BrerMama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2000
- Messages
- 2,205
To read Day 3, click here
Day 4, Saturday, June 5: The One That Came After The Best Day Ever
I know I shouldn't drink caffeine after 3 pm, but when it's e-ride night and you want to hang in there, you drink it. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't sleep all night. I couldn't figure out why because I knew I was exhausted, and then I remembered the snack at Mrs. Potts, where I had gulped Diet Coke. Ah, darn.
So I was awake at 6:30 and decided to just get up and get going. I grabbed my mug and my novel and took off for the food court. There I filled my mug with... Diet Coke, of course, and went outside to find a quiet place to sit. I had also brought some granola bars with me so I ate them while I sat and watched the water and read my book. The bench I was using was a bit wet, but I hadn't showered yet and the view was gorgeous, so I decided it wasn't worth worrying about. After my solo, quiet breakfast, I walked slowly back to our room, taking a bunch of "mood" pictures. It's hard to explain the Disney atmosphere to anyone who hasn't been there, so I tried to take some scenic pictures to set the mood for those who would later look at my photo album and scrapbooks. As Dan remarked later that afternoon, Riverside just doesn't feel like a hotel. It's an escape.
By the time I got back to the room, Dan and Mykiah were waking up. We originally weren't planning to go to a park this morning, but since we were all up, we decided to go to Epcot. We knew it was Gay Day at Magic Kingdom and we had already spent time at AK and MGM in the morning, so why not Epcot?
Having decided where to go, we got the rest of the family up and dressed. We arrived at Epcot somewhere between 8:30 and 8:45 and were up close to the front of the rope. A fun cast member on a Segway gave a little demonstration and pimped out the Segway tour. Just as the kids were getting restless, here comes the character bus, full of tons of fun characters. Mary Poppins, Koda and Kenai, and Timon, among others. And here's where we have our first real fight of the day. I wanted to take Chesney and Mykiah to see the characters. Dan thought we should run to Test Track. Guess who won.
So I'm spinning around Test Track. Chesney was on one side of me, Mykiah on the other and both of them screaming. Kiah was screaming because she was having fun; Chesney because she hated when the car tips sideways outside. The picture was awful -- you can never see small children due to the windshield, so we actually by-passed a ride photo and headed off for Journey Into Your Imagination. Again. I was pretty much seething by this time because Chesney had missed the characters and was upset about Test Track and I was left to soothe her. We were off to see her Figment, though, so everything was fine with her. (P.S. I don't forget so easily.) After Figment, we went to ride Living with the Land, which is always interesting to me. We had to wait forever to unload, though, because the boat in front of us wasn't full. Really, really irritated me because the 3 cast members working the loading dock didn't seem to notice our boat waiting to unload even though the "tour guide" was waving desperately at them.
At this point, if Garden Grill had been open in the Land, I would have tried to get a lunch Priority Seating. My one regret this trip is that I stacked all the character meals on our last half of the trip. I just wanted to keep that magic from the night before going and keep Chesney interacting with the characters. We had the worst luck at just stumbling across characters at any park besides MK. I know they're out there, but our timing was all wrong. When I look back, I have no idea if Chesney was feeling this great need to see characters, but I know that I had decided it needed to happen and I was in full pout by this time. Probably a huge lack of sleep contributed to this, as well.
After the Land, we walked over to the Living Seas, which was on Brady's list. I hate the stinking hydrolaters. I think they're hokey and unnecessary, especially now that there's no ride. But in we went and out to explore the exhibits. I liked the Nemo exhibit. I had a little guy in my class who had the movie memorized and would walk up to me and say, "Do I know you?" That was my clue to respond with a line from the movie. He actually visited WDW over Spring Break, so it was fun to be there and think about how much he must have enjoyed this area.
We went upstairs to see the dolphins, which were way cool. I suppose I should admit here that I'm fish phobic. I stepped on one once and now they just freak me out. I got very claustrophobic in the Living Seas after I let my mind wander to what might happen if the aquarium walls burst. Couldn't get out of that place fast enough after that. Except that when we were walking up to the hydrolaters, Mykiah walked into one just before the doors closed. Then she freaked that she was separated from us and ran back out, which apparently messed up the hydrolater timing because we then stood in it for a good 3 minutes before giving up and going to another one. I just wanted out of the place.
We checked Spaceship Earth, but the line was huge, so we just decided to leave the park. We were saving World Showcase for Wednesday and there wasn't anything more we wanted to do. So I'm feeling this depressed I-can't-believe-we're-done-for-the-day mood come over me as we walk out at just 11 am. Cripes. This just won't do. So I tell my family to have a seat, pull out my cell phone and make a PS for Whispering Canyon Cafe.
Whispering Canyon had been on my list of must-do restaurants but I couldn't fit it into our touring plans. I was pretty excited to find a spot for it now. So we're sitting at Epcot and need to get to the Wilderness Lodge. Off we go to the monorail, where we have a nice ride over to the Magic Kingdom. What a zoo that place was. I originally got us in the express monorail line and couldn't believe it. There were probably 5-6 monorails worth of people in front of us (most of them wearing red Gay Day shirts). I backed out and found the resort monorail, as I was considering getting off at the Contemporary and taking a resort launch from there. No line at all and we walked right on.
As we're pulling up to the Magic Kingdom, I see a resort ferry pulling up to the dock, so we go ahead and get off at there. Have I mentioned it was a madhouse? Just insanity. I couldn't believe the number of people. I later read that the entrance gates were closed about that time for a few hours due to the number of people. Wouldn't surprise me at all.
Once we're on the ferry to Wilderness Lodge, I discover that Brady's not thrilled about the boat. He wants to sit inside, while everyone else wants to sit outside. He's outvoted, and he survives.
I've always thought that if I had piles of money, I'd want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge, but I didn't really feel it calling to me as the boat pulled up to the dock. I suppose I was a bit put off by the whole boat thing. I think that would get really old, really quick. It did look beautiful, but just didn't sing to me.
As we're walking into the lobby, Chesney announces she had to potty and we hear the opening call for Whispering Canyon. We're about a half hour early (I hadn't been sure how long it would take us to get there from Epcot) so we use the restroom before I check us in. We're seated immediately with a great server, who happened to be celebrating her own birthday that day. Our family is a bit on the shy side (Dan in particular hates having any attention drawn to himself) but the kids really enjoyed watching the antics at the other tables. Dan had the Wild Bill Chicken and I ordered the Smoke House Stack sandwich, which was on yummy asiago bread. Chesney made short work of Dan's corn on the cob, in addition to her own Hot Dog. Brady had the burger and Mykiah also had a Hot Dog. Total for the meal was $49 plus tax. That was about $20 over what I had budgeted for lunch that day, but I told Dan we'd even it out by skipping Prime Time Cafe on Tuesday (sure.......). At one point, our server created a "hat" for me out of bandanas and said that if I didn't wear it, she wouldn't refill the kids drinks, so I wore it. It looked like I was wearing a bra on my head, but hey, when in Disney....
While we were eating, we watched out the huge window next to our table as the skies darkened. When she brought our check, our server asked if we were just going back to our room and I said, "Yeah, at Port Orleans." She rushed through the process and threw our receipt at me, telling me to run because it was about to pour.
We did rush out to the bus stop, thinking we'd catch a Downtown Disney bus. We waited a full 20 minutes for a bus here, but made it on just as they announced that Typhoon Lagoon had closed due to lightening. I'm sure that made all the people on the bus wearing swimsuits happy.
At Downtown Disney, we headed for World of Disney. We had built money for 2 t-shirts each into our budget, because we freely acknowledge that we're t-shirt fiends. We ended up going with matching "Where Magic Lives" gray shirts for the whole family. I also got the retro-looking WDW t-shirt (that I had seen on an episode of Extreme House Makeover and immediately known I would have to own) and a Where Magic Lives photo album and front license plate. Our old front license plate was from our 2000 trip and dated, so I wanted one that was undated this time.
Then it was over to the Lego store, so Brady could blow some of his money. He got the big cup of Legos and Dan had fun helping him fill it as full as possible. Mykiah was still wanting to spend her money, so I ended up taking her into Once Upon a Toy, where she filled another Mr. Potato Head box. Mostly she got the smaller Potato Head and things to go with it, but we also fit in a few pieces we hadn't seen at Mousegears. While Mykiah and I were shopping, Dan and the other two kids had shared popcorn and pop, so everybody was refreshed and ready to go back to the resort.
Once again, we were lucky because a boat back to POR had just arrived and we were able to grab a seat. It was a fun, relaxing ride, but by this time I was ready to get "home." Unfortunately, this is where my notes for the day end. I know we probably went swimming at some point and probably for quite a while. We ate dinner in the food court (Chicken strips for Dan, Chicken nuggets and fries for the girls, a pepperoni single serve pizza for Brady and a taco salad for me for $29 total). The kids played a lot of Mr. Potato Head, Dan probably watched sports and I read my book. I think this was where we were flipping channels and heard the news of President Reagan's death. This was one of the few times that we turned the TV on during the trip and it was a strange feeling to realize that there was a world outside of Disney and that news was happening. Later that evening, we walked back over to the food court, where I discovered the Mickey bars and we had a late snack on an outside table. With a final stop at Fulton's General Store to pick up some moleskin (my heels were rubbed raw from my walking shoes, which I had been breaking in for months before we left), we were done for the night and off to bed early. Tomorrow would be another long day
To read Day 5, click here
Day 4, Saturday, June 5: The One That Came After The Best Day Ever
I know I shouldn't drink caffeine after 3 pm, but when it's e-ride night and you want to hang in there, you drink it. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't sleep all night. I couldn't figure out why because I knew I was exhausted, and then I remembered the snack at Mrs. Potts, where I had gulped Diet Coke. Ah, darn.
So I was awake at 6:30 and decided to just get up and get going. I grabbed my mug and my novel and took off for the food court. There I filled my mug with... Diet Coke, of course, and went outside to find a quiet place to sit. I had also brought some granola bars with me so I ate them while I sat and watched the water and read my book. The bench I was using was a bit wet, but I hadn't showered yet and the view was gorgeous, so I decided it wasn't worth worrying about. After my solo, quiet breakfast, I walked slowly back to our room, taking a bunch of "mood" pictures. It's hard to explain the Disney atmosphere to anyone who hasn't been there, so I tried to take some scenic pictures to set the mood for those who would later look at my photo album and scrapbooks. As Dan remarked later that afternoon, Riverside just doesn't feel like a hotel. It's an escape.
By the time I got back to the room, Dan and Mykiah were waking up. We originally weren't planning to go to a park this morning, but since we were all up, we decided to go to Epcot. We knew it was Gay Day at Magic Kingdom and we had already spent time at AK and MGM in the morning, so why not Epcot?
Having decided where to go, we got the rest of the family up and dressed. We arrived at Epcot somewhere between 8:30 and 8:45 and were up close to the front of the rope. A fun cast member on a Segway gave a little demonstration and pimped out the Segway tour. Just as the kids were getting restless, here comes the character bus, full of tons of fun characters. Mary Poppins, Koda and Kenai, and Timon, among others. And here's where we have our first real fight of the day. I wanted to take Chesney and Mykiah to see the characters. Dan thought we should run to Test Track. Guess who won.
So I'm spinning around Test Track. Chesney was on one side of me, Mykiah on the other and both of them screaming. Kiah was screaming because she was having fun; Chesney because she hated when the car tips sideways outside. The picture was awful -- you can never see small children due to the windshield, so we actually by-passed a ride photo and headed off for Journey Into Your Imagination. Again. I was pretty much seething by this time because Chesney had missed the characters and was upset about Test Track and I was left to soothe her. We were off to see her Figment, though, so everything was fine with her. (P.S. I don't forget so easily.) After Figment, we went to ride Living with the Land, which is always interesting to me. We had to wait forever to unload, though, because the boat in front of us wasn't full. Really, really irritated me because the 3 cast members working the loading dock didn't seem to notice our boat waiting to unload even though the "tour guide" was waving desperately at them.
At this point, if Garden Grill had been open in the Land, I would have tried to get a lunch Priority Seating. My one regret this trip is that I stacked all the character meals on our last half of the trip. I just wanted to keep that magic from the night before going and keep Chesney interacting with the characters. We had the worst luck at just stumbling across characters at any park besides MK. I know they're out there, but our timing was all wrong. When I look back, I have no idea if Chesney was feeling this great need to see characters, but I know that I had decided it needed to happen and I was in full pout by this time. Probably a huge lack of sleep contributed to this, as well.
After the Land, we walked over to the Living Seas, which was on Brady's list. I hate the stinking hydrolaters. I think they're hokey and unnecessary, especially now that there's no ride. But in we went and out to explore the exhibits. I liked the Nemo exhibit. I had a little guy in my class who had the movie memorized and would walk up to me and say, "Do I know you?" That was my clue to respond with a line from the movie. He actually visited WDW over Spring Break, so it was fun to be there and think about how much he must have enjoyed this area.
We went upstairs to see the dolphins, which were way cool. I suppose I should admit here that I'm fish phobic. I stepped on one once and now they just freak me out. I got very claustrophobic in the Living Seas after I let my mind wander to what might happen if the aquarium walls burst. Couldn't get out of that place fast enough after that. Except that when we were walking up to the hydrolaters, Mykiah walked into one just before the doors closed. Then she freaked that she was separated from us and ran back out, which apparently messed up the hydrolater timing because we then stood in it for a good 3 minutes before giving up and going to another one. I just wanted out of the place.
We checked Spaceship Earth, but the line was huge, so we just decided to leave the park. We were saving World Showcase for Wednesday and there wasn't anything more we wanted to do. So I'm feeling this depressed I-can't-believe-we're-done-for-the-day mood come over me as we walk out at just 11 am. Cripes. This just won't do. So I tell my family to have a seat, pull out my cell phone and make a PS for Whispering Canyon Cafe.
Whispering Canyon had been on my list of must-do restaurants but I couldn't fit it into our touring plans. I was pretty excited to find a spot for it now. So we're sitting at Epcot and need to get to the Wilderness Lodge. Off we go to the monorail, where we have a nice ride over to the Magic Kingdom. What a zoo that place was. I originally got us in the express monorail line and couldn't believe it. There were probably 5-6 monorails worth of people in front of us (most of them wearing red Gay Day shirts). I backed out and found the resort monorail, as I was considering getting off at the Contemporary and taking a resort launch from there. No line at all and we walked right on.
As we're pulling up to the Magic Kingdom, I see a resort ferry pulling up to the dock, so we go ahead and get off at there. Have I mentioned it was a madhouse? Just insanity. I couldn't believe the number of people. I later read that the entrance gates were closed about that time for a few hours due to the number of people. Wouldn't surprise me at all.
Once we're on the ferry to Wilderness Lodge, I discover that Brady's not thrilled about the boat. He wants to sit inside, while everyone else wants to sit outside. He's outvoted, and he survives.
I've always thought that if I had piles of money, I'd want to stay at the Wilderness Lodge, but I didn't really feel it calling to me as the boat pulled up to the dock. I suppose I was a bit put off by the whole boat thing. I think that would get really old, really quick. It did look beautiful, but just didn't sing to me.
As we're walking into the lobby, Chesney announces she had to potty and we hear the opening call for Whispering Canyon. We're about a half hour early (I hadn't been sure how long it would take us to get there from Epcot) so we use the restroom before I check us in. We're seated immediately with a great server, who happened to be celebrating her own birthday that day. Our family is a bit on the shy side (Dan in particular hates having any attention drawn to himself) but the kids really enjoyed watching the antics at the other tables. Dan had the Wild Bill Chicken and I ordered the Smoke House Stack sandwich, which was on yummy asiago bread. Chesney made short work of Dan's corn on the cob, in addition to her own Hot Dog. Brady had the burger and Mykiah also had a Hot Dog. Total for the meal was $49 plus tax. That was about $20 over what I had budgeted for lunch that day, but I told Dan we'd even it out by skipping Prime Time Cafe on Tuesday (sure.......). At one point, our server created a "hat" for me out of bandanas and said that if I didn't wear it, she wouldn't refill the kids drinks, so I wore it. It looked like I was wearing a bra on my head, but hey, when in Disney....
While we were eating, we watched out the huge window next to our table as the skies darkened. When she brought our check, our server asked if we were just going back to our room and I said, "Yeah, at Port Orleans." She rushed through the process and threw our receipt at me, telling me to run because it was about to pour.
We did rush out to the bus stop, thinking we'd catch a Downtown Disney bus. We waited a full 20 minutes for a bus here, but made it on just as they announced that Typhoon Lagoon had closed due to lightening. I'm sure that made all the people on the bus wearing swimsuits happy.
At Downtown Disney, we headed for World of Disney. We had built money for 2 t-shirts each into our budget, because we freely acknowledge that we're t-shirt fiends. We ended up going with matching "Where Magic Lives" gray shirts for the whole family. I also got the retro-looking WDW t-shirt (that I had seen on an episode of Extreme House Makeover and immediately known I would have to own) and a Where Magic Lives photo album and front license plate. Our old front license plate was from our 2000 trip and dated, so I wanted one that was undated this time.
Then it was over to the Lego store, so Brady could blow some of his money. He got the big cup of Legos and Dan had fun helping him fill it as full as possible. Mykiah was still wanting to spend her money, so I ended up taking her into Once Upon a Toy, where she filled another Mr. Potato Head box. Mostly she got the smaller Potato Head and things to go with it, but we also fit in a few pieces we hadn't seen at Mousegears. While Mykiah and I were shopping, Dan and the other two kids had shared popcorn and pop, so everybody was refreshed and ready to go back to the resort.
Once again, we were lucky because a boat back to POR had just arrived and we were able to grab a seat. It was a fun, relaxing ride, but by this time I was ready to get "home." Unfortunately, this is where my notes for the day end. I know we probably went swimming at some point and probably for quite a while. We ate dinner in the food court (Chicken strips for Dan, Chicken nuggets and fries for the girls, a pepperoni single serve pizza for Brady and a taco salad for me for $29 total). The kids played a lot of Mr. Potato Head, Dan probably watched sports and I read my book. I think this was where we were flipping channels and heard the news of President Reagan's death. This was one of the few times that we turned the TV on during the trip and it was a strange feeling to realize that there was a world outside of Disney and that news was happening. Later that evening, we walked back over to the food court, where I discovered the Mickey bars and we had a late snack on an outside table. With a final stop at Fulton's General Store to pick up some moleskin (my heels were rubbed raw from my walking shoes, which I had been breaking in for months before we left), we were done for the night and off to bed early. Tomorrow would be another long day
To read Day 5, click here
