Dancind
Tinkerbell's Mom
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2001
- Messages
- 7,730
Participants: Me (Diana), major planner of WDW vacations ; DH (Kevin) slowly becoming more Disneyfied; and the Dancerina aka Tinkerbell (Alicia, age 10).
OK, now for the madness. The day before, Dec. 31, we caught the boat from Boardwalk since the line at the Swan/Dolphin was so long. I stopped at the pin cart to get a New Years Eve pin, and found out they had sold out at 8:30 am. BUT, they would be open the next morning at 8 am, and would be selling the New Years Day pin plus the LE Tinkerbell POM. I managed to trade for the NYE pin that day at Epcot. We started before our September trip with a small collection of inexpensive pins for Alicia to trade with CMs. On that trip, I bought some 100 Years of Magic pins, and some limited editions. Alicia looks for Tinkerbell pins (since she IS Tinkerbell), scared Mickey pins, and Countdown pins. With this trip, I believe I am officially a Pin Head, my daughter a Pin Junkie, and my husband a Pin Enabler. This is what happened.
We set the alarm on New Years Day for 7:30 am, so I could walk to Boardwalk and get the pins. I threw on my clothes from the night before, brushed my teeth, and headed out. They announced that they had 100 of each pin, two per person, and I was #34 in line. No sweat. With about five people left in front of me, they announced that Tinkerbell was gone! Oh no! We had to have Tinkerbell! So I bought my two NYD pins, and headed back to the Dolphin to tell Kevin I was going over to Epcot to get Tinkerbell. Alicia was still asleep, blissfully ignorant of what I was going through. Back to the boat, Epcot doesnt open until 10, but MGM opens at 9. I was there waiting for the rope drop, but was badly beaten in the rush to Mickeys hat. There, I found out that I had missed the wrist band to get the Cogsworth pin. By 9:20, there were still at least 40 people in front of me, and I was thinking about our 10 am PS at Boma, so I left. I happened to look at the little concession stand by the entrance on the way out, and there was Tinkerbell! A happy ending! I got two Tinkerbell pins, and we got checked out of the Dolphin with enough time to have a delicious breakfast at Boma. Of course, I did not get to shower or change clothes, a small price to pay.
If you go to Bomas for breakfast, take an appetite. It was as wonderful as the dinner. Wonderful egg dishes, omelets, fruit, scones with fresh jams, incredible sticky buns with pecans. And thats just what we ate, there was lots more. Alicia went for the oatmeal bar and pancakes. Yummy! After breakfast, we headed to MGM, our favorite park. Fast passes for RnR, and into One Mans Dream, great exhibit. Millionaire, of course. My husband offered to stand in line for Cogsworth pins, though I paid for them, which is why he is the Enabler. That took a good hour, I think the longest we waited for anything all week. It reminded me of our Beanie Baby days. The heck of it is, when we went back a couple of days later, they still had some Cogsworth pins! After the Muppets, the afternoon was warm enough that we decided it might be Alicias only chance for a swim. She really wanted to try the pool at the Dolphin, so we headed back. Can you say COLD? She got in, but I dont think she got out again until we left an hour later, not even to try the slide. Next, a trip to Goodings, and check-in at Old Key West. We got a one bedroom on the second floor of building 62, with a wonderful view of a lake. Lots of birds! When we get to OKW, its like AAAHHHH. Our REAL vacation has finally begun. We didnt leave again that night, just ate dinner there and relaxed. The Dolphin was nice, but just not the same. Our room at the Dolphin was small, crowded with a King bed and small sleeper sofa. The bed was hard and the sheets were course (the pea wasnt too bad, though), so getting to OKW was heaven. We even did some laundry. Boy, did I sleep well that night. Especially after a soak in the Jacuzzi.
Wednesday, Jan. 2, a day for Animal Kingdom. We decided that this would be the time of year to really see the animals and take our time, it was too hot on our previous trips. We even got there pretty early, 10 am! We got a fast pass for the safari, and something to eat at Tuskers. That seems like a very good place, well try it for lunch next time. We did the Pagani trail, watched the gorillas for a while. By the time we finished the safari, it was raining pretty good. We slogged through some puddles and watched Its Tough to be a Bug, still raining. On the way to Dinoland, we decided to bag it since we were quite wet and miserable, even with our ponchos. We went back to the room, changed into dry clothes, and headed to Boardwalk for a burger. We chose Big River, which was not perfect since they have no French fries, but Kevin likes the beer. Next to Downtown Disney to see Lord of the Rings. Nice theatre with stadium seating, and it only cost $10 for three of us! Best deal at Disney, movies cost more at home! We had timed it perfectly for the 4 pm show, and got out at 7. The weather had turned nice, so we shopped around DD, and had sundaes at Ghirardellis. That stop is on our Repeat list too.
Thursday was a major Dilletente morning. We slept late, made a big breakfast, and didnt head over to MK until around 1 pm. This was on purpose, that night was E-night, and it was cold out. We did want to see the Share a Dream parade. Got the same spot as before, right in front of the Hall of Presidents, and sent Dad off to get caramel popcorn. This resulted in his watching the parade from the back of the crowd, the line for popcorn was so long. Good parade, but not as good as the Christmas parade, Alicia even rated it last of the five we saw. Great spot though, we got to watch all the kid interaction. Alicia did not join in, shes nearly 11 you know. We especially enjoyed the pirate that was helping Cruella with the kids. Ok, walk like Cruella, this is VERY Pirate-like. After the parade, we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean for our Pin Trade of the Week! When we were exiting the ride, the Enabler spotted a suited CM who had just come out of a back office. He had the walkie talkie, and a lanyard full of great looking pins. We cornered him, and Alicia traded him for the new $15 sorcerer hat pin that lights up. I traded him too, for the 2000 Holiday light up pin with the Pooh gang on it. I think its a CM pin, you dont see it much. We were thrilled. Suits are the best. We caught the Cinderellas Surprise show, which we didnt even know existed, and headed back around to Fantasyland, I think to show Alicia how long the lines were. Well, lo and behold, there was Tinkerbells Treasures! Alicia literally gasped and ran inside. There went the rest of the Disney dollars. Back around the castle, took pictures in Belles grotto, and wished at the wishing well. By this time, it was getting very cold. We went in search of some hot chocolate, and decided that dinner might be a better idea. Off to the Polynesian on the monorail, put our name in at OHanas. We got in after waiting about 45 minutes, not bad with no PS. First time at this restaurant, and we liked it a lot. The sides were good, and the meats were delicious. Alicia liked the rice, the turkey, and the activities. The girl can really Hoola Hoop! We finished dinner at 7:55, and dashed downstairs to see the fireworks from the beach. We were each wearing about four layers of clothing, and were amazed to see some kids in the swimming pool! That beach is a terrific place to watch the fireworks. One of these days were going to see Tinkerbell fly, though.
The good news: it was so cold, there were hardly any people at E-night. If I had known, I would not have bought the tickets. But we had them, so we went. First stop, the Country Bear Christmas show for warmth. It was an especially 3D show for us, because Alicia insisted on sitting right in front, and one of the bears kind of came down on our heads. Cute show though, I liked the Christmas version. By the time we got out, it seemed a little warmer out, and our three rides on Big Thunder werent too bad. We skipped Splash Mountain, though, not a good night to get even a little wet. After Haunted Mansion, we headed to Tomorrowland. We sent Kevin onto Alien Encounter, sort of a test ride. As I thought, he recommended that Alicia not go on it until shes about 30. He liked it, but she hates dark rides, especially jump rides. Loves those coasters, though. Next, three trips through Buzz Lightyear. Somehow I managed to score 999,999 points. I have no idea how, but it was so cool to bug my husband with. Im a Cosmic or Galactic something, I think. We rode Space Mountain, but no one wanted to do it twice. After Hulk and Dueling Dragons on our last trip, it seemed pretty tame. We still like Big Thunder and RnR though. They make us grin. We had never been on the Astro Orbiter, so we had to do it. Great view, but we froze through on that one, and decided it was time to head home. On the way out, we spotted characters by the castle, with no people! Alicia had Mickey AND Minnie all to herself for a while, hugged Chip and Dale, and refereed a dogfight between Pluto and Goofy. She can still giggle like a little kid. Isnt that the best?
OK, now for the madness. The day before, Dec. 31, we caught the boat from Boardwalk since the line at the Swan/Dolphin was so long. I stopped at the pin cart to get a New Years Eve pin, and found out they had sold out at 8:30 am. BUT, they would be open the next morning at 8 am, and would be selling the New Years Day pin plus the LE Tinkerbell POM. I managed to trade for the NYE pin that day at Epcot. We started before our September trip with a small collection of inexpensive pins for Alicia to trade with CMs. On that trip, I bought some 100 Years of Magic pins, and some limited editions. Alicia looks for Tinkerbell pins (since she IS Tinkerbell), scared Mickey pins, and Countdown pins. With this trip, I believe I am officially a Pin Head, my daughter a Pin Junkie, and my husband a Pin Enabler. This is what happened.
We set the alarm on New Years Day for 7:30 am, so I could walk to Boardwalk and get the pins. I threw on my clothes from the night before, brushed my teeth, and headed out. They announced that they had 100 of each pin, two per person, and I was #34 in line. No sweat. With about five people left in front of me, they announced that Tinkerbell was gone! Oh no! We had to have Tinkerbell! So I bought my two NYD pins, and headed back to the Dolphin to tell Kevin I was going over to Epcot to get Tinkerbell. Alicia was still asleep, blissfully ignorant of what I was going through. Back to the boat, Epcot doesnt open until 10, but MGM opens at 9. I was there waiting for the rope drop, but was badly beaten in the rush to Mickeys hat. There, I found out that I had missed the wrist band to get the Cogsworth pin. By 9:20, there were still at least 40 people in front of me, and I was thinking about our 10 am PS at Boma, so I left. I happened to look at the little concession stand by the entrance on the way out, and there was Tinkerbell! A happy ending! I got two Tinkerbell pins, and we got checked out of the Dolphin with enough time to have a delicious breakfast at Boma. Of course, I did not get to shower or change clothes, a small price to pay.
If you go to Bomas for breakfast, take an appetite. It was as wonderful as the dinner. Wonderful egg dishes, omelets, fruit, scones with fresh jams, incredible sticky buns with pecans. And thats just what we ate, there was lots more. Alicia went for the oatmeal bar and pancakes. Yummy! After breakfast, we headed to MGM, our favorite park. Fast passes for RnR, and into One Mans Dream, great exhibit. Millionaire, of course. My husband offered to stand in line for Cogsworth pins, though I paid for them, which is why he is the Enabler. That took a good hour, I think the longest we waited for anything all week. It reminded me of our Beanie Baby days. The heck of it is, when we went back a couple of days later, they still had some Cogsworth pins! After the Muppets, the afternoon was warm enough that we decided it might be Alicias only chance for a swim. She really wanted to try the pool at the Dolphin, so we headed back. Can you say COLD? She got in, but I dont think she got out again until we left an hour later, not even to try the slide. Next, a trip to Goodings, and check-in at Old Key West. We got a one bedroom on the second floor of building 62, with a wonderful view of a lake. Lots of birds! When we get to OKW, its like AAAHHHH. Our REAL vacation has finally begun. We didnt leave again that night, just ate dinner there and relaxed. The Dolphin was nice, but just not the same. Our room at the Dolphin was small, crowded with a King bed and small sleeper sofa. The bed was hard and the sheets were course (the pea wasnt too bad, though), so getting to OKW was heaven. We even did some laundry. Boy, did I sleep well that night. Especially after a soak in the Jacuzzi.
Wednesday, Jan. 2, a day for Animal Kingdom. We decided that this would be the time of year to really see the animals and take our time, it was too hot on our previous trips. We even got there pretty early, 10 am! We got a fast pass for the safari, and something to eat at Tuskers. That seems like a very good place, well try it for lunch next time. We did the Pagani trail, watched the gorillas for a while. By the time we finished the safari, it was raining pretty good. We slogged through some puddles and watched Its Tough to be a Bug, still raining. On the way to Dinoland, we decided to bag it since we were quite wet and miserable, even with our ponchos. We went back to the room, changed into dry clothes, and headed to Boardwalk for a burger. We chose Big River, which was not perfect since they have no French fries, but Kevin likes the beer. Next to Downtown Disney to see Lord of the Rings. Nice theatre with stadium seating, and it only cost $10 for three of us! Best deal at Disney, movies cost more at home! We had timed it perfectly for the 4 pm show, and got out at 7. The weather had turned nice, so we shopped around DD, and had sundaes at Ghirardellis. That stop is on our Repeat list too.
Thursday was a major Dilletente morning. We slept late, made a big breakfast, and didnt head over to MK until around 1 pm. This was on purpose, that night was E-night, and it was cold out. We did want to see the Share a Dream parade. Got the same spot as before, right in front of the Hall of Presidents, and sent Dad off to get caramel popcorn. This resulted in his watching the parade from the back of the crowd, the line for popcorn was so long. Good parade, but not as good as the Christmas parade, Alicia even rated it last of the five we saw. Great spot though, we got to watch all the kid interaction. Alicia did not join in, shes nearly 11 you know. We especially enjoyed the pirate that was helping Cruella with the kids. Ok, walk like Cruella, this is VERY Pirate-like. After the parade, we headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean for our Pin Trade of the Week! When we were exiting the ride, the Enabler spotted a suited CM who had just come out of a back office. He had the walkie talkie, and a lanyard full of great looking pins. We cornered him, and Alicia traded him for the new $15 sorcerer hat pin that lights up. I traded him too, for the 2000 Holiday light up pin with the Pooh gang on it. I think its a CM pin, you dont see it much. We were thrilled. Suits are the best. We caught the Cinderellas Surprise show, which we didnt even know existed, and headed back around to Fantasyland, I think to show Alicia how long the lines were. Well, lo and behold, there was Tinkerbells Treasures! Alicia literally gasped and ran inside. There went the rest of the Disney dollars. Back around the castle, took pictures in Belles grotto, and wished at the wishing well. By this time, it was getting very cold. We went in search of some hot chocolate, and decided that dinner might be a better idea. Off to the Polynesian on the monorail, put our name in at OHanas. We got in after waiting about 45 minutes, not bad with no PS. First time at this restaurant, and we liked it a lot. The sides were good, and the meats were delicious. Alicia liked the rice, the turkey, and the activities. The girl can really Hoola Hoop! We finished dinner at 7:55, and dashed downstairs to see the fireworks from the beach. We were each wearing about four layers of clothing, and were amazed to see some kids in the swimming pool! That beach is a terrific place to watch the fireworks. One of these days were going to see Tinkerbell fly, though.
The good news: it was so cold, there were hardly any people at E-night. If I had known, I would not have bought the tickets. But we had them, so we went. First stop, the Country Bear Christmas show for warmth. It was an especially 3D show for us, because Alicia insisted on sitting right in front, and one of the bears kind of came down on our heads. Cute show though, I liked the Christmas version. By the time we got out, it seemed a little warmer out, and our three rides on Big Thunder werent too bad. We skipped Splash Mountain, though, not a good night to get even a little wet. After Haunted Mansion, we headed to Tomorrowland. We sent Kevin onto Alien Encounter, sort of a test ride. As I thought, he recommended that Alicia not go on it until shes about 30. He liked it, but she hates dark rides, especially jump rides. Loves those coasters, though. Next, three trips through Buzz Lightyear. Somehow I managed to score 999,999 points. I have no idea how, but it was so cool to bug my husband with. Im a Cosmic or Galactic something, I think. We rode Space Mountain, but no one wanted to do it twice. After Hulk and Dueling Dragons on our last trip, it seemed pretty tame. We still like Big Thunder and RnR though. They make us grin. We had never been on the Astro Orbiter, so we had to do it. Great view, but we froze through on that one, and decided it was time to head home. On the way out, we spotted characters by the castle, with no people! Alicia had Mickey AND Minnie all to herself for a while, hugged Chip and Dale, and refereed a dogfight between Pluto and Goofy. She can still giggle like a little kid. Isnt that the best?
