Canadian Buffoon's Solo Disney Vacation - Update 07/08! pp99 - Here today gone tomorrow

[Backstage_Gal]

Holy cow, I was 5 pages behind! Dang work!
I have to say though, Ponzi, i am deeply disappointed you only got 4, FOUR, measely zebra domes after all your whining about them for years. You couldnt get some to take back, anything? FOUR???????????????

Hope to stay more current soon

 

[Sandy Mouse]

So many opportunities to quote and the witty replies were popping into my head, and I couldn't. Do. Anything. My internet is down!!! I am stranded in a no mans land of lame general replies! Argh.
I won't have Internet until Friday. My Phone line went out so I'm just going to upgrade to that snazzy new u verse internet (cost of installation is about the same as cost to repair the old line). But I have to wait until Friday.
I am trying to keep up on my phone but It's so annoying when I cannot quote.
OMG a little sign just popped up on my phone "draft saved." Don't you wish you had one of those Ponzi?

 

[orangecats2]

[GALLERY=] [/GALLERY]


Here's our pic from my phone. Not sure how good it will be once seen on a computer. It was so great to meet Marie. I always love to talk Disney. And she's got two trips planned in the next couple months. So jealous! Loved meeting her and it was really nice of her to drive into the city. But yes, I will always have a soft spot for Ponzi who was my first.

So glad the next chapter was saved!!! Can't wait to see how many points I get!

 

[Sandy Mouse]

So jealous of your Dismeet!
And when you start planning that Disney trip, I'm in. I love February in Disney World.

 

[pkondz]

Holy cow, I was 5 pages behind! Dang work!

You need to quit your day job so you can spend more time here.

At least I think it would be worth it.
You may not.

I have to say though, Ponzi, i am deeply disappointed you only got 4, FOUR, measely zebra domes after all your whining about them for years. You couldnt get some to take back, anything? FOUR???????????????

I know. I know.
<hangs head in shame.>

And believe me, I thought about that.
But....
I thought, "You know what? I'm sick of cold winters and I'm sick of going to Disney once a decade!"
I resolved to do more trips.
Which means more zebra domes!

I consoled myself with that.

Hope to stay more current soon

I hope so too!

So many opportunities to quote and the witty replies were popping into my head, and I couldn't. Do. Anything. My internet is down!!! I am stranded in a no mans land of lame general replies! Argh.

Oh, no. That bites.

I won't have Internet until Friday.

A whole week???????

My Phone line went out so I'm just going to upgrade to that snazzy new u verse internet (cost of installation is about the same as cost to repair the old line). But I have to wait until Friday.

Good luck with that. Will your internets be faster?
I hope it's worth the wait!

I am trying to keep up on my phone but It's so annoying when I cannot quote.

Well, you can... it's just really, really, really hard. And annoying.
I've done it.
I won't do it again if I can help it.

OMG a little sign just popped up on my phone "draft saved." Don't you wish you had one of those Ponzi?

I do!.... But then I lost it somehow... But only temporarily!

But yes, I will always have a soft spot for Ponzi who was my first.

And don't you forget it!!!!

So glad the next chapter was saved!!! Can't wait to see how many points I get!

You should see.... today!
Wanna wait? Or should I just give you one point now.
One point now? Or the chance for more... or less! later?
Hmmmm??????

And when you start planning that Disney trip, I'm in. I love February in Disney World.

I still don't know when I'm going. Might be early February or even January.
Not sure.
I asked Ruby if she'd like to go and I know she's busy in middle to late February.

 

[mmeb144]

I still don't know when I'm going. Might be early February or even January.
Not sure.
I asked Ruby if she'd like to go and I know she's busy in middle to late February.

Well, when you know dates, post so that the rest of us can tag along. Or, post fake dates and avoid us. Whichever works best for you....

 

[pkondz]

Elbows off the table!


I had just boarded the bus from AKL and was off to another park.
I must admit to having a twinge of regret right about then.

No, not because I didn't stuff even more zebra domes into my face and go into a sugar induced coma...

hmmmm..... that's not a bad idea......


Sorry, back on track here.

I felt a twinge of regret because I didn't see DiVine.


The first time we visited AK, we stumbled upon her on one of the trails.
At first, I didn't know what people were looking at... until she moved.

I was enthralled.

Probably the longest we stopped to look at anything (anyone in this case) the whole trip.

The second time we visited,
I asked around until we found out what time she would be out
and where she would be.
We caught her as she was coming out from backstage and she posed with the kids.

This was from back in '09.

This time...
Well, if I'd found her in passing, I would've stopped.
But I didn't seek her out.

I guess I just figured she'd probably be out in the afternoon
and I wasn't going to be there, then.

Still.
Would've loved to have seen her again.
She's freaking amazing.

If you haven't seen her. I highly recommend you take the time to try and find her.




But right now, I was moving on.

I could be wrong, but this may very well be the first time I've ever park hopped.
I know for sure that my last trip with the family we didn't have hoppers.
The previous trip we did, but I don't recall if we hopped or not.
We might have, since we did afternoon breaks every day.
So it's possible that we went to one park in the morning and a different one at night.
But I'm quite sure that this is the first time I've left one park to go to another.

Zebra dome pit stop notwithstanding...


A few minutes after boarding the bus, I was getting off of it... and this is the first snap I took:

I had picked DHS since it had evening EMH.

I figured that way I could maximize my day.
I knew it might be more crowded,
but the crowd calendar was still only calling for a 3 or 4.
I wasn't overly concerned.

Sleep? Who needs sleep?

I'll sleep when I get home...

after I do my chores...
and go to work...
and catch up on missed shows....
Sleep? Who needs szzzzzzzzzzz.............






Wha?

Sorry, must've dozed off.
Where was I?

Right! DHS!

I had an early dinner ADR here
(Oh, right... you want to know about that contest and bonus points. Soon. Soon.)
I had an early dinner ADR here, but I had some time to kill beforehand.

The first thing I wanted to see, after entering the park
(Ok, scan the band... wait, finger now? No, now! DON'T PRESS DOWN!!! <phew!>)
was to see how the removal of the hat was coming along.
I knew it would be too much to hope for that it would be completely gone, but...

Nice! Almost completely gone!
You can actually see some of the Chinese Theater now.

Oh. Am I being insensitive?

Some of you like the hat? And are sad to see its departure?

Now I will admit this, and please don't flame me...

or at least not much.

Oh, go ahead. It's not like I can stop you anyway!




As I was saying....

I've seen Voyage of the Little Mermaid and didn't really feel a need to see it again.
Same with Beauty and the Beast.
No way I was going to go see Disney Junior again!
The kids loved it, but by myself? Just. No.
And I wanted nothing to do with anything that had any resemblance
or link to snow... or ice... or cold.

Sorry, but that's just the way it is. I'm not a huge 'shows' kinda guy.
Once is usually enough.

I did however really want to go see Lights, Motors, Action!
since I'd never seen it before.
And it'd been a really long time since I'd seen Indiana Jones
and wouldn't mind checking it out.

I mean, it's gotta be a new show now, right?
It's been over twenty years since I've seen it.

I entered the park and checked out where my ADR was located.
Having assured myself that the restaurant was where it was supposed to be,
I headed straight to LMA, which was starting in just a few minutes.

On the way, I spotted this and stopped for a quick pic.

I don't know if I'll wind up seeing this or not, but I am curious to see how they'll do it
since in the trailer, well... if you haven't seen the trailer, I won't spoil it for you.

But the real question is, why is the carriage a carriage still?

Shouldn't it be a pumpkin?

I suppose you could argue that it wasn't midnight yet
so that's why it hadn't metamorphosed back into a pumpkin.

So, wait.
Doesn't that mean that if Cinderella drives her carriage west at just over 1,000mph
she'd never have to worry about the clock striking midnight and it changing back into a pumpkin?
So shouldn't she ask her fairy godmother for a rocket propelled carriage?
Wouldn't a rocket engine be simpler than changing a mouse into a horse,
for instance?

Maybe there's a fuel supply issue.

All we can say for certain is that I have far too much time on my hands
and I got to use the word 'metamorphose' in a sentence.


Moving on...


You may have noticed that it was cloudy that day.
Some of my shots from AK are pretty dark.
I got to the LMA seating area and made sure I was seated under the overhang.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this show.
(Well, I was expecting rain any second, but...)
I'd seen pictures, and had read descriptions, but...

I was not disappointed.
It was a lot of fun!

I probably took about 50 pictures, but most of them look like this:

I will admit that I was pretty amazed when the driver jumped the ramp... in reverse!

Or at least until they showed us how they did it.

Still interesting, though.

While the show was going on, it kept getting darker and darker.
I glanced at the water in the canal and...

Yup! Pouring cats and dogs!
And rain too!

I was furious!
Why didn't they put the dome up!!
Do you have any idea how much money I paid to be here?
Nevermind that it was mostly funded by birthday/Christmas cash!

Sorry. It's the lament of the entitled tourist*

(*Sung to the tune Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen)

At the show's end (which as mentioned, I quite enjoyed) I ponchoed up
and headed out.
No rain's gonna rain on my parade!

Wait. Uh....

You know what I mean.

I still had some time before my ADR so.... it was time for...

The Great Movie Ride!

(Considering the weather outside this seemed kind of appropriate, no?)

Only question of course is what does that weird looking guy
hanging on the street post have to do with movies?
Maybe it's "The Great Movie Ride! Starring Mannequins You Don't Know!"
That seems to be the most likely scenario, anyway.

At least I thought that was the way it was going to go... until... I saw this:

Hey! Wait a minute... I know that face!

I'm almost positive... Oh, shoot. It's just not coming to me.
But I know it! I do! I've seen that face somewhere.
And recently!

Arrrgghhh... I just can't place it right now.

I'll have to think about it.
For now I'll just enjoy the ride.

We got to the gangster scene and... well, the ride took a definite down turn.
Our original driver was okay, but... well, when she was replaced
by a female gangster...

I really don't know if she thought she was doing a 'tough guy' act
or if that was the way she talked.
Irrelevant really, because no one could understand a single word she slurred.

She wasn't very loud, so just hearing her was difficult.
And what you could hear, when she turned to face you was so garbled
that I suspected she had a speech impediment.

Or as she would say, "A shpich impenorgle."

Is it bad that when she was "killed" at the Indiana Jones scene I cheered?
Really! It's because she was a "bad guy"!
Not because she was a "bad actor"! Honest!

After the death of the moll and the rebirth of enunciation our tour continued.

And then... epiphany!

There it is again! That darned face!
The one I had such trouble placing!
It's the same one!

And this time... this time... I got it!

It's Bruce Jenner!

Now I'll be able to sleep at night, thank goodness.
(But I bet you won't be able to!)


After the ride, I checked my watch... getting close to three o'clock.
About time to make my way over to my ADR, don't you think?

I was totally excited about this.
You'll see why in a bit.

But first....

The Contest (thought I forgot, didn't you?)

Okay, I did give you a pretty big hint on this one.
But only if you were really, really paying attention.
Remember the wish list?
It had only one ADR possible restaurant on it.
(Because I forgot to include the Cheese soup at Le Cellier.
Consider it on the list now.)

Here it is again...

Dole whip float
Carrot cake cookie at the Writer's Stop
Take a bus to DHS then the boat to Epcot
Try the onion rings at Prime Time or Flame Tree
Just go to Prime Time!
Voices of Liberty at America in Epcot
Pork shank at Gaston's
LeFou's Brew
Pecos Bill's for the burger and fixins bar
Candy Lady in Japan (Yes, I know she's gone... now!)
Mickey head pretzel
Kaki gori (shave ice) in Japan
Cronut at snack booth just before Canada
Margarita in Mexico
Grey Goose slush at France
Karamel Kuche in Germany
Heck, just enjoy World Showcase for a change

And as I look over that list, I depressingly see that I've accomplished precisely none of it.

But my ADR at Prime Time was just about to change that!
(As I presume you already knew, from the title of this update.)



Points earned this round


orangecats2 4 points for being first to correctly guess both DHS and 50s Prime Time!
dawnbu40 2 points for knowing the answer but keeping mum. Hold on... all will be revealed.
MAGICFOR2 2 points for picking the right park and restaurant.
Tracy161 1 point for guessing the right park, wrong restaurant.
ForeverDance 1 point for not getting her guesses wrong. And this won't work twice!
("I'm going to guess you went to <insert park> and had an ADR at <insert restaurant>")
Laura74 2 points for asking for points plus 2 points for some awesome sucking up.
Laura74 -1 points for making it a little bit too much about the sucking up.



Contest points so far

MAGICFOR2 6 points
orangecats2 4 points
afwdwfan 3 points
Laura74 3 points
dawnbu40 2 points
mmeb144 2 points
Tracy161 2 points
ForeverDance 1 point
shan23877 1 point
Sandy Mouse 1 point

Still a tight race.
Kicking and eye gouging are of course not only permitted,
but encouraged.

Continued next post!​

 

[pkondz]

Continued from previous post!​

I left GMR and it was still pouring out.
Hang on! Every time I've been to Florida,
there's a big shower in the afternoon that lasts for ten minutes.
This has been going on for an hour now!
What gives?

Ponchos... ON!
Dodging the ever growing pools of neck deep water,
I gingerly made my way over to my ADR.


I got to Prime Time at three o'clock.
And I was stoked!

Oh, sure. I'd had this on my to do list for years.
I actually wanted to do it in 2009,
but the kids really wanted to go back to Sci Fi, so...

I'm a Dad. I do as I'm told.
(Well, except for when I'm driving
and my right arm is ineffectually flailing around in the backseat
while I make empty threats to "Turn this car around!")


Yep. I had been looking forward to this for years.
And I was pretty excited about it.
I'd heard plenty of good things about it.
And a lot of the good things I'd heard came from TRs I'd read.
The first TR I ever read made mention of it.
The second was by Nebo.
He mentioned it.

The third mentioned it...
The third was the first jointly written TR that I ever read.
I thought, "How cool is that? A Mother/Daughter TR! This I gotta read."
And I wasn't disappointed.
Their obvious love for Disney was almost palpable.
No. Skip the "almost".

They made their TR, TRs actually, since they've written several, fun to read.
And they just seemed.... well... really, really nice.
I followed along as they wrote about their journeys and then...
The daughter got into the Disney College Program!
Way to go!
Then...
Mom and Dad moved down to Florida!

So I wondered, dare I hope? That maybe... just maybe... I could meet them?
I mean, I'm just a shlub from the far north. (Is so a word. Look it up.)
This is Disney royalty people!

I was going to meet Dawn and her daughter Caitlin!
aka dawnbu40 and PrincessCaitlin!
And as a bonus, I was also going to meet Dad/Husband Dale.
While Dale doesn't write, he always plays a part in their TRs.

Ohboyohboyohboyohboy!

I might've been vibrating with anticipation.


I got to Prime Time and immediately started to panic.
It's three o'clock! I told them it's for three fifteen, right?
What if they're here already?
What if they're already seated and waiting for me?
Will I recognize them? (I'd only seen 2.6 million pictures of them. )

I checked in with the hostess and told her who I was.

Because I'm incredibly stupid,
I didn't ask her if the rest of the party was here yet.

At least, since they didn't take me to a table,
I figured out that they weren't there yet.
And I was right.

So now I started to panic that they weren't coming.
Oh, not right away.
Not at three o'clock.
Plenty of time.
I strategically positioned myself between the two available entrances.

By three oh one, panic had reasserted itself
and I was starting to swivel my head back and forth
between the two entrances and the bar.
Are they coming in over there?
How about there?
Are they at the bar? Did I miss them?
<swivel><swivel><swivel>

Some streetmosphere people came in to liven things up.
I hardly noticed.
Oh, I'm sure they were awesome... they always are...
<swivel><swivel><swivel>
And I think they were supposed to be the family
that owned the home we were dining in...
<swivel><swivel><swivel>
But I was just a little...
<swivel><swivel><swivel>
preoccupied.
<swivel><swivel>

At ten after three, I was panicked... and depressed.
They weren't coming.
<swivel>
They had taken one look at the rain pouring down and decided not to go.
<swivel><swivel>
Who could blame them?
<swivel>
I mean, why would you willingly go out in a tropical downp....
<swi... head snaps around and locks>

THERE THEY ARE!!!!!!!



I spotted Dawn first, then the rest of the family.
I was so happy to see them.
Happy...
What a woefully inadequate word to describe how I was feeling.



I'm pretty sure... Yeah. Quite confident...
That when I rushed over they were taken aback.
Who was this nutcase with the mile wide crazy grin rushing at them???


I kinda feel bad about that.
Gotta work on my people skills.
Don't terrify the people you want to make friends with.
Or freak them out.

Just don't.

And maybe "rushed over" isn't the right choice of words?
Floated? Floated might be good.
I really don't remember how I got from a to b.


Shortly after, they recovered and I was able to exchange hellos with them.
And I was shocked.

You see, I'd been reading their TRs for years.
When I read a good TR, I don't just read it... I live it.
I hear the conversations and see the sights.

So I'd been "hearing" Dawn and Caitlin speak for a long time.

And they sounded nothing like I expected!
Their actual voices were so much better.
Oddly, though. Dale's voice sounded exactly like I imagined.


Not long afterwards...
Who am I kidding.
It might have been half an hour later, for all I knew.
I was star struck.
But I don't think it was very long.

At some time that night... we were called to our table.
And my TR note taking went right out the window.

I didn't take notes, I didn't take pictures, nothing.
I did note, though, that our table was right beside the kitchen.
I mean, any closer and it would've been in the kitchen.


We sat down with Dawn beside Caitlin and facing Dale
and I sat facing Caitlin.

I hope to God that I didn't freak her out.
I really must've been grinning like a total idiot.
The unfortunate thing is that if we ever meet again (oh, I hope so!)
I'll be just as stupid as I was the last time!

Some random thoughts and things about Prime Time itself.
Sorry, first of all, that I don't have any pictures.
I was at first too busy swivelling,
then I was too busy enjoying myself to take any.

There was a dirty plate, sitting on the wall above our heads.
I'm pretty sure Dale noticed it first.
It sat there for quite a while until one of us (nope, not me)
pointed it out to our waiter.
He blanched and said something to the effect that it was a "clean plate" award...
but it had been up there for the last two seatings and had been forgotten!

I felt bad for Dale. He had taken the seat nearest the kitchen.
I shudder to think how many times he must've been bumped
or brushed by passing staff.
He never complained once, though.

I would normally have asked for another table, but
a) I was taking my cues from the local experts at the table, and;
b) I figured that since the place was full, that it would be a long while
before we got another table. If we were even allowed to switch!


We ordered our food,
and it wasn't long before I started to get the vibe from the place.
The waiter... excuse, me...
Our cousin walked up and caught me with my elbows on the table.
He got the entire restaurant to chant "Shame, shame, shame!"
Whoops! Won't make that mistake again!

Cousin then took our orders:
I do know that both Dale and Dawn had the Iceberg Lettuce Wedge.
But I can't remember what Caitlin had. The special, I think.
But I do recall that the waiter told her if she finished it all,
he'd give her a dollar.
As per the TRs that I'd read, I already knew what I was going to order.
I had to... had to order the Peanut Butter and Jelly Milk Shake to drink
and Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken.
Again, sorry. No pictures.
Oh, if you really want to see it, click this link: Winner winner chicken dinner

So good.
I'd been dreaming of this moment. And here it was.
Good food, good fun, good friends.

Ahhhhhh....... Heaven.


We chatted for... I think over an hour. I really couldn't tell you.
I was just enjoying myself.
I did have to tell a little white lie, though.
I've mentioned a few times that there were two big surprises in this TR.
As you (hopefully) have guessed, this was one of them.
At one point, they asked me about my plans for the rest of the week.
I omitted the second surprise.
I wanted them to be able to enjoy this TR as much as
(again, hopefully) you are.
And no, it's not another DISmeet.
And no, I'm not telling... yet.

At one point, both Caitlin and Dawn had their elbows on the table as we chatted away.
The waiter came by and they both reflexively pulled their elbows back.
I'm pretty sure that Dawn got away with it, but Caitlin got caught.
She looked so mortified!
It was hysterical!
Shame! Shame! Shame!

I can tell you that they are an absolutely lovely family.
I did mention to Caitlin that I could easily see myself hanging out with Dale.
He just seems to be that kind of guy that'd be easy to hang around with.

That does not mean that he would want to hang around with me!


There was one thing, though.
That if I'd known about it beforehand, I would've said something.
It turned out that Caitlin wasn't feeling very well.
She was getting over a cold.
And it turns out that Typhoid Mary, er... I mean Caitlin,
then passed her cold over to Dawn.
(And as it turned out.. Dale came down with it too, a couple of days later.
I'm sure that my coming down with it a few days after that was purely coincidental.
Doesn't matter. Worth it!!)

If I'd known that the ladies were sick, I absolutely would've told them to stay home!
But they came out... in the rain! To meet with me!

I admit, though, that I was very pleased that they'd decided to come out anyway.
Still, I do feel a little bad about that.
I hope you ladies didn't get any sicker!


Eventually, all good things must come to an end.
We were finishing up our meals (no... Caitlin did not get her dollar.)
And I didn't want to keep these people out in the cold and wet
any longer than I already had.
Someone, I don't remember who, but I think it was Dale, said.
"You like Haunted Mansion, right?"
I nodded.
Dale, on his magic band, had... I think they're called magic bits? Band-its?
Pins that you can attach to a magic band.
Anyway, Dale had three "bits" on his band.
The hitch-hiking ghosts from HM!
He pulled one off and handed it to me as a gift.
I was touched.
Yes, I'm always a little touched, I just was more so.
I immediately put it on.

Awesome.

We settled up the bill and made our way back to the front.
I can't call it a lobby.
We hugged goodbye and they walked out.
It was still pouring outside but they had brought these weird contraptions.
Nobody else had them, we were poncho army!
Whatever they were, they seemed happy with them.
They certainly looked like they were staying dry.

I think they called them umpyrellas... or something.

Weird.

Must be a local thing.


My one regret of the evening (other than acting like a fool)
was that at some point, I remembered where I was, etc.
and asked if I could get a picture with them.
Unfortunately, instead of taking out my camera,
which would've been the smart thing to do,
I passed the waiter my iPod.
Also unfortunately, I either had the flash turned off,
or it was fooled by the glare from the kitchen and so this is the best I got.

Great waiter, not so great photographer.

Still... aren't they pretty?
And the ladies are very nice looking too!

Next up... The night is young!
There's a whole theme park out there and extra hours to enjoy it!

Bonus points to whoever can guess the next three rides I go on.

Thanks for reading!

Link to next post! - Finding the time​

 

[pkondz]

Well, when you know dates, post so that the rest of us can tag along. Or, post fake dates and avoid us. Whichever works best for you....

Okay. Stay tuned.

 

[dawnbu40]

It was an absolute pleasure to join you for dinner. We loved finally meeting you after "knowing you" for years here on the Dis.
We hope that we can meet again next time you visit!
I am soooo sorry you caught our cold! I feel awful about that!

I'm guessing you visited Star Tours, the Muppet Movie (hmmm idk if that qualifies as a "ride" ) and Toy Story Mania.

 

[Tracy161]

So I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the hat coming down. When it went up, I wasn't thrilled. But now, I've become so used to it that I'm just not sure. I'll have to see how I like it come May. It was odd seeing the picture of it actually coming down though!

I absolutely adore the GMR - it's just one of those rides that I could go on and on repeatedly. Sorry about your less than stellar CM though.

YAY! I got a point for guessing the right park! Shame on me for not paying better attention (well, that's a lie... the attention I paid was fine, it's the memory that is faulty) to your list in the beginning so I could have guessed Prime Time! Yay for meeting up with Caitlin, Dawn, and Dale! When you first started talking about them, I though "Gee, that sounds like Caitlin and Dawn" and it was! They sure seem like an absolutely lovely family. And it sounds like you had a wonderful evening with them!

I'm guessing you went on these rides next: Tower of Terror, Rock 'N Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Mania!

 

[mmeb144]

Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania, and ended the day with Fantasmic! ("!" trademarked).

 

[shan23877]

RnRC, ToT, and Star Tours.

Awesome DIS meet! I have never met any DIS friends in the real world yet, I imagine that is be just as nervous as you were.

What did you think of the food? And did you get your onion rings???

 

[mmeb144]

What did you think of the food? And did you get your onion rings???

I completely spaced that he didn't mention about the onion rings. Now you got me wondering.

 

[quandrea]

New to your report as of this morning. It's March break here in Ontario and I read everything so far this morning over my coffee. Great writing style. I love disneykid4life's reports and now I've found another fellow Canadian with a great style looking forward to the rest.

 

[afwdwfan]

What I've done in the past is type away and when I had to stop, I'd copy the lot into a Word document.
When I was ready again, I'd paste the doc back into the DIS and away I'd go.
I still do, but I haven't had to use it.

Uh oh... this feels ominous.

I was pretty sick yesterday and most of today (stomach bug ) but was now feeling well enough to finish up the chapter.

Yuck. Glad you're better now.

I turn on the DIS and .... poof. Gone. No update.

Yep, figured. I had that happen to me while in the process of posting my last update. Thankfully, I'd already typed it up on word and was doing the copy/paste thing.

This time...
Well, if I'd found her in passing, I would've stopped.
But I didn't seek her out.

I guess I just figured she'd probably be out in the afternoon
and I wasn't going to be there, then.

Still.
Would've loved to have seen her again.
She's freaking amazing.

I definitely understand not waiting around to see her on your tight schedule. But I'm sure she's impressive to see... I've still never had the opportunity.

I had picked DHS since it had evening EMH.

Crap!

I'll sleep when I get home...

after I do my chores...
and go to work...
and catch up on missed shows....
Sleep? Who needs szzzzzzzzzzz.............

Details... they can wait.

Nice! Almost completely gone!
You can actually see some of the Chinese Theater now.

No way I was going to go see Disney Junior again!

I'd surely hope not!!!

I did however really want to go see Lights, Motors, Action!
since I'd never seen it before.
And it'd been a really long time since I'd seen Indiana Jones
and wouldn't mind checking it out.

2 great shows.

I mean, it's gotta be a new show now, right?
It's been over twenty years since I've seen it.

Of course it is! You should see the new scene from the Crystal Skulls movie...

But the real question is, why is the carriage a carriage still?

Shouldn't it be a pumpkin?

Mind. Blown.

So, wait.
Doesn't that mean that if Cinderella drives her carriage west at just over 1,000mph
she'd never have to worry about the clock striking midnight and it changing back into a pumpkin?
So shouldn't she ask her fairy godmother for a rocket propelled carriage?
Wouldn't a rocket engine be simpler than changing a mouse into a horse,
for instance?

Or just put a flux capacitor on it and get it up to 88 mph.

Or at least until they showed us how they did it.

Still interesting, though.

At the show's end (which as mentioned, I quite enjoyed) I ponchoed up
and headed out.
No rain's gonna rain on my parade!

Wait. Uh....

You know what I mean.

Rain is your friend. Let it drive the meek away from the park so that you just have to poncho up and enjoy shorter lines!

(Considering the weather outside this seemed kind of appropriate, no?)

Is it bad that when she was "killed" at the Indiana Jones scene I cheered?
Really! It's because she was a "bad guy"!
Not because she was a "bad actor"! Honest!

Hey, nobody is judging.

And this time... this time... I got it!

It's Bruce Jenner!

Try the onion rings at Prime Time or Flame Tree
Just go to Prime Time!

D'oh!!!! How'd I miss that?

I'm a Dad. I do as I'm told.

THERE THEY ARE!!!!!!!



I spotted Dawn first, then the rest of the family.
I was so happy to see them.
Happy...
What a woefully inadequate word to describe how I was feeling.

I'm glad you got to have your Dismeet and that they didn't stand you up!

And maybe "rushed over" isn't the right choice of words?
Floated? Floated might be good.
I really don't remember how I got from a to b.

I'm going to guess it was a sashay.

(And as it turned out.. Dale came down with it too, a couple of days later.
I'm sure that my coming down with it a few days after that was purely coincidental.
Doesn't matter. Worth it!!)

Eh, it happens. You'd have likely gotten it eventually anyway. At least it was worth it.

Someone, I don't remember who, but I think it was Dale, said.
"You like Haunted Mansion, right?"
I nodded.
Dale, on his magic band, had... I think they're called magic bits? Band-its?
Pins that you can attach to a magic band.
Anyway, Dale had three "bits" on his band.
The hitch-hiking ghosts from HM!
He pulled one off and handed it to me as a gift.
I was touched.
Yes, I'm always a little touched, I just was more so.
I immediately put it on.

Very generous! And very cool!

Also unfortunately, I either had the flash turned off,
or it was fooled by the glare from the kitchen and so this is the best I got.

At least you got a picture, so we know it actually happened. Even if the picture isn't the greatest quality.

Bonus points to whoever can guess the next three rides I go on.

Wait a minute... clarification... rides only or rides/shows??? And do they have to be in order???

I'm going with Star Tours, ToT and RnRC.

 

[pkondz]

It was an absolute pleasure to join you for dinner. We loved finally meeting you after "knowing you" for years here on the Dis.

The pleasure was all mine, Dawn!
I'm only upset that I couldn't get across just how much I enjoyed meeting you guys.
I said that there were two things I was looking forward to on this trip.
And meeting you guys was definitely a highlight.

We hope that we can meet again next time you visit!

Oh, I'd like that!

I am soooo sorry you caught our cold! I feel awful about that!

Don't!
It's just as likely... actually, more likely that I picked it up on the plane.
The flying tube of germs and viruses.
And if I did catch it from Typhoi... er... Caitlin, I didn't care.
If you'd have told me "You can meet us, but you'll catch a cold." I still would've come running!

I'm guessing you visited Star Tours, the Muppet Movie (hmmm idk if that qualifies as a "ride" ) and Toy Story Mania.

Got it. Letcha know.

Thanks again (and again, and again, and again!) for a wonderful evening!

So I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the hat coming down.

Me too!
I don't know if I should feel elated, or overjoyed!

When it went up, I wasn't thrilled.

Again... Me too!

But now, I've become so used to it that I'm just not sure.

I'm sure!
But then again... Having been so few times,
I haven't had a real opportunity to get used to it.

It was odd seeing the picture of it actually coming down though!

I will admit. It did look strange.
"Death of an icon" or something.

I absolutely adore the GMR - it's just one of those rides that I could go on and on repeatedly. Sorry about your less than stellar CM though.

Once I realized that I wasn't going to understand the CM,
I just gave up trying and enjoyed the sights.

YAY! I got a point for guessing the right park!

See? That wasn't so hard, was it?

Shame on me for not paying better attention (well, that's a lie... the attention I paid was fine, it's the memory that is faulty)

Yay for meeting up with Caitlin, Dawn, and Dale!

Such a wonderful DISmeet!

When you first started talking about them, I though "Gee, that sounds like Caitlin and Dawn" and it was!

Oh, good! I sort of assumed a lot of people would know who they were.
But I didn't know for sure of course how many on this TR would.

They sure seem like an absolutely lovely family. And it sounds like you had a wonderful evening with them!

They are! and;
Oh I did! I did!

I'm guessing you went on these rides next: Tower of Terror, Rock 'N Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Mania!

Check. Let ya know later.

Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania, and ended the day with Fantasmic! ("!" trademarked).

Okay. Results later on.

RnRC, ToT, and Star Tours.

Got your guess. Results later.

Awesome DIS meet! I have never met any DIS friends in the real world yet, I imagine that is be just as nervous as you were.

I've had, umm..... four now. I think I was at least a little nervous for all of them.

What did you think of the food? And did you get your onion rings???

I completely spaced that he didn't mention about the onion rings. Now you got me wondering.

I guess I never did say, did I?
Like I said, my note taking went right out the window.
I'm pretty sure if the waiter had put a bowl in front of me and said
"Here's your gruel, sir." I probably wouldn't have noticed.

However.

The PB&J shake was really good.
Was it the best I've ever had?
Hmmmm.... possibly not, but then again, I've had a lot of different shakes.
I like to try new things.
Some of the milkshakes that I've had: orange, rootbeer, crème de menthe, mint, lemon,
blueberry, lime, banana, PB & chocolate and a host of others that I can't recall.
(and after re-reading that list... yes to the usual suspects of
chocolate, strawberry and vanilla too, of course.)

The fried chicken dinner was served with garlic mashed potatoes and collared greens.
The fried chicken was tasty. Certainly several cuts above KFC... but what isn't?
Again, not the best I've ever had, but quite good.
It was juicy, not dry, which is usually the biggest issue. I'd order it again.
The garlic mashed is a personal fave of mine, and it was good.
Not amazing, but good.
I'd never had collared greens before, so this was a new experience for me.
I'd have to say that I enjoyed them. But I don't have anything to compare them to.


The onion rings.

I briefly considered ordering a side of onion rings.....
But I knew that there was no way I could possibly eat any more food!
And if I did, and somehow stuffed one in my face,
I doubt that I would've enjoyed the experience.
And you know what?
I think, even though it was my first day, that I'd already come to a decision.
That I was going to do this more often, darn it!

So if I didn't order the rings, this trip... not to worry, I'll do it on the next!

New to your report as of this morning.

Hi Andrea! (I'm just gonna guess quandrea stands for Quebec Andrea?) welcome to the TR!

It's March break here in Ontario and I read everything so far this morning over my coffee.

Wait, shouldn't you be ONandrea then???
(Mabye it's a play on words between Andrea and quandary? Maybe I'll shut up now. )

Our spring break starts March 30th.
Odd, for whatever reason, I thought it started at the same time across Canada.
Guess not.

You read everything in one sitting?
Are you okay? Feeling a little sick?
Even I can only take so much of me in one sitting.

Great writing style.

Thanks!

I love disneykid4life's reports and now I've found another fellow Canadian with a great style looking forward to the rest.

Isn't he great?
I only just found him, and I have no idea how come it's taken me so long.
I wish I could write with as much passion as he puts into his TRs.
Since I can't, I'll settle for loathing and self-pity.

 

[quandrea]

Yep. One sitting. It was great. Quandrea is what my husband calls me. Rhymes with Andrea. We came up with it early in our relationship. Silly word play I guess.

Your spring break is late in Winnipeg. Anyway, I'm watching your thread. Looking forward to updates. We head down mid April for a quick trip. Getting excited. Me, my best friend and our five assorted kids--5, 5, 7, 11, 13. We probably need to have our heads examined.

 

[ForeverDance]

ForeverDance 1 point for not getting her guesses wrong. And this won't work twice!

Woohoo a point!
I actually laughed out loud when I read this and then had to explain to DH what I was laughing about. I think he thought I was crazy.

Bonus points to whoever can guess the next three rides I go on.

Well I can't very well not at least try to do this the right way. Do we have to get them in order?
Hmm
1. Toy Story Mania - I don't know too many people who don't love TSM so you must have used your FP+ to do this one (see I remember you didn't use them at AK in the morning)
2. Rock n Roller Coaster - I'm pretty darn sure that picture for the first post is on this ride so it seems a logical choice. Of course you must have single ridered this one since it on the same tier as TSM
3. Tower of Terror - You'd already be in that area if you did RnR so it only makes sense that you had another FP+ for this one.

 

[ForeverDance]

We head down mid April for a quick trip. Getting excited. Me, my best friend and our five assorted kids--5, 5, 7, 11, 13.

Wow you are very brave! That adult to kid ratio is very scary