Dr. Jones and the Spitting Camel - Link to Alaska Cruise TR 9/18

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by winkers

All caught up!

You are brave for taking the red eye but I must be crazy to because I'm considering it next time we go.

Why is it that teenagers can sleep anywhere and through anything? And why do kids feel it's necessary to keep you awake if they can't sleep? Ethan does that to me all the time.

Now....would that be for Peepfest or are you thinking before?

If you flew out of SeaTac we could be on the same flight.

Ok wait, maybe that's a really bad idea



That's the beyond annoying part. Ok...so you can't sleep and you feel the need to wake me up to tell me that?

JEFF does that to me.

[winkers]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Now....would that be for Peepfest or are you thinking before?

If you flew out of SeaTac we could be on the same flight.

Ok wait, maybe that's a really bad idea



That's the beyond annoying part. Ok...so you can't sleep and you feel the need to wake me up to tell me that?

JEFF does that to me.

I wish it was before but probably won't be untill peepfest.....we would just have to seperate 2 little boys or no one would get any sleep!

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by winkers

I wish it was before but probably won't be untill peepfest.....we would just have to seperate 2 little boys or no one would get any sleep!

and 2 teen girls assuming K was with us!

[eandesmom]

One of the very VERY best things about WL is the boat to….The Magic Kingdom!

Thinking ahead, I made EVERYONE hit the bathroom before we walked out of the lobby. We strolled down to the marina and it wasn’t long at all before we were on our way!

My original plan really hadn’t been much of a plan other than to go to MK until around 1 or later and then hit the pool until the room was ready, if it wasn’t ready before then. I had one thing on the MK agenda but other than that, it was whatever the crew wanted to to.

Of course, what two of the crew wanted to do was that single item

The Main Street Barber Shop!

It could have waited but surprisingly Jeff was all for it. Well, more accurately I think he said something like “just get it over with”
On the boat, we devised a plan. The boys and I would head to MSB, Jeff, K&T would go grab FP’s for SM and then we’d go from there once we saw return times and if there was a wait at MSB. On the boat I began what would be a constant, daily statement.

SUNSCREEN time! With only a little grumbling they all began to apply. It was hot but it wasn’t unbearable, actually felt pretty darn fabulous to me. I'd been expecting worse. It was in either the high 80's or low 90's already but the humidity wasn't as bad (at that moment) as I'd prepared myself for so I was thrilled! I’d already applied when I’d changed clothes so I could just relax and nag the rest of them and just enjoy the boat ride. That first sight of the castle, cruising by the contemporary. A perfect way to start the first day if you ask me.

Once we got through bag check we split and I was amazed to find….NO LINE at the MSB! There were 2 babies in the chairs when we walked in, getting their first haircuts and ears and we would be next right after them. Amazing!

Check it out, in the chair, getting his haircut by 10:52 am!

First up,

Evan





He was maybe 5 minutes ahead of

Eric!





Both at the same time



Finishing touches









Eric's hair is a NIGHTMARE to cut and is often butchered. His cut last year at the MSB was, hands down, his best haircut ever. So he took a lot longer, which we'd expected.

I can't say enough wonderful things about MSB. The CM's are wonderful joyous people who just love kids and their jobs and are so so fun to talk to, the boys just love going there and it's a highlight for them. Not to mention the fact that it's a great haircut and a great deal! Both opted to skip the pixie dust as we were planning on pool time and neither wanted to try to get it out of their hair before jumping in the pool. Though it made sense, I did miss it.

By the time Jeff and the kids got the FP’s and came back, we were almost done. What took them so long I have no idea, the whole haircut process was about 40 minutes tops including our minimal wait and then paying and checking out. I had been expecting them to hit a ride before coming back and as a result, with them standing out front waiting for us and ready to go I somehow forgot to take a barbershop pole picture. WAH!

Despite the mandatory bio break before we left WL, someone had to go again. Thankfully MSB is right next to the Main Street bathroom and for once, the crowds weren't horrendous in front of it so that became our 2nd park activity. Memorable huh.

Kids looking MUCH better and everyone relieved for the moment, we trotted off to Tomorrowland! It was really kind of weird having no agenda, we just walked in and kind of ran with it and did stuff as it occurred to us to do it.
We walked by Stitch and the kids had to listen to Jeff and I go on and on and on about how much we disliked that ride. We looked at the wait time for Monsters, and Buzz. Though I didn’t take a picture it seems to me that both were about 15 minutes. What to do?

Buzz!

Now I haven’t done Buzz since 2004, which means I’ve had a few rounds of TSM since then and I was very curious to see how it would compare as in my mind they are kind of similar.

We flew through the line and got ready to shoot some Z’s. For some reason, and maybe it’s just me, it felt SOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW to watch those points rack up. It felt a lot faster when the ride stopped mid way for a couple of minutes and I just kept shooting. Apparently it didn’t occur to the rest of the kids to keep shooting. I was in a car with Kendall (as we usually are, girls together, big boys and little boys is the ride breakout) and she kept looking at my points and making comments but somehow didn’t clue in that if you kept shooting, even though the ride had in fact stopped, you’d get still points. Even with that I didn’t have the best strategy so only made it to Planetary Pilot. Given that I was surrounded by Space Cadets, it worked out just fine!

Leaving Buzz we saw a bit of a crowd and wondered what the commotion was about. PUSH!

I couldn’t believe our luck, stumbling on PUSH like that right away. My goodness is that garbage can funny! Eric was rather upset he had nothing to throw away to “give” to PUSH and no one would believe me that it was his name. With some time before our FP’s were ready, we debated what to do next.

What was the winner?



Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow!

Yep, the TTA! I’m honestly not sure if we’d ever been on it before. We enjoyed our tour to Tomorrow and checked out a few of the sights along the way. My pictures are LOUSY.







Having arrived in tomorrow and seeing /hearing space from the inside it seemed appropriate that we’d go there next. But, it wasn’t time.
Instead we headed over to see what the wait was like for the Speedway. The times had been so short for Buzz and Monsters, we were hopeful.
I don’t recall what it was, but it was longer than 15 minutes! So instead, in logical touring fashion we thought it would make a lot of sense to go to BTMRR. The FP return times looked great on the touring plans app. Half way there though someone decided he needed a bio break. A certain someone who can, shall we say, “move in” when it’s time for the bio break. I was designated as the breaker watcher and Jeff and T decided to go get the FP’s and then text with an update.

I didn’t mind, I had to go too, the 20 gallons of coffee was catching up with me. We turned off at the bathrooms that basically connect Adventureland and Frontierland. I never really thought about it before this trip but it’s kind of a cool short cut if you ask me!

While we were waiting for he who shall remain nameless it started to rain. This is when I really appreciated this unofficial shortcut. It’s completely covered!

While we were waiting I got a text that said the FP return time was a good 40 minutes later than we’d thought, not until 2:30. They grabbed them anyway. I let them know we were, in fact, still waiting.

Finally a certain someone was done. The other 2 with me had decided, during all of this that they needed to go to so it was a productive spot. Though we’d entered the bathroom area on the Frontierland side, we did peek out the other side to see what the wait looked like for the Jungle Cruise. It looked a bit long. So back out the Frontierland side we strolled down to the east end junction of the lands to meet up with our FP runners. The drizzle had continued and we decided to turn around and head back toward Space Mountain as our FP time was approaching.

It started drizzling more. Then it REALLY started raining. And what to our eyes might appear on the right but…

You guessed it I’m sure.

POTC!

The perfect spot to hide from the rain.

The wait?

0 minutes.

Oh we love this ride! And funny but the smell of this ride in the queue, all kind of musty and dank, that wet cement smell, suited the deluge we were hiding from.

I have no pics as 1) I put it away due to the rain and 2) with a 0 minute wait I was moving too fast to take pics and 3) my interior shots suck so in general, I don't bother.

It was great as always. The best part though was the CM at the exit queue. I so wish I’d have thought to record him or write down what he said. I cannot recall what his exit instructions were but we were busting up laughing. He was SO in character and having fun with it, it was fabulous.

As Florida rain is wont to do, it had stopped to barely a mist as we dodged the shop temptations and headed out to resume our mission to the first mountain of the trip.

As Florida in August is wont to do, the steam began to rise from the pavement as it dried out and we began to heat up. And feel the time change and lack of sleep. It was around 1pm, about the time I had thought in my trip planning that we might make it to before starting to hit a wall.

Just then a text came through.

And another one.

Our rooms were ready.

I was feeling pretty good about the morning. We'd gotten haircuts, ridden on 2 rides that we didn't last year, one that was new to everyone and then hit a classic. We'd had our first rain and it hadn't bothered anyone an iota. Not a bad first couple of hours after a red eye at all.

What would we do? Where were our rooms anyway? Had we really been upgraded?

and psst.....just in case you didn't notice..there's a new Ticker and PTR link below....shameless plugging alert

[vamassey1]

I have to agree, you did really well so far. I know those bathrooms very well too. I love them for their location. I was very disappointed that they were closed in Feb.

The boys haircuts look great! We've never done the haircut, but Danielle had the pixie dust do in 2006. She loved it and all the attention. They really do make it special.

Good news that your room was ready. I hope you got that upgrade.

[KatMark]

Great update, Cynthia. You accomplished some great stuff on your first day expedition thus far. Until I read more of your update, I was going to ask if the woman cutting Evan's hair was Grumpy's mom looking at her picture.

[mickeysmyboy]

Woo hoo for getting so much done in such a short amount of time! So many fabulous rides too!

The boat from WL to MK is absolutely wonderful! It's so relaxing!

The boys haircuts look great! Ryan got his first haircut there in Jan of 09! It was great!

Yipppeee for your room being ready! I hope it really was and you were able to get some rest!

[2xcited2sleep]

I loved the boat to MK too. Well I liked riding on the boat. Having a room near the dock and hearing the horn every ~20 minutes when trying to sleep was not so fun. Hopefully that didn't happen to you. Although I am taking your talk of an "alleged" upgrade to be a bit of foreshadowing...

Hurrah for no line at the Barber Shop! Glad they enjoyed their cuts!!

SO cool you got to see Push!!

There is something oddly pleasant about that musty POTC smell, isn't there? I guess b/c it means we're in WDW!

So you used one of the wait times apps? Did you like it?

[norybell]

Oh my goodness, your boys look so adorable with their new haircuts! So dapper!

Sounds like you're having a near-perfect first morning thus far! I sure hope it continues!

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by vamassey1

I have to agree, you did really well so far. I know those bathrooms very well too. I love them for their location. I was very disappointed that they were closed in Feb.

This was the first time I discovered their true purpose! I will never forget again, they are the best! Though a bit busy, I had a moment where I was worried I'd lost one but no....he had moved in.

Originally Posted by vamassey1

The boys haircuts look great! We've never done the haircut, but Danielle had the pixie dust do in 2006. She loved it and all the attention. They really do make it special.

Good news that your room was ready. I hope you got that upgrade.

When we went in 09 there was a group of 4 girls in their 20's that came in and had it done and I thought it was so neat! And then another that couldn't wait so they said..."come in" and they just sprayed them with the hairspray and gave them pixie dust while they were standing. Amazing customer service!

Originally Posted by KatMark

Great update, Cynthia. You accomplished some great stuff on your first day expedition thus far. Until I read more of your update, I was going to ask if the woman cutting Evan's hair was Grumpy's mom looking at her picture.

They both looked kind of grumpy and frazzled but oh were they wonderful!

Originally Posted by mickeysmyboy

Woo hoo for getting so much done in such a short amount of time! So many fabulous rides too!

I know, I wanted to pinch myself!

Originally Posted by mickeysmyboy

The boat from WL to MK is absolutely wonderful! It's so relaxing!

Isn't it though? So Serene

Originally Posted by mickeysmyboy

The boys haircuts look great! Ryan got his first haircut there in Jan of 09! It was great!

Oh, did he get the ears? I don't remember that from the TR, it's so sweet!

Originally Posted by mickeysmyboy

Yipppeee for your room being ready! I hope it really was and you were able to get some rest!

we will see!

Originally Posted by 2xcited2sleep

I loved the boat to MK too. Well I liked riding on the boat. Having a room near the dock and hearing the horn every ~20 minutes when trying to sleep was not so fun. Hopefully that didn't happen to you. Although I am taking your talk of an "alleged" upgrade to be a bit of foreshadowing...

Oh my gosh, that didn't even occur to me that it could happen (so yes, giving that much away, it didn't). UGH that would have been awful. I'm thinking the teens would have still slept through it though.

Originally Posted by 2xcited2sleep

Hurrah for no line at the Barber Shop! Glad they enjoyed their cuts!!

hmmn...I'm thinking of 5 ladies who might have to get pixie dust for a photo op.

Originally Posted by 2xcited2sleep

SO cool you got to see Push!!

PUSH. It was fun, only Eric and I had seen him before and since Eric was 4 he didn't remember so it was basically all new to everyone.

Originally Posted by 2xcited2sleep

There is something oddly pleasant about that musty POTC smell, isn't there? I guess b/c it means we're in WDW!

So you used one of the wait times apps? Did you like it?

That's exactly it! The smell just put a HUGE grin on my face.

I did like the wait time app and honestly this was the only time it was hugely wrong! It is user based so I guess just hadn't had a recent update. That said there were a few times when I would do updates as it was off so it's only as good as the volume of users. We were a little skeptical after this but it ended up being really helpful more than once.

We can use it in May It is nice as it avoids treks across parks.

[DisMomAmy]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

What was that guy on the left doing there? Doesn't look like he needed a haircut to me...

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by norybell

Oh my goodness, your boys look so adorable with their new haircuts! So dapper!

Sounds like you're having a near-perfect first morning thus far! I sure hope it continues!

They do such a good job there! It is officially a must do for us and I think we are going to have to keep it as maybe a first thing, thing as it just set the stage perfectly!

It really was a near perfect morning! Honestly the only glitch (and that's probably overstating it) was rooms not being ready and how long the online check in actually took.

Originally Posted by DisMomAmy

What was that guy on the left doing there? Doesn't look like he needed a haircut to me...

OMG Amy, so funny you mentioned that as I remember thinking the same thing at the time. If memory serves he got a Mickey on the back of his head plus a little trim back there.... But no dust...I don't think.

I love the expression on his face, like he's meditating or something but he looks like he's really enjoying whatever it is he's thinking about!

[serendipity]

Loving the TR!

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by serendipity

Loving the TR!

and thank you so much It was a darn good start to the trip.

[pooh'smate]

What a lovely update. You got a lot accomplished. Woohoo for no wait on POTC.