shatzjsl
<font color=teal>No wonder I love DIS boards so mu
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2004
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Day 4 - Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Cast:
Me: Trip planner, age unimportant, 2nd trip to WDW
Mimi My mom, 62, 1st trip to WDW
Maddie my niece, 12, 1st trip to WDW
Lauren my daughter, 11, 2nd trip to WDW
Special appearances by coworker Julie and her family (DH Bob, DS Tyler-15, and DD Josie-6)
Sorry for the delay. Work has been hectic!
Today was EMH at MGM and Maddie said that she didnt come to WDW to sleep late so off we go. We were out the door at 7:00. Believe it or not, we were the first car to arrive at the MGM parking lot. There wasnt even anybody at the parking booth to take money or check our parking pass yet. It was weird. The trams werent even running. I guess most EMHers come via bus. Anyway, we got a great parking spot and were able to walk to the turnstiles. Of course being at MGM so early, around 7:20, there were several empty turnstiles and a few with lines so of course we took two of the empty ones. Remember everyone; at opening they generally open ALL of the turnstiles to let people in. I got a great shot of the hat with nobody on Hollywood Boulevard.
The turnstiles let us in and we made it to the rope at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset (giggle, sounds like I was in Hollywood!). There we were met by a regular CM and two CMs each from Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller coaster. We were instructed that if you were going to ToT to follow those two and if you were going to RnR to follow those other two. We followed the ToT guys. Last year Lauren said for months that she wanted to ride ToT. I didnt really want to but I would do it for my baby. You know, the whole take one for the team thing. She chickened out after she saw how tall the hotel was and saw the doors open. Yea! Well of course this year she had her cousin with her and was not going to chicken out but I still had to go with her. Ack! The rope dropped and we were told that if we passed the CMs we had to go back to the park entrance and start again. We were right behind him doing our best speed but dont pass the police car, I mean CM, walk and were on the first elevator of the day. While waiting for the doors to open, I looked at Lauren and she was white and shaking. I gave here the opportunity to not ride it and she said she wanted to. Okay, lets do it. Tower of Terror was a lot more fun than I thought it would be and I will definitely ride it again. I did however have a death grip on the little handles on either side of me! Lauren loved it and couldnt wait to ride it again.
After the ride the girls wanted to ride RnR. I dont do well on loops anymore so I sent them ahead and went to find Mimi who sat out ToT. I found her and we walked over and used our tickets to get 2 FPs for ToT for the girls to use later. Then we walked to the exit area of RnR to wait for the girls. They loved the ride so I sent them over to use their tickets to get FPs for later. Both ToT and RnR FFps had return times of 11:00. Not bad since it was around 9:00 by now. After our morning thrills it was time for some nourishment so we stopped at Starring Rolls and had pastries and juice and coffee. As we were walking by the steps that lead up to the hat I heard the character music start so I yelled follow me and I ran to see who was coming out. Pluto was the first we spotted so we hopped in his line. My mom cracked me up at WDW every time she met a character. You would have thought that it was a long lost child of hers. She gave them big bear hugs and asked how they were and such. The other characters we had seen at Chef Mickeys or would see at Crystal Palace. WAIT!!! Oh no!!! We have PSs at 11:00 for Crystal Palace all the way over at MK and it is 10:00 now! Uh, oh!! Remember, we were supposed to MGM yesterday and MK today but we switched the days!!! Maddie was in panic mode because Pooh is her favorite and no way in heck was she going to miss meeting him. I could see it in her eyes. They were saying Woman, dont even think about just not going or I will have to hurt you. I know where you sleep! We were right outside the Brown Derby so I popped in and asked the CM at the check in counter if she could help. Yes she could! Wednesday afternoon at 3:30. Cool, well take it! Whew, that was a close one!
All was right in Maddies world again so we set off down Mickey Avenue. The Little Mermaid was starting in about 5 minutes so we hopped in line. This was our first time seeing this show and we really enjoyed it. I have heard of people being upset because someone took a flash picture. I can see how that would ruin the effect of the show.
After spending time with Arial and the gang we headed on down the road. We just missed the beginning of Who Wants to be a Millionaire so decided we would come back later. We walked toward the Backlot Tour but the line was very long. I predicted that this was probably one of those rides that didnt have much of a line later in the day so we would come back later. The girls went and played around in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground for a while and Mimi and I just chilled. When the girls finished it was time for their ToT and RnR FPs so we headed that way. Mimi and I waited at the exit of both rides for the girls and I bought them ride photos of each.
We strolled back over to WWTBAM and were just in time for the next show. Actually, we had to run to make it and the audience applauded when we took our seats because the stage manager said that now that we had arrived we could start the show. I took a bow. We had a great time playing. Mimi and Lauren both said the answer to the first question out loud so I had to reprimand them. Tsk tsk! I made it as far up as 4th on the board but never got any further. The first contestant made it to 16,000 and the 2nd made it to 32,000 and then the show was over. Lauren was ticked! I asked her what was wrong and she said that the host said that everyone would get a chance to play and she (Lauren) didnt get to. Lauren is a very literal child. If I tell her I will do something in 2 weeks, she remembers the exact words I used and insists that I stick to it. I explained to her that she did indeed have a CHANCE but didnt make it. She got it but still wasnt happy about it.
Then we headed to Backlot Tour and just as I had suspected earlier, there was no line. As we were walking up the CM said she needed three volunteers. Before I knew it, my arm was in the air and I was saying Ill do it. Huh? What? How did that happen? I was taken backstage and put in a rain suit and given instructions. This wasnt starting too well. Did I say I had never seen this show nor read much about it? There were four of us and I was designated to be the boat captain. Cool, I like having power! We were taken onstage and I waved to my family who took a couple of photos. Im not sure what happened to the next guy because he was in a little shed type thing. My job was to search the sky for airplanes, steer the boat and talk on the phone. I did a great job. Then they started bombing my boat! My crew started going crazy and I was getting wet! They didnt sink us but it was close! We got a standing ovation for our acting (okay, everyone has to stand because there are no seats) and were taken back stage before joining our families. Then we hopped on the tram for a tour. Ooh, I forgot to tell you that when we went across the rickety bridge on our Safari at AK Maddie freaked a little bit. She didnt know that the bridge was supposed to do that because the guide was very convincing. She also didnt know that the voices you hear on the safari are taped and that every safari is the same. Hee hee! Anyway, on the tram tour you may know that there is a bridge that turns out to be not very stable when the earthquake starts. Maddie was on the canyon side of the tram; Mimi was next to her, then me, then Lauren. When the bridge started shaking Maddie leaped completely over Mimi and landed in my lap. ROFL! I used that one many times during our trip. After the tour Maddie swore that she would not get on another ride at WDW that went over a bridge.
After the tour it was getting warm so we decided it was time for a swim break. We went back to the room and my card wouldnt open the door. Seems it had been in my fanny pack with my drivers license all day and it had been deactivated. I had heard of it but who knew it would really happen! We used someones card to get in and the girls changed to swimsuits and headed to the big pool. Mimi and I headed to Old Port Royale to see if I could get another card. Yep, I could. Judging from the old cards in the box they had, I wasnt the only one who had this problem. After swimming we met up with Julie and her family and went to Spoodles for dinner. It is the restaurant at CBR. It was okay but not worth the money in my opinion. During dinner, we all decided to head back to MGM for the evening and catch the 11:00 Fantasmic.
Julie and her family were only here for 4 days before they were sailing on the Wonder and MGM wasnt originally in their plans so they werent sure what was there. We arrived around 9:30 and headed to the Great Movie Ride because I really like this ride. They did too. Tyler wanted to ride ToT so we headed that way. The wait was 30 minutes and we had time to wait so Mimi and I decided to walk around while the others rode it. Mimi and I headed up the street and looked in the shops along the way and just absorbed the atmosphere, which was one of my goals this trip. There is a lot you miss if you just rush from ride to ride. When everyone was finished with ToT Julie called me on my cell and we headed to meet them. The line for Fantasmic had just started moving so we headed there. We got pretty good seats and there were still a lot of empty ones when the show started. So, my tip is, if you can stay awake for the 11:00 showing, do it. We didnt wait in line at all and still got great seats. We even had time to get popcorn and water before the show. Fantasmic was great! We all enjoyed the show. After the show we shuffled out and headed back to CBR and bed. I was really looking forward to tomorrow because I had booked the Mickeys Magic Milestones tour for just me! Time alone at MK!
Day 5 - The History of the Mouse
Cast:
Me: Trip planner, age unimportant, 2nd trip to WDW
Mimi My mom, 62, 1st trip to WDW
Maddie my niece, 12, 1st trip to WDW
Lauren my daughter, 11, 2nd trip to WDW
Special appearances by coworker Julie and her family (DH Bob, DS Tyler-15, and DD Josie-6)
Sorry for the delay. Work has been hectic!
Today was EMH at MGM and Maddie said that she didnt come to WDW to sleep late so off we go. We were out the door at 7:00. Believe it or not, we were the first car to arrive at the MGM parking lot. There wasnt even anybody at the parking booth to take money or check our parking pass yet. It was weird. The trams werent even running. I guess most EMHers come via bus. Anyway, we got a great parking spot and were able to walk to the turnstiles. Of course being at MGM so early, around 7:20, there were several empty turnstiles and a few with lines so of course we took two of the empty ones. Remember everyone; at opening they generally open ALL of the turnstiles to let people in. I got a great shot of the hat with nobody on Hollywood Boulevard.
The turnstiles let us in and we made it to the rope at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset (giggle, sounds like I was in Hollywood!). There we were met by a regular CM and two CMs each from Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller coaster. We were instructed that if you were going to ToT to follow those two and if you were going to RnR to follow those other two. We followed the ToT guys. Last year Lauren said for months that she wanted to ride ToT. I didnt really want to but I would do it for my baby. You know, the whole take one for the team thing. She chickened out after she saw how tall the hotel was and saw the doors open. Yea! Well of course this year she had her cousin with her and was not going to chicken out but I still had to go with her. Ack! The rope dropped and we were told that if we passed the CMs we had to go back to the park entrance and start again. We were right behind him doing our best speed but dont pass the police car, I mean CM, walk and were on the first elevator of the day. While waiting for the doors to open, I looked at Lauren and she was white and shaking. I gave here the opportunity to not ride it and she said she wanted to. Okay, lets do it. Tower of Terror was a lot more fun than I thought it would be and I will definitely ride it again. I did however have a death grip on the little handles on either side of me! Lauren loved it and couldnt wait to ride it again.
After the ride the girls wanted to ride RnR. I dont do well on loops anymore so I sent them ahead and went to find Mimi who sat out ToT. I found her and we walked over and used our tickets to get 2 FPs for ToT for the girls to use later. Then we walked to the exit area of RnR to wait for the girls. They loved the ride so I sent them over to use their tickets to get FPs for later. Both ToT and RnR FFps had return times of 11:00. Not bad since it was around 9:00 by now. After our morning thrills it was time for some nourishment so we stopped at Starring Rolls and had pastries and juice and coffee. As we were walking by the steps that lead up to the hat I heard the character music start so I yelled follow me and I ran to see who was coming out. Pluto was the first we spotted so we hopped in his line. My mom cracked me up at WDW every time she met a character. You would have thought that it was a long lost child of hers. She gave them big bear hugs and asked how they were and such. The other characters we had seen at Chef Mickeys or would see at Crystal Palace. WAIT!!! Oh no!!! We have PSs at 11:00 for Crystal Palace all the way over at MK and it is 10:00 now! Uh, oh!! Remember, we were supposed to MGM yesterday and MK today but we switched the days!!! Maddie was in panic mode because Pooh is her favorite and no way in heck was she going to miss meeting him. I could see it in her eyes. They were saying Woman, dont even think about just not going or I will have to hurt you. I know where you sleep! We were right outside the Brown Derby so I popped in and asked the CM at the check in counter if she could help. Yes she could! Wednesday afternoon at 3:30. Cool, well take it! Whew, that was a close one!
All was right in Maddies world again so we set off down Mickey Avenue. The Little Mermaid was starting in about 5 minutes so we hopped in line. This was our first time seeing this show and we really enjoyed it. I have heard of people being upset because someone took a flash picture. I can see how that would ruin the effect of the show.
After spending time with Arial and the gang we headed on down the road. We just missed the beginning of Who Wants to be a Millionaire so decided we would come back later. We walked toward the Backlot Tour but the line was very long. I predicted that this was probably one of those rides that didnt have much of a line later in the day so we would come back later. The girls went and played around in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground for a while and Mimi and I just chilled. When the girls finished it was time for their ToT and RnR FPs so we headed that way. Mimi and I waited at the exit of both rides for the girls and I bought them ride photos of each.
We strolled back over to WWTBAM and were just in time for the next show. Actually, we had to run to make it and the audience applauded when we took our seats because the stage manager said that now that we had arrived we could start the show. I took a bow. We had a great time playing. Mimi and Lauren both said the answer to the first question out loud so I had to reprimand them. Tsk tsk! I made it as far up as 4th on the board but never got any further. The first contestant made it to 16,000 and the 2nd made it to 32,000 and then the show was over. Lauren was ticked! I asked her what was wrong and she said that the host said that everyone would get a chance to play and she (Lauren) didnt get to. Lauren is a very literal child. If I tell her I will do something in 2 weeks, she remembers the exact words I used and insists that I stick to it. I explained to her that she did indeed have a CHANCE but didnt make it. She got it but still wasnt happy about it.
Then we headed to Backlot Tour and just as I had suspected earlier, there was no line. As we were walking up the CM said she needed three volunteers. Before I knew it, my arm was in the air and I was saying Ill do it. Huh? What? How did that happen? I was taken backstage and put in a rain suit and given instructions. This wasnt starting too well. Did I say I had never seen this show nor read much about it? There were four of us and I was designated to be the boat captain. Cool, I like having power! We were taken onstage and I waved to my family who took a couple of photos. Im not sure what happened to the next guy because he was in a little shed type thing. My job was to search the sky for airplanes, steer the boat and talk on the phone. I did a great job. Then they started bombing my boat! My crew started going crazy and I was getting wet! They didnt sink us but it was close! We got a standing ovation for our acting (okay, everyone has to stand because there are no seats) and were taken back stage before joining our families. Then we hopped on the tram for a tour. Ooh, I forgot to tell you that when we went across the rickety bridge on our Safari at AK Maddie freaked a little bit. She didnt know that the bridge was supposed to do that because the guide was very convincing. She also didnt know that the voices you hear on the safari are taped and that every safari is the same. Hee hee! Anyway, on the tram tour you may know that there is a bridge that turns out to be not very stable when the earthquake starts. Maddie was on the canyon side of the tram; Mimi was next to her, then me, then Lauren. When the bridge started shaking Maddie leaped completely over Mimi and landed in my lap. ROFL! I used that one many times during our trip. After the tour Maddie swore that she would not get on another ride at WDW that went over a bridge.
After the tour it was getting warm so we decided it was time for a swim break. We went back to the room and my card wouldnt open the door. Seems it had been in my fanny pack with my drivers license all day and it had been deactivated. I had heard of it but who knew it would really happen! We used someones card to get in and the girls changed to swimsuits and headed to the big pool. Mimi and I headed to Old Port Royale to see if I could get another card. Yep, I could. Judging from the old cards in the box they had, I wasnt the only one who had this problem. After swimming we met up with Julie and her family and went to Spoodles for dinner. It is the restaurant at CBR. It was okay but not worth the money in my opinion. During dinner, we all decided to head back to MGM for the evening and catch the 11:00 Fantasmic.
Julie and her family were only here for 4 days before they were sailing on the Wonder and MGM wasnt originally in their plans so they werent sure what was there. We arrived around 9:30 and headed to the Great Movie Ride because I really like this ride. They did too. Tyler wanted to ride ToT so we headed that way. The wait was 30 minutes and we had time to wait so Mimi and I decided to walk around while the others rode it. Mimi and I headed up the street and looked in the shops along the way and just absorbed the atmosphere, which was one of my goals this trip. There is a lot you miss if you just rush from ride to ride. When everyone was finished with ToT Julie called me on my cell and we headed to meet them. The line for Fantasmic had just started moving so we headed there. We got pretty good seats and there were still a lot of empty ones when the show started. So, my tip is, if you can stay awake for the 11:00 showing, do it. We didnt wait in line at all and still got great seats. We even had time to get popcorn and water before the show. Fantasmic was great! We all enjoyed the show. After the show we shuffled out and headed back to CBR and bed. I was really looking forward to tomorrow because I had booked the Mickeys Magic Milestones tour for just me! Time alone at MK!
Day 5 - The History of the Mouse
