Magic Mirror's January DISNEYmoon Trip Report

Disney Magic Kingdom * Character Meet * Peter Pan:

I'm proud to say I know Peter Pan. No, really. I KNOW Peter Pan! He grew up in my town and when he was finishing high school, he came and did a ride along with me for his government class. He wanted to go to college for acting and there was something about him, I thought this kids gonna hit it big some day. He eventually found his way to Disney and has gone from the part time Pan to the full time. I have kept up with him via FB but I wasn't sure he would recognize me at the park. No worries, while never breaking character, he let me know he remembered me and while I won't go into the whole conversation - it was awesome. While we were talking a group walked by and yelled "We want your phone number!" he replied "whats a phone?" and they said "we want your number!" and he said "seven!" "is that it? yes! I win! I win!". Its easy to see why he is a favorite character meet at MK. I am anxious to see where his career eventually takes him when he leaves Neverland.

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Disney Magic Kingdom * Haunted Mansion " The Emergency Evacuation ":

We had just gotten in our doom buggy and started down the first hallway of the Haunted Mansion when the ride stopped. We went thru two of the ghost host announcements about the spooks who have stopped our doombuggy. Then the lights all went on in the house. As we were close to the front of the line, it didn't take long for a CM to be at our buggy. He had to manually unlock the doom buggy bar and told us to immediately exit. While he was calm he had a look in his eye that had me worried. As we exited the doom buggy, CM's from unknown places were running past us and further into the house.

No one was left to direct us where to go or how to exit. As we were so close to the front of the ride, it wasn't very hard to find our way and follow the exit signs but it was surprising they left no CM in that area to make sure people continued out.

At first I thought perhaps it was a medical emergency, a heart attack somewhere further down the line, but the looks of frenzy on some of the CM's and the appearance of higher ranking CM's made me think it was bigger than one person having a problem.

In the courtyard by the ghost horse carriage I stopped to take some pictures, eventually a CM came by quickly pushing us out. We went just outside the gate and sat down on the brick wall when a security guard arrived and positioned himself at the entry. It took quite a while for more of the guests to finally come out of the house, all exiting in a single file, quite orderly. Shortly after that a CM in a suit arrived and the guard told them "it sounds like its in the back". She took off in the house. Then a whole row of CM's came out, reporting to the security guard that all guests and all CM's were out of the house, that the only people remaining were 3 supervisors inside. By now the distant sounds of emergency trucks could be heard, wailing in the distance. Another employee in a suit approached the guard and said they needed to clear out the entire area in front of the Haunted Mansion gates, shutting down the sidewalks and the road connecting the lands. Knowing we would be told to move soon anyway, we gave up our spy post, and wandered back to Fantasyland.

I never heard anymore of what happened... I assume it was a fire of some sort, apparently (thankfully!) short lived and not too severe such the ride was open the next day. It did make me re-think the doom buggy seats and wonder if the CM couldn't unlock it, if I could physically fit over the bar to make a ninja sommersault exit!

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Disney Polynesian Resort * Famous Person Meet:

Those who have been around Disney have heard of the famous hula teacher, Auntie Kau'i.
Auntie has been with Disney since 1971 and at the young age of 82, is a recognizable face at the Poly!

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Disney Port Orleans * French Quarter * Famous Person Meet:

Arneil is the colorfully dressed door greeter at the French Quarters. He speaks Dutch in addition to English and has his roots deep in the Netherlands. We asked him if he knew he was famous on the internet and the Disney boards and he laughed. He said he was in the Netherlands airport once, in civilian clothing, when he was approached by a man who said "hey, you work for Disney don't you?". Arneil has a great smile and a contagious laugh...he always brightens our day when we come "home"!

Disney Magic Kingdom * Sleepy Hollow Quick Service:

After hearing about the Nutella Waffle Sandwich, we decided to try it for dinner one night.
I have never had Nutella, I love chocolate but it just never sounded very good...what a mistake!
This stuff is tasty! I had the Nutella Fresh Fruit Waffle ($6.69) and Amy had the Waffles with Strawberries
and Whip Cream ($6.39). They were so good, we went back another day and had them both again!

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Disney Magic Kingdom * Character Meet * Woody & Jessie:

We were in line when Woody and Jessie came out. Woody was pretty eager to see everyone and was strutting
pretty fast towards us, unaware that Jessie had not even come out of the CM exit yet. When Woody was almost to
our line, the CM yelled out for him to wait. He turned around to see Jessie just starting to come out..so he tapped his
foot impatiently and waited for her. They had a cute interaction of gestures before we got started.

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Disney Magic Kingdom * Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe:

One of the advantages of Pecos Bill's quick service cafe is it is one of only two places in MK that
offers a help yourself topping bar! (Cosmic Rays being the other QS). I asked the CM if I could
have a separate plate for the toppings and she gave me two. Amy and I had the basic
1/3 lb Angus Bacon Cheeseburger
with choice of Corn on the Cob, Apple Slices, or French Fries ($10.69 each) a good value if you
like to add toppings!

( I swear that Tonga Toast is 2 inches thick! I should have measured it! )

Disney Magic Kingdom * Big Top Souvenir & Snacks:

After our very first ride ever on Dumbo the Flying Elephant we wandered thru the Big Top Souvenir building. There was a lovely showcase of pretty decorated treats. We picked out this large Chocolate Chip Cookie ($5.49) to split as an afternoon snack.

Let me save you the trouble- it was horrible. It was the only thing we ate in The World that was so bad I considered returning it after the first bite. It was dry, hard, had no taste, even the chocolate chips tasted old. A disappointing snack. Well..at least it looked pretty.

Downtown Disney * Fulton's Crab House:

We met Amy's dad and step-mom one day for a late lunch and took them to Fulton's Crab House. This table service restaurant has had mixed reviews in the past, but with Scrappy & Mrhubs assurance that Fulton's was now a steadfast fine dining option, we went with no worries. We had reservations for 3pm but arrived at about 2:25p. They were unable to seat us immediately but did get us in around 2:45p. I was pleasantly surprised they had a lunch menu which was not available online. They told us they offer the lunch menu till about 4 or 4:30pm depending on when they run out of the food. She said food is prepared fresh daily for lunch and again for dinner so when it's gone, it's gone. We were very pleased with the waiter and the food was outstanding. It will be on our list again next time we are there. I took a photos of the lunch menu, even though it probably changes frequently, so you can at least compare the items offered and the prices. I apologize they are not the clearest-the sun was so bright coming in off the water we had to pull the blinds some.

Fulton's continued:

I had the Fish Tacos - They were perfect! Fresh, tasty, I wish I had them right now!

I washed it down with a Super Fruit Sangria

You can never go wrong with Sangrias!

Amy had the Fish & Chips.. the batter was light, non greasy, and the fish (the waiter said it was cod)
was mild and broke into large flaky pieces. She was very happy with it.

Amy chose the Summer Peach Sangria

Amy's dad had a the Hook and Sinker- a create your own combo-he chose the Po Boy Sandwich and
the house garden salad.

He chose his favorite beer that he drinks when in Florida- Yuengling Draft ($7)

Amy's step-mom had the Chilled Seafood Trio but did not want the oysters on the half shell..the waiter
said they would substitute additional shrimp.

and she had a Bloody Mary as her drink

Fulton's cont.:

Amy's dad Po Boy Sandwich was the Oyster... he said it was the best ever!

We didn't try the desserts, because we went to Ghiradelli's instead (and I didn't get any pics ).

Disney Downtown * Ghirardelli:

For those of you wondering if Girardelli's is still handing out samples- they are! And the sample when we were there was the new, milk chocolate caramel mini's. Ooey, gooey and heavenly!

Disney Magic Kingdom * Character Meet * Lady Tremaine, Drizella, Anastasia:

The meet with Cinderella's step family was a riot. When we approached them Lady Tremaine immediately said "well pay me a compliment". But I was already gushing "we just married!" knowing of course, that this would set Drizella and Anastasia into a fit. We were not disappointed as they drew out their sarcasm "ohhhhhh well we are soooo happy for you, yeaaaah you got married". The conversation soon turned to our rings and diamonds and how much they love diamonds... so when we took our photo - they all wanted us to show off the diamonds...the resulting picture, I think, is priceless.

KenJ, great job finding the Haunted Mansion video! Yes, you can see several clips of us after they start moving out of the queue area..we both have our bright blue jackets on and are sitting on the brick wall right outside the main gates. Pretty weird to see myself on some strangers video LOL

Nice freeze shot mrhub! Instead of Where is Waldo- we can play Where is Angie?

Disney Magic Kingdom * Plaza Ice Cream Parlor:

We were so happy the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor still had Mickey's Kitchen Sink!
What a bonus to pick our own ice cream for it (Amy's fav Mint Chocolate Chip and I had Birthday Cake).
We washed up the Sink and brought it home- so cute!

Magic Kingdom * Character Meet * Gaston:

The young lady who met Gaston before us was so obviously drooling over him it was actually rather sad. Gaston proudly boasted this was the 8th time TODAY she had met him (and I don't think that was an exaggeration). She spent the entire time trying to place stickers on him, mostly his back, of the Belle and the Beast. It was a rather strange interaction and became annoying to the rest of us in line really quickly.

The young boy behind us had begged his mother to stand in line because he wanted to challenge Gaston to a push up challenge. The boy was even warming up in line, dropping to do a few push ups now and then (videos to follow). That was cute. The 18yr old with the crush, not so much.

So when we approached Gaston I told him I was ashamed that the other lady had been there 8 times to see him and I had never met him, ever. Gaston asked about our buttons and we told him we were just married and on our honeymoon, as you can imagine, he found it quite a boost to his ego that the married two women were spending their honeymoon in line, to see him. While we were posing for photo's, Amy had put her hand behind his back and came across a sticker he had missed. She took it off and handed it to him and he instantly yelled funny insults about the Beast. The young lady with the crush had been standing near by , waiting and watching, ready to leap like a panther at any invitation from Gaston. Thankfully she didn't impose herself into our pictures but she was hovering pretty close. Ahhh - teenage girls.

Disney Hollywood Studios * Scoops:

We had skipped lunch at HS one day, so we decided to grab a "small bite" of ice cream to hold us over until dinner, which was only a few hours away. I completely forgot how BIG the cookie sandwiches at Scoops are! We should have split one, but- too late, we each ordered one. Mint Chocolate Chip for Amy (see a pattern here?) and Cookies and Cream for me. They were so wonderful, yummmmm. But they really can count for a meal if you don't split it. Be Warned

Disney Hollywood Studios * Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano:

It was a last minute idea on the morning we were in HS for me to make dinner reservations at Mama's. We have never eaten there and it sounded so good. I was able to snag a reservation on the Disney App. so we were set. We had just made the mistake of consuming those delicious ice cream cookies (as shown above) less than two hours before we arrived at Mama's. We were still full but there was no way I was going to walk away without trying something!

We went in and was seated quickly. We decided to split the Mama's Caesar Salad and a Margherita Flatbread especially considering Amy had spied a dessert she wanted to try. (Can you tell we have a sweet tooth?). I swear our waiter was patient and kind until we ordered. I don't know if its because we were splitting a meal and it irked him for some reason (perhaps because his tip would not be as much) or if he was just becoming overwhelmed with multiple tables. I do know the tables around us ranging from 4 people to a table of 10 received prompt, happy, efficient service and ours was lacking. It almost felt like he was basically blowing us off, not listening to what we said.

I ordered the flatbread but slipped up and called it a pizza. He said Pizza? I apologized , told him I had misspoke, and I meant the Margherita Flatbread. He nodded. When it came out- it was pizza, not flatbread. I didn't say anything, we like pizza too so we ate it-and it was wonderful, fresh and a lot of garlic. (I would place Wolfgang Pucks as #1 and this as #2). The Salad was good (not too peppery like the Rainforest Cafe one) but it was skimpy, I felt like they were spreading out the lettuce to make it look like more (the picture below shows the salad before we ate any of it). The lady beside us had the same salad and hers looked to have a lot more on the plate, so I'm not sure what happened with ours. -- But-Our bread was late, our refills came when the meal was done, he only offered us one plate instead of two knowing we were sharing all the entree's and he barely asked if we wanted dessert.

Well Amy really wanted that dessert she had spied, so we ordered one of the Ghirardelli Chocolate and Cherry Torts. Amy really loved it, compared it to Black Forest Cake but in a Creamy Tort form.

When he gave me the bill he basically tossed it on the table and ran away. I looked at it and it was well over $120. Now we dropped a bit of money but certainly not that much. It took me about 5 minutes to get his attention to point out he gave me the wrong bill. No apologies, nothing- he snagged it and brought back the other. By now, Amy was irritated and voiced what I had already been thinking. I really wanted to drop his tip, but I decided to be Disney like, give him the benefit of the doubt, and tipped him just over 18%.

I hope this isn't a common issue among their waitstaff because I'd love to go back and try more of their food. We frequently share meals so we can sample more foods and eat more sweets, and we've never been treated poorly because of it.

Disney Hollywood Studios * Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular * Cast as an Extra:

*** Spoiler Alert ***

We did HS two days instead of one on a last minute switch up. So my Fast Pass selections were thin. Amy wanted to see Indiana Jones in case they remove it in the future, so I got a FP for that. FP allows you in early and seating front and center. It also allowed me to jump up and down like a fool when they were asking for volunteers to be an extra. Yippety- I was picked!

I was picked as a screamer, even though after the initial screaming "try outs" we didn't scream again. They sent us off to "wardrobe" which is a moving trolley cart at the top of the arena. We put on velcro robes and hoods and sat on the very top of the seats to wait. We watched the first part of Indiana were the spikes jump out of the floor & the rock rolls down after Indy. We also signed very real Liability Release Forms.
(the top seating on the side also offers a great vantage point to see actual foot prints are marked on the ground where Indy precisely places his feet as the spikes come out of the floor).

We were called down to the stage and our director was in costume with us. We were shoppers in the market when the fight breaks out with Indy and some bad guys while the tumblers are performing. The director guided us on when to run, where to run, what expressions to make, where to point and kept us moving thru the performance. While it is all very orchestrated it was a fun and interesting experience. Amy was able to get some video, so I will upload it as soon as I get it off her phone.

Disney Hollywood Studios * Character Meet * Indiana Jones:

After reading that if you wait in the front corner of the arena as people are leaving, you can sometimes meet Indiana Jones, we decided to try it. It was also helpful that the director from my Extra experience (outlined above) was down there and recognized me when I approached. Indy was staying close to the stage anyway and had already glanced over when a few of us Extras had been lingering around. The Director looked over to him and before she could say anything he had nodded and pointed to the rock at the end of the stage.

By now a few people who were leaving had noticed what we were up to and came down to join us. So only about 10 of us hung around and in a few minutes Indy came over and posed for pictures with us.

Video * Gaston's Push Up Challenge:

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Disney Bay Lake Towers DVD Resort * Top of the World Lounge:

By the gracious invitation of mrhub & scrappy, I met up with them and KenJ & JanJ at the enchanting Top of the World Lounge for a cold drink and warm conversation. An incredible way to end the evening and view the sparkling fireworks above the Magic Kingdom, it was a night to remember. Thank you! Mrhub, the drinks on me next time!

Video * Disney Bay Lake Towers * Top of the World DVD Lounge * Magic Kingdom Wishes Fireworks:

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