It'll Be All Right -A May 2012 TR Closing Thought and PTR Link 8/12*

[UGAFan0829]

Aaagh, Alicia, I'm sorry y'all had such bad luck on the way back home. I saw you mention it on Facebook. Bless your heart. I love that y'all got a CR-V. We actually looked at those a while back, but decided that I didn't need a car payment right now. So, how do you like it so far?

Your alone time in Epcot sounded amazing. And you always put things in such an interesting perspective which is why I love reading your reports so much!

Sorry that you had to deal with the bad attitudes about waiting for another bus...but it seems like they would have been considerate of a pregnant lady!

Oh, and by the way...we are definitely going for the Wine & Dine this year. We've already booked our room...now we just have to wait for registration to open.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

Chuckles seems to be determined to go home with you...

I love the image of you and Alex gleefully rushing over to do some shopping while the rest of your group was on Star Tours... like you're doing something sneaky like little kids...

Hell yes... being pregnant and on your feet for that long of a day makes you really tired and if you wanted a bus, I say good for you for holding your ground...

I'm so sorry about your car situation... it's stuff like that (and having a baby... when you start to realize that you are officially grown up and now have the responsibility for all that kind of stuff... but on the positive side... you're going to also have the responsibility and supreme pleasure of having a wonderful little person join your family soon...

 

[teekathepony]

Awww I LOVE the Osbourne lights! Some day I NEED to get back there at Christmas time. Carol of the Bells is my favourite Christmas song and Trans-Siberian Orchestra is my favourite version.
Glad to hear you managed to turn Eddie to the dark side.
I'm not sure I like the sound of the new Test Track being "Tron-ish"... I wasn't much a fan of Tron.
How crappy about your car troubles!!

 

[amazingact21]

Good job getting Eddie over to the Disney dark side!!! I do not blame you AT ALL for needing to sit on that bus!! And how nice that you got a bit of solo time in Epcot!!

We were pretty proud of ourselves for turning Eddie over to the Disney madness. Now at least we'll have someone willing to tag along with us if we want to do another day trip.

I'm so glad yall had a good day trip after all. The Osborne Lights really are spectacular, and I'm glad that the group got to ride Test Track, you got to have some along time (which can be SO Heavenly at the right times) and topping it all off with Holiday IllumiNations makes it that much better!

I'm sorry about the car troubles yall had but your new car is very nice!

Excited to hear about the rest of the May trip.

I wish I could've gone on the new Test Track. Then again, I wish I could've gone on all the coasters; I never realized how big a coaster junkie I am until I had to sit them out. But, the alone time to rest and relax was really nice, as well. It was so different than my normal way of visiting the parks, that it was kind of cool to find something new to experience after half a dozen visits to WDW.

Another convert! You go girl!

Another fantastic update. You are turning into such a great writer! True confession - I skip reading a lot of the words in some other TRs, but not your. I just totally smile and laugh the whole time.

I don't blame you for being exhausted. That was one heck of a long day, but you got to do so much. I'm glad you got a little a lone time at the end of your day.

Congrats on getting a new car. You obviously were going to need one soon enough, so its one less thing to worry about.

I know what you mean about your AP. It's so sad when it expires. Mine expired in December. At least I have a new voucher ready to activate.

Cool that your parents like to decorate so much!

Aw, thank you. I enjoy writing the TRs, because it's nice to go back and refresh my memory on some of the little details after a year or so. After awhile trips start to blur together.


It is hard going back to being a non-Annual Passholder, but I have a feeling I'm going to be like you and get ahold of a voucher. Alex wants to buy another pass on our next trip, so who knows?

Awh I love that Osborne Lights!! They make me weep a little too

Yikes, such a long day! I would have been bench bound too after that day.

That is crazy about your car but your new one looks great! And it's all ready to start making Disney memories in again!

AHHHHH CHUCKLES!!! I cannot believe that you got him!! What a hilarious end to the trip!

We couldn't believe our luck with the Vinylmations. I think what makes it worse is that with this Chuckles, we can't trade him for a year. We're stuck having that scary face glare at us every time we pass our Vinylmation case. Ugh.

Aaagh, Alicia, I'm sorry y'all had such bad luck on the way back home. I saw you mention it on Facebook. Bless your heart. I love that y'all got a CR-V. We actually looked at those a while back, but decided that I didn't need a car payment right now. So, how do you like it so far?

Your alone time in Epcot sounded amazing. And you always put things in such an interesting perspective which is why I love reading your reports so much!

Sorry that you had to deal with the bad attitudes about waiting for another bus...but it seems like they would have been considerate of a pregnant lady!

Oh, and by the way...we are definitely going for the Wine & Dine this year. We've already booked our room...now we just have to wait for registration to open.

Yay! I'm so excited for you!!! Now I'm going to be bugging you about race details. Where are you staying?

The car drama was definitely not fun, and I think the idea of a car payment was what I was most upset about. Alex and I loved telling people how both our cars were paid off and that we could use all that extra money for Disney trips. But, in the end, you gotta do what you gotta do.

The CR-V is actually really nice. There's some basic features that it doesn't come with that you'd think it would (automatic lights and a passenger arm rest) but the handling is great. Alex says it doesn't feel like an SUV to him, which is loves, because he's more of a car person, plus the turn radius is fantastic. And as far as the bells as whistles go, we bought the basic version, but for the price we paid we are okay missing out on some of those gadgets.

Chuckles seems to be determined to go home with you...

I love the image of you and Alex gleefully rushing over to do some shopping while the rest of your group was on Star Tours... like you're doing something sneaky like little kids...

Hell yes... being pregnant and on your feet for that long of a day makes you really tired and if you wanted a bus, I say good for you for holding your ground...

I'm so sorry about your car situation... it's stuff like that (and having a baby... when you start to realize that you are officially grown up and now have the responsibility for all that kind of stuff... but on the positive side... you're going to also have the responsibility and supreme pleasure of having a wonderful little person join your family soon...

That's sort of how we felt when we were running off to go shopping. We kept glancing over our shoulders, like, "Can we make it? You think they'll suspect?"


Yeah, I don't see how I could've made it without sitting down for awhile. And looking back on that day, I wouldn't recommend anyone do a day trip like that if they are pregnant, unless they're having a fantastic pregnancy and are used to walking. Fortunately for me, that was the case, but I still ended up laying in bed until 2 o'clock the following day.


Car shopping and baby prepping haven't been the funnest times in the world, but luckily for me, Alex and I are both mature enough to handle that kind of madness. And when we feel like we're having to be too grown-up and adult-like, we take a Disney trip to bring our inner kid back out.

Awww I LOVE the Osbourne lights! Some day I NEED to get back there at Christmas time. Carol of the Bells is my favourite Christmas song and Trans-Siberian Orchestra is my favourite version.
Glad to hear you managed to turn Eddie to the dark side.
I'm not sure I like the sound of the new Test Track being "Tron-ish"... I wasn't much a fan of Tron.
How crappy about your car troubles!!

I wish I could see the Osbourne Lights every year; they really put you in the holiday mood. Especially when it's chilly out. I remember seeing them in 2010, when it was 32 degrees (Farenheit) and I had to buy a hot cocoa to keep my hands warm. This year, I saw the lights in shorts and it did feel a little bit less Christmas-y.


I'm worried about how I'll like the new Test Track, too. I never got the whole Tron craze....

 

[UGAFan0829]

Yay! I'm so excited for you!!! Now I'm going to be bugging you about race details. Where are you staying?

The car drama was definitely not fun, and I think the idea of a car payment was what I was most upset about. Alex and I loved telling people how both our cars were paid off and that we could use all that extra money for Disney trips. But, in the end, you gotta do what you gotta do.

The CR-V is actually really nice. There's some basic features that it doesn't come with that you'd think it would (automatic lights and a passenger arm rest) but the handling is great. Alex says it doesn't feel like an SUV to him, which is loves, because he's more of a car person, plus the turn radius is fantastic. And as far as the bells as whistles go, we bought the basic version, but for the price we paid we are okay missing out on some of those gadgets.

Are you kidding? There's no way you could "bug" me when it comes to Disney! As of now, we're booked at Saratoga which is our home resort. When the 8-month window opens, we're going to try and switch to Bay Lake. I don't know if we'll have any luck getting in there, but we're sure going to try. If not, then I will still be perfectly happy at SSR!

I have an Accord, and am definitely sold on the quality of Hondas, so I'm glad to hear that you and Alex really like the CR-V! I'm sure those 4 doors and the room in back will definitely come in handy when the baby arrives!

 

[amazingact21]

The last time I posted an update about the May trip was 2 months ago, so I'm just going to give a quick recap of what my mom and I had done that day. We'd gone to AK, rode KS and EE, watched FotLK (where my camera lens cap broke), and ate lunch at Pizzafari. It had been a great morning, very relaxing, and the two of us were enjoying our mother/daughter time together.

Okay, now to get this TR back on track and hopefully wrapped up before the one year anniversary of our EE race.



May 8th Afternoon and Evening:

My mom and I had a pretty uneventful afternoon back at Sports. We took a nap, spent an hour or so at the pool, and kept an eye on the weather. While we were floating around, we saw some ominous clouds off in the distance, and I was beginning to worry my grand plan for the evening would be squashed.

But it being Florida, the weather predictions were vague and inconclusive.

"It MIGHT rain in an hour."

"PERHAPS the front will slow down and reach us later than planned."




My mom tried calling my father, who (along with my older brother) is a meteorologist and could have pulled up a more accurate radar and given us a better clue, but he was busy and couldn't get to his laptop at the moment.

We were stuck taking our chances and heading out for the evening's festivities, unsure whether they would pan out or not.


On the way out the door, I happened to look in my camera bag and noticed Alex had brought our long range lens with us. Sending up a silent prayer of thanks, I unsnapped the lens cover from that lens and put it over the one I was using.

Camera problem fixed!



So where was I dragging my mother off to that night?

The two of us were headed to the Magic Kingdom.





My sole intention for that night was to let my mom see the Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes. I knew Main Street could be utter chaos during the shows, and it could easily kill our so-far relaxed day, but I figured since this was all we really wanted to do, it wouldn't be so bad.

We'd still have our stamina about us.

This plan, of course, was formulated seven months prior, when I had no clue rain was going to threaten us or that by 4:30 we'd get bored of the resort and decide to head to the park early for some dinner.

Oh well...best laid plans and all.



I gave my mom the option of ferry or monorail and she chose ferry, so off we headed. You can tell from this picture that the clouds were starting to really build up and there was no denying it; we were going to catch some rain.
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


The line for the ferry was packed that afternoon. Not sure if we arrived when a boat was due to show up or if there were just a lot of folks heading into that particular park, but it was definitely the most congested I'd ever seen that area before.


f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

I don't know why I feel the need to take a photo of the Poly EVERY SINGLE TIME I'm at the TTC. It's like some sort of compulsion.

Maybe I have a Polynesian OCD.




I see the great ceremonial house and my brain just goes, "Ooh, gotta capture that!"


Hopefully when I eventually stay at the resort that habit will die out. Otherwise, I'm going to end up with 20,000 shots of the building. Which is a tad bit sad. I mean, I can understand having that many pictures of the castle, but the Polynesian? Really?





Anyways, as you can see this photo we were backed up all the way to the ferry sign, practically out of the overhang and in the sun:



The day had taken on that pre-rain mugginess that puts the humidity somewhere in the 110% range, and your skin feels sticky and your hair's plastered to your face no matter where you're standing. We’d had some hot days in WDW already, but that muggy air was the worst.

I've lived in MS, AL, and LA. I'm familiar with that "breathing in moisture" feel and was not a fan.

This was Straw Number 1.

Not major, just something my mom and I had to deal with all while stressing about the weather.



It took about twenty minutes for a ferry to pull up, load everyone and their strollers, and be dropped off at the MK entrance. By then it was about 5 o'clock, and the two of us agreed we should grab a bite to eat before the dinner-rush began.


We passed this fellow on our way to Frontierland; he was lucky enough to have the whole grassy sweep to himself.
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr



My mother and I were headed to Pecos Bill's, a restaurant I'd never tried before but had heard great things about here on the DISboards.



Since it was so early in the evening, the place was empty, and we had our pick of tables.
Seems a waste of time to mention this, but I always find this to be a small treat in WDW. Scouring for tables is so common at Quick Service locations, that I feel like I've won a prize when I don't have to stake out families with empty trays or keep an eye on other adults going through the same ordeal.


Neither of us were in a burger and fries mood, and we thought the concept of a "make your own" toppings bar was neat, so we both got the taco salad. My mom got the carrot cake for dessert while I got the chocolate cake.



In case you were wondering, my salad was the one with one tomato. We needed something to differentiate the two once they were on the trays, because goodness knows I'd forget, so we used the tomato as a marker.

Good thing to remember if you're ever put in a situation where you have multiple taco salads on a tray.
It's the little Disney tips that you find here on the DISboards that make all the difference in the world.




Our food turned out be really good, and I loved that I could make it the way I wanted to. I'm picky about my meat to lettuce ratio, so it was nice to be able to enjoy the food the way I liked it.
My mom said the carrot cake was really good, but she had to scrape the frosting off halfway through. She claimed it was too sweet and there was too much for her liking. After taking a quick bite, I agreed.


Looking back on the restaurant, I love the concept of it, but I can't imagine trying to do that with kids. Trying to keep track of who wanted what and trying to get through a line with three of four different salads, then trying to corral everyone to a seat. Even going through the toppings line with a stroller intimidates me. I have a feeling I won't be eating there again for awhile. I know we could always do the "one parent sit at the table with the kid while the other gets the food" trick, but you have to understand, Alex and I are horrible with orders of that magnitude. If it's chicken nuggets or a pizza, that's one thing. But to try and remember what toppings the other person likes and dislikes and how much they'd want is beyond us. Perhaps that's something we'll acquire the longer we're married ("What have I realized after being married 20 years? Well, I know my husband takes two scoops of cheese with his tacos. That's important.") We would mess each other's food up horrendously, and so it's for the best that neither of us even try.


But who knows, what I'm trying to get at is I'd eat there again if I could.




After my mom and I had finished our meal, I asked if we could head over to Pirates and take a quick spin through the Caribbean. The nighttime shows didn't begin until 9:00pm that evening, and I saw no need for us to find a spot at 5:30.

When we walked up to the attraction, though, a CM informed us it was down.

Straw Number 2.

I suggested we try our luck at another classic dark ride.



Haunted Mansion was, fortunately, operational, and it gave us a twenty minute respite from the heat.



Exiting the ride, we took a look above us at the sky. It didn't look so bad from where we were, but if you looked to the left you could see the rain heading our way.




One of the last places the rain was headed. Even the clouds knew Thunder was too glorious to be tarnished by inclement weather.


There was no doubt about it now.

We were going to get rained on.

Again.

For the second night in a row.

Straw Number 3.

Or otherwise known as: The Final Straw.



My mom and I suddenly became sad.
My mom was really hoping to see Wishes, and this was our one and only chance to do it.


I was frustrated that my grand plan was going to come undone. We didn't get to see IllumiNations on our first night, and the previous night we were rained on throughout the whole viewing.

When I was planning the trip, I said over and over again, "It can rain the whole week, I just need it to be clear on Tuesday. It can even rain that morning. Just don't rain on my parade."

Har dee har har.



My mom and I began walking towards Adventureland. No reason why, just figured it'd be the best route to take.

As we were crossing the bridge, looking glum and very un-Magic Kingdom like, my mom, trying to be dramatic, stuck out her bottom lip and made the comment, "I'm so bummed, I don't get to see Wishes!"

Then, out of nowhere, this little boy who was being held by his grandfather in front of us held out his arm in a "Stop! In the Name of Love!" pose and calmly looked my mother in the eye and said, "Hey, it'll be all right."

My mom and I were flabbergasted. It literally stopped us in our tracks.



The boy looked no older than 3, and he talked to us in such a calm, mature voice. It reminded us of a pastor or a counselor trying to comfort a disheartened friend. His grandparents turned around and gave us these resigned smiles, telling us the kid did that sort of thing all the time, that they just went with it by that point.

The boy wasn't trying to be sarcastic or cute, at all; he was genuinely trying to tell us to relax and just go with the flow.

Talk about a smack in the face. Our moods took a complete 180 turn.

How could they not? We felt chastised that a little toddler had to remind us that a little rain wasn't worth getting upset over. That no matter how the night turned out, we were still in Disney World while others were trapped at work or buried in schoolwork, daydreaming about stepping foot in the same spot we were currently occupying.

So it was going to rain at Disney.

At least we were fortunate enough to be in the world in the first place.

I know sitting at my computer right now, I'd take a hot, rainy day in the Magic Kingdom over my boring old house, hands down.

My mother and I stood on that bridge, repeating that little phrase and hand gesture to one another a few times.

"It'll be all right."


It'll. Be. All. Right.


It's shameful that a kid had to give us a reality check, but we were so thankful that it happened. For the rest of the trip, we'd just randomly stop and say, "It'll be all right." A reminder of what was important and, for me, a little mantra to get me to stop stressing over whether or not everything was going perfectly as planned.

My mom and I decided to see if Pirates was open yet, and if it wasn't then to find out if the shows were still a go or not for that evening.

Luck had returned to us and Pirates was indeed reopened. Once we were dumped in the gift shop, we took a peek outside and the sky was definitely darker and cloudier.

I had an idea.

I shuffled my mother over to the little overhang by the Agrabah Bazaar shop, where the bathrooms are located, and told her to go find a spot to settle down. I threw on my poncho and told her I'd be back; I was off to get some Dole Whips to help up wait out the rain.

I almost made it back to my mother before the rain began, but caught the beginning of it.

The overhang was starting to fill up quick, and I was relieved that I'd sent my mom on a reconnaissance mission ahead of me. I found her tucked in a corner against a wall, which was prime real estate at that point.


We settled down and dug into our snacks.





I love Dole Whips.

I mean, I love ice cream.

And I love fruit.

So to add the tangy and sweet together is just pure magic for my taste buds. I don't think I'll ever find a snack I love more in the Magic Kingdom.

My mother agreed with my opinion, although she did say she wished she could add a splash of rum to it.
(I should add, over the summer, my mother was feeling nostalgic and made herself a few homemade Dole Whips, only she did add a splash of Capt. Morgan to her mix. She says it tops off the drink perfectly…)

The downpour remained steady a good forty five minutes. I passed the time (besides eating my dessert) texting Alex.

He drove me a little crazy.

The whole time he was with us, he kept asking what we were doing next. He couldn't remember which meals were scheduled for which days, nor could he even keep up with what parks we were going to be in. I had talked about our plans for months, but it all seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

However, the first text I got from him said something along the lines of, "You're eating at Peco Bills tonight, right? Let me know how you like it."

Ugh.



My husband was miraculously able to remember all my plans post his departure, but couldn't manage one event during his stay.

I didn't get it.

I still don't get it.



The storm eventually tapered off to a dull drizzle, so my mom and I decided to venture out and see if the shows were still on.

I have no clue why, but we somehow ended up walking back behind the castle and into Tomorrowland. Maybe I was worried about crossing Main Street if there was a crowd built up.

Maybe?

Who knows what goes on in my head sometimes.


By the time we circled around and spoke with a CM who confirmed that both MSEP and Wishes would be happening, it was 8:30.


I didn't expect much as far as viewing spots went, but I guess the rain had scared the majority of the crowds out of the park. With only a half hour to go, my mom and I found a seat on the sidewalk only one row deep into the crowd.




Of course, we were really close to the castle and not in the prime "Main Street" viewing spot.
But all things considered, I thought we were fortunate for what we found.


Leading up to this trip, I had forewarned my mother about the ugliness you can witness while waiting for a parade. I told her how rude guests have kind of become the norm rather than the exception, and that Alex and I have yet to see a show where we didn't bear witness to some kind of un-Disney like behavior.

I also prepared her for some potential ugly comments thrown our way. I explained that there's usually a family with children that don't appreciate sole adult viewers taking up awesome viewing spots. It's sad, but Alex and I have come to develop a thick skin when it comes to parades. We've been shouted at, grimaced upon, and almost trampled over more than once, and I didn't want my mom to be shocked by this sort of behavior.

I wanted her going into this with the mindset, "Okay, there might be some mean remarks and rude behavior beforehand, but just ignore it and don't let it bother you."

My mom told me later that night that she didn't doubt what I said, but that she honestly didn't expect to see it while she was there.

Lucky for her it was a special night and she got to see two different crazy moments.


The first happened in front and to the side of us. In the photo of my mother on the sidewalk, you can kind of see a mom wearing a red shirt. She was there with a coworker and two young children. Well, there was a family sitting behind her who kept making snide remarks about how her children couldn't see over the adults' heads.

Wasn't phasing that mom, at all, though. But I guess she'd bought her kids some expensive souvenirs earlier in the day, and when the cart with the all the light up toys came out they began asking her if they could get one.

The mom was adamant about not buying any more toys, saying they knew how much they could spend and they'd made the choice to max out their play money fund.

You could tell the kids were heartbroken, but that they also knew no meant no and there wasn't any point ticking their mom off by asking again.

Then, out of nowhere, the rude mother making the snide remarks, said, "Oh you guys, because I love you so much, you can all go buy one of those light up toys. Here, take some cash and go get one for all of you."

Hmmm.

And once the kids came back with the toys, they kept "accidentally" hitting the mom and two kids in the back with them.

Talk about brutal.

Those two kids looked so sad.

I heard the mother whisper to her coworker, "If I hadn't already told them no, I let them get one just to shove it to that lady, but I can't change my mind now."

That other family totally made that poor mom look like such a villain, and all because she got to the curb early enough for a better view.

People can be cruel, sometimes.


Thinking that was all the drama we were going to see in the half hour wait time, I told my mom she got off easy. That was pretty tame compared to what's known to happen.
No sooner had I said that then shouting erupted behind us. Neither of turned around, but from what we could make out this one lady refused to move or pack up her stroller in order to let this other lady squeeze in.

There were a lot of raised voices and colorful language (you should've seen the number of parents' hands fly over kids' ears) and for a moment I thought fists were about to be added to the equation. I remember hearing "Look, lady, I got here early to get this spot, so you can shove off."

I don't know how the argument ended since I was facing the opposite direction, but eventually everything settled down, and we spent the last ten minutes of the wait in relative peace.

I swear, the pre-parade madness is getting worse each time I visit. I almost witnessed a fight this time around, what other lengths are people going to go to in order to see a parade?
Since when has it become such a heated event?

I mean, we are all in the same place, dealing with the same crowds and the same waits; there's no need to tear someone down just because they managed to get a better viewing spot than you.

I just want to tell guests sometimes:
Chill Out.


Thankfully, that was all behind us and none of it was geared towards us.

Peace, at last.

Now, to sit and wait:






Up Next: MSEP, MMY, and Wishes.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

It's too bad about the rain putting a damper on your afternoon, but that toddler sounds awesome! How great that you happened to walk by him! Sometimes Disney can be so overwhelming, it doesn't hurt to have a little re-reminder that you're AT DISNEY!!

Oooooh your Dole Whips look SO good! How did your mom make them at home??

Ugh, that parade/fireworks behavior is exactly why I am so wary of trying to see Wishes from within the MK. I hate crowds, and I feel like that would just be so unpleasant to be around!

 

[teekathepony]

Sucks about the rain, but wow that toddler knew just what to do, didn't he! An old soul perhaps.
You know I've never really had much of the parade/fireworks crowd drama! I read about it all the time but it never really happened around me.

 

[marDgreen88]

I hate to break it to you, but I think after you stay at the Poly, your obsession will only grow. You'll eventually be able to fill several photo albums with your Poly pictures. I promise. (I know this, because even though I haven't been back to Disney since I stayed at BLT, every time I see a picture of it I have to put it in my iPhoto album designated for screen savers. Yup.)

Can I just say I wish that little kid was my son? He's perfect.

I personally have never experienced any sort of pre-parade madness like you described, and I'm very thankful for that. I mean I've been bumped into several thousand times, but thankfully I've never seen or heard anything bad. That's just insane. But yeah, I got completely spoiled by watching Wishes from my balcony so I don't think I can ever watch it in a crowd of people ever again. I just won't be able to do it.

 

[amazingact21]

It's too bad about the rain putting a damper on your afternoon, but that toddler sounds awesome! How great that you happened to walk by him! Sometimes Disney can be so overwhelming, it doesn't hurt to have a little re-reminder that you're AT DISNEY!!

Oooooh your Dole Whips look SO good! How did your mom make them at home??

Ugh, that parade/fireworks behavior is exactly why I am so wary of trying to see Wishes from within the MK. I hate crowds, and I feel like that would just be so unpleasant to be around!

I'm not sure how she did, probably just mixed vanilla ice cream with Dole Pineapple juice.


The fireworks mayhem is bad, but I just love the view too much to give it up. I bet your IllumiNations dessert party is going to be great, because you'll only have to work around your guests and not stress about anybody else.

Sucks about the rain, but wow that toddler knew just what to do, didn't he! An old soul perhaps.
You know I've never really had much of the parade/fireworks crowd drama! I read about it all the time but it never really happened around me.

You are a very lucky person. I don't know why, maybe because I like to try and get a "prime" viewing spot right in front of the castle, but I always catch some kind of crazy encounter. Guests can be vicious!

I hate to break it to you, but I think after you stay at the Poly, your obsession will only grow. You'll eventually be able to fill several photo albums with your Poly pictures. I promise. (I know this, because even though I haven't been back to Disney since I stayed at BLT, every time I see a picture of it I have to put it in my iPhoto album designated for screen savers. Yup.)

Can I just say I wish that little kid was my son? He's perfect.

I personally have never experienced any sort of pre-parade madness like you described, and I'm very thankful for that. I mean I've been bumped into several thousand times, but thankfully I've never seen or heard anything bad. That's just insane. But yeah, I got completely spoiled by watching Wishes from my balcony so I don't think I can ever watch it in a crowd of people ever again. I just won't be able to do it.

Oh, don't tell me that! Every time I think of your Contemporary photos, I see my DH doing that. A theme park view at Bay Lake is his dream resort stay, and I know once he stays there, nothing else will work for him. Although, the thought of sitting on my balcony watching the fireworks every night and not having to deal with the Main Street madness does sound appealing.

 

[MEK]

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I love this picture!

That little boy was a prophet! It WAS alright! How cute is that. I think you guys had a great evening in MK. I agree with your mom - those dole whips do need a shot of rum!

 

[amazingact21]

I love this picture!

That little boy was a prophet! It WAS alright! How cute is that. I think you guys had a great evening in MK. I agree with your mom - those dole whips do need a shot of rum!

Thanks. I'm like you and can't help myself, have to take pictures of those carts and balloons while waiting for a show.

 

[amazingact21]

Confession time. I love taking firework photos. This was the fourth time I watched some form of Wishes on Main Street, and I still couldn't help myself. My album says that I have 92 photos from just this one night. So, this update is going to be pretty much the nighttime shows and very little dialogue. Sorry about that.


May 8th Night:

Even though my mom and I were sitting in the second row of the parade route, we still managed to get great views of all the floats.

Guess that's the advantage of being mean old adults, taking up valuable kid spots.


Although, there was one kid to our left who kept standing up and leaning into the street, basically obscuring our view until the floats were right in front of us. I wanted to be like, "Kid, the parade isn't going to get here any faster with you standing up."

But I didn't.

f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


I'm so torn on whether I want the Electrical Parade to stay or for Spectromagic to return. I've never seen Spectro, but I will admit, I love its soundtrack. I listen to it all the time, whereas MSEP annoys me outside of the actual show. But then, MSEP is the first nighttime parade I've ever seen, so it hold a special place in my heart.

Guess I'll just have to be patient and see what unfolds within the Disney universe.

My favorite float:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Why, hello, Peter. I just bought your DVD this weekend. Now, I kind of want to put it in and re-watch the film. It's been years.


Bye, Dwarves. Keep on diggin.
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


Once the parade passed us and everyone was allowed to move around, there was this crazy exodus to the center of the hub. Everyone was either really anxious to get a great view of the other shows or really anxious to get the heck out of the park.

I was worried about not being able to see the Magic, the Memories, and You from where my mom and I were sitting, so I scooted us to the left and we ended up standing right on Main Street.

I'd never done that before.

It was insane how crowded the place was, but I'll admit, the view was phenomenal. I told Alex (before DS was in the picture) that next time we watched Wishes, I'd have to take him back to that spot.

Everyone was unbelievably polite this time around, which was a relief. I didn't witness any pushing, shoving, stroller manhandling.

But would you look at the mob?!
f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Yeesh!


Now that the Magic, the Memories, and You has ended and a new castle show has taken up its mantle, I'm really grateful I was able to see the show one more time and get some photos of it.












I just loved the Magic, the Memories, and You. I thought it was going to be corny and fake, but the minute the music began I was hooked.

The music really does make the show. It's such a good composition of classic Disney films, memorable quotes, and signature sounds.

I've watched the new show (Celebrate the Magic? I think???) on Youtube, and while it's good, I don't think it's AS good as MMY. But, I'll hold out my overall judgment until I see it in person.
Then, if I still don't like it as much, you'll never hear the end of it on my reports.



Wishes began shortly after MMY ended, and I was actually close enough to see Tink fly by.










Fun fact.

I couldn't help but put the Wishes soundtrack on as I typed this up. Between the pictures and the music, I can almost (ALMOST) imagine that I'm back there on that May night, experiencing the show with my mother.









Another fun fact.

I've been telling DS quite frequently that he better not have an unnatural fear of fireworks, because I would hate to miss Wishes the next time I'm able to visit WDW. People probably think I'm crazy, but the idea of having to miss such a great show for several years is too depressing to dwell on.


Once Wishes was over, there was the usual mad dash down Main Street, everyone fighting each other to get to the exits and consequently the monorails and ferries.
I told my mom that we didn't need to deal with such craziness. Why ruin such a wonderful ending to a roller coaster night by getting shoved and trampled by strollers?


So, the two of us went inside the Emporium and shopped around for about half an hour.

Possibly an hour. There's a lot to look at in the Emporium.

It was pretty busy in the store, but it was MUCH better than the alternative. I even made the offhand comment that Alex would've had a great time looking around.


When we did finally leave the shop, Main Street had emptied out, and we had a quiet walk over to the ferry boat dock.

Turned out we managed to catch the very last ferry of the night.

Not sure why the ferry was shutting down, perhaps there weren't enough people left in the parks to make it worth the effort. As it was, there was only about twenty families waiting with us.


On the ride back, we were next to a family from Australia, and they gave my mom and I a lot to think about on the car ride back to Sports. When we first got to the benches on the ferry, the father (it was a mom, dad, and young child) offered an open seat to me.


Don't ask me why, but I was feeling pretty good that night, most likely on a Disney high from Wishes, and I declined the seat, telling him he could take it. And this guy looked so genuinely surprised and happy at my friendliness, him and his wife started asking my mother and I questions.

Like, "Was this our first trip to Disney?"

And when we said no, they followed up with, "Is it always so hectic? Like, is everyone always this mean?"

My mom and I spoke with them for a few more minutes, then the conversation tapered off and we were able to hear them speak with one another. Apparently, they'd had a horrible experience with Disney.

They couldn't believe how mean and rude other guests could be. I guess nobody would answer a question if they asked them and people had pushed the wife pretty hard.

And the adults were just appalled at the way other adults got so angry and heated over things like seats. The father made a comment along the lines of, "I don't want my son to see that kind of behavior and think it's okay."

The saddest part in all that was not only did the family want to get the heck out of Disney, they blamed the American culture. They really believed that was how Americans acted everywhere.

My mom and I tried our best to explain that not all Disney trips were like that and gave them some tips to hopefully divert the worst potential situations, but I don't know if it really got through to them.

I felt so bad.



I never want to see someone have a bad experience at Disney, and I especially don't want people to leave thinking that kind of rudeness is normal here.

I mean, that family must have had an awful day. They must have caught have caught the worst luck. Long lines for rides, food, shows, meet and greets, and other guests must've done some crummy things to have them develop that much dislike for the parks.

It certainly made my mom and I go through a quick replay in our head to make sure we weren't ever rude to anyone that week. And we made a mental note to keep an eye out for things that could potentially ruin someone's visit in the parks.



The two of us got back to our room and crashed right away.
I was excited for the following day to get there. I had some fun things planned for my mom, and I couldn't wait to get them going.



Up Next: Did You Add a Spoonful of Sugar?

 

[Aussiesalad]

I love that the little kid turned your whole night around!! Sounds so cute!!

Ugh parade/wishes viewing can seriously bring out the worst in people!

Those are such beautiful pictures of wishes!!
I'm so happy that the rain let up though!!

Ahhh the good old ' leisurely shop instead of get mobbed by crowds' trick. LOVE IT!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your view for the shows looks awesome!! But wow those crowds!!!

That's a shame that that family had such a negative experience! It's unfortunate when people at Disney really only think of themselves, that they're the ONLY ones that have spent the money and time to be there, and can act however they choose.

 

[teekathepony]

I LOVE MSEP! I've seen both and Spectro is really awesome, but I like MSEP better. Can't quite put my finger on why. I like the music outside of watching the parade too though.
Ba-dum da dum dum da da dum dum... hehe
That's quite a mob! But a great location for viewing the fireworks, nice pics!
Too bad about the family on the boat having such a bad experience. We have rare bad experiences, I must say. I generally find that everyone at Disney is a little friendlier (though of course some are pushy and entitled.) What a sin. I hope they had a redeeming time the next day.

 

[MEK]

I love this picture! The fireworks look so cool! What a perfect vantage point. I feel sorry for the Australian folks. What a shame that they had such a crappy experience. It really bothers me that they picked up on how rude people can people.

Another great update.

 

[wiigirl]

Amazing photos of the castle!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I love the little toddler you and you're mom ran into... like a little pillar of wisdom...

I think that Alex obviously missed you and just wanted to share your experiences via technology... sounds kinda sweet...

Sigh... I'm terribly sorry that you had to experience that kind of rudeness... I'm sorry to say I think that we all have to start being more conscious of our behavior and our children ( & now you're part of that having a little one on the way ... I think that our society in general is just permitting some really uncivil behavior... and we have to start calling people out on it... when possible and also expecting more from ourselves and those we have responsibility for...

It's not ok to be rude... it simply isn't ... and we have to make sure that we demand civility and do our own small part to make it so...

(Gosh and at Disney... that's always been a place where you think you can escape the "real" world... Mean, rude people just should be allowed in...

 

[Elleshoodat]

I've been slacking but am all caught up now.

I can't believe you are due in a couple of months! That seems to have flown by (for me, anyway ... I'm not sure it has for you ).

I loved reading where the title of your TR came from. It is amazing how honest and warm little kids are; they really do say the darndest things.