I've thought a lot about how to write this post about our day in the Magic Kingdom. I was, for years the big Mousehead in our family. You've read in previous posts of my love for Disney parks, music, Pixar, Mickey, the monorail etc. etc. etc. The Disney fan community (heard and seen on many podcasts I listen to) and on Internet discussion boards and fourms talk about folks who "get it" when it comes to the details, hospitality and storylines that drive everything you experience in a Disney park or resort. Up until this trip, despite my personal obsession, I was the only one in my family who "got" Disney. That is no longer the case. Becky and I had many discussions over the cool little things that make living "in the Disney bubble" so enjoyable. I asked her, "so if I had told you this is what it was like, would you have believed me?" "No way", she answered.
What follows is meandering thoughts about our single day in the Magic Kingdom. I had not been there since 1982, Becky had not been there since 1975, and our kids had seen video, but had never been there at all. This will be a long post so I won't be putting up pics. I encourage anyone to visit my trip album at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=21152&id=100000350462143&l=318cb7cd02 to see pics of everything.
Everybody neat and pretty? Then on with the show...
Disney transportation- We have nothing but positive things to say about the buses, monorails, water taxis etc. at WDW. Why anyone would pay to park, drive with the looney tourists, and miss collecting transportation trading cards is beyond our understanding. We were blessed to be the first stop on the Saratoga Springs bus line. I could see when the park closed that our line for the Saratoga bus was a LOT smaller than the Allstar buses so maybe bringing a car would make sense then. But I doubt it. Buses ran every 25 minutes to all the parks. It was so easy.
We got there at 8am for extra magic hour rope drop as resort guests. We were done with everything around 3pm and had plenty of time to shop, eat, and ride a repeat. We could've rode more repeats but didn't collect any Fast passes as most lines were less than 20 minutes.
I admitted later to choking up a little when we walked under the train station and onto Main Street USA.
Our first ride, the refurbished Space Mountain, thrilled some of us and scared the bajeeberz out of some of us. I rode it twice that day (so did Lydia) but the first time I was in the first seat in the front car. It was VERY dark, and VERY fast (though I know we were only going 28mph--the visual trickery worked). The second time at the end of the day things seemed brighter in there. Becky felt like she was going to die and was mad that I made the ride sound calm to her. I didn't remember it being that intense.
Second was Buzz Lightyear where Becky got the high score for our group shooting Emporer Zurg and his minions at over 40,000. I pulled in a measily 5000 but enjoyed looking at the ride details.
In the first of many character encounters we ran into Stitch in Tomorrowland. We found out the main street bakery sold Divvies (allergy safe) carmel corn and had bought a bag for IZ. Stitch spent most of his time with us trying to steal it. Pretty funny.
Some rides like Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (my favorite this trip), Winnie the Pooh (I hate to admit) , and even the Carousel of Progress really impressed me with the Imagineered details. (My kids still think "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" is just as irritating a song as Small World--which we would've skipped even if it hadn't been closed for refurbishment).
Other rides seemed "smaller" to me this time, like when you visit a neighborhood where you grew up and the streets seem tiny. Peter Pan (which still solicited an "oh cool" on the flight over London scene from Nathaniel my ride partner--while Becky was in another ship cracking jokes with our other kids), Pirates, and the Haunted Mansion, three CLASSIC rides, had enjoyable little details and themeing but seemed more nostalgic than thrilling to me. That kind of surprised me.
Another thing that surprised me was my wife's sudden affinity for Disney parades. While I was making every effort to get out of the sun, away from crowds, and under anything providing shade, she said she was ready to get out in the street and start dancing with the characters!! (WOW!) We ended up watching two parades from a distance. And we didn't really have any issues time-wise by enjoying a passing parade. I recommend using the Unofficial Guide touring plans as a basis for what you want to see and modify your plan as you go along. That worked GREAT for us.
We planned on eating at Cinderella's Royal Table for lunch. This was THE BEST thing I think we did the whole trip. You need to reserve it 180 days before your trip and pre-pay, but MAN is it nice!! For those of you, like my wife (and I) who were disappointed as a kid by going THROUGH and not IN the castle (whaaa???), this is your chance to go inside, meet and talk with Cindy, get your picture taken with her, and enjoy FABULOUS food and the BEST service in the Magic Kingdom IMHO. (just TRY and drink all your rootbeer or water before the wait staff is right there with another and a smile--I DARE you!!) After dining on fancy pot roast with mashed potatoes on a pastry puff and chocolate mousse for dessert and interacting with four or five of Cindy's princess friends --who were all clever pros at staying in character no matter what you said to them--we were cooled off, well fed, and refreshed for and afternoon of continued exploration!
My only "FAIL" of the trip was not realizing the weight of the steel barrelled guns at the Frontier shootin' arcade. Most of the ski-bums have never shot anything beyond a Nerf gun and most of them were frustrated when their 17 shots for a buck were up. I'm not certain all of those guns were fully functional either.
One thing I DIDN'T plan on, because I thought it was torn down for the upcoming Fantasyland expansion, was arriving off the WDW Railroad into Mickey's Toontown Fair. This is THE place to meet the Mouse himself and I was really excited to do so after figuring it was a lost cause due to current construction. Classic clips from old-school Disney cartoons play on a big screen in the queue as, group by group, you get ushered in to an unusually still and quiet photo/ interaction area. I'm guessing these cast members have seen every type of reaction possible and the photographers and handlers just stand back and let the moments happen with little or no direction. I was SO glad they hadn't closed this place down yet!
As this winds down, I need to mention one of the last, but also BEST things we experienced at the Magic Kingdom, The Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. This attraction is a comedy club theater were the "script" has live cartoon monster interaction built in. The goal is to make the audience laugh and create "energy" for Monstropolis (or as Roz says, "We MIGHT not have enough power to open the exit doors"). They must pick several people out of the crowd beforehand as they'll put peoples faces up on the big screen as part of the interaction with the performing Monsters.
During the show they have Mike Wazowski's nephew come on screen and tell jokes. He said something like, "I wanna talk to that kid there, in the yellow" Suddenly, there's a spotlight on Isaac and his smiling face is on the big screen. "Hi kid, what's your name?" "Isaac." "Hi Isaac, what grade are you in?" "Second". "OOOh, second grade, the best three years of my life" (laughter). "So Isaac, what do you want to be when you grow up" (at this point I had no clue what he would say) "A fireman" (lots of "awwwws" came from the crowd). I don't even remember the punch line any more I was so proud of him. But it gets better....
We're walking out and a guest in the crowd says, "Excuse me! Is this the little boy who wanted to be a fireman when he grew up?" "Yes this is Isaac" "Well I've been a fireman for 27 years and I want Isaac to have this.." He pulls a pin of Mickey Mouse shaking hands with a fireman off his lanyard and gives it to my son. We were all shocked at his thoughtfulness. Magic. That's what our day was like. It's cliche but it's true. Isaac wore that pin for three days straight and yesterday he asked me, "Dad could I be a drawer (artist) AND a fireman?" I said, "Buddy, you could even be a fireman that DRAWS other firemen!" I love my kids.
We ate late at chef Mickeys that evening (8:55) and had a chance to interact with the fab five in their chef outfits (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto) but the real highlight was the human chef who walked Becky all through the buffet line and told her everything that was safe for Isaac. He also made chicken fingers, salmon and allergen free cupcakes for him. The boy was stuffed!
As kind of a "preview" of our next trip, we decided to take the Magic Kingdom monorail to the Epcot monorail and try and beat the crowds by taking Epcot buses back to Saratoga since that park had already closed. That was nice. The buses were still full and I ended up carrying poor tired (75 pound) IZ from the Magic Kingdom monorail to our resort.
When you check in to Saratoga Springs (which is a Disney Vacation Club "timeshare" resort) they are supposed to say "Welcome home". We certainly felt that way while staying on property and will hopefully return for more adventure. Even Becky has become a Disney park and resort fan.
Nice work Disney. Kudos.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Watching my Son Having a Blast!!!
I'd like to interrupt the Disney blogging to share with you a glimpse of something that you might have just glossed over... One of the most incredibly special things about this trip for me was watching our almost 8yo son eat REAL restaurant food for the first time in his life!!
In his 7 plus years, the most he has had from a dining establishment has been a fruit cup, baked potato, or fries from Wendy's, (both of which make me nervous every time!!) a fruit cup from Chick-fil-a, or a bag of McDonald's apple dippers (minus the dip, of course). I think it is incredibly sad that he BEGS to go to Wendy's to eat a plain baked potato, fries, fruit cup, and sprite. I call it the carb crazies and it is NOT a meal I let him eat. If we ever have an occasion to go out, which is indeed a rare event, we bring an entire meal along for Iz. Usually, this only happens when the grandparents are around. In fact, it isn't only the food that is a problem. Once, when my parents were visiting, he developed asthmatic symptoms after the wait staff passed our table with sizzling fajitas. Ski wasn't feeling well, so he sat outside with Iz while the rest of us ate.
The simple fact of the matter is that most people do NOT get food allergies. They do not get cross-contamination. We often hear "It's perfectly safe" only to find that there is a serious issue with the food. There are only a few trusted people who cook for our son. In fact, it is only THREE women outside of myself and my daughters...and of course, Ski. These women might not be perfect, but they ask LOTS of questions which shows me they understand the seriousness of the issues. So just imagine a restaurant. Even the THOUGHT of going to a restaurant for him to eat at is out of the question. When we travel, he lives on a few select Amy's or Ian's frozen meals and we find a gas station first and then food for the rest of us.
However, there is one place --- if you have life threatening food allergies --- where they care and take the business of cooking seriously. Disney Resorts KNOW food allergies!! Ask anyone. They all know. If you're going to Disney, make reservations, tell them about your allergies, speak to the chef, and they will give you safe food. And since they are so close to a Disney property, I was told that Rainforest in Downtown Disney was also rather allergy friendly.
Without a reservation, we went to Downtown Disney Rainforest Cafe and the Chef came out and man, did she know her stuff. I think it was a good thing we showed up at a "down" time for a late lunch/early dinner. She told me what she could do and we decided on a salad with chicken and a french dressing. She had a clean grill so she was able to grill it. Not only that, she found some dried cranberries and put them in a dish on the side because she had not talked to me about them. A woman who gets it!! She knew...if those cranberries were not ok, they can't "just pick it out" because the entire salad would be ruined. My sweet boy was grinning ear to ear. He had an entire meal made just for him by someone who understood!!! Not only that, but he had THREE sit down meals and an ice cream snack all safe!!
While I was tired and didn't really want to go to Chef Mickey's and would have preferred grabbing a quick dinner in the park, I had only researched snacks so I had no idea what the boy could have for dinner. I thought MAYBE the turkey legs, but I hadn't researched so we weren't going to attempt it. So, if I go back, I will definitely look into more "quick" food. I found out last minute that you can get an entire list of foods from Disney, but we weren't sure how long it would take for them to send it to us so we went without. Next time, I'll do the footwork ahead of time.
The chef at Chef Mickey's was amazing. He walked Iz and I through the buffet and told us what was safe. He made Iz his own chicken fingers and salmon and would have brought out turkey as well, but Iz didn't want it. Too many choices!!! When the Chef told me something was safe, I'd ask a question to be sure and he'd explain what they used to do certain things. It was REALLY interesting and I certainly wish that all restaurants worked the same way. He made Iz and amazing salad so I didn't have to use contaminated salad bar lettuce and veggies. And he got a frosted cupcake for dessert. We had asked for ice cream as well, but they forgot, but Iz didn't notice because he was so full. The waitress told me that our chef was the best chef at that dining area. She totally trusts him and told me what she does to take precautions as well. I think that the next table over was a bit jealous that we were having the chef come out to talk with us. Or maybe it was that I was a bit OVERLY excited about HOW MUCH there was for him to choose from. AMAZING!!!
When we got ice cream on Main Street, I was so impressed that they just ASSUMED that we had an allergy. So impressive. And they just said...."we'll have it up for you in a minute or two." They use clean scoops and a special scooping area in the back!
Over and over I just was so pleased to see Iz enjoy so much food!! It nearly brought me to tears to see so many choices and so many people who took the time to listen to our needs. It gave him the opportunity to be just like everyone else.
I know that there are all of these cliches about dreams coming true at Disney World, but I can't help but say that it was a dream come true to be able to have fun together as a family and then eat dinner without worry or concern and just watch my son have a blast eating great food. It brought tears to my eyes!!
In his 7 plus years, the most he has had from a dining establishment has been a fruit cup, baked potato, or fries from Wendy's, (both of which make me nervous every time!!) a fruit cup from Chick-fil-a, or a bag of McDonald's apple dippers (minus the dip, of course). I think it is incredibly sad that he BEGS to go to Wendy's to eat a plain baked potato, fries, fruit cup, and sprite. I call it the carb crazies and it is NOT a meal I let him eat. If we ever have an occasion to go out, which is indeed a rare event, we bring an entire meal along for Iz. Usually, this only happens when the grandparents are around. In fact, it isn't only the food that is a problem. Once, when my parents were visiting, he developed asthmatic symptoms after the wait staff passed our table with sizzling fajitas. Ski wasn't feeling well, so he sat outside with Iz while the rest of us ate.
The simple fact of the matter is that most people do NOT get food allergies. They do not get cross-contamination. We often hear "It's perfectly safe" only to find that there is a serious issue with the food. There are only a few trusted people who cook for our son. In fact, it is only THREE women outside of myself and my daughters...and of course, Ski. These women might not be perfect, but they ask LOTS of questions which shows me they understand the seriousness of the issues. So just imagine a restaurant. Even the THOUGHT of going to a restaurant for him to eat at is out of the question. When we travel, he lives on a few select Amy's or Ian's frozen meals and we find a gas station first and then food for the rest of us.
However, there is one place --- if you have life threatening food allergies --- where they care and take the business of cooking seriously. Disney Resorts KNOW food allergies!! Ask anyone. They all know. If you're going to Disney, make reservations, tell them about your allergies, speak to the chef, and they will give you safe food. And since they are so close to a Disney property, I was told that Rainforest in Downtown Disney was also rather allergy friendly.
Without a reservation, we went to Downtown Disney Rainforest Cafe and the Chef came out and man, did she know her stuff. I think it was a good thing we showed up at a "down" time for a late lunch/early dinner. She told me what she could do and we decided on a salad with chicken and a french dressing. She had a clean grill so she was able to grill it. Not only that, she found some dried cranberries and put them in a dish on the side because she had not talked to me about them. A woman who gets it!! She knew...if those cranberries were not ok, they can't "just pick it out" because the entire salad would be ruined. My sweet boy was grinning ear to ear. He had an entire meal made just for him by someone who understood!!! Not only that, but he had THREE sit down meals and an ice cream snack all safe!!
While I was tired and didn't really want to go to Chef Mickey's and would have preferred grabbing a quick dinner in the park, I had only researched snacks so I had no idea what the boy could have for dinner. I thought MAYBE the turkey legs, but I hadn't researched so we weren't going to attempt it. So, if I go back, I will definitely look into more "quick" food. I found out last minute that you can get an entire list of foods from Disney, but we weren't sure how long it would take for them to send it to us so we went without. Next time, I'll do the footwork ahead of time.
The chef at Chef Mickey's was amazing. He walked Iz and I through the buffet and told us what was safe. He made Iz his own chicken fingers and salmon and would have brought out turkey as well, but Iz didn't want it. Too many choices!!! When the Chef told me something was safe, I'd ask a question to be sure and he'd explain what they used to do certain things. It was REALLY interesting and I certainly wish that all restaurants worked the same way. He made Iz and amazing salad so I didn't have to use contaminated salad bar lettuce and veggies. And he got a frosted cupcake for dessert. We had asked for ice cream as well, but they forgot, but Iz didn't notice because he was so full. The waitress told me that our chef was the best chef at that dining area. She totally trusts him and told me what she does to take precautions as well. I think that the next table over was a bit jealous that we were having the chef come out to talk with us. Or maybe it was that I was a bit OVERLY excited about HOW MUCH there was for him to choose from. AMAZING!!!
When we got ice cream on Main Street, I was so impressed that they just ASSUMED that we had an allergy. So impressive. And they just said...."we'll have it up for you in a minute or two." They use clean scoops and a special scooping area in the back!
Over and over I just was so pleased to see Iz enjoy so much food!! It nearly brought me to tears to see so many choices and so many people who took the time to listen to our needs. It gave him the opportunity to be just like everyone else.
I know that there are all of these cliches about dreams coming true at Disney World, but I can't help but say that it was a dream come true to be able to have fun together as a family and then eat dinner without worry or concern and just watch my son have a blast eating great food. It brought tears to my eyes!!
Disney Daze - Part Three "Pumkins into carriages"
After our hectic exit from the Lake Buena Vista Best Western (see part two), it was time to hit the Starbucks (where the kids ate cereal we brought), the Whole Foods (to stock up on frozen meals for IZ), and to an outlet we had been told about.
Our girls had been told by a friend of an outlet near Downtown Disney where they had cheap makeup that they really liked and wanted us to pick some up. This is a store that Nathaniel has chosen not to set foot in because they are most famous for their intimate apparel (and Superbowl commercials...and ridiculous catalogs). I will admit Becky and I stop by this particular chain of stores once a month as a way to "spoil" her, though any married man who thinks this store chain is just for females is nuts (we DON'T get the catalog BTW). I knew a bit about their retail prices and size availability. I now know why people spend some of their valuable vacation time to come here. The prices were INCREDIBLY CHEAP! We found out after the fact that nothing in the store was over $10. And the selection of sizes was HUGE and decently organized. Many bargains.
So after a grocery and Chickfila stop, it was time to head "inside the Disney bubble" for our stay at AllStar Music. We arrived and were greated by a SUPER nice cast member from Chicago who I'm ashamed I can't remember her name. She began checking us in, addressing each kid by name, gave us "first time visit" and "happy anniversary" buttons (20 yrs in Oct. was close enough) and a Muppet button for the volunteer service we did to get our tix. And then she disappeared.....
For about 15 minutes....
My wife had seen this play out two nights before at Best Western and I'm sure thought something like "here we go again, what IS it with my husband and making hotel reservations??!!??" She sat down on a bench trying not to panic while I waited. Now I listen to a TON of Disney travel podcasts and I KNOW you can be totally at fault for something (a dropped ice cream etc.) and Disney cast members will usually bend over backwards to "create some magic" and resolve issues. But I had no idea what was going on. Our check-in person said she just needed to verify something with her manager because our connecting rooms weren't ready yet. Hmmm...
Fifteen (long) minutes later, she returned smiling. "I have some good news for you. Since you had reserved connecting rooms to keep everyone together and we currently don't have yours ready, we're upgrading you to our Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa hotel. They're waiting for you there. Here's how you get there...." I must admit at that point I was in a daze. I knew from their website that Saratoga could fit 10 in a room and it was a "horse racing/Upstate NY" theme, which was okay but WAY out of our budget! I had to ask, "so is there a price difference I need to pay or....""Nope, you're all paid up. Everything is covered with what you paid just now for AllStar. Enjoy it and have a magical day!" (my heart was now racing like a horse)
Becky's eyes got big as I tried to stammer out what just occurred. The ride over to Saratoga (back near Downtown Disney where we came from) was filled with questions like "WHERE are we going?? How did this happen? Are you sure?" and an occasional fist pump by me! I had a sneaking suspicion Becky was going to like this.
I was right. The first indicator after checking in and getting our keys was on one of my trips unloading the van, someone said, "Dad, Mom says she wants to LIVE here!" When I got up to the room I could see why. It had two bedrooms and a living room area. One with a king sized bed, three TVs, a pullout couch bed, a kitchen, TWO bathrooms, a full-length whirpool and a huge shower, a washer and dryer....it was AWESOME!!! My wife doesn't sleep well in strange beds but said the mattress there was VERY nice. I'm still stupefied. Disney, ya done good by us!! Thank you!!!
We also had a small but very nice and fun pool near us (one of five at Saratoga) where she and I took the young ones while our older kids napped, showered and watched Phineas and Ferb (most of us became fans of them by trips end).
I'm a dreamer and I love travel books. Becky is a researcher and had been pouring over my Official and Unofficial guides and asking me lots of questions. It was really fun "talking Disney parks" with her for a change! We decided we would test out the bus system and go the Magic Kingdom, hop a monorail and go see the fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant (one of Becky's POSITIVE memories from her 70s trip to WDW) from the beaches of the Polynesian resort. We had a dinner of sandwiches and fruit in the room.
Our evening was WONDERFUL. Laying on Beach chairs, toes in the sand. Warm night breeze, lights, music, fireworks. So cool! Becky still loved it thirty-odd years later and I think she was beginning to feel like this would actually be a good vacation for her after all.
The next day was our Magic Kingdom day and we planned on being there for extra magic hours to beat the crowds at park opening. So have a good night's sleep (if you're not too excited) and we'll see you in Part Four "A Kingdom (re)visited"
Our girls had been told by a friend of an outlet near Downtown Disney where they had cheap makeup that they really liked and wanted us to pick some up. This is a store that Nathaniel has chosen not to set foot in because they are most famous for their intimate apparel (and Superbowl commercials...and ridiculous catalogs). I will admit Becky and I stop by this particular chain of stores once a month as a way to "spoil" her, though any married man who thinks this store chain is just for females is nuts (we DON'T get the catalog BTW). I knew a bit about their retail prices and size availability. I now know why people spend some of their valuable vacation time to come here. The prices were INCREDIBLY CHEAP! We found out after the fact that nothing in the store was over $10. And the selection of sizes was HUGE and decently organized. Many bargains.
So after a grocery and Chickfila stop, it was time to head "inside the Disney bubble" for our stay at AllStar Music. We arrived and were greated by a SUPER nice cast member from Chicago who I'm ashamed I can't remember her name. She began checking us in, addressing each kid by name, gave us "first time visit" and "happy anniversary" buttons (20 yrs in Oct. was close enough) and a Muppet button for the volunteer service we did to get our tix. And then she disappeared.....
For about 15 minutes....
My wife had seen this play out two nights before at Best Western and I'm sure thought something like "here we go again, what IS it with my husband and making hotel reservations??!!??" She sat down on a bench trying not to panic while I waited. Now I listen to a TON of Disney travel podcasts and I KNOW you can be totally at fault for something (a dropped ice cream etc.) and Disney cast members will usually bend over backwards to "create some magic" and resolve issues. But I had no idea what was going on. Our check-in person said she just needed to verify something with her manager because our connecting rooms weren't ready yet. Hmmm...
Fifteen (long) minutes later, she returned smiling. "I have some good news for you. Since you had reserved connecting rooms to keep everyone together and we currently don't have yours ready, we're upgrading you to our Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa hotel. They're waiting for you there. Here's how you get there...." I must admit at that point I was in a daze. I knew from their website that Saratoga could fit 10 in a room and it was a "horse racing/Upstate NY" theme, which was okay but WAY out of our budget! I had to ask, "so is there a price difference I need to pay or....""Nope, you're all paid up. Everything is covered with what you paid just now for AllStar. Enjoy it and have a magical day!" (my heart was now racing like a horse)
Becky's eyes got big as I tried to stammer out what just occurred. The ride over to Saratoga (back near Downtown Disney where we came from) was filled with questions like "WHERE are we going?? How did this happen? Are you sure?" and an occasional fist pump by me! I had a sneaking suspicion Becky was going to like this.
I was right. The first indicator after checking in and getting our keys was on one of my trips unloading the van, someone said, "Dad, Mom says she wants to LIVE here!" When I got up to the room I could see why. It had two bedrooms and a living room area. One with a king sized bed, three TVs, a pullout couch bed, a kitchen, TWO bathrooms, a full-length whirpool and a huge shower, a washer and dryer....it was AWESOME!!! My wife doesn't sleep well in strange beds but said the mattress there was VERY nice. I'm still stupefied. Disney, ya done good by us!! Thank you!!!
We also had a small but very nice and fun pool near us (one of five at Saratoga) where she and I took the young ones while our older kids napped, showered and watched Phineas and Ferb (most of us became fans of them by trips end).I'm a dreamer and I love travel books. Becky is a researcher and had been pouring over my Official and Unofficial guides and asking me lots of questions. It was really fun "talking Disney parks" with her for a change! We decided we would test out the bus system and go the Magic Kingdom, hop a monorail and go see the fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant (one of Becky's POSITIVE memories from her 70s trip to WDW) from the beaches of the Polynesian resort. We had a dinner of sandwiches and fruit in the room.
Our evening was WONDERFUL. Laying on Beach chairs, toes in the sand. Warm night breeze, lights, music, fireworks. So cool! Becky still loved it thirty-odd years later and I think she was beginning to feel like this would actually be a good vacation for her after all.The next day was our Magic Kingdom day and we planned on being there for extra magic hours to beat the crowds at park opening. So have a good night's sleep (if you're not too excited) and we'll see you in Part Four "A Kingdom (re)visited"
Monday, August 23, 2010
Disney Daze - Part Two "Downtown Dizzy"
My sweet B hates three things....crowds, most kinds of shopping (see crowds), and monkeys.
So naturally the perfect place for us visit while in Orlando was Downtown Disney--confused? Read on.... DTD's a free way for cheapskates like us to get a Disney fix as it's basically three mini-areas of themed shops, eateries and theaters.
For Mouseheads like myself, there's World of Disney, the largest store for Disney shwag outside of NYC. There's a large Lego store with giant Lego sculptures of seamonsters, basset hounds and Sheriff Woody. There's "Trend-D" for cool looking teen fashion type things, Goofy's Candy Kitchen (with $50 Rice Krispie treat Mickey and Minnie heads--I'm in the wrong profession). There's a Christmas store, a "Little Mismatched" for girls like my middle daughter who are too cool to wear socks that match.
For folks on the other side of the fence, there always seems to be families th
ere that are just plain "Disneyed out". Someone has told these folks that there are plenty of shopping opportunities for them to separate themselves from their hard earned cash so Johnny or Suzy can get their character trinkets or something princess/pirate related. So begrudgingly they slog along with crying kids in tow who won't be satisfied with what's in the budget and want the $50 toy of their dreams. These good folks have already spent hundreds on park tickets and hotels and are wondering "when does MY vacation start???" As day turns to evening, you'll see anger, hunger, despair, heat exhaustion.
So you see why B spent most of our trips there (we went twice) asking herself and me "Why?? Why do people LIKE this place? Why do they take pics of themselves and their kids in front of a fake wooden Buzz Lightyear st
atue? or sitting next to a fake Winnie the Pooh?" She said she just "didn't get it". I know it's not her thing. So I was just grateful she let me geek out a little. She's a wonderful girl and I'm so blessed by having her as my bride. She even mentioned a casual interest in a Minnie Mouse apron, but I knew her heart wasn't really in it.
So what about the monkeys? We'll I had been jonesing since '98 to go back to the Rainforest Cafe since eating there during a business trip. I had my chance that afternoon during lunch. I had also heard that the chefs there would adapt their menu for food allergies--a ke
y feature we experienced over and over again on Disney properties. Both our waitress and the chef treated IZ like royalty, preparing a HUGE grilled chicken salad for him (on a clean grill) that he said was "better than everyone else's food." The Rainforest decor is a jungle theme complete with robotic elephants, parrots, tropical fish...and monkeys....lots of primates....loud screeching, grunting primates...above and beside our table. Had I thought about this a bit more, I would've realized this wouldn't be a huge blessing for Becky. (I'm a little thick some times). The food and se
rvice was top notch. But we'll probably never go back. It was cool back in the 90s, but I think I've had my fill.
Becky's would be rewarded the next day, but first we spent an enjoyable rest of the day in the pool back at the hotel. We had one more issue though as one of our party got sick at 4am (due to heat, overeating at Rainforest, or the tv dinners we bought later that evening). I called down for a new set of sheets, which arrived right away, but with no mattress cover. I called again about thirty minutes later for one and Becky sent me back to the other room to rest while she waited for the cover. Two hours later (6am) I heard a knock and opened the door to find my now very tired and perturbed wife STILL waiting for the mattress cover. I walked down to the front desk, already buzzing with people checking in and was told they "would've brought it up sooner but didn't want to wake us". Umm. Next time why not CHECK??????
We changed the bed and I decided I would sit with/snuggle with her until she fell asleep. The boys were just rousing and were watching some tv so we fell alseep.....and didn't wake up until 10:30....and checkout was at 11!! AAAAAH!
If there was a game show where you had to rouse your family from sound sleep in two different rooms, make them pack all their things and food into a van, and check out of a hotel in less than 25 minutes, we'd be champions!! I will post some pics we took standing next to the van soon--we look very tired. We stopped at Starbucks on the way to our next destination for some breakfast.
As I mentioned before, things were about to take a change for us, especially for my beautiful, tired bride....next time, Part three, "The Magic Ensues".
So naturally the perfect place for us visit while in Orlando was Downtown Disney--confused? Read on.... DTD's a free way for cheapskates like us to get a Disney fix as it's basically three mini-areas of themed shops, eateries and theaters.For Mouseheads like myself, there's World of Disney, the largest store for Disney shwag outside of NYC. There's a large Lego store with giant Lego sculptures of seamonsters, basset hounds and Sheriff Woody. There's "Trend-D" for cool looking teen fashion type things, Goofy's Candy Kitchen (with $50 Rice Krispie treat Mickey and Minnie heads--I'm in the wrong profession). There's a Christmas store, a "Little Mismatched" for girls like my middle daughter who are too cool to wear socks that match.
For folks on the other side of the fence, there always seems to be families th
ere that are just plain "Disneyed out". Someone has told these folks that there are plenty of shopping opportunities for them to separate themselves from their hard earned cash so Johnny or Suzy can get their character trinkets or something princess/pirate related. So begrudgingly they slog along with crying kids in tow who won't be satisfied with what's in the budget and want the $50 toy of their dreams. These good folks have already spent hundreds on park tickets and hotels and are wondering "when does MY vacation start???" As day turns to evening, you'll see anger, hunger, despair, heat exhaustion.So you see why B spent most of our trips there (we went twice) asking herself and me "Why?? Why do people LIKE this place? Why do they take pics of themselves and their kids in front of a fake wooden Buzz Lightyear st
atue? or sitting next to a fake Winnie the Pooh?" She said she just "didn't get it". I know it's not her thing. So I was just grateful she let me geek out a little. She's a wonderful girl and I'm so blessed by having her as my bride. She even mentioned a casual interest in a Minnie Mouse apron, but I knew her heart wasn't really in it.So what about the monkeys? We'll I had been jonesing since '98 to go back to the Rainforest Cafe since eating there during a business trip. I had my chance that afternoon during lunch. I had also heard that the chefs there would adapt their menu for food allergies--a ke
y feature we experienced over and over again on Disney properties. Both our waitress and the chef treated IZ like royalty, preparing a HUGE grilled chicken salad for him (on a clean grill) that he said was "better than everyone else's food." The Rainforest decor is a jungle theme complete with robotic elephants, parrots, tropical fish...and monkeys....lots of primates....loud screeching, grunting primates...above and beside our table. Had I thought about this a bit more, I would've realized this wouldn't be a huge blessing for Becky. (I'm a little thick some times). The food and se
rvice was top notch. But we'll probably never go back. It was cool back in the 90s, but I think I've had my fill.Becky's would be rewarded the next day, but first we spent an enjoyable rest of the day in the pool back at the hotel. We had one more issue though as one of our party got sick at 4am (due to heat, overeating at Rainforest, or the tv dinners we bought later that evening). I called down for a new set of sheets, which arrived right away, but with no mattress cover. I called again about thirty minutes later for one and Becky sent me back to the other room to rest while she waited for the cover. Two hours later (6am) I heard a knock and opened the door to find my now very tired and perturbed wife STILL waiting for the mattress cover. I walked down to the front desk, already buzzing with people checking in and was told they "would've brought it up sooner but didn't want to wake us". Umm. Next time why not CHECK??????
We changed the bed and I decided I would sit with/snuggle with her until she fell asleep. The boys were just rousing and were watching some tv so we fell alseep.....and didn't wake up until 10:30....and checkout was at 11!! AAAAAH!
If there was a game show where you had to rouse your family from sound sleep in two different rooms, make them pack all their things and food into a van, and check out of a hotel in less than 25 minutes, we'd be champions!! I will post some pics we took standing next to the van soon--we look very tired. We stopped at Starbucks on the way to our next destination for some breakfast.
As I mentioned before, things were about to take a change for us, especially for my beautiful, tired bride....next time, Part three, "The Magic Ensues".
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Disney Daze - Part One "One room at the inn"
This is part one of our trip report to Mouseland.
Our first day basically consisted of driving nine plus hours to Florida. Before we left I found a "mystery deal" on Travelocity which promised two rooms at 4o bucks a pop at a three star hotel a half mile from Downtown Disney. When you book, they send and email revealing your room details. I had priced rooms from Daytona all the way down to Orlando and knew the price was a good one as long as the hotel was decent. I didn't really relish driving all day and then going to the parks the next so I thought an extra day somewhere outside of the AllStar Music (where we had reservations on property) would help us have a more restful time.
What I didn't expect is Travelocity didn't book our room correctly with the Best Western Lake Buena Vista and we only had one room showing when we got there around 10:30 at night.
There was much we could have found to complain about but the Lord was gracious to us and gave us clear and safe travels the whole way, though Orlando itself seems to bring out the worst drivers I've seen in a LONG time. He was also gracious in placing a woman with a "Jesus" pin on her Front Desk Manager uniform at the hotel who I think felt sorry for me and spent much effort trying to get us rooms for the night and get us on the same floor the next day. Out of 350 rooms in this place, they had about two or three left the night of our arrival and they ended up turning people away who were walking up. And this was in "value season" when the crowds were supposed to be low(??) Both our rooms (eventually) ended up having a fridge and a microwave (which I knew we would need) and were on one of the nicer floors that had just been remodeled. We crashed that night not knowing what else was in store for us this trip but glad the Lord was protecting and providing for us.
Up next, part two "Downtown Dizzy"
Our first day basically consisted of driving nine plus hours to Florida. Before we left I found a "mystery deal" on Travelocity which promised two rooms at 4o bucks a pop at a three star hotel a half mile from Downtown Disney. When you book, they send and email revealing your room details. I had priced rooms from Daytona all the way down to Orlando and knew the price was a good one as long as the hotel was decent. I didn't really relish driving all day and then going to the parks the next so I thought an extra day somewhere outside of the AllStar Music (where we had reservations on property) would help us have a more restful time.
What I didn't expect is Travelocity didn't book our room correctly with the Best Western Lake Buena Vista and we only had one room showing when we got there around 10:30 at night.
There was much we could have found to complain about but the Lord was gracious to us and gave us clear and safe travels the whole way, though Orlando itself seems to bring out the worst drivers I've seen in a LONG time. He was also gracious in placing a woman with a "Jesus" pin on her Front Desk Manager uniform at the hotel who I think felt sorry for me and spent much effort trying to get us rooms for the night and get us on the same floor the next day. Out of 350 rooms in this place, they had about two or three left the night of our arrival and they ended up turning people away who were walking up. And this was in "value season" when the crowds were supposed to be low(??) Both our rooms (eventually) ended up having a fridge and a microwave (which I knew we would need) and were on one of the nicer floors that had just been remodeled. We crashed that night not knowing what else was in store for us this trip but glad the Lord was protecting and providing for us.
Up next, part two "Downtown Dizzy"
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