Disney World...."Chowdah Style" *The official thread* 3/26 update

[2BoysMom]

We're all just happy you're back. I returned from our 6 day trip and am already planning my next trip this August. The Disney cruise was already booked prior to the last trip, and now my SIL and I are planning a few days at WDW before we set sail!

Don't forget...these posts are not just idle chatter. Many of us are in a Disney-internet support group Welcome to the group.

 

[Shelby5514]

Yea! She's Back! Can't wait for the finale!

 

[bostonchowdah]

haha... I'm glad to know that I'm not alone...​

"Flip Flops...your "not-so-friendly" disney footwear"​

Know at Epcot...we took out time. We automatically figured that we had beaten the boys...but because we didn't know the true point values...we couldn't jump to conclusions. Another big point winner was to drink a full glass of Beverly. We knew this would be an easy task for the guys... they cna basically drink anything no matter what the taste is. As most know...Beverly is the tonic drink from the devil! We each sampled the beverage to see who could officialy drink a whole cup. I went first....yea...it wasn't going to happen. Strudle and Coco failed too...luckily...Murph was having sinus issues that day...and could barely taste...SCORE! She was able to easily drink a full cup! After a lot of mints and gum...we proceeded with the challenge.
It was soon off to Mission Space and then Test Track...both showed a decent wait time. We grabbed our "e-ride" points..and headed for the World Showcase. Film of all of the countries would get you points as well...but you couldn't just walk by...you would have to explore...and then buy some form of a "goodie" from each country. We figured we had made good time so far...so we were in no rush. We srtolled through each country picking up little candies and trinkets and even asked some CMs what they thought a good punishment was for guys losing a bet. We enjoyed Funnel Cake (aka fried dough) form France, and a few good beers in Germany. By the time we reached the UK...it was time for Illuminations, we grabbed some Fish and Chips...and found a spot for the show. As always the show was great...and we felt more confident than ever in winning the challenge. We had already finished the majority of "tasks" and we still had another 2 hours.
We headed back over to the Beach Club to catch a bus to DTD to finish. By now... fatigue set in... you really don't realize how much you walk around in Disney. Coco complained that she felt 9 mnths pregnant all over again. We shoved a few of those UK chocolate bars down our throats...and continued on. We knew we had to finnish strong.... losing itself isn't that bad...but losing A BET to a bunch of creative guys is an unthinkable thought. I got chills just thinking it.
Upon arrival at DTD, we made our way through all the stores...even taking stupid pictures with random things. When I was in Once Upon A Toy...I saw all those toys that I grew up with. I used to love those Tinker Toys...I would spend hours in my uncles lake cabin playing with them. I also played with those nerf arrow shooter things. The majority of my cousins were boys...hence why tinker toys and nerf guns were my favorite toys. Anyways...I saw those Disney Bears...and absolutely loved them. They were so soft and I loved the story that went with them. The only problem with my furry friend was his price tag. Yes...this is the same girl who spent $60 at the Build a Bear Workshop...but he at least came with cute clothes,sandals, and even little bear boxers! (P.S. that hole is for the tail...there not that exact...as me and Strudle had thought)
We proceeded to the World Of Disney...and made a quick stop at that coffee/bakery place that starts with a "G". I know the name...but I would completely butcher both the spelling and pronounciaition. We strolled through World Of Disney...but found nothing appealing...and then headed over to the "west side" part...at least I think thats what its called.... the one with Planet Hollywood and the movie theater. We picked up some more candy from one of the stores...and then headed to the bus stop. By now we were completely wiped. We boarded our bus... and looked at the video segments during the ride back. We arrived back at the room a few minutes before midnight... and sure enough the guys were already there. I was under the impression that we would all share some of the videos and pictures even though the "winner decision" wouldn't be till tomorrow. I had been saving some good trash Talking lines as well!
Those...URGH....boys....oh get this....were sleeping!! Not only that...but they were in there "PJs"...so it wasn't like they fell asleep for a few minutes watching TV. Although I was rather confused and angered...I snapped pictures...as it's not common to see these guys sleeping before us! I'll let you guess what I did next....
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If you were thinking I was the "bigger person" and let matt sleep....you are vastly mistaken...instead...I attempted to plant a nice "5-star" on the his back...now for all of you who don't know what a "5-star" is...it's basically when you spread your fingers...making the symbol for the number 5...and then forcefully smacking a certain spot...which inturn...leaves a very reddish mark of a 5 in that spot...and can be extremely painful to the victim. Of course though...my idea of a slap is like a "one hand palm punch"...and my time to escape was drastically cut short. I figured that the sharp pains from the "slap" would be running down Matt's back and this would allow me to at least have time to run to the other side of the room... yea....that didn't happen. Now while writing this...I know it can appear that I am a rather "abusive" person...and sure...it may appear to be that way...but in reality....my "abusive" acts frequently fail...and therefore I am the one getting the backlash abuse from the boys! Anyways...the "slap" basically annoyed Matt...and his reflex of kicking his leg (off the bed) basically obstructed my escape path...and I face planted at the foot of the bed. While Strudle, Coco, and Murph burst into laughter...the thud of my fall woke up the remaining sleeping guys.
While the overall situaiton was funny...I literally fell on my face...so fast that I barely could get my hands in front of me...and therefore I hit my chin and nose pretty hard on the floor. I got up with a slightly bloody nose and sore jaw. Matt wasn't that sympathetic after discovering what my true intentions were. I had a really hard time getting to sleep that night. Having a sore jaw and nose was bad enough...but sleeping on the floor with no covers...huddled under a sweatshirt and poncho because Matt wouldn't let me sleep in the bad just made the situation that much worse. I will say that that little space between the bed and bathroom wall is rather cozy though.
Overall I couldn't wait for tomorrow...that was the day in which we would determine the real winner...and loser.

P.S. Matt did let me back into the bed...but that was only after I threatened to call his daddy and tell on him...

 

[dismom9761]

I just finished reading- Don't stop! We have to know who won.

 

[roque]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN....SHE HAS RETURNED!!!!! YIPPEEEE !!!!

 

[Nanajo1]

Your report is wicked good. Please tell me the girls won!

 

[sweetinmaine]

Welcome Back! We missed you! Can't wait to read your next installment

 

[Kimberly815]

I need to know who wins!!

 

[bostonchowdah]

I would have wrote sooner...but I got a major craving for an M&M mcflurry.... mmmmm..... so I had to make a quick run over to a McDonalds!

No words can explain....​

The next morning we woke up around 10ish… had breakfast and soon headed over to Matt’s parents’ resort. Thinking that we had already won…we were rather in a cheerful mood. We assumed that the reason the guys were in bed so early was because they gave up on the challenge, probably figuring that there was no need to finish if they weren’t going to win. The boys were rather calm…they said few words at breakfast and seemed to be rather mellow. Their behavior confused me…. usually at the table...I’m fighting to grab utensils out of their hands because they're re-enacting Star Wars...or I'm trying to get them to stop spitting ice from there mouths into other cups! They instead were coloring the back of some piece of scrap paper.
We arrived at the resort and dropped off our cameras. Matt’s and Big Bubbah’s parents would watch the tapes on their own, decided point values, and determine the winner. Teams were not allowed to be in the room while they were watching and judging. With time to kill…we decided to go for a swim…YES….I know this is considered to be an “illegal” act and the "pool-hopping-nazi” may come after me… but to defend myself…there were few people at the pool and we were guests of someone actually staying at that resort! Although I will say I got some strange looks. There were a few older couples sitting pool side...and as we were walking by...I made sure to ask Skip if he had brought his swimmies (aka those little arm floaties) and that he wasn't going to be allowed to go in without his swim bubble on (aka that foam bubble that gets strapped to your back). Beacause we joke around like this on a regular basis...we're easily able to do it with a straight face. Anyways lets just say that we got some very odd looks from those poor couples.
About an hour later…we got a call to come back to the room. I all of the sudden got really nervous. I had been pretty confident prior to now… but I started second-guessing myself. We went back up to the room… and sat patiently.

Then…they began to announce the winner:

“It was a close finish…but the team with the most point values is…”​

I glanced over to Matt…and he had a childish grin on his face. My heart sank into my chest. All that ran through my mind was the fact that I have an extremely weak stomach for “gross” foods and drinks and the fact that I was way too young to die from some extreme stunt (althoguh I will say that I did live to see the Red Sox win a World Series…so I would die happy). Nonetheless the idea of the guys giving our punishment was unthinkable…and made me nearly hyperventilate.

She then announced the winner:

"....the boys...​

If you have ever watched friends….and seen the episode where Monica loses the apartment to the guys while playing a trivia game…you would know what my reaction was like. Not only did I scream “no” at the top of my lungs… and practically tackle and strangle Fitz..…but I physically had to leave the room to calm down. Yankee fans can relate the feeling to watching the Red Sox continue on to the World Series… it's that feeling of shock and disbelief!
Strudle followed me out of the room...and we both put our hands on our heads. What were the odds that this group of boys could win.... I was the Disney pro.... I was the one with all the park knowledge... how did these guys...who still call test track.."FAST track".... and Splash Mountain "the log ride" beat me! Seriously folks... the first day we went to MGM, Skip walked in circles trying to figure out where the "Golf Ball" is....URGH!
We returned inside to hear the punishment... I took a seat on one of the beds and burried my head into the pillow. Our "punishment" was as followed:

1) Camp out in Fort Wilderness for 2 nights, 3 days while the guys go golfing.
2) We have to stay in the tent by ourselves... and we can't leave the "resort"
3) We're given $20 each for food and expenses for the entire weekend...
4) We can't bring any other clothes except for those that we're wearing when we arrive at the camp site.
5) No electronic devices, including cell phones, radios, etc...

​

Now to be honest...this wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. One of the past bets involved the loser chugging a carton of extremely sour milk!
I was suprised at this "punishment" though. But as it turns out Matt's dad had booked the camp site a few weeks ago and was planning on going himself. When the guys heard about the site... they came up with the idea to make camping our punishment. Matt's parent's had the camping gear in the back of there car... which did include sleeping bags, "pool-floatie" beds, some flashlights, and a tent..so we weren't going to be left "high and dry". We had to start our "camping experience" tomorrow at noon.
We spent the rest of that afternoon watching the videos... sure enough the guys covered more ground then we did... they even managed to get to the water park. How they completed it all with time to spear is beyond me... but they did beat us "fair and square."

My next post will describe our experiences camping... and will most likely be posted later tonight!

 

[Wickedmom75]

I am so glad you are back, was getting worried about you !!!! Not much longer till you get to go again and chase away those Disney Blues

 

[bostonchowdah]

Ok…so now I bet your thinking that were a bunch of spoiled girly girls who can’t handle life without their cell phones and many outfits! WRONG! Yes…we may be a little on the girly girl side… and yes…slightly spoiled by the boys… but none the less…. sticking 3 girls in the middle of the woods…with no real camping experience…. seems a little bit scary!
When it came time to head to the campsite... I shoved as many clothes on as I could. I managed to get 2 pairs of underwear, a bathing suit, a tank top, a tee-shirt, and sweatshirt, 2 pairs of shorts, and sweat pants... yes... I did look stupid... but I knew that it was going to be nice during the day... and cool at night... and I definatley didn't want to freeze.
We arrived at the resort a few minutes after noon and checked in. Our site was in loop 1500, whcih was named cottontail "something"... and it was right behind the meadow recreation area. Our site was in the back of the loop....and we could easily cut through the trees to go sit be the stream.
When we got to the site...we unloaded the gear...and then began to set up the tent. The boys sat on the tail-gate enjoying snacks and drinks while we "attempted" to build our shelter. I was pretty handy at building forts and using legos...so I figured that I could handle a simple tent. Boy was I wrong! When I think of a tent... I think of the small, 3 person tents with few "bells and whistles". When I opened the bin...I was greeted by the "mac-daddy" of them all. I'm sorry.... but when it comes with more than 7 poles...it should have more than 1 page of instructions! I think the guys fell off the truck at least 12 times because they were laughing so hard. By about the 73rd attempt to get that stupid pole into that stupid pocket I had just about had it. Finally, we were able to get what appeared to look like a "tent"... but in reality was a mini mansion of nylon, netting, and zippers (I still think it was nicer and prettier than the pop-up trailer over at the next site!). Once our tent was completed the boys felt comfortable leaving...and headed back to the resort. Before leaving they left us our $20/each and "wished us luck"
You would think with a bling bling tent...that we would get bling bling air matresses... yea...that soooo wasn't the case. Instead we got the ghetto lounge blow-up pool floaties that you can get at your local CVS for like $7. After nearly passing out from blowing them up...we layed down on them...and still felt like we were sleeping on the ground. we laid out our "beds" in the sectioned off bed room (I told you it was a bling-bling tent), and headed off to the Comfort Station to freshin' up. I was suprised to see that the comfort stations were actually pretty ncie. I did feel like I was back in my college dorm... but none the less... it was alot nicer than expected. After that we were starving... and headed to find some food.
With $20 each we knew our options would be limited...we started to head over to "Pioneer Hall"....and then turned around...cause we were walking the wrong way. We made it there and then spent a good 10 minutes trying to figure out what we wanted to eat. We finally agreed that Fritos and Powerade were the dinner of choice. The look on the clerk's face was priceless! I think he had been watching and listening to us since we walked in.
Thinking that it was still early enough...we continued down onto the beach...where we scoped out our spot for tomorrow. Unfortunately we lost track of time... and berfore we knew it was already dark. Stranded a "mile" from our camp site...and with out a flash-light... we did what any logical girl would do. We bummed a ride off this cute guy driving a golf cart. He was going to the 20 something loop anyways...and didn't mind dropping us off. Once at the site...it was so dark that you could barely see your hand infornt of your face. We fumbled around, tripping over brush and what not before finally reaching our tent which has now been nick named "The POS" as it has already fallen down! (P= piece... O= of... S= well I think you can figure it out). Since our "home away from home" had fallen...we were struggling to find the entrance door. Once we found that...we were able to get into the first section. We found one of the flashlights and were able to re-stick our poles in the ground (opps... I guess you really do need to pin those down good).
Overall our first night at the site was ok. With it being cooler... few bugs were roaming the grounds. But I will say that it was freezing...and becasue our tent was so big...any body heat generated was spread out..and therefore never helped warm up the tent. We couldn't believe how dark it gets there though... I guess mainly because its so secluded...but you truley couldn't see past a few feet in front of you!

 

[Nanajo1]

Sorry about the contest. But you are good sports. Waiting to hear the rest of the saga.

 

[mkjmom]

Love your trip report! Despite losing the bet it sounds like your trip was a blast!!!

 

[Matty_Disfan]

Actually I have stayed at that very loop with my wife (prior to being married). We were the back corner site that actually abutted right up on the stream. It was Early May and mosquitoes were pretty bad at night. One of the best loops IMHO.

 

[bostonchowdah]

Actually I have stayed at that very loop with my wife (prior to being married). We were the back corner site that actually abutted right up on the stream. It was Early May and mosquitoes were pretty bad at night. One of the best loops IMHO.

thats true...I never thought about the mosquitos in the warmer months... we personally loved the loop as well... we had a comfort station and bus stop extremely close...and could easily walk to the pool and play area!
Even though I did lose the bet...boy I hate it when I lose... the challenge was still a lot of fun... its a great idea for people who have gone to disney a bunch of times...and would like ot try something new....


I awoke the next morning and tried to roll over. Issue 1… that’s pretty hard to do when you’re in a sleeping bag… Issue 2… my “air mattress” was only like 2 and ½ feet wide! I sat up to see strudle and munch still asleep (My SIL, even though she had lost the bet too… got out of having to go camping because she had to take care of the kids… here's where having 4 kids under the age of 5 comes in handy). I think the act of “sitting-up” made me have to go the bathroom…so I put on some flip-flops…and “attempted” to leave the tent. Fearing that someone might come into the tent… we took a shoelace from strudle’s sneaker, and used it as a “lock” to keep the zippers tied together and in one spot. At the time it had seemed like a good idea… but now… it was the one thing that stood between my bladder…and the comfort station.
I fumbled around with the knots for a while, and then finally was able to unzip the door. Once out of the “bedroom”, I was greeted by yet another door and with the same shoelace setup. By now I was freezing, hungry, dirty, and the urge to go the bathroom was increasing at an extreme rate. Finally, I was able to break free from “The POS”. Stepping outside of the tent… I was hit with a burst of freezing cold wind. Whose bright idea was it to go Florida in the winter? (Ok… it was my idea…but nonetheless). I briskly walked to the comfort station and was able to relieve myself. Walking back…. the sweetest couple from Oklahoma offered me a jacket. They were on the way to the MK with their grandkids. I had a sweatshirt on…but was in shorts and flip-flops (I can’t sleep in pants…). They were wrapped up in pants, sweaters, and jackets…even knit hats…(yes it was that cold out)…and were surprised when I admitted that I was ok warmth wise. Now to be honest…I was cold…but I wasn’t so cold that it made me uncomfortable… nonetheless… the gesture was an extremely nice on the their part.
When I got back into the tent…I crawled back into my “bed”… and just laid there. Here I was....supposidly on "vacation"... but in reality... was laying on a piece of inflated plastic, in a nylon and netting shelter, surrounded by bugs and snakes, with no ''real" food or water, in an area where an attack by a wild animal is extremely likely, in apparently...the "Happiest Place on Earth". WOO-HOO....I don't know about you... but I just love "vacation"! I couldn't take laying there anymore...so I got back up. As I was leaving...I may have accidently stepped on the corner of munch's "pool floatie"..... and that may have accidently caused the plastic plug to pop open....which in turn...may have caused the air to leak out. I began to panic... by the way I was acting...you would have thought that a boat of 30 orphans had just begun to sink. I frantically tried to re-plug the floatie...but every time I touched the plug...it seemed that more air was coming out. I woke munch up to tell her to roll over.... and she did... but the wrong way.... and rolled onto strudle... which in turn woke strudle up... and as both of them laid there trying to figure out what was going on... they popped the plug on her "pool floatie"! Now if you have ever heard the sound of air coming from those plugs.... it sounds very much like a hissing snake. The tent went quiet and that was all we could hear. Of course when they began to roll around and panic...the shift in weight made a change in the force of air being released. So inturn it sounded as if the snake was becoming agitated. A few screems and tossed flip flops later... we determined that the noise was from the floatie. We all sat there... just laughing at our deflated beds.
All of the sudden....we heard our site neighbors yelling for everyone to get inside. Then... all heck broke loose as gallons of rain began falling from the sky. ( I told you how much I love this vacation-thing right?)

I'll be sure to finish this later tongiht...

 

[roque]

 

[bostonchowdah]

So there we were... 3 girls... in the middle of the woods... in a huge thunder and lightning storm. After a a few mintues...sitting in the tent was getting boring... but the rain wasn't letting up. Like I said before our lot was close to the stream which also had a pretty good size stretch of grass runnning with it. As strudle began blowing her "bed" back up... an idea crossed my mind. I snatched the floatie from her...and ran outside. I built up some speed...and than dove onto the pool floatie as if I were doing a belly slide. Unfortunatley... I hid a rather dry spot of grass... and slid face first off the floatie which had not slid as I intended it too.... BUT... no one saw that... so I wasn't nearly as embarrassed as I should have been. I spit the grass out of my mouth... and found a moist section closer to the water... and SUCCESS... "Chowdah's e-ride slip n' slide" was created. Folks...who would have thought that a $7 piece of plastic had so many uses.
My slip n' slide kept us busy for a while until we realized that we had to sleep on our sliding board...which was now covered in mud and grass. Also the fact that we didn't bring towels with us...so we would most likely be wet the rest of the day. Oh well... at least it kept us busy! Overall the day was pretty much a washout. We spent it in our tent freezing to death while playing cards or sleeping.