Ian
06-05-2011, 01:15 PM
Sorry for the delay in posting ... had a bunch of stuff going on that slowed me down, but I'm back now. And without further ado, day three!
Sunday 5/22 - Since we wanted to get to Magic Kingdom pretty early, we decided to just grab breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery. I wish I could say it was a good choice, but really? Blech. It was very slow and pretty lousy. The pastries and stuff were fine, but I had something that alleged to be a ham, egg, and cheese croissant that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I don't really know where Disney procures the "cheese" they use in their breakfast sandwiches, but I've found that it carries the quite unpleasant odor of unwashed feet. The taste isn't much better. :ack:
Slightly nauseated but full, we headed over to MK where I got a text from Mel that she and her DS were also waiting at the gates. Before I could even respond, I heard voices behind me and there they were! It was pretty crowded, too, so I'm not quite sure how she found us so easily ... must be all that podcast chemistry! We had a nice chat while we waited for park opening and Mel got to meet our twins for the very first time. In fact, I think it was her first time meeting DS, as well. Mel used to live up near us in MD and we got together at quite a few INTERCOT meets back in the day, so she'd met my oldest before but since her global jaunt out to Tokyo and her relo to FL we've expanded the family a lot and haven't gotten another chance to see her. I think her DS was an infant last time I saw him! It was really cool to catch up.
That former infant was bound and determined to ride Splash Mountain, so as soon as the crush of people started moving through the gates he and Mel said their goodbyes and booked it to Frontierland. Having the little ones, we decided that Peter Pan was where we wanted to be. We rode that pretty quickly and then rode Small World. It was easy to see it was going to be a fairly busy day as the lines were building quickly.
Since the trip was for DD's birthday, DW and I were a bit worried that DS might feel left out. She decided it would be cool to get him an appointment to get his hair cut at the Main Street Barber Shop. The appointment was at 10:30, so by the time we got off Small World it was time for us to head down there. They took DS in pretty quickly and while we were waiting I got a text from another ICOT friend, TracyL. She was in MK looking for us, so I gave her our present GPS coordinates (lol) and she was able to track us down at the barber shop.
A quick side note here and potential word of warnng ... the haircut on Main Street thing is really cool and I got some great video of DS but there was one thing that seriously rubbed me the wrong way. DS wanted his hair "spiky" so once the cut was finished the woman who cut his hair asked me if I wanted gel for him. I said sure (since I'm not sure how else you'd spike hair without gel? :confused:) and she said, "Do you want colored or regular?" I asked DS and he said he wanted green, so I said green. Great. She greens him up, sprinkles in some "pirate dust" and we head over to the register to check out. A haircut is $15 for a kid, so I hand her a $20 (the haircut plus a $5 tip). Imagine my unpleasant surprise when she tells me the colored gel is an extra $7.50???? Now listen, had she told me upfront it was an added charge I wouldn't have really cared. I might have been slightly put off that a dime sized dollop of gel was 50% of the cost of the entire haircut, but you know it's Disney right and I'm trying to make the boy feel special. But she didn't even mention it! And as best I could see it wasn't on any of the signs anywhere (although I'll admit I could have missed it). I didn't say anything and I just paid the money, but her tip suffered accordingly ... I'll just leave it at that.
After listening to me rant about the $7.50 gel for a bit, Tracy and I caught up while we tracked down the rest of the fam. DS had his green hair appropriately fussed over, and then we all decided a ride on Pirates was in order. Tracy and I go way back and happen to have the distinction of having been quoted in the same book (Disney War ... check it out!), so we have a bit ofa unique Disney bond. It's rare that I get to see her because she's living down with The Mouse now, so I really enjoyed having time to chat again. Miss ya, Tracy!
After our Pirates ride, I was itching to check out the new HM queue, so we all walked up to Liberty Square to take a look. Ms. Goldsbury was texting me again that she was in MK, so we arranged to meet up on the bridge from Liberty Square to the hub as soon as our HM ride was done.
I thought the new HM queue was very nicely done. I mean I'm still not in love with the idea that they spent all that money to redo a queue that appeared to be fine before, but hey ... it's a nice plus. The new hitchiking ghost finale was a huge win with the fam, as well. Everyone raved about how cool the new effects were and Tracy was kind enough to share a little inside info she had gleaned from a Manager who'd given her a little tour of the queue shortly after it opened. All I'll say is, check the back of the head of one of the new busts they added ... cute touch. Nicely done, Imagineers! :mickey:
After the Manse, we actually did get to meet up with Cara and chat her up a bit. DW is a travel agent and Cara is running her own agency now, so they got to talking shop for a bit. Cara was on her way home, though, so we didn't tie her up for too long. It was good seeing her, though. Over the years I've known her she's become a friend and it's fun hanging out even if it is just for a bit. It was funny, though, my Mom had just finished reading Cara's book (Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World) and actually had it back in her room. I still haven't lived it down that she had a chance to get her book autographed and I never mentioned that Cara was meeting us! Oops! :blush:
So once we bid adieu to Cara, it was down to ride the TTA. On the way, we quick grabbed some Fastpasses for Buzz. We had lunch reservations at the Plaza at 2 or so, so we knocked out TTA, took a quick spin on the Carousel of Progress, used our Buzz Fastpasses. And then walked down to have lunch. Tracy was able to join us for the meal, which was really cool. Love the Plaza by the way. I think it's a hidden gem in Disney that not many people talk about, but I had an awesome milkshake there that went really well with my chicken sandwich. Not only that, but we got to sit in the super-cool, great-for-people watching section in the back there. Loved it!
After lunch Tracy headed off to home and we opted to head back to the hotel to swim. Like many kids, mine had rapidly decided that the Boardwalk pool was the best part of Disney World and they were anxious to get back to swimming. We swam, lounged around, and relaxed for a bit before cleaning up and getting ready to head to Epcot.
I gotta say ... I know there are a ton of folks who complain about people with strollers, but as a guy who's pushed a lot of strollers in my time I lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the people walking in the parks who don't look where they're going!! I was run smack dab into not once but twice while walking over to Epcot. Both times the people were totally not paying attention, ran directly into me, and then gave me a dirty look! Trust me, they got one back in spades ... People SO stupid sometimes, I swear.
We didn't have any plans for dinner, but everyone was hungry by now so we used the Disney mobile app and scored reservations at Nine Dragons. I had some seriously good Kung Pao chicken for dinner and everyone else really, really enjoyed their meals, as well. I know some folks are underwhelmed by Nine Dragons, but I've never had a bad meal there. Dessert is always a bit disappointing, but hey ... you can't have everything right??
We were beat after dinner, so we just browsed around the shops for a bit and then headed back to the resort for bedtime. We left Mom behind to watch Reflections of Earth, though, because she's a pure fireworks addict and just can't get enough.
Overall, a crowded but pretty good day in the parks ... next up is day four and a trip to Epcot for the ritual rush to Soarin'!
Sunday 5/22 - Since we wanted to get to Magic Kingdom pretty early, we decided to just grab breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery. I wish I could say it was a good choice, but really? Blech. It was very slow and pretty lousy. The pastries and stuff were fine, but I had something that alleged to be a ham, egg, and cheese croissant that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I don't really know where Disney procures the "cheese" they use in their breakfast sandwiches, but I've found that it carries the quite unpleasant odor of unwashed feet. The taste isn't much better. :ack:
Slightly nauseated but full, we headed over to MK where I got a text from Mel that she and her DS were also waiting at the gates. Before I could even respond, I heard voices behind me and there they were! It was pretty crowded, too, so I'm not quite sure how she found us so easily ... must be all that podcast chemistry! We had a nice chat while we waited for park opening and Mel got to meet our twins for the very first time. In fact, I think it was her first time meeting DS, as well. Mel used to live up near us in MD and we got together at quite a few INTERCOT meets back in the day, so she'd met my oldest before but since her global jaunt out to Tokyo and her relo to FL we've expanded the family a lot and haven't gotten another chance to see her. I think her DS was an infant last time I saw him! It was really cool to catch up.
That former infant was bound and determined to ride Splash Mountain, so as soon as the crush of people started moving through the gates he and Mel said their goodbyes and booked it to Frontierland. Having the little ones, we decided that Peter Pan was where we wanted to be. We rode that pretty quickly and then rode Small World. It was easy to see it was going to be a fairly busy day as the lines were building quickly.
Since the trip was for DD's birthday, DW and I were a bit worried that DS might feel left out. She decided it would be cool to get him an appointment to get his hair cut at the Main Street Barber Shop. The appointment was at 10:30, so by the time we got off Small World it was time for us to head down there. They took DS in pretty quickly and while we were waiting I got a text from another ICOT friend, TracyL. She was in MK looking for us, so I gave her our present GPS coordinates (lol) and she was able to track us down at the barber shop.
A quick side note here and potential word of warnng ... the haircut on Main Street thing is really cool and I got some great video of DS but there was one thing that seriously rubbed me the wrong way. DS wanted his hair "spiky" so once the cut was finished the woman who cut his hair asked me if I wanted gel for him. I said sure (since I'm not sure how else you'd spike hair without gel? :confused:) and she said, "Do you want colored or regular?" I asked DS and he said he wanted green, so I said green. Great. She greens him up, sprinkles in some "pirate dust" and we head over to the register to check out. A haircut is $15 for a kid, so I hand her a $20 (the haircut plus a $5 tip). Imagine my unpleasant surprise when she tells me the colored gel is an extra $7.50???? Now listen, had she told me upfront it was an added charge I wouldn't have really cared. I might have been slightly put off that a dime sized dollop of gel was 50% of the cost of the entire haircut, but you know it's Disney right and I'm trying to make the boy feel special. But she didn't even mention it! And as best I could see it wasn't on any of the signs anywhere (although I'll admit I could have missed it). I didn't say anything and I just paid the money, but her tip suffered accordingly ... I'll just leave it at that.
After listening to me rant about the $7.50 gel for a bit, Tracy and I caught up while we tracked down the rest of the fam. DS had his green hair appropriately fussed over, and then we all decided a ride on Pirates was in order. Tracy and I go way back and happen to have the distinction of having been quoted in the same book (Disney War ... check it out!), so we have a bit ofa unique Disney bond. It's rare that I get to see her because she's living down with The Mouse now, so I really enjoyed having time to chat again. Miss ya, Tracy!
After our Pirates ride, I was itching to check out the new HM queue, so we all walked up to Liberty Square to take a look. Ms. Goldsbury was texting me again that she was in MK, so we arranged to meet up on the bridge from Liberty Square to the hub as soon as our HM ride was done.
I thought the new HM queue was very nicely done. I mean I'm still not in love with the idea that they spent all that money to redo a queue that appeared to be fine before, but hey ... it's a nice plus. The new hitchiking ghost finale was a huge win with the fam, as well. Everyone raved about how cool the new effects were and Tracy was kind enough to share a little inside info she had gleaned from a Manager who'd given her a little tour of the queue shortly after it opened. All I'll say is, check the back of the head of one of the new busts they added ... cute touch. Nicely done, Imagineers! :mickey:
After the Manse, we actually did get to meet up with Cara and chat her up a bit. DW is a travel agent and Cara is running her own agency now, so they got to talking shop for a bit. Cara was on her way home, though, so we didn't tie her up for too long. It was good seeing her, though. Over the years I've known her she's become a friend and it's fun hanging out even if it is just for a bit. It was funny, though, my Mom had just finished reading Cara's book (Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World) and actually had it back in her room. I still haven't lived it down that she had a chance to get her book autographed and I never mentioned that Cara was meeting us! Oops! :blush:
So once we bid adieu to Cara, it was down to ride the TTA. On the way, we quick grabbed some Fastpasses for Buzz. We had lunch reservations at the Plaza at 2 or so, so we knocked out TTA, took a quick spin on the Carousel of Progress, used our Buzz Fastpasses. And then walked down to have lunch. Tracy was able to join us for the meal, which was really cool. Love the Plaza by the way. I think it's a hidden gem in Disney that not many people talk about, but I had an awesome milkshake there that went really well with my chicken sandwich. Not only that, but we got to sit in the super-cool, great-for-people watching section in the back there. Loved it!
After lunch Tracy headed off to home and we opted to head back to the hotel to swim. Like many kids, mine had rapidly decided that the Boardwalk pool was the best part of Disney World and they were anxious to get back to swimming. We swam, lounged around, and relaxed for a bit before cleaning up and getting ready to head to Epcot.
I gotta say ... I know there are a ton of folks who complain about people with strollers, but as a guy who's pushed a lot of strollers in my time I lay the blame squarely on the shoulders of the people walking in the parks who don't look where they're going!! I was run smack dab into not once but twice while walking over to Epcot. Both times the people were totally not paying attention, ran directly into me, and then gave me a dirty look! Trust me, they got one back in spades ... People SO stupid sometimes, I swear.
We didn't have any plans for dinner, but everyone was hungry by now so we used the Disney mobile app and scored reservations at Nine Dragons. I had some seriously good Kung Pao chicken for dinner and everyone else really, really enjoyed their meals, as well. I know some folks are underwhelmed by Nine Dragons, but I've never had a bad meal there. Dessert is always a bit disappointing, but hey ... you can't have everything right??
We were beat after dinner, so we just browsed around the shops for a bit and then headed back to the resort for bedtime. We left Mom behind to watch Reflections of Earth, though, because she's a pure fireworks addict and just can't get enough.
Overall, a crowded but pretty good day in the parks ... next up is day four and a trip to Epcot for the ritual rush to Soarin'!