Mancation 2013 (dubbed by my 12 yr old son)

Dates: Feb 7th – Feb 13th
Resort: Pop Century
The small two person cast is me, Bill (in the 49ers shirt below) and my best friend/brother Steve (best man at my wedding). First off, while it doesn’t matter, we are not a couple. I am married with 2 kids and he has a gf for 2 yrs (save the “nice cover jokes…lol). Trust me….as he stated during our trip, “if people heard our conversations while here….” lol. We’ve been friends since 1997 and he became informally adopted by my late Mom about 6 yrs ago. He was going thru a divorce (and has no family left) and around Easter time, I invited him to Easter at my Mom’s as I didn’t want him alone. While eating dinner, she told him, “You’ll never be alone on a holiday”. From then she was Mom to him. My mother passed away on January 4th of this year after a long battle with COPD and the last year was extremely difficult. He and my wife were my rock thru it all and we truly became brothers this past year. We always talked about this trip with her during the last several months and she loved hearing about how excited we were. She said more than once that we go no matter what happened. And when Mom talked, we listened.

Yes, a touch odd that two grown 42 yr old men went to Disney together but there is a backstory to it. Back in March/April of 2012, Steve mentioned wanting to go to WDW since he hasn’t been since early 1999 and his gf didn’t want to go at the time. So as we talked my wife said, “Bill will go with you”. My wife knows I love WDW and will go any chance I get. We are taking the kids this October but going to twice in the same yr is no problem. She told me it was my birthday and Christmas present and I said “OK!!!!”. So we planned the time and in what felt like forever and no time, we were sitting at Albany (NY) airport eating lunch saying, “can you believe we are going to WDW?”
We left Albany at 2:00 and arrived a little after 5:00 and off to the DME. Since he hasn’t been to WDW for 14 yrs, the DME was new (among many other things) and such began the full blown addiction he would end up having with WDW by the end of the 7 days. We arrived @ Pop and were met at the online check-in by a newbie (earning his ears). My wife and Steve’s gf planned a surprise that was supposed to be in our room, but he messed up and gave me my gift at check in only. I was surprised and the card said it was to me from my wife. I called my wife on the way to the room to say thank you and she said, “did Steve like his gift and why did you get it at check-in?” When I told her there was nothing for him she was ed. More to come…..
After we dropped our carry-ons in our room we decided to go to MK instead of chillin at the resort. He wanted to ride Space…..all he talked about for 7 months….lol So off we went.

As we arrived, the MSEP just started so we had to go up the right side of Main St to get to Tomorrowland. As we got to the corner by the Plaza, it became apparent; this was not going to be easy. Steve called it “running the gauntlet” getting thru the masses around the hub ad getting to Tomorrowland. We did and went to Space for a FP. We decided to hit Cosmic Rays for dinner and for the first time in 4 visits for me, it wasn’t good…..but oh well, we were in MK and were in 22 degree weather 6 hours earlier.

We headed over to Frontierland while most were still around the hub waiting for Wishes. BTMR was all of a 5 min wait so that was a no brainer. Got the front car and off we went just as Wishes started. In what turned out to be an awesome start to the trip, as we went around the first ”curve” the fireworks were going off right "in front of us" and it was an incredible sight. We got of Thunder and we got right back on with no wait.

We then headed to Space for our FP and then did Buzz on the way out.

As we approached the bus stop, we noticed there were four million people in line for the Pop bus (well…maybe a little exaggerated but…lol.) We were behind a woman who was by herself and talked our ears off for 40 mins…OMG! I actually texted my wife to call me to get me out of it….which she did and that prompted a text from Steve standing right next to me calling me an a$$-hole for subjecting him to it alone. HA HA HA.
Unbeknownst to us, my wife called Disney Florist b/c she wasn’t happy that they messed the presents up (says on my card to be delivered together with his stuff), spelled her name wrong on the card, certain things weren’t in my bag that were supposed to be and a few other things that were wrong. An extremely nice CM on the phone named Jeannine apologized profusely to her and said she would take care of it. When we returned to our room, she provided us with a Mickey mug and Pluto (Steve’s favorite) mug with 2 fastpasses each. It was not necessary and incredibly generous of her. His present was also there. His gf got him a large Mickey balloon and personalized ears with his name on it (he wore them every single day for the rest of the trip). It’s fitting for him as he is a loud, doesn’t give a damn what people think type of person where I am the polar opposite. My wife got me a small cooler bag with a bunch of snacks and I now use that as my “lunch bag” for work.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Very sweet how you toasted to your Mom. I know when the day comes that my mother is no longer with us, my sister and I will have so many things to do at Disney in her honor since that's the place all 3 of us travel to together

And I totally love how you two grown men plan a trip to Disney together. How freakin cool are you two?!

 

[catnrob]

I'm loving your report! I thinks it's great that you guys did this...I'm sure you felt your mom many times during it!

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

I'm loving your report! I thinks it's great that you guys did this...I'm sure you felt your mom many times during it!

Thanks very much. Many times she was thought of.

Day 4 tomorrow.......life got in the way the last couple of days.

 

[Stephen Rock]

So a couple of additional points, as if I could let Day 3 go by without adding in my two cents.

First time back for me since 1998. At that time it was just Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Earful Tower. 2013 and we have the Sorcerer's Hat. I love it as the Icon for DHS. I was so in awe of it I nearly fell down the stairs as we made our way for our FPs for TSMM. Pixar Place was new to me as well as the crazy mob running for FPs as the park opened. I've never seen the like. Now I refuse to run for anything (except a Monorail headed for Ohana, but that's a story for another day). After following the herd to TSMM we made our way to "The Rock", my affectionate name for my favorite ride at WDW.

You've already read Bill's account of what transpired on our first ride on The Rock, what he failed to tell you to protect my masulinity, was how I screamed like a frightened child during the first minute of the ride. A child I tell you. The picture doesn't do justice to the feeling of dread that welled up inside me. When I got on the ride I had on white socks, when I got off the ride they were brown. Next stop was the biggest let down of our trip...

Newton's law of gravity says, "What goes up, must come down." So as we board the HTofT for a ride 130 ft straight up, the fear swelled inside both of us. I have no idea how they manage to do it, but until you get through the first drop, my heart races like a wild man. Once our car locked in the drop shaft, the ride provided the biggest letdown of our trip, 130ft up, 130ft down. The lobby is an absolute masterpiece. From Harold Bemis' glasses on the desk to the creepy undead bellhops, top notch theatrics. The CMs stayed in character and never broke once. It just compliments the ride perfectly. Now we rode the TOT 3 times that day. The best was when we decided we were going to pose for the ride picture. The idea was we'd be looking at our wrists like we were waiting for the drop. So as normal the car loads into the drop shaft. In pitch black we are both looking at our wrists. Hold it, Hold it, Hold it. The first drop occurs, no flash. Hold it, Hold it, second drop we both believe the flash has occurred and it's time for arms up. As the car rises to the highest point in the ride I'm realizing this is when the picture is going to be taken. The picture shows my head turned to Bill yelling, "This is the picture!" Alas too late, but the shot with my head turned is classic. As we got off the ride I wanted to make a purchase in the GS. The cast member that assisted me was the nicest man you can imagine. All done up in costume and friendly as could be. I was wearing a Virginia Beach T-shirt. He was from Cleveland, Ohio. He began to ask me about the weather in Virginia. I explained I was from Albany, NY. He shared a couple stories about adventures he had as a young man in my neck of the woods. I could have pulled up a chair and listened to this man tell stories all day. It was things like this that happened all throughout our stay that really made me happy.

Next up was Star Tours but we had a bit of an intermission before we got there. That intermission allowed me to grab a photo op with Stitch. He was his normal grump self and I loved every minute of it. Attitude personified. I then wanted to make my way to the line for Minnie. As with somethings, lines can preclude you from doing things. So Minnie was sacrificed. Star Tours more than made up for having to wave good bye to Minnie. In a word it was Forcetastic. The improvements since 1998 were mind blowing. Even cooler though was the Jedi Academy. I can't tell you how much I wish I was young enough to join that group. What an amazing idea that is orchestrated so perfectly.

Most of our day Bill has already shared with you, however the only other add on I'd give you would be about dinner. Now you know we went to the ESPN Sportszone. You know Bill loved his desert. I had the Rum and Coke Avalanche, being a Coke freak this was right up my alley. What he left out was the service we had that night. For the most part we had fantastic service at the restaurants we went to, this was no exception. Our server's name was Kay. She was absolutely amazing. Now what really started everything was a bit of a disagreement Bill and I were having over a menu item. The PB and J burger. For those of you who don't know what this is, let me take a moment:

The burger is topped with jalapeños and bacon, and covered in creamy peanut butter and grape jelly on a toasted butter bun.

Now I'm a bit more of the adventurous type than Bill who is more conservative. He says to me why would you do that. My response was along the lines of it must be good if it's on the menu. Insert Kay here, I asked her, so what is the story with the PB and J burger. She says, "Best thing on the menu, my personal favorite." Now if you are anything like me you are thinking, wonder if she gets a kickback for everyone she promotes. Kay upped the stakes, "On SuperBowl Sunday I wasn't with my boyfriend, when I got done working I got a PB and J burger to go, took it home and it was my comfort food. Gets me through bad days." Ghostrider, this is Hot Dog, I think we have just made a friend. When Bill's desert came out and he told Kay it was the best desert he'd ever had it really made her day. Now I know it may seem like she was playing a part to get a good tip, but if she was she deserves an Oscar. She came across as truly sincere and made what was pretty standard pub food into a great dining experience.

After diner we were heading for the cabs and we saw an Art Gallery at the Boardwalk. So I wanted to go in. Now mind you I was wearing a set of Pluto Ears, a tie dye red, yellow, blue and green tshirt and gray and bright red Nikes. So we go in through the door and one of the Gallery Employees welcomes us and says, "Uhhh I like um all your colors." Now typically I would take offense to a comment like that. Not sure if she was being funny or not. But the work on the walls was so amazing I really didn't care. Anyway I like to think of myself as a walking Color Palette. Where better to be colorful than WDW. We spent 4 dollars on a cab from the Boardwalk to Pop Century, honestly next to a Mickey Head Ice Cream bar, the best use of 4 dollars the entire time we were in WDW. Now it was time to get some shut eye because the Monster day was upon us. Early rise for the Welcome show at MK and then we were going to close the park. Did we make it all the way? Guess you'll just have to wait and see. I know Bill has Day 4 on deck.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

DAY 4
MAGIC KINGDOM
On the bus to MK, a little boy (whose name I can’t remember) had to sit next to Steve across from his parents. He was quite nervous but shortly into the ride, Steve started talking him and they kept up the conversation for most of the ride. When we got off the bus @ MK, he walked next to Steve all the way til we got under where the monorail goes overhead and then his parents called him back. I think it was a moment that will always be remembered by both the Steve and the little kid but I’ll let Steve elaborate during his commentary.
This was the day I was looking forward to b/c even though we went to MK on arrival day, riding the bus and hearing the welcome message with the drum roll and the horns is a big one for me. Then the walk up to the entrance on a beautiful, sunny morning with the sounds and smells is perfection to me. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as we arrived @ 8:30 for the Welcome Show (which is a requirement for me whether my kids are with me or not). Steve never saw it and didn’t see on youtube so I knew this would complete the addiction process.

To me, there is nothing like coming out of the train station and walking down Main St in the morning sun seeing the castle in the distance with the crowds.

As normal for me and I told Steve it is the best plan, we got to the left when we reached the hub and as usual, the crowds disappeared. Our first stop was the Jungle Cruise. The young woman who was our captain was “odd” to say the least…..she was “steering” the ship with her feet. Next of course was Pirates which had the right side walled off which at first I thought was a bummer b/c Steve wanted to see the two pirates playing chess that we learned from the WDW Secrets book. It was a walk on so when we got near loading, he asked a CM if there was another spot and she brought us to the “other window” where he could look down and see it. The Davy Jones mist affect is definitely better than Blackbeard but still cool nonetheless.

After checking out the gift shop for a bit…..Steve really wanted Pirate ears but all the ones they had we a no-go for him so it was off to Frontierland. On his only other trip in ’99, he didn’t get to do Splash so with he was disappointed that is was being refurbed. There was a lot of scaffolding up at the time but it didn’t bother me too much b/c I’ll get a fresh Splash Mountain in October.

Then it was on to BTMRR for the first of the day (but 3rd of the trip). I love Thunder but I think I like it as much at night as I do during the day. After two trips on BTMRR we took a ride on the Liberty Riverboat to tour around TSI and I got to take a bunch of great pics of Thunder. I must have been oblivious but I didn’t see any “reference” to the interactive queue that showed up a few weeks after we left.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

DAY 4 CONTINUED.....

One of my favorites as it is for most is Haunted Mansion. Steve (for whatever reason) didn’t do this as well in ’99 so it would be his first time visiting the dead center of the library and venturing on the Doom Buggys. We went thru the interactive queue the first time so he could see everything. I’ve done the new queue and it’s ok but after doing it once, it’s time to move on. He LOVED it….couldn’t get enough so as we exited, we turned around and went right back on. My only issue is the merch carts weren’t open. I think WDW is really missing out on lots of merch sales for Haunted.

We quickly grabbed FP for PP and then did Hall of Presidents which was very good as usual. I think the new version is substantially better than the old one (and it has zero to do with politics and our new President). Please save anything u have to say about President Obama for another thread….thank you. I think the addition of Morgan Freeman as the narrator is amazing…..one of the best actors in the last 30 years.

Before lunch, we did what might be my favorite attraction on all of WDW…..Mickey’s Philharmagic. I absolutely love it and Steve became a big fan as well.
I’m generally not a big fan of stuff on my hot dog other than the traditional toppings but we both decided to go after the Chicago dog @ Casey’s. GREAT CHOICE!!!! It was so busy all around the hub and MK was frieking NUTS that day. I waiting in line while Steve scouted for somewhere to eat and fortunately enough as I was waiting for my food, I got the text he got a table around the corner by the first aid station…..whew. While we ate, we also people watched and again….really people!!!! I get expressing yourself but please….for all that is holy….look in the flipping mirror before departing your hotel room.

I’d like to go off on a tangent again. So, if you are a parent pushing a stroller….pay the @#$% attention. If you are pushing a double stroller, the wide ones, pay double the @#$% attention. Pushing the stroller as wide as the space shuttle does NOT give you the right to roll people over and does not entitle you space that is just as much mine (or any other guest). I used to have one so save the attack. I however took care and concern about running people over (I pushed one around Hershey Park in August for 2 days with no casualties one year). The Latin/South Americans were the worst….see joke of Asian drivers. If you have a double stroller, 2 parents and another child…..you DO NOT WALK ALL NEXT TO EACH OTHER. Fall in line “stoopid”. Wow that ed me off something fierce. Oh yeah…..and if you do decide to bring children young enough to be in strollers, don’t complain that WDW should accommodate u more than other guests. It was your choice. OOOhhhhhh…one more thing. If your son or daughter is tall enough to be scouted by the NBA, THEY DO NOT BELONG IN STROLLERS…….make their lazy walk. I saw kids who had scrapes on their legs from hanging out of the stroller so far. J Moving on……

When lunch was over, it was time for Steve to see Pluto……his favorite character and one of the highlights of the trip. I’ll let him talk about why and to the person in the Pluto costume…I hope you are recovering nicely. LOL

After seeing Pluto and calling the paramedics to help the poor soul inside Pluto to breathe again, we headed to Fantasyland.

We did PP with our fastpasses and then what is possible my favorite attraction in all of WDW…..Mickey's Philharmagic. Steve quickly became a big fan as well. It’s fun and all the effects were working well. I thought the theatre looked pretty good….better than in 2011.
We walked around the new Fantasyland to check it out. The details are amazing and I can’t wait to see the Mine Train but IMO, it’s too cluttered and crowded for me while the walls are up. A big issue I have is that the bridge that goes to BOG is closed off except for those who are dining. That’s crap. We weren’t even allowed on the bridge to take pictures!!!! Why build an area with such incredible detail if only allowed to be view by those willing to wait 2 hours to eat? We wanted to check out Gaston’s Tavern but it was so busy there was nowhere to go…..which is ok.

We went to see a friend of mine who is in the BigTop Souvenirs tent to see her and say hi. I loved the combo of food and merch. We walked around Storybook Circus which is very cute but there no flow…..horrible flow actually IMO.
Now Tomorrowland.

We did Stitch, Monsters Inc, COP and TTA which Steve loved. Before the trip he said he didn’t care to do it but I told him he’d like it which of course he did. I love it….relaxing. Then another trip on Space!!!

Steve wanted to do the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party…….which I don’t even watch for fear of blowing chunks over other guests and there was finally a short wait.

Steve had wanted to go on Pooh so we walked over but the wait was still really long and we had reservations @ ‘Ohana for 6:30. So we headed out via Tomorrowland so we could grab fastpasses for Space before dinner.

‘Ohana was absolutely fantastic. We loved every second of it and it was definitely our favorite meal of the entire trip. I went there for breakfast with my family in 2011 and we loved it. I let Steve choose all the restaurants and he did research on all the menus….so when he mentioned ‘Ohana, I was all in. We got there @ 6:30 and were seated @ 6:45. Every single item we had was better than the next from the bread to the grilled meats to the dessert.

We then grabbed the monorail back to MK.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

DAY 4.....THE FINISH

We got back during MSEP so we had to hear the awful music going up Main St. We stopped in the Confectionary…..believe it or not, it was my first time in their in 5 trips. I have no idea why. We then went to use our fastpass for Space Mountain….did Space and then grabbed another FP on our way back to the hub to watch CTM and Wishes. Wishes hit me hard about my Mom bringing tears to my eyes……I miss her so much. I got what I think are some pretty good pics of Wishes.

After Wishes, we headed back into Tomorrowland. We did TTA but got stuck on it and had to walk off over by the Speedway. We were given MK fastpasses good thru the end of the week and that would work into our plan for Tuesday…..you’ll see.
When we did Space this time a funny thing....well kind of a funny thing happened. I pushed down the lap bar too far. After I did it, I looked up at the CM and said can u please let me adjust? He either didn't hear me or didn't care. When we moved forward for the "seat belt check", I mentioned something to that CM and he actually laughed. Neither helped nd off we went for take off. Needless to say that made the ride uncomfortable….lol Every drop, hump or anything made me groan……. and not in a good way. UGH

We walked around checking things out, doing Philharmagic again among other rides…..got a snack, shopped and then headed out of Magic Kingdom @ 12:10. We opened and closed the park which was a lot of fun and one of the goals for the trip. Getting there at 8:30 and leaving over 15.5 hours later makes for a long day but it was incredibly worth it.
When we left there was no line for the bus and the bus got there almost right away. Thank goodness…..we were tired. We arrived @ Pop around 1:00 and had to get up @ 6:45 for EMH @ AK the next morning….ugh.

 

[Stephen Rock]

Day 4, 4 fun, 4 magic, 4 memories. OK enough with the really bad puns. I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. As we left the room the realization was setting in that this was going to be a long, long day. Up until now I have failed to mention one small detail, a nagging ankle injury. About a week before we left I strained the peroneal ligament on my left leg running. This was a total bummer as I really wanted to run while on property. Everyday was ok until about 3pm when the swelling really kicked in. I'd ice every night and wrapped everyday for support. I was hopeful I'd make it through the day, but 15-16 hours is a lot to ask especially when there was no real sit down time. It also made getting in an out of some of the rides (especially SM) difficult. But I was not letting a cranky ankle slow me down. As we boarded the bus we took our usual seats at the front of the bus across from each other. As the bus was packed there was a family late getting on that filled in the seats next to me. As typical, most folks don't want to sit next to a stranger, being a New Yorker and having mastered public transportation in NYC, this didn't even phase me. What would happen next was truly the most magical experience of our trip.

Now most of you reading this get that when in WDW it is a whole other way of life. So just to cover myself in the event that there are folks who don't get the "one big happy bunch of mousekateers" attitude, I love kids, respect parents and would never do anything to endanger the welfare of a child. Now as you can guess if you have been reading this trip report I'm gregarious to say the least. When the family filled in the seats they stuck the youngest of their crew next to me. His name was Evan. Now as any little kid sitting next to a Monstous looking man with Mickey Ears on, Evan was uncomfortable and I could tell. So I took it upon myself to attempt to make young Evan comfortable. I asked him if he was all set for the MK. That was all it took. Evan told me all about his adventures at Tomorrowland Speedway. His favorite ride in ALL of the MK. He shared with me how the day before he got to drive even though he wasn't supposed to. How he didn't crash once. He was so proud of himself. He gave me the big high five when we got off the bus and I told him to have a great day. He looked up with this incredible infectious smile and said, "You too Mister!" Now as we got off the bus we were pretty much the front of the crowd. Bill says to me I think you have a friend. There is Evan hot on my heels. Now nothing for nothing, made me feel pretty good that on our 20 minute ride this little boy went from uncomfortable to can I come hang with you. Once we got up by the entrance to MK his folks called him back. The whole thing really made my day. That was just the start.

Now I had up until this point never seen the "Welcome Show". I understood the concept but seeing it in person is something else. As Bill mentioned I'm a huge Pluto fan. When the train came in Pluto and Stitch were right in front of where we were standing. When Pluto was waving it almost felt like he was waving to me and only me. Silly I know but I'm going with it. As Mickey began the countdown I got goose bumps. As the streamers flew in the air, Bill turns to me and says, "Well?" I showed him my arms. He saw the goose bumps and said ok let's go. In we went to begin the day.

Now I'm not going to rehash all the events Bill shared. I will add a couple things though. First off loved Casey's. Best Hot Dog Ever!!! I come from the land of Nathan's, so this is major props. I really like Storybook Circus. I agree with Bill, the flow is horrible but I believe that will change as Snow White is completed. I wish I was younger. Some of the rides looked like so much fun. But alas I'm too big. New Fantasyland just wasn't big enough to accommodate the crowds that were there. It was a little disappointing as it's visually stunning. I really wanted to see Gaston's and at least be able to see inside BOG. But it was not to be. There is definitely room for improvement there and I believe they will correct a lot of that when Snow White opens. I really wanted to do LM, but the wait times were just too great. The same thing happened with Pooh. Speaking of Pooh, I was really surprised at the lack of Pooh Merch that was available. It was extremely limited. Two last items before I close with another highlight of our trip. These are both negatives so I'm going to make them really quick. First I don't know what people are thinking when they eat or maybe they don't practice good hygiene habits but when stuck in que lines like SM people had some serious flatulence issues. While boarding SM there was a person who was so foul that 2 of the CMs were trying to seek shelter behind clip boards. It was awful. I'd rather sit next to the homeless guy on the subway. He doesn't even smell that bad. People should be ashamed. In the immortal words of Donkey from Shrek, "You caught me with my mouth open." Item 2 ECV rentals. I know we have all heard the stories or been impacted by the use of ECVs. We witnessed a situation where a woman on an ECV almost crashed into a stroller with a child who had more facial hair than I do (I sport a full on vandyke, you'd call it a goatee). As the woman who NEEDED the ECV almost ended this poor kid, she whiskey throttled the ECV. So as the ECV is now gaining momentum she jumps off it to avoid the crash. Now her feat of athleticism (SARCASTIC), jumping off the ECV, was proof she didn't need the fire truckin' thing. If you don't need it, stop trying to manipulate the system.

Now back to the fun stuff. My most FAVORITE character at WDW is Pluto. Part of the must do list was a photo op with Pluto as I did not get a chance to get a photo with Pluto in 1998. So as we made our way to Town Square I was a tad bit out of my mind with excitement. So as I was trying to determine where Pluto would be I met a young woman. She told me I was in the right spot for Pluto. She was first in line. We got to talking and she told me she was a CM. Her job is to assist Pluto. That day she was in line to have Pluto sign some cards that special needs children had made for Pluto and get her picture taken with Pluto getting the cards signed. The children who made the cards were not able to go to the park and this was the closest they could get. Really makes you appreciate the ability to enjoy any of the parks on property. So for all those folks in the forum that complain about something they don't like, keep in mind that not everybody can come to WDW to be able to complain about the color of a bathroom, the Sorcerer's Hat in front of Grauman's or event the fact that you can see the maintenance shed on Everest. Those of us who get to go are extremely lucky and we should be respectful of the privilege that we have. I was telling the young woman about my experience with the "Welcome Show". She said I've never actually seen it. She went on to tell me that she got the best vantage point in the park for when it opened. Right in front of the turnstile tunnel behind the rail station. She told me how everyday she gets to stand there and watch people walk into the MK for their first time and she gets to see children and adults alike when they see Town Square and the Cinderella Castle for the first time. She said it was the best. As she was finishing telling me the story my DOG arrived. Pluto was no more than 30 ft from me.

I waited patiently for my turn. I could not stand still and I thought I was going to explode. Finally the photographer said, "Sir, you are next." I ran to Pluto and gave him the biggest monster bear hug I could muster. I can only try to explain how it felt by saying it is truly what Disney Magic is all about. It transforms you into a person with no cares. A person who can be open to the joy of a child. It allows you to feel unconditional happiness. In that moment Pluto became real to me. Now the quick back story is that Pluto became important to me because he embodied my Yellow Lab Retriever. My confidant for 14 years before he passed. So to me Pluto is the never ending version of my dog Remy. I think when I hugged Pluto it was like saying hello to Remy again. It transported me to a time when I was so happy if I exploded I'd be fireworks, streamers, candy, chocolate syrup and dole whip all in one bomb. I told Pluto that I'd traveled 1500 miles to see him. He motioned for me to rub his nose. When I did he got the foot kick going. Yes, Remy used to do the same thing. The picture Bill posted of me laughing with Pluto is my favorite. At that moment I was happier than I have been in a very long time. That grin makes all the ECV issues, cheerleaders, rude people, long lines and any other issue go away. When I'm struggling to get through my day I look at that picture and it just makes me so very happy. My only regret is I wished the woman I love more than anything was there to share that moment with me. Just thinking about that moment makes me smile. The BEST part is no one can ever take that memory from me. IMO that is what WDW is all about. Memories.

 

[MagicMegan]

Loving this so far! And I love your comments about what people wear... I am totally that person looking at people with my mouth open and a confused look like 'what is that?'.

 

[accord99cutie]

Love the report!! Can't wait to read more

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

Loving this so far! And I love your comments about what people wear... I am totally that person looking at people with my mouth open and a confused look like 'what is that?'.

On behalf of my co-hort, thank you. Love the name.....my wife's name is Meagan.

I think I notice it more in WDW b/c I always make time to take a deep breath and soak it all in. I would just prefer not to soak in the outfits of some people. LOL

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

I hate when life gets in the way of me reliving our trip....lol Day 5 and 6 upcoming.

 

[Raven66]

I really enjoy how you all tell the story of your trip one after the other. Ok, I have to say the pictures of Steve hugging Pluto made me cry a little.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

I really enjoy how you all tell the story of your trip one after the other. Ok, I have to say the pictures of Steve hugging Pluto made me cry a little.

Pluto cried too but not in a good way.

 

[Todd L]

Dates: Feb 7th – Feb 13th
Resort: Pop Century
The small two person cast is me, Bill (in the 49ers shirt below) and my best friend/brother Steve (best man at my wedding). First off, while it doesn’t matter, we are not a couple. I am married with 2 kids and he has a gf for 2 yrs (save the “nice cover jokes…lol). Trust me….as he stated during our trip, “if people heard our conversations while here….” lol. We’ve been friends since 1997 and he became informally adopted by my late Mom about 6 yrs ago. He was going thru a divorce (and has no family left) and around Easter time, I invited him to Easter at my Mom’s as I didn’t want him alone. While eating dinner, she told him, “You’ll never be alone on a holiday”. From then she was Mom to him. My mother passed away on January 4th of this year after a long battle with COPD and the last year was extremely difficult. He and my wife were my rock thru it all and we truly became brothers this past year. We always talked about this trip with her during the last several months and she loved hearing about how excited we were. She said more than once that we go no matter what happened. And when Mom talked, we listened.

Yes, a touch odd that two grown 42 yr old men went to Disney together but there is a backstory to it. Back in March/April of 2013, Steve mentioned wanting to go to WDW since he hasn’t been since early 1999 and his gf didn’t want to go at the time. So as we talked my wife said, “Bill will go with you”. My wife knows I love WDW and will go any chance I get. We are taking the kids this October but going to twice in the same yr is no problem. She told me it was my birthday and Christmas present and I said “OK!!!!”. So we planned the time and in what felt like forever and no time, we were sitting at Albany (NY) airport eating lunch saying, “can you believe we are going to WDW?”
We left Albany at 2:00 and arrived a little after 5:00 and off to the DME. Since he hasn’t been to WDW for 14 yrs, the DME was new (among many other things) and such began the full blown addiction he would end up having with WDW by the end of the 7 days. We arrived @ Pop and were met at the online check-in by a newbie (earning his ears). My wife and Steve’s gf planned a surprise that was supposed to be in our room, but he messed up and gave me my gift at check in only. I was surprised and the card said it was to me from my wife. I called my wife on the way to the room to say thank you and she said, “did Steve like his gift and why did you get it at check-in?” When I told her there was nothing for him she was ed. More to come…..
After we dropped our carry-ons in our room we decided to go to MK instead of chillin at the resort. He wanted to ride Space…..all he talked about for 7 months….lol So off we went.

As we arrived, the MSEP just started so we had to go up the right side of Main St to get to Tomorrowland. As we got to the corner by the Plaza, it became apparent; this was not going to be easy. Steve called it “running the gauntlet” getting thru the masses around the hub ad getting to Tomorrowland. We did and went to Space for a FP. We decided to hit Cosmic Rays for dinner and for the first time in 4 visits for me, it wasn’t good…..but oh well, we were in MK and were in 22 degree weather 6 hours earlier.

We headed over to Frontierland while most were still around the hub waiting for Wishes. BTMR was all of a 5 min wait so that was a no brainer. Got the front car and off we went just as Wishes started. In what turned out to be an awesome start to the trip, as we went around the first ”curve” the fireworks were going off right "in front of us" and it was an incredible sight. We got of Thunder and we got right back on with no wait.

We then headed to Space for our FP and then did Buzz on the way out.

As we approached the bus stop, we noticed there were four million people in line for the Pop bus (well…maybe a little exaggerated but…lol.) We were behind a woman who was by herself and talked our ears off for 40 mins…OMG! I actually texted my wife to call me to get me out of it….which she did and that prompted a text from Steve standing right next to me calling me an a$$-hole for subjecting him to it alone. HA HA HA.
Unbeknownst to us, my wife called Disney Florist b/c she wasn’t happy that they messed the presents up (says on my card to be delivered together with his stuff), spelled her name wrong on the card, certain things weren’t in my bag that were supposed to be and a few other things that were wrong. An extremely nice CM on the phone named Jeannine apologized profusely to her and said she would take care of it. When we returned to our room, she provided us with a Mickey mug and Pluto (Steve’s favorite) mug with 2 fastpasses each. It was not necessary and incredibly generous of her. His present was also there. His gf got him a large Mickey balloon and personalized ears with his name on it (he wore them every single day for the rest of the trip). It’s fitting for him as he is a loud, doesn’t give a damn what people think type of person where I am the polar opposite. My wife got me a small cooler bag with a bunch of snacks and I now use that as my “lunch bag” for work.

Very Cool!! Looking forward to the Rest of the Trip report!!

 

[Stephen Rock]

I really enjoy how you all tell the story of your trip one after the other. Ok, I have to say the pictures of Steve hugging Pluto made me cry a little.

I know the feeling. I needed a hanky just thinking about it.

 

[ginadee]

This is absolutely fantastic. I have gotten choked up a few times reading this. It is so fantastic to see men who get the magic. Love your pics and great story telling. Thanks so much for sharing. This was definately a special trip. This TR has probably touched me more than any Ive read. Made my night reading it.

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

This is absolutely fantastic. I have gotten choked up a few times reading this. It is so fantastic to see men who get the magic. Love your pics and great story telling. Thanks so much for sharing. This was definately a special trip. This TR has probably touched me more than any Ive read. Made my night reading it.

Thanks very much. It was special and needed after everything with my Mom.

 

[mousefreak]

Awesome trip report!

 

[Dads 2 Boys]

DAY 5
ANIMAL KINGDOM
After a very long day @ MK, it was up and early for EMH @ AK. We were at the bus @ 7:30 and @ Animal Kingdom a round 7:45. We grabbed a few pictures out front and then waited in line @ the entrance forever…..apparently no one knew how to use the Mickey head RFID touch to enter turnstiles. Really rough to figure out…especially with Cast members telling them what to do. (dripping with sarcasm)
When Steve last saw AK, it was less than a year after opening so he was pretty excited about seeing a “fuller” version. The weather was spectacular that morning and the only downside was it was one the other side of halfway through our trip.

Once we entered it was straight to Kilamanjaro Safari and when we crossed the bridge, I finally got to smell what everyone has been talking about. It is really nasty but it’s only in that brief area so not too big of a deal for me.

The safari was nice but as corny as it was, I miss hearing “Simba 1”. There weren’t very many animals out surprisingly enough but we got held up by quite a few giraffes walking in front of us. I didn’t see the zebras at the end….did I miss something? We checked out the Pangani Forest trail and enjoyed the walk around and headed over to Asia. While checkin everything out we began to notice the crowds were growing quickly.

Before going to Asia, I stopped over @ Kali to ask the CM if there was a chance for a soft opening. We now know it didn’t open early and actually opened late. The CM said to me definitely not early and probably about a week late…..he was right on. I really enjoy Kali and wanted Steve to be able to ride it but we knew weeks ahead of time it was going to be down so it wasn’t a big surprise. I also wasn’t completely bummed because I’m not thrilled about being wet all day long. We decided to do the Jungle Trek after lunch so it was off to our expedition.

Everest is one of my favorite attractions in all of WDW and while it’s probably the most polarizing among the “fans”……I really don’t care the Yeti is broken. Save the “you’re one of the masses that keeps the Yeti down” argument….it will fall on deaf ears (from both of us). I’ve seen the Yeti in “A” mode, “B” mode, Disco Yeti, Yeti (it’s not pretty) and any other Yeti version and while nothing beats “A” mode, the attraction is still awesome. This was Steve’s first ride on Everest so I was glad there was only a 15 minute wait so he could experience the whole queue as he is definitely the type of person that would appreciate the incredible details.