Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Etiquette

If you haven't heard already, there is a new interactive game at the Magic Kingdom called Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. It is a Pokemon style card battle come to life where you battle in front of portals located around the Magic Kingdom. I had the chance to play this recently and I came up with some helpful tips to ensure that you and your party enjoy the game keeping in mind the other guests around you.

First of all, if you are in a group, ONLY PLAY ONE GAME!! It took us such a long time to play because many groups in front of us had individual people playing! Jason and I played using one card to maximize our time. We switched off who got to battle at each portal. Meanwhile, we waited for up to 20 minutes at a portal for a large group with many children to play and we watched the same scene multiple times.

No pushing or shoving!! Jason was literally standing at a portal trying to play and some kid came up and shoved him. His parents didn't even apologize or notice. I know that it is difficult to keep an eye on your children at all times but they should understand that they should not push and shove. After the shoving incident, the father did notice that his kid was standing awfully close to us and ushered him away. That was decent.

If you see players struggle to understand what's going on, by all means help them! We didn't really get exactly what to do with the cards...do you hold them out straight? Do you wave them around like a crazy person? Do you eat them? What do you do?? Many guests who had played the game before tried to help us. We definitely appreciated it and they helped us a lot! We skipped the "training video" by accident because we went during value season and there was no line. So, we had no idea what to do when we walked up to the first portal. A nice lady helped us with our key card and got us started. Thank you, good manners!

With all Pokemon style card games, there is a demand for card trading. We saw groups of people standing outside the Firehouse on Main Street with cards out. It was actually nice, we got to talk to more locals and see if we had the cards they needed. There are people who sell individual cards and full decks on eBay. I don't really have a problem with that either, last time I checked a full deck was going for $150! That's not a typo people, that's one hundred and fifty dollars!

What I love about Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is that it increases your interaction with other guests. You can stand at the portals for awhile and I found that the locals who had played before were very friendly and they gave us a lot of good tips. I always love meeting nice new people! However, not all of our experiences playing the game were pleasant. If you keep your fellow guests in mind, you will be sure to have fun and make new friends!

This is Gonna Be a Good Life Part 1

Greetings from sunny Orlando, FL! I cannot believe it has been over 2 weeks since we packed up our house and drove nearly 1,000 miles from Baltimore to Orlando! This is the story of our journey, my husband Jason and I, along with our 2 kittens Merlin and Mim.

In the final days before we left, we emptied our entire house! We donated many items, sold some, and threw away some. These are some of the items we attempted to donate (not the boxes, those came with us).



We were able to donate my awesome 80's white wicker bedroom set but they wouldn't take the couch :( This explains why we were able to get rid of all of our furniture! It was so old and nasty that AMVETS wouldn't even take it!! We loaded up our porch with all of our stuff and AMVETS came to pick it up the next day! Easy peasy (except of course for the couch).



On Tuesday, our UPack ReloCube arrived right on schedule and even a bit earlier than I expected! The ReloCube is a moving POD (Google it) that they drop off at your home. You fill it up with whatever you want (except chemicals such as flammable gas) and they pick it up and deliver it to your new home. This was our choice because we have a small car and couldn't tow a trailer and we didn't want to drive a big moving truck 1,000 miles down the East Coast.

Wow looking back at this picture, I do not miss the chain link fence or power lines in front of our old house!!!



We weren't sure at first if the ReloCube would be big enough but it ended up being just fine and fit everything that we needed! The dimensions are 6’3"D x 7’W x 8’4"H.





The men in Jason's family were kind enough to help us take loads of trash to the dump and fill up the pod. They had everything done in just over an hour!! Mim ran and hid in one of our suitcases, she was totally freaked out :(



Merlin wasn't sure what was going on and watched the day's activities from the upstairs window in quiet wonder.



The pod was filled to the brim with 2 mattresses and box springs, our TV, TV Stand, game consoles, monitors, games, books, kitchen necessities, clothes, etc. It really couldn't get more perfect!



We called to make an appointment for UPack to pick up the ReloCube on Wednesday. They picked it up right on time, I was so happy that everything had gone so well so far!!

Finally, on Thursday, it was moving day!! I can't even begin to tell you how I felt that day. Excited, scared, sad, anxious...basically every emotion you could feel I felt that day. It has been my dream to move to Florida for a very long time now and I wasn't sure if it would ever happen. You know that feeling when you leave WDW and you think you just don't want to leave? It dawned on me that I would never have that feeling again, is that a good thing? I was afraid that I would lose some of the magic that I felt when I walked into any Disney park. But, many locals have told me that you begin to enjoy it in a different and more leisurely way. I was certainly looking forward to finding out!

As we packed up our house I felt so happy because our new house is WAY bigger for only $100 more per month. Case in point...this was literally our only closet in the old house!



And the lovely wooden board covering a giant hole in the wall where plumbing work was done...



We did have a very nice back porch that sadly did not get used often enough. We also had a big yard in the back where our landlord had a giant garden. But, we hardly went outside! That will certainly change in Florida because the weather is so nice all the time :)



Then it was time to pack up the car!! We have a 2009 2 door Chevy Cobalt. We packed it to the brim and it was not big enough to hold all our stuff. We had to leave behind some things and ended up throwing the rest away. Oh well, it was worth it!!



Bye bye house!



We were on our way! The kittens were safe and secure in a large carrier in the back seat...for now!



We left around 8PM Thursday night. We did not stop anywhere to sleep, we drove straight from Baltimore to Orlando - a 941 mile journey down I-95! Our quest had begun (queue Hyrule theme from The Legend of Zelda)!!



We had made the decision to give the kittens tranquilizers only if they needed them. We wanted to see how they did first. MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!! We should have just tranqued them before we left. About an hour down the road in the DC area, Merlin freaked out and pooped in the carrier. Mim freaked out too and I was picturing cleaning poop off of both of them at the next rest stop. Unfortunately the next rest stop was pretty far away so we had to deal with the smell for what seemed like a LONG time. But, luckily I am a planner and I was prepared for this. I had extra towels and baby wipes at the ready. But how were we going to do this in such a cramped car?? We moved some stuff from the back into the front so I could climb in the back and open the carrier, making sure all doors and windows were closed so the kittens didn't escape. It all worked out fine, we threw away the poopie blanket and I cleaned the inside with baby wipes (it was everywhere btw...ugh). Thankfully, Mim didn't even step in it. Not sure how she did that. Once I verified that she was clean we let her roam the car while I cleaned Merlin. Oh, Merlin. He had poop smashed in his paws, in between his toes, and all over his feet. It was pretty gross. But, we got it all cleaned up and I went into the bathroom to sanitize myself :)

After that we gave them the tranquilizers. It worked pretty well for Merlin but Mim only slept for about an hour before she was freaking out again. We stopped at another rest stop and decided to let her out of the carrier because the vet said it was ok. She calmed down after that and slept in the area between the back window and the seats. I sat in the back for the rest of the trip and pet her to keep her calm and that worked well. But, since I was so busy taking care of the kittens I didn't take any pictures until we got to Florida.

I think we stopped at 3 rest stops. One stop in North Carolina was a truck stop called Love's and I do not suggest anyone stop there. It was totally shady. At 1:30AM McDonald's was packed! I guess it was packed with teenagers because it was spring break. I gravitated towards a cop standing nearby while I waited for my food :) We filled up the gas tank twice for a total of maybe $80. I love my car, she's so fuel efficient!!

Around 6:30AM, Jason needed a break from driving. So I downed some 5 hour energy (an awesome present from the neighbors and friends we left in Baltimore) and took over while Jason slept in the back with the kittens. I had slept for maybe 1 hour. I forgot that I really have a hard time sleeping in cars.

As Jason slept, I listened to music from WDW. Everyone was asleep when we crossed into Florida :( The sight of the Welcome to Florida sign gave me the second wind that I so desperately needed. Jason woke up just before we stopped off at the highly anticipated Florida Welcome Center!



We took a longer rest here and let the kittens out to eat, drink, and use the small litter box we had brought with us. They were very curious as to what was going on!





Finally we were on our way again! We put the kittens back in the carrier and I sat up front while Jason drove. I think I drove maybe 3 hours? Jason drove the rest of the way, bless his heart! Once we hit I-4, I updated the property manager on our ETA because he was going to meet us at the house to give us the keys and do a walkthrough. We hit a lot of traffic on I-4 during lunch time on Friday which delayed us for almost 1 hour. This was the only traffic we hit the entire trip and it just HAD to be when we were 30 minutes away from our new house!

We got really giddy (and I cried) when we started seeing signs for Walt Disney World!




This billboard made me burst into tears! I realized that now I would have the chance to live a lifetime of Disney memories!! I couldn't wait to go home, stupid traffic!







Finally, we turned into our new neighborhood!! I just LOVE this little rock waterfall at the entrance and all the palm trees :) It was SUCH an incredibly beautiful Florida day!



We had made it. Safe and sound with 2 kittens, it was a rather uneventful trip and I was glad for that. In total, it took us a little over 16 hours. We had finally arrived at our dream home!



Our house is still rather empty right now so I haven't taken many interior photos yet. We bought a new bedroom set and office furniture but we still need a kitchen table, sofa, coffee table, etc. Right now we have an air mattress in our living room and some folding chairs, it's pretty ghetto!! Stay tuned for more photos of the new house plus stories from our first few weeks as Florida residents in Part 2 of this series.

I am truly blessed to have these experiences and I really do appreciate all the good things in life because I have been way down on my luck in the past. This is most definitely gonna be a good life!

 

Dreams Do Come True in New Orleans WDW 2.2012 Relocation Prep Day 5: Back to Reality, For Now...

This was our last day but we were ready to go home to get our relocation on! We got up very early, packed, checked out, and checked our luggage with the Magical Express. The biggest tip I can give anyone regarding Magical Express is to check your luggage EARLY. In 2010 when we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I stood in line around 10AM for over an hour. After that, we've always checked our luggage around 7AM and there is no line.

We had a very nice final breakfast at Sassagoula. No photos here since we had the same thing basically every day! We drove Mom in our convertible to show her the house we picked. She loved it of course! We drove with the top down and we noticed that the neighborhood had orange trees so it smelled like oranges. I can't wait to live there!!!

We drove the car back to Alamo and got a shuttle to EPCOT. Our experience with renting a car at Disney was very easy! Everything went to plan and we didn't have any problems. I wasn't sure if we could get a shuttle directly to one of the parks but you can get a shuttle to any Disney resort, Downtown Disney, or any park.

We wanted to ride Soarin so our first stop was the Land pavilion to get Fastpasses. Then we rode Journey Into Imagination (sans Kodak) and the Seas which Mom had never ridden and really enjoyed!




We stopped for a Blue Raspberry Slushie, see a theme here? We love our slushies!



I noticed some music I hadn't heard before so I shot some video right next to a speaker. I know they were testing new background music at EPCOT that week, I'm not sure if this music was a part of that.

We caught the Jammitors which Jason had not seen before. He loved it!



We got in a very short line for Chip & Dale, yay low crowds!




I asked them why they weren't in their Rescue Ranger outfits and they struck a pose!



We had a nice leisurely day at EPCOT. We rode Soarin and got perfect seats! Then we made our way over to World Showcase where we shopped in Canada and split some fish & chips in UK.



We started making our way back to the emtrance and we rode Spaceship Earth. I picked the healthy living option and it was too funny! We were really tired so we closed our eyes on purpose when the picture was taken. I wish I had gotten the picture but the kiosks were full and we didn't feel like waiting. It's ok, we'll be back REAL soon!

We left EPCOT and went back to the hotel. We had to take the bus, ugh ;) We went for lunch at Sassagoula one last time. Jason and I split the shrimp po boy, it was so good!! The bread and the sauce make this one of the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life! Seriously the sauce was so good I was wondering if it was made of angel tears :D

Finally, it was time to say goodbye. We got the Magical Express and were on our way back to MCO. Generally this is where I stop the trip report but we had such a horrible experience on DME that I have to write about it. First of all, our driver had a very thick accent and no one could understand him. I have a travel app called TripIt that I pay a service fee for yearly and it texts me my flight info. It is never wrong. My app said terminal A and my Mom asked the driver which terminal and he said B. my Mom wasn't sure he knew what she was talking about so she asked him again. He was very rude and said he already told her terminal B. So we got back on the bus. On the way to the next terminal a car in front of us went the wrong way and blocked one of the three entrance gates, and it was not the gate we were approaching. I'm not sure why but the driver got all pissed off and honked and yelled. It was pure unadulterated road rage and it was not acceptable from a DME driver. My Mom was about to ask him about the terminal again but I stopped her because frankly the dude scared me. I have never seen a DME driver act like that, this guy was bonkers. We did not tip him and I have never not tipped a DME driver. Luckily the terminal he told us was correct but it wouldn't have mattered anyway because of the layout of the MCO airport. All terminals lead into a large central hub anyway. The DME experience was so bad that I am going to write to guest services about it. I was seriously appalled at the drivers' behavior.

Other than the bad DME experience, we had an awesome trip! We found the house of our dreams and met new and old friends. One week later, we were approved for our house and we set the move date! We cannot wait to move down in April 2012 and become FL residents!!!!!

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Dreams Do Come True in New Orleans WDW 2.2012 Relocation Prep Day 4: Fate Stepped In To See Us Through!

We woke up feeling hopeless about the house and we even discussed not moving at all. If our favorite house wouldn't allow pets, maybe it wasnt meant to be.

Then, I got a call from our Realtor, Amy Reed, and she said the landlord would allow our kittens! She was so sweet to call first thing in the morning, it wasn't even 9AM yet. She just needed some photos of our fuzzy little pals to follow protocol! Of course our iPhones were loaded with pics of our kittens!!

I sent this picture of Merlin, he's our Tuxedo cat! We love his crazy eyebrows, it just makes him look more like the Disney version of Merlin :)



And this is a cute photo I shot of Mim smiling while she was sleeping. She does that a lot, she's a very happy kitten! I think it also looks like she's doing the "Buddy Christ" pose :D



I wasn't sure if the landlord would be freaked out by black cats so I also put a note in my email that in the Japanese culture, black cats get rid of bad luck.

Hallelujah, our prayers were answered and we wouldn't need to see anymore houses! We were so excited because we were 99.99% sure our application would be approved. We had recently worked very hard to clean up our credit issues from when I was unemployed for 10 months in 2008. Fate had once again stepped in to see us through. This was our house and we knew it!

Feeling like we were on top of the world, we went over to Sassagoula and had breakfast. I had beignets and they were so delicious that I didn't get to take a picture! Then we waited for Amy in the lobby and I made a wish in the fountain. Hmm guess what I wished for? ;)



Amy arrived right on time and we went to the outside tables at Sassagoula to handle the rental application paperwork. Easy peasy! She had already told me what I needed to bring: copies of our drivers licenses, last 2 paystubs, and proof that I would not be changing jobs since I work from home (I used a copy of my offer letter). We had everything in order and the application would be approved in 3 - 5 days! We really didn't have any concern there. We parted ways and thanked Amy for all her hard work, she had really helped us and we appreciated it. I had actually tried to work with a few other Realtors but they didn't seem keen on email. Amy was the only one who responded to my email within 1 hour and she sent me listings the very next day. She also worked with me on the bazillion questions I sent her about every single property I was interested in! I highly recommend her!



Jason and I went back to the hotel room to rest and talk things over. We had a LOT to do now! He called friends and family members while I updated social media. The response was overwhelming! People were so happy for us and welcoming us to Florida. I cried big crocodile tears like Alice in Wonderland as I responded to everyone!! Jason got me tissues :) It finally hit me, this was real and I was living the dream!

We decided to go to Magic Kingdom. It was a really nice day and we drove with the top down! We parked at the Transportation and Ticket Center and walked to the Polynesian. Jason had never been there and I hadn't been there since my first trip to WDW in 1988!



We took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom and we got to see what was going on with construction over at the Grand Floridian. Needless to say, we were very glad to have gotten married before the construction vehicles were there! I took a few pics from across the lagoon, at least you can't see the construction too much from here. The construction is on the left of the resort in between the resort and the Wedding Pavilion.





Then, we went to play Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. My Mom and I had picked up 2 packs of cards already but I forgot where we were supposed to go so we picked up another pack with a new key card. It's a cute game but it took too long because there were lines at every portal. It was also confusing as to what to do. Most of the time, the cards didnt work. We tried waving them and holding them out straight, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. One guest told us that the cards were being sold on eBay! I checked my eBay app and sure enough, the full deck was going for upwards of $200! Overall, we were a bit disappointed with it :( I think it would be better at night when there are less children. One kid actually started pushing Jason while he was trying to play, it was nuts! Also from a gaming perspective, the game is just too easy for us. We were hoping for a challenge but basically any card you use will get the job done. I believe there are harder modes but you have to make it through the easy ones first? I would like to give it another shot when the park isn't so busy.

This was really the first trip where we had no agenda in the parks. We walked around aimlessly since we would be Florida residents soon! We caught the Main Street Philharmonic in Liberty Square and Jason actually ran to see them, he loves them so much! That is a magical memory for me, seeing my husband run to watch them :) He also took some video, enjoy!





I was hungry so we went over to Pecos Bill's. I had never eaten there and I got the taco salad. YUM!!



We were pretty tired from all the emotional excitement plus I had forgotten sunscreen so we decided to head back to the hotel. We caught the Main Street Philharmonic again on Main Street :)

On the way out, I wanted to see if Mickey was in talking mode. We hadn't seen his new home at the Town Square Theater and luckily there was no line! I was glad to see a nod to Scrooge McDuck in there :)



While we were waiting, Jason noticed a crunching noise. It was coming from the rabbit in the hat, presumably eating carrots!



I love the Rehearsal Schedule - Let's All Be There On Time!



Mickey was not in talking mode but I didn't care. I am always happy to see Mickey and Minnie!!



We rested up at the hotel and then made our way to EPCOT in our neato convertible :) We had plans later that evening to have a celebratory dinner at Teppan Edo with the Petermann family of TheRelocatedTourist.com!

As we made our way to World Showcase, we had a chance to see some of the topiaries being unveiled for the Flower and Garden Festival.




But first we needed alcohol! We started in Canada where Jason had a beer and I had an apple ice wine. Oh my it was good!! We sat near the waterfall and talked about all the good things that were coming our way! It was a Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Day!




As we left Canada, a nice older couple stopped us to ask about O Canada. We ended up talking to them for almost 20 mins! We told them we were newlyweds and they said they were celebrating their 54th Wedding Anniversary. Of course we had to ask them for advice! I hope Jason and I are that happy in 54 years. They even took a picture of us and I gave them one of my business cards so they could send us the picture! I call exchanging addresses "old school Facebook" ;) A few weeks later, we got a card from them in the mail and they sent us a book called The Secret of Family Happiness. I love Disney people, they are so thoughtful!



We continued drinking our way around the world until we reached Japan where my Mom was waiting for us. We didn't wait long before the Petermann family arrived as well. While we waited for our table, we talked about everything from our move to gaming :) We quickly found that we were all kindred spirits!

When our table was ready, we climbed up the steep staircase to Teppan Edo. Jason and I had taken bridal portraits in there but we had never eaten there. It was the first time eating there for everyone in our party!



We had an absolute blast. The Petermann's hadn't really had sushi before so I got us some California rolls for an appetizer.



Proof that Amy tried her first sushi!



The chef came out and she was wonderful! She was very energetic and funny. We told her about our relocation and she was genuinely happy for us! The food was as amazing as the company :) I shot some video on my iPhone (sorry next time I will hold it sideways) of the very talented chef! Watching these makes my mouth water!!

At the end of dinner, we started talking more about our move and I burst into happy tears right at the table! If you didn't know already, I'm a crier :D After dinner we all watched Illuminations together. I couldn't help the tears there either. The line "We go on, through the joy and through the tears" really resonated with me. Jason and I have been through so much together. I still can't believe what we have achieved together in the last 3 years (and 6 years overall). We were literally broke with 18 cents in our checking account at one point. But, we worked together to fix our financial woes and now here we are! I am a lucky girl indeed.

We walked out with the Petermanns and I felt very blessed indeed to have found such wonderful new friends. I cannot wait to see them again when we move in just a few short weeks!!

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