Nory Report III: In the Third Person! After 3 Years, the Final Update! NEW 2/6

[firecracker725]

Congratulations! There is nothing like becoming a mother!

 

[tinacaplan]

Congratulations!! What wonderful news! And, hey...I have a five year-old and just managed to swing a girls-only trip, so...

You will soon be seeing Disney through your child's eyes and it is an amazing experience. :

 

[norybell]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sooooo, soooo exciting!!!!! And I bet you will look adorable with a little baby bump!

And for a trip in a few weeks! Love that your parents are taking you!!

Thanks, Brook! I have to tell you: Every time I start thinking I want it to be a girl, I think of Henry and how friggin adorable he is, and then I'm not so sure anymore!

Congratulations! There is nothing like becoming a mother!

Thanks!

Congratulations!! What wonderful news! And, hey...I have a five year-old and just managed to swing a girls-only trip, so...

You will soon be seeing Disney through your child's eyes and it is an amazing experience. :

I just can't wait!

 

[norybell]

Maybe my book needs an offering to the tiki gods somewhere? Nory hadn’t visited the Enchanted Tiki Room in years.

She loved the old-fashioned kitschiness of it all, but decided—presciently, it turned out—that it would be better without Iago and Zazu.

Someone had suggested she might want to hide a fictional something-or-other in the treasure chest at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean, which seemed like a good idea. But when Nory reached the plaza entrance to the ride so she could investigate, a few pirate-costumed CMs informed her it was down for the time being. They reassured her that it would be open later (thank goodness, because, really, how could you have Halloween without pirates?).

Nory strolled over to the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, one of her old favorites. When she was little, she had loved pretending that she lived there. (A regular treehouse didn’t really entice her, even then. She wanted a treehouse with running water.)

“They leave Tom Sawyer Island and establish a stronghold in the treehouse,” she whispered into her phone as she climbed down the tree’s countless stairs, hoping nobody overheard.

After leaving the world of nineteenth-century shipwrecks and ingenious survivors, she decided it was time to use her fastpass and take a tour through the jungle. She’d heard the Jungle Cruise was much cooler in the dark, and it wasn’t actually dark yet. But 7:00 was nearing, and she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be inspired by one of Walt’s original rides before it closed for the night.

Nory was seated in the front of the middle row, directly in front of Skipper Pat. This ended up being both fun (because she was forced to really pay attention and participate) and uncomfortable (because she was forced to respond to all of Skipper Pat’s jokes). It reminded her of the time she was seated in the front row of tables at a distinctly mediocre comedy show: Her face had been sore from fake-smiling by the end of it. However, being in the front did have its advantages. She noticed a few things she never had before. Like the way they actually light a lamp on the front of the boat when they enter the ruins. And the way the baby elephants—the most child-friendly segment of the whole ride—are brilliantly placed directly after the only real scary part. A small girl sitting across from Nory, dressed in Cinderella finery, was on the verge of tears as they passed the snakes and the evil monkeys and the tiger with its glowing red eyes in the belly of the temple ruins, only to laugh and point happily when they emerged into the pool with its adorable, squirting baby elephants. Clever, that.

When Nory disembarked from her slapstick tour through the plastic wilderness, it was nearly seven o’clock: time for the Halloween party to really begin.

***

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

We were seated right next to the CM on the Great Movie Ride once - it is a bit awkward being so close! I don't think I've ever looked so intrigued by that ride before! That is cool that you noticed details you hadn't before though!

 

[KatMark]

My dear, Nory, congratulations to you and your hubby and the new little one to be. How exciting!!!!!

 

[teekathepony]

I sat next to the skipper on the JC before too, it was a little awkward! Can't wait to hear all about the Hallowe'en party!

 

[norybell]

We were seated right next to the CM on the Great Movie Ride once - it is a bit awkward being so close! I don't think I've ever looked so intrigued by that ride before! That is cool that you noticed details you hadn't before though!

I sat next to the skipper on the JC before too, it was a little awkward! Can't wait to hear all about the Hallowe'en party!

I think being alone made it even extra awkward, since I didn't even have anyone else to turn to (just to relax my fake smile for a moment here and there!).

My dear, Nory, congratulations to you and your hubby and the new little one to be. How exciting!!!!!

Thanks, Kat!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Thanks, Brook! I have to tell you: Every time I start thinking I want it to be a girl, I think of Henry and how friggin adorable he is, and then I'm not so sure anymore!

Aw, thank you!

Beautiful picture!!!

 

[glennbo123]

"Swiss Family Robinson" was on tv a couple of weeks ago and I made my kids watch it so they'd understand the treehouse at Disney (which they didn't remember

) Anyway, the movie doesn't hold up real well....it is sooooo far-fetched. I didn't remember from watching it as a kid, that there are all kinds of animals (predators and predatees, ie. lunch, like tigers, ostriches, zebras, elephants) running around on that island, with no explanation as to how they got there and how they can co-exist so closely with one another.

 

[norybell]

Aw, thank you!



Beautiful picture!!!

Thanks! I love that one, too.

"Swiss Family Robinson" was on tv a couple of weeks ago and I made my kids watch it so they'd understand the treehouse at Disney (which they didn't remember

) Anyway, the movie doesn't hold up real well....it is sooooo far-fetched. I didn't remember from watching it as a kid, that there are all kinds of animals (predators and predatees, ie. lunch, like tigers, ostriches, zebras, elephants) running around on that island, with no explanation as to how they got there and how they can co-exist so closely with one another.

Back when I was...I dunno...maybe 8? my little sister and I, when we were feeling rebellious, would sneak out of our rooms and down to the basement in the middle of the night (was probably actually around 10:00), watch Swiss Family Robinson on BETA, and eat Duncan Hines frosting straight out of the container. We hid those half-eaten frosting containers so well, a few of them didn't turn up until a decade later.

 

[glennbo123]

Back when I was...I dunno...maybe 8? my little sister and I, when we were feeling rebellious, would sneak out of our rooms and down to the basement in the middle of the night (was probably actually around 10:00), watch Swiss Family Robinson on BETA, and eat Duncan Hines frosting straight out of the container. We hid those half-eaten frosting containers so well, a few of them didn't turn up until a decade later.

You rebel!

With all of the preservatives, the frosting was probably still good.

 

[norybell]

You rebel!

With all of the preservatives, the frosting was probably still good.

It was nice and crusty. Probably would've chipped a tooth by then.

 

[KatMark]

Great update.

We did the Tiki Room in September and January (not impressed with the new "old" version).

I also took the girls up in the Treehouse in January because they had never been. It's been years (probably 15 or 20) since I'd done it and they made quite the changes. I really enjoyed it.

 

[norybell]

Great update.

We did the Tiki Room in September and January (not impressed with the new "old" version).

I also took the girls up in the Treehouse in January because they had never been. It's been years (probably 15 or 20) since I'd done it and they made quite the changes. I really enjoyed it.

Yeah, I'm not so crazy about the new-old version, either.

I have always loved the Treehouse...especially if you're there in a good moment, when no one else is up there (as it was on this particular trip). A CM told me that it's a great place to watch Wishes, too, as long as you don't mind missing out on the music (which I think I would mind, actually).

 

[brookelizabeth]

Back when I was...I dunno...maybe 8? my little sister and I, when we were feeling rebellious, would sneak out of our rooms and down to the basement in the middle of the night (was probably actually around 10:00), watch Swiss Family Robinson on BETA, and eat Duncan Hines frosting straight out of the container. We hid those half-eaten frosting containers so well, a few of them didn't turn up until a decade later.

I love it!

 

[MEK]

Nory - your pictures in this last update are absolutely stunning! I so love treehouse pictures and I have yet to take them with my new (now old) camera. So perhaps I will try for some of your shots in June! I love the one of space mountain in the distance. So pretty!

 

[norybell]

Hi, everyone! I’m back! I’ve missed you all so much!

I know you’re dying to know what else happened on this more-than-two-year-old trip, aren’t you? You’ve spent the past eight months wondering what in the world Nory did next, right?

While it does feel a little ridiculous to be blowing the dust off this old report, I’m back from a long hiatus from the DIS, and ready to reabsorb myself in Disney obsession once more. It was too dangerous to be here, for a while, knowing I wouldn’t get to return to WDW for goodness knows how long. For a good reason, of course – I just had my first baby! But now said baby is a whole 11 weeks old, he’s starting to nap more, and I’m already thinking about his first trip to Disney (May, I hope). Plus, I’ve discovered that reading the DIS on my phone is a great thing to do while nursing. Which means I get to see you all again (hooray!).

First things first, before I get back to the serious business of trip reporting:

Meet our little man. For the sake of the Internet, let’s call him Simba, since he’s my little African prince (his daddy’s Ethiopian). He was born on 10/23/12, and was 5 lbs 15 oz – a little guy! Now he’s a nearly a whopping 10 pounds. We are crazy about him.

And now, let's go back in time to October 2010...

And Halloween Begins

Nory decided her first official party ride should be the Haunted Mansion, naturally, and she headed past the stately homes of Liberty Square on her way to officially kick-off her evening.

Dusk had fallen, and a full moon hung, palely, in the air. Many of the guests wandering about were costumed, some in simple matching T-shirts, some in official Disney princess regalia, and some in extraordinarily complex costumes of their own making.

A phalanx of CMs roamed the walkways, checking people for their Halloween wristbands, and asking those without the coveted strip of plastic to head for the exits. Nory witnessed one family’s angry outburst when they were told they had to turn around. But nothing could ruin her mood; between the moon, and the costumes, and the book ideas, and what had been a generally relaxing day, she was really excited for this party to begin.

Nory reached the Haunted Mansion and entered the queue, making a brief curtsy as she passed the elaborately-dressed Halloween ghost who sat outside the entrance telling stories.

Nory was the only one in the first part of the queue, and between the Halloween-party fog and the deepening dusk, it was actually creepy. Pleasantly creepy.

The Haunted Mansion CMs must have a particularly fun time during Halloween parties. They were all covered in elaborate makeup, ghostly white powder masking their faces, making them look even more ghoulish than usual. And they played it up, each of them trying to out-spooky the other. Nory always loves the Mansion, but she has to admit—being surrounded by CMs so 100% in character makes it a hundred times better.

***

 

[snoopygirl79]

Yay!! You're back!! Huge congratulations on the birth of Simba!! He's such a cutie!!

I really enjoyed reading your TR so looking forward to it continuing but know how much work newborns are!!

SG x

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Nory!!!! Glad to see you back! And welcome to the Dis, Simba!!! He is so adorable!!

The Haunted Mansion on real Halloween must be so cool!