missy28
<font color=purple>unnaturly obsessed with all thi
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2002
- Messages
- 258
July 2 through July 11th, Marriott Horizons Resort
Cast of Characters:
Me (Melissa): 30, prosecuting attorney by trade, Disney Nut by hobby, acting as Tour Guide for the second time to my friends family who are:
Chris: 37, also a prosecuting attorney by trade, and slowly progressing into a Disney nut, husband to Tracy, and dad to Madison and Logan
Tracy: 34, teacher by trade, mom by design, my fellow poolside tropical drink drinker, and planner-ahead extraordinaire
Logan, aka Lo: newly 8, lover of Legos and fake weapons of all sorts, makes great sound effects
Madison, aka Mo: 5, a budding princess if there ever was one, lover of puppies and Kim Possible, and the Cheetah Girls.
Day 4, July 5: Kids Night Out is a Blessed Event!
Another lazy morning, with Chris cooking breakfast (although Tracy said my bacon was better), and the kids milling around playing with the various toys they had assembled thus far. They were allowed 20 bucks a day spending money, and they could save it all up, or spend it each day, and boy was THAT a struggleMadison desperately wanted a princess dress, and Logan had been told about Lego Land at Downtown Disney. But, amazingly, they kept finding other stuff they wanted at the parks!! (No worries, alls well that ends well youll see.)
Another glorious day by the pool, the weather had held up reasonable well, with a few afternoon showers but nothing really significant. Until today. My extremely fair skin could only take so much more sun, so I retreated back to the room for lunch and decided to stay for a nap. Madison wanted a rest with Dad, so that left Logan and Tracy some quiet time for the afternoon. Im about 45 minutes into a nice, peaceful nap, when WHAMMO, the whole building shakes and theres this massive boom that literally made me sit straight up in bed. A few minutes go by, and I venture out into the living room to see what was going on. Tracy and Logan are inside sitting, reading and playing gameboy, respectively. I asked, What was THAT? Lightening. We were pretty sure it hit the building since the whole place rattled, and we went to check, but couldnt see any damage, so we figured we were ok. By this time, Madison and Chris were roused, and it was time for the kids to get ready for Kids Night Out. I guess that title is better than Give Mom and Dad some free time Night. So, we dropped them off in the activity room, and then we headed to Downtown Disney, because they had never been, and Id heard the vicious rumor that Pleasure Island was operating ungated, and I wanted to check out the Adventurers Club. We meandered around the Marketplace, me showing them the worlds largest Disney store, and the Lego place. The consensus between the two of them was, We HAVE to bring the kids back here. So, we got a drink from the Capn Jacks Margarita Bar and walked towards the West Side to find some dinner. We landed at Wolfgang Pucks. Tracy has been trying to get me to eat sushi for a year now, and I cant stomach the idea. My sister-in-law is Korean, and cant get me to eat it, or most Korean food, for that matter. So, Chris and Tracy split some sushi, and had seared White Tuna, while I had the mushroom pizza, which was boring, but very tasty. We were seated on the outdoor covered patio, and boy, were the birds out in full force. There was even an extremely pushy squirrel. People kept feeding these animals until they were wading through the tables in search for more. I got an evil idea to torment the people walking by by throwing pizza crusts in front of them, and watch the birds swarm, like Hitchcock, but quickly decided against it. After dinner, we headed for Pleasure Island.
Now, I must say, I am not a club sort of person, never have been. Ive always preferred being able to hang out in a place where I can have good conversation with friends over good drinks. No loud music, no sweaty dancing with people Ive never seen before. So, I was incredibly excited with the Adventurers Club. I had never been, but had heard so many great things about it. Usually, my trips to the World arent as lengthy as this one, so Im usually at the parks from open to close, and my poor little feet cant handle a schlep to Pleasure Island after that. And, I tend to be a little cranky if I dont get enough sleep!!
So, we immediately got a drink, sat down and waited for something to happen. Pamela Perkins came out and we were off. We were scooted into the mask room, and sat in the back. Once the masks got going, they began to talk to Tracy, and it was hysterical! She kept asking me what was going on, and I, for once, had to tell her I didnt know! It was like recapturing the Disney Magic all over again! From there, we went into the library, and enjoyed the show in there. And we had fabulous drinks in monkey nuts!! So, other than a phone call from my mother bearing some ugly family gossip, we had a great night. We picked the kids up, and got into bed, as tomorrow would be a long day, with the Magic Kingdom in the morning, and Epcot in the evening.
Day 5, July 6: We must SAVE the Magic Kingdom!
We arise at the same early time, and get the kids motivated and arrive at the gates of the Magic Kingdom just in time for the Good Morning song. I always love this ceremony, and it never ceases to amaze me how Disney can make a production out of the smallest thing. So, as a thank you of sorts, I had arranged for everyone to take the Family Magic Tour this morning, but the kids didnt know, and we had devised a little excitement of our own. First thing we did was head for Mickeys PhilHarmagic. I will never get tired of this. The most masterfully done 3D movie Disney has ever done. Exquisite. Well, after the show, Chris looked at his phone and said, Hmmm, I have a message, here Logan, you listen. I had left a mock message on his voicemail the night before that said something like this: Hello, this is Debbie from Walt Disney World, and Mickey Mouse asked me to call you and said he needs your help. It is of dire importance that Madison and Logan report to City Hall at 9:45, the future of the Magic Kingdom depends on it. So, they were all about it. We showed up, got our nametags, and the Castmember played it up excellently. He said, Well, youre all here for the Family Magic Tour, so lets go around and introduce ourselves About this time, another Castmember interrupts, and tells him he has a very important call from the boss, Mickey. So he goes into City Hall for a minute, and comes back, and says theres been a change of plans, that we must help SAVE the Magic Kingdom. And so we began our scavenger hunt to find Captain Hooks hook. Our tour took ua all over the Magic Kingdom, and was excellent. And the looks on other guests faces when they saw us playing follow the leader by the castle or skipping by the Tomorrowland Speedway were priceless. One great coincidence was when we were at the wishing well, Cinderellas Surprise Celebration was going on, and as we were leaving, the Pirate Flag was hoisted over the Castle. A very precocious little boy on the tour said, Oh no, Hooks taken over the Castle! We rode Pirates (got to walk backstage to get there) and the TTA during the tour. Waiting for us at the end of the tour was Wendy, and she was magnificent. We all got to have our picture taken with her, and then she lined up the children, and we all walked together to PhilHarmagic. Wendy talked with kids as we waited, and then sat us all on the front row, and watched the show with everyone! It was wonderful! I was really impressed with the amount of time the kids got to spend with her. We had a great time.
After the tour, we ate lunch. Madison had been jonesing for a turkey leg, so we hit Frontierland, where we got Turkey Legs and Hot Dogs and sat down to eat on the platform in from of the Shooting Arcade. There was a very annoying large white bird who was determined to get our food, and eventually left by swooping down very close to us before flying off. As we were eating, the Country Bears came our for autographs. I asked Madison if she wanted her autograph book, and pointed over to them. She said yes, and walked over. Next thing I know, I look over, and instead of getting the Country Bears autograph, she is getting the Security Guards!! It was very cute, and I think it surprised the Security Guard.
After lunch, we rode Peter Pan (thanks to fastpasses obtained earlier- the standby line was 120 minutes by this point!) and then decided to head to Epcot for the afternoon so the kids could see the countries, get their passports stamped, and color their masks.
I wanted to enter Epcot through the International Gateway so we could avoid Future World and the I wanna ride that syndrome, and just focus on the countries, so I make the executive decision to park at the Swan and take the Boat over. Chris struggled with this, as he is a HUGE rule follower and decided he needed to come up with some sort of story in case we got busted. None was needed and we enjoyed the boatride over the the Gateway. We walked immediately to Canada, and caught the first Off Kilter show, and Madison got the bands autograph for her book. From there, we went to Mexico. Madison started her no ride chant again, and Chris bribed her with an additional snack for the day. She finally got on the ride, wanted to ride again, so I rode twice, but poor Tracy rode it at least 3 times, maybe 4. She was weary by the end. From there we went to Norway, and Madison hesitated a little bit but then didnt have any problem on Maelstrom. I always get a little freaked by the polar bears. We stayed to watch the movie, and got something to eat at the Bakery. We skipped a few countries, as we would be spending another full day at Epcot, and knew we would be coming back. The kids got their passports stamped in Germany, and the U.S., and we ate fast food at the Yakitori House in Japan, while Tracy shopped for some sushi plates. By this time, it was getting dark, and the kids were exhausted, and cranky. We took the boat back to the Swan and headed home. On the way back to Horizons, Logan said This was the most magical day of my life. Its comments like those that make me love Disney more and more.
Cast of Characters:
Me (Melissa): 30, prosecuting attorney by trade, Disney Nut by hobby, acting as Tour Guide for the second time to my friends family who are:
Chris: 37, also a prosecuting attorney by trade, and slowly progressing into a Disney nut, husband to Tracy, and dad to Madison and Logan
Tracy: 34, teacher by trade, mom by design, my fellow poolside tropical drink drinker, and planner-ahead extraordinaire
Logan, aka Lo: newly 8, lover of Legos and fake weapons of all sorts, makes great sound effects
Madison, aka Mo: 5, a budding princess if there ever was one, lover of puppies and Kim Possible, and the Cheetah Girls.
Day 4, July 5: Kids Night Out is a Blessed Event!
Another lazy morning, with Chris cooking breakfast (although Tracy said my bacon was better), and the kids milling around playing with the various toys they had assembled thus far. They were allowed 20 bucks a day spending money, and they could save it all up, or spend it each day, and boy was THAT a struggleMadison desperately wanted a princess dress, and Logan had been told about Lego Land at Downtown Disney. But, amazingly, they kept finding other stuff they wanted at the parks!! (No worries, alls well that ends well youll see.)
Another glorious day by the pool, the weather had held up reasonable well, with a few afternoon showers but nothing really significant. Until today. My extremely fair skin could only take so much more sun, so I retreated back to the room for lunch and decided to stay for a nap. Madison wanted a rest with Dad, so that left Logan and Tracy some quiet time for the afternoon. Im about 45 minutes into a nice, peaceful nap, when WHAMMO, the whole building shakes and theres this massive boom that literally made me sit straight up in bed. A few minutes go by, and I venture out into the living room to see what was going on. Tracy and Logan are inside sitting, reading and playing gameboy, respectively. I asked, What was THAT? Lightening. We were pretty sure it hit the building since the whole place rattled, and we went to check, but couldnt see any damage, so we figured we were ok. By this time, Madison and Chris were roused, and it was time for the kids to get ready for Kids Night Out. I guess that title is better than Give Mom and Dad some free time Night. So, we dropped them off in the activity room, and then we headed to Downtown Disney, because they had never been, and Id heard the vicious rumor that Pleasure Island was operating ungated, and I wanted to check out the Adventurers Club. We meandered around the Marketplace, me showing them the worlds largest Disney store, and the Lego place. The consensus between the two of them was, We HAVE to bring the kids back here. So, we got a drink from the Capn Jacks Margarita Bar and walked towards the West Side to find some dinner. We landed at Wolfgang Pucks. Tracy has been trying to get me to eat sushi for a year now, and I cant stomach the idea. My sister-in-law is Korean, and cant get me to eat it, or most Korean food, for that matter. So, Chris and Tracy split some sushi, and had seared White Tuna, while I had the mushroom pizza, which was boring, but very tasty. We were seated on the outdoor covered patio, and boy, were the birds out in full force. There was even an extremely pushy squirrel. People kept feeding these animals until they were wading through the tables in search for more. I got an evil idea to torment the people walking by by throwing pizza crusts in front of them, and watch the birds swarm, like Hitchcock, but quickly decided against it. After dinner, we headed for Pleasure Island.
Now, I must say, I am not a club sort of person, never have been. Ive always preferred being able to hang out in a place where I can have good conversation with friends over good drinks. No loud music, no sweaty dancing with people Ive never seen before. So, I was incredibly excited with the Adventurers Club. I had never been, but had heard so many great things about it. Usually, my trips to the World arent as lengthy as this one, so Im usually at the parks from open to close, and my poor little feet cant handle a schlep to Pleasure Island after that. And, I tend to be a little cranky if I dont get enough sleep!!
So, we immediately got a drink, sat down and waited for something to happen. Pamela Perkins came out and we were off. We were scooted into the mask room, and sat in the back. Once the masks got going, they began to talk to Tracy, and it was hysterical! She kept asking me what was going on, and I, for once, had to tell her I didnt know! It was like recapturing the Disney Magic all over again! From there, we went into the library, and enjoyed the show in there. And we had fabulous drinks in monkey nuts!! So, other than a phone call from my mother bearing some ugly family gossip, we had a great night. We picked the kids up, and got into bed, as tomorrow would be a long day, with the Magic Kingdom in the morning, and Epcot in the evening.
Day 5, July 6: We must SAVE the Magic Kingdom!
We arise at the same early time, and get the kids motivated and arrive at the gates of the Magic Kingdom just in time for the Good Morning song. I always love this ceremony, and it never ceases to amaze me how Disney can make a production out of the smallest thing. So, as a thank you of sorts, I had arranged for everyone to take the Family Magic Tour this morning, but the kids didnt know, and we had devised a little excitement of our own. First thing we did was head for Mickeys PhilHarmagic. I will never get tired of this. The most masterfully done 3D movie Disney has ever done. Exquisite. Well, after the show, Chris looked at his phone and said, Hmmm, I have a message, here Logan, you listen. I had left a mock message on his voicemail the night before that said something like this: Hello, this is Debbie from Walt Disney World, and Mickey Mouse asked me to call you and said he needs your help. It is of dire importance that Madison and Logan report to City Hall at 9:45, the future of the Magic Kingdom depends on it. So, they were all about it. We showed up, got our nametags, and the Castmember played it up excellently. He said, Well, youre all here for the Family Magic Tour, so lets go around and introduce ourselves About this time, another Castmember interrupts, and tells him he has a very important call from the boss, Mickey. So he goes into City Hall for a minute, and comes back, and says theres been a change of plans, that we must help SAVE the Magic Kingdom. And so we began our scavenger hunt to find Captain Hooks hook. Our tour took ua all over the Magic Kingdom, and was excellent. And the looks on other guests faces when they saw us playing follow the leader by the castle or skipping by the Tomorrowland Speedway were priceless. One great coincidence was when we were at the wishing well, Cinderellas Surprise Celebration was going on, and as we were leaving, the Pirate Flag was hoisted over the Castle. A very precocious little boy on the tour said, Oh no, Hooks taken over the Castle! We rode Pirates (got to walk backstage to get there) and the TTA during the tour. Waiting for us at the end of the tour was Wendy, and she was magnificent. We all got to have our picture taken with her, and then she lined up the children, and we all walked together to PhilHarmagic. Wendy talked with kids as we waited, and then sat us all on the front row, and watched the show with everyone! It was wonderful! I was really impressed with the amount of time the kids got to spend with her. We had a great time.
After the tour, we ate lunch. Madison had been jonesing for a turkey leg, so we hit Frontierland, where we got Turkey Legs and Hot Dogs and sat down to eat on the platform in from of the Shooting Arcade. There was a very annoying large white bird who was determined to get our food, and eventually left by swooping down very close to us before flying off. As we were eating, the Country Bears came our for autographs. I asked Madison if she wanted her autograph book, and pointed over to them. She said yes, and walked over. Next thing I know, I look over, and instead of getting the Country Bears autograph, she is getting the Security Guards!! It was very cute, and I think it surprised the Security Guard.
After lunch, we rode Peter Pan (thanks to fastpasses obtained earlier- the standby line was 120 minutes by this point!) and then decided to head to Epcot for the afternoon so the kids could see the countries, get their passports stamped, and color their masks.
I wanted to enter Epcot through the International Gateway so we could avoid Future World and the I wanna ride that syndrome, and just focus on the countries, so I make the executive decision to park at the Swan and take the Boat over. Chris struggled with this, as he is a HUGE rule follower and decided he needed to come up with some sort of story in case we got busted. None was needed and we enjoyed the boatride over the the Gateway. We walked immediately to Canada, and caught the first Off Kilter show, and Madison got the bands autograph for her book. From there, we went to Mexico. Madison started her no ride chant again, and Chris bribed her with an additional snack for the day. She finally got on the ride, wanted to ride again, so I rode twice, but poor Tracy rode it at least 3 times, maybe 4. She was weary by the end. From there we went to Norway, and Madison hesitated a little bit but then didnt have any problem on Maelstrom. I always get a little freaked by the polar bears. We stayed to watch the movie, and got something to eat at the Bakery. We skipped a few countries, as we would be spending another full day at Epcot, and knew we would be coming back. The kids got their passports stamped in Germany, and the U.S., and we ate fast food at the Yakitori House in Japan, while Tracy shopped for some sushi plates. By this time, it was getting dark, and the kids were exhausted, and cranky. We took the boat back to the Swan and headed home. On the way back to Horizons, Logan said This was the most magical day of my life. Its comments like those that make me love Disney more and more.
