"Circle of Life" themed Photo TR 6/19-6/29 UPDATE:9/24 On the Path Unwinding

[DLR29]

Table of contents and introduction

Welcome everybody to my photo TR. I just got back last night and the pics are still uploading (1000+ takes a long time), but I started writing some of the TR installments on the long plane ride home. If anybody wants to check out my short pre-TR the link is here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2343508

Since I love the Lion King (who doesn’t), I decided to break up the sections of my TR into the lyrics of the famous song “The Circle of Life”. As the TR progresses I’ll change this post with the recent updates. Now I thought I’d start with a little paragraph that I thought was clever (hopefully you’ll think so too) and it’s inspired by the recent Toy Story 3 movie that came out a couple weeks ago. Here’s a brief summary of our trip:

During the 10 days that my family and I were at WDW we had LOTSO fun times. It was a blast traveling with our cousins and I KEN not believe how much stuff we did. Some highlights include: Indiana Jones performing stunts and TRIX, IEnormous HAMM and cheese croissants, and almost getting into a few car REX on Test Track. My brother tried many new things this trip ANDY even rode his first big water slides. WOODY try Summit Plummet?? You’ll have to BUZZ on by and JESSE all of my pictures to find out. You’ll hit the BULLSEYE for sure!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
-Introduction-COMPLETED 6/30 pg. 1
-"From the Day We Arrived on the Planet"-COMPLETED 6/30 pg. 1
-"And Blinking Step into the Sun"-COMPLETED 7/1 and 7/3 pg. 1 & 2
-"There's More to See Than Can Ever Be Seen"-COMPLETED 7/11 pg. 2
-"More to Do Than Can Ever Be Done"-COMPLETED 7/12 pg. 2
-"There's Far Too Much to Take in Here"-COMPLETED 7/14 pg. 3
-"More to Find Than Can Ever Be Found"-COMPLETED 7/15 and 7/17 pg. 3
-"With the Sun Rolling High through the Sapphire Sky"-COMPLETED 7/25 pg. 3
-"Keeps Great and Small on the Endless Round"-COMPLETED 7/27 pg. 3
-"It's the Circle of Life"-COMPLETED 8/1 pg. 4
-"And It Moves Us All"-COMPLETED 8/9 pg. 4
-"Through Despair and Hope"-COMPLETED 8/11 pg. 4
-"Through Faith and Love"-COMPLETED 8/16 pg. 5
-"'Til We Find Our Place"-COMPLETED 8/29 pg. 5
-"On the Path Unwinding"-COMPLETED 9/24 pg. 6
-"In the Circle..The Circle of Life"-Coming soon

Hope you enjoy! Oh, and I'm also doing a QSDP review over on the restaurant boards. Check it out here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2499155

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh you are too cute! I love how you threw in Disney character names. Looking forward to more.

 

[shelbys mommy]

I am in! The TS3 names are too cute! There is no way I could have thought of that for my TR!!!

 

[DLR29]

Oh you are too cute! I love how you threw in Disney character names. Looking forward to more.

Yay! First reader! Thanks for dropping by

I am in! The TS3 names are too cute! There is no way I could have thought of that for my TR!!!

Come on in! Everybody's welcome!

First 1/2 day report and character introductions will be posted soon

 

[DLR29]

From the Day We Arrived on the Planet….er World (Saturday, June 19th)

Welcome to my wonderful photo TR. First we’ll start off with a brief overview of the trip, some character introductions and then we’ll head right in to the good stuff.

Overview:
What? A 10 day trip to WDW (2nd trip for my family, 1st for my cousins). We were also on the Quick Service Dining Plan for the first 7 days.
When? 6/19-6/29/10
Where? We stayed in a 2BR at SSR from 6/19-6/26 with our cousins and then just my family stayed in a pool view room at AKL from 6/26-6/29. We visited MK, Epcot, DHS, AK, BB, TL, DisneyQuest, Downtown Disney, and the WinterSummerland mini golf course.

Who?
Me:

I just graduated high school woohoo and so this trip was sort of a graduation present (no I didn’t buy the ears, I just wore them for the picture). I love Disney a ton and I’ve been planning for this trip for multiple months. I have been browsing these boards, asking questions, and trying to get the perfect itinerary for the best trip possible. I’m also the FP runner and the ticket holder with my super duper lanyard.

DB (brother):

He just “promoted” from middle school into high school so the trip was for him too. Last time we were at WDW (07) he was hesitant to ride some things, but since then he’s definitely become more adventurous. He’s gradually liking Disney more and more!

DM (mom) and DD (dad, not daughter):

They both love Disney. DM plans a lot while DD would be clueless without us. They both had a really good time and enjoyed trying new things. DD also had some serious knee issues just before we left. We were concerned that he might need a wheelchair, but he toughed through the whole trip like a trooper.

DU (uncle):

He worked very hard to take his kids with us on the trip and I know that he had a great time with us. It was his first trip to WDW, although they live in Southern CA so they’ve been to DLR many many times. He especially appreciated the attractions that are still at WDW but are no longer at DLR (such as the Country Bear Jamboree).

DC13 (cousin):

She loved her first trip to WDW, riding all of the rides and shopping at the biggest Disney store in the world! The only part she hated was that little “waking up early” part. If she had it her way, she would sleep in until 1PM every day! Too bad! Not on this trip!

DC12 (cousin):

He really had a great first trip to WDW also. He loved everything that went fast and was always asking me if we were “on schedule”. With a little work, I am confident that he could plan a whole Disney vacation too! He was going through my notebook and figuring out all of the abbreviations (even the hard ones, anyone figure out MAoWtP?).

DC10 (cousin):

A real goofball (as the pic suggests), but I could tell that he was having a blast! He rode everything willingly and rarely complained (even in the hot, muggy Florida weather). The only issue was his limited preferences in food…aka “picky eater”. We often went to the nearest place that had chicken fingers, but hey, he did try a few new things here and there.

Now that that’s over, we shall begin. We left CA bright and early (6AM flight! Yikes!), attached our Magical Express luggage things

Yay! SSR

And flew all the way to MCO. The whole plane ride I was finishing tweaking my plans and preparing for the coming week. We arrived at MCO in the late afternoon

And proceeded to catch our Disney’s Magical Express bus

We were one of the only ones on the bus

Then we were finally on our way! I loved the video they played in the bus because it got us very excited for the things to come. Entering the resort:

Since there was nobody on our bus going to OKW, we went straight to SSR

We checked in at the nice lobby

And were assigned a room in the Grandstand. We had requested this area prior to the trip so we were pleased that our request was granted. In the end we were VERY satisfied with our request. We loved our room location.

We found our uncle and cousins waiting for us in our room (their flight had arrived about an hour and a half before ours). The room was perfect! Very spacious and comfortable. Everybody was getting pretty hungry and since we were on the QSDP, we set off for Wolfgang Puck’s Express at DTD Marketplace since I had heard tons of positive reviews on the dining boards about the place. We tried to catch the boat from SSR to DTD but since there was potential thunderstorms they had stopped running the boats, so we grabbed a bus.

The bus ride was quick and plopped us right next to WPE. And thank goodness, because as soon as we arrived, it started to pour….and pour…and POUR! It did not let up for a good hour+. Good thing we were able to find a big table inside. I won’t go into much detail about the food because I’ll be writing a separate dining review, but we were not disappointed one bit. This place was amazing and everybody loved it (we even returned multiple times hehe)!

After dinner DU and DCousins (DCs) went back to SSR via bus, while my family and I took a different bus to the Contemporary. From CR we walked to MK’s Guest Services (in the rain…still!) to get our…….PREMIER PASSPORTS! Yes, that’s right, we redeemed our GAD vouchers and upgraded them to Premier Passports, which got us admission to all of the WDW parks (including water parks and DQ) and it also gets us admission to the two parks at the Disneyland Resort (for only 700 bucks minus the GAD discount, what a bargain!). Anyway, it was a quick, painless deal and we were on our way with our snazzy plastic card passports that look stunning. We took a SSR bus back from MK, went to bed and crashed. We needed good rest because we were getting up early the next morning.

Ok so enough with the words. From now on, I’ll have lots and lots of pictures. Next chapter: “And blinking step into the sun”

 

[shelbys mommy]

How wonderful that there was no one on the bus! And you can't help but get excited when you see that big purple sign! SS looks beautiful! Can't wait to read/see more!

 

[__disneygirl]

I love this! You're too adorable with the Toy Story and Lion King wordplay. Also, wow, there's someone younger than me on here writing TRs! (I'm 20 )

YAY WOLFGANG PUCK'S!!! This is my favorite CS place at WDW. Or anywhere. It's one of my favorite restaurants of all time. I am excited for the dining review, honestly. That is how much I love it.

I know a lot of people aren't too fond of SSR but I think it looks beautiful and I would love to stay there! Can't wait to see what you thought of it throughout your trip

 

[DLR29]

How wonderful that there was no one on the bus! And you can't help but get excited when you see that big purple sign! SS looks beautiful! Can't wait to read/see more!

It was great that we went straight to SSR without stopping. SSR was beautiful and I have lots of other SSR pics waiting.

I love this! You're too adorable with the Toy Story and Lion King wordplay. Also, wow, there's someone younger than me on here writing TRs! (I'm 20 )

YAY WOLFGANG PUCK'S!!! This is my favorite CS place at WDW. Or anywhere. It's one of my favorite restaurants of all time. I am excited for the dining review, honestly. That is how much I love it.

I know a lot of people aren't too fond of SSR but I think it looks beautiful and I would love to stay there! Can't wait to see what you thought of it throughout your trip

Yep, I'm a young'un on these boards. WPE was our favorite CS place too! We ate there once for each meal. If you want to subscribe to my dining review, I just posted the link in the OP. And I can tell you right now that we were VERY fond of SSR. It was wonderful!

 

[DLR29]

And Blinking Step into the Sun (Sunday, 6/20: Morning-DHS, Evening-Epcot)
Morning:
Rise and shine! Set the blaring alarm to go off at 6:30AM (which was like 3:30AM our time, but totally necessary). DU, DB, DC12, DC10 and I got up first and set off to Artist’s Palette to grab breakfast pastries using snacks on the dining plan. We got rolling relatively quickly, considering we had an almost crippled DD and a reluctant, tired DC13. We managed to get the 8:00 DHS bus. Being at the Grandstand, we were the first ones on and off the bus, which was so convenient. That early in the morning there was hardly anyone else to pick up at the other SSR stops, so we actually managed to arrive at DHS at around 8:20.

WOOHOO! We were finally going to the parks! We were met at the gates with some pre-opening entertainment by the (way too) chipper American Idol guy trying to get people to audition. Speaking of stepping into the sun, it was 8:30 and we were already sweating and chugging water! Yeah, we were definitely stuck in a FL summer. Phew was it hot! We were finally let into the park and, although I had not planned on it, DC10 and I rushed to the front of the rope because we were going to get TSM FPs. I had envisioned a much more crowded rope drop scene from the horror descriptions of the TSM stampede, but nevertheless, we were towards the front, while the rest of the party was a little farther back.

Ok I lied. We were like 3 rows back from the rope

They had these strange Hollywood people there right before the rope. All I remember is that they made us say “HOLLYWOOD! (now let me try to spell this correctly) HEEAH!(*here) WE COME! Then

Then through the stampede we went. Unfortunately, we were on the left side of the crowd, while the FP machines were on the right. This caused us to do some maneuvering, but we got there eventually. We were the third people at our respective FP machines and we grabbed FP for 9:45-10:45, the second set of FP time frames. Then we booked it down Sunset Blvd. to join the other 6 members of our party. Unfortunately, when we got there, BOTH ToT and RnRC were down…bummer . So as we stood there boiling in the morning sun, we decided to just go ride Great Movie Ride; we literally just walked on. It was a fun way to kick start the trip and I really like the uniqueness and creativeness of this ride.

Singin' in the Rain (I saw the movie in my film class this past year)

One of my all time favorite movies!

Wizard of Oz

By then it was time to get another FP, so trekking back down Sunset, I ran and got RnRC FP (both rides had since opened) for 11:10-12:10. Then we hopped in the stand-by line for ToT (only about 25 min, including the ride), except DD who was not feeling so well after taking the medication for his knee. What a fun ride, although the Summer Nighttastic starfield was just ok IMO. The drops were fun and the ride was spooky!

 

[DLR29]

By then it was time for our TSM FP. We walked all the way back there (lots of walking back and forth) and we were just dying to get in the air-conditioned building.

Unlike DCA, DHS’s TSM has FP, which saves SO much time. However, I’ve heard of so many stories of the stand-by line being infinitely long, it was only 60 or so minutes at around 10:15, not too bad

I got beat by DB, who got the best score in the vehicle. I very much enjoyed the new TS3 characters (DB and I had seen the midnight show the previous Thursday/Friday) and the new game.

While I was hoping that LMA would have an 11:00 show (because the previous week it did on Sunday according to Steve Soare’s website), there were only 2 afternoon shows that day, so I had to improvise! Still having some time before our RnRC FPs were good, we decided to duck into the Disney Animation show/building real quick just to kill some time in some AC (yeah, more like blinking run from building to building to avoid the sun). The show was just ok. I think I had seen in before at DCA a long time ago.

We didn’t spend much time in the building because our RnRC FPs were good now and the DCs were getting anxious to ride it. However DD still did not feel up for it and so DM stayed out with him too. The other 6 of us rode with our FPs and it was a rockin’ good time! I love how the street signs light up right as you go through them. And nothing beats that first launch into the first loop. What a rush!

My poor attempt at a pic of the ride before getting hurried along; "Don't stop to watch the traffic!"

We were all getting drained from the sun and it was approaching lunch time. We took a bus to Epcot and we were greeted by the big, round golf ball

I ran to get Test Track FPs (because we were returning in the evening) and we all headed for lunch at Sunshine Seasons. I really liked it, but the menu options were a little less conventional for DCs. Oh well, we boarded the SSR bus and returned to the room around 2. I was so tired that I napped for a good 2 hours while everybody else went for a swim.

Next up: Afternoon/Evening of Day 1

 

[shelbys mommy]

We was at DHS on the 20th also, actually we were the 1st Family of the day!!!!!! It's posted in my TR!

 

[DLR29]

We was at DHS on the 20th also, actually we were the 1st Family of the day!!!!!! It's posted in my TR!

Wow! That's a coincidence. I'm sure sometime during the morning we must have crossed paths and not even known! Those pics of an empty DHS are priceless. I'm loving your TR!

 

[shelbys mommy]

Wow! That's a coincidence. I'm sure sometime during the morning we must have crossed paths and not even known! Those pics of an empty DHS are priceless. I'm loving your TR!

So far you are the 2nd one on the boards that was at the same park I was. The other person was actually in the barber shop with us at MK, & we are in some of her pics! And thanks!!!

 

[DLR29]

Evening:
We got on the Epcot bus in the afternoon. Here’s DB with some random family

We arrived at around 4:30 and rode Spaceship Earth right away. The line for this always dies down in the afternoon, so we practically walked right on.

We last rode this ride 1 day before it closed for its long refurb a few years ago, so we had not ridden with the changes. The interactive ending was very cool and everybody’s was unique and different. Me and DC12

DB and DC10 (I know these are flash pictures but I promise that they were only at the loading dock and not during the ride. I despise flash pics during rides, but more on that later)

The exit activities

DU and DC13

DM and DD

It was starting to sprinkle, but it was still quite warm. We went over to TT to use our FPs that I had grabbed before our midday break. On our first trip, my family and I fell in love with this ride and we were very eager to ride it again. Needless to say, we all had a great ride, even though on the fast part the drops of rain were slightly annoying.

The queue

What a flattering picture Sorry mom and dad!

A couple of pics from the display after the ride

DC10

After TT and before venturing into the World Showcase, we took a short pitstop at Club Cool where we sampled sodas from different countries around the world.

Our favorites varied among our group. My personal favorite is the watermelon soda from China mmmmm yummy. I made everybody try the Beverly! YUCK! Here’s DC13’s reaction (the picture says it all)

 

[DLR29]

Ah yes, that’s a keeper. Leaving Future World, we proceeded into Canada where we walked around and saw the CircleVision film, O Canada!

A random bird in the Canada pavillion. Pretty sure it's native to FL and not Canada...

Continuing in a counter-clockwise path, we stopped for a few minutes to hear Off Kilter perform. They were pretty amazing!

Then we walked around England, stopping by the phone booths to answer calls. They are really fun! If you haven’t tried it, I recommend it. I think one time the person asked if Mary Poppins was there, and if I saw her, I was to say that Bert had called!

DC12

Next stop was France, although we just barely walked through. We were going to check out the Pasterrie, but the line was very long.

We just passed through Morocco after. I wanted to eat at the Tangeriene Café, but it was too exotic for DCs.

 

[DLR29]

Instead of North African cuisine, we settled on Japanese food at the Yakitori House. I liked my meal, but others were skeptical about theirs. We walked around the Japanese gardens for a while too, observing an adorable family of ducks!

So peaceful

Next on the World Showcase tour was the American Adventure, but the show had just started and we would have had to wait about 30 minutes for the next one. No thanks, so we went on to Italy to walk around. Too bad the counter service pizzeria wasn’t open because that would have been delicious, but that’s something to look forward to on a future trip.

DC12 and DC10

Germany came next, although we merely passed through except for a quick stop to watch the miniature train set. Giant bunny!

 

[DLR29]

Our final World Showcase country for the day was Norway (yeah, we skipped China. Saved it for another day). Maelstrom advertised a 20 min wait, but when we waited it was in fact 5. I really like this ride; I just wish it was a little bit longer. Regardless, it’s still one of my favorite Epcot adventures. We skipped the movie afterwards, which I hear is boring.

It was more like a 5 min wait

Hidden Mickey

All 3 DCs

As it was approaching 8:00, we grabbed spots in Norway by the railing for that night’s Illuminations.

It was finally beginning to cool off as the sun set. DD and I grabbed some school bread (I heard many rave reviews) from Kringla in Norway for breakfast the next morning. We watched Illuminations at 9 from Norway, which was a wonderful end to the first day. The beginning and finale fireworks are spectacular!

After the show, we (and EVERYBODY else) walked back to the buses. Fortunately, a bus came in no time and we were the first stop at SSR. We were back at the resort by 9:40. Wonderful timing! We were all exhausted and fell asleep almost instantaneously.

Next chapter: “There’s More to See Than Can Ever Be Seen". However, it won't be for another week. I'm leaving for a week in AZ on a mission trip with my church so I won't be able to update for a while.

 

[DLR29]

Ok I'm back and I will have an update ready tomorrow!

 

[DLR29]

There’s More to See Than Can Ever Be Seen (Monday, 6/21: Morning-MK)

Morning:
Another early morning wake up call was not DC13's idea of a good time, although she wasn’t the only one struggling to get out of bed this time. As we groggily rose (at 7 this morning, not 6:30 mind you), we got ready for the day. Even so, we ate breakfast (the schoolbread = so yummy!) and got on the bus by 8:20, arriving at MK just before rope drop.

I grabbed everyone’s tickets and ran straight to Space to grab some FPs. Then I joined everyone else at Peter Pan. Good thing we rode this first thing in the morning because we only waited about 5 minutes, yet by the time we got off, it had a 30+ min wait.

DC13 and me (Myspace pic!)

Following our trip to Neverland, we stopped by the Opera House at Mickey’s Philharmagic. I remember being very impressed with the show the first time viewing it, and I was still impressed the second time. What a timeless Disney classic! It turned out to be one of DC13’s favorite things all trip!

The show had just started so we were one of the first ones in the preshow area.

By now, the crowds had begun to grow rapidly in Fantasyland. With limited time and large crowds, was it going to be possible to see all that we wanted to see?? Our next ride was Snow White’s Scary Adventures. I think the WDW one is scarier and overall a better attraction, although DL’s is an original masterpiece. The line looked longer than it actually was. For an advertised 25 minute wait, it moved quickly and we were on the ride in 15. It was funny though because we crammed all 8 of us into the tiny little 3 rows! Yup, we got real comfy with each other. Good thing we all like each other (or that it was early enough in our trip that we all liked each other jk)

Not wanting to wait 30+ min for Pooh, I grabbed a FP for it and we all headed over to IASW. Although it lacks the outside charm that DL’s version has, I really like how the scenery in this version feels closer to the boats (well it is closer for one thing) and it definitely has a nice indoor atmosphere. They also haven’t got a strange USA scene, which is nice.

10:15

 

[DLR29]

Before riding Pooh, we ventured out of Fantasyland just for a second to ride HM. Last time we were at WDW, HM was closed for a long refurb, but this time it was open. There are many many similarities between the Florida and California versions, but overall I like the WDW one better just a tad because of the different opening scenes. The staircase scene is wonderful! And we only had to wait about 5 min too!

We ventured back into Fantasyland to finish up with Pooh. We had a wonderful time bouncing with Tigger and floating along the river during the flood, although we almost got attacked by a bunch of Heffalumps!

As we walked into Tomorrowland, the crowds really did hit hard. I was starting to worry if we were going to have enough time to see all that the MK had to offer! Fortunately Stitch had a short line so we went in. The chili dog burp was gross (of course) and the feely things were weird! Overall, a strange attraction but hilarious at the same time.

A hidden Mickey (before they told me that there was to be no photography..oops)

One last ride because the crowds were piling in. We had Space FPs from first thing that morning, so we used them right before lunch when the line was very long. While there is no soundtrack (crucial part) and the ride is quite rough, it was still a really fun ride. Since I didn’t know the track layout, I was guessing at every single turn and drop and it was lots of fun. There are definitely more intense drops on this one compared to DL’s, although DL’s overall definitely takes the cake.

We grabbed some hot dogs for lunch at Casey’s Corner and watched/danced/sang along to the Move It, Shake It whatever street party that was going on. Oh I think I had that catchy tune stuck in my head the rest of the day… (at least it replaced “It’s a Small World” from earlier!) After lunch we boarded a SSR bus back to the resort. We got back around 1:30. This time I swam in the pool instead of taking a nap, although other members of our group definitely decided to catch some z’s. Next chapter: More to Do Than Can Ever Be Done.