The Sunshine,Moonlight,Good Times & Boogie(board) Tour Day13

[mkingdon]

Previously on this tour...

Introduction
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve


Day Thirteen 1st September 2007

With the hours of this holiday drifting away too quickly for my liking, we were going to have to up the pace some. Nothing less than a full assault on a theme park each day, for the rest of our time in Orlando would do, and if I had to knock some heads together to do this, then so be it.

As I woke this morning, really early as planned, I must have barely gained consciousness, as I damn well didn’t get up. I think I glanced at the clock and saw a time which started with a 6, but that was as far as it got really.

A couple of hours later, I finally leave behind my lovely dreams of spending more than six minutes at the hairdressers, and I realise my plan has already gone the way of Gail Porter’s hair. It must be awful going bald!!

Still, no big disaster, with a bit of a spurt we could still be at a park before noon.

I glance over at the girls, and they look like they are raring to go already.

Having to wake the girls for school each day back home, I am practiced in the art of child rousing. It only takes a few moments of ear pinching, duvet stealing and feet tickling to elicit the required responses.

Rebecca wakes up, has a bit of a stretch, blows off and turns on the TV. Emily tells me to go away and leave her alone in her best “Kevin the Teenager” voice, and grips the sheets between her legs and turns over.

She is defenceless against my superior power, and all too soon she has to admit defeat and drag her body to the bathroom area. The toothbrush is waved in the vicinity of her mouth, her eyes almost open, but she still spends fifteen minutes doing her hair. Ah yes, those were the days.

I can still remember “having” to blow dry my hair each morning before work. Now, I just get out of the shower, and show it the towel, and I’m done. Much more efficient.

So, we are all ready and out of the room by 8.40. Not bad. I had made everyone sacrifice their breakfast, as frankly I couldn’t be bothered making it, and even I was fed up with Froot Loops, and I hadn’t eaten any.

I made extravagant promises of splendid breakfasts at Tusker House after the first couple of rides. What could go wrong??

We have to rescue the car from valet, but we are still pulling up at the gates of AK before 9am. We park in Unicorn 25, but have an annoying five minute wait for the tram.

I have left Ryan back in the room the last few days. He’d been dropping hints for a while, and it had become obvious that he wanted some “alone time” with Rosie. Fine, I said, as long as he took precautions…he promised to keep his zips closed.

I am a man possessed, and I will only be satisfied once we are at Everest, sure of riding before the crowds arrive. I look scornfully at the amateurs near the park gates, hiring strollers, consulting park maps, and even taking photos of each other. Ha! I spit on your planning.

Ah, yes…a bit embarrassing…seems we stopped to take some photos.

Seems Ryan isn’t the only one with the horn this morning!

I set a good pace, and I’m taking no prisoners. We can rest later…much later…like October. It takes us five minutes to get to Everest, where we see a ten minute standby.

Photos are allowed as we queue.

We also notice that Mike and Amanda had found a way to beat the queues….

So there are some advantages to camping then.

Continued...

 

[mkingdon]

We ride at 9.26…see…

The views as you climb the “mountain” are pretty good.

As we gather pace around the ride, I again, with no thought for my own safety, or that of my camera, take some photos for the benefit of others.

SSSTTTOOOPPPP!!!

Not all the photos could be classed as an absolute success.

However, for the lady readers out there, they don’t come much better than this.

Steady now.

Once again, we are cheapskates and snap the ride photo instead of buying it.

Having enjoyed the ride so much we went on again straight away.

See, I told you that view was nice….still.

Continued...

 

[mkingdon]

The kids confidence is growing now, and they are the “pull funny faces” stage on this ride. As you can just about make out, I am trying to take a photo, and failing.

Right then, time for a safari. We walk to Africa, thinking we may even get a fastpass and enjoy breakfast at Tusker House whilst we wait. There was only one small flaw in that plan. Tusker House was closed.

I am greeted with stares that would stop a bull at a hundred yards, as the females of the pack are in need of some food. Instead, I suggest we simply queue for the safari instead (wait time 20 minutes), and then get some brunch.

Unfortunately, the twenty minutes did turn out to be twenty minutes. Whilst in the queue we spot some “static caravan culture” (trailer trash) wearing some of the best QVC bling we have ever seen.

Louise tells me I have to take their photo. This is not easy. I am on a bouncing truck, trying to turn round, and not look suspicious, so that I don’t end up with my arms tied behind my back, in their pick up, with my camera taking pictures of my colon.

It is a bit blurry due to the truck bouncing around, but the chap in the red T shirt must be the mayor of Hicksville, and his “son” has some quality earring action going on.

I am not spotted, and I live to tell the tale. Unless of course they read this report, and then I shall be found tied to a tree in Albuquerque listening to banjo music, with a bit of a sweat on.

Oh yes, I took some animal photos too.

and I snatched another shot of the bling….

whilst pretending to snap some creature or other over his shoulder.

I still don’t know why they call this the upside down tree.

There was some sort of scandal being discussed around me, involving a secret wedding, and their mother’s sister.

I didn’t catch it all but I’m sure that they had had their “ant-e-lope”.

Continued...

 

[mkingdon]

Our guide today is great…probably our best ever.

That isn’t him by the way…that is some sort of animal.

Oh, he’s back again.

A shy giraffe

Good grief, I took loads of photos here it seems, they go on for ever…let me pick the best ones….

Ah yes, look there is Neal….you know that famous actor….

Rhino Neal!!

As the safari nears the end I sense they are scraping the barrel a little now…

All in all we really enjoy our two week safari, and leave happy. Why he wasn’t in the Magic Kingdom with the other dwarves I don’t know.

It is food time now, for my own personal safety, so I consult the map, and soon we stumble across the Flame Tree Grill place. The “breakfast” menu is a little mixed, but we end up with,

3 x fruit platter
2 x chocolate cake
1 x key lime pie

and some drinks.

Louise and I queue, and we tell the girls to go and choose a table. So once we have the food, we quickly join the girls….or not.

They have done their best to hide themselves away somewhere deep in the foliage, on a table that was harder to find than some pigmy tribes in the Amazon. It is OK though as I’m not carrying a really heavy tray, trying to balance the contents of the Beale’s fruit stall off Eastenders, and four drinks the size of beer barrels.

Slightly vexed and a little sweaty, we find them, give them a back hander, and sit down to eat.

The place is full of birds.

See…

oh no, sorry wrong picture…

And they all want some of our food.

Continued...

 

[mkingdon]

As we eat (and we have slightly over ordered again, as each fruit platter looks like Carmen Miranda’s headgear) we see a boat coming with some characters on. As is the norm now, the girls carrying on doing what they are doing, and I jump and wave at them and take some photos.

Whilst I’m up, I do some scenic shots….

So we give up on the food and leave loads. Onwards to the Nemo show that starts in half an hour or so. The guidemap said arrive forty minutes before a show. What nonsense.

It was full.

So we went to Dinoland instead and did Primeval Whirl.

Some strange twist of fate sees me and Louise on the same side of the car,

which results in a couple of broken ribs and two black eyes…seems Louise forgot her bra this morning!!

Here, enjoy the ride with us.

You’ll have to imagine the noise, 90 degree heat and my shorts.

Next we make Emily go on the ride no-one can spell….this one

She is overjoyed.

Is it me, or does anyone else “forget” to do Dinosaur because it is not obvious where it is? I think we’ve only ever done it once before in all the times we’ve been. Today, we seek it out, mainly because Emily chickened out last time, so she needs to overcome her Fear Factor.

Right about this moment I am saying something like…

“Of course you are coming on you big wuss….you are 12 years old…look, there’s an embryo there going on….don’t be so soft”

I try to be avoid exaggeration when talking with the kids.

The queue is deceptively long, but satisfyingly cool. The ride itself is a jerky one and not one of Disney’s best. Emily endures it, declares it done and she will never darken it’s doors again.

A restroom is required now, and as I inevitably sit outside and wait for those who need to sit to wee, some painters drive by, and begin a show.

We don’t stick around too long as the heat in almost unbearable now, and after our full day twelve hour theme park marathon, we decide it is time to leave. What do you mean it is only just lunchtime…..oh…right then….we’re leaving are we.

Yes, I agree with that decision dear.

As we wander out of the park Rebecca says she wants to do Its Tough to be a Bug, so we do. The queue is zero, and it is cool inside.

We’re off back to the Boardwalk now, and for some reason we take this picture as we enter the lobby.

Back in the room, we prepare to go to the pool, but we see the rain starting, and as we arrive pool side the lifeguards have already cleared the pool, for fear that people may get wet!!

So instead, we go in search of a light snack to keep us going until later.

Ever since Rebecca’s first trip back in 1999, when she had a corndog, she has been obsessed with having another. Yep, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Brown Derby and all that….and she wants a corn dog.

Last year we failed to find her one, but as we mooch around the Boardwalk we spot them for sale at the hot dog stand thing. I approach and order. I am served by Bubba Gump, who needs everything repeating seven times, but eventually tells me I owe him some money.

I whip out my ever so impressive room card, only to be told they can only take cash. Makes sense really…a hot dog stand within the grounds of a WDW resort. Of course this is the one and only time I have left my “fanny pack” back in the room…no doubt joining in the “bag orgy” now with Ryan and Rosie, so I have no cash.

I have no option but to walk all the way back to the room and get some dollars. I walk all the way back down again, and join what is now a sizeable queue.

It takes ages to be served the food, but eventually we are seated outside Spoodles and tucking in. The girls have corndogs, Louise a meatball sub and I have a hot dog.

Continued...

 

[mkingdon]

I’m not saying my hot dog is small…(just ask Louise)….but I have had bigger morsels stuck in my teeth (something Louise has never said).

The rain was easing off now, and as we wander back to the pool, it is being opened again.

We have purchased some delicious ice creams from the Boardwalk ice cream shop (naturally), and I sit and enjoy mine as the girls go in the water.

I read for a bit, and then join the girls for a swim. After ten minutes the pool is closed again…apparently news of my swim had spread, and Ariel and several other female CMs were causing a fire hazard, trying to catch a glimpse.

It had started raining again as well.

We go back to the room and shower, in preparation for another trip to Romano’s for tea.

No-one really feels that hungry, but we’ll give it our best shot.

We have –

Me – Shrimp Portofino/Dessert Ravioli
Louise – Bow tie pasta thing/Martini
Emily – Lasagne/a bit of Rebecca’s pizza/cheesecake
Rebecca – Pizza/some of my dessert.

All was lovely. Emily wasn’t keen on the Lasagne, but I tasted it, in the interest of research and it seemed fine. It took several tastes to confirm that fact though.

Ah, I should have taken photos of the food shouldn’t I.

Well, my dessert was in that bowl…it is now in the other round thing to the left.

Despite being stuffed, there was to be no early night tonight. We head to MK, as tonight there is Spectromagic, Wishes…..and more people than the entire population of Asia.

We don’t know that yet though as we have just parked up.

In over a dozen trips, this is the first time, ever, that we have been at the top of a row.

I am quite tearful, and I have to record the event.

Dopey 110, you will always hold a special place in my heart.

There is a lovely sunset as ride the monorail to the park.

I love MK at night, and I am looking forward to getting lots of great photos. This plan is somewhat scuppered by my battery running out the minute we hit Main Street.

I did not forget my spare today…I simply chose not to bring it…as I…erm…it would have been far too heavy to carry. Ahem.

So I buy some AAs from the Main Street shop for just slightly less than the camera cost.

See, works like a dream.

Good grief it was busy here tonight. Space Mountain has a 70 minute wait…no chance. Surprisingly the TTA blue ride thing didn’t so we did that instead.

Rebecca seems to have got her rides mixed up though on this photo.

Space Mountain is all lit up when get inside, which may explain the enormous queue.

A photo of the ride itself almost turns out.

Continued....

 

[mkingdon]

Carousel of Progress is nice and empty so we go in there and sing along for a bit. As we leave it is 9 o’clock, and the parade is starting. We head towards Main Street with no real plan as to where to stand, but the crowds are so big we are merely swept along by CMs waving glowy things back down towards the gate.

As we walk down Main Street, the parade starts to pass. Being honest, the crowd was getting a bit scary at this point, and everyone was really jumpy and panicky about losing their kids etc. We still couldn’t, and they still managed to stick with us.

Eventually we leap from the current, and hide ourselves away in a shop doorway which gives us some protection, a little cool air from the air con, and a decent view under the circumstances.

Ariel finds me again….

So much for that restraining order.

As Cinderella passes….

it is clear that tonight is not the night to spend another hour in MK waiting for Wishes. It is just too full to be any fun, and Louise looks mighty happy when I suggest we head for the gates and escape.

Yoo Hoo Craig….call me…

Not now Love.

We use the resort monorail, with less guilt than other years, actually being on-site. We get the first tram to arrive, and ever so smoothly we are out and heading for the car. We experience the longest tram ride ever, as we go to every single area, for the first time. We are the last to be dropped off, and the CM rightly ridicules people still sat on the tram, as he stated about 400 times that Dopey was to be the last stop, and gave them about twenty minutes at each previous stop to realize they were parked there.

We are home in ten minutes, after stopping at the Hess garage across the road for some drinks.

Bed beckons for sleep and reading…but not in that order.

Day Fourteen is Here

 

[Minniespal]

Brillant Craig

 

[Tammy Stringer]

Another great day Craig

Love, love, love the bling photos and also the amazing sunset.

Tammy

 

[KayleeUK]

Oh no your trip isn't coming to an end is it

 

[florida sun]

Brilliant report again

 

[mandymouse]

Another fab day with brilliant photos too

Mandy

 

[mark&sue]

You packed loads into this day

susan

 

[TotallyAngelic]

Another excellent one Craig! You certainly manage to fill your days! great photos - I am still recovering from the one of your legs!

 

[arieljasmine]

Great busy day. Can't believe you could forget to do Dinosaur - it is my favourite ride ever! I love MK best at night too.

Laur's