The perfect proposal goes perfectly....wrong *COMPLETED!! 3-10-07*

[VW_Guy]

Uhhhh.... Hi.



I'm not really quite sure what to say after such a long absence. I'm sure most of you were wondering what was going on, if I totally forgot about my Trip Report, etc. Well, the short answer is, yes--I forgot. Sorry 'bout that...

The long answer is that shortly after my last post in August of 2006, my wonderful DF started her first semester of law school at Temple University. For any of you who know, the first year of law school is akin to scholastic boot camp, and it leaves no time for anything else, including eating and sleeping. So, for the past six months or so, in addition to my full-time job, I have been handling the full load of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, keeping my DF happy and productive, while staying on-budget, and still attempting to retain my sanity. If there are any single mothers out there, I'm feelin' for ya.

But anyway, things here are beginning to even out, and I have finally found time to return to some of my old hobbies, this being one of my favorite. So, without further ado, I FINALLY bring you the next installment of our story:

 

[VW_Guy]

Part IX—Animal Kingdom Or: The Happiest Hottest Place on Earth!

As was fast becoming our M.O., we stayed up too late the night before (due mostly to the noise next door, and partly to the dozen mini-bottles of wine we had hidden away in our luggage) and so, we were not up as planned, two hours before park opening time, ready to be the first in line at the gates. This morning, we did a little better than the previous days, and were actually out of bed and showered around the time the park was opening. After a quick in-room breakfast of bagels and juice, we joined up with the crowds of guests, already waiting for busses to arrive. I should mention here that the method I used to determine which park we were to visit on which day was one that was recommended in “The Unofficial Guide”. That was to avoid parks that were having “Extra Magic Hours” at all costs. The book explained that all of the uninitiated guests would be crawling all over themselves to take advantage of the extra time in the parks, not realizing that they were all attempting to do exactly the same thing at exactly the same time, in effect, making the extra time gained worthless for all of the extra time they would be standing in line. This theory proved itself true when we arrived at the bus stop to find the line at the MGM stop (which would be holding EMHs later that night) nearly three times longer than any of the other lines around. We happily got in line behind the six other in-the-know-people in line for the Animal Kingdom. Unfortunately, what we had not counted on was that the Disney Transportation coordinators would also realize that the EMH parks would be the most popular locations for the day, and would therefore divert most of the transport busses to those parks, leaving the rest of us to watch as bus after bus picked up a load of guests to whisk them off to MGM, leaving us to roast in the early morning sun. Eventually, an Animal Kingdom bus did arrive, so the dozen people in line with us boarded the bus to find another dozen or so people, all with knowing smiles that we had beaten the curve, at least for now.

After having to wait so long for a bus, we ended up arriving at the Animal Kingdom about one hour after opening. Thankfully, because we were well after the morning rush, we didn’t have too many crowds to fight on our way through the gates. Of course, as any good DISer would do, I pointed us in the direction of the Kilimanjaro Safaris in hope that the lines weren’t yet too outrageous. When we arrived at the ride entrance, the board was showing a do-able 30 minute wait, so we got in line and quietly watched the pre-show video playing on the overhead monitors. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see that much, due to the low morning sun creating wicked glare off of all but a few of the monitors. What we did manage to view was little more than a distraction to the fact that we had about twenty more minutes of standing in line, squinting up at the screens to learn how to say various animal names in an authentic(?) African tongue. When we got to the front of the line, we boarded our ‘tour bus’ and we luckily were directed into the bench directly behind the driver, which we had all to ourselves, so I knew we would have a great view, and be able to get some good photos. Again, I found myself in the position where I was so intent upon taking pictures of every SINGLE animal that we saw that I wasn’t able to really relax and enjoy the ride. I did end up with a few great shots of the wildlife, but as I look over them now, I think: “Wow, what a bunch of wasted photos of animals that I really don’t need to remember.”

I guess it just proves my own theory that when you are on vacation, as much as you feel you have to record every single sight, event, and scene, when you look at those pictures years on down the road, you won’t remember exactly when or where they are from. And, taken out of context, your own photos might as well have been taken by someone else, for all you care. In my (nowhere near vast) experience, the best pictures that bring up the most vivid memories are the pictures of the people you were experiencing the moment with. I can barely remember what we did or saw on half of the high school field trips I went on as a kid, but I can definitely remember all of the friends that went along with me, and the fun we had together.

Anyway, back to the Animal Kingdom: when we disembarked from our “Safari” we found a shady spot to pull over and plan the rest of our day. It was determined that the four major events of the morning would be (in no particular order): Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, Its Tough to Be A Bug, and The Festival of the Lion King. If you recall from Part VI of this Trip Report (I know, its been a while. Don’t worry, I’ll wait here while you go back and check. Hmmmm, hmmmmm. Okay, read through it again? Good. Now, back to it…) we had scheduled the “Behind the Seeds Tour” for that afternoon, back at The Land in Epcot. So, we only had the morning to see AK, which wasn’t a big deal for us. Last time we were here, we spent a lot of time on all of the walking trails and we saw a lot of animals, and were entertained, but it was a bit slow-paced for our taste. Since we were already on the correct side of the park, and the next show was about 30 minutes away, we decided to make our way down to the Festival of the Lion King. Now, usually, we (I) am not stage show people—at least, not when we are in Disney. As I have stated before, I love a good play or musical, but with water rides and pre-historic animatronic monsters around the corner, the last thing I want to do is sit in a theater with a bunch of rowdy kids. However, The Lion King musical is one that DF has wanted to see for quite some time now, and she demanded that we go see this show, which was supposed to be similar. And I must admit, it is quite a show. It’s definitely geared towards young children, what with all of the audience interaction to keep us from getting restless. What appealed to me was not so much the song and dance, but the acrobatic displays on center stage. Some were better than others, but it was definitely something to be seen.

After Lion King (and far too many pictures taken of man-monkeys flying through the air) we made a beeline toward the tree to get into the next showing of Its Tough to Be a Bug. Normally, DF refuses to go to these shows. She really hates the surprise gags they throw in, such as the stingers in the seats, the smelly gases, and most of all, the water sprayed in your face. However, this being a show that is particularly funny in the process, she agreed to go on it with me, so long as I not make fun of her afterwards for screaming periodically during the show. Fortunately, when we got to the tree, the wait wasn’t bad at all, but unfortunately, there were tons of small children in the theater with us, and a lot of them were terrified. I wouldn’t say it ‘ruined’ my experience, and I really can’t fault the parents for trying (because, who knows? Some kids like that stuff, others hate it—and it changes almost daily) but, if you have a kid screaming his head off, be the responsible adult and take the kid out of the theater—don’t talk loudly over the show telling them that “Its okay—look, its funny!” When we left the theater, I of course broke my promise to mock DF and told her that next time, she could sit on lap to begin with instead of jumping there when the bee “stung” her.

By this point, it was still early, but we were both getting hungry, and the lunch crowds were starting to circle, so we went over to the Tusker House for food. The Unofficial Guide said that this is one of the best places in Animal Kingdom to get a quick lunch, and they were right (yet again). The purchasing lines were short, and after a quick look around, there were plenty of tables open as well, so for the first time on the trip, we were able to buy lunch as a couple, and find a cozy table to enjoy our meal. The only letdown is the fact that no matter what counter service restaurant you go to in the parks, it seems like they have the same three options for dessert. So, after I had the carrot cake for the second time in as many days, we cleaned off our table and headed back out into the mid-morning heat. And BOY was it hot. While we were relaxing in the cool AC, it seemed like the thermostat for the rest of Orlando had been turned all the way up and then broken off. As we walked through the increasingly-crowded park, the heat and the full tummies started to get to us immediately. We decided that even though getting soaked on Kali River Rapids would be a welcome relief, we didn’t want to spend the rest of the day squishing around in soggy underwear. So, we stopped off for some Fast Passes at Kali and walked allllllll the way down to Dinosaur. I don’t know if it’s the sprawling layout of this park, or just the lack of shade in some areas (Dinoland USA, I’m looking at you!), but it definitely seems like it takes twice as long to get anywhere, and its twice as hot as any other park.

When we eventually got to Dinosaur, the wait time shown was 45 minutes, but since there wasn’t much else we wanted to see, and our FP return time for Kali was a good two hours away, we had nothing but time on our hands. The other reason I didn’t mind waiting was that Dinosaur has a very pleasant waiting area. You wind through what looks like a cross between a modern office building and a natural history museum, and every half-hour or so, they play a “history of the world” type preshow in the rotunda. Even though you are standing the entire time, the effects for the show make it almost worth it. By the time the show had started for a second time, we were ushered into the adjoining room to start the rest of the ride. When we got there, however, things got a bit dicey. From the catwalk above the loading platforms, we could see the three rows of cars come in from the end of the last ride, and pick up a new load of guests to take them away on their time traveling quest. As we watched, one of the cars began exiting the loading area, and immediately stopped. The car sat there with its exasperated passengers as the two still operating lines filed car after car past them. Eventually, after about ten minutes of not moving, a CM escorted the passengers off the car, and got them into line at one of the platforms still in operation. Unfortunately, with only two lanes in operation, the loading slowed almost to a halt, and we waited another 15 minutes before we finally boarded our car. When we were underway, we were having a great time, until about halfway in. All of the sudden, in one of the pitch-black areas of the ride, the car stopped in mid-lurch, settled back down to a level position, and sat there.

And sat.

And sat.

The animatronics were still all working, and so was the audio track, which, based on the location of our vehicle on the ride track, was continuously playing the sound of vicious dinosaurs hunting us as we sat motionless in the darkness. It was so dark that we couldn’t see anything, but I could sense the movement of the predators just beyond our car. I wasn’t even able to see DF, sitting right next to me, but I knew she was getting restless because her grip on my hand was getting tighter and tighter. Finally, after about three weeks, the car started up again—slowly at first, with no bouncing movements—we just slowly drove out of the darkness, around a corner into another area that was lit, and had several dinos grazing beside us. Our car came to a halt again. This time wasn’t as bad, since at least we could SEE the dinos, so if they decided to attack, at least this time we could see it coming. Eventually, with a loud whirring wind-up, the car took off like a shot, back into full tilting action. We finished the ride without anymore interruptions, but I’m afraid DF has restricted us from ever again riding Dinosaur without at least packing some flashlights and some emergency staples, lest we are left in the prehistoric wilderness again.

When we got back out into the daylight, the noontime sun had baked the pavement to the point where the ground was hotter than the surrounding air, and you could actually feel the heat rising up from under you, like you were walking directly ON the sun. Because of our ‘extended’ Dinosaur experience, our FP return time was just around the corner, so we headed off in the direction of KaliRiver rapids. This was the first time either of us had gone on this ride. It existed the last time we were in the Animal Kingdom, two years prior, but we never got the chance to ride. Understandably, I was looking forward to experiencing a new Disney ride for the first time. And, after riding it, I won’t say it was a letdown—because I definitely had fun—but I don’t think there was enough immersion to differentiate the ride. I’ve been on at least three similar ‘river rapids’ rides in other theme parks, and I was hoping that the Disneyfied version would be something new and exciting. As it turns out, it’s just another ‘rapids’ ride. There is a storyline, but it’s so thin, its easily ignored. Admittedly, my inability to follow the storyline could be due to the fact that I took every single waterfall and wave splash directly in the face. I came off the ride soaked to the bone, while the young boy sitting directly across from me was barely moist.

When we exited the ride, we found we still had plenty of time before we needed to get back to the hotel for a change into dry clothes and then over to Epcot for the evening. However, by this point, we were so battered from a day of trekking across the sun, nearly getting eaten by non-existent predators, and being soaked in sickeningly warm water that we were more than happy to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom. On our way out of the park, we stopped in front of the Tree of Life for a photo. Don’t we look overjoyed? (The Tree is actually behind DF’s head—I couldn’t see a darned thing because of all the sun glare).

Eventually, we dragged our sorry butts back to the hotel in a lovely air conditioned, nearly empty bus, and flopped onto our bed. We took the extra time we had saved by leaving AK early to take our time in the hotel room, taking refreshing showers and a quick catnap. We left the room with about 40 minutes in which to grab a bus to Epcot, make our way to The Land and find our tour group. If you are recalling the episode of the missing busses from earlier in the morning, you are smarter than we were. We got to the bus stop with what we thought was plenty of time, only to see that time dwindle down to nothing as bus after bus passed us by, most of them on the way to the EMH MGM. Finally, with 15 minutes to go until our meeting time, we boarded our bus, hopeful that our driver was some sort of speed demon. Miraculously, we got to the gates of Epcot with moments to spare, and we double-timed it to the Land. As we speed walked up the entrance ramp to The Land, I checked my watch—we were only five minutes late. With hope in our hearts, we made our way to the tour meeting area, hopeful that they had waited for us. No such luck. We waited in vain for another ten minutes, waiting at the tour directors desk for a CM to appear that would hopefully allow us to join the tour already in progress. When a very young CM finally showed up, we asked him where the last tour group was, and he responded that they were long gone, and we would not be able to join up with them. Furthermore, the tour had been pre-paid and was non-refundable. I wasn’t so torn up about it—it was only about $20—but DF was upset. She felt we were being cheated for depending on their lousy transportation system, and wanted some sort of refund. After we sat down and I calmly reminded her; as she had done for me when we missed the Lights, Motor, Action show not two days ago; that we were still in Disney, on vacation, and there were plenty of other things to see and do.

After resting on a nearby bench for a bit, we decided that if we couldn’t take the tour, we could at least use the time to finally go on Living with the Land. The entrance to the line was showing a 50 minute wait, but since we had a good two hours until our ADR in France, and nothing much better to do, we decided to get in line. For the first 20 minutes the line moved along smoothly. DF had regained her spirits, and I was talking her up on how good the food at France was supposed to be. We were both so engrossed in reading the food reviews from the Unofficial Guide, that it took us a few minutes to realize that the line had stopped moving. The people that had gotten in line behind us had realized it too, and some had begun to leave. We waited another 15 minutes while more people, both ahead of and behind us started leaving. We were pretty far back in line, so we couldn’t see what was going on, but after a total of about an hour of standing in line, we called it quits and decided to head on up to the World Showcase for supper. It seemed as if Living with the Land was not going to be in the cards for this vacation.

When we arrived at Les Chefs de France, the place was almost empty. I had intentionally made this ADR as early as possible, so we could spend the evening over at PleasureIsland, or back at the hotel pool for some relaxation before our final day at the parks. We got a table near the front windows, where we could see the people passing by, and the lagoon beyond. As we settled in and ordered some wine and appetizers, I realized this could possibly be the best meal of our trip. DF and I both have wide-raging tastes, and the gourmet offerings on this menu looked as if they would play to those tastes. For an appetizer, I had tuna tartar with a mustard sauce and bruschetta. Thinking about it now makes my mouth water. This was one of those dishes that when I eventually make my way back to the World, I will HAVE to make ADRs at Les Chefs and I will HAVE to have the tuna tartar again. It was THAT good. My entrée was some sort of a seafood pasta. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but I do remember it was heavy on the cream, and very filling. For dessert, I went with what I thought would be on the lighter side, a light pastry with ice cream, but I was mistaken—the portions were huge! If it wasn’t so delectable, I wouldn’t have been able to finish the whole thing. As it was, I was completely full, and still wanting to lick the last of it off the plate. As we were finishing our meal, the sun began to set, and a crowd gathered outside our window to watch the mime do his act. We really couldn’t see what was going on from our angle, but the periodic laughter that reached us through the glass made for a pleasant compliment to the food. This wasn’t just the best meal of our vacation, it was the best meal of my year—hands down. If you are an amateur foodie, as I would like to consider myself; and you miss this restaurant the next time you are at Disney, consider your vacation a failure. It was amazing.

After the waiter graciously rolled us out of the restaurant, we took a leisurely stroll through the nearby countries, wasting some time, and enjoying the setting sun. Eventually, as we strolled along the lagoon, letting our food digest, it became less burdensome to walk and we made our way into Italy. As we were poking around in the wine store, the CM asked us if we would like to taste anything. Not wanting to turn down the poor girl, we of course agreed, and purchased a flight of wine to share. I had heard the wine flights recommended in several of the tour books, but I could not believe what a value it was. I believe we paid somewhere around $12 (what a good glass of wine would cost in a decent restaurant) and we got 6 (or was it 8?) glasses ½ full, of an assortment of extremely good wine. After sharing the glasses, and realizing what an enormously great deal we had stumbled upon, we immediately decided we should also try the wine flights in Germany and France—for comparison’s sake, of course. We eventually staggered our way out of the World Showcase, stopping at a bench near the lagoon to enjoy the cooling evening and the pleasant wine buzz. And, as anyone knows, when you give a drunk a camera, eight out of ten pictures will be of his shoes, or up his nose, but every once in a while, after some experimentation, you get a decent shot.

We were a VERY happy couple.

Once the buzz had worn off enough to walk straight, we made our way out of the park (stopping at every bathroom along the way) and back to the hotel. We had decided to keep the party rolling and head on over to PleasureIsland for some club hopping. After a quick change of clothes back at the hotel, we picked up DF’s ring and were out the door. We were taking the ring with us in the hopes that there would be a jewelry store in the Downtown Disney area that would be able to resize it. We weren’t counting on much, but it was worth a shot. When we got to the bus stop, we found a small group of well-dressed young people, looking like they were ready for a night on the town. They were part of the large group of Brazilian teenagers that had been keeping us up for the past two nights and of course they were headed to the same place we were. As we waited, more and more teens joined the group waiting with us, and soon the sidewalk was a writhing, chattering group of greased back hair and loads of cheap perfume. I didn’t see how any of these kids could be old enough to buy cigarettes, much less get into a club, but I do know you can get into Pleasure Island without actually being 21, so I guess it was as good a place as any for them all to go and hang out. As the group grew larger and larger, it became apparent that there would not be enough room on even an empty bus for all of us. Because there wasn’t an official queue set up for the Downtown Disney bus stop, I slowly edged my way up to where I suspected the bus driver would be stopping. Before you scold me for butting in line, we were some of the first ones there, and I would be dammed if I let all of them get on this bus before we did. When the bus eventually came, it stopped about ten feet from where I was standing at the edge of the sidewalk, and I went into heavy crowd mode. If five years of PennState apartment parties have taught me one thing, its how to get from one side of a room to the other through a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. I grabbed DF’s hand and started lightly pushing my way to the bus, making it on with room to spare. The bus driver did his best to stem the tide of oncoming teens when the bus got full to capacity, and we set off on the longest, hottest, smelliest bus ride I have ever been on.

When we were finally within sight of the Downtown Disney lights, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Only a few more minutes” I told DF. We pulled into a parking lot and drove towards DD. And then we turned around. I don’t know if this was the bus drivers’ first day, or if he just felt like messing with us, but I swear we spent about five minutes aimlessly driving around the parking lot, apparently looking for a good spot to pull over. Eventually, he found the bus depot and let us out of our human sardine can. After that ordeal, I had completely lost the relaxed buzz of the evening, which was replaced by a Commando determination to get this G** D*** ring resized and get the H*** out of here before they all decide to get on the bus home too. We made our way to Arribas Brothers (where they do the glass blowing) as it was the closest thing to a jewelry store we could find on the map. We made it to the store just as it was closing, and, since we were the only customers left in the store, we were able to talk to the artisan that was closing up shop (who I’m really sorry I can’t remember his name). We asked if he would be able to resize a ring for us, and after filling him in on all of the gory details of the proposal, he seemed more than happy to help out. He told us that he knows how to resize a ring, but he didn’t have the proper equipment there. However, he told us they do have the proper equipment at the MagicKingdom, and his co-worker at their sister store on Main Street would be able to help us out tomorrow. He jotted some quick instructions on a sheet of paper and gave us a man’s name (which, again, I’m sorry I have forgotten) that we were supposed to find and give the instructions to.

Our spirits lifted, we did a little bit of shopping in the stores that were still open and went back to the bus depot where we had been dropped off. We waited for a few minutes (thankfully alone) for the next bus to arrive, and so I pulled out the sheet of paper the Artisan had given us. It said something to the effect of “Ring resizing equipment is in the storage room under the castle. Please find and help this nice couple out.” I showed the note to DF, who immediately said what was on both our minds: “Do you think they will let us go down under the castle with them!!?”

Find out in the next installment:
Part X—The Last Day, or Awwww, But I Don’t WANNA Go Home!

 

[angel*lady]

Welcome back!!! We all know how life gets in the way of our Disney fixes!!! It may have been a while but I am still enjoying your TR. Hope law school is going well for your DF.

 

[corinnak]

Hurray! You are back and you and your fiance are still together and....pictures!

I thought of you last month at LMA with my two boys. Now I will also have to think of you if we ever take the Behind the Seeds tour. What a bummer to have hustled back to Epcot, only to find that the busses made you miss the tour. I agree, it's not fair.

That was quite a ride through Dinosaur - I have never been on that one, but it sounds like a bad one to get stuck on. I got stuck on POTC once, long ago, and that was kind of fun - cannons going off left and right, pirates repeating themselves. Your stoppage sounded downright disturbing, though!

Thanks for coming back to finish! I don't know where the rest of your fans are, but hopefully they will be along shortly!

 

[mhf]

More More More.

And we want to hear all about the wedding plans (humor me...it's what females ask).

I drove my dad's 1969 light blue Bug to Penn State in 1982...Gertie (short for Gertrude, of course, and sorta German) and I survived the 4 years there. I'm thinking I need to move back since we did pretty well with the football team then.

Melissa

 

[DarlingDumbo]

As a girl who is (not so) secretly wishing that her bf would propose to her on their wdw trip this summer, Thank you for finishing up your trip report! And congratulations on your engagement!

 

[babywewe]

I'm so excited you are back to share your story VW GUY!

Again, GREAT READ!

Give us an update of wedding plans and such!

 

[cabanafrau]

Well, atleast if you were gone a long while, it was for good reasons. Very nice to have you back, know you are both well & were kind enough to bring us such a great read!

 

[smwf71]

Welcome back!

 

[kaysmommie]

Your back to finish your story!

 

[Jennifer48]

And to think, I almost unsubscribed to this thread

Thanks for coming back and finishing the TR.

 

[babywewe]

I"m glad i'm not the only dork who remembers this thread!

 

[poutytink]

Welcome back!! Pretty please finish up the trip report!!

 

[Starwater]

Great trip report! Your description of being stuck in the dark with the dinosaurs was fantastically funny. I hope the same thing happens to me! Yes, really! I'm going to be traveling in May with my boyfriend - a WDW-newbie (actually, a theme-park newbie in general) - and I think it would be hilarious!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Welcome back! I'm glad you didn't forget about us. And I agree, Les Chefs is hands down the best meal of the year anytime I eat there. I love it more than any other restaurant in WDW.

 

[VW_Guy]

Part X—The Last Day, or Awwww, But I Don’t WANNA Go Home!

The rest of that night passed by without much drama—THANK GOODNESS. The bus we caught back to the hotel was just about empty, because, yes, we were the losers leaving DTD way before last call. As I suspected, when we got back to the hotel, things were much quieter—probably because half the hotel had just ridden the bus with us to DTD and were still enjoying the nightlife. We took advantage of the quiet (and our exhaustion from the long day) and fell right to sleep.

When we woke up the next morning, we felt well rested for the first time since we had been at Disney. I don’t know if the noisy group next door had tuckered themselves out at DTD, or if we were so tired that we slept through whatever noise they made, but it was nice to wake up after a good nights sleep. It was nice for about thirty seconds until I realized—this was it. The last half-day of our engagement vacation at Disney World. It had been a good vacation—filled with highs and lows, but thankfully, more highs than lows (I think). We spent the morning getting ready and then we packed all of our luggage before we took it down to the concierge’s desk for safe keeping until our date with the Magical Express. We checked out at the front desk, and got in line for our last park visit of the trip—back to the MagicKingdom to find a ring resizer under Cinderella’s Castle. We (I) had originally scheduled this last half-day to be spent at MK anyway, so we were looking forward to getting a quick ride on everything we had missed on the first day.

When we got to MK, it was warming up to be another scorcher. We had gotten up early this morning, but after all of the packing and checking out, we got to the park about two hours after opening. The crowds were in full swing. Our first order of business was to stop in at the glass-blowing store on Main Street to see about resizing DF’s ring (and hopefully an unscheduled tour of the bowels of Cindy’s Castle). When we got there, we spoke to a CM at the register, who said that the guy we were looking for wasn’t scheduled to be in until about 11:30 AM. We thanked her and went back outside to regroup. Our pickup time for the Magical Express was at 2PM, which meant we would have to leave the park by 1PM at the latest, so as not to miss our free trip to the airport. That meant we would have just enough time to take in a few rides, be back at Main Street just before noon, which would leave enough time for a quick ring resize (as if I had any clue how much time it would take), and back to AS Music for the Magical Express.

Time to get movin’. Our first stop was of course SpaceMountain—the big daddy. We waited maybe 20 minutes and rode the rockets. When we exited, DF had snacks on the brain. Over the course of our visit, we had used maybe two of our allotted “snack” credits, so DF was on the lookout for good ways to burn up what we had left. We spotted an ice cream stand and we each got a set of edible Mickey ears. Then, we licked and dripped our way back across the World over to the big daddy’s little brother—SplashMountain. The wait time was a little longer than we were hoping for, but we still had some Mickey head left to eat, and nothing better to do, so we got in line.

When we eventually boarded, we slipped our sticky selves into the “log” and off we went. I have to explain that I am a bit OCD when it comes to cleanliness—especially when my hands are sticky. So, being surrounded by water within arms’ reach, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give myself a little wash-up in the Zippity-Doo-Dah waters. This was a mistake for two reasons. First, you know that smell that all Disney water rides have? The smell that can’t really be described, but as soon as you smell it, your head goes “oh, Disney water”. Yea, that one. Well, now my hands and forearms smelled that way, and no amount of drying on my T-shirt was getting it out. Second, if you decide not to heed the “Please keep your hands and limbs inside the ride vehicle at all times” mantra, you will incur the wrath of the “Big Mousey”—he’s the same thing as “Big Brother” but with a cheerful demeanor and happy grin. Nevertheless, he is always watching. I found this all out, because, on my second dip into the water, a booming voice cut though the recorded chirping birds and singing frogs and said “SIR! PLEASE KEEP YOUR HANDS INSIDE THE VEHICLE!” DF immediately swiveled around to look at me with the “What did you do!” look on her face, which I countered with my “Nuthin’—GOSH!” face. I was unfortunately given away with my quickness to blush and slight stoop of my head due to embarrassment. We exited the ride, and I did my best “That guy wasn’t talking to me, and I am in no way embarrassed” strut out of the building, but DF wasn’t buying it. She laughed and teased me for getting scolded by Walt’s disembodied voice.

We made our way back to Main Street, as it was nearing our date with the ring-resizing guy. When we eventually found him, we produced the ring and the note his Artisan co-worker had written for us, and he seemed eager to help. We filled him in on the whole Castle/Fireworks/Spectro proposal. He called over another CM, and showed her the note, saying “Hey—did you know there is a ring-resizer under the Castle? I had no idea. I guess I’ll have to go looking for it.” We were beyond happy—these two were genuinely excited to be a part of our “Disney proposal” moment, and we (I) were (was) imagining we would be getting a free pass to go rummaging through the castle’s forgotten basement. What would we possibly find? Walt’s old furniture from the supposed Disney Family apartment on the top floor of the Castle? Discontinued (and rare) collectables from years’ past? A dragon’s lair like the Castle in Disneyland Paris? Unfortunately, all these daydreams fell when the CM began to examine the ring and said “Oh, I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to help you.” You see, in my infinite good taste, I had not bought just any run-of-the-mill engagement ring—I got a diamond ring that had three stones flanking the primary stone on either side, set into the band. The CM explained that if he tried using the traditional method of resizing the ring, he was liable to pop one of the inset stones out. He told us that we would have to have the ring sent out to a professional to be cut and expanded with a new section of band. So, thankful for his help, but disappointed that we would be going home with a too-small ring and no Castle-basement-rummaging, we headed back out onto Main Street.

Since our meeting with the ring-resizer was much shorter than anticipated, we had plenty of time to kill before we had to be back at the hotel. We spent the rest of the early afternoon poking around in the Main Street shops, before grabbing a quick lunch at the ColumbiaHarbour house. Even though this was our last meal there, and I should be able to remember it the best, I can’t, because I was already in full Disney withdrawl. It sounds so weird to say that I was missing Disney while I was still IN DISNEY, but I’m sure all of you know exactly what I’m talking about.

We took our time on the way out—spending the rest of our snack credits on non-perishable candy, and picking up a few more last-minute impulse buys at the Emporium. The rest of the day was a blur of waiting in line for busses, waiting in line for security checkpoints, waiting in line to get on the plane, waiting in line for the rest rooms on the plane, etc, etc. When we touched down back home in Philly, it was a chilly late night, and we found my Dad waiting next to the baggage carousel with a big grin on his face. We filled him in on the whole trip on the way home (not quite as detailed as I have described on this board—it’s only an hour drive, after all) and he seemed excited about us getting engaged. Even though it was late, we spent a few hours over at my parent’s house, repeating all of the same stories for my Mom, and then we went over to her parent’s house. Repeat.

The post-Disney trauma was dissipated by the post-engagement excitement, and we spent the next few days repeating the story of our Disney proposal and subsequent search for a ring-resizer for all of our friends and family. So, as the title of this exceedingly long TR states, it was a perfect proposal, despite the fact that just about every aspect that I had planned for it had gone wrong. I guess it just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how much you plan for—Disney will always find a way to change those plans, but leave you the better for it.

So, I will leave you with a top ten list of lessons learned for all of you Disney newbies, future Disney proposal people, and all of you other DISers who revel in the aptly coined “Disney Schadefreud” and enjoy laughing at another’s Disney misfortunes.

• Avoid touring Disney in the middle of July, unless you enjoy massive crowds, massive heat, and the unfortunate aroma that results.
• Somebody that tells you that AS Music is quiet for a value resort means it in the same way that a bunker is a quiet place to be in a war zone. Yea, it might be a bit safer, but it’s still a war zone out there, people—and it ain’t for the fainthearted. (Or those that can afford the few extra bucks for a Moderate).
• If someone in the parks (or in the hotel room next door) is being obviously rude, politely diffuse the situation yourself. Tattling to a CM will do little to no good. (Especially if said incident occurs after all of the CM’s have gone home.)
• ALWAYS get an accurate ring size before shelling out thousands of dollars for a ring. Avoiding the ensuing mess will be worth it. If you can’t think of a discreet way of doing it, there is always the method that involves chloroform. I’m kidding… (or am I?)
• Eat the food at Les Chefs. You won’t be disappointed.
• If you are waiting in line for a bus with 3906 other people, and you know for a FACT that they are all going to try to get on the same bus—reassess the situation. Which will make you happier, getting there first but pissed off, or getting there later and pleasantly relaxed?
• Have a pocket flashlight in your pack when you ride Dinosaur in AK—don’t say I didn’t warn you.
• If you REALLY want to see a show, or take a tour, follow the instructions of one of my old choir directors: “If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late. If you are late, you might be pregnant.” Yea, he was a weird old guy.
• If your significant other is a Disney Virgin, make sure they understand what it is like in the Disneyverse before your trip (you could let them read these boards). That way, they won’t think it’s weird when you suddenly scream “OHMIGOD, ITS MICKEY!” like a little girl and take off in a sprint.
• Unless your plans involve dinner or a boat ride, don’t try to manufacture the “perfect proposal” situation. Just wait for the right moment—you will know it when it gets there.

I hope that I have been as informative and entertaining as some of the other noteworthy authors on this board, and I will be sure to come back to write my follow-up TR in the fall of 2009 after our next scheduled jaunt to the “World”. In the meantime, I’ll be checking in periodically to enjoy all of the other great TRs and looking forward to our return to Disney. Thanks to everyone for their kind words over the past year of writing this TR (YIKES!) and even more thanks for not giving up reading when I was nowhere to be found. I really enjoyed it (and I can finally stop feeling guilty now that it’s done!)

 

[VW_Guy]

Okay, so I'm apparently having some issues getting my photos to load for the final installment of my TR, so for those of you reading early, you will have to come back later and see the pics. I'll try again on Monday--hopefully the webmaster will have whatever is wrong fixed by then.

 

[Starwater]

Great & hilarious TR.

I can't wait to read the next one!

 

[JJBEAN]

Subscribing!

 

[TinkerKell-ey]

Thanks so much - it's been a joy reading!!! Best wishes to you both!!!