mrsapalm
<font color=FF0099>WDWWDS COO & Senior Exec. VP<fo
- Joined
- May 10, 2002
Once again, we were up and at 'em early! We were at MK for rope drop and headed immediately to Tommorowland. We climbed aboard Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and I, having remembered a few tips from the DIS, beat DH senseless by a score of 429,500 to 28,100. He was miffed, as he is the Video Game Player Of The Family. So, we rode again, this time in different cars, where he beat me by a close score of 45,300 to 44,400. This satisfied him for the moment, so we moved on to Space Mountain. That's a fun, exciting ride, but after riding RnR so many times, it's a bit of a snoozer. I'll always love it, and will always insist on riding it, so SM lovers don't fear!
Next, it was off to Fantasyland and Snow White's Adventures. It's an old favorite due to our trips to DL, where we rode it's version of the ride many, many times. We were also able to take in Pooh and Peter Pan with no waits at all.
We made our way to Adventureland and the Jungle Cruise... our captain was less than entertaining, and didn't speak very loudly so it was very hard to hear him. Isn't that most of the fun... in hearing the sarcastic spiel? I felt like we missed out.
We then trekked back over to Frontierland and BTMRR. The Wildest Ride In The Wilderness is another old favorite of mine! Then, it was finally time for me to conquer my Splash Mt. fears and fulfill my promise to DH that I would ride it. I donned my trusty poncho and reluctantly queued up. I'm sure my facial expression throughout the entire wait (@5 minutes - not long enough at the time
) was funny - probably one of extreme trepidation and fear. We were quickly loaded into a log (back seat) and I held tightly to the bar with my left hand, and hooked my right arm into DH's and proceeded to cut the circulation off to his left arm. DH persuaded me to keep my eyes open, take in the scenery, and put up with me asking as we rounded EVERY corner, "Is this gonna be a drop? How big?" He was good and warned me before every drop, and I dutifully shut my eyes and held my breath for each one. When it was time for the Big Drop, I held my breath, shut my eyes, and buried my head deep in his shoulder. I did manage a scream, but didn't come up for air until the drop was over. DH asked if that was fun, and I had to admit, shakily, that it was fun. So I survived... and I felt like a real woman. I could now hold my head up high again.
We wandered back through Adventureland, walked on to Al's Carpets, and shopped for a while. We decided to eat lunch at Tony's... a decision that I quickly grew to regret. First, the food (remember that I'm Italian and know what real Italian food tastes like) was only so-so. Nothing authentic, nothing outstanding, nothing spectacular. It was run-of-the-mill, generic Italo-American food. I had the bruschetta, which normally is served as such: round pieces of bread topped with a slice of real mozzerella, tomato, and herbs - all assembled and toasted to perfection. Mine came in the form of a bunch of tomatoes, a few chunks of mozzerella, and 2 small rounds of bread - unassembled. I was less than impressed - in fact - I was very disappointed. DH had the salad - good choice! We both had the Chicken Parmegiana - very salty! The sauce was a generic tomato, and it's hard to mess up pasta, so that turned out okay. We both had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was only passable. Good, but not as good as it could be. Anyway, we made the mistake of going to an MK character lunch (I tried to warn DH about that before we made the PS that morning), so we were inundated with the cacaphony of screaming kids/babies. The sound was deafening - we were not amused. But, I kind of knew what to expect, but DH did not. So, that was our Tony's dining experience.
From there, we decided to try XS Tech Alien Encounter (again). Nope, I don't think DH likes it very much, and I'm not into that kind of theatrical thrill experience.
We took the scenic route through Fantasyland to the Liberty Belle, from which we enjoyed a breezeless and scenic cruise. I counted three small dead fish and two turtles among the wildlife - I guess actual things do live in that river! I also noticed that bubbling clumps of mud rose to the surface of the water, and we passed a CM explaining that to a guest who had asked about it, but I didn't stick around to eavesdrop in on the answer- but it's nothing unusual or dangerous.
Taking the Adventureland route back to Main Street, I was Finally Able To Procure A Dole Whip. You'd better believe I relished every bite as I devoured it with enthusiastic delight. Mmmmmm. Heaven. We staked out a nice slab of curb right at the Frontierland starting point of the Share A Dream Come True Parade. I filmed it, and I've gotta admit, I was expecting something a little "more." It may be that, since we were at the starting place (literally standing at the gate where it starts), it wasn't as spread out and the characters were beginning their choreography, so I take that with a grain of salt. It was still very enjoyable - I love a parade!
From there, it was time for MGM (again). We took the bus to the Swolphin, and from there water-taxiied it to MGM. The captain pointed out that, as the Breathless passed us, Drew Carey was aboard that luxury boat. She said he goes there quite often, but then again, if I had my name plastered all over an attraction, I would be there a lot too!
We immediately headed over to RnR (see a pattern yet?) upon our arrival and rode it twice in a row. I then made a point to go play with the Singin' in the Rain Umbrella, as the "rain" felt wonderful on such a hot and steamy day. From there... the day suddently gets very interesting....
Because we went into WWTBAM for yet another try at the Hot Seat. We did the Fastest Finger round, and this guy from Italy got in the Hot Seat. He could barely speak English, and somehow, through a lot of guessing, he kept getting answers correct. At the first plateau, the top ten audience scores were show, and neither mine nor DH's were ranked, much to my disappointment. This Italian went out before the next plateau was reached, but when he went out they went to the scores to find the next Hot Seater. My Seat Was Ranked Number One!!!! (Lucky Seat # 60) I was surprised - like I had just won the Miss America crown. I made my way down to The Seat, shook hands, did the greet, and then we got started. Our host (an Asian-American looking young woman - verrrryy pretty) did the "hellos" and asked who was cheering me on in the audience, and I answered back with, "My husband Cory," at which point the camera panned to him, beaming and waving. He radiated joy! Then we began.
I didn't feel nervous, as I was used to being "on stage" from all of my years in the theatre. I just told myself right before the questions began that it was just like the billions of times I've played Trivial Pursuit. And you know what? It was, to me. I answered every question calmly, and surprisingly quickly. I stayed confident, and smiled the whole time. I made it all the way to 4 questions away from The Big Trip, but I got that question wrong. Happy with my first Trip To The Hot Seat, I gracefully exited the stage and collected my prizes. I got the 10 pins (counted to the last plateau I had reached), the polo, the hat, and the pin lanyard. I practically floated out to the lobby to meet DH, who was still beaming. He was very proud of me, and told me that he had been very nervous for me. I was happy that I could make him proud, and that I had actually conquered the Hot Seat. Oh yeah, you bet I'll be back for more just as soon as I can!!
From there, we decided to head to Epcot, where we actually got FPs for Test Track (it was around 4:30 or 5:00), then sent more e-mail postcards (me proudly showing off my new polo). We went back for our TT ride, and the wait was long for even the FP line. Finally, our testing complete, we headed to Akershus for dinner. Our server, Selma, was so nice and helpful - she explained a little about the cuisine and the buffet - more for DH's benefit as he wasn't sure what to expect. The food was soooo yummy! I had (don't laugh at what a pig I was) the flat bread, the caramelized goat cheese (to die for), Jarlsburg cheese, Gravlaks, shrimp salad, potato salad, a green salad, Venison stew, baked salmon, tomato soup, and roasted lamb. For dessert, I had the Troll Cookie (so much fun to play with!!) and I also had a Kristiansand to drink. Yum! DH had the smoked salmon, same cheeses, Venison stew, and things I can't remember (he'll tell me when he reads this) and a couple of glasses of His New Favorite Beer, Ringnes. He had the Lemon Cheesecake for dessert. I can't wait to go back to that restaurant! I loved it, DH really liked it, and you can bet that we waddled out of there after we were finished.
We wandered over to Italy, where I got a glass of Asti, then we found a spot to watch Illuminations in Germany. Cory videoed this one, as I sat down. I had started to feel kind of dizzy and overheated (I cannot mix alcohol and heat). I still enjoyed the show from the ground level, but DH had wanted to enjoy it with me. After the show, we wandered slowly to MouseGears, where we shopped for souvenirs for our friends and family. After dropping a chunk of change there, we finally headed out to our bus stop.
Begrudgingly, we were whisked back to our last night in CBR. Does it have to end so, so soon? That night, I had a dream that we were on some sort of boat ride that had stopped (broken down) and it was dark and quiet. I asked DH what we should do, which of course woke him up, wherein the confusion began. I was sitting up and my eyes were open, but I was still thinking we were on a ride, so I was confused by DH's confusion. Finally, I woke up enough to realize that I had been dreaming, and we got back to sleep. Strange, huh?
-MrsAPalm
See our photos http://photos.yahoo.com/mrsapalm
Next, it was off to Fantasyland and Snow White's Adventures. It's an old favorite due to our trips to DL, where we rode it's version of the ride many, many times. We were also able to take in Pooh and Peter Pan with no waits at all.
We made our way to Adventureland and the Jungle Cruise... our captain was less than entertaining, and didn't speak very loudly so it was very hard to hear him. Isn't that most of the fun... in hearing the sarcastic spiel? I felt like we missed out.
We then trekked back over to Frontierland and BTMRR. The Wildest Ride In The Wilderness is another old favorite of mine! Then, it was finally time for me to conquer my Splash Mt. fears and fulfill my promise to DH that I would ride it. I donned my trusty poncho and reluctantly queued up. I'm sure my facial expression throughout the entire wait (@5 minutes - not long enough at the time
) was funny - probably one of extreme trepidation and fear. We were quickly loaded into a log (back seat) and I held tightly to the bar with my left hand, and hooked my right arm into DH's and proceeded to cut the circulation off to his left arm. DH persuaded me to keep my eyes open, take in the scenery, and put up with me asking as we rounded EVERY corner, "Is this gonna be a drop? How big?" He was good and warned me before every drop, and I dutifully shut my eyes and held my breath for each one. When it was time for the Big Drop, I held my breath, shut my eyes, and buried my head deep in his shoulder. I did manage a scream, but didn't come up for air until the drop was over. DH asked if that was fun, and I had to admit, shakily, that it was fun. So I survived... and I felt like a real woman. I could now hold my head up high again.We wandered back through Adventureland, walked on to Al's Carpets, and shopped for a while. We decided to eat lunch at Tony's... a decision that I quickly grew to regret. First, the food (remember that I'm Italian and know what real Italian food tastes like) was only so-so. Nothing authentic, nothing outstanding, nothing spectacular. It was run-of-the-mill, generic Italo-American food. I had the bruschetta, which normally is served as such: round pieces of bread topped with a slice of real mozzerella, tomato, and herbs - all assembled and toasted to perfection. Mine came in the form of a bunch of tomatoes, a few chunks of mozzerella, and 2 small rounds of bread - unassembled. I was less than impressed - in fact - I was very disappointed. DH had the salad - good choice! We both had the Chicken Parmegiana - very salty! The sauce was a generic tomato, and it's hard to mess up pasta, so that turned out okay. We both had the tiramisu for dessert, and it was only passable. Good, but not as good as it could be. Anyway, we made the mistake of going to an MK character lunch (I tried to warn DH about that before we made the PS that morning), so we were inundated with the cacaphony of screaming kids/babies. The sound was deafening - we were not amused. But, I kind of knew what to expect, but DH did not. So, that was our Tony's dining experience.
From there, we decided to try XS Tech Alien Encounter (again). Nope, I don't think DH likes it very much, and I'm not into that kind of theatrical thrill experience.
We took the scenic route through Fantasyland to the Liberty Belle, from which we enjoyed a breezeless and scenic cruise. I counted three small dead fish and two turtles among the wildlife - I guess actual things do live in that river! I also noticed that bubbling clumps of mud rose to the surface of the water, and we passed a CM explaining that to a guest who had asked about it, but I didn't stick around to eavesdrop in on the answer- but it's nothing unusual or dangerous.
Taking the Adventureland route back to Main Street, I was Finally Able To Procure A Dole Whip. You'd better believe I relished every bite as I devoured it with enthusiastic delight. Mmmmmm. Heaven. We staked out a nice slab of curb right at the Frontierland starting point of the Share A Dream Come True Parade. I filmed it, and I've gotta admit, I was expecting something a little "more." It may be that, since we were at the starting place (literally standing at the gate where it starts), it wasn't as spread out and the characters were beginning their choreography, so I take that with a grain of salt. It was still very enjoyable - I love a parade!
From there, it was time for MGM (again). We took the bus to the Swolphin, and from there water-taxiied it to MGM. The captain pointed out that, as the Breathless passed us, Drew Carey was aboard that luxury boat. She said he goes there quite often, but then again, if I had my name plastered all over an attraction, I would be there a lot too!
We immediately headed over to RnR (see a pattern yet?) upon our arrival and rode it twice in a row. I then made a point to go play with the Singin' in the Rain Umbrella, as the "rain" felt wonderful on such a hot and steamy day. From there... the day suddently gets very interesting....
Because we went into WWTBAM for yet another try at the Hot Seat. We did the Fastest Finger round, and this guy from Italy got in the Hot Seat. He could barely speak English, and somehow, through a lot of guessing, he kept getting answers correct. At the first plateau, the top ten audience scores were show, and neither mine nor DH's were ranked, much to my disappointment. This Italian went out before the next plateau was reached, but when he went out they went to the scores to find the next Hot Seater. My Seat Was Ranked Number One!!!! (Lucky Seat # 60) I was surprised - like I had just won the Miss America crown. I made my way down to The Seat, shook hands, did the greet, and then we got started. Our host (an Asian-American looking young woman - verrrryy pretty) did the "hellos" and asked who was cheering me on in the audience, and I answered back with, "My husband Cory," at which point the camera panned to him, beaming and waving. He radiated joy! Then we began.
I didn't feel nervous, as I was used to being "on stage" from all of my years in the theatre. I just told myself right before the questions began that it was just like the billions of times I've played Trivial Pursuit. And you know what? It was, to me. I answered every question calmly, and surprisingly quickly. I stayed confident, and smiled the whole time. I made it all the way to 4 questions away from The Big Trip, but I got that question wrong. Happy with my first Trip To The Hot Seat, I gracefully exited the stage and collected my prizes. I got the 10 pins (counted to the last plateau I had reached), the polo, the hat, and the pin lanyard. I practically floated out to the lobby to meet DH, who was still beaming. He was very proud of me, and told me that he had been very nervous for me. I was happy that I could make him proud, and that I had actually conquered the Hot Seat. Oh yeah, you bet I'll be back for more just as soon as I can!!
From there, we decided to head to Epcot, where we actually got FPs for Test Track (it was around 4:30 or 5:00), then sent more e-mail postcards (me proudly showing off my new polo). We went back for our TT ride, and the wait was long for even the FP line. Finally, our testing complete, we headed to Akershus for dinner. Our server, Selma, was so nice and helpful - she explained a little about the cuisine and the buffet - more for DH's benefit as he wasn't sure what to expect. The food was soooo yummy! I had (don't laugh at what a pig I was) the flat bread, the caramelized goat cheese (to die for), Jarlsburg cheese, Gravlaks, shrimp salad, potato salad, a green salad, Venison stew, baked salmon, tomato soup, and roasted lamb. For dessert, I had the Troll Cookie (so much fun to play with!!) and I also had a Kristiansand to drink. Yum! DH had the smoked salmon, same cheeses, Venison stew, and things I can't remember (he'll tell me when he reads this) and a couple of glasses of His New Favorite Beer, Ringnes. He had the Lemon Cheesecake for dessert. I can't wait to go back to that restaurant! I loved it, DH really liked it, and you can bet that we waddled out of there after we were finished.
We wandered over to Italy, where I got a glass of Asti, then we found a spot to watch Illuminations in Germany. Cory videoed this one, as I sat down. I had started to feel kind of dizzy and overheated (I cannot mix alcohol and heat). I still enjoyed the show from the ground level, but DH had wanted to enjoy it with me. After the show, we wandered slowly to MouseGears, where we shopped for souvenirs for our friends and family. After dropping a chunk of change there, we finally headed out to our bus stop.
Begrudgingly, we were whisked back to our last night in CBR. Does it have to end so, so soon? That night, I had a dream that we were on some sort of boat ride that had stopped (broken down) and it was dark and quiet. I asked DH what we should do, which of course woke him up, wherein the confusion began. I was sitting up and my eyes were open, but I was still thinking we were on a ride, so I was confused by DH's confusion. Finally, I woke up enough to realize that I had been dreaming, and we got back to sleep. Strange, huh?
-MrsAPalm
See our photos http://photos.yahoo.com/mrsapalm
