The Long Awaited, Much Anticipated Trip To WDW: Part 4: The Accident & You Should...

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

Have Called Ahead (Subset A)
Starring:
Me: Most folks call me Beth, some call me Liz and when I’m in serious trouble I’m Elizabeth. Disney-holic. Been planning this trip for what seems like eons.

SDS: Dearest husband and best friend. Disney-holic.

Co-Starring:
M&A: Good friends from the other side of the pond. DVC owners at the OKW Resort. If they had not invited us to stay with them, this trip would not be happening

The day officially begins during the wee dark hours of the morning when the “accident” occurred. But before I go into that, I have to back track a bit to explain a bit.

Since SDS & I were sharing a one bedroom at OKW there was only one bathroom. And the bathroom was only accessible through the master bedroom. It’s not quite as bad as it sounds because there is a little entranceway before you hit the main part of the master bedroom. So if you open the master bedroom door and pretty much immediately hook a right you’re in the master bedroom bath (HUGE Jacuzzi bathtub and sink) and then there’s a door that leads to the bathroom (huge shower stall, toilet and sink/vanity area).

My one concern with this whole situation was using the bathroom in the middle of the night. Most of us have to get up in the middle of the night for a bathroom break and I didn’t feel that comfortable “intruding”. But when nature calls…

Any way, SDS & I had come up with a plan, so that if one of us woke up and had to go, the other would get up and go too. We had done this for 2 nights with no problems.

However, on this dark morning, SDS got out of the sofa bed before I did. And I guess he doesn’t see too well in the dark because instead of turning left and going down the hall way to the master bedroom (passing the laundry room), he goes to far straight and WHAMS his foot into my suitcase and then brings it down WHACKING it on my carry on case.

Now I have to give him credit. He did not scream outloud. But I could tell he really did a good job because he whispered really loudly, “I’m GOING TO KILL YOU!” (I still say it wasn’t my fault, but…). I really thought he might throttle me. (And SDS is NOT a violent guy).

Somehow, I manage to lead him down the right hall, open the master bedroom door, go through the master bathroom and into the bathroom. SDS then announces he’s in so much pain that he’s going to throw up. He proceeds to give a dry heave. I go into automatic “nurse” mode (even though I’m not a nurse) and grab a washcloth, run it under some cold water and place it on the back of his neck and start to rub his back. It seems to settle him a bit.

After our bathroom break, we head back to the sofa bed and I offer to get some ice for his foot, but he refuses (MEN!). I go back to sleep and eventually so does he.

I wanted to try and do EMH in MK that morning, but after the early morning foot adventure, I decided not to press it (even a Commando knows when she has to give up – especially when she’s feeling guilt about the toe!). We get up around 7 when A pokes his head out and starts to make coffee.

I take a look at SDS’ foot/toe and it looks ok to me, but he is limping around. Sigh. This is not going to be good.

I shower and get dressed. SDS gets dressed too and manages to get his sneaker on his foot.

We get to MK around 9 AM – which is an hour later than I had planned (of course the original plan was for all 4 of us to get to MK at 8 and enjoy 2 hours in MK before heading over to the WL for a fun filled breakfast at WCC). SDS wants to check out the Santa Mickey hats and I’m not going to stop him. Unfortunately the hats are all pretty small or maybe SDS just has a big head? No, no. Honestly, I really did think the hats looked kind of small (especially when I saw people with hats that were obviously from previous years that were larger). In this case, one size does not fit all. He is pretty bummed out about it and I am bummed too because he’s usually not into the character hat type of things (meanwhile, I’ve got my Minnie ears back in my suitcase – just waiting for the right time to be worn).

We head to Fantasyland, but cannot go directly through the castle. Apparently they are still taping for the Christmas parade (I later found out that Regis and Kelly couldn’t get out of the city due to all the snow, so they had to hold over some of the taping until Sunday instead of just on Friday and Saturday as I assume they had originally planned). Fantasyland is busy, but the attractions aren’t. People are standing around trying to get on the holiday show. I see a large group cheering over and over again. Let them cheer, we’ll hit Peter Pan’s Flight which only has a 5 minute wait (versus the 50 minute wait it had last night).

Peter Pan’s Flight is one of SDS’ favorites so I am hoping it will make him feel better. It doesn’t as the ride is a disappointment. Obviously some of the black lighting is out and there is a door that is propped open so that you can see outside the attraction while you are flying around. No magic there! L

We then go for a no wait It’s A Small World. Yes, it can be annoying, but it is a classic. And again, there’s no one waiting (the crowds are now outside Pinocchio’s Village Haus still cheering). The only problem is that the ride gets stuck at the end (where all the “good byes” are written in different languages).

We have time for Philmarmagic again before heading out to the WL.

Again we have to take an indirect route due to all the camera work. We did see Kelly Ripa as we went out.

We were getting closer and closer to our PS time for the WCC and I was getting antsy. Usually I enjoy the boat ride over to the WL, but this time it seemed to drag. My inner commando must have been dying to get out, as we SLOWLY dock at Fort Wilderness, SLOWLY add more passengers and then SLOWLY make our way over to the WL. When we dock, I am the first one off the boat and I make a dash for the hotel while SDS slowly makes his way, limping along (we had pre-arranged this, so that I could let them know we were there – by this time we were about 15 minutes late for breakfast).

There is a HUGE line at the podium for WCC and I don’t even get up to the woman before SDS arrives. She tells me there is a 40 minute wait, even with my PS. UGH! I am not a happy camper. This day is not going as I had planned. It is nearly 11 in the morning and I haven’t eaten anything yet (SDS did have a stick of pretzel bread that he had cleverly doggy bagged from our meal at Le Cellier two days ago). I am starting to hit the melt down wall. And to make matters worse, I had to wait on line in the ladies restroom.

SDS tries to remain calm and encourages me to look around the gift shop and take photos of the holiday decorations.

About 30 minutes go by and our beeper goes off. The restaurant is packed, but it looks like people are having fun. I am really hoping that some Disney magic will come into play and we will have good CM (like Mike from the Sci Fi Dine In) who brighten up our day.

No such luck. We get Roger who is pretty much a stick in the mud. (Meanwhile there is a waitress all the way in the front of the restaurant who is making some guy who must be celebrating his 20th birthday ride around on a pony while his friends ride behind him singing “Happy Birthday” and when they are not loud enough, she makes them go and do it again around the Christmas tree in the lobby). I am hungry and chilly and a nice warm bowl of cereal with brown sugar is sounding pretty good. As is some toast and bacon. But before I eat, I need to speak to the chef about my allergies.

After so many good dining experiences and after having a really good experience here for breakfast in 2001, I am in for a MAJOR let down. Not only is the chef not very friendly, he informs me that if I had special dietary needs, I should have called ahead. To which I reply, “I DID!” (not only did I call a week in advance, I know that a member of the MK food services staff emailed all the chefs at the restaurants I would be dining at about my allergies). His tune changes somewhat. He seems reluctant to check the ingredients on the bread, and comes back and says that there are no ingredients, but fresh loaves of sourdough had just come out of the oven and he would be happy to bring me some of that.

SDS & I get our food, which is good, but the experience is lacking. Meanwhile, all around us people are having a fine time. Ketchup is being passed from table to table. Certain people are being roped to their chairs for not behaving. I wish we were part of the fun. This meal definitely goes down as an unmagical moment and it seems like we are having an unmagical day.

After breakfast (and by now it is nearly 12:30), we head back to MK via the boat. We were thinking of heading back to the OKW, but I wanted SDS to see how crowded the Main Street Barber Shop was. It was CROWDED. So much for a hair cut today! We walk back to the buses and OKW.

Back in the room, SDS rests, while I soak up some sun and do some laundry. After a while I decide to head over to the Conch Flats General Store to see if our packages had arrived. I was expecting 3 bags, but there were only 2 (turns out they had managed to stuff all of my things from WoD into one big and very heavy bag). I gather up my stuff and then decide that before I head back to the room, that I would check out the pool area, just in case it warmed up enough for me to take a swim (it never did – our swimsuits still sit in the Ziploc baggie I packed in my suitcase, even as I write this). As I walked toward the pool, weighed down by my packages, I notice there are quite a few people gathered around the picnic table area. And as I go past, I notice quite a few are wearing LIME GREEN! What can this possibly mean?

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

Force

As I check out the pool area, it seems as if these people by at the picnic tables are having a really good time. And since they are wearing lime green and a couple of them have Santa hats on (and Santa Mickey hats – obviously from another year because one of them has a name printed on it and that would not be possible with this years as the white trim is way too “furry”). I decide to be “brave” and go up to them basically saying, “Hi, I’m not supposed to be here, but I post on the Dis as Annie&Hallie’sMom”.

Well, I couldn’t have gotten a more warm welcome if I had planned on being there! (I didn’t even look at the meet boards, I had my “Commando” plans and nothing was going to stop that!). I was welcomed in, offered refreshments and all sorts of people were asking me to sign their cards (an EXCELLENT idea and good way to keep track of who you met and where. Who ever come up with this originally deserves a big pat on the back). It was a truly a magical moment to just “stumble” over this wonderful group.

Of course it would be more wonderful if I could remember everyone’s names (and they did have name tags, which makes it even more shameful). I know Town Crier was there because he was wearing a Santa hat with his name on it (and I also took his lovely tour to see a photo of his children which is posted outside of Olivia’s – I was so impressed by the tour that I even took SDS on it the next day! He has beautiful kids; both then and now!). And Ray Sharpton was there because he immediately said, “Weren’t you supposed to meet Dan Murphy yesterday?” Talk about a welcome! Turns out Dan is supposed to come to this meet. So I excuse myself for a couple of minutes, return to the room and tell SDS (who had been napping until I came in) about the Dis meet. He encourages me to go back (as if I needed encouragement at this point!). I just need to unload my packages (making sure everything we purchased is actually inside), squeeze them into my suitcase (not as easy as it sounds and this is why I had another bag in my carry on bag. I used the “smaller” bag as a large purse [it’s actually a tote bag with Tinkerbell on it. I’d happened upon it during our September trip to Maryland and once I saw it there was no letting go of it. I got quite a few comments on it during our trip and the amazing thing is that it didn’t come from the Disney store] and the carry on could act as checked luggage on our way home if need be). I took the laundry from the washer and put it in the dryer and headed back out again.

Now I joined the group and talked to total strangers who were as friendly as can be. Again, I wish I could remember everyone’s name, but what can I say? I’m a louse. I don’t even remember the names of the wonderful couple who “hosted” the meet at the OKW. But maybe I’m just blocking it out because everyone put their name in a hat (ok, so technically it was a box) and names were pulled out and prizes given and I didn’t win ANYTHING (boo! Hiss! ). There must have been a “fix” because I went home without a cool Dis Antenna Topper or coke cooler. L But I do remember Dan Murphy’s arrival (which was at the tail end of the meet. For shame Dan! ). And I also was there when nativetxn started jumping up and down and screaming (yes, it really is true!) because “She SAID YES!!!” (her son had proposed).

Stumbling on this Dis meet was definitely magical. I finally got to meet the elusive Dan Murphy. I got to put faces behind names (at least some of them). And I got to experience the Dis magic in person. My whole day turned around from there. And to all of you who were there (whose names have run right out of my head): Thank you for welcoming me. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for the smiles! And thank you for making my day so much better!

After chatting with Dan Murphy for a little bit, I had to say my good byes (the Commando never really leaves my soul!). I had to head back to the room, collect SDS and head back to MGM.

SDS was well rested, but still limping. I changed from shorts (it had turned into a warm afternoon in the sun, but I knew once the sun went down, it wasn’t going to be warm any more). I also made sure I had a sweatshirt too (although it was a pretty light sweatshirt).

As we entered MGM, the parade had just ended. So much for seeing the Stars In Cars. Oh well, I have to come back again.

We had an early dinner PS at 4:20 (with the hopes of going to see Fantasmic afterwards). When we checked in at a little after 4, the place was PACKED. But they immediately called out Chef Ricardo, who spoke with me while we waited by the podium. I explained my allergies and unlike that morning’s experience, Chef Ricardo was completely understanding. I knew that I wanted to have the pot roast (again, just writing those words makes my mouth water) and wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything silly like add chicken stock to it (or add it to the mashed potatoes as some people do). He assured me that everything was fine and when I inquired about trying the S’mores for dessert, he said he would check the ingredients and come visit me when we were seated.

Since the area was pretty crowded, we moved over towards the Tune In Lounge, where SDS surprised me and ordered a rum and coke (no glow cube though). We found a seat in the lounge area (and I took a photo of SDS drinking – just loved the tacky décor!). And after not too long, we were called in to dinner!

The magic that had started with the Dis meet, continued into dinner. We had Elizabeth as our server and she was just wonderful. Not only was she concerned about my allergies, but she also played her “role” well. She brought Ricardo out again. He came with marshmallows and graham cracker packages in hand so that I could read the ingredients for myself. No matter how full I got, I was going to try this! I had never had a “real” dessert before at a restaurant (which moved Elizabeth to tears!).

SDS ordered a coke float and I decided that I was in good enough hands that I could have my very own rum and coke. We both had the pot roast and it was delicious. (salivating, salivating!). Elizabeth made sure we kept our elbows off the table (as did the waitress at another table who saw me later with them on the table and shook her head…they were immediately removed). There was plenty of kidding going around at the various tables near us. And when I tried to have Elizabeth take a photo of the two of us, the camera didn’t work. She chided me, as it turned out that the camera was out of film (another reason why I am ready to go completely digital now!). And she was a hoot when she finally did take the photo, making the other table duck down so they wouldn’t get in the way.

And then came out the dessert! It looked so good! The first bite was only “ok”. But then I took another and I guess that’s when I got the full mouthful of chocolate. HEAVEN! Yummy, Yummy, YUMMY! I “allow” SDS to share the dessert with me. He probably eats about ¼ of it and manage to down just about all the rest. Yes, I was very full, but it was so good and it was a rare experience for me.

Elizabeth comes by with the check (on which she had written in symbols: Eye Heart U) and tells us to take our time. She also wanted to let us know that dessert was compliments of Chef Ricardo who wanted me to be able to have a special dessert. I nearly broke down in happy tears right then and there! Talk about your magical moments. And what blew me away is that every time that evening when I spoke to Chef Ricardo and thanked him for helping me he said he was “just doing his job.” To me, he was NOT just doing his job, he was going above and beyond. Not only did me make sure the food was safe for me, he made the entire dining experience one of joy. Elizabeth also gave us Chef Ricardo’s card and I made sure to send a thank you fax when we returned. From beginning to end this was a truly magical meal for the both of us. Good food (pot roast better than when I make it, and I have the recipe), good company (not only in the CMs, but in all of the people around us who were having a good time) and good fun all around. I would not hesitate to eat here again.

By the time we finished our meal, it was nearly 6. I wanted to try and catch the last WWtbaMPI (ok, so I really wanted to get in the hot seat), but SDS was reluctant and with all the people in MGM, we decided it would be best to head straight for Fantasmic! (which was at 7 PM ). Guess I’ll have to go back to MGM for the parade and WwtbaM PI!

We get into the stadium by quarter after six, so we have a bit of a wait and once again it’s a bit chilly (what is up with this cold Florida weather? I’m supposed to be getting a tan down here!). We are seated pretty much in the middle of the stadium. Far enough back not to get wet, but close enough to feel the heat of the fire (and boy was everyone glad to feel the heat of the fire). I love Fantasmic and always cry at the end (just call me a sap).

When the show was over we decided to try to catch the boat over to Epcot and see Illuminations. We had been joking about trying it, but being the Commando that I am, I decided we had to do it. So we make our way quickly out of the stadium (or as quickly as one can when the place is jam packed with people!). The line for the boat is quite long, but we only “miss’ one boat and manage to get ourselves on the next one (probably about a 15 minute wait).

The captain of the boat kept us entertained during the whole 20 minute cruise (I can see why people recommend walking. We would have done that but we were a little tired and having never done it weren’t sure if trying it for the first time in the dark would be such a good idea. Some day we will have to stay in the Beach Club and try it!). Although I am not into sports, the captain was giving all the sports scores and asking Trivia questions (name all 5 mountains in WDW – he had a nice prize, but no one got it! Well now I know, but you know I’ll never be asked that question again!). Though the ride was a bit long, it was warm and I really appreciated the “entertainment.” Again it seemed as if the Disney magic was back with us.

We got to Epcot in plenty of time and staked out our secret viewing spot (I’m not telling!). We had about ½ an hour to wait. The wait didn’t seem to be long, as we enjoy the pre-show music (all of which SDS has on his computer; the music is all commercially available if you know what it is and how to track it down) and there was a very nice man from MN who was waiting for his wife and some friends who we talked with (and that’s when we learned that Kelly & Regis had just made it down. Apparently this man had asked one of the members of the TV crew if this was the last day that they were filming the holiday parade to which the person replied, “I HOPE so.” Guess it couldn’t have been an easy time on the television crew!).

As much as I love Fantasmic!, I think I love Illuminations even more. (Although it’s such a close call). I love the music, the globe, the fireworks. It’s impossible NOT to be moved by it all.

The spectacle was over all too soon and we slowly made our way out of the park…moving from the post show music of WS (where you can still hear the ToN music after Illuminations) into the holiday music of Future World.

The day, which started out not so good (to put it mildly) has ended up perfectly. Fantasmic! And Illuminations in one day! How good can life get?

When we get back to the room, we find that M&A have already gone to bed (even though it is only about 10:30). SDS& I both take warm showers and I get a glance at his toe. While it had looked ok to me that morning, it was now a purple color and not looking very good at all. I’m wondering if he has broken it and if we should get him a wheelchair for the rest of the trip (and I tell him that I don’t mind pushing him around at all!).

We climb into our sofa bed around 11:30. Tomorrow I am determined to do EMH at Animal Kingdom!

 

[Towncrier]

You gotta watch out for those DIS people. They're everywhere.

It was Danny (danny1649) and Belinda that setup the most excellent DISmeet at Old Key West. I was amazed at how many people turned out for the meet. It was great that you wandered by and had the courage to come up to us and say "Hi". I don't know how many times I've read posts here on the DIS about people who were afraid to walk up to a complete stranger and say "Do you post on the DIS?"

I wonder why.

Thanks for posting an enjoyable series of trip reports Beth. You have most definitely made my day.