Kanga1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 1,470
Cast of Characters:
Jana (moi, 40, obsessive planner of this and all trips..think Chevy Chase in the Vacation movies.)
Eric (DH, 41, a big kid at heart, pretty much goes with the flow and can have a good time anywhere as long as theres good food.)
Anna Marie (4 year-old DD and true princess any princess...pick one.)
Well, the day I had been dreading for several months now has finally arrived. You see, as much as I look forward to vacations, I also start dreading the end of them long before it even starts. I had worked really hard all week to not think of this day and I did a pretty good job of it too but the day was here and I could no longer push it to the back of my mind. DH packed up the rental car while I did the official check out - moaning silently in my head and realizing that we were a guest here no longer.
I make our only cancellation for a PS this morning at Cape May Café. (Im pretty proud that this is the only one we cancelled considering I had booked 15!) I KNOW this would have been a fabulous character meal (and a chance to see the Yacht and Beach Club) but we realize we cannot do this breakfast AND see much of a park before we head to the airport. Well get it next time, huh? Now that this morning was open, we decided to visit one park we felt we didnt see enough of. We chose AK and took the loooong bus ride there. We first stopped at the Poly and then Blizzard Beach and it literally took us an hour to get there. DH and I were cursing ourselves for not driving over in the car. After all, we didnt need to go back to CR we couldve just driven directly from AK to the airport. Oh well, water under the bridge as they say.
Our mission this morning is to see Pocahontas. Let me tell you a funny story.
Although Pocahontas in not one of DDs favorite princesses, she has wanted a doll of her for quite some time. When DH came to WDW in February, I asked him to bring her back one from the World of Disney store I was SURE they would have them there. Nope. No Pocahontas there no Pocahontas ANYWHERE. Its very rare that youll find ANYTHING of Pocahontas anywhere in the world even at AK outside her show. And do you know WHY? Word has it from our CM friends (one who is a manager in the retail department) that after they released The Lion King, WDW was bombarded with guests wanting Lion King souvenirs. They kept selling out and Disney couldnt keep up with the demand. Soooo .when Pocahontas was released they flooded WDW with her souvenirs. I guess she just wasnt as popular as Simba and all his friends, because no one was buying her stuff. Disney got burned and was left with all this merchandise which ended up in sale bins all over the world. You could get Pocahontas stuff for a quarter and they literally had hundreds of Pocahontas rain ponchos left over. Apparently the boys wouldnt be caught dead in them. So thats why Pocahontas dolls seem to be non-existent. Maybe theyll bring some out with Pocahontas II. In the meantime, if you see a Pocahontas doll somewhere let me know. So, off we go looking for the nature princess. A CM tells us we can find her at Rafikis Planet, so we go to Harambe Station and take the pleasant train ride over there. Wow, this is a neat place and FULL of unexpected surprises. DD finally gets to see Pocahontas just as she was leaving - (boy THAT was luck) but darn, she forgot to sign the book. She also gets to see Rafiki and Stanley from Playhouse Disney. Fretting over not getting Pocahontass signature, DD turns around and THERE SHE IS again! It was as if she knew she hadnt signed the book and came back just for that. Thanks Pocahontas! Touring more of Conservation Station, we happen upon a display of spiders real ones big ones really big ones. Theyre caged, of course, but DD in fascinated by them. I on the other hand .am not. Theyre creepy with too many legs that can crawl really fast. We see one spider that is sitting in its web inside a little hole. The way it is displayed looks like youre supposed to reach your hand right in and touch it. DH sticks his hand in (a little) and the spider moves. Ha! Its a fake one and there are sensors set up to detect your hand and make you think its real. Phony or not, none of us ever get our hand all the way in. Look for this if you ever go there its too cool! DD gets a mini-lesson on arachnids from one of the conservation CMs and then we board the train back to Africa.
Our bellies tell us its time for lunch. Thinking the Rainforest Café would be a great last meal here, we see if they have any openings. Nope nothing until 2:30 which is too late for us. Looking at DH I say, See why I had to make all those PSs 90 days in advance? DD sees a stuffed bumblebee in the attached gift shop that she would like to have. Another stuffed animal? Well see. DD is terribly afraid of bees and at one point this summer would NOT go out in the yard at all. I may get her this one to try and dispel her fears. We dine at the Tusker House and it is very good. The atmosphere is great for a counter service restaurant and the CMs are very friendly. One of them even saw the trouble DD was having trying to drink from a huge glass and without even asking, she brings DD a plastic cup and lid including a plastic straw. Thanks! I thought straws were forbidden at AK due to the animals, but this one belongs with the cup we are very appreciative and its a nice little free souvenir. After lunch DD and I press some pennies and meet a VERY tall CM dressed in true African attire complete with drum. DD poses with him and I snap a picture.
Camp Minnie Mickey will be opening soon so we go in search of more characters. We see Mickey and Minnie, Kenai and Koda from Brother Bear and the hard-to-find Daisy Duck! Oh, and look the PhotoPass photographers are here to take our pictures! Thank you too bad we leave today! Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends begins shortly, and our watches tell us that we have JUST enough time for this one last show. As usual, DH goes for some ice cream. Hey, Ill give the guy a break it IS really hot today and he DOES share. Although a little environmentally preachy to me, this performance is good and Pocahontas does a great job. Ok, gotta go. Our plane leaves at 5:30, and you know DH weve got to be there EARLY. Walking out of Camp Minnie Mickey, who should we see but Lilo and Stitch! AAAWWW DD hasnt met them yet and theyre SO cute! No way the line is too long. I take DD as close as I can (without passing anyone) so she can get a good look at them and I can take a picture. I guess the family in the front of the line overhears me telling DD that we have to get to the airport and we cant hug them, because the next thing I know they are offering for US to go in THEIR place! Were touched that was about the sweetest gesture I had ever seen how NICE of them! However, I politely tell them No. I wouldnt dream of taking someone elses chance to meet a character, so they step aside enough for me to get a picture of the tropical duo. We return our stroller, obtain our $10 worth of Disney Dollars and use that to purchase the bee that DD wants. I hand over the money and consider this an investment in insect therapy.
The ride on the bus back to the CR is a sad one. Each person around us seems to be in the throes of their vacation and Im imagining that every one of them will be here for several more days. My imagination sees the people beside me having dinner tonight at MK followed by Wishes; the family across the aisle will be having fun at Blizzard Beach tomorrow; and the elderly couple in the back will be shopping in DTD. Meanwhile, DH, DD and I are bracing for a trip back to reality, and in my 40 year-old stance I want to stand up on that bus and shout, I dont like it NOT ONE BIT you can NOT make me go home! But, inevitably, the bus drops us off, I take a few more pictures of the place we called home and we drive to the airport out of Disney and into reality where people are stressed and road signs are green.
Airport Rambo (thats DH as you recall) has kicked in right about the time we pull up to the rental car lot. Hes already assessing all the baggage and wondering if we shouldnt get a porter to haul it all on a cart. Theres one right there offering his services, but dummy me tells DH we dont need a cart we didnt need one when we got off the plane 10 days ago. True, but as it turns out the USAirways counter is at the OPPOSITE end of the rental car parking lot. Im carrying as much as my 52, 100 lb. (ok 108) body can while still trying to steer a stroller that takes TWO hands to maneuver, and DH has to stop several times to rest. Hes mad because he did not get the guy with the cart and I feel bad because I believe its all my fault hes struggling so much. Making it to the ticket counter without a cardiac arrest, we unload our stuff and head towards security. The lines are short, and as I try to get DD ready to go through the scanner, I ask DH if he could fold up the stroller. He tells me hes busy (trying to unwrap himself from all the bags strapped around his body) and asks me to do it. I cant remember HOW, I say. DH is the stroller person. Hes ALWAYS been the stroller person, and hes ALWAYS in charge of the folding and unfolding. It had been a long time since I had folded it up and I couldnt remember what levers to pull, push, bend, unlatch, squeeze, etc. How does it work? Hissing through sweat he says, Just use your foot to unlatch the lever and pull up. This works real well, because the next thing I know my foot is caught in the latch and the weight of my backpack is pulling me backwards. Unable to defy the law of gravity, I fall right on my keister, right in front of security, and right in front of the mass of people that have now lined up behind us witnessing this fiasco. DH comes to the rescue, folds up the stroller, picks me up off the floor, wipes me off, and on we go. While organizing ourselves on the other side of the gate, I begin to cry. I cant help it it all just catches up to me and the tears flow. I cry not because DH had such a hard time with the luggage, not because I got tangled up in the stroller, not because I fell, not because I got embarrassed, and not because my derrière felt like it was on fire. I cry because Im no longer at Disney and pixie dust seems nonexistent outside the world of the Mouse. The trip which I had planned so hard for and had thought of almost every waking moment for 10 solid months was over. And to make matter worse, I didnt have another trip planned.
Arriving at the gate we find that our flight has been delayed by an hour. This is great news, for I know exactly how to spend the time. Didnt I see a Disney store back there somewhere? I go back to retrieve a few extra souvenirs for the road or in this case the air. I pick up some Disney chocolate coins, a pair of Mickey shorts for DH, and a Snow White playset for DD. An hour later we are in the air and out of the land of magic. Our flight goes smoothly DDs throat still hurts and she sleeps most of the way, and we land in Pittsburgh to find all our luggage had arrived and the Hampton Inn van waiting at the door. We have decided to spend the night as it is quite late and the drive home is 2 and a half hours long. Only rooms with king beds are available, but DD LOVES the couch bed and thinks its really fun sleeping there. And, just like they did 10 nights ago, DH and DD make a trip to Wendys for some snacks. We eat, DD takes some more Tylenol and we all fall into bed with our heads on our pillows and our hearts in Disney.
"Planning or Obsession...What's the Difference?"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=857133
"Our Vacation Begins"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...370#post9138370
Day 1 "Pixie Dust and Panic Attacks" (Part 1)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...210#post9143210
Day 1 "Pixie Dust and Panic Attacks" (Part 2)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...244#post9143244
Day 1 "Pixie Dust and Panic Attacks" (Part 3)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=857458
Day 2 "Magical Meltdowns"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=859866
Day 3 "Running Around the World"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=860524
Day 4 "Cinderella Breaks Peter Pan"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=862512
Day 5 "Losing Time"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=866373
Day 6 "Shh! It's a Secret"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=870446
Day 7 "Tea Cakes and Gummy Worms"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=872121
Day 8 "Fantasmic Fever"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=872158
Day 9 "My Throat Hurts"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=876502
Jana (moi, 40, obsessive planner of this and all trips..think Chevy Chase in the Vacation movies.)
Eric (DH, 41, a big kid at heart, pretty much goes with the flow and can have a good time anywhere as long as theres good food.)
Anna Marie (4 year-old DD and true princess any princess...pick one.)
Well, the day I had been dreading for several months now has finally arrived. You see, as much as I look forward to vacations, I also start dreading the end of them long before it even starts. I had worked really hard all week to not think of this day and I did a pretty good job of it too but the day was here and I could no longer push it to the back of my mind. DH packed up the rental car while I did the official check out - moaning silently in my head and realizing that we were a guest here no longer.
I make our only cancellation for a PS this morning at Cape May Café. (Im pretty proud that this is the only one we cancelled considering I had booked 15!) I KNOW this would have been a fabulous character meal (and a chance to see the Yacht and Beach Club) but we realize we cannot do this breakfast AND see much of a park before we head to the airport. Well get it next time, huh? Now that this morning was open, we decided to visit one park we felt we didnt see enough of. We chose AK and took the loooong bus ride there. We first stopped at the Poly and then Blizzard Beach and it literally took us an hour to get there. DH and I were cursing ourselves for not driving over in the car. After all, we didnt need to go back to CR we couldve just driven directly from AK to the airport. Oh well, water under the bridge as they say.
Our mission this morning is to see Pocahontas. Let me tell you a funny story.
Although Pocahontas in not one of DDs favorite princesses, she has wanted a doll of her for quite some time. When DH came to WDW in February, I asked him to bring her back one from the World of Disney store I was SURE they would have them there. Nope. No Pocahontas there no Pocahontas ANYWHERE. Its very rare that youll find ANYTHING of Pocahontas anywhere in the world even at AK outside her show. And do you know WHY? Word has it from our CM friends (one who is a manager in the retail department) that after they released The Lion King, WDW was bombarded with guests wanting Lion King souvenirs. They kept selling out and Disney couldnt keep up with the demand. Soooo .when Pocahontas was released they flooded WDW with her souvenirs. I guess she just wasnt as popular as Simba and all his friends, because no one was buying her stuff. Disney got burned and was left with all this merchandise which ended up in sale bins all over the world. You could get Pocahontas stuff for a quarter and they literally had hundreds of Pocahontas rain ponchos left over. Apparently the boys wouldnt be caught dead in them. So thats why Pocahontas dolls seem to be non-existent. Maybe theyll bring some out with Pocahontas II. In the meantime, if you see a Pocahontas doll somewhere let me know. So, off we go looking for the nature princess. A CM tells us we can find her at Rafikis Planet, so we go to Harambe Station and take the pleasant train ride over there. Wow, this is a neat place and FULL of unexpected surprises. DD finally gets to see Pocahontas just as she was leaving - (boy THAT was luck) but darn, she forgot to sign the book. She also gets to see Rafiki and Stanley from Playhouse Disney. Fretting over not getting Pocahontass signature, DD turns around and THERE SHE IS again! It was as if she knew she hadnt signed the book and came back just for that. Thanks Pocahontas! Touring more of Conservation Station, we happen upon a display of spiders real ones big ones really big ones. Theyre caged, of course, but DD in fascinated by them. I on the other hand .am not. Theyre creepy with too many legs that can crawl really fast. We see one spider that is sitting in its web inside a little hole. The way it is displayed looks like youre supposed to reach your hand right in and touch it. DH sticks his hand in (a little) and the spider moves. Ha! Its a fake one and there are sensors set up to detect your hand and make you think its real. Phony or not, none of us ever get our hand all the way in. Look for this if you ever go there its too cool! DD gets a mini-lesson on arachnids from one of the conservation CMs and then we board the train back to Africa.
Our bellies tell us its time for lunch. Thinking the Rainforest Café would be a great last meal here, we see if they have any openings. Nope nothing until 2:30 which is too late for us. Looking at DH I say, See why I had to make all those PSs 90 days in advance? DD sees a stuffed bumblebee in the attached gift shop that she would like to have. Another stuffed animal? Well see. DD is terribly afraid of bees and at one point this summer would NOT go out in the yard at all. I may get her this one to try and dispel her fears. We dine at the Tusker House and it is very good. The atmosphere is great for a counter service restaurant and the CMs are very friendly. One of them even saw the trouble DD was having trying to drink from a huge glass and without even asking, she brings DD a plastic cup and lid including a plastic straw. Thanks! I thought straws were forbidden at AK due to the animals, but this one belongs with the cup we are very appreciative and its a nice little free souvenir. After lunch DD and I press some pennies and meet a VERY tall CM dressed in true African attire complete with drum. DD poses with him and I snap a picture.
Camp Minnie Mickey will be opening soon so we go in search of more characters. We see Mickey and Minnie, Kenai and Koda from Brother Bear and the hard-to-find Daisy Duck! Oh, and look the PhotoPass photographers are here to take our pictures! Thank you too bad we leave today! Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends begins shortly, and our watches tell us that we have JUST enough time for this one last show. As usual, DH goes for some ice cream. Hey, Ill give the guy a break it IS really hot today and he DOES share. Although a little environmentally preachy to me, this performance is good and Pocahontas does a great job. Ok, gotta go. Our plane leaves at 5:30, and you know DH weve got to be there EARLY. Walking out of Camp Minnie Mickey, who should we see but Lilo and Stitch! AAAWWW DD hasnt met them yet and theyre SO cute! No way the line is too long. I take DD as close as I can (without passing anyone) so she can get a good look at them and I can take a picture. I guess the family in the front of the line overhears me telling DD that we have to get to the airport and we cant hug them, because the next thing I know they are offering for US to go in THEIR place! Were touched that was about the sweetest gesture I had ever seen how NICE of them! However, I politely tell them No. I wouldnt dream of taking someone elses chance to meet a character, so they step aside enough for me to get a picture of the tropical duo. We return our stroller, obtain our $10 worth of Disney Dollars and use that to purchase the bee that DD wants. I hand over the money and consider this an investment in insect therapy.
The ride on the bus back to the CR is a sad one. Each person around us seems to be in the throes of their vacation and Im imagining that every one of them will be here for several more days. My imagination sees the people beside me having dinner tonight at MK followed by Wishes; the family across the aisle will be having fun at Blizzard Beach tomorrow; and the elderly couple in the back will be shopping in DTD. Meanwhile, DH, DD and I are bracing for a trip back to reality, and in my 40 year-old stance I want to stand up on that bus and shout, I dont like it NOT ONE BIT you can NOT make me go home! But, inevitably, the bus drops us off, I take a few more pictures of the place we called home and we drive to the airport out of Disney and into reality where people are stressed and road signs are green.
Airport Rambo (thats DH as you recall) has kicked in right about the time we pull up to the rental car lot. Hes already assessing all the baggage and wondering if we shouldnt get a porter to haul it all on a cart. Theres one right there offering his services, but dummy me tells DH we dont need a cart we didnt need one when we got off the plane 10 days ago. True, but as it turns out the USAirways counter is at the OPPOSITE end of the rental car parking lot. Im carrying as much as my 52, 100 lb. (ok 108) body can while still trying to steer a stroller that takes TWO hands to maneuver, and DH has to stop several times to rest. Hes mad because he did not get the guy with the cart and I feel bad because I believe its all my fault hes struggling so much. Making it to the ticket counter without a cardiac arrest, we unload our stuff and head towards security. The lines are short, and as I try to get DD ready to go through the scanner, I ask DH if he could fold up the stroller. He tells me hes busy (trying to unwrap himself from all the bags strapped around his body) and asks me to do it. I cant remember HOW, I say. DH is the stroller person. Hes ALWAYS been the stroller person, and hes ALWAYS in charge of the folding and unfolding. It had been a long time since I had folded it up and I couldnt remember what levers to pull, push, bend, unlatch, squeeze, etc. How does it work? Hissing through sweat he says, Just use your foot to unlatch the lever and pull up. This works real well, because the next thing I know my foot is caught in the latch and the weight of my backpack is pulling me backwards. Unable to defy the law of gravity, I fall right on my keister, right in front of security, and right in front of the mass of people that have now lined up behind us witnessing this fiasco. DH comes to the rescue, folds up the stroller, picks me up off the floor, wipes me off, and on we go. While organizing ourselves on the other side of the gate, I begin to cry. I cant help it it all just catches up to me and the tears flow. I cry not because DH had such a hard time with the luggage, not because I got tangled up in the stroller, not because I fell, not because I got embarrassed, and not because my derrière felt like it was on fire. I cry because Im no longer at Disney and pixie dust seems nonexistent outside the world of the Mouse. The trip which I had planned so hard for and had thought of almost every waking moment for 10 solid months was over. And to make matter worse, I didnt have another trip planned.
Arriving at the gate we find that our flight has been delayed by an hour. This is great news, for I know exactly how to spend the time. Didnt I see a Disney store back there somewhere? I go back to retrieve a few extra souvenirs for the road or in this case the air. I pick up some Disney chocolate coins, a pair of Mickey shorts for DH, and a Snow White playset for DD. An hour later we are in the air and out of the land of magic. Our flight goes smoothly DDs throat still hurts and she sleeps most of the way, and we land in Pittsburgh to find all our luggage had arrived and the Hampton Inn van waiting at the door. We have decided to spend the night as it is quite late and the drive home is 2 and a half hours long. Only rooms with king beds are available, but DD LOVES the couch bed and thinks its really fun sleeping there. And, just like they did 10 nights ago, DH and DD make a trip to Wendys for some snacks. We eat, DD takes some more Tylenol and we all fall into bed with our heads on our pillows and our hearts in Disney.
"Planning or Obsession...What's the Difference?"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=857133
"Our Vacation Begins"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...370#post9138370
Day 1 "Pixie Dust and Panic Attacks" (Part 1)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...210#post9143210
Day 1 "Pixie Dust and Panic Attacks" (Part 2)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread...244#post9143244
Day 1 "Pixie Dust and Panic Attacks" (Part 3)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=857458
Day 2 "Magical Meltdowns"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=859866
Day 3 "Running Around the World"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=860524
Day 4 "Cinderella Breaks Peter Pan"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=862512
Day 5 "Losing Time"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=866373
Day 6 "Shh! It's a Secret"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=870446
Day 7 "Tea Cakes and Gummy Worms"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=872121
Day 8 "Fantasmic Fever"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=872158
Day 9 "My Throat Hurts"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=876502
)
So you know what to do, don't you?? Start planning that return trip!
And be sure to write another report! Thank you for sharing!
