nwdisgal
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2002
- Messages
- 2,120
Cast of Characters:
Me (DW) - late thirty something that doesn't wanta grow up, thinks Peter Pan is my ideal date, profiles as Cinderella, and a full time mother to a Disney Obsessed 9 year old child and his 13 year old sibling who gladly goes along with her younger brother's compulsion. In the corporate world, I'd be coined the Disney Event Planner. I plan everything, I pack everything, and when it comes time to disinfect the hotel room, I'm the obsessive compulsive, carrying around the container of Clorox wipes in my carry-on bag.
DH - Patient, loving, supportive, breadwinner to the Disney Obsessed son and the high maintanence DW who thinks she's Cinderella. Profiles as Aladdin, so has to put up with the fact that his DW is fantasizing about Peter Pan.
DD - She's at that uh...age
You know that one where are a way of life . The great thing about being that age is that it is the smartest you'll ever be and then you start realizing how much you really don't know as you get older. So enjoy all you know while you're still thirteen .
DS - Still in the innocence of his youth and the most obsessed of our group about Disney. He is the momentum and the cheerleader for all things Disney. Thank god we have him along, other wise we'd be compulsive lounge lizards.
Day 2:
We've just traveled through several time zones to get here and even with the short layover in Seattle, the six o'clock wake up call isn't happening. My head is at WDW, but my body is back on HST. It's 8:00 am and I look over at my roommates. They are all sleeping soundly, with DS (the energy behind the theme park force) buried beneath a pile of covers in his Heavenly Bed. Well so much for early park entry and rope drop and all that stuff. That's for tomorrow... Famous last words!
It is ten o'clock by the time every one is up and dressed and nourished with Starbucks coffee and Krispy Cremes from Tubbis. Thank goodness for Tubbis and the large size cup for Starbucks. I gulp it down and still I'm feeling the jet lag
, but it is enough caffeine to start my motor.
We glance outside at the WDW weather and it is raining. Quite frankly, I was hoping not to have to reduce myself to this level. I am a native born Seattle lite where braving rain without any protective covering or an umbrella is part of the genetic code. Hawaii just furthers that resolve, where you learn how to survive a five second heavens open up downpour, soak to the bone and still make it to your car with your resolve to get to the grocery store and not complain about being all wet. So what's a little rain?!?
"I'll take three" I tell the clerk, pawing through her supply of ponchos. One for me, two for the kids. DH thinks he can escape all this and wear his Eddie Bauer ski parka. Fortunately, the once dowdy yellow poncho has experienced a fashion update to a less objectionable clear poncho with Mickey on the back. Well, at least now the crowd can enjoy illusions of my lime green Banana Republic sweater.
We slip into our ponchos and head for the boat to Epcot. We trail into Future World and the crowds are pleasantly light. I think it is because of the rain. Trust me, this will be the last day we will see 'light crowds' anywhere in WDW, except for Storm Warning Day (more on that in one of my TBD posts).
DS steers us toward Spaceship Earth. As we stand in line, I begin to feel the pangs of indigestion, or maybe it was the two late night martinis I knocked down at the lobby lounge last night. The bartender was so chatty, and he made this great martini with this Japanese flower water infused in it. I can't remember the name of that special martini, but it was really good. So by the time I stood up to go to my room, well, slumber came easy. This morning though, I'm feeling it in my gut. So when the gang says, hey, let's go to Mission Space, I bless them with you go and meet me over at the Norway Pavillion. I can't see my stomach enduring Mission Space at this point and I've heard all sorts of rumors/horror stories about people puking at the exit from the ride. Well that might be me this morning, and the chill of the rain is starting to soak through my rain poncho. It is time to nourish myself with a good dose of fat in Norway and warm up with a latte. We head our separate ways - DH with the kids and me to the bakery at Norway.
My favorite thing in Norway is chowing on the School Bread. It is at the top of my list everytime we go to WDW. I'm in good company sitting out on the covered seating area of the bakery. Seems a lot of people have come here to escape the rain. I help myself to my own table and don't pay much attention to the sideglances as I dig my fork into the bread and tear right down to the pasty cream. The pastry cream is excellent, with a hint of cardomam in its flavouring. The pastry however, runs a bit tough for my taste. It could even be the weather today, as I've enjoyed this treat many times before and remember the dough not being quite as chewy as it is today.
The gang eventually catches up to me and we ride Maelstrom two times in a row - there are no lines. We literally walk straight up to the boat and step in. DS loves the part where the troll casts the spell and sends the boat backward. He's a big Lord of the Rings fan, so somehow draws a connection between this nordic ride and LOTR.
The rain is really coming down! It soaks us to the skin in fact. It doesn't take long for us to wimp out on the whole theme park experience and head to Japan to Yakatori House. We order a couple orders of miso soup, and DH and I share some curried beef with rice. The best part is a cup of hot green tea, which is just the necessary warm up with the rain streaming down. The curry dish is quite acceptable.
After lunch, the rain has cleared up, so we head over to France to watch Impressions De France. My dad's side is French and we've visited various parts of France a couple times while I was growing up. I just watch footage of familiar places and drool and give DH that "I want to go back to France again someday" look. Yah, when I pay off the WDW bill Then everyone thinks they need a dessert (except me), so we stop off for chocolate mousse and pear tart from the French bakery. Of course, I have my fork handy to sample everyone else's delight. Then we head back to Future World and spend time at the Living Seas going through the exhibit. My son starts fixating on the stuffed animals in the retail area, so we leave with "Bruce" the shark in hand. Then down to the shark exhibit to learn all about sharks.... Like I wan't to know anything more Marine Biology is a standard classroom subject for our kids in Hawaii, and DS and DD start telling me all about the different sharks. "Oh yeah, Mom, we have that one and this one and that shark will tear a person apart in five minutes." Hmmmm. Chlorinated Pool is sounding better and better these days -even with all the pee and screaming kids, you know the only fin you'll ever see is on someone's flippers.
We spent quite a bit of time at the Living Seas, before heading over to Journey into Your Imagination.
After we finish Journey, I look at my watch and it is just about Happy Hour, so we make our way back to the Dolphin to catch our second wind. The bartender who made me those great Flower martinis in the lobby lounge last night isn't on shift. We head to Blue Zoo for drinks and appetizers. The fun thing about this place is some of the prep cooks are up front in view of the public, so you can watch them do their thing. I work in the culinary field and have formal training in it so I find it fascinating to watch the cooks do their thing. I'm really impressed by the dude shucking the oysters without protective gloves on. He seems to have hands of steel and works the oyster knife with such finesse. Then there's a gal rolling out flat bread for the pizza like it's second nature to her. Dh and I split the Crab Nachos and they are "right on" taste and texture wise, especially with a glass of chardonnay to wash it down. The drinks fill us up and we end up jumping to the dessert menu where I order a molten milk chocolate banana cake. Yum! I also have a nice after dinner cup of coffee, although I am beyond help with any caffeine infusion at this point.
After the rich appetizers and dessert and two generous glasses of wine, the time zone change is setting in on me. I go back to the room to rest my head on the Heavenly Bed "for just a few minutes" and that's all she wrote. The next thing I know I wake up and it's 11:00 pm. DH, DD, and DS have just come in from a venture back to Epcot while I was sleeping, where they rode Mission Space again, watched Illuminations, and took a turn on Test Track. Oh well, there is always tomorrow, for another chance at the rope drop
Me (DW) - late thirty something that doesn't wanta grow up, thinks Peter Pan is my ideal date, profiles as Cinderella, and a full time mother to a Disney Obsessed 9 year old child and his 13 year old sibling who gladly goes along with her younger brother's compulsion. In the corporate world, I'd be coined the Disney Event Planner. I plan everything, I pack everything, and when it comes time to disinfect the hotel room, I'm the obsessive compulsive, carrying around the container of Clorox wipes in my carry-on bag.
DH - Patient, loving, supportive, breadwinner to the Disney Obsessed son and the high maintanence DW who thinks she's Cinderella. Profiles as Aladdin, so has to put up with the fact that his DW is fantasizing about Peter Pan.
DD - She's at that uh...age
You know that one where are a way of life . The great thing about being that age is that it is the smartest you'll ever be and then you start realizing how much you really don't know as you get older. So enjoy all you know while you're still thirteen . DS - Still in the innocence of his youth and the most obsessed of our group about Disney. He is the momentum and the cheerleader for all things Disney. Thank god we have him along, other wise we'd be compulsive lounge lizards.
Day 2:
We've just traveled through several time zones to get here and even with the short layover in Seattle, the six o'clock wake up call isn't happening. My head is at WDW, but my body is back on HST. It's 8:00 am and I look over at my roommates. They are all sleeping soundly, with DS (the energy behind the theme park force) buried beneath a pile of covers in his Heavenly Bed. Well so much for early park entry and rope drop and all that stuff. That's for tomorrow... Famous last words!
It is ten o'clock by the time every one is up and dressed and nourished with Starbucks coffee and Krispy Cremes from Tubbis. Thank goodness for Tubbis and the large size cup for Starbucks. I gulp it down and still I'm feeling the jet lag
, but it is enough caffeine to start my motor.We glance outside at the WDW weather and it is raining. Quite frankly, I was hoping not to have to reduce myself to this level. I am a native born Seattle lite where braving rain without any protective covering or an umbrella is part of the genetic code. Hawaii just furthers that resolve, where you learn how to survive a five second heavens open up downpour, soak to the bone and still make it to your car with your resolve to get to the grocery store and not complain about being all wet. So what's a little rain?!?
"I'll take three" I tell the clerk, pawing through her supply of ponchos. One for me, two for the kids. DH thinks he can escape all this and wear his Eddie Bauer ski parka. Fortunately, the once dowdy yellow poncho has experienced a fashion update to a less objectionable clear poncho with Mickey on the back. Well, at least now the crowd can enjoy illusions of my lime green Banana Republic sweater.
We slip into our ponchos and head for the boat to Epcot. We trail into Future World and the crowds are pleasantly light. I think it is because of the rain. Trust me, this will be the last day we will see 'light crowds' anywhere in WDW, except for Storm Warning Day (more on that in one of my TBD posts).
DS steers us toward Spaceship Earth. As we stand in line, I begin to feel the pangs of indigestion, or maybe it was the two late night martinis I knocked down at the lobby lounge last night. The bartender was so chatty, and he made this great martini with this Japanese flower water infused in it. I can't remember the name of that special martini, but it was really good. So by the time I stood up to go to my room, well, slumber came easy. This morning though, I'm feeling it in my gut. So when the gang says, hey, let's go to Mission Space, I bless them with you go and meet me over at the Norway Pavillion. I can't see my stomach enduring Mission Space at this point and I've heard all sorts of rumors/horror stories about people puking at the exit from the ride. Well that might be me this morning, and the chill of the rain is starting to soak through my rain poncho. It is time to nourish myself with a good dose of fat in Norway and warm up with a latte. We head our separate ways - DH with the kids and me to the bakery at Norway.
My favorite thing in Norway is chowing on the School Bread. It is at the top of my list everytime we go to WDW. I'm in good company sitting out on the covered seating area of the bakery. Seems a lot of people have come here to escape the rain. I help myself to my own table and don't pay much attention to the sideglances as I dig my fork into the bread and tear right down to the pasty cream. The pastry cream is excellent, with a hint of cardomam in its flavouring. The pastry however, runs a bit tough for my taste. It could even be the weather today, as I've enjoyed this treat many times before and remember the dough not being quite as chewy as it is today.
The gang eventually catches up to me and we ride Maelstrom two times in a row - there are no lines. We literally walk straight up to the boat and step in. DS loves the part where the troll casts the spell and sends the boat backward. He's a big Lord of the Rings fan, so somehow draws a connection between this nordic ride and LOTR.
The rain is really coming down! It soaks us to the skin in fact. It doesn't take long for us to wimp out on the whole theme park experience and head to Japan to Yakatori House. We order a couple orders of miso soup, and DH and I share some curried beef with rice. The best part is a cup of hot green tea, which is just the necessary warm up with the rain streaming down. The curry dish is quite acceptable.
After lunch, the rain has cleared up, so we head over to France to watch Impressions De France. My dad's side is French and we've visited various parts of France a couple times while I was growing up. I just watch footage of familiar places and drool and give DH that "I want to go back to France again someday" look. Yah, when I pay off the WDW bill
Then everyone thinks they need a dessert (except me), so we stop off for chocolate mousse and pear tart from the French bakery. Of course, I have my fork handy to sample everyone else's delight. Then we head back to Future World and spend time at the Living Seas going through the exhibit. My son starts fixating on the stuffed animals in the retail area, so we leave with "Bruce" the shark in hand. Then down to the shark exhibit to learn all about sharks.... Like I wan't to know anything more Marine Biology is a standard classroom subject for our kids in Hawaii, and DS and DD start telling me all about the different sharks. "Oh yeah, Mom, we have that one and this one and that shark will tear a person apart in five minutes." Hmmmm. Chlorinated Pool is sounding better and better these days -even with all the pee and screaming kids, you know the only fin you'll ever see is on someone's flippers. We spent quite a bit of time at the Living Seas, before heading over to Journey into Your Imagination.
After we finish Journey, I look at my watch and it is just about Happy Hour, so we make our way back to the Dolphin to catch our second wind. The bartender who made me those great Flower martinis in the lobby lounge last night isn't on shift. We head to Blue Zoo for drinks and appetizers. The fun thing about this place is some of the prep cooks are up front in view of the public, so you can watch them do their thing. I work in the culinary field and have formal training in it so I find it fascinating to watch the cooks do their thing. I'm really impressed by the dude shucking the oysters without protective gloves on. He seems to have hands of steel and works the oyster knife with such finesse. Then there's a gal rolling out flat bread for the pizza like it's second nature to her. Dh and I split the Crab Nachos and they are "right on" taste and texture wise, especially with a glass of chardonnay to wash it down. The drinks fill us up and we end up jumping to the dessert menu where I order a molten milk chocolate banana cake. Yum! I also have a nice after dinner cup of coffee, although I am beyond help with any caffeine infusion at this point.
After the rich appetizers and dessert and two generous glasses of wine, the time zone change is setting in on me. I go back to the room to rest my head on the Heavenly Bed "for just a few minutes" and that's all she wrote. The next thing I know I wake up and it's 11:00 pm. DH, DD, and DS have just come in from a venture back to Epcot while I was sleeping, where they rode Mission Space again, watched Illuminations, and took a turn on Test Track. Oh well, there is always tomorrow, for another chance at the rope drop
