DaveInTN’s Off-Site, Off-Topic, Off His Rocker Trip Report - Oct 2010

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Oooooooo-HANA!!!!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Hollywood Studios…and a visit with Tom on Jackwagon Run! 

 

Sunday, October 17th (cont)

 

Ok, moving this report back into something relevant…a trip to Hollywood Studios! After the air in the rental house became unbearable, we loaded up the van for the short drive to HS. We parked and were inside the park not long after rope drop. I, along with DD10 and DD4, took off for TSM to grab fastpasses while DW and DD14 and DD13 went to ride ToT. It was DW’s first Tower ride…and she liked it! Afterward, DD14 and I rode RRC.   :bugeyes:

 

 

 

 

Did we like it?

 

 

 

We then all met up and went to do the backstage show. We were in the front of the line and a CM asked if anyone was interested in being in the show. DW grabbed my wrist and put my arm up…with the help of my daughters. So, I was picked and brought inside to get ready for my big turn at stardom.   

 

 

 

 

I played the part of the guy that gets hit with 500 gallons of water.   :facepalm:

 

 

 

 

500 gallons is a LOT of water! 

 

And those blue suits don’t do much to keep you dry. My back was SOAKED! But it was fun, and my girls got a kick out of my over-the-top acting style. 

 

Let’s just say I don’t have a career in film.

 

After the show, we walked over to 50’s PTC for our lunch ADR. For some reason, I didn’t take pics of this meal. I know…not like me. But I’ll tell you we shared our traditional appetizer at 50’s; the Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake. Awesome!    :worship: And our meals were good as always. This is one of the must-do restaurants on every trip for us.   

 

Afterward, we wandered a bit more, and still had some time to kill before our TSM FP. So, we settled into some benches and got a snack. 

 

 

The kids had some cotton candy.

 

 

 

And I got something that Jim recommended. No, I didn’t throw some meat on the grill and have a kungaloosh. I got the carrot cake cookie.  

 

 

And I loved it. I have yet another new tradition for future trips. 

 

We then rode TSM.

 

 

 

And went back to the house for some rest and a swim before we were scheduled to head to the Fort to visit with some Fiends!    :jumpforjoy

 

 

We hit the WL for a quick bite at Roaring Forks, then hopped a boat to the Fort to meet up with Debbie aka the Otter Spotter and stacktester (aka Donnie aka the Fort Mayor!). We had a great visit on the porch at Crocketts…although we had to shoo the kids away to the playground. They were hanging on Donnie’s every word as he regaled us with tales of his many years of service to the Fort.   :rofl2:

 

We then strolled around to look at some of the great Halloween light displays. Our journeys took us to the 400 loop…the newly christened “Jackwagon Run”. We took in the famous Thriller display, and then decided to pay a visit to Tom Foolery.  I don’t know if it was the beer, or the great happiness from being back in the Fort, or the wonderful company we shared that evening, but something came over me. My generous side emerged, and I decided to take out the checkbook and write a large donation to TFMCOBACLR….or, The Fort Mayor’s Council on Beautification and Clothes Line Removal. Here is a pic of the mayor accepting my donation. 

 

 

Ok, that might not be what happened.  But that IS a certain cupcake's campsite.  

 

And with that, our evening was complete. We hopped the bus back to the WL where our van awaited. We went home for some much needed sleep. But before that….wait for it……Ohhhhh-HANA! 

 

Ah, that’s better. 

 

Coming up, Animal Kingdom and more Magic Kingdom! 

 

 

[momof3kids-Yvonne 595]

Did INC not ride RNR because she wanted to avoid getting pregnant? :rofl3:

My children will tell you that you are a much nicer parent than me. You buy your kids cotton candy. I refuse to buy mine any. Oh and it's not because I refuse to let them have all that sugar. Nope! I just can't stand the overly sweet smell and stickiness of cotton candy. So, yes it is all about me. :rofl2:

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

What a great day!

Awesome picture of you and INC on the bench.

You and Donnie certainly look you guys had a good time! Or a few drinks.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Ah, middle of page 3 bragging rights..

 

 

Ok. I'm now changing from Barking spiders to Ohhhh-HANA!!! Lol!

 

 

Oooooooo-HANA!!!!

 

 

Like Paul Harvey would say.....and now you know, the REST of the story.  LOL. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Did INC not ride RNR because she wanted to avoid getting pregnant? :rofl3:

My children will tell you that you are a much nicer parent than me. You buy your kids cotton candy. I refuse to buy mine any. Oh and it's not because I refuse to let them have all that sugar. Nope! I just can't stand the overly sweet smell and stickiness of cotton candy. So, yes it is all about me. :rofl2:

 

If there is any risk whatsoever of getting pregnant from riding RNR, INC is banned for all time from it.  In reality, she did ride at some point on that trip and HATED it.  

I'm not a fan of cotton candy due to the obnoxious behavior it seems to cause in overly-sugared children....but we break down and let them have it at Disney for some reason.  

 

What a great day!

Awesome picture of you and INC on the bench.

You and Donnie certainly look you guys had a good time! Or a few drinks.

 

I think we were laughing because we had to keep one eye on the trailer door for exploding cupcakes.  I remember when that pic was posted over at Voldy....he commented:

 

"Thank you for the compliment since we think what we did was very tastefull and not overdoing things and it's even cooler that they chose our site as the back drop over some of the other more tacky sites"

 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I bet it was funny watching you get soaked!!! Ha ha ha! 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I bet it was funny watching you get soaked!!! Ha ha ha! 

 

There is actually video of that somewhere.  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Animal Kingdom and more Magic Kingdom!

 

Monday, October 18th

 

We made it to Animal Kingdom on Monday morning in time for rope drop, and immediately headed to Expedition Everest. I went straight to the FP machines while DW, DD14 and DD13 rode the beast. We then killed a bit of time at Dinoland waiting for our FP times, and I then rode EE with It’s Not Cindy. 

 

I’ve mentioned in past reports how much I love the theming of EE. IMO it is some of the best at Disney.

 

 

 

This is an interesting shot. Is the Yeti a girl?

 

 

 

 

After the ride, DW took DD4 to the character greeting area while I got back on EE with DD14, DD13 and DD10. After that ride, I had had enough of the Yeti. And I was getting hungry. 

 

We met up with the rest of the family in time for this.

 

 

And then we decided to leave AK and grab lunch off site before heading back to the house for a rest. We had seen a Perkins along 192 on the way to the house, and DW and I both have great memories of Perkins from growing up in Western NY. So that’s where we went. And you know what? Other than being dirty, and having terrible service, and the food being just “ok”…it was exactly how we remembered it! 

 

After rest and swimming at the house, we headed to the Magic Kingdom for the evening. 

 

Does anyone ever get sick of these sights?

 

 

 

 

We parked and monorailed it to the MK.

 

 

We hit the MK in the late afternoon, in time to do a couple of rides before our dinner ADR at The Plaza Restaurant. I really enjoyed our stroll down Main Street. The sun was providing beautiful lighting of the Halloween decorations. 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to grab SM FP’s for the evening while the ladies rode the Peoplemover.

 

 

 

 

And we all did the Tomorrowland Speedway.

 

 

 

 

 

It was then time for our dinner reservation, so we strolled over to the Plaza. We’d never eaten here before, but I’ve heard great things about their fries and the ice cream. We weren’t disappointed! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fries were probably the best I’ve had at WDW. DW and DD13 split the Club sandwich…it was very good!

 

 

I had the tuna sandwich, which I would HIGHLY recommend. 

 

Afterward, we all got desert. I had the Hot Fudge Sundae.

 

 

DW and DD13 split the Brownie Sundae.

 

 

We will definitely eat here again. Can’t beat the location, the food was good, and it was fairly reasonable considering where it is. 

 

Getting close to picture limit....so continued below.

 

 

 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Monday, October 18th (cont)

 

After dinner, I headed to SM with my 3 older girls while DW and DD4 went to the Barnstormer. It turns out SM was closed for technical issues, so we hightailed it to the Barnstormer to get in on the fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next we rode the Carousel.

 

 

 

 

 

Failed action shot...

 

 

We then rode Snow White’s Elusive Adventures. Look at all those guys. She definitely puts the "loose" in elusive.

 

 

 

 

Eat the damn apple!

 

 

I love these birds.

 

 

 

Hooray! A happy ending! She’s dead!

 

 

 

Oh, crap. 

 

 

We hit the Haunted Mansion....always fun at night!

 

 

We then went back to SM and it was running again. I love Space Mountain! The new music they added is pretty cool. 

 

 

 

 

And that was our evening. 

 

Next up….even MORE Magic Kingdom….and Food & Whine!

 

 

 

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

Psst. Dave. My husband and I both swear RRC got me pregnant. Pinky swear.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Psst. Dave. My husband and I both swear RRC got me pregnant. Pinky swear.

 

I don't doubt it.  That is a pretty intense ride.  In the dark, lots of jerky movements, you're tied down.  I can see your point.  But INC last rode RRC 11 months ago, and she's not pregnant.  I think I'm safe.  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Food & Whine

 

Tuesday, October 19th

 

I have always wanted to visit EPCOT during Food & Wine. Never had the opportunity before, but this year was finally different. I was pumped.  :dance:   I LOVE walking around the WS enjoying some beers and snacking on different things…and F&W would be just that much MORE of everything!  :thumbsup2: 

Even though we arrived on Saturday, we purposely avoided Epcot over the weekend as we figured it would be a zoo. Monday was a planned MK day for us as it was a non-MNSSHP day, and was thus open later. So Tuesday would be our first F&W day.

Since Epcot for me is usually a “later in the day” park, we hit the MK again for a couple hours in the morning. I wanted to eat lunch at the Poly that day, so we parked there and rode the monorail to the park. (No, I wasn’t trying to get free parking…as we get that with our AP’s anyways).  :clint:  

 

Side by side monorails at the Poly station....

 

 

Love the Halloween decorations on monorail black.



We did the Hall of Presidents. I am always SO inspired when I see the President.

THIS president.



We did the HM, then we went back to DD4’s favorite…BTMRR



Now, DD4 LOVES this ride...but she HATES the first part when you enter the mine shaft. So whoever rides with her has to cover her ears while she covers her eyes, until you clear the first hill.



All is well now.



After BTMRR, some of us rode Splash Mountain.

 

 

We walked around a bit more, then headed out of the park.

On the way out, we happened upon a character greeting just before the train station. Yes, it was none other than….HER! My dear Ms. White.

Jackpot! I had her now!

If any of you are unfamiliar with my tale of despair regarding Snow White, you can read about them in my Nov 2009 and March 2010 trip reports, linked in my signature. I’ll just summarize by saying that she hates me, and apparently will go to great lengths to avoid contact with me.

But now, here she was for the taking. I was going to get a picture with her, and unlike last time, I wasn’t going to pay for it.

But then, like a recurring nightmare, it happened again. As we approached, a CM appeared and told us that the stupid little bird whisperer was done seeing families.

I was speechless. Her hatred of me has no end. But I did snap a pic from a distance. The restraining order doesn’t specifically preclude that, so here you go.



After that, I needed a snack. So we hit Capn Cooks at the Poly for lunch. And after lunch, I had one of these.



Yep, a Dole Whip. Believe it or not, I had never had one. It was good!

We then drove back to the house for some swimming and down time, in preparation for F&W!





We arrived at Epcot late afternoon, and headed straight to Test Track for FP’s. Got those, and then strolled over to the festival area. We enjoyed several things before I remembered to snap some pics, as I had forgotten the camera. We shared the Taco de Chilorio from Mexico, Medianoche Sandwich from Puerto Rico, and Barbecue Short Rib with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi from South Korea. DW then started taking pics with her phone.

We had both the Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream and the Golabki from Poland.





Now, I really enjoyed everything we tried, but we were NOT having a good time. It was way too hard trying to share everything between the six of us. The kids wanted to try everything, and I can’t blame them for that, but it was tough. They kept whining that they didn’t get a big bite, or one had two bites but they didn’t get any. Blah blah blah!  :banghead:   So, we decided to put an end to it. I told them I’d buy them each a school bread at Norway if they would all go ride the Maelstrom while DW and I enjoyed some peace and quiet (and some adult beverages).  :beer: 

So I had a beer and It's Not Cindy enjoyed a margarita.  We also enjoyed the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles and the Potstickers from China, while the kids were still on the Maelstrom.





As I mentioned, when the kids returned we had school bread.



Afterwards, we made our way to Germany for another beverage…the Altenmünster Octoberfest.



And finally stopped by Italy for Baked Cheese Ravioli, Creamy Bolognese Sauce, Melted Mozzarella and Cannolo Al Cioccolato.

The kids argued over the cannoli and I never got any…so that was it for F&W that night. I devised a brilliant strategy for our next visit to F&W on Thursday however….stay tuned!   :smug: 

We then used our Test Track FP’s and went home.

Coming up…we visit the 5th Theme Park.

 

 

[Judy in Texas 150]

There is something to be said for an adults only, even solo trip to WDW... especially during he Food and Wine Festival. I leave Saturday AM to be the pit crew for my daughter and son-in-law while the run the Food and Wine half marathon. It will be fun to see them... and it will be nice to spend the last two days by my self. :)

[DaveInTN 3,247]

There is something to be said for an adults only, even solo trip to WDW... especially during he Food and Wine Festival. I leave Saturday AM to be the pit crew for my daughter and son-in-law while the run the Food and Wine half marathon. It will be fun to see them... and it will be nice to spend the last two days by my self. :)

 

I would LOVE an adults only trip to the World.  Someday.....

[DaveInTN 3,247]

The 5th Theme Park…and Good-Bye Tri-Circle-D Farm 

 

Wednesday, October 20th

 

On Wednesday, we planned on doing some off-site shopping in the morning before heading back to the Fort to get in a pony ride and pay our respects to those parts of the Fort that will likely be meeting the wrecking ball before we can return again. 

 

I asked It’s Not Cindy where she’d like to spend the morning, and we decided we would hit her favorite theme park. It’s not a Disney park…but we came to refer to it as the 5th Theme Park of our visit. It’s as big as a theme park, and just about as much fun. At least for the adults. 

 

Yep, we went to the famous Swedish Theme Park…

 

 

 

We hit the café there for lunch. As always, I enjoyed the Swedish meatball dinner, plus a chocolate almond torte for desert. Wow! Good stuff, and CHEAP! 

 

 

 

We shopped the entire store, and picked up some nice items for the house, again CHEAP! We’ve been buying stuff at Ikea for many years, since we lived in Buffalo and had to drive to Toronto to hit one. And we still have many of the things we bought there 12-15 years ago. The stuff lasts. 

 

 

Like a kid in a candy store.

 

 

After finishing up at Ikea, we drove back to the house for a little while before heading to the Fort. 

 

 

We parked in the Outpost lot and hopped a bus to the Settlement. 

 

 

We went right to the pony rides to let DD4 ride. 

 

 

 

 

Her favorite pony is Snow, and her second favorite is Nemo. Snow wasn’t working that day, but Nemo was. She was very happy. 

 

 

 

 

Notice my shirt.   :wave1: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enough pony ride pictures?   :rofl3:   

 

Now, I REALLY may bore you with this next group of pics…but I wanted to get some pictures of things around the old TCD Farm area before it’s gone forever. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now THIS is a fine looking horse. Would you expect anything less of a horse named Dave?? 

 

 

 

 

I was very sad several weeks ago when there was speculation on the DIS Voldy that there will no longer be a blacksmith shop when the barns are relocated. And I was very happy to see a blacksmith shop depicted in the plans that are on the Confirmed Rumors thread this week! I am still going to miss the overall atmosphere and feel of the current location. I love early morning visits here, after grabbing a cup of coffee and wandering over to this spot. We've had some nice visits with the blacksmith before. I hope when they build the new barn and blacksmith shop they design it into a similarly pastoral setting such as this. 

 

 

I've hit my picture limit for this post, so let's continue below, and then head back to the Magic Kingdom.... 

 

 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I never knew where INC's name came from until now.

For some reason I can only read this thread on my phone. It crashes my IE.

Z hates that part of BTMRR too.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Amazing how we all thought three years ago that the horse barn and Blacksmith shop would soon be gone.

 

Ikea is a good place to go for dorm stuff.  Maybe you'll be hitting it up soon.  I've eaten a lot of Swedish meatballs this year.

 

TCD

[momof3kids-Yvonne 595]

I love IKEA!!!

Haven't been in years. For some unknown reason Steve does not see the need to travel to Atlanta just to go there.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

We love IKEA too.  I cannot go shopping there alone.  My kids would be so mad at me if I ever did. Swedish meatballs for lunch and their breakfast is pretty good and cheap too.  Yes, we have eaten both meals there. LOL

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I never knew where INC's name came from until now.

For some reason I can only read this thread on my phone. It crashes my IE.

Z hates that part of BTMRR too.

 

Did I explain INC's name in this report?  I don't remember doing that....

 

Amazing how we all thought three years ago that the horse barn and Blacksmith shop would soon be gone.

 

Ikea is a good place to go for dorm stuff.  Maybe you'll be hitting it up soon.  I've eaten a lot of Swedish meatballs this year.

 

TCD

 

I was laughing to myself when I posted this update.....I truly thought that I was visiting the TCD Ranch for the last time in October 2010.  I'm very glad that I was wrong about that.  

 

I love IKEA!!!

Haven't been in years. For some unknown reason Steve does not see the need to travel to Atlanta just to go there.

 

INC thinks it is perfectly reasonable to drive 4 hours to Atlanta to visit Ikea.  

 

We love IKEA too.  I cannot go shopping there alone.  My kids would be so mad at me if I ever did. Swedish meatballs for lunch and their breakfast is pretty good and cheap too.  Yes, we have eaten both meals there. LOL

 

Yeah....I think we've had multiple meals there in one visit too.  The place is too dang big.  But their breakfast is CHEAP!

[imaginator 1]

I've been going for years and never knew about the calliope...  Never walked through the ranch due to my allergies  :banghead:

[MetalDad 33]

I'm in David! Nobody rocks Page 4 of a 3year old TR like me. "I don't feel tardy!"

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Sorry, I meant I never knew it stood for It's Not Cindy.

I was assuming referring to Cinderella? If not, explain. :)

When you drive 4 hours to go to Ikea, come see us! If it's warm, we'll take y'all on a boat ride. There are some pretty campgrounds on Lanier!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

This TR is even better the second time around!