Ice's Long Strange Trip Report

[wizardmickey]

I'm gonna try and get this party started... But before I do I'd like to share this from INFO CENTRAL as it was a factor in choosing this time of year for this family trip;


BEST TIME TO VISIT
September
*Please note: These are general guidelines. Disney often offers vacation discounts and specials throughout the year. These can increase the crowds.

Yeah, incentives have DEFINITELY changed the flow of traffic during September... so much so that our resort was overbooked during the last few days of us trying to extend... but I'm getting ahead of myself - I should start at the start and maybe end at the end instead!

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Me (Ice, now known by the family as "That Guy")
The Wife (Christy)
Mom & Dad Wyatt
Christy's brother Ty, his wife Vivian and their 7 year old daughter Faith.
Thursday was departure day, and it almost didn't happen thanks to Gustav. The airport here had been shut down since Monday, and our flight was the first flight going out after everything reopened. Luckily we faced no drama on that front, and made it to Houston and then on to Orlanda where we caught DME and were on our merry way to the All-Star Movies. We all got checked in, dropped off our carry-on's, met in the food court and headed off to Downtown Disney where we ate at the Rainforest Cafe. Afterwards we walked it off for a bit and headed back to the bus and to the ASMovies for some shut-eye. I will add here that we had upgraded our room in order to get the Free Dining Plan being offered (which plays into the increased crowds) and specifically asked for a King-size bed. Now I know requests are met as best as they can, but our Preferred Room had two tiny beds in it (although it was right by the front of the resort)... for those of you who have met me, you know I am a large fella, and that tiny little bed had my feet dangling over the end unless I curled up some, and that then left less room for Christy. I figured that as crowded as they were, why bother complaining about wanting to be moved and possibly not getting what I want, so we just settled in and went to sleep.
The next day we all met for a quick breakfast. As we were checking out, we were informed that we also could have 4 drinks (and the large ones at that!) So we asked the family if they wanted OJ or apple juice or chocolate milk, and for the next few days they at least got free drinks with their breakfasts.
We hit the bus-stop for our connection to the Magic Kingdom. On our arrival we dropped stuff off at the locker and took a few pictures (Photopass and with our own cameras) and as we rounded Main Street, Faith's eyes went wide; "Look at that! It's Cinderella's Castle! It's so much bigger than in the stories!" From there we went straight for Christy's favorite ride... BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!!! Why? Because she handily beats me everytime we ride it!!!
From there we made the circuit of Tomorrowland, including our 1st visit to the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor; for those of you who've experienced it, you probably know all about "That Guy?" Well, guess who the monster's singled out to be That Guy during our visit? Needless to say, I tried to ham it up each time the camera was on me once I realized what was happening! And of course, I happily have my little sticker the CM gave me declaring me THAT GUY!
From there we hit as many attractions in as many lands as we could. Lines were what I would consider moderate... I've seen them about the same or less during the Christmas season, so I was a bit surprised at some of the lines, but we just skipped onto whatever had short lines. BTW - I've heard tales of the heat and humidity during the Summer being absolutely horrible... well, it ain't much better in September! It literally drained us!
After many fantastic (yet sweaty) experiences (including hearing my bro-in-law scream and giggle like a little girl on BTM and watch the family dance through the Pirate queue) it was time for our reserved dining at the castle. I had printed "Official Reservations" which they recieved at Christmas announcing they were being treated to dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table. Quickly while I went ahead to check in, Viv took Faith to a store and got her decked out as Princess Ariel just in time for our name to be called. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and the novelty of eating INSIDE the Castle!!!
Once we were done we headed over to EPCOT and hit a few rides before finding a spot for Illuminations. Now, neither Viv or Faith have ever been to WDW before, and Ty hadn't been since he was 9, so they were all rather wide-eyed like country mice at some of the things they had seen so far, but Illuminations (even without the globe) literally blew them away. Ty's comment was "I never thought I'd see such a firework show synched up so perfectly to music!" By this time, we had been park hopping from 9 am to after 9 pm, and everyone (even those of us who normally just can't get enough) were worn out, so it was back to the hotel and some much needed sleep.

I'm still working on pictures right now, so I'll post the link at the end of each section of my report (just in case.) Here's what's up so far:
http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z221/flyingicemanvx/WDWFAMILY2008/

More soon...

[Blue Genie]

OK before I go on to page 2 on your Photobucket what in the world did you do to make Minnie do this?

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z221/flyingicemanvx/WDWFAMILY2008/DisneyPhotoImage104.jpg

Also grrrr:mad: U got Belle in Blue.

[wizardmickey]

You'll probably find a couple of pictures with Minnie getting "friendly" with me... this trip and from past trips. What can I say? Seems Minnie has a thing for me!
And I think this is maybe the 2nd or 3rd trip I've gotten Belle in the blue dress...

[LuvsTigger80]

Your pictures are great. looks like a good start to a happy vacation...:mickey:

[Blue Genie]

You better be careful there Ice Minnie may take you away from Lady Ice.

[gerald72]

Nice pics.
Blue Genie is just jealous. He is worried you might steal Snow White from him.

[TinkRocks]

Fantastic pics, Ice - rather jealous, actually... ;)

You guys obviously love having fun - it definitely shows!

Can't wait to read more of your trip report...

[mickeytinkerbellprincess]

Rockin' report and pics, Ice.i :) You're so lucky! :D Keep it coming :)

[JPL]

Sounds like a Mgical start to your trip :mickey:

Can't wait to read more :thumbsup:

[chrisb26]

Great report Ice!

I love your picture with you in front of the Giant Guitar! :D

[See.low]

Awesome pics ice ice baby! Looks like a fun time had by all! :thumbsup:

[Blue Genie]

Nice pics.
Blue Genie is just jealous. He is worried you might steal Snow White from him.

NAH? Not with Snow White she was just my friend that I knew for almost 3 years this coming Oct.

[wizardmickey]

I hear ya talking Genie, and all I can say is beware jealous Prince dudes - ya know what I mean?
THE NEXT CHAPTER BEGINS:
For the family's next day, we had a full schedule of events planned out (as in since they were only there for 3 days they gave us a list of things they for sure wanted to see and asked us to loosely plan around that). We got up early and headed over to the Animal Kingdom, and since the little one is sooooo fascinated by dinosaurs you can guess where we went to first! Now, I gotta say, as many times as we have ridden Dinosaur, my sweet sweet brave wife has never kept her eyes open when the big nasty red creature jumps out at us, and we have the pictures to prove this! Yet, her little niece loved the ride.
We rode the Triceratops Spin (whoopie!) and decided to make our way over towards Everest and check on the Nemo show along the way. As it turned out, the show was about to start and there was no line (only because so many people were inside already). We went right on in... and everyone really enjoyed the show! NOTE; Last trip, the Nemo show had just opened, and the lines were nonstop everytime we went to try to catch it, so this was quite fortunate this time!
It was after the show that Vivian realized she had lost her cell phone, so we doubled back to Dino-Land to retrace our steps, but had no luck. She reported it to the proper folks and was told to check with guest services later.
So it was time for Everest! Of the 7 of us, we knew fairly sure that at least 4 of us would ride or try to ride EVERYTHING!!!! Faith being so little was a consideration - Viv suffers major motion sickness - and Mom at least gives a few of them a try. For Everest, it was Christy, Ty, Dad and me... and we walked through with very little wait even though it said there was a 25 minute wait. While waiting to board, I remembered Figgie's trip report and telling us about the Yeti being in "B Show Mode", so I asked the CM and he said it was in B Mode. Even so, for those who'd never seen it before they were impressed... and por Ty was even a little queasy when we got off... he'd had a sinus infection when we left and going backwards kinds threw him off.
From there we meandered about and made it to the Kilimanjaro Safari, which was a biggie on the family's list. We had a very funny guide and some great views of the animals (sometimes they are out, and other times they are really out!) After exiting we walked the gorilla trail, and realized we were all getting hungry. Again, thanks to Figgie, I remembered seeing the Yak & Yeti as we walked about, so we made our way over there and put our name in (estimated wait time was 20-25 minutes.) Ty reeeeeeally wanted to ride the Kali River Rapids, and we figured it being so close by he could make there and back by the time we got called for our seating, and Faith and Dad chose to go too.
As we hung around, our name was called within about 10 minutes, so we left instructions for the people at the check-in to send the rest of our party to our table when they showed up. So we sat and waited... and waited... and waited... and finally decided to order the appetizer sampler... and we ate it.... and waited... and eventually they showed up. Apparently, the wait was 30 minutes (from the Stand-by entrance through the queue and to the ride) and then you factor in the ride time itself and, well, you get the idea! They were soaked, and because the Yak & Yeti is well air-conditioned, they were cold! Anyway, we ate, and other than Dad (who isn't a fan of Asian cuisine) and Faith (who slept through the whole thing) everybody loved it! Oh yeah... since Christy & I were on the FREE Dining Plan/Incentive, it was free for us!
The plan was to see the Lion King and Tough to be a Bug and then head over to the Magic Kingdom so they could see Wishes, but we got as far as Bug's and the majority of our little excursion was pooped and wanted a nap. We went back with them to the resort and we cleaned up and put on some fresh new clothes and ventured back to MK by ourselves. Ty said if they were up to it after they napped they might meet us there... uh huh.
It was quite crowded when we got to the MK, more than I had expected or seen on previous trips. Lines were averaging anywhere from 25 & 35 minutes all the way up to 50 minutes to an hour! So, we FastPassed a few things, got some PhotoPasses taken, ate and sweated like little piggies. Once again, we had an adventure at the Judges Tent; Mickey and Minnie greeted each of us with hugs, handshakes and kisses. When Mickey noticed my T-Shirt with him doing the whole Fantasmic dance on it, he began dancing while the CM's "hummed" the tune for him. Once he finished, he pointed to me, and I assumed that meant it was my turn, so I did my best Fantasmic dance. The whole time both the PhotoPass camera and our camera was snapping away, so the pictures are at the link (I'm in the tie-dye blue shirt during this part of the story.)
We made another trip over to Space Mountain, only to find it closed! They expected it to be open maybe in about 45-55 minutes... maybe. So instead we hit the TTA for a nice relaxing trip. As it approached Space Mountain, we noticed the lights were on where the astronauts are overhead. Something didn't feel right... and as we rounded the corner with the glass partition overlooking the loading zone, we could see all the lights in the building were on! So, Christy furiously snapped away on her camera as I videotaped a rather shocking site - the track system of Space Mountain as it was never meant to be seen by us mere mortals! Needless to say, seeing it made it just a bit scarier, but cool nonetheless (pictures are also in the linked pics.)
Since we knew we were going to make our last day (9/11) a full day of MK and we would see the fireworks then, we opted to just hit a few more rides and then head back to the resort around 7:30 for some rest (the heat was wiping us out too!)
http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z...WDWFAMILY2008/
Next up, DAY 3 for the Family!!!

[Blue Genie]

Keep it coming Ice mountain. :D:D

[Tink's Mom]

Thanks for sharing your pics with us. Everyone looks so happy!

[wizardmickey]

Y'all are welcome for the pic's... of which I only uploaded about 275-ish or so to my account at this time. Between what Christy snapped and the PhotoPass card we had about 900+, and her Mom just turned her film in this week and is giving us the disc from that when it's done (I have no idea how many pictures she took, but it looked like at least 4-5 rolls of film). Ty and Vivian used the cameras on their phones... So, if I upload more pictures I'll let y'all know!

Ok, for the family's last day, we got up and made our way over to EPCOT. Viv almost made it onto Soarin', but just as the belt's snapped locked, she changed her mind and we had to wait for CM's to unlock her and get her out before our flight. Of course, since we had the little one, we had to hit the Clam-Mobiles and go see Nemo. Now, last time we rode this, we got stuck in front of the Bruce sequence for about 40 minutes, so we were a bit freaky when it stopped in the jelly-fish field and then again in the room with Crush surfing the currents... but, it crept back into motion and as soon as it stopped the rest of the family wondered why the wife and I hopped out of our clam so quickly!
We hit Test Track back to back a few times (lines were real short for that one), did the sissy version of Mission Space (probably the least queasy I've ever been on it), introduced the rest of the family to "Beverly" cola (and filmed as many reactions as we could) and then made our way over to the World Showcase.
Of course, since Mexico is first, we rode the Festival ride and wandered about inside the pyramid for a while just looking at stuff. Mom W. picked up some maracca's and treated us to a dance and we donned sombrero's for some pic's. I bought me a few new maracca's (the one I use on stage was loosing it's "rattle") and a Passport for Faith which Christy took her to get stamped before we headed back out into the heat and sun. As we came out we ran right into Fiesta Donald (anything Donald is my wife's FAVORITE!!!)
We began making the rounds, stopping for Passport visits (and making the mask) as well as just general rubbernecking. Of course, there was the required visit to Norway and the Maelstrom (and running through the theater at the end!) It was decided that, since we loved the Biergardden soooo much (and since Christy spent so much of her childhood living in Germany) that we would eat there. By this time, we were about halfway through the day and still needed to hit the Disney Hollywood Studios, so Christy and Ty made a dash for the lockers to get his backpack while I played fast tour-guide for the family and guided them over to the International Gateway... slowly of course, since the kid wanted to stop at every little stand or shop between Germany and France as we tried to time our walk to meet the rest of our party on the bridge. After meeting up, we caught a boat over to the DHS.

We tried getting to Toy Story Midway Mania, but the wait was 90 minutes, so that was a no-can-do. We hit the Little Mermaid, caught Lights, Motors, Action! (which shut down for a 2 week refurb a few days later) and the Tower.
It was the usual suspect for the Tower; Christy, Ty, Dad W. and me. Viv, Faith and Mom W. went and held seats for us for Beauty and the Beast. The newbies seemed to enjoy the ride... right up until that sudden first drop! Christy told me later that her normally laid-back Dad tightly clutched her arm on one side and the side rail of the elevator car on the other and shouted "Oh! Oh booooooy!" Ty told us afterwards that of everything he'd experienced so far, that actually scared him the most! Of course, had time permitted, they both agreed they would have done it again!
We got over the the theater and watched B&B, and after much debate, Christy "allowed" us to go on the Great Movie Ride (she hates it... her Mom loves it.... guess who won there?) I know we must've done something more, but for the life of me I can't remember off the top of my head. We did go grab some burgers and then made our way over to get seats for Fantasmic. I led the way... That's kinda like following a Bull running through a Balsa Wood forest... I only have one speed which isn't very fast, and due to some fused joints I have only one direction; Straight ahead and crush anything that accidentally crosses my path! Those who couldn't keep up just kept watching over the tops of the peoples heads for my hairy head, and I managed us some seats close to the front. The show as always was magnificent!!! The newbies were awestriken... and that seemed to be the perfect way for them to cap off their trip.
We got in line for our bus (good grief, it seemed like everyone in the park was staying at the All-Star resorts!!!! Never again I say... NEVER!) About an hour later we made it to the resort and refilled our mugs before heading off to sleepy land.
The next morning we met everyone for a final breakfast and hugs goodbye... and then, it was time for Ice and Lady Ice to Rock the World!!!!

Our adventures continue...

[JPL]

Great Report :thumbsup:

Glad I could be a an influence on your trip :mickey:

See Dino my trip reports may take forever to be completed but they have impact on others :razz:

[TinkRocks]

See Dino - my trip reports may take forever to be completed but they have impact on others :razz:

Ooooooohhh... do I detect some rivalry here??? :rotfl:

Great reports, Ice... looking forward to reading more!

[Marla]

Thanks for sharing. :tink:

[mickeytinkerbellprincess]

Awesome report, looks like you had a ton of fun :)

[wizardmickey]

ROLLING RIGHT ALONG....
After seeing the family off, we hopped a bus over to EPCOT since we had dining plans for Akershus with the Princesses that evening (eat yer heart out Genie!) Upon our arrival we saw the Jamitors, Goofed around on some rides (especially Soarin'... and the Land), and then headed to World Showcase where we ran into Belle in her blue outfit... nyah nyah nyah since Genie said "Grrrrrr!" :) Before that, as we made the circuit from the right side of World Showcase, we visited Canada first, taking in Oh! Canada in Circlevision; considered France (but opted not to after waiting a few) but we did stop at the outside Bistro and ate there (yummers!) We next went to China where we saw the Dragon acrobats, the Tomb Warriors exhibit and listened to some music there as well. We eventually made it to our dinner reservation and afterwards leisurely strolled about the World Showcase since we weren't in any hurry (to walk off dinner). We eventually went back to Futureworld where I was "allowed" to ride Journey into your Imagination... we tried at some point that day to hit Universe of Energy, but it was experiencing some problems so we dallied a bit more before eventually packing it in for the night.

Our next day, Tuesday, was our "Off Day", where we did laundry and went to Downtown Disney for our BIG shopping.
We had late reservations for the Hoop de Doo Review (our first time) so we actually after shopping, laundry, and some internet, took a nap for a few hours! Ah, how absolutely decadent!
We loved the Hoop de Doo! And talk about over-feeding people? Geez! Of course, our waiter was as funny as the show itself, and we even managed a little sneak-peak of the Halloween party as we got off and on the boat and buses... the colors and lighting and fog effects and eerie music only made me wanna go all the way in, but as it turned out, when we checked with the concierge earlier, that night had sold out several weeks ago! Oh well...

Wedneday we started off at the Disney Hollywood Studios to see if we could finally get on Toy Story Midway Mania... as we approached it, we overheard people talking about how the day before they actually ran out of and had to shut down the FastPass machine! We got there and the line was maybe 30 minutes, so we got FastPasses and then got in line. 30 minutes was closer to 35-ish, and we got in and the competition began! Now, my wife is EXTREMELY competetive, and has never lost at Buzz Lightyear, so she assumed the outcome on Toy Story would be the same. However, after the first 2 games I was in the lead (to which she first used the excuse that since she had had her carpal tunnel surgery her hand just wasn't up to snuff, then she said something I shan't repeat!) but she quickly overtook me and beat me! So much for that...
We hit the Backstage Tour since we were right there before heading over for a turn on Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster and then back to Toy Story for our FP.
We headed back to ToT and the Standby time said 120 minutes!!!! Everyone else was like, "no way", but I decided to ask the CM by the FP machines if that was correct. She gave me such a shocked look, and asked "are you sure it says 120?" I said yeah, so she got on her phone to check and I waited... and sure enough, there had been some error and it should have read 20 minutes, so we ran for it! Problem was, it probably should've been more like 30 or 35, but oh well. We'd been in contact with Rock.i/Dotrocks/TinkRocks etc etc... gosh she has a few names! Anyway, we decided to meet up at DTD for a quick nosh and meet, and so we left the DHS, just as it started to storm...
We got to DTD and wasted some time at the little shop where everything is $10 or under and the adjoining shop (where I bought a cheesy bent up looking Straw Cowboy hat that looked like the one we got on VMK or the one Brett Michaels wears) and as Rocks got closer we headed over to the Earl's. She told us to go ahead and order... and our food was just getting ready as she arrived. We sat and chatted and visited and eventually walked around some over to the World of Disney where she kept insisting that I should consider picking up a "My Little Pony"... uh, yeah? Really Rock.i?
After a while we all hugged and parted ways... it's always good to get to meet the people behind the avatars! Next stop from DTD was the Animal Kingdom, where the drizzling continued as we entered the park for EMH.We were on the character path to see Lilo & Stitch, so we whipped out our wee tiny umbrella's and waited. After getting our pictures, we made our way over to Everest, but by then the rain had become solid and steady again, and we overheard that because of the outside segment of the ride they were temporarily closing Everest. Well, we were wet, hot, tired, and the only major reason we had gone to AK (other than it was EMH and we wanted to see what it looked like after dark-ish) was to ride Everest as much as possible, and since that was not an option, we decided to call it a day.

So there ya got 3 days in one report!!!! Up next, what was supposed to be our last day in the parks and at WDW!!!! Don't miss the action... it gets crazy from here!!!!

[Blue Genie]

GRRRRRRR GGGRRRRR :mad::mad::mad::fit::rant::blowup: I want my picture with Belle in her Blue dress

[JPL]

Very efficient reporting :thumbsup:

Too bad you missed Everest at night it is by far the best ride in WDW.

I warned you about the Halloween Party it's the best party at WDW and they give you cnady what more could you want. Maybe next year I will have to fly down in October and drag you through the gates.

And what do you mean allowed to ride JIYI :confused: Seeing :figment: is a right not a privelage.

[chrisb26]

Great report Ice!


Christy told me later that her normally laid-back Dad tightly clutched her arm on one side and the side rail of the elevator car on the other and shouted "Oh! Oh booooooy!"

That sounds like what my mom did to me. She had a death grip on my one arm then another grip on the side rail. She wasn't so pleased I made us sit in the front row :thedolls: however instead of "Oh! Oh boy!" she said something I can't repeat here :D



See Dino my trip reports may take forever to be completed but they have impact on others :razz:

Well perhaps if you did them a bit faster it could have a better impact on people.

[wizardmickey]

Now now people... Everyone moves at their own pace, so let's try to play nice?
I'll go more into our almost opportunity for MNSSHP soon, but if anyone has the urge in the future to fly down here and drag my carcass though the gates for future partys... Please at least give me some warning so I can prepare? You can even have any candy I get!
I should explain being "allowed" to ride such attractions as JIYI or GMR; my wife feels about them the certain parties feel about IASW! She also is nor fond of COP, so she has to really be in a good mood to go on them with me if at all!
And yeah, I think I still have some permanent bruising from the very first time a certain Lady Ice and I rode TOT! On the plus side, everyone involved was willing to ride it again... Had time not been a factor!

Back to the story tonight!

[Chescat]

I warned you about the Halloween Party it's the best party at WDW and they give you cnady what more could you want. Maybe next year I will have to fly down in October and drag you through the gates.
He's not kidding either. BrerFran & Queen can attest to that also. Funniest part is before we even left the food place, he had gone through the line outside 4 times and we just had gone once. We'd turn around and off he went!

I was debating about hitting the one out here at DCA, but I do have to admit the one at WDW is sooo much better. With the candy stations, you had the parade, the fireworks and the show in front of the castle. And the lady in front of the Mansion. It was DEFINITELY worth seeing.

And thanks Ice for the Relics CDs! Got them this week!!!! :joy::joy:

[wizardmickey]

Glad the CD arrived and hope that a) the right "autograph" got in the right envelope & b) that ya like it!
I REALLY liked the Halloween party at DCA, so I guess i'll have to try the WDW version someday - once we lift the ban on travelling during Hurricane Season...

[Jeremy]

Sounds like you had a good time Brother.:)
Thats a great trip report you did:thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing your photos.

[mickeytinkerbellprincess]

Hahaha awesome stories, Ice.i, they are so funny. I love your reports! :D

[JPL]

I should explain being "allowed" to ride such attractions as JIYI or GMR; my wife feels about them the certain parties feel about IASW! She also is nor fond of COP, so she has to really be in a good mood to go on them with me if at all!


You said it was extremely and sticky out so just change a word or 2 in the attraction title to get her to ride.

"Journey into Air Conditioning with Figment"

"Carousel of Cool Air"

[terri.m]

Oh I'll have to remember Journey into Air Conditioning if we go again...

Great report and pics Ice. You and Queen Ice always look so cute together. I'm so jealous you got to meet Rocks!

[chrisb26]

You said it was extremely and sticky out so just change a word or 2 in the attraction title to get her to ride.

"Journey into Air Conditioning with Figment"

"Carousel of Cool Air"

Hmm then how about you look at Small World like

"It's A Cool World After All" :)

[JPL]

Hmm then how about you look at Small World like

"It's A Cool World After All" :)


Last time I checked neither of the attractons I changed the names of had anything to do with Evil Dolls :thedolls:

[Chescat]

Last time I checked neither of the attractons I changed the names of had anything to do with Evil Dolls :thedolls:
You mean the "Evil Dolls Attack Figgie" ride. That might be worth going to see. :D

Autographs? I need to look in that box Ice. Just saw the case with the disks in it and didn't look further.

[wizardmickey]

For Figgie: Love the suggestions for the renaming of those attractions! The Missus laughed and said; "well, I did give in because they were air conditioned, so be sure to mention how good I was" (she was never GOOD BTW!!!)
Dino: It was a cool cool world! And dry too!
Tea: Thanks! She makes me look better than I really do in real life! And yes, it was very cool meeting Rocks! I really hope over time I'll get to meet more of ya!
Cat: Inside of the insert for the CD have of the disc is a special picture just for Intercot/VMK people, as well as a little signature from me. The problem was, I personalized each one and set them out for mailing, and had meant to place them in their matching envelopes, but Christy took it on herself to package them up and mail them while I was at work... so I'm hoping the right signatures got into the right envelopes! BTW, hope ya enjoy track #9 on the CD!!!!!

And now... Here we gooooooooo…..
Our “Final” day was supposed to have been on 9/11, and we usually try to bookend our trips by starting off and then ending in the Magic Kingdom. We were pretty excited as well because we’d been told that there would be a “Special Patriot” Flag Lowering ceremony to commemorate 9/11, and we really wanted to see that! We had seen the standard ceremony at DLR and that alone was enough to make ya all misty eyed, so we just knew there wasn’t gonna be a dry eye around Main Street that day… boy, were we ever right!
We spent the day in the usual way just sorta bopping around from ride to ride. The crowds had gotten larger as the week went on and the lines were getting longer, so since we had no real agenda we simply cruised from land to land seeing what had the shortest lines and that would dictate what we rode. Luckily, we managed a few more Space Mountain’s, Big Thunder Mountain’s, some Buzz Lightyear’s, Philharmagic, Small World a few Haunted Mansions and Pirates as well as the parade.
We had dining reservations for the Blah Blah at 4, so we made our way to that area a little early. NOTE: we initially had plans for the Spirit of Aloha Luau, but that would have meant not getting to see Specromagic, so we changed those plans in order to make sure we got that and Wishes in under our belt this trip. Anyway, as we were being called in, it began to rain… and it wasn’t a nice light rain as we have experienced there before, but a genuine thunder bumper! At first we thought the loud booms we were hearing had been coming from the Castle fireworks, but then we noticed that the characters weren’t up on the stage and people were running toward the front gate. Hmmm, this might put a damper on Spectromagic and Wishes maybe?
So we took our time eating… and even forced ourselves to order dessert since it was free on the Dining Plan. Eventually though, we couldn’t just take up a table while those poor unfortunate souls stood outside like wet rats waiting for their turn, so we pulled our umbrella’s from our backpack (which had gotten quite a workout the day it rained at the Animal Kingdom… luckily it kept everything inside dry!) and we headed out the door. Around this time, as we tried to decide what to do if it didn’t stop raining, our iphones began to ding with email message alerts, and it wasn’t entirely good news! It was Continental Airlines advising us that flights would be canceled in the Houston area and possibly Alexandria the next day, so Christy began dialing them up to see what our options were. It turned out that our flights were already canceled and the next available flights would be on Sunday… So while she dealt with them and getting new confirmation info we made our way over to Guest Services to contact the All-Star Movies to see if we could extend our stay. Guest Services put us on the phone with the Front Desk and we were extended 2 more nights, but we’d have to come down to the lobby, check-out and then check back in again. I asked if we’d have to wait for a new room or would we be able to check right back in and we were assured there would be no problem.
So with all that done, we stood out on the porch of Guest Services as the 5 o’clock Flag Ceremony was getting near. There’d been an announcement that it was “being delayed due to circumstances beyond our control and we apologize for any inconveniences”. A line of CM’s ringed the flag area with hands folded behind their backs, unmoving in the torrential downpour! It was some sight! Nearly 15 minutes after the last announcement (which meant these CM’s had been standing in the rain for almost half an hour by now with nothing to keep the rain off of them) the loudspeaker announced “we are sorry, but the Special Patriot Flag Ceremony to commemorate 9/11 has been canceled for the day… we apologize and hope you enjoy the rest of your day with us here at the Magic Kingdom.”
So now we had decisions to make… according to the radar tracker on my iphone (amazing device) it was showing that the storm cell was moving over and away from our current location. So, we decided to try to stick it out and see if it would let up. We hit the Emporium and just dragged around (I think we wound up buying some more stuff) and suddenly noticed that the rain had stopped! It was maybe 6:30 or so, and what few people that had stayed throughout the storm were already finding spots for Spectromagic, so we decided to do the same. We ended up sharing a bench with some really cool people and stayed at our spot for Wishes, at which time we left for the night, fully believing that would be the end of our visits to the park.

The next morning, since we weren't too sure what we were in for, we packed our stuff and made our way to the lobby to check out and check back in. The line was ridiculously long! In the interim, Christy had gone to the foodcourt and cashed out as much of what was left on our Dining Plan (getting fruit and muffins and stuff from our leftover snacks) and come back before I got to the counter. After a while of checking the records, it was confirmed that only were we safe until Sunday, but that they had managed to keep us in the same room! Wow, had we even thought that was gonna happen, we wouldn't have drug all our stuff down with us. But, since we were back in the same room, we were able to go right back to our room, do some laundry and relax.
We asked about 1) the Halloween party at the Concierge Desk and they looked it up... well, even if we had made the decision to go, we couldn't have as all dates for the entire time we had been there plus our extension had been sold out for at least a month or longer. So we considered maybe La Nouba, but changed our mind. We also found out 2) that we still had Sit-Down Meals left on our plan that we could use before midnight that night, so we made reservations for Raglan Road for later that evening. With all of that done, we settled in for what we thought was only going to be a few extra days in FLorida... Little did we know...

[mickeytinkerbellprincess]

Ice! Don't leave us on a cliffhangy like that! The suspense is killing me! :D

[chrisb26]

Wow Ice talk about a cliff hanger :D

Can't wait to see what happens next!

[wizardmickey]

Gosh Doll.i and Dino (and anyone else) - didn't mean to leave y'all hanging like that! Who knew you'd all be so riveted to find out what happens next!

Having blown our first day trapped, we decided that since we were worn out to take things easy. We did make plans to go to the Kona Cafe for some Sticky Wings and Kona Coffee around 4-ish, but other than that, nothing of serious importance. So we went to DTD and did a little more shopping...
Why more shopping? Ok, when we initially checked our luggage at the start of our trip, my suitcase was about 32 lbs and Christy was about 35 lbs, which meant that I could still stuff up to my 50 lbs limit and Christy - since she is Elite - could cram up to 70 lbs. At the check-out/check-in from the day before, we found we were still way below our limits, so we figured "Hey, why not?"
We eventually made our way over to the Wilderness Lodge (where we plan to stay next trip) just to look around. While we were there, I decided to try calling the guys in the band to see if they were fully recovered from Gustav and whether they were feeling any effects yet from Ike. I should mention that both Steve and Chris are difficult to get ahold of, even under the best of circumstances, and Chad is slightly behind the times as in that he has no answering machine at his house nor does he have a cell phone. Still, he's usually the easiest to reach, so I dialed him first, and he was home! I asked how everyone was and he said Ike was kicking up some powerful winds and causing tornado's all about the area - the rain this time was steady but not as long or predicted to be as powerful as Gustav. I told him about the delay and he asked when were we rescheduled; this being Saturday, I told him tomorrow (which would've been Sunday - following me so far?) Chad was silent for a moment, then he asked "Are you sure?" I felt a bit cold... "Yeah. I'm pretty sure. We have confirmations." He went on to tell me what a waiter at Raglan Road the day before had said he'd seen on CNN - our airport was losing power again and the news showed Houston getting it's rear handed to it. So while I talked with Chad I signaled Christy to call Continental, and guess what? He was right... everything was being canceled on us again! I thanked Chad for the info and got off the phone so we could again call our resort to extend. Christy said to hold on and wait until we knew for sure as it looked like there was a chance we could get on a different flight Sunday which would only mean we'd need a later check-out. This being decided, we headed over to the Polynesian for some time wasting/shopping and then eating.

The next morning we got up early... just in case... and sure enough, we had now found out that Ike had indeed not only shut down Houston and Alexandria, but we couldn't even get back into the state through Lafayette or Shreveport and then rent a car!!!! So, at our scheduled late check-out time, we went down to see about extending - again. This time though, there was a problem...
As I mentioned at the very beginning of this story, Disney has heavily pushed special incentives (such as FREE Dining Plans & discounted room packages) and the people have heard and they had responded. That morning, the lines in the lobby were OUTRAGEOUS!!! We finally go to the counter and found out that our room was already reserved in advance and so was every room in the resort - 600 guests were checking in that morning!!!!
What to do? What to do???

[wizardmickey]

(Hmmm... should I leave them hanging again for a few more days? Gosh, I don't think even I can stand the suspense any longer!)
Finding ourselves being "evicted" from the All-Star Movies, we were put on the phone to see if anything else was available. An Executive decision was made by me NOT to stay at another All-Star resort at that time if possible, so of the choices offered us and within the budget we had available, I picked the Port Orleans French Quarter (so we could maybe feel a little more at home... ironic huh?) The staff and CM's we spoke to on the phone were very helpful... all we needed to do was bring our luggage down and they'd move it over for us (it would take about 2-3 hours). We were told the easiest way to get to our new resort was to ride to DTD and then catch a Water Taxi over to Port Orleans. So we went and got our luggage and set off for the French Quarter!
It didn't take as long we thought it was going to reach our desired destination, so once we arrived at the French Quarter we had to wait and wait and wait and wait (and wait) until about 4:30 for our room. Once we got in to it, we were pleased... not only by the room, but by the French Quarter overall!!! Having visited the real deal several times and even spent part of our Honeymoon there, we were familiar with the French Quarter (and it's rather seedy reputation, made worse since Katrina.) Well, Disney's Port Orlean's French Quarter was very reminisent of the real thing... only clean! It made us think of what the Big Easy must've looked like when it was still young, freshly painted, new and clean! There were no maddening crowds of screeching kids... no bums passed out on the corners or people wanting to bet you they could tell you were you got your shoes (BTW: If you're ever in New Orleans and you're approached by someone betting you this, just smile and say "I got my shoes on my feet!" Then keep on WALKIN'!)
We waited in our room for our luggage, which arrived about 40 minutes after we did, then we did some more laundry (enough to now last us until Tuesday + 1 day) and walked over to Boatwright's for dinner at pretty close to 10. It had been a loooooong day... so once back to our room we crashed.

The next day (Monday) we felt guilty about being there so many extra days and not having actually visited any parks. This wasn't a problem as we had arrived with 1) an unexpired day leftover from our last trip - 2) 10 days on an new card that had no expiration on it - and 3) a 1 day pass we had to purchase when we had upgraded our reservations in order to recieve the Free Dining Package = meaning we had 12 days and had so far only used 6 of them. Anyway, we decided to hit DHS early to hit the good stuff and then hop over to MK so we could still end our trip the way we were accustomed to.
Waiting for the bus at the Moderate Resorts vs. the Value Resorts is a vastly much better experience! and once we reached DHD, the crowds early that morning weren't too bad, so we hit Toy Story right away... and lo and behold, I FINALLY WON!!!!! We spent the better part of the morning going back and forth from that end of the park to TOT & R&RC, really just not rushing ourselves too badly. By midday the crowds were starting to swell (along with my feet... which BTW; did I mention we think I either sprained my left foot or did something else to it on like day 4 and had been either wrapping that foot and ankle with wraps from the gift shops or wearing two socks to cushion my foot? No? Oh well, now ya know...) We hopped our way over to MK.
Crowds there weren't much better, and we checked the board at the hub to see what wait times were. On some things they were still averaging 25-35 minutes, but on others it was upwards of 45-55 minutes... and this was a Monday during the slow season!?!?! WOW!!!
We hit what we wanted at our liesure and eventually found ourselves wearing out and getting extremely hot and nasty (which meant riding the Evil Dollz ride again as well as a few others like Pirates and Haunted Mansion!) We gave it some serious thought, and decided that - just in case there were problems in the morning - perhaps we should not try to stay until closing and instead get us some rest. So we left on a high note and bid the parks goodbye... again.

Now the fun begins the next morning when we don't find the happy little envelope on our door from DME. So we gather our belongings and head downstairs to the DME counter... In line at the counter was a group who also had had their travel planes changed and were now leaving that afternoon; behind them and in front of us was (no aspersions meant to my very wonderful Canadian friends on here... Ice LOVES people from everywhere!) a Canadian family that wasn't scheduled to get on the DME bus for another 4 hours, then us and another couple behind us (big difference from the lines at the All-Stars!). Both us and the couple behind us were supposed to be on the bus that would be leaving in approximately 20 minutes, and they were having some trouble with the guy at the counter trying to find his flight and such to print his boarding pass (he wasn't being a problem though.) The CM who was "policing" the line kept asking everyone where they were going, what time their flight was, did we have DME reservation #'s and so on. Once she pieced things together, she realized it was crucial that we especially get to the counter ASAP since she knew we were going to probabaly have some time consuming issues as well, and as a result, it was possible that us and the couple beind us would either miss our bus or have to take our luggage with us. So, she very politely asked the Canadian fella in front of us if he'd mind stepping out of line long enough to allow the guests behind him who needed to catch the next bus to be taken care of... and he became VERY RUDE and refused... shouting at everyone "I've got cranky kids, a tired wife, and I've been standing here for 10 MINUTES!!!! I am NOT getting out of this line!!!!" TO which my wife coldly told the CM loud enough for the insensitive clod in front of us to hear, "Don't worry, it's not worth causing a scene. Let him go ahead..." then she leaned forward and said, "If we miss our connection, I'll be sure to remember this man and how he made it happen." He turned I think to say something, and then thought better when he caught me glaring at him with arms folded.
When we finally got up, they couldn't find our reservations... there was a problem even though we had our numbers from Continental. So we couldn't check our luggage, which was a minor inconvenience. We barely caught our bus, and so did the couple behind us.

At the airport, we hit Continental's counter, only to find out that since they had bumped us over to Northwest in order to make sure we got home (and routed us through Memphis) we had to head for the NW counter. Now, I have flown a handful of times in my life... but my wife probably averages as many miles in a 6 month period as I have accumulated in my entire flying history, so the airport is her domain! When she took off for the NW counter, she took off!! Of course, her idea of a "fast walk" is equal to breaking into a full run for me, and I almost lost her twice trying to keep up while not mowing people over. We got to Northwest, and sure enough that was why DME couldn't find us. As they checked our luggage, the girl said "that'll be $30". "What?" the wife asked a bit angrilly. NW wanted to charge us... it was their new policy. Yes, we understood that, but technically our flights had been booked back in February and were through their partner airline... at first she wouldn't budge, until Christy pulled her Elite card out, at which time the lady apologized and handed us our passes, which were marked for "random screening". Yay!!!!
After finally clearing security, we found our gate and waited... and within less than an hour we were winging our way first to Memphis and then to Alexandria.

As much as we looooooove WDW and didn't mind being stuck there for an extra 4 days, it was nice to finally be home... were the weather was a good 15-20 degrees lower than what it had been when we left Florida!!!!
So, that ends my part of the story... now for a little Post-Script from the Queen, my dear sweet Lady Ice, who noticed I left out some interesting highlights from this story...

[wizardmickey]

POST SCRIPT

...as dictated by the Lady Ice...
I was informed that I had left out what my darling dear wife considered to be some of the more "humorous" moments from my version of the Trip Report, to which I said "well next time sit here with me as I do it and help me fill in the gaps woman!" After I picked my self up off the floor, she said "why not a little bit for me at the end?" So....

There was a lot of dancing this trip... Christy's Dad isn't known for his gracefullness, but for some reason, the man can dance! This occurred several times - in line for Pirates he began a jig and the entire family either followed suit or began singing modified lyrics to the song; before and after the Tiki Room he led us all on another dancing fit; at EPCOT while in line at the Character Connection as some grooved up salsa was playing; and at the pyramid in Mexico where Christy's Mom took the spotlight and showed us some moves.

Did I mention how soaked her brother, Dad & niece got on Kali River Rapids? So much so, that in the picture of their return, Dad - who had on a medium blue shirt before getting on - returned with dark blue shirt with only a few dry spots the size of a dime on him!

Faith really brought tears to Christy's eyes seeing her niece actually meet the character's for her first time! It was like magic!!

Faith was also quite a trooper, riding not only Kali River and Dinosaur (both of which she loved) but also Big Thunder Mountain, which she declared the "most awesome ride ever!" I managed to hold up and pivot the camera as we rode, so I caught Ty and Faith behind us and Mom and Dad in front of us - odd, everyone in that family screams like little girls on rollercoasters???

We found out the hard way that the camels spit on the Magic Carpets ride...

There was WAR during Buzz Lightyear!!! Since I knew I wasn't going to win no matter what, I snatched control of our vehicle to simply blast the rest of the family behind us (and videotape them in the process while Ty screamed and giggled like a girl!) This of course, angered miss competition... OUCH!!!! "More dictating and less ad-lib!!!"

Mom & Christy absolutely crying during the dinner in the castle.

Fruit cups when picked up from the food court in order to run out snack's on our dining plan can not and should not be left sitting unrefigerated for 2 days. After that time, you begin hearing strange noises at night and you're not sure what they are, until suddenly there is a loud popping explosion and we both jump out of bed to find fermented fruit sitting on top of the TV.

Disney's special Fairytale Champaign is more likely to induce nauseau, vomiting and slightly nighmarish dreams. Since we had so many off days there at the end, we decided to stay in and "celebrate" and looked for a bottle with the highest alcohol content. At first, the idea of spending $25 on a bottle of champaign just didn't feel right, but we did it, and upon opening it, we both agreed that the fermented fruit bowl smelled at least 10 times better than this stuff!!! But, having spent that much on it, it had to be consumed... even if we had to hold our noses and wince with each sip. As we drifted off to sleep, my stomach (normally made of cast iron) became ill & I spent a portion of the night encamped in the bathroom. Neither of us slept well that night... some fairytale!!!

Christy created a slightly risque poem as we visited the ride of the Evil Dollz on I think our 4th go around.... why this popped into her head, I'll never know, but she timed it so well all I could do was laugh until it hurt;
"I see London, I see France
I can see their underpants!" She considers this her payback for a certain song my band performs at our shows and placed on the CD... ooops, almost let the cat out of the bag on that... pretend (unless you've already heard it) that I didn't say anything....

BTW; Christy's Dad seemed to enjoy parts of iasw... in particular the part where the Dolls are yodeling. Since he was having so much fun yodeling with them, I began "answering" or creating an echo to everything he yodeled, which of course only further annoyed certain parties who already did not want to be on the ride in the first place (and anyone else within earshot!)

I may have briefly mentioned Vivian losing her phone in the Animal Kingdom. After contacting Disney's Lost and Found, they were given a number to keep contacting and asked to fill out a report describing in it as great detail as they could. Their main concern wasn't so much losing the phone itself, but since they hadn't brought a camera, all of the pictures they had taken up to that point on their camera. Even though we assured them we'd burn discs of everything we took & the Photopass pictures, it just wasn't the same as they had taken special pictures of their daughter on her first trip...
The night before they were supposed to leave, they called one last time to check and see if they could leave our names in case it was it was found so we could be allowed to pick it up... but it had already been found!!! And rather than try to make anyone come and get it, they mailed it to their home with a letter apologizing to them that their phone had been lost and hoping it didn't effect their vacation there. Go figure... somebody loses somthing, and Disney apologizes for it!!!!

We got free dessert at the Kona Cafe!!!! When we arrived, the waitress assigned us was waiting on a table that had what looked like 4 families with several special needs children and their siblings at it. Needless to say, there was some confusion upon getting their tickets taken care of and then the children wanting to thank the waitress and other staff each individually. This didn't bother us as we thought it was quite touching, but our waitress apologized over and over again. As we finished and ordered our pot of coffee at the end of our meal, we were informed that since we had been so patient and understanding, we could have any dessert we wanted for free. So go figure yet again!!!!

Well, that's we can think of right now.... we hope you all enjoyed this report as much as we enjoyed living it! Peace out y'all!!!!

[chrisb26]

Great report Ice and Lady Ice it was fun reading. Even with your cliff hangers :D

Although I must say how could you manager IASW more then once? I must know. Because Once is usually more then enough for me :D

[wizardmickey]

I personally have no problem riding IASW multiple times each visit. This time it was further predicated by the fact that it was a long and air conditioned ride, so concessions were made for comfort purposes!
I actually read a study recently that said what we experience when a song is stuck in our head is called "ear worms" (I can explain in better detail some of the scientific/medical rationale of the study later if interested) and that the worst thing to do if song gets in your head his to avoid, deny, ignore or try to shut it out. Instead, let it happen or listen to it if you can so the mind picks up and starts another tune once it realized the offending song has completed.

And I just like the old Walt classic rides!

[chrisb26]

lol I guess you have a point with the song stuck in your head since when I usually get a song in my head the only way to get it out is to listen to it.

Although I think i'd rather ride HM or Pirates to cool off :D

I don't mind the ride when its not real crowded but it seems when the park is more crowded and you get stuck in a longer line to get off the ride then you did to get on I just don't like that. For example a couple trips ago I was stuck for close to 20 minutes in the white room waiting to get off that really made me not like that song :mad: it's much easier when there is not stop to get off lol

[JPL]

I don't know how anyone can stand it even once :confused: I will admit I ride it about once every 4 trips just to make sure none of the dolls escaped :thedolls:

[Blue Genie]

Well then JP u wouldn't want to go with me. I go on it almost every time. Well not this year send it's been close until Nov. 29th but that is one of my favorite rides. The music don't get to me at all I like it. My mom has that song on her cell phone by the way.

[wizardmickey]

My wife used to have it on her old cell phone...

I get this odd feeling that Figgie has suffered some form of trauma on IASW much like what Dino described. That has to the explanation.

I cringe now on the Clam-Mobiles, ever since we got stuck for almost 40 minutes a few years ago...

[TinkRocks]

How can you possibly cringe on the clam-mobiles????

Mind you, I'd probably cringe if I got stuck looking at my future (a cartoon, nonetheless) on the descent to Earth on SSE.

[JPL]

Mind you, I'd probably cringe if I got stuck looking at my future (a cartoon, nonetheless) on the descent to Earth on SSE.

I cringe just watching it the first time no need to get stuck and watch it again.

Sorry what happened to me on IASW has been deemed classified:spy:

[wizardmickey]

Aha!!! I knew I sensed some form of post traumatic stress disorder involving JP and the Evil Dollz! Sounds like when he "flys down to and drags me through the gates at Halloween" that a potential therapeutic intervention may be in order...
And hey, I thought the future cartoons were kinds funny! We rode twice so we could both do the answers, and we laughed at the cheesy animation both times!
As for the Clams; again I ask you to imagine being stuck for 40 minutes in front of Bruce - I had dreams of his spiel for a long time afterwards! But I bravely went back on this trip!

[mickeytinkerbellprincess]

Hahaha I love your reports Ice.i, thanks for sharing! (and not leaving us TOO many cliffhangers haha) :D Glad you had a lot of fun :)