The "I'm sick, no I'm sick" May 2009 Polynesian Trip-O-Rama Report

[shannon47142]

your poor wife
i'm glad you are on the way to feeling better

 

[ryansall]

cmfranklyn I never thought to look up a drugstore! We went to CentraCare and it took 4 hours! Of course, it was a Sunday night (6/21/09) and they were the only thing besides the ER that were still open. UGH! Hope your drugs work and no one else gets sick! We all did

I wouldn't have thought of it either, and it still took 3 hours, so I don't know that we came out ahead. But they took my insurance and patched me up, so I won't knock it!

shannon47142 your poor wife

You have no idea. That woman puts up with more than should be humanly possible.

 

[goofy's_gurl]

wow that day was eventful.. wonder what else may happen next

 

[ryansall]

With antibiotics taken and sinus medication pumping me up, the family and I awoke on Wednesday, half saddened that we only had three more days at WDW!

But we had big plans today. Big plans!

Yes, in need of coffee and the four pork/eggs breakfast, we ventured over to the Contemporary on the monorail for breakfast with Mickey and the gang. We had been having a ton of fun, so some of us were pretty worn out.

To be honest, none of us were feeling super swift at this point, but we were taking it easy today. Our plan was breakfast at Chef Mickey's, then send DS on the Pirate Adventure at the Grand Floridian. While he was gone, DD, DW and I would take her to meet the princesses at Toontown, then regroup for lunch and a little afternoon time in the MK. First, though, breakfast!

DS is a cereal fiend, so this was hog heaven for him. He must eat 3 bowls of cereal a day, and we have to buy cereal 4 boxes at a time just to keep up. When he saw the cereal silos at Chef Mickey's, he was thrilled. As usual, our picky eater was less than thrilled, though:

Again, for some reason, she was not eating. I was not feeling well, but coffee managed to get me perked up, enough to make this a somewhat enjoyable experience.

Goofy's my favorite character, so meeting him was a dream come true for me. I think DD was looking out for the main man, though.

She's a Mickey nut, after Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and having been to the parks so often. She sleeps with two stuffed animals these days - Mickey and Figment! I have trained her well. Anyway, after seeing Mickey, she perked up a bit, and started to eat, which makes her happier! It's a vicious cycle.

The food here is honestly mediocre. Akershus was way better. The eggs/pork combo there was fresher and hotter, and the pastries were miles better. I've never been that impressed with the food at Chef Mickey's, but it's an easy way to see the Fab Five, including this guy:

You can probably see I'm not looking my best here, but still having a great time because I'm at Disney! DD was done eating at this point, and came over to sit in my lap. DW was not here, because, you can probably guess, she got sick at her stomach, and spent the latter half of the meal away from the table. While we waited for Minnie, the kids got chummy.

Minnie was the last character, and she took forever to get there. The characters were running a bit behind, so we took a little longer than we wanted to eat here. It wasn't a bad experience, but I won't be back anytime soon, especially if I'm not on the Dining Plan.

With that completed, it was back on the monorail to head over to the Grand Floridian. Again, we vowed to do something new each day, and today's was the Pirate Adventure for DS at the Grand Floridian. It was cheap, around $35, and he got to do something all his own, away from us while at WDW. Cool, right?

We got there early around 9:00, and the boat left at 9:30. The boat pulled in and the cast members started getting everyone suited up for the cruise.

DD was jealous. She wanted to go with her brother, but we had to swear to her that we were taking her on a "Princess Adventure" to match DS's Pirate Adventure. That seemed to pacify her.

DS got suited up in his pirate gear and life jacket, and was ready to go!

With that, he went through the pirate oath (the directions for the cruise), boarded the boat and sailed off into the wilderness. DW shed a little tear that our boy was grown up enough to leave us, and we wandered back to the monorail to head over to the MK. We had some princesses to meet!

 

[shannon47142]

can't wait to hear about the pirates' cruise

 

[Villainess]

Oh your poor DW - first pee on her shorts, then stomach bug at Chef Mickey's ...

DS looks so proud to be going on the cruise by himself!

 

[ryansall]

Villainess Oh your poor DW - first pee on her shorts, then stomach bug at Chef Mickey's ...

DS looks so proud to be going on the cruise by himself!

Yeah, she had a rough time of things on this trip, but it's amazing that despite all of our various ailments, we powered through and had a fantastic time. DW actually has one more ailment to go, if you can believe it.

DS was so thrilled. I recommend the pirate cruise to anyone with kids his age. He still talks about how happy he was to be on his own.

So, without further ado, let us continue...

While DS went out on the water, DW and I took DD into the MK for some prime Princess/Fairy meeting time. We made a bee line back to Toontown, and headed straight for the giant tent. The line for the Fairies was 90 min! So, it was princesses once again for our little princess.

Sleeping Beauty was first. DD was a little scared, so she took a slow approach, but she warmed up. The princesses here took a little more time with her than they had in Akershus the day before. She talked to them, where she had just smiled at the ones in Akershus. She told Sleeping Beauty something I couldn't make out, then moved over to the line for the next princess.

She had not gotten to meet Cinderella in Akershus, so this was a treat. Cinderella invited her to come sit with her, and DD plopped herself up there with not a second thought. They sat there and talked and it seemed like two members of royalty just having a chat. It was pretty amusing to watch.

The last princess was Belle, and she was amazing. They didn't even pause for pictures, but just talked. Belle asked her questions, and DD responded, and told Belle about her brother who was on a pirate adventure. They went back and forth for what seemed like forever, and DD hugged her when we had to leave. It was exactly why we had come to WDW.

That all finished, we headed out of Toontown, then back onto the monorail and over to the Grand Floridian to get DS. We probably had time to ride a ride, but we didn't want anything to happen and us not be there when he got back. Not that we're overprotective parents or anything.

So, we camped ourselves out at the Grand Floridian about 30 minutes before DS was scheduled to arrive at 11:30. We entertained ourselves by showing DD the pictures of the trip so far, and getting her running commentary. Then, of course, we had to take a picture of her:

11:30 came along, and the boat pulled into sight, but something was wrong!

There were no kids! The guides yelled over to us that they were really sorry, that something had happened and they had to leave the kids on the beach somewhere. Just about the time some people (not us, of course) were freaking out, the kids jumped up from the floor of the boat and yelled "Surprise!"

The best, though, was the lady next to us. The guide said, "We could have just left them out there and you would have had a kid free vacation."

Without missing a beat, the lady says, "Well, this is the place where dreams come true, right?"

That one kept us laughing for quite some time. DS got off the boat almost last, and we gave him a huge hug and asked him all about his trip.

He told us all about it, where they went (the shores in front of all the monorail resorts and Wilderness Lodge), what they did (found clues that lead to buried treasure of toys) and what they ate (PBJ and apple juice). He made a girlfriend that was at Wilderness Lodge, which is odd, because he's my son and making time with women is not my strong suit.

We decided to walk back to the Poly, because DW had what felt like a pinched nerve in her side. She thought the walk would help her stretch it out, so we walked along past the Wedding Pavilion, past Luau Cove and to the room, then on to Capt. Cook's for lunch. Where of course, it rained cats and dogs.

After lunch, we grabbed ponchos from the room and decided to brave the Magic Kingdom. We got on the monorail and headed over. We really had not gotten far in the MK so far, so we wanted to get some fun stuff done today. First up, Tomorrowland!

We got FPs for Buzz, then took in Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor before riding. I managed to win (as I always do!) and we took a short break at Casey's to listen to the piano player before heading over to Liberty Square. Our goal today was to ride rides and eat, which we did. So, next up was the Liberty Belle.

Is that not the most beautiful woman ever?

We rode around on the Liberty Belle, then got off and headed through to Fantasyland. I grabbed FPs for Splash Mountain, as DS wanted to ride it again. We stopped in Fantasyland though for some Carousel for DD, and yet another snack.

Yes, it's Figaro Fries! I told DW we had to try these, and she loved them. We also got some frozen drinks from Scuttle's Landing, and enjoyed the cool of the AC. DS was really enjoying himself, drinking his frozen drink and loving the MK.

But, as would frequently be the case here, disaster struck again. DW took DD to the potty just outside Pinocchio Village Haus, where DS and I sat eating the fries. Suddenly, he got up and ran out the door toward the bathroom. The only problem was, the men's bathroom was closed for refurbishment.

He waited patiently for DW to come out, then ran into the ladies' room with her. Apparently, whatever stomach bug had hit her that morning, it hit him then. He had to have been in the bathroom for 20 minutes, the poor guy!

DW emerged, and we had to head to the Emporium for new underwear. By the time we finished and got him taken care of, I was the only member of our family that had not had to purchase new underwear on the fly at WDW!

Despite all this, he wanted to go on to Splash Mountain, so we did. I went on with DS, while DD played at the little playground under the railroad with DW.

For some reason, I can't remember what we did the rest of that day! I believe we went back to the hotel, because I have no pictures or video after we left Splash. But, it was a good day, despite our ailments, and we had two more days to go!

 

[goofy's_gurl]

bet DS had a blast on the pirate cruise! and DD looked like she was enjoying her self with meeting and talking to all the Princesses!

poor DS. At least he seemed fine after that

 

[shannon47142]

I'm glad your son enjoyed the cruise and your daughter interacted so well with the princesses! Love the picture with her and Belle
sooo sorry the stomach bug attacked your son

 

[iluveeyore]

I am so glad I found your trippie and now I'm all caught up - I was pleasantly surprised near the beginning when you mentioned the New Hampshire race - my hubbie and I are Nascar and Disney freaks - we just combined the March Bristol race with an after trip to Disney (since we were halfway there already!), so it's nice to hear about WDW and Nascar in the same trippie.
You have a lovely family, and I'm enjoying your details and food porn. Sorry about your sicknesses - the only time I've ever been sick was on a solo trip last year (of course), but I soldiered on and was fine once I got home and got antibiotics. Didn't think to find a clinic when I was alone and without a car.
Can't wait for your next instalment - it's helping pass the time until my upcoming trip in a few short weeks when I can hopefully do a trippie worthy of the DIS

 

[ryansall]

goofy's_gurl bet DS had a blast on the pirate cruise! and DD looked like she was enjoying her self with meeting and talking to all the Princesses!

poor DS. At least he seemed fine after that

Yes, he loved the cruise. He'll still sometimes wear the fake jewelry and bandana and run around the house like a pirate.

DD is the consummate princess. For her birthday a couple weeks ago, my mother in law got her a card with Disney princesses on it, and it sings a little song about being a princess. She's been carrying it around with her learning the song and singing along. Yesterday, I walk into the bathroom, and there she is, sitting on the potty, with the card open, singing "Every girl can be a princess.."

He seemed fine, but we had a little rough morning the next day before moving on.

shannon47142 I'm glad your son enjoyed the cruise and your daughter interacted so well with the princesses! Love the picture with her and Belle
sooo sorry the stomach bug attacked your son

She loves Belle, but any time we ask her who her favorite is she says "Ariel" or "Snow White". I can't explain it.

Hey, like I said before, sickness happens. It's how you deal with it that makes the difference, and luckily we all were able to recover quickly and move on.

iluveeyore I am so glad I found your trippie and now I'm all caught up - I was pleasantly surprised near the beginning when you mentioned the New Hampshire race - my hubbie and I are Nascar and Disney freaks - we just combined the March Bristol race with an after trip to Disney (since we were halfway there already!), so it's nice to hear about WDW and Nascar in the same trippie.
You have a lovely family, and I'm enjoying your details and food porn. Sorry about your sicknesses - the only time I've ever been sick was on a solo trip last year (of course), but I soldiered on and was fine once I got home and got antibiotics. Didn't think to find a clinic when I was alone and without a car.
Can't wait for your next instalment - it's helping pass the time until my upcoming trip in a few short weeks when I can hopefully do a trippie worthy of the DIS

Thanks for joining in! Glad to have more people on board. I have to go to NASCAR races for the job, and it's kind of fun. Especially because I get to go in the pits and see the behind the scenes. Fun stuff.

Love me some food porn, although I don't think there's much left. I was kind of disappointed in my choices from this trip, with a few exceptions. Crystal Palace, Ohana and Kona Cafe were all good, but I was ambivalent about Chef Mickey's, Tusker House, and the Wave.

Should have next installment up sometime this weekend or possibly Monday. We have company coming to the house Wednesday, so we are in mad cleaning mode all weekend!

 

[Villainess]

Poor DS - at least he was able to enjoy the Pirate cruise and didn't get sick on it!

 

[ryansall]

Another quick update today, as there's only two days left in the TR!

But, on Friday, I'm heading down to Orlando solo, so all is well. Maybe I'll take the camera and do my own mini-TR after that trip.

Illness was still tracking DS today. He spent most of the morning sick to his stomach. We considered taking him to the doctor, like I had gone, but after we let him nap a little bit, we took it easy, and headed to Epcot around 10:30instead of the crack of dawn.

We had done mostly Future World stuff on Tuesday when first we went to Epcot, so today was going to be dedicated to World Showcase. One thing that DS was dedicated to doing was the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. So, our first stop was in Innoventions, where we scheduled a time to go. We went straight over to Norway to get started.

This was loads of fun. We toured all around the Norway pavilion, activating sounds, moving artifacts, and just really seeing all the stuff that there was. DS was really into it, too. The only drawback I saw was that there were several people there, so sometimes things overlapped.

We finished that up, and backtracked to Mexico, so we could ride the Gran Fiesta Tour. One of my favorites! Along the way we saw the mariachis and stopped for a quick listen.

Gran Fiesta Tour went well, and I snapped some pics of the kids waiting for Mommy to come out.

I managed to head back to Norway and get some school bread (love it!) and snagged some sandwiches for the kids. For some reason, the apple/cheese/ham sandwich was a hit. DD broke it apart and ate it, and we waited out a rainstorm at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe.

After the rain cleared, we were able to move on to Germany. DS had another Kim Possible adventure to do there, and he was ready to move! DW went and got a glass of wine while I accompanied him. I was dying for a Spaten Optimator beer, but with my cold medicine, I couldn't do it. Maybe this weekend!

We played around in Germany for quite some time. DW drank her wine, while I got some chocolate in the candy shop. DD looked around the toy shop, and DS played Kim Possible. Quite a good time.

Then, we checked out the minature train. This is one of my favorite parts of World Showcase. My dad liked model trains and saved me one from the time I was born, so I love to look at the craft involved in putting one together.

We kept going around, and as DD and DW stopped at the potty, DS went to play on the playground between Germany and Italy. This was an addition for the Flower and Garden Festival. I look up, and there's my son...meditating.

Such a silly child!

That humor over with, we continued on to the Italy pavilion. DW got a glass of Rose Regale, and we allowed the kids to run around the platform in front of the Poseidon statue. They ran in circles around that podium for at least 10 minutes. Guess they had some energy to burn!

Next, we headed over to the American Adventure. Now, we had tried to see this show a ton of times in the last few years, but something always came up. This time, I was determined to see it.

We went inside and listened to the Voices of Liberty for about 10 minutes. Wow! They're so wonderful. I never get to see them because we don't go inside, but I think I should be able to convince DW to go inside more often now.

Then we saw the show. DD fell asleep in my lap, but DS was riveted as was I. What a fantastic show! Imagineering outdid themselves with this one. It was moving, to say the least.

It was getting later in the day, so we headed on around, bypassing Morocco, Japan and France, with only a brief stop in the UK.

With that over with, we headed out of Epcot for the final time that week. But don't worry, there was more fun to be had that evening at Downtown Disney.

 

[shannon47142]

I've read alot of goodthings about Kim Possible missions--glad your son enjoyed them
I also love to look at the trains in Germany--what a fun afternoon you guys had!!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I am so sorry do hear that DS got the stomach bug-we just had a round of that here at home but to get it at Disney... A Sinus Infection is hardly much fun either-miserable things...I hope you didn't develop any vertigo with it...

but your family seems to have a good attitude and being at Disney looking at the glass half full seems the way to go...

the pirate cruise looked fun and the princesses are always fun...your attention towards your wife is quite lovely...

I look forward to reading the rest of you TR...

 

[ryansall]

shannon47142 I've read alot of goodthings about Kim Possible missions--glad your son enjoyed them
I also love to look at the trains in Germany--what a fun afternoon you guys had!!

Oh, the Kim Possible stuff was amazing. It really drives you deeper into the pavilions and makes you aware of things you might nver have noticed before.

The trains are just beautiful. I'm going solo on Saturday, and I plan to have my beer that I couldn't have on this trip and watch the trains all by my lonesome!

[PracPerfPatricia I am so sorry do hear that DS got the stomach bug-we just had a round of that here at home but to get it at Disney... A Sinus Infection is hardly much fun either-miserable things...I hope you didn't develop any vertigo with it...

but your family seems to have a good attitude and being at Disney looking at the glass half full seems the way to go...

the pirate cruise looked fun and the princesses are always fun...your attention towards your wife is quite lovely...

I look forward to reading the rest of you TR...

Hey, illnesses happen, but it's no reason to postpone your fun, right? DS and I have tender stomachs to say the least, but I've gotten used to it and he is getting there. If you're going to be at Disney, I've found that magic, adrenalin and coffee will get you through.

The pirate cruise was a big deal for DS. It was something just for him, which he doesn't get a lot of these days. It's been about little sis for quite some time, so this was our way of showing him he's still important.

And why wouldn't I show such attention towards the world's loveliest woman? Going on 12 years of marriage, and it seems like only yesterday we got married.

 

[MickeyReeds]

Thanks for joining in! Glad to have more people on board. I have to go to NASCAR races for the job, and it's kind of fun. Especially because I get to go in the pits and see the behind the scenes. Fun stuff.

Wow--may I ask what kind of job you have that requires you to go to NASCAR races? My DH is totally into NASCAR and would love a job like that!! We live in Iowa there will be a Nationwide race here in about a week. He got season tix this year so he'd be sure and have tickets for that race! We also went to Bristol over spring break--I've never seen so much traffic trying to leave the track! Took us over 3 hours to get out of the parking lot!!

I'm really enjoying your report!

 

[ryansall]

So, I left off with us leaving Epcot, but we headed on down to Downtown Disney, because we still had not been to Goofy's Candy Company! Believe it or not, in all of my many trips to WDW, I had never been, and neither had the family. Thanks to the DIS we saw all the great pics of the custom made snacks, like chocolate covered marshmallows, etc.

DW and I were determined to get something to take back with us that night. So, we went into Goofy's Candy Company to make our selections. We marked down our picks and I started taking pictures of this first time experience.

This was my pick - a Mickey Rice Krispie treat, dipped in milk chocolate, crushed peanuts, topped with Oreo crumbs and white chocolate drizzle. First was the dip in milk chocolate. Then, resting in the peanuts.

My mouth was watering at this point, but then the girl began on DW's selection.

She went for chocolate overload - a chocolate Oreo cookie, dipped in dark chocolate, with caramel drizzle and pecans on top. Soon, though, mine was finished!

Meanwhile, the funniest thing that happened the entire trip took place right behind me. I didn't have the video camera, which I would regret. Right behind the stand where the custom treats are made, DW was holding DD in front of the Goofy's Candy Co sign made out of jelly beans. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here's a picture of DS in front of the sign that I took while we were waiting.

But when DD found out that there were jellybeans behind that plastic, she started clawing at the plastic to get into the jellybeans! She starts saying "Jellybeans" in much the same way that zombies would say "Brains!" in the Dawn of the Dead movies. You can see DW laughing hysterically as DD pulls her over to get to the jellybeans.

After that, we had to buy her a bag of jellybeans, which she is still eating today. It was hysterical!

We left DtD and headed back to the Poly, and put the kids to bed. They were beat, after a week of action at Disney, and passed out almost immediately.

Yes, that's DD cradling her brand new Figment doll. That was the souvenir she wanted. She kept calling it her " 'Magination" and wouldn't go anywhere without it in the room. So cute!

But, the real reason for excitement was digging into our Goofy's treats! DW went and got some coffee in our refillable mugs and we dug in. First was mine:

It was fantastic. So rich I couldn't finish it all. DW tried hers before I could get a picture:

We sipped our coffee, ate our treats, and remarked how lucky we were to have one more day!

Next up: our last day - a Magic Kingdom mad dash!

 

[ryansall]

MickeyReeds Quote:

Wow--may I ask what kind of job you have that requires you to go to NASCAR races? My DH is totally into NASCAR and would love a job like that!! We live in Iowa there will be a Nationwide race here in about a week. He got season tix this year so he'd be sure and have tickets for that race! We also went to Bristol over spring break--I've never seen so much traffic trying to leave the track! Took us over 3 hours to get out of the parking lot!!

I'm really enjoying your report!

Sure, I work for TNT. When we cover the races, I go to at least half of our races. Like I said, it's pretty fun, because we get to be everywhere and see the whole experience.

I'm trying to go to Bristol at the end of August for the Saturday night race, but don't know if I will be able to get tickets. Hopefully, though.

Glad you're enjoying the report!

 

[Pikester]

I am so getting this

when we go in November!