vacation

Maxin’ & Relaxin’

Chris and Aidan are at Magic Kingdom for one last night of Fireworks. I’d debated about going and getting my burger from The Starlight Cafe, but I decided against it. I’m tired and not in the mood to fight any more crowds. All packing is done except for night/morning essentials. πŸ™‚ Hungry as a mofo–I’ll probably skip down to the Food Court in a bit…

We’ll see. I’m not feeling completely well (STUPID MISSION SPACE! and forgetting to take my meds for 2-3 days) and I’m thinking of finishing up Princess Diaries IV so that I can read V on the plane tomorrow.

Mmm, eyelids are getting heavy. Dreams of Mickey Mouse will fill my head tonight. I hope.

Til next time…

P.S. Ivy, Jennifer, and Aimzy, I miss you guys too. πŸ™‚
P.S.S. I miss you too, Rob.
P.S.S.S. And Becky.
P.S.S.S.S. And Broadband Internet.
P.S.S.S.S.S. And Lucy.

Okay, dang it. I guess I’m a bit homesick. I have been gone for a LONG time, right?

So, ignore the PSes.

Things I Miss From Home:
– My Friends
– Friday Nights
– Broadband Internet
– Lucy
– Taking baths
– The Grove

Things I Don’t Miss From Home:
– Rush hour traffic
– Work
– Fickle Weather

Things I’ll Miss About Disneyworld:
– THE MAGIC!
– Randomly talking to fun and nice people.
– Starlight Cafe.
– Characters (especially surprise ones!)!
– Shopping!
– Pin Collecting/Trading.
– LEISURE GALORE!
– Epcot World Showcase.
– Shows.
– Everything Mickey Mouse.
– Junk food.
– The Monorail.
– The music in the streets.
– Being able to act the age I really am inside (could be 5, 10, or 19 depending on the day. Hour, actually) and it being okay.
– The overall atmosphere.
– Lifetime Movie Network.
– Lifetime Television for Women.

What I Won’t Miss About Disney:
– The Sour People.
– The few out of control crowds.
– Lack of broadband!
– The slight cold I’d caught earlier this week (I’m better now).
– The hives I broke out in on my legs!

Things I’ve Learned:
– May is THE TIME TO VISIT! The weather is perfect, there are TONS of characters (lots that I had no idea I’d see, like Rafiki and The Genie, etc), the lines are usually manageable, and it does not rain every day!
– Disney shows really are spectacular.
– Cast members are willing to take pictures of you with your camera, but it’s fun to buy some of the Photopass pictures too.
– There are LOTS of opportunities to spend money here. Be careful. Heehee.
– America really is the most overweight country in the world.
– Most people are generally all around nice, but there are still some rude and mean ones. Even in the happiest place on earth.
– A lot of retirees work as Cast Members just for fun!
– Good food places: Starlight Cafe, Crystal Palace, 50s Prime Time Cafe, The Garden Grill, San Angel Inn, Chef Mickey’s.
– Best character meal: EEK, I can’t choose!! We did three and loved them all!
– BAD food places: The Electric Umbrella. Ick. Some pizza place with a Toy Story theme to it. I think I’ll do some official reviews after I’ve been back a while, eh?
– One o’clock is a BAD TIME to try to get lunch!!
– lots more! πŸ™‚

Things I Wish We’d Known Earlier:
– More of the extra magical hours.
– That we had a refrigerator in our room this whole time! (It was hiding in what looked like a dresser!)
– The shortcut to All-Star Music to get to the buses more quickly.

I’m babbling. I’m going to read. Then shower, then finish up packing. Til next time.

FOR REAL! πŸ™‚

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Winding Down (Pictures)

Today = Last Full Day at Disneyworld. πŸ™

We totally took it easy today. Didn’t get to Magic Kingdom ’til about one o’clock. The bus ride there was less than pleasant. The bus was crowded (even though we’d snuck over to All-Star Music and got on before the All-Star Movie people) and I had to stand. The bus was very hot and I started to feel sick. Chris (who was sitting with Aidan) noticed and jumped up and made me take his seat. I would have puked had he not done that; he said I was starting to turn green!

We got to the park and once I was outside, I felt better. We went into Magic Kingdom and got some Photopass pictures taken. πŸ™‚ On our way to lunch, we met up with the Queen of Hearts by the Mad Tea Party:

See, she’s a villian, but even she couldn’t resist Aidan’s cuteness! She was very nice to him, but mean to Chris, hahahaha! πŸ˜€

Then we ate at my favorite Magic Kingdom place–the Starlight Cafe. It was a MADHOUSE! It took me a long time to find a seat! But the food was very yummy, as always. Then we went to Belle’s Storytime. Guess who I got to meet:

*GRIN!* After Belle, Chris took me back to Ariel’s Grotto. The line was really long, but it was worth it, she was beautiful:

We also got to meet Peter Pan and Wendy (no pictures for that one yet, Chris only took one of Aidan with them), and after that, we walked around some more. It was really hot today, and I think it was because we were out during peak sun time. Usually I’m napping during that time!

Exhausted, we headed back to the buses, but stopped in a few stores and the Photopass place on the way out. I got to meet–okay, I’m not even sure of his name, but I’m sure he’s from Robin Hood? Can anyone clue me in? There was no line and he was cool:

Aidan got a last glimpse of Goofy before we headed out.

I am worn out, and I guess I’m ready to go home. Hungry for a burger from the Starlight Cafe, but that’ll have to wait ’til next year! πŸ˜€

Check out tomorrow is at 11:00am, and The Magical Express will be here to pick us up at 12:10 pm. We’re thinking of popping into Animal Kingdom for a couple of hours, but if that doesn’t happen, I won’t be too disappointed. We’ve had quite a full trip already!

Time to start packing. πŸ™ ‘Til next time…

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I’m Not Riding Mission Space Again Until 2010 (Lots of Pictures!)

Fun Day today! YAY!

Got up a bit after seven this morning for Chef Mickey’s! We got there at about 8:30ish, and Goofy was the greeter. Aidan was happy about that! The food was amazing, and I finally got a chance to meet Minnie Mouse (in her regular dress)!! πŸ˜€

Yes, Chef Mickey’s. Highly recommended. Yes. πŸ˜€ I sat at the table eating while Chris took Aidan to see Goofy AGAIN! Apparently, a bunch of people were being very unfair and cutting in line. It seems that Goofy took note and made sure to spend a lot of extra special time with Aidan. πŸ™‚ Yay for Goofy. No wonder Aidan loves him.

Aidan calls him FOOKY. HAHAHA. πŸ˜€

After breakfast, we went to Epcot. I got to ride Test Track (five minute wait) and Mission Space (five minute wait)!! Test Track was awesome. I loved it. Mission Space was awesome while I was experiencing it, but I was nauseated for at least 90 minutes afterwards. Mission Space is INTENSE and don’t let anyone tell you differently. I don’t plan on riding it again for several years. But I bet I’ll ride it next year (yes, we’re already planning next year’s vacation)! Before Mission Space, I got to meet Space Goofy and Mickey!

We did The Living Seas (I missed most of that–I sat on a bench and tried to recover from Mission Space), and then we headed back to the countries. I went to the bathroom and then we ate at that awesome Mexican restaurant that I’d smelled a few days back and desperately wanted. IT WAS SO GOOD! I mean, YUM. Again, YUM. OMG. It was so good. So yeah, San Angel Inn. Highly recommended!

After lunch, we began the trek through the World Showcase. There were character stops all along the way:


Mulan and Mushu in China

Rafiki and Timon at the Outpost

Snow White and Dopey in Germany

The Genie in Morocco

Some of the highlights of World Showcase:
– Matsuriza – an amazing Japanese Drum Show.
– Dragon Legend Acrobats – Chinese acrobats. Holy cow. No words. Really.

Chris made me watch The American Adventure. Voices of Liberty was cool, but The American Adventure Attraction was boring. It was stuff I already knew–I wanted to learn about different cultures, not recap all the history classes I was forced to attend all my life! I was happy to get out and get into Japan. The store was different than I remembered, but still awesome. Although the incense made me feel high and disoriented. I am not sure if it was Mission Space residuals, or the incense. (I bought some of the incense). πŸ™‚ I also got lots of Japanese snacks, a gift for Greg, and a pair of socks.

Morocco brought with it some really beautiful belly dancing outfits (I wish I could afford them) and the Genie and Aladdin! πŸ™‚ Then there was France. We’d missed the Beast and Belle by about 40 minutes. Boohoo. I wanted to visit the UK again, but Chris said no and Aidan was clammoring for chicken and french fries. We got them from a little McDonalds stand. We all shared a 9 piece and a large fry. I sat on a bench by the lagoon and there were two ducks just sitting there. I found out why. Those guys eat from your hands! πŸ™‚ The girl duck is an aggressive little sucker, always stealing from the guy duck. There was a white birdie that popped in from time to time too. Aidan giggled like crazy when the duck ate fries from his hand.

After World Showcase, we went back to Future World and rode Journey Into Imagination. After that ride, Aidan had a blast running around in the “What If” lab before we headed over to watch Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. That is an entertaining 3D show. I will not give it all away in case you go someday, but man, it gets the best audience reactions, that’s for sure!

By now, Aidan and I were about done. I’d been up since early, was still dealing with Mission Space residuals, and had only slept for about 4.5 hours or so. I was ready. So we caught the bus and headed back and here I am. πŸ™‚

Guess what we found when we got back to our hotel room!


How cute is this?

Tomorrow is Friday, our last full day. Can you believe it? πŸ™ This week has flown by and I can’t believe it’s going to be over soon. Although I do miss broadband (A LOT – dialup is driving me NUTS) and my friends. And the fun begins when we start the planning for Disneyworled 2006! Yeehaw!

Til next time…

Edited to Add: DO NOT USE THEIR COMPLIMENTARY SHIPPING! Our picture collage is broken and the shot glass box is all banged up. Not cool. We have some returns/exchanges to do tomorrow. πŸ™

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MGM & Downtown Disney (Pictures)

This morning, we got to Disney/MGM Studios about 920ish. We were there to see Playhouse Disney. Aidan was in a bumbly mood, and it wasn’t until after Playhouse Disney that we realized that he was probably hungry. With stops to visit characters in betweeen (I met Stitch!)…

…we found a place to eat. Little birdies were hopping all around and we fed them. Aidan chased them. He was in an okay mood then. Ran into more characters. Rafiki was there, but while we were in line, Rafiki went away and Eeyore came out. I was a bit disappointed. We’d met Eeyore twice already. But he came up to me and gave me a really long hug which was so special. And he and Aidan played forever. It was so cute! πŸ™‚ So it was okay.

We watched Voyage of The Little Mermaid, and do you know that dang show made me get choked up? Just like the movie. Darn it. It was pretty good. After VOTLM, I got my chance to meet Rafiki! Aidan was in a horrible mood by now, but he got happier once he saw Rafiki:

We made our way over to the Indiana Jones show. Chris was deadset on seeing that. It really was cool. Chris and Aidan got their picture with the stunt double people afterwards.

We tried to go to the Drew Carey Sounds Dangerous show but Aidan was not having it at ALL. Even playing with the stuff in the lobby was not making him happy. We finally had to leave. On the way out, we strolled past the 50s Prime Time Cafe. Now, I’d heard wonderful things about this place and expected a huge wait. But guess what? We practically walked right in. I had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. Aidan’s mood lightened a lot once he ate. πŸ™‚

The food there was great, and you really do feel like you’re at home!

Headed back to the hotel for a nap while Aidan and Chris went swimming. Then we went to Downtown Disney! Shopped like crazy, and then had dinner at Planet Hollywood.

Shopped a bit more, then came back. I got my shower tonight because we have to be up early tomorrow for breakfast at Chef Mickey’s! YAY!! G’night!

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I Wasn’t Going to Update ‘Til Later, But… (Pictures)

I’m in the room relaxing a bit. We were supposed to go to Downtown Disney, but seeing as Chris and Aidan have just crashed, I don’t know if that will happen tonight or not.

Had a great time today. Went to Magic Kingdom. I got to meet Pinnochio!

That was really cool! Mickey Mouse (in the tux) was in Town Square, so I met him too. We went to the back to Toontown Fair (stopping at the Cinderellabration again–Chris is obsessed with it), and tried to ride the Barnstormer. The first guy said Aidan was tall enough, but the ladies up top said no. Chris raised sort of a stink, so they gave us a priority pass onto any other ride in the park! So, I went through on the Barnstormer, and then we headed to Mickey’s house. At the end of Mickey’s house was guess who! Mickey Mouse! πŸ˜€ That makes FIVE Mickey Mouses so far that we’ve met!!!! πŸ˜€ (Last time, it took a character meal for me to meet one!)

After Mickey’s house, we went to the Big Tent, and I got to meet some Princesses! Highlight Number One of my day! πŸ˜€ There was Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White! Sleeping Beauty and Snow White told me that I was pretty! πŸ˜€ Snow White gave Aidan a big smooch, and now he has a big red lip mark on his cheek.

We then caught the train to the front of the park. I got off (leaving the boys behind) and headed to the monorail, for I was headed to the Grand Floridian for a Swedish massage! Chris surprised me with it. Oh wow, it was divine. I fell asleep countless times during it. It felt so good. Mmmm. I love massages. Highlight #2 of my day! πŸ˜€ Simply glorious, I’ll tell you. The Grand Floridian Resort is beautiful. I totally want to stay there someday.

After my massage, I caught the monorail back to Magic Kingdom. Haha. I was excited to get on the ghetto one again. Most of them say “PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS” or something like tha tin English then in Spanish just before the doors close. This one says “Please. [silence] Please.” Then the doors close and off we go. We got that one before, and I was so happy to get it again. It’s a lot funnier than it sounds, trust me.

I got to Magic Kingdom just in time to catch almost the entire Share a Dream Come True Parade. Prime seating too, right up front. πŸ˜€ Finally met up with Chris and Aidan afte the parade and headed back to the back. I think another Cinderellabration may have been happening. I’m not sure. We ate at that yummy cafe again (Starlight Cafe?), and then we rode the Peter Pan ride (bypassed a 50 minute line thanks to our priority pass), and then Haunted Mansion. Then we walked back to Frontierland. Let Aidan meet Woody and Jesse from Toy Story, and then I was in pursuit of Jasmine and Aladdin. We found them by the Swiss Family Tree House (okay, so all I had to do was look at the Times Guide & New Information Sheet to find them). Highlight #3 of my day! πŸ˜€

Aidan was about at his wit’s end by now, but just as we were heading out, we saw some ducks that were freaking out. It was too funny. And Chris noted another Cinderellabration starting. I got way up front this time.

More awesome pictures soon. πŸ˜€

So yeah, the boys are snoring on the bed beside me. I think that defintely means no Downtown Disney tonight. πŸ™ Maybe tomorrow, eh? Although there is MGM. Aidan’s going to watch Playhouse Disney! YAY for that.

Good Things:
+ Meeting lots of characters.
+ Weather that isn’t too unbearable.
+ Swedish massages.
+ The Grand Floridian.
+ The Disney Monorail System.
+ Hitchhiking ghosts.
+ Practically walking on to any ride in the park.

Bad Things:
– My nose is still running.
– I have FOUR bug bites.
– A blood vessel burst in my eye.
– Davis Men falling asleep before 8pm! What is up with that??
– The threat of thunderstorms.

Restaurant Review:
Crystal Palace – 3.5 stars
Starlight Cafe – 3.5 stars
The Pizza Place in MGM – 1 star
The Garden Grill – 400 stars
The Electric Umbrella – negative 99 stars

Meh. More soon. πŸ˜€

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