Part 16, still day 7
Again, thanks for all the shoutouts and greetings. I especially appreciate your efforts to get The CookMaster to Dis with us. Keep it all up, faithful Dissers!
A and I were, as you recall, shopping our way through MGM. I really wanted to hit the MGM store in the back of the park. Its near the backstage tour. A few trips before, I had scored some terrific magnets from MGM films, including one from my all-time favorite film, Gone With the Wind. I also love the Oscar statues they sell there. We found the store and asked the CM about fridge magnets. She reported they do not carry those anymore. I was disappointed because I wanted to get The CookMaster some Wizard of Oz merchandise. I think I told you she parent-produced Oz for our elementary school this spring. I wanted to let you people know so you dont go all the way to Disney World in hopes of finding a Wicked Witch or Flying Monkey magnet.
So A and I looked some more. Suddenly, a T-shirt caught his eye. It was hanging backward on the rack, so the important message faced us. A said, Mom! You need that shirt! Its The Fixer! We looked at the front and it was a Home Improvement logo from the TV show. We decided not to buy it. We did, however, have a great laugh as he snapped a picture of the shirt I need all day:
Youll recall The CookMastersI mean Magicians-- magical CM friend had given us 24 fastpasses for RnRC and ToT after our Beauty and the Beast meet-and-greet. A and I decided to use a couple to break up our shopping date.
Our family has an ongoing debate about which is the better attraction: Rock N Roller Coaster or Tower. For years, I was a diehard RnRC voter but this trip I converted to the Tower. I sincerely love them both and will ride them over and over with my family. Oh, all except E. He will not go near the Tower. Smart boy. Hes happy to sit outside while we take turns riding and staying with him. I do love the speed and shot-out-of-a-cannon of Aerosmiths limo. I decided, though, that for theme and pure genius, the Tower wins. A and I FastPass it twice in about 20 minutes. What did we do before FastPasses? This makes, probably, his 50th time on the Tower and he still loves every screaming second. We laugh at our picture. Then we slip over to the coaster. Its a pretty magical afternoon.
A wanted to go in the shops on Sunset on our way to the exit. He spent much of this trip trying to carefully spend his money. He had been looking at the cartoonists drawings in every store, every day. This day, he decided it was time to buy. I gave him some space as he looked through several boxes. He consulted the CM artist. She was very helpful. He was trying to choose a Goofy and a Donald, but wanted to save some money for later in the trip. Oh, I also forgot to tell you that he had his eye on a two-foot-tall Goofy statue all week. That guy costs $150 all day, every day, everywhere. Goofy would have taken every penny he had and become part of his birthday gift. He thought long and hard, as his birthday was coming the last day of the trip. Ultimately, he settled on a matted Goofy. He was so happy as we prepared to leave the park. I know I have referenced E as a greedy little joker. Thats because he is. Hes just like Shrek: like it, want it, buy (or beg for) it. A, though, never asks for anything. He doesnt care about the latest clothes, shoes, video games, or toys. Really. He respects the dollar and will take no for an answer. Its delightful to go to Disney with him because every step does not require a retail diversion. I was happy for him as he told me he felt good about his purchases.
I took him into Villains in Vogue, my favorite store! I love the sign in the candy apple case:
Apples, $3.25. Non-Poisonous. It gets me every time. Buoyed by As spending spree I bought us a Disney Villains puzzle. Its the same puzzle on the front and back. When a box says you are looking at The Worlds Most Difficult Puzzle, believe they have done their research. That thing sat unfinished on our dining room table for 6 weeks until we (just) relocated it for future stressful evenings.
We returned to the Poly to find Shrek and E just waking from a three hour nap! Im glad we left them; we never could have rested that long but they clearly needed it. It was 6:25 PM and we had a 6:40 ADR for 1900 Park Fare. Now, this was my idea. The day I made our entire-trip ADRs, I struggled with our restaurant choice for this evening. I knew the Gatelatches would be gone and we would be sad. I also knew we wanted to go back to MK for Wishes (yes, again!). So we needed to eat somewhere in MK or on the monorail. Since I have been blessed with sons, a dinner in the Castle was not happening this trip. Besides, wed done it the previous three trips (breakfasts and dinners). I kept reading about the good food and character interaction at 1900 PF. I booked it and warned everyone this was MY treat and they better not complain!.
We made it just in time. I know many of you love the Grand Floridian Resort. I am happy for you. I just want to say that we once again felt good about our Poly choice when we stepped off the monorail and into the GF. Its just not the place for The Fixers. We were, though, happy to dine there as we had a delicious experience at Citricos on a previous trip.
The character dinner was wonderful! The buffet was delicious, the characters warm, and the service good. The boys even posed with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Suzy and Perla in spite of As original protests.
We had a great time; I recommend it to all of you.
We timed dinner, of course, to perfectly coincide with the evenings showing of Wishes. The monorail dumped us into a huge crowd at MK! I think Ive mentioned we are not big parade people. If I didnt, well, were not big parade people. We like what we can see but are not willing to wait on the streets to see a parade. We used the end of SpectroMagic to scoot into Tomorrowland and ride Buzz, Space Mountain, and, Es favorite, the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority (otherwise known as the chicken Space Mountain). Then we mad our way through the throngs of departing guests to take our spot (at 8:56
easy) in front of Caseys Hot Dogs in the middle of Main Street. This is the perfect Wishes viewing spot.
We were all ready for Jiminy Cricket when I heard A start his cough. He hadnt been coughing, but this was the annoyed cough he summons when there is a smoker in his midst. Remember what I told you about the smoking-optional floor at the Poly? No way. Well, we all know there are designated smoking areas in the MK. This smoker simply believed the middle of Main Street was one of them. I gave him my best
look, told A he would be finished soon (in a voice he could hear) and hoped the jerk would relocate. He didnt, of course, but he did finish up before A talked us into moving. Whew. We soaked in every note, sparkle, and word of Wishes. We stood in the street while I composed myself after the show. We walked through the shops to the exit and were able to board a waiting monorail. Believe it or not, we were back at the Poly by 9:32. Excellent crowd management kudos to your favorite resort and mine! As we got ready for bed we caught one of our favorite movies, The Rookie on DisTV. A was the first one asleep.
E was a bit later falling into bed because he spent about 20 minutes checking his weapons (sword, shield). Im serious. He knew the next morning was his Pirate Cruise and he had to dress the part!
Up next: A Pirate, Keys to the Kingdom, and finally...Maelstrom!
Day 7 totals: Meltdowns7 (again!)
Fights-1, the awful one at Pecos Bills
Thanks!
