B'rer Karen's June Trip--Day 2

[B'rer Karen]

Cast of Characters:
Karen: That’s me. 28 y/o Disney addict who is taking four trips to Disney this
year.
Michelle: aka M, 30 y/o, one of my closest friends in the world who I’ve known
since high school.
Steve: Michelle’s husband, 32 y/o Also known since high school, although I
didn’t really get to know him until after they got married. A great guy
who I also count amongst my closest friends.
Andrew: aka Drew, M and Steve’s 4 y/o son who I absolutely adore!
Nathan: aka Nate, M and Steves’s 3 y/o son and my wonderful godson!


6/2/03
My alarm went off at 7. I got showered and dressed, while presumably M, Steve, and the boys were doing the same next door. When all parties were decent, we opened up the adjoining our rooms. I loved starting my day with hugs from Nate and Drew. Around 8:30 we headed out. First we had to stop at Guest Relations to buy our e-night tickets for the following evening. Steve kept the kids while M and I took care of this. While we were doing this, M mentioned to the guest relations worker our problems with the park tickets and wondered if he could help us out. The worker helping me got involved with this too, but both guys couldn’t seem to grasp the concept of what was going on. They were treating us as if we were trying to “get away with something.” Finally we just said, “We’ll take care of it at the park.” This was one of the few times I felt the fact that The Dolphin is not truly a Disney resort. A Disney CM would have helped us out.
I took the e-night tickets up to my room, locked them in the safe, and grabbed my mom’s ticket so that we could get the situation straightened out. I met everyone back in the lobby and then we headed to the boat dock. Our first stop was going to be Epcot, so we took the Friendship boat to the International Gateway. Once again we had a trauma with the tickets. We definitely had to get this taken care of.
First up, we headed to Test Track and got Fast Passes. We got 5 fast passes and when they came out of the machine, we got a little surprise—a bonus Fast Pass for Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion. Then we headed over to Spaceship Earth. M, Steve, and Nate sat in front and Drew and I sat in back. We had just started to go up into the sphere when the ride stopped. We were in the pitch black with nothing to look at. I couldn’t even see Drew who was sitting right next to me. This went on for a couple of minutes. Then Steve turned on a little flashlight that was on his key chain for Nate. This gave me an idea. I pulled out my cell phone and pressed the buttons so that the display would light up. This way I could at least tell Drew was still next to me! Eventually the ride started up again, stopping once more just briefly. When we got off the ride, we played around for a few minutes in the global neighborhood, and then headed out.
Steve and I took Drew with us as we went to Guest Relations to get the ticket situation resolved. Two friendly Cast Members, Mika and Brad greeted us. It took a little bit of time, but they worked together to get it all straightened out. They reissued everyone’s ticket except Steve with each persons name on it. And now the boys’ tickets were marked as “child” and would not require a finger scan. While we were taking care of this, another CM was making balloon animals and gave Drew a balloon dog. I asked the CM if he would mind making another for Drew’s little brother, and he kindly obliged. Then M and Nate showed up. The CM gave Drew and Nate each a balloon that he had blown up but hadn’t turned into an animal. They were playing swords with them. As we were leaving Guest Relations we realized that we now had two balloon dogs and two balloon “swords” to trek around all day long. Oh well!
Nate had outgrown his last Disney hat, so it was time to do some shopping. We spent some time in Mouse Gear. M had to do some major negotiating when Nate picked out a turquoise Buzz Lightyear hat. M picked out a plethora of very nice hats, but he didn’t want any of those. Finally she got him to go with a different Buzz hat that, while not quite what she wanted, at least wasn’t girly! While they were negotiating, Drew and I did our first pressed penny. I had never done one before, but Drew was eyeing the machine and at 50 cents plus the penny, it was a cheap souvenir.
Our fast pass ride time for Test Track had arrived. Nate wasn’t tall enough, but Drew was. We weren’t sure if Drew would like it, so I told M and Steve to take Drew first. That way if he did like it, he could go again with me. And if he didn’t, either M or Steve could go with me. While they were riding, I took Nate for a treat. We got a frozen coke. He enjoyed it, and told me “I like when you buy me treats.” He couldn’t quite get the use of the little scooper at the bottom of the straw though. When there was only a little bit left in the cup, I let him drink it and it was so funny to watch it slush down on his face. Too cute!
When M, Steve, and Drew got back I asked him how he liked Test Track. He said that he liked it, but didn’t really want to go on again cause it was a little scary. Turns out that he was really scared by the part where it looks like a truck is going to hit you. I hadn’t even thought about that part! Great, now the kid’s traumatized for life. He won’t want to learn to drive because he’ll remember that time when he was 4 and he was almost smashed into by a truck! Since Drew wasn’t going on again, Steve joined me on my turn.
We were getting a little hungry by this time, and we didn’t want to wait too long to eat because we had a 4:45 PS at Mama Melrose later. So we stopped in Mexico for a light lunch. There was this big trauma when I ordered my food. I just wanted something small, so I figured I’d get the kid’s meal, which was a burrito and tortilla chips, and a bottle of water. Well evidently the kid’s meal also comes with a small drink. But I just wanted a bottle of water. I didn’t expect them to just give it to me. I was going to pay for it, but I really didn’t need the kid’s drink. Finally I just told them to give me a coke and that made everything okay.
After lunch we walked over to the International Gateway and hopped on the Friendship boat over to MGM. Oh, almost forgot. While we were walking, Drew was on Steve’s shoulders and he was holding one of the balloon “swords.” We had somehow already lost one of the dogs. He was playing with it and accidentally popped it. Two down! Anyway, we took the boat to MGM. When we arrived and exited the boat, we were shocked to find it was raining. Not hard, but it was raining, even though it was sunny out. This was our first opportunity to try out the “new “tickets and they worked great! Yay! Steve and Drew headed to the bathroom while M and I browsed in the camera shop. M ended up buying a new camera case.
Next we headed over to Playhouse Disney because this was a must do for the boys and we didn’t want to miss it. We realized we had about a half an hour before they’d start lining up for the next show, so we headed over to One Man’s Dream. Well in the course of arriving at MGM and getting to One Man’s Dream, Nate had fallen asleep in the stroller. So I offered to stay outside with him so that M, Steve, and Drew could go through the exhibit. I had already seen it and I knew both M and Steve would find it interesting, which they did. Somewhere in all of this we lost balloon dog number 2. That’s three down, one to go!
When they finished with the exhibit, it was time to get in line for Playhouse Disney. Luckily Nate woke up. We got inside and were sitting in the back of the middle section. This was another attraction I had never been to before (no kids syndrome again) and I was interested to see what it was about. Basically it was a live action show featuring some of the popular characters from Playhouse Disney on TV: Rolie Polie Olie, Bear in the Big Blue House, Stanley, and the Pooh characters. They get the kids in the audience involved with dancing and singing, even bubbles coming from the ceiling. It was a lot of fun watching Nate and Drew enjoy themselves. When the show ended, Drew, who had been sitting next to me, got up and started to walk out. I noticed that he left the shrunken remnants of balloon sword number two on the floor. I discreetly picked it up and carried it behind my back until I could dispose of it. Cruel? Nah. They didn’t even notice it was gone. No more lugging balloon animals!
When we exited the show, there was an area where they were selling various Playhouse Disney merchandise. Nate had just had his birthday, and I had given him a present that he already had. So I owed him something. I was going to buy him this really big Bear (of Bear and the Big Blue House) but he wanted Ojo (who I guess is another bear from the same show). So I rang it up as he was hugging it and I felt really bad when I told him he couldn’t have it right now since I was having it shipped back to the room. He got over that pretty quickly though.
Next it was time for something grown up. We walked down Sunset Boulevard and got Fast Passes for Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. Then we walked over to Tower of Terror. Drew was tall enough for it, but we all weren’t sure that it would be a good choice for him, especially now with all the new drops. So I suggested that M and Steve ride first to refresh their memory and see what they thought. I stayed with Nate and Drew and we hung out in the courtyard outside of the store at the end of Tower of Terror. We took some pictures and played. Then we looked through the store as we worked our way back to where the ride lets out. Drew saw another pressed penny machine and wanted to do it. So I go to get out two quarters and a penny and I look at the machine and get confused. It looks like it wants 5 quarters, and I don’t see anywhere to put a penny. Then I realize it’s a pressed quarter machine and costs 1.00 plus the quarter to be pressed. This one we passed on. Then M and Steve showed up. They both agreed that while Drew would probably like the drops, there was too much “in the dark.” So Steve stayed with the boys while M and I rode. When it came time for our picture to be taken, I opened my mouth as if I were screaming bloody murder. It made a funny picture, but I passed on it, like I usually do.
Our fast pass time for RnR had arrived. First Steve and I rode while M stayed with the boys. Then I kept the boys so M and Steve could ride. The boys were cracking me up. We perused the cart of merchandise that was in the courtyard. In this courtyard area, they also play a lot of music. Nate loves to dance and he was just dancing all over the courtyard. We’re not talking bopping back and forth to the music. We’re talking throwing his whole body into it, spinning around, throwing his hat. I’ve never seen a little kid dance like this. It was a riot. And he just enjoyed doing it so much! Again, too cute!
We were now running late for our PS for Mama Melrose’s. We didn’t really want to eat this early but we wanted to do the Fantasmic Dinner Package. When I called, I asked for 6 pm but was told that the latest they do seating for the dinner package was 5:30 because you had to have time to make your way to the theater (Huh? The show started at 9, and since we were doing the package, we didn’t need to get there until 8-8:30…how slow do they think we walk?). I asked for the latest time they had, and 4:45 was it. We checked in and were seated almost immediately. I had never done the package before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. For adults I think it was a good deal. I believe it was 28.99 per adult and for that you got salad, pick one of the flat bread pizzas off the menu as an appetizer to share; we each got to pick any entrée off the menu (and my entrée alone cost 21.99) and tiramisu for dessert. For the kids it was the same thing, except they picked off the kid’s menu and had ice cream. Theirs was 9.99. But Nate and Drew normally split a kid’s meal. So this was a bit pricey for what they would eat. But it was worth it not to have to wait over an hour to see Fantasmic. I ordered a peach Bellini, one of my favorite alcoholic beverages, and M and Steve had a beer. This was a nice relaxing meal and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t enjoy my entrée so much though. I decided to try something different since I normally will go with something tried and true when I ordered out and I’m trying to stop that. So I got veal osso bucco. I don’t know if it was the cut of meat or the way it was prepared, but I just wasn’t too excited about it. But that’s okay; at least I tried something new.
During dinner, before our entrées had even arrived, Drew fell asleep right in his chair. Unfortunately he had ordered the one thing on the kid’s menu that wouldn’t travel well with us, spaghetti. Nate, meanwhile, had rallied like a frat boy at two a.m. He was wide-awake and cheering and very happy. Drew woke up just in time for ice cream (he’s no dummy!)
After dinner, M and I wanted to go to the last show of Who Wants to be a Millionaire—Play It! Steve suggested that he would take the boys to Muppetvision 3D and then we’d meet at the Honey I shrunk the kids playground. So M and I headed off, although we were a little sad because WE wanted to see Millionaire TOO. L So we get into Millionaire and we’re psyched, we’re going to win. Actually M’s goal was just to get on the board! The first round, M met her goal, she was up on the board. The second round it was my turn. But neither of us made it to the hot seat. Ever since I made it last September I just expect to make it in! We were feeling really old when the second contestant was playing. She was a 13 year-old girl celebrating her birthday. We were actually pretty impressed with her because she made it rather far in the game and seemed pretty smart and poised for 13. But her first question was “In the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie, he went back to the…? A. Past B. Future C. Present D. Movies” I was watching her reaction as the host read the question, and you could see her thinking and then the recognition of the answer. And then it dawned on me, she’s 13. She wasn’t even ALIVE in 1985!! That made me feel old. Lol
When the show was over, we walked over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and met up with Steve and the boys. This was yet another place I had never been. People would probably look at me funny if I said I wanted to go into a children’s playground and just watch the kids play! The boys really enjoyed it, and we found out they liked Muppetvision too. The playground was closing up, so we headed off to Star Tours. M and Steve to Drew while I hung out with Nate (who wasn’t tall enough). While we sat outside, I taught Nate all about the At-At that stands guard outside and sprays water at people. And when I say I taught him all about the At-At, I mean that I taught him the name of that thing is “At-At.” I don’t know much about Star Wars other than the basic characters. I told Nate that when his dad came back, I was going to ask him what the name of that thing was and he had to say “At-At.” We practiced this for a while, and Steve got a kick out of it when they returned.
Drew loved Star Tours and wanted to take me on it, so M, Drew, and I went on. It made me wonder what the experience was like for him. I find the ride fun, but I know that it’s all make believe, that I’m not actually going into outer space. But I wonder if it feels real to a 4 year-old. I think it would be neat to experience the rides for the first time again at that age.
It was time to head to the front of the park for the special entrance for Fantasmic Dinner Package Guests. You get to walk off stage and come in a back entrance to the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. The seating is off to the far right, but I could see just fine. I decided to go get a beer and some popcorn. I asked M and Steve if they wanted one and Steve said he did. Well I guess I’ve never tried to buy more than one beer at WDW before because you can’t do it! I don’t get this. You’re telling me that if mom stays with the kids, dad can’t get a drink for her? He has to wait in a long line, and then come back and mom has to go wait in line? That just doesn’t seem right. So Steve lost out.
When I came back to my seat, I shared my popcorn with everyone, but mostly Drew. M brought out a surprise for the boys. She had bought glow sticks at home before she left just for this event. Each boy got two. This kept them occupied until the show started and beyond. Nate said that his were swords. One was a magic sword and one was a plastic sword. When the show was over he said that he “saved the world” with his swords.
We had decided that we wanted Ghirardelli’s ice cream, so we needed to get to Downtown Disney. I figured our best bet was to take a bus to Port Orleans, and then the boat to Downtown Disney. So that’s we did. When we got on the bus, it was full, so we were standing at the back. This nice young man offered to let Drew, who I was hanging onto, sit down. So he sat down and proceeded to entertain the whole back of the bus with his glow sticks. It was his turn to rally J
We got off the first stop at Port Orleans, walked through the lobby, and out to the boat docks, where the boat was conveniently waiting for us. The boys asked us where we were going and we told them we were going for a treat. During the ride over, Nate fell asleep on me. So we got off at Downtown Disney, put Nate in the stroller, and headed to Ghirardelli’s. We got there just in time, as it was almost closing time. M had a little melt down when she realized they did not have toasted almond ice cream, but she recovered. We all ordered sundaes and sat outside. Nate never woke up, so Drew didn’t have to share his.
After ice cream, M, Steve, and the boys headed for the bus back to the Dolphin while I headed to Pleasure Island for a drink at the Adventurer’s Club. When I arrived, I walked downstairs and walked up to the bar. The bartender remembered me from the night before and said, “Corona?” I always think it’s very cool when they remember you drink and I tip accordingly. So I got my beer and took a seat. This evening when the characters were out, one of them mentioned offering me off as a sacrifice later on. Thank goodness they forgot about that! I stayed for the Hoopla again. In tonight’s show, one of the characters’s started this group sing-a-long with a tongue twister of a chorus (to see how drunk everyone really was). Samantha Sterling, the adventuress of the club, was sitting next to me, and she gave me this look of shock when I could keep up and sing the whole chorus. But that quickly turned to laughter when I tried to sing the chorus again as the character on stage had moved on to the next verse! As soon as the hoopla ended, I hopped the bus (that I had all to myself) back to the Dolphin. I think I actually made it to bed at 1:15 this time!

 

[Marla Hellwig]

A fun day for all - thanks for posting!

 

[Minniespal]

Thanks for sharing - Wonderful reviews!!!!

 

[tmq2766]

Another very busy day.......

 

[Dixielady908]

enjoying your report.
Thanks

 

[pat fan]

****It made me wonder what the experience was like for him. I find the ride fun, but I know that it’s all make believe, that I’m not actually going into outer space. But I wonder if it feels real to a 4 year-old. I think it would be neat to experience the rides for the first time again at that age.
****************************************************

It is amazing to take little ones on some of the "rides".Our DS was 7 or 8 (it's awful that I can't remember!) and we went on Timekeeper.At the end,when the robot(Robin Williams)asks for a volunteer family to go forward in time,our DS was just crushed that he wasn't picked.He was jumping up and waving his arm,but alas,they picked a different family,way in the back.I told him that maybe we'd get picked another time.They really do believe at that age