Part 4
Participants:
Chris, 29 years old
Michelle, 27 years old
Ben, 22 months old
Day 4, Monday December 3, 2001
We woke at around 8:30. By now we felt totally immersed in everything Disney. We had already had so many wonderful experiences on this trip, that I rather expected things to go downhill a bit now. After all, how could anything be better than viewing Illuminations with a boatful of friends.
Our original plan was to be at MGM for its opening, but with our late start, we didn't actually leave the hotel until around 10:00. By now we had become accustomed to the daily "showers for Mom and Dad, bath for Ben, Mara for milk routine."
A little more Disney magic
We went to claim our car and I noticed it was Rich, the valet who had been so helpful when we checked in, who was bringing our car. Upon seeing us, he broke into "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho" as he approached, singing Ben's favorite song that he remembered us mentioning on Friday. For me, this was Disney magic at its finest. That a valet would remember Ben's favorite song, and take a moment to sing it to him was just wonderful, and it made two things very clear to me. First, the best times of this vacation were not necessarily over, there was plenty of magic yet to be found. And second, we wanted to become DVC members, and enjoy this level of service on a regular basis for the next 40 years.
We began the drive to the studios. We made a bit of a wrong turn somewhere, because we ended up trying to go in through some back service entrance. Eventually we figured out where we were supposed to be and got parked. We had a pleasant surprise as we boarded the tram. A truck drove up, and upon closer examination, we realized it was full of green Army men. One of them had a megaphone and did a funny little bit, barking orders about having fun in the park today. It was a neat moment, and got us in a great mood to hit the park.
Hooray for Hollywood
It felt great to enter this park for the first time in over 3 years. Before the Animal Kingdom, I always used to say that this was my favorite atmosphere park. I just loved the feeling of walking around Hollywood, enjoying the art deco surroundings. I really love the atmosphere of the Animal Kingdom now, too, though, so I'm not sure which is my favorite.
And, it wasn't one of my bizarre Disney dreams, there really was an enormous hat blocking the view I used to love. I was too happy to let it bother me though, so I just tried not to look at it.
Another thing detracting from the atmosphere of the park were the myriad of tents and camera equipment everywhere in preparation for the 100 Years Of Magic special event that would be held there in two days. On one hand it was kind of neat to see the occasional celebrity, and have that excitement going on, but on the other hand, WDW is exciting enough for me without what seemed to me to be an intrusion of the outside world on "my" park.
The first thing we wanted to do was get Fast Passes for Muppet Vision. I love the Muppets, and I love this show. Ben has watched Sesame Street a few times and Bear in the Big Blue House many times, so I thought he might like this, too. We were pleased to see that there was no wait when we arrived. Quite a change from when we saw this attraction on our honeymoon in July of 96. The line then was over an hour long, but shortly after we got into line that day, a late afternoon thunderstorm kicked up. As everyone left the line, we put on our ponchos, and were seated in the next show.
Today, a show had just started, but we decided to wait for the next one. Ben insisted on having time to roam the preshow area, which was fine when we were the only ones waiting. But as the area filled up, we took turns holding Ben, trying to entertain him by pointing out interesting things in the room, or showing him the 3-D glasses. Finally the doors opened, and we went to claim our seats, ready to watch one of my favorites.
Ben, however, had a different idea, and immediately got down out of his seat and started to climb underneath the seat in front of him. I realized he wasn't going to make it through this one, so he and I ducked out just as the show began.
Ben and Mommy time
We ended up having a lot of fun waiting for Chris. Since I only work part time at home, I'm used to spending a lot of time alone with Ben, so it was nice to have a few minutes to do just that. There was an old style firetruck nearby, and Ben had a great time pretending to drive it. When another child wanted a turn, Ben and I went into a shop that specialized in Bear in the Big Blue House merchandise. Ben was in heaven! He hugged every stuffed Bear and Tutter in the shop, even having me hold the ones toward the front of the shelves so he could hug the ones in back. By the time he had finished his rounds, and I had reassembled the displays, I realized it was probably time to go find Chris.
I also realized that we hadn't made a plan to meet anywhere in particular. As much as I love MGM, I tend to get turned around in this park, so I was a bit concerned that we would have trouble finding Chris. So, I did what any toddler mom would at this point, and hoisted Ben onto my shoulders, so Chris would be able to see him above the crowds. We walked around to the entrance area of Muppets, then back toward the exit, and somewhere in between, we found Chris.
A character encounter
We decided to let Ben play on the firetruck a little bit more so we could take some pictures. As we were getting him off the truck, the green Army men marched up to Ben. I was concerned that they would frighten Ben, but on the contrary, he walked right up to one and gave him a hug. It was probably breaking character a bit for that Army man to hug a two-year-old, but it sure made for a cute picture. By now, Ben was getting used to the presence of characters, and said bye-bye to the Army men and blew them kisses when it was time for us to leave.
It was approaching 11:30, and I could tell Ben was getting hungry, so we went to the Backlot Express for lunch. I didn't even know this place existed, as we had never sought out counter service at MGM. It was decent food, nothing to get excited about, but we used 2 of our meal vouchers from our DVC presentation yesterday, so it was practically a free lunch.
All of Ben's favorites in One Show
It was just after noon now, so we decided to try to catch the 12:30 Playhouse Disney Live show. We had a little trouble with the map, and ended up heading toward the Tower of Terror before I realized that we were supposed to be in the courtyard on the other side of the archway, but soon we were waiting in line with about a billion other toddlers and their parents.
I knew Ben would love this show, because he watches Playhouse Disney enough to recognize all of the characters. We were seated toward the back of the theatre, and since everyone sits on the floor for this show, Ben was able to stand in front of Chris and I.
By the time the show started, Ben was very antsy, and about halfway into the Pooh segment of the show, he began to say "Bye-bye, bye-bye" gradually getting louder, until we had no choice but to take him out. When I tried to stand up, I realized both of my feet were asleep, so this time Chris got to leave with Ben. I stayed for the rest of the show, as my feet woke up. It's too bad Ben couldn't make it, he would have loved to see Luna. This experience taught us without a doubt, however, that Ben is just not ready for shows. For a moment we were a bit sad about all of the shows we would miss this trip, but then we realized that not seeing the shows gave us even more freedom to not rush around, and just do toddler things. After all, there will always be shows to see, but there won't always be an almost-two-year-old wanting to smell flowers and run and dance and be lovable.
A quick park hop and a nap
Now we wanted to head over to the Magic Kingdom to catch the Share a Dream Come True parade, and tour a bit before our 6:45 priority seating at Chef Mickey's. As we left the MGM, Ben was very tired, and we expected him to nap on the way to the car. However, he stayed awake. We were certain he would fall asleep in the car driving between the two parks, as the lull of a moving car always seems to put him to sleep. However, he stayed awake. In fact he stayed awake until we were waiting in the security line to get into the Magic Kingdom, and there he fell asleep.
It was around 2:00 now, an hour before the parade was to start. We saw an empty bench in Town Square, and, although people weren't really lining up for the parade yet, we decided to stake a spot in the shade where Ben could enjoy the rest of his nap in his stroller.
Chris and I realized that there was no need for both of us to sit with sleeping Ben, so I suggested that he go do something he wouldn't be able to do with Ben. He's a big fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, and I thought that the dark part of that ride would be too intense for Ben, so Chris took this chance to ride.
I noticed that the couple on the bench next to me were wearing AP lanyards. Although I tend to be socially awkward at home when I have to make small talk with strangers, at WDW, anything is possible, so I struck up a conversation with these people. We had a great chat while Ben napped. They were from Ohio, and major Disneyana collectors. They shared with me some neat stories about Disneyana conventions, including once when the organizers of the event had hidden various collectible Mickeys throughout the Haunted Mansion. It is possible that they were bigger Disney nuts than me, but I'm not sure. I'm glad I took the leap and started the conversation with them, though, as this was a great way to pass the time.
Chris returned from Pirates with a Dole Whip in hand. Apparently I have him trained pretty well. Ben was still asleep, so Chris decided to get Fast Passes for Pooh before the parade began. He came back with 4:45-5:45 Fast Passes in hand.
Ben woke up and took a look around. He spied the pin display across the street, which was in an old style car that resembled the firetruck he had played in that morning. He insisted in a way that only a toddler can that we go check it out, so we gave up our prime viewing bench to a very happy family, and headed across the street.
I asked permission from the vendor, who was an adorable old man, for Ben to sit in the car to watch the parade, and he said that would be fine. Ben only wanted to sit in the car long enough to watch the pre-parade marching band, however, and then he was ready to get down. I thanked the CM, and Ben got some apparently much needed exercise as Chris chased him and I waited for the parade in an uncrowded area.
A new parade…poor Mickey!
Chris and Ben joined me when the parade began, but Ben did not want to hold still for a parade, so we headed up Main Street in the opposite direction of the parade. I got a pretty good look at the parade. When I had seen the snowglobes in various advertisements, my first thought was always "How does Mickey breathe in there?" And, as I feared, I wondered the same thing when seeing the floats in person. Something about seeing a moving, living being inside a giant bubble seems a little strange to me. Still, I guess the parade is okay.
As we had never ridden Buzz Lightyear, we decided to go check the wait time for this ride. When we arrived, the wait was 25 minutes, way more than our allotted time. Fast Passes were gone for the day. We decided to ride the Wedway peoplemover (it will never be TTA to me), which, of course had no wait. Ben loved this ride, and shortly after we got off, he was pointing to the Wedway again, and asking "Choo-choo, choo-choo?" So, after he had gotten some exercise running around, we rode again.
Mmmmm…float
Ben seemed to be acting sleepy again, so we decided to take a bit of a walk with him in the stroller in case he wanted to nap. We walked through Fantasyland and over to Liberty Square, but Ben didn't fall asleep. When we were in Liberty Square, Sleepy Hollow caught my eye, as I simultaneously remembered Jan's Iced Cappucino Float recommendation and the fact that we hadn't eaten in over 4 hours. Chris and I shared an Iced Cappucino Float as we strolled around the Liberty Square area. The float lived up to Jan's recommendations, and will now be one of our Magic Kingdom snack staples.
I wanted to shop in the Christmas store, so Chris pushed Ben around for a few more minutes while I did just that. That store is always full of temptation for me, even when I'm shopping there in the middle of the summer. Just a few weeks before Christmas, it took all of my discipline not to spend a considerable amount of money right then and there. There are just so many great Disney Christmas ornaments. I was saved from my own destructive shopping habits by realizing that the time for our Pooh Fast Passes had arrived.
A tour of Fantasyland
We went back over to Fantasyland, and Ben seemed to really love Pooh this time. Next we rode the carousel, where Ben hugged and kissed his horse both upon first getting on the horse, and before he would allow us to take him off the horse. We rode the teacups, refraining from our usual nausea-inducing spin. Ben loved this, too, and throughout the ride said "Bye-bye" to the intoxicated mouse each time it disappeared into the tea pot. Next, we rode it's a small world, and Ben was very excited about riding this time. He pointed at many dolls that particularly caught his eye, and said "Bye-bye" to the last doll that he saw as we left each room.
By now it was 5:40, with a park closing time of 6:00. We decided it would be a good idea to get on the train at Toontown, and ride it around to the entrance. Our plan was foiled, however, when a CM stationed at the depot told us that the trains were finished for the day.
Rather than fighting crowds through the heart of the park, we took the back path that runs between Toontown and Tomorrowland. This was a peaceful, relaxing way to get through the park, and something I will have to remember in the future.
When we got to the entrance, we asked a CM where the path to walk to the Contemporary was, as we had never been to the Contemporary, except whizzing through on a monorail. The CM seemed to think it would be a better idea for us to take the monorail, and, since it was another chance for Ben to see a choo-choo, we obliged.
Dining with Character
We arrived at the Contemporary around 6:15. We found a nice, open area where Ben was able to run around for a while. We were hoping that a little bit of time to burn off energy might help him to be able to sit still for a dinner. At around 6:30, we checked in for our dinner, and had our picture taken in front of a strange large plate. Apparently I was thinking about how strange it was when the picture was taken, because when they brought the picture to our table later, a quick glance showed that it was an easy picture to pass up.
Donald Duck was in the waiting area, so we went with Ben to see him. We had to hold Ben back until his turn, and when we turned him loose, he ran to Donald and gave him a big hug, invoking "Awww"'s from everyone present. We took a few pictures, then let Donald visit with other children. As we were waiting, Goofy came into the waiting area as well. He, too, received hugs from Ben, and was the object of a few pictures.
Soon we were seated. We had the most enjoyable meal at Chef Mickey's. It far exceeded my expectations. I am not generally a fan of buffets, but this food was delicious, hot and fresh. Chris and I enjoyed sampling a number of items, while Ben had his standard mac and cheese, this time with some carrots on the side.
The character interaction was great, as well. Ben had a lot of fun giving hugs and kisses to Chip and Dale, and Minnie Mouse. Many pictures were taken. Then, during dessert, Mickey Mouse made a grand, napkin-twirling appearance. Ben loved trying to twirl his napkin over his head; mainly he just shook it back and forth.
Then, Mickey Mouse came to our table. Ben's eyes just lit up as Mickey approached. Somehow, even at age almost 2, Ben could tell that Mickey is especially special. Ben gave him so many hugs, and he wouldn't let go so I could take a picture with his face in it. It was a wonderful moment, and a fitting way to end our meal. I think that Chef Mickey's will be a must-do on our future trips!
Adorable Old Dude
Surprisingly, after dinner, there was a long line waiting for the monorail. Eventually we got on a train to take us back to the TTC. Chris sat down next to the cutest little old man who had a hat that said "Old Dude". Chris struck up a conversation and found out that Old Dude, who was 93 years old, had gotten separated from the friend he was traveling with, and was hoping he'd be able to find him at the TTC. Old Dude got off the monorail before we did, so we weren't able to help him find his lost friend, but as we walked toward the parking lot trams, we saw that they had indeed found each other.
Even at WDW, there is laundry to be done
Ben was fast asleep by the time we got back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. He stayed asleep as we went up to our room, and I decided this would be an opportune time to do laundry. Sadly, I hadn't thought to bring laundry bags with me, so I improvised with the dry cleaning bag provided by the hotel, and a few shopping bags and headed to the laundry.
I was surprised at how long of a trip it was to the laundry room. I had to take the elevator to the proper floor, but then it was a looong walk down the hall to get to the room. I put the clothes in assorted washers, and decided to take advantage of the chance to explore the resort a bit more. On the way back down the long hall, I realized that there were places to stop and watch animals and African artifacts to look at along the way, so I enjoyed the journey when my arms weren't laden with laundry.
I went to the Zawadi Marketplace, the gift shop at the Lodge, and picked up my Splash Mountain photo and magnet from yesterday. The clerk suggested that I check the picture to make sure it was the right one. I shared it with her and she got a good laugh from it.
An interesting cultural exchange
I threw the laundry into the dryer, and then went to the Uzima safari to see if any animals were out. I saw a young giraffe, and then the rest of the giraffes on the savanna come to the feeder near the rock overlook. I had the greatest conversation with a CM from South Africa about conservation (which we sort of agreed on) and animal rights (which we only partially agreed on) and President Bush pulling out of the Kyoto protocol (which we totally agreed on). He was not at all offended when I told him that I had mixed feelings about animals in captivity, and shared his views, even though they were different than mine. It was such a civil exchange of ideas, and once again reminded me of the amazing people Disney manages to hire.
The CM also shared with me an interesting fact about the birds on that savanna. Although it was late, I had noticed that the birds were still active, and I asked him whether or not the birds slept at night. He said that they did, but in that particular pond there was a bit of a problem. It seems that pink flamingos are very easily frightened birds, and the storks who roost in that same area are very aware of that fact, and bully the flamingos. At the time I was watching, all of the flamingos were in one corner of the pond, having been herded there by two of the storks. The flamingos were sort of clucking in distress, trying to get farther and farther away from the bullies. The CM told me that the animal care people at the Lodge were working on fixing that problem. Who would have guessed that flamingos were chickens?
I was finished with the laundry and back at the room by 10:30. Ben had been asleep the whole time. He woke up at 11:00, and stayed awake long enough for Chris to run to the Mara and get Ben his nightly milk. By 11:30 we were all asleep, tired from another great day.