WDW Trip Report - Day 3 Events - Why is it so Difficult to Get to Naboo?

After lunch at Yak & Yeti and the Jingle Jungle Parade, Kyle and I hopped over to Disney's Hollywood Studios to ride some of our favorite attractions and see the Osborne Lights.  I had been to Walt Disney World when the lights were up (and turned off) in January of 2009, and I missed seeing them in November of 2010, so this trip I was really looking forward to get a chance to see the Spectacle of Dancing Lights!

It was super windy on this afternoon, and we got a kick out of watching one of the balloon vendors. He looked like he was about to get blown away!



It's Carl!



Great Movie Ride (Movie Prop)

Since we got there after lunch, we knew that Toy Story Mania was going to be out of FastPasses and would have a longer queue than we'd care to stand in.  We checked it out to confirm our predictions and moved on to spend our time at more enjoyable locations than long queues.  The Great Movie Ride had a super short queue, and we missed it in June, so we stopped there first.  I tweeted with one of our followers through half the ride.  It's fun, but it's not my favorite.




Angela Lansbury's square

 After the Great Movie Ride, we went to see how long the queue was for Star Tours and were happy to discover it was nonexistent! No kidding, we seriously saw NO ONE else on the way through the queue (the first time). I made Kyle stop in each empty room to take a photo to prove it!  On this ride we say Darth Vader, joined a pod race, got a holographic transmission from General Ackbar, and ended on the Death Star.  Kyle has seen this sequence a million times and was understandably disappointed.  I suggested a second ride.

See all the empty rooms??

On the way to the second ride on Star Tours, a Jedi Knight crossed our path as we headed into the queue.  The background music was so dramatic that I decided to march into the queue instead of walking like a normal person.  The cast member cracked up, so perhaps I put a bright spot in his day.  I don't remember the sequence for the second ride, but it was better.  With the queue being so short, as soon as the ride ended, I was like a 2 year old joyfully squealing, "Again! Again! Again!" and clapping!  Kyle obliged, and on the final ride we made it to the Naboo ending which is the BEST ending you can get!  Makes me laugh out loud every single time I see it, and I've yet to be with a group who doesn't clap at the end of that particular ending.  Yes, it's that good!

When we exited Star Tours (for the third time), we realized that it was dark enough for the Osborne Lights to be on.  We walked over to the Streets of America, and I began to UStream the lights live.  People were just standing at the beginning of the street, so I was a little confused at what to do.  We ended up practically battling our way through the crowds of people (first time I really felt crowded on this trip) and made it to the light canopy when the music picked up, and the lights began to dance!  It was breathtaking, absolutely incredible!  I was in awe of the beauty and wonder going on all around us!  Even better, it was a perfect example of mathematics applied in the real world! 

Even the puppies were decorated!

Toilet Paper Tree
It's real, and it's real weird...

Peace on Earth
Merry Christmas!

Here's my UStream Video. It's not super clear, but you get the idea. :)


Kyle had been looking for a particular Mickey Santa Hat, and as we were trying to exit the lights, I spotted one.  The crowd was so thick that I just planted my feet and screamed his name until he found me!  That's the bad part about both of us being short: if we get separated in a crowd, neither of us can see over people to find the other one, so we pretty much have to keep looking or find each other by voice. He found me and looked at me as if to say, "omg! Why are you screaming my name, you crazy woman?!" but happily bought his hat when he figured out what was going on.  It was a cool hat and he wore it the rest of the trip.  :)

Kyle's new hat

After the lights, we stopped for me to trade a Vinylmation.  I trade the Ear of Corn Vinylmation for the one pictured below.  No joke, I pulled it out of a blind box! I thought it was hilarious!

Popcorn Vinylmation

Before we left the park, Kyle agreed to ride Tower of Terror with me!  I love riding it at night!  It's spooky and offers such a neat view of the lit up park!  He, like last time, was pretty freaked out by it.  Sadly the people in front of us blocked our faces when they put up their hands, so I don't have a picture of this ride.

The night before we had planned to see IllumiNations in Epcot, but the rain stopped us from doing so. A quick time check showed us that we could catch dinner over in Epcot and see IllumiNations if we left Hollywood Studios, so we made our way to the boats to go into the International Gateway at Epcot, my favorite entrance.



Ducks waiting to ride boats to Epcot



International Gateway Gift Shop 

 Once inside the park, Kyle suggested that I try the Grand Marnier Orange Slush in France.  (It was on my "wanna try these snacks" list prior to our trip.)  I had him help me practice pronouncing it right until I went up to order one; however, the man in front of me ordered one, so I simply said, "I'll have one of those as well" and smiled and pointed.  Hehe.  Yeah, I wimped out!  The drink was tasty but another strong one, and I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, so it hit me FAST.  I finished it as we walked into Morocco for a late dinner.


Grand Marnier Orange Slush

 If you haven't eaten at the counter service in Morocco because you're not sure you'll enjoy it, go ahead and give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised a few trips ago at how good all the food there was!  We got our food and relaxed at one of the tables outside.  It was cozy and fairly private there, so we were able to enjoy our meal and some great conversation.  Kyle and I don't get to see each other much, so being in our happy place but being relaxed and just chatting are some of my favorite times. 



Om nom nom!



Can I eat now??

We both really like watching IllumiNations from a spot close to the ring carver in Mexico, so we strolled through the rest of the World Showcase to see if we could find a place to stand.  On the way we grabbed some frozen margaritas from the stand in Mexico. I like mine to be just strawberry and mango.  These were also strong, so I was quite giggly by the end of the show! 


Margaritas!


I UStreamed IllumiNations for people back home.  The picture isn't great, but it better than nothing when you're not at Walt Disney World! 

We shopped in Mouse Gears on the way out and then caught the bus back to our very comfortable beds.  I had never been to 3 parks in one day before, so this was an experience!  I seriously loved every minute of it even if it was exhausting! 

Next posts will take us to Hollywood Studios again and to Mickey's Very Merry Chistmas Party!



Meanwhile, back at home, Sprinkles
was having a blast playing with my friends.