The Day the Mickey Died - In memoriam: Pal Mickey

Just wanted tosay I found your TR today and from the very 1st post to the last I have laughed so hard...

This is the BEST TR I have ever read.....I will admitt I have started 2 PTR's that I have only posted intro's for.....sad I know.

Keep posting cause this is addictive....:banana: :worship::worship::worship::worship:

Whoops...I missed your post at the bottom of a page. Glad you like it.

By the way, the intro's are the best part of the TR anyway so.....you're just being extremely efficient by skipping all the other parts....you know....like the parts about the trip.
 
Well, you do know about hitting the volcano on Buzz, don't you? I creamed my DS last time we were at WDW. Even after I told him how I got the higher score, I STILL beat him. :banana::banana: (just 'cause that deserves 2 bananas)
 
I just found this, well not just, I just finished reading it though. I have never laughed so much reading a TR. You for sure have a GREAT writing style like no other!:worship: How many days were you there?:rotfl:
 


Chapter 17 - Whatever

Ok….so hopefully you all learned everything you ever wanted to know about our bus riding tendencies. Obviously, I am very sensitive to the fact that most people find 15 minute bus rides fascinating…. that‘s why I took the time to describe it in such detail. For the small minority of people out there who just can’t seem to enjoy the wondrous experience I like to call public transportation…..we’ll move on…..but I pity you.




I am so excited to hear someone else enjoys their time on Disney transportation!! We have taken our kids twice in their 9 and 10 years of life, and both times, we tried to use as many modes of Disney transportation as we could. Sound like a waste of good Disney time? Not at all. Bus, monorail (riding up front with the driver who turns out to be from our hometown...Go ahead, you can hum it. "It's a Small World After All..."), boat, pumpkin shaped carriage. Ok, I made that last one up. But we are looking for that one next time we go!
Most people try to ride all the rides, stay in all the resorts at least once. We just try to get to places in different ways. Yes. We're simple people!
 
Well, you do know about hitting the volcano on Buzz, don't you? I creamed my DS last time we were at WDW. Even after I told him how I got the higher score, I STILL beat him. :banana::banana: (just 'cause that deserves 2 bananas)

Nope....the volcano is news to me....my entire strategy centers on the robot...after that its just random violence.

Let's just keep this volcano nugget to ourselves. What my DS doesn't know won't hurt him....whereas getting pushed out of the ride...now thats gonna leave a mark.

I just read your whole TR! What a fun read. Keep it coming...

Welcome to my ramblings....glad you like them.

I just found this, well not just, I just finished reading it though. I have never laughed so much reading a TR. You for sure have a GREAT writing style like no other!:worship: How many days were you there?:rotfl:

Thanks. We were there for nine days...although two of the days were travel days so we'll just combine them into one and say it was eight days....then again...a good chunk of those days we were sleeping so I'm going to knock off another three days for that....leaving us at five days....although if you consider time spent for personal hygiene and getting from place to place...I'm sorry, what was the question?

I am so excited to hear someone else enjoys their time on Disney transportation!! We have taken our kids twice in their 9 and 10 years of life, and both times, we tried to use as many modes of Disney transportation as we could. Sound like a waste of good Disney time? Not at all. Bus, monorail (riding up front with the driver who turns out to be from our hometown...Go ahead, you can hum it. "It's a Small World After All..."), boat, pumpkin shaped carriage. Ok, I made that last one up. But we are looking for that one next time we go!
Most people try to ride all the rides, stay in all the resorts at least once. We just try to get to places in different ways. Yes. We're simple people!

Simple..yet brilliant in my opinion. I love weird stuff like the monorail driver being from your hometown. Of course...its a better story if your hometown is Ekalaka Montana rather than say....Bombay India.
 


Chpt 19 – We’re really cooking now

After Buzz, Tinkershell’s non-negotiable itinerary had us headed to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I must admit...I feel a little resentment towards Pooh....because of Mr. Toad….who was my boy. I mean….one minute Mr. Toad is sitting on some prime real estate in an upscale section of Fantasyland and the next he’s being forced to hand over the deed to Pooh’s hired goon Owl….under very suspicious circumstances I might add. There is even a picture of the sordid shake-down in the new ride...in which Owl has a burly wing around Mr. Toad's neck. Granted….in the old Mr Toad’s Wild Ride you used to have to take a short trip through "h - e - double hockey sticks" and that may have been a bit unsettling to the youngsters but…..ultimately I think it all came down to money. I don’t know. I can’t help thinking that if Mr. Toad ate honey instead of flies things might have turned out different. Anyway, apparently no one else cared because this was our first line of the day.

After Pooh, Tinkershell herded us next door to Snow White’s Scary Adventure…which I feel is in blatant violation of our countries truth in advertising laws. When we took our kids to Disneyland at the ages of 4 and 7, we rode SWSA 15 times in a row.....so honestly….how scary are we talking here. By the way......and I know I’m saying this at great risk of bodily injury.....I think the Disneyland SWSA is better. The DL version looks like an old castle...with the witch peeking through the upstairs curtains. Plus....it’s got that cool apple you can touch as you enter to hear thunder claps and the witch’s evil cackle. At MK….it reminds me of one of those booths at the state fair where some tattoed guy is yelling at you to step right up and win a prize for your sweetheart.....when he knows perfectly well there's no earthly way you're ever gonna be able to knock over all three milkbottles cuz it's totally rigged....and then your sweetheart dumps you and you're left standing there...humiliated and alone. The MK Snow White is like that.

After SWSA, we headed for Peter Pan’s Flights…. but just kept on walking because that bugger was already crammed with people waiting in line. Don’t get me wrong....we love this ride....it’s just awfully popular.....maybe a little too popular. I sometimes wonder if that boy never grows up because he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal popularity. Anyway, it didn’t really matter….we’d catch it the next time by…..cuz we’re flexible that way.

So we cut through Liberty Square and jumped on the boardwalk around the lake to Splash Mountain. We grabbed some fastpasses as soon as we got there… so now we had two sets of fastpasses....one for Splash Mountain and one for Buzz. Wait a tick…..isn’t that breaking the rules? Not in my book….plus everybody does it…. and isn’t that pretty much the universally accepted method of determining right from wrong. Actually, we’ve only had one experience in our WDW lifetime where a CM gave us a any trouble for trying to use our fastpasses outside of the stated return window....and he eventually let us on….after Pal Mickey slipped him a finsky.

So where were we? Right…Splash Mountain. This is probably our favorite MK attraction......except for Pal Mickey....because of his unreasonable fear of water. He spends the whole ride cowering in the middle of the boat and sometimes......if he’s a little damp afterwards....I suspect it’s not because of the plunge over the waterfall if you catch my drift. Remember…..boxers and black socks Pal Mickey.....boxers and black socks. We had a great time though. You've got to respect a ride that lulls you into a false sense of peace through happy music sung by adorable woodland creatures only to try to murder you in the end. I'm not saying...I'm just saying.

Next, we headed for Pirates of the Caribbean. We were pretty excited because they had updated it since our last vacation with Captain Jack Sparrow. Incidentally, does anyone else find it interesting that Johnny Depp’s murderous pirate role turned out light-hearted and funny while his Willie Wonka character reminds me of somebody that would kidnap a mole and keep it trapped in a pit?

Tinkershell takes advantage of the darkness of POTC's que to swipe Woob's lanyard
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We loved POTC and thought that the changes were tastefully done and added to the experience without changing it too much. I did start to wonder if maybe Pal Mickeys go through puberty at the age of two because he seemed to be a lot more interested in the women’s larboard sides on this trip if you get my meaning. In fact, he leaned over and said something to the redhead as we went by that must have been off-color because....later in the day...he was served with a restraining order....and I might have heard “refurbish” in there somewhere. Just because we're on vacation doesn't mean I won't break out the Life Buoy, Pal Mickey.

Next up: Chpt 20 – Who’s up for some lunch?
 
Chpt 20 – Who’s up for some lunch?

So after we had washed Pal Mickey’s little mouth out with soap... and impressed upon him the importance of not harassing the animatronic eye candy.....Tinkershell figured it was high time that we stop for a penny break. Every now and then...she insists that we stop and get the kids a squashed penny from one of the many squashed penny machines that are spread out all over WDW. I’ve got a number of problems with these spontaneous penny breaks. First of all.... Tinkershell is the only one who ever ends up with any pennies.....so all this “getting pennies for the kids” stuff is totally bogus. Second of all.... aren’t there some kinds of laws in place that protect U.S. currency from frivolous destruction...and if there are...am I not..in fact.. obligated to make a citizens arrest and collect whatever reward might be offered? And lastly....are we properly honoring the memory of Abraham Lincoln...one of our country’s greatest leaders... when we iron out his likeness and replace it with Chip and Dale fighting over an acorn? I for one..don't really think so.

So, following Tinkershell’s squashed penny crime spree, we decided to break for lunch at Columbia Harbor House...because apparently some people work up quite an appetite when they are breaking the law. However, on the way through Adventureland, we stumbled across Aladdin and Jasmine signing autographs. Now...no disrespect to the other princesses...who are all special in their own special way.... but Jasmine is DD Woobie’s favorite. On our last vacation, Tinkershell and DD Woob searched MK... from on end to the other....in hot muggy conditions... in a fruitless effort to get Jasmine’s autograph. Time and time again, they arrived just a half step too slow...and would be told things like... “Jasmine was in the parade”....or “Jasmine was taking a break”....or “Jasmine was off somewhere with her bodyguard because she had told Aladdin six months ago that their marriage was over and then had given him a contract to sign that said that she didn’t care if he had girlfriends as long as he pretended they were still married so they could continue to make a bunch of money even though they were living a lie”. Long story short (too late), they didn’t get Jasmine’s autograph.

So after all those Jasmine related disappointments on our last trip....here she was.....all wrapped up in a bow....without us even looking for her. Isn’t life funny? I’ve been told that finding DeVine works like that too.....but I refuse to listen. Anyway, after a short wait in line....during which Pal Mickey and I slipped over to Frontierland to watch Woody’s Ho-Down (who was surprisingly light on his feet for a seven foot tall child’s plaything by the way)... DD Woobie finally bagged her most precious autograph. Obviously, this autograph was so important that Tinkershell herself took custody of the book....for safe keeping. Right then and there.....she made a vow to Woob....and to Aladdin and Jasmine....and to anyone else in the area who cared to listen that nothing bad would ever befall that autograph book. Nope, not on her watch.

DD Woobie hits the mother-lode
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So with Woob’s most precious autograph safely in Tinkershell’s protective custody....we finally made our way to Columbia Harbor House for lunch. CHH is our kids favorite counter-service......mine too for that matter because they have an upstairs area where its usually pretty easy to find a table. You could feed me a tongue sandwich with a side order of pickled beets and I’d still be a happy camper...as long as I got my table. Of course, we had arrived at CHH before the traditional lunch-time crowd because this wasn’t our first rodeo.....or lunch at MK for that matter. On a nostalgic note, during our very first experience at CHH many moons ago, they had allowed us to substitute a clam chowder for a dessert on the dining plan. Ever since that fateful visit, we have tried to get a clam chowder in place of a dessert....but to no avail. I asked again this visit and the CM gave me a sharp slap across the face for my trouble. Ok...not really....but it felt like it, because I didn’t get the chowder. I suppose we could always just pay for a clam chowder but..when you’re on the dining plan....that just seems wrong..

Anyway, after a pleasant lunch, we emerged from CHH mostly satisfied....except for that empty chowder-shaped space in my heart. The plan was to head on over to the Haunted Mansion next because it was only a stone’s throw away.....if it was a reasonably sized stone....and if you had a major-league caliber arm....and if stone throwing was even allowed in the MK, which I’m pretty sure it isn’t...although I don’t recall any prohibitive signs. Anyway, it was about that time that Tinkershell started to get this nagging feeling that she was forgetting something......something important....or precious if you prefer.

Tinkershell’s howl of anguish was still ringing in our ears as we watched her push her way back through the crowd to CHH...leaving piles of sprawled bodies in her wake. Once inside, she had rushed back to our table to retrieve Woob’s precious autograph book...only to find it already occupied by another family. After a quick, yet thorough, examination of the crime scene...which included interrogating the six year-old in blonde ringlets with the “shifty eyes”... and roughly patting down the 70 year-old grandmother who looked a little lumpy under her shawl...Tinkershell concluded that the book must have been removed before the family in question had sat down. After warning the frightened family not to leave town in case she had any further questions... she grabbed the nearest CHH employee and started violently shaking him as she loudly demanded that he return Woob’s missing book.

As MK security escorted her from restaurant, we could tell by the look on Tinkershell’s face that the book was gone. At this point, Woob started to get a bit teary. Now, I suspect all mothers are like this.....but when it comes to our kids and making them happy....Tinkershell is like a S’more....except without the graham cracker and chocolate. Seeing the sad look on Woob’s face, Tinkershell turned on her heals and headed back to CHH for a second try. I’m not sure what she had in mind....but she had that “search the dumpster” look in her eyes. Believe me, I’ve seen it before.

This time she spoke to the CHH manager. Touched by her heartfelt story, he presented her with a coupon for a free autograph book and a hand-written note which allowed DD Woob to go to the front of the Aladdin and Jasmine autograph line. All he asked for in exchange was for Tinkershell to let go of his ankle and stop sobbing on the floor....because people were starting to stare. Tinkershell agreed.

Tinkershell's suffering her self-imposed punishment for losing the book....DS Buddy is in for an unrelated offense...and I have no idea what Pal Mickey is doing
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Next up: Chpt 21 - Yup...we're still at MK
 
So you've basically heard this again and again but your TR is awesome! Unfortunately for me, I now long to acquire my own Pal Mickey, but unless I want to spend $150 on eBay for one, I don't think that's going to happen. So for now I'll just live through yours if you don't mind, that is, until we get to the fateful chapter when he *happens* to go missing.

Can't wait for the next update!
 
Still reading along and loving your tr! I'm very protective of my autograph book too so I understand tinkershells distress over you dd's missing book!
 
So, you are a fan of Jon and Kate!!!!:lmao:

Please tell me Tinkershell really found the autograph book. I can't imagine having to replace all Woob's autographs:sad1::sad2:...
 
Go Tinkershell!! As next January we will be on the hunt for ALL the princesses (this is DD's plan...she is 4) and their autographs; and if such a tragedy were to befall us, I too hope to have the stamina and fortitude to weep at the ankles of a sympathetic CM to achieve sucess!:thumbsup2
 
So you've basically heard this again and again but your TR is awesome! Unfortunately for me, I now long to acquire my own Pal Mickey, but unless I want to spend $150 on eBay for one, I don't think that's going to happen. So for now I'll just live through yours if you don't mind, that is, until we get to the fateful chapter when he *happens* to go missing.

Can't wait for the next update!

Thanks. It's pretty sad that Pal Mickey has been discontinued.....but I guess we weren't seeing that many people carrying one in the parks anymore. Pal Mickey wasn't for everyone....but if you've got the right stuff...or stuffing in his case....it was a match made in heaven.

Still reading along and loving your tr! I'm very protective of my autograph book too so I understand tinkershells distress over you dd's missing book!

The CHH Manager totally saved the day.

So, you are a fan of Jon and Kate!!!!:lmao:

Please tell me Tinkershell really found the autograph book. I can't imagine having to replace all Woob's autographs:sad1::sad2:...

Tinkershell is a huge Jon and Kate fan....but it's pretty hard for anybody to miss what's going on lately......kind of a media frenzy.

and nope...the book was never found....but it was a brand new one so it just had the Aladdin and Jasmine autographs to replace. DD Woob has other autograph books from previous trips but they were safe and sound at home.

Go Tinkershell!! As next January we will be on the hunt for ALL the princesses (this is DD's plan...she is 4) and their autographs; and if such a tragedy were to befall us, I too hope to have the stamina and fortitude to weep at the ankles of a sympathetic CM to achieve sucess!:thumbsup2

Tinkershell is the bomb. We'll keep our fingers crossed that you don't suffer a similar fate....because four years old is the optimum age for autograph collecting.
 
YAY!!:yay: Keep it coming, Keep it coming!! This is a story that I may tell my grandkids someday.... if I ever have them... or kids at that :rotfl:
 
Chpt 21 - Yup...we're still at MK

I believe it was 17th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who wrote “to overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence”….or was that Arthur Fonzarelli, the leather jacketed high school drop-out, turned auto mechanics teacher, from the popular 1970’s sitcom “Happy Days.” I always get those two mixed up. Well, whichever one it was…..and I’m kind of leaning towards the Fonz here…he was totally full of refurbishment, because losing that autograph book didn’t feel very much like the full delight of existence to me. But it did serve a purpose…because now we had gotten our mistakes out of our system. Yup, I was pretty sure it was going to be smooth sailing from here on out.

We were in the afternoon part of the day which meant we could stow Tinkershell’s non-negotiable itinerary and just go wherever the trade winds carried us. Well, I can't speak for the trade winds.....but I had a hankering for the Haunted Mansion something fierce. Actually, I enjoy the HM more than the rest of the family....which means that at some point in the trip I typically have to hold my breath......and sometimes I can get dangerously purple before I get my way.

The reason the kids aren't huge fans is they haven't trusted us with anything scary ever since we showed them “Ghostbusters” when they were little. Tinkershell and I had watched it years before and we only remembered that there were funny pudgy ghosts in that movie....so we went to great lengths to assure our young'uns that "Ghostbusters" was a light-hearted romp and that they had nothing to fear. About 10 minutes into the picture, a librarian ghost turns into a devilish banshee and springs at the screen with black eyes and needle sharp teeth. At this point, our wee tikes felt we had misled them......and henceforth banished us from their circle of trust.

Pal Mickey, on the other hand, doesn’t like HM because all the screaming teens in the stretching room hurt his delicate over-sized ginormous ears. Plus, at the end of the ride, the hitchhiking ghost appears to be sitting in his lap....and then I tease Pal Mickey about his new girlfriend....and then Pal Mickey punches me in the arm....but with very little effect because his tiny fists are filled with fluff.

Long story short (too late), I got my ride on HM. It was pretty cool too because they had made some changes since our last vacation. Now, normally I detest change, but these weren’t too bad. They had upgraded the sound in the stretching room so the ghostly voice seemed to float around you. Even Pal Mickey thought that was neat....until he was deafened a few minutes later by screaming teens. They also added a staircase with ghostly footsteps and bride who had murdered a bunch of husbands for money....which some people might find disturbing....but I feel is a valuable public-service announcement regarding the dangers inherent in carrying too much life insurance.

After HM, we decided to split up. That was not a decision we made lightly, because normally we are thick as thieves at WDW. On rare occasions in the past, we have found it necessary to go our separate ways....usually when Tinkershell and DD Woobie were obsessed about a particular princess autograph and decided they were going to track her down....no matter the cost... to themselves or the princess for that matter. This time, they wanted to ride “Stitch”....and DS Buddy and I just weren’t feeling that ride.....because it’s no good.....and it stinks. So we bid them adieu and headed over to Buzz to use up our fastpasses from earlier in the morning. Now, I'm always a bit nervous about using fastpasses outside of their printed return time.....so I was careful when I handed them to the CM not to make eye contact....and then I stuck my hands in my pocket and started to whistle real nonchalant-like...you know...so he wouldn't suspect anything.

Anyway, after administering DS another sound drubbing on Buzz, we proceeded to our designated rendezvous point ..which was Carousel of Progress. DS and I arrived first, so we grabbed a bench and sat a spell...or took a load off if you prefer. Not too much later, we spotted the woman folk approaching. Is it just me or does DD Woob look shorter? Turns out....on the Stinkin’ Stitch ride....the contraptions on Woob’s seat that are supposed to stop when they touch the top of her delicate shoulders....kept on going, until she was compressed into a tiny crumpled ball of Woobie. Suprisingly, she didn't enjoy that.

Our little accordion-shaped Woobie wearing her new Carousel of Progress tiara
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Since we were already in the neighborhood, we decided to hit Carousel of Progress and Tomorrowland Transit Authority. In my opinion, these two attractions are the litmus test for how bad you've got the WDW bug. If you know all the words to "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" and you think "Paging Mr. Morrow...Mr. Tom Morrow" is one of the top five funniest lines you've ever heard......you've got it bad.

In our case....it's terminal.

Chpt 22 - Yup...we're still....still at MK
 

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