Part 3
Participants:
Chris, 29 years old
Michelle, 27 years old
Ben, 22 months old
Day 3, Sunday December 2, 2001
Because we went to bed a bit earlier last night, we decided not to set the alarm, knowing we would wake up in plenty of time to get to Jan's Splash Mountain meet at 10:00. Apparently we were more tired than we thought, because I was stirred to consciousness by the sound of drums. I looked at the clock and it was 8:30! I guess it was the arrival of the character caravan that woke me. It was going to be very tight to get everyone bathed and fed and dressed and still make it to the Magic Kingdom in one hour and a half.
We dressed as quickly as we could. Chris took Ben to the Mara to buy him some milk and refill our mugs. By now it was around 9:15. I took advantage of the time to call and attempt to get a priority seating for a character meal we could share with Laura and Renae, who had indicated an interest in joining us. It took a bit of checking, but I was able to get a seating for the ice cream social at the Garden Grill on Tuesday afternoon. I knew that I would forget to ask Laura when I saw her in person, so I called to leave her a voice mail asking if she was interested. I was rather surprised when a human being answered, and must have sounded like a moron, stumbling, saying "Is Laura there?" I mean, who else would be in her room? Anyway, she said that she and Renae would join us.
We left our room a bit before 9:30, already realizing that we would be late. I should have realized when I got to the valet area and saw luggage EVERYWHERE that we were in for a wait. This was the only time we had to wait more than 2 minutes for our car, apparently everyone staying at the Lodge except us was checking out. Of course, I felt a sense of urgency to get going and make it to the meet, but I calmed myself down by reminding myself that I didn't even want to ride Splash Mountain anyway, and the slow valet service could be my perfect excuse.
The lateness finally pays off…or does it?
It was 10:45 by the time we got to the bridge near Splash Mountain. I sent Chris to look for any signs of anyone we knew, as I waited on the bridge with Ben. This was a poor choice on my part. Because I had never had a desire to ride Splash Mountain, I had never been on this bridge, and never watched the boats take that enormous plunge. After the second boat, any doubt in my mind was gone…there was no way I was riding Splash Mountain, today or ever!
I was actually relieved that we were 45 minutes late. I knew no one would be left from the meet, so I would not be pressured to be in one of the boats of torture I saw plunging before me every few seconds.
A mountain conquered
Much to my dismay, I looked across the bridge and saw that Chris was nodding and waving for me to come to him. There, assembled at the exit were all of my friends, and a bunch of RADP people. Anne explained to me that they had already ridden Splash twice. I had to explain to she and Laura that I was a big chicken and would not be doing Splash today. The RADP people were getting ready to ride Big Thunder Mountain, and Laura and Anne were going to go with them, since I had decided not to ride. And I must give Anne and Laura credit for being very kind with my decision not to ride. They both said that if I didn't feel ready, if I really didn't want to, I shouldn't ride.
Then, something happened. Just as they were about to leave, Anne said "Are you sure?" At the same moment, Mike gave my shoulders the slightest of nudges from behind, and something in me snapped. I knew I had to go. I locked the wheels of Ben's stroller, and said "I'll do it." Life simply doesn't hand you many opportunities to conquer your irrational fears, and I had a perfect opportunity looking me in the face. As frightened as I was of riding, I knew that I would deeply regret not seizing this opportunity.
Chris, who is as afraid of big drops as I am, said he and Ben would go pick up Fast Passes for Pooh, then come back and watch me take the plunge.
As a side note, as the RADP people were leaving to ride Big Thunder, we walked passed them. I was very touched that a person I had met only for a few minutes at the big meet yesterday said hello to me by name. I had been feeling like such a nobody around RADP people, since I never post and rarely read, but to be greeted by someone was just the most welcoming thing! Now, if only I could remember her name for certain…Beth, maybe?
So, the time for my brush with fear had come. As we waited in line, I had a total feeling of disbelief. It was not possible, in my mind, that I would soon be on one of the plunging boats that had terrified me only moments ago. Still, I was surrounded by a supportive group of friends who were assuring me that the drops were only a small percentage of what is otherwise a beautifully done ride.
We boarded our boat with Anne and Tom in the front seat, Laura and I in the second seat, Renae just behind us, and some poor couple, who are probably still laughing about the ride, in the back seat. Now I was entirely certain that just beyond every curve there was going to be a significant drop, but Anne and Laura (and 12-year-old Tom, who was far braver than me) assured me that they would let me know when all of the drops were coming. They also pointed out some details which I would certainly have otherwise been too distracted to notice.
Just as I was starting to relax and enjoy the ride, Laura warned me that the first drop was approaching. I calmed myself by repeating my mantra "I am in my happy place," which gradually turned into a squeaky "happy place, happy place, happy place," as we went over the drop. I squeezed poor Laura's hand, and hid my face on her shoulder, but then it was over. Okay, I had made it through that one, and was feeling more in control.
I was even having fun. Ben loves the song "Everybody has a laughing place" and thinks it's very funny to hysterically fake laugh every time he hears it, so I couldn't help but to think how much he would enjoy this ride.
Then there was a warning of a double drop. "Happy place, happy place, happy place," squeeze hand, hide eyes. And it was over, too.
A few more minutes of enjoyable ride, and then I saw it. The telltale rubber conveyor belt. A look at Laura and she confirmed "This is it." I took many deep breaths as the number of boats in front of us dropped…2...1...we were next. "Happy place, happy place, happy place," squeeze Laura's hand like I haven't squeezed anyone's hand since I gave birth to Ben, hide my eyes….stomach going up to my throat…and it was over.
VICTORY WAS MINE!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the ending to the ride. I felt like I was on top of the world, and I was so happy to share it with Anne and Laura and their families. Anne suggested that Disney should provide ride counselors for people like me who want to try a ride that is scary to them. I recommend Laura to design a pilot program, and be chief ride counselor. I never would have ridden without Anne and Laura there, and I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all without a hand to clutch.
The photo provided everyone a good view of how truly chicken I am, as I am clearly clutching Laura's hand and hiding my face on her shoulder. Still, I purchased the photo, and a frame and a refrigerator magnet. After all, it might be a long time before I ride Splash Mountain again. Would I ride it again? With a group of friends who wants to ride, or with a much older Ben who wants to ride? Sure. By myself? NEVER!
I look at my photo, which is displayed along with the Splash ride vehicle Laura gave me later in the trip, any time I can tell that I'm letting irrational inhibitions hold me back from something I should do. Very inspirational.
We all paused for a wet photo in the shop. I was relatively dry, as I had been on the left side of the log. Then my elation quickly became mixed with sadness as I realized that the time had come to really say good-bye to Anne and Tom. After such a great bonding experience, it was especially difficult to let them go, knowing that it will probably be a long time before we see each other again. Still, I was lucky to have been able to spend so much time with them, and such great quality time, as we had shared some neat experiences in the past 48 hours.
I was a bit teary after that good-bye, but luckily the perfect cure awaited just around the corner. In a little cave-like area is a toddler playground called The Laughing Place. Chris and I both knew when we saw it that this would be great fun for Ben. And it was. He had a great time climbing, and going down the slide, and just being around other toddlers. We let him play here for quite some time as we waited for our Pooh Fast Pass time.
Soon the time for Pooh had come, and we rode. Ben seemed to be enjoying the rides more and more each time.
A return to "our" lodge
By now we were ready for lunch. We had been in such a hurry this morning that we hadn't really had breakfast, and while Ben had been snacking on Goldfish and Cheerios, Chris and I were quite hungry. Since we had stayed at the Wilderness Lodge on our past two trips, it didn't take us long to realize that Whispering Canyon Café was just a boat ride away.
We took the train from Toontown to the front of the park. Ben was pretty mellow, and didn't get as excited about the choo-choo as I expected him to. We exited the park and went to the familiar boat launch where a boat was waiting.
I held a rather sleepy Ben as we rode on the boat. We were concerned that we had gotten on the wrong boat when it didn't stop at the Wilderness Lodge. Apparently, this boat was shared by Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge. This is a change from the last time we stayed here.
Ben stayed awake for the boat ride and only mildly resisted being put in his stroller on the boat dock at the Wilderness Lodge. We paused for a few minutes on the boat dock to look at the birds. We have fond memories of watching families of baby ducks from this dock, as well as memories of watching anhingas fish with great skill. We are truly emotionally attached to this Lodge, and as we walked in, Chris and I talked about how much it felt that we were "home" walking down that path.
By the time we got into the Lodge, Ben was fast asleep. It was around 1:00 now, so we decided to get 2:00 priority seating at Whispering Canyon, and let Ben sleep as we enjoyed "our" lobby. As I waited with Ben for Chris to get our priority seating, I looked into the restaurant, and realized that it was almost empty, and priority seating probably wasn't necessary. I guess it didn't hurt anything, though.
We strolled around the lobby, admiring the Christmas tree. I was not surprised to see that it was decorated on the same grand scale as the lobby itself. We peeked into the mercantile, and walked across the bridge over the stream. It was just such a warm and happy feeling to be back in the Lodge.
Hmmm…an intriguing possibility
As we wandered, we noticed the Disney Vacation Club desk. Being a Disney fanatic, I had always dreamed of joining the DVC, but I never thought it would be within my means. Lately though, I had been thinking that I might be a rather practical choice. With Ben being 2 years old, I fully expect frequent, extended trips over the next couple of decades. We decided to at least speak to the young man at the desk.
We had a bit of a wait to speak to him, as a woman was giving him a really hard time. I later learned that people who meet with a DVC representative to tour a model villa receive vouchers for a quick and casual lunch. This woman was demanding to redeem hers at a restaurant where she could get fresh fish, insisting that she did not want just a sandwich. The DVC guy was being as kind as he could, offering to have a manager call her later, but she insisted that HE do something about it immediately. She left very angry about the whole situation. I felt terrible for the DVC guy, and tried to make him feel better by reminding him that he could just forget about her and have a good day, but a lady like that would be miserable wherever she went.
We had a nice visit with the DVC guy. He was not extremely helpful, simply because I already knew enough about DVC that the few questions I had were ones he could not answer. I think he actually knew the answers to my questions, but was not allowed to answer them so that we would have to get the full sales pitch from someone in order to have our few questions answered. That bothered me just a little, but I have yet to meet a salesperson who didn't bother me at least a little. But, since it was for WDW, and since Chris seemed as if he might actually go for this idea, we set up the tour for after our lunch.
Incidentally, when we mentioned we had a friend in the DVC, the young man asked me her name and what state she lived in. I told him Vermont, and he consulted a list. I asked what he was checking for. Apparently, the DVC rewards members for referrals, but some states do not allow that for their residents, for it violates laws intended to discourage people from purchasing property outside of the state. Unfortunately, Vermont was one of these states, so Laura got nothing for "referring" me.
Festival O' Meat
Ben was still asleep, so we decided to head over to Whispering Canyon early, thinking that perhaps we could have a peaceful meal (an ironic desire at Whispering Canyon) without having to entertain Ben. The hostess was kind enough to seat us at a table where sleeping Ben could remain in his stroller.
Chris and I both ordered the lots o' meat meal. I am almost pescavegtarian, mainly because I just don't like meat. Something about the environment here, though, has caused me to order this meal once on each trip since the Wilderness Lodge opened. Ben woke just before we were served, so I ordered some mac and cheese for him. We all enjoyed our meals, and then Ben indicated that he wanted DOWN! He had been restrained long enough and was ready to run. Ben and I left Chris to order a couple more platters of meat (unlike me, Chris loves meat) and we ran around the lobby. Well, Ben ran, and I chased after him at a dignified fast walking pace. Ben loved the bridge, and went back and forth over it at least 30 times.
I went into the mercantile because I wanted to get a Wilderness Lodge magnet. Until I had a toddler, I had very little need for refrigerator magnets and had very few. Now that I am living in a world where a new work of art is created every day, I can't seem to find enough magnets. So now I had added three to my collection, the Minnie magnet from Anne, Splash Mountain and Wilderness Lodge.
When I came out of the store, Ben was busy hugging and kissing the bear at the bottom of the totem outside the entrance. We took several pictures of Ben with the bear. I hope the bear stays there for a while, because it would be fun to take pictures of Ben with the bear as he grows up through the years. I'm sure he'll love that when he's 16.
Something to think about
Now it was time for our DVC tour, so we went back to the information table, and the guy walked us out to a van which took us to the Boardwalk. I knew that I would not enjoy the sales part of this experience. Even though everyone I talked to made a point to say there was no pressure, that the DVC either won't work for you, or it will, so it sells itself, but still, I was pretty uncomfortable. I didn't feel pressured, I just really don't like any sort of sales person. (My prejudice is outed now.) Jenna was among the least annoying I have met though, and made a point of telling me that she is the one who had sold Laura her membership.
The DVC itself was incredibly tempting. Chris especially liked the fact that we would be able to bank and borrow points. As much as we love Disneyworld, we will probably never go there every year, simply because there are so many other places we love. We'd like to continue to go to Yellowstone every few years, and we have family around the country to visit as well. If we both get jobs with unlimited vacation time someday, then we'll visit each of the places each year.
Another dose of great Disney service
After the pitch, the van driver took us back to our car at the TTC and we went back to the Lodge to rest for the Illuminations Cruise. While Ben took a nap, I called room service (or in-room dining, which according to the menu is the correct term for this experience) to see what they could provide me to take as a snack for everyone on our cruise this evening. The nicest young lady, whose name I failed to get, worked with me to arrange for two small picnic baskets full of gourmet cheeses and crackers and grapes to be delivered to our room just before we had to leave. When they arrived I was impressed at the care that had been taken to ensure that we had all we would need to provide a lovely snack for everyone on our boat.
The perpetually late family…on time!
We were supposed to meet everyone for our cruise at the Yacht Club at 8:30. We left our room at 8:00 and arrived at the Yacht Club at 8:15. For the first time on this trip we were on time, even a bit early. That was a relief. We looked around for any signs of anyone we knew, but didn't see anybody. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a flashing beacon approaching. It was Laura and Renae sporting an assortment of light-up jewelry. Soon we found Jan and Charlotte and their families, and we were ready to board.
Jan gave Ben a red flashing Mickey Mouse penlight, which Ben was able to figure out how to work much more quickly than either Charlotte or I. This souvenir received several "Oh wow"'s from Ben.
A magnificent boat ride
We locked the stroller in the boat house and got a little life jacket for Ben. He resisted putting on the life jacket until Chris said, rationally, "You need to put on the jacket to get on the boat." And I said, demonstrating manipulative, poor parenting, "Zazu (referring to the stuffed Zazu Jan gave him yesterday, which he was holding) wants you to wear the jacket." Because we said our comments simultaneously, I'm not sure which one caused Ben to cooperate and put on the jacket, but soon we were all on board the boat.
We cruised by MGM. Ben loved the star on top of the tree outside the park, and was sad when we the boat didn't stop there. Our driver, Zeke, was entertaining. He was full of trivia, Disney and otherwise.
We pulled into our viewing location for Illuminations, and had a few minutes to visit and take pictures before the show started. At the first sounds of Illuminations, Ben's eyes got VERY big, and I could tell he was on the verge of being VERY scared. I held him close for a few moments, but he was soon enjoying the show. The ball coming out into the lagoon was almost more excitement than he could take. Illuminations is a very moving show, I teared up a bit during "We go on." When the show was over, Ben's face got very sad, then he let our a mournful wail and began crying, saying "Ball…again, ball…again" Actually, I kind of felt the same way.
Great food, great friends
My thought of bringing a snack for this evening was not unique, everyone came with something in hand. I think we had intended to eat as we cruised, but we were having too much fun on the boat. So after the cruise, we found a couple of tables on the waterfront where we could partake of our treats. I feel a little bad that we scared off a young couple who were apparently trying to find a quiet romantic spot. Guess they would have to try a little harder. We invited them to join our picnic, but I don't think a picnic is what they had in mind.
And what a picnic it was! Charlotte brought a cute basket of gingerbread, as well as some candy, and sugared pecans and pumpkin fruitcake that she and her sister-in-law had made. Laura brought cookies from the Boardwalk bakery. Jan and Mike had brought drinks for everyone. I thought it was sweet that they had gone out to get extra diet Coke after our dinner on Friday when almost everyone had ordered diet Coke. It seems as if there was even more food than this, but perhaps that is only because when we put all of our food on the table it was completely full, heaped with yummy food. I couldn't help but to notice the irony in the fact that a group of people who had originally gotten together to talk about weight loss probably had the most elaborate evening picnic anywhere in WDW.
We invited everyone to join our picnic. A few of the people who had been in other boats snacked with us for a while. And when the boat drivers were finished with their driver duties, they too joined the fun. It was such a beautiful spot to visit and eat. Ben had plenty of room to run around and entertain people. At one point the said "night, night" and spread his jacket on the dock and pretended to go to sleep. Well, when he realized people were looking at him with the "Oh, Ben is so cute" look on their faces, he got out his other jacket, and Zazu and Wally and all of them went night-night together. He put on quite a little show, indicating to me that sleep was actually the last thing on his mind.
Finally the time came to leave. It was during everyone's departures that I realized Ben had grown attached to the Minnies. He blew kisses to each of them as they left. I was happy to hear Jan say that this had been her best cruise ever. It was certainly my best, but because it was my only one, that doesn't mean much. But I had had a wonderful time, and apparently Jan had as well. I also agreed with Charlotte when she said that that evening was special because we hadn't planned for it to turn into a boat dock picnic party, it just happened spontaneously.
As we walked to the car, I was shocked to see that it was 11:00. I had entirely lost track of time, which was yet another indicator of how much fun I had. We headed back to the Lodge. I tried to stop at Guest Services to compliment in-room dining on the baskets they prepared, but there were a couple of people in line and I wanted to get to bed. That compliment would have to wait until later. We went up to the room, put the cheese baskets and accessories outside our door, and turned in for the evening.