Mouse's Shadow
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2006
- Messages
- 751
The report's great. I loved the POTC story. It cracked me up. 
We leave in 12 days for POR. Can't wait.
We leave in 12 days for POR. Can't wait.
A Jersey Family In WDW And It Wasnt Even Jersey Week (FINAL DAY POSTED)
- Thread starter jsfein
- Start date
soldiersmom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2006
- Messages
- 80
What a fun report! The pin-trading personality profiles were great.
The saga of the Pirates gift shop reminded me of the time my DS talked us into a Davy Crocket rifle (very long!) over at Ft. Wilderness while we were waiting for the Hoop De Do Revue. Same warning about making sure it's in the checked luggage when you fly home. He had tremendous fun with it all week, but when it came time to pack up and go home, PANIC! The gun was waaaaay to long to fit into any of our suitcases. Tears! Gnashing of teeth! Until...the light finally dawns. Dad brought his golf clubs! So Davy's rifle rode home in the golf bag.
Enjoying your trip vicariously--keep it coming!
The saga of the Pirates gift shop reminded me of the time my DS talked us into a Davy Crocket rifle (very long!) over at Ft. Wilderness while we were waiting for the Hoop De Do Revue. Same warning about making sure it's in the checked luggage when you fly home. He had tremendous fun with it all week, but when it came time to pack up and go home, PANIC! The gun was waaaaay to long to fit into any of our suitcases. Tears! Gnashing of teeth! Until...the light finally dawns. Dad brought his golf clubs! So Davy's rifle rode home in the golf bag.
Enjoying your trip vicariously--keep it coming!
kimbac3 said:Luckily DH is a former Marine and was used to carrying 100 pounds of "important" stuff!!
Kimba
PS Hello from South Jersey....we don't go Jersey week...too cliche!
Maybe your husband and I can double date. "Backpack" and I also enjoyed many attractions together.
PoohBearFreak32
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2006
- Messages
- 47
Great job with the trip report so far. It's laugh out loud funny! Keep up the good work.
My kids hate ponchos. I dont know why, but they do. I didnt know of their strong feelings against ponchos until this trip, but they had no trouble expressing those feelings. Especially DS6. When we left for dinner in our ponchos, he stated ever so succinctly, I hate this stupid poncho. They bemoaned the ponchos; they threatened us over the ponchos; they threatened to take the ponchos off; they threatened the ponchos with bodily harm. Who would have thought that a piece of plastic could evoke such emotions.
I got so sick and tired of hearing the kids complain about the ponchos that I outlawed the word poncho from that point forward for the remainder of the vacation. This, of course, immediately caused the kids to start screaming Poncho!! Poncho!! Poncho!! just to rile me up. Once it became a game, their attention was diverted, at least momentarily, from the ponchos. Disney Dad Extraordinaire and Child Psychologist Extraordinaire.
Truth be told, I thought the ponchos kind of sucked too, but it was better than the alternative of getting soaked.
It was too bad it was raining because weve never really explored the Boardwalk area and it was our first time at Spoodles. We would have liked to have walked around and taken notice of how unlike the Boardwalk was to the Jersey Shore sorry but were shore snobs. Dinner at Spoodles was pretty good and I really liked the dining room. Id return on the DDP, but probably not if paying those prices out of pocket.
As our original plan had us in MGM this night for Fantasmic, we decided to give MGM a shot in the rain with no Fantasmic. This plan did not work out well. I have not spoken much of DD4's behavior in this trip report because I'm trying to be kind and don't want to look back on this report years in the future and reflect poorly on DD4. Simply put, when she puts her mind to it (which is often) she can be a difficult child. Conversely, she can also be the most charming of the bunch as well. Her highs reach very high and her lows well, they can get pretty low. On this particular night, DD4 would have none of the rain, the ponchos, or MGM. We made it from the MGM parking lot to the bag check point when DD4 refused to go any further. She was miserable and determined to make everyone else in a 50 foot radius as miserable as her. We somehow managed to get her through the entrance turnstiles, but she would go no further. The boys wanted to plow ahead, rain, Ernesto and all, so DW volunteered to return to POR with DD4 and Backpack. I told DW to take the car back, but she decided on the bus and to leave us guys with the car.
So it turned out to be boys night out in the rain at MGM (although we never identified Backpack's gender, Backpack seemed more feminine than male with her lotions, pin necklaces and the like). This was the first time in our travels to WDW that we split up like this and, although DW and DD4 were missed, we had a fun evening. MGM was deserted and everything was a walk on. It would have been a great time for ToT and RnR, but DS6 isnt tall enough for RnR, and they werent interested in ToT. Instead, we rode Star Tours with just two other people and saw Muppets 3D in a nearly empty theater. We eventually ended the night in The Magic of Disney Animation which was a first for us. DS8 was totally into it. We had fun with the interactive activities and then DS8 caught sight of the Animation Academy. Much to DS8s disappointment, we had just missed the last animation class for the night. I promised that we would return to the Animation Academy when we returned to MGM later in the week (upcoming trip report entry -- it didn't go well).
Back to POR and I had a big time treat in store for DS6 the arcade. The arcade is DS6s favorite part of a Disney vacation. We had spent nearly two full days at Disney and he must have asked to visit the arcade no less than 20 times. With DW and DD4 out of the picture, this was the perfect opportunity to really make it a boys night out. The boys were besides themselves when they realized where we were going. We spent the next hour shooting dinosaurs, racing cars, playing skee ball, shooting hoops and playing air hockey.
Now that DS6s arcade itch had been scratched, the asking to return to the arcade intensified ten fold, to the point, like with the ponchos, the word arcade was banned from use for the rest of the vacation. DS6 immediately improvised the phrase you know where for arcade and continued his barrage of requests for a return visit. Every ten minutes we would hear, "When we get back to the hotel, can we go you know where?" His use of the phrase you know where reminded me so much of He Who Must Not Be Named (Harry Potter reference for those not in the know) that he had me in stitches every time he uttered it.
Now, three weeks later, the words poncho and arcade are the Jersey Family's inside joke. Without a doubt, these words will be an integral part of our Disney vacations to come.
The girls had a story worth retelling concerning their return to POR. According to DW, her relationship with DD4 hit its lowest point ever from the time they left us to catch a bus back to POR. DD4 was miserable, nasty and mean. DW admitted that she was kind of nasty herself. People waiting for the bus moved away; far, far away from the Jersey Family women in the bus queue. However, once on the bus and out of the rain, DD4 transfomed into a charming and personable little princess. After the bus dropped them off and they were walking back in the rain well you get the picture. But it doesnt end there.
Remember that tidbit about the black cloud that follows me with park tickets and room key cards, well the black cloud followed the girls back to POR. DWs room key card, which I had been holding all day until we split up at MGM, wouldnt open the door. So, in the torrential down pour and with "Evil" by her side (DS8's affectionate nickname for his little sister), they had to take the long walk to the POR main building to get a new room key and then walk back. You guessed it, I had somehow demagnetized DW's room key card.
Am I ever glad that it was DW that volunteered to leave MGM and return to the hotel with DD4? You Betcha!!
I got so sick and tired of hearing the kids complain about the ponchos that I outlawed the word poncho from that point forward for the remainder of the vacation. This, of course, immediately caused the kids to start screaming Poncho!! Poncho!! Poncho!! just to rile me up. Once it became a game, their attention was diverted, at least momentarily, from the ponchos. Disney Dad Extraordinaire and Child Psychologist Extraordinaire.
Truth be told, I thought the ponchos kind of sucked too, but it was better than the alternative of getting soaked.
It was too bad it was raining because weve never really explored the Boardwalk area and it was our first time at Spoodles. We would have liked to have walked around and taken notice of how unlike the Boardwalk was to the Jersey Shore sorry but were shore snobs. Dinner at Spoodles was pretty good and I really liked the dining room. Id return on the DDP, but probably not if paying those prices out of pocket.
As our original plan had us in MGM this night for Fantasmic, we decided to give MGM a shot in the rain with no Fantasmic. This plan did not work out well. I have not spoken much of DD4's behavior in this trip report because I'm trying to be kind and don't want to look back on this report years in the future and reflect poorly on DD4. Simply put, when she puts her mind to it (which is often) she can be a difficult child. Conversely, she can also be the most charming of the bunch as well. Her highs reach very high and her lows well, they can get pretty low. On this particular night, DD4 would have none of the rain, the ponchos, or MGM. We made it from the MGM parking lot to the bag check point when DD4 refused to go any further. She was miserable and determined to make everyone else in a 50 foot radius as miserable as her. We somehow managed to get her through the entrance turnstiles, but she would go no further. The boys wanted to plow ahead, rain, Ernesto and all, so DW volunteered to return to POR with DD4 and Backpack. I told DW to take the car back, but she decided on the bus and to leave us guys with the car.
So it turned out to be boys night out in the rain at MGM (although we never identified Backpack's gender, Backpack seemed more feminine than male with her lotions, pin necklaces and the like). This was the first time in our travels to WDW that we split up like this and, although DW and DD4 were missed, we had a fun evening. MGM was deserted and everything was a walk on. It would have been a great time for ToT and RnR, but DS6 isnt tall enough for RnR, and they werent interested in ToT. Instead, we rode Star Tours with just two other people and saw Muppets 3D in a nearly empty theater. We eventually ended the night in The Magic of Disney Animation which was a first for us. DS8 was totally into it. We had fun with the interactive activities and then DS8 caught sight of the Animation Academy. Much to DS8s disappointment, we had just missed the last animation class for the night. I promised that we would return to the Animation Academy when we returned to MGM later in the week (upcoming trip report entry -- it didn't go well).
Back to POR and I had a big time treat in store for DS6 the arcade. The arcade is DS6s favorite part of a Disney vacation. We had spent nearly two full days at Disney and he must have asked to visit the arcade no less than 20 times. With DW and DD4 out of the picture, this was the perfect opportunity to really make it a boys night out. The boys were besides themselves when they realized where we were going. We spent the next hour shooting dinosaurs, racing cars, playing skee ball, shooting hoops and playing air hockey.
Now that DS6s arcade itch had been scratched, the asking to return to the arcade intensified ten fold, to the point, like with the ponchos, the word arcade was banned from use for the rest of the vacation. DS6 immediately improvised the phrase you know where for arcade and continued his barrage of requests for a return visit. Every ten minutes we would hear, "When we get back to the hotel, can we go you know where?" His use of the phrase you know where reminded me so much of He Who Must Not Be Named (Harry Potter reference for those not in the know) that he had me in stitches every time he uttered it.
Now, three weeks later, the words poncho and arcade are the Jersey Family's inside joke. Without a doubt, these words will be an integral part of our Disney vacations to come.
The girls had a story worth retelling concerning their return to POR. According to DW, her relationship with DD4 hit its lowest point ever from the time they left us to catch a bus back to POR. DD4 was miserable, nasty and mean. DW admitted that she was kind of nasty herself. People waiting for the bus moved away; far, far away from the Jersey Family women in the bus queue. However, once on the bus and out of the rain, DD4 transfomed into a charming and personable little princess. After the bus dropped them off and they were walking back in the rain well you get the picture. But it doesnt end there.
Remember that tidbit about the black cloud that follows me with park tickets and room key cards, well the black cloud followed the girls back to POR. DWs room key card, which I had been holding all day until we split up at MGM, wouldnt open the door. So, in the torrential down pour and with "Evil" by her side (DS8's affectionate nickname for his little sister), they had to take the long walk to the POR main building to get a new room key and then walk back. You guessed it, I had somehow demagnetized DW's room key card.
Am I ever glad that it was DW that volunteered to leave MGM and return to the hotel with DD4? You Betcha!!
Nice to meet you! Your just
Credit Man
<font color=teal>Love the shark reef<br><font colo
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2000
- Messages
- 4,814
Another Freeholder here. Enjoying your report.
In our family, the Animal Kingdom is affectionately known as the park that always ruins the vacation. Year after year we enter the Animal Kingdoms gates cheery eyed and ready for adventure. Invariably, a mere few hours later (its always the park where we last the shortest), we exit in a family feud with no one talking to one another.
This year, things would be different. I determined that the reason why we always have a miserable time at AK is because we always enter through the gates on the right side. This year, I decided, we will enter on the left. I am convinced that this monumental change in our touring strategy made all the difference in the world. Im further convinced that if you ever come across a feuding family at AK you can be sure that they entered the park on the right sided gates and not the left. You can ask them yourself to verify, but its already been scientifically proven by my family. Really.
Our fate was immediately changed for the better upon joining the left sided line when we were visited by Wes Palm (the talking palm tree). The kids have Castmember-like name plates on their pin lanyards, so Wes Palm addressed them all by name and they made small talk for a few minutes. Its these little touches that make a Disney vacation so memorable.
Perhaps DS8s favorite diversion of all the parks are the bugs the Cast Members have on display at opening at AK. I have few regrets from this trip, in fact, other than this, I can think of no other, but I wish I had allowed more time for DS8 to inspect the bugs.
We only allot one day on our vacations to AK and Expedition Everest was at the top of not only my agenda, but also on the top of the agenda for most of the other guests there with us. I really wanted to get EE out of the way and then let the day unfold however the kids wanted.
DS8 was pissed, I mean really pissed, that I cut his bug inspection short. I think he may have called me a poncho. He simply wouldnt leave the area. I plowed ahead with the other two in the stroller with hopes that DW would get DS8 to budge and somehow find us in the masses.
Next time around I will do things differently. No, I probably wont view the centipedes with my son. I will, however, leave DW and the kids behind to inspect the bugs at their leisure and Ill go ahead and get us some EE Fastpasses. I love my kid and all, but I can only compromise so much (just ask my wife) and EE trumps bugs.
I wish I could report that EE was worth pissing off my kid and the subsequent stampede, but, alas, EE was down and not running. Like everyone else, we grabbed Fastpasses, crossed our fingers, and moved on.
DD4 was not in one of her better moods and her attitude was rubbing off on DW. I was concerned that we were on the road to our typical AK visit, so I intervened and separated mother and daughter. DW and the boys pin traded while DD4 and I caught the Flights of Wonder pre-show. Never the shy one, when the Castmember holding the owl asked the audience if anyone had any questions, DD4 asked, Do owls eat their poop? The owl handler was at a loss for words. I mentioned to the guy next to me that she was some kid I found wandering alone in the park.
After some wild and crazy bird tricks and a couple of rides down Kali River Rapids, we expectantly returned to EE to find the ride still down. At this point I was concerned. I had no plans to return to AK and started mentally running through the rest of the weeks plans in case the ride didnt come on line and we needed to make a return visit. The thought of two family meltdowns at AK in the same week sent shivers down my spine.
We let the kids decide what to do next and they chose the Maharajah Jungle Trek. This was the first time we explored this area of AK and, dont tell the kids, the last. While I certainly dont think of AK as a zoo, this part of AK is just like a zoo. There are plenty of zoos to be seen at home, but only one EE. Why, oh why, EE did you not save me from the Jungle Trek?
While the day didnt necessarily have a plan to it, the day wasnt proceeding as intended with EE still down so we journeyed over to Dinoland. We had good success feeding the kids McDonalds for lunch in Epcot and decided to wait for Restaurantosaurus to open to do the McDonalds thing again. This was a great plan for DS6 and DD4, but DS8, DW and I didnt want McDonalds. I then had a genius plan.
I went to Flame Tree BBQ. With the empty double stroller. I asked Backpack if she wanted to join me, but she decided to hold my seat for me in Restaurantosaurus. When the gargantuan amount of DDP food was delivered by the Flame Tree BBQ staff, I loaded it into the empty stroller and whisked it back to Restaurantosaurus. My best use of a double stroller to date.
What better after eating a huge lunch than a ride on Dinosaur. We nearly upchucked nearly everything we just ate and are still recovering from the partial hearing loss three weeks later.
I look forward to the day that we can pass over The Boneyard, but that day was not today. After some climbing and sliding, we crossed over to the Dino Dig. As a parent watching your kids digging for fossils it is impossible not to pick up the little pebbles and let them sift through your hands its like eating a potato chip; you cant have just one. That is, until the handful of pebbles you just picked up has a bloody, discarded bandaid in it. Yes, I was sufficiently grossed out.
And then there was rain. But no ponchos. The kids had rejected the concept of ponchos the night before and we just didnt bother bringing them with us. Besides, Backpack was already bursting at her seams and there was no where to keep them. The rain the boys and I experienced the night before at MGM from Ernesto was a joke compared to this rain. It came down hard, cold and furious.
And we were trapped. The Boneyard closed and we took shelter under the overpass from The Boneyard to the Dino Dig. However, when the skies opened up, the overpass provided virtually no shelter. We needed to get indoors. Its Tough To Be A Bug was the obvious answer, but DS6 has issues with this attraction so it wasnt an option. We ran to a shop, completely drenched, and waited out the storm.
I think the storm provided us some much needed relief. We were reenergized. And so ready for EE. Please, oh please be running. And lo and behold, it was. And lo and behold, I was disappointed. Dont get me wrong, it was a pretty cool attraction. But I was expecting more. Maybe some snow or a change in climate or a thinning of the air as you ascended Everest or some more Yeti or some more thrills. I guess my expectations were too high, even by Disney standards.
Despite the few hiccups with EE being down and the rain, we were actually having a good day at AK. Leave now and we could call the day a success. Push forward and we may end up with the family feud we anticipated. A roll of the dice and we pushed forward.
Kilimanjaro Safaris is fine the first time you experience it, but, at least for me, it lost all of its appeal after the first time. Yet, Ive returned again and again. I really didnt want to return today and would have been perfectly happy for DW to take the kids, but DW dragged me along.
And guess what? It was actually good. Really good. We had a great safari driver with a fun personality. The conventional wisdom is ride early when its not too hot and the animals are more active. All my prior experiences with the Safari followed this advice and the ride was always the same boring. Perhaps the afternoon rain awakened the animals or maybe it was simply the fact that we entered through the left sided entrance, but the animals were out, about and active.
With the roll we were on we took the train to Rafikis Planet Watch. Another first time, dont tell the kids, last time experience. It was on our way back to the Wildlife Express that we had our first magical moment as a result of the generosity of a Castmember.
I had purchased (well, not purchased but secured for free via the DDP) ice cream for the kids, which they ate as we walked the trail back to the train. I was walking ahead with DS6 and DD4 who both inhaled their ice cream. DW and DS8 lagged behind as DS8 savored his ice cream. When DW and DS8 caught up with us at the train station, DS8 was in tears. His deliberate eating style and the Florida sun didnt bode well for his Mickey Bar and it fell off the stick and onto the ground.
DS8 is not one to shrug something like this off and, despite the insignificant nature of the disaster, was distraught. I promised a new Mickey Bar once we returned to Africa or wherever it was the train was taking us, but he was inconsolable.
Until the magic of Disney intervened. Apparently, a wonderful Castmember had witnessed the event and its aftermath. She approached DS8 and told him that she had something for him. It was a ticket that could be redeemed for a free snack. Now, I could have handed the kid my room key card that had 34 snack credits left on it or handed him 3 bucks, but I doubt my efforts would have had the same effect. The tears dried up and we thanked the Castmember profusely. More free food from Disney. Oy.
The ticket was a golden yellow color and we aptly named it The Golden Ticket and had a grand ole time singing Willy Wonka songs on the train ride back to Africa. All was good again in the AK.
For those keeping score, the ingredients for a good day at the AK are enter on the left, an afternoon rain storm, and a Golden Ticket.
We were in unchartered territory. It was 3:45 pm. We had never been at AK at such an hour. Press our luck and try to see Mickeys Jammin Jungle Parade for the first time or cash in while we were ahead. We rolled the dice again. Im glad we saw the Parade and can now cross it off our list of things we havent done, but for us it wasnt a must do again kind of thing. Plus, it took forever to exit the park following the parade.
Given the hour and our 6:20 pm ADR at Coral Reef, we didnt feel we had time to return to the hotel so we went straight to Epcot. A power nap on Spaceship Earth helped quite a bit. In Innoventions, the boys lost to the girls in putting out fires at the Liberty Mutual exhibit. We then practiced safety drills in escaping from a burning house. Do you have a fire escape plan and meeting place in the event of a fire in your home? We dont but will develop one now that we participated in this exhibit. It was very well done.
We arrived at Coral Reef 20 minutes early and werent seated until 20 minutes after our ADR time for a total 40 minute wait. By far, the longest wait for a table of our trip. The wait was difficult for us and the kids, but it was our first time there and we waited it out. Once we were finally seated, the kids were enamored by the aquarium. There was a scuba dive going on and the divers were quite interactive with the diners and kept us all amused. I ordered fish and told the kids that the divers were picking out my dinner. They were disgusted. Incidentally, they werent disgusted by DW ordering crab cakes at an aquarium. The food was so-so. The chocolate wave dessert was amazing --- best dessert of the vacation and I tasted my fair share of desserts. All in all, a fun experience that may have rated even higher if the wait hadnt been so bad.
We were way too tired to spend any more time in Epcot and returned to POR for a night swim. Much better than a day swim. The water was cool and refreshing. What a great day!!
This year, things would be different. I determined that the reason why we always have a miserable time at AK is because we always enter through the gates on the right side. This year, I decided, we will enter on the left. I am convinced that this monumental change in our touring strategy made all the difference in the world. Im further convinced that if you ever come across a feuding family at AK you can be sure that they entered the park on the right sided gates and not the left. You can ask them yourself to verify, but its already been scientifically proven by my family. Really.
Our fate was immediately changed for the better upon joining the left sided line when we were visited by Wes Palm (the talking palm tree). The kids have Castmember-like name plates on their pin lanyards, so Wes Palm addressed them all by name and they made small talk for a few minutes. Its these little touches that make a Disney vacation so memorable.
Perhaps DS8s favorite diversion of all the parks are the bugs the Cast Members have on display at opening at AK. I have few regrets from this trip, in fact, other than this, I can think of no other, but I wish I had allowed more time for DS8 to inspect the bugs.
We only allot one day on our vacations to AK and Expedition Everest was at the top of not only my agenda, but also on the top of the agenda for most of the other guests there with us. I really wanted to get EE out of the way and then let the day unfold however the kids wanted.
DS8 was pissed, I mean really pissed, that I cut his bug inspection short. I think he may have called me a poncho. He simply wouldnt leave the area. I plowed ahead with the other two in the stroller with hopes that DW would get DS8 to budge and somehow find us in the masses.
Next time around I will do things differently. No, I probably wont view the centipedes with my son. I will, however, leave DW and the kids behind to inspect the bugs at their leisure and Ill go ahead and get us some EE Fastpasses. I love my kid and all, but I can only compromise so much (just ask my wife) and EE trumps bugs.
I wish I could report that EE was worth pissing off my kid and the subsequent stampede, but, alas, EE was down and not running. Like everyone else, we grabbed Fastpasses, crossed our fingers, and moved on.
DD4 was not in one of her better moods and her attitude was rubbing off on DW. I was concerned that we were on the road to our typical AK visit, so I intervened and separated mother and daughter. DW and the boys pin traded while DD4 and I caught the Flights of Wonder pre-show. Never the shy one, when the Castmember holding the owl asked the audience if anyone had any questions, DD4 asked, Do owls eat their poop? The owl handler was at a loss for words. I mentioned to the guy next to me that she was some kid I found wandering alone in the park.
After some wild and crazy bird tricks and a couple of rides down Kali River Rapids, we expectantly returned to EE to find the ride still down. At this point I was concerned. I had no plans to return to AK and started mentally running through the rest of the weeks plans in case the ride didnt come on line and we needed to make a return visit. The thought of two family meltdowns at AK in the same week sent shivers down my spine.
We let the kids decide what to do next and they chose the Maharajah Jungle Trek. This was the first time we explored this area of AK and, dont tell the kids, the last. While I certainly dont think of AK as a zoo, this part of AK is just like a zoo. There are plenty of zoos to be seen at home, but only one EE. Why, oh why, EE did you not save me from the Jungle Trek?
While the day didnt necessarily have a plan to it, the day wasnt proceeding as intended with EE still down so we journeyed over to Dinoland. We had good success feeding the kids McDonalds for lunch in Epcot and decided to wait for Restaurantosaurus to open to do the McDonalds thing again. This was a great plan for DS6 and DD4, but DS8, DW and I didnt want McDonalds. I then had a genius plan.
I went to Flame Tree BBQ. With the empty double stroller. I asked Backpack if she wanted to join me, but she decided to hold my seat for me in Restaurantosaurus. When the gargantuan amount of DDP food was delivered by the Flame Tree BBQ staff, I loaded it into the empty stroller and whisked it back to Restaurantosaurus. My best use of a double stroller to date.
What better after eating a huge lunch than a ride on Dinosaur. We nearly upchucked nearly everything we just ate and are still recovering from the partial hearing loss three weeks later.
I look forward to the day that we can pass over The Boneyard, but that day was not today. After some climbing and sliding, we crossed over to the Dino Dig. As a parent watching your kids digging for fossils it is impossible not to pick up the little pebbles and let them sift through your hands its like eating a potato chip; you cant have just one. That is, until the handful of pebbles you just picked up has a bloody, discarded bandaid in it. Yes, I was sufficiently grossed out.
And then there was rain. But no ponchos. The kids had rejected the concept of ponchos the night before and we just didnt bother bringing them with us. Besides, Backpack was already bursting at her seams and there was no where to keep them. The rain the boys and I experienced the night before at MGM from Ernesto was a joke compared to this rain. It came down hard, cold and furious.
And we were trapped. The Boneyard closed and we took shelter under the overpass from The Boneyard to the Dino Dig. However, when the skies opened up, the overpass provided virtually no shelter. We needed to get indoors. Its Tough To Be A Bug was the obvious answer, but DS6 has issues with this attraction so it wasnt an option. We ran to a shop, completely drenched, and waited out the storm.
I think the storm provided us some much needed relief. We were reenergized. And so ready for EE. Please, oh please be running. And lo and behold, it was. And lo and behold, I was disappointed. Dont get me wrong, it was a pretty cool attraction. But I was expecting more. Maybe some snow or a change in climate or a thinning of the air as you ascended Everest or some more Yeti or some more thrills. I guess my expectations were too high, even by Disney standards.
Despite the few hiccups with EE being down and the rain, we were actually having a good day at AK. Leave now and we could call the day a success. Push forward and we may end up with the family feud we anticipated. A roll of the dice and we pushed forward.
Kilimanjaro Safaris is fine the first time you experience it, but, at least for me, it lost all of its appeal after the first time. Yet, Ive returned again and again. I really didnt want to return today and would have been perfectly happy for DW to take the kids, but DW dragged me along.
And guess what? It was actually good. Really good. We had a great safari driver with a fun personality. The conventional wisdom is ride early when its not too hot and the animals are more active. All my prior experiences with the Safari followed this advice and the ride was always the same boring. Perhaps the afternoon rain awakened the animals or maybe it was simply the fact that we entered through the left sided entrance, but the animals were out, about and active.
With the roll we were on we took the train to Rafikis Planet Watch. Another first time, dont tell the kids, last time experience. It was on our way back to the Wildlife Express that we had our first magical moment as a result of the generosity of a Castmember.
I had purchased (well, not purchased but secured for free via the DDP) ice cream for the kids, which they ate as we walked the trail back to the train. I was walking ahead with DS6 and DD4 who both inhaled their ice cream. DW and DS8 lagged behind as DS8 savored his ice cream. When DW and DS8 caught up with us at the train station, DS8 was in tears. His deliberate eating style and the Florida sun didnt bode well for his Mickey Bar and it fell off the stick and onto the ground.
DS8 is not one to shrug something like this off and, despite the insignificant nature of the disaster, was distraught. I promised a new Mickey Bar once we returned to Africa or wherever it was the train was taking us, but he was inconsolable.
Until the magic of Disney intervened. Apparently, a wonderful Castmember had witnessed the event and its aftermath. She approached DS8 and told him that she had something for him. It was a ticket that could be redeemed for a free snack. Now, I could have handed the kid my room key card that had 34 snack credits left on it or handed him 3 bucks, but I doubt my efforts would have had the same effect. The tears dried up and we thanked the Castmember profusely. More free food from Disney. Oy.
The ticket was a golden yellow color and we aptly named it The Golden Ticket and had a grand ole time singing Willy Wonka songs on the train ride back to Africa. All was good again in the AK.
For those keeping score, the ingredients for a good day at the AK are enter on the left, an afternoon rain storm, and a Golden Ticket.
We were in unchartered territory. It was 3:45 pm. We had never been at AK at such an hour. Press our luck and try to see Mickeys Jammin Jungle Parade for the first time or cash in while we were ahead. We rolled the dice again. Im glad we saw the Parade and can now cross it off our list of things we havent done, but for us it wasnt a must do again kind of thing. Plus, it took forever to exit the park following the parade.
Given the hour and our 6:20 pm ADR at Coral Reef, we didnt feel we had time to return to the hotel so we went straight to Epcot. A power nap on Spaceship Earth helped quite a bit. In Innoventions, the boys lost to the girls in putting out fires at the Liberty Mutual exhibit. We then practiced safety drills in escaping from a burning house. Do you have a fire escape plan and meeting place in the event of a fire in your home? We dont but will develop one now that we participated in this exhibit. It was very well done.
We arrived at Coral Reef 20 minutes early and werent seated until 20 minutes after our ADR time for a total 40 minute wait. By far, the longest wait for a table of our trip. The wait was difficult for us and the kids, but it was our first time there and we waited it out. Once we were finally seated, the kids were enamored by the aquarium. There was a scuba dive going on and the divers were quite interactive with the diners and kept us all amused. I ordered fish and told the kids that the divers were picking out my dinner. They were disgusted. Incidentally, they werent disgusted by DW ordering crab cakes at an aquarium. The food was so-so. The chocolate wave dessert was amazing --- best dessert of the vacation and I tasted my fair share of desserts. All in all, a fun experience that may have rated even higher if the wait hadnt been so bad.
We were way too tired to spend any more time in Epcot and returned to POR for a night swim. Much better than a day swim. The water was cool and refreshing. What a great day!!
Disney. Water. Parks. Rock. Plain and simple. If youre not setting aside time to visit a water park, do so. You will thank me. Water + Disney = Wet Magical Fun.
Except when you lose your kid at Blizzard Beach. That kind of puts a damper on the Wet Magical Fun. But fear not, the kid was found.
I woke the gang up at our usual early hour to be at BB at the 9 am opening. Having never been to BB, I took a quick look over a park map while waiting for the gates to open and determined that a spot by the wave pool would be a good central location. We had our pick of hundreds of empty chairs. Arrive early folks its key.
Then we had the Battle of the Glasses. Both DS6 and I wear glasses. At the water parks, I dont wear my glasses and I cant see a thing (but this wasnt the reason we lost a kid). Following my example, DS6 also didnt want to wear his glasses. DW wasnt too pleased with my example setting. DW had brought not one, not two, but three of DWs lens prescriptions to BB his everyday glasses, his sport goggles, and his prescription goggles. After threats to leave and the shedding of tears, DS6 grudgingly agreed to his sport goggles.
How cool is it to ride a ski lift in a water park?!? 500+ lbs. of Jersey Family went hooting and hollering down Teamboat Springs. What an awesome family raft ride. We were ready to ski lift it back up for a repeat ride when DS8 announced he wanted to take on the big boys Slush Gusher and Summit Plummet. Of course, I had to be Mr. Macho Dad and, feigning enthusiasm, agree to ride the slides of death. DW and the younger kids returned to the ski lift for more Teamboat Springs action. DS8 and I decided to hoof it up the stairs as the ski lift line had grown considerably and we figured walking would expedite our demise.
As we were hiking up the stairs, it dawned on me that Disney had missed the boat on Expedition Everest. With a little theming, the hike to the top of Mt. Gushmore could have easily been turned into an attraction into itself. Sort of a replication of Sir Edmund Hillarys hike up Mt. Everest. All the hike needed was a couple of oxygen stations and a Yeti or two and a new attraction would be born. If only I had a flag to stake into the ground when we reached the peak.
As neither DS8 nor I had ever experienced either slide, we decided we should go with the tamer of the slides first Slush Gusher which was described as a 250 foot mountain channel with two moguls and speeds up to 50 mph. Big Brave Dad descended first. Im way into thrill rides, but this water slide kicked my you know what. When I hit that first mogul and went airborne with no part of my body any longer in contact with the slide, I saw the bright light at the end of the tunnel fast approaching. I thought to myself that if I should somehow survive, I must rescue my kid. What was I thinking allowing an 8 year old on this thing? Of course, when I reached the bottom there was no way for me to warn DS8 to get the hell off the mountain. I braced myself for the arrival of a catatonic child. Instead, the kid jumped right up, proclaimed the ride Awesome, and darted for another hike up Expedition Everest to tackle Summit Plummet. A thrill junkie in the making.
During our second ascension up those never-ending steps, I wondered whether Disney had a defibrillator at the peak. To add insult to injury, Summit Plummet required a further ascent. There was a father in front of me with two kids one around DS8s age and one a few years older. The father warned his kids that they had better follow him down the slide and not chicken out. He then authorized me to use whatever force necessary to see them down the slide. Ok buddy, whatever. So the guy slid down first and, of course, his kids wouldnt follow so I pushed them down the slide per his instructions. Just kidding. Instead, I was forced to ride two riders sooner than I had mentally prepared myself for. This was probably for the better. The adrenaline rush of Summit Plummet was amazing. The other father was waiting on the side of the track expecting one of his kids when I arrived. I think I may have provoked him when I told him that his kids were a couple of wusses. Game On. Whoevers kid next descended would provide boasting rights to one of us. YES it was DS8. As the other father hung his head in defeat, DS8 and I exchanged high fives. A very cool father-son moment.
We spent the next hour or two as a family enjoying the various slides and attractions. And then it happened, we lost a kid. It happened on Runoff Rapids. You can ride in a double tube or a single. DW and DD4 went as a tandem. I wanted DS8 and DS6 to go as the other tandem and I would go single, but DS6 would only ride if he was with me. DS8 had no problem riding solo. So we got to the top and the girls rode down their slide first. DS6 and I rode down our slide next. DS8 was in a different line for single riders and he was a couple of people away from being next in his line. When DS6 and I hit the pool at the bottom, DW and DD4 were exiting. I wanted to wait in the pool area for DS8, but the lifeguard was directing people to exit the area and to hand off our tube to waiting riders. So, four of us were out of the pool and were waiting off to the side for DS8, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting .
We watched rider after rider hit the pool from the single rider slide. DS8 should have been one of the next to reach the pool, but he was nowhere to be found. I started to panic. Had he somehow reached the bottom of the slide before us and already left the pool area? Was it even possible that he could somehow be stuck on the slide being crashed into by other riders? The thought of him chickening out after having done Summit Plummet seemed unlikely. I ran to the nearest bathroom and he wasnt there. I ran back and he had not surfaced. At least 5 or 6 minutes had passed which I know doesnt sound too long, but when youre missing a kid it seemed like an eternity. I was just about to climb back up the ride when DW called me back. DS8 had just entered the pool at the bottom of the slide and exited the pool in tears. As I sit here today, one month later, its still not clear what happened to him at the top of the slide. He said something about not knowing what to do when it was his turn to ride. It was, without a doubt, the biggest scare weve had in four years of visiting WDW.
Then it started to rain. Unlike the storm we got caught in the day before at AK, today we were in bathing suits at a water park. No ponchos needed here. When thunder and lightning started, everyone had to exit the water. We killed some time with snacks and those amazing water park donuts, but the storm got the better of us and we left. We were able to ride everything at least once, but were a little disappointed that we didnt get a chance to run through our favorites again.
After returning to POR to change, we headed over to Downtown Disney. DD4 and Downtown Disney just dont get along. She usually reserves her most obstinate behavior for our DTD visits and today was no exception. With Little Miss Sunshine in tow, we shopped and pin traded like mad. The DTD shops are the mecca of pin trading. Virtually every Castmember in every store has a pin lanyard.
Dinner was at one of our favorites Whispering Canyon Café. This is a love it or hate it restaurant, and we love it. Not necessarily for the food which I think is pretty average, but for the antics and atmosphere. I virtually exploded from the amount of food we ate. Bottomless milkshakes, appetizers, all you can eat skillet, desserts I have a big appetite, but this was one restaurant where the amount of food was just too much. You can read all about the antics at WCC on the Restaurant board, but I have to include one story that was too funny. You all probably know about the ketchup thing at WCC. Well, seated next to us was the sort of family that didnt love it. They were too prim and proper. Well, one of the parents needed ketchup but did not want to subject themselves to the ketchup routine. So, the parent sent a 5 or 6 year old kid to a table that recently inherited 20 ketchup bottles. Unbeknownst to our neighbors, however, a waitress caught sight of this act. And she made an example out of them. She went to the hostess stand and grabbed the restaurant microphone and announced, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a thief dining here with us at WCC this evening. Of course, the entire restaurant turned their heads in our neighbors direction as the waitress began to reprimand the parents for stealing another familys ketchup and for the atrocity of using their kid to commit the crime. The waitress was hilarious and had us in stitches. Our neighbors, on the other hand, were horrified by the attention. It comes with the territory at WCC.
We returned to POR to check out Bob Jacksons show at the River Roost. For those that have never seen Bobs act, its a piano playing/sing-a-long lounge show with songs that we all know and love, for example the Oscar Meyer Wiener song. Bob routinely asked for the kids to join him on stage and each time DD4 made a beeline to be by his side. The boys werent too interested in the music and were busy zoning out with their Nintendo DSs. That was, until Bob played Don McLeans classic, American Pie. Id like to be able to say that I have exposed my 8, 6 and 4 year olds to such a classic as American Pie, but I cant. No, my kids are familiar with Weird Al Yankovics parody entitled, The Saga Begins which is about Star Wars and Anakin Skywalker. In case youre unfamiliar with Weird Als version, the chorus goes:
My my this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later - now he's just a small fry
He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi, Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
Of course, the five of us sung Weird Als version at the top of our lungs and had a grand ole time.
You simply dont need to visit one of the four theme parks to have a great day in WDW.
Except when you lose your kid at Blizzard Beach. That kind of puts a damper on the Wet Magical Fun. But fear not, the kid was found.
I woke the gang up at our usual early hour to be at BB at the 9 am opening. Having never been to BB, I took a quick look over a park map while waiting for the gates to open and determined that a spot by the wave pool would be a good central location. We had our pick of hundreds of empty chairs. Arrive early folks its key.
Then we had the Battle of the Glasses. Both DS6 and I wear glasses. At the water parks, I dont wear my glasses and I cant see a thing (but this wasnt the reason we lost a kid). Following my example, DS6 also didnt want to wear his glasses. DW wasnt too pleased with my example setting. DW had brought not one, not two, but three of DWs lens prescriptions to BB his everyday glasses, his sport goggles, and his prescription goggles. After threats to leave and the shedding of tears, DS6 grudgingly agreed to his sport goggles.
How cool is it to ride a ski lift in a water park?!? 500+ lbs. of Jersey Family went hooting and hollering down Teamboat Springs. What an awesome family raft ride. We were ready to ski lift it back up for a repeat ride when DS8 announced he wanted to take on the big boys Slush Gusher and Summit Plummet. Of course, I had to be Mr. Macho Dad and, feigning enthusiasm, agree to ride the slides of death. DW and the younger kids returned to the ski lift for more Teamboat Springs action. DS8 and I decided to hoof it up the stairs as the ski lift line had grown considerably and we figured walking would expedite our demise.
As we were hiking up the stairs, it dawned on me that Disney had missed the boat on Expedition Everest. With a little theming, the hike to the top of Mt. Gushmore could have easily been turned into an attraction into itself. Sort of a replication of Sir Edmund Hillarys hike up Mt. Everest. All the hike needed was a couple of oxygen stations and a Yeti or two and a new attraction would be born. If only I had a flag to stake into the ground when we reached the peak.
As neither DS8 nor I had ever experienced either slide, we decided we should go with the tamer of the slides first Slush Gusher which was described as a 250 foot mountain channel with two moguls and speeds up to 50 mph. Big Brave Dad descended first. Im way into thrill rides, but this water slide kicked my you know what. When I hit that first mogul and went airborne with no part of my body any longer in contact with the slide, I saw the bright light at the end of the tunnel fast approaching. I thought to myself that if I should somehow survive, I must rescue my kid. What was I thinking allowing an 8 year old on this thing? Of course, when I reached the bottom there was no way for me to warn DS8 to get the hell off the mountain. I braced myself for the arrival of a catatonic child. Instead, the kid jumped right up, proclaimed the ride Awesome, and darted for another hike up Expedition Everest to tackle Summit Plummet. A thrill junkie in the making.
During our second ascension up those never-ending steps, I wondered whether Disney had a defibrillator at the peak. To add insult to injury, Summit Plummet required a further ascent. There was a father in front of me with two kids one around DS8s age and one a few years older. The father warned his kids that they had better follow him down the slide and not chicken out. He then authorized me to use whatever force necessary to see them down the slide. Ok buddy, whatever. So the guy slid down first and, of course, his kids wouldnt follow so I pushed them down the slide per his instructions. Just kidding. Instead, I was forced to ride two riders sooner than I had mentally prepared myself for. This was probably for the better. The adrenaline rush of Summit Plummet was amazing. The other father was waiting on the side of the track expecting one of his kids when I arrived. I think I may have provoked him when I told him that his kids were a couple of wusses. Game On. Whoevers kid next descended would provide boasting rights to one of us. YES it was DS8. As the other father hung his head in defeat, DS8 and I exchanged high fives. A very cool father-son moment.
We spent the next hour or two as a family enjoying the various slides and attractions. And then it happened, we lost a kid. It happened on Runoff Rapids. You can ride in a double tube or a single. DW and DD4 went as a tandem. I wanted DS8 and DS6 to go as the other tandem and I would go single, but DS6 would only ride if he was with me. DS8 had no problem riding solo. So we got to the top and the girls rode down their slide first. DS6 and I rode down our slide next. DS8 was in a different line for single riders and he was a couple of people away from being next in his line. When DS6 and I hit the pool at the bottom, DW and DD4 were exiting. I wanted to wait in the pool area for DS8, but the lifeguard was directing people to exit the area and to hand off our tube to waiting riders. So, four of us were out of the pool and were waiting off to the side for DS8, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting .
We watched rider after rider hit the pool from the single rider slide. DS8 should have been one of the next to reach the pool, but he was nowhere to be found. I started to panic. Had he somehow reached the bottom of the slide before us and already left the pool area? Was it even possible that he could somehow be stuck on the slide being crashed into by other riders? The thought of him chickening out after having done Summit Plummet seemed unlikely. I ran to the nearest bathroom and he wasnt there. I ran back and he had not surfaced. At least 5 or 6 minutes had passed which I know doesnt sound too long, but when youre missing a kid it seemed like an eternity. I was just about to climb back up the ride when DW called me back. DS8 had just entered the pool at the bottom of the slide and exited the pool in tears. As I sit here today, one month later, its still not clear what happened to him at the top of the slide. He said something about not knowing what to do when it was his turn to ride. It was, without a doubt, the biggest scare weve had in four years of visiting WDW.
Then it started to rain. Unlike the storm we got caught in the day before at AK, today we were in bathing suits at a water park. No ponchos needed here. When thunder and lightning started, everyone had to exit the water. We killed some time with snacks and those amazing water park donuts, but the storm got the better of us and we left. We were able to ride everything at least once, but were a little disappointed that we didnt get a chance to run through our favorites again.
After returning to POR to change, we headed over to Downtown Disney. DD4 and Downtown Disney just dont get along. She usually reserves her most obstinate behavior for our DTD visits and today was no exception. With Little Miss Sunshine in tow, we shopped and pin traded like mad. The DTD shops are the mecca of pin trading. Virtually every Castmember in every store has a pin lanyard.
Dinner was at one of our favorites Whispering Canyon Café. This is a love it or hate it restaurant, and we love it. Not necessarily for the food which I think is pretty average, but for the antics and atmosphere. I virtually exploded from the amount of food we ate. Bottomless milkshakes, appetizers, all you can eat skillet, desserts I have a big appetite, but this was one restaurant where the amount of food was just too much. You can read all about the antics at WCC on the Restaurant board, but I have to include one story that was too funny. You all probably know about the ketchup thing at WCC. Well, seated next to us was the sort of family that didnt love it. They were too prim and proper. Well, one of the parents needed ketchup but did not want to subject themselves to the ketchup routine. So, the parent sent a 5 or 6 year old kid to a table that recently inherited 20 ketchup bottles. Unbeknownst to our neighbors, however, a waitress caught sight of this act. And she made an example out of them. She went to the hostess stand and grabbed the restaurant microphone and announced, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a thief dining here with us at WCC this evening. Of course, the entire restaurant turned their heads in our neighbors direction as the waitress began to reprimand the parents for stealing another familys ketchup and for the atrocity of using their kid to commit the crime. The waitress was hilarious and had us in stitches. Our neighbors, on the other hand, were horrified by the attention. It comes with the territory at WCC.
We returned to POR to check out Bob Jacksons show at the River Roost. For those that have never seen Bobs act, its a piano playing/sing-a-long lounge show with songs that we all know and love, for example the Oscar Meyer Wiener song. Bob routinely asked for the kids to join him on stage and each time DD4 made a beeline to be by his side. The boys werent too interested in the music and were busy zoning out with their Nintendo DSs. That was, until Bob played Don McLeans classic, American Pie. Id like to be able to say that I have exposed my 8, 6 and 4 year olds to such a classic as American Pie, but I cant. No, my kids are familiar with Weird Al Yankovics parody entitled, The Saga Begins which is about Star Wars and Anakin Skywalker. In case youre unfamiliar with Weird Als version, the chorus goes:
My my this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later - now he's just a small fry
He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi, Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
Of course, the five of us sung Weird Als version at the top of our lungs and had a grand ole time.
You simply dont need to visit one of the four theme parks to have a great day in WDW.
PoohBearFreak32
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2006
- Messages
- 47
I was so glad to see that there was an update for the TR. Keep up the good work! 
DisneyNutMary
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2003
- Messages
- 1,974
I'm really enjoying your trip report.
Can't wait for the next update
Can't wait for the next update
Returning to the parking lot at POR we witnessed the most amazing thing
cars. A sea of cars. Where had all these people come from?? The parking lot that had been virtually empty for the past four nights was now standing room only. We expected that the crowds would pick up Labor Day Weekend and this was the Friday night of the holiday weekend. This Jersey Family need not fear, however, as Disney Dad Extraordinaire was at the helm. I suspected that the parks would be pretty packed on Saturday so I planned to avoid them. If the POR parking lot was any indication, my planning appeared to be spot on. Can I get a You The Man, Jsfein!! Yeah me.
Heres a question: How do you get three Jersey Family kids to wake up at the crack of dawn when in WDW? Up to now, the anticipation of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach could not awake the zombies from their sleep. This morning, however, I had spontaneously planned to do something so thrilling, so exhilarating, so supercalifragilisticexpialidocious that sleep be damned. We were going fishing.
Now, youre probably figuring that this Disney Dad Extraordinaire with knowledge of all things Disney had booked exactly 180 days in advance some super cool Disney fishing excursion on a private chartered boat with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. That would certainly be worth waking up for at the crack of dawn. But, no, I had planned something a bit more low key. We were simply going to the fishing hole at POR down the path from the pool. Perhaps not too exciting for some, but it was all the rage for my kids. And cheap to boot less than $20 for 30 minutes of action and adventure.
Let me preface this by stating that I dont fish at all. Indeed, this was the first time I had ever taken the kids fishing. DW also doesnt fish and saw this as the perfect opportunity to stay behind (I even got her to do some laundry yeah me again). The kids and I marched on over to the fishing hole with high hopes of reeling in a prized catch. We rented four poles and were given a styrofoam cup which turned out to contain our bait worms in dirt (and not the type kids get for dessert at TGIF). I wasnt about to touch live worms, let alone pierce their wriggling, slimy bodies onto a hook. Thank goodness for supermarkets Id never survive in the wild.
I designated DS8 the official bait the hook guy, but he couldnt get the hang of it. After spending the first 5 minutes of our 30 minute rental period trying to bait the first hook, I finally caved, reached in, and grabbed a worm. Im sure the expression on my face was priceless. A few moments later, the kids each had their lines in the lake. Just as I was about to bait my hook, all three kids needed new bait. I couldnt quite figure out what happened to their bait so quickly. I again baited three hooks and within moments it happened again. Three hooks; no bait. Those darn fish were expert at nibbling around the worm without touching the hook. Although none of us hooked a fish, the boys did successfully hook a tree and the underside of the fishing pier. The attendant loved us. We may have departed empty handed, but the kids really had a fun time and I overcame my worm issues.
After breakfast we had some time to kill and took a drive over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge which we had never before visited. What a great looking resort. We will definitely stay there in a future visit.
Next we were off to another Disney first for us Disney Quest. If, like me, you are really an 8 year old trapped in a 36 year olds body, you will never, ever want to leave Disney Quest. Im still in withdrawal. We arrived at the 11 am opening and upon entry I was awestruck like a kid in a candy store I wanted to touch, grab and play everything all at once.
First off, on the top floor they have the classic arcade games Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong, etc. I spent a lot of quarters in my youth at the bowling alley arcade playing these games and, like riding a bike, there are some skills that you simply dont forget. If you visited Disney Quest on September 2nd, you would have found that the high scores on Dig Dug, Qbert, Phoenix, and Joust all belonged to yours truly. And Mom used to tell me I was wasting my money HA!!! Like George Costanza in the Frogger Seinfeld episode, I so wanted to preserve my high scores for the world to see. I should have taken pictures of the hi score screens, but didnt think of it.
As much fun as the boys and I were having, the girls were bored out of their minds. Impossible, but true. I anticipated that the boys and I would need some uninterrupted time at Disney Quest so I made DD4 a princess makeover appointment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Sayonara girls.
At the air hockey tables, there was a boy of about 11 playing against his mom. It looked like they had been at it for a while and the mom clearly needed a break. The boy was way better than my boys, but I prodded them to challenge him. The kid wiped them out. I challenged him next. The kid looked unsure and glanced at his mom who encouraged him to play on. I took one for the team and played to a close 7 6 loss. My kids were thrilled by the close game game and were in awe of the boy who had just defeated Dad. The boy was beyond belief with excitement as I hung my head low to shake his hand. His Mom mouthed Thank you, to me. It was a nice moment all around.
In addition to killing our brain cells with traditional arcade games, we battled for buccaneer gold in Pirates of the Caribbean, became the ball in Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam, and took virtual rides on the Jungle Cruise and Aladdins Magic Carpet.
And then we found one of the coolest things I have seen Cyberspace Mountain. With the help of Bill Nye the Science Guy, we constructed a cyber roller coaster. Since DS6 wasnt tall enough to ride, I gave him carte blanche to create my coaster. When he was done, he had constructed a coaster rated 4 out of 5 on the puke your guts out scale. DS8 constructed his own coaster and we queued up in line for entry into the simulator that would allow us to experience our creations.
But I had a problem. DS6 couldnt ride and I didnt know what to do with him when both DS8 and I were riding our coasters. When we were just a few riders from the front of the line, a solution had emerged. DW and DD4 had returned from the Bibbidi boutique great timing. I instructed DW where to find us. When they arrived and I saw DD4 I nearly lost it. At the beginning of this trip report I swore off the inclusion of photos. Without a photo, I simply cannot put into words how beautiful she looked and it is indescribable the impact the moment had on me. Of course, like all parents, my daughter is always beautiful in my eyes. But when she appeared all decked out, I kid you not when I say that I suddenly had visions of my daughter walking down the aisle at her wedding. It was kind of like the Steve Martin moment in Father of the Bride when his daughter tells him that shes getting married and he sees her as a child. For me, the moment was in reverse. I was verklempt.
For those interested, DD4 was dressed in a Princess Aurora costume we had brought with us from home. Im not exactly sure what her makeover included, but I think it included her hair, nails and make up. It was, without a doubt, the best $45 we have spent in WDW. She was a princess through and through.
Although I have never ridden inside a dryer, I suspect that my roller coaster simulator ride was a similar experience. DS6 was very pleased with himself when I told him that I almost puked. It was difficult, but we pulled ourselves away from Disney Quest due to an early dinner reservation at 1900 Park Fare. Ive been to the Grand Floridian previously, but Ive never parked a car there. Dont make the miserly mistake I made and self-park your car. The self-park parking lot is in Atlanta. Spend a couple of dollars and use the valet.
Dinner at 1900 Park Fare was all about DD4 and we planned it this evening because of her afternoon princess makeover. There had been plenty of drama from DD4 during this trip and plenty of tears shed. However, the tears she shed when we were shown our table at 1900 Park Fare were the most genuine and heartbreaking of the entire trip and I felt partially responsible. I had told DD4 that we would be eating dinner with Cinderella. I did not anticipate that she would interpret my statement literally. When we sat down and there was no seat for Cinderella and the explanation that Cinderella wouldnt actually be sitting with us ensued, the tears started flowing uncontrollably. What had I done.
Thankfully, a mouse was on her way to our table. No, not Mickey or Minnie, but a mouse nonetheless (Suzy? Perla? Is there a difference?). The mouse had a calming influence and all was good again in our princess world. Naturally, visits from Cinderella and Prince Charming were met with mile wide smiles and bear hugs. A potentially disastrous dinner had been completely turned around . whew.
We had big plans for the evening Cirque du Soleils La Nouba. We had some time to kill before the 9 pm show. DW had a headache and DD4 was complaining of a stomach ache. What were three Jersey guys to do? DISNEY QUEST. DW dropped us boys off and the girls returned to POR to rest up. We could have spent the entire day at Disney Quest. It was so addictive.
La Nouba was a major splurge. The tickets were rather pricey. If not for the free dining, I probably wouldnt have taken the plunge but the free dining helped me to rationalize the cost of the show. If you have never seen a Cirque show in person, it is difficult to describe. This was the first Cirque show I had ever seen in person. I had watched Cirque performances on television, but television does not do the show justice. We were all mesmerized by the performance. It was truly incredible. So incredible, in fact, that the kids forgot about the popcorn I had purchased at the start of the performance. No better compliment can be paid than this.
Fishing, arcade games, a princess makeover, and a circus of sorts not a traditional day at WDW, but what a day it was.
Heres a question: How do you get three Jersey Family kids to wake up at the crack of dawn when in WDW? Up to now, the anticipation of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Blizzard Beach could not awake the zombies from their sleep. This morning, however, I had spontaneously planned to do something so thrilling, so exhilarating, so supercalifragilisticexpialidocious that sleep be damned. We were going fishing.
Now, youre probably figuring that this Disney Dad Extraordinaire with knowledge of all things Disney had booked exactly 180 days in advance some super cool Disney fishing excursion on a private chartered boat with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. That would certainly be worth waking up for at the crack of dawn. But, no, I had planned something a bit more low key. We were simply going to the fishing hole at POR down the path from the pool. Perhaps not too exciting for some, but it was all the rage for my kids. And cheap to boot less than $20 for 30 minutes of action and adventure.
Let me preface this by stating that I dont fish at all. Indeed, this was the first time I had ever taken the kids fishing. DW also doesnt fish and saw this as the perfect opportunity to stay behind (I even got her to do some laundry yeah me again). The kids and I marched on over to the fishing hole with high hopes of reeling in a prized catch. We rented four poles and were given a styrofoam cup which turned out to contain our bait worms in dirt (and not the type kids get for dessert at TGIF). I wasnt about to touch live worms, let alone pierce their wriggling, slimy bodies onto a hook. Thank goodness for supermarkets Id never survive in the wild.
I designated DS8 the official bait the hook guy, but he couldnt get the hang of it. After spending the first 5 minutes of our 30 minute rental period trying to bait the first hook, I finally caved, reached in, and grabbed a worm. Im sure the expression on my face was priceless. A few moments later, the kids each had their lines in the lake. Just as I was about to bait my hook, all three kids needed new bait. I couldnt quite figure out what happened to their bait so quickly. I again baited three hooks and within moments it happened again. Three hooks; no bait. Those darn fish were expert at nibbling around the worm without touching the hook. Although none of us hooked a fish, the boys did successfully hook a tree and the underside of the fishing pier. The attendant loved us. We may have departed empty handed, but the kids really had a fun time and I overcame my worm issues.
After breakfast we had some time to kill and took a drive over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge which we had never before visited. What a great looking resort. We will definitely stay there in a future visit.
Next we were off to another Disney first for us Disney Quest. If, like me, you are really an 8 year old trapped in a 36 year olds body, you will never, ever want to leave Disney Quest. Im still in withdrawal. We arrived at the 11 am opening and upon entry I was awestruck like a kid in a candy store I wanted to touch, grab and play everything all at once.
First off, on the top floor they have the classic arcade games Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong, etc. I spent a lot of quarters in my youth at the bowling alley arcade playing these games and, like riding a bike, there are some skills that you simply dont forget. If you visited Disney Quest on September 2nd, you would have found that the high scores on Dig Dug, Qbert, Phoenix, and Joust all belonged to yours truly. And Mom used to tell me I was wasting my money HA!!! Like George Costanza in the Frogger Seinfeld episode, I so wanted to preserve my high scores for the world to see. I should have taken pictures of the hi score screens, but didnt think of it.
As much fun as the boys and I were having, the girls were bored out of their minds. Impossible, but true. I anticipated that the boys and I would need some uninterrupted time at Disney Quest so I made DD4 a princess makeover appointment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Sayonara girls.
At the air hockey tables, there was a boy of about 11 playing against his mom. It looked like they had been at it for a while and the mom clearly needed a break. The boy was way better than my boys, but I prodded them to challenge him. The kid wiped them out. I challenged him next. The kid looked unsure and glanced at his mom who encouraged him to play on. I took one for the team and played to a close 7 6 loss. My kids were thrilled by the close game game and were in awe of the boy who had just defeated Dad. The boy was beyond belief with excitement as I hung my head low to shake his hand. His Mom mouthed Thank you, to me. It was a nice moment all around.
In addition to killing our brain cells with traditional arcade games, we battled for buccaneer gold in Pirates of the Caribbean, became the ball in Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam, and took virtual rides on the Jungle Cruise and Aladdins Magic Carpet.
And then we found one of the coolest things I have seen Cyberspace Mountain. With the help of Bill Nye the Science Guy, we constructed a cyber roller coaster. Since DS6 wasnt tall enough to ride, I gave him carte blanche to create my coaster. When he was done, he had constructed a coaster rated 4 out of 5 on the puke your guts out scale. DS8 constructed his own coaster and we queued up in line for entry into the simulator that would allow us to experience our creations.
But I had a problem. DS6 couldnt ride and I didnt know what to do with him when both DS8 and I were riding our coasters. When we were just a few riders from the front of the line, a solution had emerged. DW and DD4 had returned from the Bibbidi boutique great timing. I instructed DW where to find us. When they arrived and I saw DD4 I nearly lost it. At the beginning of this trip report I swore off the inclusion of photos. Without a photo, I simply cannot put into words how beautiful she looked and it is indescribable the impact the moment had on me. Of course, like all parents, my daughter is always beautiful in my eyes. But when she appeared all decked out, I kid you not when I say that I suddenly had visions of my daughter walking down the aisle at her wedding. It was kind of like the Steve Martin moment in Father of the Bride when his daughter tells him that shes getting married and he sees her as a child. For me, the moment was in reverse. I was verklempt.
For those interested, DD4 was dressed in a Princess Aurora costume we had brought with us from home. Im not exactly sure what her makeover included, but I think it included her hair, nails and make up. It was, without a doubt, the best $45 we have spent in WDW. She was a princess through and through.
Although I have never ridden inside a dryer, I suspect that my roller coaster simulator ride was a similar experience. DS6 was very pleased with himself when I told him that I almost puked. It was difficult, but we pulled ourselves away from Disney Quest due to an early dinner reservation at 1900 Park Fare. Ive been to the Grand Floridian previously, but Ive never parked a car there. Dont make the miserly mistake I made and self-park your car. The self-park parking lot is in Atlanta. Spend a couple of dollars and use the valet.
Dinner at 1900 Park Fare was all about DD4 and we planned it this evening because of her afternoon princess makeover. There had been plenty of drama from DD4 during this trip and plenty of tears shed. However, the tears she shed when we were shown our table at 1900 Park Fare were the most genuine and heartbreaking of the entire trip and I felt partially responsible. I had told DD4 that we would be eating dinner with Cinderella. I did not anticipate that she would interpret my statement literally. When we sat down and there was no seat for Cinderella and the explanation that Cinderella wouldnt actually be sitting with us ensued, the tears started flowing uncontrollably. What had I done.
Thankfully, a mouse was on her way to our table. No, not Mickey or Minnie, but a mouse nonetheless (Suzy? Perla? Is there a difference?). The mouse had a calming influence and all was good again in our princess world. Naturally, visits from Cinderella and Prince Charming were met with mile wide smiles and bear hugs. A potentially disastrous dinner had been completely turned around . whew.
We had big plans for the evening Cirque du Soleils La Nouba. We had some time to kill before the 9 pm show. DW had a headache and DD4 was complaining of a stomach ache. What were three Jersey guys to do? DISNEY QUEST. DW dropped us boys off and the girls returned to POR to rest up. We could have spent the entire day at Disney Quest. It was so addictive.
La Nouba was a major splurge. The tickets were rather pricey. If not for the free dining, I probably wouldnt have taken the plunge but the free dining helped me to rationalize the cost of the show. If you have never seen a Cirque show in person, it is difficult to describe. This was the first Cirque show I had ever seen in person. I had watched Cirque performances on television, but television does not do the show justice. We were all mesmerized by the performance. It was truly incredible. So incredible, in fact, that the kids forgot about the popcorn I had purchased at the start of the performance. No better compliment can be paid than this.
Fishing, arcade games, a princess makeover, and a circus of sorts not a traditional day at WDW, but what a day it was.
KathyRN137
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 7,882
Sounds like a magical Disney day to me! 
My DD is 10 yrs old, but can't wait for her
makeover next month!
Kathy
My DD is 10 yrs old, but can't wait for her
makeover next month!Kathy
Ron from Michigan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 23, 1999
- Messages
- 5,938
I'm glad to see you are doing a trip report again this year. I remember your report from last year ( THE ONE YOU NEVER FINISHED 
). How you discribe your kids makes me remember our when they were that age. I really liked how you discribed ther pin trading styles. Now lets keep the report going.
). How you discribe your kids makes me remember our when they were that age. I really liked how you discribed ther pin trading styles. Now lets keep the report going.
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