"I Think I Broke Myself" - a "mom and me" Oct 2011 TR - "my last day"

[ZehnJahren]

You definitely sound like my mom and I. When we travel together, we share meals all the time. Since we like the same things, it really helps with decision making.

You guy got a lot of things accomplished that morning.

This was the first time we'd been as adults, so I wasn't sure if we'd be sharing or not, but we DID end up sharing a good deal of the time. And BOY, did THAT help the budget out!! We did a lot of "I'll pick up this one, you pick up the next one" and it seemed to even out.

I had a strict budget (although I busted it at the end on a few Christmas shirts for my dad and his wife). I had $50 a day allocated for food, so I had $150 in my budget - I ended up spending $75.82 overall for all meals, drinks, and snacks.

I was glad we got so much done in the morning; the day before had been a bust ride-wise, so we were making up for lost time!

 

[ZehnJahren]

So we left MK (but we'd be back for MNSSHP in just a few short hours) and walked over to the monorail to see if we could actually make it over to Epcot today.

But we got a quick monorail, and had a very short wait at TTA, so before we knew it we were already at our favorite park!

After all that trouble last night, we were ready to get into the park and have a bite to eat, and then get on a couple of favorite rides.

We headed towards Sunshine Seasons, where I had so sickly sat and watched DBF eat on our last night on the last trip. I had been so ill that I just laid my head on the table and tried not to cry from exhaustion. Boy, that was fun to relive, right? Ok, moving on:

I had the turkey sandwich and took a great picture but I can't find it. The turkey sandwich was only decent - I was so hungry that I ate it all but really it had almost no flavor. I was NOT impressed - but it was a lot of food and my stomach thanked me.

So now it's time for our first ride at Soarin'. For the life of me, I couldn't imagine what this queue was like, as I'd never seen pictures of the Concourse area. DBF and I had gotten into line on the last night of our last trip, but as I said before I was so sick that I made him get out of line. Ah, fun times.

Well, this time I was riding.

We went down the FP line, and I was so surprised at how long the line was once we reached the merge. We stood for probably close to 15 minutes without moving at all once we hit the merge point, and I was starting to think I'd have to leave the line when they finally sat us all. We were lucky enough to get Concourse 3 (or was it C??) and were in the front row; I was going to ask for it, but no need.

It was so sad that there was so much dust on the screen - I would have enjoyed it a lot if you could have really relaxed and been put in the moment. As it were, I didn't enjoy it too much.

We went outside and looked towards Nemo.

We'd never ridden this one either,so it was on the list. Let's go!

I decided to try the line here; it was a mistake. We walked through and the line kept moving, but by the time we got to the very very front, I had to get out of line and head to the bathroom. Egh, that sucks.

Fortunately, they told us to come back to the wheelchair exit and we could get right back on! We were on Nemo minutes later.

I was not impressed with Finding Nemo - there was nothing to it! Wow, that was a disappointment; I liked the queue more than the ride. It was a bust at Epcot so far this morning, but I KNEW what could make this whole trip worthwhile and a ride that had never let me down - the Mexico pavilion and a little Gran Fiesta Tour!

So vamanos!

We stopped in that International Gateway shop, where mom bought a shirt and I got a great ornament to match our ornament from last year.

Then, we were heading to our favorite pavilion.

There was a food stand there, but we couldn't be stopped from our goal.

Just a little further in now:

WOW I LOVE this pavilion so much. It's definitely my favorite - and it's got my favorite ride in it too. (yes, I'm a nerd) One reason I have always loved this ride? The line is always nonexistent.

Now I KNOW I'm at Disney!

While we were in line, there was a little girl in front of us dressed like Rapunzel. When we got close to her, I whispered loudly to my mom "LOOK, it's RAPUNZEL. Mom, it's RAPUNZEL!" When the line curved around, I saw her pulling on her mom's arm and she kept looking at me and smiling from ear to ear. It was ADORABLE. She was certain I thought she was the real Rapunzel ... well, maybe she WAS.

Once we got off the ride, we decided it was time to go see our room at CR! We hadn't received a text saying our room was ready, but it was after check-in time. We wanted a quick nap to prepare for a late MNSSHP, which we'd finally attend this afternoon. Plus, I was DEFINITELY dying to see our room!

The monorail ride back was quick - but NOT air-conditioned! WHAT? How can they do that? The first monorail had air in it, but the second was similar to sitting in a sauna - and I don't do that EVER. I was surprised, but we were quickly at the hotel and off the monorail, walking through the exit queue and heading down the little escalator at CR. Time to go see the room!

 

[ZehnJahren]

When I last left you, we'd been doing this:

... and had most recently been here:

... and now we needed to check into our room at the Contemporary!

We went to the check-in desk and told them we hadn't gotten a text; they apologized and gave me our room keys - we were room 4404. I like fours, so this was a good sign.

We grabbed our bags from bell services (as we planned on napping for a bit before tonight's MNSSHP and needed our jammies) and headed up in the elevator.

When we made it to the room, we were both completely surprised by the size of the room (after all, we just came from Pop!).

This was more like it! Ma and I set our stuff down, and walked outside to see our view. We oohed and ahhed, and then I started in with the pictures:

Here's the view from our balcony:

We had a beautiful view, and it was a gorgeous day. One of my favorite parts of this room was that although it was sunny outside, once we drew those curtains it was dark and comfortable in the room!

Ok, one more:

We took a nice nap and woke up feeling a little more refreshed. Before we laid down, both of us stretched our legs well to try and keep the stiffness out; we'd been walking a LOT and I was afraid I'd break myself. Or that Mom would break herself. Both of us were very surprised at how tight our legs were already - I was glad we'd stopped to do some runner's stretches BEFORE napping.

We left the room and marveled at the view:

Of course I had to stop and take this pretty picture:

We headed out of the Contemporary, on foot (of course). We were on our way!

Cont. in next post

 

[ZehnJahren]

And now it was time for us to head to MNSSHP!

(Disclaimer - I don't have a ton of pics from the party - my camera doesn't take the best nighttime shots, and I didn't want to be blinding people all night.)

The walk over was, of course, very nice. We got into the Halloween spirit before we even reached the park with this lighting:

And here's the obligatory MNSSHP Mickey pumpkin head pic:

I was hoping to get a decent picture of the castle, but I got this one instead:

Hey, we're at MNSSHP! Who am I to complain??

We walked around Main Street and wandered around to find something to eat. We grabbed a big chicken sandwich (which we shared) in Tomorrowland and took a moment to enjoy it.

Then we headed back towards the hub. We saw the crowds gathering for the Villains show, so we waited to see it. We weren't the only ones!

We usually stayed to the far corner of any shows so we could make a fast getaway if needed. We were on the far right, so here comes Cruella:

There was a fun interaction here:

Here comes my personal disappointment of the night: we decided to get on some rides, and headed towards Splash Mountain. It appeared to be closed, so we went over to BTMRR and I asked about the GAC card since there was such a line. The man told me that they "didn't do" GAC on party nights, and that I'd have to go in the regular line. I couldn't make it through that long of a line, so we skipped it. I really wanted to go on for Mom, but I just couldn't get in that line.

So we tried Peter Pan. Same story - no GAC on party nights. Ok, ok. There were a ton of people in the lines this night, so we finally made our way over to Pooh, which didn't have much of a line at all. We got in line, then got out of line, then got in line, then one more time out of line, then we got BACK in line and I finally managed to make it on to my first ride ever with Pooh.

Man, this was the WEIRDEST ride I have EVER been on in my life! Mom and I were laughing hysterically at just how darn ODD it was. Now that I've ridden it once, I don't know if I'll ever go on this again; I might if DBF goes with me this year, just to show it to him. If I'd have ridden this as a child, I'd have had nightmares!!!

We kept wandering, hoping to find a ride with short lines. That was difficult to do, so we just shopped and wandered, shopped and wandered. Mom bought a MNSSHP pin outside of HM, and I bought a MNSSHP shirt.

Now it was time for Hallowishes. This was a very tough show for me to sit through because they kept announcing that they were going to dim the park and to "please stay in your general area for safety". I kept getting images of the park going dark and trying to make it to a bathroom while tripping over tiny children and the elderly.

But we managed to watch it - standing, of course.

After the show, we wandered some more, hoping for shorter lines. Nothing over on the left side of the park, but as we headed through the hub for Tomorrowland we saw the Villains show had just finished again:

I would have loved a picture of her alone, but she was swamped. This is some of the best makeup done at Disney, if you ask me - this woman could be the REAL Maleficent.

Now it was time for the parade; we managed to get a somewhat decent spot. Before the Horseman or anything else, we heard applause moving down the parade line. We strained to see who it was, but it was just a vendor coming up along the parade route before the Horseman rode. Everyone was applauding him, and he was blushing furiously as he waved a few times to his adoring fans. It was hilarious that you could hear all the applause as he moved through the parade route.

I was very disappointed in my camera tonight - we heard the shout go up that the Headless Horseman was on his way so I turned on my video, but something happened to my camera and it froze up three seconds in. I didn't get a picture OR video of the Headless Horseman, even though I was ready for him. Booo.

Parade crowds:

My DBF hates the way Johnny Depp acts as Cap'n Jack Sparrow in the Pirates films. DBF has a HILARIOUS impersonation of the Cap'n where he just runs around saying "I'm Johnny Depp, I'm Johnny Depp!" This pic was just for him!

We walked around a bit longer, and gratefully saw that the Wedway had no line - so we jumped on.

That hallway next to Space Mountain is SO DARK - my Ma made the comment that if we got stuck there, she might freak out. I told her I had a flashlight on my Droid, so no worries - we'd get to see the sights (if there WERE any sights) if we got stuck.

Ah, what bliss!

Alright, midnight had come. Time to head back to the CR!

Overall, I was disappointed in the party. We couldn't really ride anything, and the "special merchandise" was available for sale the next day! However, it was nice being in a park late.

Once we got back to CR, I fell face-down on the bed. My feet and legs were protesting, and I was exhausted.

"I think I broke myself!" I told mom. She had a laugh, I had a shower, and we both went to bed. The beds at CR were the most comfortable away-from-home beds I've ever slept in!

The plan for tomorrow was HS, Epcot, and MK for my last surprise of the trip!

 

[Merida]

Oh wow, lots of updates!

That's odd that they wouldn't accept the GAC during the party. Maybe they were expecting lower crowds? I'm definitely keeping my expectations lowered for the Christmas party. I wish they'd sell less tickets or add more stuff or something. The Halloween castle looks really cool!

That's sad to hear about Soarin' - I've never been on it either and everyone talks it up SO much. There are other rides I really love in Epcot (Norway, Mexico, Spaceship Earth) so I don't really need Soarin' to be super awesome cool, except to divert crowds from my rides, I guess. I wish they'd un-Donald-ify Mexico, though. I'm not really sure what it adds. Apparently other people agree with me!

Your room in the Contemporary is really nice. I love the headboards and your view and the white bedding (why do so many of the resorts have not pretty linens??). The inside of the Contemporary is all around really awesome.

 

[Cour10eB]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Terkina]

How odd that they didn't accept the GAC on a party night. It's a shame that not everyone (that has a ticket) can enjoy the park on a party night.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Oh wow, lots of updates!

That's odd that they wouldn't accept the GAC during the party. Maybe they were expecting lower crowds? I'm definitely keeping my expectations lowered for the Christmas party. I wish they'd sell less tickets or add more stuff or something. The Halloween castle looks really cool!

That's sad to hear about Soarin' - I've never been on it either and everyone talks it up SO much. There are other rides I really love in Epcot (Norway, Mexico, Spaceship Earth) so I don't really need Soarin' to be super awesome cool, except to divert crowds from my rides, I guess. I wish they'd un-Donald-ify Mexico, though. I'm not really sure what it adds. Apparently other people agree with me!

Your room in the Contemporary is really nice. I love the headboards and your view and the white bedding (why do so many of the resorts have not pretty linens??). The inside of the Contemporary is all around really awesome.

I was really surprised that they didn't take the GAC too - it did limit what I could do, but what did I expect, really? It's Disney, there are lines! I'm just glad there were other things to do; I don't think the other things were worth the cost, but I'm glad that they were there regardless!!!

I'm ok with Donald in Mexico, although the old "El Rio del Tiempo" was wonderful to me. I love love love The Three Caballeros, it's always been one of my favorite movies, so I'm cool with it.

I was REALLY impressed with CR. We LOVED it.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading!!

How odd that they didn't accept the GAC on a party night. It's a shame that not everyone (that has a ticket) can enjoy the park on a party night.

Yeah, I was unhappy with it, but thank God that I don't have a really serious disease like cancer - I wasn't in a wheelchair, or perhaps on my last trip, being denied GAC perks. Thank God I am as generally healthy as I am. Thank God.

 

[tlenzendorf]

Here I am!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Here I am!

Aw hello! Thanks for coming by! Hope you enjoy!

 

[RGirl]

Just found your report, and I'm really enjoying it! I hope that my DD4 and I are still going on Disney trips together when she is "all grown up."

What a shame that you experienced such long lines at MNSSHP - both this year and last, we have "wasted" a lot of the party doing rides because the lines were just too short to resist. I'm so sorry you didn't have that experience.

LOVE your surprise for your mom! Amazing!!!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Just found your report, and I'm really enjoying it! I hope that my DD4 and I are still going on Disney trips together when she is "all grown up."

What a shame that you experienced such long lines at MNSSHP - both this year and last, we have "wasted" a lot of the party doing rides because the lines were just too short to resist. I'm so sorry you didn't have that experience.

LOVE your surprise for your mom! Amazing!!!

Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I loved my trip with Mom - we were already talking about a repeat in a couple of years. Hey, $20 a paycheck for two years is a NICE TRIP! That was part of our discussion too.

I actually have an update on my MNSSHP that I'll put up here in a minute.

The CR surprise was probably one of my favorite moments in my whole life. Mom always does so much for everyone else, I was so glad to be able to do something so small that fulfilled a lifelong dream for us both. I still can't believe I managed to get us that room!!!

 

[ZehnJahren]

As an aside, I did write a letter to WDW regarding my experiences at MNSSHP.

Besides being unable to use the GAC on the MNSSHP night, we had some additional issues that didn't ruin our trip but definitely made me think about why I spent so much on tickets. I wanted to discuss these issues with Disney - just to make them aware how the items could be construed by the general public.

I received a call tonight and had a good discussion with a member of Guest Services. I told her my concerns, and she said she could understand my frustrations with a few things and that she would be passing on my comments (of course) to the appropriate departments. I mentioned that our overall trip was wonderful and full of great times, and that I would be back in the fall next year with DBF; she immediately told me that once I had solidified our plans next year I should call her and she would "work with me to find a way for us to enjoy the party next year". She was very clear that she wanted to help me do next year what I was "unable to do this year" and encouraged me several times to contact her directly when I knew exactly when we'd be back; I have no idea what that means, but it's nice to think they may do something nice to help me feel better about such a big purchase that had several major disappointments. Maybe you'll hear about it on my TR for next fall.

 

[Merida]

That's so great! I would definitely call if I were you (if I were me, I'd be way too anxious about the fact that she'd forget who I was, haha, so don't do what I would do!). Fall seems like a really neat time to go with MNSSHP and Food and Wine.

My only exposure to the Three Caballeros was in this sing-along video we had (I don't even know. I remember it vaguely that there was a 3C portion and something about a guy wearing a dunce cap and the Seven Dwarves, I'll look it up.) and the section annoyed me. I should watch the original movie but I've never been able to find it! I guess I'm not impressed by the integration into El Rio del Tiempo - it seems so generic and half-hearted way to shove "recognizable" characters into an old ride for relevancy.

Hah! It was Disney's Sing Along Songs, volume Heigh-Ho. Thank you Wikipedia!

 

[tlenzendorf]

That is a real bummer about the party. We had such a great time! Hopefully they can help you out with your next trip.

 

[ZehnJahren]

That's so great! I would definitely call if I were you (if I were me, I'd be way too anxious about the fact that she'd forget who I was, haha, so don't do what I would do!). Fall seems like a really neat time to go with MNSSHP and Food and Wine.

My only exposure to the Three Caballeros was in this sing-along video we had (I don't even know. I remember it vaguely that there was a 3C portion and something about a guy wearing a dunce cap and the Seven Dwarves, I'll look it up.) and the section annoyed me. I should watch the original movie but I've never been able to find it! I guess I'm not impressed by the integration into El Rio del Tiempo - it seems so generic and half-hearted way to shove "recognizable" characters into an old ride for relevancy.

Hah! It was Disney's Sing Along Songs, volume Heigh-Ho. Thank you Wikipedia!

My DBF said the same thing about calling- so she "doesn't forget me". I worked for a theme park for many years and our system was very very good, so I bet Disney's is even better. But still, I have an email from her as well, so that might jog her memory. Of course, she needs to still be working at the park when I go next.

That is so funny about the Sing Along Songs! LOL! How did you find it with just "something about a guy wearing a dunce cap"??? hahaha!

Yes, The Three Caballeros was definitely one of my absolute favorites; if you ever get some time, watch it. Probably my all time favorite song in any Disney movie (and I have quite a few I LOVE) is in this movie - Os Quindins De Yaya! Look it up on Youtube; so much fun. I know a lot of people think the movie is either racist or boring, but I guess I was exposed to it young enough that I just love it instead of judge it.

That is a real bummer about the party. We had such a great time! Hopefully they can help you out with your next trip.

I really didn't expect anything - and I don't know if I'd be willing to go to another party if my stomach issues don't let up and I couldn't use the GAC - but it was nice of them to offer to do SOMETHING. We had a great trip all in all, so a few issues didn't come close to making me sad or ruining our trip.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Ah, Friday morning. This morning, we decided not to torture ourselves anymore and get a LITTLE more sleep than the previous few mornings. I think we slept until around 8 this morning and it was WONDERFUL.

So where were we heading? Hollywood Studios! Mom hadn't been this trip, and I really wanted her to try TSMM. She was REALLY wanting to try ToT, so that was on her "must do list"; I was looking forward to riding it with her as well. My mom's a daredevil! We also had an ADR at 50s PT that we intended on keeping.

The park seemed pretty empty when we got there.

I needed a pic of these Cars for a guy I work with who LOVES Cars and LOVES Disney. I posted it to my Facebook as well so he could see it right away.

We headed in and slowly shopped our way down Hollywood Blvd. Where do you go when you first get to HS? Why, TSMM of course!

We were able to go in the FP line due to my GAC (which was a good thing, because I barely made it through the line even with a FP!), and made our way towards our car:

I was excited for Ma to ride - I thought she'd have fun!

Not too shabby for a first time! I'm #1, Ma was #2

We decided to head over to Muppets, an old favorite.

On the way over, we took some pics:

Finally, we arrived:

Yay, Muppets! Let's take some pics in the preshow!

Alright, let's go see the movie.

I just love this show. To be fair, I love ALL the 3D shows at Disney especially. I went on ITTBAB with DBF and my trip last year for the first time and really enjoyed it too. I love the whole "4D" experience, even if it's a little corny.

The park wasn't too crowded, so we looked at the clock. We had 15 minutes until our check-in at 50sPT, and discussed running to ToT first but figured we didn't have enough time. There was a long line out the door, but I stood in it and when I got to the front asked if we could go ahead and check in.

No, we could not.

Hm.

So we went back out to Hollywood Blvd to spend some time, and got a few pictures with a VERY sarcastic CM. He took a couple of bad pics whilst making bad jokes, but we got a couple that were ok.

Alright, 4 minutes passed. Time to go check in!

Man, 50sPT was PACKED! We had about 15 minutes to wait before we were called.

The place was too crowded to give two people this 4-person table, but we were seated next to it.

Our "brother" was into his role, but he only came to our table four times the entire meal - once to introduce himself, once to bring our drinks, once to bring our check, and once to bring our receipt. I was NOT impressed. He got a 10% tip from me on this one - I had to go to a different server after we waited for over 15 minutes once our food had been cleared and no one came by.

So we got the menus:

The waitress that seated us came back with some napkins so that Ma could spit out her gum; she asked what happened to the gum, and mom sheepishly said she swallowed it. This made the waitress laugh, and she walked off.

We ordered the trio with fried chicken, pot roast, and meat loaf. We split this - it was pretty good! We both loved the mashed potatoes.

I wanted a drink with an ice cube that glowed. Again, it took forever to get a server that wasn't OUR server to go get me the drink (no one could find our server). It was super-sweet so I didn't drink much, but the cup became a souvenir for a little girl in our family and the ice cube became like MY MOST FAVORITE THING EVER!

NOW it was time for ToT. Mom and I went over to the hotel and got in line; we went right through. Once we got to the "boiler room", my stomach started up - the absolute worst time, as I really wanted to ride this with her for her first time. By the time we got close to the elevator, my stomach was not having it and I had to leave the line. I was so angry that my stomach wouldn't' behave for one damn minute so I could ride! I convinced my mom to ride without me, and I exited via not-so-droppy elevator to make a dash to the bathroom, where I sat in the stall and had a bit of a cry. I was frustrated and sad; my stomach was finally getting to me mentally.

Mom LOVED ToT; I was trying hard not to start crying again when she told me about it because I was so disappointed. I bought her a shirt that commemorated her ToT ride - the shirt with Mickey looking in to the elevator and says "I suggest you take the stairs" on the back. She was excited, and bought herself a ToT pin for her growing lanyard.

Alright, it was time to head back to the hotel. We were going to MK tonight and wanted to relax ahead of time. I had a secret - I'd booked the Wishes Dessert Party for the two of us for tonight!

We wandered towards the front.

More meandering.

Alright, we're CR bound.

 

[RGirl]

Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I loved my trip with Mom - we were already talking about a repeat in a couple of years. Hey, $20 a paycheck for two years is a NICE TRIP! That was part of our discussion too.

I actually have an update on my MNSSHP that I'll put up here in a minute.

The CR surprise was probably one of my favorite moments in my whole life. Mom always does so much for everyone else, I was so glad to be able to do something so small that fulfilled a lifelong dream for us both. I still can't believe I managed to get us that room!!!

What a wonderful relationship you and your mom have. I just love reading things like this. I hope that I will have such a great relationship with my daughter when she is grown.

Now off to read your updates!

 

[RGirl]

As an aside, I did write a letter to WDW regarding my experiences at MNSSHP.

Besides being unable to use the GAC on the MNSSHP night, we had some additional issues that didn't ruin our trip but definitely made me think about why I spent so much on tickets. I wanted to discuss these issues with Disney - just to make them aware how the items could be construed by the general public.

I received a call tonight and had a good discussion with a member of Guest Services. I told her my concerns, and she said she could understand my frustrations with a few things and that she would be passing on my comments (of course) to the appropriate departments. I mentioned that our overall trip was wonderful and full of great times, and that I would be back in the fall next year with DBF; she immediately told me that once I had solidified our plans next year I should call her and she would "work with me to find a way for us to enjoy the party next year". She was very clear that she wanted to help me do next year what I was "unable to do this year" and encouraged me several times to contact her directly when I knew exactly when we'd be back; I have no idea what that means, but it's nice to think they may do something nice to help me feel better about such a big purchase that had several major disappointments. Maybe you'll hear about it on my TR for next fall.

Great news that Disney is trying hard to make things right.

I'm sorry that you had some disappointing DHS moments. We had some not-so-stellar server experiences last month too, although not at 50s (we didn't eat there). So sorry that you missed out on ToT. Much of my trip was spent on that ride thanks to my 4-year-old DD!

 

[ZehnJahren]

What a wonderful relationship you and your mom have. I just love reading things like this. I hope that I will have such a great relationship with my daughter when she is grown.

Now off to read your updates!

Thanks - I hear that alot from other moms, even in my everyday life. The thing is, my Ma and I are very sarcastic, so usually if we're bugging the other one we just make it into a joke; that means there aren't a lot of serious arguments (not that we got out of my teen years unscathed!!). I'm lucky I have her for a mom, and I'd do anything I could for her. She'll be visiting us for Thanksgiving again this year; she has the whole week up so she's coming up early and I'm taking an additional day off work and we are COOKIN'!

Great news that Disney is trying hard to make things right.

I'm sorry that you had some disappointing DHS moments. We had some not-so-stellar server experiences last month too, although not at 50s (we didn't eat there). So sorry that you missed out on ToT. Much of my trip was spent on that ride thanks to my 4-year-old DD!

Yeah, I was disappointed to miss out on Mom's first ride on ToT. I had ridden it earlier in the week - this was just a hard one to miss out on. I'm glad she liked it though!