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[mom2twingirlies]

All caught up again. ...... take a weekend off of the boards and so much gets posted.

Loved the pirate faces.... I bet the boys would have really gotten the stink eye from the gorillas with those faces!

Those boys are so tall! I'm hoping my girls are 48" this January for our next trip, and they will be 7! They didn't make it last January.

I can't imagine 3 drops! My tummy has trouble with 1. Good thing I have 1 DD who doesn't want to ride so I have to sit with her.

Who wouldn't love meeting Sulley though. He is too cute!

[disney_duke]

Sounds like you made the right call to leave early. I also agree that there are parts of DHS I just don't understand. I find myself doing the same attractions, finish up, then leave. Oh well, not every park is for everyone. Great character photos though!

[KMB733]

More great fun at DHS!!! Great pictures of your meet and greet with Mike and Sulley!!!

[Shawnam1868]

Sharon, it sounds like your family is awesome. I love your trip reports. Oh, that doesn't sound creepy, does it?

Anyway, if it makes you feel any better, I've never even seen 1 Star Wars movie either. In fact, I am constantly driving my dh nuts thinking Star Wars is Star Trek and vice versa.

[LLaffinPlace]

Originally Posted by Shawnam1868

In fact, I am constantly driving my dh nuts thinking Star Wars is Star Trek and vice versa.

Aaaack!

[Cam22]

I took a weekend off and got numerous pages behind on your TR! Great fun catching up though! Super pictures, especially with all the characters at Animation Academy and with Mike and Sully!

[JoanneS]

Great photos! I'm not a Star Wars fan either. Never seen any of them and don't really want to. But I enjoyed the ride and look forward to the new version. Can't wait to hear more!

[mommapants]

Great update. As much as I love F! I think I would have skipped it too if it was rainy.

[BJ Wanlund]

I have now watched every single Star Wars movie (the lone one I hadn't seen all the way thru was Empire)... but I really so much prefer the original trilogy over the prequels!! Natalie Portman was okay, but Hayden Christensen as a certain character (trying so hard not to try and spoil it for those who haven't seen those movies ) just never did it for me, and I thought he was flat and essentially a poor actor for such roles that were practically placed in his lap.

So I am not necessarily stoked for Star Tours 2.0, but while I thought the original was quite a bit better to my mind, I will reserve judgment until such time as I have seen the new Star Tours for myself.

BTW Sharon, great day at DHS, and I was wondering: did you catch some of the Disney jokes at a certain point in the queue and the hidden detail in a certain part of the ride?

BJ

[MosyBliss]

Happy Dance!! I am so loving this report...the boys are too cute and it looks like you all are having a great time.

[ilovedisney247]

Sharon . . . I thought of you when I realized that the entire Star Wars series has just been released on Blu Ray. Somehow I didn't think you'd appreciate that present complete with instructions on which order to watch them in . . .
I'm totally with you about the CS offerings at DHS and how annoying it is that stuff seems to close randomly. Park open until 10--Backlot Express and Bar closes at 5. Why would you do that? Right before the dinner rush?
Love the Isiah flashback photo! He's still just as cute.

[PrincessSharon]

Originally Posted by MayraLR

I agree, that line for Buzz & Woody is very deceptive. I spent like 45 minutes in there. The things you have to do for your kids.

Glad you were able to watch the new parade! Love the pictures with Sulley!

I wouldn't wait more than 20 minutes or so to meet any character (unless you got to meet a bunch, like the CC at Epcot), but it was worse with the worrying that by waiting, he'd miss who he wanted to meet the most! I'd say they waited close to 45 minutes to meet Buzz and Woody.

Originally Posted by lexiemom

Mike Wazowski has some awfully girly legs. I love the photos of you and Sulley! I am less than thrilled with the CS choices at DHS, too. We chose to have lunch at Sci-Fi since it is reasonably priced and a much better choice.

Mike Wazowski's girly legs reminds me of a game I used to play with my nieces when they got older - guessing whether the "friend of" a certain character was male or female.

And when I know I'm going to spend a large portion of the day at DHS, I make a lunch ADR.

Originally Posted by lauriep

This update was totally hijacked by the flashback of 3-yr-old Isaiah. Sooo cute I can't stand it!

That's when he was still a cuddly baby, before he got to be a boy. Now he wants to play with bugs and climb trees.

Originally Posted by mcc0313

That smile....you can never get enough of it (yours too Sharon but at the moment I am referring to Isaiah) love all the character photos, glad you had some onion one time with the blue yeti...I mean Sully.

Sorry about Fantasmic...but I agree with the rain on and off that is a mighty long walk to sit and be rained on. Dhs is my least favorite in terms. Of food, the TS are great but I have never found a CS we enjoy...snacks yes but sometimes you just want. Quick bite and there really isn't anything worth it there.

DHS is my least favorite park overall. And my absolute favorite ride is there!

Originally Posted by goofyboysmama

Great update! Thanks for the pics of the Pixar parade - I didn't get to see that one. I was at your Star Tours description, being a total fan boy (girl) of SW. (I was SO at the passport and stuff - lucky!)
I thought it was so cool that everyone was able to split up and converge again, go solo, then meet up. I'm planning a Thanksgiving reunion at DW next year and I am verrrrry nervous about it! They're all noobs )

I'll send you the other passport if you want it! Taking a bunch of noobs? You might have to work out a plan where one group does Fantasyland while the other does Frontierland stuff, and then meet up for like Adventureland or something. Good luck with that!

Originally Posted by belleandmaddysmom

I hate that about DHS too! The counter service places are horrible and everything closes early. Why???? Glad the meet with Sulley happened! And he does resemble a big blue yeti.

I think it's probably because the person in charge figures the back parts of the park are dead at the end of the day. Of course they are - everyone went to the front of the park to eat and drink! Duh!

Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata

LOVE the pics of Isaiah with Sulley. I mean seriously. The kid looks so overjoyed! Of course, Sulley is so cute, how could you NOT be overjoyed to hug him??

Another great update!

Everyone was happy that Isaiah got to meet Sulley. It was definitely a magical moment for all of us.

Originally Posted by Luv2laff

Thanks for your Sci-Fi pics. We are eating here for the first time in March and it looks really cool.
The who farted comment made me giggle, but to all who said it's because he's a boy doesnt know my daughter. While eating in a fairly nice restaurant in the next town over from us, she belched loudly, and then smiled at me. I was mortified! We live in a small town and eat there on a regular basis! How embarassing!!

Then they give you the look like they're so proud of themselves, right? Too funny!

Originally Posted by Caldercup

There's nothing left to mail -- I ate it all when I got so depressed over how you were portraying me in your trip report...

Okay, I'm sorry. As soon as I get the package you claim to have mailed the other day, I will post on the boards and clear your good name.

Originally Posted by honeybee723

DHS is my least favorite park at WDW and for one of the reasons you stated above...closing down early. I also feel like there's not enough to hold my interest, but that's just my opinion. I think they need to revamp a few things, ie; the backlot studio tour. I don't know when the last time I rode that was.

Originally Posted by MayraLR

DHS is also my least favorite Disney theme park. I agree with Melissa, the park needs a revamp or something. If it wasn't for the 3 big attractions (RNRC, TOT & TSMM) I would skip it.

If my favorite ride wasn't there, I doubt I'd spend more than half a day there. Even on this long 10 day trip, I spent only 1 and a half days there.

Originally Posted by ilovedisney0_0

Sharon, don't feel like the lone ranger - I have never seen any of the Star Wars movies, either. I guess that's why I wasn't even a little bit excited when they were hyping up Star Tours 2.0...

I wasn't excited at all for Star Tours 2.0, but I do think the new ride is a big improvement, and I look forward to riding again, just to see all the different options.

Originally Posted by Shawnam1868

Sharon, it sounds like your family is awesome. I love your trip reports. Oh, that doesn't sound creepy, does it?

Anyway, if it makes you feel any better, I've never even seen 1 Star Wars movie either. In fact, I am constantly driving my dh nuts thinking Star Wars is Star Trek and vice versa.

Well, I know a little about Star Wars (thanks mostly to Disney). I know nothing of Star Trek, so there's no confusion for me!

Originally Posted by BJ Wanlund

I have now watched every single Star Wars movie (the lone one I hadn't seen all the way thru was Empire)... but I really so much prefer the original trilogy over the prequels!! Natalie Portman was okay, but Hayden Christensen as a certain character (trying so hard not to try and spoil it for those who haven't seen those movies ) just never did it for me, and I thought he was flat and essentially a poor actor for such roles that were practically placed in his lap.

So I am not necessarily stoked for Star Tours 2.0, but while I thought the original was quite a bit better to my mind, I will reserve judgment until such time as I have seen the new Star Tours for myself.

BTW Sharon, great day at DHS, and I was wondering: did you catch some of the Disney jokes at a certain point in the queue and the hidden detail in a certain part of the ride?

BJ

Not being a fan of the movies, I always felt like the original Star Tours was one I could skip. I really like the new version a lot more (my favorite part of the old one was the preshow film ). I think you'll like it as well. And I went through the queue so quickly, I didn't have time to notice details.

Originally Posted by MosyBliss

Happy Dance!! I am so loving this report...the boys are too cute and it looks like you all are having a great time.

We had a blast!

Originally Posted by ilovedisney247

Sharon . . . I thought of you when I realized that the entire Star Wars series has just been released on Blu Ray. Somehow I didn't think you'd appreciate that present complete with instructions on which order to watch them in . . .
I'm totally with you about the CS offerings at DHS and how annoying it is that stuff seems to close randomly. Park open until 10--Backlot Express and Bar closes at 5. Why would you do that? Right before the dinner rush?
Love the Isiah flashback photo! He's still just as cute.

What are you talking about, Heather? That Star Trek on bluray is #1 on my Amazon wishlist! Oh, I mean Star Wars. Everything closing early makes me mad every time I'm there to witness it! Even with all the foot traffic of Star Tours 2.0, they haven't changed the policy.

[PrincessSharon]

Day Five – Wednesday, August 31
Making Donald Duck’s “list”

I slept until my alarm went off and quickly got ready. I went next door to find everyone getting ready. Daniel was sleeping and said he didn’t want to go. Oh no he di’nt. I made this ADR because he whined about not having a charcter meal and now he doesn’t want to get up (when I made sure to tell him when I made the ADR that he’d have to get up early and he said no problem). I didn’t have to say anything, because DM went in there and woke him up! The second he got up, he was fine, so he was just being lazy, I guess.

We needed two cars, so we drove over to the BC in both. I checked us in and we were seated almost immediately. After giving our drink orders, we hit the buffet, except for Jackie and Daniel, who were waiting for the chef to discuss Daniel’s allergies. I was pleased to find out that they make all the pastries in house, so the only things he couldn’t have were the pecan rolls and some other item with peanuts right on top of it.

Goofy was getting to our table just as I returned with my food. Yay! Photos:






The boys returned one at a time!



Next to visit was Minnie.





I decided to start a little trouble with Donald Duck. When he came to visit us, I said “Mickey Mouse is #1!!” Well, that did it! He pushed me away and as much as I tried to apologize, he kept waving me off. The boys (and the grown ups) were cracking up. Finally, after many apologies, he relented and allowed me to be in the picture.







But he kept coming back and wagging his finger at me and he even told our server on me! Good times.

We had such fun at this breakfast. So many laughs. And then, during a quiet moment, Isaiah comes out with “My Dad snores like a pig!” We all were like on the floor after he said that! That was the closest I’ve ever come to a spit take in real life! And then, Mr. Comedian figures he had us, so he says “My mom snores like a duck!” He proceeded to tell us what kind of animal everyone snores like.

We got another visit from Goofy.





After breakfast, DSIL, the boys and I headed to Epcot while DM went back to the timeshare for a non park day. DB Eric and DSIL were supposed to be arriving later that day, so they wanted to be there to greet them. Erica and Brooke didn’t make the trip this time.

The rest of us walked to the boat (DSIL didn’t want to walk to Epcot). One was arriving, so we had to speedwalk to be sure and make it. Once we got into the park, we took our time, because we figured the park had just opened and it seemed to be a light crowd day.






Notice the bird?

We finally arrived at the Land pavilion. The Soarin’ standby was only 10 minutes. Sweet!

We came pretty close to getting the 3rd row, but there were too many of us to fit, so we got front row without having to ask for it! This used to be Isaiah’s favorite, but now he has a few others that are higher on his list. It’s still DSIL’s favorite, though.

Next we went on LWTL. Jackie and I enjoyed it a lot more than the boys did.






My BFF Karen’s house









Next on the agenda was JIYI. I could skip this ride, but the boys like it. Isaiah nearly had a mini meltdown in the gift shop because we wouldn’t get him a stuffed Figment (like he needed something else). But he has the exact same Figment at home, he just didn’t remember.

Next was Finding Nemo. There was no line (but it takes forever to get through that queue!).









We explored the aquarium for a bit, though I didn’t get any photos.

And the boys got their traditional picture with Bruce.



As we passed the character spot, I noticed the Queen of Hearts was inside. I asked the CM standing outside if we could sneak in the exit and just see her of did we have to wait in line for all the characters. We were able to take the fast track to meet the Queen.





I wanted to do the other side of Future World, but we needed to ride Spaceship Earth first.

















There were a lot of people from the northeast U.S. today.



We headed to Test Track next. DSIL enjoys this one.




Jackie would kill me if she knew I posted this picture – don’t tell her!

The boys decided to go for a drive after the ride.





I’d asked DSIL what she wanted to get for lunch. I figured if the boys wanted pizza again (ugh!), we could get it right there at Cool Wash Pizza, but she wanted Mexican. Excellent choice! So we headed to World Showcase.

On our walk, I spotted Duffy. Isaiah was really excited to meet him, and Noah was so cute, saying “Duffy missed you, so he took Dad’s car and drove down to see you!” I happen to think Duffy is cuddly and adorable.







Duffy then drove back home so he’d be waiting on Isaiah’s bed when they got back. Isaiah ate that up with a spoon and kept saying “Duffy came to visit me!” Too cute!

Up Next: Touring World Showcase

[Big Baloo]

How great that the crowds were light that day--makes touring so much more fun, especially in the heat! Really enjoying all the pictures with the characters and reading all the funny comments--

[cubfancolleen]

Great morning! Breakfast sounded like fun, and what luck that not only was it only a short wait for Soarin', but you got front row too?!
The Duffy pics were cute. So sweet of Noah to tell Isaiah it was his Duffy coming to visit!