Marlton Mom
My favorite ride is the "ladies room"...... it's a
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2003
- Messages
- 1,728
Marlton Moms Wilderness lodge trip 9/20 to 9/27/03
Me: Mom, version 40.3 and the conductor for this trip, 4 previous trips
DH: sleeper car, version 46.6, 3 previous trips
DS: caboose, version 4.10. First trip!
Tuesday 9/23 MGM
We had planned on doing MGM in one day. Straight thru until we were finished and then coming back again the next night to do the Brown Derby dinner package with the reserved seating for fantasmic. At this point DH decided that he would skip the thrill rides and hang with DS. This was fine by me because I wanted to try Tower of terror and the rock and roll coaster. We split up with the 2 of them heading for the 3D muppets and myself off to see the geezers at TofT and RnRcoaster. The coaster was closed all morning because of technical difficulties so everyone was clogging up TofT. I got a fast pass for TofT and went shopping for an hour until my FP was valid.
Since we were split up and now I was delayed more than anticipated I used my cell phone to call DH and let him know what was going on. After talking with other travelers during the week we discovered that ours was one of the few cell phones that actually worked in the Orlando area in light of the fact that we were from out of town.
I think this happened for 2 reasons. #1, we called our Cell phone provider before we left and asked them about any special things we needed to do to make our cell phones work in the Orlando area. We had Verizon with the Nationwide plan so we knew we wouldnt be charged for roaming. Verizon told us to dial a special number that would send a signal to program the phone with the location of the most recent transmission towers that were added across the country since we purchased our phones.
# 2 We had recently purchased the phones in June of 2003 so the transmission technology programmed into the phone was very recent and could adapt to the variations in locations. We had to dump Sprint in June of 2003 when our 2 ½ year old phones simply quit working on the Sprint network. We had paid extra money for the phones to get the features that we preferred as opposed to the basic models they were offering at the time so we were incensed when they said that there was nothing they could do and we just had to buy new phones.
The other thing of interest that we were told when we called Verizon customer service was that when we turned on our phone it may take awhile before the Verizon transmission towers could capture our signal. We were told to look at the roaming indicator. If the Roaming indicator was solid and not flashing then we were roaming by virtue of having our signal captured by a rival carrier and that we should wait for the phone to reacquire the Verizon signal which it eventually did. Sometimes turning the phone off and on helped to capture the correct signal.
If the roaming signal was Flashing or absent then that was ok to make a call according to the customer service rep. The important thing is to call your cell phone provider and check with them before you leave your home area to find out what you need to do to insure proper communications. In retrospect we had the same success with cellular communications in Orlando as we do at home, with the usual amount of dropped calls and other fun cell phone tortures that one usually experiences.
Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled programming: the trip report. While shopping at Sid Cahuengas one of a kind memorabilia shop (S. C. O-O-A-K M S) I ran into Rozie the cleaning lady who was simply charming although a bit neurotic about what the boss would think if he found her slacking off in the shop instead of cleaning the sewers. I told her that the ladies room was my favorite ride and she thought that was unfortunate since she spends all her time there. A CM snapped a picture of the two of us and I was off to Tof T.
All morning there were two or more CMs out in front of the driveway to RnRcoaster turning people away because the ride was down. As I was walking to ToT I noticed them turn and leave the area, leaving it unguarded. I realized rather quickly that this meant that the ride was open so I high-tailed it up the driveway to the ride and sure enough it was open! I figured that they wouldnt make any kind of official announcement in the area around the ride to avoid the thundering herds that would stampede toward the ride like they do at rope drop.
I was the 9th person in line for the first car of the day after the ride had been down all morning so, I contemplated getting the flight insurance . but they didnt have any! Oh well, I always tell my DH not to bother with a fancy casket, just to put me out on the curb during bulk trash day so onward I went. I thought the ride was too short and not torturous enough. It was the beginning of the realization that I was not in fact too old for these types of rides at age 40 and I was actually looking for more punishment from them.
Next was ToT which turned out to be my favorite of the trip albeit too short of a ride. At one point I saw my digital camera, which was secured around my neck by a tether, floating in the air beside me. LOL I grabbed it and put it back in my shirt pocket. I rendezvoused with the boys and we attempted to get into Who wants to be a Millionaire. We had to wait for the next show so we decided on an early lunch at the ABC commissary.
This turned out to be a disaster. The nursing home escapees who were posing as cast members totally bollixed the order of the orders and the grumbling Mob soon grew impatient with the servers who were trying their best but were hampered by a slow kitchen. Then all the food starting flying out of the kitchen and piling up because the staff was not getting the orders right. There was a manager on site assisting but he was useless and disappeared to help a newby fill the ketchup dispenser during this crisis. For a moment there I let my imagination get away with me and envisioned the angry mob from a Frankenstein movie chasing the poor senior servers with pitch forks and flaming torches through the back lots. This was MGM after all ..
Lunch was done and we headed to Millionaire. I was wise to the trick of just pushing buttons as fast as you can for the first fastest finger question so I was secretly thrilled when a 12 year old girl won and went to the hot seat. She was a respectable contestant who got the first major prize level and then wisely called it quits when she met her match. The host was a stereotypical cheesy kinda guy game show host and he was really hamming it up in his over the top characterization. It worked to his advantage and made the show even more enjoyable go figure.
The heat and humidity dictated that we head back after that but we did stop into Walt Disney, one mans dream which we loved and lingered over. Dh and I really appreciate the genius of the man and it was inspiring as to how and why he did what he did. After conquering the trip planning phase and executing the actual trip I am now looking forward to reading up on some of the history and technology of Disney. Any book suggestions would be appreciated!
We were in for a shock when we got back to the room. The pygmies had left the place a mess. There were empty 1 milliliter beer steins all over the room and our shoes were filled with sour kraut. DSs little teddy bear was stuffed into a dirndl and lederhosen which was especially embarrassing because kissy teddy is a boy. I guess it was his sissy first name that did him in. When last seen, the entire pygmy population had hopped into a water mouse and were trying to wake up the birds in the no wake zone.
We cleaned up the mess and went on over to EPCOT for dinner in Germany which is a family favorite. The first time I ate in Germany (Dec 1989 with DH) I made the mistake of ordering a 1 liter size beer without realizing how big it was. We laughed it off but I was determined to finish it which I did. I spent the rest of that day at EPCOT happily rolling along oblivious to just about everything.
They really do it right in Germany. Feed you to the gills, fill you with beer and then send you shopping when youre good and drunk! The food in Germany was absolutely delicious with the salads being especially tasty after the monotonous parade of French fries and burgers. After my week at WDW If I see one more French fry Im going to scream! I did get the liter of beer this time (a new family tradition) but I did not finish it. Keep in mind that this was not a deterrent to my shopping and it even lubricated DH, who drank his liter and what was left of mine. This sent him into an uncommon shopping mood.
The German band took the stage while we were having dinner and DS was just mesmerized by it. He really loved the music and was bopping in his seat like a polka fiend. We were hoping for the chicken dance which he learned at summer camp this year but it never materialized. My shy son insisted on going down to the dance floor to bop and hop even though it was empty of dancers. Mom took him down just in time for the last tune of the set. He had the biggest smile on his face as he was shakin his little booty! Later Dad showed him the bells and horns that they used. DS had gotten a big kick out of the missing bell act and we got him a decorative bell and a mini Bavaria stein for his room, colored just like the big one that Dad has.
My husband went to Germany as an exchange student in high school so he loves and is quite familiar with German beers. He had the Beck special October-fest beer which was a combination of their light and dark beers and I had the regular Becks since I am not a Becks fan and I find their beer bitter. If Im drinking beer, and Im not a drinker, I usually have a Corona with a lime in it. My husband puts my Corona bottle in a paper bag so I wont embarrass him but I make sure the lime sticks out on the top of the bottle and gives me away. Recently I have moved up to Budweiser so now I dont need the paper bag anymore, just one of those ever classy foam beer can insulators with NASCAR logos on them.
After Germany we went to Norway where we were (speaking with a Norwegian accent) Not the first to ride the Maelstrom, nor would we be the last. I grew up in a foster home with Norwegian parents so I am familiar with the people, culture and the food. I skipped the food after having one too many fiske boller (Poached Cod Fish Meatballs), open faced sandwiches with geitost and nøkkelost cheese and for dessert .. ta-dahhh .tyttebaer! . the Norwegian version of cranberries. Forget the Lutefisk! Heck, Id run screaming from the room. Uffda!
Now this wasnt to say that the Jule kaga and Aquavit werent nice but I basically lived on boiled potatoes, which is the Norwegian version of French fries until I left for college. And besides, with the Aquavit, even the Norwegians have to drink it straight out of the freezer to dull its Listerine type taste. That stuff could give that Beverly drink at Ice station cool a run for its money.
Now if you want to talk about Norwegian chocolate Im with ya. I stopped in the shop and asked if they had a box of Kong Olav stashed in the back since I didnt see it out this time. This is like a Whitmans sampler of chocolate only Norwegian style. No dice they said. Ok I said how about Kong Harald, do you have him in some chocolate, hes the king now? Still no deal. I was getting desperate so I had to resort to name dropping. You know, I said with a regal air, King Harald, Queen Sonja and I are extremely good friends since I met them for 15 seconds during the American Bicentennial in Philadelphia for a royal visit. They would be very distraught to find out that I was being deprived of the worlds best chocolate. My pleading looks into the steely ice blue eyes of the CM were useless. Ok I said, Ill settle for a bag of Twist. Still no dice. I was defeated. I settled for a small bag of nothing special and slinked out of the room. At least I had the CM wondering why they didnt have those chocolates. He said he hadnt seen them the entire time he had been working there.
After Norway we were spent physically and decided to begin the long march on sore feet back to the bus station. Its always a treat when the beer wears off and you realize that you still have half a million miles to go before you can find air conditioning and a seat. When the bus finally pulled up we could see that it was empty and seat heaven awaited us. Imagine our surprise when every seat was occupied by the tiny pygmies that were living under our bed at the WL. They were hard to see as they were surrounded by shopping bags. It seems they had just come from Downtown Disney and were mad as heck. They had expected to meet Puck from the Shakespeare plays. Puck is a big pygmy favorite (http://www.online-mythology.com/pygmies/) as they have a lot in common or so they think. Instead they got stuck going to Wolfgang Pucks restaurant where one of them almost got tangled up in a sushi roll.
Me: Mom, version 40.3 and the conductor for this trip, 4 previous trips
DH: sleeper car, version 46.6, 3 previous trips
DS: caboose, version 4.10. First trip!
Tuesday 9/23 MGM
We had planned on doing MGM in one day. Straight thru until we were finished and then coming back again the next night to do the Brown Derby dinner package with the reserved seating for fantasmic. At this point DH decided that he would skip the thrill rides and hang with DS. This was fine by me because I wanted to try Tower of terror and the rock and roll coaster. We split up with the 2 of them heading for the 3D muppets and myself off to see the geezers at TofT and RnRcoaster. The coaster was closed all morning because of technical difficulties so everyone was clogging up TofT. I got a fast pass for TofT and went shopping for an hour until my FP was valid.
Since we were split up and now I was delayed more than anticipated I used my cell phone to call DH and let him know what was going on. After talking with other travelers during the week we discovered that ours was one of the few cell phones that actually worked in the Orlando area in light of the fact that we were from out of town.
I think this happened for 2 reasons. #1, we called our Cell phone provider before we left and asked them about any special things we needed to do to make our cell phones work in the Orlando area. We had Verizon with the Nationwide plan so we knew we wouldnt be charged for roaming. Verizon told us to dial a special number that would send a signal to program the phone with the location of the most recent transmission towers that were added across the country since we purchased our phones.
# 2 We had recently purchased the phones in June of 2003 so the transmission technology programmed into the phone was very recent and could adapt to the variations in locations. We had to dump Sprint in June of 2003 when our 2 ½ year old phones simply quit working on the Sprint network. We had paid extra money for the phones to get the features that we preferred as opposed to the basic models they were offering at the time so we were incensed when they said that there was nothing they could do and we just had to buy new phones.
The other thing of interest that we were told when we called Verizon customer service was that when we turned on our phone it may take awhile before the Verizon transmission towers could capture our signal. We were told to look at the roaming indicator. If the Roaming indicator was solid and not flashing then we were roaming by virtue of having our signal captured by a rival carrier and that we should wait for the phone to reacquire the Verizon signal which it eventually did. Sometimes turning the phone off and on helped to capture the correct signal.
If the roaming signal was Flashing or absent then that was ok to make a call according to the customer service rep. The important thing is to call your cell phone provider and check with them before you leave your home area to find out what you need to do to insure proper communications. In retrospect we had the same success with cellular communications in Orlando as we do at home, with the usual amount of dropped calls and other fun cell phone tortures that one usually experiences.
Ok, now back to our regularly scheduled programming: the trip report. While shopping at Sid Cahuengas one of a kind memorabilia shop (S. C. O-O-A-K M S) I ran into Rozie the cleaning lady who was simply charming although a bit neurotic about what the boss would think if he found her slacking off in the shop instead of cleaning the sewers. I told her that the ladies room was my favorite ride and she thought that was unfortunate since she spends all her time there. A CM snapped a picture of the two of us and I was off to Tof T.
All morning there were two or more CMs out in front of the driveway to RnRcoaster turning people away because the ride was down. As I was walking to ToT I noticed them turn and leave the area, leaving it unguarded. I realized rather quickly that this meant that the ride was open so I high-tailed it up the driveway to the ride and sure enough it was open! I figured that they wouldnt make any kind of official announcement in the area around the ride to avoid the thundering herds that would stampede toward the ride like they do at rope drop.
I was the 9th person in line for the first car of the day after the ride had been down all morning so, I contemplated getting the flight insurance . but they didnt have any! Oh well, I always tell my DH not to bother with a fancy casket, just to put me out on the curb during bulk trash day so onward I went. I thought the ride was too short and not torturous enough. It was the beginning of the realization that I was not in fact too old for these types of rides at age 40 and I was actually looking for more punishment from them.
Next was ToT which turned out to be my favorite of the trip albeit too short of a ride. At one point I saw my digital camera, which was secured around my neck by a tether, floating in the air beside me. LOL I grabbed it and put it back in my shirt pocket. I rendezvoused with the boys and we attempted to get into Who wants to be a Millionaire. We had to wait for the next show so we decided on an early lunch at the ABC commissary.
This turned out to be a disaster. The nursing home escapees who were posing as cast members totally bollixed the order of the orders and the grumbling Mob soon grew impatient with the servers who were trying their best but were hampered by a slow kitchen. Then all the food starting flying out of the kitchen and piling up because the staff was not getting the orders right. There was a manager on site assisting but he was useless and disappeared to help a newby fill the ketchup dispenser during this crisis. For a moment there I let my imagination get away with me and envisioned the angry mob from a Frankenstein movie chasing the poor senior servers with pitch forks and flaming torches through the back lots. This was MGM after all ..
Lunch was done and we headed to Millionaire. I was wise to the trick of just pushing buttons as fast as you can for the first fastest finger question so I was secretly thrilled when a 12 year old girl won and went to the hot seat. She was a respectable contestant who got the first major prize level and then wisely called it quits when she met her match. The host was a stereotypical cheesy kinda guy game show host and he was really hamming it up in his over the top characterization. It worked to his advantage and made the show even more enjoyable go figure.
The heat and humidity dictated that we head back after that but we did stop into Walt Disney, one mans dream which we loved and lingered over. Dh and I really appreciate the genius of the man and it was inspiring as to how and why he did what he did. After conquering the trip planning phase and executing the actual trip I am now looking forward to reading up on some of the history and technology of Disney. Any book suggestions would be appreciated!
We were in for a shock when we got back to the room. The pygmies had left the place a mess. There were empty 1 milliliter beer steins all over the room and our shoes were filled with sour kraut. DSs little teddy bear was stuffed into a dirndl and lederhosen which was especially embarrassing because kissy teddy is a boy. I guess it was his sissy first name that did him in. When last seen, the entire pygmy population had hopped into a water mouse and were trying to wake up the birds in the no wake zone.
We cleaned up the mess and went on over to EPCOT for dinner in Germany which is a family favorite. The first time I ate in Germany (Dec 1989 with DH) I made the mistake of ordering a 1 liter size beer without realizing how big it was. We laughed it off but I was determined to finish it which I did. I spent the rest of that day at EPCOT happily rolling along oblivious to just about everything.
They really do it right in Germany. Feed you to the gills, fill you with beer and then send you shopping when youre good and drunk! The food in Germany was absolutely delicious with the salads being especially tasty after the monotonous parade of French fries and burgers. After my week at WDW If I see one more French fry Im going to scream! I did get the liter of beer this time (a new family tradition) but I did not finish it. Keep in mind that this was not a deterrent to my shopping and it even lubricated DH, who drank his liter and what was left of mine. This sent him into an uncommon shopping mood.
The German band took the stage while we were having dinner and DS was just mesmerized by it. He really loved the music and was bopping in his seat like a polka fiend. We were hoping for the chicken dance which he learned at summer camp this year but it never materialized. My shy son insisted on going down to the dance floor to bop and hop even though it was empty of dancers. Mom took him down just in time for the last tune of the set. He had the biggest smile on his face as he was shakin his little booty! Later Dad showed him the bells and horns that they used. DS had gotten a big kick out of the missing bell act and we got him a decorative bell and a mini Bavaria stein for his room, colored just like the big one that Dad has.
My husband went to Germany as an exchange student in high school so he loves and is quite familiar with German beers. He had the Beck special October-fest beer which was a combination of their light and dark beers and I had the regular Becks since I am not a Becks fan and I find their beer bitter. If Im drinking beer, and Im not a drinker, I usually have a Corona with a lime in it. My husband puts my Corona bottle in a paper bag so I wont embarrass him but I make sure the lime sticks out on the top of the bottle and gives me away. Recently I have moved up to Budweiser so now I dont need the paper bag anymore, just one of those ever classy foam beer can insulators with NASCAR logos on them.
After Germany we went to Norway where we were (speaking with a Norwegian accent) Not the first to ride the Maelstrom, nor would we be the last. I grew up in a foster home with Norwegian parents so I am familiar with the people, culture and the food. I skipped the food after having one too many fiske boller (Poached Cod Fish Meatballs), open faced sandwiches with geitost and nøkkelost cheese and for dessert .. ta-dahhh .tyttebaer! . the Norwegian version of cranberries. Forget the Lutefisk! Heck, Id run screaming from the room. Uffda!
Now this wasnt to say that the Jule kaga and Aquavit werent nice but I basically lived on boiled potatoes, which is the Norwegian version of French fries until I left for college. And besides, with the Aquavit, even the Norwegians have to drink it straight out of the freezer to dull its Listerine type taste. That stuff could give that Beverly drink at Ice station cool a run for its money.
Now if you want to talk about Norwegian chocolate Im with ya. I stopped in the shop and asked if they had a box of Kong Olav stashed in the back since I didnt see it out this time. This is like a Whitmans sampler of chocolate only Norwegian style. No dice they said. Ok I said how about Kong Harald, do you have him in some chocolate, hes the king now? Still no deal. I was getting desperate so I had to resort to name dropping. You know, I said with a regal air, King Harald, Queen Sonja and I are extremely good friends since I met them for 15 seconds during the American Bicentennial in Philadelphia for a royal visit. They would be very distraught to find out that I was being deprived of the worlds best chocolate. My pleading looks into the steely ice blue eyes of the CM were useless. Ok I said, Ill settle for a bag of Twist. Still no dice. I was defeated. I settled for a small bag of nothing special and slinked out of the room. At least I had the CM wondering why they didnt have those chocolates. He said he hadnt seen them the entire time he had been working there.
After Norway we were spent physically and decided to begin the long march on sore feet back to the bus station. Its always a treat when the beer wears off and you realize that you still have half a million miles to go before you can find air conditioning and a seat. When the bus finally pulled up we could see that it was empty and seat heaven awaited us. Imagine our surprise when every seat was occupied by the tiny pygmies that were living under our bed at the WL. They were hard to see as they were surrounded by shopping bags. It seems they had just come from Downtown Disney and were mad as heck. They had expected to meet Puck from the Shakespeare plays. Puck is a big pygmy favorite (http://www.online-mythology.com/pygmies/) as they have a lot in common or so they think. Instead they got stuck going to Wolfgang Pucks restaurant where one of them almost got tangled up in a sushi roll.
Last Nov. we went to WDW expecting to be able to use our cell (nationwide plan), but it was roaming the entire time. BUMMER! Thanks again!
