2 Haunted Mansions, 1 Day (Plus Free Dining!) - Page 8 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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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Great update. I am loving coming along on this trip with you.
Hey, thanks! It's been so fun re-living it!
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Originally Posted by MayraLR
That's exactly what I thought when I saw it!
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Originally Posted by OhToodles!
So do you know what the discount is? Just curious.
The full details are here. It's 10%-15% off various Disney-provided elements if you book and hold your event between March 25 and Dec. 18. I've never seen anything like it!
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Originally Posted by Tinkerboo
H. If I start saving now though, I could maybe afford the Magic Kingdom location by the time our 10th/15th/25th anniversary came round..!
PS I love your orange and blue dress that you wore for your day out with the Roots - those colours really suit you!
Aw, thank you! And good thinkin' about saving for the Magic Kingdom location!
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Originally Posted by DyanKJ130
Great update! I'm dying to know what you're going to do next with your photos!
Me too!
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Originally Posted by vfair
Another great update - shouldn't have looked at the food porn so close to dinner time.
Sorry about that!
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Originally Posted by travismom
Love the food porn pictures!!! Your trout looks really good!!
I was surprised how great it was!
OK, sorry for the delay - next installment on the way!
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Today was supposed to be our one day at Animal Kingdom. I dont know why I only ever schedule one day there once were in the park, we always wish we had more time. As it worked out, we spent the day park-hopping like crazy, so we really didnt even get one day at AK!
It started with Everything Pop breakfast...
We arrived in time for rope drop (outta the way, cast members holding small animals you cant distract us from our Quest for Everest!).
We did the usual FastPass grab before walking right on to Expedition Everest not once, not twice, but THREE times in a row thanks to one of the cast members.
So much free money, so little time...
The first two times we sat in the very front row, and both times we were chatting with the CM at the podium. In those short meetings, we discovered he was a HUGE Imagineering fan, just like we are, and we were breathlessly comparing notes before the ride started. When we asked if the Yeti was in A Mode or B Mode that day (i.e. swinging his arms or just standing there with a strobe light on him), the CM told us he was actually in B+ Mode, where the strobe is on but he swings one arm.
So when we got back into the station the second time, our CM buddy ran up to us and said, I wanna show you something! And then he led us into the ride control booth! What a treat! We figured we shouldnt take pix, so all I have is the door, left tantalizingly open....
Inside, we saw the video monitors they use to watch whats going on inside the ride, along with the big computer that controls the show effects. He showed us just how many of the original effects are no longer turned on its pretty sad. Theres a bird that flies up at one point as you pass off.... There are steam/mist effects swirling around the mountain off.... and of course the full A Mode of the Yeti is only ever turned on when designer Joe Rhode visits the park. Our new pal also told us about the original plans for the ride, which would have had more mountains behind Everest and a longer track. But of course the budget was cut, and since people seem so happy with the ride in abbreviated form, you can bet theyll never expand it.
When we were done, our friend walked us straight on Everest for a third ride, but he had us sit in the very back this time. It was a lot different! You can see way more of the Yeti from the back of the train.
This is not a picture of what you can see from the back of the train. It's just for atmosphere
After Everest, we went straight to the Safari and had a great ride. I should mention that the weather that day was perfect I couldnt believe it was September. It was cooler than any other day we were there, and there wasnt a cloud in the sky.
A picture of Wazzo for Wazzo!
Now I had heard that they do a preview of the Food & Wine Festival the day before it starts, so we left AK after the safari and dashed over to Epcot for 11am when the World Showcase opened so we could have lunch.
On our way in, DH suddenly had a complete mental breakdown and dashed into a store to buy a starter set and begin a life-long addiction to pin trading.
And so it begins...
The reason he started trading is that he had discovered a new series of WDW cast member-only Muppet pins featuring lower profile characters and wanted to get them all. Like most addicts, he claimed that it would be just this once and that he could stop at any time.
Pin pusher
When we got to the World Showcase, we discovered that the food booths werent scheduled to be open for business until 1pm right when we had a hot date at AK with ... Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends!!! (We wanted to see the show for the first and last time, since it was to be cancelled at the end of Disneys fiscal year).
Instead, we wandered dejectedly around the Pearville Farm area, sponsored by the National Pear Council or whoever... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Then DH had a great idea. Instead of going back to AK for lunch, we should eat at Moroccos counter service. I didnt know this was a great idea at the time, cuz the thing Id had there on our honeymoon was no great shakes. But this day, it was perfect! We split a combination plate to save DDP credits, and it was plenty of food, and really fresh and tasty.
Let the gratuitous shots of Morocco begin!
Shwarma Platter: Chicken & Lamb Combo with hummus, tabouleh and tangerine cous cous salad, plus pita, plus tasty baklava!
After lunch, we dashed back to AK for the Pocahontas show. All that trouble, and it turned out not to even be the show! For some reason, the only thing on the times guide was actually the how we train the animals show. The real show didnt happen for another 45 minutes, or something. So we sat in the blazing sun (seriously couldnt they get a real canopy and not this flimsy gauze?) and watched a raccoon walk across a log a few times.
So long, folks its ride op. for me from now on...
Oh, and there was a porcupine too...
Now I love animals, so I was hoping itd be a real cute behind-the-scenes look at how theyre trained, but it was just enter stage left, get treat, exit stage right, repeat.... And to add insult to injury, we hadda come back in 45 minutes to do it all over again, but this time with music and hammy acting! Oh and a wisp of a storyline about looking for an animal who can save the forest.
In the meantime...
Apparently I didnt get the memo about our pose...
Fresh!!!
Then it was back to Pocahontas & Her Forest Friends and you can imagine how THAT went! (Spoiler alert: The moral of the story is, humans are the only animal that can save the forest. I think Smokey the Bear should sue.)
After the show we had a couple of hours to bum around AK til our dinner reservation at Boma. I love poking around the Tree of Life during Its Tough to Be a Bug cuz theres no one around...
We discovered a little info station behind the show exit where a cast member had two cool giant spiders on display and answered our questions. There was also this photo op...
Eventually we decided to give Dinosaur! another try. Its my friend Lisas favorite ride, and I felt bad that we hated it so much the first time. This time we didnt hate it AS much, but we still think it needs music!
Meh...
Lets see... what to do next....
...Ah how about a soaking ride on Kali River Rapids?
Um, sorry there are no pix of the actual ride.... Id never been on it before, so I had DH snapping shots of the queue right and left!
And then we saw...
...and then....
...Mr. Sleepy Tiger...
...some pots...
...painting guys...
...Lurkyloo live blogging...
Around this time, we realized we needed to be heading over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our coveted reservation at Boma. But when we tried to leave....
BAM!
We got jambo-ed by Mickeys [Traffic] Jammin Jungle Parade! Everywhere we turned, there was a crowd or part of the parade!
Ill NEVER let you leave my park!!!
I still dont get this. At Disneyland we have parade stops where they open the rope and let you cross through a gap in the parade. At WDW, if you get stuck behind a parade, you better pray you dont have a 5:10 ADR at Boma... or a flight to catch (thats foreshadowing!)....
Finally, mercifully, the parade ended and we were caught up in the wave of people pouring out of the park. Fortunately, AKL is right nearby, so we burned rubber for, like, 500 feet, and made it to Boma on time!
I was completely stuffed after one plate but refused to accept it. How could I have squandered my appetite on just one trip when there was all this bounty?
Random food shots another thing I hate about buffets. How am I sposed to tell yall what in the heck this is?
Yes, those are Zebra Domes. No, I still don't like them
After dinner we rolled out the door between Boma and Jiko to get this shot of my Favorite Place at AKL:
OK, so after dinner at Boma, we hopped in the car and drove back to Epcot to see IllumiNations and get dessert from one of the soft-open Food & Wine booths.
Looky what we saw!
Pausing to Blog
I was surprised how long the lines were for soft-opening, but I guess its a thing to do after work on a late-September evening in Orlando. We waited about 15 minutes so I could get a chocolate creme brulee from France.
What a disappointment! It wasnt chocolatey at all!
Heres me either being disappointed or being French again someday Im going to meet a real French person whos seen all these photos and get punched in the face!
I threw away the creme brulee and decided I wanted gelato instead, so it was off to Italy.
But the gelato tasted all gritty and powdery, so I threw it away too!
We wanted to see IllumiNations properly this time, and Id heard Italy had a great view. We staked out a spot directly behind a dessert party on Italy Isola, WAY early. Then DH realized he was no longer wearing his pin lanyard! So he went running back to where wed last been and, fortunately, it was still there. WHEW!!! To think he almost had to stop pin collecting!
I forgot to mention this earlier: We have had a deal for a while that if he ever started pin trading, I was allowed to start collecting Robert Olszewski miniatures of Disneyland and eventually have the whole setup with the giant board and working lights and stuff.... my evil plan has now been set in motion....
Anyway, so we sat around for, like, an hour waiting for IllumiNations we never do that! But it was worth it when the crowds came and we had the bestest view of the show ever we could even see Wishes fireworks in the distance! The only thing was, the lights on the globe kept cutting out. But otherwise, it was fabulous, and I declare Italy a prime viewing spot for IllumiNations!
(Thats Wishes on the left)
Coming up: Day 7 The last full day at WDW and calm before the storm that was.... Two Haunted Mansions in One Day!!!
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Great update and pictures!! How cool to see the EE control room!! Sorry the chocolate creme brulee was a let down! But some other good eats along the way today!!
Wowza - I'm tired from just reading about your action packed days (I obviously need to go and have some myself to get back in shape )! I'm so jealous of your Everest experience too - it is my absolute favourite coaster.
It must be so lovely for you to be able to go back to the exact spot where you were married ...yet another reason why I wish our wedding had been a Disney one...
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Tinkerboo (or in the real world, Toyah) Reading Challenge 2015: 0/84
Follow my journey from sweaty panting mess to running goddess (I hope!) Out walking with The Boy...
Awesome update! Very interesting behind the scenes info on EE. I've heard that there are design problems with the Yeti but I wonder why the bird and steam effects aren't used.
Sorry that Pocahontas was a bust. I saw it for the first and last time in '08. I liked it but wouldn't have done it again.
You ate at some of my top fav's today. I love the food at the Tangierine Café. I usually eat there while DH gets fish and chips in the UK. I Boma. I love everything on the menu and even zebra domes.
Looking forward to more especially your final feat.
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Carrie, This is perfect!! You are making me want to be in the park right now!! Just so I'm not confused, you got married in Feb 08 in Epcot (and I read your TR on that, totally fun!) now you are talking about your trip that you took Sept 08? And you are also there now?? Wow, I'm jealous!
I forgot to mention this earlier: We have had a deal for a while that if he ever started pin trading, I was allowed to start collecting Robert Olszewski miniatures of Disneyland and eventually have the whole setup with the giant board and working lights and stuff.... my evil plan has now been set in motion....
Did he look at the price of these pieces before he started pin trading? Oh my goodness. You definitely got the better end of that deal...
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great update, love the photos and I am sooo happy I am not the only one who is NOT CRAZY ABOUT ZEBRA DOMES!!! I kept hearing how fantastic they are, so I tried one, didnt like it.
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Your trout looks really good!!
anniversary came round..! 
Sorry the chocolate creme brulee was a let down! 
But some other good eats along the way today!! 
)! I'm so jealous of your Everest experience too - it is my absolute favourite coaster. 
...yet another reason why I wish our wedding had been a Disney one... 
even zebra domes.
šOš ~*~ 
Have a Pixie Dust day!
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