DixieDreamer
Instant Human
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2001
- Messages
- 2,942
In Episode 1 we left our intrepid travelers (that would be us!) fitfully sleeping at Port Orleans Riverside (Room 1751 Alligator Bayou Section). Having successfully navigated across the United States, braved the wrath of fearsome âÂÂRain and Attraction GodsâÂÂ, and (even more importantly) managed to find their way back to their room with little mishap - the small troupe did not rest easy. Their sleep was disturbed by the bright flashes of lightning and the loud clap of thunder through the night. The Chief (âÂÂChief Plannerâ and âÂÂBudget Officerâ that is) was particularly worried about the potential uprising of the tribe if forced to continue per the itinerary under these foul weather conditions. If something did not change, this family vacation was going to start feeling like the Bataan Death March! For those who do not know me, let me introduce myself. I am DixieDreamer (alias Mom - age 38). I share my life and adventures with my DH (Greg - age 42)and my DD (Lindsay - age 9). LetâÂÂs rejoin our troubled heroes for Episode 2 - WDW Aerobics for Beginners....
The plan for the first full day was to run a WDW marathon of sorts. The agenda was particularly full because I figured we would be fresh, enthusiastic and thus able to cope more effectively with a âÂÂlongâ day of touring. The schedule called for an early start to Animal Kingdom (undoubtedly our favorite park), a mid-afternoon break at the resort for a swim and nap, and then on to the Magic Kingdom for E-Ride night and a scheduled âÂÂmeet and greetâ with some folks from the DIS (1 hour prior to E-Ride night). The key to pulling this âÂÂAerobic Workoutâ off was to âÂÂpaceâ the day properly, provide recovery periods, and flexibility to revise the plan when things did not work out. There are some golden rules for participating in WDW Aerobics for Beginners, which I will attempt to explain as this story progresses. Please pay careful attention to these rules - violations are not recommended!
I was the first up and moving on Friday morning. The radiator in our room had done a great job of drying all our shoes out from the night before, and a quick check into the darkness of the morning (it was 5:30 am) showed that while it was cloudy - there was currently NO RAIN! YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! After showering and dressing and getting Lindsay up and dressed - we two girls headed to the food court to get some breakfast while Greg showered and dressed. For early start mornings, we have found this to be a very efficient way to start the day. My DH is NOT a morning person so he is best left ALONE when he first rises up in the morning! A walk to the food court and back allows him time to stumble around and growl without my having to be the object to which they are directed. During the walk there and back, I assessed the weather in an attempt to decide whether we would stick to the original schedule or go to plan B (Epcot). The clouds were there, the temperature was cooler, but there was no rain to speak of. So I concluded that we would stick to the original plan. The food court at Port Orleans Riverside opens the deli mart area at 6:00 am. This allows early park goers a chance to grab a breakfast of cereal, bagels, muffins, fruit, milk, and juice. The hot breakfast options of eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, pancakes etc. do not begin being served until 7:00 am. We got our selections to go, filled our reusable mugs that we purchased the night before, and headed back to the room.
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<BODY>
<U>WDW Aerobics for Beginners Rule #1 - All participants should be in general good health to start out with. </U>
</BODY>
</HEAD>
</HTML>
Realistically, I knew the agenda I had planned was pushing the envelope for my DH. He did not feel the need to join me in walks to strengthen and tone in preparation for the trip. In consideration of his lack of a PRE-Disney conditioning and training program, I planned the mid-day break to be LONG so that he would revive sufficiently to tackle the evening activities. What I did not know however, was that just prior to the start of our journey he apparently had part of his toenail that had broken away and left him with a VERY sore big toe on the right foot. When I returned to the room I found him âÂÂdoctoringâ his toe. As he advised me of this âÂÂconditionâÂÂ, I fought the wild urge to suggest an amputation as a possible short term remedy and instead suggested bandaging it. Any veteran of WDW knows the importance of keeping your feet comfortable and healthy! OMG!!! How was he possibly going to survive the day - let alone the week?! We have violated Rule #1 of WDW Aerobics for Beginners! Deep breaths... calm down... breathe through this... he will survive. Okay, panic attack over - we head out the door and managed to walk into the South Bus Depot just as the Animal Kingdom bus pulled up. Things are looking up! Our luck must be improving. When we arrived it was just as the gates were opening up and the crowds were small (probably because the weather was still overcast and gloomy). A beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and suddenly - things seemed âÂÂrightâ with the world.
With a lingering hint of rain in the air, we decided to do Dinoland first because the attractions there generally provide cover from the weather. First out of the chute was âÂÂDinosaurâÂÂ. I have to confess that this is not my favorite ride. The attraction is just too dark to really enjoy the effects (JMHO!). We browsed the area and then headed to âÂÂItâÂÂs Tough to be a BugâÂÂ. This is such a hoot! It does pay to do your homework ahead of time though. One or two parents of small children exited before the show was done with wailing children - frightened by the darkness and effects of the show. Have to use your judgment on that one.
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<BODY>
<U>WDW Aerobics for Beginners Rule #2 - Monitor Condition - Cease Strenuous Exercise if Not Within Acceptable Parameters!</U>
</BODY>
</HEAD>
</HTML>
Next we headed to Africa and grabbed a FastPass for Kilimanjaro Safaris prior to walking the Pangani Forest Trail. This trail is so beautiful. We never seem to tire of wandering through the various sections, exploring what creatures and hidden delights await around the next bend. Lindsay is in her element here. She is an animal lover and delights in being able to knowledgeably discuss the various animals and habitats we encounter. After exiting out of the trail, we promptly used our FastPass and loaded onto the Safari ride. This too is one of the real highlights of Animal Kingdom. Every time is a new experience. We have never been disappointed in the variety and number of animals sighted. Once we were unloaded from our Safari Jeep we took stock of our âÂÂconditionâ and determined that the DH was moving more slowly (his toe was hurting him!) but we were not quite ready to stop for lunch yet - so we climbed aboard the train to Conservation Station. This area was again entertaining, but somewhat limited in what it had to offer - so it was not long before we found ourselves on the return train back to Harambe Village. This time the âÂÂconditionâ assessment indicated that the fuel gauges were on empty, the toe of DH is definitely hurting, and everyoneâÂÂs legs are feeling tired from a long morning of walking and standing... so it was time to honor Rule #2 of WDW Aerobics for Beginners and STOP for a while. I honestly do not believe there is a better place in all of WDW for a mid day break than Harambe Village in the Animal Kingdom. The Tusker House Restaurant provides wonderful fast food options and there is an enchanting patio area to eat and relax in. Greg and I had the peanut encrusted chicken and thought they were absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! We had found this place on our last trip and made a point to get back again. I would also recommend the cappuccino from the bakery at the same location - Good Stuff!
Once we had finished our lunch, we switched to exercising our wallets by opening and closing them repeatedly as we shopped and hung out in the village market area. The weather was bright and sunny but still on the cool side. Very pleasant by any standards! When our self assessment said we were back within âÂÂacceptableâ parameters - we headed off for Asia! The consensus of the group was that it was just too cool to do Kali River Rapids Ride and get soaked - especially after the previous nights âÂÂsoakingâ experience in the rain... so we chose to pass on this for the time being (we would be coming back to AK later in the trip and felt a miss would not be the end of the world). Instead we headed straight for the Maharajah Jungle Trek and wandered through the exquisite trails and habitats there. I have to say that the highlight of the Asia area has got to be the wonderful Monkey environments on the islands as you first enter the Asia area. The themeing and visibility of the monkeys is very good. They put on quite a display for our benefit and we were an appreciative audience. The last thing we did before leaving the park for the afternoon was to watch the show âÂÂFlights of WonderâÂÂ.
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<BODY>
<U>WDW Aerobics for Beginners Rule #3 - Beginners Should Start a New Program With Modest Expectations and Build Up to Longer and More Intense Sessions with Time</U>
</BODY>
</HEAD>
</HTML>
Upon returning to our room at Port Orleans Riverside, we found the maid had left us beautifully folded towels and a clever arrangement of some of LindsayâÂÂs stuffy toys. The picture may be hard to see - but the animals are posed so that they are reading the latest issue of the Disney Magazine! Very cute and made everyone feel special and well treated.
While Greg took a much needed nap, Lindsay and I headed to the quiet pool for a swim and relax in the lounge chairs poolside. Taking your shoes off and paddling around in the water does wonders for the mental and physical health of intrepid WDW trekkers! We later joined Greg for a short nap prior to heading to the food court for a quick dinner. Armed with a renewed energy level - we headed to the MK to enjoy a late night of E-Ride Fun and the anticipated âÂÂmeet and greetâ that Tink2dw had arranged on the DIS Community Board. Upon entering the MK we found a crush of people lined up to view the MSEP. This was the last weekend that this parade was to run and had two nightly showings planned and the time of the E-Ride start was bumped back an hour from the âÂÂofficialâ time that had been posted. Unfortunately, none of us who had tried to arrange this DIS âÂÂmeet and greetâ had known anything about this. We were literally forced to find a spot to view the parade, as the crowd was impassable and the street area was blocked by the parade route barriers. We enjoyed the parade from our (less than optimal, very last minute and very much on our feet) viewing vantage and then headed to the designated meeting place at the statue of Walt and Mickey in front of the castle. No one was to be found, but we figured that the time change of E-Ride night probably caused the meet to be pushed out an hour too - so we went and did the Pirates of the Caribbean (one of our favorites!) and checked back again afterwards. Just as we were giving up on ever connecting with anyone... Tink2dw and her family found us! Hurrah!!! We spent a while just visiting and getting to know Tink and her DD and DH. Unfortunately, we were the only ones who managed to connect on that occasion. However, they were a delight and I am so glad we were able to meet them. From there we went to the Haunted Mansion and rode it several times - back to back! Oh how good E-Ride night is!!! We then did the same thing on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - riding them each many times with little or no lines - before we migrated to Tomorrowland. Here we split up for a while - Greg wanted to do Alien Encounter and Lindsay and I wanted to do Buzz Lightyear (Lindsay had read the warnings about Alien and has chosen NOT to do this ride). We turned on our FRS radios to ensure we did not lose each other and then went about our individual ways. Lindsay and I finished our ride long before the Alien crowd was released - so we entered the âÂÂMerchants of Venusâ store to wait for Greg. While there we were spotted by none other than AngieBelle of the DIS! She saw LindsayâÂÂs lime green hair ribbon and my green ribbon on the fanny pack and asked if we were DISers. We had a pleasant visit with her as we waited for Greg to show up. So to everyone out there - the Lime Green Ribbons really do work (at least sometimes!). Once Greg showed up and we exited out into the night again... a strange and mysterious thing happened.... we had obviously violated Rule #3 of WDW Aerobics for Beginners.... we hit the wall in a REALLY BIG WAY!! It is sooo weird how a group of people could move so rapidly from having a wonderful time to EXHAUSTED and INCREDIBLY CRANKY!!!! Greg was tired, his foot hurt, and he was irritated that no one would ride Alien Encounter with him. Lindsay was exhausted (late night for a 9 year old on top of day of trekking) and NOT in the mood to explain why she was absolutely positively NOT going to go on Alien. I will spare you the details... but you should be suitably warned of the hazards of pushing Rule #3. Disregard of this rule is NOT RECOMMENDED! Listen up on this one!! We did manage to remember that we LOVED one another and that we could choose to leave anytime... so we did! Again, you should be cheered to know that the family did indeed escape from this latest adventure without permanent damage and went on to have further fun(?!) at WDW. Join us next time for Episode 3 - Around the âÂÂWorldâ in Less than 8 Hours!
Disneyland - several times - most recent 1998
CBR - 2000
DXL - 2001
[This message was edited by DixieDreamer on 04-14-01 at 12:07 AM.]
The plan for the first full day was to run a WDW marathon of sorts. The agenda was particularly full because I figured we would be fresh, enthusiastic and thus able to cope more effectively with a âÂÂlongâ day of touring. The schedule called for an early start to Animal Kingdom (undoubtedly our favorite park), a mid-afternoon break at the resort for a swim and nap, and then on to the Magic Kingdom for E-Ride night and a scheduled âÂÂmeet and greetâ with some folks from the DIS (1 hour prior to E-Ride night). The key to pulling this âÂÂAerobic Workoutâ off was to âÂÂpaceâ the day properly, provide recovery periods, and flexibility to revise the plan when things did not work out. There are some golden rules for participating in WDW Aerobics for Beginners, which I will attempt to explain as this story progresses. Please pay careful attention to these rules - violations are not recommended!
I was the first up and moving on Friday morning. The radiator in our room had done a great job of drying all our shoes out from the night before, and a quick check into the darkness of the morning (it was 5:30 am) showed that while it was cloudy - there was currently NO RAIN! YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! After showering and dressing and getting Lindsay up and dressed - we two girls headed to the food court to get some breakfast while Greg showered and dressed. For early start mornings, we have found this to be a very efficient way to start the day. My DH is NOT a morning person so he is best left ALONE when he first rises up in the morning! A walk to the food court and back allows him time to stumble around and growl without my having to be the object to which they are directed. During the walk there and back, I assessed the weather in an attempt to decide whether we would stick to the original schedule or go to plan B (Epcot). The clouds were there, the temperature was cooler, but there was no rain to speak of. So I concluded that we would stick to the original plan. The food court at Port Orleans Riverside opens the deli mart area at 6:00 am. This allows early park goers a chance to grab a breakfast of cereal, bagels, muffins, fruit, milk, and juice. The hot breakfast options of eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, pancakes etc. do not begin being served until 7:00 am. We got our selections to go, filled our reusable mugs that we purchased the night before, and headed back to the room.
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<BODY>
<U>WDW Aerobics for Beginners Rule #1 - All participants should be in general good health to start out with. </U>
</BODY>
</HEAD>
</HTML>
Realistically, I knew the agenda I had planned was pushing the envelope for my DH. He did not feel the need to join me in walks to strengthen and tone in preparation for the trip. In consideration of his lack of a PRE-Disney conditioning and training program, I planned the mid-day break to be LONG so that he would revive sufficiently to tackle the evening activities. What I did not know however, was that just prior to the start of our journey he apparently had part of his toenail that had broken away and left him with a VERY sore big toe on the right foot. When I returned to the room I found him âÂÂdoctoringâ his toe. As he advised me of this âÂÂconditionâÂÂ, I fought the wild urge to suggest an amputation as a possible short term remedy and instead suggested bandaging it. Any veteran of WDW knows the importance of keeping your feet comfortable and healthy! OMG!!! How was he possibly going to survive the day - let alone the week?! We have violated Rule #1 of WDW Aerobics for Beginners! Deep breaths... calm down... breathe through this... he will survive. Okay, panic attack over - we head out the door and managed to walk into the South Bus Depot just as the Animal Kingdom bus pulled up. Things are looking up! Our luck must be improving. When we arrived it was just as the gates were opening up and the crowds were small (probably because the weather was still overcast and gloomy). A beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and suddenly - things seemed âÂÂrightâ with the world.
With a lingering hint of rain in the air, we decided to do Dinoland first because the attractions there generally provide cover from the weather. First out of the chute was âÂÂDinosaurâÂÂ. I have to confess that this is not my favorite ride. The attraction is just too dark to really enjoy the effects (JMHO!). We browsed the area and then headed to âÂÂItâÂÂs Tough to be a BugâÂÂ. This is such a hoot! It does pay to do your homework ahead of time though. One or two parents of small children exited before the show was done with wailing children - frightened by the darkness and effects of the show. Have to use your judgment on that one.
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<BODY>
<U>WDW Aerobics for Beginners Rule #2 - Monitor Condition - Cease Strenuous Exercise if Not Within Acceptable Parameters!</U>
</BODY>
</HEAD>
</HTML>
Next we headed to Africa and grabbed a FastPass for Kilimanjaro Safaris prior to walking the Pangani Forest Trail. This trail is so beautiful. We never seem to tire of wandering through the various sections, exploring what creatures and hidden delights await around the next bend. Lindsay is in her element here. She is an animal lover and delights in being able to knowledgeably discuss the various animals and habitats we encounter. After exiting out of the trail, we promptly used our FastPass and loaded onto the Safari ride. This too is one of the real highlights of Animal Kingdom. Every time is a new experience. We have never been disappointed in the variety and number of animals sighted. Once we were unloaded from our Safari Jeep we took stock of our âÂÂconditionâ and determined that the DH was moving more slowly (his toe was hurting him!) but we were not quite ready to stop for lunch yet - so we climbed aboard the train to Conservation Station. This area was again entertaining, but somewhat limited in what it had to offer - so it was not long before we found ourselves on the return train back to Harambe Village. This time the âÂÂconditionâ assessment indicated that the fuel gauges were on empty, the toe of DH is definitely hurting, and everyoneâÂÂs legs are feeling tired from a long morning of walking and standing... so it was time to honor Rule #2 of WDW Aerobics for Beginners and STOP for a while. I honestly do not believe there is a better place in all of WDW for a mid day break than Harambe Village in the Animal Kingdom. The Tusker House Restaurant provides wonderful fast food options and there is an enchanting patio area to eat and relax in. Greg and I had the peanut encrusted chicken and thought they were absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS! We had found this place on our last trip and made a point to get back again. I would also recommend the cappuccino from the bakery at the same location - Good Stuff!
Once we had finished our lunch, we switched to exercising our wallets by opening and closing them repeatedly as we shopped and hung out in the village market area. The weather was bright and sunny but still on the cool side. Very pleasant by any standards! When our self assessment said we were back within âÂÂacceptableâ parameters - we headed off for Asia! The consensus of the group was that it was just too cool to do Kali River Rapids Ride and get soaked - especially after the previous nights âÂÂsoakingâ experience in the rain... so we chose to pass on this for the time being (we would be coming back to AK later in the trip and felt a miss would not be the end of the world). Instead we headed straight for the Maharajah Jungle Trek and wandered through the exquisite trails and habitats there. I have to say that the highlight of the Asia area has got to be the wonderful Monkey environments on the islands as you first enter the Asia area. The themeing and visibility of the monkeys is very good. They put on quite a display for our benefit and we were an appreciative audience. The last thing we did before leaving the park for the afternoon was to watch the show âÂÂFlights of WonderâÂÂ.
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<BODY>
<U>WDW Aerobics for Beginners Rule #3 - Beginners Should Start a New Program With Modest Expectations and Build Up to Longer and More Intense Sessions with Time</U>
</BODY>
</HEAD>
</HTML>
Upon returning to our room at Port Orleans Riverside, we found the maid had left us beautifully folded towels and a clever arrangement of some of LindsayâÂÂs stuffy toys. The picture may be hard to see - but the animals are posed so that they are reading the latest issue of the Disney Magazine! Very cute and made everyone feel special and well treated.
While Greg took a much needed nap, Lindsay and I headed to the quiet pool for a swim and relax in the lounge chairs poolside. Taking your shoes off and paddling around in the water does wonders for the mental and physical health of intrepid WDW trekkers! We later joined Greg for a short nap prior to heading to the food court for a quick dinner. Armed with a renewed energy level - we headed to the MK to enjoy a late night of E-Ride Fun and the anticipated âÂÂmeet and greetâ that Tink2dw had arranged on the DIS Community Board. Upon entering the MK we found a crush of people lined up to view the MSEP. This was the last weekend that this parade was to run and had two nightly showings planned and the time of the E-Ride start was bumped back an hour from the âÂÂofficialâ time that had been posted. Unfortunately, none of us who had tried to arrange this DIS âÂÂmeet and greetâ had known anything about this. We were literally forced to find a spot to view the parade, as the crowd was impassable and the street area was blocked by the parade route barriers. We enjoyed the parade from our (less than optimal, very last minute and very much on our feet) viewing vantage and then headed to the designated meeting place at the statue of Walt and Mickey in front of the castle. No one was to be found, but we figured that the time change of E-Ride night probably caused the meet to be pushed out an hour too - so we went and did the Pirates of the Caribbean (one of our favorites!) and checked back again afterwards. Just as we were giving up on ever connecting with anyone... Tink2dw and her family found us! Hurrah!!! We spent a while just visiting and getting to know Tink and her DD and DH. Unfortunately, we were the only ones who managed to connect on that occasion. However, they were a delight and I am so glad we were able to meet them. From there we went to the Haunted Mansion and rode it several times - back to back! Oh how good E-Ride night is!!! We then did the same thing on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - riding them each many times with little or no lines - before we migrated to Tomorrowland. Here we split up for a while - Greg wanted to do Alien Encounter and Lindsay and I wanted to do Buzz Lightyear (Lindsay had read the warnings about Alien and has chosen NOT to do this ride). We turned on our FRS radios to ensure we did not lose each other and then went about our individual ways. Lindsay and I finished our ride long before the Alien crowd was released - so we entered the âÂÂMerchants of Venusâ store to wait for Greg. While there we were spotted by none other than AngieBelle of the DIS! She saw LindsayâÂÂs lime green hair ribbon and my green ribbon on the fanny pack and asked if we were DISers. We had a pleasant visit with her as we waited for Greg to show up. So to everyone out there - the Lime Green Ribbons really do work (at least sometimes!). Once Greg showed up and we exited out into the night again... a strange and mysterious thing happened.... we had obviously violated Rule #3 of WDW Aerobics for Beginners.... we hit the wall in a REALLY BIG WAY!! It is sooo weird how a group of people could move so rapidly from having a wonderful time to EXHAUSTED and INCREDIBLY CRANKY!!!! Greg was tired, his foot hurt, and he was irritated that no one would ride Alien Encounter with him. Lindsay was exhausted (late night for a 9 year old on top of day of trekking) and NOT in the mood to explain why she was absolutely positively NOT going to go on Alien. I will spare you the details... but you should be suitably warned of the hazards of pushing Rule #3. Disregard of this rule is NOT RECOMMENDED! Listen up on this one!! We did manage to remember that we LOVED one another and that we could choose to leave anytime... so we did! Again, you should be cheered to know that the family did indeed escape from this latest adventure without permanent damage and went on to have further fun(?!) at WDW. Join us next time for Episode 3 - Around the âÂÂWorldâ in Less than 8 Hours!
Disneyland - several times - most recent 1998
CBR - 2000
DXL - 2001
[This message was edited by DixieDreamer on 04-14-01 at 12:07 AM.]
