B'rer Karen
<font color=purple>DIS Veteran<br><font color=deep
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2001
- Messages
- 1,813
3/8/03
Today was a very big day in our trip. David was starting to feel pretty comfortable with WDW, and he wanted to see how well he could do in navigating around property. So Saturday became Davids Transportation Day. David was in charge of getting us around property with no help from me (although as I told him, I would not let him put us on the wrong bus!). Once again, I was up at 7:30 (David at 8) and we were out the door around 8:30. We were spending the morning and early afternoon at the Animal Kingdom. Some back-story here, a few weeks before the trip I gave David homework. He was to give me a list of his must do attractions. I wanted to try and get as much in as possible, but I knew there would be things missed and I wanted to make sure that he didnt go home crying because there was something he really wanted to do that we never got around to. So one thing on his must do list was Kali River Rapids. This is one of those raging river type rides where you are in a big raft and you are definitely getting wet, and theres a good chance youll get soaked. I have never ridden it because I never wanted to be soggy for the rest of my day. But David really wanted to do it. So I had told him that if it was 75 degrees or warmer on the day we did the AK. So were watching the weather and its supposed to be over 80, so it looked like David would get his wish.
David successfully got us on the bus to AK. We immediately headed to Kilimanjaro Safaris (taking pictures of different animals along the way). Even though it was supposed to be hot, it wasnt starting off that way. It was overcast and a little cool. This works out well when you are on the safari, though, because more animals come out (riding first thing in the morning helps that too). We got to see all kinds of animals and they were really close to our vehicle too. It was great. When you exit KS, you are at the entrance to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Its a walking trail where you can see even more animals. The main draw of this trail is the gorillas, and we got to see a lot of them. Next we headed to the 3D attraction Its Tough to be a Bug. The first time you see this attraction theres a big shock to what its about. Its a 3D movie with the characters from A Bugs Life, but there is a sensory aspect to it as well. For me, now that I know whats coming, I like to go and watch other people who are there for the first time and see their reaction. (And at this attraction if you have a scared child, you can just get up and walk out with him/her. No need for therapy J )
Next on our agenda was my favorite thing in AK, The Festival of the Lion King. Its this great Broadway quality show with characters from the Lion King. It is sooooo well done. We had a little trauma in exiting the show building when it was over, though. The show building is square and on each side are bleachers where you sit. Everyone exits through one corner, which was closest to where we were sitting. We must have stood on the stairs going down for 5 minutes without moving. So we just cut across, went down the other side, and then back across the floor and made it out. The people we had been behind were STILL up in the bleachers. I never could figure out what the hold up was.
When you come out of the show building, you are right in front of the character greeting areas in Camp Mickey-Minnie. The lines werent too long so we got our picture taken with Mickey and then with Minnie. Next up was Dinoland U.S.A where we rode one of the newest rides at AK, Primeval Whirl. Its a wild mouse type roller coaster and a lot of fun. But I think the best part was when we were in line. We were at the end of the line getting close to riding so we were in front of the unloading area for the ride. The cars for this ride are round, but the seating area is like a ½ moon area on one side of the car. Its separated into two pieces, so you would sit two and two. But everyone gets in on one side (and then would exit back out the same way). Imagine like a big booth at a restaurant. So were standing there watching the unloading of cars and every time a car came in, there was a voice over that said, Please stand before exiting. Buh-bye! We were in hysterics. How could you get out of the car without standing? We must have heard that 15 times before it was our turn to ride and we were cracking up.
Next we headed to Dinosaur. As we were walking up to the entrance, we saw Pluto off to the side and a line of people getting autographs and pictures. David had told me that Pluto was his favorite so I pointed him out and we headed over to the line. We had just walked up and the character wrangler said that it was time for Plutos break. So poor David didnt get his picture taken. I thought he was going to cry. It wasnt pretty. So we rode Dinosaur, and I think that took his mind off of Pluto. On the way out of Dinoland we passed Dino-Sue, which is a replica of the largest, most complete T-Rex ever found. That was kind of neat.
It was lunchtime, and we were both getting pretty hungry so we stopped at Pizzafari and each got a personal pizza and split an order of breadsticks. It was starting to warm up, so I deemed it okay to ride Kali, but I wanted that to be the last thing we rode so that I only had to be soaked on the way back to the hotel. So after lunch we did the Maharajah Jungle Trek, which is another walking trail where you can see animals. I like this one better because it features Bengal tigers, which I think are pretty cool. And then it was time for Kali. David and I were prepared. He had brought his windbreaker for himself and an extra one for me. We stopped at a gift stand and got a small plastic bag to put our camera bags and my purse in. I made a quick bathroom break and had to laugh at the women in there who you knew had just come off Kali. One woman had her butt under the hand dryer. Another was in her underwear holding her shorts underneath the hand dryer. So we put the windbreakers on, hoods up, zipped up tight, and we got in line. The line moved fast and soon we were on the platform loading into our raft. Quickly we stowed the plastic bag in the center bin, along with my socks and shoes. Then we were off. The others in our raft were laughing at how bundled up we were. There were two young boys sitting across from us who kept saying we dont want to get wet! but they loved it. As it turns out, they got completely soaked and me and David, not so much. They were cute. When the ride was over they had changed to saying we want to go again! Im glad I rode it because it was really well themed. And I got wetter the night before in the rain then I did on the ride, but only by sheer luck.
We then headed back to the resort to freshen up and pick up the packages that we had purchased the night before from the resort store. David did a very fine job of getting us not only back to the resort, but also to the proper stop to pick up our packages. While picking up our packages I also made a purchase of some Disney scrap booking stickers. We walked back to our room, I changed and David made out some postcards. While he went to purchase some stamps, I called the Disney reservations number to book my next trip. You see, they were offering a special comeback rate. If you booked a return trip through the end of 2003 from your hotel room (yes, they can tell where you are calling from), you would get your room at 40% off rack rate at any resort. So I booked both my September trip and my October trip. I ended up booking both at the Caribbean Beach again. On this trip I really didnt enjoy the resort, and in September Ill be there for 9 days when the crowds are non-existent, so I knew I could spend some time at the resort. I even splurged and got a water view room. Then for October, as much as I wanted to stay at one of the resorts within walking distance of Epcot (so my mom and I could stumble back from the food and wine festival), I just couldnt justify the extra cost (at least 60 more a night when all we will do is sleep and shower in the room). Caribbean Beach is really centrally located so it just seemed like the best option. When David returned, he also hopped on this offer and booked Caribbean Beach for his September vacation.
Next up was MGM, and once again, David did a wonderful job of getting us there as well. We had a very exciting evening planned. We totally lucked out with the timing of our trip. As I mentioned before, Disney had just made some great changes to the Tower of Terror. They decided to hold a special event for annual pass holders, after hours, to experience the new ride sequences. They were doing this for 6 nights only, two weekends, Fri/Sat/Sun, and one of those weekends was when we were there (the next was the following weekend). We couldnt believe our luck. The park was scheduled to close at 7. At that point they were going to have a staging area for the APers to gather in and be entertained for about an hour while they got all the other guests out. Then, from 8-10, you could ride the Tower of Terror and the Rock n Roller Coaster as many times as you want. This was an incredible opportunity. So when we got to MGM we went and got our wristbands for the event, and then headed off for a few hours of fun before the event began.
We wanted another chance at Millionaire, so we looked at the time schedule. We had a little bit of time to kill before the next show, so we took in the Sounds Dangerous show, which is an show that takes place mostly in the dark and is all about sound effects. It was then time to head to the soundstage for Millionaire. Right before we got in line, we saw Pluto again! So we went to get in line and just as we got in lineyou guessed itPluto turned around and walked away. Poor David was crushed again. So we took in another game of Millionaire, but alas, we did not make it in the hot seat again. This time I only made it as high as #4. As we were leaving the soundstage, there was Pluto again with a line of fans. This time David was finally successful and we both got our picture taken with Pluto (thank goodness. I thought I was going to have to get a tranquilizer gun soon.) I wanted to do the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular Show, and the last time of the day was coming up quickly, so we jetted over there and took it in. After it was over, David wanted to get some pictures of the Tower of Terror before it got dark, so we walked over to Sunset Boulevard for that. It was now around 6:15 and we were getting hungry, so we decided wed get something to eat before the AP event started. We went into this restaurant called the 50s Prime Time Café. I had heard of it, but had never eaten there before. It was so fun!! When you walk in, you are in a house from the 50s. The waiting area is like a parlor from a 50s house. The dining area is separated into different rooms, and they are all moms kitchen from the 50s. There were Formica tabletops, Jell-O molds on the wall, and small black and white TVs in each room. In our room there was a family of 4 at the one table, a group of teenagers at the other, and then us. The wait staff is all part of the family (mom, grandma, etc.). Our waiter was Uncle Dale. When he greeted us, he told us the rules: No elbows on the table (as David and I quickly remove our elbows from the table), no spitballs, you have to eat your vegetables if you want dessert, etc. I was wearing a baseball cap and thought for sure hed tell me to take my hat off at the dinner table, but he didnt. Then he said And if you have a valid ID, I know where Dad keeps the key to the liquor cabinet! As luck would have it, we did! We each ordered a fun drink that came with a glow cube. It looks like an ice cube, but its solid and it glows (and you can turn it on and off). When Uncle Dale came back with our drinks, he addressed the whole room and said You know, I thought that someone would get the hint on how things work here, and something would be missing from her head when I got back. Can you believe it? He scolded me! I quickly removed my cap. We then ordered dinner. David ordered moms meatloaf and I ordered delicious pork tenderloin. At this point I thought I had the swing of things, so when Uncle Dale returned I mentioned to him that the teenagers were putting their elbows on the table. He scolded me for tattle telling!
My dinner was delicious, but I wanted dessert, so I didnt finish the huge portion. Uncle Dale came back and took my plate and said, Are you sure you dont want one more itty bitty bite? I said, Im sure. Then he said to the room, Folks, you know how I know she doesnt want one more itty, bitty bite? Because she wants one more BIG bite. And then he scooped up the big piece of meat with the fork and swirled it through the remainder of my potatoes and tried to feed it to me!! Thank goodness he didnt (I did see Mom feeding an older woman her green beans. THAT was a site!). Even the dessert menu at this place was fun. It was a viewfinder!! I ordered a caramel sundae and it was soooooooo good. We finally rolled ourselves out of there at a little after 7.
At this point we were to head to the ABC Studio stage to wait for the AP night to start. I had to go to the bathroom so we headed to one first, but then we heard this fun music coming from the ABC Studio, so I said, Forget the bathroom, theres fun going on in there! We walked in on a hula-hoop contest! It was really fun. But skipping the bathroom was a mistake because they had a d.j. spinning tunes and having everyone get up and dance. Dancing with a full bladder is not a good idea. Not only that, but my legs were really aching this day. Im used to my feet getting sore at Disney, but my hip flexors were just aching all day. I was in bad shape, but I love to dance and it was so much fun! Finally a little after 8 we were release to head down to the rides. David took off like a shot. I now know what it would be like to take a child with me! (just kidding D!) At this point I did have to stop and use the restroom, and then we got in line to go on TOT. I was surprised at first that we had to wait in line, but after that things went smoothly. There couldnt have been more than 500 people there. We rode the Tower of Terror twice in a row. Then we walked over and rode the Rock n Roller Coaster. When you ride RnR, there is a pre-show area where you are watching Aerosmith work in the recording studio, but then they have to leave to go to their show, but they dont want to leave their fans behind, so their manager gets you a really fast car to the show (which is the ride). This pre-show is cute, and it sets the tone for the ride, but we were all APers. We had all ridden this ride many, many times before. We didnt want to sit though the pre-show every time! But we heard that, contractually, they had to make each group of guests go through the pre-show. So it turned into guests recite along with the movie. It made it a lot of fun to recite the whole pre-show with everyone.
We rode RnR twice in a row and then headed back to ToT. We stopped off to see what else was going on, as they had the d.j. down in this area now. There were more kids with hoola hoops, but we didnt have time for that! We needed to ride ToT two more times in a row. Another thing Disney had going on for our entertainment were CM dressed up as characters related to the ToT. There was a chambermaid, a ghostly bellhop, and a plumber. These characters were great, especially the chambermaid. Again, there is a pre-show to ToT and no one wanted to go through it each time, but she helped make it fun. She had a little feather duster, and shed sneak up behind an unsuspecting guest and lightly rest it on his or her head or tickle them. It was fun.
Next up was another round of RnR. You might wonder why we didnt just do a whole bunch of one and then a whole bunch of the other. Well as much as I love RnR, I cant handle it more than twice in a row. Even though it is really smooth, it started to make my head hurt if I didnt get a short break. So we went to ride it two more times. Up until the last time, when we got in line, we immediately walked into the pre-show area, waited through that, and then rode. Well on the last time through, we get in line and we get up to the pre-show area..and the door is closed. We had just missed the next group and <gasp> we had to wait!! Were standing there and I said, We have to wait! Whats up with that? and the CM working the door heard me and said, Oh just go on in!! and he opened the door and let us in. If only I had known my power earlier!
We had a few minutes left so we headed over for one last ride on ToT. Riding it 5 times so close together allowed to us to experience all four of the ride sequences and compare them. We each had our favorites, but they were all great. As we were leaving (through a gift shop in typical Disney fashion) we asked to see the special AP merchandise they had for sale. I had bought the t-shirt when I was there in September but wanted to see if they had anything new. They did have a really nice polo shirt. I wish they would have had those 6 months ago because I would have bought that instead of the t-shirt.
It was now 10 oclock. I couldnt believe we had just ridden the ToT and RnR a total of 9 times in less than 2 hours. That is unheard of. We definitely got our fix in! On our way out of the park it was pretty deserted so I noticed something on the sidewalk that I had never seen before a toy pony!! David has a thing about ponies, so I had to get his picture on it.
Since this was a special event, normal transportation wasnt going on. We had been told earlier that the plan was to bus guests to Epcot where they could then catch the appropriate bus. (I guess they figured that most of the APers would be locals who had driven to the park, which turned out to pretty much be true). So were walking out of the park and a CM asks us if we know to take the bus to Epcot, and we said yes. She pointed out the bus and she said, The bus is up there. Do me a favor and tell the driver to wait, otherwise he might just leave with the two of you. We said, sure. And then we walked away and said to each other, yeah right! Were not saying anything. We want to go! So we get on the bus and this driver didnt know anything about the special event. He was just driving to MGM to see if they needed anything. Another group of two people get on, and they tell the driver That lady said to tell you to wait for a few more people. Evidently we looked shifty and she knew we couldnt be trusted! Then one lone guy got on, and a family of four. So the driver asks us all where we wanted to go. Our plan was, if we had to go to Epcot, to get on a bus to the Boardwalk, as its the nearest resort, and then grab a bus to Downtown Disney, because ultimately we wanted to go to Pleasure Island. So we said The Boardwalk. The lone guy was going to All-Star Music, the group of two was headed to All-Star Movies, and the family of four was trying to get to the downtown Disney hotels. We then told the driver that we really could go to any hotel because we ultimately wanted to get to DTD. So he decided to hit the All-Stars and then go to DTD for the family of four, and then us. This was a huge bonus for us as it saved us time. So we get to the All-stars and drop those people off and the driver says Theres a bus here that goes to DTD, you can take that, or I can take you. The family of four said theyd prefer he take us, so that worked for us! As were driving along the driver says, How bout I just drop you off at Pleasure Island? Its not a very far walk to the Marketplace at DTD and the hotels. We were like YES! Thats where we are trying to go! So what was potentially going to be a long transportation time turned out really well for us!
Once at PI, we headed for our favorite hangout, the Adventurers Club. As always it was hilarious. We got there in time for Samantha Sterlings show. Samantha is an adventuress who goes on adventures all over the world. She was putting on a show in the library where she sang songs and interacted with the crowd. David and I sat at a table in the back of the room, ordered a few beverages, and settled in. Samantha started her show with a song and she ended up on the bar at the back of the room near us. So then she starts talking with the folks at the bar. She makes her way down to these two older gentlemen and asked where they were from. They said Cleveland, Ohio, and I started cheering (since that is where I was born, raised, and lived until 3 years ago). So I cheer and she decides to start talking to me:
(Samantha) Oh, are you from Cleveland?
(Karen) Yes, originally.
(S) Where do you live now?
(K) Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.
(S) North Carolina! Now, what made you move to North Carolina? Was it your
job or
(K) <starts to open her mouth>
(S) a man?
(K) I wouldnt move for any man.
And the crowd goes wild. I got a high five from David. It was one of those things that I just blurted out, didnt really think about it. So then Samantha says,
(S) So, you moved for your job. What do you do?
(K) I manage a payroll outsource company.
(S) You manage a payroll outsource..
(K) Well I dont actually manage the company, I manage the outsource group yall really dont care do you?
(S) No, were all losing our buzz now.
That also got a lot of laughs. Samantha chatted with a few other people and then she came back to me and said, So, North Carolina, what qualities would a man have to have for you to move for him? I figured Id have fun and play along so I said, Um, hed have to be rich. Samantha said, Well were learning lots of stuff about girls from North Carolina. Then I said, No, seriously, hed have to be really nice and would have to be willing to go to Disney on a whim with me. Everyone seemed to like that answer.
After Samanthas show we stuck around for a little bit, but it was extremely hot in there. The air conditioning had evidently broken since the night before. Worse than that, I think the heat was on instead. It was stifling in there, and I felt bad for the actors. They kept up a good front and joked about it, but they had to be miserable. They even cancelled the last show for the night.
David finished up his transportation day by safely getting us back to the hotel. I was utterly exhausted this night. So tired that I didnt even journal. I just collapsed in bed. Once again, it was about 1:30 in the morning.
Today was a very big day in our trip. David was starting to feel pretty comfortable with WDW, and he wanted to see how well he could do in navigating around property. So Saturday became Davids Transportation Day. David was in charge of getting us around property with no help from me (although as I told him, I would not let him put us on the wrong bus!). Once again, I was up at 7:30 (David at 8) and we were out the door around 8:30. We were spending the morning and early afternoon at the Animal Kingdom. Some back-story here, a few weeks before the trip I gave David homework. He was to give me a list of his must do attractions. I wanted to try and get as much in as possible, but I knew there would be things missed and I wanted to make sure that he didnt go home crying because there was something he really wanted to do that we never got around to. So one thing on his must do list was Kali River Rapids. This is one of those raging river type rides where you are in a big raft and you are definitely getting wet, and theres a good chance youll get soaked. I have never ridden it because I never wanted to be soggy for the rest of my day. But David really wanted to do it. So I had told him that if it was 75 degrees or warmer on the day we did the AK. So were watching the weather and its supposed to be over 80, so it looked like David would get his wish.
David successfully got us on the bus to AK. We immediately headed to Kilimanjaro Safaris (taking pictures of different animals along the way). Even though it was supposed to be hot, it wasnt starting off that way. It was overcast and a little cool. This works out well when you are on the safari, though, because more animals come out (riding first thing in the morning helps that too). We got to see all kinds of animals and they were really close to our vehicle too. It was great. When you exit KS, you are at the entrance to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Its a walking trail where you can see even more animals. The main draw of this trail is the gorillas, and we got to see a lot of them. Next we headed to the 3D attraction Its Tough to be a Bug. The first time you see this attraction theres a big shock to what its about. Its a 3D movie with the characters from A Bugs Life, but there is a sensory aspect to it as well. For me, now that I know whats coming, I like to go and watch other people who are there for the first time and see their reaction. (And at this attraction if you have a scared child, you can just get up and walk out with him/her. No need for therapy J )
Next on our agenda was my favorite thing in AK, The Festival of the Lion King. Its this great Broadway quality show with characters from the Lion King. It is sooooo well done. We had a little trauma in exiting the show building when it was over, though. The show building is square and on each side are bleachers where you sit. Everyone exits through one corner, which was closest to where we were sitting. We must have stood on the stairs going down for 5 minutes without moving. So we just cut across, went down the other side, and then back across the floor and made it out. The people we had been behind were STILL up in the bleachers. I never could figure out what the hold up was.
When you come out of the show building, you are right in front of the character greeting areas in Camp Mickey-Minnie. The lines werent too long so we got our picture taken with Mickey and then with Minnie. Next up was Dinoland U.S.A where we rode one of the newest rides at AK, Primeval Whirl. Its a wild mouse type roller coaster and a lot of fun. But I think the best part was when we were in line. We were at the end of the line getting close to riding so we were in front of the unloading area for the ride. The cars for this ride are round, but the seating area is like a ½ moon area on one side of the car. Its separated into two pieces, so you would sit two and two. But everyone gets in on one side (and then would exit back out the same way). Imagine like a big booth at a restaurant. So were standing there watching the unloading of cars and every time a car came in, there was a voice over that said, Please stand before exiting. Buh-bye! We were in hysterics. How could you get out of the car without standing? We must have heard that 15 times before it was our turn to ride and we were cracking up.
Next we headed to Dinosaur. As we were walking up to the entrance, we saw Pluto off to the side and a line of people getting autographs and pictures. David had told me that Pluto was his favorite so I pointed him out and we headed over to the line. We had just walked up and the character wrangler said that it was time for Plutos break. So poor David didnt get his picture taken. I thought he was going to cry. It wasnt pretty. So we rode Dinosaur, and I think that took his mind off of Pluto. On the way out of Dinoland we passed Dino-Sue, which is a replica of the largest, most complete T-Rex ever found. That was kind of neat.
It was lunchtime, and we were both getting pretty hungry so we stopped at Pizzafari and each got a personal pizza and split an order of breadsticks. It was starting to warm up, so I deemed it okay to ride Kali, but I wanted that to be the last thing we rode so that I only had to be soaked on the way back to the hotel. So after lunch we did the Maharajah Jungle Trek, which is another walking trail where you can see animals. I like this one better because it features Bengal tigers, which I think are pretty cool. And then it was time for Kali. David and I were prepared. He had brought his windbreaker for himself and an extra one for me. We stopped at a gift stand and got a small plastic bag to put our camera bags and my purse in. I made a quick bathroom break and had to laugh at the women in there who you knew had just come off Kali. One woman had her butt under the hand dryer. Another was in her underwear holding her shorts underneath the hand dryer. So we put the windbreakers on, hoods up, zipped up tight, and we got in line. The line moved fast and soon we were on the platform loading into our raft. Quickly we stowed the plastic bag in the center bin, along with my socks and shoes. Then we were off. The others in our raft were laughing at how bundled up we were. There were two young boys sitting across from us who kept saying we dont want to get wet! but they loved it. As it turns out, they got completely soaked and me and David, not so much. They were cute. When the ride was over they had changed to saying we want to go again! Im glad I rode it because it was really well themed. And I got wetter the night before in the rain then I did on the ride, but only by sheer luck.
We then headed back to the resort to freshen up and pick up the packages that we had purchased the night before from the resort store. David did a very fine job of getting us not only back to the resort, but also to the proper stop to pick up our packages. While picking up our packages I also made a purchase of some Disney scrap booking stickers. We walked back to our room, I changed and David made out some postcards. While he went to purchase some stamps, I called the Disney reservations number to book my next trip. You see, they were offering a special comeback rate. If you booked a return trip through the end of 2003 from your hotel room (yes, they can tell where you are calling from), you would get your room at 40% off rack rate at any resort. So I booked both my September trip and my October trip. I ended up booking both at the Caribbean Beach again. On this trip I really didnt enjoy the resort, and in September Ill be there for 9 days when the crowds are non-existent, so I knew I could spend some time at the resort. I even splurged and got a water view room. Then for October, as much as I wanted to stay at one of the resorts within walking distance of Epcot (so my mom and I could stumble back from the food and wine festival), I just couldnt justify the extra cost (at least 60 more a night when all we will do is sleep and shower in the room). Caribbean Beach is really centrally located so it just seemed like the best option. When David returned, he also hopped on this offer and booked Caribbean Beach for his September vacation.
Next up was MGM, and once again, David did a wonderful job of getting us there as well. We had a very exciting evening planned. We totally lucked out with the timing of our trip. As I mentioned before, Disney had just made some great changes to the Tower of Terror. They decided to hold a special event for annual pass holders, after hours, to experience the new ride sequences. They were doing this for 6 nights only, two weekends, Fri/Sat/Sun, and one of those weekends was when we were there (the next was the following weekend). We couldnt believe our luck. The park was scheduled to close at 7. At that point they were going to have a staging area for the APers to gather in and be entertained for about an hour while they got all the other guests out. Then, from 8-10, you could ride the Tower of Terror and the Rock n Roller Coaster as many times as you want. This was an incredible opportunity. So when we got to MGM we went and got our wristbands for the event, and then headed off for a few hours of fun before the event began.
We wanted another chance at Millionaire, so we looked at the time schedule. We had a little bit of time to kill before the next show, so we took in the Sounds Dangerous show, which is an show that takes place mostly in the dark and is all about sound effects. It was then time to head to the soundstage for Millionaire. Right before we got in line, we saw Pluto again! So we went to get in line and just as we got in lineyou guessed itPluto turned around and walked away. Poor David was crushed again. So we took in another game of Millionaire, but alas, we did not make it in the hot seat again. This time I only made it as high as #4. As we were leaving the soundstage, there was Pluto again with a line of fans. This time David was finally successful and we both got our picture taken with Pluto (thank goodness. I thought I was going to have to get a tranquilizer gun soon.) I wanted to do the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular Show, and the last time of the day was coming up quickly, so we jetted over there and took it in. After it was over, David wanted to get some pictures of the Tower of Terror before it got dark, so we walked over to Sunset Boulevard for that. It was now around 6:15 and we were getting hungry, so we decided wed get something to eat before the AP event started. We went into this restaurant called the 50s Prime Time Café. I had heard of it, but had never eaten there before. It was so fun!! When you walk in, you are in a house from the 50s. The waiting area is like a parlor from a 50s house. The dining area is separated into different rooms, and they are all moms kitchen from the 50s. There were Formica tabletops, Jell-O molds on the wall, and small black and white TVs in each room. In our room there was a family of 4 at the one table, a group of teenagers at the other, and then us. The wait staff is all part of the family (mom, grandma, etc.). Our waiter was Uncle Dale. When he greeted us, he told us the rules: No elbows on the table (as David and I quickly remove our elbows from the table), no spitballs, you have to eat your vegetables if you want dessert, etc. I was wearing a baseball cap and thought for sure hed tell me to take my hat off at the dinner table, but he didnt. Then he said And if you have a valid ID, I know where Dad keeps the key to the liquor cabinet! As luck would have it, we did! We each ordered a fun drink that came with a glow cube. It looks like an ice cube, but its solid and it glows (and you can turn it on and off). When Uncle Dale came back with our drinks, he addressed the whole room and said You know, I thought that someone would get the hint on how things work here, and something would be missing from her head when I got back. Can you believe it? He scolded me! I quickly removed my cap. We then ordered dinner. David ordered moms meatloaf and I ordered delicious pork tenderloin. At this point I thought I had the swing of things, so when Uncle Dale returned I mentioned to him that the teenagers were putting their elbows on the table. He scolded me for tattle telling!
My dinner was delicious, but I wanted dessert, so I didnt finish the huge portion. Uncle Dale came back and took my plate and said, Are you sure you dont want one more itty bitty bite? I said, Im sure. Then he said to the room, Folks, you know how I know she doesnt want one more itty, bitty bite? Because she wants one more BIG bite. And then he scooped up the big piece of meat with the fork and swirled it through the remainder of my potatoes and tried to feed it to me!! Thank goodness he didnt (I did see Mom feeding an older woman her green beans. THAT was a site!). Even the dessert menu at this place was fun. It was a viewfinder!! I ordered a caramel sundae and it was soooooooo good. We finally rolled ourselves out of there at a little after 7.
At this point we were to head to the ABC Studio stage to wait for the AP night to start. I had to go to the bathroom so we headed to one first, but then we heard this fun music coming from the ABC Studio, so I said, Forget the bathroom, theres fun going on in there! We walked in on a hula-hoop contest! It was really fun. But skipping the bathroom was a mistake because they had a d.j. spinning tunes and having everyone get up and dance. Dancing with a full bladder is not a good idea. Not only that, but my legs were really aching this day. Im used to my feet getting sore at Disney, but my hip flexors were just aching all day. I was in bad shape, but I love to dance and it was so much fun! Finally a little after 8 we were release to head down to the rides. David took off like a shot. I now know what it would be like to take a child with me! (just kidding D!) At this point I did have to stop and use the restroom, and then we got in line to go on TOT. I was surprised at first that we had to wait in line, but after that things went smoothly. There couldnt have been more than 500 people there. We rode the Tower of Terror twice in a row. Then we walked over and rode the Rock n Roller Coaster. When you ride RnR, there is a pre-show area where you are watching Aerosmith work in the recording studio, but then they have to leave to go to their show, but they dont want to leave their fans behind, so their manager gets you a really fast car to the show (which is the ride). This pre-show is cute, and it sets the tone for the ride, but we were all APers. We had all ridden this ride many, many times before. We didnt want to sit though the pre-show every time! But we heard that, contractually, they had to make each group of guests go through the pre-show. So it turned into guests recite along with the movie. It made it a lot of fun to recite the whole pre-show with everyone.
We rode RnR twice in a row and then headed back to ToT. We stopped off to see what else was going on, as they had the d.j. down in this area now. There were more kids with hoola hoops, but we didnt have time for that! We needed to ride ToT two more times in a row. Another thing Disney had going on for our entertainment were CM dressed up as characters related to the ToT. There was a chambermaid, a ghostly bellhop, and a plumber. These characters were great, especially the chambermaid. Again, there is a pre-show to ToT and no one wanted to go through it each time, but she helped make it fun. She had a little feather duster, and shed sneak up behind an unsuspecting guest and lightly rest it on his or her head or tickle them. It was fun.
Next up was another round of RnR. You might wonder why we didnt just do a whole bunch of one and then a whole bunch of the other. Well as much as I love RnR, I cant handle it more than twice in a row. Even though it is really smooth, it started to make my head hurt if I didnt get a short break. So we went to ride it two more times. Up until the last time, when we got in line, we immediately walked into the pre-show area, waited through that, and then rode. Well on the last time through, we get in line and we get up to the pre-show area..and the door is closed. We had just missed the next group and <gasp> we had to wait!! Were standing there and I said, We have to wait! Whats up with that? and the CM working the door heard me and said, Oh just go on in!! and he opened the door and let us in. If only I had known my power earlier!
We had a few minutes left so we headed over for one last ride on ToT. Riding it 5 times so close together allowed to us to experience all four of the ride sequences and compare them. We each had our favorites, but they were all great. As we were leaving (through a gift shop in typical Disney fashion) we asked to see the special AP merchandise they had for sale. I had bought the t-shirt when I was there in September but wanted to see if they had anything new. They did have a really nice polo shirt. I wish they would have had those 6 months ago because I would have bought that instead of the t-shirt.
It was now 10 oclock. I couldnt believe we had just ridden the ToT and RnR a total of 9 times in less than 2 hours. That is unheard of. We definitely got our fix in! On our way out of the park it was pretty deserted so I noticed something on the sidewalk that I had never seen before a toy pony!! David has a thing about ponies, so I had to get his picture on it.
Since this was a special event, normal transportation wasnt going on. We had been told earlier that the plan was to bus guests to Epcot where they could then catch the appropriate bus. (I guess they figured that most of the APers would be locals who had driven to the park, which turned out to pretty much be true). So were walking out of the park and a CM asks us if we know to take the bus to Epcot, and we said yes. She pointed out the bus and she said, The bus is up there. Do me a favor and tell the driver to wait, otherwise he might just leave with the two of you. We said, sure. And then we walked away and said to each other, yeah right! Were not saying anything. We want to go! So we get on the bus and this driver didnt know anything about the special event. He was just driving to MGM to see if they needed anything. Another group of two people get on, and they tell the driver That lady said to tell you to wait for a few more people. Evidently we looked shifty and she knew we couldnt be trusted! Then one lone guy got on, and a family of four. So the driver asks us all where we wanted to go. Our plan was, if we had to go to Epcot, to get on a bus to the Boardwalk, as its the nearest resort, and then grab a bus to Downtown Disney, because ultimately we wanted to go to Pleasure Island. So we said The Boardwalk. The lone guy was going to All-Star Music, the group of two was headed to All-Star Movies, and the family of four was trying to get to the downtown Disney hotels. We then told the driver that we really could go to any hotel because we ultimately wanted to get to DTD. So he decided to hit the All-Stars and then go to DTD for the family of four, and then us. This was a huge bonus for us as it saved us time. So we get to the All-stars and drop those people off and the driver says Theres a bus here that goes to DTD, you can take that, or I can take you. The family of four said theyd prefer he take us, so that worked for us! As were driving along the driver says, How bout I just drop you off at Pleasure Island? Its not a very far walk to the Marketplace at DTD and the hotels. We were like YES! Thats where we are trying to go! So what was potentially going to be a long transportation time turned out really well for us!
Once at PI, we headed for our favorite hangout, the Adventurers Club. As always it was hilarious. We got there in time for Samantha Sterlings show. Samantha is an adventuress who goes on adventures all over the world. She was putting on a show in the library where she sang songs and interacted with the crowd. David and I sat at a table in the back of the room, ordered a few beverages, and settled in. Samantha started her show with a song and she ended up on the bar at the back of the room near us. So then she starts talking with the folks at the bar. She makes her way down to these two older gentlemen and asked where they were from. They said Cleveland, Ohio, and I started cheering (since that is where I was born, raised, and lived until 3 years ago). So I cheer and she decides to start talking to me:
(Samantha) Oh, are you from Cleveland?
(Karen) Yes, originally.
(S) Where do you live now?
(K) Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.
(S) North Carolina! Now, what made you move to North Carolina? Was it your
job or
(K) <starts to open her mouth>
(S) a man?
(K) I wouldnt move for any man.
And the crowd goes wild. I got a high five from David. It was one of those things that I just blurted out, didnt really think about it. So then Samantha says,
(S) So, you moved for your job. What do you do?
(K) I manage a payroll outsource company.
(S) You manage a payroll outsource..
(K) Well I dont actually manage the company, I manage the outsource group yall really dont care do you?
(S) No, were all losing our buzz now.
That also got a lot of laughs. Samantha chatted with a few other people and then she came back to me and said, So, North Carolina, what qualities would a man have to have for you to move for him? I figured Id have fun and play along so I said, Um, hed have to be rich. Samantha said, Well were learning lots of stuff about girls from North Carolina. Then I said, No, seriously, hed have to be really nice and would have to be willing to go to Disney on a whim with me. Everyone seemed to like that answer.
After Samanthas show we stuck around for a little bit, but it was extremely hot in there. The air conditioning had evidently broken since the night before. Worse than that, I think the heat was on instead. It was stifling in there, and I felt bad for the actors. They kept up a good front and joked about it, but they had to be miserable. They even cancelled the last show for the night.
David finished up his transportation day by safely getting us back to the hotel. I was utterly exhausted this night. So tired that I didnt even journal. I just collapsed in bed. Once again, it was about 1:30 in the morning.
- thanks for posting!
! I would have been seriously dragging by this point!
