A seed was planted and here’s what grew....Magical Memories About This Page:

[CinderAbby]

Thanks again everyone for the wishes and Pixies - they really mean a lot to both of us.

Originally Posted by lissybri

All caught up now. This is a great TR. It sounds like you had a wondeful, magical vacation. I hope Lenny is okay. Can't wait for more.

Thanks Liz, I'm glad you're enjoying it - we really did have a wonderful vacation this year.

Originally Posted by taylan1

Just finished reading your whole TR so far, I can't believe I missed it. Sounds like you have had a pretty good trip so far, especially with your food issues. Love those Disney Chefs! Our DS has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy. All your pics are just great. I was hoping that Imageworks would still be there when we went in a couple of weeks but it looks like since Kodak has pulled out it will be gone. Love your picture from them with the castle, hope you get the Nemo one as well. Looking forward to the rest of your TR.

There's so many TR in that forum that I know how easy it is to overlook some. Plus I haven't been updating nearly as frequently as I have in the past. It's not for lack of trying - it's just been lack of enough time, but I promise I AM posting the next part today. We did have a good trip and if it weren't for the chefs, I wouldn't have been able to eat like I did. Thanks about the pictures and as far as Imageworks goes, I haven't heard one way or the other. That part might not even be affected by Kodak because all the designs are strictly Disney and I don't even think it was printed on Kodak paper - so IMO there's still hope. I'm not making any promises but with the weekend quickly approaching I should be able to add quite a few more installments to this. I am going to do one today though.

Originally Posted by mzozzietj

for the upcoming procedure. I know what you mean about driving in the city. I used to work in Boston for years and dreaded it. I would drive in before 7am just to avoid the traffic. This was of course before my daughter came along. Am so glad to have a job closer to home now, that used to take me 1.5 hours each way with much traffic.

Can't wait to hear more about the cliffhangers... I need lessons on writing trip reports from you. I never even finished the one I started last December, LOL

Thanks. And lessons on writing my TR - I start writing it on paper on the train trip and driving home and then once home, I transfer everything to computer. The reason why I'm able to get it all typed and completed is because I take the time between coming home and going back to work (I work for a school) and focus mainly on that everyday. After Disney, I have no money to go anywhere else so Abby and I just chill here at home and while she sleeps late and just takes the days to relax her way (it's one of the few weeks that she's not in school during the year) I use my time to type between all the other household chores. This year I had 10 days between vacation and work and it took me pretty much that whole time just to get it typed in completion minus my final thoughts (that's a work in progress). I have yet to finish proofreading and tweaking but I do that before I'm ready to post so that's ongoing as well. But that's mainly it - type, type, then type some more.

[CinderAbby]

Sunday August 15th

Even though I didn’t have any laundry to do, I was up at 6:30. I woke Lenny up a short time later. Abby is the quickest to get ready so I let her stay in bed until about 7. When we were finally ready to leave the hotel, it was somewhere around 7:45 or 8. Even though our Ohana’s reservation wasn’t until 8:55 it’s better to be early than late. And remembering the line from last year, I figured it would be a while before we could even check in. So we left the room and headed to the van. Once we got there, Lenny loaded up his scooter like he always does. As he was putting his the ramp back in, he remembered Abby’s missing bookmark from the night before. He pulled the ramp back out and had Abby look. There on the floor behind where the ramp sits was the bookmark. We knew if we looked during the day we’d find it and we did. Abby was very happy and with that good start to the day, we headed to the Polynesian. We got there and valet parked and by the time we got upstairs, it was about 8:30 and there was barely any line - only 3 or 4 people in front of me. We had our picture taken and after a couple of silly photos of Abby, our pager started going off early.

We went in and I’m not sure if it’s because our slip said special diets or if it was an oversight but we didn’t get the basket of breads this time. I didn’t really miss it but it would have been nice for Lenny and Abby to have. After a few minutes, the chef came out to talk to me and even though I knew it already, he said there was nothing on the breakfast platter that I could have. He asked if I like waffles as he does egg free/gluten free (I thought probably taste free too) waffles that would work for me. I said I could eat those and I mentioned how I could eat poached or hard boiled eggs and yogurt too. He said he could do the poached eggs for me and a bowl of yogurt and then because he wanted to see some sort of meat on my plate (that seemed a theme with the chefs - they wanted me to have some sort of meat with my meals) he asked if I could do ham. I said as long as it’s not cooked with any added fats or greases I could eat it. He said he’d do some ham and that our server would get me some toast to go with breakfast. Then he asked me what I wanted to drink. I had already told our server water but either they know how bad their water is or they just don’t like to see people have water because he wanted me to have milk or juice. Juice is a no-no so I opted for chocolate milk.

A bowl of yogurt came out for me first and then Lenny and Abby got the platter that they shared from. When my plate came out, it had some Mickey waffles, 2 huge pieces of ham and a bowl of what I thought was sour cream or something. Lenny thought it was a bowl of whipped butter for the toast I was waiting for. I feel stupid now but when the chef put down my plate, I asked about the poached eggs. He pointed to the bowl and said that was it. Okay I thought - it certainly didn’t look like poached eggs but he’s the chef so I wasn’t going to doubt him. Seriously, I’ve never seen poached eggs look like that - like they had been played with to make some sort of design in the whites but they were eggs. I ate them but I didn’t enjoy them. One was overcooked and the yolk was solid, the other was kind of undercooked as the whites were a tiny bit runny. I certainly appreciate the effort put out as cooking with no added fats at breakfast time must be hard on them but the best part of the meal was the yogurt. The ham was good but way too much for me so Lenny ate most of it and Abby loves the Mickey waffles and the only ones on the entire table were the ones on my plate so I gave those to her. And by the time I got the toast, I was pretty much full. I had one piece but Lenny ate the rest.

Compared to last year, I would say the overall experience here was about the same. We had more attention from our server but there was a period where she was no where to be found. I was bummed Abby wasn’t offered any Mickey waffles as she loves them. And at the end of the meal, I didn’t feel well again. It wasn’t nearly as bad as last year but I was disappointed that it happened again at the same restaurant. And truthfully, I don’t know if the meal had anything to do with it or if it was the milk I drank. Would I eat here again? If Abby wanted the character meal again and it still existed, sure I would go for her but only for that reason. What could I do differently to not get sick? Other than just not eating, I don’t know offhand as our next vacation will be several years away (and this time I mean it - I don’t want to go back until Fantasyland is done).

So from breakfast we got the truck from valet and headed to DHS. We stopped and had our pictures taken and when I asked the photographer if she had any magic shots, she did and asked if we could point at the ground. She asked Abby if she knew what she was pointing at and Abby said Stitch and then pointed out he was on her shirt. When she did that, the photographer stopped and looked, then pointed and said "oh yeah, there he is." I joked how that would be a switch getting a Photopass photographer pointing at Stitch and she agreed.

From there, we went to the camera store where Lenny bought me a new strap for my camera. I didn’t need one but he had seen it on someone else’s camera and liked it so he bought it for me. I immediately put the new strap on and while I did that, Lenny tried to give some Aerosmith pins he had (he found them at the carwash when he still worked there and nobody ever claimed them) to the CM but he couldn’t take them all. We didn’t know the CM’s had a limit on what they could take so when Abby saw a pin she liked, we ended up trading him just one of the Aerosmith pins. Lenny was hoping to get over to RnRC to give out the rest but from the camera store, we went to get a penny list from Guest Relations. Even though it had somewhat current dates on it (Feb 2010) the list was pretty much the same exact thing as last year so I put it in Lenny’s basket so we could head to our first ride of the day: TSM.

These were all taken this day but some were taken our first time on TSM, some taken the second time on

We had fun as usual and from there, instead of doing any of the shows there (VOLM or PHD) Abby wanted to go to the GMR. There was actually a line for this today so even though it took time to go through it, I didn’t think to take any pictures of the displays. Abby seemed to like the ride but I thought it could have been a little bit better. The gangster who stole our vehicle was lousy I thought. She didn’t seem to have any personality and I was glad when she was gone. The one thing I did notice different (and keep in mind I haven’t been on this since 2006) was that in the Alien section, it pops out of the wall instead of the ceiling. I don’t know when they changed that but I did like that better.

Lenny took these photos - like I said, all of his were blurry but these were the best from the GMR

From the GMR, we headed back down the wheelchair ramp and into One Man’s Dream for a little bit. Abby didn’t want to see the movie so we skipped that and headed to the VOLM. We were directed to the back row because of Lenny’s scooter and when we got there, the seats on the far left were all taken so we took the ones on the right. Abby was in the front where there were only two seats and I sat directly behind her. A few minutes later when another wheelchair family came by, they asked Abby to stand up so they could get by but as soon as they did, another family rushed up behind them and took the 2 seats in front of me and two of the three seats to the right of me. Abby said "hey that’s my seat" but they ignored her. There was still the seat next to me she could sit in but she wanted the front seat and I felt that was rather rude of them to butt in and take Abby’s seat. And then it got worse IMO. The wheelchair family came back as there were no seats on the left and as they tried to get by, the asked the two people in front of me to move so they could get to a CM. I heard them tell him that there were no seats left and that the 2 people in front of me weren’t with them so the CM came over kicked them out of the back row, but then the wheelchair family took Abby’s seat. Even though she said again (and quite loudly) ‘hey that’s my seat, they took my seat" not once did they acknowledge her or apologize for it (I can’t believe their memory is that short that they didn’t remember asking her to move). I wasn’t happy as I thought it was rude and as much as I didn’t want to, I told her to sit on my lap so she could see better. I also didn’t say anything to the people as I tend to be a wimp, especially when I feel small in comparison to someone else if you KWIM. Abby took me up on the offer and I spent the show trying to watch around her.

When we left VOLM, we had a decision to make - head to the Streets of America for LMA or head next door to PHD. Every time I looked at the times guide, instead of looking at the next available show - I had to look at every show we wanted to see and kind of plan ahead. And the more I looked, the more I thought if we waited until the 4:00 LMA show, we would end up missing out on something else Abby really wanted to do (and yes, she still wanted LMA which surprised me). With a few reservations in mind (it was mid day and really hot out) we headed to Streets of America. Once we got over there, I was surprised there was no line so we started heading to the stadium and I hoped for the best. As we passed by the stadium in the queue, I couldn’t believe how empty it looked - with only about 15 or 20 minutes to show time, I expected there to be a lot more people in there. Maybe others didn’t want to see it in the heat of the day either. We finally got there and a CM showed us to an elevator and then another one at the top showed us to our seats. And what great seats they were IMO. Not only is the stadium situated so that we were in the shade but there was also one of those huge fans on the support beams for the ceiling right there. So we had shade and a breeze the entire show. As for the show itself, many of you may remember I didn’t want to go to it. I have to say I’m glad I did. The action portions were cool to see but the in between times were very boring. If they get rid of those the show go quicker and be a lot more enjoyable. Abby liked it and every time I turned around to look at her, she was smiling so that alone made it worth it.

I took this while waiting in line for the elevator

From LMA, we decided to head back to PHD. As we passed by TSM, I noticed the line was at 150 minutes and I heard more than one person saying no way were they going to wait for them. I can’t say that I blame them as I wouldn’t wait 2 1/2 hours for it either. As we neared PHD, this was another show that had no line, but that’s more because the show was going to start very soon. I asked if there was anymore room and we were let in. We enjoyed the show as usual and afterwards, we decided it was time for some lunch. Instead of walking by TSM though (it was such a zoo in that area and I was getting tired of the crowds), we decided to walk in front of the GMR to get over to Pizza Planet. When we got in there though, it was packed and a complete madhouse - and this was at something like 3 PM (you think free dining had anything to do with it??? I certainly do). There weren’t any empty tables that I saw and the lines were huge. I sent Lenny and Abby upstairs to grab a table if they could with the instructions to call me when they found one and where while I waited my turn in line. Once it was my turn several minutes later, I told the CM that we were all on the dining plan. I also asked if there was any way I could order an adult size pizza for Abby even though I paid for a child. We were all starving and I knew a kids pizza just wouldn’t cut it that day. The CM said since the credits aren’t allotted to kids or adults (which I did know) she would allow me to do it. She also let me get the large sodas with the meals. I was very happy and thanked her several times. After she swiped my card, I got in the line behind her register and just stood there. I didn’t keep track of the time but I think I was behind that register for a good 20 to 30 minutes waiting for the order. Since it wasn’t only me that had to wait, it made it easier. Plus I spent a couple of those minutes talking to Lenny finding out they had found a seat upstairs at the opposite end of the building. I finally got to the counter and they put the order on 2 different trays. Since I’m one person and only have two hands, I took the time to put everything on one tray with the CM watching me the whole time. When everything was all balanced just right, I made my way to the elevator. When I got there, there was a family standing there as their kid played whatever game was right there. The mom or daughter, whoever she was, was standing right in front of the door as I approached and when she saw me, she moved - right in front of the button. I stood there and said excuse me and she moved again. I don’t know, maybe I was brought up differently but if I had been her, I would have offered to hit the button or just hit it anyway. I was standing there with an overloaded tray of food and hitting a button at waist level under those circumstances isn’t easy. I know - I had to do it. And as is always the way, just after I hit the button, the father turned around and said, "can I get the button for you?" I just said "no thanks, I already did it myself." I got upstairs and had to weave my way around unattended kids that didn’t care that I had a heavy tray of food and finally made it over to Lenny and Abby. When they had gotten the table, it was the only one available. Thankfully by the time I got there, there were quite a few empty tables so we had a little peace and quiet (well as quiet as it could be). The people at the elevator and the unattended kids had gotten on my nerves and I just wanted to sit and not have to see anyone.

Once we finished the pizza and salads (the rice krispie treats went with us) we washed up and headed outside to MuppetVision. We didn’t have a long time to wait for this show and once we got inside and the lights went down, I closed my eyes. Abby likes this show but having grown up with the Muppet Show on tv, I think the 3D movie is lousy. I think they could have done so much better with it so it’s only good for one thing IMO - napping. Abby never noticed but Lenny did (he doesn’t like the show either). I woke up in time for the end of the show and Abby never knew any differently. We left there, then headed back towards LMA. There were supposedly some pennies in the area that we missed the first time around but we found them this time (for anyone looking, they’re by that freestanding gift shop stand or whatever you want to call it). Abby wanted the HISTK play area next even though it was getting close to the 4 something showing of B&B.

On the times guide, there were two remaining shows scheduled that day and the Backlot tour was listed as closing at 7. Wondering if we could see the last show of B&B at 5:45 and then make it back for the Backlot tour, I left Lenny to watch the exit of HISTK and I ran to the Backlot tour. I just wanted to make sure if we got in line, even if it was at 6:50, that we could still go on it. I talked to the CM and he said the very last tram leaves at 7. If I was in line at 6:55 I would get on. If I was in line at 6:59, then I would miss it. Since I didn’t actually plan on getting in line that late, (even though I had asked), I changed our plans to seeing the last B&B show so Abby could take her time playing at HISTK. I got back there and Abby didn’t even know I had left she was so busy playing. I was getting tired so even though I wanted to follow her and take pictures and do some recording for my mother, I didn’t. I just let her go do her thing. After a while she came back and told me she had to show me something - it was one of the huge leaves and it had a little stream of water going down it. Abby then proceeded to wet her hands and then rub them all over her neck and hair. "There mommy, it’s made me much cooler." For her to do that, she must have been hot (we made sure she had plenty to drink all vacation but when it came time to use the spray bottle to wet her hair and neck, she didn’t want us to. She didn’t even like it when I used a wet papertowel in the bathrooms). Whatever the reason (she was hot, she saw other kids doing it, etc) I was glad she did it. We were there quite a while and I finally had to tell her it was time to leave if we wanted to see the last B&B of the day. Abby was okay with leaving and we headed over there.

When we got to the theater, we had our choice of sitting up back or down in the front. I wanted up back but Lenny and Abby wanted down front so that’s where we went. We ended up sitting on the right hand side of the stage and being down front, sometimes all we saw were the backs of the actors. It made me wish we had stayed up back but at least we were in the shade where we were. Plus we’ve seen and recorded the show before so in the end, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Here I just want to write about some behavior we noticed at B&B. We were sitting in the disabled section and if you haven’t seen it, there are ropes with blue wheelchair signs at both ends of the row that block people from just entering the row. CM’s are usually watchful of this area and they’re the ones who normally move the ropes to let people in. But as we were sitting there waiting for B&B to start, this lady and it must have been her grandchild walked by us on the stairs down to ground level then she proceeded to lift him over the benches and then climb over them herself into the row we were sitting in. The CM had gone somewhere and didn’t see this. I’m guessing the next woman was her daughter but she had more tact than climbing over the seats. She just started to unbuckle the sign and because it wasn’t show time and we didn’t want to see someone disabled lose out on a seat, Lenny pointed out the sign to the her. She obviously understood it as she walked back up the steps to find a seat and when I’m guessing the father/grandfather of the kid in our row of the was going to do the same thing (just ignore the sign) the younger woman started gesturing and speaking to him in a foreign language. He went back up the stairs and found a seat as well. The older lady and the kid in our row refused to leave and even though I didn’t understand the words, all her gestures clearly said, "I don’t care what the sign says, these seats are empty so come sit with us." Even when we lifted up the sign to show her, she just shrugged and shook her head. If the CM’s take down the signs and open up the seats, then they’re fair game but if the CM’s leave them up, I don’t think they should be ignored. And then, during the show, the father kept running down the stairs to record the kid in our row. That didn’t bother me but eventually a CM saw him and said something as he stopped doing it.

So from B&B, we walked yet again towards the back part of the park. We had made it to the Backlot tour and the line seemed unusually long to me but we got in it. Apparently there were lots of gaps in the line because when a CM started telling people to move all the way forward and to not leave any spaces, we were able to move all the way up under the roof where the tv’s were. Thankfully they weren’t on because I get tired of watching things blow up and I think it bothers Abby too as she puts on her headphones and won’t watch the tv. A few minutes later, we were ushered into the water effects section and even though everyone was told to move all the way down and to not leave spaces, people started to stop in the middle against the railing. We did as we were told and even though a few people gave us dirty looks as we passed them, we moved ALL the way down to the very edge of the tank. Hey, I’m not stupid. We were told to move all the way down and all the way down meant the pavement was dry and that we wouldn’t get wet. The fact that we would be at the head of the pack for the trams didn’t hurt any either. And despite everyone being told to move all the way down, we were actually the only people who did it - everyone else all stood in the middle in a little pack and we were by ourselves. It felt good to not be in a huge group of people for a change.

When the water effects section was over, we made our way through the prop building and I told Lenny he needed to decide what he wanted to do. The last time we rode this, he transferred from his scooter and the CM’s moved it from the entrance to the exit. Since they’re not used to his kind (no button for them to flick to push it easier and a hand brake you need to stop it if you ride it - taking your hand off the throttle will not stop ours) we always worry that something will happen. For small distances, we get over it but since I didn’t know what this distance was, I told Lenny he might be better off that day just asking to stay on it (I just had a bad feeling that day with him getting off it at that ride). The CM who came over asked if Lenny could transfer and he said he could but he asked if there was any way he could stay on it as his hip was hurting him (which wasn’t even a lie). The CM said he could but it would be easier if he took the canopy off. We did do that and pretty soon we were on the tram. I said it last year and I’ll say it again - this ride used to be so much better. For those who like it, you don’t know what you missed years ago. It’s very boring now IMO and I only did it because Abby asked for it. When we got off the ride, we went through the exhibit there relatively quickly but stopped in the gift store. I found a CD I wanted and then we headed to TSM again. With it closing the next day, I was surprised Abby didn’t want to ride it more during the day but maybe the thought of it closing was overshadowing her fun of it. We got in the line and as we were waiting, I noticed two young girls waiting ahead of us that were wearing a lot of pins. I pointed them out to Lenny saying they were the right age to enjoy RnRC and they were into pins. Maybe they would like the Aerosmith pins which would save us that trip over to the ride. Lenny liked the idea so we asked the girls if they liked RnRC and immediately they said yes so Lenny asked about the pins. They couldn’t believe we were just giving them away. We told them we’re not into the ride or the group so we didn’t want them. We did feel bad as Lenny had originally had 2 sets of 5 but with the one traded back in the Camera store for Abby’s pin, one girl would be short a pin. They didn’t seem to care though. They seemed really happy with them and even offered Abby her pick of a pin in return which I thought was really sweet of them. Abby chose a Tinkerbell one and held on to it the entire time in line (it’s now on a Princess lanyard we have here at home). After we gave the girls the pins, we started talking with them about Disney and when they mentioned all the different times they had been there, I asked if they were local. They said no, they’re from NY which surprised me with all the trips she mentioned but she also said they are DVC members so that explained it. So we talked and then it was their turn to board the ride vehicle. It was only after they got on and it took off that Lenny thought about the pin he had traded and how he should have told the girls where to find it. That made me feel bad again, but then I pointed out to Lenny even if we had told them, there was absolutely no guarantee that the CM was still working or if he even still had the pin. He agreed and then said if we saw them again he would tell them. We never did though as our turn to board came only a couple of minutes later and I knew they would be long gone before we got off the ride.

Once off TSM, it was time to head to Fantasmic. It was only around 10 after 8 or so but by the time we got there, they were announcing that the show was already at Standing Room Only. Upon hearing that, I kind of made Lenny and Abby hurry as much as they could. SRO meant only thing to me - that we might not even get a spot for Lenny’s scooter. We finally made it up to the top of the theater and what a madhouse it was. People were going every which way, the lines at the concessions stands were a mile long. I was hoping we would find someplace to sit but it was looking very doubtful. We ended up having to follow a CM with one of those red lights and section after section that we stopped at she was told there was no more room so we continued on. We made it to the Hades section (way over on the far left) where there was one spot remaining for a wheelchair or ECV. Lenny was directed into it and I had Abby sit on the bench next to him. I took the spot on the bench in front of him and settled down to wait.

To the right of us.......to the left of us.......behind us

Several times, people sat on the bench in front of us (which was for handicapped seating too) but the CM’s caught them and told them they had to move. As it got closer though the CM’s allowed people to sit on them. While waiting though I talked a little bit to the lady who sat next to us. She had two kids who were talking about Fantasmic asking me which part I liked and I said it was our first time seeing it. The mom thought that meant we had never been to Disney before and I told her no, it was my 12th time to Disney. Instead of asking nicely, she automatically had an attitude in her voice which put my back up. "If you’ve been here before, how have you never seen this before?" She said it like there’s something wrong with not seeing the show. Floored at her attitude, I simple said, "my daughter’s Autistic and she couldn’t handle it before now" and then I turned my back on her. She then tapped me on the back and was all nice. She said in a low voice (almost as if it’s something to be ashamed) that her son has ADHD and I believer her nephew was Autistic also. After that, she had a few random comments to make but I didn’t talk with her anymore. Just because I’ve been to Disney many times doesn’t mean I’ve done everything. Nor does it mean I’ve wanted to do everything. And as a matter of fact, there’s some things I’ve done over the years that people can’t do anymore (swimming in Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon, going to Discovery Island) and there’s a lot of things that exist now that didn’t when I first started going. Like Fantasmic for example. Most of my trips were between 1980 and 1997. Fantasmic started in 1998. When I talk to people, if they mention they haven’t done something before even though they’ve been to Disney, I usually just say something like "yeah, there’s so much to do it’s hard to get it all in during a trip." I’ve been enough to know that. Sometimes people will agree with me, other times they have a reason (someone not old or big enough, no desire to, attraction just not there on their last trip, etc). But whatever the reason, there’s no need to have an attitude about it. So anyway, as we were waiting, Abby saw a CM with all the light things. Lenny mentioned how she wanted a crown and since it was easier for Lenny to get the CM’s attention (who by now had walked away) I told him to go get her. He did and as she came back, she sold her last set of Mickey ears (the crown Abby wanted). I was bummed so we got her one of the glow necklaces instead. Abby wasn’t happy but it was the best I could do. As I turned away from Abby and the CM, I saw someone come up to her (the CM) and when I turned back to say something to Abby, I saw the CM had a set of Mickey ears in her hand. I just stopped and looked at them then asked her where they came from. She explained that someone had returned them as they wanted something different. I was thrilled and said to her "That’s what Abby wanted in the first place, can I buy that too please?" To me, the fact that someone returned them was just yet more magic on our vacation. Abby was then all smiles wearing her light up ears and necklace.

The lights finally went out and Fantasmic started. While I might get a lot of flack for this, seeing it live I don’t really know what’s so wonderful about it. It was okay but I certainly won’t go see it again - especially if it’s going to continue to be something you have to line up so early for. I’d really rather use the time to go ride something or better yet, just leave the park before the masses. Abby did smile the whole time so the one visit makes it worth it but that was it.

Almost all of my photos came out really blurry - I don't think the camera likes nighttime shots, even on the night setting as I can never get good shots at night for things in the distance

Once the show was over, because we were on the far left side of the theater, we decided to let almost all of the crowd go before we decided to move. It just made it so much easier to get out and we could take our time without being rushed along by impatient people. After Fantasmic, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel.

I forget when this was left for us but I finally took a picture of it on Sunday

[revral]

Great report. I'm really enjoying it. As for Fantasmic I agree with you. Although I might and that's a big might try it again as I've been pleasantly surprised by RnR & CoP when I tried them a second a time. However, I have a feeling that Fantasmic is going to be one of those things that just doesn't do anything for me no matter how many times I see it.

[B.M.]

Great update, glad you were able to finally see Fantasmic! - we have not seen any of the night time shows yet as two of my kids have sensory issues so we have to avoid them, but Fantasmic is the one I'd most like to see

[Colexis Mom]

Great day Darlene! Glad you were finally able to see Fantasmic! Great pictures from the day!

[sc507]

Great update! I'll have to agree with you though and risk the flack I don't really care for Fantasmic either - it was okay, but nothing I'll wait forever for again.

[auntlatoya]

Another great installment to your trip report. You guys seem to make the most of your day in such a relaxing way. I always feel like I am rushing everywhere trying to get everything in, but you do so much without that rushed feeling. How great.

[emvenable77]

Great pics of Toy story. Glad you guys were able to ride it. It was closed when we were there and that whole area was empty. I am hoping to catch it if we go in May since that is one of Abby's favorite movies. Thanks for the pics of it. We didn't do Fantasmic this trip. I don't think Abby would have liked it at this time (too loud and dark) but like you said it can always be a possibility for a future trip. Sorry about the rude people at pizza planet and the ones at the shows. Sounds like people from our town. Lol

[unewillow]

All caught up I hope you get your Imageworks picture situation sorted out. I think that that particular area unfortunately has some bugs in its system, when we got our picture taken there in April is was somehow "lost" in transit for about 3 days of the trip. I think we were supposed to be able to pick it up on like, Tuesday and it didn't appear at our resort until Friday. But, in the end we did finally get our pictures.

As for Fantasmic, having seen it twice, I could happily not see it again. Especially, as you said, if I have to line up and wait for it. I would also rather go ride something while it's showing. I'm almost at that point with Illuminations as well, I could hit-or-miss it. I am glad to hear that Abby seemed to enjoy the shaw and how magical that she got her light-up Mickey ears after all

[saibot0001]

You guys seem to make the most of your day in such a relaxing way. I always feel like I am rushing everywhere trying to get everything in, but you do so much without that rushed feeling. How great.

I was thinking the same thing. Although, our last trip, I did try to slow down more, and it was much more enjoyable. Glad that Abby found her bookmark. Sorry about all the rude people you encountered on that day. It is sad to see how many people have lost common courtesy. Glad the CM at Pizza Planet allowed you to get the adult size pizza. On our last trip, one CM in AK allowed my daughter to order off the adult menu. When we tried to order of the kids menu for her, the CM said the kids menu will not be enough for her, you can order of the adult and we did. My dd was sooo happy b/c she was able to get something besides nuggest or hamburger. lol. We do enjoy Fantasmic, but there are many things that we don't enjoy that others do, so I don't think anyone should give you flack for sharing your opinion. Actually since we are going during Thanksgiving week this time (and not doing the dinner package), I tried to get my family to skip it, but dd's LOVE this show and begged for it, so we will be doing it. I'm dreading the thoughts of the LONG line though. Before we never waited I guess for 2 reasons, we have always gone during value season and we have always gotten the dining package. Love the picture of Abby with her light up ears so glad someone returned them, and I love that you all were able to give the girls the RnRC pins. It's neat to be part of sharing the magic. Another great trip report. Oh, and I love the towel animal. Cute...and I'm still holding on to find out about the missing pictures. lol

[Cam22]

What a great time at DHS! You did an awesome job of getting so much done, especially those attractions on Abby's wish list!

[rhinohunter]

Great update. You are a very patient person. Not sure I would have been so nice when some of the things you endured happened. Glad you had such a good time.

[ilovedisney247]

What a great day at the Studios and such luck that someone had returned the Mickey Ears! It was very sweet of you guys to pass along the pins you had to someone who appreciated it! I'm glad to hear that the pin traded for is in a treasured location!

I have to agree with you on the Fantasmic! issue. We've skipped it several trips in a row. I don't like waiting, the seating is pretty uncomfortable and it is a mad house on the way out!

Can't wait to read more!

[smoore424]

Yet another great day (and busy) day!

We enjoy 'Ohana for dinner, never tried breakfast. Sorry the food didn't agree with you again.

We enjoyed Fantasmic enough, but not enough to deal with the crowds again. I hear the later showings are supposed to be less crowded so we have decided on our next trip to do Fantasmic only if it's a later show.

What is it with people being rude at the shows? The only experience with a rude people from our last trip was at Fantasmic (someone didn't like DS(14) walking by them twice well before the show started. They were trying to eat. HELLLOOO you just walked by us to get to your spots while we were trying to eat (and we politely let you pass) and there was a HUGE group of people blocking DS's other option - bet you wouldn't have said a word if DH had walked by. Oh, and if you want to eat your dinner in peace, eating while waiting for Fantasmic to start is not the way to go about it). I guess it's the fact that it's the end of a long, probably hot day and there are way too many people to deal with.

You're a good mom buying Abby the necklace and the set of Mickey ears. How lucky were you to have the ears returned just at the right time?

Can't wait to hear more, and good luck with Lenny's procedure.

[Wolfy6688]

Another great day. I get really, REALLY annoyed at people taking advantage of the handicapped sections, even though nobody in our party is handicapped. It's just wrong. Would they also park in a handicapped parking space?

Can't wait to read what happens next.