These Kids Make Me Wish You Could Curse on the DISBoards (May '11 Trip) - DONE 9/14

[MK2010]

Okay, so I think I should win super lurker status. 'Cause I'm so dedicated I read this entire TR in one day!

 

[OrangeJax]

nilla, I've decided to come out of hiding.

I've been following your trip report since (almost) it's beginning. Thanks for writing such an entertaining recap of your trip! I'm living vicariously (sp) through your words and pictures!

Now... back to lurking! Don't be offended - I read a lot more than I post on the Dis.

 

[nilla]

Well, we came out of the storm relative unscathed. A few limbs down here and there, and some flooding downtown, but at our house, we were ok. The power flickered a few times, but never for more than a few seconds. Phew!

Now, on to some comments, followed by some updates!

Another lurker thoroughly enjoying you TR!

Thanks! It's funny how many self-processed lurkers have commented now. I guess complaining DOES work sometimes

We decided on another thread on Dis somewhere that it was only the one in the movie was evil and that he was only evil because he had had a bad past being abandoned by the little girl he loves so much and all that. All the other Lotso's are good


Old Man =Carl
Boy= Russell

Maybe that was the new Lotso that the girl got? That works for me!

Thanks! For some reason, I couldn't remember Carl. Or the dog. I really need to see that movie again.

We love the Biergarten too! We went there on our recent trip and my Dad had a nice chat with the waitress about being stationed there a couple times while he was in the Army (the last time was when I was a baby - we were there from when I was about 6 months old until about 2) Can't wait to hear about your meal there.

It's my favorite place to eat in all of WDW, and that's saying a lot. I can't even imagine how much fun I'd have in "real" Germany!

The food! The beer was good, entertainment great and the service was about what you expect Disney. Oh and the desserts were very good; but the main food -- schnitzel (which was chicken and NOT veal) was dry, the pork was dry, etc.

Wow, that stinks. Hopefully that was just a fluke. I'm excited to hear about your trip!

Okay, so I think I should win super lurker status. 'Cause I'm so dedicated I read this entire TR in one day!

Now THAT is an accomplishment! Meanwhile, I have trouble reading a few pages in one day! Short attention span, I guess

I've been following your trip report since (almost) it's beginning. Thanks for writing such an entertaining recap of your trip! I'm living vicariously (sp) through your words and pictures!

Now... back to lurking! Don't be offended - I read a lot more than I post on the Dis.

Thanks! Feel free to lurk. I just got worried for a moment there.

And now, let's close out this Epcot day, shall we?

Shall we?

 

[nilla]

Before we enter the Biergarten, here are some Photopass shots I neglected to show you earlier:

But now on to our dinner. We were seated right away, directly next to the dance floor. Nice! Since there are only four of us, we'll be seated with strangers. We usually don't have a lot of luck with that, so I'm sure our tablemates are going to be duds. The hostess leads our victi-um, I mean, tablemates over and seats them. They seem nice enough, but here comes the test: what will they order to drink?

The mom orders one of the lighter beers, but the dad goes for a liter of Hovels, which I can't seem to get a good description of online. It wasn't really dark, but it was brown enough to make it the winner for me. So, the parents at our table are drinkers, too. Good to see; this should be a fun meal

Oh, and Kristin got a wine. We got our food, and being a big fan of German food, I can easily find a lot to eat here. Too much, actually. Especially when you factor in a liter of beer, with even more throughout the day. And we've got lots of FPs for later!

Turns out the family sitting with us were a lot of fun to talk to, and they had a daughter slightly younger than Emily. Before we knew it, they were sitting on the same chair, with their plates up against each other. I tried to get a pic before we lost her, but our camera's not great in this lighting:

We're there; trust me.

The kids are eating well enough, and there's enough for them to find at least something they'll eat. Oh, hold on - it's showtime!

Martis Gross and what I'm presuming to be the Sonnenschein Express take the stage, but my knowledge of this band will show soon enough.

I love these guys. I listen to their CD every time I brew beer, and was surprised when they played at Musikfest, the local music/food/beer festival in town, last year. The kids love them, too.

Emily with her friend from the table:

Another girl joins the fray:

As does her dad:

Heck, even Dylan can't resist!

It's the "hillbilly dance" that he always does, which always transitions into that Russian kick-dance thing. Apparently, it's catchy:

Kristin and I even got out there, which is fun, because I can't dance. It's not that I don't want to; it just doesn't work for me. But a liter of Hovels makes me care a lot less, so out I go. No pics of this, either fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how much you like to watch me having fun and looking like a fool.

Speaking of looking like a fool, the fun has finally come to a close, we say 'bye' to our new friends, and we start to head for the door. But wait - I pass one of the band members, and I talk to him briefly about how I love their music and saw them play last summer back home. He said he's not always in the band, but maybe Martin Gross (himself) would like to talk to me. The guy was really nice, and seemed appreciative at how much we enjoyed the show.

I spot Martin come out from aside the stage, and he's talking to another diner he apparently knows. For a long time. Meanwhile, Dylan and I stand about 20 feet away, looking like eager groupies.

And we wait.

And wait.

And finally, we get a chance to meet him. I tell him we love his music, and I tell him about seeing him at Musikfest last year.

Um...

...

...nope, it wasn't him. Is he sure?

Yep, he's sure. But all the songs were that same from his CD!

Really, it wasn't him. Ok.......now I feel dumb. I tell him I'll just keep remembering that it was him, and off we go. Kristin, meanwhile, had no idea where we were, so she's not too happy when we finally find her.

Oh, well. I'm feeling good, if not completely stuffed, and it's still relatively early. We get outside - hey, apparently it rained while we were inside! Second time this week! It has stopped now, so that won't be a problem. Where to next?

 

[nilla]

Where to next, you ask? Well, since we just ate a drank a lot, how about some caramel-dipped milk chocolate and wine from Germany? And some Kaki Gori shaved ice and a Kirin beer from Japan? Sounds good to me! While I negelected to get any food pics from here or dinner, I did manage to get a few more Germany shots before we moved on:

Hey, was that Axl Rose in that last photo, walking next to the women in the blue tank top? It sure looked like him, only a lot younger. And less psychotic. At least a little.

So what's there to do now? Fortunately, Emily's got that covered:

Hey, it's Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits!

No slant to Herman's Hermits fans, but the Flower and Garden Festival always draws in the best bands from an era I really don't care about. I think most of the people who do would hate most of the stuff I listen to as well, so we'll call it a draw.

 

[nilla]

As we continued to walk, I come to the horrific realization that I didn't get a number 10 for the first post of this day in the upcoming trip report! We have to go back! I can grab one off one of the torches!

Kristin tries to convince me that there is no number 10 torch, though there are 11, 12, 13, etc. I know it's just because she doesn't want to walk back to where it is (I'm thinking near Germany), but I'm not going to press the issue now. I'll just keep looking.

Past the UK...no tens. Anywhere. Canada? No luck there, either.

So we set up camp at the front of World Showcase for Illuminations, which is coming in about another 30 minutes. Since we have time, I tell Kristin I want to go look for a "10" over around Mexico. She agrees, but asks me to hurry.

Well, my mind's set on that torch now, so I'm doing another lap. Past Mexico. Past China. Past the others, and finally, we're at the torch! There it is, number 10! I got it!

But wait...it's getting dark now, and I've pointed out the limitations of this camera in the dark many times during this TR. So it comes out, really, really dark. I tried to muck with it in various photo editing applications, but I never got it to look good. Here's the unedited version:

See, it says "10"! That counts, right?

I ended up using a "10" from France, right where Marie stands for the photo ops. That didn't come out great either, so this will be a lesson to me. GET THE NUMBER EARLY. There's no excuse for this to have happened!!

Ok, so maybe I'm TOO into those silly numbers, but what's done is done, and I'm heading back to meet the wife and kids. I finally get back, and it appears that Dylan has squeezed up to the railing, while we're behind a landscaping bed with Emily. We have a plan, though - once the fireworks ends, Kristin will head right, I'll head left, and one of us will grab Dylan before he gets lost in the sea of humanity that is post-Illuminations Epcot.

Kristin runs over to get Emily a cotton candy, and us a pair of adult beverages. Since we're not in front of any of the countries, she gets a Bud Light. I get what the receipt tagged as "Seasonal", which roughly translates to "Not Bud Light". Whatever it was, it was a nice capper to a long day of fun, and the occassional drink

Drinks in hand, we're ready for the show. After talking for a bit with the couple standing next to us, who are also staying at CSR and loving it, the lights go down, the torches are lit, and the fireworks go ka-boom. Great show. Doesn't touch Wishes in my opinion, but still really well done. Hey, look - no pictures yet again! Well, after the "10" incident, do you really want to see my attempts at Illuminations shots?

 

[nilla]

Hey, it's Extra Magic Hours, so we DON'T have to go home just yet! Cool! So what should we do? How about using these Maelstrom FPs? And afterwards, how about some funny hat shots:

As we rode, I really had that "Epcot is winding down" feeling, which is bittersweet. I don't want to leave, but I had a blast while I was here. We say 'goodbye' to World Showcase, and head for the exit, grabbing a few shots on the way:

Hey, look - there's a new Cars movie, apparently! Awesome! Might've missed that one were it not projected on the ball!

So do we head on out and close out Epcot for another year, or do we try to hit one more ride?

...

C'mon, what a silly question! OF COURSE we have to hit one more ride, but JUST one more. And Test Track is the winner. I've got a lot of food and beer in me at the moment, but I think it makes it even more fun. Sort of like getting driven home in college, but with less chance of getting in trouble. For the pic this time, Emily is once again "all dibness", as are the two of us. Dylan, on the other hand, just can't resist throwing his hands up and goin' crazy:

The single riders with us seemed to get a kick out of our family dynamic, too, which must look really dysfunctional from the outside

 

[nilla]

Well, we've done it all. Over the course of our stay, we've hit Epcot four times. We ate in World Showcase 3 times, Futureworld once. We've been in every pavilion, met almost every character we could, rode all of the rides multiple times, and had some other not-as-pleasant experiences as well. But it's time to wrap it up. Let's head back to the resort.

But wait - we've still got 8 FPs for Soarin'! What should we do with them? On the walk out, we spot a pair of teenage girls and ask if they want them. They say they have two friends who are elsewhere right now and that they want to ride with them, and we say, "no problem!" We've got four. In fact, we've got eight, so they can have the lot and ride again! The girls are ECSTATIC, because FPs for Soarin' are always a good thing. And now, they can ride twice without having to wait in the stand-by line.

Or can they? A group of passing guys in their early twenties hear the conversation, and ask the girls if they can have four of the FPs. They've already exchanged hands, so I tell the girls that it's on them now. We walk away, having done our good deed for the day. Dylan adds a little 9-year-old wisdom of his own, by saying, "it's so easy to make teenage girls happy. Just give them stuff."

Wow, this kid may be better off than we thought

It's back to CSR, and we're WHOOPED. The Duffy's appear to have made new friends, though:

On the right is "Puppy", who came with a thermometer the first time Dylan got a fever as a young child. Around that time, all of his "animal friends" were named simply after the type of animal they were: Ducky, Armadillo, Puppy, Big Puppy, Little Puppy, Medium Puppy...but this "Puppy" has stood the test of time. And he's back in WDW. For the 6th time. Emily's "Pink Puppy" is on the other side, but there isn't the same connection there.

So it's off to bed, finally. It's our final full day tomorrow, and we've got a lot of Magic Kingdom to cram in!


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[2xcited2sleep]

Glad you survived the storm with minimal damage! . Great update, as always. You really make Biergarten sound like a fun place...I may have to try it. So many good restaurants though, hard to fit it all in!

Always bittersweet when the vacation is winding down and you are doing things for the last time and saying 'goodbye.'. but you will be back!!

I appreciate your dedication to the #10 and thought that was a cute feature of this TR.

I can't believe you gave away 8 Soarin FPs!! Super nice of you. I am looking forward to searching for the hidden mickey you told us about on my next flight in Oct!!

 

[KatMark]

Glad you guys were okay with the hurricane.

Awesome multiple updates, Jon.

I'm so glad that Emily had a good time dancing with her new friend and that even Dylan got in on the action. I have to tell you though...unless there is a picture of you dancing on the dance floor, it did NOT happen. No picture, it didn't happen (it's a DIS rule!).

You actually look like you are sleeping on your last Test Track ride.

That is so cool how they put "Cars" on Spaceship Earth.

I love what Mousekeeping did with the Duffy Bears and the dogs...very cute (and one of the special touches that make Disney so magical).

 

[Dizneydaz]

Just caught up. Thanks for the great updates. Mind if I steal your idea about the day numbers? I thought about doing that after I read your first post. You don't mind do you?

I've started my own PTR (though I accidentily posted it to TR thread) and so did my DD12. We'll be doing TRs after we get home (or maybe even a few live updates when we are parked by a Starbucks, McD's, etc.-love free WiFi). Wish it wasn't $10/24 hours at the resorts.

 

[PirateKate]

I'm glad you got to use some of the Fastpasses and you found good homes for the extras. Biergarten is not my favorite restaurant, but it does look like you all had fun dancing.

 

[llouda30]

Lurking... which sounds really creepy... Sorry.

Me too, as you can see from my number of posts, I am a true and real lurker for about 2 years now and you nilla broke me out of it!!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

No slant to Herman's Hermits fans, but the Flower and Garden Festival always draws in the best bands from an era I really don't care about. I think most of the people who do would hate most of the stuff I listen to as well, so we'll call it a draw.[/QUOTE]

Hey now, watch what you're saying. I love the old stuff as that was from my high school years. However I like lots of other music also. One of my favorites is Lady Gaga! I don't know what you listen to, but I probably like it unless it is modern country!

 

[nilla]

I appreciate your dedication to the #10 and thought that was a cute feature of this TR.

Thanks! It was fun looking for them, too. When I actually remembered!

I can't believe you gave away 8 Soarin FPs!! Super nice of you. I am looking forward to searching for the hidden mickey you told us about on my next flight in Oct!!

That one is so tough to spot that I'm still not 100% sure if I actually DID spot it. I'll have to verify that

Awesome multiple updates, Jon.

When I do actually update, I try to give you a lot to digest until I get around to the next one

...unless there is a picture of you dancing on the dance floor, it did NOT happen. No picture, it didn't happen (it's a DIS rule!).

Alright, then it didn't happen. I'm ok with that

I love what Mousekeeping did with the Duffy Bears and the dogs...very cute (and one of the special touches that make Disney so magical).

The certainly don't do it as often as they did at POFQ, but it was a fun bonus when they did.

Just caught up. Thanks for the great updates. Mind if I steal your idea about the day numbers? I thought about doing that after I read your first post. You don't mind do you?

Go for it! Not sure what gave me the idea to do that, but I would imagine I'm not the first.

love free WiFi). Wish it wasn't $10/24 hours at the resorts.

We don't get that, either! Especially at CSR, which doubles as a convention center. Get into the 2000s, Disney!

Biergarten is not my favorite restaurant, but it does look like you all had fun dancing.

It's a combination of lots of things I like. It's one of the few restaurants that the kids don't complain about, too.

Me too, as you can see from my number of posts, I am a true and real lurker for about 2 years now and you nilla broke me out of it!!

I am very honored that my TR is the recipient of your 5th post!

I don't know what you listen to, but I probably like it unless it is modern country!

Not sure about that, but at least we can agree on our dislike of modern country

 

[yellowtink]

Yeah! I finally caught up.

 

[nilla]

 

[nilla]

Day 11.


3rd Magic Kingdom day.


10th park day.


Last Magic Kingdom day.


Last park day.


The worst day of any of our lives.

...

...

Ok, so that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it does stink. Can't complain too much, though. Kristin likes the saying, "don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened," or something like that, and it fits here. We hit each of the four parks, with our favorites multiple times. We've ridden just about EVERYTHING. We've seen a ton; more than any other year. And we still have this last day. Magic Kingdom. This is how we came in, and this is how we'll go out. Backpack loaded? Check.

Sunscreen? Check.

Kids' teeth brushed? Check. Not perfectly, but at least there was an attempt made.

So here we go. Bus Stop 2 (our new love, as far as bus stops go), and it's off to the Magic Kingdom. There may not be a great big, beautiful tomorrow for us, but we can have a today that meets that criteria. So what are we waiting for? Get onboard! Disney Transportation is how we're ridin'!

 

[nilla]

We arrived in the Magic Kingdom around 10:00, and the crowds were about as large as they've been all week. 10 days and this is the first crowd we've seen? Can't beat that, really.

So where to first? Well...

Sorry, Dylan, but we're going to meet Tiana. We have to. But how about we get FPs for Splash Mountain? Not good enough?

Well, too bad. That's the plan. You just need to trust on this one.

So I got the Splash FPs while Kristin and the kids waited in line. About 30 minutes later (Tiana and Naveen didn't arrive until about 15 minutes after we did), we were up. We met these two last year, and they were really charismatic. Naveen was a complete knucklehead. Really fun! So did a year in the Magic Kingdom make them less personable?

Nope, they're still great. Lots of great interaction, and even the boy enjoys it:

Hold up - Tiana wants a kiss. From Dylan.

Oh, man!!! I had the camcorder off by this time! What a moment, and the best we got is an aftershot! Oh well, we've got the memory. And it's a good one!

 

[nilla]

After Tiana and Naveen, it's off to Splash Mountain. This is always a wild one when it's our last, because we all end up singing, or dancing, or something. Sorry, Kathy. I got this, though:

Kristin insists there's a Hidden Mickey on the checkboard going up the big hill, but I've never seen it. I've seen pictures of it, though. But you won't in this Trip Report. I'll get it next year, if I actually see it!

It was a little after 11:00 now, so it's perfect time to get an early lunch. It's back to Columbia Harbor House, and the view above the walkway. Next year, actually, I think I want to sit Haunted Mansion side. Has anyone done that?

I got some food pics:

Those shrimp were good! The kids got the standard:

Dylan won't eat grapes. Just eat the grapes, kid. Really. We brought you to (can't curse on the DISBoards) Disney World. They won't kill you.

He eats some; enough for us to declare "enough" so we can head on out. It's our last day, y'know.

We hung a right out of CHH and headed into Fantasyland. We're looking for Mary Poppins, who is usually over by the Carousel. The CM says she will be standing on one of two sides on the ride, but she won't be out for at least another half hour. This guy's here, though:

Ladies and gentlemen, putting his own unique spin on a classic character, a young Mr. Robin Williams as Peter Pan!

(thunderous applause)

Kristin and I love to play the "that person looks like ____" game. We don't always agree on it, though.

Well, it's still a while until Mary arrives, so what should we do next? The kids want to take another crack at getting the sword out of the stone.

After a command performance last year, will Emily finally free the sword this year? Will Dylan EVER get it out? Let's start with the girl:

Emily uses a technique known in sword-from-stone-pulling circles as the "My parents would throw their backs out and be out of commission for a week if they tried to lift the sword THIS way" lift. Feet on the rock and PULL...

But no go. Has the window of opportunity shut for good? Hold that though - here comes the boy:

He uses a more traditional, but less effective, approach. No luck for him this year. Next year, guys. Hit the weights in the offseason, and we'll be back!


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