"I Think I Broke Myself" - a "mom and me" Oct 2011 TR - "my last day"

[ZehnJahren]

Wow, I can't believe how far up you were at TSM! That's awesome! I've never done the rope drop dash to TSM, I always go the other way to RnR and get a fastpass for TSM later on, but your way does look awfully fast!

Yes, I was very surprised by the quick line; I can't imagine there was much of a wait after I got off the ride either, as the line was still all the way inside the building - but I didn't go to see the wait time afterwards. I have a feeling they never drop the wait time sign below 45 minutes just to be safe and so they get less complaints about the line.

I was surprised at all the people who headed to ToT and RnRC when we reached the turnoff; I thought for sure most of the people were going to TSMM!

It was interesting how the CMs reacted when people reached TSMM - obviously, they were thoroughly schooled on the morning mad dash and were 100% calm and collected as they led the masses through the line. It must be fun to be those CMs leading up the line in the morning, knowing that the ride will be well-loved and busy all day.

 

[Merida]

The time difference worries me a lot - especially since we're coming from two time zones back. We're driving in (with one time zone a day pretty much), so I'm hoping that helps? I'm not planning on doing the TSMM dash (too scary! It looks easier with just one person though?) so it's not super important we get up early but I don't want to miss two hours!

I love that robot! Is it vinylmation shaped? My new goal is to find it and follow it around

Yay for getting on Toy Story twice and getting a GAC!

 

[ZehnJahren]

The time difference worries me a lot - especially since we're coming from two time zones back. We're driving in (with one time zone a day pretty much), so I'm hoping that helps? I'm not planning on doing the TSMM dash (too scary! It looks easier with just one person though?) so it's not super important we get up early but I don't want to miss two hours!

I love that robot! Is it vinylmation shaped? My new goal is to find it and follow it around

Yay for getting on Toy Story twice and getting a GAC!

Driving in will absolutely help! You'll have so much more time to adjust to the time change. And then hopefully, you'll be 100% ready to go once you arrive.

I would definitely suggest rope drop at HS; it was so exciting! I couldn't stop grinning in the line for the turnstiles OR the crowd at rope drop. Yes, there were a lot of people, but I didn't see any pushing or intentional crowding; everyone was just standing and waiting. I get a bit claustrophobic sometimes but I didn't on this day; I was focused on making it to TSMM! And then to jump right on the ride, and have low waits on other rides early in the morning - well, it was worth getting up early for! Just remember to hold small children by the hand!

And I never even thought about it - but the robot DID have a vinylmation shape, in a way! It had four sides and multiple levels that spun constantly to make new "creatures" - I just saw the robot and princess sides clearly, but I THINK there was a cowboy side and a storm-trooper side. It was cracking me up!

 

[Merida]

Driving in will absolutely help! You'll have so much more time to adjust to the time change. And then hopefully, you'll be 100% ready to go once you arrive.

I would definitely suggest rope drop at HS; it was so exciting! I couldn't stop grinning in the line for the turnstiles OR the crowd at rope drop. Yes, there were a lot of people, but I didn't see any pushing or intentional crowding; everyone was just standing and waiting. I get a bit claustrophobic sometimes but I didn't on this day; I was focused on making it to TSMM! And then to jump right on the ride, and have low waits on other rides early in the morning - well, it was worth getting up early for! Just remember to hold small children by the hand!

And I never even thought about it - but the robot DID have a vinylmation shape, in a way! It had four sides and multiple levels that spun constantly to make new "creatures" - I just saw the robot and princess sides clearly, but I THINK there was a cowboy side and a storm-trooper side. It was cracking me up!

It sounds a little.. bracing for that early in the morning. Hm. Our MGM/DHS day is later in the trip so we'll have a slow build up to the mayhem. Or maybe we have a breakfast scheduled and food is always the top priority!

Oooh, I always loved those puzzles! Though I was usually putting them together the "correct" way and my siblings were usually messing them up. How cool would it be to have that job! Though I'm not sure what the job description would be.

 

[ZehnJahren]

So last I left off - I was heading to ToT when I pulled up short. After all, it was around 10 a.m. and THIS is what I saw!!!:

Whoa, seriously?? Good thing I JUST got this GAC card - maybe I could see what an "alternate entrance" was on this ride.

I went up to the greeter at the FP line; the one at the regular line was busy talking to a small group. I showed him the card and asked him where the alternate entrance was- "right here" he says, and motioned at the FP line. "Really?" I said, incredulous. "Yep, this is the place," he said, and took some FPs from a couple that walked in front of me.

"How long's the FP line?" I asked.

"5 minutes?" he said. He didn't seem too sure.

I had to walk away and consider this. Geez, 5 minutes? Other people were waiting 60!

Didn't take too long to figure it out; I'd give it a go. So he waved me through and I started down the long queue, waiting to see a backed-up line.

But what did I really see?

Oh yeah, big long line.

I got into the intro room and headed towards the door in the back; I was standing next to a mom with two girls, probably about 8 and 10 years old. One of the girls was nervous, and mom wasn't helping much; first she told the younger girl "don't worry; I'll cover your eyes - it's just a movie, they're trying to scare you!" The girl reached over for comfort, and then the mom said, "besides, this is the ride. Put your arms up; this baby's gonna plummet!" The girl looked like she was going to pee on herself.

I got through the line even faster once we got out of the pre-show, because they called for a party of 2 and when I said I was 1, they took me instead. I sat next to a guy and his daughter, and they eased my nerves; next thing I knew, we were freefallin'! We had a good sequence, too; I always start shaking about halfway through the sequences, I guess it's just nerves. I was laughing crazily the whole time.

I decided to head back to TSMM - and heard someone calling "excuse me, excuse me!" I ignored it, because who would be talking to me? Turns out it WAS someone talking to me - the mother and daughter I met on the bus the night before! The mother thanked me kindly for giving her information on the Fantasmic package and other information we talked about; they were heading to RnRC at the time. I wished them a great trip.

I saw this on my way to TSMM:

It was probably 10:30 - 11 a.m. and FPs were for 6 p.m.!

I didn't do as well my second time on TSMM:

Looks like I was wrong in my last installment - my accuracy stayed the same!

One more shot from the ride! How fun!

I sat and drank my water for a bit, just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. It wasn't cold in Chicago yet, but it would get very very cold very soon and I was trying to enjoy the sun and heat as much as possible. Who knows when I'll see the sun again.

After a short rest, I made a decision and went to the "big hat". I had thought about buying a lanyard and pins for my mom for fun, but I thought that she'd probably like to pick her lanyard. So I decided to get her a Pop Century pin that I'd give her when she arrived, and tell her about pin trading or pin collecting. It would be something fun, and I thought she'd really like it.

But there was another part of the trip she didn't know about - I had managed to get us a room at the Contemporary for two nights of our trip, and had somehow managed to keep it a surprise. I hadn't been able to get Wednesday for some reason, so we could only stay on Thursday and Friday; however, as far as she was concerned, we were staying at Pop the whole time. So for now, I also bought a Contemporary pin for her, and mentally began plans on how to give it to her when we arrived at the CR for our two-night stay. I purchased the pins and made my way out of the park, thinking about my plans for the surprise. After all, it was the one place we always wanted to stay - and we were GOING to! I was so excited to be able to do this for us both!

And now it was time to head back to Pop, because she'd be arriving soon!

 

[ZehnJahren]

It sounds a little.. bracing for that early in the morning. Hm. Our MGM/DHS day is later in the trip so we'll have a slow build up to the mayhem. Or maybe we have a breakfast scheduled and food is always the top priority!

Oooh, I always loved those puzzles! Though I was usually putting them together the "correct" way and my siblings were usually messing them up. How cool would it be to have that job! Though I'm not sure what the job description would be.

Ha, yeah, "bracing" is a good word! It was definitely something you have to see to believe; I'll do it again for sure.

The robot came out from behind the Animation Courtyard. I don't know what his name was, but you might be able to catch him in the mornings at HS - maybe check out the schedule? He was cracking me up!

 

[Disneychix]

I love TOT! We managed to get my DS on this trip and he's scared of everything! He didn't do too badly!

I can't wait til yoiur mom gets there

 

[ZehnJahren]

I love TOT! We managed to get my DS on this trip and he's scared of everything! He didn't do too badly!

I can't wait til your mom gets there

There was a family with a little girl sitting in the back row with me (we were separated by a seat); she was probably 6 or possibly 7. I don't think she had a very good ride; she was white as a ghost and her family was joking with her and laughing but she wouldn't even crack a smile!

I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it.

And I was so nervous about mom arriving - I really wanted to surprise her with our stay at the Contemporary, but I don't like to lie at all. At ALL. If someone asks me a direct question, I'll answer it plainly - which sometimes gets me in trouble, but I figure I'd rather tell the truth. If my mom had asked me directly if we were just going to be staying at Pop the whole trip, I'd have had to tell the truth. So, I'd have to be creative to keep from spilling the beans!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Waiting at HS for a bus didn't take long at all. The park seemed busy, but not too bad, and I was the only person in line until about 5 minutes before the bus arrived.

I headed back to Pop, and as soon as I got to the room, I tucked away the CR pin I'd bought for mom, along with the receipt.

My mom called me; she was looking for the ME bus and had gotten lost at the airport. I tried to give her directions, and they seemed to work because the next thing I knew I could hear her giving her bus voucher to the ME CMs. We chatted for just a moment, and then she said "oh, they're going to load me now!" and we got off the phone.

She texted me a few minutes later to say she wouldn't be the first stop like I was on my ME bus. This gave me time to make a call to my student loan office about an issue with my October payment (nothing like making a call like that on vacation, huh?).

Next thing I knew, she was downstairs! I had to practically run down to meet her (our room was SO FAR AWAY, did I mention that?), but I caught her in front of Everything Pop and we hugged and jumped up and down. We're at Disney!

Ok, I'll be back with more pictures in the next installment; this one was pretty lame.

 

[Merida]

Ha, yeah, "bracing" is a good word! It was definitely something you have to see to believe; I'll do it again for sure.

The robot came out from behind the Animation Courtyard. I don't know what his name was, but you might be able to catch him in the mornings at HS - maybe check out the schedule? He was cracking me up!

I'll make sure to keep an eye out!

Oh yeah, big long line.

I love wildly inaccurate wait times. I always feel absurdly clever, as through I've seen through their cunning ruse.

But there was another part of the trip she didn't know about - I had managed to get us a room at the Contemporary for two nights of our trip, and had somehow managed to keep it a surprise. I hadn't been able to get Wednesday for some reason, so we could only stay on Thursday and Friday; however, as far as she was concerned, we were staying at Pop the whole time. So for now, I also bought a Contemporary pin for her, and mentally began plans on how to give it to her when we arrived at the CR for our two-night stay. I purchased the pins and made my way out of the park, thinking about my plans for the surprise. After all, it was the one place we always wanted to stay - and we were GOING to! I was so excited to be able to do this for us both!

And now it was time to head back to Pop, because she'd be arriving soon!

I love the Contemporary so much! Good choice in resorts. Surprises are so much fun to plan on vacations.

I love the theming at DHS, even though chrome wouldn't have been my first choice of building materials in Florida. It's just so space age/atomic-y and always seems very friendly (maybe because there's no corners??).

 

[Missyrose]

Joining in! I love that you and your mom are taking a trip to Disney togerther again after all these years!

I can definitely understand your stomach issues. I have Crohn's Disease, so needless to say, I know where EVERY bathroom is in the World!

Can't wait to see how your hotel surprise turns out!

 

[ZehnJahren]

I love the Contemporary so much! Good choice in resorts. Surprises are so much fun to plan on vacations.

I love the theming at DHS, even though chrome wouldn't have been my first choice of building materials in Florida. It's just so space age/atomic-y and always seems very friendly (maybe because there's no corners??).

This surprise was tough, because I'm a talker and just wanted to call up mom after I booked and shout

"OMGMOMGUESSWHATWE'RESTAYINGATTHECONTEMPORARYOMGBAYLAKETOWERVIEWWOWZA!!!"

...but couldn't - so I tortured DBF by constantly talking about it for a week; I think he must have felt some ear relief once I finally left. And then, I really didn't want to lie at all, so I kept worrying Mom was going to ask me why I was acting so weird, and then I'd have to tell her what was going on. But now that I've stayed there, I'm wondering how I can stay anywhere else, ever. I'm still managing to look forward to staying at the BC or YC next fall, though; I loved walking to one park, so I'm eager to have walking access to TWO!

Joining in! I love that you and your mom are taking a trip to Disney together again after all these years!

I can definitely understand your stomach issues. I have Crohn's Disease, so needless to say, I know where EVERY bathroom is in the World!

Can't wait to see how your hotel surprise turns out!

Hi! Welcome! Thanks for joining in! I just went over to your PTR / TR too; love reading about trips and plans for trips! I definitely got well-acquainted with the locations of each and every bathroom; it was nerve-wracking riding the monorail though, as I was so afraid it would break down and I'd be SOL. Fortunately, that didn't happen. I'm so sorry to hear about your Crohn's - stomach issues are so tough. Do you ever use the GAC? It really saved my trip (of course, dont' feel like you have to answer that if you don't want to).

Stick around; I should be able to get to the "surprise reveal" before the weekend, I hope!

 

[ZehnJahren]

So everything had gone smoothly for Mom's trip down (besides her seatmates on the plane, but that's another story!), and we were heading back to the room to drop off her stuff. As we made the hike to the other side of the world (aka room 2436), I very nonchalantly (I hope!) told her that I wasn't happy with the location of the room since it was so far away (true), I had asked for a different room location when I booked (true), and that tomorrow we'd be moving to a closer room (true). She was still reeling from actually arriving, so she didn't say much about it - she trusted me to make the plans! I told her not to unpack too much; we'd unpack in the new room tomorrow.

I quickly changed the subject.

Now that we were at the room, it was time to head out from here:

And go to... MK??

I had plans to go to Epcot (and ADRs to match), but mom REALLY wanted to head to MK. Well, who was I to say no?? We were both hungry, and I'd read on Belle599's solo TR that Columbia Harbor House had yummy broccoli - so let's go there!

First, Mom wanted a pic to send to her boss at work:

I had sent her pics of our resort but didn't tell her where we were staying; it was a pic of the inside of one of these bowling pins that helped her boss (a Disfan as well!) figure out the resort.

So we headed down and got on the bus.

We were excited, and laughing like goofballs already. We sang a song or two on the bus, much to the chagrin of our very dour-looking busmates; that made us laugh.

I was so surprised to see that the bus was taking us right up to Magic Kingdom - I thought that it would take us to the TTC, so when I saw the CR out the window, I grabbed Ma and said "look, look!!" So without her knowing, we got this little preview:

I almost teared up right then as we had a quick discussion about how cool it would be to stay there and being able to walk to MK, or how cool it would be to stay at the GF, or ANY of the visible resorts from MK. I had to fight not to spill the beans; it was actually difficult to keep from telling her right then. I changed the subject as quickly as I could; but it was RIGHT on the tip of my tongue.

We headed in, but first paused to take this pic:

And this one:

We'd be heading to MNSSHP the next night, so seeing the sign was exciting.

Oh my gosh, we're really going in!

And we're in! Going in first, Mom had a bit of trouble with her ticket, but my AP worked perfectly and in no time we were standing right here:

As fate would have it, as we walked under the train station (left side) we heard music and saw a crowd in front of us. What was this? The parade! We had perfect timing!

Our vantage point wasn't too good, and we got shooed away from another place by a CM, so we headed over towards Tony's and got this prime spot by a very nice family:

I love this guy - even though he's bad (very very bad):

This was a cool float, but I didn't get the best picture:

Usually I'm not a big parade fan, but Mom was so excited it was contagious, and we started waving to the characters in the parade. I made mention to mom - "oh, here's a job you wouldn't dread going to in the mornings". She agreed.

Hi Ariel! (I played her once, in a play in Germany - although, it was the original, I was Marietta, and I died in the play. )

First things first: Mom needs a hat. This was a good opportunity to do a little shopping, and get 10% off because of my new AP to boot!

It was time to head to eat, so we made our way to the Columbia Harbor House by way of this walkway:

Once we got there, we decided to split some chicken nuggets and went up to the CM to order; mom was promptly serenaded by the bell ringer there, which was funny! She got two songs about how beautiful she was, and then our food was ready so he had to find a new muse.

We went upstairs to eat; it was nice and quiet up there. I took a moment to call Disney Dining and cancel our two (yes two) reservations that night for Epcot.

We sat near a window so that we could look out onto the park while we ate.

And then we decided to get out there and ride!

But there was something we hadn't figured on in this whole equation, and that missing link would become pretty clear pretty soon - as a matter of fact, it got very clear the moment we walked out of CHH back into the park.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Yay, your mom arrived! That was a really good idea that you came up with, saying that you were not happy with the location of the room and that you were going to be moving. Very nice indeed.

Love CHH. I also love eating upstairs. It's so much nicer than sitting downstairs.

 

[bellanotte10]

you were there the same time as me! I keep looking to see if i'll end up in any pictures.

I can't wait to see how your mom reacts! I have a dream that someone surprises me with a Monorail resort, so I want to see someone else get my dream too, especially if its theirs as well!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Yay, your mom arrived! That was a really good idea that you came up with, saying that you were not happy with the location of the room and that you were going to be moving. Very nice indeed.

Love CHH. I also love eating upstairs. It's so much nicer than sitting downstairs.

I know! I couldn't believe that I came up with a perfect NON-lie to tell my mom that really made sense - she just didn't know that when I said we were moving closer, I meant we were moving closer to MK.

I didn't know about upstairs at CHH until the Dis. This has been such a helpful forum for me - especially reading other's TRs and PTRs. I've gotten great ideas from others!

you were there the same time as me! I keep looking to see if i'll end up in any pictures.

I can't wait to see how your mom reacts! I have a dream that someone surprises me with a Monorail resort, so I want to see someone else get my dream too, especially if its theirs as well!

Hello! Welcome! Love your avatar.

Ha, keep looking! I'm going to post as many pics as I can so let me know if you see yourself (how cool would that be??), but we spent a LOT of time at MK - so if you weren't there much, you may not see yourself!

As for her reaction to my surprise - well, it's coming up. I'll tell you one thing, staying at CR was exactly what I always thought it would be. This was a short trip but it was so very wonderful.

 

[ZehnJahren]

When I last left you, I said there was something that we hadn't added into our equations, and it smacked us in the face as soon as we exited CHH.

So, what was that?

Well, it was the simple fact that today was NOT a "recommended" day for MK, and we were dealing with people who had been cooped up during the tropical storm only a few days earlier. You know what that means - crowds!

And not just crowds, my friends - really tight, surging crowds the likes of which I didn't know were possible in the MIDDLE OF OCTOBER!

I'd planned Epcot because it was supposed to be the same crowd level but it's a much bigger, more visual park (i.e. lots to look at if we can't get on rides). I didn't think about the fact Mom might want to go to MK first thing; and now we were swamped by people.

We walked around, trying to find something to ride - but even my GAC wouldn't save me now. We saw something I never imagined: the FP line for Peter Pan was almost as long as the regular line! I heard the CM say to someone standing there that it was "a fluke" that he'd never seen before. Everyone just "showed up at once".

We decided to just wander and see what we found. We saw this:

... and I thought "whoa, even STITCH has a long line - we're in trouble!"

But Ma was happy that MK had been her first park, even if we couldn't ride anything, so we discussed it and decided to monorail it over to Epcot.

First, we stopped for this picture from a Photopass photographer:

And I took just a moment while we walked to capture our first time leaving the park:

Aw, we'll be back!

We went out and managed to get right on a monorail, which was good because my stomach was starting to complain. Once we got to TTC, we walked over to the Epcot station but I couldn't get on the monorail. My stomach had gotten worse, so we were essentially trapped at TTC.

We finally decided to take a bus (part of my problem was thinking we'd get stranded on the monorail), but we couldn't find any busses going to Epcot! A guard finally told us we could walk over to the Poly and get an Epcot bus from there, so we started walking. But by the time we got to the Poly, we were starting to think we should have stayed at the TTC.

So we headed back to the TTC, then sat down AGAIN to discuss our options.

By this time we were both beat by our long days and decided to do the unthinkable - go back to Pop and get some rest instead of continuing on with our day! We were both so beat (her from an early morning at the airport and a long flight sitting with some crazy people, and me from a super-early busy morning after a late late night). We decided to make our way back to Pop in a cab, grab a meal at the food court, and head in for an early night. After all, tomorrow would be a very long day! Cab cost us $20, but the quick trip was worth it.

We made it back to Pop and both grabbed the "Mom's Night Out" special with roast turkey. It was SO GOOD; both the turkey and the mashed potatoes were delicious, and mom really liked the green beans too. The cornbread was filling, and we both topped it with some honey from the condiments set out in Everything Pop.

MMMMMM!

As mom cleaned up (and attempted not to unpack, ha!), I relaxed with a little Stacey.

You can see my Sicily Baggalini in this shot - it was a trooper this trip and I can't imagine travelling without it in the future. It carried everything I needed, and everything was easy to find!

Then I called DBF to chat for a little while until I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. It was time for an early sleep; we had a big day planned for Thursday! We'd be going to MK for rope drop (and EMH morning hours), we'd be attending our first MNSSHP, and we'd be undertaking a surprise move to the CR! All in all, it was going to be a busy, busy day!

 

[Missyrose]

Hi! Welcome! Thanks for joining in! I just went over to your PTR / TR too; love reading about trips and plans for trips! I definitely got well-acquainted with the locations of each and every bathroom; it was nerve-wracking riding the monorail though, as I was so afraid it would break down and I'd be SOL. Fortunately, that didn't happen. I'm so sorry to hear about your Crohn's - stomach issues are so tough. Do you ever use the GAC? It really saved my trip (of course, dont' feel like you have to answer that if you don't want to).

Stick around; I should be able to get to the "surprise reveal" before the weekend, I hope!

Thanks for checking out my TR! I just put up our entry on our trip to Orlando this morning.

I used a GAC one year when I was younger and going through a serious Crohn's flare while at Disney. Luckily, the Crohn's has been far more under control since I started going as an adult, but it hasn't always been completely smooth sailing.

I love the groundwork you laid with your mom regarding the room change, it's the perfect cover! I know you planned to go to Epcot, but there's something about going to MK first that really says "I'm at Disney!"

CHH has quickly become our go-to MK eating locale. Sitting upstairs is sooo peaceful!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Man, I would have been amazed at the size of the crowds in October too! Normally there is no one there. It definitely had to be the fact that it had been raining so badly and everyone had felt cooped up.

There is no shame in deciding to head back early. We've all done it at one time or another. Don't you love the Mom's meals from POP? They're so very yummy.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Thanks for checking out my TR! I just put up our entry on our trip to Orlando this morning.

I used a GAC one year when I was younger and going through a serious Crohn's flare while at Disney. Luckily, the Crohn's has been far more under control since I started going as an adult, but it hasn't always been completely smooth sailing.

I love the groundwork you laid with your mom regarding the room change, it's the perfect cover! I know you planned to go to Epcot, but there's something about going to MK first that really says "I'm at Disney!"

CHH has quickly become our go-to MK eating locale. Sitting upstairs is sooo peaceful!

Thanks for letting me know about the update - went over and read it right away. I like people who update frequently. ha!

It really seemed to work out with the room change; I'm glad we went to MK, simply because you're right - nothing says "welcome to WDW" like walking into the Magic Kingdom. It wasn't my first park of the day, but I'm glad it was my last!

Man, I would have been amazed at the size of the crowds in October too! Normally there is no one there. It definitely had to be the fact that it had been raining so badly and everyone had felt cooped up.

There is no shame in deciding to head back early. We've all done it at one time or another. Don't you love the Mom's meals from POP? They're so very yummy.

I was disappointed at the crowds, to be honest - but still, there was no complaining, as we were at Disney! I really didn't want to head back to the room, but we were the walking dead by the time we got back - I don't know how we'd have made it the entire next day if we didn't get all the sleep we got on Wednesday. I think I ended up with about 9 hours of sleep that night!!