Part 3: Some Assembly Required; Did you say hang gliding ?; and Terror is the right word.
Day 2 begins with a 7:30 wake up call from Stitch and Mickey. Mongo is quite amused by this, or maybe its just the early morning. A quick assessment of the aerobeds shows that they worked great. I was particularly pleased, as the rest of the family liked them well enough that they voted I get a real bed all week. Taz also chose to bestow a new nickname on me .The Prince of Planning, The Viceroy of Vacations, and the Lord of Logistics. It became a running joke throughout the week. Each time some Pixie Dust flew our way, the family would launch into the name, each of them taking one part. It was particularly funny when they would launch into it on a bus or in an elevator. No shame or humility from this crew. I humbly accepted the position and the perks that resulted.
Showered and out the door, we headed off to Chef Mickeys for breakfast. Once again the wait for the boat was minimal. It was also a beautiful morning to be out on the water. The ride was pleasant and short. This was the first time we ever approached the Contemporary from this direction (always monorail rides before this) and the enormous size of the building really hit us. That toaster is darn big. Inside the building retains its enormity with the massive grand space. Ive always liked the inside of this building, and this trip continues to maintain that feeling. We line up for Chef Mickeys. This line is long but moves quickly, and we are seated within 10 minutes. BUT .before we can go to our table, we have to line up for our Chef Mickey family picture. I really dont like doing these, and we have never bought one of the pictures, but Da Wife insists and we line up and smile.
Once seated, we head for the buffet. I have been waiting for Mickey shaped pancakes since I started planning this vacation, and now was my time to get some !! and then depression set in. No Mickey pancakes, just Mickey waffles. Well, any connoisseur of breakfast fare knows that a Mickey waffle is just a feeble attempt at imitating the original Mickey pancake. Determined to not let this get me down, I summon my engineering expertise and construct my own Mickey pancake. With the sweat equity I invested in its creation, this Mickey pancake proved quite tasty. Mickey Cake Character interaction was very good. Pluto got a ..come on, say it with me .a kiss on the nose from Da Wife. During the meal the CM comes by with our family picture, and wouldnt you know it, its pretty darn good. Every ones eyes are open, nobody is scratching their butt, and we actually look to be enjoying ourselves. Wonder of wonders, we decide to buy the set. 2 5x7s and 2 key chains w/pics for $26. Not too steep considering where we are. Pleasantly full, we head to the concourse to buy a few post cards and then off to the monorail for a ride to Epcot.
At the TTC we transfer to the EPCOT monorail and even with folks already waiting in line, no on has yet asked to ride up front. I jump at the chance, and we are given the go ahead to be co-pilots. This is particularly cool due to the length of the run (7 ½ miles) to EPCOT. Our driver was very chatty, making the trip even more enjoyable. He advised us to get our first FastPass for Test Track, since that ride shuts down in the rain and the lines can get very long. When we enter the park, our strategy is to FP Test Track then queue up for Soarin. FP in hand we head to The Land for Soarin. On the walk there everyone is excited about riding the hang glider simulator .then it hit me. This ride is going to make me feel like Im high in the air, with little or no structure around me. My stomach falls out from my body. I HATE heights!! Flying in planes is okay, because we are surrounded by a significant structure. Standing on top of buildings, walking to the edge of a cliff, HANG GLIDING .forget it. When we get to The Land, the wait is 80 minutes. Being the brave dad, I queue up with everyone else and figure I have at least an hour to chicken out. The line moves steadily, and the pre-show quizzes keep us busy. In less than 1 hour we are at the concourse entrance. No turning back now, I suppose. We get the second row for this flight, which gives me some relief (only a little though). Ok were in the seat, and whoosh, we are lifted toward the screen. Coming through the clouds, I have a death grip on the sides of the seat. (insert audible scream here) Oh jeez, were flying over the Golden Gate Bridge !!! After a minute or so the ride starts to get fun. Then PGA West I played that course only 2 years ago. Too cool. As soon as it ended I wanted to go again. This is the best ride I have ever been on at Disney !!!!! MORE MORE MORE !!!
As we leave Soarin its time when we can get another FastPass. We immediately get one for Soarin. From there we head up and do Honey I Shrunk the Audience (it was an OK show), and the Figment ride (disappointed when comparing to the old Figment ride). Both were fun and relaxing to do, but wouldnt be on our repeat list. To make things all better, we must have a Mickey Bar!!. Yummy stuff ! While sitting on the wall eating our ice cream, the big black thunderclouds start to build. We decide that this is a good time for a break, and head for the exit and the WL bus. On our way we decide to ride Space Ship Earth. No line, and understandably so. Mongo and Taz both decide the ride felt just like being in their history class, and a vacation is no time for schoolwork. I think they both nodded off at some point during the ride.
Back at the lodge we take a brief rest as the rain passes. When it ends we head for the pool, for a brief dip. Lovely pool. I like to hang by the wall where the waterfall entered the pool. The boys did the water slide a few times, and then we all got into the hot tub for a bit. Feeling refreshed we decide to head for MGM.
As we step on the bus for MGM (no wait again!) the skys are threatening again. With our trusty 99-cent ponchos in hand we fear nothing, and head out. Walking into the park is a downpour so severe we actually take refuge in a soft drink kiosk. 15 minutes pass and the rain lets up. The boys want to make a beeline for Tower of Terror. I begin to wonder if the family is conducting an intervention to cure me of my fear of heights. If so, its not working yet and the thought ToT is terrorizing me. Well wouldnt you know, with all the rain, the wait for ToT is only 10 minutes. Oh joy! Oh rapture! ...NOT. Once again I do the brave daddy thing. Once seated, I think This ride aint so bad. We couldnt have gone up very high at all. Then those stinkin doors open and the world in which Im sitting begins to fall then back up ..then back down. Up down, up down. WHEEEEEEE. Hey, this one is pretty fun too terrorizing, but fun. As we exit the ride, we grab a FP for ToT and head for a counter service dinner. We have a burger at the CS right near ToT. OK burger, but nothing to write home about. I got the apple pie dessert, which was very good. The others got the chocolate cake, which was average.
We walked through MGM doing a couple of other rides The Great Movie Ride was particularly enjoyable. No one seemed in the mood for Fantazmic, so we head back to WL for another dip in the pool and for a chance to rest our feet.
Coming in Part 4 - The Great Wedgie Machine and, Punkd in Whispering Canyon.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 4
Day 2 begins with a 7:30 wake up call from Stitch and Mickey. Mongo is quite amused by this, or maybe its just the early morning. A quick assessment of the aerobeds shows that they worked great. I was particularly pleased, as the rest of the family liked them well enough that they voted I get a real bed all week. Taz also chose to bestow a new nickname on me .The Prince of Planning, The Viceroy of Vacations, and the Lord of Logistics. It became a running joke throughout the week. Each time some Pixie Dust flew our way, the family would launch into the name, each of them taking one part. It was particularly funny when they would launch into it on a bus or in an elevator. No shame or humility from this crew. I humbly accepted the position and the perks that resulted.
Showered and out the door, we headed off to Chef Mickeys for breakfast. Once again the wait for the boat was minimal. It was also a beautiful morning to be out on the water. The ride was pleasant and short. This was the first time we ever approached the Contemporary from this direction (always monorail rides before this) and the enormous size of the building really hit us. That toaster is darn big. Inside the building retains its enormity with the massive grand space. Ive always liked the inside of this building, and this trip continues to maintain that feeling. We line up for Chef Mickeys. This line is long but moves quickly, and we are seated within 10 minutes. BUT .before we can go to our table, we have to line up for our Chef Mickey family picture. I really dont like doing these, and we have never bought one of the pictures, but Da Wife insists and we line up and smile.
Once seated, we head for the buffet. I have been waiting for Mickey shaped pancakes since I started planning this vacation, and now was my time to get some !! and then depression set in. No Mickey pancakes, just Mickey waffles. Well, any connoisseur of breakfast fare knows that a Mickey waffle is just a feeble attempt at imitating the original Mickey pancake. Determined to not let this get me down, I summon my engineering expertise and construct my own Mickey pancake. With the sweat equity I invested in its creation, this Mickey pancake proved quite tasty. Mickey Cake Character interaction was very good. Pluto got a ..come on, say it with me .a kiss on the nose from Da Wife. During the meal the CM comes by with our family picture, and wouldnt you know it, its pretty darn good. Every ones eyes are open, nobody is scratching their butt, and we actually look to be enjoying ourselves. Wonder of wonders, we decide to buy the set. 2 5x7s and 2 key chains w/pics for $26. Not too steep considering where we are. Pleasantly full, we head to the concourse to buy a few post cards and then off to the monorail for a ride to Epcot.
At the TTC we transfer to the EPCOT monorail and even with folks already waiting in line, no on has yet asked to ride up front. I jump at the chance, and we are given the go ahead to be co-pilots. This is particularly cool due to the length of the run (7 ½ miles) to EPCOT. Our driver was very chatty, making the trip even more enjoyable. He advised us to get our first FastPass for Test Track, since that ride shuts down in the rain and the lines can get very long. When we enter the park, our strategy is to FP Test Track then queue up for Soarin. FP in hand we head to The Land for Soarin. On the walk there everyone is excited about riding the hang glider simulator .then it hit me. This ride is going to make me feel like Im high in the air, with little or no structure around me. My stomach falls out from my body. I HATE heights!! Flying in planes is okay, because we are surrounded by a significant structure. Standing on top of buildings, walking to the edge of a cliff, HANG GLIDING .forget it. When we get to The Land, the wait is 80 minutes. Being the brave dad, I queue up with everyone else and figure I have at least an hour to chicken out. The line moves steadily, and the pre-show quizzes keep us busy. In less than 1 hour we are at the concourse entrance. No turning back now, I suppose. We get the second row for this flight, which gives me some relief (only a little though). Ok were in the seat, and whoosh, we are lifted toward the screen. Coming through the clouds, I have a death grip on the sides of the seat. (insert audible scream here) Oh jeez, were flying over the Golden Gate Bridge !!! After a minute or so the ride starts to get fun. Then PGA West I played that course only 2 years ago. Too cool. As soon as it ended I wanted to go again. This is the best ride I have ever been on at Disney !!!!! MORE MORE MORE !!!
As we leave Soarin its time when we can get another FastPass. We immediately get one for Soarin. From there we head up and do Honey I Shrunk the Audience (it was an OK show), and the Figment ride (disappointed when comparing to the old Figment ride). Both were fun and relaxing to do, but wouldnt be on our repeat list. To make things all better, we must have a Mickey Bar!!. Yummy stuff ! While sitting on the wall eating our ice cream, the big black thunderclouds start to build. We decide that this is a good time for a break, and head for the exit and the WL bus. On our way we decide to ride Space Ship Earth. No line, and understandably so. Mongo and Taz both decide the ride felt just like being in their history class, and a vacation is no time for schoolwork. I think they both nodded off at some point during the ride.
Back at the lodge we take a brief rest as the rain passes. When it ends we head for the pool, for a brief dip. Lovely pool. I like to hang by the wall where the waterfall entered the pool. The boys did the water slide a few times, and then we all got into the hot tub for a bit. Feeling refreshed we decide to head for MGM.
As we step on the bus for MGM (no wait again!) the skys are threatening again. With our trusty 99-cent ponchos in hand we fear nothing, and head out. Walking into the park is a downpour so severe we actually take refuge in a soft drink kiosk. 15 minutes pass and the rain lets up. The boys want to make a beeline for Tower of Terror. I begin to wonder if the family is conducting an intervention to cure me of my fear of heights. If so, its not working yet and the thought ToT is terrorizing me. Well wouldnt you know, with all the rain, the wait for ToT is only 10 minutes. Oh joy! Oh rapture! ...NOT. Once again I do the brave daddy thing. Once seated, I think This ride aint so bad. We couldnt have gone up very high at all. Then those stinkin doors open and the world in which Im sitting begins to fall then back up ..then back down. Up down, up down. WHEEEEEEE. Hey, this one is pretty fun too terrorizing, but fun. As we exit the ride, we grab a FP for ToT and head for a counter service dinner. We have a burger at the CS right near ToT. OK burger, but nothing to write home about. I got the apple pie dessert, which was very good. The others got the chocolate cake, which was average.
We walked through MGM doing a couple of other rides The Great Movie Ride was particularly enjoyable. No one seemed in the mood for Fantazmic, so we head back to WL for another dip in the pool and for a chance to rest our feet.
Coming in Part 4 - The Great Wedgie Machine and, Punkd in Whispering Canyon.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 4
