“Bubble” - licious – A Northern Family's Disney Tale! UPDATED 8/27/09 (LAST CHAPTER)!

[Firestarter]

I'm a little behind, so forgive me. This is in response to the Park Hopper post 1 (Post 212)

The idea of the park hopper hadn't appealed to me. The additional cost plus the time lost in transit was not a good idea.

Then after seeing the parks I was happy I could see each at least for half a day more. Really worthwhile on the back end of the trip.

I am a geek and I like to know how things work. I do a bit of theater work in the local church. This combination prevents me from being too amazed by how they do things in rides or shows, the tricks are fairly common.

I don't know HOW they did Toy Story Mania and I love that my brain spins with trying to comprehend it. It was the best ride there.

Nothing else to me showed the genius of the Disney innovation better than that ride. What "Pirates of the Caribbean" was when the park opened, "Toy Story Mania" is to 2009.

It was a punishment after that great ride (and not to shabby wait) to wait for the Little Mermaid show. We were let into an enclosed space about 30 feet by 20 feet, decorated with fishing and nautical gear. It was a dim room, and THEN the doors were closed behind us. We waited in there with dozens of other people for half an hour without an indication of when we would be in on the show.

Worst...Wait...At...Disney.

That said the show was really cool, but being stuck that long with other peoples children and parenting, Twitch Twitch.

In the choice of transportation I must say floating down the river is the way to go. We spend most of our lives carting around on four wheels or two legs. Taking a break to sit and cruise is luxury. Monorail and boats are the way to travel!

At the World showcase I noticed that the shows were mostly like long tourism videos. The footage was amazing, but the narration left me with a feeling of "we're better because..." Not as much in the Disney spirit for me.

I LOVED the fact that the workers in each country were nationals of that country. That was SO Disney. Each location brought a new opportunity to have a revealing conversation with someone about their homeland and traditions. I would be willing to wait in line for a 5 minute conversation with one of those people.

 

[Firestarter]

Fast Pass Day 1 - part 2 - Post 224

Not much to add to my wife's great reporting of the events. I found it freaky (if not mildly unsettling) that she knew which countries had toilets!

!?!

I don't even know her Mom's middle name!

I love the world showcase and I'm glad the kids could handle not being on rides the whole time. I did notice a few omissions in the world showcase:

1. The full UN Security Council is not represented (Russia)
2. Not all the continents are represented (South America and the Austral-asia)

I would hope the Disney World would be able to incorporate say, Russia, Brazil and Indonesia as these are significant countries in the world stage. It tells a lot that China has a pavilion, given their attitude about national security.

It was a real treat to hang out in the Chinese pavilion on New Years. I found I could still say these critical phrases:

Hello - neen-how
Happy New Year - Goong-see Fat-eye
Buck - Qwai

The workers there taught me how to say thank you (Cher-Cher). They were patient and kind, and loved to dote on my daughters.

Supper was good. It was a surprise to me that the fare was less adventurous than I am accustomed to in Canada. I have had "Ducks Foot Soup" in a restaurant in Winnipeg and had a traditional 10 course celebration supper in Toronto's Chinatown (one dish still had it's eyes).

That night at Disney I tried the most challenging plates offered but they were not difficult to the pallete or the chopsticks. The server was truly concerned that I might have a bad experience.

For those who haven't had the opportunity to live in Canada, it is common for new immigrants to put up restaurants or stores that cater to their traditional fare. As a result we can get authentic food of international flavour in most cities.

Oh, and I wasn't Colouring on the placemat, I was practicing Mandarin Caligraphy . Tricky and I can't remember any of it.

Anyway it was a great dinner and day, and I bought souviniers from both the Japanese and Chinese areas. I'm looking forward to returning.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Ken, Have to say first of all, LOOOOVE your signature. do you like to read mysteries???!!!!! I just can't get enough (Of the good ones,not the trashy ones!!HA!)!!! And I too tried to do the Mandarin writing on the thingy....I loved that they added that on there...we do love the Nine Dragons and the atmosphere they provide. Some of our best servers at Disney were over in China.
I hope you and Kim have a blast this weekend and Happy, Happy Anniversary!!!!

 

[Firestarter]

Thanks DM3! I am re-reading the complete Sherlock Holmes series. Kim bought me that last Christmas. Such genius in the writing. I'm really eclectic in my book choices, I'm trying to read most of the great classics and books ever.

Thanks for the anniversary wishes! Looking forward to getting away.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Well, my faithful friends and readers! We Are BACK!!!!!

We had a fabulous trip! Saw lots of PEI, ate lots of fantastic food and spent good times and made great memories! I may try to do a mini TR of that trip but for now I will try to finish up this TR for you in amidst the laundry!

Hope you all had a fabulous week and weekend! Happy 4th to all my American pals!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Well, my faithful friends and readers! We Are BACK!!!!!

We had a fabulous trip! Saw lots of PEI, ate lots of fantastic food and spent good times and made great memories! I may try to do a mini TR of that trip but for now I will try to finish up this TR for you in amidst the laundry!

Hope you all had a fabulous week and weekend! Happy 4th to all my American pals!

I'm so glad that you had a good time on your trip. You really do need to do a mini trip report. I know I'd love to see and hear all about it.

Lisa

 

[BellaSoleil]

Hey Soleil! Thanks for dropping by to say hello! Does Belle have a favourite princess?
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Belle LOVES Mulan!!! We have to listen to her music and watch the movie all of the time. I'm sure by the time January rolls around she will love someone else, but for now it's Mulan.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Girl, I bet you have mounds of !! Can't wait to read this next installment.

 

[Firestarter]

Girl, I bet you have mounds of !! Can't wait to read this next installment.

Ha ha, she doesn't. I helped fold it last night. (Not as benevolent as it sounds, happy wife == happy life. It just happens that my selfishness aligns with her happiness.)

Kim has no known excuse yet to not get the next installment up today.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Ha!!!!! I totally get the happy wife -happy life!! Do ya'll watch Jeff Allen?
Thanks for helping her fold that laundry Ken!!!! Ok girl, put that next chp up here for us!!!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Ha ha, she doesn't. I helped fold it last night. (Not as benevolent as it sounds, happy wife == happy life. It just happens that my selfishness aligns with her happiness.)

Kim has no known excuse yet to not get the next installment up today.

Yes Dear! You are a gem! My only excuse so far is that my computer is being used by the girls to play lego star wars!

Ha!!!!! I totally get the happy wife -happy life!! Do ya'll watch Jeff Allen?
Thanks for helping her fold that laundry Ken!!!! Ok girl, put that next chp up here for us!!!

I'll get on that after they have their 30 mins of play time! I actually do have SOME laundry to do today - they have swimming lessons every day for the next 2 weeks! Towels and bathing suits need to be washed every day!

 

[portocall]

Eagerly awaiting the next installment! Thank Ken with helping her out with the laundry!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

The next chapter is in the creation process right now! Hope fully should have it up in a little bit!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Chapter 26: Early to Epcot

Date: January 27th
Time: 7:45am
Place: Future World, Epcot

Despite a very early morning and a rush to get there, we finally arrived at Epcot in time for the AM EMH. I could tell right from the beginning that this park would be packed by noon! We had our bags checked, tickets swiped and fingers scanned and we were ushered into the holding area for ......TEST TRACK!

When the rope dropped we raced over to the FP machine for Mission: Space so Ken could get some Fps for himself and Emily. We then went over to do Standby for Test Track. I was surprised as the line was only at 25 mins! We secured our place in the line and enjoyed our wait while admiring all the neat things to look at. As soon as the “track” was in sight, Natalie decided she needed to use the washroom!

Well if you remember from a previous episode, this is a response mechanism that Nat uses to get out of doing things she does not want to do! I knew that even if she really did need to go that there was no way I was leaving the line at this point! I grilled her on just how bad she needed to go and decided that she could wait! I was NOT missing this ride! I'm horrible, aren't I?

I knew that she was nervous but I also thought that she would enjoy the ride. We were honest with her and told that although it would be fast and turny at points that there were no upside down parts and no huge drops. She was satisfied with that and decided to be brave. We got into our car and buckled up! WOW!!! I LOVE TEST TRACK!!!!! It was so much fun! I have to tell you though that the “cold weather” part is no match for our winters up here in Northern Ontario! I actually found that part to be rather balmy!

After our thrill ride on Test Track, Ken was dying to go try out Mission: Space! So he and Emily went to pilot the green team while Nat and I hung out in the kids play area! Nat very much enjoyed some time to herself playing in that cool play structure! She had a blast! We also took in the gift shop a wee bit when her knees needed a break from climbing on the plastic framework. That is a pretty neat gift shop! We saw some really fun toys in there! Natalie ALMOST had me convinced to buy her a Cars playset!

When our super space heroes returned we got another round of Fps for Test Track and then Ken decided he wanted to ride the Orange side of M:S! So back to the playground I went, this time with both girls! I sure spent a lot of time there that day! He survived the trip and then we decided to head over to The Land to find some food!

It was just past 930 am and the park was open to ALL guests now. We drooled over the selections at the bakery counter of Sunshine Seasons and finally decided on some muffins and cinnamon rolls. The dining area was looking rather crowded so we took our snack and headed out of doors to a bench just outside of Imagination! We ate our snacks and refreshed ourselves with some bottled water and then went into the world of Imagination!

We first did the ride. What a cute little piece of fun that was! Such a neat concept! I think we were all gagging at the skunk smell! PU!!! After the ride we played in the different areas for a while, sent some goofy pictures to our family and then the girls posed for a fun picture of themselves on a surf board with Lilo and Stitch! We now have that at home!

The picture would take while to be ready so we decided to go and redeem the Fps we had acquired earlier. Natalie, although brave enough to do the ride once, decided to avoid it a second time. So, instead of a family ride, Ken and I took turns riding with Emily who was more than eager to ride over and over again!

When it was Ken and Emily's turn, Nat and explored our way over to Club Cool to try some International drinks! This was a big hit with her and she very willingly tried ALL of them! Yes, my child tried BEVERLY! It came right back out again, but she DID try it! I believe her favourite was the Watermelon one!

We returned to find our other half and then Ken took the girls back to Club Cool while I went to retrieve our photograph from Imagination! It took longer than it was supposed to so I was late iin getting back to find my family. It was getting quite warm out that day and I do believe we actually used some sunscreen that day! Found them I did and together we all went to ride Spaceship Earth!

I had only ridden this 2x before in my previous visits and I was anxious to try it with the refurbishements! I was not disappointed! What a cool ending! Very Fun! I only wished we had time to ride it again! Oh well, next trip! All our must do's checked off, we headed off to the monorail station to make our way back to WL for some lunch and a rest. Our afternoon plans included a trip to the MK, but first we had some laundry and packing to do! This was our last night at Wilderness Lodge!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Great update! My family loves Test Track too. It's so much fun! Unfortunately, we had some problems with TT on this trip, but I'll be getting to that at the end of my TR!

 

[shannon47142]

what a fun morning at Epcot!!

 

[jenjolt]

Another great update!! I'm so glad you were able to cross off all your must-dos on this trip!!!!

Don't you just love Spaceship Earth, it is definitely one of my favorites!! I LOVE that ride!!!!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

How fun!! I can not believe she tried BEVERLY!! HA!!! Do you know that I have heard about that for years, and we have yet to do it!! I have GOT to put that on my list. We do love Test Track....the 18 wheeler gives me a heart attack every single time. I do not like that guy!!! loved all your pictures!!!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Great update! My family loves Test Track too. It's so much fun! Unfortunately, we had some problems with TT on this trip, but I'll be getting to that at the end of my TR!

Hey Meghan! Thanks for dropping by! Glad that you are feeling better! I am excited to hear about your trip!

what a fun morning at Epcot!!

It really was a great morning! Nice and Hot too!

Another great update!! I'm so glad you were able to cross off all your must-dos on this trip!!!!

Don't you just love Spaceship Earth, it is definitely one of my favorites!! I LOVE that ride!!!!!

I think the next time I ride SE I will have to pay closer attention to certain things like shoes and clothing! I miss so many details on rides sometimes because I am just in awe!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

How fun!! I can not believe she tried BEVERLY!! HA!!! Do you know that I have heard about that for years, and we have yet to do it!! I have GOT to put that on my list. We do love Test Track....the 18 wheeler gives me a heart attack every single time. I do not like that guy!!! loved all your pictures!!!

I think we all tried it! It really is disgusting! But at least I can say I tried it! Probably won't do it again though! I know what you mean about the tractor trailer! Both times I rode TT I about peed my pants at that section!