The Real Housewives of WDW - 11/15: In Closing

[englishrose47]

All caught up thanks to your links V !!!Poor Leo and the Bee !! Your Nights out sounded great!!

 

[puggymom]

Hi V,

Just read several of your installments at once.

Love your trip reports!

I am really looking forward to trying Kidani out next year!

Poor Leo, bee stings are never any good, especially at WDW!

You have me curious about Jiko, may have to put that on the list for next year. That is a great pic of all of you, you all look great.

I have to say I'm shocked that you didn't have to spend more $ on the groceries. I would have imagined a small mortgage would have been needed

Ohana's, another place I have never eaten. I think I ate breakfast there years ago, prior to being a character breakfast.

Those fireworks must have been amazing in person as the pictures are quite spectacular. Almost makes me want to go for the 4th one year, but I dread the crowds. Though you seem to have avoided them.

Looking forward to the next installment!

 

[PrincessAlways]

Sounds like a great night with friends!!! Very impressive reading the constitution! Don't think I've read it since high school.......a L O N G time ago!

 

[PrincessV]

I need to read back, but Memom and Jill (BrooklynsMommy's TR), may have been on the Poly beach the night of July 4th or had dinner at Ohana??? Would be funny if you see each other in pictures.

Oh how funny! Let me know if you see us... my schedule just got tighter than ever, so no new TRs to read for me for a while.

What a wonderful evening V it looks like you all had so much fun and errr how long is the constitution?

The original document was 4 pages, but it's been amended 27 times. Still, it's a fairly quick read. It's here, if you have any interest! http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

Still following, thanks for sharing your story about your annual reading of the constitution. Said Perfectly.

Aw shucks. Thank you!

All caught up thanks to your links V !!!Poor Leo and the Bee !! Your Nights out sounded great!!

Yay! They were so much fun! The nights out - NOT the bee, lol.

I am really looking forward to trying Kidani out next year!

I really think you'll love it Mo!

You have me curious about Jiko, may have to put that on the list for next year.

Do it, but not at the expense of Sanaa. More to come on that.

I have to say I'm shocked that you didn't have to spend more $ on the groceries. I would have imagined a small mortgage would have been needed

Me too! You could have knocked me over with a feather.

Almost makes me want to go for the 4th one year, but I dread the crowds. Though you seem to have avoided them.

We totally did. I definitely recommend it, so long as you're not in a park!

Sounds like a great night with friends!!! Very impressive reading the constitution! Don't think I've read it since high school.......a L O N G time ago!

Oh check it out when you've got a few minutes - it's soooo much better as an adult, lol! http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

 

[PrincessV]

The Plan for Day Six of our trip was simple: recover from our late July 4th night. Recovery would involve sleeping in, lounging poolside, then going to the Animal Kingdom (AK) for its Extra Magic Hours (EMH) evening.

The Plan was scratched. Again.

Day six of our trip was the last day of Kate and the SharkB8’s trip. And they were going to the Magic Kingdom (MK) that morning. Not wanting to miss out on time with them before they went home, Leo and I agreed to get up and moving early in the morning for rope drop at the MK.

Amazingly, it wasn’t as painful as I feared. And we found Tracy (T) and family, as well as the SharkB8’s, right away. Lauralee (LL) and her clan were coming, too, but a little later in the morning.


You may be wondering about crowds the morning after July 4th. I was, too. And I’ll say this right now, not to leave you in suspense… they weren’t there! Really. I wouldn’t say the place was empty, but it sure wasn’t crowded either. We toured in peace for quite a while before it got a little too congested. Which just goes to show – even the busiest times of year can be enjoyed at WDW by getting to the parks early!


Back to our morning. I took a lot of pictures that day, thanks to no rain and good energy. I just love these shots of us all walking toward our first rides. I think they really convey how much we all enjoy one another’s company and how high our spirits were that morning!

Bubbles! My bubbles.


I seem to recall letting the youngest kids call a lot of shots that morning. Which can be the only explanation for riding the Tomorrowland Speedway. Twice. TWICE.

Though, in all fairness, T and I got away with only one ride each. Leo ditched me and took Andy for a spin the second time. And then pretty much adopted Andy for several hours.


With the younglings choosing rides, our next one should come as no surprise…


Barnstormer!!!

Not once.

DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN!!!

Not twice.

DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN!!!

Not three times.

DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN!!!

But, FOUR times, we stormed Goofy’s barn!

Apparently, we were the only people riding the Barnstormer first thing that morning, because we just stayed on, over and over. We’d get to the end and the controller would ask if we wanted to stay on and we’d all yell, “DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN!!!” Maybe that was just T and I. But we did do it again, and again, and again!


We could have continued for quite a while, but decided after four times to move on to Peter Pan. And possibly Winnie the Pooh.

Still BFF’s.

It was as if they knew our time together was drawing to an end…


Notice in that last picture, too, that we were heading away from Fantasy and into the Frontier. Oh yeah, it was time to bring the Thunder, baybee!


Somehow my plan to be in the front to take pictures completely backfired and I wound up behind all of our group. T and Mr. SharkB8 had it covered, though!

Leaving Big Thunder, we were happily reunited with LL – hooray! We were then complete. And just in time; Splash Mountain was next.

If you’ve ever been on Splash, you probably think a log can hold eight people. Two per row, right?

Wrong. There were 11 of us, (T, Kate and Bite #3 skipped this one.) And when Suzy Pack-a-Log asked “How many in your party?” we said “Eleven.”

We were then asked, “Do you all want to ride at the same time?”

Well… YEAH – why would we all be standing here if we didn’t want to ride at the same time? We knew we’d take a couple of logs, but assumed we’d be on the ride at the same time.

We misunderstood.

Because what Suzy Pack-a-Log meant was “Do you all want to smush together in a single log?”

FYI – we were NOT squeezing together for a photo – that’s how tight we were packed in!


Yep, all 11 of us. One log.

Oh.

And… she put all the men on the right side. And all the kids on the left.

I think Suzy Pack-a-Log failed high school physics.


We took off and immediately began listing to starboard. And when we went down the first little hill? We created a freaking tsunami. First a smallish wave came up over the bow, then a wave of water was pushed out ahead of us, into the back end of the unsuspecting log in front of ours.

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

Dudes.

SOAKED!

No getting around it. No amount of ducking would help. We were wetter than wet. We may actually have swam though Splash Mountain.

But, we laughed like raving, wet idiots. That goes down as the most crazy-fun WDW ride yet!



All that swimming worked up some hearty appetites and we broke after Splash for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. Mmmm, Magical Tuna.


Post-lunch, we reconvened for more rides. It still wasn’t terribly crowded! I wish I’d thought to take some all-around pictures to show you. It was very, very odd. It also wasn’t to last.

Anyway, Leo needed a bit of cajoling, but we managed to get him on Haunted Mansion (he’s been on it before – why was he scared that time? Who knows.) And we found some Pirate booty before taking a cruise through the Jungle.

See that? Bite #3 got to drive our boat! Which was pretty much the highlight of our cruise.

Vent ahead…

I have had it with the “new” Jungle Cruise (JC). HAD it.

Some time ago, I began seeing postings on the DIS about a “new” spiel for the JC. People were reporting that both the ad-libbing and funniest of the scripted jokes were gone, replaced by factual commentary and really crappy jokes.

I scoffed. I was on the JC a few times when those stories began to appear and saw no such thing. Apparently, they were introducing it slowly.

Because by mid-summer 2010, the “new” JC was on, full-throttle. I believe I rode it three times that trip, and have been on it another time since. Same. Lame. Crappy. Spiel.

For example: no longer does Inspiration Falls inspire us to GO… deeper and deeper into the jungle. Now, it motivates people to explore new places.

Freaking-YAWN.

The apes still get the skipper’s jeep to turn over, and the rocks are still often taken for granite, but fret no longer if you’re wearing a white shirt – the Hungry, Hungry Hippos have been replaced with “interesting” facts about how they spend their days.

Oh, and the Backside of Water? No more mounting excitement and anticipation for that wonder of nature. Just a cursory mention in passing.

I really hoped it was a fluke, but it looks like poor timing, lack of comedic talent and a script written by the same folks who brought us “My Favorite Martian” are here to stay.

Gag me.



Vent over.

The kids still enjoyed the Cruise, so it’s not like we left on a low note. But it was time to leave. For Leo and I. Much as I hated to, it was long past our usual “Get out!” point and we were beginning to slump.

We’d be seeing T and LL later that night, but it was a final goodbye for the SharkB8’s. Only, it really wasn’t very final-feeling at all. The SharkB8’s were, at that time, on the cusp of moving to my neck of the woods! If by “neck” you mean a four-hour drive. They were about to become Floridians, so even though my “goodbyes” caused a tear or two to form, I was also really excited that we’d soon be near enough to see them a lot more often. I can’t wait!



Leo and I went back to our villa for a rest, and we may have taken a swim. His bee-stung foot wasn’t hurting him, but it was still swelling any time the antihistamine wore off and had begun to itch something fierce. Our plan for the AK EMH evening was looking iffy; I just plain wasn’t in the mood. Quite honestly, I’d hit the wall, and Leo wasn’t far behind me.

But we decided to suck it up and join the party anyway.

In retrospect, it just wasn’t meant to be.


First, we missed LL and T at the bus stop and waited a loooong time for an AK bus.

Then, we weren’t in the mood for our scheduled Yak & Yeti dinner and skipped it in favor of Pizzafari.

And then it rained.


Know what you can do with an AK EMH night in the rain?

Not much.

We did Dinosaur.

Along with 200 of our closest frenemies. People were just plain nasty that night. Pushing, crowding into doorways, talking loudly during the video. Maybe I was just overtired, over-stimulated and in need of a break. But I was getting really annoyed.

The rain never let up; T and I were gypped out of our summit bid on Everest yet AGAIN.

And we all called it quits after only a couple hours.


Animal Kingdom just wasn’t meant to be this trip. But don’t feel too badly for us; Leo and I went back over Labor Day weekend and had quite possibly the BEST AK day ever! We saw every animal that can be seen on the Safari, including the newborn elephant, rode everything we wanted, encountered lots of kind people and had a really, really nice time.

Which illustrates nicely why we keep going back I think; every trip – whether for a day on our own or a week with friends – is unique. We never know just what to expect. Some days everything falls into place; others, it rains on Everest. We still had four days left in our summer trip; surely the remaining time would be better than our failed AK night, right?

Stay tuned.

 

[glennbo123]

Great update V!

for being able to ride Barnstormer 4 times in a row!

It was as if they knew our time together was drawing to an end…

This photo is awesome.

Sorry that your evening at AK was kind of a washout....but like you said, every visit is unique.

 

[Tinkerbellarella]

“DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN!!!”

Hm...I wonder if this will work with the bartender at the Tambu Lounge for a second Lapu Lapu?

I think Suzy Pack-a-Log failed high school physics.

This all sounds uncomfortably squishy to me.

“Vent ahead…

I have had it with the “new” Jungle Cruise (JC). HAD it.

Some time ago, I began seeing postings on the DIS about a “new” spiel for the JC. People were reporting that both the ad-libbing and funniest of the scripted jokes were gone, replaced by factual commentary and really crappy jokes.

I scoffed. I was on the JC a few times when those stories began to appear and saw no such thing. Apparently, they were introducing it slowly.

Because by mid-summer 2010, the “new” JC was on, full-throttle. I believe I rode it three times that trip, and have been on it another time since. Same. Lame. Crappy. Spiel.

For example: no longer does Inspiration Falls inspire us to GO… deeper and deeper into the jungle. Now, it motivates people to explore new places.

Freaking-YAWN.

The apes still get the skipper’s jeep to turn over, and the rocks are still often taken for granite, but fret no longer if you’re wearing a white shirt – the Hungry, Hungry Hippos have been replaced with “interesting” facts about how they spend their days.

Oh, and the Backside of Water? No more mounting excitement and anticipation for that wonder of nature. Just a cursory mention in passing.

I really hoped it was a fluke, but it looks like poor timing, lack of comedic talent and a script written by the same folks who brought us “My Favorite Martian” are here to stay.

Gag me.



Vent over.

Seriously? UGH. Why do they have to mess with the good stuff. Isn't the Cruise supposed to be campy and then you can head on over to the AK for the edumacational stuff.

Argh.

 

[DisneyJo]

You may be wondering about crowds the morning after July 4th. I was, too. And I’ll say this right now, not to leave you in suspense… they weren’t there!

Wow, fantastic, I suppose everyone just assumes it'll be a nightmare

I seem to recall letting the youngest kids call a lot of shots that morning. Which can be the only explanation for riding the Tomorrowland Speedway. Twice. TWICE.

OMG

But, FOUR times, we stormed Goofy’s barn!

Wow that's great, looks as though you all had fun

Because what Suzy Pack-a-Log meant was “Do you all want to smush together in a single log?”

I have had it with the “new” Jungle Cruise (JC). HAD it.

Oh no, I haven't been on it for a few years, the girls aren't interested anymore, sounds as though we're not missing much

In retrospect, it just wasn’t meant to be.

Oh no, I know too well what AK is like in the rain

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

OMG, I can't possibly quote, or I'd be quoting the whole thing.....

I think that morning at MK was ABSOLUTE fun, fun, fun! Do it again, do it again!!!

Ooh, and remember that very ANGRY mother in CHH snapping at her child when he asked when it would stop raining? "Do I look like a weatherman?!!"

I love all the photos! We really had a great day, even though we've yet to summit Everest together. Oh well, there's always next year!

 

[sharkB8HooHaHa]

Can we go back now?

 

[GreatBiscuit]

The build a car deal looks AWESOME! If it works out for us to go with my nephew again, we’ll definitely be stopping in here. (Or I may just have to stop in for myself while the girls are at whatever store it is that little girls go to at DTD.)

Amazing photos from the 4th V! I’m so glad you brought the good camera. AWESOME JOB!

I’m glad you had such a great time on your MK morning. Sorry to hear it was a bust on the AK evening.

Great job as always V! Looking forward to more!

 

[englishrose47]

Oh JC sounds YUk!!I liked the corny jokes !!!Sorry about the bad AK evening !!!The pix of the 3 boys together are sooo sweet !!Ya can just tell how close they are !!

 

[Disneygrl36]

Loved your MK morning...........My Mom & I did that on Gadget's GoCoaster in DL one night----again & again & again.

The pictures of the kids all holding hands are so great!

Sorry your AK evening didn't work out....but glad to know got a do over day that was magical.

 

[PrincessV]

Great update V!

for being able to ride Barnstormer 4 times in a row!

Thank you! Oh my heck but it was fun!

Hm...I wonder if this will work with the bartender at the Tambu Lounge for a second Lapu Lapu?

We may or may not have tried that.

Seriously? UGH. Why do they have to mess with the good stuff. Isn't the Cruise supposed to be campy and then you can head on over to the AK for the edumacational stuff.

Yes! My thoughts exactly.

Wow, fantastic, I suppose everyone just assumes it'll be a nightmare

That's all I could think. Also, the Mk was open with EMH on the 4th until 3am, I think. So that may have helped with crowds the next morning?

Oh no, I know too well what AK is like in the rain

It's even WORSE at night with so little open!

I think that morning at MK was ABSOLUTE fun, fun, fun! Do it again, do it again!!!

That it was! I still launch into it, you know - Do it again! Do it again!

Ooh, and remember that very ANGRY mother in CHH snapping at her child when he asked when it would stop raining? "Do I look like a weatherman?!!"

OMG, I forgot about that!

Oh well, there's always next year!

There is?!?!

Can we go back now?

YES! Let's go.

The build a car deal looks AWESOME! If it works out for us to go with my nephew again, we’ll definitely be stopping in here. (Or I may just have to stop in for myself while the girls are at whatever store it is that little girls go to at DTD.)

GB, there were lots f girls in there, too! They have everything even the girliest girl could want to deck out a princess-mobile

Amazing photos from the 4th V! I’m so glad you brought the good camera. AWESOME JOB!

Thank you! I give most credit to Canon, though; all I did was turn off the flash and make a human tripod, lol!

Oh JC sounds YUk!!I liked the corny jokes !!!

Me too! All that seems to be left are the BAD, not even corny, jokes.

The pix of the 3 boys together are sooo sweet !!Ya can just tell how close they are !!

They were so sweet to watch!

Loved your MK morning...........My Mom & I did that on Gadget's GoCoaster in DL one night----again & again & again.

Isn't that fun?! And it happens so infrequently at WDW.

Sorry your AK evening didn't work out....but glad to know got a do over day that was magical.

Thanks! I always have very low expectations of AK, so I was really blown away, lol!

 

[Tracy161]

Great update! I'm still laughing over Suzy Pack-a-log!!! Wow, the kids get along so great, it's so nice to see. How far from WDW are you? I'm jealous!!!

 

[MEK]

V - I loved your update. I think you guys had a fab time at MK, but what's up with the new JC script. The very reason I liked JC was that old script. With the right CM it was so perfect. Yikes. I don't think I want to ride it now. I liked the line about inspiration falls. Please - no info, just campy jokes.

Wow - sorry Leo's foot is still feeling the pain. That's terrible.

Sorry AK was a bust, but I am glad you made up for it over Labor day. Nice

 

[AshClan]

Oh wow, V, I loved this update!!! (And the last one too, but I'm a bit behind to comment on that - great fireworks pic, yay for you reading the Constitution, etc., etc........)

First of all, I have to tell you that I am DED (dying laughing, to those of you who don't use that term) at the Suzy Pack-a-Log story because that EXACT same thing (minus all the children) happened to us at Maelstrom Meet 2006!!!! We had 11, the CM (maybe it was her?!) said we could all fit, and we (with only ONE child, 10 adults) very nearly lost a few people in the process!!!! I don't know how to link to a single post, but if you want to see the story, it's on page 9 (post 126) of my Dorkapalooza report, linked below. I am DYING at how similar the story is!!

Oh, and the "DO IT AGAIN" line....another funny coincidence/connection. Our line is on TOT. Usually late at night. "DROP US AGAIN!!" (Tink, you killed me with the Lapu Lapu line, btw.)

Your photos are just wonderful. My heart melts everytime I see Leo. What a beautiful boy. And the rest of the kids are adorable too! I just love the obvious happiness to be together and spirit of fun that shines through in all of those pictures.

Several years back, my boys and I had a TREMENDOUS JC skipper. She ad-libbed so many extra lines and the attraction was so much better for it. Unfortunately, she spoiled me and I can no longer ride the thing now. What a sin that they are getting rid of all the creativity and fun. WHY would they do such a thing?!?!

So...4 rides on Goofy's Barnstormer. How long did that take, like, 5 whole minutes?!

 

[puggymom]

What did they do to the JC??? What happened to that awesome captain, can't remember his name, you and I have both had him. totally ad libbed stuff.

Love the Do it again story and Suzy pack a log, that had to be site with all of you!

AHHH, CHH, my favorite CS, can't wait to get back.

AK - what to say, I haven't made rope drop in quite a few years, some trips I have pretty much skipped it. I do plan on getting there for one rope trip this time, hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Talk to you tomorrow, can't wait!

 

[PrincessV]

Great update! I'm still laughing over Suzy Pack-a-log!!!

Suzy was on FIRE - she was all about getting us all to ride "together", LOL!

Wow, the kids get along so great, it's so nice to see.

They really do, year after year!

How far from WDW are you? I'm jealous!!!

A little over an hour and a half on a good traffic day. Though on a Friday at rush hour, in a thunderstorm, it once took 4 hours.

The very reason I liked JC was that old script. With the right CM it was so perfect.

Right?! I keep waiting to hear a DISer say they got someone good and that I've jsut had bad skipper luck... hasn't happened yet though.

Oh wow, V, I loved this update!!!

Thanks Ash!

First of all, I have to tell you that I am DED (dying laughing, to those of you who don't use that term) at the Suzy Pack-a-Log story because that EXACT same thing (minus all the children) happened to us at Maelstrom Meet 2006!!!! We had 11, the CM (maybe it was her?!) said we could all fit, and we (with only ONE child, 10 adults) very nearly lost a few people in the process!!!!

OMG yes - I totally forgot until you mentioned it, but I do remember reading that in your TRs now! Suzy's packing 'em in all over The World!

I just love the obvious happiness to be together and spirit of fun that shines through in all of those pictures.

Thank you! It still boggles my mind that a few families could find one another via Internet and hit it off so well!

So...4 rides on Goofy's Barnstormer. How long did that take, like, 5 whole minutes?!

I'm thinking more like 3:48.

What happened to that awesome captain, can't remember his name, you and I have both had him. totally ad libbed stuff.

He was the best! I've been wondering, too, what happened to the good ones... are they just gone now???

AK - what to say, I haven't made rope drop in quite a few years, some trips I have pretty much skipped it. I do plan on getting there for one rope trip this time, hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Okay, I already know the outcome of this - yay for a great AK day!

 

[PrincessV]

Oh Day Seven… how you began so rockily and ended so joyfully…

No, it wasn’t a good start that we had, that morning of Day Seven of our summer WDW trip. When we’d planned this long trip, it was with the idea of relaxed, easy-going days. But it turns out that’s a little tough to do when it rains for half of your trip and you don’t want to miss a minute of time with friends. We’d been going, going, going and by Day Seven – well, it caught up to us, Leo and me.

The Plan was to meet Lauralee (LL) and Tracy (T) at MGM, er… Disney Studios (DS) for rope drop. And we all know how critical rope drop is at DS if you entertain any thoughts of riding Toy Story Mania, right? Especially if one is attempting to do so during one of the busiest weeks of the year.

We arrived at 9:14am.






I absolutely could not get Leo to wake up that morning. He was tired. And grouchy. And didn’t care that we’d miss Toy Story Mania (TSM).

Until 8:30am.

At which time Leo decided he did want to go to DS. So I got us fed, dressed and out the door in record time, speeding over to DS.


Would anyone like to hazard a guess as to the return time for TSM Fast Passes if one arrives at 9:14am?



2:00 p.m.

Looong past the time we’d want to stay. So I didn’t bother getting them. Fortunately, Leo didn’t seem too bothered. Actually, Leo didn’t really seem into being there at all. He wasn’t miserable, but he wasn’t happy, either. He was just kind of – there.

In all honesty, I wasn’t having much fun at all. The place was absolutely mobbed. And hot. And my legs hurt. And I was exhausted. But like I said, I didn’t want to miss out on time with our friends, so I stayed and subjected them to my decreasingly peppy mood.

Via text messages, I learned that T and LL were in line for Tower of Terror. I was to drop Leo off with their husbands (because they don’t ride it and neither will Leo), and come find them in the Fast Pass (FP) line.

At least that’s how I interpreted the directions.

The first part was right – I found Tony and Andy and left Leo in their company. And entered the FP line. Just behind a gigantic Brazilian Tour Group.

There were hundreds of them, it seemed! A writhing sea of green, Brazilian T-shirts. Between me and my destination. We’ve all heard the horror stories of nasty, rude, inconsiderate Brazilian Tour Groups, right? Well, this particular group was none of those things. I explained my plight to the nice boys at the tail end of their group, saying that my party was up ahead and asking if it would be okay for me to snake through to reach them?

With a dazzling display of bright white smiles, the boys enthusiastically nodded “yes”, put a hand behind my back to lead me forward and shouted ahead to let me through. And folks, that sea of green T-shirts parted as neatly as, well, you know, a sea parting. All along the way, these lovely teens smiled at me as I repeated my mantra of “So sorry – thank you! – excuse me – thanks again!” And they continued to shout ahead to their comrades, ensuring me a safe, quick journey through their ranks. They. Could. Not. Have. Been. Nicer.

But when I reached the end of their group, nearly at the point where I’d need to magically cough up the FP I did not have in my possession, I still didn’t see T or LL. Where were they?!

They were…

In the STAND-BY line.

OH SNAP!!!

Yeah, I texted T and found out I was supposed to use the FP line to get to them more easily, but we weren’t actually riding via FP.

And so it was that I repeated my parting of the Green Sea of Brazil, this time in reverse. And muttering “so sorry – my family’s back here – somewhere – I’m an idiot – sorry” with my eyes shielded from shame. For the record, the Brazilian kids were still nice.


But by the time I found T and LL, I was all funned-out. I was ready to throw in the towel, accept that it just wasn’t my day, and take Leo back to the hotel. I was not a happy camper. I’m sorry ladies – I know I wasn’t much fun to be with at that moment.

Lucky for me, I have very good friends. LL and T insisted that I stay in line and get my ride on. They accepted me as I was, grumpiness and all, and made me do what they knew was best for me.

And they were so right. I NEEDED that ride, by golly! I’ve mentioned it in past TR’s – few things make me as happy as negative G’s. I just love that falling sensation, making Tower of Terror one of my favorite attractions anywhere.

It was an extra-special ride, too, because Maddie worked up her brave to ride for the first time! I’m really glad I was there to share in that.

I know – it’s an awful attempt at rednecking the ride photo. But there’s me and LL in the front, viewer’s left, arms up. And Maddie, T and Evan on the viewer’s right. DO IT AGAIN, DO IT AGAIN!!!

She did it!!!


Yep, just what I needed. I left the Tower with smile on my face and a little more pep in my step. And a little cookie snack put a smile on Leo’s face, too.

Renewed, we headed over to Rock’n Roller Coaster next. Someone had kindly gotten me a FP, so we were in and out of there fast.

We split up after that. Everyone else wanted to take one more trip to Endor before Star Tours as we knew it went away. Everyone except Leo, who won’t touch the ride. Not even with heaps of peer pressure. Oh well, that’ll serve him well later in life.

Leo and I opted for air conditioning in the form of the Not-So-Great Movie Ride. Also known as Pathetic Movie Ride. And What’s-So-Great-About-This Movie Ride?

It was cool, though. In temperature, if not in description.


It was getting to lunch time. T and LL had made reservations at the Brown Derby. I had never planned on being in DS until lunch time. I was going to take Leo back to Kidani for some grub, but was talked into trying to squeeze into the Derby with T and LL. They had plenty of room for us all, so we stayed!

I’m so glad we did; I’d forgotten how much I like the place. Even hot, sweaty and casually dressed, it was nice to feel pampered for a bit. And our server pampered us to perfection! She was just phenomenal – efficient, knowledgeable, fun, and terrific with the kids. What a great meal!

The food was lovely, too. I had the famous Cobb Salad, and it was every bit as yummy as I remembered from years ago.

But, for me, the most memorable part of our meal was The Phone. As we were finishing our meal, our awesome server came out with The Phone and announced that we had a call. Who would take it?

But wait, there was another Phone! The cordless version:

So, who was calling us?! I can’t tell. But I highly recommend dining at the Brown Derby and finding out for yourself!


With that, we called an end to our DS morning and headed back to Kidani. The day may not have started off well, but it was getting better with every passing hour. What would the rest of the day bring?!


Next: Will rain thwart our attempt at Pool:30 AGAIN? And the best meal I’ve had at WDW in ages. Really.