They Should Really Put a Bar in Here - Closing Thoughts - 4/1

[afwdwfan]

Originally Posted by toughmudder

Sounds like a ton of fun at Universal! This is how we're starting our trip in February, so your insight is certainly helpful. I noticed you didn't you on Mummy... but from the sounds of it, you've done it before? How was this ride on a quesy-ness level? We have some adventurous kids in the group, and some skeptical adults... who don't like riding backwards on coasters - is this one pretty disorienting? I know I'll like it... but want to give a proper warning to those who may be affected by it.

Yes, I've ridden it a few times in the past. It has been a few years, so I don't remember it in detail, but I don't recall it being very disorienting. The backwards portion is probably less intense and considerably shorter than Everest, if I remember right. You come into a show room and see some life threatening effects and then you propel backwards into another show room before turning and going forward for the rest of the ride. This ride is really a nice combination of dark ride and rollercoaster, but I didn't really think it was too intense from a roller coaster standpoint. The mummy effects could definitely be intense for kids though.

As far as queasy-ness goes, I have a hard time saying anything about it. Rollercoasters typically don't effect me, so I don't know how to answer. I can say that my sisters and DW decided they weren't going to ride it this year because they thought it jerked them around too much last time. It didn't bother me, but I can't disagree, because it does make some abrupt accelerations and direction changes, so it definitely can jerk you around some if you're not ready for it.

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Hey, we found E.T.!

So he finally got around to phoning home then?

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Today was a morning like most others.

Having followed a dark and stormy night and proceeded a lazy afternoon…
That opening line is certain to get you nominated for a Pulitzer

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

For about a year, DS would only call him Monster. I have no idea why, but he wouldn’t call him by his real name.

So it is written… so it shall be…

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Monster arrived at the resort at around midnight...

There, I fixed that one. You take care of the rest of ‘em

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

We were going to be committing an act of treason today.

If you’re going to do it, either don’t get caught…
Or make sure you have a really photogenic fall guy.
(kids work well for this).

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Now for someone who had never seen the movies, and had really no interest in it, once I got there I was blown away. The level of detail is incredible.

Almost Disney-esk would you say?

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

The ride itself was a lot of fun. It moves you through scenes in a somewhat typical dark ride fashion, but you move up, down side to side and pitch forward and backward as you go. On top of that, there are rooms where you stop in front of a screen where you then pitch and roll as you follow Harry Potter in chase scenes flying on a broom.

Sounds like a lot of fun. We haven’t been to the other place in forever. I don’t think IoA was even finished (or it had just opened) the last time we were there.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Remember my comments in the last update about motion sickness when I’m in a moving seat watching a screen? Yeah, this one is pretty bad. I enjoyed the ride and it really was amazing, but I didn’t feel so great when I got off.

You just needed to nibble on a bit of chocolate. It calms the senses after the odd encounter with Dementors of surviving random disorienting dark rides.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

After we finished there, we headed across the path to the Flight of the Hippogriff. After DS’s excitement about Goofy’s Rollie Coaster, we thought he’d enjoy this one too… and we were right!

It’s good to be right.
It’s better to see your kids having the time of their lives.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

I didn’t mind getting a little wet like we did on Jurassic Park, but I had no interest in being soaked to the bone all day long, nor did anyone else.

Especially not in December.
Now mid August would have been a different story I suspect.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

As we were leaving the Hulk, someone stepped on the back of my foot…

…nobody even offered an apology. I understand it wasn’t intentional, but come on, at least have the courtesy to apologize.

The world would be a great place if it weren’t for all the other people in it.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Excellent!
That’s actually a rather good photo of your boy.
My, my but he’s getting’ big.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

We enjoyed our meal, and DW and Sis2 enjoyed a couple of adult beverages.

Hhhhon-est Oss-i-fer…
I ain’t under the al-fluence of inc-a-hol…

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

We walked on a second time and as we were climbing off, BiL proposed the idea that we jump back in line again and keep riding until someone decides they can’t take anymore.

Sound like a good idea…

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

I said I was in, but DW and my sisters were already throwing in the towel.

So much for good ideas

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

We found Mom and Dad and DS was starting to get restless. He really needed a nap, but was making sure to keep moving and fight sleep. Sis really wanted to see Twister, so for some crazy reason, we decided to take a 2 year old who needs a nap and hates the dark and loud noises into a loud, dark attraction.

This does not bode well

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

By the time we made it into the main show room, he was sound asleep.

But sometimes, even bad decisions can be saved by a little bit of providence.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Sis2 wasn’t about to leave without riding E.T.!!!

Well, it did take her a while to actually find the thing.

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Now for someone who had never seen the movies, and had really no interest in it, once I got there I was blown away. The level of detail is incredible. Once you enter, you really can’t see anything in other areas of the park and it really feels like you’re in some faraway place. I think it really feels about 20 degrees cooler there, just because of the snow on the roofs. Now with that, the obligatory pictures…

Oh you really really should read the books. Or see the movies, or both! It means so much more and then you really appreciate the detail!

I'm a die hard Disney fan but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the dark side too.

OW on the shoe.

Universal doesn't have much for really little ones, I agree with you there. IoA a lot more. We are huge Margaritaville fans, glad you enjoyed your meal!

Rip Ride Rockit is the one we haven't done. Line was simply WAY too long at the time we were there. Maybe next year.

Oh dear. Twister and a 2 year old. That show/ride whatever it is, is painful enough as an adult.

[afwdwfan]

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

So he finally got around to phoning home then?

Apparently so...

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Having followed a dark and stormy night and proceeded a lazy afternoon…
That opening line is certain to get you nominated for a Pulitzer

Hey, I work hard to make sure this TR is full of generically written crap!

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

So it is written… so it shall be…

Heck, he answered to it, so apparently it worked.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

There, I fixed that one. You take care of the rest of ‘em

Thanks, but I'm too lazy, you'll just have to change it in your head as you read.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

If you’re going to do it, either don’t get caught…
Or make sure you have a really photogenic fall guy.
(kids work well for this).

You think I haven't figured this out yet?

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Almost Disney-esk would you say?

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Sounds like a lot of fun. We haven’t been to the other place in forever. I don’t think IoA was even finished (or it had just opened) the last time we were there.

It was definitely a fun ride, but I was definitely disappointed by the video scenes. Especially with how incredible the rest of it was.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

You just needed to nibble on a bit of chocolate. It calms the senses after the odd encounter with Dementors of surviving random disorienting dark rides.

Mmmmmm... chocolate.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

It’s good to be right.
It’s better to see your kids having the time of their lives.

Hard to say this, but I agree.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Especially not in December.
Now mid August would have been a different story I suspect.

Actually, it wasn't all that cold. The whole week, the coldest it got was about 57 one night. The only time I ever wore long sleeves was the last hour or so of MVMCP. That morning at IoA it was probably close to 70. Not too terribly cold, but those 2 rides absolutely soak you. Especially the Bilge Rat Barges. You know how on Kali River Rapids there's usually one person soaked and everyone else is just kind of wet? Well on this one, there might be one person on the raft with a dry area on their shirt about the size of a dime. Seriously, you might as well just jump in a pool with your clothes on. But it is one of my favorite raft rides ever. It is long and the Popeye/Bluto scenes are very well done.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

The world would be a great place if it weren’t for all the other people in it.

Ain't that the truth!

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Excellent!
That’s actually a rather good photo of your boy.
My, my but he’s getting’ big.

So is his sister...

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Hhhhon-est Oss-i-fer…
I ain’t under the al-fluence of inc-a-hol…

It is obvious that you need to spend some time at City Walk. Not only is walking around with an open container allowed, it is encouraged.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Sound like a good idea…

I'm always in the mood for a few circuits on a good rollercoaster.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

So much for good ideas

They really disappointed me. Apparently my younger sisters are getting too old to have fun.

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

This does not bode well

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

But sometimes, even bad decisions can be saved by a little bit of providence.

I could tell he was about ready to crash if he just stayed still for a little bit. I just wouldn't have thought it would happen in there with all that noise!

Originally Posted by GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes

Well, it did take her a while to actually find the thing.

It just makes me wonder a little bit about my sisters. Of all the things there are to do at US/IoA, the 2 things that they were most adamant and excited about doing were Twister and E.T...

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Oh you really really should read the books. Or see the movies, or both! It means so much more and then you really appreciate the detail!

I actually thought about at least reading one of the books before we went. I just never got around to it. I definitely need to do it sometime now that I've seen the attraction.

Originally Posted by eandesmom

I'm a die hard Disney fan but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the dark side too.

I really do enjoy both. Disney for the nostalgia and family time and US/IoA for more of an intense more grown up experience.

Originally Posted by eandesmom

OW on the shoe.

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Universal doesn't have much for really little ones, I agree with you there. IoA a lot more. We are huge Margaritaville fans, glad you enjoyed your meal!

We actually love Margaritaville too. I think I've eaten there the last 3 times I've been at CityWalk.

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Rip Ride Rockit is the one we haven't done. Line was simply WAY too long at the time we were there. Maybe next year.

It really is a fun ride. Of all the rollercoasters I've ever ridden, it usually seems like I can compare a new one to one I've been on before. This one is definitely unique.

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Oh dear. Twister and a 2 year old. That show/ride whatever it is, is painful enough as an adult.

You know, it was interesting to see the first time. It really is a bit dated now, especially since they've removed all the props outside the theater when they put in Rip Ride Rockit. I'd be fine with them making better use of that space...

[eandesmom]

Forgot to mention, there is some interesting backstory on the Universal/hat thing.

We just hired a mechanical/safety/human factors engineer who used to work for Universal and Disney.

Lets just say someone went to EXTREME lengths to retrieve a very special hat that had fallen off. Despite it clearly begin blocked off to the public in multiple ways and not easy to bypass.

It did not end well. Our engineer actually had to testify to the human factors aspect of why someone might do such a thing.

[afwdwfan]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Forgot to mention, there is some interesting backstory on the Universal/hat thing.

We just hired a mechanical/safety/human factors engineer who used to work for Universal and Disney.

Lets just say someone went to EXTREME lengths to retrieve a very special hat that had fallen off. Despite it clearly begin blocked off to the public in multiple ways and not easy to bypass.

It did not end well. Our engineer actually had to testify to the human factors aspect of why someone might do such a thing.

Yeah, that really doesn't surprise me. I figured there was something that had happened and they just implemented that rule to protect themselves in this lawsuit happy society that we live in. You've got to protect people from themselves since it is always someone else's fault.

I just thought it was a little bit annoying, but I guess they've got to do what they've got to do.

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Yeah, that really doesn't surprise me. I figured there was something that had happened and they just implemented that rule to protect themselves in this lawsuit happy society that we live in. You've got to protect people from themselves since it is always someone else's fault.

I just thought it was a little bit annoying, but I guess they've got to do what they've got to do.

What fascinated me was that what should be a deterrent to some, actually becomes an incentive to others. Kind of like beating a level in a video game. Oh, if I made it through this one, I should keep going. And then they do. And so because they were able to break into an area they shouldn't, Universal gets sued. It really boggles the mind. Yeah, it's a great idea to walk under an active roller coaster simply because you don't like the answer you are getting about getting your hat back.

Should they have recognized the guy was going to be a problem. Maybe. It's so messed up!

[glennbo123]

I have an interesting "spoiler" picture of the Harry Potter ride whenever I make it to that chapter of my TR.

I remember seeing the news about that kid who tried (and failed) to retrieve his hat that Cynthia mentioned. I was thinking about it as I read your post, so I was glad to see that she mentioned it.

I'm glad your BiL is being adventuresome with you on the rides. Sounds like he's going to enjoy himself on this trip even though he was skeptical.

[khertz]

You WWoHP pics make me really REALLY want to get there!! I'm thinking we will incorporate it into our 2013 trip. I love the books & the movies and have still never been while my parents have been 3 times!! It's just not right!! Can't wait to see it in person.

Too bad about your foot. And really, how hard it it to tell someone you're sorry for stepping on them? I don't think I'll ever understand people.

Love the pic of DS in his Wikki Stix glasses! Bought some as a plane ride toy, and never opened them. Might need to break them out for Paxton.

We were debating a 2 park in 1 day ticket or spending 2 days without park hopping when we do go with DS. Looks like doing both parks in 1 day is the way to go with a little one. Seems like y'all still managed to get a lot done! Only thing I would have changed from your plan was 1 less ride on Rip Ride Rockit in favor of the Mummy. LOVE that ride!!

[afwdwfan]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

What fascinated me was that what should be a deterrent to some, actually becomes an incentive to others. Kind of like beating a level in a video game. Oh, if I made it through this one, I should keep going. And then they do. And so because they were able to break into an area they shouldn't, Universal gets sued. It really boggles the mind. Yeah, it's a great idea to walk under an active roller coaster simply because you don't like the answer you are getting about getting your hat back.

Should they have recognized the guy was going to be a problem. Maybe. It's so messed up!

Yeah, that's kind of messed up. It's a shame things like that happen, but we'll probably never understand what makes some people tick.

Originally Posted by glennbo123

I have an interesting "spoiler" picture of the Harry Potter ride whenever I make it to that chapter of my TR.

Ooooh... I'm looking forward to seeing what it is!

Originally Posted by glennbo123

I remember seeing the news about that kid who tried (and failed) to retrieve his hat that Cynthia mentioned. I was thinking about it as I read your post, so I was glad to see that she mentioned it.

Hmmm... Guess I was living under a rock or something when that happened. Or I've just completely forgotten about it.

Originally Posted by glennbo123

I'm glad your BiL is being adventuresome with you on the rides. Sounds like he's going to enjoy himself on this trip even though he was skeptical.

Well, I never questioned that he'd be adventurous. He loves the big thrills as much as I do. I was more worried about Sis or DW getting upset about us going off to ride things without them.

Originally Posted by khertz

You WWoHP pics make me really REALLY want to get there!! I'm thinking we will incorporate it into our 2013 trip. I love the books & the movies and have still never been while my parents have been 3 times!! It's just not right!! Can't wait to see it in person.

It's a really neat area. I take it your parents like Harry Potter??

Originally Posted by khertz

Too bad about your foot. And really, how hard it it to tell someone you're sorry for stepping on them? I don't think I'll ever understand people.

It was just inconsiderate. I understand that things happen, but at least show some courtesy.

Originally Posted by khertz

Love the pic of DS in his Wikki Stix glasses! Bought some as a plane ride toy, and never opened them. Might need to break them out for Paxton.

They were great. He really loved playing with them. I'd save them for one of those times when you just really need that new thing to keep Paxton's attention for a while.

Originally Posted by khertz

We were debating a 2 park in 1 day ticket or spending 2 days without park hopping when we do go with DS. Looks like doing both parks in 1 day is the way to go with a little one. Seems like y'all still managed to get a lot done! Only thing I would have changed from your plan was 1 less ride on Rip Ride Rockit in favor of the Mummy. LOVE that ride!!

This is the first time we've been to US/IoA with kids. I would typically say go for the 1 day in each park and just take your time, but there just isn't enough to do for the little kids, especially in US. I guess my point is, I'd have a hard time wanting to spend 2 days there when the kids won't get much enjoyment out of it. If you hit RD and have a good plan, you can probably get most of the headline attractions done in a day, although I'm sure busier times of the year would make it more difficult. You definitely wouldn't be able to do everything though.

I really like Mummy too. BiL and I would have definitely ridden it if the line was shorter. It's just that it was the longest line we'd seen all day, and let's just say I didn't feel like it would be good for my marriage if I asked the rest of them to sit and wait for 20 minutes or so while we went and rode something nobody else wanted to ride.

[Poolrat]

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Forgot to mention, there is some interesting backstory on the Universal/hat thing.

We just hired a mechanical/safety/human factors engineer who used to work for Universal and Disney.

Lets just say someone went to EXTREME lengths to retrieve a very special hat that had fallen off. Despite it clearly begin blocked off to the public in multiple ways and not easy to bypass.

It did not end well. Our engineer actually had to testify to the human factors aspect of why someone might do such a thing.

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

Yeah, that really doesn't surprise me. I figured there was something that had happened and they just implemented that rule to protect themselves in this lawsuit happy society that we live in. You've got to protect people from themselves since it is always someone else's fault.

I just thought it was a little bit annoying, but I guess they've got to do what they've got to do.

I always say that every new "rule" has someone's name on it or someone to blame for it.

No matter how many gates, locks, fences etc. it always seems that people can sue and win. Why can't people follow rules.

[eandesmom]

Originally Posted by Poolrat

I always say that every new "rule" has someone's name on it or someone to blame for it.

No matter how many gates, locks, fences etc. it always seems that people can sue and win. Why can't people follow rules.

Can't say they necessarily won this one. Nor, awful as it was should they have. I don't know that this is the same one Glenn is referring to though. The thought process behind why, and how theme park engineers try to design around it is pretty fascinating.

[afwdwfan]

Originally Posted by Poolrat

I always say that every new "rule" has someone's name on it or someone to blame for it.

No matter how many gates, locks, fences etc. it always seems that people can sue and win. Why can't people follow rules.

That really seems to be the case. Somebody does something stupid, somebody else get sued, we all have to deal with some new rule or law.

Originally Posted by eandesmom

Can't say they necessarily won this one. Nor, awful as it was should they have. I don't know that this is the same one Glenn is referring to though. The thought process behind why, and how theme park engineers try to design around it is pretty fascinating.

I'm sure there are more things that go into every aspect of the design than we could ever imagine. Truthfully, I'm kind of jealous that you know an engineer that knows about that kind of stuff. It really would be fascinating to learn some of the how and why that goes into some of these designs.

[that's nice]

Originally Posted by afwdwfan

That really seems to be the case. Somebody does something stupid, somebody else get sued, we all have to deal with some new rule or law.

If certain people that you know don't stop taking advantage of the all you can eat shrimp at 'Ohana they will impose a per person shrimp limit.

[afwdwfan]

Return to the Magic

Monday, Dec 3 - Evening

We arrived back at CSR a little after 5. Both kids were sleeping peacefully, and we didn’t plan to stay at the resort for long, so DW and I took turns going into the room to get ready to head back out while the other stayed with them. We drove to the TTC and we were there by about 6:15. DS finally woke up from what amounted to an almost 3 hour nap!

We didn’t have much of a wait before we were on a monorail and on our way to the MK. We had just left the station when we came to a sudden stop. The recording about waiting on clearance or something started to play when someone came over the PA and sternly warned everyone not to lean on the doors, because it will cause the monorail to come to a sudden stop. Never heard that one before, but I’m going to guess that someone had just leaned on a monorail door for the last time.

Our goal for the evening was to see the MSEP at 7pm and Wishes at 8. Anything else would just be a bonus. It was about 6:30 so we weren’t sure what kind of parade viewing spots we’d find, but we quickly found a spot in front of the Fire Station next to a lamp post right behind a couple who were sitting on the curb. We parked the stroller behind them right between the tape line and the lamp post. There was no way anyone would be able to crowd in here…

We had wanted to do the SotMK at some point in time, so I headed into the Fire Station to get cards for DW and myself since we were right there. When I got back, a family with 3 umbrella strollers and 4 kids had gathered behind DW. They were at an angle where they could just barely see the parade route, but DW and I shifted our position to try to help them have a better view, without really giving up our spots. Just before the parade started another family comes running up. Mom, dad, 2 kids. They crammed right into the area where we were standing. Dad is complaining trying to get them to just leave. Mom is arguing that they have a few minutes before they need to get a monorail, and it won’t hurt anybody to sit there and watch part of the parade. There was absoultely no room next to our stroller, but they somehow managed to cram their way in there. Their son was literally draped over the side of our stroller practically sitting on DS’s lap. I ended up taking DS out of the stroller and holding him so he could see. This family had completely obstructed the view of the kids behind us, so DW turned to the family behind us and offered to let their kids in front of our stroller so that they could see. There wasn’t any room between the front of our stroller and the people sitting on the curb, but I was about to make some. The family that showed up at the last second may have been hanging over the side of our stroller, but they were blocked from being able to get in front of it, so we picked the other family’s kids up and put them right in front of our stroller while moving it back at the same time. This allowed them to see the parade while at the same time blocking the 2 kids from the rude family. It may have been a dirty trick, but what goes around comes around. I slept fine. I guess they either got the hint or decided it was finally time to catch their monorail, because they left.

I managed to get a few parade pictures, but again, I don’t think we even bothered to bring the camera that evening with the problems we were having with it, so all I have are crappy cell phone pictures.













Despite some of the typical rudeness that you get from other guests, we enjoyed the parade. And on the other side of the coin, the family whose kids we allowed to sit in front of our stroller were great. They were very polite and we were chatting with them for a while before the parade started. Right after it ended, we made sure the 4 kids made their way back to their family as the crowd scattered and said goodbye to them.

We wanted to see Wishes while we were there, but we needed to get something to eat first. We made a mad dash through the Emporium and back to Casey’s to see how long the line was. The parade was still going through that part of Main Street, and surprisingly, the lines at Casey’s were absolutely deserted. I ordered a couple of chili dog meals and some corn dog nuggets. There was nowhere to sit, so we headed outside and everything out there was occupied also. We started trying to use the stroller as a make shift table, when a family at one of the tall tables told us they were just about done and we could have theirs. I sat our food down and took this picture to text to Sis2.



I didn’t know what they were doing that evening, but she had mentioned a few times that she wanted a chili dog, so I just had to rub it in a little bit. We enjoyed our meal, but DS didn’t seem to want to eat much. I can’t complain, because I got to eat most of the corn dog nuggets. Those things are good! DS was being grumpy because he wanted chocolate milk instead of water, so DW went back in to get some. She was gone forever. Turns out we got to Casey’s just in time!

The projection show started and I couldn’t quite see all of it from our angle. I was at least able to see enough to know that the new version is even better than last year’s and I was going to have to make seeing the entire show a priority. We finished eating and walked around the corner and found a spot just under the awning next to the piano. Not a perfect location for Wishes, but we had a good view of the castle and it wasn't extremely crowded there, so I can’t complain.

After Wishes, I texted Mom to see where they were. It turns out that they watched Wishes from just across Main Street. I let her know that we were taking the kids to the Baby Care center to change diapers and they were going to meet us outside. The crowd fighting their way through the walkway in front of Crystal Palace between Adventureland and Main Street was as thick as I’ve ever seen, but we decided we wanted to go on a cruise with some pirates, so we fought our way upstream through the mad dash for the exits. It was ridiculous. I was seriously contemplating either using the stroller as a weapon, or taking the kids out and just carrying them and the stroller through the crowd.

Nah, who am I kidding? The only one of those scenarios I considered was turning the stroller into a battering ram.

I wasn’t too sure how DS would handle Pirates, and he wasn’t having too much fun during the dark part at the beginning. Right before the drop, I started talking it up, telling him we were going to go down a hill just like Goofy’s coaster and he lightened up a little bit. He wasn’t too crazy about the fact that we dropped into a cannon battle, but once we were past that part, he sat back and enjoyed the rest of the ride. When we got to the end of the ride, the CM there was singing along with the music. She actually had a very nice singing voice and was just singing along and then changing various lyrics to basically tell everybody to get out of the boat. It was great to see a CM having fun with her job and was just a little bit of extra magic.

We went through the gift shop where someone was unable to keep his hands off the conveniently located swords they have all over the place. No, I’m not talking about DS, I’m talking about BiL. He and I may or may not have had an impromptu sword fight in the middle of the gift shop.

The rest of the family had just arrived at the MK right before Wishes and hadn’t eaten yet and Sis wanted to do Monsters Inc, so they decided to head across the park to Cosmic Rays. DW and I decided to take turns riding the Aladdin’s carpets with DS and then told everyone else we’d meet them by Monsters Inc. I tried to get a couple of pictures of us or at least DS on the carpets.





I made the obligatory stop at Aloha Isle and tried one of the orange swirl Dole Whips. I have to say, I really liked it.



I tried to get some good castle pictures… Once again, we’re stuck with crappy cell phone pictures. Stupid camera.





We headed over to Tomorrowland, but it was getting close to 10:00. I would have loved to have taken advantage of EMH, but we were going to have a late night the next night. We weighed the pros and cons and ended up texting Sis to let them know we were just going to head back to the resort.

The report back from everyone else was that they did Monsters Inc., Buzz, It’s a Small World, Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain. Not a bad use of some evening EMH time.

We arrived back at the resort and DW started giving the kids baths. I headed up to Rix to fill our mugs and I think I might have grabbed a beer while I was there.





We got the kids settled into bed and got ready to go to sleep ourselves. It had been a very busy, but fun day. I hated the fact that I was missing out on some quality EMH time at the MK, but it was nice to be relaxing a bit and getting to bed at a normal time.