Canadian Buffoon's Disney With a Teen Vacation - 08/13 - The Wrap

[orangecats2]

need to get guesses in quick.
10:00
Test track
Rose and Crown
don't use park hoppers.
Yay you got points!
And I lowered my bus time wait before the last update, you missed it.

 

[pkondz]

Yes, any animal that fits on your shoulder and poops would qualify.

Sweet! I'm in the club!

HAA HAA!!! See, I knew you could do it.

Yeah, but even I got tired of it almost immediately.

I've been meaning to put a sticker over that.

It would go viral. You would be internet famous.

Great. So now I'd be shunned by complete strangers,
not just the people I know.

Only one way to find out. Start a poll. Anyone who says yes gets points, anyone who says no loses points and gets banned from the rest of your report.

Now that's funny!

 

[pkondz]

10:00
Test track
Rose and Crown
don't use park hoppers.
Yay you got points!

Ah! There you are!
I was wondering where you'd gotten to.
(Not kidding, I was thinking about you today. "Where's Carrie?")

And.... Noted.

And I lowered my bus time wait before the last update, you missed it.

Whoops! You're right, I did.
You're 52 minute guess will be adjusted on the next update.

 

[pkondz]

Inca Gold

Morning.
August 24th.
Nine a.m.
I woke up to.... music.
Who's got their music cranked so early in the morning?

I peeked out the window and.... oh.

Did you know that Pop pipes music around the pool...
starting at 9am?
It's true!
And if you getcherself a pool view room,
you'll find out!

What am I saying... none of you would sleep 'til 9:00, right?


I was actually a little surprised that I'd slept so long.
Then again, it had been a loooong day.
Plus I knew that Kay was going to sleep in today.

So... what to do in the meantime?

I got showered and shaved and dressed...
Kay slept on.

I decided to upload my photos from the camera
to the laptop.
(Little did I know of the worry this would cause me,
just a few days ago!)
Kay slept on.


At 10:30, our FP window for Soarin' expired.
Okay... maybe I should look at changing our FP times
and see what might still be available.

I modified and added, tweaked and changed,
until I was happy with my choices.
Kay slept on.

Finally, at 11:00am she woke up.
She told me she just wanted to chill in the room for a bit.
I told her no problem, I'd go re-fill the mugs.
So while she chilled, I went outside and cooked.
Still hot!
Down the stairs (four flights),
over to the food court (still busy),
re-filled the mugs, (still works!)
back up the stairs (still four flights),
and back to the room.

Kay relaxed, munched on a muffin
and watched TV while doing stuff online.
Kids do that now.
They don't just do one thing.
They go online and IM or whatever, while doing something else.
Frankly, it drives me nuts.
If you're going to watch TV or a movie, then watch!


Granted, I'm an old fuddy duddy.


At 1:00pm it started to pour outside.
This wasn't one of those 5 minute jobs.
It poured for over an hour and a half.

Since it was pouring, I didn't feel too much angst
about not being gone to a park by now.

Some... but not too much.


Eventually, Kay figured she was ready to go and we set out.
We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.
(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?
Let me know (either yes or no) and you'll get bonus points!)

The weather looked like it was threatening more rain,
but it held off.
As a matter of fact, it held off for the rest of the day.
At 2:58pm our bus arrived.
Four minutes! What gives?
I don't know how people can live like that!
I mean I am much more accustomed to not waiting at all.


When we got to Epcot, we zipped through bag check
and hesitantly approached the tapstiles.
Would it work for Kay this time?
I scanned my finger and was in.
I then crossed my fingers while Kay scanned hers.
Success! We were in!
Hopefully, our tapstile issues were behind us.

Oh, and before I forget,
the above photo plus only three other ones in this update
was taken by yours truly.
(One inside The Land and two at dinner)
The rest are all Kay's photography.
I think it might've been the heat.
I just wasn't feeling like shooting that day.


Our first FP was for Spaceship Earth.
Since I hadn't been sure just when we'd arrive,
I'd basically booked a throw away FP, in case we were late again.
So we confidently moseyed over to the FP line where a half dozen
or so people were patiently scanning their Magic Bands.
Except there was no one in the Standby line!
So by going in the FP line, it actually took us longer to get on!

Only four people guessed SE as the ride that would
cost us time because we FP'd it.

During the ride, I made a point of pointing out the Roman Centurion
that looks so much like my Dad.
Right away, Kay said "Yeah! That looks exactly like him!"
Granted my Dad's older now, but still.
It's him.
I have confirmation, now.

After the ride, Kay wanted to play some of the games
in the dump out area.
We had time before our next FP so, why not?
We had to wait a bit before she could try a driving game.
("Meh" Seemed to be the verdict.)
But there was almost none for the 3D body construction game.
And we could play it together!

I hadn't played that before. It was fun!

We then headed out and over to:

And walked right on by.
Really... who has time for this?
It's a huge commitment in time, and it's dated.
Or so I've heard.
Pretty sure the last time I rode it, was before Ellen's time.
And it was just okay then.
I might ride it next time.

I might not.
We'll see how I feel.

We were actually headed to our next FP attraction:

I didn't give Kay a choice on this one.
We rode Green.
I did not want to feel sick again, like I did last time I rode Orange.
I actually like this ride, but I don't relish puking.
So Green it will be!

Unfortunately, Kay found it kind of boring.
Still... I was not going to do Orange.
Suck it up, kid.


Just by the way we'd been timing things,
it was already getting pretty close to our next FP.

Kay wanted to know where the "Coke" place was,
since she was thinking of getting something for her Mom.
Ruby loves Diet Coke, so it made sense.
She also remembered that you could get free samples there.
And she was interested in that too.

So I have bad news and good news... and bad news... and good news... and bad news.
The bad news is:
Remember how they changed the show on the bus and they give away
the "secret" of Beverly?
The good news is:
Remember the sound was muted? So she didn't hear that!
The bad news is:
She remembered that one of the drinks tasted bad.
The good news?
She didn't remember which one it was.

"Dad?" She asked. "Which one is the one that tastes bad?"
I answered right away. "The Inca Kola."
Satisfied that she wouldn't be "caught", she began trying the different Colas.
She got to the Beverly and I held my breath.
She took a gulp and her face screwed right up!



The bad news is that I didn't get a picture.
I couldn't!
If I'd had my camera out and pointed at her
she would've known right away what was up.
I had to sell it like I really thought Inca Kola was it.


Properly poisoned, we set out in pursuit of our next FP, Soarin'.

When we got to the part of the queue where they divide you up,
I asked a CM for the highest, non-foot row.
And of course they accommodated us.

So far, I've asked for (and gotten... with no fuss) my (or our) preferred seating in:
RNRC, TOT, BTMRR, SM, Splash, 7DMT and Soarin'.
It can't hurt to ask, so why not?
Few do, so your request is likely to be granted.
And if it isn't.... who cares? You're in Disney World!

I don't know what it was about this time on Soarin'.
Maybe it was because I'd been on it not that long ago
(back in February)
or maybe it was because Kay was there.
But right off the bat, I immediately noticed just how bad
the film is.
Lots of dust and stuff.
But...

Funny thing. Within a few seconds, I was really enjoying myself.
I just let go and let the experience wash over me.
Kay was right beside me and exclaiming about the smells.
In a good way, I mean.

I really enjoyed it.
And it's over before you really want it to be.
Unless of course you have a fear of flying or heights.
In which case it lasts for an eternity and a bit.


We exited Soarin' and I asked Kay what she'd like to do.
We still had a little time before our ADR.
She didn't really know, so I suggested we just start making our way.


She saw this...

...and wanted to know what it was.

"Well." I said. "It was yours and Elle's favourite ride when you were four.
Funny thing was, when we came back four years later, both of you guys
couldn't understand what all the fuss was about."

So of course she wanted to go on it.
I knew that there could be up to a three hour wait to see Figment,
but I decided to take a risk and go.


We went in and I was right.
The wait was up to three hours long.
Provided you stood there for no reason for three hours, of course.

The place, not surprisingly, was completely empty.
The bored CM woke up long enough to show us to one of
several dozen empty cars.

Kay proclaimed that this was the job she'd want at Disney.
She couldn't think of an easier job to have.


You know... I think this is one ride that not even good music can help.
It's just... bad.
They really need to shut this thing down and build a new attraction.
And the good part is no one would notice!
"Disney announces a new attraction at Epcot!
Located at the former site of Journey into Imagination."

"What? When did they close down Figment?"
"About two years ago."
"Huh."


Once our car released us, we wandered over to the computers.
Wow.
Times have changed.
I remember taking a family photo here ten years earlier
and emailing it to family.
And said family was thrilled and amazed!
What brilliant new technology!

Now?

Embarrassingly dated computers.


Still, Kay did design her own Figment and emailed it off to Ruby and a friend...
who were completely mystified when they got a cartoon dragon in their email.
So that was worthwhile, at least.


It was getting closer to our ADR and to save Kay's feet a little,
I suggested we take one of the friendship boats.
We walked down to the docks where a boat sat waiting for us.
I didn't take the time to note the time, but the wait time was zero.


Just a few short minutes later, we were disembarking here:

Moments later we arrived early for our ADR.

And only one of you (yes, you @ForeverDance) guessed it!


Kay's favourite dish (or one of them, at least) is spaetzle.
And if you'll notice from the sign... they serve it.
This was pretty much the only reason we were here.
A girl's gotta have her spaetzle, you know.


We still had time before our ADR, so we were given a buzzer
and we browsed some of the shops.

I find it weird, actually.
You can find all manner of German tchotchkes:
Cuckoo clocks, beer steins, steiff bears, etc.
But you'll also find the Christmas pickle ornaments.
I know a lot of people who buy these things.
We had one (it got dropped and broken a year or two ago),
my folks have one (courtesy of yours truly),
heck, I'm sure some of you have one.
Except it's probably the least German item in the area.
It's an American invention of a made up German tradition.

And no one in Germany knows about it.



Saved by the buzzer!
We left the American/German pickles behind and dashed back
to the Biergarten.

As we were led to our table, the band was just wrapping up their set.

Pretty much as soon as our butts hit the seats,
they left the stage.
Must've been something we said.
Probably something Kay said.

Our waiter took our drinks order and then we bolted for the buffet.
I hadn't eaten anything yet that day and Kay had just a muffin.
We might've been a wee bit hungry.

Kay's plate with her beloved spaetzle
(among other delicacies):

Our drinks arrived moments later.
Kay had a water, but I had something I'd read about here on the DIS.
Someone had written about it in their TR and I thought it sounded good.

So I ordered the wine flight.
I'd never even heard of this until I read about it here.

It's a great way to get a little sample of different kinds of wine.
I don't remember now what each of them were,
but as usual, I preferred the sweetest one.

And here's something else I learned.
(Not here. Just from experience and idle chit-chat.)
Wine connoisseurs are jerks.
If you are a wine connoisseur, I don't mean you.
I mean all the other ones...




I recently read an article where wine experts were given
two glasses of wine.
One from an expensive bottle, the other from a cheap one.
And as you can expect, they all lauded the expensive brew
and denounced the inexpensive.

Too bad both bottles were filled with the same wine.


So here's the thing.
I make no secret of some things.
Like how brussels sprouts are the Devil's food.
A more vile vegetable does not exist.
And yet... some people (inexplicably) like them.

So if I was an expert and told you that brussels sprouts were only fit
for pigs and compost,
would you stop eating them and be ashamed that you like them?
Everyone has different likes and dislikes.
Everyone has different tastes.

So why do you think that should be any different with wine?
Hmmm?

Can you imagine going to a restaurant and ordering a dish
and when you get it, you hate it.
And then an "expert" comes out of the kitchen and tells you that you're wrong?
That no, in fact you are mistaken. The food is delicious.
Never mind that burnt part or the mold. That just gives it "body".
The "expert" then looks at you with disdain,
sniffs his nose and departs in disgust.
At you. Not the food.

So here, for you dear reader, is pkondz's guide to pairing wine with food.
It's fairly complicated, so feel free to take notes.

Fish - a sweet white wine.
Chicken - a sweet white wine.
Beef - a sweet white wine.
Sushi - a sweet white wine.
Pizza - Coke. Because I don't drink beer.
Burger - Coke. Because duh.


Uh.... I think I started by telling you I ordered the wine flight.
It was good.
Moving on...


We had a nice meal and chatted a little bit with a young couple
who were seated across from us.
They were on their honeymoon and were from a small town
in New Jersey just outside Philadelphia.
I suddenly realized that other than our DISmeets,
these were the first people (other than CMs) we'd talked to.


We settled up our bill
and when I say we, I mean free dining did the heavy lifting,
while I paid the tip.
Kay just sighed contentedly.

Naturally, the band came out and started to set up for
their next set as we were leaving.


We were in no rush, so we just kind of strolled off in search of
whatever might catch our eye.
Kay did want to stop in at Mitsukoshi so we headed towards Japan.

I let Kay do all the picture taking while I just relaxed
and tried to digest a whole lot of German grub.

I asked Kay if she recognized this area.
She didn't at first,

but when I started pointing things out to her,

"We actually went up that tower... well, the real one."
She suddenly clicked!
"Oh! It's Venice! I remember that!"

Thank goodness. Money not entirely wasted.

We kept strolling, she kept snapping pictures.

She likes animals. And I'm okay with that.

I told her this is where I'd had a Kaki-Gori (shave ice) last trip.
But we were both too full to even think about having any.
Besides, we were getting closer to her quarry.
The whole reason she wanted to come to Epcot.
(Well, other than the spaetzle, that is.)

Closer...

Clooooser....

So close!

And we're in!
She was in heaven.
So was I! (It was air conditioned.)

We were in here for about an hour.
Interestingly, she spent none of it in the traditional
part of the store.
She only had eyes for contemporary merchandise.
I let her browse.

She didn't buy anything, however.
She was just getting ideas.
Let thoughts percolate a bit.
Getting her ducks in a row, so to speak.

Eventually, she'd seen everything she wanted to see
and we headed out once more.


We skipped past Morocco and on towards France.
France... hmmm.... there was something about France.
What was it...

Oh!

I had forgotten this last trip and I almost forgot it again!

My very first Grey Goose Slush!


Okay. Let me preface this by admitting something.
I'm easily disappointed with Disney food/desserts/drinks.

"Oh, you have to try ______, it's the best thing in the world!"
So I try ______ and while it's usually good,
it's frequently not quite as good as I expected it to be.

But this?
Oh, wow.
I'm not a big drinker (see food/wine pairings above)
so I didn't expect much from this.
Whoa...
So, so good.
It probably didn't hurt that it was still hot out, either.


We continued our stroll as I happily sipped my concoction.
We turned left at the International Gateway.
It was going to be a night of firsts, apparently.
We were going to take the boat from Epcot to DHS.
There was evening EMH there tonight,
and we were going to take advantage of it.

I had a sneaking suspicion that I wouldn't be allowed
out of the park with my drink, and I was right.
I really would've liked to have sipped it on the boat,
but oh well.
I finished it quickly and was about to toss the glass into the trash.
"Dad! Don't do that. I want to keep it."
"You want to keep a disposable plastic glass?"
"Yes."
I handed it to her.
"I don't want to carry it though."
Well I didn't want to either.
That's why I was going to toss it.
"Can't you put it in your camera bag?"
Well, I suppose if I take the camera out and hang it around my neck...
I did just that and tried to squeeze the glass into the bag.
<crack!>
Oops!
"You broke it!"
"Nah... it's just got a little crack in it. Maybe if I remove the base."
<Snap!>
"Okay. Now it's broken."

I blame it on the drinking.


We got to the boat dock at 9:56pm and a boat arrived at 9:59pm.
If you're keeping track, that's 1 bus and 2 boats
for a total wait time of 7 minutes.


And I'm so glad we did this.
While I've heard people complain about the boat ride,
"It takes too long! With all those stops, you can walk it faster!"
I thoroughly enjoyed all the stops.
It gave us an opportunity to see more of an area
(the Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach Club) that we really hadn't seen.
I don't count our visit to Beaches and Cream,
we basically entered the hotel, went, ate and left.
And seeing all the resort properties lit up at night? Beautiful!
And I didn't take a single photo.
A moving, vibrating, rocking boat is not the best platform
for taking long exposure night shots.
But I was inspired.
I'll go back (hopefully, someday) and shoot with a tripod.
It really was pretty.
If you haven't seen the Boardwalk area at night,
make a point of going.

It also gives me an excellent excuse to stay at
Yacht Club, Beach Club or Boardwalk.


I don't know what time we got to DHS,
but I'm going to guess.... later.

We zipped over to the tapstiles and passed through quickly.
Or not.
Kay's finger didn't work again.
She tried it again.
She tried her thumb.
Back to her finger.
I mentioned to the CM that we'd been having problems all week.
She fiddled with her iPad and said she reset it.
She said that should take care of any more problems.
We'll see...


The first thing we did was to head over to TOT.
When we got close, I noticed the wait time was short.
I didn't notice exactly how short, but I knew it was short.
There was hardly anyone in line.
We were in the preshow area almost without breaking stride.

When we got to the actual ride, the female CM we had made us laugh.
She was the usual, slightly off, kinda dead TOT CM.
But after getting us all arranged in the car with belts fastened,
she closed the doors on us.
There are two narrow windows in the doors.
She slapped an arm onto each of them
and left them there as we rose out of sight.
It just struck us as funny.


So here's the thing.
I love the theming of TOT.
I love the preshow.
I love the moving (horizontally!) elevator.
I love the effects.
I hate the actual ride part.
The falling, then you're not, wait! Yes you are!
Phew! It's over! No it's not! Falling again!

Blech!!

Every time I ride it, I do so wishing I could skip the ride part.
I don't want to use the chicken exit, though.
Because I like all the stuff that happens on the car
before you start yo-yoing.

So I hold on to the handgrabs as hard as I can
and try to keep myself from lifting off the seat.
Which is pretty much impossible since you're
falling at greater than the speed of gravity.

Well, for you, dear readers, I wanted to get a PP picture of us on the ride.
Can't do that while hanging on for dear life, can you?
So I didn't.
Just for you.
Yes. You.

(And for the record... the kid to the far right, front row is hilarious!)

And.... I loved it!
It was so much fun not holding on!
It didn't bother me at all!
The ride dropped us down, brought us back up...
and dropped us again.
All done.
Nope! We zoomed back up again! Yay!
The ride really did end and .... awww... it's over?

Amazing what a difference not hanging on made.
I'm not even sure why.


We exited the ride, giggling like little girls.
Which was okay for Kay, but not super manly for me.
We headed down the hill to see what the wait time was for RNRC.
As we did, I stopped and laughed.
I pointed out the wait time for TOT to Kay.

I suspect that anytime the wait is anywhere between zero and 20 minutes,
they'll put 13 up on the board.
I love that attention to detail!

We headed over to RNRC.
Kay mentioned that she wanted to pick up some guitar picks,
so we went into the dump shop first and got some.
Unfortunately, they disappeared at some point and never made it home with us.

We then went around and got in line.
There wasn't much of a line and it didn't take very long to get to the pre-show.
But.


Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
This is where Kay almost lost her life.
It was a close thing.


As we were winding our way through the queue,
I happened to glance up at one point and spotted a sign.
"G Force Records"
Either I hadn't noticed it before or it didn't click.
G Force! I get it! Like the G forces you feel on the ride!
Ha! Clever!
I pointed it out to Kay.

Note to self. Do not under any circumstances
try to teach science to a tired kid.

Kay shrugs. "What's G force?" She asks.
I quickly explain. "It's what you feel when you take off on RNRC."
She looks annoyed.
"That's an example." She complains. "Explain it."
So I reply. "The force that acts on your body under acceleration."
Which while it explains it, isn't technically correct.
In this application though, it's right.
"Nevermind." She dismissively states. "I'll Google it."
I was dumb-founded. "But you asked for an explanation and I answered you!"
I think she may have sensed my exasperation.
"Is it like when a car turns and you get pushed against the door?" She asked.

I should've taken the easy way out. I should've just nodded.
She'd be sort of wrong, but sort of right.
I mean that's pretty good right?
But no. I couldn't leave it alone.
"That's centripetal force." I said.
(Which is usually measured in G's. So she was right enough.)

And then right then is when she almost died.

She gave me the biggest, most massive,
most disdainful eye roll I've ever seen.

I stopped breathing.
I twitched a bit. But I did not kill her.
Oh, I wanted to.
Oh.... how I wanted to.
But I didn't.

I also didn't talk to her for a few minutes.
I was pretty sure that any conversation that followed
would not be pretty.
I kept my mouth firmly clamped shut.


By the time the pre-show ended, I was pretty much back under control
and wondering if she was angry or clueless at how close to death she had come.

She turned to me and said. "Can we go in the front again?"
I agreed.

Crisis over.

Unfortunately, that sort of thing takes a toll.
We were both pretty tired.
I don't remember the ride.
We fell asleep.

I'll never know, of course...
But I do hope that some of the pictures where we did silly things
wind up in other people's photo albums or whatever.
What would just do it for me, is if somewhere, someplace,
someone says: "Wait till I show you our _____ picture.
You've got to see what these two strangers did."


After we woke up, we headed back over to TOT for another trip.
On the way, we heard the familiar, yet almost subliminal "Ding!"
that you always here in this area.

I remember becoming vaguely curious and discovering what it was
on my solo trip.

Now it was Kay's turn.
"Hey! Look! It's coming from that sign!"
<click!>

Trivia.
At the top of the sign, see Gower St?
The sign sits at the corner of Sunset and Gower.
The real Sunset and Gower is where the old
Columbia Pictures Studios used to be.
MGM used to send its actors out to Columbia
when they wanted to punish them.
So there's your link to DHS/MGM/Columbia...
And Sunset and Gower.


Back to TOT...
I was actually looking forward to more than just the theming
for the first time.
There was no wait whatsoever.
The preshow... wasn't running.
The door in the library stood open.
We just walked through and straight to our elevator.

A young lady of about 18-20 years sat beside me with her
friend on her other side.
She was so scared, she was hyperventilating.
I fully expected the ride to stop at any moment to give her
a chance to get off.
The ride did its thing and.... yup. I had a blast.
When it was over, I turned to the young lady and reassured her
that the ride was over.
"Oh." She said. "It's not the drop I'm afraid of... it's the ghosts."

What??
You know they're not real, right?
That had to be the strangest reaction to TOT, I've ever heard of.


It was getting late and the park would be closing soon,
so we headed out to the bus stop.

We arrived at 11:47pm and there was a bus there,
but it was full and I knew right away we'd be waiting for the next one.
I guess this is where our luck would run out and we'd have a
twenty minute wait for the next one.

The next one arrived at 11:54. Seven minutes later.
So our total for the day is 14 minutes for two busses
and two boats.

We got back to Pop and laboriously climbed the stairs to our room.
God I'm really starting to hate those stairs.

But then again, when we got to our room,
I think we were both fast asleep within seconds.
Must've been that stair climb that did it.



Contest!

Disney Transportation Wait Time to date (8 busses, 2 boats): 19 minutes
Average wait time just under 2 minutes.

vrajewski10513 - 9 (-10 pts)
jandlinz - 10 (-10pts)
Gracefulskinny - 13 (-10 pts)
Steppesister - 33 (-10 pts)
DizzneyDi - 48 (-10 pts)
DISNEYMOON10121991 - 49 (-10 pts)
orangecats2 - 52 (-10 pts)
cinderkelly - 60 (-10 pts)
afwdwfan - 63.5 (-10 pts)
Mac Brew - 69 (-10 pts)
TheLittleKatie - 70 (-10 pts)
MAGICFOR2 - 72
Mrs T 2009 - 75 (-10 pts)
Captain_Oblivious - 84.375 (-10 pts)
DonnaBeeGood - 94 (-10 pts)
franandaj - 97 (-10pts)
ForeverDance - 105
SnowWhiteOz - 123
Thumper_Man - 170
chookie94 - 172
irene_dsc - 175
SimplyGoofy - 180 (-10 pts)
Terra Nova guy - 204
Saturn23 - 205
ougrad86 - 210
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - 221
Tracy161 - 224
DisneyAndrew - 232
TGM - 240
Kiren - 256
Mr. lncredible - 270
Kiotzu - 273
Backstage_Gal - 310
queenbetsey - 315
TruLovesKiss - 323
BibbitybobityLu - 358
Curiouser&curiouser! - 363
Susan R - 600



Feel free to change your guesses if you wish.
You may do so up to and including the August 25th update.

Bonus question and answer:
Just say yay! Easy!
I'm giving you these things! 4 free bonus points to the following:

TheLittleKatie, jandlinz, SnowWhiteOz, Gracefulskinny,
Captain_Oblivious, afwdwfan, Thumper_Man, franandaj,
Saturn23, Steppesister, DonnaBeeGood, TruLovesKiss,
DISNEYMOON10121991, GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes,
orangecats2


Bonus questions, point values and answers from last round.

1. What time does Kay wake up?
(6 points for nailing it. 4 points +/- 30 minutes. 2 points +/- 60 minutes)
Answer: 11:00am

2. What ride do we go on that costs us time
because we FP'd it?
Answer: Spaceship Earth (4 points)

3. What drink has been on my list for ages...
And I finally drink (for the first time.)
Answer: Grey Goose Slush (4 points)

4. We have park hoppers.
Do we use them today?
Answer: Yes (2 points)

5. Where's our Dinner ADR for?
Answer: Biergarten (8 points)

Get 'em all right I'll throw in a free pair of points!

You're guesses and points won:
TheLittleKatie - 10:30, MS, GGS, no, Coral Reef - 8 points
jandlinz - 10:30, TT, GGS, yes, Via Napoli - 10 points
misssullyinc - 11:00, TT, beer, yes, Rose & Crown - 8 points
SnowWhiteOz - 10:12, SE, beer, yes, Via Napoli - 8 points
Gracefulskinny - 12:00, MS, American Dream, no, Rose & Crown - 2 points.
vrajewski10513 - 10:45, TT, Beverly, yes, Rose & Crown - 6 points
Captain_Oblivious - 9:57, Figment, GGS, yes, Via Napoli - 7 points (feeling generous)
queenbetsey - 10:00, TT, GGS, yes, Teppan Edo - 8 points
afwdwfan - 9:40, SE, Margarita, no, Teppan Edo - 4 points
irene_dsc - 10:30, TT, GGS, no, Via Napoli - 8 points
Thumper_Man - 12:00, TT, GGS, no, Garden Grill - 6 points
Mrs T 2009 - 11:15, TT, Margarita, no, Via Napoli - 4 points
cinderkelly - 10:15, TT, Margarita, yes, Coral Reef - 4 points
Terra Nova guy - 10:17, TT, GGS, no, Via Napoli - 6 points
SimplyGoofy - 10:30, Nemo, GGS, no, Via Napoli - 8 points
MAGICFOR2 - 9:30, TT, GGS, no, Le Cellier - 4 points
franandaj - 10:15, TT, GGS, no, Rose & Crown - 6 points
Steppesister - 10:05, TT, GGS, no, Teppan Edo - 6 points
Mac Brew - 9:45, TT, beer, yes, Mitsukoshi - 2 points
Curiouser&curiouser! - 10:45, TT, GGS, yes, Whispering Canyon - 10 points
DonnaBeeGood - 10:20, TT, GGS, yes, Via Napoli - 8 points
TruLovesKiss - 10:16, TT, GGS, no, Rose & Crown - 6 points
DizzneyDi - 10:45, TT, GGS, no, Via Napoli - 8 points
DISNEYMOON10121991 - 10:12, Nemo, GGS, no, Teppan Edo - 6 points
Saturn23 - 10:30, TT, GGS, yes, Via Napoli - 10 points
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - 9:45, SE, GGS, yes, Via Napoli - 10 points
Mr. lncredible - 10:30, Nemo, GGS, no, Teppan Edo - 8 points
ForeverDance - 10:45, SE, Margarita, no, Biergarten - 16 points (high score!)
orangecats2 - 10:00, TT, no, Rose & Crown - 2 points



Flattery points (aka suck-up points)
jandlinz - Knows I'm wise. 2 points. 3 points for the kiss.
SnowWhiteOz - Bows to the king. 4 points.
Gracefulskinny - Knows who's her Daddy. 4 points.
SimplyGoofy - Considers me a major win. 4 points.
MAGICFOR2 - Knows I'm awesome. 4 points.
franandaj - Thinks I'm pretty and admirable. 4 points.
Steppesister - Is close to my heart. 4 points.
queenbetsey - Knows a living legend. 6 points.
Terra Nova guy - fabulously and delightfully desperate. 4 points.
DISNEYMOON10121991 - I'm the best part of her day. 4 points.


Miscellaneous bonus points
TheLittleKatie - 2 points for knowing what it really looks like. 2 points for proper footwear.
jandlinz - 2 points for the family. 2 points for miracle mini golf. 2 points for remembering.
misssullyinc - 2 points for the fond memories.
SnowWhiteOz - 3 points for best date ever.
Gracefulskinny - 3 points for remembering the American Dream.
vrajewski10513 - 4 points for being the first to use "buffoon" in a comment. 2 points for true love.
Captain_Oblivious - 2 points for knowing the price. 4 points for stockings. 2 points instead of cigars.
queenbetsey - 2 points for Remembrances. 5 points for Nebo's hot hands.
afwdwfan - 2 points for irony.
irene_dsc - 1 point to help with the nightmares.
Thumper_Man - 2 points for asking for points. 4 points for keeping up with the Joneses.
cinderkelly - 4 points for trapping a mouse. 2 points to stop being feeble.
Terra Nova guy - 2 points for wingless fairies. 2 points for dessert.
SimplyGoofy - 2 points for dessert!
MAGICFOR2 - 2 points for keeping her hands to herself. 2 points for the award.
Saturn23 - 3 points for winning. 2 points for polling.
franandaj - 2 points for irony.
Saturn23 - 2 points for multi fish visits.
Steppesister - 4 points for hidden hands. 2 points because she's the whole package.
Mac Brew - 2 points for seeing the light. 2 points for guessing DHS.
Curiouser&curiouser! - 2 points for commendations. 1 point for middling.
DonnaBeeGood - 2 points for twins. 2 points for extra yays. 2 points 'cause she knows how to pick 'em!
TruLovesKiss - 2 points for being all cracked up.
DizzneyDi - 3 points for getting all soaped up. 2 points for getting lucky.
DISNEYMOON10121991 - 2 points for knowing who it's all about. 2 points for problem child.
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - 2 points for recovery. 2 points for burning down the house. 2 points for red card.
ForeverDance - 2 points for sharp eyes.
orangecats2 - 4 points for being neglected



Points standings:

DISNEYMOON10121991 – 92 points
jandlinz – 92 points
Saturn23 – 85 points
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes – 83 points
ForeverDance – 81 points
franandaj - 80 points
Steppesister – 77 points
SnowWhiteOz – 74 points
queenbetsey – 68 points
TheLittleKatie - 68 points
DizzneyDi – 65 points
TruLovesKiss – 65 points
DonnaBeeGood – 64 points
orangecats2 – 64 points
Gracefulskinny – 62 points
Captain_Oblivious – 57 points
irene_dsc - 55 points
MAGICFOR2 – 54 points
cinderkelly – 53 points
Terra Nova guy - 53 points
Curiouser&curiouser! - 51 points
Mrs T 2009 – 47 points
afwdwfan – 44 points
Mac Brew – 43 points
chookie94 – 40 points
Mr. lncredible – 40 points
SimplyGoofy - 34 points
Kiotzu - 30 points
DisneyAndrew – 28 points
Susan R – 23 points
TGM - 22 points
misssullyinc - 18 points
Thumper_Man - 16 points
vrajewski10513 - 16 points
Dentam - 14 points
ougrad86 – 13 points
Backstage_Gal – 11 points
pookersmom - 7 points
BibbitybobityLu – 6 points
Kiren – 5 points
Dreamer & Wisher - 3 points
KathyM2 - 2 points
MHSweb79 - 2 points
Tracy161 - 2 points


Still points available in future updates!


Bonus questions, round 7!

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Zero points if you answer 11 meters/second or
"African or European".
Points awarded for creativity and brevity.

Good luck!

Chapter 9 - The VIP Package​

 

[halleous]

I'm a bit of a lurker but I love your trip report

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Did you know that Pop pipes music around the pool...
starting at 9am?
It's true!
And if you getcherself a pool view room,
you'll find out!

Uh Oh... really? Good to know at least! Hope that isn't an issue at nap time!

What am I saying... none of you would sleep 'til 9:00, right?

I wouldn't DH and DD might.

Frankly, it drives me nuts.
If you're going to watch TV or a movie, then watch!

(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?
Let me know (either yes or no) and you'll get bonus points!)

A bit surprised for sure but not falling out of my chair.

We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.

I then crossed my fingers while Kay scanned hers.
Success! We were in!

During the ride, I made a point of pointing out the Roman Centurion
that looks so much like my Dad.
Right away, Kay said "Yeah! That looks exactly like him!"

And walked right on by.
Really... who has time for this?

Ellen is good for a in park quiet rest time.

"Dad?" She asked. "Which one is the one that tastes bad?"
I answered right away. "The Inca Kola."

She got to the Beverly and I held my breath.
She took a gulp and her face screwed right up!

You know... I think this is one ride that not even good music can help.
It's just... bad.

It's a ride that needs some desperate attention that's for sure.

Except it's probably the least German item in the area.
It's an American invention of a made up German tradition.

And no one in Germany knows about it.

Sounds like the American way to me!

"We actually went up that tower... well, the real one."
She suddenly clicked!
"Oh! It's Venice! I remember that!"

Thank goodness. Money not entirely wasted.

I did just that and tried to squeeze the glass into the bag.
<crack!>
Oops!
"You broke it!"
"Nah... it's just got a little crack in it. Maybe if I remove the base."
<Snap!>
"Okay. Now it's broken."

Sounds like something DH or I would do Accidently on Purpose so we wouldn't have to carry trash around.

Well, for you, dear readers, I wanted to get a PP picture of us on the ride.
Can't do that while hanging on for dear life, can you?
So I didn't.
Just for you.
Yes. You.

Amazing what a difference not hanging on made.
I'm not even sure why.

Huh, if I ever lose my mind and get dragged on to the ride again I'll have to convince myself to try it this way. But SHhhhhh don't tell DH! I'd never hear the end of it.

I also didn't talk to her for a few minutes.
I was pretty sure that any conversation that followed
would not be pretty.
I kept my mouth firmly clamped shut.

Sometimes that's just the best choice.

What would just do it for me, is if somewhere, someplace,
someone says: "Wait till I show you our _____ picture.
You've got to see what these two strangers did.

If someone hasn't said that about your splash picture with the chinese cartons I'd be surprised.

When it was over, I turned to the young lady and reassured her
that the ride was over.
"Oh." She said. "It's not the drop I'm afraid of... it's the ghosts."

Alright then...........

Disney Transportation Wait Time to date (8 busses, 2 boats): 19 minutes

Gracefulskinny - 13 (-10 pts)

Guess I need to up my guess. 40 minutes

Bonus question and answer:
Just say yay! Easy!
I'm giving you these things! 4 free bonus points to the following:

TheLittleKatie, jandlinz, SnowWhiteOz, Gracefulskinny,

Gracefulskinny - Knows who's her Daddy. 4 points.

It's been a long few days (A good friend just got married along with all the house stuff still going on) It took me a bit to reember what this was referencing!

Gracefulskinny - 3 points for remembering the American Dream.

Gracefulskinny – 62 points

Still stuck in the middle of the pack I see.

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

3

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

yes, bounty platter

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

unfortunately yes.

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

a

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Faster than a Laden one? Besides why are you tortuing me with math questions?!? Do you know how much math is already involved in the house buying process? My poor brain can't take any more right now.

 

[pkondz]

I'm a bit of a lurker but I love your trip report

Well, hi there! Let me first give you the official to the TR!

Feel free to say hi once in a while (if you feel like it... no pressure)
The bunch around here don't seem to bite much.


Well, excluding when they bite me of course.
But they play fairly well amongst themselves.


Oh! And thanks so much for the kind words!
It really does mean a lot to me when people say that.

Uh Oh... really? Good to know at least! Hope that isn't an issue at nap time!

I wouldn't think so. It's not overly loud and the doors are pretty sound proof.
I think it was more noticeable because I was ready to wake up anyway.

I wouldn't DH and DD might.

Well, unless they're really light sleepers,
the noise from the pool won't be an issue there either.

A bit surprised for sure but not falling out of my chair.

Wearing a seatbelt, hunh?

Ellen is good for a in park quiet rest time.

So does that mean Universe of Energy is to Epcot what WEDway is to MK?

It's a ride that needs some desperate attention that's for sure.

They should've filmed Miley doing Wrecking Ball there.

Sounds like the American way to me!

Sounds like something DH or I would do Accidently on Purpose so we wouldn't have to carry trash around.

I really didn't try to break it. It just happened.
I might not have been to upset about it, though.

Huh, if I ever lose my mind and get dragged on to the ride again I'll have to convince myself to try it this way. But SHhhhhh don't tell DH! I'd never hear the end of it.

You may never want to have a DISmeet with me then.
Because I would so do that!
"Hey! You know what your wife once told me?..."

Sometimes that's just the best choice.

Between that or death?


Yeah.

If someone hasn't said that about your splash picture with the chinese cartons I'd be surprised.

Thanks! I sure hope so. I'm pretty proud of that one.

Alright then...........

Pretty much what I thought.

Guess I need to up my guess. 40 minutes

Noted.

It's been a long few days (A good friend just got married along with all the house stuff still going on) It took me a bit to reember what this was referencing!

Well, I'm glad one of us does!

Still stuck in the middle of the pack I see.

Oh, you're doing a bit better than middle of the pack.
Although that might change (for better or worse) after the next round.

3

yes, bounty platter

unfortunately yes.

a

Faster than a Laden one? Besides why are you tortuing me with math questions?!? Do you know how much math is already involved in the house buying process? My poor brain can't take any more right now.

Noted.

 

[orangecats2]

I knew you would be wondering where I was, didn't want you send out the RCMP to search for me! I worked at the high school for the first time. I actually liked it but I was super tired. Then I was dog, cat, house sitting for the week for friends who went to Mexico. So I just haven't had time to get on the computer for over a week.

Darn! I forgot the grey goose slush and I knew that's what the answer was!!!

 

[pkondz]

I knew you would be wondering where I was, didn't want you send out the RCMP to search for me! I worked at the high school for the first time. I actually liked it but I was super tired.

Actually, the RCMP were just getting their snowshoes on when you showed up,
so I called them off.

Being tired after you do something is okay
if you like doing what made you tired in the first place.

Then I was dog, cat, house sitting for the week for friends who went to Mexico.

I think I knew that.
You posted that you were going to do that, didn't you?

Darn! I forgot the grey goose slush and I knew that's what the answer was!!!

Yep. I thought you might.
I read your guesses and thought "Uh, oh. Carrie's gonna be mad at herself."

 

[Mrs T 2009]

I AM ALIVE!

New airline? Or new-to-you airline?

Spirit- new to me.. It actually wasn't too bad at all. I wouldn't mind flying on it again( but maybe not with children, as they want you to pay for carryons and checked bags. I got to take a backpack filled with all my stuff I would need. just me, not bad.)

Well, there you go. That makes it worthwhile!

YES!! I really enjoyed having a mini vaca alone, just wish it had been a day longer. lol

That's the way I see it too.

yes, definitely.

So... how does one go about going pro with that panic/anxiety thing?
Does it pay well?

It's shoty pay, and heavy on the worry.... I wouldn't suggest going pro unless you're prepared for the cons

Interesting. Most people have more trouble while they're in the air.

Yeah, I've always been like that. I get panicky and worriedx100000000000 and then I can't calm down until they start boarding and i'm in my seat. Everything and anything that might go wrong pass through my mind. and some of those are odd and would never happen scenarios. And I have flown often enough that I know how the concept goes and all that jazz, but I'm forever anxious before a flight. Take off and landing are pieces of cake and being in the air is a breeze.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

What am I saying... none of you would sleep 'til 9:00, right?

I haven't made it past 7:00 a.m. since I had kids.

Finally, at 11:00am she woke up.
She told me she just wanted to chill in the room for a bit.

Right, because she hasn't spent any time resting in the room yet today.

Granted, I'm an old fuddy duddy.

Well, sure. But that's what gives you the right to say this stuff.

We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.
(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?
Let me know (either yes or no) and you'll get bonus points!)

Literally, no. But figuratively, yes! That's quite a bit of "chilling in the room". I would have been crawling up the walls!

Except there was no one in the Standby line!
So by going in the FP line, it actually took us longer to get on!

Only four people guessed SE as the ride that would
cost us time because we FP'd it.

Dang it! I had a 50/50 shot between this and Figment and guessed wrong. As usual.

During the ride, I made a point of pointing out the Roman Centurion
that looks so much like my Dad.
Right away, Kay said "Yeah! That looks exactly like him!"
Granted my Dad's older now, but still.
It's him.
I have confirmation, now.

Always good to know you're not senile. Yet.

Really... who has time for this?
It's a huge commitment in time, and it's dated.
Or so I've heard.
Pretty sure the last time I rode it, was before Ellen's time.
And it was just okay then.
I might ride it next time.

It's still just okay. That 45-minute time commitment is a killer. But then again, I like Ellen and think the ride is somewhat entertaining. You could do worse. Like riding Journey Into Imagination. But nobody's that dumb, right?

We rode Green.
I did not want to feel sick again, like I did last time I rode Orange.
I actually like this ride, but I don't relish puking.
So Green it will be!

Rides without puke are very underrated.

"Dad?" She asked. "Which one is the one that tastes bad?"
I answered right away. "The Inca Kola."
Satisfied that she wouldn't be "caught", she began trying the different Colas.
She got to the Beverly and I held my breath.
She took a gulp and her face screwed right up!

Well done!

Ooh, I like that shot. Nice one.

So far, I've asked for (and gotten... with no fuss) my (or our) preferred seating in:
RNRC, TOT, BTMRR, SM, Splash, 7DMT and Soarin'.
It can't hurt to ask, so why not?
Few do, so your request is likely to be granted.
And if it isn't.... who cares? You're in Disney World!

I love that attitude!

But right off the bat, I immediately noticed just how bad
the film is.
Lots of dust and stuff.

Don't worry, that won't be a problem for too much longer.

We went in and I was right.
The wait was up to three hours long.
Provided you stood there for no reason for three hours, of course.

You know... I think this is one ride that not even good music can help.
It's just... bad.
They really need to shut this thing down and build a new attraction.
And the good part is no one would notice!
"Disney announces a new attraction at Epcot!
Located at the former site of Journey into Imagination."

"What? When did they close down Figment?"
"About two years ago."
"Huh."

Exactly! I'm always amazed at how many people defend this ride. I find it ironic that Journey Into Imagination is the least imaginative ride in all of Disney World.

Embarrassingly dated computers.

Several megabytes of processing power.

And only one of you (yes, you @ForeverDance) guessed it!

And with so few restaurants in Epcot to choose from, it should have been a gimme!

Except it's probably the least German item in the area.
It's an American invention of a made up German tradition.

And no one in Germany knows about it.

Weird. My parents usually make my kids find the pickle on the tree before they get any gifts. I wonder if I should tell them.



Nah.

Pretty much as soon as our butts hit the seats,
they left the stage.
Must've been something we said.
Probably something Kay said.

Or they've seen you guys eat spaetzle before.

I recently read an article where wine experts were given
two glasses of wine.
One from an expensive bottle, the other from a cheap one.
And as you can expect, they all lauded the expensive brew
and denounced the inexpensive.

Too bad both bottles were filled with the same wine.

This confirms what I've long suspected!

I love when they say a particular wine has "earthy oak notes". Say what? How do you know, unless you regularly taste dirt and bark?

I make no secret of some things.
Like how brussels sprouts are the Devil's food.
A more vile vegetable does not exist.

Pretty sure they were originally developed under chemical weapons research.

Can you imagine going to a restaurant and ordering a dish
and when you get it, you hate it.
And then an "expert" comes out of the kitchen and tells you that you're wrong?
That no, in fact you are mistaken. The food is delicious.
Never mind that burnt part or the mold. That just gives it "body".
The "expert" then looks at you with disdain,
sniffs his nose and departs in disgust.
At you. Not the food.

This happens all the time! "The chef refuses to serve this dish unless it is medium rare." Really? Then I refuse to pay for it!

Fish - a sweet white wine.
Chicken - a sweet white wine.
Beef - a sweet white wine.
Sushi - a sweet white wine.
Pizza - Coke. Because I don't drink beer.
Burger - Coke. Because duh.

Perfect! Sounds like we have the same palate. I do like a few beers, but all on the "least bitter" end of the scale.

"We actually went up that tower... well, the real one."
She suddenly clicked!
"Oh! It's Venice! I remember that!"

Thank goodness. Money not entirely wasted.

That was a close one.

"Oh, you have to try ______, it's the best thing in the world!"
So I try ______ and while it's usually good,
it's frequently not quite as good as I expected it to be.

Hype is a dangerous thing. Except for Dole Whips. They cannot be overhyped.

I finished it quickly and was about to toss the glass into the trash.
"Dad! Don't do that. I want to keep it."
"You want to keep a disposable plastic glass?"
"Yes."
I handed it to her.
"I don't want to carry it though."
Well I didn't want to either.
That's why I was going to toss it.
"Can't you put it in your camera bag?"
Well, I suppose if I take the camera out and hang it around my neck...
I did just that and tried to squeeze the glass into the bag.
<crack!>
Oops!
"You broke it!"
"Nah... it's just got a little crack in it. Maybe if I remove the base."
<Snap!>
"Okay. Now it's broken."

Wow, that was an awful lot of effort just to avoid taking it with you.

And seeing all the resort properties lit up at night? Beautiful!
And I didn't take a single photo.
A moving, vibrating, rocking boat is not the best platform
for taking long exposure night shots.
But I was inspired.
I'll go back (hopefully, someday) and shoot with a tripod.
It really was pretty.
If you haven't seen the Boardwalk area at night,
make a point of going.

As someone recently said on my TR, isn't it great when you build in reasons to go back to a place you love?

I don't know what time we got to DHS,
but I'm going to guess.... later.

The wait times at each stop count, right? No? Crap.

I mentioned to the CM that we'd been having problems all week.
She fiddled with her iPad and said she reset it.
She said that should take care of any more problems.
We'll see...

Sounds like foreshadowing to me...

She was the usual, slightly off, kinda dead TOT CM.
But after getting us all arranged in the car with belts fastened,
she closed the doors on us.
There are two narrow windows in the doors.
She slapped an arm onto each of them
and left them there as we rose out of sight.
It just struck us as funny.

That's different. I'm sure part of the humor was that it was unexpected. I liked the guy who got us seated the one time I rode it. Just as the doors started closing he turned and said, "Oh, one more thing, very important--"

SLAM.

So here's the thing.
I love the theming of TOT.
I love the preshow.
I love the moving (horizontally!) elevator.
I love the effects.
I hate the actual ride part.
The falling, then you're not, wait! Yes you are!
Phew! It's over! No it's not! Falling again!

Blech!!

Every time I ride it, I do so wishing I could skip the ride part.
I don't want to use the chicken exit, though.
Because I like all the stuff that happens on the car
before you start yo-yoing.

Sounds about right to me!

(And for the record... the kid to the far right, front row is hilarious!)

Yes!! Pretty sure that's how I looked, too.

And.... I loved it!
It was so much fun not holding on!
It didn't bother me at all!
The ride dropped us down, brought us back up...
and dropped us again.
All done.
Nope! We zoomed back up again! Yay!
The ride really did end and .... awww... it's over?

Amazing what a difference not hanging on made.
I'm not even sure why.

That's really interesting. I'm not sure I could bring myself to do that!

I suspect that anytime the wait is anywhere between zero and 20 minutes,
they'll put 13 up on the board.
I love that attention to detail!

"Nevermind." She dismissively states. "I'll Google it."
I was dumb-founded. "But you asked for an explanation and I answered you!"

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

She gave me the biggest, most massive,
most disdainful eye roll I've ever seen.

Oh, no she didn't! Finish her!

I don't remember the ride.
We fell asleep.

You guys are kicking butt with the ride photos.

I'll never know, of course...
But I do hope that some of the pictures where we did silly things
wind up in other people's photo albums or whatever.
What would just do it for me, is if somewhere, someplace,
someone says: "Wait till I show you our _____ picture.
You've got to see what these two strangers did."

That certainly beats, "Man, those idiots ruined our photo!"

The real Sunset and Gower is where the old
Columbia Pictures Studios used to be.
MGM used to send its actors out to Columbia
when they wanted to punish them.
So there's your link to DHS/MGM/Columbia...
And Sunset and Gower.

Now that I didn't know. Love the details!

"Oh." She said. "It's not the drop I'm afraid of... it's the ghosts."

What??
You know they're not real, right?
That had to be the strangest reaction to TOT, I've ever heard of.

Ok...I'm gonna go over here now.

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

Thanks for narrowing it down! I'll go with 2.

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

You're gonna make me Google the menu, aren't you? Fine.

(Googling.)

How about the POP Waffles? Because I can't imagine you trying the Pop Tart breakfast sandwich.

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

Due to foreshadowing, I'll say yes.

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

When I took the P.E. (Professional Engineering) Exam, my default answer if I didn't know was B. And there must have been a lot of B's that year, because I passed. Anyway, when in doubt, the answer is B. So you watched the otters at AK.

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Zero points if you answer 11 meters/second or
"African or European".
Points awarded for creativity and brevity.

42.

No, really!

 

[ForeverDance]

We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.
(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?
Let me know (either yes or no) and you'll get bonus points!)

Nope no falling out of chairs here. I’m at standing desk.

Really... who has time for this?
It's a huge commitment in time, and it's dated.
Or so I've heard.

We did this once. On a 12 day trip.
I can’t say I’m in a hurry to do it again.

"Dad?" She asked. "Which one is the one that tastes bad?"
I answered right away. "The Inca Kola."

Slow clap.

And only one of you (yes, you @ForeverDance) guessed it!

But you'll also find the Christmas pickle ornaments.

That’s a thing? My grandmother is German and there were definitely no pickles on her tree.

And no one in Germany knows about it.

Ahh. That explains it.

My very first Grey Goose Slush!

I almost picked that one. In fact, it was my first instinct. But then I went back to your last TR and did a little researched. Since you almost got the margarita but forgot I thought maybe this time.
Oh well… should have gone with my instincts.

Every time I ride it, I do so wishing I could skip the ride part.
I don't want to use the chicken exit, though.
Because I like all the stuff that happens on the car
before you start yo-yoing.

My DH feels this way about Splash. He loves the ride… except for the drop. He has often said that they ought to have a chicken exit just before the drop so you can experience the rest without that part.
As you can imagine, he just flat out refuses to do TOT.

I suspect that anytime the wait is anywhere between zero and 20 minutes,
they'll put 13 up on the board.
I love that attention to detail!

I never noticed this before. I love it!

She gave me the biggest, most massive,
most disdainful eye roll I've ever seen.

Why oh why do they do this?
Do they not realize we can see them?
Or that it’s the most infuriating thing ever?

We fell asleep.

Kay did an excellent job. If you took the picture of her out of context I would absolutely have thought she was sleeping.

ForeverDance - 10:45, SE, Margarita, no, Biergarten - 16 points (high score!)

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Zero points if you answer 11 meters/second or
"African or European".
Points awarded for creativity and brevity.

Number of Parks: 2
Breakfast: Orange Juice… and bounty platter.
Does Kay get Stuck: Yes
First thing you do: Train at MK
Airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow: Indeterminate.

 

[afwdwfan]

What am I saying... none of you would sleep 'til 9:00, right?

I'm developing a nervous tick just reading this update.

modified and added, tweaked and changed,
until I was happy with my choices.
Kay slept on.

Nervous tick growing stronger...

Finally, at 11:00am she woke up.

She told me she just wanted to chill in the room for a bit.
I told her no problem, I'd go re-fill the mugs.

That nervous tick just keeps getting worse. I can already see how you'll be when you get back to the room after being stuck in a hotel room all morning...

and watched TV while doing stuff online.
Kids do that now.
They don't just do one thing.
They go online and IM or whatever, while doing something else.
Frankly, it drives me nuts.
If you're going to watch TV or a movie, then watch!

Ok... I'm guilty. And I'm not a "kid." I can sit and check FB play some Candy Crush while I'm watching TV. But nothing that takes too much thought.

At 1:00pm it started to pour outside.

This day just keeps getting better!

This wasn't one of those 5 minute jobs.
It poured for over an hour and a half.

Who did you piss off???

Since it was pouring, I didn't feel too much angst
about not being gone to a park by now.

Some... but not too much.

Oh come on! You know that when it rains is when you want to be in the park since everybody scatters!

Eventually, Kay figured she was ready to go and we set out.
We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.
(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?

No. I didn't fall out of my chair.

But I did throw up in my mouth just a little bit.

As a matter of fact, it held off for the rest of the day.
At 2:58pm our bus arrived.
Four minutes! What gives?

I mean, you know... you'd hate to wait more than 4 minutes for a bus after you've waited 6 HOURS in a hotel room!

During the ride, I made a point of pointing out the Roman Centurion
that looks so much like my Dad.
Right away, Kay said "Yeah! That looks exactly like him!"
Granted my Dad's older now, but still.
It's him.
I have confirmation, now.

We'll accept that. Because her word is worth about 5 times as much as yours.

We then headed out and over to:

Noo!!!!!

And walked right on by.

Whew!

Really... who has time for this?
It's a huge commitment in time, and it's dated.
Or so I've heard.
Pretty sure the last time I rode it, was before Ellen's time.
And it was just okay then.
I might ride it next time.

I might not.
We'll see how I feel.

Look, it's a good ride if you need a nap and need to break up a day around mid afternoon. But you didn't leave Pop until nearly 3. Let's assume that by the time you got to EPCOT, into the park and off SSE, it's probably around 3:45 or 4. THE PARK WOULD BE CLOSED BY THE TIME YOU GOT OFF OF THIS RIDE!!!

So I have bad news and good news... and bad news... and good news... and bad news.
The bad news is:
Remember how they changed the show on the bus and they give away
the "secret" of Beverly?
The good news is:
Remember the sound was muted? So she didn't hear that!
The bad news is:
She remembered that one of the drinks tasted bad.
The good news?
She didn't remember which one it was.

So in a nutshell... it's good news!

"Dad?" She asked. "Which one is the one that tastes bad?"
I answered right away. "The Inca Kola."

Oh... that's so evil.

I love it!

The bad news is that I didn't get a picture.
I couldn't!
If I'd had my camera out and pointed at her
she would've known right away what was up.
I had to sell it like I really thought Inca Kola was it.

Did you ever fess up?

So far, I've asked for (and gotten... with no fuss) my (or our) preferred seating in:
RNRC, TOT, BTMRR, SM, Splash, 7DMT and Soarin'.
It can't hurt to ask, so why not?
Few do, so your request is likely to be granted.
And if it isn't.... who cares? You're in Disney World!

Good point. I typically don't take the time to ask, but I guess it never hurts!

But right off the bat, I immediately noticed just how bad
the film is.
Lots of dust and stuff.

It's impossible to ignore.

Funny thing. Within a few seconds, I was really enjoying myself.
I just let go and let the experience wash over me.
Kay was right beside me and exclaiming about the smells.
In a good way, I mean.

And that's what it is all about!

I knew that there could be up to a three hour wait to see Figment,
but I decided to take a risk and go.

You don't need to go to the Imagination Pavilion. Clearly, you've already got a very active imagination.

We went in and I was right.
The wait was up to three hours long.
Provided you stood there for no reason for three hours, of course.

Kay proclaimed that this was the job she'd want at Disney.
She couldn't think of an easier job to have.

Easy... but boring...

They really need to shut this thing down and build a new attraction.
And the good part is no one would notice!
"Disney announces a new attraction at Epcot!
Located at the former site of Journey into Imagination."

"What? When did they close down Figment?"
"About two years ago."
"Huh."

Ok, let's just stop this train of thought right here.

Yes, the ride sucks.

The imagination pavilion in its present form sucks.

But they can't mess with Figment. Too many people, myself included, like the little purple fella.

They can, however, scrap the entire attraction in its current form and start over.

What brilliant new technology!

Now?

Embarrassingly dated computers.

Oh, just use your imagination and they're impressive!

Pretty much as soon as our butts hit the seats,
they left the stage.
Must've been something we said.
Probably something Kay said.

That skunk smell from Imagination was lingering.

Kay had a water, but I had something I'd read about here on the DIS.
Someone had written about it in their TR and I thought it sounded good.

Beer Flight!!!!

So I ordered the wine flight.
I'd never even heard of this until I read about it here.

Oh. Ok. That too. Who goes to Germany and doesn't get beer though????

Wine connoisseurs are jerks.
If you are a wine connoisseur, I don't mean you.
I mean all the other ones...

So if I was an expert and told you that brussels sprouts were only fit
for pigs and compost,
would you stop eating them and be ashamed that you like them?
Everyone has different likes and dislikes.
Everyone has different tastes.

Well said! I'm not a big wine fan myself. I guarantee I couldn't tell you a $500 glass of wine from a $5 glass of wine. But I'd probably like the $5 one more.

Pizza - Coke. Because I don't drink beer.

Oh. Well then, there's that. I guess that's a legitimate reason for not getting the beer flight.

Naturally, the band came out and started to set up for
their next set as we were leaving.

Well, the odor finally cleared.

We were in here for about an hour.

Oh, you earned my respect and gained my sympathy. 6 hours in a hotel room. 1 hour in a store in EPCOT. You survived the Disney day from hell.

My very first Grey Goose Slush!

Yay!!! And crap!!! I had a 50/50 chance and I picked the wrong drink!

"Oh, you have to try ______, it's the best thing in the world!"
So I try ______ and while it's usually good,
it's frequently not quite as good as I expected it to be.

Not many things are "the best thing in the world."

Kind of like Dole Whips. They're fine. I was a bit let down the first time I had one. I'll have one and I'll enjoy it. But it isn't the best thing I've ever had and the world won't end if I don't get one.

But anyway I'm glad the slush lived up to the hype for you.

But this?
Oh, wow.
I'm not a big drinker (see food/wine pairings above)
so I didn't expect much from this.
Whoa...
So, so good.
It probably didn't hurt that it was still hot out, either.

That's the thing... I personally don't like to have alcoholic drinks when it is really hot and I'm sweating. Partly because alcohol contributes to dehydration, but in a lot of cases they just don't leave you feeling refreshed when you're feeling hot and really thirsty.

These things would totally work in that situation though. The ice and the flavor... just perfect.

"Okay. Now it's broken."

I see what you did there. Well played.

And I'm so glad we did this.
While I've heard people complain about the boat ride,
"It takes too long! With all those stops, you can walk it faster!"
I thoroughly enjoyed all the stops.

I agree. I mean if you're in a hurry, the walk might make sense. But if you want to get off your feet and just enjoy the sights, it makes perfect sense.

It also gives me an excellent excuse to stay at
Yacht Club, Beach Club or Boardwalk.

Do you need any more excuse! I'd love to stay at Beach Club sometime.

So here's the thing.
I love the theming of TOT.
I love the preshow.
I love the moving (horizontally!) elevator.
I love the effects.
I hate the actual ride part.
The falling, then you're not, wait! Yes you are!
Phew! It's over! No it's not! Falling again!

You don't appreciate the best part!!!!!!!!

Well, for you, dear readers, I wanted to get a PP picture of us on the ride.
Can't do that while hanging on for dear life, can you?
So I didn't.
Just for you.
Yes. You.

Well done! I appreciate your effort.

(And for the record... the kid to the far right, front row is hilarious!)

And.... I loved it!

Wait... wha????

Amazing what a difference not hanging on made.
I'm not even sure why.

Because you're letting go... giving up control and letting the joy and euphoria of the ride take over!

We headed over to RNRC.
Kay mentioned that she wanted to pick up some guitar picks,
so we went into the dump shop first and got some.
Unfortunately, they disappeared at some point and never made it home with us.

Darn... that's too bad.

And then right then is when she almost died.

She gave me the biggest, most massive,
most disdainful eye roll I've ever seen.

I stopped breathing.
I twitched a bit. But I did not kill her.
Oh, I wanted to.
Oh.... how I wanted to.
But I didn't.

I also didn't talk to her for a few minutes.
I was pretty sure that any conversation that followed
would not be pretty.
I kept my mouth firmly clamped shut.

So that's what it takes. An eye roll.

But I've got to think the 6 hours of sitting around the room waiting to go to the parks had to have a significant contribution. This was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

There was no wait whatsoever.
The preshow... wasn't running.
The door in the library stood open.
We just walked through and straight to our elevator.

Well, it would be nice to get right on, but missing the pre-show kind of takes a little bit away from the experience, I'd think.

The ride did its thing and.... yup. I had a blast.

Yes!!! She converted you!!!! Now @Captain_Oblivious is back to being the lone Disdad that we can all make fun of for his fear of ToT!!!!

When it was over, I turned to the young lady and reassured her
that the ride was over.
"Oh." She said. "It's not the drop I'm afraid of... it's the ghosts."

Do you know what I'm scared of???

Stupid people!

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

2

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

I'll say Bounty Platter, just because that's what I'd have.

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

No

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

I'll go with B. Because all of the choices make me want to die a little bit on the inside.

But then again, it isn't like you're wasting the first hour after rope drop by doing these things when you finally arrive at the parks.

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Zero points if you answer 11 meters/second or
"African or European".
Points awarded for creativity and brevity.

Less than 1300 feet per second.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

2:54pm!?!?! I wanted to fall out of my chair, but managed to hold on. I am significantly impressed by your patience! I don't know that I could have waiting for that long! Although, I will say I am always impressed by people who aren't as uptight about 'getting as much done' as I am at Disney. Sometimes it would be nice if I had that philosophy!

Ooh, dinner in Germany looks delicious! We haven't managed a dinner there yet, and I'm not real sure why? Most reviews I've read are good!

Looks like you had an great night at HS. I love that you were just headed to the park at nearly 10pm! Someday when my little guys are teenagers I am sure we will trend from Morning people to Night Owls!

Now to my guesses.
I think you will hit 2 parks.
I think you will have Mickey Waffles for Breakfast, because they are the best.
I think that Kay will get stuck going into the park again, because it doesn't seem like she's that lucky.
I think you will take the train when you get to the MK- because why walk when you can ride!

As for unladen swallow: I do not have sufficient information to answer the question? Shall I assume the average size of a swallow? What is the Wing span? Can you provide specific information on the Air Conditions that day? I could consider a spherical swallow in a vacuum, but I don't think that is the answer you are looking for.

 

[irene_dsc]

Finally, at 11:00am she woke up.
She told me she just wanted to chill in the room for a bit.

This sounds so much like a 14 yo I know...

Kids do that now.
They don't just do one thing.
They go online and IM or whatever, while doing something else.

And like both an 11 yo and a 14 yo I know...but I'm sometimes guilty too.

We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.
(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?
Let me know (either yes or no) and you'll get bonus points!)

No - again, sounds like a 14 yo I know!

"Dad?" She asked. "Which one is the one that tastes bad?"
I answered right away. "The Inca Kola."

Good move. Still wondering if you ever did fess up!

Still, Kay did design her own Figment and emailed it off to Ruby and a friend...
who were completely mystified when they got a cartoon dragon in their email.
So that was worthwhile, at least.

Nothing like totally confusing your friends and family.

It's an American invention of a made up German tradition.

I don't know if I dare tell dd. They did a "Holidays around the world" theme for choir last year, and sang a song about the pickle for Germany. I even got her a pickle ornament, because she kept singing the darn song!

I hadn't eaten anything yet that day and Kay had just a muffin.
We might've been a wee bit hungry.

Good time for a buffet, methinks.

Like how brussels sprouts are the Devil's food.
A more vile vegetable does not exist.
And yet... some people (inexplicably) like them.

I'm with you on this one. Except possibly okra (not in gumbo). Strangely enough, my sister loves them. Brussels sprouts, that is, not okra. And a while back, they were the side dish at a family bar mitzvah, and she got most of our table to give her their unwanted brussels sprouts. She was in hog heaven!

We were in here for about an hour.

Of course. We spent quite a bit of time just in the Pokemon section, and didn't even check out the rest of it!

She gave me the biggest, most massive,
most disdainful eye roll I've ever seen.

Those eye rolls can hurt!

I don't remember the ride.
We fell asleep.

You look rather zen-like, actually.

irene_dsc - 1 point to help with the nightmares.

No, not the yard of sugar! But thanks for the bonus point!

Bonus questions, round 7!

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Zero points if you answer 11 meters/second or
"African or European".
Points awarded for creativity and brevity.

2
I had to look up the menu, since I've never stayed there! I'm going to guess the waffles
Gonna guess Kay gets stuck again at the tapstiles
B

Faster than a laden swallow

 

[Mrs T 2009]

my guesses::

3 parks

POP waffle

No

A


Uh, I don't know, do you? I'm blonde, remember


OH, and "YAY"

 

[KathyM2]

We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.

That's like almost the whole day over already!!! But you did stay out late so I guess I will forgive you.

Except there was no one in the Standby line!

I was really shocked at how busy SE was when we were there. I mean I enjoyed the ride but the standby line was crazy.

The wait was up to three hours long.

Hey I'm a fan of figment - but when there is a line, it does seem to take three hours.

 

[jandlinz]

Hello there! So glad to read an update this week. It's been another tough week here (you can read about it later). You always brighten my day!!! I did have all my responses typed out on the ipad, but then my 14 month old wouldn't stop screaming (again an explanation below) and I had to turn on a Veggie Tale Christmas Song that he loves to stop the madness. I went back to finish and poof, gone. So, being the dedicated reader I am I had to redo it for my beloved Ponzi!

What am I saying... none of you would sleep 'til 9:00, right?

We only ever have after a Halloween Party.

Kay slept on.

You're such a great dad to let her sleep in. The Papa Ponzi Prize is awarded to you! I might have accidentally spilled some breakfast and borrowed a vacuum from housekeeping. Oops sorry honey didn't know you were still sleeping.

They don't just do one thing.
They go online and IM or whatever, while doing something else.

I'm constantly doing more than one thing at a time. Busy, busy, busy.

Since it was pouring, I didn't feel too much angst
about not being gone to a park by now.

Really?

Some... but not too much.

Just some...?

We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.
(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?
Let me know (either yes or no) and you'll get bonus points!)

Yes, I fell. Ouch.

I don't know how people can live like that!
I mean I am much more accustomed to not waiting at all.

I think you should invent a button on that Mickey head on the magic band that sends a signal for a bus, I mean limo, to come pick up all DISsers. You of course would be at the top of the list.

Success! We were in!

Yippee!

I hadn't played that before. It was fun!

Pixie dust for doing something new and having fun!

And walked right on by.
Really... who has time for this?
It's a huge commitment in time, and it's dated.
Or so I've heard.
Pretty sure the last time I rode it, was before Ellen's time.
And it was just okay then.
I might ride it next time.

We have done it before as a time to let the little ones rest. When we got off my DH looked at me and said, "There went 45 minutes of my life I will never get back."He was so serious it was hard not to laugh.

Unfortunately, Kay found it kind of boring.
Still... I was not going to do Orange.
Suck it up, kid.

Oh, I think that is the first time you actually didn't let her do what she wanted to do.

Kay wanted to know where the "Coke" place was,
since she was thinking of getting something for her Mom.

So sweet!

She also remembered that you could get free samples there.
And she was interested in that too.

Dun, Dun, Dunnnnn...

She got to the Beverly and I held my breath.
She took a gulp and her face screwed right up!

The bad news is that I didn't get a picture.

Drat! I'm sure you'll keep the memory safe in your head though.

I had to sell it like I really thought Inca Kola was it.

Did she really believe you?

I asked a CM for the highest, non-foot row.
And of course they accommodated us.

Nice!

Funny thing. Within a few seconds, I was really enjoying myself.
I just let go and let the experience wash over me.

That's great. Next time we go there will be a new film. I wish we could have seen the old film one more time.

I knew that there could be up to a three hour wait to see Figment,
but I decided to take a risk and go.

Brave!

Still, Kay did design her own Figment and emailed it off to Ruby and a friend...
who were completely mystified when they got a cartoon dragon in their email.
So that was worthwhile, at least.

Figment was one of my brother's favorite when he was a child. My kids enjoyed it too. I think it's all in perspective.

Fish - a sweet white wine.
Chicken - a sweet white wine.
Beef - a sweet white wine.
Sushi - a sweet white wine.
Pizza - Coke. Because I don't drink beer.
Burger - Coke. Because duh.

Thanks for the lesson.

while I paid the tip.
Kay just sighed contentedly.

It must be nice to be a kid.

I let Kay do all the picture taking while I just relaxed
and tried to digest a whole lot of German grub.

She really did a great job with the picture taking. I'm determined to make it around World Showcase next time we visit. We always go with my parents and my mom is not a world showcase person. I always want to make her happy so we have yet to do it. I have started a list on what I really want to do based off other trip reports. I know I would really love to do pick a pearl with my daughter. I also think she'd love to meet all the princesses.

We were in here for about an hour.

Papa Ponzi Prize #2.

My very first Grey Goose Slush!

That looks great. I haven't had a drink in over 10 years. I'm always either pregnant or nursing. I just started weaning/sleep training my last little one this week (if you're wondering, yes, it's been rough). I think I'll celebrate taking back control of my body with one of those next time we go.

But this?
Oh, wow.
I'm not a big drinker (see food/wine pairings above)
so I didn't expect much from this.
Whoa...
So, so good.

Yum!

We were going to take the boat from Epcot to DHS.

I nailed that! I guessed DHS and the boat to get there! I'm so proud.

Kay's finger didn't work again.

I hate the actual ride part.
The falling, then you're not, wait! Yes you are!
Phew! It's over! No it's not! Falling again!

Blech!!

I hate that too. In fact, I actually have a recurring nightmare where I'm stuck in an elevator falling to my death. I'm not even joking. I'm that pathetic.

Well, for you, dear readers, I wanted to get a PP picture of us on the ride.
Can't do that while hanging on for dear life, can you?
So I didn't.
Just for you.
Yes. You.

Wow! That is so sweet of you to take that picture just for us. You are the best. We love you too!

And.... I loved it!
It was so much fun not holding on!

Maybe I'll try it next time... ugh maybe not.

We exited the ride, giggling like little girls.
Which was okay for Kay, but not super manly for me.

Oh, I think it's so precious to see a dad giggling with his daughter. It actually makes you look more manly.

I suspect that anytime the wait is anywhere between zero and 20 minutes,
they'll put 13 up on the board.
I love that attention to detail!

Thanks for sharing that. I know I would have passed that right on by.

This is where Kay almost lost her life.

Oh no!!!!!

She gave me the biggest, most massive,
most disdainful eye roll I've ever seen.

Now why is it that daughters can do this so well? Please give me some pointers for my future years with my daughter as a teenager. My DH looked at me the other night and not kidding said, "And to think you actually wanted two of them." Just a little history we tried to give her a sister, but God had other plans and decided one little girl was all we could handle.

I stopped breathing.
I twitched a bit. But I did not kill her.
Oh, I wanted to.
Oh.... how I wanted to.
But I didn't.

Papa Ponzi Prize #3

Crisis over.

Phew!

I'll never know, of course...
But I do hope that some of the pictures where we did silly things
wind up in other people's photo albums or whatever.

I'm sure your Splash with Chinese food is being shared already.

"Oh." She said. "It's not the drop I'm afraid of... it's the ghosts."

jandlinz - 10 (-10pts)

Can I switch to 34?

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

I'm sure everyone will say 2 or 3 so I'm going against the grain and say 4! I wonder if this is something Kay will find as a fun challenge.

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

You know I had to do some homework on this. I was going to say the Bounty Platter or Make your own Omelette, but decided on the pop waffles with sausage/bacon.

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

Nope.

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

B. because how random is that. If I were going to do four parks in one day I would most definitely start at Animal Kingdom. It gets hot there fast.

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Zero points if you answer 11 meters/second or
"African or European".
Points awarded for creativity and brevity.

How do you know so much about unladen swallows? Are you a king or something?

Oh, wise King Ponzi I believe the answer is as long full grown python.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

What am I saying... none of you would sleep 'til 9:00, right?

Only if I've fallen asleep upside down and am looking at my alarm clock that way

Finally, at 11:00am she woke up.
She told me she just wanted to chill in the room for a bit.

Who wants to "chill" when you're at Disney???

Eventually, Kay figured she was ready to go and we set out.
We arrived at the Pop bus stop at 2:54pm.
(How many of you have just fallen out of your chairs?
Let me know (either yes or no) and you'll get bonus points!)

Not only fallen off but broken.

Our first FP was for Spaceship Earth.
Since I hadn't been sure just when we'd arrive,
I'd basically booked a throw away FP, in case we were late again.
So we confidently moseyed over to the FP line where a half dozen
or so people were patiently scanning their Magic Bands.
Except there was no one in the Standby line!
So by going in the FP line, it actually took us longer to get on!

Only four people guessed SE as the ride that would
cost us time because we FP'd it.

Yay I'm special! FP always seems to be longer than the standby line - plus you are out in the sun!

I didn't give Kay a choice on this one.
We rode Green.
I did not want to feel sick again, like I did last time I rode Orange.
I actually like this ride, but I don't relish puking.
So Green it will be!

Unfortunately, Kay found it kind of boring.
Still... I was not going to do Orange.
Suck it up, kid.

Excellent choice (and parenting).

So I have bad news and good news... and bad news... and good news... and bad news.
The bad news is:
Remember how they changed the show on the bus and they give away
the "secret" of Beverly?
The good news is:
Remember the sound was muted? So she didn't hear that!
The bad news is:
She remembered that one of the drinks tasted bad.
The good news?
She didn't remember which one it was.

"Dad?" She asked. "Which one is the one that tastes bad?"
I answered right away. "The Inca Kola."
Satisfied that she wouldn't be "caught", she began trying the different Colas.
She got to the Beverly and I held my breath.
She took a gulp and her face screwed right up!



The bad news is that I didn't get a picture.
I couldn't!
If I'd had my camera out and pointed at her
she would've known right away what was up.
I had to sell it like I really thought Inca Kola was it.

Is it wrong to say I actually like Beverly?

So of course she wanted to go on it.
I knew that there could be up to a three hour wait to see Figment,
but I decided to take a risk and go.

We went in and I was right.
The wait was up to three hours long.
Provided you stood there for no reason for three hours, of course.

The place, not surprisingly, was completely empty.
The bored CM woke up long enough to show us to one of
several dozen empty cars.

Kay proclaimed that this was the job she'd want at Disney.
She couldn't think of an easier job to have.


You know... I think this is one ride that not even good music can help.
It's just... bad.
They really need to shut this thing down and build a new attraction.
And the good part is no one would notice!
"Disney announces a new attraction at Epcot!
Located at the former site of Journey into Imagination."

But. It. Has. Eric. Idle.

Moments later we arrived early for our ADR.

And only one of you (yes, you @ForeverDance) guessed it!

See you got me with the whole ADR thing because you really never need one for Biergarten!

We skipped past Morocco and on towards France.
France... hmmm.... there was something about France.
What was it...

Oh!

I had forgotten this last trip and I almost forgot it again!

My very first Grey Goose Slush!

Darn it! I had that as my guess but changed it as I assumed you didn't like girlie drinks!

We exited the ride, giggling like little girls.
Which was okay for Kay, but not super manly for me.
We headed down the hill to see what the wait time was for RNRC.
As we did, I stopped and laughed.
I pointed out the wait time for TOT to Kay.

I suspect that anytime the wait is anywhere between zero and 20 minutes,
they'll put 13 up on the board.
I love that attention to detail

I didn't know it could even show anything other than multiples of 5!

Bonus questions, round 7!

How many parks do we hit?
(hint: it's between 1 and 4!)

We decide to have breakfast at Pop!
What do I have?

Tapstiles.
Does Kay get stuck again?

First thing we do after we enter the park.
Multiple choice!
Is it:
a. Take the train at MK?
b. Watch the otters at AK?
c. Ride Nemo at Epcot?
d. Frozen lemonade on Sunset Blvd?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Zero points if you answer 11 meters/second or
"African or European".
Points awarded for creativity and brevity.

Good luck!

1. 2 parks - MK and EPCOT

2. Can I have two guesses? Either the Chicken Fried Chicken or the Pop Tart Breakfast Sandwich!

3. Yes - because it is tradition now and you wouldn't want to ruin that.

4. Take the train at MK

5.