Insert Catchy Title Here Updated Mom's Day. With pictures. Many pictures. For Mom's!

[Lauralee131]

That settles in then...No LeCellier for me! Sorry to hear that your night didn't go so well! I'm sure it'll get better though...

 

[swillis]

ANother great installment. I'm glad FT did the right thing. Kind of like that scene in the movie "A Bronx Tale" when Collujoro says he knows he will find the right girl when she leans across and unlocks the car door for him from inside the car.

I'm taking a leap of faith here that you know exactly what movie and what scene I am talking about...being a New Yorker and all.

 

[TKDisneylover]

Sorry to hear you were not feeling well after your dinner! Talk about a total trip interruption. I hope you were able to at least catch that next opportunity to see Illuminations!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[kelleigh1]

So should we avoid Le Cellier? It's getting tougher and tougher to find a place to dine at World Showcase.

 

[princessjv]

I'm up to date now. You continue to be a great tour guide.

I won't tell your parking secret...

Sorry about the stomach problems, I hope you make it to Illuminations at some point. I must agree with you about the location of the Epcot resorts. We stayed at the BWV's in Jan. and I fell in love with walking to Epcot at night.

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[dizzienoodle]

I am so sorry to hear that your night was cut short by an ill-fated dinner.
And I must admit that, not being a football fan myself, I was delighted to hear that you elected to forego the Super Bowl, or, and don't take this the wrong way, the Stupid Bowl as i like to call it, for an excellent flick like X2...
Anywho, I can't wait to read what is up next!

 

[Fonzy13]

Chapter 8- Monday Morning Marathon

Nearly two days without an update. And left you all hanging on my stomach illness. Bad job by me.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes after my Sickly Sunday. Thankfully I woke up Monday morning a new man, ready to get back on the Disney touring schedule. Today called for an exciting day of Epcot fun in the morning, and a party with some Princesses and Pirates in the evening.

Once again FT did an excellent job at waking up this morning. I think we left the room at approximately 8:15 a.m. and headed towards the lobby. For one reason or the other I decided against calling ahead for the valet today. Not sure why, but it worked out. As we headed across the bike path, I glanced over to my left and saw the Epcot bus sitting there.

Before too long I was running.

“Why are you running,” said FT, in a nice, quaint walk. She was about 20 yards behind me at this point.

“Because the bus looks like it is about to leave.” I was jogging backwards now, imploring her with my, “Let’s Go” face.

When we sat down on the bus there were two other couples. Once again, it was pretty chilly this morning. Both of us had on jeans and shirts, with sweatshirts over those. I had my trusty pills in my pocket.

This was a different kind of trip for me. Usually I am hauling my brother around the park. He’s 9 and we usually go in August. You know what that means. A backpack. Loaded with the necessary tools to get you through the day. Water. Medicine. Sun block. Plastic bags to keep my plastic bags dry.

This trip?

Room keys and pills. And get this ladies, and I suppose gentleman too, FT never once carried a bag or purse into the parks. We never had to wait in that horrid line. Never had to open all the pockets. Just moseyed on in. Every time. It was strange to say the least. But very relaxing.

“So why are we taking the bus again?”

“Because it was here. And I have never taken the bus to Epcot. I’ve spend a solid month here in the past four years, and I have never taken the bus to Epcot. I don’t even know where they park. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

“I guess.”

She didn’t really. But it was early. And I had energy. And she didn’t.

We ended up picking up passengers at Fort Wilderness, and boy do they take an interesting route to that place.

During the ride, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a family next to me. They were planning on spending the entire day on Epcot and hitting everything. I ached just thinking about it. The mother (there was her, father, two grandparents, and two children) had THE BOOK (unofficial guide) and had her touring plan mapped out. She was so excited that she had these bits of information. After the Fort Wilderness pickup, a guy jumped on the bus and asked the bus driver a question.

“So what rides should I go on first.”

“Well, if you like the thrill rides, I would check out Soarin’ first and then Test Track. Those two have the most lines. Then head over to Mission Space. After that you should be able to see the park however you want. Crowds will be pretty low today.”

Hey, lady, how’s that $18.99 paying off. The husband, apparently not knowing when to keep quiet, said, “Wow honey, looks like he’s read the same book.”

Priceless. After we got off the bus, despite FT’s saying I shouldn’t, I told the family that I overheard there conversation and just wanted to let them know that Turtle Talk with Crush was closed. The kids were Crushed. Ha! Ok, not funny. But they had planned on doing that after Mission Space and then heading back over to the other side of the park for Ellen, so I thought I’d save them some criss-crossing. I don’t think they saw my good intentions.

The bus arrived around 8:35 a.m. and I jumped in the first line I saw, while keeping a watchful eye on the turnstiles to my right. They looked as if they were going to open them up, but I had a decent spot and I didn’t want to risk losing it. Why this mattered I did not know. Several minutes later a couple of daring young ladies approached the CM and I’m sure asked whether that particular line would be open. Seconds later they turned around and waved their friends over.

But not before I was in a full sprint. FT was left behind. She joined me about 30 seconds later with a look on her face that just screamed, “What the hell is wrong with you.”

Soon the turnstiles were open, and three days after my plane landed I was finally home. A morning in Epcot. There is nothing better. Except maybe a morning in the Magic Kingdom. (Note for those wondering, the evening at Epcot is much better)

As we approached the cutoff rope, I started looking around, wondering. Had I ever seen so few people for an Epcot opening?

“So, this ride we’re going on. Fast pass first?”

First-Timer is a fast learner. And then I said no.

“Normally, I would get the Fast Pass first, but today, I think we’ll wait until after the ride.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to be the first person on Soarin’,” I claimed. “The first. I’ve never done that. And I may never have the opportunity to do so again. So get ready to move.”

Seconds after I said this, FT was almost decapitated by Goofy as he ran along the rope slapping everyone five. It’s a good thing FT is short. Don’t worry; we wouldn’t have sued; only losers sue Disney characters for assault.

Now, if you ever want to attempt to ride Soarin’ as the first person of the day, follow these tips and you may get lucky.


1) Stay on the feet of the Cast Members. Yes everyone has to walk the same speed. But people still try to jockey you out of position. One woman, who I would’ve knocked down if she elbowed me one more time, was particularly obnoxious. Please know that it does help if you can strike up a conversation with the Cast Members, particularly a woman, as she may let you walk next to her and not a step behind.

2) Don’t worry about those kids- Most of the time the kids are walking faster than their parents, and will be told to wait upon entering the building or getting near the line. Now some parents just won’t care about the 7-year-old wondering by themselves, but for the most part, you are much better off worrying about 76-year-old grandma than the fourth graders.

3) Have a plan. Upon entering the land, I knew I needed to make a decision. Up until this point, FT had done a tremendous job of sticking right with me, not giving up any room on either side of her. I was proud. But we were coming up to a critical point. Escalator or stairs. From previous experience I knew that the CM’s traveled just as fast as those stationary on the escalator. I took the stairs for two reasons. The first was that there is always a chance they’ll move quickly. Didn’t happen. And two, the stairs are on the inside. Shorter distance to the ride. Only by feet, but feet make a difference.

4) Pray. Why pray? As we entered the line we were five wide. Our CM, FT, two kids and myself. The older of the brother/sister combo was eyeing me. We had the same goal. And I couldn’t nudge him out of the way. It would be bad. And then the CM saved me.

“Hey, would you kids like to help open the ride.”

The sister was ecstatic. The brother just looked at me. I win.

So the kids ended up saying, “Soarin’ now boarding at Gate 2,” and I ended up being the first person in. FT following behind. I walked down the entire ramp with my hands in the air. I was already a perfect day. Being the first on Soarin just won’t happen again. At least it’s unlikely. But the conditions were right today.

And boy did it pay off. We ended up being seats 1 and 2 in the first row of course, but also the middle contraption. And we got to walk down the aisle. In other words we were in the smack dab middle of the screen, top row. I must’ve looked like a kid at Christmas.

Afterwards it was FT that was smiling.

“That was awesome.”

Indeed. We were off to a fantastic start on our Epcot morning. After Soarin’ we began the trek over to Test Track to ride. Because I waited to get the Fast Pass to Soarin’ it would mean I would have to wait to grab one for Test Track. So we jumped in line and waited. It wasn’t too bad; I think we only waited 15 minutes. It probably would’ve been nothing, as there weren’t many people there when we got in line, but I believe they had some famed, “Test Track” technical problems early on.

The pre-show is always fun as there will undoubtedly be someone who has never been on the ride that makes a gasp when they show the car running into the wall. Then there are those that laugh because they’ve been on it so many times. Then there are those that just stink and do nothing. Laugh people. YOU ARE IN DISNEY WORLD!

We went through the ride and it was a good time. It’s not the best attraction in the World, but it sure is entertaining. As was the picture of FT. Who apparently did believe that Disney was going to crash us into a wall. For those that don’t know, the picture on Test Track is snapped just before the doors open and you head outside. FT was scared. Genuinely. Funny stuff.

Test track has one of the new machines where you can slide your Photopass into it and have the picture from the ride. I’ve been chuckling over this one for a few weeks.

After Test Track it was on to Mission Space for complete the morning trifecta. Now, maybe it’s only the time of year I have gone, but since Mission Space opened the lines have never been long. Don’t know why people think they are, unless I am just lucky every time I go. I think it is one of those secrets no one wants to admit. They paid $150 million or whatever the price tag was, and not many people ride it.

Well, I could care less. I love it. Think it is just the coolest ride.
We grabbed our orange tickets and headed right up to the front. No one there.

“Why are there two different lines?”

I wasn’t in the mood to lie.

“A couple of people died, so they had to make a scaled down version.”

“Yeah right.”

I wasn’t in the mood to tell the truth.

A couple of minutes later we disembarked after our Mission to Mars and I was happy to see that FT enjoyed the ride as much as I do.

“I can’t go on it again,” I said. “It messes with me if I do it twice in a row.”

“So, why do they have two different versions?”

“A couple of people died, so they had to make a scaled down version.”

“Are you serious.”

“Yeah, they had undiagnosed heart problems and couldn’t handle it. Very sad.”

“What if I had an undiagnosed heart problem?”

“Guess you didn’t.”

“I guess.”

I checked cell phone, and for those wondering, as we headed out of Mission Space it was 10:02. Not bad at all.

Against my better judgment, we then headed back across the park to the Living Seas, which I will continue to call the Living Seas for all eternity to matter how much they Nemo-ize it. Don’t get me wrong; I love the little clown fish as much as anyone. I just like the name the Living Seas.

The queue for the new ride is fantastic. Just a lot of fun. Very clever, and very enjoyable. The wait for the ride was about 10 minutes, which wasn’t bad as I was enjoying looking around. The ride itself was very cute. Not on the level of the Big Three, but still a ride I would definitely do once a trip.

After Nemo, FT mentioned that she was starting to get hungry, so I suggested taking a look around the Aquarium, then back to Soarin’ before heading up to the World Showcase for lunch.

“OK.”

I think I could’ve told her I was going to dump her in the World Showcase and she would’ve said okay. By this time, FT fully realized I knew what I was doing.

Quick look around the aquarium was fun, but just not the same without my little brother spending three hours watching a sea turtle. I will say though that the manatees were more active this trip then I have ever seen them. We spent a good 15 minutes watching them eat lettuce. That sounds so pathetic.

After that it was off to Soarin’, where FT realized that there were scents in the show, and now loved it even more.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t smell anything this morning, that makes it much more cool.”

And she already thought it was cool.

“I believe you. I didn’t notice as I was too stoked from being number 1 to care.”

We got to the tip of the World Showcase and I was instantly relaxed. And I was already relaxed. That’s a fun feeling.

The section had just opened, so there weren’t too many people around.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t care, you know where everything is, you pick.”

“Well, I’m probably not going to go with Mexican, sounds like a bad idea. How about Fish and Chips?”

“Mmmm… sounds good.”

Off we went to bloody ole’ England and the Rose and Crown Pub. We need the Rose and Crown, and not the CS, because it was bloody cold out. I think we were the first people to ask if we could have lunch, which is not terribly surprising as it was only around 11:45 a.m. We were seated rather quickly, and ordered some beverages. FT a black and tan, myself a snake bite. A little sour for my taste, but not awful.

Lunch was very good. FT at the Fish and Chips and I went with some kind of English Shepard’s Pie. I was smart and only ate half.

“I was going to just go back to the hotel and rest for tonight, what do you think?” This was obviously after lunch.

“I don’t care,” FT said. “Whatever you want to do.”

“How about a nice stroll around the World Showcase?”

“Sure.”

And we were off. First stop was France where we attempted to walk through before being stopped by some music.

“What is that enthusiastic sound.”

:”Are you planning on talking like the people from every country when we get there?”

“Yes.”

Turns out the music was from a Cirque-de-Soleil like show where the entertainers liked to balance on chairs. It was quite the show, and well worth the 15-minute stop.

Up next was Japan, where we stopped and saw the Candy Lady. If you’ve never done this, do it. Just another one of the things that makes Epcot awesome.

“That is crazy,” FT said.

“That’s Epcot.” I cheesed.

We headed into the gift shop where I decided to reward FT for being an awesome FT. Bought her a pearl. And the guy who de-pearled the clam was fantastic. Very excited about the size and color of it. Don’t know if it was a big deal or not, but he made it one, and I appreciated it. She decided to get it set in a ring. Turned out to be a very nice moment. Let’s move on.

Outside we watched the drummers for a while before setting our sights on another run on Test Track.

Done and done.

As we headed out to Epcot at around 2:15 p.m. I was hoping we would not have to wait long for a bus. After about 30 seconds, FT said, “This could take forever, huh?”

“It could.”

3 minutes later a bus with a long title drove in.

“Does that say Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Campground?”

Straining her eyes to see FT said, “Yup.”

Sweet. Bus luck continues.

Up next Chapter 9: Partying with Pirates and Princesses

 

[mrp4352]

So glad my Mom had been lurking and told me about your trippie! Much fun!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Fonzy13]

My goodness I fell to page two.

An update coming today, I promise.

 

[cgmac12]

Loving your trip report.

As I sit here in my office pretending to be working- my coworkers think I have lost my mind- accounting is never funny enough to laugh out loud about !!!

Keep it coming-

Crystal

 

[Fonzy13]

Loving your trip report.

As I sit here in my office pretending to be working- my coworkers think I have lost my mind- accounting is never funny enough to laugh out loud about !!!

Keep it coming-

Crystal

Thank you much.

And some more exciting info.

I will update tonight with a photo essay. That's right, I have my pictures. So I'll post the ones that should've been through Chapter 7. Woo-hoo

 

[Fonzy13]

Can I post a picture.

Let us see.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13832

Not so much.

Close. But not so much.

I lied, this is going to have to wait until Tuesday.

I'm the worst trip reporter ever.

 

[Fonzy13]

Holy Transportation Snafu Batman! Or at least that's how the night started out.

After much debate in the weeks leading up to the vacation, I decided that I would indeed like to participate in the Pirate and Princess Party. I don't care how old I am, I don't care that I lack children, and I don't care that FT though I was one of the largest losers on the planet. I was going.

When we left off, FT and I were just returning from a rather long (for me) morning and afternoon at Epcot. For the first time all trip I parked the car in the self parking lot just to give it a shot. Not worth it.

"So, I'd like to leave the room by 6 p.m. Wishes is at 6:45 p.m. and we haven't seen that yet, so that's the plan."

"Ok."

She had completely given up by now.

After a brief rest and snack in the room we began to get ready. Not that this took too long though. While I was brave enough to go to the Pirate and Princess Party, I was not going to look like, well... this irate:

Out the door we went headed towards the bus stop at around 5:45 p.m. And boy was it cold. The wind was blowing, and I'm telling you it couldn't have been more than 45 degrees. Not Florida. That's New York. Well New York in March anyway.

As we approached the bus stop we saw a bus pulling away with a two-word destination. Doubting that an Animal Kingdom bus would be around this late, I knew my options were down to two. But we decided to wait. Finally, about 10minutes later a bus for Downtown Disney stopped by and I knew we had missed the MK bus 10 minutes ago. And I panicked.

Panicked like a First Timer trying to call and get a seat for Cinderella's Breakfast.

"Let's go take the boat."

"Are you sure?"

Man, FT was right, and I wasn't listening.

"Yeah, let's go take the boat."

"Ok." There was hesitation in that one.

As we got to the docks, I was instantly happy. There were at least 10 people waiting for the boat, some even dressed as Princesses. That must mean the boat is coming soon.

It was cold. I mean the wind was whipping off the lake. Numb would probably be the best way to describe it. Ten minutes later, a boat arrived. The boat for the Contemporary that is. I thought for a good five seconds about taking that boat and then walking to the Magic Kingdom, but thankfully that plan dissipated. So we waited.

Once the Contemporary boat was filled there were about 10 people remaining in front of us, with another 25 or so behind us. It was really filling up. The time was 6:15, and I was getting nervous. I needed to see Wishes. Needed it.

Finally, the boat came. The first mate, or skipper, or whatever his name is, disembarked and shouted out to the crowd.

"Folks, I don't think we'll be able to get everyone on board this trip, but we'll try our best."

Are you kidding me? I was stunned. Why would you put everyone into a panic like that? I couldn't figure it out. Needless to say (dumb phrase), as soon as Gilligan pulled the rope up nearly the entire boat emptied. And everyone got on. Everyone.

FT and I ended up sitting outside where we had the wonderful opportunity to hear a fantastic conversation between a girl about the age of 5, and a stranger. It was offset by the fact that I now had icicles hanging off of my face.

The two were talking about how tired the girl was after a day in the parks. It went on and on, and was pretty cute. Until we pulled into dock to pick up the 650 or so passengers waiting to board at Fort Wilderness.

"Well honey, I hope you have a good rest tonight," said the stranger.

"Maybe I will, if my dad doesn’t watch TV all night."

"What?"

"My dad is probably going to watch stupid COPS all night."

At this point the mom tried to "Sssh..." the daughter as the father turned a fire hydrant shade of red, and not from windburn.

"What, he’s going to. He loves COPS."

Cost of a Disney vacation- $2,500

Having your daughter embarrass you in front of a boat full of strangers? Priceless.

Gilligan once again announced that the boat likely would not be able to hold the whole line in what I can only assume was an attempt at causing panic one more time. He was wrong. Again.

We pulled away from the docks at 6:32. Would we make it for Wishes? Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of Pirates and Princess Party... Wait. What is that? I'm still on the introduction of this chapter. Whoops.

Ok, so I'll spare you the details, but through some nice boating, nifty maneuvering by FT and I, and careful placement along Main Street, we became stationary at 6:44 p.m. With a minute to spare. Nice work.

And so we watched Wishes. What a show. It never stops amazing me. I love everything about it. The colors, the music, the awes from the crowd. Just a truly awesome experience. And while not a person on Earth loves it as much as I (this I know not to be true, just making a point), FT enjoyed it quite a bit, thank you very much.

After the show, the mass exodus was occurring. I knew from walking in that we had to pick our tickets up on the right side of the entrance outside of the gates. So I walked towards the left exit, not listening to all the Cast Members telling everyone to stay to the right. As I got to the exit I was told by a Cast Member that I could indeed pick up the tickets for the event in City Hall and would not have to leave the park. Excellent.

Off to City Hall it was. And there I met perhaps the most helpful CM in history. She printed out the tickets for the event, complete with DVC discount. Grabbed us some booty bags, which is very fun to say. And then made sure to go over the maps with us to make sure we didn't miss anything. A+ for her.

FT and I headed out of City Hall and back towards Main Street, which was emptying with all the grace of shattered 100,000-gallon pool. Have you ever tried to cross Main Street when people are leaving after the fireworks? It is actually quite scary. Terrifying even. Dodging strollers, tired parents, cranky kids and people with extra large hands. It took some awesome skills, but we made it. All the way to the bakery, where we were going to grab something to snack on for a bit.

It was closed.

So off we went to Tomorrowland because it was the closest. No other reasoning beyond that.

I took a look at my map and realized that the Starlight Cafe would be open. And there would be no one in there. An interesting experience. So in we went. FT ordered a Double Bacon Cheeseburger and I just started laughing. She isn't exactly a double bacon cheeseburger kind of girl. I went with the normal heart-clogger, the bacon cheeseburger. And two hot chocolates.

The time was nearly seven, so the party was officially nearing, and the excitement was growing. At least in my mind. A nice little announcement came over the loudspeakers about the party beginning. Thought it was a nice touch. And then I saw something I had only read about. The stage that comes from underneath the ground. I had seen this discussed on these boards a few times, but never thought I would actually witness it. Little did I know that FT and I, and our two kinds of animals, were in the midst of some type of Stitch Dance Party.

Up came the perkiest girl I've seen in some time and she began dancing the night away. I tried to grab some pictures of Stitch dancing but the light was not conducive. On the bright side I did get to hear, "Push It."

(Sidebar: I love Zack and Cody. So I watch the Disney Channel. So I know the song. Leave me alone. You know it too. Push it, push it. To the limit, limit. Cause we're in it to win it, oh yeah. Push it, push it. )

Out of the doors with hot chocolate in hand, FT and I stumbled upon our first treasure spot. And boy was it dorky. People dressed as up pirates giving out candy and beads. I was in heaven. I think we mutually decided there that we would be collecting these goods around the park for the entire night. We never talked about it, just kind of knew.

On to Toontown. Now that may not seem like much of a big deal to you, but for me? Well, I have never been to Toontown. Never. Nada. Not once. Why? Don't know, just never made it up there. But we were headed there now.

It was interesting. If nothing else, it is strange being in Disney World for me, and not knowing where to go. I didn't know where anything was. So we walked. Ended up touring Minnie's House and getting some more booty (still having fun saying it).

Then headed over to some place where Donald was taking pictures. Picture time! FT is not a big picture person, but the idea of Donald dressed up as a pirate? Well, you can't pass up that one now can ya? It actually led to my second favorite conversation involving a child of the night.

As we were having our pictures taken:

"Mom, who is that?"

"That's Donald Duck."

"No, who are the other people."

"They are Donald's friends."

"Oh. They're his old kids friends."

I started laughing. Then she followed it up with:

"That guy is a lot bigger than Donald."

With that I dropped to a knee as Donald looked over, saw the girl, and told me to kneel. It was quite funny.

For whatever reason, I could tell that FT enjoyed that moment. As we left Toontown we both realized that with the wind not blowing off the lake it was not too bad outside. Not bad at all.

We hit a couple of more treasure spots on our way to Fantasyland, where we spotted another Dance Party, this one with the Little Mermaid theme. Sebastian and Flounder were there, as well as two hideous characters I can't even describe. Grabbed some more booty and then saw the longest line we would see all night- the Little Mermaid. Meet her? Not a chance.

Out of one line and into the line for Dumbo. Which didn't exist. I'll ride Dumbo. I don't care if I'm 6'4 and I'm 27-years-old. And I have no kids. I'll ride Dumbo. Provided there is no line. In we went, FT and I, into one elephant. We fit nicely. Went up high and took in the view. A little chilly, but nonetheless worth it.

Off Dumbo and onto the Haunted Mansion, where we decided not to ride because we were having too much fun being Princesses and Pirates. Us being the crowd as a whole. There were literally no lines anywhere. At all.

After spending some time in Liberty Square (I totally wanted to go to the Hall of Presidents, but wasn't allowed), it was off to Adventureland for two reasons. Solid reasons.

1) Had to ride Pirates. You should be kicked out of Disney if you go to a Pirate and Princess Party and don't ride Pirates.

2) Needed a hat. A proper hat. One fit for a young at heart pirate.

This is a good time to mention that there were characters everywhere. The mood was fantastic. And despite the cooler temperatures people were ultra-happy, even for Disney.

Pirates rocked. Shocking, I know. And then I bought a hat. Captain Jack's hat to be specific. At the moment, I thought it was the best $22 I ever spent. This morning when I woke up and saw it sitting on my chair, realizing that I will likely never wear it again, I came to the conclusion it was the best $22 I ever spent.

After Pirates it was onto Big Thunder Mountain, stopping of course at all of the Treasure Spots. Our booty bags were pretty full by now, very exciting.

There are few things cooler than riding Big Thunder, at night, with a bunch of people dressed as Pirates, in the back of the car, with absolutely no wait. Admit it, you wish you could experience that right now.

The guy in front of me, a man of approximately 60 years, had the same hat on as I.

"Nice hat," he said.

"Argh, say I, yours isn't too bad either."

He liked that. I think his grandchildren enjoyed it even more.

After Thunder, which really is an awesome ride at night, we were off on another stroll to get near the castle in time for the fireworks. I had no idea where to watch the suckers, so I figured I would just centrally locate myself.

When we got to the castle, we watched the latest stage show, which is okay. Not on par with the old one, but it is alright.

Then we waited about ten minute for the fireworks, and dear lord. I had viewed the show briefly on YouTube, and it was one of the reasons I decided to go. But how often in life does something actually live up to the hype you have given it? Not very in my experience. Well these fireworks did. It was simply and awesome show, and in my opinion reason enough to continue the Pirate and Princess Party's through the year. I would be more than willing to pay for just the fireworks (and the booty I suppose).

After that it was back to Fantasyland to find a tiara for Steph. Hey, I was a pirate; she needed to be the princess. We found a perfect one and made our way over to Philharmagic. Seemed like a great way to continue the night.

It was. Maybe 30 people were in the show. And FT, my new Disney dork, was smiling from ear to ear, wearing a tiara at the Magic Kingdom during a night where you party with Pirates and Princesses. How quickly they fall for it.

Philharmagic to the parade, which our helpful CM said not to miss. She was right, as long as you are a diehard Disney fan and enjoy the tiny details about this character never being out, or some other thing that makes us all look like lunatics. I liked the parade. FT could have done without it.

Finally we headed back to where it all began. Tomorrowland. For a trip through Space, on Space Mountain. Wow, I'm a dork.

We walked in. No one around. Kept walking. No one around. Got to the section of the building where you can see people about to ride. No one. Walked up to the cars. No one. There was no one in Space Mountain. I'm not talking about a few people. Literally ZERO. Unreal. So, as you may expect we were allowed to pick our seats. I rode front this time.

As we walked out I glanced at my cell phone, it was around 10:30 p.m. Two hours to go. And we were beat.

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't care... sleep."

"Tired?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let's head back then."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

I probably could've pushed for a little more. Maybe another spin on Space Mountain, or Big Thunder, but you know what, it wasn't worth it. Cue the soapbox.

If there is one thing I enjoy about Disney more now than when I first started going regularly, it is that I understand not to rush to get places. To stop and smell the roses, if not the cinnamon roasted nuts as well.

I thought we should go because this was a perfect Disney day. The first two people on Soarin'. Two fireworks shows. A hat and a tiara. Bags full of booty. And Space Mountain alone. Time to sleep.

We caught the boat back to the Wilderness Lodge and were back in the room by 11:30 p.m. And absolutely wonderful day.

Up next: Chapter 10- WWTGMS (What Would Tour Guide Mike Say? - Breaking the Disney Planning Tours)

 

[camillatin]

Alright, my technologically-challenged pirate, here's how to add pictures.

Click on the thumbnail you see on the Photo Gallery, so that you now have a larger version on your screen. Right click on the picture and choose Properties. Copy the URL address.

Now paste the link in the message, and just put "

" after the link (but without the quotes). So it looks like this "

" (I had to add all the quotes so it wouldn't actually show you the picture, but would show you the text I used - when you do it, don't put the quotes).

And it turns out like this:

Now as my reward, or should I say, as my booty, I want to see a picture of you in the hat that is the best $22 you've ever spent.

 

[Fonzy13]

Alright, my technologically-challenged pirate, here's how to add pictures.

Click on the thumbnail you see on the Photo Gallery, so that you now have a larger version on your screen. Right click on the picture and choose Properties. Copy the URL address.

Now paste the link in the message, and just put "

" after the link (but without the quotes). So it looks like this "

" (I had to add all the quotes so it wouldn't actually show you the picture, but would show you the text I used - when you do it, don't put the quotes).

And it turns out like this:

Now as my reward, or should I say, as my booty, I want to see a picture of you in the hat that is the best $22 you've ever spent.

Is it okay if I say I love you?

Are we alright with that?

I have a picture of that very hat, with beads around my neck, and my Philharmagic glasses on. I look like a dork times 10. It's yours. Just as soon as I figure out how to read what you wrote.

 

[Tasmen]

I will say this 'booty bag' is extremely fun to say. You are right

Great trip report. Look forward to reading more of it.

 

[ClaraBug]

Okay, so I don't feel so alone being a Disney Dork.....granted I do have kids but I left them at home when I took my husband to Disney for the first time in his life. His reactions were very similar to FT (steph). Somethings he loved, other things he just shrugged.

Anyway, this is a great trippie, even without pix...keep up the rambling. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard while I read.

 

[swillis]

Funny stuff!! I gotta say, my kids would think you are too cool. A grown up (who isn't a parent) and you are a Zack and Cody fan?

 

[princessjv]

Agreed, hands down that those fireworks were well worth the admission! BUT to see TINK, that was pretty darn cool!

Stop being a picture tease...if I figured it out...YOU can!

(upload to photobucket then copy and paste the IMG code into your report).

Get on with it MR!

 

[missj1975]

We began in Mexico, which FT simply loved. I explained that "El River Del Tiempo," was an excellent classic but was being rehabbed for the next four months."

"What could they possibly need to do that will take four months," she asked.

"Well, I'm guessing they'll start with everything they didn't do for the past 20 years, and then go from there."

That is one of your many comments that had me laughing out loud. I absolutely loved your report so add me to the list of your adoring fans. Can't wait for more, this is almost better then "Heroes"...almost...but if you make me wait until April 23 for more, I will hunt you down.