A Vacation From My Problems (A Sept. 2010 Trip Report) - COMPLETED 12/14

[melk]

the Best. Day. Ever.

Spongebob Squarepants? (yes, I am a parent and I think Spongebob is on in our house constantly...ugh.)

 

[glennbo123]

Dang meetings....keeping me from seeing this an hour after it's posted.

We were sick of Pop-Tarts at this point, so I suggested heading to the Kona Island coffee bar in the Polynesian for breakfast.

Perish the thought!

The monorail slowed to a stop halfway between MK and the Contemporary, with just a brief announcement that we were holding for clearance from the station.

You should've just gotten out....that'd show 'em!

Sorry, Dave.

This is obviously a reference to the 1993 movie "Dave", starring Kevin Kline.

As we turned towards the restrooms, we saw the board over Test Track now said the wait was 20 minutes. By the time we'd finished taking care of business and emerged, the wait was 40 minutes.

Did you guys take reading material into the restroom? If so, this change in wait time is entirely possible.

Julie and Sarah opted for the Classic Fish Face for the cartoon at the end:

A blatant reference to the "baby fish mouth" quote from "When Harry Met Sally".

We finally had our first mission: we were going to China.

Only Nixon could go to China.....referenced in "Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country"

 

[MissLiz]

Geez! I really need to set up email notification on this thing!

Another superb update!

We saw one of the Halloween monorails on our first monorail trip in September and both kids went nuts over it but I didn't have my camera ready (yeah, I know, stupid me) so I planned to have it ready every other time we rode the monorail after that.

Guess what? 300 monorails later (maybe a slight exaggeration) and no Halloween monorail. I finally gave up and guess what we had on our last monorail ride of the entire trip. The Tron-orail! Oh wait, no, the stupid Halloween one. Grr!

We did Kim Possible the last time and it was so much fun! We did China and Germany. I liked one better than the other, though.

 

[KatMark]

Mark, nice update. It really bothers me some time when people say that you "have to stay at a monorail resort" because the monorail is the best thing on the planet. We have had nothing but issues the last four visits to Disney with the monorail. It's always waiting for "clearance" for at least 15 minutes. Can't imagine that clearance takes that long. And this is the reason we drive to the parks.

Love your reference of the Grand Floridian as the "Red Roof Inn"! (one of three resorts you couldn't pay us to stay at).

Your pictures at Epcot are great.

 

[All7OfUs]

Did I actually finally get a point??'

Youth is wasted on the wrong people= It's a Wonderful Life. (Man on the porch watching George and Mary court at the "wishing house")


Finally one for an old movie geek!!!

ETA: "Old" is referring to the movies, Mark, so no donkey comments.

 

[All7OfUs]

Sorry for the delay in getting the next post up. In the meantime, I ran for president. I didn't win, though.

Sorry, Mate, maybe next time. Send me a ballot- perhaps I'll get registered in time.

For a day that would end up as the Best. Day. Ever. ®, it didn't really start off that way. We were headed back to Epcot, this time to take our time touring the World Showcase side of the park.

Is there ANY other way to go WS??

We were sick of Pop-Tarts at this point, so I suggested heading to the Kona Island coffee bar in the Polynesian for breakfast.

Pop tart euphoria lasts about 2 days.... unless it's cinnamon brown sugar- which has been discussed ad nauseum on my PTR/TRs. And nothing better to ward off the Pop Tart blues than a Kona coffee breakfast.

I decided to take advantage and ran into Fulton's General store to look for mini-DV cassettes...again, no luck.

Again, it's the curse of the nothing-so-special-in-there-Fulton's-General-Store.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that the inside of the Tron-o-rail would look exactly like the other monorail cars.

He'd find out soon enough anyway.

When we got to the MK, we headed straight for the monorail station, only to have our path blocked by two large men that Disney apparently borrowed from the Miami Dolphins and put into ill-fitting monorail uniforms. The Disney Brute Squad informed us that the monorails were down, and they didn't know when they'd be operational again.

There's down, and then there's REALLY down. You get about a 50/50 chance one will show up anyway in about 5 minutes. It's a crapshoot really, as to whether you wait it out or not.

So, we turned around and got on the resort boat. This took some extra time, as it went to the Red Roof Inn (i.e. Grand Floridian) first. Eventually, we arrived at the Polynesian Resort. Good thing we weren't in a hurry.

Too bad it doesn't have a Red Roof Inn price tag!

We got our coffee and pastries (they were out of the big cinnamon rolls ) and sat by the window, eating and watching the apparently repaired monorails going by. I think the Kona coffee they serve there is the best I've had on WDW property (from an admittedly small sample size). Still, it's nice to have some real coffee in the morning, and not just Nescrape you could get in bulk at your local K-Mart. K-Mart sucks.

Via does the trick in a pinch, which incidentally can be procured at K-Mart, but NOTHING beats a cup o' Kona. Nothing!

Here's a picture for trennr from the counter at the coffee bar:

Beautiful!!

Even though it was a short walk to the TTC, we decided to ride the monorail all around the loop just to give the kids extra time on Old Band-Aid.

Nice call!

The monorail slowed to a stop halfway between MK and the Contemporary, with just a brief announcement that we were holding for clearance from the station. After 10 minutes and 4 repeats of the announcement, our amazing mental deductive skills told us we might be holding for more than just routine clearance. Finally, we got moving again and limped into the TTC. As we walked to the Epcot station, we saw the green monorail pulling out. I secretly got excited for Dave--the Tron-o-rail would have to be next!

I HATE, no double hate, those "clearances". But do get it. I just wish they'd take out the "momentarily" bit.

By the way, look at that picture of Spaceship Earth. I've always felt the triangle-canopy things are a little bit of an eyesore, and that the park would look better and cleaner without them. Is it just me?

Better than the blocks of granite. Those are not so attractive in my opinion.

Apparently my face was so hideous that the computers couldn't process it, and instead replaced it with a generic cartoon. Imagine if I'd actually been making an ugly face. Uglier, I mean.

And those AREN'T hideous??

Oh, and you'll be happy to know that Julie correctly identified Delaware on the map this time.

I'm not sure i could ID 2/3s of the Eastern Seaboard States!

I told the kids to approach casually, so as not to draw attention. I handed one young guy, barely out of his teens, our assignment ticket in a slick move disguised as a handshake. I also mentioned to the recruiters that we had dressed like Disney World tourists for the day, so we'd be able to blend into the crowds.

I'm sure you blended in very well. Kudos to making sure the world is a better place to live, rid of spies and ugly faces.

Sigh. Youth is wasted on the wrong people. I guess they've heard that one before. We were handed our super-secret cell phone. The kids punched in our super-secret spy code of 4-8-15-16-23-42.

Great movie! One of the greatest in my book!!

Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't have published that on a public message board. Well, just promise not to tell anyone, ok?

We promise!

Plus, lots and lots of cheese.

And that only means one thing...

 

[dvczerfs]

great update mark!! sorry the president thing didnt work out for you. i have to agree, they can lose the triangle, sun block, spece ship earth blocking things that have been up for 10 years now. nice pics. and as normal, movie quotes are all over my head.

 

[glennbo123]

I told the kids to approach casually, so as not to draw attention.

Is this a reference to Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope, when they're approaching the Death Star and Han tells Chewie to "fly casually"?

 

[akadada]

Hi Captain,

Great What About Bob Report! Unfortunately I did not have time to read all 58 pages of your thread yet; although planning on it.

I'm new to disboards as of today.

Love the style; looking forward to reading more and joining DISdads.

My family is heading to WDW this March. It took me a while to find the right place. I called the Beach Club and asked "This place got a pool?" They said "Pool and a pond . . . pond be good for you.

Cheers,
akadada

 

[trennr]

Is this a reference to Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope, when they're approaching the Death Star and Han tells Chewie to "fly casually"?

If it is...then you missed again... Star War Episode VI The Return of the Jedi.

 

[glennbo123]

If it is...then you missed again... Star War Episode VI The Return of the Jedi.

Ooops. I coulda sworn it was from the "first" one.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Sorry for the delay in getting the next post up. In the meantime, I ran for president. I didn't win, though.

You realize it was a mid-term election, and there was no presidential vote, right?

I decided to take advantage and ran into Fulton's General store to look for mini-DV cassettes...again, no luck.

Now, I've never been to Fulton's before, but when you say general store, I imagine the scene like this: let's see, 50 bags of flour, 5 gallon jugs of molasses, bolts of linen, boxes of shotgun shells. Hmmm, everything you need to survive for 2 months out on the prairie, but no Mini-DV tapes.

When we got to the MK, we headed straight for the monorail station, only to have our path blocked by two large men that Disney apparently borrowed from the Miami Dolphins and put into ill-fitting monorail uniforms. The Disney Brute Squad informed us that the monorails were down, and they didn't know when they'd be operational again.

#27 Benny Sapp, CB, 5'9" 190 lbs
#38 Patrick Cobb, RB, 5'8" 205 lbs.
(And those are "official" team measurements, so they're probably both 5-7, 175.) Sarah could get past these guys with a simple bull rush. Dave and Scotty may need to run a stunt.

So, we turned around and got on the resort boat. This took some extra time, as it went to the Red Roof Inn (i.e. Grand Floridian) first. Eventually, we arrived at the Polynesian Resort. Good thing we weren't in a hurry.

Yes, but to be fair, would you rather take a boat ride on the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Magic Kingdom, or Delaware Bay from Slaughter Beach? (I had planned on going into a small rant about the Convention and Visitors Bureau not having a dictionary and naming something Slaughter Beach, but then I ran the risk of the beach being named after someone like Jedediah Slaughter, who saved a bus load of orphans from plunging into the bay and become a local hero. But still, Slaughter Beach?)

We got our coffee and pastries (they were out of the big cinnamon rolls )

The Machine Shed is calling...

The yellow monorail approaching. The Tron-o-rail had the day off.

What does a monorail do on it's day off? I mean, it can't just put on a hat and oversized sunglasses and hope no one recognizes it walking around the Magic Kingdom, can it?

I love the loop inside the park. Great way to show it off and get the anticipation building.

By the way, look at that picture of Spaceship Earth. I've always felt the triangle-canopy things are a little bit of an eyesore, and that the park would look better and cleaner without them. Is it just me?

Perhaps, but hmmmm...Large sphere beloved by millions, triangle shapes at the base...remind you of anything?

By the time we'd finished taking care of business and emerged

Do you sing that too when you're... you know... taking care of business?

Oh, and you'll be happy to know that Julie correctly identified Delaware on the map this time.

(Dude, she's reading along. She's gonna see this. You're gonna have to sleep on the couch again.)

Our first mission as undercover agents. Plus, lots and lots of cheese.

Now you're speaking my language.

Love your reference of the Grand Floridian as the "Red Roof Inn"! (one of three resorts you couldn't pay us to stay at).

I must have lower standards. I'll let anyone pay me to stay there.

 

[3timesmom]

Obrigado, Tania! For this invaluable help, I absolutely agree that you have earned a bonus point.

Mais um ponto!

+1

And I have to ask: are you serious about the Beverly? How does it get advertised in Brazil (or Brasil, as you natives spell it)?

I should have a post up with the final results of the Beverly slogan contest later today, so stay tuned![/QUOTE]

Wow...I had a lot of catching up to do...lots of sick animals here in Brasil, you know(I'm a veterinarian)... So, do I REALLY have to answer you question about Beverly, Captain????? Hummm, let's see...Yes, we love Beverly here in Brasil... we drink it for breakfast, lunch or dinner..at funerals and birthdays...we even give it to our babies to keep them healthy and crying the whole day..I think I have a confession to make... I never tasted a Beverly...never had the courage...but we are going to WDW on dec 4th and one of the first things I'm going to do is to have the whole family ( DH first, of course ) to taste a sample ( I already told my DH that this is something he absolutely has to taste...).
Your updates were great, my DD was near me while I was reading and she kept asking why I was laughing...and I'm going to use your wife as inspiration for your next portuguese lesson: A Sra. Sabe-Tudo é muito legal!!!! ( Mrs Knowitall is really cool!!!) ...e ela realmente merece muitos elogios pelas fotos...and she really deserves a lot of praise for her pictures.. Bye, Tania.
PS: According to Mrs. Knowitall I deserve 25 points for a very exhausting translation job so... who's in charge???

 

[trennr]

Ooops. I coulda sworn it was from the "first" one.

No...in Ep VI...they are flying the Imperial Shuttle Tiberius in route to the Moon of Endor.


In the "First" one the Falcon has just come upon the remains of Alderan...and they see the Death Star and try to turn around when they get caught in a tractor beam.

 

[glennbo123]

No...in Ep VI...they are flying the Imperial Shuttle Tiberius in route to the Moon of Endor.


In the "First" one the Falcon has just come upon the remains of Alderan...and they see the Death Star and try to turn around when they get caught in a tractor beam.

Yep, you're right! Good thing I was just fishing for a point, knowing that the Captain would never be so silly as to grant it.

 

[trennr]

Yep, you're right! Good thing I was just fishing for a point, knowing that the Captain would never be so silly as to grant it.

Good thing I'm just trying to steal that fishing point out from under you.

 

[glennbo123]

Good thing I'm just trying to steal that fishing point out from under you.

Can't say that I blame you!

 

[trennr]

BTW...Captain O...you have won the Caption Contest...so please head over there and post a new picture.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

4-8-15-16-23-42----Lost

Brute Squad ...Princess Bride

+2

K-Mart sucks
Rain Man

+1

<crickets>
Don's Trip Report!!!

I'm awarding a bonus poing, because that's just plain funny.

+1

A Shout out and a Hidden Mickey!!!

PAGE 58 OWNAGE!!!

I see you have a nice little tag in your signature line, too.

pit stop
Cars

I'll give this one to you, just because Guido's pit stop in the race is my favorite part of the whole movie.

+1

Too bad they didn't appreciate your seriousness for the task at hand - saving the world!! Are those Wall - E tshirts on the kids? I loved that movie

Great picture of the Poly...it looks a lot nicer up close than far away...as we were approaching it in September Lee (DBF) told me from far away he thought it was a pizza hut

Yup, they wore the Wall-E shirts proudly. Those buttons came from the Epcot passport kit, which I'll get into more in the next chapter. I would quote Wall-E more in this TR, but the lack of dialogue makes that difficult.

I guess I can see the Pizza Hut shape in the Poly buildings. But if he doesn't want to stay there, can I have his room?

Forrest Gump (yeah, I'm reaching that far)

This one's a little too vague. Besides, it could also be from the 1978 version of Superman, when the football jerks ask Clark how he got to his house so fast.

Somebody needs to ask for an upgrade to the digital age this Christmas.

I'm on it! I've made it known that we absolutely need a new camcorder. Unfortunately, this stupid thing called a "budget" keeps getting in the way.

Just like the rest of the the trip report.

Nice update... sorry about the monorail situation, nothing more frustrating than being stuck when there is so much to do! How do you know the Tronorail is like all the others on the inside if you didn't get in it????

Remember those amazing deductive skills I mentioned? Yeah, I'm that good.

 

[afwdwfan]

No...in Ep VI...they are flying the Imperial Shuttle Tiberius in route to the Moon of Endor.

In the "First" one the Falcon has just come upon the remains of Alderan...and they see the Death Star and try to turn around when they get caught in a tractor beam.

Yep, you're right! Good thing I was just fishing for a point, knowing that the Captain would never be so silly as to grant it.

Good thing I'm just trying to steal that fishing point out from under you.

Can't say that I blame you!

BTW...Captain O...you have won the Caption Contest...so please head over there and post a new picture.

... who's in charge???

As the evidence above suggests, the answer to your question is nobody is in charge. This thing has been out of control for nearly 60 pages now.