Our Magical Mulligan Trip!!

[PrincessV]

Waiting patiently....

 

[pigletforever]

I have been wondering how this trip went.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

Yes, Laura, we see you are back...

How did it go???

Enquiring Minds~~~

 

[Adi12982]

Waiting patiently....

Same here . . .

 

[Lauralee131]

Hi Gang! Thanks for hanging in there with me. Sorry for the delay, but it's been crazy since we've gotten back on Sunday night...trying to catch up on work, laundry and then sadly, our dog died at 2:30 this morning...I'm going on only an hour's sleep since Sunday night and I have to crash. I am grateful though that at least he died at home with us and not at the vet's while we were gone. I am incredibly sad though.

I did start writing my TR and am pretty much done downloading my pictures, now all I have to do is get them uploaded into Photobucket and my first installment will be ready.

I'll work on it tomorrow...promise.

Thanks! Have a great night everyone. I look forward to "chatting" with you all soon....save some room for popcorn!

 

[PrincessV]

Oh Lauralee, I'm so sorry for your loss. Many hugs for you and your family
Don't worry about us at all - we'll gladly wait until you feel up to writing and have had a chance to recuperate some!

 

[Lauralee131]

And we’re off!! It’s a balmy 82º as we get ready to head South on 95 for our Magical Mulligan vacation and DS and I are so excited we can barely contain ourselves for the last couple of days! DH is not big on excitement – or at least he doesn’t show it anyway. He and I change our clothes, make a final sweep of the house – gas turned off? Check. Doors locked? Check. Light in the hall left on? Check. Ok, we get the last minute items loaded in the car…DH always drives. He insists on driving as he, quote “can not be a flight attendant” to DS for the entire trip. Ok, fine, but I have to drive when we get to Orlando. He’s suspicious of our plans as he knows that we’re supposed to check into the Poly on Saturday the 2nd, yet I’m insisting on leaving early afternoon of the 30th. He continually asks what I’m up to, but I feign innocence and continue to tell him we’re checking into the Poly on the 1st. We’ll drive as far as we can on the 30th, spend the night somewhere and not have such a long drive on the 1st. He’s not buying it, but I have a good 10 to 12 hours in the car to convince him otherwise. My super-secret plan, as most of you know, is to arrive at the Animal Kingdom Lodge as early as possible on the 1st for a surprise check-in, some time to explore the Lodge and then have dinner at Boma. He’s aware of the dinner at Boma. This I’ve told him.



Nothing left to do but wait for DS to get home from school. I check the luggage in the back of the Pilot. Nope…this will never do. I unpack the back of the truck and re-pack it the right way. I have a knack for packing and loading a vehicle for a road trip is no exception. I’ve got an overnight bag for our super-secret-surprise-stay at the AKL all packed and ready to go. DH, unknowingly, had it underneath half a dozen other assorted suitcases. Nope…I have now repacked the truck so that the correct bags are in the correct locations and I still have plenty of room back there and an un-blocked view of the back window. Hmmm…now I’m wondering if there’s something I’ve forgotten…how can I have all this room? Oh that’s ok though…I plan on doing quite a bit of Christmas shopping so this will work nicely.



In my pre-trip report I may have mentioned that I ordered personalized stockings to mysteriously show up in our room the first night of our Poly stay. Well, as of 2pm on departure day, they have yet to show up. I ordered them on 11/13. Here it is on the 30th and all Disney can tell me is that Federal Express delivered them the Post Office and it’s now in the hands of my local mail carrier to get them to me…GASP!!! And can someone tell me WHY FedEx delivered my package to the Post Office? When I absolutely, positively need it ON TIME?!?! I’m also waiting for (yes, via US Mail again) my DDE card. Supposedly that shipped quite a while ago as well. No worries for that though…a lovely CM has sent a temporary card over to Epcot for me to pick up. Hmmm…why Epcot? Does she know somehow that the majority of our meals on the first full day are at Epcot? Are the CM’s THAT good? Wow…more of that Disney magic!



Amazingly enough, our mailman shows up with (drum roll, please) a large box from DisneyShopping.com! PHEW!! I rip the box open, yank the stockings out and stuff them in a suitcase. No DDE card in the mail, but that’s ok. I’ve got a bunch of little gifts wrapped for DS and would be up a creek without the stockings. I even bought a couple of DVD’s for DH and myself to stuff our stockings the first night.



DH is already grumbling that we have to go to Epcot to pick the card up. Little did I know, but this little fact would help me later on in my mission to surprise my guys!



Finally DS arrives home from school and after a potty stop I get him in the car, power up the DVD player and buckle my seat belt! As DH starts to back the car out of the driveway, I begin to sing the song from Brother Bear “Tell everybody I’m on my way”…and then I hear it…a little cough coming from the back seat. I look at DH, he looks at me…my teeth clench and my throat tightens…could this be a sign? Hope not…it’s just a little cough after all…maybe he’s got dust in the back of his throat or something…Oh - and aside from the cough thing, DS has also decided that every picture we take of him, he's going to look pretty much like this. At this point, I'm not holding out hope of a decent looking family Christmas card for this year.

We head South on 95 and I tried desperately to teach DS how fun it is to count the Pedro signs for South of the Border. Nope…he can’t focus on something for that long. Ah well…I’ll have fun all by myself. Cough, cough…there it is again…GULP. I give him some juice…that ought to take care of that dry throat.



We stop in Lumberton, NC – just above the SC border for dinner. I want Texas Steakhouse. DH wants Ruby Tuesday’s. Fine. DH wins. UGH…scratch Ruby Tuesday’s off our list of places to eat at. Dinner was terrible. The salad bar left much to be desired and the burgers were awful. DS didn’t even like his macaroni and cheese. It was soggy macaroni with yellow soup. Horrible. Even the bathrooms were disgusting.



Word to the wise…skip this place, folks. Save your money!



We got back on the road and drove through to Manning, SC and decided to call it a night. We left our house at 3:30 and it was nearly 9. Long enough. So we pull off the highway and our choices were Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn. We decide on the Hampton Inn and got the AAA rate of $75. The place was deserted. I was hoping it wasn’t a sign. Seriously, including ours there were 6 cars in the parking lot. We got to our room and much to our delight, it was gorgeous. And huge. And it had a huge bathroom and big, high fluffy beds. I got the best nights’ sleep I’ve had in ages. Including our own bed at home! I wanted to lay in that bed forever! I woke up early the next morning feeling GREAT. Seriously. Can’t stress it enough. We took advantage of their breakfast in the lobby and then got on the road again by 10. Little did I know that this was the best night’s sleep I’d have the entire trip! It was raining off and on, but not too bad. And it finally cleared up mid-way through Georgia.



DH again brought up the question of where we were going to be staying. He still wasn’t buying my story. Then a light bulb went off in my head. I picked up my cell phone and turned it off. I retrieved my DDE paperwork and pretended to dial 1-407-WDW-DINE. I then waiting the usual amounts of time before I pressed 1 to make reservations for my upcoming trip, 1 if I’ve stayed at WDW before, yada yada yada…I then had an entire conversation with an imaginary CM about the DDE card. I went on and on about how we were going to be checking into the Poly that afternoon and then heading to the AKL for dinner at Boma and could they send the temporary card to AKL for me to pick up. I even went so far as to converse with this imaginary CM as to what to say to the guard at the gate. “Oh, the office closes at 6pm you say?” “Well, we’ll go there before checking into the Poly to pick the card up”. Will I have to pay for valet parking just to run in and pick up my temporary card? “Oh – just tell the guard at the gate we’re checking in? Great! Thanks so much for your help!” My imaginary phone call lasted a few minutes and when it was done, DH was grumbling that we had to make a stop to pick the card up. All he wanted to do was check into the Poly and get settled in. I stress to him one important fact that sold my story…Honey, if we don’t pick up the card before the office closes at 6, then we can’t get 20% off of our dinner at Boma. Oh, and that includes 20% off alcohol as well by the way. That did it…he was more than happy to stop and pick it up! DH doesn't really drink, which is GREAT on one hand as I have a permanent designated driver, however, being the sober one, he keeps a close eye on me AND the bar bill and don't think for a second that every time we go somewhere that he's mentally separating the cost of my several drinks from the cost of dinner and a soda and coming up with the difference between the 2.



As we got closer to Orlando I kept asking to drive but he refused. Orlando traffic was pretty heavy at 3pm on a Friday afternoon, as I warned him it would be and he was UGLY. Road rage had set in and we had a stressful ride through the city to Disney property. Just look at that scowl...attractive, isn't it?

Remember the part on The Incredible’s where they’re in the motor home and they’re arguing over what exit to take? Yeah, it was like that.

Finally we arrived on Disney property and headed to the AKL. He was still stressing from his drive. I told you so. You should have let me drive. Now you're in a crappy mood in the happiest place on earth. Nice.

That didn’t help his mood. We pulled up to the guard shack and I reiterated to him that our story was that we were checking in. I pulled my license out of my purse and handed it to him and he pulled up to the guard. He refused to “lie” to the guard and made me do all the talking.


Me – Good afternoon! We’re checking in.

Guard – Your name?

Me – Hartz. H-A-R-T-Z

Guard – (Flipping through papers on her clipboard) Lauralee?

Me – Yes ma’am – that’s me!

Guard – Go right on ahead

Me – Thanks! Have a magical day!

Phew…that worked. DH pulls up to an obscure corner of the front of the hotel and I try to convince him to pull up to valet parking so we can all go check the hotel out. He’s still crabby and practically yells at me that I’m only running in to get the stupid card so he’s staying here in the car. Finally I have to let the cat out of the bag…



Me – No honey, actually we’re checking in!

DH – GET OUT!

Me – SURPRISE!!



His mood greatly improved in 2.5 seconds and we went to park the car. We grabbed our super-secret-overnight-stay suitcase and headed into the lobby. I got us checked in while the boys scoped out the lobby. Gotta say – the place is stunning. Even more so with Christmas decorations. Oh and for the record, I’ve heard that some people don’t like the smell in the Lodge…I love it. Not strong, but just enough to smell “something” if you know what I mean. Kind of spicy. Hard to describe, but very pleasant.

Now, I'm sure you're all the same way, but I love pictures. To prove it, guess how many I took at Disney World in 10 days? Give up? 1,076. Eventually I thin out the herd and keep the best ones, but I've always got a camera in my hand snapping pictures. Drives DH and DS crazy. The HARD part of being the picture taker, is that when you get home, it appears that the whole family went on vacation without you as you're never in any of the pictures. Can I just tell you now how BLESSED we are to have PhotoPass?? I am actually IN the pictures instead of taking them. I'm part of the fun instead of just watching it. Why am I telling you all this? Ok, I'll get to that. DH is photographically challenged. He doesn't like to use the camera, much less the features. The man doesn't zoom. I however, am a zoomaholic. I like to get up close and personal with my pictures. So anyway, before I go on, let it be known that DH took a total of FIVE pictures of DS and I or either one of us. FIVE. The first one being while I was on line at the Animal Kingdom Lodge checking in. This picture should give you a glimpse into how the other four turned out as well...

Nice, eh? Yeah, that's why I'm always the one BEHIND the camera.

I got our room keys and check-in package and off we went. We had a “deluxe pool view” room on the 5th floor of the Zebra trail – Room 5412.

The room was gorgeous. Seriously. Love this place…will definitely stay here again!

We dropped our stuff off and went to look around before having to get ready for dinner. We had 3 hours to kill so we went out to scope out the place.


We cruised around the lobby and then down to the pool area (DS was absolutely DYING to go swimming. Oh and he was still coughing, did I mention that???) After checking out the pool we went out to the savanna areas. So cool – we saw zebras, giraffes, impalas and kudus. It was awesome.



We met some really nice CM’s who were around to tell you about their home country and the animals you were looking at. We met a very nice guy named “Partner”, but I can’t recall where he was from.

These CM’s come over on a 12 month “tour of duty” so to speak and he’s been here 4 months. Then we met Taree, from Namibia, who’s been here 9 months and is desperately homesick. She’s ready to go home. When I asked about her family she said that they couldn’t afford to come see her and she missed them terribly. She didn’t even have the money to come here, so Disney fronted her the money for travel and took it out of her pay a little at a time. Both Partner and Taree said they hope to become Tour Guides when they return home and they have both enjoyed this experience, although they miss home. Taree told us a bit about the animals and their natural habitats and a bit about her home. I enjoyed talking with her. She was very sweet.

After wandering around a bit it was getting dark so we went to get dressed for dinner. I had a couple of drinks while we waited to leave the room and sat out on the balcony enjoying the weather and the sounds of happy children playing in the pool. Knowing my plans in advance, I picked out special outfits for the 3 of us. I had black pants, a black chemise and a leopard spotted top over it and DS was dressed in Khaki’s with a safari-styled shirt. Here is blurry-photo 2 out of 5...

And DH…well, DH noticed that he had clothes in this “Mystery Bag” back home and took his outfit out. So much for that. We went out to the car and grabbed him a shirt to change into. He looked handsome anyway. We went to Boma and checked in and had some time to kill so we had a couple of Jack & Coke’s at the Sunset Lounge while we waited.


Just before dinner the storytelling around the fire pit was going on so we stopped to check it out. Not a spare chair as we arrived a few minutes into it and DS and DH got bored so they went off to explore while I listened in. The CM told a story about the sun being angry for people being wasteful, if I remember correctly. It was a good story, although the CM was a little rough around the edges with his story telling. There were a couple of times he had to back up and re-tell it correctly, but all in all, I enjoyed the experience.



Dinner was delicious. We tried a bit of everything…African Sirloin, Prime Rib, Chicken, Couscous, etc…I can’t remember it all, but we tried a bit of everything. Knowing that the Zebra Domes were not to be missed, I made sure I simply “sampled” dinner to save room. And boy were they AWESOME!! I ate THREE of them and had it been allowed, I would have bought some to take back to the room. Love them, love them, love them!! They alone were worth the cost of dinner. Over dinner I explained my big surprise plan to DH and he couldn’t believe that the DDE card phone conversation was fake. He was a bit disappointed we didn’t get our 20% off…I had a few drinks with dinner…you could almost see him adding them up in his head!



After dinner we got changed and headed to the pool. I thought it was a bit chilly and didn’t think the water felt overly warm so while the boys went in I went to the pool bar!



They weren’t in the water very long. I had a drink and called them out. DS’s cough was concerning me and I didn’t want him in the water for long.



The rest of our night was uneventful. We hung around the room while DS slept.



SORRY GANG - I'M DOING THIS ON MY LUNCH HOUR AND I'M OUT OF TIME! GOTTA GO! LY, MI!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Oh Lauralee, I'm so sorry for your loss. Many hugs for you and your family
Don't worry about us at all - we'll gladly wait until you feel up to writing and have had a chance to recuperate some!

Thanks V...I'm eeking it out a bit at a time...Hugs back atcha!

 

[PrincessV]

SOO many good things in this first installment!

Don’t feel bad about DS’s “look” for his pics – wait till you see my DS’s

Aren’t the Hampton beds the best EVER? A night on one caused me to come home and buy a featherbed.

BWAA HAAA HAAAA!!! This is, hands-down, the best surprise I’ve heard on the DIS. My hat is off to you for pulling that one off

LOL about your DH’s photographic “skills”. Not only are they not mad, I suspect they’re a bit maddening. To you, that is.

Awww... Look at you and DS in your matching safari outfits. Not even the blurriness takes away from the super-cuteness!

What an awesome start - looking forward to the rest!

(P.S. Think I could get a few more smilies in this reply?! Hmm...
)

 

[OhMari]

So now I know when you are at work or at home posting. Your work screen must be larger, because I have to use my mouse to move the scream side-to-side read the whole report, without missing a few words.

Sorry I didn't post more in the pre-trip. Do you have a picture of your tip envelopes-I need to make some, and how much did you tip too for housekeeping.

 

[Lauralee131]

So now I know when you are at work or at home posting. Your work screen must be larger, because I have to use my mouse to move the scream side-to-side read the whole report, without missing a few words..

Hmmm...that's strange...it looks normal on my screen here...sorry about that! Don't tell my boss though! I actually did my writing in Word and then copied and pasted so I don't know how the line size gets all funky like that...strange!

Sorry I didn't post more in the pre-trip. Do you have a picture of your tip envelopes-I need to make some, and how much did you tip too for housekeeping.

I do have the link for Heidi's tip envelopes...I'll find it and include it in a PM. I left $5.00/day last time and left $7 this time (being the holidays and all). I never know how much to leave, but figure $5 isn't bad...I actually end up cleaning my room in the morning before we leave and make the beds, collect all of our towels, etc., so I'm hoping that if $5 seems cheap to Mousekeeping that they'll consider coming into a clean room makes up for the difference! Who knows though. I don't know if I have a picture of the envelopes, but definitely have the link on my desktop at home...I'll get it for you...

 

[Lauralee131]

SOO many good things in this first installment!

Don’t feel bad about DS’s “look” for his pics – wait till you see my DS’s

Thanks - I feel better now! It was really starting to irk me until one night when I hooked the camera up to the tv and the faces made me laugh...someday I'll be able to show him how silly he was - like when he becomes a snotty know-it-all teenager or something!

Aren’t the Hampton beds the best EVER? A night on one caused me to come home and buy a featherbed.

Is that what they are? Featherbeds?? OMG I need one and have been thinking of calling them to ask what they were!! Now I know what I want for Christmas!!

BWAA HAAA HAAAA!!! This is, hands-down, the best surprise I’ve heard on the DIS. My hat is off to you for pulling that one off

Thank you, thank you very much!! Glad it turned out to be worth making myself crazy for!! And mad props to Marla from Dreams Unlimited (I think she's even a moderator on one of the boards), but she helped me book the lodge and was so awesome to deal with...I'll DEFINITELY be calling on her again! She's awesome!!

LOL about your DH’s photographic “skills”. Not only are they not mad, I suspect they’re a bit maddening. To you, that is.

You know, I watch him while he takes the picture...it doesn't look like his hands are shaking or anything...I just don't get it!!

Awww... Look at you and DS in your matching safari outfits. Not even the blurriness takes away from the super-cuteness!

Awww...go on...go on...no - really, go on...I'm listening!! I was a little upset with myself early on as I forgot my cool hat that I bought at Animal Kingdom in February. Ah well...next time...

What an awesome start - looking forward to the rest!

(P.S. Think I could get a few more smilies in this reply?! Hmm...
)

Thank you sweetie! You're too kind!!

Note to moderators and others in charge...can we get a pineapple-drinking-smiley face???

I don't know how much more I'll get done during the week, but looking forward working on it...and trying to decipher all my scribbles in that autograph book!!

 

[Lauralee131]

I was up early the next morning…5am, as I always am at Disney World. I made some coffee and grabbed the camera and went out for a walk as soon as the sun started coming up.



I went up and down each trail and to each stairwell and seating area and there was always something to see everywhere. The giraffes, zebras, kudus - they were all out and eating. The grounds were quiet so it felt like just me and the animals. I even saw some Ostrich, which I hadn’t seen the day before. And did you know that those oxen with the really long horns "moo" like cows? Little bit of trivia for ya!



The boys were up and ready to go so we collected ourselves and headed to Epcot for the day. We had a late lunch scheduled for the Coral Reef so we planned, ok I planned, to spend the day in Future World.



First order of business was to pick up the temporary DDE card that was waiting for me. I went to Guest Relations, but it wasn’t there. The nice CM, Willy, actually went all the way to the front of the park to pick it up for me and bring it back. How nice was that? From Guest Relations we immediately went to get FP’s for Soarin’. The wait was only 20 minutes so after I got our FP’s we got on line. The line moved at a decent pace and we met a very nice couple from NJ who winter in Naples and were up for the weekend. FINALLY I got to ride Soarin’ and it was AWESOME…although I found out why Utahmama says she’s become a Soarin’ Snob…we were in row 3 and I was disturbed by the feet above me. I may not have been had I not read her TR, but she’s totally right. DH and DS loved it and DH couldn’t wait to ride again and low and behold, our FP time was coming up so we went right back to the FP line and rode it again. It actually took some doing to talk DS into going on it again. He’d already been on it and wanted to go on Test Track. I guess when I was talking about doing all new stuff this trip that he was actually listening!



We did manage to get him on Soarin' again and he loved it this time as well. As we were walking out the exit a woman approached me and introduced herself as Babar41! My first Dis’er encounter. Finally!

We stepped to the side and chatted for a bit while our DH’s were busy chatting as well. Apparently while we girls were talking about Disboards, etc., the men were comparing notes on how their Disney-obsessed wives drag them around Disneyworld and spend hours on the computer! What a couple of sour-pusses, eh? I think DH has issues and may be considering doing his own little TR. Then we can have a he said/she said thing going on! I really enjoyed meeting Babar41 - she is as sweet and nice as she looks in her picture!


After we said our goodbye’s to Babar41 and her DH, we headed over to TT to get FP’s and had a 2 hour wait! Good grief! We got a couple of frozen sodas and headed over to Mission Space. Having measured 44” at his September doctor visit, Michael should have been good to go. Nope…despite the “stand up straight” lectures the CM was still able to place her hand on top of his head under the 44” line! DS was DEVASTATED…he burst into tears and buried his little face in my stomach. I had to pick him up and carry him away he was crying so hard. It just broke my heart. Later on though, we used this as an opportunity to tell DS that this is what happens when you don’t eat your vegetables. You don’t grow tall enough to ride the cool rides. Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m a terrible mother. Trust me…there’s a lot of other things that he’s going to have to work out in therapy years from now. This whole “eat your vegetables” thing is minor!



We thought it best to simply leave the pavilion entirely and not go in and do other things and instead, head over to the Wonders of Life pavilion. I was glad to know it would be open while we were there. It’s been years since I’ve gone on Body Wars and thought DS would enjoy it. I noticed that the pavilion isn’t even shown on the park map any more – not even a mention of it being open seasonally. Had it not been for the internet, I wouldn’t have even bothered looking. Apparently no one else did either. We rode Body Wars with 4 other people. I forgot how rough the ride was…or how old I’ve gotten. After we exited the ride I felt like I’d been in a car accident. DS’s rating – Cool! We wandered around the pavilion which was empty with the exception of us and about a half dozen other people. Half the exhibits didn’t work and it generally looked run down and neglected. I was a bit disgusted and just wanted to get out of there. We even skipped Cranium Command. This one was the only 1 out of 3 x-ray machines that worked. Luckily it was DS's size or it could have gotten ugly!
Cute picture though I think!

We wandered around a bit more and somehow our time to wait for TT went by pretty quickly. The FP line breezed in – we were inside a car very quickly. The three of us loved, loved, loved that ride! Definitely a “must-do-again” ride! We had a bit of a problem getting out of there though. Between all of the cars and then the store, it took forever to get DS out of there.



We headed over to the Seas for our Coral Reef lunch. We had a few minutes to spare and so we jumped into line for the new Nemo ride. It wasn’t bad. I wouldn’t knock myself out to go on it again, but it really wasn’t bad. Kind of nice – DS enjoyed it so I guess that’s all that matters.


Here's a scene from the Nemo ride.

We checked in at Coral Reef about 10 minutes prior to our check-in time yet still waited nearly 25 minutes. We got a booth facing the tank which DS loved. He got a real big kick out of watching the sharks and we even got to see a diver in the tank and Michael was yelling that the diver didn’t know there were sharks in there. It was a bit of a wait before they came to take our order. Our server was Keisha, a very sweet girl. The restaurant was really busy for this late in the afternoon – it was just about 2:30. Anyway, she was very sweet, but the service was slow beyond belief. We asked for DS’s meal to come with our appetizers. It never showed. Took a long time for our meals to arrive.

We spent a great deal of time looking for this fellow...finally we got him!

DH had the lobster salad, which with the exception of his first bite containing some shell, he said was good. I had the NY strip, which was excellent. We ordered pasta for DS and by the time our meals came, his still was a no show. Keisha was very apologetic and said they were having some kitchen problems but got his meal out shortly after that. It was difficult to get him to eat, he was so wrapped up in the activity in the tank. One observation that we first made here that we found at the more expensive restaurants on our trip. There was no salt & pepper on the tables. We asked for it, but alas, that never came either.



By the time we got out of there, it was about 3:30 so we went to Honey I Shrunk the Audience before heading out to World Showcase for the Candlelight Processional. Of course, we stopped in Mexico to grab a couple of margaritas for the walk!



We got in line with the rest of the CP dinner package people and wondered if any of the 1,000 people that were waiting on the standby line would get in. That line was HUGE…We ended up with a fairly decent seat, although I don’t think there’s a bad seat in that area. The boys were CLEARLY not into the show. DH got aggravated just sitting there waiting. And DS kept asking if we could go...

Once it started, he was like “This is it? We’re sitting here for this?” and of course DS backed him up in a chorus of “Can we go now” and “Is it done yet?” They both really pissed me off to be honest with you and I told them to just “go walk around and I’d catch up with them when the show was done. I came to see it and Rita Moreno and I am not leaving. So either go someplace else or sit down and SHUT UP!!!”


Well, they shut up. Who knew. I thought they’d go walk around somewhere. Nope. They sat down and shut up. Nice. I enjoyed the show and thought Rita Moreno did a great job.

With the exception of graying hair, I thought she looked wonderful and was secretly hoping to meet her. Those of you who are my age…GULP…37-ish…may have remembered growing up with a little show called The Electric Company starring Ms. Moreno and an unknown fellow named Morgan Freeman…That show was the main reason I watched West Side Story. I loved her. She really made me laugh during the Electric Company days. Bonus points to those of you who can remember her trademark yell…Anyone?? Talk amongst yourselves. I can wait…Oh and another thing I thought was cool about the CP was that they had someone signing for the deaf as Rita Moreno spoke. Nice touch so that everyone could enjoy it.

I really did enjoy the CP...it was beautful and very nicely done. There was one chorus singer who got sick or something as she kept having to sit down and finally someone escorted her off the stage. Could have been the heat. Seemed pretty hot that day. That was one of DH's arguments - it was too hot to celebrate Christmas in Florida. Luckily thanks to PrincessV and her travelling cold front, he got to experience some of that "holiday weather" later in the week! Love you V, mean it! Couldn't resist throwing that weather thing in there though!

Anyway, after the CP was over, we headed out of Epcot and down to the Poly to check in. I think it was about 7ish when we got there and thankfully the lobby was pretty dead. I walked up to Jahamael who checked me in and he must have been new as he knew less than me about the resort…he said we were in Room 3047 in Rapa Nui and gave me a map with Rapa Nui circled on it and handed me a couple of lei’s. Aloha. I was disappointed. I wanted to get lei’d upon my arrival and not have to take care of it myself, if you know what I mean. Well, by the time we got ourselves together and gathered the few bags we were actually carrying in ourselves and headed out to find our building, it was dark. Really dark. Anyone notice that the buildings in the Poly aren’t marked very well? Well we finally wound our way up to Rapa Nui and went up to the 3rd floor…the rooms were all marked in the 3100’s if I remember correctly.

I thought maybe I was just tired so I dragged the bags and the guys up and down the hallway maybe 2 more times…maybe we just missed the room…finally DH was downright UGLY…similar to his Orlando Road Rage, he now had Poly Check In Rage and DS was fueling it with his I’m tired’s, carry me’s, are we there yet’s, etc…We finally stopped and talked with a couple of people who were standing outside their room…they couldn’t get in and were waiting for a staff member to come and let them in. They didn’t know what building they (we) were in when I asked to be sure that Rapa Nui was correct…they were staying with their daughter and she was there to direct them so they were lost…Great…they couldn’t help us either…


DH finally picked up a house phone and called the front desk who informed him that Room 3047 was NOT in Rapa Nui, but it was in Tahiti – like we were the idiots who misunderstood the idiot who was supposed to be knowledgeable. Let it be known for the record, I retained said directional map with Rapa Nui circled on it and from here on it shall be referred to as Exhibit A in the People vs. Poly. I’d also like to go on record as saying I was glad we were not staying in Rapa Nui as the hallways looked disgusting. Ok, not disgusting, but run down. Even DH commented on it.

DH - “I thought you said all these buildings have been renovated?”

Me – “They have been”

DH – “They missed the corridors then. I hope our room looks better than this. So far I’m not impressed.

Me – “Me either”



Well, we wandered around some more and finally got to our room. YAY…we made it. It was somewhere between 8 and 8:30 or so by that time…Nice, huh?

For the record, the room was nice. And big. Bigger than the room we had at AKL, but in my opinion, not as nice as AKL. The bathroom was bigger, but was a bit on the dark side.

Doing my makeup would turn out to be a challenge here. AKL had that cool makeup mirror on the wall. Poly’s bathroom was almost big enough for dancing. We had a garden view room. Nothing spectacular. Kind of looked towards the parking lot, but not really. You couldn’t see it with all the vegetation so I really didn’t mind it. All in all not a bad view really.

I don't know if you can see it in this picture, but there's a hidden Mickey...Look at the girl drawing it in the sand! A little bit of useless trivia for ya!

We got settled in and I had the bright idea to go to Captain Cook’s to get something to eat for dinner and get some refillable mugs. Can I just say that Tahiti is a decent walk to Captain Cook’s…kind of pointless that I bought refillable mugs as by the time we got home from the parks, the last thing either of us wanted to do was walk back to Captain Cook’s for soda or GULP…Nescafe coffee…



Now Captain Cook’s was nice. Liked the touch screen food ordering. Would have liked a few more choices, but in all, the food was decent. We swung by the volcano pool in time to see/hear Wishes being broadcast. It was the one night that the floats for the EWP were fully lit and hanging out while the fireworks went off behind it at the castle. And me without my camera. Bummer. We stopped on the beach and checked it all out and then headed back to room to get a good night’s sleep. We were doing Animal Kingdom the next day and it was going to be a late night that night so we better rest up!



Well, I gotta get ready for work...hope I'm not boring you with all my pictures and details!!

Have a magical day everyone!!

 

[PrincessV]

Had to stop mid-read for this:
"HEY YOU GUUYS!!!!!!!!"

Back to your story...

 

[Lauralee131]

Had to stop mid-read for this:
"HEY YOU GUUYS!!!!!!!!"

Back to your story...

OMG - I laughed out loud so hard that I just got busted surfin' the net!!! How can I work when there reports to be done and read...no time, no time!!!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Our day at Animal Kingdom and my big Focker meet!!



We had signed up for the AP preview of the Finding Nemo musical so we needed to be at the theater by 9:45. You would think that being at the bus stop around 8:15 would give us plenty of time, wouldn’t you? Nope…we waited 30 minutes, count ‘em…30…for the AK bus to show up at the Poly. Grrrrr…Then we stopped at the GF and loaded those folks up. Ok, that’s fine…we’ll just go straight to the theater at a brisk walk. By the time we got to the ticket gates from the bus, DS was already complaining he was tired. He wasn’t feeling well…you could just tell. We bought him some cough medicine at the store, but he didn’t have a persistent cough. It went away completely when he took the cough meds. He was run down though – I could see that. We got him a stroller and headed to the theatre through Dinoland. My plan was to actually go around the other way so we could grab FP’s for EE. It wasn’t open yet when we were there before and I’ve been anxiously awaiting this one! I was going to get FP’s before the show thinking we could have gone right on after the show. That’s ok though...slight changes in plans are good for the soul, right? We arrived at the theater with a few minutes to spare before the show.

We got the whole no photography, no videography, yada yada yada, blah blah blah…well…guess who got busted taking a picture during the show? Yep…Me…upstanding Disney citizen, reprimander of smokers out of the designated area, etc...I thought my flash was turned off. Honestly! I did manage to get a shot off though!

Take it from me Mousketeers, crime doesn’t pay. The CM’s inside the theater were not the most pleasant to begin with and this kind of thing makes them downright NASTY.


All in all it was a cute show once you got past the whole weird puppet thing. It was definitely not as good as FotL, but it was colorful and creative so I enjoyed it. We left there and went to get FP’s for EE. DS was too short to ride, but that’s ok. I had a plan. Child swap. The next best thing to kids’ clubs!

Just look at this baby...I can not wait to ride it!!!

I got 2 FP’s and we headed back to Dinoland. DS loved Dinosaur last time, although it scared the crap out of him and we haven’t rode Triceratop Twirl yet. DS of course got the obligatory dinosaur at the end of the ride and we grabbed some lunch at Restaurantosaurus, and DS and I rode Triceratop Twirl and then we headed to Asia. DS really wanted this card thing, whatever was and so I got it for him and it turned out that he ended up wearing it just about every day, flashing it to people like he was with the Secret Service or something.

I tried, unsuccessfully to take a "Redneck Photo" of our ride picture on Dinosaur...apparently Utahmama forgot to mention you need to turn your flash off...The CM standing there looked at me like I was nuts, but guess what? Others started doing it too...I'm guessing they didn't actually SELL too many pictures of this particular ride...unless others forgot to turn their flashes off too...Hmmmm...

On our walk toward EE, I explained the whole child swap thing to DH, but guess what? He would NOT swap and flat out refused to participate in my reindeer games. He said he wouldn’t ride a ride alone. Really? Seriously? But, but, I have these 2 FP’s…”you can ride” he said, “but I’m not”. Well, OK BYE!! And off I ran!! Don’t gotta tell me twice. It wasn’t really a run, it was more of a gallop. No, no that isn’t right. Remember the Friend’s episode where Phoebe and Rachel go jogging…remember the way Phoebe ran? Yeah, it was like that to observers, I’m sure. And know what? I don’t care. It was TOTALLY WORTH IT. The ride was awesome! Oh and know what else? I had a 2nd FP and I got right back on!! Loved it and can’t wait to do it again! I think I still have that silly grin on my face!


We went thru the Maharajah Jungle Trek and then on to Kali River Rapids where we got SOAKED. That’s ok, I’d anticipated going on this ride and had my hair pulled back. I was ready. What I wasn’t ready for however, was for how I actually would look like this…Bad move. I briefly considered taking DH’s hat as we bagged the idea of using our ponchos. It’s a water ride…designed to get you wet. It’s fairly hot out. Let’s get wet. However, his hat was a GULP Boston Red Sox hat. No thanks…I’d rather get wet and dry off manually thank you very much.



By the time we got off Kali it was nearly 3pm so we headed to the ToL to see It’s Tough to be a Bug. Love that show. DS had to be coaxed to go in. After all, he’d been there once already and this was supposed to be a trip of all new stuff, wasn’t it? After we got out of there, we grabbed a great seat for the parade. I like the regular parade and this was a really cute holiday version. While we were waiting for the parade to start we met this really nice Photopass photographer from NY named Mira who took so really cute pictures of Michael.

She was really great with him and super friendly and nice to talk with. Had I known, however, what I looked like that afternoon, I’d have never let her take pictures of me!! Eeeeek…ok, since most of you haven't met me in person, I suppose I can share this with the following disclaimer below. No laughing please...not to my face anyway, ok?

I’m just one of those people who take bad pictures. No matter how great a hair day I’m having, I can’t seem to take a good picture. Here’s another Friends reference…remember the episode where Monica and Chandler had to take their engagement pictures? And Chandler just couldn’t take a picture without making some weird face? The same thing kind of happens to me…subconsciously I suppose. Either that happens or the pictures come out with me having multiple chins, etc…ah well…maybe that’s why I’m always the one behind the camera?

Anywhoooo....enough about me. The parade was cute...

DS was trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue and couldn't figure out why the snow tasted funny...

After the parade crowd thinned out we headed out to Rainforest Café for an early dinner. We never did get to go see FotL, do the safari or visit the characters at Camp Minnie Mickey, but it was a fun day all the same.


I had a big night in store for me! Our big Focker Meet at the Tambu Lounge was going to happen around 8:30-ish. Good thing…I needed to shower and do SOMETHING, ANYTHING with this hair of mine!



DH stayed back at the room with DS and I was on my own. When I left, a CM was delivering a 2nd replacement refrigerator for our room as the last one didn’t work. The cabinet around it was very hot and the inside wasn’t much cooler. We lost all our milk and juice we had stored in there so DH called the front desk when we got back. I left as she came in with the fridge. I’ll only be in the way here…BYE!!



I did a little wandering around and ended up at the bar around a little after 8. Yes, I know, I said 8:30 and yet I’m a half hour early…don’t you all get nervous when you’re about to meet new people? Especially people you’ve only “talked” to on the internet?? Sounds absurd to people on the “outside” of these firewalls. Trust me, I know. I was so excited about this upcoming event that I told co-workers before I left that it was in the works and they were like “Ewwww...you’re meeting strangers that you met on line??” Like I just ordered a mail order groom or something for crying out loud. Well, their voices were in my head as I got ready to go to the bar, so I thought I’d go a bit early, have a drink, relax and scope out the place. Of course, you couldn’t miss me…Lime green top, lime green baggalini, white capris and white/green sandals. They’ve got to be able to figure out who I am when they arrive! I was more nervous than I thought I’d be. Felt like I was waiting for a blind date. I know, I’ll have a drink! I recall V saying “Mai Tai suggest something in a pineapple?” in an earlier posting. So that’s what I did! I ordered a Lapu Lapu. It was a party in my mouth! And went down smooth and FAST. I ordered another one and who should arrive, but Pbnjrockette (aka Pat) and her DH, who were very nice and funny! They made an adorable couple. What great people! I really enjoyed chatting with them. Her DH was kind enough to take a picture of us for me.

Isn't she a cutie? What a pleasure to chat with them! They only were able to stay for a few minutes and then had to head off, but Pat said she’d try to come back later.



So off they went and I stayed behind with my pineapple. It too was yummy! And now it was empty. This is a problem. I know, I’ll get another one. This one also was very yummy! Coincidence?


A little bit later, PrincessV arrived! Can I just tell you guys how awesome she is? She’s sweet, funny and adorable. And if she lived 700 miles closer, I think we’d be good friends.

Here I was nervous for no reason, Pat and V were both awesome and easy to talk to and funny. It was a totally comfortable night…I don’t even recall any uncomfortable silences or anything. Pat came back later for a bit and 3 three of us had a really nice visit and we probably drove the bartender crazy asking him to take pictures of us.

If I remember correctly, Pat and V had already met the day before at the AKL...is that right ladies?

Pat and her DH were also staying at the Poly and the poor thing listened to me complain about how un-blown away I was by the place. fNice huh? I can imagine she went home telling others of this weirdo she met in a bar who was already half in the bag when she got there, complaining about this beautiful hotel!! Maybe I've gotten older as reading this stuff it sounds a bit petty now. Here’s an example of what I'm talking about, off the road a bit from my TR, but we’ll pause for this important break. If you are in the bathroom with the door closed and open the door, some kind of odd suction causes the metal trim on the ceiling light fixture to well, come out of the ceiling. If you’re in the hallway, looking at our door, think of the room to the left. Well, when that room flushes their toilet, it gushes and bubbles up to our left side sink in the bathroom. I never saw it come up into the sink itself, but let me tell you, it was LOUD. And of course, being in the construction business, we both noticed that the toilet was caulked to the floor. It looked horrible. Yes, I know that they’re petty annoyances. I would have been really bugged had a paid $400-plus a night for this room, but I did use 2 years of vacation points and was still pretty disappointed, both in the front desk staff and in these little things like this. Of course, new and much worse annoyances will rear their ugly heads starting tomorrow…Ok, we now bring you back to our regularly scheduled TR.


I won’t bore you all with the details and the things that are a bit fuzzy, but I had a great time that evening, ladies! V and I closed the joint that night. I don't know if it was THAT late, but hey - we had a chick night and closed the bar. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The subject of a girl's only trip came up...maybe we should explore that further!! But I'm looking forward to doing this again sometime!!

Let me tell you guys something. I’m a Jack Daniels drinkin’ gal. Even my little dog that passed away on Monday was named Jack Daniels – I’m that much of a fan! And I can certainly hold my liquor. Just ask DH – he’ll tell you I’m not a cheap date! But drinks inside tropical fruits? Kick my butt!! Maybe it was the little chunks of pineapple I kept scraping off the sides in my straw and sucking out. I don’t know, but after what? Four or five of those? I felt like I’d had a schnootful! In my defense, did you guys SEE the size of the pineapples in the picture up there? I seem to recall V had one that leaked a bit...HURRY...drink it before it all comes out of the bottom!! Ah yes, the tropical fruit drink version of doing an Irish Car Bomb...Ok, maybe it wasn't exactly like that...



I wandered back to my room and of course kept banging into everything…why was that refrigerator cabinet OPEN for crying out loud? The answer to that will come tomorrow by the way.



But it was fun. Probably one of my fonder vacation memories. A chick night out on my family vacation! How awesome is THAT???



And tonight, much like that night, I need to go to bed. Up next…Oh, my aching head, and MGM.



Goodnight everyone!! There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow….Come on, everybody…you know the words!!



It’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it? LY, MI!

 

[tiggerwannabe]

Wow...you get up early~

Welcome Home!

Sorry to hear about your Puppy

 

[Nurse_Mommy4]

Well Hellooooo Stranger!!!!!

I have been busy with life and missed a couple days on the Dis, so I just realized that you posted.

Now I need to go back and read what you wrote!

 

[PrincessV]

Okay, I'm feeling a little better about missing Nemo the Musical now. It still sounds fun, and we'll definitely get there one day, but at least it doesn't sound like we missed something akin to the premiere of A Chorus Line!

Going back a bit, I'm so glad you got to enjoy the CP on your own. I had to ditch Gramma and Leo a couple years ago to enjoy it, too, and it was wonderful!

And you conquered Everest! Way to go You are also crazy - that pic of you and DH is great! I think your hair looks super cute pulled back, and I do NOT see a "weird" look. TFI.

Okay, on to the best part....

I was so excited about this upcoming event that I told co-workers before I left that it was in the works and they were like “Ewwww...you’re meeting strangers that you met on line??” Like I just ordered a mail order groom or something for crying out loud.

YES! I had the exact same reactions. Many references were made to Match.com and my "imaginary friends."

A little bit later, PrincessV arrived! Can I just tell you guys how awesome she is? She’s sweet, funny and adorable. And if she lived 700 miles closer, I think we’d be good friends.

You are so sweet - thank you! And. Right back atcha, 'cause, folks, Lauralee is just plain awesome and we really did talk and talk and talk like we'd known each other forever. I'm so so glad we did this!

If I remember correctly, Pat and V had already met the day before at the AKL...is that right ladies?

We sure did! Another fantastic lady, Pat. I was so glad she came back to join us after my...ahem...late(ish) arrival.

V and I closed the joint that night. I don't know if it was THAT late, but hey - we had a chick night and closed the bar. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The subject of a girl's only trip came up...maybe we should explore that further!!

We DID close the bar! Of course, it closed at like 10:30.... But I didn't get back to the BWI till close to 1am, so it WAS a late night! And I second the exploration of a girls' only trip

Okay, you're waaay ahead of me, gotta get cracking on my TR. But. At the rate I'm going, my tale of the Focker Meet won't be for weeks, at which point it will be fresh news once again!

 

[Lauralee131]

Wow...you get up early~

Welcome Home!

Sorry to hear about your Puppy

Hey there! Thanks - I'd like to say it's good to be home, but who really wants to come home from their Happy Place, right??

Thanks for the hugs, we're very sad. It's very quiet in our house...well, not quiet as DS is still here, wink wink, but it's a different kind of quiet. I don't know what to do with dinner leftovers anymore either...

It's good to be chatting with everyone again...I was almost sorry I didn't bring my laptop with me...I had a bit of withdrawl going on! May need to bring it next time!