2 Haunted Mansions, 1 Day (Plus Free Dining!) - Page 6 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Great update. I think you got to spend more time at PI than I did. We went once on our honeymoon but only went into the Jazz club for a bit and walked the street. That was about it. But that far back, it was VERY busy. Very strange to see the pics of empty clubs.
We went to PI a lot when I was there on the college program in 2000. The place was so packed you could hardly walk the street. So sad to see it deserted.
Thank you so much for the kind comments, everyone! I too was sad to see the Adventurer's Club go, even if it wasn't completely my cup of tea. It was still a unique, amazingly themed place that really embodied the Disney difference. BET Soundstage.... not so much....
You might be interested in the pictures from a wedding the Roots recently shot - they did portraits at the Adventurer's Clubafter the reception, and they are amazing!
Day 4 looks downright boring in comparison to Day 3, so I think it will have to be more of a pictorial tour than thrilling saga...
Today was a full-on Magic Kingdom Day! We took the bus cuz they say it’s the fastest route, but it took every ounce of my strength to resist the urge to flee the long line at Pop and just get in our car.
Once again, we ambled into a park around 10am instead of getting up in time for rope-drop, and the crowds were still so light! DH had to take a picture of City Hall because it was behind tarps on our last visit.
We started with rides on Big Thunder and Splash Mountain. The latter was down for rehab in February, so we were eager to try it.
We don’t have this guy in our Splash Mountain...
We were on a mission to take pix of Donald for our pal Wazzo...expect many, many more shots (that duck really gets around!)
After that we did Pirates and Haunted Mansion, then headed up by the former Skyway. So pretty!
At lunch we returned to our fave counter service place in the MK – Columbia Harbor House (more for the atmosphere than the food).
Fish & Chips, meat-filled Salad, Apple Crisp-thingy, and Chocolate Cake
We started joking about how we were being forced to eat desserts beyond our appetite and stomach capacity simply because they were free on the Dining Plan. When I pulled a face like a sobbing child being forced to gag down dessert, DH started laughing so hard he could barely breathe. It was one of those “had to be there” moments but boy were we entertaining ourselves snapping pix of our various faces....
Must...finish... free dessert...
On our way to Tomorrowland, I made DH snap a pic of this pretty spot on the path to the castle – I never even knew about it until it started popping up in people’s Magic Kingdom Bridal Portraits.
We cut through Cosmic Ray’s, where DH stopped a moment to rock out with Sonny Eclipse...
Our first stop was Space Mountain, which we were going to give a second try on the advice of some pals who suggested our underwhelming honeymoon ride was due to selecting the right-hand queue. So this time we were sure to bear left....
Hmmm... it wasn’t as jerky as the right side, but we were still underwhelmed... We followed it with a far more exciting ride: the Peoplemover!!
Still haven’t managed a decent shot of Progress City (aka, The Epcot That Never Was)...
When we passed through Space Mountain, the work lights were on – whohoo!
It started raining while we were on the Peoplemover (OK, OK – Tomorrowland Transit Authority – there! Are you happy?!), and by the time we got to the ground floor, it was pouring. We made a dash for the Carousel of Progress.
Fun! I enjoyed it much more this time than on our honeymoon because I was awake. The sky had cleared by the time we were done, so we went back to Fantasyland for Mickey’s Philharmagic. It also is much more enjoyable when one is awake. And we got another opportunity to get a pic of Donald for Wazzo in the gift shop....
LOVE the loading area for Snow White – it’s so much more detailed than ours...
And now, a not-quite-comprehensive photo tour of Small World. Think of it as a way to enjoy the ride without the song!
DH is obsessed by the amount of money to be found in Disney ride waterways...
When we got off the ride, I realized I’d left my umbrella hanging on the arm of my seat in Carousel of Progress... Back to Tomorrowland!
Apparently the retrieval of my umbrella was not so urgent that we couldn’t stop to snap this pic
The umbrella was not at the ride operator station’s lost and found. So I asked if I could search each auditorium as it circled back around (cuz I couldn’t remember the number of the one we were in – TIP: Always make a note of the number of your Co’P auditorium if you plan to lose something there!)
That took 30 minutes of waiting for each auditorium, searching, and waiting. I looked in them all, but my umbrella was nowhere to be found. Booo! Who would steal someone’s umbrella? Next time you’re in MK and see someone with a pink umbrella, you’ll know – that person is a low-down dirty THIEF!!!
The Co’P cast member suggested the umbrella might have been taken to Buzz Lightyear’s lost and found, but the CMs over there laughed and shook their heads at that theory. So we rode Buzz....
I can’t believe they let that guy run the equipment!
...And I got a consolation hug from this guy...
He’s not as cuddly as he appears...
After that we decided to mosey out to the hub.
I wanted DH to get a pic of the Swan Boat Landing for my Weddings & Honeymoon book – it’s the only place you can have a wedding in the Magic Kingdom.
Just $25,000 gets you a wedding ceremony in this glamorous former boat dock!
More Donald for Wazzo...
One of my favorite vistas in the MK!
OMG! It’s a bunny and a duck hanging out together!!
The duck kept trying to chase the bunny away. He looks pretty P.O.ed about the whole situation...
Pretty Main Street!
I wanted a treat and nothing at the Main Street Bakery sounded like what I wanted, so I invented the S’mores Brownie a la mode. I was told that it would only count as one snack credit if the cashier rang it up as an ice cream sandwich! But then he rang it up wrong and we woulda had to wait for a manager, so we just took the 2-credit hit....
Not worth it!
DH had the classic Dole Whip float
We rode Jungle Cruise and decided to cash in our Big Thunder FastPasses.
Then it was Back to Main Street to kill time before dinner at Tony’s.
Wall o’ Mickeys!
Candy shop treats for the folks on the DIS’s “food porn” thread!
Overpriced AND off-model!
Pssst... can I interest you in a wooden nickel?
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was about to begin, and the CMs were sporting their scariest costumes.
DH dragged me to the end of Main Street to see... Dream Along With Mickey, I think it’s called? Because the suit characters have moving mouths. We tried to figure out if the actors were operating the mouths themselves or someone else was doing it remotely (later we were told they do it themselves – wow!).
Donald for Wazzo
A little before 7pm, we checked in at Tony’s Town Square and asked for a 6-inch celebration cake, since MK restaurants are about the only ones that serve the Sara Lee version.
I guess because I picked Tony’s for the atmosphere (and cuz we weren’t paying) I made DH take a TON of pix...
We decided this was the worst table-service meal of our trip. The service wasn’t bad, as I’d heard, but perfunctory is about the nicest word I can come up with. The food was greasy, with low-quality ingredients.
Spaghetti and meatballs (you kinda have to get it at Tony’s!) $16.99
Catch of the Day (yeah, right! It was salmon) with Orzo Pasta tossed with Pancetta, Roasted Garlic and Seasonal Vegetables topped with Balsamic Maple Glaze $21.99
Once again, we got dessert just because it was free – even though we had an entire 6-inch cake on the way. But my ice cream bombe was so bland I pushed it away after a few bites. DH ate all the green out of his spumoni.
Ice Cream Bomb - chocolate and vanilla ice cream covered in rich chocolate sauce $5.99
Spumoni - layers of ice cream with pistachio nuts and cherries $4.99
The server brought our cake out in a box so we could eat it later. Then we decided to see how long we could stay in the MK for MNSSHP without wristbands!
We didn’t last very long – we kinda chickened out. But it did pique my previously non-existent interest in MNSSHP. It’s never been on my radar cuz I’m not a fan of parades, and it sounds like the candy and extras get fewer and farther between every year while the price keeps going up. But it would be kinda fun to go into the MK in costume, I must admit...
So instead we caught the bus back to Pop, grabbed our car, and went to the beach at the Poly to view the MNSSHP fireworks! The plan was also to *finally* get to see the Electrical Water Pageant, but when we got to the beach I discovered my iPhone was missing and pretty much had a meltdown. We ran back to the car, where DH found it buried under some stuff – hooray DH! But we missed the EP once again!
Fireworks from Poly beach
When we got back to the room, I discovered one square inch of space in my tummy with which I could try the Sara Lee podium cake.
It was WAAAY better than the WDW-made podium cake we got at Coral Reef! It was also twice as high and had real buttercream frosting, not whipped cream. And it just looked better. Sure, it tasted like a supermarket cake, but some of us like supermarket cake.
I officially declare Sara Lee readymade cakes the victor over WDW bakery-made cakes!
Then I fell into a sugar coma until... DAY 5!!!! Coming up next!
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Love all your descriptions. Too funny. Glad that you found an inch of tummy space for cake. The things that you do all for the sake of your fans.
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That sounded like a Great day! Love the pics of the white crane with the ferryboat behind it and also the "wall o'mickeys".
We love the MNSSHP. (of course last year was our first one ) But, we will be back this year on Halloween. And for Wazzo...my DH and I and our 3 boys went as Daisy, Donald, Huey, Dewey and Louie.
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Off to a wonderful start on your vacation. I'm ready for more. I still have to read your honeymoon....as I only got through the wedding portion before I had to stop.
I assume you guys were doing free dining....if so, why didn't you skip desserts? It's not like you paid for them and it would lower your bill (for tip) at the TS places. When we went in Sept, we skipped dessert several times and DD used an appetizer for her entree once. Since we weren't paying for the meals, it made sense to us to only eat what we wanted.
I think that was still a great day - how cool to see Space Mountain with the lights on and get those shots!
Yes, and it seems like it may not be that rare an occurrence - we also saw it with work ligths from the TTA last month!
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
At least Tony's was good for something!! More please!!
Seriously! I mean, I *might* eat there again just to get the cake!
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Originally Posted by WeRDisneyFanatics
Great update. Your MK pics are fantastic!!
I'll pass the compliment along to DH - he does a great job as Official Trip Photographer!
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Originally Posted by OhToodles!
I this picture!!
It just seems so funny - and Disney!
DH has a great eye!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minnie Lor
Love all your descriptions. Too funny. Glad that you found an inch of tummy space for cake. The things that you do all for the sake of your fans.
I knew "there's always room for ice cream," but who knew there's also always room for cake?
Quote:
Originally Posted by belle0517
Great update!
Thanks for reading along!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsteiny23
We love the MNSSHP. (of course last year was our first one ) But, we will be back this year on Halloween. And for Wazzo...my DH and I and our 3 boys went as Daisy, Donald, Huey, Dewey and Louie.
Cute! What a great idea!
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiddenMickey
I assume you guys were doing free dining....if so, why didn't you skip desserts? It's not like you paid for them and it would lower your bill (for tip) at the TS places.
Because we are silly! Have you ever found that when you get something for free, it seems that much more interesting than if you'd paid for it? Maybe this doesn't happen to anyone else... Your plan is very logical. We, however, are highly illogical and felt that, if it was included, we should probably eat it b/c we'd never normally pay for it. This was a bad M.O. bad for our tummies....
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I'm ready for more. I still have to read your honeymoon....as I only got through the wedding portion before I had to stop. 
Seriously! I mean, I *might* eat there again just to get the cake!
We, however, are highly illogical and felt that, if it was included, we should probably eat it b/c we'd never normally pay for it. This was a bad M.O. bad for our tummies.... 
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