****ANOTHER SIDE NOTE: Before heading to bed, I decided to splurge and buy me and my DH DVC windbreakers/rain coat. I miss that AP holders no longer get 15, or was it 20%, discount on merchandise..."what the 'hey' Disney?"****
Thurs., 6/6
AM
*Will we make it for an 8 a.m. opening at MK?: With the long day we had yesterday, and some hiccups along the way, I was just too tired and kept hitting the snooze button for 1/2 an hour, which now put my whole family behind
(because in my family, I am everyone's mom, clock, maid, and drill sergeant). I sleepily grabbed an iPad to see what type of weather we could expect today...
"WHAT? We're in a tornado warning? WHAT? There's a tropical storm heading our way...aptly named 'Andrea?' Guess my MIL will be joining us after all!" (in case you didn't pick up on that, my MIL's name is 'Andrea')
Made sure to pack the $1 ponchos for the girls, the stroller cover, our DVC coats, and pop an Alegra (not my usual allergy pill...forgot my Zyrtec at home)!
By 7:20 a.m., I was completely ready (including our park bag) and woke up DH; but, no "wake-up service" was required for DD's because I was purposely making
just enough noise to jostle them out of their peaceful slumber.
Eliza was the first one to greet me: "Good morning mommy! I closed my eyes and went to sleep! I'm gonna wake up Chloe!"
Chloe: pulls the covers back over her head, stretches, and then giggles.
Somehow, Chloe, although she was last to rise, was the 2nd person ready...I cannot wait for Eliza to hit this age of almost complete self-reliance
(it's the hair that still gives 'em trouble...heck, their hair still gives me trouble). Breakfast of champions was served (cereal), and we were finally out the door by 7:45 a.m., 15 min. behind my intended schedule.
*Bus stop experience: The bus stop at this resort is interesting as there is
only 1 pavilion vs. other resorts that have multiple areas specific to certain parks;
AND, busses only service MK, AK, DTD, and the water parks (makes sense since you can walk or boat it to EP and HS). Guests lined up in a "first come, first serve" fashion, leading from the where the bus actually pulls up and then snakes around back up the walkway.
DSC_1178 by
journ116, on Flickr
We have no way of knowing what busses the other guests are waiting for, short of asking them, due to this bizarre "line-up." Also, this resort shares busses with Yacht Club, Beach Club, Swan, and Dolphin resorts...and depending on which bus you take, you could be standing on the bus or waiting for another one. A CM is usually there in the morning, timing the park busses and inquiring about others. I also noticed this sign:
DSC_1179 by
journ116, on Flickr
The bus to MK arrived @ 7:50 a.m. and was packed with guests from Swan and Dolphin...clearly we were not going to make it for rope drop. We made it all the way up to the bus entrance, but decided to just wait for another one after seeing that there was "standing room only"...hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as the first one. Only 7 min. went by and another MK bus pulled up with only 5 people on board already. We boarded and my DH stood by the back exit door with the stroller...typically he waits until everyone else boards before he gets on with the stroller, but today he decided to switch it up a bit. Our bus made 1 more stop at Swan before we finally were on our way to MK!
*Time check: 8:10 am.. Somehow, my DH predicted that we wouldn't make it to MK until 8:45 a.m....I thought he was overestimating as we were only a 20 min. ride away. What I didn't factor in, or wasn't aware of, construction near the Contemporary resort...my DH would be right in his time estimation
(I don't say that often).
*Entering with the masses, but made it thru bag check and the turnstile in under 3 min. interestingly enough! I have the bag check process down: open ALL zippers in my bag and pack items in Ziploc or clear pocket baggies; get the bag off my shoulder and slide it on the oval tables; make everything visible under the stroller (
unless there's nothing to put under, then my DH gets the supreme treatment of actually walking up to the ticket turnstiles without stopping - don't ya miss those days?). Oooh, it was raining, but nothing we couldn't handle!
(the castle looks ominous)
MK castle by
journ116, on Flickr
*First stop, considering that the park had been open for 50 min., PETER PAN!: If Eliza had not requested this ride, we probably would've skipped it altogether. Parked the stroller by Mickey's Philharmagic and high tailed it over to the entrance which read, "20 min.."
PP line by
journ116, on Flickr
*Next would've been IASM, but there was already a 15 min. wait, and unless the wait time reads "5 min.," we don't do that ride. Carousel it is...and as usual, we waited 5 min..
girls on carousel by
journ116, on Flickr
*Picked up the stroller and continued with our Fantasyland tour...ah, Tea Cups were down...by-passed Winnie-the-Pooh
(figured we hit it up back thru) and went straight to another E-za request: "Goofy Coaster"
(I know that's not the real name). My DD's love this ride, especially Eliza. Parked the stroller by Dumbo, threw the over-sized ponchos on the girls
(who were protesting the size and feel) and carefully slopped thru some puddles to the Barnstormer.
Barnstormer sign by
journ116, on Flickr
*After back-to-back riding with no wait time, in the rain, Eliza was showing signs of her first of many meltdowns, this time it was triggered by her poncho...so I took her aside, while DH and Chloe could ride Barnstormer again. Eliza and I made our way over to the merchandise circus tent to get a snack, bottled water, and 2 children's Disney ponchos
($13 later), then walked back to the coaster. Didn't see DH and Chloe
(who actually had to wait in line for the ride), so I took Eliza on Dumbo
(which only had a 5 min. wait). We by-passed the indoor playground and walked right onto the ride! It was raining, but we had fun!
Eliza and I got off Dumbo at the same moment DH and Chloe were walking off of Barnstormer. I gave Chloe her new poncho and asked if she wanted to ride Dumbo...of course! DH had to excuse himself to the restroom, so I took the girls inside and let them play in the playground. Before entering the playground, a CM stopped us and asked, "How many in your party?" I was then given 3 cards, as these would keep track of how many guests were in the area
(it was far from being busy, so the 'ticket buzzers' were not issued). When anyone wanted to leave the area, whether to ride or simply exit, we had to give the cards back to the CM.
A few minutes later, DH came in and took Chloe on the ride...Eliza was content with playing. After riding, they came back in so Chloe could play some more...
DSC_1085 by
journ116, on Flickr
DSC_1084 by
journ116, on Flickr
DSC_1083 by
journ116, on Flickr
While playing, Eliza started doing the potty dance, so I turned in 2 cards and exited out the Emergency Exit and went over to the fabulously themed train-stop restrooms. Went back over to Dumbo, given 2 cards again, and sat in the playground. Chloe was growing restless by this point, so DH turned in 2 cards, left thru the Emergency Exit, and rode Barnstormer
(that makes 4 times). After 1 min., I was growing restless so I coaxed Eliza out of the playground
(took another 10 min.), turned in the remaining 2 cards and left thru that Emergency Exit door again. I figured that my DH and Chloe would be off the ride by now, but I couldn't find them, nor the stroller...so, they were sitting somewhere, in the rain.
*I had grown tired of searching for them and had grown increasingly frustrated with Eliza. Mommy needs a time out and a beignet
(would've preferred a stiff drink)! I tried numerous times to call my DH and he never picked up. So, I carried Eliza, marched angrily thru the pouring rain and puddles, and stopped near Space Ranger Spin. The sign read 10 min., so I decided to ride with miss Eliza. A CM was at the entrance asking people to remove their ponchos before entering the building, so Eliza was quite happy to oblige
(sure, she'll listen to a stranger, but not me). I looked at my phone and saw I had missed 5 calls from my DH
(I couldn't hear my phone as it was in my park bag, which was wrapped in a poncho). I called him back...
Me: "Where the _____ are you? and the stroller?"
Joel: "I am sitting outside of Dumbo with the stroller!"
Me: "Well I didn't see you, and I looked around, AND I called your cellphone!"
Joel: "Well, I didn't hear my phone and I've been calling you! Where are you?"
Me: "In line at Space Ranger Spin."
Joel: "Oh, how nice of you to wait for us!"
Me: "Hey, I called, couldn't find you, and Eliza was wearing on my nerves. Would you like me to wait for you?"
by this point, the rain was really, really, really coming down
Joel: "No." Click...he hung up.
It's not a vacation unless I'm arguing with my spouse!
*SRS was a blast, and best of all, Eliza and I were dry! At the ride's exit, I called my DH again, who actually answered, and found them waiting outside the ride's entrance. My DH was soaked to the bone, despite wearing his $50 DVC jacket...guess they're just wind resistant...
Me: "Why didn't you dump the stroller over there and get in line for the ride? Better yet, why didn't you just wait inside a shop?"
Joel: "Why bother, I'm already wet!"
Secretly, I sometimes think he likes swimming in his own stupidity as it gives him something to complain about...ah, Joel!
I told him that I'd take Eliza and the stroller over to Tomorrowland Terrace, order some food, and that he should take Chloe on the ride. He obliged.
*Tomorrowland Terrace: It was 10:30 a.m. by this point and I was afraid that we might've missed our opening here to get breakfast and use up some QS points. Phew...they were serving b'fast until 11 a.m.! I made 3 meals: ham & cheese on croissant with bottled OJ, and 2 mini-waffles with fruit with a chocolate milk and a cappuccino for momma. I then used 3 snacks on 2 orders of beignets and 1 on a fruit bowl. Eliza was quite the good helper and listened very well (yes!). We collected our food, napkins, plastic-ware, and sugar packets, and made our way to the "dessert party" dining section.
*DH and Chloe arrived 20 min. later, and my DH caught site of the waffles and wanted some instead of the sandwich. While he went back up in line, I got Chloe settled and cut up her waffles (Eliza was already chowing down). DH returned and told me that they were already switching over the breakfast menu to lunch, but that he was still able to get his waffles. So, if you hit up the Terrace between 10:50-11 a.m., you can get the best of both worlds!
(singing to her waffles)
DSC_1087 by
journ116, on Flickr
(iPhone coming in handy...watching 'Treasure Planet,' again!)
DSC_1086 by
journ116, on Flickr
(he's now a happy guy again...downing all 5 beignets himself!)
DSC_1088 by
journ116, on Flickr
(some more pics of what the weather was doing around us)
DSC_1090 by
journ116, on Flickr
DSC_1092 by
journ116, on Flickr
DSC_1091 by
journ116, on Flickr
*Bellies full and the rain had almost stopped: We decided to head back over to Pooh-bear's ride, which now had a 15 min. wait. While waiting in line, the girls got to play around. However, no day would be complete until Chloe got hurt...she pinched her fingers playing with the bumble-bee slide-thingys. O.K., "Chloe, time to keep your hands to yourself." The ride was good, but seemed to move quite quickly.
After Pooh, we checked the wait times for Belle and Ariel, agreed to by-pass them for now, and head toward IASW. Ah, let's skip it and head toward Haunted Mansion.
*A First: Chloe had finally ridden HM during our last trip, but my DH and I were hesitant about letting Eliza. Well, since she was getting skunked in the ride department due to height restrictions, we non-chalantly walked into the HM queue. The wait only read 10 min., and it was, if you don't count the "waiting room." When we came to the stretching room, I held Eliza, told her to close her eyes for now, and I covered her ears when it came to the, "You could try our way" on getting out segment. We were then let out of the room and we immediately hit a bottle-neck affect. This part took 10 min. to get thru, but we were finally on and somehow Eliza was riding with my DH and I got Chloe...soooo, I cannot tell you how Eliza reacted on her first run-thru...what I do know was that we got stuck 3 times and Eliza didn't cry!
*Continuing thru Frontierland: Skipped the mountain rides because Chloe didn't want to ride either, and headed toward PotC. I parked the stroller, found no wait, and realized that this was another FIRST for Eliza. She basically stayed in the crook of my arm for the entire ride, but didn't cry! This was followed by the Magic Carpet ride and the Swiss Family Tree House.
(view from the tree house instead of any pics from the actual attraction
)
castle from tree house by
journ116, on Flickr
PM
*Should we stay or should we go?: The time was 12:30 p.m. and my DH and I were pretty wet, AND we had a dinner reservation at Via Napoli later in the evening. We decided to leave the park, but not before stopping at Casey's Corner for a hot dog, fries, Coke, and brownie...another 2 QS meals used. However, the girls wouldn't dare eat a hot dog, so they sat in the stroller (as there was no 'stadium seating' by Casey's) and watched the black-and-white cartoons. It was at this point that I noticed that both of my feet were getting 'hot spots,' despite my best efforts in preventing them
(i.e. blister band aids and mole-skin strategically placed). Darn Mary Jane Crocs!!
*Breezed thru the Emporium and found ourselves exiting the park and trudging up the ramp toward the monorail.
