May 7th DAY 4: Limos and Love Bugs
Today was the day my Dad and Debbie were to arrive! Woo hooo! Mark and I got up and got ready. Mid-ready-getting we got a text that my dad and Debbie’s flight arrived. Cool! We finished getting ready and watched some tv (how cool is that channel that just shows Disney cartoons?! Very cool!). Soon another text came through “We’re in a limo!”
What?! They’re supposed to take Disney’s Magical Express just like us. How’d that happen? We’d have to wait to get the full scoop. Once they got to the hotel (Can you imagine pulling up to the ASS in a limo?) they checked in and freshened up. Mark and I head to the food court to get breakfast (chocolate chip pancakes for me and strawberry pancakes for Mark). Soon after Dad and Debbie come in. Hurrah! Hugs all around. They went to get breakfast and came back for more visiting.
Apparently after they checked in for DME, they were lead out towards the busses and asked if they were ready to go. “Yes!” they said they were and the CM told them that was great but they wouldn’t be taking the bus today and lead them to a limo. How lucky is that?! They got a certificate and everything. What a great way to start off your first trip ever to Disney World. Talk about a magical beginning to your vacation.
Dad and Debbie were only here for 3 days. We wanted to give them a good overview of everything since we knew that there was no way they’d be able to do it all in that little of time. We had asked earlier when we were in the planning stages what Must See things they had to do. They had a short list… Everest, Mission: Space and Spaceship Earth. Unfortunately Spaceship Earth was closed JUST for the 3 days they were visiting. LOL! Oh well. Other than those things they said they were at our mercy and to take them where ever. MUAHAHAHAHA! I hope they’ve rested well before the trip because we’ve got 4 parks to smoooosh into 3 days.
It was noticeably cooler today. In fact I slipped my sweatshirt back into the backpack just in case I needed it in the evening. Our first stop was Animal Kingdom. We headed out to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up. This would be the start of the excellent luck we would have with transportation while Dad and Debbie were with us. It must have started with the limo.
Dad and Debbie on the bus to Animal Kingdom.
Once we arrived and Mark got us all in (isn’t he the absolute greatest!) we headed right for guest relations to get Dad and Debbie Anniversary Pins. At the time of the trip, they were just about two weeks shy of their one year anniversary.
PhotoPass at DAK
Our first stop was Expedition: Everest. The line wasn’t bad at all. We waited maybe 15 minutes before we were boarding. I think this is the world’s most comfortable coaster ever. Big seats, the floor of the coaster flush against loading platform and a lap bar instead of uncomfortable Over the Shoulder restraints. The only thing that would make it more comfortable would be if you were strapped into a Barcalounger. We all agreed it was an awesome ride. That Yeti AA is just poetry in motion! It was a great way to start off attractions for Dad and Debbie.
Oooooh! Look at all the strange creatures.
Getting ready to meet the Yeti.
Expedition: Barcalounger
We decided to head to Dinoland. Mark and I had to ride Primeval Whirl because that ride is just the best. Sure it doesn’t LOOK like much. I’ll be honest, themeing is not its strong point. But where is lacks in story and detail it makes up in nausea-inducing spins and giggle-inspiring hairpin turns. Wheee! We all got off the ride a little dizzy. Then we headed to Dinosaur.
Lookin' cool on Primeval Whirl
This is what my father and Debbie look like getting tortured. LOL! I think they like it.
Indy has spoiled me. Dinosaur is just loud and dark. It seems like such a waste of a cool ride system. Granted, this time we went, the meteor effects seemed to be working better but you still can’t see much of anything. How cool would it have been if they put the same kind of detail into this ride like they did to Indy. You could see the whole landscape and really experience the “time of the dinosaurs” rather than the ride that’s there now… “Roar, dark, flash of light, roar, dark.” I just think it COULD have been so awesome! They should make me an imagineer. I have big ideas!
We were going to do the Safari but the line was too daunting. Off to MGM we go! Again, the bus was just arriving when we got to the bus stop. Dad and Debbie are good luck! Once we arrived our first order of business was Tower of Terror. Debbie had never been on the Anaheim version and she agreed to go on it for my dad. The line was about 20 minutes. It seemed to Mark and me that the sound in the library was way quieter in Florida. But on the plus side you seem to load into the elevator infinitely faster. It was a fun ride and Debbie enjoyed it as well.
YAR!!! Dad and Debbie are pirates.
We dashed over to Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Ugh! Lovebugs everywhere! I had been worried about these little creatures because I heard they were everywhere in May. But aside from splattered all over the front of the DME bus, we hadn’t encountered any… Except for now. In case you don’t know what love bugs are, once they reach maturity they spend the rest of their lives… er… copulating with their mate. I’m not sure if their was some sort of plant over by Rockin’ Rollercoaster that they liked or if they just like to make crazy insect love to Aerosmith but those things were “doin’ it” all over the place over there. We finally got inside and away from the Herbies, as Mark called them (Get it… Herby… love bugs. LOL!) and we were ready to ride. Psh... Dad and Debbie's second limo ride of the day. LOL! Here’s the weird thing. Remember how I have that darn cold. Well I was feeling much better but when I rode this ride…. It hurt my tooth. Weird, huh? I still had a lot of sinus congestion and my ears had a lot of pressure so that’s what I assume caused it. It was strange but my tooth felt back to normal as soon as we “pulled up to the concert venue”.
Sometimes you look at a picture and you realize "Dude! I'm really short!!"
Dad and Debbie wanted to do the Back-lot Tour. So we did that. They asked Mark and I to be in the pre-show thing where they douse you with water to show how some effects are done but Mark refused. Party pooper! LOL! I suppose I could have done it by myself but that wouldn’t have been as fun. So we all stayed dry while they found some other suckers… I mean participants, to play along. I will say, I found the backlot tour a little more interesting thing time because there were actually people working in the costuming section when we drove through unlike last time.
After the “tour” we walked through the Streets of America (sets that are designed to look like famous areas in the US) and headed to Hollywood and Vine. We had made “reservations” to do the buffet/ Fantasmic! dinning. This is an excellent deal. For the same price as everyone else eating the buffet, you also get priority seating to Fantasmic! We had a nice server who was originally from Riverside, CA which is not even a hop, skip and a jump from where Mark and I live. How cool. It really IS a small world after all. (HA! Now you’ve got that song stuck in your head. Oh wait… so do I. Shoot.)
Dinner was very enjoyable. I think the food was even better than the last time we ate there. They had some tasty chicken and beef dishes and Mark’s favorite, the creamed corn-corn bread which we all loved. And the deserts were all very yummy. We got our seat voucher for F! and headed out side. Brrrrr! It was actually a little on the cool side.
We went to the Great Movie Ride and our “driver” looked like he was about 12. But he did a good job! Unfortunatly, I cannot say the same for the girl we had as our gangster. She talked fast, did a horrible “gangster accent” and mumbled into the mic. Still, I love this ride. I love how unique it is and how it hasn’t been copied in any other park.
By this time, it was actually chilly out. Mark attempted to wear my sweatshirt but can you believe the sweatshirt designed to fit my 5’3 body wouldn’t stretch to cover his 6’4 frame? We decided to go see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We told Dad and Debbie we’d never seen it before so we couldn’t be held responsible if it sucked. I’m glad we put that little disclaimer in! Now… I wouldn’t exactly say it “sucked” but it was… peculiar to say the least. The opening “puppet” scene was pretty cool but the lame lasers and monsoon-like rains were what put it over the edge into kooky nuttersville. I’m still sorting out my feelings about it. We may have liked it a lot more if it had been HOT outside.
We perused through the Animation Studios but there wasn’t anything there we hadn’t seen done better at California Adventure’s animation place. Dad and Debbie decided to get beers and they bought Marky and I hot cocoa because we were chilly. We did some shopping before heading off to the SDSFDE (Super Duper Secret Fantasmic! Dinner Entrance). We found some good seats with minimal heads in front of us so we could all see. Mark and I shared my sweatshirt over both our legs and we all did the wave a few times. Or maybe I was the only one to do the wave. Its funny to see fathers use their children as human pom-poms during the wave. They’ll lift them up, shake them all around and go “Wooooooo!” and the kids love it. LOL! Finally the show started! And again I have to say, we’ve been spoiled by Anaheim. True, having actual seats are nice but the rest of the show just lacks that… “oomf” you know? It’s missing the “huzzah”, the “sparkle”, the “magic” of Disneyland’s. Plus they rely on the mist screens way to much. I don’t think we’ll need to see this show next time we’re in Florida. But I’m glad Dad and Debbie got to see it so they could make their comparisons.
Dad and Debbie got popcorn and Mark and I took some great night shots of MGM. Then we headed out and waited in what was truly the longest bus line I’d ever seen. I guess Dad and Debbie’s Transportation Luck took the night off. We did eventually make it back to the resort so we could collapse on our beds and dream of Steamboat Willie driving his cardboard steamboat from Florida’s Fantasmic!
Us and the big hat. It is ugly in the day time but I rather like the way it looks at night.
Dad, Debbie and the Hat
SMOOCH!
What?! They’re supposed to take Disney’s Magical Express just like us. How’d that happen? We’d have to wait to get the full scoop. Once they got to the hotel (Can you imagine pulling up to the ASS in a limo?) they checked in and freshened up. Mark and I head to the food court to get breakfast (chocolate chip pancakes for me and strawberry pancakes for Mark). Soon after Dad and Debbie come in. Hurrah! Hugs all around. They went to get breakfast and came back for more visiting.
Apparently after they checked in for DME, they were lead out towards the busses and asked if they were ready to go. “Yes!” they said they were and the CM told them that was great but they wouldn’t be taking the bus today and lead them to a limo. How lucky is that?! They got a certificate and everything. What a great way to start off your first trip ever to Disney World. Talk about a magical beginning to your vacation.
Dad and Debbie were only here for 3 days. We wanted to give them a good overview of everything since we knew that there was no way they’d be able to do it all in that little of time. We had asked earlier when we were in the planning stages what Must See things they had to do. They had a short list… Everest, Mission: Space and Spaceship Earth. Unfortunately Spaceship Earth was closed JUST for the 3 days they were visiting. LOL! Oh well. Other than those things they said they were at our mercy and to take them where ever. MUAHAHAHAHA! I hope they’ve rested well before the trip because we’ve got 4 parks to smoooosh into 3 days.
It was noticeably cooler today. In fact I slipped my sweatshirt back into the backpack just in case I needed it in the evening. Our first stop was Animal Kingdom. We headed out to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up. This would be the start of the excellent luck we would have with transportation while Dad and Debbie were with us. It must have started with the limo.
Dad and Debbie on the bus to Animal Kingdom.Once we arrived and Mark got us all in (isn’t he the absolute greatest!) we headed right for guest relations to get Dad and Debbie Anniversary Pins. At the time of the trip, they were just about two weeks shy of their one year anniversary.
PhotoPass at DAKOur first stop was Expedition: Everest. The line wasn’t bad at all. We waited maybe 15 minutes before we were boarding. I think this is the world’s most comfortable coaster ever. Big seats, the floor of the coaster flush against loading platform and a lap bar instead of uncomfortable Over the Shoulder restraints. The only thing that would make it more comfortable would be if you were strapped into a Barcalounger. We all agreed it was an awesome ride. That Yeti AA is just poetry in motion! It was a great way to start off attractions for Dad and Debbie.
Oooooh! Look at all the strange creatures.
Getting ready to meet the Yeti.
Expedition: BarcaloungerWe decided to head to Dinoland. Mark and I had to ride Primeval Whirl because that ride is just the best. Sure it doesn’t LOOK like much. I’ll be honest, themeing is not its strong point. But where is lacks in story and detail it makes up in nausea-inducing spins and giggle-inspiring hairpin turns. Wheee! We all got off the ride a little dizzy. Then we headed to Dinosaur.
Lookin' cool on Primeval Whirl
This is what my father and Debbie look like getting tortured. LOL! I think they like it.Indy has spoiled me. Dinosaur is just loud and dark. It seems like such a waste of a cool ride system. Granted, this time we went, the meteor effects seemed to be working better but you still can’t see much of anything. How cool would it have been if they put the same kind of detail into this ride like they did to Indy. You could see the whole landscape and really experience the “time of the dinosaurs” rather than the ride that’s there now… “Roar, dark, flash of light, roar, dark.” I just think it COULD have been so awesome! They should make me an imagineer. I have big ideas!
We were going to do the Safari but the line was too daunting. Off to MGM we go! Again, the bus was just arriving when we got to the bus stop. Dad and Debbie are good luck! Once we arrived our first order of business was Tower of Terror. Debbie had never been on the Anaheim version and she agreed to go on it for my dad. The line was about 20 minutes. It seemed to Mark and me that the sound in the library was way quieter in Florida. But on the plus side you seem to load into the elevator infinitely faster. It was a fun ride and Debbie enjoyed it as well.
YAR!!! Dad and Debbie are pirates.We dashed over to Rockin’ Rollercoaster. Ugh! Lovebugs everywhere! I had been worried about these little creatures because I heard they were everywhere in May. But aside from splattered all over the front of the DME bus, we hadn’t encountered any… Except for now. In case you don’t know what love bugs are, once they reach maturity they spend the rest of their lives… er… copulating with their mate. I’m not sure if their was some sort of plant over by Rockin’ Rollercoaster that they liked or if they just like to make crazy insect love to Aerosmith but those things were “doin’ it” all over the place over there. We finally got inside and away from the Herbies, as Mark called them (Get it… Herby… love bugs. LOL!) and we were ready to ride. Psh... Dad and Debbie's second limo ride of the day. LOL! Here’s the weird thing. Remember how I have that darn cold. Well I was feeling much better but when I rode this ride…. It hurt my tooth. Weird, huh? I still had a lot of sinus congestion and my ears had a lot of pressure so that’s what I assume caused it. It was strange but my tooth felt back to normal as soon as we “pulled up to the concert venue”.
Sometimes you look at a picture and you realize "Dude! I'm really short!!"Dad and Debbie wanted to do the Back-lot Tour. So we did that. They asked Mark and I to be in the pre-show thing where they douse you with water to show how some effects are done but Mark refused. Party pooper! LOL! I suppose I could have done it by myself but that wouldn’t have been as fun. So we all stayed dry while they found some other suckers… I mean participants, to play along. I will say, I found the backlot tour a little more interesting thing time because there were actually people working in the costuming section when we drove through unlike last time.
After the “tour” we walked through the Streets of America (sets that are designed to look like famous areas in the US) and headed to Hollywood and Vine. We had made “reservations” to do the buffet/ Fantasmic! dinning. This is an excellent deal. For the same price as everyone else eating the buffet, you also get priority seating to Fantasmic! We had a nice server who was originally from Riverside, CA which is not even a hop, skip and a jump from where Mark and I live. How cool. It really IS a small world after all. (HA! Now you’ve got that song stuck in your head. Oh wait… so do I. Shoot.)
Dinner was very enjoyable. I think the food was even better than the last time we ate there. They had some tasty chicken and beef dishes and Mark’s favorite, the creamed corn-corn bread which we all loved. And the deserts were all very yummy. We got our seat voucher for F! and headed out side. Brrrrr! It was actually a little on the cool side.
We went to the Great Movie Ride and our “driver” looked like he was about 12. But he did a good job! Unfortunatly, I cannot say the same for the girl we had as our gangster. She talked fast, did a horrible “gangster accent” and mumbled into the mic. Still, I love this ride. I love how unique it is and how it hasn’t been copied in any other park.
By this time, it was actually chilly out. Mark attempted to wear my sweatshirt but can you believe the sweatshirt designed to fit my 5’3 body wouldn’t stretch to cover his 6’4 frame? We decided to go see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We told Dad and Debbie we’d never seen it before so we couldn’t be held responsible if it sucked. I’m glad we put that little disclaimer in! Now… I wouldn’t exactly say it “sucked” but it was… peculiar to say the least. The opening “puppet” scene was pretty cool but the lame lasers and monsoon-like rains were what put it over the edge into kooky nuttersville. I’m still sorting out my feelings about it. We may have liked it a lot more if it had been HOT outside.
We perused through the Animation Studios but there wasn’t anything there we hadn’t seen done better at California Adventure’s animation place. Dad and Debbie decided to get beers and they bought Marky and I hot cocoa because we were chilly. We did some shopping before heading off to the SDSFDE (Super Duper Secret Fantasmic! Dinner Entrance). We found some good seats with minimal heads in front of us so we could all see. Mark and I shared my sweatshirt over both our legs and we all did the wave a few times. Or maybe I was the only one to do the wave. Its funny to see fathers use their children as human pom-poms during the wave. They’ll lift them up, shake them all around and go “Wooooooo!” and the kids love it. LOL! Finally the show started! And again I have to say, we’ve been spoiled by Anaheim. True, having actual seats are nice but the rest of the show just lacks that… “oomf” you know? It’s missing the “huzzah”, the “sparkle”, the “magic” of Disneyland’s. Plus they rely on the mist screens way to much. I don’t think we’ll need to see this show next time we’re in Florida. But I’m glad Dad and Debbie got to see it so they could make their comparisons.
Dad and Debbie got popcorn and Mark and I took some great night shots of MGM. Then we headed out and waited in what was truly the longest bus line I’d ever seen. I guess Dad and Debbie’s Transportation Luck took the night off. We did eventually make it back to the resort so we could collapse on our beds and dream of Steamboat Willie driving his cardboard steamboat from Florida’s Fantasmic!
Us and the big hat. It is ugly in the day time but I rather like the way it looks at night.
Dad, Debbie and the Hat
SMOOCH!
2 comments:
Don't forget that creamed corn corn bread is the foundation of every good meal!
Loving the reports as always Beth. Can't wait to hear what your Dad and his partner thought!
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