Let's begin during the end of our meal. For the sake of context, that is.....
While everyone else finished dessert, my brother and his girlfriend took their leave so that she could buy a new fleece, as her sweatshirt was declared to be not suitable for obstructing the cold of the evening. Fair enough.
So after the bill was paid, Jen and I met them on the ground floor, and we took the foot path to the park.
A quick side-note on the path, though. I had been repeatedly told that it was a five minute walk from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom gate. This is untrue. Jen and I are brisk walkers, and it took longer than that. It's not a long walk, to be sure, but I think the economy of the route is overstated.
Anyway, once in the park, we headed straight for Splash Mountain. My girlfriend can attest that I am a little nuts about this ride..... well, I'll leave the particulars to her. I declared that we would ride it 15 times this trip!
This ride would be memorable. I glanced at my watch and noted that we would probably get to watch some of the fireworks from the ride if we hurried. And sure enough, we did. As we crested the final hill and prepared to drop into the watery abysses of the briar patch, we looked out upon a spectacular display of light bursting over the castle. It was a wonderful moment. My girlfriend, bursting with excitement, raised a fist into the air in celebration. The camera caught it, and so we all got a laugh by the image on the monitors later. Unfortunately, Disney prices for ride photos are outrageous, or you all could see her fist-pump too!
Now here are a couple distinctions between Team Fun and Team Manic.
First, yes, we had a laugh about my girlfriend's somewhat goofy display of enthusiasm. But my brother could not leave it alone all night, and pretty much through the entirety of the weekend, if not longer. And each time it seemed to get more exaggerated and included progressively more idiotic facial accompaniments. See for him, it was some kind of affirmation that the two of us are dorks and don't act our age, and by repeating it over and over, he can validate his own Team Fun reservedness. I don't think he even realizes that he is doing this, but all I need to do is remind you of how Team Manic got its name to cement my case. We all poked fun at her after the ride and she accepted the humor of the image, but it was almost like my brother wasn't satisfied until her amused blushing turned into self-loathing. Which, of course, wasn't likely to happen, as we embrace our undying willingness to have fun, particularly when we leave our serious and demanding jobs to go to Disney World!
You'll note this trait re-surfacing in hilarious fashion later in the trip during our inaugural-- and quite fantastic-- visit to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.... you won't want to miss that one. (Or our second visit either, memorable as well!)
Second, if I have to listen to any more complaints about how cold my brother's girlfriend is, I'm going to take a flamethrower to this place! Fine, you chill easily, but come on already, it wasn't that cold. I had a pullover windbreaker and was quite comfortable and my girlfriend (who gets chilly easily) had a sweatshirt and no issues, and every time I looked over, she was scrunched into her fleece like we were trudging to Santa's house, muttering about the cold or worrying about how cold it would be on Big Thunder Mountain or asking if a certain ride was inside or heated. Need I remind you what the temperature is in New York at this moment?!?!?!
Still, I must say that I was happy with my brother's energy on this night. We went straight from Splash Mountain onto Big Thunder Mountain, making fun of the song that accompanies Wishes (I like the fireworks and I know some of you love the entire show, but at the end when they say "Wishes" a few times in a really contrived voice..... well, admit it, it's pretty cheesy and it was made for mockery!
). We had a fine time, sitting near the back, which, as everyone here knows, is a bumpier, wilder experience. 
After Big Thunder, I suggested Pirates of the Caribbean, and we were off. A 5 minute wait later, we were on the boat, singing songs
and having a grand time (after my girlfriend endeared herself to me once more by uttering a light scream as we descended that terrifying drop! )
I then desired a ride on Space Mountain, so we headed over to Tomorrowland. Unfortunately, the wait stood at 40 minutes, a time that seemed to be legitimated by a line that extended out of the tunnel. So instead we went on Buzz Lightyear, hearing the boasts about my brother's superb score as we wound through the queue. Anyway, Buzz Lightyear is fun but it isn't my favorite ride (I get frustrated by the haphazard flashes of my aiming laser, and at some point in the ride I feel like it's designed to be more as a sensory overload rather than a themed, story-lined ride), but I found endless amusement in it this time. I, predictably, SUCKED, but my girlfriend somehow caught some lightning and came in with a score over 300,000! This would have been fine if it stood on its own, because there's rarely so much fun as to be truly awful at something and not care a lick as you listen to the creative ribbing of someone who is also truly awful at something but fell backwards into a moment of success. But upon meeting up with our companions, my brother boasted of his new high score, high and proud, only to be leveled by the answer to his question of "How did you guys do?" It was hilarious. The color came out of his face and his smile faded. Beaten by a lousy fist-pumping girl.....
And there's point three about Team Fun highlighted by the evening. My brother wouldn't let this go ALL TRIP. The next time we saw him after he re-rode Buzz, he had (miraculously?) bested my girlfriend's score and was celebrating accordingly, and after Toy Story, he (strategically?) followed up the relation of our scores with a (conveniently?) higher score of his own. It's a good thing my dissertation committee didn't hear about such abject failure on my part......
At this point of the night, it became apparent that Space Mountain wasn't going to happen, so instead I urged that we go on the PeopleMover, one of my favorite rides in Disney World. And as always, it was relaxing and wonderful. And I hoped in vain once more for it to break down while we were in Space Mountain......
The Haunted Mansion was next in line, and it was, as always, more fun than it should be. So if that's the case, then how was it that this was both our first and final visit to it for the duration of our trip? That just occurred to me.... how odd!
I will now confess, my devious plan was to recommend another ride on Splash Mountain, but it was not to be. My brother's girlfriend was way too cold, my girlfriend not too inclined to risk a dousing at that time of night, and if I were to be perfectly honest, both she and I were exhausted by that point of a long, long day. So we called it a night, caught the bus to the Beach Club, and rested up.....
And I know readers of my old trip report are waiting for more stories about the alien organism that comes out at night to keep my girlfriend and I awake for the duration of our trip, but unfortunately I have to report that I came prepared this year with some Men in Black mojo. And my brother's girlfriend was eternally grateful, for those earplugs meant that she could actually sleep despite the freight train beside her, which apparently she didn't at all the night before.
Still, my brother maintains that he doesn't snore. It must be something about the beds at Disney World, he says.... at home he doesn't snore! At home, where he sleeps alone (or rather, with his snoring dog). And when I'm visiting I don't hear him even though the guest room is right next to his! In point of fact, sometimes I DO hear him through a closed door and over a white-noise fan, and during this trip I heard him through the plugs, which means that he snores somewhere north of 32 decibels. In all honesty, I'm a little worried about the situation, because sometimes it seems like he stops breathing and then snorts back to life, and I really think a sleep study would be useful for him (if only he wasn't so stubborn and my mother so protective of him).
And before I adjourn for the evening, one more note. Later in the trip, he claims that he woke up and heard me snoring. Which is entirely possible, though as my girlfriend says, it seems unlikely given that she sleeps with me every night and has never heard me do anything beyond the occasional heavy breathing. In any room, B&B room and/or Disney hotel room.
Team Fun.
While everyone else finished dessert, my brother and his girlfriend took their leave so that she could buy a new fleece, as her sweatshirt was declared to be not suitable for obstructing the cold of the evening. Fair enough.
So after the bill was paid, Jen and I met them on the ground floor, and we took the foot path to the park.
A quick side-note on the path, though. I had been repeatedly told that it was a five minute walk from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom gate. This is untrue. Jen and I are brisk walkers, and it took longer than that. It's not a long walk, to be sure, but I think the economy of the route is overstated.
Anyway, once in the park, we headed straight for Splash Mountain. My girlfriend can attest that I am a little nuts about this ride..... well, I'll leave the particulars to her. I declared that we would ride it 15 times this trip!
This ride would be memorable. I glanced at my watch and noted that we would probably get to watch some of the fireworks from the ride if we hurried. And sure enough, we did. As we crested the final hill and prepared to drop into the watery abysses of the briar patch, we looked out upon a spectacular display of light bursting over the castle. It was a wonderful moment. My girlfriend, bursting with excitement, raised a fist into the air in celebration. The camera caught it, and so we all got a laugh by the image on the monitors later. Unfortunately, Disney prices for ride photos are outrageous, or you all could see her fist-pump too!
Now here are a couple distinctions between Team Fun and Team Manic.
First, yes, we had a laugh about my girlfriend's somewhat goofy display of enthusiasm. But my brother could not leave it alone all night, and pretty much through the entirety of the weekend, if not longer. And each time it seemed to get more exaggerated and included progressively more idiotic facial accompaniments. See for him, it was some kind of affirmation that the two of us are dorks and don't act our age, and by repeating it over and over, he can validate his own Team Fun reservedness. I don't think he even realizes that he is doing this, but all I need to do is remind you of how Team Manic got its name to cement my case. We all poked fun at her after the ride and she accepted the humor of the image, but it was almost like my brother wasn't satisfied until her amused blushing turned into self-loathing. Which, of course, wasn't likely to happen, as we embrace our undying willingness to have fun, particularly when we leave our serious and demanding jobs to go to Disney World!
You'll note this trait re-surfacing in hilarious fashion later in the trip during our inaugural-- and quite fantastic-- visit to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.... you won't want to miss that one. (Or our second visit either, memorable as well!)
Second, if I have to listen to any more complaints about how cold my brother's girlfriend is, I'm going to take a flamethrower to this place! Fine, you chill easily, but come on already, it wasn't that cold. I had a pullover windbreaker and was quite comfortable and my girlfriend (who gets chilly easily) had a sweatshirt and no issues, and every time I looked over, she was scrunched into her fleece like we were trudging to Santa's house, muttering about the cold or worrying about how cold it would be on Big Thunder Mountain or asking if a certain ride was inside or heated. Need I remind you what the temperature is in New York at this moment?!?!?!
Still, I must say that I was happy with my brother's energy on this night. We went straight from Splash Mountain onto Big Thunder Mountain, making fun of the song that accompanies Wishes (I like the fireworks and I know some of you love the entire show, but at the end when they say "Wishes" a few times in a really contrived voice..... well, admit it, it's pretty cheesy and it was made for mockery!
). We had a fine time, sitting near the back, which, as everyone here knows, is a bumpier, wilder experience. After Big Thunder, I suggested Pirates of the Caribbean, and we were off. A 5 minute wait later, we were on the boat, singing songs
and having a grand time (after my girlfriend endeared herself to me once more by uttering a light scream as we descended that terrifying drop! )I then desired a ride on Space Mountain, so we headed over to Tomorrowland. Unfortunately, the wait stood at 40 minutes, a time that seemed to be legitimated by a line that extended out of the tunnel. So instead we went on Buzz Lightyear, hearing the boasts about my brother's superb score as we wound through the queue. Anyway, Buzz Lightyear is fun but it isn't my favorite ride (I get frustrated by the haphazard flashes of my aiming laser, and at some point in the ride I feel like it's designed to be more as a sensory overload rather than a themed, story-lined ride), but I found endless amusement in it this time. I, predictably, SUCKED, but my girlfriend somehow caught some lightning and came in with a score over 300,000! This would have been fine if it stood on its own, because there's rarely so much fun as to be truly awful at something and not care a lick as you listen to the creative ribbing of someone who is also truly awful at something but fell backwards into a moment of success. But upon meeting up with our companions, my brother boasted of his new high score, high and proud, only to be leveled by the answer to his question of "How did you guys do?" It was hilarious. The color came out of his face and his smile faded. Beaten by a lousy fist-pumping girl.....
And there's point three about Team Fun highlighted by the evening. My brother wouldn't let this go ALL TRIP. The next time we saw him after he re-rode Buzz, he had (miraculously?) bested my girlfriend's score and was celebrating accordingly, and after Toy Story, he (strategically?) followed up the relation of our scores with a (conveniently?) higher score of his own. It's a good thing my dissertation committee didn't hear about such abject failure on my part......
At this point of the night, it became apparent that Space Mountain wasn't going to happen, so instead I urged that we go on the PeopleMover, one of my favorite rides in Disney World. And as always, it was relaxing and wonderful. And I hoped in vain once more for it to break down while we were in Space Mountain......
The Haunted Mansion was next in line, and it was, as always, more fun than it should be. So if that's the case, then how was it that this was both our first and final visit to it for the duration of our trip? That just occurred to me.... how odd!
I will now confess, my devious plan was to recommend another ride on Splash Mountain, but it was not to be. My brother's girlfriend was way too cold, my girlfriend not too inclined to risk a dousing at that time of night, and if I were to be perfectly honest, both she and I were exhausted by that point of a long, long day. So we called it a night, caught the bus to the Beach Club, and rested up.....
And I know readers of my old trip report are waiting for more stories about the alien organism that comes out at night to keep my girlfriend and I awake for the duration of our trip, but unfortunately I have to report that I came prepared this year with some Men in Black mojo. And my brother's girlfriend was eternally grateful, for those earplugs meant that she could actually sleep despite the freight train beside her, which apparently she didn't at all the night before.
Still, my brother maintains that he doesn't snore. It must be something about the beds at Disney World, he says.... at home he doesn't snore! At home, where he sleeps alone (or rather, with his snoring dog). And when I'm visiting I don't hear him even though the guest room is right next to his! In point of fact, sometimes I DO hear him through a closed door and over a white-noise fan, and during this trip I heard him through the plugs, which means that he snores somewhere north of 32 decibels. In all honesty, I'm a little worried about the situation, because sometimes it seems like he stops breathing and then snorts back to life, and I really think a sleep study would be useful for him (if only he wasn't so stubborn and my mother so protective of him).
And before I adjourn for the evening, one more note. Later in the trip, he claims that he woke up and heard me snoring. Which is entirely possible, though as my girlfriend says, it seems unlikely given that she sleeps with me every night and has never heard me do anything beyond the occasional heavy breathing. In any room, B&B room and/or Disney hotel room.
Team Fun.
I can't seem to hit anything I aim at, but watch out on MIB at Universal! Sounds like sleep apnea he really should check it out.
Hope you're back to normal soon. 
Miss your wisecracks.
