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[Masamune]

Day 1

The day didn't start off as great as it could've. We were delayed by over an hour, so by the time we actually arrived and got ourselves sorted and everything, half the day was pretty much gone. We didn't get into the main park until around 2pm (after we had checked in, unpacked and gone for something to eat at McDonald's), so we had missed all of the timed events/shows/etc except for the Once Upon a Dream parade. That only made us determined to make up for lost time though, so on Day 1 we ended up doing almost everything we wanted to do!

Firstly, we went to get a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain. We went through the shops for most of the trip (if there were shops to go through, we went through them, as it's a sure way to beat the cold!), but since this was our first day there, we went straight down Main Street. My friend Jacqui really liked walking down Main Street, as this was her first visit to DLRP in 13 years. Last time she came, the park was only 2 years old! Everything was new and exciting to her. She was like a child on her first visit, it was very cute.

After we got the fast pass, we basically whizzed around the park. We did pretty much all the rides on just that one day. There was only a few rides that we didn't do, because they were either closed for the day or we ended up running out of time. :lol: On the Phantom Manor ride, the Cast Member that lowered our bar made us jump, then when we were laughing about it going up the hill, he suddenly appeared again! He had actually walked up the hill in order to scare us some more. As a result, I actually ended up enjoying that ride.

When it was time for the Parade, we stood on the corner near It's a Small World. This is where the Princess stop usually occurs, but unfortunatly, the Parade didn't stop at all on any day we were there. Also, the Alice/Pinocchio float wasn't there for the full four days as well, which means I didn't get my Cheshire fix in full. It wasn't a huge deal though, as they sent out a bunch of characters each time as compensation.

In the whole parade, my fave character was Peter Pan. :shock: On the first day (and one of the other days, possibly the third), the guy playing Peter Pan was utterly stunning! He was GORGEOUS! Seriously, he was more beautiful than any Prince we saw in any of the Parades. I can't wait to see the pics of him when we get them developed. Another fave was the Evil Queen. She was incredibly beautiful, and very much in character. It was the same one on all four days, so it was a real treat.

After the parade, we had to magically make it back to Big Thunder Mountain before our passes ran out. :lol: To get there, we had to go through Discoveryland, aaaall the way down the right hand side of main street, across the road, aaaaaall the way up the left hand side of main street and then through Frontier Land. I'm so pleased we made it, as Big Thunder Mountain is always fun.

After that, it was simply a matter of continuing going on as many rides as possible until the Candle Ceremony. We got a bit lost in the Dragon's Den just before it was due to start, so we ended up standing at the side of the bridge. Jacqui got to see her fave character Prince John for the first time in the trip. The show was actually really good, despite the fact that it wasn't on the stage and it lacked the big dance numbers and such.

Once that was over, we heading out of the park and towards the Village. We spent ages looking around the shops before heading back to the hotel. We did loads on Day 1, so I'm sure Jacqui will post anything that I may have forgotten. Also, forgive any spelling errors/wrong words, as I have to head off right now and haven't had a chance to proof read!

[ColdSun]

great start...and I'm curious to see the pictures of Peter Pan . When I saww the parade the last time, the Evil Queen also impressed me very much.

[Nala_84]

Thanks for the trip report so far Masamune!
I can understand you so much with the day half gone when you arrived, it was pretty similar on our last trip in December! Because of snow on the streets in Belgium, we could only drive very slowly and arrived later than planned, plus it was so full in the parks (it was a Sunday) that we couldn't do many things on that day!
But it's great that you could do so many things in the evening !

Did you take non-digital pictures aswell this time?  :lol: I looove to look at pictures, you know  

[The Butlin Boy]

Great report Mas, I can;t wait to see the rest. Thanks for sharing it

BTW, which hotel were you staying at?

[ballet shoes]

I cant think of anything significant that you missed!!  Awsome report so far!!  I cant believe the Phantom Manor cast member, he was truly awsome, and yes siree we will have pictures soon

[Masamune]

@ Cold - We saw three different Peter Pans in all, and all of them were adorable. The one we saw first though was just special. He had his own hair and everything, instead of a wig!

@ Nala - :lol: We got more done on that half day than we did on any other day, so it wasn't a bad thing at all. On day 2 in the main park, we focused mostly on timed events like meet n' greets, etc.

In regards to pics, I'm sending them off tomorrow. Between us we took over 100 pics, so I'll be getting them on disc and uploading the best ones. I'm finally upgrading from dial-up to wireless broadband next week, so uploading pics should be fast and easy hopefully.

@ Butlin - :shock: I suck for not mentioning that we stayed in the Cheyenne. We stayed in building 22 (that's my fave/lucky number!) and it was named Soaring Eagle, which is a really nice building name. As always, the room was lovely and clean, and the view of the river we got was gorgeous.

@ My Bestest Friend Jacqui - Yay, glad you like it so far. / I'll most likely type up the Day 2 report tomorrow!

[Masamune]

Day 2

On Day 2 we were up pretty early, which is good, because it meant we could have an early breakfast. We had a character buffet meal later on in the day, so we wanted to have breakfast as early as possible so that we would be hungry later on. As always, breakfast was very nice, although it took us a while to find a seat.

Day 2 was all about doing stuff that we hadn't gotten to do the day before, as well as doing stuff that we had already done but wanted to do again! Day 2 was also about having a proper look around the shops, as not all shops sell the exact same things. First thing we did was watch the character parade. We actually ended up watching it twice that day, but didn't bother with a 3rd time as we realised that the characters from the first parade were exactly the same as the second one.

After watching the Characters parade the first time round, we wasn't sure where to go. I wanted Jacqui to pick a character to go to, and she wanted me to pick one. :lol: So we ended up just going to Gideon, since no one cares about Gideon. We however, adore Gideon, so were happy to meet him. He was the first of two characters to bring attention to my Cheshire Cat scarf. X3 He really liked it.

After that, we went on a couple more rides before returning for the second character parade. Upon seeing that it was the same set of characters, we decided to stalk the Sheriff of Nottingham as soon as he got off the train. We both got our pictures taken with him, just before he got into a snowball fight with Brer Bear.

:lol: Brer Bear was hilarious. Since no one was coming up to him (except one woman who tried to hug him and got pushed aside), he decided to climb over the small metal fence and go walking up the snowy hill. Somehow he ended up on the total opposite side to where he started, so it was really funny to watch.

After that, we decided to head to Frontier Land. We went on Phantom Manor again (nice warm sit down rides are perfect for beating the cold as well) and then headed towards the Lucky Nugget for our character meal. The characters featured at our meal were Goofy, Tigger, Gideon, Frollo and Mickey. The most characters out at any one time was two.

All in all, this was a brilliant experience, but I do have one or two negatives. Firstly, it was very disorganised. Sometimes, the characters wouldn't even make it to where we were sitting, as they mainly stayed in the lower area where the food is. We were on the second row up, so although we got to meet all the characters at some point, we didn't feel as if we were getting as much attention as the people in that centre section. In fact, the only character that went around every single person in one go was Mickey. Secondly, the lady who was serving our section wasn't very friendly. Lastly, it was rather cramped, so we got hardly any photos of ourselves with characters.

All that aside though, we had a fab time. It cost £21 each, and it was definatly worth it, despite the fact that drinks aren't included. It's an all you can eat buffet, and you can stay for as long as you like. The food was really REALLY good, so we filled up as much as we possibly could. :lol: Jacqui's timing was really bad, as almost everytime she stood up to get something to eat, a new character came out soon after. It was like she herself was getting booed or cheered, so it was very funny.

Now on to the characters! Gideon, as always, was super friendly and very adorable, as was Tigger. Tigger actually came to us as we were leaving and gave us both a hug for the road. Mickey was very friendly as well, and like I said, he was the only one who made an effort to get round every single person in one go before leaving. :lol: That leaves just Frollo and Goofy.

Now, Goofy is not one of my fave characters, nor is he one of Jacqui's. After this meal though, I think we both like him a little bit...I think. First time he came to us, he hugged us (Jacqui's hug was a bit strange, as he went very close to her chest area) and he also decided to poke Jacqui's lip ring...and mess up her hair. Basically, he was harassing us, but in a good way.

The next time he came, he totally embarassed me, as he started tickling me all over! My laugh is really loud and shrill, so loads of people were turning around to see what was going on. :shock: I was totally helpless! Then when he had finished with me, he tried to mess up Jacqui's hair again. It was all in good fun, but next time we go for a character meal, I'm going to make sure I'm not in my seat when Goofy's nearby!

And now on to Frollo. :lol: Frollo was amazing. The first time he came out, he got booed so bad that he just stood in the corner for five minutes and then left. This was really funny, despite the fact that we wanted to meet him. The next time he came out, he eventually made his way to us. He gave me a firm pat on the shoulders, which I took as a sign of friendship. That's right people, Frollo is my homeboy! Jacqui wasn't so lucky though. When he moved over to her, he started poking her in the arm and wouldn't stop until a cast member told him to. It was really funny. So yes, all in all we had a great time at the character meal in the Lucky Nugget Saloon. I'm thinking we'll definatly be doing it again when we go in October.

Once we were nice and full, we went on a few more rides and then we went to get our place for the Once Upon a Dream parade. Again, the Alice/Pinocchio float was replaced by a bunch of characters. Robin Hood actually kissed my hand, which made me so happy. I really miss the parade stops though, does anyone know when they stopped doing them? Don't get me wrong, the parade is still amazing, but I just wish Jacqui would have gotten to see the amazing stops they used to do. Also, what happened to the Flotsam and Jetsam puppets?

After the parade, we had to do the same thing we did yesterday in order to get to Frontier Land in time to see Mickey's Winter Wonderland show. =D> This show is AWESOME, despite the fact that the two human characters involved seemed to have been pulled right out of High School Musical. Seeing Mickey and Minnie skating and singing was really magical, and then when the horse drawn sleigh came out it completely took our breath away. This was one of the many moments where Jacqui and I felt teary.

After that, the day just flew by. We did absolutely everything that we had wanted to do in the main park except for the rides that were closed, the Sleeping Beauty show and the Mary Poppins show. So all there was left to do in the evening were things that we wanted to do twice, and Orbitron, which only opened in the evening. The Mad Hatter's tea cups are much more fun in the dark, with all the pretty lanterns lit up.

We watched the Candle Ceremony again that night. :shock: We saw Gepetto BREAK-DANCING. :lol: It was absolutely insane, but it was one of those magical moments that you wouldn't see anywhere else. After that, we went to the Disney Village for a little bit and then headed back to the Cheyenne for an early night. o-o; For some reason, we ended up watching a Disney Channel Original Movie about a baseball player who likes to cook.

And that's the end of Day 2! Again, I'm sure Jacqui will add anything that I may have forgotten.

[littlemermaid83]

I would of loved to of seen Gepetto break dancing  :lol:

[ColdSun]

Nice update. I want Frolo to be my homeboy, too :lol: ... No honestly, would be cool to meet him, he really creeps me out (in a good way)...

[The Butlin Boy]

Another great report, I'm glad you had a good time at the character lunch. I'm looking forward to reading the rest

[SophieD]

Great trip report Masamune!! I really cannot wait for the pictures of Peter Pan He sounds gorgeous!!   i wondered where the Flotsum and Jetsum puppets were too when i went?? :?:  :-s  :-k  :-s  
Can't wait to read more

[Javey74]

Great reads Masamune, you know there's always one thing better than reading one trip report entry, and that's reading two in one go... :lol:  :lol:  

Looking forward to more, aswell as the piccies.. /  /  /

Thanks for sharing.. :wink:  

[Disney Fanatic]

Fantastic report so far cant wait to read more.

As for peter pan that you mention in the OUADP...Im wondering if its he same one my 15 year old daughter fell in love with....

[Patrick]

Day 2

 I really miss the parade stops though, does anyone know when they stopped doing them? Don't get me wrong, the parade is still amazing, but I just wish Jacqui would have gotten to see the amazing stops they used to do. Also, what happened to the Flotsam and Jetsam puppets?

The parade stops are usually taken out of the parades during very cold weather, so no doubt, due to the snow and the risk of ice, they decided not to perform them.  Also Flotsom and Jetsam were removed last year and replaced with the old Ursulla Villain parade dance unit.

[Masamune]

@ Mermaid - :lol: Like I said, it was really really strange, but very awesome.

@ Cold - I think Frollo's great. Whenever I see him in the park, he always makes me laugh. I'll have to put a good word in for you next time I go. XD

@ Butlin, Sophie and Javey - Thanks! I should be typing up Day 3 tomorrow. Lots of super things to talk about from Day 3. /

@ Fanatic - :shock: Hm, I'm not entirely sure from that pic, because his eyes are closed. We saw 3 different Peter Pans, and all of them were lovely. The one from Day 1 and 3 was stunningly beautiful, the one from Day 2 was pretty fit and the one from Day 4 was absolutely adorable (I got to meet that one in person!).

The one in your picture looks very gorgeous, so he may well be the one! Even if he's not, he's definatly a stunner. Like I said, Peter Pan was better looking than any Prince we saw.

@ Patrick - Ahh, the thing about the stops makes sense. But there was no Ursula dance unit. All there was with the Villain's float were the usual fire spinners. Those puppets were awesome, so I wonder why they were removed.