The MKFan family’s Dec Trip-Day 4: Where Where I really appreciate Steven Tyler

MKFan-PR

Certified MK Freak! Work is what I do for Vacation
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The MKFan family’s Dec Trip

The cast:

MKFan-PR: Me, 35, Disney maniac since my first trip way back when I was 5. This was my 11th trip, the 7th with my DW, the 3rd with our DD. I love planning, but I’m no commando. I go to WDW to relax.

DW, 39. This is her 8th trip total. We really enjoy being here. And she loves the fact that she’s becoming an expert.

DD, 4. We’ll call her Non-Stop, since she literally was during the trip. This is actually her 3rd trip, but it will also be her most memorable, since she was 9 months and 3.5 YO on her two previous ones.

BIG OOOOPS!: I forgot to include a highlight of Day 3! As we were exiting Epcot, We stopped to check Mission:Space. With the Single Rider line so short, I gave it a try. I have two words for it: awe-some!!! I was the navigator. You REALLY have to heed the ride’s warnings and pay attention to Gary Sinise’s instructions (when DW found out he was on the ride movie, she wanted to go just to check him out!). I looked straight ahead all the time and it was a bit hard at the beginning not to notice the spinning. But I got used to it. The take-off, the slingshot to Mars and the landing….WOOHOOO! :bounce: Some people love it, some people don’t. Count me into the ‘love it’ camp!

Now, with that out of the way, let’s go on to THIS day…


Day 4 – Dec 1: Where Where I really appreciate Steven Tyler…

I wake up at about 8:00, and immediately notice something different…what is that I hear?....is that…silence?. Yes…Non-Stop is still sound asleep. Since my Mom and Dad taught me never to play with fire, I decide to let her sleep. I go check outside of our front door to see if…Yes! There it is! It’s the newspaper! Apparently they don’t deliver it on weekends, just weekdays. It’s USA Today, which is fine, but I always liked the Orlando Sentinel, which was the one they used to deliver. Oh, well…

I sit on our balcony to read the paper…&*#@!...the Steelers lost!...to the Bengals!...there goes the season! Well, at least I wasn’t at home watching and suffering (especially given the way they lost); I was at MK! That’s a good trade any day…

After a while the ladies wake up, and it’s time to get the coffee offering and to get changed. For breakfast, today we’ll go to Kona Cafe. I feared we would have to wait a lot but no, we were seated immediately (what? No UFO thingy today?...Awwww). We usually don’t do character breakfasts, since we are late sleepers (I’m on vacation, baby! I get up early for work!), and we prefer character dining. But we love to have a relaxed breakfast in a sit down place at least once.

The Kona breakfast was a highlight of the trip. Great service. DW asked for eggs and ham (which was great, especially the ham), Non-Stop had…what else…Color Corn Flakes! (she also shared some of our plates, so it’s not like she’s turning into a Puerto Rican version of Toucan Sam).

Since it was so famous, I decided to try the Tonga Toast. When our server brought it, she asked me if I’d had it before. I thought first about being the cool WDW veteran, and saying ‘Ha! Of course! It’s my favorite!’. But, thank God, common sense took over and I told the truth…’Um…’No’. So she said to try it first without the syrup. I thought: ‘Without the syrup? Are you crazy, woman? I SOAK my pancakes, waffles and French toast in syrup! How am I supposed to eat this humongous thing without syrup!’. But today it seem I have more sense than usual, because I decide to try it as she says…

Well…for Tonga Toast without syrup I have FIVE words: mm,mm,mm-mm,mm! It was dee-licious. I eventually put a few drops of syrup on one side to try it, but syrup is definitely not necessary!

Properly filled, we head out to the Bus Stop. This Bus Stop is new for us. We were used to the one in front, and this is definitely an improvement! The other one wasn’t safe at all, and there was little place to sit and no shade. This one has all of that, and it’s set apart from the entrance foyer, so it’s a little more quiet. Good job!

We board our bus and in no time we’re at Disney-MGM Studios, our park for today. It is also special for me in the sense that I have made up my mind to try RNR Coaster. Now, you’re probably looking at me weird, but the truth is I’m really afraid of coasters with inversions. But after reading about it here, I decide that RNR is probably something I can manage, so I want to try it. If I love it I’ll have to thank you all at the DIS. If I don’t survive…well…I’ll blame YOU…

We take some pictures of the Hat, and stop around it so Non-Stop can get some autographs and pictures with Hercules and Meg, Mulan, and Chip & Dale. When we were in line for Chip & Dale, I remember about ‘Chuck and Dave’ (from Delwife’s report), and I laugh. DW looks at me and thinks I had too much sugar on the Tonga Toast, until I explain.

After the autograph sessions, we go to another tradition of ours. First ride on MGM: Great Movie Ride! It’s in serious need of an update, but we always love it anyway. We then move through the ABC commissary lane, to MuppetVision. We walk right in and enjoy the pre-show. I now know every line by heart, but I always love watching it. We recently bought some Muppet Show tapes, so Non-Stop recognizes the characters and she enjoys it too. Inside the show, she covers herself with her blanket every time Waldo appears, but she enjoys it a lot. At the end then she collects our 3D glasses so she can be the one who deposits them in the bins.

We browse through some shops. After a while, I leave the ladies sipping lemonade (what else?), and let them browse some more while I go check the Walt Disney exhibit. Excellent exhibition. After we all rejoin, we check the times guide…Indiana Jones, next show is way later…WWTBAM-PI, next show, way later…Playhouse Disney Live, makeable. So we head there, but we’re told we might not get it. Oh, well…So off we go next door to Little Mermaid. We thought we were going in, but actually we end up waiting for the next show…So we wait…

And wait…

And wait…

And wait…

And wait some more…

We end up waiting about 30 minutes. Man, our timing sucks today.

But once inside, everything is great. With the ‘underwater’ atmosphere, Non-Stop at first covers here eyes, but we tell her it’s just ‘dolls’ with a little bit of ‘movies’. Once the show starts, she tells us ‘Those are not dolls…that’s a girl…those are people!’. Ok, you’re right, we oversimplified. Add one more category to ‘dolls’ ‘movies’ and ‘trains’: ‘people’ shows!

After we exit, we seem to recover our timing. Playhouse Disney Live is opening it’s doors, and there’s space.

PDL is a great show for kids. Don’t go if you don’t have any. This is a show for them to enjoy and for you to enjoy watching your child. Non-Stop is having a ball! It’s the shows she watches every morning before school! In person! I don’t take pictures of the show, I take pictures of her. What a beautiful face!

As we exit, the Parade is about to start (See? We got or timing down pat now!), so we grab a space that’s available in front of the Brown Derby entrance. I’m not interested in taking pictures, I want Non-Stop to watch it, so I take her in my arms. She waved to the characters like crazy, and, since this was her first daylight parade, she had a great time.

Since we were already there, we decide to have our late (very late) lunch a the Brown Derby. We get our UFO thingy, and as it starts to come alive, the ladies are in the restroom! Can’t they hold it till we’re done eating? Just kidding. The last thing you want is to prevent a woman from going to the bathroom when she really needs to go. Just get out of the way and no one gets hurt!

As we are seated it is now 4:00 PM. Why is that important? Because in most sit-down restaurants, 4:00PM is the time they change from the lunch menu to the dinner menu. And why is that important? Because the prices also change. Yikes. Or should I say, Yike$. No biggie, we can handle it. But as a free hint from MKFan, do the sit down places for lunch. It’s more or less the same menu, but at a lower price.

Non-Stop eats some bread, then falls asleep. Hey! Non-Stop is asleep, and DW and me are having dinner in a fancy place! Impromptu romantic alone time!

We have a leisurely ‘late lunch’, enjoying this quiet time. Since I had success with a ‘traditional’ dish earlier before, we decide to try the Cobb Salad. They bring it to you ‘separated’, so you can see the ingredients. The waiter, if you agree, then mixes it all up. Let me tell you, they mix it up in front of you for a reason: that thing is not pretty when it’s all mixed up! But guess what! It tastes fabulous! It’s almost a meal in itself. While we wait for our entrees (salmon), I amaze my lady with my knowledge of the Brown Derby and the origins of the Cobb Salad. She’s amazed at how much I know about WDW. And she wasn’t being sarcastic! She was really amazed! Hmmm…this is a special lady!

The salmon was delicious (call me crazy, but to me it tasted like Mahi-Mahi, which happens to be my favorite fish to eat!). To continue with our ‘tradition-sampling’ day we try the Grapefruit cake and…well, three-for-three! Very good!

It’s now almost 6:00. MGM closes at 7:00. There are no more shows left and Non-Stop is still asleep. Well, we can leave, but I can’t back down now! This is it! On we go to RNR Coaster. As we approach, the wuss in me says ‘If there’s a big line, we’ll leave. I can do it later’. Ah, but there’s no line. Ok, Mr. Wimp, what’s the next excuse? (BTW, all of this is going on inside my head. I can’t look bad in front of DW).

Well, let’s do it!

I go straight through into the ‘G-Force Records’ (‘G-Force’…clever! :rolleyes: ) lobby, and right to the ‘Studio C’ door. We’re informed of the rules, and off we go into the Studio. Hey! There’s Aerosmith! They’re working on a record! (or re-mixing one…the song that they’re working on is ‘Walk This Way’…Guys, please…don’t tinker with the classics…) In comes Ileana Douglas, who’s apparently their manager (so this is why I haven’t seen her in the movies in a while…she changed careers!), and informs them their late for a show! They’re leaving, when Steven Tyler tells her that they can’t leave us there! Get them tickets! And a limo!

Hey, cool guy this Mr. Tyler!…

We’ll our limo is waiting in the alley. Apparently the VIP entrance is being renovated…

Now we are out, in the ‘alley’. And now I’m getting freaky. I watch the launch of one of the limos…and the screams. Great, Mr. Macho. Hope DW knows how to contact the life insurance company to file the claim… :eek:

The line moves fast and now I’m sitting in the limo, with the restraint lowered, waiting for launch. My heart is beating like a horse running the Derby. And the countdown starts ‘Are you ready?’ Um, no…but it’s too late for that now…’5…4…’ I close my eyes and clench my teeth…As if that is going to make this better!...’…3…2…1…’

Instantly I go from feeling nervous to feeling flat as a pancake. :scared: And this is what goes through my mind those initial seconds of the launch:

Man, I can’t breathe!...What the…I can’t…HEY, WAIT A MINUTE YOU!...STOP BEING SUCH A WUSS…YOU CAN HADLE IT!...

So I take a deep breath and open my eyes…and WOW! THIS RIDE IS AWESOME! Incredibly, I’m enjoying every second of it!...The song that’s being played is even ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’, which is my favorite Aerosmith song!.. :cool:

It ends just a little too quickly, and out we go. The guy next to me says…’Why so short? This is the best f****** ride in the whole place!’. Well, I couldn’t have said it better!

I look at the picture, and I laugh at how ridiculous I look, with my eyes slammed shut and my teeth clenched. I think about buying it, but since I wouldn’t be hearing the end of it, I decide not to.

As I exit, DW is waiting for me, and Non-Stop is now awake. She runs to me so I can catch her and lift her up in my arms, where she squeezes me and kisses me in the cheek. Same thing she does when I come home from work, or when she hasn’t seen me for an extended period of time, like now. Soon she’ll either be too heavy for me to do it without blowing my back, or she’ll outgrow it…either way I’m going to miss it.

I tell DW about my ‘experience’ and she had a great laugh. I was thinking about going back in, but we stop to buy Non-Stop one of those light-spinning thingies, and end up chatting with the vendor guy, who is from Puerto Rico. After a while, we decide to leave, since it’s almost 7. We exit and head for the Bus Stop to the Poly (BTW, the Poly now shares buses with CR and GF. The Poly is the second stop). DW and Non-Stop need to go to the restroom (again?). As I wait for them, the bus arrives. But since I’m the only one at the stop, the driver has to wait. Great!

After what seems like 2 ½ hours (we men are impatient when our ladies go to the restroom…we want them to be quick, like us!), the ladies finally arrive and we are on our way to the Poly.

It is now about 8:30 when we enter our room. We’ll have a light dinner, then go to bed since tomorrow we have a big day and want to start early: AK, then leave for a little rest and then, MVMCP! So the hunter (me) goes out to get food for the tribe. Again, Captain Cook’s to the rescue…Pizza, Chicken Strips, croissant, pineapple chunks and yummy Pink Lemonade! We share everything and in no time we’re done, feeling full. I go with Non-Stop to the Arcade for a while so DW can shower and change for bed in relative peace. After we return, DW bathes and changes Non-Stop, and they both go to bed to watch some Toon Disney (hey, it’s Sleeping Beauty! She’s never seen that one!) After I shower and change, I turn the channel to the ‘bedtime stories’, which is basically the ‘Read-alongs’ of some of the movies; among them The Little Mermaid, and Monsters, Inc.

After the ladies go to sleep, I watch some more TV, then drift off.

Man, that Steven Tyler is really a great guy!...
RHETORICAL QUESTIONS:

-Why USA Today? I loved the Orlando Sentinel. It has a ‘local flavor’. USA Today makes me feel like I’m on a business trip.

-Isn’t Tonga Toast great? (without syrup!)

-Is it just me or does anyone else think the Hat isn't as 'magical' as the Castle, the Tree or SE as a park icon?

-Does anyone else think that the 'gangster' or 'outlaw' kidnapping in the Great Movie Ride really should go? I mean, some CMs are not even trying!

-Why is it that when you go to a park, you always have either perfect or horrible timing?

-How is it possible that the Cobb Salad can look so…weird…and taste so great?

-I’d love to see the mark-ups on the light-toy-thingies they sell at the parks!

-Why is the RNR Coaster ‘pre-show’ area (the studio lobby) so lame, while the ride is so awesome?

-Can’t they just look next door and check out TOT to see how a pre-show area is supposed to be done?

-Aren’t the ‘bedtime stories’ great?

(Bonus Rhetorical Question: Am I nitpicking too much? I had a great time!)

Tomorrow…Day 5 – Where we have the loooongest and merriest day

Stay Tuned!
 
Great Trip Report!
I totally agree with your assessment of the Gangster/outlaw component of the GrMoR. We've had CMs who were just horrible. It can detract rather than add to the attraction.

:earsgirl: :earsboy: :earsboy: :earsgirl:
 
I can feel you about RnR.:eek:
All I can remember saying to DS(8at the time) at take of was HANG ON HANG ON!aaaaahhhhhhh:scared:
But then when it was over, back again for 3 more trips!
 

Wonderful report ~ Thanx for sharing.
 
I signed in for only one reason:

to tell you how much I enjoyed your trip report. You're very amusing. Like a clown.
 
From one inversion wuss to another (see my trip report, part 3), congratulations on making it through RnRC! (maybe next time we'll do it together and keep our eyes open!)
 














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