Disney has spoiled us

[WDW Fan]

Loving your TR! That was so exciting that you were chosen by the Dream Team for the Fastpasses! Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

June 21
I love AK. It has become my favorite park. I love the trees and all the animals. I told you earlier that I teach 6th grade, and now I will tell you that I teach science.

OK so we get to the gates and there are some long lines. I waited in one long line while my husband walks up to one of the turnstiles that no one is standing at and asks the CM if this one will open. She says yes, so he turns around and puts his arms up like he is Moses parting the Red Sea. He says, "Come to me, my people!" The people started to swarm to him. They were nice enough to let his family get up front with them. I hope the people waiting in the other lines didn't get too mad at him.

Family #3
While we were waiting to get through the turnstiles, DH started talking the Irish Family next to us. He found out that this is their first trip. So he asked them where their buttons were? They didn't know anything about a button. The CM overheard and got them all buttons. The next time we saw them they were part of the rope drop and then we saw them being guided to the front of the Everest line. They walked by and said Thanks to my husband. Yes, this was the 3rd time someone right next to us was picked for something special. I'm really glad that something special happened for the family on their first visit.

This time DH went to get FP for EE while the girls and I went to Dinoland and rode Primevil Whirl. DH was back when we got off. We all headed to Dinosaur. We love this ride. I'm not sure why. We ended up riding 3 times on this trip.

OK so we went on Kali River Rapids. Why do I do this? I'm soaking wet and stay that way for hours. IS this ride really worth it?

We went on our first of 3 rides on EE. That yetti freaks me out each time.

My favorite show at all of WDW is Flights of Wonder. I've seen it 3 times and it has been different each time. I tried really hard to be the person who holds the $1.00 bill up but to no avail. These birds are great, and I think the storyline with the guide is hysterical. I know, I'm wierd.

Here's a good picture;

After FLights I saw another teacher I teach with. He and his family had just left the show and were on their way to Festival of the Lion King. We only talked for a minute. It is so cool to travel all that way and see people that you know.

We ate Tusker House. Good food. On our way out, I saw the most disturbing event. I know everyone has one of these stories, but I'm still shocked when I see it. A girl around 8 was crying, I mean really crying. I would have thought she was in pain. At first the mom was telling her to be quiet, then she started yelling at her. Then she smacked her on the butt. Then she did something, I haven't even been tempted to do. She put her hand over the child's mouth. The child looked scared. I can't get this picture out of my head. I know that I should have said something, but I just can't bring myself to approach someone. My family hadn't noticed what was going on and I did not want to bring it to my daughters' attention. I wished DH would have seen it, because he would have said something. I wish that she would have moved the girl away from the crowds and found a place to sit down in the shade. I know that might be hard, but I would have tried, instead of just standing there. I was shaking when I walked away.

We went to Planet Watch and the train ride calmed me down. I liked it out here. The crowds are very thin. We saw Pocahontas.

Also DD #1 is obsessed with cows. I don't know why, so she was so excited by this picture.

Go figure

OK Here's a hint. The Nemo theater is HUGE!!!!! When DH saw the line 45 minutes before show time, there was no way he was going to stand in the line. So, we went and got Milkshakes, sat in the shade and drank them, and got in line once it started moving. We had no problem getting a seat. It was towards the back, but we could see and hear everything. It was a great show. I love the music.

We saw Tough to be a Bug and boy was the audience loud!!! We couldn't even hear the dialogue at times. It was the strangest thing. I also have another story about a crying child, but I'll save that for another posting.

We closed the day with Festival and another ride on EE. I love this park after 6:00. We walked through Asia 4 wide with our arms out and still didn't touch anyone. It is great.I wish I had a picture.

Ok I know this is long but I have to tell you what happened while we were shopping. As I was checking out the CM was talking about the park and the story, telling my about the paintings and such. Just before she handed me the receipt, she looks at DD #2 and asks her her favorite animal in the park. DD #2 says, "RHino" The CM says, "Oh, the rhino is a mammal with a central nervous system. Thank you and have a magical day."

We just didn't know what to say, I hope I said thank you before I walked away. We were going across the Discovery Island bridge, when we all looked at each other and started to laugh. I know you are probably thinking what was so funny. But after a long day, it just struck us as hilarious.

Someone in the family will still say this just out of the blue and this gets us all laughing again.

Thanks for reading, tomorrow World Showcase.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Maybe the mom who put the hand over her daughter's mouth had read the mean spirited thread on the DIS about folks who are upset cause there are so many noisy kids at DW???

I would never do such a thing. I work with small children, many of them with behavioral problems and I try to get them to use their words when they are upset. Does not always work though.

When confronted by a child having a melt down I give the parent a smile of encouragment and go on my way. Stuff happens and we were all children at one time.

I am with your husband on playing with the kids through the window. The main reason I go to DW is so that I can play with the kids. I love 'em!! OK, most of 'em.

I love your TR. They tell so much about the people who write them and you are someone I would enjoy knowing.

Slightly Goofy

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Maybe the mom who put the hand over her daughter's mouth had read the mean spirited thread on the DIS about folks who are upset cause there are so many noisy kids at DW???

I would never do such a thing. I work with small children, many of them with behavioral problems and I try to get them to use their words when they are upset. Does not always work though.

When confronted by a child having a melt down I give the parent a smile of encouragment and go on my way. Stuff happens and we were all children at one time.

I am with your husband on playing with the kids through the window. The main reason I go to DW is so that I can play with the kids. I love 'em!! OK, most of 'em.

I love your TR. They tell so much about the people who write them and you are someone I would enjoy knowing.

Slightly Goofy

Thanks for reading,

I hope I don't sound like someone who was totally annoyed with the kids. Generally the kids were great, I'll be talking about a boy that I talked to on Sat. in an upcoming update.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

June 22

I know that the UOG has a 2 day EPCOT touring plan that says you should do half of Future world and half of World SHowcase in 1 day and the other half in another day. Well I think that that is increasing the walking even more. SO we did all of Future World in one day and then today we will do all of World showcase. The Future World was a great day, so I knew today would work as well.

Because WS doesn't open until 11:00, we slept in and I got ADRs for Boatwright's. THis is the rest. at POR. They are known for their breakfast selections. DDs ordered the Pancakes. They liked them but nothing special. I ordered the French toast. YUMMY!!!!!!

DH ordered the Banana stuffed French Toast

He loved it.

Our plan was to take the DTD boat and then pick up a bus to the Boardwalk and walk to the International Gateway by 11:00. Well the DTD bus from POR doesn't run until 11:00. OOPS!!!

So we took the bus from POR to EPCOT front entrance. We got there at 10:15 and walked on Spaceship Earth. I can't wait to see this again when all the changes have taken place.

We then stopped at CLub COol for some soda. DH bought a coke hat. Yes, I know he was in WDW and bought a COke hat.

We then headed into World Showcase and caught the Canada Movie. DD #1 is already complaining. She was willing to let me take this picture in the UK.

We made our way around the showcase and ate lunch in America. I know with all those great resturants, why are eating there?? Remember the picky eater??? Anyway the hotdogs were good.

This was my 5th trip to WDW and I had never seen American Adventure, so I made sure we were there at a time to see it.

One of my favorite moments of the whole trip occurred right before the show started. While we were waiting in the lobby, a group of 9 people came out to sing. They sang acapella (SP?) in harmony. They are "The Voices of Liberty". THey were amazing, The soprano was incredible. They even had the audience sing along at one point. OK DH thought the whole thing was hokey, but I love this kind of thing.

The show was good too.

In Mexico we met some girls who had Dream FP for the day and she said they got them on SOarin' that morning, The whole flight got one.

On our way out of the International Gateway, we met Chip and Dale with no wait.

I love this one.

We thought we would walk around the boardwalk and eat at ESPN, but we were too tired and there wan't anything to kill the time.

We had to wait 35 minutes for a bus to DTD from the Bardwalk Inn. We had to stand. Did you know that 4 hotels share 1 bus system? You would think that the Deluxe Resorts would each have their own bus system.

But when we got to DTD the Port Orleans bus was waiting for us. We decided to eat at French Quarter. There is a better selection here.

The girls went swimming when we got back to POR, and we were all in bed early.

DAY 2 MK is tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Planning fanatic mom, you did not come off as a child hater at all. Quite the contrary.

I enjoy talking to kids at DW and other places as well. I carry small treats (light up bracelets this trip) to give to kids I meet along the way.

I enjoy the singing at American Adventure too. The only thing that bothers me there is when they say "God bless America" while there are folks from all over the world there. I always add"And EVERYONE"!!

If you have not already checked them out make sure to catch the preshow for B&B at MGM. 4 for a Dollar is almost better than the actual attraction itself and it is pretty good!!

We eat at Boatwright's for breakfast on the day we head home. Gotta love those sweet potato pancakes!!

BTW, we go one direction at EPCOT to American Adventure one day and the other the next day taking the boat back to the front instead of walking all the way back. One our long trips we break the place into 4 parts and on our very long trips see things twice or more.

Slightly Goofy

 

[jcc0621]

I know when DS is having his meltdown I am always grateful for the "encouraging smile" Although I wouldn't put my hand over his mouth, or any of the other things you mentioned

We all know that the excitement gets to the kids (and even the sdaults sometimes), when DS has his meltdown I try to find an out of the way place for us to just sit and cool down or I will take hime back to where we are staying for a little chill out session before tyring again. Usually sitting in a shady place with a cold drink and a small snack does just the trick to rejuvenate everyone and calm everyone down

Loving your TR, can't wait for the next installment

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I had a physically abusive dad and if and when someone would step in things got worse for me later on.

I give the 'smile' cause the good parents deserve acknowledgement and the other kind of parents will take it out on the child in private later if confronted.

Sometimes it is awfully hard to butt out. That being said - sometimes when you see a parent 'lose it' you do not know what else has been going on for hours or days before and the small incident you saw was just the 'last straw'.

DW can be an awfully stressful place IF you are not aware of all the secrets like us DISers are.

I once had a child throw a fit in a store and threaten to make a scene if I did not buy her a certain item. Back in those days I was able to give her a small swat on the bottom so that she could fulfill her promised scream and we immediately left the store. She never did that again and has turned out quite nicely. She must not have minded as I am helping her raise HER kids. Never had to swat one of them even once. They must be much nicer than their mom was.

Slightly Goofy

 

[jcc0621]

I had a physically abusive dad and if and when someone would step in things got worse for me later on.

[/QUOTE]I give the 'smile' cause the good parents deserve acknowledgement and the other kind of parents will take it out on the child in private later if confronted.[/QUOTE] I know exactly what you mean. I am a Probation/AProle Officer here in Philly and I worked in the Domestic Intervention Unit for 6 years. There where many times that I would take a complaint from a victim but I could not say anything to the perpetrator until after he was cuffed and in custody as to why becasue there is always the chance that they will go and confront the victim for "getting them into trouble with their PO"
[/QUOTE]Sometimes it is awfully hard to butt out. That being said - sometimes when you see a parent 'lose it' you do not know what else has been going on for hours or days before and the small incident you saw was just the 'last straw'. [/QUOTE] This is true, but to me this is when we would just go back to the room and chill out for a couple of hours or the night. It is hard for people where this is their once in a lifetime trip and they have to cram everything into 5 or 6 days.

[/QUOTE]DW can be an awfully stressful place IF you are not aware of all the secrets like us DISers are. [/QUOTE] TGFTD (Thank Goodness for the Dis)

[/QUOTE]I once had a child throw a fit in a store and threaten to make a scene if I did not buy her a certain item. Back in those days I was able to give her a small swat on the bottom so that she could fulfill her promised scream and we immediately left the store. She never did that again and has turned out quite nicely. She must not have minded as I am helping her raise HER kids. Never had to swat one of them even once. They must be much nicer than their mom was. [/QUOTE]



Janet

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi Janet! Thank you for the affirmation that I am handling the situation correctly. If I see a parent that is getting physically abusive I often try to calm them down by pretending sympathy for THEM (meanwhile my blood is boiling).

I have often wondered what the parents around me thought the day I swatted my dd. It was an uncommon thing as I firmly believe that such should only be done in extreme cases. I am sure there are those who did not know the whole story who still talk about the mean lady who 'beat' her kid in Sears.

Given a choice between what they thought/think and making my daughter into someone who is a productive member of society I think I chose correctly, that time.

BTW, can you tell that I work with abused and learning disabled children myself? I heal myself when I do so.

Thank YOU for all the good you do for the children of Philly. My mom was from there and I still have family there.

Slightly Goofy

 

[DisneyLaura]

June 20

We also dragged them on "Small World". They wouldn't go last year and we said that the only way you are allowed to pick on the ride was to actually ride it. Of course we got caught in one of the rooms and they hated it. Although I think that deep down inside, they were glad we made them go.

I love this ride. I drag my DH it every time we go. Last time we went it was shut down, I was so disappointed but DH was

Crystal Palace I like too. We had dinner there, I am a Pooh fan so it was nice for me. DS's were kind of scared of the characters so mom got all the pictures with them but Tigger did sneak in a picture with DS2 (he was 2 at the time).

Can't wait to read more.

 

[AlyssinWonderland]

Sounds like your trip has been pretty good so far! Sounds like the trip there wasn't too fun...awful only 40-something miles an hours! If it makes you feel better I'm from Alaska and the first time we traveled to DW we spent a total of 13 hours in the air. Now we only get one stop flights...but geez...I understand the pain of getting to the world! Your trip report is sounding great! Thanks for writting!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Good morning,

Thank you for all who are reading. I appreciate your input and insight. You made me think of some things that I hadn't thought of before.

Aside, I did see "4 for a dollar" at MGM and loved them. I forgot to mention them. They are the preshow to B&B.

June 23:
We decided to do MK in 2 days so this was the day to go back and do the things we missed the first time. The TP says that we should go straight to SPlash Mtn. and then BTMRR. Well, there was no way my girls were going to MK without going to SM first.

We got to the gates with plenty of time to spare. While waiting we spoke to a lovely family. The parents have been there before but a long time ago. Their preteen boys had never been there. They were shocked by the crowd this early in the morning. They started asking questions about what to see when. I asked the boy standing closest to me if he was going to ride on Buzz. His mother said that she wanted them to but the boys thought it was too babyish for them. It took me awhile to convince him that he would indeed love it. THen I told him the secret from the UG. "You aim for the farthest targets and hold the trigger down the whole time." He seemed convinced. I like to think that he went on and loved it.

We all headed to SM and was one of the first ones in the building. We wound our way through the queu. And then we stopped. We stood for just a couple of minutes before they said that SM was not ready and gave us all FP for any ride in the park at any time. We knew that we would want it for SM so decided that it would be our last ride before we left for the day. If you are keeping count, that is the 2nd time SM broke down on out visit.

We walked right on BTMRR and decided not to do Spalsh Mtn because DH didn't want to get wet. I offered to go on with DDs but they weren't interested.

We liked the changes to Pirates. Jack looks so cool. We also caught the Jack show outside when we came out. Here are some pics.

OK so we proceeded through the day, ate lunch, YADDA, YADDA, YADDA.

Headed back to SM to ride. Guess what, Yep it was broken down again. Do you think that it is getting old and tired???

So we used our FP for Buzz.

I finally got the Pineapple treat at Aloha Isle. It was absolutely worth the hype.

We headed back to POR to rest before dinner.

I really wanted to stay at WL but couldn't quite afford it.

So, I decided to make an ADR fpr Whispering Canyon. If you haven't ever been there, do it. It was so neat. DD #2 had the steak and the rest of us had the Canyon Skillet. It was so yummy. Here is a picure but we had already started eating before I remembered to take the pic.

I love the ketchup thing. DD#2 wouldn't even have ketchup on her fries because "she didn't want to get involved" This place is so cool. B-days are also handled in a very clever way.

OK so we were there. I told the family that the plan was to take the boat to MK to see the park at nightime and maybe watch Wishes. They didn't want to. I couldn't believe it. They wanted to go to FG and play MG. WHAT!!!!! I even pretended that I was going to go anyway. They either knew I was pretending or didn't care. There was also a new Kim Possible episode on that evening and the DDs did not want to miss it. I, of course, came to my senses and realized that the trip was all about the kids. So we went and played MG. It also helped me work off all that good food.

Next post: Last day at WDW and why the thread got the name that it got.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Donald is #1]

We walked right on BTMRR and decided not to do Spalsh Mtn because DH didn't want to get wet. I offered to go on with DDs but they weren't interested.

I noticed this in May ('07) and Oct ('06). During both trips, I was able to walk right on BTMRR.

I love the ketchup thing. DD#2 wouldn't even have ketchup on her fries because "she didn't want to get involved" This place is so cool. B-days are also handled in a very clever way.

I ate at WCC for the first time last October and I really enjoyed it. I loved the ketchup thing and also the horse races for the kids. Did your kids do the horse race? When I was there, I saw a wide variety of ages doing the race.

OK so we were there. I told the family that the plan was to take the boat to MK to see the park at nightime and maybe watch Wishes. They didn't want to.

This needs a double !

They wanted to go to FG and play MG.

OK, now I am showing my age. FG = ? and MG = ?

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Planning fanatic mom, I collect people instead of pins. I might not remember their names but I remember their stories, the ones they tell me and the ones we share for that short time at DW.

I hope that your new friend did give Buzz a whirl. Sometimes they just do not trust our DIS advice. I once spent at least ten minutes trying to convince the mother of a child who wanted to ride Dumbo that a FIVE minute wait was as good as it could get!!! She would not wait. I saw her later and I think she finally got it but it was too late to be of use. Poor kid, poor tired mom.

Next time Space Mountain is down for the count give the Transit Authority a try as I have read that you can see the inside of SM with its lights on when it is broke and they are working. You can see bits of it all the time too.

One alternative viewing area for Wishes is at the lagoon resorts. We prefer the Poly. It is an awesome sight and you can pick up some Dole Whip from the CS there to enjoy while you watch. We are often the only people there so that is quite an experience. No need to use up a park ticket either if you are so inclined.

I am not an early riser, just did not sleep last night. Must have a guilty conscience or something.

Can't wait to see what FG and MG are too!

Slightly Goofy

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Good morning,

MG= Miniature Golf
FG=Fantasia Gardens

Sorry about that. I guess I was rushing.

We did do Transit Authority the first time Space Mtn. was down, and it was cool to see it with the lights on. DH tried to take a picture but because of the flash and the glass separating you from the attraction, it didn't turn out.

I would love to see RNRC with the lights on.

OK last morning at WDW.

We slept until 8:00 which is late for us. Had breakfast at The Mill. DH and girls went cane pole fishing and bike riding while I packed up the room. Don't feel sad for me, this is exactly what I wanted. However, I did not plan on loading the car by myself, but when they hadn't returned by 10:30, I started. I got a lot done. By 10:45 I went to stand in the check out line and boy was there a line. DH calls and says, "Where are you?" DUH!!!!!

I got us checked out and we decided to drive to AK for one more day of fun. We got to AK with no trouble, parked and ran to the awaiting tram. THis is the first time ever, we drove to a park. We've always used WDW transportation and love it. Yes, you've guessed it, we get off the tram and DH looks at me and says, "Do you remember where we parked?" I had no clue.

Oh. well we couldn't do anything about it now so off we went to the park. We decided to check the FP return time and it was 2:25 which was perfect because we couldn't check into our new hotel until after 3:00 anyway. We got FP and off we went to..... DINOSAUR!!! Have I told you yet, how much we love this ride? And there is never any wait. If you do have to wait, it is in the air conditioning.

Had lunch and decided to see It's Tough to be a Bug because we wondered if the crowd was always as loud as it was the other day. Yes, it was!! There were people screaming and crying. The saddest thing happened right behind me.

THe show started and the young boy about 7 or 8 behind was clearly uncomfortable with the 3-D and the bugs. He started to cry almost immediately. I took a quick look and he was on his mom's lap with no glasses on. You know the part when the spiders come down from the ceiling. Well, he completely lost it. He let out the most terrifying scream. I was so scared for him. I wanted this whole experience to end for him. If he wasn't scared of bugs before he got in there, he certainly was now. When the lights came up, he stopped crying right away. On our way out, I allowed his family to go ahead of us, and I saw that he had wet himself and his mother. I felt so bad for him. His mom was so calm and cool. She never let on that there was a problem and never once yelled at him. She got a CM's attention and they were whisked away to another part of the "tree". You think as a parent, "Oh, look A Bug's Life, isn't that cute." YOu have no idea how your children could react. I hope this didn't ruin the whole trip for them? What if this ruins WDW for him forever????

I still get tears in my eyes thinking about. My husband and I both said that it will be a long time before we go to see that movie again.

We went and got a frozen lemonade and walked the Maharaja Jungle Trek while we drank them. NOTE: You can't take food in here, but you can take a drink. The tigers were asleep again, but the birds were very active.

We went to the 2:00 Flights of Wonder show AGAIN. I can't help it, I love it. We sat in the back and there is a part where the hawk flies to the CM. Well she was standing right in front of us. We had a great view of his landing. The picture didn't turn out that great. I won't bother to post it.

It was now time for our last ride at WDW. EE!!!! We think this is the most ingenious ride ever. We used our FP and walked right on.

Everytime we use a FP, we wonder why Hershey Park doesn't figure out how to do this? We live near there and go there often. Anyway!

We wondered through the Oasis and gave a big goodbye to our favorite place on Earth, next to our home. We were especially sad when we realized that we had no idea where we parked.

We walked to the tram pick up and my DH decided it would be better if we walked to find the van! I couldn't believe it. So off we go because I certainly didn't have a better idea. He knew he was walking in the right direction, and he is very good at directions. We ended up between 2 parking lots where the cars were pointing in different directions. Then DD#2 says, "Daddy, I know we were pointed in that direction." Again we had no idea, so we went with it and walked to the lot that she thought it was. At this point he starts hitting the panic button on the romote and less than 2 minutes later we could hear our van calling to us. She was absolutely right. By the way we were in the Peacock lot.

We were on our way. The plan was to stay at a Fairfield Inn and Suites in Orlando and go to Sea World. Those of you who have been to SeaWorld already know where I'm going with this. I bought a length of stay ticket which meant that we could use this ticket for 2 days. We chose this hotel because it had breakfast included and a free shuttle to SeaWorld.

Well when we checked in, we were told that the shuttle only runs once in the morning at 9:20 and then at 7:20 and 10:15 at night. OK this was not Disney where the buses run every 20 minutes. The hotel was nice though and the rooms were extremely clean. SO we get into the van and drive to Seaworld which took us 30 minutes. We had to pay $10.00 to park but because it was later in the day, found a space close to the front.

As soon as we walked in, we knew this was not WDW. The map seemed confusing and it was no where close as clean as WDW. We checked out the sea turtles and headed toward the Kraken. Just as we were storing stuff in a locker, they closed the ride due to a storm in the area. I never have a problem with this because of the danger. I would most certainly not want to be on a metal coaster in a FL thunderstorm. So, we retrieved our belongings and headed out to find something to eat.

Well, this was impossible. The places to eat are so spread out and you have no idea what kind of food is in the place until you step inside. We found the Seafire Inn. It was counter service. There wasn't really anything in there that DD#2 (picky eater) would eat, but I saw some fruit and thought I could make it work for her. OK so we finally get up to the drinks station and ask for ice water. Well you would have thought that I asked the man to let me drink his blood. Also, the water here costs $2.59 while at WDW it is $2.00. We finally get the water and headed down the line. They had big pieces of watermelon that looked good but no price anywhere. DH asked the drink guy and he said he didn't know how much they were. We got 4 pieces because
how expensive could it be? They had these huge sandwiches next. DH thought they looked good and asked if they could cut one in half so that we could share it. We were told, that they can't do this. Again never had trouble sharing food at WDW.

At this point I notice a group of "chefs" and one server standing around talking. When they look up, and see the totally annoyed faces looking back at them, they send the server up to help the only lady doing any work. She gets very angry and comes up to ask what we want. At this point the only lady who was doing anything, leaves never to be seen again. We took the sandwich anyway and asked for the stir fry. We were then told that there was no more rice. I know how could you have stir fry without rice? My husband asks how long will it be to wait for the rice. They said that they weren't making anymore. It was 5:20????? Then they said we could have fries with the stir fry but would have to wait 2 minutes. YUCK!!!! So on our tray we have watermelon that we have no idea how much it costs and a sandwich they wouldn't cut in half. I did something that I never do. I took the drinks and found my girls and walked out. We left the tray on the counter. DH, of course, couldn't let it go and found a manager. Apparently, at 5:30 the place turns from a counter service to a sit down resturant. That's why they stop making food at the counter. There was no sign posted anywhere and the manager did not care that our experience had been bad. We left and DH turned to me and said, "Disney has spoiled us"
Hence the name of the thread.

We tried one more pizza place to eat and were told it would be an hour wait. NO thank you, I don't wait an hour for counter service.

We left the park having paid $10.00 to park and see some turtles and stingrays. However, we thought with a good night sleep we would try again. We took a map, so I could create some kind of touring plan. Yes, I had a copy of several different unauthorized books about Seaworld in the room that I could use. We found a Subway, bought some subs, chips and apple juice and ate in our room.

Tomorrow had to be better, RIGHT???

I just realized that there were no pictures here, but there really aren't any that I thought would work. There will be some in the next post.

Thanks for reading.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Planning fanatic mom, they have several signs, outside and in the waiting area about loud noises, dark and etc. cause so many kids get scared in Bug but many ignore it and pay the price. I have never seen a performance that did not have a few children succumb.

Yes, Disney has us spoiled. We rate every place else against them and they all come up wanting. No matter the imperfections it is still the BEST!!!

I loved your TR. It was nice to see the place through your eyes. Hope to meet you in the parks one fine day.

Slightly Goofy

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Good morning:
I know this is supposed to be about Disney, but my TR would not be complete until I arrived home. I'll keep it brief.

OK we were determined that today would be better. I had looked through my books and made a plan on the map that we got the day before, writing down the times of the shows and numbering the attractions we wanted to see in the right order. We had a nice free breakfast and headed to SeaWorld. It opened at 9:00am. They hold you in your car until 8:30 which was OK with me, AIR CONDITIONING DH studied the plan.

A very disturbing sight awaited me. The people in the van in front of us started to get out of the van to put on sunscreen, well that 's OK but when the mom started to put sunscreen on her 14ish year old son, I got a little uncomfortable. They were standing where everyone can see him, and she did his whole body, legs, arms, neck, and face. OK the face I can understand if you don't have a mirror, (Wait a car has at least 3 mirrors) but he could have done the rest of his body. I have not put sunscreen on my daughters for years. THey do it themselves, after I taught them, and they would be mortified to have it done to them by their mother in public. It was a sight.

Anyway at 8:30 you drive in. Our hotel had given us a coupon for a free upgrade for preferred parking. So again it cost us $10.00 but we got to park very close to the door. They then let you through the turnstiles at 8:45 but stop you at a rope a right after the turtles. Their opening show is playing the Star Spangled Banner.

OK so they let us to go to the only 2 big rides, Journey into Atlantis and Kraken. We decided we did not want to get wet and DD#2 did not want to ride the Kraken. DH and DD#1 rode while we waited. I ckecked today's schedule and adjusted the plan accordingly. The show times were different.
When they got off, I rode Kraken with DD#1. This child absolutely loves roller coasters!!! Wow this ride is intense. But Fun!!!!

We then headed to the Dolphin Cove. We were too cheap to buy the fod tray so we waited on the cheap seat side and after a while we did get to touch a Dolphin. This was so COOL!!

The girl in the red Disney hat is DD#2. We are forever loyal!!

OK today was already better with riding the KRaken and touching dolphins, I knew we were fine.

We then saw the sea lion show which is great. The Preshow mime is hilarious.

Did you know they have the Clydesdale horses there?? Well they do!

We wanted to see the 11:30 show of Shamu and we found out that they have a counter service at the stadium, and you can eat in the stadium. So we got some amazing hot dogs, chips and water and waited for the show to begin. We did not want a repeat of last night.

The show was a little cheesey at times, but the whales are amazing. There was a baby whale that they were training, and I spent a lot of time watching that. Here is the obligatory picture of the girls with Shamu.

The shark encounter was neat, I like the way they have you on a moving sidewalk to that you can't get a gridlock situation. Wild arctic was not worth the wait but it was cold.

DH did a Pearl dive and we went and saw the penguins.

WE checked out the manatees. Someome will have to explain the evolution advancements of this animal. Wow are they big!!

We then only had the Whale and Dolphn show to go. As we were sitting there, a storm blew in and they postponed the show. But after 15 minutes decided to cancel all together. SO what did we do??? Shopped!!!!!!

We were in our car by 3:45 and headed back to the hotel to clean up and find somewhere it eat dinner. We ate at an Olive Garden and went over the Universal's City Walk to see a movie. This is a place that we might like to check out sometime but of course we know that ...

DISNEY HAS SPOILED US!!!!

We drove home in 15 hours the next day, and I got to sleep in my bed.

It was a great trip, better than last year. And we have told the kids that we would have to wait at least 2 years before going back. Yea, right

Thanks for reading, this is the last installment unless someone posts questions or comments.

I've had a good time.

Planning Fanatic Mom

 

[dreamsofdisney]

A very disturbing sight awaited me. The people in the van in front of us started to get out of the van to put on sunscreen, well that 's OK but when the mom started to put sunscreen on her 14ish year old son, I got a little uncomfortable. They were standing where everyone can see him, and she did his whole body, legs, arms, neck, and face. OK the face I can understand if you don't have a mirror, (Wait a car has at least 3 mirrors) but he could have done the rest of his body. I have not put sunscreen on my daughters for years. THey do it themselves, after I taught them, and they would be mortified to have it done to them by their mother in public. It was a sight.

First, I wanted to say that I've enjoyed following along with your TR. After nine trips to WDW, I've still never managed to post ours! Maybe next year...

I wanted to comment about the "scene" that made you uncomfortable with the Mom putting sunscreen on her teenaged son. My DS14 has a type of high-functioning Autism, Asperger's Syndrome. One of the (many!) ways this affects him is that he only sees himself as two-dimensional. He never thinks to brush or wash the shampoo out of the back of his hair, doesn't check to see that his clothes are on properly if he can't see them from the front, and NEVER puts sunscreen on the backs of his arms, legs or neck. He also has a lot of sensory issues that cause him to be very uncomfortable with lotions on his skin. He knows that he needs to wear sunscreen, but hates the feeling of it on his hands and rubbing it in. While we have been lucky enough that he has learned how to (sort of) manage the sunscreen on his own, not every family is so lucky. My son looks "typically developing" and is very verbal. People would be surprised by the level of support he needs. As a fellow teacher, I would think that you would be aware of the possibility that someone might be differently abled, and would perhaps not be so quick to judge. Even if it's NOT the case, it's always best to keep in mind that you might not know the full story. Be thankful that you have two beautiful, healthy daughters who are able to be so independent!

Not trying to flame, but it saddened me to see that part of your post. I felt I needed to comment.

Thanks again for sharing your magical trip!

 

[william4192]

Great thread! Great report!