Thursday, April 19, 2012

Anniversary #1



Disclaimer: I'm new to blogging and will figure out how to lay out these pictures.....someday.
About 2 months before our first wedding anniversary, work was getting crazy for me. Lots of long and high-stress hours were wearing me out and I needed something to look forward to. When we discussed how we were going to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, I thought back to all those couples we met on our honeymoon. The ones who went back to the World to celebrate every milestone in life, sometimes several times a year. And at the time it seemed crazy. Even I couldn't believe I said it out loud. But once the idea to return to Disney was out there, I realized how much I needed to get away. And planning a trip to the happiest place on earth was a great distraction in the meantime.

Armed with a little more knowledge, we looked forward to reliving some of those magical experiences. Of course, there is nothing like the 1st time you watch Wishes and Tinkerbell flies over your head. Or experiencing the magical technology in Talking with Crush. You would think going back might ruin the surprise, but the real surprise was how enjoyable it was to rediscover these bits of magic. 

This time we stayed at POP Century and got to try the famous tie-dyed cheesecake.

The resort is filled with giant pop culture icons from over the years. We picked this resort because I collect Rubik's cubes. What most people don't know about me is I can't sleep at night  until I solve all the cubes in our home, so it was a little challenging for me to sleep near these cubes all week.

More fun photo ops....





Once again, we spent arrival day at Downtown Disney and returned to Disney Quest. One of our other favorite rides there is the Pirates of the Caribbean interactive ride. You walk onto a "pirate ship" in a room with screens on the 3 walls surrounding you. You wear 3D glasses and 1 person steers the ship and the sides of the ship are lined with "cannons". Other ships  start shooting at yours and you feel the ground below you shift as you get hit. However, you fight back by shooting your cannons at the other ships (and even at some ghost pirates - yikes!) to win treasure. The 3D effects combined with the moving ship feel so realistic. It's a thrill (and a darn good workout, too!).

New Experiences
Toy Story Midway Mania opened that year and it was a BLAST!! I recommend getting to the park before Rope Drop and making it your 1st attraction of the day. We typically ride it first, then grab a FastPass to ride it again later without the long lines (and there are almost ALWAYS long lines). Even if you do end up waiting in the queue, this is one of the BEST queues at all of Disney, in my opinion. You feel as if you're one of Andy's toys. Giant crayons, board game pieces, Lincoln logs, and monkeys (from the barrel) decorate this room. There is a huge Mr. Potato Head who sings, tells jokes and interacts with people waiting in line. I really wish they would continue this theme in a resort. It has such a cool effect.

 We still were not aware of the dining plans, so paid for meals out of pocket. For table service, we tried Hollywood & Vine (a not so memorable buffet) and Chefs de France. And of course, no trip to Epcot is complete without an Orange Grand Marnier Slushie from the French pavilion!
Now that I look back at this photo with the Mickey comic purse and the hidden Mickey scarf, I think I can start to see the addiction forming...must be something in the slushie!

What we repeated
  • Festival of the Lion King
  • Wishes
  • Fantasmic
  • Kilimanjaro Safari
  • Expedition Everest
  • Rock n' Rollercoaster
  • Tower of Terror
  • Philharmagic
  • Peter Pan
  • Haunted Mansion
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Hall of Presidents (DH's fave)
  • Carousel of Progress (I think this was the year we started singing along)
















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