Day 10 - Part 1 Relaxation & Disney - Isn't that an Oxymoron?

[CJK]

The Cast:

Goofy Gal (me) - Obsessive Disney Planner
Goofy Guy (my husband) - Tolerant of the Obsessive Disney Planner
Dapper Dad (my dad) - A fellow Disney lover!
Fanlover (my mom) - Fan of Disney, not fan of the heat
ToT Sis (my sister ) - Likes Disney, but Tower of Terror? Not so much...
Cocoa Bil (my bro-in-law) Likes Disney, especially their hot chocolate
Splashboy (my nephew) age 6 Never been to Disney, excited and nervous to try the big rides
Boomer (my nephew) age 4 Never been to Disney, age 4 going on 14

Dining Report
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=901786
Introductory Report
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=903652
Day 1 Peter Pan PLEASE teach me to fly!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904193
Day 2 - Part 1 Prison or Disney?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904890
Day 2 - Part 2 The broom kissed the balloon
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905052
Day 2 - Part 3 Conquering the Magic Kingdom
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905863
Day 2 - Part 4 Splash Mountain vs. The Boy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=906053
Day 3 - Part 1 Tower of Terror: Enter With Caution
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=907362
Day 3 - Part 2 Sittin' on Stranger's laps
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908266
Day 3 - Part 3 Thank goodness for Dinosaurs!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908703
Day 4 - Part 1 Beware: Crush 'n' Gusher has a 48-inch height restriction
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=910433
Day 4 - Part 2 My Heroes: The Lifeguards
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=910561
Day 4 - Part 3 Move Over Tom Hanks - There's a New Man in Town!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=911269
Day 5 - Part 1 Newsflash: Disney Waterslides Reveal Hidden Talents
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=912197
Day 5 - Part 2 Ghiradelli Sundaes and 4yr old Boys
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=913168
Day 5 - Part 3 Who Says Disney Isn't For Adults?!?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=913984
Day 6 - Part 1 Becoming Famous in the Magic Kingdom!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=914878
Day 6 - Part 2 Ballet Dancing Never Looked So Good!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=915472
Day 7 - Part 1 Gorillas & Giraffes & Rhinos - Oh My!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=916191
Day 7 - Part 2 Flyin' to Mars, Soarin' Over California - All in a Day's Work
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=917232
Day 7 - Part 3 & Day 8 - Part 1 Anything But the Dreaded Good-bye!!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=921037
Day 8 - Part 2 Forget Alligators: Frogs Can be VERY Dangerous!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=921731
Day 9 - Part 1 Raspberries Are Best Eaten One Seed at a Time
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=922438
Day 9 - Part 2 Combining Wine & Space Mountain May Be Hazardous For Your Healthhttp://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=926314

Day 10 - Part 1 Relaxation & Disney - Isn't that an Oxymoron?

I could tell that our trip was ending shortly. I was starting to say things like, “this was our second last night in this hotel” or “let’s sell our house, put our furniture on Ebay and move to Florida”. Either Goofy Guy was suffering hearing loss from Tarzan Rocks, or he was choosing to ignore me.

I was suspicious that it was the latter.

We had new neighbours too. The nightly silence that we happily associated with Dapper Dad and Fanlover’s room had now been replaced with the sounds of seven babies. Well, maybe not quite seven babies. There may have been only one in fact, but his/her parents should find comfort in the knowledge that their baby has a healthy set of lungs.

I missed my family! Sob

Today was going to be a relaxing day. Well, at least as relaxing as I am capable of doing while in Walt Disney World. We were actually going to enjoy our pool today. You may have noticed that our swims thus far consisted of a quick dip in the pool after a long day of park hopping and nothing more. Today we were going to remedy that fact and relax – for as long as I could stand it.

We put on our swimsuits and decided to explore the resort before swimming. The Mighty Duck pool looked fine, but we decided to swim at the main pool instead. I liked the little fountain. We grabbed a couple lounge chairs and jumped in.

I really, really tried to relax. While lounging by the pool, I tried to read my book. Goofy Guy was in need of some down time and I had denied him of it for 9 days. I was ashamed. I glanced over at Goofy Guy a couple times and it was undeniable that he loved the relaxation time. He quite possibly was the happiest I’d seen him all trip. You know the expression, “ants in your pants”? Well, I think it’s a disease and I have it in spades. My symptoms seem to become most pronounced while in Walt Disney World for some reason. How can anyone expect me to lie around a pool when there are four theme parks calling my name? Rockin’ Roller Coaster was a mere bus ride away yet I’m expected to sit in my chair and watch OTHER people head to the parks? Have I finally crossed the line into insanity? It made no sense to me. All this relaxation was cutting into my vacation. Yet, I’m quite sure, Goofy Guy could have spent the entire day in the same position on his lounge chair.

Maybe there is another 12-step program I need to locate - “The Ants Go Marching One by One ‘R Us.”

Miraculously, I managed to, ahem, “relax” by the pool for a couple hours. My goal had been to stay there until lunch and I had succeeded. Of course, Goofy Guy was just getting started with his relaxing, but he knew I had limits. God Bless him!

Sorry ladies, he’s a married man - but he does have a brother.

We decided to grab lunch in the Movies food court and head to MGM. This was actually our first time eating in the food court. I had a spicy chicken sandwich and Goofy Guy had a double cheeseburger. Both were pretty average I’d say, but we were in for a treat for dessert!

On the dining plan, we were eligible for any dessert offered in the food court. Naturally, I wanted a mint chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge sundae. Equally naturally, Goofy Guy ordered a banana split. I think I’ve given up on his dessert habits. He’ll never understand that bananas have no place in dessert. The serving sizes were ENORMOUS!! Despite my best effort, I couldn’t even begin to eat it all. The difficult thing about it was, I knew that next week when I’m home and resuming my regular exercise routine, I’d be running on the treadmill salivating with the thought of that hot fudge sundae I threw out… *sigh*

We made our way back to MGM where we immediately set out for Sunset Boulevard. Tower of Terror didn’t have a very big line so I decided to go for it. Goofy Guy decided to stay back this time. He never did get as sick as ToT sis on this one (who could?), but he thought that he could only handle one thrill ride today and his choice was Rockin’ Rollercoaster. No problem. Since I didn’t let him relax for as long as he would have wanted today, I wasn’t going to push it. Plus, he’s up for sainthood due to his almost 10yrs dealing with my Drama Queen dramatics.

Had we been British, he would have been knighted too.

I got through the ToT pre-show and took the left line to the elevator. The right line was full and the left line was virtually empty. There’s the sheep phenomena for you at it’s finest! I enjoyed the ride as much as ever, but visions of ToT sis danced in my head. There was a slight delay at the end of the ride today, forcing us to remain in our seats longer than usual. I was thankful ToT sis wasn’t there with me.

If she had been there, her hat would have been put to use after all…

Next stop was Rockin’ Rollercoaster. While in line, we noticed a very strong looking, shaved head, tattooed man who was very nervous about riding. We actually thought he was kidding at first but he then threatened to take the chicken exit. He was terrified and was not ashamed to vocalize it! His teenage children pleaded with him to stay and give it a try. They were brave kids. I know I shouldn’t have, but I found the whole scenario rather amusing. I would have paid big bucks to watch ToT sis and this man ride together.

It was pouring rain by the time we got out of RNC. We had about 45 minutes before Four For a Dollar performed so we decided to browse the shops. Nothing caught our fancy today (or maybe our wallets’ fancy) so we slowly made our way back to the Beauty & the Beast theatre. Our plan was to record Four For a Dollar on our digital camera. ToT sis had loved this pre-show so much that she wanted to see it again. Unfortunately we ran out of time to do so, so recording it was the next best thing. We didn’t know how the quality would turn out but we thought it was worth a shot. Goofy Guy deserves a lot of credit. It was no small feat holding the camera steady for 10 minutes or so.

I’d buy him a beer but he doesn’t drink much. We were still recovering from the African Red Wine Blend.

We hadn’t done the Great Movie Ride yet this trip so we went there next. I really tried to find the Hidden Minnie in the first room, but no success. We were so rushed getting into our seats, that we didn’t even have a chance to ask a Cast Member for assistance. I’m starting to think this Hidden Minnie is a myth designed to drive me crazy. Send me a PM if you know the exact location of the supposed Hidden Minnie.

The Little Mermaid was next in line and we; I mean I, really enjoyed it. Goofy Guy slept soundly while I enjoyed Ariel’s singing. She had a wonderful voice – the best I’ve heard at this show. I was a little sad knowing that Boomer and Splashboy didn’t get to enjoy this show, particularly the puppets, but I tried not to dwell on it. Goofy Guy’s snoring was a nice distraction anyway.

We hadn’t seen the film in One Man’s Dream in a while so we decided to watch it again. I was quite taken with the emotion of the film. Walt overcame so many obstacles to build his company. His dream has brought so much joy to our family starting with ToT sis and I as little girls all the way to today with my little nephews. His dream is still being realized despite his death so many years ago. Believe it or not, I started to cry.

I ran out of Kleenex long ago so I was reduced to using toilet paper.

During our walk towards the Backlot Tour, we noticed a crowd gathering off to the side. We decided to investigate. We were more than a bit surprised to see people fascinated with squirrels. Yes, squirrels! They were laughing and pointing and even trying to feed them. Since returning home, I am now wondering if the animal was in fact a degus instead of squirrel, but I’ll never know for sure. If squirrels really fascinate people, please come to my backyard. I’ve got a deal for you at $100 per person.

The back lot tour was next. The male members of our family sure enjoyed the Car Stunt Show, but during the tour, I found myself missing Blanche, Rose & Dorothy’s old house, not to mention the old Hunchback show – “God Help the Outcasts, Hungry from Birth”…lalala.

Please excuse my sudden musical outburst; I’m a self proclaimed sentimental fool.

During our tour, the car show was preparing for the next show so we got to see some of the back stage preparations. It was pretty interesting (more interesting than the show itself for me…but if you tell Goofy Guy I said that, I’ll flatly deny it). I should have known that seeing these preparations would make Goofy Guy want to see the show again. Sigh

Despite our running to our seats, we still missed the first 5 minutes. Goofy Guy wanted to take some pictures of the motorcycles and of the big final stunt for Boomer. I don’t think either of us had ever seen Boomer as excited as he was during this stunt show. Equally, I don’t think the females had been more under whelmed by it. There’s just no denying the differences between the sexes – at least in our family.

Our Spirit of Aloha reservation was fast approaching so it was time to grab the Polynesian bus to the Polynesian. We were both interested to see the new revamped Luau. We expected the show to be on the stage, but were surprised to find the real drama was to take place in the audience.

 

[JennInTN]

...We expected the show to be on the stage, but were surprised to find the real drama was to take place in the audience.

Oh??? I'll be waiting patiently.

You'll have to take your nephews on The Great Movie Ride to find the hidden Minnie. I bet they could scope her out in no time.

I'm sad your trip is almost over. You've written an excellent trip report.

 

[eleanor]

Hey, you left us hanging here. I can hardky wait for the next days story.

 

[CJK]

Thanks!! I had a little more time today so I wrote another installment. I hope to be finished in the next couple days. I've been home for a month from Disney and I think it's time I finish writing. I'll miss my daily Disney fix however! Thanks for posting!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=927588

 

[Laurajean1014]

Nice write up............ thanks.

 

[agotta]

The hidden Minnie is located when you are loading the vehicle. She is actually made out of the shadow in the trees. I am trying to find a pic right now for you!!

There is also a Mickey and Donald in the hyroglyphics.

 

[CJK]

Agotta - thank you thank you thank you!

I never would have found it without your help. Eat your heart out now Splashboy!

 

[agotta]

You are welcome!! I was a tour guide at GMR and I loved showing it to people!! Now you know for next time

 

[CJK]

The hidden Minnie is located when you are loading the vehicle. She is actually made out of the shadow in the trees. I am trying to find a pic right now for you!!

There is also a Mickey and Donald in the hyroglyphics.

Sorry to dredge this up from the dinosaur era, but does anyone know if this Hidden Mickey is still in the GMR? Two people I know recently came home from WDW and couldn't find the Hidden Minnie. They asked the nearest CM but the CM just rushed them along and didn't give them an answer. Thanks! I must plan a trip soon....if only to investigate this mystery you understand.