Mosaic513

Finally made it to Dollywood this season. LR is closed for the day. All other coasters were a walk on prior to noon. Really loved Wild Eagje. Been 9 years since I have been here. It's as beautiful as I remember.

WDW hands down... Dole Whip, Big Thunder at night, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, dodging AT-ATs during Star Tours, bellydancing in Morocco, DINOSAUR, Kona Grill's polynesian wings, scouring for Transportation Cards, the Mad Tea Party any time .... the list goes on.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Got in my first ride at 11am today!

It was a blah Monday workday with a darkened, slightly rainy commute home but as soon as I walked in the door my day was brightened by the sight of a big box on the counter. Yes! My Secret Santa gift has arrived. Pretty! With a gingerbread man ornament gift tag to boot! OMG. OMG. OMG. Disney popcorn bowls! HOW DID YOU KNOW? But wait. It appears there's more! Awesome popcorn buckets. Various flavors of yummy popcorn seasoning. And a scattering of Christmas candy canes! What's this? Tucked snuggly at the bottom of the box? The perfect popcorn lover's necessity! DENTAL FLOSS. I seriously laughed out loud when I opened this. My partner thought I went crazy. And I did. Thank you Secret Santa for the perfect present. I promise I will use the buckets every time I visit my local Redbox. Mr. Gingerbread is now a happy resident of our tree as an ever-present reminder of how cool my Secret Santa is. Thanks you again. I love my popcorn bowls and I will ensure they are treated with never-ending refills.

Dear Connelly family, You are very much welcomed! I love the photos and I am so glad you all enjoyed your gifts and got my strange sense of humor. I think one of my post-its shifted during shipping because I really wanted Kristin to tell us how bad "Santa Clause Conquers the Martians" is but I must say, 11 hours of watching the virtual fireplace trumps that. Happy Holidays. I had a blast being your Secret Santa. Carmen

Secret Santa investigative research complete. Gifts purchased. On to packing and shipping before the deadline.

Count me in too. Sounds like a blast. I like Disney Parks, puzzles, 80s music, popcorn, traveling and patches!

Great TR. My partner and I have been on two 3-day Disney cruises and we love them. We are definitely Dinsey fans and from a "no kids" perspective, what Robb has reported is spot-on, there is always a place to get away form the kid activity or to find some quiet adult only area. And having cruised on other cruise lines too, I found the food on DCL to be far superior. Plus I think the beds on the Fantasy and Dream are beyond comfortable since they are one true mattress instead of two pushed together. Personally I loved Castaway Cay and find the bike rentals to be a great activity to explore the back side of the island. We always get a kick out of riding on the old airstrip and out past the private cabanas. The island lunch is the food weakpoint like Robb mentioned but the buffet back on ship that is practically to ourselves makes up for it. And for the any runDisney (or general running fans) they offer a Castaway Cay 5K too that is a lot of fun. Robb, do you recall seeing any 2-top tables in the main dining rooms?

Thanks for a great report. I cannot wait to experience it all first-hand in about two weeks when I make my first trip to Japan and TDR. I am bummed that Journey will be in rehab while I am there but at least I will be celebrating my birthday Japanese style. I'll even have my Japanese TDR park maps in hand that I won in a Bag-o-crap last summer. Sayonara

It looks like the crossword puzzle answers are from a Delta in-flight Hemispheres magazine. The facing page is probably the Talk Show section of the publication. Not 100% who Delta code shares flights with but maybe it can get some more juices flowing. Plus Delta has in-flight wifi so Robb could potentially appear "online" for the entire flight or flights.

Happy Christmas right back at ya Rob and Elissa and to all the TPR readers out there. I got a membership in D23, socks, undershirts and bottle of "champagne" salad dressing. I got my partner tickets to the "Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review" for next week along with a book of "Dirty Japanese" phrases he can learn before our trip to Japan in May.

Excellent trip report. I am glad you had a great time and posted so many photos. I actually work for the regional AAA that sponsored the two AAA Preview days and was working the event so I did not get to see as much as I would have liked to so the photos are great to see. Carmen

Thanks again Elissa. I did not see your comment the first time about how much I am into Disney. From a park perspective I love the Disney parks. Always have. And I love the attention to detail so I know I will go into Disney geek mode when I see Disney Sea. From TPR's trip reports that place looks awesome. Carmen

Thanks Elissa. This will be my first visit and I am planning on staying at the Hilton Tokyo Bay. I would much rather have more time than feel rushed especially since I know I will be wanting to re-ride favorite attractions etc. Four days sounds like the plan!

Good afternoon, I am planning a trip to Tokyo next May after Golden Week. Right now I am planning 4 full days at TDR beginning the weeke of May 13 and was wondering if 4 full days is too many days. I am planning to be at the resort from a Sunday evening through Friday morning when I would fly home. I was not sure if 3 days would be enough or if the 4 day would allow me to really see it all and re-ride attractions I enjoy the most. Thanks in advance for your advice.

That picture of Robb and KidTums on the Trabant flat ride is totally classic. Looks like you have a great day.

Okay... I won't ask but thank you for the warning... you saved my life.

Crappy Mondays suck! But TPR "Bag O Crap" Mondays are great! "Arigato gozaimass" Robb and Elissa. Thanks for making my day. Now let's see my crap... Yeah! I got crap! First peek at my crap! Crap dump! Wow! What a great pile of crap. 17 awesome Japanese park brochures, some funky Japanese toys made in China, even some Stitch candy and a Nagashima Resort Peter Rabbit bag. And a great Tokyo Disneyland Tanabata star festival tag. WTF? Anyone know how to say "sheep guts" in Japanese? Hug me?! I'm gonna hug Robb and Elissa when I meet them to thank them for sending me all this crap. Japanese awesomeness. These are the best. I promise to use these daily as I plan my trip to Tokyo Disney Resort for next May. Thanks again.

Congrats aimster! Tampa Bay comes in with not one, but two Bag O Crap winners. The local postal service is gonna soon wonder what the crap is all about!

Cheetah Hunt. I love having a new coaster 3 miles from home. Zero to Cheetah!

Great reports as always Robb. It is fun to live vicariously through them. Tokyo Disney Resorts and their parks look awesome. Hey Mosaic513... You just won a Big Bag of Crap from Theme Park Review! Whatcha gonna do now!? I'm freekin' going to Tokyo Disneyland! Hilton Tokyo Bay is officially booked for May 2012!

Monster Inc. Roz glasses? I just booked flights!

More great pics and another great report. I actually look at flights to Japan for next spring since I need to see these parks in person sooner than later.

Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySeas has been on my bucketlist for a long time. It is great to read your reviews and trip details until I can get there for real. It looks like you all had a blast.

This article/Q&A with the St. Pete Times and Mark Rose, BG's VP of Design and Engineering was in today's paper. It provides some interesting insight to how he has approached ride design during his almost 30 years with BG. Enjoy! http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/busch-gardens-engineer-found-his-calling-designing-thrills/1161137