Happiness and HAAAAmony

[Syds-Mom]

for another great report. I am really enjopying reading it. Hope you have/had wonderful holidays as well.

Sandy

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Okay, the tree is down, the company is gone and school is back in session. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and a very happy New Year. I will get back here tomorrow...at least I better because if I don't finish this one soon, I'm going to be writing my next pre-trip and my old trip at the same time, and that just wouldn't be good

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

Hey SharkB8,

I forgot to tell you thanks for the last installment about the activities at POR!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Mommy4,
Is that where you are staying when you go? It's funny, I've been taking so long in writing this that I have been able to watch you ticker go down by about 3 months since I started! If you are staying at POR, check out PrincessV's TR. She has great photos of the resort.

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

A quick shower to rid myself of the surrey sludge and we were on our way into Epcot. Mind you, we are on day four (or is it five?) of this trip and I’m newly DISsing and I think I’m part of a secret society. I have been searching the parks for LGMH from Home Depot. I’ve been checking people’s feet for strange, yet comfy, shoes. I’ve been looking for signs of Focking. So far, I’ve only run into one woman, and that was in the restroom, and I think she thought I was dangerous.

“HEY! You’re on the boards, too!” I yelled as I washed my hands.

Her shirt was purple, but it had DIS all over it. She said yeah, added something about a pug, and ran out the door.

So much for my secret society.

But today was going to be different. DH, who is perhaps the most artistic accountant you’ll ever meet, made us shirts to wear for our day in Epcot. He made AK shirts, too, but we’re not there yet. So I’m strutting my stuff in my custom made SharkB8 shirt with Nemo on the front and HooHaHa on the back with a lime green Mickey head up at the base of my neck. He’s in a shirt with Bruce on the front and the back said “I’m having fish tonight!” Each little bite had a shirt as well. They were awesome. Bite 1 had a picture of Bloat on the front and the back read “I’m from Bob’s Fish Mart.” Bite 2 wore Jacques, and the back said “I shall resist!” and Bite 3 had Tad (the yellow guy) and the back said “Bubbles. My bubbles.” We all had lime green Mickey heads at the base of the neck. The shirts were great. I thought for sure they’d get noticed and droves of fellow DISsers would come chat with us.

Nothing.

Not a one.

Perhaps you all saw us and ran the other way. Now that I think of it, perhaps we were a bit scary in our familial Finding Nemo/DIS thing. Maybe that’s why no one came near us.

Or maybe I didn’t wash all the surrey sludge off.

We ate an early dinner in France. We had tried desperately to get into LeCellier, but I can’t eat dinner at 8:45, and neither can little bite 3 (dizzy-hungry-hulk). So we took what we could get, and while I could have had dinner in Germany any time I wanted, I didn’t want, so we ended up with a 4:00 seating in France. The timing was perfect. It was just starting to sprinkle as we walked up to the door, and as we were seated (a great window seat…and the ONLY table with people at it in the ENTIRE place) it started to pour. It rained through the whole meal, which, by the way, was really good, and let up just as we were starting to leave. Yeah pixie dust. You will all be happy to hear that the dessert menu was not modified and I had a delicious strawberry mousse cake. On the whole, one of the better meals we had all week. And the bites were well behaved. Nothing like an empty restaurant to call attention to an ill mannered child, but they all did fine, so there were no hateful looks from the wait staff.

We headed out into the puddles and went straight to NorVAY to go back, back over the falls. We like that ride, but the entrapment at the end is disturbing. I don’t so much care for that 5 minute wait to get out of the ride. A wait to get ON is understandable and expected, but why should I have to wait to EXIT a ride? And our timing is ALWAYS off. It seems no matter how many times we’ve gone back, back over the falls, we always pull up to the little village just as the doors to the theater are closing. And then we wait. And little bites get fidgety, and the people keep pouring out of boats. And just as my claustrophobia sets in, the doors magically open and we’re free to walk through or sit and watch. I like the option. We watch about every fourth time. It looks like a beautiful place. Maybe someday we’ll go there instead of WDW.

Nah.

 

[mlill]

...at least I better because if I don't finish this one soon, I'm going to be writing my next pre-trip and my old trip at the same time, and that just wouldn't be good

Ah, well... there could be worse fates! Count me in as one of your faithful followers! I love your TR! I'm finally caught up, now that we're back from our 2 week WDW vacation! I loved the part about the Surrey Bikes. We finally did this after much pleading from my youngest. While it was fun, it was not quite as 'picturesque & romantic' as it appears! UGH!

Keep it coming!

-Michelle

P.S. I color code everything, too! Here's a pic of my Excel spreadsheet! LOL!

MK-purple
MGM-yellow
Epcot-blue
AK-green
Transportation-orange

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

Mommy4,
Is that where you are staying when you go? It's funny, I've been taking so long in writing this that I have been able to watch you ticker go down by about 3 months since I started! If you are staying at POR, check out PrincessV's TR. She has great photos of the resort.

Yup, that's where we're staying!

I'll be sure to check out PrincessV's TR (shoot, I'm not sure why I haven't already since she visits alot of the same threads I do. )

PS. I am starting to get kinda excited watching my ticker go down!

 

[DebIreland]

I'm all caught up and loving it! Terrific job!!

Your DH makes a Disney spreadsheet? I am beyond impressed that a spouse would do that!! You're so lucky that you're not alone in your obsess..., er, love of Disney World. I can't believe how UNinterested my DH is in the whole planning process even though he truly seems to love the place. Believe it or not, he still makes the rookie mistake of referring to it as DisneyLAND in conversations with other people. *Sigh* And you've seen my itinerary (thanks for mentioning it ) - I know you know how sick it makes me feel when he gets the very name of the place wrong.

Yes, the colour choices are interesting - looks like mlill chose purple too (cool spreadsheet by the way mlill) - maybe it's purple for royalty! That makes a lot of sense!! Personally I chose red, I don't know why, I just felt it was a warm and important colour. Light green for Epcot? No, it's supposed to be blue (light blue for World Showcase and dark blue for Future World) - how did he not know that??

That sucks about the modified dessert menus. I don't want to rub it in but when we were at Tony's I had the nicest dessert of the trip - so glad we missed those modified menus. Although almost all the kids menus were the same everywhere we went.

We loved Chefs de France too and also felt it was one of the best meals of the trip.

Can't wait for more!!!!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

MLIIL,
That spread sheet is a beauty. Glad to have you back and reading. I should get more up tonight or tomorrow. We are going again next month, and while there are FAR worse fates than a TR and pre-trip happening simultaneously, my fear is that they will become one big confused blurr in my head. I can't even call my kids by their right names, let alone sort out days of ADRs and the like.

And Deb, yes, not only does DH make the spread sheets, but he keeps them in his pocket the entire time we're gone. We were on the bus one evening going back to POR and I asked where we were going the following day. Out came the spread sheet and the group of people around us just laughed at us. His first trip to WDW was when we were 29 and he's been hooked ever since.

I'm so glad you are all here hanging in with me.

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite places on earth. I know it is not one of the more popular opinions, and I’ve even read that some people don’t like it at all because they find it too hot, but I am a bit of a plant geek, and for plant geeks, it’s wonderful. Living in a sub-tropical part of the United States (zone 8b, if you want specifics) I walk through the park longing to clip branches or gather seed pods and smuggle them home just to fill my yard with exotic flowers from around the world. I wouldn’t. Ever. But I’d love to. So it was with a fresh sense of anticipation that I got on the bus with my DH and little bites and headed to AK.

As I mentioned, DH had made shirts for this day as well. Bite 2, who LOVES Everest, had a picture of the Abominable Snowman from Monsters, Inc. on the front, and the back said “Welcome to the Himalayas! Snowcone?” It was great. And he wore it with pride as he and his father ran from the finger scan to the ride. Little Bites 1 and 3 stayed with me and we leisurely walked to Asia. We figured they could grab fast passes and then wait in the line, holding on to the passes for later. 1, 3 and I were going to meet up with them outside EE and then head over to Kali River Rapids for a soaking.

We strolled, stopping to look at the birds and the lemurs. And as we approached EE, I noticed the benches strategically lined up in front of the ride. I kind of felt like I was walking a reception line for the weak at heart. Those of us not brave enough to ride, or those who are waiting for their turn, are forced to sit on display. We all know why we are sitting on benches. We look at each other and nod sheepishly. We are timid. We are prone to motion sickness. We are scared of big, hairy white things. Or, as in the case of little bite 3, we are too short.

As it happened, we had no time to sit on the benches of shame. DH and Little bite 2 were walking out of the ride as we neared. They had been through the ride twice. The line appeared long, but it was moving fast, so they didn’t need the fast passes at all and were able to get off the first time and get right back in line for a second ride through the mountain. So we handed off our fast passes to someone walking up to get some and headed off to wait for Festival of the Lion King.

An amazing show, no doubt, but they seemed to be pushing it awfully hard. There were CMs spaced about 20 feet apart all the way up the trail, and as we walked we heard over and over again “Come to Disney’s most popular show ‘Festival of the Lion King’.” It was strange to experience a carnival like atmosphere at WDW, and I sort of felt like the next CM was going to offer to guess my weight, but he didn’t, he just kept pushing the show, too. I’m not sure WHY they feel they need to push the show. It’s not like it’s ever empty. In fact, if you are not there early, you might not get in at all. At least, that’s what the map says, and I didn’t even have to spin it to find that out.

We had great seats up front, and while we weren’t asked to stand and be an animal, bites 1 and 2 did get up at the end to join in the fun. Timon was FANTASTIC! I think he either had too much coffee, or he was hoping to be discovered. He pulled out all his meerkat clubbing moves and was amazing. He definitely stole the show.

Having never seen the parade at AK, we made it a priority. After Festival, we went to Kilimanjaro and saw the biggest hidden Mickey in all the parks. (PM me if you don’t know where it is and want to!) Then we waited for the parade. We’d have had a great spot were it not for the blazing sun in our faces, but we were next to delightful people who shared what little shade they had. While we waited, a CM named Brett was in charge of the rope. She was right in front of us when a man came over and started screaming at her. Seriously, SCREAMING. Brett argued back, but only in so far as she was defending herself. It seems that he was ticked because he had wanted to walk across the parade path with his group and she told him that he couldn’t. Then he witnessed other people going under the ropes and walking across the path, so he decided to go under the ropes to yell at her about the fact that he couldn’t go under the ropes.

She was in tears. He threatened to go to guest services and file a complaint about her. We tried to comfort her, but she was a mess. She was simply trying to do her job, but she couldn’t control everything, and while her back was turned, a small group went under the ropes and this guy saw it and was MAD. Brett was convinced she was going to lose her job.

It put such a strange slant on this day for me. We all go to WDW with expectations. We’ve saved. We’ve planned. We hope for the best for our vacations. But it’s just that, a vacation. This young lady was terrified that she was going to loose her job because this man was hot, tired, and not allowed to go under ropes. Now I know there are CMs who are nasty (think dead pan pirate girl) but so many love what they do and depend on the paycheck. They have to deal with us, the vacationers. And all it takes is one wrong move, or one seemingly wrong move, and they could loose their jobs. What then? So I told her I’d go to guest relations and let them know what I saw in an effort to contradict rope man, and the woman next to me said she’d do the same.

By the end of the parade, which was great, rope man came to apologize to Brett. She was gracious, and he admitted to being hot and tired. They shook hands and he went on his way with his family and she with her rope. We headed to the front gate to make our way to the Poly for dinner, but first stopped by guest relations to fill out a comment card for Brett. Rope man had assured her that he wasn’t going to file a complaint after all, but I figured she could use the boost just the same. No one likes to be made to cry.

We left AK and headed (by car) to Kona Café at the Poly for dinner. Dinner was outstanding, so much so that we’ve made ADRs for Valentine’s Day dinner there. Want to consider that my pre-trip for February?

 

[PrincessV]

An amazing show, no doubt, but they seemed to be pushing it awfully hard. There were CMs spaced about 20 feet apart all the way up the trail, and as we walked we heard over and over again “Come to Disney’s most popular show ‘Festival of the Lion King’.” It was strange to experience a carnival like atmosphere at WDW, and I sort of felt like the next CM was going to offer to guess my weight, but he didn’t, he just kept pushing the show, too. I’m not sure WHY they feel they need to push the show. It’s not like it’s ever empty. In fact, if you are not there early, you might not get in at all. At least, that’s what the map says, and I didn’t even have to spin it to find that out.

That's really, really strange. We did the Fest. for the first time this Dec., but all I've ever heard was "get there early" because it's SO popular. Are they worried folks won't find it?!

By the end of the parade, which was great, rope man came to apologize to Brett. She was gracious, and he admitted to being hot and tired. They shook hands and he went on his way with his family and she with her rope. We headed to the front gate to make our way to the Poly for dinner, but first stopped by guest relations to fill out a comment card for Brett. Rope man had assured her that he wasn’t going to file a complaint after all, but I figured she could use the boost just the same. No one likes to be made to cry.

Coming from one who's worked in retail, hospitality and baking and has been made ot cry to mean customers too many times, I give you an A+++ for taking the time to do this!

We left AK and headed (by car) to Kona Café at the Poly for dinner. Dinner was outstanding, so much so that we’ve made ADRs for Valentine’s Day dinner there. Want to consider that my pre-trip for February?

No way! We want the full-on Pre-Trippie!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

V,
We are meeting up with my in-laws...it could be one heck of a pre-trip leading to an abandoned trip.

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

After dinner at Kona Café we went to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Each little bite had their own spending money in hand, and seeing as how they are HUGE Lego fans, I thought for sure that we’d be heading straight for the store.

But I could see in Little Bite 1’s eye that he had a different agenda.

I caught him several times that week looking at people’s necks, a blend of curiosity and wonder across his face. Not quite “car crash on the side of the road” kind of look, but more of a “truck load of chickens spilled onto the highway” stare. Other than noticing face and where his eyes were landing, I didn’t pay much attention. In hind sight, I should have, for Pandora’s box was hanging around the neck’s of countless Disney guests, and 1 was being sucked in.

As I said, I assumed we were headed for the Lego store. If you’ve made it this far in the TR, you know what the Lego store holds for me. It is an exercise in patience and multi-tasking. So when Little Bite 1 said he’d rather go someplace else first, I was okay with that. I know he’d been wanting Ghiardelli ice cream, so I thought that was what he was going to suggest. But then he said it.

“Can we go to the pin store?”

Yes, he’s gone to the dark side.

To say that this store is overwhelming is like saying WDW is underwhelming. Countless rows of shining pins hang on an octagonal column in the center of the store. People with briefcases hover around outside, exposing their loot to those who know the secret handshake, secret password, or Focker sign. I was completely out of my element. Yet Bite 1 was hooked, and the awestruck look was beginning to appear on Bite 2’s face.

I looked at pins. I needed to quickly familiarize myself with something that in a few short days Bite 1 knew more about that I. (Don’t you hate it when that happens?) I must admit, some of the pins were fantastic. Until I flipped them over and saw the price tag.

Now, I must confess that I have a tendency to be a bit, dare I say, thrifty. Don’t get me wrong, we all have what we need, but as far as what we want, well…I ask that we ask ourselves if we can live without it before putting cash on the table. This being vacation, I tended to be a little more forgiving. But I figure, if we can do without the t-shirts, stuffed items, balloons, face painting, hair weaving, and PINS, then we might be able to go on vacation again. And I’d rather go again. So I gasped and internal gasp when I saw the price tags on the pins. But it was, after all, Bite 1’s money, and money lessons learned at 9 are better than learning at 29.

SO…

“Can I get some pins?”

I feigned hearing loss.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“Can I get some pins? I’d like to use my spending money to get pins.”

“What about the Lego store?”

“I’d like to get some pins.”

I hemmed. I hawed. DH chimed in.

“Sure, if that is what you want to get.”

And that was it. He was lost forever to the dark side and Little Bite 2 quickly chose his lanyard and pins as well.

They only had enough for a lanyard and two pins each, but they wore them with pride. They now knew the secret password. They could do the secret handshake. Even I succumbed to the lure of the trade, hoping that they would find a kind CM to swap with them and give them a nugget of gold for a cutie Donald Duck. Tomorrow was going to be a new day, a day of trading, a day of wheeling and dealing, a day like Wall Street.

 

[arizonacolbys]

Loving the trip report!! That really stinks about the revised dessert menus - I'm with you there - I could just go & eat dessert & skip the meal! We were there in Sept for free dining & luckily didn't run into this where we ate. Spoodles was a first for us on that trip & definitely a favorite - we're returning there next week.

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Emily,
Thanks for joining in the fun. Have a great time on your trip!

 

[BrerMama]

What a hoot this is! I've got 3 of my own and the youngest has the stomach flu, so I'm sitting on the sofa in my pj's (instead of ya know, working) and reading trip reports. I'm having so much fun reading! We're back to POR for our second visit in a few months and this is really getting me excited (OK, this report and the fact that my sick one is just a fit of giggles over Brother Bear... how much fun is she going to be this summer?). Anyway, keep it up, don't stop now and all that stuff. Really enjoying it; you sure can tell a story!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

BrerMama!
SO glad you've joined in. I love to know that people are out there reading and enjoying. It makes it much more fun to write.

I hope your little one is feeling better. Belly bugs are the worst...but PJs and Brother Bear are the first step to wellness. And ice cream

WELCOME!

 

[Dooda]

You're report has had me in stitches! Great job- can't wait to read more!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Dooda! Yeah! TWO new people in one day! You guys are awesome. Thanks for letting me know you are out there. I should get to "the great pin trade" tomorrow.

Thanks everybody!

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

After dinner at Kona Café we went to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Each little bite had their own spending money in hand, and seeing as how they are HUGE Lego fans, I thought for sure that we’d be heading straight for the store.

But I could see in Little Bite 1’s eye that he had a different agenda.

I caught him several times that week looking at people’s necks, a blend of curiosity and wonder across his face. Not quite “car crash on the side of the road” kind of look, but more of a “truck load of chickens spilled onto the highway” stare. Other than noticing face and where his eyes were landing, I didn’t pay much attention. In hind sight, I should have, for Pandora’s box was hanging around the neck’s of countless Disney guests, and 1 was being sucked in.

As I said, I assumed we were headed for the Lego store. If you’ve made it this far in the TR, you know what the Lego store holds for me. It is an exercise in patience and multi-tasking. So when Little Bite 1 said he’d rather go someplace else first, I was okay with that. I know he’d been wanting Ghiardelli ice cream, so I thought that was what he was going to suggest. But then he said it.

“Can we go to the pin store?”

Yes, he’s gone to the dark side.

To say that this store is overwhelming is like saying WDW is underwhelming. Countless rows of shining pins hang on an octagonal column in the center of the store. People with briefcases hover around outside, exposing their loot to those who know the secret handshake, secret password, or Focker sign. I was completely out of my element. Yet Bite 1 was hooked, and the awestruck look was beginning to appear on Bite 2’s face.

I looked at pins. I needed to quickly familiarize myself with something that in a few short days Bite 1 knew more about that I. (Don’t you hate it when that happens?) I must admit, some of the pins were fantastic. Until I flipped them over and saw the price tag.

Now, I must confess that I have a tendency to be a bit, dare I say, thrifty. Don’t get me wrong, we all have what we need, but as far as what we want, well…I ask that we ask ourselves if we can live without it before putting cash on the table. This being vacation, I tended to be a little more forgiving. But I figure, if we can do without the t-shirts, stuffed items, balloons, face painting, hair weaving, and PINS, then we might be able to go on vacation again. And I’d rather go again. So I gasped and internal gasp when I saw the price tags on the pins. But it was, after all, Bite 1’s money, and money lessons learned at 9 are better than learning at 29.

SO…

“Can I get some pins?”

I feigned hearing loss.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“Can I get some pins? I’d like to use my spending money to get pins.”

“What about the Lego store?”

“I’d like to get some pins.”

I hemmed. I hawed. DH chimed in.

“Sure, if that is what you want to get.”

And that was it. He was lost forever to the dark side and Little Bite 2 quickly chose his lanyard and pins as well.

They only had enough for a lanyard and two pins each, but they wore them with pride. They now knew the secret password. They could do the secret handshake. Even I succumbed to the lure of the trade, hoping that they would find a kind CM to swap with them and give them a nugget of gold for a cutie Donald Duck. Tomorrow was going to be a new day, a day of trading, a day of wheeling and dealing, a day like Wall Street.

OMG!!!!

I can soooooo see my two older children foaming at the mouth over pins.

The sad part is they'll probably be eating my dust as I hightail it to the "pin" store.