Nala and pride "Here we go again!" Final thoughts and COMPLETE! Updated 7/30 About This Page:

[lauren-roxy]

Wonderful update Nala!! Glad you got to ride EE!! Sorry you missed being in the parade. Can't wait to read more!!!

[ariel14]

Great update! Sorry that you missed out on being in the parade.

[Jillybean]

What a morning! I was so disappointed that you guys didn't get to be in the parade! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] How close can you come?

It will happen though - - I just know it! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Jill

[MAria R]

Oh my goodness, what a bummer, you were so close. Hopefully it will happen for you soon.

[luvnwdwgal]

I'm sorry you missed your chance at being in the parade, but I just know with all your magical luck you DO have, that you'll get another chance someday! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[DrDolphin]

Sorry you missed being the Parade family - but wow on the EE ride!!

[Joy J]

Wonderful update Nala! I'm sorry that you missed out on being in the parade. We had that wonderful opportunity once and it was a blast. Since you're such a keen AK fan, I'm sure that it's just a matter of time before you get another chance to be in this fabulous parade.

Joy

[pparm]

SOrry you missed starring in the parade [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] but it sounds like a great day anyway!
Paula

[PrincessSharon]

Great update! Sorry you missed being in the parade. The way your trips are always sprinkled with pixie dust, I'm sure you'll get another chance! Looking forward to more!

[KandJluvdisney]

sorry you missed the parade
hopefully next time

[Minnie Lor]

Nala, [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/love.gif[/img] your TR as usual. Your feelings for AK match mine for Epcot. I'm sorry that you didn't get in the parade. That parade is a must do for me. Note the place and time that Grumpy was asked. Next time you are in the park be there at the same time. Who knows? Maybe they have a standard routine for asking families to be in the parade.

[Nala]

[ QUOTE ]
Note the place and time that Grumpy was asked.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not only did I note the place and time, but Grumpy was also able to tell me what the CM was wearing, and point out another CM in the same uniform the next day at MK. Trust me, I will be on the look out for CMs dressed like that on future trips.

I just have to be careful that I don't end up with my picture in an Orlando paper as a crazed Disney CM stalker! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img]

[Nala]

Alright guys, I have a confession to make. Since I have been taking my time writing this report, some of the details have escaped me over the past months. In the past, I have been able to rely on my pictures (that were downloaded in the order I took them) to jog my memory. This year when we returned home, I made the mistake of downloading my disk out of order. And if that wasn’t bad enough, for some strange reason, the pictures I took on some of my disks got out of order. So now I am totally confused and convinced that my memory for small details only serves me when I am at Disney and encountering a couple I met a year before. But, I will do my best to piece together what we did for the remainder of this day. One thing I know we didn’t do, was be in Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]

According to my pictures, we headed out to the bus stop at AK and waited for a bus to Epcot. I find it odd that we decided to go direct to another park without a break in the room, but my pictures tell me this is what we did.


And why did I take a picture of a bus headed for Epcot? Being a scrapbooker, and one who has done way too many scrapbooks of Disney trips, I decided to do an ABC book of this trip. So I took a picture of a bus to put on the “B” page as Kiara dearly loves the busses at WDW. So to hypothesize of what we did, based on the picture I took, we headed straight to Epcot. Why else would I have a picture of a bus flashing Epcot if we were not in the line for an Epcot bus?

So off to Epcot we went. And while I am not for sure, I would be willing to bet we walked straight through Future World and straight into the World Showcase. This theory is based solely on the fact that while Future World has some cool things, we find more to entertain us as a family in the WSC.

And this time we started in Mexico. Kiara, who was ready to just kick back in the stroller, voiced her lack of desire to go into the Mexican pavilion. While I really hated to not go in this pavilion and take a ride on El Rio De Tempo, I was not about to force my child from the place she was happy and comfortable in, her stroller. There is one important lesson Grumpy and I have learned as parents. Never, never, never poke the sleepy bear with a stick. The results in doing so could produce disastrous results. So, I tucked my disappointment of missing out on the Mexican pavilion away and Grumpy and I decided to move on and find an activity that would not require disturbing our napping princess. And find it we did. The margarita stand (which had moved since our last trip) on the outskirts of Mexico. So Grumpy and I grabbed a frozen concoction, a bench between Norway and Mexico and settled in to do a little people watching while Kiara caught a few Z’s in her stroller. While I didn’t get to see my beloved Mexican pavilion, I was touched by the magic of Mexico in the from of a frozen margarita. That little piece of frozen Mexico in a glass would have to hold me over until the next trip.

After about twenty minutes, Grumpy and I were both making slurping noises with our straws as we reached the bottom of our margaritas and both of us were surprised to hear a little voice calling to us from the stroller in front of us. It seems the sleeping princess had awakened from her nap and was ready to tackle the world that was spread out before us. And as we talked about what to do next, I voiced to Grumpy that there was one character I really wanted to find that we had never seen before. Mulan. And as luck would have it, we were very close to China.

So off to China we went in pursuit of Mulan. Grumpy and I had no idea where we might find her and decided to cruise the shops hoping that if she was tucked away in some dark corner, we may find her. We walked through the shops, admired all the Chinese finery but still saw no sign of Mulan. We came to the end of the shops and were walking into the courtyard and just as I was about to give up hope, there she was. Emerging from the shadows was none other than our beloved Mulan! And as we waited to greet her behind another family, I was a bit disappointed that she was the “You’ll bring honor to us all” type of Mulan and not the wild haired, free spirited girl I loved in the movie. I was hoping to see a girl who looked like the one in the sketch that hangs above Playhouse Disney at MGM. The one where she is whacking off her hair with a knife before she joins the army and pretends she is a man. But it really didn’t matter what I thought of her as Kiara made it clear she was overjoyed to finally find Mulan! Kiara could have cared less what version of Mulan was standing before her. All that mattered was that she was MULAN!



After our meet and greet with Mulan, we made our way around the WSC. We stopped outside Germany to give Grumpy the chance to admire the miniature train village and I couldn’t resist asking if he was hungry. His response was “No” and I replied with “That’s too bad because I know a great little place with Octoberfest style seating that I think you would love”. Thank goodness Grumpy has a great sense of humor! We continued our trek around the WSC until something in France caught our attention. Beauty and the Beast were scheduled to make an appearance within fifteen minutes. Since no one else was in line to wait, we decided to be the first. Those fifteen minutes were the longest I have ever spent at WDW, but when Belle and the Beast finally made their appearance, it was time well spent. While Kiara had met Belle many times before, the Beast was another first. I was a concerned that she would find him a bit scary, but instead she greeted him with a big hug. Guess he looked more warm and cuddly to Kiara then I thought he did.


Grumpy and I had depleted our cheese plate we ordered from room service the night before, and since we were in France I could not think of a better place to get a to go plate. So off to the pastry shop we went, ordered a few cheese plates and a couple of baguettes. And how could anyone step one foot in that place and not walk out with one, if not two sweet treats? Grumpy and Kiara agreed on a choice and along with the cheese, it was packed for travel and we were on our way back around the WSC.

As soon as we left France and found ourselves in Morocco I realized I was hungry. And what a perfect place to be famished in. A Shawarma Platter from the Tangerine Café was a must do for me. And while Grumpy and Kiara both claimed not to be hungry, they both did a great job of picking off my plate. We found a lovely table outside and to go along with our (or MY) food, we were blessed with a performance of Mo”Rockin! It just doesn’t get any better than that. This band is our favorite of the Epcot bands. Grumpy fell in love with their music on our first family trip in 2001. Ali, the lead singer, was kind enough that year to send me a copy of their CD, in blind faith that I would send him a check (which of course I did) when I couldn’t figure out how to use PayPal so I could give it to Grumpy for Christmas. (He also sent a very nice Christmas card signed in Arabic along with the CD) Several years later, Ilham, the belly dancer, pulled Kiara up on stage to dance with her. These little personal touches this band gives to their fans is what makes them so special to us. Being able to catch one of their sets was just icing on the cake of yet another wonderful day in WDW.

Mo’Rockin finished their set, I finished my platter (what I managed to get between Grumpy and Kiara’s grabs) and it was time for us to move on. But we didn’t get far. Seems the Shawarma Platter in Morocco had awakened Grumpy and Kiara’s appetite. And what better to appeases them then fish from the UK? Grumpy went to place his order and I took Kiara for a stroll while we waited for him. He caught up to us with fish and chips in hand. And while I thought Kiara would have been all over the fish and chips, she had another idea in mind. She wanted to make a stop in the toy shop in the UK. And while I really didn’t’ understand this, I was glad she insisted as we stepped inside and encountered Mary Poppins! Good call, kid!



After our meet and greet with Mary, Kiara and I stepped outside to find Grumpy. He was easy to spot and we joined him on a bench at the back of the UK pavilion. And only a few minutes after we sat down the British Invasion appeared on the stage and began to play. How lucky could we be? First we caught Mo’Rockin by accident, now we were catching the BI? The Epcot band Pixies were truly smiling on us this day! We watched their entire set and really enjoyed it. As we were walking out of the pavilion we passed the BI off to the side greeting fans and Grumpy insisted I go up to them for autographs and a picture. Like that was going to happen! Ten years ago I would have been on it, but now, I have become much more reserved. And while I didn’t have the guts to get in a picture with them, I did have the guts to take one of them.


So now I have to stop as I need to do some more research of my photos and receipts and try to piece together what we did the rest of this day. It would have been really helpful if the couple from Buffalo would have shown up again as I probably would have remembered that! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img]

[luvnwdwgal]

I love your trip reports no matter what order they're in! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Jillybean]

Nala,

You are doing a fantastic job! We just went a few weeks ago and sometimes I have a problem with the details. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Your WS tour sounds so much like mine and Mary Devall's! One of my "must have's" on this trip was a margarita from Mexico, so that kiosk was my first stop! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] And it was just as good as I remembered (if not better). You were able to score two characters that we looked for all day, but couldn't find -- Mulan (even went to China twice) and Beast. I just showed Mary Devall the pictures of Kiara with them and she loved them!

I love Mo Rockin too - - Mary Devall danced on stage with the bellydancer two years ago and it was the most precious thing. So incredible that he sent you a cd on blind faith -- amazing these days! That just made me like them even better!

Great idea about getting a cheese plate in France and taking it with you -- a great snack for the room!

Jill