Before the Shenanigans: A Christmas 2012 PTR (TR Link Posted 1/12/13!)

[SoNotAPrincess]

Hola, mi amigos!

Bonjour, mes amis!

Ciao, amici!

I'm headed out of town for work tomorrow and have to be at MCO bright and early, so I'm gonna go ahead and post this tonight.

Number Two on my list takes place in Epcot. I actually wrote a TR for this particular jaunt right after we got back, so I’ll just copy, paste, and make minimal edits to it. Bonus! There are also photos, too! (Also photos, too? Geez, redundant much?)

May 6, 2006 - Woo hoo! Finally, a planned trip to the World that is actually happening on schedule! The plan for the day was to have a very loose plan. Pick a park and do whatever we want whenever we want. My mantra for the day: “It’s OK not to have a plan.”

Cast of Characters:
My cousin Dani, her daughters Izzi (13) and Lily (8), and myself
Fellow Maelstromer Rhonda, her son Wesley (4), and their friend, Kim

We left for the house of mouse a little after 7:30 a.m. armed with cherry pop-tarts and a variety of beverages. Dani and I dressed to impress in an Eeyore baseball shirt (me) and Vintage Mickey T-shirt (Dani). Lily wore her favorite fairy T-shirt, which she said was "...close enough to Tinker Bell." And Izzi, our 13-year-old Goth wannabe, was dressed in black jeans, black tank top and black boots. And black eyeliner. Lots of black eyeliner. She may look Goth, but there's not a morose, uncommunicative bone in her sunshine soul.

The day’s chariot of choice was my little white Saturn Ion because it gets better gas mileage than Dani’s big-a$$ conversion van.

We made good time and were at Epcot a few minutes before 9 a.m. In no time flat, we were in clear sight of the slightly imperfect geodesic sphere, otherwise known as the ginormous silver golf ball. It may be silly, but I just love that thing. It’s so grand…and shiny!

Our journey to a parking space was delayed by a group of three men with two very pretty little dogs on leashes standing in the middle of the road. I stopped, and they stayed. I inched forward, and they gave me a dirty look. I motioned for them to cross the road, and they motioned for me to go around them. Excuse me? Don’t cars have the right of way on the road? As Lily said, “How rude!” We all agreed that those guys were in serious need of some pixie dust, so as we went around them, we yelled out the windows, “Have a magical day!”

We breezed through the bag check and ticket stations in about five minutes flat and stopped to admire the Daisy and Donald Tunnel of Love topiaries.

Oooh….ahhhh….movin’ on.

The theme for this year’s Flower and Garden Festival is Romance, so why is Stitch at the back of the Tunnel of Love? Don’t get me wrong…I love and adore Stitch as much as the next girl, but romantic? I must be missin’ sump’m.

I brought a couple of hitchhikers with me in the form of meniscus tears in my knee, so I was gonna be ECV’n it around Epcot. I have an aversion to riding an ECV around The World, but there was no way I could hoof it, so I swallowed my pride, forked over my $40 bucks and got to rollin’. Once I had my wheels, we headed for Spaceship Earth. I miss Walter Cronkite, but it’s still a nice way to start the day at Epcot. Plus we found a new hidden Mickey!

One of the best things about living close to WDW and having APs is that we don’t have that I-have-to-see-everything-today-or-die-trying sensation. The day started out mild and breezy, and we strolled/rolled around looking at the flowers and topiaries. In spite of the fact that I have a brown thumb that encourages plants to just give up and die, I love flowers. My grandmother could grow roses in a bed of rocks, and my mom is into African violets; but when it comes to me, obviously the gardening gene skipped a generation.

Lily liked Lumiere a lot and insisted that I take this picture:

Confession number 1: All four of us are karaoke divas, and we left the area singing, "Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to zee test…." with really bad French accents.

And consider yourselves forewarned: This won't be the last time we burst into spontaneous Disney song!

We made our way over to The Land to see how long the line was for Soarin’, and scored a 15-minute wait time. I love, love, love, LOVE Soarin’. While waiting, we discussed whether or not we should ask for the front row and decided that we could live with people’s feet hanging over our heads. And whaddaya know, we got the front row anyway! Happy re-birthday to moi! Before takeoff, the CM suggested that Lily and I take our shoes off since we were wearing Crocs with the strap in front. Let me tell you, everyone should ride Soarin’ barefoot at least once! It really is a different ride without people’s feet hanging over your head. Lily’s favorite part is soarin’ over the surfers…she tries to nudge them with her toes. Dani likes the orange groves the best…we breathe in the scent of orange blossoms, and it’s like home to us Florida natives. Izzi likes the skiers and always lifts her feet so she doesn’t get them in the cold snow. And me? Well, I like the fireworks…it’s like being inside those zip-boom-zing-bang bursts of brilliant color. Soarin’ ROCKS, so we decided to ride it again RIGHT NOW, but, alas the line was too long. We have a rule that we don’t wait in line longer than 20 minutes for ANY ride. Can you say Fastpass?

The line was short for Living With The Land (I think everyone was in line for Soarin’), so we hopped a slow boat through Disney’s greenhouses. I was the photographer, but Lily was the director, pointing out not-to-be-missed opportunities for photographic genius. At her urging, we got these gems:

Pineapple!

Sunflowers!

And punkins, oh my!

And my favorite:

What's not to love about a Mickey-shaped Cinderella pumpkin?

Maybe it was looking at all that food, or maybe it was the fact that cherry Pop-Tarts and Coke don’t make a very sustaining breakfast; but we were all famished, so we decided to grab lunch. We decided on Chinese, and the four of us split two meals…that way we could sample four different entrees. We’re good lookin’, talented AND smart! I also took the opportunity to take a pain pill for my knee, and Lily said, "Oooh…it’s gonna get fun now!" I have NO idea what she meant by that. OK, I know exactly what she meant…but that’s a story for another time!

After lunch, we scooted over to The Living Seas. I love aquariums and have a fascination with sea life, so this is a must for any day at Epcot. First up, Turtle Talk! We timed it just right (this no plan thing is really working!) and got seats for the show starting in 10 minutes. Lily sat on the floor, and Izzi was able to squeeze her skinny 13-year old behind in on the front row. Crush was totally awesome, dude! He asked the kids what they liked to eat and was getting the usual kid cuisine answers like, "Pasgetti, hot dogs, and candy," when I heard someone call out, "Sushi!" It got a laugh, and when Crush responded, "Whichever one’a you dudes said sushi is gonna hafta exit the premises," there was an even bigger laugh. Turns out it was our very own Mz Iz…needless to say, she was quite impressed with herself! We decided Crush was so much fun that we’d try for a do-over later in the day.

Pictures of the stingrays in The Living Seas:

By this time it was getting close to 1 p.m., so we started making our way to Mexico for our mini-Maelstromer Meet. I was really looking forward to this! Rhonda and I are part of a group of crazy, caring, funny Disney maniacs known on the DisBoards as The Maelstromers and were going to be meeting for the first time. Fun stuff!

On the way to Mexico, Lily and Izzi stopped to add their artwork to one of the sidewalks:

And we stopped to admire this Tower of Flower Power:

We met up with Rhonda, Wesley and Kim and enjoyed a visit in the cool Mexican air conditioning. It was getting waarrrrmmm and would soon be hottttttttt. There is a reason they call this the Sunshine State! It was a lot of fun getting together…Lily and Izzi thought Wesley was just adorable (well, duh, he IS adorable!), and Rhonda is as sweet and southern as they come. I admired Wesley’s pins and gave him a Maleficent off my lanyard to go with his Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip collection. He was so polite and said thank you with no prompting from Mom. Rhonda, you and Mark have done good with your little man! With a final, “Maelstrom is a FASTPASS!?!?!” we said our goodbyes…but we’d see each other again because it really is a small World after all!

Next: The Great Clacker Search, Princess Alert! and More Topiaries

Click here for "Songbirds on the Loose, Part 2"

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Alternate Title: Trapped in Washington, DC with a Monstrous Earache

I was fine this morning when I took off, but by the time I landed, I was hurting; and my equalibrium was wonky. As soon as I post this, I’m going to take a pain pill and go to sleep early because I have to do the return flight bright ‘n early in the morning. SO glad this hotel has sleep number beds!

I want to finish the Disney Top Five because I'm going to Disney this weekend and will write about that when I get back!

So, back to the trip report within a countdown within a pre-trip report. Whoa. How did this thing turn into Inception?

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When last we saw the songbirds, the sun was out in full force, and all four were wilting like delicate flowers in the heat. We were in search of the elusive bamboo clacker garden that I’d read about on the Dis, and guess what? It’s not in China! However, one of the best living garden sculpture thingamajigs is in China, and we gave it high honors. It even breathed fire…or mist…or something.

Roaming around China, we spotted Mulan and Mushu and were inspired to sing, “When will my reflection show the me I am insiiiiiide?” Lily isn’t shy, and while the other three of us were refraining from singing Mariah-style, she was belting it out. Several people smiled at her as they passed by, and she was very gracious to her adoring public, smiling back and even waving a couple of times. She is truly a star in the making!

We stopped in Italy for an icy strawberry Gilatti (spelling?) and sat on a shady bench overlooking the water while we enjoyed it. Not only did we score a cool breeze, we had this view of the slightly imperfect geodesic sphere:

Feeling refreshed, we continued our journey around the world in search of the bamboo clacker garden, which we deduced MUST be in Japan. We are truly bril-yant!

As we were approaching the American pavilion, we stopped to enjoy the fife and drum corps:

They were awesome, and I loved singing with the crowd to “She’s a Grand Old Flag” and “God Bless America.” I’m a bit of an American history buff, and they reminded me of what so many have sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy. I love to travel, but when it’s time to come home, I can’t imagine that being anyplace other than the USA. There was something truly special about standing in a crowd of strangers, all of us unashamedly belting out our pride and love for this country.

The flag bearer stood so straight and tall that Lily said, “You can tell he’s really proud to be the one who gets to carry the flag.” And she was absolutely right.

We decided to stay and watch the American Adventure and got to enjoy an acapella vocal performance by The Voices of Liberty. As a group, they had such a clear, pure sound that any instrumental accompaniment would have detracted from the beauty of their voices. Maybe we enjoyed it more because we all like to sing ourselves, but they were the highlight of our day at Epcot. Lily has decided that rather than being a chef when she grows up, she wants to be a singing cast member at Disney. If you have a chance to hear them, don’t miss it!

After the American Adventure, during which Dani and I teared up at the space shuttle Challenger segment, we made our way over to Japan where the angels smiled on us and we found the bamboo clacker garden. Which wasn’t working. DWATS! If it had been set up right, I think it would’ve been a very cool thing. Of course Lily’s answer to the problem was, “Let’s just come back next weekend and see if it’s working!”

As we passed through France, we saw Princess Aurora sitting on the wall under a shade tree all by herself; so we decided to help a princess out and stop by to say hi. I tried to get Lily to take a picture with her, but she didn’t want to. Lily is in girly-girl denial. She is definitely a girly-girl, but she wants everyone to think she’s not. The fact that she’s chosen to go to Glamour Girls Girl Scout camp this summer isn’t helping her cause any. Anyway, she turned her pert little nose up at the picture idea, but she was very happy to sit on the wall next to Aurora and have a little Star-to-Princess chat. Lily has a guest of honor name badge with the villains on it, and Aurora seemed to be a little concerned about one villain in particular! In spite of her fright, she very graciously posed for a photo op:

We bid her adieu and left France singing “I know you, I waltzed with you once upon a dream…I know you, the gleam in your eye is so familiar a gleam…” which is one of my very favorite Disney songs.

Meeting Aurora also started us on the “Who’s your favorite princess?” conversation. Me, I like a princess with backbone, so Belle is my fave and gets mad props for having backbone and standing up to the Beast. Izzi decided that Jasmine was the princess with the most pizzazz, while Lily opted for Ariel, and Dani chose Cinderella.

Cinderella shminderella. Yeah, right, whatEVER.

We couldn’t agree on which princess was best, but we all love Cinderella’s song. “A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you’re fast asleep….”

In England Lily and Izzi took a walk through the garden maze; and I snapped more topiary pictures because, after all, you can never have too many topiary pictures!!

These photos are for my sister, who is a Winnie the Pooh fan from way back. She loved him so much that for her third birthday, she had an elaborate Winnie the Pooh cake, complete with red balloon, honey jar and buzzing bees. When she spotted the cake, she was so overwhelmed with joy that she…yep, you guessed it…picked it up and hugged it! To this day we still ask her if she wants to eat her cake or wear it. We think it’s hilarious…her, not so much.

Sing it with me…you know you know the words, “…willy nilly silly old bear!”

Cheap…I mean…inexpensive souvenir alert!! In Canada, they have leather key chains for a mere $5, and they engrave them for free. There are several character shapes; and, based on Lily’s excitement when she saw the Tink one, something tells me I just might be getting one for my birthday. Hmmm…if I have a leather key chain, doesn’t that mean I should have the jacket and boots to match?

Confession number 2: I am expensive, but worth it!

As we left World Showcase, I made myself the same promise I always make. Someday I’ll come back and devote an entire day just to meandering through the different countries. It always amazes me at how much there is left to see. I think I’ll plan a Just Us Girls weekend with my best friend and do Epcot right. Lunch in Morocco, dinner in Canada, pastries in France and IllumiNations in England. Some like to drink their way around the world. Me? I want to SHOP my way around the world! My favorite Disney phrase? “Just send it to the resort.” (Preferably the Grand Floridian!)

We left World Showcase and made our way back to Future World, looking for Tinker Bell’s fairy garden.

At some point in the day, one of us (I think it was Iz) snapped this photo, which I think turned out kinda cool:

I’m a huge fan of the feisty little fairy, and the Tink topiary was at the top of my must see list for the Flower and Garden Festival. As we entered the garden, we almost bumped into Rhonda, Kim and Wesley in his rolling throne. They were off in search of a certain drowsy princess; and we told them where we’d left her, sitting on a wall waiting for Prince Wesley. We were hoping to find a few flitting fairies hiding in Tink’s secret garden. Although we didn’t find any (we do believe in fairies, we do, we do!); we found their house, complete with tiny little chairs and moss carpeting. Of course, watching over everything was Tink herself, supersized:

Hunting high and low for fairies can make a body hungry, so we decided to hit the Electric Umbrella and the unlimited topping bar for dinner. The unlimited air conditioning sounded awfully good, too.

Izzi and Lily went in search of the perfect table while Dani and I got in line to order. According to Izzi, the perfect table was the one from which the most cute boys could be seen. I think the best table is the one from which the most good looking MEN can be seen. I’m just sayin’.

Somehow, Dani and I ended up in different queue lines; and once again I managed to choose the one that, although shorter, moved at a snail’s pace. And to make it even worse, I was trapped between Nudging Woman and Pungent Man.

No sooner had I gotten in line than my olfactory senses woke up and said, “Whoa, Nelly! What IS that smell?” Now, I understand that walking around Epcot in 90-degree heat is going to cause a certain amount of perspiration. I grew up on a farm and did my share of pulling weeds and picking beans in the summertime with my brother, so I know a little about sweatin’. There, I said it. Sweating isn’t pretty, which is probably why my Georgia Granny always insisted that ladies don’t sweat, they glow. Well, I’m here to tell you that Pungent Man in front of me was sweating up a storm, and he had evidently forgotten his Old Spice that morning. Just as I was backing up to put some distance between myself and Pungent Man, Nudging Woman stepped up and…uh huh…nudged me closer to him. My eyes began to water, and if I even so much as shifted my weight from one leg to the other, Nudging Woman would live up to her name. I tried holding my breath, but I assure you I am no David Blaine, and eventually lightheadedness forced me to breathe. The line moved at the same rate of speed as molasses running uphill on a cold day, and the fact that Special Order Girl was in front of Pungent Man didn’t help. Do you know how long a special order can hold up a line at an Epcot CS place? I’ll tell you. Twelve minutes. That’s a long time to be the filling in a Pungent Nudgewich. If those two worked together and used their powers for good, they could overcome any foe.

By the time we finished eating, the sun was going down and a cool breeze was blowing. We decided to go over to Minnie’s Butterfly House. There were lots of butterflies, but they were all congregating at the top of the house. The only butterfly we got a good look at was this one:

And, of course, a Minnie topiary!

We were a little disappointed by the lack of close-up butterfly sightings and decided that the only thing that could lift our spirits was TEST TRACK!!

I am a self-proclaimed ride wimp, but even I have to admit that after a couple of times around the course, Test Track is fast but not even a little scary. In other words, right up my alley! We screamed and squealed and made terror stricken faces for our ride photo and then rushed to see how goofy we looked. We were laughing at ourselves when Lily grabbed my arm in a death grip and started jumping up and down because, “There’s a hidden Mickey in the picture! I found a hidden Mickey on Test Track!” Dani and Izzi immediately saw it and started congratulating her. Meanwhile, I’m staring at the photo trying to find the darn thing. I really, REALLY suck at finding hidden Mickeys. It’s embarrassing to be so hidden Mickey challenged. Lily finally took pity on me and pointed it out. It’s a large Mickey-shaped coil of rope right next to the car, so be on the lookout for it. Truly, if it had’a been a snake….

Confession number 3: Sometimes I just pretend to see the hidden Mickey so I don’t get pitying looks from an 8-year old.

Next: Figment...will we be able to contain our excitement?

Click here for "Songbirds on the Loose, Part 3"

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Home again, home again, jiggity jog! (Per the doc, I have an ear infection, so I'm armed with antibiotics. I work from home, but I'm taking it easy today and will likely lay down as soon as I post this.)

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Have you ever been teased unmercifully by an 8-year old? It’s goes something like this:

Lily: “Did you REALLY not see the hidden Mickey?”
Me: “I really did NOT see the hidden Mickey.”
Lily: “So I saw it but you did NOT see it?”
Me: “Yes, you saw it, but I didn’t.”
Lily: “Even though it was HUGE and right THERE next to the car?”
Me: “Yes, Miss Eagle Eyes.”
Lily: “You need glasses.”
Me: “I do not need glasses.”
Lily: “Well, you didn’t see the GIGANTIC hidden Mickey right in front of your face, and I DID.”
Me: “I bow to your far superior hidden Mickey finding skills.”
Lily: (dancing and skipping in front of me) “I’m the best, uh huh, oh yeah.”
Me: (under my breath) “Rotten little hidden-Mickey-finding-girly-girl-denial-way-too-much-energy-wonderful kid.”

Then, to add insult to injury, she decides that we must all ride Figment. Dani, Izzi, and I followed her with slumped shoulders, resigned to the fact that there’s no way we could get out of it. There ARE good things about this ride: 1) it’s inside, where it’s air conditioned; 2) …. Ummm…I’m sure there’s something else that’s good about this ride; it’s just escaping me at the moment.

After the ride, we did what Lily calls, “…all the extra imagination stuff…” like directing the Figment band and taking pictures of ourselves, transforming our faces into monkeys, cats, flowers and pirates, then emailing them to various people. That part was fun. Especially when we morphed Izzi into a monkey and threatened to email it to her boyfriend. At first she played it off because she thought we didn’t know his email address. Then Lily chimed in with, “Well, his screen name is….” That got Izzi’s attention! She learned a valuable life lesson: never let your little sister stay in the room while you’re IM’ing with your boyfriend.

Dani and Izzi wanted to ride Soarin’ barefoot, so we decided to go see how long the line was. It was long. Really long. Remember the 20-minute rule? If the rule was going to be broken, it would be for Soarin’, but both Dani and I hate, abhor and detest waiting in line. Not to mention the fact that I parked the ECV outside, and I was sure to be in a world of hurt after putting weight on my knee for an hour. That morning, we’d had the Guest Assistance Card conversation, and I decided that while I needed the ECV for long-range mobility, I’d be OK standing in lines because I’d never be waiting for more than 20 minutes. I have to admit that right then, I was kinda wishing I’d gotten the GAC.

And then *poof!* that ol’ Disney Magic happened.

As we turned to leave, an older gentleman approached us and asked if we wanted his family’s Fastpasses…Pixie Dust for everyone! It seems that his small grandson was having a meltdown of epic proportions, and the family was in a hurry to get the heck outta Epcot with the little guy. We promised to pay his kindness forward and set off for the wild blue yonder. WDW really IS the happiest place on earth!

After Soarin’, we rushed back over to the Living Seas and managed to squeeze into the last Turtle Talk of the day. Crush talked to Lily, and she was beaming from ear to ear. She thought it was especially funny that he referred to her as the “little human in the purple shell.”

By the time we left Crush, we were just about Epcotted out for the day. In spite of the ECV, my knee was throbbing, Dani’s feet were hurting, Izzi wanted some time away from us so she could call her boyfriend, and Lily was getting a wee bit cranky. None of this should be surprising considering we'd been going strong for 12 hours! We moseyed around aimlessly, checking out pins and other assorted overpriced souvenirs, looking at the dancing fountain and people watching while we killed time waiting for IllumiNations.

Izzi spotted a small injured bird and stopped a little boy from stepping on it (on purpose…how mean!). We found a CM who called someone to send out a bird rescue squad, and it turns out he had a twig or thorn in his wing. They took him off to Epcot’s super secret bird hospital and sanctuary to be cared for, and we all had the warm fuzzies for helping out a little bit.

In spite of our endless love affair with IllumiNations, we reluctantly decided that we were just too pooped to party any longer. We were considerably less peppy as we left the park then we’d been when we arrived 12 hours earlier! I snapped one final (somewhat blurry) photo as we neared the exit:

Buh-bye, Epcot…see ya real soon!!

Confession number 4: I really wish we were staying at the Poly…or Port Orleans…or POP!

Before we continue, here are some random photos taken throughout the day…

The ball speaks to me, “Take my picture…I’m big…I’m bright…I’m shiny…you love me!”

Reflections: I asked Lily what the best thing about our day at Epcot was, and she said it was talking to Crush. Totally awesome, Dudette! For Dani and me it was listening to the Voices of Liberty at the American pavilion. What talent! When I asked Izzi, she said it was pin trading; and I realized I hadn’t even mentioned it here. Bad Aunt Lauri!

OK, this is where I’m going to get a little bit mushy, so don’t say you weren’t warned.

I don’t have children of my own, but I’ve been blessed to have some extraordinary kids in my life. Lily and Izzi are in that group. Izzi is your typical 13-year old in a lot of ways...she listens to loud music and wears lots of black eyeliner. She likes to dress all in black, and her hair is streaked with three different shades of blonde. She’s headstrong and can be a smarta**. But she also has a huge heart and one of the gentlest spirits I’ve ever come across. Her Disney thing is pin trading, and she collects the Mickey heads and the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pin set. She has all but Dopey and Grumpy, and they are the hardest to find. I found a Grumpy on Ebay and asked her if she wanted it, but she said most of the fun is in finding them herself.

Anyway, it is physically impossible for her to walk past a CM wearing a pin lanyard without stopping to see what they have. The thing about Izzi is that aside from Grumpy and Dopey, she’s not usually looking for pins for herself. She’s always on the lookout for a Tink pin for me, a Mickey for her mom, or a Disney cutie for Lily. She is happier and more excited to find something for someone else than she would ever be for herself.

So we spent a lot of time stopping for Izzi to check out CM pin lanyards at Epcot. I admit that a couple of times I wanted to just keep moving, and once Dani had to remind her that she couldn’t just run off without telling us what she was doing. At one point during the day, Dani and I were sitting in the shade while Lily and Izzi played in one of the playground areas. That’s another cool thing about Iz, she looks out for her little sister, and she’s not embarrassed to play little kid games with her. Anyway, several children congregated at the top of the monkey bars, and we could see Lily showing them her lanyard. We didn’t think anything more about it, and it wasn’t until we were leaving the park that Lily said, “It was nice of Izzi to give that boy her favorite Mickey head pin.”

It turns out that he was from far, far away, and it was his last night at Disney. He wanted a pin to take home, but for one reason or another he hadn’t been able to get one. Izzi asked him which one of her pins he liked the best, and when he picked out her favorite, she didn’t hesitate to give it to him. After Lily told us the story, Izzi just shrugged and said, “He can’t come to Disney any time he wants like I can.”

So, I’m changing my answer to the question, “What was your favorite thing at Epcot?” For me it was Izzi sharing the sparkle of Disney magic with a little boy she’ll never see again.

Mushy interlude over

Now, where were we?

Ahhh, yes....next stop: AmeriSuites!

When we decided to treat ourselves to a Disney weekend, we knew it was going to be on the cheap. Sometimes we hit the World and go ka-ray-zee spending money on food, trinkets and other assorted souvenirs and live like the royalty we truly are for a couple of nights in a deluxe resort with Mickey and Stitch wake-up calls and door-to-door monorail service. And other times we have a strict “not a penny more than…” budget. This was one of the “other” times.

I searched for an AP or Florida resident room only discount, but came up empty; so I went back to my favorite standby: Priceline. I’ve always had good luck with Priceline, but you run a risk when you click that OK button and let some unknown being choose your hotel for you. I was going for a 3-star at around $50, but after two weeks of trying I decided I’d better play it safe and got a 2 ½ star for $43 at the AmeriSuites three miles off Disney property with a bonus continental breakfast. Check-in was a breeze and we were in our room in no time. We were pleasantly surprised to find a microwave (popcorn, anyone?) and a foldout sofa bed, which Izzi quickly proclaimed as hers and hers alone. All in all, we gave it a tired but heartfelt thumbs up.

No sooner were we in the room than Mz Iz asked if she could go down to the lobby to call her boyfriend…or as her daddy likes to call him, her boyfiend. Dads are so funny. Dani told her she could sit on the couch and talk to him, and the rest of us would sit on the beds and watch TV, but that wasn’t enough privacy for Iz. What followed was a “discussion” between a boyfriend-deprived 13 year old and an over-tired mom with differing opinions on what constitutes privacy. There were tears. There was yelling. There was the, “You can talk to him IN THIS ROOM or not at all,” ultimatum, followed by, “That is SO not fair!”

At this point, I decided I should take a shower.

When I came back into the room, there was silence. The door was propped open with the safety latch, and Izzi was sitting in the hallway, which apparently constitutes enough privacy to talk to one’s boyfriend.

Ahhh, the beauty of compromise.

The nice thing about staying in Orlando is that we could sleep in a little…’til 7:30! Considering that I’m usually up at 5:30 a.m., it was almost like sleeping ‘til noon. As it was, I woke up before everyone else and had a chance to do a little reflecting.

This date, May 7, is significant for me, which is why I’ve mentioned it being my re-birthday. I’m a cancer survivor, and May 7 is the date I got my cancer-free diagnosis. I went through three years of treatments, drugs, biopsies, and invasive procedures. There were good days and bad days, days I felt like staying in bed but got up and went to work anyway and days I shut the curtains, turned off the phone, and hid. I lived on hope, trust and prayer. I moved carefully through life, afraid to make long-range plans, trying always to be prepared for the worst. I don’t think you can truly be prepared for the worst…you just have to face it when it comes and get through it with as much grace as possible. Having cancer changed me. It made me realize how many dreams I have and how hard I’m willing to fight to make them come true. I became aware of how strong I am, how much I love my family and who my friends are. I know that if I can beat cancer, I can do anything. But I didn’t beat cancer by myself. I did it with a lot of help…from doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, lab techs, etc. My family and friends held me up when I couldn’t stand alone. They drove me to appointments and procedures, coaxed me to eat when I wasn’t hungry, made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry, and motivated me to WANT to get better. Cancer didn’t just happen to me…it happened to everyone who cares about me, too. So my re-birthdays aren’t just for me…they’re for all the people that made them possible.

So what does all this have to do with a Walt Disney World trip report? For me, long before The Happiest Celebration On Earth, WDW has been about celebrating. As a child, it was a celebration of magic, a place where I could hug a giant mouse, meet a princess and ride a flying elephant. As a teenager, it was a celebration of independence, a place I could go with my friends, ride in a Doom Buggy and flirt with a willy nilly silly old bear. As an adult, it became a celebration of memories, a place where I can still hear my little sister’s squeal of delight at meeting Tigger and see my kid brother, armed with his new dagger, sparring with Captain Hook in front of POTC.

When I was deciding what I wanted to do this year to celebrate, WDW was the natural…the only…choice. What could be better than spending two days with Dani, who is not only my cousin, but also my friend, and Iz and Lily at Disney?

These are just some of the things I was thinking about that quiet Sunday morning. When Lily woke up and climbed in bed with me, all cuddly and sweet and warm and drowsy, she said, “Happy re-birthday, Aunt Lauri.” Yep, I got a little misty then…and I’m a little misty now writing about it.

Ain’t life GRAND?

And now, back to your regularly scheduled trip report:

After much jostling for bathroom and vanity privileges, we headed down for the carbfest…I mean continental breakfast…and loaded up on frozen waffles, muffins, instant grits, and yogurt. Is it any wonder we all wanted to sleep afterwards? But no naps for us…today is Everest-Dinosaur-Rockin Roller Coaster-Tower of Terror day!!

Confession number 6: I am an excellent driver but a terrible navigator. In spite of Dani’s best efforts, I very nearly took us to Animal Kingdom LODGE rather than Animal Kingdom THEME PARK.

Once past the VERY THOROUGH bag check, we slipped through Rainforest Café to the back entrance into the park, and I got my Cadillac for the day.

AK was VERY crowded, and the walkways are not very ECV friendly. I’ve read in other trip reports about invisible strollers, and I’m here to say, “I feel your pain.” I joked that I had evidently put on my Cloak of Invisibility that morning because it was obvious that no one could see the woman in the purple Mood Subject To Change Without Notice Tinker Bell T-shirt and bright pink Crocs on the ECV right in front of them.

I am a polite, gently reared, kindhearted flower of southern womanhood, but more than once I felt like turning my back on everything my mama taught me, beeping that ECV horn long and hard and yelling, “Yo, numbskull…yes, you in the “There's too much blood in my alcohol system” shirt...excuuuuse me…comin’ through!”

Unlike our Epcot day, today we had a plan: ride Everest and Dinosaur, see Festival of the Lion King and get the heck out of Animal Kingdom. Sometimes a plan comes together…sometimes, not so much.

Birds are distracting.

But we were on a mission to obtain Fastpasses for Everest, so we cut through Dinoland to get there as quickly as possible. With Fastpasses, in hand, we noticed that there was a loooooooong line for the ride, but there was no screaming to be heard. Could it be? Had we all gone deaf? Or was the ride experiencing…perish the thought…technical difficulties? Our fears were confirmed, but we were assured that the ride would be up and running, “very soon,” so we decided to ride Dinosaur first.

I always get off of Dinosaur feeling like I need a good chiropractor. According to Izzi, the secret is to plant your feet solidly on the floor and then let your body “flop around.” Ummm…OK.

On second thought…Huh?

I think I’ll stick to my tried and true method: hold on for dear life and try not get thrown from the vehicle in spite of the seat belt. Hey, it’s worked for me so far.

At the end of the ride, Dani asked a CM to call and see if Everest was back up, and since it wasn’t and we’d had so much fun getting our vertebrae dislocated once, we decided to ride Dinosaur again. Can you say gluttons for punishment?

Everest was still down (I guess “very soon” is relative), so we made our way to Primeval Whirl, which is one of Lily’s favorites. Ordinarily, I like this kind of ride a lot. I’m definitely a Tea Cups kinda girl, but PW is too jerky, especially after two rounds with Dinosaur, so the girls went off to ride while Dani and I tried to find a patch of shade to wait in. Shade is verrrrryyyy hard to come by in that part of the park.

We waited.

We discussed how many times the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride has been re-invented at WDW. Hey, I never said we were brilliant conversationalists.

And waited.

We watched a group of guys dressed like house painters balance on ladders and juggle paintbrushes.

And waited.

I took pictures:

Is it just me, or is Dino-Rama cheesy?

I played with the zoom feature on my camera.

Definitely cheesy.

Just how close up can I get without moving?

It’s supah-cheesy!

After two times doing the Whirl and another call to check on EE (the CMs were VERY helpful and it saved us from having to trek all the way to Asia twice), we decided to treat ourselves to ice cream and get in line for It’s Tough to be a Bug.

I think the queue for Bug is fascinating and really don’t mind waiting because I get to scope out all the cool things carved into the roots of the tree of life. And unlike the hidden Mickey debacle of shame, I’m actually quite adept at finding heretofore unnoticed species. Take THAT Lily!

Sometimes I wonder why parents subject certain sensitive little wee tots to Bug. Too many of them start out laughing and squealing with delight and end up screaming in terror. This is NOT Philharmagic, people! Lily is 8, and she still wants to sit on someone’s lap so she doesn’t get “stung” or feel the creepy crawly bugs under her seat. I’m a big fan of 3D, so I like Bug a lot. How many pairs of those glasses do you think come up missing every day?

After the show, we asked the CM to call about EE and were told that they were expecting it to be up and running in about 15 minutes. Score! We set off to see our old friend the Yeti. Scary shmary…he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear with razor sharp claws and a bad attitude!

The line was just beginning to form when we got there, so we decided to hold onto our Fastpasses and got in the standby line. I always get butterflies while waiting for a roller coaster. My heart pounds, and I start trying to figure out how I can get out of the line without uttering the words, “I’m scared outta my mind, and I’m NOT getting on that thing!” The times I’ve chickened out, I’ve always regretted it, so now roller coasters are all about conquering my fear. This is not my first time on EE, so I already know I can survive it…the problem is that Lily and Izzi are all about getting me to ride in the front.

In. the. front.

I hedge. I bluff. I promise to consider it.

Yeah,right.

Suckers!

While we waited in line, we chatted with a woman who’d never been on EE and was doing the scared/nervous/excited thing. Sound like anyone you know? Of course, we told her that it was a wonderful terrific fast scary awesome coaster, and Lily promised her she would not be turned upside down…that’s what RNR is for! She looked like I felt…like she wasn’t going to give the Yeti the satisfaction of making her hurl!

Thanks to the short line, we were strapped into a runaway train in search of the Yeti in no time flat. I was granted a reprieve from the trauma of the front seat because Iz and Lily claimed it. Close call!

EE is my favorite Disney roller coaster. It’s fast and thrilling, with detailed theming and a scare ten years off your life monster. I love being able to see ToT and the water tower from the top and that heart stopping pause just before it careens out of control backwards into the dark belly of the Yeti’s mountain lair. I’m not a coaster screamer…well, except for a healthy “Wooo hooooo” at the beginning and a heartfelt “Ohhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyyyy Gaaaaahhhhhhhd” at the last big drop. During the rest of the trip, I’m fully into the ride…it’s down to just me, the track, and the Yeti. And it’s amazing!

We met up with Lily and Izzi as we got off the ride, and they immediately started chanting, “Again, again, again!” Fastpasses in hand, we headed back to the queue with Lily tugging on my hand, telling me how fabulous it is to ride in the front and insisting that I do it. All I could imagine was zooming down that last big drop and feeling like I was going to kiss the track…my palms got a little sweaty just thinking about it.

Izzi joined Lily in begging me to ride in the front, and I was weakening. In spite of the fear, I couldn’t very well let an 8 year old be braver than me, now could I? The thing that made up mind, however, was the little boy in line in front of us. Obviously a coaster connoisseur, he regaled us with the list of all the coasters he’s ridden…it was a pretty impressive list, and he said that RnR was his “best” coaster. Which prompted Izzi to rat me out and tell him that I’ve only ridden RnR once and I did it with my eyes closed, screaming “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod” the whole time. The three kids had a grand ol’ time teasing me. I showed them, though…I said I’d ride EE in the front.

Huh? What did I just say?

Dani and I buckled into the front train, and I started my silent mantra, “If Lily can do this, I can do this.” The strange thing about riding up front was how slow it is going down the first drop…the baby drop Izzi calls it. We just sorta rolled gently down the slope…after that, though, it got seriously GOOD. When you get to the broken, ripped up end of the track, it really feels like that train is going right over the edge! The backwards part is more intense, and it felt colder and more eerie. And that big drop at the end? Great googly moogly! What a rrrrrrussshhhhhh! I got off of that ride feeling like the Coaster Queen…bring it, coaster designers!

NEXT: Turkey Legs, Warthogs, and Can it get any hotter???

Click Here for "Songbirds on the Loose, Part 4--The Finale"

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Ever have an idea that seems GREAT when it's in your head but SUCKS when you implement it?

Yeah, me, too.

Case in point: my Disney Top Five

If anyone is still out there, I apologize. Truly, it seemed like a good idea at the time! I'm almost done with number two on the list (the neverending Songbird saga), and number one isn't nearly as long; so I'll see it through to the end.

I solemnly swear that I will NOT get sucked down another rabbit hole.

I hope.

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

On with the show!

Remember our plan for the day? Everest, Dinosaur, FOTLK and out!

Yeah, well, it was a good plan in theory.

So, with half a day gone and still no FOTLK, we set off for Camp Minnie Mickey to see the best show on Disney property, with a stop along the way for turkey legs. We are big fans of turkey legs…the perfect portable lunch. We made it just in time for the next show…no waiting is a good thing…but we had to stow the turkey legs in Dani’s backpack. Lemme tell ya, that back pack was smellin’ pretty darn tasty!

As always, the show was phenomenal. We were seated in the giraffe section, but, honestly, Pumba and crew were having way more fun. I definitely experienced a case of warthog envy…but I’m in therapy and expect a full recovery. The FOTLK performers are, in a word, astonishing. We had some really fun interaction with the monkeys, and Lily was chosen to be in the parade. She was groovin’ and shakin’ with the best of them…go Lily, go Lily, go, go, go Lily! FOTLK is a symphony of sight and sound, and no matter how many times I see it, I can’t wait to see it again.

There was traffic jam of monumental proportions outside the theater…strollers, bodies, and ECVs all crammed together and jostling for space in the 104 degree heat. Yes, that’s right, 104 degrees. Here’s a little 4-1-1 for ya: I’ve heard that it is ten degrees hotter at Animal Kingdom than it is anyplace else on Disney property because all the foliage creates a greenhouse effect and holds the heat in.

In the immortal words of Paris Hilton: "That's hot."

Rather than fight the crowd, we decided to duck into the Pocahontas and her Forest Friends show. It was lots cooler in there because of the canopy and fans, and best of all, we could munch our turkey legs while we learned about the circle of life. My opinion is that Grandmother Willow is creepy, and I could live without the snake but the racoon ("Look, it's Meeko!") is adorable. Like Lily said, “OK, I learned something. Cool. Can we go to Disney Studios now?”

Heck yeah, we can…we’ve got a coupla thrill rides to conquer!

Who cares if we’re plum tuckered out from traipsing around Animal Kingdom....we’re not too tired to take on ToT and RnR bay-bee!!!! We bid a fond fare thee well to EE and devised our plan of attack as we made our way to the car. It was decided that we would go to DS and ride ONLY ToT and RnR, then make a mad dash for home.

With nothin' but our APs and our smiles, we waltzed into the park and made a beeline for ToT. It felt really weird to go in without a backpack (Dani) and fanny pack (me).

I know a fanny pack isn't stylish.

So sue me.

We were humming the Twilight Zone music as we made our way through the empty queue line...until Lily made us stop because we were creeping her out. She loves ToT, but she never fails to get batterflies (really BIG butterflies) and threatens to take the chicken exit every time. Truth be told, I get batterflies, too, but they're thrilling cuz I love me some Tower of Terror!

The theming for ToT is amazing, but we zoomed through so quickly there was no time to stop and appreciate the authenticity and level of detail. Suffice to say it really feels like a haunted hotel trapped in time. Before we knew it, we were strapped into our elevator and ready for action. Lily was squeezing my hand and asking, "Are you scared, Aunt Lauri?" Which, of course, means, "I'm scared, Aunt Lauri!"

We bounced. We screamed. We bounced some more. We screamed some more. Some people looked a little green around the gills: But not us. We looked like this:

WHAT A RUSH!!!!

So now we've got our adrenaline flowing like crazy and we're headed for Rockin' Roller Coaster!

Ruh roh rorge.

I am a thrill ride weinie, and I am afraid of Rockin' Roller Coaster.

So, what's a thrill wide weinie to do? Why, lollygag of course! I'm a most excellent lollygagger and not a bad meanderer either. I pointed out every CM with a lanyard that I saw to Iz because she HAS to check out their pins. I stopped when Dani scowled at me.

Because I was deviating from The Plan.

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the ginormous guitar, looking at a deserted queue line.

Yes, deserted.

Dwats!

Why oh why did I promise to ride this instrument of torment and with my eyes OPEN no less?

Izzi and I strapped into our deathmobile...in the very last row and vrooooooooooosh we were launched at warp speed into madness. The music is awesome. I even don’t hate the loop-de-loops, and I kept my eyes open. Unfortunately, my head was being banged around, bouncing off the head rest and against the shoulder harness.

Not good.

We disembarked, and I was feeling a little icky, so when Dani, Iz and Lily went to ride again, I decided to sit out another go 'round in the limo from Hades. I found myself a shady spot on the wall and concentrated on not being sick. I was feelin' a bit like this guy and didn't mind having a little bit of time to people watch and question my sanity.

I was still questioning when they came out, all jazzed because they had successfully cheated death again and wanted to celebrate by riding ToT again.

Remember me? My stomach told me in no uncertain terms that I would be very sorry if I rode, so I sadly took a pass and hung out in the ToT dump shop while they went.

Sometimes life just isn't fair.

The next time I ride RnR, it will NOT be in the back seat!

Yep, there will be a next time.

After two more on ToT, we treated ourselves to smoothies and made our way out of the park. It's kinda sad leaving...even when you know you'll be back again. But the fun part is the ride home because we got to talk about all the fun we had and the great things we did.

And the end of this trip means that it’s time to start planning the next!

Next: What could top the Songbird Saga? Stay tuned for numero uno of my Disney Top Five!

Up Next: Click here for "Numero Uno--Hail to the Princess A'Laura"

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Before the beginning…

After seven months of planning, it was Disney Day! Five a.m. Saturday morning found me stowing my makeup bag and zipping up the suitcase. Two trips up and down the stairs and the suitcase, Pixie Dust bag and laptop case were waiting to go in the van. Once more up the stairs to double-check that I hadn’t forgotten anything, and we’d be OFF!

Or would we?

On the way down the dark staircase, mere steps away from the van, two minutes from being on the road headed to my happy place, I missed a stair.

And fell.

Hard.

On my wrist.

Big owie.

MASSIVE owie.

Lily heard the fall and came in, followed closely by Dani and Iz.

Dani: “Are you OK?”
Me: “Yeah, just stunned. My arm hurts a little.”

I’m pretty sure my nose was growing as I said it.

Dani: “Can you move it?”
Me: “Yeah.” I act as if my fingertips moved. “See?”

Dani flip-flops her hand around like a three year old waving at Mickey Mouse. “Can you do this?”

I pretend to move my wrist. “Yeah, see?” My nose grows some more. I ignore the swelling, the pain, and the fact that I’m breaking out in a cold sweat. “I’m good. Let’s go to Disney!”

The three caballeros give me the stink eye.

And instead of heading off to the Happiest Place on Earth, we go to the emergency room.

Guess we’re not gonna make rope drop, y’all.

Two and a half hours later, with my wrist swollen twice its normal size, officially diagnosed as “badly broken” and encased in a plaster stabilizer, armed with pain killers and strict instructions to stay out of crowds and off of rides, we were finally headed for the House of Mouse!

No crowds?

No rides?

I can tell already that I’m going to have a BLAST!!!

Now, on with the story…number one on my Disney Top Five.

Admit it…you thought we’d NEVER get here!

Happy very Disney birthday to me! This was do-your-own-thing day, and I hadn’t planned anything until the 3 o’clock parade at MK, followed by dinner at the Castle and mucho magical birthday merriment. Possibilities included sleeping late, hitting the pool, maybe doing the water mice, and having lunch at the food court before getting dolled up for a royal celebration befitting a Diva.

Since the gang had closed down MK the night before, sleeping late was a done deal. Troy came a’knock, knock, knockin’ at our door around 10 a.m. to borrow Mom’s wheels for a coffee/hot chocolate run. He said it was because he needed the basket to carry the mugs, but I’m pretty sure he just wanted to roll instead of walk.

By the time he returned, JAZZERLY (JAckson, iZZi, ERica, liLY) had gifted me with a birthday serenade and were waiting for hot beverage delivery in my room. They were all about catering to my every birthday wish and trying to outdo one another in guessing what I wanted. Lily gives a most excellent hand massage, but she decided that a foot massage is what I really needed. She found my Moonlight Path lotion, put towels under my feet, and set to massagin’ my tootsies. Lily does not believe in sparing the lotion!

Jackson fluffed pillows for my back and arm, and Erica and Izzi prepared a breakfast smorgasbord for me to choose from…blueberry, cinnamon or chocolate Pop-Tarts, fruit roll-ups, key lime yogurt and caramel popcorn.

Who needs Tonga Toast anyway?

We debated what to do next. Troy, Lisa, Erica and Izzi opted for the water mice, while Dani, Jackson and Lily voted for Ol’ Man Island. Mom and I decided to park ourselves on loungers and watch.

Thanks to the pain meds, I, of course, napped a little; but I didn’t miss all the fun. Ol’ Man Island was a big hit with the kids.

When I was choosing which resort we’d stay at, I hemmed and hawed and changed my mind a dozen times. Even after the trip was paid for, I worried that the Poly or Caribbean Beach would’ve been better. But after seeing the kids in the pool, I knew that POR was the right choice for us.

Another thing I waffled about during the planning was whether or not to have dinner in the Castle. Was it really worth 2 TS credits? The food isn’t great, but it’s the CASTLE, and it’s for my birthday. When I told Lisa we “might” eat there, she was excited, too…so I made the ADR. And then spent the next 6 months wondering if I should cancel it.

Now that the day was here, I was glad we were castle-bound, and I found myself humming, “A dream is a wish your heart makes…” Lisa is a cosmetologist and offered to fix my hair for me, complete with glitter befitting a Diva. Many things are challenging with one hand, and using a curling iron is one of them!

Once again we set off for the bus stop without Lisa and Troy, giving ourselves a little extra time to get Mom and her wheels on board. I was so impressed with the bus drivers and their patience and good humor in getting the scooter situated on the bus. It took anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to git ‘r done, but no one ever made us feel like she was a bother. For the most part, our fellow passengers were patient and understanding, too.

Once we got to MK, Dani and the kids set off for the Castle while I stopped to get myself an ECV. I had promised the ER doc that I wouldn’t attempt to maneuver the crowds on foot, and, honestly, I don’t think I’d have made it very far on foot anyway. Sigh.

Obligatory castle pictures (these weren't taken that day but a couple of weeks earlier on one of my many "I just gotta go to Disney" days):

While we waited for Lisa and Troy, Dani snapped a pic of Lily and Jackson and their new heavy metal friend.

We had an audience with her royal Cindarellaness:

And were led to our royal table:

Brief review of CRT: The ambience was cool. I loved being called “My Lady” by our server, Ferdinand. The food at CRT was below par. Definitely overpriced, overcooked and over-hyped. I am SO glad we went…but I have no burning desire to go back.

When Fairy Godmother came out, Dani and I recognized her as La Befana from Epcot. (We went to see the Christmas storytellers at Epcot last year, and La Befana, the Christmas witch from Italy, was our favorite.) She was an excellent FG, too, but the “show” felt a bit rushed. We all sang Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo with her, and I was pretty impressed with myself for remembering 95 percent of the words. Dani, of course, knew ALL the words. When FG asked who was celebrating a special occasion, the kids made sure she knew we were celebrating my birthday, which prompted Ferdinand to scatter our table with castle, pumpkin coach and glass slipper confetti and present me with a very special birthday cupcake.

I LOVED it!

After dinner, we headed for Philharmagic, which is one of my favorites…and also broken wrist friendly. My mom loved Philharmagic! It was so much fun watching it with her, hearing her laugh and gasp with surprise and delight.

My mom raised three kids alone and put herself through school after my stepfather left so she could get a job and do more than just keep us clothed and fed. We weren’t wealthy, but she made sure we had great birthdays and wonderful Christmases. She gave us everything we needed and a lot of what we wanted. So I was glad I could bring her to Disney, surround her with her grandchildren, treat her to some good eats, and even have one more surprise up my sleeve for her.

Sitting in the dark, watching jewels float in front of my eyes just out of reach, I had a perfect Disney moment. My mom on my right, Jackson on my left, Erica’s distinct giggle in my ears, and almost all my favorite people within touching distance, I felt warm and safe and happy…and most of all loved and very, very blessed.

After Philharmagic, we rode HM. We went in the back way, and they stopped the ride so Mom and I could get on…I missed the stretching room…the ride seemed incomplete without it. But still fun!

I was wearing my birthday button and Tinker Bell guest of honor name badge on my sling, and I got lots of happy birthdays and a lot of CMs calling me by name. Fun stuff!!

The kids wanted to ride Splash, so we headed that way. Lisa and Dani decided they didn’t want to risk getting wet, so they offered to sit it out with me. I can’t remember where Troy was, but he didn’t ride either. Mom mentioned that she always loved “flume zoom” rides, and that was enough for the kids to insist, cajole and beg her to ride with them. Erica knows Nanny loves Zippa-dee-doo-da, Br’er Rabbit and Song of the South, and pretty soon Mom was agreeing to ride with them. Lisa and I were stunned.

“Mom, do you SEE that big drop? You know you have to go down that, right?”

She assured us that she knew it and was OK with it.

As soon as they were out of earshot, we agreed that we were SO buying that picture!!

I wish I could include the picture here, but I don’t have a scanner. It’s priceless! The kids are all making exaggerated horrified faces, but Mom is sitting calmly with her hands folded in her lap and her eyes closed, looking for all the world like she’s taking a nap. She said she loved the ride, but the last drop was scary. When we teased her about looking so calm, Jackson said, “She’s praying for her life!”

I think he’s right.

By this point. I was winding down, but there was one more stop we had to make…Dole whips for everyone! I do love me a Dole whip! You know it’s good when there’s no talking, only sounds like, “mmmm,” and “yummm.”

There was a ton of people milling around Adventureland, and evidently they were all blind to the woman on the ECV wearing a tiara and bright red shirt with Diva sparkling on the front. I was doing the ol’ stop ‘n start until Jackson and Lily decided to walk on each side of me and part the crowd.

As they were marching along, Jackson started singing, “Hail to the king, hail to the queen…hail to the Princess A’Laura!”

Lily immediately joined in, and they were soooo pleased with themselves. They even got their big sisters to join in for a few bars!

Of course, I thought it was fantabulously wonderifimous!

It was a lovely ending to the evening. Since Mom and I had to get up early to head over to Melbourne so I could (I thought) have my wrist set, we said our good nights and left everyone else to EMH at MK.

It was a very Disney birthday…Divalicious in every way and number one on my Disney Top Five!

Epilogue: As it turned out, my wrist wasn’t just badly broken, it was shattered; and I had to have it surgically reassembled, complete with screws and exterior stabilizing bar that I wore for two months. Thanks to doctors’ appointments and surgery, I missed two full days of the trip I planned for seven months and worked two jobs to pay for…not to mention all the times I had to take myself back to the resort for ice packs, pain pills and naps! And you know what? It was the BEST Disney trip of my life. And I would do it again, broken wrist and all!

Up Next: Click here for "Actual Trip Stuff...Who Knew!?!?"

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

So who's glad that we're (finally) done with the Disney Top Five?



Meeeeee, tooooooo!

Anyhoo, actual real-time Disney stuff!

1) I'm going to WDW this weekend! The plan is DTD for the Festival of the Masters Art Show, but who knows where the day might actually lead? When I was AP-free, I used to go to DTD just to ride the boat to POR and get a Coke at the food court.

2) I need to decide what to order for Erica's birthday dessert. She's never had the slipper dessert, so I'm leaning that way; but it's her 18th, so why not make it something super special? Decisions!

Does anyone have experience with custom desserts at Cali Grill?

And lookie who passed the 500 views mark! I know, exciting, right? Well, it is to me!

Up Next: Click here for "You're Just a Sugar Muffin of Love and Joy (Or How I Spent a Day at MK)"

 

[PirateKate]

Joining in! I can't believe you shattered your wrist at Disney! That's so horrible. The two trips you have coming up sound like a lot of fun and I'm hoping they will be shatter-boned free.

Hope you're having a great time at Disney this weekend!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Joining in! I can't believe you shattered your wrist at Disney! That's so horrible. The two trips you have coming up sound like a lot of fun and I'm hoping they will be shatter-boned free.

Hope you're having a great time at Disney this weekend!

Thanks for joining in!

I had to finish up a report for work today, but I'll be at DTD first thing in the a.m.!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I blame it all on my face.

My face encourages children—and other people—to talk to me, which is usually OK with me, especially when I’m spending a day all by myself at Disney.

The plan was to go to the Festival of the Masters at DTD on Saturday, then hit one of the parks on Sunday. But my plans often have minds of their own, so when I had to finish a report for work on Saturday, I wasn’t surprised and amended the plan to just DTD on Sunday. My BFF called and said she couldn’t go because her daughter is sick, so the plan was amended again to DTD on Sunday by myself.

I pulled into the DTD parking lot around 9:30 a.m., and it was PACKED. Even my favorite supersecret parking area was full.

Ugh.

No problem. It’s my plan, and I can change it.

Again.

I considered my options, and checked out easywdw.com on my phone. (Smartphones ROCK!) Epcot, but it’s the last day of F&W. DHS, but they have EMH, which means it’ll be busier than a one-armed paper hanger. AK, but..well…it’s AK. MK it is!

I had a 12:30 ADR at The Wave; but they let me park early, which was cool. I was feeling a little queasy, so I got a Coke and some crackers and walked around the resort a little. I love the CR! It’s been my favorite since I was a kid; and I’d rather stay there than anywhere. I bought batteries for my camera, but I wasn’t in a picture-taking mood. This is very rare for me…I’m referred to as “PappaLaurazzi” by friends and family. I’m not sure they mean it as a compliment.

I found a quiet place to sit and sip my Coke, munch crackers, and enjoy that special CR ambience. I considered going home. Yeah, I felt that bad. But I hadn’t driven a whole hour just to turn around and go home, so I cancelled the ADR (no food for me!) and hopped on the monorail to MK. (They were very nice at The Wave. When I explained that I wasn’t feeling well, they waived the $10 “no show” fee.)

At the Poly, we picked up a family with two little kids. The little girl was saying “Wow” at the trees…because they’re DISNEY trees! I love that. We went around a curve, and she put her arms up like it was a roller coaster. Adorable! She noticed me, and said, “Who’s your best princess?” So we had the princess chat. I told her Belle; she told me her favorite is Rapunzel. I asked her if that’s why she was at Disney, to meet Rapunzel, but she said no, she was there to see “The boo-ti-ful castle!” The ride to MK is too short…I wanted to keep talking to her!

I got through bag check and the turnstiles in a flash, passed through the tunnel, and walked into this.

When I was considering my options at CR, it occurred to me that today might be a good dry run for the Divas at Disney trip in December, so I decided not to get an ECV and see how long my knee would hold out.

Turns out the doctor knows what he’s talking about.

Go figure.

By the time I’d walked a bit around the CR and traipsed from the monorail to Main Street, I was hurting. A lot. Dwats. So, I put on my big girl panties and got the ding-danged ECV. Fifty bucks…what a racket!

I got back to Main Street just in time for the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It! parade.

People kept getting in front of me, so I left the party and continued on towards the Castle.

I balloons!

The parade caught up with me. It was great…very energetic…dancing in the street…a par-tay bay-bee!

As expected, Fantasyland was a madhouse, so I headed for Frontierland. I wanted to watch the Splash boats to see if my leg could manage the ride. Unfortunately, I don’t think so…not enough room to extend my leg even a little, and I can’t maintain a deep bend for very long. Dwats, foiled again!

On the upside, I was feeling a little better. Yay! I got another Coke and some magical Disney popcorn…better than medicine!

I was making my way over to Liberty Square when the ECV started to die. It was sooooo slooooooow. Going uphill was a joke! I was trying to make it back to the front of the park but ended up in the Philharmagic dump shop, where a very helpful CM named Paul called the ECV folks, and they brought me a zoomin’ replacement.

While I was waiting, I watched two little princesses playing. Jasmine and Rapunzel, and these were the most elaborate princess costumes I’ve ever seen! Jasmine spotted me and asked why I was on a scooter. I told her I had a hurt knee, and she volunteered that when her feet hurt, her Poppy pushes her in the stroller. (The grandparents were standing nearby, keeping watch.) She proceeded to tell me that Rapunzel was her twin sister, adding, “I’m the rowdy one, right Poppy?” Poppy agreed wholeheartedly. They moved on to ride Winnie the Pooh, “Cuz we have fastfasters!” Which I assume is what a three year old calls fastpasses.

Zoomin’ on my new wheels, I decided to head for Tomorrowland. I’m so excited for the Fantasyland expansion…I saw the top of Beast’s castle, but it was smaller than I thought it’d be.

I was feeling pretty good and decided on Cosmic Ray’s after the Laugh Factory. Mike Wazowski never fails to amuse me. As I waited in the wheelchair lane, a large, loud, laughing family joined me. I loved them so much! They had me in stitches while we waited. The 12-year old daughter was in a leg cast, so we commiserated about not being able do the boat rides. She said, “Disney sucks!” and her mother replied, “Well, aren’t you just a sugar muffin of love and joy?”

Which is now officially my new favorite saying. I will be saying it a lot. A lot, a lot.

The show was very good, and we filled the canister. Whew!

I don’t remember why, but I still didn’t get anything to eat. Instead, I watched the Dream Along With Mickey show from the Tomorrowland bridge. Not the greatest viewing spot, but good enough to get the gist of the show and not be in a swarm of people.

After the show, I took the required 10 million Castle photos. I have so many photos of the Castle that I decided to try for some different angles and close up shots.

Forward to Haunted Mansion…and it’s a walk on! I loves me some Haunted Mansion and think it’s the very best ride at MK, followed by Philharmagic. I love seeing the Hidden Mickey in the dining room and when the doom buggies lay down so you’re on your back…just like a coffin…spooky!

Because of my knee’s stability (or lack thereof), I was a bit concerned about the moving walkway, but it was no problem at all. Pixie Dust!

There was a little boy in the stretching room who kept asking his dad, “And this is really the scariest part of the ride?” I saw them at the end, and he was asking to ride it again, so I guess he liked it. Another one for our team…and that’s Team HM, of course!

On the way out, I snapped this because my mom’s name is Trudy, and I always intend to get a picture of it and never do. Until now!

For old times’ sake, I decided to duck into the Hall of Presidents. My mom loves this attraction, and it’s cool. Boring, but cool. The theater was almost empty, and I wonder if Disney will eventually do away with the hall. I hope not. I mean, I probably won’t ever do it again, but it’s kinda nice knowing that it’s there. For most of the show, I was feeling yucky to the extreme, but it passed…again.

I have no idea what was going on with me, but I certainly didn’t like it!

No day at MK is complete without Philharmagic, and there was no line and five minutes until the next show. YES! I love this show so much, and I have to make myself not reach for Ariel’s jewels. The little girl sitting next to me was reaching out for everything! Oh, to be a child at Disney!

By now, I was about done. The Queasy Monster was back and with my knee throbbing and hurting from being in a bent position for so long, I decided to call it a day.

But first, photos of the back of the Castle! I actually have very few of the back, and architecturally it’s amazing.

On the way back to CR, I got on the wrong monorail. Sigh. I rode it to TTC and back to MK, then transferred to the resorts route. I was so tuckered out that I rode the route twice and considered riding it three times. I kid you not.

But I did get to see the Castle draped in icicles for MVMCP as I went around...loved it!

Finally back at the CR, I seriously considered staying there for the night. I could buy PJs and a new, clean outfit…and $500 later I’d be wishing I’d just driven home. So I took a pain pill and called my sister. We talked for over an hour until it was safe for me to drive, and I bid a fond farewell to CR.

Oh, I stopped at Krystal on the way home and finally got something to eat.

Lessons learned: I think I’ll be OK for the Divas at Disney trip; I just have to pace myself and stretch my knee more. But I absolutely need to get my knee fixed before the October trip!

Up Next: Click here for "You Want to Change the Resort Now?!?!"

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Erica and I talk about our trip incessantly, and she casually mentioned that she'd love to stay at the Contemporary. I chose YC because it's close to Epcot, but I am, in my heart of hearts, a CR girl. So I jumped on Disney.com and checked it out. CR is available...and a tower room is less expensive than YC.

So I changed it.



And I'm not telling her...one more surprise for the birthday diva!

It will be soooo nice to be close to "home" after our dinner at Cali Grill!

Up Next: Click here for "Final December Plans"

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Fingers crossed! I think the plans for December are final-final, which, of course, is different than final! I really want the weekend to be relaxed and fun, so while I have ideas about what we can do, the only things that are definite are the ADRs.

Friday
Noon - Erica lands at MCO! (My mom is flying in with her but won't be going to Disney with us. We'll have lunch together, take her to my aunt's, and then head for WDW.)

4 p.m. - Check in at CR

No plans until dinner

6:30 p.m. - Dinner at Kouzzina

After dinner, explore the Boardwalk

9:30 p.m. - Watch Holiday Wishes from the Poly beach

Saturday
9 a.m. - Birthday Tonga Toast at Kona

Epcot for a day of storytellers and shopping...and whatever else takes our fancy (I'd love for her to see Off Kilter...she has a thing for men in kilts)

CS lunch at a place TBD

7:30-8 p.m. - Leave Epcot

9:30 p.m. - Birthday dinner at Cali Grill; watch Wishes!

Sunday
9 a.m. - Breakfast at Captain's Grill

Boat to DHS

Must do's: Beauty and the Beast, RnR, ToT, TSM, Art of Animation, and whatever else strikes our fancy

CS lunch and dinner

6:30 p.m. - Fantasmic

EMH

Monday
NLT 11 a.m. - Check out

DTD shopping

3:30 p.m. - Be at airport

Up Next: Click here for "Every Diva needs fancy shoes...and lots of presents!"

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Joining in!! All of your plans sound so fun, how cool that you switched your resort to the CR! I'm sure Erica is going to love it! I hope you have an easier time with your knee then!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Joining in!! All of your plans sound so fun, how cool that you switched your resort to the CR! I'm sure Erica is going to love it! I hope you have an easier time with your knee then!

Welcome aboard!

I've had SO much fun planning the December trip...I want it to be as special as she is! And staying at the CR makes me feel like this guy: Times two!

Ah, the knee. For this trip, it is what it is, and as much as I'd like to have the ECV funds for shopping I'm very glad to have wheels available! Ain't nuttin' gonna slow the Divas down!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I ordered a chocolate slipper dessert for Erica for our Cali Grill dinner! It's a small thing, but chocolate is always a good idea! She's wanted one for a long time, and there's no time like the present.

Speaking of presents, here is Erica's birthday loot (photos courtesy of the web as I wrapped everything without taking photos). DOH!

I can't wait 'til she sees the Dooney!

Up Next: Click here for "Changes" in the Minor Key

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Wait, a chocolate slipper from the California Grill??? I thought that you could only order those from the Grand Floridian and at CRT! They're available at the Contemporary now too??

LOVE the Dooney!!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Wait, a chocolate slipper from the California Grill??? I thought that you could only order those from the Grand Floridian and at CRT! They're available at the Contemporary now too??

Yes, they are...and I learned that here on the Dis. I called the cake hotline, followed the prompts for the Contemporary, and talked to Carolyn. She assured me that the slipper will be white chocolate, filled with white chocolate mousse and a row of raspberries on top. They decorate the plate with her name, a curved teardrop of raspberry sauce, and a "cup" made of dark chocolate filled with mousse. How cool is that!?!?!

ETA: I borrowed this photo from the cake chatter thread. This is exactly how it was described.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

That's so awesome to know! That's exactly the slipper I got from Narcoosees! Hmm...we have ADR's at California Grill and Citricos on our next trip...I wonder where would be more fun to get it from!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

That's so awesome to know! That's exactly the slipper I got from Narcoosees! Hmm...we have ADR's at California Grill and Citricos on our next trip...I wonder where would be more fun to get it from!

Your trip is in January, right? I'll let you know how the presentation goes at Cali Grill!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Why is it that my Disney trip plans are never truly final? They have been known tochange even after we get there!

So, Friday's dinner at Kouzzina has changed to Grand Floridian Cafe. We both love the sheer divaliciousness (how's that for a word?) of GF and have never gone to WDW without having at least meal on the premises...why break that streak now?

I still haven't scored a DHS lunch or dinner ADR for Sunday. Brown Derby and Prime Time are available, but I have yet to have a good experience at Brown Derby, and Erica HATES Prime Time. We would both love Sci Fi but aren't holding our breath. We're willing to take the boat to Kouzzina for lunch, but it's booked solid. Ugh.

Two other changes, one good; the other not so much. I thought I'd have to drive my mom back to the beach and then turn right around and drive back to Orlando, which I was dreading because it would put us in rush hour traffic. But my aunt is going to pick Mom up, so Erica and I will be able to check in early and head to DTD before dinner. We love Wolfgang Puck Express and Earl of Sandwich, so a coin toss may be in order for lunch.

On the not so good side, my brother-in-law (Erica's dad) made her plane reservation because he has miles, but he booked her return for late morning instead of late afternoon, which cuts our last day short by about five hours. I almost cried when I found out.

But I'm an eternal optimist, so I won't focus on that. I'm only thinking about how much fun we're going to have!

Up Next: Click here for "Brought to you by the Number Nine"