Flat Brody takes a Pick-A-Number DISUnplugged Podcast Trip!! Update 7/15-Day 5 Finale

[Tonya2426]

Jealous, jealous! Five trips in one year! I like postcards, too. DD always sends them to grandparents whenever we're on a trip. We buy them the first day in hopes that they will beat us home.

Your dad sounds like quite a collector! What pins did you finally decide on for him?

Last year was a very Disney year for me - and if true be told 2007 actually included a Disney Cruise on top of the 5 trips. That many trips in one year is unlikely to happen again - but I wish it would since it was fun.

Dad's collecting can get a bit out of control. Currently he has started stamp collecting again. And thanks to ebay we may have to do an intervention - it is getting a little bit our of control. He says he is just starting to gear up for his retirement - I think my Mom may have to leave him if he actually retires though.
If my memory serves me correctly, we ended up getting Dad a grumpy mood stone pin, 3 of the Mickey gazette reporter pins, an eticket pin, and about 5 more that I can't remember right now. Not all of them are Limited Edition - we broke the rules. I know Mom and I each got the AK 10th anniversary AP pin and Flower and Garden pins.

It is all foggy in my brain right now but i am going to visit this weekend for my niece's birthday so I will try to get a picture of Dad's collecting problems.

But now that I think of it I will have to go back to visit the following weekend also for Father's Day. (Let's hope the price of gas goes down soon!!! Or the only gift Dad may get is being around me. )

 

[jordanyosh]

Bow Wow...I'm in.

 

[Tonya2426]

Bow Wow...I'm in.

Thanks for joining in Jordan!!

But I must confess I am a bit nervous that my TR Inspiration is following the exploits of Flat Brody. The pressure to be exceedingly entertaining has just increased!!!!

 

[jordanyosh]

WoD...not my favorite store. I like MouseGear better....

 

[Tonya2426]

WoD...not my favorite store. I like MouseGear better....

Mouse Gear is a great place to shop also. You can usually find good Jibbitz there. And during the holidays Mouse Gear has lots of seasonal stuff to spend money on.

But then again WoD has the 15% discount.

Can you tell I don't have any problems shopping my way around WDW? (Probably because I have already done it a few times.)

 

[jordanyosh]

Mousegear is a great place to shop also. You can usually find good Jibbitz there. And during the holidays Mousegears has lots of seasonal stuff to spend money on.

But then again WoD has the 15% discount.

Can you tell I don't have any problems shopping my way around WDW? (Probably because I have already done it a few times.)

I don't either.....I have my favorite stores at each park......

 

[Tonya2426]

Day 1, Part 7 - Follow the Rules or Be a Rebel?


After a successful drive back to ASSp - and by successful I mean I didn’t miss any vague directional signs - we parked the car in the small parking lot that is not really close to our building. And we even had to park in the back of the parking lot. What can I say, the ASSp parking gods had no love for me.


Back in the clean and cheerful and thankfully quiet room we settled down to decide which park to go to tomorrow. This is a big decision that could make or break the entire first day of our trip - so I decided to break out the bottle of Rosa Regale I brought for just an occasion like this. (Like I said - I like to be prepared.)


Our last Mom and Me Trip was during Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival where Mom and I discovered the joys of a nice glass of Rosa Regale while we waited for a wine tasting. (By the way, it goes great with Mickey pretzels.) It is now "our" drink. But oddly enough my sister discovered the joys of Rosa Regale on her own. So maybe if we ever have a Mom and Me and Sis Trip we will make it "all of our" drink.


Drinks in hand, Mom and I reviewed my parks chart of times and recommendations. My research showed that it was best to go to Epcot or Hollywood Studios on the 24th and avoid MK. But the MK had Extra Magic Hours in the morning and I told Mom that I wanted to make it to a few rope drops this trip and what better time to go than when it is EMH.


Decisions, decisions!!!


We had plans for our Epcot tour on Friday morning and that was all we had planned for this trip. But the MK was closing at 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights for Grad Nights. But the Powers That Be say avoid a park with EMH. It was a hard call but we chose MK.

Call us rebels if you must. I think we just needed a little Fantasyland at dawn.


My Mom was a little doubtful of my abilities to be ready for an EMH rope drop because I am NOT a morning person. I have chronic insomnia and since I have become self-employed my sleep patterns are not that of a normal person. But I assured her that I had been training for this and not to worry because come hell or high water I would be ready at 7:30 a.m.


But just to be ready, I took my shower before I went to bed.


The odd thing is that I kept filling up our glasses with Rosa Regale and neither of us were feeling anything. I don’t drink that often but can usually hold my alcohol. However, I definitely should have felt it if I had had as much Rosa Regale as I had had. And Mom!!! She is a total light weight when it comes to drinking - at this point she should have been drunker than a skunk and about ready to pass out. But nothing!! We drank the entire bottle in a relatively short period of time and felt nothing at all. I even checked the alcohol content on the bottle’s label to make sure it had alcohol - it did. Oh well, I guess we got weird bottle.


If truth be told, I was kind of hoping the wine would make me sleepy. This isn’t something I ever do but I NEVER sleep the first night in a hotel room and I was already sleep deprived. Not sure what it is but I just can’t relax enough to snooze in hotel beds. I suppose I should add this to the list of things to talk over with my Sleep Specialist at my next appointment.


Anyways, before I can get in a hotel bed I have to remake the bed. My Mom thinks I am nuts but if a hotel doesn’t have fitted bottom sheets then the bed is essentially short sheeted. If you have never noticed before, check it out the next time you are at a hotel. It happens at cheap motels to really expensive hotels. The sheets just don’t reach the bottom of the mattress. Since I sleep in the lower 2/3rds of a bed this is a problem. If I don’t remake the bed then my feet will touch the mattress and mattress pad and that is just GROSS!!!!


So, I remake the bed to my specifications and it is time to get in to bed for the endless hours of the insomnia hell I live in.

Of course, Mom is already asleep. (Actually she always makes me laugh when she sleeps - she barely moves at all. And in order to roll over she basically sits up and then dramatically turns her body but never wakes up. Ohhhh and she does this little moan noise thing - like she is a distant fog horn with a cold. It makes me laugh out loud. It is surprising she has never woken up since I laugh so much. Come to think of it, I don’t think she knows I laugh at her so much. Oh well, maybe she will miss this part of the TR.)


But Flat Brody decides to make sure the bed is comfy first.

Can you tell I like a ton of pillows?


So I have issues with beds. Don’t judge me.


Next installment: Finally, Day 2!!!!!

 

[whogirl'smom]

That was weird about the wine. Rosa Regale was one I had intended on trying our last trip, but I think I got distracted by a slushie in France! And a margarita. It was really hot in October.

We did MK on a Little Ones EMH morning and loved it. It was only Fantasyland open, which probably kept the crowds down. What's the point of staying onsite if you can't enjoy some extra time, right? I'm looking forward to seeing if it worked out for you, too. We do better with early mornings than late nights; it still amazes me that we made it through MNSSHP till the park closed!

 

[mouseaddicts]

GM I dropped back by to catch up on Flat Brody & Mom (and Tonya, of course!). I am all caught up now! Sounds like we're off to a great start. Can't wait to ride along ....... and still thinking about my own TR .......

Day 1, Part 4 - Well, This Is Building 10 Room 218, Right?


So I quickly glanced in the window and what did I see??? A woman brushing her hair at the bathroom sink. Whoa!!! I back away quickly hoping the woman didn’t see me. Luckily she didn’t. And grateful she wasn’t naked. I would have hated to have been arrested for being a Peeping Tom on the first day of my trip. For some reason I just don’t want my first felony to be at WDW.

OMG --- whew, that was a side-splitter!!!


Oh yeah ......... btw, my hair turned out great! (thx for asking)

 

[Tonya2426]

That was weird about the wine. Rosa Regale was one I had intended on trying our last trip, but I think I got distracted by a slushie in France! And a margarita. It was really hot in October.

We did MK on a Little Ones EMH morning and loved it. It was only Fantasyland open, which probably kept the crowds down. What's the point of staying onsite if you can't enjoy some extra time, right? I'm looking forward to seeing if it worked out for you, too. We do better with early mornings than late nights; it still amazes me that we made it through MNSSHP till the park closed!

Wouldn't you know that I didn't even get a Margarita or a French Slushie this trip!!!!! But more on that later.

Early mornings are better than late nights - although it just about kills me to have to get up so early. The few times we have tried the evening EMH it was a waste of time - the waits were longer than during the daytime. But shopping during evening EMH is pretty good.

 

[Tonya2426]

GM I dropped back by to catch up on Flat Brody & Mom (and Tonya, of course!). I am all caught up now! Sounds like we're off to a great start. Can't wait to ride along ....... and still thinking about my own TR .......






OMG --- whew, that was a side-splitter!!!


Oh yeah ......... btw, my hair turned out great! (thx for asking)

I'm still waiting on your TR. Now that your hair worries are over - get to writing!!!! Or I may have to release my inner Princesszilla!!!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Ok, I just realized I totally missed Part 4 and the peeping tom incident, so I went back to read it. Just one more reason to keep those sheers shut! (not that I EVER stand naked in front of a mirror (shudder)....)

 

[Tonya2426]

Ok, I just realized I totally missed Part 4 and the peeping tom incident, so I went back to read it. Just one more reason to keep those sheers shut! (not that I EVER stand naked in front of a mirror (shudder)....)

It's very important to close the drapes - you never know when "she who can’t be named because her hair was covering her name tag" is working the front desk and handing out incorrect room numbers.

And it could be cause nightmares for children if the 40 and over crowd suddenly starts naked hair brushing in bathroom mirrors as a hobby. Just the idea makes my thighs jiggle.

(Have you ever looked in the mirror at your backside and said "*%&^#@#$^$## when did that happen!?!?!?" It is enough to never look in the mirror again.)

 

[jordanyosh]

I have issues sleeping the first night at a new place......you're not alone.

 

[whogirl'smom]

It



(Have you ever looked in the mirror at your backside and said "*%&^#@#$^$## when did that happen!?!?!?" It is enough to never look in the mirror again.)

&%$# no!!! It's bad enough to see what's happened to the front of me!

(We're going to run poor Jordan off with the talk of jiggly thighs and fallen-and-can't-get-up backsides.) Be brave, Jordan!

 

[Tonya2426]

&%$# no!!! It's bad enough to see what's happened to the front of me!

(We're going to run poor Jordan off with the talk of jiggly thighs and fallen-and-can't-get-up backsides.) Be brave, Jordan!

Then I guess we shouldn't mention other body parts that sag.

Wouldn't want to run off my TR Inspirator. (not sure how that smilie fits in but I think it is funny.)

 

[Tonya2426]

Day 2, Part 1 - Look Out Rope, Here We Come!!!

Is it 6:15 already??? And what is that obnoxious mumbling noise?!?!?

Yes my friends, we had scheduled a wake up call with Stitch and Mickey. And as all good DISers know, the person sleeping closest to the phone is responsible for pushing the speaker button when the call comes. I have Mom well trained.

Although you know the wake up call is coming and what to expect ..... it is still just a garbled bunch of noise no matter how much I hear it. What exactly does Stitch say anyway?

Since I had taken my shower before I went to sleep, I had a few extra minutes. So, I got up and fixed my morning diet coke. Mom is more traditional and prefers coffee in the morning but she decided to forgo bringing her coffee maker since we were moving to the Swan soon and she thought she could survive 2 mornings without her coffee. Me on the other hand had to have my diet coke and thankfully it is easier to pack a few cans than coffee.

While Mom was in the shower I got breakfast ready. Neither of us are eat breakfast out kinda people, so we brought yogurt, granola and fruit with us to make yogurt parfaits. It is a hearty no cook breakfast and just enough to keep up your strength until lunch time. And it is pretty healthy to boot so you don’t feel so bad eating a Mickey Bar later in the day.

Although I didn’t get much sleep - thanks for letting me down Rosa Regale - I still had a little bit of adrenaline left over to propel me forward. So I got to it getting ready with the whole teeth brushing, face washing, putting on makeup and deodorant and sunblock, and doing your hair thing. Luckily, I don’t really care what I look like too much at Disney World since I usually have on sunglasses and hats most of the time so this didn’t take all that long.

And wouldn’t you know that I was ready and we were walking out of the door at 7:30 a.m. Woooohooooo!!!!! I think Mom was a little surprised.

Mom and I are usually not bus people but I knew that if we were going to make it to the rope drop we were going to need to eliminate the whole parking-tram-monorail thing and get dropped off right next to the gates of the MK. So we avoided the walk by the pool bar and through the lobby and instead took a little short cut from the Touchdown building through the tiny parking lot and around some bushes directly to the waiting bus. A bunch of Mousekeepers on a golf cart even waved to us and told us to have a good day.

The bus gods were with us because the MK bus was just finishing loading as we approached and the bus driver saw us fast walking towards him. We were the last people loaded on the bus and there were even seats available.

Flat Brody truly enjoyed his first bus ride.

As we approached the MK, I did the "we’re almost there!!!" seat dance of joy. I love all of the WDW Parks but the MK reminds me of my childhood the most since it was the only park around until I was in high school.

Let me just take this time to give all of you stroller toting families out there an admonition - when you get off the bus, move away from the bus door before you start the put the stroller back together process. I won’t go into details since I think you can guess what happened. But this may just be one of my new pet peeves.

It is time to start the trek to our first day of fun. It isn’t all that far from the bus drop off area to the security line but it does seem to take longer than it should. What can I say, I am impatient and when I want to be some place I want to be there NOW!!

When we made it to the entrance area it was 7:54 a.m. and the lines for the bag checks were about 30 people deep. The rope drop show was going on and people were walking in the right direction but there attention was diverted up towards the train station watching the singing and dancing. I think this caused people to slow things down a little bit.

But what to do?!?! I still needed to go to Guest Relations to turn in my AP Voucher to get my AP and the line just wasn't moving fast enough for me.

It wasn’t like we were in a great big hurry but my inner Disney commando started to go crazy and in my head I was strategically planning on how to get through security, get my AP, and get through the turnstiles in the quickest amount of time.

It was like an internal struggle about whether I should give in to my commando demons or not. Back and forth I went about whether to go with the feeling or stay calm and rational. My brain was working overtime - which is saying a lot since it still wasn’t 8 o’clock in the morning yet.

I just have to say it is a good thing I am not schizophrenic or we would have been in serious trouble.

I took a deep breath and turned to Mom and handed her my bag saying "I’m going to go ahead through the no bag entrance and go to Guest Relations so I can get my AP. You take both bags and go through the bag check and we’ll meet in the middle." And I was off. I do think she muttered "okay" as I walked off.

It was hard to control my inner Disney Commando but I think I handle it quite well given my adrenaline levels.

And as luck would have it there was an open window at Guest Relations. I got my AP with no problems and as I walked back to the middle Mom was just walking up trying to figure out where exactly the middle was.

Whew!!! I can put my inner Disney Commando back into the ugly depths of my brain from whence it came. (I don’t think it comes out again on this trip. But we’ll have to see as I work my way through my notes and memories to make sure.)

Mom and I both made it through the turnstiles without incident. They did have the finger scanners on and I thought I had heard from several different sources that they weren’t using them at the MK anymore. That rumor had either not occurred yet or was totally false. You know that Disney rumor mill - very unreliable.

We didn’t see a lot of the rope drop festivities but we felt like we achieved our goal. And we were both excited to get to Fantasyland. But not so excited that we missed Flat Brody’s first MK moment.

Flat Brody sees the MK for the first time.

Next installment: Mom needs coffee STAT!!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Yay for getting up on time! But gotta have that coffee to even get out of the room. I have been known to mix GFIC coffee with hot tap water just to get going on vacation! I think I would have to skip my yogurt on this day to have some French Toast loaf at the Main St. Bakery. MMMM good!

 

[Tonya2426]

Yay for getting up on time! But gotta have that coffee to even get out of the room. I have been known to mix GFIC coffee with hot tap water just to get going on vacation! I think I would have to skip my yogurt on this day to have some French Toast loaf at the Main St. Bakery. MMMM good!

LOL don't get ahead of me - just wait for the next post.

(Preview - Mom needs coffee and fast - so off to the Main St. Bakery we go. But alas no french toast loaf for us - Mom is on Weight Watchers trying to maintain her weight and unbeknownst to her I am trying to lose weight for the Podcast cruise next May. But it was hard to resist the delightful cinnamon smell as we stood in line - get behind me Satan for I am strong. )

 

[mouseaddicts]

Wow ....... we're on page 3 now!!! Just keep writing ........

I'm still waiting on your TR. Now that your hair worries are over - get to writing!!!! Or I may have to release my inner Princesszilla!!!

Ummmmm......... well, I think I'm quite afraid of Princesszilla......... I'm honestly trying to decide what to do about a TR. We will go to WDW a grand total of 5 times this year (2008) plus, we were at Hilton Head for Spring Break. I'm wondering if I should just have a year-long saga. I'm thinking "2008: The Year of a Million Trips"
(sigh) I dunno ........

Ok, I just realized I totally missed Part 4 and the peeping tom incident, so I went back to read it. Just one more reason to keep those sheers shut! (not that I EVER stand naked in front of a mirror (shudder)....)

Yeah - we have a FULL LENGTH mirror in our bathroom. Wouldn't you know that darn thing is head on when you step out of the shower!!! It is NOT a pretty sight in the mornings ........ talk about a reason to grab a robe - QUICK!!!

--------

Breakfast at the Main St. Bakery is a must-do for our little family. We're not big hot breakfast buffet kinda folks, so a quick muffin/croisant/cinnamon bun & we're good to go!