Trip Mission: Rekindle Dh's love of Disney! Oct.25-Nov.1

[CJK]

It's hard to believe that we've been back from Florida for almost 2 weeks and I'm just starting my trip report now! The shame!! My excuse, albeit feeble, is that I've had a nasty cold ever since we left the Orlando airport! That's right folks! I'm allergic to coming home!

For the sake of continuity, I'll write my report in one post. The cast of this story consists of 2 young children disguised as adults. The girl, aka me, is self-described as Disney obsessed and can't get enough of the mouse. Well, that's not entire true. Goofy is the one who has really stolen my heart. Sorry Mick! The boy, aka dh, has quite possibly reached his saturation point with respect to Disney! He thinks that going to Disney 25 times is too much. Can you imagine?? I was beginning to think a hospitalization stay was required to bring the Disney magic back into dh (give him an IV of pixie dust perhaps?), but I thought before going to such drastic measures, I would try to make this halloween trip to Disney as magical as possible for him. I'd even throw in a couple days of Universal and a day at Cocoa Beach for good measure. Afterall, the young child in him disguised as an adult was dying to come out. Wasn't it? This trip was going to be different. I can feel it!

Stay tuned for Day One!

 

[CadiesMom]

Can't wait to read more! Thanks for posting!

 

[llij]

Can't wait to read more!

 

[CJK]

Day One

We decided to stay overnight at a friend's house the night before our flight. They live right by the airport so we figured we'd appreciate the extra sleep. ha! Like we were going to get much sleep regardless of where we were! After staying up too late chatting, we managed to get about 3hrs sleep.

We were up at the crack of dawn. Er, I mean 3hrs before dawn! Dh jokes that I must have "early morning amnesia" when it comes to vacations. I'm usually a grump in the morning until I've had 2 cups of tea (dh would argue I'm irritable until lunchtime but I'm writing this report so say I'm usually as chipper as Mickey is for his infamous wake-up calls! But I digress....). But on vacation, I jump out of bed like a mad woman! We drove to the airport and discovered our flight had been cancelled. What? Surely we must be on candid camera. Don't the men in white suits who run this airport know how desperate I was to get my fill of palm trees, a mission to Mars, a Safari to Africa and pina coladas? Okay, don't panic. I'll develop a game plan. Dh could take gate 1 thru 15 and I'd take gate 16 - 30 and we could tackle people for their tickets. Little kids don't scare me. I could hold them and dh could...... Oh wait. What's that? We've been moved to another flight scheduled to leave 1.5hrs later? Well, okay - that'll do. But just in case, I shared my plan B with dh. He didn't seem to go for it. Spoil sport!

Our flight was a good one. Good breakfast, good Disney movie and before we knew it, we were there! I can't even describe how excited I get as I walk through the Orlando airport. The mini monorail ride to the main terminal is always a highlight. The ride marks the official beginning of our trip! That voice!!! We're here!

We picked up our luggage very quickly and made our way to the National car rental lot. We belong to the National Emerald Club so we were able to go right by the National desk and go right to the lot. I had heard that there were car shortages due to all the hurricanes, so I worried that they'd not have many/any cars in the Emerald Aisle. We arrived and quickly scanned the row. It was empty! Well, waaaaay down the one end was a BLUE PT Cruiser. This was DEFINITEL?Y not an intermediate car (we booked an intermediate car) but we thought we'd just see if we could possibly take it. We walked to the car and threw our suitcases in the trunk and hopped in. Dh was getting excited. He always wanted to try out this car plus he loved the idea of not having a white car to get lost in the sea of white cars in themepark parking lots!!! We drove the car to the exit gate and gave the paperwork and our reservation number to the attendant. We held our breaths. What if she said no? What if she said "no car for you!" and we had to give up this beautiful car? I momentarily considered my airport plan of tackling her, but reconsidered. I didn't think I could take her.

Our fears were unwarranted! She said that as Emerald Club members, we were eligible for any car that was in that row! Woohoo! We got to keep the gangster car! Even though we were told it was okay, I continued to feel rather mischievious all week!! Dh was elated! It seemed that my quest to rekindle dh's love of Disney was off to a very good start!

Our plan for today was to go straight to Cocoa Beach to visit our friends for the day. We had a very smooth drive there. The many billboards along the road are so distracting aren't they?? I was glad I wasn't driving so I could really soak it all in. What a tourist area! Dh grew weary hearing me exclaim "ooh, let's go there" and "we have to go there for dinner". One week simply wasn't long enough to do all that we, I mean I, wanted!

We grabbed a quick lunch at Arby's and changed into shorts and t-shirts. A couple days ago it seemed silly to paint my toenails, but here, it was all worthwhile!!! *sigh* We went to our friends house and grabbed some beach gear and went straight to the beach. I can practically smell, see and taste the beach from here. There's something so wonderfully relaxing and soothing about the ocean. We put out our lawn chairs and got comfortable and soaked in the atmosphere! Our friends told us all about the hurricanes they went through and relayed to us that although it was frightening, it was also heartwarming how so many people pulled together. My heart continues to go out to all those affected. I was happy to hear things were starting to get back to normal, but could still see the damage. As a Canadian, I can only imagine what it must have been like for Florida residents and other people in the Carribean.

After a few hours, we decided to check in to our hotel in Kissimmee. We were all meeting with friends just outside if Tampa for dinner (yes we drove a lot that first day)! Thankfully we had a fun car so dh didn't get too angry! We drove to our hotel with no trouble. We were staying offsite this trip to keep costs down. We stayed at the Quality Inn Maingate which we got through priceline for an incredible price. They initially gave us a smoking room, but switched rooms for us upon our request. The room was basic, but did have what we needed (2 double beds, coffeemaker, iron, ironing board, blowdryer and free continental breakfast).

After a change of clothes, we got back into the car and drove to a Cracker Barrel near Tampa. We miscalculated the distance to the restaurant and ended up being rather late. For what seemed like the 10th time today, I started to panic. Our cell phone doesn't work in the US so we couldn't phone our friends. When we finally arrived, I tore out of the car and found my friends waiting outside the restaurant. I started to apologize profusely and they all laughed and said, "no worries". *sigh* If only I could be more like that!! They say that the Florida lifestyle isn't as hectic as it is back home. Hmmm, I could certainly handle that!....especially in February!

We had a very leisurely dinner full of good food and conversation. We practically closed the place! After a round of hugs, it was time to get back to the hotel. We had a busy day of parkhopping ahead of us so we needed to get sleep. ha! Note from earlier in this report that I don't sleep much when I'm excited! What a great first day we had! Could it get any better! You bet it can!!!!!

 

[mickey0216]

Thanks for sharing your trials and tribulations!

 

[CJK]

Day Two - Islands of Adventure! Part 1

In an effort to get dh excited about "another trip to Florida", I decided a visit to Islands of Adventure was in order! Neither of us had ever been there before so I figured it was worth a shot. Afterall, what could go wrong, right? I'd soon eat those words.

Our day started off great. We went to our hotel's free continental breakfast. We were expecting watered down juice and stale donuts but were pleasantly surprised. They had cereal, bagels, toast, FRESH donuts and juice, coffee and tea. We sat with a couple from Brazil who were in America hoping to start a business. After an enjoyable breakfast, we made our way to IOA. I read that Universal often opens the parks early, so I wanted to make sure we took advantage of the extra few minutes. Afterall, we're both rollercoaster enthusiasts so I thought any extra time meant more turns on the Hulk!

At 8:45am, the park opened and we made a beeline towards the Hulk. I had done my research so I was sooo sure I knew what to expect. Rather quickly we discovered that reading about a ride and experiencing a ride are altogether different. What an INCREDIBLE take-off!! We were in the last row of the ride and it completely took my breath away. It was quite bumpy (perhaps due to us being in the last row?), but an amazing ride nonetheless. We were a little wobbly getting off, but we figured we'd head to the infamous spiderman next. Again - WOW! Now I know what people mean when they say it's indescribable! Dh is a HUGE spiderman fan and he was absolutely mesmerized! He thought the effects were second to none and the thrill factor was terrific. Our day was off to a wonderful start!

But then it happened. Just when I was beginning to feel proud of myself for rekindling dh's love of Florida and all the fun it has to offer........I look over at dh and he is looking positively green.....or is it purple? Oh wait, now he's just plain white. Yikes! This was not part of my plan! Next I asked what any other supportive wife would....."You're not going to be sick are you?" Ah no, dh's changing colour was just reflecting the Florida sun. Very quietly dh said that he'd like to go to the restroom for a moment. Thankfully there was one nearby so we ran, er, walked quickly, towards it.

I think I was still in denial. I figured he'd relieve himself and be back to his old self. When he came out of the restroom, he was still as pale as a ghost. Two thrill rides before 9am had really done him in. Not even dramamine could help him today. He said that he thought he could still walk around, but would need to cool it on the thrill rides for a while. He suggested we catch a show or two instead. It was now that I realized just how sick he was feeling. Then it dawned on me that we were in IOA - home of the thrill rides. The only two shows didn't begin for a few hours yet. Yikes! Don't panic. We need a plan.

After a brief discussion, dh suggested that I go on Dr. Doom since it was on our itinerary (you see, I'm a planning FREAK and had created an itinerary based on months of planning from the DIS - I'm starting therapy next week to combat my planning addiction) and he would lie down on a bench. What a wonderful man! Even though he was ready to lose his breakfast, not to mention our dinner from last night, yet he was worried about MY fun! Is it any wonder I married him! After a hug followed by a moan from dh (sorry hon, I won't hug you so hard next time ), I went on Dr. Doom. What a great view from up there! I looked down trying to find dh and I see him lying full length on one of the benches. I tried to get him to look up by yelling his name and flinging my hands, but no luck. I discover later, that even looking at the ride was making him woozy. Dh needed a break.

Thankfully our itinerary now read that we should switch direction and go the other way to Seuss Landing. Perfect I thought! It gives dh a little time to walk it off and enjoy the scenery. Dh really thought that he just needed a little time on solid ground and then he'd be as good as new. It was here that I made a crucial mistake. I saw the ride, "Cat in the Hat". I remembered reading something about it on the DIS, but I couldn't remember specifics. Hey, it looks similar to Snow White or Peter Pan. How rough could it be? I asked dh if he could handle that sort of ride and he said yes. Snow White is such a gentle ride right? How different could this one be? *gulp*

They should have a warning sign outside that ride saying, "if your husband is as sick as a dog and is trying to walk off his motion sickness, DO NOT ENTER, idiot". Is that too much to ask? *gasp* This ride whips you around in circles and seemed to never end. In fact, the Seuss characters were mocking us! They were laughing at us - even pointing fingers at us. I'm sure I saw a little one turn our car a few extra times too. It was rigged I tell you. Dh was hanging on for dear life and was glaring at me muttering, "it's just like Peter Pan.......right......see if I listen to YOU anymore". Just then, memories of the DIS board flooded my mind and I remembered quotes like "really whips you around" "spin" "makes you dizzy" and the like. How could I have forgotten???? I was consumed with guilt. Now I'd really done it. Will this be grounds for divorce? Will the rest of our day be salvageable? Stay tuned!

 

[CJK]

Day Two - Part 2

By now, dh couldn't even walk anymore. I suggested we leave or ask someone where dh could go to lie down, but dh resisted. He just wanted to sit down for a little while and catch his breath. He made no mention of divorce, so I took that as a good sign. After a few minutes, he wanted to walk some more. He suggested I go on some rides while he sat down and waited for me. Who was I to argue? I told myself that as soon as the shows opened, we'd be sure to check those out. The next ride was the Dragon (Fire). What a detailed and long queue! I enjoyed the ride, but confess I was worried about dh. He has always struggled with motion sickness, but I have never seen him this affected by it. I wished there was something I could do for him. I decided to skip Dragon Ice for now in hopes of dh feeling better to join me on it later.

Our next stop was for the Flying Unicorn. As I got into the queue, dh went to look for a bench. The CM at the ride entrance stopped him and insisted that the ride isn't too strenuous! Dh was embarassed! The CM thought dh wasn't going on the ride due to fear! Well, at least he had some colour back on his face.....nevermind it had nothing to do with him feeling better, however! After the Unicorn, dh was starting to feel a bit better. The crowds were absolutely non-existent. We were walking on all rides. It was wonderful! Since we weren't staying onsite, I was worried about lines since we wouldn't have FOTL access. Again, my fear was unwarranted.

Dh decided to try the River Adventure in Jurassic Park. He was feeling a little nauseous, but nothing like he was an hour earlier. We really enjoyed this ride. The dinosaurs were so life-like. Since we had now entered the water portion of the park, dh thought that it may do him some good to get a little wet. He could have suggested we skydive or be shot out of a canon and I would have done it if he thought it would make him feel better. Next stop was Ricksaw falls. What a fun ride!! There's so much to look at that I'm sure we missed some of it. We both got pretty wet, but we were laughing so much we barely noticed. Dh was DEFINITELY feeling better now. Oh lucky day! We're back on track now. Return to original plan of rekindling dh's love of Florida.

I remember reading on the DIS that it's often a good idea to bring a change of clothes for this portion of IOA. But for some unknown ridiculous reason, I rejected this suggestion. Do I enjoy punishment I wonder now? Did I think it was fun walking around a park in wet clothing? Nothing could have prepared me for Popeye's Barge ride. First the good news.......the ride was terrific. It was fun, detailed, and much longer than its counterpart in Animal Kingdom. The people sharing our raft really added to the magic too. Well folks, I got wet. No, I got drenched. Actually - I got downright waterlogged, saturated from head to my tippy toe. I could have won big money had I thought to challeng anyone to find a dry patch on my body! As I squeaked my way off the ride, I heard a little giggle. The giggle turned into a chuckle which was quickly replaced by full-fledged laughter. Yes, dh was DEFINITELY feeling better.

Oh yes, he got wet too, but nothing and I mean nothing like me! Plus, he was smart and wore his bathingsuit which always dries quickly. He doesn't even read the DIS boards yet HE knew enough to wear his bathing suit. It must be a conspiracy. I needed to dry off in the sun for a while so what did we do next? That's right - to inside to the air conditioned Jurassic Park Fossil Centre. Good call. Dh was feeling pretty good now so he suggested we go back to Dragon and ride the Ice side. He thinks he was feeling better simply due to time and walking it off while I continue to argue it was my misfortune that seemed to do the trick for him! Happy I could help.

After riding ICE, dh said he enjoyed it but was done for thrill rides for the day. That was fine by me since we had basically hit them all in IOA! I couldn't believe how quickly we were going through the park. It was time for lunch so we grabbed a bite in the big circus tent in Seuss Landing. I managed to remember that you should definitely flash your AAA/CAA card for a discount. Good deal! If only I had remembered a change of clothes. I'm going to pay for this rubbing tonight. Ow!

By now, Poseidon's Fury had opened so we headed there. I needed some more indoor airconditioning to dry off, as you recall. What an impressive entrance! We enjoyed the show and its special effects but felt the actual show didn't do the grand building justice. Our last attraction we wanted to see was Sinbad and the first show of the day was next. We really enjoyed this one. We laughed and laughed. It was now 1:30pm and we had seen everything we wanted. We couldn't believe it. Had dh been up to it, we may have done Spiderman or the Hulk over again, but we certainly weren't going to chance it! We decided to walk over to Universal Studios.

On the way, I got my beloved dippin' dot ice cream. I just know that I'm their target audience because I like it for the "neat-o" factor. Dh always thinks I'm crazy, but hey, I'm on vacation! Upon entering US, we prepared to walk right past Shrek assuming the line would be horrendous. There was a 5 minute wait! We couldn't believe our luck today! The show was really wonderful. A note of warning for anyone else who suffers from motion sickness.......... beware of Shrek! We didn't realize the seats moved. Dh was again feeling queazy, but felt he was fine to continue. I swear, I'm going to interrogate each CM for every other ride/show we do on this trip!

We decided to do ET next. We have both been to Universal Studios before and felt it was just as we remembered 10yrs ago. Dh was very anxious to give Men In Black a shot so we headed there next. There was a line here, about 25minutes, so we decided to go into the singles line. We got ride on! A high five to the people who decided to have singles lines on rides. What a huge time saver! The ride was terrific! We didn't quite know how the ride worked, but we both managed to do pretty well. We both like Buzz Lightyear in the MK, but boy, MIB blew us away. Such fun!! We decided for a little Earthquake action next. No, get your mind out of the gutter people! We thought we had been on this one before and we were right. The special effects are pretty amazing though so we were glad we went back there.

I remember reading on the Universal DIS board that we really needed to check out the Ghostbusters show. I didn't know what the show was about, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. In a word - WOW!!!! It was absolutely wonderful!! I was grinning so much that my mouth hurt. Just when I thought it couldn't get better, it did. I won't give it away to those who haven't seen the show, but please, give it a try if you like music, dancing and comedy!Might I add that those young men aren't too bad to look at either! I made a mental note to make sure we see them again during the trip.

We wandered around the I Love Lucy Tribute building for a while before going to the Horror Make-Up Show. They had a video of the classic scene where Lucy crushing grapes for wine. I still giggle when i watch that scene! What a talent. The Horror Make-up Show was a wonderful surprise! It was very, very funny. My favourite line of one of the guys was, "This isn't Disneyworld so I don't have to be nice to you"! Very funny! By now, dh was starting to look a little pale again so we decided to head out of the park and get some dinner. I couldn't believe how much we managed to get done today anyway considering the illness factor! We grabbed a pizza and brought it back to our hotel. It was a very low-key ending to the day but boy, did it feel good to kick off our shoes (and wet clothes, ahem) and watch a little TV while munching on pizza. Heavenly! We needed to get rested up for tomorrow - a day of Disney parkhopping! Ahhh, vacation! Night everyone.

 

[AshClan]

I'm really enjoying your report....and I'm not even going to IOA or Universal! Can't wait to hear about your WDW adventures. Thanks for the entertainment!

Oh, and tell your husband I think he's quite a sport. I think I would've bagged it if I had felt that lousy so early in the day!

Susan

 

[mickey0216]

I love your report. Your husband is a trooper. I can't get my DW on "thrill rides" when she feels normal...

 

[CJK]

Day Three - MGM, Epcot, MK & Bob Jackson at Port Orleans!
Part 1
I couldn't believe it was our third day in Florida and we had yet to go to Disney. And I call myself Disney obsessed! I'm not sure how we were doing it, but we were managing to get up early every morning despite our lack of sleep these last few days. We must have pressed the "vacation autopilot" button somewhere along the line. Dh felt much better today, but still not 100%. He decided he could handle another day of park touring, but would likely forgo the thrill rides. I don't blame him! As many of you have said, he's quite a trooper! We did not want another repeat of the day before!

After breakfast at the hotel, we made our way to MGM. We were there for the opening. Our tradition has always been to go to RNC and TOT with the herd upon park opening. Wouldn't you assume dh would make a tradition detour here and do something else like window shop? Nope! He figured that since he had been on these rides before, he could handle them again. Maybe the thrill rides from IOA the day before were isolated incidents. Hmmm. We'd soon find out.

The first ride was TOT which was as fun as ever. Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the ambience - but I still get that thrill of foreboding. RNC was next and was lots of fun as usual. But then came the moment of truth... How was dh feeling now?!? Well, he said he felt a little queazy, but manageable so long we keep our feet solidly on the ground for a while. I didn't push it, but I did really wonder why he insisted on going on these rides.......but tiz a a man's prerogative to change his mind, right?

I asked him if he could handle the Great Movie Ride and he loved the idea of a slow moving vehicle. In fact, the slower the better!After reading some of the stars up front, we went inside. We couldn't find the infamous hidden minnie in the first scene of the ride but didn't get a chance to ask a CM to point it out to us. Drat! Now we'll have to go back! We were both really curious to check out the Animation Tour since the many changes had been done. It was cute, but I confess that I missed seeing Robin Williams and the animators hard at work. It was fun seeing the exhibits for the new Incredibles movie however. That movie looks like a good one so we must add it to our "to do" list! Just then, we saw the "Incredibles" characters standing around waiting for pictures! Dh is convinced that Elastigirl winked at him in a not-so-Disney sort of way, but I think he was delusional from the motion sickness!

I wanted to make sure we went on the backlot tour. We hadn't seen it since the neighbourhood had been torn down. It was sad to see! Thankfully we had some distractions and saw the stunt show set and watched them setting up for the Osbourne lights. I'm sure the Stunt Show will be terrific, but I have such a difficult time with change in general. I'd rather they bring back the Hunchback of Notre Dame show. *sigh* But then, music really affects me. My dream job would have been to play Esmeralda in that show. "God help the Outcasts, hungry from birth"... whoops, sorry.... I tend to get carried away like that sometimes. Anyway, dh could sense what I was thinking and suggested I be a test driver in the stunt show instead! Thanks hon!

By now MGM was getting quite crowded. We hadn't run across this big a crowd in quite a while. We decided to check out the Muppets before heading out of the park. We got in just as the show was about to begin. Drat! We missed the pre-show! The theatre was filled to capacity. I couldn't believe it. We've never been there with such a large crowd before. It actually made it more fun! Upon exiting the show, we could barely move! There was a mob of people everywhere. We had originally wanted to stay to watch Four For a Dollar over at Beauty & the Beast, but the show wasn't starting for a couple hours yet and we wanted to get out of the crowd. I was a little disappointed since this was the only day we had to see Four For a Dollar. Thankfully we bought their cd so I can listen to them anytime. Can't beat their live show though! Next time!

We drove to the ticket & transportation centre and took the monorail to Epcot. For months I had been anxious to try Mission: Space. I just couldn't imagine how they make the experience seem so real! Dh was curious to try the ride, but this was before the Hulk and Spiderman rocked dh's world (so to speak!). Naturally, I assumed dh would sit out of this one and would just get a detailed report from me. Wrong! He insisted he wanted to try it at least once. Okay girls - do you have stubborn men in your lives too?? I considered strapping him to a nearby bench but all I had was dental floss and I figured that would hurt more than it would help! I knew that if TOT bothered dh, Mission Space would be downright wicked ! We had a brief, ahem, "discussion", but dh wasn't budging.

There was about a 20 minute wait so we opted for the singles line. I can accept when I've lost a battle! I expected to be nervous, but I didn't expect to be THIS nervous. I had read report after report of people feeling and/or getting sick on this one and I was terrified that both of us would be a lost cause for the rest of the day. I made note of where the closest restroom was and remembered hearing how great Celebration hospital was.... I felt better knowing we had a plan for medical attention should we need it. Ya, we're really on vacation now!

I'm not sure if it was better or worse not riding together. I'm not sure if I could have sat next to him and not looked to make sure he hadn't passed out or worse! Dh got to ride before me. When they took him into the next room, I felt like a mother being separated from a child. I was sooo worried he wouldn't make it or would need me for something. Has this vacation started yet - I wondered?? After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got on. I was riding with a cute young family who had also never ridden before. I quickly reached over and grabbed one of the bags they offered...... The father laughed at me! Listen buddy - you may appreciate my thoughtfulness in a few minutes!

Time for take-off! WOW! What a rush! I *think* I enjoyed the ride. I couldn't stop thinking about dh and whether his motion sickness bag had been utilized. Hmmm. Did he get through relatively unscathed? stay tuned!

 

[rasnlms]

Great report so far - keep them coming!

 

[llij]

Gosh, I hope your husband made it through M:S okay! Great trip report so far. I can't wait to read more!

 

[Carrieberry]

Ahh! Where is the next part! I have to know what happened!!

 

[kathymc]

oh no - what happened to DH!

thanks for posting - enjoying them so far!

 

[boucheresq]

I was so glad to hear you didn't ride the Back to the Future ride at US - I LOVED all of the other rides - Hulk, Spidey, Dragons, Etc. but that ride made me sick as a dog. My poor dh had to listen to me bent over on a bench groaning b/c I didn't want to move but I didn't want to leave either. Your dh would have probably died a horrible US death on that ride! CAn't wait to hear the rest - I love your writing!

 

[CJK]

You know how time seems to stand still sometimes? Especially when something bad is happening or about to happen? As I made my way out of my spaceship, I entered this long hallway and started walking.......and walking. I was expecting dh to be right around the next corner, but he was never there. That hallway was positively growing! With each corner, another door opened with more astronauts getting off their spaceships. Boy, Mars must be awfully crowded these days. "Out of my way people"! Didn't they know I was a woman on a mission? The trip to Mars was peanuts compared to my mission to find dh!!!! I guess it was a good sign that I saw no evidence of sickness on the ground........but that was of little relief to me!

Mercifully, the hallway ended and we entered the big game's room. I quickly scanned the room and still.......nothing. Just my luck, the room was jammed! I saw lots of crying children, one green little boy and a few motion sickness bags lying around (none full I might add), but no dh. The familiar panic mode started to set in. Even though I had not been to the Imagination Pavillion yet this trip, my imagination needed no fine-tuning. I was imagining all sorts of crazy things. Maybe dh got really sick and security had taken him directly to the hospital without a moment to lose. Maybe dh was furious with me for taking him to Epcot and dangling Mission: Space in his face that he was calling his lawyer. Maybe he had run off with Elastigirl. Heck, I wasn't convinced he had gotten over that wink from earlier today. Eek! I was slowly, but certainly, losing my mind.

And then I saw him. He was sitting by himself on a lonely bench in the corner of the room. He had that familiar pale look on his face. He didn't look very good, but he wasn't lying down either. It was then that I asked another stupid question, "did you enjoy your mission"? I guess he didn't appreciate my humour at that time because all he did was mumble something about Ice Station Cool. Again I suggested that we really slow down and take a breather. This time, he didn't argue. He usually loves Test Track, but we both knew it wasn't going to happen. As we slowly, very slowly, made our way to Ice Station Cool, we managed to talk a little more. He said that he thought M:S was cool but in the future, I'd be doing my missions solo. No kidding! He said that he thought going into the Ice Station Cool cave would be nice for him. He needed to cool down.

We walked into the "cave", ready to embrace the cold..........and nothing. Nadda. Zip. There was no cold to be found. No ice/snow anywhere and no change in temperature in general. In all of our years of coming to Epcot, we've never seen this cave without ice and snow! Oh have mercy on us PLEASE! My trip mission was to rekindle dh's love of Florida, not make him hate all thrill rides in every theme park for the next 50yrs! Dh needed to get cool........and fast. We had some soda before leaving. I like mixing the watermelon flavour with the ginger ale. He suggested we go to the Living Seas to see the new Finding Nemo Exhibit and enjoy some air conditioning. For once, we were actually happy there wasn't a ride there anymore because I know dh couldn't take the motion. A tad bit of colour was returning to his face so I thought we were making progress. We decided to skip the movie in Living Seas and go directly onto the hydrolators. Smart right? Well, that’s what I thought too. The hydrolators were more than he could bear. Once the doors opened and before I could turn around, dh was gone in a shot in search of a restroom.

I should point out now that dh isn't usually this prone to motion sickness. While he has always had trouble with it, he has never been affected this badly. He still hadn't recovered from the day before. I made a vow right then and there that there would be no more thrill rides for him today!!!!!!! I would tackle him if need be and bring in the big boys to help. I'm sure Goofy or Pluto would lend a helping hand or paw, or whatever the case might be. I did eventually find him, again, in a familiar position - by himself on a bench in the corner. I prepared to convince him to leave the parks and go back to the hotel, but he beat me to it. Only, he suggested we go to the Polynesian instead - our favourite resort. I agreed wholeheartedly. We hope to stay there for our 10th anniversary. He needed a little more time to sit-down so I wandered around the Nemo Exhibit. Very cute!

By now dh felt he could begin the journey to the Polynesian. He survived the hydrolator again and walked to the monorail. The walk to the monorail was a feat in and of itself. Like I said before, dh's a real trooper. "Maybe the monorail will be nicely air conditioned" I told him. Yup, you guessed it, WRONG! I don't even think there was any air conditioning. To us, it felt like the heat was even on! We finally did make it to the Polynesian and burst into the building for beautiful air conditioning! I knew I loved this resort! We sat down for a moment just taking in the cool air and beautiful lobby. Dh seemed to be perking up already. He even got his appetite back! After sitting for a while, we got lunch at Captain Cook's and brought it out to the beach and sat and ate in the shade. It was lovely!! Dh was starting to feel much better but I still remembered my vow of no more thrill rides! I felt my trusty dental floss in my pocket and smiled. Dh left for a moment and returned with a Lava Flow for me! For those of you who don't know, it's a combination of pina colada and strawberry daiquiri. Can you believe this guy??? He had just about lost his cookies multiple times this trip yet he remembered that I wanted to try this drink! *sigh* Sorry ladies, he's taken!

I think we may have actually fallen asleep right there on the beach staring at the castle. I can't think of a better place to grab some much-needed zzzz's. When we woke up, we realized that dh was feeling almost human again and would like to go to the Magic Kingdom to watch Wishes. Again, I was in no way going to argue with him so we took a boat over. The park was closing in an hour but we managed to get to Mickey's Philharmagic for the last showing of the day. Maybe the tide was turning and our luck was changing! What a wonderful show! I loved everything about it from the sights, the smells and of course the sounds! Dh commented on how beautiful Jasmine looked on that 3D magic carpet... Between Elastigirl and Jasmine - dh's lucky he hadn't been feeling very well today or there may have been some trouble! We'll definitely make a repeat visit for this one. We got a strawberry swirl next and found a spot for Wishes on the bridge between Tomorrowland and the main hub. Dh is a real fireworks fan so I was very happy that he felt well enough to be there.

The fireworks began and as we expected, they were magical. We didn't have a great view (some trees blocked the lowest fireworks), but we could see all the spectacular high fireworks and had a great view of Tinkerbell. He really enjoyed the fireworks display, but admitted that Fantasy in the Sky still remains his favourite. I was surprised to hear it. We followed the herd out of the park at closing. I figured dh would want to go home and go straight to bed. Yet again, he surprised me. This was the night we were supposed to go over to Port Orlean's to see the infamous Bob Jackson in action. Dh suggested that we go and get something to eat while we're at it!

I was in shock! He must be feeling A LOT better! We got back into our car at the ticket & transportation centre and drove to Port Orleans: Riverside. We walked in and boy - the party had begun! Bob was in full swing and had the crowd cheering, clapping and singing along. The crowd was a really diverse crowd of both young and old. Bob was bouncing away at the piano and seemed to have boundless energy! We grabbed a table near the front and dh ordered some nachos. He was smiling. Yes folks, he was actually smiling and having fun. We had officially returned to vacation mode!

Bob must have noticed how much fun I was having because he got me and another woman up to start a conga line! Dh was first to hop on and join in on the train. What a blast! All shyness got thrown out the window and we were dancing up a storm. Don't let this audience participation dissuade any shy people from going, however, just get a seat closer to the back and he'll leave you alone! We ended up staying for a couple hours until we were too hoarse to sing and too tired to dance anymore! Before heading back to our motel, we decided to walk around both Riverside and French Quarter. What beautiful resorts! We didn't expect to end the night on such a romantic note. Just then, a horse & buggy went by with a couple cuddling together under the moonlight. It was like a dream. Dh was healthy and happy again and we were walking around a beautiful resort after watching a very entertaining show. It doesn't get much better than this! However, just to be on the safe side, we decided to call it a night and get some rest. Tomorrow would consist of a lazy day but a busy MNSSHP at night - and it's my birthday! Pleasant Dreams everyone and thanks for reading!

 

[Credit Man]

Enjoying your report!

 

[CJK]

Day 4 – My b-day, Downtown Disney, MNSSHP

I knew I was pretty tired today when I was more excited about sleeping in than about today being my birthday! We slept in until 9:30am, which was absolutely heavenly. Remember when you were a teenager and could sleep until 1pm and STILL struggle to get up? Those days are sure gone. By 9:3am on most days, the day is already half over. Now I know what my parents were talking about all those years ago! Dh presented me with a birthday card, Disney of course, which read how excited he was to spend my birthday at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It sounded like a perfect way to celebrate to me!

After a leisurely start to the day (we missed the motel's continental breakfast), we packed our knapsack with our halloween costumes and headed to downtown disney. Thanks to mousesavers.com, I had printed a 2for1 coupon for Ghirardelli sundaes! The coupon was burning a hole in my pocket (hey, it may only be 11am, but we're on vacation darn it!) so we went and got our sundaes right away. We found a table overlooking the water and dug in. I had a delicious hot fudge sundae and dh got strawberry. I remember hearing Rosie O’Donnell say once that fruit has no place in dessert! I wholeheartedly agree! Why get fruit topping when there’s hot fudge? I guess it will remain as one of the unsolved mysteries of our lifetime! You know, when we get home after our vacations, people always expect me to give them the highlights. They expect to hear about a particular ride, a particular show or restaurant - but for this trip, my highlights were different. Sitting here, looking at the water and all the boats coming in and out, eating a delicious hot fudge sundae with dh, is a definite highlight. The next time I'm working and have a particularly difficult client to deal with......I'm going to visualize this day. There's nothing so troublesome, a Ghirardelli sundae can't fix! Thankfully for my waistline, there's no Ghirardelli nearby so my visualizing techniques will have to suffice!

After browsing through some of the shops, we drove to the ticket & transportation centre and took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. From there, we took the boat to Fort Wilderness. On the ride over, I glanced at dh and noticed that the colour, was once again, draining from his face. That's right folks, motion sickness was once again rearing its ugly - very ugly - head. Say it isn't so!! The water was pretty rough that day and the boat was rocking. In the words of Bill Haley & the Comets, there was a "whole lotta shakin' going on"!!! The Fort Wilderness dock was very slow in coming indeed!

We were going to have a late lunch at Trail's End restaurant. We had hoped to have a big lunch so that we wouldn't have to waste time eating at MNSSHP tonight. Too many rides to ride and trick or treating to do! We’ve got our priorities! After a quick trip to the restroom, we decided whether we should re-think our plans or not. Dh, the trooper, thought that it might do him some good to get some veggies into his system. The salad bar had a lot of his favourite fixin's. We sat down and prepared to dig in. Sadly, dh's stomach wasn't in agreement with his brain. In fact, they were essentially at war with one another. ‘Nuf said. He managed to eat a little bit (God bless watermelon), but very little else. The good news is that he was starting to feel better but was not looking forward to the boat ride back to the MK!

Our server was probably the nicest CM we have ever encountered at Disney. I can’t seem to remember his name right now but he has been working at Trail’s End for a few years now. Kudos to him! If anyone knows his name (he’s the really friendly one who never stops smiling!), do let me know, as I’d like to write a letter on his behalf. He’s the epitome of Disney magic! Our waiter was surprised we ate so little (I was still full from my sundae.....yes, poor planning........but it was worth it!!) but happily kept the drinks coming.

After our very laid back lunch, we decided to brave the boat, sound the dramatic music, and go to the Contemporary hotel to relax a while. I suggested we take the bus, but dh wanted to get there quickly and wanted the more direct route. For some reason, this boat ride wasn’t as painful. We arrived without too much trouble. We sat and gazed at the water for a while and dh was feeling better. We were getting excited about the Halloween party that night! It was almost 4pm by now and we were starting to think about going to the party via monorail. Look out Magic Kingdom! A pirate and gypsy like no other are about to venture through your gates. Let the party begin!

 

[CJK]

Day Four – Part 2

I realized that it was time to take drastic measures. My goal of rekindling dh’s love of Disney was sadly being diverted to lots of extra restroom visits and a lot of benchwarming! What’s a girl to do? I said a silent prayer to myself that MNSSHP would be the perfect remedy to all our motion sickness woes. We went through the turnstile at 4:15pm and got our trick or treat bags. First stop was Guest Relations! I may be slightly over 12 , but I was going to get my birthday button! I felt a little sheepish asking the CM for it, but the CM was more than receptive. In fact, he even thought I was 21yrs old!! Hmmm, maybe there IS something to that pixie dust they have swarming around in Disney World! That nice CM didn’t need to know I was 21 plus 10!

After I floated and dh walked back out onto main street, we decided to go straight to Carousel of Progress. Just then, a CM wished me happy birthday! And so it began! My little touch with fame! I didn’t expect this to happen very often, but you know, it did again and then again! I don’t think I’ve ever said “thank you” so much! My mother would be proud. I considered trying the royal “wave”, but dh didn’t think my birthday necessitated such a majestic move! It’s just as well, I guess, as I’m sure my hand would have gotten tired.

I still can’t believe this has become a seasonal attraction. What a Walt classic! After another birthday wish, we entered the theatre. We were pleased to see such a large crowd. We positioned ourselves in the centre of the theatre and tried to sit down. That’s right, “tried” to sit down. My seat seemed to have a mind of its own and flung me to the ground. Ow! It’s a good thing I’m only 21 or that would have hurt! After dh stopped laughing (did I mention he was feeling better?), I tried the next seat over. This time, I broke the seat. Yes, I seemed to have lost the ability to sit down. After regaining my composure and glaring at dh who was now in hysterics, I cautiously reached over to the next seat. Slowly I lowered myself into the seat and voila! Success! I told myself that my embarrassing moments may be contributing to dh’s “magic”, so I figured if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Let the show begin.

It was sad seeing the state of the theatre, however. They really don’t seem to be pumping much money into the attraction anymore and it’s such a shame. I really enjoy singing along during the show despite the looks from those around me. Hey, he even asks us to sing along! After the show, we went to see what Stitch was up to for the off chance they were having a special showing. We went up to the CM and asked if there was going to be any activity tonight. She was very nice, but very tight-lipped. It was then, that I did it. I’m not proud of myself, but drastic times call for drastic measures. That’s right, I flashed her my button.

I played the birthday card. She actually started to come around and started giggling. Yes! She was putty in my hand! I was a genius. But no, she said that the ride was unquestionably closed for the day and there was nothing she could do. *Sigh* Only after I got home after this trip did I find out they had show previews during the next two consecutive days! Where’s the justice!?! Next time. I’d better rekindle dh’s magic so that there will be a next time!

We decided to head into Fantasyland. Dh felt comfortable riding these rides since he knew from experience how bumpy they were. For some reason, he wasn’t going to trust my judgment anymore. What have I ever done to him? Crowds were very good right about now and we managed to do Winnie-the-Pooh, Snow White, Mickey’s Philharmagic and Peter Pan in less than an hour! We saw a couple costumes around, but not too many. I read on the DIS that many people don’t change into costume until the official beginning of the party at 7. We had time for one more ride before being ushered into Tomorrowland. It seemed appropriate somehow to go to the Haunted Mansion! Dh is fascinated with the CM’s and how they always remain in character. Today, they were better than ever! They had more make-up on than usual and were extra frightening. Dh would be wonderful at the “bahahaha……….”. Ohh, I get chills just thinking about it! Dh may have missed his calling by not working at the haunted mansion. Don’t they always say there’s room for one more??

When we got out of the haunted mansion, it was 6pm and it was time to go to Tomorrowland. We decided to stop at the closest restroom and change into our costumes. After carefully fixing our hair and smoothing out our costumes, we walk out to discover that the skies had opened and it was pouring!! Oh no! Gypsies don’t do well in rain (or is it in closed walls)! We stood there staring at the rain in disbelief trying to figure out what to do. We didn’t think pirates or gypsies carried umbrellas or wore raincoats so we left those in the car! We decided to duck under all the Fantasyland buildings and slowly make our way to Tomorrowland. By the time we got to Snow White, the rain had reduced to a sprinkle. Pirates & gypsies may not carry umbrellas, but they’re likely not wimps either. We decided to ignore the rain and just go for it! Thankfully, it only rained for one hour and we didn’t get another drop of rain all trip.

Tomorrowland was crowded, VERY crowded. But, we saw a lot of costumes now. The party was officially beginning! We saw a great looking family dressed up as all the Scooby Doo characters! They looked fabulous! People seemed to put a great deal of thought into their costumes. I looked over at dh (who is a handsome pirate I might add!) and he was smiling. The magic was back. We had witches to see, were in search of the headless horseman, had candy to eat.......and the night was just beginning!

 

[kathymc]

glad to hear he's starting to feel better

I got a pin on my birthday last year (and I am 21 plus 15) and it was the most fun I think I ever had!

looking forward to more