Mickey safely in my arms, I stop in front of a gift shop. Dan seems a bit confused, as you see neither of us are big shoppers and dont tend to wander into shops unless looking for Roo pins, restrooms, or Mickey re-zapping. But I tell him Trust me, youll love it.
He cringes when I say stuff like that.
Dan went to smoke and I walk into the shop. I got this idea from the tip section of the Passporter newsletter, so it isnt a completely original idea or anything. The woman who wrote about them said it was a great way to get extra attention from the CMs.
Extra attention? Are you kidding me? Sign us up!
I figure that since Dan and I NEVER shy away from attention, this might not be a bad thing. I spot the name badge display and hunt for the best ones they had, which were gold and $6 each.
Free Engraving! the package said. Sweet. I hand them to the engraver lady and tell her that one should say Wendy and the other Village Idiot Danny.
What?
Village Idiot Danny is over the character allowance? Okay, Just Danny then.
I left the store with my purchase. I find Dan finishing his cigarette in the smoking area. After doing my fakey
your-smoke-is-filling-my-lungs-with-carcinogens cough, I hand him his
Danny badge and tell him, You have to wear this. Then I point at the
Wendy badge on my shirt to show him where it goes, just in case he got confused and decided to pin it on his head or something.
Dan, never one to disagree with his lovely bride (at least not in Disney World), puts it on his chest without question. Here in the Land of Magic, I have so much control over him, he probably would have listened to me if I told him he had to remove his pants and wear them on his head
ya gotta love Disney World.
We have a lunch PS at the Sci-Fi place today. When we get there
well, all I can say is that Ive never seen this park so jammed with people, and the Sci-Fi is no exception. There are hordes and scores and droves of people in line just to get to the hostess. I pray that many of these people are walk-ups, otherwise we wont be seated for a long freaking time. Fortunately, we only wait about 15 minutes before our name is called.
Dan walks into the restaurant for the first time and he says its pretty cool. And he would be right. The atmosphere here is da bomb (I may be getting too old to pull off street). We are seated in the back seat of a car. Maybe Dan and I can get some use out of it when the meal is over. The family in front of us are real English folks who have real English accents and everything. Our waiter is Tony and hes fantastic
as a plus, he makes the driver pay for our meal
who happened to be a 10-year-old boy. At least it wasnt us! This place is expensive!
The driver is asking his mum for a loan to pay for dinner. Nice one, Tony!
Whats this? No veggie burgers on the menu! I dont know what possessed me to ask, but I fire questions at Tony about the possibility of having one. Sure enough, Tony informs me that yes they do serve them despite their absence from the menu. Well slap Dans butt and call me silly
.Im all over the veggie burger order like a finger is to Dans nose.
(Note to self: ask! Even if it isnt on the menu! Especially in Disney World!)
Dan orders
uh something chicken I think
and Tony leaves us to enjoy the monster movie previews.
The food arrives
hey, is this my first veggie burger of the trip? On Day FOUR? Thats actually kind of shocking. I do love my veggie burgers
okay, its safe to say that Im a veggie burgeraholic, and whenever there is a veggie burger sighting, Im all over it like Disney folks to a free dining plan. I WOULD say that Ive never met a veggie burger I didnt like, but that would be a total lie
the burgers at Burger King are just about the nastiest thing disguised as food that Ive ever tried to digest. Fortunately, the burgers here are your average, I-sure-do-like-me-a-veggie-burger veggie burgers. The shakes here, on the other hand, are da bomb. Boyyyyeeee.
Dan and I finish our meal and step outside. If we thought the park was crowded before
we were mistaken big time. Dan mutters, This sucks. I had to agree. There was no way I would have predicted there to be so many people. Its so draining. The standby line for Star Tours was 50 minutes.
So we decide to turn right and hit the new Lights, Motor, Action instead. The next show is at 2:55, so we have about a half an hour to get our seats. Since were early enough, we get a seat on the bleachers right in front of the action. Were sitting there and waiting and stuff and people are slowly filtering into the stadium and filing into seats behind us. Then a female CM walks across the platform right in front of us. By now, Dan and I are trained to look at yellow lanyards.
And wouldnt you know it? Another freaking Roo pin.
Uhh
.wait! Dan shouts at the CM. She stops and walks over to us. Mind trading a pin with me? Are you busy? Is this okay?
She gives us a big smile and says of course! Which one do you want?
Which one does he want? Lady, do you realize the value of that Roo pin on your lanyard?
A few moments later and the CM is walking away and Dan is holding up his second Roo prize. He is just beaming. Wait until my mom hears how easy it was for him to find two of these guys. Shell be spitting pea soup with envy.
Take a good look at Roo...he's impossible to find. Unless you're Dan, that is!
We really enjoy the LMA stunt show
lots of cool explosions and stunts and stuff.
See? Lots of cool explosions and stunts and stuff.
After the show, we exit the stadium. Mickey buzzes and reminds us that the parade is going to start in about a half hour. We take his advice and decided to wait for the Stars and Motor Cars parade. We get a sweet spot right up front.
We stood there for quite some time as the crowd behind us developed. Since we were right on the parade line, we had to move every so often to let a family pass through. A few minutes before the parade started, Dan hears another familiar Excuse me, and he automatically steps back to let a man with a stroller through. Then he hears a woman behind him, Stop right there! Thats a good spot! and the man with the stroller stopped dead right where Dan was just standing. The woman approaches her husband and stands next to him. My hubby quickly realized that he just moved to let a family weasel their way to the front of the parade crowd moments before it began. But you gotta love the man
true to Disney spirit; he didnt let it bother him. He laughed it off to himself and figured as a 65 man, he could enjoy the view from just about anywhere.
When the parade started, most of in the front few rows sat down on the sidewalk so that those behind us could see. And we let many children sit in front and all around us, even if the parents were several feet back. Not having any children, this was a rare treat to be surrounded by the little ones during a parade. When the characters rounded the corner, the squeals and shouts from the children were absolutely adorable. Its Goofy! Hi Goofy! Buzz! Woody! Over here! Hey, its Mushu
hi Mushu!
Damn, that is so frigging cute. Sort of tugs at your heart and makes you want to have your own
there is no crying in Disney World
there is no crying in Disney World
Hey...it's Mike and Sully! Hey Mike and Sully! Over here!
Hey...it's Mickey Mouse and his perma-girlfriend Minnie. Why are you all dressed up? It's not like you ever leave the parks.
After the parade we hit the Indy show.
Poncho Dan...the keeper of all things poncho.
In 2003, Dan was chosen to be a volunteer and was also asked to execute the death scene for the audience
it turned out to be a horrific and painfully overacted death which subsequently elevated him to a temporary celebrity status for the remainder of our trip. So when the woman called for volunteers on this day, Dan was on his feet, whooping and hollering, desperate to be picked again. She points her finger at him and says, Youre an enthusiastic one. Come on up here. Dan, always the showoff, runs for the stage.
My Danny, ever the wallflower. Hey...is that a trap door under his feet?
But when it was time to pick someone on stage to do the death scene, they picked some other dude. You could see the disappointment in his face. Then he looked over at me in the audience and pouted. I am bummed for him, but relieved for me
I dont think I could handle him being recognized again on this trip; it tends to go to his head and I need a grounded husband
one that will listen to me when I tell him to wear name badges on his chest and pants on his head.
During the real action scenes, Dan takes his volunteer role as a shopper to heart, and does an excellent job of coordinating his bags and dresses, considering that he hates to shop.
Let's see...will the white purse go with my creme turbin?
When it was over, I get my hubby back. Yep, hes still disappointed that he wasnt picked for the death scene, but he still seemed to love the fact that he was on stage and in front of the entire Indy audience. Like I said, we never shy away from attention.
Crap. Its raining again. Fortunately, the rain showers dont typically last that long here. No sooner do we put on the ponchos, the sun comes out and we take them off again.
Outside of the exit, Dan and I step to the side and pull out the MGM map. As were standing there and determining our next plan of attack, a man in a poncho approaches us. I need help, he says bluntly to us. Where is the Rock n Roller Coaster?
Thats weird, Im thinking.
Just asking strangers like that, even in Disney World. Does he just approach anyone who is holding a map?
But Dan seems unfazed for some reason. He sort of puffs himself up and says in a sort of loud and formal voice, Were going there anyway, well just take you there ourselves. Poncho Man says OK, as if he didnt expect anything less.
Thats weird, Im thinking.
Since when is Dan a personal tour guide for WDW guests?
I remain clueless but silent as we walk the man to the other side of the park. If there were visible cartoon bubbles above my head, you would see nothing but question marks.
Whats going on here? Why did this man just approach us like that? Why is Dan leading other guests around the park? Why is it so crowded? Can you smell the inside of your nose? What was in that Fed Ex box in the movie Cast Away? Did I leave the iron on? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?
Once we get to the attraction, Poncho Man thanks us and turns to walk toward the attraction. I finally asked Dan, Uhh
what was that all about?
Dont you get it? He thinks were Cast Members. Dan points to his
Danny badge.
No, he couldnt have. These dont even look like CM badges
theyre gold.
Hey, Im just telling you what he thought. I dont think he just walks up to anyone and asks where things are.
I had to admit that it seemed like the only plausible explanation. And I had to give Danny kudos on reacting so quickly to Poncho Mans needs and instantly going into fake CM mode. I mean, that wasnt the purpose of buying the nametags, but hey
we liked it just the same.
Dan and Wendy, Fraud Cast Members Extraordinaire. I kinda like the sound of that.
Dan and I decide to hit the RNRC ourselves
you know, since were here and all. So we wait in the 80-hour line with the rest of the yahoos and finally get to the garage. We always have to ask for an odd-numbered car because Mr. Wilt Chamberlain Legs over here has trouble finding legroom in the rear cars. We finally get to slide into those stretch limos and
whooooosh the limo speeds off. Dan is next to me whooping it up and screaming for joy about how much he loves this ride.
Finding your picture is mandatory. It doesnt matter how many times you are on the ride, you arent leaving the building until you get a look at that picture. And wouldnt you know it? Dans index finger is back up inside his nose. That got another point-and-laugh from those around us. Dan walked away, smirking and very proud that he can make people laugh at his childish gestures.
Thats my village idiot.
The rain strikes again as were leaving RNRC. Dan pulls out the ponchos for the seventh time today.
Next installment: Part 3. What have we done to deserve this?
I secretly suspect that she has had the whole thing finished now for months, but wants to drag it out so she can keep the adoration going!! 
She wore that on our girls trip to the world in Oct '04. The response was great - lots of 
) I've booked with FLTours for August so a tad nervous now but I'm sure the excitement will win out on the day. Also worried about my MNSSHP costume now as I too have a 4:30 ADR at LTT, gonna feel like an idiot walking through MK so early in my costume, ah well.....
I hate it when that happens!! 
and a 
