The Sybah Shelstah
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2002
- Messages
- 456
My plans are to have the kids get up and open the few Christmas gifts we brought with us (and one from Santa- although "Santa's" bigger gifts like bikes had to be left at home ofcourse. The kids had already been warned that Santa wouldn't bring too much stuff here because we couldn't take it back in the van- but we were SURE that he would also leave gifts at home and they would get them soon as we got home. 
)
and then.....
Magic Kingdom here I come!!!! I couldn't believe... I was finally going to WDW!!!
The morning was great- everything went off without a hitch. I forgot to mention in part one that I had been told by our "manager" there that the walmart on 192 was open and not closing for Christmas until 9pm and I drove through horrendous traffic down 192 just to get there and find out what everyone else in the free world (Haha) that was going there found out- that Walmart had just closed and even had security guards at the door to make sure no others came in! So I had to go to Walgreens and purchase (expensively) snacks, drinks, breakfast items, milk, etc for atleast the first day or so of our stay. So we had breakfast (cereal, toast- normal humdrum stuff) and head out on our day to Magic Kingdom.
We had a great map of the way (about a 5 minute drive if there was no traffic) to WDW given to us by the hotel (the only good thing about staying there LOL) and the kids had gotten up so early that we were actually going to get there right at opening or a few minutes before! Or so we thought. I laugh now at my naivity. LOL (I didn't realize until we were BACK from our trip that we had gone on this trip at the busiest time of the year! In my naivity I honestly thought that it would be slower on Christmas morning because surely everyone else would be opening gifts or spending time with their family? HAHAHAHA so silly of me)
Entering and I'm videotaping everything like an idiot. LOL Then find out we haven't really entered... we have to drive and drive till we find the signs for Magic Kingdom! And then enter paying for parking (long lines.. but I still wasn't getting a clue LOL) and THEN after parking... imagine my surprise to realize it was really just the TTC and we THEN had to find our way to the monorail to ride that to MK! LOL I was so ignorant about things then. Not to mention that hey, btw.. it's really stupid how they do their online ticket sales/procedures. I bought the tickets online thinking that it would be different than getting in lines to PURCHASE tickets- but I was wrong. They make you wait in line like everyone else and they then have you show your paperwork printed from the computer and give you your tickets. Even SixFlags here has seperate lines for things like that. They don't make you wait in line behind everyone else BUYING tickets if you already have like passes, tickets, or etickets! But anyway... we finally got our tickets and progressed on to the monorail. I think that's the order it went in. I've slept since then. LOL
So we finally get to MK... about 10minutes after opening time. Pretty busy at the turnstiles- at this point I'm realizing everyone is NOT enjoying the early morning with their families! So we rush through and I really had to force myself to stop and let them take pictures of us on Main Street. I really wanted the pictures but my first instinct was to take off running down mainstreet and hussle to the things on my "have to" list. LOL Honestly I wanted to leave dear hubby and children behind and just go flinging myself down mainstreet -like a 4yr old or something. I was finally there!!! I swear I could have been a commercial if I was thin and beautiful or something. HAHA I was in total awe and just wanted to turn in circles with my arms in the air crying cause I was FINALLY THERE!!!!
Okay so I calm down, let them take the picture, and end up hussling so fast with the stroller down mainstreet that somehow I lost our tickets (but they were able to find our pics- thankfully because we were in their first batch of pictures they took and ofcourse I bought them! LOL)
I did not make note of every single ride we did (I bought a journal while there and started writing in it every night) but we basically worked our way around riding rides at first with no wait and then getting fastpasses.. riding rides with short lines until our FP time came up. The only thing I regret is that the kids did not get to ride Dumbo while were there. By the time we got around to that- the line was really long and at that point we were only riding rides with short lines or those with the availability of FP.
I'll have to make sure they get to next time because they asked when we passed it but it just wasn't feasible with our IMpatient children. LOL (who have no grasp of time yet- atleast the younger two don't. So didn't really understand what an hour or 90 min wait really meant!)
We were waiting for our FP time to come up on Peter Pan- just checking things out because it was soon- when I asked someone in a store near that area where I could find a jacket that is like a school jacket (I wanted the one that is light demin with tan arms) and they directed me around to another store.. I can't remember the name yet- and this is how our autographing started! I saw Goofy over there and ran back to tell my husband and then find an autograph book like I saw everyone else was doing- bought that and while he got in line at Peter Pan- I ran with the older two to get his autograph and a pic of the kids with him! So sad though because by the time I got over there and stood in line about 5 min.. he then just disappeared! I mean they literally said Goofy has to go and POOF- he was gone.. with a huge line sitting there in shock.
Atleast I was. LOL I had no idea they just took off like that- see the things I learned on this trip? LOL Ofcourse I realize now they can't stay there forever and the line would never go away- so they have to go sometime!
But I still went back to the PeterPan ride all sad... sadder than my kids were! (Remember it's ME that has always wanted to go- the kids just like Disney movies and haven't dreamed all their lives of going there- yanno? they got into it later though. LOL)
Then we worked our way to toontown eventually and it was great. The only thing that happened that really (although it sounds stupid now...) almost made me come to tears was we waiting in lines to see characters and when we finally got to MICKEY (my favorite ofcourse!!!) the lady working with him said she didn't mind ALSO taking a photo of us with my camera- even though I had full intentions of buying their photo they took also- and did- I showed her how to do it and she only had to wait like 2 nanoseconds for the light to come on... I couldn't leave it on when I handed it to her because it's a digital camera that shuts off after 2 seconds of nonuse. I know- it's annoying! LOL So I showed her how to turn it on, wait just a teensy less than a second for the light to come on saying it's ready- and then push to take our picture. She couldn't figure it out when we were posing and I SWEAR IT HAD ONLY BEEN LIKE maybe 20 seconds TOPS of her trying to figure it out- when Mickey threw a little temper tantrum and walked away from us to her, grabbed the camera from her and shoved it at me- got back in his position and they took the pic. I managed to force a smile when that happened but I was non too pleased not only because I had wanted a digi picture to be able to show to my friends and family online WITH MICKEY.. the most important character to me- but because my favorite character was so impatient and really rude. Atleast I felt that way at the time. I felt if she couldn't figure it out and not be given more than a few seconds to figure it out- then when I asked if she could take the pic with my camera- she should have just said no! My husband would have gladly taken the pic and just not been in it- but no....... she has to say she will and Mickey won't give her time. This will be my only complaint (that I can remember) at WDW the entire time- but it was importan to me since Mickey was THE character for me. Does that make sense? Even more than Minnie... he's my fav. But that's not all- the lady got rude with me as we were leaving because I very low "whisper voice" commented to my husband as we were walking out that "I sure wish they had been able to get a pic of us on the digi camera also- but I'll still buy the pic they took" and I have my back to her walking out as I said this to him and she starts LOUDLY replying "I tried!! I can't help it that your camera is so difficult!" I really hate it when people get in my conversations with others especially when I have my back to them so they know I'm not talking to them and I'm speaking as quietly as possible so they won't overhear. Even if they do hear it- I think it's RUDE to then comment- she knew darn well I wasn't talking to her.
So I just turned around and told her that I was speaking to my husband, not her.. and walked out the door.
Enough of that- it gets me upset everytime I think about it. The picture came out okay- but nothing I would want to share with the world. You can even see me holding the digi camera in the pic (I normally try to hide cameras, camcorder and fannypacks when I had pics taken- behind myself or my kids in front of me) and how forced my smile is because in those few seconds when that happened I seriously did almost cry. wahhhhhhh
We missed the 3pm parade and had a FP to a ride on the other side- but we almost missed it because OHMY it was packed! You couldn't even MOVE anywhere at all around the areas around the parade! We were stuck over by toontown. I knew a lot of people had been sitting down on curbs almost 2hrs before the parade but had no idea it'd be so packed so far back! It was literally like 20-30 people deep from the "road" the parade went down. Really bad with kids and a stroller. Impossible. LOL But we did make it to our ride barely in time after the parade and I stupidly thought it was the same parade later that night so I didn't think I missed anything. (in hindsight I realize now that the parade I saw later that night was not the same parade! I saw spectromagic- that one was Share a dream come true or something like that. Sorry I can't remember exactly- and I didn't get to see it either. LOL Atleast not yet)
The kids were tired and hungry again (we'd eaten at Pinocchios earlier after Peter Pan ride- I forgot to mention that. Man those mushrooms on my cheeseburger were delicious! But the kids just picked at their food and we wasted a lot of money on that first meal- lesson learned! LOL) so we left and went to take them to the "biggest playground in the world" (or some other nonsense LOL) McDonalds that I'd read about. We get there- food is expensive yet edible but the "playground" is not really a playground at all. It's mostly an arcade/game place that you have to pay for things that my kids don't even know how to play. Eating area is downstairs- the regular sized playarea is upstairs. But after we finally got the kids to eat (they are used to eating on the "run" at our normal McD's- coming and going from the table while playing) they had fun upstairs.
Then they were tired (including husband) and wanted to go back to the room! Blasphemy! MK was open till midnight! LOL so we went back.. they all went to sleep and I'd already told hubby I was going back alone!! I went back from 9pm to midnight and had a blast. I didn't ride many rides but that is because I came in as everyone was starting to sit at the curb for the parade. So I got me a seat next to a very nice couple from Arkansas (we have relatives there- SIL/etc.) and got my camcorder at the ready! In talking I made a comment about how the few stores I had time to look in that day- did not have the jacket I really wanted (I had seen a member here show a pic of her and her husband in these jackets) and the nice lady said it was right across the street (we were on main street)!!!! So this SUPER NICE couple said they'd save my seat while I shopped for the jacket. I did, and I ended up with two jackets! I first bought the Magic Kingdom one and then while browsing a bit before I went back to the curb- I saw a WDW one and had to have it! LOL So I got two... wore the WDW one. I had to get medium though and I really prefer my jackets to be big and roomy- but they are good enough. I finally had my jacket!(s LOL) I videotaped the parade (it was great! but I remember at the time wondering where the lifesized snowglobes were LOL Oh also one of the 'ball' things -hard to explain- broke down for awhile. It wasn't until then that I realized all those characters on the "ball" things were choreographed together! I thought they were just doing a dance- but nope.. it was choreographed all the same because he kept going through all the motions with everyone else even though he was stopped still! They finally brought a little car thing out to pull it and right at that time- it started working again.) and took pics too... then everyone was starting to leave so I was kinda going against the "grain" of traffic- so I stopped in and got me a sundae ... which I couldn't even eat all of it! I was shocked.. it wasn't even that big. LOL
I just walked around soaking in the atmosphere and lights and it was getting less and less crowded. Finally walked through the castle (which we hadn't been able to do earlier because of the crowds) and then mosied my way back through the park and purchased all our pictures we'd taken that day (mainstreet, with minnie, and yes, even with Mickey. LOL)
I stayed just after midnight and then drove myself home to write in my journal and plan out our next day- we were going to be there at opening this time... at Epcot! (see pt 3... if you dare. LOL)
)and then.....
Magic Kingdom here I come!!!! I couldn't believe... I was finally going to WDW!!!
The morning was great- everything went off without a hitch. I forgot to mention in part one that I had been told by our "manager" there that the walmart on 192 was open and not closing for Christmas until 9pm and I drove through horrendous traffic down 192 just to get there and find out what everyone else in the free world (Haha) that was going there found out- that Walmart had just closed and even had security guards at the door to make sure no others came in! So I had to go to Walgreens and purchase (expensively) snacks, drinks, breakfast items, milk, etc for atleast the first day or so of our stay. So we had breakfast (cereal, toast- normal humdrum stuff) and head out on our day to Magic Kingdom.
We had a great map of the way (about a 5 minute drive if there was no traffic) to WDW given to us by the hotel (the only good thing about staying there LOL) and the kids had gotten up so early that we were actually going to get there right at opening or a few minutes before! Or so we thought. I laugh now at my naivity. LOL (I didn't realize until we were BACK from our trip that we had gone on this trip at the busiest time of the year! In my naivity I honestly thought that it would be slower on Christmas morning because surely everyone else would be opening gifts or spending time with their family? HAHAHAHA so silly of me)
Entering and I'm videotaping everything like an idiot. LOL Then find out we haven't really entered... we have to drive and drive till we find the signs for Magic Kingdom! And then enter paying for parking (long lines.. but I still wasn't getting a clue LOL) and THEN after parking... imagine my surprise to realize it was really just the TTC and we THEN had to find our way to the monorail to ride that to MK! LOL I was so ignorant about things then. Not to mention that hey, btw.. it's really stupid how they do their online ticket sales/procedures. I bought the tickets online thinking that it would be different than getting in lines to PURCHASE tickets- but I was wrong. They make you wait in line like everyone else and they then have you show your paperwork printed from the computer and give you your tickets. Even SixFlags here has seperate lines for things like that. They don't make you wait in line behind everyone else BUYING tickets if you already have like passes, tickets, or etickets! But anyway... we finally got our tickets and progressed on to the monorail. I think that's the order it went in. I've slept since then. LOL
So we finally get to MK... about 10minutes after opening time. Pretty busy at the turnstiles- at this point I'm realizing everyone is NOT enjoying the early morning with their families! So we rush through and I really had to force myself to stop and let them take pictures of us on Main Street. I really wanted the pictures but my first instinct was to take off running down mainstreet and hussle to the things on my "have to" list. LOL Honestly I wanted to leave dear hubby and children behind and just go flinging myself down mainstreet -like a 4yr old or something. I was finally there!!! I swear I could have been a commercial if I was thin and beautiful or something. HAHA I was in total awe and just wanted to turn in circles with my arms in the air crying cause I was FINALLY THERE!!!!
Okay so I calm down, let them take the picture, and end up hussling so fast with the stroller down mainstreet that somehow I lost our tickets (but they were able to find our pics- thankfully because we were in their first batch of pictures they took and ofcourse I bought them! LOL)
I did not make note of every single ride we did (I bought a journal while there and started writing in it every night) but we basically worked our way around riding rides at first with no wait and then getting fastpasses.. riding rides with short lines until our FP time came up. The only thing I regret is that the kids did not get to ride Dumbo while were there. By the time we got around to that- the line was really long and at that point we were only riding rides with short lines or those with the availability of FP.
I'll have to make sure they get to next time because they asked when we passed it but it just wasn't feasible with our IMpatient children. LOL (who have no grasp of time yet- atleast the younger two don't. So didn't really understand what an hour or 90 min wait really meant!) We were waiting for our FP time to come up on Peter Pan- just checking things out because it was soon- when I asked someone in a store near that area where I could find a jacket that is like a school jacket (I wanted the one that is light demin with tan arms) and they directed me around to another store.. I can't remember the name yet- and this is how our autographing started! I saw Goofy over there and ran back to tell my husband and then find an autograph book like I saw everyone else was doing- bought that and while he got in line at Peter Pan- I ran with the older two to get his autograph and a pic of the kids with him! So sad though because by the time I got over there and stood in line about 5 min.. he then just disappeared! I mean they literally said Goofy has to go and POOF- he was gone.. with a huge line sitting there in shock.
Atleast I was. LOL I had no idea they just took off like that- see the things I learned on this trip? LOL Ofcourse I realize now they can't stay there forever and the line would never go away- so they have to go sometime!
But I still went back to the PeterPan ride all sad... sadder than my kids were! (Remember it's ME that has always wanted to go- the kids just like Disney movies and haven't dreamed all their lives of going there- yanno? they got into it later though. LOL)
Then we worked our way to toontown eventually and it was great. The only thing that happened that really (although it sounds stupid now...) almost made me come to tears was we waiting in lines to see characters and when we finally got to MICKEY (my favorite ofcourse!!!) the lady working with him said she didn't mind ALSO taking a photo of us with my camera- even though I had full intentions of buying their photo they took also- and did- I showed her how to do it and she only had to wait like 2 nanoseconds for the light to come on... I couldn't leave it on when I handed it to her because it's a digital camera that shuts off after 2 seconds of nonuse. I know- it's annoying! LOL So I showed her how to turn it on, wait just a teensy less than a second for the light to come on saying it's ready- and then push to take our picture. She couldn't figure it out when we were posing and I SWEAR IT HAD ONLY BEEN LIKE maybe 20 seconds TOPS of her trying to figure it out- when Mickey threw a little temper tantrum and walked away from us to her, grabbed the camera from her and shoved it at me- got back in his position and they took the pic. I managed to force a smile when that happened but I was non too pleased not only because I had wanted a digi picture to be able to show to my friends and family online WITH MICKEY.. the most important character to me- but because my favorite character was so impatient and really rude.
Atleast I felt that way at the time. I felt if she couldn't figure it out and not be given more than a few seconds to figure it out- then when I asked if she could take the pic with my camera- she should have just said no! My husband would have gladly taken the pic and just not been in it- but no....... she has to say she will and Mickey won't give her time. This will be my only complaint (that I can remember) at WDW the entire time- but it was importan to me since Mickey was THE character for me. Does that make sense? Even more than Minnie... he's my fav. But that's not all- the lady got rude with me as we were leaving because I very low "whisper voice" commented to my husband as we were walking out that "I sure wish they had been able to get a pic of us on the digi camera also- but I'll still buy the pic they took" and I have my back to her walking out as I said this to him and she starts LOUDLY replying "I tried!! I can't help it that your camera is so difficult!" I really hate it when people get in my conversations with others especially when I have my back to them so they know I'm not talking to them and I'm speaking as quietly as possible so they won't overhear. Even if they do hear it- I think it's RUDE to then comment- she knew darn well I wasn't talking to her. So I just turned around and told her that I was speaking to my husband, not her.. and walked out the door.
Enough of that- it gets me upset everytime I think about it. The picture came out okay- but nothing I would want to share with the world. You can even see me holding the digi camera in the pic (I normally try to hide cameras, camcorder and fannypacks when I had pics taken- behind myself or my kids in front of me) and how forced my smile is because in those few seconds when that happened I seriously did almost cry. wahhhhhhh
We missed the 3pm parade and had a FP to a ride on the other side- but we almost missed it because OHMY it was packed! You couldn't even MOVE anywhere at all around the areas around the parade! We were stuck over by toontown. I knew a lot of people had been sitting down on curbs almost 2hrs before the parade but had no idea it'd be so packed so far back! It was literally like 20-30 people deep from the "road" the parade went down. Really bad with kids and a stroller. Impossible. LOL But we did make it to our ride barely in time after the parade and I stupidly thought it was the same parade later that night so I didn't think I missed anything. (in hindsight I realize now that the parade I saw later that night was not the same parade! I saw spectromagic- that one was Share a dream come true or something like that. Sorry I can't remember exactly- and I didn't get to see it either. LOL Atleast not yet)
The kids were tired and hungry again (we'd eaten at Pinocchios earlier after Peter Pan ride- I forgot to mention that. Man those mushrooms on my cheeseburger were delicious! But the kids just picked at their food and we wasted a lot of money on that first meal- lesson learned! LOL) so we left and went to take them to the "biggest playground in the world" (or some other nonsense LOL) McDonalds that I'd read about. We get there- food is expensive yet edible but the "playground" is not really a playground at all. It's mostly an arcade/game place that you have to pay for things that my kids don't even know how to play. Eating area is downstairs- the regular sized playarea is upstairs. But after we finally got the kids to eat (they are used to eating on the "run" at our normal McD's- coming and going from the table while playing) they had fun upstairs.
Then they were tired (including husband) and wanted to go back to the room! Blasphemy! MK was open till midnight! LOL so we went back.. they all went to sleep and I'd already told hubby I was going back alone!! I went back from 9pm to midnight and had a blast. I didn't ride many rides but that is because I came in as everyone was starting to sit at the curb for the parade. So I got me a seat next to a very nice couple from Arkansas (we have relatives there- SIL/etc.) and got my camcorder at the ready! In talking I made a comment about how the few stores I had time to look in that day- did not have the jacket I really wanted (I had seen a member here show a pic of her and her husband in these jackets) and the nice lady said it was right across the street (we were on main street)!!!! So this SUPER NICE couple said they'd save my seat while I shopped for the jacket. I did, and I ended up with two jackets! I first bought the Magic Kingdom one and then while browsing a bit before I went back to the curb- I saw a WDW one and had to have it! LOL So I got two... wore the WDW one. I had to get medium though and I really prefer my jackets to be big and roomy- but they are good enough. I finally had my jacket!(s LOL) I videotaped the parade (it was great! but I remember at the time wondering where the lifesized snowglobes were LOL Oh also one of the 'ball' things -hard to explain- broke down for awhile. It wasn't until then that I realized all those characters on the "ball" things were choreographed together! I thought they were just doing a dance- but nope.. it was choreographed all the same because he kept going through all the motions with everyone else even though he was stopped still! They finally brought a little car thing out to pull it and right at that time- it started working again.) and took pics too... then everyone was starting to leave so I was kinda going against the "grain" of traffic- so I stopped in and got me a sundae ... which I couldn't even eat all of it! I was shocked.. it wasn't even that big. LOL
I just walked around soaking in the atmosphere and lights and it was getting less and less crowded. Finally walked through the castle (which we hadn't been able to do earlier because of the crowds) and then mosied my way back through the park and purchased all our pictures we'd taken that day (mainstreet, with minnie, and yes, even with Mickey. LOL)
I stayed just after midnight and then drove myself home to write in my journal and plan out our next day- we were going to be there at opening this time... at Epcot! (see pt 3... if you dare. LOL)
You had me cracking up imagining you leaving your family in the dust and flinging yourself down Main Street! I had always wanted to go to WDW my whole life too and when we first got to Magic Kingdom I HAD to go on Peter Pan. I felt like I was 4 years old. Your night alone at Magic Kingdom sounds unbelievably magical too. Can't wait to read how Epcot went.
