h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 I'm with Ray. A lite breakfast consists of only one breakfast sandwich not two with a side of hash browns. . Devine is creepy but in a cool way. I'm going to look for her and do a trip report just for Dave as I have stock in Dewars scotch. How long has she been around? I've never seen or heard of her? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 Devine is creepy but in a cool way. I'm going to look for her and do a trip report just for Dave as I have stock in Dewars scotch.How long has she been around? I've never seen or heard of her? She has overstayed her welcome if you ask me. In the future, I will only visit AK if I'm packing Roundup. Sorry for the hijack, Leslie....please carry on! (sans Devine pics). :rofl3: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted April 2, 2013 Report Share Posted April 2, 2013 I like Devine. It is like finding Waldo at AK looking for her.Looks like a great day at the park. You got a lot done. Were the crowds really light? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2013 Oh NO! Leslie, Leslie, Leslie....you broke Cardinal Rule #1 of Fort Fiends trip reports. And you were doing so well, too! PLEASE, you must post a warning for me prior to posting any pictures of Devine. That thing CREEPS....ME.....OUT!!! And to think I hadn't needed the services of my Psychiatrist yet this year. There goes that track record. I need some scotch. Well, now, I've been mostly away for a while but I think I remember somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind that Dave has a slight issue with Devine. Hmmmmmm. A warning? I don't know about that. Of course, with two different trips to WDW and at least two more visits to AK, we'll have to see whether Devine makes another appearance. AKA his Psychiatrist. Ray and I must have seen a psychiatrist all day all day on that Thursday... I did the trail last year for the first time myself. Rafiki's PW is cool when you have a young kid showing them the vet labs and petting zoo. I need to do the trail again. I thought that was pretty neat. Vet labs - we totally missed that! Another great update.You guys accomplished a ton at AK for a laid back day!Good job. Thanks! We (at least I) go pretty hard in WDW - work hard at playing hard! I'm with Ray. A lite breakfast consists of only one breakfast sandwich not two with a side of hash browns. .Devine is creepy but in a cool way. I'm going to look for her and do a trip report just for Dave as I have stock in Dewars scotch.How long has she been around? I've never seen or heard of her?She has overstayed her welcome if you ask me. In the future, I will only visit AK if I'm packing Roundup. Sorry for the hijack, Leslie....please carry on! (sans Devine pics). :rofl3:I like Devine. It is like finding Waldo at AK looking for her.Looks like a great day at the park. You got a lot done. Were the crowds really light? I never saw Devine before this year. Now that I have, I still don't know what to think about her. However, she is certainly a good reason to drink topic of conversation. Annie, the crowds were very light our first few days of this trip. It picked up a good bit by the weekend, though, which surprised me. But, it was still better than other times I have been there, including spring break - part two of this TR. :bugeyes: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2013 Eventually, we made our way to Camp Minnie-Mickey with plans to see the Festival of the Lion King. First, we had to meet these guys: FOTLK was amazing. It was like a cross between a Broadway show and Cirque de Soleil show. I had never seen it before, but had always loved both the movie and the Broadway version, so I had really been looking forward to it. The few pics that I took don’t do it justice. If you haven’t been yet, go! Finally, having done many more things for the first time than I ever thought we would accomplish, we decided it was time to leave the AK and head to Epcot. As best I recall, we bussed straight to Epcot, and started with Spaceship Earth, which was our first time on that attraction since we first took the girls on our own in 2005. We enjoyed it, but when we got to the part at the end where they animate your face on your ideal future, we loved it! Much more fun than either of us were expecting. Next trip, we’ll have to have our phones set to video. Soarin’ was way out of FP by then, so in a continuance of our day of trying new things, we did Living with the Land. I thought Ray might actually lose his mind before we finally got to the greenhouse stuff. Seriously. He almost jumped out of that slow moving boat. The greenhouse stuff was interesting to me and probably would have been to him if he hadn’t already almost lost it in the fake scenery, whatever else that first part was about. After the Land debacle, we headed to the World Showcase. We thought about going on Maelstrom, but the wait was 20 minute wait and we didn’t want to risk that wait only to find out it was a Norwegian version of Living with the Land. So, we bailed. We continued around WS, but finally decided that despite our poor behavior with beer and wine yesterday, we were still on vacation. So, Ray had a beer and I grabbed wine in Germany. While we were enjoying our break, we heard the funniest random line by a dad walking by with his grade-school son: “You know why Epcot is so much better than the Magic Kingdom? Because it has beer!” :doublebeer: We died. The young son seemed slightly confused, but knew he had a good thing going being in Disney, so he went with it. I had originally had ADRs for Monsieur Paul, the new restaurant in France, but we decided the night before that we were ready for a more relaxed atmosphere. So, tonight we headed to Nine Dragons, which was actually perfect. When we left dinner, we encountered the Chinese acrobats, who were very cool and talented. Intent on not having quite as late a night as we did the night before, we headed to the International Gateway. However, on our way, we stumbled upon Mo-Rockin’ in Morocco. Very fun. I’m sure Ray appreciated the musicians more than the belly dancer. Not. We walked back to the Boardwalk and got our keys and room numbers for our new room, which was designated as a “pool or garden view”. Amazingly, it is valued at the same number of points as a Boardwalk view, despite the fact that they, in our opinion, are not comparable at all. Here is our new view: Granted, it was under construction while we were there, but even in its best form, I don’t know how it could compare with this: The lack of a Boardwalk view made Ray look like this: I, on the other hand, was better able to deal with life’s changes: Once our bags were delivered to our new room, we decided that we needed to head to the Belleview Lounge again for a nightcap. We threw in a piece of pizza from the pizza window for good measure, and called it a day. An excellent one at that. I was so glad that we had the Boardwalk view room for the 2 days we had it, but next time we’ll book early enough to get what we want for the length of the stay. It wasn’t much fun to have to move halfway through – it really seemed to break up the trip. Not to mention the loss of our beautiful view. Lesson learned: book early! Up next: our last full day (at least on this trip!). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted April 5, 2013 Report Share Posted April 5, 2013 I have never seen the acrobats; at least not that i can remember.FOTLK is a great show.You guys accomplish a ton while moseying around. Good job on the late drinks and pizza! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted April 5, 2013 Report Share Posted April 5, 2013 Great update! First off, it was Devine-free. Always appreciated. Secondly, you had a moment I can relate to...being stuck on a crummy ride. The Land is one of those "every once in a while" rides for me. But I do think you would enjoy the Maelstrom....definitely nothing like the Land. Next time, you must ride the Maelstrom and then get School Bread....a wonderful Nordic experience. Sorry about the view, but a garden view at Disney is still better than the view out an office window back home. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stacktester 78 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 Thanks for the FOTLK pics. Now all I can hear is Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata. How bout this one missy to get stuck in your head? It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small small world. Or even better, There's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day. That is all!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 I have never seen the acrobats; at least not that i can remember.FOTLK is a great show.You guys accomplish a ton while moseying around.Good job on the late drinks and pizza! Compared to the next trip, we accomplished nothing! But, we sure had a ton of fun. And yes, congratulations are always in order for late night drinks and pizza! :) Great update! First off, it was Devine-free. Always appreciated. Secondly, you had a moment I can relate to...being stuck on a crummy ride. The Land is one of those "every once in a while" rides for me. But I do think you would enjoy the Maelstrom....definitely nothing like the Land. Next time, you must ride the Maelstrom and then get School Bread....a wonderful Nordic experience. Sorry about the view, but a garden view at Disney is still better than the view out an office window back home. You ain't kidding about that. When I first read your reply, I was sitting at my desk, looking at the sun finally coming out for the first time in days, and yet still stuck at my desk not able to do anything about it. So yes, Dave is absolute right that any view at Disney is better than any view out an office window. The next trip actually included Maelstrom - loved it! I'll have to take Ray next time. Not at all like that dreaded boat ride... Thanks for the FOTLK pics. Now all I can hear is Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata, Hakuna Matata. How bout this one missy to get stuck in your head? It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small small world. Or even better, There's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day. That is all!!! Hakuna Matata! Love it! I don't mind that or even the Big Beautiful Tomorrow. I have to say that you suck, Donnie, for throwing the whole SW tune out there. Just kidding of course - you don't suck. :hah: It's been too long since I saw you! Hope all is well with you and your daughter! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 Saturday For the first time since we left home, I actually set the alarm this morning. No run for me today either. We had more important things to do than sleeping in or going for a run – today was the day for our Epcot Segway tour! :banana: We got up and ready, I collected coffee for Ray and a diet coke for me, and then we were out of the room by 7:40. We walked to the International Gateway, where we were allowed in since we were on “the list”. Our walk to guest relations was amazingly peaceful and empty – the park wasn’t open yet, the World Showcase certainly wasn’t open, so it was really neat and quiet. I call this Sunrise Over YC/BC: Empty pathways in Epcot: Shortly after we checked in for our tour at guest relations, we headed off to one of the Innovations areas to learn how to ride these contraptions. Learning how to ride/drive the Segways was easy and so much fun! While the first time I stepped on it, I fought it and thought for sure I was going to fall off, right after that it became just like second nature. You really quickly get to where you are controlling it with your mind rather than any conscious effort by your body. It was amazingly fun. Once we were ready to be unleashed on the unsuspecting public, we headed out. Our first real stop was behind the Land so we could park the Segways and have breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. I was able to grab these pics before our guide told everyone not to take any pictures backstage: (Are y’all impressed at my ability to take pictures while driving? Ray was not.) We were provided breakfast from Sunshine Seasons as part of the tour. It was pretty decent! (Especially compared to the poison apple I tried to feed to Ray yesterday.) We got to grab FPs for Soarin’ while we were there, which gave us a perfect return time for when we would be getting done with the tour. On our way to grab the FPs, I saw that the wait for Living with the Land was 30 minutes. Huh? Surely that was a CM just fooling around with the time board. After breakfast, FPs and a fainting spell that anyone would consider waiting 30 minutes for Living with the Land, we headed back out to our rides. We cut through pedestrian traffic again, and then headed to the WS, clockwise. We pretty much skipped Mexico and Norway, as they were open to the masses for the Ackershus breakfast in Norway. But once we passed Norway, we were in an area not available to anyone else at that time, and we had a lot of fun, including getting to see things that we wouldn’t have otherwise ever gotten to see. Our guide: (I’m guessing we are in Germany here, given the “Bier” sign above his head.) Ray looking a little like he thinks I’m taking too many pictures: A hidden Mickey I had never seen before: We made it to the spot where all the pictures you’ve seen of others on this tour took place: More tomorrow! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 Looking forward to it.Good job being a backstage picture criminal.You know....dave got yelled at for that. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 Looking forward to it.Good job being a backstage picture criminal.You know....dave got yelled at for that. :) Boy howdy, I sure did. Made me cry. Love the tour pics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 A Segway tour! I've always wanted to do that til I saw a guy fall off one at the fort on our last trip. Loving your TR! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 The Segway does look much cooler that one might think. Great job getting sneaky with the photos. =) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 Awesome updates! When we did the Segway tour it did not include breakfast or a chance at Soarin' fp. I'm jealous! We really enjoyed the Segway tour and it looks like y'all did too! Maybe next trip you could try the FW Segway tour, it's fun too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Looking forward to it.Good job being a backstage picture criminal.You know....dave got yelled at for that. :) Thanks! I do what I can. I'm no TCD nor his cousin Yuri, but I was good at taking pictures and segwaying all at the same time. Boy howdy, I sure did. Made me cry. Love the tour pics. Wish I had been there for that! A Segway tour! I've always wanted to do that til I saw a guy fall off one at the fort on our last trip. Loving your TR! Thanks, Gwen. You should try it sometime. That guy must have really worked hard to fall off - it would be hard to do! The Segway does look much cooler that one might think. Great job getting sneaky with the photos. =) Thanks! Awesome updates! When we did the Segway tour it did not include breakfast or a chance at Soarin' fp. I'm jealous! We really enjoyed the Segway tour and it looks like y'all did too! Maybe next trip you could try the FW Segway tour, it's fun too! We definitely plan to do the FW tour next time! It really was a ball! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 When we approached the American Pavilion, we got to see some CMs practicing out of costume: Here’s my artistic shot: By the way, while we were in China, the guide was trying to tell us about how to tell the male dragon from the female dragon outside the restaurant (male on the right, female on the left, other things like that…). I think he regretted asking about it when one member of our group claimed she could tell which was which as she could see “paraphernalia” on the male. :o He seemed relatively shocked/bemused, but despite my careful looking, I couldn’t find any paraphernalia on the male anywhere. Another hidden Mickey in Morocco: By the time we left Morocco, the WS was open. Apparently, since I had a nametag on and was on a Segway, people asked me stuff about where to go and what to do. Yet another sign that I need to be a CM one day. We made it back to Innovations, sadly turned in our rides, and walked around a little bit to work out the heebie jeebies in our legs from the Segway. Then, it was time for Soarin’ and then finally onto the monorail for the first time this trip, heading toward the MK. I have no idea where we took this one: An ad libbed photopass pic for you: We took the ferry from the TTC to the MK, something else we had never done before: I liked the ferry! It was a fun ride, mainly because it was different for us. (That, and the monorail line looked horrible!) Serious crane action these days: Ray and the Mayor: The MK was PACKED! I know it wasn’t anything compared to the really busy times (like spring break, which is our usual time), but compared to earlier this trip, was really full. We went straight to CHH as we were hungry, and stood in line for an amazingly long time. While we were there, we saw that HM was a 30 minutes wait when we got there, but when we left, it was all the way back to the ferry boat: (See the person with the sign? That sign says “Haunted Mansion line starts here”. :dropjaw: Our main goals for this trip were lunch and the HOP, which I hadn’t done since I was a kid. I loved it. We shopped around a little bit, then bailed to head back to Boardwalk. I shopped some more, then joined Ray for a beer on the BW. Other than the beer, the best part of the excursion was watching a girl trying to eat a pizza slice from the pizza window get completely attacked by seagulls. She was on her cell the whole time, but she sure did do a lot of screaming when they really swarmed her. Fun times. Some final Boardwalk pictures: Finally, it was time to head to Epcot for dinner. On the way, Ray did his last fake photopass pic, though I’m not sure which magic shot this was supposed to be: Upon arriving at Epcot, we shopped (again), and then headed to Italy to Via Napoli for salad and pizza. As always, it was way yum. One last look over Epcot: It actually got too cool for us to have our final nighttime drink outside, so we headed back to Belle Vue Room for a glass of wine, then headed back to the room to start the sad task of packing up. Up next, last park (at least for this trip!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Ya'll are definitely learning the relaxing thing!!! Eat, shop, drink, relax, eat, drink, repeat!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Looks like a fun trip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dvccamper 32 Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 I'm enjoying your trip report, sorry to see it coming to an end. The Segway tour looks fun, I'm hoping one day soon to do an adults only trip and that tour is on my list of things to do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 I fell behind, but I'm caught up now. Loved the sunrise over YC photo! And the backstage photos on the Segway Tour. And all the Segway Tour photos. Great job! TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alexwyattmommy 181 Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 That photo looks like you took at the booths in the Sunshine Season eating area. In case you really wanted to know. :D I love this TR. So many things to look forward to when we can take a couples only trip. These kids have to move away sometime. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Love the fake magic shot! Paraphernalia? :rofl2: I don't know if I have ever been on one of the big ferry boats. Good job stopping to smell the roses. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Ya'll are definitely learning the relaxing thing!!! Eat, shop, drink, relax, eat, drink, repeat!!! You got that right, apparently with a heavy emphasis this trip on the eating and drinking, followed by the repeating. Relaxing naturally follows when you're on that track. Looks like a fun trip! Too much fun! We've been really missing it these days! I'm enjoying your trip report, sorry to see it coming to an end. The Segway tour looks fun, I'm hoping one day soon to do an adults only trip and that tour is on my list of things to do. Thanks! The segway tour was really great. You should definitely do it. They actually cancelled the Epcot segway tour just a couple of days after we did it, so FW is the only segway tour offered now. I'm definitely planning to do that one next trip! Having said all that, I cannot stress too much how much I think everyone needs to do an adults only trip to WDW. It was sooooo much fun! I fell behind, but I'm caught up now. Loved the sunrise over YC photo! And the backstage photos on the Segway Tour. And all the Segway Tour photos. Great job! TCD Thanks! Glad to hear from you, Andrew! That photo looks like you took at the booths in the Sunshine Season eating area. In case you really wanted to know. :D I love this TR. So many things to look forward to when we can take a couples only trip. These kids have to move away sometime. Thanks, Annie! That makes sense on where we were. Somehow my pics got out of order and I couldn't figure it out. And yes, definitely look forward to whenever you get the kids out of the house sadly become empty nesters. Love the fake magic shot! Paraphernalia? :rofl2: I don't know if I have ever been on one of the big ferry boats. Good job stopping to smell the roses. Thanks, Aaron. The ferry was fun, as were so many things we did for the first time this trip. And, thanks too for picking up on my favorite word from this trip - paraphernalia! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted April 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2013 Y’all – here is a funny thing that I forgot to include earlier in this report. Many of you know wonderful Buddy and Paw Paw – my step-mom and dad. Dad is a great cook and loves to do it, and loves to try to help all of us out by cooking on occasions that would be particularly helpful. So, Paw Paw sent us an email at some point on this trip offering to cook chili and have it ready for us when we got back from the trip, including a vegetarian alternative for Danielle, who has been a vegetarian for almost a year now. (Don’t get me started.) Anyway, Ray replied to Dad’s email, and so sweetly said,: “That sounds great! We are having a ball. I also wanted to tell you that your daughter has made my life a dream for over 20 years. Thanks. Son Ray” :hugsmiley: Isn’t that sweet? Dad calls Ray “Son” and Ray calls him “Dad”, which is really neat, especially since Ray’s own dad died before I ever met him. Ray saying that to my dad really made my day. And here is my dad’s reply: “Great, Ray! Just drop me an email tomorrow about a good drop off time. And, you have and are a blessing to our family. I hold you in high regard. As for Leslie, she has been my dream too, most of the time. I love you both. Dad” Wait – did he say “most of the time”? When Ray read that to me I thought he was pulling my leg when he read the reply to me, but that’s actually what it said. I died. I could have a complex if I didn’t know how much my dad and I love each other, all of the time now! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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