MillieHubbard's TR

@Bali - thanks, it was beautiful...I'd love to have a summer place up there...something to dream/plan for in retirement

how great would that be winter at WDW and summer in the Blue Ridge...with side trips in between!

As promised A little delayed...sorry about that

Day 7 - Magic Kingdom Marathon

Today is the big day - it's DH's BD. All week long I had been giving him Earth Day/Environmentality pins and had the Piece de Resistance for his collection today. It's an Animal Kingdom Spinner pin. The pin reads "The Artistry of the Earth" and is an artist's palette with a spinner on the back that has about 8 animals on it. It's a really beautiful pin, you can find an image of it on PinPics.com. He was very happy with the pins that he received all week but was really looking forward to a fun day at Magic Kingdom.

We got an early start but just late enough to miss the "crush" of people first thing in the morning. We were able to park fairly close and the Tram was just pulling up as we walked up to the queue - was this an omen of a good day to come? We jumped on the Tram and sped off to the TTC. We headed up the ramp to catch the Monorail after a brief debate on whether the boat or monorail would be quicker. We decided on the monorail since they come more frequently. We got to the top of the ramp just as the train was pulling away, but not fretting since the next one would be there in a couple of minutes. Sure enough the next monorail pulled into the station and we anxiously waited for the doors to open...and waited, and waited! It seems that with the tragic accident of the previous weekend the security checks were being run a bit more often. It felt like FOREVER while we waited for the doors to open...it was getting to the point that people were pacing and looking around trying to figure out what the holdup was - just as the crowd was getting really restless the doors opened...whew!! We headed off and were at the MK in a matter of moments.

We made our way to the bag check station and passed through quickly. We headed for the Guest Relations window to claim DH's birthday gift card - we didn't need the free admission ticket since we already had 10-day PH NE tix. DH was really looking forward to having some 'Disney Dollars ' to spend - more on that later! After concluding our business at the window we proceeded to the entrance and passed through without issue. Ahhhhhh!! the joy of passing through the tunnel and coming out on Exhibition Square. Even as an adult there is an excitement about that first glimpse of the wonder of the Magic Kingdom, the balloons, the kids squealing, it's just MAGICAL! How can you help but be happy and excited!! Our first stop of the morning was in the candy shop on Main Street, I was on a quest for Selma's Rice Krispie Bars. The mouse-ears rice krispie bars are good, but not as good as Selma's. The Selma's bars are just "butterier" (is that a word?). No luck-we must press onward-that is after we check the CM lanyards, today will be a BIG pin trading day for us since our trading "stock" was replenished!

We made our way long Main Street and made a left at the hub towards Adventureland. We crossed the bridge with the intent to head right for Pirates. We did head directly for POC, that's one of the advantages of having been to WDW so many times, we were not distracted by the giftshops and refreshment stands along the way. Given that we were making good time this morning, we walked right on to POC-there was absolutely no line. This was strange, where was everyone? There were people in the park, just not on Pirates! After we finished the ride, we exited into the giftshop and had a little fun with the CMs at the Pirates League boutique. DH had his Happy Birthday button on so that was just an open invitation for the CMs to have some fun at his expense...in a good hearted fashion!

After our fun in the Pirates Bazaar, we decided it was time to head off to Frontierland so DH could ride Big Thunder Mountain. He's not really a fan of Splash Mountain, even on steamy hot July CFL days. He just doesn't like to get wet and have his clothes all stick to him. We rounded the corner and discovered where all the people were! With Space Mountain closed for refurbishment all the "thrill riders" were in Frontierland!! I'm not a rollercoaster fan so I told DH to head over to BTM and I'd meet him in Liberty Square - there was another candy store to check out for the rice krispie bars I was seeking. I took my time heading over to Liberty Square and stopped to enjoy the rocking chairs along the way, that's one thing about summer in CFL, you're better to take it slow and easy, rest in the shade and drink plenty of fluids. As I was "moseying" along Frontierland, my cell rang and it was DH looking for me. He'd decided to just get a FP for BTM since the standby line was pretty long - OH SNACK BREAK!!!

Sorry, DH is playing with our newest kitchen gadget. We bought one of those little grill machines from QVC "GTXpress 101". To best describe it, you can really easily make Hot Pocket type snacks, single serving size (it makes 2 at once). We had mini calzones last night, he had ham and cheese "Hot Pockets" for lunch today and he just made "Peanut Butter Cup Cakes" chocolate cake with peanut butter chips in the center - yuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmm!!

OK back to the TR!! OK, DH got his BTM Fast Pass so we decided to head to Haunted Mansion, our favorite MK attraction. I've always been a fan of gothic horror. In high school my favorite book was Dracula!! We both love the rehab that they did on Haunted Mansion - along with POC they really got these rehabs right! There isn't a single thing about Haunted Mansion that I don't just love, from the graveyard to the hitchhiking ghosts, the whole attraction is fantastic. This ride was the 3rd time this week, and not to be our last! We always stop to enjoy the queue going into the ride and the pet cemetery on the way out. We love to "visit" Mr. Toad in the graveyard - one of those often missed little things that the Imagineers "sprinkle" all over the parks.

After riding Haunted Mansion DH decided he head back to BTM and try and ride it before we got too far away from Frontierland. I headed in the opposite direction to ride Small World. I love the refurbished Small World too. The colors are so vibrant, I love the Small World Kids. One of the sets of pins I was able to collect this time are the set of 6 Small World kids from Disneyland, the round ones with the kids from Europe, Asia, Africa, Mexico, Alaska and India - they are just SO cute. I also collected half of the older Small World Kids pins, the ones with the different colored Mouse Ears hats. Those are very cute too.

After we both rode our rides we decided to head over to Mickey's Philharmagic. DH was really looking forward to riding this ride since he'd now be able to really enjoy it in 3D. He'd had eye surgery last year just AFTER we got back from WDW so he'd never been able to see the attraction in it's full 3D glory! DH has one of those infectious laughs that just makes everyone around him have hysterics - and let me tell you he REALLY enjoyed the attraction!

Since this was the trip where we tried to do things that we'd never done before or hadn't done in a very long time so we decided to try and get on the Tea Cups. We had never ridden this ride before since the lines were always so long. We were in luck this time, the wait wasn't too long and we had a great time on it. We used to do Irish Set Dancing which is kind of like VERY fast paced square dancing - going around in circles (spinning) very, very fast. Needless to say, we had a blast spinning that Tea Cup, we had it going around as fast it would possibly go, the entire park was just a BLUR as we zipped around that ride.

Next was Dumbo, another ride we'd never gone on before! It was a fun ride but not one we'd generally stand in line for again. We didn't have to wait too long to ride, so we weren't overly disappointed, just a little on the tame side for both of us. DH like the roller-coaster type of fast up and down ride and I like the intense spinning rides, so this ride was a little mild for both of us.

After exiting Dumbo we headed over to Mickey's Toontown Fair, mostly to do some pin trading. DH remembered that when he was Photopass the CMs there seemed to have a good selection of pins. We did manage to find some pins to trade for and we both at that point were ready for a cold drink so we headed over to the Farmer's Market to get a "cold one" - Iced Tea that is! The crowds of "little ones" were getting to be a little bit much for the two of us so it was time to exit Toontown. We took the walkway around Tomorrowland Indy Speedway and headed for Carousel of Progress to get a little "nap time"!!

We actually don't nap on the ride, but it is a good relaxing 15 minutes or so in dark, air-conditioned comfort. I remember the Carousel of Progress from the NY World's Fair in '64 - woops - did I just age myself...hmmmm...Oh Well!! I also remember the "Wonderful World of Disney" on television every week, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones!! After exiting the Carousel we headed over the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin to engage in our hotly contested competition to win the "Trophy Pin". Sadly, I wasn't to be victorious this year either! DH gets to keep the trophy for another year (or so)!

Exiting Buzz, it was quite a bit "darker" than when we went on the ride and we headed quickly to Tomorrowland Noodle Terrace to get under some cover...just in time, the sky opened up and the thunder and lightening really let loose. We were held up in the restaurant for about 15 minutes before the storm let up enough that it felt safe to venture out. We were trying to make it over to Crystal Palace for our 3:30 reservation and the rain was just not going to stop. So...we grabbed a couple of trays from Noodle Terrace and used them as makeshift umbrellas...oh did I mention that we had umbrellas...in the TRUCK, in the parking lot!!! Isn't that always the way! It was still raining, but we were starving and we didn't want to be late for our reservation so we made a run for it. We managed to stay under cover most of the way, until we had to make it from Casey's Corner to Crystal Palace, with the restrooms right there, that area is always congested, even in the rain.

Well, we made it to the restaurant and had to kind of "push" our way to the hostess stand, everyone was up on the porch at Crystal Palace trying to get out of the rain. There was also an assortment of people trying to get a table to get out of the rain...there of course were no tables to be had but that didn't dissuade some folks from "pressing the issue". Fortunately we were called for our table very quickly and we got to go inside and get away from the weather and the attitudes!

We enjoyed a very nice lunch/dinner (what do you call it at 3:30?). The characters were making their way around the dining room and we had fun getting photos and hugs. Tigger is my favorite and Pooh is DH's. The selection of food was good, and seemed to be the dinner offerings; we weren't sure what would be on the buffet at that weird hour. We've always enjoyed the food at Crystal Palace and this time was no different. We had a nice selection of salads to choose from including peel and eat shrimp, Mediterranean pasta and mixed field greens. Neither of us wanted to get filled up on salad with a nice selection of carved meats available. The choices were Prime Rib, Turkey, salmon, rotisserie chicken along with the mushroom and chicken pasta with basil asiago cream sauce - yum - I just love pasta alfredo! By the time we enjoyed salads and entrees there wasn't much room for dessert left but we both managed to sample a couple of small pieces - I had a little bit of Key Lime Pie, Boston Cream Pie and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. DH enjoyed the Double Chocolate Brownies, Key Lime Pie and Boston Cream Pie. After a cup of coffee to finish off the meal, it was time to "waddle" out to the park!! It was time to make Round 2 of the park!

We headed off to Adventureland to begin working our way around the park again! Since we had been able to ride so many of our favorites in the morning, we were less than enthusiastic about standing in long lines, so we spent more time pin trading and chatting with CMs than we did actually riding/visiting attractions. That said, we couldn't leave Adventureland without taking in the Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Management. DH has fond memories of the Tiki Room from his childhood so this is usually a "must do" for him, just to remember his Dad laughing all the way through the show! I gotta say I don't quite see the attraction but then he has the same reaction to It's a Small World!!

Next we headed over to Frontierland and DH took another ride on BTM at the "dinner hour" the line wasn't too bad and I wandered through the shops and did a little pin trading/scanning. After his ride DH met up with me and we went to the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade and had a little fun target shooting! By this time of day it was pretty hot out in the sun along the walkways so we were looking for places that we could get out of the sun. Snow White's Scary Adventure was just the ticket, the line wasn't too bad since it was still "dinner time" and we only waited about 10 minutes. I just love these classic rides. After Snow White we went over and got Fast Passes for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and then we tried to do Peter Pan but the line was longer than we wanted to stand in so we just wandered around for a little while, chatting with some CMs and doing some pin trading (did I say I was sick of seeing Cutie Princess Pins!!). Before long it was time to return for our Winnie the Pooh Fast Pass time slot. We entered the Fast Pass queue and the line was not long at all...I did get to spot a Hidden Mickey I'd never seen before. The HM is one of the "knots" in the trees in the FP queue for the ride. We're not avid HM spotters but we do keep our eyes open for them.

By this time it was starting to get a little "late" - 9ish - and we'd decided that we were going to go back to the resort for a little R&R and come back for EMH later in the evening. So we headed toward Main Street and managed to duck out of the park before the SpectroMagic parade started. We've experienced being on the "wrong-side" of the parade in the past and not being able to get to the side of the park we wanted so careful planning put us on the right side of the park to be able to get to the exit. Getting out of the park at this hour is not bad at all, the times around the fireworks and parades are the best time to catch the monorail...that is if you've already enjoyed those displays MANY times! We headed back to our resort...a short drive from MK and changed into our swimsuits and hit the hot tub for a little muscle rejuvenation, then a quick dip in the regular pool...it was a little "cool" after the rain all week but that was just what we needed to get refreshed for:

MK Marathon Part II...more to come

WOW!! I didn't realize Part I was so long....sorry if it's too much for anyone

@DSoup...you are SO funny...hehehehe!!

I did start to type it up while we were there, but then we were just having TOO much fun and I quit "working"!!

I'm typing this up from memory...I'm sure I'm missing some of the details. But it's funny how much you can remember when you "want to" and it's a good memory!!

Then again, it's not hard to remember "wearing" lunch trays as umbrellas!!

Last night DH made vanilla yogurt and fresh blueberry "pies". He "baked" the pieshell in the GTXpress and then filled them with vanilla yogurt, fresh blueberries and topped with RediWhip........yuuuuuuuummmmmmm. The entire process took about 15 minutes!! And we didn't have to heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven for 30 minutes. A HUGE plus in the summer heat in NC!

This little gadget has become our favorite appliance!! I keep thinking this little thing would be wonderful in a camper or motorhome. It's a small footprint and can be used for so many types of dishes.

I'll be making "quiche" for breakfast tomorrow!! When we ordered it we actually received 2 units...we haven't opened the second box yet, we're thinking of giving it as a gift...but now we're thinking we might keep the 2nd one!!

OHOHOHOH!! You know those yummy Chili Frito Wraps they sell at Sonic...that are REALLY bad for you but so yummy...we're going to try those this weekend!! Small flour tortilla, beanless chili (canned hormel brand), shredded cheddar cheese and fritos corn chips all wrapped up and heated in the GTXpress. Usually you have to heat the chili in a pan and then "fill" the tortilla...with the Xpress we'll make them and THEN heat them. ENDLESS possibilities!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We kind of "hemmed and hawed" before deciding to purchase and we're really glad we did. It still might end up in the box with the "hot dog cooker" - when the novelty wears off!! That said, we ordered a Deni Electric Grill a couple of months ago and it's a permanent fixture on our kitchen counter. Cooks frozen chicken breast in about 10 minutes!! It's a non-stick grill pan with a GLASS cover, so we can see what's cooking but still "steam" the food to speed it along a bit. We love both appliances. On the grill we've also cooked burgers, steaks, pork chops, fish, sausage...anything you'd grill or fry in a skillet.

Cleanup is easy too since the grill part snaps out and can be run under the water as long as you're careful to not get the "plug" wet.

@Bali

Thanks, glad you're enjoying the TR...I'm enjoying "reliving" our trip. On the lunch trays, we asked at Crystal Palace and they said no problem, that the color of the tray tells the CMs where they belong and the trays would be returned without a problem.

On the recipes, we're using the little "cookbook" that came with the appliance as a guide and making some modifications. We've found that we can put just about anything in as a filler and it will work...as I'm writing this I just thought of little "macaroni & cheese" hot pockets with mini hot dogs in the middle! Or even make "Baked macaroni & cheese pies"...kind of make a Hot Pocket shaped "pie" of mac & cheese, roll it in some breadcrumbs, brush the cooker with some cooking oil and "fry" the pies...yuuuummmm....kind of like the "fried macaroni & cheese" they sell at the Fairs without having to deep fry it!!

Oh...my diet is NOT going to be helped by this little appliance

We haven't done this yet, we went out for dinner Saturday night and had some leftovers to use up last night...but it's definitely on the "menu" for this week. I'll be sure to post the results and "recipe" when we try it. I think it should work fantastic.

DH made Blueberry Corn Muffins for breakfast on Saturday...they were delicious. Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix and fresh blueberries...my mouth is watering just thinking of them

MK Marathon Part II

Back on our way to MK - it was nice having our own vehicle for this trip. The Disney Transportation system is a nice perk for those staying on property. It definitely saves money not having to pay for transportation to and from the airport, and it works well for folks not familiar with Disney property - all those twisty-turny roads can be confusing. I still get lost sometimes, even after living there for 2 years!!

Having our own vehicle and being so close to MK we were able to get back into the park in about 20 minutes, including driving there, taking the Tram, and waiting for the Monorail. We walked back into the park about 10:30 and headed straight for Cosmic Ray's to get "dinner". We knew since this was going to be a late night, we'd better get a bite to eat before the restaurants closed down for the night. Lunch/Dinner had been at 3:30 in the afternoon with just a light snack in between - we were STARVED! We had never eaten at Cosmic Ray's before, we figured you can get burgers anywhere!! We were very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food - even at close to 11 pm at night! I ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger and was amazed at the toppings bar!! DH had a chicken sandwich and enjoyed is very much also. It is a little weird to be in one of the Disney restaurants, practically by ourselves!! There were MAYBE 6 or 7 other families there, certainly no more than 10. Quite a difference from being in any of the restaurants during regular park hours. We sat for a minute and enjoyed the show and then decided to get on our way to Buzz Lightyear - we used to love that ride, but I have to say it now pales a bit in comparison to Toy Story Mania - maybe it's the novelty/newness of TS but it just didn't seem as much fun. Sadly I didn't win the trophy pin back!

After exiting Buzz we headed over to the Haunted Mansion for our 4th ride that week!! I just LOVE that ride, it never gets old. I enjoy EVERYTHING about it, the CMs and their creepy, gothic characterization, the stretching room and the screams of folks riding it for their first time! We literally walked right on to the ride, there was NO ONE in line! I LOVE evening EMH!! It's hard to say what part of the ride is my favorite-I think it might be the graveyard, just because there is so much to look at, I always spot something I never noticed before.

After leaving HM we went over to Peter Pan's Flight, we love this ride but it's so hard to get on it during the day. The line is always ridiculously long and we just don't want to wait that long. It's a difficult choice for us, we'd do a FP for Peter Pan but we usually get the FP for Haunted Mansion instead. We were so glad to be able to ride this classic before our trip ended. After riding Peter Pan I "dragged" DH over to Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh for one more ride on that classic. Winnie the Pooh stories were some of my favorites as a child and I love Tigger so the Pooh ride is always a favorite of mine. DH "tolerates" Pooh since he get's to see the "homage" to Mr. Toad picture on the ride. He LOVED Mr. Toad-which might explain his "disdain" for Pooh. It's hard when one of your favorites has been replaced!! We tried to ride Snow White but just missed it, when they say the park closes at 2:00 AM they MEAN it!! I guess I can't blame the CMs it's been a LONG day for them! AND us since we started at the park about 9 am.

It was time to begin making our way to the exit, as we rounded the corner to head to the tunnel in Cinderella's Castle who did we see but a whole "gaggle" of characters!! All in once place to wish the guests well on their way out. There was Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale!!! All together in once place, alongside the Carousel for a sing-along and photo-op! Oh I was so mad I didn't have my camera!! I had decided to just bring my ID case and car keys this time - I tried to get a pic with my cellphone but it was just too dark to get a good shot! Oh well, I do have the memory!!

It was time to exit the park, sadly our evening at the MK was over. We still had a few days left of our vacation, we had some more activities planned but our time in the parks was over. We would still visit DTD a couple more times before leaving I "lobbied" hard to "burn" another park ticket and go on Saturday but we both decided that Saturday would be really crowded and not that enjoyable. So we decided to just spend Saturday at the resort and enjoy the pool and just relax before we had to check out on Sunday.

To come...the end of our trip...but a fantastic night at House of Blues to close out our EXCELLENT vacation!

I got to see my very favorite local musician...don't let "local" fool you he is SO talented!!

That's why we're thinking of keeping the 2nd one instead of giving it away.

I think we have meatloaf on the menu tonight, so no GrillXpress...unless DH makes dessert again!

But Mac & Cheese is definitely on the menu sometime this week...even if I have to "make it and take it" for lunch one day