amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Congratulations!!! Landon is so adorable, and he looks like he's already an excellent Disney fan!!
Thank you! We're hopeful he's going to love Disney as much as his parents.
It'll Be All Right -A May 2012 TR Closing Thought and PTR Link 8/12*
- Thread starter amazingact21
- Start date
Thank you! We're hopeful he's going to love Disney as much as his parents.
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
It feels like a million years ago since I last wrote about this trip, but I still remember the adventure really well, so I'm sure I'll pick it back up and do it justice. So, with my little writing buddy by my side, let's get this train rolling and hopefully finish it soon! (After all, it's time to get a PTR going!)
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
My last entry ended with my mother and I deciding to explore the Grand Floridian for a bit. Normally, Alex enjoys touring resorts while we're there, but he's never been a big GF fan (probably too girly for him) so I was happy to be able to gush with someone else who'd appreciate all the frills and thrills.
My mother was completely smitten. The more she saw of the resort, the more in love she became.
We started with the outside grounds and worked our way around.
I will never get sick of seeing the castle from one of the resorts.
The sight is extraordinary, and I can't imagine relaxing on a balcony, maybe drinking a cup of coffee, staring at one of the most iconic spots in America.
Blows my mind...
As per usual, that morning was muggy, muggy, muggy!
The two of us wanted to hop in the pools and cool off.
We resisted the urge, though.
We happened to glance up at the sky shortly after these photos were taken and realized our tour might have to end prematurely.
The sky was getting ominously dark for a Florida day at noon. My mother and I agreed it'd be better to begin heading out and get back to Sports before the rain hit.
Not before I showed off the front entrance to the park, though! She had to see the Cadillac.
I loved the benches that were placed near the vehicle:
They just looked so classy.
Not very comfortable, though.
Guess you can't have everything.
On our way back to the monorail station, my mom and I happened to pass by this awesome table:
I wanted one for my house. Living by the beach, the seashells and salt-eroded look of the design screamed SEASHORE to me.
On top of the table was what the placard called a squirrel cage. It looked like a wooden hamster home, complete with a tunnel and wheel, but for squirrels.
My mother and I found this amusing.
Apparently, it was a vintage item, as well.
Who knew?
Sadly, my mom said goodbye to the Grand Floridian and the two of us went back to our room. The storm had caught us and our plans to swim had to be put aside.
With the original plan scratched, my mom and I decided to just do some laundry and read while the clothes washed and dried.
When Alex and I stayed at Sports the previous year, our building was right next to one of the washing rooms, making the whole excursion painless. Not so with our rooms this trip. We had to walk all the way past our building (the tennis one) past the surf building, walk along the main pool, and pass the food court to reach the closest washroom.
I felt a little ridiculous passing all these other guests going to and from the bus stations, getting food, waiting out the rain at the pool, etc. with all my dirty clothes, but what else could I do? I just prayed a stray sock wouldn't fall out of our laundry bag.
My mom and I got our laundry going in a machine and by that point the rain had stopped temporarily. The sun was even peeking out!
I decided to sit on one of the benches located right outside the washroom and next to the bathrooms and read my book. My mom wanted to take advantage of the sun and relax on a pool chair for a bit.
And by relax, I mean sleep.
Five minutes hadn't passed before I glanced up from my page and noticed my mom was still as a statue.
Whatever. It was our down day, and that was her version of relaxing.
I went back to my novel.
Which was A Storm of Swords. Book 3 in the Game of Thrones series. (Technically, the Song of Ice and Fire series, but nobody refers to it as that, thanks to HBO. And wow, am I getting off-topic.)
If anyone's seen these books, you know they are short and chunky. Sort of like a brick. Why I would take them on vacation for a bit of light reading is beyond me, but I did.
So there I was, doing my weight training for the day, holding that book up, completely engrossed, when this water fountain starts randomly going on and off beside me.
Huh?
Apparently, they were motion sensored, most likely because they are by the pool and the bathrooms and the less sunscreened-soaked wet little kids touch the machines, the better.
Great concept.
Except for the fact that when they clicked on, it was kind of loud. And the first ten times it happened, it startled me out of my book-concentration.
And why the heck were they turning on in the first place?
I had to wonder about this for a good fifteen minutes. Nobody was coming up to drink from them, there was no wind hitting the sensor, there was only me and the kings and queens of Westeros.
Then, it hit me. Every time I lifted my right hand slightly to turn the page, the motion triggered to fountain to turn on.
Just that tiny little movement.
I tried scooting to my left a little to avoid that, but not luck. In fact, it got worse. I'd turn my head, and what do you know- water. I'd raise my eyebrows and yep, you guessed it...water.
After a half hour of it, I just learned to tune it out.
Then, a construction worker walked up to the fountains, very obviously intending to grab a quick gulp of water and hopefully cool off from the brutal humidity.
Couldn't blame the guy.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him walk up to one fountain, lean over, and swipe his hand over the sensor.
Nothing.
He stood up.
Oh, there the water goes.
He leaned back down.
Nothing.
Back up. Water on.
He moved to the other machine.
Same situation.
The poor fellow tried seven or eight times to get some water, but every single time he bent down to try, the water wouldn't come out of the spicket.
I was trying so very hard not to laugh, because I did feel bad that the man couldn't get anything to drink, but the whole scene was comical. Like it was something out of a cartoon.
He finally just gave up and left, and when he rounded the corner, I did let a couple chuckles escape.
Around the time our clothes had finished up in the dryer, the rain had returned, and it was the slow, steady rain that signaled it would stick around for awhile. So, my mother was finished napping, and we were ready to go back to the room and chill.
As we're traversing the path back to our building (in the rain) my mother reached into her pocket and realized she had misplaced her KTTWC. Thankfully, I had mine, so we got to the room, dropped off our stuff, checked the floors and counters on the off-hand chance the card was there.
It wasn't, so my mom went back to the pool area. She checked the washroom, the chair she was sitting in, even asked the lifeguard if someone had found a card.
No luck.
She came back into the room (fairly wet, I might add) and we determined that the card was lost for good. My mother felt like an idiot, having lost her room key/dining plan card/etc when normally she's so good about keeping up with everything. This was the first time in years that she'd lost her room key.
But it wasn't a big deal. We trekked back down to the lobby and got her a new card and deactivated the old one. Took a whole five minutes, but for my mom it was the principal of the thing. She was embarrassed to have to tell a CM that she'd lost her card; she kept assuring the guy issuing her a new one that this wasn't normal for her.
Once all that was squared away, the two of us settled into our room, showered off, perused the tv, napped. In general, spent a few hours being lazy.
By that evening we were ready to go to my second reservation of the day, and I was looking forward to topping off the day with what I'd hoped would be fun mother/daughter time.
Up Next: It's Hot as Blazes out Here!
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
My last entry ended with my mother and I deciding to explore the Grand Floridian for a bit. Normally, Alex enjoys touring resorts while we're there, but he's never been a big GF fan (probably too girly for him) so I was happy to be able to gush with someone else who'd appreciate all the frills and thrills.
My mother was completely smitten. The more she saw of the resort, the more in love she became.
We started with the outside grounds and worked our way around.
I will never get sick of seeing the castle from one of the resorts.
The sight is extraordinary, and I can't imagine relaxing on a balcony, maybe drinking a cup of coffee, staring at one of the most iconic spots in America. Blows my mind...
As per usual, that morning was muggy, muggy, muggy!
The two of us wanted to hop in the pools and cool off.We resisted the urge, though.
We happened to glance up at the sky shortly after these photos were taken and realized our tour might have to end prematurely.
The sky was getting ominously dark for a Florida day at noon. My mother and I agreed it'd be better to begin heading out and get back to Sports before the rain hit.
Not before I showed off the front entrance to the park, though! She had to see the Cadillac.
I loved the benches that were placed near the vehicle:
They just looked so classy.
Not very comfortable, though.
Guess you can't have everything.
On our way back to the monorail station, my mom and I happened to pass by this awesome table:
I wanted one for my house. Living by the beach, the seashells and salt-eroded look of the design screamed SEASHORE to me.
On top of the table was what the placard called a squirrel cage. It looked like a wooden hamster home, complete with a tunnel and wheel, but for squirrels.
My mother and I found this amusing.
Apparently, it was a vintage item, as well.
Who knew?
Sadly, my mom said goodbye to the Grand Floridian and the two of us went back to our room. The storm had caught us and our plans to swim had to be put aside.
With the original plan scratched, my mom and I decided to just do some laundry and read while the clothes washed and dried.
When Alex and I stayed at Sports the previous year, our building was right next to one of the washing rooms, making the whole excursion painless. Not so with our rooms this trip. We had to walk all the way past our building (the tennis one) past the surf building, walk along the main pool, and pass the food court to reach the closest washroom.
I felt a little ridiculous passing all these other guests going to and from the bus stations, getting food, waiting out the rain at the pool, etc. with all my dirty clothes, but what else could I do? I just prayed a stray sock wouldn't fall out of our laundry bag.
My mom and I got our laundry going in a machine and by that point the rain had stopped temporarily. The sun was even peeking out!
I decided to sit on one of the benches located right outside the washroom and next to the bathrooms and read my book. My mom wanted to take advantage of the sun and relax on a pool chair for a bit.
And by relax, I mean sleep.
Five minutes hadn't passed before I glanced up from my page and noticed my mom was still as a statue.
Whatever. It was our down day, and that was her version of relaxing.
I went back to my novel.
Which was A Storm of Swords. Book 3 in the Game of Thrones series. (Technically, the Song of Ice and Fire series, but nobody refers to it as that, thanks to HBO. And wow, am I getting off-topic.)
If anyone's seen these books, you know they are short and chunky. Sort of like a brick. Why I would take them on vacation for a bit of light reading is beyond me, but I did.
So there I was, doing my weight training for the day, holding that book up, completely engrossed, when this water fountain starts randomly going on and off beside me.
Huh?
Apparently, they were motion sensored, most likely because they are by the pool and the bathrooms and the less sunscreened-soaked wet little kids touch the machines, the better.
Great concept.
Except for the fact that when they clicked on, it was kind of loud. And the first ten times it happened, it startled me out of my book-concentration.
And why the heck were they turning on in the first place?
I had to wonder about this for a good fifteen minutes. Nobody was coming up to drink from them, there was no wind hitting the sensor, there was only me and the kings and queens of Westeros.
Then, it hit me. Every time I lifted my right hand slightly to turn the page, the motion triggered to fountain to turn on.
Just that tiny little movement.
I tried scooting to my left a little to avoid that, but not luck. In fact, it got worse. I'd turn my head, and what do you know- water. I'd raise my eyebrows and yep, you guessed it...water.
After a half hour of it, I just learned to tune it out.
Then, a construction worker walked up to the fountains, very obviously intending to grab a quick gulp of water and hopefully cool off from the brutal humidity.
Couldn't blame the guy.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him walk up to one fountain, lean over, and swipe his hand over the sensor.
Nothing.
He stood up.
Oh, there the water goes.
He leaned back down.
Nothing.
Back up. Water on.
He moved to the other machine.
Same situation.
The poor fellow tried seven or eight times to get some water, but every single time he bent down to try, the water wouldn't come out of the spicket.
I was trying so very hard not to laugh, because I did feel bad that the man couldn't get anything to drink, but the whole scene was comical. Like it was something out of a cartoon.
He finally just gave up and left, and when he rounded the corner, I did let a couple chuckles escape.
Around the time our clothes had finished up in the dryer, the rain had returned, and it was the slow, steady rain that signaled it would stick around for awhile. So, my mother was finished napping, and we were ready to go back to the room and chill.
As we're traversing the path back to our building (in the rain) my mother reached into her pocket and realized she had misplaced her KTTWC. Thankfully, I had mine, so we got to the room, dropped off our stuff, checked the floors and counters on the off-hand chance the card was there.
It wasn't, so my mom went back to the pool area. She checked the washroom, the chair she was sitting in, even asked the lifeguard if someone had found a card.
No luck.
She came back into the room (fairly wet, I might add) and we determined that the card was lost for good. My mother felt like an idiot, having lost her room key/dining plan card/etc when normally she's so good about keeping up with everything. This was the first time in years that she'd lost her room key.
But it wasn't a big deal. We trekked back down to the lobby and got her a new card and deactivated the old one. Took a whole five minutes, but for my mom it was the principal of the thing. She was embarrassed to have to tell a CM that she'd lost her card; she kept assuring the guy issuing her a new one that this wasn't normal for her.
Once all that was squared away, the two of us settled into our room, showered off, perused the tv, napped. In general, spent a few hours being lazy.
By that evening we were ready to go to my second reservation of the day, and I was looking forward to topping off the day with what I'd hoped would be fun mother/daughter time.
Up Next: It's Hot as Blazes out Here!
Last edited:
teekathepony
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2009
Hehe hi Landon!
I did laundry in Disney once. I was such a nervous wreck that my undies would fall out on the pool deck that I've never done laundry on vacation again.
How funny about the poor guy trying to get a drink! You should have wiggled your eyebrows to turn on the water for him!
I did laundry in Disney once. I was such a nervous wreck that my undies would fall out on the pool deck that I've never done laundry on vacation again.
How funny about the poor guy trying to get a drink! You should have wiggled your eyebrows to turn on the water for him!
MEK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 8, 2005
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Landon is adorable. Keep posting pictures!!!! SO CUTE!
OMG - this story is too funny! I don't know how you weren't rolling right then and there! Your pictures of the Grand Floridian are stunning!
Great update! So glad you back and posting about your trip!
marDgreen88
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
Gotta love the beautiful Grand Floridian!
Omg, that water fountain sounds so annoying! What the heck.
Omg, that water fountain sounds so annoying! What the heck.
laurenvic1312959
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2013
Congratulations, I had to comment because april the 7th is my birthday too 
He is gorgeous
He is gorgeous
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Hehe hi Landon!
I did laundry in Disney once. I was such a nervous wreck that my undies would fall out on the pool deck that I've never done laundry on vacation again.
How funny about the poor guy trying to get a drink! You should have wiggled your eyebrows to turn on the water for him!
Haha, glad I'm not the only one who was paranoid about their laundry falling out. It just seems like it'd be bound to happen.
Love all your pics!
Thank you!
Landon is adorable. Keep posting pictures!!!! SO CUTE!
Your pictures of the Grand Floridian are stunning!
Great update! So glad you back and posting about your trip!
When my mother rejoined me on the bench I could barely tell her the story, because I kept breaking into fits of laughter. I did feel really bad for the guy, especially because I know he was embarrassed, but I think anyone would've laughed in that situation.
I'm hoping I can wrap this trip report up shortly. After all, the 2013 EE race is tonight, which means it's officially been a year since this particular trip. Way too long to keep a report going! I'm just hoping Landon learns to nap for more than 40 minutes so that I can write!
It was kind of embarrassing the first million times the fountain went off, because I jumped at the sudden sound. Then, I felt like an idiot and had to look around to make sure nobody saw me.
Congratulations, I had to comment because april the 7th is my birthday too
Thanks! April 7th is a pretty good day to have a birthday, in my opinion.
Stringbean&Wingnut
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
Hi Landon!!!
Your description of carrying your laundry around the resort was too funny!! I'd probably drop socks and other items all over!!
Hahaha you should have started turning pages in your book so the fountain would turn on - but that probably would have confused the guy even more!!
Your description of carrying your laundry around the resort was too funny!! I'd probably drop socks and other items all over!!
Hahaha you should have started turning pages in your book so the fountain would turn on - but that probably would have confused the guy even more!!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Hi Landon!!!
Your description of carrying your laundry around the resort was too funny!! I'd probably drop socks and other items all over!!
Hahaha you should have started turning pages in your book so the fountain would turn on - but that probably would have confused the guy even more!!
Haha, I remember lifting my elbow up discreetly to see if that would work, but I think he was blocking the sensor because nothing happened.
I felt bad laughing, but it was too funny not to.
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
My DS gave me a fairly decent night's sleep (which means 3.5 hours) so I woke up feeling pretty energetic today and figured I'd knock out another update. Speaking of DS-he's 4 weeks old today. Holy moly where did the time go?
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012:
My mother and I spent as much time as we could resting up in the room, but eventually we decided we weren't going to get any more sleep and weren't tired at all, so we said what the heck, let's just head out to the parks earlier than planned.
(I'd figured we would leave at 5:00, but in actuality we left our room at 4:20pm.)
My mom had found this little photo op place around the resort, and we figured we'd grab a quick pic in front of it since we'd made a small effort to look halfway decent.
The two of us were trying out the buses that evening so that nobody had to be the designated driver, but I had my doubts about the mode of transportation. Nothing could beat hopping in your car and arriving at your destination five minutes later. Not to mention, the buses went to all three All Star resorts, and I wasn't sure if they'd be crowded or not.
But, we were taking a chance, and it worked out really well. A bus pulled up to where we were waiting immediately, and the two of us were disembarking by 4:45.
Not too shabby.
I could get used to this whole no-driving thing.
Or so I thought...
So, which park did two adults with plans to have a nice, easy going evening go to?
Why, Epcot, of course!
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
I had a dinner reservation in one of the World Showcase locations that night, and my mom and I were planning on simply strolling around the various countries, enjoying the fact that we were together and on vacation.
But since our ADR time wasn't for another hour and a half, I asked my mom if she wanted to kill some time on Spaceship Earth, since we were right there and the wait time was nonexistent.
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
I gave my mother a good laugh with my ride photo.
We completed our ride through the ages and continued on.
Goodbye, Future World, you had your moment in sun earlier in the week. Now it's time to give the World Showcase some attention.
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
The walkway around the Showcase looks busy in my photos, but in actuality Epcot was pretty empty that evening. My mom and I were pleasantly surprised by the generous space we had to walk in. Normally, you're crammed onto the sidewalk like sardines, getting bumped by other people's backpacks and hitting the brakes suddenly because a stroller stopped in front of you.
Not the case that night.
f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
Oh, how I wish I were staring at that view right this instant.
The two of us chose to start on Mexico's side and work our way around.
f6 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
The other blissfully wonderful thing about that day was the fact that the storm had taken some of the heat and humidity away. It was, by far, the coolest night of our trip.
Now, I'm not saying it was great weather; I still had the oh-so lovely sweat sheen look going on, however, it was bearable. We didn't feel like we were going to melt into the pavement or have to reach for a water bottle every five minutes.
In short, it actually felt like a May night in Florida.
Shocking, I know.
As we were strolling along, discussing nothing of importance, I saw this:
Oooh!
Who can pass up a walk-on Maelstrom?
Really?
That empty queue pulls me in every time.
And I don't mind.
"Hey, Mom, remember when there was a time when we stood in this area for 45 minutes."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut it, Alicia."
We boarded our ship with another large family. It was parents, a child, and grandparents, and the elder couple did not seem so sure about the ride.
The ride was going swell. We'd seen some bears, heard the sounds of a Norwegian sea, and been shunned away by an angry troll. All that was left was the best part, the mini-drop.
Our boat peeked out of the window, let in the sunlight, then...nothing.
The ride broke down.
This was a first for me. I go on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and even Spaceship Earth expecting a short stop somewhere along the way. I've just had it occur too many times not to anticipate it.
But never on Maelstrom before...
I didn't mind, I got to try and get a shot of the elusive troll.
Didn't really work out, though.
Remember the family that was with us?
Well, when we reached said spot, the grandparents began quietly freaking out. I guess they didn't know the ride had a small drop and were terrified of what it'd be like.
I think they were expecting a descent of Splash Mountain proportions.
The mom and dad kept reassuring them that it couldn't be that bad. Finally, one of them said, "Look, it has to be just a small one, there's no height restrictions."
"Plus, there's no seatbelt or lap bar. They wouldn't put a big drop in without some kind of restraint."
The safety logic worked wonders on the couple and they calmed down. Either way, it was interesting to listen in on the conversation. So often I forget that people go on rides not having a clue what they contain.
I've been on all the attractions so many times I don't even think about the unknown anymore. Which, in a way, is the downside to visiting so often. You kind of lose that wonder and pre-ride anticipation.
I, very clearly, remember how I felt the first time I tried Tower of Terror (complete fear) and Everest (oh God that drops looks big) and Soarin' (curiousity).
Now, though, I get to look forward to Landon experiencing all those emotions.
The ride started again after about ten minutes, and we finally went down the mysterious drop we'd been staring at for so long. Unfortunately, by waiting so long, it lost all its buildup.
Disney rides really are so great because of the storyline behind them. If they didn't have them they'd just be mediocre.
Out in the gift shop I made my mom get photographed in some of the classic post-Maelstrom poses.
You can't go to Epcot and ride Maelstrom and not have one of these pictures:
The attraction had taken longer than my mom and I had expected, so we decided it'd be best to head toward our dinner location.
Not before I snapped a couple more photos, though!
This picture isn't the greatest, but the couple sitting on the bench is priceless.
f7 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
They look so ticked off that I'm taking a photo in their direction. Almost looks like the old guy is starting to give me the finger.
f8 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
Ahh, there, that's better. Not making anybody mad in this photo.
Okay, okay, off we go!
f9 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
(See, pretty empty park.)
Up Next: I've Died and Gone to Heaven
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012:
My mother and I spent as much time as we could resting up in the room, but eventually we decided we weren't going to get any more sleep and weren't tired at all, so we said what the heck, let's just head out to the parks earlier than planned.
(I'd figured we would leave at 5:00, but in actuality we left our room at 4:20pm.)
My mom had found this little photo op place around the resort, and we figured we'd grab a quick pic in front of it since we'd made a small effort to look halfway decent.
The two of us were trying out the buses that evening so that nobody had to be the designated driver, but I had my doubts about the mode of transportation. Nothing could beat hopping in your car and arriving at your destination five minutes later. Not to mention, the buses went to all three All Star resorts, and I wasn't sure if they'd be crowded or not.
But, we were taking a chance, and it worked out really well. A bus pulled up to where we were waiting immediately, and the two of us were disembarking by 4:45.
Not too shabby.
I could get used to this whole no-driving thing.
Or so I thought...
So, which park did two adults with plans to have a nice, easy going evening go to?
Why, Epcot, of course!
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickrf2 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrI had a dinner reservation in one of the World Showcase locations that night, and my mom and I were planning on simply strolling around the various countries, enjoying the fact that we were together and on vacation.
But since our ADR time wasn't for another hour and a half, I asked my mom if she wanted to kill some time on Spaceship Earth, since we were right there and the wait time was nonexistent.
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrI gave my mother a good laugh with my ride photo.
We completed our ride through the ages and continued on.
Goodbye, Future World, you had your moment in sun earlier in the week. Now it's time to give the World Showcase some attention.
f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrThe walkway around the Showcase looks busy in my photos, but in actuality Epcot was pretty empty that evening. My mom and I were pleasantly surprised by the generous space we had to walk in. Normally, you're crammed onto the sidewalk like sardines, getting bumped by other people's backpacks and hitting the brakes suddenly because a stroller stopped in front of you.
Not the case that night.
f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrOh, how I wish I were staring at that view right this instant.
The two of us chose to start on Mexico's side and work our way around.
f6 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrThe other blissfully wonderful thing about that day was the fact that the storm had taken some of the heat and humidity away. It was, by far, the coolest night of our trip.
Now, I'm not saying it was great weather; I still had the oh-so lovely sweat sheen look going on, however, it was bearable. We didn't feel like we were going to melt into the pavement or have to reach for a water bottle every five minutes.
In short, it actually felt like a May night in Florida.
Shocking, I know.
As we were strolling along, discussing nothing of importance, I saw this:
Oooh!
Who can pass up a walk-on Maelstrom?
Really?
That empty queue pulls me in every time.
And I don't mind.
"Hey, Mom, remember when there was a time when we stood in this area for 45 minutes."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, shut it, Alicia."
We boarded our ship with another large family. It was parents, a child, and grandparents, and the elder couple did not seem so sure about the ride.
The ride was going swell. We'd seen some bears, heard the sounds of a Norwegian sea, and been shunned away by an angry troll. All that was left was the best part, the mini-drop.
Our boat peeked out of the window, let in the sunlight, then...nothing.
The ride broke down.
This was a first for me. I go on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and even Spaceship Earth expecting a short stop somewhere along the way. I've just had it occur too many times not to anticipate it.
But never on Maelstrom before...
I didn't mind, I got to try and get a shot of the elusive troll.
Didn't really work out, though.
Remember the family that was with us?
Well, when we reached said spot, the grandparents began quietly freaking out. I guess they didn't know the ride had a small drop and were terrified of what it'd be like.
I think they were expecting a descent of Splash Mountain proportions.
The mom and dad kept reassuring them that it couldn't be that bad. Finally, one of them said, "Look, it has to be just a small one, there's no height restrictions."
"Plus, there's no seatbelt or lap bar. They wouldn't put a big drop in without some kind of restraint."
The safety logic worked wonders on the couple and they calmed down. Either way, it was interesting to listen in on the conversation. So often I forget that people go on rides not having a clue what they contain.
I've been on all the attractions so many times I don't even think about the unknown anymore. Which, in a way, is the downside to visiting so often. You kind of lose that wonder and pre-ride anticipation.
I, very clearly, remember how I felt the first time I tried Tower of Terror (complete fear) and Everest (oh God that drops looks big) and Soarin' (curiousity).
Now, though, I get to look forward to Landon experiencing all those emotions.
The ride started again after about ten minutes, and we finally went down the mysterious drop we'd been staring at for so long. Unfortunately, by waiting so long, it lost all its buildup.
Disney rides really are so great because of the storyline behind them. If they didn't have them they'd just be mediocre.
Out in the gift shop I made my mom get photographed in some of the classic post-Maelstrom poses.
You can't go to Epcot and ride Maelstrom and not have one of these pictures:
The attraction had taken longer than my mom and I had expected, so we decided it'd be best to head toward our dinner location.
Not before I snapped a couple more photos, though!
This picture isn't the greatest, but the couple sitting on the bench is priceless.
f7 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrThey look so ticked off that I'm taking a photo in their direction. Almost looks like the old guy is starting to give me the finger.
f8 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrAhh, there, that's better. Not making anybody mad in this photo.
Okay, okay, off we go!
f9 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr(See, pretty empty park.)
Up Next: I've Died and Gone to Heaven
Last edited:
MEK
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 8, 2005
Speaking of DS hes 4 weeks old today. Holy moly where did the time go?
Happy 4 weeks old Landon!
You are still as cute as ever. [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"
They look so ticked off that Im taking a photo in their direction. Almost looks like the old guy is starting to give me the finger. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Wow - they really do. Are you kidding me? People take pictures all over Disney world.
[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"
Ahh, there, thats better. Not making anybody mad in this photo.
[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Much better!
Great update.
Too funny about the people on Maelstrom. Did you use your flash to get the troll? I would think you would need to. It's so darn dark in there.
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Happy 4 weeks old Landon!
[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"
[URL=http://s31.photobucket.com/user/Bamagurl821/media/May%202012/Image20-6_zps515cceed.jpg.html][IMG]http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c384/Bamagurl821/May%202012/Image20-6_zps515cceed.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
They look so ticked off that Im taking a photo in their direction. Almost looks like the old guy is starting to give me the finger. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Wow - they really do. Are you kidding me? People take pictures all over Disney world.
[COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"
[URL=http://s31.photobucket.com/user/Bamagurl821/media/May%202012/Image21-6_zpscf68f2df.jpg.html][IMG]http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c384/Bamagurl821/May%202012/Image21-6_zpscf68f2df.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Ahh, there, thats better. Not making anybody mad in this photo.
[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Much better!
Great update.
Too funny about the people on Maelstrom. Did you use your flash to get the troll? I would think you would need to. It's so darn dark in there.[/QUOTE]
I didn't use the flash. I was just lucky enough that the ride stopped right where the doors opened to the outside. What helped the most was that we weren't moving so my camera was able to focus.
[quote="wiigirl, post: 48311853"]Wonderful update!
Thank you!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend. A bunch of my extended family were in town, so I spent the past few days visiting with loved ones and basking in all the free babysitting I was getting.
Landon loved all the attention, as well, and acted like a perfect angel for everyone.
His favorite thing in the world to do is put on this adorable, well-behaved baby front around others, then let the crankiness out once we're back at home. Makes a liar outta me! The only upside to this is that maybe when we go to Disney, he'll see so many people that he'll feel like he has to be on his best behavior.
One can hope, right.
Anywho...what better way for me to conclude my Mother's Day weekend than to write an update about me and my mom?
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 Evening:
My mother and I were making our way around the various countries that make up the World Showcase, commenting on how great the weather was being for us. It was like a sign..
We were meant to be in Disney.
We were meant to be enjoying a night in Epcot, just us girls.
We were meant to have a bit of fun!
Eventually, we made it to our destination's country.
Anyone know?
Here, how about now?
We were headed to Italy that night!
You see, I had-I mean HAD- to have us eat in Italy that night.
For so many reasons.
The first- When my mom and I spent a day in Epcot together, we ate lunch at Tutto Italia, and I had the time of my life. It was extremely special for me, as a teenage daughter, right on the cusp of hitting that age where hanging with your parents aren't cool and the less time you spend at home, the better.
I know I've talked about that day a million times before in past reports, so I won't bore you all with another recap, but I will say it is still one of my all time favorite Disney memories.
And I knew I couldn't recapture what made that particular meal so special, but I could reminisce over it with another Italian meal with my mama.
The second reason- It was my older brother's birthday!
I should explain that my parents used to live in Italy, and my older brother was born there.
So, really, how else should my mother honor her first born's son big day other than getting as close to his birthplace as possible without leaving the U.S.?
I couldn't help it, I HAD to have us eat in the Italy pavilion that day.
And my mother was completely cool with it, so there we were, standing around the courtyard area, several minutes early for our dinner at:
Via Napoli!
I felt a teensy bit guilty that I was eating here without Alex, since I knew he wanted to try the (relatively) new restaurant, but I figured he'd forgive me if I promised to eat there again on a future trip.
I happened to look over to my right and saw a PP taking pictures, and I suggested to my mom that we get ours done. Our trip was winding down to a close and we'd only gotten a few photos together.
Such slackers...
So, we got in a short line and waited our turn. The lady was super nice and was trying very hard to be as friendly as possible.
She must have had the patience of Job, though, because she was always having to wait for these kids that were playing on the fountain to move out of the way. And if wasn't the kids, it was other families sitting down right in the newly vacated spot of previous photopass picture takers, getting their photos taken by members of their party.
If I had to deal with that nonsense, I would've flipped my lid.
Some of the families were downright rude, and it made the PP's job even longer, having to wait and wait.
Blegh.
Eventually, though, the inconsiderate guests cleared and my mom and I sat down for our pictures. And that photopass photographer, bless her heart, was as sweet as ever. She kept calling my mother and I princesses and instructing us to give our best princess poses and smiles.
(You can't tell we're mother and daughter at all)
In hindsight, I wished I'd gotten the photographer's name so I could have submitted a positive comment card, but my stomach was growling, and I wasn't thinking straight at that time.
I needed pizza!
Correction-WE needed pizza!
The two of us checked in and sat down by the hostess booth to wait.
I had to take this picture:
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
It wasn't long before someone came to take us to our table. We were seated right next to a window with a pretty decent view of the room.
I loved the ovens:
Our server came over to take our drink and food order. My mom and I noticed that the servers seemed to be swamped. As if there were not enough of them to keep up with the demands of the tables.
A complete contrast to the assistants (?) who were also moving around the room. They were all desperately seeking out somebody that needed help or a some table that needed to be reset.
My mom and I didn't think much of this, until we had to experience a serious delay in service. We weren't really concerned with how long it took to place our orders, but I will admit, it was pretty slow. The two of us are patient people and had the foresight to look around and see that our server was extremely busy, so we cut the guy a break, but I imagine not everyone was that nice.
In fact, I know they weren't. We got to hear what a few guests at nearby tables thought of the speed of the restaurant.
It wasn't pretty.
I'm not sure if we went on an off night or if that was the norm for Via Napoli, but at least now I know for future visits to be prepared for slower service.
Eventually, my mother and I did get our food. We both ordered individual pizzas.
I got the four cheese white pizza:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
And my mom got the vegetable pizza:
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr
Hers was good, but it had mushrooms on it, and I'm not such a fan of them.
My pizza, though...
Oh my goodness!
The cheese and sauce weren't out of this world amazing. I mean, it was good, but it was what you'd expect in an authentic Italian restaurant.
But that dough.
Oh, that amazingly deliciously soft scrumptious pizza dough.
It was unreal.
I wanted to sit there and just eat the pizza crusts of all the pizzas in the restaurant.
I could live off that dough.
I will go back to the restaurant solely for that dough.
It even smelled amazing. Warm, welcoming, like coming home
As I neared the end of my meal, I kept thinking, "There's no way I'll taste anything better the rest of the trip. I've topped off."
Then my dessert came.
Tiramisu (my mom got the same):
Amusingly enough, they'd forgotten our forks with the dishes, so we had to ask the server for some. He walked away to retrieve a couple, and before my mom and I knew it, two different assistances happened to glance over at our table and see that we were in need of utensils. We tried to call back the second assistance to let him know we were taken care of, but he was so gung-ho about the forks that he took off before we could get a word out.
The whole situation resulted in my mother and I each having 3 forks to eat with.
I'm the type of person that likes to be prepared, but 3 was even overkill for me.
With utensils (and plenty to spare) at hand, my mom and I began to dig in.
And
OH
MY
GOODNESS
!!!
As I mentioned before, my mom lived in Italy. She instilled in us kids a very picky opinion about what's good tiramisu and what's mediocre tiramisu.
For instance, most tiramisus you get in restaurants are mediocre. (At least, they aren't authentic tasting.)
So far, the closest my mom's come to having the "real deal" is Publix's tiramisu from the bakery section. But even that isn't quite right.
I never understood why my mom was so picky about her tiramisu before. But, in hindsight, if I went to a restaurant or diner and ordered a Pineapple Dole Whip Float and it wasn't exactly as it should be, I'd be persnickety about it as well.
It's never a smart idea to butcher a cherished dessert.
People get real upset about that.
Anyways, this was all said to let you guys know that my mom and I tend to be wary when ordering that particular dish.
But we were in Disney World for goodness sake. If anyone was going to get close to perfect, it'd be them.
And oh my word did they ever!
I totally got what my mom meant after one bite of that tiramisu.
No tiramisu will ever compare to that one again.
In fact, I haven't even TRIED to eat any since that night.
I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
The pizza dough paled in comparison to that dessert, and that's saying a lot. Each and every time I took a bite, I couldn't believe how good it was.
I wish I was joking when I say that I actually became sad when I neared the end of my piece.
As much as I love Dole Whips- and boy do I- I think that tiramisu is now my favorite dessert at Walt Disney World. I remember I texted Alex raving about it, swearing that if he didn't try it out one day, a crime against sweets would be committed by him.
If I could combine Coral Reef's coconut-lime rice with Kona Café's Teriyaki Steak with a Caribbean Dream drink from the Disney cruises and Via Napoli's dessert, I'd have the perfect meal. I'm pretty sure if I only had one meal left to eat, that would be it.
Pure joy to my taste buds....
I left the restaurant on Cloud 9, not even caring what we did after that.
I was happy.
I can't even tell you how my mom was feeling at that point, because I was too absorbed in my food coma to ask.
Woops.
I know it was only about 7:00pm, and we both wanted to stay in Epcot and continue to have some fun, so I formulated a quick plan for the rest of the night.
Up Next...Daughters Against Drunk Soarin'
Landon loved all the attention, as well, and acted like a perfect angel for everyone.
His favorite thing in the world to do is put on this adorable, well-behaved baby front around others, then let the crankiness out once we're back at home. Makes a liar outta me! The only upside to this is that maybe when we go to Disney, he'll see so many people that he'll feel like he has to be on his best behavior.
One can hope, right.
Anywho...what better way for me to conclude my Mother's Day weekend than to write an update about me and my mom?
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 Evening:
My mother and I were making our way around the various countries that make up the World Showcase, commenting on how great the weather was being for us. It was like a sign..
We were meant to be in Disney.
We were meant to be enjoying a night in Epcot, just us girls.
We were meant to have a bit of fun!
Eventually, we made it to our destination's country.
Anyone know?
Here, how about now?
We were headed to Italy that night!
You see, I had-I mean HAD- to have us eat in Italy that night.
For so many reasons.
The first- When my mom and I spent a day in Epcot together, we ate lunch at Tutto Italia, and I had the time of my life. It was extremely special for me, as a teenage daughter, right on the cusp of hitting that age where hanging with your parents aren't cool and the less time you spend at home, the better.
I know I've talked about that day a million times before in past reports, so I won't bore you all with another recap, but I will say it is still one of my all time favorite Disney memories.
And I knew I couldn't recapture what made that particular meal so special, but I could reminisce over it with another Italian meal with my mama.
The second reason- It was my older brother's birthday!
I should explain that my parents used to live in Italy, and my older brother was born there.
So, really, how else should my mother honor her first born's son big day other than getting as close to his birthplace as possible without leaving the U.S.?
I couldn't help it, I HAD to have us eat in the Italy pavilion that day.
And my mother was completely cool with it, so there we were, standing around the courtyard area, several minutes early for our dinner at:
Via Napoli!
I felt a teensy bit guilty that I was eating here without Alex, since I knew he wanted to try the (relatively) new restaurant, but I figured he'd forgive me if I promised to eat there again on a future trip.
I happened to look over to my right and saw a PP taking pictures, and I suggested to my mom that we get ours done. Our trip was winding down to a close and we'd only gotten a few photos together.
Such slackers...
So, we got in a short line and waited our turn. The lady was super nice and was trying very hard to be as friendly as possible.
She must have had the patience of Job, though, because she was always having to wait for these kids that were playing on the fountain to move out of the way. And if wasn't the kids, it was other families sitting down right in the newly vacated spot of previous photopass picture takers, getting their photos taken by members of their party.
If I had to deal with that nonsense, I would've flipped my lid.
Some of the families were downright rude, and it made the PP's job even longer, having to wait and wait.Blegh.
Eventually, though, the inconsiderate guests cleared and my mom and I sat down for our pictures. And that photopass photographer, bless her heart, was as sweet as ever. She kept calling my mother and I princesses and instructing us to give our best princess poses and smiles.
(You can't tell we're mother and daughter at all)
In hindsight, I wished I'd gotten the photographer's name so I could have submitted a positive comment card, but my stomach was growling, and I wasn't thinking straight at that time.
I needed pizza!
Correction-WE needed pizza!
The two of us checked in and sat down by the hostess booth to wait.
I had to take this picture:
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrIt wasn't long before someone came to take us to our table. We were seated right next to a window with a pretty decent view of the room.
I loved the ovens:
Our server came over to take our drink and food order. My mom and I noticed that the servers seemed to be swamped. As if there were not enough of them to keep up with the demands of the tables.
A complete contrast to the assistants (?) who were also moving around the room. They were all desperately seeking out somebody that needed help or a some table that needed to be reset.
My mom and I didn't think much of this, until we had to experience a serious delay in service. We weren't really concerned with how long it took to place our orders, but I will admit, it was pretty slow. The two of us are patient people and had the foresight to look around and see that our server was extremely busy, so we cut the guy a break, but I imagine not everyone was that nice.
In fact, I know they weren't. We got to hear what a few guests at nearby tables thought of the speed of the restaurant.
It wasn't pretty.
I'm not sure if we went on an off night or if that was the norm for Via Napoli, but at least now I know for future visits to be prepared for slower service.
Eventually, my mother and I did get our food. We both ordered individual pizzas.
I got the four cheese white pizza:
f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrAnd my mom got the vegetable pizza:
f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on FlickrHers was good, but it had mushrooms on it, and I'm not such a fan of them.
My pizza, though...
Oh my goodness!
The cheese and sauce weren't out of this world amazing. I mean, it was good, but it was what you'd expect in an authentic Italian restaurant.
But that dough.
Oh, that amazingly deliciously soft scrumptious pizza dough.
It was unreal.
I wanted to sit there and just eat the pizza crusts of all the pizzas in the restaurant.
I could live off that dough.
I will go back to the restaurant solely for that dough.
It even smelled amazing. Warm, welcoming, like coming home
As I neared the end of my meal, I kept thinking, "There's no way I'll taste anything better the rest of the trip. I've topped off."
Then my dessert came.
Tiramisu (my mom got the same):
Amusingly enough, they'd forgotten our forks with the dishes, so we had to ask the server for some. He walked away to retrieve a couple, and before my mom and I knew it, two different assistances happened to glance over at our table and see that we were in need of utensils. We tried to call back the second assistance to let him know we were taken care of, but he was so gung-ho about the forks that he took off before we could get a word out.
The whole situation resulted in my mother and I each having 3 forks to eat with.
I'm the type of person that likes to be prepared, but 3 was even overkill for me.
With utensils (and plenty to spare) at hand, my mom and I began to dig in.
And
OH
MY
GOODNESS
!!!
As I mentioned before, my mom lived in Italy. She instilled in us kids a very picky opinion about what's good tiramisu and what's mediocre tiramisu.
For instance, most tiramisus you get in restaurants are mediocre. (At least, they aren't authentic tasting.)
So far, the closest my mom's come to having the "real deal" is Publix's tiramisu from the bakery section. But even that isn't quite right.
I never understood why my mom was so picky about her tiramisu before. But, in hindsight, if I went to a restaurant or diner and ordered a Pineapple Dole Whip Float and it wasn't exactly as it should be, I'd be persnickety about it as well.
It's never a smart idea to butcher a cherished dessert.
People get real upset about that.
Anyways, this was all said to let you guys know that my mom and I tend to be wary when ordering that particular dish.
But we were in Disney World for goodness sake. If anyone was going to get close to perfect, it'd be them.
And oh my word did they ever!
I totally got what my mom meant after one bite of that tiramisu.
No tiramisu will ever compare to that one again.
In fact, I haven't even TRIED to eat any since that night.
I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
The pizza dough paled in comparison to that dessert, and that's saying a lot. Each and every time I took a bite, I couldn't believe how good it was.
I wish I was joking when I say that I actually became sad when I neared the end of my piece.
As much as I love Dole Whips- and boy do I- I think that tiramisu is now my favorite dessert at Walt Disney World. I remember I texted Alex raving about it, swearing that if he didn't try it out one day, a crime against sweets would be committed by him.
If I could combine Coral Reef's coconut-lime rice with Kona Café's Teriyaki Steak with a Caribbean Dream drink from the Disney cruises and Via Napoli's dessert, I'd have the perfect meal. I'm pretty sure if I only had one meal left to eat, that would be it.
Pure joy to my taste buds....
I left the restaurant on Cloud 9, not even caring what we did after that.
I was happy.
I can't even tell you how my mom was feeling at that point, because I was too absorbed in my food coma to ask.
Woops.
I know it was only about 7:00pm, and we both wanted to stay in Epcot and continue to have some fun, so I formulated a quick plan for the rest of the night.
Up Next...Daughters Against Drunk Soarin'
Last edited:
teekathepony
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2009
I'm a little late, but happy belated first mother's day!
Via Napoli looks yummy, I can't wait to eat here this year. I love tiramisu so I'm glad to hear it's delicious and authentic!
Via Napoli looks yummy, I can't wait to eat here this year. I love tiramisu so I'm glad to hear it's delicious and authentic!
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
Via Napoli was really good. I'm always nervous trying new restaurants, especially when I don't know which items are good, but I think anything at this place would taste amazing. Definitely worth trying.
amazingact21
Upendi
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2010
This poor trip report has been abandoned. I know. I can practically see the tumbleweeds blowing across my desktop screen as I open the link to the first page. I have never taken this long to finish something before, and I don't know why I keep forgetting to write an update. After all, I only have about 3 or 4 more to post before the report is completed.
It's just sad.
I think I am going to blame it on my upcoming trip. In the past few weeks, I've been so busy making plans for December, that I have pushed the past trips to the back of my mind.
Oops.
But yes, we are going back in December of 2013.
Landon's first ever Disney trip!!!
I have a resort booked, ADRs booked, and a tentative schedule mapped out. Because I've been so horrible about writing updates, at this time there won't be a PTR, because goodness knows I'd leave that in the dust as well.
If I'm allowed to throw in one more excuse...this past Friday was my younger brother's high school graduation and my mom's 50th birthday. Therefore, it was a pretty crazy weekend. Lots of laughter, energy, and love going around my parent's house.
My brother and his wife (whom he eloped with last week, 2 days after telling us she was pregnant. YEAH.) flew into town, my grandfather and his wife drove in, as did my great aunt. There were also the locals (two aunts/two uncles), Isaac's girlfriend, my mother's best friend's family, and I'm sure I'm missing some folks.
We had a room reserved at a restaurant that's owned by a family friend and had a big lunch, then we all went to the graduation that night. It was a wonderful, exciting, exhausting day, and I loved it.
(I even used a ton of teekathepony's photography lessons)
The restaurant was incredibly dark, so I remembered her lesson on aperture and managed to make it somewhat bright for the group shot.
(Sorry about the blurred out faces, but some of the partygoers wouldn't want their photos posted on an online forum.)
A rare (and I mean RARE) photo of my whole family together. My father, who I don't think I post many pictures of is on the far right, followed my older brother and his wife, my younger brother in the red, and you all know my mom, Alex, Landon, and myself.
My next attempt at using the photography lessons was trying to figure out how much light to let into the lens during a sunset:
And, then, finally, I have to post a photo of my brother actually at graduation.
One day, when Landon's old enough to ride coasters, Isaac will take a trip to Disney with me, and he'll appear in a trip report. I wish it was sooner, because if you thought my mom and I were a hoot together, you should see it when we two siblings are in the same room. We can be quite the pair, I'll say that.
All right, enough real life shenanigans, let us return to Disney World!
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 Night:
Let me set the scene:
It's about 7:30pm on an early May evening. For the first time in days, the weather is fairly mild. The storms that had pounded us earlier in the day had grabbed the heat and humidity and taken them east.
My mother and I had our bellies full of scrumptious Italian food and walked out of the restaurant into a setting sun over the World Showcase in Epcot.
To the right was the Germany pavilion with the smell of caramel wafting towards us.
To the left was the sight of the American Pavilion, where one knew the Voices of Liberty were housed.
Oh, why bother trying to describe a sight that's too great for words when I can just show you this picture:
I know, it's just the Italy pavilion, but you get the idea.
Anyone who's been inside the World Showcase around sunset knows how peaceful and beautiful it is. One of the best places on Earth to be.
Okay, that might be stretching it. But I sure didn't want to be anywhere else at that particular moment, that's for sure.
Since it was the Flower and Garden Festival (no, not this last one, 2 festivals ago...I know, this report has gone on THAT LONG) I saw Lady and the Tramp hanging out:
Who doesn't love Lady's ears? They are adorable.
My mother and I didn't make it far before we saw this sight:
I swear, the water looks prettier with the sun setting over it and the lamps around the Showcase beginning to turn on. Even the globe off in the distance looks more majestic.
My mom and I decided to veer left, since we'd come from the right to get to dinner. We needed to check out a few more pavilions before we said goodbye to Epcot for good on that trip!
We made it to the American Pavilion (real far, I know) when we saw the Toy Story topiaries and had to stop for a Photopass opportunity.
Who doesn't love Toy Story? I think it holds something special for all age groups.
And man oh man, when the 3rd movie came out, it really struck home for my generation. I was at that point in my life where I'd just recently become an adult and went out into the real world, and when I saw that final scene where Andy was giving away his toys, I teared up in the theater. Grown adult, shedding tears over a Disney movie...
Ridiculous, but so true.
(Of course, we won't even go there with Up's beginning sequence. Ugh.)
I was never a HUGE fan of the films until Toy Story 3, now that's up there among my favorite Disney films. So, needless to say, I was happy to get a photo with those particular topiaries.
Leaving the American Pavilion, my mom and I headed to France.
Even though it was the best weather of the trip, it was still hot, and we needed something cold to cool us down.
And I knew just the thing to try.
The two of us came upon a certain cart in France that catered to adults of the over 21 age persuasion and decided to try the Grand Marnier Grey Goose Orange Slush.
I had a blonde moment in the line, of course. My mom was ordering the drinks, and I was standing behind her, people watching, waiting patiently for us to get our slushies and move on.
In my own little world, I tuned out my immediate surroundings and was silently listening to the IllumiNations pre-show in my mind. Well, I guess the poor CM behind the counter was going, "Ma'am, ma'am, miss, miss??" and I wasn't hearing it.
Finally, my mother had to bump my shoulder and go, "Hey, Alicia, he's referring to you."
Wha-? Huh?
The CM needed to check my ID before he could serve me, which I knew was going to happen. I look like I'm still 16; I've always been viewed as a teenager. One time, at an internship, I went to a K-12 school, and people thought I was one of the seniors.
Ugh. When I'm hanging out with my brother, strangers believe I'm his friend, not his older sister of 4+ years.
It's a frustrating fact, but one I'm used to, so I should've been paying more attention. Instead, I was holding up the line and getting odd looks from the CM.
Then, of course, I became aware of how I had stopped the line and began rushing. That, "Quick as you can, get your ID."
Which never works.
You end up fumbling around in your bag, dropping stuff out the sides and become incapable of finding that huge bulging wallet that you complained about being so big thirty minutes prior.
It was embarrassing.
And all my mom could say when she jostled me into consciousness was, "He sure ain't asking to card me, Alicia."
Blegh.
Too much work went into that beverage.
My mom and I took a sip of a drinks and agreed it was really good.
But wow, it packed a punch. I forget how generous Disney is with its booze.
Now that we'd gotten our after-dessert dessert, my mom and I decided we didn't really want to head to Canada and the UK pavilions.
I was debating getting something from Karamell Kluche earlier that evening and had finally decided that I did indeed want a treat. I still had several snack credits left and figured that was a fantastic place to spend one of them.
My mom and I took our time strolling back to Germany. We kind of had to. Those cups are filled to the brim, and it would have been shameful to spill our drinks all over the sidewalk. Although, there were two or three times that I was afraid that would be the case.
Once inside the store, my mom bought a caramel brownie and I purchased the Chewy Caramel Bar. Once upon a time, PirateKate raved about this dessert and made it a known name on the TR thread, and I had yet to taste it. It was about time I gave this bad boy a shot.
Only, not right then.
My mom and I were still stuffed, and weren't getting any hungrier with the slushies.
By that point it was past 8 o'clock, nearing 8:30, and the IllumiNations pre-show music (the same one that was bouncing around in my head earlier) had started to pipe through the speakers.
Everything looked so darn pretty that night.
You know this meant we were nearing fireworks time..
My mom and I stood around a bit, sipping our drinks, talking about nothing in particular, just listening to the sounds of Epcot bustling at night. We thought about staying and watching IllumiNations, but neither of us were overly thrilled with the idea.
Still, we didn't want to leave Epcot yet.
We weren't ready to say goodbye.
We were standing there, thinking over our options, when I remembered something I'd read on the DISboards a few weeks back.
Test Track had recently closed for refurb (yes, this report is still THAT OLD) and because of that, Epcot was keeping Soarin' open later. Only, they weren't posting that little tidbit of info on the Times Guide, so not a lot of people knew this gem.
Because it was only, like, the 2nd week this had been reported as having happened, I wasn't 100% sure Soarin' was indeed running. The park could have decided to stop doing that or other guests might have found out about the later time, and the attraction wait time could have jumped dramatically.
Either way, I asked my mom if she wanted to walk over there and at least see if we could walk onto the ride. Seeing as I was talking to my mother, the fan of all things Soarin', she naturally agreed.
Off to Future World we went, slurping down the last of our Grey Goose.
We went into the Land, (about 8:50pm) walked to Soarin' and sure enough, it was up and running and with only a 10 minute wait listed on the board.
As it turns out, it wasn't even that long. My mom and I walked to end and were sent straight to a number in line 3, where the opening video was about halfway through.
Score!
My mom was unbelievably excited to have just walked on to her favorite ride.
It is always nice that little treat occurs on your favorite attraction.
This 3rd journey on Soarin' during this trip was a might bit different than the previous times. I wouldn't recommend consuming alcohol before riding this particular ride. You feel ten times more weightless and each glide to the left felt as if you kept leaning and leaning. I was mentally telling my hang glider, "That's enough! We're really going to hit those trees! No, no water! I like my feet dry, thank you very much."
I won't lie, I wasn't sad when the ride ended.
That was a little too much for me.
Upon exiting, I asked my mom if she wanted to ride it again, because if getting to walk onto your favorite ride is fantastic, then getting to do it TWICE is spectacular.
Thankfully, she said she'd had enough. (As it turns out, the alcohol had gotten to her, as well, but she just didn't want to admit it.)
So, we agreed to go ahead and leave, hopefully beating the IllumiNations crowds to the buses.
We said farewell to the Epcot globe:
I became a tad bit sad walking away from it. It felt like just yesterday that I had arrived at the parks and had chosen that very globe to be our first sight. Now we were bidding it ado, rounding that final bend, creeping closer and closer to our departure.
I chose not to think about it, otherwise I would bum myself out. And there was absolutely no need for that, since I still had a full Disney day ahead of me.
**(It's hard to believe that as of today, it's been 175 days since I've been to Disney and 175 days until I return.)**
As I mentioned in an earlier post, my mom and I were testing out the bus system, because Alex wanted to know if it was worth driving while on property or not.
Well, my mom and I made it to the All Star stop, got in a decent sized line, and waited for the bus to arrive.
It was only about 10 minutes before it did.
They loaded a ton of people in (not us) and got it jammed packed.
Then the driver tried to close the back door.
Nothing.
He got out, examined the bus, got back in, tried again.
Nothing.
He radioed another driver, waited for him to show up.
Nothing.
Now there were two drivers standing around, flummoxed over why the door wouldn't shut.
They moved the guests nearest the door so far back they were practically sitting in strangers' laps.
About 30 minutes later, another All Star bus finally arrived.
Yeah.
It was taking that long.
This driver gets out of his bus to see what the hold up was.
Goes inside the broke bus, does something to the controls, and VIOLA!
Problem fixed.
I don't know what he did, but I was sure glad he did it.
You can see the broke bus and then the other All Star bus behind it in this picture.
The first bus quickly drove off, the second bus pulled up, and my mom and I boarded.
When it was all said and done, from the time we got to the stop until the time we stepped foot in the Sports lobby, an hour had passed.
Not exactly the greatest test run for the Disney bus system.
I texted Alex, saying simply, "Driving wins."
My mom and I hit the hay pretty quickly, because we had a morning ADR to get to the following day, and we needed some sleep. Another successful Disney day had wrapped, and it was time to set sail to our final day of vacation.
Up Next: Do it For Nostalgia's Sake
It's just sad.
I think I am going to blame it on my upcoming trip. In the past few weeks, I've been so busy making plans for December, that I have pushed the past trips to the back of my mind.
Oops.
But yes, we are going back in December of 2013.
Landon's first ever Disney trip!!!
I have a resort booked, ADRs booked, and a tentative schedule mapped out. Because I've been so horrible about writing updates, at this time there won't be a PTR, because goodness knows I'd leave that in the dust as well.
If I'm allowed to throw in one more excuse...this past Friday was my younger brother's high school graduation and my mom's 50th birthday. Therefore, it was a pretty crazy weekend. Lots of laughter, energy, and love going around my parent's house.
My brother and his wife (whom he eloped with last week, 2 days after telling us she was pregnant. YEAH.) flew into town, my grandfather and his wife drove in, as did my great aunt. There were also the locals (two aunts/two uncles), Isaac's girlfriend, my mother's best friend's family, and I'm sure I'm missing some folks.
We had a room reserved at a restaurant that's owned by a family friend and had a big lunch, then we all went to the graduation that night. It was a wonderful, exciting, exhausting day, and I loved it.
(I even used a ton of teekathepony's photography lessons)
The restaurant was incredibly dark, so I remembered her lesson on aperture and managed to make it somewhat bright for the group shot.
(Sorry about the blurred out faces, but some of the partygoers wouldn't want their photos posted on an online forum.)
A rare (and I mean RARE) photo of my whole family together. My father, who I don't think I post many pictures of is on the far right, followed my older brother and his wife, my younger brother in the red, and you all know my mom, Alex, Landon, and myself.
My next attempt at using the photography lessons was trying to figure out how much light to let into the lens during a sunset:
And, then, finally, I have to post a photo of my brother actually at graduation.
One day, when Landon's old enough to ride coasters, Isaac will take a trip to Disney with me, and he'll appear in a trip report. I wish it was sooner, because if you thought my mom and I were a hoot together, you should see it when we two siblings are in the same room. We can be quite the pair, I'll say that.
All right, enough real life shenanigans, let us return to Disney World!
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 Night:
Let me set the scene:
It's about 7:30pm on an early May evening. For the first time in days, the weather is fairly mild. The storms that had pounded us earlier in the day had grabbed the heat and humidity and taken them east.
My mother and I had our bellies full of scrumptious Italian food and walked out of the restaurant into a setting sun over the World Showcase in Epcot.
To the right was the Germany pavilion with the smell of caramel wafting towards us.
To the left was the sight of the American Pavilion, where one knew the Voices of Liberty were housed.
Oh, why bother trying to describe a sight that's too great for words when I can just show you this picture:
I know, it's just the Italy pavilion, but you get the idea.
Anyone who's been inside the World Showcase around sunset knows how peaceful and beautiful it is. One of the best places on Earth to be.
Okay, that might be stretching it. But I sure didn't want to be anywhere else at that particular moment, that's for sure.
Since it was the Flower and Garden Festival (no, not this last one, 2 festivals ago...I know, this report has gone on THAT LONG) I saw Lady and the Tramp hanging out:
Who doesn't love Lady's ears? They are adorable.
My mother and I didn't make it far before we saw this sight:
I swear, the water looks prettier with the sun setting over it and the lamps around the Showcase beginning to turn on. Even the globe off in the distance looks more majestic.
My mom and I decided to veer left, since we'd come from the right to get to dinner. We needed to check out a few more pavilions before we said goodbye to Epcot for good on that trip!
We made it to the American Pavilion (real far, I know) when we saw the Toy Story topiaries and had to stop for a Photopass opportunity.
Who doesn't love Toy Story? I think it holds something special for all age groups.
And man oh man, when the 3rd movie came out, it really struck home for my generation. I was at that point in my life where I'd just recently become an adult and went out into the real world, and when I saw that final scene where Andy was giving away his toys, I teared up in the theater. Grown adult, shedding tears over a Disney movie...
Ridiculous, but so true.
(Of course, we won't even go there with Up's beginning sequence. Ugh.
)I was never a HUGE fan of the films until Toy Story 3, now that's up there among my favorite Disney films. So, needless to say, I was happy to get a photo with those particular topiaries.
Leaving the American Pavilion, my mom and I headed to France.
Even though it was the best weather of the trip, it was still hot, and we needed something cold to cool us down.
And I knew just the thing to try.
The two of us came upon a certain cart in France that catered to adults of the over 21 age persuasion and decided to try the Grand Marnier Grey Goose Orange Slush.
I had a blonde moment in the line, of course. My mom was ordering the drinks, and I was standing behind her, people watching, waiting patiently for us to get our slushies and move on.
In my own little world, I tuned out my immediate surroundings and was silently listening to the IllumiNations pre-show in my mind. Well, I guess the poor CM behind the counter was going, "Ma'am, ma'am, miss, miss??" and I wasn't hearing it.
Finally, my mother had to bump my shoulder and go, "Hey, Alicia, he's referring to you."
Wha-? Huh?
The CM needed to check my ID before he could serve me, which I knew was going to happen. I look like I'm still 16; I've always been viewed as a teenager. One time, at an internship, I went to a K-12 school, and people thought I was one of the seniors.
Ugh. When I'm hanging out with my brother, strangers believe I'm his friend, not his older sister of 4+ years.It's a frustrating fact, but one I'm used to, so I should've been paying more attention. Instead, I was holding up the line and getting odd looks from the CM.
Then, of course, I became aware of how I had stopped the line and began rushing. That, "Quick as you can, get your ID."
Which never works.
You end up fumbling around in your bag, dropping stuff out the sides and become incapable of finding that huge bulging wallet that you complained about being so big thirty minutes prior.
It was embarrassing.
And all my mom could say when she jostled me into consciousness was, "He sure ain't asking to card me, Alicia."
Blegh.
Too much work went into that beverage.
My mom and I took a sip of a drinks and agreed it was really good.
But wow, it packed a punch. I forget how generous Disney is with its booze.
Now that we'd gotten our after-dessert dessert, my mom and I decided we didn't really want to head to Canada and the UK pavilions.
I was debating getting something from Karamell Kluche earlier that evening and had finally decided that I did indeed want a treat. I still had several snack credits left and figured that was a fantastic place to spend one of them.
My mom and I took our time strolling back to Germany. We kind of had to. Those cups are filled to the brim, and it would have been shameful to spill our drinks all over the sidewalk. Although, there were two or three times that I was afraid that would be the case.
Once inside the store, my mom bought a caramel brownie and I purchased the Chewy Caramel Bar. Once upon a time, PirateKate raved about this dessert and made it a known name on the TR thread, and I had yet to taste it. It was about time I gave this bad boy a shot.
Only, not right then.
My mom and I were still stuffed, and weren't getting any hungrier with the slushies.
By that point it was past 8 o'clock, nearing 8:30, and the IllumiNations pre-show music (the same one that was bouncing around in my head earlier) had started to pipe through the speakers.
Everything looked so darn pretty that night.
You know this meant we were nearing fireworks time..
My mom and I stood around a bit, sipping our drinks, talking about nothing in particular, just listening to the sounds of Epcot bustling at night. We thought about staying and watching IllumiNations, but neither of us were overly thrilled with the idea.
Still, we didn't want to leave Epcot yet.
We weren't ready to say goodbye.
We were standing there, thinking over our options, when I remembered something I'd read on the DISboards a few weeks back.
Test Track had recently closed for refurb (yes, this report is still THAT OLD) and because of that, Epcot was keeping Soarin' open later. Only, they weren't posting that little tidbit of info on the Times Guide, so not a lot of people knew this gem.
Because it was only, like, the 2nd week this had been reported as having happened, I wasn't 100% sure Soarin' was indeed running. The park could have decided to stop doing that or other guests might have found out about the later time, and the attraction wait time could have jumped dramatically.
Either way, I asked my mom if she wanted to walk over there and at least see if we could walk onto the ride. Seeing as I was talking to my mother, the fan of all things Soarin', she naturally agreed.
Off to Future World we went, slurping down the last of our Grey Goose.
We went into the Land, (about 8:50pm) walked to Soarin' and sure enough, it was up and running and with only a 10 minute wait listed on the board.
As it turns out, it wasn't even that long. My mom and I walked to end and were sent straight to a number in line 3, where the opening video was about halfway through.
Score!
My mom was unbelievably excited to have just walked on to her favorite ride.
It is always nice that little treat occurs on your favorite attraction.
This 3rd journey on Soarin' during this trip was a might bit different than the previous times. I wouldn't recommend consuming alcohol before riding this particular ride. You feel ten times more weightless and each glide to the left felt as if you kept leaning and leaning. I was mentally telling my hang glider, "That's enough! We're really going to hit those trees! No, no water! I like my feet dry, thank you very much."
I won't lie, I wasn't sad when the ride ended.
That was a little too much for me.
Upon exiting, I asked my mom if she wanted to ride it again, because if getting to walk onto your favorite ride is fantastic, then getting to do it TWICE is spectacular.
Thankfully, she said she'd had enough. (As it turns out, the alcohol had gotten to her, as well, but she just didn't want to admit it.)
So, we agreed to go ahead and leave, hopefully beating the IllumiNations crowds to the buses.
We said farewell to the Epcot globe:
I became a tad bit sad walking away from it. It felt like just yesterday that I had arrived at the parks and had chosen that very globe to be our first sight. Now we were bidding it ado, rounding that final bend, creeping closer and closer to our departure.
I chose not to think about it, otherwise I would bum myself out. And there was absolutely no need for that, since I still had a full Disney day ahead of me.
**(It's hard to believe that as of today, it's been 175 days since I've been to Disney and 175 days until I return.)**
As I mentioned in an earlier post, my mom and I were testing out the bus system, because Alex wanted to know if it was worth driving while on property or not.
Well, my mom and I made it to the All Star stop, got in a decent sized line, and waited for the bus to arrive.
It was only about 10 minutes before it did.
They loaded a ton of people in (not us) and got it jammed packed.
Then the driver tried to close the back door.
Nothing.
He got out, examined the bus, got back in, tried again.
Nothing.
He radioed another driver, waited for him to show up.
Nothing.
Now there were two drivers standing around, flummoxed over why the door wouldn't shut.
They moved the guests nearest the door so far back they were practically sitting in strangers' laps.
About 30 minutes later, another All Star bus finally arrived.
Yeah.
It was taking that long.
This driver gets out of his bus to see what the hold up was.
Goes inside the broke bus, does something to the controls, and VIOLA!
Problem fixed.
I don't know what he did, but I was sure glad he did it.
You can see the broke bus and then the other All Star bus behind it in this picture.
The first bus quickly drove off, the second bus pulled up, and my mom and I boarded.
When it was all said and done, from the time we got to the stop until the time we stepped foot in the Sports lobby, an hour had passed.
Not exactly the greatest test run for the Disney bus system.
I texted Alex, saying simply, "Driving wins."
My mom and I hit the hay pretty quickly, because we had a morning ADR to get to the following day, and we needed some sleep. Another successful Disney day had wrapped, and it was time to set sail to our final day of vacation.
Up Next: Do it For Nostalgia's Sake
Last edited:
marDgreen88
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2011
Your experience on Soarin' is exactly why I don't drink.
I promise there aren't usually bus issues like that! There will always be a wait at the very end of the night but still.
I promise there aren't usually bus issues like that! There will always be a wait at the very end of the night but still.
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