Tarheel Tink
Cosmos mariner-destination unknown
- Joined
- Aug 21, 1999
Tarheel Tink- Thursday 12/7/00
We got up at 6:30 a.m. to get to Animal Kingdom at opening time. The infamous Wheelchair Incident occurred when we exited the bus at Animal Kingdom. Some fool had placed a large black gym bag on the stairs of the second door of the bus. As Earl exited with the folded wheelchair, the foot pad snagged on the gym bag and caused Earl to fall forward and down the steps with the wheelchair in front of him. An elderly gentleman was walking by the door at that very moment with his wife thinking it would be a nice shortcut versus walking where he was supposed to. The poor man was on his way for a wonderful day at Animal Kingdom and my husband falls (hurtles actually) square on him, chair first. Earl never touched the ground; all his weight was cushioned by the above mentioned poor man. The man was cut on his leg in several areas and limping painfully. I handed Earl Band-Aids to give the injured man; someone else said the gym bag owner said "Oops!", picked up his bag and disappeared into the crowd.
As we dejectedly walked up to the entrance and marveling that Earl had no injuries at all, a family who had sat by us on the bus tried to cheer us up a bit by mentioning that the man should not have been walking by the bus and would not have been hurt if he had been behind the metal railing. The husband had seen EarlâÂÂs fall and had reached out to grab his jacket one second too late. It was curious that no one from Disney came up to us, but we were the only bus there at the time and we didnâÂÂt think to go to the driver, who may not have seen or heard the incident.
We came to the entrance just as it opened- we went into the Rainforest Cafe Gift Shop and yes! DIS rules! Only 8 people waiting to get into the park at the side entrance there compared to hundreds at the front! Telling Mom to look around as we flew her through the park to get to Africa. We got FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safari and spent time on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We were the only ones there with a Cast Member to watch the hippos in the water observation tank- it was incredible; a pair were playing right in front of us while a baby watched nearby. I got some incredible video of the playful hippos play-fighting and of their baby. We were no more than 3 feet from them with only the glass between us- what a moment.
We got to see some of the bachelor gorillas out feeding and playing but the silverback and his family were not showing themselves this morning. We slowly walked the trail and then returned to use our Fastpasses for the safari. At this point the regular line was pretty lengthy and we were the only ones trotting down the Fastpass line (yes, the glares, the stares...will these people ever learn to read the signs and utilize Fastpass?).
Mom really enjoyed herself and came close to whiplash a few times trying to see all we were pointing out to her! The elephants, cheetahs, lioness and lion, warthogs, ostrich, crocodiles, hippos, etc. were all out and about and we had a great time.
After the safari ended, we wheeled through Harambe Village and headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey to see the first show of the day of the Festival of the Lion King. We had front row seats next to Mom in the wheelchair "Lion"section. I loved seeing MomâÂÂs expression at all the activity and constant entertainment. She had bought a Santa hat on the way through Harambe Village that has Winnie the Pooh ears and she did look quite adorable. She didnâÂÂt seem to tire of the constant compliments on her hat and I finally told her "Yeah, yeah! You are cute beyond belief, just look in a mirror; IâÂÂm not gonna tell you anymore!".
After the great show ended, we went to Safari Village and saw the Tree of Life and saw the 3 D movie inside- Its Tough to Be A Bug. It was enjoyed by all (at least we three, some others got a bit excited, LOL!). 3D bugs, whatâÂÂs not to love? We then headed through the Oasis to the Rainforest Cafe for our lunch Priority Seating to meet up with our friends again. We came across DeVine on our way much to MomâÂÂs delight- Devine is a leaf covered "being" that is a stilt-walker. Unless you are alert, you can easily miss her, mistaking her for more of the lush vegetation.
It was just about this time that I recalled that Miss Organized (myself) had forgotten my precious RFC gift certificates and my Disney Club card (10% discount) back at our resort room in Dixie Landings. No problem you say? Well, I had invited all of six of us to lunch, my treat (smug holder of $100.00 worth of gift certificates). Babbling to Earl and Mom to join the Safari Club and shop in the gift shop, I semi-sprinted off to the buses. As luck would have it, one was waiting and left for Dixie Landings with a stop at Blizzard Beach (water park). After getting off the bus and darting to the room, I grabbed the gift certificates and Disney Club Card and called bell services to have a cab called. They said they would call one when I arrived at Bell Services (but I want one here to my room!!!) and it would be there within 5 minutes. Tarnation! Another jogging spell (NOT a pretty sight) with the pleasant sight of an Animal Kingdom bus waiting. Forget bell services!
The ride back to Animal Kingdom was just long enough for me to get my wind back and somewhat return to my normal pale/pinky color versus the beet red I was sporting while quietly wheezing. We arrived and I speed-walked to the restaurant, only about 10 minutes late. Our friends had arrived and we were seated fairly quickly. We had an enjoyable lunch with good service. I had an additional coupon for a free appetizer that we could not use so I gave it to the next table (very happy to get it I might add!).
After lunch, our group split up after deciding on a meeting place at MickeyâÂÂs Very Merry Christmas Party that evening. We ventured into Asia and wandered the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We saw the Komodo Dragon, the giant fruit bats, the Bengal-cross tigers and numerous birds. We bypassed Kali River Rapids by MomâÂÂs request and went to the Flights of Wonder bird show. We had been very pleasantly surprised on our last trip on this show and really enjoyed it. We again had a front row seat and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
A final stop in Dinoland to look around and do Dinosaur. Now, let me say right now that I had not listed this ride on our itinerary thinking it was "too much" for Mom. After all, we bypassed Star Tours, Body Wars and anything rough like Space Mountain (hey, she wouldnâÂÂt do Big Thunder Mountain OR Splash Mountain either!). She had the trip planning video showing a clip of the ride, the TV in the resort room constantly showed the attractions, the warning signs out front of the attraction warned all, plus my incredulous reaction to her request ("What!!!? But itâÂÂs a rough one! A flight simulator kinda ride! You know, they strap you in so you donâÂÂt get flung out?). But no, she insisted she was up to it.
Looking back at it now, I guess she was too caught up in the spirit of things to make a rational decision. We loaded up, got strapped in and off we went. Very quickly I heard some whimpering from my side, maybe it was moaning. I reached over to hold on to MomâÂÂs arm to reassure her but I donâÂÂt think she even noticed. At the end of the ride a very shaky Mom was poured out of the ride and put back in her chair. The surprise photo they take mid-way was a pitiful sight with MomâÂÂs pale face with shut eyes, miserable and nauseated. She shakily repeated that she had no idea it was "that kind of ride!" and was thinking it was along the lines of the Universe of Energy attraction at Epcot she had so enjoyed; just slowly moving along enjoying animatronic dinos along the way (can I repeat "No one ever listens to me!" for the hundredth time?).
Oh well, it was nap time anyway. We have some major napping to do so we can survive MVMCP that evening from 8:00 pm to 1:00 a.m. We take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and arrive around 7:40 pm and enter the gates. YES! Snow falling on Main Street, beautiful music and decorations and of course, people already lining the curbs for seats for the first parade at 9:00. We plan to see the 11:00 one so proceed to Tomorrowland so we can see Timekeeper. WHAT! Not open for the party! But it was last year! Drat! Having covered Tomorrowland otherwise the other day, we proceed on into Fantasyland and run into the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and get a photo of him with Mom despite his being late for an important date! We then get to see Peter Pan which we had bypassed for the long lines the other day.
We take advantage of no line at the photo booth (everyone waiting for the parade, I guess) and get our picture taken with all 3 of us together in our matching lime green WDW 2000 shirts. We had to fill out 3 cards with 3 different addresses to get 3 copies of the photo (which with 3 tickets we were entitled to); they came in about 2 weeks and turned out great. We are grinning "ears to ears" in our Santa hats Mickey style, Pooh Style, and a Mickey stocking cap!
We forge on into Frontierland and see the Christmas version of Country Bear Jamboree (maybe about 15 people in the theater and front row seats again!). We then go to PecoâÂÂs Bill for some dinner (gotta love that fixings bar). We meet up with Merrie, Scott and Julia and thatâÂÂs when I FINALLY got to ride Splash Mountain, my favorite of all. Merrie and I dashed off to ride despite the chill. Merrie took a blue penlight with her that she flashed whenever our log took us outside so our group could follow our progress, in particular the final drop. It was tempting to ride again but we wanted to get a spot for the parade so we walked to Sleepy Hollow. I had heard it was a good spot on the DIS site, but Merrie had eyeballed it earlier herself and deemed it a good spot- she has good instincts! The special holiday fireworks were great to see- we had always missed them in the 2 previous MVMCP by being inside an attraction and forgetting about them. We watched from Liberty Square and then went on to Sleepy Hollow.
While waiting, Scott and Earl wandered over to CaseyâÂÂs Corner for some food. While gone, Merrie and I had some incredible ice cream sandwiches made with fresh chocolate chip cookies from Sleepy Hollow. (I just went into a mini-trance remembering how good it was...must get that drool off the keyboard...). The parade started on Main Street so we heard it coming. It was worth the wait to have front row view of this parade- did anyone else smell the spices from the oven that Chip and DaleâÂÂs float had on it?
Our group split up again (we are meeting for breakfast) with my group deciding to get on the ferry boat for something not listed on the map. They had a quartet singing Christmas Carols while some of the Country Bears played around. On this particular set, the boat did itâÂÂs usual circuit; on some of the earlier sets it stayed at dock. We really enjoyed this unexpected treat and got some wonderful photos of the group and of the bears with Mom!
After leaving the boat, we heard a voice behind us and there was Julia; alone and in search of the ice cream sandwiches Merrie and I had eaten earlier. At this point, it was close to 1:00 a.m. and Julia was on her second wind. We slowly exited the park, enjoying the castle changing colors, the snow, the music... We got on our bus with no wait and went back to Dixie Landings to collapse and sleep. (No early entry tomorrow! Hurray!)
Tarheel Tink- Friday 12/8/00
Well, we planned to sleep it but really didnâÂÂt too much. We have PS for a Pooh and Friends character breakfast at the Wilderness Lodge at Artist Point at 9:50 or so. We are taking the bus to the Magic Kingdom and then a boat to the WL, so since it seemed we would have time to try Timekeeper. We get to the Magic Kingdom and wait for the rope drop into Tomorrowland standing next to Timekeeper. Grinning ear to ear, we walk confidently over to the first showing of Timekeeper and see the sign- First Show at 10:00. What is with this attraction! Will Mom never get to see the darned thing?!!
Regroup and go to Adventureland to see the Tiki Room (also not open during the party this year). We did see it and rushed to get the boat to WL- running about 10 minutes late. Our friends were already there, having taken the boat from the Contemporary. Our lateness gave them some time to look around and become enchanted with the theming as does almost everyone. We are seated quickly and have a great breakfast as always. Tigger comes to play and we get a round of photos. Pooh and Eeyore spend lots of time with us during the meal and we get a rare photo of 2 characters with my mom- Pooh and Eeyore on either side of her beaming face!
Along with great character interaction, we love Artist PointâÂÂs quiet atmosphere and pre-plated meals. LetâÂÂs see; carafes of orange juice, breakfast breads, scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, pancakes...repeats on anything you wish. Very good!
We all head to the bus stop. My group is going to Epcot and the others plan to hit Downtown Disney. We make plans to meet in a few hours at the Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill in The Land at Epcot. Upon entering Epcot, we take the Friendship Boat to France and wander around looking. We watch the film which is magnificent. Morocco is next followed by Japan. We share a rainbow Kaki Gori (shaved ice with different fruit flavors)- next time straight strawberry for me. It was great BUT I wonâÂÂt share next time; everyone get their own!
Mom did some shopping for gifts in the department store in Japan. We had to eventually hustle her out of there to get to the next showing of American Adventure. The pre-show was American Vibe- we all enjoyed them singing some very jazzy Christmas tunes with great style. I love American Adventure and was determined not to cry this time. I also had to try and keep Mom awake- the beautiful theater is very comfortable and it is easy to drop off!
We board the boat back to Future World (that boat really saves our feet and gives a whole different view of World Showcase). We arrive a couple of minutes late (will I ever get it timed right?) for our PS for the Ice Cream Social with our friends already there. The ice cream is always delicious and both Chip and Dale visit with us. I inquire where Farmer Mickey is and our waitress searches. Mom REALLY wants a picture with Mickey and we find our he is resting/working in the garden until 4:30- our waitress says she will ok it with the manager for us to return and get a picture with him.
We all head over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience- lots of fun! Afterwards, we all split up again and Earl, Mom and I speed back to the Garden Grill for a Mickey with Mom picture (forcing us to miss a chance to go to Innoventions and send our email postcards- Sorry SandyPA!). When we arrive, I inform the hostess of the situation. Of course, she knows nothing about it and no one else either. Since we are apparently not leaving, someone goes to find Mickey and a CM from Brazil chats with us. She and Mom get along great. Finally we see Mickey coming by and he just keeps going. Our CM friend, who was unaware of why we were waiting, went to get him. His CM "keeper" apparently wasnâÂÂt going to give us 30 seconds but our CM just smiled her way through it and got Mickey to Mom for a great photo. Success!
Now we get back to the Friendship Boats and get to the Boardwalk. We have a dinner PS at the Flying Fish. We ate there before and loved it and were not disappointed this time. We had great service and it was MomâÂÂs favorite meal. She had the appetizer of the fried buttermilk oysters as her meal and a selection of sorbets for dessert, with apricot the favorite. I got the Caesar salad, the Peeky Toe crab cakes, and the famous Banana Napoleon- it is delicious!
Now is when the plan messes up. I asked Mom what she would like to do- assuming she was exhausted with no nap. It was the last day of her 5 day hopper pass and she wants to see the Osborne Lights again. OK, we take the boat to MGM and Oops, it is closing. We canâÂÂt get in and apparently every cheerleader in the world is entering the park for a special event. The place is swamped with exiting people and the large groups entering. We take forever to get on a bus back to the room and collapse in exhaustion.
Our last day is tomorrow. :-(
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
We got up at 6:30 a.m. to get to Animal Kingdom at opening time. The infamous Wheelchair Incident occurred when we exited the bus at Animal Kingdom. Some fool had placed a large black gym bag on the stairs of the second door of the bus. As Earl exited with the folded wheelchair, the foot pad snagged on the gym bag and caused Earl to fall forward and down the steps with the wheelchair in front of him. An elderly gentleman was walking by the door at that very moment with his wife thinking it would be a nice shortcut versus walking where he was supposed to. The poor man was on his way for a wonderful day at Animal Kingdom and my husband falls (hurtles actually) square on him, chair first. Earl never touched the ground; all his weight was cushioned by the above mentioned poor man. The man was cut on his leg in several areas and limping painfully. I handed Earl Band-Aids to give the injured man; someone else said the gym bag owner said "Oops!", picked up his bag and disappeared into the crowd.
As we dejectedly walked up to the entrance and marveling that Earl had no injuries at all, a family who had sat by us on the bus tried to cheer us up a bit by mentioning that the man should not have been walking by the bus and would not have been hurt if he had been behind the metal railing. The husband had seen EarlâÂÂs fall and had reached out to grab his jacket one second too late. It was curious that no one from Disney came up to us, but we were the only bus there at the time and we didnâÂÂt think to go to the driver, who may not have seen or heard the incident.
We came to the entrance just as it opened- we went into the Rainforest Cafe Gift Shop and yes! DIS rules! Only 8 people waiting to get into the park at the side entrance there compared to hundreds at the front! Telling Mom to look around as we flew her through the park to get to Africa. We got FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safari and spent time on the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We were the only ones there with a Cast Member to watch the hippos in the water observation tank- it was incredible; a pair were playing right in front of us while a baby watched nearby. I got some incredible video of the playful hippos play-fighting and of their baby. We were no more than 3 feet from them with only the glass between us- what a moment.
We got to see some of the bachelor gorillas out feeding and playing but the silverback and his family were not showing themselves this morning. We slowly walked the trail and then returned to use our Fastpasses for the safari. At this point the regular line was pretty lengthy and we were the only ones trotting down the Fastpass line (yes, the glares, the stares...will these people ever learn to read the signs and utilize Fastpass?).
Mom really enjoyed herself and came close to whiplash a few times trying to see all we were pointing out to her! The elephants, cheetahs, lioness and lion, warthogs, ostrich, crocodiles, hippos, etc. were all out and about and we had a great time.
After the safari ended, we wheeled through Harambe Village and headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey to see the first show of the day of the Festival of the Lion King. We had front row seats next to Mom in the wheelchair "Lion"section. I loved seeing MomâÂÂs expression at all the activity and constant entertainment. She had bought a Santa hat on the way through Harambe Village that has Winnie the Pooh ears and she did look quite adorable. She didnâÂÂt seem to tire of the constant compliments on her hat and I finally told her "Yeah, yeah! You are cute beyond belief, just look in a mirror; IâÂÂm not gonna tell you anymore!".
After the great show ended, we went to Safari Village and saw the Tree of Life and saw the 3 D movie inside- Its Tough to Be A Bug. It was enjoyed by all (at least we three, some others got a bit excited, LOL!). 3D bugs, whatâÂÂs not to love? We then headed through the Oasis to the Rainforest Cafe for our lunch Priority Seating to meet up with our friends again. We came across DeVine on our way much to MomâÂÂs delight- Devine is a leaf covered "being" that is a stilt-walker. Unless you are alert, you can easily miss her, mistaking her for more of the lush vegetation.
It was just about this time that I recalled that Miss Organized (myself) had forgotten my precious RFC gift certificates and my Disney Club card (10% discount) back at our resort room in Dixie Landings. No problem you say? Well, I had invited all of six of us to lunch, my treat (smug holder of $100.00 worth of gift certificates). Babbling to Earl and Mom to join the Safari Club and shop in the gift shop, I semi-sprinted off to the buses. As luck would have it, one was waiting and left for Dixie Landings with a stop at Blizzard Beach (water park). After getting off the bus and darting to the room, I grabbed the gift certificates and Disney Club Card and called bell services to have a cab called. They said they would call one when I arrived at Bell Services (but I want one here to my room!!!) and it would be there within 5 minutes. Tarnation! Another jogging spell (NOT a pretty sight) with the pleasant sight of an Animal Kingdom bus waiting. Forget bell services!
The ride back to Animal Kingdom was just long enough for me to get my wind back and somewhat return to my normal pale/pinky color versus the beet red I was sporting while quietly wheezing. We arrived and I speed-walked to the restaurant, only about 10 minutes late. Our friends had arrived and we were seated fairly quickly. We had an enjoyable lunch with good service. I had an additional coupon for a free appetizer that we could not use so I gave it to the next table (very happy to get it I might add!).
After lunch, our group split up after deciding on a meeting place at MickeyâÂÂs Very Merry Christmas Party that evening. We ventured into Asia and wandered the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We saw the Komodo Dragon, the giant fruit bats, the Bengal-cross tigers and numerous birds. We bypassed Kali River Rapids by MomâÂÂs request and went to the Flights of Wonder bird show. We had been very pleasantly surprised on our last trip on this show and really enjoyed it. We again had a front row seat and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
A final stop in Dinoland to look around and do Dinosaur. Now, let me say right now that I had not listed this ride on our itinerary thinking it was "too much" for Mom. After all, we bypassed Star Tours, Body Wars and anything rough like Space Mountain (hey, she wouldnâÂÂt do Big Thunder Mountain OR Splash Mountain either!). She had the trip planning video showing a clip of the ride, the TV in the resort room constantly showed the attractions, the warning signs out front of the attraction warned all, plus my incredulous reaction to her request ("What!!!? But itâÂÂs a rough one! A flight simulator kinda ride! You know, they strap you in so you donâÂÂt get flung out?). But no, she insisted she was up to it.
Looking back at it now, I guess she was too caught up in the spirit of things to make a rational decision. We loaded up, got strapped in and off we went. Very quickly I heard some whimpering from my side, maybe it was moaning. I reached over to hold on to MomâÂÂs arm to reassure her but I donâÂÂt think she even noticed. At the end of the ride a very shaky Mom was poured out of the ride and put back in her chair. The surprise photo they take mid-way was a pitiful sight with MomâÂÂs pale face with shut eyes, miserable and nauseated. She shakily repeated that she had no idea it was "that kind of ride!" and was thinking it was along the lines of the Universe of Energy attraction at Epcot she had so enjoyed; just slowly moving along enjoying animatronic dinos along the way (can I repeat "No one ever listens to me!" for the hundredth time?).
Oh well, it was nap time anyway. We have some major napping to do so we can survive MVMCP that evening from 8:00 pm to 1:00 a.m. We take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and arrive around 7:40 pm and enter the gates. YES! Snow falling on Main Street, beautiful music and decorations and of course, people already lining the curbs for seats for the first parade at 9:00. We plan to see the 11:00 one so proceed to Tomorrowland so we can see Timekeeper. WHAT! Not open for the party! But it was last year! Drat! Having covered Tomorrowland otherwise the other day, we proceed on into Fantasyland and run into the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and get a photo of him with Mom despite his being late for an important date! We then get to see Peter Pan which we had bypassed for the long lines the other day.
We take advantage of no line at the photo booth (everyone waiting for the parade, I guess) and get our picture taken with all 3 of us together in our matching lime green WDW 2000 shirts. We had to fill out 3 cards with 3 different addresses to get 3 copies of the photo (which with 3 tickets we were entitled to); they came in about 2 weeks and turned out great. We are grinning "ears to ears" in our Santa hats Mickey style, Pooh Style, and a Mickey stocking cap!
We forge on into Frontierland and see the Christmas version of Country Bear Jamboree (maybe about 15 people in the theater and front row seats again!). We then go to PecoâÂÂs Bill for some dinner (gotta love that fixings bar). We meet up with Merrie, Scott and Julia and thatâÂÂs when I FINALLY got to ride Splash Mountain, my favorite of all. Merrie and I dashed off to ride despite the chill. Merrie took a blue penlight with her that she flashed whenever our log took us outside so our group could follow our progress, in particular the final drop. It was tempting to ride again but we wanted to get a spot for the parade so we walked to Sleepy Hollow. I had heard it was a good spot on the DIS site, but Merrie had eyeballed it earlier herself and deemed it a good spot- she has good instincts! The special holiday fireworks were great to see- we had always missed them in the 2 previous MVMCP by being inside an attraction and forgetting about them. We watched from Liberty Square and then went on to Sleepy Hollow.
While waiting, Scott and Earl wandered over to CaseyâÂÂs Corner for some food. While gone, Merrie and I had some incredible ice cream sandwiches made with fresh chocolate chip cookies from Sleepy Hollow. (I just went into a mini-trance remembering how good it was...must get that drool off the keyboard...). The parade started on Main Street so we heard it coming. It was worth the wait to have front row view of this parade- did anyone else smell the spices from the oven that Chip and DaleâÂÂs float had on it?
Our group split up again (we are meeting for breakfast) with my group deciding to get on the ferry boat for something not listed on the map. They had a quartet singing Christmas Carols while some of the Country Bears played around. On this particular set, the boat did itâÂÂs usual circuit; on some of the earlier sets it stayed at dock. We really enjoyed this unexpected treat and got some wonderful photos of the group and of the bears with Mom!
After leaving the boat, we heard a voice behind us and there was Julia; alone and in search of the ice cream sandwiches Merrie and I had eaten earlier. At this point, it was close to 1:00 a.m. and Julia was on her second wind. We slowly exited the park, enjoying the castle changing colors, the snow, the music... We got on our bus with no wait and went back to Dixie Landings to collapse and sleep. (No early entry tomorrow! Hurray!)
Tarheel Tink- Friday 12/8/00
Well, we planned to sleep it but really didnâÂÂt too much. We have PS for a Pooh and Friends character breakfast at the Wilderness Lodge at Artist Point at 9:50 or so. We are taking the bus to the Magic Kingdom and then a boat to the WL, so since it seemed we would have time to try Timekeeper. We get to the Magic Kingdom and wait for the rope drop into Tomorrowland standing next to Timekeeper. Grinning ear to ear, we walk confidently over to the first showing of Timekeeper and see the sign- First Show at 10:00. What is with this attraction! Will Mom never get to see the darned thing?!!
Regroup and go to Adventureland to see the Tiki Room (also not open during the party this year). We did see it and rushed to get the boat to WL- running about 10 minutes late. Our friends were already there, having taken the boat from the Contemporary. Our lateness gave them some time to look around and become enchanted with the theming as does almost everyone. We are seated quickly and have a great breakfast as always. Tigger comes to play and we get a round of photos. Pooh and Eeyore spend lots of time with us during the meal and we get a rare photo of 2 characters with my mom- Pooh and Eeyore on either side of her beaming face!
Along with great character interaction, we love Artist PointâÂÂs quiet atmosphere and pre-plated meals. LetâÂÂs see; carafes of orange juice, breakfast breads, scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, pancakes...repeats on anything you wish. Very good!
We all head to the bus stop. My group is going to Epcot and the others plan to hit Downtown Disney. We make plans to meet in a few hours at the Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill in The Land at Epcot. Upon entering Epcot, we take the Friendship Boat to France and wander around looking. We watch the film which is magnificent. Morocco is next followed by Japan. We share a rainbow Kaki Gori (shaved ice with different fruit flavors)- next time straight strawberry for me. It was great BUT I wonâÂÂt share next time; everyone get their own!
Mom did some shopping for gifts in the department store in Japan. We had to eventually hustle her out of there to get to the next showing of American Adventure. The pre-show was American Vibe- we all enjoyed them singing some very jazzy Christmas tunes with great style. I love American Adventure and was determined not to cry this time. I also had to try and keep Mom awake- the beautiful theater is very comfortable and it is easy to drop off!
We board the boat back to Future World (that boat really saves our feet and gives a whole different view of World Showcase). We arrive a couple of minutes late (will I ever get it timed right?) for our PS for the Ice Cream Social with our friends already there. The ice cream is always delicious and both Chip and Dale visit with us. I inquire where Farmer Mickey is and our waitress searches. Mom REALLY wants a picture with Mickey and we find our he is resting/working in the garden until 4:30- our waitress says she will ok it with the manager for us to return and get a picture with him.
We all head over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience- lots of fun! Afterwards, we all split up again and Earl, Mom and I speed back to the Garden Grill for a Mickey with Mom picture (forcing us to miss a chance to go to Innoventions and send our email postcards- Sorry SandyPA!). When we arrive, I inform the hostess of the situation. Of course, she knows nothing about it and no one else either. Since we are apparently not leaving, someone goes to find Mickey and a CM from Brazil chats with us. She and Mom get along great. Finally we see Mickey coming by and he just keeps going. Our CM friend, who was unaware of why we were waiting, went to get him. His CM "keeper" apparently wasnâÂÂt going to give us 30 seconds but our CM just smiled her way through it and got Mickey to Mom for a great photo. Success!
Now we get back to the Friendship Boats and get to the Boardwalk. We have a dinner PS at the Flying Fish. We ate there before and loved it and were not disappointed this time. We had great service and it was MomâÂÂs favorite meal. She had the appetizer of the fried buttermilk oysters as her meal and a selection of sorbets for dessert, with apricot the favorite. I got the Caesar salad, the Peeky Toe crab cakes, and the famous Banana Napoleon- it is delicious!
Now is when the plan messes up. I asked Mom what she would like to do- assuming she was exhausted with no nap. It was the last day of her 5 day hopper pass and she wants to see the Osborne Lights again. OK, we take the boat to MGM and Oops, it is closing. We canâÂÂt get in and apparently every cheerleader in the world is entering the park for a special event. The place is swamped with exiting people and the large groups entering. We take forever to get on a bus back to the room and collapse in exhaustion.
Our last day is tomorrow. :-(
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
