Three Wild Women Wander the World

[CoasterAddict]

Sat 6/3: “Whew, No Axe Murderers!” or “The Adventure Begins”
Arrival @MCO:TMLI 9:45a; BCV 10:15a; CA 10:40a—all on SW. Clearly a trip that was meant to be from the “get-go.”

We arrive at the airport without incident. OK I had some incidents along the way, but nothing that kept me from boarding on time. I’m the last of the WW to arrive. I phone BCV when I get off the plane, they’re already at DME. No problem finding each other once I get down there. They see the glittery mouse ears and I see the red hair. and our outfits are color-coordinated. No, we did not discuss that in advance, but it was a good omen for the rest of the trip.

We arrive at the hotel, drop off our carryon bags, and head for MGM.
ToT—they scream like little girls. Really.
RnR, not so much. Going too fast to scream, I think. Me, not a screamer.
We wander around, take the “scenic route” to the commissary for lunch, see Millionaire…hey, we’re suckers for “last call, no waiting.” I make the top ten list, but not the hot seat. Oh well, better luck next time. We get ambushed by storm troopers on the way out. Don’t envy them, or the Imperial Guard, out there in the muggy FL afternoon. And wow, are there bunches of Jedi tourists wandering around. Just what I want to do on a June afternoon in FL…wrap myself in layers of black and brown floorlength polyester—not.

Late afternoon—we float back to the hotel to check out our room, and our first chance to sit and actually talk for a while. Of course, it really feels by now like we’ve known each other for a long time. In a way we have, but I’m sure our family and S.O.s are relieved when each of us reports back that in fact, the internet chat friends are not axe-murderers or overt whackos. We lounge around the room for a while getting better acquainted, and realize at about 7:15 that we have ADRs at 7:30. OK, I know the reservations are for 7:30, the fact that it got to 7:15 so quickly was the surprising part. From lounging to lobby (of Spoodles) for all three of us, under 15 minutes. Beat that.

Let me say right now, we *love* the dining plan. Way too much food and it is soooooo entertaining to see what we would have spent paying cash. It makes us feel downright thrifty. Unfortunately we have such a nice, leisurely dinner (BTW, Spoodles will make you *sparkling* sangria if you ask! Perfect FL June evening beverage.) that we don’t make it all the way back to Epcot for Illuminations, so we have to watch it from the Boardwalk. Oh well, much less crowded that way!

I will freely admit, here at the outset: I have mouse ears and I’m not afraid to use them! It amuses me. It amuses cast members, which is often a good thing. It entertains small children who pass by, really, it’s a win-win. Besides, the other gals decide that it is the ears that are giving us such good luck with lines and stuff, so far be it for me to put an end to that little perk. Since we are trying to be obvious as Dis-ers (not one person found us, BTW) I have chosen my ever-attractive lime-green glow-ears for evening wear. If you can’t imagine such a thing, you can see them in the Everest photo that Cheshire Figment posted over on the Single Women thread if you look carefully. Basically a headband with mickey ears made out of glowstick bracelets. They’re light to wear, easy to pack, and lime green—the obvious choice. What should also have been obvious to me, but I swear to you wasn’t at the time, is that by walking into the darkness of Jellyrolls wearing those little beauties and choosing a front table (hey, it’s what’s open) I/we are a tad conspicuous. Not as conspicuous as the groups to either side of us, who are working on a different sort of glow altogether, but I digress. The pianists are amused by the ears. It makes for a few pointed comments from the stage over the course of the evening. And a quick kiss from one of them about midway through, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

“Here comes Koolaid.” If you’re ever there (and you like vodka) order one of these. They’re great. Basically an alcohol-infused Big Gulp—goes down really smooth. You probably don’t want to order two, however. Just a suggestion. Especially if you’re planning to hit EMH the next day. Again, just a hint.

What a great time! Not a good place for conversation, true, but we’d done that earlier. A great show and amazing musicians. When you go, be sure to request “The Rainbow Connection.” Trust me. It was the best thing all night, and that’s saying a lot, ‘cause everything else was terrific, too.

We close the place. ‘Cause we’re the Three Wild Women, we’re on vacation, and we can. Of course, it does make getting to EMH the next morning a bit of a stretch. Was it the hour? Was it the Koolaid? We’re not telling. What happens at Disney stays at Disney.

 

[lillygator]

ahhh a "wild" kindred spirit!

 

[dislainey]

Your trip sounds like it was lots of fun. Can't wait to read the next installment. I saw you were from Lowell; south shore of Boston here.

 

[CoasterAddict]

Sunday 6/4: “Theme Park Commando, and Proud Of It.” or “I Stopped Worrying a While Ago Because I AM ‘The Bomb” (yeah, PM me if you get the obscure reference. )
Have to change hotel rooms in the AM—DVC points teamwork. So we pack up and schlep down to the lobby. TMLI/BCV take the bags to the bell station while I check us in for the next part of the stay. Wonder of wonders, at 7:30 am they have our room ready. So we schlepp *back up* (to the same floor) of the villas and down, down, down the long hallway to store the bags in our new digs. Was it me who said yesterday that BWV hallways aren’t all that long? Let me rethink that one, ‘k? Then we’re off to EMH at Epcot and Soarin’—it’s great, most of you know that. But first, a quick stop at the Boardwalk Bakery where we find that, indeed, the DDP definition of “snack” has been expanded and our croissants are now covered. Have I mentioned yet that we *love* the dining plan? That and a refillable mug of coffee and we’re good to go.

We get to the International Gateway entrance to Epcot just enough after it’s opened that there’s no line. I slow down to retrieve my pass (balancing the coffee, you understand) while the other two stride ahead. And the security guy hails me, “excuse me, miss…” Huh? What’s the problem, (I’m thinking –I can’t take my coffee in the park all of a sudden?) He says, “you should see a doctor about that growth on your head.” Oh, the ears. Actually the horns. Figment, since we’re doing Epcot. Forgot I had them on. We have a chuckle, the gals wait for me to get everything properly stowed again and we’re off. OK you could argue that we were all at least a little “off” to start with, but that’s a whole other story.

I’m in full Commando mode at this point. I really do try to keep it under control, but every once in a while I just can’t help myself. You’re familiar with the symptoms, I’m sure. We get to Soarin’, grab a Fast Pass and head for the standby line, BCV and TMLI following obediently behind without a peep. Hey, it’s early. And *they* didn’t have coffee. Ride is great, it’s always great. It’s more great if you’re in the front row, but let’s not be greedy. We get off the ride, and it’s fast pass time, so we get back in line. And the other two start laughing. (They’ve been laughing behind my back a few times now, I’m trying not to let it make me nervous.)Why are they laughing this time? They’ve just realized why we got the fast passes. Oh well, like I said, it’s early. Welcome to my commando world. This time we *did* get the front row—ear karma for sure.

After a quick stop at Mission Space (not the wimp version, thank you) and Test Track it’s time to head for Club Cool to meet Sandy. There she is, right on time, leaning next to the door with that, “I am in the right place, aren’t I?” look on her face. I introduce them all to the joys of Beverly. Of course, since I’m nice (and they know where I’m sleeping the next couple of nights) I tell them to only take a little taste, to say they did it. Just then the pocket vibrates, and it’s Cheshire Figment letting us know that he’s coming through the turnstiles and on his way. He finds us at Club Cool with no problem, I guess we just radiate “DIS.” Or maybe it was the ears. And, with perfect commando timing, WS is opening.

We spend the next several hours wandering the world: we came, we saw, we did a little shopping. OK, a fair bit of shopping. CF points out a few interesting things along the way. Back in Future World, introduce TMLI to Figment. “Figment, TMLI. TMLI, Figment.” Not sure how you manage to miss that entirely over the years, but the problem is rectified now. Now she understands the “weird growth” on my head. Really, you could have asked.

We have a little snack. BTW, here’s CA’s top food tip at WDW, for those of you who, like me, find yourselves eating too little protein and too much junky stuff over the course of your week. The food court in The Land has side-size tuna salad. I discovered this last time I was there, and thought it was *great.* Just what I need for an afternoon pick-me-up. This time it was even better. Because now, it’s a snack. Have I mentioned that we love the dining plan. Yes, I know I keep going on about it. I’ll try to control myself in the future (at least about that!).

We do a little more shopping, then head for dinner. Coral Reef. We love it. ‘Nuff said. No, we do not photograph all our entrees. We also do not buy glowing martinis. We’ll save our glowing for later (I have the ears with me for when it gets dark).

By now we’re getting ready to head over to MK. We’ve worn Sandy out (sorry about that!) so she heads out on her own. And our luck is about to change. We head for the monorail. (Passing up the chauffer offer from CF, ‘cause BCV, remarkably, has never taken this ride and the 3WW stick together. We almost make it to the gate before the heavens open. OK, we get rained on a little heading up the ramps. It’s not until we get off the monorail at TTC that it gets really bad. Your standard FL deluge. “Noah, I want you to build an ark…” No, it’s not a passing shower. We wait for a bit. Head down to walk across to the MK monorail, and then it really starts coming down. There is a huge traffic jam at the bottom of the ramp: people clumping together, staring forlornly at the rain. I hear a couple wondering if they walk right under the monorail track to the gate will it keep the rain off? Yeah, right. Now, I’m a Seattle girl. That stuff coming out of the sky? It’s water. Not going to slow me down. Once we clear through the wimps quivering at the end of the ramp I stride forward to the other monorail track. The other two WW aren’t buying the “only water” bit, though. They wait until I’m halfway across and then run past me. Honestly, it didn’t seem to make any difference in the amount of rain that hit the tshirts. However, they decide that this is not the weather to tour MK in, EMH or no EMH, They vote to go back to the resort since it looks like the rain will be with us for a long time. *sigh* Weather wimps. What’s a girl to do? So instead of heading for the MK, we’re making tracks back to the resort. Mind you, it’s a pretty soggy walk down to the busses, too.

Florida weather is fickle, though. You’d think we’d know by now It’s a fairly hairy bus ride back to the resort because of the rain (BTW, we learned over the course of the vacation that B’walk is the last drop off for *nearly* every bus ride) When we reach our destination, miraculously, the sky clears. Not only that, but there’s a huge, bright double rainbow across the sky. The WW agree with me that it must be a sign, and we head back to MK.

For the record, we do still spend the next couple of hours dodging raindrops, although, for the most part, the showers seem to happen when we’re inside stuff. For the dismates crew who are wondering. Yes, we go on IASW. None of us has a poncho, nor are there any near us on the boat. And you know, we are struck by the fact that the rows of seats are really close together. Makes us wonder…We do not ride TTA, but we watch it go by and have a moment.

We do manage to ride just about everything at MK before it finally closes. As we come through Frontierland we decide to hit Splash Mountain while we’re still a bit damp. No lines, lovely. It’s always fun to watch the crowds streaming out of the park as you’re coming in. And those who don’t leave during the deluge mostly leave when the 9:00 Spectromagic is cancelled. We climb into our log. We have the back half. Four charming guys who seem to have chosen that weekend in particular to visit WDW (wink, wink) have the front half. We get as far as the first lift and hit a logjam. Uh oh. And they turn the lights on. Uh oh. I’m nervously eyeing the sky, because I’ve been stuck in a log in the open before during a storm. Really not my idea of fun. Crossing fingers, Waiting, waiting. Then they announce that the ride is starting and we begin to move. Yay, we’re safe. Or not. The front half of the log gets under the roof of the lift hill. We’re *sooooo* close…then a log goes down the big drop and the side jets splash, and gallons and gallons of water end up right in our laps. The front half of the log was amused. The back half of the log was awash. Absolutely drenched. Direct hit. Hey, guys, the first dismates wet t-shirt contest. You missed it..

Then the weather clears up. It’s great. We see Wishes, Spectro, hit the rest of the rides…TMLI and I match scores on Buzz Lightyear! OK, the last four digits matched perfectly. Modesty prevents me from telling you more.

 

[Jennifer48]

Hello fellow Lowellian!

Hope you are staying dry!

Thanks for sharing your trip report.

 

[chell]

 

[JLPooh]

Glad to hear that you had such a great time. I wish I could of been there with you. It would be a lot of fun to go to WDW with others who enjoy it as much as I do. Looking forward to the rest.

Jlpooh (a.k.a JulesLP)

 

[OhMari]

So, you are all DIS friends? Nice report.

 

[TLinden16]

Wow. That sounds like my kind of trip. Why wasn't I invited? Did you bring Jerry with you, CoasterAddict? I haven't seen him since the day of the Boston meet.

Sounds like you all had a grand time together though.

Thanks for posting.

 

[CoasterAddict]

Yep, we met on the singles thread and Dismates. Who'd've thunk it?

 

[CoasterAddict]

Mon 6/5: “Vini Vidi Visa, I came, I saw, I shopped” or “Buckets are for drinking not for kicking!”
We aren’t moving so quickly in the morning by day 3. And we know it will be a late night, so Monday becomes shopping day. Time for my traditional Ghirardelli breakfast—because I’m a grownup (sort-of) and I can have a hot fudge sundae for breakfast if I want to, so there!. (An interesting bit of trivia, a Ghirardelli sundae with a DVC discount rings up as $6.66. Would have been even more entertaining if we’d gone there on Tuesday.)
TMLI has to go to work today. BCV and I go back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool before heading over to Boma for dinner. In four stays at BWV, this is the first time I make it onto the slide. Lots of “firsts” this trip. And there’s poolside entertainment in the afternoons. Who knew?

CF meets us for dinner at Boma, appropriately attired in Figment Pigment (purple shirt—you didn’t think we noticed, did you CF?) Between the three of us we probably sample all possible desserts on the buffet. Oh yes, we have “real” food too. And I get my Killamarita fix. Then over to AK, claim our wristbands. A quick safari (I think we have the last one of the day) and over to E:E. It was especially great in the dark, I recommend it. We have fast passes to go again, but it breaks down. I posted that bit of the trip report already, somewhere. Probably right after the photo.

This is supposed to be the night for the biggest DIS gathering, but Uga stands us up (we love you anyway, hope you had fun with whatever). We hit Pleasure Island. With all the construction it’s a bit sad, really, but the Adventurer’s club is still a hoot. They have a really participatory audience, so hearty laughs are enjoyed by all. And the bucket drinks. You can get refills!!Oh, and we close another bar. That’s two in three days, possibly a personal record.

 

[TLinden16]

Oh, I'll have to try to get on EE in the dark on my next trip. Sounds cool.

Pleasure Island was kind of sad with all of the construction. It just didn't look pleasant.

Thanks for posting.

 

[aengus]

wow! The WW are unstoppable LOL great report. Look forward to the rest!

 

[sandy5764]

Thanks for the report - it looks like I bailed just in time on Sunday. Would have loved to be there to see the "soaking" though!! Next time I'll rest up prior to my trip better, so that I can join in on more (too much work to get done so that I could be gone). I suggest we plan a cooler month - like January, February, etc. - please, anything but June!! Although August was much, much, much worse - heat indexes hit 115 when I was there in 2004! This was bad, but not that bad (remember, I'm a northerner)!

 

[blondie7]

Hey CA glad you had a good trip. Wish my trip had been in June instead of May. I would have loved to been one of the WW. Can't wait to hear more about the trip.

 

[CoasterAddict]

Hi friends,
I posted, "I'm going in June" types of notes on several different threads hoping to find people to hang with...(even some of the specifics, like the plan for JR, Karen). If I would have tried to contact everyone personally I would surely have missed *someone* (you know, like "Thank Yous" for the Oscars) and then I really would have been in trouble. Sorry you missed the fun. When I know about the next trip I'll let you know (but probably not individually, so watch for me. )

 

[Alacrity]

...
. The front half of the log gets under the roof of the lift hill. We’re *sooooo* close…then a log goes down the big drop and the side jets splash, and gallons and gallons of water end up right in our laps. The front half of the log was amused. The back half of the log was awash. Absolutely drenched. Direct hit. Hey, guys, the first dismates wet t-shirt contest. You missed it..
...

Told ya you guys needed video!



Sounds like ya'll had a grand ol' time. Thanks for the fun trip report too!

 

[CoasterAddict]

Told ya you guys needed video! !

Nope, sorry Ala. "What happens at Disney stays at Disney." We *did* invite you to join us. Maybe next time...

Sounds like ya'll had a grand ol' time. Thanks for the fun trip report too!

You're welcome. Hopefully we'll have an even grander gathering next time.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I'm not allowed to say anything about the trouble I got into with the Wild Women while I was with them.

 

[CoasterAddict]

Tues 6/6: “To Sleep, Perchance To Dream” or “Bottoms Up”Once again, the late night impacts our well-intentioned plans for an early morning.. We’re “scheduled” to hit the EMH for Typhoon Lagoon. Not a chance. We do get over there, and we do ride everything (well, BCV takes a pass on the speed slides, but other than that…) For those of you heading there soon, a word or two of advice about Crush N Gusher. It’s lots of fun, but…..
1) Keep your butt up. The bottom of the dips have something best described as rumble strips. I’m sure they’re absolutely necessary. I’m sure they make the ride more enjoyable overall, heck, they probably make the ride possible, because *something* has to give you enough speed to get back up those dips. Nevertheless, if they make actual contact, it hurts. On our third time down a CM warns us about it. Gosh, thanks. We figured it out for ourselves a little while ago.
2) Watch out for the splash-down. We’re really glad the photo pass guy isn’t around, because we pitch a doozy coming down off the coconut run. (No, not coconut rum, I hear you now….we don’t start drinking until after) I’m sure the head over heels (that would be my head over her heels) flip at the end looks pretty impressive. Surprises the heck out of us.

A quick stop back at the resort to change and freshen up (yeah, like we’re not fresh enough already, right?) and we head for MGM. One of my favorite things to do at MGM (after the coaster, and the Tower of Moderate Amusement, of course) is the animation class. I try to add another drawing to my collection every time. We get there with just enough time to fit in a session before meeting TMLI for dinner if the class is starting immediately. And it is. We probably stood there for 2 minutes before class started. Ear Karma again. We learn to draw Winnie the Pooh. This features prominently in the upcoming dinner experience…

Dinner at the Prime Time Café. This is one of my firsts. I know what to expect, at least in theory, but “Brother Jason” gets more than he bargains for at our table. It starts when he notices my drawing on the seat next to me where he wants to sit. Oh, you want me to move my “Pooh” off the seat? It goes downhill from there fairly rapidly. And the highlight, really, is when he brings a bottle of ketchup as “dessert” to the one person who has chosen not to order any. Sooo….when TMLI is done with hers (you had what, three bites of the cake, right? DDP=way too much food) she proceeds to garnish her angel food cake with the ketchup. When Jason comes back, she tells him she doesn’t think much of his recommendation. He looks over, sees the ketchup and cracks up. We are highly amused. In fact, as we leave, we hand off the ketchup to the folks at the table next to us so they can do the same thing. What a hoot.

It’s now 8:55. A quick walk over to Fantasmic, which is SRO at this point, oh well. Half the group has not seen this show before. I distribute the DIS identifiers (green glow sticks), which amuse us, but don’t attract any dis-ers (hey, we tried). After the show we are able to check in to the ToT one more time. Yep, they still scream like little girls.