Magic Kingdom view and a free sword? Don't mind if I do!

[afwdwfan]

Hi, I'm trying to catch up on some things here, so I'll have to come back to read through everything later. I've read your first couple of posts and it looks like you're off to a good start. I'd love to have a room with a fireworks view sometime. Excellent upgrade!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Glad to hear Biergarten worked out will for you guys.

Sorry the cheering was in full swing.

shudders.

 

[rhorsley]

Day 4 (2/11): It’s not a vacation until there are paramedics in your room.

Day 4 dawned bright, cold (36 degrees F at 9am) and full of promise! Daddy went down to the Contempo Café and got us all breakfast while Andrew had his morning sippy cup. We enjoyed bacon, eggs and waffles in our little dining area (the only time the whole vacation that Kevin & I ate there.) When breakfast was over I brought Andrew into the living room to get him ready for the day. We brought a large changing pad with us and had been changing Andrew on the couch. I finished dressing him and was turning to move the dirty diaper out of the way when (as one of my favorite guide books says) “some confusion happened.”

“THUNK,” the silence of shock, then screaming. I’m not talking about usual toddler drama queen screaming…I mean, “Oh My God, That Really Hurt!!” screaming. Andrew dived off the couch and onto his head.

As many of you know, BLT (like the Contemporary) is concrete under the carpet. Kevin even heard the “thunk” in the kitchen. I grabbed Andrew up and checked him over, getting him to move all his limbs and checked his eyes (just like the night before when he ran head-first into the table) and then I just held him and held him tight.

Screaming continued …not that unusual…we tried more love and distractions like “Little Einsteins,” favorite toys and his loveys…screaming continued …OK this is getting strange…even with the worst bumps and bruises, we have always been able to calm him within a few minutes. Daddy tries his best…screaming continues …

Daddy takes Andrew into the bedroom to try to calm him on the nice soft bed and I call Guest Services to find out what our health care options are if we need him to see a doctor. We both think this is a good plan.

Me: “Hi there. Our toddler just fell off the couch and hit his head REALLY hard. We can’t calm him and think we may need to see a doctor. What can we do?”

GS: “Oh my, how old is the child?”

Me: “He’s 17 months old.”

GS: “I would like to connect you to 911”

Me: “Um…ok”

911: <Insert usual 911 intro spiel here.>

Me: “Um, (repeat what I said above), don’t know if we need to go to the hospital but…”

911: We are sending an ambulance to you

Me: “KEVIN, THEY SAY THEY ARE SENDING AN AMBULANCE?” (Shouting so he can hear me in the next room over the screaming)

Kevin: “WHAT? I don’t think we need all that. Cancel it”

Me: “Um, can you cancel that. My husband doesn’t think it’s so serious that we need to rush to the ER.”

(This is where I get confused. I can’t remember if I was sent back to GS or if it was 911 who I was talking to next.)

Whoever to me: “Well, we already have paramedics at your building for something else. I can send them up to you. They should be there in less than 5 minutes”

Me: “ok”

I explained the change in plans to Kevin and I took the next shift on the bed trying to comfort Andrew, while he waited for the door. By this time, Andrew was having spells. He’d cry hysterically, calm himself and then (I guess the pain would come back) he would start screaming again. About 3 minutes later…

Knock, Knock – there are now 2 really nice paramedic dudes in my room. Andrew calms down (it’s like the car that stops making the strange noise when you take it to the shop.) They are checking him out and he’s complaining, but it’s not a scream, just a “what are these guys doing to me?” complaint.

They couldn’t find anything obvious and advised that, while we could take him to the hospital, it would probably be hours before we were seen and likely they wouldn’t be able to help him much anyway. Instead, we learned all the signs of a concussion, and agreed we would keep a very close eye on him.

Kevin walked them out to find several people (some Disney employees, some who didn’t appear to be) waiting outside our door. The Disney Guest Services-looking-dude asked if Kevin needed anything, He said he didn’t think so and asked if he wanted to come in for anything. Dude shook his head and hands and said no, that won't be necessary. The body language made it obvious that he didn't want to be in there. (We really didn’t want to be in there anymore either.) Note: The paramedic services were free and the guys were awesome; joking with each other and helping to lighten the mood a bit, yet serious about what they were there to do.

By the time they left he seemed back to normal. Kevin and I agreed that it would be better to head over to the MK for some distraction than to stay in the room staring at the boy.

For the 1st time, we didn’t walk over, but took the monorail (between the episode and the cold this was a better choice) and arrived around 9:30am.

Knowing his love for It’s a Small World, we headed straight back while daddy ran our cards over to Peter Pan to get Fastpasses.

For the 3rd time this trip, Andrew LOVED IASW. When we exited, he was giggling and in a great mood. Who is this kid…weren’t you just on fire 30 minutes ago?

We still had about 20 minutes until the FP for Peter Pan opened. Next up, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The standby line was 10 minutes so we braved it knowing the standby line for this attraction is rarely shorter. On our last trip, the new interactive queue (while it looked fun) brought out the worst of my OCD. “Yuck” all those sticky hands and all those germs!

It’s funny how a toddler and mornings like the one we just had can change your view so quickly. He had such a good time playing in the queue (especially the ball-popper and the dripping honey screens) I wouldn’t have objected if he wanted to lick everything. Soon enough we were bouncing through the Hundred-Acre Wood with Tigger and Andrew was soaking it all up. (Yes, I just ended a sentence in a preposition. It was a tough day.)

By this time, our FP window for Peter Pan was open.

Peter Pan Background: Last trip, I was unable to get Andrew on this ride. The FP return window was always much later than we could accommodate and/or the stand-by line was too long. We spent our last day in the MK with the sole intention being to get Andrew on this ride. (it’s a classic, one of my favorites and he knows who Captain Hook is from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) Magical Express was coming to get us at 3:25 that day and the FP return window was 2:50pm. (Too late) And the stand-by line was 45 minutes (too long for a toddler) I know it sounds spoiled, but I was actually depressed that on his 1st trip we didn’t get to experience this ride.

Back to this vacation…Yay, the FP window was open! We got in the shorter queue and he started to squirm. “Look, pirate ships! Never say never, no never, to a Neverland pirate.” Smile from Andrew…Repeat few lines of this song that I know…board pirate ship…”HERE WE GO!” Andrew just watched and watched and at the end with Captain Hook he was pointing and babbling at Hook and the Tic-Toc Crock.

Exit ride…decide it’s time for a toddler fit. We gave him a dose of Tylenol thinking either is head or his teeth were more than he could bear. Add some stroller walking and you’ve got a nap.

Hubby knows the Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite ride of all time. He was able ride it more than I could last trip due to the baby and some food poisoning. So, he offers to walk the boy while I enjoy the ride. Awesome!

About 20 minutes later I’m back in Liberty Square, not grim, but definitely grinning! Andrew slept the whole time for daddy, until he stopped to talk to me…Doh!

It was a little after 12, so we decided, while everyone was awake, we should use up a couple QS credits for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. I know the menu is pretty limited, but I think it’s the best QS in the park. I went to find us a table and get the boy set-up for lunch while Kevin went to get his food. I do mean to say “his food.” Like an idiot, I told him, “don’t worry about me, I’ll go when you get back.” (I wasn’t sure what I wanted. The lobster roll sounded great, but the one I had at the Food & Wine fest was just gross. But then again, the incredible heat then really didn’t lend itself to such a heavy treat)

He was gone for almost 15 minutes. The boy had just about finished his lunch, which meant I had better get my food and eat it quickly before his “I’m sitting nicely at a table” clock expired. It took me only slightly less time to get my meal and the fried shrimp was so hot I had to wait for it to cool. Fortunately, Andrew was working on new and fashionable ways to wear napkins and bits of napkins so mommy was able to eat her lunch sans screaming. Next time, I will check the menu on one of my handy apps and will send hubby with a complete order for all of us.

After lunch we headed in the direction of Tomorrowland and picked up fastpasses for Space Mountain (that we never got to use.) It looked like a full belly might result in another little nap for Andrew, so we just kept walking around. The Move It, Shake It parade was just ending, so we crossed at the top of Main Street and headed into Adventureland. Somewhere between the entrance to Adventureland and Pirates, Andrew made it clear he was up and ready for some fun. We parked the stroller and headed to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Standby was only 10 minutes, but the line stretched out of the dungeons? Seeing that, we turned around to go “hang’ with the Tiki-Birds…or at least that was our plan. As we turned, Andrew (who was being carried) caught sight of Pirate Goofy greeting fans to the right. If he could have flown out of my arms he would have. Kicking and pointing, Andrew made it clear that we had to stop for the meet-and-greet “NOW.” I know we shouldn’t indulge fits, but the boy had already had such a tough day. We shrugged our shoulders and got in line for Goofy.

Which is worse, a toddler expressing his burning need to visit Goofy from far away…or while in a relatively short line mere feet away from him. Unquestionably for us it was the latter. We were in line 5 minutes tops, but the effort to hold onto him or keep him in the line with us felt like FOREVER.

And just as with Mickey, it is Andrew’s turn and he gets shy. After all that carrying on, I was going to make him enjoy meeting Goofy even if I looked like a complete fool doing it.

Mommy gives Goofy a big hug, a high-five, blows him a kiss…I think there might have been a song in there too. Then Andrew gets it…”Oh yeah, that’s Goofy…I like him…cool.” Resulting pictures show him giving his own high-fives and blowing kisses to Goofy before we had to move on and make way for the next fan.

*Andrew blows kisses with the back of his hand...

As we exited, we saw The Enchanted Tiki-Room was letting in for the next show. We jumped right in line and were seated in seconds (that is the way to see attractions with a toddler!)

Tiki-room backstory: This is one of my most vivid memories of my 1982 trip to Disney as a child. When Kevin and I went for the 1st time together, I insisted we see it (we didn’t see many “shows” back then – it was all about the rides). The show was over and Kevin advised he didn’t feel the need to ever do that again. Of course, we’ve seen it on just about every subsequent trip. I didn’t like the “Under New Management” version of the show nearly so much. But as long as my beloved birds were still there, I would be too. When Andrew was born, like a good crazed Disney fan, I made a lengthy playlist for him of all my favorites. Whenever we are in the car together the playlist is going…strangely, shuffle seems to favor the tiki-birds…perhaps it’s just the tiki-gods helping teach my little dude the ways of the tiki.

Andrew has always enjoyed the song and clapped along when we saw the show in September. I swear he got so much more out of it this time and we left with a beaming toddler and my favorite “ear-worm” stuck in our heads.

Full of smiles, we decided to check out Pirates one more time. Same wait time, but they were just opening the other side, so we figured that would help. Again, we called on the power of the Wiggles & iPhone to keep him occupied, but it wasn’t long before we were boarding our vessel and waving to the nice CM above.

He’d ridden Pirates in September (in the front row, which made me so nervous) and liked it well enough. This trip, he almost lost it at the bottom of the small drop. We were in the back row, so we used a little light from our phones a the top of the drop (held in our laps and facing him, so as not to bother others) plus a big cheer from mommy and daddy at the bottom and simple comments about how much fun that was to keep him from going over the edge. By the time we were past the big ship, he was fully engaged again. As often happens, the boats backed up in front of the treasure room and it was some time before we got moving again. He got really wiggly but kept his cool. “Whew!”

Getting out of the gift shop, we realized it was going on 3:30. I couldn’t remember if the sitter from Kids Night Out was coming at 4:30 or 5, so we thought it best to head back to the room. They weren’t due til 5pm, so we rested a bit in the room and prepped supplies for the sitter. This was day 4, and our trash and towel service day. Because, it’s what I was taught to do and because there were some not so awesome smelling things in the guest bath trash, I left them a nice tip in one of the cool Mousekeeping envelopes you can find over at MouseSavers. I was so surprised to get back to our room and find Andrew’s toys enjoying a good book, a towel dog on our bed and EVERYTHING cleaned. They left me a really nice note thanking me for the tip and explaining that as thanks they did the complete service. As a DVC member, I never thought I’d get to see a towel animal again!

Note on Kids Night Out – In September, they sent Kelly 2 nights in a row to watch Andrew. She was awesome, distracting him at the window while we left (to minimize the “mommy just left me” panic – of which there was none) She followed instructions to a tee and we came home to a happily sleeping baby. 2nd night he was happy to see her and had to start playing with her right away (mommy who?) Same thing 2nd night, came back to a happy sleeping baby.

I requested Kelly when I made the reservation and mentioned it again when I called to confirm. It was then I was informed, Kelly was not available and they would be sending someone else. I don’t even remember her name.

She arrived on-time and seemed very nice. I reviewed the instructions and was surprised when she made kind of a big deal about saying goodbye to mommy and daddy. I listened at the door and he seemed ok, so we headed out. )I’ll get back to what we did that night later, I want to finish with this first) We got back just before 10pm. Andrew was half awake in the crib, and when we came in he got so upset. I had to pull him out while Kevin settled up with her. He was so angry I was worried maybe he had some lasting effects from the morning’s events.

Kevin was reading over her report, and in addition to all kinds of messing up his schedule (taking him for a walk in the stroller 30 minutes before the usual bedtime rituals start), there was no mention of getting his evening milk/Pediasure mix (he’s under weight) as was indicated on our instructions. I assume this was because he fell asleep on the walk just before bedtime. But, it would have been nice to be told this when we got back, rather than having to play the “what’s wrong with the baby” guessing game for 15 minutes. Sure enough, the cup was full and still in the fridge where I left it. As soon as he had that he calmed down and fell asleep. I walked away thinking, “Yes, she did watch my child and I got him back in the same condition I left him. So in that respect she did her job.” But I came home to an angry awake baby at nearly 10pm, when all he needed was his milk! Not cool. I know we will use them again in November, but I will “strongly” request Kelly and I’ll find the receipt from this time and ask that we not get this young lady again.

OK, so picking up where Kevin and I left the boy with the sitter…We planed to go to Epcot, enjoy dinner at Via Napoli and stroll around the World Showcase. Also, I was determined to get a margarita at Cava de Tequila, which I was unable to do last trip due to an approaching bedtime.

We barely make it onto the monorail to the TTC (standing room only)…ok, we’re not going anywhere…doors open…doors close…doors open…announcement: “We apologize for the delay, but we need to hold here for a few minutes while they bring another train onto the track. It should only take 5 or 10 minutes.” We had about 50 minutes until we were in jeopardy of losing our ADR at Via Napoli, so I wasn’t that worried.

15 minutes later the doors close and we are off (and my feet and back were starting to really ache after a full day and then standing on a cramped train.) Our ADR was for 5:40 and it was about 5:40 when we arrived at the park. Since he doesn’t have to go through the bag check, Kevin offered to run ahead and check us in so we didn’t miss our ADR. Since it was in the 40’s, I walked with pretty good speed through future world (Text: I’m seated) and then back to Italy. Cheeks red and nose running I make it to Via Napoli a little after 6pm.

Dinner was really nice. For starters, I ordered the pomegranate martini, which was so yummy and it was the Italian Beer (La Rossa) for Kevin. For an appetizer I ordered the calamari, which I had last time, and it was tender and the breading light. Kevin had a pepperoni pizza for his entrée and I enjoyed the Chicken Parmesan. I’m not the biggest fan of pizza, it’s ok, but it was one of only 3 foods my little brother would eat when we were kids, so I’m kinda over it. However, the Via Napoli pizza was really good. The crust had a kind of sweetness that mixed with the flavor from the brick ovens that I really enjoyed! For dessert, I had the Coppa Di Brutti Ma Buoni, which was ok (from the picture I thought it had more chocolate – guess I should read more) and Kevin ordered the lemon sorbet. He’s a big fan of sorbet (especially citrus.) Bellies full, we settled up and headed out.

So, at least in my case, the ice cream for dessert was a bad idea. When we left the restaurant it was dark and in the upper 30’s/low 40’s with the wind coming off the lagoon. I looked like a crazy person bundled up with my scarf wrapped around my face. (Funny story, I only brought the scarf to get a picture of me wearing it with Mickey. I imagined a photo where I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt with a Mickey Mouse scarf around my neck. A friend, who knows what I fan I am, gave it to me for my birthday. Thank God for that!)

When I planned this evening, I thought we would stroll around World Showcase…instead; we walked as fast as my frozen little legs would carry me to Mexico to get the margarita I had been anticipating for the last 2 trips.

I reached the pavilion…”hmm, that’s a strange sound?”…Up the steps…“It’s getting louder”…“a fire alarm, really?” Not believing what I am hearing, I head into the pyramid with the siren blasting and the lights flashing and am told to leave.

So I’m thinking, “it’s just a test, it will be over soon, I’ll just wait outside on the terrace.” Streams of guests file out…we stand there shivering…now guests are coming out with glasses in their hands…still waiting…then the CM’s in their little off-the-shoulder blouses come out into the cold…Ok, they must mean business. After feeling bad for the CM’s and being ashamed of myself for still complaining how cold I was, we gave up and headed over to Spaceship Earth. The Margarita will wait until November.

After Spaceship Earth, we agreed to head back to BLT, but instead of giving up on the night, we went upstairs to the 15th floor members only lounge for drinks and a lovely view of the Kingdom. Except for us, another couple and a guy at the bar, the lounge was empty. The bartender was very attentive and the drinks were strong.

Drinks finished, and mommy and daddy warm and relaxed, we headed back to our room and our half-asleep angry baby (see above.) Not our best use of an adult night out, but still fun.

 

[kmedina]

Sorry your day got off to a rough start. I am glad that Andrew was not too hurt. My son feels the same way about IASW. It was the only ride he requested to ride more than once last trip. I stayed off with my younger son and nursed him while DH took him the second time. We miss Peter Pan some trips due to the line as well. It has been a long time since I have seen the show in the Tiki Room, because my DH is like yours. Years ago, we watched it and he said never again. Growing up, I saw it so many times with my Dad that I can go a while without seeing it. I do want the boys to see it sometime, so I will try to see it next trip.

I took both boys on HM last trip. The older one was just past the scared age, and the younger one had not quite reached it yet. That is too bad the lady from Kids Nite Out did not give him his milk. Sorry you did not get your margarita, but I am glad you made it to the Member's lounge.

 

[afwdwfan]

Wow, what an eventful day! I'm sorry about the visit from the paramedics, but at least the people at guest services were ready for a situation like that and ready to help. I guess it is always better to err on the safe side. Thankfully, it doesn't look like it ended up being too bad.

I'm sorry you missed out on your margarita. I still haven't enjoyed one in the new tequila bar yet, but I think DW and I will try to do that next time we go back.