The Monsters' World Tour: Part V (August 29,2002)

[MickeyMonstersMom]

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; we’ll have to see...

<u>The Monsters’ World Tour, Part V: Epcot</u>

Because we were so tired the night before, I did not set the alarm. Even so, we early risers were out front in time for the early bus to Epcot. We arrived about half an hour before the official opening time to find the gates already open - whee! Spaceship Earth was up and running already as well, so we ran right on and enjoyed the attraction. Then we headed over to Universe of Energy as we’d promised Ethan. He liked the dinosaur part but became bored quickly thereafter, while Brynna loved the whole thing. I was quite surprised at how much she loved it - the game-show atmosphere, Ellen’s zany behavior - it helped that Bryn recognized Bill Nye, too.

We got a taste of Ethan’s attitude for the day when he proceeded to melt down as soon as we exited Universe of Energy: he did not care that we’d seen only two things; he wanted to go back to the hotel now! After all, the dinosaurs were the only reason he wanted to come to this “stupid” place anyway, and now he wanted to go back. I was determined not to give him what he wanted at the expense of the rest of us, so I diverted his attention by getting him to look for Ice Station Cool. Now, I’d had this planned for midday, but who cares?? It worked and Ethan was soon his usual bouncy self. On the way over there, though, Ethan realized he’d left his sunglasses on Spaceship Earth - nice ones with shatter-resistant lenses that flipped up and became little frogs’ heads. Arrgh. Grandma parked the kids in the shade of a souvenir stand while I ran back (muttering about the number of sunglasses lost each day at WDW and lamenting the fact that we‘d added to the statistic, lol). The CM’s were fantastic, and so is their system for lost and found: all items left on an attraction are held at that site for about an hour, and then the entire batch is taken to Guest Services. I’d come back within the hour, and the CM to whom I spoke remembered the glasses (kind of hard to miss, I suppose!).

Sunglasses safely tucked in my fanny pack, I finally herded the family into Ice Station Cool. How refreshing the cold was! And the drinks were fun. We all knew that “Beverly” would be scary, but were determined to try it despite the CM’s warning. I wouldn’t ever order it anywhere, but I got it down. Bryn tried to spit hers into the runoff tray (eew), and Ethan tried to wipe his tongue on anything he could access - hand, shirt, me (hee hee)! Even before seeing the kids’ reactions, my mother would not even try it! In fact she said none of the flavors suited her. My favorite was the Japanese vitamin one (hmmm, how do I order some??!), Ethan loved China’s, and Bryn preferred Israel. Ice Station Cool isn’t very large or fancy, but we’d all go back for a little simple entertainment and a chance to cool off.

Star Tours had left me nauseous for hours on my last visit, so we did not go near Body Wars! Instead we headed over to The Living Seas because we all like that kind of stuff. I do miss the ride, even if it was nothing special. I’d read that the dolphins and manatees (one of my favorite animals) might not be there, but planned to gamely enjoy it anyway, and let the kids explore while I checked out some gift ideas. Suddenly Brynna came running up, breathlessly explaining that she’d found manatees! Feeling really stupid and trying to hide the tears, I pressed my nose up to the glass just like any little kid and communed for a while with these amazing creatures. Brynna told me she felt better now about crying over Tigger, because she wasn’t the only one. Hehe.

After way too much time in that pavilion, we went on to The Land. I’ve always wanted to check out the ride, but wasn’t sure how the kids would react. They actually enjoyed it quite a bit. My mom also liked this, as it wasn’t a thrill ride or loud like so many of Disney’s attractions. I wish our boats had moved a little more slowly, though, so I could have caught everything. On to Food Rocks, something we’d all been looking forward to after reading descriptions of it. Eh, it was OK but not as we’d imagined it - we probably won’t go back to that.

Journey Into Your Imagination was adorable. I don’t remember its previous incarnation, so can’t comment on whether it has improved or not - but we all thought it was a blast (literally, in some places!). We hadn’t laughed that hard in ages. After exiting there, Ethan began whining again so we headed for the World Showcase, Ethan riding on Grandma’s lap. I never realized how hilly this park is until I had to push that blasted wheelchair all over it!

We started at Mexico and rode El Rio del Tiempo. By this time Ethan was ready for more of the thrill rides that he’d been seeing in the other parks, and was not impressed at all. We started our plan of “grazing” through the WS at Norway, where we picked up a rice cream (I want a VAT of it, thanks!) and some kind of chocolate cake that was more like a slice of mousse. Mmmm. Grandma had an incredible turkey sandwich that came with a sweet gherkin on the top - not something I’d think to put there, but boy was it good! Norway got a definite “must do again” vote from all! Our plans to graze did not go so well, though, as the food at Norway filled us up until we hit France.

I was able to keep Ethan engaged in the Kidcot Funstops for a while, but he whined incessantly between each nation and got on everyone’s nerves. I’ve heard of kids who enjoy Epcot, and I’m sure Ethan would have too under other circumstances (maybe earlier in the vacation, maybe on a cooler day). Brynna decided she’d had enough of family at the American Adventure and refused to go in the building or take part in the fife and drum parade out front. This insulted her American History teacher mom, and a civil war of our own began to brew. Ethan and I took part in the flag salute and he hugged me when I cried again at the patriotic songs. We then rejoined our mutinous Bryn and wary Grandma, just in time for Ethan to completely lose it at the Funstop. He is typically so unflappable, and his increasing bad behavior is still a mystery to me. I still refused to give in to his demands to go back to the hotel, so we sat there in the shade until he’d pulled himself together and then sat for another half hour while the kids simply colored and relaxed. We were able to get through the rest of the WS after that, but I felt completely drained.

In fact, much of Epcot remains a blur. I look forward to going back when the kids are older and able to appreciate it better. I don’t remember seeing Morocco, but have a faint memory of hearing a tourist joining a native CM in an impromptu piece of music that was simply beautiful. Brynna was focused on getting to France, begging me to get her anything French - Ethan wanted escargots, lol (yes, he knows what they are, the budding gourmand)! We ran into the patisserie and grabbed an assortment of pastries to eat on the terrace area outside. Ethan’s “Marvelous” Something-or-Other lived up to its name, and Grandma even found a Coke for herself. We finished up at Canada in time to see Off-Kilter - what an amazing talent there, and a unique sound. The kids and I danced our own versions of jigs and such at the fringes of the crowd.

I realized then that we were very close to the International Gateway and decided we all needed a change of venue, so we headed to the boats and MGM for the much-anticipated ride on Tower of Terror and the previously cancelled snack at Dinosaur Gertie‘s. The kids were beside themselves with excitement. The boat ride provided lots of entertainment as well: beyond the sight of the (new to me) Boardwalk area, we also got to ride with Frank, who was doing his second day of training in navigating a WDW boat. He did a great job, and the other two drivers accompanying him regaled us with stories. Great people there.

When we got to MGM Grandma decided she’d had enough and was just going to sit and watch people at the front gate. We installed her on a shady bench and took off, hitting Hollywood Boulevard just 5 minutes before the afternoon parade. The kids briefly considered going back for Grandma and watching the parade, but when they realized the benefits of riding when most people were at the parade, they chose to ride. We walked onto the ToT so fast I missed most of the theming (arrgh). Ethan was having the time of his life in the preshow room, but then developed cold feet on the way to the boiler room. After all that whining and begging! Well, Bryn told him that it’s a lot like Haunted Mansion, except with a really cool drop, and he decided to try it. He really hated the dark at the top (and I really hated the volume), but we all loved the rest. It was wild to watch Ethan’s little feet float upward on each drop. We didn’t even discuss a second ride, but turned as one body and ran back up the path! The CM’s on today were fabulous - as the doors opened at the end of our second ride, our guy fell into the car as if he were a corpse! It was very well done. We especially liked the less-than-five-minute waits for it as well!

I probably would not have gotten the kids away from there, but the sky had grown ominously dark in the short time it took to do that second ride, so I convinced them to get to Gertie’s and back to Grandma before it began to rain. The line for the ice cream was horrendous and only one verrrry sloooow CM was working it, but Ethan had been promised Gertie’s so we got in line. Several people in front of us left after reporting that they’d been there nearly 15 minutes - yikes! Watching the ever-darkening sky, we conversed with a British family as we too waited much longer than we should have. Finally it was our turn: the hapless CM screwed up our order, so she gave us 2 ice creams for the price of one, and we set off for the gate at a run. We caught up with Grandma and leaped onto the bus just as the rain started to fall. It was pouring buckets by the time we reached ASMu. No one wanted dinner until we’d gotten back to the room, so I was elected the one who should brave the rain and bring it all back (hmmm). Eh, it allowed me to check out potential souvenirs in the gift shop without chasing the kids, so it was worth getting wet. I enjoyed a fantastic turkey dinner with the works, and then sent the kids off to bed and planned our itinerary for our last day. It was hard to believe it was nearly over!

 

[Marla Hellwig]

Glad the day ended on a high note - it is hard to figure out what sets a child off some days - thanks for posting!