The "They'll Have Fun If It Kills Me" Trip Report

[strickland]

This is my first tr and hopefully it will be fun and interesting. About the cast:
Me: Love, love, love Disney and since first going in 2005, compare every trip to Disney and decide that it’s not worth going anywhere else except Disney…”The beach costs MORE than Disney? Are you kidding me!!! We should just go to Disney!” I am a teacher, therefore a controller…hmmmm this could be important later in the report!!!!, and love to plan everything down to the last bite of food. I hope that my kids never get tired of Disney, because I don’t ever plan to stop going!

DH: Loves Disney as much as I do. Works non-stop all of the time at his own business, very serious but becomes a fanatic when it comes to anything Disney. I love to see him relax on about the second day at Disney. Worries about leaving the business for any length of time, but the magic takes over and he has lots of fun!

DD-13 Loves Disney as much as we do and will ride ANYTHING at ANYTIME of day or night! Tireless! A very easy child, always has been, can reason with this girl and she will take what you say and that’s good enough for her, great girl and student. Loves to help with her little sister and hardly ever complains!...doesn’t worry about anything! (This point will become important later in the story)

DS-10 Loves Disney but also likes to complain about lines, heat, food,…loves Pirates and rode TOT for the first time last spring and is so proud of himself…also loves his little sister and enjoys annoying her! Once he relaxes (like his dad) has a great time and is sad to leave.

DD-2, will be 3 in July- has been to Disneyland 1 time and Disney World 4 times—5 if you count the 1st time when she was “in utero…” She loves the characters and I have to literally pull her off of them…will nap in the stroller and doesn’t mind waiting in lines….where did this child come from!!!! Is a trooper and even though she is small, I think her goal on every trip is to see how many chicken nuggets she can eat!

Now, here is the rest of the cast….let me explain…we have been to Disney lots of times, and I always tell my friend that she and her family needs to come with us…it’s the best time of your life!!!!! We went in March for Easter and I called her while we were there…actually we were eating at Prime Time Café and dh had to know the score from an ACC basket ball game…..anyway…… she told me at that time that they were considering coming to Disney in June and could we come with…. Now, we had begged them to come forever, and here we are, none the less,…staying at Yatch Club…spending a fortune….and she wants us to come back in less than 3 months…Of course, being the experienced Disney goers that we are, I thought that they would just wither up and blow away if they went to Disney without us so in order for them to have any kind of fun, we HAD to go with them....of course, dh thinks I'm crazy, but being the controller and using the rationalization abilities that I was born with, I told him that I knew that we would go SOMEWHERE this summer, we wouldn't just sit home, and why not go back to Disney, since I was sure that my friends would have a lousy time without us! So, the convincing and pre-planning begins, and without even having the ok from dh, so I call Disney Dining and begin making ar's for all 9 of us!!!! And them, I call AAA and have a trip put on hold for us at POR...df went ahead and made ressies there...so, just waiting on the OK from husband and since he gets out of the magic rather quickly, I knew that I had to move fast...After about a month, he finally said that we could go back, so now I'm starting to feel the pixie dust and getting really excited to show my friends around. Of course, I realize our butts are on the line here and we have bragged so much about how great Disney is, that we absolutely HAVE to show them a good time, so I set about planning the "PERFECT" trip complete with the best AR's that anyone has ever experienced, so I'm trying not to think of the phone bill that I'll have from staying on the phone with dining... So, everything is all set,...we make the friends watch the vacation planning video with us and answer all of their questions, order body glide and buy ponchos, sunscreen and spray fans....we're set! So, the rest of the cast;

DF- I've known her forever...since college....She teaches with me at my school, is a major control freak...I'm a baby control freak next to her...has to plan every detail and does things WAY ahead of time....even though I'm a control freak, I do tend to put things off until they have to be done;..this is my dh rubbing off on me after 17 years of marriage....anyway, I think that I will be able to get df to relax and enjoy the trip...I'll try hard anyway...

DF's H- Lots of fun, likes to cut up and enjoy life...works in PR at a college and is really into movies, music, and communication stuff....I predict that he will love HS and that will be his favorite park because he loves the movie stuff and because he loves Star Wars and we'll be there on a SW weekend.

Friends DD-11- Worrier to the max! Super sweet girl, but is so worried about things that she hasn't done before, I hope that my dd can help her relax and have a good time. Gets this from her mom...

Friends DS-8- Loves Star Wars like his dad and can't wait to go to Disney! He gets along well with my ds so, everyone has their "moving buddy" and we're all set!

So, coming up..... here we go....Day 1- Why don't we meet at DTD and eat at Rainforest Cafe for dinner? It's NOT that easy!!!!!!!!!!!


Chapter 2- Our first full day.

 

[angela3676]

I'm on board!!!!!!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

T so, everyone has their "moving buddy" and we're all set!
!

I'm subscribing!

We also have friends joining us on our trip - they show up on our Day 5. He hasn't been since Epcot was under construction and she has never been before, we talked them in to coming down while we were there so we could show them the ropes and now we're feeling the pressure!

Also love your "moving buddy" commment! I let my youngest (will turn 15 on this trip) bring a friend with him since my older two (17 and soon to be 19) hang out well together, and my youngest practically lives at his friend's house during the summer. Since we have our friends coming down we told the boys they could go on their own the last half of the trip. They thought "on your own" meant solo........no, no, no, mom meant you and your "travel buddy" can go off , on your own.......together.

 

[IATink]

Can't wait to read all about your trip!

 

[WeluvE.Y.]

Great start. Cant wait for the rest.

 

[strickland]

Day 1-
So, our flight arrived at 4:30 so our plan was to meet them for dinner at Rain Forest Café in DTD. We had 6:30 ressies and they were driving down so they would arrive before us. First glitch in the pixie dust….there was a rain storm…we were in a holding pattern for 45 minutes…what do you do!!!!! So, we were later getting to the hotel than we thought…We got onto Magical Express and headed for POR, but not before we visited Key West, Saratoga Springs AND French Quarter….I’m starting to feel the stress…and the pixie dust has disappeared…..I know, I shouldn’t worry, but, you know it’s the control thing….. So, finally we arrive at POR and check in…no line…great! Pixie Dust returning… We put our carry on’s in our room and dash to the west depot to get on the bus…it’s 6:00 by now…our ressies are for 6:30…we should be ok right?????? (Remember, now we are on DISNEY TIME) so we wait and wait…not bus….dh who is not a good “waiter” says, “I’m not standing here, let’s get on the boat”. So, much to my dismay, off we go from the depot to the boat dock…..we get there as a boat is arriving, so I think…pixie dust again… but No…that boat fills up and we are next in line for the next boat……so, pixie dust disappears……. Btw-it is so humid at this point that I’m literally melting!!!! So, here comes the next boat and I swear, it takes the captains forever to get off of the boat, tie it up and let passengers on….so we’re finally on the boat…..wait….is this as fast as it will go????? You’re kidding right? Wait, we’re not stopping at FQ…..you’re kidding right……….MAN! OK, so it’s about 6:30 now…..hope they hold our table….our friends are already in and seated, so maybe we’ll be OK….so we are SLOWLY motoring toward dtd, which would have been relaxing, and SHOULD have been relaxing but to a control freak like me who likes to be on time, OH MY GOSH…WE’RE SO LATE!!!!!! But there again, we’re on Disney time, and (I hate to say this) it’s OUT OF MY CONTROL!!! So I decide to sit back and try to relax…..FINALLY, at about 6:50 we pull into DTD and because we haven’t taken that boat to dtd before, I am immensely relieved that we are actually getting off of the boat beside Rain Forest Café….Pixie dust again!!!!!! So, finally we see our friends and they are beyond excited to be here. They love Rain Forest and the waiters and waitresses running around shouting “Volcano” makes for a more festive atmosphere! DD-2 loved the elephants and monkeys and finally, ….We loved our dinner, I tasted icama (spelling) for the first time, and all was well. So now with dinner behind us, we decide to explore dtd because in all of our other trips, we haven’t taken time to go there but one other time. We always head straight to a park when we arrive, so it was nice to go there and enjoy everything before the massive lines and crowds at the parks. So, we pay the check and wind our way through the tons of people waiting to get in (thank goodness for the ressies and the nice workers who didn’t throw us out when we were late). We get ready to leave and ….what’s that……RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not just a small sprinkle I tell you…..we’re in the major downpour here! I know, everyone needs the rain.,,, but NOW? At the beginning of our magic? You’ve got to be kidding…..Nope…and where are the ponchos you might ask….in the magical express suitcases of course….where should they be!!!!! So, we make a run for it….we manage to visit Goofy’s candy store, the huge World of Disney store and Leggo store before we’re ready to call it a night. Our friends were to check into POR in the morning early because we had breakfast ressies at Crystal Palace I tell you and we mustn’t be late for that! Their first day at Magic Kingdom would be filled with Pooh and Tigger and Piglet and we would have a great time if it killed me! So, I did enjoy the nice slow ride back to POR and started to relax….finally…all was right with they world…….Up next, our first full day at the World…….You want to do what??????

 

[strickland]

Sorry, I don't know how to make an index of the chapters on my first post. If someone could tell me how, I'll try to do that. I hope you enjoy reading!

 

[OhMari]

strickland Sorry, I don't know how to make an index of the chapters on my first post. If someone could tell me how, I'll try to do that. I hope you enjoy reading!

I'm not real good at it. But do your regular posting. When it gets posted, go to the top where it says http:// and copy that whole line. Than you back to your first post, press edit, and copy/paste that url# into your post. After that line-give it a name. I know people change the link and give it a different name, but I don't know how to do that. Just this old fashion way.

OhMari

 

[strickland]

Our First Full Day:
So, we’re so excited to be at the World that everyone is up and about the business of getting ready…which is not the easiest thing to do when you squeeze 5 people, even 5 people who love each other…most of the time…into a room where there isn’t really any privacy …..but, even dh who usually stays in bed until the last possible second and is not know for earliness…is up and getting ready. The friends are meeting us in the lobby because they have to check in and get their keys to the world. I’m secretly thinking in my mind…”I hope they get a good check in person...” you know, sometimes you can get Grumpy’s brother….or on the other hand, you could get “Snow White!” We kind of had in between..not mega excited that we had graced her presence, but not Cruella either. So, I was hoping that the friends had a good experience…And from the lobby it looked as though they had a guy who was accommodating, so all was going well. We’re on schedule and my heart isn’t a fluttering just yet because of the loss of control or the black hole of the Disney time thing. So my df says “Do you think we should have bell services hold our luggage? Should we unload the car now?” ‘WHAT!!! You must be kidding…you’re kidding right? (I’m thinking this in my head) You want to use PRECIOUS Magic Kingdom time to UNLOAD THE CAR! Well, I say… We’ll be glad to help you unload when we get home tonight. It shouldn’t take but a few minutes….That satisfied df so off to the bus stop we go. I am a woman with a stroller, if you know what I mean….don’t just walk in front of me…I won’t trip you on purpose, but if you aren’t looking and walk in front of me, I just may wheel you over, not meaning to of course, so on the way to the bus stop, I’ m in a hurry and probably nip the heels of each of the 4 walking kids….You’ve been warned!!!!..I tell them! So, magic and pixie dust, within 2 or 3 minutes here comes the Magic Kingdom bus and we are standing near the door when the bus stops…more pixie dust….we get on the bus and actually get seats…all 8 of us with dd-2 on my lap. Off we go, time schedule is good…all is well! We arrive and exit the bus and head toward the gates….everyone is rushing…don’t really know why this is….MK isn’t GOING anywhere and it certainly won’t be any less crowded if you get in front of those 20 people…so, steady pace here, steady pace. I go through the line with the diaper bag and meet the others inside. The friends are stoked! We are stoked! It’s going to be a magical day! So, we make our way to Crystal Palace and I check us in. In a few minutes, we are seated inside with all of the waffleie, syrupie, baconie goodness and can’t wait to get our first taste of that Disney Breakfast! Up next, paying with our meal plan cards and why don’t they ask?

 

[strickland]

Day One-Continued-
So after a wonderful breakfast and lots of hugs from Pooh and the gang, we were ready to go….The waitress brought us the bill…not on the dining plan. Now, I’m no Einstein, BUT, I was asked when I made the reservation if we were on the dp,”yes”. I was asked when I checked in if we were on the dp “yes” again; and if I’m not mistaken, the waitress herself asked if we were on the dp…”yes” a third time, so, WHY would you ring it up as a regular paid meal, I ask you!!!! I go through this kind of routine daily with my second grade class, but wouldn’t necessarily expect this from a grown CM at Disney…..but anyway, we had to wait for her to re-ring the meal onto our plan….the heart is starting to flutter…..we had to get to Fantasy Land….that’s what the books all say!!! Get there as early as possible!!!!!! So while the slowest waitress of the year took FOREVER, I just waited…..patiently….ok NOT PATIENTLY… but what could I do…out of my control….The women folk took this time to sunscreen the children and get ready for the day. So, finally with the bill correctly charged to our dining plans, we headed to fantasy land and one of my (no I don’t ride roller coasters) favorite attractions and that is MICKEY PHILHARMAGIC!! I just couldn’t wait to try and catch some jewels from Ariel and smell the pie, so off we went and “Pixie Dust and Magic” we practically walked right in. It never gets old and I just love it! The friends loved it too..so far so good! After that we venture to Peter Pan, again and almost walk right on. We followed that with a trip through Small World…..on schedule….everyone’s having fun….good day..then df asks if she and her dh should go back to the resort and unload the car when their room is ready. (In my head again, I’m thinking….you would give up MK time to UNLOAD THE CAR!!!) I really wouldn’t worry about it..I tell her. It would take you probably about 2 hours or more (the Disney time thing). We’ll help you tonight when we get back. Oh, OK she says and we continue on with the fun…..I think there’s lots of relaxing that needs to be done here! Anyway, pushed on we did, all 9 of us and ventured on to Tomorrow Land where we got FP’s for Space Mountain, and then stood in line for Buzz Lightyear. When that was over, we went on to Cosmic Ray’s for some lunch and I have never seen so many people in there in all my life! DD-2 had fallen asleep so I was holding
her…let me tell you, a 30 pound 2 year old feels like an 80 pound child when they are asleep! So, I was looking/waiting for a table to open up (it was 1:30 mind you) and I stood near a table of a family who had finished up…trash still on the table….as they decided to sit awhile and look at all of the pictures on their digital cameras! I was dying here about to drop the child and they proceeded to sit and sit and sit….not even eating mind you! Now I don’t know how you were raised, but here in the South, we would have immediately if not sooner jumped up to offer the table or at least offer a chair to a wilted, hot, hungry mother holding an 80 pound feeling toddler! But, they were oblivious to anyone around them and continued to sit even after a nice dining room worker came over to attempt to help me find a table. DD-13 to the rescue…she and friend’s dd had found two tables in another dining room, so off from the rude, we’re not moving people to a nice chair in which to rest my weary arms! A few minutes later, dh comes around the corner with yummy chicken nuggets…(remember, dd-2 is trying to eat the world’s record in chicken nuggets) and those were some good nuggets too, however, being the sweets loving person that I am, I jumped into the Triple Chocolate Cake like there was no tomorrow! You’ve got to love the dining plan! We wouldn’t have ordinarily ordered dessert and I always tell myself that I’ll only eat half, but heck, it’s Disney and we all know that desserts have no calories at Disney, because you will walk your feet to a nub here! So, I proceeded to eat the whole darn thing and I loved every bite! After we finished here, we went over to Splash Mountain to get more fast passes and on to Haunted Mansion. I’m beginning to see magic on the friend’s faces…they’re feeling it! So far, so good….the only problem is that df’s daughter is worrying about everything….how long is this ride….you know the signs outside each ride are enough to scare anyone, but after reading them, df’s daughter thinks that she shouldn’t ride because she might have high blood pressure, etc. Enter calm dd-13 of mine…she proceeds to calm and reassure her friend that all is well, and she will love the rides….which she does! So, after a nice air-conditioned wait in the exit area of Space Mountain ( I know where all of the good air-conditioned ones are) we were ready to make our way to Wilderness Lodge for a yummy dinner at Whispering Canyon. Off we go on the boat for a nice relaxing ride. We walk inside and the friends are taken aback by the beauty of the lobby of the lodge…who wouldn’t be! (My goal in this trip was to expose them to as many resorts and restaurants as possible.) We were seated quickly and enjoyed a great dinner of the famous skillet and then my favorite…the apple pie for dessert…dh got the banana, ice-cream thingie…that’s his all time favorite! We made our way back to Magic Kingdom and enjoyed Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain before we got an awesome spot for the Light Parade. I wasn’t sure how long the friends would make it…it had been a very busy and hot day, so I was glad that we had finally made it to the parade…it was well worth the wait and then on to the fireworks….ut oh…..Pixie Dust is sucked out of the Magical Gathering, because I didn’t realize that df’s son is terrified of fireworks! No…not Disney Fireworks! How can anyone be afraid of Disney Fireworks! Well, he was a trooper and stood it as long as he could. We got to see almost all of the show…but I could see Illuminations and Fantasmic going down the ole drain! Well, we’ll just see what happens! We made our way back to the buses and on to POR. It had truly been a magical day and I think that the friends had a great time. Some “Dreams” certainly came true on that day. Oh, and by the way, it only took 10 minutes to unload the car! Up next….Epcot…can we do it?

 

[strickland]

Day 2-The Epcot Adventure---is anyone out there? Good, bad or ugly, I would love some feedback!
Well, day one was behind us so on to day 2 and a trip to Epcot. We ate breakfast in the room and headed to the west depot to board the bus…pixie dust and magic because there was the bus…waiting for us as we arrived at the depot. We climbed aboard and found seats….I’m feeling the magic! Before you know it, we are passing Space Ship Earth on our way (quickly I might add) to Soarin’. We absolutely HAD to ride this ride. We got fp’s and then stood in line to ride….with rider switch because of dd-2, it took us all about 1 hour to ride, but we didn’t care cause this is the best ride I’ll tell you! Next we did Living with the Land and then strolled on over to Figment and Honey I Shrunk the Audience….the friends loved the mice thing and even though I’ve seen it lots of times, I still squeal like a kid and can’t help it during that part! Now this is when I noticed that the friends were dragging a little….we hadn’t had our usual protein for breakfast like we should have…just cookies, etc. And….if you’ve never been to the world, you really have no idea how MUCH walking you will actually do…so we needed fuel and fast! On the the Electric Umbrella for nourishment and rest, however, we would not hog the table when we were finished like some people that we had already experienced at Cosmic Ray’s! The cheeseburger was great, however, (you knew this was coming didn’t you…) the strawberry cheesecake was to die for! Again, I ate the whole thing and didn’t look back! So, after the much needed “pick-me-up” we headed to Test Track for fp’s and then on to Ellen…..I thought that we had better slow down a bit before we lost the friends! (To their credit, they had left home very early and had driven 12 hours the day before MK and then visited family….far different than our 2:30 P.M. 1 ½ hour flight to Orlando so I know that they were tired.) So after a nice cool 40 minute ride through Ellen, df’s husband dosed in here….I’m sure none of you have ever dosed on a ride or during a show at the world… So after this, we did Nemo and Space Ship Earth and then decided to start on World Show Case. After a romp though Mexico and the boat ride and a walk through Norway, we went on to China and watched the 360 movie…..df’s daughter is again wondering…how long is this, etc,etc…dd-13’s calming comes in handy again……. So, when we leave the China movie, DOWNPOUR again…we waited it out for about 30 minutes in the gift shop there because IT WAS LIGHTENING I TELL YOU! Now, I don’t like to get my hair wet, but I’ll walk in the rain with a poncho if I have to, but I’m not playing with lightening! So, we waited…and waited….and finally decided that it was safe and went on through Germany and on to Italy. We had 6:45 ressies at Tutto Italia and it was now about 6:00, so we decided to see if they could seat us early. It looked like lots of people had left because of the rain. We were in luck and they seated us within 5 minutes. If you’ve never been there, it’s worth a visit just to see the interior alone! The food is delicious as well, so our whole experience was great. The friends can’t believe how much food comes on 1 plate and are enjoying themselves immensely. So, with our tummies full, we stike out to see more of World Showcase. We still had fp’s for Test Track so we were going to make our way around World Showcase…even though we couldn’t spend as much time in each country as we wanted, at least the friends could see each country. So, after making our way through France, England and Canada, we high tailed it over to Test Track. Actually dd-2 and I went to Nemo again and the other’s went to Test Track. After that it was time to go, because Illuminations would start soon and we didn’t want to upset df’s son again. We had seen it several times in March, so we were good to go as well, even though I hated missing it! On the way out, df’s husband said, Oh, look behind you, and we all turned around and there it was…Space Ship Earth in all of it’s glory! We just stood in awe for a minute or so, and then it was on to the bus stop. We had breakfast ressies in the morning at Hollywood and Vine with Play House Disney, so it was on to bed with us! Coming up…Hollywood Studios and you stood in line HOW long?

 

[iluveeyore]

Enjoying your report! We went with my best friend and her family last year for two weeks and had a wonderful trip - shared a two bedroom villa at OKW, made meals together, played cards every night we could on the patio, and did all the parks. Their first trip, and they can't wait to go back! I miss WDW, so loving your detailed trippie!

 

[apurplebrat]

Love your report. next summer we will be a group of 8 with 4 kids 4 1/2, 12, 14 & 16

 

[erinsmom]

subbing!!

I'm from NC, too. Good report so far, can't wait to read more.

 

[jmskinner]

Enjoying your TR. Loved the part with the ponchos in your luggage on ME. We did the same thing our very first trip. This last time, we just bought some Disney ones at the first sign of rain.

Oh, and my DH is from NC and my DSD lives there!

 

[strickland]

Enjoying your report! We went with my best friend and her family last year for two weeks and had a wonderful trip - shared a two bedroom villa at OKW, made meals together, played cards every night we could on the patio, and did all the parks. Their first trip, and they can't wait to go back! I miss WDW, so loving your detailed trippie!

Our friends had a great time too and now it's all they can talk about! We hope that we can go back again with them!

 

[strickland]

Enjoying your TR. Loved the part with the ponchos in your luggage on ME. We did the same thing our very first trip. This last time, we just bought some Disney ones at the first sign of rain.

Oh, and my DH is from NC and my DSD lives there!

Hey jmskinner! We were at POR June 18-23! We may have eaten breakfast beside you in the food court for all we know!!! Did you all enjoy all of the rain as we did!!!!!!!

 

[strickland]

Love your report. next summer we will be a group of 8 with 4 kids 4 1/2, 12, 14 & 16

Thanks! Your group's ages sound a little like ours...14, 12, 10, 8 and 3! The bigger kids did the bigger kid stuff and I rode all of the fantasyland stuff with little Gracie. We had a ball....fantasyland is just my speed anyway!

 

[strickland]

Day 3-MGM
As I mentioned in the intro’s, df’s husband and son love Star Wars, so they were most excited to go to HS during Star Wars weekend. I was excited because we had ressies at 8:30 at Hollywood and Vine at Playhouse Disney BEFORE the park opened. The Friends were excited to see Storm Troopers on the roof tops..I was excited to see the nice lady in the cute apron waving us on through the line to go to breakfast!
As we were walking, I told everyone to look down….they all thought I was crazy…I said “Look at the pavement…..you won’t see it again all day once everyone gets in here!”

So, again we go into the restaurant and are greeted with the smells of my favorite….Mickey Waffles with that good syrup and some good Disney bacon! It was a great breakfast and we were all glad that we had come. Again, it seemed to be taking forever to pay the bill, so df and I practically ran to get FP’s for Toy Story since we knew that it would be swamped! We got into a line that only had 2 people in it and thought that we were lucky until one of them told us that they were getting 100 passes….we were stunned! So, then the fast pass lines were so crowded so the CM’s turned some key and the machine just gave out passes without having to put our tickets in!

I would love to have that key I tell you!

So, with fp’s in hand we head back to collect everyone from breakfast and wait a few more minutes to get the check. So, the place is swarming by now with people so we head to something easy…after fp’s for TOT
(remember, we got the toy story fp’s straight from the machine, so we could use our tickets to get more fp’s right away!!! Pixie Dust for the friend’s first visit I tell you!) Next we head over to the Great Movie Ride. I knew that df’s husband would love this ride, cause he’s into that stuff and he did. We practically walked right on too so that was good. After that, dd-2 HAD to go see the Ariel show. So we did that and then went on to see Lights, Motors, Action.

The only thing better than Lights, Motors, Action is SITTING BENEATH A FAN in Lights, Motors, Action.

The Friends enjoyed the show and I was just hoping that the rain would hold off long enough to do the things that we wanted to do since there aren’t lots of places to “get in out of the rain” at HS. So, from that show we proceeded to TOT and Rockin Roller Coaster. DD-2 and I headed for Beauty and the Beast and got to the show about 10-15 minutes after it had started. It really threw dd…she couldn’t quite figure out the story line from the middle….anyway, after the show the bigger kids and grown-up group was still in line for RRC so me and my df decided to go ahead and get in line for lunch somewhere. We had dinner ressies at 4:30 at Prime Time so we knew that we needed to eat lunch early…..enter buckets and buckets of rain!!!!! We decide that we should take cover in the ABC Commissary….so did everyone else in the entire park…there were hundreds of people in there I tell you!!!!

So, my dh, who had joined us, being the “I’m not waiting in that line” kind of guy, (remember the bus depot on the first night?) decides that we should try pizza planet….bad idea too….cause people were lined up OUT THE DOOR of that place and standing in the rain for pizza I tell you! So, feathers are getting ruffled at this situation! So back to ABC we go much to dh’s opposition….where else is there to go in the POURING rain at lunch time without advanced ressies? So, since we have a two year old that would need to eat (and of course I would need my dessert fix in order to make it through the rest of the day) I generously told dh that I would stand in line while he scouted for a table….not an easy job either as you remember from Cosmic Rays….anyway, my df and I got into the line for food…it was literally backed up to the entrance doors….there must have been 30-40 people in front of us…in each of the 6 lines…or how ever many lines there were...none the less, we were inside, on a mission for food…the two year old would surely melt down without food, (or I would without dessert..whichever came first….I’m NOT a meal skipper…never have been…dh can eat breakfast and then not eat again until dinner…..can’t do it!!!) Anyway, I was in line, for what I think was MY first time to get in line…I usually get the table and get the condiments and get the kids settled…So, df and I settled into the line …and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited….probably for about 45 minutes! The good news is, by the time we had food, the dh’s and kids had secured an INSIDE table! By that time, (1:30ish) I just ate a few of dd-2’s chicken nuggets, cause I didn’t want to ruin my dinner at Prime Time. I think that this was the only time that dh and I got huffy with each other at the World…tempers were flarin’ with the rain and the crowds and my need to control everything and my inability to control things at this particular moment in time…not feeling the Pixie Dust in the World at the moment…but after some cold icy coke and a little nourishment, we were ready to head outside again…..still in the rain!

So, we decided to use our fp’s for toy story and amazingly enough, we hardly waited at all…we did meet up with folks who had been in the stand-by line for 1 hour and 45 minutes…poor folks, but they were already out of fast passes when they got there….We really enjoyed the ride and liked all of the toy props along the way. And joy beyond joy, when we got out, the rain had almost stopped!

After another Rockin Roller Coaster ride for the big and brave ones, it was time to eat at my favorite fun place…Prime Time Café. We had told the Friends how much fun it could be so they were excited too. Well, we were seated in just a few minutes with probably the calmest waiter in the restaurant. I was so hoping for a great one since the Friends hadn’t been before….but the funniest thing he did was bring my green beans BACK to the table in a dessert glass with whipped cream on the top of them and told me to eat my dessert! It was pretty funny…and you know me and my dessert lovin self…I did actually eat the whipped cream! After this we went over to Back Lot tour and made darn sure that df and df’s h sat on the get wet side…we had had enough of that with all of the rain that day! They loved the back lot tour and then we went to muppetvision 3-d….another hit! The only thing that we didn’t get to do that the Friends wanted to do was Indiana Jones….we’ll just have to come back again!!!! So, df and I decided to leave with dd-2 because she had hit the wall for the day! The bigger and braver ones stayed behind to ride Star Wars, tot and rrc again and again……Another fun, fun day in the World. I had told the Friends before we went that they would so totally lose track of what day it was, and that they wouldn’t even care….and on the was back to the hotel, df said ….”You know, I don’t even know what day it is…and I don’t even care!” Mission accomplished….they were lovin Disney! Up next, our last day….will the rain hold off?

 

[MEK]

Wow - I am getting really tired just reading your report. Three full days straight without a break. You are a better Disney junkey than I am. You must have been comatose every night. Sounds like a lot of fun. I am glad your friends are also having fun and are able to hang with you hour for hour, especially in the summer heat. You got sooooo much done in 3 days. Strong work!