The Battle For My Wallet III: The Smell of Free Dining (Addendum, pg 34)

[Montana Disney Fan]

Reading your reports makes me think that maybe I should quit writing mine! Well done!

 

[MazdaUK]

Reading your reports makes me think that maybe I should quit writing mine! Well done!

Noooooooooo! More trippies more trippies

 

[ZZUB]

Chapter Three

For all of our talk about the Magic Kingdom remaining the same; it has actually gone through a lot of changes since the early ‘70s. Splash Mountain is new; Buzz Lightyear is new; Winnie the Pooh and Aladdin’s Magic Carpets are new. Even the Tiki Birds are under new management. There’s now a playground where once there was a submarine lagoon. There’s now a Toon Town where once there was nothing. The Pirates are more PC (because that’s what you want in a pirate?) Ariel makes a guest appearance in Peter Pan and Snow White’s adventures are less scary. Tomorrowland isn’t so much about tomorrow anymore. Gone are the large waterfalls which framed the entrance to the glistening white land of the future. Gone too is the Skyway.

Mainstreet has seen trees come and go and even a street and the magic shop “magically” disappeared. Gone are venues where the stage would come out of the floor and the Kids of The Kingdom would entertain. Gone too is the Diamond Horseshoe Review. Sure the building is still there but now it’s just one more character meet-n-greet. There just aren’t enough of those in Walt Disney World. Sigh.

Yet despite all of the change, much of the Magic Kingdom remains the same. The castle has remained fairly constant despite its periodic use as a billboard for the marketing campaign du jour. (Perhaps it can be used to market Disney’s Other Best Kept Secret, the DMVC. The turrets can be turned into mugs from the various resorts.) Nevertheless, the overall look of Mainstreet remains unchanged and ditto Fantasyland and Adventureland. In other words, even though the specifics are not exactly the same (nor should they be), the over all picture remains the same.

I love that about Disney World. I love that every time I walk through the tunnel I have the sense I’ve come home. I know what to expect around the next corner. And although there may be a cart hawking pins where once there was a flower bed, and although the trees are gone from the front of the castle and it now looks enormous, it all still feels familiar.

I’ve become convinced that one of the reasons I enjoy going to Disney World so much is precisely because it feels so familiar, so comfortable. Now that I’m a dad, I especially appreciate the opportunity to take my daughter to the playground where I cut my teeth. It is a singular experience to see her delight in the same things I delighted in when I was little.

My daughter is still a little freaked out by the Peter Pan ride but she really enjoyed the Carousel of Progress. COP was one of my favorites when I was little. Like most little kids, I was fascinated by the audio animatronics and I was convinced they were real. I was also confused by the carousel part of COP. I wasn’t sure we were moving and the stage wasn’t. Sure they tell you that you are moving, but it’s Disney, it’s all make believe, right? I was a teenager when I confirmed definitively that we were in fact moving. Anyway, I really liked COP which tells you something about what kind of nerd I was. I also thought the Hall of Presidents was fun. Lest you think I was a complete dork, I also liked Space Mountain, the race cars and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Despite the changes in the show (the song is different and so is the name of the dog), watching COP now reminds me very much of watching it back when. Although she’s watched COP before, my daughter really took to it this time. She was quite enamored of Rover and convinced he was looking right at her. Indeed, the audio animatronic dog is pretty realistic. When the show was over she wanted to go again. So we walked out one door, and over the rope into the door for the next show. This time we sat in the front row and my daughter was sure Rover was looking right at her. At the end of each scene when we would transition to the next, she would waive goodbye to him. It was very sweet.

It was also a bit deluded. But in a sweet way. Your kid believes in Santa Claus, mine believes a robotic dog was smiling at her. Leave it alone.

After the second time watching COP, we walked over to what is correctly known as the WEDway People Mover but what some people mistakenly call the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I don’t know why we like this ride. By all accounts it is quite lame. But for some unexplained reason, it is also quite enjoyable. In some ways it reminds me of Kilimanjaro Safari. The ride itself is pleasant; I enjoy the view. Like the Safari, I could do without the silly not-so-funny-after-all narration. With the exception of the page for Mr. Morrow which for some reason always makes me laugh, the rest of the narration just annoys me. In any event, we rode the People Mover and then went back to COP, or as it is now known in my family, the Puppies of Progress. My kid loves dogs or hadn’t I told you that already? You’d think this was my family’s effort to singlehandedly save the COP by inflating attendance numbers. It was really just my family enjoying a show together as a family. And for me, watching my daughter enjoy something that I enjoyed as a kid.

That’s not all that common, you know. There are few places left in our World that are left untouched from 30 years ago. And even though the COP has “gone through some changes,” it remains more or less the same experience in 2005 as it did in 1975. That’s why it’s important that it stay in Disney World. It is one of the few things in the MK which evokes memories of our first trips to Disney World back in the ‘70s. It is one of the few rides left in the MK that parents and their children enjoy equally. By comparison, I enjoy watching my daughter ride Dumbo but I don’t actually enjoy the ride. Not so with the COP. We both enjoy watching it. And I enjoy knowing that she is laughing and smiling at a show which I laughed and smiled at when I was not much older than she is now.

I feel so strongly about it, I may actually join the letter writing campaign to save it.

No good segue here. Why don’t you go fix yourself some coffee and then come back and continue reading.

Next we rode Buzz Lightyear. Sadly, I’m the only one in my family who really enjoys this ride. Usually my daughter likes it for the first 8 seconds and then is generally annoyed by it which means my wife can’t enjoy it either. By the end, I’m the only one shooting my laser. It seems Disney hasn’t been getting enough of our money and some mid-level functionary hatched the idea to put a ride photo in Buzz Lightyear. However, the artificial and completely ridiculous way you lose control of your car and it turns to one side is really silly. Also, on both times I rode this ride, I didn’t see one person actually buy the photo. We all stopped and looked at ourselves (we are after all Americans and obsessed with ourselves) but no one was buying. Maybe it isn’t always this way, but it was my experience that the pictures went unclaimed. So again I say, just put an debit card swipe machine at the front gates. Instead of a finger scan, swipe our bank accounts, drain them completely and then leave us alone to enjoy the parks.

It was nearing time for the afternoon parade and we started to move towards Frontierland to watch it. We’ve never actually seen the afternoon parade in the MK. Years ago we did see the Toy Story parade in MGM but that was by accident. We’ve not usually around the MK in the afternoon and if we are, then we’re on the rides. Having kids changed my perspective some. Since my daughter likes the characters so much, we scheduled some parade watching time.

We found a pretty decent spot in Frontierland and I went in search of provisions. I walked through to Adventureland and got in line at the citrus-ice cream place. I’m sure it has a name, and it may even be the place where they sell Dole Whips (whatever that is). I’ve never learned the name and I’ve never gotten a Dole Whip (whatever that is). I have, however, consumed those citrus-ice cream deals and enjoyed them. So that is how we identify the place.

There’s a window into my head. I fly into a rage if someone calls Cosmic Rays, “the snack bar in Tomorrowland,” but I can’t be bothered to learn the name of the place that sells the citrus-ice cream stuff.

In any event, neither of us was hungry, so for our “snack” I got us bottled water. I made it back to my wife and daughter in time to get out the video camera and begin filming the parade. The families on both sides of us were very polite and neither one got into my camera view. I appreciated that. And that should also tell you how un-crowded it was that day.

I understand the Share a Dream Come True parade debuted during the 100 Years of Magic Promotion four years ago and I don’t expect Disney to come up with new parades every two years when they assault us with new marketing promotions. However, since we’re no longer celebrating 100 years of Walt, maybe the pseudo-Walts on tricycles could be done away with. They add nothing to the parade, no one around me seemed to know who they were or what they were doing there and frankly, it’s in-humane to make people ride bikes and act like they're animating in that heat. In other words, we could still share a dream come true without empathizing with sweaty, early century “animators” on wheels.

Just my thoughts. They’re worth as much as you’ve paid to read this report.

Having never seen the parade, we didn’t know what to expect. We enjoyed it very much. The villain float was kind of funny. It makes me laugh that one of them says, “What on earth is there to smile about?” I don’t know why that’s funny to me but it is. My daughter doesn’t like any of the villains and when that float came up, she covered her face. Cruella DeVille saw her doing this and then she covered her face and made fun of her. We laughed hysterically. We’re those kinds of people. Our kid is not willing to countenance evil; she gets made fun of and we laugh along with her tormentors. I’m putting money aside for the professional counseling she’ll require in her adolescent years.

After the parade, we embarked on an hour long’s journey to help my daughter fall asleep. We had plans to be in the MK rather late and she needed a nap. Usually, a few minutes of walking her around in her stroller puts her to sleep. Not this day. We walked from Frontierland towards Mainstreet because we thought we could walk around the shops on Mainstreet while she was sleeping. Our detour into the Liberty Square Christmas Shop was ill-advised. She perked right up. So when we finished there, we walked around through Adventureland, turned the corner into Frontierland and walked all the way back. She was still with us. We crossed the hub and headed into Tomorrowland. From there we hung a left and started walking towards Toon Town. She fell asleep somewhere in front of the race cars. We reversed course and headed back into Tomorrowland. While she was sleeping, I went back on Buzz Lightyear and my wife kept walking her around. After Buzz, we walked back to Mainstreet so we could be in the air conditioning. Man was it hot.

One thing I appreciate about Mallstreet USA is that you can walk from one end to the other completely inside. Not that the a/c was particularly cold. It was really more of a tease. But if you looked carefully, you could find the vents blowing cold air and park yourself in front of it while your wife looked at more overpriced crap.

Around the time we reached what used to be the cross street and is now another store, we bumped into the Pennsylvania people again. They appeared to be doing the same thing we were.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“Good, how are you?”
“Hot.”
“It’s brutal.”
Scintillating conversation, wasn’t it?

By the time we reached the Emporium, my daughter was awake. The nap was over. We’d lost the gold. She’d slept for 45 minutes. We knew we were in for an episode but there was nothing we could do about it now.

Don’t tell me it’s not genetic. She was in a store, sound asleep and woke up ready to shop. She is her mother’s daughter.

Nap over, we headed back to the race cars. Here’s a ride from my childhood that I enjoyed then but am annoyed by now. My 3 ½ year old daughter really thought it was cool that she got to drive so I reckon it wasn’t completely lame. Although about half way through the ride she got bored steering and by the time we got around to where my wife was standing with the camcorder, I had to steer for her. So on second thought, this ride is totally lame.

Speaking of lame, we moved over to what used to be the submarine lagoon but is now Pooh’s Playful Spot. This was disappointing for two reasons. For anyone who remembers what used to be here, seeing it as a playground is very depressing. But if the playground was well done, it wouldn’t be such an insult. If only it was as well themed as the play area in California Adventure or if it had the detailing of the Honey I Shrunk the Audience playground in MGM. It's really just a semi-interesting tree and some other stuff to crawl on and slide down. We stood there for 15 minutes and because I’m a dad, I broke out my camcorder and filmed my daughter running around. Then I got harassed by an all-too-eager CM would couldn’t wait to show me where the hidden Mickeys are. Poor kid must have just started in the Magic Kingdom and he was assigned to this pitiful play area. He doesn’t get to remind people to remain seated till the car comes to a full and complete stop; he doesn’t get to check lap belts. He just has to walk around and wonder whether he’d made a tactical career error.

My daughter wandered over to the splash area. I remember when these were introduced in Epcot in 1982. They were really cool then. No so much now.

We headed to Toon Town. One look at Goofy’s Barnstormer up close and my daughter decided she’d rather see Minnie’s House. We then went into the Country Fare (or whatever it is they call that place) to see some characters. We got in line for Minnie and Friends and we were immediately assaulted by the Beast. Not the furry one who stars with Belle. No this was a beast of a different order. This was a smell so ferocious, so horrendous, it virtually defies description. The guy in front of us had a major stink on. Not just a minor, somewhat offensive odor, mind you. I’m talking the Stench of Death. His relationship with soap and water was clearly estranged. This wasn’t just the result of one day in the Florida hot either. No, he hadn’t spent any meaningful time with cleaning agents for several days, weeks even. He also appeared to have no working knowledge of the smell neutralizing properties of deodorant. Put succinctly, he smelled bad. Real bad.

So you can imagine how much fun it was to stand in line behind him and his smelly family.

15 minutes never felt so long.

New idea: at the front of the park when they swipe your debit card and drain your account, they should also spray you down with a strong, industrial strength deodorant. Sure, some of us don’t need a head to toe spray down with Right Guard, but others of us DO need to be smell neutralized. So those of us who don’t smell will have to take one for the team. It’s just the price we pay to not have to suffer the stench of death anymore.

Next time: My daughter, the voice of Wishes!

 

[MazdaUK]

I love your reports!

However, the artificial and completely ridiculous way you lose control of your car and it turns to one side is really silly.

A couple of years ago we went to Der Efteling them park in Holland - apparently that's where Walt got his inspiration for Disneyland. Their version od IASW is a sort of carnival-themed ride where you sit in little buggies which follow the track then turn sideways at the end for the photo - our photo was terrible so we didn't buy it. Maybe someone in Disney returned to the source fo the inspiration to see if they'd missed an opportunity to extract those extra dollars?

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Next we rode Buzz Lightyear. Sadly, I’m the only one in my family who really enjoys this ride. Usually my daughter likes it for the first 8 seconds and then is generally annoyed by it which means my wife can’t enjoy it either. By the end, I’m the only one shooting my laser. It seems Disney hasn’t been getting enough of our money and some mid-level functionary hatched the idea to put a ride photo in Buzz Lightyear. However, the artificial and completely ridiculous way you lose control of your car and it turns to one side is really silly. Also, on both times I rode this ride, I didn’t see one person actually buy the photo. We all stopped and looked at ourselves (we are after all Americans and obsessed with ourselves) but no one was buying. Maybe it isn’t always this way, but it was my experience that the pictures went unclaimed. So again I say, just put an debit card swipe machine at the front gates. Instead of a finger scan, swipe our bank accounts, drain them completely and then leave us alone to enjoy the parks.

LOL! That's funny

My wife actually purchased the picture of me and my son because I looked so determined in the picture. I was going for my high score you see.

Our problem with the pictures at the end of the rides is that it takes WAY TOO LONG to actually place an order. My wife is the scrap book queen of Montana and HAS to have a bunch of these types of shots or the scrap book is just not complete. We also had to purchase ride photos of us on ToT and of my son and DW on RnR.

 

[blestmom]

I love that about Disney World. I love that every time I walk through the tunnel I have the sense I’ve come home. I know what to expect around the next corner. And although there may be a cart hawking pins where once there was a flower bed, and although the trees are gone from the front of the castle and it now looks enormous, it all still feels familiar.
[/B]

You've summed up exactly why I love Disney so much...and how much it means to now share it with my kids...thank you!

 

[jennymouse]

Whew, I'd begun to think you'd been arrested by the refillable mug police and locked up forever! Thanks again!

 

[santonucci]

I just cam back from the the WL in Sep. On that trip, we had three different styles of mugs. One was so old, that the lettering is essentially gone. A faint image of the old WL logo is all that remains...

Never had a single CM say a word. Not even a funny look. Good for life, or at least 10 years (so far).

Steve in NJ

P.S. dead on description of the Magical Express! Thank god they don't charge by the hour...

 

[LaLa]

Allright, Zzub, do you moonlight as a comedian or what???? If the law business ever gets slow, you definitely have something to fall back on. I love reading your reports. I have to print them out and let my husband read them. The entire time he's laughing, saying, "That is soooooo true! I thought we were the only ones that noticed these things!" By the way, we just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary as well on October 21st and also just returned from POR. Guess it was a good day to get married.

 

[Mysteria]

Loving this new report! Thanks for the laughs.

Myst

 

[Rella Bella]

Zzub!!
This is fantastic!!
Thanks for sharing your Disney magic with us!
Your DD sounds like a peach!
Waiting impatiently for the next edition!
Your #1 fan club member

 

[twotommygirl]

I think I've found my soulmate!

Great report!

 

[Cynt]

Thanks for putting your report on ONE THREAD!! You are a hoot!! I'm really posting to get the reminder messages when you post again.

 

[goodferry]

Your report is hysterical! We want more!

 

[ehtpnt]

Laughed and laughed. Husband out of town, can't wait to get him to read this. The two on the cell phones...priceless!!

Estelle

 

[ZZUB]

Chapter Four

The stench of death was powerful, but not so powerful as to kill our appetite for free food. C’mon.

We made our way to the only counter service restaurant worth eating at (on that side of the Magic Kingdom anyway), Cosmic Rays. We really enjoy Cosmic Rays, well as much as you can enjoy theme park fast food. Oddly enough, the thing we appreciate about it is the variety. And yet we always eat from the same side. Go figure.

Before we left home, we took a good look at our meal plans. Because we were on the Dinning deal, and my daughter is only three, we choose to share food for a few meals so that we could pool our dinning credits and use them later. At Cosmic Rays, we split two meals. This worked out very well and there was plenty of food. For some odd reason, my daughter doesn’t like the bun on her hamburger. Never has. We normally tell people she’s on the Atkins diet and watching her carbs. Sometimes people laugh.

Because of her bun-phobia, I ordered a double cheeseburger and my wife ordered a cheeseburger. I gave my daughter the extra patty. We also got some kind of dessert that if I had paid for it I would have demanded my money back. It was held out as carrot cake, but it was neither carrot nor cake. Discuss.

Dinner over, we headed towards Mainstreet to watch Spectromagic. The parade started at 8:00 and we didn’t leave Cosmic Rays until 7:45. (!)

I can hear you yelling at me, “Are you out of your Vulcan mind?! You can’t just go to Mainstreet at 7:45 to watch Spectro!”

I was yelling it myself. Actually, I was blaming my wife.

Whenever we do something Disney-stupid it can’t be my fault. I know better. It’s because someone else insisted we do something else first. We were showing up too late to find a good spot for Spectro because my wife insisted we first do something foolish like eat.

When we got to the Hub, I considered crossing it and heading towards Frontierland but I didn’t want to then have to come all the way back for Wishes. Mind you, we had already circumnavigated the park three times like rank amateurs because we had been trying to lull my daughter to go to sleep. My dogs were barking.

And I had faith.

I knew we didn’t need to be on the curb for Spectro, just close enough to see. At that late hour I figured we could probably stand behind the people who were sitting on the curb. We turned left at the Hub and when we got to Mainstreet, we headed down the left sidewalk. They are now roping off a viewing section of the sidewalk leaving a walking section. I think this is a good a development. We hadn’t been in Disney World since April, 2004 so this was new to us. We walked a few steps and I saw an opening behind a family. We climbed under the rope and stood behind them waiting for the parade to start. Because I’m me, I struck up a conversation with them. They’re from Gainesville. We still had a few minutes before Spectro started and I noticed no one was sitting in their stroller. The dad was holding his son. I asked if my daughter and I could trade places with the stroller. They were very nice and said, “No problem.” So I held my daughter and we stood on the curb and we moved their stroller behind us next to ours. My wife manned the camcorder from behind.

This is what is supposed to happen at Disney World and indeed in the rest of the world. People are supposed to help each other, be kind to one another, treat each other the way you want to be treated. We didn’t walk up Mainstreet expecting anyone to move. We walked up expecting to be able to stand behind someone. But as it turns out we met people who, like us, loved their family and loved Disney. They didn’t think their empty stroller was more important than us. They could tell we had made a tactical error by arriving late, and although we were willing to pay the consequence of our actions, they were willing to help us out.

There is still a remnant of good-hearted people. People who are not selfish and not rude. People who are good hearted and are willing to bless others. The Gainesville people were kind and generous and selfless. I strive to be more generous of spirit, more selfless. It’s so easy at Disney World to have a sense of entitlement, to want everything your way, to be self-centered. Rude. But I was blessed by the simple act of a family moving their stroller. I am comforted to know there are still people in my world who think of other people first.

Man, this chapter is unusually mushy. Wait, it gets worse.

Spectro was, as usual, great to watch. No matter how many times I see it, I will never get tired of it. My daughter really enjoys this parade too. I think all kids must. I enjoyed just holding her, watching her point and wave at the characters. Sure my back was sore, and my left knee was in tremendous pain, but I got to hold my daughter and see her enjoy herself. I’ll take every opportunity I have to hold my little girl while she’ll let me. She’ll be 18 soon and I won’t get to hold her anymore. But for this night, she’s still my little princess.

After Spectro, we started looking for a good spot to watch Wishes. Those of you who’ve suffered through the Battle for My Wallet II: Disneyland Boogaloo, know that while watching the fireworks at Disneyland, my daughter realized she didn’t like them very much. That was 10 months ago and 10 months is a long time for a small child. So we decided to give it another shot. But we were going to be far enough away that the noise wasn’t so intense. And close enough to a store for my wife to hide her in if the noise got to be too much. Earlier this summer, I let my daughter watch a video of Wishes on the internet and she thought it was pretty cool. So we thought maybe she was ready to try fireworks again.

We started walking towards the train station and we noticed a British family (was it MazdaUK? I don’t know, I didn’t ask) just sort of hovering in the middle of the street. I asked them whether we could just stand there for the fireworks and the lady said, “Oh yes. This is a perfect spot to watch them.” So we parked the stroller right in the middle of Mainstreet, almost right where the cross street connects. We were right in front of the castle and far enough back so the noise was less intimidating. We were also near a hiding place if my daughter decided the noise was too much.

We now only had 45 minutes to kill.

I watched people crowd in around the Hub and I wondered if they knew something that I didn’t. Even though I knew I had a good spot, there is a natural tendency to follow the crowd. Still, I knew that the Hub was not the best place to watch Wishes because you miss so much of the show from right there. I trusted my instinct and the recommendation of the nice British family which may or may not have been MazdaUK, and stayed put.

Lots of people walked past us and looked at us like we were nuts. “Why would anyone just stop in the middle of the road?!” they'd ask me with their eyes.

“Why would anyone wear flip flops to Disney World?” I would ask them with mine.

Soon enough, other sensible people joined us. There was a young couple from Ohio, who pulled up along side us. We started talking to them and I noticed they both had southern accents. Having done time in the south, I inquired where they were from.

“Ohio,” He said.
“Really? You sound southern,” I said.
“We’re from Southern Ohio,” she said.
“And we watch a lot of Dukes of Hazzard,” he said.

That made me laugh. I reckon my sense of humor isn’t all that sophisticated. I think a page for Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow is funny. And I think people alleging their southern accent is a result of living in southern Ohio is similarly amusing. Sometimes I laugh at Vonage commercials too.

Finally, Wishes was set to begin. We got my daughter out of the stroller and my wife held her and I wrapped my arms around them both. I’d been here before in Disneyland, so I knew this idyllic moment might be short lived. But soon enough Tinkerbelle flew and my daughter thought that was really cool. She didn’t like the booming noises but she recognized most of the music and she thought the lights in the sky were something neat. I instinctively knew that if we made it to the Hercules section, the mini-climax, she would be ok.

The fireworks cascade up over the castle on both sides as the music crescendos. The crowd cheered and my daughter cheered too. My wife asked me if that was it and I told her there was a good bit more. But my daughter was doing ok. She was actually enjoying it now.

Facing down fear is important. I don’t want my daughter to grow up afraid. There are truly scary things in this world and she knows it’s ok to feel fear and that even Daddy and Mommy sometimes feel fear. For instance, this past Saturday, I was afraid Alabama would not beat Tennessee. But we’re teaching her she doesn’t have to live in fear. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the ability to face it. Since fireworks can’t hurt you and are nothing to fear, we encouraged her to face her fear. We knew ultimately she would really enjoy them.

Turns out she was ready for this challenge. She loved hearing the Genie’s voice and she loved watching all the colors and the music. And me? I loved holding my wife and daughter and watching a great fireworks show in a place that feels more like home than any place I ever go visit. When it was over and the crowd cheered, I noticed my daughter was cheering too.

But it wasn’t the emotional music or the climax of lights and sounds that put a lump in my throat.

It was my daughter looking up at me and saying, “Daddy, I did it! I wasn’t afraid! I like fireworks now.”

I’m not embarrassed to say that my eyes watered up as I kissed her on the head and told her I was proud. “You’re the one,” I said, pointing at her.

“No, you’re the one,” she said pointing back at me.

If you were so inclined, I could offer you my resume and you could see that I’ve accomplished a thing or two in my little life. But nothing I’ve ever done, no degree I’ve earned, case I’ve won or accomplishment I’ve achieved has been more significant than the little girl who calls me Daddy. She’s the one. And in moments like this, moments when we connect and there’s something we enjoy together, I realize how blessed and fortunate I am.

I swiped at the tear in my eye, because although I’m not embarrassed to write to abject strangers that my love for my daughter sometimes makes me cry, I am still a man and not all that interested in other people seeing me cry.

Darn contacts. Must be an eyelash or something.

It was an extra magic evening so we headed towards Tomorrowland because we figured no one else would go there. Puppies of Progress was closed so we rode the People Mover. I asked my daughter if she wanted to watch Wishes again.

“Wishes!” she sang.
“Wishes!” I sang back to her
“Wishes!” she sang back to me. Evidently, this was the only word from the show she picked up.
“Wishes!” I repeated back to her. Evidently, it was the only word I’d picked up also.

“Paging Mr. Morrow. Mr. Tom Morrow, your party from Saturn has arrived. Please give them a ring.”

I laughed uncontrollably.

“Wishes!”

We pulled back into the station and I asked the CM if we could just stay on. “Wishes!” my daughter sang out in full voice.

“She’s the voice of Wishes,” I said.

The CM laughed and let us ride around a second time without having to get off first.

“Wishes!”

We rode around again and again I laughed at the page for Tom Morrow. For someone who doesn’t drink, that shouldn’t be that funny.

The Magic Kingdom was more crowded than it had been all day so we headed for the bus. It wasn’t that it was scary crowded; we were just tired and waiting more than 10 minutes for a ride seemed pointless. On the way out, we passed the Pennsylvania people again. They looked tired and worn out too. We traded exhausted smiles.

We got back to PORiverside and headed to the Food Court for some late night provisions and free refills. Which is our right at least until 2042.

Walking back to our room my daughter caught her second wind. “Wishes!” she sang as we walked. We managed to quiet her down before we crossed the bridge to our building. I explained to the people walking past us that she was the voice of Wishes. They laughed politely but didn’t ask for an autograph.

When we got back to our room everybody got cleaned up. I turned on the Resort Channel for background noise and we had a late night snack. I love vacation. We all climbed up on one of the beds and looked through our pictures from the day. That’s one feature of digital cameras I really like. It’s fun to be able to relive the magic as you’re still living the magic. We looked at our pictures from the parade and from lunch with Cinderella and her princess friends (and Wendy). The pictures with Minnie Mouse were really good. She was especially animated, no pun intended. She hugged my daughter and rubbed noses with her and danced with her too.

It was a great way to end the day. All snuggled up, orange stains on our fingers from eating cheeze doodles, sipping eternally free pop, graham cracker crumbs all around, looking at our pictures from our day at Disney World. Thanks to our digital camera, we were making memories of looking at the memories we created earlier that day. All that was missing was a reminder from Disney that we’d be leaving soon and we’d better start planning our next vacation.

Wishes!

Next time: The surrey bike with the bell on top.

 

[Master Gracie]

Actually, I was blaming my wife.

Keep up the good fight...she won't take the blame, but you'll at least feel better.

Great trip reports. I thoroughly enjoy them.

As a matter of fact let me let me give your report the first ever official:

Use it well.

 

[Joan S.]

Hi ZZUB!! Love your trip report and WISHES always makes me CRY! Glad you take the time to appreciate your DD. All too soon she WILL BE 18 and making fun of you for wanting to watch Wishes over and over again!( can you tell I have an 18 year-old??) Anyway you watched from the BEST spot,this is where we always watch from, you can see the "WHOLE SHOW" as it is AROUND the castle and because we usually leave right after WISHES it is so easy to ESCAPE(I mean LEAVE!) Joan

 

[MazdaUK]

Lovely report!

Sadly, it wasn't me waiting to see Wishes - didn't see it at Easter because the boys were too tired to wait and DH says we don't need to go back for a long time because we've seen everything . I've called the Dr for some medication for him.

We normally tell people she’s on the Atkins diet and watching her carbs. Sometimes people laugh.

The ones who don't laugh probably nod wisely and agree its a good thing to get tiny girls hooked on their weight early

Looking forward to the next part

 

[bigglesworth003]

Fantastic trip Reports!!!!!!

I got a tear from your wishes story too what a wonderful experience!