We got to sleep in a bit on Thursday and then hurried off to Epcot. The crowds were minimal and we got on Mission Space (well, I got on Mission Space and it was once again wonderful. (It ¡s fun to watch a grown man desperately clutch a barf bag!) The sensation of lying on your back and looking up the tower just before blast off is spectacular! WOW!
Mary does love and can do Test Track so we grabbed fast passes and then jumped in the singles line for ride #1. It was so fun (do you see a "fun"¨ theme here?)! We got the same car, but were paired up with 4 young ladies who we believe were from Japan. I turned to one of them and asked if they had ridden TT before. I knew immediately that either I had something hanging off my nose or we didn't share a language. I thought for minute and said "Fun?"? along with a thumbs up sign (meanwhile praying that I wasn't insulting them) and they all nodded and whooped "FUN" and thumbed up me back in agreement. It was obviously their first ride and Test Track performed beautifully and gave all of us a ride to remember! At the end of the ride they were still laughing and gave us a last warm "FUN" with a thumbs up and we were off to the fast pass line to do it all again. Some things, especially at WDW, need no translation!
After a bit of time spent at the Living Seas we realized we had to get going as we'd made lunch reservations at the Liberty Tree Tavern over at MK. As we waited for the monorail to come I asked if we could please ride in the front car and the CM smiled and led us to the front when the monorail arrived. Another lady (obviously as much of a Disney fan as we are) joined us I asked the monorail driver why he thought the monorail hadn't been expanded and wasn't surprised to hear him blame management. He rattled off some costs regarding monorail expansion vs. expenses of the current bus system. His explanation of short term investment (which he sees management taking) vs. long term (which was Walt's wish) made sense to me and it was not the first or last time on this trip that we heard a CM voice a negative opinion of Mr. Eisner.
As we left the monorail platform at the MK it began to sprinkle. By the time we had our backpack checked and were through the turnstiles, it was pouring! Of course we had our Mickey ponchos...unfortunately they were back in the room. You guessed it, we are now the proud owners of FOUR ponchos. We were already late for our PS's at the LTT so we waded through the puddles down Main Street. On a positive note, it was not terribly crowded while it was pouring! We made it to LTT, gave our name and drip dried while waiting to be called. In all my trips, this was my first time to eat here and we both found it delightful. The food was good, the service was good and it was fun to sit in the lobby and have them announce each groups' home state as they were seated. Mary has suggested a Thanksgiving dinner there sometime and I concur that it would be great fun.
Following dinner we were both beat and decided to head back to the room for a rest. Following a very refreshing and uninterrupted nap (I know, you're all thinking...Boy, do these two broads sleep a lot!) we woke and decided to head for MGM and Fantasmic. The skies were clearing and it looked like it was going to be a pleasant evening. We got there plenty early but because we like to sit at the top of the Mickey section we decided to wait it out. We were so glad we did as we met a person we now consider one of the world's greatest grandmothers! This wonderful lady from Illinois sat next to us and explained how they bring their grandchildren down every year. She told us how it started years ago with the first grandchild and has grown into this big adventure...setting new "traditions" all the time. Traditions such as visiting World Showcase (starting in Mexico) and no one is allowed to eat until they get to the French bakery where each person MUST get something different. She said they usually end up spending $80 dollars or more but the kids just love it. Last year the kid's parents begged to come along, but Grandma said that was the last trip for them. The grownups (parents) are stick-in-the-muds and will not be invited back again! The parents wanted things like "regular meals" and "afternoon breaks"! "Humph!" she scoffed! She was such a joy and our hour wait just flew by listening to her stories. Fantasmic was as wonderful as always. Mickey conquered the bad guys and all was well.
We were once again awakened at 2:30 a.m. but by 3 everything was peacefully quiet once more.
Friday was our last day at the World and we headed for the Magic Kingdom. We got there in time to see the new pre-show where the characters enter aboard the train and welcome everybody. I hadn't told Mary about this and she was very pleasantly surprised. (Another of those anal planning to-be-in-the-right-place-at-the-right time-things that turned out right!) We headed for Pirates of the Caribbean where we did our normal "talk like a pirate" thing with a lot of "ahoy mateys" and "avast there ye landlubbers" (whatever that means) along with our singing of Yo, Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's life for Me. But we don't know all the words so after that first line we just fill in da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-DA-da-da-da all the way through the rest of the song. (We really do need to learn the words. We've irritated far too many of you fellow riders through the years!) By the way, remember that every September 19th is "Talk Like A Pirate Day". How come my brain retains trivia like that while I cannot tell you what I had for lunch? Ah, well... For whatever reason we hit the park at the right time and were able to ride Big Thunder Mountain at least four times! We visited the ghouls and boys at the Haunted Mansion again and flew over London with Peter Pan and Wendy and, of course, had to do Mickey's Philharmagic.
I hope you don't mind if I share a special story with you. I always ride the Carousel in honor of my Mom. You see, the first time I brought my folks to WDW, the trip began as a disaster. My Mom and I had never gotten along very well and she didn't want to make the trip at all! My Father (who knew I had saved for a long time to be able to make this trip) stood his ground however and kind of forced her to come. Well, she was whining and complaining even as we were walking down Main Street and I was beginning to think it was going to be a very long week. We walked up to the Castle and when we came out the other side and saw the Carousel, my Mother literally gasped and grabbed my arm. I looked at her and she had tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, please, can I ride it?" Dad and I just looked at each other and hurried her toward the ride. Mom and Dad were not young at this time. I believe they were both in their 80's so when we actually got on the Carousel I thought Mom would be content to sit on one of the benches, but I turned around to see Dad boosting her posterior up on the horse she had chosen. She laughed and smiled and hung on to that horse for dear life! Who would have thought she loved Carousels? Even Dad didn't know! Something changed right there and then in our relationship and it truly was what made me begin to believe in the magic of Walt. Whenever I ride, I feel her in my heart.
We grabbed a fastpass for Buzz Lightyear and took a break for lunch at Cosmic Ray's. We rode Buzz and, yes, you're right, I got beaten for the 69th and 70th time! Space Mountain's wait was too long and we were both winding down so we left the park to recharge our batteries and, sadly, to begin packing for our trip home the next day.
We had priority seating at the Castle for dinner and we had just gotten our table when we were surprised to see our favorite weatherman, Al Roker, and his family come in. I don't think I've ever seen a celebrity in the parks before. We had to laugh because Mr. Roker looked just like any one of the fathers who had had a veeeeeeeerrry long day! Our meal was good, as usual, but even better than that was a little girl who obviously was crazy about Princess Aurora. In the evening there are usually no Princesses around but occasionally we've seen Cinderella in the lobby. It looked to us like Princess Aurora was heading "backstage" when she was approached by this shy little girl (who was dragging her mother along with her). It would have been very easy for the Princess to sign the little girl's autograph book and go on her way but she immediately seemed to understand this child's delight in meeting her. The Princess invited the child and her mother to ride the elevator with her for a few minutes of private time. Our table was one of the few that could see inside the elevator. As the little girl got in she plunked down on the floor...Princess Aurora flopped right down on the floor next to her, her gown askew, and as the doors closed was smiling and talking to the little girl as the little girl's mother looked on in amazement. I wish I could describe it better because the scene brought tears to our eyes. And you should have seen that little girl's face as she raced back to her table about ten minutes later to tell her father what had happened! I guess we're suckers for a happy kid.
We finished dinner and did a little "power" shopping while waiting for Spectromagic and Wishes. After viewing the parade from Main Street we decided to move over to the Crystal Palace area again for a better view. We shared the space with some more friendly people. On our left we had a Mom, Dad and two little girls. The little girls had seen the fireworks before but had never seen Tink fly so we assured them they had a good seat. As the fireworks started, the girls watched anxiously for Tinkerbell. Suddenly my friend said "There she is"!¨ and the girls clapped in delight. The biggest surprise seemed to be for "Dad" however, as he clapped me on the back proclaiming "She's a real person. She's a REEEEAL person...I didn't know she would be REAL!" We five women just stared at him. He was very excited! You just never know where you'll find the magic, do you?
We wistfully headed out of the park. Waving our goodbyes to "Chuck and Dave" (do you think they're beginning to respond to those names?) we passed the turnstiles and boarded the bus. No matter how many times I've been there, I am still sad to "leave". Perhaps it's just knowing we have to go back to the "real" world, eh? On the positive side...we got what was to be the best night's sleep we had all during our vacation! The next morning saw us packing up the little red Vue (we seemed to have made a final peace with it) and winging our way back to the wilds of Wisconsin (no mooing, please) with a little leftover pixie dust on our shoulders.
Thanks so much to all of you who have let me share our trip. I have to confess it's been fun to relive it and I'm a bit sad that it's over. It seems that each trip takes on a bit of a different personality. One thing is for certain and that is the reason we keep returning again and again...it's not the attractions, as much as we love them, nor is it the splendiferous fireworks and shows but it is the people. The Cast Members who make us feel welcome and special. And the good people we meet in the World...people like you who are reading this report. You folks ARE the magic.
Hmmmmmmmmm...do you think it's too early to start planning for the next trip?
Mary does love and can do Test Track so we grabbed fast passes and then jumped in the singles line for ride #1. It was so fun (do you see a "fun"¨ theme here?)! We got the same car, but were paired up with 4 young ladies who we believe were from Japan. I turned to one of them and asked if they had ridden TT before. I knew immediately that either I had something hanging off my nose or we didn't share a language. I thought for minute and said "Fun?"? along with a thumbs up sign (meanwhile praying that I wasn't insulting them) and they all nodded and whooped "FUN" and thumbed up me back in agreement. It was obviously their first ride and Test Track performed beautifully and gave all of us a ride to remember! At the end of the ride they were still laughing and gave us a last warm "FUN" with a thumbs up and we were off to the fast pass line to do it all again. Some things, especially at WDW, need no translation!
After a bit of time spent at the Living Seas we realized we had to get going as we'd made lunch reservations at the Liberty Tree Tavern over at MK. As we waited for the monorail to come I asked if we could please ride in the front car and the CM smiled and led us to the front when the monorail arrived. Another lady (obviously as much of a Disney fan as we are) joined us I asked the monorail driver why he thought the monorail hadn't been expanded and wasn't surprised to hear him blame management. He rattled off some costs regarding monorail expansion vs. expenses of the current bus system. His explanation of short term investment (which he sees management taking) vs. long term (which was Walt's wish) made sense to me and it was not the first or last time on this trip that we heard a CM voice a negative opinion of Mr. Eisner.
As we left the monorail platform at the MK it began to sprinkle. By the time we had our backpack checked and were through the turnstiles, it was pouring! Of course we had our Mickey ponchos...unfortunately they were back in the room. You guessed it, we are now the proud owners of FOUR ponchos. We were already late for our PS's at the LTT so we waded through the puddles down Main Street. On a positive note, it was not terribly crowded while it was pouring! We made it to LTT, gave our name and drip dried while waiting to be called. In all my trips, this was my first time to eat here and we both found it delightful. The food was good, the service was good and it was fun to sit in the lobby and have them announce each groups' home state as they were seated. Mary has suggested a Thanksgiving dinner there sometime and I concur that it would be great fun.
Following dinner we were both beat and decided to head back to the room for a rest. Following a very refreshing and uninterrupted nap (I know, you're all thinking...Boy, do these two broads sleep a lot!) we woke and decided to head for MGM and Fantasmic. The skies were clearing and it looked like it was going to be a pleasant evening. We got there plenty early but because we like to sit at the top of the Mickey section we decided to wait it out. We were so glad we did as we met a person we now consider one of the world's greatest grandmothers! This wonderful lady from Illinois sat next to us and explained how they bring their grandchildren down every year. She told us how it started years ago with the first grandchild and has grown into this big adventure...setting new "traditions" all the time. Traditions such as visiting World Showcase (starting in Mexico) and no one is allowed to eat until they get to the French bakery where each person MUST get something different. She said they usually end up spending $80 dollars or more but the kids just love it. Last year the kid's parents begged to come along, but Grandma said that was the last trip for them. The grownups (parents) are stick-in-the-muds and will not be invited back again! The parents wanted things like "regular meals" and "afternoon breaks"! "Humph!" she scoffed! She was such a joy and our hour wait just flew by listening to her stories. Fantasmic was as wonderful as always. Mickey conquered the bad guys and all was well.
We were once again awakened at 2:30 a.m. but by 3 everything was peacefully quiet once more.
Friday was our last day at the World and we headed for the Magic Kingdom. We got there in time to see the new pre-show where the characters enter aboard the train and welcome everybody. I hadn't told Mary about this and she was very pleasantly surprised. (Another of those anal planning to-be-in-the-right-place-at-the-right time-things that turned out right!) We headed for Pirates of the Caribbean where we did our normal "talk like a pirate" thing with a lot of "ahoy mateys" and "avast there ye landlubbers" (whatever that means) along with our singing of Yo, Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's life for Me. But we don't know all the words so after that first line we just fill in da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-DA-da-da-da all the way through the rest of the song. (We really do need to learn the words. We've irritated far too many of you fellow riders through the years!) By the way, remember that every September 19th is "Talk Like A Pirate Day". How come my brain retains trivia like that while I cannot tell you what I had for lunch? Ah, well... For whatever reason we hit the park at the right time and were able to ride Big Thunder Mountain at least four times! We visited the ghouls and boys at the Haunted Mansion again and flew over London with Peter Pan and Wendy and, of course, had to do Mickey's Philharmagic.
I hope you don't mind if I share a special story with you. I always ride the Carousel in honor of my Mom. You see, the first time I brought my folks to WDW, the trip began as a disaster. My Mom and I had never gotten along very well and she didn't want to make the trip at all! My Father (who knew I had saved for a long time to be able to make this trip) stood his ground however and kind of forced her to come. Well, she was whining and complaining even as we were walking down Main Street and I was beginning to think it was going to be a very long week. We walked up to the Castle and when we came out the other side and saw the Carousel, my Mother literally gasped and grabbed my arm. I looked at her and she had tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, please, can I ride it?" Dad and I just looked at each other and hurried her toward the ride. Mom and Dad were not young at this time. I believe they were both in their 80's so when we actually got on the Carousel I thought Mom would be content to sit on one of the benches, but I turned around to see Dad boosting her posterior up on the horse she had chosen. She laughed and smiled and hung on to that horse for dear life! Who would have thought she loved Carousels? Even Dad didn't know! Something changed right there and then in our relationship and it truly was what made me begin to believe in the magic of Walt. Whenever I ride, I feel her in my heart.
We grabbed a fastpass for Buzz Lightyear and took a break for lunch at Cosmic Ray's. We rode Buzz and, yes, you're right, I got beaten for the 69th and 70th time! Space Mountain's wait was too long and we were both winding down so we left the park to recharge our batteries and, sadly, to begin packing for our trip home the next day.
We had priority seating at the Castle for dinner and we had just gotten our table when we were surprised to see our favorite weatherman, Al Roker, and his family come in. I don't think I've ever seen a celebrity in the parks before. We had to laugh because Mr. Roker looked just like any one of the fathers who had had a veeeeeeeerrry long day! Our meal was good, as usual, but even better than that was a little girl who obviously was crazy about Princess Aurora. In the evening there are usually no Princesses around but occasionally we've seen Cinderella in the lobby. It looked to us like Princess Aurora was heading "backstage" when she was approached by this shy little girl (who was dragging her mother along with her). It would have been very easy for the Princess to sign the little girl's autograph book and go on her way but she immediately seemed to understand this child's delight in meeting her. The Princess invited the child and her mother to ride the elevator with her for a few minutes of private time. Our table was one of the few that could see inside the elevator. As the little girl got in she plunked down on the floor...Princess Aurora flopped right down on the floor next to her, her gown askew, and as the doors closed was smiling and talking to the little girl as the little girl's mother looked on in amazement. I wish I could describe it better because the scene brought tears to our eyes. And you should have seen that little girl's face as she raced back to her table about ten minutes later to tell her father what had happened! I guess we're suckers for a happy kid.
We finished dinner and did a little "power" shopping while waiting for Spectromagic and Wishes. After viewing the parade from Main Street we decided to move over to the Crystal Palace area again for a better view. We shared the space with some more friendly people. On our left we had a Mom, Dad and two little girls. The little girls had seen the fireworks before but had never seen Tink fly so we assured them they had a good seat. As the fireworks started, the girls watched anxiously for Tinkerbell. Suddenly my friend said "There she is"!¨ and the girls clapped in delight. The biggest surprise seemed to be for "Dad" however, as he clapped me on the back proclaiming "She's a real person. She's a REEEEAL person...I didn't know she would be REAL!" We five women just stared at him. He was very excited! You just never know where you'll find the magic, do you?
We wistfully headed out of the park. Waving our goodbyes to "Chuck and Dave" (do you think they're beginning to respond to those names?) we passed the turnstiles and boarded the bus. No matter how many times I've been there, I am still sad to "leave". Perhaps it's just knowing we have to go back to the "real" world, eh? On the positive side...we got what was to be the best night's sleep we had all during our vacation! The next morning saw us packing up the little red Vue (we seemed to have made a final peace with it) and winging our way back to the wilds of Wisconsin (no mooing, please) with a little leftover pixie dust on our shoulders.
Thanks so much to all of you who have let me share our trip. I have to confess it's been fun to relive it and I'm a bit sad that it's over. It seems that each trip takes on a bit of a different personality. One thing is for certain and that is the reason we keep returning again and again...it's not the attractions, as much as we love them, nor is it the splendiferous fireworks and shows but it is the people. The Cast Members who make us feel welcome and special. And the good people we meet in the World...people like you who are reading this report. You folks ARE the magic.
Hmmmmmmmmm...do you think it's too early to start planning for the next trip?
Cmadsen
You have so much fun! I have loved every minute of your trip report!
Shelly
