The inner workings of a childs mind can sometimes be a mystery.
And sometimes not so much.
As we drove underneath the arches and spotted our first Disney bus, we were surprised to find that our children still didnt quite comprehend what the night ahead held in store for them. Oh, they knew we were in the Land of the Yellow and they were beside themselves about it. In front of and behind themselves about it, even. But the funny thing is that the more we talked, the more we began to realize that they thought we were only there for dinner. And nothing else.
In other words, they actually believed what their parents had told them.
Silly children. When will they ever learn?
After we passed the Disney bus and the seat dancing came to a halt, the girl crossed her arms and grinned a sly little grin. Then said I know where were going. Were going to Chef Mickeys, arent we? As she wiggled her eyebrows up and down.
I suppose in her mind, that was the best case scenario. The child was
sure we were going to eat there. The boy agreed almost instantly. They really did think that was the big surprise. And judging from the way they acted, I know without a shadow of a doubt that if that wouldve been all we couldve swung, just dinner at Chef Mickeys and nothing more, it wouldve been enough for them. Way more than enough for them. Unfortunately, we had to break the sad, sad news. After trying for several weeks, an ADR for Chef Mickeys had remained more elusive than my Dole Whip.
The one from the trip before the trip before this one.
No, there would be no Chef Mickeys that night. No cute little deserts with Oreo Mickey ears. No overpriced photos of us with a big spoon and a big fork. No familiar restroom at the bottom of a steep, narrow staircase. But we were hoping theyd settle for Kona Café instead. Because as it turns out, we
were going to dinner after all. We werent kidding about that part. Although we joke around about a lot of things, dinner is not one of them. Looking back, its amazing to me how fast they abandoned the Chef Mickeys boat in favor of a little Kona action. But only because Kona has chicken noodle soup. With a soda on the side.
As our van barreled down the road following those familiar purple and red signs leading us to the Polynesian, we let the kids in on our post dinner plans. They squealed and seat danced again. In other words, they were shocked and downright ecstatic. And extremely grateful. The only downside is that theyre now expecting to win Publishers Clearing House just as easily as we won four tickets to the Pirate and Princess Party.
We pulled up to the Poly and as we hopped out at the valet station and breathed in that familiar musty water smell and heard the waterfall in the distance, we got a feeling of déjà vu. Not just because wed been there so many times before. But because it really did seem very similar to the Royal Pacific Resort to us. We took the prerequisite shots in front of the waterfall and among the lush landscaping just inside the lobby and then headed upstairs to check in.
Like always, we were handed a pager and like always, the kids fought over who would clench it in their fists and proudly announce to the whole world in
the loudest voice imaginable that it was our turn to be seated. After playing referee and peacemaker, we meandered over to the gift shop across the way to wait for our table. Per Chapter 19 in The Unwritten Rulebook.
As we walked up and took in all the merchandise, we sighed deeply. Now THIS is a gift shop. Sadly, nothing had really appealed to us in the Universal gift shops. Dont get me wrong. Im sure Shrek dishes and Spiderman lanyards could bring in some major coin in the post vacation what were we thinking garage sale. But we just didnt have anything scream our name there. On the other hand, we were giddy here. Because even though theyre way overpriced, Disney souvenirs are slammin.
It was during this moment of weakness that we took temporary leave of our senses and allowed the boy to purchase a pirate sword. For the party. It was a three foot long piece of trouble encased in plastic. Perfect for terrorizing little sisters and the neighborhood pets. That thing has gotten him into more trouble and it is currently in its final resting place on top of the refrigerator. Where all three foot long plastic swords should be. For the girls part, for the past few trips, shes been all about the baby stuffed animals. Rodents. Characters. Whatever. It started with Baby Simba, then came Baby Marie, and that night as she stood in front of row upon row of baby characters, she had a really hard time deciding between Baby Minnie and Baby Mickey.
She wanted them both. In the
worst way. But the problem was that we had told each child they could pick one thing and one thing only that night. It was the beginning of vacation and we couldnt carry a lot of things around in the park that night. So she had to choose. She thought and thought and tested each one by rocking them back and forth and inspecting the design on the blankets to see which one was cuter. How could she possibly choose? She loved Mickey first, she explained, but Minnie was special in her own right. Then she asked me what she should do. I told her to not overthink it and to just pick the one she liked better. And get on with it already. She hem hawed around for a few minutes and then sat on the ground in front of them. In order to weigh her options more clearly. She finally touched Baby Minnie gently and said Im sorry Minnie. But I still love you. And with that, she gave Minnie a kiss and reached for Mickey. Then hugged him tight and broke out into a huge grin. Because as much as she loves Minnie, Mickeys her boy.
Back off, Stacy.
As we finished up in the gift shop, our pager went off. Perfect timing. We were seated quickly and threw ourselves headfirst into the Hawaiian bread with macadamia nut butter. Which was as good as always. This was our first meal on Disney property in several years without the dining plan and I have to admit it was different adjusting to having to actually PAY for our meals for a change. We didnt like it.
Not one stinking bit. Especially the part where the server threw our Keys to the Food, circa 2005, back in our faces. With indignation. Cant blame a girl for trying. You dont realize how spoiled you get when youre on the dining plan until you come back and have to do it the old fashioned way. Pay as you go. Its for the birds. We didnt order deserts and appetizers at every meal like we normally do on the dining plan but we just couldnt pass up the chance to order a plate of sticky wings at Kona.
Oh
yeah baby. Sticky wings. And that, my friends, was the highlight of our dinner. We usually love Kona but we didnt walk away all that impressed this time. In short, I wouldnt go so far as to say it sucked. Because it didnt. It just wasnt as good to us as it has been in the past. Either that or weve just really gotten spoiled with the dining plan.
But the kids loved their chicken noodle soup. With a soda on the side.
Let it rain. Now clear it out.
We finished our dinner quickly and cut out as fast as we could. We had four tickets to the Pirate and Princess Party burning a hole in our pocket. Well, figuratively. Because we still hadnt picked them up from Will Call yet. Unfortunately our first meal on Disney property was pretty much a blur because we had leaving on our minds before we even got there. It was one of those meals where you order your food and tell the waitress to just go ahead and leave the bill when she comes back with the entrees. And make it snappy. We had places to go and rodents to see. As we left the restaurant, we broke out into a full on Phoebe Buffay sprint over to the monorail platform. Trippin' and clotheslinin anybody who dared even
think of gettin' in our way.
Once we hit the station, we came to a dead stop.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Rather impatiently. While we stood there going nowhere fast, I took in the people around me and thought to myself Miss Universal Season Pass dont know JACK about quality people watching.
Finally a sweet lookin monorail slid into the station and we boarded that baby faster than Brangelina can become a couple of new parents. Again. Right after we found a seat and were reminded to por favor mantangase alejado de las puertas, we were told to por favor get our butts on the other side of de las puertas. Apparently there was some sort of problem. What kind of problem was anybodys guess. Maybe the driver was busted trying to skate by on a fake Test Track drivers license. Maybe Britney Spears jumped in the drivers seat and was looking for a fresh pinky toe to sever. Whatever the reason, it was clear we werent going anywhere anytime soon. So we took our small children by the hand and exited the vehicle. A few minutes later, we did it all over again. Board. Find a seat. Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor
yada yada yada. The only difference is that this time we actually went somewhere. Within minutes we were gliding at a steady clip over Seven Seas Lagoon.
At which point I took this lovely shot:
Once we were welcomed to the Magic Kingdom, we exited the vehicle and prepared ourselves to battle the elements for the evening. We donned our ponchos and put our cameras away. More or less. Just beyond the shelter of the monorail platform, it was raining. Not necessarily cats and dogs. Or men. That would be weird. If Jim Cantore and his pals were to be believed, the weather was there for the long haul. But
so were we. We had paid a pretty penny for those tickets and it was our only shot at some time with the Mouse on that trip. So we were prepared to deal with the weather. Come what may. Because its like they say. A rainy day in Disney is better than a sunny day at the Tri-County Mule Pull.
As long as theres no lightning involved. And thankfully, there wasnt. So it was all good.
We descended the ramp, took a left and headed straight for the Magic Kingdom and the cool as all get out Pirate and Princess Party.
We decided to forego a stroller for the evening (we were feeling either very brave or very stupid) and we took our walk down Main Street together. No strollers this time. Just the four of us holding hands and walking side by side. Which was strange. And very different. But in a good way. I may have gotten slightly verklempt at the thought of our kids being stroller free and experiencing our walk down Main Street in a completely different way than we have in years past. And how that one simple act highlighted how fast time is flying by with our kids. But I wasnt verklempt for long. Because we were in the Land of Yellow, baby. Even though the skies were grey and we were already soaked from the knees and elbows down and the neck up, we were ELATED to be there. We have the most awesome picture of the girls reaction the moment she saw the castle for the first time that afternoon. Shes shrouded in a poncho with rain streaming down her face but shes pointing and screaming. You can almost hear the squeal just to look at it. That picture captures how we all felt that rainy afternoon at the first glimpse of that castle. It was a very cool moment. Especially considering the fact that just a short while back, we thought we wouldnt be back anytime soon. Yet there we were again.
God is good.
We paused for some shots in front of the castle and then promptly took off toward Tomorrowland to get our ride on. It was go time.
We hit Buzz first and as we made our way through the nearly empty queue, we may have skipped. Except for the man. He doesnt skip. Because hes still a guy. The prenager didnt skip either. Because apparently prenager by-laws forbid such silliness. But the girl and I did. Just a little. Being back there, being immersed in the familiarity of the place, the sounds, the smells, the sights, it was all such a cool feeling and it made us all giddy. And giggly.
The lines were so short we were able to ride Buzz Lightyear back to back. And backwards, even. Just so we could say Quick. Who am I?
Just kidding. We never think of ZZUB on vacation and if we do, its only when we step across a pile of vomit or smell recycled ginger in the air.
One of these days Im going to actually apply myself and get a decent score on Buzz. The boy whipped my tail and rubbed it in a little too much. Mustve been that dang Alabama hat he was wearing that made him bring the mack daddy smack talk. It seems to have that effect on him. Yes, the boy is an Alabama fan. An Alabama fan who talks MSU smack every chance he gets. Much to my chagrin. My husband grew up rooting for Bama and even though he attended another college, he still enjoys watching their games and rooting for them. And so it was that he brought the hat home for his son one day. Very proudly. He may have even said This is for
mboy. So he can wear it when we watch us some Alabama football together next season. While you women feed us little sausages wrapped in bacon. And cake. The child was on Cloud Nine and to my knowledge, he has not taken it off since. He loves rolling him some tide. But even more than that, he loves shooting him some Zs and the child dominated. He then did the centipede and proceeded to unabashedly rub his victory in the face of the woman who gave birth to him.
After our double shot of Buzz Lightyear, we moseyed on over to Space Mountain. The girl had ridden Space Mountain for the first time in October and LOVED it. L-O-V-E-D it. So she was itching to go on it again. Ditto me and my husband. The boy, not so much. Hes ridden it several times in the past but for whatever reason, hes just not a huge fan. So we walked through the line together and I stayed with the boy while DH took our daughter for a spin.
After they rolled into the station, I grabbed the girl and we took our turn. She was able to score the front seat and the child could not have been happier if Id have gifted her with all the baby stuffed animals in the World. The child is fearless when it comes to rides. Shell ride anything and has a blast doing it. She sat in front of me and to watch her scream and throw her little arms in the air and get her laugh scream on as we shot around in that darkened building made me smile huge. We laughed the whole ride and when we reached the station, she gave me the two thumbs up signal and screamed THAT WAS SO AWESOME!
And she was right. It was awesome indeed.
After we came back down to earth, we let the boy try his hand at a few of the pirate themed carnival type games set up in Tomorrowland. When I say there was no one else around, I mean there was no one else around. The crowds were thinning out quickly. Which means our son was the only child within a five mile radius even
remotely interested in playing the pirate themed carnival games. Here we are with every cool ride imaginable laid out in front of him and the thing that he wants to do most is knock a foot tall pirate ship over with a blast of air from a piece of Saran Wrap and a rubber band contraption. Because he was the only kid around willing to try his hand at the game, he got plenty of extra attention from the CMs manning the games. Which he thought was pretty cool.
After a few minutes spent trying in vain to shoot a puff of air through a wall of vertical water, we decided to move onto some more rides. Because thats what the hard ticket events are about for us. Although we like seeing the characters and scoring some booty, its the rides that were after. We moseyed on past Indy Nothing Speedy About It Way and the Mad Sure to Make You Splatter tea cups and found ourselves in Fantasyland, where we worked our way around the usual list of suspects, stopping for some booty along the way. Much like the
MNSSHP trick or treat stations, they had stations set up around the park where you could score some pirate booty. I have nothing good to say about the booty they were giving out that night. The kids walked up to the station and were given one small string of beads each. I dont know why I was expecting something better at these stations. But I was. They werent even cool looking beads. They were some of the cheapest kind of Mardi Gras beads manufactured. You can buy 500 of those things at any carnival supply store around here for about five bucks. But the kids thought it was cool so I guess thats all that matters.
We eventually made our way around to Thunder Mountain. You may or may not know this, depending on how much of the last trip report you slept through, but we, as a family, love Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Thats our family ride. We had been pretty disappointed last October when we realized it was closed for refurbishment. But when we spotted it on this night, we decided to make up for lost time. We were hopping on that baby and riding it till the cows came home. Or until we threw up or decided to get off. Whichever came first. We ran-skip-walked through the COMPLETELY DESERTED queue and hopped on a couple of cars in the front. And then we heard it.
Hang onto your hats and glasses folks cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness.
Oh, how we LOVE that ride. Especially at night. And even in the rain. You know we were Disney starved (or else touched in the head) to think BTMRR in the rain is a good time. But it really was. The rain wasnt coming down too hard, it was more like a steady drizzle at that point. And we were already wet so we were past the point of caring about it. We let our (wet, soppy) hair down and just went with the flow. When the ride was over and we came rattling into the station, something happened to us that had never happened before. We were told that if wed like to ride again, to just stay seated.
SCORE!
As many times as we have collectively been to Disneyworld, neither of us have ever had that happen before. I had it happen once at Opryland when I was in the tenth grade on a class trip. We got to ride some little dumpy ride without getting off right before the joint closed. I was so happy that had I not been holding tight to my three foot tall Spudz Mackenzie stuffed dog Id won by knocking down a bunch of milk bottles, I wouldve raised my right arm up in the air and given the ride operator the Arsenio Hall dog pound salute. But that was then. And that was Opryland. We'd never had it happen at Disney. And you can bet your sweet patootey we took full advantage of it. We high fived each other, did the Arsenio Hall dog pound arm in the air thing and stayed seated. And went for another round. We went up the hill, listening to the clacking sound of the chains along the way and feeling the anticipation that sound brings, down, around and underneath the big rib cage, involunatarily ducking our heads, up the hill again, never taking our eyes off that beautiful vision to our right: the castle now glowing in full blown Technicolor rising up from the middle of the park. And laughing the whole way.
Those were dang good times.
When we exited Thunder Mountain, we noticed the parade had started so we walked down to see what we could see. This was about it
We caught the tail end of the parade, which made me a little upset. I had wanted to catch the whole thing because Id read it was pretty good. But at the time, staying on Thunder Mountain and taking another spin was more important. As the parade ended, the boy looked at Pluto and goes Thats IT?! Thats the whole parade?! This is Disneyworld. What kind of parade is that?!
Its the kind where you miss all but two floats, son.
Not to mention the moon pies and RC Colas.
We left the parade route roughly two minutes after wed arrived and headed over to take a spin on the Haunted Mansion.
We had to beat the crowds back because it was shoulder to shoulder, every man for himself at that point.
NOT.
We turned around and walked backwards through the streets. We skipped. Backwards. We did the Three's Company goofy leg walk. Backwards. We walked as slow as we possibly could and giggled when no one severed our Achilles tendons with their stroller. We formed a circle and took turns breakdancing while DH brought the beatbox.
Because we could.
We had wide lanes and there was no one else in sight as we walked through those streets that night. After we made it to the stretching room in the Haunted Mansion, we looked around and noticed that we were the ONLY PEOPLE IN THERE. Well, besides one other woman. Five people. There were only
five people in the room. Unbelievable. We spent our time in there not paying attention to any of the usual stuff around us but pointing out the unusual to each other instead. The woman and I talked about how amazed we were that the place was so dead. No pun intended. We had never seen the streets of the Magic Kingdom that empty before. Ever. Even when they had the old E-nights. It truly felt like a private party because we had the place to ourselves. During Spring Break, of all times. There were no waits for anything. Nada. Everything was a walk on. It was truly awesome and worth every single penny wed paid for the tickets. In fact, considering the price for a single days admission for four people, we felt like wed gotten ourselves a dadgum bargain.
After the Haunted Mansion, we made our way to Splash Mountain, where we laughed when we saw this sign.
On our way in, I overheard some rumblings about one day passes. And something about them being good for any park. I try not to be a nosy person (although I am) so instead of chasing down the complete stranger and asking him what the heck he was talking about, I fought the urge and tried to put it out of my mind. And instead followed my family through the (again) amazingly empty queue and boarded our log of fun.
There was no
you may get wet about it. We got COMPLETELY SOAKED on that ride that night. As if we weren't already. This was only the girls second time to ride Splash Mountain and she squealed with excitement like girls will do and the boy pumped his fists in the air. Like boys will do. As for my husband and I, we just laughed really loud and made goofy jokes as we floated down the river to our Laughing Place.
The kids laughed at the shenanigans of Brer Bear and Brer Fox all through the ride. But they mostly laughed at the sight of Brer Bears big ole, big ole butt.
Kids.
After we splashed down and came back up to the station, we were told to stay seated if we wanted to ride again.
Thank you sir. Dont mind if we do.
My oh my, what a wonderful day.
And yes, this was one for the record books. It was the most amazing time wed ever spent in the Magic Kingdom. And thats saying a lot because weve had some great times there. I had been worried that it would be crowded because of Spring Break and the place was a ghost town. I had been worried that the weather would ruin our plans but it didnt. Wed hit everything we wanted to hit that night multiple times. So far that party had been nothing but a good time. As we finally exited Splash Mountain after our third ride on that bad boy that night, my husband and I agreed that buying those tickets was the best decision wed made in a long time.
Little did we know how good a decision it would actually turn out to be.
Up Next: More to Come: Pirate and Princess Party Part Two
WE. NEED. CLOSURE.
