We need to stay in the park because our goal tonight, which might surprise some of you, is to see the SW fireworks at 9:30. Yup! Yours truly, the non SW fan who has never seen any of the movies, is going to watch the show.

I think you will like the SW fireworks even if you aren' t a huge SW fan. The music goes so well with the fireworks! The projections might not "amaze" you but I think you can still enjoy it.

nd there used to be so much going on along the Streets of America all day long.

I remember on our first visit, the backlot was already closed. But the park was very busy. The girls had been playing in the Honey I Shrinked the Kids playground and we finally pulled them out of there and headed to Streets of America. And it was EMPTY. There was no one back there! It was a nice break from the crowds!

I love that he looks so happy and he even just if he doesn't know who that is.

That reminds me, I have to find some things for the girls to trade with the Jawas.... I hear they are picky!

 

[Tracy161]

Or if you don't get there until 8:30, just RUN LIKE YOU'VE NEVER RUN BEFORE AND KNOCK PEOPLE DOWN. NO MERCY!!

YES!!! Good advice!

OR TRYING NOT TO VOMIT WHEN I LOOK IN THE TWO BATHROOMS ALL THE BOYS USE

Oh, dear. Teenage boys... yeah...

we'll have transferred to CL at my favorite resort, the Wilderness Lodge!

Absolutely gorgeous

Steve and I ate here in May.....that's all I'm going to say because I haven't gotten to my review yet in my current dining report

I'll be anxiously waiting for that, as I have an ADR here next month and have never been!

It also is one of the very few things that still reminds me of what HS USED to be and why I fell in love with it.

YES!!! I agree 100%. When I was a kid, HS was my favorite because I was so in love with the golden age of Hollywood and this park used to embody that.

Back when the Backlot Tour was a tour of an actual working movie stage it was fantastic; I've talked about this here before but - passing the Golden Girls house???? OMG such a highlight!!!

I still mourn the Backlot Tour. Golden Girls is one of my favorite shows and I miss that tour so much!!!

The Great Movie Ride leaving, to me, is the last bit of Old Hollywood leaving with the exception of the Citizens of Hollywood and I won't be a bit surprised when I hear they're going.

I'm just so depressed over GMR. I just don't feel HS will be quite the same to me. I have always ridden this multiple times each trip. And often, multiple days. I loved seeing in everyone else's TRs which scene they got And no matter how many times I rode it, I've only ever had the cowboy once in my adult life/working memory

 

[wdwnut61]

Steve got a great shot of the sunrise just beautiful.
I have a picture of all 4 of us around the totem pole from our first trip. Your picture brought it back.
It's good to schedule some down time to relax and enjoy your resort and .
I love that you're planning to see the SW fireworks
Oh my the picture of the dog with the Jawa is so cute I had to show Kathy.
I'm so sad too about GMR closing of course I still miss Tapestry of Dreams

 

[chunkymonkey]

I think this is a cute pic!!

When I told them we were staying here they both asked if it was a deluxe and Ricky asked if it had a gym, because apparently I'm raising hotel snobs

Hahaha too funny! I'm guilty too.

So while the break will be nice for him he doesn't want to not work out at all. Steve and I glanced in the WL gym on our first visit but that's it. I love the name, Sturdy Branches!

I love the cute names Disney gives to their gyms! At Boardwalk it was Muscles and Bustles!

It's no Il Mulino and I know it doesn't always get good reviews but Steve and I ate here in May.....that's all I'm going to say because I haven't gotten to my review yet in my current dining report It made sense to eat in HS and there's only one other restaurant here everyone was interested in eating at, and I saved that for another day.

OOh interested to see how you like it. It always seemed like it could not be on par with NY Italian places so I'd be really curious on what you think!

Yup! Yours truly, the non SW fan who has never seen any of the movies, is going to watch the show. A few months back Ricky started watching the movies and requested we watch the show; who am I to say no when one of my kids actually ASKS to do something in WDW? I'm thinking we can wait until at least 8:45 to find a decent spot so that 8:00 Pixar show might work, although I am hoping for decent FP availability or at least not crazy headliner lines.

Yay! It's a good show, but I guess you have to be a SW fan.

There is a character meet I'd like to do while here that we've never done before: Olaf. I'm not a Frozen fan by any means but the pictures I've seen of Olaf meets are just so cute; I'm hoping to talk at least Chris into doing it with me. One more thing I want to do that has now become much more of a priority than it was, is Great Movie Ride. Christopher loves this ride and if Ricky and I go on TOT or RnRC when there's a long wait for TSMM, GMR is where Steve and Chris always head to. I also love it, although I liked it better when the CM's did the narration. It also is one of the very few things that still reminds me of what HS USED to be and why I fell in love with it. If my first visits to the park had been in say, the last 5 years or so there's no way it would have ever been my favorite park. Back when the Backlot Tour was a tour of an actual working movie stage it was fantastic; I've talked about this here before but - passing the Golden Girls house???? OMG such a highlight!!! And there used to be so much going on along the Streets of America all day long. That's not even the half of it. In my first PTR last year I posted pics of the Stars and Motorcars parade and old character meets there, it was a wonderful park that screamed "Old Hollywood" all over the place. That's what I remember, that's what I fell in love with, and that's what I wish it could still be. The Great Movie Ride leaving, to me, is the last bit of Old Hollywood leaving with the exception of the Citizens of Hollywood and I won't be a bit surprised when I hear they're going.

Aww, I'm a little sad about this too. I mean I'm sure the new ride will be good, but TGMR is just a classic...and you summed it up perfectly that a lot of Old Hollywood is leaving DHS!

FYI I knew this was a JAWA but Steve had no idea. Score one for me!

The Force is strong with you!

I had no idea there was WINE in the Launch Bay!

Not just any wine, but Skywalker wine! I think this is George Lucas's winery (he is the creator of Star Wars).

 

[Monykalyn]

For lunch there I had the tandoori chicken open faced sandwich thing. If it's still on the menu, I recommend that. It was SO GOOD. And the bread service...yum yum yum

Yes I second this-what I had there and it was delicious! But I don't think I finished it after all the deliciousness of the bread service...

And the boys and bathrooms LOL!. I have my oldest DD and our summer bonus kid (also her age) sharing one bathroom (and bedroom) downstairs. The HAIR everywhere!! Both have long hair. They are supposed to be responsible for their bathroom but mine goes to school 8-4 M-Th then goes off to work after 5, and bonus kid is working 2 part time jobs so they often have zero time.

Sad about GMR too - and yes going past the GG house was AWESOME! I used to love love DHS but sadly, it is just not the same. We are however, mostly a family of Star Wars geeks (did 2 SWW in 2015) and if the fireworks are anything like those it will be good. Kids had a kick out of trading with the jawas that year.

 

[ariane37]

Hi Ariane! You may not remember me but I was on the disboards a lot last year while planning my November 2016 trip.

Of COURSE I remember you!! We had some overlapping days, I think maybe 2 or 3? On our trips last Nov.

I caught up on your Nov. 2016 trip and dining reports and I'm tagging along as you plan your new trip . Looking fwd to reading more!

Thank you for reading through all that lol, and I'm very glad you're here now and following along. I've heard of a few people having the Dis blocked at their work so its nice they finally unblocked it for you now lol!

Hi. I know you are leaving in a couple weeks for your trip but I just found this and I am excited to read how your trip was. We are planning an August trip for next year towards the end of August. So excited to read about your pre-trip and your trip.

Thanks for joining! This will be our 4th time going in August. We definitely have to tour differently because of the heat but we still enjoy our Aug. trips. However this is the first time we're going so early in the month, we normally go towards the end when it's slower. Our original dates were the 23-31st until Ricky's football changed all that, so I'm curious to see the difference in crowds as opposed to late August.

For lunch there I had the tandoori chicken open faced sandwich thing. If it's still on the menu, I recommend that.

I've seen this on the menu before and it does look good; now I need to go check the menu and see if it's still there! I know they've made some changes to the dinner menu since our last visit but honestly I haven't checked the lunch one.

My kids' bathroom is upstairs and I go in there as infrequently as possible. It is a swamp.

My boys bathroom is in the upstairs hallway so I just choose to look straight ahead when I walk by. We also have a bathroom downstairs in the foyer which I tell them to use VERY infrequently; however, with all the extra people in the house it's getting used alot and it's getting to look (and smell ) like their bathroom...............I'm just repeatedly thankful for my own sanctuary off our bedroom lol!

Same for us in October. We are supposed to land at 8:27pm, and I told her we were just going to get our own bags. She was disappointed b/c I told her about the delivery service, and I think she was looking forward to that.

You could always have bell services hold your moms bags; then about an hour after you get in your room you can go get them, knock on the door and pretend you're delivering them

All of this. I am in mourning for the DHS of old...MGM Studios!! I have a shirt I bought there in 2001 that I will never get rid of - navy long sleeve with the MGM emblem on the front and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer down the sleeve. I love it.

I wish I had a shirt like that! You should wear it in Oct. if it still fits! And maybe handcuff yourself somewhere in the park and refuse to eat until they agree to bring back GMR, or Mulch, Sweat and Sheers, or.............

Have I told you that I used to have my picture of the GG house framed?? I think it's upstairs somewhere, I need to go find it!

The Golden Girls house! Wear your shirt and put your framed GG picture around your neck, and handcuff yourself to Gertie's neck somehow and refuse to eat until they bring the house back! And maybe ask for Animation Academy while your at it! Thanks

That kind of looks like Dreidel the Disney Dog! He's a service dog I follow on Instagram..

I've never heard of him so know after I check Sanaa's lunch menu I have to look him up

Have you seen the Cheesy BBQ Brisket? It sounds sooooo good.

Yup! I think the grilled cheese sandwich looks good, too!

we finally pulled them out of there and headed to Streets of America. And it was EMPTY. There was no one back there! It was a nice break from the crowds!

Just a couple years ago, in the summer of 2014, they were doing characterpalooza on the Streets of America so it got very crowded later in the afternoon. Plus you could still see the sign for Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop until they closed the streets. And one of my favorite acts in HS, actually in all the parks, Mulch, Sweat and Sheers, played back there a few times a day until 2015 I believe. Not to mention the Osborne Lights until 2015! And LMA, which was open longer than the Backlot Tour. Also way, way back they had the Power Rangers meeting back there, when Ricky was little. It was so cool!

That reminds me, I have to find some things for the girls to trade with the Jawas.... I hear they are picky!

We didn't trade of course but I've read here on the Dis quite a few threads about what they will and won't trade. Something about shiny things: either they like them or the don't lol.

 

[ariane37]

I'll be anxiously waiting for that, as I have an ADR here next month and have never been!

I only have one other review to do before I get to MM so hopefully I'll have it up before to long!

YES!!! I agree 100%. When I was a kid, HS was my favorite because I was so in love with the golden age of Hollywood and this park used to embody that.

I was a little older than a kid when I fell in love with it but the vibe was awesome. It was like being transported back in time, seriously, even though that sounds corny!

I loved seeing in everyone else's TRs which scene they got And no matter how many times I rode it, I've only ever had the cowboy once in my adult life/working memory

After having the cowboy scene once we didn't get it for years, and the boys didn't remember it. I read on here a few years ago that it's usually the 2nd set of cars that gets the cowboy scene, and that CM's were normally ok with you asking to wait, if you were supposed to be in the 1st car, to be seated in the 2nd car so you could get the cowboy. Anyway on our next trip after reading this that's exactly what we did and they had us wait like 3 extra minutes, put us in the 2nd car, and we got the cowboy Since then we've done that on occasion when one of the boys has requested it.

I'm so sad too about GMR closing of course I still miss Tapestry of Dreams

Ooh, so do I, I only saw that once but I loved it

I think this is a cute pic!!

I love the cute names Disney gives to their gyms! At Boardwalk it was Muscles and Bustles!

Yes, Ricky and Steve went there back in 2015 on our last BW stay!

OOh interested to see how you like it. It always seemed like it could not be on par with NY Italian places so I'd be really curious on what you think!

Well, it's not on par with our Italian restaurants, and we definitely prefer Il Mulino which we think its absolutely incredible. But it was good, and a good option in HS. More on it soon

I think this is George Lucas's winery (he is the creator of Star Wars).

LOL I know who George Lucas is! You really can't be in your......40's (ahem) and not know, right?

I have my oldest DD and our summer bonus kid (also her age) sharing one bathroom (and bedroom) downstairs. The HAIR everywhere!! Both have long hair.

Ok, I may be guilty of that in our bathroom but at least I clean it up on a regular basis! And it's not PEE

I used to love love DHS but sadly, it is just not the same. We are however, mostly a family of Star Wars geeks (did 2 SWW in 2015) and if the fireworks are anything like those it will be good.

The SW fireworks they had back in 2015 were AWESOME. I don't think the current ones are as good and I'm not just saying that as a non-SW fan; I have heard a few SW fans say the same thing. However the addition of the projections will probably make you all very happy!

 

[Wood Nymph]

And speaking of eating at GP I'll have to see how hot it is sitting out there during the day in Aug.........

We ate lunch at GP during our 4th of July trip and it wasn't too bad. They have ceiling fans and then you get a breeze off the lake to help keep the air moving.

I'm thinking we can wait until at least 8:45 to find a decent spot so that 8:00 Pixar show might work, although I am hoping for decent FP availability or at least not crazy headliner lines.

We saw the 8pm Pixar Live Concert and we really enjoyed it. We had time for our fp at TSMM before heading over to grab a spot for the SW fireworks. They also run a movie clip projection show at 9pm, but we missed most of that.

We didn't trade of course but I've read here on the Dis quite a few threads about what they will and won't trade. Something about shiny things: either they like them or the don't lol.

I brought some gold buttons and a little plastic heart to trade with the Jawas. They took all my loot and gave me a R2D2 Lego body. It was fun.

 

[ariane37]

Happy weekend everyone! Just a quick little update today. First, I never got around to ordering the dri-fit shirts from the site that Renee @ArielSRL suggested to me because I'm too slow. I was feeling kind of guilty not buying any new shirts for anyone when I came across a really cool 7DMT shirt that @StarWarsMomofGirls! got for her DH and I thought, "maybe it's not too late...." so I've ordered shirts for myself, Steve, and Chris from TeePublic and they SHOULD arrive right before we leave. Steve's is the 7DMT one because, well you know, and I'll leave mine and Chris's as a surprise. I asked Ricky if he wanted one but he said no lol.
Second, I was looking over our plans again and I have us eating at Roaring Fork or Geyser Point quite a few times. While I think I'll be fine with this I'm not sure Steve will be, and the kids might run out of options. The lounge should be awesome but they don't actually have "lunch" there; breakfast yes and that'll work fine, but I may have to come up with other options once or twice for lunch. Possibly taking the boat to MK and eating at a monorail resort QS? Not sure, so I'm thinking that over. And, I REALLY want to take the boys to Citricos.....so I'm trying to fit that in as well.
Next I got something pretty cool in the mail today! Not trip related but Disney related:



Villain stamps! Yes I ordered 5 sheets, just in case they sold out I knew these were being released but had forgotten about them, so thank you Whitney @Whit64130 for the reminder on the day they came out

Also I started some preliminary packing today. Not major packing, just throwing some odds and ends in a bag we use as a carry on like pop up hampers I always bring for our laundry, a pump hand soap, head phones for me for the plane (I don't like earbuds). I packed one set of MB's because we'll wear the other on the plane and I went to look for Ricky's Sorcerer Mickey band I bought him last Nov - can't find it I did however come across this from one of our trips in 2014:





The boys both loved doing these passports and did them more than once. At one time, the CM in Germany wrote in one of the boys' passports "Welcome to Germany, home of Gummi Bears!" which I thought was adorable. One of their books has a note from a Canada CM "Welcome to Canada, home of popcorn!" which was news to me and pretty interesting. I never know what the heck the messages from Morocco say. In looking over this particular passport I came across something I do not remember reading before, and I'm looking to some of my DIS friends for clarification:



Is it really? I'm not a comics reader nor a big Superman fan, but did he originate in Canada? @fallonkendra , @MeghanEmily , @Terra Nova guy ??? I know he's from the planet Krypton and that's the extent of my Superman knowledge. I know a little more about Canadian history but um........yeah, not this.

One final thing not Disney related! I can't remember who's TR or dining report the new Twin Peaks series was being discussed in but I've wanted to start watching it. I believe it was @Raeven and @ArielSRL who said I really should watch the original series first, so today I watched the first episode and after I finish typing this I'm going to watch the second. I liked the first; it's right up my alley and I don't know why I didn't watch it in 1990 except that I was in college and probably partying too much But can I say the acting is a bit much I mean, lots of big name actors but some of the acting when paired with the dramatic music makes me giggle. And Kyle MacLachlan is so young!!! I love seeing Kimmy Robertson in it, anyone a fan of that wonderful 80's teen sex movie Last American Virgin? I have it on DVD If you've never seen it and you're a fan of comedy, 80's movies, or sex, watch it. It's a great movie and she's real fun in it. And the guy who was the priest/werewolf in Stephen King's Silver Bullet with the late great Corey Haim?? Fabulous.

That's all, folks! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll be back soon with our Day 4 Plans.​

 

[ariane37]

We ate lunch at GP during our 4th of July trip and it wasn't too bad. They have ceiling fans and then you get a breeze off the lake to help keep the air moving.

Ah, I saw the ceiling fans back in March but I forgot about them. Thanks!

They also run a movie clip projection show at 9pm, but we missed most of that.

And I forgot about the new movie clip projection show too! I watched a YouTube video of it the first night they held it and I liked what I saw; but I haven't read anything here about it since that night. I do want to see that, so I guess if we're in a spot for the SW fireworks by 8:45 we can see the projections from there too? Were you able to see them and the fireworks from the same spot?

 

[kastoney]

In Disney news our 2nd set of MB's came however our luggage tags did not, which is exactly what happened to Steve and I in May.

Hope the luggage tags come soon. Odd we got our tags for our November trip like 6 weeks ago. I've never gotten them so insanely early. More important I hope I can find them come November.

Something important I left out of day 2, is that we'll have transferred to CL at my favorite resort, the Wilderness Lodge! In March Steve took one of my favorite pictures from Geyser Point very early in the morning while I was still sleeping:

What an amazing picture. While I will never see anything this early at the lodge, so glad we share a mutual love of the best resort on property.

If for some strange reason both boys want to go to a park, I will give them tons of hugs and kisses and off we'll go. If not, I'm also planning lunch at the resort at either Geyser Point or Roaring Fork.

If you haven't been for lunch Whispering Canyon is great too. We've never had a problem walking up.

I don't think the boys will necessarily like this and after making them sit through Frozen Ever After it may be too much, but it might be a good time killer if ride lines are long and no FP's are available. We need to stay in the park because our goal tonight, which might surprise some of you, is to see the SW fireworks at 9:30. Yup! Yours truly, the non SW fan who has never seen any of the movies, is going to watch the show.

How have you never seen a star wars movie????? While I'm not a fan by any means, I at least saw the original 3 movies. Where is your 70s/80s child nostalgia

ne more thing I want to do that has now become much more of a priority than it was, is Great Movie Ride. Christopher loves this ride and if Ricky and I go on TOT or RnRC when there's a long wait for TSMM, GMR is where Steve and Chris always head to. I also love it, although I liked it better when the CM's did the narration. It also is one of the very few things that still reminds me of what HS USED to be and why I fell in love with it.

I'm so sad this is going away, especially before we get back. That dang ride was so freaking dated that it somehow made it self cool and nostalgic again without even trying. I haven't had the heart to tell Casey that her beloved shooting lady ride will soon be gone.

Back when the Backlot Tour was a tour of an actual working movie stage it was fantastic; I've talked about this here before but - passing the Golden Girls house???? OMG such a highlight!!! And there used to be so much going on along the Streets of America all day long.

Golden girls house!!! The Mickey Mouse Club!!!! Oddly they used to film a remake of lets make a deal on the soundstage too and we got to be in the audience circa 1989 or so. Oh the good ole days of the MGM heyday. I know it needs and really has to change, but I love it for what it used to be so much more than what it is or what it will be.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love the villain stamps, I must get these! Your trip is coming fast, mine is 35 days out now!

 

[scott21]

Hello Ariane, New Dis poster here, But I've been a Dis reader for a long time. I have a August trip planned that has us arriving at Wilderness Lodge CL on Aug 8th Can't begin to tell how excited I am. Hope you don't mind, but if I see you there I will introduce myself. Never actually had a Dismeet before either, although I think I've recognized a few faces in the parks. This trip for me has us leaving DH at home, so Mom and three kids. We ended up in Wilderness Lodge because our dates moved up a couple of days from our BB booked with free dining at Riverside. So we are looking to make the most of this splurge to CL. Love your trip reports and like all good Dis'ers cant wait til our Disney Days have arrived!

 

[amalone1013]

Great, now I want all the Tee Public shirts...