Ultimate Kool-Aid Shot: DVC, Star Wars, Storms OH MY!
Day 1 Departure Day Thursday June 5th, 2008
When last we left you, the
Kool-Aid family was packing and, I, was obsessing about last minute details like routes, maps, and tollways. As if that werent enough to worry about, the local news started running these bits on the TV about how the weather pattern that was setting up was identical to one from 1974 that spawned a buttload of tornados across our state. Guess when these storms were due to roll in? You betcha, departure day. We had a bit of a road-trip this time to the airport. Loverly.
Ordinarily, we would have just left for the airport a bit earlier. Unfortunately, I had a previous obligation to my Girl Scout troop that would require me to remain here until mid-afternoon. I picked my girls up from the Girl Scout office, and delivered them to the school parking lot just in time. The winds were picking up and it looked, by all accounts, that it was going to storm big-time. Needless to say, I drove the 2 blocks from the school to the house PDQ, dropped off some stuff, loaded everyone into the car, gave Crashdad the keys, filled up the gas tank (OMFreakinGosh), and we hit the Interstate. We listened to the radio as we drove away from the incoming storm, until we lost the signal. We just beat the storms! They were doing 50-60mph toward town, and we were doing 70-to something else-ish out of town.
The rest of the trip went smoothly, we arrived in Kansas City, found the airport, and checked into the Microtel for a few hours sleep. Our flight was due to take off at 6:40AM. Surprisingly, the room at the Microtel was nice. I guess that I wasnt expecting much. It had 2 really nice beds and another little window seat type of couch, so it was perfect for us. Once I checked all the beds for signs of pests or critters (because I am paranoid that way), we brought a minimum up from the car, and ordered some Pizza Hut delivery. We got some Chicken Alfredo pasta, breadsticks and a cheese pizza. Belle looked at the pasta and wanted to know why it had fries in it?? I thought that I had a picture of this, but now that I look for it, cant find it. Anyway, it did not have fries in it and it was surprisingly good. It wasnt butter grilled pound cake good, but it was a bit better than store bought.
We ate while listening to a storm rumble by (remnants of the system that we outran earlier), bathed and went to sleep. After a couple rounds of Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight Mommy, one of the kids then said Good night John Boy. To which I replied in a stern shut-up-now-voice, Goodnight inbred Jim Bob! There were a couple of snickers and then silence as we all fell asleep.
Well, at least some of us did. I would be part of the some of us. According to Crashdad, I sawed logs. When you travel with kids, you end up in weird places. I ended up sleeping with my head at the foot of the bed that Jack was in. Crashdad ended up with Peter, and Belle took the window seat bed. Apparently Peter was having Im-too-excited-to-sleepitis, and opted instead to ride his imaginary bicycle in the air. This woke Crashdad up. He was not amused. So, some of us actually got some sleep. At least it was the some that needed to drive when we landed in Orlando.
Day 2 - Friday June 6th
Morning came at 3:30AM. We got ourselves together, Crashdad took the stuff and the kids to the car while I checked us out in the lobby. Soon we arrived (after one wrong turn) at the Parking Spot. We were parked and on their spotted shuttle to the airport in no time. So guess what we found when we got there? An empty terminal. Apparently there is no point in getting to the airport 2 hours early here. The Southwest counters didnt even open until 5-something. So, we waited there impatiently for about an hour. Eventually, we got our bags checked in and walked to security. In my effort to get my kids through security, I nearly forgot that I had my DVC backpack over my shoulder and threw it on the belt, just as I was entering the metal detector. As I was trying to get the kids situated on the other side, get my laptop back into the case, etc
the security agent asked me if she could search my backpack. Sure I said distractedly while I was attempting to do the aforementioned tasks. It was only after I had accomplished my goals, that I realized that she was seriously interested in the contents of my bag. She kept looking for something. She would find another secret pocket on my bag with an Ah-ha, only to find nothing of interest. Finally, she shrugged and said it must have been my hairbrush that she saw in the scanner. So, my fellow passengers could rest assured that I didnt have any explosive hairbrushes or anything else in my Disney Vacation Club bag. Yay us!
Because I remembered to check us in for our flight 24 hours ahead, I was able to score A-group boarding passes. For those not familiar with Southwest, they load everyone in groups and you pick whatever seats you want. So, Getting A or B is preferred. Soon we were seated on the plane!
Big brother felt it necessary to add the bunny ears
So, I have come to realize that getting teary just before take-off is my thing. For me, it is the moment that the trip becomes real. I become washed in feelings of gratitude, blessing, relief, and even a bit of fear. I always say a prayer of thanksgiving and for traveling mercies. Its a lot of emotions to have all at once and the result is always a teary-eyed smile. I realize that we are blessed to be able to have this vacation and to be given these carefree days ahead. I am grateful that we have been given so much, and so thankful for Crashdad.
Beginning of the flight was a bit bumpy, as we needed to get up and over that storm system. Once we were over, it was a smooth flight to Orlando. We landed and made our way to the Alamo counter to check-in and pick up our rental for the next several days. We ended up with a red, Toyota Rav4. Not our Suburban, but it had plenty of room for everyone and all of the luggage. Happily, this trip involved a lot less bags than our December 2006 trip. Since we were staying in our 1 bedroom DVC villa, we knew that we would have a washer and dryer. So instead of packing outfits for 5 people for 7 days, we packed about 4 outfits each. My bag wasnt even completely full. This made getting through the airport a lot easier and we didnt need to worry about bag limitations or extra charges (not that Southwest is doing that
yet). We each had a bag to check and a bag to carry on, basically. Never needed a skycap.
Soon we were loaded up and headed down the beachline tollway (thanks to Marita) toward I4. Crashdad manned the camera as we turned from I4 onto Disney property and he snapped this shot of the archway!
I always wanted one of those in my collection!
Soon we arrived at Pop Century ;-) This is our home away from home for one night anyway.
Permagrins all around.
We parked, and the rest of the family went exploring while I checked in. I had booked preferred section, they had assigned us to the 50s building. I asked her to check for 60s building instead, then told her that I really didnt care either way so long as we were on an upper floor. She was able to assign us rooms in the 60s building, yay top floor!
The kids and I turned on the TV to watch a few minutes of Stacey. Jack and Crashdad went to haul our stuff up instead of calling bell services. I think they ended up regretting that decision. Crashdad took off his shoe because he said that his toe was bothering him, and we discovered that at some point, his pinky toenail had cracked. Never fear, for Dr. Mom packed first-aid supplies. We Scouts try to be prepared, dontchaknow?! I doctored his toe, and then took the kids to the Hippy Dippy Pool while he relaxed in the room for a while.
The pool was nice, but the water could have been a bit colder IMHO. We swam for about 30 minutes and then everyone was hungry. Went back to the room to change, get Dad, and then we headed to Everything Pop Food Court for some grub. We bought refillable Year of A Million Dreams mugs because we love souvies, basically. Seriously, we do use them at home. I had the Chicken Alfredo Parmesan with Penne, Crash had the Sloppy Joe (which he loves), Jack had the Meatball Sub, and the kiddos chose the Lo Mein noodles with fruit and such.
When packing for the trip, it was discovered that my red Disney
Crocs had disappeared from the face of the planet. After eating, we were dinking around in the Everything Pop dump shop, and discovered Mickey Crocs for sale. So, I bought a pair. I have a strict rule that I alternate shoes every other day at Disney, and this rule keeps me blister free. I was pleased to have a pair of Crocs again. As we were checking out, I realized that the cant-say-no illness had already started to affect Crashdad. He informed me that if we wanted a canvas tote with our purchase, it was only 10.00 more. Since I already acquired a DVC canvas tote and a DVC backpack earlier in the year, I really didnt see the need for yet another tote bag. He gave me that are-you-sure-look, and I met him with my of-course-you-silly-so-and-so look.
We returned to the room long enough to stow our mugs, and headed to the bus depot to go head to Epcot. When we arrived, we headed over to the ticket booth to exchange my AP voucher for the actual AP. Ive never had an AP before, so I was surprised that it was a paper ticket. I was expecting something sturdier than that. While we were doing that, Crashdad decided to upgrade his park hopper to the DVC-rate AP as well. Having finished all of that business, we went through the turnstiles and I texted a shot of Spaceship Earth from my cell phone to some of my Creepy Internet Friends.
We had one more matter of business to attend to, so we headed to Guest Services to purchase the Disney Dining Experience discount card. Which is sort of one of those better-than-nothing discounts, but Im not going to debate the issue. It did pay for itself, and then a bit more, by the end of our trip.
Next, we decided to check out the changes made to Spaceship Earth (the big golf ball). We all agreed that they had done a great job on the rehab, and were glad to see that some of our favorites still remained. The exhibits at the end of the ride were really good, in our opinion. We sent our cartoon selves home via email.
Since only Crashdad and Jack had managed to ride Test Track last trip, we headed there next. Belle was a little nervous about it, Peter was all gung-ho to ride. While standing in the queue, I muttered the words never in a million years, I thought, to myself. Jack heard me though and wanted to know what I was talking about. I gestured with my head a few feet over, but he wasnt seeing what I was talking about. So I gave him explicit instructions to move two steps toward me, turn, then look straight ahead. He complied and then looked at me and winced and said, Eeeewww. Sorry, but there are just some things that a woman of a certain age, or maybe in this case, past a certain age even, should NOT wear. In this case, she should have spared us all the low-cut spaghetti strap top. It was not the least bit attractive, enough said. Im not a super model either, but thats why I dont try to dress like one either. I am sure that is a great relief to those around me, no doubt.
After the ride, Sarah loved it and Peter wasnt quite as gung-ho. I bet that he will ride it again though.
Here we are:
After test track, Jack wanted to ride Mission Space, and say Hi to Gary for me. So, the rest of us pulled up a little grassy knoll which came to be called Our Little Piece of Epcot Heaven.
We hung out there for a bit and took some pics. Belle would stand there and pose so nicely while her little brother, Peter, dorked around her and annoyed her. It was classic and we were all giggling at the scene. Poor Belle trying to be pretty and sincere, while Peter was simply being a goofball. That happens a lot at our house.
Next, we decided to head toward World Showcase. Along the way, we ducked into various shops and whatnot to steal AC. Since we were making a conscious effort to hit attractions that we missed on our last trip, we decided to go see the newly re-vamped O Canada 360 circlevision movie. Martin short: gud, Movie: gud, AC: gud. This stars Martin Short, who is almost nearly my favorite Canadian.
The CM that introduced the movie was pretty cute, and he cracked a few Canuck jokes. Because I got the Tim Hortons joke, I think he assumed that I was Canadian. I didnt bother to tell him that it was just because I know a few.
Ok a side note about 360 ciclevision movies vs Soarin: it occurred to me that I experienced motion sickness during this movie and had to look down at the carpet for a few moments. I got to thinking about how I do NOT experience this problem while riding Soarin. Then I wondered how many people dont ride Soarin because they are afraid that they will get dizzy like you may when you watch 360 circlevision? Basically, the difference is this: when you watch a 360 circlevision movie, the signals coming from your eyes to your brain, are in ******* with the rest of your senses. The eyes sense motion, but the body does not. This is the source of the dizziness. When you ride Soarin there is no ******* because when the scene moves, you gently move with it. The only time that I ever had any sense of dizziness while riding Soarin was when we were sat near the edge of the screen where the images warp a bit as they exit the edge of the screen. I solved this trouble by keeping my eyes trained on the center of the image at all times. So, if you are leary of Soarin because you are afraid of getting dizzy, dont be. Just keep your eyes in the center of the scene, or worst case, look way from the screen at the smiling faces of all the riders that are with you. No worries, try it, you will love it!
After O Canada, it was time to mosey over to the UK for our ADR at the Rose and Crown (yes, Nebo, I kept the ADR). I checked in, was handed a buzzer and we went across the street to sit on a bark pench. I mean park bench. Jack and Peter got into this habit during the trip to purposely swap the first letter of certain words such as bark pench, larking pot, etc. So, for this trip all benches were bark penches. As I was standing in line waiting patiently to check in, I overheard the CM at the podium telling folks that they had no openings and were only able to seat those with reservations (ADRs). When we had been waiting for a while, I wandered back over in line to inquire if it might be too much longer. The harried CM was patiently trying to explain to the guest in front of me about the reservation info, but she was not comprehending. She pointed and said, But they just walked in. To which he explained that they had a reservation already. Finally, she walked away. Instead of making his evening more annoying, I merely looked at him and said, I am so sorry that you are having a bad night. And left it at that. He shrugged and started to chuckle a bit, then explained that they were having a communication problem. Then he sighed again and we all laughed the tension away. I wandered back to our bark pench and in a few minutes we were buzzed for seating. Not sure if it was coincidence, divine provision, or a sympathetic smile and a laugh that landed us this shore-side table!!
Here are some pics of our view:
Here is what we ate, sorry so blurry didnt want to use flash:
Roasted Chicken with Savory Onion Dressing and Onion Marmalade it was delish, that marmalade is wonderful.
Harry Ramsdens Fish and Chips yes, Nebo I warned Crashdad about the moray. But
look they served him 2 regular-sized portions and he said that they were good! Crashdad fell in love with their iced tea as well and had to find out what kind it was. I told him that I was sure that it was Twinings, of course, and I was right. For the record, it is Lady Grey from Twinings.
Kids portion Shepherd Pie and English Peas.
Our ADR was for 7:30 and the waitress asked us if we wanted to hold the table for Illuminations. We enthusiastically replied, That would be most wonderful!
Here are some pics of Illuminations from our table:
For the finale, we ordered Sticky Toffee Puddings, which we shared around the table as Illuminations ended. With the last blasts over, we were showered with a few ashes. The kids thought that was weird, I told them that having ashes fall on our table was extra pixie dust and meant that you had great seats!!
I think that this picture about sums it up:
There was more to tell from this day, but I think I will end this installment here.
Next up some more stuff, that I haven't titled yet....
HOME and please tell Dad Happy Fathers Day for me. I hope you had the bestest trip ever.
