rgoble5972
Are we there yet?
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2001
- Messages
- 276
Sunday, 24th September, 2006
Robin here--I thought Id be nice and take up writing duties for a day in order to give Larry a little break and to avoid all those pesky medical bills when he gets Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from doing so much typing. (Read: I need to help get this trip report done otherwise itll be our tenth anniversary and it still wont be finished! (OUCH!!!! )
The only problem with me writing up a day or so is the fact that, since we had agreed in advance that Larry would write the trip report this time and Id just make the random comment here and there, Larry took all the notes during our trip. Trust me when I say that a near-sighted arthritic doctor writing prescriptions during an earthquake would win penmanship awards before Larry would.
So, when I get to sections that, to the best of my knowledge and interpretive skills, say things like, we twist the pickle hip hop, or snorkel bees on pie, Ill do my darnedest to make something up that kind of fits. Anyway, here goes.
We were up at the crack of dawn again this morning because Larry and I needed to go and check in at the Grand Floridian (where well be spending our honeymoon) before everyone else got up, so wed be back in time to meet up for breakfast. We actually had one overlapping night at the Grand Floridian and the Pop Century. The plan was, since its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding etc, for me to spend the night at the Grand Floridian tonight while Larry stays at the Pop Century for his last night. That way, we wouldnt have to find time to move all of our luggage to a new hotel on the day of the wedding and our larger room would be available for me and Paula to get ready in.
We needed to go ahead and check in because our park tickets were connected to our Grand Floridian reservation. When we booked the room at the Pop Century, we bought one-day park hoppers for Larry and me (I already had a park ticket for Michael), knowing wed need them for Friday. Also, you had to buy some form of theme park admission in order to get the free dining plan. The tickets for the rest of our trip were on our Grand Floridian reservation.
Anyway, Larry and I were up early and drove over to the GF by 6:00. Never before have I been in the GF when there wasnt another soul in the lobby, but at this early hour, Larry and I were the only ones there.
I think we annoyed the valet parking CM when we told him we were just checking in and it probably wouldnt be worth his time to park the van for us. He agreed to let us leave it under the porch while we went inside.
Larry tried his best with his natural English charm on the CM that checked us in to get us a little upgrade magic on our room, but neither Larry not I got the impression that it worked very well. Perhaps his charm works better on women than men.
Charm and up-grade aside, we got checked in (our room wasnt ready yetshockerand they say the Grand Flo has good service), (Swines. I mean 6.02am and they dont even have our room ready yet, no wonder they got rid of Eisner, the place is going to the dogs.) got our park passes/room keys, and scooted back to the Pop Century to meet up with everyone for breakfast at the food court. Larrys notes say French toast, so Im assuming thats what he had for breakfast. I can honestly say I probably got breakfast and I probably ate it, but I have absolutely no idea what it could have been. I think Larrys cavalier planning-is-for-wimps attitude toward trip report writing and note taking are rubbing off on me and I humbly apologize to those readers who are used to getting a play-by-play account of what was eaten, what it cost, where it was eaten, and by whom.
I think that Robin has missed the point on trip report writing. I have a motto: (Whats a motto? Nothing whats the motto with you?) If you cant read it make it up. After all, very few of the readers were actually there with us, and so they dont know.
Since we werent really having a rehearsal for the wedding, thus we werent really having a rehearsal dinner either (though I suppose the meal tonight at MGM was sort of the equivalent), I brought down the gifts that we had picked out for our attendants, Paula and Clive, this morning. Clive said that he wouldnt open his until he had performed his duties at the wedding and given his speech at the reception (silly English honour system), so he took the present back to their room, but Paula opened hers. We had picked out some pearl earrings for Paula to wear with her bridesmaid dress.
After breakfast, we headed to the bus stop where we had a short wait for a bus to the Animal Kingdom (AK). On the bus, we had a lively discussion with Clive about tippingthe Brits not generally being accustomed to having to tip service providers. Since Clive has a tendency to be rather, um, whats a good word for it .thrifty, Larry jokingly told him that it was a long-standing American custom for the Best Man to pay the preacher for the wedding ceremony. (Actually, the Best Man does usually pay/tip the officiant, but the groom gives him an envelope with the fee inside for him to present to the officiant after the ceremony.) The look of shock and horror on Clives face was enough to send the rest of us into gales of laughter until he finally realized we were kidding him.
Robin makes a good point here about the British character. For example, I think the excuse that we gave valet parking at the Grand Flo is a great excuse not to pay for valet parking. I must write it down in my Book of thriftiness. One of the things that I know Robin has discovered is that Im a little bit, well how can I put this a little bit challenged in the opening wallet department. So there are a few things that I find rather difficult. I have to pretend to be an American when it comes to putting out the tips to the waiters in restaurants, otherwise, Id just leave a dollar at the side of the plate. Anything to do with Parking just brings out the worst in me, I would rather walk in 7 miles from the edge of the city rather than pay for parking, and as for Valet, oh I just dont even want to think about it In my defence, I do come from Yorkshire, and they say a Yorkshire man is a Scotsman with the generosity ironed out.
Once we got to the AK, we split up. Larry, Clive, and Karen took everyones passes to get Fast Passes (FP) for Expedition Everest, while Paula, Wes, Michael, Dad, and I went to rent a scooter for Dad. We were to meet up in front of Kilimanjaro Safari (KS) in Africa when our chores were complete.
Dad wound up not only renting an ECV, but also buying a hat to keep the sun off his head. I was anxious to get moving because I knew the others would be waiting for us.
Touring with a group is always a bit stressful and takes a great deal of flexibility and patience; not two of my better qualities. (Great singing voice, sure, but not so much in the easy-going and take-things-as-they-come categories.) People move at different rates and have different priorities as to what they want to see and do, so plans have to be constantly changed and things usually take at least twice as long as you think they will.
I was torn between wanting to spend time with my family (seeing as how Id be leaving them to move to Scotland in two weeks time), and wanting Karen and Clive to feel welcome and to get the most Disney bang for their buck since their time at WDW was limited, and wanting everyone to have a good time and bond together. Oh yes, and wanting to get married too! Lets not forget that important event. (Anyone who says that planning a wedding, even a small one, isnt stressful is either lying or has a much better Prosaic prescription than me!)
So, all things being considered, I think I was doing quite good to only have a couple of small meltdowns during the week. Luckily, everyone was very understanding and Karen certainly earned her keep and got to use her brilliant social work skills on more than one occasion.
Anyway, knowing that the others would have been waiting on us, I herded everyone in the direction of Africa. However, when we got to KS, no one else was in sight.
Taking Paula with me as look out, I used the time (and some of Larrys FP scam knowledge) to get us FPs to the Safari, since Larry, Clive and Karen had our tickets.
When Larry, Karen and Clive showed up, the reason for their delay was soon explained. They had gotten the FPs for Everest but, as the ride was a walk-on that early, couldnt resist the temptation to take a quick ride. All, that is, except for Larry. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have a keeper in him because he knew that Id want to ride it with him for the first time, so he looked around in the gift shop while Karen and Clive went on the ride, so he could ride it first with me. If thats not love, boys and girls, then at least its a good helping of common sense!
There is absolutely no way I would have done that ride without Robin with me for the first trip on it. I just wouldnt. I would have rather cut off my little finger with a rusty penknife. Its a Small World, sure, but not Everest.
So, reunited at last, we headed off to Asia and the adventures awaiting us there.
We all rode Everest together and we all loved the ride and thought the theming was great. Just a few days ago, Larry and I saw part of a documentary on TV about Mount Everest and the area surrounding it. When we first turned on the TV, Larry and I, unaware of what the documentary was about, said in unison, Its Expedition Everest. Thats how good Disney did in the theming.
OK my views on Everest: this is one good ride, Ive said before in evaluations of attractions in previous TRs that themeing is everything for me. Im getting old enough where some Roller Coasters are too much for me. I can cope with the odd inversion and loop the loop, provided its a smooth track. Everest doesnt invert you at all, but its pretty smooth, and pretty fast, and it has wonderful visual effects, from some fantastic forced perspective on the mountain and mountain village scenery, to some great projected visual and sound effects. I like to think of it as what would happen if Big Thunder Mountain started taking steroids and working out. A great ride: 10 out of 10.
We immediately got new FPs for another go on Everest and then headed back to Africa for our Safari. On the way, we stopped at Kali River Rapids (KRR), which was temporarily down, to get FPs to ride it later. Karen was schooled in Larrys method of nicking Fast Passes and she quickly became his chief FP assistant.
Back in Africa, we used our FPs for KS but, since Dad was on an ECV, were diverted to the disabled access line which, due to having only one loading platform and the length of time it takes to park ECVs/wheelchairs and load folks with mobility issues and their families, took forever. I know a lot of people grumble about special queues for the disabled but I guarantee that they dont get on rides any faster, in fact, Id bet that they have to wait longer than most.
Anyway, it was finally our turn and we were rather squashed into two rows with a couple more families. We were so packed together that there was no chance of any of us being bounced out of the truck. In fact, there was no chance of any of us being able to move our arms! We were all glad that Little Red was safe, but we were more pleased to actually be able to draw breath after we got off the ride.
Lunchtime was upon us so, being in Africa, we went to Tusker House where, with some creative use of our dining plan options, we were able to get everyone fed. Larrys notes say either nice crepes or nice Agnes, but, since I dont recall crepes or anyone by the name of Agnes, Ill have to let that one go. Maybe its nice grapes? Oh hang on, could it be nice drapes? No I would have written nice curtains.
After lunch it was time for our FPs at Everest. As we walked there, we laughed that wed spent all morning at the Animal Kingdom and had only walked up and down between Asia and Africa.
Everyone but Dad went for the ride on Everest. Karen and Clive got the first seat this time around but magnanimously gave it up to me and Larry as an early wedding present. Afterwards, Michael took Dads extra FP and rode by himself while the rest of us looked around the gift shop.
As Kali River Rapids was still down, we decided it was time to move on so we headed to Dinoland. The long day, the heat, and the many miles trekked from Africa and Asia and back were starting to take their toll on the group however, so we stopped to rest and regroup at the entrance to Dinoland. Larry ran off to get Fast Passes for Primeval Whirl while we waited.
Dad was hot and Paula was footsore so they decided to go back to the hotel to rest until this evening, when we were supposed to meet up with Sue and Floyd and Tom and Leanne for dinner at MGM. Dad gave up his SCV to Paula so she could rest on the way out of the park but, unbeknownst to us, Clive had sneaked off and came back pushing a wheelchair for her so she and Dad could both ride out in style.
Actually Clive is a proper English Gentle Man. He was brought up properly and spent most of his life being an officer and a gentleman in the RAF, and sometimes I might be a little bit inclined to tease him about that, but I tease because I love, and actually I pretty much admire this trait. (Please Karen when you read this, delete it, I dont want Clive knowing how much I admire him.)
Wes claimed wheelchair pushing duties and Michael wanted to go swimming back at the Pop Century, so they all headed out of the park leaving Larry, Karen, Clive and me to continue on.
We went to Primeval Hurl (which wasnt using Fast Passes, by the way, and didnt have hardly any wait) and rode once on either side. Our first ride, which was on the left-hand side, was the best ride Ive ever had on Primeval Hurl. We must have hit that first corner after they release the car to spin just right because we spun completely out of control for the rest of the ride. The second ride was okay, but not nearly as spin-tastic as the first.
Once we could walk in a straight line again, Larry naughtily told Karen that, in order to let our equilibriums settle a bit, wed go on a tamer rideCountdown to Extinction! Its a simple little ride, he lied, where you walk through a room with some fossil exhibits and then get on a vehicle and look at some prehistoric plants. We kept chatting to Karen and Clive as we passed through the queue, during the pre-show, and on to the vehicle, so they wouldnt catch on to the real nature of the ride, smiling to ourselves as we calmly set off into the Jurassic period. Somewhere between the first meteor crash and the time the Youre-My-Lunch-O-Saurus tried to have us for tea, I think they figured out that they had been purposely misled! They liked the ride, however, so we immediately rode it again.
Did I do that? I find it hard to believe.
Afterwards, we decided to see if our room at the Grand Floridian was ready yet (okay, we really just wanted to show off the resort to Karen and Clive), so we left the park and caught a bus to the Contemporary, so we could kill two birds with one stone by taking Karen and Clive on a loop of the monorail, and stop off at the Grand Floridian.
A quick stop at the front desk revealed that our room was indeed ready. We were in Big Pine Key (I was a bit disappointed that they didnt actually give you a Big Pine Key, just a standard plastic hotel swipe card!!). I had stayed in the building once before on a trip with Paula and Wes and loved the location. We were on the third floor, overlooking the swimming pool. They had given us a room with a King-sized bed and a nice sitting area with sofa, coffee table, and small table and chairs. There was a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket, a red rose, and a card from Aladdin and Jasmine wishing us a magical Honeymoon. We also had a fax from our stand-in wedding coordinator giving us her contact information in case we had any last minute questions. I had been primarily working with Juliana Acosta, but knew that she would be off the day of my wedding and that wed have someone else assigned to us for that day.
Karen and Clive were suitable impressed with the Grand Floridian. In fact, Karen declared that, next time they came to WDW, this was the resort where she was going to stay, much to Clives dismay. We could actually see him doing the mental arithmetic as to how much two weeks at the Grand Flo was going to cost him.
We went back to the lobby to pick up the monorail and had a nice chat with a cast member while we were waiting. He was telling us that the blood of the Love Bugs (which were very plentiful on the bright monorail platform, since theyre attracted to white) is actually slightly corrosive so you have to scrub the dead ones off the grill of your car every day or theyll pit the paint and chrome.
We had a short monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom where we caught a bus back to the Pop Century. On the bus I took care of some wedding business by calling everyone (hair stylist, officiant, videographer, dress steamer, wedding license service, marriage coordinator, etc.) to let them know what room Id be in at the Grand Floridian for the wedding tomorrow. Tomorrow? Yikes.
We got back to the Pop at 5:00. Our dinner reservations at the 50s Prime Time Café were for 6:15ish and we all needed to freshen up, so we had to scoot. Paula, Wes and Dad were all in bed taking a nap, so we roused them up. Michael was in the pool so I went to fetch him. We all managed to get ready and meet up in the lobby by 5:45.
We managed to squish all 8 of us into our 7-seat mini-van, though we only accomplished this by me sitting in the space between the two captains chairs in the second row of seats. Oh well, while it wasnt quite legal, once again we were wedged in so tightly that there wasnt much chance of anyone falling out.
Larry drove and though he did good at staying on the right side of the road, he still managed to almost kill us all. He remembered that you could turn right on a red light but kind of forgot the teensy point about stopping to make sure no one was coming before you turned thus he turned right into the path of an oncoming Disney bus. It scared the bus driver so badly that he forgot his happy thoughts and laid on the horn (and no, we didnt have a honk, we just got married bumper sticker)! Alls well that ends well however, and we made it to MGM in one piece.
We took a tram from the parking lot to the front gate thus ensuring that Karen and Clive got to ride on every form of WDW transport during their stay. (LarryI Dont think they went on the steam train.) (RobinI would argue that the steam train is an attraction and not a form of transportation as such.)
Tom and Leanne and Sue and Floyd were already waiting in the bar at 50s PTC. After introductions all around several people got drinks and we were called to our table soon afterwards.
We were actually seated at two tables, but they shared the same back booth and were right next to each other. We did have two separate servers, however (and I hate to be whiny but the other tables was better). Paula, Wes, Karen, Clive, Dad and Michael sat at one table while Larry and I joined our newest guests, Sue, Floyd, Tom and Leanne, at the other. Tom and Leanne had brought a wedding present for us (thank you very much) and we opened that while we waited on our food.
Larry and I got appetizers with the dining plan, so we shared some onion rings and, I think, some fried cheese with everyone. I think that Robin was a bit disappointed with the Fried Cheese, because if it was proper Texan Fried Cheese, it would have been on a stick. Robin threatens to take me to the South Plains County Fair, where they fry everything including cheese, snickers and marshmallow peeps, and stick them on big sticks!!!
Larry had the pot roast and Im sure that I had some entrée but I cant remember what it was. Honestly, at this point, they could have brought me an old shoe with cheese on it and I dont think I would have noticed. I was just so nervous about meeting Larrys friends/the impending wedding the next day/everyone getting along and having a good time that I dont remember much of the meal at all. I do remember Larry trying to hide his carrots under his napkin and having to be fed by the server and I was fed a bite of whatever was on my plate as well.
Larry had a chocolate shake with his meal as his dessert choice. I got the SMores (which are huge) and passed them around to everyone. See, Im much better at remembering the important things like dessert.
After dinner we said our see you tomorrows to Tom, Leanne, Sue and Floyd. The rest of us, in our quest to not only get Karen and Clive on every form of Disney transport known to man but also to show them every night time show, were headed to the Magic Kingdom for the 9:00 showing of Wishes and then do the Extra Magic Hours. The plan was to park the van at the Grand Floridian and then take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom.
Can I say, how nice it was to meet with some of my friends from Florida, who were kind enough to come to the wedding, its been a couple of years since I saw them last, as I hadnt been out to WDW, and it was a pleasure to spend a couple of days with them at such a wonderful time for me.
Once at the Magic Kingdom, we picked up our wristbands for the Extra Magic Hour and Dad got his scooter. Wishes was just about to start so we all found spots at the entrance of Main Street and watched the fireworks.
Afterwards, we all did our best impression of salmon and swam upstream against the crowds of exiting people. We made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean (PoTC) to see the new Jack Sparrow update. Since its announcement, Paula was very much against the update and we were all anxious to see the changes. I thought they did an excellent job on the Jack audio animatronics and that the Davy Jones projection onto the mist was a great effect.
After all that swashbuckling, we decided to ride Splash Mountain. Paula and Wes didnt want to get wet so they, along with Dad who wasnt riding this evening, went over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMRR) (one of Wes favorite rides). After Splash, where I got decidedly drippy, we met up with the others at Big Thunder Mountain. We were just about to get in line when my Mom called on Dads cell phone. I stayed behind with Dad to talk to Mom while everyone else went on the ride.
We decided it was time to leave the Wild West for some science fiction and made our way to Tomorrowland and Alien Encounter. Just like all the walks from Africa to Asia this morning, I think the death march from BTMRR to Alien Encounter just about finished half the party off.
Oh gosh you are not joking. People were well and truly cream crackered by this point. I was surprised at how well they were bearing up under the strain, and for the Brits in particular as it was like 5am our time, so well done everyone.
At the new Alien Encounter, Stitch = the monster, and Skippy = Skippy. Other than that, I didnt see much difference from the original version.
Everyone was pretty well tired after that and we started to head back to Main Street but Michael was making puppy dog eyes at Space Mountain. Seeing as how it was his last night at WDW and his only chance to ride, I decided that Id be the good Aunt and stay behind with him and let everyone else take the car back to the Pop Century. Larry said that hed stay with me and Karen and Clive were up for another ride so Paula, Wes and Dad left and the rest of us had a nice ride on Space Mountain.
It was 11:58 when we got off the ride and, seeing as how Extra Magic Hour was over at midnight, we decided that was all for the night.
On our way out of the park, Wes called and said that they had to wait a long time for a monorail and that they had just gotten back to the car. Did we want them to wait for us at the Grand Floridian so we didnt have to take a bus back to the Pop Century? Of course our answer was yes, so we hurried out of the park and took the monorail back to the Grand Floridian to meet up with them.
Wes drove us all back to the Pop Century where we dropped off Karen, Clive, Paula and Dad, went over the times and places for people to meet up tomorrow, and picked up my and Michaels luggage and headed BACK to the Grand Floridian where Michael and I were to spend the night. That way, Larry got a room to himself for a night and I didnt have to worry about Michael being ready on time for the wedding tomorrow, plus I had some company.
So much for the bride and groom not seeing each other before the wedding because it was 2:00am when I kissed my groom good night at the Grand Floridian and sent him back to the Pop Century with Wes. Bell Services drove me and Michael around to our room and, after a bit of unpacking and settling in, I went to bed around 3:00.
Goble/Wilmot Wedding Weekend - Day Four
Robin here--I thought Id be nice and take up writing duties for a day in order to give Larry a little break and to avoid all those pesky medical bills when he gets Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from doing so much typing. (Read: I need to help get this trip report done otherwise itll be our tenth anniversary and it still wont be finished! (OUCH!!!! )
The only problem with me writing up a day or so is the fact that, since we had agreed in advance that Larry would write the trip report this time and Id just make the random comment here and there, Larry took all the notes during our trip. Trust me when I say that a near-sighted arthritic doctor writing prescriptions during an earthquake would win penmanship awards before Larry would.
So, when I get to sections that, to the best of my knowledge and interpretive skills, say things like, we twist the pickle hip hop, or snorkel bees on pie, Ill do my darnedest to make something up that kind of fits. Anyway, here goes.
We were up at the crack of dawn again this morning because Larry and I needed to go and check in at the Grand Floridian (where well be spending our honeymoon) before everyone else got up, so wed be back in time to meet up for breakfast. We actually had one overlapping night at the Grand Floridian and the Pop Century. The plan was, since its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding etc, for me to spend the night at the Grand Floridian tonight while Larry stays at the Pop Century for his last night. That way, we wouldnt have to find time to move all of our luggage to a new hotel on the day of the wedding and our larger room would be available for me and Paula to get ready in.
We needed to go ahead and check in because our park tickets were connected to our Grand Floridian reservation. When we booked the room at the Pop Century, we bought one-day park hoppers for Larry and me (I already had a park ticket for Michael), knowing wed need them for Friday. Also, you had to buy some form of theme park admission in order to get the free dining plan. The tickets for the rest of our trip were on our Grand Floridian reservation.
Anyway, Larry and I were up early and drove over to the GF by 6:00. Never before have I been in the GF when there wasnt another soul in the lobby, but at this early hour, Larry and I were the only ones there.
I think we annoyed the valet parking CM when we told him we were just checking in and it probably wouldnt be worth his time to park the van for us. He agreed to let us leave it under the porch while we went inside.
Larry tried his best with his natural English charm on the CM that checked us in to get us a little upgrade magic on our room, but neither Larry not I got the impression that it worked very well. Perhaps his charm works better on women than men.
Charm and up-grade aside, we got checked in (our room wasnt ready yetshockerand they say the Grand Flo has good service), (Swines. I mean 6.02am and they dont even have our room ready yet, no wonder they got rid of Eisner, the place is going to the dogs.) got our park passes/room keys, and scooted back to the Pop Century to meet up with everyone for breakfast at the food court. Larrys notes say French toast, so Im assuming thats what he had for breakfast. I can honestly say I probably got breakfast and I probably ate it, but I have absolutely no idea what it could have been. I think Larrys cavalier planning-is-for-wimps attitude toward trip report writing and note taking are rubbing off on me and I humbly apologize to those readers who are used to getting a play-by-play account of what was eaten, what it cost, where it was eaten, and by whom.
I think that Robin has missed the point on trip report writing. I have a motto: (Whats a motto? Nothing whats the motto with you?) If you cant read it make it up. After all, very few of the readers were actually there with us, and so they dont know.
Since we werent really having a rehearsal for the wedding, thus we werent really having a rehearsal dinner either (though I suppose the meal tonight at MGM was sort of the equivalent), I brought down the gifts that we had picked out for our attendants, Paula and Clive, this morning. Clive said that he wouldnt open his until he had performed his duties at the wedding and given his speech at the reception (silly English honour system), so he took the present back to their room, but Paula opened hers. We had picked out some pearl earrings for Paula to wear with her bridesmaid dress.
After breakfast, we headed to the bus stop where we had a short wait for a bus to the Animal Kingdom (AK). On the bus, we had a lively discussion with Clive about tippingthe Brits not generally being accustomed to having to tip service providers. Since Clive has a tendency to be rather, um, whats a good word for it .thrifty, Larry jokingly told him that it was a long-standing American custom for the Best Man to pay the preacher for the wedding ceremony. (Actually, the Best Man does usually pay/tip the officiant, but the groom gives him an envelope with the fee inside for him to present to the officiant after the ceremony.) The look of shock and horror on Clives face was enough to send the rest of us into gales of laughter until he finally realized we were kidding him.
Robin makes a good point here about the British character. For example, I think the excuse that we gave valet parking at the Grand Flo is a great excuse not to pay for valet parking. I must write it down in my Book of thriftiness. One of the things that I know Robin has discovered is that Im a little bit, well how can I put this a little bit challenged in the opening wallet department. So there are a few things that I find rather difficult. I have to pretend to be an American when it comes to putting out the tips to the waiters in restaurants, otherwise, Id just leave a dollar at the side of the plate. Anything to do with Parking just brings out the worst in me, I would rather walk in 7 miles from the edge of the city rather than pay for parking, and as for Valet, oh I just dont even want to think about it In my defence, I do come from Yorkshire, and they say a Yorkshire man is a Scotsman with the generosity ironed out.
Once we got to the AK, we split up. Larry, Clive, and Karen took everyones passes to get Fast Passes (FP) for Expedition Everest, while Paula, Wes, Michael, Dad, and I went to rent a scooter for Dad. We were to meet up in front of Kilimanjaro Safari (KS) in Africa when our chores were complete.
Dad wound up not only renting an ECV, but also buying a hat to keep the sun off his head. I was anxious to get moving because I knew the others would be waiting for us.
Touring with a group is always a bit stressful and takes a great deal of flexibility and patience; not two of my better qualities. (Great singing voice, sure, but not so much in the easy-going and take-things-as-they-come categories.) People move at different rates and have different priorities as to what they want to see and do, so plans have to be constantly changed and things usually take at least twice as long as you think they will.
I was torn between wanting to spend time with my family (seeing as how Id be leaving them to move to Scotland in two weeks time), and wanting Karen and Clive to feel welcome and to get the most Disney bang for their buck since their time at WDW was limited, and wanting everyone to have a good time and bond together. Oh yes, and wanting to get married too! Lets not forget that important event. (Anyone who says that planning a wedding, even a small one, isnt stressful is either lying or has a much better Prosaic prescription than me!)
So, all things being considered, I think I was doing quite good to only have a couple of small meltdowns during the week. Luckily, everyone was very understanding and Karen certainly earned her keep and got to use her brilliant social work skills on more than one occasion.
Anyway, knowing that the others would have been waiting on us, I herded everyone in the direction of Africa. However, when we got to KS, no one else was in sight.
Taking Paula with me as look out, I used the time (and some of Larrys FP scam knowledge) to get us FPs to the Safari, since Larry, Clive and Karen had our tickets.
When Larry, Karen and Clive showed up, the reason for their delay was soon explained. They had gotten the FPs for Everest but, as the ride was a walk-on that early, couldnt resist the temptation to take a quick ride. All, that is, except for Larry. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have a keeper in him because he knew that Id want to ride it with him for the first time, so he looked around in the gift shop while Karen and Clive went on the ride, so he could ride it first with me. If thats not love, boys and girls, then at least its a good helping of common sense!
There is absolutely no way I would have done that ride without Robin with me for the first trip on it. I just wouldnt. I would have rather cut off my little finger with a rusty penknife. Its a Small World, sure, but not Everest.
So, reunited at last, we headed off to Asia and the adventures awaiting us there.
We all rode Everest together and we all loved the ride and thought the theming was great. Just a few days ago, Larry and I saw part of a documentary on TV about Mount Everest and the area surrounding it. When we first turned on the TV, Larry and I, unaware of what the documentary was about, said in unison, Its Expedition Everest. Thats how good Disney did in the theming.
OK my views on Everest: this is one good ride, Ive said before in evaluations of attractions in previous TRs that themeing is everything for me. Im getting old enough where some Roller Coasters are too much for me. I can cope with the odd inversion and loop the loop, provided its a smooth track. Everest doesnt invert you at all, but its pretty smooth, and pretty fast, and it has wonderful visual effects, from some fantastic forced perspective on the mountain and mountain village scenery, to some great projected visual and sound effects. I like to think of it as what would happen if Big Thunder Mountain started taking steroids and working out. A great ride: 10 out of 10.
We immediately got new FPs for another go on Everest and then headed back to Africa for our Safari. On the way, we stopped at Kali River Rapids (KRR), which was temporarily down, to get FPs to ride it later. Karen was schooled in Larrys method of nicking Fast Passes and she quickly became his chief FP assistant.
Back in Africa, we used our FPs for KS but, since Dad was on an ECV, were diverted to the disabled access line which, due to having only one loading platform and the length of time it takes to park ECVs/wheelchairs and load folks with mobility issues and their families, took forever. I know a lot of people grumble about special queues for the disabled but I guarantee that they dont get on rides any faster, in fact, Id bet that they have to wait longer than most.
Anyway, it was finally our turn and we were rather squashed into two rows with a couple more families. We were so packed together that there was no chance of any of us being bounced out of the truck. In fact, there was no chance of any of us being able to move our arms! We were all glad that Little Red was safe, but we were more pleased to actually be able to draw breath after we got off the ride.
Lunchtime was upon us so, being in Africa, we went to Tusker House where, with some creative use of our dining plan options, we were able to get everyone fed. Larrys notes say either nice crepes or nice Agnes, but, since I dont recall crepes or anyone by the name of Agnes, Ill have to let that one go. Maybe its nice grapes? Oh hang on, could it be nice drapes? No I would have written nice curtains.
After lunch it was time for our FPs at Everest. As we walked there, we laughed that wed spent all morning at the Animal Kingdom and had only walked up and down between Asia and Africa.
Everyone but Dad went for the ride on Everest. Karen and Clive got the first seat this time around but magnanimously gave it up to me and Larry as an early wedding present. Afterwards, Michael took Dads extra FP and rode by himself while the rest of us looked around the gift shop.
As Kali River Rapids was still down, we decided it was time to move on so we headed to Dinoland. The long day, the heat, and the many miles trekked from Africa and Asia and back were starting to take their toll on the group however, so we stopped to rest and regroup at the entrance to Dinoland. Larry ran off to get Fast Passes for Primeval Whirl while we waited.
Dad was hot and Paula was footsore so they decided to go back to the hotel to rest until this evening, when we were supposed to meet up with Sue and Floyd and Tom and Leanne for dinner at MGM. Dad gave up his SCV to Paula so she could rest on the way out of the park but, unbeknownst to us, Clive had sneaked off and came back pushing a wheelchair for her so she and Dad could both ride out in style.
Actually Clive is a proper English Gentle Man. He was brought up properly and spent most of his life being an officer and a gentleman in the RAF, and sometimes I might be a little bit inclined to tease him about that, but I tease because I love, and actually I pretty much admire this trait. (Please Karen when you read this, delete it, I dont want Clive knowing how much I admire him.)
Wes claimed wheelchair pushing duties and Michael wanted to go swimming back at the Pop Century, so they all headed out of the park leaving Larry, Karen, Clive and me to continue on.
We went to Primeval Hurl (which wasnt using Fast Passes, by the way, and didnt have hardly any wait) and rode once on either side. Our first ride, which was on the left-hand side, was the best ride Ive ever had on Primeval Hurl. We must have hit that first corner after they release the car to spin just right because we spun completely out of control for the rest of the ride. The second ride was okay, but not nearly as spin-tastic as the first.
Once we could walk in a straight line again, Larry naughtily told Karen that, in order to let our equilibriums settle a bit, wed go on a tamer rideCountdown to Extinction! Its a simple little ride, he lied, where you walk through a room with some fossil exhibits and then get on a vehicle and look at some prehistoric plants. We kept chatting to Karen and Clive as we passed through the queue, during the pre-show, and on to the vehicle, so they wouldnt catch on to the real nature of the ride, smiling to ourselves as we calmly set off into the Jurassic period. Somewhere between the first meteor crash and the time the Youre-My-Lunch-O-Saurus tried to have us for tea, I think they figured out that they had been purposely misled! They liked the ride, however, so we immediately rode it again.
Did I do that? I find it hard to believe.
Afterwards, we decided to see if our room at the Grand Floridian was ready yet (okay, we really just wanted to show off the resort to Karen and Clive), so we left the park and caught a bus to the Contemporary, so we could kill two birds with one stone by taking Karen and Clive on a loop of the monorail, and stop off at the Grand Floridian.
A quick stop at the front desk revealed that our room was indeed ready. We were in Big Pine Key (I was a bit disappointed that they didnt actually give you a Big Pine Key, just a standard plastic hotel swipe card!!). I had stayed in the building once before on a trip with Paula and Wes and loved the location. We were on the third floor, overlooking the swimming pool. They had given us a room with a King-sized bed and a nice sitting area with sofa, coffee table, and small table and chairs. There was a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket, a red rose, and a card from Aladdin and Jasmine wishing us a magical Honeymoon. We also had a fax from our stand-in wedding coordinator giving us her contact information in case we had any last minute questions. I had been primarily working with Juliana Acosta, but knew that she would be off the day of my wedding and that wed have someone else assigned to us for that day.
Karen and Clive were suitable impressed with the Grand Floridian. In fact, Karen declared that, next time they came to WDW, this was the resort where she was going to stay, much to Clives dismay. We could actually see him doing the mental arithmetic as to how much two weeks at the Grand Flo was going to cost him.
We went back to the lobby to pick up the monorail and had a nice chat with a cast member while we were waiting. He was telling us that the blood of the Love Bugs (which were very plentiful on the bright monorail platform, since theyre attracted to white) is actually slightly corrosive so you have to scrub the dead ones off the grill of your car every day or theyll pit the paint and chrome.
We had a short monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom where we caught a bus back to the Pop Century. On the bus I took care of some wedding business by calling everyone (hair stylist, officiant, videographer, dress steamer, wedding license service, marriage coordinator, etc.) to let them know what room Id be in at the Grand Floridian for the wedding tomorrow. Tomorrow? Yikes.
We got back to the Pop at 5:00. Our dinner reservations at the 50s Prime Time Café were for 6:15ish and we all needed to freshen up, so we had to scoot. Paula, Wes and Dad were all in bed taking a nap, so we roused them up. Michael was in the pool so I went to fetch him. We all managed to get ready and meet up in the lobby by 5:45.
We managed to squish all 8 of us into our 7-seat mini-van, though we only accomplished this by me sitting in the space between the two captains chairs in the second row of seats. Oh well, while it wasnt quite legal, once again we were wedged in so tightly that there wasnt much chance of anyone falling out.
Larry drove and though he did good at staying on the right side of the road, he still managed to almost kill us all. He remembered that you could turn right on a red light but kind of forgot the teensy point about stopping to make sure no one was coming before you turned thus he turned right into the path of an oncoming Disney bus. It scared the bus driver so badly that he forgot his happy thoughts and laid on the horn (and no, we didnt have a honk, we just got married bumper sticker)! Alls well that ends well however, and we made it to MGM in one piece.
We took a tram from the parking lot to the front gate thus ensuring that Karen and Clive got to ride on every form of WDW transport during their stay. (LarryI Dont think they went on the steam train.) (RobinI would argue that the steam train is an attraction and not a form of transportation as such.)
Tom and Leanne and Sue and Floyd were already waiting in the bar at 50s PTC. After introductions all around several people got drinks and we were called to our table soon afterwards.
We were actually seated at two tables, but they shared the same back booth and were right next to each other. We did have two separate servers, however (and I hate to be whiny but the other tables was better). Paula, Wes, Karen, Clive, Dad and Michael sat at one table while Larry and I joined our newest guests, Sue, Floyd, Tom and Leanne, at the other. Tom and Leanne had brought a wedding present for us (thank you very much) and we opened that while we waited on our food.
Larry and I got appetizers with the dining plan, so we shared some onion rings and, I think, some fried cheese with everyone. I think that Robin was a bit disappointed with the Fried Cheese, because if it was proper Texan Fried Cheese, it would have been on a stick. Robin threatens to take me to the South Plains County Fair, where they fry everything including cheese, snickers and marshmallow peeps, and stick them on big sticks!!!
Larry had the pot roast and Im sure that I had some entrée but I cant remember what it was. Honestly, at this point, they could have brought me an old shoe with cheese on it and I dont think I would have noticed. I was just so nervous about meeting Larrys friends/the impending wedding the next day/everyone getting along and having a good time that I dont remember much of the meal at all. I do remember Larry trying to hide his carrots under his napkin and having to be fed by the server and I was fed a bite of whatever was on my plate as well.
Larry had a chocolate shake with his meal as his dessert choice. I got the SMores (which are huge) and passed them around to everyone. See, Im much better at remembering the important things like dessert.
After dinner we said our see you tomorrows to Tom, Leanne, Sue and Floyd. The rest of us, in our quest to not only get Karen and Clive on every form of Disney transport known to man but also to show them every night time show, were headed to the Magic Kingdom for the 9:00 showing of Wishes and then do the Extra Magic Hours. The plan was to park the van at the Grand Floridian and then take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom.
Can I say, how nice it was to meet with some of my friends from Florida, who were kind enough to come to the wedding, its been a couple of years since I saw them last, as I hadnt been out to WDW, and it was a pleasure to spend a couple of days with them at such a wonderful time for me.
Once at the Magic Kingdom, we picked up our wristbands for the Extra Magic Hour and Dad got his scooter. Wishes was just about to start so we all found spots at the entrance of Main Street and watched the fireworks.
Afterwards, we all did our best impression of salmon and swam upstream against the crowds of exiting people. We made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean (PoTC) to see the new Jack Sparrow update. Since its announcement, Paula was very much against the update and we were all anxious to see the changes. I thought they did an excellent job on the Jack audio animatronics and that the Davy Jones projection onto the mist was a great effect.
After all that swashbuckling, we decided to ride Splash Mountain. Paula and Wes didnt want to get wet so they, along with Dad who wasnt riding this evening, went over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMRR) (one of Wes favorite rides). After Splash, where I got decidedly drippy, we met up with the others at Big Thunder Mountain. We were just about to get in line when my Mom called on Dads cell phone. I stayed behind with Dad to talk to Mom while everyone else went on the ride.
We decided it was time to leave the Wild West for some science fiction and made our way to Tomorrowland and Alien Encounter. Just like all the walks from Africa to Asia this morning, I think the death march from BTMRR to Alien Encounter just about finished half the party off.
Oh gosh you are not joking. People were well and truly cream crackered by this point. I was surprised at how well they were bearing up under the strain, and for the Brits in particular as it was like 5am our time, so well done everyone.
At the new Alien Encounter, Stitch = the monster, and Skippy = Skippy. Other than that, I didnt see much difference from the original version.
Everyone was pretty well tired after that and we started to head back to Main Street but Michael was making puppy dog eyes at Space Mountain. Seeing as how it was his last night at WDW and his only chance to ride, I decided that Id be the good Aunt and stay behind with him and let everyone else take the car back to the Pop Century. Larry said that hed stay with me and Karen and Clive were up for another ride so Paula, Wes and Dad left and the rest of us had a nice ride on Space Mountain.
It was 11:58 when we got off the ride and, seeing as how Extra Magic Hour was over at midnight, we decided that was all for the night.
On our way out of the park, Wes called and said that they had to wait a long time for a monorail and that they had just gotten back to the car. Did we want them to wait for us at the Grand Floridian so we didnt have to take a bus back to the Pop Century? Of course our answer was yes, so we hurried out of the park and took the monorail back to the Grand Floridian to meet up with them.
Wes drove us all back to the Pop Century where we dropped off Karen, Clive, Paula and Dad, went over the times and places for people to meet up tomorrow, and picked up my and Michaels luggage and headed BACK to the Grand Floridian where Michael and I were to spend the night. That way, Larry got a room to himself for a night and I didnt have to worry about Michael being ready on time for the wedding tomorrow, plus I had some company.
So much for the bride and groom not seeing each other before the wedding because it was 2:00am when I kissed my groom good night at the Grand Floridian and sent him back to the Pop Century with Wes. Bell Services drove me and Michael around to our room and, after a bit of unpacking and settling in, I went to bed around 3:00.
Goble/Wilmot Wedding Weekend - Day Four
Can't wait for wedding day!
