Day 3
Dopey, 45, single Mom to Sleepy, annual DW trip since Sleepy was 4
Doc, turning 40 during trip, my SO, 5th trip
Sleepy, my 17 year old son
Happy, 18, Sleepy's girlfriend
Old Key West Resort
Day 3, Fri 2/16, Weather - 80's, sunny, perfect
Well, this was the big day. We were headed to the Magic Kingdom and I was the only one who knew the big secret ⦠Gifts of a Lifetime. I was so excited and wasn't exactly sure how I was going to get this bunch to be at the wishing well at 10:00 on the nose. But somehow, I would find a way. Before we entered the Magic Kingdom, I had to do the same ritual I always do before going through the turnstiles. I had to check out the brick with Sleepy's & my name that I bought in 1994. It is just in front of the pretty tree to the right of the turnstiles. We showed it to Happy and were on our way.
We were looking for something to eat for breakfast as we walked down wonderful Main St. USA. We were going to stop in the bakery but there was a long line, so we decided to keep going. It was 9:45 as we headed up into the Castle, and I turned and looked toward the wishing well, and sure enough I could see a woman sitting there by herself. I wondered if that was Jane and didn't know quite what to do. Should we head over there now, 15 minutes early? As I was trying to figure out what I should say, we were walking through the Castle, and then walking past Snow White. Oh-oh, we were walking away from the wishing well. Sleepy decided to take all of our passes to get fast passes for Pooh. While he did that Happy and I spotted Rafiki, so we got our picture taken with him. After this, we were still headed away from the wishing well, when I stopped in my tracks, and said "wait a minute, it's almost 10:00, and there's something going on at the wishing well at 10. I read about it, and this is the last time it's being done." (I wasn't lying!) I had 3 blank faces looking at me like I was nuts. So I did what I had to do. I abruptly turned around and started walking toward the wishing well, while yelling over my shoulder, "c'mon, hurry up."
The pain only lasted a short couple of minutes ⦠the grumbling going on behind me was amusing ⦠ah, success, I thought to myself. They've all fallen for it. As we approached the wishing well, I think I had a slight smile that I just could not keep to myself. But no one noticed. Sleepy leaned onto the wishing well & said these words: "yup, this is real exciting, we're looking at a wishing well." As he turned to look away, Jane stood up and addressed Sleepy & Happy by name. The looks on their faces were priceless. She told them that she knew they were graduating from high school in June, but in order to have all the requirements necessary, they had some tasks to do in the Magic Kingdom. She gave them a disposable camera and a list of the requirements. They were all spots they had to have their picture taken at, and they had to ask a stranger to take the pictures. They were to meet Jane back at the wishing well at 11:00 with all the requirements met. Doc & I were to make sure they did them all. Then the best part, Jane pulled out Mickey Ears that they had to wear. And each had their name embroidered on them. Sleepy just stood there shaking his head as we all were laughing.
What a great time it was. The kids were hard to keep up with - they were on a mission! They took turns asking strangers to take their pictures. The different places were:
1. wearing goofy hats in any store that sold them
2. Minnie's Gazebo in Toon Town
3. With any cast member
4. Sitting in the rocking chairs outside the Hall of Presidents
5. Speedway car
6. In front of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
7. With the spinning water globe in Tomorrow Land
8. Ariel's grotto, with the waterfall in the background
9. Cinderella's wishing well
They had such a good time. They were truly on a mission. While we were doing this, we did stop and have fruit and something to drink in Liberty Square. We even had time to use our fast passes for Pooh before it was time to meet up with Jane again. We met her at 11:00, and she gave them each laminated certificates with stickers on them that said:
This certificate is to prove that on this,
the 16th day of February, 2001
Sleepy
became eligible to be a High School Graduate
according to Walt Disney World
standards of vacation-photo excellence.
Go Sleepy!
This certificate is to prove that on this,
the 16th day of February, 2001
Happy
became eligible to be a High School Graduate
according to Walt Disney World
standards of vacation-photo excellence.
Go Happy!
And then Happy got a pin of Pooh & Sleepy got a pin of Mickey. And both Pooh & Mickey are dressed in graduation caps & gowns.
Then, Jane turned her attention to Doc, and told him that she heard he was celebrating his 40th birthday. Doc couldn't believe it. He got a 40th birthday pin to wear, and his own disposable camera with a booklet made just for him in honor of his birthday. The booklet told him that age was just a matter of perspective and to show him that, he had a mission. The booklet had different pictures of things in the Magic Kingdom with a hint of where it was located. Doc had to try to duplicate the pictures the best he could. It was fun trying to locate all the spots, and the last page told him not to return to our resort room until after 4pm. During the picture taking, we got fast passes for Peter Pan and headed over to Frontier Land as one of the clues in John's booklet told us to go over near a "wild ride". We checked out Splash Mountain & Big Thunder, but it was mobbed over there, so we hopped onto the train to ride down to Main Street as another of John's clues made us think we had to be on the train to get one of the pictures. This would also use up some time before our Peter Pan fast pass time.
So we rode the train, John got his picture, and then the kids wanted to stop into the Emporium. Well, this sure turned into something! A cast member spotted Doc's pin, and immediately asked "Did you get the call?" I looked confused and Doc looked at me accusingly. I shrugged my shoulders telling him I had nothing to do with this. The man was on the phone in no time, and handed Doc the phone. It was Goofy singing Happy Birthday to him. Then he gave Doc a Disney "It's My Birthday" pin; and before you knew it, Doc was the center of attention. The same cast member even made a fuss out of Sleepy with his Mickey ears on. We "escaped" the Emporium, and headed up through the Castle again to use our Peter Pan fast passes. That worked like a charm, and we decided to see the Lion King show, which is very entertaining.
We were scheduled to meet some friends from Vermont at the Wilderness Lodge at 2:30, so we headed back down Main St. to the boat dock for WL. That is a beautiful ride. We found Mary & Barry, and ate at Roaring Forks. The food tasted delicious & hit the spot. We had a great time visiting with them and then walked out to the WL bus stop. Mary & Barry told us that since it wasn't yet 4pm, the bus stop at WL can be a little tricky, so to be careful with what bus we needed to look for. We realized we needed the Crockett bus to take to the TTC, and then transfer to the bus for Downtown Disney; then transfer to the bus for OKW. As luck would have it, the DD bus was right behind the Crockett bus we were getting off of, so we were on our way. Then we were really smart and went to the DD boat dock and took that beautiful boat ride back to OKW. When we got back to OKW, we decided to stop at the General Store. Well, a cast member there saw Doc's buttons, and immediately dragged him into Olivia's and had them sing happy birthday to him. Then, he gave him a pin; and a stranger bought him a Disney basketball, and passed it around the store to have everyone sign it. The CM put stickers all around Doc so that he had a sash. As we walked back to our room, everyone agreed that it can be quite dangerous to have a birthday while at Disney!
Inside our room was the next surprise: the table was beautifully set with paper plates, napkins, glasses, a bottle of sparkling cider chilling in ice, and of course the birthday cake. It was decorated with black balloons, and it had the 2 old guys from the Muppet 3D show on top. And the cake said, "Did you hear how old Doc is?" So we had our little birthday celebration. The cake was delicious. Thank you so much to Jane Cartelli!
There were also balloons and a birthday card from Goofy that were from the staff at OKW. After the cake, we enjoyed the pool and the hot tub underneath a bright red setting sun. It had been a great day so far.
Back at our room, we changed for e-night. Doc & I took the bus to the MK first - we wanted to catch some of the Electrical Parade, which we did, and then we picked up our wristbands right outside City Hall. We met the kids there, right after I called my Mom. They got their wristbands and then we watched the fireworks from the walkway to Tomorrow Land. After the fireworks, we went to Cosmic Ray's for supper.
After eating, we still had a little time before e-night started, so we rode Snow White. After that, Fantasy Land was closing, so we headed to Splash Mountain. For some strange reason, I had become terrified of it ⦠I really do love it, but when the log starts up that last incline, I am scared out of my mind. So, I put my head down, refusing to watch us go up, which means I sure didn't see us go down either! At the bottom of the drop, of course, I was happy as a clam. We only got a few drops of water on us; and then decided to buy the picture. We then went over to Big Thunder, my very favorite ride. We requested the last seats (much better ride in the back than in the front); and enjoyed the wildest ride in the wilderness. As we pulled back into the station, the cast members asked us if we wanted to stay put and ride again! This was awesome ⦠they had to close up our side, so they hadn't let anyone down the ramp on our side, so they let all of us just stay on it again. What fun!
As we headed back to Tomorrow Land, we walked by the Castle, and saw Chip & Dale, Goofy, Donald Duck, Pluto, & Minnie out front. Doc and Sleepy decided to ride Astro Orbiter, which neither had ridden before. While they were doing that, Happy & I rode Buzz. There was something wrong with my car, (a likely story - but true), and it wouldn't stop spinning. It got old in a hurry.
After Buzz, Happy decided to call her Mom. I met the guys & then Happy & Sleepy rode Space Mountain twice, while Doc & I did Buzz. Then after that, we all did Buzz. After defeating the Emporer Zurg, Happy bought Sleepy a ring at Mickey's Star Traders, and we all felt that even though e-night had 45 minutes left, that we could go. Well, not quite yet. I HAD to go see & hear the "Kiss Goodnight" in front of the Castle.
Well, this turned out to just be the best 45 minutes. I asked a cast member and she told me that Kiss Goodnight would not happen till midnight. So we sat and waited and watched the characters mingle with whoever happened by. For the most part, there was no one there ⦠the characters were totally on their own. Which meant we became their entertainment. I always knew that it was amazing the way characters that don't speak can communicate, but little did I know. We got a wonderful picture with all 6 of them with the 4 of us - (Magic Happens! J) - which is one on my very favorite pictures. Chip & Dale "took" Happy away from Sleepy, and fought over her. Pluto ran around us giving us kisses. At one point, as I sat there listening to that beautiful music, I realized that my 17 year old son was waltzing in the castle courtyard with Minnie. It was a once-in-a-lifetime sight that I will always remember. Pixie Dust! J Minnie was showing those chipmunks that she would just take Sleepy if they were going to take Happy. Finally, Minnie took the chipmunks and pushed them off to the side, and reunited Happy & Sleepy while Chip marched off pouting with his hands behind his back. It was so funny.
Then at one point, when Dale was sitting down "visiting" with us, a cast member came over and told him he had to go over to the courtyard for some nuts. When the cast member turned her back, Dale motioned that she was a loser!
Chip also was able to communicate with us that e-nights like the one we were having (with no one around) were wonderful. He "told" us that when it's crowded, his hand gets really tired signing autographs!
At midnight, the beautiful changing colors started in earnest, and the wonderful goodbye was announced. And it was time for our night to end. As we walked slowly to the bus stop, I realized that this had truly been the nicest day I had ever spent at Disney World. Many, many thanks to Jane @ Gifts of a Lifetime - I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Tomorrow: a day of rest
Dopey, 45, single Mom to Sleepy, annual DW trip since Sleepy was 4
Doc, turning 40 during trip, my SO, 5th trip
Sleepy, my 17 year old son
Happy, 18, Sleepy's girlfriend
Old Key West Resort
Day 3, Fri 2/16, Weather - 80's, sunny, perfect
Well, this was the big day. We were headed to the Magic Kingdom and I was the only one who knew the big secret ⦠Gifts of a Lifetime. I was so excited and wasn't exactly sure how I was going to get this bunch to be at the wishing well at 10:00 on the nose. But somehow, I would find a way. Before we entered the Magic Kingdom, I had to do the same ritual I always do before going through the turnstiles. I had to check out the brick with Sleepy's & my name that I bought in 1994. It is just in front of the pretty tree to the right of the turnstiles. We showed it to Happy and were on our way.
We were looking for something to eat for breakfast as we walked down wonderful Main St. USA. We were going to stop in the bakery but there was a long line, so we decided to keep going. It was 9:45 as we headed up into the Castle, and I turned and looked toward the wishing well, and sure enough I could see a woman sitting there by herself. I wondered if that was Jane and didn't know quite what to do. Should we head over there now, 15 minutes early? As I was trying to figure out what I should say, we were walking through the Castle, and then walking past Snow White. Oh-oh, we were walking away from the wishing well. Sleepy decided to take all of our passes to get fast passes for Pooh. While he did that Happy and I spotted Rafiki, so we got our picture taken with him. After this, we were still headed away from the wishing well, when I stopped in my tracks, and said "wait a minute, it's almost 10:00, and there's something going on at the wishing well at 10. I read about it, and this is the last time it's being done." (I wasn't lying!) I had 3 blank faces looking at me like I was nuts. So I did what I had to do. I abruptly turned around and started walking toward the wishing well, while yelling over my shoulder, "c'mon, hurry up."
The pain only lasted a short couple of minutes ⦠the grumbling going on behind me was amusing ⦠ah, success, I thought to myself. They've all fallen for it. As we approached the wishing well, I think I had a slight smile that I just could not keep to myself. But no one noticed. Sleepy leaned onto the wishing well & said these words: "yup, this is real exciting, we're looking at a wishing well." As he turned to look away, Jane stood up and addressed Sleepy & Happy by name. The looks on their faces were priceless. She told them that she knew they were graduating from high school in June, but in order to have all the requirements necessary, they had some tasks to do in the Magic Kingdom. She gave them a disposable camera and a list of the requirements. They were all spots they had to have their picture taken at, and they had to ask a stranger to take the pictures. They were to meet Jane back at the wishing well at 11:00 with all the requirements met. Doc & I were to make sure they did them all. Then the best part, Jane pulled out Mickey Ears that they had to wear. And each had their name embroidered on them. Sleepy just stood there shaking his head as we all were laughing.
What a great time it was. The kids were hard to keep up with - they were on a mission! They took turns asking strangers to take their pictures. The different places were:
1. wearing goofy hats in any store that sold them
2. Minnie's Gazebo in Toon Town
3. With any cast member
4. Sitting in the rocking chairs outside the Hall of Presidents
5. Speedway car
6. In front of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
7. With the spinning water globe in Tomorrow Land
8. Ariel's grotto, with the waterfall in the background
9. Cinderella's wishing well
They had such a good time. They were truly on a mission. While we were doing this, we did stop and have fruit and something to drink in Liberty Square. We even had time to use our fast passes for Pooh before it was time to meet up with Jane again. We met her at 11:00, and she gave them each laminated certificates with stickers on them that said:
This certificate is to prove that on this,
the 16th day of February, 2001
Sleepy
became eligible to be a High School Graduate
according to Walt Disney World
standards of vacation-photo excellence.
Go Sleepy!
This certificate is to prove that on this,
the 16th day of February, 2001
Happy
became eligible to be a High School Graduate
according to Walt Disney World
standards of vacation-photo excellence.
Go Happy!
And then Happy got a pin of Pooh & Sleepy got a pin of Mickey. And both Pooh & Mickey are dressed in graduation caps & gowns.
Then, Jane turned her attention to Doc, and told him that she heard he was celebrating his 40th birthday. Doc couldn't believe it. He got a 40th birthday pin to wear, and his own disposable camera with a booklet made just for him in honor of his birthday. The booklet told him that age was just a matter of perspective and to show him that, he had a mission. The booklet had different pictures of things in the Magic Kingdom with a hint of where it was located. Doc had to try to duplicate the pictures the best he could. It was fun trying to locate all the spots, and the last page told him not to return to our resort room until after 4pm. During the picture taking, we got fast passes for Peter Pan and headed over to Frontier Land as one of the clues in John's booklet told us to go over near a "wild ride". We checked out Splash Mountain & Big Thunder, but it was mobbed over there, so we hopped onto the train to ride down to Main Street as another of John's clues made us think we had to be on the train to get one of the pictures. This would also use up some time before our Peter Pan fast pass time.
So we rode the train, John got his picture, and then the kids wanted to stop into the Emporium. Well, this sure turned into something! A cast member spotted Doc's pin, and immediately asked "Did you get the call?" I looked confused and Doc looked at me accusingly. I shrugged my shoulders telling him I had nothing to do with this. The man was on the phone in no time, and handed Doc the phone. It was Goofy singing Happy Birthday to him. Then he gave Doc a Disney "It's My Birthday" pin; and before you knew it, Doc was the center of attention. The same cast member even made a fuss out of Sleepy with his Mickey ears on. We "escaped" the Emporium, and headed up through the Castle again to use our Peter Pan fast passes. That worked like a charm, and we decided to see the Lion King show, which is very entertaining.
We were scheduled to meet some friends from Vermont at the Wilderness Lodge at 2:30, so we headed back down Main St. to the boat dock for WL. That is a beautiful ride. We found Mary & Barry, and ate at Roaring Forks. The food tasted delicious & hit the spot. We had a great time visiting with them and then walked out to the WL bus stop. Mary & Barry told us that since it wasn't yet 4pm, the bus stop at WL can be a little tricky, so to be careful with what bus we needed to look for. We realized we needed the Crockett bus to take to the TTC, and then transfer to the bus for Downtown Disney; then transfer to the bus for OKW. As luck would have it, the DD bus was right behind the Crockett bus we were getting off of, so we were on our way. Then we were really smart and went to the DD boat dock and took that beautiful boat ride back to OKW. When we got back to OKW, we decided to stop at the General Store. Well, a cast member there saw Doc's buttons, and immediately dragged him into Olivia's and had them sing happy birthday to him. Then, he gave him a pin; and a stranger bought him a Disney basketball, and passed it around the store to have everyone sign it. The CM put stickers all around Doc so that he had a sash. As we walked back to our room, everyone agreed that it can be quite dangerous to have a birthday while at Disney!
Inside our room was the next surprise: the table was beautifully set with paper plates, napkins, glasses, a bottle of sparkling cider chilling in ice, and of course the birthday cake. It was decorated with black balloons, and it had the 2 old guys from the Muppet 3D show on top. And the cake said, "Did you hear how old Doc is?" So we had our little birthday celebration. The cake was delicious. Thank you so much to Jane Cartelli!
There were also balloons and a birthday card from Goofy that were from the staff at OKW. After the cake, we enjoyed the pool and the hot tub underneath a bright red setting sun. It had been a great day so far.
Back at our room, we changed for e-night. Doc & I took the bus to the MK first - we wanted to catch some of the Electrical Parade, which we did, and then we picked up our wristbands right outside City Hall. We met the kids there, right after I called my Mom. They got their wristbands and then we watched the fireworks from the walkway to Tomorrow Land. After the fireworks, we went to Cosmic Ray's for supper.
After eating, we still had a little time before e-night started, so we rode Snow White. After that, Fantasy Land was closing, so we headed to Splash Mountain. For some strange reason, I had become terrified of it ⦠I really do love it, but when the log starts up that last incline, I am scared out of my mind. So, I put my head down, refusing to watch us go up, which means I sure didn't see us go down either! At the bottom of the drop, of course, I was happy as a clam. We only got a few drops of water on us; and then decided to buy the picture. We then went over to Big Thunder, my very favorite ride. We requested the last seats (much better ride in the back than in the front); and enjoyed the wildest ride in the wilderness. As we pulled back into the station, the cast members asked us if we wanted to stay put and ride again! This was awesome ⦠they had to close up our side, so they hadn't let anyone down the ramp on our side, so they let all of us just stay on it again. What fun!
As we headed back to Tomorrow Land, we walked by the Castle, and saw Chip & Dale, Goofy, Donald Duck, Pluto, & Minnie out front. Doc and Sleepy decided to ride Astro Orbiter, which neither had ridden before. While they were doing that, Happy & I rode Buzz. There was something wrong with my car, (a likely story - but true), and it wouldn't stop spinning. It got old in a hurry.
After Buzz, Happy decided to call her Mom. I met the guys & then Happy & Sleepy rode Space Mountain twice, while Doc & I did Buzz. Then after that, we all did Buzz. After defeating the Emporer Zurg, Happy bought Sleepy a ring at Mickey's Star Traders, and we all felt that even though e-night had 45 minutes left, that we could go. Well, not quite yet. I HAD to go see & hear the "Kiss Goodnight" in front of the Castle.
Well, this turned out to just be the best 45 minutes. I asked a cast member and she told me that Kiss Goodnight would not happen till midnight. So we sat and waited and watched the characters mingle with whoever happened by. For the most part, there was no one there ⦠the characters were totally on their own. Which meant we became their entertainment. I always knew that it was amazing the way characters that don't speak can communicate, but little did I know. We got a wonderful picture with all 6 of them with the 4 of us - (Magic Happens! J) - which is one on my very favorite pictures. Chip & Dale "took" Happy away from Sleepy, and fought over her. Pluto ran around us giving us kisses. At one point, as I sat there listening to that beautiful music, I realized that my 17 year old son was waltzing in the castle courtyard with Minnie. It was a once-in-a-lifetime sight that I will always remember. Pixie Dust! J Minnie was showing those chipmunks that she would just take Sleepy if they were going to take Happy. Finally, Minnie took the chipmunks and pushed them off to the side, and reunited Happy & Sleepy while Chip marched off pouting with his hands behind his back. It was so funny.
Then at one point, when Dale was sitting down "visiting" with us, a cast member came over and told him he had to go over to the courtyard for some nuts. When the cast member turned her back, Dale motioned that she was a loser!
Chip also was able to communicate with us that e-nights like the one we were having (with no one around) were wonderful. He "told" us that when it's crowded, his hand gets really tired signing autographs!
At midnight, the beautiful changing colors started in earnest, and the wonderful goodbye was announced. And it was time for our night to end. As we walked slowly to the bus stop, I realized that this had truly been the nicest day I had ever spent at Disney World. Many, many thanks to Jane @ Gifts of a Lifetime - I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Tomorrow: a day of rest
