off to neverland
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2004
- Messages
- 703
Cast:
Me, Rae, 34, with not-quite-broken-elbow
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Shoe Girl: Girl who wears the most inappropriate Walt Disney World shoes EVER!
Sleazy Viagra Guy: No explanation needed for him
The German Hottie: Biergarten girl involved in the mysterious disappearance of the DDE confirmation
Backward Woman: Woman who entered monorail backward
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Soaking wet Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Lost Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
Biergarten Birthday Cake
Nonexistent swim shorts
The family raft ride was fabulous! We all sat in a large tube which spun and twisted down the slide. Sis screeched with joy throughout the entire ride, and Boo yelled, More! More! when we finished.
We took a break at the bottom and then Boo and Dix decided to do one more family raft ride run before we left Blizzard Beach. While they were gone, Sis had her meltdown. She doesnt function well without a nap, and she was wet and cold and tired and had had enough of the day.
She cried, fussed, and complained almost the entire time they were gone. She was determined to put her lifejacket on herself, but it was too tight across the shoulders to do it without help. So she cried for help, and then cried because I helped her.
It went on and on, and I felt such relief when I saw Dix and Boo and we could leave!
We spent several hours back at the villa resting and then Dix and I removed all the food from the refrigerator and made a smorgasbord out of leftover pizza, cake, spaghetti, rice-a-roni and scrambled eggs. Both of us agreed that we had purchased just the right amount of food for this trip, because nothing would be wasted when we left.
After dinner, we drove over to Fort Wilderness to watch the outdoor movie. I knew we had to take the bus from the Fort Wilderness parking lot to the movie site, so Dix and I studied the bus map when we arrived. We were pretty sure we needed to take the orange bus, but when it came, the driver told us we would need to take the yellow bus.
We waited for the yellow bus, and when that arrived, I asked the driver if it went to the outdoor movie. He wasnt sure; he had never heard of the movie. This was not a good sign! He told us Fort Wilderness was not his normal bus route, and after studying the map and not seeing our movie site, he called on the radio for help and they told him which stop we should disembark.
At least we were on the right bus.
We stepped off the bus into the darkness, and I quickly realized that we were in front of a brown log gift shop. I couldnt believe how similar it looked to the convenience store at the dude ranch I worked on one summer in high school!
That was my Summer of Duke. I was seventeen, and totally infatuated with a seventeen-year-old wrangler on the ranch named Duke. Together we spent a summer filled with chilly mountain mornings, horseback rides, late night card games, and a lot of kissing in secret places.
Believe it or not, it never went further than the lots of kissing in secret places, and I attribute that to the frequent I trust you, Rae. I know you wont disappoint me, declarations my mother gave me throughout high school.
She had figured out early on that guilt would go a long way in parenting me.
As I stood in front of that Fort Wilderness gift shop, I caught myself squinting toward one of its windows to double check that the silhouette I saw wasnt Dukes.
Does he have a family with kids of his own now?
Is he happy?
We walked through the Summer of Duke Gift Shop, and Dix and I checked out the marshmallows and chocolate for sale. They seemed pricey, and I put off buying any for the campfire that I knew would be burning at the movie. I seemed to remember from the Dis that there would be a concession stand at the movie that sold Smores kits.
We walked through the back door of the store and followed a dark, quiet path around a beautiful still pond. I wondered if people with children the age of Sis had trouble or stress keeping their kids away from that water. I made a mental note to watch her carefully this night because we would be near the dark water.
We were the first ones at to arrive at the movie site, and we set our coats and bag on one of the front row benches. Though we would have to wait for about 45 minutes for the movie, we would at least have a premium seat!
Sis didnt want to sit still on the bench or play in the gravel like Boo, so Dix told me he was taking her for a walk. While Boo and I waited for the movie to start, we talked with the woman in charge of the movie night. She told me all about her history of working for Disney. Perhaps it was the fact that she was wearing Wrangler jeans and a bandana, but she sure reminded me of my boss at the Summer of Duke dude ranch!
As she spoke and I remembered my boss, I resisted the urge to check my hair for the bandana that she had made me wear in my hair that summer.
Before I knew it, the two firepits had been lit, and suddenly people seemed to crawl out of the woodwork. Where did they all come from? Just a moment before, no one else was there! I waited patiently for Dix, but Boo was excited to make Smores, and I finally gave up and bought a Smore kit from the concession stand. The Dis was right; for around $5, we got two clean roasting sticks and a very large Ziplock bag full of chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows.
I think that Smore kits and the turkey legs are the best deals at Disney World.
I was a bit irritated with Dix. Why did he have to go so far with Sis? Couldnt they stay close enough to see that it was time to start? He was going to miss the Smore making if he didnt return soon!
A word about the marshmallow roasting for those with young children: We encountered quite a few young boys making Smores without supervision. Because they were excited and the fire was crowded, there were several instances where they almost smacked people in the faces with hot roasted marshmallows as they pulled them off the fire.
I was prepared for this, since I grew up with two rowdy younger brothers who nearly burned my nose off with marshmallows several times a summer. I thought Id mention it anyway as a warning for any of you who grew up in calm homes and did not learn the early survival skills of dodging flaming marshmallows off the fire.
We had almost finished our marshmallow roasting by the time Dix and Sis came back carrying a big bag of purchased marshmallows and chocolate from the Summer of Duke Gift Shop. My irritation at Dix for being late was quickly pushed aside by irritation that he had purchased a humongous bag of marshmallows that we would never be able to eat!
I told myself not to look at the receipt because I knew he had not purchased one of the best deals at Disney World.
When I showed Dix my five dollar Smore kit and the fact that it was still nearly full of food after Boo was already done eating, Dix reassured me we could take his gigantic bag marshmallows on the plane and feed it to the kids for snacks the next day.
Five hours on a plane with kids hyped up on an entire bag of jumbo marshmallows.
Take a deep breath, Rae.
The kids were finished with Smores before long, and after I looked around and realized there was not a soul in the place in need of a marshmallow, I packed up our humungous stockpile of marshmallows and stood up to head for our bench. Because my back had been to the main area, I had not realized how many people had flocked to the seating area!
Where had they all come from?
I looked over at our bench and noticed that a woman and her daughter had squeezed onto the edge of our bench. That was no problem at all.
The problem was another woman and teenage daughter were actually moving our coats and bag to take our seats! Dix hustled over to the bench and politely told the woman that those were our coats, our bag, and our seat. He got there in the nick of time.
So my other word of advice for those going to the outdoor movie: If you get a seat you really like, hang on to it for dear life!
How do you do hang onto your seat when you want to make Smores with your kids, you ask? Ive contemplated this for the longest time and figure there are two methods. Method number one requires that one parent holds the seat while the other roasts marshmallows and protects the children from hot flaming marshmallows from the fire.
Thats not much fun for the parent holding the seat.
Method number two is better. It comes from an idea I got from the Unofficial Guide to prevent stroller theft. Its a cutting edge technique that though dirty, will work.
Ready for this?
Are you sure?
Here it is, then. Method number two: Hold the seat with a dirty diaper.
Lay your coats and bags on the seat, and top them with a dirty diaper! No one will be brazen enough to touch your things with a big yucky diaper on top of them, and if they do, then hats of to them! They must want that seat really bad, and youll just have to take the loss and let them have it.
For those of you without kids in diapers, never fear. When Sis is out of diapers, I plan on bringing a clean diaper and pouring a good dose of chocolate milk in it so that the dark brown color shows through. (I didnt get that idea from the Unofficial Guide. I'm proud to claim that idea as my own creative thinking!)
If that doesnt keep the wolves away, nothing will.
Now, back to the story... Chip and Dale showed up and did some sort of skit on stage and then walked around and said hi to the crowd. The kids enjoyed it, but it wasnt a monumental moment for them. Im not sure they really even remember meeting Chip and Dale now, and I know the highlight for Boo was the actual outdoor movie Hercules. He was thrilled.
Once the movie started, many of the kids abandoned their benches and bleachers for the gravel floor in front of the screen. They had brought blankets and pillows and lawn chairs and sprawled out all over the ground and I wished I had brought blankets so that the kids could do the same.
Boo snuggled with Dix throughout the whole movie, and Sis lasted for about three-quarters of it and then needed to walk around. While she and I strolled, I took pictures of Boo and Dix with my fancy new laser camera, and realized the purpose of those red laser lights! In total darkness, I could point the camera right at my boys and see where the lasers fell on them to center my pictures! It was great!
When we were finished snapping pictures, Sis and I walked past the large area of parked golf-like carts, and I realized that the sudden arrival of all these people out of nowhere was from many of these efficient little carts.
I wondered if they ever have drunk driving cart accidents?
When the movie was over, Boo begged to watch the second feature, but we had to go because Sis had had enough and we would be leaving the following day and needed to get up early for our character breakfast at Animal Kingdom.
We backtracked to the bus stop through the Summer of Duke gift shop. As we stopped for the kids to look at something, I closed my eyes for a moment and said my silent good-byes to happy summer memories. Then I said a silent prayer of thanks for the memories I was making this day with the three most important people in my life.
My little son
My baby girl
My terrific husband
The wait for the bus at the bus stop seemed like forever! I dont think Im exaggerating when I say it was at least half an hour. Dix and I wished we had a golf cart to zoom home, and seriously considered walking back to the parking lot but gave it up when we realized how far away it really was. Boo was tired and had resorted to his Brat Hat complaining. Sis played her game of trying to dart away from me toward the empty road, and though I knew there wasnt a bus in sight that would hit her, I did envision a speedy golf cart knocking her over as it sped by!
As I shut out Boos complaints and hung onto Siss arm, I realized that my plans for the first night of our Magical Gathering in May to stay at Fort Wilderness wasnt going to work. I had reserved a cabin for my extended family because it was cheaper for six of them to stay in a cabin than three hotel rooms the first night before we switched to Beach Club. They would be arriving late, and leaving early in the morning, and the trade-off of the hassles of moving around Fort Wilderness outweighed the benefit of saving a couple bucks. If they were spending more actual time at FW, it would be worth it.
Though I wouldnt have my group staying at Fort Wilderness in May, I promised myself that we would stay there sometime in the future! And when we do, I will remember what I learned this night:
- Only buy the Smore kit from the concession stand.
- Dont let Sis work at a dude ranch when she's seventeen.
- Dont let Dix have any money for marshmallows.
- Bring a blanket and pillows for movie watching.
- Bring a dirty diaper to protect our possessions.
- Dont drink when driving a golf cart.
And last, but not least, embrace those memories of the past, but remember that these times spent with my family are the ultimate memories of all.
Next Installment:
The End...Tarzan Rocks, but so does Dix!
See below picture for previous installments.
Me, Rae, 34, with not-quite-broken-elbow
Dix, 43, Great guy who who makes Love Coffee
Boo, 4.95 year-old picky eater wearing a Brat Hat
Sis, 1.95 year-old
Goldi Locks, Nice DVC member who traded her points with us
Laser-accuser guy: Nice man helping out with world safety
Mr. Customs Man: Grumpy, serious guy in uniform with no patience for drugs or childbirth
Mr. And Mrs. No Manners: Rude people who pop up with different faces throughout our trip
Cute little girl in the front: Loud mouth who unintentionally traumatizes kids young kids on rides
Cousin: Make-up-less advisor whose areas of expertise include hats and droopy b**b prevention
My Dad: Fearless landrover driver who makes great spaghetti
My Mom: Woman who loves blue and might show up unannounced
Love-Boat-bellhop-guy: CM who likes to rescue damsels in distress
Shoe Girl: Girl who wears the most inappropriate Walt Disney World shoes EVER!
Sleazy Viagra Guy: No explanation needed for him
The German Hottie: Biergarten girl involved in the mysterious disappearance of the DDE confirmation
Backward Woman: Woman who entered monorail backward
Inventory of important trip items:
Three new premium annual passes
Fancy Laser Camera
Soaking wet Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld
Lost Disney Dining Experience cards
Brat Hat
Old Key West Key Card
Love Coffee
Biergarten Birthday Cake
Nonexistent swim shorts
The family raft ride was fabulous! We all sat in a large tube which spun and twisted down the slide. Sis screeched with joy throughout the entire ride, and Boo yelled, More! More! when we finished.
We took a break at the bottom and then Boo and Dix decided to do one more family raft ride run before we left Blizzard Beach. While they were gone, Sis had her meltdown. She doesnt function well without a nap, and she was wet and cold and tired and had had enough of the day.
She cried, fussed, and complained almost the entire time they were gone. She was determined to put her lifejacket on herself, but it was too tight across the shoulders to do it without help. So she cried for help, and then cried because I helped her.
It went on and on, and I felt such relief when I saw Dix and Boo and we could leave!
We spent several hours back at the villa resting and then Dix and I removed all the food from the refrigerator and made a smorgasbord out of leftover pizza, cake, spaghetti, rice-a-roni and scrambled eggs. Both of us agreed that we had purchased just the right amount of food for this trip, because nothing would be wasted when we left.
After dinner, we drove over to Fort Wilderness to watch the outdoor movie. I knew we had to take the bus from the Fort Wilderness parking lot to the movie site, so Dix and I studied the bus map when we arrived. We were pretty sure we needed to take the orange bus, but when it came, the driver told us we would need to take the yellow bus.
We waited for the yellow bus, and when that arrived, I asked the driver if it went to the outdoor movie. He wasnt sure; he had never heard of the movie. This was not a good sign! He told us Fort Wilderness was not his normal bus route, and after studying the map and not seeing our movie site, he called on the radio for help and they told him which stop we should disembark.
At least we were on the right bus.
We stepped off the bus into the darkness, and I quickly realized that we were in front of a brown log gift shop. I couldnt believe how similar it looked to the convenience store at the dude ranch I worked on one summer in high school!
That was my Summer of Duke. I was seventeen, and totally infatuated with a seventeen-year-old wrangler on the ranch named Duke. Together we spent a summer filled with chilly mountain mornings, horseback rides, late night card games, and a lot of kissing in secret places.
Believe it or not, it never went further than the lots of kissing in secret places, and I attribute that to the frequent I trust you, Rae. I know you wont disappoint me, declarations my mother gave me throughout high school.
She had figured out early on that guilt would go a long way in parenting me.
As I stood in front of that Fort Wilderness gift shop, I caught myself squinting toward one of its windows to double check that the silhouette I saw wasnt Dukes.
Does he have a family with kids of his own now?
Is he happy?
We walked through the Summer of Duke Gift Shop, and Dix and I checked out the marshmallows and chocolate for sale. They seemed pricey, and I put off buying any for the campfire that I knew would be burning at the movie. I seemed to remember from the Dis that there would be a concession stand at the movie that sold Smores kits.
We walked through the back door of the store and followed a dark, quiet path around a beautiful still pond. I wondered if people with children the age of Sis had trouble or stress keeping their kids away from that water. I made a mental note to watch her carefully this night because we would be near the dark water.
We were the first ones at to arrive at the movie site, and we set our coats and bag on one of the front row benches. Though we would have to wait for about 45 minutes for the movie, we would at least have a premium seat!
Sis didnt want to sit still on the bench or play in the gravel like Boo, so Dix told me he was taking her for a walk. While Boo and I waited for the movie to start, we talked with the woman in charge of the movie night. She told me all about her history of working for Disney. Perhaps it was the fact that she was wearing Wrangler jeans and a bandana, but she sure reminded me of my boss at the Summer of Duke dude ranch!
As she spoke and I remembered my boss, I resisted the urge to check my hair for the bandana that she had made me wear in my hair that summer.
Before I knew it, the two firepits had been lit, and suddenly people seemed to crawl out of the woodwork. Where did they all come from? Just a moment before, no one else was there! I waited patiently for Dix, but Boo was excited to make Smores, and I finally gave up and bought a Smore kit from the concession stand. The Dis was right; for around $5, we got two clean roasting sticks and a very large Ziplock bag full of chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows.
I think that Smore kits and the turkey legs are the best deals at Disney World.
I was a bit irritated with Dix. Why did he have to go so far with Sis? Couldnt they stay close enough to see that it was time to start? He was going to miss the Smore making if he didnt return soon!
A word about the marshmallow roasting for those with young children: We encountered quite a few young boys making Smores without supervision. Because they were excited and the fire was crowded, there were several instances where they almost smacked people in the faces with hot roasted marshmallows as they pulled them off the fire.
I was prepared for this, since I grew up with two rowdy younger brothers who nearly burned my nose off with marshmallows several times a summer. I thought Id mention it anyway as a warning for any of you who grew up in calm homes and did not learn the early survival skills of dodging flaming marshmallows off the fire.
We had almost finished our marshmallow roasting by the time Dix and Sis came back carrying a big bag of purchased marshmallows and chocolate from the Summer of Duke Gift Shop. My irritation at Dix for being late was quickly pushed aside by irritation that he had purchased a humongous bag of marshmallows that we would never be able to eat!
I told myself not to look at the receipt because I knew he had not purchased one of the best deals at Disney World.
When I showed Dix my five dollar Smore kit and the fact that it was still nearly full of food after Boo was already done eating, Dix reassured me we could take his gigantic bag marshmallows on the plane and feed it to the kids for snacks the next day.
Five hours on a plane with kids hyped up on an entire bag of jumbo marshmallows.
Take a deep breath, Rae.
The kids were finished with Smores before long, and after I looked around and realized there was not a soul in the place in need of a marshmallow, I packed up our humungous stockpile of marshmallows and stood up to head for our bench. Because my back had been to the main area, I had not realized how many people had flocked to the seating area!
Where had they all come from?
I looked over at our bench and noticed that a woman and her daughter had squeezed onto the edge of our bench. That was no problem at all.
The problem was another woman and teenage daughter were actually moving our coats and bag to take our seats! Dix hustled over to the bench and politely told the woman that those were our coats, our bag, and our seat. He got there in the nick of time.
So my other word of advice for those going to the outdoor movie: If you get a seat you really like, hang on to it for dear life!
How do you do hang onto your seat when you want to make Smores with your kids, you ask? Ive contemplated this for the longest time and figure there are two methods. Method number one requires that one parent holds the seat while the other roasts marshmallows and protects the children from hot flaming marshmallows from the fire.
Thats not much fun for the parent holding the seat.
Method number two is better. It comes from an idea I got from the Unofficial Guide to prevent stroller theft. Its a cutting edge technique that though dirty, will work.
Ready for this?
Are you sure?
Here it is, then. Method number two: Hold the seat with a dirty diaper.
Lay your coats and bags on the seat, and top them with a dirty diaper! No one will be brazen enough to touch your things with a big yucky diaper on top of them, and if they do, then hats of to them! They must want that seat really bad, and youll just have to take the loss and let them have it.
For those of you without kids in diapers, never fear. When Sis is out of diapers, I plan on bringing a clean diaper and pouring a good dose of chocolate milk in it so that the dark brown color shows through. (I didnt get that idea from the Unofficial Guide. I'm proud to claim that idea as my own creative thinking!)
If that doesnt keep the wolves away, nothing will.
Now, back to the story... Chip and Dale showed up and did some sort of skit on stage and then walked around and said hi to the crowd. The kids enjoyed it, but it wasnt a monumental moment for them. Im not sure they really even remember meeting Chip and Dale now, and I know the highlight for Boo was the actual outdoor movie Hercules. He was thrilled.
Once the movie started, many of the kids abandoned their benches and bleachers for the gravel floor in front of the screen. They had brought blankets and pillows and lawn chairs and sprawled out all over the ground and I wished I had brought blankets so that the kids could do the same.
Boo snuggled with Dix throughout the whole movie, and Sis lasted for about three-quarters of it and then needed to walk around. While she and I strolled, I took pictures of Boo and Dix with my fancy new laser camera, and realized the purpose of those red laser lights! In total darkness, I could point the camera right at my boys and see where the lasers fell on them to center my pictures! It was great!
When we were finished snapping pictures, Sis and I walked past the large area of parked golf-like carts, and I realized that the sudden arrival of all these people out of nowhere was from many of these efficient little carts.
I wondered if they ever have drunk driving cart accidents?
When the movie was over, Boo begged to watch the second feature, but we had to go because Sis had had enough and we would be leaving the following day and needed to get up early for our character breakfast at Animal Kingdom.
We backtracked to the bus stop through the Summer of Duke gift shop. As we stopped for the kids to look at something, I closed my eyes for a moment and said my silent good-byes to happy summer memories. Then I said a silent prayer of thanks for the memories I was making this day with the three most important people in my life.
My little son
My baby girl
My terrific husband
The wait for the bus at the bus stop seemed like forever! I dont think Im exaggerating when I say it was at least half an hour. Dix and I wished we had a golf cart to zoom home, and seriously considered walking back to the parking lot but gave it up when we realized how far away it really was. Boo was tired and had resorted to his Brat Hat complaining. Sis played her game of trying to dart away from me toward the empty road, and though I knew there wasnt a bus in sight that would hit her, I did envision a speedy golf cart knocking her over as it sped by!
As I shut out Boos complaints and hung onto Siss arm, I realized that my plans for the first night of our Magical Gathering in May to stay at Fort Wilderness wasnt going to work. I had reserved a cabin for my extended family because it was cheaper for six of them to stay in a cabin than three hotel rooms the first night before we switched to Beach Club. They would be arriving late, and leaving early in the morning, and the trade-off of the hassles of moving around Fort Wilderness outweighed the benefit of saving a couple bucks. If they were spending more actual time at FW, it would be worth it.
Though I wouldnt have my group staying at Fort Wilderness in May, I promised myself that we would stay there sometime in the future! And when we do, I will remember what I learned this night:
- Only buy the Smore kit from the concession stand.
- Dont let Sis work at a dude ranch when she's seventeen.
- Dont let Dix have any money for marshmallows.
- Bring a blanket and pillows for movie watching.
- Bring a dirty diaper to protect our possessions.
- Dont drink when driving a golf cart.
And last, but not least, embrace those memories of the past, but remember that these times spent with my family are the ultimate memories of all.
Next Installment:
The End...Tarzan Rocks, but so does Dix!
See below picture for previous installments.
)
enjoyed all your installments. looking forward to your last installment and hopefully your next after your next scheduled trip.
