2011 ... Disney, The 25th Anniversary Journal!
2011 ... Disney, The 25th Anniversary Journal!
Friday April 1st, 2011
2011 ... Disney, The 25th Anniversary Journal
What did they look like 12 years ago? The above picture tells the tale. Now,12 years later it’s 2011...Disney, The 25th Anniversary Tour!. This is the day by day account as it happened of the latest trip to The Place Where Dreams Come True! For photos visit:
Friday April 1st, 2011
After 4 hours at my part time job and an afternoon of delivering to my customers, banking, tanning, etc it was 5:00PM and time to relax with a hot bath before heading down to The DTC for cocktails and such. Once in the bathroom I turn the hot water on to draw a bath and the water isn’t hot. Maybe it’s just taking a little longer than usual. No, it’s ice cold and I’m winding myself up. I exit and find Shelly to ask “Did you do anything weird with the water this afternoon” No she says and walks away. I think oh great, did the water heater blow the day of our departure? That would be typical. On the way down to check it out I run into Shelly coming up the stairs where she says It’s her fault, she was rinsing out the cat box this afternoon and forgot to turn the hot water off in the stationary tubs. So the water has been running for who knows how many hours completely draining the 40 gallon hot water tank and who knows how much more. So I’m trying to stay calm and not say anything to her but she confronts me with, are you mad. I say, well yeah, I’ve had a long day and was looking forward to clean up, have a hot bath and start the vacation but there’s no hot water. As the conversation escalates and her attitude is kinda of like, whats the big deal, I tell her I can’t believe how stupid she is. Now we’re in vacation mode. I make something to eat and plop down in front of the tv while the water heater reheats some water. 30 minutes later I get cleaned up and am pretty much over it. This vacation shit is tough! Next I go online to check in for our flight and get my next surprise. Southwest Airlines has this boarding procedure that we have never experienced. You get a group letter and a number. No assigned seats. Your group when called to board the plane enters and you try to find any seat left on the plane to sit. To me this looked like a totally lame way to board passengers. You theoretically could end up sitting with a total stranger. I don’t like it. Because I checked in online the night before our number wasn’t to bad and we ended up just behind the wing all together. Our return flight on Frontier has assigned seats so that will be good. A little before 7:00 PM I go to pick Nick up from work at McDonalds. He’s worked every day this week 4-7. Once back home I make it down to the bar and have my first of 6 Schlitz beers. Nick is downstairs shortly after his bath playing on the PS3. Jenny shows up and burns a pizza for us to eat. Dave, Brenda, and Megan show up around 7:30PM. Brenda seems like she has taken a tranquilizer or something. She’s mixing up her words and stuff and creating a lot of good humor. Most notable that I couldn’t stop thinking about was she more than once called All Star Music All Star Moo sic. So I naturally had to jump on that and make some jokes about it like there probably is a giant guernsey cow in front of The All Star Moosic. Many laughs over the evening as usual from many sources. Steve rolls in around 8:00PM and is off in the corner being grilled by Shelly about how she likes guys with six pack abs, not super muscular but really toned, like Tom Cruise. I am the butt of some jokes as they look over at me occasionally but I don’t care because it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Yeah, that’s what all fat people say. We party till about midnight. Shut down everything in the DTC and hit the bed around 12:30AM.
Saturday April 2nd, 2011
Wake up at 4:15AM to drain some Schlitz. Go back to bed and don’t hear my alarm go off. The next thing I know I hear Shelly saying it’s time to get up. It’s 5:15AM and Steve will be here in 15 minutes. I pop up and brush my teeth etc and finish packing my bathroom stuff and apnea pump. We are at the airport around 5:45AM and everything goes smooth as silk. No problems or good horror stories to tell such as a previous year when Larry gets stopped going through the metal detector to be told by the TSA guy that his fly is down. Once past security grab a water and within 30 minutes we’re boarding and shortly on the way. Our flight is going to arrive 15 minutes early so we should touch down in Orlando at 10:30AM. I’m writing the journal in flight while Nick is playing on his Ipod Touch and Shelly looks like she’s in and out sleeping. In to Orlando at the expected time and within 30 minutes we are on Magical Express on the way to All Star Music. Online check in speeds up the process a little over waiting in line. An odd thing happens at check in. The cast member who is checking us in has four welcome buttons for us as she reads off the names of our group. Yes four, she includes Kirstie as a guest. I say no, Kirstie is not here this time. She says oh, ok but still gives us the four buttons. I’m thinking maybe there is a surprise coming my way but no, I don’t get many surprises. We go to the food court to eat and also buy soda for when we get home from Magic Kingdom tonight. Upon arriving at MK around 1:30PM we go into Mickeys new meet and greet at the Emporium just inside the entrance. There are two lines. One for Mickeys backstage dressing room and one for three Disney princesses. We hit both and get pictures with all. First Mickey and Minnie, then the princesses. In the princess line it’s all families with cute little girls. As we get closer to going up I start to feel like Nick and I are a couple of stalkers or something. Especially me. Well, we are so get over it. The princesses treat us just as they treated the little girls. Pictures on Shelly’s Disney Photo Page. Next we watch Celebrate A Dream Come True parade. I never have seen this because we never come to MK during the day, always at night usually for EMH. The parade is great. After the parade we shop a little where I get a new Disney hat and then go to Skywalk Terrace for some food for me while Nick & Shelly go for ice cream. The Skywalk is another place that always seems to be closed for some reason and we never get to experience it. Lots of fond memories there over the last 24 years. Next we hit another thing that is always closed because it’s late at night. The riverboat. Nick can’t even remember ever riding on it it’s been so long. So that was a nice treat for him. When we finish the riverboat we go to the castle for Dream Along With Mickey Stage Show. It’s excellent and I film some of it for future movie projects. Almost immediately Move It Shake It Celebrate It fires up in front of the castle. Once again another show I haven’t seen and Kirstie raves about. I have the sound track and it is a get off your feet and dance track. During the show the audience is asked to come into the street and dance along. I push Shelly out to the street and start geeking out. I can’t do my dance moves and film at the same time so I motion for Nick to come out and take the camera and film us. He keeps nodding no. Turns out he thought I wanted him to come out and dance. So we don’t get that award winning footage. After Move It Shake It Shelly wants to kick back and take a leisurely ride on People Mover so we do. Kind of hungry again so we get a table overlooking Its A Small World ride load in Pinnochios and chow down. I have a meatball sub, Nick has chicken strips and fries, Shelly has Caesar Salad. During our meal there is a table of 4 white trash kids horsing around with their parents a few feet away but not doing anything. All that was missing was banjo music. I told Nick kids like this is what happens when you have sex with your sister. Next we make our way to Haunted Mansion to experience the new additional queue area with interactive things for guests while they are waiting in line. Nice pics and article on the DTC News section plus a video. It’s something to experience but nothing to write home about. Inside Haunted Mansion there are some new improvements that I think you will like and one I’m pretty sure you won’t. At the end of the ride there is no longer a hitchhiking ghost seemingly in your car with you. There is only a projection of hitchhiking ghosts on the wall in front of your car. Very bad call by Imagineering. After Haunted Mansion we go to Hall Of Presidents because it’s a must see every year even though a lot of the show is like an advertisement for the democratic party. Next it’s time for something I’m not looking forward to because we experienced this change about 9-10 years ago also when they temporarily replaced Spectromagic with Main Street Electrical Parade. Pretty lights but not sweeping catchy music like Spectro, just that repetitive annoying synth track looping over and over. I can’t wait for it to be gone next year. Now the highlight of the evening. At 9:40PM our first live viewing of The Magic The Memories And You. We have been watching this at The DTC for a few weeks now as I had secured a bootleg soft opening video of it. To see it live his truly awe inspiring and unbelievable. Disney has once again raised the bar in entertainment. You have to see it to believe it. 10 minutes later Wishes starts and is great as usual. After Wishes we go to People Mover again but it’s broke down so Shelly and Nick go on Buzz Lightyear while I pound a frozen blue rasberry carbonated drink. I get Nick a coke one for when he gets off Buzz. About 3/4 through I suddenly get a brief cramp and shortly start launching off a string of gas bombs. When Nick & Shelly get off Buzz he starts drinking his frozen coke while we go on People Mover because it’s up and running now. Half way into the ride he starts knotting up and blowing sweet ones. What are they putting in this stuff. Off the mover and making our way out to the busses while the second Electric Light Parade is just starting up. At the bus stop there is quite a line. 4 busses before we catch one. Back at the room around midnight. The luggage is here so we set up a few things tonight while I start documenting the day and uploading pictures. It’s a little after 1:00AM now and I anticipate bed time by around 2:00AM. All in all a great day that seemed to last forever.
Sunday April 3rd, 2011
Up at 12:00 Noon. Last night I finished the first day of daily journals and pictures but the tethering on my phone wouldn’t allow me to get access to the internet. Sunday morning I try to fix it for about a half hour to no avail. Don’t want to waste vacation time fixing computers. Head down to the pool to swim and tan from 1:30PM till 2:30PM. We go back to the room to shower up and go to Epcot around 3:00PM. Once there we all eat at The Electric Umbrella. When we finish I go take the boat across to Norway and make my way over to America to see Starship featuring Mickey Thomas at 5:15PM. Shelly & Nick go see Captain EO and The Living Seas with Nemo. Starship opens up with Jane, followed by Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now, White Rabbit, If Only You Believe, Count On Me, Don’t You Want Somebody To Love, and finishing with We Built This City. Stephanie Calvert who does the female parts is in perfect form. Her voice is excellent too, Mickey Thomas has a perfect show also. After the show I meet Shelly & Nick at The Brittish by United Kingdom. We take the boat from Epcot over to Disney Studios for Fantasmic. Upon arriving at DHS Shelly and Nick get giant Rice Crispie Treats from the bakery. Nick and I go to Rosies where I eat a veggie burger and fries while Nick eats his rice crispie brick. We get Shelly chicken nuggets and bring them to her at Fantasmic. She is saving seats in the Mickey section Row Q. After Fantasmic we exit and get in line for show 2 of Fantasmic. Our seats are almost in the same section as the first show. After show 2 we exit for the bus and go to Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours. We arrive at Ticket/Transportation and take the monorail over to MK. The second Electric Light Parade has just started. We make our way to Adventureland and do Jungle Cruise, & Pirates Of The Caribbean. We try to eat at Pecos Bill around midnight but it is closed. It’s off to Cosmic Rays to eat. After eating we go on Buzz Lightyear, Winnie The Pooh, & Haunted Mansion. It’s 1:45AM as we make our way to Big Thunder Mountain. Shelly decides to go back to the hotel because she has heartburn. Nick & I ride Big Thunder 11 times till 3:00AM. The last six rides were in a row without getting off. We get to the bus stop around 3:20AM and back at the hotel about 3:35AM. In the room drinking soda and writing this journal that I can’t upload until I figure out the problem tethering the cell phone. Maybe I’ll get it tomorrow or I’ll have to wait till we get home to upload the pictures and journal. I sure am not going to pay for internet. Nick is still up at 4:08AM and Shelly is snoring so loud we have to turn the tv up. In bed by 5:00AM probably I’m guessing.
Monday April 4th, 2011
Up at 11:00AM. Down to the pool for swimming and tanning. Shelly goes and picks up lunch around 1:00PM while Nick swims and I go on my second hour of figuring out what’s wrong with the tethering between my cell phone and computer. Horray, at 2:00PM I have it up. But how long, only time will tell. Go to upload more pictures and the modem is not functioning again. We leave the pool around 4:30PM and go back to the room to shower and get ready to go to Epcot. We arrive at Epcot at 6:00PM and enter Spaceship Earth. After the ride we play in the interactive area of Spaceship Earth. Send our movies back home to watch. Exit Spaceship Earth and go over to China for something to eat. When we finish eating it’s off to The American Adventure where I finally get the complete audio of the show. Last year I had it but the video camera died and made the tape unplayable. We next go to the outside balcony at Japan to watch Illuminations. When the show is over it’s time for a little shopping at Mouse Gear. I find another cool hat on sale for only $13.99 so I snag it. I got one earlier on Saturday that I have had before. This one is a new style I haven’t had. Back on the bus for All Star Music. We’re back at the hotel at 10:00PM. Shelly and NIck go to the room while I wait for a large pizza at the food court. Back in the room we chow down on pizza, watch tv, and document the journal and pictures, even though I can’t upload again because there is another glitch with the network. Kirstie calls and we chit chat for 54 minutes. It’s 12:12AM now and I anticipate being in bed by 1:00AM Shelly has been knocked out for quite a while already and NIck is still playing his iPod Touch in bed. Genius Dee Dee during 54 min conversation suggests trying Shellys phone for upload. Maybe a bad USB plug on phone. B I N G O! Problem solved. Everything uploaded and probably no more problems this trip.
Tuesday April 5th, 2011
Up at 10:30AM. Thunderstorms this morning and scattered rain in the afternoon. Clearing tonight. Heading for Animal Kingdom and then double Fantasmic shows tonight. Enter DAK 12:00PM. Eat at The Flametree Broiler. Shelly & Nick get the food while I go for fast passes at Expedition Everest. I get 3 passes and while I’m doing it some kid comes up to me and asks if I want another ticket, they have an extra. I take it so now Nick & I have two rides in a row between 12:45PM and 1:45PM. After we exit our second ride on Everest we all go to Finding Nemo The Musical 2:00PM show. The show is good but not great. After Nemo Nick & I go for our third fast pass ride on Everest. During the ride dumb ass Larry lifts his head up on the big hill and off goes the brand new hat I bought three days prior. Check with guest services but no luck. They say check ticket/transportation center main lost and found tomorrow or later. I buy another hat at Everest. Next we go to Flights Of Wonder, Killimanjaro Safaris, Jammin Jungle Parade, Dinosaur, & It’s Tough To Be A Bug. On Dinosaur a girl in the row in front of us spews all over her friend next to her. Great entertainment. The ride probably had to be shut down for a while for cleaning up the barf. We exit Animal Kingdom at 5:45PM and leave on the bus for Hollywood Studios. On arrival at DHS we go to The Commissary to eat. Next we go through One Mans Dream. It’s 7:20PM now so we head over to Fantasmic for the 8:30PM show. The theatre is pretty full an hour before show start so we are off center in the Jafar section. Nick & I save the seats while Shelly goes to the bathroom and then picks up some beer and pretzels for us. The show is flawed. First, the tower lights don’t turn on right away as they rise up. Then the cannon boom in the Pocahontas segment didn’t go off. The dragon wasn’t completely out of sight before the next segment started. And the final scene where Mickey disappears from the top of the mountain and reappears up front only to disappear again in a poof of smoke. Mick disappears from the mountain but doesn’t appear again. So needless to say he can’t disappear the last time after he says Some Imagination Huh because he never appeared after disappearing from the mountain top. We exit Fantasmic and Shelly & Nick wait in line for show 2 while I go look at a coat I was thinking of buying because it’s a little chilly. Nothing worth getting so I head back into Fantasmic. I text Shelly to see if they want anything to eat or drink but I get no answer. I end up standing up at the top of the threatre having a brew and a dog. While up there I get an earful from another Disney couple with a kid. The woman apparently was in the bathroom and the man with the kid left and stood at the top of the theatre so he wouldn’t miss the start. The woman comes storming up crying her eyes out and totally railing on him. He sits emotionless saying he just didn’t want to miss the show and just wants to enjoy the show and would she just shut up. She’s not going to shut up. I feel like I’m witnessing a nothing fight as described by Dane Cook. It’s tough to decide whether to concentrate on Fantasmic or listen in on this marital bliss. They walk off so my decision has been made for me. Show 2 ends and I wait for Shelly & Nick to come up the stairs. It’s only Shelly who comes up because Nick decided he didn’t want to stay for show 2. That’s why I didn’t get a text response. Nick had the phone and apparently he doesn’t know to answer a text when one comes in. He wanted to go on Great Movie Ride but soon found out that just because Fantasmic started at 10:00PM the park was in fact closed meaning no rides. He just sits by the fountain and waits for us to exit. We take the bus back to Music and get another pizza for the room. Only $16.59. Back in the room at 10:20PM writing the journal and uploading pics while Shelly & Nick eat and watch Seinfeld. Bedtime probably sometime between midnight and one.
Wednesday April 6th, 2011
Shelly is up at 10:00AM. She changes her mind and doesn’t do the laundry today like she usually does. Her plan last night was to do it before Glowackis arrive on thursday so she doesn’t have to think about it the rest of the trip. My guess is she has rethought to do it tomorrow morning so we are still here when they show up at the hotel around 12:00PM. I’m up at 10:45AM, do a quick shower and am ready to go. Nick is stuffing his face with cinnamon buns, and Shelly surprisingly for having been up so long hasn’t taken her shower yet. No Fantasmic shows tonight so we will finish at Illuminations or Wishes. Nick wants to do Studios today. Well, Nick changes his mind for Epcot so Epcot it was. Arrive at Epcot around 12:00PM. We go to eat at The Land and I go for fastpass Soarin. The ride times will conflict with Illuminations so we pass on Soarin. After we eat it’s off to Captain EO. It’s been 15 years since I have seen this at The Magic Eye Theatre. Shelly and Nick saw it already a couple of nights earlier. I’m pumped up for it and I’m not let down. Seeing it again sent be back to the past traveling with baby/toddler Kirstie and Grandma Barb. It still holds up for me. We have had a bootleg copy for 5 years now that we can watch at home at The DTC. But that pales in comparison to the huge screen, shaking floor, lazers, etc at Disney. I will have to see it at least one more time before we leave as it won’t be there forever. It’s also available on the DTC site on the Movies & Music page. Next we get a fastpass for Test Track 7:30PM - 8:30PM. Shelly wants to go to the Flower & Garden Show Pavilion (Formerly Wonders Of Life) to check out anything that’s cool. There is literally nothing in there. What a waste of a pavilion. After we look at nothing in Flower & Garden we go to the must see annually Ellen’s Energy Adventure. It also won’t be here forever. There has been talk of it being demolished for years now so every year you see it may be your last. Next we go to Mexico and ride the Former Tiempo River Ride. It’s Norway next and a 30 minute wait to ride through Maelstrom. Upon exiting Maelstrom we go into the Norway Bakery and have chocolate cheese cake and a berry creme puff. Nick wants a strawberry slushy from China so we go there and he gets one and hangs out drinking it while we go and watch China 360. We briefly walk through Italy and then head over to America so Nick can eat and I get a beer. Shelly checks with Brenda to see if they would want to commit to Beaches & Cream Friday but she doesn’t know for sure. We decide to take the boat over to Yacht & Beach Club Hotel and check it out. It’s just like Kirstie described it. Cozy, small, and nostalgic. Shelly and NIck get the Fudge Mud Slide and I get The Classic Banana Split. Let me tell you, this is a load of stuff in a bowl. I was the only one that completely finished. We all felt like beached whales we were so full. You sign in and tell them how many in your group and they give you a pager to let you know when a table is available. It was only 15 minutes for us this time. The dish Kirstie recommended (The Kitchen Sink) we couldn’t order because we figured 4-6 people to polish that baby off. We watched a freshly made one come out of the kitchen and served though and it is impressive. We waddle back to the dock and get the boat back to Epcot, make our way to Test Track and do our fastpass there. We exit Test Track and go over to Mexico to watch Illuminations. The spot we were going to attempt was already taken so we had to settle for 2 deep behind a family of 4. Near show time though the vultures were circling and trying to weasel and push there kids into the area. Shelly made the mistake of letting one little dope in who proceeded to start coughing on the nice family of 4 that were in front of us. Shelly apologized to the family after the show. They weren’t mad. We exit Epcot and Shelly buys two shirts. We get on the third bus that comes and are back at the hotel a little after 10:00PM. Shelly ordered another pizza for delivery and we await it’s arrival. Probably midnight to 1:00AM bed time tonight. Tomorrow it looks like Studios all day with show 5 & 6 of Fantasmic. Plus tomorrow is the first day of The Disney Half Dozen arrival. Woohoo
Thursday April 7th, 2011
Up at 9:30AM. Go down to the pool and hang out for 3 hours. Back to the room to clean up and go to DHS. First we eat at Backlot Express next to Jedi Training and Star Tours. While I’m saving a table Nick is getting 3 fast passes for R&R and Shelly is getting the food. A dumb ass little kid is chasing an innocent little dove around the seating area trying to kick it. “Get out of here bird, or I’ll kick you” His older dumb ass brother is sitting right there at the same table and doesn’t say or do anything. This keeps building and right before I’m going to step in the two parents show up with the food. What a moron. After we eat it’s off to The Great Movie Ride. What the hell is wrong with Disney. They cast this chubby short broad with glasses as a gangster. Why can’t they get it through their head that this calls for a man. Preferably an italian looking man that is big,muscular, or even just fat and imposing. They cast these babes in the spirit of woman’s lib and political correctness and totally blow the show. How long before they start casting ugly guys or gay guys as princesses. Next we do The Backlot Tour for a little drive around the backside of the park. During the exit we get word the Glowackis have arrived at Studios. We go meet them under The Sorcerers hat and get in line for single rider Rock n Roller Coaster. It takes us about 40 minutes to get on but it is awesome as usual. It is very hot in the queue. We are all literally dripping sweat until we get in the air conditioned building. After RRC we get in line for a 30 minute wait for Tower Of Terror. We next eat at Rosies. Shelly, Nick, & I get in line for the 8:30PM Fantasmic Show while Dave, Brenda, & Megan go shopping and some other stuff. After Fantasmic 1 we exit and Glowackis are in line for show 2. Shelly gets in line and waits for a text from Brenda. I go grab some food at The Fairfax food stand. I find Shelly in line and we get a text from Brenda telling us where the seats are. Nick goes and hits RRC with the 3 Fast Passes we got earlier and meets us at the fountain when we exit Fantasmic 2. We wait for three busses before we get one back to All Star Music. We all meet at the pool for drinks and conversation. Nick, Megan, Dave & I go swimming. We leave the pool area at 12:45PM because we have to get up around 10:00AM tomorrow so we can get to Epcot for Megan’s birthday lunch at The Rose Crown Pub. Sometime during the day we probably are going to go back to Beaches & Cream for a Kitchen Sink now that we have the talent to polish one off. We’ll see. It’s 1:20AM now and Shelly’s passed out, Nick is playing games on is iPod and I’m doing what I do. Estimated bed time 2:00AM
Friday April 8th, 2011
Larry up at 9:30AM so he can have a meeting in the board room and not be in the way of the others. Meeting over at 10:00AM so Shelly & Nick can get ready. Leave for Epcot around 11:00AM. Arrive around 11:30AM and make our way over to Rose Crown Pub for Megans birthday lunch. Dave and Nick have Bangors and Mash, Brenda and I have Corned Beef Sandwich, Megan has Fish & Chips and Shelly has some kind of burger with a fancy name. They bring a birthday cake out after our meal is done and announce Megans birthday. Everyone in the restaurant claps and joins in singing Happy Birthday. After lunch we split up and we go to The American Adventure. We see a very good Voices Of Liberty. They do a couple songs I have never heard them do. I film the whole show. Next we go and roam around Japan & Morocco. Then we go and see Captain EO again. Glowackis text us and say they are ready for Beaches & Cream. We meet at the boat dock by France and go to Yacht & Beach Club. The wait is an hour. We get the Kitchen Sink and have no problem finishing it. I think next time I would go back to ordering my own dish as I can cater to my own taste rather than a lot of stuff I normally wouldn’t include on a sundae. But you have to try it at least once just to say you did it. They make the big announcement when our sink comes out and I film the whole thing. Megan gets the birthday treatment again also. We take the boat back to Epcot where it’s time for our Fast Pass on Soarin. After Soarin I go back to America to see Marilyn Macoo and Billie Davis Jr. (Fifth Dimension) They are very very good. They start the show with Up Up And Away and follow with Marry Be Bill, Stone Soul Picnic, I Love You Baby, People Get Ready, and finish with two of my favorites One Less Bell To Answer and Aquarius, Let The Sun Shine. Marilyn must be at least 65 and looks fantastic. Slim, pretty, and a very shiny outfit suitable for a Vegas show. Billie Davis Jr. also looks great and can still hammer out the harmonies and male solo parts. I’m going to go back tomorrow I think for another show or more. I head over to Mexico where the rest of The Disney Half Dozen is holding primo seats for Illuminations. Perfect show as usual. After Illuminations we make our way out to the bus and get back to Music around 10:00PM. I get a pizza and walk back to the room. We all go down to the pool and 4 of us swim and throw a nerf ball around for an hour and a half. After a while Nick starts to try and intercept Megan when the ball is thrown to her. This leads to playing keep away for a while. Most of the time Nick is in the middle. Nick is pretty good at getting in front of the ball and intercepting it. At one point I lead Dave one way and throw a little bit wide of where he can catch it without being intercepted by Nick. Dave leaps out of the 3ft deep water both arms outstretched like superman and dives towards where the ball will land. What he doesn’t know is there is a little girl almost right under where he is going to land. She loudly screams. Dave doesn’t hit her but puts a good scare into her. Nick & I are laughing hysterically. Dave is too. Nick & I start calling Dave Monstro the whale from the Fantasmic show. Lottsa laughs in the pool. Back in the room at midnight watching Disney Channel and catching up on my computer stuff. Sleeping in tomorrow and doing sun and pool. No time limits. As long as I’m back to MK in time for Magic Memories and You, Wishes, and Electric LIght Parade. Uploading this now, and then later the pics, and if I get real ambitious maybe Voices Of Liberty.
Saturday April 9th, 2011
Up around 12:00 noon. Shelly goes down to the pool while Nick & I watch Masters coverage till 12:30PM. I get this years Voices Of Liberty mixed down in Imovie and then to a quicktime movie for the Music & Movies section of the web site. All I have to do is upload it overnight when we get back. It’s a pretty big file so I’m not sure the speed of our smart phones will handle it. We go down to the pool for an hour and a half to throw the ball around in the pool and tan. Back at the room to clean up around 2:00PM. Out of the room at 3:00PM destined for MK. Nick wants to ride Splash Mountain plus we have to catch The Magic, The Memories, & You one more time. Tomorrow night will probably be Fantasmic 7 & 8 followed by hopping over to Magic Kingdom for a late night final pounding of anything and everything. Time is growing short for 2011. Arrive at MK, take the monorail over to ticket/transportation center. Go to lost and found and sure enough they have my hat I lost on Expedition Everest on tuesday. Horray! We walk over to our block and take some pictures. Then it’s on the paddle wheeler across Bay Lake to MK. After entering MK we take the WDW Railroad over to Frontierland and get a Fast Pass for Splash Mountain, then eat at Pecos Bill. When we’re finished eating we go to Pirates Of The Caribbean, Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, & Carpets Of Aladdin. Next old Nicky fires off 36 shots at The Shootin Gallery. This kid can shoot. After shooting it’s time for our fast pass on Splash Mountain. No one gets wet. Making our way back to Fantasyland we take another ride on the Riverboat. Next we go to Mickeys Philharmagic, go for an ice cream, and The Wedway People Mover. Then we make our way over to the center of the park to set up for The Magic, The Memories, & You, plus Wishes. When the show ends we make our way down Main Street where I get split up from everyone. Shelly texts me saying her and Nick are going with Dave & Brenda. I assume she means they will stay at Magic Kingdom till midnight closing but in fact they are just going to ride in their car back to the hotel. When I arrive at the hotel they are already there and hand me a pizza to carry back to the room because they are going to the gift shop to get something Megan wants. Back in the room around 11:00PM eating pizza, documenting the day, and watching Masters highlights. Estimated bedtime 2:00AM
Sunday April 10th, 2011
Shelly is up and gone at 9:00AM. Nick and I leave for Animal Kingdom at 10:30AM. We arrive at AK at 11:00AM. We first get a Fast Pass for Expedition Everest and then eat at Restaurantasauras. There is an annoying kid with his parents in the food line. He is constantly screaming and crying over what, we don’t know. The parents are just smiling at each other and doing nothing, like this is their passive way of dealing with junior while torturing the rest of us in the restaurant. When they finally sit down at a table near us the kid is still at it. The father keeps finding reasons to keep leaving the table. First for a straw, then napkins, then some salad dressing. The parents have two salads that they are eating while the kid stands next to them with nothing to eat. He’s whining, screaming, and crying. Maybe that’s why he’s crying. He’s hungry. They just keep smiling at each other like they and they alone are aware of some inside joke. I suggest to NIck that maybe it isn’t their kid and in fact they have abducted him and that’s why he’s making such a shit fit. After our eating hell we go on Killer Man Jaro Safari, as Nick would say. After the safari it’s time for our fast pass on Everest. When the ride is over we get another fast pass for Everest. Next we go over to Theatre In The Wild for Finding Nemo The Musical 2:00PM show. Fantastic Dory in every way. All the expression and timing of Ellen Degeneres. I also think they have found the replacement for Victor (Crush). He seems hispanic or asian from a distance. Rather bulky guy with a killer tenor voice. The girl who played Nemo was the first time I saw a chunky girl play the part. She may have been portly but her voice was perfect for the part. At the show I see Sandy a section over and go say hi from Kirstie. She says to give her a hug. Don is training a girl so I don’t bother him. For those who don’t know of them Don & Sandy are trainers that were there when Kirstie did the college program. When the show is over we go to It’s Tough To Be A Bug. After that show it’s time to go on our next fast pass for Everest at 3:45PM. When we finish our second Everest ride it’s time to catch the bus for Epcot. We arrive at Epcot and ride Spaceship Earth. Then it’s off to The Fountain View Ice Cream Parlor. Nick has the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich with Cookies & Cream center and I have a Caramel Sundae. Next we go to Captain EO again. Nick has taken a particular liking to this movie. I’m glad, it’s a classic. Next we take the boat across World Showcase for the 6:30PM Marilyn Macoo & Billie Davis Junior Show at The American Gardens Theatre. Upon arriving Nick says he’ll be at The American Adventure. I say, no way, you’re watching the show with me. I did all the stuff you wanted to do all day so it’s payback time. Marilyn opens this set with You Don’t Have To Be A Star followed by Last Night I Couldn’t Get To Sleep, Got To Get You Into My Life,Try A Little Tenderness, You Are So Beautiful, & finish with Aquarius Let The Sun Shine In. Nick recognizes Aquarius because he will be performing it in his upcoming spring concert. After the show we eat at America. We split a 1/3# Angus Burger and Fries. When we finish eating we go and see The American Adventure movie again. Nick has been quite hooked on this also. As we exit The American Adventure the next show of Marilyn McCoo has started and she is doing One Less Bell To Answer, one of my favorites. So we stand at the back of the concert and listen to that song. We now go to the bridge near France to watch Illuminations Reflections Of Earth. Shelly arrives to watch also. She has been with Brenda & Dave all day. When the fireworks end we bolt for the boat over to Studios where we are going to catch the 10:00PM Fantasmic show. When Fantasmic ends we take a bus over to Magic Kingdom. Arrive at Magic Kingdom at 11:30PM. First we go on Space Mountain. As we are up near the end of the queue we get word that Megan is on the way up. I say to wait on the bottom as we are almost boarding. Minutes later she is right behind us and gets on the same rocket as us. Next Nick & Megan go on Teacups. We all go on Snow White, Mickeys Philharmagic, Peter Pan, and Haunted Mansion.
Mysterious Changes To Haunted Mansion
A welcome surprise on Mansion is the ghosts are not only back in the car with your group again, but they take your head off and switch it with another rider in your group. Earlier in the week I was complaining because all they had were pictures of Hitchhiking Ghosts on a screen in front of your car. Now they have updated it twice in a 5 day span. Very cool special effect. We head over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad where all of us ride the first ride and then Nick, Megan, & I ride two more times. I offer to exit and let Nick & Megan keep riding while I keep Shelly company. They say they’ve had enough. We next go on Pirates Of The Caribbean, & then Buzz Lightyear. We leave Magic Kingdom at 2:30AM and are back at the hotel at 3:00AM. Everyone is asleep within 15 minutes except me. I’m up till 3:45AM. Have to be up at 10:00AM in the morning and out of the room by 11:00AM. 6 hours of sleep isn’t going to seem very long.
Monday April 11th, 2011
Out of the room at 11:00AM. We all go to Hollywood Studios one last time. Arrive at Studios at 11:15AM. Go on The Great Movie Ride, Beauty & The Beast Stage Show, and Animation Tour. Back at the hotel about 2:45PM. I get a sandwich at the food court. First Brenda and then Megan show up and we chit chat till 3:30PM. Dave is golfing somewhere with a friend. We go to baggage services and get our bags and prepare to leave on Magical Express for the airport. Airport checkin goes off without a hitch and in no time we’re sitting at Gate 30 Frontier Airlines waiting for our 6:55PM flight. Shelly is feeling a little sick from the bus ride. Flight takes off right on time so we are in Milwaukee right on time. Jenny shortly arrives for our ride home. It feels good to be home. As much fun as Disney is it’s a long ten days with ups and downs, for me anyway. I have resigned myself not to rush next years trip, but a text from Brenda today sent me into my usual routine. All bar signs are up, the train has been refitted with 2012 signage, and the motion sign has been reprogrammed. So much for my new way. Airfare is 6 months away. Until that gets finalized it’s not written in stone. But it will be.