Oh, D-D-D-Dear! My Piglet's Bday in the World UDD 10/10 The End!

[creativeamanda]

After our little rest in the rooms, we went back to Hollywood Studios in hopes of seeing Fantasmic! Our hopes were slowly being swiped away as the clouds became darker and darker. Still, on we went to the park, figuring we could just wait it out. As we walked into the park, we took a picture of this and Gillian made a comment that was right on target. . .”That looks like it really should be in EPCOT”

I know that there is a reason for this in HS, but I really can’t remember what it is. . .

Five minutes into the Studios and this picture later:

The heavens opened up and the bottom fell out. I frantically search for my poncho, which is no where to be found. Boo and Stinky find theirs, and Sweetie exclaims: It wouldn’t fit with my camera! So off I trot into one of the shops to buy two ponchos. $13.00. For 2 ponchos. I remember that price because I was shocked it was an even 13 bucks. Thoughts of Fantasmic are slowly slipping away at this moment, and my flip flops are getting soaked by the rain. So we decide the best thing to do is head into Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I won’t sing for you, but my 2nd favorite Disney song after Amy Adams’ “Happy Working Song” is “Part of Your World”. I think Jodi Benson does a spectacular job with it and no matter how old I get, I remember feeling that my parents well-meaning though they were, were out to hold me back as a child. I also thought the world out of my home was the best.

Well, after we walked out of Voyage of the Little Mermaid, it was still raining, but we could see people still going to Fantasmic. We decided to see if we could get a seat, but I warned that 30 minutes before the show we had a slim shot of it.

I was right. We were informed as we got there that there was standing room only for that performance. Knowing that it was still raining and that I did not fancy standing in the rain for 30 minutes only to be told the show was over, we decided to just walk around. I wasn’t too fussed about it at all—Fantasmic is something I had seen 2 times prior.
On the way out, I took this shot, because it looked so spooky at night. And no, I did not ride it, but I will in December.

It was here that I convinced Gillian that she had to see the Streets of America, where there was no one around, as the park was officially going to close soon. I was eerie, but beautiful at the same time. I thought of Anna as we got here.

A kind CM from Great Britain offered to take a picture of all of us here. . .

And my kids would totally love living in New York City if they could do this all the time. . .

Courtney loved this statue of Miss Piggy outside of Muppet 3D

Well, even though the rain was slowing and we could theoretically go to the second showing of Fantasmic that night, we decided to just turn in. We had rope drop the next morning to go to and we were simply cold (in June) from all the rain and Gillian was discovering the worst of walking around in wet tennis shoes—blisters. So we make our way back to the bus stop and here Fantasmic in the background. Still drizzling and still wet even with ponchos, the bus was freezing, but we got to the room and changed into night clothes and crashed.

Coming up. . .Rain, rain, go away. . .

 

[TarzansKat]

Has your son started playing Candyland yet? Boo got it last year for Christmas and we had to play it 2-3 times daily in the beginning.

Gosh, I can't remember when we got it, but yes, he was the same way! 2-3 times in a row, at least!

Wow, did you get rained on! I get you on the poncho prices. One of the benefits of still bringing the stroller is that we always have a bag full of ponchos in the bottom compartment! You never know!

 

[creativeamanda]

Gosh, I can't remember when we got it, but yes, he was the same way! 2-3 times in a row, at least!

Wow, did you get rained on! I get you on the poncho prices. One of the benefits of still bringing the stroller is that we always have a bag full of ponchos in the bottom compartment! You never know!

What's irritating is I could have bought 13 ponchos for the price of two! And come to think of it, we HAD 20 ponchos back in the room, because well, you never know. (Do I sound like Smileybug with the 15 sticks of deoderant or what)

 

[TarzansKat]

What's irritating is I could have bought 13 ponchos for the price of two! And come to think of it, we HAD 20 ponchos back in the room, because well, you never know. (Do I sound like Smileybug with the 15 sticks of deoderant or what)

I do have to say, Disney ponchos are my favorite by far. I can't even tell you how long we've had some of ours and they hold up so well!

 

[creativeamanda]

I do have to say, Disney ponchos are my favorite by far. I can't even tell you how long we've had some of ours and they hold up so well!

We have 2 Disney Ponchos and 1 Day out with Thomas Poncho in the closet. This trip, we're just going to pay the $13 for 2 more ponchos and be done with it. Or, since it is December, go ahead and bring out raincoats. . .which is something we in the South have all the time. . .

 

[PaMom001]

We really need a Tagless girls-only trip and then you could bring her with you. . .I think that would be a great idea.

OOoooooo, that would be nice. Except we don't do comando. If we get to the park around 9 am, we're doing ok.

 

[creativeamanda]

OOoooooo, that would be nice. Except we don't do comando. If we get to the park around 9 am, we're doing ok.

LOL, my days of getting to the park for rope drop are coming to a close. I grow weary of not sleeping in for vacation!

 

[creativeamanda]

We woke up Friday morning amid cloudy skies indeed. I'm not sure why we did not go to rope drop that morning, other than the fact that we were out so late the night before, but we didn't make it. It was okay, though. We needed some rest.

We figure it's a good time to head over to. . .

the clouds look okay here, at first, but it was without warning that we saw. . .

and then

Because of those clouds, we head over to the Character Spot.

where I lost my lens cap from the camera (sorry, Tim, about yelling in your ear over it--I thought you were Dan trying to figure out why I wanted to talk to his BFF)

But after I lost it, I got these pictures. . .

Don't ya just love Mickey?

It's a good thing we went into the Character Spot, though, because it POURED while we were in there, and we were just hoping it would dtop before we got out.

We leave the Character Spot, where I have my aforementioned conversation with Tim over my lost lens cap and try to get another one at the camera shop. Note to Disney--a good thing to carry at the camera shop would be lenscaps--the CM there said she gets people in all the time who want to buy one, but they don't carry them! I would have gladly paid $20 (3 times what I paid at Best Buy for a new one) to protect my camera.

We decide after all of that that the best thing would be to head on over to the World Showcase, as we had lunch reservations at Tutto Italia. Going over that way, just standing all by herself was. . .

Who was truly a sweetheart--and my girls' favorite princess.

So, we were entering the World Showcase, it's not raining anymore, and we are getting really hungry. Really. But not before we took a trip half way around the world. . .

I love this troll. . .

This is one of my favorites that I took. . .

The girls at Tutto. . .

By then, it was time to go back to the room to get ready for Typhoon Lagoon, so we took the bus over, where we met a surprise in the room. . .

Isn't he cute?


After a quick call to dh to see if he made it to Pennsylvania okay, and a reminder that I need to take his babies to the water park, we got ready and headed over to Typhoon Lagoon. Where we encountered yet again, the adventures with the buses over to the DTD/Typhoon Lagoon area. I begged with Gillian the day before to let me drive, but she saw one car get turned away in the parking lot and 2pm and was spooked by it. No matter, it took us only about an hour to get there. The problem, however, was the fact that the clouds were starting to roll in. No matter, though. . .we were excited--we were going to the water park, something my kids, even though we live near Myrtle Beach, had never done.

So we walk in, and I have to say, Disney really can do some park theming! This park is awesome! Of course, when we went in, every few minutes we would hear a whistle and then screaming. . .it took us forever to realize it was the tidal wave!

Now, I have to say, I totally refused to bring my own nice camera here, so Sweetie was kind enough to lend me hers--it's 5 years old, so if we lost it to water damage, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Before going to rent a locker, we snap some shots:

And then, we hit the slides. Now, I don't know about most people, but I found this water park to be the best one that I had been to to that date. And I was more than excited to see Photopass there, even though you can't tell who this is. I promise, it's Stinky and me.

We then go around the lazy river a few times, and go to the wave pool. Where a disasterous thing happens. The wave is so strong, it knocks Stinky over, causing a huge abrasion on his foot. So I can say this, out of the 2 hours we spent at Typhoon Lagoon, I spent roughly 30 minutes going to and from First Aid.

Stinky was told after being bandaged up that he should keep his foot dry. So, I go to tell Gillian and the girls that it's time to head out, leaving Stinky on someone else's chair so I could see him. (If it was yours, I'm sorry--he was only there for a minute and it was quite necessary)

I did take a couple more shots:

So, we go back to the resort, because we are pooped for the day, and grab a quick bite for dinner at Riverside Mill. It is then that I break down and buy refillable mugs, which I swore I was not going to do. After shopping a little at Fultons, we go back to the room. I announce to the kids that it's time for me to have a few minutes to myself, and I head back over to Riverside Mill to refill the mugs, Fulton's for shopping, and by Muddy Waters for a little spiked lemonade.

I then take our laundry to the coin laundry. By then it's almost 9pm, but I had to get some laundry done. Gillian watched the kids while I went over there. And that's when I got the infamous call. . .

DH, remember, had been in Pennsylvania at CigarFest, where he and his buddy Tim had VIP tickets. Which amounted to they had a ride to and from the hotel, free drinks, and they did not have to even go fill them up. Tim says Dan was fine until he had a Bud Light, but I don't know. Let me just say this: I am almost 35 years old and had gone through all of that time without having been drunk dialed. That is until the night of June 26, 2009. Here I am, in the coin laundry of Port Orleans-Riverside, cleaning his childrens' clothes, and he decides to call me. I admit, I spent a fair amount of time laughing. But then, I just wanted to do the laundry. So I told him to go to sleep. Next time he's like that, I want to be walking along with him around the World Showcase so I can watch him make a fool of himself.

Anyway, I finish the laundry and then head over to bed. We had an early morninf the next day, because we were going to make it to rope drop.

Coming up--our second day at Epcot

 

[Incredimom3]

Great update, Amanda! I loved hearing about Typhoon Lagoon. It looks beatiful. Too bad about Stinky. My youngest seems to be a magnet for accidents too. We have reservations for Tutto Italia at lunchtime. Did you enjoy your meal. I've heard that the scenery is divine! Just wondering about the food.

 

[TarzansKat]

What a bummer about Stinky's foot at the water park! At least you had some fun beforehand, between the water park and the characters in Epcot!

And I'm over the drunk dialing. I've gotten those before. Not from my husband ever, but from college friends. Hilarious.

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

Great update!! Ugh so sorry about Stinky's foot! I've gotten a few abrasions from that wave pool as well but it's also my favorite wave pool! I love TL, I like it so much better than BB. Haha, my friends like to drunk dial me sometimes and I just have to laugh because they're such idiots, although it is much more fun to see them drunk, so much more fun!

 

[creativeamanda]

Great update, Amanda! I loved hearing about Typhoon Lagoon. It looks beatiful. Too bad about Stinky. My youngest seems to be a magnet for accidents too. We have reservations for Tutto Italia at lunchtime. Did you enjoy your meal. I've heard that the scenery is divine! Just wondering about the food.

We loved Tutto . . . so much so that we want to do it for the Candlelight Processional. The food is awesome, and coming from someone who is not Italian but cooks mostly Italian food, I am a huge critic.

What a bummer about Stinky's foot at the water park! At least you had some fun beforehand, between the water park and the characters in Epcot!

And I'm over the drunk dialing. I've gotten those before. Not from my husband ever, but from college friends. Hilarious.

Stinky was fine. He's just a little overly dramatic. You'd expect it from girls, but he's, well, him.

And the drunk dialing. I still cannot believe he did that. I sat in the laundry room and could do nothing but laugh. DH is normally a mild mannered person, but he gains a sense of humor like no other when he's a bit inebriated. Tim, his friend, is also a DIS member and he might have to chime in here. Let's just say, it was beyond the most hilarious thing I've ever heard from him. . .

Great update!! Ugh so sorry about Stinky's foot! I've gotten a few abrasions from that wave pool as well but it's also my favorite wave pool! I love TL, I like it so much better than BB. Haha, my friends like to drunk dial me sometimes and I just have to laugh because they're such idiots, although it is much more fun to see them drunk, so much more fun!

I wish I could have seen him. They say he wanted to join the dancers on the stage. . .I was just sitting there, laughing my behind off, thinking, "He's so going to regret this in the morning."

It's funny, I saw all kinds of people waling around TL with those same band-aids from first aid on legs, feet, and even backs. There should be a warning on that thing! Seriously, though, we loved TL. . .the Lazy River there is by far the best!

 

[DisneyFaeriePrincess]

I wish I could have seen him. They say he wanted to join the dancers on the stage. . .I was just sitting there, laughing my behind off, thinking, "He's so going to regret this in the morning."

It's funny, I saw all kinds of people waling around TL with those same band-aids from first aid on legs, feet, and even backs. There should be a warning on that thing! Seriously, though, we loved TL. . .the Lazy River there is by far the best!

Oh god, I'm sure that would have been something to see!! Haha, well he had fun!! Haha, I've gotten some battle injuries from the wave pool! Oh I love the lazy river, just in a different way than the wave pool!!

 

[tbtdawg]

And the drunk dialing. I still cannot believe he did that. I sat in the laundry room and could do nothing but laugh. DH is normally a mild mannered person, but he gains a sense of humor like no other when he's a bit inebriated. Tim, his friend, is also a DIS member and he might have to chime in here. Let's just say, it was beyond the most hilarious thing I've ever heard from him. . .



I wish I could have seen him. They say he wanted to join the dancers on the stage. . .I was just sitting there, laughing my behind off, thinking, "He's so going to regret this in the morning."

I can't even describe how funny it was. I've know him almost 30 years and never have I seen like that or laughed so hard. Later that night I had to "escort" him back to the room. You should have seen him "asleep" on the bed when I got back to the room.

 

[creativeamanda]

Oh god, I'm sure that would have been something to see!! Haha, well he had fun!! Haha, I've gotten some battle injuries from the wave pool! Oh I love the lazy river, just in a different way than the wave pool!!

The nurse in First Aid said 90% of the injuries she sees are abrasions from the wave pool. I'm not surprised. That thing should come with a warning.

I can't even describe how funny it was. I've know him almost 30 years and never have I seen like that or laughed so hard. Later that night I had to "escort" him back to the room. You should have seen him "asleep" on the bed when I got back to the room.

Then you witnessed something I first saw in college. And why on earth did you not take pictures, hmmmm? At least I could have some blackmail. Either way, thanks, Tim, for watching out for my husband that night.

 

[Captdonswife]

Just found and read your trip report! Can't wait til the next post. I have a grandson that has a pea sized bladder as well, so I know what you are talking about! Its hard to get everything into a day if you are having to stop every 30 minutes! You have a cute family and what a trooper Gillian is to go along!

Vicky

 

[creativeamanda]

Just found and read your trip report! Can't wait til the next post. I have a grandson that has a pea sized bladder as well, so I know what you are talking about! Its hard to get everything into a day if you are having to stop every 30 minutes! You have a cute family and what a trooper Gillian is to go along!

Vicky

I am so glad you are here!

 

[creativeamanda]

So, after another quiet restful night at POR (well, not so quite and restful . . . remember the phone call?!? We, uhm, slide out of bed for another day at EPCOT. By this time, the continuous going and the heat is getting to getting to us. Not to mention the fact that all of us are cooped up in the same room. Gillian and I are a lot alike. Needless to say, it has its advantages and disadvantages. The major disadvantage is, I annoy myself sometimes. Either way, we decide it's a good day to ride some rides in Future World and then split up for the rest of the day until dinner. Sometimes for the good of the friendship, you have to do that.

Anyway, we decide we've had enough of Disney transportation and I drive to EPCOT that morning. We get there in time to be close to the front near the turnstiles for rope drop and then wait. And wait. Did I ever mention, the sun can get really hot in Epcot on a late June Florida morning?

We finally get in after to get to rope drop and we go over to the Test Track/Mission Space side, since we had done Soarin' a couple of times already. And I see. . .

my absolute favorite--Minnie Mouse

We then walk with the crowd going to Test Track, and still somehow I get all turned around. This never happens to me, so it was actually frightening and disorienting for me. Being the daughter of a road construction supervisor, growing up I saw nothing but maps and directions come natural to me.

But we get where we are supposed to be okay. . .

This was my first time on Test Track and I loved it!

The kids came out and played a little in the car area. . .

We loved it so much, we got fastpasses for later.

And we walked over to the Land. We rode Soarin' and then went to Living with the Land. I always find this fascinating and someday would love to do a Behind the Seeds Tour. Growing up on a farm and living on one now, I just think it would be awesome.

I just need a few of these bananas

Earning my ears. . .

By this time, it was 11am as we had done a little shopping in Mouse Gears before walking of to the Land, so we stopped for lunch at Sunshine Seasons. Then I got fastpasses for Soarin for the kids and me and we went back over to Test Track to use our fastpasses. We get into the holding room at TT and the ride goes down. We were all willing to wait, and did so. For 45 minutes. Then, all of the sudden, Stinky says, "I have to go to the bathroom." It was a waste of a fastpass, but we exited the line, took Stinky to the restroom, and decided to part ways from Gillian for a while. She wanted to meet characters. We wanted to ride Mission: Space. See, Gillian gets a little mition sickeness, so Mission: Space is not a good ride for her.

We went over to the green side, as Stinky, remember, hates roller coasters, (I will ride the Orange in December with the girls), and coming out they play for about 30 minutes in the play area. Then, we go out to the gift shop, for this picture,

and proceed to their favorite--the water fountains in Epcot.

And of course, by the time all of this has happened, we can get another fast pass. So we do. For Test Track, after seeing the ride is up and moving again.

And we know that it's time to go over to the World Shocase to do their Kidcot masks. But before we leave Future World entirely, a wonderful opportunity comes around. . .

coming up, the World Showcase, another trip to the Ministry of Magic, and AFLAC!

 

[PaMom001]

What wonderful pictures. I love the one of the veggies.

 

[MrsSpratt]

Hi, Amanda -

I have been following along LOVING IT, I just have been quiet.

Until now.

I have to admit, I think your husband's drunk dialing (ESPECIALLY if he has never done it before...) is kinda' cute. It shows he was letting go, letting loose, and I'm willing to bet if you weren't stuck doing laundry, you would think it was cute, too. As you WERE doing laundry, I'd be a bit miffed, just on principle. Now if it was habitual....bleah.

And Crossroads of the World is a famous development in Hollywood. Charlie Chaplin had his office there, and it is really really adorable - it looks like a bunch of Snow White cottages.

Your children are precious! Love the trip report!

Mrs. Spratt