The first person I was able to talk to was Melinda Doolittle (finalist, season 6).  We were getting ready to go on a ride and I had to stop and tell her how much I enjoyed her album.  We talked about the horns and live instruments and she seemed genuinely happy to hear the compliments. 

I spotted Ruben Studdard quickly exiting the party (the whole resort was open to us so maybe he was going to a different park) and Fantasia was dancing with a few friends.  I also saw Bo Bice with his wife and a baby stroller.  I don’t think they stayed very long.  There was a DJ set up right in front of the Rock’n’Roller Coaster and he played some really good music.  Since he was right outside the ride, I decided it was time to go on it again.  I saw Chris Sligh and Sanjaya Malakar (both finalists from season 6) up ahead but then noticed David Cook (winner, season 7), Carrie Underwood (winner, season 4), Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro (both finalists, season 7) in line with me.
One of the contestants from earlier in the day at the American Idol Experience was also in line and she got the winners to take a picture with her.

MORE PICTURES AFTER THE JUMP!

Syesha double-checked her large earrings before the ride took off (she’s brave – I would have taken them off!).

The Idols still looked picture-perfect after the intense ride that takes you from 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds.  Here are some shots from inside the Rock’n’Roller Coaster shop:

We also took a picture of the giant guitar outside of the ride along with the “American Idol Experience” sign beneath it.     

Carly Smithson was a bundle of energy.  We saw her bouncing around all over the place all evening.  She really seems like a lot of fun.  I got her to slow down just long enough to take a quick picture.
 

Near the VIP section, I was able to have a quick chat with Chris Sligh.  I congratulated him on the fact that the song he wrote, “Here Comes Goodbye” was picked up by Rascall Flatts and is the first single off of their new album.

Chris has a really quiet demeanor and voice, which surprised me.  He seems like a gentle soul (I know that sounds cheesy but it’s true).  He’s also really tall!

I also had a nice little chat with Sanjaya.  I asked him about his book and he told me it was surprisingly easy to write – that the story just flowed out naturally over four months.  I also told him that his album surprised me because it wasn’t what I was expecting but that it was actually pretty good.  Have you heard it?

He was really friendly.  I think that, regardless of what anyone says, Sanjaya seems like a nice person who would be fun to hang around with. 

I should also mention that the party had the “blue theme” that we’ve all come to associate with American Idol.  They had the symbol projected onto the ground and bars were set up in the area with the logo on the front.

A little later on, I saw Lakisha Jones rush up to Jason Castro and give him a big hug.  There was a lot going on at that moment so I can’t remember exactly why I was making this face.

Towards the end of the night, I saw Carrie again and she was the sweetest!  I told my kids that she was really like a Disney princess come to life and she’s so tiny (and even prettier in person)!!!

I had a great time and, again, I would like to thank Disney for flying me out to participate in the event.  They did an amazing job!

images: Jyle Dupuis

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