Disneyworld January 2013

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After the kids got tired of shooting at orcs from the fort, we explored the island (which is really two islands, but whatever), finishing up at the mill, which has a couple of touchpoints to The Old Mill, one of my favorite Silly Symphonies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYEmL0d0lZE

Namely, the bluebird in the gears:



And the owl in the rafters:



Then we took the raft back to the mainland and the Hermit and I headed for Liberty Square (I forget why -- I think we were going to take the riverboat but decided not to), while Geek Dad and the younger three took the train to Tomorrowland.

The Hermit was feeling the heat, so I sent her into the Christmas shop while I took a few pictures. Is it just me, or is there something amusing about a castle, complete with Princess, visible from Liberty Square?





The tree is not at its best in January, I'm thinking:



Then we headed out, intending to do the monorail resorts.

I have long wanted to visit Disney early in December after the decorations are up, but I was much less excited about seeing the Christmas decorations in January. However I did like the gingerbread horse ornament on the Christmas tree.



But then I got to wondering about how big that popcorn must be...



For some reason I decided to just walk to the Contemporary instead of taking the monorail. It was in the eighties, and the Hermit was already grumbling about the heat, so not one of my better plans. We'd planned on getting a cupcake at the Contempo Cafe, but when we got there, neither one of us was hungry. I got a V-8 and we sat in the lounge area for a while, discussing our day and just zoning out. But once we got rested and rehydrated, we decided we could handle a cupcake, and we got a chocolate mint one.

The picture is dreadful but gives you some idea of what it's like -- it's a dark chocolate cupcake with chocolate filling (which may have been minty, I forget) and light green mint frosting, soo good! Really, I have yet to get a cupcake at the Contempo I didn't like; the only problem I have there is making up my mind! We got this one because it was one we hadn't tried, and did not regret it.



Then we went over to the Poly, which I adore. I took a zillion pictures of the atrium and the waterfalls:



And a few of these palm leaves, just beginning to separate:



Wandered the Wyland Gallery, which always has cool stuff:



And then we had to hustle back to the MK without stopping at the Grand Floridian, because we wanted to see the Flag Ceremony at five.

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Meanwhile, my three youngest and their dad took the train to the Fantasyland station, where Geek Dad took a quick shot as it pulled away:



And then they played a round or two of Sorcerer's:



Then they wandered into Tomorrowland and met PUSH -- the kids were intrigued, but their dad was almost more interested in taking pictures of the guy running it:



But did eventually take pictures of the kids with PUSH:



And Warrior Girl gave him a hug:



Then they were off to do a couple rounds on Buzz Lightyear. Then they wandered back for the parade:



Figaro is a family favorite:



Aladdin looks like he's had a long day:



The Beast is willing to play along:



But Naveen has just joined the party and is raring to go!

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Then they decided to do another Pirate Tutorial, where some pirate-y ladies lined the kids up with the rope and marched them around:



Then they had a photo session with all the kids -- "look normal, look funny, look piratey, look normal again":



I love the kid with the tricorn hat -- he was picked to fight Jack. Is it me, or do the other three look right terrified?



They all did fine, though, but the pictures didn't come out too well. And that was it for Jack that day.



The Hermit and I got to the Flag Retreat area first, and I took some pics of the rehearsal.



Kind of a good thing, since this was my view of the "main event" -- the bass drum and drummer blocked it all!:



But I enjoyed it, none-the-less.

Then we retreated to the little alley off Main Street, and started catching up on what everyone had been up to.



Mr. Cool, however, realized they were starting the show in front of the castle, and he and his dad ran off to catch that, with Ballet Girl trailing after.



Mr. Cool had seen it earlier, it seems, and liked it enough he wanted to see it again!



He tends to like stage shows, but I was still surprised he enjoyed this one.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

After that was done, we all headed back to Adventureland and collected FastPasses for the Jungle Cruise, then most of us did the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride and (against certain kid's protests) the Enchanted Tiki Room. We came back to use our FastPasses and were told that the Jungle Cruise was down, but while we waited for Mr. Cool to show they decided it was working after all, and off we went. We had a good time, but the kids felt compelled to tell me the lady pilot they'd had in the morning was better.

Then we split up; Geek Dad took Warrior Girl to do the Tomorrowland Speedway; I can't remember what Mr. Cool went to do; Ballet Girl and SeaWorld Son went to finish out a Sorcerer's Game and then meant to meet the Hermit and I while we ate dinner; but I wasn't thinking and set up the meet at a CS that had already closed. Ooops! So the Hermit and I waited until they showed and then went and ate at Cosmic Rays.

We intended to watch the fireworks from the TTA, but the TTA was down and instead we got a cream cheese pretzel and just saw bits of them in the distance. Everyone else was watching from in front of the castle and Geek Dad got some nice shots, I thought, considering that he didn't have a tripod, first of Celebrate the Magic:



And then of the fireworks:







After the crowd thinned a bit, everyone eventually showed up at the rose pavilion, which was our meeting place, and we hung out there until the second showing of Celebrate the Magic.



Then, most of us made our way through the shops, while hubby took his last few shots, we joined up by the Christmas tree, and we went home.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Great review and I love the pictures.

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

I enjoyed your review very much. What a talented story teller you are and those photos of your family, just the best. Thank you so much for sharing your trip and your family.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

Great review and I love the pictures.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing your trip and your family.

You're welcome. Just three parks and a couple of resorts left!

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Wednesday, 9 January 2013

Wednesday we went back and got some more pins for trading at Character Warehouse (Disney's Outlet store at the north end of International Drive). The Phineas and Ferb pins were $3 each and the mystery pins (2 to a bag) $2.50 each, which is more in line with what I'd expected from a Disney outlet store there. SHOPPING TIP -- since the real deals at the Disney outlet stores sell out quickly, don't expect them to be there the next time. OTOH, if there aren't any great deals the first time, try again a few days later and you might luck out!

I can just about always find pins and lanyards at the outlet stores for around $3 each if I check a couple of times over a week. OTOH, I've only found pins for a dollar each the first time we went, and lanyards for a dollar each the second time -- and I know the lanyards were sold out within a day. Going on the pins that show up on E-bay after we've visited, I'm pretty sure there are people who live nearby who check the stores regularly and clean out the best deals to resell. Nice for those who live far enough away they can't go themselves; not so great when you're in town and didn't pick something up you decide you want a few days later!

Then we went out to Coronado Springs, one of the three Disney resorts I hadn't visited yet. Coronado Springs is the only "moderate" Disney resort with a convention center. When you walk into the lobby, you're greeted by a fountain:





and there are some nice details in the lobby like this wooden horse:





And, if you look up, there's this lovely painted dome:








And all kinds of molded or carved details, like this guy, which is an alcove just below the dome and so hard for me to make out!:





We walked through the lobby and part way around the lake to the pool area. The landscaping is terrific, but I forgot my camera and hubby seems to have been in a detail mood.











Although he did get some good shots of the pyramid by the pool:





And of SeaWorld Son clowning around with some statuary:

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Hollywood Studios

Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios. We got there before opening, and most of the kids headed straight back to Toy Story Mania with me, while Geek Dad and Warrior Girl veered off to get Warrior Girl signed up for the Jedi Training Academy. We probably all would have been fine doing Toy Story Mania, which develops the worst lines in all of Disney World, because the crowds were fairly light, but only a few hundred kids get to sign up for Jedi per day, so I didn't want to risk it.

Even doing it first, Toy Story Mania was the longest line the Hermit and I dealt with all week. I didn't want to Fastpass it because I thought the line worth experiencing once. My pictures there are pretty sad, and I think Geek Dad always Fastpassed because he doesn't have any.







Everyone enjoyed it, but some of us had to run meet Geek Dad so we didn't get Fastpasses just then but instead headed back toward Mama Melrose, because my older girls wanted to meet Phineas and Ferb. The guys were out when we got there, and no one was in line, but we had to wait for Geek Dad so I think one family ended up ahead of us. Ballet Girl went up to get some hugs and then they posed for some pictures.



She was happy with that, but there still wasn't anyone in line, so I suggested that, since she is a dancer, they should do some ballet poses. The guys weren't too sure about that, so Ballet Girl tried to think of some easy poses for them.



She suggested one, and the boys gave it a shot...



After mastering the foot position, Ferb started getting into it:







And then Phineas started dancing as well:



You can't tell from the pictures, but I'd say Ferb has a bit more ballet in his background than Phineas does -- which is quite true to their characters.

Then the Hermit went up:



Phineas and Ferb kept thinking there was something familiar about her outfit, but couldn't quite put their finger on it... (she's wearing the colors of their pet, Perry the Platypus, however the hat is part of his Secret Identity as Agent P).



They eventually settled down and posed for us:



Then we split up; Geek Dad and the interested kids going back to get Fastpasses for TSM, while the Hermit and I wandered toward the Hall of Fame Plaza.

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Two things I wanted to do at Hollywood Studios were to get pictures of all the busts in the “Academy of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza”, and to get pictures of all the signatures in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theater, only one of which I accomplished.

Should totally have stopped at Tatooine Traders at this point – I expected to go back there when we watched Warrior Girl’s Jedi Training session, but then I forgot, meaning the Hermit and I never got there. *sob* The rest of them did, I believe -- SeaWorld Son bought an Ewok there, at any rate.



The Plaza would be a lot prettier without the American Idol thingies plonked in it.



Walt’s right in the center.



I recognized everyone there, although I’m pretty sure my kids wouldn’t. The I, Spy fans (which is to say, most of them) knew this guy at least;



After I took pics of all the busts, we stopped in at Starring Rolls and had a snack, then wandered over to the Grauman Chinese Theater.



I like the autographs with little drawings the best:





I can’t remember if the Hermit got bored (there was nowhere to sit) or if I decided to take a break, but before I'd photographed them all we wandered into the Great Movie Ride line area, where the CM commented on the Hermit’s outfit – I think she said something about being Disney Bound, but although both of us have been on that website, the Hermit and I were so distracted I didn’t even make the connection until we were way past her. The CM also gave us one of the little thingies you carry through, so I didn’t dawdle through taking pictures of the stuff in the lobby. Another thing I meant to come back and do and didn’t, ack! Someday I'll learn to "just do it!"

Eldest son did take a shot of the outfit from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when he went through on his own, though:



After the Great Movie Ride, we headed for the Animation Academy, but decided to do the movie, instead. I enjoyed the Wreck-It Ralph display.



The game looks beat up enough to have been in an arcade for a bit...



After the presentation, we decided we'd best wander over to join everyone else and watch Warrior Girl in the Jedi Training Academy. But first we stopped to take a picture of some of the artwork in the corridor back there:



And hit Writer's Stop for a carrot cake cookie on the way, discovering a picture of one of Ballet Girl's absolute favorite TV series over the door:




Writer's Stop also reminded me that there's an Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook I should check out -- have quite liked the recipes I've made from the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, although the author's comments made me roll my eyes sometimes. And there's a Winnie the Pooh Cookbook! Didn't know that, and my library even has it. Score!

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

What a wonderful trip report and I'm so happy you did it. I'm a Disneyholic too and I was there opening day. The last time I did this was at Halloween and I loved it, but I need to go back. So many things I've either missed or didn't have when I was there. shaggy

[MargeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MargeS]

Loved your report! Thanks for sharing your vaca and family. One big question.... In all of my years going to Disney, I had NO idea there was an opening ceremony at MK. Is it right at opening, or part of the extended hours? Do they let you in a little early to line up? Very curious! Marge

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The last time I did this was at Halloween and I loved it, but I need to go back.

I want to go for the Halloween parties, and I'd like to do the first week of December for all the Christmas decorations when I'm in the mood for them, also want to do the Flower and Garden Festival in the spring (which I suspect is due to get more and more congested, since they're starting to do a Food and Wine thing with it *sigh*). There's more to do there than can be done in one (or two, or many) visits, that's for sure!

I am so jealous that you were there opening day! I used to write stories about visiting WDW, I wanted to go so bad, but although we did Disneyland in my teens, I didn't get to WDW until I was nearly fifty. If my health stays good, I'm going to try to make up for that lost time.

I had NO idea there was an opening ceremony at MK. Is it right at opening, or part of the extended hours? Do they let you in a little early to line up?

When there are "morning extra magic hours" at the MK, then the opening ceremony is held before those (although I have heard it isn't always the full thing). So if you are staying offsite, you want to go when there are no morning Extra Magic Hours at the MK that day. More than a half hour before the MK opens, they open the ticket gates, so you can get into the area in blue on this map (if it lets me link to it -- otherwise, scan down Magic Kingdom Gates and Rope Drop map on this page done by a guy named Robo from the Dis boards -- http://www.stitchkingdom.com/maps/)



The show usually starts about ten minutes before official opening time, and lasts eight to ten minutes. They "drop the ropes" (i.e., open the two entrances) during the show, meaning that if you stay to watch the show, you miss the initial rush. For the rides and things we want to do, we can just hang back while the crowds clear and then dawdle our way to our first ride, and the crowd of people who raced off at rope drop are gone by the time we get there. Even with Enchanted Tales with Belle, which develops a long line early on, sometimes waiting out the crowd that hits right after rope drop and wandering by an hour or so later you can get in as fast or faster than you would right at opening, but it depends on the ride. We like the show, so we stay for it; if you want to maximize your ride time, might not be worth it.

If you didn't know about the opening show, you should check out Steve Soares' site. He updates it with the next week's schedule every Sunday, I think it is, and he's been incredibly reliable for years. He calls the opening show the "Magic Kingdom Welcome," and if you like singing and dancing, you also might check out the Main Street Trolley show, which is a bunch of dancers who jump off the trolley and do a brief song and dance show. Click on each park at the top there for most performance times as well as a lot of times and places many of the characters will be available (although if you're into characters, kennythepirate's site has more precise info). Good luck!

http://wdwent.com/

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Since we are going to be in Orlando next week, and the DW will be at Disney two days, I will be there one day (and deep sea fishing the other day she is there-Disney'ed out long ago) I have got to have her sit down at read this. There is good and helpful info here. Thanks for posting.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

Thanks for the kind words, although the thing with WDW is how fast some thing may change. For instance, they're supposedly implementing "FastPass Plus" this year, and possibly eliminating Extra Magic Hours entirely! A lot of the books still recommend doing Dumbo first if you're going to do it all; no longer the case since they've doubled its capacity and moved it way from the castle. And so on. I try to offer links to hopefully more current info, but you never know when someone just decides they're tired of keeping up and quits updating (Tour Guide Mike was all the rage when I was researching our first trip; he disappeared for a while shortly thereafter). If Steve Soares ever gets bored and quits updating the weekly performance schedules, I will be very sad.

Since we are going to be in Orlando next week

Next week might be busy -- Touring Plans only gives it sixes and sevens, but Josh gives it nearly all nines.

http://www.easywdw.com/calendar/marc...dar/#more-9051

My guess is that Josh's predictions are more accurate, or at any rate, EasyWDW generally wins the "Who has the best crowd calendar?" surveys at the Dis boards. Both Josh and the Unofficial Guide guys (who do Touring Plans) agree that, if you want to do a lot or avoid the crowds, whatever the crowd levels are likely to be, the key is to get there early and do the stuff that gets ugly lines first. That's assuming you care -- some people love to go at Christmas and New Years, because the crowds just add to the appeal.

Hope you have a great time.