mkingdon
Obsessed...and admits it!!
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2002
- Messages
- 408
Cast
Me - Craig, only just 33. Rucksack carrier and stroller pusher.
Louise - Wife, 34, slowly becoming addicted to WDW.
Emily - Aged 8. Moody, full of attitude and daddys girl.
Rebecca - Aged 6. Comedian, Olympic eater and worrier.
The Williams tour of Florida restrooms, sponsored by VISA.
Day Twelve Monday 25th August The Mask of Sorrow
Today was to be our best day yet. I of course didnt know that when I woke up at 7.30. After the late night yesterday we took it easy, had breakfast in the house, let the kids swim, and eventually made it to Epcot at around 10.30.
It was noticeably quieter today than our previous visit, so much so that despite arriving so late, we were able to park in walking distance to the main gates. Ryan of course rode on my back for this five minute stroll and he contained all the usual stuff plus much more which is clear later.
Maybe it was my imagination but he seemed to get heavier everyday on this holiday, but then again he wasnt the only one!!!!
Got our strollers very quickly today, and after a brief restroom break we headed to Innoventions as I needed to send several e-mails to people who werent in Florida, and therefore just needed a picture of us to cheer them up!!!
We spent a good ten minutes posing for many photos and we e-mailed nearly everyone whose e-mail address I could remember. I then found an internet station and looked up some football scores as the season started as we left England. Being a Liverpool fan I wish I hadnt.
I was allowed ten minutes on a Playstation, and then I was dragged off by Louise as the kids were getting bored. A likely excuse. Emily was killing hundreds of aliens just behind me and Rebecca was crawling through the bug thing with a magnifying glass.
Restroom.
Anyway, we then made our way to JITI. This was a walk on and we all enjoyed this. Logically we then went on HISTA, and had just a five minute wait until the next show. Emily once again wouldnt wear her glasses, but Rebecca did and she thought this was coowel, which I think means good.
It was now time for lunch, and thinking my ever health conscious tribe would be sick to the gills of burgers, I suggested going to The Land Pavillion as I had read in the guidebooks that they serve healthier stuff there.
It was very, very hot today, and that short walk to The Land was a tough one. Especially with Ryan and the strollers. We parked up and walked down to the foodcourt. Looking at the menus I had just picked out what I would have and asked the girls what they wanted.
Cheeseburger from both of them. I look in desperation at Louise looking for support, and she says she fancies a burger too. I of course storm off in a huff, mumbling phrases like Why do I bother, Eat burgers all holiday, Get to walk miles to eat now, but no-one is listening anyway.
Back to the strollers and we head for the Electric Umbrella. I walk really fast on purpose just to make the walk as hard as I can for my awkward lot. We have burgers all round, and they are fine, and again I especially enjoy the Toppings bar. Im a simple lad, easy to please!!
As punishment for the lunch fiasco I then decide we should use our extra special, right at the front of the queue, no waiting whatsoever passes for TT, as it broke down last time we went on.
The kids refuse to go anywhere near it, so Louise says shell take them to play in the fountains up near World Showcase whilst I go on.
Still in a semi huff I set off for TT. On the way I stop to get two FPS for Mission Space as even when I'm sulking I'm kindhearted.
I am told to go up the exit ramp of TT and hand in my ticket. Wow, I must go straight on then. No, not likely. I wait for five minutes for a CM to tell me to go across the bridge and join the queue. There I meet a full room of normal inferior riders and then spend five minutes waiting there.
Eventually I get on, and again the ride seems very temperamental to me. It is very stop-start and Im never sure if this is normal or not.
I leave TT and head to the fountains near World Showcase thinking the kids will be nice and cool, and having a ball, and Louise would have a drink in hand. The fountains were not working!!! So Plan B, Ive just walked past some working fountains near TT. So, not for the first time this holiday, I head back to exactly where I have just come from.
Being the generous type, I tell Louise to go and use her FP for Mission Space whilst I watch the kids in the water. The real motive behind this was that this would mean Louise would have to dry and dress the kids whilst I rode, but I dont think she noticed.
I spend a pleasant 20 minutes in the shade watching the kids splash about, but they are slightly restricted as all the other kids in there seem intent on sitting on the squirting water to stop it coming out of the ground. Hey, what fun that is!!!
So the girls do the best they can, and get very wet and have a nice cool down. The sky at this time is pitch black, and the wind is really getting up. No sign of Louise yet so I have no option but to dry the kids off myself and get them dressed in their change of clothes (which had been in Ryan, no wonder he was heavier).
Just as I finish Louise appears. Coincidence, I think not!!!
I fall on my sword, and decline the use of my MS FP as the storm is imminent, and I suggest we walk up towards World Showcase and find a nice country to shelter in. For some reason we always go around WS starting at Mexico, so as a radical change we go the other way and start at Canada.
Ponchos are on now, and after stopping for the restroom and to buy the girls a McFlurry each from the McDonalds kiosk we make it to Canada before the main downpour. We have never watched O Canada, so in we go, and there are about twenty people waiting.
The film is OK, but to me very dated, and does make you feel a bit dizzy. The kids get very bored.
To relieve the boredom they start a mask in the UK. In one of the shops we find Pooh and Eeyore looking for people to have pictures taken with!!! The kids oblige, and then go and sit down to colour their masks in.
Whilst they do this, Eeyore is getting bored, and is getting very mischievous. He goes on to a little stage type thing at the back of the shop and grabs about six policemans helmets. He then starts wandering round the shop. He suddenly grabs me and drags me on to the stage. Another 5 victims join me, and Eeyore then teaches us a dance routine involving the helmets (luckily he allowed to us to keep our clothes on). The shop amazingly fills very quickly, and I find myself performing to a crowd similar to the one for ROE later. Well, not quite.
I am of course a natural and master the dance better than all the others and have to decline the offer of a contract with WDW due to prior commitments.
Many pictures later I am allowed to slink back into the crowd. Where in the character training does it say Select overweight, yet strangely attractive bloke from UK and ritually embarrass him for the amusement of others?
We wandered outside, declining autographs and avoiding photos from my adoring fans, to find the Beatles tribute band playing on the bandstand. We leave the kids drawing on their masks in the shop and we spend around 20 minutes enjoying the band.
Well, the kids now have their mask, and the nice lady from the UK has attached something to it and stamped it. They were now on a mission. We had to visit EVERY country to collect stamps and the stick on things.
So off we went. We made it as enjoyable for us as possible, by having a glass (thimble) of red wine from the stall in France. I made an embarrassing attempt at French armed with pathetic amount of secondary school French. I think I got as far as Je voudre and then gave up. The pleasant young lady was talking to everyone in French until I arrived.
I scuttled off back to the tribe, and sat on a bench outside the posh French restaurant. Im sure this is lovely, but it is one I have never really fancied to be honest. Too uncultured I think.
Next Morocco, where as always, it seems, Aladdin and Jasmine were in the shop at the back. Both kids joined the queue, and waited.
I dont know whether anyone else finds this, but we are the unluckiest queuers in the world. No matter what the queue is, airport, burgers, drinks, characters, the person in front of us always has some sort of problem that means we end up waiting longer than we should.
Well, this was no different. It was a family of about 8, of all ages, and it seemed they needed a photo of each different permatation of family members with the ever so patient characters.
First it was kids, then it was adults, then it was kids, adults and grandparents. This went on for about 10 minutes. The CM guard of poor Aladdin and Jasmine tried to move them on, but they were having none of it. I tried to drop a hint by walking forward and standing in the middle of their latest photograph, but they didnt seem to care.
Eventually, they started to leave, and then the main photographer, a young girl of around 18, turned to Aladdin and said
Where do you live?
Aggrabah (spelt wrong as he spelt it wrong when he said it)
Where?
Aggrabah
Wheres that?
Its the town we live in, in our movie said Aladdin though his perfectly polished teeth.
I was just about to put her camera in a darkened place, when the CM ushered her out. The girls finally got their photo, but Rebecca had been spooked by all this nonsense and didnt want to go on. She doesnt seem as keen on real face characters Ive found.
So to encourage her the CM said shed take the photo and I could go on it as well. Well, Jasmines eyes lit up immediately as you can imagine. Its no fun standing next to kids all day I imagine, and excited at the prospect of this hunk of burning love from the UK, with his highly attractive bum bag and sweat stained t shirt, she could hardly contain herself.
The picture is a treat. Rebecca however, looks like she is facing a firing squad. Still, I have sent one to Jasmine as I promised I would.
We continued around ALL the countries, and the kids found this great fun. We were flagging majorly now, and cursed whoevers idea it was to do the Mask of Sorrow. We saw many of the restrooms we hadnt previously visited, so that was OK, and by the time we got to Norway, it was time for our PS for the San Angel Inn in Mexico.
I had eaten here many years ago on a trip with my parents, and I had booked it really for the atmosphere, taking the food as it came really.
Well, with our queue issues, and our car park issues, we could only have dreamed of getting a table overlooking the water.
Car Park Issues? Oh, right Ill explain. Every morning on arriving at a park, and I mean EVERY morning, we do as we are told and follow all the arrows and directions to our parking slot. So far, without fail, we have been right at the bottom of a row, furthest from the tram. After about 4 days, it became more than coincidence, and someone had it in for us of course.
Even when it looked like wed be OK, two lanes would suddenly merge into one, and twenty cars would be ushered into the top of the row and wed start a new one.
Paranoid, us? Never. After the year we had had prior to this trip, you may have been too!!!!
Anyway, as you may have guessed, our thing buzzed and we were led through the restaurant, we turn towards the water, surely not, it cant be. But Yes. A perfect table, overlooking the water. Well, that was it. We can go home right this minute, it gets no better.
Our server is fantastic, and very camp. If there is a Mexican Graham Norton he works in Epcot.
I forget exactly what we had, except the girls had burgers. However, the food was excellent, much better then I had hoped, and once again we were totally stuffed. Louise however, found room for a speciality coffee. I of course declined, as I was driving, and I didnt mind a bit!!!! My Diet Coke was also delicious.
The bill came to $80, and we left Graham a nice tip. Now, that would be a line that the real Graham would have a field day with!!!
Rebecca then wanted to go on the ride and we were just glad of the chance to rest our stomachs on our laps so we did. I even let her do some videoing on the ride.
We rolled outside and it was now around 8.15, and time to find a spot for ROE. The girls of course visited the restroom at this point.
Just next to the Cantina place, the railings were pretty full, but there was a decent gap so we approached. We politely asked if anyone was saving this for someone, and they said No, so we camped the strollers there, and started to wait.
I did lots of videoing to capture pre ROE atmosphere, and we had a nice chat with the family next to us, also from the UK, and in no time at all ROE was starting. Just as the announcement came on saying in five minutes etc etc Rebecca needed the loo. That was of course Mummys job, and off they went. I was far too busy viedoing and pretending I hadnt heard Rebecca ask.
They returned on the first explosion. I had a totally unrestricted view, and videoed the whole thing. Stunning.
As it finished we strolled through the park to the exit, and it was of course busy, but nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. We walked back to the car as it was so close, and headed home after a very full and enjoyable day.
Tomorrow - IOA
Me - Craig, only just 33. Rucksack carrier and stroller pusher.
Louise - Wife, 34, slowly becoming addicted to WDW.
Emily - Aged 8. Moody, full of attitude and daddys girl.
Rebecca - Aged 6. Comedian, Olympic eater and worrier.
The Williams tour of Florida restrooms, sponsored by VISA.
Day Twelve Monday 25th August The Mask of Sorrow
Today was to be our best day yet. I of course didnt know that when I woke up at 7.30. After the late night yesterday we took it easy, had breakfast in the house, let the kids swim, and eventually made it to Epcot at around 10.30.
It was noticeably quieter today than our previous visit, so much so that despite arriving so late, we were able to park in walking distance to the main gates. Ryan of course rode on my back for this five minute stroll and he contained all the usual stuff plus much more which is clear later.
Maybe it was my imagination but he seemed to get heavier everyday on this holiday, but then again he wasnt the only one!!!!
Got our strollers very quickly today, and after a brief restroom break we headed to Innoventions as I needed to send several e-mails to people who werent in Florida, and therefore just needed a picture of us to cheer them up!!!
We spent a good ten minutes posing for many photos and we e-mailed nearly everyone whose e-mail address I could remember. I then found an internet station and looked up some football scores as the season started as we left England. Being a Liverpool fan I wish I hadnt.
I was allowed ten minutes on a Playstation, and then I was dragged off by Louise as the kids were getting bored. A likely excuse. Emily was killing hundreds of aliens just behind me and Rebecca was crawling through the bug thing with a magnifying glass.
Restroom.
Anyway, we then made our way to JITI. This was a walk on and we all enjoyed this. Logically we then went on HISTA, and had just a five minute wait until the next show. Emily once again wouldnt wear her glasses, but Rebecca did and she thought this was coowel, which I think means good.
It was now time for lunch, and thinking my ever health conscious tribe would be sick to the gills of burgers, I suggested going to The Land Pavillion as I had read in the guidebooks that they serve healthier stuff there.
It was very, very hot today, and that short walk to The Land was a tough one. Especially with Ryan and the strollers. We parked up and walked down to the foodcourt. Looking at the menus I had just picked out what I would have and asked the girls what they wanted.
Cheeseburger from both of them. I look in desperation at Louise looking for support, and she says she fancies a burger too. I of course storm off in a huff, mumbling phrases like Why do I bother, Eat burgers all holiday, Get to walk miles to eat now, but no-one is listening anyway.
Back to the strollers and we head for the Electric Umbrella. I walk really fast on purpose just to make the walk as hard as I can for my awkward lot. We have burgers all round, and they are fine, and again I especially enjoy the Toppings bar. Im a simple lad, easy to please!!
As punishment for the lunch fiasco I then decide we should use our extra special, right at the front of the queue, no waiting whatsoever passes for TT, as it broke down last time we went on.
The kids refuse to go anywhere near it, so Louise says shell take them to play in the fountains up near World Showcase whilst I go on.
Still in a semi huff I set off for TT. On the way I stop to get two FPS for Mission Space as even when I'm sulking I'm kindhearted.
I am told to go up the exit ramp of TT and hand in my ticket. Wow, I must go straight on then. No, not likely. I wait for five minutes for a CM to tell me to go across the bridge and join the queue. There I meet a full room of normal inferior riders and then spend five minutes waiting there.
Eventually I get on, and again the ride seems very temperamental to me. It is very stop-start and Im never sure if this is normal or not.
I leave TT and head to the fountains near World Showcase thinking the kids will be nice and cool, and having a ball, and Louise would have a drink in hand. The fountains were not working!!! So Plan B, Ive just walked past some working fountains near TT. So, not for the first time this holiday, I head back to exactly where I have just come from.
Being the generous type, I tell Louise to go and use her FP for Mission Space whilst I watch the kids in the water. The real motive behind this was that this would mean Louise would have to dry and dress the kids whilst I rode, but I dont think she noticed.
I spend a pleasant 20 minutes in the shade watching the kids splash about, but they are slightly restricted as all the other kids in there seem intent on sitting on the squirting water to stop it coming out of the ground. Hey, what fun that is!!!
So the girls do the best they can, and get very wet and have a nice cool down. The sky at this time is pitch black, and the wind is really getting up. No sign of Louise yet so I have no option but to dry the kids off myself and get them dressed in their change of clothes (which had been in Ryan, no wonder he was heavier).
Just as I finish Louise appears. Coincidence, I think not!!!
I fall on my sword, and decline the use of my MS FP as the storm is imminent, and I suggest we walk up towards World Showcase and find a nice country to shelter in. For some reason we always go around WS starting at Mexico, so as a radical change we go the other way and start at Canada.
Ponchos are on now, and after stopping for the restroom and to buy the girls a McFlurry each from the McDonalds kiosk we make it to Canada before the main downpour. We have never watched O Canada, so in we go, and there are about twenty people waiting.
The film is OK, but to me very dated, and does make you feel a bit dizzy. The kids get very bored.
To relieve the boredom they start a mask in the UK. In one of the shops we find Pooh and Eeyore looking for people to have pictures taken with!!! The kids oblige, and then go and sit down to colour their masks in.
Whilst they do this, Eeyore is getting bored, and is getting very mischievous. He goes on to a little stage type thing at the back of the shop and grabs about six policemans helmets. He then starts wandering round the shop. He suddenly grabs me and drags me on to the stage. Another 5 victims join me, and Eeyore then teaches us a dance routine involving the helmets (luckily he allowed to us to keep our clothes on). The shop amazingly fills very quickly, and I find myself performing to a crowd similar to the one for ROE later. Well, not quite.
I am of course a natural and master the dance better than all the others and have to decline the offer of a contract with WDW due to prior commitments.
Many pictures later I am allowed to slink back into the crowd. Where in the character training does it say Select overweight, yet strangely attractive bloke from UK and ritually embarrass him for the amusement of others?
We wandered outside, declining autographs and avoiding photos from my adoring fans, to find the Beatles tribute band playing on the bandstand. We leave the kids drawing on their masks in the shop and we spend around 20 minutes enjoying the band.
Well, the kids now have their mask, and the nice lady from the UK has attached something to it and stamped it. They were now on a mission. We had to visit EVERY country to collect stamps and the stick on things.
So off we went. We made it as enjoyable for us as possible, by having a glass (thimble) of red wine from the stall in France. I made an embarrassing attempt at French armed with pathetic amount of secondary school French. I think I got as far as Je voudre and then gave up. The pleasant young lady was talking to everyone in French until I arrived.
I scuttled off back to the tribe, and sat on a bench outside the posh French restaurant. Im sure this is lovely, but it is one I have never really fancied to be honest. Too uncultured I think.
Next Morocco, where as always, it seems, Aladdin and Jasmine were in the shop at the back. Both kids joined the queue, and waited.
I dont know whether anyone else finds this, but we are the unluckiest queuers in the world. No matter what the queue is, airport, burgers, drinks, characters, the person in front of us always has some sort of problem that means we end up waiting longer than we should.
Well, this was no different. It was a family of about 8, of all ages, and it seemed they needed a photo of each different permatation of family members with the ever so patient characters.
First it was kids, then it was adults, then it was kids, adults and grandparents. This went on for about 10 minutes. The CM guard of poor Aladdin and Jasmine tried to move them on, but they were having none of it. I tried to drop a hint by walking forward and standing in the middle of their latest photograph, but they didnt seem to care.
Eventually, they started to leave, and then the main photographer, a young girl of around 18, turned to Aladdin and said
Where do you live?
Aggrabah (spelt wrong as he spelt it wrong when he said it)
Where?
Aggrabah
Wheres that?
Its the town we live in, in our movie said Aladdin though his perfectly polished teeth.
I was just about to put her camera in a darkened place, when the CM ushered her out. The girls finally got their photo, but Rebecca had been spooked by all this nonsense and didnt want to go on. She doesnt seem as keen on real face characters Ive found.
So to encourage her the CM said shed take the photo and I could go on it as well. Well, Jasmines eyes lit up immediately as you can imagine. Its no fun standing next to kids all day I imagine, and excited at the prospect of this hunk of burning love from the UK, with his highly attractive bum bag and sweat stained t shirt, she could hardly contain herself.
The picture is a treat. Rebecca however, looks like she is facing a firing squad. Still, I have sent one to Jasmine as I promised I would.
We continued around ALL the countries, and the kids found this great fun. We were flagging majorly now, and cursed whoevers idea it was to do the Mask of Sorrow. We saw many of the restrooms we hadnt previously visited, so that was OK, and by the time we got to Norway, it was time for our PS for the San Angel Inn in Mexico.
I had eaten here many years ago on a trip with my parents, and I had booked it really for the atmosphere, taking the food as it came really.
Well, with our queue issues, and our car park issues, we could only have dreamed of getting a table overlooking the water.
Car Park Issues? Oh, right Ill explain. Every morning on arriving at a park, and I mean EVERY morning, we do as we are told and follow all the arrows and directions to our parking slot. So far, without fail, we have been right at the bottom of a row, furthest from the tram. After about 4 days, it became more than coincidence, and someone had it in for us of course.
Even when it looked like wed be OK, two lanes would suddenly merge into one, and twenty cars would be ushered into the top of the row and wed start a new one.
Paranoid, us? Never. After the year we had had prior to this trip, you may have been too!!!!
Anyway, as you may have guessed, our thing buzzed and we were led through the restaurant, we turn towards the water, surely not, it cant be. But Yes. A perfect table, overlooking the water. Well, that was it. We can go home right this minute, it gets no better.
Our server is fantastic, and very camp. If there is a Mexican Graham Norton he works in Epcot.
I forget exactly what we had, except the girls had burgers. However, the food was excellent, much better then I had hoped, and once again we were totally stuffed. Louise however, found room for a speciality coffee. I of course declined, as I was driving, and I didnt mind a bit!!!! My Diet Coke was also delicious.
The bill came to $80, and we left Graham a nice tip. Now, that would be a line that the real Graham would have a field day with!!!
Rebecca then wanted to go on the ride and we were just glad of the chance to rest our stomachs on our laps so we did. I even let her do some videoing on the ride.
We rolled outside and it was now around 8.15, and time to find a spot for ROE. The girls of course visited the restroom at this point.
Just next to the Cantina place, the railings were pretty full, but there was a decent gap so we approached. We politely asked if anyone was saving this for someone, and they said No, so we camped the strollers there, and started to wait.
I did lots of videoing to capture pre ROE atmosphere, and we had a nice chat with the family next to us, also from the UK, and in no time at all ROE was starting. Just as the announcement came on saying in five minutes etc etc Rebecca needed the loo. That was of course Mummys job, and off they went. I was far too busy viedoing and pretending I hadnt heard Rebecca ask.
They returned on the first explosion. I had a totally unrestricted view, and videoed the whole thing. Stunning.
As it finished we strolled through the park to the exit, and it was of course busy, but nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. We walked back to the car as it was so close, and headed home after a very full and enjoyable day.
Tomorrow - IOA
