Bloat and Float Trip 06 ( WDW Complete!)

[FatherForce]

The Bloat and Float Vacation of 06

This is a long report (and I do mean long, so you have been warned) of our 4 day trip to the WDW with my family and our 3 day Wonder Cruise that followed. I’ll post the WDW portion in the WDW TR Section and the Cruise TR Section.

Savvy?

Prologue

It has been my Mother and Father in Law’s dream to take ALL of their children and grandchildren to WDW while they can still physically enjoy it. They have taken me, my wife, and our daughter to WDW in 03, my sister and her 2 kids in 99, and my stepbrother, his wife and their kids in 01, but never all at once.
My Mom’s health is rapidly declining. She needs a motorized cart to get around due to a degenerative spinal problem and has a multitude of problems from arthritis to blood sugar issues. She’s only 61.

Happy report so far, eh?

Well, they began planning the trip in almost 2 years ago with everyone agreed to go. The party would be 14! They even invited my 24 yr old in-college stepson. He politely declined due to school.
My wife, however, had one stipulation. If she was going to spend 4 days in WDW with my family, then I’d have to take her on a Cruise immediately following.
I didn’t argue.
I doubt I’d go to Wal Mart with her whole family, let alone WDW, so it seemed a more than fair request. Plus, I’d wanted to do a Disney Cruise since it was invented.

Almost immediately after ressies were made, things began to fall apart. My Stepbrother announced his wife would not go. So he would be going with his 2 kids without her. A few weeks later, he announced he would not go. OK, the kids would come with us. A month later that was squashed too. This left a crushed Stepfather and a party now of 10.
We were initially booked at the Contemporary but changed to The Wilderness Lodge
(Because it is my Stepfather’s favorite resort) for the last week of September. We booked a 3 Day Wonder Cruise for 9/28.

Time passed and all was right with the world (well not the WORLD obviously, but our world. All is definitely NOT right in the real world). We saved money and planned. Then they announced the “Free Dining” plan. We added that.

6 weeks out, my brother-in-law who is in the service and has already done 2 tours in Iraq, was informed that his leave was cancelled and he had to report to Sniper School in preparation for ANOTHER tour in Iraq, this time in a sniper unit.
Now, from time to time during this report, I’ll jump on a virtual soapbox to take an off topic rant. I’ll warn my readers in advance so you can skip my ramblings and go straight back to the magic. Here comes the first FORCERANT:

I find in unconscionable what the current US government has done with our Armed Services. My sister’s family will forever be altered by this war which was sold under false pretense and has worsened the terrorist problem. Now they are just one family among thousands, and fortunately my Brother in Law is still here and in one piece. However, with another combat duty staring him and his family in the face, can you imagine what it must be like for them? All this and not even being able to take a well deserved vacation with his family before he has to go back. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

And, we’re back.

Now the party is at 9.
One month to go, and WAIT! What’s this? My Stepson wants to go now? Can he? He really wants to go! He can skip a week of classes. Can he get on the meal plan? Can he get a plane flight? He doesn’t want to go on the cruise.

10 it is!

Here is where I must mention Nanci at Magical Journeys who waded through all of this mess with a smile and professionalism and made all the changes at the last minute with no hesitation or even an audible sigh of frustration (which would have been her right).

So, our cast of characters includes:
Me, Brad – 42 yr old WDW nut,
My Wife, Cheryll - Lets just say she a wee bit older than me
My Daughter, Samantha - 7 year old 4 time WDW vet
My Stepson, Justin - 24yr old who I first took to WDW when he was 8.
My Mom, Jeanna - 61 yr old saint.
My Stepdad, Steve - 62 yr old uber saint
My Sister, Kristy - 39 yr old military wife
My Nephew Matthew - 16 yr old. Typical 16 yr old.
My Niece Megan - 14 yrl old. See above.
My Niece Riley - 5 yr old daredevil

Alright.

That’s should set us up.
I promise the actual TR will be fun and full of laughter, surprises, some drama, and a lot of magical pixie dust.
Oh, and pictures.
Color Pictures.
Shiny things to look at.

Up next: Chapter 1 – Arrival and Day 1

 

[pumba]

hey you did good to get the names right and the relationship.......thanks for the beginning of your trip

 

[HMHunters]

I will not get sucked into another tr ... I will not get sucked into another tr ...



I'm sucked into another tr!

Just tell me know - which will come first - Christmas or the conclusion?

 

[FatherForce]

I'd bet on the conclusion, but not too much.

 

[FatherForce]

Chapter 1 Arrival and Day 1

Our cast of characters includes:
Me, Brad – 42 yr old WDW nut,
My Wife, Cheryll - Lets just say she a wee bit older than me
My Daughter, Samantha - 7 year old 4 time WDW vet
My Stepson, Justin - 24yr old who I first took to WDW when he was 8.
My Mom, Jeanna - 61 yr old saint.
My Stepdad, Steve - 62 yr old uber saint
My Sister, Kristy - 39 yr old military wife
My Nephew Matthew - 16 yr old. Typical 16 yr old.
My Niece Megan - 14 yr old. See above.
My Niece Riley - 5 yr old daredevil

Months of planning and changing of plans and re-changing of plans brought us to the week of departure. My wife, daughter, stepson, and I would be flying from Indianapolis. My sister and her kids would be flying from North Carolina, and Mom and Steve would drive down from Anderson Indiana earlier. They stopped overnight in Georgia, drove to visit Steve’s brother in Ft Lauderdale and then up to Daytona for a day before driving to WDW on the 22nd.
But, hey, this is MY report, not theirs.
The Monday before we left, Samantha started coughing and complained of a sore throat.
Uh-oh.
She didn’t have a fever, but we took her to the Dr just in case. He did strep tests which were negative and suggested it might be a small virus or maybe allergies (mine had already started acting up.) We kept her out of school for a day and she was fine.
Whew.
(Cue music to instill a sense of foreshadowing)
Our flight on AirTran was at 3:30 on Sat the 23rd. We live about an hour from the airport, so I planned on leaving about 11am, stopping on the way for lunch and getting to the airport around 1. Justin, the college student stepson ( we live in Bloomington Indiana so he goes to IU here and lives in a house off campus), was to come over on Friday night and stay over so we’d be ready to run any last minute errands Saturday morning and hit the road. He brought over his stuff around 6 and said he’d be back.
He just didn’t say the next morning at 10:30 after repeated calls to his cell.
In his defense, the kid is ready to go in about 30 seconds. He will not waste ANY valuable sleep or cell phone time, so when he wakes, he just puts on shoes and goes. He is one of those rare individual who doesn’t need to wash or brush his hair or change clothes. He just goes.
Sigh.
Our flight is fine. It was cheap and only half filled so Cheryll and Justin each got a row to themselves to stretch out in while Samantha and I played games and listened to XMKids on the headsets.
Got to Orlando at about 6. The family got the luggage while I boarded the Hertz shuttle to pick up our rental car. And proceeded to wait for 15 minutes for the shuttle to leave.
Didn’t they know I needed to get the Wilderness Lodge NOW!
We didn’t have time to wait on others.
I’m going to Disney World! I’m special!
Got to the offsite Hertz and rented a bland white 4 door Taurus for 8 days for only $208.
That was a great deal and gave us mobility, and convenience,
Since we would have to take Justin to the airport to fly back on the day that we went to Port Canaveral for the cruise it just made sense.

Quick drive from the airport to WDW.

I know every TR mentions this and everyone who visits WDW feels this very same way, but when you drive past those WDW gates and start to see the purple road signs, well I tingle. It’s a feeling tied to the thick air and the bight sunshine of central Florida. It evokes the aroma of freshly cut grass and blooming flowers. You feel you’ve entered an entirely different world and transformed from whatever life has made you into a kid again. Your posture changes. I LOVE that feeling.

Oh, sorry. Got lost there.

We stayed at the WL in 95 with Justin when he was 13, and we haven’t stayed there since. I forgot just how beautiful the place was. It was now 7:00 and the sun was setting. Check in was a breeze and the massive lobby was empty. I had Samantha touch the Bear’s nose and up we went to the 5th floor.

The rest of the family was already there and we had 3 rooms in row facing the pool at the Villas. Very Nice view.
Mon and Steve had a room in the middle which connected to Kristy’s room. Can’t say we were upset to have the one non-connecting room as kids ran back and forth.
Riley and Samantha got acquainted. I marveled at how big Matt and Megan had become.
They stared slack jawed at the now adult Justin and his amazing head of unwashed and uncombed hair.

He and Samantha got bunk beds which was funny.

Turned on the TV to see the new WDW info channel and went down to Roaring Forks to grab a quick dinner since out meal plan did not start until the next day.
The food at Roaring Forks was spectacular for a resort counter service stop.
I got a roast beef sandwich with blue cheese on foccacia bread that was VERY tasty.
Bought the most expensive 6 pack of cheap beer in the world at Mercantile and settled in for the night.
Tomorrow was Early Magic for Fantasyland so we’d have to be up early and Mom had bought us all a breakfast at CRT for 9:30.
We synchronized watched and planned to all meet the next morning at 7am.

HA.

Next Chapter 2: Day 1

Oh I promised you pictures didn’t I?

Here’s the Lodge in the wee wee hours:

More pics with the next chapter.
Promise.

 

[FatherForce]

Chapter 2 – Day 1

Our cast of characters includes:
Me, Brad – 42 yr old WDW nut,
My Wife, Cheryll - Lets just say she a wee bit older than me
My Daughter, Samantha - 7 year old 4 time WDW vet
My Stepson, Justin - 24yr old who I first took to WDW when he was 8.
My Mom, Jeanna - 61 yr old saint.
My Stepdad, Steve - 62 yr old uber saint
My Sister, Kristy - 39 yr old military wife
My Nephew Matthew - 16 yr old. Typical 16 yr old.
My Niece Megan - 14 yr old. See above.
My Niece Riley - 5 yr old daredevil


When last we left our intrepid family, they had planned to rise at 6:30 in order to get over to the MK for the early morning in Fantasyland.
We were going to try and wake up Tink too.

I got up at about 5:45 all by myself. I bolted out of bed in the pitch black of our WL room and sat on the balcony until 6 so I could head to RF for some coffee. I brought our old mugs from our trip in 95. They are HUGE.
As I made my way down I notice A LOT of very thin, fit folks in running garb stretching and jogging and bopping around the WL. I could barely see and these folks were looked ready to run a triathlon.

Guess what?
They were ready to run a Triathlon!

Yes, there was some sort of super-athlete gathering and an early Sunday morning triathlon going on. I could hear really bad country music coming from just past the boat docks and the inane patter of what I assume was some local country station DJs.

ICK.

But I digress.

The folks who worked at and were patronizing RF were amazed by our old school mugs. The nice CM at the counter asked where I got them, and I told her I got them right here 11 years ago. She said they were still good and stood in awe of my resourcefulness AND the gargantuan size of my mugs.

I felt like a man.

Back at the rooms, my sister’s room was stirring, but no movement in my room yet.
I sat on the balcony and drank my coffee and waited a bit for my just waking wife to join,
I showered.
She showered.
Mickey called and barely stirred Samantha or Justin.

It was now 7:15 and time for the group to assemble.
Everyone was ready but us.

So my sister and her girls left for the boat dock while my Mom and Steve and my nephew Matt tried to rouse Justin and Samantha. My wife finally got Samantha dressed, and Justin rolled off the top bunk, slipped on shoes, sort of brushed his teeth, and said, “I’m ready. What’s the big deal?”
(sigh)

On to the boat dock we went, and it was a beautiful morning:

Here we are at the dock:

On the way over to the MK we noticed that there was a HUGE crane over the castle.
Oh no. I had heard there was sprucing up and such but I thought it would be done at night. Oh well.

We got to the MK just after 8am. No Tink waking for us. Hey, Did I really think I was going to get everyone up in time?
Main Street was empty, and it gave me the chills.

I love the MK in the morning, and the sight of the castle just after you turn the corner on Main Street is one of my all time emotional triggers. They hid the crane behind the castle pretty well so as not to mess up the visual too much:

The early morning hour in Fantasyland is well worth getting up for if you have little ones. Winnie the Pooh and gang play with the kids in Pooh Corner. Peter Pan, Wendy and Hook were playing with the kids outside of the PP ride. Stitch was riding Dumbo. Mickey and Minnie were holding court outside Philharmagic. Goofy was running all about the place. No ride had any a line over 5 minutes and we did Pooh, PP, IASW, Philharmagic, and character playing in an hours time. It was truly interactive and special. A great way to start our park touring.

We did the CRT at 9:30
Here’s the whole gang with Cindy. See if you can connect the face to the name.

Samantha and Riley are cousins that are close to each other in age, but haven’t really had the opportunity to get to know each other. They really bonded this morning.

Apparently the girls are in this picture too, but I can’t seem to find them

CRT was fun for the kids. The food was only OK, imho, but no one really eats at CRT for the food, do they? The girls got wands and they were giving swords to the boys. Samantha asked me why girls didn’t swords. I said so the boys wouldn’t be embarrassed by the girls kicking their butts. This seemed to satisfy her.

We then went to the HM, which has been one of my faves since I was a kid. We got in line and all of a sudden, Samantha wouldn’t ride! She’s been on the HM 15 in her young life. Why was she scared now? We tried cajoling her a bit, but I really didn’t want to press her. SO I sat outside with her while the rest of them went in. We were coming back that night for the EME, so I could do it then.

We then proceeded to POTC. Sam didn’t want to ride this either! It was now about 1, so I suspect she was pretty tired. We rode and I did find the improvements and additions impressive. The opening w/Davy Jones is nothing short of super cool.

After we rode POTC, we noticed they were setting up for the Jack Sparrow Pirate Training.
The girls and their Moms rushed up to the circle in front and I moved to the side to videotape the show.
The Jack was very good and the show was funny. Then they came to the part where they picked the 4 kids to be pirate-trained, and guess who got picked?
Go ahead.
Guess.
Yep, it was my brave and beautiful daughter Samantha!
She did great, and made the crowd laugh hard when Jack prodded he line with, “Say ‘there’s the Governor’s daughter”. She then replied as loud as she could, “Say there’s the Governor’s daughter.”
Say Goodnight Gracie.

We were all tired and Sam was hoarse, so we headed back to the WL

Next Up: Boma, EME, and something’s not right with Sam.

 

[BeautyNBeast]

Apparently the girls are in this picture too, but I can’t seem to find them

Loving the TR! Too bad your brother-in-law could not come. I thank him for serving.

 

[HMHunters]

The girls got wands and they were giving swords to the boys. Samantha asked me why girls didn’t swords. I said so the boys wouldn’t be embarrassed by the girls kicking their butts. This seemed to satisfy her.

Great answer!

Next Up: Boma, EME, and something’s not right with Sam.

Uh oh ... I hope this won't involve the same nasty virus that took us out one by one at WDW once. Let's just say the Tiki Room became the sTInKI room after my DS1 exploded in it.

 

[castlegazer]

I'm with ya FatherForce!

 

[FatherForce]

Sorry its been so long, but I have a job.


Chapter 2 Boma, EMH, and a Sick Little Girl


Our cast of characters includes:
Me, Brad – 42 yr old WDW nut,
My Wife, Cheryll - Lets just say she a wee bit older than me
My Daughter, Samantha - 7 year old 4 time WDW vet
My Stepson, Justin - 24yr old who I first took to WDW when he was 8.
My Mom, Jeanna - 61 yr old saint.
My Stepdad, Steve - 62 yr old uber saint
My Sister, Kristy - 39 yr old military wife
My Nephew Matthew - 16 yr old. Typical 16 yr old.
My Niece Megan - 14 yr old. See above.
My Niece Riley - 5 yr old daredevil



Well after the excitement of the Pirate Training, we took the boat back to the WL.

This would be the last time we were all together in one place. (Unless you count when we were sleeping in adjacent rooms, which I do not. It’s my TR and I make the rules)

Now before the trip, the entire group made ME make the ADR for all of the Table Service meals. This proved next to impossible since the no one could agree on where to eat or when. When I finally got a begrudging consensus, most of the times and restaurants we wanted where unavailable. So I made do with what I could and said, “Sue Me if you don’t like it.”
They immediately began contacting their lawyers.

My wife, stepson, and I were adamant that we were going to eat at Boma. AKL is our favorite resort and Boma is our favorite restaurant ergo, we wanted to eat there. The rest of the group thought the idea of “African” food scary and not very appetizing.

FORCERANT
I understand the impulse to fear what we do not know, but Xenophobia is what is keeping our culture from evolving. Now, just because my family didn’t like the thought of African food (even thought they had no idea what it was and would not listen to descriptions of it), doesn’t mean they are Xenophobic, I realize that their not going to Boma is not going to drag down our culture and I’m ranting just to rant here, but MAN is Boma tasty. This wasn’t my best rant.


And we’re back.

So we went to Boma, and the rest went to MGM to eat at Sci Fi Dine in and we were to meet back at the MK at 8:30 for the fireworks and the EME.

We decided to go to the marketplace first. Sam was very agitated so she and I went to the Lego store while Cheryll and Justin went to the other shops. I love the Lego store, especially the outside sculptures. Here’s Sam with the dragon

We met back up and Sam rode the train while I made a rush through the Christmas store. I bought a $20 plastic WL ornament that matches our other porcelain Poly and AKL ones.
Waited in a line until it was time put up out tree.
Or at least that’s how long it seemed.
I went back to find my family and they were no longer at the train.
I knew right were to find them:
The Margarita Stand.

(Samantha doesn’t look too happy, does she?)
A refreshing beverage later, we were on our way to the AKL.


Everyone has their favorite resort, and the AKL is ours. The place is breathtakingly beautiful, and although it’s location makes transportation tricky, its remoteness lends and air of distance and relaxation. Plus the staff here is the BEST of any WDW resort. They are the nicest, the most efficient, and they truly seem to appreciate you as a guest and their job. You can argue the merits of your favorite resort to me, but I will NEVER concede the staff at the AKL as anything less than the ultimate.
Go ahead, try.
Just try.
HA!
I win.

We spent some time on the savannah overlook while Cheryll got us some Tusker beers.
She came back with beers but a forlorn look.
No more Tuskers.
Seems some African breweries don’t keep supply up with demand.
No matter, it was wicked hot, and that is why God made beer.

Boma was fantastic as always. Justin became a vegetarian a couple of years ago, and we silently noticed quite a bit of meat on his plates. Hmmm.
We tarried and ate until we could barely roll out of the place. Sam didn’t eat much and was very cranky too. Hmmmmmm.

Back at the WL, Cheryll and I discussed the wisdom of us taking Sam to the MK until midnight when she didn’t feel well. So Mom made the sacrifice and kept her at the Lodge while Justin and I went to meet the rest of the family at the MK at 8:30 for the EME.

We got to the boat dock at 8.
We did not get into the MK until 9:05!!!!!!!
I will resist the use of a FORCERANT, but let it be said that although I like taking a boat to the MK, they are infrequent and SLOW.
We didn’t miss the family though, because they got caught at MGM when the waited an hour to be seated for their 7pm ADR at the Sci Fi!
Tempers were flaring as they rushed to back.
All worked out though, as it always does.
We rode Splash Mountain and Big Thunder and the HM and Space Mountain (3 times) and Buzz before heading back.
I was exhausted and Cheryll and Sam were fast asleep when we returned.
I sipped a beer on the balcony and decompressed before drifting off into a deep sleep know Mickey would call at 8:30 to get us up for our day at Epcot.

I was jolted awake at 5:30 by my daughter crying on the floor between the beds holding her throat and imploring Daddy to help her……


Next Chapter 3 Rx for Sam, Epcot, and Mom is pressured to finally try something new.

 

[sleepydog25]

FORCERANT
I understand the impulse to fear what we do not know, but Xenophobia is what is keeping our culture from evolving. Now, just because my family didn’t like the thought of African food (even thought they had no idea what it was and would not listen to descriptions of it), doesn’t mean they are Xenophobic, I realize that their not going to Boma is not going to drag down our culture and I’m ranting just to rant here, but MAN is Boma tasty. This wasn’t my best rant.

Just call it FORCERANT LITE. . . As for your first rant, I agree wholeheartedly. . .and I served 21 years.

Mmmmm. . .WL. . .and you're right--some of those new sandwiches there are superb and a bargain to boot. As for the EMH for MK, it's not to be missed if'n you have little ones. . .as you suggest, so much can be accomplished that first hour before the major hordes hit. Finally, I have to ask. . .were there girls in that picture with Jasmine? Yes, Doc knows I have this thing for Jasmine. . .she just smiles and nods, "yes, dear" wearily.

 

[lexmelinda]

Loving the report and the rants which I agree with wholeheartedly. We were in the World the same week as you so anxious to see how your week went. Write on..........

 

[sleepydog25]

So, do we get more of this report or what? Yeah, yeah, "I work for a living," blah, blah, blah. . .

 

[Scot-n-Michelle]

OHH-- I just came across your trip report and got hooked - but just like that I got to the end. Post more, post more please.

 

[FatherForce]

Chapter 3 Rx for Sam and Mom chokes down some Japanese

Our cast of characters includes:
Me, Brad – 42 yr old WDW nut,
My Wife, Cheryll - Lets just say she a wee bit older than me
My Daughter, Samantha - 7 year old 4 time WDW vet
My Stepson, Justin - 24yr old who I first took to WDW when he was 8.
My Mom, Jeanna - 61 yr old saint.
My Stepdad, Steve - 62 yr old uber saint
My Sister, Kristy - 39 yr old military wife
My Nephew Matthew - 16 yr old. Typical 16 yr old.
My Niece Megan - 14 yr old. See above.
My Niece Riley - 5 yr old daredevil



Yep, nothing like a crying child to wake Dad from a coma.

Usually when we are at WDW, I sleep deep. There is something about the warm and soothing resort rooms coupled with the regeneration of my rather large body after a full day in the parks that make WDW slumber so complete.

However, Samantha’s crying jolted me right up.

She said her throat hurt, and she was very hoarse. She was not running a fever (yes, we pack a thermometer. Don’t you?) and wasn’t congested. It was now 6am, so I ambled down to the Roaring Forks and “Snacked” her some OJ and a doughnut.
The doughnut was a test of her actual throat soreness. I knew that if she devoured said nut of dough as she normally does when given that rare treat that she was probably not that sick.

I be sneaky.

Well, she sipped the OJ and only nibbled the lard-infused breakfast delight.

I also be guilty for not trusting my daughter.

It was then that I put on my Cloak of Eternal Fatherhood (and my Reds baseball cap) and ventured forth to the nearest pharmacy for some medication for her throat.

I was glad at this point that we did rent a car, btw.

As I drove to Walgreen’s just past the Crossing in the early morning dew, I noticed one remarkable fact:

Morning radio in Orlando sucks.

As I loaded my arms with children’s throat lozenges and Bubble Gum flavored elixirs. The pharmacist (who must have been very bored at 6:40 am) came out and asked if I needed help. I explained our situation and my worry about taking her out to Epcot that morning. She smiled and assured me that sore throats were not uncommon for kids going from the Florida humidity and air conditioning and that if she wasn’t running a fever she would be fine. She suggested plenty of liquids, checking her often for fever, and (GASP) renting her a stroller!

What??

I had fought and won the She-is-way-too-old-for-a-stroller Battle last year at DL.

Guess I shouldn’t have posed in a flight suit in front of that “Mission Accomplished” banner, huh?

It was now not even 7am and it had been a very stressful day.
I thought about how much a nice Boddingtons Ale was going to taste this afternoon when we ate lunch at Harry Ramsdsen’s Fish and Chips in Epcot. Then I thought about how much a 6 pack of cheap beer had cost at the WL Mercantile. It was at that exact moment exiting the store that I noticed that just about every establishment in Orlando sold Cold Beer!

So I got a 12pack of Amstel Light for less than a 6 pack of Miller Lite at the WL (Miller Lite, whose new slogan is “Miller Lite is like having sex on the beach, Why? It’s F’ning close to water!). These golden cans would look great in our mini-fridge, I reasoned. Yep, I was thinking of asthetics.

Drove back and got up to the room. Sam was up and running around!!
Her voice was almost gone, but she wanted to go to Epcot. No fever.
Ok. Let’s all relax. (We were worried about not just being sick and missing WDW, but being sick not being able to cruise on Thursday). It was 8am and I wanted to grab a quick shower and calm down a bit to enjoy the day.

Now those among you who have never done this can cast the first stone, but at 8am on a Monday morning, after a very stressful and worrisome morning on vacation, on the way to the shower, I embraced the southern Indiana DNA that I have long repressed and….

Drank a beer in the shower.

(OUCH, OWW! Those rocks hurt!)

I emerged refreshed and invigorated and without shame.

That morning at Epcot we all arrived at the same time but quickly split up. I rode Mission Space with Justin and Megan and Matthew. I love this ride, even though they try to warn that this ride will definitely make you sick and probably kill you.
There is nothing like it anywhere.

Next was Test Track. I rode TT once in 01 was not impresesed. The fast part was fun, but the “test” part was kinda silly. Well, we thought we’d try again, and guess what?
I still thought it was lame.

Now Mom wanted to go to the Universe of Energy or as I call it, “Exxon already has the entire world’s wealth and has destroyed the environment. Do they really need a half hour of my life that I won’t get back?”

So Cheryll, Sam, Justin, and my teenage nephew and niece left to venture off by ourselves. Matthew and Megan and great kids and they seemed as happy to get to spend some time with their “Cool” Uncle and Aunt as we were to have them with us. (Ok, I added the “cool” part)

We went to the Living Seas to talk with Crush and found an hour and a half wait.
We’ve had a nice conversation with Crush twice before, so we quickly decided that we’d just send him an email. This was the only line we faced the entire trip, btw.

On to Soarin’, which we love as most people and domesticated animals do.

We’re now getting hungry and I could taste those Harry Ramsdsen’s Fish and Chips now. The ability to use DDP Counter Service points for HR’s was one of the real perks of the DDP, I thought.

Sam was doing well too.

Went on the Imagination ride. Its cute and air conditioned, and I guess I’m glad Eric Idle is getting work.

Just an aside here that the weather was much hotter and more humid than I anticipated.
We normally do WDW in October or November to avoid the swelter and sweating. We’ve already scratched July and August off as months in which we will never visit again due to crowds and weather. Crowds were light, but I think weather-wise September has made the list too.

I then received a cell phone call from my Mom with the other group with some dire news:

Harry Ramsden’s was CLOSED FOR REMODELING!

Ack!


Hold tight. We are on our way.

We re-group outside of the Rose and Crown and weigh our options.
My Sister and her kids want to head back to the WL.

OK.
My Mom and Steve are starving as are we. The RC can’t get us in at all.
I decided I needed a Boddingtons to properly assess the situation.
I suggest heading to Japan to see if we could use some of our TS credits for Teppanyaki.
Mom almost hurls.
“I am not eating raw fish!”
I try to explain the concept of Hibachi style dining and the fact that is steak, chicken and shrimp.
She isn’t buying my rational discourse.
I know in my heart that she would love the food and would love the “show” of having the food cooked in front of her.
So with my knowledge of what is right and with the providence that only the righteous share I declared. “Mom, you have not spent much time with your sick granddaughter at all. She loves you, and she loves Japanese food. Can’t you just try something new for your beloved grandchild’s sake?”

It was a remarkably low blow, but it worked.

They got us in almost right away, and we ALL had a wonderful and fun meal.

We had the recommended cocktail of sparkling sake and plum wine.
I only had one, but I can still taste that delightful beverage.
Yum.

The DDP meant we also got to eat Ginger cake and Ginger Ice cream which were absolutely incredible. It was also here that I noticed that with the DDP we were eating MUCH more than we normally would, and I began to feel THE BLOAT of the trip truly take hold.

As Mom and Steve gushed over the food and our entertaining chef, I basked in the glow of triumph and exaltation as a shimmering, golden light radiated from my benevolent presence.

Or maybe it was just the booze.

Up Next Chapter 4 MGM and the Assault of Everest

 

[lexmelinda]

Brad....hilarious trip report and I have to say the pictures are wonderful! Are you the photographer here? We were at Epcot the same day as you and it was a gorgeous day.

 

[sleepydog25]

I had fought and won the She-is-way-too-old-for-a-stroller Battle last year at DL.

Guess I shouldn’t have posed in a flight suit in front of that “Mission Accomplished” banner, huh?

Now that is funny, I don't care who you are. Great stuff, FF! Your Miller Lite analogy and declaration of not wasting time on the Energy ride are riotiously funny, too. Methinks we should've hung out more together on the cruise. We are of like minds. . .and that's kinda scary!

 

[averill94]

Bet that beer in the shower was great! Love it. Funny thing about the thermometer, I packed everything in the medicine cabinet but NOT the thermometer. It will be on the list next time for sure.

Cant believe the lack of crowds in your pics. They are beautiful.
Thanks

 

[FatherForce]

Sleepy- Yeah, we should have. It just didn't seem like we had near enough time on a 3 day cruise, ya know? Plus you and Doc seemed to be enjoying the time together alone. Heck, we didn't even make the wine tasting we were so looking forward to doing. But that's a story for my Cruise report which should be done sometime this year.

 

[FatherForce]

Chapter 4 MGM and the Assault of Everest



Our cast of characters includes:
Me, Brad – 42 yr old WDW nut,
My Wife, Cheryll - Lets just say she a wee bit older than me
My Daughter, Samantha - 7 year old 4 time WDW vet
My Stepson, Justin - 24yr old who I first took to WDW when he was 8.
My Mom, Jeanna - 61 yr old saint.
My Stepdad, Steve - 62 yr old uber saint
My Sister, Kristy - 39 yr old military wife
My Nephew Matthew - 16 yr old. Typical 16 yr old.
My Niece Megan - 14 yr old. See above.
My Niece Riley - 5 yr old daredevil

Back at the WL, we swam a bit and then The Bloat took over, and we all napped.
Here is Samantha passed out.

Samantha was starting to feel run down a bit more so we decided once again that Cheryll would stay with her while the rest of us went to MGM for the EME.

Grabbed another foccacia sandwich at RF using our CS credits. We still had a ridiculous # of credits and, and we were so FULL. Anywhere we used the DDP, the staff pushed the appetizers and desserts and drinks.

Uh, oh…FORCERANT

Now, no one has ever accused me of restraint where food was concerned, but even I was begging off. Does Disney want us even larger? Are they building some sort of insidious human fattening facility? Maybe trying to increase the mass in one spot on the earth in order to re-align the earth’s axis of rotation thereby altering the tides and weather to better suit their newest park in Hong Kong? Maybe the DDP isn’t such a good idea after all.
As someone who has constantly fought his weight all of his life, I understand all too well the draw of decadent food on vacation. Due to recurring back strains and recurring overeating, I gained 30 lbs leading up to this vacation this year when my goal was to LOSE 30lbs before the vacation. I was going on a cruise and I wanted to look good on the beach at Castaway Cay, or maybe more realistically not look like beached walrus. I stopped going to the gym with the excuse of it being too hard to get there due to an increased workload. I began eating bad foods with the excuse that I deserved it because I was in such a stressful work situation, and I began to drink a few high calorie beers every night since I needed to relax and didn’t I deserve the good stuff instead of a “Lite” beer?
All of these things were conscious decisions I made knowing the consequences.

So what I’m saying is that my weight gain was the Bush administration’s fault.

And we’re back.

Once at MGM, I took my stepson and nephew with me to Thrill Ride.
We rode RnRC 3 times.
We rode the ToT 3 times.

The rest of the family wanted to go see Fantasmic. Without my wife and Samantha, I didn’t care about Fantasmic and neither did my younger male companions. They went, we went back on RnRC and then to Star Tours and the Star Wars shop.

It was then that I realized how much fun I was having just hanging with my nephew and stepson riding rides and geeking out to a Darth Vader T Shirt. Samantha is still too young to ride rollercoasters and such. ToT scares her just looking at it. Cheryll gets motion sick. Cheryll doesn’t even like to just browse in the Star Wars store. She actually HURRIES me up when we’re in there! (Philistine).
I was momentarily free of those Dad and Husband responsibilities and felt 20 years younger! I was having a blast!

That’s the precise moment I felt the guilt.

I’m a white, liberal American male of German decent who was raised Catholic.
There is not one thing wrong with our world for which I do not feel some sort of irrational, collective guilt.

I thought of Samantha, feeling bad in Disney World and my wife sacrificing her vacation to watch her in the room while I freely played like I hadn’t a care in the world.

Guess who bought nice presents for his child and wife at MGM that night?

The next morning was AK day.

I couldn’t wait to ride EE, and neither could anyone else, except, of course, Samantha.
She was feeling good and her voice was almost back to normal, so off we went.

I usually love just slowly ambling into AK, but we wanted to get FPs for EE. The boys ran ahead with our cards while we made our way to Asia as quick as a group with a woman in an ECV and 2 young kids in strollers could go.

EE looks amazing. When we were here last in 04, the rebar skeleton of the mountain was up and the track was laid, but that’s all we could tell about the ride. Now it looks like Mount Everest (not that I’ve ever actually seen Everest).

When we got there, the boys were nowhere to be seen.
A quick phone call confirmed my suspicion.
They were just about to be loaded on the ride!
They went without me.
I was an old Dad again.

Yep, they walked right on and so did we.
Riley, the 5 year old, rode it twice.
Mom’s back kept her from riding, but we all rode at least twice with absolutely no wait.
I mean NONE.

The lack of any sort of line had one drawback.
I couldn’t spend any time looking at all the remarkable detail in the line.
One of things that Disney does better than anyone else is telling a story with a theme park attraction.
The entire area in and around EE is filled with details ands minutia that set a scene and built tension. I could have spent all day just looking.

Oh yeah, the ride ROCKS!

Another pretty pic :

After we had our fill of EE, Sam really wanted to do something she liked.
She wanted to go to Dinoland.
Everyone else wanted to go on the Kali River Rapids, even Riley.
Sam was having nothing to do with Kali.

“OK, everyone else go have fun with the cool rapid water ride, me, my perspiration, and my daughter will go ride Triceratop Spin.”

Which is what I did.

While they rode the rapids 3 times in row without getting off, laughing and screaming, I was slowly spinning in a plastic dino.
I didn’t mind one bit.

Look how happy my girl is that Dad did what she wanted do:

We met back up at the Tree of Life to see ITTBAB, except for the teens and my stepson who went to Dinosaur and back to EE.
We were to meet at the Tusker House for lunch at 1.

After becoming an honorary bug, my Sister, Riley, Sam, Cheryll, and I made our way to Legend of the Lion King and Mom and Steve went to go on the safari.
Now the safari is way too rough for my Mom’s back, and every time she has ridden it, she has been in pain for weeks.
Our pleading for her not to go and come with us to see the amazing LotLK fell on deaf and xenophobic ears. She didn’t want to see puppets, just animals.
“They aren’t puppets Mom, it’s the best show in WDW with acrobats and singing and fire dancing, and beautiful aerial stuff and costumes and…”
“I like the animals here, not all the African stuff.”

I honestly believe I’m adopted.

The LotLK is awe inspiring.
I love it.

Back at the Tusker House we were waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, and I went to my favorite spot in the AK: The bar tucked back behind the outdoor seats.

Tusker House is the best CS restaurant in WDW. We all ate huge portions of food. I had the Fried Chicken Sandwich with corn chowder. We all got different entrees and shared.
Once again, they pushed dessert on us. We left with 4 pieces of untouched cheesecake in a to-go box that we placed in the fridge in our room and never touched.

I was so full I left cheesecake.

I’m sure I have some relatives in Hell right now feeling a very chilly wind…


Next: Chapter 5 Feeling Better or The Revenge of Samantha