Biscuit's Grand Adventure | An epic tale three decades in the making! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

GreatBiscuit

01-09-2009, 04:21 PM

Episode 1 – “It Begins”

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own trip report, or whether that station shall fall to another, these pages must show.

If I do not exactly hold the title for longest planned trip to Walt Disney World EVER, then I certainly must be a finalist. The planning for our current excursion actually began in 1997. Not just wanting to go either, planning to go. I’ve had touring plans, dining guides, must do’s, and more mapped out on spreadsheets and modified time and again. For twelve years a return to the world was a dream. It was something I wanted, hoped for, prayed for and tried to achieve, but life’s circumstances intervened and it was not in God’s plans for me.

Over the years I lurked here often, posted occasionally, and looked forward to the day when the dream of returning would become a reality. I’ve planned trips for others, had lots of folks bring me souvenirs, and lived vicariously though countless trip reports.

If you are to truly understand this trip report and what this trip means to me, it is necessary to start with a bit of history. So rather than a traditional Pre-Trip / Post Trip, you will actually be getting 7 trip reports in one! Glory, hallelujah and amen! (Editor's note - it turned out to be 8. More on that later.)

Okay, so technically it will actually be ONE full fledged, no holds barred, in depth, nauseatingly detailed trip report; which has been augmented with a couple of quick commentaries and a few readers digest version mini-reports. Think of it as the Special Edition Director’s Cut Trip Report with Bonus Features. Our cast (which is rather large) will be introduced in order of appearance. I WILL have photos, but they will be scarce up until the final three trips as they are about the only ones that I can actually find BUT, rest assured there will eventually be photobucket loads.

As to my own bio, I work in a tech support call center by day, and serve as a media pastor at our church on weekends. When I’m not perusing WDW sites or editing video, I’m hanging out with my wife and two daughters. I also enjoy sports shooting (targets as opposed to varmints), reading, and working on computers. This is me at work looking about as thrilled as I always do.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/mework.jpg

Introductions for this episode being now completed, it’s time to strike up the organ and cue the choir ‘cause we’re taking a stroll down memory lane.

Picture it, the eighties, a small Texas town and an 11 year old kid who has just discovered cable TV. All nine channels of it. And one of those channels is something called the Disney Channel. Having always loved Disney related things, watching this new portal of wonder was soon my favorite pastime. Between episodes of my favorite shows (Danger Bay, The Edison Twins, and DTV) there were always short “update” pieces on what was new and happening at The Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland.

I had been to the Magic Kingdom as a three year old tot, but have no memory of the experience. These little snippets on the Disney Channel introduced me to a place I soon began to love; and started an obsession I know you can relate to. (Otherwise why would you still be reading?)

I began seeking out WDW related articles in the library and in magazines. To add to my growing fascination, I soon discovered another channel which hosted a show called Double Dare. The winners of this show were given the awe inspiring grand prize of a trip to Walt Disney World and a stay at the Buena Vista Palace. I didn’t know what the BVP was, but I likened it to the Taj Mahal.

Armed with a little knowledge and substantial enthusiasm, I dreamed of the day when I would get to visit that special place that keeps drawing all of us back to these boards. From that point on, any time the subject of summer travel arose, I cast my vote for WDW. My parents however, were a bit less inclined to see this suggestion through to fruition. Then when I was 13, I was the recipient of a great stroke of luck. My aunt and uncle moved to St. Augustine, Florida.

My mom and her sister are very close, and it was decided that we would be heading to Florida for a week that summer. (My parents both being teachers, summer was the only acceptable time for leisure-based travel.) After much begging, pleading and promising a lifetime of servitude and devotion, an agreement was reached that we would drive down for one day at the MK during that visit. JOY, EUPHORIA, and host of other things which all mean NIFTY flooded over me. I was finally going to live my dream. All that remained to be seen is whether it would meet with my expectations.

Coming up on Episode Two – “My First Trip to the World.”
____________________________

Episode Links

Season 1 - June 1987 - MK Day Trip
Episode 1 - It Begins (You're there)
Episode 2 - My First Trip to the World. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29646113&postcount=16)
Episode 3 - Vertigo, Nemo and Burgers. OH MY! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29694891&postcount=30)
Episode 4 - Conquering the Final Frontier (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29791942&postcount=42)

Season 2 - July 1988 - MK Day Trip
Episode 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 – “The Others” (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29853392&postcount=49)

Slightly Off Topic
Episoded 5.5 - Fear of the Unknown (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29909858&postcount=56)

Season 3 - Aug 1989 - MK Day Trip
Episode 6 - Sing a song of WED-Way (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29925573&postcount=62)

Season 4 - June 1990 - 5 Days
Episode 7 - Cb's, Swamps, and Asian Road Food (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29986096&postcount=67)
Episode 8 -A Near Death Experience and Learning to Pronounce Kissimmee (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30054053&postcount=82)
Episode 9 – How to get kicked out of the Magic Kingdom before you hit Main Street (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30117825&postcount=89)
Episode 10 – Living Like Kings & Dole Whip Dreams (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30201557&postcount=100)
Episode 11 – Jungles, Trees, Caves and BEEEEEES! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30259685&postcount=113)
Episode 12 - The Plan Unravels and I Find a New Way to Annoy My Mother (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30321968&postcount=120)
Episode 13 - Conquering the Classics and Biscuit has a Breakdown (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30380146&postcount=133)
Mini-sode - Assault in Tomorrowland! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30401174&postcount=142)
Episode 14- Guaranteed Prizes (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30463094&postcount=149)
Episode 15 - Visiting the OTHER Castle may be hazardous to your health! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30519296&postcount=159)
Episode 16 - Making a Deal and Living a Dream. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30594514&postcount=174)
Episode 17 - The Longest Line EVER (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30655468&postcount=183)
Episode 18 - Catastrophes don’t just happen in canyons (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30725172&postcount=194)
Episode 19 -The Grand Finale to a Grand Vacation (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30784727&postcount=200)

Season 5 - July 1991 - MK Day Trip
Episode 20 – High School Seniors Storm the Castle (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30852721&postcount=218)

Season 6 - July 1997 - 5 Day Disneymoon
Episode 21 - How I was christened “Great Biscuit” and Boy Meets Girl (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30903691&postcount=230)
Episode 22 – Welcome to….Atlanta???? The eruption of Hades begins (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30965089&postcount=243)
Episode 23– Hell Hath No Fury Like a Biscuit Burned (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31024250&postcount=259)
Episode 24 – Our honeymoon truly begins and we discover an old friend. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31111593&postcount=276)
Trip Six Bonus Features - Photos! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31135861&postcount=286)
Episode 25 - Yes! We’re at a Park! Hey, where’s my wallet?...DOH! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31161230&postcount=293)
Episode 26 – Our Video Turns out PG13! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31208928&postcount=299)
Episode 27 - Monsoons and Mermaids (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31264341&postcount=308)
Episode 28 - What the Carp Happened to the Castle??? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31322781&postcount=314)
Episode 29 – Blisters, Bags and a Big Hairy Beast (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31377628&postcount=336)
Episode 30 - “What do you mean my Park Hopper’s invalid?” (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31440337&postcount=349)
Episode 31 - My Worst WDW Memory of All Time (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31495501&postcount=360)
Episode 32 - Close Encounters of the Cool Kind (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31571813&postcount=372)
Episode 33 - The Storm Blows On (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31621356&postcount=382)
Episode 34 - My Greatest WDW Memory of All Time! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31665891&postcount=395)
Episode 35 - A Fond Farewell (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31736303&postcount=410)

Season 7 Preview - Summer 2009 PTR
Episode 36 - Finding the DIS (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31777284&postcount=416)
Episode 37 - Pickin' The Pop (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31828793&postcount=429)
Episode 38 - Season 7 Cast Bio (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31885879&postcount=453)
Episode 39 - Everything Old is New (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31934940&postcount=467)
Episode 40 - Pearl Harbor and Donald Duck (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31984784&postcount=480)
Episode 41 - Dining Dilemmas (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32030273&postcount=499)
Episode 42 - The Plan 3.0 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32084205&postcount=507)
Episode 43 - Fiesta My Biscuit! The Walt Disney World Training Run (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32134379&postcount=528)
Episode 44 - This Aint Your Granny's Fanny Pack! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32202888&postcount=549)
Episode 45 – Biscuit Family, Prepare for Departure (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32238616&postcount=564)

Series Prequel - Summer 1977
Episode 46 - "As I Recall": A 1977 Retro Report (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32288727&postcount=581)

Season 7 - June 19-26 2009

Live
Episode 47 - The LIVE Broadcast! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32339055&postcount=603)

Day 0 & Day 1
Episode 48 - Biscuit's Return to Paradise (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32493526&postcount=641)
Episode 49 - Let the Magic Begin! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32521121&postcount=661)
Episode 50 - A Dining Newbie no More (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32554477&postcount=685)
Episode 51 – Painters, Pools, Pennies, & Panoramics (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32609063&postcount=715)
Episode 52 - I'm Back Baby! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32697028&postcount=738)
Episode 53 - Dining With Rodents (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32727435&postcount=756)
Episode 54 - Terror in the skies! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32758409&postcount=773)
Episode 55 -An Accidental EMH (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32806907&postcount=791)

Day 2
Episode 56 - Nice Shirts.....So Who's Biscuit? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32848453&postcount=812)
Episode 57 – A Disturbance in the Force (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32953746&postcount=842)
Episode 58 – Mama Mia! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32953819&postcount=843)
Episode 59 - Tales of Terror and Triumph - Part I (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33029913&postcount=876)
Episode 59 - Tales of Terror and Triumph - Part II (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33030078&postcount=877)

Day 3
Episode 60 - Digestive Instability - Part I (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33068627&postcount=889)
Episode 60 - Digestive Instability - Part II (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33068646&postcount=890)
Episode 60 - Digestive Instability - Part III (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33068708&postcount=891)
Episode 61 - Tahli’s Favorite WDW Attraction (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33139322&postcount=917)
Episode 62 - Rapids and Ribs (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33292424&postcount=945)
Episode 63 - 'Ohana Means Eating Like a Pig! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33407825&postcount=971)
Episode 64 - Hailee Discovers Donald's Butt (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33449844&postcount=988)

Day 4
Episode 65 - Paradise Lost...and Found (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33768561&postcount=1034)
Episode 66 - Turtles, Skunks and Stockings (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33840447&postcount=1077)
Episode 66 1/2 - Hittin the Hippy Dippy (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33876313&postcount=1108)
Episode 67 - Hunger, Heat & Herds = 1 Fantasmic night (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34026418&postcount=1142)

Intermission
Intermission Post - Come in and Strech your Legs! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34090254&postcount=1176)

Day 5
Episode 68 - Pimping the Pipster (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34148431&postcount=1204)
Episode 68 1/2 - Nana has Left the Building (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34172324&postcount=1222)
Episode 68 3/4 - The Lost Photos (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34226533&postcount=1266)
Episode 69 - The Biscuits Get Rocked (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34299751&postcount=1291)
Episode 70 – Galloping Hoops & Ponchos! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34372256&postcount=1328)

Day 6
Episode 71 - Morning Meltdowns (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34399510&postcount=1350)
Episode 72 - The Magic Returns (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34593234&postcount=1450)
Episode 73 - Dancing and Doozies (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34701175&postcount=1532)

Day 7
Episode 74 -Extract Me From This Infernal Apparatus! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34743020&postcount=1560)
Episode 75 - I Shockingly Discover an Identical Twin! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34803632&postcount=1596)
Episode 76 – Hungry Biscuits and Hippos (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35014190&postcount=1681)
Episode 77 - Monsoons and Magic (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35014203&postcount=1683)

Day 8
Episode 78 - The Beginning of the End. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35283682&postcount=1766)
Episode 79 - So long, Farewell, and Amen – Part I (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35382671&postcount=1840)
Episode 80 - So long, Farewell, and Amen – Part II (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35409333&postcount=1870)

Bonus Features
Bonus Feature 1 - Disney Dining Plan Break Down - Included in Episode 78. Click the link above.

Bonus Feature 2 – Pop goes the Biscuit: A Pop Century Review (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35456921&postcount=1921)

Bonus Feature 3 – Attraction rundown & Souvie Shuffle. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35543485&postcount=1961)

Bonus Feature 4 – Lessons Learned: Breaking down The Plan 3.0 and evaluating the Park Pack. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35572758&postcount=1982)

Bonus Feature 5 – The Sequel: What the future holds. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=35662970&postcount=2063)

whogirl'smom

01-09-2009, 08:43 PM

Ok, you hooked me. I'm in!

OhMari

01-09-2009, 08:53 PM

In fact, Aug 1999 was not my actual join date, but as you old-time Dis’ers no doubt remember, this was the date of the infamous board crash which necessitated the re-registration of all Dis profiles. (Bummer too as it reset all our post counts to zero.)

I am impressed when I see members that have joined way back when and have very low post counts. Either, they have been off the boards for a very long time, or they have been her all along and just post when absolutely necessary. I like to think the latter.

Let the 7 Trip reports in one begin. I sure hope you can dig up some of those old photo's. I think those are the best.

jpmom97

01-09-2009, 09:01 PM

Can't wait to hear more! Finally a trip report I got in early on and may be able to keep up with.

Rebecuberduber

01-09-2009, 11:12 PM

:rotfl: I love your writing! Can't wait for more!

acejka

01-10-2009, 07:27 AM

Hooked already!

GreatBiscuit

01-10-2009, 12:45 PM

Ok, you hooked me. I'm in!
Welcome! Glad to have you aboard as the first official Biscuit poster!

Can't wait to hear more! Finally a trip report I got in early on and may be able to keep up with.
Now I just have to keep up with it! But I will post often, I will post, I will....OOOOOOO Look! An airplane! Where was I? Oh yeah - Welcome!

I am impressed when I see members that have joined way back when and have very low post counts. Either, they have been off the boards for a very long time, or they have been her all along and just post when absolutely necessary. I like to think the latter.

A little bit of both actually. There have been times I was away for up to a year, but you'll usually spot me lurking in the shadows. Glad to have you aboard.

:rotfl: I love your writing! Can't wait for more!
Thanks! I'd like to take credit for it, but I had some awesome (and patient) professors who forced me to develop at least passable writing skills. Although I still skip words when I type. (Usually prepositions for some bizarre reason.) It wouldn't be so bad if I noticed later when proof reading, but my mind fills them in until someone points them out. So if anyone notices any PLEASE let me know. But, I digress. Welcome to the TR and glad to have you aboard. (Why do I feel the need to add "Matey" every time I say that?)

Hooked already!
Having been hooked myself many times on this board, I'm glad I could pass it on! Welcome aboard!

xoktenox

01-10-2009, 07:05 PM

Hey, I'm here to join in! :wave2: Looking forward to more :)

daze

01-10-2009, 07:19 PM

Count me in too!! popcorn::

dixie lolly

01-11-2009, 01:28 AM

Can't wait for more!!! :yay:

jjk

01-11-2009, 03:18 AM

looking forward to reading more

GreatBiscuit

01-12-2009, 02:06 PM

Hey, I'm here to join in! :wave2: Looking forward to more :)
Welcome! Glad to have you here. I'm amusing myself trying to pronounce your screen name. ;) I finally settled on either Zock-Tin-Ox or Zo-Kay-to-Know. Let me know if I'm close.

Count me in too!! popcorn::
Hey Daze. You are officially counted. :thumbsup2

Can't wait for more!!! :yay:
Hopefully it won't be a long wait - I'm working on chapter 2 and should have it banged out by tomorrow. :laundy: As soon as I have another pair of eyes or two peruse it, I'll get it posted.

looking forward to reading more
Glad to have you here and to know that I haven't scared you off yet. :scared1: (The post is still young.)

Disneyfan71

01-12-2009, 03:10 PM

popcorn:: :tigger: :smickey: Count me in too!!!

ZZUB

01-12-2009, 05:10 PM

Okay, so technically it will actually be ONE full fledged, no holds barred, in depth, nauseatingly detailed trip report; which has been augmented with a couple of quick commentaries and a few readers digest version mini-reports.Oh no! It's going to be one of those "Trip" Reports. Heaven help us!

GB: glad to see you've jumped into the Trip Report waters. I'll look forward to reading along.

:moped:

GreatBiscuit

01-12-2009, 09:19 PM

Count me in too!!!
You have been counted. Welcome!

Oh no! It's going to be one of those "Trip" Reports. Heaven help us!

Is there any other kind?

GB: glad to see you've jumped into the Trip Report waters. I'll look forward to reading along.

Thanks my legendary friend. I'm glad to have you aboard. Having calculated out the number of episodes required for 6 TR's prior to this summer's exodus, I realized I needed to get started now and average two a week. :scared1: Good thing I work nights.

GreatBiscuit

01-13-2009, 01:08 PM

It was June 1987, I was 13, and planning for my first trip to The World. (Technically it was 2nd trip, but I don't remembr the first.) You can quit counting, I’m 35….you know who you are. I packed 5 months early, kept the Disney Channel on at all hours of decency, and took that trip a thousand times in my mind until the longest school year of my life finally came to a close.

The trip was to be a combo platter: one week with Dad’s side of the family in Georgia followed by one week with Mom’s family in Florida, ending with a day at the Magic Kingdom. On the whole, I was glad to have saved WDW for last, as it helped build anticipation….but OH what a LONG 2 weeks. We drove from our home in central Texas and I spent the bulk of the trip with my nose in a book. Most of my memories from the trip center on the anticipation leading up to the big day, and the daily distractions of keeping busy.

Our “park day” was our last full day in Florida and came as the Grand Finale. We would be driving from Saint Augustine to Orlando with my Aunt Jana and Uncle Randy, as well as their daughter, who at the time was almost 4. With me were my parental units (previously introduced as “Mom” and “Dad”) and my two sisters who were then aged 9 and 1.

Yes, I talked my parents into our first family Walt Disney World adventure with a one year old. All together now in your best Ben Stein voices: Wooooooooow.

I don’t know how long the drive from St. Augustine to Orlando actually is. I know it seemed like it took about 4 weeks to get there, and then I slept the entire trip back. I do know it was early morning when we left, and well before lunch time when we arrived.

Though many years have past, our arrival that morning still remains burned clearly into my memory. Because we were driving in from the North, I was worried we had passed it when we cruised by the first WDW exit. But, my uncle assured me we were still on course for Magic Kingdom arrival. We finally hit our exit and I nearly pressed my nose through the window pane.

The drive from the front gates of The World to the Magic Kingdom parking lot seemed to be endless. After my dad and uncle completed a rather brisk discourse on the concept of paying to park at a theme park you are about to pay to enter, we finally found a parking spot in a lot whose name eludes me.

We disembarked from our vehicle and began the odious task of unfolding and packing up the stroller. This was followed by a ride on the ugly brown tram which necessitated the unpacking and re-folding the stroller, and finally our arrival at the TTC where it was incumbent upon us that we unfold and repack this cursed device once more.

About the time we finished getting the baby rig squared away, a ferry boat just happened to be pulling in. The castle was in sight! We were actually doing this! We took up residence on the boat’s upper deck, starboard side, near the bow and were soon under way. No sooner had we pulled from the dock, than Goofy came zipping past us on water skis. I snapped several pics with my Kodak Disk camera and would love to post one…if I knew where they were. Which I don’t….but that’s why the Good Lord gave us MS Paint and downtime. (Oh the joys of working the late shift.) It looked something like this:

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/Goof.gif

After making several circles around the ferry, the Goof met up with the other ferry that was heading back to the Ticket and Transportation Center. He waved us goodbye and followed it back to the loading dock. It was then that my uncle called my attention to a building I had not yet noticed. He advised me to watch it closely, and soon this odd looking A frame belched out a monorail train. He then explained the building’s name and function and I entered a catatonic state.

SWEET MOTHER LOAF! You mean you can actually stay there???? Suddenly the Buena Vista Palace fell into disgrace. Before me was the greatest achievement yet devised by the mind of mortal man. One day, I WILL stay there…I may be senile and unable to tie my own shoes, but it will happen!

After landing at the gates of the Magic Kingdom, we purchased our tickets and queued up at the turnstiles. There wasn’t much of a line as the opening crowds had already shuffled in. We all went through, and I just happened to be the last of our party in line. As I scanned my ticket, a bell started ringing and cast members stared clapping and telling me congratulations. Confused by these celebrations, yet hearty to participate, I thanked them profusely. They then handed me a voucher for a free 1-day park ticket. I had won it as part of the 15th Anniversary celebration. This meant one thing to me: bargaining power for a return trip.

I still remember my first entrance onto Main Street. We stopped under the bridge and scored a locker to hold the diaper bag / bucket o’ stuff we were toting along. After finally passing through the tunnel, I emerged into Town Square for the first time. We grabbed a park map to see what time the shows and parades were that day, and began making our way down Main Street.

My uncle acted as our resident Magic Kingdom expert, advised us the show that was NOT TO BE MISSED FOR ANY REASON UP TO AND INCLUDING DEATH was the Main Street Electrical Parade. Thus resolved to park ourselves in a prime parade viewing location when the time came, we set out to lands unknown.

Soaking in the ambience, we finally reached the end of Main Street USA and the moment of truth had finally dawned. I was about to partake of my first Walt Disney World attraction. The only question that now remained was, which one would it be?

Coming up in Episode 3 – Vertigo, Nemo and Burgers. OH MY!

Click Here for the Next Episode! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29694891&postcount=30)

ZZUB

01-13-2009, 01:56 PM

You won a free park ticket?!
I have never, ever won a dadgum thing from that place! And I was there three times during the "year" of a Million Dreams. All I got was the royal screwgie!

I can't understand the fascination some people have with the Contemporary. It's just a hotel . . .

Great installment, GB.

:moped:

daze

01-13-2009, 02:03 PM

A free park ticket huh? didja get to use it yet? :)

feedthebirds

01-13-2009, 02:10 PM

I'm in!!

I had completely and totally forgotten about my Kodak disc camera, thank you for bringing back memories. I received that for my birthday and I thought I had the fortune of getting the best camera invented. Ever. Not to be forgotten is my Swatch watch with those jelly band thingies on the face of it (what are those blasted things called) and interchangeable pastel wristbands I got that day also.

Looking forward to more!

GreatBiscuit

01-13-2009, 08:11 PM

You won a free park ticket?!
I have never, ever won a dadgum thing from that place! And I was there three times during the "year" of a Million Dreams. All I got was the royal screwgie!

I was a bit shocked myself as I didn't even know they were giving away anything. It's the only cool prize I've ever won.

I can't understand the fascination some people have with the Contemporary. It's just a hotel . . .

DED

A free park ticket huh? didja get to use it yet? :)

I would tell you, but I can't...cause It's a central part of the plotline for an upcoming episode. Let's just say this isn't the last you've heard of the free pass.

I had completely and totally forgotten about my Kodak disc camera, thank you for bringing back memories.

Wasn't that a fun camera? The pictures left much to be desired, but it had def had cool factor. As to the name for the Swatch band doohickies, I can't recall. I think the answer must be in a storage box somewhere with my old Coca-Cola shirts.

BLLB

01-14-2009, 09:54 AM

Subbing.

bedillamouse

01-14-2009, 10:11 AM

I'm late....popcorn:: but I'm ready for more!!!

AshClan

01-14-2009, 12:38 PM

I am loving this! Six in one? Or is it Seven? Regardless, this is going to be fun. In fact, it already is!

I am BORG with you and the drive from St. Augustine for a day trip. Although our drives were from my aunt and uncle's house in Jacksonville. Same diff. Long drive, for a day at the MK, when you can't even make it for rope drop :scared1: But when you're a kid, you love every minute of it anyway.

I've never won anything, either, BTW. Well, not entirely true. We did get Dream Fastpasses in the MK on our 4/07 trip. That was cool. Too bad it was on our last day when we'd planned to leave at noon.:rolleyes:

Keep 'em coming, GB. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest!

whogirl'smom

01-14-2009, 01:30 PM

I'm so jealous....I always wanted a Disk camera. :rotfl:

And that is way too short of an installment to already have a cliffhanger! Keep 'em coming!

sfacowgirl87

01-14-2009, 02:22 PM

SUBSCRIBING! :cool1:

Good to see a fellow Texan on the boards!!!! :thumbsup2

whogirl'smom

01-14-2009, 07:36 PM

Not to be forgotten is my Swatch watch with those jelly band thingies on the face of it (what are those blasted things called) and interchangeable pastel wristbands I got that day also.

I think they were just called Swatch Guards, weren't they? I loved my Swatch! :lovestruc And my Swatch sweatshirt, too.

GreatBiscuit

01-14-2009, 09:07 PM

Subbing. Welcome! Glad to have you here.

I'm late....popcorn:: but I'm ready for more!!! You're definitely not too late. Glad you stopped by.

I am loving this! Six in one? Or is it Seven? Regardless, this is going to be fun. In fact, it already is! Thanks - glad to have you here.

But when you're a kid, you love every minute of it anyway. BORG

And that is way too short of an installment to already have a cliffhanger! Keep 'em coming! Sorry - was supposed to have been one long post, but I got a bit long winded so I had to split it up.

SUBSCRIBING! :cool1:

Good to see a fellow Texan on the boards!!!! :thumbsup2 Welcome - Good to see you too!

I think they were just called Swatch Guards, weren't they? I loved my Swatch! :lovestruc And my Swatch sweatshirt, too.
That works for me!

feedthebirds

01-14-2009, 10:27 PM

I think they were just called Swatch Guards, weren't they? I loved my Swatch! :lovestruc And my Swatch sweatshirt, too.

You are right! Thanks for that, I could not remember that for the life of me. A Swatch sweatshirt, I am so jealous!!!

whogirl'smom

01-15-2009, 07:32 AM

You are right! Thanks for that, I could not remember that for the life of me. A Swatch sweatshirt, I am so jealous!!!

1986 just rocked, didn't it? :banana:

GreatBiscuit

01-15-2009, 04:58 PM

After making our way down Main Street USA and stopping for the obligatory gawk at Cinderella’s Castle, our party headed to the right. JOY! We were hittin’ up Tomorrowland! I was / am a huge Sci-Fi / Space fan so Tomorrowland has long been a favorite land / happy place. (And just in case you didn’t get enough slashes, here’s one more for good measure. / )

We queued up at the first attraction we came to: American Journeys in Circle Vision 360. There seemed to be quite a few people ahead of us, but my uncle assured us that being in the middle of the line was preferable on this attraction as it offered the best viewing location.

We soon entered the theater and scored a spot near the center of the room. Rock On! Having spent a few years in West Texas, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity the place bore to a cattle chute. The film soon began and I was completely enthralled. We rode with a wagon train, flew over New York city, went white water rafting, stomped to some blue-grass (well some of us anyway), skied down a mountain and nearly fell off the balcony at the Library of Congress.

Once the show ended, we headed back out and I discovered that I was walking somewhat askew. In order to go in a straight line, I had to steer a bit to port. Luckily the vertigo was short lived, and by the time we queued up for If You Could Fly, I was fully recovered.

If You Could Fly was my first attraction featuring an Omni-Mover and I was mighty impressed by the whole thing. The attraction itself was a bit hokey, but I still loved it. I was especially enamored with being sucked into a jet engine. I also loved the “Takeoff” simulation at the very end.

Still feeling the need for flight, we crossed the street and queued up for Mission to Mars. We had to wait a couple of cycles to get into the attraction, but I remember it going fairly quickly. When we first lined up we were just inside the doors, and after the next cycle, we had a great view of Mission Control. This was my first look at a real-live audio-animatronic. In fact at first, I didn’t even realize that they were not quite human. After marveling at the Imagineers’ handiwork, we headed into the “rocket” for our own outer space adventure. On later journeys to the World, I would find this ride to be a bit sad and dated, but during that particular trip, my space loving brain thought it was mondo niftorious.

Following our return to earth, we took a spin on the WED-Way people mover and I got a preview glimpse of the one attraction I had been looking forward to the most, Space Mountain. OH YEAH BABY. I was SO excited about riding Space Mountain that it’s a wonder I didn’t fashion a rope out of my socks and repel off the track straight into the queue.

After exiting the WED-Way, we headed to our final stop of the morning, The Carousel of Progress. Color me nostalgic, but I really loved this attraction. In fact I still love this attraction. I thought it was a funny story then, and now I love it for the history of the attraction and it’s innate Walt-ness. For those who also share a love of the COP, an interesting read can found HERE (http://www.nywf64.com/genele01.shtml). It’s all about the 1964 World’s Fair construction of the original ride. (Complete with a tagline on page 3 praising the ceiling which had been sprayed with asbestos for smoothness!)

At the time we rode, they were still using the old-new theme song, (as opposed to the old-old/new-old theme song) so I spent the better portion of the day singing:

Now is the time.
Now is the best time.
Now is the best time of your life.
Life is a prize, live every minute.
Open your eyes and watch how you win it!

Fortunately for those in close proximity, this was about all I could remember.
Our morning touring operations carried out successfully, it was now time to procure some vittles. We exited the Carousel and followed Uncle Randy to our dining destination. We crossed through the hub, and I was excited to finally pass through the heart of the castle. I remember this as the one let down of the trip…I somehow expected there to be more in there. Yet, the mood did not darken for long, and upon emerging in Fantasyland, we flipped on our left blinkers and made a beeline to Pinocchio Village Haus. We scored a table overlooking It’s a Small World and commenced to chowing down.

At the time, I thought the food was tasty (although at 13, I wasn’t exactly a picky eater) and the air conditioning was definitely nice. All in all I enjoyed the place, and decided it would warrant a return visit if ever I found my way back to this happy place. Little did I realize at the time just how significant a role this particular eatery would play in my next trip. But, that’s getting ahead of myself.

Having revived our strength, and revived my father after seeing the prices for a burger, we set out for more fun. We started with a whirl on the Mad Tea Party– a ride which I can no longer handle. (A fact which looks to pose a problem this summer as my daughters both have it on their ‘must do list”. But if it makes my girls happy, I guess I’ll just have to tighten up my daddy britches, plaster myself in motion sickness patches, grab the wheel and spin it round till I squeal like a baby pig.)

Completing our ride with the rat, and finding no tea in sight, we crossed the walkway and took a voyage 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. (Cheesy yet satisfying) This was the only time that I actually rode this attraction before it was conveniently turned into a field of grass. It’s kind of sad to pull up Google Earth and see it sitting there all empty. But, I digress.

Defeating the giant squid and safely returning from captivity on Captain Nemo’s “sea monster”, we took the incredibly long walk over to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I know some folks really loved this attraction. At the danger of being flamed, let me simply say, it wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t lose sleep when it was replaced. After bumping our way through the English countryside, we headed back in the general direction of Pinocchio’s and sailed over London, courtesy of Peter Pan’s Flight. (Snow White’s Scary Adventure didn’t appeal to anyone in our group and Magical Journeys wasn’t open yet.) It’s a Small World was postponed until later that evening as the line was WAY too long. (If you can even fathom such a thing.)

Effectively conquering this area of the Kingdom, it was time to divide our forces. My mom and aunt decided that the girls, (my two sisters and my cousin for those of you short attention spans,) would enjoy the “kids rides”. (Carousel, Dumbo, the WDW Railroad, etc.)

My uncle, who is not that big into rides and had pretty well hit his quota, either went with them or off by himself, I don’t recall. He’s a people watcher and he enjoys watching shows, so either scenario is plausible. This left my dad and I to strike out on our own, leading to one of my greatest Walt Disney World memories of all time.

Coming up on Episode 4 – “Conquering the Final Frontier”

Click Here for the Next Episode! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29791942&postcount=42)

whogirl'smom

01-15-2009, 06:38 PM

AshClan

01-15-2009, 08:12 PM

....my space loving brain thought it was mondo niftorious

Like, wow, dude. Seriously?! Rad.

I was thinking the same thing as whogirl'smom. HOW are you remembering all this? You kept a diary, didn't you?

Granted, my kid-hood trips were about 10 years earlier than yours (shut up ZZUB). But I can't remember much of anything. I remember being scared on Snow White, and flying over London on Peter Pan, and maybe a little Jungle Cruise action on my first trip. And, on a subsequent trip, I recall waiting something like 2 hours to ride Space Mountain (it was brand new, on spring break, and I recall the line looped round and round outside in the hot sun. It boggles my mind that we EVER stood in a line that long....) Anywho, if you are not making this up, but really remembering these details (with or without a diary), I'm very impressed!

You can use this TR to record your upcoming trip so your kids won't have to keep diaries ;) (Though I think they're too young to do so regardless. I suppose that's why we have video cameras.)

GreatBiscuit

01-15-2009, 08:54 PM

I'm just amazed that you can remember these details! I am trying to remember my trip to Disneyland when I was 13 and all I can remember is riding Space Mountain and Splash Mountain and passing by some girl singing in a theatre type place, who sounded like Janis Joplin.

I love hearing about the "old" WDW, though. My first trip wasn't until 2006.
Congrats on the 2000 post counts. Since you and AshClan asked pretty much the same question, I 'll answer the rest below.

Like, wow, dude. Seriously?! Rad.

I was thinking the same thing as whogirl'smom. HOW are you remembering all this? You kept a diary, didn't you?

Granted, my kid-hood trips were about 10 years earlier than yours (shut up ZZUB). But I can't remember much of anything. I remember being scared on Snow White, and flying over London on Peter Pan, and maybe a little Jungle Cruise action on my first trip. And, on a subsequent trip, I recall waiting something like 2 hours to ride Space Mountain (it was brand new, on spring break, and I recall the line looped round and round outside in the hot sun. It boggles my mind that we EVER stood in a line that long....) Anywho, if you are not making this up, but really remembering these details (with or without a diary), I'm very impressed!

You can use this TR to record your upcoming trip so your kids won't have to keep diaries ;) (Though I think they're too young to do so regardless. I suppose that's why we have video cameras.)

When I started writing about this first trip, I recalled a few things and had an overall idea of what we did. I specifically remembered the LONG drive from the front gate, getting mad at the stroller, Goofy Skiing, winning the free ticket, my first attraction and the events of the next post. As I started writing out what I could recall, and thinking more about it, I found more and more details coming back. Originally, the first 3 episodes were all one post, but it has grown as more memories have returned.

Part of what has helped me remember is the way I am writing this report. I write out each post and let it sit for a couple of weeks, then come back and re-write it, and then do a final edit a few days after that. (I just finished my first draft of episode 10.) This approach lets my memory stew and simmer a while and it really seems to help bring back details. (Today when I was finishing up episode 3, I suddenly remembered talking to my uncle about the audio anamatronics in Mission To Mars.)

I also think part of it is that it was my first trip ever, and the sheer excitement and anticipation burned it deeply into my brain. As you will see, three of my next six trips are much more of a blur, and I only have very few memories concrete enough to latch onto.

Another thing that has helped fill in the gaps has been talking with my parents and my aunt to get their take of the day and what we did. I also wrote a "What I Did This Summer" paper about the trip the next fall (though I unfortunately didn't keep it) so I think that helped lock in some detail as well.

We also used to have photos from that trip in an album which was lost when my parents moved a few years back. I used to look at the photos often so that helped as well.

As to using this report as a means of chronicling the trip for my kids, that is my intention. I plan on creating each girl a scrapbook that has a TR entry on one side of each page and photos / mementos on the other.

OH BTW – Everyone give a big DISboards HOWDY to my mom, aunt and sister who are lurking on this TR. HOWDY! Love you guys, I mean gals, I mean…well you know what I mean. :rolleyes1

ZZUB

01-16-2009, 02:24 PM

I don't for a minute believe that anything was mondo niftorious. Especially Mission to Mars. Except that I remember really liking that ride a lot when I was a young ZZUB. I also loved the mess out of If You Had Wings. COP was fun b/c my Dad always tried to convince us the dog was real.

I also remember when Space Mountain opened. But I was significantly younger than Ashclan. Still am, really.

The first time I took the soon-to-be-Mrs. ZZUB to Disney World, we wanted to ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea but it was closed. Which made me sad. That was one of my favorite rides from the many trips we took when I was a kid. I still can't believe they filled in the lagoon. Even if they didn't re-open 20,000 Leagues, that was a pretty section of the park. I just don't understand the decisions they make sometimes.

But nevertheless, I'm enjoying your completely fictitious romp through your earlier trips to Disney World.

Slash on, my friend.

:moped:

GreatBiscuit

01-16-2009, 04:51 PM

This whole thing sounds made up
:rotfl2: You know they say that reality is 9/10 perception and 1/10 fact, so while I'm not intentionally fictionalizing, it is quite possible that my brain did a mail merge of multiple trips into one memory. (I can recall virtually zero details about trips 2 and 3.) My mom seems to think my aimless ramblings pretty well match what she remembers, but you now how it is when two people witness the same accident. Especially when it’s the offender’s mother.

COP was fun b/c my Dad always tried to convince us the dog was real. I don't understand. Why would he have to convince you? The dog WAS real.

But nevertheless, I'm enjoying your completely fictitious romp through your earlier trips to Disney World.
Slash on, my friend. Thanks my friend. I'll try to keep it real. No seriously. Quite smirking. Never mind – got eat a Swiss Cake and hit the elliptical.

OH - BTW - commenting on your reason for editing - Yes I have a scanner, but unfortunately I have nothing to scan. My mom was not the world's greatest archivist. (Love you mom, but you know it's true!) Our photo preservation techniques pretty much consisted of stuffing them into random drawers. We also had some photos from this trip in a vacation album that vanished a few years back. I have pics and video from trips 5 and 6 and of course will return with Bubba-loads from trip 7. If it would make you feel better though, I can do a Google image search and maybe “borrow” a few.

daze

01-16-2009, 09:20 PM

Having revived our strength, and revived my father after seeing the prices for a burger, we set out for more fun. We started with a whirl on the Mad Tea Party– a ride which I can no longer handle. (A fact which looks to pose a problem this summer as my daughters both have it on their ‘must do list”. But if it makes my girls happy, I guess I’ll just have to tighten up my daddy britches, plaster myself in motion sickness patches, grab the wheel and spin it round till I squeal like a baby pig.)

Aint it the truth? I think I'll be spared princess lunches, and cinderella tea parties this trip, but not many more......the things we do for our baby girls huh? :)

Backstage_Gal

01-18-2009, 12:41 AM

I'm so in! This sounds like a great report, looking forward to it.

Now if only I had something clever to say.......... Just pretend I did, OK?

Never took a vacation to Disney. Working there kind of hinders that.

But I rememer 20,000 leagues from my frist day trip to Disney, before I worked there. Shortly after Disney opened. And I remember riding Space Mountain with my mom. She was sitting behind me, not making a single sound. I was afraid she had a heart attack. Turns out she was afraid to lose her dentures, LOL.

PS: I had been working at Disney since 1972 and did not expect to be around for the opening of SPace Mountain, as DH was going to head for Veterianian School in Colorado by then. OK, that didnt happen.
I have a several bronze figurines to show for my service for the Mouse, though. :rolleyes:

Vexorg

01-18-2009, 03:19 AM

Ah, nothing like hazy memories of trips past to completely mess with your expectations of trips present and future... I think that memories of my first Disneyland trip (one day in 1987) tripped me at least a couple of times when I went back in 2006. I remembered most of the highlights, but for some reason when I went back I thought the teacups were located right next to Main Street, and that Star Tours might have possibly been the coolest thing ever (maybe it was in 1987, but by the time 2006 rolls aronud I was kind of wishing that they had just left Adventure Through Inner Space there...)

feedthebirds

01-18-2009, 01:39 PM

Great update GB!! I never was able to go on 20,000 Leagues and on our trip to WDW, COP was closed when we were there. I am just glad I am able to see the fun people had with these attractions through people like you who share their experiences with them. I also have a place I buy extinct ride DVD's from and my kids just love them.

but for some reason when I went back I thought the teacups were located right next to Main Street

I remember having Mickey shaped pancakes with my mom when the park opened one time. I was 5. I recall eating the pancakes on a patio right next to the train, as if our table and the restaurant were in the queue area.
I have a picture of myself with Mickey from that day. I still remember waiting in that line to have the picture taken. I was so tired of waiting, it was hot and I wanted to go on Dumbo.

burly

01-19-2009, 09:48 AM

Oh, I'm in too.:wave2:
I also don't remember everything from my first trip which was to DL when i was really little. I do remember crying my eyes out to go on It's a Small World, which had the longest line in the park. My mother finally took me on it. The wait was horrible. The worst part was finally being on it and hearing the fireworks outside and getting my bottom whooped cause i tried climbing out of the boat to go see em'.:rotfl:
Great Trip report so far....::yes::

GreatBiscuit

01-20-2009, 02:00 PM

the things we do for our baby girls huh? :)
Tell me about it!

I'm so in! Welcome!
Now if only I had something clever to say..........Turns out she was afraid to lose her dentures, LOL. I'd say this qualifies. :rotfl2:

I remembered most of the highlights, but for some reason when I went back I thought the teacups were located right next to Main Street, and that Star Tours might have possibly been the coolest thing ever (maybe it was in 1987, but by the time 2006 rolls aronud I was kind of wishing that they had just left Adventure Through Inner Space there...) I was pretty enamored with Star Tours myself on my first go-round. I still enjoy it, but more for nostalgia than for the coolness factor.

Great update GB!! . . . . I also have a place I buy extinct ride DVD's from and my kids just love them. Thanks. The DVD thing sounds nifty.

I remember having Mickey shaped pancakes with my mom when the park opened one time. I was 5. I recall eating the pancakes on a patio right next to the train, as if our table and the restaurant were in the queue area. I have a picture of myself with Mickey from that day. I still remember waiting in that line to have the picture taken. I was so tired of waiting, it was hot and I wanted to go on Dumbo. It's funny how our really early memories take shape. I'm interested to see how my daughters remember this trip a few years down the road.

Oh, I'm in too.:wave2:
I also don't remember everything from my first trip which was to DL when i was really little. I do remember crying my eyes out to go on It's a Small World, which had the longest line in the park. My mother finally took me on it. The wait was horrible. The worst part was finally being on it and hearing the fireworks outside and getting my bottom whooped cause i tried climbing out of the boat to go see em'.:rotfl:
Great Trip report so far....::yes:: Thanks and welcome. Anyone who would attempt to cast off the bonds of It's A Small World in order to behold the glory of Disney fireworks is welcome here. For you act of bravery, I hereby name you poster of the day with the all the rights and privileges contained therein.

Now I'm off to post an update. Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you on the flip side.

GreatBiscuit

01-20-2009, 02:03 PM

After parting ways with the rest of the family, my dad and I took the Skyway to Tomorrowland. From there, it was a short hop over to Space Mountain. In case you’ve forgotten, of all the attractions that I most looked forward to, Space Mountain topped the list. (ESPECIALLY after riding through on the WEDway.)

I have been a coaster enthusiast from the time I was nearly tall enough to ride the Cannon Ball at Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the ripe old age of six. (My uncle snuck me on by having me stand on the toe of his shoe in order to meet the height requirement.) While I can no longer handle things that quickly spin, (IE the dreaded Teacups) I still LOVE me a good coaster; and by the time we made it back to Tomorrowland, I was nearing the point of anticipation overload.

The Space Mountain queue was outside of the building, and the wait time was around an hour and a half. (Pre Fastpass WDW was truly a lesson in patience.) I can still remember standing outside, watching the goings on of Tomorrowland, while the anticipation seemed overwhelming. I remember spending quite a bit of time gazing at the tall statue thingy of the astronauts on the ride vehicle. I remember looking with envy as small groups of fellow park guests would be periodically swallowed up by the building.

Eventually it was our turn to enter. We descended into “The Tunnel” and began the long journey forward. Along the way, I was mightily impressed by the themeing, but growing more concerned that this tunnel might stretch on for miles. After what seemed an eternity of wondering through the bowels of Space Mountain, we emerged into the loading area and yet another queue. But the end was in sight. We could see and hear the ride before us.

As the cookie asteroids flew overhead, I continually recalculated our wait time and shuffled inch by inch closer to the moment of blastoff. Finally it was our turn, we were loaded in and off we went. As far as coasters go, it wasn’t the fastest, or the highest, or the most exciting; but one thing was for certain…it was hands down the coolest coaster I had encountered in all my 13 years. Yet as incredible as the ride itself was, the thing that was most memorable to me was the time I spent with my dad.

A couple of years before our trip, we were living in a small west Texas town whose economy was deeply tied to the petroleum industry. As oil profits began to drop, some of the larger businesses in town closed. This led to several small business owners losing their businesses as well, my father included. Although he could have simply cut his loses, taken legal protection and walked away, he made a vow that he would do whatever he had to do to pay back every cent he owed. For the next 15 years, my father worked two jobs, teaching high school algebra during the day and college algebra at night (including summer school) until he had repaid every dollar. In doing so he taught me what it means to be a man of integrity, perseverance and faith. It is one of the things that I respect him most for. Yet it was hard not being able to spend a lot of time with him.

That afternoon spent with my Dad is one of the greatest memories I have of our time together when I was growing up. Standing in line talking about the trip, the park, fishing, politics, and whatever else fancied the interest of a 13 year old boy is a time that I will never forget. Whenever I see Space Mountain, hear about it in a trip report, or enjoy a ride on it, I remember my dad and I thank God for giving me that day to spend with him.

Looking back through the eyes of a father, that particular trip means more to me now than it did at the time I took it. I now understand what it must have cost my parents to make my dreams come true. I know the sacrifices it must have taken for our family to make that trip.

As I looked at my own life, I began to see a parallel. For nearly a year I have been working the late shift. I only see my wife and oldest daughter for a few moments each day during the week. I spend about 20 min with them while I get my daughter ready for school, and they are in bed by the time I got home from work.

Remembering that day with my dad, and seeing how difficult it was for my daughter to only spend time with me on weekends, I made up my mind that I WAS going to make our trip happen.

My return to the World is not just a vacation or a time for fun and play. To me it represents a passing of the torch, and a transition from being a dad to being a father. It’s a time to celebrate as a family the blessings God had given us, both past and present. So on Sat Oct 25th, 2008, my wife and I officially decided that Summer 09 would mark our return. Thus the trip that spawned this report was officially on the books. But that’s getting ahead of myself. After all in 1987, I wasn’t looking to the future or thinking of having kids of my own. I was spending a day with my hero.

So back to the past we go. We blasted through the outer reaches of the known universe, blew through rotating tunnels of light, and returned safely to earth. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I absolutely LOVED this ride. We exited and made our way to the moving sidewalks and got to see a glimpse of the “future”. I loved the way the themeing was maintained from entrance to exit.

After our initial ride, my dad noticed we still had a while to go until we had to meet up with the rest of the crew. We saw that the line had dropped and so we decided line back up and ride the other side. It was a great couple of hours and time I will always cherish. Surviving re-entry for the second time, we headed across the park to meet up with the rest of our clan at another WDW eatery. By process of elimination, I think I can safely say it was the Columbia Harbor House.

After eating with the rest of the kinfolk, we headed off as a family and caught Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and It’s a Small World. We then watched the fireworks and caught the Main Street Electrical parade.

We stopped at the Emporium on the way out, and I picked up a 15th Anniversary Pennant for my collection. I intended to post a photo of it, but have yet to haul the box down. (I’ll TRY to remember to do that when I get home tonight and get it posted.)

It amazes me in looking back, that on this particular trip, I caught six attractions which no longer exist. (American Journeys, If You Could Fly, Mission to Mars, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and the Skyway) Yet, as much as the Magic Kingdom and on a larger scale the entire Walt Disney World Resort has changed over the years, there remains something timeless and familiar. Memories of trips gone-by account for a good portion of the magic and allure of this unique place.

After filing out with the crowds and returning to the car, I was sad to go, but thrilled that the Magic Kingdom had been all I hoped it would be and more. I drifted off to sleep somewhere in greater Orlando and dreamed of the free ticket that REQUIRED a return trip. I hoped the interim would not be as long as the one between my trips at ages 3 and 13. Fortunately, circumstances would soon work out in my favor, however, my return to the World would not go quite as I expected. But that’s getting ahead of myself.

Coming up on Episode 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 – “The Others”

Click Here for The Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29853392&postcount=49)

Epilogue - while I do remember the rides from that day (mianly through photos that have since been lost but were around enough years to reinforce my feeble brain) I don't remember the exact touring order. This was my best approximation. My clearest memories are of Circle Vision, Misson to Mars, Sapce Mountain, lunch (don't know why but it made an impression on me), 20,000 leagues, the sky way and the teacups. The rest is there, but not as clearly defined. Thanks for reading along. More to come soon.

GreatBiscuit

01-20-2009, 11:57 PM

I have returned to Biscuit Manor and true to my word have captured and uploaded a photo of my prized souvenir pennant. Quality isn't great as I had to use the camera on my 'Berry, but it should give you a general idea.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/15years.jpg

I also had a Donald Duck hat from an early trip, but can't remember if it was from this one or not. I think it may have been, but the hat is long gone so I can't check the tag for a date.

AshClan

01-21-2009, 07:34 AM

GreatBiscuit

01-21-2009, 09:06 AM

We need a clapping smilie here. Instead, I will give you this :thumbsup2

Wonderful chapter, GB, and a terrific story of your great dad and the wonders of the father/son bond. Well, parent/child, really. I think I now understand why you remembered so much of this trip. And even though I personally hate Space Mountain, that's just now, as an adult. I remember loving it as a kid, too. Now? I'm just waiting for my youngest son to get tall enough so that it is too uncomfortable for him to ride. Just like his 6'7" dad and 6'5" older brother. For now, I'm the lucky one who gets to ride it with him. Maybe I should remember your words next trip and cherish the time with him instead of complaining about my aching neck......:rolleyes:

Timeless and familiar indeed. I don't think it matters which old rides close or new ones open (well, maybe just a little). The Magic Kingdom will always be that place with the "E" tickets (yes, I'm that old) and Cinderella's Castle. Where you can see Mickey and Minnie and walk down Main Street. Where fireworks and electrical/spectro parades light your night. And where the magic of Walt shines through every day! We are so lucky that we get to share it with our kids. And hopefully set the stage for them to do the same in a few years.

Thanks AC! Definitely cherish the moments you have. It was kind of funny when I had my dad read over this, he remembered the trip, but never knew how much it meant to me. I have to remind myself as a parent that the gift my girls will cherish the most is my time. I got to spend a little extra time with my oldest this morning. First Lady Biscuit is down with the crud so I took my little Princess to school. :drive: Good thing about caffeine - it wakes you up. Bad thing about caffeine - it keeps you up, so no man nap for me. Well, I guess I'd better do something productive. Adios amiga!

GreatBiscuit

01-21-2009, 09:11 AM

When digging through my box of pennants, I found a couple of more from the trip..

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/Staug.jpg

I also found one from another park referenced in this TR.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/lakewinne.jpg

burly

01-22-2009, 03:29 PM

GreatBiscuit

01-23-2009, 01:19 PM

Great chapter! You are are tru:artist: with words.::yes::
Do they still sell pennants? I too remember getting them on the only 2 trips that we took anywhere pre-divorce. Were they really cheap?:rotfl: Maybe that is why my Lovely and Cheap father bought them for us 4 girls to share??:rotfl2:
Looking forward to more.:bored:

I appreciate you reading and I thank you for your kind words. I don't know if anyone still carries pennants or not. I haven't seen any in a while, but I haven't gone out looking either. I'll certainly check it out this summer.

GreatBiscuit

01-23-2009, 01:20 PM

In reading over this TR, I see that one critically important detail is missing: a good fart metaphor. Time to remedy that.

Trip number one having surpassed my exceedingly high expectations, I was even more stoked about trip number two. Turns out it was a lot like a church fart. You know the kind. You have a round in the chamber, but due to the social setting you are in, (church, work, etc.) you cannot give the order to fire.

So you sit and hold it. This is fairly simple at first, but as time goes on pressure begins to build. Before you know it, you’ve gone to yellow alert. Suddenly your bowels are on the view screen warning “She can’na take much more of this captain”.

Resolute to stay the course you renew your efforts. “Erect a level 10 containment field around cargo bay 2 and notify all personal to prepare for an emergency jump to warp.” “Captain, if we try to take a step we’ll lose containment for sure! We’ve got to stay here sir!” Trapped and without options, the only thing you can do now is dig in and fight.

Soon the pressure becomes audible in the form of gurgles and growls. You feign being hungry so as not to start a panic, but the situation is nearing a crisis. You search your memory to see if perhaps you’ve forgotten about swallowing an inflatable raft. You’re now at a full on red alert. Scotty the bowel muscle is back on the viewscreen. “Captain! We have an imminent containment breech!” Terror begins to grip your from the bottom up. “Plug it NOW Scotty! Take life support offline if you have to, but HOLD CONTAIMENT!”

Sweat is breaking out on your brow. Every muscle in your body is fully locked. You dare not move. You know that the slightest motion, even a thought, could trigger a chain reaction from which there would be no recovery. Finally as your belly button is about to begin shrieking like your great-grandmother’s antique pressure cooker, you see your chance. The moment arrives when rapid departure is socially acceptable and you feel a slight dip in abdominal pressure.

You fly to the safety of the car and streak out of the parking lot in order to protect the lives of others. You roll down the windows so they aren’t blown out by the concussion wave. If you had a siren you’d sound it to alert other drivers to remain in their vehicles and warn those in their homes to seal the windows. The thought of recording the moment for future generations passes through your mind. You grip the steering wheel, set your jaw, move away from the airbags, grit your teeth, pray your injuries will be minor and give the order.

“Fire!”

Then it happens. The cannon shot you were expecting is replaced with a small and unassuming fizzle. The anti-climatic disappointment is overwhelming. You wonder what it was that had you so worked up. So it went with trip number two.

The following summer, I returned to Florida to redeem by free ticket; but this time I came alone. I had arranged to spend a few weeks watching my cousin during the daytime my aunt was taking some classes. (She was getting ready for her first year of law school at Memphis State which meant this was their last summer in Florida.)

The last Saturday of my trip just happened to coincide with a trip the youth group from her church was taking to the Magic Kingdom and I was scheduled to join them. With my ride secured (albeit in an overcrowded van with a group of strangers) I packed my bags and my park ticket and went East young man.

This visit to the Magic Kingdom was the most bizarre of any that I’ve had. I was with approx 12-15 other teens and the youth pastor. (Who was actually not a “pastor” but was a college student doing a summer internship; and who shocked me by spending the bulk of the day sitting at a table towards the back of Pinocchio’s working on his mid-summer report that apparently HAD to be turned into and signed by the actual senior pastor the following day in order for him to get credit for the internship.)

Prior to our departure we were made aware of the three rules. 1. We would be broken into four assigned “park groups”. 2. Everyone was required to stay with their assigned “park group” and check in with college dude at Noon, 6:00 PM, and park closing. 3. Failure to abide by rules one and two would result in the most unimaginable consequence…spending the rest of the day sitting at a table with the procrastinating college dude.

Having since done both the college dude and youth pastor gigs, I sincerely doubt our chaperone would have held to this particular intimation, however at the time he seemed most sincere in it. But it was no problem…I could hang with strangers…after all this was Walt Disney World. It was then that I discovered a shocking and horrifying reality.

The Others.

You know them. Not only do they not share our enthusiasm for WDW, but in fact bare this hallowed ground a downright animosity. You could have bowled me over with a breadstick. How is this possible? How can you live in the same state as our beloved destination and not shout it’s praises from the top of someplace very-very high?

As shocking as this news was, I soon discovered that the two fellow travelers comprising the remaining portion of my “park group” had no intentions of taking in any actual attractions. Instead they brilliantly planned on spending the entire day in the arcades and “cruising for girls”. Oh joy of joys! I am going to spend a day in the greatest place on earth and my only two options are cruising around arcades or sitting at a table with college dude? I DON’T THINK SO BABY! I need options and I need ‘em NOW.

Pondering the possibilities on the drive down, I finally reached a solution which held the promise of deliverance. First I needed to make myself an undesirable traveling companion. Thanks to some spicy tacos the night before, and my superior mastery of organic chemistry, this was fairly easily accomplished. After an hour of breathing in the fog of abomination and listing to me ramble about Star Trek, my newfound companions were more than ready to rid themselves of my company post-haste.

Now that the motivation was properly secured, it was time to engage the mechanics of my master plan. On the boat ride across the lagoon, I made the suggestion to my touring team that perhaps in anticipation of become “Accidentally Separated”, we should establish a secondary rendezvous point, purely as a precautionary measure. By meeting at said location 10 min prior to our check in time with college dude, we could maintain the integrity of our “park group” while checking in, and avoid the dire consequences resulting from “park group” separation. The bulbs in their brains slowly went from off to dim, and they declared it to be a brilliant suggestion.

After entering the front gates and hanging back while college dude made a beeline to Pinocchio’s, my new found friends and I became “Accidentally Separated”. Having been a cub scout, I knew that my first order of business was to establish a search grid. To that end, I queued up to Space Mountain to rule it out as a possible location. Of course as the ride cycles fairly quickly, this search was required to be repeated regularly throughout the day.

And that’s how at the ripe old age of 14, I spent a solo day in the Magic Kingdom. Please don’t tell my mother. Even though I’m 35 and survived unscathed, she’d have a panic attack at the potential danger faced by her baby.

I don’t remember the exact touring order, however I do remember that I spent the bulk of the day in Tomorrowland, save for a couple of turns on Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates. I also remember that this was the one and only trip I actually watched a stage show in the Galaxy Palace Theater. The only reason I remember that particular show is that it was the first time I had ever seen a real live confetti cannon. Even that would not have made an impression were it not for the woman seated directly in front of said cannon who jumped straight up and screamed like a heckled monkey when it was fired.

Through it all, I remained faithful in my duties to my “park group”, and followed through on our alternative check in arrangements.

At the six o’clock check in, our leader (who had apparently finished his report) determined the need for a group ride, and settled on the Haunted Mansion as the venue for this sacred outing. 999 Happy Haunts later, we split back into our “park groups”, with college dude electing to finish our stay touring the park with one of the other “park groups”. Through my diligence in observing his exit vector, (solely in the event that I needed to locate him in an emergency situation mind you) I somehow became “Accidentally Separated” from my “park group” for the third time that day.

Bummer.

Oh Well, nothing to do but head to Space Mountain and establish a new search grid.

One thing I do remember clearly is taking several turns on the WEDway near closing time to rest my feet and reflect on the day. It was the only time I can remember a cast member letting me stay on a ride without having to get off and get back in line. I also took advantage of the shortened lines during the fireworks for a final visit to my favorite Mountain.

All in all the trip was enjoyable, but not overly memorable. Other than the crazy woman and solo touring, trip number two didn’t make much of an impression on me. I still loved Walt Disney World and I still wanted to come back, but this go-round just wasn’t quite the same.

I left the park not knowing when I would be able to return, but another stroke of luck would bring me back sooner than I might have thought.

Coming up on Episode Six(ish) - Sing a Song of WEDway.

Click Here for Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29909858&postcount=56)

burly

01-23-2009, 01:43 PM

:rotfl2: and :wave2: and :lmao:

cruising spud

01-23-2009, 01:57 PM

GreatBiscuit,

You most certainly hit the nail on the head-Disney isn't necessarily just about the parks. It's about the long lasting memories that the parks bring us. The silliness while walking through the parks, kissing the characters at mealtimes, scrambling to get ready and to the parks before they open, the time when one of your kids wouldn't sit on the toilet because it flushed automatically (okay, maybe just our family on this one). Anyway, you see what I mean. The variety of activites that Disney offers, makes this a place where almost anyone can kick back and have a blast.

Thanks for reminding me.

ZZUB

01-24-2009, 04:13 PM

In reading over this TR, I see that one critically important detail is missing: a good fart metaphor. (Hi Zzub!) Time to remedy that. Trip number one having surpassed my exceedingly high expectations, I was even more stoked about trip number two. Turns out it was a lot like a church fart. You know the kind. You have a round in the chamber, but due to the social setting you are in, (church, work, etc.) you cannot give the order to fire.

So you sit and hold it. This is fairly simple at first, but as time goes on pressure begins to build. Before you know it, you’ve gone to yellow alert. Suddenly your bowels are on the view screen warning “She can’na take much more of this captain”. Resolute to stay the course you renew your efforts. “Erect a level 10 containment field around cargo bay 2 and notify all personal to prepare for an emergency jump to warp.” “Captain, if we try to take a step we’ll lose containment for sure! We’ve got to stay here sir!” Trapped and without options, the only thing you can do now is dig in and fight.

Soon the pressure becomes audible in the form of gurgles and growls. You feign being hungry so as not to start a panic, but the situation is nearing a crisis. You search your memory to see if perhaps you’ve forgotten about swallowing an inflatable raft. You’re now at a full on red alert. Scotty the bowel muscle is back on the viewscreen. “Captain! We have an imminent containment breech!” Terror begins to grip your from the bottom up. “Plug it NOW Scotty! Take life support offline if you have to, but HOLD CONTAIMENT!”

Sweat is breaking out on your brow. Every muscle in your body is fully locked. You dare not move. You know that the slightest motion, even a thought, could trigger a chain reaction from which there would be no recovery. Finally as your belly button is about to begin shrieking like your great-grandmother’s antique pressure cooker, you see your chance. The moment arrives when rapid departure is socially acceptable and you feel a slight dip in abdominal pressure.

You fly to the safety of the car and streak out of the parking lot in order to protect the lives of others. You roll down the windows so they aren’t blown out by the concussion wave. If you had a siren you’d sound it to alert other drivers to remain in their vehicles and warn those in their homes to seal the windows. The thought of recording the moment for future generations passes through your mind. You grip the steering wheel, set your jaw, move away from the airbags, grit your teeth, pray your injuries will be minor and give the order.

“Fire!”

Then it happens. The cannon shot you were expecting is replaced with a small and unassuming fizzle. The anti-climatic disappointment is overwhelming. You wonder what it was that had you so worked up. So it went with trip number two.:thumbsup2 That was about the best holdin-in-the-fart story I've read. And that it was a metaphor to boot, well that's just good writing.

:moped:

GreatBiscuit

01-26-2009, 01:01 AM

:rotfl2: and :wave2: and :lmao::thanks: and :wave2: and :teleport:

Thanks for reminding me. My Pleasure.

:thumbsup2 That was about the best holdin-in-the-fart story I've read. And that it was a metaphor to boot, well that's just good writing. Thanks Zzub! Glad you liked it. As to your reason for editing, well all I can say is I relate and I'll see you at the next one. Now I'm off to read the update on that nifty Blog of yours.

AshClan

01-26-2009, 08:52 AM

Another great installment, GB. Even though the visit itself wasn't anything to write home about (DIS maybe, but not home), you did a commendable job of putting us all there with the nitwit "park group" and the Disney nerd in all of us :thumbsup2 Oh, and a very commendable job on the fart story/metaphor for ZZUB. ;)

The only reason I remember that particular show is that it was the first time I had ever seen a real live confetti cannon. Even that would not have made an impression were it not for the woman seated directly in front of said cannon who jumped straight up and screamed like a heckled monkey when it was fired.

So, tell us, GB. What does a heckled monkey scream sound like?:scared1:

GreatBiscuit

01-26-2009, 04:12 PM

Another great installment, GBThanks AshClan!
So, tell us, GB. What does a heckled monkey scream sound like?:scared1: It begins with a shriek, crescendos into a warble and one point appendages begin to flap.

GreatBiscuit

01-26-2009, 04:13 PM

I stayed home sick today and after seeing my daughter and wife off this morning, I settled in for some channel surfing. There’s something about watching TV through the fog of antihistamines that is just therapeutic. I dialed in a morning news show and a few minutes later, the logo for my company splashed across the screen.

There’s something I’ve come to realize in the past few years of my life. When your company is on the news, it’s never a good thing. It was then that the anchor said the L word.

Layoffs.

And not just a few. Colossal, massive, monstrous layoffs. Thousands of them.

The first thing that flashes through your mind is to wonder whether or not your position will be affected. I have been checking email and speaking with co-workers and it appears that this is not an answer I will have quickly. It will be sometime in March before we know who will and will not be affected by the layoffs. And so I am left to wonder, what will that mean for my family?

On the plus side, this is not the first time I’ve stared down layoffs with this company. We’ve had layoffs every year the past three years. Nearly 12 months ago to the day, I transferred to my current department. Two weeks later, my old department was completely dissolved. The year before that, we had a round of layoffs and I was able to keep my position after our department lost fifty percent of its workforce.

Yet the uncertainty is not easy to deal with. In the past, I knew that I would be able to protect the girls from knowing what was going on, and that I could find something else if it came to that. Now, with the trip, and the current economy, I worry. I can’t imagine having to sit them down and try to explain to them why our trip is being cancelled. I know how hard it was just for my wife and I to cancel trips in the past before the girls were here. And so here I sit, chicken soup and sprite in hand, wondering what the future holds and helpless to do anything about it.

In times like this, I remind myself about all the uncertain times I’ve faced before. The time I lost my insurance a couple of months before our youngest was born. The medical emergencies we’ve faced. The loved ones we’ve had to say goodbye to. The previous times I’ve avoided layoffs when the company was downsizing. In each instance God was there. His Spirit has guided me and calmed me and reminded me to lean not on my own understanding.

If I do keep my job, there will still be thousands of others who have to sit their families down and explain that things may have to change for a while. So for now, I take a moment to thank God for the blessings I have and to ask that He surround those who will be affected by this with His love and grace.
Until I know what the future will hold, I will continue plugging away at this TR and planning for this summer’s return to the world. If it works out that we are still able to go, it will make the trip that much more special and an even bigger blessing.

Click here for next episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29925573&postcount=62)

Mrs. The King

01-26-2009, 05:11 PM

Backstage_Gal

01-26-2009, 05:45 PM

These are scary times indeed! My company is having potential layoffs too, starting with Exec retirement packages for now, and sure to trickly down farther down the ladder. And judging by the past, if they dont get enough takers, there will be layoffs.

Prayers and Pixie dust to you and your coworkers.

DisneyNutMary

01-26-2009, 06:20 PM

I feel for you GB! :hug:
It's been almost two yeears since impending layoffs were announced at my company, and Feb 23 will be the one year anniversary of my last official day employed. It's a scary world, this world of unemployment. I am still searching for a position, and I thank God that the government keeps extending unemployment benefits.
I'll keep you in my prayers, that you are not hurt by these layoffs at your company.

mikkiwikki

01-26-2009, 07:15 PM

Im facing a potential layoff as well - march 1st...you are not alone :grouphug: apparently - you have lots of company...unfortunately.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2172153/posts

I hear what you are saying about keeping the faith. These are going to be trying times, for this country - I only hope some good will come of it.
Maybe it will bring people closer together - and make all realize what is truly important - family, neighbors, and friends....not money.

Take care...crossing my fingers for you (and me!)

GreatBiscuit

01-27-2009, 11:56 AM

Dear GreatCrackerBarrelBiscuit,

I am marking my place here in your thread. Stretching out and getting comfy.

I haven't read a stinking word of your report yet, except the post directly above me.

So I will offer you a big :hug: and prayers for your family and the others affected by the layoff.

From,

MTK

These are scary times indeed! My company is having potential layoffs too, starting with Exec retirement packages for now, and sure to trickly down farther down the ladder. And judging by the past, if they dont get enough takers, there will be layoffs.

Prayers and Pixie dust to you and your coworkers.

I feel for you GB! :hug:
It's been almost two yeears since impending layoffs were announced at my company, and Feb 23 will be the one year anniversary of my last official day employed. It's a scary world, this world of unemployment. I am still searching for a position, and I thank God that the government keeps extending unemployment benefits.
I'll keep you in my prayers, that you are not hurt by these layoffs at your company.

Im facing a potential layoff as well - march 1st...you are not alone :grouphug: apparently - you have lots of company...unfortunately.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2172153/posts

I hear what you are saying about keeping the faith. These are going to be trying times, for this country - I only hope some good will come of it.
Maybe it will bring people closer together - and make all realize what is truly important - family, neighbors, and friends....not money.

Take care...crossing my fingers for you (and me!)

:grouphug: Thanks everyone! Sounds like there are a bunch of us who are facing some uncertain months ahead.

MTK - I'm glad you marked your spot, I mean marked your territory, I mean...ummm....well, I'm glad you're here.

GreatBiscuit

01-27-2009, 12:13 PM

Having now been to the Magic Kingdom two summers in a row, I found that I was no less enamored with the place then when I first began dreaming of going. I was 15 and for the first time, gainfully employed. At the time, (pre 9/11) the army base near our house was open to civilians, and I scored my first job bagging groceries in the commissary. Realizing that a goal would help in my workplace motivation, I decided to start saving up for a trip back to the world.

The previous year, my Aunt Judy and Uncle Steve had moved to Lakeland, Florida. A plan was soon set into motion whereby I would fly down for a week and then spend a day in the Magic Kingdom with my aunt & uncle and my cousin Marcus. If you are noticing a trend here, you’d be correct. This would be the third time that my visit to Walt Disney World would be limited to a day trip to the Magic Kingdom. I would not visit the other parks until….wait, that’s getting ahead of myself.

One of the greatest moments of my young life was the day my mom drove me to the travel agency to purchase the airline ticket for my flight that summer. After presenting my payment, the agent printed up my ticket on one of those red carbon paper booklet doohickeys they used to use. I surrendered it to mother for safe keeping, which is actually pretty funny if you know my mother, and then I picked up some of those Walt Disney World brochures they had in the waiting area.

Because of other activities that summer, this trip was scheduled for August. (The one and thankfully the ONLY time I’ve gone to The World during this particular month.) We went to the park about half way through my visit and the cast consisted of my Uncle Steve, Aunt Judy, and my one year old cousin Marcus. It’s kind of funny to me that I somehow had a knack for convincing other people to take a one year old to The World.

We left early and it was already hot when we got there. Really hot. I just stuck a deep fryer in my drawers hot. Our first order of business was to rig my cousin up in one of those baby harnesses which featured two wrist cuffs attached by an oversized telephone cord. When extended to its full length, it would allow your tot to wander freely for a radius of about 8 feet, while remaining safely attached to your wrist at all times.

I volunteered to be the “baby anchor” and to this day my aunt still teases me about it. Apparently I spent the better part of the day running my cousin out the length of the cord, yelling “WHOA I GOTTA A BIG ONE!” and then reeling him back in as if I’d just landed a mackerel. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but supposedly we both found great entertainment in this, and given our personalities, I’m not really surprised.

I’m not really sure what happened to those devices. I don’t remember ever seeing them when my two were toddling age. I just had to rig the retractable dog leash to their belt loops and apologize to those around us for the random moonings.

Anywho, we spent quite a bit of time on this trip in Fantasyland. (As one would expect.) We also spent a sizeable portion of the day in cooler attractions. (Cooler as defined by artificial climate enhancement rather than by hipness.) I think we must have gone on the Carousel of Progress a half dozen times; which was cool by me as I really enjoyed this show.

This was also the first trip I took in the Hall of Presidents. I don’t remember much about the show, only that it was cool and dark and my cousin enjoyed some nice deep sleep. This memory would serve me well on trip number five. We stuck with tradition and ate lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus.

Another incident which my aunt still teases me about happened in the line of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. The night before we left, my aunt had frozen several bottles of apple juice. That morning she stuck ‘em in the diaper bag and would periodically whip one out for my cousin. As we stood in line for the ride, it seemed to be getting hotter by the minute. I got thirsty. REALLY thirsty. Then the ride went down for a few min and we were stuck in the heat even longer. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I “borrowed” one of the bottles from Marcus, removed the nipple and took a hearty swig. I of course have no memory of stealing juice from a baby, but it is laughed about often when the family is together.

Another ride that I do remember well was the WED-Way People Mover. We took several turns on this ride during the day and evening as it was shaded and slow moving and it was my uncle’s favorite ride. Of course all those rides through Space Mountain got my thrill gland itching to the point that it just HAD to be scratched. So I went ahead and did a solo ride while everyone else did another round on the Carousel of Progress. Why go solo? Well, my aunt was not into thrill rides at all, my cousin was not old enough, and my uncle was not able.

You see my uncle had a disability; one which three years ago claimed his life. Whenever I think about the WED-Way / Tomorrowland Transit Authority, I picture my uncle riding around that afternoon, holding my cousin on his lap. My aunt and uncle were Disney people. They loved the parks and spent their honeymoon at Disneyland. They even bought me a Disneyland pennant while they were there to add to my collection. After Uncle Steve died, I had it framed and gave it to my cousin Marcus, who by this time was in college.

I don’t remember catching the parade or fireworks that night. It’s possible that we did and I just don’t remember it, but I’m pretty sure we were too hot and tired. In fact, I’m not even sure if we stayed through dinner or if we got something on the way back to Lakeland. Of all the trips I’ve taken, this one sticks out as being the most physically draining. It was just SOOO stinking hot that it zapped the strength right out of you. I do remember though that it was a fun day and a special time to create a memory with my Uncle Steve.

There are several attractions and areas of the parks that hold memories for me. So far, I’ve shared two of them with you. In the coming episodes, I’ll be sharing a few more. Many were in the Magic Kingdom, including my all time favorite Walt Disney World memory. But that’s getting ahead of myself.

I flew home that summer happy to have been able to spend a third summer in a row at the World. But I had made a decision about the following year. I was determined that the next time I came down, I was not just going to do a day trip the Magic Kingdom. I wanted to hit all three parks and if it meant saving an extra year to do it, so be it.

As it would turn out, unforeseen circumstances would intervene and my return visit would be quite different from what I had in mind.

Coming up on Episode 7 - CB's, Swamps, and Asian Road food

Click Here for the Next Episode! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29986096&postcount=67)

Mrs. The King

01-27-2009, 12:53 PM

It’s kind of funny to me that I somehow had a knack for convincing other people to take a one year old to the World.

That is one heck of a knack. I am surprised Disney didn't get you on the payroll yet.

I just stuck a deep fryer in my drawers hot.

SHAMWOW!!

I of course have no memory of stealing juice from a baby, but it is laughed about often when the family is together.

Stealing from babies. Excellent.

After Uncle Steve died, I had it framed and gave it to my cousin Marcus, who by this time was in college.

That was so thoughtful!

As it would turn out, unforeseen circumstances would intervene and my return visit would be quite different from what I had in mind.

Holy Cliffhanger batman!!

Excellent writing GreatCoveredInGravyBiscuit :cheer2: :cool1:

Marking my place again.

AshClan

01-28-2009, 12:50 PM

Another good one, GB!

I love the "fishing" and stolen apple juice stories. Sounds like bringing a one year old wasn't the worst thing, as he (and his accessories) provided some fun family entertainment for you :lmao:

I, too, experienced my 1st 3 trips as day trips to the MK only. Finally got to take a "real" trip on my second wedding anniversary. 1987. (I was a child bride. A baby, really. ;) ) At any rate, it was fun to stay on property and to get the full experience. Of course, there were still only 2 parks at that point. And I'd say that trip was as hot as this one was for you. It was the first week of September, so pretty close to August. We, too spent mucho hours ducking into whatever air conditioned attractions we could find. That may be my only trip to Epcot in which I saw EVERY country's movie. Hey, when you're hot you're hot :rolleyes2

I also want to say that I'm sorry about your potential job woes. So many are experiencing the same thing, and I can only imagine the stress that goes with that. I'll be praying for you and for everyone in similar situations. Hope it all works out as well as it can and, of course, that you don't have to cancel your trip!

PrincessV

01-29-2009, 10:10 AM

Hi GB! :wave: I've enjoyed your witty banter on Mel's TRs, so when I saw your name pop up in the TR boards, I had to give it a looksy.

:worship: I love me some fine writing and engaging storytelling, and you, sir, have got that goin' on! Really - I'm loving this so far and I'm in for the entirety. :thumbsup2

I'm particularly enjoying the trip down memory lane here. I visited WDW with my dad around the same time as your first episode. But I've not the memory you do - I'd forgotten so many details of those long-gone rides, and you've brought them back in full color. Thank you!

Yet as incredible as the ride itself was, the thing that was most memorable to me was the time I spent with my dad...

That afternoon spent with my Dad is one of the greatest memories I have of our time together when I was growing up. Standing in lines talking about the trip, the park, fishing, politics, and whatever else fancied the interest of a 13 year old boy is a time that I will never forget. Whenever I see Space Mountain, hear about it in a trip report, or enjoy a ride on it, I remember my dad and I thank God for giving me that day to spend with him.
And that gave me chills. My dad passed away 10 years ago, much too early. I won't hijack your TR with my tale, but suffice it to say I didn't see much of of dad growing up and we enjoyed a eerily similar Space Mtn. experience. I, too, hold the place dear in his memory. :goodvibes

There’s something I’ve come to realize in the past few years of my life. When your company is on the news, it’s never a good thing. It was then that the anchor said the L word.

Layoffs.
I'm so sorry! I'm facing a bunch here, too, so I understand and sympathize. Fingers crossed for us all.

Coming up on Episode 7 - CB's, Swamps, and Asian Road food[/SIZE]
Oh boy - did someone visit Gatorland?!?!

GreatBiscuit

01-29-2009, 05:17 PM

Excellent writing GreatCoveredInGravyBiscuit Thanks MTK! And SHAMWOW to boot...that's just nifty.

Sounds like bringing a one year old wasn't the worst thing, as he (and his accessories) provided some fun family entertainment for you

Turns out we still tend to provide family entertainment.

That may be my only trip to Epcot in which I saw EVERY country's movie. Hey, when you're hot you're hot. :rotfl2:

I'll be praying for you and for everyone in similar situations. Hope it all works out as well as it can and, of course, that you don't have to cancel your trip! Thanks AC - I appreciate it! No news yet so here's to hoping.

Hi GB! :wave: I've enjoyed your witty banter on Mel's TRs, so when I saw your name pop up in the TR boards, I had to give it a looksy. I love me some fine writing and engaging storytelling, and you, sir, have got that goin' on! Really - I'm loving this so far and I'm in for the entirety. Hey PrincessV - Thanks for the kind words and welcome aboard!

I'm particularly enjoying the trip down memory lane here. I visited WDW with my dad around the same time as your first episode. But I've not the memory you do - I'd forgotten so many details of those long-gone rides, and you've brought them back in full color. Thank you!

And that gave me chills. My dad passed away 10 years ago, much too early. I won't hijack your TR with my tale, but suffice it to say I didn't see much of of dad growing up and we enjoyed a eerily similar Space Mtn. experience. I, too, hold the place dear in his memory.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, but I am glad you had a special Space Mountain memory with your dad.

Also, thanks for the well wishes. Sounds like we are all in a boat of uncertainty with the layoffs looming. As to visitng Gatorland...well not quite, but that's getting ahead of myself.

GreatBiscuit

01-30-2009, 08:35 AM

We are now halfway through our six memory lane, retro reports. For those of you keeping score, at the close of the previous episode, I had managed to squeeze in a 1 day trip to the Magic Kingdom during each of the preceding three summers.

I was now a junior in high school and still gainfully employed at the commissary. I had already decided that I was going to save up for another romp to Orlando, but this time I was going to find a way to be there three days. In addition to my regular rambling through the Magic Kingdom, I was intent on spending a day at Epcot Center and a day at the Disney MGM Studios.

The only problem with my master plan was logistics. They don’t exactly rent cars or hotel rooms to 16 year olds, and I was pretty sure that no amount of smooth talking would convince my mom to give me the thumbs up to spend three days in Orlando solo.

By the way, I now know for sure that mom is reading these little rants of mine as she called me a couple of nights ago to give me a hard time about my solo day in episode 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. I’m sad to say that she wasn’t all that surprised though. I was never an openly rebellious teen. My method of rule breaking was to seek out a loophole. (To all of you with the quiet, well mannered teenagers at home….if you ONLY knew.)

The best strategy that I was able to come up with for accomplishing my three park master plan was to try to convince Uncle Steve and Aunt Judy to spend three days at the World. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do this, but I had all year to work out the details. My first order of business was securing transportation.

My mom was aware of my plans, but always had an excuse as to why I should not purchase my airline ticket. (Better fares after New Years, scheduling issues, El Nino, what have you.) Finally as part of our Christmas celebrations, my parents informed us (Lynnlee, Karlee, and Myself) that we would be spending FIVE WHOLE DAYS in Orlando that coming summer.

I was happier than a hound dog in a rabbit hutch. (Which I gotta tell you is pretty dang happy.) We would be staying off site in Kissimmee and heading to the parks on four out of the five days we were there. What’s more, we would also be joined by my grandparents, Uncle Steve and Aunt Judy, Uncle Randy and Aunt Jana, and my grandfather’s brother and some of his children and grandkids. It was a grand gathering before grand gatherings were cool! Yet as exciting as all this was, I was even more elated to find that my best friend Pete was invited to join us as well!

I don’t believe it is possible to fully express the anticipation I felt for that trip. It was while planning our itinerary that I located and purchased my first copy of Birnbaum's Official Guide to Walt Disney World (Expert Advice from the Inside Source don’cha know?). Also, as an official driver on our quest, I had to get up to par on driving and (mostly) parking my parents’ conversion van.

(My normal ride at the time was a vehicle I lovingly referred to as the Dragon Wagon. It was a 1978 Malibu station wagon that had 300,000+ miles on it. It had a V8 engine and produced so much torque, the entire frame shook when you revved the engine. I actually beat an ‘84 Mustang in a race once with that thing…at least I would have…if my mom allowed me to race at that age...which she didn’t.)

ANYWHO – as the “official” park planner for the family, the preparations for our excursion were quite extensive, and I fully blame them for that semester’s performance in Algebra II. (I did NOT inherit my dad’s math gene, and no he wasn’t my teacher. Although I DID have my mom once as a math teacher in junior high which was just plain weird. It was also the only year she EVER taught math so I guess I did her in.)

The day we left, I went to work and my mom and sisters went shopping. The purpose being, that my dad needed to be alone at the house to sleep. Pretty much every vacation we ever took was begun at night. My dad LOVED to travel at night. (In fact, my dad STILL loves to travel at night.) He would load the van in the morning, take an afternoon nap, and we’d head out around 7:00 PM. Then, we’d drive all night long and while everyone else slept on the nifty bed thingy in the back of the conversion van, my Dad would indulge in his favorite travel activity: talking to truckers on his CB radio.

It was during these road trips that I learned such phrases as “Smoky in a plain brown wrapper at marker 143.” and “East-bound’s clear to the state line”. There were lots of other phrases I learned while listening to the truckers, but I wasn’t allowed to repeat them.

A hearty portion of the departure preparation for this particular trip was centered on the travel menu. My parents preferred snacking in the car and stopping at rest areas, as opposed to stopping at restaurants. To this end, we always packed a cooler full of goodies. For this particular journey, my mom whipped up a mess of fried chicken, gathered sandwich fixings, threw in some oatmeal cream pies, and stocked up on Shasta.

My own contribution to the journey was to prepare two pounds of my top-secret, follow me to grave recipe, granny smacking good, homemade beef jerky. (This, between two teenage boys, lasted about a mile and a half.) Pete’s mom is from Korea so she sent along some homemade crab cakes, (nothing like the American version and oh SOOOOOO yummy). She also sent along a large batch of Yakimandu. These too only lasted about a mile and a half.

Finally we had the staple road food of each and every one of my remembered childhood trips….Chicken in a Biscuit crackers. (No, it had nothing to do with the choosing of my screen name.) We never really kept them at home but we ALWAYS had them when we traveled.

I have often wondered just exactly how they get the chicken into the biscuit. After all, we’ve been shown multiple television commercials which illustrate how they get the cheese into Cheese Nips, yet we are left in the dark on this particular process.

Having spent significant time pondering this quandary, I believe I have hit upon a probable conclusion. First, the chickens are required to lay an egg which is set aside for later. The unaware poultry are then fitted with magnetic rollerblades and loaded onto a ramp. They are then given a gentle push down said ramp, which itself is lined with electro-magnets. Once the birds get going, these magnets are then activated. Interacting with the rollerblades, they propel the chickens forward at an extreme velocity. (I.E. the Rockin Rollercoaster)

At the bottom of the ramp, the rollerblades catch in a locking mechanism, releasing from the chickens’ legs, and propelling the birds through the air. The extreme velocity change overcomes the poor beasts and they are thusly “dispatched”. Each carcass then crashes through a duct tape barrier that strips off the feathers which are then sold to Trading Spaces as decorative wall decor. The now naked and dearly departed chickens then land in a hopper where they are fed through a “processing machine” which was created out of a concrete mixer and parts from a 1968 Ford Fairlane. After being fully adulterated, the meat is then cooked, dried, and ground into a powder.

Finally the chicken remains are dumped into a pile of flour, combined with the eggs which have been saved from before, and baked into the square and tasty treat I know and love.

I seem to have gone off on a tangent…better bring the ship back on course before Auto takes my plant.

We set out around mid-evening and our traveling party consisted of myself, my best friend Pete, sister Lynnlee and sister Karlee (as in siblings, not nuns), and finally my parental units. After much eating had ensued, many chapters of Anne McCaffery & Terry Brooks had been read, and several games of spades had been played, I was finally tapped to take over the piloting duties.

Feeling like a bomber pilot about to set out on a crucial mission, I got strapped in, completed the requisite “radio check” and set a course east. Little did I know that shortly afterwards, I would find myself driving a ridiculously large conversion van on one of the longest bridges in America (over 18 miles long to be exact), through the heart of a Louisiana swamp, in the middle of monsoon-like rainstorm. I could barely see 10 feet in front of me. There was not a way to pull over and change drivers and the only way off the bridge was to either keep going or to plunge to our deaths into gator infested waters. I lost three years of my life that night, and those passengers who were awake for the ordeal no doubt lost 12.

Yet by the grace of the Almighty, we made it across the bridge and arrived unscathed in Florida around dinner time the next evening. Our first order of business upon our arrival in Lakeland was to head straight to Krystal burgers. (If you’ve never heard of the place, think southern White Castle.) At the time, we didn’t have one in our neck of the woods, and it was one of my favorite spots to stop when traveling to Florida.

We ordered up 60 cheeseburgers and brought them to Aunt Judy & Uncle Steve’s house to split among the kinfolk. As it turned out, they had eaten earlier and so we had a LOT of burgers to go through. (Pre-cell phone days were fun weren’t they?)

Not wishing to allow good food to go to waste, Pete and I ate 34 of the 60 between us over the course of about 3 hours. For you Zzub fans who’ve ever wondered how to induce a number 4 without actually visiting the Japan pavilion, let me just tell you that eating 17 Krystal cheeseburgers will get you as close as you ever want to be. TRUST me on this one.

After all the rejoicing, hugging, reminiscing and other requisite family rituals, we stayed up playing games and getting our land legs back from our 22 some-odd hours of voyaging in the van-boat of doom. We finally crashed on our living room floor pallets at some point in the wee hours of the morning and slept like logs; blissfully unaware that the threat we encountered the night before would soon be stalking us again.

Coming up on Episode 8 – “A Near-Death Experience and learning to pronounce Kissimmee

Click Here for the Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30054053&postcount=82)

burly

01-30-2009, 09:24 AM

As siblings and not nuns. :rotfl2:

daze

01-30-2009, 09:36 AM

Conversion vans and CB radios.......ah memories. I just had one of those "I'm getting old" moments. :sad: I had a CB radio in my room. I used to love talking to truckers (and learning all sorts of cool things to say :lmao: )

Backstage_Gal

01-30-2009, 11:43 AM

That was a GREAT chapter, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The chicken in a bisquit theory was really funny.

Can't wait for the next chapter...

bluehouse

01-30-2009, 02:17 PM

This is a fun report, and I want to commend you on the excellent David Copperfield reference.

However, I don't think Dickens ever described something as "put a deep-fryer in your drawers hot" (then again, there was that one moment in Tale of Two Cities...). Nice touch.

sfacowgirl87

01-30-2009, 02:33 PM

Krystal Burgers...Southern White Castle :rotfl2:

I love it

I had it for lunch yesterday :)

jcc0621

01-30-2009, 03:13 PM

Hi :wave2: I just found your Journey through memory lane today and I am loving it. Subscribing. Can't wait to read more:goodvibes

feedthebirds

01-30-2009, 06:34 PM

Great update! Dh and I are really enjoying your TR.

Finally we had the staple road food of each and every one of my remembered childhood trips….Chicken in a Biscuit crackers.

Chicken in a Biscuit! The vacation snack of choice for my Dh's family. The foot cannot hit the gas pedal and not one wheel can turn until these are safely tucked into the snack stash of the vehicle. Said tradition has handed down to the feedthebirds family (but you won't catch me eating them ;) ).

Your experience on that bridge reminds me of our trip through Grant's Pass in Oregon during a blizzard. I truly thought we were gonners. The Creator had different plans for us however.

Lookin forward to the next installment!

whogirl'smom

01-31-2009, 10:51 AM

Ah, finally caught up. I want to say first you're in my thoughts and prayers for the job situation. My BFF (I am too old to use that phrase-:scared: ) is the HR director of a local plant and the last year has been a nightmare for her. She is currently working week to week while everyone else is on mandatory leave. What a mess.

Thank you for reminding me that we always travelled with a cooler full of goodies instead of stopping at restaurants growing up. Of course, we never drove farther than Gatlinburg, but you know it's hard to drive two whole hours without stopping for a picnic of peanut butter and banana sandwiches and 7-Up. :banana: And Moon Pies.

Love that your family stopped at Krystal burgers to stock up. They have the best corndog ever! DH and I toted two sackfuls to NC when we lived there and found out the hard way how long the odor of little chopped onions can linger in a Jeep.

Somehow these episodes were all about the food for me, huh? ;)

AshClan

01-31-2009, 11:13 AM

PrincessV

01-31-2009, 06:56 PM

Wow. I always wondered about Krystal burgers - who eats there? How come no one around here says "Hey, let's grab us some Krystal burgers" like they say "Hey let's grab some Wendy's!"

Now I know. Thanks for the fair warning. :scared:

Now I'll just silently wonder about Checkers. ;)

whogirl'smom

02-01-2009, 11:12 AM

Now I'll just silently wonder about Checkers. ;)

Checkers has the BEST fries, ever. Now, Wendy's is just :scared: to me except for the chicken nuggets! :laughing: I think it's just a regional thing--Krystal's is really popular in TN and I can honestly say they have never given me heartburn! probably built up a tolerance over the years.

GreatBiscuit

02-02-2009, 04:15 PM

As siblings and not nuns. :rotfl2:
Not that there's anything wrong with being a nun!

Conversion vans and CB radios.......ah memories. I just had one of those "I'm getting old" moments. :sad: I had a CB radio in my room. I used to love talking to truckers (and learning all sorts of cool things to say :lmao: )
CB's were a blast. We used to come wiht all kinds of off the wall stuff. Better not say too much more as I wish to avoid prosecution. pirate:

That was a GREAT chapter, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The chicken in a bisquit theory was really funny.

Can't wait for the next chapter... I'm glad you enjoyed it! The wait will be over shortly!

This is a fun report, and I want to commend you on the excellent David Copperfield reference.

However, I don't think Dickens ever described something as "put a deep-fryer in your drawers hot" (then again, there was that one moment in Tale of Two Cities...). Nice touch.

Horray! I'm glad someone caught that. David Copperfield is my all time favorite novel. It only seemed fitting to give it nod with my opening statement. I'm not a huge fan of Tale of Two Cities. I have it, and have read it a time or two, but it's just so depressing, it's hard for me to stay into it.

GreatBiscuit

02-02-2009, 04:19 PM

Krystal Burgers...Southern White Castle :rotfl2:

I love it

I had it for lunch yesterday :)
I actually enjoy eating there now, but I only do so occasionally ond I ONLY consume the maximum recommended dosage. (Which for me is about 3.)

Hi :wave2: I just found your Journey through memory lane today and I am loving it. Subscribing. Can't wait to read more:goodvibes Glad to have you aboard! Welcome.

Great update! Dh and I are really enjoying your TR.

Chicken in a Biscuit! The vacation snack of choice for my Dh's family. The foot cannot hit the gas pedal and not one wheel can turn until these are safely tucked into the snack stash of the vehicle. Said tradition has handed down to the feedthebirds family (but you won't catch me eating them ;) ).

Your experience on that bridge reminds me of our trip through Grant's Pass in Oregon during a blizzard. I truly thought we were gonners. The Creator had different plans for us however.

Lookin forward to the next installment!

Another Chicken in a Biscuit Traveler! JOY! :cool1:

Ah, finally caught up. I want to say first you're in my thoughts and prayers for the job situation. My BFF (I am too old to use that phrase-:scared: ) is the HR director of a local plant and the last year has been a nightmare for her. She is currently working week to week while everyone else is on mandatory leave. What a mess.

Thank you for reminding me that we always travelled with a cooler full of goodies instead of stopping at restaurants growing up. Of course, we never drove farther than Gatlinburg, but you know it's hard to drive two whole hours without stopping for a picnic of peanut butter and banana sandwiches and 7-Up. :banana: And Moon Pies.

Love that your family stopped at Krystal burgers to stock up. They have the best corndog ever! DH and I toted two sackfuls to NC when we lived there and found out the hard way how long the odor of little chopped onions can linger in a Jeep.

Somehow these episodes were all about the food for me, huh? ;)
That linger effect is no joke. You can tell for days when there's been Krystal in the car.

GreatBiscuit

02-02-2009, 04:24 PM

I'm not a southerner, but have experienced first hand the Krystal Burger effect. Well, for me it was just killer heartburn, but I only ate two. SEVENTEEN?!?!?!?:crazy2: I can't imagine.

I can't wait to hear how the rest of this trip went. Sounds like there were all kinds of opportunities for chaos with the crew you'd assembled!
Believe me, the chaos has only just begun.

Wow. I always wondered about Krystal burgers - who eats there? How come no one around here says "Hey, let's grab us some Krystal burgers" like they say "Hey let's grab some Wendy's!"

Now I know. Thanks for the fair warning. :scared:

Now I'll just silently wonder about Checkers. ;)
They recently opened a Krystal near me and I have ventured there a few times....just in moderation.

Checkers has the BEST fries, ever. Now, Wendy's is just :scared: to me except for the chicken nuggets! :laughing: I think it's just a regional thing--Krystal's is really popular in TN and I can honestly say they have never given me heartburn! probably built up a tolerance over the years.
I remember several years ago (still in high school) I went to a place in Memphis called Central Park that had the best fries I've ever tasted. (I think it was when my aunt graduated from law school.) We don't have a Checker's here, so I'm not sure how they compare.

GreatBiscuit

02-02-2009, 04:33 PM

We awoke the next day and, still feeling the effects of Krystal, apologized profusely to my aunt for the atmospheric condition of her domicile. This day was a bit of a holding pattern as we were awaiting the arrival of my grandparents and my grandfather’s brother’s family. To pass the time, we indulged in the great American pastime, namely baseball.

As a Texan I of course have a deeply entrenched and unwavering love of football. (I'm wearing a Cowboys shirt as we speak. Although after this season, I don't know why. But I've been a fan since the days of Danny White so I guess I'm in it for the long haul.) Anyhow, as great as the gridiron can be, I still love me a good baseball game. Especially live. There is just something that I love about going to a ballpark. My last two years of college, we used to get the student tickets to the K to watch the Kansas City Royals lose. Seriously, out of the dozen or so games I made it to, they won ONE. But that was okay, because A.) I’m a Texas Rangers fan, (thus used to losing) and B.) It was about the experience more than the win.

Getting back to the trip, Lakeland has a great minor league stadium and Pete, my dad, my uncle Steve, my cousin and of course myself all headed out to catch the Lakeland Flying Tigers. If you’ve never been to a minor league game, you need to go. To me they are more “real” if you will than MLB games. (If that makes any sense.) I don’t remember who they played that day, but I remember it was a great game.

Up until the 7th inning…when death came calling at the door.

Those of you familiar with Lakeland no doubt know it as the lighting capitol of the world. Shortly after the 7th inning stretch, the wind picked up and you could smell rain, but it had not yet started falling. Suddenly a lighting bolt struck the ground in the field beyond the outfield wall. It’s the closest I’ve ever been to a ground strike in my life. The flash was so bright, you could still see it when you blinked for about an hour afterward. But what really caught everyone’s attention was the thunderclap. There was no delay, no counting seconds to see how many miles away it was. The sound hit you like a wall instantly as the flash went off.

Unlike the gentle rumbles you might hear indoors, this was a bone jarring, ear splitting, nerve wracking explosion. It rattled my teeth, quivered my liver and jarred my gall right out of its bladder. It not only scared the Pooh out of me, but also the Tigger the Piglet and the entire hundred acre wood! To say it was startling to the entire stadium full of fans is an understatement. To say the stadium cleanup crew had to hose down the bleachers after the game is no exaggeration.

Fortunately no one was hurt, and I must say, that’s the fastest I’ve EVER seen outfielders make it back to the dugout. As it was obvious the game wasn’t going to resume any time soon, we decided to head back to the car. We made it about 10 feet when the rain came. Not just any rain…the Louisiana monsoon squall of death seemed to have transported itself to Lakeland, and massive sheets of rain were blowing in sideways. Fortunately, we were able to stay somewhat dry thanks to the angle of the overhead partial roof and the fact that the rain was blowing from our backs so the bleachers were running interference for us. BUT it was obvious we weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

While sitting in the stadium trying to entertain ourselves, we (namely I) began laying out our park touring strategy for the week. While I was in the middle of a particularly stirring and inspiring oration on the joys of Epcot (a park I had never been to mind you), the woman in front of me turned around, scowled and huffed “You pronounce it kuh-SIM-ee.” She then muttered something about tourists and stomped off.

We all stood silent for a moment, pondering the significance of what has just taken place. It had been a good 10 min since we had talked about our hotel in Kissimmee (which we were pronouncing KISS-a-me with an outrageous French accent.) I have to wonder just what was going on in her mind during that interim. I pondered exactly what thought process led her to determine that taking the name of Kissimmee in vein was an intolerable transgression that she simply could not remain silent for. After a few moments shock, we all burst out laughing and took great joy in repeating it the rest of the day.

Eventually the rain settled into a steady drizzle and the announcer advised the 12 remaining fans in stands (namely those who hadn’t brought umbrellas…raise your hand if you are from out of state) that the game was officially postponed and would not resume that day.

We remained a few min more and then braved a run back to the van-boat. We retuned to my Aunt’s house, shared our tales of doom and triumph and greeted the remaining relatives who had by now arrived.

After having the requisite cookout, the family settled down in the living room and I presented “The Plan”. I’ve taken a lot of grief for the plan over the years. Whenever Walt Disney World is mentioned in our family, someone invariable rolls their eyes and asks me if I’m working on “The Plan”. Essentially the plan was a master touring scheme, designed off the recommendations of a couple of different guide books, and laid out to maximize our time/attraction ratio.

The plan split us up into three distinct park touring groups. Group A was the “Low Impact” group and consisted of my grandparents, grandfather’s brother & his wife, and those who preferred to avoid bumping, shaking, spinning and bouncing. Group B was the “Young’uns” group and focused on attractions which appealed to the elementary crowd. Group C was the “Thrill” Group and focused on the need for speed. The plan outlined a touring order for each group with overlapping attractions and meal times. (Now you know why I didn’t do so well in Algebra II that semester.)

After the mission briefing was completed and I was met with a sea of blank stares, it was time to make preparation for morning departure. After several rounds of games and a few chapters of reading, there was a herald of warnings from the “grownups” about getting up in the morning, packing our stuff and being ready to leave ON TIME, not LATE, ON TIME in the van-boat, ready to GO, ON TIME.

Once everyone had settled into their assigned sleeping locations and the lights had been extinguished, the house grew silent until someone, (I’m not naming names) let fly “kuh-SIM-ee”. This of course set off a round of raucous laughter that lasted well into the night, and resulted in some irate and threatening bellows being lofted our way from the back of the house before we finally crashed. Had I known then what would transpire the next morning, the terror would have kept me up all night.

Coming up on Episode 9 – “How to get kicked out of the Magic Kingdom before you hit Main Street”. :scared1: :faint:

Click Here for Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30117825&postcount=89)

__________________________________

:offtopic:

__________________________________

The issue with the job situation has been difficult, but is only one of several things that we are dealing with right now. You know they saying, when it rains it pours. As I wrote this episode and remembered the lighting strike and the fury of the storm, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness. A pastor friend of mine has often remarked that in life, we are either coming out of a storm, going through storm, or being prepared for a storm.

One thing I’ve learned is that when a storm is over, ships are rarely on the exact same course heading as they were when it began. When I look back at the storms I’ve gone through before, I can see God’s hand of protection and guidance in each. All I can do is trust that God is working to turn my life towards a new heading to achieve something greater than I could have dreamed up on my own. I don’t understand what He’s doing, and I fear the elements about me, but I trust Him. I know that if He does not calm the storm, He will certainly calm His child.

As I write this, I’ve been listing to Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns, Yet I Will Praise by Melissa Boraski, You are God Alone by Billy Foote, and How Deep the Father’s Love by Kelly Minter. They remind me that when it comes to this life I lead, I’d rather be in the storm with Christ in the boat, then on the shore without him.

If the worst thing in life that ever happens to me is that I have to postpone a vacation, then I have truly been blessed. (Something my friend Zzub's TR's have taught me.)

jcc0621

02-02-2009, 05:54 PM

[SIZE="3"] As a Texan I of course have a deeply entrenched and unwavering love of football. (I'm wearing a Cowyboys shirt as we speak.

Despite this I will continue to read.....:snooty:

E-A-G-L-E-S (although after this season, yada..yada..yada;) )

To say it was startling to the entire stadium full of fans is an understatement. To say the stadium cleanup crew had to hose down the bleachers after the game is no exaggeration.

:scared: :lmao:

After the mission briefing was completed and I was met with a sea of blank stares,

I just never understand this look:confused3 .

Coming up on Episode 9 – “How to get kicked out of the Magic Kingdom before you hit Main Street”. :scared1: :faint:

Ok, now I am really :scared:

whogirl'smom

02-03-2009, 07:52 AM

I can honestly say that I do not use any Algebra II skills in my daily life, but Disney Planning 101--now, that's something I can really use! :rotfl:

I had a book growing up about a family in Florida in the 20's-30's or so, who had a mule named Kissimmee. I thought it was pronounced KISS-immee, too, for years and years.

I have recently had the phrase "if God brings you to it, He will bring you through it" on my mind and it seems to keep me calmer about the worries of life right now. I will keep your family in my prayers.

AshClan

02-03-2009, 09:20 AM

[SIZE="3"]Suddenly a lighting bolt struck the ground in the field beyond the outfield wall. It’s the closest I’ve ever been to a ground strike in my life. The flash was so bright, you could still see it when you blinked for about an hour afterward. But what really caught everyone’s attention was the thunderclap. There was no delay, no counting seconds to see how many miles away it was. The sound hit you like a wall instantly as the flash went off.

Unlike the gentle rumbles you might hear indoors, this was a bone jarring, ear splitting, nerve wracking explosion. It rattled my teeth, quivered my liver and jarred my gall right out of its bladder. It not only scared the Pooh out of me, but also the Tigger the Piglet and the entire hundred acre wood. To say it was startling to the entire stadium full of fans is an understatement. To say the stadium cleanup crew had to hose down the bleachers after the game is no exaggeration.

Fortunately no one was hurt, and I must say, that’s the fastest I’ve EVER seen outfielders make it back to the dugout. As it was obvious the game wasn’t going to resume any time soon, we decided to head back to the car. We made it about 10 feet when the rain came. Not just any rain…the Louisiana monsoon squall of death seemed to have transported itself to Lakeland, and massive sheets of rain were blowing in sideways. Fortunately, we were able to stay somewhat dry thanks to the angle of the overhead partial roof and the fact that the rain was blowing from our backs so the bleachers were running interference for us. BUT it was obvious we weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

This was one fine piece of descriptive and entertaining writing, my friend!:thumbsup2

Essentially the plan was a master touring scheme, designed off the recommendations of a couple of different guide books, and laid out to maximize our time/attraction ratio.

The plan split us up into three distinct park touring groups. Group A was the “Low Impact” group and consisted of my grandparents, grandfather’s brother & his wife, and those who preferred to avoid bumping, shaking, spinning and bouncing. Group B was the “Young’uns” group and focused on attractions which appealed to the elementary crowd. Group C was the “Thrill” Group and focused on the need for speed. The plan outlined a touring order for each group with overlapping attractions and meal times. (Now you know why I didn’t do so well in Algebra II that semester.)

:rotfl: Face it, GB. You are a GEEK of the highest magnitude. Since we are all there with ya, though, 'sokay with us. Embrace the geekiness.;)

I am with ya, too, on the storm navigation stuff. And I am sure your great attitude and faith will get you through whatever it is you have to face. A dear friend of mine has a great philosophy that I am striving for in my own life: "It will all be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end." I am leaning on those words muchly lately, and I think you can count on it too. Sound like you are doing a great job doing just that.

GreatBiscuit

02-03-2009, 01:44 PM

E-A-G-L-E-S (although after this season, yada..yada..yada;) ) I aint even gonna go there.

I just never understand this look:confused3 . Me neither
Ok, now I am really :scared: :hyper: I'm eager to post that one. I may break down and slip it in early.

I can honestly say that I do not use any Algebra II skills in my daily life, but Disney Planning 101--now, that's something I can really use! :rotfl: Amen to that! Let's teach stuff kids could use! I remember on this trip, my parents visted the Teacher's Resource Center in Epcot and there was a ton of stuff to use in the classroom. I don't know if they still have this or not. Now that you've jarred my memory, I intend to find out.

I had a book growing up about a family in Florida in the 20's-30's or so, who had a mule named Kissimmee. I thought it was pronounced KISS-immee, too, for years and years. So THAT'S where the name came from. Well, I guess everyplace has to be named after something...although I don't think that's one I'd brag about.

I have recently had the phrase "if God brings you to it, He will bring you through it" on my mind and it seems to keep me calmer about the worries of life right now. I will keep your family in my prayers. No that's good stuff!

:rotfl: Face it, GB. You are a GEEK of the highest magnitude. Since we are all there with ya, though, 'sokay with us. Embrace the geekiness.;) Believe me, working in Tech Support, I learned to embrace my inner Geek a LOOOOOONG time ago!.

"It will all be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end." Love the quote, which I why I quoted you quoting the quote using the multi quote feature. Thanks for the reminder and your kind words! God Bless!

PrincessV

02-05-2009, 09:35 AM

[SIZE="3"]A.) I’m a Texas Rangers fan, (thus used to losing)
I can relate. Buccaneers anyone? :scared:
Those of you familiar with Lakeland no doubt know it as the lighting capitol of the world.
::yes:: I'm very close to Tampa and we like to vie for that title, thank you very much. :rolleyes:
While sitting in the stadium trying to entertain ourselves, we (namely I) began laying out our park touring strategy for the week. While I was in the middle of a particularly stirring and inspiring oration on the joys of Epcot (a park I had never been to mind you), the woman in front of me turned around, scowled and huffed “You pronounce it kuh-SIM-ee.” She then muttered something about tourists and stomped off.
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: This cracked me up inordinately. My dad lived in FL when I was growing up, so I heard lots of these kind of Floridan comments. Okefenokee was always good for some laughs, too. ;)

The plan split us up into three distinct park touring groups. Group A was the “Low Impact” group and consisted of my grandparents, grandfather’s brother & his wife, and those who preferred to avoid bumping, shaking, spinning and bouncing. Group B was the “Young’uns” group and focused on attractions which appealed to the elementary crowd. Group C was the “Thrill” Group and focused on the need for speed. The plan outlined a touring order for each group with overlapping attractions and meal times.
:worship: Wow. Just, wow.

Coming up on Episode 9 – “How to get kicked out of the Magic Kingdom before you hit Main Street”. :scared1: :faint:
Say WHAT?!?!?!?! :eek:

ETA: Last edited by GreatBiscuit : 02-03-2009 at 01:47 PM. Reason: Trying to convince Mel to finish her TR.
Good luck with that, lol!

GreatBiscuit

02-05-2009, 02:27 PM

My dad lived in FL when I was growing up, so I heard lots of these kind of Floridan comments. Okefenokee was always good for some laughs, too. ;) I pondered getting a T-Shirt for this summer with picture of a BASS boat on it that says "All I need to know about Florida pronunciation, I learned from Roland Martin" but I figured I'm the only who'd get a grin out of it.

Good luck with that, lol! Thanks - I'm gonna need it!

Now off to update.

GreatBiscuit

02-05-2009, 02:47 PM

We woke the next morning and headed out the door with hearty enthusiasm. (Actually I was forced awaked with much threatening and shoving and stumbled half asleep into the van-boat.) We were heading straight to the Magic Kingdom with plans to leave the park at lunch time and check into our motel.

I have absolutely no memory of the drive to the park and seem to recall being rolled from the van to the tram. Due to the large size of our group, we invoked the power of the ferry (as in boat rather than Tink) to transport us across the Seven Seas Lagoon. I perked right up the second I saw the castle and by the time we hit the turnstiles I was raring to go. I’m not sure of our exact arrival time, but it was after rope drop. In fact you can just mark it down that I’ve never made rope drop. Ever. It’s a sad memory. I need a moment.

.
.
.

Thank You.

For our morning excursion, the only souls participating in the “Thrill Seekers” touring group were Pete and myself. We split up in Town Square with plans to meet up with the clan later, and that’s when it happened.

Now there’s something you need to understand about we two young 'uns. We never went out looking for trouble. We were never bent on open anarchy and rebellion. Overthrowing "The Man" was simply not part of our daily agenda. It just seemed that trouble had a way of finding us, and by some stroke of cosmic misfortune, we had a knack for being frequently found. (Like the time we set my mother’s stove on fire making a pot of Ramen noodles and made matters worse with our method of flame control. Who knew a tiny little fire extinguisher could produce that much white powder? Or that my parents would happen to choose that EXACT moment to walk in the front door?)

That morning, trouble stood about 5 feet high, and wore a blue & white dress. I’m referring of course to Alice ala Wonderland. It just so happened that about the time our grand gathering split into its separate and distinct pods, Alice was making her way into Town Square for a morning rasher of meeting and greeting. As it turned out, we were standing very near where she appeared, and Pete was the first guest to get a picture that morning.

He handed me the camera and all was going well until it came time for the pose. He asked Alice to put her arm around him. She replied something to the effect “Oh I couldn’t!” Now my friend, being a people person, said “No, really, put your arm around me.!” To which Alice replied “Oh it wouldn’t be lady like at all” and instead she assumed a hands to the chin pose. I was quite amused at this point and did the 1 – 2 – 3 picture countdown.

That’s when it happened. As I hit the 3 and took the photo, he gave Alice a big hug around the waist. She gave a little “OH MY !” statement and a scolding finger wag, then moved on to someone else. We were quite amused by the entire thing and I handed back the camera.

As we were standing there preparing to head to Space Mountain, the sun suddenly went dark. A blast of cold air blew up our spines. The ground shook and a massive shoe planted in front of us. I looked up and there he stood, nine feet tall, five hundred pounds of pure surliness. He leaned down towards us and growled “Harassment of the characters is grounds for dismissal from the park!”

I went cold. Every drop of blood drained from my body and leeched into the pavement. My entire life and Birnbaum's guide flashed before my eyes. I stood there helpless and frozen, watching it all float by. I laughed at the clothes I wore in the 70’s and read a review of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. (This was after all my fourth trip to the MK and I had never done this attraction. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to try to work it in this time or not.)

When I rejoined normal time& space I found my heart had left my body and was thumping it’s way down Main Street USA in an attempt to touch the castle before the rest of me was cast out into darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of park maps. What would Disney jail be like? I imagined I’d be detained, and escorted by some sort of security detail across Bay Lake and onto Discovery Island for processing.

When others sailed by on their way to magic and fun, I’d be stuck on “The Rock”, cleaning up parrot poo and listening to the teasing laughter spill across the lake. How long would the incarceration last? No one really knows.

Even today I sometimes pull up Google Earth and take a glance at the mysterious rooftops that remain on Discovery Island. I wonder just how many Alice Huggers are still being held there.

As bleak as the possibility of doing hard time seemed, an ever worse fate would be breaking the news to the rest of the kinfolk. What would my family say? I was the holder of “The Plan”, the master of multi-group touring stratagem. Disney was my dream for crying out loud! This could fracture the very balance of the world as we know it!

I tried to stammer an apology but it came out as sah-sah-sah-s-s-s-s-s-grk.

I wondered how I would recover from this, whether this would be a temporary banishment or a lifelong prohibition of magic. I imagined posters with our faces on them being shown to the cast members at the turnstiles. Whenever a training class would begin, our photos would be handed out with the label “Beware of Alice Huggers”.

As I was nearing the point of cranial meltdown, mister giant character-handler man apparently spotted another act of harassment, and giving us a head jerk that may or may not have meant “wait here”, he went stomping off to terrorize a small village.

One of the few benefit of having trouble find you often is that it forces you to develop the ability to execute an expedient exit. The moment our new friend stepped away, we shot down Main Street as if we had been fired from the cannon of the Black Pearl. If you were there that summer and wondered why there were streaks burned into the pavement, now you know.

Although we managed to elude expulsion, I was a nervous wreck. The entire rest of the day, I had an uneasy feeling that we were being followed. Whenever we emerged from an attraction, I surveyed the crowd for a bald and surly bouncer. Feeling the need for a disguise, I bought a hat and a t-shirt, on the pretense of getting into the “Disney spirit”. I felt better after changing, but it was still extremely disconcerting. Pete, who is never really bothered by anything, laughed the whole thing off.

We did manage to squeeze in a few rides that morning, but the shock to my brain wreaked such havoc on my cortical subroutines, that apparently long term memory allocation was taken offline. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to remember anything else from that morning before we went to check into our motel.

So that’s where’ we’ll be headed next. After the shock we had endured, my poor heart couldn’t take much more. As it turned out, there WOULD be an unexpected surprise waiting of us when we checked in. But this time, it would be much more pleasant to bear.

Coming up on Episode 10 – Living Like Kings & Dole Whip Dreams

Click Here for the Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30201557&postcount=100)

jcc0621

02-05-2009, 03:49 PM

Sorry...but...:rotfl:

Backstage_Gal

02-05-2009, 04:32 PM

Poor Bisquit! Sorry you were so traumatized. :rotfl2:

I love your writing. Again, looking forward to the next chapter.

burly

02-05-2009, 05:25 PM

wow is there no way you could find Pete and get a copy of the pic??? Pleeeaaassseeee::yes::

whogirl'smom

02-05-2009, 06:08 PM

And that's why they have character handlers now....:rotfl2:

feedthebirds

02-05-2009, 06:09 PM

:rotfl2: :lmao:

What an update!

Hope you are able to cross paths with Pete sometime for that pic.

AshClan

02-06-2009, 07:29 AM

:scared1:

You have me all stressed out over here, GB!!

That's a great story. Sorry the PTSD caused you to forget most of the day :rotfl:

You are a fab writer, BTW :thumbsup2

PrincessV

02-06-2009, 12:09 PM

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: That was just darned funny writing - I can't even pick a part to quote! Alice Hugger. :rotfl:

ZZUB

02-07-2009, 04:36 PM

First of all, who in their right mind goes to Krystal's on purpose? It's where you eat when Hardee's is closed.

Secondly, I'm still not sure there was an actual thunder clap at the baseball game or whether it was the rumblings from the partially digested Krystals moving their way through your system.

You did mention hosing off the bleachers, so I'm thinking it was a metaphorical thunderous explosion.

FYI: just writing out the word Krystal's has made my face feel oily and I can feel my tastebuds going numb.

But this is a fun ride and I'm enjoying reading about your several early trips to Disney World. Good night, you were some kind of prepared for that trip! Three different touring plans?!

At the risk of careening your TR wildly off topic and getting you bounced to a board of another name, I hope that whatever storm the Lord is bringing you through is short. Be mindful that His rod and staff are there not just to lead you but to comfort you.

As God lays GreatBiscuit on my mind, I will pray for you and your family.

:moped:

GreatBiscuit

02-09-2009, 01:24 PM

Sorry...but...:rotfl:
Glad you enjoyed it!
Poor Bisquit! Sorry you were so traumatized. :rotfl2:

I love your writing. Again, looking forward to the next chapter.
Thanks BSG! It was definitely my most memorable romp through town square.
wow is there no way you could find Pete and get a copy of the pic??? Pleeeaaassseeee::yes::
I wish I could. I've tried to contact him a few times over the years, but never with any success.
And that's why they have character handlers now....:rotfl2:
It was all my fault. :rolleyes1

GreatBiscuit

02-09-2009, 01:36 PM

:rotfl2: :lmao:

What an update!

Hope you are able to cross paths with Pete sometime for that pic.
Glad you enjoyed it!
:scared1:

You have me all stressed out over here, GB!!

That's a great story. Sorry the PTSD caused you to forget most of the day :rotfl:

You are a fab writer, BTW :thumbsup2
Sorry, didn't mean to stress you! Thanks the kind words and for reading along!

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: That was just darned funny writing - I can't even pick a part to quote! Alice Hugger. :rotfl: I've been called worse things in my life. Glad you enjoyed it!

First of all, who in their right mind goes to Krystal's on purpose? It's where you eat when Hardee's is closed.

Secondly, I'm still not sure there was an actual thunder clap at the baseball game or whether it was the rumblings from the partially digested Krystals moving their way through your system.

You did mention hosing off the bleachers, so I'm thinking it was a metaphorical thunderous explosion.
:
I never stopped to think whether Krystal was responsible for the disturbance in the force. Hmmmmm.....:scratchin
As God lays GreatBiscuit on my mind, I will pray for you and your family. :moped:Thanks Zzub - I really do appreciate that, more than words can show. It is truly awesome to know that there are those out there whom we will likely never meet in this lifetime that God uses to bless and encourage our lives.

GreatBiscuit

02-09-2009, 08:57 PM

We met back up with the kinfolk and departed the Magic Kingdom for our off-site motel. If my life depended on naming where it was that we stayed, or even where in Kissimmee it was located, I’m afraid I would become a partaker of glory. I remember that it consisted of three or four single-story buildings, that the front building housed the office and pool area, and that all the rooms had unobstructed parking lot views.

It was a simple, bare bones, no frills, we’re only here to sleep, bargain-budget, turn on the lights before you step on the floor, please ignore the police chalk outline, luxury resort. But it had a bed and at that point in my life I needed a nap. (And a Xanax wouldn’t have killed me. Next time I scare myself to death, I’ll see if Delswife can send me Scruffy’s number.) My dad went to check in with the other family patriarchs, and left us all in the van. He of course neglected to leave the keys, so after about 30 seconds of un-air conditioned bliss, we all exited the vehicle to check out the digs.

Checking in took a long time. A REALLY long time. A “Should we go look and see if he drove back to the park without looking to see if there was actually any one in the van with him?” long time. (Which knowing my dad, was not an entirely unlikely theory.) Finally he emerged with two sets of keys. Actual keys too, not those credit card blinky lights of doom which never open when I use them, but which always work perfectly for my wife. EVERY TIME.

As it turned out there was an issue with the reservation. My grandfather had reserved the lodging and had set it up under a group rate. Because it was a group rate, it had been pre-paid. One of the extended family members was unable to come down and thus we had an extra room that had already been paid for. The tall and short of it was that if they cancelled the extra room, the would lose the group rate, if they kept it, they would of course be charged for an extra room, but with the discounts applied to all the other rooms, it wound up being about the same price.

At the end of the day, it turned out that Pete and I were given the extra room. We were living like kings in our one star bachelor pad. Looking back I have to wonder how much of that was chance, and how much was planned. You see, I had a problem when I was a teenager and its name was stinky foot. From the time I was 13, all through high school, my mom made me leave my shoes on the back porch at night and march strait to the shower before bed. (Our yard was the only one in the neighborhood that never had mosquitoes.) They were bad…beyond bad…foul in the utmost means of expression.

Yet my olfactory arsenal did not end with sullied sneakers, there was the OTHER issue. I was known to frequently shoot a Jimmy, spread the duck butter, fire a fizzler, pinch a pongu, float an air biscuit, lay an egg, cut the cheese, toot the trouser trumpet, burp in my britches, rip a raspberry, fan the southern breeze, in short, I was gassy.

My parents can claim that it was a reservation issue, but after the van ride and the Krystal incident, I’m not entirely convinced this wasn’t a planned separation. I somehow imagine that the thought of my feet marinating in Florida sunshine combined with the musical effects of eating out all week was more than my dear mother could handle.

But that’s just my personal theory.

Fortunately, I grew out of the stinky foot and as to the other, well, we won’t go there.

I seem to have wondered completely off.

After checking in, we spent a couple of hours at the motel before heading out for some food and shopping on the Kissimmee strip. This would become our daily routine. We would spend around 3-4 hours at the parks each morning, leave for lunch, do the motel/swim thing, eat dinner off site, then return to the parks for another 4-5 hours.

This first park day, we returned to the Magic Kingdom and pretty much stuck together for the rest of the evening. After again taking the ferry, and casting a hasty glance about in Town Square for surly bouncer-dude, we made our way over to Adventureland. Our first stop was for a tasty treat, namely Dole Whip.

I was way more excited about the Dole Whip than a person should ever be. But I had good reason. Sixteen months before this trip, my grandfather had emergency open heart surgery and required a quadruple bypass. In the late 80’s this was a MUCH more serious operation than it is now. (And having sat with many a family as they waited on loved ones, I can tell you it is still no cake walk.) Following surgery, my grandfather was in ICU for 7 days, CCU for 5 days, and a regular hospital room for a couple of weeks. He had to have extensive physical therapy just to be able to walk normally.

When we got the call about the surgery and arrived at the hospital a few hours later, one of the doctor’s came out to brief the family. He advised us that the best case scenario would be that the surgery would extend my grandfather’s life another 5-7 years. It was a sobering moment and a day I will never forget. My grandfather took it in stride and decided he was going to do everything he could do to push that number higher. He started on a STRICT diet and began exercising daily.

The Christmas prior to our trip, we all gathered at my grandparents’ house. Because of my grandfather’s new diet, it was a bit of a different feast than we were used to. At the time, there was a truck stop near their home that sold Vanilla and Chocolate Dole Whip, and every afternoon that we were there, my grandfather took us over for some as it was pretty much the only dessert he could have. (Being that it is non-dairy.) That Christmas, we were all amazed to see just how well my grandfather was doing and cherished the time we had together. We began to believe that maybe he would beat the odds and have more time than what the doctors thought.

When I read in Birnbaum’s that they served Dole Whip at the Magic Kingdom, I couldn’t wait to bring my grandfather over for some. Because of his diet, eating on vacation was especially difficult for him. He was excited to find out that it was pineapple, as he had only had vanilla and chocolate to choose from before. Eating our treats as a family, we were all thankful for this moment. We cherished it as gift from God and celebrated the time we had been given as a family.

As it turns out, my grandfather did defeat the odds and he now lives about 25 minutes from my house. His five to seven year prognosis is currently in its twentieth year. The next time I find myself in the Magic Kingdom, I plan to stop in Adventureland, grab a large Dole Whip, and thank God for the blessings He has poured out on my life.

Coming up in episode 11 – Jungles, Trees, Caves and BEEEEEES!

Click here for the next episode. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30259685&postcount=113)

ZZUB

02-10-2009, 01:45 PM

You see, I had a problem when I was a teenager and its name was stinky foot. From the time I was 13, all through high school, my mom made me leave my shoes on the back porch at night and march strait to the shower before bed. (Our yard was the only one in the neighborhood that never had mosquitoes.) They were bad…beyond bad…foul in the utmost means of expression.

Yet my olfactory arsenal did not end with sullied sneakers, there was the OTHER issue. I was known to frequently shoot a Jimmy, spread the duck butter, fire a fizzler, pinch a pongu, float an air biscuit, lay an egg, cut the cheese, toot the trouser trumpet, burp in my britches, rip a raspberry, fan the southern breeze, in short, I was gassy.Dude! TMI! And I know a thing or two about TMI.

And what is with your frank refusal to ride the Monorail? Why do you guys always choose the ferry?

That's amazing news about your granddad. But I had no clue you get get a Dole Whip anywhere but Disney World. So this TR has some useful information. Now I'm off to google Dole Whip to see if there is one to be had nearer my house.

:moped:

whogirl'smom

02-10-2009, 01:51 PM

What a wonderful installment! The stroll down Dole Whip Lane, that is, not Stinky Feet St. :lmao: . That is a blessing that your grandfather is still beating the odds; I know because my dad had quad. bypass surgery 22 years ago this May. It still amazes me when I think about how long it's been. (And it amazes me how they don't let people stay in the hospital long enough now after surgery, but that's another thread...)

Anyway, hope the family is doing well and I look forward to the next exciting episode! :happytv:

jcc0621

02-10-2009, 02:01 PM

Go Grandpa:woohoo:

Vexorg

02-11-2009, 12:33 AM

I think you could have cut back on the adjectives a bit there, but an interesting update nonetheless.

PrincessV

02-11-2009, 09:51 AM

My parents can claim that it was a reservation issue, but after the van ride and the Krystal incident, I’m not entirely convinced this wasn’t a planned separation. I somehow imagine that the thought of my feet marinating in Florida sunshine combined with the musical effects of eating out all week was more than my dear mother could handle.

But that’s just my personal theory.
From the sounds of it, I'd say that's a pretty sound theory. :scared:

Dude, I'll never expereince a Dole Whip the same again! :goodvibes

Backstage_Gal

02-11-2009, 05:03 PM

I just love your trip down memory lane reports. You should be a writer :rotfl2:

YAY for Grandpa!!

I have a confession to make re Dolewhip. I have never had one, and I have been working for Disney for 36.5 years. Actually, I never knew about them before I started reading the Dis in about 2006. And I rarely go to the parks. But it's on my list of to do's next time I find myself in the MK. Which will be approximately 2015 or later at the rate I'm going.... :rolleyes1

AshClan

02-11-2009, 06:44 PM

Yet my olfactory arsenal did not end with sullied sneakers, there was the OTHER issue. I was known to frequently shoot a Jimmy, spread the duck butter, fire a fizzler, pinch a pongu, float an air biscuit, lay an egg, cut the cheese, toot the trouser trumpet, burp in my britches, rip a raspberry, fan the southern breeze, in short, I was gassy.

:sad2: You're getting more and more like ZZUB every day. :sad2:

I don't know that they really do have "Dole Whips" that are chocolate or vanilla. Wouldn't that just be called soft serve ice cream? Or am I missing something? Marita, try one next time you get to the MK (or even the Poly, where you can make your own). They are yummy!

Bravo for your grandpa, GB! :thumbsup2

ZZUB

02-11-2009, 08:24 PM

I think you could have cut back on the adjectives a bit there, but an interesting update nonetheless.I think it's pretty good, adjectives and all.

Sometimes, it's ok not to express your opinion. If you don't like the way he's writing it, feel free to move along. Or send the guy a private message. No need to be critical. It's a Trip Report. Not a book report.

You're getting more and more like ZZUB every day.In other words, he's a really witty dude.

Looking forward to more, UnecessarilyDescriptiveButNonethelessInterestingBi scuit.

:moped:

GreatBiscuit

02-12-2009, 01:24 AM

Warning! The Surgeon General has determined that reading this post may be hazardous to your psyche. I don’t usually try writing this late at night as it tends to only make sense to those who are intoxicated. However, as I haven’t had much chance during the past couple of days to do a lot of “leisure” surfing, it’ll have to do.

On the job front, the preliminary report is that casualties in our department will be limited to positions which are currently vacant that will not be immediately backfilled. Looks like none of the 50 some odd active positions in our department will be affected by the layoff. So thanks everyone for your thought s and prayers and a big praise and thanks to God for seeing me through that one.

Having never explained what I do, this may be a good moment. Then again it may not but, but I’m the one typing so humor me. I have a weird job. Like I mentioned in the first post, I work in a call center, providing end user support. (Mostly Blackberry support.) The first half of my shift is during the end of the normal “day shift” and the second half of my shift is the beginning of the “night shift”.
For the first half of the day, I am constantly busy with calls coming in one right after the other. For that portion of the day I only work with Public Safety accounts (Police, Fire, Military, Government) and have the pleasure of speaking with some great folks all over the country.

The second half of my shift I take Public Safety call plus work outages for our VIP Corporate accounts. These are large-scale accounts where we have gone on site and created custom cell coverage. However, even though I am technically available to a larger pool of customers, our queue slams to a grinding halt when the government offices close at 5PM Eastern. (Which is when I return from break...I work Noon-Nine, but lunch is 3-4...go figure.)

This presents a bit of quandry for us night crew folks in that we are tethered to our desks, ready to handle whatever crisis unfolds, but there are times when our calls are few and far between. So we have downtime. Lots and lots of downtime. Don’t everybody feel sorry for me at once. Without getting too deep into the nature of agent call metrics / politics / work flow structure of a call center and employee vs. contractor vs. outsourced job duties within said center, let me say that we can’t just get up and go find something more productive to do. Plus, we have to answer our phones by the third ring or it logs you out of the system, re-routes the call, and tags your name on a report for your supervisor and department manager. Believe me, that aint a conversation you want to have….folks get fired that way. (Thus walking more than a couple of feet away from your desk while you are in the call queue is a risky undertaking.)

At first, this downtime was kind of cool. But trust me, after a while, staring at your computer waiting for something to break gets REALLY boring. Fortunately, we are allowed to have our personal laptops at our desks, and since I have a mobile broadband card, I am able to browse between calls and do fun things like draw Goofy water skiing.

Occasionally (like today) we get assigned a special project which is a wonderful thing as it breaks up the monotony and keeps us busy all night. But when you get home late and you’ve been truly busy all day, going straight to bed is not an option. At least not for me. I need downtime. A filler. A transition between work and bed. Usually it comes in the form of a book. I love to read and this time of night is conducive to it. BUT, as I have posts to respond to, I guess I’d better get to it.

I have no idea what I have been typing the past 20 minutes so if it makes no sense whatsoever, ignore it. I’m typing this in MS WORD and haven’t logged into the DIS yet so I guess I better go that now and see what cards I have been dealt.

Let’s see, our first response was from my headless friend Zzub who writes Dude! TMI! And I know a thing or two about TMI. Well Zzub, you are probably correct on that one. I was fighting a KILLER sinus headache that day & it may be that the over the counter sinus & pain relief drug cocktail I brewed up was bit too much. (I added all the TMI stuff last minute.) Zzub also wanted to know about the monorail. Well Zzub, I don’t have an aversion to the elevated train of wonder. In fact I enjoy it much. On trip two, (the church fart trip) I rode it for the first time, and caught several rides on other excursions. It does seem though that the ferry was utilized much more often. Finally Zzub wrote That's amazing news about your granddad. But I had no clue you get get a Dole Whip anywhere but Disney World. So this TR has some useful information. Now I'm off to google Dole Whip to see if there is one to be had nearer my house. I agree with you on that one my friend. 20 years and counting is a miracle I’ll take any day. As to Dole Whip….good luck in your quest.

Our next comment came from whogirl’smom. She wrote What a wonderful installment! The stroll down Dole Whip Lane, that is, not Stinky Feet St. :lmao: . That is a blessing that your grandfather is still beating the odds; I know because my dad had quad. bypass surgery 22 years ago this May. It still amazes me when I think about how long it's been. (And it amazes me how they don't let people stay in the hospital long enough now after surgery, but that's another thread...) Anyway, hope the family is doing well and I look forward to the next exciting episode! :happytv: I have to admit to being somewhat perplexed by the after-care received by heart patients these days myself. When a lady in our church had bypass surgery, she was out in a few days. I was even more shocked when they brought her Salisbury Steak in the hospital and included a packet of salt. Red meat and salt are strict no-no’s on the heart healthy diet my grandfathers cardiologist put him on. (EDITED NOW THAT I'M MORE COHERENT TO SAY: Thanks also for the well wishes as well and I'm glad you enjoy reading. )

Jcc0621 was the next to write in with a quick and simple:Go Grandpa:woohoo: Go indeed! Ride on Grandpa , ride like the wind.

Next up was another northwesterner, our friend the computer dude Vexorg. I think you could have cut back on the adjectives a bit there, but an interesting update nonetheless. Maybe so, but it’s not often a guy gets to type out trouser trumpet so I have to take it where I can get it. Glad you were able to look past it and find something of interest to boot.

Our next post comes from PrincessV who seems to think that my theory of intentional separation was sound. Well PV, when I kidded my mom about it this week, she said “Well, I won’t say it didn’t cross my mind.” PrincessV also said: Dude, I'll never expereince a Dole Whip the same again! To which I say “Rock ON!” Which doesn’t make much sense so I guess I better say something else. Thanks PV – it’s one of those things that is forever associated in my mind. This closes out our updates on page 7 so let’s move on to page 8.

Our first poster on this page was our favorite cast member Backstage_Gal. BG wrote that she is enjoying the trip down memory lane. I am glad to hear that BG and I thank you for kind words! BG then gave a shout out to the kinfolk with this:YAY for Grandpa!! To which I’m sure he’d reply “Yes sir, my plumbing is still a flowing!” Cause he always says this, even when he’s not talking to a sir. BG then made the shocking confession of having never tried Dole Whip. Which is sad and made me stare up at the ceiling and go hmmmm.

AshClan was our next poster up to bat and she was saddened that the descriptive nature of this TR resembled the Great One. (Is that how you said you wanted me to spell that Z?) She then went on to question the existence of non-pineapple dole whip. I don't know that they really do have "Dole Whips" that are chocolate or vanilla. Wouldn't that just be called soft serve ice cream? Or am I missing something? Marita, try one next time you get to the MK (or even the Poly, where you can make your own). They are yummy! I can assure you that they do indeed exist. They are different than soft serve in that Dole Whip is non-dairy (thus the only soft serve that was “legal” on my grandfather’s cardio diet.)

Finally we were graced a rare second posting from Zzub who wanted to stick up for my TR. I really appreciate that you got my back Z. No Worries. I got thick skin and take criticism well.
As to this: UnecessarilyDescriptiveButNonethelessInterestingBi scuit. Well, this post is probably guilty of the first and lacking of the latter, but hopefully it was coherent enough to follow. It’s about 1 am now and I have to be up at 6:15 to get my oldest ready for school so in the words of my other grandfather “Let’s draw a line right here and pick it up in the morning.”
I hope to have another episode posted either tomorrow (well technically today) or Friday. Good night, God Bless, and peace out y’all!

burly

02-12-2009, 11:42 AM

Backstage_Gal

02-12-2009, 04:33 PM

Yay on the job front.:banana:
even your replies make me giggle. need that right now. thanks. :upsidedow

Burly took the words right out of my mouth (or post, LOL).

I second the YAY on the job front and the giggles at your replies.

GreatBiscuit

02-12-2009, 09:11 PM

Yay on the job front.:banana:
I find your descriptions highly amusing. I have 2 sons and 2 daughters. it makes me giggle (inside) when the boys crack up at Potty humor and the girls go EW!!!!!!! As the mom i should also say EW but i find it amusing. so i just giggle inside and make sure they are respectful of whom they say such things in front of....;)
even your replies make me giggle. need that right now. thanks. :upsidedow

I've definitely learned to sensor certain things in socially unacceptable surroundings! I'm glad you got a giggle.

Burly took the words right out of my mouth (or post, LOL).

I second the YAY on the job front and the giggles at your replies.

Glad you enjoyed my late night ramblings! Now to post the next epidode...

GreatBiscuit

02-12-2009, 09:12 PM

Following our tribute to life by means of Dole Whip consumption, we queued up for the Jungle Cruise. Always up for some light hearted cheese, I enjoyed it greatly and I’m sure that I took lots of good photos. Really. I know they must exists. Somewhere. Out there. Beneath the pale moon sky.

Following our narrow escape from the heart of the jungle, we were attacked by marauding Pirates. My youngest sister who was five on this trip, went on this attraction for the first time and it was a bit much for her. She didn’t freak out, but she wanted to be picked up and then clenched a death hold on my dad’s neck in the queue caves. I like saying that. Queue Caves. If I ever build a house, I wonder if the contractor can throw in a queue cave. That’d be nifty. Of course I don’t know what folks would line up for. Maybe the bathroom or something.

Anyhow, it was while riding this attraction that I discovered that cast members monitor the ride, and can come over the loud speaker and announce things like “No Flash Photography”. Fortunately I was not the guilty party that time. (Seriously. There was NO way I was risking breaking another park rule that day.)

The thing I remember most from this particular ride through the plundered village was just how amazed my grandparents were over the hairy leg of the pirate when you pass under the bridge near the end of the ride.

After our boat ride, we decided to hit up the infamous Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. This was the one and only time I’ve ever been through this attraction. I’m not really sure why, other than perhaps some sort of involuntary rebellion on the part of my body at the thought of climbing that many stairs while dealing with the effects of walking at The World. I loved this movie as a kid/tween and have read the book numerous times. I don’t remember many of the details from this attraction and I hope to at least get a peek at it this summer.

After that, I know my best friend and I wound up on Big Thunder Mountain and I’m PRETTY sure my dad and my oldest sister rode as well. I know my grandparents did the Hall of Presidents that day as it was a topic of discussion later that evening. I don’t know for sure what my mom and littlest sister did, or what the other folks of varying degrees of relation ventured out to partake of.

But one incident remains burned into my mind….the attack of the killer Disney bees. At some point in time I found myself with a soda in hand near the Haunted Mansion. As near as I can remember, we grabbed a drink after Big Thunder and then headed off to take a spin on the doom buggies. I finished off my drink and dropped it into a trash can near the attraction. When I did, it apparently landed on some bees who were trying to use up their snack credits.

You need to know something about bees. They are evil. As are wasps and hornets. Don’t roll your eyes at me. Yeah, yeah, I’m familiar with pollination. Oh believe me I know all about the pollination. AND I know about the honey. You can claim that bees won’t bother you if you ignore them all that you want. These are merely cleverly crafted schemes designed to fool us into not seeing the true nature of these malevolent creatures. Well let me you tell you, I AINT BUYING IT. These prophets of doom have the ability to plunge a barbed spike deep into the flesh of their foes and pump their victims full of poisonous butt juice. I don’t know what YOU call that, but I call it evil! And having had an allergic reaction to a wasp sting, believe me, I was in no mood to try my luck with a bee.

So in goes the cup of half melted ice, and out come five or six bees doing that spiral flight of doom that says “LAY TRACKS BROTHER!” I departed with utmost unction and flew to the safety of Fantasyland. Finally, after slowing down and realizing the hoard of Satan was not in pursuit, I warily retraced my steps and met up with my dad about half way back who missed seeing my dance with the bees, but noticed me running hysterically and deemed it worthy of investigation. We returned to the Haunted Mansion queue (which is not nearly as fun to say as “queue caves”) and had an otherwise uneventful ride.

It was full on dark by this time and we found my mom holding down a rather impressive chunk of pavement along the parade route somewhere near the Rivers of America. We joined up with her and enjoyed the Main Street Electrical Parade. This is the only trip I can remember where I watched the parade from this area of the park. Before it was over, we hit up Big Thunder Mountain again to take advantage of the parade-reduced queue crowd. (Queue crowd isn’t as much fun to say either.)

After seeing some nifty wads of potassium nitrate, copper chloride, lithium carbonate and other various chemical combustibles propelled from steel tubes courtesy of gunpowder into the summer nighttime sky to explode into balls of flaming light, we headed back to the van boat. (AND we even took the monorail there Zzub.) BUT it took us much longer to get the TTC than it did my grandparents who took the ferry. Not to be a hater. I’m just saying. Closing time MK-TTC Monorail Ramp in the days before on-site value resorts and the much maligned, yet greatly improved bus transportation system = not so nifty.

My extended family I done had ourselves a dandy ole time in that there park y’all. At the end of the day, “The Plan” turned out to be a nifty thing and I was eager to put it to a test the next morning. Finally after years of one day MK visits, I was riding back the motel knowing that I had more park ahead. The next day was EPCOT Center day and I gotta tell you, I was pretty stoked. I had that “First day at Disney” glow. It was a fine thing.

I would have another extended stay a few years later, and well, lets just say there was no park glow on THAT first day. But that’s getting ahead of myself.

OH and I almost forgot, this day had introduced me to another first. The Brazilian tour groups. Either I just flat out hadn’t noticed them before or just didn’t time it right. But on this trip, EVERY day, in EVERY park, including our day off site, we kept crossing paths with them. It was definitely a site to behold seeing groups which appeared to number around fifty in size, all wearing identical shirts and following the guy with the hat and pennant on a stick which was the same color as the t-shirts. What we really got a kick out of were the chants, which we pretty well had memorized by the end of the week and often joined in on. It was fun to realize just how many people from all over the world treasure them some Walt Disney World Resort.

Coming up on Episode 12, The Plan Unravels and I Find a New Way to Annoy My Mother. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Click Here for The Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30321968&postcount=120)

whogirl'smom

02-13-2009, 10:27 AM

We will now call you "Dances with Bees"! Wouldn't you think the foot thing would have kept them at bay?:rotfl2:

And yay on the job!

Backstage_Gal

02-13-2009, 06:01 PM

My extended family and I (or is it me…I never can remember that rule) anyway, we’uns done had ourselves a dandy ole time in that there park y’all

Just take out the "my extended family and" and see how it reads.
So it would be I did whatever.

You're welcome!

Whogirl'sMom, Dances with Bees, LOL! :thumbsup2

daze

02-14-2009, 09:55 PM

Bisquick n' BeeDancer, another great post mi amigo. And glad to hear about the not gettting laid off thing. :thumbsup2 I been laid of before. Aint no fun, no how. :headache: And yes bees are evil, malicious, vicious, and vindictive. I swear. They are all out to get me. Lucky I'm not allergic, I just don't like getting stung. Evil, Evil Bees. :rotfl2:

GreatBiscuit

02-15-2009, 04:16 PM

We will now call you "Dances with Bees"! By the time this tale is over, there's no telling HOW many nicknames I am apt to acquire.

Just take out the "my extended family and" and see how it reads.
So it would be I did whatever.

You're welcome! Having reflected upon the merits of your linguistic suggestion, I must admit that taking that path of least resistance by means of expressing one's thought with minimal verbiage while simultaneously maintaining the inherent message and intent of the original thought process seems both rational and preferable from the paradigm of working smarter and not harder when conveying the spirit and history of past trips by means of first person narrative form and is indeed a practical approach to the creation of future episodes to which I shall attempt to conform. In short, I’ll keep it simple.

Bisquick n' BeeDancer, another great post mi amigo. And glad to hear about the not gettting laid off thing. :thumbsup2 I been laid of before. Aint no fun, no how. :headache: And yes bees are evil, malicious, vicious, and vindictive. I swear. They are all out to get me. Lucky I'm not allergic, I just don't like getting stung. Evil, Evil Bees. :rotfl2: Bee haters of the world unite.

AshClan

02-16-2009, 09:39 AM

Having reflected upon the merits of your linguistic suggestion, I must admit that taking that path of least resistance by means of expressing one's thought with minimal verbiage while simultaneously maintaining the inherent message and intent of the original thought process seems both rational and preferable from the paradigm of working smarter and not harder when conveying the spirit and history of past trips by means of first person narrative form and is indeed a practical approach to the creation of future episodes to which I shall attempt to conform. In short, I’ll keep it simple.

Okay, you weren't even up late when you posted this. What's your excuse?:rotfl2:

If you WERE (semi-)serious above, though, I am clarifying for Marita's sake, as she was not telling you to be less verbose. She was referring to the grammar rule. So if you are not clear on whether you should use "me" or "I", the way to figure it out is to remove the other subject and see what you would use. Then use THAT and add back in the other subject. Make sense? I know, not keeping it simple, and I'm not up late either :rotfl:

GreatBiscuit

02-16-2009, 12:22 PM

Okay, you weren't even up late when you posted this. What's your excuse?:rotfl2:

If you WERE (semi-)serious above, though, I am clarifying for Marita's sake, as she was not telling you to be less verbose. She was referring to the grammar rule. So if you are not clear on whether you should use "me" or "I", the way to figure it out is to remove the other subject and see what you would use. Then use THAT and add back in the other subject. Make sense? I know, not keeping it simple, and I'm not up late either :rotfl:

I'm rarely serious about anything....ESPECIALLY on the DIS...unless a good buddy get's a TR moved and locked...but i'm not going there. My ramblings above were tounge in cheek, silly nilly, attempted humor. :rolleyes1 It was my way of saying - good suggestion combined with a Wilkins Micawber tribute. As to not being up late...um....well I think there was a high pollen count or something or other. Give me a minute and I'll think of something.

I like your suggestion on removing the subject, conjugating the verb, having the subject go long, faking to the tight end, and throwing to the outside line. That's good stuff there.

And to your reason for editing, I agree. We have those nasty little red wasps here. PURE EVIL. OH and pun intended? That's just good writing right there my friend.

GreatBiscuit

02-16-2009, 07:27 PM

It’s overcast, rainy and flat out Blahsville outside today. This makes me sad and causes an uncontrollable urge to call in sick, grill a steak and watch old war movies. But alas, there are bills to pay and trips to plan so I have forced my ample derriere into action.

Before I continue, I need to print a retraction. My youngest sister Karlee was actually four years old for this trip, rather than five as previously reported. Thank you. You may now speak quietly among yourselves.

When last we parted ways, I was headed back to our pseudo-deluxe off site slumber facility, and I was looking forward to the next day’s romp through Epcot. (Or EPCOT Center as it liked to be called.) I had been eager to hit this park up for quite some time, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect going in. The guide book gave a decent overview, but I don’t think you can really appreciate Epcot until you have been there.

Have you ever tried to explain to someone who has never been to Epcot just exactly what it is? World’s Fair is an often used simile, but how many people do you know who have actually been to a World’s Fair? Theme park isn’t really an accurate description either, as it conjures up images of roller coasters and things which spin you, drop you or drench you. Epcot is unique, an island unto itself.

When I was in the fourth grade, our class was assigned a project to create a paper mache volcano. We were then going to have an “Eruption Party” during which our teacher would combine baking soda, vinegar and food coloring to cause our creations to spew out phony lava. I was one of the last students to go and was really expecting a geyser. The teacher loaded up the crater of my volcano with the baking soda, and then poured in the pink liquid. Yet instead of the explosive eruption I had hoped for, my creation oozed pink goo out of several holes all along the sides of my man-made mountain. NOTHING came out of the cone on the top.

It was a complete accident, I had forgotten to put the Styrofoam cup at the bottom of the crater, but it earned accolades from the teacher for its creativity, and she used it to show how some lava flows are different than others. I say all that to say this. Though you can look at Epcot and imagine what the result will be, it’s never quite what one expects. Not that it is bad or disappointing, it’s just different.

We arrived at the park the next morning and began the day as one large group. I had tooled “The Plan” in such a way as to keep us all together in the morning. Following the suggested touring schedule in the “Official Guide”, we entered the park and turned right, heading straight for “The Living Seas” pavilion. The only thing I really remember from this particular visit was the hydrolators. Which were cheesy, but I like cheese so it was all good.

Our next stop was “The Land”. We all went on the lovely boat ride and learned lots of strange and wonderful things about hydroponics. Having fulfilled our educational quota, we headed up to the second story of the pavilion where we would encounter the “dreaded attraction.”

My mom has deciphered my Monday / Thursday posting routine and read my last update a few minutes after it hit the boards. Her first question to me on the phone a few moments later was “How did you annoy me?” I didn’t have to give a lengthy response to jog her memory. All it took was me singing one bar. A simple, silly rhyme, with only two words repeating. Perhaps you know it. The two words are veggie and fruit. Ring a bell? Dinner bell perhaps?

No? Perhaps an AV demonstration would be in order. Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLez_BOl_bs

No sooner had I sung “Veggie fruit fruit, veggie veggie fruit fruit,” than my mother immediately remembered the song and gave me permission to cease and desist my spirited recreation. It was not that the attraction itself wasn’t entertaining. Or that the song was as irritating as that of a certain Magic Kingdom attraction. It was the memory of Pete and I singing this song incessantly which so traumatized my dear mother.

Not only did we keep up our chorus for the rest of the trip, but for the entire ride home and for several days weeks and months to follow. I don’t know what it was that was so enjoyable about crooning out this particular oration, but for whatever reason, we sang it ALL the time. Not the entire song mind you, just the little diddy I shared above. I’m afraid we drove my poor mother to distraction.

After happily making our way back to the ground level of the Land, we had a family pow-wow. It was then that “The Plan” began to unravel. I had set it up so that the more “mature” crowd would head over to World Showcase when it opened and begin touring that half of the park, while us young’uns would stick to Future World. Turns out, that not everyone saw the wisdom in my sage advice. My grandmother was tired from the day before, and decided to take my sister Karlee and cousin Marcus back to the motel for a dip in the pool. A few of the extended family wanted to head back to the Magic Kingdom, and a couple of others wanted to go shopping.

Thus perished “The Plan”

The next time you exit the Haunted Mansion, look for the gravestone which reads, “He sorted attractions for his clan, here lies Biscuit’s touring plan.”

It was a sad moment really, yet as difficult as it was to bear, there’s nothing like some Disney magic to help a fellow out. In this case, the magic was courtesy of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas who collaborated to bring us the Ultimate Cheese. (A.K.A. Captain EO…. I wonder if they have since removed that particular credit from their resumes.) What can I say about this film. This was the only time I actually watched it, so I don’t remember all of the specifics of the plot all that well. I do remember that we mocked it greatly when it was over. I’m sorry, but when one of your main characters is a piano playing blue elephant named Hooter, you can’t expect to be taken seriously. ESPECIALLY by two teenage boys.

It was kind of one of those “Good to see once” type of attractions. Unlike Universe of Energy which is one of those “Good to run screaming in the opposite direction as fast as your legs will carry you” attractions.

After our journey through musical space, (there’s just so much I could do with that phrase.) we Journeyed Into our Imaginations. Apparently my imagination includes a miniature purple dragon and a frighteningly hairy man. I haven’t ridden the new version of this attraction so I am unable to give a comparison. The old version was good, but did not imprint that much of a memory. After trying to catch the water in the jumping fountains, we headed to Communicore West and spent some time “puttering”.

It was then time to say goodbye to my new found happy place and set out to secure some sustenance. For lunch that day, we left the park and headed to a buffet somewhere in the greater Kissimmee area. Normally this would not have made an impression on me, but this particular meal would come into play when we returned to the park that evening. It would also play a major role in the events of the following day. (But that’s getting a ahead of myself.)

Coming up on Episode 13: Conquering the Classics and Biscuit has a Breakdown.

Click here for the Next Episode! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30380146&postcount=133)

Backstage_Gal

02-16-2009, 08:40 PM

By the time this tale is over, there's no telling HOW many nicknames I am apt to acquire.

Having reflected upon the merits of your linguistic suggestion, I must admit that taking that path of least resistance by means of expressing one's thought with minimal verbiage while simultaneously maintaining the inherent message and intent of the original thought process seems both rational and preferable from the paradigm of working smarter and not harder when conveying the spirit and history of past trips by means of first person narrative form and is indeed a practical approach to the creation of future episodes to which I shall attempt to conform. In short, I’ll keep it simple.

SAY What? English is my second language, you know. (OK, not for 38 years, but it always works as an excuse.

Okay, you weren't even up late when you posted this. What's your excuse?:rotfl2:

If you WERE (semi-)serious above, though, I am clarifying for Marita's sake, as she was not telling you to be less verbose. She was referring to the grammar rule. So if you are not clear on whether you should use "me" or "I", the way to figure it out is to remove the other subject and see what you would use. Then use THAT and add back in the other subject. Make sense? I know, not keeping it simple, and I'm not up late either :rotfl:

Thanks Ash! LOL!:thumbsup2

The next time you exit the Haunted Mansion, look for the gravestone which reads, “He sorted attractions for his clan, here lies Biscuit’s touring plan.”

Love it, LOL.

Thanks for the Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit link, I loved that show.

Mondays and Thursdays, GOT it! I be there.

GreatBiscuit

02-16-2009, 09:05 PM

Hey BSG! Glad you stopped by. Sorry if I sounded snarky in my previous reply...that really was not my intent at all! I was actually trying to say "I like the way you think and it makes sense to go with option C when in doubt about options A & B". I'm guilty of wonton and gatuitious, attempted yet unsuccessful, wittiness. I'm glad you enjoyed the Kitchen Cabaret memories. And yes, AC keeps me in line. Which is good. Somebody needs to. :rolleyes1 Until my next bi-weekly rant, peace out! :hippie: Take care. :flower3: And to quote Delswife, Love ya, Mean it! :love:

Backstage_Gal

02-16-2009, 09:14 PM

Hey BSG! Glad you stopped by. Sorry if I sounded snarky in my previous reply...that really was not my intent at all! I was actually trying to say "I like the way you think and it makes sense to go with option C when in doubt about options A & B" I'm glad you enjoyed the Kitchen Cabaret memories. And yes, AC keeps me honest. Which is good. Somebody needs to. :rolleyes1 Until my next bi-weekly rant, peace out! :hippie: Take care. :flower3: And to quote Delswife, Love ya, Mean it! :love:

You didnt sound snarky, it was funny.

Re LYMI: did you know Delswife has a blog? ****************** (http://******************)

OOps, let's try this ****************.blogspot.com/

Well, that didnt work either. PM me if you want the link.

carrieannie

02-16-2009, 11:47 PM

I`m in!! :banana: I followed you over from Mrstheking TR. also know you from ZZUBS.
I have lots of catching up to do. but will make it a priority. right behind making sure my 3 kids are somewhat fed and kinda clean! :lmao: keeping hubby happy? thats just a bonus for him. :rotfl2:

anywhos. I`ll read`ja soon! this is going to be fun! :goodvibes

GreatBiscuit

02-17-2009, 12:44 AM

You didnt sound snarky, it was funny.

Re LYMI: did you know Delswife has a blog? ****************** (http://******************)

OOps, let's try this ****************.blogspot.com/

Well, that didnt work either. PM me if you want the link.Whew - that's a relief....Delswife is a blogger? Seriously? I SO have to get that link. Sending out a PM shout.

I`m in!! :banana: I followed you over from Mrstheking TR. also know you from ZZUBS.
I have lots of catching up to do. but will make it a priority. right behind making sure my 3 kids are somewhat fed and kinda clean! :lmao: keeping hubby happy? thats just a bonus for him. :rotfl2:

anywhos. I`ll read`ja soon! this is going to be fun! :goodvibes
Welcome aboard! pirate: Glad to have you along for the ride. Those are some mighty big acts to follow! While I can't fill their shoes, I'll do my best to inform and entertain. Don't stay up too late. :surfweb: In fact I think I'll take my own advice and hit the proverbial hay.

PrincessV

02-17-2009, 07:49 AM

Following the suggested touring schedule in the “Official Guide”, we entered the park and turned right, heading straight for “The Living Seas” pavilion. The only thing I really remember from this particular visit was the hydrolators. Which were cheesy, but I like cheese so it was all good.
The Hydrolaters were the bomb! It was always fun to listen to our fellow passengers' comments and questions as we "descended." ;)

After our journey through musical space, (there’s just so much I could do with that phrase.) we Journeyed Into our Imaginations. Apparently my imagination includes a miniature purple dragon and a frighteningly hairy man. I haven’t ridden the new version of this attraction so I am unable to give a comparison.
Here's my view... the original JII's nostalgic popularity is purely a relative thing. It wasn't all that terrific, but in comparison to the absolute crap version shown today, it looks downright fantastic. Don't bother, is what I'm saying. :sad2:

feedthebirds

02-17-2009, 10:11 AM

Trying to catch up on your TR. Great updates.

The next time you exit the Haunted Mansion, look for the gravestone which reads, “He sorted attractions for his clan, here lies Biscuit’s touring plan.”

:lmao:

:sad2: I'm sure that was hard for you GB. I'm sure you put a lot of effort into it. Been there myself, we went as a group of 15 to DL once. Once.

...the Ultimate Cheese. (A.K.A. Captain EO…. I wonder if they have since removed that particular credit from their resumes.) What can I say about this film. This was the only time I actually watched it, so I don’t remember all of the specifics of the plot all that well. I do remember that we mocked it greatly when it was over. I’m sorry, but when one of your main characters is a piano playing blue elephant named Hooter, you can’t expect to be taken seriously. ESPECIALLY by two teenage boys.

What! Captain EO was totally awesome! Though I will agree with you on the name Hooter. I still request Captain EO on the theme park music site I visit. Nothin like 80's at Disneyland. When people wore ridiculous red and black leather type MJ outfits and a white glove. When I wore fluourescent everything. My mom's work rented the park out 7 pm-1 or 2 am for one evening every year. No lines, no crowds. We were allowed to run around the park by ourselves until they closed. Riding Space Mtn over and over again without stopping. Good times. Wow, I think I need help.:rotfl:

Yay about your job. My dh works in a call center also and we have our fingers crossed too. Mr Feedthebirds' dept had to lay off 8 people the other day. He hated doing it.

GreatBiscuit

02-17-2009, 03:12 PM

The Hydrolaters were the bomb! It was always fun to listen to our fellow passengers' comments and questions as we "descended." Here's my view... the original JII's nostalgic popularity is purely a relative thing. It wasn't all that terrific, but in comparison to the absolute crap version shown today, it looks downright fantastic. Don't bother, is what I'm saying. :sad2: Hey PV! Thanks for the warning on Journey 2.5 I heard the first update was horrific and that the update to the update was only marginally better. Still trying to decide if I actually want to give it a go this summer. It will definately be a Column B or Column C attraction. (The Plan is getting high tech this time around. :thumbsup2 )

Trying to catch up on your TR. Great updates. :sad2: I'm sure that was hard for you GB. I'm sure you put a lot of effort into it. Been there myself, we went as a group of 15 to DL once. Once. It was all good. I managed to move on with life and my immediate family stuck to the plan. (We also managed to take in the most attractions so HA to the non-believers!) What! Captain EO was totally awesome! Though I will agree with you on the name Hooter. I still request Captain EO on the theme park music site I visit. Nothin like 80's at Disneyland. When people wore ridiculous red and black leather type MJ outfits and a white glove. When I wore fluourescent everything. My mom's work rented the park out 7 pm-1 or 2 am for one evening every year. No lines, no crowds. We were allowed to run around the park by ourselves until they closed. Riding Space Mtn over and over again without stopping. Good times. Wow, I think I need help.:rotfl: Wow...that would be the most awesome office party EVER. Our last office party consisted of a potluck in the break room which we were only allowed to partake of on our lunch hour. Of course by the time my late lunch hour rolled around, the turkeys were empty carcasses and what few side dishes remained were cold and in a state of questionable consumability. (Is that a word?) Yay about your job. My dh works in a call center also and we have our fingers crossed too. Mr Feedthebirds' dept had to lay off 8 people the other day. He hated doing it. Layoffs seem to be par for the course in this line of work. Doesn't make it any easier though.

jordanyosh

02-17-2009, 03:41 PM

I'm in!

GreatBiscuit

02-18-2009, 12:32 PM

I'm in!
Howdy and welcome! :wave2: Glad to have aboard. I should have the next episode up sometime tomorrow.

NMW

02-18-2009, 02:49 PM

subscribing

GreatBiscuit

02-19-2009, 02:48 PM

subscribing

Welcome! I'm glad to have you along for this little journey. Thursday is update day so I'm off to post the next episode.

GreatBiscuit

02-19-2009, 02:49 PM

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, there was a song of annoyance, some attractions of cheese and it was the day The Plan died. We left the park (but didn’t drive our Chevy to the levy) and headed to lunch. I am unsure as to the name of the restaurant, but it was one of those all you can stuff in your gullet type places. This of course meant one thing to Pete and I – FOOD CHALLENGE!

After consuming everything in site, we waddled back to the van and returned to our “resort”. My grandparents were not interested in going back to the park that afternoon, so they kept the younger kids at the motel. This was good for us, as not having to worry about over-taxing a four year old allowed us to return sooner than we would have otherwise. We arrived back at EPCOT Center around mid-afternoon and resumed our tour of Future World. This time, we went left and began with the Universe of Energy. About all I can recall is Pete at one point screaming “I WANT OFF,” which was definitely much more entertaining than anything the attraction had to offer.

Our next stop was the Wonders of Life Pavilion. I was looking forward to this particular pavilion thanks to its advertising. The Disney Channel had been running specials on it and I was anxious to take a ride on Body Wars.

May I just mount a soap box for a moment? :mic: Am I the only one who misses the Disney Channel specials they used to run anytime a new attraction came to The World? I understand the reasoning behind having the Travel Channel do the Walt Disney World specials now, I really do. It’s substantially cheaper and easier to have someone else pay for the production costs and programming. (Plus who doesn’t love Samantha Brown?) Okay, fine. But you know what? We are not asking for a blockbuster Hollywood flick here. I’ve done video production on a budget. It’s not easy but it CAN be done. And would the world really suffer if one less re-run of Hanna Montana was run every week? Seriously. If it’s just too hard to figure out, call me. I’m sure I could persuade Philadisney and a couple of other production minded DIS’ers to team up with me, shoot it on the cheap and still make it a quality show. I am now dismounting my soapbox. Thank you for your time.

I suddenly have an odd craving for fajitas. Which has nothing to do with this TR, yet remains a fact none the less.

I seem to have been ranting again. Where was I? Oh yes, the golden dome of anatomical education. When we got in line for Body Wars, a cast member handed us a card with a time written on it and asked us to hand it to the cast member loading the ride. That’s how I came to remember that we stood in line for an hour and 20 some odd minutes. Was it worth it? Not really. But it was still an entertaining ride and I’m glad I was able to do it this once.

For me the surprise attraction of this pavilion was Cranium Command. I LOVED that show; so much so, that Pete and I went through twice. I don’t know what there was about it that was so enjoyable, it was just a fun show to watch. These are the only two attractions we actually partook of in the Wonders of Life pavilion. (On our second time through CC, my dad took Lynnlee over to the area with the sports stuff where they you did things such as riding a stationary bike “through” the Magic Kingdom and playing virtual Baseball and Golf. )

Savoring our newly acquired knowledge of the complex inner workings of the human body, we decided to check the queue for Spaceship Earth. Finding it to be acceptable, we hopped aboard and went up, down and all around. Literally.

Here’s where the buffet lunch from earlier comes into play. My parents and sister were hungry and went off in search of sustenance. Pete and I were still full from our lunch time eating marathon and decided to keep going as the lines in Future World had thinned out greatly.

We headed over to Horizons to get a glimpse of our future. It’s hard to say how much of my memory from this attraction comes from this one and only ride I took through, and how much comes from the video clips I’ve seen of it online. I DO remember the orange grove with its olfactory stimuli and that the entire thing reminded me of the exit queue for Space Mountain. (Albeit on a much grander scale.)

We next took a trip through World of Motion. I have absolute no memory of this attraction at all. The only thing I really remember was the concept car display at the end. Pete and I spent quite a bit of time in there. Long enough for my parental units and sister to finish eating, ride Horizons and join back up with us.

We decided at this point to take a gander at World Showcase and walked past Mexico to Norway. After all, we’ve been to Mexico a butt load of times and can head down for a day trip whenever we want. For reasons unknown we felt it would be a good idea to ride Maelstrom, despite it's long wait. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it was a learning experience. Overjoyed at our successful avoidance of being sucked through a watery vortex of death, we poked around the pavilion a bit. After weighing our options, we decided not to go any further. It was getting late and the fireworks would be starting soon.

As we headed back towards the iconic orb of joy, I started to get a headache. By “started” I mean I was suddenly hit with shafts of searing pain rocketing through my sun baked flesh. It was not fun. At ALL. I needed to take a break but didn’t want to alarm my mother (thus risking involuntary park departure) so I waved the family on to score a spot for fireworks and went to get a drink. I wound up in a restaurant in Communicore West which was either Pasta Piazza or Sunshine Terrace. (I’m not sure what it was called at the time, but it had Pizza so I’m guessing the former …which was actually the latter occupant of said location…if that makes sense, you should seek medical attention.)

I expected to have a short wait due to the time of day, but as luck would have it, I wound up in line behind……you guessed it a Brazilian Tour group. (And as near as I could tell it was the same one we had encountered twice the day before.) It was kind of funny because everyone ahead of me ordered their drinks without ice. I always find it fascinating to see the differences between cultures. When I went on a missions trip to central Mexico, the nationals thought it was hilarious that we Americans sprinkled sugar on our strawberries at breakfast at our hotel.

My original intent was to just get a drink and sit for a few minutes, but as soon as I smelled the pizza, my stomach nearly crawled through my belly button and leapt onto the counter. I hadn’t thought about being hungry, but when I did the math, it had been over 8 hours since lunch and I’d been walking in the Florida summertime heat all day. When my “It’s a Small World” moment was finally over, I told the cast member at the counter to give me the biggest drink they had, WITH ICE, and some of that heavenly smelling pizza. (I think they talked me into some sort of combo that had bread and salad, but I could be mistaken.)

I carried my tray to an empty table, took a hearty swig of soda, and took a bite of the pizza. Stars began to shine above my head. My taste buds danced in perfect harmony around on my tongue. A shaft of light beamed onto my table and a chorus of angels began to sing. To this very day I remember that moment as the BEST pizza I have ever had in my life. Having since had time to analyze the situation, I am fairly certain that it was the extreme hunger and fatigue that made it so yummy. No doubt if I were offered the same slice today, it wouldn’t be nearly as glorious as it was then. But on that night and in that moment, I was experiencing pure culinary bliss.

By the time I was done eating, my headache was gone and I was once again strong like bull. I walked outside and headed towards our pre-arranged meeting spot and the fireworks started as I was about half way back to the lagoon. I finally located the rest of my clan and watched the closing show.

All in all this had been a great day. Though different from what I thought it would be, I still really enjoyed EPCOT Center. Like my first visit to the Magic Kingdom, I had managed to take in several attractions which are no more. The original Living Seas, Kitchen Cabaret, Captain EO, the original Journey, Communicore, Universe of Energy 1.0, Body Wars, Cranium Command, Horizons, World of Motion and the original Spaceship Earth. Since then, EVERY pavilion in Future World has changed. Which is really how I think Walt wanted it to be. I’m glad I experienced those attractions and I enjoyed them greatly. But I’m also looking forward to this summer because in way, it will be like visiting EPCOT for the very first time.

If you infer from my last statement that this was my one and only romp through this park, you would be MOSTLY correct. There was a momentary walk through on trip six. But only one pavilion was visited and as it would turn out, it would lead to my WORST Walt Disney World memory of all time. But that’s getting ahead of myself.

We exited the park and headed back the van boat. (I THINK this was the night that none of us could remember where we parked and much aimless wandering ensued.) Finally reunited with our vehicle, we returned to the motel. The next day was our non-park day, but it was definitely not going to be lacking in adventure. If you are still wondering how the lunch buffet once again came into play, well, you’ll just have to tune in Monday to find out.

Coming up on Episode 14 - Guaranteed Prizes

Hah! Fooled you. Next episode is actually a Mini-Sode - Assault in the Magic Kingdom.

Click here to be taken to the next Episode...Mini-sode...whatver (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30401174&postcount=142)

Pinkpony

02-19-2009, 07:47 PM

Hey, Biscuit - I'm thoroughly enjoying your trip through memory lane. You're hilarious!:goodvibes

Pink

bedillamouse

02-19-2009, 08:32 PM

Yea another update!! I had a similar experience with food once...I was given a ham sandwich (bread and 2 slices of ham) at the hospital after the birth of our first child (yep hospital food!). I had not eaten for almost 20 hours (I don't count an IV as eating) and when they gave me that sandwich...Holy Cow (or pig as it may be) it still sits in my mind as the best sandwich I have ever eaten! :confused3 My DH and sister both swear it was stale and the ham was questionable but I was in LOVE!!!

And just so you know...I wish the Disney Chanel would do more park items too...The Suite Life and Miss Montana are so overly done!!! Even my 4 year old will say...what the suite life again mommy?? Now that's bad coming from a child who has watched the Lilo & Stitch movie so much that the DVD is getting worn out.

popcorn::waiting to see what happens next!!

Backstage_Gal

02-19-2009, 09:08 PM

Another great update, GB!

I can imagine 2 teenage boys running around having fun.

I will give you my history, if I may.

Back in 1980 or so, I was tagged to be Supervisor of Capital Assets. You know, record assets on the books, blah blah, boring stuff. But Epcot was on the horfizon and happened. Lots of millions of dollars worth of assets to be recorded on the books with original cost and estimated life and all that stuff. It was a HUGE task, HUGE I tell you.

I walked Epcot when it was under construction, in piles of sand with a hard hat. I noticed our partners in Property Control putting asset tags on the front of fancy show equipment in the France dining room (you DO NOT put Asset tags in view of guests). I jumped over water somewhere, some attraction. I dont remember where.

I walked in World Showcase with the VP of Tax before the opening. Everything was brand new. The walkways were bright pink. Or rose color if you prefer. There was nobody around. Just Jose and me, LOL.

They had a huge party for salaried CM's before the official opening. This was in the days before they cut out the alcohol for just about everything. So it was unlimited food and wine and drink. I remember it was a very rainy night. DH and I walked around with a BIG red umbrella. They had food and drink stations set up all over the place. I got rather plastered. :rolleyes:

There was a big ceremony on opening day. I was too ignorant or shy to ask if I could go as a guest since I was so involved in the project. So I signed up to be in the opening show. So I dressed up in some silver outfit and stood on a wall in front of Spaceship Earth holding balloons. ( I assumed I released them on que, but I dont remember).

Sorry, back to your regularly scheduled trip down memory lane now....

whogirl'smom

02-20-2009, 10:47 AM

It's great to hear about the original attractions and rides in FW; it was a totally different park, wasn't it? I must be older than you, or we didn't have cable beyond the 12 channels when I would have been Disney Channel age. I think I was probably in college before my parents splurged for the "deluxe" channels like MTV. I remember watching the contest where people sent in their own videos for Madonna's True Blue video for hours while I studied for some exam. That would have been about 1986 I think.

Marita, I loved your trip down memory lane, too. It's wonderful that you have the perspective of being there from it's tiny beginnings!

DisneyNutMary

02-20-2009, 11:01 AM

More, more, more

Pleasepopcorn::

PrincessV

02-20-2009, 03:01 PM

For me the surprise attraction of this pavilion was Cranium Command. I LOVED that show; so much so, that Pete and I went through twice. I don’t know what it was about it that was so enjoyable, it was just a fun show to watch.
::yes:: It was hysterical!

We headed over to Horizons to get a glimpse of our future. It’s hard to say how much of my memory from this attraction comes from this one and only ride I took through, and how much comes from the video clips I’ve seen of it online. I DO remember the orange grove with its olfactory stimuli and that the entire thing reminded me of the exit queue for Space Mountain. (Albeit on a much grander scale.)
Oh, how I miss Horizons! I liked being able to pick your place to live at the end. And I agree - it totally reminded me of the SM exit.

I wound up in a restaurant in Communicore West which was either Pasta Piazza or Sunshine Terrace. (I’m not sure what it was called at the time, but it had Pizza so I’m guessing the former
After reading your food description, I'd have to agree. It may indeed have been enhanced by your state of imminent starvation, but Pasta Piazza served some GOOD pizza! :thumbsup2
…which was actually the latter occupant of said location…if that makes sense, you should seek medical attention.)
Ooops. :blush:

GreatBiscuit

02-20-2009, 03:06 PM

Hey, Biscuit - I'm thoroughly enjoying your trip through memory lane. You're hilarious!:goodvibes

Pink
Thanks and welcome! Glad to have you here!

Yea another update!! I had a similar experience with food once...I was given a ham sandwich (bread and 2 slices of ham) at the hospital after the birth of our first child (yep hospital food!). I had not eaten for almost 20 hours (I don't count an IV as eating) and when they gave me that sandwich...Holy Cow (or pig as it may be) it still sits in my mind as the best sandwich I have ever eaten! :confused3 My DH and sister both swear it was stale and the ham was questionable but I was in LOVE!!!

And just so you know...I wish the Disney Chanel would do more park items too...The Suite Life and Miss Montana are so overly done!!! Even my 4 year old will say...what the suite life again mommy?? Now that's bad coming from a child who has watched the Lilo & Stitch movie so much that the DVD is getting worn out.

popcorn::waiting to see what happens next!! Glad to know I'm not the only one with hunger induced food euphoria. As to Suite Life...I fell your pain.

Another great update, GB!

I can imagine 2 teenage boys running around having fun.

I will give you my history, if I may.

Back in 1980 or so, I was tagged to be Supervisor of Capital Assets. You know, record assets on the books, blah blah, boring stuff. But Epcot was on the horfizon and happened. Lots of millions of dollars worth of assets to be recorded on the books with original cost and estimated life and all that stuff. It was a HUGE task, HUGE I tell you.

I walked Epcot when it was under construction, in piles of sand with a hard hat. I noticed our partners in Property Control putting asset tags on the front of fancy show equipment in the France dining room (you DO NOT put Asset tags in view of guests). I jumped over water somewhere, some attraction. I dont remember where.

I walked in World Showcase with the VP of Tax before the opening. Everything was brand new. The walkways were bright pink. Or rose color if you prefer. There was nobody around. Just Jose and me, LOL.

They had a huge party for salaried CM's before the official opening. This was in the days before they cut out the alcohol for just about everything. So it was unlimited food and wine and drink. I remember it was a very rainy night. DH and I walked around with a BIG red umbrella. They had food and drink stations set up all over the place. I got rather plastered. :rolleyes:

There was a big ceremony on opening day. I was too ignorant or shy to ask if I could go as a guest since I was so involved in the project. So I signed up to be in the opening show. So I dressed up in some silver outfit and stood on a wall in front of Spaceship Earth holding balloons. ( I assumed I released them on que, but I dont remember).

Sorry, back to your regularly scheduled trip down memory lane now....
Okay, this was just flat out AWESOME! How cool is it that you were there for the birth of Epcot?
It's great to hear about the original attractions and rides in FW; it was a totally different park, wasn't it? I must be older than you, or we didn't have cable beyond the 12 channels when I would have been Disney Channel age. I think I was probably in college before my parents splurged for the "deluxe" channels like MTV. I remember watching the contest where people sent in their own videos for Madonna's True Blue video for hours while I studied for some exam. That would have been about 1986 I think.

Marita, I loved your trip down memory lane, too. It's wonderful that you have the perspective of being there from it's tiny beginnings! I'm not sure how we lucked out on the Disney Channel. When we moved from West Texas to Central Texas Disney was a premium, pay extra channel, but in our old town it was included in basic cable. Fortunately after about 3-4 months of doing without, my parents had us upgraded. GO MOM & DAD!
:cheer2:
More, more, more

Pleasepopcorn::
I'm preparring an unscheduled minisode even as we speak.

GreatBiscuit

02-20-2009, 03:12 PM

Oh, how I miss Horizons! I liked being able to pick your place to live at the end. And I agree - it totally reminded me of the SM exit.

After reading your food description, I'd have to agree. It may indeed have been enhanced by your state of imminent starvation, but Pasta Piazza served some GOOD pizza! :thumbsup2

Ooops. :blush:

Look at you slipping in a post while I was multi-quoting. I'm glad it wasn't just me who got the Horizons/SM comparisson. And I'm glad to know that Pasta Piazza truly had non-starvation cullinary merit.

GreatBiscuit

02-20-2009, 03:16 PM

I was reading some of the final thoughts and comments on Mrs. The King’s “Sweet Mother of Fudge” trip report, and re-reading a couple of her posts. It’s hands down one of the funniest TR’s I’ve ever read. If you haven’t yet checked it out you need to. (Click Here, I’ll wait for you to get back.) (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1899615)

While deep in a fit of laughter over the escapades of the Jiggler, a memory was jarred loose from the deep recesses of my brain. I recalled an incident that happened on our first morning at the Magic Kingdom. I am therefore endorsing Sweet Mother Of Fudge as a proven cure for stress induced amnesia.

As you may recall, our first morning was spent in the Magic Kingdom. This was also the day of the dreaded “Alice Hugger” incident. As it turned out, I was not the only member of our group to experience a trauma that morning. My mother had her own encounter in Tomorrowland. Actually encounter is not the right word; assault would be more like it. (Yes Mom, I’m telling THAT story. Sorry, but in the name of historical accuracy, it MUST be included.)

At some point that morning, Pete and I encountered my parents as they were coming out of an attraction. We were all heading to the Tomorrowland Speedway and decided to join forces for the journey. I do not recall the exact layout of the queue, but I remember at one point you went through a turnstile. (Why I don’t know…it seemed a bit random to me, but whatever.)

All of us navigated this particular road hazard without incident…all except for my mother. My dad was in front of her and after he went through, he seemed to be moving forward so she followed. Just as she was in the middle of the turnstile, he stopped short, leaving her about a 6 inch clearance on the other side. She made it through and managed to stop, but the spinner thingy (that’s a technical term you know) on the turnstile kept going. It snapped back around with a fairly substantial amount of force and connected squarely with her…..um…..well to use a previously cited metaphor….her Jiggler. (Kudos to Mrs. The King for the metaphor.)

The effect of the impact was fairly profound and knocked my poor mother forward directly into my dad, who luckily was holding the rail. He turned around to see why my mom had felt the sudden urge for a piggyback ride, and knew by her face she was in physical distress. Having been witness to the incident, I filled him in as my mom was pretty much unable to communicate coherently for a few minutes.

She was a trooper though and still rode with my sister on the mini-cars. I can’t however testify that she was actually fully seated for it. I did not personally witness the aftermath. (Thank you LORD for my own room!) I have however been told that there was significant bruising. (Poor Mom!) She was pretty well sore for the rest of week and my dad felt like a horses pituty. (Even though it wasn’t technically his fault, he still felt REALLY bad.)

We can look back now on that moment and give a good hearted laugh. Well, I can anyway cause it wasn’t my keester getting assailed by a random turnstile. As to whether my mom can look back an laugh, well, if I don’t post on Monday, pray for me. Have a great weekend. (And go read Mrs. The King’s TR…you’ll be glad you did!)

Coming up on Episode 14 - Guranteed Prizes!

Click here for the Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30463094&postcount=149)

KittyKat08

02-20-2009, 03:55 PM

Finally I have caught up on your TR. I must say your writing is fantastic and I'm sooooo enjoying every last word.

Keep up the fantastic work. :thumbsup2

Backstage_Gal

02-20-2009, 06:20 PM

Oh no, your poor mother!

burly

02-21-2009, 01:58 PM

I second that. go. read. her. trip. report.
And we wait patiently for more biscuit greatness.....:surfweb:

AshClan

02-21-2009, 06:58 PM

:scared1:

Your poor mother, indeed!

And thanks for the reminder, I have been meaning to get over the Mrs. The King's TR and never have the time. I am going to make the time right now (well, probably tomorrow too. Don't know that I can do it all in one sitting.....)

whogirl'smom

02-21-2009, 09:26 PM

Amazing what powers the Jiggler has...

GreatBiscuit

02-23-2009, 01:06 PM

Finally I have caught up on your TR. I must say your writing is fantastic and I'm sooooo enjoying every last word.

Keep up the fantastic work. :thumbsup2
I don’t know whether to offer congratulations or condolences! Either way, I'm glad you made it back this way, and thanks for your kind words.

Oh no, your poor mother! People used to say that all the time when I was growing up. Now they say "Your poor wife!" I don't get it.

I second that. go. read. her. trip. report.
And we wait patiently for more biscuit greatness.....:surfweb:
Hurray - More MTK kudos! Thanks for your compliment -there is more in store later today.

:scared1:

Your poor mother, indeed!

And thanks for the reminder, I have been meaning to get over the Mrs. The King's TR and never have the time. I am going to make the time right now (well, probably tomorrow too. Don't know that I can do it all in one sitting.....) Hey AC! You will not be disappointed!

Amazing what powers the Jiggler has... It's like the force...or the Schwartz.

More to come later! Including an unfortuante incident over the weekend that resulted in a visit to the ER for yours truly, and a lesson on the joys of Vicodin.

GreatBiscuit

02-23-2009, 09:01 PM

So shortly after posting the preceding Mini-Sode, I had the following conversation via text message with my mom.

GB – I posted a new episode…don’t hate me

MOM - Do I need to hate you

GB – It’s stars your butt…remember the turnstile?

MOM – Did you create any graphics?

GB- Nope

MOM – Okay then.

After reading, she said it made her hurt all over again and gave her an overwhelming urge to smack my father. He of course cried foul and advised the statute of limitations has expired on this particular transgression.

So began my weekend, and what an interesting weekend it turned out to be. Saturday was your normal run of the mill, clean the house type of day. We were supposed to go eat with some friends, so after getting our humble abode put back in order, I hopped in the shower for a quick hose-down.

That decision led me to discover three things.
1. When exiting the shower, you should always LOOK to see where the rug is, rather than just stepping down where you THINK the rug is.
2. A concussion is only “minor” when it happens to someone else.
3. Vicodin apparently makes me extremely entertaining.

Here’s how it went down…or more appropriately, how I went down. When my foot hit the floor, instead of the nice fuzzy, non-slippery rug I was expecting, I instead hit the smooth, flat, slicker than snot on a doorknob linoleum. This would have been manageable if my foot had simply slid a little ways. That would have at least been recoverable. Instead, I had one of those booth feet off the floor, 4.7 on the richter scale, bone jarring, I’m about to die wipeouts.

My wife witnessed the incident and thought I had injured my leg. (The one that still happened to be ½ way in the tub.) At that point, my leg was the least of my concerns. As I hit the ground, I fell backwards and smacked the back of my head on the door. HARD. You know when they show cartoon characters seeing stars over their heads and you think somebody made that up? Let me tell you, there’s truth in that there visualization.

A variety of things then began to present themselves, dizziness, light sensitivity, nausea, and the most fun of them all, the “Traveling” headache. Although I bumped the back of my head, it was throbbing on the front and side. I managed to make myself socially descent, and then my wife drove me to the ER.

After getting my head examined, (something I’ve been told I needed to do for years) the ER doc told me I had a “Mild Concussion” and gave me two Vicodin. He then did the unthinkable by telling me I needed to stay awake for awhile, and that when I went to bed that night, to wake up every 2 hours. Can I just say that these two actions were mutually exclusive. Have you ever tried to stay awake after taking two Vicodin? It’s like trying to get the Jello you just molded back into powder form. I don’t remember a lot of what happened that night, but I’ve been told I stared blankly for quite a bit, and at some point left a rather amusing voice mail for my pastor. (Who said had he not seen me at the ER, he would have sworn I was drunk off my rocker.)

And so here I am, pretty well recovered, mostly whole and hopefully coherent. But if something sounds off the wall, just bear with me. I’ll fix it later when I review. Speaking of reviewing, when I reviewed this thread, I see that prior to my mini-flashback, I alluded to the fact that our off site lunch on Epcot Center day would significantly impact our touring plan for day three. Here is how that all came about. Stationed outside the restaurant was a podium with signs stating “Free Walt Disney World Passes! Free Sea World Passes! Free Medieval Times Passes!” Now free is a word that commands attention so we went to check it out.

Turns out it was for a time share in Orlando. The moment they said that, I knew we were going. My dad LOVES to tour timeshares. Not to purchase mind you, but to prove the sales folks wrong. Remember how my dad teaches math right? As part of that whole generation skipping math gene, he inherited the ability to perform fairly complex calculations in his head. (He’s a hoot at parties let me tell you!) Nothing can put a smile on his face faster than getting to the end of the sales presentation and proving that what they just said is not “entirely accurate.”

Over the years, my folks have amassed a fairly impressive array of time share prizes. (Our first ever, family VCR came from a time share in San Antonio.) This particular joint required you to pick your GURANTEED prize when you signed up, so we elected for the free tickets to Medieval Times. The podium man scheduled us from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM the following morning. They were going to provide breakfast and told us to bring our swim suits to try out the pool. As our current swimming facilities were little more than a concrete pot, we were thrilled at the prospect.

The next day, we left bright and early and headed over the resort. Breakfast was buffet style and the best we had the whole trip. While the grownups watched a video on the joys of timeshare ownership, we young ‘uns suited up and hit the pool. It was a REALLY nice pool too. What impressed me the most was that they actually had a guy poolside playing a Caribbean steel drum. (One of the few times I’ve actually heard one live.)

After our swim, we re-joined our parents and our official resort guide (a.k.a. Sales Dude) and headed off in one of those Fantasy Island, extended cab golf carts. Pete and I of course spent the entire journey yelling “De plane boss, de plane!” We journeyed all around the property and then went to see our “Future Unit”. We really hammed it up too, picking out “our rooms” and commenting on every little detail. We also confused our guide greatly by introducing Pete (who if you recall is Asian) as my twin brother.

Finally it was time to head back to the office to “run some numbers”. We all smiled knowingly, because we knew what was coming next. After spending quite a bit of time embellishing the benefits of buying into our “Future Unit”, our salesman finally came up with a figure that we were “sure to agree” was and absolute bargain and even cheaper than regular vacationing.

That was my dad’s cue, the moment he had been waiting for. He leaned forward, tapped the desk looked over his glasses at the paper and said “Well, actually, that number is not quite right.” Sales Dude countered, “Oh I assure, we’ve double checked these numbers.” To which my father, having properly laid the bait and waited on a strike, proceeded to set the hook. He leaned back and replied, "Yes, but financed over X number of years at Y percent interest compounded annually, added to the annual maintenance fee and application fee brings the total price to: $$$, which divided over X number of years in the contract comes to $$ per year which when divided by the maximum allowed nights per year comes out to $ per night which is Z times higher than the staying in hotel T.” By this time, Sales Dude’s jaw was near his knees. My dad then gave the desk a little knock and said “Well, if you’ll go get our tickets, we’ll be on our way” Having thus fully dispatched and field dressed his prey, Dad crossed his arms and grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

Sales Dude then excused himself and went to fetch our prizes. This not being my dad’s first rodeo, he knew that Sales Dude would not actually come back with tickets, but instead would send in Manager Guy. Before long, Manager Guy came confidently strolling in and shook everyone’s hand. If you were in Orlando in 1990 and were unable to buy hair gel or Polo Cologne, you can blame Manager Guy. I think he bought up the city’s entire supply.

Having introduced himself to the Biscuit clan, he started by saying “I understand there was some confusion about the sales price of your “Future Unit.” Dad, smiled and said “There sure was, you really ought to re-train that guy.” The battle was on. We watched as they went back and forth for a few minutes and finally my dad asked for piece of paper. I knew at that point the end would be near. After proving on paper that he was indeed correct, my Dad again repeated his favorite time share line. “Well, if you’ll go get our prize, we’ll be on our way”

Up until this point Manager Guy had kept his cool, but his color had been slowly changing during the written portion of the lesson. It was at this point that he lost his cool and virtually shouted “This will be the last time you EVER get to participate in a time share sales presentation in the state of Florida. We are putting you on a banned list and you will never again have this opportunity. To which my dad replied, “Oh, that’s okay, I’ve seen about all I want to see anyway.” Manager Guy wasn’t sure how to respond to that, and left. A few min later he brought us our four tickets and told us he had just added us to the blacklist and we shouldn’t bother trying to sing up for another time share tour any where in the state of Florida.

We thanked him and hit to road, tickets to that night’s entertainment in hand. As it would turn out, Manager Guy apparently put my parents on the wrong list. Not only were they invited to DOZENS of other time shares in Florida in the months after that trip, but they received multiple invitations back to the same resort.

We all packed back into the van-boat, gave Pop accolades for his superior mathematical prowess, and headed off to meet our kinfolks for lunch. I was pretty excited about getting to head to Medieval Times that night. Unfortunately in my excitement, I had one MINOR lapse in memory which would threaten to not only ruin the night, but also to end our entire trip.

Coming up on Episode 15 – WARNING! Visiting the OTHER Castle may be hazardous to your health!

Click here to be taken to the next episode. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30519296&postcount=159)

Backstage_Gal

02-23-2009, 10:06 PM

Vexorg

02-24-2009, 03:09 AM

A little bit of math can be a dangerous thing...

AshClan

02-24-2009, 07:58 AM

Okay, that was a GREAT chapter. I LOLed many times. I am ashamed to admit that the first laugh was during the concussion story. I know. That was insensitive of me. But, admit it, you, too, have laughed at the foibles of others once or twice. Haven't you? I am sorry for your pain, and for the drunk dial to your pastor. I am also glad that you are feeling better and suffered no major, life-altering injuries. Maybe you should look into a bigger bathroom rug. Just sayin'

Kudos to your Dad. To the best of my recollection, we've been to four timeshare presentations. We bought twice. Does that make us suckers? I will say that the first was really cheap and we've more than gotten our money's worth already. And the second was DVC. So I hope that exonerates me.;) If not, well, I'll try to feel dumb as I lounge in our two-bedroom at the Boardwalk in April......

PrincessV

02-24-2009, 09:04 AM

Have you ever tried to stay awake after taking two Vicodin?
No, but I sure do know of what you write... after slipping me two Percosets after delivering my DS, the nurse told me to wake HIM up every 3 hours to eat! :eek: Good thing Leo was both a good eater and good sleeper from Day 1. ;)

We also confused our guide greatly by introducing Pete (who if you recall is Asian) as my twin brother.
:rotfl2:

A few min later he brought us our four tickets and told us he had just added us to the blacklist and we shouldn’t bother trying to sing up for another time share tour any where in the state of Florida.
For real - does such a thing exist?!

As it would turn out, Manager Guy apparently put my parents on the wrong list. Not only were they invited to DOZENS of other time shares in Florida in the month after that trip, but they received multiple invitations back to the same resort.
:lmao: Love it!

Coming up on Episode 15 – WARNING! Visiting the OTHER Castle may be hazardous to your health!
popcorn::

whogirl'smom

02-25-2009, 09:18 AM

This was the first time share presentation I've been to that was actually fun! :lmao:

So sorry about your head! Your writing is still top notch, though, so all must be well. :headache: Dh stepped off the back of his truck last week and tore a calf muscle and fractured his fibula. Two ER visits later...he still has to wait till tomorrow to see the orthopedist. Good times!

GreatBiscuit

02-25-2009, 05:36 PM

WOW, am I first again????? Looking around..............

First off, so sorry about your slip and fall. OUCH!! But you seem to functioning well.

Props to your dad on the timeshare stuff :thumbsup2

I remember going to one in the 70' . in Daytona. Our big prize was a screen you could tape over the TV to make it bigger. Which of course never worked.

Another great one, GB! You win first poster braggin' rights again! WOOHOO! I remember seeing adds for one of those TV magnifier doo-hickey devices in the back of Popular Science. (Yeah I know…I just upped my geek factor…but it’s all good!.)

A little bit of math can be a dangerous thing... Too true.

Okay, that was a GREAT chapter. I LOLed many times. I am ashamed to admit that the first laugh was during the concussion story. I know. That was insensitive of me. But, admit it, you, too, have laughed at the foibles of others once or twice. Haven't you? I am sorry for your pain, and for the drunk dial to your pastor. I am also glad that you are feeling better and suffered no major, life-altering injuries. Maybe you should look into a bigger bathroom rug. Just sayin' I do look back now and laugh much at my unfortunate incident. Nothing left over now, save for a mild headache that comes and goes.

Kudos to your Dad. To the best of my recollection, we've been to four timeshare presentations. We bought twice. Does that make us suckers? I will say that the first was really cheap and we've more than gotten our money's worth already. And the second was DVC. So I hope that exonerates me.;) If not, well, I'll try to feel dumb as I lounge in our two-bedroom at the Boardwalk in April......
I’m not anti time share at all. And I don’t view DVC in the same light as some of the more questionable resorts we’ve been to. From what I hear, they avoid hard sales and bait and switch prize gimmicks. If I lived within a one day driving distance, I have a feeling I’d be shelling out some DVC dough myself.

No, but I sure do know of what you write... after slipping me two Percosets after delivering my DS, the nurse told me to wake HIM up every 3 hours to eat! :eek: Good thing Leo was both a good eater and good sleeper from Day 1. ;) LOL! I guess we can’t hold our narcotic pain killers!

For real - does such a thing exist?!
Apparently not, but we still joke about it often.

This was the first time share presentation I've been to that was actually fun! :lmao: Glad you Enjoyed it!

So sorry about your head! Your writing is still top notch, though, so all must be well. :headache: Dh stepped off the back of his truck last week and tore a calf muscle and fractured his fibula. Two ER visits later...he still has to wait till tomorrow to see the orthopedist. Good times! OH NO! Poor DH! That’s gotta hurt like a mug. The only time I’ve had anything broken was a couple of years back when I fell while hanging some sort of artsy-fartsy Sand and Water Table Center sign in my wife’s classroom. I landed on my elbow and wound up with a compression fracture. It still hurts just to think about it.

Well that’s all for now! Thanks for reading everyone. I’ll be back manana with yet another episode.

burly

02-26-2009, 12:13 PM

WAIT! There is another castle? I love castles, where is it, is it big, pretty, old, rotty? :confused3
Very entertaining my friend, very.:cool1:

daze

02-26-2009, 01:18 PM

I'll admit I LOL'd at you falling an' bustin' your head. And at you drunk dialing your pastor. (But I only laughed cuz you're ok now. So that makes it all right) I love the idea of the timeshare blacklist. Now I have to go see if I can get on it.
daze

GreatBiscuit

02-26-2009, 06:18 PM

WAIT! There is another castle? I love castles, where is it, is it big, pretty, old, rotty? :confused3
Very entertaining my friend, very.:cool1:
Big? Check.
Pretty? On the inside anyway.
Old? Not really.
Rotty? Depends on how close you are to the stables.

Glad you are enjoying the show!
I'll admit I LOL'd at you falling an' bustin' your head. And at you drunk dialing your pastor. (But I only laughed cuz you're ok now. So that makes it all right) I love the idea of the timeshare blacklist. Now I have to go see if I can get on it.
daze

It's okay, I laugh at myself on a regular basis. Which can be a bit disconcerting to those around me. Good luck on joining the blacklist!

GreatBiscuit

02-26-2009, 06:19 PM

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure: Time shares were toured, free tickets were procured and I sang a rendition of “I Busted My Biscuit on the Bathroom Floor.” After leaving the time share, we grabbed some chow and explored kuh-SIM-ee. (Which was still a hoot to say.) After stopping at several of the tourist trap souvenir shops, we spent a couple of hours in Old Town. (I voted for Xanadu, but was overruled by sisters & parental units.)

By that time, Karlee had reached the end of her energy reserve and she went to take a nap in my grandparents room. My grandparents were then going to take the little ones out to eat and bring them back to the motel to swim. The rest of us had a few moments to kill before heading to Medieval Times. For reasons I can’t fully explain, I decided to change from shorts into jeans for the evening. (After all, that’s how we Texans get gussied up you know.) Apparently my mind was elsewhere because in my haste to change I forgot to transfer a key piece of hardware into the pocket of my jeans.

And now for an intra-flashback flashback. Three years earlier the extended clan had come to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving dinner. The day after Thanksgiving, we men folk went to play a round of golf. We headed out early because it was supposed to be warm that morning, but a cold front was headed south and expected my mid-day. Apparently several people had the same idea and it took much longer to get through the course than we had anticipated. During the last 60 minutes or so, the cold front hit and the temps dropped around 20 degrees. This sudden shift in temperature, combined with walking / outdoor allergens triggered an asthma attack. I did not have my inhaler with me, so by the time I got home and took it, I was playing catch up.

I did okay through the weekend, and all would have been well. However, on Sunday evening, we were invited to someone’s house and unbeknownst to us, they had a cat. I have since learned that cats are my number one allergy trigger. (Courtesy of a truly lovely skin prick test.) The fearsome feline was out of sight for the first hour, but by then it was too late.

Since I was already having problems, this sent me over the top. The next morning I was first in line at the doctor’s office. He did the standard 1980’s asthma triage – adrenalin shot and breathing treatment. He then listened to my chest, frowned, and pulled the “emergency” cord, summoning several nurses. I had another shot of something and one more breathing treatment. He then listened to my chest again and asked my mom to step outside. A few moments later, they came back in, and the doc called the hospital and advised them he was admitting a patient.

I spent the next five days in the hospital dealing with asthma that turned into pneumonia. It was joyful way to spend the week after Thanksgiving, let me tell you. By the time it was all said and done, I was unable to return to school until a few days before Christmas break.

I said all that to say this. From that time forward, I never went ANYWHERE without carrying my inhaler in my pocket. But on that fateful night, in my haste to head out the door, I forgot to grab it out of my shorts pocket when I changed. Those of you familiar with Medieval Times no doubt already know where this is going.

We arrived at the other castle a bit early as we needed to secure one more ticket. (Manager Guy only graced us with four and our party consisted of my two parents, my sister Lynnlee, Pete and myself.) After spending some time looking around the outside, we were finally admitted. I have to tell you that in a perfect world, you would have the inside of the Medieval Times Castle combined with the outside of Cinderella’s Castle. It was way nifty cool in there. We wandered around for a while, soaking it all up. At some point we were given our crowns (it may have been when we walked in, I can’t remember) and discovered we would be cheering for the Blue Knight.

While waiting to be admitted to the arena, we suddenly heard a familiar chant. “Bra-Zee, Bra-Zee, Bra-Zee!” Turns out three Brazilian tour groups had found their way over the other castle as well. It really is a small world after all!

Eventually we were seated in the arena and once dinner was served, we commenced to chowing down. I have to say I was mighty impressed by the lack of silverware and petitioned the court to institute a similar policy at home. Food wise, two things stick out from this meal. The chicken was mighty tasty and the dipping sauce for the appetizers was fantabulistic.

The tournament was soon off and running and everything went pretty well for a while. It was during the joust however, that things began to go awry. The running horses were stirring up quite a cloud of dust and before long, I realized that my lungs were beginning the opening stanza of an asthmatic symphony. No problem I’ll just use my handy dandy in-Halo-Dolly! My pocket’s empty! DOH! Don’t panic. Panic bad, calm good. I will not wind up in the hospital. I do NOT want to leave early. Our vacation is NOT over. Be calm. Find something to focus on…the food will do. Focus on the food. Be one with the chicken.

Having gained a fairly good understanding of managing my asthma after my hospitalization, I had learned that caffeine can buy you some time when your inhaler is out of hand. I flagged down our winch (Medieval Time’s word for their servers, not mine,) and explained the situation and requested hot tea post haste! (Hot caffeine works the best, but I HATED Coffee…still not my fav.) They only had ICED tea so I updated my order. She returned with a pitcher fairly quickly and I started chugging iced tea like a madman.

It actually did help and our server was great. She returned to the table several times and kept the pitcher full. Thus stabilized, I continued to enjoy the grandeur of the show. We cheered on our knight on, but alas victory was not ours. I can’t remember who won, but I think it was the Black and White knight.

I made it through the meal intact and upon reaching our motel, I found my puffer and I inhaled. (So many jokes are running through my mind right now.) It was then that I discovered chugging copious amounts of iced tea results in two side effects. The first I need not mention, the second is that it makes sleep difficult. Adding Albuterol to the mix only adds fuel to the flames. To my knowledge I never fell asleep that night.

Pete and I stayed up late playing spades and being our normal obnoxious selves. Eventually he crashed and I sat up reading for a LONG time. If I did ever doze, it was a light dreamless sleep. That night seemed like it drug on FOREVER. On the bright side, I made as serious dent in my book. (I THINK I was reading The Renegades of Pern as I was huge into the series and it had come out the previous fall. It was either that or Dragsondawn.)

Speaking of dawn, the morning sunlight eventually began to stream through the window so I got ready for the day. I was really tired, but this was the day we were slated to visit the Disney MGM studios and nothing was going to keep me from enjoying it. NOTHING I TELL YOU!

Coming up on Episode 16 – Making a Deal and Living a Dream. (Just four episodes left for trip number 4. Then we start production on trips with pictures. WOOOOOOOOHOOOOTENANNY! )

Click here to be taken to the next episode! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30594514&postcount=174)

Mrs. The King

02-26-2009, 07:46 PM

“I Busted My Biscuit on the Bathroom Floor.”

:rotfl:

(I voted for Xanadu, but was overruled by sisters & parental units.)

Thank Heavens!!!

The next morning I was first in line at the doctor’s office. He did the standard 1980’s asthma triage

I was confused for a moment here because the 1980's triage is actually Aqua Net, a Satin Jackets, and a mint green boom box, but then I saw the word "asthma"

I have to tell you that in a perfect world, you would have the inside of the Medieval Times Castle combined with the outside of Cinderella’s Castle.

That one sentence makes me want to go.

At some point we were given our crowns (it may have been when we walked in, I can’t remember)

Men. Woman never forget when we get our crowns.

While waiting to be admitted to the arena, we suddenly heard a familiar chant. “Bra-Zee, Bra-Zee, Bra-Zee!”

That is also my war cry on the way to the toilet.

Be one with the chicken.

When my MIL was up recently, she was making a chicken and when she cut into it, the chicken was all green and moldy :scared1: You wouldn't want to be one with that chicken.

She returned with a pitcher fairly quickly and I started chugging iced tea like a madman.

Now that would have done my bladder in right there. Like a big water balloon.

Well Done GreatButteredFlakeytoppedBiscuit :cool1:

Backstage_Gal

02-26-2009, 10:59 PM

I can't improve on MTK's comments, so I will just say DITTO!

Sorry I am not more creative, but my week stank!

Loved your episode as always!

whogirl'smom

02-27-2009, 08:04 AM

I wheezed with you all the way through this. I know the panic and thankfully I like coffee! :thumbsup2 I was really amazed that I did not wheeze/cough/gag at Conservation Station in AK; it must have been the pixie dust in the air that counteracts all allergens.

I loved the Dragonriders of Pern books! Good summertime reading lying out in the sun all buttered up with Banana Boat oil. Boy, I miss the 80's.

MTK: I have never seen a green chicken. I cannot imagine what happened to it to get to that state. :sick:

Mrs. The King

02-27-2009, 08:51 AM

daze

02-27-2009, 12:52 PM

I was confused for a moment here because the 1980's triage is actually Aqua Net, a Satin Jackets, and a mint green boom box, but then I saw the word "asthma"

Men. Woman never forget when we get our crowns.

You forgot the jeans, incredibly tight, holey jeans. or pleather will do in a pinch.

And I'm pretty sure women are given their first crown at birth. So they can practice on daddy. or is that just my daughter? ;)

another great episode bisquit. even by the jiggler standard. (the ruler I use to measure all other trip reports)

daze

PrincessV

02-27-2009, 01:16 PM

Forget quoting - all I need is this:

A boatload of caffeine AND Albuterol?!?! :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper:

My heart's racing just reading this. Ouch!

Good thing it worked, though. I'd hate to see what passed for a "breathing treatment" in Medieval Times. :scared:

ZZUB

02-27-2009, 02:42 PM

Well then, I'm all caught up on this here Trip Report. I think I read 5 or 6 chapters during lunch. The whole buffet deal didn't end as badly as I thought it would. I was certain an explosion of some type was headed our direction. I even put down my sandwich.

$5 footlong from Subway, you understand.

You seem prone to accidents and/or incidents. Which is funny for us, but a little alarming for your own general well-being. That you drunk dialed your pastor is hy-larious. Good thing he had a sense of humor.

Banned from a time share presentation?! That's full on funny. I think your dad is good people.

:moped:

GreatBiscuit

02-27-2009, 07:08 PM

I was confused for a moment here because the 1980's triage is actually Aqua Net, a Satin Jackets, and a mint green boom box, but then I saw the word "asthma" My boom box was red and black...like Michael Jackson's jacket. :sad2:

That one sentence makes me want to go. You know, given your TR, there's more than one way to take that sentence. Point in case: That is also my war cry on the way to the toilet. This had me laughing like a crazy man BTW. Which is fun, but tends to frighten others.
When my MIL was up recently, she was making a chicken and when she cut into it, the chicken was all green and moldy :scared1: You wouldn't want to be one with that chicken. That just aint even right. Glad to see you back this way!

I can't improve on MTK's comments, so I will just say DITTO!

Sorry I am not more creative, but my week stank!

Loved your episode as always! Sorry your week was stinky! That's no good. Here is the Certified GreatBiscuit Prescription for Week Unstinkiness.

1. Stand up, pat the top of your head and say "Woogity doogity wackity doo"

2. Belt out the Olympic Theme song by bucking like a chicken. (I'm famous at parties for that one.)

3. Dance the Cupid Shuffle and then do the Fred G. Sanford heart attack move when it comes time to walk it by yourself.

4. Drive through McDonalds and order a cheeseburger with no cheese. If they ask you if mean a hamburger, say no and insist on a cheeseburger with no cheese.

5. Call your cell phone provider and tell whomever answers that there is something wrong with your phone. When they ask what, tell them it keeps lighting up, playing music and showing a phone number on the screen and you don't know why.

6. Eat a Zebra Cake. Why? Zebra Cakes don't need no reason.

I wheezed with you all the way through this. I know the panic and thankfully I like coffee! :thumbsup2 I was really amazed that I did not wheeze/cough/gag at Conservation Station in AK; it must have been the pixie dust in the air that counteracts all allergens.

I loved the Dragonriders of Pern books! Good summertime reading lying out in the sun all buttered up with Banana Boat oil. Boy, I miss the 80's.

MTK: I have never seen a green chicken. I cannot imagine what happened to it to get to that state. :sick: Hurray allergy killing pixie dust! I need some for my office. The 80's were truly something weren't they? And green chicken...I don’t even want to ponder that one.

Seriously, what was that chicken doing before he corked it? Maybe he got slimed over at Nick Studios.

You forgot the jeans, incredibly tight, holey jeans. or pleather will do in a pinch.

And I'm pretty sure women are given their first crown at birth. So they can practice on daddy. or is that just my daughter? ;)

another great episode bisquit. even by the jiggler standard. (the ruler I use to measure all other trip reports)

daze I think you may be onto something with that crown at birth theory. Glad you enjoyed the episode.

Forget quoting - all I need is this:

A boatload of caffeine AND Albuterol?!?! :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper: :hyper:

My heart's racing just reading this. Ouch!

Good thing it worked, though. I'd hate to see what passed for a "breathing treatment" in Medieval Times. :scared: I hadn't thought of Medieval pulmonary treatment options. That could be scarier than being imprisoned on Discovery Island!

Well then, I'm all caught up on this here Trip Report. I think I read 5 or 6 chapters during lunch. The whole buffet deal didn't end as badly as I thought it would. I was certain an explosion of some type was headed our direction. I even put down my sandwich.
$5 footlong from Subway, you understand.
You seem prone to accidents and/or incidents. Which is funny for us, but a little alarming for your own general well-being. That you drunk dialed your pastor is hy-larious. Good thing he had a sense of humor.
Banned from a time share presentation?! That's full on funny. I think your dad is good people.
Zzub! Welcome back my spork loving friend! Sorry to interrupt your sub there. That’s always a bummer. I am definitely accident prone which has often been the topic of discussion between my wife and myself. As to the unfortunate drunk dialing incident, our pastor certainly got a good laugh out of the VM and has vowed not to delete it. Joy. The time share ban cracked us all up because it was the cheesiest form of supposed sales motivation we’d ever heard. And it obviously wasn’t quite accurate. Kind of like Sales Dude’s math. Finally, as to Pop (as he tends to be called) I think he’s good peeps too.

burly

02-28-2009, 08:21 AM

Oh that castle.
:surfweb:

Backstage_Gal

02-28-2009, 10:53 AM

Sorry your week was stinky! That's no good. Here is the Certified GreatBiscuit Prescription for Week Unstinkiness.

1. Stand up, pat the top of your head and say "Woogity doogity wackity doo"

2. Belt out the Olympic Theme song by bucking like a chicken. (I'm famous at parties for that one.)

3. Dance the Cupid Shuffle and then do the Fred G. Sanford heart attack move when it comes time to walk it by yourself.

4. Drive through McDonalds and order a cheeseburger with no cheese. If they ask you if mean a hamburger, say no and insist on a cheeseburger with no cheese.

5. Call your cell phone provider and tell whomever answers that there is something wrong with your phone. When they ask what, tell them it keeps lighting up, playing music and showing a phone number on the screen and you don't know why.

6. Eat a Zebra Cake. Why? Zebra Cakes don't need no reason.

LOL, great tips! Thanks, GB. I shall print it and carry it with me at all times.

Now off to google the Olympic theme song ....

GreatBiscuit

03-01-2009, 07:47 PM

Oh that castle.
:surfweb: :thumbsup2

LOL, great tips! Thanks, GB. I shall print it and carry it with me at all times.

Now off to google the Olympic theme song .... Happy to be of service! :cool2:

Be back tomorrow with a new episode!

Pinkpony

03-02-2009, 01:15 PM

:thumbsup2

Happy to be of service! :cool2:

Be back tomorrow with a new episode!

popcorn::

cruising spud

03-02-2009, 04:00 PM

Great Biscuit,

Reading your trip report makes me wonder why your family, having taken you on one trip, would EVER take you on another. And how about a picture of you (and of poor Pete) so that I can start properly visualizing this report? Cause what I'm seeing now, ain't pretty. I figure that if you can round up an old pennant picture, you can find a "Pete and Me" picture.

And, your trip reports are hilarious. Thanks for sharing.

GreatBiscuit

03-02-2009, 06:17 PM

popcorn::Well, I always want to respond to every post, but I'm not sure what the proper response to the popcorn emoticon would be. We need a butter tap emoticon. That's another thing I want installed if I ever build a house by the way. A queue cave and a butter tap. Now THAT's a dream home right there.

Great Biscuit,

Reading your trip report makes me wonder why your family, having taken you on one trip, would EVER take you on another. And how about a picture of you (and of poor Pete) so that I can start properly visualizing this report? Cause what I'm seeing now, ain't pretty. I figure that if you can round up an old pennant picture, you can find a "Pete and Me" picture.

And, your trip reports are hilarious. Thanks for sharing. I think I may be able to accomodate. I know I have photos from our Colorado vacation about 3-4 years later. I may have been during my "I'm going to grow and cool 'stash" phase, so if it is you'll have to overlook my lip.

Thanks for reading all - off to post an update. :woohoo: popcorn::

GreatBiscuit

03-02-2009, 06:19 PM

Ah, early morning at Walt Disney World. Is there anything greater? Endless possibilities stand before you. Anticipation and excitement build. All of your senses are ready to be overloaded. Your eyes are treated to larger than life icons, brilliantly colored architecture and giant walking cartoon characters; while your ears take in the roar of the parking lot trams, the creaking of turnstiles, and the faint yet familiar mood music as you enter the parks having once again missed rope drop. DOH! Dag Nabbit, Euble T. Biscuits Ben Eatin! We missed it again? Great Giblet Juice! Oh well, let it go, happy place, happy place, bakers man, could be worse and stuck on the tram. Okay. I’m over it. Good to go. Give me a park map. Why? To smack folks on the head and say “HURRY IT UP THERE TONTO!” Why else? You don’t think I actually need to read it do you? I know this park like the back of my hand! Well…..the side of my elbow anyway.

Where are we today? The Disney MGM Studios. (Slap an amber gel in the spotlight, crank me out a light mist on the hazer, cue the angelic chorus and give me a shaft of gleaming golden light on my monitor.) This was more than just Disney euphoria for me, it was film junky geekness on steroids. Like A-Rod in the Rangers dugout, I was juicing.

I love, Love, LOVE film, TV, and theatrical production. From my days of doing stage lighting in high school and college, to my college dude stint as student manager in the campus TV studio, to the hours I currently spend doing stage lighting and shooting & editing video for our church, I have found a long standing joy in being behind the scenes. Whereas most people go to a live show to actually, I don’t know, watch said show, I go and count the number and type of lights they are using, try to get a peek at the lighting console, check out the FX equipment they have installed, look for hidden spotlight operators, see what color gel combinations they use, etc. When I buy a DVD, the thing I’m most interested in is not the actual show, but the bonus features. (The Lord or the Rings Trilogy extended edition DVD’s are my fave for bonus features BTW.) The point is, I’m enamored with the entire production process and within moments, The Studios (as it likes to be called) became my favorite park.

I worry now that this will change when I go back. The last time we were there, I actually got to see a scene being shot for a feature film. (More on that around episode 26-ish.) With the studios no longer being used to film actual productions, I wonder if some of the luster will have worn off. Now that I’m older and wiser, well older anyway, will it no longer hold the same cool factor as it once did? Possibly. But then there are a host of attractions that I have never done in this park and if anything will get you over a nostalgic letdown, being propelled at high velocity through looping embankments ought to do the trick.

Having effectively wasted an entire page rambling on about nothing of consequence, perhaps it would behoove me to get this episode moving along. Upon entering the park, we make our way left and headed straight to our transport to the Moon of Endor. Having ridden it to death on this and subsequent journey’s, can I just stay I still love this ride? I know it’s dated and a little hokey, okay a lot hokey, but I just really LOVE this ride. The themeing in the queue area (still not as fun to say as queue caves) is just fun. It makes me smile. And that, to me, makes it special.

This being my first ride on my first visit to the park, it was a near out of body experience. The fact that I didn’t spend the entire day running from the exit back to the queue is a testament to my mother’s skill as a negotiator. Forget those 12 hour standoffs they have where police man A makes nice with bad guy B while policemen C-Z plan to scramble bad guy B’s cranium the moment they get a clean shot. Just send in my mother. It’d be over in a minute. All she’d have to do is use her mom voice, grab a bullhorn and say “Boy you better get your rear end out here RIGHT NOW before I have to come in there and beat you with my shoe!” (Which she often threatened, yet never followed through on. But I wasn’t about to be the fellow to call her bluff.)

We left Star Tours and went next door to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! After seeing the show, I wholeheartedly endorsed the appropriateness of its naming. (This was the only time I saw this show, but I’ve heard it is now long overdue for a re-write.)

Having thus met my morning quota of John Williams, it was time to move on. At the time, Let’s Make A Deal was doing their little spiel at MGM and we headed that way to join in on the “Contestant Audition”. I think that this was actually some sort of retribution on the part of Disney against its park guests. Somewhere, some Imagineer opened the employee suggestion box and pulled out a card from a cast member requesting some way of getting even for all of the crazy things guests have put her through. After careful thought, the solution became clear. Let’s pack hundreds of hot sweaty park guests around a tiny little stage, and make them jump and down and scream for thirty minutes to win a spot on a simulated game show. Yeah, that would be fun. And because they built it, we did come. (It’s a rule. Section 12, Paragraph 14 of the James Earl Jones directive.)

We were not chosen to participate as contestants, but it did lead to one humorous memory. My mom and Lynnlee were up against the front of the stage, trying to get noticed. To help my sister get more air on her jumps my mom grabbed her by the waistband and gave her some power lifts. My sister then starts yelling “Mom, you’re given me a wedgie!” Pete and I of course break down laughing and my mom replies “JUST KEEP JUMPING!” Good times. When we finally did get in for our taping which was not a taping, we wound up in the top row. This was great for me as it gave me a chance to oogle all the cool techno stuff without looking like a total hick. (Look PA! One of them thar new fangled tele-mavision cameras!) Pete spent the entire time screaming “KEEP THE MONEY!” which was promptly incorporated into our “phrases of annoyance” repertoire. All in all it was fun, but by the time we waited for the lobby doors to open, waited around the stage for microphone dude to come out, “auditioned”, waited for the studio doors to open, and then sat through the “taping”, we had burned up nearly two hours.

A bit bummed at having only taken in three attractions that morning, we set out for our daily off site lunch. The day before, while we were off conquering time shares, my grandparents had spent the morning in Epcot and had loved World Showcase. To that end, they had returned again this particular morning to continue their tour. We all met up at an offsite BBQ place that I can’t remember the name of, but had some REALLY good smoked chicken. (Chicken and fish where after all the staples of my grandfather’s cardio diet.) It was somewhere on the Kissimmee strip, on the same side of the street as Medieval Times. If you think of it, help a Biscuit out. It was definitely Good Eats! I hoped to fare better on our evening romp through the studio. As it turned out, this particular evening would stand out a little different than I had hoped. It would introduce me to the longest line I have ever stood in at “The World”.

Coming up on Episode 17 The Longest Line EVER (Bet you didn’t see that creative title coming!)

Click here to be taken to next episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30655468&postcount=183)

Backstage_Gal

03-02-2009, 09:33 PM

GB, unother great and funny update. Thanks!

bedillamouse

03-02-2009, 10:16 PM

Finally caught up! Loved the time share story! My dad is a super math genius too...it did not pass down to me! As for the cat thing....yikes is all I can say. I am highly allergic to them also...even after 5 years of weekly allergy shots. As for the clumsy gene....I understand. I have bruises regularly that I have no idea where they come from...my husband points them out and say's the clumsy gene strikes again hmm?

Hope you guys put down double the bath mats to prevent a further slip! Smile!

PrincessV

03-03-2009, 01:32 PM

GreatBiscuit

03-04-2009, 12:58 PM

GB, unother great and funny update. Thanks! Thanks BSG!

Finally caught up! Loved the time share story! My dad is a super math genius too...it did not pass down to me! As for the cat thing....yikes is all I can say. I am highly allergic to them also...even after 5 years of weekly allergy shots. As for the clumsy gene....I understand. I have bruises regularly that I have no idea where they come from...my husband points them out and say's the clumsy gene strikes again hmm?

Hope you guys put down double the bath mats to prevent a further slip! Smile!Glad to know I'm not the only one who is "prone to incident". As to the bathmat, I think I'm going to duct tape 4 of them together just to make sure I have an ample landing pad.

Okay, honestly - how was it? I never went to MGM in its early days and I've always wondered if it was packed then like it is nowadays. It was CRAZY FUNKY crowded...as you will see shortly!

All I can think of at the moment is Sonny's, but I'm not sure if they're in Orlando. :confused: That actually sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't say for sure. The BBQ of choice here is a fine little joint called Rudy's. Unfortunately it's about 45 min away.

whogirl'smom

03-04-2009, 01:53 PM

So what were the condolence prizes back then? I'm betting not a goat on a leash like on TV...

GreatBiscuit

03-04-2009, 02:13 PM

So what were the condolence prizes back then? I'm betting not a goat on a leash like on TV...
You know I honestly don't remember much of the show at all. I spent all my time oogling the technology and shouting "Keep the Money!"

Vexorg

03-05-2009, 04:46 PM

<gameshownerd>

Back when the original Let's Make a Deal was around, when a contestant got zonked they would generally be offered an equivalent consolation prize after the show in exchange for their zonk. Of course, legally if they wanted to actually keep the goat they could. There were even a couple of instances in which one of the Zonks was valuable enough that someone was offered a shot at the Big Deal of the Day in exchange.

Based on that, this version (of which I know basically nothing) probably had zonks, but they were replaced by something else.

</gameshownerd>

GreatBiscuit

03-05-2009, 06:27 PM

GreatBiscuit

03-05-2009, 06:28 PM

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, rope drops were missed, stars were toured, wedgies were administered and mock tapings were attended. After consuming some nifty barbeque, we returned to the motel to re-group. I napped in the car, and then napped for about an hour at the motel. After that I was up and raring to go. My grandparents had spent 2-3 hours in World Showcase that morning and were done for the day. They wanted to keep the little ones again so, not wishing to deny my grandparents time with the babies, we made a sacrifice and left Karlee at the motel for her nightly swim. The rest of the clan returned The Studios.

Our first stop was the Animation building as we wanted to see it before the animators went home. Does anyone remember when the Animation building had actual animators in it? I’m sure it’s all nifty and everything touring an empty office where cool stuff USED to happened, but seriously, is there a point in keeping this thing open now? Would we not be better served by putting something else in there (Why do I suddenly feel like I’m giving one of those “Back in My Day” speeches to a group of young whippersnappers?” )

I am SO glad that I was able to tour this place when it was in full production mode. We saw animators animating, clean up artists cleaning up, ink and paint folks inking and painting, and camera techs working cameras. Occasionally animators would look up and wave and hold up drawings of what they were doing. I don’t know how long we meandered through this place, but we were there a while.

After leaving the animation building, there was some discussion on what to do next. There was no Sunset Blvd back then (another “Back in my Day” moment) and the number of attractions was pretty slim. After seeing the lines for the Backlot / Backstage tours, we elected to pass and crossed the park to take another turn on Star Tours. WOOOHOOO!. The lines was a bit backed up, so by the time we returned to terra firma, it was full on chow time.

We stopped at the first place we came to which was of course the Backlot Express. Though I am not a big fan of the food at this joint, I do appreciate the décor. With our fires thus fueled, it was time to head out for more adventure. Our next stop was the Great Movie Ride. After the obligatory stares at the walk of fame, we queued up for a ride through movie memory lane.

The line began outside of the building, over on the right side. Never lined up over there? Neither has any other sane and rational human being. But as neither of these descriptors seem to apply to me, that is where we found ourselves. Thus began the longest line wait in my Disney Park touring history. That’s right. It wasn’t one of the sacred “Mountains”, or a thrill ride or some high-tech super cool ubberdoober over the top greatest attraction of all time. Nope, that would be too normal for me. No, I had to spend the longest wait of my Disney career in line for the Great Movie Ride. It’s kind of like going out and buying a top of the line gaming PC so you can play Minesweeper. There's nothing wrong with the activity itself, it’s just not worth what it cost to participate.

We wound our way through one zig-zagging set of iron bars after another. At one point we stopped for several minutes. Word in the queue was the ride was down. We didn’t have any intel from the outside world, so we were unable to get a confirmation. Not all who began the journey survived. There were some who succumbed to their bladder and had to try to fight their way out. Some with smaller children had to deal with break downs and they too swam upstream to the exit.

There were moments when I wasn’t sure I had the perseverance to get to the loading dock. Just as I was about to throw in the towel and lead my clan outwards, I heard it. It was coming from somewhere further up in the queue. A war cry that inspired Disney Stamina. “Bra-zee, Bra-Zee- Bra-Zee!” Our friends in the Brazilian tour group were here! They had led the way and were calling out to those still struggling to navigate the bowels of the fake Mann’s Chinese Theater to strive forward. Revived by the reveille, I dug deep and found my inner park beast.

Finally, after two hours of my life which I will never get back, we boarded the tram and were off. It was okay mind you. I didn’t hate the ride nor bear it any thoughts of blazing destruction. I was a bit disappointed that the alien wasn’t working. I knew it was there and looked for it, but it never moved.

After our ride through the movies was completed, I was left to ponder exactly what had just occurred. Did I truly spend two hours standing in line for that? Seriously? This is the end? There isn’t some sort of post ride vehicle portion of the attraction? It was the same feeling I had after sitting through the movie Water World. There was only one way to deal with this sort of let down, and its name was Star Tours.

When we finally stumbled out of the fake theater to head for the Endor Moon, we discovered something. During our two hour journey of inconvenience, it had been raining. Hard. The massive crowds that had been swelling throughout the day were gone. For the last hour or two the park was open, it was virtually deserted when compared to the crowds earlier in the day.

Oh, happy happy Biscuit! Let’s go people! My inner park commando is back online! We headed in the general direction of Star Tours and the first room (with R2 and 3PO) was COMPLETELY empty. SCORE! Then the next room (with the salvage robots) was also empty. DOUBLE SCORE! Finally we arrived at the loading area and there were maybe 20 people waiting. GLORY HALLELUJAH!

After completing another space adventure, we made our way over to the Monster Sound Show. It was pure cheese, but I’ve heard it was better than the cheese that is Sound’s Dangerous. Having never seen the latter, and only having seen the former this one visit, I really can’t draw an accurate comparison. Of course given that I like cheese, particularly Disney cheese, I actually enjoyed it.

After this, we again hit up the queueless Star Tours. You’d think by now, it would be getting old, but I still loved it. Especially as a walk on. This may or may not have been my last time through it that night, I know we went on it two or three times after the Great Wait and Let Down. Finally, we made our way to Hollywood Blvd and after a fairly short wait, took in Sorcery in the Sky.

All in all, I loved the park and enjoyed the day much. Yet, I was bit irked at having missed out on a few things. It was therefore determined that the next day, (our last) we would return to the Studios in the AM and then hit up Magic Kingdom to close out our day.

I don’t remember much after the fireworks ended. I think I slept the whole way back to the motel and had to be rolled / dragged into bed. This of course meant that I was not awake enough to pack that night, which of course meant one thing. No way were we making morning rope drop. DOH!

Coming up on episode 18: Catastrophes don’t just happen in canyons.

Click here to be taken to next episode. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30725172&postcount=194)

Backstage_Gal

03-05-2009, 07:43 PM

GB, another great trip down memory lane. Such fun picturing an eager teen at the World! I love your writing!

Here is a memory of mine, if I may. Unlike Epcot, I had nothing to do with the Studios (even on paper), but at the time, I worked at the Grand Floridian, which of course is the flagship hotel where celebrities stay. There were tons of top name entertainer scheduled for the Grand Opening. Bob Hope, I think, and a ton of others I forgot. And Lucille Ball, or maybe not.

Sadly, a couple of days or so before the big day, Lucille Ball passed away, so there were tons of cancellations for the opening ceremony, so that said entertainers could attend her funeral. Not so much fun.

Can't wait for your your trip this year, sure to give us lots of great installments.

GreatBiscuit

03-07-2009, 10:19 AM

burly

03-07-2009, 11:08 AM

topdog

03-07-2009, 12:30 PM

WOW!! This is a looooooonnnnng TR. I haven't read through the whole thing yet but I intent to read through each and every single post.

My first trip to WDW was 1976. I can barely remember anything about the trip.

mybestieismickey

03-07-2009, 06:19 PM

I just found your TR, and I am loving it. You have made me laugh out loud many times.

I'm pretty sure that the Great Movie Ride may have a minor curse on it. I have always seen ridiculously long lines there, but my worst experience was when I passed out while waiting in the movie room. Fortunately my friend was there to catch me and drag me to a bench near the exit, but only after my other friend had to argue with the cast members to let us use it. A good time was had by all...

AshClan

03-07-2009, 06:41 PM

Still here and still reading and enjoying your musings!

The tale of your Great Movie Ride fiasco was, unfortunately, familiar to me. And, even more embarrassing, it happened to me LAST YEAR. Me, who never waits in a line longer than 15-20 minutes. And who doesn't even LIKE that frickin' ride. I will concede that we didn't wait close to 2 hours. But I would bet we were in that nightmare of a line for almost an hour. A ride breakdown was involved at some point. As well as a husband who insisted we should stick with it. :sad2: But the whole experience ticked me off big time. I feel better about it now, though. Now that I've made a deal with myself that '08 was the LAST time I'll ever ride that miserable excuse for a bad-actor CM driven attraction.

I have NO recollection of the Let's Make a Deal attraction. Sounds *um* interesting :rolleyes: Thanks but no thanks. Though I do miss WWTBAM. That was pretty fun.

Keep 'em comin' GB! popcorn::

GreatBiscuit

03-08-2009, 11:53 PM

I remember when the animation building had animators. It was really cool back then. They would try and push you thru as a pack but i always timed it so i was the last of the pack in and sometimes still in there at the front of the next pack of peeps. Loved it.:thumbsup2
One time we went thru and one animator had some draping around him/her so no one could see what they were working on. Drove me nuts!!:lmao:
Lovely chapter.......:surfweb: Wasn't it great seeing Disney animation being made? The top secret animation would have driven me nutso too!

WOW!! This is a looooooonnnnng TR. I haven't read through the whole thing yet but I intent to read through each and every single post.

My first trip to WDW was 1976. I can barely remember anything about the trip. Hey topdog! Welcome aboard! Glad to have you along for the ride!

I just found your TR, and I am loving it. You have made me laugh out loud many times.Howdy mybestieismickey and welcome! I'm happy to have passed on a grin!

I'm pretty sure that the Great Movie Ride may have a minor curse on it. I have always seen ridiculously long lines there, but my worst experience was when I passed out while waiting in the movie room. Fortunately my friend was there to catch me and drag me to a bench near the exit, but only after my other friend had to argue with the cast members to let us use it. A good time was had by all... Passing out on GMR would definitely qualify as a worst experience! :scared1:

Still here and still reading and enjoying your musings! Awesome! We can all go to group therapy when it's over!

The tale of your Great Movie Ride fiasco was, unfortunately, familiar to me. And, even more embarrassing, it happened to me LAST YEAR. Me, who never waits in a line longer than 15-20 minutes. And who doesn't even LIKE that frickin' ride. I will concede that we didn't wait close to 2 hours. But I would bet we were in that nightmare of a line for almost an hour. A ride breakdown was involved at some point. As well as a husband who insisted we should stick with it. :sad2: But the whole experience ticked me off big time. I feel better about it now, though. This ride just keeps racking up the "evil" points.

Now that I've made a deal with myself that '08 was the LAST time I'll ever ride that miserable excuse for a bad-actor CM driven attraction. Now that's change I can believe in.

I have NO recollection of the Let's Make a Deal attraction. Sounds *um* interesting :rolleyes: Thanks but no thanks. Though I do miss WWTBAM. That was pretty fun. Trust me, you didn't miss much. The last time I was there, a film crew was using all of the soundstages to shoot a miniseries so there wasn't a cheesy, over the top, simulated game show. But I must say, my movie loving brain MUCH preferred watching an ACTUAL scene being filmed.

Well that's all for now. Night everyone - I should be able to post an update tomorrow. I'm slacking now though. I have fallen behind on my "Writing Ahead" and my past few episodes have been writen / posted in one sitting. SO, if you notice any typos, PM me and I'll be happy to correct them...eventually. I just found two on Episode 1 that I corrected a couple of days ago.

PrincessV

03-09-2009, 08:12 AM

Our first stop was the Animation building as we wanted to see it before the animators went home. Does anyone remember when the Animation building had actual animators in it?
Yep! Back in my day, we walked 10 miles to get to the animators, and another 20 miles to get back to Star Tours. Uphill. In the snow. Carrying 50lb. rucksacks.

;) It really was a neat experience to see the animation process at work. Sad that visitors today don't have that opportunity. :sad1:

The line began outside of the building, over on the right side. Never lined up over there? Neither has any other sane and rational human being. But as neither of these descriptors seem to apply to me, that is where we found ourselves. Thus began the longest line wait in my Disney Park touring history.
I'm so sorry, but this really made me LOL! I'd completely forgotten (or perhaps I'd blocked it out of my mind?), but we, too, stood in a gargantuan line for the Lees-Than-Great Movie Ride. What a let-down! Interesting how it's entertainment level increases as the wait for it decreases. :rotfl:

Mrs. The King

03-09-2009, 03:52 PM

You were rewarded for your Great Movie Ride perseverance! The gods of Diset rigged the clouds for your extended enjoyment!

Disney Guest's are always rewarded for feeding their inner park beast!!!

I am glad Star Tours was yours for the taking, that rocks. I am sorry you had to hear Bra-Zee again without knowing how it is related to me. (BTW I can get a fart to replicate a clap of thunder quite realistically, so it usually follows the War cry.)

GreatInstentMixForABiscuit great job with your chapter. I felt like I was holding up an angry fist at the non working Alien right along with you.

GreatBiscuit

03-09-2009, 08:38 PM

What a let-down! Interesting how it's entertainment level increases as the wait for it decreases. So sad, yet so true. :sad2:

Disney Guest's are always rewarded for feeding their inner park beast!!! That's what I'm talking about!

I am glad Star Tours was yours for the taking, that rocks. I am sorry you had to hear Bra-Zee again without knowing how it is related to me. (BTW I can get a fart to replicate a clap of thunder quite realistically, so it usually follows the War cry.) :rotfl2:&:rotfl:&:lmao:

GreatBiscuit

03-09-2009, 08:40 PM

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, animators were viewed, stars were re-toured, and I lost two hours of my life on the not so Great Movie Ride. The next morning was our final park day and we were going to be returning to the Disney MGM studios. Still feeling the effects from my post Medieval Times insomnia, I was a bit slow to get moving. We were going to be checking out of our motel first, heading to the park for a few hours, joining all the extended family for a late farewell lunch, then returning to the Magic Kingdom to close out the day.

Of course before we could check out, I had to pack, and before I could pack, I had to get ready, and before I could get ready, I had to wake up. I found this to be highly inconvenient, yet the parks were calling so we managed to muddle through. By the time Pete and I were conscious, the rest of the clan was pretty well packed up and ready. My mom decided to help us pack, and there were several statements concerning bombs going off, pigsties, long lost relatives being found, etc. Finally, we had the room packed and presentable and headed to the van boat.

We arrived at the Disney MGM Studios around mid-morning and headed to the back of the park. I’m not sure if we had good timing or if the crowds were just lower that day, but were able to essentially walk up and board a tram. After the whole nail biting Catastrophe Canyon “What do you mean roll camera?!” shocker, we saw some of the “Dick Tracy” enhancements to a section of New York street. After our awe inspiring tram ride, it was off to the water tank for some high seas mayhem. We watched some poor guest get drenched, then headed for our backstage walking tour.

Our first stop was the “Special Effects” room where we had a blue screen demonstration.

Nifty

Next we headed through the observation walkways up above the sound stages. Let’s Fake a Deal spanned 2 of them, and the third had remnants of the “New Mickey Mouse Club” set scattered around. (NOBritneySpears) Finally, we descended through a display of the sets used for the Bette Middler promo film made for the Disney MMG studios where she wins the lottery. (Which was cleverly named “The Lottery” and interestingly enough was directed by Gary Marshall.)

Having thus fulfilled my quota of film geekiness, we saw that we had time for a final turn on Star Tours before heading to lunch. It was a bit disappointing having to wait in line again after the multiple walk-ons the night before. Yet, the queue still put a smile on my Star Wars loving face and the time passed fairly quickly.

It was with a heavy heart that I bid my new found park a found adieu. (Not to be confused with fondue which involves molten cheese.) Speaking of molten cheese, I had hoped to be able to catch a showing of “Superstar Television” but we never were able to time it correctly. Unfortunately (or not), I never did catch it before the show was retired.

I wasn’t sure then when I would return to this park. As it turned out, it would be 7 years before I ventured back through the gates. I would find The Studios had gone through several changes, as had I. Would it be just as exciting when I returned with my bride as it was when I was there as a teenager? You’ll just have to wait a few episodes and see.

After leaving The Studios, we headed to lunch with the extended family. As you may recall “The Plan” had died early on day 2. From the point forward, we pretty much toured with our immediate family and occasionally hooked up with a random aunt & uncle. This being the last day, my grandfather and his brother had planned for everyone to have a group lunch together before folks started heading out.

The locale chosen to host said event was a seafood restaurant in Kissimmee. I am 99% certain, it was called Gilligan’s but either it has closed, changed names, or hidden itself from the world wide web.

Whatever it was called, they served seafood and steaks and had a room large enough to accommodate our rather massive brood. I don’t remember what I ate, but given my typical seafood selections, it’s a safe assumption to say that my entree had a shell on it at one point in its life. After reveling in the family feel good, it was time to say our farewells.

After making our way back out to the lobby, I felt compelled to heed nature’s call. It was then that catastrophe struck. I was not paying very close attention, (imagine that,) and when I hit the restroom, I noticed the facilities were not quite what I was used to. With great shock and horror, I realized that I had entered the wrong restroom. I almost died on that very spot.

Of all the atrocities that can befall a teenage boy, accidentally walking into the ladies’ room tops the list. I quickly made a beeline-out-the-bano and sought the comfort of the gentlemen’s parlor. At home once again, I found it necessary to let forth some manly groans and loft a volley of gaseous vocalizations just to calm my nerves. Fortunately no one in my group witnessed the event so I was free from mocking the rest of the day. But I have to say I was quite shaken for a while.

Back in the lobby we bid a final farewell to our kinfolk and loaded back up for our last visit to the parks. It was sad to think about being done with the trip. But, I was determined to enjoy the rest of the day and we still had a lot of park time left. Our plan was to stay until they kicked us out of the place. Let me rephrase that. Our plan was to stay until the park closed. To that end, we discussed our final must do’s and touring stratagem on the ride over.

We arrived back in the MK parking lot, selected a parking spot, vowed to avoid Alice Hugging and headed across the Seven Seas lagoon for the final time.

Coming on Episode 19: The Grand Finale to a Grand Vacation.

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Backstage_Gal

03-09-2009, 09:59 PM

GreatBiscuit

03-10-2009, 01:06 PM

I have done my share of walking into men's rooms. Once I was doing cross-u (code for utilizing office workers to help in the parks in peak times) in Adventureland, I think. The place with the condiment bar. Forgive my forgetfulness. So anyway. my job for the day was to keep the mustard and ketchup and utensils and napkins and straws. etc. stocked. Easy as pie, right? Office girl helping out at crunch time in the parks instead of crunching numbers in a nice A/C office.. I sense disaster lurking.

So things started out nicely. People take a few napkins, I restock them. Clean up the ketchup and mustard station. Yeah, life is good, chat with guests... Then all hell broke loose! The masses of the World descended upon the place, ripped things apart, took everything, the ketchup and mustard ran out (the bladder things) and people left horrible messes. Where do they store those replacements? How do I put them in? Who can I find to help me? Guests clamoring for ketchup and mustard. It was Bedlam, I tell you! I think it was Christmas time. (Peace to the World). I had THREE stations to restock! Isn't that a fun feeling? When I first started working at a movie theater in college, I was assigned to the back room making popcorn and nuking nacho cheese. (One of my personal career hightlights I must say.) It happened to be the week Twister premiered and they needed help out front. So they sent me to a register. All fine and dandy. Except I hadn't been trained on it and had no idea how it worked. It was one of those touch screen dealies so it wasn't overly difficult to pick up, but that moment of "Holy Carp I don't have any idea what I'm doing and there's a HUGE line of people angrily staring at me!" was definitely memorable.

How did I get to that?

Oh yes, on that occasion I walked into a men's room. Why? I dont know. As a CM in costume, I would NOT have been using guest facilites for either sex. I think I got lost looking for ketchup. Yes, I was confused and bedazzeled. It was one of those places without doors that just wind around.
Nothing quite compares to that instant when you realize exactly where you are and have an overwhelming urge to call Scotty to beam you out of there.

Anyway, I was about as wiped out as you can get by the end of my shift. Next time you eat at a QSR in peak time, give a little PD to the CM's there. There is a reason the QSR CM's get paid a premium. Otherwise nobody would work there. Will do. This summer, I'll be handing out the PD's to the QSR CM'S at WDW ASAP.....What's a PD again?

Well, that was a lot of rambling about nothing. Somehow you bring out memories for me, LOL.

Dang, GB, are we about to soon leave the teen behind and next meet up with a grown man? popcorn::

That's kind of neat. Should be interesting. Again, loving your report.

Almost - one more post for this trip then another short 1, possibly 2 poster, then on to my big-boy trips!

burly

03-11-2009, 01:04 PM

Backstage_Gal

03-11-2009, 07:41 PM

Why do they have the mirrors over the urinals? To give you something to look at other than sizing each other up???:confused3 :rotfl:

LOL, Burly!

GB, PD=Pixie Dust pixiedust:

GreatBiscuit

03-11-2009, 09:14 PM

I have accidentally walked into the mens facilities before.:upsidedow And also on occasion been within viewing of the facilities when a well swung door was pushed while walking by.:eek:
Why do they have the mirrors over the urinals? To give you something to look at other than sizing each other up???:confused3 :rotfl: All I'm gonna say about that one is that I have never seen a mirror hung in that locale. :rotfl2:

GB, PD=Pixie Dust pixiedust: DOH! I should have know that one. All I could come up with was either Pappadeaux or Police Department, and as I couldn't see how Cajun Seafood or Law Enforcement would improve the situation, I figured it must be something else.

GreatBiscuit

03-12-2009, 09:21 PM

It’s a bittersweet feeling heading to the park for the last time. As happy as you are to be there, you have the clock ticking down in your mind that just seems to get louder with each passing moment. Not much stands out from our final return to the park that evening. I remember that we ate dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus. I remember hitting up Space Mountain a time or two. I know that we took in the Main Street Electrical parade, and I remember that we wandered around the Emporium for a LONG time. We were pretty much the last ones out of the park. I also remember that we waited a REALLY long time for a monorail train back to the parking lot.

We headed back to Lakeland and spent one more night with Uncle Steve and Aunt Judy. The next day, we puttered around the town a bit, hit up the mall and killed some time. My mom went to the grocery store and loaded us up with provisions for the return ride home.

We departed shortly after supper that evening and headed back home. We were tired, we were sunburned, we were bruised, (well my mom was anyway), but we were happy. Despite all the ups and downs, mishaps and plan changes, it had been a fantastic vacation.

So what did I learn on this trip? (Why do I suddenly envision scores of people popping out of their cubicles, building me a stage and singing “Hey Biscuit what do you say? We all want to know what your learned today.”)

The first thing I learned was that “The Plan”, while idealistic in design, was ultimately myopic in practicality. You can’t really plan for other people without sitting down with them and coming to a consensus ahead of time. I also discovered that mapping out each and every attraction ahead of time was a bit of an overkill. Although it was a fun distraction when pre-planning, there are simply too many factors that you won’t know until you get there. (Crowd levels, rides being down, weather, fatigue, hunger, calls of nature, what have you.)

Learning from my mistakes, I have taken a completely different approach to this trip. Rather than mapping out our days attraction by attraction, I am simply mapping out which parks on what days and creating a list of “tops” for each park. I’m also building in a day and a half as simply “open”.

The second thing I learned on this vacation is that grandparents are an excellent commodity to have when touring with little ones. To that end, I have recruited mom and dad to join us this summer for the first four days. This means 1 thing to me. NO TEACUPS! Nana (as Mom has taken to being called these days), has volunteered to take the girsl! YIPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEE! My stomach is safe to enjoy me some 'Ohana!

Finally I learned to never hug a character without permission, never attend events featuring horses without proper medication, never walk around in the heat without eating, never watch a baseball game when rain is the forecast, never eat 17 Krystal cheeseburgers in one evening, and never take vacations too seriously, otherwise you’ll miss the point all together.

Click Here for the Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30784727&postcount=200)

AshClan

03-12-2009, 09:31 PM

Learning from my mistakes, I have taken a completely different approach to this trip. Rather than mapping out our days attraction by attraction, I am simply mapping out which parks on what days and creating a list of “tops” for each park. I’m also building in a day and a half as simply “open”.

The second thing I learned on this vacation is that grandparents are an excellent commodity to have when touring with little ones. To that end, I have recruited mom and dad to join us this summer for the first four days. This means 1 thing to me. NO TEACUPS! Nana (as Mom has taken to being called these days), has volunteered to take the girsl! YIPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEE! My stomach is safe to enjoy me some O’hana!

Finally I learned to never hug a character without permission, never attend events featuring horses without proper medication, never walk around in the heat without eating, never watch a baseball game when rain is the forecast, never eat 17 Krystal cheeseburgers in one evening, and never take vacations too seriously, otherwise you’ll miss the point all together.

:thumbsup2 All very valuable lessons. Sounds like you are on the right track with this trip. Your "which park which days" and "top attractions" strategy is perfect. Though I may be biased, as that's my method of planning. The more you go, the easier it gets. And grandparents are clutch. Not something I've done (in WDW, anyway), but with little ones it is a WONDERFUL way to give yourself a lil break. So good call on that one!

As far as the Krystal lesson? Well, I would've thought that would be obvious, but I'm glad you at least learned your lesson after making that horrible mistake once.

You forgot one other thing that you learned. It's pronounced Kiss-IM-ee!;)

burly

03-12-2009, 11:56 PM

OOOOhhhhhh Pictures...........popcorn:: popcorn::

chicagoshannon

03-13-2009, 07:20 AM

Ooh can't wait for the pictures!

My parents will be joining us on our trip in May. We love having the grandparents along to help!

whogirl'smom

03-13-2009, 08:31 AM

Great ending to a great trip! Being a planner at heart, I have to have a rough (or semi-polished ;) ) idea of what I'll be doing when. Each trip is a learning experience, so we've done different "plans" each time and this next trip may even involve our good friends and their dd coming with us! That would involve the mother of all disney planning notebooks! :lmao:
Everybody needs to plan (or not) their own way and sometimes I wish I could be more laid back, but then I remember the Disneyland trip with dh for a day back in 1999....Got there at 10:30 in the rain, puttered from this land to that and then STOOD IN LINE 2 1/2 HOURS for the now-defunct Rocket Rods. Not gonna happen again.

Can't wait for the next tripette in this report!

GreatBiscuit

03-13-2009, 03:51 PM

As far as the Krystal lesson? Well, I would've thought that would be obvious, but I'm glad you at least learned your lesson after making that horrible mistake once. I have an unfortunate propensity for self injury.

You forgot one other thing that you learned. It's pronounced Kiss-IM-ee!;) Yowsers! How could I forget that one?

OOOOhhhhhh Pictures...........popcorn:: popcorn::Coming soon...VERY soon.

Ooh can't wait for the pictures!

My parents will be joining us on our trip in May. We love having the grandparents along to help!Thanks for posting and Welcome!

Great ending to a great trip! Being a planner at heart, I have to have a rough (or semi-polished ;) ) idea of what I'll be doing when. Each trip is a learning experience, so we've done different "plans" each time and this next trip may even involve our good friends and their dd coming with us! That would involve the mother of all disney planning notebooks! :lmao:

Everybody needs to plan (or not) their own way and sometimes I wish I could be more laid back, but then I remember the Disneyland trip with dh for a day back in 1999....Got there at 10:30 in the rain, puttered from this land to that and then STOOD IN LINE 2 1/2 HOURS for the now-defunct Rocket Rods. Not gonna happen again.Great point - I think there is no one "perfect" approach - everyone has to do what works for them. As to 2 1/2 hours waitign for a not so nifty attraction, well all I can say is that I feel your pain.

Mrs. The King

03-13-2009, 05:38 PM

I remember that we ate dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus.

I love the insane amount of seating up in that joint. Four chairs for every rump!!:cheer2:

GreatBiscuit

03-13-2009, 09:07 PM

I love the insane amount of seating up in that joint. Four chairs for every rump!!:cheer2: What more could a weary jiggler aske for?

GreatBiscuit

03-13-2009, 09:14 PM

Had to kill this post as I'm clearing out my Photobucket account and needed the space. (It was either that or lose park pics.)

Coming up on Episode 20 - High School Seniors Storming the Castle!

Click Here for the Next Episode! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30852721&postcount=218)

chicagoshannon

03-14-2009, 08:05 AM

Thanks for the pictures. Who's the girls sitting next to you?

bedillamouse

03-14-2009, 08:21 AM

GreatBiscuit

03-14-2009, 11:20 AM

Thanks for the pictures. Who's the girls sitting next to you?I went back and added a caption.

GreatBiscuit

03-14-2009, 11:26 AM

Loved the JoJo Circus Reference!!! My girls were big fans when it was on the Disney Channel at a decent time.

:lmao: :lmao: gotta love your disclaimer about your mom's hair!!! I always say the camera never does a good enough job taking an appropriate picture....my hair always looks better in person! :rotfl:
For some reason my multi quote isn't working. Glad you liked the JoJo shoutout. My mom really does look quite different now. But then again, so do we all. My sisters are all grown up and married. I'm sure I'll have lots of pics of the parentals this summer.

Backstage_Gal

03-14-2009, 11:37 AM

Great summary and thanks for the picture, GB.

Looking forward to Trip 5

joleen76

03-14-2009, 12:31 PM

I am loving your TR .....errr.... I mean multiple TR's. I can relate to all the Texas references. Although the past 4 days have been more like Florida than Texas here. It's been raining non-stop.

Your 80's vacations take me back. My grandmother to my sister and I to Disneyland when I was in the 6th grade. It was only two days, but I never forgot it!

Carry on my friend carry on!

cruising spud

03-15-2009, 10:37 AM

GreatBiscuit,

Thanks for the pictures. Now I have a true visual of what the Disney cast had to deal with eons ago.

Not trying to be nosy (okay, maybe a bit), but are you still in touch with Pete? If so, does he remember your Disney adventures?

Thanks again,
Cruising Spud

PrincessV

03-16-2009, 02:35 PM

So what did I learn on this trip? (Why do I suddenly envision scores of people popping out of their cubicles, building me a stage and singing “Hey Biscuit what do you say? We all want to know what your learned today.”)
Yeah, thanks a lot for that one - I'll be hearing that running around my head for a couple days! ;)

You can’t really plan for other people without sitting down with them and coming to a consensus ahead of time.
::yes::

I’m also building in a day and a half as simply “open”.
:thumbsup2 I'm so glad! Some of the most fun I've had occured on open days.

To that end, I have recruited mom and dad to join us this summer for the first four days.
Aww, that's going to be great for everyone! :goodvibes

Finally I learned to never hug a character without permission, never attend events featuring horses without proper medication, never walk around in the heat without eating, never watch a baseball game when rain is the forecast, never eat 17 Krystal cheeseburgers in one evening, and never take vacations too seriously, otherwise you’ll miss the point all together.
Really? I think I'd have to suggest "never eat 17 Krystal cheeseburgers at ANY time of day."

This was fun GB! Looking forward to the next one... popcorn::

GreatBiscuit

03-16-2009, 08:07 PM

Great summary and thanks for the picture, GB.

Looking forward to Trip 5Hey BSG! Glad you enjoyed. T5 is on the way momentarily.

I am loving your TR .....errr.... I mean multiple TR's. I can relate to all the Texas references. Although the past 4 days have been more like Florida than Texas here. It's been raining non-stop.

Your 80's vacations take me back. My grandmother to my sister and I to Disneyland when I was in the 6th grade. It was only two days, but I never forgot it!

Carry on my friend carry on! Howdy and welcome! It has def been a wet week here in Tejas. Hopefully it will be a bit better this week.

GreatBiscuit,

Thanks for the pictures. Now I have a true visual of what the Disney cast had to deal with eons ago.

Not trying to be nosy (okay, maybe a bit), but are you still in touch with Pete? If so, does he remember your Disney adventures?

Thanks again,
Cruising SpudUnortunately no. It has been about 10 years since I last talked to Pete. I've tried to locate him on various social networking sites, but to no avail.

Yeah, thanks a lot for that one - I'll be hearing that running around my head for a couple days! ;) No problem. Glad to help!

Really? I think I'd have to suggest "never eat 17 Krystal cheeseburgers at ANY time of day." I'd probably suggest that be more like an annual quota.

GreatBiscuit

03-16-2009, 08:09 PM

There is one footnote to Trip 4 which may be worthy of mentioning. I had an opportunity to take a second trip to WDW that same summer, but declined. What could possibly prompt any sane and reasonable human being into doing such a thing? Logistics.

My high school band was going to Magic Music Days. The schedule was as such: Friday – last day of school. Sat Night –band plays at graduation. Sunday morning – band returns to school at O’Dark thrity, loads up on charter busses and heads out. Monday Morning – arrive in Cocoa Beach. Spend day beaching & eating. Monday night – attend some sort of musical/symphony something or other. Tuesday - load busses at O’Dark forty five and drive to Magic Kingdom where band will perform in a parade and spend the day in the park. Wednesday: Kennedy Space Center. Wednesday Night - Load busses and return home for Thursday night arrival. This wonderful and exciting excursion was ours for only $900! WOOHOO! Or not. I decided fairly early on that this was a definite no-go. Even before my summer plans were known.

Did I miss not performing in the parade? Not really, I was never that big on marching in parades. Did I miss not touring Disney with my friends? No. Because I did. One summer later. Behold! Trip number 5 is alive!

Summer 1991 was a busy time. I graduated from high school in June, was preparing for college in August, and had about a bazillion and one things to get done that summer. One of those things was a return to Orlando. I and several of my friends attended a week long youth conference in Orlando that summer. After spending a week doing service projects and various other activities, our final fling was a day in the Magic Kingdom.

Unlike my unfortunate encounter with “The Others” in trip two, this time around I was with a group that was actually excited to spend a day at the Magic Kingdom. I did NOT recreate the plan, although Pete (who of course was along for this trip as well) brought it up often. Having spent a week with little or no sleep, we were a bit run down by the time we hit the park, but all it took was a glimpse of the castle and I was ready to go. We arrived around ten-ish and were staying until they closed the place.

Pete and I were in a park group of about 7 or 8, and pretty well stuck with the same people the entire day. I cannot recall our exact touring order or even all of the attractions we took in. There are a few details though that I CAN relate. Our overall group (about 40) hung together until we were inside of the park, then we broke into our designated park groups. We only had one sponsor-mandated check in time, and it was around 5 or 6 PM. My group and I then headed down main street on our way to Tomorrowland.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/91/mk3.jpg

We started off (of course) with Space Mountain, skipped the Carousel of Progress,and may or may not have done anything else in Tomorrowland. I don’t remember doing anything there until later that evening.

After returning to earth, our group headed for the teacups. I have a grainy, dark photo of said attraction that could not be salvaged to the point of posting, but picture a group of teens twirling and you are pretty well there. After departing the teacups, we headed this way:

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/91/mk7.jpg

Mr. Toad was passed over and the next stop was Snow White’s Scary Adventure.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/91/mk2.jpg

I remember this for two reasons. One, it was the only time I ever rode this, and two, we had a camera flash war inside that resulted in no usable photos and several blown pupils.

Obligatory shot of the castle’s bum:
http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/91/mk1.jpg

Then it was on to lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus, followed by a ride on It’s a Small World. Why you ask would teenage boys voluntarily get on this attraction? There were girls in our group. Pretty girls. Thus we went along. This led to much drama during the next several hours. It went something like this. Boy A liked Girl B, but she ignored him because she knew that Girl C was actually interested in Boy A which he did not pick up on until later that day when Boy D changed places with Girl C so she could sit by Boy A while Girl B moved to sit by Boy E, who was actually interested in Girl F who was touring with group 2 and had spent the morning holding hands with Boy H, but was upset because he was flirting with Girl I, so Girl F moved to group 1 for the rest of the day. All of which makes me EXTREMELY thankful that I am no longer in high school.

After leaving Fantasyland, we headed over to this place.

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/91/mk5.jpg

Then we hit up Big Thunder Mountain and while our train was climbing the hill I turned around and snapped this:

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/91/mk4.jpg

What up with the cranes you ask? They were building Splash Mountain.

By this time I was tired. DOG tired. Our last service project had been planting trees in some park in Orlando. A week of no sleep, hole digging and park walking had drained my of all I had to offer. I needed to relax a bit, recharge the batteries so to speak. It was then that the memory of trip three came wafting back into my mind. Realizing that we were near the Hall of Presidents, I recommended it as a place to take a break. As soon as we sat down, I was gone. OUT. Dead to the World. I missed the ENTIRE show. The power nap did me good though and I was soon ready to strike out for more adventure.

After checking in with our sponsor types, we headed for a bite to eat. I am pretty sure that we wound up at what is now the Tomorrowland Terrace: Noodle Station. I don’t’ remember if it was called the same thing then or not. After eating, I’m pretty sure that we hit up Pirates. During the parades and fireworks, we toured multiple attractions (Space Mountain & Big Thunder Mountain a few times each) and finally drug ourselves to the vans after the parks closed.

All in all it was good trip, but I was so tired from the rest of the week, that I really don’t remember that many details. At some point during the day, I passed my camera to someone to take this:

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/91/mk6.jpg

This was my final trip as a “youth” and in a way it signaled the end of an era. For five years I had been blessed to make an annual trip to The World. Life and its ensuing responsibilities would soon change that. When I returned again, I would be a far different person than the boy who was crossing the Seven Seas Lagoon on that muggy July night. The next time I set foot in the Magic Kingdom, six years later, I would be on my honeymoon with the love of my life.

Coming up on Episode 21 – How I was christened “Great Biscuit” and Boy Meets Girl.

Click Here for the Next Episode!. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30903691&postcount=230)

jcc0621

03-16-2009, 08:49 PM

This wonderful and exciting excursion was ours for only $900! WOOHOO!

Gee, that sounds like alot of fun:rolleyes:

Summer 1991 was a busy time. I graduated from high school in June, was preparing for college in August, and had about a bazillion and one things to get done that summer.

OK, this just made me feel really old:headache:

Then it was on to lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus, followed by a ride on It’s a Small World. Why you ask would teenage boys voluntarily get on this attraction? There were girls in our group. Pretty girls. Thus we went along. This led to much drama during the next several hours. It went something like this. Boy A liked Girl B, but she ignored him because she knew that Girl C was actually interested in Boy A which he did not pick up on until later that day when Boy D changed places with Girl C so she could sit by Boy A while Girl B moved to sit by Boy E, who was actually interested in Girl F who was touring with group 2 and had spent the morning holding hands with Boy H, but was upset because he was flirting with Girl I, so Girl F moved to group 1 for the rest of the day. All of which makes me EXTREMELY thankful that I am no longer in high school.

This whole thing made me:rotfl2: becasue it is soooo true ::yes::

The next time I set foot in the Magic Kingdom, six years later, I would be on my honeymoon with the love of my life.

Coming up on Episode 21 – How I was christened “Great Biscuit” and Boy Meets Girl.

Can't waitpopcorn::

Backstage_Gal

03-16-2009, 10:24 PM

This led to much drama during the next several hours. It went something like this. Boy A liked Girl B, but she ignored him because she knew that Girl C was actually interested in Boy A which he did not pick up on until later that day when Boy D changed places with Girl C so she could sit by Boy A while Girl B moved to sit by Boy E, who was actually interested in Girl F who was touring with group 2 and had spent the morning holding hands with Boy H, but was upset because he was flirting with Girl I, so Girl F moved to group 1 for the rest of the day. All of which makes me EXTREMELY thankful that I am no longer in high school.

LOL!

Tomorrowland Noodle station only came into existence 2 or 3 years ago, I think. Haven't actually been there yet. I did condiments there too once upon a time, I think, before it changed. I DO NOT volunteer anymore for cross-u shifts, getting too long in the tooth. :sad2:

chicagoshannon

03-17-2009, 07:45 AM

Great installment! I'm really looking forward to the next one!

joleen76

03-17-2009, 12:48 PM

Great update Biscuit!

Can't wait to hear about the honeymoon! I have a weakness for Disneymoon stories!!

whogirl'smom

03-17-2009, 06:32 PM

You made me feel old and made me want to be young again, all at the same time. ;) It was so exciting to wonder if Boy C liked you!

Mrs. The King

03-17-2009, 07:13 PM

You made me feel old and made me want to be young again, all at the same time. ;) It was so exciting to wonder if Boy C liked you!

I feel that way every time I have to put on a pair of pantyhose :sad2:

Looking forward to Boy meets Girl!!!

PrincessV

03-18-2009, 10:16 AM

Mr. Toad was passed over and the next stop was Snow White’s Scary Adventure.
:faint: :sad2:

Boy A liked Girl B, but she ignored him because she knew that Girl C was actually interested in Boy A which he did not pick up on until later that day when Boy D changed places with Girl C so she could sit by Boy A while Girl B moved to sit by Boy E, who was actually interested in Girl F who was touring with group 2 and had spent the morning holding hands with Boy H, but was upset because he was flirting with Girl I, so Girl F moved to group 1 for the rest of the day. All of which makes me EXTREMELY thankful that I am no longer in high school.
:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl: Me, too!

The next time I set foot in the Magic Kingdom, six years later, I would be on my honeymoon with the love of my life.
:goodvibes Awww, can't wait to hear this story!

burly

03-18-2009, 11:39 AM

Ah yes the romanitc trip....popcorn::

GreatBiscuit

03-18-2009, 01:05 PM

Can't waitpopcorn:: Howdy! I'll be posting it tomorrow!

Tomorrowland Noodle station only came into existence 2 or 3 years ago, I think. Haven't actually been there yet. I did condiments there too once upon a time, I think, before it changed. I DO NOT volunteer anymore for cross-u shifts, getting too long in the tooth. :sad2:
Good to know. I remember eating Pizza on our honeymoon and I THOUGHT it was at the same location, but wasn't sure.

Great installment! I'm really looking forward to the next one! Thanks! More coming soon.

Great update Biscuit! Can't wait to hear about the honeymoon! I have a weakness for Disneymoon stories!! Thanks! Disneymoon always cracks me up. Sounds like high school kids sticking a pressed ham in the window of the monorail. NOT that I would ever do that mind you.

You made me feel old and made me want to be young again, all at the same time. ;) It was so exciting to wonder if Boy C liked you! :rotfl2: I was the one shanking my head and saying "Let's continue this in Tomorrowland people!"

I feel that way every time I have to put on a pair of pantyhose :sad2: Looking forward to Boy meets Girl!!! HEY MTK! You gave me a good chuckle as usual. Hopefully the next episode won't be TOO sappy.

Awww, can't wait to hear this story! It will be a fun ride I hope.

Ah yes the romanitc trip....popcorn::There is a fine line between romance and disaster...as we shall soon see.

Vexorg

03-18-2009, 02:05 PM

Unfortunately, I think I got a bit lost trying to keep track of the assorted teenage angst in the last post... Anyone got a diagram or something?

GreatBiscuit

03-18-2009, 09:10 PM

Unfortunately, I think I got a bit lost trying to keep track of the assorted teenage angst in the last post... Anyone got a diagram or something?

Just take a pencil, put it on a piece of paper, close you eyes and spin it around a bit. Whatever you come up with will make about as much sense as teenage romance.

GreatBiscuit

03-19-2009, 01:53 PM

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, teenage drama ensued, in park naps were taken, and overpriced school trips were declined. Much drama ensued over the next six years which are beyond the scope of this particular narrative. Here’s the cliff notes.

Went to college. Majored in film and TV production. Had mass rebellion & dropped out for a year. Came to a crisis of faith. Got life right with God. Felt call to preach. Returned to school. Majored in Theology / Communications. Got a nickname. Met a girl. Proposed. Got married.

There, that just about covers it.

Coming up in Episode 22…………..what you do mean you want more? Okay, well fine then.

First to my screen name. Those who follow Zzub’s TR’s have heard this story before, but for those who have not, here it is. One day, following the previously mentioned stage of rebellion and redemption, I managed to injure myself. I know this comes as a complete and total shock to all who have been following along on this TR. Anywho, I was working on a video shoot and squashed the bejeebers out of my toe. During the following moments, my face went through several shades of red and purple while I was mentally censuring all of the expressions of pain that were attempting to exit my lips. Finally I managed to bellow out “GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT BISCUIT!”

Those who were there to witness this particular outburst found it to be quite amusing and it became my nickname from that time forward. Even today, whenever I have contact with people from college, I am still referred to as Great Biscuit. Thus, that is how I am now know on the DIS. Although to my parents and sisters I will always be Bubba and to everyone else, well I’m just plain old Matt.

Now that the origins of my screen name have been fully divulged I suppose it’s time to take a look at how trip number six came into being. I always knew that I was going to honeymoon at Walt Disney World. The only question that really had to be settled was with whom. (Minor details!)

My particular road to finding true love had bit of an odd beginning. When I was in the tenth grade, I shocked my mother by announcing that I had no intentions of dating anyone until I was ready to get married. My logic was fairly simple in that I didn’t want to waste the time, effort, emotion, energy or money that dating required. I would simply trust God to bring the right person into my life at the right time.

Fast forward to the spring semester of 1996. I was a senior in college (though with the credits I lost from changing majors, I still had an extra year to go.) As part of my studies I was required to take a philosophy class. Oh Joy! As if my life weren’t already filled with enough excitement. The classroom’s odd layout combined with the professor’s propensity to wander around while he was talking meant that I often sat at an angle in my desk.

About the 2nd week in, I noticed that when the professor stood in a certain spot, I could see the eyelashes of the girl in front of me fluttering over his head. It was then that I noticed that she was wearing blue mascara. For reasons I cannot fully explain I was intrigued by this. I had no idea they made the stuff in blue.

We were soon assigned a group task of taking a “Pragmatic Walk” around the campus and journaling our observations. :sad2: (I spent HOW many thousands of dollars for the privilege of wandering around and staring at crap?) Our prof assigned groups by row and it turned out that the girl with blue mascara was in my group. It was then that I learned her name was Tracy. We happened to have a mutual friend who was also in our little project group and he was planning an outing that Friday and invited us both. (Thanks Mike!) Hmmmm….this could be…interesting.

That Friday, we all met up at a bowling alley. (If your first activity with your future spouse involved a bowling alley, you might be a redneck.) ANYWAY afterwards we all went to Perkins to grab some chow. I met several of her friends and her twin sister. As it turns out, Tracy wasn’t all that interested in me at first. PERISH THE THOUGHT! She thought I was too quiet.

Then something happened that began to change her mind. We had a speech to perform in class regarding the influence of philosophy on the public education system. As you might imagine most of them were REALLY dry. As I feel that EVERYTHING goes down better with humor, I hammed mine up quite a bit and really gave it as much flourish as I could muster. Apparently it made an impression as it began to change the way Tracy saw me.

The one thing that really sealed the deal more than anything else was that her twin sister Tammy thought we were perfect for each other and took on the role of matchmaker. That Easter, I had planned to just stay at the school during the extended weekend as it was a 13 hour drive home. (Hardly a weekend trip, even WITH an extra day.) Tammy discovered this and invited me to come home with them for the weekend. I agreed and mentioned it over the phone to my mother. She says that she knew then that Tracy and I were getting married. Mind you we weren’t officially dating at this point and I had not once mentioned her before in conversation with my mom.

The day we left school for Easter break just happened to be the day of the home opener for the Kansas City Royals. It was tradition for my roommate and me to skip…I mean…to ummmmm….uhhh….re-arrange our academic schedules on opening day, and head to the ballpark. The Royals of course always lost, but BOY did they have some good bratwurst and grilled pretzels. It wound up that the game went into extra innings and I left the stadium EARLY to go on this trip. Yeah. That’s right. I said it. I left a baseball game early. ON OPENING DAY. For a girl. Think through that one.

When I arrived back at the school, I discovered Tracy was desperately ill. NASTY sick. Green in the face, doubled over, “I’m sleeping in the back seat and only moving for emergency restroom runs,” sick. Yet, she didn’t want to cancel the trip so we headed to her parents house. The drive from Kansas City to Minneapolis is certainly a lesson in patience. There is nothing to look at but corn stalks and cows’ rear ends.

I spent the next eight hours trading off driving duties with Tammy. During the course of the drive, she extracted virtually every detail of my life and gave me the scoop on the Sleeping Beauty in the backseat. It was late when we arrived, and after meeting my future in laws, I headed down to the guest room and crashed.

Poor Tracy was sick with a nasty stomach bug all weekend and rarely emerged from her room. It did however give me time to meet her family and thankfully ingrained into Tammy that I was “the one” for her sister. One funny note, when we went to church that Sunday, Tammy introduced me to a lady as her friend Matt. To which the lady replied “Well friends can become something more.” This resulted in the now famous reply “He was Tracy’s friend first!”

After we all returned back to school, Tracy and I continued to “group date” before officially becoming a couple that May. By that time, I had come out of my shell so to speak. One thing that Tracy was correct about, I was REALLY quiet when she first met me. She helped me break through that, not only when I was around her, but with others as well. She not only complimented who I was, she completed who I was. I knew then that she was the one.

After a summer of late night phone calls and love filled emails, we returned back to school. Then one night, (October 8th to be exact) I asked her to become First Lady Biscuit and she said yes. My mother of course was not surprised at all and pointed out that she had known I would marry Tracy before we were even dating.

The next summer we were married in Osseo, Minnesota and soon set out for our Walt Disney World honeymoon where I would have both my greatest and my worst Walt Disney World memories of all time.

It’s hard to believe now that it has been nearly twelve years. And today, even more than in 1997, I can truly say that Tracy is my soul mate, my best friend, and the love of my life.

Coming up on Episode 21 – Welcome to….Atlanta???? The eruption of Hades begins.

Click Here for the Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=30965089&postcount=243)

PS – People always ask, so I’ll go ahead and clear the air now. No I don’t get my wife and sister in law mixed up. (USUALLY) They do sound the same on the phone AND they look the same from the back. One of the most embarrassing moments of my life was one Christmas when Tracy and I were at her parents’ house. (They have a townhouse and the kitchen is at the front, the dining room in the middle and the living room at the back, all in one big open, rectangular space.) I walked into the kitchen and saw my wife getting something to drink out of the fridge so I gave her good morning pat on the fanny. I then looked up and saw my wife sitting on the couch in the living room about the same time my sister in law shot a foot and a half straight in the air from behind the fridge door and said “WHO TOUCHED MY BUTT?!” DOH!

And to answer the second question, no I have never had any regrets about not dating another person before I met my wife. Why would I regret not driving through Krystal Burgers on my way to the steak house? Yeah, I used a meat metaphor to describe my relationship with my spouse. I may have posted a sappy chapter, but I’m still a guy dang it.

DisneyNutMary

03-19-2009, 06:01 PM

Why would I regret not driving through Krystal Burgers on my way to the steak house? Yeah, I used a meat metaphor to describe my relationship with my spouse. I may have posted a sappy chapter, but I’m still a guy dang it.

:lmao: :lmao:
It's about as romantic as a man can get, isn't it?
I remember the story of how you got your name from a Zzub thread... those do tend to go way off tangent, don't they, but I love Zzub, so that's fine with me. My all time favorite post of Zzub's, the one that got me interested in reading your TR when it came to be was when he replied to a reply of yours by addressing you as his "flaky friend" I swear I laughed for 10 minutes, sure that he did not realize he was calling you flaky.

I am totally enjoying the ride through your WDW memory album... I tend to lurk mostly, but just want you to know I'm a big fan.

Backstage_Gal

03-19-2009, 08:28 PM

GB, that was a totally enjoyable chapter, loved it. Thanks for telling us your stories.

Mrs. The King

03-19-2009, 09:34 PM

“GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT BISCUIT!”

Now, Aren't we all grateful that we are not forced to be named in that same manner? My screen name would be horrific. There would be a lot of hair and crap in my screen name.

Then one night, (October 8th to be exact) I asked her to become First Lady Biscuit and she said yes.

Awww. Just Awwww.

It’s hard to believe now that it has been nearly twelve years. And today, even more than in 1997, I can truly say that Tracy is my soul mate, my best friend, and the love of my life.

Holy Cow!! Mr. The King and I got married in Aug 97! Don't you love your wife even more now?

“WHO TOUCHED MY BUTT?!”

If I had a nickel for every time I have had to say that!

I would have about 10 cents :sad2:

Yeah, I used a meat metaphor to describe my relationship with my spouse. I may have posted a sappy chapter, but I’m still a guy dang it.

it's ok dude. Us ladies compare our husbands to food all the time.

Can I say that your post is super duper cool because you had the good taste to post it on my birthday!! I know, I feel the same way. :hug:

Great Chapter GB :thumbsup2 :cool2:

burly

03-20-2009, 12:43 AM

You just know it's the love of your life when you spend hours with someone and they are feeling and looking baaaaddddd.!:sick: And yet they are hours well spent.
:thumbsup2

Vexorg

03-20-2009, 01:01 AM

And to answer the second question, no I have never had any regrets about not dating another person before I met my wife. Why would I regret not driving through Krystal Burgers on my way to the steak house? Yeah, I used a meat metaphor to describe my relationship with my spouse. I may have posted a sappy chapter, but I’m still a guy dang it.

Yeah, but you don't want to starve on the way over there, right?

Beka

03-20-2009, 06:38 PM

Picture it, the eighties, a small Texas town and an 11 year old kid who has just discovered cable TV. All nine channels of it. And one of those channels is something called the Disney Channel. Having always loved Disney related things, watching this new portal of wonder was soon my favorite pastime. Between episodes of my favorite shows (Danger Bay, The Edison Twins, and DTV) there were always short “update” pieces on what was new and happening at The Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland.

Just now joining - do you remember that the Disney Channel used to be a channel you had to pay extra for - like HBO? Maybe that was just with my cable provider... I remember that & vaguely what our cable box looked like, and I was 7 at the time.

When do we get to see a pic of Mrs. Biscuit? And the little Bisquettes?

GreatBiscuit

03-21-2009, 02:08 AM

:lmao: :lmao:
It's about as romantic as a man can get, isn't it?
I remember the story of how you got your name from a Zzub thread... those do tend to go way off tangent, don't they, but I love Zzub, so that's fine with me. My all time favorite post of Zzub's, the one that got me interested in reading your TR when it came to be was when he replied to a reply of yours by addressing you as his "flaky friend" I swear I laughed for 10 minutes, sure that he did not realize he was calling you flaky.

I am totally enjoying the ride through your WDW memory album... I tend to lurk mostly, but just want you to know I'm a big fan. Hey DNM and welcome! :wave2: I remember that post...I think it may have led to me updating my tag from the board default. (12 years and no tag fairy...I'm not bitter.)

GB, that was a totally enjoyable chapter, loved it. Thanks for telling us your stories. Hey BSG! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I got to chat with a really cool CM at work tonight. (Of course you guys are all nice when you call in.)

Now, Aren't we all grateful that we are not forced to be named in that same manner? My screen name would be horrific. There would be a lot of hair and crap in my screen name.
Believe me, I have bellowed worse.

Holy Cow!! Mr. The King and I got married in Aug 97! Don't you love your wife even more now? Awesome! All the cool kids got married in summer of 97!

If I had a nickel for every time I have had to say that!I would have about 10 cents :sad2: :lmao:

it's ok dude. Us ladies compare our husbands to food all the time. Good to know

Can I say that your post is super duper cool because you had the good taste to post it on my birthday!! I know, I feel the same way. :hug: Seriously? Happy Birthday! :bday: party:

You just know it's the love of your life when you spend hours with someone and they are feeling and looking baaaaddddd.!:sick: And yet they are hours well spent.
:thumbsup2 Well said! And believe me, she was Baaaddddd sick!

Yeah, but you don't want to starve on the way over there, right? I aint even gonna TOUCH that one.

Just now joining - do you remember that the Disney Channel used to be a channel you had to pay extra for - like HBO? Maybe that was just with my cable provider... I remember that & vaguely what our cable box looked like, and I was 7 at the time. ?Hi Beka and welcome. :wave2: When we lived in West Texas, Disney channel was included. Then we moved to Central Texas and it was a premium channel so we lost it. But after a few months of begging, my parents relented and added it. :yay:

When do we get to see a pic of Mrs. Biscuit? And the little Bisquettes?Next week's updates will def bring some newlywed pics. Little pastries will be a couple of more months though.

whogirl'smom

03-21-2009, 08:12 AM

Mrs. The King

03-21-2009, 09:09 AM

GreatBiscuit

03-21-2009, 12:31 PM

What a sweet story! Just goes to show that when you're meant to find your soul mate, there they'll be. It took dh and me lots of trips to Krystals, Taco Bell, etc. before we found each other. He is my filet mignon! :lovestruc

All this food talk made me think of the Biscuitville restaurants I've seen in Virginia. Ever been to one? Your picture in front of one would make a great avatar!

Happy Birthday, Mrs. the King! 21?

If I ever find myself in Virginia, I am SO there. :thumbsup2 Somewhere I DO have photo I made in college where I stuck a photo of my face onto a GI joe action figure holding up a giant biscuit. I need to see if I can find those negative and run em up to Wal mart.

bjscheel

03-21-2009, 04:09 PM

(If your first activity with your future spouse involved a bowling alley, you might be a redneck.)

:yay: Raising hand!

Let's see...we live in rural Iowa, burn corn for heat, have a Dukes of Hazzard poster and paraphenalia in the kitchen, and my husband is on his tractor right now...I think we might be rednecks!

GreatBiscuit

03-23-2009, 02:03 PM

:yay: Raising hand!

Let's see...we live in rural Iowa, burn corn for heat, have a Dukes of Hazzard poster and paraphenalia in the kitchen, and my husband is on his tractor right now...I think we might be rednecks!

Awesome! Iowa is good peeps! My wife's college room mate / best friend is from Iowa. (I THINK they just moved from Storm Lake back to Des Moines.) Two things about driving through Iowa stick out. 1. It's the only place I've ever pulled up to a gas station and seen a vending machine which sold live bait. 2. It's got the coollest exit sign on all of I-35. (And I've driven every inch of it at one point or another.) I don't remember the exit number, but it's in the northern part of the state and is for: Manly Forrest City. I love that. It brings to mind lumber jacks living in treehouses like Ewoks.

GreatBiscuit

03-23-2009, 09:59 PM

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, a girl was met, a proposal was made and an incorrect bootie got slapped. If you recall, I had proposed to Tracy in October and of course had an idea that Disney World would be the ultimate, ideal, perfect honeymoon destination. There was one slight problem. I was a flat broke college dude who didn’t have two nickels to rub together. (And honestly looking back, hadn’t quite grown up as this post shall soon reveal.) This posed a bit of an inconvenience in that The World aint exactly the cheapest destination a fellow could come up with. However, that December, I got a happy gift. My mom, Aunt Janna and Aunt LeeAnn had gotten together and decided that their collective wedding gift to Tracy and I would be a week in Orlando. Glory, Hallelujah, and AMEN BROTHER BEN! In other words, I was pleased by their decision.

Contrary to what you might imagine, I actually didn’t get involved in the planning at all. In fact, thoughts of the trip took a back burner all together. I never picked up a guide, never planned out a single day, and never devoted even an oodle of cranial unction to mapping out “The Plan”. I know that comes as a total shock. In fact, it’s a little bit shocking to me. But let us take a stroll down memory lane and examine the events of that spring semester shall we?

For starters I was studying for the senior comp. If you have not had the joy of experiencing this blessing, you have cause for celebration. This device of cognitive torture was a cumulative exam which covered every course required for one’s major. (Essentially everything that was not a general study / elective class.) The exam was given in eight sessions, each two hours long, held over the course of two days. It was pure euphoria, let me tell you. Passing was mandatory for graduation so I was certainly motivated. I actually did really well, except for one tiny little portion. I DID have to retake the Philosophy section. (Must have had some sort of distraction in that class.)

In addition to the lovely senior comp, I took an 18 hour class load, served as photo editor of the school newspaper & yearbook, worked as a delivery driver for Dominos, and was engaged to be married. Tracy still had two years of school left and took that semester off to plan the wedding. This of course meant late night phone calls and a couple of weekend trips back and forth to the Twin Cities. All of this together translated into 4-5 hours of sleep per night augmented with copious amounts of caffeine.

Summer didn’t help matters much. By the time I graduated, packed up my worldly possessions, went job hunting in Oklahoma City (where my soon-to-be wife was going to finish school), did some apartment shopping, and finished the wedding planning, the honeymoon seemed like it was a million miles away.

Even after the wedding, we still had to spend the next day sorting through gifts and finishing packing up Tracy’s stuff for the move to OKC. We were married on Saturday, spent time with family & packing on Sunday, and on Monday Tracy and I left Minneapolis and drove to Kansas City.

We spent the night in KC, and the next morning, we were scheduled to fly out of MCI with a final destination of MCO. (Yep…us geeks know our Airport codes.) Why fly out of Kansas City when we were married in Minneapolis and moving to Oklahoma City? I asked the same questions when my mom ran it by me. Turns out it was $200 cheaper PER TICKET and we had to drive through there anyway to get to our new home.

We had a morning flight and after leaving our over-stuffed car in off site parking, we hopped aboard Delta flight something or other and were off to Atlanta for our connecting flight. It wasn’t until we were on the plane that it began to sink in. We were heading to The World!

Finally, after years of lying dormant, my WDW commando came online with a vengeance. I happened to have a notepad in my carryon and in the course of about an hour, I had mapped out “The Plan 2.0”. We were spending five days in Orlando, with 4 day park hopper passes. On our last day, we were flying out at 7PM, so my plan was to use our first four days as park days. Our inbound flight was scheduled to arrive in Orlando around noon, and with any luck, I figured we could be in the parks by 2PM. We’d spend day one in the Magic Kingdom, day two at the Disney MGM Studios, day three at EPCOT Center, and split day 4 between the Studios and the Magic Kingdom.

We were going all counter service, so no priority seating requests to worry about. This was going to be great. I would be at my favorite place, with my favorite person for a week of fun and relaxation. Tracy was excited as well as she also loves WDW and had been there a time or two as a youngster. I see us now, sitting happily on the plane holding hands and making our plans for the week. So young. So innocent. So blissfully unaware that the universe was about to take a cosmic dump on our honeymoon.

The first sign of trouble began as we were making our descent into Atlanta. We could see some fairly active thunderheads as we were coming in. When we broke through the cloud cover, it was sprinkling. As the plane was taxiing to the gate, the skies were a steel blue. About the time we “parked” it opened up and the rain-rain-rain came down-down-down. It was absolutely POURING. By the time we made it off of the plane and into the terminal, it was not only raining, but the lighting and thunder had arrived full force.

EVERY flight was delayed and the entire place came to a standstill. Hmmm…well then…maybe it will blow over quickly. Our original layover was only 55 min, but I soon began to suspect that we would be involuntary residents of Atlanta for just a wee bit longer. We wondered around a bit and periodically checked back at the gate. At one point, it seemed like the weather was going to let up a bit. That’s when it started to hail.

Convenient.

We finally ventured off in search of sustenance and if I recall correctly, located a Chili’s. Then we browsed some shops, wandered around some more, and finally just sat down at the gate and stared at the rain. Eventually the weather did clear up enough for planes to begin moving again, but apparently restarting an airport is not something that happens quickly. We waited and waited, then got to wait some more.

We finally got an announcement that we would be boarding soon so I called my mom to give her an update. That’s when things got really interesting. We were staying at on off site resort that one of my aunts had booked via her time share credits. When my mom was setting up the trip, she had spoken with several companies regarding rental cars. She located one that would rent to us (I was 23 at the time, and most places required you to be 25) and booked it. She had done this via the 800 number and was assured by a rep and a supervisor that it wouldn’t be a problem for us to rent the car, and charge it to my mom’s credit card which they took over the phone when she reserved. You can see where this is going can’t you.

My mom called the local car rental branch in Orlando to advise them of our delay and then discovered that our reservation had been cancelled. Apparently they DO NOT rent to anyone under 25. After much arguing and back and forth calls, the bottom line was we had no ride for the week. Hmmmm….well, the resort is supposed to have a shuttle to the parks, so that much is covered, but how do we get to the resort from MCO? They had no airport shuttle so it looked like a taxi was going to be our only option. No problem, we’ll just have to cut back on spending money. Hopefully a taxi wouldn’t be TOO much.

Knowing that we would be tempted to over spend if presented the opportunity, we had only brought a limited amount of cash with us and neither of us (on the pretense of being responsible) had brought a credit card. Oh Joy. Great Biscuit, welcome to real life; real life, meet Great Biscuit.

My mom told me not to worry, she’d think of something and to call her as soon as we landed. We finally boarded the plane and promptly pulled away, only to sit on the runway for what seemed like an eternity. We made it out of Atlanta at 8:30 PM, not knowing what to expect when we landed in Orlando. The flight was relatively short and once we had retrieved our bags, I got a hold of my mom. She told me to go outside and look for a blue and silver minivan.

Off we went, and soon the van was spotted. Inside was the nicest couple, who I’m guessing was in their mid forties. They welcomed us to Orlando, told us they were sorry to hear about our problems, and said they were there to get us to our resort. It was then that I discovered that my mother had invoked divine intervention. After praying for an answer, she decided to call a church in Orlando that was part of our denomination and see if they knew of a shuttle service or could give her the phone number of a local taxi company. (We didn’t have internet at home at that point, and calling information wasn’t getting her anywhere.)

Turns out that this couple was at the church when she called, and had stayed late from a Bible study to tell the pastor about how a stranger from another church had helped their daughter when her car broke down at college. When my mom called in and explained the situation, they said they knew God was giving them a chance to help someone else’s kid. They brought us from the airport to the resort and refused to take any money. Unfortunately I have forgotten their names, but I thank God for allowing our paths to cross.

After our pay it forward moment, we arrived at our resort around 11:00ish. Finally our day of frustration was over. We had lost a park day, but with any luck, we could still get in a few hours on our last day before we had to head to the airport. From here, things can only go up right? OHHHHHHH poor naïve little Biscuit. If you only knew what the next 24 hours had in store, you’d have never left Atlanta.

Coming up in Episode 22 – Hell Hath No Fury Like a Biscuit Burned

Click Here for the Next Episode (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31024250&postcount=259)