A Mousekafreak and her DH do the World! ~*~COMPLETE 8-31~*~

[Linzybrooke]

A Mousekafreak and her DH do the World!

Alright, I’ve been back for a little over 2 months and am finally getting to the trip report I promised forever ago! Bear with me, it will probably be slow going! Enjoy!

Cast of Characters:
Lin (me)- Obsessive Disney Freak, nicknamed Mousekafreak by my best friend. Constantly trying to convince DH we need to go back to WDW. Find my “Happy Place” as soon as the plane takes off. Disney Store Assistant Manager.
Chris (DH)- Sweetest guy on earth. Loves WDW but wonders if we will ever take “a real vacation.” Turns into a 10 year old as soon as we get to the parks. Sound and Lighting Technician and Designer.
Carmen- My best friend from college. Lives in Northern Florida and drove down for a whirlwind trip with her DH. Not much of a Disney person but I’ll let it pass. College Theatre Professor.
Chuck- Carmens DH and also a friend from college. Chuck turns into a little kid as soon as he arrives and loves Alice in Wonderland. High School Theatre Teacher.

Location:
Old Key West and the rest of the World!

Time:
June 8th-June 15th, 2006.

Synopsis:
Our magical 6 day, 7 night magical vacation at Old Key West. Full of fun, energy and childlike excitement…and a little bit of emotion!

First Installment to Begin Momentarily!

 

[Catrin]

Looking forward to your trip!

I too am a Disney Freak, with a DH who just goes along for the ride!

Catrin

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act One:
Scene One:
Location: DFW Airport, MCO Airport and Old Key West Resort.

I took the 8th off of work so that I could prepare for our trip…by prepare I mean spend 5 hours on the Dis before heading to my parents house to drop off the dogs and then drive with my mom to pick up Chris and head to the airport. All went as planned, I packed and repacked several times, posted numerous silly posts on the countdown board, re-read my Birnbaums guide, packed up all the dog stuff and headed to moms. We picked up Chris without incident and got to airport in plenty of time. I reread the Birnbaums guide again waiting to board the plane and then slept the entire flight. Pretty uneventful.

Once we deplaned in Orlando we made our way to Magical Express…but wait, where was Magical Express…we hadn’t calculated that since our flight arrived rather late in the evening there wouldn’t be cast members with Mickey hands telling us which way to go. After two wrong turns in the airport we finally asked someone and got down to the check-in with no more interruptions. We waited in line for a few minutes before getting on the bus headed to the resort. Our busdriver had the personality of a muddy sock…but I was at the world! He turned on the DVD about 10 minutes after we left MCO and I soaked it up like a sponge just enjoying the shots of the world.

We finally got to OKW after stopping at POR and POFQ and checked in without a hitch. The welcome cast member was sweet and informative and all of our room requests had been granted, we had a room right across from the main pool and hospitality house on the first floor, YES! We stopped in the store and bought some milk, cereal, juice and cheetos before walking the short jaunt to our “home.” We unpacked our carry-on and sat down to wait on our luggage…and wait…and wait…and wait… At 12:45 AM Chris calls the front desk to find out what the deal is, we are told the luggage has arrived and been delivered but they will check to make sure it wasn’t missed. They call back at 1:15, “We found your luggage, it will be at your room shortl!” At 2:00 it finally shows up. I love Magical Express but learned that if you get there late be prepared to stay up all night waiting for it to arrive in your room. Oh well! It’s been a long day and all I want to do is get into bed and wake up ready for a day at MGM!

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act Two:
Scene One:
Location: MGM Studios

I woke up at about 6:00 AM and promptly turned on the TV to check out all the theme park channels…I was quickly reminded of how annoying that girl who does the WDW countdown was, YESH! Checked all the parade times, checked the guide I picked up the night before and finally got Chris up when I could stand it no longer. We got ready, ate breakfast and headed to the bus stop right behind our room.

Once at MGM I hit the first snag of the trip. Being a Disney Store ASM I get a Purple Pass, basically it gets me and my party in for free and is the only reason we have been able to take a trip the last three years in a row. I take it to Guest Relations as I did the last two years and they send me to the Ticketing counter, I go to Ticketing, they send me back to Guest Relations, Guest Relations sends me back to Ticketing, who then sends me to the Cast Member Entrance. Weird. I tell the CM at the entrance that we have friends meeting us around 4:00 and what will we need to do to get their tickets. She tells me that they won’t be able to get in since they aren’t there now. I had thought this would be the case and so I had asked at the resort when we got in if I would be able to leave the park, take them to Guest Relations, get their tickets and then get in and was told no problem, it turns out they were wrong. The CM at the entrance was really great and told me to go back to Guest Relations and talk to the manager about the situation since I was told incorrectly at check-in. It took about 10 minutes for him to get it worked out, but he told me that we should never take ticketing information from the resorts because they don’t really understand what they are talking about…but, he told us to come to him when our friends arrived and he would get them in with complimentary tickets for the day so we wouldn’t have to waste our MGM day waiting for them. Thanks Jon! So, after almost 30 minutes of going back and forth we were finally through the stanchion and officially inside MGM! Chris didn’t mind waiting, there were storm troopers on the rooftops for Star Wars Weekend.

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act Two:
Scene Two:

We headed straight to ToT for Fast Passes and then to Rockin’ Roller Coaster. I’m a ride wuss, and therefore DH gets 2 Fast Passes for everything since I don’t ride them. ToT had a short standby wait so DH rode that while I shopped. From there we headed towards Voyage of the Little Mermaid to check times, shop and go through the Animation Building. Then we rode the Great Movie Ride and went to wait in line to meet Jedi Mickey (he’s my favorite).

By now it was time for our 11:30 ADR at 50’s Prime Time. Our server wasn’t too enthusiastic but overall the experience was good. We ate so much food! Being on Dining Plan we had a Shrimp Cocktail appetizer and Fried Herb Cheese for appetizer and they were both excellent. I think that DH had a Salad with Salmon for lunch and I had Pot Roast…I think, and then we had the Dad’s Sunday and Strawberry Shortcake for dessert. I’ll be honest, we eat there for the Dad’s Sunday and it never disappoints. I believe it is off the menu but they make it if you ask!

After lunch we went and “met” Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater on Streets of America and then went to take in Lights, Motors, Action. DH loved that show, it was right up his alley. I like it all right but I prefer the Backlot Tour and am a little testy that they cut so much out of it to put in the theatre for LMA. But, since Chris loved it so much I can’t complain! Following the show Chris went back to ToT and RR to get more fast passes and I shopped the Christmas Shop and the Muppet Shop. He met me just in time to take in Muppets 3-D (didn’t it used to be Muppets 4-D?) and we got in just in time to skip the preshow, YES! I love Muppets 3-D, its my second favorite attraction at MGM. Then we took in Voyage of the Little Mermaid, my favorite attraction at MGM. When we got out of VoLM we had a voicemail from Carmen and Chuck saying they had just arrived at OKW and were about to head over to MGM, so we went to the Narnia walkthrough (bleck) before meeting them outside the entrance.

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act Two:
Scene Three:

Remember our friend Jon from Guest Relations earlier in the day? Turns out he was on break when we got back to see him, but the girl there called him and got us the tickets about 10 minutes later, so, as Kim Possible would say it was no big. We had just enough time for Chris, Carmen and Chuck to ride RR and ToT before our 6:30 ADR at Mama Melrose. Mama Melrose was a new experience for us and it was great. We had Calamari and Tomatoes and Basil for appetizers, both excellent. I can’t remember our entrees, this seems to be a trend, but we had Happiest Celebration on Earth dessert and the Tiramisu and both were great. The coffee flavored ice cream in the Happiest Celebration dessert was to die for! We hadn’t seen Carmen and Chuck in a couple of years so it was a great time to get to catch up with each other.

After dinner we went through the One Man’s Dream walkthrough. This attraction is amazing and the four of us all have backgrounds in theatre. Carmen and I design scenery and paint, Chuck directs and works in Carpentry and Chris is a sound and lighting technician and stage manager. So, the models and design process pieces on display are incredible. If anyone skips this attraction you are really missing out! Then the three of them rode ToT and RR again while I read the Pirates of the Caribbean book in the villains store before catching Fantasmic.

View from ToT

Fantasmic was empty! We went to the 10:00 performance and say 4th row center only 10 minutes before it began. Here is my Disney gripe of the day…I hate all those things that light up. I don’t hate them all the time, but I hate them when the kids in front of me insist on using them through the entire performance. They are really distracting and very hard to see around since they move. They also prevent you from taking pretty much any pictures (without flash of course) of the show. I don’t mind them before or after the show, in line for rides, walking down the streets, etc, but please turn them off during the performance of Fantasmic for the sanity of those around you. Okay, now off my soapbox about light up thingies. Either way, Fantasmic is my favorite thing of all at MGM and I would watch it over and over again if I could! Really.

And that was the end of our first full day at the World. It was pretty near perfect! Next stop, Magic Kingdom!

 

[Jennifer48]

Cool TR, keep it coming!

 

[cxcelica]

One of the better trip reports I have read in a while. Keep it coming!!

 

[Linzybrooke]

One of the better trip reports I have read in a while. Keep it coming!!

Ah, thanks! This is my first attempt at a Trip Report so I appreciate the ego boost! I'll have more later today. My goal is to have it all done within a week.

 

[heaven2dc]

Wow - great report - very fun to read and loved the ToT pic! You have my dream job - would love to work for anything involving Disney!!

Can't wait for more!

 

[tinkerbell87512]

Im loving the report!!! I can not wait to read more!


PS. your so lucky, I would love to be a manager at the disney store! how exciting! you must love it! (i know i would!)

 

[BeautyNBeast]

Loving your TR! Cannot wait to read more

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act Three:
Scene One:
Location:
The Magic Kingdom!!

Admit it, we all have that one place that makes us completely glow inside. Everything is perfect and nothing can dampen the mood and the spirit and the complete and total perfection of where we are and how we feel. For me, and I am sure many of you, it’s The Magic Kingdom. I cry every time it comes into view, every time I walk through under the train station and every time I see my first glance of Cinderella’s Castle after coming through the Berm. I then tear up throughout the day for no other reason than that I am there, and loving it! This plaque, which I am embarrassed to say I just noticed this trip, pretty much says it all.

Anyway, being able to share it with my bubby and two of our best friends just made it even more magical, but I tried to contain myself. Carmen is a bit of a cynic and I felt a little embarrassed to be so emotional around her, luckily Chuck turned into a child and made it all better. This was an interesting day at Magic Kingdom. There was a forest fire somewhere in the vicinity and the park was shrouded in thick, eye burning smoke for most of the morning. While it did burn it also kept the crowds to a minimum, which is always a plus at Magic Kingdom.

We had decided the night before that our first stop would be Tomorrowland so they could ride Space Mountain. We headed over for fast passes and then walked right onto Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which I totally kicked butt on! I usually lose, bad, I’m the girl who gets stuck with the gun that doesn’t work…but not this time! I beat my poor Chris, and I beat him bad! Hehehe…it rocked. And after laughing at our photos because we all looked very, very serious we made our way back to Space Mountain so they could use their fast passes, only to find Space Mountain shut down. Oh well, we headed to Astro Orbiter and after somehow managing to fit 2 adults and a backpack into 2 little rockets we were off and enjoying some of the greatest views of Magic Kingdom to be had. Seriously, what you can see from this ride is amazing; if you can stand the wind whipping your hair repeatedly in your face and a fear that you might just fall out of the space shuttle if you weren’t wedged in so tightly you don’t think you will ever get out… Once the ride was finished it probably took Chris and I 5 minutes to wiggle out of the ride, well probably not but it sure felt like it…it is so not built for 2 adults! We needed a giant shoe horn and none was too be found! Beware exiting the Astro Orbiter, I would not recommend riding if you are wearing a skirt!

So, now back to Space Mountain, which is now operating. I headed to the arcade in the shop to kill some Jurassic Dino’s on the only video game I enjoy only to find it occupied…so off to shop until they finish up on Space Mountain and then off to Fantasyland! Yippee!!!!

 

[Linzybrooke]

Since I promised! But now I am off to bed. Hopefully I'll be able to knock out another installment in the AM before work.

Yes, I do love my job. I started working at TDS right after I turned 18...I just turned 25 and am still there, now in my 6th store in my second state. Every once in a while I contemplate leaving to find something else, but its so exciting to see the looks on little kids faces when the Halloween costumes come in, or the swim suits, or the Christmas stuff, its just incredible! Eventually I do want to move to the Orlando area and actually work at the Parks, but for now this will hold me over!

Thanks again for reading!!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

the placque u loved, its new...LOL, from what I hear...they added them when the stroller /locker rehab happened recently.

GRRRREAT trippie! keep on !!

 

[Linzybrooke]

the placque u loved, its new...LOL, from what I hear...they added them when the stroller /locker rehab happened recently.

GRRRREAT trippie! keep on !!

Dude, that CM lied to me...I'll have his ears I will! He told me it had always been there... I know the one at DL has always been there, and there is one in Tokyo, its on the disney careers page, I just assumed this one had been too.

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act Three:
Scene Two:

When we last left you we were off to Fantasyland; and I was in 8-year-old mode. Chuck is a huge Alice in Wonderland fan so we quickly jumped in the line for the Tea Party, only to realize that there were two lines, but only supposed to be one…it was very confusing. Seems that right before the stanchions begin a group of people had decided to go in two different directions; one group started going backwards, in effect keeping with the zigzag pattern and the other just shot straight out the back trying to feed one long line into the stanchions. The weird part is that the CM’s would look over, take note of what was happening and then just continue on their merry way, but we got on the ride with no incident and all was well. Of course it took us about 5 minutes to actually sort ourselves into teacups, a ride again not designed to fit adults…first all four of us tried to squeeze ourselves into one teacup, it would have worked too if not for the non-existent foot room, so we separated into two different cups and we were off! Spinning and spinning and spinning and having a jolly ole’ time at the Mad Hatters Tea Party. Chris took pictures to keep his mind off the spinning and I tried to spin as fast as I possibly could. It was good times!

From the teacups we ventured further into Fantasyland where we battled the Wicked Queen in Snow Whites Scary Adventure, took in the sights and smells of Mickey’s Philharmagic (yummy apple pie), and then, because of the yummy smells, felt called to lunch. I have an obsession with Figaro Fries at Pinocchio’s Village Haus so we skipped over there where the boys hopped in line while Carmen and I did some serious seat scouting. Seemingly everyone wanted my Figaro Fries and the boys had our food before we found a place to sit. We eventually commandeered a table in the balcony and sat down to enjoy our nummy, nummy food. I, as previously mentioned, had Figaro Fries and a Mickey Rice Chrispie Treat, Chris had a burger, fries and a cannolli, Chuck also had a burger, I think, and Carmen had a vegetarian salad. I was shocked at how nummy Chris’s cannolli was, who knew?! If it weren’t for the rascally dining plan I would still be in the dark!

So, after stuffing ourselves full of nutritious food (NOT!) we hit up the Carousel, Peter Pan and It’s a Small World. We happily skipped the hour(!) wait for Dumbo. Then we were off to Frontierland to conquer a couple of mountains, going through Liberty Square to visit with some ghosts of course!

 

[Linzybrooke]

Whoops!

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act Three:
Scene Three:

There was no wait for The Haunted Mansion so I was psyched. I have a love of the Haunted Mansion beyond my love for any other Disney attraction. I don’t know why but the entire ride gets me all giddy inside. The first time I went on it with Chris, back in 2003, he wanted to know why I was starring at the ceiling in the stretching room…Mwhahahaha, I told him to just do it and he jumped like a little kid when he saw the hanging body, it was great. This trip was just as great because I pointed it out to Chuck and he not only jumped but let out a little yelp, I thought Carmen was going to die. Once we were herded out into the dark and dreary holding area we were quickly led to our doombuggy by a women that I swear was my 1st grade teacher…I hated that woman…with a serious passion and loathing…I had just moved to Minnesota from Texas and she found my accent rather amusing, is it ever nice and appropriate to tease a 6 year old about the way they talk? I thought not, but I digress… So, back to the Haunted Mansion. We boarded our doombuggies and were off to the other realm. I sat on the edge of my seat and took it all in, except the giant spiders because they freak me out. I was a little let down when we went through Madame Leota’s room, her effects weren’t working, there was no sound, no nothing, just a head in a ball, but it was great anyway. We got the fat hitchhiking ghost and I he followed us home, I think… And then, in the pet cemetery outside the exit we spotted HIM!

So, off we go to Splash Mountain to snag some fast passes, return time isn’t until way late in the evening so we head over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a roller coaster person, not a thrill ride person, not a drops person, and essentially an all out ride wuss. The first time I ever went on BTMR I was 11 and my poor cousin Matthew had the misfortune of sitting in front of me. I grabbed onto the back of his shirt and pulled backwards through the entire ride without noticing that I did it…until afterwards when his shirt was all stretched out and he refused to sit anywhere near me the entire rest of the trip. So, I usually skip this one because it makes me feel as if I am going to literally fly out of my chair and crash into the faux rock all around me. I cuddle up to Chris and bury my head into his armpit and hold on for dear life while the three of them scream and squeal and throw their hands in the air with utter delight. They wanted to ride again…I passed.

From there we headed to Adventureland to lament about Pirates being closed and take in a Jungle Cruise. Our Jungle Cruise Skipper was, well, interesting. I couldn’t tell whether he enjoyed his job or hated his job, I’m guessing it was somewhere in between. He had a very dry sense of humor and a sarcastic monotonous tone. Chris thought he was hilarious…but then again Chris wants to be a Jungle Cruise Skipper. He was entertaining enough though.

Then it was off for a quick trek through the Swiss Family Treehouse, a Dole Whip (nummy) and a spin on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin before heading off to shop a little before our 6:30 Tony’s Town Square ADR. By this time we are all very hot, very hungry and more than a little tired. I think the wear shows on Carmen but not me! Because I am at Disney World and I don’t care! I’m at Disney World! This is the point where I probably burst into song…

 

[Linzybrooke]

Act Three:
Scene Four:

All day it has been hot and muggy and smoky, which is odd, but the humidity mixed with the smoke has created a very, very interesting sort of air. Our lungs were in need of some cold, “fresh” air and shopping before dinner is just what the doctor ordered! We meandered up one side of Mainstreet and into the Firehouse where we got bandanas for our two Pomeranians and searched for my friends husbands fire department patch (which we did not find…) and then back into the Emporium to catch back up with Carmen and Chuck who were picking up souvenirs for the friends that were watching their dog and cats. I fell in love with about a million things but decided to wait to buy them until we were at DTD or back at Magic Kingdom on our last day in the World. We also used this time to take some shots of the Castle. Finally it was time for dinner.

I had eaten at Tony’s a while back and remembered it being pretty good, despite what a lot of people think. We were seated promptly and had a waiter who refilled our drinks every time we took a sip. Might seem like overkill but I prefer that to the waiter that forgets about you and leaves you with nothing in your glass. He was polite and funny and answered all of Carmen’s vegetarian questions. We had Fried Goat Cheese (it is worth mentioning that I fell in love with Goat Cheese on this trip) and Calamari for appetizer. Both were great…especially the Goat Cheese… I had spaghetti with spicy sausage and it was excellent, Chris had the Pork Shank, Chuck had the NY Strip and Carmen had the Vegetarian Minestrone Soup. Carmen didn’t like the soup, it was incredibly salty, but the rest of us enjoyed our dinners.

Halfway through dinner we noticed it getting pretty dark, and it was still pretty early. Next thing we know Florida is experiencing the first signs of Tropical Storm Chris! It was incredible. Florida hadn’t had rain in a while and with the fire that morning it was great timing. The best part of all…the cast members were all out playing in the rain! I mean splashing through the puddles, dancing, jumping, running and all out having a good time. It was so neat to see them genuinely enjoying themselves. I wish I had taken pictures but I was too busy enjoying my yummy food. And speaking of food I can’t leave out the dessert. They had a special of Pistachio Crème Brule that was TO DIE FOR!!! I think we also had the Hazelnut Chocolate Torte, but I don’t remember because the other was so freaking good!!!

Following dinner we shopped our way back up Mainstreet and decided to head back to Splash Mountain when the rain had ended. Let me tell you, after a super hot and humid day we wound up absolutely freezing our behinds off after getting off Splash that time. Poor Carmen was completely drenched, it looked like she had jumped into the water and from then on the air conditioned shops did not feel quite as good as earlier in the day. We walked around for a while just taking in the atmosphere and then found our spot in front of Casey’s to watch Wishes.

Chuck and Carmen had never seen Wishes before, and aside from being wet and cold, they really enjoyed it. It was neat to see how excited their faces were during the show. And, as always, I cried as soon as the music came on. Fireworks are my thing. My mom is a HUGE fireworks officiando and has passed the love of pyrotechnics onto me. I can’t miss a nighttime fireworks show and it was just as fabulous as always.

And thus, after a long and wonderful day at the Magic Kingdom we boarded the buss back to Old Key West and headed straight for The Gurgling Suitcase and a couple of Pina Coladas. They were the perfect end to a perfect day.