SSRmonkey November 2012 Trip Report

[SSRmonkey]

We're baaaaaack! Koala and I ready for a vacation and are really glad to be back at SSR for the week.

After our traditional Wetzel's Pretzel, we perused the Festival of the Masters for a while. They had some really cool stuff there...and a lot of things I wasn't allowed to touch!

Our room wasn't ready when we checked in so we headed to Wal Mart to get some Diet Coke and snacks. We're all stocked up and ready to party.

Tonight we have tickets to the Fantasyland preview and are really excited to see that.

I think Earl is on the menu for dinner and then we will head over to MK.

We're so excited and have lots of things we want to do this week. Stay tuned for our excellent adventures!!

 

[Disney Princess]

Welcome back home. I hope you enjoy your EoS and the Fantasyland preview. I can't wait to see the fun you have.

 

[franandaj]

I saw your post on FB and rushed over here to find I'm right at the beginning of an SSR Monkey TR! Can't wait to hear about everything! I hope the Beast doesn't scare Koala!

 

[helenk]

I came straight here from FB too, I can't wait to hear your review on the Fantasyland preview.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Me too! Happy to start at the beginning of a trip.

 

[SSRmonkey]

Earl was serving a holiday sandwich today in preparation for Thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce on the famous bread. Dad shared his with me, it was delicious. I also think he wanted me to eat some triptophan so I would take a nap. It worked. I got a new backpack and it's very roomy and padded, so that helped too.

After Earl, we headed to MK for the Fantasyland preview. When we got there they were just lighting up the castle for the night.

I want to do this to my house, but the lack of spires may not have the same effect. Plus, Koala and I watched Pollyanna and now we're afraid to climb onto the roof to attach the lights. I might have to hire someone. I don't think it would look this good though.

We headed back to Fantasyland to see the sights. Koala liked this gargoyle. I think they look a little bit alike.

Gaston's fountain...

Koala took a break to discuss some literature with this guy. Turns out that guy didn't think Golden Books or Shel Silverstein count as literature. It's a good thing I took this picture before Koala punched him.

Then it was off to Prince Eric's castle and Under the Sea.

Ariel wouldn't let me touch her fin this time. Maybe next time. Koala loves Flounder.

Add some shell drums to Koala's Christmas list. And headphones for me.

I didn't know this ride was rated PG-13...

After wandering around the rest of Fantasyland for a while, we headed to BTMRR.

What's my favorite ride at WDW? Test Track!! What's better than TT? TT at night! When that's not an option, the next best thing is BTMRR. What's better than BTMRR? BTMRR at night!!! 3 times in 50 minutes!! I will say, I would prefer not to sit in the front row. I almost threw up in my new bag.

We headed over to Pirates and then to the Laugh Floor. Buddy Boyle is always the best part of the show. I can't get enough of that guy!

Then it was time for a big cookie and some shopping on Main Street.

A great start to the trip!! Tomorrow I think the plan is to head to Epcot for the last day of Food and Wine. Then, Koala and I are planning a Sasquatch hunt for tomorrow night. In order to be prepared, we're going to try to convince Mom and Dad to go shopping in the afternoon. I need some night vision goggles, a camcorder, and some black clothing. I think Bass Pro Shops has a special Squatch hunting section, right? I swear I a Squatch one on the golf course as we got back from MK tonight. I've learned all sorts of tricks from the TV show Finding Bigfoot. Now I just have to perfect my Squatch call.

So, time for bed. Tomorrow is a big day!

 

[Cee]

I was going to tell you to get the Holiday Sandwich at "Earl". Isn't it heavenly?

The pictures of the castle are gorgeous. Wish I could see it in person.

Have fun at F & W! Try a Red Stag Honey Tea Lemonade at Fife and Drum in front of the American Adventure(if you're old enough) and the "Le Cellier Filet Mignon w/truffle sauce" in Canada. You will(once again)be in heaven!

 

[SSRmonkey]

Mom and Dad slept in a bit today. As usual, I was up at 5 am so I went outside to practice my Squatch calls. I think I'm ready for the hunt tonight.

When Mom and Dad got up we headed over to Epcot to check out the Food and Wine festival for a bit. We got to the fountain just as the music started so before heading to the Festival Center we stopped to watch the fountain. That's Dad's favorite part of the trip. If he ever worked at Disney, I think he would use his engineering skills to program the fountain at Epcot.

On to the festival center to look at some artwork. This chocolate scene from Nemo looked delicious!!

Then we headed over to Mouse Gear. They have Monkey and Koala sized hats now, how nice of them!

Not so Mad Hatter...

This looks like Michael Jackson mixed with Mickey Mouse...

I LOVE the Cheshire Cat... Me-ow!

Koala looks a little like a British policeman in this hat.

This one is the best.

I'm on a horse!! (I haven't seen any new Old Spice commercials lately.)

Minnie and I had a special moment. Don't tell Mickey.

Simba!!! I tried this once with my evil cat Chloe, but since she weighs about 5 times as much as I do it didn't work so well. I ended up with bite marks for a week!

A nice picture of the monorail holding for further traffic clearance.

We decided it was time for some lunch, so we headed out of the park. I know, it's Food and Wine, why would we leave to eat? Well, Mom is probably more picky with her food choices than a 5 year old, so Subway won out today. That's ok with me, I get a footlong every time!

Now, it's time to accompany Mom and Dad to the pool. I hope they let me play with the horses. I'll guard their towels while the are swimming. No wet monkey smell today!!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Love it! I look forward to reading more!!

 

[Chellymouse]

Hello SSRMonkey! Glad to see you made it to the world safely. The holiday sandwich at the Earl is my favorite and I ate 3 of them during our Oct trip! They are heavenly! Any luck finding the Squatch yet? Love your MK photos...hopefully we make it down for the holidays next year. Can't wait for the next update! And I'm sure your mom and dad appreciate "no wet monkey smell"

 

[SSRmonkey]

The pool was very cold today, so Mom and Dad ended up just laying by the pool for a while. Since I can't get wet, I thought being the one in control of the horse sprinklers would be best. It was all good until I sprayed Koala accidentally. He wasn't happy. He really doesn't like being cold and he couldn't wear his overalls to the pool. He took a quick dip in the hot tub and was ok then. I'll make it up to him with a big rice krispie treat!

Since the pool was cold we didn't stay too long and decided to do some outlet mall shopping. Dad needs new shoes--I think he needs new shoes every time we come here!!

Some guy followed me all the way down the hall trying to sell me an electronic cigarette. Um, what part of, "I don't smoke" don't you understand? Now, if you were selling electronic cigars with a complimentary smoking jacket and fireplace, maybe we can talk.

We went over to Bass Pro Shops. Bad news, our Squatch hunt is going to have to be postponed. No night vision goggles in stock. I'm hoping to go back later this week when they have them in.

I swear I saw a Squatch footprint by the pool today, so I'm on the trail, but the night vision goggles are going to be essential. Especially if I'm checking out the woods around the Treehouse Villas. To be continued...

We had wristbands to go back to the Eat to the Beat concert at Epcot, but Dad decided it was going to be a "Meatball Night", just like on the Jersey Shore. But we all hoped this didn't end in anyone getting arrested. For those of you unfamiliar with "Meatball Night", that just means we kind of fly by the seat of our pants. Problem is, I don't have pants, so we flew by the seat of Koala's small pants.

First Meatball decision...Olive Garden. Koala loves using the breadsticks as drumsticks. (Also on his Christmas list are Hit Stix!)

Mom and Dad only usually order appetizers on vacation and today was a good one--fried lasagna. How can you go wrong? It was excellent.

As usual, Mom got salad. Bor-ing! In true Meatball form, though, Dad got spaghetti and what else? Meatballs! Excellent!! He was nice enough to share and the nice waitress brought me a bib!

Then we headed to the Mall at Millenia. It's been a few years since we were there, but we had a lot of fun going to stores we don't have at home. Like Tiffanys. I hoped that we while we were in there we would witness a scene like from Sweet Home Alabama, but no such luck. No Reese Witherspoon or McDreamy autographs for me tonight!!

After apologizing to Koala with a rice krispie treat, we are ready for bed. Tomorrow is up in the air, but I'm hoping for more park time!!

 

[Disney Princess]

It sounds like you're having a great time. What did you think of the new Fantasyland?

I'm sorry to pool was so cold, but I am happy Koala could warm up in the hot tub. I hope he enjoyed his Rice Krispie treat!

 

[wiigirl]

Loving your pics!

 

[SSRmonkey]

Fantasyland was cool. I think it will be really nice when everything is open. We weren't able to go into the Be Our Guest restaurant. I was disappointed about that. I really wanted to see Lumiere and Koala loves Mrs. Potts. (He used to watch Murder She Wrote Marathons all the time and was excited to meet the tea pot version of Angela Landsbury.)

That being said, the details they put into everything were awesome. Some people have said that the Under the Sea ride isn't great, but there are little things they added to make it really special. In fact, I started to panic when I thought we were really going underwater. You would have been able to smell me all the way over by HM! Very realistic!!

This morning we are headed to DHS. Koala wants to audition for the American Idol experience. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. See ya real soon!

 

[Disney Princess]

Fantasyland was cool. I think it will be really nice when everything is open. We weren't able to go into the Be Our Guest restaurant. I was disappointed about that. I really wanted to see Lumiere and Koala loves Mrs. Potts. (He used to watch Murder She Wrote Marathons all the time and was excited to meet the tea pot version of Angela Landsbury.)

That being said, the details they put into everything were awesome. Some people have said that the Under the Sea ride isn't great, but there are little things they added to make it really special. In fact, I started to panic when I thought we were really going underwater. You would have been able to smell me all the way over by HM! Very realistic!!

This morning we are headed to DHS. Koala wants to audition for the American Idol experience. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. See ya real soon!

I also used to watch Murder She Wrote reruns - I prefer Ms. Landsbury as Jessica Fletcher. Thanks for the info on Fantasyland. We can't wait to see it in January.

Good luck to Koala at the auditions!

 

[honeymo78]

Thank you for sharing your trip report again. Sounds like you are having a great time!

 

[SSRmonkey]

Who would have thought they have a minimum height requirement to participate in the American Idol Experience? Well, Koala didn't meet the mark, so he'll have to continue to tour the karaoke circuit at home. Or, maybe we can find some stilts for him to use. Or a really tall hat.

To make him feel better we went to see Angela Landsbury.

The low cut neckline of her dress makes me a little uncomfortable.

Like my new bag? It's perfect for going incognito, but still being able to see all the good stuff.

Koala was feeling the holiday spirit.

Too bad they don't sell Bailey's Irish Creme pins...we would replace his Grape Soda pin with that for the holidays!

While Koala was looking for something festive to eat, I got to guest star with the Electric Mayhem.

We're getting ready for Christmas, but I'm a little concerned that this sleigh isn't big enough for Santa let alone all the things Koala has on his list. He's been a little naughty this year too, so I'm hoping Santa comes through for him.

On the way out I got a little too close to this deer...

I just wanted to put a wreath around his neck, but I guess he thought I was going for the jugular. Oops.

We were able to get FP for TSM for tonight so the plan is to do that after dark and knock out the Osborne Lights. Well, not knock them out, but see how we can engineer our own for home. I still have to get Koala over his aversion to climbing on the roof. Maybe Yak Trax for his boots would help.

Off to Wetzel's to share a pretzel for pre-dinner!

 

[jstarcze]

SSRmonkey I missed you at Hollywood Studios today! I was looking for you. Oh well my loss. I'm here until Friday so maybe we'll cross tracks yet (on the hunt for Saquatch?) I don't have any night vision goggles either BTW. If I don't see you have a great vacation. PS Koala and your Mom and Dad too.

 

[SSRmonkey]

jstarcze--Sorry I missed you! I hope we run across each other. I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one without night vision goggles. No luck yet on the Sasquatch, but I thought I was close tonight. I thought I saw one bent over looking for something on the ground--maybe his lost Mickey ears? Turns out it was just one of those big water hook up things. I thought it was unlike a Squatch to be that close to the road and so still. I'll keep looking though. Maybe on the walking path between SSR and THV.

 

[SSRmonkey]

I am having a really hard time uploading pictures tonight, so I will work on it in the morning! Sweet dreams!