Day 3 - Sick at Disney

The next morning, we woke up early to go to EMH at MK.

I got up... and it was unbearable to swallow, my throat hurt so bad. My head was stuffed up, as well. This was the worst I had felt, yet.

I continued to get ready. Then my parents asked me if I really thought I should go. That's when.... I broke down and cried. I couldn't talk because my throat hurt so bad, which was a sign that going to MK this morning was a bad idea. So I got back in bed.

Mom said she would stay with me. I told her that I would be okay by myself and that she should go on and have fun. But I don't think a mother could have fun knowing that her daughter was sick back at the hotel. Mom told me that she was worried that if I stayed by myself that I would get sad, so she decided to stay with me.

I slept for awhile, then I woke up, and Mom and I watched a show about how cruise ships make their money. It was especially interesting, considering that we had just come from a cruise.

Meanwhile, Dad and Rachel had fun at MK.

Day 2 - Battling the New Year's Eve Crowds

We took the boat to Epcot and went in through the back.

We were shocked by the crowds. Epcot was PACKED.... with DRUNKS!!!

There were some people in cocktail dresses stumbling around... they must've come from bluezoo.





Idk how long it took us to navigate our way through the crowds and get to the American Pavilion. Lines there for food weren't that bad, but the table situation was terrible. There were tons of empty tables.... with no chairs!!! Finally, we spotted a family getting up and managed to grab that table. Ugg, the crowds were insane.

Okay, so after we ate our hotdogs in America, we decided to navigate our way back through the crowd and out of Epcot. It was much easier to leave than it was to get in.

We took the resort boat to DHS. We still had RnRC and ToT FPs to use.

So, our RnRC FPs were good to use, so we headed over there. They were no longer testing queueless waiting, and they had actually extended the queue area to accommodate bigger holiday crowds.


Dad enjoys the thrill of trying to sneak a photo of the ride photos before they disappear. Nice work, Dad.

So, it was 10:00. Our ToT FPs weren't good until 10:30. We were tired and didn't know what to do to kill half an hour (I realized later that we should've gone to Osborne Lights, but at the time, I was about to pass out. So we decided to leave DHS, head back to the Dolphin, then go back to our resort.



Dad paid the valet fee. And the valet guy ran away before my dad could tip him, so that saved us some money. I didn't feel quite so terrible... even though the whole parking situation was a bit of an inconvenience, as well as an extra expense. Eventually, I might get over this embarassment. Not now, though.



We got back to the resort, and my Dad wanted to know where we could watch the fireworks over the lagoon from. So, he asked a young CM working the Concierge desk what options there were. Now, this guy was probably in CP... probably new on this job... he had obviously never gotten this question before. ("Fireworks? Disney has fireworks???") He suggested that we stand out in the parking lot. Actually, we probably could've seen the fireworks from there, but that wasn't the answer we were expecting.

So we get back to the room, and Dad is wondering if we should head over to the GF or Poly to watch the New Year's fireworks. I was tired and really just needed to go to bed. Rachel told Dad that she didn't really care to see any fireworks if he'd let her ring in the New Year in an adult way. And he went for it. So Dad went to buy Rachel a New Year's Eve gift, and I took a shower and went to bed.

Happy New Year!

Day 2 - The Bluezoo Disaster

Now... the part of my vacation which I have been DREADING writing about....

It is completely embarassing. I am an ADR failure. I feel like a Disney failure. But I will confess to you guys. Let you read about my terribleness. It's not even going to teach a lesson because I'm sure none of you would ever make this mistake. Time for my Disney walk of shame......

I made our New Year's Eve dinner reservations at.... Todd English's bluezoo.

So, we drove to the Dolphin. Dad took advantage of "free valet with meal."





I had walked by it before. It looked cool. I read a great review by Mike Scopa in a recent AllEarsNet newsletter. I was excited about this ADR. I knew it was a signature restaurant, which has a "dress code." However, I had eaten at a couple of signature restaurants before (Artist Point, Yachtsman Steakhouse) and they weren't very dressy. Nice jeans and a cardigan were totally acceptable. I figured that alot of people would be headed to the parks afterwards and wouldn't be that dressed up.

Boy, was I wrong.....

PEOPLE WERE IN COCKTAIL ATTIRE!!!

And we were in jeans and sweaters. And Sperry topsiders!!! Boy, did we feel out of place. Did we look... poor... or just stupid?

The menu was an even greater shock. Here it goes... my big blunder... I FORGOT TO LOOK AT THE MENU BEFOREHAND!!!

I believe the cheapest entree was $30. Now, this wouldn't have been quite as bad if we hadn't just gotten off a 9-day cruise where we could get all the seafood we wanted. And this restaurant (I can't even stand to type the name!) was charging $65 for lobster. Yeah, we weren't really feeling it.

So, our waitress came over and gave us this 15-minute expo on all of the seafood. She wouldn't shut up. To make matters worse, I had a really bad cough, and I was trying to muffle it in my napkin. Oh, this was terrible.

She took our drink orders...... we all went with water.

After she finally left, Dad asked us what we were getting. Nothing on the menu even looked appealing to me. We kept asking eachother if we should walk. I felt so bad. I didn't want my dad to have to pay $200 for dinner!!! Finally, we decided to make a run for it. I tried to pretend like I was invisible. It was so embarassing, but I was so glad to get out of that stuffy place. The lighting was pretty, but on the floor it just felt stuffy. The table behind us had all ordered the lobster. IMO, this is the place that you go when you want to show off in front of other people. That's what it felt like that night. I do think that people might have been more dressed up for New Year's Eve. Even if we had dressed up for the signature restaurant, we would not have been in cocktail attire. I might've been in a knit dress or a high-waisted skirt. Cocktail dress didn't even cross my mind.

Now... we still had the car to worry about. I remembered that there was a sushi restaurant at the Swan, and we went over to check that out. The prices were actually very reasonable. It was less expensive than the sushi we had at Yakatori House the previous day. However, it was crowded and we didn't get any attention, so we decided to just go on.

Rachel suggested that we go into Epcot and eat hotdogs in America. Perfect plan for poor people like us!

Dad wanted to move the car to Epcot, but I told him that he might as well get good use out of his $13 valet. I reminded him that it is cheaper than a day's parking at WDW ($14 a day is outrageous!!! I remember when it used to be $6... free parking is another great perk of being a resort guest!).

Day 2 - Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage

Next, we went to Beauty and the Beast. We arrived an hour early, before they started letting people into the theater, and we still didn't get that great of seats. This place was PACKED!!!





































After Beauty and the Beast, we raced over to Indiana Jones, trying to make the 5:00 show because I had remembered that I'm 18 years old - old enough to be an extra!!! Unfortunately, there was standing room only, and I was sick and not very energetic, anyways, so I figured we might as well not even bother.



I was tired, so I suggested that we go back to the resort and rest until dinner.

Day 2 - Braving the Crowds at DHS

Okay... New Year's Eve.

So, since we stayed up late for EMH at MK the night before, we decided to sleep in. I actually woke up early and thought about going and hitting early EMH at MK, but I didn't want to wake anyone else up getting ready, so I just went back to sleep.

We blew off our 8:30 breakfast reservations at 'Ohana. I was upset about this because I have yet to eat at 'Ohana, as reservations are somewhat difficult to come by, especially during peak season, which is when we tend to be at WDW. However, I do have ADRs for 'Ohana in April, which is the only reason I allowed us to miss them.

So, we eventually got up and decided to go over to DHS. We got there around 10:00, probably. Of course, it was already crowded. This big group of people with strollers had just gotten into the park and they were stopped... blocking the way with their strollers. There were about eight strollers just lined up while the "drivers" were discussing what to do.

After we navigated our way around the crowd, Dad insisted on a "shop shortcut" which ran us around a corner onto Sunset Boulevard, making us miss the time board. Dad asked me what he should go FP, and I told him that since he took us past the times board, that he could just go on and FP RNRC because now we didn't know if all TSM FPs had been distributed (which I assumed they had), so we probably just wouldn't get to ride that. Dad thought that was funny. I suppose it was the way I said it... probably had to be there.

So, Dad went to FP RNRC (I then remembered the trial for a "queueless" wait, for which they moved the RNRC FPs over by ToTs and hoped that they weren't still testing that) and Mom, Rachel, and I bought fruit for breakfast. I got a massive apple, and they got some pineapple.

While sitting along Sunset Boulevard eating fruit, I figured we might as well go on to wait for the next showing of American Idol. We had yet to see this new attraction, and with lines so long, this was a good thing to go do.

We got to AI and they came out and did some recording of the audience cheering for this contestant named Matt from England. They wanted to make it look like we had a huge crowd, so they made us all bunch up together and be really loud and crazy.

The problem is, after we were done filming, the host said, "I'll see you guys inside," and many people thought that was their cue to head to the doors... which were shut and not opening anytime soon. So while people shoved their ways to the closed doors, we got squooshed together and had a difficult time keeping our family of four together. Then they opened the doors and everyone was pushing forward. And most parties were doing that thing when they hold onto the person in front of them and make a huge chain, pushing through the crowd. Well, I got squashed and cut-off, and Dad was way ahead of me, and Rachel fallen way behind. No idea where Mom was. I was frustrated (and I was sick... if these people knew how sick I was, they wouldn't have been shoving so close to me... I wonder how many of them caught my illness... ). So when we got inside, the CMs were angry at the people, telling them to move all the way down the rows and keep moving. The problem was that people had gotten separated trying to get inside, and now everyone was trying to get their groups back together.

I caught up with Dad, and we had to stand squished against a wall, being yelled at by CMs, until Rachel and Mom finally appeared in the crowd.

I was very upset by the lack of organization. The waiting area needs bars dividing rows to the doors. This would better control how many people go through each door and would keep parties from getting separated.

Okay, so their were three contestants for our show. The first contestant's brother had won the previous show. And she was very good. She sang Colors of the Wind. I was kind of expecting bad karaoke from the attraction, but she changed my mind. The second contestant was seventeen years old and she was here with her high school... the crowd consisted mainly of her high school. She was cute and young and bubbly, but I honestly didn't think she was that great of a singer. She was rather pitchy at some points, and I didn't think her voice was mature enough for the song that she decided to sing. I think contestant number three was Disney's attempt at humor. Shame on them. He was a British guy in his twenties who sang that Ricky Martin song... the crowd liked it because it was a song you could dance to, verses the first two contestants who chose slow, serious songs, but it was a British guy singing a Spanish song... what do you expect?

I did not care for the judges. And they tried to build up their background, but they didn't really say anything about where these people came from or why they were qualified to judge. To me, they were actors. And the actor who portrayed Randy Jackson must've been confused about Randy's sexual orientation. The lady that had Paula's role made Paula seem intelligent and sober. And the guy that played Simon was just a jerk. At least Simon knows what he's talking about and he backs up his negative statements with reasoning. This guy was just like, "You suck."

Anyway, the judges were clearly partial to contestant number two. Probably because she was young and cute. And the audience, consisting of contestant number two's high school, was clearly partial, as well. Contestants one and three didn't even have a chance. I voted for contestant number one, Mom and Rach voted for three, and Dad didn't vote. However, after comparing notes, we all thought contestant one was the best. But of course contestant two won... the crowd was her high school!!!

Yeah, overall, I wasn't very impressed with the American Idol Experience. Maybe it will get better over time, but they definitely need better crowd control. And judges that have their own opinions and personalities... not Simon/Paula/Randy copycats.

After Idol, we headed over to Muppet Vision 3D. Even the Muppets were crowded!!!

Then, we were hungry. Dad went to go get ToT FPs, and Mom, Rachel, and I went to Pizza Planet. We hadn't eaten there in a long time, and we were feeling pizza. Rachel and I got kids' pizzas, and Mom and Dad got pizzas. The kids' pizzas were kind of tiny, but between that and our parents' pizzas, Rachel and I were alright.

After that, we headed to the Great Movie Ride. We always ride this on New Year's Eve when it's crowded.



I hadn't taken a picture yet, and I felt the need.






Rachel said he looked constipated.

Day 1 - New Year's Eve Eve at MK

We arrived at MK at 11:30. The New Year's Eve fireworks were going to start at 11:49 PM. We went on top of the train station to get a good view.















The fireworks were also going off behind us, over the lagoon.



















































I was very glad that they ran their New Year's fireworks a night in advance, as well, because I knew I wouldn't get to see them when we were actually ringing in the New Year (these fireworks were celebrating New Year's Eve). It was such an amazing show. I loved it.

After taking all of those fireworks pictures, my camera died, and I had forgotten to charge my spare battery. So, I had no camera for the rest of the night, and my dad had forgotten to bring his. I was upset.

After the fireworks, it was time for EMH. We headed over to Space Mountain and got FPs.

MK was a giant party. There was a DJ in front of the castle, and they blasted his dance mixes throughout the park. Great music selection. If I wasn't sick and Rachel was there, I would have been dancing.

Tomorrowland was packed, so we went on to Fantasyland where the wait times were short. We went on the teacups, and I had to convince my dad to help me spin them. Mom would have no part in it.

Dumbo only had a 20 minute wait, so we hopped in line. My parents hadn't ridden Dumbo since Rachel and I were little kids (Rachel and I have ridden it together since). Gosh, it had been at least ten years. Over by Dumbo, there was a separate dance party going on. It looked like alot of fun. Then Goofy came out for his meet and greet and started dancing. Too cute! I wished my camera wasn't dead. Dad got his own elephant and Mom and I rode together. Once again, I wished my camera wasn't dead!!!

After Dumbo, we went on Winnie the Pooh. We passed up Peter Pan because it had a 30 minute wait, and it's Rachel's favorite, so I figured we'd do it later. We also skipped out on the carousel and it's a small world because they typically have short waits and we could ride them later, as well.

We went on to Liberty Square for The Haunted Mansion. Mom, Dad, and I squeezed in a Doom Buggie together.

After that, we headed to Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Mountain. It had a thirty minute wait, but we never stood still. I don't think it was thirty minutes. It might've taken us twenty minutes to navigate through the queue, though. It was really fun because they were playing great music and everyone was dancing and singing. MK was so upbeat. All of the CMs working tonight were dancing and having a blast. Most were young (the College Program kids and interns, I found out later! ) in their twenties.

After BTMRR, I was starting to feel tired, so we headed on over to Space Mountain and used our FPs.

I didn't really care for the new queue. I missed trying not to stumble in the pitch black. None of the games were working when I walked by, and they're only close to the boarding area, which means the unlucky ones in the way back of the line are still bored. I missed the soundtrack. The silence was so weird. I did like the new bars in the queue area. I noticed that they rearranged the queue so it wraps differently. Waiting, I couldn't hear any cars on the tracks, but I could hear the chain lift. There was absolutely no soundtrack playing, which I found really weird. Has it been like that since the refurb or was it just like that for the night? The bars separating the rows when waiting to board were an addition that I found somewhat unnecessary.

The new plush seats were cool, and I actually appreciated how the bar pulled down the same way. I've always found it awkward, but at this point, I was missing the retro-ness of the old attraction.

I liked the revamped laser tunnel at the beginning. The ride was much darker, but I was still very aware of how close the beams were. It was so much quieter and felt faster which actually made me even more scared of the beams. I could still see the track right in front of me and the beams around me, but I could not see track way ahead or the other side's track, which is an improvement. It was QUIET. I didn't like this quiet. There was absolutely no music playing. I think they should take the music they used at DL's hightech version and play it, even if it's not synchronized to the ride. Just having some music in the background would make the ride more exciting.

Now, the exit.... they took out Lab Retriever!!! And once again, no music. I WANT THE ORIGINAL bah-dah... bah-duh MUSIC PLAYING!!!! And where the TVs used to be... missed that... but there were fabric wall covers up like it's not complete yet. I don't think the exit is area is complete yet at all. I have a feeling that we will continue to see additions.

The smoother track was cool, but all in all, I didn't really appreciate this refurbishment. They took away from the classic retro vibe, but didn't really add any modern futuristicness. It's so... plain. I'm not liking it. I hope that they continue to make improvements.

Now, after Space Mountain, we headed out. I was exhausted. As we left, it was snowing on Main Street. So pretty. I wished my camera wasn't dead.