Biscuit's Grand Adventure | An epic tale three decades in the making!

[chicagoshannon]

Bravo! Glad you were able to enjoy the last little bit of your honeymoon. I think you're the fastest new husband trainee I've ever encountered!

 

[PrincessV]

Before us lay sea of bright yellow ponchos

I miss those yellow ponchos! Such a surreal scene in the rain. The clear ones just aren't the same.

At that point in time, you could go from shop to shop inside and thus traverse the entire street without having to head in the rain. As far as I know, that is still the case, but after twelve years, I can’t make any promises. (You park veterans will have to chime in on that one.)

It's not the straight and direct path it once was, but still doable!

I soon realized that I wasn’t out of time for attractions, indeed, I had been given extra time to spend with my bride. And that my friends is the greatest attraction of them all.

Beautifully put GB!

 

[java]

This Castle is the reason my now 15 year old son doesn't get sick. In 1997 he was a little 3 year old we walk up to the castle and he runs over and LICKS IT! While he was quite disappointed it wasn't really cake all I could think of was the germs!
But all is golden in Disney- he didn't get sick and now has a fantastic immunity that I say is because of that ugly castle.

Quite enjoying your report and must say you married the right woman. I don't know if I could have stuck it out after all those mishaps!

 

[joleen76]

Can I get a collective Awwww?

So glad to see your Honeymoon is winding down on such a great note.

Hope your "clan" trip next month is as relaxing as the last part of your last day!

 

[Kimberly815]

There, in that moment, a new inner park entity came into being; my Logical Tour Guide. Now my Inner Park Beast had a balancing force that had been thus far lacking. I began to understand that a successful trip is greater than the sum of its parts. Ride counts don’t mean much if your only memories are of being stressed and out of time.

As the storm brewed on outside, Tracy and I sat, talked, laughed and relaxed. We watched as folks ran for cover outside and huddled up on the walkways. I saw several people pouring over maps, no doubt trying to re-calculate their touring plans to compensate for the weather. When the meal first began, I was stressed that I wouldn’t have time do anything else before we had to go. I soon realized that I wasn’t out of time for attractions, indeed, I had been given extra time to spend with my bride. And that my friends is the greatest attraction of them all.

Coming up on Episode 35 - A fond farewell.

That's the thing I love about the disboards. I come here and I plan and plan and plan for a trip (which is half the fun!). But once we get there, if we want to change it up, we do. . .and throw that plan out the window. Thanks to all my disboard reading, I am usually full of useful information, and pretty good at changing things up on the fly- and we have never had any problems.

 

[whogirl'smom]

Awww, what a sweet ending to your honeymoon. I hope your wife is reading!

 

[ThreeTinks]

Loving your TR - or trip reportS You remind me SO MUCH of my brother (who is always getting in some tight spot or losing his wallet )

You feel the same way about bees that I do - in fact I felt a wee bit of panic just reading that excerpt. Unfortunately I have passed my fear of them onto my three children (not my proudest of mommy moments) so where there was one person running around screaming like an idiot when bees appear, now there are four

AND YES! I too am wondering where Rose & Bernard are

Back to the TR (I am about to get to your worst ever WDW memory - which I cannot believe there is anything worse than the start of your honeymoon )

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Yep, you still can, on the right side (heading away from the castle). Not sure about the other side. I haven't ventured into that side in a while!

Good to know – Thanks!

Oh man o' man i cannot wait until the new Star Trek Movie!!!
So sweet, the dinner.
This can't b the end!

Def looking forward to the next film. LOST definitely turned me into a J.J. Abrams fan.

That cacaphonous sound you just heard off in the distance was the final grand piano being dropped on The Plan, following after the boulder, the anvil, the boat anchor and the 16-ton safe.

(And if that's not how you're supposed to do things on a Disney board, I apologize. Too many Roadrunner cartoons as a kid.)

It also works for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” which is definitely DIS friendly. Plus it has my all-time favorite Disney movie line. “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO My biscuit’s a burning! My biscuit’s a burning! Ohhhhhh that smarts!”

Reminds me of the episode where the Voyager finally made it home- to the Alpha Quadrant. Nice ending to a great love story! Only it's not done yet!

Thanks for the smiles!

Thankfully there’s no Borg sphere chasing us!

You got it! That's the secret that all those guidebooks don't tell you. It's so easy to get wrapped up into The Plan, trying to cover all the many many bases, that you forget why you're really there. Congrats on crossing over into the Logical side of things!! That's the sign of a true Disney Touring Pro! And, of course, on this next trip, your first with the little ones, you'll find it's an invaluable perspective!

I’m definitely going more low-key. There is still a basic plan as we shall see, but not quite so in depth.

One of my favorite memories from our first trip with the boys is riding round and round on that train while my 3 year old slept in my lap. I did that loop about 10 times, while other guests came on and off commenting on "what a good idea" that was! I still think of it everytime I get on the train and my now-14 year old son rolls his eyes as I tell the story to him for the umpteenth time

That’s a cool story! I hope to have a few of those myself this summer.

Bravo! Glad you were able to enjoy the last little bit of your honeymoon. I think you're the fastest new husband trainee I've ever encountered!

Trust me, I had a TON of training left to go. In fact, I think I’m still in Basic.

I miss those yellow ponchos! Such a surreal scene in the rain. The clear ones just aren't the same.

I’ve seen the photos and have to agree.

It's not the straight and direct path it once was, but still doable!

I’m sure I’ll be through there many times.

This Castle is the reason my now 15 year old son doesn't get sick. In 1997 he was a little 3 year old we walk up to the castle and he runs over and LICKS IT! While he was quite disappointed it wasn't really cake all I could think of was the germs!
But all is golden in Disney- he didn't get sick and now has a fantastic immunity that I say is because of that ugly castle.

I have to say this just had me cracking up!

Quite enjoying your report and must say you married the right woman. I don't know if I could have stuck it out after all those mishaps!

Thanks! And I wholeheartedly agree!

Can I get a collective Awwww?

So glad to see your Honeymoon is winding down on such a great note.

Hope your "clan" trip next month is as relaxing as the last part of your last day!

Thanks! I’m trying to make it as LOW KEY as possible.

That's the thing I love about the disboards. I come here and I plan and plan and plan for a trip (which is half the fun!). But once we get there, if we want to change it up, we do. . .and throw that plan out the window. Thanks to all my disboard reading, I am usually full of useful information, and pretty good at changing things up on the fly- and we have never had any problems.

Exactly. Even though it’s been twelve years since I was at the parks and have NEVER been Animal Kingdom, I’ve picked up so much here on the boards that I know I can easily plan and navigate on the fly.

Awww, what a sweet ending to your honeymoon. I hope your wife is reading!

She is! More or Less…she reads them on my Blackberry usually.

Loving your TR - or trip reportS You remind me SO MUCH of my brother (who is always getting in some tight spot or losing his wallet )

Glad to have you here!

You feel the same way about bees that I do - in fact I felt a wee bit of panic just reading that excerpt. Unfortunately I have passed my fear of them onto my three children (not my proudest of mommy moments) so where there was one person running around screaming like an idiot when bees appear, now there are four

Proves my point…stinging critters are evil! Had a giant black wasp that buzzed into the living room the other night. Had to break out the big guns. (AKA the stuff in the can that shoots a good 30 ft.)

AND YES! I too am wondering where Rose & Bernard are

Looks like tomorrow's show is going to be a good one! Of course they are all good so that goes without saying.

Back to the TR (I am about to get to your worst ever WDW memory - which I cannot believe there is anything worse than the start of your honeymoon )

I guess I should have rephrased it to say “Worst ever IN-PARK memory of all time!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Hello all! Just a quick update to let you know that todays episode has been postponed until tomorrow. Had a few things pop up today and wasn't able to get it done to my satisfaction. There is still something missing and I need to sleep on it. Actually I just need to sleep period. I was too tired to even turn on my laptop so I'm typing this on my blackberry. Sorry for any typos BTW. I hope you are all doing well and that you have a great night. And just as a teaser, I'll be announcing something pretty cool tomorrow. Good night all! Sweet dreams and take care.

Alice Hugger, aka Dances with Bees, aka the Plan Man, aka GreatBiscuit, aka Bubba, aka Matt.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 35 - A Fond Farewell

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, more rain fell, pasta was devoured and a new inner park guide was born. After we finished eating, Tracy and I sat and did some people watching for a few more minutes before finally heading out to join them. The entire time that we were eating, there remained several empty tables, both on the patio and in the main dining room. I suppose that’s where the Disney Dining Plan brings in a profit. If you keep the dining room full, you can earn less per meal and still come out ahead. (Sam Walton meet Disney, Disney meet Sam.)

When we finally headed out, the rain had slowed to a steady drizzle which showed no signs of stopping. In fact our server mentioned to us that it was forecast to rain all day long. After another survey of the lobby, we crossed the street and checked out the Emporium.

We weren’t really looking for anything in particular, we were simply trying to stay dry and kill a few minutes until we had to leave. After spending a while meandering about the place, Tracy spied a princess photo frame. It was one of the 3-D type frames and we wound up coming back to it several times. Finally we decided to go ahead and blow the last of our spending cash and pick it up.

We brought our selection up to the register and I was surprised to see the price only come up to half of what the sticker said. I asked the clerk about it and low and behold it was on sale. SCORE! Let the Disney magic roll!

Soon the hour was near, and with heavy feet, but a happy smile, I bid farewell to my favorite spot. I didn’t use the camcorder or camera again, and my memory isn’t clear on the point, so I am unable to say with certainty whether we ferried or mono’ed. (You know if you type that last word in Microsoft Word without the apostrophe and you have auto-correct on, the word it changes to will give you a WHOLE different context.)

We were one of the few people who rode the bus back to the Nikki bird and the dreary gray skies seemed somehow appropriate. It did not take long to fetch our luggage and we were soon waiting on a bench amongst a pile of suitcases. We watched as several folks came blowing in out of the rain, eager to begin their vacations, and all asking the desk clerk when it would stop raining. (I can only speculate that they believed meteorology to be required study for those working the front desk.) After a few minutes, we joined another family in the Holiday Inn van and were soon on our way to MCO.

Tracy and I spent a good portion of the van ride and the flight home recounting the insanity that had defined our trip. Yet in a way, having had time and experience to analyze things, I’m actually glad things didn’t go perfectly. We learned from that trip that life wasn’t going to be quite as smooth and perfect as we might have imagined. And the enormity of all the things that went wrong really changed the way that I approached our upcoming trip. Of all the things I brought home with me from that vacation, none were as important as a new perspective.

It’s funny what we stress over sometimes. So often, the circumstances which seem so big and so overwhelming manage to cloud our perspective, keeping us from seeing just how minor and insignificant they are.

A couple of weeks ago, I headed up to my daughter’s school for the annual reading awards program. If the kids read X number of books at home during the year, they receive a medal. My oldest has taken after her old man in that she LOVES to read and easily made it past the minimum books requirement. It was raining when I left the house and when I hit the highway, it was pouring so hard, traffic was near a standstill. You could barely hear the radio over the rain.

The slower the traffic got, the more upset I became that I was running behind schedule. As I was a few blocks away from the school, an ambulance came shrieking past. Then a police car and fire truck passed by as well. When I finally made it to the parking lot, all I saw was a sea of flashing lights. At least a half dozen fire trucks were parked outside, an entire line of ambulances was assembled near the playground and there were police cars everywhere.

As I’ve said before, I tend to be an extremely even-tempered person. My youngest daughter was with me in the back seat and I knew I couldn’t say anything that might scare her. That did not however stop my mind from racing through a list of possibilities. We’ve all seen the news of what can happen in a public school. In the back of mind, I came to a realization that in the next few minutes, my entire world could change, and the life that I knew could forever cease to exist. I’ve heard people talk about having a reality check before and I have to say that this moment definitely qualified.

I parked and headed to the cafeteria where I knew my wife and daughter were supposed to have been. As I got there, the Assistant Principal was directing parents to the other building on campus, and assuring us that everyone was okay. I made my way up the breezeway and found my wife with her classroom in the gym. She was soaking wet and many of the kids were crying.

As it turns out, lightning had struck a rooftop air conditioner in the Kindergarten hallway, creating a loud explosion and filling a classroom with smoke. The building was immediately evacuated, and the classrooms poured out into the rain and headed up the hill to the next building. All the classes got out safe and orderly, and every student was accounted for. The only injuries were wet clothes and rain-drenched hairdos.

After examining the building, the fire department advised that the driving rain had extinguished the small fire on the roof as soon as the unit was struck. From that I learned that I had two choices. I could either be angry with God for allowing the lighting to strike a building my wife and daughter were in, or I could praise Him for sending the torrential ran to douse the fire that He knew the strike would ignite. For me, the choice is clear. I chose the latter.

What does all this have to do with our vacation? Simple. Writing this TR and detailing the past six trips I have taken have led me to have a big-picture perspective that was lacking before. I’m excited now for different reasons than I was when I first booked. My expectations have shifted and my definition of a great vacation has changed. The thing I am now most looking forward to is experiencing The World through the eyes of my children.

As an odd side note to the story above, this last Monday the fire alarms went off again at my wife & daughter’s school. It turns out an adjoining AC unit wound up shorting out a motor and sent smoke and a burnt odor into the hallway. Fortunately there was no actual fire, just some melted wires. AND it was not raining outside so nobody got wet.

I suppose I should hasten to wrap this episode up so I return you now to July, 1997. I knew from experience that a vacation at The World could be better. On the plane ride home, I made Tracy a promise. I vowed to her that I would one day bring her back, and that when I did, I would make sure that it was the most magical and enjoyable trip ever! (Famous last words.) I thought at the time that it would only be a couple of years before we headed back to Orlando. However, as we all know, sometimes, life happens. I can either be angry with God that I didn’t get to go back before now, or I can praise Him that I get to bring my girls to the same spot that meant so much to their daddy when I was growing up. Again, I choose the latter.

Upon landing safely back in Kansas City, Tracy and I found our car, pointed it down I35-South, and began our life together as husband and wife. If I thought the honeymoon was a wild ride, it was nothing compared to what we’ve gone through since. Yet, I wouldn’t trade a moment for the world.

Oh, I mentioned yesterday that I had a surprise announcement. Well, here it is. My dad (whose screen name is yet to be determined) has begun working on the trip report from my VERY first trip to The World as a three year old. And since I’ve now announced it publicly, I can use it as leverage to ensure he finishes it! So at some point, it will be added in as a bonus chapter.

Where will the next six weeks take us in terms of this report? I don’t know. I have a couple of ideas on the subject, but that’s getting ahead of myself.

Coming up on Episode 36, Finding the DIS.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

I didn’t use the camcorder or camera again, and my memory isn’t clear on the point, so I am unable to say with certainty whether we ferried or mono’ed. (You know if you type that last word in Microsoft Word without the apostrophe and you have auto-correct on, the word it changes to will give you a WHOLE different context.)

You know I just had to try it to see what it said, right?

Glad your wife & daughter were ok. That had to be terrifying for all involved.

Great TR. Looking forward to the next chapter.

 

[All7OfUs]

That must have certainly been a perspective changing incident, and glad everyone was safe and sound. Scary for sure, and I definitely CAN see how that would help bring things back into a place of seeing the forest through the trees. I know this upcoming trip will be great and am excited to see your plans for it over the coming weeks!

 

[chicagoshannon]

I can't wait to read details (are there going to be some?) of your upcomming trip.

I'm curious if you have BBB planned for your daughters. Before coming here (we're still at the World) I said I would never pay for the BBB but after seeing all the little girls so excited in their outfits I might have to change my mind at some point.

 

[burly]

Scary!
Thank God everyone was safe and sound.

What's next? huh? well? lol!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

That must have certainly been a perspective changing incident, and glad everyone was safe and sound. Scary for sure, and I definitely CAN see how that would help bring things back into a place of seeing the forest through the trees. I know this upcoming trip will be great and am excited to see your plans for it over the coming weeks!

Thanks! If def brought the forest back into focus.

You know I just had to try it to see what it said, right?

Glad I wasn't the only cracking up...Usually I laugh alone at stuff!

Glad your wife & daughter were ok. That had to be terrifying for all involved.

Me too - it was def a bit freaky.

Great TR. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Thanks and

I can't wait to read details (are there going to be some?) of your upcomming trip.

To do less would be un American....well...un DISer at any rate.

I'm curious if you have BBB planned for your daughters. Before coming here (we're still at the World) I said I would never pay for the BBB but after seeing all the little girls so excited in their outfits I might have to change my mind at some point.

So far, no. We'll see if dad sticks to his guns. I'm trying to figure out a way to avoid them noticing it exists. I don't think I'm going to have much luck though.

Scary!
Thank God everyone was safe and sound.

What's next? huh? well? lol!

It was crazy. Up Next, all sorts of weird and wacky stuff.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 36 - Finding the DIS

What do you get when you combine very little sleep with writer's block and copious amounts of antihistamines? Well, this post for starters. Of all the portions of this particular narrative, the one which has been the most perplexing from the get go is the trip seven Pre-Trip Report. What should go in, what should stay out, how much info is too much info? The variables are intense. INTENSE I tell you!

I will do my best to try to update twice per week, but I imagine the postings will be much shorter than the normal episodes. I'm also struggling with content selection.

Here's a FEW of the Episodes you can expect to see (in no particular order):

Cast Profiles
Picking The Pop
Everything Old is New
The Plan 3.0
Counters, Countdowns and Quarters
Dining Dilemmas
The Training Run "Fiesta my Biscuit!"
This Ain't Your Granny's Fanny Pack

I suppose the best place to get started is at the beginning. (A logical hypothesis Captain.) Having made a vow to my bride that we would re-experience "The World" as it was intended to be done, I began my research. Eventually my studies brought me to the DIS and I read my first ever Trip Report. (Posted by Snoopy and chronicling her epic battle against the double stroller from Hades.)

I was a DIS'er from that point forward and I'd have to say that of late, about 99% of my DIS time is spent on the Trip Reports board. In the early years, I visited pretty much all of them (of course that was only like 4 or 5) but there's something about Trip Reports that just seem to draw me in.

Over the years I've read some pretty crazy reports. Canned corn, emu legs, register journals, run away wheel chairs, Xanax, Ip-Dips, crazed squirrels, daring ducks, DMVC and Jigglers have all given me endless hours of laughter and entertainment.

As I mentioned way back in episode one, I have been planning our current trip for twelve years. What does that mean exactly? Well back in 1997 into 1998, after doing my due diligence in researching on the web and the DIS boards, I had a full itinerary drawn up and ready to go. By full I mean, resort, park schedule, attraction lists, dining choices and even a packing list. My initial plan was to take Tracy back for her college graduation / our 2nd anniversary. Obviously that never came into being.

Later, I modified my plan for a "group trip" with my wife and I, plus my sister in law and one of her friends. This of course did not work out either.

Over the course of the next several years, I figured the next best thing to going myself was to help plan trips for other people. To date, I have planned out a family vacation, a honeymoon, and a summer trip for a youth group. All of the trips were roaring successes and I received lots of souvenirs back.

Joy.

Something along the lines of "I sent my friends Disney World and all I got was this stinking T-Shirt."

At one point, back in 2004, I went though the College of Disney Knowledge and worked with a travel agent for a few moths to design a Disney-based travel site. Long story short, even though I've not had much success in planning my own trips, I think I can safely say that this time around, I am well prepared. And I always had a spreadsheet tucked away deep within the inner recesses of my hard drive which I would occasionally get out, dust off, and update. (Of course I threw it out the window and started from scratch this time, but that's getting ahead of myself.)

About a year ago, I really began toying with the idea of a FOR REAL return trip. I began crunching numbers, doing comparisons, charting, creating spreadsheets, all the crazy stuff I do.

I decided to put some feelers out to see where Tracy stood. We had been talking about bringing the girls for a couple of years but were reluctant due to their age. (Yeah, yeah, I know, that's a DIS Debates Pandora's Box.) Here's how WE made our choice on when to do the first trip. I wanted the girls to be old enough to do several attractions and to at least remember SOMETHING, yet young enough to enjoy the magic. This summer, the youngest will be 5 and the oldest will be just 3 weeks shy of turning 7. We decided that this would be just about perfect.

I narrowed down our choices to two possibilities:

Option A: 5 days / 4 nights in a value

Option B: 5 days / 4 nights renting DVC points and staying in a studio. (They wound up being within $200 of each other.)

I was leaning towards renting DVC points if they were available. Little did I know that Disney would present me with option C.

Coming Next On Episode 37 - Picking the Pop.

 

[All7OfUs]

Holy cow! It is soooo intense. I feel your pain! What stays in, what else can I put in?? All that!

Speaking of reading fun TRs, whatever happened to Mrs. The King??? I miss her pithy wit!

I guess I must be crazy too. I have entire notebooks filled with "very important" information such as what you describe, too!

Yup! They have a habit of presenting loads of options, don't they?? Too many to narrow it down to only one perfect trip!

 

[PrincessV]

(Sam Walton meet Disney, Disney meet Sam.)

Oh my gosh - YES! Disney's employed the Wal-Mart system!
Look...

We brought our selection up to the register and I was surprised to see the price only come up to half of what the sticker said. I asked the clerk about it and low and behold it was on sale.

Watch out for falling prices!

Writing this TR and detailing the past six trips I have taken have led me to have a big-picture perspective that was lacking before. I’m excited now for different reasons than I was when I first booked. My expectations have shifted and my definition of a great vacation has changed. The thing I am now most looking forward to is experiencing The World through the eyes of my children.

What do you get when you combine very little sleep with writer’s block and copious amounts of antihistamines?

My career?

This summer, the youngest will be 5 and the oldest will be just 3 weeks shy of turning 7. We decided that this would be just about perfect.

ITA!

Little did I know that Disney would present me with option C.

Rule 21.3 of Fuzzy Disney Math... there's always an option C out there!

 

[joleen76]

Here’s a FEW of the Episodes you can expect to see (in no particular order):

Cast Profiles
Pickin’ The Pop
Everything Old is New
The Plan 3.0
Counters, Countdowns and Quarters
Dining Dilemmas
The Training Run – Fiesta my Biscuit!
This Aint Your Granny’s Fanny Pack

I can't wait!

About a year ago, I really began toying with the idea of a FOR REAL return trip. I began crunching numbers, doing comparisons, charting, creating spreadsheets, all the crazy stuff I do.

My DH would argue this statement was about me. I have spreadsheets and even a calendar I put together to show the rest of my brood where we were going when and where we were eating!

I decided to put some feelers out to see where Tracy stood. We had been talking about bringing the girls for a couple of years but were reluctant due to their age. (Yeah, yeah, I know…that’s a DIS Debates Pandora’s Box.)

I hear you on this arguement. DS9 was just 3 about to be 4 on our first trip. He does remember it, but I wonder if he will when he's 30? Fortunately for him he has other trips to remember too now. In Nov. we took DS5 for his first trip. He loved it and is now part of the chirping bird pack that repeats "when are we going back".

I was leaning towards renting DVC points if they were available. Little did I know that Disney would present me with option C.

OOOOoooo Option C. Can't wait to hear more about that!
(except it's really a snack size bag of stale cheeto's)

 

[Normangirls]

"Over the years I’ve read some pretty crazy reports. Canned corn, emu legs, register journals, run away wheel chairs, Xanax, Ip-Dips, crazed squirrels, daring ducks, DMVC and Jigglers have all given me endless hours of laughter and entertainment." -- Great Biscuit



Me: Hi, my name is Normangirls, and I'm a Disaholic.

Everyone: Hi, Normangirls.

Me: I've been on the boards for over a year now, and I just had to have another conversation with DH. You know the one. He just doesn't understand that I Dis because I NEED to Dis. It's like breathing air.

Oh, it started out innocently enough. You know, looking up dates for MNSSHP, checking out reviews for a new hotel to try (on-site, of course). Then I found the trip reports.

Next thing I know, I'm snickering out loud at work, mumbling things about mugs being refillable for life, talking to co-workers about, "The Jiggler did the FUNNIEST thing the other day!"

Then the addiction kicked in. I got the DT's if 1000thHappyHaunt didn't update her report. I'd see a McDonald's with free wi-fi, and I had to fight the urge to pull in and see who was winning the "battle for my wallet." Things unrelated to Disney seemed to morph into logical topics for the Community board ("Does anyone have a good long-distance provider?").

The last straw was when I began saying things like "Carp!" and "Borg, dude, totally borg."

Help me before I buy DVC!