Canadian Buffoon's Hi Low Vacation - South Central Musings

[pkondz]

Yeah, if that was down I'm switching that one to Peter Pan

Noted.

I too will have to change my answer if BTMRR was down then I will change my answer to Space Mountain. Judy

Noted.

I guess we need to change some answers as well.

Lady H is requesting to change her answer to question #3 from BTMRR to PoTC.

We both would like to change our answer on question #8 for BTMRR. I'm going with Space Mountain and Lady H is going with PoTC.

Noted.
And noted.

As everyone else has changed their fast pass answer to question 8 I would also like to change mine if it is possible Can you please change out BTMR for the Hunted Mansion.

Noted.

 

[pkondz]

Hmmm.... The next (rather large)
update is pretty much finished.
Gotta review and edit.
But...
I'm thinking I'll wait until
Monday evening to post.
Gives the folks who only read
on the weekdays a chance
to change their answers too.

Unless I get too much push back.
Guess I'll wait and see.

 

[franandaj]

Hmmm.... The next (rather large)
update is pretty much finished.
Gotta review and edit.
But...
I'm thinking I'll wait until
Monday evening to post.
Gives the folks who only read
on the weekdays a chance
to change their answers too.

Unless I get too much push back.
Guess I'll wait and see.

WHAT???????

You are aware that I leave Tuesday morning at the crack of ridiculous for WDW????? How do you expect folks who spend all weekend hanging on your every word to get in responses???????

 

[pookersmom]

Hi! to the TR!



Whoops! Bye!

Are you editing your own?
Or someone else's?



Are you published?
What genre do you write?



Not this one.
I plan on having it done
within three weeks.

Four. Four weeks.
Five, tops.

Maybe six if I get busy.


Or seven...


Better make that nine.

Nine weeks.
But no more than ten.
Or eleven... ish.





I'm talking about the next update...

Not published yet but I have an agent and am working through an edit with her and then the first book should be ready to go! I write mostly what I still like to call "chick lit", despite the advent of the phrase "Women's Fiction". It's not romance, but it's also not, like, LITERATURE. I really like to torture my characters and then let them have a happy ending. My friends all hate me for it. The torture part. Not the happy endings.

November is always drafting month since it's National Novel Writing Month, so I usually get super into writing. Usually. Sometimes I spend the entire month reading things on the internet and avoiding writing because it's difficult.

That's where you and the rest of the DISBoards come in.

 

[pkondz]

WHAT???????

You are aware that I leave Tuesday morning at the crack of ridiculous for WDW????? How do you expect folks who spend all weekend hanging on your every word to get in responses???????

Hmmm.... good point.
Doesn't give you a heck
of a lot of time, does it.

Hmmm....

Not published yet but I have an agent and am working through an edit with her and then the first book should be ready to go!

That's so cool! and....

I've always said (to myself, at least)
that I would write a book someday.

I've written (unpublished) shorts,
but never a full length novel.

Although by the time people
get through the next update,
they may beg to differ.

I write mostly what I still like to call "chick lit", despite the advent of the phrase "Women's Fiction".

Perhaps I'll pass on reading
your book....

It's not romance, but it's also not, like, LITERATURE. I really like to torture my characters and then let them have a happy ending. My friends all hate me for it. The torture part. Not the happy endings.

Torture?
This is "chick lit"?

Rethinking reading it...

November is always drafting month since it's National Novel Writing Month, so I usually get super into writing. Usually. Sometimes I spend the entire month reading things on the internet and avoiding writing because it's difficult.

Interesting... didn't know it was NaNoWriMo.

Wow. That sounds like something Mork from Ork would say...


Yeah, I get it.
Writing is difficult
(Says the never published,
short story and TR writer. )

Well, I certainly wish you well!

That's where you and the rest of the DISBoards come in.

You're welcome!
So I take it you want me to
post the update today too?

And let me know when/where
I can buy a copy of your book
when it comes out.
(I will read it.)

 

[franandaj]

Hmmm.... good point.
Doesn't give you a heck
of a lot of time, does it.

Hmmm....

Well truth be told. Regardless I don't have a lot of time. I'm actually in our dress rehearsal for our concert tomorrow. When we get home this afternoon I've got to get Fran to pick out her clothes for the trip. And I will get the suitcases out and start packing.

While our concert isn't until 3:30 tomorrow, we have to be there at 1PM, which then means we have to be loading the car around 10:30, so that we can run late.

By the time we play the concert and strike the stage, all that's left is get dinner and some well deserved adult beverages!

Monday I run around like a crazy woman trying to pack. [Insert your crazy-running-around smiley here].

So any time before Monday night would be appreciated.

 

[orangecats2]

Hmmm.... The next (rather large)
update is pretty much finished.
Gotta review and edit.
But...
I'm thinking I'll wait until
Monday evening to post.
Gives the folks who only read
on the weekdays a chance
to change their answers too.

Unless I get too much push back.
Guess I'll wait and see.

POST IT NOW!!!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

OK, I realized I'd never responded to your TR, so I'm gonna do that first and then reply to the chatter.

You'll see, later on in this update.

And I'll cover that when it's time.

Boy not holding back on the cliffhangers are you??

And Disney travel...
well, rumour has it...
that it can be pricey.

What?!?! Nooooooooooo........
I just applied for Disney's Visa, and with the credit line they gave me, I'd have to pay it off 3 times to pay for our honeymoon
That being said, it is a smaller credit line, because while my credit score is excellent, I still have a fairly large amount of student debt. Sigh.

Moooooving on.

PANTHER!

They aren't just good.
They are the best cookies
on the planet.
Bar none.

Oh. Oh my. Those do look delicious.

Seriously. If you live far away,
they'd be worth the flight just to get some.

Seriously.





Seriously.

Ok ok already!! I'll come!!!

Well......I might wait for it to be summer again. I hate the cold.

But Butchart Gardens are on my bucket list, and if I make it that far...

2. No cookies.

That right there is reason enough.

3. It would've driven me nuts.
"Is that them? Is it? Is it?!?!?"

I am the world's most impatient mail-getter. If I order something, I obsessively check every day, even if I know it's not arriving.

"Hi." I said. "Has Purolator come in yet?"

Well, if you give them the wrong name, of course they're not gonna find it

"Yes. Purolator. Like Fed-Ex?" I tried helpfully.

......oh. Makes more sense. Though it sounds more like a coffee maker.

That evening, I spent my time cooking,
(Spaetzle, chicken schnitzel,
jaeger sauce and corn on the cob.
Gotta make sure they don't
replace me while I'm gone),

Geez. If I go out of town Joe looks forward to being able to make Skyline Chili. As in....the frozen stuff that comes in a box, that he heats up and puts over spaghetti.

I did make him a coffee cake this week!

and the Finale of America's Got Talent
with Ruby.

Is there not a Canada's Got Talent? Or is it still considered part of "America" (I know there's a lot of ******* over this, but I'm just curious, not trying to make a political statement haha)

But apparently, if you get up
at stupid o'clock,
not even the animals are dumb
enough to wake up.

Belle is like this. If it's around the normal time Joe gets up, she'll get up and rustle around in her room. If it's before, she just stares at you and refuses to move.

(2:30am is only a couple of hours
earlier than when she usually gets up.)

What is it with your family and crazy jobs?

(Last trip, we'd almost missed our flight
because we had to wait for our bag,
retrieve it, then put it on another conveyor belt,
before running for our connection.)

Ugh. I had to do this in Newark coming home from Munich. I had a 50 minute layover and had an upper sinus infection. At one point I was running through the terminal in my socks.

I stowed my large personal item
and my giant carry on in the overhead bin.

No. No no no no. I'm sorry, I don't care if it's where your feet go, they CLEARLY say that the overhead bins are for carry-ons and personal items go under the seat. I've been burned too many times by people shoving their purses and jackets and small bags in the overhead space and then I end up having to gate check my bag.

Actually, I have no idea which part
of the city I'm looking at.
But I do love looking at cities at night.

Me too! The coolest for me was LA, because it just sprawled and sprawled and seemed like it never ended.

Do not, under any circumstances,
buy new shoes and not break them in
before going to Disneyworld.

You call yourself a Diser and you forgot this rule?

I arrived at the fake-o-rail

Heh. In Atlanta they call it the Plane Train, and my mom and I thought it was the cutest thing any time they said it.

Wow. You need to tell them to contain their enthusiasm.

Do I not deserve to have my bag come first?
I ask you! Do I not deserve it?!?!?
(Don't answer that.)

But of COURSE you do! You deserve to have your bag come out first every time, be the first on the plane every time, no wait through security.....

...........bonus points?

Not, of course, until after I started
panicking and wondering what I was
going to do if it didn't show up.

Isn't it funny how often this happens? I mean, in all my flying, I've never had my bag not show up. And yet, without fail, if I don't see mine within the first couple of minutes I start panicking.

I set out with my bag.
I exited the lobby and...
There was my room.

Well dang. Can't beat that with a stick.

So guess what was the first thing
I did upon arriving at MK?

Take a photopass picture in front of the train station.

1. So... what'd I do before even going in?

Oh....see above

2. I have an ADR... where is it?

I'm going out on a limb and saying you scored a BOG ressie.

3. What's the first ride I go on?

Hmmmm.......Pirates?

4. Considering my lack of sleep,
how late do I stay at MK?

11:17

5. Why is my wait for a bus 16 minutes?

ECV getting on

6. How many times was I asked for directions?
(It just happens to me.)

Just once for today

7. Dole whip. Yes or no? (as in did I have one.)

The answer better be yes or we can't be friends anymore.

8. Why yes, I do have FPs. Where to?

Space, Thunder, aaaaand Buzz

9. What wild animal do I encounter
back at the resort?

A bunny.

10. Who's your favourite TR writer?

The almighty pkondz

Bonus:
(Back by popular demand)
Did you see it? Be vaguely specific.
Saying yes ain't gonna work.

I did. It's the same theme as your last TR

What is my total time spent waiting
for Disney Transportation?

No. Not playing this. I stink at these, so I'll rely on my answers for others.

I think it's illegal to drive scooters
on roads where he limit is 80km/45mph or more here.

It might be illegal here. Doesn't stop people from doing it.

Otherwise Joe & I will leave you behind.
And we wouldn't want that, now would we?

I'll just ride with Joe. Since we've already taken care of that modification--had to switch out the banana seat it came with for two separate seats.

PTO is Paid Time Off, yes?
Hoarding it for Honeymoon? Other trips after marriage?

Yes. My old job used to actually give you both PTO and Vacation, but the credit union just does PTO. And I'm just hoarding it for the honeymoon, because I've already added a day to it.

No. It's too much a classic.

Well.....I dunno, Airplane?

You can do this????

Now I'm really torn.
If I tell this to Kay,
she'll skip Uni and Disney to do it.
At least I think she would.

Yep! I wanna say it was maybe around $60 a person, and you go to a little backstage part where they keep the sea otters and they give you a short presentation. There's always plexiglass between you and the otters, but they have them come up and lean against a hole so you can reach through and feel their fur, then another one where you can pet their paw, and then you get to feed them.

Well, if you're there,
that's one heck of an incentive.

June 2-11. Honeymoon at the Poly!!!!!!!!!

It's killing me waiting for it. I can't even make ADRs yet.

 

[Thumper_Man]

So now what am I supposed to do on a Saturday night?

 

[franandaj]

I keep checking back here hoping you have changed your mind and

Now I'm going to go get in the jacuzzi to soak my cares away....

 

[pkondz]

Well truth be told. Regardless I don't have a lot of time. I'm actually in our dress rehearsal for our concert tomorrow. When we get home this afternoon I've got to get Fran to pick out her clothes for the trip. And I will get the suitcases out and start packing.

While our concert isn't until 3:30 tomorrow, we have to be there at 1PM, which then means we have to be loading the car around 10:30, so that we can run late.

By the time we play the concert and strike the stage, all that's left is get dinner and some well deserved adult beverages!

Monday I run around like a crazy woman trying to pack. [Insert your crazy-running-around smiley here].

So any time before Monday night would be appreciated.

Busy gals!

I'm at work now and will continue editing
Hope to have it up before the end of shift
or Sunday evening at the latest.*



*Famous last words.

 

[pkondz]

POST IT NOW!!!

I already knew what your answer would be!

And good thing I didn't
(Or, possibly, bad for you...)
since Annie just posted her answers, I see.

Once I finish these few shout outs,
I'll be back to editing
and hopefully by Sunday morning,
you'll have a brand new,
rather largish,
update to read.

 

[pkondz]

OK, I realized I'd never responded to your TR, so I'm gonna do that first and then reply to the chatter.

Well then giddy up there girlie!

Boy not holding back on the cliffhangers are you??

It's the only way people
will stick around reading this guff.

What?!?! Nooooooooooo........

I'm afraid so.
I have proof.

I just applied for Disney's Visa, and with the credit line they gave me, I'd have to pay it off 3 times to pay for our honeymoon

Better get on that then.

That being said, it is a smaller credit line, because while my credit score is excellent, I still have a fairly large amount of student debt. Sigh.

Ah. Student debt.
There was a motion by one of
our political parties to forgive
all student debt in the Province.

Pretty sure they said that
since they knew they weren't
going to win the election.

PANTHER!

What?!?!? What was that???

Oh. Oh my. Those do look delicious.

Nope.
They're much, much better.

Ok ok already!! I'll come!!!

Yay!

Well......I might wait for it to be summer again. I hate the cold.

Oh, okay. Smaller Yay! then.

But Butchart Gardens are on my bucket list, and if I make it that far...

Then you might as well come half way
across the country to see me.

I've been to Butchart Gardens....
A little over 40 years ago.

Probably hasn't changed, right?

That right there is reason enough.

Cookies are always a good reason.

I am the world's most impatient mail-getter. If I order something, I obsessively check every day, even if I know it's not arriving.

You sound like Kay.
"Did you check the mail today?!?!?!?"

Well, if you give them the wrong name, of course they're not gonna find it

So funny.
Here I thought everyone
knew what Purolator was.

Turns out it's a Canadian thing.

......oh. Makes more sense. Though it sounds more like a coffee maker.

You're right! It does!

"Honey! I bought us a Purolator!"
"Oh, goody! Make me a Latte!"

Geez. If I go out of town Joe looks forward to being able to make Skyline Chili. As in....the frozen stuff that comes in a box, that he heats up and puts over spaghetti.

um.... uh... that actually sounds good.

I did make him a coffee cake this week!

Nice! He should marry you.

Is there not a Canada's Got Talent? Or is it still considered part of "America" (I know there's a lot of ******* over this, but I'm just curious, not trying to make a political statement haha)

There was one Canada's got talent.
It taped three or four shows here in town.
We went to one of the tapings.
It was interesting to see how it's manipulated.

Like when you see a performer do well,
and they show scenes of the crowd cheering...
The cheering is recorded before the show starts.

One of Elle's friends competed in front of the judges,
unfortunately, she did not advance.
We did see the eventual winners perform, though.

The prize was $100,000 and a car.
A far cry from the US million bucks.
(Then again, the US one pays out
that million over 40 years.
If you take a lump sum payout,
after taxes, you take home about $200,000.)

Belle is like this. If it's around the normal time Joe gets up, she'll get up and rustle around in her room. If it's before, she just stares at you and refuses to move.

Piper won't even stare at you.
She might let out a sigh of impatience,
but that's about it.

What is it with your family and crazy jobs?

I don't know!!

Ugh. I had to do this in Newark coming home from Munich. I had a 50 minute layover and had an upper sinus infection.

Sounds wonderful... not.

At one point I was running through the terminal in my socks.

Aw... But I bet you looked cute as a button.

No. No no no no. I'm sorry, I don't care if it's where your feet go, they CLEARLY say that the overhead bins are for carry-ons and personal items go under the seat. I've been burned too many times by people shoving their purses and jackets and small bags in the overhead space and then I end up having to gate check my bag.

Ah, but I only have one item.
And if it's smaller than a carry on,
I'm helping you out, no?

Me too! The coolest for me was LA, because it just sprawled and sprawled and seemed like it never ended.

That would be cool!
I'd love to fly into LA at night.

You call yourself a Diser and you forgot this rule?

No. I didn't forget.
I really needed new shoes.
The old ones fell apart.
It's just unfortunate
that it happened right
before my trip.

I was worrying about it
even before I left.

Heh. In Atlanta they call it the Plane Train, and my mom and I thought it was the cutest thing any time they said it.

The Plane Train is plainly a train for the plane.

Wow. You need to tell them to contain their enthusiasm.

And this was after they got over
being morose!

But of COURSE you do! You deserve to have your bag come out first every time, be the first on the plane every time, no wait through security.....

...........bonus points?

Isn't it funny how often this happens? I mean, in all my flying, I've never had my bag not show up. And yet, without fail, if I don't see mine within the first couple of minutes I start panicking.

Ditto. That's me to a tee.

Well dang. Can't beat that with a stick.

Nope!
It simply wasn't possible
to get a closer room.

Take a photopass picture in front of the train station.

Oh....see above

I'm going out on a limb and saying you scored a BOG ressie.

Hmmmm.......Pirates?

11:17

ECV getting on

Just once for today

The answer better be yes or we can't be friends anymore.

Space, Thunder, aaaaand Buzz

A bunny.

The almighty pkondz

Noted.

I did. It's the same theme as your last TR

Why... so it is!
(Gotta start with an easy one.)

No. Not playing this. I stink at these, so I'll rely on my answers for others.

Sure? Just throw out a number.
It won't cost you anything if you're wrong.
Heck, I'll give you a hint...

hmmmm....

It's more than 23 but less then 500.

It might be illegal here. Doesn't stop people from doing it.

Good point.

I'll just ride with Joe. Since we've already taken care of that modification--had to switch out the banana seat it came with for two separate seats.

I thought you might say that.
Okay. You can come.

Yes. My old job used to actually give you both PTO and Vacation, but the credit union just does PTO. And I'm just hoarding it for the honeymoon, because I've already added a day to it.

Ah.

Just one day?

Well.....I dunno, Airplane?

Yep! I wanna say it was maybe around $60 a person, and you go to a little backstage part where they keep the sea otters and they give you a short presentation. There's always plexiglass between you and the otters, but they have them come up and lean against a hole so you can reach through and feel their fur, then another one where you can pet their paw, and then you get to feed them.

Huh.
Yup. Better not tell Kay.

I don't think it's doable anyway.
Just not enough time.
Unless she only wants to do
those two things.



Yeah. Better keep quiet.

June 2-11. Honeymoon at the Poly!!!!!!!!!

I better pass.
I mean, what will your new husband
think if you spend your entire
honeymoon, swooning over me?

It's killing me waiting for it. I can't even make ADRs yet.

Well, there you go.
Do what I do.
Decide to go to Disney
within the ADR window.

(Makes getting all of them
a little problematic, however.)

 

[pkondz]

So now what am I supposed to do on a Saturday night?

Waiting patiently for my update, of course.

 

[pkondz]

I keep checking back here hoping you have changed your mind and

I did!
And I've been working on it.

Now I'm going to go get in the jacuzzi to soak my cares away....

Hopefully you turned it on this time!

 

[pkondz]

Fetch it to Ketch it

I must admit to feeling some trepidation
when I posted the previous chapter.

I essentially wrote about nothing
except my day spent in airports.
Then I left you all figuratively
standing with me at the bus stop.


Once, when I had begun
one of my TRs in
the same manner,
I received notice that reading
about it was a complete
waste of time.

I truly thought about skipping it,
or at the very least, paring it down
to just a few words.
Perhaps a sentence or two.


But that's just not me.

I feel that writing about that first day,
the trials and tribulations of merely
getting to Disney World,
sets the tone for the entire TR.
And it's my style.


So for better or worse,
there it is.


For those of you who
were less than entertained
with the last chapter,
I hope this one makes up
for any disappointment
you may have felt.

I tried, I really did.


On the other hand,
if you're like me...
Then on with the show.


--------------------------------------------


After a seven minute wait for the bus,
(Seven minutes! Seven! What gives, Disney?)
the ride to the Magic Kingdom
seemed to go by quicker than usual.
It may have had to do with my
trying to spot the Disney World airport
that was abandoned in the '80s.
Despite having a pretty good idea
of where it was, I missed it.

Seconds later, we were driving under water,
past the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower
and turning into the Magic Kingdom parking lot.


Here!

Made even better when a Monorail
passed by directly overhead.


But now I was going to have
to pass through the first gauntlet.

Bag check.


Normally, I don't worry about bag check.
I'm never bringing in anything that
I'm not supposed to bring.

Last year, I was briefly stopped
by a guard who had to ask
whether or not I could bring in
my Gorilla pod. (I could)

The Gorilla pod is great,
and I had brought it again,
but it has its limitations.
So this time, I was also
bringing in a full size tripod.

But there are rules.
Disney guidelines state
that tripods must fit
inside a standard backpack.
And a standard backpack
may not exceed 24" in length.

My tripod, folded, exceeds 24".
But I can break it down to less
than that.
About 23".
But it won't fit into my
'non-standard' backpack.

Would they let me bring it in?

They didn't even blink an eye at it.

Gauntlet successfully hurdled!
Woot!

As for my backpack,
they only gave it a cursory look.
It almost seemed as if
they started to look... but gave up.


Geez, I know there's stuff in there, but...


Whatever.
Next up is something I'd never done before.

I rented a locker.

Yes, I wanted to bring my tripod,
but I didn't want to lug it around all day!
Besides, later I'd need to...


No. I'll get to that a bit later.


And incidentally,
this is why I didn't use DME
to bring my bag to my room.
I could have used it,
but I wanted my tripod for the park,
and it was in the checked bag.
Of course I also needed....

Well, I already said
I'd get to that later.


After stashing the tripod,
I entered the park.

Soak it in, people.

The fall decorations were out in full display.

I had a bit of a conundrum however.
I had an ADR coming up at 4:50
and I had a FP that I didn't want to miss
from 4:25 - 5:25.

My original thought was to do the FP
at 4:25 and then go to my ADR.
But it was already 4:30 or so.
I didn't think I'd have time
to get to and do the FP
and then make it to the ADR on time.
And it wasn't an easy ADR to get,
so I assumed I wouldn't be able
to eat there later if I missed it.

I decided to go to the ADR first,
and see if they could get me in early.
If not, hopefully I could eat quickly
and still make the FP.


Well, let's see, shall we?


I started to walk down Main St.

It's funny.
Every time I first get to Magic Kingdom,
and I cross the threshold into the park
or see the castle for the first time...
I get goose bumps and I break out
into a silly grin.


But not this time.
I wasn't feeling it.
I wasn't feeling much of anything.

Actually... I was...


Wishing I hadn't come.


Oh, sure, I was taking pictures.
But it was more out of a sense
that I should rather than I wanted to.

It took about an hour before
I finally started to feel... normal.
And it was little things that did it.
Those bits and pieces of thoughtfulness
and surprise that make up
the Magic of Disney.


A father hoisting his giggling child
onto his shoulders.


A couple, skipping hand in hand
towards another adventure.


A CM, smiling broadly.


I eventually smirked at something...
gave a grudging nod at something else...
and eventually found myself
with a big grin on my ugly mug.

You know what the problem was?
Burn out.

No. Not because I'd been essentially
awake for Gawd knows how long.
It was shift after shift after shift at work.
It was working until I couldn't work anymore,
and then working some more.
It was working 32 hours out of every 40.
Repeatedly.

I hadn't realized just how bad
it had gotten until just then.
I couldn't put my finger
on why I wasn't happy,
but when it did happen,
it was like the proverbial
weight had lifted off my shoulders.


Man it felt good to be back!


I really needed this vacation.
I needed....


Disney.


Enough babbling.
I'm boring you to tears.
I can tell.
Here. Look at more pictures.

You may be noticing a certain... theme
to the above photos.
I was only going to include one in the TR.
But then I thought... screw it.
Shove 'em all in.
So... Voila.


Whoops!
Better stop dawdling,
I have an ADR to get to!

A quick left at the castle,
a short stroll down the lane.
(I wasn't feeling like sashaying
at this point, yet.)
And I soon arrived... here:

But I'm not eating here, so I walked on by.



Ha! Kidding!
You were just thinking
"Oh, that pkondz fooled me again!"

Or maybe you weren't.
How should I know?
My hidden cameras
can't read minds, you know.

But I'm working on that.
Give me time.


I strolled up to the Porter's post
(still not sashaying)
and asked if they could seat me early.

I was shown into the waiting room
and told it would only be a few minutes.

Sweet!

A couple of pics of the waiting area:

Free water!
It was hot, so I may have imbibed.

A few minutes later, I was being seated
in the Mess Room.
Not my first (or second) choice,
but I didn't want to wait any longer.
As it was, by the time they sat me,
it was my ADR time anyway.

A quick look around:

Way over to the right, under the Exit sign
is where I believe the Jungle room is.
Could be wrong.

My server showed up
and passed me a menu.

I want those salt and pepper shakers.
They're mini mason jars.

The server came back and she asked if
I wanted her to point out her favourites.
I said "Yes", so she did.
<pointing vaguely>
"That one. And that one. And that one."

Yup. Just like on the ride.
Perfect!


I was in a rush, so didn't take much
time to peruse the menu
but simply ordered what I had
already decided I was going to get.

"I'll start with the Hot and Sour soup
(love that) for an appetizer and I'll
have the Char Shiu Pork with white rice."
(Marinated Grilled Pork
served with Chinese Broccoli
and choice of Five-grain or White Rice)

And to drink, I'll try a Schweitzer Slush."
(Frozen Apple Juice and Passion Fruit
topped with Bursting Green Apple Boba Balls, (?)
first concocted by the noted explorer
and humanitarian, Dr. Albert Slush )

In very little time,
my drink and soup arrived,
along with some bread
and honey dipping sauce.

The soup was good and not overly spicy,
The honey dip was a nice counterpoint
to the heat of the soup.

The drink?
I liked it.
If you've ever had bubble tea,
drinking it was like that.
You'd sip from the over-sized straw
and suck up the "boba balls".

It did feel a little weird at sucking
up Dr. Slush's balls though.
But I soon got used to it.


On the list of things I never thought I'd say...


Anyway.

I had hardly put a dent in the soup
when the main course arrived.
The server offered to bring it back
to the kitchen and keep it warm,
but I told her that it was fine
and to leave it.

Looks good?
It was.

While I ate, the server would
come by every now and then
to check on me.

"Is the soup, souper?"
Playing along, I told her
it was a little soupy.
Funny thing was,
she actually looked concerned
until she looked at me
and realized I was joking.

(Later)
"So? How is it safari?"

And when I finished:
"Did you leave room to
travel through the desert?"

I may have been able to eat
some dessert, if I forced myself,
but I was already running short on time.
But I did ask (on @SnowWhiteOz 's behalf)
if the Kungaloosh could be had
sans coffee dust.
She assured me that it could.
Kinda wish I'd had time to try it...


I paid my bill
and headed for the door.
It was 5:16pm and I had
precisely nine minutes
before my FP expired.
Yes, I know there's supposed
to be a grace period,
but I don't want to find out
that they've just started
to strictly enforce the times today.


Sorry, no photos along the way
or upon arrival.
I was a tad pressed for time.
I arrived at Splash Mountain
at 5:20pm.
Four minutes!
And a whole five minutes 'til expiry!
Ha!

Is there any better feeling in the World
then walking by hundreds of
sweating, tired guests
as they stand in an unmoving line?


I soon boarded my log
and then was able to relax
and enjoy a leisurely ride
through the land of
Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox
and Br'er Bear.

I must admit though,
that while the ride is
relaxing...
There are those who insist
on getting all worked up about it.
Oh, my word!
People become so agitated!
It's a perfectly nice, sedate ride.
But will people calm down?
No!
I really find it insufferably annoying!

When one is trying to enjoy the finer
things in life, the absolute last
thing one would want
is a bevy of buffoons
hooting and hollering
and carrying on
in a ridiculous manner.


I mean really.
Donning plastic raiment
or throwing one's hands in the air.
Women and children...
and men, too!...
screaming, of all things.

One should sit back and relax.
Perhaps with a nice glass of wine,
or a good book.
Preferably both.

I just don't understand people sometimes.

Yes, yes.
I know.
Enough idle chit-chat.
Photos please.

As you wish.

Look at those people.
Tsk. Dreadful.
And their attire...
One should always try
to maintain a certain
sense of style.

The Story Behind the Photo

Another reason I couldn't use DME
was that I needed my props.
When I left for the park earlier that day,
I packed my camera equipment,
jacket, dress shirt, tie, hat, book
and wine glass into my backpack.

The moment our log rounded the first corner,
I quickly sprang into action.
Let me tell you,
putting a dress shirt on, in the dark,
in a seated position, in a cramped log
takes some contorting.
The jacket wasn't much easier.
While I do have a 'real' bow tie,
I had purchased a clip-on for this.
I had also practiced putting it on
before-hand.
By the time I'd gotten dressed,
poured my 'wine'
(In fact, punch from a juice box.
No sense getting thrown out so soon.)
and retrieved my book,
I was already heading up the hill
before the drop.
I just made it.

One of the fringe benefits of doing this,
that I had no idea would happen,
is after the drop, as you go around the turn,
you'll find people watching you.
I had two separate instances of men
saluting me with their drinks.
I toasted them back in return.
I felt like royalty.
Or upper crust, at the very least.


After exiting the ride,
I headed over to the photo preview area
and, after finding the correct photo,
swiped my MB.
Some people say that it's not necessary,
and all that it accomplishes is that
you now have duplicate copies of the
same photo.

I beg to differ.

When I got back to the resort that night,
I checked on the Splash photo.
I had a nice picture of a group
of strangers going down Splash
and the one posted above,
that I had swiped my MB for.

I was prepared to do it all over again
if necessary, but not because
I got the wrong photo!


After Splash and ensuring myself
of the correct photo,
I made my way to the nearest restroom
and changed out of my fancy duds.

Once unencumbered, I wanted to rid
myself of everything but my camera.
Which meant a return trip to the locker.

Which is back the way I came, or...
You know, I've never taken the train
all the way around the park.
I've only gone from Main St.
to Frontierland.


Time for another new experience!
First, though, I had to tell someone
that yes, indeed this was the way
to the train.
I don’t know why people ask me
for directions. They just do.
Sometimes I don’t even remember
it happening since it happens so often.
It’s like… breathing.
You don’t really think about it.


I climbed the stairs and of course
the train was waiting there for me.
I believe I was the last,
or next to last person aboard.

Wait time, zero seconds.

Moments later, we pulled away.

I must admit though,
the ride didn't start off too great.
Knowing one of my favourite rides, BTMRR,
was down for refurb was bad enough.
But to see it with scaffolding all over it?

Depressing.

However, this was the first time I got to see
the Native American and animal displays.

That was interesting,
glad I saw them.


When we pulled into Fantasyland Station,
there was a large crowd of people waiting.
Unfortunately for them,
very few people disembarked,
so most of them were left behind.

As the train pulled away,
I stuck my tongue out and shouted
"Nyah! Nyah!" at them.
I think they appreciated the gesture.
As a matter of fact, several waved at me
with at least one finger in the air.
Nice people.


At Main St., I hopped off the train
and dumped my clothes into the locker,
I'll pick up the tripod later,
after it gets dark.

I then sashayed back up Main St.

This time, however,
I didn't take the first left
towards Adventureland,
but the second left
towards Liberty Square.

And most of you already know
where I'm probably headed.
And you're right.
Haunted Mansion.

But if you guessed I had a FP for it,
then I'm afraid you're wrong.

I pretty much never FP HM.
I will once my original FPs
are used up, if there's one available.
But it's too fast a loading ride
for me to worry about it.
Yes, there can be lines,
but usually, I don't have any issues.


Today, the wait time was listed at
twenty minutes.
Yet the queue was virtually empty.
I doubted the posted time
and I was right.
I was inside in about five minutes.

Not sure why I didn't shoot those
again after the room stretched.
Probably had put the camera away
to just enjoy the effects.

Once our host showed us
'his' way out, the door opened
and I was the first one out.
I usually am.
I always enter HM and position
myself near the doors
so when I enter the stretching room
I can position myself nearest the next door.

Moments later, I was in my doom buggy.

Ahhhhh.... Best. Ride. Ever.

That coffin scene is what got
my love affair with Disney started.
I distinctly remember seeing that
on an episode of "Wonderful World of Disney"
when I was a kid.
I knew I wanted to see it for myself, some day.
So every time I see it,
it brings me right back to that day
in front of the (black and white) TV.

Here, Madame Leota is whistling a happy tune...

Always ready to help with the kindling.
Melts my heart.


After HM, I set out for my next ride.
I had a FP for Peter Pan.
As I walked away from HM,
I saw a few varying clusters of people
all gathered around their phones.
I don't know if it was
the way they were standing,
or if it was the way they were talking,
but I could tell that
they were consulting maps
trying to figure out how to go from A to B.
MK can be a confusing place to newbies.
I can see how you could get lost.
I'm glad I was a seasoned Disney goer
and didn't have to rely on...


It was right about there that I realized
I was walking in the wrong direction.


I'm not kidding.


I had turned right, out of HM instead of left.
Whoops!


I reversed my steps and was soon at
Peter Pan within my FP window of
6:40 - 7:40pm.
Seconds later... I was flying!!
Man, that feeling as your 'ship'
trundles down the track and then...
Lifts off!

Gets me every time.

And then, moments later...
flying over London.
Oh my.

Just the best.
And there's this too:

So... really... what's not to like?

(Did you notice the water bottle?
What kind of jerk tosses a water bottle
while riding Peter Pan???)

After the ride,
I remembered that I hadn't had dessert
after my meal at Skippers.
I was thirsty too.
If only there was something
that could satisfy both of those cravings.

Continued in following post​

 

[pkondz]

Continued from previous post​

Well, there was this one thing...
Dunno if you've heard of it.
I think it was Al Gore that invented it.
No, wait. That was the internet.

Ah. Got it.
Bob Dole.
I knew it was one of those.

Anyway, got one of Bob Dole's treats.

And it was okay.


Well... maybe a bit better than just okay...


Well... maybe I sharpened my spoon
into a knife and threatened to stab
anyone who ventured to close.


Made eating with it problematic.


Problem solved.
I just stuck my face in it
and inhaled.


Sooooo good.


I was only interrupted once
by someone wanting to know
where 7DMT was.
I let him live.


Okay. I've got one more FP.
And its 7:50 - 8:50 slot was open.
I finished my Dole whip.
(And when I say 'finished'
I mean 'devoured like a crazed hyena'.)

Next up, Seven Little Ones Ore-extraction Train!
(Or SLOOT for short.)

I got to the FP line and... well,
there was hardly anyone there.
The regular line was backed up,
with an hour or so wait.
But the FP line was short.

So short, that I took my time
and sashayed along;
taking pictures as I went.

Ah. There's the end of the line, up ahead.

Won't be long now and I'll be whizzing
relatively slowly along!

Yup. Any time now.


Any second now.



Pretty soon.



Why is the line not moving?

We began to see people leaving.
"Sorry folks! Ride's closed!
Mouse outside should've told you."

We were told that the ride was down.
No clear time on when it would be back.
We could wait or go back to the FP entrance
and get a FP for later.

I checked the time.
If I waited very long,
I was going to miss Wishes.
And considering this might be
my only chance at seeing it....

I stepped out of line.
This is as close as I got to it:

I headed back to the FP entrance,
where the CM there had zero idea
what we were talking about.
Rather than argue the point
(and risk missing Wishes,)
I left.

Once again, I made my way to the locker.
This thing was coming in handy!
I retrieved my tripod and...
uh...

My tripod has a ball head on it
that connects to a quick release plate
that attaches to the bottom of the camera.
The plate that I, in my haste,
had left in the room.
The plate that, without which,
renders the tripod unusable.


Swell.


I was going to find
a semi-decent spot on Main St.
to set up, but that was out
the window now.

I still had my Gorilla pod with me,
but I needed either something to sit it on,
or to attach it to.
I zipped up to the train station,
hoping to affix it to the railing.

No luck.
Every inch of railing had already been claimed.
I wasn't surprised,
I'm late to the show, here, folks.

Well, maybe I can find some other place.

I did manage to take one shot however.
But I couldn't stay there;
don't remember why not.
Probably not behind some taped line.

I walked around and finally settled here:

Not ideal, but I figured it would (hopefully)
be an interesting angle to watch from.

I set up my camera/gorilla pod
on a fence (that's how I took the above shot)
and settled in to wait.
I soon became aware of... clapping.
Not applause, just random clapping.
And then I heard the voice:
"If you can hear me, clap two times!"
<clap> <clap>
"If you can hear me, clap three times!"
<clap> <clap> <clap>
I wondered what the speaker would do
if I clapped four times?
"You! You can't hear me!"

The speaker continued:
"If you can hear my voice,
you will NOT be able to see
the fireworks.
That big tree behind you
will block your view!"

I looked over my shoulder,
sure enough, there was a large tree.
But...

Nah. I'm not buying it.
Maybe I'll miss a bit, but...
I'm not moving.

And I didn't.

A few minutes later,
Celebrate the Magic started.
I wondered how that would be,
considering I was viewing the castle
from the side...
And it was fine.
They project on the sides of the castle too.
I don't know about the backside of the castle.
Ask the Jungle Cruise folks.

And then it started.
Wishes!
Yay!
I mean, Wishes is why people
stay at MK even though they're tired
and just want to crawl into bed.

At least I assume Wishes started.
I heard music.
I heard booming, fireworks-like sounds...
But I sure didn't see anything!

Stupid CM!
Why didn't he say:
"No! Seriously! You won't see it!"


I gathered up my gear and headed
for the front of the castle.
Of course, every square inch
of viewing real estate was occupied.
So I spent my time constantly moving
while looking over one shoulder or the other.
It's a wonder that I didn't blunder into someone.

Eventually, I wound up over by the Plaza
and found a little corner to shoe-horn into.
I watched the rest from there.

So, what I'm saying is...
No Wishes photos, sorry.
But then again,
how many of those have you seen?
2? 3?.... thousand?
Learn to live with disappointment.
Ha! What am I saying!
You're reading this!
You already know
all about disappointment!


Once Wishes was done,
I fought my way upstream
and into Frontierland
to find a spot for MSEP.
I'd never actually seen this
parade in its entirety.
I've seen chunks here and there,
but never made it a priority.
Now, however, since this would be my
last chance to view it,
I made a point of doing so.

I found a spot and... well... just stood there.
It felt... odd.
Normally I skip the parades and do rides.
The crowds for the rides are smaller
since most everyone's watching the parade.

I took a shot of my location to pass the time.

Eventually, they roped everyone off,
cleared the street and started the parade.
I made up for my lack of Wishes photos
by taking an embarrassing amount
of MSEP pictures.
Which means now you have to suffer
through them.
Sucks. But it's my TR.
So there you go.

Drunken Tink, just barely holding on.
She passed out shortly after this shot.

Is it just me?
Or does Goofy's eye creep you out?
And were you so focused on that,
that you failed to see Minnie?
Or Mickey?
Bonus points if you tell me.

Obviously a mannequin.
Nobody's fooled, Disney.

These next three shots made me laugh.
Not at the time, because I didn't realize
what had happened,
but when I was editing the shots...

They don't make feather dusters
like they used to.

Dude's got swag.

Ha! They spelled "Honour" wrong!


After the last float had glittered by,
I made a bee line for... HM of course.
There was almost no one there
and it was a walk on.
Or walk in...

You can walk in,
but how do you get out?
There's always his way...

Yeah, okay.
It's a crappy shot.
Someday I'll get a decent one.
But not today, apparently.

After HM, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.
I knew I didn't want to ride HM again
since the line was huge now.

I wandered over to JC, since I'd been told
that riding it at night was like
riding a whole different ride.
But with a posted wait time of 60 minutes...
Pass.

Instead I back-tracked over to POTC,
which was a walk on.

I left the camera in the bag and just
relaxed and enjoyed the ride.
And did I miss it?
Or did they remove (or cover)
the pirate with the overly hairy leg?
(The one sitting on the bridge
that you go under.)
I was watching for him, but...


By now I figured it might be late enough
to catch a ride on 7DMT.
But a posted wait time of 30 minutes
dissuaded me.
I'll do 20, but no more.
Unless it's one of my top favourite rides.
And 7DMT ain't one of them.


I sashayed down past the Speedway
and eventually found myself
in front of Space Mountain.
Posted wait time of 20 minutes.
I got in line.
The wait turned out to be pretty close
at 15 minutes.


After the ride, I was a little sad.
I think that might be my last time.
It's just too rough on my back.

How'd I get old?
Just yesterday I was a kid!
Still am at heart,
but the body? Not so much.
I'm filling out a formal complaint.

Well, time marches on for bodies
and parks alike.
I don't know how it happened,
but it was midnight now.

And while I was perhaps a tad tired,
I was also pleased that I'd made
the most out of my abbreviated MK day.


Just one last thing to do before I headed home.


I stopped by the locker and retrieved my
clothes and totally useless tripod.

If you weren't aware,
when you rent a locker
and return the key,
you get half your money back.

I went to return my key,
and there was a small line up
of like-minded individuals.

Including a family from the South.
At least I assume they were
from the South, given their accents.
There was a Dad, a grandmother
and a son of about 10 years of age.
The boy was your normal
precocious, active sort.

I don't know what he said,
but I do know exactly what
his father said.

"Don't you talk to yo gramma like that.
You gotta fetch it to ketch it!"

I had never heard that expression before!
But it was brilliant!
My only regret was that my DDs
are too old for me to start using it on them.


I made my way towards the bus stop.
It had been a long day.
As I approached the corral for ASMu,
I caught up to, and started to pass,
a couple of young families consisting
of Moms & Dads and littles
ranging in age from babe
to pre-school.
The baby was fussing
and the kids had obviously
reached the end of their ropes long ago.

I hung back and let them precede me
in the line.
There was already a fair amount of people
in line, so I didn't know if it would really matter.
Still, let them go first, 'cause I've been there.


I arrived at the stop at 12:22am
and the bus arrived fashionably late
at 12:26am. Four minutes.
It took a while to load,
since there were two people in ECVs
who had to be loaded first.
Eventually the bus started to load,
and yes, those two families
were able to board.
But I wasn't.
(As well as a few others who'd squeezed
ahead as I hung back.)
I didn't mind.
Another bus should be here any second, right?
I mean, it's park close.
How long could it be?

And really, it wasn't that long.
The next bus showed up at 12:38am.
So my total wait time was 16 minutes.
But if I'd really wanted to,
it would've been 4 minutes.
So I won't hold it against Disney this time.


I got back to the Resort around one am.
As I staggered back to my room
(thank Gawd it was so close!)
out of the corner of my eye
I spotted a cat crossing
the walkway behind me.

A cat? I don't think I've ever seen
a cat at Disney.
I turned to look.
No. Not a cat.
An armadillo.
First one I've ever seen.


Shortly after, I got to my room.
And I mean shortly. Like really shortly.

Man, I was ready to hit the sack.
I quickly checked my emails...

Huh. There's one from Disney
saying I could ride 7DMT
anytime I wanted... yesterday.


I laughed. I guess I could
have ridden it after all.

But then my eyes closed
and I fell forward onto the bed
and that's the last thing
I remembered of my first day.



Contest

A couple of notes.
1. BTMRR was down for refurb
while I was there.
Which totally sucked!
Nevertheless, if you put that
as an answer for question 3 or 8
you obviously guessed wrong.
But I did appreciate people
knowing that it's one of my
favourite rides.

2. When I posed question #10
(Who's your favourite TR writer?)
I did it with tongue planted firmly
in cheek, thinking that everyone
would jokingly write my name down.
(Or deliberately not write it down.)
Some of you did,
although if you were serious or not
I don't know.
But some of you wrote who your
favourite writer(s) really were.
I wasn't expecting that.
And I thank you all for sharing.


My Big Fat Canadian Bonus:
I ride Disney transportation
nineteen times this trip,
(I forgot to include the train
last chapter, so it's 19, not 18)
including two trips on DME/dud.
You already know the first three
had wait times totalling 26 minutes.
(3 for DME + 23 for park buses.)
I've also told you that my luck
wasn't as good as my previous trips.

Armed with that information...

What is my total time spent waiting
for Disney Transportation?

Closest guess wins.
No duplication of guesses,
first come first served.
No changes allowed.
All guesses must be in
before the next update.

Guesses to date:
(Total time to date: 26 minutes)
Gracefulskinny - 60
Thumper_Man - 72
queenbetsey - 78
Mrs T 2009 - 86
MAGICFOR2 - 94
jandlinz - 96
DaisyDuck001 - 103
franandaj - 111
Terra Nova guy - 116
afwdwfan - 123
juniorbugman - 124
Heluvsme - 128
Thumper_Man's Wife - 130
chookie94 - 132
Steppesister - 135
kaileighbug - 137
SnowWhiteOz - 138
tashers - 144
rndmr2 - 146
fallonkendra - 150
Captain_Oblivious - 153
Chrystmasangel - 158
DonnaBeeGood - 167
irene_dsc - 174
cinderkelly - 175
Curiouser&curiouser! - 177
orangecats2 - 180
vrajewski10513 - 182
DISNEYMOON10121991 - 184
chillitsanne - 196
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - 234



Answers to previous questions:

1. What'd I do before even going in?
Answer: Rent a locker. 6 points
2. I have an ADR... where is it?
Answer: Skippers. 6 points
3. What's the first ride I go on?
Answer: Splash. 8 points.
4. How late do I stay at MK?
Answer: Midnight. 4 points
5. Why is my wait for a bus 16 minutes?
Answer: Let people go ahead. 8 points
If you said EVC. 4 points. Or 2nd bus. 4 points.
6. How many times was I asked for directions?
Answer: 2 times. 4 points.
7. Dole whip. Yes or no?
Answer: Yes. 2 points.
8. Why yes, I do have FPs. Where to?
Answer: Splash, PP, 7DMT. 3x2=6 points
9. What wild animal do I encounter
back at the resort?
Answer: Armadillo. 8 points
10. Who's your favourite TR writer?
Answer: Personal choice. 2 points

Did you see it?
Pkondz airline sign - 4 points


Guesses
Steppesister - photo, BOG, HM, 12:00, ECV, 3, yes, Space, HM, Splash, bunny, me, saw it - 16 points
SnowWhiteOz - map, Skippers, HM, 10:30, ECV, 6, no, HM, POC, BTMRR, lizard, me, saw it - 16 points
DaisyDuck001 - Washroom, CP, JC, 11:30, break, 3, yes, JC, Splash, Phil, good choice, saw it - 10 points
tashers - pictures, BOG, 7DMT, 10:45, break down, 3, yes, 7DMT, HM, BTMRR, gecko, me, saw it - 10 points
irene_dsc - photo, LTT, HM, 10:30, kids, 3, yes, HM, PP, SM, croc, me, saw it - 18 points
kaileighbug - gift shop, BOG, HM, 9:00, scooter, 2, yes, SM, 7DMT, BTMRR, rabbit, Nebo - 12 points
fallonkendra - button, Skippers, JC, 10:00, 2nd bus, 3, yes, SM, Splash, 7DMT, goose, me, saw it - 22 points
afwdwfan - photo, Tony's, IASW, 10:30, VIP, 2, yes, HM, BTMRR, POC, lizard, Cpt O, saw it - 12 points
Captain_Oblivious - photo, LTT, HM, 11:30, break, 3, yes, HM, 7DMT, POC, lizard, me, saw it - 10 points
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - pics, Skippers, POTC, 10:30, ECV etc, 2, yes, HM, 7DMT, Splash, squeak, Mark, saw it - 26 points
bankr63 - locker, BOG, POTC, 11:55, ECV, 2, yes, 7DMT, BTMR, SM, raccoon, Nebo, saw it - 24 points
Mac Brew - survey, BOG, HM, 10:30, ECV, 9(!), no, Splash, SM, HM, raccoons, Katie, saw it - 12 points
Heluvsme - Hoppers, BOG, HM, 12:00, driver change, 3, yes, POTC, HM, SM, snake, me, saw it - 12 points
Chrystmasangel - Photo, LTT, Splash, 10:45, MSEP, 5, yes, Splash, HM, BTMRR, bunny, Liesa?, saw it - 18 points
Curiouser&curiouser! - Locker, Skipper, WEDway, 12:00, missed, 3, yes, HM, SM, BTMRR, bunny, Nebo - 24 points
MAGICFOR2 - Photo, Skippers, JC, 9:00, drove away, 8, yes, JC, 7DMT, SM, gecko, me, saw it - 16 points
queenbetsey - Photo, Skippers, WEDway, 9:00, missed bus, 4, yes, 7DMT, HM, PP, squirrel, me saw it - 22 points
DonnaBeeGood - Photo, Plaza, HM, 12:00, crowds, 4, yes, BTMRR, SM, HM, snake, Billie, saw it - 12 points
franandaj - Photo, Skippers, WEDway, 12:00, call bus, 4, yes, 7DMT, HM, SM, armadillo, me, saw it - 28 points
rndmr2 - Monorail, Tony's, Splash, 10:00, missed, 4, yes, Splash, SM, HM, bunny, me, saw it - 18 points
Gracefulskinny - Photo, Tony's, SM, 10:30, tired, 3, no, SM, Splash, 7DMT, bird, me, saw it - 10 points
Terra Nova guy - Locker, LTT, POTC, 10:00, ECV, 2, yes, Splash, BTMRR, 7DMT, you, saw it - 26 points
jandlinz - Photo, Skippers, HM, 10:40, ECV, 3, yes, Splash, BTMRR, SM, lizard, me, saw it - 20 points
DISNEYMOON10121991 - Hoppers, Plaza, POTC, 11:00, 2nd bus, 3, yes, PP, BTMRR, HM, lizard, me, saw it - 14 points
chookie94 - Photo, Skippers, Splash, 12:00, no bus, 4, yes, PP, BTMR, HM, spider, me, saw it - 28 points
juniorbugman - Photo, BOG, 7DMT, 12:00, crowd, 6, yes, 7DMT, SM, Splash, cat, me, saw it - 16 points
cinderkelly - Photo, Skippers, HM, 11:00, not there, 3, no, 7DMT, HM, Splash, squirrel, me, saw it - 16 points
chillitsanne - Happy dance, BOG, HM, 12:00, missed, 4, yes, 7DMT, Splash, HM, snake, me, saw it - 16 points
vrajewski10513 - Photo, Skippers, POTC, 11:15, ECV, 3, no, Splash, SM, Buzz, duck, me, saw it - 18 points
Mrs T 2009 - Restroom, Tony's, WEDway, 10:00, just missed, 5, yes, 7DMT, SM, Splash, gecko, me, no - 8 points
Thumper_Man - MNSSHP, BOG, HM, 12:00, just missed, 3, yes, HM, PP, SM, squirrel, Lady H, saw it - 14 points
Thumper_Man's Wife - MNSSHP, CRT, POTC, 12:00, broke down, 5, no, POTC, HM, 7DMT, lizard, Riglee, saw it - 12 points
orangecats2 - MNSSHP, Tony's, HM, 10:00, EVC, 2, yes, 7DMT, Splash, PP, bunny, Nebo, saw it - 22 points
SoccerDogWithEars - photo, BOG, POTC, 11:17, EVC, 1, yes, SM, BTMRR, Buzz, bunny, me, saw it - 12 points

As usual, if I've made any mistakes,
either above or below, let me know.


Bonus points
DaisyDuck001 - 4 points for keeping me regular.
DaisyDuck001 - 2 points for giant rodents.
afwdwfan - 2 points for USA deposits.
Captain_Oblivious - 3 points for being out for blood.
Heluvsme - 2 points for the memories.
queenbetsey - 2 points for knowing legends.
jandlinz - 2 points for first kiss.... er, gifs.
franandaj - 1 snarky point.
SoccerDogWithEars - 2 points for deserving points, of COURSE.


Score
queenbetsey - 52 points
bankr63 - 46 points
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - 45 points
Steppesister - 45 points
cinderkelly - 43 points
orangecats2 - 43 points
jandlinz - 37 points
franandaj - 36 points
irene_dsc - 35 points
chillitsanne - 33 points
fallonkendra - 33 points
Curiouser&curiouser! - 32 points
Terra Nova guy - 32 points
chookie94 - 30 points
SnowWhiteOz - 30 points
SoccerDogWithEars - 30 points
tashers - 30 points
vrajewski10513 - 30 points
DISNEYMOON10121991 - 28 points
Chrystmasangel - 27 points
juniorbugman - 26 points
Mac Brew - 26 points
Mrs T 2009 - 25 points
rndmr2 - 25 points
DonnaBeeGood - 24 points
Thumper_Man - 24 points
Captain_Oblivious - 22 points
krnelson65 - 22 points
Gracefulskinny - 18 points
lisaviolet - 18 points
Thumper_Man's Wife - 18 points
MAGICFOR2 - 17 points
DaisyDuck001 - 16 points
afwdwfan - 14 points
Heluvsme - 14 points
natebenma - 14 points
kaileighbug - 12 points
QueenJen - 10 points
Self_resqing_princz - 2 points
MHSweb79 - 1 point

1. Well, I may have been awake
a fair bit recently. Do I sleep in?

2. What time do I wake up?

3. Which park am I first off to today?

4. It's a multi park day!
How many times do I visit the nice folks
at bag check? (Yes, I had a bag to check.)

5. How many times am I asked for directions?
I'll make it easy on you.
0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 times?

6. What time do I get to my room
at the end of the day this time?

7. I use a new method of getting
from one park to another. What is it?
(I've used bus, boat and monorail in the past.)

8. As a matter of fact I do have an ADR.
Two as a matter of fact.
Guess the one that’s not in any park or in Springs.

9. What wild animal do I see today?
(On the way to that ADR.)

Bonus: Did you see it?
Be specifically vague.

Coming up: An impromptu DISmeet
and the funniest thing I see all trip.

Chapter 4. Something Fishy​

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Great Splash shot! Fun way to entertain yourself while Disney entertained you

Skipper's looks like a great addition to the park! I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner. I believe this was your first Dole Whip? Makes you wonder what took so long huh? I have to admit it has been kind of hit or miss for me. Sometimes I forget to stop and have one.

Love the balloon pics! Sorry about your wishes view. So the voice on the speaker... kind of like the response from Steve Martin in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" while driving the wrong direction in a one way lane on the freeway.
"YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!"
"Thank you! (Waving). How does he know where we're going?"

 

[jandlinz]

I received notice that reading
about it was a complete
waste of time.

Now who would say that? That is plain rude!

But that's just not me.

No and go for you for sticking true to yourself.

They didn't even blink an eye at it.

Perfect!

I rented a locker.

Now I thought the question was before you scanned your band and entered. I totally read that wrong.

Man it felt good to be back!

It always does.

It did feel a little weird at sucking
up Dr. Slush's balls though.
But I soon got used to it

Ugh! Not touching this one.

One should always try
to maintain a certain
sense of style.

Totally impressed!

I had two separate instances of men
saluting me with their drinks.

I bet that felt awesome!

So... really... what's not to like?

Seriously!

Bonus points if you tell me.

One eyed Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. Did you do that on purpose?

They don't make feather dusters
like they used to.

Ha! They spelled "Honour" wrong!

I noticed that we spell words differently too with that "or" sound. It's like favorite. You spell it "favourite" right? It shows up as misspelled on my computer. We spell honor, "honor".

But if I'd really wanted to,
it would've been 4 minutes.

You were so kind. Sometimes when you have kids and they are over it you don't even notice those kind gestures from strangers. I'll be more aware, myself, next time my children are at their limit.

1. Well, I may have been awake
a fair bit recently. Do I sleep in?

2. What time do I wake up?

3. Which park am I first off to today?

4. It's a multi park day!
How many times do I visit the nice folks
at bag check? (Yes, I had a bag to check.)

5. How many times am I asked for directions?
I'll make it easy on you.
0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 times?

6. What time do I get to my room
at the end of the day this time?

7. I use a new method of getting
from one park to another. What is it?
(I've used bus, boat and monorail in the past.)

8. As a matter of fact I do have an ADR.
Two as a matter of fact.
Guess the one that’s not in any park or in Springs.

9. What wild animal do I see today?
(On the way to that ADR.)

Bonus: Did you see it?
Be specifically vague.

1. Ugh, no.
2. 6:50
3. Epcot
4. 3
5. 3
6. 11:41
7. Walk
8. Yachtsman Steakhouse
9. A horse
Bonus: Still not getting away with it! Does that work or do you need something more?

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I feel that writing about that first day,
the trials and tribulations of merely
getting to Disney World,
sets the tone for the entire TR.

After a seven minute wait for the bus,
(Seven minutes! Seven! What gives, Disney?)

How dare they! They're slacking!!!

Seconds later, we were driving under water,

I always get a kick out of that!

But there are rules.
Disney guidelines state
that tripods must fit
inside a standard backpack.
And a standard backpack
may not exceed 24" in length.

How very specific.

They didn't even blink an eye at it.

Soak it in, people.

Ahh... is there a better sight than seeing this at the start of a trip?

But not this time.
I wasn't feeling it.
I wasn't feeling much of anything.

Actually... I was...


Wishing I hadn't come.

I eventually smirked at something...
gave a grudging nod at something else...
and eventually found myself
with a big grin on my ugly mug.

The Disney Magic always finds a way in!

No. Not because I'd been essentially
awake for Gawd knows how long.
It was shift after shift after shift at work.
It was working until I couldn't work anymore,
and then working some more.
It was working 32 hours out of every 40.
Repeatedly.

Its bound to catch up with you eventually.

Man it felt good to be back!


I really needed this vacation.
I needed....


Disney.

a short stroll down the lane.
(I wasn't feeling like sashaying
at this point, yet.)
And I soon arrived... here:

But I'm not eating here, so I walked on by.

Darn!

Ha! Kidding!
You were just thinking
"Oh, that pkondz fooled me again!"

.... oh wait, I second guessed myself and changed my answer to Tony's

Free water!
It was hot, so I may have imbibed.

Was it Filtered or Tap?

The server came back and she asked if
I wanted her to point out her favourites.
I said "Yes", so she did.
<pointing vaguely>
"That one. And that one. And that one."

Yup. Just like on the ride.
Perfect!

It did feel a little weird at sucking
up Dr. Slush's balls though.
But I soon got used to it.

you just had to go there.....

"Is the soup, souper?"
Playing along, I told her
it was a little soupy.
Funny thing was,
she actually looked concerned
until she looked at me
and realized I was joking.

Is there any better feeling in the World
then walking by hundreds of
sweating, tired guests
as they stand in an unmoving line?

I'd say the first sight of Cinderella's Castle on a trip.

THAT. IS. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

One of the fringe benefits of doing this,
that I had no idea would happen,
is after the drop, as you go around the turn,
you'll find people watching you.
I had two separate instances of men
saluting me with their drinks.
I toasted them back in return.
I felt like royalty.
Or upper crust, at the very least.

After exiting the ride,
I headed over to the photo preview area
and, after finding the correct photo,
swiped my MB.
Some people say that it's not necessary,
and all that it accomplishes is that
you now have duplicate copies of the
same photo.

I beg to differ.

Redunancy is always a good idea! As DH says, You can only trust technology to do one thing always..... And that is Fail.

When I got back to the resort that night,
I checked on the Splash photo.
I had a nice picture of a group
of strangers going down Splash
and the one posted above,
that I had swiped my MB for.

I was prepared to do it all over again
if necessary, but not because
I got the wrong photo!

Time for another new experience!
First, though, I had to tell someone
that yes, indeed this was the way
to the train.
I don’t know why people ask me
for directions. They just do.
Sometimes I don’t even remember
it happening since it happens so often.
It’s like… breathing.
You don’t really think about it.

Its probably because you look smart and like you know what you are doing!

What a shot!

I always enter HM and position
myself near the doors
so when I enter the stretching room
I can position myself nearest the next door.

I always TRY to do this, but always end up forgetting where the next door is and end up at the back of the group.

And then, moments later...
flying over London.
Oh my.

WIth Little MIss's new(ish) obsession with Big Ben She would really flip out over getting to see this. Shame we don't have a trip planned for a while.

(Did you notice the water bottle?
What kind of jerk tosses a water bottle
while riding Peter Pan???)

Yes I did and that was pretty much my reaction when I saw it.

I stepped out of line.
This is as close as I got to it:

Darn!

My tripod has a ball head on it
that connects to a quick release plate
that attaches to the bottom of the camera.
The plate that I, in my haste,
had left in the room.
The plate that, without which,
renders the tripod unusable.


Swell.

Darn!

I still had my Gorilla pod with me,
but I needed either something to sit it on,
or to attach it to.

Couldn't you have set up the tripod and then used the Gorilla pod on top of it?

And then I heard the voice:
"If you can hear me, clap two times!"
<clap> <clap>
"If you can hear me, clap three times!"
<clap> <clap> <clap>

Not sure why a CM would decide to use this particular technique in this situation. It's a handy trick teachers use in classroom settings when they need to get the attention of the class without shouting. You lower your voice each time you start over with a number to clap and it pulls kids attention to you so that they will listen.

I wondered what the speaker would do
if I clapped four times?
"You! You can't hear me!"

Generally in the classroom setting I would do more rounds until everybody did it correctly and was showing they were paying attention.

The speaker continued:
"If you can hear my voice,
you will NOT be able to see
the fireworks.
That big tree behind you
will block your view!"

Like I said earlier, this method is great in the classroom with elementary age and below but it's a strange use in this situation.

They project on the sides of the castle too.
I don't know about the backside of the castle.
Ask the Jungle Cruise folks.

Is it just me?
Or does Goofy's eye creep you out?
And were you so focused on that,
that you failed to see Minnie?
Or Mickey?
Bonus points if you tell me.

Nope. Didn't even notice Goofy till you pointed him out.

What is that? And why is it in her mouth?

Apparently she's thinking the same thing! lol!

Ha! They spelled "Honour" wrong!

nope they spelled it the American way!

And really, it wasn't that long.
The next bus showed up at 12:38am.
So my total wait time was 16 minutes.
But if I'd really wanted to,
it would've been 4 minutes.
So I won't hold it against Disney this time.

you probably got a more pleasant ride for your wait anyways.

Gracefulskinny - 18 points

Drat! I've got some major catching up to do!

1. Well, I may have been awake
a fair bit recently. Do I sleep in?

Any sane person would. But then I would never accuse you of being such. So I'm going with No.

2. What time do I wake up?

6am

3. Which park am I first off to today?

AK

4. It's a multi park day!
How many times do I visit the nice folks
at bag check? (Yes, I had a bag to check.)

3

5. How many times am I asked for directions?
I'll make it easy on you.
0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 times?

2

6. What time do I get to my room
at the end of the day this time?

1:35am

7. I use a new method of getting
from one park to another. What is it?
(I've used bus, boat and monorail in the past.)

Uber/Taxi

8. As a matter of fact I do have an ADR.
Two as a matter of fact.
Guess the one that’s not in any park or in Springs.

Ohana

9. What wild animal do I see today?
(On the way to that ADR.)

Gator

Bonus: Did you see it?
Be specifically vague.