Cast: Beth (me: 40, planner, fretter, trip #9)
Dh: Mark (39, a great big wonderful kid, always up for a lark,trip #5)
DS: N. (trip #5, pre teen, and determined to do every ride he was too afraid of on his last trip)
DD: A. (trip #4, 7yo, so totally psyched)
One of our family's favorite parks is MGM. N. loves the restaurants and wants lunch at the Sci Fi theatre, so we make our PS's, skip breakfast & head into the park. We walk to the TTC to catch the buses there because (this is our logic) if you catch the bus from there, its a direct trip to the park...no stopping at other hotels. Of course, this also means that the bus will inevitably be packed to beyond capacity. Now I never miss a possibly unsafe situation, mind you, and cannot for the life of me understand how it can possibly be safe to have so many people on a bus! Also, (and no offense to anyone) I was beginning to think that my husband is the only man left on the universe who gets up from his seat on the bus (or monorail, or boat) to let a woman or child sit down. Neither M. or my N. will keep a seat if a woman, elderly gentleman or child is standing, its just what they've been taught. At this point in the vacation though, we figured that we were definitely from another planet.
We were at MGM by 9:15...I love this park because it never feels crowded to me. We hit the GMR right off, and got the gangster show. We had a great tour guide, wish I could remember her name. Then off to the Hunchback of Notre Dame show...this is awesome, and were able to snag some up front seats. I think this is one of the best shows there. Then its off to MuppetVision 3D. In between each ride, A. has to stop in nearly every store to check things out: she's looking specifically for the Jasmine doll with the green outfit. We see only Jasmine in a pretty purple dress, but we're on a mission with several days ahead of us, so no worries. Before you know it, its lunch time and we hit the Sci Fi. This is the 2nd time we've eaten at this restaurant, and both times the host/hostess appeared to be on a heavy dose of valium (please, can I have some for the trip home?) but maybe this is part of the show? Our waiter was fine, and our food was terrific. Wow, how fattening are those milkshakes & cheeseburgers?! I don't think calories count on vacation, so it was like, "Bring it on!" Very good. M. ordered a salad with his meal, and was a little disappointed to find it was really only a bowl of lettuce.
Now we waddled out of the park and back to the hotel for a swim. After swim time, M and I have a little pow wow. Have I mentioned how often my kids are eating? Constantly! M. has a good apetite too, and we're now on a first name basis with the folks at Capt. Cooks (hi, Jane!). Thats fine, but everytime we stop by it costs us 10-20 bucks. We've stayed concierge before, and M. really wanted to do it this time around, but I hemmed & hawed about it so much, that we'd passed. M. checks in at the front desk about upgrading and the CM said "sorry, we're sold out for the week, but check back tomorrow and maybe there'll be a cancellation." Ok, but we're not expecting much.
Then its back on the Monorail to Epcot...we want to see the Tapestry of Dreams parade, and see Illuminations. Its amazing. I love the parade, and the CMs in it are so interactive...A. was hugged by butterflies, and shook hands with giant puppets. N. lurked in the background but seemed to be enjoying himself, too. He loves the Chinese food counter service, so we enjoyed a nice sweet & sour chicken, and rice while the crowds began to filter out of the park...after all, we're in no hurry. It was so tasty, and only cost about $28.00 for the 4 of us to eat.
Back to hotel and crash! we are all so wiped out, we skip our evening swim. Another glorious day.
Dh: Mark (39, a great big wonderful kid, always up for a lark,trip #5)
DS: N. (trip #5, pre teen, and determined to do every ride he was too afraid of on his last trip)
DD: A. (trip #4, 7yo, so totally psyched)
One of our family's favorite parks is MGM. N. loves the restaurants and wants lunch at the Sci Fi theatre, so we make our PS's, skip breakfast & head into the park. We walk to the TTC to catch the buses there because (this is our logic) if you catch the bus from there, its a direct trip to the park...no stopping at other hotels. Of course, this also means that the bus will inevitably be packed to beyond capacity. Now I never miss a possibly unsafe situation, mind you, and cannot for the life of me understand how it can possibly be safe to have so many people on a bus! Also, (and no offense to anyone) I was beginning to think that my husband is the only man left on the universe who gets up from his seat on the bus (or monorail, or boat) to let a woman or child sit down. Neither M. or my N. will keep a seat if a woman, elderly gentleman or child is standing, its just what they've been taught. At this point in the vacation though, we figured that we were definitely from another planet.
We were at MGM by 9:15...I love this park because it never feels crowded to me. We hit the GMR right off, and got the gangster show. We had a great tour guide, wish I could remember her name. Then off to the Hunchback of Notre Dame show...this is awesome, and were able to snag some up front seats. I think this is one of the best shows there. Then its off to MuppetVision 3D. In between each ride, A. has to stop in nearly every store to check things out: she's looking specifically for the Jasmine doll with the green outfit. We see only Jasmine in a pretty purple dress, but we're on a mission with several days ahead of us, so no worries. Before you know it, its lunch time and we hit the Sci Fi. This is the 2nd time we've eaten at this restaurant, and both times the host/hostess appeared to be on a heavy dose of valium (please, can I have some for the trip home?) but maybe this is part of the show? Our waiter was fine, and our food was terrific. Wow, how fattening are those milkshakes & cheeseburgers?! I don't think calories count on vacation, so it was like, "Bring it on!" Very good. M. ordered a salad with his meal, and was a little disappointed to find it was really only a bowl of lettuce.
Now we waddled out of the park and back to the hotel for a swim. After swim time, M and I have a little pow wow. Have I mentioned how often my kids are eating? Constantly! M. has a good apetite too, and we're now on a first name basis with the folks at Capt. Cooks (hi, Jane!). Thats fine, but everytime we stop by it costs us 10-20 bucks. We've stayed concierge before, and M. really wanted to do it this time around, but I hemmed & hawed about it so much, that we'd passed. M. checks in at the front desk about upgrading and the CM said "sorry, we're sold out for the week, but check back tomorrow and maybe there'll be a cancellation." Ok, but we're not expecting much.
Then its back on the Monorail to Epcot...we want to see the Tapestry of Dreams parade, and see Illuminations. Its amazing. I love the parade, and the CMs in it are so interactive...A. was hugged by butterflies, and shook hands with giant puppets. N. lurked in the background but seemed to be enjoying himself, too. He loves the Chinese food counter service, so we enjoyed a nice sweet & sour chicken, and rice while the crowds began to filter out of the park...after all, we're in no hurry. It was so tasty, and only cost about $28.00 for the 4 of us to eat.
Back to hotel and crash! we are all so wiped out, we skip our evening swim. Another glorious day.
Krissy
