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.

Day 1 - Back to WLR

We got back to the room, and once again, Rachel collapsed on the bed. My parents told her to get up because we were going to MK for EMH, but she just layed their. So, we got ready and ended up leaving her.

It was just me and my parents. I felt like an only child!





We just missed the boat. It was still sitting at the dock, and Dad asked the driver if we could get on, and she said no because she would have to tie one end back up. Dad was not happy about that. He proceeded to complain about how it wasn't that difficult to wrap a rope so we could hop on yada yada yada for five minutes until the next boat showed up.

Day 1 - Dinner at Boma

I woke up at 6:30 and realized we'd need to leave then if we wanted to make it to our 7:00 ADR at Boma. But everyone else was still sleeping, and I wasn't going to be the one to wake them up, so I went back to sleep.

Then I woke up when my parents were awake, and they asked me about our dinner ADR. Which we missed. But luckily, I had actually made two ADRs at Boma for that night - one for a party of four at 7:00, and one for a party of seven at 8:30. See, back when I made the party of seven ADR, we thought that my boyfriend's family might be joining us. Unfortunately, he had wrestling and his mother had to work, and that didn't happen. I never got around to canceling that ADR. But, we decided to try and use the ADR and just tell them that three people weren't going to show.

So, we headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had never been there before, so we just followed the signs. We didn't really know where we were going, and my dad just parked in the first spot he saw, which happened to be over by Kidani Village, so we had to walk all the way to Jambo House. Then once we got there, we saw Boma, but had no idea how to get down to it. It took us forever to figure it out. Our sleep deprivation was clearly affecting our mental acuteness.

We were able to use the ADR for seven, and we were seated quickly. I went to the buffet and got almost everything. Foods which names I couldn't pronounce. I had no idea what I was eating, but it was pretty good. I did think the salmon was a little dry. Maybe it was just my piece. My dad and sister liked the variety of meats. You usually don't get that at a buffet. The desserts were awesome. I liked how they were bite-size so you could try many different kinds. Rachel liked the one with the alcohol content warning. I think she just liked it because she knew it contained alcohol. Funny girl.

Now, my dad always complains about the format of the checks at WDW. He doesn't like how the waitor or waitress can see what you tip him or her when you pay. But then sometime later he realized that you don't have to write the amount you want to tip down immediately. He also didn't like how the recommended tip was 18%. My mom argues that a waitor at a buffet shouldn't get tipped as much as a waitor in a full-service restaurant because all they do is bring you your drinks and tell you where to get your food. Our waitor didn't even bring us refills without us having to request them. I don't believe my dad tipped him 18%.

Also, it was my mom's birthday (well, the week after, but she had a button on), and she didn't get a cake or anything.



It's difficult to take pictures in the dark without flash... mine usually turn out blurry, but if I use a flash, then the lights to don't appear fully illuminated, so I just have to try and be very still. It didn't work out so well.