photogal06...Sommer

Just wanted to give a heads-up.....we did this tour on our last trip, and it was fantastic! Also a great value, especially with the Disney Visa discount...I think the 3 of us went for about $45 total.
I'd read mixed reviews of the tour, and the consensus was that it all depends on your guide. Ours was fab-u-lous! She's an intern there and was so excited about what they were doing that she could have kept us there forever, talking about it. We learned a lot and got some great ideas for improving our garden at home this year.
If you're at all interested in gardening or just seeing what they're up to over there in The Land, it's a fun way to spend an hour!

Your kitties are adorable, Cindy. I love that you have a cat who walks with your daughter...too funny!

What a sweet and amazing story....so glad you are getting to spend some time together! Thanks for sharing!

You should not only watch the Electrical Water Pageant but also do the octopus arm dance. And take video and send it to Lou.

Sigh....I found about $200 worth of stuff that I want but totally don't need. Except the peppermint Mickey head lights. Those, I need.

Thanks, you guys! I happen to think DD is beautiful and a fabulous dancer, but she sees herself in a typical teen way, so I'm passing on all of your compliments. She doesn't smile on demand the way some girls do, so that is actual joy on her face, lol!
I actually loved the rat....I love anything with fur. Had it been a snake or a bat, I would have had a different story to tell!
Dave, I knew I'd be safe mentioning the bus debacle, because Lou came here and told me he doesn't read TRs, lol!
Carol, TY, TY, TY for the strap info! That looks like exactly what I need. I was concerned about the single attachment point, but when I watched the video, it seemed really secure. I always wear my bag cross-body, so the camera will feel totally natural like that.
Stef, those shoes are the travel agency's signature item. Next year they'll dance to a different song (this year's was Ease on Down the Road), but the shoes will always be the same. They are pretty, but I make them live in the garage, because the glue that holds the glitter on is still off-gassing!
I'm taking a break from fence staining this afternoon (because fence staining is obviously what you do on the day of your 22nd wedding anniversary....we totally know how to celebrate, lol!) Here's a bit more of our story.....
Thursday, June 28 found us moving a bit more slowly than we had the past few days. Ok, a whole lot more slowly. The FL heat was returning in a big way. DD’s stage performance at DHS was at 12:46, but we had to be there freakishly early, so we ate breakfast at CC’s, got her semi-dolled up (hair and light makeup) and headed over. As we were walking to the bus stop, we were swarmed by a tour group heading to said bus stop. They were nice and polite (as were the many, many tour groups we encountered at the Poly), but there were an awful lot of them. I said a little prayer that they weren’t headed for DHS, and it came true. Go, me. On the bus, we took a photo of DD under the Bunheads sign, because it just seemed so shockingly appropriate. The bus ride, btw, was awesome……as in, it went directly to DHS and didn’t stop anywhere else…..hooray!!

At DHS, we stopped for a photo. I love shooting with a Nikon D300, because the photopass people use a similar model and know exactly how to work mine. The photopass photographers at DHS were wonderful…they happily shot a couple with my camera and then a couple with theirs.

After we got in, we snagged fast passes for Toy Story Mania (a first!) and then moseyed over to the Muppet 3-D movie. Then we dropped dd at her super-secret location and headed over to the theater to watch the other dancers. We got there super early and watched *a lot* of other dancers. That’s what we do in June, is sit through recital after recital after recital, so it was fitting. The groups were so much fun to watch……the joy on their faces made it all worth it. Each group performed their own choreography for the stage performance, and DD’s group did a bang-up job. They danced to Sing, Sing, Sing, and it was a super energetic tap number, and the crowd went wild. I got a lot of photos (understatement of the year.) Here are a few.





SIL and BIL had watched with us, and after we retrieved DD, we all headed over to Starring Rolls…..another first! I’ve had Starring Rolls on my ‘to eat at’ list forever. But we rarely go to DHS and hadn’t for the past few years, so here was my chance. We got ham sandwiches and a Butterfinger cupcake. S/BIL got a chocolate peanut butter cupcake, and we all shared. They were yummo. I have no photos of the before. I was melting in the FL heat. Here’s one of BIL, DD and me after.

We were all super hot and tired, so we did the logical thing…..went on the Great Movie Ride. Scary, but oh so nicely air conditioned. (Not really scary, but I don’t like the whole shoot-out thing.) Then we went on the Backlot Tour, which we always do. Fun. And I got a photo of the ear tower and the plane, which I always do. These are sooooo not firsts.


Finally it was time for our FP return to Toy Story Mania!!! As we were in line, I spotted, a few groups ahead of us, a man in a Fort Fiends t-shirt! And then I did nothing. Because I’m new here and didn’t want to yell out and have him turn around and look funny at the sweaty weird lady who was yelling at him. I’m shy that way sometimes. Next time I promise to yell hello, no matter how disgusting I look or feel….something for y’all to look forward to. Anyway, TSM was ah-mazing!! I’m so glad we rode it (and checked off another first.) I almost wish we’d had a bit more time in the queue, because it was really fun to look at. We all had a blast on the ride and will remember it always. We’ll have to, because it’s not likely we’ll ever get to DHS early enough again to get a decently timed FP, and I wouldn’t wait an hour and a half in the stand-by line for it.


I’ve done a shadow photo every WDW trip since dd was about 5. I usually do it at Epcot, but this year I did it at DHS. For the very first time ever (another first!)------I am the short one. The girlie is officially taller than I am (and I’m 5’6”, so not exactly short.) My, how time flies!

We decided to head back to the Poly and rest up a bit before the dance gala at Epcot later that night. So we hopped on the bus, and a bad thing happened. I, the person who plans everything to the nth degree, who reads and re-reads and three-reads everything, had merely skimmed the gala itinerary. And when I sat there on the bus and actually read it, I realized we had to get ourselves to Epcot. Right then. Luckily, I had brought our special wristbands with us. Unluckily, we were stuck on the bus heading for the Poly when I realized all of this. So we impatiently made our way through the Contemporary stop, to the Poly, ran from the bus to the monorail, and got on within a few minutes. Sadly, we got the decaled monorail (I don’t even know what was on it.) The sad part is that as we zipped past the staging area for the water parade……the third time we zipped past it and the one and only time I thought to photograph it…. I was shooting through the decaled window, and my photo looked like this……..nuts.

We made it to Epcot, found the super-secret hidey pavilion between the UK and France, showed our magic wristbands and entered a world of………chaos. So many people, so much noise. This was a separate ticketed event for dance families. I had read the specs on the gala (if not the itinerary), and it said casual dress. We came directly from the parks, in park clothes. I had seen video of last year’s gala, and people were there in park clothes. This year, people were in semi- and formal dress. I kid you not. I’m fairly certain the 3 of us were the only ones in there in shorts and t-shirts. It’s Epcot, people, be real. Formal dresses. Eye roll. Seeing as how we got there a bit late, as soon as we walked in the door and started to make our way across the room to our designated table, they announced that our section could go eat! Yay! Here’s what a $68 ticket to a gala in Epcot will get you for dinner……bag-type salad, the same pasta you eat at every other huge gathering anywhere on earth, rock-hard breadsticks, dried out chicken breasts and maybe a few other things I can’t remember. Boo. And chocolate cake. It wasn’t spectacular cake, but it was at least chocolate, so that's a win. After the dinner, the studio owners were presented with awards, a photopass photographer who probably wanted to kill himself afterward took 3 chaotic "group photos" with about 200 kids in each group, the Disney characters were on stage, and then the emcee started the “dance party.” The characters weren’t interacting with anybody, and even if they had, you wouldn’t have been able to get near them for the crowd.
DH and I don’t dance. DD loves to dance in the studio, but frankly, she’d been at it since August of last year and was ready for a break. We were bored. We left the gala and went wandering. We ended up in Japan, bought Hello Kitty pajamas for dd, called SIL and BIL, and plopped on a bench and waited for them to come find us. We chilled out together for awhile, took some photos, like these….



Then dh, dd and I headed back to the secret pavilion so we could go with our group to the priority viewing for Illuminations, which was part of our ticket. The priority viewing was good. One year a CM let us into a priority viewing area because DD was wearing a birthday button, and that was a lot like this. I love Illuminations. I was glad we weren’t any closer than we were, because I felt my eyebrows singe with the fiery blasts. We were able to see the globe part more clearly than we ever have before, and that was neat. DH snapped some photos, since I was pretty much too tired to lift the camera.





We met up with S/BIL after, and they came back to the Poly with us. We hopped the monorail to the TTC and then walked back to the Poly from there. A first, walking to the Poly! This trip, we managed to hit all of the Disney transportation options…..the monorail, the bus, the boat, and the walking path!
Walking back to the Poly, the MK fireworks began, so we stopped and watched the rest of the show from the volcano pool area. DH got a few photos there…


Then we all went for Mickey ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches at CC’s. We showed the fam our Poly room, pointed out the hidden Mickeys in the hallway carpet…



SIL and BIL headed back to their hotel off property, and we all said goodbye. We were so fortunate to have them come on this trip. Because this dance studio is not dd’s primary one (she only takes a class or two there each year) and because we stayed at the Poly rather than ASMu, we weren’t really “part of the group,” so to speak. But having SIL/BIL there made us part of a group, and it worked so well. We had our itinerary and they had theirs, and we just met up whenever we could. So much fun!
We spent our last night at the Poly wishing we could stay longer, but that was not to be. It also concerned us a bit that Pluto was so strung out on this trip. We’re looking into a good detox center for him.

More tomorrow (our last day--sob!)

I hope it’s ok for a new fiend to post a TR! I apologize in advance to those who are not fans of photos. I take photos. A lot of photos. And though I’m usually nervous about sharing them, because I have an ugly perfectionist streak, I’m trying to let go of that and view photography as an art, not a science. That is really, really hard for me, so this is my therapy. If you hate my photos, don’t tell me. Also, I’ve never done a trip report before, so if you hate my trip report, don’t tell me.
I also apologize in advance to those looking for a Fort fix. You will not find one here! Though we normally stay at the Fort in our 30ish-foot geriatric motorhome when we head to Disney, we had a different opportunity this year, and we decided to take it. This is a photo of our ugly old vintage motorhome the last time we were at Disney, October 2011:

Now put it out of your mind, because that’s not what this trip was about. Here, from our last trip, are our two canine lunkheads, who had to stay home this trip:


I will not show you the photo of dd and me bawling as we said goodbye to them for this trip…we are not pretty when we cry. I do believe the dogs had as good a vacation as we did though, because we have the most fantabulous dog sitter in the world, who comes 4x/day and plays with them for hours. She also brought her dog with her when she came, and it was a big dog party. Frankly, they had it better than they do when we’re at home.
Now, on with the trip. Dd dances at two different studios, and one of the owners of one of the studios is as big a Disney freak as we are (who knew?!) She decided to take the girls to dance at Disney World and set it up through a travel agency that does this sort of thing. (Note to self….why didn’t you think of this….these people are getting freaking rich off dance moms like you!!!) Of course we were “in,” the minute we heard about it. Dd has been going to Disney World since she was 2; she’s been dancing since she was 5; combining the two was a dream come true. So after 9 months of eager anticipation, we were one of dozens of groups of dancers from around the world who converged on Magic Kingdom and DHS the last week of June.
We were told early on that we had to stay in one of 3 Disney hotels in order to participate. I came to suspect much later on that that wasn’t true. However, at the time we did what we were told, kissed goodbye the idea of staying at the Fort and taking the dogs, and set out to choose a hotel. Our options were All-Star Music (where nearly everyone else was staying…no thanks), Port Orleans Riverside (gave it some thought but the theming isn’t really our style), or the Polynesian (cha-ching!!!) This was going to be a trip of firsts…..our first time at the Poly and our first time making the trip in a car rather than the motorhome….so we truly made it a trip of firsts and decided to do many, many things that we’d never done before.
More to come later, if people are interested......

I hope it’s ok for a new fiend to post a TR! I apologize in advance to those who are not fans of photos. I take photos. A lot of photos. And though I’m usually nervous about sharing them, because I have an ugly perfectionist streak, I’m trying to let go of that and view photography as an art, not a science. That is really, really hard for me, so this is my therapy. If you hate my photos, don’t tell me. Also, I’ve never done a trip report before, so if you hate my trip report, don’t tell me.
I also apologize in advance to those looking for a Fort fix. You will not find one here! Though we normally stay at the Fort in our 30ish-foot geriatric motorhome when we head to Disney, we had a different opportunity this year, and we decided to take it. This is a photo of our ugly old vintage motorhome the last time we were at Disney, October 2011:

Now put it out of your mind, because that’s not what this trip was about. Here, from our last trip, are our two canine lunkheads, who had to stay home this trip:


I will not show you the photo of dd and me bawling as we said goodbye to them for this trip…we are not pretty when we cry. I do believe the dogs had as good a vacation as we did though, because we have the most fantabulous dog sitter in the world, who comes 4x/day and plays with them for hours. She also brought her dog with her when she came, and it was a big dog party. Frankly, they had it better than they do when we’re at home.
Now, on with the trip. Dd dances at two different studios, and one of the owners of one of the studios is as big a Disney freak as we are (who knew?!) She decided to take the girls to dance at Disney World and set it up through a travel agency that does this sort of thing. (Note to self….why didn’t you think of this….these people are getting freaking rich off dance moms like you!!!) Of course we were “in,” the minute we heard about it. Dd has been going to Disney World since she was 2; she’s been dancing since she was 5; combining the two was a dream come true. So after 9 months of eager anticipation, we were one of dozens of groups of dancers from around the world who converged on Magic Kingdom and DHS the last week of June.
We were told early on that we had to stay in one of 3 Disney hotels in order to participate. I came to suspect much later on that that wasn’t true. However, at the time we did what we were told, kissed goodbye the idea of staying at the Fort and taking the dogs, and set out to choose a hotel. Our options were All-Star Music (where nearly everyone else was staying…no thanks), Port Orleans Riverside (gave it some thought but the theming isn’t really our style), or the Polynesian (cha-ching!!!) This was going to be a trip of firsts…..our first time at the Poly and our first time making the trip in a car rather than the motorhome….so we truly made it a trip of firsts and decided to do many, many things that we’d never done before.
More to come later, if people are interested......

I hope it’s ok for a new fiend to post a TR! I apologize in advance to those who are not fans of photos. I take photos. A lot of photos. And though I’m usually nervous about sharing them, because I have an ugly perfectionist streak, I’m trying to let go of that and view photography as an art, not a science. That is really, really hard for me, so this is my therapy. If you hate my photos, don’t tell me. Also, I’ve never done a trip report before, so if you hate my trip report, don’t tell me.
I also apologize in advance to those looking for a Fort fix. You will not find one here! Though we normally stay at the Fort in our 30ish-foot geriatric motorhome when we head to Disney, we had a different opportunity this year, and we decided to take it. This is a photo of our ugly old vintage motorhome the last time we were at Disney, October 2011:

Now put it out of your mind, because that’s not what this trip was about. Here, from our last trip, are our two canine lunkheads, who had to stay home this trip:


I will not show you the photo of dd and me bawling as we said goodbye to them for this trip…we are not pretty when we cry. I do believe the dogs had as good a vacation as we did though, because we have the most fantabulous dog sitter in the world, who comes 4x/day and plays with them for hours. She also brought her dog with her when she came, and it was a big dog party. Frankly, they had it better than they do when we’re at home.
Now, on with the trip. Dd dances at two different studios, and one of the owners of one of the studios is as big a Disney freak as we are (who knew?!) She decided to take the girls to dance at Disney World and set it up through a travel agency that does this sort of thing. (Note to self….why didn’t you think of this….these people are getting freaking rich off dance moms like you!!!) Of course we were “in,” the minute we heard about it. Dd has been going to Disney World since she was 2; she’s been dancing since she was 5; combining the two was a dream come true. So after 9 months of eager anticipation, we were one of dozens of groups of dancers from around the world who converged on Magic Kingdom and DHS the last week of June.
We were told early on that we had to stay in one of 3 Disney hotels in order to participate. I came to suspect much later on that that wasn’t true. However, at the time we did what we were told, kissed goodbye the idea of staying at the Fort and taking the dogs, and set out to choose a hotel. Our options were All-Star Music (where nearly everyone else was staying…no thanks), Port Orleans Riverside (gave it some thought but the theming isn’t really our style), or the Polynesian (cha-ching!!!) This was going to be a trip of firsts…..our first time at the Poly and our first time making the trip in a car rather than the motorhome….so we truly made it a trip of firsts and decided to do many, many things that we’d never done before.
More to come later, if people are interested......