GDF and Z Ditch Daddy and Dash to Disney

[dvccamper 32]

Thanks for the link to that thread, Kelly! I just spent my evening reading through it.

We were away that weekend so I never saw it. I didn't log on until Monday, blissfully unaware of all the excitement I had missed.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Whoa, I was way behind! All caught up now. Can't wait to hear about the Frozen package! Wish the Frozen fun was going on in the fall, my little ones would get such a kick out of it. 

 

Wait...the Frozen package (again, not sure what it is :) )  is not available this fall..??  I think I missed an entire thread.

 

Why would they end anything "Frozen" right now?

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

To help you with your memory, we had a lot of threatening clouds, but only some very light drizzles on the afternoon and evening of July 5.

I am surprised to see no mention of big tour groups during your Epcot visit. The Land Pavilion was packed with them when we were there, and we ran into several on our way out of the park. And they were all chanting! Loudly!

TCD

 

I just realized I never commented on the tour groups. They were coming in to the Land Pavilion as we were eating. And yes, there were lots. I noticed when we were riding the ride that they had them eating in the restaurant that's closed for lunch... can't remember the name, but the one that's a character meal at Dinner. 

 

Okay... Luke Bryan wouldn't do much for our family (even though I actually like country music).  The fireworks would have been nice...but the Frozen premium package?!!  Okay.. I have to admit that I don't even know what that is, but anything Frozen would be a HUGE hit at our household as in it resides princess Bailey :)   Even our 2 year old son sings "Let it go" ...haha :)

 

Looking forward to the next update!

 

I'm glad you don't like Luke. He's all mine! Ha ha! The fireworks were really cool, and yes, we paid extra and did the Frozen premium package. Both my son and the other boy are Frozen crazy... as much as I can tell, all little kids are. 

 

Whoa, I was way behind! All caught up now. Can't wait to hear about the Frozen package! Wish the Frozen fun was going on in the fall, my little ones would get such a kick out of it. 

 

Yeah, I'm not sure why they are ending it except that they're calling it Frozen Summer. I've heard the sing-a-long will be extended. 

 

Thanks for the link to that thread, Kelly! I just spent my evening reading through it.

We were away that weekend so I never saw it. I didn't log on until Monday, blissfully unaware of all the excitement I had missed.

 

It was an exciting night on FF.net! 

 

Wait...the Frozen package (again, not sure what it is :) )  is not available this fall..??  I think I missed an entire thread.

 

Why would they end anything "Frozen" right now?

 

I'm not sure why they're ending it when there is money to be made. 

[jjbescher 17]

Defintiely waiting on hearing about the Frozen Premium Package.  We are heading there shortly and debating about spending the money.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Defintiely waiting on hearing about the Frozen Premium Package.  We are heading there shortly and debating about spending the money.

Sorry, you snooze you loose. They are completely sold out for every remaining day.

Amazing.

TCD

[jjbescher 17]

Sorry, you snooze you loose. They are completely sold out for every remaining day.

Amazing.

TCD

 

At least it saves me some money.

[we3peas 12]

Don't know who Luke Bryan is, maybe a country singer? I never listen to it. Fireworks would have been cool though. Give you props for going during a holiday. I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. I'll live vicariously through others.

That's the beauty of having APs and living in Orlando. Go anytime but most times when no ones there.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Defintiely waiting on hearing about the Frozen Premium Package.  We are heading there shortly and debating about spending the money.

 

Like TCD said, it's sold out. 

 

Sorry, you snooze you loose. They are completely sold out for every remaining day.

Amazing.

TCD

 

Thanks for crushing their dreams before I had to. 

 

At least it saves me some money.

 

True! And you can experience it all except the dessert party without the package. But I will say that the dessert party was my favorite part. 

 

Don't know who Luke Bryan is, maybe a country singer? I never listen to it. Fireworks would have been cool though. Give you props for going during a holiday. I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. I'll live vicariously through others.

That's the beauty of having APs and living in Orlando. Go anytime but most times when no ones there.

 

Yes, LB is a country singer. A big one. 

 

As far as going during a holiday, I only really went because I was off and there were lots of Fiends at the Fort. Ha ha! But I'm a teacher, so most of my time off is during the busy times. I lived in Longwood in elementary and middle school. It was great to be that close to Disney. I'm not sure there are any times left when no one is there though. Disney seems to use special events to keep it pretty busy all the time now. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I forgot to mention an exciting moment from the night before…. Up until our pizza dinner, the boys had no idea that the Frozen events were happening at DHS. Once they both ate a piece of pizza, we told them about it. They were VERY excited!

 

Probably as a result of that excitement, getting them up that morning wasn’t difficult. We were supposed to check in at 10:00 to get our credentials, but I had booked FP+ for Star Tours before that. The plan was to scope out the check in area in case they were starting early and then head to Star Tours.

 

We rode the bus over, and when we got off, we saw some of the Frozen signage.

 

 

Uh oh… tour groups

 

 

They had a cute Olaf sand sculpture as a photo spot.

 

 

 

 

Once inside, there were more decorations.

 

 

Everyone got an Olaf with a hashtag to post pictures during the day. Those pictures are part of the fireworks later.

 

 

 

 

Olaf was on the screen talking to the audience, and the boys HAD to see what that was about right away.

 

 

After a few minutes, we headed over to the check in area at the Dockside Diner. Guess what? They were starting check in early. Yay!

 

We each got one of these. Words can’t describe how cool the boys thought their lanyard was. I guess you understand VIP even at 5 and getting to wear them was “grown up.”

 

 

 

We headed over to ride Star Tours, and guess what?!?! Z was the Rebel Spy!!! That was exciting. I’ve never had anyone in my group be the Rebel Spy before.

 

Guess what we saw more of?

 

 

We checked into the premium area. I guess refreshments were provided, but I didn’t see any. The area was SMALL for the number of people.

 

We got a place on the rope, but it was facing the stage, not on the side like I wanted. Oh well.

 

Frozen Times guide.

 

 

There is an area that is only for people sitting. That allows more people to see.

 

 

About this time, I went to get some refreshments… the frozen Olaf drinks. When I got back, they had made Elena and the boys move. WHAT THE FORT? Why? We weren’t in a handicap area or anything. The lady just said that we couldn’t stay where we were. They made us shove into the seating area that was already packed. I was NOT a happy camper. Luckily, some of the people felt sorry for us and kind of made a space for us. At this point, I just made a decision to deal with it. We were having a great trip, Z was the Rebel Spy, we had a great day ahead of us…

 

The boys were still excited, and that’s what matters.

 

 

The processional started. It’s like a mini parade as Elsa and Anna are welcomed to the kingdom of Hollywood Land.

 

We could see them on the big screen as they came down the street.

 

 

Before long, they made it to us. It would have been better if we were closer to the corner. I was not feeling very “premium” at this point. If you have the package, get there early and get near the corner on the main road. This won’t save you any time, but it will give you a good view of the processional and stage show.

 

Most of my pictures have rope in them since we were sitting down.

 

 

The sisters!

 

 

 

They left the sled and went backstage.

 

 

Some kids got to be part of the parade. I’m not sure how they were chosen, but they also got to watch from about where they are here after being presented to the audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kristoff!

 

 

 

Elsa and Anna were welcomed on stage and presented with flowers.

 

 

 

They sang, and that’s my last photo of all that.

 

 

The boys loved it. They were super excited for the rest of the day. I thought it was well done (besides the reserved seating area). I know that the floats were recycled from elsewhere, but since we don’t usually go during the holidays, I’m not sure from where.

 

We had a bit of time before our lunch ADR, so we decided to do some exploring. We sneak a peak of the play area and do a few new Frozen magic shots in the next update. 

 

And, later will my opinion of the Premium Package change?

[Seals 111]

BLTN BR ! (that's better late than never bragging rights!). I was away for two weeks and there was so much activity on FF.net that it will take me a loooong time to catch up.  I'm enjoying your Mom and son getaway. I have a number of friends who are teachers and I envy their summers off (although I know you all make up for it the rest of the year).  You are so right that although he may not remember it when he's older, you will cherish the memories forever. And you have lots of pictures to show him to remind him. Looking forward to hearing more about the Frozen premium package since that's not something I will ever do (especially now that it's sold out, but also because I have no trip planned and no Frozen fans in my family) but it's fun to read and see others' experiences. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

BLTN BR ! (that's better late than never bragging rights!). I was away for two weeks and there was so much activity on FF.net that it will take me a loooong time to catch up.  I'm enjoying your Mom and son getaway. I have a number of friends who are teachers and I envy their summers off (although I know you all make up for it the rest of the year).  You are so right that although he may not remember it when he's older, you will cherish the memories forever. And you have lots of pictures to show him to remind him. Looking forward to hearing more about the Frozen premium package since that's not something I will ever do (especially now that it's sold out, but also because I have no trip planned and no Frozen fans in my family) but it's fun to read and see others' experiences. 

 

BLTN bragging rights to you! Thanks for joining. I really enjoyed our Mom and son time, and I predict there will be much more of it in the future. 

 

No Frozen fans?!?!

[LONE-STAR 370]

Cool photos it's like they were Frozen.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Cool photos it's like they were Frozen.

Right?!?! In summer! :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It looks like y'all had a blast with all the Frozen stuff. I thought the Premium Package sounded like a rip-off, so I decided to wait and see. We finally made it over to DHS last weekend, and after seeing the parade and sing-a-long, I told my girls I would buy them a premium package for a day that they chose. Then I found out that they are all sold out through the current end of the promotion. Fail.

So, good job taking the plunge!

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

It looks like y'all had a blast with all the Frozen stuff. I thought the Premium Package sounded like a rip-off, so I decided to wait and see. We finally made it over to DHS last weekend, and after seeing the parade and sing-a-long, I told my girls I would buy them a premium package for a day that they chose. Then I found out that they are all sold out through the current end of the promotion. Fail.

So, good job taking the plunge!

TCD

 

It was a great day. The Rebel Spy and Frozen? Z was in heaven. I think you know I was on the fence about getting the package. And originally, we were going to AK, not DHS. I'm glad we changed our plans. That stinks that you couldn't grab a date. I haven't gotten to the parts that I think make the premium package really worth it. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I think I only have 5 readers left, so we better get this report moving! After welcoming Anna and Elsa to Hollywood Land, we decided to go check out the fun land and trading post. They’re located near TSMM.

 

It was busy back there. So much that they were directing people to another location.

 

 

The store line was really long, but the fun land line wasn’t as bad. We went in.

 

 

There was a snow play area with a REALLY long line. The boys wanted to do that, but there’s no way we could and make our ADR. The CM did let them touch the snow though. No picture, sorry.

 

There was an ice rink. Since Z has already had his emergency room trip this year, we decided not to participate.

 

 

We did the magic shot that’s located in the fun land.

 

 

I wish I would have known about the pass through to the store TCD mentioned, but with two Frozen crazy 5 year olds, maybe it’s better we didn’t.

 

After that, we did some other magic shots on our way to lunch. I don’t think I’ve seen this mentioned anywhere else, but I could have missed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have these magic shot backdrops set up all around DHS. We only did some of them. I'm curious how many there are and what all the options are. Devores?!?! Are you still around? 

 

After that fun, it was time to go to lunch. We were going somewhere I’d never been before but many Fiends speak highly of… Can you guess? I think it’s an easy one. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm not feeling the premium package thing yet....you need to convince me that it was worth it.  Which I'm guessing you will. 

 

And my lunch guess is 50's. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Just in case there's anyone reading who is going to try the secret line at the Frozen Fun area, it's gone. There's a separate line for the store, and you cannot pass between the store and fun area anymore. However, GDF was visiting on opening day. The store had no line when we visited on a busy Saturday afternoon the hard core Frozen fans have all had their crack at it.

TCD

[jjbescher 17]

Just in case there's anyone reading who is going to try the secret line at the Frozen Fun area, it's gone. There's a separate line for the store, and you cannot pass between the store and fun area anymore. However, GDF was visiting on opening day. The store had no line when we visited on a busy Saturday afternoon the hard core Frozen fans have all had their crack at it.

TCD

 

Glad to hear the lines are not so bad.  I took the day off before we leave and will take off 1/2 day the day before just so we can do DHS and Frozen.  They came out with the Frozen stuff after we made our FP+.  Luckily we have the AP and will just cost us a hotel room off site.  This way we can be at DHS for opening.

[Beckers 1,136]

I'm still annoyed for you about moving your parade spot, pretty sure I would have found someone to complain to about that!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Glad to hear the lines are not so bad.  I took the day off before we leave and will take off 1/2 day the day before just so we can do DHS and Frozen.  They came out with the Frozen stuff after we made our FP+.  Luckily we have the AP and will just cost us a hotel room off site.  This way we can be at DHS for opening.

Great. Free tip- don't miss the sing-a-long. They pass out cards with guaranteed return times in the San Francisco area of Streets of America in the morning. Stop by there early and you'll be able to choose from many available times. Tip #2- for the parade you want a spot that also provides a view of the stage. There are plenty of spots around American Idol and Star Tours, but you can't see the little show they do on the stage from there. Tip #3 the ice skating and fake snow are fun. And, it's a great place for a break from the heat. Worth waiting for.

TCD

[jjbescher 17]

Great. Free tip- don't miss the sing-a-long. They pass out cards with guaranteed return times in the San Francisco area of Streets of America in the morning. Stop by there early and you'll be able to choose from many available times. Tip #2- for the parade you want a spot that also provides a view of the stage. There are plenty of spots around American Idol and Star Tours, but you can't see the little show they do on the stage from there. Tip #3 the ice skating and fake snow are fun. And, it's a great place for a break from the heat. Worth waiting for.

TCD

Thanks so much for these.  We were definitely going to do the snow and ice skating.  Friday is ALL about Frozen and maybe some rides for me. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm not feeling the premium package thing yet....you need to convince me that it was worth it.  Which I'm guessing you will. 

 

And my lunch guess is 50's. 

 

At this point, I wasn't either. 

 

You are a good guesser! 

 

Just in case there's anyone reading who is going to try the secret line at the Frozen Fun area, it's gone. There's a separate line for the store, and you cannot pass between the store and fun area anymore. However, GDF was visiting on opening day. The store had no line when we visited on a busy Saturday afternoon the hard core Frozen fans have all had their crack at it.

TCD

 

The day after opening day, but yes, the Frozen crazies were still there. People were coming out with armfuls of stuff. 

 

Glad to hear the lines are not so bad.  I took the day off before we leave and will take off 1/2 day the day before just so we can do DHS and Frozen.  They came out with the Frozen stuff after we made our FP+.  Luckily we have the AP and will just cost us a hotel room off site.  This way we can be at DHS for opening.

 

Yeah, going at the beginning was not ideal, and we knew that when going. That was part of why we did the Premium Package. I'm sure it's a lot less crazy now. 

 

I'm still annoyed for you about moving your parade spot, pretty sure I would have found someone to complain to about that!

 

I was really mad. I do use it a bit to my advantage in the next update. 

 

Great. Free tip- don't miss the sing-a-long. They pass out cards with guaranteed return times in the San Francisco area of Streets of America in the morning. Stop by there early and you'll be able to choose from many available times. Tip #2- for the parade you want a spot that also provides a view of the stage. There are plenty of spots around American Idol and Star Tours, but you can't see the little show they do on the stage from there. Tip #3 the ice skating and fake snow are fun. And, it's a great place for a break from the heat. Worth waiting for.

TCD

 

These are all good tips. You want to be able to see the stage for the fireworks too. 

 

Thanks so much for these.  We were definitely going to do the snow and ice skating.  Friday is ALL about Frozen and maybe some rides for me. 

 

It's really added a lot to DHS. Too bad they aren't keeping it. 

[FortWildernessLoopy 8]

I'm still here!  Enjoying it all as well :D

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm still here!  Enjoying it all as well :D

 

Yay! Thanks for reading. 

 

You got a tag!