Moving along to Day #2 of Trip #1, I awoke at CSR around 6am, thinking This is a really comfy bed!
Just as Id done at 3am.
And 1am.
And 12am.
As well as 10:30pm, when Leo woke me up, announcing that he needed a snuggle. Yeah, that signaled the beginning of a less-than-restive night, despite the comfy bed.
Ive had an entire queen-sized bed to myself for the past five years and Ive gotten used to it. So, suddenly sharing a full-size bed with a squirmy-sleeper wasnt working so well. For V. Leo was just fine, thank you.
Once he was soundly asleep, I carefully moved him back to his own bed and fell quickly back to sleep myself. Only to wake up periodically thanks to Leo breathing, snuffling, snoring and generally behaving like a man-in-training (NOmen).
So, come morning, you know I had NO choice.
I HAD to do it.
WHAT else could I do?
(Beyond using ALL caps in every sentence.)
I drank the Nescacrap. Bleeehh. Nasty, but effective.
Leo and I got ourselves together pretty efficiently, eating breakfast in the room and packing our one nights-worth of personal items up and into the car. As well as ourselves into the car.
Thats right no busses! Prior to the DIS
Yknow, we should start dating our WDW histories a la art history B.D. (Before DIS) and A.D. (After Dis)
B.D., I never, ever used WDW transportation, excepting the ferry/monorail from the TTC to the MK. Ever. For 15ish years, I relied solely on my car. And it was good.
A.D., I thought Id give the busses, boats, etc. a try. Ive done so for the better part of a year. And it was NOT good.
It wasnt bad, either, well mostly but Ive come to realize I prefer my own vehicle in most instances. Why?
1. Convenience. We mostly stay at resorts with ample parking right outside our building. Its so convenient to leave some things in the car and get them as needed, like the stroller.
2. Climate control. I make it whatever temperature I want. Not too hot, not too cold. Nice, especially when wearing a wet swimsuit après water park.
3. Weather. Or more accurately, rain. After getting caught in Typhoon Mickey this past Jan. with no way of getting from the main building of SSR to our room in the remote Carousel section, I prefer having my car nearby. Call it controlling my own destiny. But perhaps not Master of My Own Domain. (NOSeinfeld)
So we drove to the TTC and got in the short line of cars being directed into rows. As usual, I was but a few cars in from the far end of a row. But this time, it mattered not at all
because said row was the SECOND row from the street. The street by which the trams deliver guests to the TTC. Thats right, SECOND row. Baybee.
I even took a pic to mark the occasion:
Yes, Ive heard that it takes longer to get to the MK by car, than by WDW bus. Im here to provide living proof that thats a lie. We left CSR ten minutes late, at 8:10am. We arrived at the MK turnstiles at 8:30. For a 9am opening.
So. There.
And, by the way, arriving for rope drop was
not the plan. Neither Leo nor myself is a fan of the opening party. Our preference is to arrive just
after rope drop. But thats a lot harder to time than rope drop, Im afraid.
We wound up standing around, people watching. Leo and I tour well together; were both fairly quiet and just take in our surroundings, pointing items of particular interest out to one another as we see fit. Were not at all chatty. I find this so interesting because
touring WDW with Leo is a lot like touring WDW with my ex, Leos dad. WDW was the only place we got along really well. Honestly, having a similar experience with Leo there (though Leo and I get along fine outside of WDW, too) helps bring back the good memories of my married years, and casts the bad times back into the shadows.
Once the sappy-happy sing-a-long show finished, we made our way down Main Street, where I saw this fashion disaster:
Sure, its not as impressive as some her finds, but I think T will be impressed, nonetheless. I just dont get the ensemble
it was HOT, like Africa-hot who would want to be swathed in nylon in that kind of heat? Later that day, I also saw an entire family of women/young girls tottering around in 5 heeled strappy sandals. Not wedges. Not platforms. And, no, they did not look happy. No pics because it was in the ladies room, but again I ask, Why?!?!
Okay. We had a mission. Leo knows the MK like the back of his hand by now and he knows exactly what he wants to ride on any given day. The upside of this is that hes decisive. The downside is that he leaves no room for what others (me) might want to do. Remember that.
First on our list was BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!
Only it was closed. Due to technical difficulties. So we snagged some FPs and move on to Fantasyland, where we did the Fantasyland Trifecta: Pooh-Pan-Small World. Only not the Small World part. For the first time I can remember, Leo chose to skip the Land of All That Is Happy and Annoyingly Cute. Which was fine with me.
At that point, wed walked through half the park and seen virtually no crowds. Woo hoo!
Next up was a quick jaunt through Frontierland, again with no crowds
and on into Adventureland for one of Leos most favorite attractions, the Jungle Cruise. I really wanted to grab some pics of him, happy to be cruising, but he wasnt willing. I wound up with this,
And this,
Niiice.
After the cruise, Leo said something that surprised the heck out of me:
Mommy? I wanna ride Pirates in the Caribbean. Im not too scared. Just a little bit scared.
My sweet, sweet boy!

Leos been anti-POTC for most of the past year. He loves the movies, and has more pirate toys than I can count. Hes all about pirates, my Leo. But he somehow decided that POTC the ride was too scary and nothing would convince him otherwise. This, despite the fact that hes been on it plenty of times from age 9 months to age 5.
But this day in April of 2008, he was ready to take the plunge. Figuratively speaking. I clarify because I found out what was scaring him so: he thought he remembered a big plunge down a waterfall. Mmm-hmm, like in At Worlds End.
~sigh~
All I asked for was average. What I got was super-creative. In my child. Okay, truth is I wouldnt have any other way. But it
is challenging.
Fortunately, Leo had a tool with which to bolster his confidence. Remember our previous evenings shopping at the CSR gift shop? That held all that is piratey? Heres what he got:
Need a close-up? Leo thought you might:
Shiver me timbers mateys, that there is a bona-fyed Key to Davy Jones Locker!
Leo carried that thing around ALL day. Only pocketed it twice whilst using the restroom. (Truly, he only went twice. His powers amaze me. I stop at pretty much every other restroom, while Leo can wait all day long. It drives him batty. Heh heh.)
So the power was in The Key and The Key helped Leo conquer his POTC fears.
Or did it?
As we walked out, I spotted the Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial getting set up and I was STOKED! Ive been trying to catch this for many trips, to no avail. I explained it to Leo
This is so cool! Jack Sparrow comes out and teaches kids how to be pirates! Do you want to try getting picked?
Its scary?
No, no, its for kids little kids. Nothing scary at all!
Jack Sparrows there?
Yep! Well, a pretend Jack Sparrow. Because there isnt a real Jack Sparrow. Just in the movies.
Like in Pirates in the Caribbean 1 and 2 and 3?
Yes, just like that! Hell teach kids how to sword fight like pirates!
With REAL swords??? Theyre very dangerous.
Well no, not real swords - pretend ones. Like yours at home.
At this point, Leo thought for a moment, then said, No, Id rather have popcorn.
The popcorn cart was just down from the Tutorial, so I suggested we grab some corn and watch the show. Leo wasnt having it. And I quote, I dont want to learn how to be a pirate. Theyre mean.
Dontcha just hate when your parenting comes back to bite you?
And I have to admit, I really, really wanted to watch the show myself. So I insisted we park on a bench and wait for the show to start. Leo said, Fine, but I not gonna watch! and turned his back to the show.
I love my opinionated, individualistic, creative, OBSTINATE boy.
As you may have guessed, this didnt last long. It was hot. Leo was cranky. And I wasnt having much fun with us pretending to be mad at each other. I hung it up and we headed back to BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! To use our FPs.
After defeating Zurg once again, we took a spin on the Moving People Ride (or TTA for those unfamiliar with Leo-speak) and assessed the situation.
In just over an hour and a half, wed done all we (well, Leo) wanted to do with the MK. It had become hotter and a lot more crowded. Leo was ready to leave, and the idea had some merit for me, as well.
Only one problem we were to meet up with boysmom5150 that day at the MK. Boysmom was due to arrive at the Poly that morning to check in. She figured shed be at the MK by 12pm and we could meet up then.
What to do????