Author's note: First time trying out the whole photo thing...please let me know if this rocks or sucks. Thanks.
Me: 33, fifth WDW trip
DH Dan: 36, first-timer
Where are we going today? Blizzard Beach? Oh Dan, stop asking. Should I bring my camera? Always bring your camera. Eventually I know you will stop asking.
A quick breakfast for me in the Food & Fun Center at the Contemporary, then we are whisked away by bus to one very cool theme park. Walking through the gates, Pal Mickey buzzes with excitement and asks if we could get a few movie stars autographs so he can give them to Minnie. My feelings are hurt, but I say nothing.
Dan immediately loves the atmosphere of MGM. I want to ease my nonthrill-seeking husband into the day, so first stop is the Rock N Roller Coaster. He doesnt seem too intimidated as we walked into the building, not even when he saw the first limo screech its way into the darkness. Im proud of him. Until I found out his eyes were closed during takeoff! Even he is disappointed that his eyes were closed, and asks to go on it again as soon as it was over. Walking out of the attraction a second time, I figure he is all psyched up and ready for Tower of Terror. Youll love this one! We walk through the grounds toward the hotel.
Pal Mickey buzzes immediately. Were not going on that, a-are we, pal? And then gently reminds me that he is too short to ride it. In fact, hes pretty relieved about it. I dont have the heart to tell him that I can sneak him on it.
Dan knows what this attraction is all about, and keeps a deathgrip on his handgrips for the entire ride. He knows the drop is coming, he just doesnt know when. When it does come, he seemed fine with it, but later admits he wouldnt ride it again. No matter, Im proud he and Mickey went on with me. And, poor thing, had to experience this new randomized dropping each time we thought it was over, our elevator shot back up again.
Now Dan and Pal Mickey both need a cigarette. Gee thanks, Pal! Dont tell Minnie, ha ha! Yes, Im sure she wont notice the bad breath, stained gloves, or raspy Mickey voice.
Dan wasnt too impressed with Muppetvision 3D, but as we were leaving the theatre, to Dans surprise and delight, were Buzz and Woody at Als Toy Barn. Its Buzz! Its Buzz! Theres that twelve-year-old I know and love so well. We had a short wait until Dan could greet his hero. Here in line stands my 65 husband, towering above all the other children, hopping on both feet in anticipation. Meanwhile, while the other boys and girls were meeting and greeting the two Toy Story guys, the Disney photographer shouts, Everybody say Woody! before each snapshot. Buzz looked irritated each time he said it, too. Finally it was Dans turn. I thought he was going to pee his pants when Buzz motioned him toward them.
Hi Buzz! he squealed. Dan walked up to his hero and shook his hand,, giggling like a schoolgirl. Woody stood silently behind him, ignored. Everybody say Woody! the photographer said. Dan stood so proudly next to them while we snapped their picture. When the picture was over, he kept shaking Buzzs hand and gushing with excitement. This was apparently a big moment in Dans life. Uhh, Dan. Do you realize that is a man in a big plastic costume? We headed out of the area and when we reached Echo Lake, he was still buzzing with excitement, no pun intended. I met Buzz! He kept saying it over and over, always with a huge grin and a giggle. I dont think Ive ever seen Dan this giddy. Note to self: purchase one small Buzz outfit.
All this excitement could only mean one thing: time to burn one. Dan finds his designated area and I head toward the sorcerer hat to see why a crowd had gathered. Oh look, its the same characters weve seen for the last 4 days. Hold up! Theres Lilo and Stitch. Oh, I have to get my picture with these guys. So I stand about 10 folks back and patiently wait for Dan to finish his smoke and find me so he can take our picture. When I get to be about 6 people back, Dan walks into line with me, and the handlers announce that Lilo and Stitch are going on a break, but they will be back in 2 hours. Behind me, devastated children start crying. This was too much, scores of wailing kids hungry to meet their heroes, and I begged Dan to please take me away from this horrific scene.
Its only 11:30, were not hungry, but weve got an early lunch PS because we have an early dinner PS because we have the Fantasmic Dinner Package. So we walk into the 50s Prime Time Café and take our seats with Cousin Roy. Now, Ive heard some very cool things about the waitresses at the PTC. So imagine my disappointment that the coolest thing Roy says to me is, Dont forget to use soap, when I tell him Im going to wash my hands. Is he married to our Mousekeeping lady? As amusing as it is to watch the other waitresses interact with their customers, it isnt enough for me to be a mere spectator. So when Dan leans his elbows on the table, I pointed it out to a waitress who was walking by, desperate to get him into trouble. She inadvertently loses her grip and crashes her dishes on the floor in front of me. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO! she screams at me. Now the room has gotten deathly quiet and all eyes are on me. YOU ARE SUCH A TATTLE-TAIL! I SHOULD MAKE YOU STAND IN THE CORNER! Fortunately, she doesnt carry through with her threat, but she continues to make a very big scene as she noisily picks up her scattered plates. Im not one to embarrass easily, but I could feel the blood rush to my face. For as embarrassed as I had become, I was still greatly amused. The sassy waitress continued to keep her eye on me (and warn other customers of me) during our entire meal. In fact, as we were leaving the restaurant, she scolded me until we were well out of the restaurant and out of earshot. (Did I mention our food was awesome?)
So we take our seats at the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, second row from the stage. I lean over to Dan and tell him that before the show begins a woman will ask for volunteers from the audience. I say that if he is interested, when that time comes he needs to stand up and yell and just be generally enthusiastic. Do I want to do this? he asks me. Yes, I tell him. So true to my word, the woman appears on stage and after welcoming us, asks the audience for volunteers.
Dan, taking enthusiasm to the next level, suddenly lunges out of his chair and yells as LOUD AS HE CAN, ME! ME! then starts flailing his arms as if he wasnt already attracting attention. Dan was the first one chosen.
On stage, Dan towers a good 12 inches over everyone else. His costume barely fit. He looked embarrassingly out of place, yet he doesnt look embarrassed at all. What a show-off. And just when I think hes past the high point of the day, the producer asks the volunteers to dance. And who should boogie better than anyone? My husband. The producer singles out Dan and asks him to step in front of the other volunteers and execute a death scene. The whole stage is yours, work with as much as you need, which was possibly the single worst thing to say to him.
Dan milked his death scene for all he had. The producer yells, BANG! and Dan dramatically clutches his chest and cries out in pain, staggering back and forth in front of the volunteers. Oh the horror! (Not Dans death, but the spectacle he was making.) I swear this little performance lasted a full minute and a half. What a performance! raves the producer. What overacting! I was expecting a low-paid crewmember to bring out one of those giant cartoon hooks and yank my husband off the stage. Dan eventually slumps onto the ground, writhing and wailing mercilessly, until he finally draws one last breath and stiffens his body. The audience goes into wild applause, mostly because the torture is over. This is Dans cue to stand up, bow, and get his big butt back in line.
When the real action begins, Dan goes back into volunteer mode and shops for bags and dresses.
Walking out of the show, Mickey buzzes. Say Pal! Do you see that well next to you? Do you see the rope? I wonder what would happen if you pulled the rope? Then silence. I guess he wants us to pull the rope, Dan. Dan looks at Mickey, looks at me, then walks over and pulls the rope. A second goes by, then a Monty Python actor calls out from below that hes working and to leave him alone. Nice call, Mickey. Were bothering people. Next youll be wanting us to pull the heads off of the characters.
So we hit Sounds Dangerous. Ive been to this attraction before and previously thought it to be very lame, but for some reason this time I am appreciating it. Even Dan admits that he thought the sound effects were very cool. Walking out, we explore the hands-on sound booth area. I pick the end booth that records your voice over the Tron computer guy. Figuring that the microphone would have trouble picking up my quiet voice, I cup my hand over the microphone head and speak loudly and clearly into it. Now its time for the playback. Okay, so the mike picks up my voice better than I thought, and the speakers are turned up to ten, AND MY VOICEOVER IS DEAFENING LOUD AND EVERYONE STOPS WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND TURN TO LOOK AT ME WHILE MY BOOMING RECORDED VOICE BELLOWS INTO THE ROOM. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, HOW LONG IS THIS PLAYBACK? I frantically push all sorts of button and levers on the control panel, but there is no volume option to be found. Dan just shakes his head at me and walks away as the commotion from my booth drags on endlessly. Make that twice today my face turned purple.
Another first for me: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. I am very impressed with the set and the whole professional production. How many times a day do they do this? Fortunately for me, I do not make it to the hot seat. Fortunately for everyone else, Dan doesnt make it, either.
Now, originally I wanted to have the Fantasmic Dinner Package at the Brown Derby. But the restaurant is under some sort of renovation (because, after all, this IS Renovation Month), and they are unable to accommodate Fantasmic Dinner people. When I was making the PS, it bummed me out greatly that I had to eat at Mama Melrose, instead. So walking into MM I had attitude. Until we were seated in Kevins section. He sees that I made a vegetarian preference and between him and the chef Brian, they whip up the most amazing and delicious meal of my entire trip. These people really went out of their way to make sure I was satisfied throughout the entire dinner. And holy cow, the flavor was spectacular. Dan and I were so impressed with this restaurant, and with Kevin and Brian, in particular. All we could do was rave about Mama Melrose for the rest of our trip.
We have time for the Backlot Tour before Fantasmic. After the Pearl Harbor scene, we headed toward our tour tram. A very hot guy (with his wife and children) was walking ahead of us. Unable to contain myself, I mentioned to Dan that I was into the military look, and I found this man incredibly appealing. Lucky me, I've got the best husband on the planet. He pulls out the digital camera and manages to get about four pictures of him before Hot Man begins to suspect Dans creepy behavior. Ive got four decent shots of him, Dan whispers. you can look at these later.
Finally, about a half hour before the show, we are escorted through a very top-secret back entrance to the Fantasmic stadium (thank you, Fantasmic Dinner Package). I have never seen Fantasmic before, so this was quite an experience for both of us. We were blown away. Dan loved it even more than me, much to my surprise. At the end when Mickey appears at the top of the mountain, Dan pointed and said in a high squeaky voice, Its Mickey! Yeah, baby, I know its hard to not get wrapped up in all of it. Not much else was said until we were leaving. Stupid show, I said, wiping my eyes. Disney gets me every time with that melodramatic crap.
Me: 33, fifth WDW trip
DH Dan: 36, first-timer
Where are we going today? Blizzard Beach? Oh Dan, stop asking. Should I bring my camera? Always bring your camera. Eventually I know you will stop asking.
A quick breakfast for me in the Food & Fun Center at the Contemporary, then we are whisked away by bus to one very cool theme park. Walking through the gates, Pal Mickey buzzes with excitement and asks if we could get a few movie stars autographs so he can give them to Minnie. My feelings are hurt, but I say nothing.
Dan immediately loves the atmosphere of MGM. I want to ease my nonthrill-seeking husband into the day, so first stop is the Rock N Roller Coaster. He doesnt seem too intimidated as we walked into the building, not even when he saw the first limo screech its way into the darkness. Im proud of him. Until I found out his eyes were closed during takeoff! Even he is disappointed that his eyes were closed, and asks to go on it again as soon as it was over. Walking out of the attraction a second time, I figure he is all psyched up and ready for Tower of Terror. Youll love this one! We walk through the grounds toward the hotel.
Pal Mickey buzzes immediately. Were not going on that, a-are we, pal? And then gently reminds me that he is too short to ride it. In fact, hes pretty relieved about it. I dont have the heart to tell him that I can sneak him on it.
Dan knows what this attraction is all about, and keeps a deathgrip on his handgrips for the entire ride. He knows the drop is coming, he just doesnt know when. When it does come, he seemed fine with it, but later admits he wouldnt ride it again. No matter, Im proud he and Mickey went on with me. And, poor thing, had to experience this new randomized dropping each time we thought it was over, our elevator shot back up again.
Now Dan and Pal Mickey both need a cigarette. Gee thanks, Pal! Dont tell Minnie, ha ha! Yes, Im sure she wont notice the bad breath, stained gloves, or raspy Mickey voice.
Dan wasnt too impressed with Muppetvision 3D, but as we were leaving the theatre, to Dans surprise and delight, were Buzz and Woody at Als Toy Barn. Its Buzz! Its Buzz! Theres that twelve-year-old I know and love so well. We had a short wait until Dan could greet his hero. Here in line stands my 65 husband, towering above all the other children, hopping on both feet in anticipation. Meanwhile, while the other boys and girls were meeting and greeting the two Toy Story guys, the Disney photographer shouts, Everybody say Woody! before each snapshot. Buzz looked irritated each time he said it, too. Finally it was Dans turn. I thought he was going to pee his pants when Buzz motioned him toward them.
Hi Buzz! he squealed. Dan walked up to his hero and shook his hand,, giggling like a schoolgirl. Woody stood silently behind him, ignored. Everybody say Woody! the photographer said. Dan stood so proudly next to them while we snapped their picture. When the picture was over, he kept shaking Buzzs hand and gushing with excitement. This was apparently a big moment in Dans life. Uhh, Dan. Do you realize that is a man in a big plastic costume? We headed out of the area and when we reached Echo Lake, he was still buzzing with excitement, no pun intended. I met Buzz! He kept saying it over and over, always with a huge grin and a giggle. I dont think Ive ever seen Dan this giddy. Note to self: purchase one small Buzz outfit.
All this excitement could only mean one thing: time to burn one. Dan finds his designated area and I head toward the sorcerer hat to see why a crowd had gathered. Oh look, its the same characters weve seen for the last 4 days. Hold up! Theres Lilo and Stitch. Oh, I have to get my picture with these guys. So I stand about 10 folks back and patiently wait for Dan to finish his smoke and find me so he can take our picture. When I get to be about 6 people back, Dan walks into line with me, and the handlers announce that Lilo and Stitch are going on a break, but they will be back in 2 hours. Behind me, devastated children start crying. This was too much, scores of wailing kids hungry to meet their heroes, and I begged Dan to please take me away from this horrific scene.
Its only 11:30, were not hungry, but weve got an early lunch PS because we have an early dinner PS because we have the Fantasmic Dinner Package. So we walk into the 50s Prime Time Café and take our seats with Cousin Roy. Now, Ive heard some very cool things about the waitresses at the PTC. So imagine my disappointment that the coolest thing Roy says to me is, Dont forget to use soap, when I tell him Im going to wash my hands. Is he married to our Mousekeeping lady? As amusing as it is to watch the other waitresses interact with their customers, it isnt enough for me to be a mere spectator. So when Dan leans his elbows on the table, I pointed it out to a waitress who was walking by, desperate to get him into trouble. She inadvertently loses her grip and crashes her dishes on the floor in front of me. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO! she screams at me. Now the room has gotten deathly quiet and all eyes are on me. YOU ARE SUCH A TATTLE-TAIL! I SHOULD MAKE YOU STAND IN THE CORNER! Fortunately, she doesnt carry through with her threat, but she continues to make a very big scene as she noisily picks up her scattered plates. Im not one to embarrass easily, but I could feel the blood rush to my face. For as embarrassed as I had become, I was still greatly amused. The sassy waitress continued to keep her eye on me (and warn other customers of me) during our entire meal. In fact, as we were leaving the restaurant, she scolded me until we were well out of the restaurant and out of earshot. (Did I mention our food was awesome?)
So we take our seats at the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, second row from the stage. I lean over to Dan and tell him that before the show begins a woman will ask for volunteers from the audience. I say that if he is interested, when that time comes he needs to stand up and yell and just be generally enthusiastic. Do I want to do this? he asks me. Yes, I tell him. So true to my word, the woman appears on stage and after welcoming us, asks the audience for volunteers.
Dan, taking enthusiasm to the next level, suddenly lunges out of his chair and yells as LOUD AS HE CAN, ME! ME! then starts flailing his arms as if he wasnt already attracting attention. Dan was the first one chosen.
On stage, Dan towers a good 12 inches over everyone else. His costume barely fit. He looked embarrassingly out of place, yet he doesnt look embarrassed at all. What a show-off. And just when I think hes past the high point of the day, the producer asks the volunteers to dance. And who should boogie better than anyone? My husband. The producer singles out Dan and asks him to step in front of the other volunteers and execute a death scene. The whole stage is yours, work with as much as you need, which was possibly the single worst thing to say to him.
Dan milked his death scene for all he had. The producer yells, BANG! and Dan dramatically clutches his chest and cries out in pain, staggering back and forth in front of the volunteers. Oh the horror! (Not Dans death, but the spectacle he was making.) I swear this little performance lasted a full minute and a half. What a performance! raves the producer. What overacting! I was expecting a low-paid crewmember to bring out one of those giant cartoon hooks and yank my husband off the stage. Dan eventually slumps onto the ground, writhing and wailing mercilessly, until he finally draws one last breath and stiffens his body. The audience goes into wild applause, mostly because the torture is over. This is Dans cue to stand up, bow, and get his big butt back in line.
When the real action begins, Dan goes back into volunteer mode and shops for bags and dresses.
Walking out of the show, Mickey buzzes. Say Pal! Do you see that well next to you? Do you see the rope? I wonder what would happen if you pulled the rope? Then silence. I guess he wants us to pull the rope, Dan. Dan looks at Mickey, looks at me, then walks over and pulls the rope. A second goes by, then a Monty Python actor calls out from below that hes working and to leave him alone. Nice call, Mickey. Were bothering people. Next youll be wanting us to pull the heads off of the characters.
So we hit Sounds Dangerous. Ive been to this attraction before and previously thought it to be very lame, but for some reason this time I am appreciating it. Even Dan admits that he thought the sound effects were very cool. Walking out, we explore the hands-on sound booth area. I pick the end booth that records your voice over the Tron computer guy. Figuring that the microphone would have trouble picking up my quiet voice, I cup my hand over the microphone head and speak loudly and clearly into it. Now its time for the playback. Okay, so the mike picks up my voice better than I thought, and the speakers are turned up to ten, AND MY VOICEOVER IS DEAFENING LOUD AND EVERYONE STOPS WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND TURN TO LOOK AT ME WHILE MY BOOMING RECORDED VOICE BELLOWS INTO THE ROOM. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, HOW LONG IS THIS PLAYBACK? I frantically push all sorts of button and levers on the control panel, but there is no volume option to be found. Dan just shakes his head at me and walks away as the commotion from my booth drags on endlessly. Make that twice today my face turned purple.
Another first for me: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. I am very impressed with the set and the whole professional production. How many times a day do they do this? Fortunately for me, I do not make it to the hot seat. Fortunately for everyone else, Dan doesnt make it, either.
Now, originally I wanted to have the Fantasmic Dinner Package at the Brown Derby. But the restaurant is under some sort of renovation (because, after all, this IS Renovation Month), and they are unable to accommodate Fantasmic Dinner people. When I was making the PS, it bummed me out greatly that I had to eat at Mama Melrose, instead. So walking into MM I had attitude. Until we were seated in Kevins section. He sees that I made a vegetarian preference and between him and the chef Brian, they whip up the most amazing and delicious meal of my entire trip. These people really went out of their way to make sure I was satisfied throughout the entire dinner. And holy cow, the flavor was spectacular. Dan and I were so impressed with this restaurant, and with Kevin and Brian, in particular. All we could do was rave about Mama Melrose for the rest of our trip.
We have time for the Backlot Tour before Fantasmic. After the Pearl Harbor scene, we headed toward our tour tram. A very hot guy (with his wife and children) was walking ahead of us. Unable to contain myself, I mentioned to Dan that I was into the military look, and I found this man incredibly appealing. Lucky me, I've got the best husband on the planet. He pulls out the digital camera and manages to get about four pictures of him before Hot Man begins to suspect Dans creepy behavior. Ive got four decent shots of him, Dan whispers. you can look at these later.
Finally, about a half hour before the show, we are escorted through a very top-secret back entrance to the Fantasmic stadium (thank you, Fantasmic Dinner Package). I have never seen Fantasmic before, so this was quite an experience for both of us. We were blown away. Dan loved it even more than me, much to my surprise. At the end when Mickey appears at the top of the mountain, Dan pointed and said in a high squeaky voice, Its Mickey! Yeah, baby, I know its hard to not get wrapped up in all of it. Not much else was said until we were leaving. Stupid show, I said, wiping my eyes. Disney gets me every time with that melodramatic crap.
I am enjoying your reports. Your DH sounds like such a wonderful guy.
, and now I have to find your other reports. 
