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[burntsienna]

I hope you get there Laura, you deserve that trip well and truly.. [-o<  [-o<  /

Awwwwww thank you  :mrgreen:  :oops:  :mrgreen:

[never2old]

Another great chapter, Sir Javey... Your pictures are beautiful - although the candles on the Castle are looking very very dirty...

Of course right now I'm wishing I could ride SM:M2...

[SophieD]

Another great addition Jarvey! I cannot wait to read more!!
Your encounter on SM:M2 sounds like a lot of fun even though it does sound scary!! I haven't been on Mission 2 yet!! I need to twist my mum's arm and get her to book a trip...although that is very unlikely

   

[DLP-Photos.com]

Thank you once again everyone for your wonderful comments.. :oops:  

Forza: It's a Fujifilm 1000fd >> viewtopic.php?p=106698#p106698

It seems like a good camera. Very similar to mine. It is great with a camera that isn't a DSLR but still takes very good pictures, which your report is a wonderful example of.

[Javey74]

Thank you everyone for all the extra comments, so much appreciated and really heart felt.. :oops:  :oops:  

Well.....Here goes with another instalment....

Day 3 Continuation....

Well after the Castle we headed over into Frontierland to get that fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain, actually there was quite a few in the queue waiting to get one, so Jen and myself waited to one side whilst Vanessa stood in the queue to get them.  :mrgreen:

Afterwards we needed to head back towards the Central Plaza ready for the Character Express..Choo Choo Pa Pa, Choo Choo Pa Pa, ooooooooooooooooooooo.  :lol:  :mrgreen:  On approaching the Plaza we could hear the music in the distance, so we rushed quickly to a vacant spot on the edge of the kerb, these are hard to come by, but we got lucky.... :lol:  :mrgreen:

You can view these photos on the last part of the following album>>

http://public.fotki.com/disneymagic/disneys-express/

As the characters disembarked we only managed to get Captain Hook and Smee's Autograph, due to the crowds..
But there would always be another time.. :wink:  

Here's Captain Hook anyway..  :wink:



Afterwards we went back into Frontierland, heading further up towards Cottonwood Creek, when all of a sudden we noticed a few people huddled areas, and where ever you see huddled area's it means that there's characters about.  This was certainly true, The Sheriff of Nottingham was the first in sight..  :wink:



Then Pluto..  :wink:



We managed to get Kenai and Koda together..  :wink:



Next up was Frollo, who kept shooing people away, he ended up climbing in the muck amongst the bushes, then stood on a wooden platform just staring, I also noticed that he had lost his emerald ring that he normally has on his finger..  :shock:  



Then Monsieur Ratcliffe..  :wink:



We then decided to head up to...



Woody's Roundup to take a look around, since it wasn't built when we were there last.. :mrgreen:  just as we got there, Woody was leaving.   But never mind, we'd catch him later at some point.  Jen wanted a photo with Bullseye..  :wink:



Onto Stinky Pete..  :wink:



Looking at our watches it was nearly time for the next round of The Character Express, which we wanted to see again incase there were a few character changes.  On the way back down we bumped into Donald's girlfriend..  :wink:



Heading back out of Frontierland to catch the 2nd run of The Character Express, the music was sounding again..Choo Choo Pa Pa, Choo Choo Pa Pa, ooooooooooooooooooooo. /  /

I noticed a change with the line up in one carriage with Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, Piglet and Rabbit. Then in another carriage, Louis, Prince John, Wendy and Peter Pan.. :wink:

[More of these photos can be seen on my Fotki Disney Galleries].. :wink:  

Anyway, Jen got her chance with Rabbit..  :wink:  



Piglet.. :wink:



Peter Pan & Wendy.. :wink:



Well our Big thunder Mountain fast pass time was looming, actually we were 5 minutes late on arrival, but once there, there was a queue to get past the CM at the fast pass entrance, so we ended up with an excuse and got in, not that he questioned us mind.. :lol:  :mrgreen:

Well BTM was as great as ever, though Jen started crying, which was strange because she loves this ride. I think the problem was that we got to sit at the very front behind the train, now we've never sat here before and I think Jen got a little shock of the view she got right up front. I wished I had a Camcorder, though I dare say it would be on the floor in bits by the time the ride finished.. :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:

Just look at all that wood Laura.. :shock:  :mrgreen:



Well we thought we would calm things down a little with a cruise on the Molly Brown next..

Just look at that funnel.. :mrgreen:



Here's some more scenery shots>>









Well here's Old Joe with his new clobber on.. :mrgreen:















Well after this cruise we felt in a really relaxed state, so much so that we had to thank at least one of the crew for a wonderful trip, though I wasn't too sure about Jen getting offered the job of sailing the vessel on the next run, this officer must of thought she'd do just fine.. :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:



Day 3 further continuation to follow, which includes a 'Pick what you want Window', and a reality 'Ambush Alley' at Adventure Isle..  :mrgreen:

[burntsienna]

:mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
I got mentioned in the trip report!
And the wood has just made my day! lol I actually smiled really big and started to laugh...which sort of confused my mum but its the best feeling surface in the world!!!  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
Yey to you picturing it!

[Javey74]

:mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
I got mentioned in the trip report!
And the wood has just made my day! lol I actually smiled really big and started to laugh...which sort of confused my mum but its the best feeling surface in the world!!!  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:
Yey to you picturing it!

You're welcome Laura, I did that shot just for you while I was waiting in the queue..

I actually held it up a little to get it... :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:

[burntsienna]

You're welcome Laura, I did that shot just for you while I was waiting in the queue..

I actually held it up a little to get it... :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:

Aww yey, I do feel rather special  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

[Aveen2008]

aw wow!! This trip report just gets better and better, I think I will have to go next febraury as well because there is just some fantastic characters about I am just so envious of jen right now hehe , even if I am much older than her at the ripe old age of 22!!! I just booked today for September actually so I am hoping for some good characters then..i'm a character stalker :lol:  :lol: !!

Poor wee Jen on Thunder Mountain, bless! :oops:

Love the photo of her and the Captain of the Molly Brown, a really cool piccy!!

I can't wait to see and read more!! =D>

[Handy Andy]

Great trip report. I've had a big smile on my face all the time I was reading it.

[Snow_White_Girl]

Wonderful trip report Javey! Looking at your photos has made me realise that I sort of NEED to book another trip now lol! All I need is the money and someone to go with first!

[The Butlin Boy]

Great report Javey, if only mine was as good as yours :wink:

[Javey74]

Thanks everyone.. :oops:  :oops:  :mrgreen:

More to follow shortly.. /  /

[DLP-Photos.com]

Magnificent, absolutely magnificent  =D>

Another great report with some awesome photos there Javey! I cannot wait to some more.

[Javey74]

Day 3 Continuation 2....

Well after that wonderful trip on the Molly Brown, we headed back out of Frontierland to have a look up Main Street.  :wink: Well just as we approached the Central Plaza, guess what.....Yes, we heard...'All Aboard' Choo Choo Pa Pa, Choo Choo Pa Pa, ooooooooooooooooooooo.. :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:  How was that for timing, we were also in luck as the characters had just disembarked the train, the crowds were swarming all over them, with the CM's looking past themselves trying to keep space between the characters and the public.  :lol:  :mrgreen:  Well we headed around the plaza loop and Jen managed to get alongside Tweedle Dee.. :wink:



Now it got a bit too much for Tweedle Dum, so he decided he would have a sit down on a seat with Jen for a while.. :lol:  :mrgreen:



Well we just had to get away from the total character mania that we were witnessing, making our way to the shops up Main Street, we started looking in and out a lot of the shops on the way up. Now earlier on in the day I managed to get this shot of 'The Main Street Gazette', with the Gift Shop below.  Moving back to the present I passed the same shop and managed to get this shot of the merchandise in the window..  :wink:



Now take a closer look.....Do you notice something odd.. :?: No... :?:
Well for this being a window shot, you may notice that there is no problem with reflection on the glass, I tell you why. I managed to take this photo whilst the window was open. Yes open..  :mrgreen: It's called a 'take what you like' window, you just open it up and if you see something you like....Voila.. /

This is how it looks.. :mrgreen:



Don't worry, slight fib.. :^o  :^o I was puzzled about what she was doing but in the end she started to take close up photos of the items within the window, afterwards locking it with a set of key's... :lol:  :mrgreen:  

Oh well never mind. I still got my shot without the glass all the same.. :mrgreen:

After a lot more shopping we decided to do a re-run of the other day by going back to the hotel to drop the bags off. I suggested that if Vanessa wanted she could sit just outside the exits near the toilets and I'd nip back myself, Jen decided to go with me, whilst Vanessa waited, well just incase she missed something, you know.. :lol:  :lol: Well the trip back to the hotel took longer that expected, I'm sure the shuttle buses aren't as regular during the afternoons as they are in the mornings and evenings.  So much so that I didn't meet Vanessa at the time I'd expected to.. :shock:  We headed towards the turnstiles again already 10 minutes late for our Agrabah Cafe Restaurant reservation time, so we sort of hopped, skipped and jumped all the way down to...



Adventureland, finally arriving at the...



Agrabah Cafe Restaurant, 15 minutes late in total, but we got in alright..  Well we waited in a queue for a table, which did take a while, even though there were plenty of tables available. I think the staffing was a bit on the thin side that's all.. :mrgreen:

Well we got seated after about 10 minutes, and made our way to the buffet counter.  I have to say all the food looked very appetising. We all had quite a variation in what we had to eat.  All of the food was quite spicy, not too spicy though, just right.. / We all had a few plate full's, trying a little bit of everything..  Then we all finished off with at least the same thing...Crepes, with a choice of honey, jams, marmalades, or plain sugar if you wanted. After all it was shrove Tuesday today.. :mrgreen:  We washed all of that down with 3 diet cokes, very nice..   Another place I would definitely eat at again.. /  /

Well we all sat a while just taking in the atmosphere, I love the decor in this building and on the way out, looking upwards at the light shining through the canes it honestly looks like the light is coming straight from the sky, with no glass roof at all. Even though there is.. :mrgreen: Well come on, what if it was to rain... :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:

Now, after leaving the Agrabah Cafe Restaurant we continued further into Adventureland.. :wink:





Heading into..



Adventure Isle to explore the cavern systems, this is an area that can easily confuse you as to where you are actually at, no the wonder they have wooden directional signs.. :lol:





Now this one is as it says...'Ambush Alley'... :mrgreen:  We headed inside, turning around a tight corner in the darkness, when all of a sudden some kids that were hiding behind a rock to our right shouted "Wwwwrrrahhhhh", and jumped out in front of us laughing.. :mrgreen:

Talk about an ambush.. :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:  



Then there was this one, mentioning the direction to 'Davy Jones' Locker'..  :wink:



This is the scene it led to..



Well come on, I've got to get the funds from somewhere for my next holiday to DLRP.. :lol:  :lol:

Heading out of one cavern, we went inside another and realised that we had entered 'Skull Rock', looking out of the eye's and nose... :wink:



And mouth..  



Heading out again, we passed some beautiful waterfalls and greenery.. :wink:

This is a Laura moment.. :mrgreen: You should feel the wet rocks with fast flowing water hitting the back of your hand.  The texture and feeling is amazing..  :wink:  













Oh, and not forgetting the bouncy suspension bridge, the kids love this one.. :mrgreen:





Do you think the Swiss Family Robinson Tree could do with a little more green in its leaves.. :shock:



Couldn't do without at least one shot of the pirate ship in this report.. :mrgreen:



All I can say is that I'm pleased I came across this.. :mrgreen:



It comes in handy.. :wink:  :mrgreen:

Anyway we decided to head out of Adventureland towards Fantasyland. it was off to Alice's Curious Labyrinth, for the lost trip around the maze.. :lol:  :mrgreen: We eventually made it, though as reports do suggest, it's in need of a grand paint makeover, aswell as some structural repairs.. :shock:  :shock: I do like the teapot mind..



Walking further on, we headed to...



Casey Junior and Le Pays des Contes de Fees...Only to find them CLOSED.. :shock:  :shock: Why, I'm not sure.  I'm not even sure if they were open on the Monday either with spending a lot of the day at the Studios.. :?: There were no refurbishments or closures planned for this area on our trip.  So it had me a little stumped.. :?  :roll:

Moving on.....It was nearing the time for the Once Upon A Dream Parade, so we wandered up to the area near the Castle Arch Entrance between Discoveryland and Fantasyland. There was a little green area with metal railings, which curved backwards, this looked a great location for some camera shots.. :wink: To the right there was a narrow route for people heading from Discoveryland to Fantasyland.  Looking at the unfastned rope ties I had the idea what should happen when the parade was going to start. The CM would have to clip the rope across to the opposite railing, to make a straight barrier across the gap.  I'd be stood to the left of it making up part of the front row.  At the time they were still waiving people through, so you got the odd people standing infront of me. But knowing they'd end up being moved back behind the line when it eventually got fastened those people would end up to my right next to me instead. The area I had picked would have been ideal to get frontal and side views of the floats.  Anyway the music began to link through to where we where standing, so the CM undid the cord and pulled it across, unfortunately she noticed that 4 people were out of line, but she didn't ask them to move, she just clipped the rope 5 railings down, which put the line on a slant, which also obscured my vision for a straight on shot.  I wasn't happy at all.. :evil:  

I've had instances in previous visit's were I was asked to moved from leaning on a rubbish bin..  :roll: Other times moved away from an area they wanted to keep clear for whatever reason, even though it was out of the way of the main parade route..  :roll:  Once I was even being asked to move my foot back onto the kerb because the front of my foot was not in line with the kerb edge... :shock:  :x  So how lax could a CM be in not keeping the parade line where it would normally be, just asking the five people in particular to move back 3 steps.. :roll:  They'd of still been at the front, but at the same distance and straight line as everyone else.. :x  So I ended up getting only side shots, with a tree in certain ones.. :x  

Anyway if you want to view what I did get, I've added them amongst some better angles to my existing 'Once Upon A Dream Parade' album. :roll:

Putting this frustration to one side, I still really enjoyed the parade, the smells coming from the floats were really strong, they're the strongest I've ever known them.. They also had about 3 parade stops aswell.. :wink:  

When the parade got to the end float, we walked down and started to follow it, behind the CM rope walkers.  When we approached the front of the castle, we nipped through into the Dragons Lair.  A word of warning for future visitors....The dragon is loose. I can't ever remember the chain being snapped around the dragons neck.. :shock:  :shock:

Luckily I got him while he was having 40 winks... :mrgreen:



From the dragon we headed up past the...



Sign into the shop.  :wink:  This was where Vanessa suprised me again and secretly bought me a Frosted Glass Donald.. Again she asked Jen to keep me away from the till area, so I'd be none the wiser what she was up to, until she suprised me with it outside of the shop.. :mrgreen: Awwh, he's beautiful, especially with back lighting.. /



The light was starting to fade by now, and it was turning a little nippy, so we headed into the Discovery Arcade to a drinks outlet where we all got some hot chocolate, it was really yummy, which also give us a little time to warm up again.. :mrgreen:

Once we had warmed up, we had a sudden urge to check out Pirates of the Caribbean..    So off we went again back through Adventureland to the torn sign of...



There was only a few in the queue, we'd have been lucky if we were there 3 minutes before we got in the boat.. /  /  The ride was fantastic as ever, with everything seemingly functioning, including the clinking of the swords on the duelling scene, with much improved timing, aswell as the swinging pirate and the drinking skeleton.. :wink: I'm not sure it if was me, but the lights were a hell of a lot brighter than I ever remember, which showed much more of the scenery.. /  /

Afterwards, we moved out of Adventureland again and back into Discoveryland.  Buzz again had quite a long queue, so we decided to wander around just soaking up the atmosphere and viewing the brilliant lighting of all the attractions..

Time was beginning to loom for Candleabration, so we slowly walked over towards the Castle Stage seating area, and got a seat on the edge looking up to the castle.  We sat what seemed to be a while just staring at the Castle with it's evening pink soft lighting. Here's a shot taken taken from the rear of the Castle on the previous night..  :wink:



Soon the Castle lights all went out with only a beam of light remaining, focusing on the arch above the entrance.  Mickey and Minnie were waving at everyone, talking about the special event what everyone had grown to love. Then the Castle candles lit up one by one with the command of Mickey's point..  :wink:



The Castle then lit up a section at a time revealing the shimmering white lights, then finally once the top spire was illuminated, Tinkerbell started blowing out the gold pixie dust, bringing the whole ceremony to a climax, with the whole crowd cheering and waving at the visual splendor of the Castle in all it's glory.. /  /  /  



Well it was time to head back to the hotel as the park had now closed, again taking a short cut through Discovery Arcade to jump the queues heading up Main Street.. :wink:

By the time we got back to the hotel, our legs were starting to ache, Vanessa and Jens more so than mine, but all our feet were definitely aching.  Luckily Vanessa had some foot refreshing spray, which is really soothing.  We were all really tired by now and needed sleep, ready for our final full day which was only 9 hours away..

Day 4 to follow, which includes a near disaster with Crusher's Coaster, but as the moral seems to say....All's well that ends well..