Goofmeister
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2003
- Messages
- 213
A few notes:
These are long.
The trip was December 2002.
If you like, you can find the others here. Well, even if you don't, they're still here:
Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7.
Cast:
Sam (30) - the Planner, (1985,1987,2000) Trip # 4
Angie (30) - Eeyore nut and researcher, (2000) Trip # 2
Samantha (3.75) (2000) Trip # 2
Day 5, Tuesday December, 3rd 2002
The Balloon that Ate Manhattan, or Flush, Gurgle, WHOOSH.
Weather: Beautiful. High 70s with scattered clouds.
Plan: Check out ASMo, Check In WL, LTT dinner and MVMCP!
Today, after many, many months of wishing and dreaming, we checked into the Wilderness Lodge. Samantha didnt understand why Mom and Dad acted so Goofy all morning long. Of course she hadnt been planning and dreaming about it since our last trip.
Unfortunately, we had to check out of ASMo first. This is always a little somber. ASMo has a special place in our hearts. It was the first Disney Resort we ever stayed at on our first-ever family trip. I suppose everyone has a special attachment to his or her first, and we are no exception. We spent some time walking around the resort and taking some great pictures of Samantha with Donald and Daisy in the Fantasia area.
We spent the majority of the morning packing our things. As the luggage and packages were piling up by the door, I was getting increasingly worried that we could cram all this junk into our car and take Samantha with us. Angie reassured me that everything would be fine, so off I went to borrow a luggage cart. The CMs reminded me about the time limit and the hefty fine for violators. Egad! I wondered if we could move our things in the narrow time limit. It took two cartloads, plus a few more trips without. (I panicked about what the Mouse might do, and returned the cart a little early. Its best not to tick off the big cheese.) When we left Oklahoma the car was loaded down. Now we had twice as much stuff. We were in trouble, or at least in for a very uncomfortable ride.
Despite the poor packing by me somehow it all fit even Samantha. At least I thought she was in there, but I couldnt see her because of all the bags. Angie was fighting it out with the ridiculously huge Tinkerbell balloon (unofficially known as the balloon that ate Manhattan) shoved at her feet. It was comical. I felt a little like the Clampetts come to Floridee for some fancy doins.
Samantha? Are you back there? Angie asked.
Yes, came her muffled reply.
Moving out! Wayward Ho! I shouted. Finally we were off to the Lodge. Please, keep your spurs and chaps inside the wagon at all times.
The drive over was memorable, and lest we forget it was immortalized on film by my lovely bride, complete with commentary. The turn onto Timberline Drive immediately transports you into the great Northwest. Towering pines block out all signs of Florida. It was so convincing to Samantha that she told me to watch out for bears because bears are mean. Rounding the last turn the Lodge leaps into view, and exorts praise from the crew. A large wreath centered over the valet parking area hinted to what awaited us inside. We park in the parking lot while we check-in.
It was only a short hike to the unbelievable lobby. An immense Christmas tree dominated the lobby just in front of the check-in desk. It was large (and in charge) but still maintained the intimate feeling of the soaring entry. Check-in was slow but friendly, and we were too excited to notice. I checked on being a flag family, but everyday was booked until after we left. Our room wasnt ready, so we took our welcome package and headed out to the courtyard area, filming and snapping pictures like crazed tourists.
Returning inside we decided to grab lunch at the Roaring Forks. I have no idea what we had to eat, but we did buy refillable mugs, the small ones. Apparently, we saved every stinking receipt but this one. I hoped I liked what I ate, because I sure dont remember it.
When we finish lunch it was about time for the geyser to erupt.
We wandered out past the pools and caught the start. Every eruption is slightly different. This one was a long, slow bubbling. Angie was filming the Geyser on our new expensive digital camcorder downwind.
Honey, youre going to get wet. I explain.
Hmm?
Uh, move down this way. She moves a little. I give up.
After about five minutes, I was thinking boy this geyser thing sure is a dud. Then whoosh, a fine misty column of water shot in the air. The spray got me, Samantha, and Angie a little wet. Angie moves. Then there was this sound like an underground toilet flushing, and even more water shot up to new heights. Now this was cool, and we all moved farther upwind of the geyser. The geyser erupts every hour on the hour, and if you listen carefully you can hear it inside the resort. At least we could from our courtyard room. It was never a problem, but faintly in the background flush, gurgle, whoosh, and then sometimes the scream of someone getting doused.
It was warm, and Angie took Samantha to change into her swimming suit. I got some libations from the poolside bar, and we thoroughly enjoyed the sun and our daughter enjoying the water. The kiddie pool is only a foot and a half deep. Toddlers, babies, and a parent or two were playing in the water. Water was splashed. Let me repeat..water was splashed. This was a novel concept to some of the folks at the pool. Toddlers plus water equals splashing. Its a law of nature, an unrefutable fact. Now, was the splashing malicious or intentional? Nope. Just walking around and falling down splashes. I guess some parents have to complain about something. Heres an idea: if you dont want Jr. to get wet, then keep them on dry land.
Finally our room, 4015, was ready. I found out from Angie as we were opening the door that another bird had pooped on my back. Again!? What did I do to them? Why didnt you tell me before?? Crazy birds. Leave me alone! Im not wearing the lucky hat! As I was cleaning up, and we were waiting for our luggage to arrive, Angie did a video tour of our new digs. Samantha loved the balcony and the sliding glass doors. Angie was nuts about the ceiling fan. I was happy to get the bird *!?$ off my shirt. Angie did an interview of Samantha and her opinion of the resort.
How do you like the Wilderness Lodge? Mommy asks.
Pee! Im going to pee off the balcony. Samantha replies.
This was a trend the whole trip. She was in this phase of talking about poop and pee. We thought it would be cute to get her reaction to things on video. The most we usually got was a poop or a pee. So there ya go...our little princess the potty mouth. I was so proud. Sniff. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.
Samantha gave us a good scare. She snatched up a room key and was playing with it on the balcony. I could just see it sailing over the edge to be lost in the bushes below. I wrestled the key away from her just as the bellhop arrived with our luggage. They did a great job of getting our stuff in one trip. I was going to tip him handsomely. But somehow, I forgot how do to math, and with the pressure of him holding his hand out, I didnt give him a big enough tip. He didnt complain, but I knew he would complain to all his buddies about what cheapskates we were.
The ugly incidence forgotten, we prepared to head out LTT PS and MVMCP. Donning our silly hats (Santa Goofy for Dad, Christmas Eeyore headband for Mom, and Christmas Minnie headband for Samantha) we walked to the boat launch. An attack duck blocked our path and eyed us malevolently. It watched us with beady black eyes and quacked its razor sharp bill menacingly. At least thats what Samantha thought; she was terrified of the little fella. After escaping from When Ducks Attack we safely boarded the ferry. During our ride over we were treated to fireworks from the MK.
Wiser in the ways of checking in for off-hour PSs, we entered the LTT unscathed. What can I say about this character meal? It was crowded. It took a long time to get our table. The characters were there, somewhere, just not with us. The food was edible. In fact, the whole thing was remarkably forgettable. It did meet its intended purposes. 1. Filling our bellies, and 2. Getting us in ahead of the party crowd.
Heres a tip for MNSSHP and MVMCP: to avoid crowds, go during the week, avoid the weekend or near the weekend, and dont go the first or last nights.
After eating, we got our free picture and our party T-shirts. Then we rode some rides: Small World, Peter Pan twice, Pooh, Dumbo complete with Santa Hat, Buzz, and Astro-Orbiter.
Astro-Orbiter left Angie pale, and I have to admit it went a little higher and faster than I was prepared for. The girls rode in one orbiter, while I was alone in another. As was relayed to me:
Oh $%&!#$%^ Mommy exclaimed.
We dont say that. Admonished Samantha.
Sometimes you just have to. Mommy retorted.
I interviewed them both after the ride.
What did you think of Astro Orbiter? I asked.
Not when youre pregnant. Angie remarked.
Pee!
Upon watching this interview Angies sister asked her What the Hell do you have on your head? Youd be surprised the things youd wear on vacation.
We grabbed some cookies and watched the special party fireworks from the rose garden by the bridge to Tomorrowland. This is one of my favorite places for fireworks. Its not too crowded, and there are no trees blocking your view. Mommy was interviewing Samantha again.
Are you having a good time?
Poop!
Samantha, we dont talk like that!
I said Pooh, not poop! I was talking about Pooh!
Nice try.
Samantha punctuated every explosion with a scream of delight. At the end of the regular fireworks out pops Santa Goofy to announce Rudolphs flight. Samantha was amazed to see this and said Wow every time they shot the 360-degree fireworks. It was a good show.
After the fireworks it was time for the Celebrate the Season show on the forecourt stage. We picked a good spot being careful not to stand in front of anyone who might not get to see with Samantha on our shoulders. We were not rewarded with the same thoughtfulness. A few parents in the front decided to wait until the show started to hoist their kids up, blocking our view. Despite this inconvenience Samantha was entranced, and she and Mommy were singing along to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The show ended with snow falling on the audience.
We watched the Christmas parade from our favorite spot in Liberty Square. Samantha fell asleep. I tried to wake her, but she didnt want to be awake. I moved back to let some other people see better. It was a shame that she missed it. The parade was one of the best ones I have seen at WDW, and Im not wild about parades. She was pooped, and so were we. It snowed on us as we strolled down Main Street. We boarded the ferry back to the resort after a long long wait.
No one was too excited about tomorrow but me. It was Angies Birthday, and I had been planning a surprise for her for over a year. Would forces conspire against my well made plans??
Highs: Wilderness Lodge, MVMCP.
Lows: Pooping Birds, Astro-Orbiter (but it was still fun), thoughtless people
Tips: Watch out for Birds, Stand upwind from the Geyser, go to the special parties on a weekday.
Part 9a
These are long.
The trip was December 2002.
If you like, you can find the others here. Well, even if you don't, they're still here:
Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7.
Cast:
Sam (30) - the Planner, (1985,1987,2000) Trip # 4
Angie (30) - Eeyore nut and researcher, (2000) Trip # 2
Samantha (3.75) (2000) Trip # 2
Day 5, Tuesday December, 3rd 2002
The Balloon that Ate Manhattan, or Flush, Gurgle, WHOOSH.
Weather: Beautiful. High 70s with scattered clouds.
Plan: Check out ASMo, Check In WL, LTT dinner and MVMCP!
Today, after many, many months of wishing and dreaming, we checked into the Wilderness Lodge. Samantha didnt understand why Mom and Dad acted so Goofy all morning long. Of course she hadnt been planning and dreaming about it since our last trip.
Unfortunately, we had to check out of ASMo first. This is always a little somber. ASMo has a special place in our hearts. It was the first Disney Resort we ever stayed at on our first-ever family trip. I suppose everyone has a special attachment to his or her first, and we are no exception. We spent some time walking around the resort and taking some great pictures of Samantha with Donald and Daisy in the Fantasia area.
We spent the majority of the morning packing our things. As the luggage and packages were piling up by the door, I was getting increasingly worried that we could cram all this junk into our car and take Samantha with us. Angie reassured me that everything would be fine, so off I went to borrow a luggage cart. The CMs reminded me about the time limit and the hefty fine for violators. Egad! I wondered if we could move our things in the narrow time limit. It took two cartloads, plus a few more trips without. (I panicked about what the Mouse might do, and returned the cart a little early. Its best not to tick off the big cheese.) When we left Oklahoma the car was loaded down. Now we had twice as much stuff. We were in trouble, or at least in for a very uncomfortable ride.
Despite the poor packing by me somehow it all fit even Samantha. At least I thought she was in there, but I couldnt see her because of all the bags. Angie was fighting it out with the ridiculously huge Tinkerbell balloon (unofficially known as the balloon that ate Manhattan) shoved at her feet. It was comical. I felt a little like the Clampetts come to Floridee for some fancy doins.
Samantha? Are you back there? Angie asked.
Yes, came her muffled reply.
Moving out! Wayward Ho! I shouted. Finally we were off to the Lodge. Please, keep your spurs and chaps inside the wagon at all times.
The drive over was memorable, and lest we forget it was immortalized on film by my lovely bride, complete with commentary. The turn onto Timberline Drive immediately transports you into the great Northwest. Towering pines block out all signs of Florida. It was so convincing to Samantha that she told me to watch out for bears because bears are mean. Rounding the last turn the Lodge leaps into view, and exorts praise from the crew. A large wreath centered over the valet parking area hinted to what awaited us inside. We park in the parking lot while we check-in.
It was only a short hike to the unbelievable lobby. An immense Christmas tree dominated the lobby just in front of the check-in desk. It was large (and in charge) but still maintained the intimate feeling of the soaring entry. Check-in was slow but friendly, and we were too excited to notice. I checked on being a flag family, but everyday was booked until after we left. Our room wasnt ready, so we took our welcome package and headed out to the courtyard area, filming and snapping pictures like crazed tourists.
Returning inside we decided to grab lunch at the Roaring Forks. I have no idea what we had to eat, but we did buy refillable mugs, the small ones. Apparently, we saved every stinking receipt but this one. I hoped I liked what I ate, because I sure dont remember it.
When we finish lunch it was about time for the geyser to erupt.
We wandered out past the pools and caught the start. Every eruption is slightly different. This one was a long, slow bubbling. Angie was filming the Geyser on our new expensive digital camcorder downwind.
Honey, youre going to get wet. I explain.
Hmm?
Uh, move down this way. She moves a little. I give up.
After about five minutes, I was thinking boy this geyser thing sure is a dud. Then whoosh, a fine misty column of water shot in the air. The spray got me, Samantha, and Angie a little wet. Angie moves. Then there was this sound like an underground toilet flushing, and even more water shot up to new heights. Now this was cool, and we all moved farther upwind of the geyser. The geyser erupts every hour on the hour, and if you listen carefully you can hear it inside the resort. At least we could from our courtyard room. It was never a problem, but faintly in the background flush, gurgle, whoosh, and then sometimes the scream of someone getting doused.
It was warm, and Angie took Samantha to change into her swimming suit. I got some libations from the poolside bar, and we thoroughly enjoyed the sun and our daughter enjoying the water. The kiddie pool is only a foot and a half deep. Toddlers, babies, and a parent or two were playing in the water. Water was splashed. Let me repeat..water was splashed. This was a novel concept to some of the folks at the pool. Toddlers plus water equals splashing. Its a law of nature, an unrefutable fact. Now, was the splashing malicious or intentional? Nope. Just walking around and falling down splashes. I guess some parents have to complain about something. Heres an idea: if you dont want Jr. to get wet, then keep them on dry land.
Finally our room, 4015, was ready. I found out from Angie as we were opening the door that another bird had pooped on my back. Again!? What did I do to them? Why didnt you tell me before?? Crazy birds. Leave me alone! Im not wearing the lucky hat! As I was cleaning up, and we were waiting for our luggage to arrive, Angie did a video tour of our new digs. Samantha loved the balcony and the sliding glass doors. Angie was nuts about the ceiling fan. I was happy to get the bird *!?$ off my shirt. Angie did an interview of Samantha and her opinion of the resort.
How do you like the Wilderness Lodge? Mommy asks.
Pee! Im going to pee off the balcony. Samantha replies.
This was a trend the whole trip. She was in this phase of talking about poop and pee. We thought it would be cute to get her reaction to things on video. The most we usually got was a poop or a pee. So there ya go...our little princess the potty mouth. I was so proud. Sniff. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.
Samantha gave us a good scare. She snatched up a room key and was playing with it on the balcony. I could just see it sailing over the edge to be lost in the bushes below. I wrestled the key away from her just as the bellhop arrived with our luggage. They did a great job of getting our stuff in one trip. I was going to tip him handsomely. But somehow, I forgot how do to math, and with the pressure of him holding his hand out, I didnt give him a big enough tip. He didnt complain, but I knew he would complain to all his buddies about what cheapskates we were.
The ugly incidence forgotten, we prepared to head out LTT PS and MVMCP. Donning our silly hats (Santa Goofy for Dad, Christmas Eeyore headband for Mom, and Christmas Minnie headband for Samantha) we walked to the boat launch. An attack duck blocked our path and eyed us malevolently. It watched us with beady black eyes and quacked its razor sharp bill menacingly. At least thats what Samantha thought; she was terrified of the little fella. After escaping from When Ducks Attack we safely boarded the ferry. During our ride over we were treated to fireworks from the MK.
Wiser in the ways of checking in for off-hour PSs, we entered the LTT unscathed. What can I say about this character meal? It was crowded. It took a long time to get our table. The characters were there, somewhere, just not with us. The food was edible. In fact, the whole thing was remarkably forgettable. It did meet its intended purposes. 1. Filling our bellies, and 2. Getting us in ahead of the party crowd.
Heres a tip for MNSSHP and MVMCP: to avoid crowds, go during the week, avoid the weekend or near the weekend, and dont go the first or last nights.
After eating, we got our free picture and our party T-shirts. Then we rode some rides: Small World, Peter Pan twice, Pooh, Dumbo complete with Santa Hat, Buzz, and Astro-Orbiter.
Astro-Orbiter left Angie pale, and I have to admit it went a little higher and faster than I was prepared for. The girls rode in one orbiter, while I was alone in another. As was relayed to me:
Oh $%&!#$%^ Mommy exclaimed.
We dont say that. Admonished Samantha.
Sometimes you just have to. Mommy retorted.
I interviewed them both after the ride.
What did you think of Astro Orbiter? I asked.
Not when youre pregnant. Angie remarked.
Pee!
Upon watching this interview Angies sister asked her What the Hell do you have on your head? Youd be surprised the things youd wear on vacation.
We grabbed some cookies and watched the special party fireworks from the rose garden by the bridge to Tomorrowland. This is one of my favorite places for fireworks. Its not too crowded, and there are no trees blocking your view. Mommy was interviewing Samantha again.
Are you having a good time?
Poop!
Samantha, we dont talk like that!
I said Pooh, not poop! I was talking about Pooh!
Nice try.
Samantha punctuated every explosion with a scream of delight. At the end of the regular fireworks out pops Santa Goofy to announce Rudolphs flight. Samantha was amazed to see this and said Wow every time they shot the 360-degree fireworks. It was a good show.
After the fireworks it was time for the Celebrate the Season show on the forecourt stage. We picked a good spot being careful not to stand in front of anyone who might not get to see with Samantha on our shoulders. We were not rewarded with the same thoughtfulness. A few parents in the front decided to wait until the show started to hoist their kids up, blocking our view. Despite this inconvenience Samantha was entranced, and she and Mommy were singing along to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The show ended with snow falling on the audience.
We watched the Christmas parade from our favorite spot in Liberty Square. Samantha fell asleep. I tried to wake her, but she didnt want to be awake. I moved back to let some other people see better. It was a shame that she missed it. The parade was one of the best ones I have seen at WDW, and Im not wild about parades. She was pooped, and so were we. It snowed on us as we strolled down Main Street. We boarded the ferry back to the resort after a long long wait.
No one was too excited about tomorrow but me. It was Angies Birthday, and I had been planning a surprise for her for over a year. Would forces conspire against my well made plans??
Highs: Wilderness Lodge, MVMCP.
Lows: Pooping Birds, Astro-Orbiter (but it was still fun), thoughtless people
Tips: Watch out for Birds, Stand upwind from the Geyser, go to the special parties on a weekday.
Part 9a
