Lollipop Mom's Disney Trip Part 2...12/30 Breakfast with Pooh at last!

[Lollipop Mom]

December 30, 2003 Breakfast with Pooh at last!

7:59 AM we roll into the Camping World parking lot. We are to pick up Mom’s ECV and drop off the RV to have the inverter installed then it’s off to the parks! The guy from Randy’s Mobility is already there waiting for us. Mom gets her lesson in ECV101 and we get it loaded into their car. I head back to the RV to make sure the kids are all dressed and ready to go. We’re now just waiting for the Camping World guys to set us free. Dad is just standing around saying they told him to wait there and they’d be back to talk to him in a minute. This is about the time I am wishing we’d brought along our very own “Commando Nikki” to get these guys moving (if you haven’t already, you must read Delswife’s reports!). If I had thought to bring a whistle, you bet your bottom dollar I’d have been using it!

Once Camping World was done with us we head out for the Magic Kingdom. We have PSs to dine with Pooh at 10:05. By now Brandon is bouncing off the walls with excitement. He’s going to have sausage and eggs with Tigger but NOT with Eeyore. I ask why not Eeyore and he says with a big sigh and eye roll (I didn’t think they started that this soon!) “Mom…Eeyore doesn’t eat eggs and sausage! He eats DONKEY food and of course hunny but that Tigger and Piglet are allowed to eat eggs and sausage.

Through the gates and we park at Goofy 52. We ask Brandon to remember this and he does quite well. All day long at random times he’d shout “GOOFY 52, Mom!” Brandon is a HUGE train enthusiast and cannot wait to see the monorail. We get through the gates at the TTC and are faced with a HUGE line for the monorail or a relatively short wait for the boat. He’s quite disappointed that we’re taking the boat but I explained that we couldn’t be late for Pooh bear. The excitement continues to build as we cross the lagoon. “LOOK! It’s Cinderella’s castle! LOOK! It’s a Mickey Mouse! LOOK! They have a train here! A really real train!” We’ve promised him that we will ride the monorail tomorrow.

Once inside the MK I asked for the video camera. Mom gives it to me and I turn it on. It’s flashing, “tape full” at me. Great. Thank goodness we are near the camera care center. I run in and buy a new tape. I’d have paid any price not to miss taping Connor meeting his most favorite character in the world face to face!

We steer Mom away from all of the characters greeting people in the circle (she just couldn’t pass any by without offering to sit in the line) and head down Main Street. I manage to thoroughly embarrass my husband by skipping with Brandon and singing “I’m walkin’ right down the middle of Main Street USA! It’s the heart of America, the heartbeat of a holiday!” (Does anyone else remember this song or is it just me?) Brandon loves it and could care less that Daddy is pretending he doesn’t know us, as a matter of fact he think Mommy singing at the top of her lungs in public is pretty darn cool! If there is one place on earth I’m allowed to skip and act silly, this is it! My parents once again marvel at how much things have changed; that the girl they brought here last time would have sooner crawled under the monorail than skip and sing down Mainstreet. Once again, that’s the difference between a middle school aged girl and a Mother of 2 who has been looking forward to bringing her kids to WDW for years now!

I’d highly recommend doing a late character breakfast. Most people have already cleared out and are in the parks and the lunch crowd hasn’t started yet. We had one side of the restaurant just about to ourselves. Plenty of character time as well. As we walked in Connor saw the little decorative Pooh topiary bushes and started to go nuts. As David carried him around the corner, there was the “really real” Pooh!! I thought we’d never get him settled down to eat! Fortunately Pooh was headed our way very quickly. Connor was coming dangerously close to flipping the high chair over in his excitement. David set him down on the floor and he went RUNNING right into Pooh’s arms. He literally collapsed on Pooh saying “my Pooh” over and over. Any doubt over would Connor be scared of the characters was resolved right then! I am amazed I managed to take pictures with all the tears in my eyes. That moment was worth the entire trip. The light in my son’s eyes was absolutely amazing and something I will never forget. Thank you, Disney for that moment! Once Connor finally let go of Pooh the rest of us got to meet him as well. Pictures all around. We had enough time to get our food before the next character appearance. If you have breakfast at the Crystal Palace, don’t miss the breakfast lasagna!! MM MM GOOD! Afterwards we met Eeyore (who in fact did not eat eggs and sausage!) and Tigger. Connor ran right into Tiger’s arms as well. Tigger was great with him rolling on the floor and playing with him. We were putting on quite the show for the people hanging out on the porch waiting for their lunch seating! We brought the kids by to say hi to Piglet who stayed “in the garden” near the buffet. Connor would not stop blowing kisses to Piglet. Before we left the whole gang stopped by our table with 2 cupcakes and birthday cards. My Dad’s birthday is 12/23 and David’s is 12/27 so we were celebrating their birthday’s there. David made me promise not to tell anyone else that we were celebrating his birthday. Clearly he is not yet open to the “it’s Disney! No one thinks twice about you making a fool of yourself” philosophy. Neat pictures of everyone with all the characters. All in all, a perfect start to our Disney vacation!

After breakfast we headed back down Mainstreet to get Mom her guest assistance pass and to get a Pal Mickey for the boys. Mom and Dad went on to get the pass while David and I took the kids to the Main St Theater to get a Pal Mickey. Brandon looked at him for a minute and said “nah, I don’t want one.” OK, Mommy did but oh well…I guess that’s $50 saved. I did my best to convince him otherwise but this kid is stubborn!

After Mom got her assistance pass it was FINALLY time to start touring. We asked Brandon what he wanted to do. He was insistent that he was not doing anything else until he got to ride Big Thunder Mountain. This is a kid who is afraid to get on the little stationary ride things at the mall. I kept trying to encourage him to do something else so that we could ease him into the rides. I was picturing him being terrified on the ride and being scared to get on anything else afterward. He would not hear of doing ANYTHING else though. I’m not sure if this stubborn streak comes from me or from David…I think maybe he got some from both of us! So we head out towards Big Thunder. I figured I could get him to watch it a few times and maybe seeing it up close would change his mind. We’ve told him over and over that he does not have to ride anything he doesn’t want to. We pass by the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Not interested at all (which is not a bad thing…not a ride I felt like waiting an hour for!). We keep going…”LOOK MOM! There’s Rafiki!!!” Detour for pictures and autographs with Rafiki. Brandon spots Splash Mountain, another one he’s seen on video and is insisting he is going to ride. We watch that one for a minute. He sees the big drop once and says, “uh…I think no on that one now, Mom. Maybe we can go in May if you will hold me tight tight.”

I bring him to watch BTM and he is ALL excited. I point out how fast it goes. I point out that people are screaming. Brandon says it’s a train and trains aren’t scary, he wants to go. He asks if I will be sure to hold him tight. I say yes and he says “then what are we waiting for?” The wait for this ride is now at 1 hour. Dad points out that there is an alternate entrance for handicapped guests that we could use if Mom goes too. Mom does not do roller coasters but Brandon has his Grammy wrapped so tight around his little finger that she can hardly breathe. She offered to just let me take her pass but I told her I wasn’t comfortable with that. The system is there for guests who need it, I didn’t and I wasn’t going to teach my child that rules can be broken if it’s convenient for you. She says she’ll go look at it. She watches and very reluctantly says she’ll try it…just for Brandon. So we find the handicapped entrance and within minutes a cm is taking us in the back way. She explains that they are running 2 trains and with an ECV, they can’t move it so we would have to do a “round trip” meaning 2 rides to get back to where the ECV will be waiting. Brandon is bouncing up and down waiting for the train. Mom is in the front with Brandon and I right behind. As we head out he reminds me to hold him tight. He does fantastic through the whole thing, no white-knuckle grip, no crying…nothing. We pull into the “station” and he’s VERY ready to get out. I ask if he liked it and he says, “it was just a little bit scary.” I ask if he wants to ride again and get a very clear “NO!” Mom says she’ll get out with him since coasters aren’t her “thing.” So they hop out and I continue on to get the ECV. The ride might not have been a big thrill for him but BOY did he get a kick out of watching Mommy on the ride! I am just thankful that even though he thought it was “a little bit scary” it didn’t turn him off from doing other rides at all.

After Thunder Mtn. (and tons of praise for Brandon for being such a big boy on the ride!) we found Dad, David and Connor. We let the kids run around for a few minutes and talk about what we want to do. We decide to head to Fantasy Land and the rides that are less likely to scare Brandon. The only problem with this decision is that we made it and tried heading out just as the parade was ending. OOPS! We purposefully avoided the parade to try to stay out of that crowd and now we’re stuck behind it.

Oh well what are you gonna do? Hakuna Matata, right? We brave the crushing tidal wave of people heading out of the area and notice that the Country Bear Jamboree is just starting to let people in. Mom and Dad really want the boys to see this show since I enjoyed it so much as a kid. We go in the handicapped entrance. As soon as there are people behind us and we’re sort of “trapped” Brandon pipes up and says, “Mommy, I gotta pee pee!” Quick look around…no restrooms. I wave down a cm and ask how long till the doors open; 3 minutes. So no time either. Note to self: never allow a child who has been potty trained for less than a year to tour a theme park without a pull up! Fortunately this well prepared Super-Mommy came armed with a pull up in the magical fix everything bag! We form a little circle around him and change him into a pull up. He spends the rest of the time in the lobby and the first few minutes in the theater asking us “you promise it won’t be an accident? I’ll still be a big boy?”

The Country Bear show was a great break to allow the crowd to dissipate some. The kids did love it. It was still the Holiday themed show. Brandon loved the talking Moose on the wall and Connor just loved it in general. After the show we gave Brandon a dry pull-up and answered once again that yes, he was still a big boy and no, it didn’t count as an accident.

Now it’s on to Fantasy Land!!! As soon as we walked into Fantasy Land, Brandon’s eyes lit up. THIS was the Disney World he had been dreaming of. “LOOK MOMMY!!!!! DUMBO!!!!!!!! Just like on TV!!!!!” Wait time for Dumbo…75 minutes. Fortunately for us, Grammy’s assistance pass gets us in the alternative entrance here too. Mom and I took the boys on Dumbo while David went to grab fast passes to Pooh. We got a few evil looks from people as we, and another family where Dad was a disabled Vet, were brought right in to ride the next ride. My mom has arthritis in her back and legs and deteriorating cartilage in her knee. She can walk fine for short distances but there is no way she could walk all day through the parks. After a day at the mall she’s in pain so WDW was out of the question. She had a doctor’s note with her so she was entirely justified in using the pass. The pass is good for her and 5 members of her party so we were justified in being there with her. I refused to abuse that system and take her pass to use without her. I guess we were going to get looks and comments no matter what since she wasn’t VISIBLY disabled. We only encountered one person who actually SAID anything to us about it and Mom was quick to whip out her doctor’s note on official Emory Clinic stationary. Anyway, both of the boys LOVED the Dumbo ride and would have done it over and over had we let them. Connor giggled through the whole thing and said “YEAH!!!!” while clapping his hands once we “landed.” Brandon couldn’t understand why we couldn’t just ride it over and over, especially since we didn’t have to wait long. There is no explaining to a 3 year old that frustrated people in the standby line may beat us if we were to ride 6 or 7 times while they are still waiting for their first turn!

Once off of Dumbo, Connor spotted the carousel, or the “Mary-Goes-Around” as Brandon calls it. Connor thinks carousels are the world’s greatest rides! We rode this 2 or 3 times before moving on (the line was almost nonexistent every time we rode it). Next was Small World. Dad decided to sit this one out and people watch so David, Mom and I headed out with the boys. As with most small children, they both loved it. Mom videotaped it so that we can hear the annoyingly happy children sing any time we want! As we were getting off of Small World, the cast members were whisking a party of about 6 in from the back and into their own boat. As we were walking out we heard the whispers that the “VIP party” was for a woman from some soap opera. I can’t for the life of me remember who it was since I’m not a soap opera person. We got out to find that Dad thoroughly enjoyed his people watching outside. He sat on the scooter and watched cast members move strollers and then got to sit back and laugh at all the people coming out of the ride and flipping out because their stroller wasn’t where they left it. It’s always nice to find pleasure in the simple things in life!

We had time for one last flight on Dumbo and a spin through the Tea Cups (also a huge hit) before it was time to ride Pooh. Since both of my children are HUGE Pooh fans, this was to become a favorite. We would return to Pooh several times before heading back home. Connor tried hurling himself out of our Hunny Pot several times to get closer to his buddies. He could not understand why Mom and Disney were such sticklers for this “keep all small children INSIDE the hunny pot” rule! Mean Mommy!

Once off of Pooh, Dad was starting to get into panic mode. Camping World told us the RV would be ready between 4:00 and 5:00. It was almost 4:00 and he’s starting to worry that we won’t make it there before they close and then where would we stay??? My Dad is about 6’2” and paces back and forth waving his arms around as he talks when he gets nervous. My apologies to anyone who may have been hit during his rant! So we head back towards Main Street. OOPS! I forgot there is another parade at 4:00. After what we got stuck in last time, Dad gets more and more nervous by the second. I keep assuring him that on Main Street, they keep people moving and won’t let the walkway get blocked by parade viewers. We reach the front of Main Street at 3:57. Wouldn’t you know it, we’re having to rush right back out and there are good viewing spots right here on Main Street! Oh well…wasn’t meant to be.

Since ECVs don’t go on trams, we hoofed it back to Goofy 52. Mom and Dad rush on out to camping world and we tell them we’ll meet them there. On the way out we stop to get David more cold medicine. He’s still not feeling great but to my surprise he has not been *too* grumpy today.

We meet back up with Mom and Dad and wouldn’t you know it, they couldn’t use the type of inverter Dad wanted and he didn’t hear his cell phone in the park so they haven’t done any work. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem to bother Dad. He asks if they have any other appointments available. Not while we are there. Dad says “well, we’ll just make another trip later this year.”

We went to dinner at Captain Nemo’s seafood buffet down the street from the RV park. It was quite good! $19 for adults, kids 3 and under eat free. You could also add all you can eat lobster for an additional $10. Brandon’s favorite food is shrimp so he was perfectly happy with his big plate full of shrimp and some ice cream for desert. After dinner it was back to the RV for swimming and the nite-nite ritual.

Mom and Dad told us over dinner they weren’t sure they would have come if they’d known it would be THAT crowded in the park. I’m not sure how much more specific I could have been than “it’s the busiest week of the year.” They both say that if for nothing more than seeing Connor with Pooh at breakfast, they are glad they did come. We found out later that the MK closed at capacity for a while during the time we were there. So we saw the MK at it’s worst…and we lived to tell about it!

 

[twinsmom&dad]

ROTFL My father is 6'4", i have seen that walk!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Great reports Lori, your Brandon sounds adorable with his comments, and I wish I could have seen Connor trying to jump out of the honeypot to reach his favorite characters. Makes me miss when my kids were young. Can't wait to read the rest.