MickeyMonstersMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2002
- Messages
- 1,427
The Monsters are:
Myself (Lori), 32: Single mom and anal planner; previous trips to WDW in 1972 and 1993
Grandma, 68: Just had back and heart surgery, determined to share kids first trip; also went in 1972
Bryn, 8: Loves all rides; first trip is also celebration of 8th birthday
Ethan, 4: Tall enough for almost everything, but not as daring as his sister; well have to see...
<u>The Monsters World Tour, Part IV: The other side of MK</u>
We started out with another early breakfast, this time with Pooh and friends at Tonys. I was somewhat disappointed in the meal, and look forward to trying it again at the Crystal Palace someday. Our waitress became surly when we asked for more eggs, and hinted that we should have asked earlier in the meal (why??). I upended my OJ on the table, and she ignored our calls for more napkins to clean it up. Two male servers brought us the napkins and helped us clean off the table. Bryn loved the healthy choice of yogurt and granola, and we all thought the food was good - but I think a great deal of our disappointment came as a result of experiencing CRT first. However, the children enjoyed the character interaction greatly. Tigger is Brynnas favorite, and she fretted throughout the meal until he finally came by, as Bryn said, saving the best for last. In fact, after he left she suddenly burst into tears, crying, I cant believe it! Tigger was <i>here</i>! That made the whole meal worthwhile.
Grandma gave in and decided to use a wheelchair today. She took Ethan over to Buzz Lightyear while Bryn and I headed to Space Mountain for her inaugural ride. There were no lines at all, and Brynna absolutely loved it.
We considered running on a second time but (so stupidly!) decided to check in with the others. Ethan wanted to show me how to do Buzz, and we had to wait a while in line, so we never went back to SM. Ah well, more to look forward to next time! We then went on to Toontown Fair just to check out Goofys Barnstormer, and literally were the only ones in there. It didnt even look open! However, there was a CM at the ride, so we got a trip all to ourselves. Ethan wanted to go again; by that time there were several children in line and we waited about 10 minutes. Although the wait was not long, Ethan complained bitterly the entire time - wed been so spoiled up to this point. We moved on to Fantasyland, agreeing that were glad to say weve done it, but feel no need to go back.
Ethan decided to pick up where hed left off the day before and have a meltdown, so I made him sit out the teacups while his (angelically smiling) sister got to go. I was heartened by the fact that the rides had minimal wait times - BUT - Ethan saw Ariels Grotto and HAD to go see his favorite princess. We stood in line for 25 minutes in that blazing sun (has anyone ever tried to crouch behind the rocks for protection. lol?) to be stopped before our turn by a CM who explained that Ariel was seeing a special guest whod come through the Make a Wish (or similar) program. A little girl was wheeled up to Ariel, who spent a few minutes holding her and talking to her - while I tried not to cry like a baby! It was very touching to see how Ariel made this girl feel like a princess herself. I didnt begrudge the wait at all - and Im proud to say my children understood as well, and expressed happiness that disabled and/or critically ill children could experience the magic too. Ahh... *sniff*.
Unfortunately, once we emerged from the grotto we found that the entire Disney-going population had once again found their way to Fantasyland. Waits started at 30 minutes for all rides except Small World. Grandma had sat out Ariel, so we took her on SW for a ride and relief from the heat. OK, the ride conveys a nice sentiment, but I doubt we will be doing that again for a while. Its just too long, and too much - we found ourselves hoping that each room we entered was the last! We discovered we really were spoiled because at this point the children elected to skip the rest of Fantasyland to avoid waiting in line. The kids ran over to the other Mountains, hoping to run on like last time, only to find that the lines were just as long there. We picked up Fastpasses for one of them and headed back to Haunted Mansion in the meantime. We picked up Fastpasses for the other Mountain right before we got on the first, and relaxed with a little ice cream and a water fight at the fountain. How good it was to run up the Fastpass side! Several people looked at us strangely, so it still is not being used as widely as it could be. Later we heard that SM had been closed again for technical difficulties - we must have just missed that - phew! It was much nicer without the 20-minute stay at the end!
Id never been to Tom Sawyer Island, so Id planned to have lunch at Aunt Pollys and sit Grandma in the shade to people-watch while we explored. There was an alligator in the water who threatened some really stupid ducks - they kept trying to swim toward the alligator, and CMs were working hard to steer the ducks in another direction. This provided the setting for our trip over to the island - nice to have some unscheduled entertainment - even suspenseful, at that! (The ducks survived, although I dont know what happened to the alligator).The CM at Aunt Pollys informed us that they no longer served lunch, but she might find some old peanut butter in the back... uh, no thanks. Grandma made herself comfortable in a rocking chair and we did check out the fort. The kids enjoyed it a lot more than I would have thought. I was horribly hungry, though, and we voted to go to Whispering Canyon for a late lunch instead of an early dinner.
It took a while to get to the front of the park and then wait for a boat. The ride over was very nice and relaxing, with a cool breeze on the water. We arrived at WL just in time to see WC close for the lunch seating. We were faced with the prospect of returning in two hours or eating elsewhere. Arrgh. We were so hot and simply exhausted, and could not have moved - we just sank into the chairs in the lobby for a while, then roused ourselves to go check out the pool. It was quite crowded - I expected a bigger facility for a resort this size. On the way back in we encountered an entire family of geckos. Having nothing better to do, we gave each of them names and made up scenarios for them: for example, Fatso was defending his anthill against invaders such as Skinny and another whose name Ive forgotten. Finally the heat drove us back into the lobby, where the kids played with the Lincoln Logs next to WC. At last a CM rang the dinner gong and we went in.
This meal was the most disappointing one of our stay. Ive posted about our experience since, and want to avoid redundancy. Suffice it to say our server did not engage in any of the hijinks that wed expected. Other servers did the ketchup thing, but otherwise we spent our meal watching the other families have fun. The food was good, but the children hardly touched theirs. Im sure the fatigue of the hump day of our vacation did not help matters at all. The kids want to try it again, and I will for them, but it is definitely not a priority.
To top off the evening, we decided to catch a bus to MGM and try out Tower of Terror, but we waited 15-20 minutes for a bus and then the skies opened up on the way there. Sodden and weary, we called it a day and schlepped off to bed. It sounds like a bad day, but there were as many good things as bad - and hey, even a bad day at WDW is better than a good one at home! Even so, I was apprehensive about attempting Epcot the next day. How would the kids react to the park with the smallest ratio of rides? Would Grandma hold up? could <i>I</i> get through the day without a meltdown?
(Tune in next time... )
Myself (Lori), 32: Single mom and anal planner; previous trips to WDW in 1972 and 1993
Grandma, 68: Just had back and heart surgery, determined to share kids first trip; also went in 1972
Bryn, 8: Loves all rides; first trip is also celebration of 8th birthday
Ethan, 4: Tall enough for almost everything, but not as daring as his sister; well have to see...
<u>The Monsters World Tour, Part IV: The other side of MK</u>
We started out with another early breakfast, this time with Pooh and friends at Tonys. I was somewhat disappointed in the meal, and look forward to trying it again at the Crystal Palace someday. Our waitress became surly when we asked for more eggs, and hinted that we should have asked earlier in the meal (why??). I upended my OJ on the table, and she ignored our calls for more napkins to clean it up. Two male servers brought us the napkins and helped us clean off the table. Bryn loved the healthy choice of yogurt and granola, and we all thought the food was good - but I think a great deal of our disappointment came as a result of experiencing CRT first. However, the children enjoyed the character interaction greatly. Tigger is Brynnas favorite, and she fretted throughout the meal until he finally came by, as Bryn said, saving the best for last. In fact, after he left she suddenly burst into tears, crying, I cant believe it! Tigger was <i>here</i>! That made the whole meal worthwhile.
Grandma gave in and decided to use a wheelchair today. She took Ethan over to Buzz Lightyear while Bryn and I headed to Space Mountain for her inaugural ride. There were no lines at all, and Brynna absolutely loved it.
We considered running on a second time but (so stupidly!) decided to check in with the others. Ethan wanted to show me how to do Buzz, and we had to wait a while in line, so we never went back to SM. Ah well, more to look forward to next time! We then went on to Toontown Fair just to check out Goofys Barnstormer, and literally were the only ones in there. It didnt even look open! However, there was a CM at the ride, so we got a trip all to ourselves. Ethan wanted to go again; by that time there were several children in line and we waited about 10 minutes. Although the wait was not long, Ethan complained bitterly the entire time - wed been so spoiled up to this point. We moved on to Fantasyland, agreeing that were glad to say weve done it, but feel no need to go back.Ethan decided to pick up where hed left off the day before and have a meltdown, so I made him sit out the teacups while his (angelically smiling) sister got to go. I was heartened by the fact that the rides had minimal wait times - BUT - Ethan saw Ariels Grotto and HAD to go see his favorite princess. We stood in line for 25 minutes in that blazing sun (has anyone ever tried to crouch behind the rocks for protection. lol?) to be stopped before our turn by a CM who explained that Ariel was seeing a special guest whod come through the Make a Wish (or similar) program. A little girl was wheeled up to Ariel, who spent a few minutes holding her and talking to her - while I tried not to cry like a baby! It was very touching to see how Ariel made this girl feel like a princess herself. I didnt begrudge the wait at all - and Im proud to say my children understood as well, and expressed happiness that disabled and/or critically ill children could experience the magic too. Ahh... *sniff*.
Unfortunately, once we emerged from the grotto we found that the entire Disney-going population had once again found their way to Fantasyland. Waits started at 30 minutes for all rides except Small World. Grandma had sat out Ariel, so we took her on SW for a ride and relief from the heat. OK, the ride conveys a nice sentiment, but I doubt we will be doing that again for a while. Its just too long, and too much - we found ourselves hoping that each room we entered was the last! We discovered we really were spoiled because at this point the children elected to skip the rest of Fantasyland to avoid waiting in line. The kids ran over to the other Mountains, hoping to run on like last time, only to find that the lines were just as long there. We picked up Fastpasses for one of them and headed back to Haunted Mansion in the meantime. We picked up Fastpasses for the other Mountain right before we got on the first, and relaxed with a little ice cream and a water fight at the fountain. How good it was to run up the Fastpass side! Several people looked at us strangely, so it still is not being used as widely as it could be. Later we heard that SM had been closed again for technical difficulties - we must have just missed that - phew! It was much nicer without the 20-minute stay at the end!
Id never been to Tom Sawyer Island, so Id planned to have lunch at Aunt Pollys and sit Grandma in the shade to people-watch while we explored. There was an alligator in the water who threatened some really stupid ducks - they kept trying to swim toward the alligator, and CMs were working hard to steer the ducks in another direction. This provided the setting for our trip over to the island - nice to have some unscheduled entertainment - even suspenseful, at that! (The ducks survived, although I dont know what happened to the alligator).The CM at Aunt Pollys informed us that they no longer served lunch, but she might find some old peanut butter in the back... uh, no thanks. Grandma made herself comfortable in a rocking chair and we did check out the fort. The kids enjoyed it a lot more than I would have thought. I was horribly hungry, though, and we voted to go to Whispering Canyon for a late lunch instead of an early dinner.
It took a while to get to the front of the park and then wait for a boat. The ride over was very nice and relaxing, with a cool breeze on the water. We arrived at WL just in time to see WC close for the lunch seating. We were faced with the prospect of returning in two hours or eating elsewhere. Arrgh. We were so hot and simply exhausted, and could not have moved - we just sank into the chairs in the lobby for a while, then roused ourselves to go check out the pool. It was quite crowded - I expected a bigger facility for a resort this size. On the way back in we encountered an entire family of geckos. Having nothing better to do, we gave each of them names and made up scenarios for them: for example, Fatso was defending his anthill against invaders such as Skinny and another whose name Ive forgotten. Finally the heat drove us back into the lobby, where the kids played with the Lincoln Logs next to WC. At last a CM rang the dinner gong and we went in.
This meal was the most disappointing one of our stay. Ive posted about our experience since, and want to avoid redundancy. Suffice it to say our server did not engage in any of the hijinks that wed expected. Other servers did the ketchup thing, but otherwise we spent our meal watching the other families have fun. The food was good, but the children hardly touched theirs. Im sure the fatigue of the hump day of our vacation did not help matters at all. The kids want to try it again, and I will for them, but it is definitely not a priority.
To top off the evening, we decided to catch a bus to MGM and try out Tower of Terror, but we waited 15-20 minutes for a bus and then the skies opened up on the way there. Sodden and weary, we called it a day and schlepped off to bed. It sounds like a bad day, but there were as many good things as bad - and hey, even a bad day at WDW is better than a good one at home! Even so, I was apprehensive about attempting Epcot the next day. How would the kids react to the park with the smallest ratio of rides? Would Grandma hold up? could <i>I</i> get through the day without a meltdown?
(Tune in next time... )
