rgoble5972
Are we there yet?
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2001
- Messages
- 276
Day Three - Mon 5/3/04
CAST
Robin/Me - 40; trip planner/recorded; 11th trip to WDW
Paula/Sister to Robin - 30; 5th trip to WDW
Theyre more like guidelines, really. Or, Attack of the Killer Pooh-Deer.
The Plan: MGM; lunch at Sci Fi Diner; dinner at Cape May Buffet
I had taken a cold right before our trip to WDW and my cough kept me up till after 3:00 in the morning. Why is it the minute you lay down you start to cough. I figured Paula was sick of hearing me, so I finally went and sat in the bathroom for a while to give her a break from my coughing.
I woke up at 7:20 to pouring rain outside. We watched the weather channel and learned that it was supposed to rain all day, so we changed our plans around and decided to go to Downtown Disney this morning instead of MGM, with the thought that we could go to MGM later this afternoon if it cleared off.
Thats the beauty of having a tentative schedule for your trip. As they say in Pirates of the Caribbean (the film, not the ride), Theyre more like guidelines, really. So, we felt free to change them around.
We picked up our car from valet and drove to DTD. Wow, you can get a parking spot right up close when you get there first thing in the morning.
We started out with Basin where we made our first purchases of the day. Since we were parked so close, we took purchases back to the car after we were finished. World of Disney was next where I just gave up and had them ship my stuff back to our room. We took a quick look inside the Lego store (not much of a demand to go there without Michael), and then we took Paulas World of Disney purchases back to the car as well.
We stopped by Ghirardelli for a sample of chocolate and to ask where phone was as we wanted to call and check on making a priority seating for tea at the Grand Floridian in case the rain continued. There was only one seating left which was 4:30. We decided that was too late, and decided to just keep our original PS for later in the week.
We browsed through the Sand and Sun shop before making our way to Once Upon a Toy where we were, once again, confronted by the new Mr. Potato Head parts, only even more of them. I honestly dont know what possesses people but Paula and I both had packed up two boxes of the things before we could even stop ourselvesand I dont even particularly like Mr. Potato Head. We might as well just throw handfuls of $20s at them.
It was really raining by the time we finished squandering our money so we ran across the way to the pin store and looked in there for a while.
We went to the new Earl of Sandwich for lunch, which was very good. There was a constant line of people at the register and it was hard to find a place to sit, but it was just a little after noon when we got there and the line moved fairly quickly.
We tried to decide on a sandwich to split as I wanted to try their Chinese Chicken salad as well, but we couldnt agree on one. Paula wound up getting the All American (turkey, ranch dressing, cranberries, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato) while I got the Caprese (roma tomato slices with mozzarella cheese, basil and olive oil) and the salad. Sure enough, half of the sandwich with the salad was plentytoo bad they dont have a half sandwich special. Chips for Paula and two cokes made our total $21.62.
After lunch we walked through the candy store (avoiding the Sugar Bar area) on our way to the Christmas store. On the cash register of the Christmas store was a stuffed Winnie the Pooh dressed up like a reindeer. I walked over to see it, and when I touched Pooh, he came to life and took a menacing step towards me, scaring me to death and prompting a loud scream. Apparently it was one of those walking, wind-up creatures that hadnt completely wound down yet. Of course I was mortified at having screamed at the killer pooh bear and caused several customers to walk waaaaaaay around me as they shopped.
While we were making our way through the store, we got stuck behind a cute little old man who was the slowest walking guy I had ever seen. And it wasnt just that he was slow, it was the way he walked. He would raise his foot high in the air until he was leaning backwards and practically tipping over and then ever-so-slowly lower it to the ground, then repeat the same process with his other leg. Paula was behind him imitating his steps while I laughed so hard that I cried. Adding this to her Planet of the Apes walk, I dubbed Paula the keeper of silly walks.
Next up was the Art of Disney where we took a Sword and the Stone quiz. The CM said we knew more of the answers than most, so we felt pretty good about that. We finished up with the Disney Home store and Pooh corner before heading back to the Boardwalk.
Back in our room, we dumped our packages and Paula called her husband to touch base with him (she had sent him an email earlier, but this was the first time she had gotten to speak to him). After the call, we decided to brave the weather anyway and go to MGM.
We went down to the dock and waited for the boat. The CMs on the boat talked about Gertrude the duck who was at the Swolphin. The helper CM (not the captain) left some food for Gertrude on the corner of the dock and called to her to come and eat, which she did.
At MGM we headed straight to the ToT. We got Fast Passes first, and then got in the stand by line which had a 15 minute wait posted but didnt take anywhere near that long. We rode twice in the stand by line and then, as our ToT Fast Pass window was open, went and got a FP for the RnRC.
After getting our RnRC Fast Passes, we used our ToT Fast Pass, and then rode again for a 4th time. Whew! By now it was almost time for our RnRC Fast Pass, but we waited until we could get another Fast Pass (for ToT, of course) before we went to ride the RnRC. It was pouring down rain anyway, so we were glad for the shelter of the Fast Pass area as we waited for our time to open up. While we waited, we listened to the CM explaining the loading procedure for the new ToT at Disneyland. Hopefully, our whole family is taking a trip to Disneyland at Christmastime this year, so well be able to try it out firsthand.
After the rain let up we took our ride on the RnRC. We were in the very front car, so we still dont know how the ride in the back is.
Next, we went to the pin store under the Sorcerers Hat (avoiding the Stars and Motorcars Parade on the way) to pick up a free 15th Anniversary of MGM commemorative coin available to annual passholders. Since we were in the area we went ahead and rode the Great Movie Ride as well.
After the Great Movie Ride it was time to go back to ToT for our fifth ride of the evening. We rode standby the first time and then again with our Fast Passes, for a total of six rides. On one of the rides there was a cute little precocious British girl (8 years old with bright red hair and a rosy round face) in line in front of us that we talked to for a bit. Actually, her mother had been in line as well but, after hearing Paulas description of the ride, she took the chicken exit and left her daughter to ride on her own. When I asked the little girl how old she was she said that she was eight and then volunteered My Mum is a terrifying 43 and is dead scared of this ride. She said she had been practicing her American accent this week and was going to go home and say dollar instead of pound so people wouldnt know what she was talking about.
On the next ride, we were in line with a British boy (Honestly, I think we were the only Americans in the parks this week. Well, okay, apart from the several million graduates.) who was unsure of the ride. We told the boy all about what to expect and assured him he would love it. He was in the same elevator that we were so we gave him a thumbs up on the ride before it took off. After the ride we asked how he liked it and he said it was awesome.
It was 7:00 by now and we had an 8:00 priority seating for the Cape May Cafe. We started heading back out of park, looking through the gift stores along the way. We fed the ducks while waiting for the boat, and soon had everyone else waiting for the boat feeding them too.
We got off the boat at the Yacht Club and walked to the Beach Club and Cape May. We checked in at 7:40 and had about a 10 minute wait. As we waited at the podium, the CM checking us in was wondering who Hades was. She had never seen Fantasmic and was trying to figure out who all the villains in the show were. Paula and I both told her about the show and she promised that she was going to try to go see it soon.
We finished eating at 8:50 ($51.10 before tip), and added a new verse to our ever growing parody of Step in Time since we were so full--Throw your food up binge and purge. Lovely, I know.
As we walked back to the Boardwalk, we debated going into Epcot and watching Illuminations, but Paula was tired. We watched the high fireworks from the Boardwalk and then went to the gift shop to pick up our packages from yesterday.
Back in the room, I ran to get ice and cokes. We called home, checked email, and updated trip report notes while watching cartoons per our usual bedtime routine.
CAST
Robin/Me - 40; trip planner/recorded; 11th trip to WDW
Paula/Sister to Robin - 30; 5th trip to WDW
Theyre more like guidelines, really. Or, Attack of the Killer Pooh-Deer.
The Plan: MGM; lunch at Sci Fi Diner; dinner at Cape May Buffet
I had taken a cold right before our trip to WDW and my cough kept me up till after 3:00 in the morning. Why is it the minute you lay down you start to cough. I figured Paula was sick of hearing me, so I finally went and sat in the bathroom for a while to give her a break from my coughing.
I woke up at 7:20 to pouring rain outside. We watched the weather channel and learned that it was supposed to rain all day, so we changed our plans around and decided to go to Downtown Disney this morning instead of MGM, with the thought that we could go to MGM later this afternoon if it cleared off.
Thats the beauty of having a tentative schedule for your trip. As they say in Pirates of the Caribbean (the film, not the ride), Theyre more like guidelines, really. So, we felt free to change them around.
We picked up our car from valet and drove to DTD. Wow, you can get a parking spot right up close when you get there first thing in the morning.
We started out with Basin where we made our first purchases of the day. Since we were parked so close, we took purchases back to the car after we were finished. World of Disney was next where I just gave up and had them ship my stuff back to our room. We took a quick look inside the Lego store (not much of a demand to go there without Michael), and then we took Paulas World of Disney purchases back to the car as well.
We stopped by Ghirardelli for a sample of chocolate and to ask where phone was as we wanted to call and check on making a priority seating for tea at the Grand Floridian in case the rain continued. There was only one seating left which was 4:30. We decided that was too late, and decided to just keep our original PS for later in the week.
We browsed through the Sand and Sun shop before making our way to Once Upon a Toy where we were, once again, confronted by the new Mr. Potato Head parts, only even more of them. I honestly dont know what possesses people but Paula and I both had packed up two boxes of the things before we could even stop ourselvesand I dont even particularly like Mr. Potato Head. We might as well just throw handfuls of $20s at them.
It was really raining by the time we finished squandering our money so we ran across the way to the pin store and looked in there for a while.
We went to the new Earl of Sandwich for lunch, which was very good. There was a constant line of people at the register and it was hard to find a place to sit, but it was just a little after noon when we got there and the line moved fairly quickly.
We tried to decide on a sandwich to split as I wanted to try their Chinese Chicken salad as well, but we couldnt agree on one. Paula wound up getting the All American (turkey, ranch dressing, cranberries, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato) while I got the Caprese (roma tomato slices with mozzarella cheese, basil and olive oil) and the salad. Sure enough, half of the sandwich with the salad was plentytoo bad they dont have a half sandwich special. Chips for Paula and two cokes made our total $21.62.
After lunch we walked through the candy store (avoiding the Sugar Bar area) on our way to the Christmas store. On the cash register of the Christmas store was a stuffed Winnie the Pooh dressed up like a reindeer. I walked over to see it, and when I touched Pooh, he came to life and took a menacing step towards me, scaring me to death and prompting a loud scream. Apparently it was one of those walking, wind-up creatures that hadnt completely wound down yet. Of course I was mortified at having screamed at the killer pooh bear and caused several customers to walk waaaaaaay around me as they shopped.
While we were making our way through the store, we got stuck behind a cute little old man who was the slowest walking guy I had ever seen. And it wasnt just that he was slow, it was the way he walked. He would raise his foot high in the air until he was leaning backwards and practically tipping over and then ever-so-slowly lower it to the ground, then repeat the same process with his other leg. Paula was behind him imitating his steps while I laughed so hard that I cried. Adding this to her Planet of the Apes walk, I dubbed Paula the keeper of silly walks.
Next up was the Art of Disney where we took a Sword and the Stone quiz. The CM said we knew more of the answers than most, so we felt pretty good about that. We finished up with the Disney Home store and Pooh corner before heading back to the Boardwalk.
Back in our room, we dumped our packages and Paula called her husband to touch base with him (she had sent him an email earlier, but this was the first time she had gotten to speak to him). After the call, we decided to brave the weather anyway and go to MGM.
We went down to the dock and waited for the boat. The CMs on the boat talked about Gertrude the duck who was at the Swolphin. The helper CM (not the captain) left some food for Gertrude on the corner of the dock and called to her to come and eat, which she did.
At MGM we headed straight to the ToT. We got Fast Passes first, and then got in the stand by line which had a 15 minute wait posted but didnt take anywhere near that long. We rode twice in the stand by line and then, as our ToT Fast Pass window was open, went and got a FP for the RnRC.
After getting our RnRC Fast Passes, we used our ToT Fast Pass, and then rode again for a 4th time. Whew! By now it was almost time for our RnRC Fast Pass, but we waited until we could get another Fast Pass (for ToT, of course) before we went to ride the RnRC. It was pouring down rain anyway, so we were glad for the shelter of the Fast Pass area as we waited for our time to open up. While we waited, we listened to the CM explaining the loading procedure for the new ToT at Disneyland. Hopefully, our whole family is taking a trip to Disneyland at Christmastime this year, so well be able to try it out firsthand.
After the rain let up we took our ride on the RnRC. We were in the very front car, so we still dont know how the ride in the back is.
Next, we went to the pin store under the Sorcerers Hat (avoiding the Stars and Motorcars Parade on the way) to pick up a free 15th Anniversary of MGM commemorative coin available to annual passholders. Since we were in the area we went ahead and rode the Great Movie Ride as well.
After the Great Movie Ride it was time to go back to ToT for our fifth ride of the evening. We rode standby the first time and then again with our Fast Passes, for a total of six rides. On one of the rides there was a cute little precocious British girl (8 years old with bright red hair and a rosy round face) in line in front of us that we talked to for a bit. Actually, her mother had been in line as well but, after hearing Paulas description of the ride, she took the chicken exit and left her daughter to ride on her own. When I asked the little girl how old she was she said that she was eight and then volunteered My Mum is a terrifying 43 and is dead scared of this ride. She said she had been practicing her American accent this week and was going to go home and say dollar instead of pound so people wouldnt know what she was talking about.
On the next ride, we were in line with a British boy (Honestly, I think we were the only Americans in the parks this week. Well, okay, apart from the several million graduates.) who was unsure of the ride. We told the boy all about what to expect and assured him he would love it. He was in the same elevator that we were so we gave him a thumbs up on the ride before it took off. After the ride we asked how he liked it and he said it was awesome.
It was 7:00 by now and we had an 8:00 priority seating for the Cape May Cafe. We started heading back out of park, looking through the gift stores along the way. We fed the ducks while waiting for the boat, and soon had everyone else waiting for the boat feeding them too.
We got off the boat at the Yacht Club and walked to the Beach Club and Cape May. We checked in at 7:40 and had about a 10 minute wait. As we waited at the podium, the CM checking us in was wondering who Hades was. She had never seen Fantasmic and was trying to figure out who all the villains in the show were. Paula and I both told her about the show and she promised that she was going to try to go see it soon.
We finished eating at 8:50 ($51.10 before tip), and added a new verse to our ever growing parody of Step in Time since we were so full--Throw your food up binge and purge. Lovely, I know.
As we walked back to the Boardwalk, we debated going into Epcot and watching Illuminations, but Paula was tired. We watched the high fireworks from the Boardwalk and then went to the gift shop to pick up our packages from yesterday.
Back in the room, I ran to get ice and cokes. We called home, checked email, and updated trip report notes while watching cartoons per our usual bedtime routine.
That's a bummer. It's WDW and raining so it doesn't really matter as much as Texas and raining. Right? We learned on our last trip that the ducks and bunnies love goldfish crackers! So from now on, we carry them in our backpack. I had them with us most of last trip. Wish I had brought more. We loved the new Earl of Sandwich too and split the "Original". I hope Paula got some blister cream/bandages for her feet. That's painful!
