The happyhaunts go South... the endless trip report!

[tcfdick]

Subscribing to this great thread!

 

[stich626]

I too do not know how to post pics. I hope u can figure it out. I would love to see them. Can't wait for the next post.

 

[Angelrose]

Must subscribe. Just loving this report.

 

[Rubbertops]

Subscribing.

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Part 5

Day 1, Dec 11: Well... we left the thrifty, competitive happyhaunts stuck in Frontierland. I hope you all like Frontierland, too. Because we spend most of our time in the Magic Kingdom either in Frontierland... or the bathrooms. Thanks to Tommy. He's our Lavatoire Voyageur. That's french. But only half. I made up the "lavatoire" part. I don't think it's a word. Sometimes, I try to be "fancy". Anyway. We also spend alot of time standing outside, in front of the Haunted Mansion, arguing. Now... I could go on, forever, with this. I'll try to be brief.(for me... that is... so fasten your seatbelts!) Given my "name" on these boards, you can surmise that I really like this particular ride. If 'like' means 'to care for more than one's firstborn child' to you... than you are correct. I 'LIKE' the Haunted Mansion. A lot. I care for the Haunted Mansion. A bit of an aside here(brace yourselves!): I am an only child. I am an only child of older parents who desperately wanted children. I am spoiled. Not so much, anymore. But DH does try his best. He likes me. So did my parents. I liked scary things as a child. But, not TOO scary. I had a pop-up book when I was six. It was called "The Haunted House". I read it over and over again.... hundreds of times. It was a Hallmark Pop-up Book. If you pulled the tab on the side, ghosts would move back and forth... sort of scary... but not, really. It(the GHOST(S)) was really an old, lonely man in the old house with this new fangled gadget(ie. a computer!) making all the special eerie effects. He scared the boy and girl, in the story, until they realized he just wanted a friend. OH... I WISH I could find a copy of that book, again. My favourite book as a child! OK... You still with me? So... the Haunted Mansion to me WAS that favourite book. The book that got me through visits to my elderly aunt's house, the penny bazzar at the church and countless visits to the flippin' FABRIC store. Only children need books... we don't have siblings, you know. So... I had a build-up thingie goin' on before I even got to WDW, the first time. Then... my Dad took me on The Ride. Me and him. He had a slightly twisted sense of humour, my dear departed Dad. He scared the living @#*! whoosie whatsis out of me. And I LOVED IT! We rode it over and over together. Me crying and him, laughing. Me threatening to tell Mom, and him apologizing. ('Cause BOTH of us were scared of Mom!) Me laughing and him crying... with laughter. Yes... we were weird. I loved him. I miss him. Being in the Haunted Mansion, for me... is being with my Dad, again. And he's been gone 16 years now. But, in that ride... I can still smell the stale tobacco in his shirt as if my head was buried in his shoulder. I have been unable, as a parent, to translate the power of this ride to anyone in my family, except for Calvin. But Calvin is much like me. The others don't get it. So, if I had my way... the first ride in WDW would be the Haunted Mansion. But... both Beth and Tommy are terrified of it. And, while DH thinks the details in it are super... he doesn't particularily love it. Something was lost in translation, I think. But, at least, Calvin loves it and will ride with me, whenever. So, on our first day, at WDW we argue whether to ride it now or later. Later wins out 'cause everyone is tired and we march on. We pass the somewhat long line to Peter Pan and decide to leave the park... then and there... and try to get into dinner early at 'Ohana. Everyone has had a VERY long day. DH says the kids are fading. I'm good... but he's tired, too. Time to go. We head out. Major quantities of food await...

To be continued. Bear with me. P.S. anyone know how to post pictures? anyone? Bueller? anyone?

 

[Lulu's Mom]

I love your reports... I read your dining report and it was fantastic. Very excited to read more. As far as posting pictures, the way I did mine was all of my pictures are on snapfish.com (an online photo shop). I go to snapfish.com and choose the picture that I want and then I right click the picture and go to properites. Under properties it will give you a url, you copy the url. Then you go to the boards and click the inset image button (it is the one under the sixe option that looks like mountains). After you click that button a box will pop up that says enter script here(something to that affect). You then paste your images url there and hit enter. That should work and I hope it made sense.

I hope you can get pictures up

 

[JerryMoCricketsGal]

Sorry for the new post to all subscribers, but, the overwhelming need to see when Haunt puts updates on here has taken over...I must reply to subscribe.

Forgive me all other subscribers for the invasion of the "oh, it's not a report from Haunt" email in your mailboxes.

 

[jenrose66]

I kind of know how to post pictures. If you look at the faq on the boards there will be directions. I know there is a place on the board where you can store your pictures and then link them so they show up. I'm embarassed to say it took me an hour to post my sig pic. Anyway, try that out and maybe it will help.

 

[Third times a charm]

Subscribing!!! Can't wait to hear more!
I hope the man on the plane isn't a DISER

 

[CastMemberDWA]

Subscribing too! Very fun report...!

 

[HoneyPooh]

Subscribing! Imagine, part 5 and still on day 1. Don't want to miss anything

 

[thelionqueen]

Reading your reports has made me laugh harder than I have in a VERY long time . Just so you know, you are describing me in every way imaginable. Your DH is my DH. Your kids are my kids (2 of them anyway). One sweet and calm and loving and the other an absolute rocket!

I LOVE the Haunted Mansion, and I always cry when I see the Castle (I cry @ Wishes & Illuminations too BTW) My DH never asks for directions and he is sweet & dear like yours.

Reading your reviews has made me laugh out loud several times, and, yes I cried too when reading about your dad and the HM. I can totally relate!

Anyway, to load pictures..here is what you do.

1. Need to have an online photo host. I use Shutterfly. Some use Snapfish
or photbucket. Take your pick. They are all free and set us is quick.

2. Once you are signed onto your host, upload the digital pictures you have
saved in your computer to the host. Shutterfly has very simple directions
on how to do this, takes me about 1 minute or less to load 20 pics.

3. Once your pics are loaded to host, right click on picture.

4. Then click on "properties" (at bottom of pull up menu)

5. In "properties" you will see on the left "Address or URL or both"

6. Copy the entire address by highlighting it, right click and then "copy".

7. In your post, you enter any picture by using -then paste the address
you copied previously after [img] (no spaces).

8. Once copied type (no spaces) Your photo is copied.

I hope this helped, it took me quite awhile on my own to figure this out.

Please keep on with your endless review..IT'S GREAT!!!

 

[Grammyof2]

Report is great. Can't wait for more!

 

[Mary Anne]

I too am subscribing to this great thread!

 

[casey49781]

I too am subscribing to this great thread!!!!!!!

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Part 6

Day 1, Dec 11: It was a good thing we decided to leave the Magic Kingdom when we did because, as we all trudged down Main St., we were an abnormally quiet, slow bunch of not-so-happyhaunts. Especially Calvin. He had lost his spark. He was dragging and couldn't even muster the strength for one poke or jab at Tommy in the stroller as he walked beside him. It was strange. Beth was trailing behind us, eyes straight ahead, just intent on getting out... and DH was pushing Tommy in the stroller. "Wow" says DH, "I am so baked, all of a sudden! I just want a beer... and I want to sit down!" Imagine that. DH wanting a beer. And THEN wanting to sit down. After his fist is firmly wrapped around a beer. DH has his priorities. I, myself, am starting to feel a little strange, too. Everything feels just a little "wrong", it's kind of surrealish. But, I figure, I'm not doing too bad for being completely sleep deprived. I did realize, however, that I'd slept less in the last two days than when I had given birth to my children. See... I've got my priorities, too: there was the thrill, excitement and wonder of giving birth to three healthy, beautiful babies versus A WALT DISNEY WORLD VACATION!!!!!! Just kidding. I think. We all get on the resort monorail which will take us back to the Poly and to dinner. There's a very cute, perky family in the car with us. They are excited and chatting and, well, HAPPY. We five, however, stare dejectedly at our own feet, avoid making eye contact with each other and, occasionally, let out a few deep, morose sighs. We, as a group, prove to have the more overpowering presence and by the time we all exit at the Polynesian Hotel, they are all staring, gloomily, out the windows, too. It was like leaving a Toronto Maple Leaf hockey game... or a funeral. Basically, the same thing.(Sorry, Mel!). We completely killed their Disney buzz. I felt bad. Perhaps if Calvin hadn't sadly said, "I'm so stinking tired I wish I was dead, Mommy." as we were heading towards the Contempory Resort. That's something everyone wants to hear from an small child in the middle of the "Magic". So we all floated into the Tambu Lounge like a big black stormcloud and plopped ourselves down. I went over to the podium to beg them to let us in earlier than our ADR. I left DH staring at the server, willing her to come over to him. I came back after my pleading and found DH STILL willing her to come over so he could order a beer. But she wasn't pulling in his telepathic signals. "Just wave her over, Mel." I suggest. "Can't. Too tired." He responds. So we just sit there. Finally, after about 10 minutes she comes over. We order. Calvin has fallen into a very deep sleep in one of the chairs. Tommy says he's hungry, Beth too. We have the stay or go debate. We decide to stay. Wow. This should be a stellar Arrival Day Dinner. One for the books. I end up going down to Captain Cook's downstairs to get some fresh pineapple for Tommy and Beth. Beth decides to have a little looky at the gift shop on the 2nd floor and that kind of perks her up. It's SHOPPING, after all. One of our favourite sports. I'm starting to feel weirder and weirder as I drink my beer. Kind of shaky. I actually ask DH if the floor is shaking. My hands and legs are. "Melly, you're just horribly sleep deprived. You should have slept last night." Thank you. Silly me. That's what I should have done. But... why would I actually sleep when it would cause me to miss the wonder which was seven hours of listening to the four of you process a large, greasy, fried dinner at very close range? I finally realize that I had to snap out of this. I'm grumpy, tired, shaking and dizzy... and I don't want everyone to remember this dinner as the one where Mommy lost her mind and picked imaginary bugs off her arm while huming "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". So... I had to do the mind over matter thing. I convinced myself that I wasn't tired and that was that. We were going to have fun. Sort of. We went in and ate. It was fine. Not our best 'Ohana dinner experience, ever. We were just WAY too tired. But OK. Calvin missed all of it. On our way home to S.S. that night we decided that an early flight and busy day does not make for a great and magical evening. We'll have to do 'Ohana on the second night when we fly that early in the future. It's too bad, though. I liked it the very first night as a tradition. We made it back "home" in one piece and DH didn't even get lost. I was mighty impressed. Or, at least, I WOULD have been... if he hadn't made that turn into Old Key West at the very end. Ha, ha. That's my DH. We stayed at OKW... LAST MAY. We got lost almost every time we drove back, then. This time, however, he finds it like a homing pigeon. I was too tired to laugh, though. Or tease him. I was so tired I wished I was dead...

To be continued. Sorry. Tomorrow will be more uplifting!

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Part 7

Day 2(yes... unbelievably!), Dec 12: Our second day at Disney dawned bright and early. Well, it dawned bright... but not all that early for me. I think I was awakened shortly after 9am. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..." and so on. I opened my one eye to find Tommy's face about two inches from mine, breathing his morning breath into my nose. I can tell it's Tommy just by the breath alone. I can tell all my family by how their breath smells after 10 hours in the sack. Like I said before, it's not always good to be a smeller. I open the other eye to find the whole family standing around the bed, staring at me. "Wow, Mel! That was some solid sleep you were getting!" DH smiles down at me, "I thought I was going to have to do something drastic to wake you out of that coma." "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Now it's Calvin, sounding like Tommy. Oh goody. That means he has something funny... REALLY FUNNY(!)... to share. He blurts out, "Mommy! Daddy said that you're SO HOT when you drool in your sleep! Ha, ha, ha, ha! YOU DROOLED! Look...look...there on the pillow! GROSS! Mommy's gross. Gross. Gross, gross Mommy!" God, how I love them all. Beth ceases being my morning favoured one as she then screams, "PILE ON!" and a sudden assault is launched. I barely have time to curl into a protective ball on my side. There's screaming (mine), giggling, bouncing and poking happening all at once. Save me, DH. Please. There's a heavy one on my head. DH fails to pick up on my telepathic cry for aid. Or maybe he just ignors my silent call for help. "I'm coming, too!" he yells and jumps on the bottom of the bed... onto my ankles and feet. Now a little aside here: DH is a large mammal. DH is 6'4" and 240lbs. DH can eat a whole chicken. DH is also a big, strong hockey-playing DH. I am smaller than DH... by 11 inches and 120 lbs. But... I can take DH any day of the week! Just not all of them at once. (And, I think, DH must let me win. Sometimes.) Ok. My little aside is over. They're all on top of me having a grand 'ol time slowly compressing my lungs and soft tissues. My foot is twisted at an unnatural angle and wedged somewhere in DH's vast hindquarters. What a great way to start the day. I know SOMEONE who will be needing an ECV today at Epcot. Finally, they all get off to check if I'm still breathing. I announce that I will forgive them this slip in self-control if they let me have a shower in peace, if DH makes a HUGE pot of Starbucks... and if I can, actually, still walk. They agree. I head off to the washroom where I realize that something is STILL wrong. I feel weird. Still. And, after all that sleep, too. Like I have a rash on my torso. Or something. Then, I realize what's wrong. Ha, ha, ha, ahhhhhhhh... ha, ha, ha! I'm laughing out loud, so hard, in the washroom. All by myself. I've FORGOTTEN to remove my BRA! I just put my pj's on over top of it last night! I slept in my bra. All 11 hours. In my bra! (Gee... haven't done THAT since university! Oh. Or that time camping last summer when I had seven beers...) DH hears me laughing like a crazy woman in the washroom. "What? What? What did I do? I KNOW I flushed the toilet!" That makes me laugh harder. I love him! He cracks me up, sometimes. So I get my shower and my coffee and we have to quickly pack up our few items and check out of S.S. We have to get to the Beach Club Villas... and Epcot. Luckily Baby Lion is lying right out in the open. No frantic Baby Lion search for us, today. Kids get dressed. DH, too. Me. And DH carefully carries over the "Bill" for S.S. which was delivered to our door to me. "Care to cry now, or later?" He asks. "Later. Let's just go." I answer. Besides it'll be NOTHING compared to the shock and horror delivered in a week's time at the Beach Club! We load up and move out. Stopping only to throw some food at the 3 unemployed hangers-on that are travelling with us. We head over in the still clean black Grand Cherokee that DH is REALLY enjoying. He's so cute. Look at me! I'm opening the sunroof. I'm closing the sunroof. I'm driving. Faster. Slower. Signaling. Turning. Driving, again! Yeah, yeah! It's great. Maybe you can just drive aimlessly around Disney while we all go to Epcot? No. Bad idea. We'd never see him again. We get to the Beach Club and it's around 11ish. They all let me out to go in and register. They go park. Wow. No one is in line. This is great. I'm FIRST, for a change. OHHHHHH... the CM is a TRAINEE! It's his FIRST day! I'm his FIRST guest! Super. But... it's not too bad. He's a nice young man from Australia. I get to call him "Mate"! As in: "Gooday, Mate! We just had brekkie and we're checking in for the week. Can you find us a beauty unit? Take your time. I don't mind if you make a blue. I'm no knocker! Merry Chrissie! Hooroo!" Poor, nice Australian boy. I left with my Welcome folder and a great room on the fifth floor with an excellent view of Epcot... and he was left wondering where the blond train that hit him came from.

To be continued. See... today I'm well rested... and happy...again!

 

[PA DISNEYLOVER]

I am really enjoying this.

 

[Shelby5514]

So far I will have to rate this up there with the Off to neverland, Delswife, Vettechick and ZZUB's reports!

Can't wait to read more, more, more!

 

[1000thhappyhaunt]

Just wanted to thank Texasthumper VERY VERY much. She/He...sent me a lead on the Haunted House book I was taking about. It was on E-bay... a used copy. It WAS "the Book"! I was/am/and will continue to be... thrilled. I ordered it immediately. The name is actually, "A Visit to a Haunted House". And... yes... I cried. Thank you so much. 1000thHH.

P.S. I tried to privately thank "Texasthumper" but could not get the message to be accepted. So here it is.

P.P.S. And to Shelby5514...Wow! I'm honoured.