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SBETigg
09-14-2007, 08:27 PM
Previous: Day Five (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=115569)

Day Six, Friday, August 24
Dates: August 19- 29.
Grand Floridian, MK View: Boca Chica 8507

Cast:
Sherri: AKA SBETigg,38, longtime WDW fan.
Sean: The DH, 42, desperate for a vacation.
The DS: 16, still willing to be seen with parents at WDW.
The DD: AKA SunshinePiglet, 14, shares love of all things Disney.

It’s water park day! We’re trying Typhoon Lagoon. I’m not really a big fan of water parks, but I’m excited anyway and thinking I may be brave enough for the Humunga Cowabunga. What’s the worst that could happen, right?

I’m starting to get moans of rebellion that I’m too organized and too scheduled, so I try to back off and let the kids get up without my needling. But it doesn’t happen in a timely fashion so I go back to “suggesting” they get up. Hey, we’re in Disney! They can sleep at home. Eventually, we’re all ready and off to the park and the inevitable happens—they start to realize that we barely have enough time to do everything. Oh, we do have enough time. But it doesn’t hurt that they think maybe Mom’s right to wake everyone up so early (early being nine am).

We get there at around eleven and head for the lazy river. I’m a little panicked when we can’t find spare tubes right away, but they come around and off we go. It’s not as much fun as I remembered Blizzard Beach’s lazy river to be, but it’s decent and I look forward to the slides. I don’t remember all the slide names, but we do the ones that require tubes, and Gangplank Falls, the family sized tube ride. Again, not as good as Blizzard Beach’s. In fact, way too short. And I stubbed my toe getting in to the tube.

The DD doesn’t like water parks. She has been a trouper up to now, and suddenly she needs a break. My hip’s acting up anyway- all that barefoot walking and climbing- so we plan a place to meet up later and the DD and I go off to have a snack. We take our time and whine about the heat and the wetness of water, split a chicken sandwich, and wander over to the designated meeting place, Shark Reef. The guys are going to swim with sharks.

We wait in chairs out front and eventually decide the guys must already be in there. We go to the viewing area and yes, there they are. The DS never gets the hang of the snorkel and the DH gets too cold waiting, so they bail on the shark swim.

We decide we’re done for the day and head for the changing rooms. The DS is excited to report that he tackled Humunga Cowabunga, and it sounds scary so I’m glad I chickened out. As we head for the exit, the sky darkens and a boom cracks the air. Thunder! It’s our first rain all week. Good thing we were on our way out. We hope to beat the masses to the buses, and we do.

It’s our Pirate and Princess Party night, so we hope the rain stops. On the bus, the woman next to us talks to her kids. Apparently, they have had dinner at Artist Point every night of their stay and they’re going back tonight. Every night? I wonder if they’re on dining plan and if they know they can eat outside their resort or if they just like Artist Point that much? Weird, but whatever. WL is our first stop so I’ll never find out what’s up with that.

We have time for a rest before our pre P & P dinner at Kona Café. It looks like it may clear up, then it begins storming all over again. We boat over to the Polynesian and it seems to stop. We go in to get seated and the skies open up with a vengeance. Maybe we won’t rush dinner after all. After a disappointing Kona Café (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=115632)experience, we linger and hope for the rain to slow. No dice. By six-thirty, we don our ponchos and go for it.

And we’re so glad we did! What a fun time, even in the rain. The MK is almost empty. We head for Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor and end up laughing lots. The DH gets some onscreen time (no, he’s not that guy) and we all get in on the joke. Next, we do Buzz, Space Mt, Teacups, Pooh, Philharmagic, Peter Pan, Small World, Thunder Mt, Splash Mt, Pirates, and then some repeats. The longest wait all night is ten minutes for Peter Pan. The rain wreaks havoc with the parade/fireworks schedule, but we manage to catch the end of a parade and the fireworks (with a Dole Whip in hand) from the end of Main Street with only two other people nearby. It’s like having the fireworks just for us, incredible!

On the way out, we’re handed a card of apology for the rain and admission to the MK for a day of our choosing within the next year. Nice! But we’ve got all the admission we need for this trip and probably won’t be back in the year.

So we had to wear ponchos, no apology needed. We had an amazing time! I don’t like that it costs extra to do the parties and closes the MK early, but I do recommend doing them if you like low wait times and a chance to enjoy the MK with fewer crowds—not to mention the party extras. Well worth the price of admission.

Next: Day Seven (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?p=1420121#post1420121)

Donald
09-14-2007, 08:48 PM
Even a bad water park, lousy dining experience, and stormy end to the day at WDW is still better than a day at work!:mickey:

iheartmickey
09-14-2007, 10:13 PM
I'm not a water park person ... but it sounds like you had fun and excellent timing! Got to the buses just in time! :thumbsup: Sorry your dinner was not as good as your expectations. At least you made up for it with little to no wait at the party. Sounds like a good day overall. :mickey:

Thank you for sharing! :thumbsup:

Jenemmy
09-15-2007, 08:56 AM
Sherri -- just wanted to tell you that I am loving all your trip reports and dining reviews! They are so descriptive that I just live them with you :mickey: Thanks for taking the time to post!

DisneyorBust
09-15-2007, 09:37 AM
All in all it sounds like you had another great day in Disney! What a way to end your night, with a 'private' showing of the fireworks!
Thanks for taking us along!:thumbsup:

faline
09-15-2007, 05:38 PM
Sorry Kona Cafe wasn't to your liking. I'm hoping it was an off day as our last two meals there (dinner and lunch) have been quite good!

Tink's Mom
09-15-2007, 05:38 PM
Sherri
I have been reading all of your reports, and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy them. They are actually quite humorous and entertaining. The string bikini bit was too funny! I like your writing style, so I will have to check out your new book. Looking forward to your next post.

SBETigg
09-15-2007, 06:11 PM
Sherri
I have been reading all of your reports, and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy them. They are actually quite humorous and entertaining. The string bikini bit was too funny! I like your writing style, so I will have to check out your new book. Looking forward to your next post.

Thank you! Good to know, and so nice of you to look for the book. Actually, I've had a lot of PMs about the book, and I am so thrilled for all of your support. INTERCOT really is like family. :) Thanks again.

RedSoxFan
09-15-2007, 10:24 PM
Sounds like a great day.:mickey:

BronxTigger
09-16-2007, 10:07 AM
So...that saying about a bad day in Disney is still better than other places is holding true here.

Definitely not your best day of this trip but it sounds like you still had a great time. :thumbsup:

SBETigg
09-16-2007, 10:34 AM
So...that saying about a bad day in Disney is still better than other places is holding true here.

Definitely not your best day of this trip but it sounds like you still had a great time. :thumbsup:

I can't say it was bad. We were still in Disney, yes, and the party was fantastic. I'm glad we tried Typhoon Lagoon. I always thought it was the water park I would enjoy more, but I'm surprisingly happier with Blizzard Beach-- if I have to be at a water park. The DS loves the water parks, so by his account this was a great day.

Dsnygirl
09-17-2007, 03:56 AM
:mickey: Sounds like you had a great day! We haven't done the water parks in years, so I'm really looking forward to taking our girls next year. glad to hear the P&P party was fun, despite the rain!! :D

DizNee143
09-17-2007, 10:55 AM
sounds like an ok day..sorry typhoon lagoon wasnt what you though it was gonna be...and so sorry to hear about dinner this night...you seemed to have had great dinner every other night...i hope the rest of the days are better!! :mickey:

Bethis26fan
09-17-2007, 08:39 PM
sounds like a great day

dolphinmickey9170
09-19-2007, 09:14 PM
What a day!! Thanks for sharing.

ChipnDaleGal
09-21-2007, 03:54 PM
Sorry it rained through so much of your party, but having an almost private viewing of the fireworks sounds really cool! Thanks for sharing. :mickey:

pdrlkr
11-02-2007, 08:34 PM
Thanks for the report! :smickey: