Beth E. (NJ)
<font color=red>Disney obsessed<br><font color=blu
- Joined
- Sep 27, 1999
- Messages
- 8,219
Trip Report â Day 3 Thursday, December 7th 2000
We came, we saw, we ate some more!
The vital statistics:
Cast:
Beth E. â the mom, Disney fanatic, trip planner
EE â the dad, just following momâÂÂs well planned out footsteps
Sophie â DD 5 1/2, first trip to WDW, very outgoing child, loves the princesses, has no idea that anything that happens this trip is âÂÂout of the ordinaryâÂÂ
Accommodations: All Star Sports Hotel
Dates of trip: Tuesday December 5th to Friday December 15th
Today we do MK! After a very full day yesterday, we were awaken by the telephone at 6:25AM. Sleeping late is for wimps! We are at WDW and have lots to do! Later than I would have liked we leave the room and take the rental car to the park. We park at TTC and take the monorail to MK. Ahhh! Waiting for the monorail has put us even further behind schedule. This was going to be a theme for the trip. We never got out of the room as early as I thought we would have. And I always felt that no matter what form of transportation we used, we should have used another.
Finally we got to the Magic Kingdom! I told DH to get ahead of us with the video camera so I could get some footage of SophieâÂÂs face when she saw the castle for the first time. She was amazed by it and pointed it out to daddy so he could see it too. We rushed down Main Street past the photographers who were itching to take pictures. I felt bad for them. No one wanted to stop long enough to get a picture! I didnâÂÂt feel bad enough to stop though and we continued on to the first ride. Hey! You donâÂÂt get up early for an ee day to miss all the ee rides, do you?
Our first ride in the Magic Kingdom was Dumbo. We let Sophie choose whom to ride with and generally she was very diplomatic. One time she would pick daddy and the next time mommy. Daddy got Dumbo. I found a good position to videotape and photograph the experience. The wait was very short â I counted 3 loads of people until they got to ride. Next up â Winnie the Pooh, something none of us had ever ridden. Again the wait was minimal â less than 10 minutes. Sophie was a little nervous about whether the ride would be dark, but once we were inside she relaxed and really enjoyed it. Next on the agenda was the Mad Tea Party with Dad â a ride I was happy to pass up since it usually leaves me feeling quite queasy. Got some video of dad and Sophie twirling till DH looked a wee bit green. Then we went to one of my husbandâÂÂs childhood favorites: the Indy cars. Sophie decided to ride this one with mommy so daddy decided to get in the car ahead of us to try to video our ride. Pretty soon Sophie was behind the wheel and mommy learned a valuable lesson â 5 year olds donâÂÂt drive for a reason! I donâÂÂt know whether that center track was a help of a hindrance because I spend the entire ride bouncing off of it! DH got some good video of the trip, but since he was trying to shoot over his head he did get some hair club for men shots too.
Next we were off to the big highlight of the day â breakfast at CinderellaâÂÂs Castle. Before the trip I had picked up a Cinderella dress for Sophie at the Disney store. We had put this in the backpack for her to wear to breakfast. Quick break to slip it on and we went to the castle. The crowds in the lobby amazed me. There were people waiting to go upstairs for breakfast and other people waiting on line to meet Cinderella and the Fairy godmother. Once again Sophie was left speechless â but this time it was at the sight of her favorite Princess. Sophie pulled out her autograph book and pen and got onto the very slow moving line. Before we got to the front our names were called. Seeing SophieâÂÂs crestfallen face I quickly checked with the CM that Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother would still be there when we were done eating.
We went up the curved staircase and entered the dinning room. Once seated we quickly decided to have the âÂÂunhealthy breakfast.â Diet be damned! Our server brought us some yummy breakfast breads and then our breakfast. I have to say that I enjoyed the stuffed French toast - or fried Danish â whatever it is. Sophie was transfixed in the room. She loved it all â the ambiance, being in the Princess dress and seeing the other characters in the room. We saw Snow white, Aladdin and Jasmine working the room. Snow white was so sweet â she had Sophie get out of her chair and the two of them curtsied together. As we were leaving the restaurant to go downstairs I saw a CM with a handful of Pixie Dust. I asked her if I could have some and she was kind enough to open a draw and pull out another handful. She gave it to me so I could put it in SophieâÂÂs scrapbook. When we finished the meal we went back down to the lobby to see âÂÂthe big deal.â Thankfully the line was shorter this time. Sophie was clutching her autograph book and pen so tightly that I suspect she lost feeling in her fingers. Finally it was her turn. I was afraid that my normally outgoing daughter wouldnâÂÂt be able to speak when her moment finally arrived, but Cinderella and the Fairly Godmother were so wonderful! They drew her into conversation, commenting on her very long hair. The Fairy Godmother even noticed that SophieâÂÂs pen had Cinderella on it. By the time we left Sophie was chatting away and we got some more wonderful pictures of her ear-to-ear grin.
Back into the park we ride Snow White and ItâÂÂs a Small World. Then we go to the Haunted Mansion. Sophie was a little nervous for this one, but we told her that it was pretend and that the ghosts were friendly. The stretching room scared her a bit, but she leaned against her daddy and was ok. She didnâÂÂt like the big spider, but aside from that the rest of the ride was fine. Afterwards we went to the Hall of Presidents, Pirates of the Caribbean and Tiki Birds. Our next adventure was Big Thunder. During Tiki Birds Sophie was getting a little whiny so we took a rest break afterwards and then she wanted to continue. Unfortunately when we got to Big Thunder there was a bit of a line. Now the line was not bad, (probably under 15 minutes) but the way they had it wrapped you could see it from outside. This set Sophie off for some reason and she whined through the entire queue. Knowing that she wanted to ride this we kept going and ride it she did. She got through it fine, but later commented that she wouldnâÂÂt necessarily ride it again. Our next stop was another bit of nostalgia for my DH â the shooting gallery. He and Sophie spent a little while shooting at the different targets and wasting some loose change.
Buzz Lightyear was next on the agenda and was a big hit with the whole family. This was the first ride on it for any of us. We all rode in one car and Sophie and I took turns with the shooting and the steering. Somehow we managed to get a score that was significantly less than DHâÂÂs. We rode Carousel of Progress, TTA, and then Eric and Sophie rode Splash Mountain (which we had gotten fast passes for earlier.) Wimpy mommy stayed outside to try to videotape the ride and watch the people get wet. Sophie and Dh donned their ponchos and went to ride. The hard part of waiting to tape this ride is knowing when to tape. At one point you see the boats and can spot your party, but you have no idea how many boats will pass before yours is the one dropping. And let me tell you this takes considerably longer than I expected. I think I taped 10 minutes of other peopleâÂÂs boats doing the big drop before I got to see DD and DH go.
Afterward we got spots for the Magical Moments parade. We were right on one of the tape lines the CM put down â but unfortunately it was cloudy when we picked the spot and before the parade came the clouds had moved and we were not stuck in the sun. Oh well â live and learn. After we took our spot I went to get us a snack. I went into the Liberty Square area and found a walk up window where I got popcorn and a apple dumpling with ice cream. I took this bounty back to the family and we ate this while waiting for the parade. While I was gone my dd had a âÂÂDisney moment.â One of the street performers, âÂÂGold Dust Gusâ engaged my Dd in conversation. She asked him the sign her autograph book and he teased her asking what she wanted him to write. She said, âÂÂyour name.â And her wrote âÂÂyour name.â After going back and forth this way she finally got him to sign her book âÂÂGold Dust Gus.â He spent quite a while with her and was still there when I got back with the food. Sophie loved the parade and took quite a few pictures with the disposable camera we had given her.
After the parade we made our way to the front of the castle to get a good spot for the fireworks and TinkerbellâÂÂs Flight. I secured seats on the benches around the grassy island in front of the castle. Dh and DD decided to wander and do some shopping while I held our spaces. Soon enough they came back with presents for all. Dd had bought herself a t-shirt, a Mickey ear hat with her sisterâÂÂs name on it for the dd who had stayed home, and a Mickey head necklace for me. My husband and dd took the seats that I had saved for them and we waited for the show.
This is where my only gripe day occurs. We had been seated for quite a while â dd then me then DH â when a woman came and sat down next to dd. Then slowly but surely her party began to grow. The problem was that they kept moving over and encroaching on our space. My dd kept inching over to get away from them, because they were literally sitting right next to her, and then they would expand into the space she made. I finally told her to hold her ground and not move over any more. I would have switched places with her, but I knew that if I even had her get up for a second â they would have taken the space. So Sophie held her ground â even inching over whenever she could, but I was very annoyed by this. They had a big group with them and I heard them saying, âÂÂoh so-and-so sit here.â One of them even sat down on the floor in front of me and sat on my foot! Though IâÂÂm sure she noticed, she didnâÂÂt even move. DH and I were getting very annoyed and discussing this amoungst ourselves â slightly louder than we intended. Finally, one of the men with the group noticed (or heard) our displeasure. He had one of the women get off the bench to give us back our space and then he moved the rest of his party over some (including the woman who had been using my foot as a pillow.)
We had a great view of TinkerbellâÂÂs flight and the fireworks which followed. We sat for a little while afterward and then exited the park. When we got back to the All Star Sports Hotel we had dinner in the food court. Since the lines were long and the food court was crowded, I grabbed a table and DH and dd got the food. We got a cheese steak sandwich, a double cheese burger, chili cheese fries and a kidâÂÂs grilled cheese for Sophie. After dinner we went back to the room and went to sleep.
Coming Attractions: Day 4 â Are we tough enough for a dinosaur or bug? And what do the serve at Cracker Barrel anyway?
Click here to read the second chapter of the saga.
Click here to go the the fourth chapter.
Beth E. (NJ)
Co-Moderator: THE RECIPE AND SCRAPBOOK BOARD
THE DISNEY REWARDS FORUM
THEME PARK ATTRACTIONS AND STRATEGIES
[This message was edited by Beth E. (NJ) on 04-15-01 at 02:03 PM.]
[This message was edited by Beth E. (NJ) on 04-15-01 at 02:04 PM.]
We came, we saw, we ate some more!
The vital statistics:
Cast:
Beth E. â the mom, Disney fanatic, trip planner
EE â the dad, just following momâÂÂs well planned out footsteps
Sophie â DD 5 1/2, first trip to WDW, very outgoing child, loves the princesses, has no idea that anything that happens this trip is âÂÂout of the ordinaryâÂÂ
Accommodations: All Star Sports Hotel
Dates of trip: Tuesday December 5th to Friday December 15th
Today we do MK! After a very full day yesterday, we were awaken by the telephone at 6:25AM. Sleeping late is for wimps! We are at WDW and have lots to do! Later than I would have liked we leave the room and take the rental car to the park. We park at TTC and take the monorail to MK. Ahhh! Waiting for the monorail has put us even further behind schedule. This was going to be a theme for the trip. We never got out of the room as early as I thought we would have. And I always felt that no matter what form of transportation we used, we should have used another.
Finally we got to the Magic Kingdom! I told DH to get ahead of us with the video camera so I could get some footage of SophieâÂÂs face when she saw the castle for the first time. She was amazed by it and pointed it out to daddy so he could see it too. We rushed down Main Street past the photographers who were itching to take pictures. I felt bad for them. No one wanted to stop long enough to get a picture! I didnâÂÂt feel bad enough to stop though and we continued on to the first ride. Hey! You donâÂÂt get up early for an ee day to miss all the ee rides, do you?
Our first ride in the Magic Kingdom was Dumbo. We let Sophie choose whom to ride with and generally she was very diplomatic. One time she would pick daddy and the next time mommy. Daddy got Dumbo. I found a good position to videotape and photograph the experience. The wait was very short â I counted 3 loads of people until they got to ride. Next up â Winnie the Pooh, something none of us had ever ridden. Again the wait was minimal â less than 10 minutes. Sophie was a little nervous about whether the ride would be dark, but once we were inside she relaxed and really enjoyed it. Next on the agenda was the Mad Tea Party with Dad â a ride I was happy to pass up since it usually leaves me feeling quite queasy. Got some video of dad and Sophie twirling till DH looked a wee bit green. Then we went to one of my husbandâÂÂs childhood favorites: the Indy cars. Sophie decided to ride this one with mommy so daddy decided to get in the car ahead of us to try to video our ride. Pretty soon Sophie was behind the wheel and mommy learned a valuable lesson â 5 year olds donâÂÂt drive for a reason! I donâÂÂt know whether that center track was a help of a hindrance because I spend the entire ride bouncing off of it! DH got some good video of the trip, but since he was trying to shoot over his head he did get some hair club for men shots too.
Next we were off to the big highlight of the day â breakfast at CinderellaâÂÂs Castle. Before the trip I had picked up a Cinderella dress for Sophie at the Disney store. We had put this in the backpack for her to wear to breakfast. Quick break to slip it on and we went to the castle. The crowds in the lobby amazed me. There were people waiting to go upstairs for breakfast and other people waiting on line to meet Cinderella and the Fairy godmother. Once again Sophie was left speechless â but this time it was at the sight of her favorite Princess. Sophie pulled out her autograph book and pen and got onto the very slow moving line. Before we got to the front our names were called. Seeing SophieâÂÂs crestfallen face I quickly checked with the CM that Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother would still be there when we were done eating.
We went up the curved staircase and entered the dinning room. Once seated we quickly decided to have the âÂÂunhealthy breakfast.â Diet be damned! Our server brought us some yummy breakfast breads and then our breakfast. I have to say that I enjoyed the stuffed French toast - or fried Danish â whatever it is. Sophie was transfixed in the room. She loved it all â the ambiance, being in the Princess dress and seeing the other characters in the room. We saw Snow white, Aladdin and Jasmine working the room. Snow white was so sweet â she had Sophie get out of her chair and the two of them curtsied together. As we were leaving the restaurant to go downstairs I saw a CM with a handful of Pixie Dust. I asked her if I could have some and she was kind enough to open a draw and pull out another handful. She gave it to me so I could put it in SophieâÂÂs scrapbook. When we finished the meal we went back down to the lobby to see âÂÂthe big deal.â Thankfully the line was shorter this time. Sophie was clutching her autograph book and pen so tightly that I suspect she lost feeling in her fingers. Finally it was her turn. I was afraid that my normally outgoing daughter wouldnâÂÂt be able to speak when her moment finally arrived, but Cinderella and the Fairly Godmother were so wonderful! They drew her into conversation, commenting on her very long hair. The Fairy Godmother even noticed that SophieâÂÂs pen had Cinderella on it. By the time we left Sophie was chatting away and we got some more wonderful pictures of her ear-to-ear grin.
Back into the park we ride Snow White and ItâÂÂs a Small World. Then we go to the Haunted Mansion. Sophie was a little nervous for this one, but we told her that it was pretend and that the ghosts were friendly. The stretching room scared her a bit, but she leaned against her daddy and was ok. She didnâÂÂt like the big spider, but aside from that the rest of the ride was fine. Afterwards we went to the Hall of Presidents, Pirates of the Caribbean and Tiki Birds. Our next adventure was Big Thunder. During Tiki Birds Sophie was getting a little whiny so we took a rest break afterwards and then she wanted to continue. Unfortunately when we got to Big Thunder there was a bit of a line. Now the line was not bad, (probably under 15 minutes) but the way they had it wrapped you could see it from outside. This set Sophie off for some reason and she whined through the entire queue. Knowing that she wanted to ride this we kept going and ride it she did. She got through it fine, but later commented that she wouldnâÂÂt necessarily ride it again. Our next stop was another bit of nostalgia for my DH â the shooting gallery. He and Sophie spent a little while shooting at the different targets and wasting some loose change.
Buzz Lightyear was next on the agenda and was a big hit with the whole family. This was the first ride on it for any of us. We all rode in one car and Sophie and I took turns with the shooting and the steering. Somehow we managed to get a score that was significantly less than DHâÂÂs. We rode Carousel of Progress, TTA, and then Eric and Sophie rode Splash Mountain (which we had gotten fast passes for earlier.) Wimpy mommy stayed outside to try to videotape the ride and watch the people get wet. Sophie and Dh donned their ponchos and went to ride. The hard part of waiting to tape this ride is knowing when to tape. At one point you see the boats and can spot your party, but you have no idea how many boats will pass before yours is the one dropping. And let me tell you this takes considerably longer than I expected. I think I taped 10 minutes of other peopleâÂÂs boats doing the big drop before I got to see DD and DH go.
Afterward we got spots for the Magical Moments parade. We were right on one of the tape lines the CM put down â but unfortunately it was cloudy when we picked the spot and before the parade came the clouds had moved and we were not stuck in the sun. Oh well â live and learn. After we took our spot I went to get us a snack. I went into the Liberty Square area and found a walk up window where I got popcorn and a apple dumpling with ice cream. I took this bounty back to the family and we ate this while waiting for the parade. While I was gone my dd had a âÂÂDisney moment.â One of the street performers, âÂÂGold Dust Gusâ engaged my Dd in conversation. She asked him the sign her autograph book and he teased her asking what she wanted him to write. She said, âÂÂyour name.â And her wrote âÂÂyour name.â After going back and forth this way she finally got him to sign her book âÂÂGold Dust Gus.â He spent quite a while with her and was still there when I got back with the food. Sophie loved the parade and took quite a few pictures with the disposable camera we had given her.
After the parade we made our way to the front of the castle to get a good spot for the fireworks and TinkerbellâÂÂs Flight. I secured seats on the benches around the grassy island in front of the castle. Dh and DD decided to wander and do some shopping while I held our spaces. Soon enough they came back with presents for all. Dd had bought herself a t-shirt, a Mickey ear hat with her sisterâÂÂs name on it for the dd who had stayed home, and a Mickey head necklace for me. My husband and dd took the seats that I had saved for them and we waited for the show.
This is where my only gripe day occurs. We had been seated for quite a while â dd then me then DH â when a woman came and sat down next to dd. Then slowly but surely her party began to grow. The problem was that they kept moving over and encroaching on our space. My dd kept inching over to get away from them, because they were literally sitting right next to her, and then they would expand into the space she made. I finally told her to hold her ground and not move over any more. I would have switched places with her, but I knew that if I even had her get up for a second â they would have taken the space. So Sophie held her ground â even inching over whenever she could, but I was very annoyed by this. They had a big group with them and I heard them saying, âÂÂoh so-and-so sit here.â One of them even sat down on the floor in front of me and sat on my foot! Though IâÂÂm sure she noticed, she didnâÂÂt even move. DH and I were getting very annoyed and discussing this amoungst ourselves â slightly louder than we intended. Finally, one of the men with the group noticed (or heard) our displeasure. He had one of the women get off the bench to give us back our space and then he moved the rest of his party over some (including the woman who had been using my foot as a pillow.)
We had a great view of TinkerbellâÂÂs flight and the fireworks which followed. We sat for a little while afterward and then exited the park. When we got back to the All Star Sports Hotel we had dinner in the food court. Since the lines were long and the food court was crowded, I grabbed a table and DH and dd got the food. We got a cheese steak sandwich, a double cheese burger, chili cheese fries and a kidâÂÂs grilled cheese for Sophie. After dinner we went back to the room and went to sleep.
Coming Attractions: Day 4 â Are we tough enough for a dinosaur or bug? And what do the serve at Cracker Barrel anyway?
Click here to read the second chapter of the saga.
Click here to go the the fourth chapter.
Co-Moderator: THE RECIPE AND SCRAPBOOK BOARD
THE DISNEY REWARDS FORUM
THEME PARK ATTRACTIONS AND STRATEGIES
[This message was edited by Beth E. (NJ) on 04-15-01 at 02:03 PM.]
[This message was edited by Beth E. (NJ) on 04-15-01 at 02:04 PM.]
