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[MontiMouse]

Sharon, you are famous to us Passporters!

Sorry about the long wait for a bus to MK. We have encountered that same problem several times while staying at the Beach Club. We once waited nearly 45 minutes which I complained about to every CM I saw for the next few days.

Thanks for sharing the pictures from your dinner a Narcoossees - all three are some of my favs! Wish I had the Creme Brulee now instead of the protein shake I am drinking for breakfast.

[mousestruck]

Finally catching up on this TR... and totally enjoying it, as usual! Sounds like you had a great time with your family, and it's awesome that you were able to fit in some solo time as well.

I find that despite its size, we always manage to bump into friends or family at the World, and of course make some new besties along the way! Appears you were lucky on those fronts as well.

So glad you enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Bob and Larry. I met them a couple of years ago and can honestly say they are two very special guys. Would have loved to see a photo... but maybe next time!

[shnewell]

Sorry about the long wait for the MK bus, but glad you were able to make a new friend and give out some helpful advice -- you probably made their day!

Dinner looks absolutely delicious, especially the crab cake. Have you had the crab cake at Brown Derby? If so, I'm curious how they compare.

[honeybee723]

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

The lockers are at the beginning of the queue. Actually, in most cases, the lockers are sort of next to the queue, so you have to put your stuff in then go get in the queue. And it was definitely nice to have a vacation after my family left!

Okay...one more little question. How were you able to sneak your camera into the line then? Was there a place to put it once on the ride? I guess what I'm getting at is that I'll be carrying around my big DSLR camera, and I would love to get photos of the whole queue, but I don't want to get all the way to the ride and have no place for my camera.

Anyway, looks like you had a wonderful meal with wonderful friends. It's also nice when you meet new people in places you never thought you would, and then you find out that you would make really great friends outside of the bubble too. We've met a lot of nice folks that way.

[mcc0313]

Sorry about the long wait for an MK bus...but at least you had Luke and his family to talk with while you waited. Now I do think you should have admitted who you were though....but I do understand that sometimes you like to keep your royal status under wraps

Dinner sounded delicious, and wonderful company makes it the perfect night. That key lime creme brulee did sound heavenly (two of my favorite things wrapped up into one )

[pamcarey]

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

They have gelato and Italian margaritas. One of my favorite kiosks ever!

Thanks for the info! I've gotten an Italian margarita several times, and never noticed the gelato at the kiosk. I guess I was too focused on the margarita!

[goofysdtr]

You are famous, my dear girl. Although I would say you're more Halle Berry than Queen Latifah.

Dinner sounded wonderful! How could it not be though, with the company you had?

[disney_duke]

What a wonderful night! Dinner, friends, and even new friends while waiting for the bus. Dessert has me drooling right now..... Creme brulee quickly became a favorite of mine while in WDW for F&WF...

[ilovedisney0_0]

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

Day Eight, Part Two
Am I famous?

I was sitting there all alone pouting when a man walking by looked at me and said “You look like someone famous!” Now, I don’t think I look like anyone famous. My DM puts on her mom goggles and tells me I look like Vivica Fox but I don’t see it at all. Anyway, I used to have people tell me I look like Queen Latifah, but that was right after her movie Bringin’ Down the House came out. You know, the one with Steve Martin? And by the way, it always happened when I was hanging out with my friend, who people always say looks like… Steve Martin! Duh!

Anyway, I assured him that I wasn’t anyone famous...

Well of COURSE you are famous! You are PRINCESS SHARON, obviously. Did he bow and kiss your hand, being in the presence of royalty??

[PrincessSharon]

Originally Posted by disneydreamer33

I got behind again and now I don't know where to start.
Loved all the pics of WWOHP.
I can't get over you being mobbed by the timeshare people. That is what I love about Disney and DVC, they don't jump out and stop you. If you have questions they will answer them. I love Disney too for caring about your experience in their parks.
I loved the pic of your DB "getting in the picture" at AK.
I love Sonic, we have one in my town. I am addicted to their ice. We actually buy bags of it to have at work.
Looks like you are getting ready to leave again! I am soooo jealous.

Sonic ice is the BEST! I love it! I wish there was one close enough to me so I could buy a bag of it! And I'm leaving really soon! I still have so much to do! Including finishing this TR!

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

OK, I'll bite...what rumor?!
Great dinner!
Did you tell your new BFF,Luke, that you are THE Princess Sharon?!

Originally Posted by mom2twingirlies

Of course you are famous - to US! You are Princess Sharon.
That dinner looks DELISH!
A secret - do tell.

Well, it's only some tidbit of info that we're keeping from Eileen. I just like taunting her about it.

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

You are famous! At least around here! Dinner with Bob &Larry sounds delish and like lots of fun.

Originally Posted by chezp

You're definitely famous to us! What a great dinner you had and, as you said, great company too!

Originally Posted by taylan1

Great update! Your dinner looked and sounded DELISH! That Key Lime Creme' Brulee sounded wonderful, must try it! As for being famous? Of course you are! You are Princess Sharon Disney Traveler Extraordinaire!!!

Originally Posted by MontiMouse

Sharon, you are famous to us Passporters!

Sorry about the long wait for a bus to MK. We have encountered that same problem several times while staying at the Beach Club. We once waited nearly 45 minutes which I complained about to every CM I saw for the next few days.

Thanks for sharing the pictures from your dinner a Narcoossees - all three are some of my favs! Wish I had the Creme Brulee now instead of the protein shake I am drinking for breakfast.

Originally Posted by mcc0313

Sorry about the long wait for an MK bus...but at least you had Luke and his family to talk with while you waited. Now I do think you should have admitted who you were though....but I do understand that sometimes you like to keep your royal status under wraps

Dinner sounded delicious, and wonderful company makes it the perfect night. That key lime creme brulee did sound heavenly (two of my favorite things wrapped up into one )

Originally Posted by ilovedisney0_0

Well of COURSE you are famous! You are PRINCESS SHARON, obviously. Did he bow and kiss your hand, being in the presence of royalty??

It's so nice that you all think I'm famous! Although I do suspect Luke told his friends about meeting me - some crazy woman who's been to Disney more than 40 times!

Originally Posted by Caldercup

I let out a big bark of laughter that your first picture was NOT of your friends, but of the food. And here I was, waiting with bated breath to see Bob &Larry, only to be faced with chowder...





Dagnabbit... you got me again!!!

There's a photo from dinner in the next update! Not of Bob & Larry though.

Originally Posted by mousestruck

Finally catching up on this TR... and totally enjoying it, as usual! Sounds like you had a great time with your family, and it's awesome that you were able to fit in some solo time as well.

I find that despite its size, we always manage to bump into friends or family at the World, and of course make some new besties along the way! Appears you were lucky on those fronts as well.

So glad you enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Bob and Larry. I met them a couple of years ago and can honestly say they are two very special guys. Would have loved to see a photo... but maybe next time!

I never did get one! But hopefully Bob and/or Larry will chime in!

Originally Posted by shnewell

Sorry about the long wait for the MK bus, but glad you were able to make a new friend and give out some helpful advice -- you probably made their day!

Dinner looks absolutely delicious, especially the crab cake. Have you had the crab cake at Brown Derby? If so, I'm curious how they compare.

The crab cake is about as good as the one at the Brown Derby. That makes it sound like it's not delicious, but it is! My favorite though, (by far) is at Flying Fish!

Originally Posted by honeybee723

Okay...one more little question. How were you able to sneak your camera into the line then? Was there a place to put it once on the ride? I guess what I'm getting at is that I'll be carrying around my big DSLR camera, and I would love to get photos of the whole queue, but I don't want to get all the way to the ride and have no place for my camera.

Anyway, looks like you had a wonderful meal with wonderful friends. It's also nice when you meet new people in places you never thought you would, and then you find out that you would make really great friends outside of the bubble too. We've met a lot of nice folks that way.

My camera fit in my pocket, so I was able to take it. You are allowed to bring things that you can fit in your pocket. Your big DSLR will have to go in the locker.

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Thanks for the info! I've gotten an Italian margarita several times, and never noticed the gelato at the kiosk. I guess I was too focused on the margarita!

I can understand that! I've been distracted by the Italian margarita a time or two!

Originally Posted by goofysdtr

You are famous, my dear girl. Although I would say you're more Halle Berry than Queen Latifah.

Dinner sounded wonderful! How could it not be though, with the company you had?

Thank you for saying that. I'll mail your check tomorrow!

[PrincessSharon]

Day Nine – Sunday, September 4
Hello, for the seventh time!

I slept until 7 and then got up and checked out the action outside.

























I got ready for the day and then had a quick breakfast of cereal. I’d decided that I needed to ride TOT today, so DHS was the park of choice. A bus arrived shortly after I got to the stop, and we were arriving at DHS a bit later.

I arrived at the park after opening, so I decided to skip TSMM today. I had a one-track mind, and that was leading me down Sunset Boulevard to my beloved Tower.



There was practically no wait, so I was in the Twilight Zone in no time! Sweet! I figured I’d keep riding until the line built up. I decided to pick up a FP in addition, so I could squeeze in one more drop. Then I got right back in line.

I saw a CM that I’d seen my first go round and he recognized me and said, “Hello again!” When I got to the boiler room, I chose a side (it wasn’t really a choice – neither side had any sort of line at all). As I approached the CMs at the front, I noticed that they were looking at me a bit strangely. When I got to the front, the CM asked me, “Do you know you have a strange man following you?” I turned around and, sure enough, there was a strange man behind me. But fear not! It was just a CM! I cracked up at my own obliviousness.

There was still a short line, so I went around again. I saw the same CM in the library, and he greeted me, “Hello, for the third time!” I kept getting on again and again until the line finally started building up. I used my FP for my 7th ride of the morning. There. That should hold me until my next trip!

Before I left the park, though, I wanted one more spin on Star Tours! Crazy, right? I walked over there and picked up a FP, because the standby was 20 whole minutes. While I waited for the FP to ripen, I went on Muppet Vision, which I hadn’t done yet. I was happy to get to see the entire pre show.



Toward the end, a little girl about 4 years old climbed up on the crates next to me, and it was making me nervous in a “why are her parents letting her do this, she could fall!” kind of way. Finally, I said to her “Be careful! ” hoping her parent would look over and make her get down. She just smiled right back at me and nodded her little head. Mom and/or Dad did not even react. Oh well, I tried. And she survived without falling down and busting her head open, wait, is my mother suddenly writing this TR? so all’s well that ends well, I guess.

Now it was time to use my Star Tours FP, so I walked over there. The ride was different this time. First, we were visited by Storm Troopers. Are you impressed that I know the name? And then we went to the planet that isn’t a planet at all, but rather a big hollow-looking ball with little holes that light shines through, and it looks like a big, round office building or something. Just kidding Star Wars fans. It looks exactly like what it’s supposed to be! Whatever that is. Which I’m sure isn’t an office building. Don’t hate me! I forgot which character showed up near the end. Not that I’d know his name anyway. It wasn’t Chewbacca. Or Luke or Leia. And it wasn’t Yoda either. Or that bounty hunter fellow that Zack likes. After that, I got nuttin’.

I was hungry, but I wasn’t going to eat at any place at DHS. There are a few places to get decent food, but it’s a struggle to do so. And the thing that irritates me most about the quick service food at DHS is the fact that the table service places are all good (or way better than good, in the case of the Brown Derby). I figured I’d get something to eat back at AKL.

I waited about 15 minutes for a bus, but I was first in line, so I assume I just missed one. Anyway, 15 minutes isn’t all that bad. I popped down to the Mara and decided to get a burger. I didn’t want a big burger though, because I wanted to be nice and hungry for dinner at Artist Point. So I got the kids’ cheeseburger. Heather, you know how you love trying different burgers at WDW? Well, I can guarantee you’d hate the kids’ burger at Mara. It was well done. I don’t mean normal fast-food-burger well done. I mean this thing was actually crispy. It crunched when I bit into it! BURNT! Of course, I prefer well done (fast-food-burger) burgers, but this was a bit much. I ate it anyway, without complaining about it, but that was mostly because I was already back in my room before I started eating it. Had I been in the Mara, I absolutely would’ve sent it back, and for me, that’s saying something!

I relaxed on my balcony, watching the animals come and go. I just adore being so low (in other resorts, I prefer a higher room).





I realized I still needed to ride the Carousel of Progress this trip (one of my old favorites), and I was almost certain it wouldn’t be open during EMH that night, so I figured I’d get ready for dinner, pop into the MK for a bit, do the COP and maybe the People Mover, and then from there, get a boat to the WL. But first, a nap was in order.

Continued…

[PrincessSharon]

After my little nap, I took a shower and got dressed. I was happy that today, I didn’t have the crazy long wait for a MK bus. I’d say I waited about 10 minutes. The one thing I dislike about staying at AK is the long bus ride to the MK. To the other parks, it really isn’t bad, but MK is a good 20 minutes.

The fall decorations had popped up since our last visit.





The MK was fairly crowded, but I knew it wouldn’t be a problem to get on the COP. I was right, of course, and I had a good time traveling through history (but it bothers me the huge chunk that’s missing – they jump from the 40s to the 90s, and it’s still out of date!).



When I came out, I noticed it was raining. Pouring! I thought I heard an old man snoring. And of course, since I had on nicer clothes, I hadn’t brought my little backpack, thus no poncho! I decided to wait out the rain. I figured I was already waiting, I may as well sit down inside a comfortable theater, so I went right back and did COP again. This proves how awesome the TOT CMs are – not one COP CM welcomed me back for the second time. In fact, if they noticed me riding a second time in a row, they probably would’ve had a different reaction altogether!

After my second spin in a row on COP I’ll take things you’d never thought you'd read in a trip report for $300, Alex, the rain had slowed enough that I could make it across the way to the Peoplemover without getting too wet. Yay!

During my tour of Tomorrowland, the rain slowed to a light drizzle. I figured this was my chance to make my escape, so once my ride was done, I hightailed it out of the MK. A WL boat was arriving just as I got to the dock, so I figured I had one more little area to walk through and then I was home free. Luckily, the rain stopped for good before I even got off the boat.

I was way early for the ADR, and I knew Bob & Larry hadn’t yet arrived, so I found a nice rocking chair and people watched. When I saw them arrive, I went and found them, and we chatted for a while about my knowledge of a secret and Eileen’s burning need to know said secret.

When Larry checked us in, he requested their favorite server, Sandrine. She had just been given a large table next to ours, so she wasn’t our server, but we had a great server in her place. Bob or Larry I’m sure remember her name.

I started with the heirloom salad, which was phenomenal.



The buffalo mozzarella foam was interesting – didn’t like it, didn’t hate it. I think the flavor was fine, but I didn’t love the texture. The tomatoes were awesome. Best I’ve had since my trip to Italy. For the main course, I went with Yukon gold potato gnocchi. I believe I’ve discussed my infatuation with gnocchi before. It’s like a banana dessert - it just calls to me, jumping right off the menu!



This gnocchi was extremely tasty, as I expected it to be. Unfortunately, it was too good. I ate so much of it that I didn’t have room for dessert. And I’d been thinking about that berry cobbler since I first talked to Larry about joining them for this meal. So I have another reason to return to AP.

After settling the check (which Bob and Larry generously paid again, guys!), we were ready to hit the MK. After a quick bathroom break, we headed to the boat dock. We arrived there to see a boat pulling away. And Wishes was just starting, but we could only just see the really high bursts over the trees. So no Wishes for me this trip. Something else for the “next time” list.

The park was moderately busy when we arrived, but I figured it would empty out as the night wore on and I’d be able to ride a bunch of stuff. That’s not what happened. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Bob took the role of guide and Larry and I followed him to BTMRR. There was a 20-minute wait posted, but we waited for a bit less than that. I can’t help giggling while riding BTMRR! It’s a lot of fun, especially riding in the back like we were.

Next was POTC. There wasn’t much of a line, and we were sitting in the front of a boat in short order. Bob jokingly complained to the CM “We’ll get wet!” The CM quipped back, “Only if you get out of the boat!” Not true! I get wet on Pirates all the time! Also, prophetic! So, what happened next, I’m blaming entirely on Bob!

Gee, after that build up, you expect something exciting to happen. Nothing exciting happened. I suppose something happened to make George, the resident ghost, unhappy. But we weren’t witness to that. Anyway, this is what happened. We got to the skeleton steering the ship, just before the drop, and then stopped. We were stuck. We waited. And waited. And waited. Every now and again, a CM would make an announcement that the ride could resume motion at any minute and to remain seated. After the 4th time, we were on to her!

We sat there for a while, with a constant loop of lightning, thunder, and “Dead men tell no tales ales ales ales!” Then they turned that off, and then they turned on the work lights. Not good. Finally, they announced that the ride was being reset and would begin moving again immediately. LIE! We sat there for a bit longer and then, finally, an announcement that they were evacuating us from the ride and to remain seated until a CM came to you. Luckily, we were very close to an emergency exit (and the ropes lying around that are ride props serve double duty – the CMs used them to secure our ride vehicle so we could safely climb out). I’d say the entire thing lasted about an hour, but the local news disagrees. Perhaps those people weren’t as close to an exit as we were.

I thought it was pretty cool to get evacuated, because POTC is one of the few rides I hadn’t ever been stuck on. Plus a peek backstage is always kinda fun for me. We were each given a FP for any ride in the MK, but after that, we were all ready to call it a night. I decided then to return to the MK the next morning to fit in the few things that I still needed to do at that park. Larry and Bob were planning to go to Epcot, so they gave me their FPs. I figured I could knock out a bunch of stuff early, and then meet them at Epcot to say farewell.

We walked out to the bus stop and said our goodbyes, just in case. A bus was waiting and I hopped right on and got a seat. Back at AKL, I decided to do my packing in the morning and turned in.

Up Next: The list of last minute must do’s gets longer and longer

[kingfamily1129]

Ahhh yes I read about the PoTC evac....sorry you were stuck on it!! Sounds like you're having a lot of fun getting to do all the things you wanted to do...I like that you rode TOT 7 times in a row LOL

[mousestruck]

Holy smokes... stuck on Pirates??? I, too, would have felt it was kind of cool, despite the inconvenience. Your dinner at AP looks and sound fabulous! I have yet to try that place, but it's on my wish list. It gets such rave reviews.

[lauriep]

[QUOTE=PrincessSharon;3798217]After my second spin in a row on COP I’ll take things you’d never thought you'd read in a trip report for $300, Alex,

That phrase comes to mind every time I write about something like watching a gorilla have a hysterectomy in my TRs!