Jaime on Vacation! (9/2/06 - 9/10/06) COMPLETED: Page 14, Post #210

[Tinkerbell Teen]

Darn. I got to the end. Pity that is. I just read the entire report and I'm itching for more. Subscribing. TOTALLY subscribing.

Keep it up. The awesome work.

Shannon

 

[pamjb]

That's where my sympathies end, I'm afraid. You need help; I offer help; you refuse; I stop worrying about it.

Maybe I'm just mean...

Jamie,

You are not mean. You are a mother. I have often heard "I have a headache Mom" Here is some Tylenol/Advil/. No, I don't want it. Ok then....my part is done.
PS...I have yet to see the Chinese acrobats. I think they purposely schedule their performances for whatever rain is in the area..

 

[tiggerbell]

Jamie,

You are not mean. You are a mother. I have often heard "I have a headache Mom" Here is some Tylenol/Advil/. No, I don't want it. Ok then....my part is done.
PS...I have yet to see the Chinese acrobats. I think they purposely schedule their performances for whatever rain is in the area..

Pam, I've seen them perform when it rained! They took the show inside the big round building! There were benches in there and everything - but they're all on the same level, so don't be shy about grabbing the front row!

 

[tiggerbell]

What do you think of Candy-ing around the World???

There’s a candy in Norway that I read about on the boards, some kind of chocolate and caramel that’s supposed to be really, really good. Let’s ride the Maelstrom and buy the candy! It’s called Smoer Bukk. And it’s $9 a bag! But it was pretty darn good. Meg also bought (while we were there) a Daim chocolate bar. Which she said was pretty daim good!

We backtrack to Mexico to look for candy – and I’m thinking about my landlady’s mother a few weeks ago, offering me these little fruit squares, like sugared gummy blocks, that have Tequila in them. We find a couple of really lame candies, and I keep thinking there must be more. So we ask a cast member, and he’s all excited about the 3 kinds of goat milk chocolate they have to offer.

Now, we live in a town that has a big Hispanic population – we can get better Mexican candy, well, I was going to say “at the corner store”, but I guess “from my landlady’s mother” works too!

So, we just look around the pavilion, try on a couple of hats

and head back to China – Meg wants the candy Ashley bought earlier – it’s called White Rabbit, it looked kind of like taffy. But they were talking about a layer over the taffy they said was like paper – and Mama don’t put stuff that’s weird in her mouth! Got that? I don’t touch stuff at zoos and I don’t eat stuff that’s not easily identifiable. (It’s now 4:34pm, in case you care)

Over to Germany we head – Germany must have great candy! I have no facts to base that opinion on, except that I’m ½ German and have faith in my people. Both girls pick out Toblerone bars. HA!!! Those are SWISS!!! Meg also grabbed a small square of actual German chocolate.

We show Ashley the German Village with the trains. And the…..excuse me????? Is that the church with the HIDDEN MICKEYS?????????? I freak out! My Hidden Mickey church is back! I’m so confused!!! (And if you haven’t read the other reports I’ve written, so are you!)

Over to Italy, the other ½ of my heritage. Here Meg finds a big bar of Cappuccino chocolate. And I browse around the wine store and wish I drank. I also look at the perfume shop and fantasize about locking Ashley in there.

Over to America: horrible!!! All they have is Disney candy! Where’s the Hershey’s??? The girls check the judge’s rulebook – nope, Disney candy does not count for “America”. I appealed the judge’s decision and lost.

Back to Japan – Ashley’s favorite store. There were little Koala things – I think they were cookies, with a chocolate center? Meg bought that and something grape flavored.

I know it doesn’t seem very exciting, but we were having a blast! And I was embarrassing the girls by telling every cast member that we were Candy-ing Around the World.

Over to Morocco – NO CANDY. But another Aladdin sighting.

France, we met this lovely French girl. She was going back in a week. One of the girls said they loved her accent, and she said, in the French accent, “I don’t have an accent.” Which was cool, because the girls (& me) found out that all Americans sound the same to this French girl. I thought it was really interesting that this woman couldn’t tell the difference between a New Yorker and a Georgian!

In France, Meg hit the jackpot – LOTS of candy choices! She picked out several bite size pieces and I found “Violet” candy tins on the counter. My sister, Mia, used to buy violet candy when I was a child, so this was really neat. I bought a tin for Mia and a tin for me. The girls had to try my candy. I gave them each a piece and the general consensus was, “It tastes like flowers.” First of all – VIOLET candy, duh! And secondly, HOW do you know what a FLOWER tastes like?

We wish the French girl (is it wrong I keep wanting to type “maid”?) a safe journey home and head to the UK. I find a bench. Aaaah…… The girls hit the shops. It had been cloudy for awhile, so I amused myself taking pictures of the sun hitting the buildings.

When all of a sudden, Meg is in front of me, “You have to pay!”

Was this a mob hit? Oh, no, I just never gave her charging privileges! I forgot! And, she continues over her shoulder, running back into the store, the characters are out, HURRY!!!

The girl at the counter is holding Meg’s candy. (a Twirl, a Flake, and a Curly Whirly) I pay (oh, boy, am I ever paying for this trip! ) and join the girls in line for the characters. We end up being the last family who will get to see them. “Them” being Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore. Well, we got them for quite a long time. It started with each of us running to a character – mine being Tigger of course! I had handed the CM my camera, but Tigger and I were very busy “bouncing” before we would stop to take a picture!

I got my camera back and snapped away while Ash & Meg played with Tigger and Pooh and Eeyore. One of the girls was bouncing with Tigger now and asked Eeyore why doesn’t he bounce, too? Eeyore gave a hand gesture that basically means, “Not on your freakin’ life, buddy!” and walked away! He then went to the wall, crossed one foot in front of the other and placed a hand on his hip. I just missed the picture!

Then the other characters started paying attention to him and he hid behind the drapes. Tigger went in the right side after Eeyore and Pooh went in after Tigger, and the 3 of them kept circling the curtain over and over! They even had the handlers cracking up!

We finally leave them and go outside (hey! Back on Regency Street!). Meg’s Birthday hat is having a problem. It’s coming undone.

What do you do when your hat looks like the Flying Nun? You FLY, of course!

Now technically, because we bought, wait… what’s this WE crap? Because THEY bought chocolate in Canada this morning, technically, Candy-ing around the World is complete! Except that they want more Aero bars from Canada, so back we go…

You think they’ve had enough chocolate?

 

[tiggerbell]

Touch more housekeeping, can’t write anymore tonight, no heat yet in my apartment and my fingers are freezing off!

Shannon: Thanks for the kind words!

Disney_1984 (if that is your real name!): DISternity leave – THAT’S FUNNY!!!!!!!! I can’t compete, I quit. Finish the report for me!

Mom2my3kids: Thank you.

Rhondalee: Nice math skills, sis… Since WHEN is 49 the biggest 2 digit number??? Wouldn’t 99 be the biggest 2-digit number? Jeez, oops – sorry nebo – geesh, are we really related???

Jordansmomma: Does it show? Rhonda’s my favorite and I’ll tell any of my sisters that! They all know anyway… When we move to Florida in a few years with Mia, Rhonda and I want to put glitter in the paint in the foyer of the house (we saw it in a banquet hall this summer and it was so cool!). Mia says no. She doesn’t get the Pixie Dust thing!

Nebo: After I typed this, I spell checked. Yeah, “jeez” went through, but “geesh” got highlighted… hmmm…

 

[Disney_1984]

Disney_1984 (if that is your real name!): DISternity leave – THAT’S FUNNY!!!!!!!! I can’t compete, I quit. Finish the report for me!

no no tigger, i coudnt compete with your wit; and abstract loathing of goosebump

One thing though, you have candied around the world; but im planning on doing the 'eating' around the world, in just one visit i have to eat at least one bit of proper food from each country, my girlfriend says im crazy and that i will pop before i finish, i say bring on the giant pretzel.

looking forward to the next installment.

 

[tiggerbell]

It’s now about 7pm. We head back into Future World and straight for Test Track. Remember how we had discovered that Test Track was already online with the Photo Pass machines? It’s time to use that knowledge…

We get to Test Track and the line wait is 10 minutes. We walk right on the ride – I mean RIGHT ON – the doors at the back of the pre-show movie are OPEN and we walk right through!!! I’ve never gotten to do that before.

And it’s also time for another Magical Moment in the vacation that’s Meggie’s Birthday Trip. I really wish I could remember the cast member’s name (I want to say Karen?) who was at the seatbelt checkpoint. She spots Meg’s sash and buttons and starts singing the Paul McCarthy version of the birthday song. And dancing. Yup. We got the whole show. It was spectacular!

We get our ride photo added to our card and run around to the front of Test Track again.

There’s no line at Test Track!!! So we go on again. Again, the pre-show doors are open, and again, still-wanna-call-her-Karen sings and dances. We tell her we’ll be back. She tells us to hurry, she’s going on break.

ALSO, PLEASE NOTE THE BRUISE ON MY RIGHT THIGH IN THESE PHOTOS. THAT WAS FROM BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN.

THIS ride photo, we do a Charlie’s Angels’ pose… but there’s no picture. The CM looks and looks, but it’s been deleted (they do that if there’s an obscene gesture or something). Maybe someone else in the car? Or maybe they misjudged our pose?

Oh, well. Better ride again! As we get to the cars, we spot Karen and wave – she’s by the loading area now. She points at the 3 of us and yells across to the girl at the podium (on the left side of the loading area) that we get to ride twice. WOW!!! The girl at the podium asks Meg her name and then announces to the people in the cars (and the tiny line) that it’s Meghan’s birthday.

My shy little teen half stands in the car, turns to the crowd, and waves! It was so cute!!! We do Egyptian poses in the photo this time.

When the ride is over, they have us exit the car and walk to the staircase that you pass when you exit the loading area. We went UP the stairs, past the control room with all the TV monitors of the ride (Meg was in HEAVEN seeing backstage stuff! ) and down more stairs to end up at the front of the loading line… well, HAD there been a line!

We thank Karen profusely and redo our Charlie’s Angels pose for the camera.

Both get added to the Photo Pass (The CM at the picture pickup had told us that they can look back at 3 months of photos, so we just noted the time when the 1st picture was taken because we didn't come though the exit after the Egyptian pose because we were special!).

We decide to do one last ride. Oh, crap. Someone has re-entered “The Silent Zone”.

As we’re walking back through all the cars to get to the line again, Ashley is WAY out ahead of me and Meg. I don’t know why. But just then, I step on something. Well, something went into my shoe (Crocs have 1 design flaw – they let in rocks, and in this case, splinters). I have to stop to lean on the wall and remove the splinter.

Meg is with me and yells to Ashley, “Wait! There’s something in my mom’s foot.” Ashley turns and looks and then keeps walking! By the time I get the splinter out and test the foot to make sure there’s nothing else in it, we can’t see Ashley anymore. Meg’s a little upset with Ashley now. I tell her don’t worry, let’s see Ashley make it back to the hotel alone! NOT!!! She’s around.

We get outside and finally catch up with her and Meg actually yells at her. You can’t walk off like that, my mom was hurt!

OK, maybe some of us are getting hungry again?

One more ride – arms up! LOOK! Even the other riders posed like us this time! – and let’s feed the angry mob!

 

[tiggerbell]

In the planning stages of this trip, Meg had a fixation with eating at the Electric Umbrella. I don’t know why. I don’t think she knows why. But she suggested it A LOT! It didn’t make the final cut, yet – here we are in EPCOT, we want to use a counter service, and we’re too tired to walk back to the World Showcase.

I’m hoping that once we have some food in us, we will go back and watch Illuminations. But I think there was some part of me that knew this wasn’t going to happen.

So Electric Umbrella it is! Bacon Double Cheeseburger Combo, Chicken Strip Combo, Double Cheeseburger Combo. Coke, Apple Juice, Water. 2 Chocolate Chip Cookies, Strawberry Cheesecake. Would have been $34.93.

And I have started up a very bad habit again on this trip – I’ve been dipping my fries in mayonnaise all week! Stupid fixings bars! Child of the 80s here, remember? Andrew Ridgely from Wham! started me on that culinary no-no. It’s actually quite tasty. Don’t judge me! YOU probably eat something just as gross!

Well, the meal helped a little, but I don’t have the energy to fight with them to head back for the fireworks. I let it go – after all, I’ll be back in May! And September! So we head to MouseGears. Shopping! This’ll make everyone happy. Or maybe not, I know I didn’t buy anything, Ashley might have… and we were there for a little over ½ an hour.

Walking out, we look for the lit up sidewalks, Meg loves those. And at the gate, we get 3 PhotoPass people all to ourselves! That was a lot of fun.

I took that one.

From the bus stop, we can hear the fireworks start, but I’m too tired to care. Much.

ONE LAST THING: I don’t know which night it was, probably earlier in the trip, but the evenings all blend together, Meg was suffering from a very upset stomach in the hotel room. She took some Pepto (good girl) and we all went to sleep. The phone rang at 10:47 (I know! We were all sleeping THAT early in Disney!!!) It was Mia asking how the trip was. I tell her we were sleeping and that’s when Meg says, “Mom, I’m gonna throw up!” I say, “Mia, I gotta go, Meg’s sick!” and hang up.

Now, not that you need to know this, but Meg and I don’t throw up – EVER! So this means she was REALLY sick. I decide she needs to burp. (Well, what else can I do?) so I switch places with Ashley to rub Meg’s back. I get her to burp after about 10 minutes. She feels much better. We all finally go to sleep again.

I don’t remember the point of this story anymore, so I’ll stop writing. BTW, she was fine the next morning. And I got 3 phone calls from Mia & Rhonda the next day checking on Meg!


HIGHS: It truly was a MAGICAL day! The Kim Possible game was awesome! Test Track was a blast! Candy-ing around the World was pretty cool.

LOWS: The Silent Zone. The Stomach Ache. The Splinter. Anything that starts with the Letter “S”?

MILES WALKED: 12.82!!!!!!!!!

WHICH BRINGS ME TO SOMETHING I FORGOT: DAY 4: Magic Kingdom. We rode Space Mountain 4 times in a row in about 30 minutes! There was no line… and we had a Magical Moment when the CM at the entrance to the building STOPPED people from entering the building so he could fill out a Magical Moments Certificate for Meghan’s birthday. Then made all the people who were just help OUTSIDE THE RIDE to sing Happy Birthday BEFORE he’d let us all in to ride Space Mountain!

We then went over to Splash Mountain and rode THAT 4 times in a row!

Meg insists that those 8 rides contributed to my miles walked of 12.49 that day. I agree the rides DO add steps… I just don’t know HOW MANY!

Meg also states TODAY’S total of 12.82 is faulty because of the multiple Test Track rides.

I SAY: Shut up, Meg!

 

[Tinkerbell Teen]

Like it, like it, like it!

ME AND MY MOTHER ARE MAKING PARK OPENING NEXT TRIP. PERIOD.

Sorry to hear Meg was sick.



Shannon

 

[tammyandtommy]

And I have started up a very bad habit again on this trip – I’ve been dipping my fries in mayonnaise all week! Stupid fixings bars! Child of the 80s here, remember? Andrew Ridgely from Wham! started me on that culinary no-no. It’s actually quite tasty. Don’t judge me! YOU probably eat something just as gross!

OH MY GOSH I thought I was the only one who dipped fries in mayo! No wonder I like youre TR youre me!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I do that too and every on thinks it is really odd.

 

[tiggerbell]

Well, there! See? There's 3 of us - 4, if we count Andrew Ridgeley - who eat our fries with mayo! OK, maybe it is a little weird...

 

[tiggerbell]

Meg had a new camera for the trip, did I mention that? Please tell me I told you the lens cap story!!!

Yesterday, she was bugging me about getting her rolls of film developed (look, I paid for the trip, what more do you want?) She had babysat for someone Friday night, so she finally had some cash. I was looking online to see how much Walgreens charges to develop a roll of film (couldn't find the answer, btw) but I did discover you could ask for NO prints, JUST a CD! That made so much more sense! I wanted the CD so I could post Meg's pictures here and this way she's not paying for any crappy snappy!

She wanted to argue about it (duh), so I agreed to pay half for the CDs. After seeing some of the pictures, she agreed we did the right thing! The funny part was that Rhonda was working camera when we went in, and she didn't know how to put in "no prints, 1 CD" into the computer. She does now!

Anyway, without further babbling, I present some of Meg's pictures:

DON'T use the flash when trying to snap the fiber optic sidewalk!

9 Dragons lobby ceiling.

I really like that one.

Outside the Tiki Room.

I took this one AND I think I forgot to put it in the report... make sure I add this story!!!

DUCK in Casey's.

We don't know if she MISSED our upper halves or if this was supposed to be an "artsie" shot, but I think it's the thinnest I've looked on this whole trip!

LADY walking into the shot. But a great indicator of the line at checkin!

Back on the Magical Express bus and doing my Robert Blake impression.

This one's just weird. Check out the look on the face of the lady sitting next to me. This was in Midway Airport. Chances are I'm a little high!

This turtle was part of the lens cap story... I have to reread the report and see if I told that one!

Geir Ness in Norway!

 

[tiggerbell]

Just found my first mistake! Post 27, Page 2. It'll be in RED.

 

[tiggerbell]

TURTLE STORY ADDED: Page 4, Post 53. In red. Sorry.

 

[Mouse511]

Great trip report!

 

[DisneyObsession]

I love that you've put in how many miles you walked in the day! Did you have a pedometer to keep track? That was something I had thought about for my next trip!

Great report! I just need to get caught up now!

 

[tiggerbell]

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2006

PLANS: MGM

BREAKFAST: Pop Century (CS13,14,15)
LUNCH: Backlot Express (CS16,17,18)
DINNER: Sci-Fi Theater @ 7:30p ($$$)

REALITY: Did you read the above plans? Didja??? Well, read them again… and then forget them!

After Sunday’s MGM debacle, I don’t want to go back there. Let alone spend the ENTIRE day! I wouldn’t mind dinner at the Sci-Fi, but I can’t spend a whole day in MGM. So the new plan was for the girls to go to MGM, do their stupid thrill rides, and I’ll go to EPCOT and meet them at the Sci-Fi for dinner. I had changed my 8-day ticket to an 8 day Park Hopper 2 days ago after talking to the girls.

Except all yesterday, trekking around EPCOT, Ashley’s saying, “I love this place! I love EPCOT! I want to come back here tomorrow.” And Meg gets cold feet about going to a park alone, and now SHE wants to go back to EPCOT, too!

You people couldn’t decide all this BEFORE I changed my ticket to a park hopper??? Well, if you want to go to EPCOT that’s fine, but then figure out the rest of the schedule, because I’m not shelling out another $94 to change your tickets to park hoppers too! (And I couldn’t get my $47 back, either!)

So, what’s spent is spent, let’s just have fun doing WHATEVER, ok?

EXCEPT, Meg gets up and she really doesn’t WANT to spend another day at EPCOT… I honestly don’t know how I kept from throwing her off the balcony at that point. I just sat down on the bed and said, “OK, then. What do we do?”

The plans were MGM today, MK Saturday, and AK Sunday before we fly home. We’ve done 2 days in EPCOT already. We decide that Saturday’s MK couldn’t be touched due to the ressie we have (you’ll have to wait!), so that left changing AK to today and MGM to Sunday. Wow! That actually WORKS! We can see about getting Sci-Fi for lunch Sunday, and because we have to leave whatever park we’re in by 2pm, I won’t feel trapped at MGM all day!

So I call Disney Dining and cancel tonight’s Sci-Fi and rebook lunch on Sunday. And we’re off to the AK and Expedition Everest!

THIS was the day we were all in the food court together and I yelled at Ashley about getting in a line (8:43am).

We head straight for Everest, grabbing Fast Passes along the way, and hopping in a 10-minute line. I ask for the front – I want the girls to have a great view of the parks. I’m sitting behind them with a single rider. Very nice man. The ride starts out great – until we get to where the Yeti rips up the track in front of you and the train stops. Next step – going backwards… except not so much this time.

 

[DisneyObsession]

You're stopping there?!?

Leaving us hanging on the track!!!

Hurry back, as I have already spent most of work today reading your report and NEED more!!!!!

 

[tiggerbell]

We get to the top of Expedition Everest.

And – nothing.

We sit.

And sit.

I timed it – 10 minutes. The man next to me was on his 4th ride of the morning. There’s nothing to do. The girls are in the front – in the sun! The rest of the train is mostly in the shade. The girls were dying in the heat! I was finally able to kick my water bottle up high enough in the pouch in front of me to grab it and hand it to them.

After 10 minutes, the ride kicked back on. Now, if you read my last trip report, you know it took “medicinal intervention” to get me ON the ride in the first place. I ended up liking it and riding 3 times that day, so I knew I could ride it without any drugs this time. But it was on the 3rd ride last time (when the drugs had worn off) that I sat near the back and after the ride felt a little motion sick. I didn’t know if it was riding in the back or the lack of Valium that caused the motion sickness.

I am not a happy camper – sitting at the top of the mountain, knowing that the backwards part is next (the part that freaked me out the most the first time), and HOPING that they FIX the ride before we go backwards! So I really did not enjoy the rest of the trip once we started moving again.

Meg said she really didn’t get to enjoy it because it was not a complete ride. Ashley seemed to like it. We get back in line, but the ride’s not moving at all, so we left.

We head over to the Kali River Rapids. We ride twice and the picture at the front of my report from last year’s ride is NOTHING!!! I was so wet, my shorts were falling off! The girls wanted to go on again and I sat the 3rd ride out – when you can’t get any wetter, why bother to ride? I sat on a nice bench. A woman with a stroller came and sat on the bench next to me. I took a look at her shoes.

I do that. Check out people’s shoes. Because of my foot injuries, I am not able to wear normal shoes. I wear Crocs all the time. I can’t even go barefoot for more than a few minutes. I can’t even wear gym shoes! So, I’m insanely envious of everyone’s shoes. I’d kill to wear heels again. (I have a doctor’s appointment this Friday to see if they can do anything now that it’s been 2 years since the surgery and I’m not any better.)

As a Crocs person, I will freely admit I feel contempt for those Mock Crocs people wear. So, when I glanced down at this woman’s feet, and she was wearing the tie-dye swirl version, I automatically felt superior and thought MOCK CROC! UNTIL I noticed the strap said, “CROCS”. WHAT??? So I leaned over and asked where she got them. Nordstrom’s. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!!! (I get home and get online, and sure enough! They WERE Crocs! They have 3 color combos – blue & white swirl, pink & white swirl, and orange & yellow swirl – right on their website, under the Beach model!)

I was going to get some, but the Disney Crocs will be out any day now and I want THOSE more!!!

Anyway, back on the bench, the girls show up and we head over to DinoLand.

Ashley & I aren’t up to Primeval Whirl right now, let’s head over to Dinosaur. Meg throws a fit about us only doing things WE want to do and NOTHING she wants to do! OK, scratch Dinosaur – we need food! I was getting a little cranky myself, or I would’ve gone ON Primeval Whirl!

It’s just about 11am, and Restaurantosaurus is still working on the breakfast crowd so we decide to hit Dinosaur after all and then eat. Dinosaur has about a 5-minute line, then we get on the vehicle – me on the right, Ashley, Meg, and a single rider that I’m going to name… Chris. He was a teenager, so as we strap in, I lean over the girls and say to Chris, “You protect that one [pointing at Meg]. She’s scared of dinosaurs.” They all laughed. Let me apologize if you sat in my wet seat on Dinosaur!

We leave dinosaur without being eaten by any carnivores and I want Tusker House! On the way there, Ashley want’s popcorn. I’m like, “We’re going to lunch!” She wants popcorn for lunch. Whatever. Knock your socks off! So Meg and I each get the rotisserie chicken and cokes. We are splitting (arg!) the chocolate cake and carrot cake. Carrot cake wins, btw! And Ashley ate her popcorn. Let me apologize if you sat in my wet seat in Tusker House!

As we are walking out of the Tusker House, CHRIS is walking in! We laugh and say hi.

We head over to the Safari. We crack up when Chris shows up on our truck! I said, “That was a fast lunch!” and he says he wasn’t sure what he wanted to eat yet.

Somehow, I talk the girls into going over to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. I have only been there once, in 2004 with my ex. Somehow, it wasn’t fun with him, imagine that! This time was much more interesting!