Bunny & Mommy Goin' On Vacation, Sunshine & Ice Cream... NEW NEW 3-30-07

[nan1217]

Somehow I didn't realize your Walgreens toy discussion had gone on for so long until you mentioned it but definitely looking forward to hearing about Bunny and the rides!

 

[Blaynexox]

hahaha! I loved that installment! I think that the whole Bambi situation was HILARIOUS! Oh boy, I just cannot wait to hear more. You guys are just too funny!

 

[Kay7979]

The whole Bambi description was very cute and entertaining. Digressions are fine. That's what makes our reports so different. The rides and parks are the same for everyone, it's the people, their thoughts and experiences that make these reports come alive.

 

[bunnysmum]

And now...a message from Bunny herself. Because she just wouldn't stop shaking my arm and yelling, "Mama, Mama, Mama, can I write something? Can I? Can I please, Mama? I really want to write something. It's MY TURN!":

hi lol i am bunny i am 7 now. (will be in a few days, corrects Mommy)

i went to disney world i got pop corn mgm stodeoss

mama waslike this at the show at mgm stodeoss playhouse disney she was like ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow i was like ! than at nite i calld mommy swet sewt bana brad
srfs up duds and duddes
i tide ribbins arond babie the end
ps lets go s in folrda

 

[bunnysmum]

And now...a message from Bunny herself. Because she just wouldn't stop shaking my arm and yelling, "Mama, Mama, Mama, can I write something? Can I? Can I please, Mama? I really want to write something. It's MY TURN!":

hi lol i am bunny i am 7 now. (will be in a few days, corrects Mommy)

i went to disney world i got pop corn mgm stodeoss

mama waslike this at the show at mgm stodeoss playhouse disney she was like ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow i was like ! than at nite i calld mommy swet sewt bana brad
srfs up duds and duddes
i tide ribbins arond babie the end
ps lets go s in folrda

Since Bunny is still in the first grade, I felt a little interpretation of her post might be in order. A Cliff-Notes kind of thing, if you will....

First, I should say that Bunny informed me that it is "embarrassing" to her that I used her pet name in this trip report, because "that's private!" I see here that she has made a pretty fair attempt at getting me back, by divulging to DisBoard readers the fact that I found the seating at MGM-Disney Studios Playhouse Disney show (suck it up and plop down on the floor, folks) rather uncomfortable. Oooh is my face red.

Bunny also divulges that she called me "Sweet, sweet banana bread" when I tucked her in. Probably because I called her my sweet, sweet pumpkin bread first. I couldn't even tell you what that one started. Probably in my hazy, sleep deprived first days and nights as a brand new mom. But doggone it, she IS my sweet, sweet pumpkin bread, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Not even here in public. That's right.

Now, the surf's up dudes and dudettes comment? I'm not sure. Could be a non sequitur, or could be her fond remembrance of Turtle Talk with Crush. Let's just say it's Turtle Talk.

And she wants you to know that she tied the ribbons that fell from the ceiling at Playhouse Disney around her buddy, Bambi's neck, so's he'd look all festive-like for his outing at the parks. Yes, they were a lively orange color which brought out his tawny tones.

Finally, in closing, Bunny invites you, the audience, to go bananas with her in Florida....hmm..well, it's either that or she is asking you to make her a decent cup of coffee, hard to tell.

 

[nan1217]

What a smart little bunny. Tell bunny we say hello!

 

[Mcbruns]

What a great start.

 

[nicolemarie]

Yes, Bambi was a busy boy. But mostly, Bambi polished a lot of handrails at the World. For some reason, it was important to Bunny that Bambi, the plush toy, come into contact with every available surface we encountered at the heavily visited World, thus sucking up a great multitude of germs and storing them very effectively in the vast surface area of his plushy little body.

Bambi also had a problem with gravity, apparently. Because he found himself deposited rather abruptly and unintentionally on the floor, the sidewalk, the asphalt, and the bathroom floor with alarming (some would say disgusting) frequency. I was beginning to suspect some kind of equilibrium disorder specific to cuddly woodland creatures.

Then I realized that Bambi was, in fact, attempting aerial gymnastics. Since she was young, Bunny has had this thing about tossing toys, and stuffed animal toys in particular high into the air and attempting to catch them. She does this repeatedly, and drops the item in question a good deal of the time. I informed her that Bambi was going to have to explore alternate career options, because his days as an aerial gymnast were over. I’d had it with his flamboyant, germ-magnet ways. I suggested “undercover agent” as a possibility for Bambi to mull over.

I just realized that I have now written nearly an entire page discussing a $6.00 Walgreens plush toy. I didn’t realize things had gotten so out of hand.

I can relate to this. My daughter LOVES stuffed animals. And dolls. And everywhere we go, we bring someone along for the ride. Right now it's her American Girl Doll. But at Disney it was the stuffed Princesses. So I read along in complete understanding of the time devoted to Bambi. I've been there. Even as recently as this morning at the breakfast table.

I'm loving your report!! I'm so sorry your mom has a bum tooth. I hope y'all get it taken care of and get to ride at lease a little something at Animal Kingdom. I look forward to hearing the rest of the story!

NM

 

[eargal]

The line about polishing handrails is my new favorite in your whole report. WHY do they do things like this? I can't count the number of times I've tried to stop my two little ones from licking a handrail or counter.

 

[bunnysmum]

McBruns: Thanks for reading! I'm loving that picture in your sig line. My daughter has that SAME Tigger suit, only it's too small for her now, much to her eternal dismay...

nicholemarie: Wow, thanks for reading! I've laughed myself silly reading your trip reports. Need I tell you we went grocery shopping yesterday with a dollie stroller and two CareBears in tow?

Here comes the next installment....

 

[bunnysmum]

Without too much aimless driving around, we’re able to get to the AK and arrive at the entrance about fifteen minutes prior to closing. It’s a gorgeous sunny day, about 50 degrees at this point in the late afternoon. All the natives are shivering like lightweights. We northerners are milling about, lightheaded with the freedom of wearing merely a thin fleece jacket instead of our LL Bean parkas. Bunnysgrandmum and I both hate hot weather, so this is positively paradise for us. We are all smiles and giddiness as we walk briskly to the park entrance.

But before we can even get to the turnstiles to ask/beg to be admitted, we see our first Disney characters of the trip. And it’s my man, Donald! I just love Donald Duck. And it’s my mission on this trip to see his main squeeze, Daisy. She’s just so femme and flirty, sort of my heroine.

It is at this point that I make a dumb newbie mistake. Donald appears to be standing alone, looking quite stylish in his park ranger duds, so we rush right over to schmooze. What follows next reminds me of that scene in “A Christmas Story” where Ralphie hops right into what he thinks is the line, and is then told under no uncertain terms that the line starts all the way back THERE.

Oops. Sorry. We sheepishly get in line, and wait our turn. It’s not a long wait, and we forget our goal of actually entering the park, because hey, how much better could this get, anyway? It’s Donald….and, I realize a moment later, Mickey, the big guy himself... and Minnie standing not 20 feet away!

We hug and flatter Donald (“You’re my favorite character!” Bunny gushes…I had no idea. She later informs me that she was just saying that to all the characters to be polite), We pose for pics and secure his “odergraph” as Bunny says. Then we schmooze with Mickey, and Minnie (looking mighty smashing in her khaki camp ensemble, I must say) before Bunny is hit with the bad news. We’re not getting into the park today, I tell her. “But why? I really, really, really want to! I do, I do, I do! Please, please, Mommy, let’s just TRY!”

I decide to let her hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were, rather than waste my breath (Mom’s don’t know anything) so I lead her over to a sweet-looking CM by the turnstiles. She is young and kind, so I’ll call her “Sweet PollyPureHeart”. I ask Polly a bit theatrically if we can please get into the park now even though it is, by my watch, 3 minutes to closing time. Polly looks right at Bunny, knowing full well who is really doing the asking, and says very kindly, that she is very sorry but the park is closing, because Mickey and his friends are getting ready to go home for the day, but she invites us to come right back tomorrow. Bunny waves goodbye to Polly, and we turn back toward the parking lot.

Bunny is crestfallen. (See exhibit A)

Exhibit A: Crestfallen Bunny (Post Nana-purchased sweatshirt)

As we head back to the car, Nana/BunnysGrandMum says she is a little chilly, so naturally, the logical thing to do is to locate the nearest giftshop and purchase a sweatshirt. For Bunny. Because Nana herself is cold. If you’re a mom or a grandmother, you understand the logic. We also do a bit of pin shopping, cause you just never can have too many pins.

Then, it’s off to Boma. As we approach the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we are suitably impressed by its size and amazing presence. Wow! It’s gorgeous, inside and out. We find our way to Boma and are escourted to our table by young man whose name tag introduces him as “Thabo”. Thabo is splendidly attired in what I guess to be traditional native African garb, with a fascinating pattern of white dots on his face. Thabo leads us to our table, be-bopping as he moves, making the most of the background music. He is a charming host who appears to enjoy his work.

We are seated, and given the low-down on the buffet. Prime rib to your left, desserts to your right, soups, assorted salads, and exotic entrees in between. It smells positively divine, so we’re off to explore.

BunnysGrandMum and I wind up with plates filled with delicious new African delights to sample. We are especially enamored with one of the soups. I remember it being orangey colored, with a slightly sweet coconut flavor. I went back for more. I now wish I could remember if it was the Butternut Squash Soup or the Coconut Curry Chicken Stew? But it rocked.

When our waiter comes round to refill our glasses, Bunny says rather loudly, “Excuse me, excuse me! Um…your food tastes strange in this restaurant.” Well I’d like to know what she based THAT opinion on. Bunny has chosen for her meal, the very exotic Mozambique Mac and Cheese, for Pete’s sake! I can’t imagine what her beef was, unless it was that she merely SUSPECTED that the food here might be something unfamiliar because of all the wonderful smells? You’d be hard pressed to find one smidgen of curry or turmeric in that mac and cheese, there, Bun.

I try the zebra domes, and …. Shhhh…well, they’re good…but not “slap me upside the head to die for good”. I don’t get all the buzz on the boards about them. Ah well, different strokes, I s’pose. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’d turn one down, they just didn’t make my tastebuds break out in song is all.

I’m sure you’re all dying to know what Bambi ate. Well, if memory serves correctly, I believe that Bambi had entered a period of prayer and fasting shortly after his um, adoption earlier that day. And no wonder. You’d be nauseated, too, if you had to clean that many handrails and scoot about on the bathroom floor. Not to mention those double triple backflip flying loops with a half twist he’d been nailing.

After our meal at Boma, we are very pleasantly full. Despite the darkness, Bunny has NOT given up on her “let’s find the rides” theme for the evening, so on the way through the AKL, I stop off at the concierge desk to ask which park has extra magic hour (EMH) tonight. Now, ordinarily, if I had KNOWN I would need to know this, I’d have it written down properly on my handy little color-coded park-touring spreadsheet and plan for our Disney day. But as you know, my whole plan for the day had gone horribly awry (I once heard a radio announcer pronounce this word "AWE-ree"....yeah, I did), so I was reduced to asking for help.

Fortunately, the CM at the concierge desk is enormously helpful. I’ll call him Hubert Helpershoes, and I’m fairly sure he has a number of siblings or at least very close relatives also employed at various locations throughout the greater WDW resort area. Some of whom may or may not be wearing red framed glasses.

Well, it’s Magic Kingdom! The park that has EMH tonight is Magic Kingdom, Hubert informs us! And it’s only 6:40, so we sprint to our rented SUV and proceed directly to the Magic Kingdom. In search of “the rides”....oh, the rides....

 

[Blaynexox]

great installment! I just think Bunny is so witty and adorable! I love your "names" for the people at Disney! They make me laugh I cant wait to hear about how your "search for the rides" turns out!

 

[jess98ac]

Loving this so far, can't wait to read more!!

 

[amy2girls]

great so far

 

[nan1217]

Great writing!

 

[bunnysmum]

Blaynexox: I'm glad you're enjoying it! But I can't take credit for naming all the DisFolk. No, I have "stood on the shoulders of giants", and have either shamelessly "copycatted" (as my dd would say) or been deeply inspired by some of the great trip report authors (like ZZUB, Kay7979, lexmelinda, nicolemarie, LaLa, just to name a few, on this board. Let's just say it was deeply inspired.) And I'll be adding names to that little list as I go back and reread TR's to remind myself just who said what incredibly funny thing,

Jess98ac: Hey, thanks for reading!

amy2girls: Glad you liked it! Your girls are adorable!

nan1217: Thanks for stickin' around!

 

[eargal]

 

[bunnysmum]

“BunnysGrandmum Asks a Question that Makes me Want to Run and Hide.”
We drive over to the parking lot at MK, and then on to the monorail. The monorail! Gimme a break! Could this day get any better? Bunny adores the monorail. She talks to the people beside us, in front of us, behind us, next to us, across from us, and several rows down from us. Really.

Before long, we are exiting the monorail and heading for the gates of the Magic Kingdom. And I have butterflies in my stomach! I’ve been waiting and waiting for this. As soon as we’re inside, we notice the crowd. Yeah, it’s only January, but SpectroMagic is in full swing. Wow! All those lights! And the music, it’s just magical! But the fact is, we’re way too late to even have a prayer of viewing it properly, so my strategy is to run run run like the wind. Let’s hit the rides while everyone else is watching the parade!

The only problem is, like I said, it’s extremely crowded, and I can’t break out my map here on Main Street with the parade going full force. So I’m going to have to rely on my memory. I try to visualize the Magic Kingdom map in my mind’s eye. Naturally, with 5 yr old Bunny in tow, we need to get to Fantasyland at the earliest possible opportunity. However, we can’t get through the castle during the parade. It’s all roped off, and I knew that would be the case. So, we veer right toward Tomorrowland.

But before we can get out of Main Street, a young man (he looks like a high school student) approaches me and asks something. With all the noise I have to ask him to repeat it a few times. Finally I understand that he is asking to borrow my cell phone to call his chaperone because he has become separated from his group. I am just a little taken aback, and if he is truly in trouble, I want to try to help, but as I’m reaching for my phone, thinking it might be the last time I ever see it, I realize that the battery is dead. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, explaining the trouble.

I know that high school groups tour the World all the time, but there was just something I can’t put my finger on about the incident that made me wonder. I guess I would have thought he’d have his own cell phone, or that they’d have a plan for going to a meeting place if they got split up or even that, being high school students, they would all just be responsible for meeting up back at their hotel at a certain time? One certainly seems to read about plenty of UNchaperoned teenagers around the parks in the daytime…I don’t know…it was just a little strange.

But doggone it, there are rides to be ridden, as Bunny thoughtfully reminds me every 2.3 seconds, so let’s go girls, hold hands and don’t let go. We’re movin’ through. We come to a standstill. A solid mass of humanity. Nana asks, “Which way now?” and because I haven’t yet decided which group of tourists to plow through on our way to Dumbo, I foolishly say, “I don’t know”, even though I know, broadly, which direction I am headed in. Nana takes me at my literal word, spies a CM, and what follows is, I’m sorry, Nana, one of the funniest lines I have ever heard to be uttered in the Magic Kingdom. I hadn’t stopped walking. Didn’t know Nana had stopped. Had Bunny by the hand and we were goin’ to the RIDES, by gum. Suddenly, I realize, Nana isn’t with us. I spin around, and backtrack. There she is about 20 feet back, and by the time I am within earshot, she is innocently asking a CM “Where are the rides?”

Isn’t that sort of like reading one of Kay7979’s trip reports and asking, “Where are the funny parts?”

Sheesh, Nana, the World is lousy with rides. Why don’t we just ask him where we can buy a Fast Pass for the monorail?

Oh the horror of that moment! Because I KNOW (said with real ‘tude) where the rides are, I’m just having a hard time knocking people down to get to them! You’re blowing my cover here as an experienced WDW visitor, here Nana!

Anyway, you know what the CM tells her? He points her in the direction of Stitch’s Great Escape. Oh sure, I’m taking Bunny on THAT one. Cause she needs something else to be afraid of. Just this morning, she told me she was afraid to go into the laundry room (okay, well, guess I CAN relate, but for vastly different reasons) by herself to get her bookbag. Yes, and it was broad daylight. And the laundry room is on the same floor that I am on. And NOT ALL THAT FAR AWAY even. Not that this frustrates me at all.

All I can do is laugh, so I do. I’ll never be mistaken for a DisPro now. But in Nana’s defense, it was so crowded until we fully broke into Fantasyland, that one really could not see the attractions (that is, the RIDES) well. And in the poor CM’s defense, I have to wonder if he’s ever heard that one before? And he didn’t see Bunny with us, or he might have thought better of recommending Stitch’s Nightmare Fodder-rama for my darling five year old. Or maybe he wouldn’t have.

I convince Nana that I can find Dumbo, and we’re off and running again.

And then we see it.

The Teacups. I have actually ridden the Mad Tea Party ride in Disneyland (about 15 years ago), and I adore Allison Wonderland (as Bunny calls her) and Lewis Carroll’s writing to boot. So yes! Teacups is our first REALLY official Disney ride! I give Bunny the choice of riding with Nana or with me, and for once, those 23 hours of hard labor paid off. Mommy wins! We spin, we scream, we take pictures, we holler at each other. We do not hurl. Woo hoo! That was a blast.

We are SO energized by that Teacups ride. The effect is much like a double shot of espresso. Without the shakes. (Ever tried ordering that at Starbucks? “Gimme a double shot of espresso, please, hold the shakes”)

Quick as a flash, we’re off to Dumbo, which has about a 15 minute wait, despite SpectroMagic. While we’re waiting, Bunny decides she wants the Dumbo wearing the pink hat. Because it’s important to have a preference about something that will have no effect whatever on the actual quality of the ride. And about which, if one is particularly stubborn, might well result in your having to wait even longer to ride.

But she gets the pink-hatted Dumbo. So all is well with her world. Also mine. Since I’m riding with her. Naturally, it is Bunny who is at the controls, and who determines whether we spin way up high, or way down low. We did both. Up down up down up down.

We “porpoised” for the entire 90 second duration of Dumbo. Except at the very end where all Dumbos are forced to ride high in formation. I loved that part. As we ran out the exit, Bunny very predictably shouts, “Let’s do it again!” And why not?

After our second round of Dumbo’s Flying Porpoise Act, Bunny spots “It’s a Small World” and wants to check it out. Now, I do remember this attraction very well indeed from my long-ago trip to Disneyland (during a former life in which I actually lived in Southern California for a short time), and what I remember best and most fondly was standing in line for-stinking-ever listening to that song, that song, that song, that unrelenting, ever repeating song, that over and over song, that song, that song…. The one written by former music professors in the Disney Department of Redundancy Department.

Oh yeah. I miss that song. Let’s go, then….

 

[Kay7979]

We come to a standstill. A solid mass of humanity. Nana asks, “Which way now?” and because I haven’t yet decided which group of tourists to plow through on our way to Dumbo, I foolishly say, “I don’t know”, even though I know, broadly, which direction I am headed in. Nana takes me at my literal word, spies a CM, and what follows is, I’m sorry, Nana, one of the funniest lines I have ever heard to be uttered in the Magic Kingdom. I hadn’t stopped walking. Didn’t know Nana had stopped. Had Bunny by the hand and we were goin’ to the RIDES, by gum. Suddenly, I realize, Nana isn’t with us. I spin around, and backtrack. There she is about 20 feet back, and by the time I am within earshot, she is innocently asking a CM “Where are the rides?” Sheesh, Nana, the World is lousy with rides. Why don’t we just ask him where we can buy a Fast Pass for the monorail?

You're right, that has to be a classic! There's a thread on the Community board about the funniest thing you've heard someone say at Disney. If you haven't already posted this there, you should! It reminds me of when I used to do Civil War reenacting. My friends and I would be wearing high-neck dresses with long sleeves, and another layer of undersleeves, a hoop skirt, corset, and several layers of petticoats. In 80 degree weather. I wish I had a dollar for everyone who asked us innocently, "Is it hot in those clothes?" We resisted the urge to say, "Heck no, we have a 40 pound block of ice under our skirts with an electric fan blowing." People have a knack of asking the most innocent but hysterical questions. I bet the Cast Members have a hard time keeping a straight face. And BTW, a fast pass for the monorail isn't such a bad idea. Especially at closing time!

The Teacups. I have actually ridden the Mad Tea Party ride in Disneyland (about 15 years ago), and I adore Allison Wonderland (as Bunny calls her) and Lewis Carroll’s writing to boot.

Allison Wonderland! That is SO cute!

We “porpoised” for the entire 90 second duration of Dumbo. Except at the very end where all Dumbos are forced to ride high in formation. I loved that part. As we ran out the exit, Bunny very predictably shouts, “Let’s do it again!” And why not?

"Porpoised." That's a perfect visual analogy. And it sounds like fun. At fifty, without any kids to go with us, riding Dumbo maybe be one of life's little pleasures I'll have to forego.

Bunny spots “It’s a Small World” and wants to check it out. Now, I do remember this attraction very well indeed from my long-ago trip to Disneyland (during a former life in which I actually lived in Southern California for a short time), and what I remember best and most fondly was standing in line for-stinking-ever listening to that song, that song, that song, that unrelenting, ever repeating song, that over and over song, that song, that song…. The one written by former music professors in the Disney Department of Redundancy Department.

Former music professors in the Disney Department of Redundancy. Great line! I wonder what Universities they taught at before they were demoted and sent to Disney. Or maybe the had jobs writing bad advertising jingles before they were hired.

Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to more adventures with you and Bunny.

 

[bunnysmum]

The sweetest little CM is working at Small World. I’ll call her Susie Sweetshoes. Not to be confused with sweatshoes. Which is another story. For another time.

Oh what the heck…My sister may kill me for this! Nope, just IM’d her and she gave me the okie dokie. She is a REAL writer. She writes screenplays. Good ones! She has even won a major award for one of them. A real major award, too, not some loser leg lamp wearing fishnet stockings. In fact, don’t be surprised if someday in the not-too-distant future, you are sitting in a theater like this and this flashes across the screen:

“SCREENPLAY BY BUNNYS AUNTIE”

But I digress. Again.

The things is…my sister and her husband have the most darling little pet name for each other. Really. Wait til you hear it. They call each other “Sweaty”. And not for perspirational reasons, either. Nor for any other um, adult-oriented reasons you might be thinking of, either.

It seems that when my DBIL was in high school just a few short years ago, he had a locker next to this kid who was all about the Chicago Bears, and Walter Payton (their star running back), in particular. Walter Payton, as you may know, was nicknamed “Sweetness”. This Bears fan kid had a poster of Walter Payton taped to the inside of his locker, and had attached a hand-lettered a sign reading, “SWEATNESS” to the poster.

My DBIL told my sister about his schoolmate who had apparently greatly admired the great Walter Payton’s legendary perspiration. And the two of them got a lot of mileage out of that “Sweatness” and later adopted “Sweaty” as their pet name of choice. In fact, occasionally when my sis and I are together, he calls the two of us “the Sweaties”. And I feel suitably honored. By that.

But I digress. In a big way.

I was talking about Susie SweetShoes at Small World. She’s the one who sat up in the tower booth looking thingy in the boarding area. I’m sure it has some official name, but I know not what it is.

Well, Miss Sweetshoes is sitting up in the tower booth, smiling and waving to all the passengers who float right under her booth en route to the singing dolls. She is such a good sport about it, considering she has to have been doing this for a good part of the day. I assume that Susie had possibly another duty, regulating some aspect of the passenger loading process or launching the boats, or the like. But maybe not. Maybe her job description reads: “Sits in Tower Booth Looking Thingy for moderately long periods of time. Waves cheerily to passengers as their boats are dispatched for IASW. Smiles while waving. Facilitates spread of Disney Magic to guests. Is pleasant and welcoming at all times.” Yeah, Susie had this down pat. She was delightful. She waved to us, enthusiastically, and we waved back. It was a little thing that made us feel like there might actually be hope for us, even after boarding this ride. Bunny, of course, loved it. Loved Susie. Hollered at her, “Hello! Hello up there! Hi! Hi! I’m going on a ride! Look at me!”

Once inside, Bunny was transfixed. There really is a lot to look at on IASW, and she was trying to soak it all in. At one point, to amuse myself, I started singing along (oh, yes, I did) in Bunny’s ear, and she whipped around fast and laughed, asking, “How do YOU know that song?” But after 30 more seconds, she is singing along, too. Steep learning curve on that little tune.

We emerge victorious from Small World, and then I see “Peter Pan”. Well, let me tell you that when I went to Disneyland “a few” years ago, that ride was my hands down absolute pixie-dust in my eyes favorite! And I was an adult at that time.

Disneyland Flashback

We had been at the Park all day (there was only one back then), and were there as the greenest of green park tourists. We boarded Peter Pan just after nightfall, and at a point where we had lost a couple of our group who had to leave to catch a plane, we were a little to a lot tired, and had endured our share of waiting in long lines and eating awful CS food that day. And had to wait in an interminably long line for the awful fast Mexican food sponsored by…now who would it have been sponsored by all those years ago? If anyone has any ideas, let me know. I wanna say “Lawry’s”, but they’re the seasoned salt people, right? What do I know?

So, anyway, the magic was wearing thin at that point. Actually, there hadn’t been much magic all day. The castle was way smaller than I’d anticipated, the lines were horrific, I’d seen NO characters, and didn’t even know that was a possibility. But here we are, ready to board Peter Pan’s Flight. I loved, loved, loved the opening scene, where you are in the Darling children’s nursery. I love the wood floors, and the blocks out on the floor, and it just looks so positively magical, just like I stepped right into one of my childhood storybooks. Maybe it felt like I finally had my very own handful of that magic I used to just watch and dream about every Sunday night when I was a kid.

Loved the London Scene where the children and Peter fly off into the sky, loved the whole thing. The minute we’re off, we go running out the exit, all of us shouting, “Let’s go again!” Now maybe the others were shouting that because at this point, the lines were really starting to thin out and it was the first shortish line of the day. I didn’t care. I was reliving my childhood in those magic moments, and I loved it.

End Disneyland Flashback

So, fifteen or so years later, boarding Peter Pan’s flight here at WDW, I admit, I had high hopes. Maybe a little too high. When’s the last time Peter Pan was refurbished, anyway? The beginning nursery scene was nothing like the one at DL. And the rest of the ride was okay. I mean, the rumply aluminum foil interior of the “volcano” was pretty cheesy. That’s only remotely charming in a “quaint” way, it’s not Disney-impressive, of course. Nevertheless, I have a very soft spot in my heart for that ride, so we ride it not once, but twice.

We taunt Hook (“Hook is a codfish!”), we warn Wendy, we greet Peter, we sing “You Can Fly!” And I do so love the pirate ships that you ride through on.

Round about this time, we notice that Spectro has ended, Wishes has been erupting noisily over our heads, but the park is now fairly quiet and emptying quickly as closing time approaches. We are exiting via Liberty Square, and must pass by the very imposing Haunted Mansion. The night-time ambiance really enhances this attraction! In other words... it looks extra-haunted in the dark!

Now I have made a pact with myself that I will absolutely NOT try to coerce Bunny to go on any rides she doesn’t want to. We have talked about what most of the rides entail over the past several months, and she knows she has veto power. However, Bunny is also a rather fearless child, so I have made sure she knows that she cannot go on any ride unless she is tall enough, and that this is because Mickey wants to make sure everyone stays safe and has fun.

I would really love to hit the Haunted Mansion on our way out of the park. So I ask Bunny, “Hey, there’s the spooky house we talked about. Do you want to give it a try? If you want to try it, you can sit really close to Mom, and we can talk to each other the whole time. Whaddya think?” Bless her sweet heart. I think she was a wee bit nervous about it, but she really wants to make Mommy happy. Well, she can sit in between me and Nana, and trust me, with that being the case, even if the place WAS truly haunted, there wouldn’t be any kind of spook getting close to our Bunny.

As we make our way up the foreboding entrance, I whisper into Bunny’s ear, “You know, the cousins have never even been on this ride! They thought it would be too scary! Are you sure you want to try it?” She said she did, so we got in the very short line. The decision having been made, I tried to make light of the surroundings from there on out.

Once inside, we talked about the silly pictures on the wall, and tried not to smile at the CM who bade us drag our wretched bodies to the dead center of the room. She was momentarily freaked out when the lights went out briefly, but we were holding hands, and we weren’t in the dark for long. (I’d forgotten to warn her about that part.)

Comfortably ensconced between her Mommy and Nana, Bunny did surprisingly well at the HM. I think she liked the scene with the dancing guests, and I warned her ahead of time about the hitchhiker ghost we’d see in our car as we left, telling her it was just a tricky mirror to make it look like there was someone else in the Doom Buggy with us. Luckily, she found this pretty amusing.

When we exited, she wanted me to tell her over and over again how SHE had done something brave that even her older boy cousins were afraid to do. I think she was very proud of herself. I worried a bit that I had just provided her with an entire new world of nightmare material, but this has proved not to be the case. She has never mentioned it since.

As we exited the park, we stopped briefly at the Main Street Bakery to secure the next day’s breakfast, then it was off to the “model-rail” again.

I asked Nana how her tooth was doing, and she admitted that the dental stuff she had used was not staying in place and that she was rather uncomfortable. I had suspected as much. Nana was being a trooper. I suggested we try to find a dentist who could really help. She hesitated, saying that she didn’t want to take up all our time, but we agreed that it would be awfully hard to really enjoy this trip when it hurt to talk or eat!

Tomorrow is our MGM day, and Nana suggests that Bunny and head out together early as planned, and she will sleep in a bit, and see if she could find a dentist and get the problem resolved. She would take a taxi, we thought, and since we both had cell phones, it wouldn’t be a problem getting reconnected later in the day.

It was a good plan, we felt…..