Oh Great Ball of Epcot, will I still love these people when this trip is over?

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

Day 9 – Animal Kingdom
Oh Great Ball of Epcot, do you really have to love people that you are related to because of a marriage?
The ball says…concentrate and ask again

Ms. Pouts A-lot did not make an appearance again this morning and no one even questioned Geek as to where she might be. We just drove to the Animal Kingdom for our ADR at Tusker House for Donald’s Safari Breakfast. Actually, we had time to grab fast passes for Everest before checking into the restaurant. The buffet was pretty good; I really liked the Cheese Blitz’s and yes, Repeat there is white cheese in them.

By the time we completed breakfast, our next fast pass window had opened so I went and got pass for the safari before we headed to Everest and then we walked over to see how long the line was for the next showing of the Lion King. It appeared to be manageable so we joined in. As I have stated earlier, I can start up a conversation with anyone, any time, any where, so Grumpy and I were engaged in a very pleasant conversation with a couple from Arizona when Pete heard a comment that was made and immediately started in on the poor defenseless couple. And of course, Repeat, added to the humiliation by repeating word for word what her mother had say.

Now let me clarify something here, Repeat is not mentally nor physically disabled in any way; no one, not even Bubba knows why she repeats things. Grumpy thinks it has something to do with her being insecure so she just takes on all of her mom’s opinions instead of forming her own. The problem with this is that many, many times, her mom has no idea what she is talking about so Repeat also states incorrect information.

So here they are going on and on when I stepped in and apologized to the couple but also corrected Pete and Repeat in hopes that our newfound friends would not judge everyone solely based on the people that one’s sibling marries. Of course, Pete insists that she was correct and Repeat took the same stance. Grumpy stepped in and set both of them straight (he and I are both history buffs and we knew that both we and the other couple were correct). Well, Pete swelled up and stated in a huff that she was still certain that she was correct and she didn’t care what Grumpy or any history book might say.

The line was moving as the cast members began to let people enter the theatre and I told our Arizona friends good-bye as I know they would not want to be seated anywhere near us. Our dysfunctional group took our seats in the giraffe section and a cast member stopped by and asked if I would accompany her and answer a question right before the show started. Now, I have seen the show before so I knew what I was going to be asked – what sound does a giraffe make? Ok, I can do this, I know the answer, I’ll be fine. Once she stuck that microphone in my face, my mind went completely blank. I just stood there trying to think of the answer and nothing was coming to me, so I just said, heeelllooooo. She laughed and said that Dory was in the other show. And then I remembered it and I yelled a sheep, they sound like a sheep. Maybe I should said that I YELLED it because I startled the cast member but I was just excited that I remembered that it sounded like a gosh darn sheep. Yea – I got a gold star.

Geek still had not heard from Ms. Pouts A-lot so we visited Camp Minnie-Mickey and posed for pictures with each of the available characters. Goofy is my favorite and every time Grumpy tried to get in the picture with us, Goofy would push him out of the way. The photo pass photographer really took some great shots of us having some fun.

We decided to take an ice cream break before using our passes for Everest, one last stop at It’s Tough to be a Bug and then back to the resort for the rest of the afternoon.

Grumpy and I decided to grab an adult beverage and have a seat by the pool. I felt I had to apologize to him for Pete and Repeat’s lack of manners and he stated that he understood but he was glad that the vacation was winding down and we would be leaving tomorrow afternoon. It really is hard to explain the two of them to people, it does not matter if you are holding a pink piece of paper, if Pete states that it is purple, Repeat will also state that it is purple and the two of them will argue with you until you finally just give up. I think that’s why Bubba just doesn’t care anymore; he’s just too tired to argue with the two of them, really it’s very sad, if you think about it. But we are at Disney and I didn’t want to think about it anymore, it was time to get back to having fun.

Grumpy and I were wondering if Ms. Pouts A-lot would join us for dinner. Deep down inside, I was hoping she would just stay in the room I had already had enough drama for one day. But I guess she felt she had to grace us with her presence as she decided to dine with us. We were seated within a few minutes of our ADR time at Artist Point. Grumpy and I both had the Salmon and we split the cobbler for dessert. While our Salmon was fork tender, you could cut the tension at the table with a knife, there was definitely something going on with Geek and Ms. Pouts A-lot.

We had taken a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then the boat to the Wilderness Lodge because we were going to go to Downtown Disney after dinner. Ms. Pouts A-lot and Geek had a few words so she decided to return to the resort. We just kinda meandered our way through the Marketplace and Pleasure Island before returning to Ghiradelli’s for a brownie sundae. Aahhh, nothing like chocolate to make everything right with the world.

 

[tink1957]

Aahhh, nothing like chocolate to make everything right with the world.

Ain't that the truth Chocolate makes everything better.

 

[All7OfUs]

My sister is just like that.

Yeah, our sister is JUST like that.

 

[GaRain]

Holy crap on a cracker...I am SO IN!!

I to am signing up for this crazy adventure!
But I just have to say I love this quote and am so gonna use it sometime soon!

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

Ain't that the truth Chocolate makes everything better.

I know, hhhmmmm, I wonder if coating certain family members in chocolate would help. Then we could have a picnic at the Studios by the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and they could be carted off by the huge ant. Sounds like a plan.

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

My sister is just like that.

Yeah, our sister is JUST like that.

Too funny!!!! Before Grumpy met them I tried to explain the situation to him and I told him it was like listening to a conversation in an echo...echo chamber.

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

I to am signing up for this crazy adventure!
But I just have to say I love this quote and am so gonna use it sometime soon!

Thank you for joining in. I know isn't that funny - I use it all the time but once received a reply that I was not expecting - the person said, "She said crap on a cracker, well that just doesn't sound very appealing". So be careful when and where you use it.

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

Day 10 – Magic Kingdom
Oh Great Ball of Epcot, does taking a trip to London necessarily make you a tea expert?
The ball says…my sources say no.

Our final day, part of me was sad that the trip was almost over but the other part of me was just thankful that the majority of our group was still speaking to each other. Geek said that Ms. Pouts A-lot was going to meet us at the park – like no one saw that one coming. It has been a long-standing tradition to end a trip by having breakfast with Mickey at Chef Mickey’s so we began our day there. Once again, white cheese made an appearance on the buffet and Repeat was adventurous and tried the Cheese Blintzs and to everyone’s delight, she claimed them to be delicious. I was just thankful that she did not gag on them. Oh yes, I have learned to appreciate the simpler things in life.

We took the walkway over to the Magic Kingdom, entered the park with the intension of riding all of our favorite rides. First on the list was to get fast passes for Splash Mountain, then we rode Thunder Mountain, Haunted Manson, The Country Bears and Mickey’s PhilharMagic before returning to Splash Mountain. We wandered over to Adventureland and secured fast passes for Jungle Cruise and got in line for the Pirates of the Caribbean.

While in line, we had to fend off pirates ourselves, I noticed that a family was slowly making their way through the line by slipping past other families one by one. If you recall, the queue for the ride is rather wide and if a family was standing close together, they would slip behind them and move on to the next family. Well, when they got behind our family, I just told everyone to spread out and I sent Pete and Repeat to meet them head on. Yes, nothing like mentioning politics to Pete to get her all riled up. Yep, it was not long before they caved and let another family move into their spot and now for your listening pleasure – religion.

We walked over to Tomorrowland and got in a short line for Stitch’s Great Escape – to this day, I wonder why we subjected ourselves to that, but we did, call it a senior moment. Got fast passes for Buzz and then walked back to the Jungle Cruise and the Tiki Room. I’m not sure how, with all that noise, but the gentleman seated next to me fell asleep. Now my Mom, Nana and Aunt Kodak were notorious for falling asleep in the Hall of Presidents, it was like surround sound snoring when watching the show with them.

Joined the line for Winnie the Pooh, Snow White’s Adventure and then used the fast passes for Buzz. Patricia had called Geek to let him know that she was in the park and when he relayed the message to the rest of us, I could not help myself and told him that I already knew she was here after all, didn’t he hear the trumpets, you know they play them whenever a princess arrives. Oh the duties of a princess, they eat, sleep, and wave at a few people from their floats in a parade, good job, if you can get it.

And then the moment that Grumpy had been dreading had arrived – tea at the Grand Floridian. He tried to get out of this, but this was something that both Pete and Ms. Pouts A-lot wanted to do and the only time we could fit it in was on our last day. I told Grumpy that he could wait in the lobby but he said he would suck it up and go to the tea, but I was to never ask him to do this again.

Nana and I had been to the tea many times and I really do enjoy it, but today was something like I had never experienced before. The Garden View Lounge is very refined – what was I thinking in bring my family? You see, Pete, Repeat and Ms. Pouts A-lot have all been to London and they know all about partaking in high tea. So when our server asked which blend we would like, I stated that I would like the Buckingham Palace with Lemon Verbena and Grumpy ordered a Samuel Adams (yes, that’s how I got him to attend the tea). Then Ms. Pouts A-lot was next - she closed her menu and indicated that she would like an iced tea. The server smiled at her and asked which blend she would like, she stated she would like Community Club, but if they didn’t have it, she would take Lipton. Our server did everything in her power to not laugh out loud, she again smiled and stated, “No, sweetie, I need to know which of our blends of tea you would like to have, do you prefer a sweet tea or one with a fruity undertone”. At this, Patricia became impatience and stated that she had been to London and ordering tea there was not so difficult. Our server smiled and said I’ll pick something special out for you. Oh, just don’t get mine mixed up with hers.

When our server walked off, Ms. Pouts A-lot commented that when in London she did not have to pick a blend of tea, they just knew which tea she wanted without even asking. I leaned into Grumpy and said that if her attitude was the same in London as it was here, then two to one they served her “backwash” tea – her own special blend. Afternoon tea at the Garden View Lounge $19.50, one Samuel Adams beer $6.50 and an additional serving of scones with Devonshire cream $3.50, watching one of your in-laws make a complete fool of herself – priceless.

We made it through the rest of our teatime without further offending anyone at the surrounding tables and returned to the Magic Kingdom for a few more rides before leaving for Tallahassee.

We checked the wait time board and noticed that the wait for Splash Mountain was only 30 minutes so we thought we would give it one more try. This time, Patricia refused to ride in the second row, so Grumpy and I were in the front row, Bubba in the second row, Geek and Patricia in the third row and Pete and Repeat in the fourth. I’m not sure why she didn’t see it coming since there was no one in front of her, but a huge wall of water hit Patricia and she was drenched. Again, she accused Grumpy and I of getting her wet on purpose – what wall of water that was special blend tea just for you? On the way out, I stopped and got a pressed penny from the machine with the Splash Mountain design just so I could have that special family memory.

The wait for Haunted Manson was listed at 30 minutes but it only took about 20. When Grumpy and I rode past the bride, he asked me if I would re-marry if he passed before me. Oh, sweetie I told him, I could never be a gastric muse for anyone else but you. The dog’s gas will be the only one that I will be dealing with in the future. He smiled and said I appreciate you. You’re welcome.

We all looked at each other and knew that the time had come so we strolled down Main Street and stopped at the bakery for a few items for the road trip to Tallahassee. Grumpy and I purchased a slice of Snickers Cheesecake (darn that white cheese), a Rocky Road Brownie and Banana Bread Pudding, which Grumpy warmed later that evening in the microwave in the lobby of the La Quinta.

As we drove off in the peace and quite of our own vehicle, Grumpy stated that the trip was not nearly as bad as he had prepared himself for but this was definitely something that he would not want to do on an annual basis. I tried to explain to him that traveling with extended family could be both a blessing and a curse. We have had some amazing trips together filled with wonderful memories that I would not trade for anything. But there have also been moments when I would just walk off and pretend that I was traveling solo.

Thank you all for joining me on this trip report. I have enjoyed reading all of your comments. And to those that have stated that they will soon be traveling with their extended families, I look forward to reading the trip reports to see how things went. Just remember grasshopper that revenge is best served cold.

 

[TillyDe]

I have loved your report and hate that it is over.

One question:

Does Repeat eat pizza? Doesn't it have white cheese on it?

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

I have loved your report and hate that it is over.

One question:

Does Repeat eat pizza? Doesn't it have white cheese on it?

Debbie,

Aahhh, Repeat and pizza, those two words have not been muttered since the Great Pizza Debacle of 1988. We were at WDW for our annual family reunion and had decided to eat at a pizzeria off-site. Well, several family members thought that the waiter was flirting with me. So I glanced at him and smile but he had this look of disgust on his face. Then I noticed that he was staring at Repeat. She had taken a bite of pizza and the cheese had gotten stuck in her braces and for whatever reason, she did not try to remove it but instead just continued speaking to my mom. So this piece of cheese is hanging out of her mouth and is flopping around every time she moved her lips. My mom finally reached across the table with her napkin and pulled the cheese out of her mouth. To this day, she has never eaten pizza again and it is a running joke in our family not to sit across the table from Repeat if you are trying to get someone’s attention.

Enjoy your upcoming trip.

Lizzie

 

[itradehilton]

Pizza>>>> White cheese...

Review .... priceless

 

[Disney_Jill]

The Great Pizza Debacle of 1988! I love it, hahaha!! I'm sure the GF just isn't as refined as the places in London, so they didn't have any Community Club or Lipton. How you didn't burst out laughing is beyond me. I guess you are so used to those "moments" that you have lots of practice in self control.
This was an awesome trip report and I enjoyed reading it!

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

Pizza>>>> White cheese...

Review .... priceless

I know what can I do they're family? I just learned to roll with the punches. Enjoy your upcoming trips.

Lizzie

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

The Great Pizza Debacle of 1988! I love it, hahaha!! I'm sure the GF just isn't as refined as the places in London, so they didn't have any Community Club or Lipton. How you didn't burst out laughing is beyond me. I guess you are so used to those "moments" that you have lots of practice in self control.
This was an awesome trip report and I enjoyed reading it!

I knew if I laughed the poor cast member would not have been able to hold hers in any longer - the look on her face was so funny - she was trying so hard not to laugh that I'm sure she just lost it once she was out of sight. I mean there is an entire page of tea blends and she orders what she serves at home????? But you are right, I have learned to control myself when I'm around them otherwise I would be in a constant state of either or.

Thank you for reading.

Lizzie

 

[Dizfan4life]

Lizzie..... excellent trip report!!! I am sad to see it end only because I thoroughly enjoyed reading about "The Adventures of Pete and Repeat!" I don't know if I can look at a pizza again without thinking of "white" cheese flapping up and down while hanging from the mouth!

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

Lizzie..... excellent trip report!!! I am sad to see it end only because I thoroughly enjoyed reading about "The Adventures of Pete and Repeat!" I don't know if I can look at a pizza again without thinking of "white" cheese flapping up and down while hanging from the mouth!

Thank you so much for reading and try oh try to get that cheese image out of your head - trust me - it's not a pretty sight.

Lizzie

 

[distherapy]

I stumbled across this today and I promise you, it's the best Mother's Day present I've ever gotten.

My hat is off to you... many thanks. Now I'm going to eat some white cheese in your honor.

 

[Fairy Godnana]

Loved your report! and I love your family--we all have at least one we want to hide from! Thanks for sharing. (at least I know not to order the Lipton)

 

[PirateFish989]

This. Was. Amazing.

 

[Lizzie-in-Texas]

I stumbled across this today and I promise you, it's the best Mother's Day present I've ever gotten.

My hat is off to you... many thanks. Now I'm going to eat some white cheese in your honor.

Thank you very much for your gracious comment I'm glad you enjoyed my report and welcome to the wonderful world of white cheese.

Lizzie