Peoplemover TTAs August 2011 Trip Report - But Wait...There's More!

Now that I've been back for a few days, it's time to get started on my first, full-fledged WDW TR. As some of you may know, it's with a somewhat heavy heart, as my mom passed away at the end of June, very suddenly. We booked this trip last August, and had been counting down ever since. My family new that we still had to take this trip, to heal, and because my mom would be mad if we didn't :).

I don't want this to be a depressing TR, and I won't dwell on the loss of my mom...I tried to take advantage of this trip to remember her and honor her spirit, and hopefully I was able to do that a bit!

For some of the backstory on the trip and it's major players, details are in my PTR here.

Here's a basic overview:

Originally booked in POFQ with free dining from 8/20 - 8/28, we had to add two nights when airfare on those days was literally twice the price. So, we bookended our trip with overnight stays at POP. Our trip instead became 8/19-8/29. My sister, cousin and I were flying Jetblue, and my grandma and aunt were driving.

Wednesday morning (8/17), I received a text that my grandma was in the hospital. Turns out, she was in renal failure! She was hospitalized for 2 days, and insisted to the doctors that she was going to Disney World and to get it figured out. Not sound medical thinking, but my grandma is 78, has tons of health problems, and we had been through a lot...she wanted to make it on this trip!

Her renal failure was actually caused by medicine she was taking. They tested her extensively and restored all her levels where they should be, then gave explicit instructions so nothing happened while we were on vacation (and she ended up being fine, thankfully). She literally got in my aunt's Equinox on Friday morning after being discharged and hit the road!

With everyone raring to go, we approached 8/19 with excitement. Stay tuned for Day 1 (the first day is a little wordy, but I'm setting up things to come, so bear with me...I hope I don't disappoint :)).
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 8 (Continued)


We quickly hit two of our favorite Fantasyland attractions:

Snow White (Don’t worry, no flash!):
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And Philharmagic:
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Although we just had breakfast, my sister grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from Sleepy Hollow:
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Quick, bittersweet story here:

My mom baked famous chocolate chip cookies. Famous with family, coworkers, childhood friends...these cookies are legendary. And when my mom went to WDW, she loved getting chocolate chip cookies, but - she HAD to have them from Sleepy Hollow (and nowhere else).

No matter how many times I told her they were the same cookies everywhere, she insisted they were different there. And so, she would stop at least 2-3 times each trip for a cookie.

One solo trip, when I was interviewing in Orlando (I ended up turning down the job - stupid me!), my parents gave me their credit card for emergencies (I was just out of school and completely broke). It was really hard being in Orlando and not going into the parks...so hard that, yes, I considered it an “emergency,” lol. I broke down and used their credit card to buy a 1-day ticket and went into the magic kingdom. On my way out, I bought two cookies at Sleepy Hollow.

A few hours later, when my mom and dad picked me up at their airport, they went to drop me off at my apartment, and as I kissed my mom goodbye, I thanked her, and handed her the two cookies while muttering, “Don’t say I never bought you anything.”

She just looked up at me and grinned. “I knew you had to go,” she said, and just laughed.

Yeah so of course I’m crying as I type this, but it’s okay :). So the whole reason I’m telling this story is because, several random times during this trip, my sister or I would just veer off to Sleepy Hollow for a cookie.

And to celebrate both my mom, and the mysteriously “better” cookies at Sleepy Hollow, here’s a pic I took of her with her favorite place in October 2007:

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I love you, Mom.

Okay, back to our regularly-scheduled program, people (*cough* my cousin *cough*) were starting to complain that we weren’t back and sleeping yet, so we headed out of MK.

Aforementioned moping:
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Okay then, let’s go:
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But, my aunt apparently wanted to do some shopping first (fine by me - I could spend all day on Main Street USA!).
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Love the details that still managed to make it through the mini-mall wrecking ball on Main Street:

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Yet another picture too add to my new FB profile pic rotation:
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Oooh, back to my “different perspectives” kick:
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I heart you, Main Street USA:
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That early in the morning, there was no one in the Confectionery...no one! It was amazing! If I ever want in there, I will definitely go early.

More fun perspective:
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Smile, Kelly (my cousin), we’re almost out the door, so you can stop complaining (I kid, I kid):
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Soooo, getting up that monorail ramp with an old lady in a wheelchair...with an oxygen tank...not all it’s cracked up to be:
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Being the good grandchild that I am, I decided to stay back and document, rather than join the “train,” lol.

Yeah, we’re ready for nap time....at 10:30am.
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This store (and the one at the exit in EPCOT), makes me flashback to 1986 and my first trip to WDW (Probably because we had a rental car, and that was the last "part" of WDW I remember). I expect to go in there and find an awesome fiber optic parade toy (the silver thing with 2 AA batteries, a mickey head, and fiber optics...did anyone else have one of those?! I still have one in my parents basement somewhere), or a visor with glowing lights...I miss 80s WDW!
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Be forewarned, if you are parked in the handicapped rows at TTC, this hill is rough!

My poor sister struggling not to let her plummet down the hill:
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PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 8 (Continued)


Saw this flag at the MK exit and couldnt get a good shot because of the wind, but here it was in the parking lot:

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I love “50s looking” Mickey. Like Mickey Mouse Club Mickey (and although not from the 50s, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” Mickey too). Not sure if you know what I mean, but this flag....that’s him :)

I love this atrium, so mere steps from the rest she so craved, I forced my cousin to post for this picture with me :D:
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We then settled in for a nice, long nap before heading back to DHS.

We had ADRs that afternoon for an early dinner at my favorite restaurant in DHS: 50s Primetime Cafe!

Now, remember what happened this morning? No particular reason....

My sister, cousin and I had enough of the naps, so we went to head out around 1ish. We stopped by my aunt and grandma’s room, and they weren’t ready to go, so we hopped on the bus to DHS, while they said they would meet us there in time for our meal.

Since we weren’t in a hurry, I stopped to soak up some DHS details:
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How have I never noticed these before?!:
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PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 8 (Yup, still continued)

I haven’t been over here in years, so we popped in to see all the “stars”:
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Little tidbit about me: Although I’m only 30, I LOVE “Murder, She Wrote,” lol. So, my sister insisted she take my picture with Angela Landsbury:
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In addition to “Murder, She Wrote,” I am (and have been since I was a kid when it originally aired) OBSESSED with the “Golden Girls.” I can watch 5 seconds and know what episode it is, instantly. I quote it all the time (that, and “Seinfeld,” lol). I also loved her in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and now, in my favorite current show, “Hot in Cleveland.” Here she is, folks, my favorite, and yours, Betty White!:
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And of course, with the man to whom we all owe a heartfelt thanks:
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After taking our time enjoying DHS (without hitting any attractions), I asked if we could go to Tatooine Traders to pick up gifts for two of my coworkers. My fellow “geeks” at work are like my big brothers, and although I got my other coworkers small gifts (suckers, $2 keychains), I wanted to get them a little something more. Love the details in the Star Tours area:
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They are uber-Star Wars geeks, and neither has ever been on Star Tours (*gasp*). I bought them both Star Tours-themed pens to celebrate the awesomeness of the ride, and also bought one of those adorable Yoda buttons you press and he says several phrases. They can share it, since their cubes are connected (they’re our art director and creative director...I work in a marketing agency, so we’re all a bunch of creative dorks :)).

Yeah, had to get this one:
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On the way to 50s Primetime, we passed this show (which I vowed to see this trip for the first time in years):
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Walking by, I told my sister and cousin to wait while I pulled the rope. It was so cute, a “just married” couple was walking by, and had passed, but when he heart the voice from the well, the husband darted over. The wife looked exasperated, and I whispered, “Sorry!” She just grinned and said, “It’s okay, he’s been doing this all day!” How cute that her new hubby found everything so magical! I wonder how long he spent pulling that rope :).

Well, we headed to 50s Primetime at about 2:45 for our 3pm ADRs. And my grandma and aunt were nowhere to be found. We waited...

...and waited....

At 2:55, I called my aunt’s cell phone. They were in the parking lot, but they brought my grandma’s scooter, instead of the wheelchair. For some reason, it wasn’t starting. Uh oh.

I asked the CM how long we could wait, and explained the situation. She said we could wait until 10 after, but then she couldn’t guarantee our ADR. I let my aunt know, and she was a little grumpy, so she kind of hung up.

Okay, second “I told you so,” of the day, but that’s why I build in at least an extra 15 minutes than I think it will take to get somewhere! Cause things like this can happen, and you never know when they will. Frankly, I think she knew I was right...again...and that’s why she was a little snippy on the phone, lol.

Waiting...guess who got grumpy again?:
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3:10 came and went, and we had to ditch them and eat, lol. We let them know, and my aunt was mad, but I didn’t know what else to do!

We were seated at one of the round-ended tables that has its own TV. I’ve always wanted to sit at one of those!

One minor quibble I have with the TV clips that run. The ________ Van Show is one of my favorite all-time shows (I watched a ton of Nick at Nite as a kid). But, it ran from 1961-65, not in the 50s. So, technically, it shouldn’t be played in there. I mentioned it once to my server, and got a snippy response, so I have never mentioned it again, lol.
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Still More Day 8


I nearly always get the chicken, but I recalled the feather story that appeared here awhile back. That, and I was up for something different, so I tried the sampler of all 3 (pot roast, chicken and meatloaf).

Not very good lighting in there, sorry:
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My sister, who ALWAYS gets the pot roast, got a chicken sandwich instead...what the heck:
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Our server, Cousin Sylvia, didn’t lay it on too thick, but I liked her a lot. She was a great server, and was very friendly.

Right after our food came, you’ll never guess who wandered in...my grandma and aunt!

And they were seated at a 2-seat table against the bookshelves, directly behind us...awkward, lol. My grandma literally muttered, “Traitors,” as they sat down! I explained what happened, and they said they were just joking, but I did feel bad. They ended up having to rent a wheelchair, so they wouldn’t lose time going all the way back to POFQ.

And although 50s was hopping, I know the 2-seat tables are rarely filled when I’m there, so I’m guessing that’s how they got a table, cause the place was packed, even at 3:30. That, or the CM felt bad for them and fit them in, lol.

I got the smores for dessert (I’ve always wanted to try them!):
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My cousin got the sundae and barely touched it:
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My sister got...you guess it...apple crisp:
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My cousin said she wasn’t feeling well again, and went back to POFQ. My aunt and grandma were still eating, and didn’t want to catch the shows my sister and I did, so we vowed to call after them and meet up.

Now, I have never seen Idol (I watched the show years ago, and I initially hated this addition - frankly, for no good reason), and I wanted to catch Indy. There was an Idol at 5, and the last Indy of the day was at 5:30. At that point, it was 4:50, so we hustled to Superstar Studios (Love that they named it in homage to one of my favorite childhood shows).

I have two SuperStar Television stories to share, lol, although they’re technically part of the same story!

When I was 10 (in 1990), my grandma took us to WDW. We were in MGM, waiting for SuperStar Television, and they started picking guests to appear in the next show. My twin brother and I were jumping up and down, and we got picked! But, there was some kid who looked like Pugsley Addams behind me, and he ran up with my brother while I excitedly hugged my grandma (I don’t remember why, but my mom wasn’t on that trip). Clearly, they picked the two of us, but this creepy kid ruined my moment.

I was completely devastated.

My grandma cheered me up while we made our way into the auditorium, and although it still hurt, I really enjoyed the show. My brother was picked for the Letterman skit, where they dropped something off a building or something. I don’t really remember it (lol, I guess I blocked it out in bitterness!). Then, there were some technical difficulties (don’t know now if that was real, or if it was part of the show).

The host came out and started asking trivia questions. Most of them, the whole audience knew and yelled out. Then she got to this question:

What was the name of Little Ricky’s babysitter on “I Love Lucy?”

Dead silence throughout the theater. I knew the answer, and we were in the second row, but suddenly I became shy.

More silence.

Annoyed that all these old people didn’t know the answer (now remember, I loved Nick at Nite as a kid, lol), I finally yelled out:

“Mrs. Trumbull!”

The host asked, “Who was that?” I raised my hand sheepishly.

“How old are you?” she asked.

“10,” was my meek reply.

“Wow,” she added, “That’s impressive!”

Yeah so I guess not getting to be in the show worked out okay. And perhaps I can blame that host for a lifetime of random trivia bits I’ve accumulated since. Bits that landed me on the hot seat on both coasts 5 times for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Play It, and has annoyed family, friends and coworkers for the past 20 years, lol!

So anyway, we made our way into Idol. It was just about 3-4 minutes before the show, and we ended up in the second row (odd coincidence I just realized from the above story).

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The warm-up guy tried really hard, but I found him extremely irritating, I hate to say. Still, I played along and clapped.

The show started, and the first guy, a guy in his 50s that sang “Kiss from a Rose,” was okay. Not very good, but not “cover your ears” horrible.

The second girl was uber-hyper, had a video filmed, said she was there with 10 family members, but surprisingly, none of them were in the audience to clap for her.

I smell a CM ringer.

She sang Kelly Clarkson’s, “Breakaway,” and was really, really good.

Too good, lol.

I figured she was either a CM ringer, which I know have to be in there when they don’t have enough good talent, or, that she was someone who tried out every day of her trip and her family was annoyed so they skipped it, lol.

The third chick blew the roof off, singing RESPECT. She was great. And apparently her sister was performing in the next show. I voted for her, and she won (woot!).

I was extremely surprised how into the show I got, and how much I enjoyed it! I know it’s heresy to some, but I think this show really is what DHS (and MGM) are all about. People get to be “in” a TV show, different from SuperStar Television (which could easily be re-done with today’s shows, btw), but also not so much different. My final review of Idol was a B (I know the quality of the performers can really make or break this one, though).

Idol ended at 5:25, and we hustled across the way to make Indy - whew! My sister had to use the restroom, and asked the CM if she’d be able to get in. The CM said yes, if she was quick, and she ran off. If she missed it, we’d just meet up.

I went in and to the left...all the way, and made my way down to the 4th or 5th row. I was so excited to see Indy again! I love all the movies (even the last one, lol), and this show is still great. A few minutes in, I got a text from my sister asking where I was. Apparently the CMs sent her to the right, so she was all the way at the opposite end, but at about the same row as me.

Oh well, I guess we were technically seeing it “together,” lol. I was watching the show anyway.

Found this little guy in the gift shop after. Cute enough for a pic, but not to buy (another one!):
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After Indy we called my aunt, and they were tired and heading out, so my sister and I did some more exploring. I realized as we made our way through DHS for the third time (right? it was at least 3 times), that despite what many think, DHS really is a full-day park.

I mean we missed One Man’s Dream (HOW?!?! This is one of my favorites, and I have no idea how we missed it. I cry during the movie, every...single...time), Lights, Motors, Action, Playhouse Disney, Backlot Tour (*wimper*), Beauty and the Beast, Sounds Dangerous (LOL, but still, technically an attraction), Voyage of the Little Mermaid (refurbishment), and Rock N Roller Coaster (by choice for me this time, cause of my BP). That is a TON of attractions. And yet, we spent 3 half-days, essentially, in the park, with average waits. I really think that this park is on an upswing, and I understand now why it’s my sister’s favorite. It’s still third for me, though (EPCOT is #1, MK a close second).

I found this refurbishment sign outside VotLM amusing:
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Anyway, so now that we were on our own, we headed over to the Animation “tour” (Sadly, I remember when you used to see real animators in there). We find the Mushu video amusing (My cackling laughter and my sister’s chuckles were the only laughing during the whole movie. Really, people?! Cause that stuff is funny! Reminds me of when we were in DL for the 50th, and we were the only ones laughing at the Steve Martin movie. That movie was hysterical!!!).
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 8 - The Conclusion


I wanted to do the Animation Academy, and I can’t remember why we didn’t wait, but we didn’t. We headed into the animation store instead. This is my mom and dad’s favorite store. They have spent literally an hour in there before. My mom always bought a new Lenox figurine each trip, and they loved looking at everything and agonizing over the choice. My mom has huge curious filled with knick knacks (especially awesome ones from the 80s - wish they still sold these!), globes (although they all have bubbles now, which upset her), coins, and other amazing Disney treasures, and she loved adding to her collection (and showing it off when people came over).

Yay for Animation:
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We skipped the backlot tour, but went to see the AFI exhibit (it was totally dead in this part of the park, sadly). Some cool props:
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We also played around in New York Street, but those pics must be on my sister's camera, since I don't have any (sorry!)

At this point, it was around 7, and we wanted to see Fantasmic, because we hadn’t seen it since the mid-2000s. On our way over to the theater, we stopped by this new (to us) sign for pics:
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We passed through Pixar Place for more pics on our way as well.

I think I look amusing, anyway:
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I really do love Pixar, and have no problem with it in the parks. Can’t wait until they expand this area (but let’s not clone, DL, please. Keep both coasts somewhat unique!):
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We sat right down for Fantasmic, and had an hour until showtime (I think it was at 8:30), so we settled in. My sister got up for some snacks (pretzels and water).

When did they add the themed curtains? Those are definitely new since the last time I saw the show:
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Why did she only get one bottle of water? We were parched, and I snapped this pic of my sister before heading to brave the loooong line for another bottle of water:
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Strange things noticed while waiting for Fantasmic:

A teenager that, of course, was on her cell phone the entire time. Normal, yet annoying (I like my phone, but when I’m in WDW, Im there, not staring at my phone the whole time!). What was odd, though, was when she put the phone in her mouth and started...wait for it...chewing on it! Um, what?!
The boy in front of me, who was about 9-10, was bugging the heck out of the poor girl parked in front of us with the glow thingies. He was playing with all of them, even bringing them back to his seat. It was annoying. Then, during the show, he was scared, and kept jumping out of his seat and slamming into me, at one point knocking me into the people behind me. His mother told him to knock it off, but he did this, jumping up and running into my row, slamming into me, at least 3-4 times during the show.

Strange occurrences, but didn’t ruin the show - at all. I love Fantasmic, and it didn’t disappoint.

Strangely, there weren’t any fireworks coming from Brave LIttle Tailor MIckey’s Sword when he kills Malifecent. Also, he used to be to the left, up on the main stage, but this time, he was down at the very front of the stage, center. Are these permanent changes?

After Fantasmic, we were ushered out backstage, and my sister and I, being pros at reading each others’ minds, effortlessly weaved our way through the slow-moving crowd. Whenever we saw a “seam,” we would go for it, knowing instinctively the other would be right behind.

That strategy got us to the POFQ bus stop just as one pulled up, and we sat right down (remember, we only stood once the whole trip!). Score!

We stopped at Jackson Square to pick up some bags on the way back to the room, and I saw this DVD:
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I wondered if it was new, or just regurgitated footage from Travel Channel specials, which I’ve seen a million times. I asked about it on Twitter while we waited for our bags, but didn’t get a response, so I didn’t buy it. I totally regret it! It was only $24.95, too. I may call and order it, though.

And with that, we end another awesome evening in WDW. Tomorrow morning, it’s back to Epcot!
 
Still More Day 8

I have two SuperStar Television stories to share, lol, although they’re technically part of the same story!

When I was 10 (in 1990), my grandma took us to WDW. We were in MGM, waiting for SuperStar Television, and they started picking guests to appear in the next show. My twin brother and I were jumping up and down, and we got picked! But, there was some kid who looked like Pugsley Addams behind me, and he ran up with my brother while I excitedly hugged my grandma (I don’t remember why, but my mom wasn’t on that trip). Clearly, they picked the two of us, but this creepy kid ruined my moment.

I was completely devastated.

My grandma cheered me up while we made our way into the auditorium, and although it still hurt, I really enjoyed the show. My brother was picked for the Letterman skit, where they dropped something off a building or something. I don’t really remember it (lol, I guess I blocked it out in bitterness!). Then, there were some technical difficulties (don’t know now if that was real, or if it was part of the show).

The host came out and started asking trivia questions. Most of them, the whole audience knew and yelled out. Then she got to this question:

What was the name of Little Ricky’s babysitter on “I Love Lucy?”

Dead silence throughout the theater. I knew the answer, and we were in the second row, but suddenly I became shy.

More silence.

Annoyed that all these old people didn’t know the answer (now remember, I loved Nick at Nite as a kid, lol), I finally yelled out:

“Mrs. Trumbull!”

The host asked, “Who was that?” I raised my hand sheepishly.

“How old are you?” she asked.

“10,” was my meek reply.

“Wow,” she added, “That’s impressive!”

Yeah so I guess not getting to be in the show worked out okay. And perhaps I can blame that host for a lifetime of random trivia bits I’ve accumulated since. Bits that landed me on the hot seat on both coasts 5 times for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Play It, and has annoyed family, friends and coworkers for the past 20 years, lol!

I am SOO glad I'm not the only one with childhood Superstar Television disappointment stories!!!

The first was when I was DYING to be picked, I was maybe 9 at the time. Instead of picking the cute sweet little blonde girl, they picked MY LITTLE BROTHER who, btw, always has been/still is a dead ringer (and the same age as) Daniel Radcliffe AKA Harry Potter. He was cast as Gilligan! Then, to rub salt on the wound, they picked my dad to be in the Home Improvement scene THAT SAME SHOW. :cry: On another trip, I had schemed how to get picked this time, and stood tall and confidently near the front, which worked..... they picked my grandparents to be in the soap opera scene! :hammer: BRING BACK SUPERSTAR TELEVISION!!!
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
SuperStar television was so fun! MY cousin was picked for the I Love Lucy scene with the chocolate and the conveyor belt. I was never chosen but I have been picked for the Indy show 6 times and twice for the water scene at the beginning of the Backlot Tour.

50's is one of our favorite meals. LOVE the pot roast!!! Yum. Now I'm craving it, thanks a lot!! :lol:
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Wonderful story of your mother and the sleepy hollow cookies.thanks for sharing.

We enjoy AI as well - I didn't think I would but was pleasantly surprised.
I definitely have to do "Indy" next trip and what is up with that cousin of yours???
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am SOO glad I'm not the only one with childhood Superstar Television disappointment stories!!!

The first was when I was DYING to be picked, I was maybe 9 at the time. Instead of picking the cute sweet little blonde girl, they picked MY LITTLE BROTHER who, btw, always has been/still is a dead ringer (and the same age as) Daniel Radcliffe AKA Harry Potter. He was cast as Gilligan! Then, to rub salt on the wound, they picked my dad to be in the Home Improvement scene THAT SAME SHOW. :cry: On another trip, I had schemed how to get picked this time, and stood tall and confidently near the front, which worked..... they picked my grandparents to be in the soap opera scene! :hammer: BRING BACK SUPERSTAR TELEVISION!!!

Aww geez, I guess it just wasn't meant to be! They need to bring Superstar Television back, so all of us rejects can realize our dreams! :lol:

SuperStar television was so fun! MY cousin was picked for the I Love Lucy scene with the chocolate and the conveyor belt. I was never chosen but I have been picked for the Indy show 6 times and twice for the water scene at the beginning of the Backlot Tour.

50's is one of our favorite meals. LOVE the pot roast!!! Yum. Now I'm craving it, thanks a lot!! :lol:

I've always wanted to be picked for Indy! My sister and I were picked once for the Backlot Tour water scene, and on another trip, my cousin (yes, my cousin isn't always grumpy, lol) and I were picked. It was fun :)

And yeah, now I'm craving the pot roast too :ROFLOL:

Wonderful story of your mother and the sleepy hollow cookies.thanks for sharing.

We enjoy AI as well - I didn't think I would but was pleasantly surprised.
I definitely have to do "Indy" next trip and what is up with that cousin of yours???

Thanks, Fractal! Indy hasn't been a "must-do" for us, but I think it's made its way into the permanent rotation. There's just something about it. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes AI - I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it!
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 9 - Saturday, August 27

The end of our trip was growing near, and I was starting to get a little wistful. In addition, the news was reporting now that Hurricane Irene was definitely hitting Boston, and the airport was likely going to be closed on Sunday and Monday.

Our flights home were scheduled to go from MCO -> BOS, then BOS -> BUF.

It did not look good! I checked the mobile Jetblue site on my phone, and it said that if you had a flight through Boston on Sunday or Monday to call, and they would move your flights, free of charge.

My aunt and grandma were sleeping in, and my cousin wasn’t feeling well, so my sister and I headed to Epcot for the morning. I called Jetblue from our room, and was told the estimated wait time was 45 minutes. So I waited...

My sister and I left for the bus stop (waited another 5 minutes for a bus - we did so well this trip!), and planned for a day of fun :)

We made our way to the gates about 15 minutes before opening, and watched the now-defunct opening show with the Test Track car (too bad, it was a fun little show). I gave my sister my ticket, so she could get Soarin fastpasses, and I hung behind, continuing to wait for Jetblue. There was no use in hanging up, since I knew the waits would only get worse as the hurricane got closer.

Finally, I made my way into The Land, and met my sister in Sunshine Seasons for some breakfast. We split a breakfast platter, pastries and fruit, which was yummy:

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Right after we sat down to eat, someone finally picked up fro Jetblue. I gave her our flight numbers and asked to be moved to the next available flight to Buffalo (after Monday, of course!). Her response, “Well your flight isn’t technically canceled yet, so why don’t you wait and see?”

My response, “Well, your website says to call ahead of time and change your flight to avoid delays.”

Her again, “Well, your flight isn’t canceled so you should just call back.”

Um, I was being proactive by calling now, instead of bombarding them after the hurricane hit. Oh, and I was following the directions on their website! Plus, I wasted an hour of my time waiting for her to brush me off...it was completely ridiculous, and I was annoyed. But, I was in Disney World, so I told my sister I would call back tomorrow...and hope!

I have always loved eating in The Land, and I love it even more since the refurb:
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After breakfast, my sister and I went right on Soarin, and I have another gripe (sorry!). This film is in HORRIBLE shape. Not only with the nasty flecks, but there was a faded black bar across the film for the entire ride. I tried to ignore it, but it was quite prominent (about 15-20% of the screen). There is no excuse for this type of quality. Why in the world hasn’t Soarin gone digital? This is the marquee attraction in Epcot, and I just thought it was horrible that they showed the movie in such deplorable condition.

I don’t know why I don’t have many pictures from this morning, but next, we headed over to Universe of Energy. I know some people just don’t like Ellen, but my family loves her, and my sister and I quote the preshow all the time.

Side story:

I won a trip to Disneyland in 2006, and during the trip, I went to ride the recently-refurbished Space Mountain while my family waited for me near Club Buzz. While waiting, they saw none other than Jamie Lee Curtis pass by! My mom told her she loved her movies, to which she gave a gracious, “Thank you,” and my mom took this pic as she passed:
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Why do I mention this? Because, even though she would have looked totally insane, for years I have kidded my mom that she should have yelled, “Stupid Judy.” I’m sure no one, especially Jamie Lee Curtis, would have gotten it, but it would have made me proud, lol.

Anyway, so my sister and I rode Universe of Energy, cracking up the entire way. We headed back to ride Nemo one more time before leaving for lunch ADRs, when I had a terrible realization.

My camera was gone.

I was putting it in my pocket that morning to make it easier to access, and it was gone. In 30+ trips to WDW, this has never happened to me, ever. So, even though we were almost to Nemo, we went back to UoE to see if it was there. The CM who worked unload said she didn’t see it, but said she’d look once its next show was over, and it would be at Guest Relations if it was found.

I was upset, but what could I do? I didn’t get overly upset because things happen, but my sister felt horrible. I had about 500 pics on my camera, and it would have stunk if they were lost. Still, we went over to ride Nemo again (I love this lil ride!), and then took another ride on Spaceship Earth:
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After SSE, we stopped at guest relations on our way out. This was likely our last day in Epcot, so if it wasn’t there, I was kind of out of luck.

We went into Guest Relations and explained to the nice CM where it was lost, the camera case colors, and the exact brand and model (it’s kind of random that I knew it, but I’ve had the camera for 6 years, so I guess I just remembered).

She gave me a card to fill out, in case it wasn’t there (it had only been about 45 minutes since I technically lost it), and as I was filling it out, I heard my sister shriek. There it was! Luck was on my side, because it must have been on UoE. Luckily I could tell the UoE CM right where we were sitting (left car, front row, all the way to the left side), so it was hopefully easy for her to look for it (and thank goodness she did - I’m so grateful!).

With a renewed bounce in my step that several CMs took extra steps to return my camera to me, my sister and I headed out of Epcot to the monorail, for our lunch ADRs at the Grand Floridian.

We seriously did get great monorail time this trip, and I’m glad we got to ride the Epcot monorail (although, I wish we could have ridden it in!). Our lunch ADRs were at the Grand Floridian Cafe, and it was only 11am by this point (we got a ton done in 2 hours at Epcot - I’m telling you, traveling with your sister means you get a lot done, lol), but our meal was at 12.

We arrived at GF and let our aunt know we were there (they were “on their way,” which is aunt-speak for “I’m leaving when I want,” lol). While we went into the gift shops and then relaxed in big, comfy chairs while we waited.

I love Basin - I order from them frequently at home, but I had never been to Basin White. I was a little disappointed (they had a very small selection), but it was still neat to check it out:
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Here’s the gorgeous view of the ceiling from my big, comfy chair:
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We were approached by another market research CM while waiting in the chairs, but we must not have qualified because he thanked us and kept going (my sister and I both worked in market research for years, so we can tell when we “flunk” the qualifying questions. We can also tell when a CM isn’t doing a great job of recording our responses, lol).

Finally, our grandma and aunt arrived, and we went to the Grand Floridian Cafe for our ADR. Now I had changed this ADR about 3 times because of complaints. First, it was scheduled for Via Napoli, but my cousin said she didn’t like it (I reeallly wish we had gone there!). Then, I switched it to The Wave, but my sister and cousin are picky, and I knew that they wouldn’t like anything there (*sob*), so I finally changed it to a place just “bland” enough - Grand Floridian Cafe.

Did I mention my aunt and grandma arrived? Someone’s missing, you may have noticed. Yes, my cousin had actually gone to the airport while my sister and I were enjoying Epcot. She called her boyfriend and said she didn’t want to be stuck there, so he paid full fare for a ticket on another airline, and she just left!

I’m sure someday we’ll joke about how miserable she was on this trip, and my sister and I just shrugged and knew we’d have less “baggage,” lol, but still...I don’t know what got into her this trip!
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 9 (Continued)


Anyway, the Grand Floridian Cafe had incredibly charming decor, and we made our way to our table, just as a torrential downpour started outside (nice timing!).

My sister and aunt ordered Cobb salads (sorry, no pics), and my grandma and I ordered steak (I never eat steak at home, but yeah, I had a few this trip!):
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I ordered it medium, and it was served medium well, but I’m not picky. It was pretty tasty, but not amazing. Our server, though -- I want to say her name was Sherri -- was not very good. She rarely came to our table, rushed through the ordering, and never brought us bread (we are good ole fashioned Irish girls - we love our bread, lol). We just drooled jealously at everyone else’s bread instead! Still, it was a nice meal, so it didnt dampen it much. The food was just okay, but the ambience was incredibly charming.

My sister and I split the dessert sampler with our meal credits (neat that we could split it!):
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The Boston Cream Pie was okay, but the fruit tart was delicious (as was the solid chocolate Mickey!).

After our nice meal, my aunt and grandma wanted to head to MK, but my sister and I were tired, so they offered their car so we could nap, and they would take the monorail t MK. They warned us that the guest parking they were directed to was far, we took the keys, and headed out the door.

When they said it was far, they were not joking. It was literally a half mile away. We crossed like two streets! Why someone would send a handicapped family to that lot is beyond me! They weren’t even able to park in a handicapped space...and I’m telling you, I don’t know how my aunt pushed my grandma’s wheelchair that far. But, my sister and I were more than able-bodied, so we walked...and heard thunder.

I kid you not, the moment we got into the Equinox and closed the doors, a huge downpour started. Literally the exact moment! How’s that for timing?

We had a wonderfully relaxing nap, and headed out to the Magic Kingdom.

Yay, more quality MK time (Remember how MK-less the early report was? Told you we made up for it!):
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We called my aunt, and they said they would meet us at Casey’s. We arrived, and found they had ordered without us, lol:
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Can you see them in there (hint: look for my grandma's white hair!)?

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Casey’s is one of my absolute must-dos every trip. I love the sauerkraut, the spicy relish...everything about it. And I had not had a Casey’s dog yet, so I was very excited!

Having the dining plan was awesome too, since we could get dessert...and their choices included Cracker Jack and Cotton Candy - score! My sister got the Cracker Jack, and I got the Cotton Candy.

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Instead of fries for my side, I got apple slices to at least balance out the cotton candy, lol.

Now, I don’t mean to sound awful, but I was devastated at what was done to my beloved Casey’s hot dog. Part of its charm was that steamed, deflated bun that is stuck to the dog, flavor. It’s like a ballpark hotdog!

And then they changed the roll. You can barely even see the hot dog - it’s completely overwhelmed by the roll! Oh, and as for the roll, it has no taste, is totally dry, and did I mention there’s too freaking much?! I love wheat bread and eat it exclusively at home, but this roll did not belong on a Casey’s hot dog. I ripped off the ends so it wasn’t so huge, and it was still pretty gross. Devastating :(

My aunt and grandma eat pretty slowly, and Move It! Celebrate It! Shake It! was starting - which I had never seen - so I snuck away for some photos. It was cute!:

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PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 9 (Continued)


After eating, my aunt and grandma were ready for a few attractions before calling it a night. They had to pack up tonight, since they were leaving to drive home the next day.

Looks neat with the parade going around:
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We made our way into Frontierland - time for more fun perspective:
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And I asked if we could see the Country Bears, a show where I laugh at the corny jokes and sing the songs. Yes, I know the words to all of them (lol they’re on my iPod).

Yay:
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Because my grandma was in her wheelchair, we were in the front. I took advantage and took some screen off, no flash pics (so there was nothing to ruin the show for anyone else):
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Such a great show!

Found some fun signs around Frontierland:
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PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 9 (Continued)


My aunt and grandma hadn’t yet seen the new and improved (yet old, lol) Tiki Room, so we headed into Adventureland next:
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Smile!:
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I think the preshow is cute...and just the right length, too:
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I can’t get enough of the Tiki Birds:
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After the show, my aunt and grandma left, and my sister and I went over to Splash Mountain (oh, I had run over to get FPs after the Country Bears). We were totally soaked, of course, and I was pleased to see some attraction-specific merch still in that store (one of only a few left!).

Goofy pose for no apparent reason time:
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My sister and I decided to park it at this point and hang out people-watching until the MSEP. We staked our spot in Frontierland and relaxed:
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My sister went out to get a snack, and when she returned, I decided to search out a snack myself. We had a bunch of credits left, too, which was awesome (especially since our cousin left, lol).

I went into the candy store in Frontierland, and waited in a line with one person ahead of me. I told this story on Twitter that night, but I’ll tell it again, because it’s kind of surprising. There was only one person ahead of me, and I decided to get the English Toffee Bar, which my sister had gotten the other day, and it was amazing! Unfortunately, I waited 15 minutes while the CM (who was a new CP) was talking to the guy in front of me and his friend, who were both new CPs as well. She was in DHS, he was in MK (he actually worked Country Bears, as he explained to the girl). Although I was waiting there, they totally ignored me and kept talking. Then, a guy with his kid came up, and the guy talking stepped aside and said, “Go head.”

“Gee, thanks!” I said loud enough for him to hear, but not too witchy.

“Oops, sorry!” his response, and he kept talking.

Finally, the CM decided to wait on me, but kept talking to the other two. I was wearing a retro Epcot Center shirt, and this is where I started to get ticked off.

“I don’t like Epcot,” the cashier CM said to me, “It’s boring.” Taken aback I said, “Wow, really? You must be too young to appreciate it” (yeah, I was a little snarky...how in the world is it appropriate for a CM who is onstage to say something like that?! Or even a CM who is on his/her day off...it’s just wrong.

At that point, the guy chimed back in, “Yeah, no one likes Epcot. It’s totally boring.” At this point, rather than get into an argument with kids who were probably 18, I let it go, but I was pretty steamed. I could’ve taken their names and reported them to guest relations, but I didn’t. It just really made me sad that they would rip another Disney park to a guest. What if it were someone who wasn’t an uber-geek like me, and they went in assuming Epcot was boring? Ugh, I won’t keep ranting about it, but it’s very upsetting to me. I know Traditions isn’t 3 days anymore. It was when my brother was a CP in 1999, and he loved it. I feel that it shows...training is too short, these kids don’t all appreciate the history and honor of being a CM. But I’ll end my rant :).

I returned to our Frontierland seats, told my sister (and Twitter, lol) the story, and enjoyed my snack while talking to my sister, the encounter (nearly) forgotten.

And then, before you know it, the MSEP started! I hadn’t seen the parade since it temporarily came back in...97 I want to say...it was after Spectro had started, and it came back for like one season or year or something. My pictures all stink, but here’s one for good measure:
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After MSEP, we went to hit more attractions. But first...oooh, pretty:

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PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 9 - The Conclusion

Wow, I'm just realizing that it's time for a new camera that can take better night pics. I got 6 years out of this Casio Exilim, so I guess I can't complain :lol:

Anyway, back to the report...


We went into Tomorrowland and saw MiLF. Another show that I didn’t really care for the first time I saw it, but this time I found hysterical. Totally and utterly awesome!:
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There was a walk-on for Buzz, so we headed over. I made the mistake of telling my sister the high scoring targets to hit, and she maxed out. I, on the other hand, reached a paltry:
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I’ve maxed out before, but my competitive nature was somewhat wounded, lol.

After Buzz, we went for a spin on the Peoplemover, then headed into Adventureland for another run on Pirates:
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Then, another go-round on HM (we rode HM quite a bit this trip - no lines!):
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By this point we were pretty tired, and again had a really full day of attractions, so we decided to call it a night and head back to POFQ. We helped our aunt load up her Equinox (it was literally filled to the brim. With my granmda’s scooter and oxygen machines, plus all their stuff - it was crazy!).

Now, I did something at this point that would turn out being a great idea. I put all my souvenirs in my main carryon, keeping my toiletries and clothes (after all, we had only one more full day...supposedly), and gave my aunt the bag. I also gave her my Mickey casserole dish (LOVE it - and only $20. They were out of it everywhere, but I got the last one at Jackson Square), and my Peoplemover poster from Epcot (I think I forgot to mention that I bought one. It was like $30, but it’s my favorite ride, and I love the print).

Then, we settled in for our “final” day, just my sister and I, to have some fun. We’d be checking out of POFQ, and into POP for our last night, and then we were just going to enjoy ourselves.

Coming up: Our “last” day!
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 10 - Sunday, August 28

By the time my sister and I woke up at 8am (we slept in for once, lol), my aunt and grandma had hit the road. So, I called JetBlue right away to see about our flights. First, I checked the status on my phone, and sure enough:

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Yeah, cancelled. Who would’ve guessed? Oh right, me, and all of JetBlue, despite what the customer service rep had told me the day before! So, before we checked out of POFQ, I called JetBlue and - shockingly - got to a rep in only 5 minutes!

Bad news - all the flights to Buffalo were booked until Thursday. My sister was starting a job at a new school (she’s a school librarian), and they had one seat left on a direct flight Tuesday night, so she took that seat. Then, I was on the same direct flight, but on Thursday.

I emailed my boss, who was not happy. But literally - what was I supposed to do? I couldn’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars to fly on another airline, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten anything anyway (I know the AP was crazy on Monday).

At this point, I was running out of clean clothes, so before checking out of POFQ, I washed my laundry (and my sister’s) again. Then, we checked out and took a cab to POP.

The line to check in at POP was crazy! Literally, we waited 40 minutes (our longest line of the whole trip), and just before going to the desk, a manager met us in line. We asked her if they had rooms for the next few days, as we had to extend our stay past the one night, due to the hurricane. She had a laptop and checked - they had a room (thank goodness), and she also said to tell the CM to apply the hurricane discount.

Our CM was really nice, but a CP just starting (she was from Estonia, I believe), and check-in took a half hour. She didn’t know how to apply the discount, so my sister had to get the manager, who helped her. For the additional 3 nights, it was $214, which was a good discount, but neither one of us could afford it. What could we do, though?

Our room was in the last building, so we hoofed it over to our room. We’ve stayed in values before, but I have to admit, I missed our comfy room that became “home” at POFQ. Still, we decided to drop our stuff off, and we headed to AK to see Finding Nemo: The Musical.

Back on our first day, I promised my sister we’d make it back to see it, but we never made it back. At least we had an opportunity to get back there!

It was a scorcher, though, and we made it to the show, melting, enjoyed it immensely, and decided to head back to POP.

At this point, I would like to point out that somehow, all my pics are gone from this day! It was hectic moving hotels and running around, so I know I didn’t take many, but still, where’d they go?!

Anyway, another observation: I love the music at POP! Both at the bus stops (oh, and missed the covered bus stops at POFQ!), and in the buses, the music is awesome. On the POP buses back, they play a mix of oldies, newer songs, and classic TV theme songs. I was the only one singing, but that’s okay!

After a nap, my sister and I headed to MK for EMH. At this point, that rash on my leg was really bothering me. It had been on my leg for like 5 days, but it didn’t get worse or anything, so I just ignored it. Now, though, my leg was kind of swollen, and it really really bothered me.

So, in between attractions, we stopped off at First Aid. The nurse gave me some type of gel for rashes, and I applied it, moving along with the evening.

EMH lasted until midnight, and we made it until 11...we literally ran out of things to do - we had done everything! This was my longest trip ever, and was probably a little too long (well, just wait, you’ll see), but it was nice to be able to relax and slow down a little.


We did catch wishes from the walkway to Liberty Square. Partially blocked, but I’ve seen Wishes a million times, and it’s just nice to be there and see it, blocked or not. What we did get to see, though, was Magic, Memories and You! I was blown away! The effects were amazing, and I can’t wait to see how else they can apply this technology! It was really hard to see the pictures of people, and I dont know if I’d ever be able to pick myself out, but overall, I was blown away. We could only see the side of the castle, but it didn’t matter, the show was amazing.

I’m so sorry for the lack of pics! But, let’s move on to...

Day 11 - Monday, August 29 (Originally Scheduled Departure Day)

Okay, here’s where things kind of go off track...

I woke up Monday morning, and my leg was really swollen. My rash had like turned from a “normal” red rash (I thought it was heat rash!!!), to orange (sorry for being gross, lol). Half my calf was red, hard and hot, and it hurt - badly. At this point, I feared there was something really wrong, so my sister looked up urgent care centers, and we were going to take a cab. On the way out, we stopped at the desk to see if they recommended a place, but the line didn’t move and I was in agony so we went to leave.

A manager saw us and came over to see if she could help us. We explained the situation, and she took us over to the “quiet room.” Her name was Kelly Marlow, and she went out of her way to help, I want to say (thanks, Kelly!).

She said she could call us a cab to urgent care, but she suggested she call Reedy Creek Emergency first to come and assess my leg. I said that was fine, and the ambulance was there within minutes. In the meantime, she took my personal info so I didn’t have to give it 10 times (which was nice). The ambulance came, (one of the guys was named Rob - he was really nice!) and checked out my leg, agreeing that it definitely needed to be seen. They said they could take me to Celebration Health, but that I’d have to take a cab to Urgent Care. They did say that the ambulance ride is free, so they recommended going with them, so I did.

My sister rode shotgun, and I got my first ever ride in an ambulance. That’s kind of exciting...I guess. Here I was, on vacation, I should have been on a flight home by now, and instead I was on my way to the hospital.

We got to Celebration Health, and I went immediately to a room in the ER. Yes, a room. This ER was amazing! I had a huge room with a flat screen TV and my own bathroom. It was more like a spa than a hospital!

A nurse came in to ask me questions, then about 20 minutes later, a doctor came in, took a quick look at my leg, and prescribed me an antibiotic cream and also an antibiotic pill.

Kelly at POP had provided us with a taxi voucher to get back (she was amazing and so nice!), so we filled my prescriptions right in the hospital (luckily, my insurance paid so i only had copays), and called for the cab. Oh, and I paid $150 for the ER visit...yeah, I am on a really tight budget, and these extra days were really costing me! We had upgraded our tickets as well, so we could at least go to the parks for the extra days (came to only $50, but still, it adds up).

Still, we headed back to POP, I put on the creme and took the pill, and we decided to relax a little (I was supposed to take it easy on my leg), before going to Epcot that night.

My leg still really hurt, but I toughed through it, and enjoyed my favorite park. First, we enjoyed some chicken fingers at the Electric Umbrella:
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A CM met us at the door and gave us a menu - nice new touch! It was like 5:05pm, prime dinner time, and the place was empty. They’ve messed around with their menu too much (and removed the toppings bar), so it’s sad to say that they seem to have lost their following!

Still, the chicken fingers were okay, and we had some grapes on the side. It tided us over, and on the way out, another market research CM stopped us. This time we qualified. He was a nice guy, but he was entering responses incorrectly, which my sister and I both noticed. Nice to give some of our opinions, though.

After the Electric Umbrella, we headed to one of my favorites, which we had missed so far:
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I love this show so much:
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And then we just kind of wandered around World Showcase. I could stay in Epcot forever, literally!
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We stopped in Norway for some snacks. My sister had never been here (it was one of my mom’s favorites):
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I had school bread (mmmmm...school bread):
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And my sister had the cloudberry danish (sorry, no pic!). Amazingly, she didn’t really like it! I couldn’t believe it, but I guess to each her own! My school bread was amazing, as usual :)

We stopped in Mexico and bought my dad a Three Caballeros shirt, and then for our Epcot farewell this trip (for real this time), we took one more ride on SSE:
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This was the wallpaper on my Nook, lol:
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We called it a night, and I kept taking my meds (I had to take them like 4 times a day).
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 12 - Tuesday, August 30

No more park pics for the rest of the trip, alas, but the sordid saga nears completion!

Well, you won’t believe this, but when I woke up on Tuesday...my entire leg was now red, could not move, and the “rash” was now blistered and out of control. I was freaking out and didn’t know what to do. I just wanted to make it until Thursday so I could get home!

We didn’t go to a park that morning, as originally planned, while I elevated my leg and tried to figure out what to do. My sister still had to go home, but before she left for DME, she called JetBlue. I had checked on my phone, and there was a seat on the direct flight to Buffalo available on Wednesday. My sister got me on that flight, so I only had one more day. I just had to make it through!

We watched TV until it was time for my sister’s DME, and I walked with her to the stop and waited. I’m not going to lie, at this point, I was feeling awful, I could barely walk, and now I was going to be alone for another day. When my sister got on the bus, this 30-year old cried her eyes out, lol.

I stopped in the food court for some food to take back to the room, and then went back and watched more TV (I had never seen Dr. Oz until this trip, lol, but he’s kind of interesting!).

By about 8pm, I felt like I was going to pass out, and my leg ached horribly. I was talking to my dad, and he told me I had to go back to the ER. I was so stressed at this point, all I wanted to do was go home. I called the ER and let them know that my leg had gotten much worse, and they told me I had to come right back.

Feeling kind of depressed, I went to the front desk and explained the situation, asking if they could call Reedy Creek again. They took me *again* to the quiet room, and the ambulance came and looked at my leg, and insisted I get on a stretcher (how mortifying!). As they wheeled me out, my buddy POP manager from back on the bed bug night, Gray, was there!

I said, “Hi, I’m back,” lol, and she said, “Oh no, what happened?!” I explained, and then she asked how my grandma was, which was so nice. We chatted so long that first night (almost two weeks ago - my gosh this trip was long!), I was touched she remembered and asked about my family.

Anyway, I went back to Celebration Health, and you guessed it, they admitted me. They put me on a megadose IV of the strongest antibiotic out there, and moved me to a room (woah, even nicer than the ER!) about 4am. I just can’t wait to see the bill when it comes *sarcasm*

The night nurse, whose name I can’t recall, was so nice when they brought me up. I was parched, and she brought me ginger ale, and she was just super nice. I dozed for a few hours, and when I woke up at like 6am, I watched a movie (yeah, you could watch on demand movies on their TV! You could also check your email, Facebook, and email your nurse, but I didn’t). I watched Grown Ups with Adam Sandler, which was okay. I was also super depressed at this point, and nervous. I was supposed to fly out of Orlando at 5pm that day, and I had to get out of there!

The morning nurse stopped by, Josie, and I explained my situation. She promised she’d do everything she could to get me out of there on time.

So I waited...and waited...and waited....

And I took some pics of my room on my phone, lol:
Seating area:
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TV:
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Bathroom area:
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Other seating area:
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This room was almost as big as my apartment!

I never saw the doctor, and Josie kept letting me know she was trying him, and she told him I was trying to get home. Finally, at 2pm (my flight left at 5!), they sent me for an ultrasound on my leg to be sure I didn’t have a blood clot. Apparently, when a leg is red and swollen, they have to rule it out. The ultrasound tech told me that Josie had called and told them they had to hurry and move me to the front of the line cause I was going home (I was so touched that she went above and beyond to help me!). The ultrasound was negative, and I went back to my room.

At 3:30pm, the doctor finally came in. He prescribed me the same antibiotic as I had in the IV, and never even looked at my leg the whole time, but I was just glad to be going home! It was reaallly close, though.

At 3:45, Josie came in with my prescription script, papers, and to remove my IV. She wrapped up my leg (oh, and at this point, I had brought my one bag with me - remember how I gave my aunt my other bag! thank goodness! so, i didn’t have to go back to POP). Took out the IV, and called the cab company for me, telling them they had to hurry.

She walked me to the elevator, and gave me a big hug. Josie is an angel, and was so sweet. She worked so hard to help get me well and also to get me home, and I’m writing a letter to Celebration Health to let them know how amazing she is.

The cab said they’d be 20 minutes, and so I went downstairs and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally, 40 minutes later, the cab came. And I kid you not, the car was 25 years old. Here was the door - the thing was falling apart:
ee7e21ac.jpg


I told the driver that I had it for a 5pm flight (I think it technically left at 5:20, but at this point it was 4:30!), and you would think he would have gunned it.

No, he was going 5 miles under the speed limit. I literally think the car could not go that fast! I had the old style radio, cigarette burns on the seats. It figured I had this cab, lol.

I mentioned earlier how I like to be early for everything. At this point, I just wanted to get home, and I was praying that I would make it.

I got to the AP at 5pm on the dot, went to a kiosk for my boarding pass since I didn’t have a bag to check, and then made it through security in literally 5 minutes - someone was looking out for me (and I’m crying now, because I know it was my mom).

The flight was delayed by about 15 minutes...literally just long enough for me to make it. I got to the gate, and literally walked on the plane. I started crying out of joy...I was going to make it home! The last 2 days of this trip were surreal...I mean totally surreal, and I was just so grateful to go home.

My dad picked me up to the airport, and we went to Walgreens near my house for my prescription. I went to my doctor the next morning, and they took a culture of my leg (they were shocked that the hospital didn’t do that, and I have to agree...they never really looked at my leg at all).

It was now Thursday, and they told me to not go back to work until Monday. I called my boss, who didn’t know I was in the hospital, and she was shocked (and I’m sure extremely ticked off). I stayed home and took my meds, trying to take it easy.

Now, three weeks later, I have since learned that my culture on my leg was negative...it wasn’t a staph infection, not MRSA, and we’ll probably never know what happened to my leg. I have a huge Z-shaped scar, and it’s almost totally healed (more than a month later), and the redness (which was cellulitis, an infection caused probably by the inflammation of the rash) has been gone for quite some time. It was probably some type of bug bite with a weird bacteria or something, but yeah, I’ll never know.

Here’s the thing: I had an amazing trip before this stupid leg thing happened, and I also had amazing CMs (like Kelly Marlow at POP), who went out of their way to help me. I’m sad that we wasted 3 days we added to our tickets, and also the two nights at POP that I paid for (one because I was admitted to the hospital, and one because I got the earlier flight and had to run right there from the AP). But, the trip was amazing.

Some conclusions about the actual trip, and not the crazy ending:

  • There were a ton of trainers out, with all the new CPs. What was weird, though, is that many of them were not in costume. For example, the guy who loaded us at ToT was wearing khakis and a shirt and tie. I have to admit it spoiled the ambience a little.
  • I had amazing CMs everywhere, and loved talking to everyone. Just amazing service, every step of the way.
  • I really enjoyed things I either expected not to, or hadn’t enjoyed before (MiLF, AI), which was pretty darn awesome.
  • I would never pay for the dining plan, because I just don’t eat that much, but it was so nice not having to worry about cash, and just sliding the card. We ended up losing about 10 quick service credits (we tried to use them the night we checked out, since they said they were good until midnight, and we were gonna trade them for snacks, but they wouldn’t work at the Emporium that night, and they told us we were out of luck, which stunk).
  • I cannot stress enough how amazing the CMs were this trip; I just had to mention it again.
  • It was so weird not having my mom there, but I do feel she was with us (especially helping me to get home). I know now that I can go there and have fun, and also remember her, and that’s a beautiful thing.
  • I’ve been considering/hoping to move to Orlando for several years, but the time has never been “right.” Just a few months before she passed away, I told my mom that I was going to go full-time freelance next year, and we would move down together. I promised her, and then she passed away, when we were so close. I am now planning a move in Fall 2012, and I’m planning for my career transition as we speak (I’m a copywriter/editor, so I need to build up my freelance work before leaving my full time job - if anyone knows someone who needs a writer, just let me know :)). I’m going to realize my dream, and my mom’s.

Well, I think that does it, folks. Thanks for following along, and I hope the crazy ending wasn’t too much of a downer. Now that I’m finally better, back to work, and back to normal, I can almost (except for the huge scar on my leg) only remember how much fun we had...and we really did have fun :). I’m not sure if I can make it back in the next year, maybe for a weekend, because I have to save and pay off debts to make the move, but Im hoping for a long-weekend in January or February. We’ll see!

Thanks again for following along, guys! Hopefully, I’ll have a nice, new camera by my next trip, so my pics turn out better :)
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
So sorry to hear about your leg and the problems with your flight. Even though you were at Disney, I'm sure you would have rather be home than deal with all of that.

Great Trip Report!

Thanks for your time and effort and I hope you make it to Orlando. :)
 

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
Oh, I'm so sorry about your leg too!! I'm glad it's better though!

Crazy Jetblue!!

I can not believe your cousin paid full fare and left!!! That is crazy!! She probably could have talked a manager into moving her flight! I talked someone in United into doing it, although I ended up doing something different. Crazy, I tell you!

I'm so glad you had a great trip before the end though!! Thanks for sharing it!
 

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
That definitely sucks about having to go to the ER. I have a Disney ER story from last November:
I had been in NC at my bf's house for a couple days and was flying from NC to Orlando to meet my family. Well 2 nights before I was to leave I woke up with the worst pain of my life in my left side. It hurt so bad and I was vomitting and couldn't sleep. I started crying and called my Mom (it was about 2am) and her and my aunt thought it might be a UTI or kidney infection so my bf got me some water an cranberry juice and made me drink it the rest of the time I was there. When he dropped me off at the airport my right side had started hurting. The whole flight from Jacksonville, NC to Atlanta it felt like someone was stabbing me in the side. I got sick when the plane landed and when I got up to get my carry-on from under the plane, everything kinda went black and I thought I was going to pass out. I managed to cart my bag to the bathroom where I went into a larger stall and laid for a minute. I got sick again and called my mother saying "I dont know if I can make it to Orlando" she advised me to go get a medic so I did and they took my vitals and told me they could take me to the hospital, get me a hotel and change my flight to tomorrow. was nervous about being in Atlanta all by myself so I decided to try and make it to Orlando so they brought me down to my gate on on of those carts and I managed to fall asleep on the plane and chugged a ton of water. My side felt a little better and my Mom picked me up at the airport and we went to our timeshare and went to bed. At about 2am I woke up with the same excrutiating pain as before and she took me to Dr. Philips Hospital. They put me in a room and took all my vitals and gave me an IV of fluid and meds along with 2 perscriptions, one antibiotic, one for nausea (as I was getting sick every couple hours). Turns out I had a kidney infection and just drinking a ton of water and cranberry juice wasnt going to help it and I needed antibiotics. We were spending the next day at Universal and I was determined to make it. It definitely ruined the end of my trip to NC and the beginning of my Florida trip but if I hadn't gone to the ER it would have gotten a lot worse.... And now Im paying the hospital $44 a month because my bill was almost $3,000 and I'm responsible for $900 of it!!! :(

It definitely seems like your Mom was watching out for you and got you to that plane on time to get home! She's your guardian angel :)

Good luck on the move to Florida! It's a wonderful place and I'd love to live there someday!

Sounds like other than some mishaps and a grouchy cousin you had a blast!! Thanks for sharing it with us! :wave:
 

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