Euphscott
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2000
- Messages
- 690
Day Two ¡V MGM and EPCOT
Our first morning at a theme park we got up and arrived at the opening time for Early Entry. That day¡¦s park was MGM. We did a little shopping while we waited for the rope to drop. Things went pretty smooth this morning. The weather was cooperating nicely (after a LARGE amount of rain the previous night) with some cloud cover, low (for Florida!) humidity and comfortable temperatures.
A side note here: we did not bring a stroller as it was just too much luggage to keep track. We rented a stroller each day in the parks. Brooke seemed to enjoy them a great deal. We placed PAL Mickey in with her to cuddle, a water bottle and snacks and life was good. On occasion we¡¦d get out from an attraction and she¡¦d not want to go back in, but once in, she rode like a princess. A humorous moment occurred after finishing the Muppets. We went to go retrieve our stroller. You know, the ones that have your name in BIG bold letters? Yep, well, we go to get ours and it¡¦s gone. Problem is Brooke¡¦s water bottle is in it. We figure the stroller is replaceable. We went to the nearest cast member. She told us this happens, come back when a stand is open and she would get us a new bottle. She also appeared with a new stroller! Thank you so much. We go back to check to see what we can find after an hour and a half. The same CM was there when we returned. She saw us and started laughing. She had our water bottle and told us a family came back and informed her that someone had put a bottle in their stroller! º Oh well, so much for reading¡K
We took Brooke straight to the Muppets. She sat quite still with the 3D glasses and seemed to enjoy the film. This was a good start. I feared she¡¦d get scared. Not a chance. The only down side was she stole Cindy¡¦s glasses and would not give them back. So, at least one of us had to watch the 3D film in 2D. We then killed some time because we wanted to see Disney Playhouse with Bear, Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley, and Tigger. We got a front row spot which was good for breathing space, but bad for seeing up on stage. If you can sit further back, you¡¦ll do better. She sat entranced watching the goings on. She did not want to dance, but seemed to recognize her TV buddies and giggled at the puppets on the edge of the stage right in front of her. We then went to Little Mermaid with a fast pass. This was our one and only attraction meltdown. The pre-show wait really wore her out as they crammed lots of people in with nowhere to move. We finally get in the auditorium and of course no one thinks ¡§move all the way to your left¡¨ applies to them and Disney wants to cram every body in they can. So the show takes a LONG time to start. This did not sit well with Brooke. The lights FINALLY go out and she isn¡¦t going to stand it, so we got up to try to leave the auditorium. Nope, the doors are shut and no cast members to open them. Well, standing off to the side we rocked Brooke to calmness again. But wait, there are some cool puppets over there mom ¡V let¡¦s go watch. The rest of the show (especially the bubbles) soothed her and inspired some pointing and smiles.
We then spent time in the Walt Disney walk through attraction (it was getting hot ¡V air conditioning and room to run with a toddler). Brooke enjoyed watching the lights and sounds. This was a good decision and I enjoyed seeing the models and historical artifacts. This was where we realized a psycho child was going to erupt if we did not get back to the resort for a nap. We made it in time to have lunch at the mess hall and then a nap. Ahhh¡K..
After the nap, we headed out to EPCOT. This decision was made as we settled on a diner at the Garden Grille for a character dinner. This is a real nice place to eat. We had overlooked it many times. It is a rotating stage through the attraction of The Land. Prior to eating we checked out the Living Seas. We skipped the pre-show and went right to the Hydrolators to get to the fish. Brooke was impressed! ¡§Whoa, wow, WOW!¡¨ That was the gist of her communication. She found a clear space of glass and would run up and down with the fish swimming by. We spent a good quantity of time in here and she had a great time. It also wore out some wiggles! After that it was time for dinner. And as our good fortune held, the heavens opened up with rain as we entered the Land Pavilion.
Dinner at the Garden Grill is served family style (all you can eat brought out in a big platter with meats, veggies and bread). Brooke did enjoy eating her dinner here. She did well. The characters of Chip, Dale, Pluto and Farmer Mickey were milling around and very friendly. At first Brooke was not so thrilled with any of them. However, if she sat on my lap she was accepting of them coming close. Mickey however was responsible for softening her heart. Brooke dropped a chicken finger. Our waitress took it and promised to return with a new one. This caused some crying. Mickey stopped by to see what was up. We explained what was happening. Mickey ran into the kitchen and came back with the chicken finger. Brooke instantly trusted the big cheese! Dessert was a hit with Brooke. The dirt with gummi worms ended up in every crevice of her body and hair and eyes and, well you get the idea. I even have some left on my tennis shoes that would not come off. One would correctly assume she enjoyed this treat! As with every other place we visited, the CM¡¦s were wonderful to Brooke.
After dinner we were hoping to make it for Illuminations. We toured the countries of World Showcase with no real plan. We did not visit any shows or rides, just took a lazy stroll around. Alas, Illuminations was not in the cards. About 8:00 we headed back for the resort. Our bus ride was not pleasant. Thankfully only a few other people were on board with us. As fate would have it, we made it to the resort and life was good again!
With blankets and a new pillow, we all slept MUCH better.
Our first morning at a theme park we got up and arrived at the opening time for Early Entry. That day¡¦s park was MGM. We did a little shopping while we waited for the rope to drop. Things went pretty smooth this morning. The weather was cooperating nicely (after a LARGE amount of rain the previous night) with some cloud cover, low (for Florida!) humidity and comfortable temperatures.
A side note here: we did not bring a stroller as it was just too much luggage to keep track. We rented a stroller each day in the parks. Brooke seemed to enjoy them a great deal. We placed PAL Mickey in with her to cuddle, a water bottle and snacks and life was good. On occasion we¡¦d get out from an attraction and she¡¦d not want to go back in, but once in, she rode like a princess. A humorous moment occurred after finishing the Muppets. We went to go retrieve our stroller. You know, the ones that have your name in BIG bold letters? Yep, well, we go to get ours and it¡¦s gone. Problem is Brooke¡¦s water bottle is in it. We figure the stroller is replaceable. We went to the nearest cast member. She told us this happens, come back when a stand is open and she would get us a new bottle. She also appeared with a new stroller! Thank you so much. We go back to check to see what we can find after an hour and a half. The same CM was there when we returned. She saw us and started laughing. She had our water bottle and told us a family came back and informed her that someone had put a bottle in their stroller! º Oh well, so much for reading¡K
We took Brooke straight to the Muppets. She sat quite still with the 3D glasses and seemed to enjoy the film. This was a good start. I feared she¡¦d get scared. Not a chance. The only down side was she stole Cindy¡¦s glasses and would not give them back. So, at least one of us had to watch the 3D film in 2D. We then killed some time because we wanted to see Disney Playhouse with Bear, Rolie Polie Olie, Stanley, and Tigger. We got a front row spot which was good for breathing space, but bad for seeing up on stage. If you can sit further back, you¡¦ll do better. She sat entranced watching the goings on. She did not want to dance, but seemed to recognize her TV buddies and giggled at the puppets on the edge of the stage right in front of her. We then went to Little Mermaid with a fast pass. This was our one and only attraction meltdown. The pre-show wait really wore her out as they crammed lots of people in with nowhere to move. We finally get in the auditorium and of course no one thinks ¡§move all the way to your left¡¨ applies to them and Disney wants to cram every body in they can. So the show takes a LONG time to start. This did not sit well with Brooke. The lights FINALLY go out and she isn¡¦t going to stand it, so we got up to try to leave the auditorium. Nope, the doors are shut and no cast members to open them. Well, standing off to the side we rocked Brooke to calmness again. But wait, there are some cool puppets over there mom ¡V let¡¦s go watch. The rest of the show (especially the bubbles) soothed her and inspired some pointing and smiles.
We then spent time in the Walt Disney walk through attraction (it was getting hot ¡V air conditioning and room to run with a toddler). Brooke enjoyed watching the lights and sounds. This was a good decision and I enjoyed seeing the models and historical artifacts. This was where we realized a psycho child was going to erupt if we did not get back to the resort for a nap. We made it in time to have lunch at the mess hall and then a nap. Ahhh¡K..
After the nap, we headed out to EPCOT. This decision was made as we settled on a diner at the Garden Grille for a character dinner. This is a real nice place to eat. We had overlooked it many times. It is a rotating stage through the attraction of The Land. Prior to eating we checked out the Living Seas. We skipped the pre-show and went right to the Hydrolators to get to the fish. Brooke was impressed! ¡§Whoa, wow, WOW!¡¨ That was the gist of her communication. She found a clear space of glass and would run up and down with the fish swimming by. We spent a good quantity of time in here and she had a great time. It also wore out some wiggles! After that it was time for dinner. And as our good fortune held, the heavens opened up with rain as we entered the Land Pavilion.
Dinner at the Garden Grill is served family style (all you can eat brought out in a big platter with meats, veggies and bread). Brooke did enjoy eating her dinner here. She did well. The characters of Chip, Dale, Pluto and Farmer Mickey were milling around and very friendly. At first Brooke was not so thrilled with any of them. However, if she sat on my lap she was accepting of them coming close. Mickey however was responsible for softening her heart. Brooke dropped a chicken finger. Our waitress took it and promised to return with a new one. This caused some crying. Mickey stopped by to see what was up. We explained what was happening. Mickey ran into the kitchen and came back with the chicken finger. Brooke instantly trusted the big cheese! Dessert was a hit with Brooke. The dirt with gummi worms ended up in every crevice of her body and hair and eyes and, well you get the idea. I even have some left on my tennis shoes that would not come off. One would correctly assume she enjoyed this treat! As with every other place we visited, the CM¡¦s were wonderful to Brooke.
After dinner we were hoping to make it for Illuminations. We toured the countries of World Showcase with no real plan. We did not visit any shows or rides, just took a lazy stroll around. Alas, Illuminations was not in the cards. About 8:00 we headed back for the resort. Our bus ride was not pleasant. Thankfully only a few other people were on board with us. As fate would have it, we made it to the resort and life was good again!
With blankets and a new pillow, we all slept MUCH better.
