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. Part 8.
Part 9a.
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 6, Wednesday December, 4th 2002
The OBother Event Part 2
Weather: Beautiful. High 70s with scattered clouds.
Plan: Angies Birthday Bfast at Chef Mickeys, Angies Birthday Surprise, Angies Birthday Lunch, Angies Birthday Dinner.
I whipped out the camcorder as she looked around the well. She didnt find anything at first. I was starting to worry. Maybe we were too early. Ah ha! Hidden, in plain sight on the well was the start of the Oh Bother event. Basically, it was a scavenger hunt with presents, and clues at various places in the Magic Kingdom. She was blown away. I was amazed at her reaction. She was so excited and shocked that I had pulled it off without her knowing. Mainly because 1. Im lousy at keeping secrets from her and 2. She handles all the money.
She loves Eeyore. Which was good because my plan for this day was Eeyore and Fireworks, another favorite. I thought it would be so cool to have Eeyore give her a birthday present. But, it turned out that Eeyores time was very valuable, too valuable for normal citizens like us. Discouraged, but not defeated, I decided to give Gifts of a Lifetime a try. They do unique things for Birthdays, Anniversaries, or any sort of special event that you want to celebrate or remember. They can even make a video for you to remember your day. You provide specific information about the event, and they customize an experience for you. I filled out a form, which included things like favorite Disney movies, (Beauty and the Beast), characters (Eeyore), and so on, telling Jane at Gifts of a Lifetime about Angie, and what sort of event I wanted. Thus the Oh Bother Event was born.
From Jane at Gifts of a Lifetime:
Oh Bother:
In this event you bring Angela to the location we set up with you and there Angela will find a note addressed to her. It seems that Eeyore is all gloomy over her birthday because he has lost her birthday gift and now no one can celebrate because it is lost somewhere. There will be clues leading all of you around the park in search of the gift. There will be four to five Eeyore themed clues. The gift can be something you choose at home or something for us to get for you from WDW.
They requested photos of each of us, and I picked out a gift in advance. The problem was I didnt have any good pictures of us to send to her. So I made up some lame reason, and took our pictures. I thought the whole thing was very transparent, but Angie never suspected a thing. I decided on 10:15 AM at the wishing well in the Magic Kingdom. I could reschedule up to one or two days before the event. But, I had no way of contacting them because they were on a cruise and wouldnt be back until the third. We had to be there or there would be no birthday presents!
Ok back to the birthday surprise.
She found a laminated note. We were excited. Here is the first note:
Angela,
Oh Bother!
Eeyore is all gloomy over your birthday and has ambled away your gift!
Now we cant celebrate until its found, so you better grab Samanthas hand and start looking.
Lets start by not being gloomy, take a trip on Poohs ride and then seek a clue by the biggest cuddly Eeyore in the store.
Not a problem, we walked really fast and rode Pooh. Bouncing away, it was probably one of the few times that we couldnt wait for the ride to be over. After a brief search she found the Eeyore, and Angie gave it a hug. Tied to a Pooh and Friends jell-mug was the next clue. I didnt know that there would be additional gifts. This was so cool! This was what we were to do (after we rode Pooh again of course):
After giving Eeyore a big hug and gathering your clue, seek something small in the bushes outside Tinkebells ToyShop.
Seasoned from the first search it was easy to find an Eeyore key chain in the bushes and the next clue:
To get over his gloom Eeyore decided to celebrate Christmas a little early.
See whats hiding in the sleigh at the Christmas Shoppe.
This took us a while. I guess the earlier success went to our heads. We found a sleigh with no problem, but there was no clue. Someone was sitting in the sleigh in fact, having a snack. Did he take the clue? I gave him a look youd give a suspicious character. He noticed, and seemed annoyed. Undaunted we searched inside the store, perhaps it was in a different sleigh? Finally a Pixie from Gifts of a Lifetime had to help us along. I was so surprised when she whispered to me to open the back of the sleigh. I never saw anyone following us, and even after I knew whom to look for, I still didnt see anyone. Id make one lousy spy. Opening the box we found an Eeyore headband for Samantha and the next clue.
Eeyores friend Piglet is so small he barely takes up any space at all. So he hid his toy with a clue:
Take Samantha and have a carpet ride. Then find the box of snakes to find your next clue.
Samantha did not want to ride the carpets. I think she was afraid the Genie might be there. It wasnt her birthday, so we made her go. Luckily the Genie wasnt there, and we flew in great sweeping circles over Agrabah. We found the box of snakes after a few false starts. Inside the box was an Eeyore pin and the last clue.
In the Hundred Acre Woods Eeyore and his friends believe that all is well that ends well, a well.
Back to the well! There wrapped up in the arms of a stuffed Eeyore was her final birthday gift, a new Eeyore watch. She put it on immediately, and declared that this was the best birthday present ever. She called her Mom, and told her what I had done. She said I would never be able to top this. Shes probably right, but Ill continue to try.
Jane was great she patiently answered my many emails and phone calls. I highly recommend Gifts of a Lifetime for a unique way to celebrate that special occasion. We had a fantastic time.
We rode IASW, and sang along, quietly. Mom opted to get FPs for Pan while Samantha and I whirled around holding our magic feather high above us on Dumbo. Momentarily, at a loss on what to do we decided to try Jungle Cruise.
This was a first for Angie and Samantha, it was one of my favorites from when I was younger. They were not giving out FPs, but the standby line didnt look too bad. Look being the operative word. It was a long and winding road. It didnt bother me. I enjoyed the puns, fake announcements, and themeing of the queue. I wasnt pregnant either. The line was miserable for my wife. It was a good thirty or forty minutes with no breeze, and high humidity. Plus, there was the issue of personal space and hygiene. Too many people too close together some of which were starting to smell. Did you know that pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell? Ooh did you also know that normally benign smells could be adverse? I do now.
Speaking of smells, this is something I wrote for my daughter:
Snails smell well other Swell Smelly Snails
Back to the cruise Once we are on the ride, everyone has a good time. However, not good enough to endure the line ever again. No FPs no Jungle Cruise.
We survived the expedition (unlike the previous crew) and found ourselves near the Tiki room. Who can pass up the Tiki Room when they are that close? Well, a bunch of people apparently because there was no line. We enjoyed the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room as always, even with Iago. My daughter thinks he is hilarious. He does get hurt often, and I enjoy slapstick. So, Iago is all right with me too. We helped perform a little magic and off we went, Hi Ho, Hi Ho, to save Wendy from that dastardly pirate, Capn Hook.
Three hours or so after the end of the Oh Bother event we were ready for lunch. Which was bad because our PS for Tonys Town Square wasnt for another thirty minutes. We wanted a seat on the patio, and thought it was a good idea to head over early. I had planned for 2:30 so that wed be able to see the parade while we ate. Originally we were going to dine at the Crystal Palace to see Eeyore, but it was being refurbished. Instead Eeyore and friends would be at Tonys. This turned out to be a really good thing because we wouldnt have eaten there otherwise.
I politely checked in, apologizing that we were early, and asked if it wasnt too much to sit on the patio. We didnt mind waiting. I was told, not a problem. A few minutes later we were led to a table indoors, not on the patio.
Uh, would it be OK if we waited for a table on the patio? It would make my wifes birthday even more special. I pleaded.
Not a problem.
Ok, I played up the birthday a little much, and they knew it. But when we were seated at our excellent patio table I was pleased. Angie had spaghetti and meatball, not meatballs, just one huge meatball. I even took a picture of it. I had something good, and so did Samantha. Tigger and then Pooh came over to our table. Eeyore was still inside. Pooh came back, still no Eeyore. In fact, it looked like he wasnt coming out. This would not do. Eeyore did come to our table, saving the best for last. It was worth the wait. The smile on my wifes face was incredible.
The CMs again thought it was Samanthas birthday (and Angie let them and took off the birthday button
)and brought her a special cupcake. The CM sprinkled the table with Mickey Head confetti, and it made Samanthas day. The CM gave her extra confetti to take home, and instructed her to sprinkle it whenever she needed a little magic (which was two minutes later). It was a nice surprise. What a great CM!
As we started desert the parade came by. We watched most of it from our table. Everyone enjoyed the desert except me. I chose the Tiramisu without knowing anything about it except that it was supposed to be the best desert at Tonys. It was probably delicious. I just couldnt choke down more than a few forkfuls. I dont like coffee. To remember the day Angie bought an Eeyore T-shirt, a very blustery day.
We peeked into Space Mountain on a ride of the TTA. Buzz beckoned and I won even while steering, shooting and video taping at the same time. Samantha decided to buy an Ion Blaster thing to take home.
We finished up the MK with popcorn and snacks in the Rose Garden while watching the evening fireworks.
We had planned to go to Epcot, but instead we headed back to the WL. I took Samantha swimming while Angie vegetated and watched the Electric Water Pageant from our balcony.
Samantha and I were rebellious, we went down the slide together. Of course we were admonished not to do it again. Only one at a time please. We splashed in the big pool, and shivering dashed to the kiddie pool. Then to mix it up, we splashed in the big pool again. It was cool, but the water was warm. Just dont get out of the water ok lets stay in the kiddie pool instead. Wet and tired we finally found our way to our room.
There is no better way to cap off a birthday like a little laundry. It was late, and it was busy, and it was a bunch of laundry, a gaggle of laundry, a pod of laundry. It was a lot. Laundry was laundry, but I was surprised at how small and unkempt the laundry room was at the WL. It took too long and the dryers didnt work very well. It was just like any other crummy Laundromat I have ever been to. There shouldve been something unique about it. Couldnt the washers sing harmony? Each one adding a different note or rhythm so that when they were all going it would be a Disney song. The dryers flashing with fiberoptics could advertise attractions, parks, or shows. Couldnt it be?
It was a great day, and tomorrow we were excited about the famous cheese soup and the Candlelight Processional.
Highs: Oh Bother Event, Tonys Town Square.
Lows: Morning sickness, Laundry.
Tips: Gifts of a Lifetime is fantastically fun, Tonys Town Square at 2:30 is a great place to watch the parade, only one on the slide and they mean it! Bring your own laundry supplies.
Part 10.
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. Part 8.
Part 9a.
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 6, Wednesday December, 4th 2002
The OBother Event Part 2
Weather: Beautiful. High 70s with scattered clouds.
Plan: Angies Birthday Bfast at Chef Mickeys, Angies Birthday Surprise, Angies Birthday Lunch, Angies Birthday Dinner.
I whipped out the camcorder as she looked around the well. She didnt find anything at first. I was starting to worry. Maybe we were too early. Ah ha! Hidden, in plain sight on the well was the start of the Oh Bother event. Basically, it was a scavenger hunt with presents, and clues at various places in the Magic Kingdom. She was blown away. I was amazed at her reaction. She was so excited and shocked that I had pulled it off without her knowing. Mainly because 1. Im lousy at keeping secrets from her and 2. She handles all the money.
She loves Eeyore. Which was good because my plan for this day was Eeyore and Fireworks, another favorite. I thought it would be so cool to have Eeyore give her a birthday present. But, it turned out that Eeyores time was very valuable, too valuable for normal citizens like us. Discouraged, but not defeated, I decided to give Gifts of a Lifetime a try. They do unique things for Birthdays, Anniversaries, or any sort of special event that you want to celebrate or remember. They can even make a video for you to remember your day. You provide specific information about the event, and they customize an experience for you. I filled out a form, which included things like favorite Disney movies, (Beauty and the Beast), characters (Eeyore), and so on, telling Jane at Gifts of a Lifetime about Angie, and what sort of event I wanted. Thus the Oh Bother Event was born.
From Jane at Gifts of a Lifetime:
Oh Bother:
In this event you bring Angela to the location we set up with you and there Angela will find a note addressed to her. It seems that Eeyore is all gloomy over her birthday because he has lost her birthday gift and now no one can celebrate because it is lost somewhere. There will be clues leading all of you around the park in search of the gift. There will be four to five Eeyore themed clues. The gift can be something you choose at home or something for us to get for you from WDW.
They requested photos of each of us, and I picked out a gift in advance. The problem was I didnt have any good pictures of us to send to her. So I made up some lame reason, and took our pictures. I thought the whole thing was very transparent, but Angie never suspected a thing. I decided on 10:15 AM at the wishing well in the Magic Kingdom. I could reschedule up to one or two days before the event. But, I had no way of contacting them because they were on a cruise and wouldnt be back until the third. We had to be there or there would be no birthday presents!
Ok back to the birthday surprise.
She found a laminated note. We were excited. Here is the first note:
Angela,
Oh Bother!
Eeyore is all gloomy over your birthday and has ambled away your gift!
Now we cant celebrate until its found, so you better grab Samanthas hand and start looking.
Lets start by not being gloomy, take a trip on Poohs ride and then seek a clue by the biggest cuddly Eeyore in the store.
Not a problem, we walked really fast and rode Pooh. Bouncing away, it was probably one of the few times that we couldnt wait for the ride to be over. After a brief search she found the Eeyore, and Angie gave it a hug. Tied to a Pooh and Friends jell-mug was the next clue. I didnt know that there would be additional gifts. This was so cool! This was what we were to do (after we rode Pooh again of course):
After giving Eeyore a big hug and gathering your clue, seek something small in the bushes outside Tinkebells ToyShop.
Seasoned from the first search it was easy to find an Eeyore key chain in the bushes and the next clue:
To get over his gloom Eeyore decided to celebrate Christmas a little early.
See whats hiding in the sleigh at the Christmas Shoppe.
This took us a while. I guess the earlier success went to our heads. We found a sleigh with no problem, but there was no clue. Someone was sitting in the sleigh in fact, having a snack. Did he take the clue? I gave him a look youd give a suspicious character. He noticed, and seemed annoyed. Undaunted we searched inside the store, perhaps it was in a different sleigh? Finally a Pixie from Gifts of a Lifetime had to help us along. I was so surprised when she whispered to me to open the back of the sleigh. I never saw anyone following us, and even after I knew whom to look for, I still didnt see anyone. Id make one lousy spy. Opening the box we found an Eeyore headband for Samantha and the next clue.
Eeyores friend Piglet is so small he barely takes up any space at all. So he hid his toy with a clue:
Take Samantha and have a carpet ride. Then find the box of snakes to find your next clue.
Samantha did not want to ride the carpets. I think she was afraid the Genie might be there. It wasnt her birthday, so we made her go. Luckily the Genie wasnt there, and we flew in great sweeping circles over Agrabah. We found the box of snakes after a few false starts. Inside the box was an Eeyore pin and the last clue.
In the Hundred Acre Woods Eeyore and his friends believe that all is well that ends well, a well.
Back to the well! There wrapped up in the arms of a stuffed Eeyore was her final birthday gift, a new Eeyore watch. She put it on immediately, and declared that this was the best birthday present ever. She called her Mom, and told her what I had done. She said I would never be able to top this. Shes probably right, but Ill continue to try.
Jane was great she patiently answered my many emails and phone calls. I highly recommend Gifts of a Lifetime for a unique way to celebrate that special occasion. We had a fantastic time.
We rode IASW, and sang along, quietly. Mom opted to get FPs for Pan while Samantha and I whirled around holding our magic feather high above us on Dumbo. Momentarily, at a loss on what to do we decided to try Jungle Cruise.
This was a first for Angie and Samantha, it was one of my favorites from when I was younger. They were not giving out FPs, but the standby line didnt look too bad. Look being the operative word. It was a long and winding road. It didnt bother me. I enjoyed the puns, fake announcements, and themeing of the queue. I wasnt pregnant either. The line was miserable for my wife. It was a good thirty or forty minutes with no breeze, and high humidity. Plus, there was the issue of personal space and hygiene. Too many people too close together some of which were starting to smell. Did you know that pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell? Ooh did you also know that normally benign smells could be adverse? I do now.
Speaking of smells, this is something I wrote for my daughter:
Snails smell well other Swell Smelly Snails
Back to the cruise Once we are on the ride, everyone has a good time. However, not good enough to endure the line ever again. No FPs no Jungle Cruise.
We survived the expedition (unlike the previous crew) and found ourselves near the Tiki room. Who can pass up the Tiki Room when they are that close? Well, a bunch of people apparently because there was no line. We enjoyed the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room as always, even with Iago. My daughter thinks he is hilarious. He does get hurt often, and I enjoy slapstick. So, Iago is all right with me too. We helped perform a little magic and off we went, Hi Ho, Hi Ho, to save Wendy from that dastardly pirate, Capn Hook.
Three hours or so after the end of the Oh Bother event we were ready for lunch. Which was bad because our PS for Tonys Town Square wasnt for another thirty minutes. We wanted a seat on the patio, and thought it was a good idea to head over early. I had planned for 2:30 so that wed be able to see the parade while we ate. Originally we were going to dine at the Crystal Palace to see Eeyore, but it was being refurbished. Instead Eeyore and friends would be at Tonys. This turned out to be a really good thing because we wouldnt have eaten there otherwise.
I politely checked in, apologizing that we were early, and asked if it wasnt too much to sit on the patio. We didnt mind waiting. I was told, not a problem. A few minutes later we were led to a table indoors, not on the patio.
Uh, would it be OK if we waited for a table on the patio? It would make my wifes birthday even more special. I pleaded.
Not a problem.
Ok, I played up the birthday a little much, and they knew it. But when we were seated at our excellent patio table I was pleased. Angie had spaghetti and meatball, not meatballs, just one huge meatball. I even took a picture of it. I had something good, and so did Samantha. Tigger and then Pooh came over to our table. Eeyore was still inside. Pooh came back, still no Eeyore. In fact, it looked like he wasnt coming out. This would not do. Eeyore did come to our table, saving the best for last. It was worth the wait. The smile on my wifes face was incredible.
The CMs again thought it was Samanthas birthday (and Angie let them and took off the birthday button
)and brought her a special cupcake. The CM sprinkled the table with Mickey Head confetti, and it made Samanthas day. The CM gave her extra confetti to take home, and instructed her to sprinkle it whenever she needed a little magic (which was two minutes later). It was a nice surprise. What a great CM!As we started desert the parade came by. We watched most of it from our table. Everyone enjoyed the desert except me. I chose the Tiramisu without knowing anything about it except that it was supposed to be the best desert at Tonys. It was probably delicious. I just couldnt choke down more than a few forkfuls. I dont like coffee. To remember the day Angie bought an Eeyore T-shirt, a very blustery day.
We peeked into Space Mountain on a ride of the TTA. Buzz beckoned and I won even while steering, shooting and video taping at the same time. Samantha decided to buy an Ion Blaster thing to take home.
We finished up the MK with popcorn and snacks in the Rose Garden while watching the evening fireworks.
We had planned to go to Epcot, but instead we headed back to the WL. I took Samantha swimming while Angie vegetated and watched the Electric Water Pageant from our balcony.
Samantha and I were rebellious, we went down the slide together. Of course we were admonished not to do it again. Only one at a time please. We splashed in the big pool, and shivering dashed to the kiddie pool. Then to mix it up, we splashed in the big pool again. It was cool, but the water was warm. Just dont get out of the water ok lets stay in the kiddie pool instead. Wet and tired we finally found our way to our room.
There is no better way to cap off a birthday like a little laundry. It was late, and it was busy, and it was a bunch of laundry, a gaggle of laundry, a pod of laundry. It was a lot. Laundry was laundry, but I was surprised at how small and unkempt the laundry room was at the WL. It took too long and the dryers didnt work very well. It was just like any other crummy Laundromat I have ever been to. There shouldve been something unique about it. Couldnt the washers sing harmony? Each one adding a different note or rhythm so that when they were all going it would be a Disney song. The dryers flashing with fiberoptics could advertise attractions, parks, or shows. Couldnt it be?
It was a great day, and tomorrow we were excited about the famous cheese soup and the Candlelight Processional.
Highs: Oh Bother Event, Tonys Town Square.
Lows: Morning sickness, Laundry.
Tips: Gifts of a Lifetime is fantastically fun, Tonys Town Square at 2:30 is a great place to watch the parade, only one on the slide and they mean it! Bring your own laundry supplies.
Part 10.
