CleveRocks
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster worshipper
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2005
- Messages
- 9,589
DAY 4 Wednesday, May 11 (Dessert Live on Stage)
We planned to take it easy today, which is against my religion but it was a necessary sin. We had 5:00 p.m. Hoop Dee Doo Revue Reservations, and the way things had been going we werent likely candidates for getting to a park at opening and doing only a few attractions before returning to CBR for a nap and then a 3:00 exit. Sigh.
I was the first to awake, at 8:45 a.m. Im usually up at 5:30 a.m. without an alarm, so I felt like I slept through lunch. We relaxed and sauntered to CBRs main pool around 10:30 a.m. It was the first time the kids had been in that pool, even though we walked by it every day so far. It was fun for all. And to those of you who arent regular exercisers this may sound strange, but all the miles of walking the past three days still hadnt scratched my itch for running. I got my chance because at check-in they failed to give us our Hoop Dee Doo voucher, so one of us had to go up to the Custom House to get it from Guest Services. I knew that the path around the lake was 1.4 miles, so I figure I did about that much in total, and it felt good. However, its been a kind of cool spring in the Northeast in general, and since I normally run on the boardwalk theres always a cool sea breeze anyway. By contrast, Lake Buena Vista was a hot, humid, breeze-less 88 degrees, so the short run took more out of me than I thought. On the bright side, there was a pool at the end of my run. Nice.
Before I left home, I printed out a post from Ronda (kaytieeldr) that Id saved, outlining a worst case timeline to get from CBR to Fort Wilderness. It was 1 hour 27 minutes, and since they tell you to show up 30 minutes before the show starts, we left our rooms at 3:00 p.m. My wife rolled her eyes when she saw Rondas instructions, but when I asked if she knew exactly how to get to FW and how long it would take, she said no because she relies on me for that stuff. I in turn told her that in this case I was relying on Ronda. She looked it over, nodded her approval, and we successfully used Rondas flawless directions. My MIL was surprisingly interested to see the directions, but my FIL kept insisting there MUST be a bus that goes directly from CBR to FW; he though it was a waste of time to take a bus to MK and then a boat to FW. Actually, he kept calling FW Camp Woop Dee Doo (no, that wasnt a typo).
We got there early, no stress, no rush. We had time to hang around and relax. This being WDW, there were a few outdoor souvenir stands open. Ben, becoming a savvy pin trader (he did his first trade yesterday), asked to buy a pin or two that he really didnt want just so hed have something to trade for. As luck would have it, the cashier had a Jessie and Bullseye pin that he traded for right then and there, which complemented the Buzz and Woody pin he traded for last night at Crystal Palace. Its funny how things change in such a short time: yesterday I was scoffing at the idiots who would pay $8.50 for a dozen locking pin backs, but this evening I was thankful the pin stand at FW sold them because I was tired of searching the ground for Bens pin backs. I think Im finally getting this Disney thing. FastPasses. Pools. Days of rest. Pins. Another few weeks of this and Ill be pretty good at it.
Ben was very excited about going to the show. Not about the show itself, but about GOING to the show. The boy is a native of an island that is three miles from the mainland but hes never been on a boat in his life (we have long causeways and bridges). He enjoyed the launch to WL and FW and didnt get seasick, as hed feared.
The only thing that my MIL planned in advance for this trip was attending the Hoop Dee Doo SHE made the reservations over a year ago. Id since learned that parties are seated in the order in which their reservations are paid for. We must have been the very first reservation, as we were table 011, all the way against the stage in the front left corner. Not my favorite seat in a theater, but then again this isnt exactly New York or Toronto.
Ben said he was bored with the idea of the show before it started, but he liked the kids macaroni and cheese and the corn, as did Mollie. The salad was really good and fresh. I know it sounds dumb, but for months Id been looking forward to the all-you-can-eat ribs. I LOVE ribs. They arrived in a bucket just as advertised, but I couldnt eat more than one bite. To me, ribs are good when theyre tender and they melt off the bone. These ribs were very tough and were Krazy Glued to the bone, like they were cooked in 10 minutes rather than hours and hours. Very, very disappointing. The fried chicken was moist and prepared perfectly, but I dont love fried chicken, were just friends.
The show was hokey and overacted and pure fun. Ben really got into it, and especially enjoyed the slapstick, physical comedy. The one thing I was very surprised by was the sexual innuendo. Im very far from being any kind of a prude (Ive been an unabashed Howard Stern listener for 19 years), but a WDW show was the last place I expected to see this kind of content.
The highlight of the day to me was when the curtain opened to reveal all of the food servers on stage with trays full of strawberry shortcake in bowls. Ben got all excited and yelled to me, Look, Daddy, dessert live on stage!
We left the show in pouring, soaking rain. The OTHER thing that MIL and Lisa did in preparation for our trip was to buy rain ponchos and pack them in our backpacks. We looked goofy, but at least we were dry. Magic Kingdom was having EMH, so we decided to go there, even though there were grumblings about the rain. The rain became a drizzle by the time we were halfway down Main Street.
Mollie and Lisa got to ride Magic Carpets of Aladdin two times in a row, at Mollies request, because no one was in line the park seemed pretty deserted at 7:30 p.m. Mollie loved this ride. My very sophisticated Ben stayed in the stroller and refused to go on the ride because, as he explained, Its exactly like Dumbo except its carpets instead of Dumbos, and I already rode Dumbo a few days ago. Objection sustained.
We walked to Pirates of the Caribbean and walked right on. Ben loves pirates, and in what has become a familiar refrain he said he was scared but enjoyed it. Mollie mostly kept her head buried in Lisas shoulder and chest. I was as impressed with it and loved it as much as 15 years ago. We did the gift shop thing, Bens favorite activity, then found bathrooms, and then waited for the 9:00 p.m. Country Bears Jamboree, the last one of the night. I LOVED this attraction 15 years ago, when I came with my then-fiancee (Lisa) and her family. Tonight, I was bored to the point of being annoyed. We all felt the same way, even Ben, and we left after about five minutes. I dont know if its just dull and dated or we Northern city-folk had already had our fill of folksy country-Western yee-haws from the Hoop Dee Doo, but boy was I disappointed. We were going to head to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but Ben decided they might be too scary at night. We decided to go back to CBR at a decent hour so we could get some much needed rest. Yeh, right.
On our way back towards the central hub, Lisa reads that there are character greetings at the castle forecourt 30 minutes after the beginning of EMH. So much for leaving early. As 9:30 p.m. approaches we keep wondering exactly where the castle forecourt is, because we want the kids to be in just the right spot. Months on the Disney boards, months poring over The Unofficial Guide and Birnbaums, 15 years of post-high school education between the two of us and we have no idea where the castle forecourt is. I stop feeling badly about it because no two CMs gave me the same answer when I asked. At 9:30 p.m. characters started appearing all around the area between the ground level in front of the castle and the Walt and Mickey statue, including to both sides, as well. All of a sudden we had to decide between lines for Mickey and Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, Chip and Dale, and Miko. We got pics with all except for Miko what can I say, we own Pocahontas but its not the kids favorite. So much for getting back to the hotel early. Thankfully, both kids fell asleep on the bus on the way back to CBR.
Around 10:30 p.m. I wandered alone to Old Port Royale to buy Mickey Messenger postcards (as a man, I refused to be labeled a "Fairy Godmailer"!)and keep trying to get my moneys worth on the refillable mug. The place closes at 11:00 p.m., and at 10:30 p.m. it was wall-to-wall people. It was so crowded it was like they were giving things away in the food court and the two shops.
Tomorrow will be Animal Kingdom. Ben cant wait to get to DinoLand U.S.A.
Its also necessary to point out that its the end of Day 4 and my in-laws have never offered to watch the kids for us (even while the kids sleep in the connecting room), and we dont want to ask them to do it.
We planned to take it easy today, which is against my religion but it was a necessary sin. We had 5:00 p.m. Hoop Dee Doo Revue Reservations, and the way things had been going we werent likely candidates for getting to a park at opening and doing only a few attractions before returning to CBR for a nap and then a 3:00 exit. Sigh.
I was the first to awake, at 8:45 a.m. Im usually up at 5:30 a.m. without an alarm, so I felt like I slept through lunch. We relaxed and sauntered to CBRs main pool around 10:30 a.m. It was the first time the kids had been in that pool, even though we walked by it every day so far. It was fun for all. And to those of you who arent regular exercisers this may sound strange, but all the miles of walking the past three days still hadnt scratched my itch for running. I got my chance because at check-in they failed to give us our Hoop Dee Doo voucher, so one of us had to go up to the Custom House to get it from Guest Services. I knew that the path around the lake was 1.4 miles, so I figure I did about that much in total, and it felt good. However, its been a kind of cool spring in the Northeast in general, and since I normally run on the boardwalk theres always a cool sea breeze anyway. By contrast, Lake Buena Vista was a hot, humid, breeze-less 88 degrees, so the short run took more out of me than I thought. On the bright side, there was a pool at the end of my run. Nice.
Before I left home, I printed out a post from Ronda (kaytieeldr) that Id saved, outlining a worst case timeline to get from CBR to Fort Wilderness. It was 1 hour 27 minutes, and since they tell you to show up 30 minutes before the show starts, we left our rooms at 3:00 p.m. My wife rolled her eyes when she saw Rondas instructions, but when I asked if she knew exactly how to get to FW and how long it would take, she said no because she relies on me for that stuff. I in turn told her that in this case I was relying on Ronda. She looked it over, nodded her approval, and we successfully used Rondas flawless directions. My MIL was surprisingly interested to see the directions, but my FIL kept insisting there MUST be a bus that goes directly from CBR to FW; he though it was a waste of time to take a bus to MK and then a boat to FW. Actually, he kept calling FW Camp Woop Dee Doo (no, that wasnt a typo).
We got there early, no stress, no rush. We had time to hang around and relax. This being WDW, there were a few outdoor souvenir stands open. Ben, becoming a savvy pin trader (he did his first trade yesterday), asked to buy a pin or two that he really didnt want just so hed have something to trade for. As luck would have it, the cashier had a Jessie and Bullseye pin that he traded for right then and there, which complemented the Buzz and Woody pin he traded for last night at Crystal Palace. Its funny how things change in such a short time: yesterday I was scoffing at the idiots who would pay $8.50 for a dozen locking pin backs, but this evening I was thankful the pin stand at FW sold them because I was tired of searching the ground for Bens pin backs. I think Im finally getting this Disney thing. FastPasses. Pools. Days of rest. Pins. Another few weeks of this and Ill be pretty good at it.
Ben was very excited about going to the show. Not about the show itself, but about GOING to the show. The boy is a native of an island that is three miles from the mainland but hes never been on a boat in his life (we have long causeways and bridges). He enjoyed the launch to WL and FW and didnt get seasick, as hed feared.
The only thing that my MIL planned in advance for this trip was attending the Hoop Dee Doo SHE made the reservations over a year ago. Id since learned that parties are seated in the order in which their reservations are paid for. We must have been the very first reservation, as we were table 011, all the way against the stage in the front left corner. Not my favorite seat in a theater, but then again this isnt exactly New York or Toronto.
Ben said he was bored with the idea of the show before it started, but he liked the kids macaroni and cheese and the corn, as did Mollie. The salad was really good and fresh. I know it sounds dumb, but for months Id been looking forward to the all-you-can-eat ribs. I LOVE ribs. They arrived in a bucket just as advertised, but I couldnt eat more than one bite. To me, ribs are good when theyre tender and they melt off the bone. These ribs were very tough and were Krazy Glued to the bone, like they were cooked in 10 minutes rather than hours and hours. Very, very disappointing. The fried chicken was moist and prepared perfectly, but I dont love fried chicken, were just friends.
The show was hokey and overacted and pure fun. Ben really got into it, and especially enjoyed the slapstick, physical comedy. The one thing I was very surprised by was the sexual innuendo. Im very far from being any kind of a prude (Ive been an unabashed Howard Stern listener for 19 years), but a WDW show was the last place I expected to see this kind of content.
The highlight of the day to me was when the curtain opened to reveal all of the food servers on stage with trays full of strawberry shortcake in bowls. Ben got all excited and yelled to me, Look, Daddy, dessert live on stage!
We left the show in pouring, soaking rain. The OTHER thing that MIL and Lisa did in preparation for our trip was to buy rain ponchos and pack them in our backpacks. We looked goofy, but at least we were dry. Magic Kingdom was having EMH, so we decided to go there, even though there were grumblings about the rain. The rain became a drizzle by the time we were halfway down Main Street.
Mollie and Lisa got to ride Magic Carpets of Aladdin two times in a row, at Mollies request, because no one was in line the park seemed pretty deserted at 7:30 p.m. Mollie loved this ride. My very sophisticated Ben stayed in the stroller and refused to go on the ride because, as he explained, Its exactly like Dumbo except its carpets instead of Dumbos, and I already rode Dumbo a few days ago. Objection sustained.
We walked to Pirates of the Caribbean and walked right on. Ben loves pirates, and in what has become a familiar refrain he said he was scared but enjoyed it. Mollie mostly kept her head buried in Lisas shoulder and chest. I was as impressed with it and loved it as much as 15 years ago. We did the gift shop thing, Bens favorite activity, then found bathrooms, and then waited for the 9:00 p.m. Country Bears Jamboree, the last one of the night. I LOVED this attraction 15 years ago, when I came with my then-fiancee (Lisa) and her family. Tonight, I was bored to the point of being annoyed. We all felt the same way, even Ben, and we left after about five minutes. I dont know if its just dull and dated or we Northern city-folk had already had our fill of folksy country-Western yee-haws from the Hoop Dee Doo, but boy was I disappointed. We were going to head to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but Ben decided they might be too scary at night. We decided to go back to CBR at a decent hour so we could get some much needed rest. Yeh, right.
On our way back towards the central hub, Lisa reads that there are character greetings at the castle forecourt 30 minutes after the beginning of EMH. So much for leaving early. As 9:30 p.m. approaches we keep wondering exactly where the castle forecourt is, because we want the kids to be in just the right spot. Months on the Disney boards, months poring over The Unofficial Guide and Birnbaums, 15 years of post-high school education between the two of us and we have no idea where the castle forecourt is. I stop feeling badly about it because no two CMs gave me the same answer when I asked. At 9:30 p.m. characters started appearing all around the area between the ground level in front of the castle and the Walt and Mickey statue, including to both sides, as well. All of a sudden we had to decide between lines for Mickey and Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, Chip and Dale, and Miko. We got pics with all except for Miko what can I say, we own Pocahontas but its not the kids favorite. So much for getting back to the hotel early. Thankfully, both kids fell asleep on the bus on the way back to CBR.
Around 10:30 p.m. I wandered alone to Old Port Royale to buy Mickey Messenger postcards (as a man, I refused to be labeled a "Fairy Godmailer"!)and keep trying to get my moneys worth on the refillable mug. The place closes at 11:00 p.m., and at 10:30 p.m. it was wall-to-wall people. It was so crowded it was like they were giving things away in the food court and the two shops.
Tomorrow will be Animal Kingdom. Ben cant wait to get to DinoLand U.S.A.
Its also necessary to point out that its the end of Day 4 and my in-laws have never offered to watch the kids for us (even while the kids sleep in the connecting room), and we dont want to ask them to do it.
