TammiMcMan
Ohana
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2002
- Messages
- 6,308
Jim - 39, glad he didn't go to astronaut school
Tammi - 40, should have gone to astronaut school
Scene 4 We earn our astronaut wings
Ive been through many sleep phases in my life. I remember as a kid being up at the crack of dawn waiting for the clock to turn 8:30 so we could get out and play. Then there were the teen years when I would wake after noon on the weekends. In my 20s and 30s I learned the meaning of sleep depravation between having babies and working the shift opposite my husbands. Now that Ive closed in on 40 my patterns have changed yet again. There is something to be said about getting to bed early and being up in the morning by 8am. You have the whole day ahead of you. I found out that I could accomplish more things in the hours between 8 and 10am then throughout the rest of the entire day. Even on weekends, sleeping in is not getting up until 9. Our vacation was no different and the fact that the weather was so perfect helped get my husband up and moving with me.
Monday dawned without a cloud in the sky and the weather was once again forecasted to be in the 80s. We dressed in shorts and t-shirts and I packed up a nylon jacket in case it turned cool in the evening. While we were enjoying the paper, coffee and a light breakfast in the concierge lounge, our discussion turned to where we were going to eat dinner this evening. I had already made early dinner reservations at Teppanyaki because we had never tried this restaurant before. Jim was a bit disappointed that we werent eating at the Rose & Crown again. We eat there on every trip and I was trying for something different. I stopped by to see the concierge before we left and I did get a priority seating there for 7:30. We agreed to let the weather decide for us. If it was cool, then wed eat at Teppanyaki, but if it stayed warm, then we would try for a patio table in the UK. Concierge noted the patio request on our ps and we were good to go.
Our first stop in Epcot was to check out Mission Space. I really wanted to go on this ride, but Jim has a problem with simulator rides. Standby was at 45 minutes, so we decided to fastpass it and go over to Test Track. The wait time posted at Test Track was 25 minutes, but we could see inside that there was hardly any line. In we went for a short 5-minute wait. The ride was smooth and Im happy to say, no breakdowns. We were still about 30 minutes away from the start of our fast pass return time and we debated on what to do next. Unfortunately, the Universe of Energy ride was closed for technical difficulties, so we decided to take some pictures and wait out our fast pass time. As we waited, a young man approached us and asked if we were planning on riding Mission Space and we told him that we were. He offered us 2 fast passes that were good immediately. Very decent of him and we hopped into line. We went right up to the front and only had about a 5-minute wait before we were shown into the briefing room. I cant remember exactly how many times I heard them say that if you are prone to motion sickness and uncomfortable in confined spaces to please reconsider this ride. I heard it played when we stood in line, I heard it a number of times in the briefing room and just before entering the ride. I would say that it had to be close to 25 times that it was repeated. I double checked my backpack and saw that I had remembered to bring the Pepto-Bismol, the Dramamine and Tylenol for Jim. I could see that he was really forcing himself to do this and I thought it would probably end with us leaving the park right after the ride got out. I took some of the suggestions that Id gotten from the DIS and I switched spots with him so that he would be on an inside seat. I also reminded him to keep his head back and look straight ahead at the screen. In we went. He was the commander and I was the engineer. I thought the simulator was incredible and like a little kid, I started playing astronaut and pushing all the buttons. I love how they keep you involved and probably your mind off the fact that youre spinning like crazy, by giving you assignments. Even Jim pushed the right buttons when his request came up. The joystick was another treat and when the module went to manual control it really felt like you were flying the thing. When we got off the ride, I immediately checked with Jim to see how he was doing. He said that he was fine and while he would never ride it again, he can always boast that he did do it. We sent a wacky, out of space e-mail to the kids and they got a big kick out of it. We got outside and I checked on Jim again. Other than the fact that he was sweating profusely, he really was okay. He did say that if it gone another minute longer, than he probably would have lost it. We both decided that a back-to-back ride was out of the question, so in true Disney fashion, we found another couple to give our fast passes to.
Universe of Energy was still broken, so we headed over to Spaceship Earth. Always a must do for us. Before Mission Space, we had only eaten a light breakfast, so our tummies were starting to growl. We decided to head over to the Land for lunch. There was no wait at the restaurant, but I didnt want anything heavy because my plan was to snack my way through the world showcase. I like the assortment of foods that they have downstairs, so we just did counter service. Over to the Living Seas next and we saw Nemo. He was a motorized character, but he was accompanied by two coral creatures that did a great job interacting with the crowd. Inside they had some really good displays that seemed to be keeping many of the kids interested. They had a whole room filled with tanks that contained the fish shown in Finding Nemo. It was amazing how the kids were matching up the characters with their real fish names. We timed the big tank perfectly and arrived as they were setting up for a fish feeding. Ive never witnessed this before, but if you do happen to be there at that time, it was worth seeing. We couldnt head over to the world showcase before seeing Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Even though Ive seen this many times, I was still jumping out of my seat and covering my eyes.
We started our world tour at Mexico and did the boat ride. This is something that we havent done since one of our first trips to Epcot. It was so cute, but it did make me miss the If you had wings ride even more. We grabbed a drink or a snack from each place as we made our way around. It was nice being able to stop and take our time at each country. We saw the Living Statues in Italy, the Mime in France, Off Kilter in Canada and the Beatles group in London.
As it started getting closer to dinner, the weather was really staying nice and warm. We gave the thumbs up to the Rose and Crown and headed over that way. I was very surprised to see how many people were just walking up to the host without having a priority seat. As usual everyone was requesting an outside table and we listened to him explain this to everyone in front of us. We finally made it to the podium and he pulled up our name on the screen. I could see it and in fact, our concierge had put under comments that we had requested a patio table. We were told the same as everyone else and actually given a longer wait time than those people who were in line before us without reservations. I was surprised, but we went with the flow and sat in their little courtyard area until our name was called. We met a very nice couple who were spending their vacation in Disney with seven grandchildren. For the moment, they had ditched their children and grandchildren and were enjoying some quiet time. They had just settled down to eat their fish and chips when our chairs were pushed and shoved to make room for a couple with their child in a stroller. We got to listen to him for the next 10 minutes telling his daughter that no she couldnt have popcorn because that would be too greasy on her stomach and make her throw up again. Now, one look at this poor kid and you would have known that she needed to be in her bed. She was so pale and just looked miserable all curled up in that carriage. Id say that she had to have been about 6 years old. Now the poor couple that we met are trying to eat their dinner and hes talking about vomit and standing behind them smoking. I dont know how it all ended because our pager finally went off and we headed back up to the podium. Right in front of us are one of the groups that had come in before us without priority seating. She asked if they had gotten an outside seat and were told yes. Now were right behind them, with a reservation and a prior request for the patio and we are shown inside the restaurant. The table was on the back wall by the window, but it was one of those that one person has to have a seat on the long bench and the other sits in the chair opposite. I dont know about anyone else, but I hate the benches. I never feel like Im sitting tall enough to reach the table. We declined it and said that we would put our name back into the que for a better table. After another 20 minute wait, we are called again and something is available on the patio. Unfortunately, we are far back under the awning, but happy to be outside and sitting in a chair. Jim had the fish and chips, as usual and I tried the shepards pie sampler. Other than our appetizer arriving at the same time as our dinner, it was all very nice. Illuminations went off and we couldnt see any of the aerial fireworks, but my favorite is the globe and the music anyway. We could see and hear those fine.
We sat for a while and watched the park empty out. It was only about 10pm when we left, but we ended up heading right back to the resort. We dont normally take an afternoon break when we do Epcot and we were both pretty tired by then.
Another little surprise was waiting for us in the room when we arrived. I had an autographed picture of Minnie wishing me a happy birthday and there was also an autographed picture of Mickey wishing us both a happy 20th anniversary. They were so cute and right now I have them proudly displayed on my mantel at home.
Tomorrow you guessed it, another relaxing day.
Tammi - 40, should have gone to astronaut school
Scene 4 We earn our astronaut wings
Ive been through many sleep phases in my life. I remember as a kid being up at the crack of dawn waiting for the clock to turn 8:30 so we could get out and play. Then there were the teen years when I would wake after noon on the weekends. In my 20s and 30s I learned the meaning of sleep depravation between having babies and working the shift opposite my husbands. Now that Ive closed in on 40 my patterns have changed yet again. There is something to be said about getting to bed early and being up in the morning by 8am. You have the whole day ahead of you. I found out that I could accomplish more things in the hours between 8 and 10am then throughout the rest of the entire day. Even on weekends, sleeping in is not getting up until 9. Our vacation was no different and the fact that the weather was so perfect helped get my husband up and moving with me.
Monday dawned without a cloud in the sky and the weather was once again forecasted to be in the 80s. We dressed in shorts and t-shirts and I packed up a nylon jacket in case it turned cool in the evening. While we were enjoying the paper, coffee and a light breakfast in the concierge lounge, our discussion turned to where we were going to eat dinner this evening. I had already made early dinner reservations at Teppanyaki because we had never tried this restaurant before. Jim was a bit disappointed that we werent eating at the Rose & Crown again. We eat there on every trip and I was trying for something different. I stopped by to see the concierge before we left and I did get a priority seating there for 7:30. We agreed to let the weather decide for us. If it was cool, then wed eat at Teppanyaki, but if it stayed warm, then we would try for a patio table in the UK. Concierge noted the patio request on our ps and we were good to go.
Our first stop in Epcot was to check out Mission Space. I really wanted to go on this ride, but Jim has a problem with simulator rides. Standby was at 45 minutes, so we decided to fastpass it and go over to Test Track. The wait time posted at Test Track was 25 minutes, but we could see inside that there was hardly any line. In we went for a short 5-minute wait. The ride was smooth and Im happy to say, no breakdowns. We were still about 30 minutes away from the start of our fast pass return time and we debated on what to do next. Unfortunately, the Universe of Energy ride was closed for technical difficulties, so we decided to take some pictures and wait out our fast pass time. As we waited, a young man approached us and asked if we were planning on riding Mission Space and we told him that we were. He offered us 2 fast passes that were good immediately. Very decent of him and we hopped into line. We went right up to the front and only had about a 5-minute wait before we were shown into the briefing room. I cant remember exactly how many times I heard them say that if you are prone to motion sickness and uncomfortable in confined spaces to please reconsider this ride. I heard it played when we stood in line, I heard it a number of times in the briefing room and just before entering the ride. I would say that it had to be close to 25 times that it was repeated. I double checked my backpack and saw that I had remembered to bring the Pepto-Bismol, the Dramamine and Tylenol for Jim. I could see that he was really forcing himself to do this and I thought it would probably end with us leaving the park right after the ride got out. I took some of the suggestions that Id gotten from the DIS and I switched spots with him so that he would be on an inside seat. I also reminded him to keep his head back and look straight ahead at the screen. In we went. He was the commander and I was the engineer. I thought the simulator was incredible and like a little kid, I started playing astronaut and pushing all the buttons. I love how they keep you involved and probably your mind off the fact that youre spinning like crazy, by giving you assignments. Even Jim pushed the right buttons when his request came up. The joystick was another treat and when the module went to manual control it really felt like you were flying the thing. When we got off the ride, I immediately checked with Jim to see how he was doing. He said that he was fine and while he would never ride it again, he can always boast that he did do it. We sent a wacky, out of space e-mail to the kids and they got a big kick out of it. We got outside and I checked on Jim again. Other than the fact that he was sweating profusely, he really was okay. He did say that if it gone another minute longer, than he probably would have lost it. We both decided that a back-to-back ride was out of the question, so in true Disney fashion, we found another couple to give our fast passes to.
Universe of Energy was still broken, so we headed over to Spaceship Earth. Always a must do for us. Before Mission Space, we had only eaten a light breakfast, so our tummies were starting to growl. We decided to head over to the Land for lunch. There was no wait at the restaurant, but I didnt want anything heavy because my plan was to snack my way through the world showcase. I like the assortment of foods that they have downstairs, so we just did counter service. Over to the Living Seas next and we saw Nemo. He was a motorized character, but he was accompanied by two coral creatures that did a great job interacting with the crowd. Inside they had some really good displays that seemed to be keeping many of the kids interested. They had a whole room filled with tanks that contained the fish shown in Finding Nemo. It was amazing how the kids were matching up the characters with their real fish names. We timed the big tank perfectly and arrived as they were setting up for a fish feeding. Ive never witnessed this before, but if you do happen to be there at that time, it was worth seeing. We couldnt head over to the world showcase before seeing Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Even though Ive seen this many times, I was still jumping out of my seat and covering my eyes.
We started our world tour at Mexico and did the boat ride. This is something that we havent done since one of our first trips to Epcot. It was so cute, but it did make me miss the If you had wings ride even more. We grabbed a drink or a snack from each place as we made our way around. It was nice being able to stop and take our time at each country. We saw the Living Statues in Italy, the Mime in France, Off Kilter in Canada and the Beatles group in London.
As it started getting closer to dinner, the weather was really staying nice and warm. We gave the thumbs up to the Rose and Crown and headed over that way. I was very surprised to see how many people were just walking up to the host without having a priority seat. As usual everyone was requesting an outside table and we listened to him explain this to everyone in front of us. We finally made it to the podium and he pulled up our name on the screen. I could see it and in fact, our concierge had put under comments that we had requested a patio table. We were told the same as everyone else and actually given a longer wait time than those people who were in line before us without reservations. I was surprised, but we went with the flow and sat in their little courtyard area until our name was called. We met a very nice couple who were spending their vacation in Disney with seven grandchildren. For the moment, they had ditched their children and grandchildren and were enjoying some quiet time. They had just settled down to eat their fish and chips when our chairs were pushed and shoved to make room for a couple with their child in a stroller. We got to listen to him for the next 10 minutes telling his daughter that no she couldnt have popcorn because that would be too greasy on her stomach and make her throw up again. Now, one look at this poor kid and you would have known that she needed to be in her bed. She was so pale and just looked miserable all curled up in that carriage. Id say that she had to have been about 6 years old. Now the poor couple that we met are trying to eat their dinner and hes talking about vomit and standing behind them smoking. I dont know how it all ended because our pager finally went off and we headed back up to the podium. Right in front of us are one of the groups that had come in before us without priority seating. She asked if they had gotten an outside seat and were told yes. Now were right behind them, with a reservation and a prior request for the patio and we are shown inside the restaurant. The table was on the back wall by the window, but it was one of those that one person has to have a seat on the long bench and the other sits in the chair opposite. I dont know about anyone else, but I hate the benches. I never feel like Im sitting tall enough to reach the table. We declined it and said that we would put our name back into the que for a better table. After another 20 minute wait, we are called again and something is available on the patio. Unfortunately, we are far back under the awning, but happy to be outside and sitting in a chair. Jim had the fish and chips, as usual and I tried the shepards pie sampler. Other than our appetizer arriving at the same time as our dinner, it was all very nice. Illuminations went off and we couldnt see any of the aerial fireworks, but my favorite is the globe and the music anyway. We could see and hear those fine.
We sat for a while and watched the park empty out. It was only about 10pm when we left, but we ended up heading right back to the resort. We dont normally take an afternoon break when we do Epcot and we were both pretty tired by then.
Another little surprise was waiting for us in the room when we arrived. I had an autographed picture of Minnie wishing me a happy birthday and there was also an autographed picture of Mickey wishing us both a happy 20th anniversary. They were so cute and right now I have them proudly displayed on my mantel at home.
Tomorrow you guessed it, another relaxing day.
