Again, didn't get to recap day one because we were tired. It sort of comes with the Disney package."Magic-Your-Way Park Hopper Ticket Plus Dining Plan and Exhaustion!" Um, anyway, here we go.
I always start my WDW trips out with the Magic Kingdom. It's a sentimental thing. Walt essentially built that park himself, so it was the first to open. The first thing most people think of when they hear "Walt Disney World" is Cinderella Castle, so there's something to my logic. We overslept by a couple of hours, so we woke up at 9...right as the Rope Drop was happening. Oh, well. It happens.
By the time we got there, walked down Main Street, oohed and ahhed over everything, and had a quick ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, it was nearly time for our ADRs at Liberty Tree Tavern. I'd made them for 10:40, which is early for lunch, but that was the time the computer gave me. Well...they start serving lunch at 11:30, so they told us to come back. We hung out at Liberty Square for a bit, then headed back. LTT is a crazy popular restaurant, so we waited a while before we sat. It was totally worth it, though. Of course it's designed to look like the colonial era, and the characters that came by our table were dressed for the period. We saw Minnie, Dale, Chip, and Pluto! Caroline was super excited, and I was pretty happy myself. The food is basically Thanksgiving dinner: different meats, mashed potatoes, macaroni, dressing, green beans, and apple cobbler. I gave LTT 5 stars.
We meandered over to the Hall of Presidents to escape the blustery cold and to let our food go down. This was the first time I'd seen it since it was refurbished last year to add in President Obama. I definitely appreciated that attraction more now that I'm older...totally got all teary and patriotic. Walt himself was fiercely proud to be American, and it showed.
We moved on to Fantasyland next, to it's a small world. (I didn't capitalize that on purpose - that's how it's supposed to be!) I think everyone has a love/hate relationship with that particular attraction...it's a classic and totally adorable, but on the other hand...that SONG. I especially enjoy it, knowing that it was renowned artist and Imagineer Mary Blair's greatest achievement. She died in '72, I believe.
Next we tackled Toontown. This was bittersweet, because starting in 2011 the Imagineers are giving Fantasyland a makeover, which includes taking out Toontown. Although it's mainly a kiddie place, it's still wonderful to see Minnie and Mickey's houses and imagine them actually living there. After touring their houses, we stood in line forever to get pictures with Silvermist, Tinker Belle, and Rosetta from Pixie Hollow. This was a new experience for me because Pixie Hollow is a fairly recent addition to the realm of Disney. The fairies were beautiful, perky, and charming, and we got very cute pictures with them. Then we stood in line for another eternity to meet Mickey and Minnie, the King and Queen of Disney. They are so lovely. Minnie was very sweet, as always, and Mickey kissed our hands! I definitely have a crush on him. Our pictures came out great.
Giddy from our character encounters, we skipped on over to Tomorrowland...to discover that both the Carousel of Progress and the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor were both experiencing technical difficulties! Boo. I know nothing about the technical side of WDW, but I assume that the Tomorrowland attractions run off the same server, which would explain the problem. We swallowed our disappointment and boarded the TTA, or Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Classic Disney fans will empathize with me when I saw how disappointed I am that the old-school audio, complete with "Tom Morrow, paging Mr. Tom Morrow, your party from Saturn has arrived," has been replaced. I agree with progress...but don't fix it if it isn't broken, Disney.
We strolled down Main Street, peeking in at the shops. We watched a glass blower in the crystal shop and freaked out over the adorable, insanely expensive Disney figurines and art. Then I found the Dooney & Bourke for Disney bags and nearly had a heart attack. We stopped to watch the "Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party Parade." I hadn't seen it; it was cute and fun, but rather short and definitely not Disney's best.
It was getting darker and 7 pm was approaching, so we hung out around Main Street to wait for SpectroMagic. Caro staked out our spot while I hunted for turkey legs. I encountered a Cast Member who seemed a bit confused...I would be more than happy to take her place if she hasn't bothered to learn basic info about the park where she is employed. After ignoring her unhelpful directions, I snagged some turkey legs and sodas from The Lunching Pad in Tomorrowland and managed to maneuver back to Main Street. Those smoked turkey legs are good...but massive, and incredibly messy.
SpectroMagic was great, as always. There aren't many places in the world where you can find giant floats with millions of LED lights on them, but you can at the Disney parks. After the parade, we literally ran across Main Street, around Tomorrowland, and through Fantasyland to use our FastPasses for Peter Pan's Flight. Peter Pan is my second favorite Disney movie, if you couldn't tell by this blog layout...;] Then we ran back to the bridge connecting the hub and Tomorrowland to snag a prime viewing location for Wishes.
I've always seen Wishes from directly in front of the castle, along with a thousand of my closest friends. The Tomorrowland walkway is much less crowded, and the view is still superb. The fireworks aren't centered to be symmetrical with the castle, but Tinker Belle flies right overhead, which is super cool. I listen to Wishes pretty much every day, and I tear up every single time I hear it. Experiencing the show at my favorite place always blows me away, and I just stood there in the cold as tears rolled down my cheeks. It was a "pinch me" moment. I realized how lucky and blessed I am to have experienced Walt Disney World at all, let alone ten times.
I really wish my parents and Christian could be here with me...that's the only thing that could make this better. My mom is exactly like me (or rather I should say I'm exactly like her) and we just cry together during the fireworks...I missed my crying buddy! And I miss my dad eating Mickey bars all over the place. Christian's never been, can you believe it?
Anyway, we were super hyped up from the Magic Kingdom awesomeness, so we zipped on over to Downtown Disney. I am in love with that place, because it combines two of my main obsessions: Disney and shopping. Umm...hi. I don't usually buy things the first night, though. If I'm still obsessed with it days later, I buy it then. We browsed and tried hard not to freeze to death. We made it back to Pop around midnight, so we were exhausted.
A day at the Magic Kingdom is hard to beat...but there were more adventures in store for us on day 2! Stay tuned for my Epcot recap!
(And seriously, give yourself a gold star if you actually read this novel.)
Prayers & pixie dust be with you! xoxo
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
"to all who come to this happy place: welcome." -wed
Right now I'm posting this from my BlackBerry, from the Judges' Tent in Toontown! We're about to meet Mickey Mouse! Yep, I'm blogging from Walt Disney World!
I'd have posted last night, but there was just no way. See, after getting about 3 hours of sleep on Saturday, Caroline and I left her apartment a little before 3 am. We stopped 3 times along the way and made it to. our destination in about 10.5 hours, which is a personal record, by the way.
We're staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort, which is turning out to be my favorite of the value resorts. The theme is great, the service is just as good as that in Coronado Springs, it's not as spread out as some resorts, and it's the only value resort with its own motorcoach. Plus, the tie-dyed cheesecake is funky and tasty!
After settling in and showering, we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios to watch the Osbourne Lights. If you haven't seen them, Google it...they are incredible. The show consists of 5 million lights covering the area of the park known as the Streets of America, synced to music. We rode Star Tours (only a 10 minute wait!) and walked around the park, soaking up the magic.
One thing we didn't savor was the cold. It baffles me. I've been to WDW during the winter months before, and it's never been this bad. We bundled up, grabbed hot chocolate, and got over it, because it's hard to be miserable in the place where dreams come true.
We got in the colossal line for a motorcoach bound for the Transportation/Ticket Center, and waited forever. Finally we made it to the TTC and hopped on a monorail bound for the Magic Kingdom, that glorious place where adults become children.
We arrived right at the end of Wishes, the fireworks show. I totally cried, because I am a baby at the MK. The sight of Cinderella Castle all lit up literally takes my breath away, and the general atmosphere fills me with an indescribable feeling. It's a feeling of combined nostalgia, hope, sadness, joy, and pride, topped off with that fluttery magical Disney feeling.
We rode Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Walt Disney World Railroad. The park had Extra Magic Hours that night (which is when a theme park stayes open a few extra hours exclusively for resort guests), but we barely utilized them because we were so exhausted. It was 11 pm when we got "home" and around 12:30 before we were able to sleep.
We managed to do quite a lot considering we were only there for about 6 hours! Caroline and I went to bed dead tired, but exhilarated.
We are back at the Magic Kingdom today, currently in line for the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Stay tuned for tonight's recap!
You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/susienotsusan for insant Disney updates, if you want. Lots of the cool people over at the DISboard sure are!
Wherever y'all are, have a magical day!
Xoxo
I'd have posted last night, but there was just no way. See, after getting about 3 hours of sleep on Saturday, Caroline and I left her apartment a little before 3 am. We stopped 3 times along the way and made it to. our destination in about 10.5 hours, which is a personal record, by the way.
We're staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort, which is turning out to be my favorite of the value resorts. The theme is great, the service is just as good as that in Coronado Springs, it's not as spread out as some resorts, and it's the only value resort with its own motorcoach. Plus, the tie-dyed cheesecake is funky and tasty!
After settling in and showering, we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios to watch the Osbourne Lights. If you haven't seen them, Google it...they are incredible. The show consists of 5 million lights covering the area of the park known as the Streets of America, synced to music. We rode Star Tours (only a 10 minute wait!) and walked around the park, soaking up the magic.
One thing we didn't savor was the cold. It baffles me. I've been to WDW during the winter months before, and it's never been this bad. We bundled up, grabbed hot chocolate, and got over it, because it's hard to be miserable in the place where dreams come true.
We got in the colossal line for a motorcoach bound for the Transportation/Ticket Center, and waited forever. Finally we made it to the TTC and hopped on a monorail bound for the Magic Kingdom, that glorious place where adults become children.
We arrived right at the end of Wishes, the fireworks show. I totally cried, because I am a baby at the MK. The sight of Cinderella Castle all lit up literally takes my breath away, and the general atmosphere fills me with an indescribable feeling. It's a feeling of combined nostalgia, hope, sadness, joy, and pride, topped off with that fluttery magical Disney feeling.
We rode Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Walt Disney World Railroad. The park had Extra Magic Hours that night (which is when a theme park stayes open a few extra hours exclusively for resort guests), but we barely utilized them because we were so exhausted. It was 11 pm when we got "home" and around 12:30 before we were able to sleep.
We managed to do quite a lot considering we were only there for about 6 hours! Caroline and I went to bed dead tired, but exhilarated.
We are back at the Magic Kingdom today, currently in line for the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Stay tuned for tonight's recap!
You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/susienotsusan for insant Disney updates, if you want. Lots of the cool people over at the DISboard sure are!
Wherever y'all are, have a magical day!
Xoxo
disney world
Right now I'm posting this from my BlackBerry, from the Judges' Tent in Toontown! We're about to meet Mickey Mouse! Yep, I'm blogging from Walt Disney World!
I'd have posted last night, but there was just no way. See, after getting about 3 hours of sleep on Saturday, Caroline and I left her apartment a little before 3 am. We stopped 3 times along the way and made it to. our destination in about 10.5 hours, which is a personal record, by the way.
We're staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort, which is turning out to be my favorite of the value resorts. The theme is great, the service is just as good as that in Coronado Springs, it's not as spread out as some resorts, and it's the only value resort with its own motorcoach. Plus, the tie-dyed cheesecake is funky and tasty!
After settling in and showering, we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios to watch the Osbourne Lights. If you haven't seen them, Google it...they are incredible. The show consists of 5 million lights covering the area of the park known as the Streets of America, synced to music. We rode Star Tours (only a 10 minute wait!) and walked around the park, soaking up the magic.
One thing we didn't savor was the cold. It baffles me. I've been to WDW during the winter months before, and it's never been this bad. We bundled up, grabbed hot chocolate, and got over it, because it's hard to be miserable in the place where dreams come true.
We got in the colossal line for a motorcoach bound for the Transportation/Ticket Center, and waited forever. Finally we made it to the TTC and hopped on a monorail bound for the Magic Kingdom, that glorious place where adults become children.
We arrived right at the end of Wishes, the fireworks show. I totally cried, because I am a baby at the MK. The sight of Cinderella Castle all lit up literally takes my breath away, and the general atmosphere fills me with an indescribable feeling. It's a feeling of combined nostalgia, hope, sadness, joy, and pride, topped off with that fluttery magical Disney feeling.
We rode Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Walt Disney World Railroad. The park had Extra Magic Hours that night (which is when a theme park stayes open a few extra hours exclusively for resort guests), but we barely utilized them because we were so exhausted. It was 11 pm when we got "home" and around 12:30 before we were able to sleep.
We managed to do quite a lot considering we were only there for about 6 hours! Caroline and I went to bed dead tired, but exhilarated.
We are back at the Magic Kingdom today, currently in line for the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Stay tuned for tonight's recap!
You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/susienotsusan for insant Disney updates, if you want. Lots of the cool people over at the DISboard sure are!
Wherever y'all are, have a magical day!
Xoxo
I'd have posted last night, but there was just no way. See, after getting about 3 hours of sleep on Saturday, Caroline and I left her apartment a little before 3 am. We stopped 3 times along the way and made it to. our destination in about 10.5 hours, which is a personal record, by the way.
We're staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort, which is turning out to be my favorite of the value resorts. The theme is great, the service is just as good as that in Coronado Springs, it's not as spread out as some resorts, and it's the only value resort with its own motorcoach. Plus, the tie-dyed cheesecake is funky and tasty!
After settling in and showering, we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios to watch the Osbourne Lights. If you haven't seen them, Google it...they are incredible. The show consists of 5 million lights covering the area of the park known as the Streets of America, synced to music. We rode Star Tours (only a 10 minute wait!) and walked around the park, soaking up the magic.
One thing we didn't savor was the cold. It baffles me. I've been to WDW during the winter months before, and it's never been this bad. We bundled up, grabbed hot chocolate, and got over it, because it's hard to be miserable in the place where dreams come true.
We got in the colossal line for a motorcoach bound for the Transportation/Ticket Center, and waited forever. Finally we made it to the TTC and hopped on a monorail bound for the Magic Kingdom, that glorious place where adults become children.
We arrived right at the end of Wishes, the fireworks show. I totally cried, because I am a baby at the MK. The sight of Cinderella Castle all lit up literally takes my breath away, and the general atmosphere fills me with an indescribable feeling. It's a feeling of combined nostalgia, hope, sadness, joy, and pride, topped off with that fluttery magical Disney feeling.
We rode Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Walt Disney World Railroad. The park had Extra Magic Hours that night (which is when a theme park stayes open a few extra hours exclusively for resort guests), but we barely utilized them because we were so exhausted. It was 11 pm when we got "home" and around 12:30 before we were able to sleep.
We managed to do quite a lot considering we were only there for about 6 hours! Caroline and I went to bed dead tired, but exhilarated.
We are back at the Magic Kingdom today, currently in line for the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Stay tuned for tonight's recap!
You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/susienotsusan for insant Disney updates, if you want. Lots of the cool people over at the DISboard sure are!
Wherever y'all are, have a magical day!
Xoxo
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Christmas Day 2009
I wanted a few things for Christmas, but the main thing was peace and harmony on Christmas Day.
Over the past 10 years, my family has become more and more dysfunctional. Not my parents, but my extended family. We used to be super close, but then some super important stuff got between us...not. Mostly it was crap with less significance than the gum under your chair. That happens, I guess. So as a result, holidays are more stressful and tense than they should be. Christmas is awkward. I prayed that just this once, things would be something resembling normal.
I got my wish.
Aunt Donna kept singing Beyonce (which was bizarre in and of itself), Nicholas stayed cheerful the whole day and helped everyone open presents, and everyone was happy in general. It was the most perfect day.
:)
Over the past 10 years, my family has become more and more dysfunctional. Not my parents, but my extended family. We used to be super close, but then some super important stuff got between us...not. Mostly it was crap with less significance than the gum under your chair. That happens, I guess. So as a result, holidays are more stressful and tense than they should be. Christmas is awkward. I prayed that just this once, things would be something resembling normal.
I got my wish.
Aunt Donna kept singing Beyonce (which was bizarre in and of itself), Nicholas stayed cheerful the whole day and helped everyone open presents, and everyone was happy in general. It was the most perfect day.
:)
Monday, December 21, 2009
the most wonderfully-tasting time of the year
4 days until Christmas, 12 days until Caro and I leave for WDW!
Excitement is in the air.
Whenever I'm in a good mood, or simply bored, I like to be in the kitchen. I like cooking, but I love baking. The other day I made a chocolate cream pie for my boss's birthday, and I tried a homemade crust for the first time. Dude. I'm never buying the premade kind again. (I probably will....if I get lazy...but I shouldn't, because homemade rocks, and it's easier than it looks.)
Then I made three coconut creams for my dad's friends, because they always fix my car. I made the biggest mess ever making these pies, because I don't clean the kitchen as I go, but it was so worth it.
For Christmas Day, I'm thinking of trying out fondant for the first time, in the form of a bow, on top of a red velvet square cake with white buttercream. So it'll look like a cute gift box!
Kind of like that, but with the colors inverted. And I want a bigger bow!
There isn't much quite as satisfying as holiday baking.
xoxo and merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
breaking news in the DIS world :[
Roy E. Disney, son of Roy O. Disney and nephew to Walt, died this morning at the age of 79. He'd been battling cancer for a while. It's strange because yesterday was the 43rd anniversary of Walt's death, also from cancer.
Roy Jr. was underestimated by many people. Many people don't know who he is because he wasn't one of the "original" Disney brothers, but I remember seeing him on the Disney channel before movies played when I was a little girl. He was proud of his surname, and poured his heart and soul into the company even after the death of his dad.
During the later years of Walt's life, there was constant tension between him and his brother; many sided with them, calling themselves Team Walt or Team Roy (sound familiar)? Walt was the dreamer, never practical, and Roy was strictly business, constantly worrying about his brother's lack of care with financial matters. They made two parts of the whole, and they were both necessary for Walt Disney Productions and the legacy that followed. Roy Jr. took the best of both worlds and continued the Disney dynasty, saving it from financial crisis in the 80s when the company was nearly bought by the formidable stockbroker Saul Steinburg.
Roy ensured that Disney movies and parks remain true to his uncle's vision. There was a slump in the 70s and 80s when the Disney movies that were being made - to be blunt - sucked, at least for the most part. Roy brought in new management, who breathed new life into the company. The results were classics such as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, favorites of the 90s.
I fear for the company's future now without the last Disney man guarding the empire. What's to become of the pixie dust?
DISers will never forget him...may he rest in peace.
Roy Edward Disney, January 10, 1030 - December 16, 2009
Sources: Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler;
Storming the Magic Kingdom by John Taylor
Saturday, December 5, 2009
dear santa,
This is what I would want for Christmas if the world were perfect.
Note: not in any specific order.
1. ALL A'S. I think this speaks for itself.
2. Respect for life. Love for all babies, everywhere.
Did you swoon when you looked at that baby? So adorable.
3. A library like Belle's.
Yeah. English major's ultimate dream.
4. For everyone to laugh like this, every day.
5. Pick one, Santa:
Disney annual pass;
all the music from the parks straight to my iTunes;
or a membership to Club 33.
Oh, for anyone who likes Disney music...go here. You will be astonished.
And if you don't like Disney music, go there. You might change your mind.
Good luck if you've got finals this week, everyone.
And shout out to Ms. Kelly. She has her birthday the day after Walt Disney had his, isn't that special?
Note: not in any specific order.
1. ALL A'S. I think this speaks for itself.
2. Respect for life. Love for all babies, everywhere.
Did you swoon when you looked at that baby? So adorable.
3. A library like Belle's.
Yeah. English major's ultimate dream.
4. For everyone to laugh like this, every day.
5. Pick one, Santa:
Disney annual pass;
all the music from the parks straight to my iTunes;
or a membership to Club 33.
Oh, for anyone who likes Disney music...go here. You will be astonished.
And if you don't like Disney music, go there. You might change your mind.
Good luck if you've got finals this week, everyone.
And shout out to Ms. Kelly. She has her birthday the day after Walt Disney had his, isn't that special?
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