Tishke's Totally Zetariffic Trip Report (A Must Read)

[Tishke]

Main Cast of Characters:

Me- 28, full-time student and stay at home mom, Disneyholic
DH- 26, full-time computer guy and learning to love Disney
DS- 6, didn’t go on the trip (*gasp*) but is mentioned throughout
DPuppy aka Gizmo- 13 week old Shih Tzu

Supporting Cast of Characters:

BF (best friend)- 21 again, celebrating her birthday on this trip
BFDH- work wouldn’t let him away for longer
Zeta Girls (and boys, and moms...)- known to wear orange and laugh….a lot!:
DisAeryn
SorcMickey and Soarin'Cutie
Mickeysfriend
PrincessLynda and Pengin (the first male princess)
DoomCookie
Flying Pegasus
LoveThatTink and Family

Background Story:

Way back in the good ‘ole days of May 2005, Disney put out an online game called Virtual Magic Kingdom. (the Dis even has a forum for it-check it out some time) This game has allowed me to meet many new friends. Through various in game meetings with these Dis Ladies in the game, we formed our own little “sorority”….The Zetas. We’re bold, daring, speak our mind and sport orange flip flops in game! We love making each other laugh and generally just having a good time.

So, back around August or so, we started talking about when everyone was heading to WDW again. DH, DS, and I had planned to vacation from Feb. 18-22 due to the schools closing for a winter break. Lo and behold, BF and her DH were able to do those dates as well…it kind of snowballed from there. We moved in September, to the other side of the state, and DS wouldn’t be getting a winter break here. We thought about canceling, but my mom wanted us to go without DS. We never got to have a honeymoon due to work scheduling and then DS being born, so we had never really thought about it. We changed the dates to Feb 15-22 and started to make plans. It was a rough few months. My uncle lost his battle with cancer, and DH’s grandfather passed away the weekend before we left. Add in a not-so-merry Christmas and it was a sorely needed getaway.

I bought an AP for myself and I booked us at Riverside. I had my heart set on French Quarter, but they were booked solid. Riverside didn’t necessarily seem bad, but it just didn’t seem me. (Something about the Alligator Bayou area just strikes me wrong, but to each his own) I called up Disney and gave them the Honeymoon spiel asking for a non-smoking room because of my asthma and begging for the mansion area. Now all I had to do was wait, and wait and wait.

 

[Tishke]

So, it was finally here….our last sleep at home. I had so much to do….and of course DS and I were sick. DS had gone to the ER the weekend before with a chest cold, but my mom said she could handle him. So, the plans were still on. I was coughing and had a head cold, but I was going to Disney. Mickey would cure me…and if not, what better place to be sick, right?

We had a late night as it was midterms and big paper week at school and I had to be caught up if I wanted to go. I had packed myself, but DH wasn’t nearly as packed. I also had to run to Fresh Market to pick up dinner (white wine and herb roasted chicken and rolls) and a cake for BF (strawberry white chocolate). (I LOVE Fresh Market!)

We finally made it to bed around midnight, bags were ready for the car, directions were printed out, and the house was a wreck….ahhhhhh vacation! LOL We fell asleep for our last dream of WDW before getting there.

Tomorrow: The drive and conquering my fears.

 

[Tishke]

Ugh, the alarm. Now, we don’t have one of those nice beeping alarms. No happy way to wake up. No, DH has the alarm set to this awful radio station. I’m not sure what genre of music they are going for, because it fits none. It is just loud…and not just a little loud. It’s wake up the neighbors loud. Good thing we get along well with the neighbors.

The car was already packed, so we got our showers and got ready for the drive. It’s only 5 hours and we like having the car…that means we can bring more there, and more home. Have I mentioned that I love gift shops? LOL After a quick check over the house, we locked the door and pulled out of the driveway…..and then back into the driveway. I forgot my sinus medicine. I grabbed those and we were on our way…or so we thought. It was 8:00AM and we had to run by my mom’s to drop off the last of the things that DS would need and drop off Gizmo. While there, we picked up my step-dad and had to run him over to the office. After another stop for gas and fountain drinks (a Coke and Diet Coke, thanks for asking) we were on our way to 95. The plan was to take I-95 to I-4. Everyone tells us this is a bad idea, but we do it every time. The only rough patch is around Jacksonville where they are doing the never ending construction.

Around 1 I called BF to tell her that we were close. Good timing as she and her DH were leaving the parks and heading back to the hotel, too. We pulled into Riverside around 1:45 and I went to the check-in while DH parked the car. Check-in was smooth…not a line in sight. Only downside was our room wasn’t ready. We were told that the room was in Magnolia Terrace and that we could call and check when it would be ready.

So, we rode over to Magnolia Terrace (what a coincidence, that was BF building, too!) and we hung out in their room for a while. DH then announced that he was hungry, so we went to the foodcourt. DH had a pizza and bought a mug, I was waiting for Epcot, though so I passed. I still wasn’t feeling well. After finishing we checked on the room, and it was ready. Room 8555…wow, BF was room 8554…coincidence!? LOL

We dragged the bags into the room, changed out of our “driving clothes” and got ready to hit the parks. It was cool…in the low 70’s. Jeans and t-shirts ruled the night. I wore my new Teva flips that I had been breaking in over the last two weeks. They were fabulous, and orange. Perfect! We caught the first bus to Epcot and away we went.

We hit the ticket booth first thing to pick up DH AP and activate mine. We were just thrilled that we were finally at Disney. It was almost surreal. And so, we happily entered the gates of Epcot. First stop, fast passes for Soarin’. The wait was already up until 8:30 that night. We had 6 more days, so no need to worry. We did Imagination, and then hit Ice Station Cool. A lot of the drinks were out of order (I never did get the Mozambique ginger drink). I did have some Watermelon which was way to sweet for me, and the lemon Israeli drink which I loved. Having lived 8 years in Atlanta, we knew better than to drink the Beverly.

Next stop was a tour of World Showcase. I hit Morocco for dinner. The Chicken Shawarma Platter is sooo good. After my belly was good and stuffed (and DH got in a kids meal- we skipped breakfast that morning and he was making up for it), we started heading towards the front of the park, and then we got a call from DoomCookie. We met her in front of Spaceship Earth, which is a favorite of mine from my childhood. The five of us took a ride and then decided to hit MK quickly before it closed. Soarin was not to be tonight.

We hopped the monorail over and got to MK just in time for me to take my first ride on Space Mountain. I was terrified. I can do BTMRR, but Space Mountain had always been my nemesis. I was about to go head to head with the mountain and its spookie chocolate chip asteroids. We boarded a car (there was NO wait!)…DoomCookie in front, me next, DH, followed by BF DH and BF. Off we went….I was being twisted and turned and had no clue what was coming next. All of a sudden I heard Cookie say “That’s it” and DH say “What did you think?” What did I think? It was over?! I thought we were slowing down to climb a hill. I really had a good time on it, but realized I was scared for nothing. Woot! I conquered Space Mountain. So, where was my prize?

We finally left MK for the night and headed back to the resort. I had a shower and climbed into bed. Apparently I hadn't broken in the Tevas as well as I had thought....I had blisters all over my toes Good thing I brought a whole box of bandaids and lots of moleskin. So, I wrapped up waited for DH to finish watching Stacy's top 7 so I could fall asleep. The next morning was BF birthday, and another Mountain looming in my future.

 

[OhMari]

Thanks for posting. I'm confused, did you or didn't you take your son.

 

[roberrl187]

 

[Tishke]

Thanks for posting. I'm confused, did you or didn't you take your son.

We didn't, he wound up at my mom's with the Puppy. Bad parents we are running of to Disney with no child in tow. LOL

 

[SecretHeartPal]

OK Tishke, I don't have all day. Get her done. I want to read all about my fellow Zeta's trip. I took a break from work to read this!

Pretty Please You've had plenty of

Yes, I'm logged in as my secret self...I only have a few more days to play as her.


Heart.

ps...good so far...keep going

 

[Tishke]

I heard the phone ring at 7AM and I was ecstatic. Mickey was calling to wish me a good morning! I pick up the phone and say “Hi Mickey!” (yes, I am aware he can’t hear me- but I like to play along) I wait for Mickey to greet me….and wait….and wait…..Nothing but dead air. After two minutes I hang up. I guess Mickey was having problems getting up, too.

We wandered over to the foodcourt to meet BF and BFDH so that we could head to Animal Kingdom. BF loves that park, and DH wanted to eat with Donald. **Random Rambling** Now, I have nothing against the breakfast at Donald’s…other than that Donald is there. His attitude just bothers me. Oh, the sacrifices you make for the ones you love. **Back To The Program** On the bus we met up with DoomCookie. That saved a search in the crowds before opening. We took the super secret entrance (sorry, I have been sworn to secrecy) and waited with the rest of the herd at the base of the Tree of Life. I’d never seen the opening ceremony before, so this was exciting. Or would haven been had I felt better. Today was the day I felt the worst yet. Once they let us through, we all headed over to Everest.

Lucky Day…it was open. Now, it was beautiful. The ride didn’t look like a ride…and it had no wait…and it was giving fast passes. WooHoo! So, the group got their fast passes and then hit the line. I joined them for the queue, but took the chicken exit at the end. (Hey now, I did Space Mountain….baby steps…baby steps) The queue is beautiful and I almost wish there had been a line.

BF and DoomCookie took the front seat on the first train. DH and BFDH took the front seat on the next train. They all loved it. Yay for them! I loved the giftshop, yet refrained from purchasing anything. (Told you I was sick!) After Everest we looked at the bird exhibits, called to check on DS and then checked in for Donald’s BreakfastoSaurus. We had our picture taken and were quickly seated. The food looked wonderful and the characters were all dressed in Safari gear. Next time someone needs to say something to Mickey, he had his belt on so tight he looked pinched in the middle. After everyone had filled themselves up, and the restaurant had sung Happy Birthday to the Birthday girl, we drug ourselves out of there. By this time, DH could see I was getting worse. I was starting to run a fever and really felt bad, but I didn’t want to spoil anyone’s day. We went back to the hotel for a nap. I took some medicine and slept until 2. I couldn’t believe it! I was sleeping at Disney. This was horrible! There were rides to be ridden……I woke up feeling much better. We went for some food at the foodcourt (The most horrible minestrone soup ever made…tasted like salsa), and then hit MK.

First stop was FP for MK. Yes, I was going on again! Look at me! As we were walking over to Fantasyland I got a call from BF. I told her we were doing MK that night, and she and her DH decided to hit the Adventurer’s Club. We decided to meet up in the morning. Once in Fantasyland we did SnowWhite, Philharmagic, Small World, BTMRR and then headed back for our FP for Space Mountain. I loved the low crowds! For my second trip on Space Mountain we decided to try the right side. I don’t really like the right side. It’s not as good as the left. I felt more jerked around. Just my 2 cents. We wandered down MainStreet where DH got a caramel apple and I got a Carrot Cake Cookie (YUM!). We took our treats out to the little checker board and ate our snacks and played checkers. Spectro started and we watched from the corner and then took the bus back to the hotel.

We managed to make it back just in time to see the repeat of Grey’s Anatomy….Space Mountain, IASW, a cookie AND Dr. McDreamy…it was almost too much for me to take. I fell asleep wondering why I couldn’t just move into the hotel…permanently. I mean, I could learn to blend in with the walls.

Tomorrow: MK, Epcot and the Monorail Shutdown

 

[4fosterkids]

We didn't, he wound up at my mom's with the Puppy. Bad parents we are running of to Disney with no child in tow. LOL

This made me laugh....I'm the queen of the bad parents club.....We've been to WDW 5 times over the last 10 years, and have never taken our kids with us!! Terrible, huh?
We spend 1/2 the time saying "oh, the kids would love this and that" and the other 1/2 listening to the screaming, tired, cranky kids w/ screaming parents and saying "aren't you glad we don't have the kids with us" lol
And as usual we are saying, Next time for sure we are taking them with us!! We'll see...
Thanks for the reports so far!

 

[Tishke]

Well, it was another beautiful day in Disney. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and we were on our way to the foodcourt in no time. Today was the day that we were doing the opening of MK, saying goodbye to BFDH and meeting up with PrincessLynda and Pengin.

Soon after breakfast we are on those magical Disney buses. Somehow, we managed to get a seat all but one time. Pretty good service for such a large resort. We got through the turnstiles just as the train of characters was pulling up. Oddest pairing on the train….Cruella and Wendy. Things that make you go Hmmmm!? After we were greeted with a rousing chorus of Good Morning, we headed over to Tomorrowland to wait for the second rope drop. Boy Disney loves its ropes. Now, so long as they don’t go so far as to do a rope drop for each ride….oh, let me not give them ideas. Once in Tomorroland, we hit Space Mountain (left side, woohoo!) followed by a sprint to Fantasyland.

Now, I LOVE Fantasyland. I could ride the rides here for hours on end…wait I do that in June. I mean multiple times in those hours on end. First up was Pooh. I am a big Tigger fan, and I love the bouncing, but I LOVE the feeling of being in the flood. It’s amazing that the ride feels that smooth. After the honey pot came to a halt, we headed for Snow White. Snow White is my favorite Disney film of all time. I LOVE it! After kicking myself for not having a penny to toss into the wishing well at the beginning of the ride (I know you aren’t REALLY supposed to do it, but I was getting entranced in the magic here), I sat back to enjoy the ride. Once we had our happy ending and got our “Goodbye!” from the Princess, we were off to Peter Pan. I missed my photo of the tea party at the start of the ride, but did notice that the tin foil lava is coming loose in the volcano. Is there a rehab coming up soon? (The lines for Peter Pan stayed out of control the whole trip. Apparently, everyone had to gawk at the ride that the elderly man got pinned under) After Peter took us all home, we headed over to Haunted Mansion.

Haunted Mansion is great fun, and I finally got to see some Hidden Mickeys on it. Me, I saw Hidden Mickeys….okay, so I felt like the biggest dork getting excited about things people had seen for years, but it was another accomplishment. I was on a roll! Next we grabbed fast passes for BTMRR and tackled Splash Mountain.

**Side Story** My family and I went to WDW the year that Splash Mountain opened. I remember it clearly, and we met up with my uncle there (the one who passed away in November). Back then, Splash was the big thing in the park. There was a card for tackling all the mountains. I was too much of a chicken back then, but after he passed I vowed to do the Mountains for him.

Now where were we, oh yes, Splash. So we were on a boat in no time. The ride is so cute inside. Neither DH nor I had ever done the ride before, so we were looking all over as we went through. The big drop wasn’t nearly as bad as it looks, although I closed my eyes for it. What a great picture that made! The line for BTMRR wasn’t long at all, so we did the standby line, and then did a giftshop and restroom break before using the fast passes. Does anyone else think of the Rice-A-Roni jingle when they see the train’s bell on BTMRR? No??? Okay, I’m special

After this, we decided to break for lunch. DH had surprised me with lunch ressies for Tony’s. I really was looking forward to this time. A cozy restaurant, good food. It was perfect! I even got the souvenir mug. Then we headed out to start walking off the food. We ran into BF and BFDH at the DoleWhip stand. We sat with them while BF had her Dolewhip, and then did the Tiki Room and Pirates. Is anyone else a Tiki Room fan? I feel alone in saying that I love that ride, too. (It was better the old way, though!)

Once we were back to land after our tour of the Pirate town, we split up again. BFDH had a flight to catch and BF was off to help him be ready. So, DH and I did Carousel of Progress and then went and got his haircut on Mainstreet. It was there in the barber shop that we heard all the details of Pres. Bush arriving at the Contemporary and stopping traffic everywhere. The monorail was shut down and people were not loving the crowded park with limited transportation. After the haircut (no, he didn’t get the Mickey head in back, but I tried) we decided to go back to the hotel to take a rest. We were planning on Epcot that night for dinner.

Back at the hotel we met up with BF and headed to Epcot. We walked around WS and DH and BF decided on Chinese. I wasn’t really feeling like eating anything from there, and BF was wishing she was back at the hotel, so we went back. After seeing BF off to her room, we grabbed the resort mug from the table and hit the foodcourt. I still didn’t see anything I wanted, but we heard laughter and so I was drawn like a magnet to the River Roost. The piano man (I’ve forgotten his name) was leading the crowd in singing the Oscar Mayer song. He had me with that. DH and I found a small table and some chairs and grabbed some drinks (a Kungloosh for me- which was okay, not great, and some watermelon thing for DH- he LOVED it). A few minutes into our drinks and we get a phone call from the lovely PrincessLynda and Pengin. They had arrived, along with Princess’ Mom (the queen of course) and they decided to come down to the bar. We sat and chatted for a while and had our appetizers and drinks. It was a great way to end the night and I will definitely come back to the River Roost again.

After having a drink and some shrimp balls (YUM!) I was ready for my sleep. It was EMH at MGM the next day and I wanted to be ready for it. Tomorrow was going to be full of new things…including my first trip to the Adventurer’s Club. Stay Tuned….

 

[pumpkinfish]

As the official "BF" of the thread (a title I am proud of), I want to give a to my seastar's writing ability. You have the natural talent my friend, and Mr.Pumpkinfish and I are enjoying reliving these memories all over again...
...even the "special" ones Can I get a WOOT!?!

 

[Disneyfreak92]

Can I get a WOOT!?!

Yes, you can get a WOOT! Tishke is doing a marvelous job, and I can't wait for the next installment!

WOOT WOOT! It's Wootastic!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoying your reports ~ Thanx for posting.

 

[fizz13]

Great reports, seems like you VMK gals have a tight knit group going on, will look out for more..

Claire xx

 

[TLinden16]

Sounds like all you crazy VMK people had some fun. Woot woot. {insert Jellyrolls doing Inferno here}

 

[kimwim8]

Great report so far! Please keep it comin!

 

[Tishke]

Sorry for the delay in posting. Getting back into the swing of things here at home has been rough. I want to go back to Disney!

A refresher:
Main Cast of Characters:

Me- 28, full-time student and stay at home mom, Disneyholic
DH- 26, full-time computer guy and learning to love Disney
DS- 6, didn’t go on the trip (*gasp*) but is mentioned throughout
DPuppy aka Gizmo- 13 week old Shih Tzu

Supporting Cast of Characters:

BF (best friend)- 21 again, celebrating her birthday on this trip
BFDH- work wouldn’t let him away for longer
Zeta Girls (and boys, and moms...)- known to wear orange and laugh….a lot!:
DisAeryn
SorcMickey and Soarin’Cutie
Mickeysfriend and family
PrincessLynda and Pengin (the first male princess)
DoomCookie
LoveThatTink and family
Flying Pegasus

When we last left the story, DH and I had just met up with the royal family. Who knew it would take only 5 hours in the car before I had princesses, queens and more at every corner!? Having finally given up on getting Mickey (or anyone) to wake me up in the morning, we started setting the cellphone. I thought it was great, the cellphone goes off, I shake and kick DH until he gets up and turns it off. What teamwork! LOL

We all meet up at the bus stop for MGM as it is EMH there this morning. What a beautiful morning it was. Bright and sunny….very sunny. Too sunny for poor PrincessLynda who had left her sunglasses behind. Good thing Pengin remembered his and was happy to share with PrincessLynda if it meant he could get a new pair. He’s sneaky LOL. We get through the gate and they let people start to corral their way into the big herded pack heading towards RNR and ToT. DH, PrincessLynda and BF all headed towards ToT while Pengin and PrincessLynda’s Mom and I shopped. Ahh, it was great. We tried to figure out which elevator everyone was on, but it was too hard. Everyone screamed loud. LOL We met up with them in the ToT giftshop where PrincessLynda got a commemorative Bellhop Stitch for the backpack…it was her first ride on ToT. She loved it. Better her than me 

Next stop was Voyage of the Little Mermaid. I love this show…kids or no kids. I love the bubbles and the singing. Yes, I am a total Disney Nut. Next up was the Narnia exhibit. Now, let me preface this by saying that I haven’t seen real snow in oh….8 years or so. I LOVE snow, not having it is the worst part of being in the South. (okay, that and okra) We walked around Narnia and saw the movie clip. It was fabulous! I loved it. I wish I had gotten to see the movie at the theaters, but it will be one that I purchase. I love the story. So, after we hammed it up for some pictures of just us girls, it was off again. We grabbed a snack at Starring Rolls (delicious fruit tarts!) we headed towards the Streets of America where we ran into the Power Rangers. After a few pictures of them for DS and some other pictures, we headed over towards the Great Movie Ride.

I love the Great Movie Ride. It helps remind me why I prefer movies to TV. Okay, to most TV. My Sunday night housecalls with Dr. McDreamy are beyond compare. Where was I? Oh yes, so we boarded our trolley and rode through the movies. I have never gotten the cowboy scene, it’s always the gangsters. Another reason to come back. We walked around for a little bit and then split as PrincessLynda and family had lunch ressies at 50’s PrimeTime and DH, BF and I were heading back to the hotel. We stopped to watch Beauty and the Beast. I had never seen the show, but I really liked it. I’m a huge theater girl, so it was right up my alley.

It was starting to get late, and we wanted to look our best for the meet that night, so we headed back to the hotel. DH took a nap while I wrote a paper for school. School and vacation just don’t mix. Although, school at Disney is much easier to take. Around 4 we all met at the boat launch to take the boat down to Downtown Disney. What a fun ride! I loved getting to see the Treehouses up close. I would love to see inside of one of the units. We even had the chance to “cheer on” two golfers along the way. When we finally reached DTD, we realized we were a little early. We shopped around a d bit, hitting Goofy’s, Basin and World of Disney. Of course I found some other things that I couldn’t live without. How does Disney manage to make me feel that way?!

We were just getting in line to have some Earl of Sandwich for dinner when Pengin comes over to tell us that he has run into DisAeryn and her mom. They decide to join us. After realizing we need more tables, we head outside where we run into SorcMickey and DoomCookie. We all get our food and settle into a spot on the patio. Eventually, LoveThatTink heads over. We’re our own little party. We had a great time meeting each other over dinner and showing off our orange.

After dinner we headed over to Ghirardelli’s where we met up with FlyingPegasus. We were on the lookout for Mickeysfriend, but I realized we didn’t have her phone number or real name. LOL Some plan I had. We knew she had an A name (to which Pengin suggested she might be Aardvark, BF suggested Abigail and I thought maybe Anonymous?) So we decided to shout for her, “A! A! Are you hear A?! Anonymous Aardvark Abigail?” We got some strange stares, but hey anything goes at Disney! Finally Mickeysfriend appears and we celebrate. We joke around and talk a bit about VMK before we decide to head over to the AC. Before we leave, Pengin runs into his VP from work. It’s a Small World After All….oh come on, you knew I couldn’t resist singing! Now, in VMK, there is this phenomenon called TAKEN. As in, are you taken? (Are you single would be a nicer way to put it) Well, deciding to share the lore of VMK, FlyingPegasus decides to ask Pengin’s boss if he is taken. We burst out laughing, poor VP looks confused and Pengin is trying to tell VP that she must think he is someone else. Who needs sugar when you have VMK?

So here it is, time for the AC. I’m wondering what is in store as I have heard something about being “picked” on- not something that I love. But I will give it a shot. We get to the building and….it’s closed. WHAT?! Well, closed for a private party, they are opening an hour late. So, we hit the bathrooms, take some photos and generally chit-chat our way through the next hour. Finally we are let in. I am drinking in all the decorations. What fun!

I send DH over to get me a drink. Apparently they can’t make a Bahama Mama at the AC, but the concoct me this neon green (HELLO…totally a DIS drink) thing that I am a little scared to drink. Hoopla! It’s sooo yummy. It’s coconut and pineapple and lime green to boot. Woot! We do the initiation ceremony, and then head for the library….where we find ourselves entertained until closing. It was great fun (until I realized that DH was drinking half of each drink I bought) and we were all sad to go home for the night. After a tour of the parking lot to find the bus stops, we got on our bus to Riverside and froze our way home. I was never so glad to see a bed in my life. Whew, what a busy day….and tomorrow was even more exciting.

Tomorrow: Zeta girls take on Chef Mickey and Magic Kingdom is open until 3AM?!

 

[*NikkiBell*]

That is our favorite part of EMH at Night: Spending 12 midnight until 3 am in MK amongst next to no one. lol