MOJoe
06-25-2007, 05:49 PM
Friday 6/15/07
Our vacation is winding down. Today is our last full day. And although we have been very active, there are a few more things we'd like to get done. Solo hadn't riden all the roller coasters twice. Indy wants to buy a Obi Wan SWW limited edition pin. And we still haven't seen Wishes.
I know the limited edition SWW merchandise can go fast, so after my coffee i get Indy out of bed and dressed. We leave Minnie and Solo to sleep, and walk over to MGM. The Storm Trooper routine is funny, and i can hear it better today as we go through the turnstiles. For a moment we consider standing in line to get a fastpass for Jeremy Bulloch, the original Boba Fett. But Indy doesn't care and the line is huge, so off we go to Jabba's Hut. Contrary to what i had heard, there was not a crowd here. "Where is everybody?" "Just wait," a castmember says, smiling. "It will get packed." We get our Obi Wan and Han and Chewy pins, exit and turn right. We see some people considering the SWW picture puzzle and think it's cool. "The only one like it in the world!" says the vendor. Indy has a little shopping money left, and asks to go in Tatooine Traders. Here it is a mob scene. Elbow to elbow, claustrophobic, and harder to maneuver than Injun Joe's Cave. We escape with a Jedi Training ballcap and a brown Jedi cloak. After a few more looks at some of the Star Wars characters, we head back our room.
Minnie and Solo are not quite ready to go, and tell us that Epcot is their choice today. Solo really wants to do Test Track again. On our way there, we stop for fish 'n chips. "Needs salt." i say. Afterwards, we notice as we are walking along, there are very few people here. The whole park feels empty. We get to Test Track, and the stand by line is 10 minutes. "Everyone is at MGM," i explain to Minnie and Solo. We ride Test Track and decide to go next door to Mission Space. Here the line is even shorter. In just a couple of minutes we are getting our Green Team pre-flight instructions. After our successful trip to Mars i am feeling confident. "I want to spin!" "Go ahead, we'll wait," Minnie says. As i am entering the Space Race area i notice some cast members. They laugh at me as i happily exclaim, "I want to spin!" while skipping through the exit. I run back to the entrance, and immediately queue up for the Orange Team. I walk all the way through and stop on #9. This is great. 150 minute wait for Orange on Tuesday. Today zero. The instructor tells us on the video that this is a "more intense" level of training, and he scares a few off. More intense? No kidding. The pressure i feel on my chest during lift off is dramatic. I have a little difficulty lifting my arm to the controls and pushing my buttons. Definitely more intense. A little woosey, i walk out the exit and see the same castmembers again. "You look dizzy. Did you know this is very similair to what real astronauts experience?" "No." "The Orange side is much more intense. Do you feel disoriented." Yes, i do." Minnie approaches me. "Would you like to join us for a game?" the castmember asks. I look at Minnie. "Trust me. You want to do this." she says. I turn and look again. These are not ordinary castmembers. "Hey! You guys are the Dream Team!" "Shhhh" with a finger to their lips. "Thank you, Thank you. We are having the best time," i say as i shake some hands. "So you will join us?" "Oh, yes!" I step up a small ramp and wait for the game to begin. I look back down, and the Dream Team girl who ask if i was dizzy is staring at me. I hope i never forget the expression on her face. Such joy, such love. Truely angelic. I realized at that moment how much it means for the Dream Team to feel appreciated. And useful. Making people happy is their only 'reason to be'. Too many visitors i fear are unaware of their existance, and thus the magnitude of the special nature of their gifts. Or worse, they are ungrateful. Me, on the other hand, i am a happy customer. And at least one Dream Team member notices. So then, as the Space Race game begins, the Dream Team tells us we are all winners as part of the Year of a Million Dreams, and begin passing out Dream Mouse Ears. A cheer goes up, as we are simply told that we are in the right place at the right time. Don't know about anyone else, but i feel like my family has been at that same right place most of the week. And this time it's my dream that has come true. And it says so right on my Mouse Ears.
After the Race, we ride with Ellen through the Big Bang and the dinosaurs. Everyone enjoyed this very much, despite the length of the show. From there, we decide to go back to the room to freshen up. Tonight we are going to O'hanas. As we pass Great Britian, i notice the British Invasion is about to play. We duck in. But something is wrong. The sound system is not working. Embarrassed, the musicians come off the stage to explain. Quickly, i ask if i can have my picture taken with them, and they oblige. Solo, equally embarrassed, takes the picture. "We play again at 6:00", they say as people begin to leave.
We get to O'hanas right on time and are seated before our Lapu Lapu's arrive. This really is a fun place. We enjoy the entertainment, the skewers of meat, and of course the bread pudding. Yummy. After dinner, we ride the monorail to the Magic Kingdom for Wishes. We have some time beforehand, and decide to visit Jack Sparrow one more time. Captain Jack, that is. This proved a little costly. We ended up spending way too much time in the gift shop, and did not get back for a good place to view Wishes. We had either a great view of the Castle, or the fireworks. But not both at the same time. Ironic. So many wishes have come true this week. It was as if Tink wasn't letting our last Wishes be fullfilled, just yet. Little did i know.
After the fireworks, Solo and i rode Big Thunder. Good in the day, great in the dark. Minnie and Indy went on Small world and we met up for Mickey's Philharmagic. We went over to Tomorrow Land, but everything was packed. Since it was now mid-night we decide to leave. After a nightmarish bus ride in which a young couple, visibly intoxicated, nearly fall on Solo and me, we arrive back at the Dolphin. Tomorrow we have to check out and fly home. But Solo has not had his dream of riding all the roller coasters twice. He is a little apprehensive of the early wake-up call i insist he take. Animal Kingdom opens early on Saturday. But the allure of completing his vacation on a high note is too great. We decide to open up the park in the morning to ride Everest. Solo is the last one to have his dreams come true. Poetic justice, as he was the last to get in the mood of things. But Tink has plans to fulfill the dream Solo has, and also one he has not yet shared. Tomorrow, even though we are going home, will be another great day.
Our vacation is winding down. Today is our last full day. And although we have been very active, there are a few more things we'd like to get done. Solo hadn't riden all the roller coasters twice. Indy wants to buy a Obi Wan SWW limited edition pin. And we still haven't seen Wishes.
I know the limited edition SWW merchandise can go fast, so after my coffee i get Indy out of bed and dressed. We leave Minnie and Solo to sleep, and walk over to MGM. The Storm Trooper routine is funny, and i can hear it better today as we go through the turnstiles. For a moment we consider standing in line to get a fastpass for Jeremy Bulloch, the original Boba Fett. But Indy doesn't care and the line is huge, so off we go to Jabba's Hut. Contrary to what i had heard, there was not a crowd here. "Where is everybody?" "Just wait," a castmember says, smiling. "It will get packed." We get our Obi Wan and Han and Chewy pins, exit and turn right. We see some people considering the SWW picture puzzle and think it's cool. "The only one like it in the world!" says the vendor. Indy has a little shopping money left, and asks to go in Tatooine Traders. Here it is a mob scene. Elbow to elbow, claustrophobic, and harder to maneuver than Injun Joe's Cave. We escape with a Jedi Training ballcap and a brown Jedi cloak. After a few more looks at some of the Star Wars characters, we head back our room.
Minnie and Solo are not quite ready to go, and tell us that Epcot is their choice today. Solo really wants to do Test Track again. On our way there, we stop for fish 'n chips. "Needs salt." i say. Afterwards, we notice as we are walking along, there are very few people here. The whole park feels empty. We get to Test Track, and the stand by line is 10 minutes. "Everyone is at MGM," i explain to Minnie and Solo. We ride Test Track and decide to go next door to Mission Space. Here the line is even shorter. In just a couple of minutes we are getting our Green Team pre-flight instructions. After our successful trip to Mars i am feeling confident. "I want to spin!" "Go ahead, we'll wait," Minnie says. As i am entering the Space Race area i notice some cast members. They laugh at me as i happily exclaim, "I want to spin!" while skipping through the exit. I run back to the entrance, and immediately queue up for the Orange Team. I walk all the way through and stop on #9. This is great. 150 minute wait for Orange on Tuesday. Today zero. The instructor tells us on the video that this is a "more intense" level of training, and he scares a few off. More intense? No kidding. The pressure i feel on my chest during lift off is dramatic. I have a little difficulty lifting my arm to the controls and pushing my buttons. Definitely more intense. A little woosey, i walk out the exit and see the same castmembers again. "You look dizzy. Did you know this is very similair to what real astronauts experience?" "No." "The Orange side is much more intense. Do you feel disoriented." Yes, i do." Minnie approaches me. "Would you like to join us for a game?" the castmember asks. I look at Minnie. "Trust me. You want to do this." she says. I turn and look again. These are not ordinary castmembers. "Hey! You guys are the Dream Team!" "Shhhh" with a finger to their lips. "Thank you, Thank you. We are having the best time," i say as i shake some hands. "So you will join us?" "Oh, yes!" I step up a small ramp and wait for the game to begin. I look back down, and the Dream Team girl who ask if i was dizzy is staring at me. I hope i never forget the expression on her face. Such joy, such love. Truely angelic. I realized at that moment how much it means for the Dream Team to feel appreciated. And useful. Making people happy is their only 'reason to be'. Too many visitors i fear are unaware of their existance, and thus the magnitude of the special nature of their gifts. Or worse, they are ungrateful. Me, on the other hand, i am a happy customer. And at least one Dream Team member notices. So then, as the Space Race game begins, the Dream Team tells us we are all winners as part of the Year of a Million Dreams, and begin passing out Dream Mouse Ears. A cheer goes up, as we are simply told that we are in the right place at the right time. Don't know about anyone else, but i feel like my family has been at that same right place most of the week. And this time it's my dream that has come true. And it says so right on my Mouse Ears.
After the Race, we ride with Ellen through the Big Bang and the dinosaurs. Everyone enjoyed this very much, despite the length of the show. From there, we decide to go back to the room to freshen up. Tonight we are going to O'hanas. As we pass Great Britian, i notice the British Invasion is about to play. We duck in. But something is wrong. The sound system is not working. Embarrassed, the musicians come off the stage to explain. Quickly, i ask if i can have my picture taken with them, and they oblige. Solo, equally embarrassed, takes the picture. "We play again at 6:00", they say as people begin to leave.
We get to O'hanas right on time and are seated before our Lapu Lapu's arrive. This really is a fun place. We enjoy the entertainment, the skewers of meat, and of course the bread pudding. Yummy. After dinner, we ride the monorail to the Magic Kingdom for Wishes. We have some time beforehand, and decide to visit Jack Sparrow one more time. Captain Jack, that is. This proved a little costly. We ended up spending way too much time in the gift shop, and did not get back for a good place to view Wishes. We had either a great view of the Castle, or the fireworks. But not both at the same time. Ironic. So many wishes have come true this week. It was as if Tink wasn't letting our last Wishes be fullfilled, just yet. Little did i know.
After the fireworks, Solo and i rode Big Thunder. Good in the day, great in the dark. Minnie and Indy went on Small world and we met up for Mickey's Philharmagic. We went over to Tomorrow Land, but everything was packed. Since it was now mid-night we decide to leave. After a nightmarish bus ride in which a young couple, visibly intoxicated, nearly fall on Solo and me, we arrive back at the Dolphin. Tomorrow we have to check out and fly home. But Solo has not had his dream of riding all the roller coasters twice. He is a little apprehensive of the early wake-up call i insist he take. Animal Kingdom opens early on Saturday. But the allure of completing his vacation on a high note is too great. We decide to open up the park in the morning to ride Everest. Solo is the last one to have his dreams come true. Poetic justice, as he was the last to get in the mood of things. But Tink has plans to fulfill the dream Solo has, and also one he has not yet shared. Tomorrow, even though we are going home, will be another great day.