Don't Fear the Rain, We Have the "Ducky of Death!"-Jan '14 **Bonus TR DCA 9/1 x2

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Congrats on the new upcoming trips and AP upgrade. Score one for Dave!!!

Awesome job on 40" thrill rides. Love your kids reactions.

Thanks! Extremely excited about our upcoming trips and can't wait to become an AP holder!

First off, awesome news about the upcoming trips! You will love Carsland and SWW is a must see!

I also love sounding like a Disney genius in front of people!!!

Awesome succeeding in your TSM plan. I absolutely love it when it works out.

Yay, the kiddos passed the height test! I was concerned about that the first time my nephew hit 40". He still is in denial about being a little on the short side though, because he can't do absolutely everything.

That's our motto with the littles. Try it once, and then if you tell me you don't want to do it again, that's fine.

Awwww. That was TOOOO SHORT!

I can't wait to show Carsland to the kids! I'm also going to have to refresh their movie memories by showing them the Cars movie!

DD is still standing firm that she doesn't want to go back on ToT so I have to respect that. I do tease her every now and then when we talk about her favorite rides at Disney and I sneak in ToT into the list. Her reaction is priceless every time.

Gotta admit, I'm thrilled with your DLR/DCA plans!

And then to see a special shout out to my man Bo! Awesome!

What a great score for TSM. Was the "prize" a cat or something like that? I only score in the beaver level so I suppose I need much more practice.

Great job capturing the "ghost people" on ToT. That's adorable that your DD was so brave but made it clear that a repeat ride wasn't going to happen.

I have a few more updates to go back and read but I didn't want to end my day without being treated to your fabulous photo collection from your trip!

Thanks Brenda! I can't wait to visit DCA!

You know, I have no memory of the prize animal that came on after that TSMM ride. In fact I can never remember them any time I go on TSMM.

"And I loved sounding like Disney genius in front of newbies" AHHHH isn't that the best???? That's the one and only downfall of touring with DISers... you never look smart.

Awww, even with your TSM rush, you stopped to take a pic of Bo. Now that's class.

YAY, so glad to kiddos all loved Star Tours. Too funny about DB analyzing it to death (star) though, lol.

I'm thinking one of these days I need to build a lightsaber. I didn't know they made the sounds!!!

You know, I have to give major props to your DD for riding Tower. The fact that she tried, did ok, and then decided she wasn't a fan is seriously a mature decision. Big respect for that.

I think I have as much fun playing with those lightsabers as my kids do!

As for my brother's analysis of Star Tours, I think that's his attorney side of him peeking through.

Talking about showing off Disney knowledge in front of my brother and his wife, one night as we were driving back to the resort from MK my brother decided to test me as he was looking something up on his phone. He asks "Let's see if you know this one. When was alcohol first sold in the Magic Kingdom?" Of course I knew that - there was all the fuss over Be Our Guest selling alcohol. He was extremely impressed.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

great update - congrats on the first family "real" coaster ride!

We are going to have a similar issue next trip in that I have talked up EE to my DD to the point that she is now willing to go "if I ride next to her the entire time" ... but now I am worried she won't make the 44" height (she's like 43" which 2+ months to go) oh well. ToT is out for her - not for the drops, the ghosts freak her out.

"And I loved sounding like Disney genius in front of newbies " absolutely! I was at a picnic yesterday and a family who had just gotten back from WDW thanked me multiple times for the advice I gave them and the family that went with us last trip said they don't think they could ever go without me planning it for them. It's the little things that make one happy

BTW - love your pictures of BTMRR - really vibrant!

 

[princess_momma]

Isn't it just so amazing to finally be able to ride the "big" rides with your children? We passed that milestone too this past trip and it made it extra special for me! Next stop: RockNRollerCoaster!!!

 

[afwdwfan]

I wanted to share with you some exciting developments in the past week in terms of Disney vacation planning. And when i say developments what I really mean is successfully convincing DW.

The Disney Force is strong with you!

Congratulations on your accomplishments!

It was looking really good. DB was becoming more and more impressed by my Disney knowledge.

DW and I go through this whole thing every trip. She complains that she doesn't want to get up and make Rope Drop everyday, but once we go to DHS, ride TSMM with little to no wait and then walk by a 45 minute queue as we exit... well she tends to come around.

So by 9:20am we had done TSMM twice. Thank you rope drop! Thank you low January crowds! And thank you rain!!

That is definitely impressive!

At check out the CM ringing us up said they have to put “safety”s on the lightsabers so that the kids can’t unfold them inside the park. For a moment I became very curious as to what exactly the safety was envisioning some fancy gadget. Alas it was just piece of tape that she placed at the tip of the saber in its folded position. Of course that was enough to spin DS into a cranky fit because he wanted to draw his lightsaber and duel his cousin right then and there.

I get why they do this... and I'm sure as a parent of 2 kids with new light sabers, you were probably grateful for it!

"No kids, Mickey said no light sabers in the park. You can play with them later... No, no, I'm sorry. Believe me, I wish you could have an epic light saber battle right here in the middle of the queue for Star Tours, but it isn't my rules, it's Mickey's rules!"

And once the ride made its first drop she actually stayed fairly quiet. When we finally landed back on the ground, I looked over and she was still very well composed. No crying. “Did you like it?” I asked and she replied “Sort of. Maybe a little. But I don’t want to go again”. Well at least she tried. She continues to tell me even after returning from the trip that she doesn’t want to go on ToT again and that sometimes family members can disagree on certain things – “Tower of Terror is your favorite ride but it’s my least favorite” By the way, this was obviously DB’s first ride too and afterwards he told me that this was his favorite ride so far.

I certainly applaud her for at least giving it a try. And if she "sort of" liked it, there's always hope for the future.

I mean it’s over in a blink of an eye. So after a few dips and a couple of “Weee”s we were pulling back in the station and DS looks up at me with a bewildered look and yelled “THAT’S IT??? That was TOOOOO SHORT!” I guess once you try Big Thunder Mountain you can’t go back to the Barnstormer. I mean he was pretty upset and took a lot of talking down to get him to calm down. He was convinced that this ride on the barnstormer was a lot shorter than the barnstormer rides from two days ago and that we were essentially being hustled by Disney. It was cute.

He's right. For the expert Disney planner that you are, you certainly did him quite a disservice by taking him on Barnstormer after Thunder Mountain. There's no possible way it can measure up!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

great update - congrats on the first family "real" coaster ride!

We are going to have a similar issue next trip in that I have talked up EE to my DD to the point that she is now willing to go "if I ride next to her the entire time" ... but now I am worried she won't make the 44" height (she's like 43" which 2+ months to go) oh well. ToT is out for her - not for the drops, the ghosts freak her out.

"And I loved sounding like Disney genius in front of newbies " absolutely! I was at a picnic yesterday and a family who had just gotten back from WDW thanked me multiple times for the advice I gave them and the family that went with us last trip said they don't think they could ever go without me planning it for them. It's the little things that make one happy

BTW - love your pictures of BTMRR - really vibrant!

Thanks!

Hopefully your daughter will pass the height test for EE! I think that's great that she's willing to try it! Our DD has been tall enough for that ride for awhile now but she is not yet feeling up to the Yeti challenge.

Isn't it just so amazing to finally be able to ride the "big" rides with your children? We passed that milestone too this past trip and it made it extra special for me! Next stop: RockNRollerCoaster!!!

Totally! It just opens up a whole new world at Disney when the kids are tall enough to go on the coasters and "thrill" rides!

The Disney Force is strong with you!

Congratulations on your accomplishments!

DW and I go through this whole thing every trip. She complains that she doesn't want to get up and make Rope Drop everyday, but once we go to DHS, ride TSMM with little to no wait and then walk by a 45 minute queue as we exit... well she tends to come around.

I get why they do this... and I'm sure as a parent of 2 kids with new light sabers, you were probably grateful for it!

"No kids, Mickey said no light sabers in the park. You can play with them later... No, no, I'm sorry. Believe me, I wish you could have an epic light saber battle right here in the middle of the queue for Star Tours, but it isn't my rules, it's Mickey's rules!"

He's right. For the expert Disney planner that you are, you certainly did him quite a disservice by taking him on Barnstormer after Thunder Mountain. There's no possible way it can measure up!

Yeah, I was very glad that they put the "safeties" on the lightsabers. But it didn't help with DS' fussing when he saw another boy whose parents undid the tape and he was freely swinging the saber in the middle of the park. Clearly his parents didn't abide by Mickey's rules.

I agree with you, in retrospect should not have gone to Barnstormer after BTMRR. I just didn't expect that reaction from the kids.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Glad the boys passed the 40 inch test!! Glad you had such a great trip.

 

[amazingact21]

So many Disney trips in the works! That's very exciting, and all of them sound unique and special. I don't know which one sounds better, DCA or SWW!


Oh wow, hitting that 40 in height restriction is a huge Disney milestone! Loved the recap of your family ride on BTMRR. I can only imagine how special that must have been.

And I do have to agree with your DŚ; Barnstormer does leave you going "that's it?!" When comparing it to Big thunder.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Glad the boys passed the 40 inch test!! Glad you had such a great trip.

I was very happy and extremely relieved when they passed the height tests for each and every ride!

So many Disney trips in the works! That's very exciting, and all of them sound unique and special. I don't know which one sounds better, DCA or SWW!

Oh wow, hitting that 40 in height restriction is a huge Disney milestone! Loved the recap of your family ride on BTMRR. I can only imagine how special that must have been.

And I do have to agree with your DŚ; Barnstormer does leave you going "that's it?!" When comparing it to Big thunder.

You're right, each of our upcoming Disney visits does have a special theme. Carsland. Halloween. Star Wars! So exciting!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I know it’s not the most popular parade in Disney but for our family it’s been one of our favorite things to do in Animal Kingdom over the years. Tomorrow (May 31st, 2014), the parade will end its run and we will miss it. I’m sure better things will be taking its place whenever that may be and we’ll like it as much if not more. I thought it would be fitting for me to do an update on it.

We knew that on this trip we would have our final viewing of Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade so I did everything I could to make sure to include it in our touring plans.

We had just finished watching the 3:00pm showing of Flights of Wonder and exited the theater area at 3:20pm. We had to make a pit sotp at the restrooms for everyone. By the time we were ready to start scoping out a viewing spot it was a little too late. Most of the spots along the parade route in Africa and Asia were taken. I was getting a little distraught as I couldn’t find any openings along the rope as we strolled from Asia to Africa. Finally, right where the African drums are there was large swath of open area. We quickly moved in and secured our spot. In photography terms it wasn’t the best location, but this wasn’t about taking pictures. It was so that we all could get a chance to watch the parade one last time. (Of course, didn’t stop me from taking pictures).

The kids passed their time playing on the drums while we waited for the parade to loop around Discovery Island to reach us. Soon we began hearing the familiar beat and tune approaching us. I love taking these parade route photos right when people can hear and see the floats approaching – you can sense their anticipation as they all lean in and turn their heads towards the parade. And yes, as you can see from the ground, we just experienced another shower of rain right before the parade arrived.



The lead characters of the parade. Doing their silly dance. I also like how in the background you see one of the CMs along the ropes doing her best Stormtrooper impression: "Move along, Move along"



I love the safari hats that the CMs wear with the blades of grass attached on the side. If they auctioned off some of these props after the parade ends, I would totally buy one of these hats. And one of the canteens.





There’s a lot of dancing and interactions between the guests and the CMs/Characters which is one of the things I loved about this parade.



Dale, because of the red nose, right?





Hehe, Love it!



It also helps to have a big camera with a bigger lens because the CMs and the characters love to ham things up and pose for you.



The best part of the parade are the animal floats. I don’t know if they technically qualify as floats but they are very creatively crafted. The giraffe is one of the best because the CM will lower its head down to the crowd as you can see here. I love how this shot captures the reactions of the guests and the CM.



Love the peacock.



I call this one Pascal. And I’m pretty sure the tongue snaps out at the crowd every now and then.



Another shot where I love the looks on the guests.



They also have about a gazillion grand marshals for this parade which makes it even more bewildering that we never got to be one.



Some more “posings” for the camera. DSIL kept laughing each time a CM would come and stop right in front of me to give me their pose. She thought it was pretty cool.







Even Minnie struck a pose for me.



By the way, she doesn't exactly travel light.



Hey, we got drums down here by us too!



At least I can take some comfort that the stilt walkers will continue to have a job after the parade goes away with Harambe Nights.





If you want to take a look at some more pictures I took of the parade when I did my solo trip in October of last year, you can find them here and here. We’ll definitely miss it.

 

[khaleesi]

I think the "build your own lightsaber" is the coolest thing ever. I love that the CM was wearing a Jedi robe. *sigh* I'm lobbying for Star Wars Land to be build in Buffalo. We have all the necessary elements. In the winter everything would be Hoth themed and then in the summer we'd switch gears. Hmmm. Maybe a Hoth/Frozen mash up. I scare myself.

YAY for all the kids being able to ride the rides!! And I think it's adorable that your daughter keeps talking about ToT. Maybe she liked it a little more than she wants you to think!

I love the Jammin' Jungle Parade and I'm really glad I caught it on my last trip.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

While I'm not a fan of this parade (though I will watch it... well not anymore... but...), I have to give props for one major thing. It's start time. How many parade/shows can say their start time is 3:45? Seriously, they should have just gone completely random with something like 3:52. THAT would have made it my favourite.

I tend to think of Dale as the the buck toothed one, lol.

I will say that the "floats" are extremely creative. But my lord why is this closing? It can't be cost since most of the parade participants seem to be guests, lol.

 

[emmysmommy]

Unfortunately I only saw the Jungle Parade once and it was the Christmas version. With all those Grand Marshal openings you would think you'd have been selected. I was surprised at how many families had the honor the first/only time we saw it. Of course I completely missed the character wardrobe malfunction that Rob caught.

Minnie sure did strike an adorable pose for you.

 

[khertz]

I'm just a little bummed that we only made time to see that parade once. It's pretty fun! That song can get stuck in your head though... I was amazed the one and only time that we did get to see it that there are so many families riding in it! The floats are pretty cool though, and maybe that is what makes me the most sad about it being no more, because those are probably just going to go in the scrap heap.

 

[ElenaJane]

Why am I just finding this TR now??! Better late than never. I am sure you have never heard this before, but you really take nice pictures.

I loved the AKL photos especially. This is a resort high on the must-do list! The only thing that has kept us away is the bus situation. Meaning, that is all you have to choose from!!!

My spouse, like yours, also accuses me of either being on a WDW vacation or either planning one. He is right though! I thought about going to the national conference this year in San Diego (our conference follows yours apparently!) so I could take a side trip to Disneyland! Alas, the cost of travel to San Diego is just too far from where I live.

I have now subbed in so I won't miss an update!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I think the "build your own lightsaber" is the coolest thing ever. I love that the CM was wearing a Jedi robe. *sigh* I'm lobbying for Star Wars Land to be build in Buffalo. We have all the necessary elements. In the winter everything would be Hoth themed and then in the summer we'd switch gears. Hmmm. Maybe a Hoth/Frozen mash up. I scare myself.

YAY for all the kids being able to ride the rides!! And I think it's adorable that your daughter keeps talking about ToT. Maybe she liked it a little more than she wants you to think!

I love the Jammin' Jungle Parade and I'm really glad I caught it on my last trip.

If they build a Star Wars Land in Buffalo, I'm there! I would totally go wherever its built!

After coming home from the trip, every time DD and I get in an glass elevator she says it reminds her of ToT lol And then she promptly reminds me that she is not going back on ToT.

While I'm not a fan of this parade (though I will watch it... well not anymore... but...), I have to give props for one major thing. It's start time. How many parade/shows can say their start time is 3:45? Seriously, they should have just gone completely random with something like 3:52. THAT would have made it my favourite.

I tend to think of Dale as the the buck toothed one, lol.

I will say that the "floats" are extremely creative. But my lord why is this closing? It can't be cost since most of the parade participants seem to be guests, lol.

Yep, I recently learned of the difference in teeth as well.

So about the reasons of shutting down the parade, I heard and read from various sources that it most likely has to do with Avatarland - the backstage or staging area for this parade currently resides in an area that will become part of Avatar Land. Plus, I think this is all part of their massive retooling and retheming of AK that also includes River of Light. It doesn't sound like they necessarily have a replacement parade in mind.

I'm reserving final judgement on Avatarland until I see the final product. But I find it quite ironic that the same Na'vi from the movie whose world was threatened for destruction all in the name of corporate profit are now leading the destruction of Camp Minnie and Mickey and the parade all in the name of corporate profit.

Unfortunately I only saw the Jungle Parade once and it was the Christmas version. With all those Grand Marshal openings you would think you'd have been selected. I was surprised at how many families had the honor the first/only time we saw it. Of course I completely missed the character wardrobe malfunction that Rob caught.

Minnie sure did strike an adorable pose for you.

I loved Minnie's pose! She's such a flirt.

Hmmm, now that I think about it I never got to see the Christmas version.

I tried acting very cheerful around CMs in AK just in the hopes of getting chosen for this parade.

I'm just a little bummed that we only made time to see that parade once. It's pretty fun! That song can get stuck in your head though... I was amazed the one and only time that we did get to see it that there are so many families riding in it! The floats are pretty cool though, and maybe that is what makes me the most sad about it being no more, because those are probably just going to go in the scrap heap.

It does have a catchy tune and beat, doesn't it? The floats made this parade very unique. Maybe they'll recycle some of these for future projects like Harambe Nights.

Why am I just finding this TR now??! Better late than never. I am sure you have never heard this before, but you really take nice pictures.

I loved the AKL photos especially. This is a resort high on the must-do list! The only thing that has kept us away is the bus situation. Meaning, that is all you have to choose from!!!

My spouse, like yours, also accuses me of either being on a WDW vacation or either planning one. He is right though! I thought about going to the national conference this year in San Diego (our conference follows yours apparently!) so I could take a side trip to Disneyland! Alas, the cost of travel to San Diego is just too far from where I live.

I have now subbed in so I won't miss an update!

Welcome Elena!! Thanks for joining!

I can't say enough good things about AKL. We really enjoyed our stay there and I hope to return soon. Since we had a rental car, transportation was not as bad as I thought it would be but I can see the location feeling more remote if relying on the bus system.

I think we need to keep looking for conferences in Orlando.

 

[pixleyyy]

Those beautiful parade animals are built here in my tiny hometown of Scappoose, Oregon by Michael Curry, a puppeteer who has done lots of things for Disney (Lion King on Broadway & Finding Nemo in AK, amongst others) as well as for the Olympics and lots of other great projects. I will miss that parade.

 

[MEK]

So the key to getting the cast members to look at you is having a really big camera and a really long lens?

I have always liked Mickey's Jungle Jammin Parade - the regular version and the Christmas version. And I love your pictures - they turned out wonderful.

 

[teekathepony]

I do enjoy the AK parade, mostly for the animal floats, especially the giraffe one. Love the pic of the crowd looking up at the giraffe! Great capture!
I can't believe this parade is over now officially. I'm excited to see what's next for AK.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[afwdwfan]

Ok, there really are some cool facial expression from the CM's for you. Your big lens theory appears to be pretty accurate!

I'm glad you got a chance to see the parade one last time, and the timing of this update was certainly a fitting tribute.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Those beautiful parade animals are built here in my tiny hometown of Scappoose, Oregon by Michael Curry, a puppeteer who has done lots of things for Disney (Lion King on Broadway & Finding Nemo in AK, amongst others) as well as for the Olympics and lots of other great projects. I will miss that parade.

I didn't know about Michael Curry! Although I did suspect whoever designed the parade animals were also the same person who did the props for Lion King musical with all of the similarities. That is so cool! Thanks for sharing!

So the key to getting the cast members to look at you is having a really big camera and a really long lens?

I have always liked Mickey's Jungle Jammin Parade - the regular version and the Christmas version. And I love your pictures - they turned out wonderful.

Thank you! As best as I can tell, my conspicuous camera does appear to have that effect on the cast members.

I do enjoy the AK parade, mostly for the animal floats, especially the giraffe one. Love the pic of the crowd looking up at the giraffe! Great capture!
I can't believe this parade is over now officially. I'm excited to see what's next for AK.

I was surprised to read that the parade had been around for 12 years. I didn't realize it was that old! I guess it was due for a change.

Ok, there really are some cool facial expression from the CM's for you. Your big lens theory appears to be pretty accurate!

I'm glad you got a chance to see the parade one last time, and the timing of this update was certainly a fitting tribute.

We were all happy that we got to see one last time knowing that it will no longer be in play when we return in October.

You're right, I really love some of the expressions that the parade CMs threw my way.