Tarheel Tink
Cosmos mariner-destination unknown
- Joined
- Aug 21, 1999
Tarheel Tink- Tuesday December 5, 2000
Mom again answered the phone at 6:00 a.m. and grinned sleepily, and did a very credible giggle Mickey-style. We did the usual morning routine and I did the food court order of chocolate chip muffin and a sticky-bun (Mom- "I donâÂÂt want anything...well, maybe a taste of your muffin...")
We got the bus for Epcot (Early Entry) and upon entering the park Earl took off for Test Track. His mission- singles line until forced to return to us. While he is doing his crash-test dummy act, Mom and I go to the Wonders of Life pavilion. I really wanted her to see Cranium Command and The Making of Me. I love Cranium Command but Mom started nodding off during it- go figure. I think it may be more amusing to those who have interest in anatomy and physiology to more fully "get it".
A sad sight while waiting for Cranium Command. A man in his 30âÂÂs had 3 boys with him. The older 2 were quiet and well-behaved but the youngest toddler was having a screaming melt-down The strange part was the complete disinterest of the assumed father in the actions of the little boy at first, as though he had nothing to do with him. He got very apparently furious at the child but did not attempt to calm or console him, just acted exasperated and disgusted (not even 9:00 a.m. yet). Seeing that everyone was watching him, he finally reached out to absently pat the childâÂÂs head but the boy pushed him away. He finally stopped after about 8-10 minutes when the pre-show film started. The Cast Member was about to ask them to leave but he remained quiet throughout the film. While leaving, the boy was dragging his feet and his father (they called him daddy) angrily shook his fist in the childâÂÂs direction. A disturbing incident that made you wonder what those childrenâÂÂs memories of Disney World will be.
Mom and I went to see Martin Short in The Making of Me film. Very cute and well done I think. As we stepped outside of the film, Earl was waiting, having done Test Track 3 times. We went together to the first show of the Universe of Energy with Ellen DeGeneres. Mom really enjoyed this attraction and her chair was loaded right on the "movable theater" seats.
We crossed to the other side of Future World, passing the Jammitors (trash can percussionists) on our way to The Land ride. This is another attraction that loaded the chair right on and as always an enjoyable and informative ride, taking us through several gardening alternative areas. Loving to take in some more walking (roll of the eyes), we crossed back across Future World to enter World Showcase at the 11:00 a.m. opening. Our timing was excellent as we rolled up behind the character bus as it opened the way to Mexico. We went into the Mayan temple (side wheelchair entrance) to ride Rio De Tempo- it really is a Mexican-style ItâÂÂs a Small World! Mom transferred out of the chair and they have it waiting at the exit. We went to Norway to ride Maelstrom (IâÂÂm trying to build Mom up to Splash Mountain) and then view the short Norway film.
We had a lunch buffet Priority Seating at Restaurant Akershus in Norway. We always have model-like waitresses here; last year it was Stina and this year it is Jill (which happens to be my name). They pronounce it Yill. She explained the buffet and answered any questions. Earl and I have been here numerous times and love it. Mom had a taste of many of the dishes and enjoyed it.
We took the near empty bus back to Dixie Landings for some nap time. Upon entering our room, we found a HUGE basket of fruit, cheese, and lots and lots of snack items wrapped and tied with a blue ribbon with mickeys on it. The card showed it to be a Christmas gift from my boss/veterinarian and his wife. The balloon tied to the basket was a Christmas one that said Merry Christmas. We now have an embarrassment of riches with the immense floral arrangement and 2 big baskets of food!
After a few hours of rest, we then went to MGM Studios for our Fantasmic Dinner Package at Brown Derby. Merrie had booked it upon checking in on Saturday. We got there a bit early and sat on the outside patio and watched the Mulan parade (or at least the upper portion of it) go by on the other side of the hedge. After the parade passed, our friends showed up and we checked into Brown Derby, table for six.
I loved the sesame tuna and I believe everyone loved their meals. We got our coveted seating for Fantasmic for 6 at the Ursula Section, seated at the back for the wheelchair seating. Had a good view and stayed dry. Mom commented she may have nightmares after seeing it, so she could imagine kids freaking out too. Some of those villain scenes are scary, but it IS a nightmare.
We waited a bit before exiting Fantasmic, and went to view Osborne Family lights- millions of lights decorating the homes on the backlot. "Snow" fell from the sky as we walked and gawked, some of us wearing the special glasses that gave special snowflake effects when looking at the lights. We took the bus back for an early night.
Note- the benevolent dictator (me) has changed the wake-up call to 6:30 a.m., giving everyone an extra half hour of sleep without telling them. The morning routine is working more smoothly and we shall be rewarded!
Tarheel Tink- Wednesday, 12/6/00
The phone rings at 6:30 a.m. and Mom again has a chat with Mickey about getting ready for a big day. We are doing Early Entry at MGM Studios. When we arrive, Earl takes off for RockNRollercoaster- a favorite of ours but definitely not on MomâÂÂs Gotta Do It list. While he rides it 3 times, we do the Great Movie Ride and Muppets 3D. Earl meets up with us and we all do Drew CareyâÂÂs Sounds Dangerous attraction (very cute!).
When we exit Sounds Dangerous, we headed over to The Animation Tour. It really is enjoyable and the film portion with Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams is great (what an unlikely duo!). We had a very friendly animator draw Kuzsco (spelling?) from the new movie "The EmperorâÂÂs New Groove" and answer some questions before we continued the tour. I love the relaxed atmosphere Disney has for the animators- their cubicles have all kinds of interesting items in them, one of them was working with his shoes off!
After the tour, we went to our Priority Seating at 50âÂÂs Prime Time Cafe. We have always enjoyed our visits here and love the food. For the first time we ordered the onion rings. To our surprise, we got a large basket of small fried onion slices- the slices were thin and cut in quarters so you can imagine how small the pieces were. The dipping sauces were delicious but you needed a fork to eat the pieces- they were too small to eat/dip one at a time. The milkshakes are incredible, as always. Earl got the meat loaf and mom and I split an order of the same. The side salads are very large so with a shared entree we were again full and had to pass on dessert.
We had in our possession an envelope of photos to give to "Auntie Elaine"- a waitress at Prime Time. MerrieâÂÂs sister and family had been there July 4th and had a great time with Auntie Elaine at their table and and sent photos to prove it. Our waiter got Auntie Elaine who shrieked with laughter as she sat at our table and poured over the photographs. She went and got her family album of other patrons and added these to the album and promptly started showing them off to her tables.
Leaving the restaurant, we headed over to the Back Lot Theater to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame- we got front row left for a great view. Mom loved the show as we always have and proved to be her favorite of the day. As we left the park, characters were all out. King Louie hugged Mom for a great picture and then followed us and grabbed me in a hug from behind. We were lucky enough to get to pose with Dopey- all the Dwarfs were out but we didnâÂÂt want to keep the waiting kids held up but we lucked into a briefly lonely Dopey.
Getting back to the room by bus, we found our room delivery of my United Kingdom shopping from the night before. I love the convenience of buying a gift and not having to tote it all over but just "Send it to the room!". Very clever of Disney because you definitely buy more when you arenâÂÂt carrying it and seeing how much you actually are getting and having to pack for the return home!
After our usual rest time, we drove the car to the Wilderness Lodge- Earl and I both sigh and feel like we are coming home when we drive through the entrance. Dropping the wheelchair and us off at the entrance, Earl parked and joined us in the lobby where the magnificent Christmas tree and decorations are displayed. Someday IâÂÂm going to get my own moose antler Christmas wreath- they are so cool! We took the boat to Magic Kingdom from there to view the Main Street Electrical Parade.
We set up camp by the Car Barn on the Emporium side. The other early-parade spot people joined us and it is true- the early people ARE nice! The last minute people who tried their best to sit in front of us were all rude (frantic at this point since they had waited until a good spot was not to be found). We were in a good spot to watch the Flag Retreat Ceremony which was shortly followed by the Tree Lighting Ceremony. While waiting, Earl went to CaseyâÂÂs Corner for some of their jumbo hot dogs (Mom- "I just want a little bite!").
We all had a great view and also observed what appeared to be some Make A Wish children at a spot opposite us with a Cast Member by them and their families. As the parade went by, everyone waved in their direction and Snow White talked to and kissed them. I also saw Chip and Dale over there playing. We really enjoyed the parade and were very glad of our spot, as when the last float passed us, we exited the gate and took the boat back to Wilderness Lodge for our dinner at Artist Point. We were a little early so we were able to view the geyser going off and show Mom the lodge before we ate.
Our meal and server were wonderful as always. They have a raspberry swirl drink from the bar that I love and past that point I donâÂÂt have much of a memory of what the others got. Mom and I shared the tenderloin/salmon combo. I had a CaesarâÂÂs Salad which was lovely followed by a great dinner. Earl loves the buffalo ribeye. Although not too hungry, the 3 of us managed to finish the berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream (what a variety of berries!)- another favorite of ours.
After dinner, we went out to the boat dock to view the Electrical Water Pageant for the first time. We watched as music sounded out from the barges and one by one the screen would light up with some figure that corresponded with the music playing at that point (dolphins jumping, dragon,etc.). Finally all were lit as the the music finished up, then patriotic music started and all the screens changed to American flags. When it ended it all moved on to the next viewing spot. IâÂÂm very glad we finally took the time to remember and see it.
We drove back to Dixie Landings and turned in for some sleep. We have Animal Kingdom tomorrow morning and then MickeyâÂÂs Very Merry Christmas Party until 1:00 a.m.!
Tarheel Tink
DIS member since 9/98 and dang proud of it!
Disneyland multiple times
WDW 1982(in a seedy off-site rathole), DxL(Bayou)1997, CBR 1998, WL 1999, PO 2000, DxL (Bayou) 2000, AS Movies 2001, WL 2001
Mom again answered the phone at 6:00 a.m. and grinned sleepily, and did a very credible giggle Mickey-style. We did the usual morning routine and I did the food court order of chocolate chip muffin and a sticky-bun (Mom- "I donâÂÂt want anything...well, maybe a taste of your muffin...")
We got the bus for Epcot (Early Entry) and upon entering the park Earl took off for Test Track. His mission- singles line until forced to return to us. While he is doing his crash-test dummy act, Mom and I go to the Wonders of Life pavilion. I really wanted her to see Cranium Command and The Making of Me. I love Cranium Command but Mom started nodding off during it- go figure. I think it may be more amusing to those who have interest in anatomy and physiology to more fully "get it".
A sad sight while waiting for Cranium Command. A man in his 30âÂÂs had 3 boys with him. The older 2 were quiet and well-behaved but the youngest toddler was having a screaming melt-down The strange part was the complete disinterest of the assumed father in the actions of the little boy at first, as though he had nothing to do with him. He got very apparently furious at the child but did not attempt to calm or console him, just acted exasperated and disgusted (not even 9:00 a.m. yet). Seeing that everyone was watching him, he finally reached out to absently pat the childâÂÂs head but the boy pushed him away. He finally stopped after about 8-10 minutes when the pre-show film started. The Cast Member was about to ask them to leave but he remained quiet throughout the film. While leaving, the boy was dragging his feet and his father (they called him daddy) angrily shook his fist in the childâÂÂs direction. A disturbing incident that made you wonder what those childrenâÂÂs memories of Disney World will be.
Mom and I went to see Martin Short in The Making of Me film. Very cute and well done I think. As we stepped outside of the film, Earl was waiting, having done Test Track 3 times. We went together to the first show of the Universe of Energy with Ellen DeGeneres. Mom really enjoyed this attraction and her chair was loaded right on the "movable theater" seats.
We crossed to the other side of Future World, passing the Jammitors (trash can percussionists) on our way to The Land ride. This is another attraction that loaded the chair right on and as always an enjoyable and informative ride, taking us through several gardening alternative areas. Loving to take in some more walking (roll of the eyes), we crossed back across Future World to enter World Showcase at the 11:00 a.m. opening. Our timing was excellent as we rolled up behind the character bus as it opened the way to Mexico. We went into the Mayan temple (side wheelchair entrance) to ride Rio De Tempo- it really is a Mexican-style ItâÂÂs a Small World! Mom transferred out of the chair and they have it waiting at the exit. We went to Norway to ride Maelstrom (IâÂÂm trying to build Mom up to Splash Mountain) and then view the short Norway film.
We had a lunch buffet Priority Seating at Restaurant Akershus in Norway. We always have model-like waitresses here; last year it was Stina and this year it is Jill (which happens to be my name). They pronounce it Yill. She explained the buffet and answered any questions. Earl and I have been here numerous times and love it. Mom had a taste of many of the dishes and enjoyed it.
We took the near empty bus back to Dixie Landings for some nap time. Upon entering our room, we found a HUGE basket of fruit, cheese, and lots and lots of snack items wrapped and tied with a blue ribbon with mickeys on it. The card showed it to be a Christmas gift from my boss/veterinarian and his wife. The balloon tied to the basket was a Christmas one that said Merry Christmas. We now have an embarrassment of riches with the immense floral arrangement and 2 big baskets of food!
After a few hours of rest, we then went to MGM Studios for our Fantasmic Dinner Package at Brown Derby. Merrie had booked it upon checking in on Saturday. We got there a bit early and sat on the outside patio and watched the Mulan parade (or at least the upper portion of it) go by on the other side of the hedge. After the parade passed, our friends showed up and we checked into Brown Derby, table for six.
I loved the sesame tuna and I believe everyone loved their meals. We got our coveted seating for Fantasmic for 6 at the Ursula Section, seated at the back for the wheelchair seating. Had a good view and stayed dry. Mom commented she may have nightmares after seeing it, so she could imagine kids freaking out too. Some of those villain scenes are scary, but it IS a nightmare.
We waited a bit before exiting Fantasmic, and went to view Osborne Family lights- millions of lights decorating the homes on the backlot. "Snow" fell from the sky as we walked and gawked, some of us wearing the special glasses that gave special snowflake effects when looking at the lights. We took the bus back for an early night.
Note- the benevolent dictator (me) has changed the wake-up call to 6:30 a.m., giving everyone an extra half hour of sleep without telling them. The morning routine is working more smoothly and we shall be rewarded!
Tarheel Tink- Wednesday, 12/6/00
The phone rings at 6:30 a.m. and Mom again has a chat with Mickey about getting ready for a big day. We are doing Early Entry at MGM Studios. When we arrive, Earl takes off for RockNRollercoaster- a favorite of ours but definitely not on MomâÂÂs Gotta Do It list. While he rides it 3 times, we do the Great Movie Ride and Muppets 3D. Earl meets up with us and we all do Drew CareyâÂÂs Sounds Dangerous attraction (very cute!).
When we exit Sounds Dangerous, we headed over to The Animation Tour. It really is enjoyable and the film portion with Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams is great (what an unlikely duo!). We had a very friendly animator draw Kuzsco (spelling?) from the new movie "The EmperorâÂÂs New Groove" and answer some questions before we continued the tour. I love the relaxed atmosphere Disney has for the animators- their cubicles have all kinds of interesting items in them, one of them was working with his shoes off!
After the tour, we went to our Priority Seating at 50âÂÂs Prime Time Cafe. We have always enjoyed our visits here and love the food. For the first time we ordered the onion rings. To our surprise, we got a large basket of small fried onion slices- the slices were thin and cut in quarters so you can imagine how small the pieces were. The dipping sauces were delicious but you needed a fork to eat the pieces- they were too small to eat/dip one at a time. The milkshakes are incredible, as always. Earl got the meat loaf and mom and I split an order of the same. The side salads are very large so with a shared entree we were again full and had to pass on dessert.
We had in our possession an envelope of photos to give to "Auntie Elaine"- a waitress at Prime Time. MerrieâÂÂs sister and family had been there July 4th and had a great time with Auntie Elaine at their table and and sent photos to prove it. Our waiter got Auntie Elaine who shrieked with laughter as she sat at our table and poured over the photographs. She went and got her family album of other patrons and added these to the album and promptly started showing them off to her tables.
Leaving the restaurant, we headed over to the Back Lot Theater to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame- we got front row left for a great view. Mom loved the show as we always have and proved to be her favorite of the day. As we left the park, characters were all out. King Louie hugged Mom for a great picture and then followed us and grabbed me in a hug from behind. We were lucky enough to get to pose with Dopey- all the Dwarfs were out but we didnâÂÂt want to keep the waiting kids held up but we lucked into a briefly lonely Dopey.
Getting back to the room by bus, we found our room delivery of my United Kingdom shopping from the night before. I love the convenience of buying a gift and not having to tote it all over but just "Send it to the room!". Very clever of Disney because you definitely buy more when you arenâÂÂt carrying it and seeing how much you actually are getting and having to pack for the return home!
After our usual rest time, we drove the car to the Wilderness Lodge- Earl and I both sigh and feel like we are coming home when we drive through the entrance. Dropping the wheelchair and us off at the entrance, Earl parked and joined us in the lobby where the magnificent Christmas tree and decorations are displayed. Someday IâÂÂm going to get my own moose antler Christmas wreath- they are so cool! We took the boat to Magic Kingdom from there to view the Main Street Electrical Parade.
We set up camp by the Car Barn on the Emporium side. The other early-parade spot people joined us and it is true- the early people ARE nice! The last minute people who tried their best to sit in front of us were all rude (frantic at this point since they had waited until a good spot was not to be found). We were in a good spot to watch the Flag Retreat Ceremony which was shortly followed by the Tree Lighting Ceremony. While waiting, Earl went to CaseyâÂÂs Corner for some of their jumbo hot dogs (Mom- "I just want a little bite!").
We all had a great view and also observed what appeared to be some Make A Wish children at a spot opposite us with a Cast Member by them and their families. As the parade went by, everyone waved in their direction and Snow White talked to and kissed them. I also saw Chip and Dale over there playing. We really enjoyed the parade and were very glad of our spot, as when the last float passed us, we exited the gate and took the boat back to Wilderness Lodge for our dinner at Artist Point. We were a little early so we were able to view the geyser going off and show Mom the lodge before we ate.
Our meal and server were wonderful as always. They have a raspberry swirl drink from the bar that I love and past that point I donâÂÂt have much of a memory of what the others got. Mom and I shared the tenderloin/salmon combo. I had a CaesarâÂÂs Salad which was lovely followed by a great dinner. Earl loves the buffalo ribeye. Although not too hungry, the 3 of us managed to finish the berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream (what a variety of berries!)- another favorite of ours.
After dinner, we went out to the boat dock to view the Electrical Water Pageant for the first time. We watched as music sounded out from the barges and one by one the screen would light up with some figure that corresponded with the music playing at that point (dolphins jumping, dragon,etc.). Finally all were lit as the the music finished up, then patriotic music started and all the screens changed to American flags. When it ended it all moved on to the next viewing spot. IâÂÂm very glad we finally took the time to remember and see it.
We drove back to Dixie Landings and turned in for some sleep. We have Animal Kingdom tomorrow morning and then MickeyâÂÂs Very Merry Christmas Party until 1:00 a.m.!
Tarheel Tink
DIS member since 9/98 and dang proud of it!
Disneyland multiple times
WDW 1982(in a seedy off-site rathole), DxL(Bayou)1997, CBR 1998, WL 1999, PO 2000, DxL (Bayou) 2000, AS Movies 2001, WL 2001
