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Ground / Goofy's HUGE!
/ Day Three- I Can See Clearly Now, The Rain Is Gone!! |
Ajax
Cast Member
Posts: 1032
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-26-03 04:04 PM
Day Three- 1/1/2003
Ajax Family WDW Trip- 12/30 thru 1/03
Cast- My lovely wife Sandra, darling daughter Lauren, and myself
And indeed it had. The deluge of 12/31 was gone, and in its place was a beautiful day with 70-degree temps and a bright sunny sky. I was in no hurry to bound out of bed, so I didn’t. We had planned on EE at MGM, but scrapped that in lieu of our new ‘It’s only money’ philosophy. Around 8am I could hear the boats passing on the river with increasing frequency, and decided that this was as good a time as any to poke my head out from underneath the covers and take a shot at 2003.
I ran my usual routine, woke the girls from their slumber, and headed to the food court to fill our mugs with caffeine. What a beautiful day! I took longer than usual on my walk, absorbing the sounds and smells of Florida, secure in the knowledge that somewhere close to my home, some poor soul was shoveling snow.
The insanity of the day before had subsided at the food court, and in its’ place was a subdued atmosphere that resembled the aftermath of a storm. Which it was, I guess. It appeared that we might have been in the minority with our lack of celebration into the wee hours the night before. There was a long line at the coffee urns, longer than I’d ever remembered, and some bleary eyes in evidence among the early risers.
Sandy & Lauren were once again cocked, locked, & ready to rock when I returned to our room. We finished our drinks and headed for the bus station around 10 am, opting for a continental breakfast at MGM. Even with four stops at POR, the bus wasn’t near capacity. People were going to take it easy today.
At the park, we sauntered up Hollywood Blvd, taking time to stop and watch the ‘street theater’ that seemed to erupt on every block. We hung a right on Sunset, and there that ugly s.o.b. was, staring me right in the face- the Tower of Terror! I quickly dropped my gaze to the sidewalk, caromed off a palm tree, and scuttled into the Sunset Ranch Market, where I crawled under a picnic table and began to weep. I’d promised to ride it, and there was no turning back. Have I mentioned that since the age of nine I’ve had a recurring inner-ear problem that was prompted by a mean kid fracturing my skull with a golf club? Well, this is as good a time as any. I do, and ‘drop rides’ bring out the worst of it. I can handle coasters, but when the bottom falls out, sometimes so do the contents of my stomach.
So we had our coffee, fruit and cinnamon rolls, and headed down death alley for the R&R. I was amazed to find that the standby line was only 20 minutes long. So we grabbed FP’s for a later time, and jumped in line. The ride was still the rollicking good time that I remembered, except for a whoop-de-do after the last inversion that gave my tummy a clue of what was in store. A slight wave of nausea rolled over me, but quickly left as the car pulled into the off-load area. We took our time in the gift shop, purchasing several coffee mugs and sending them back to the resort. Once outside I was in the process of scrambling up a palm tree when Sandy and Lauren each grabbed an ankle, pulled me screaming back to earth, and shoved me in the general direction of the ToT. The stand by line was only 20 minutes, and into it we went to begin our ascent to the ToT lobby. I really enjoy the queue at ToT, the lush grounds are what Florida is all about to me. But once inside, I’m seized by the palpable fear that grips everyone who has ever launched his or her breakfast onto the sidewalk in public. It’s an ever increasing terror that wasn’t helped by Lauren asking ‘Are you OK, Dad? You look like your going to puke!” But I just kept thinking about what a rotten team the Detroit Tigers were going to have in ’03, and the next thing you know, I was in a hot, cramped elevator with sixteen other masochists. I closed my eyes as soon as the infernal machine began to move, and only opened them once during the ordeal, at the top when the doors opened to reveal that we were up too damned high for my liking. I had time to scream “Momma!!”, then the bottom dropped out, and so did my hope of ever reaching another birthday. I felt as if I was going to die, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. When that car finally stopped bouncing, I managed to control my urge to claw my way out, and got in line with the rest of the cattle. I raced out of the gift shop, expecting the worst. Emerging into the bright sunlight and fresh air was like being born again! I was alive! I felt better than James Brown, and walked straight to an Ice-Cream cart and grabbed a Mickey Bar to prove it.
With the worst behind me, I walked up Sunset Blvd with my family, once again at peace with the planet. We decided to take the Great Movie Ride before our R&R fast pass time. I love this ride, because I love movies. Who’d ever guess that it would make me sick? Better yet, who gets sick on the GMR? International Losers? World-Class Wussies? I don’t know where I fit in with those crowds, but as the train lurched and stopped, so did my equilibrium. I staggered off that train like a Chief Bosons Mate on liberty after a year at sea!
Exiting the ride, we walked out to the benches in front of the theater, where I parked my pale self. Our R&R fast pass was due, and I told Sandy & Lauren that I’d throw myself into a sausage grinder before I’d jump into one of those cars again, reputation be damned!
So my wife and daughter walked me up to ‘Starring Rolls’, where we found a long empty bench on which I could stretch out and re-cycle my disturbed inner ear while they went off for more punishment.
When I’ve gotten a dose of motion sickness, I have to lie down on a stable platform, close my eyes, and doze for a while. I lay down on the bench, put the fanny-pack under my head, and took one of the best catnaps I’ve ever had. I was lulled into La-La Land by the sounds of birds singing, the soft murmur of the passing crowd, and a warm gentle breeze. All too soon, Sandy & Lauren returned and shook me awake. Lord, did I feel better!
Off we went to see the Muppets, one of my favorite attractions at WDW. My goal in life is to become one of the codgers in the private box on the side of the theater. After the show, we toured the shops around the New York Street/ Echo Lake area. At the Christmas Shop near Mama Melroses’, we witnessed one of the funnier things we’ve seen in WDW. A gentleman picked up a Disney Character Christmas tree skirt, walked over to his girlfriend, and very ceremoniously draped it around her shoulders. He thought he’d found a cape for his lovely. She complained that it was small, so her beau collared a CM and asked if they had any larger sizes. The CM was very cool, and said that that was all they had, sorry. So off came the cape, and the oblivious couple walked out hand in hand.
We also raided Tatooine traders for more coffee cups, and I nearly spent $300 on a Light Saber replica that just had to work, it looked that real! But I was informed that I had enough toys, and off we headed for our PS at the Brown Derby.
We like the BD, for more than sentimental reasons. We’ve never had a bad meal there. We’d booked the ‘Fantasmic!’ dinner package, and were immediately seated in a very nice booth on the main floor. From the Brie & Champagne Oyster Soup through the entrees (Filet for Lauren, Pork Loin for Sandy, and Rack of Lamb for me) and ending with the Fantasmic Mousse and Grapefruit cake, the meal and service were superb. We even had time for a rejuvenating cup of coffee before catching the 6:30 Fantasmic show.
Fantasmic! That name is on the money, and why do I tear up when Mickey makes his appearance? The capacity audience was in fine fettle, doing ‘The Wave’ for a full fifteen minutes before the show started. Then it began, good –vs- evil, with Mickey receiving applause that I only associate with Rock Stars and the occasional Detroit Lions first down. Suddenly, this woman-child next to me leaped to her feet and began to applaud wildly, seized by the same magic that has gripped me for close to fifty years. She laughed and said to me ‘That Mickey, he’s so cute’, then gave me a hug for no good reason other than we were both where we wanted to be with the people we loved most. And it was nothing but splendid after that, a cacophony of sight and sound that always causes a joyous sensory and emotional overload in our family.
After the show was over we walked arm in arm over to New York Street, witnessed the miracle of snow in Florida, then walked through the Osborne lights, grateful that we didn’t have to dismantle them. On the way out, the girls purchased pink & blue ‘Deely-Bobber’ mouse ears, and proudly wore them on the bus back to POFQ.
On the bus, I mentioned that the MK was open until the stroke of midnight, and that if they felt like it, it would be a good time to further torment themselves by riding their favorite coasters, and that an evening with a book would be more my cup of tea.
Once back at our room, it took about a nanosecond for Sandy and Lauren to change into long pants and sweatshirts and leave me in the dust. Lauren was going back to MSU on 1/6, and this would be about the only ‘fun time’ that she and her best friend would get to spend alone before she departed. So off they went with their deely bobbers a-bobbin’, hand and hand back to the wonderland. Sometimes you gotta know when to stay home.
I put on my PJ’s, propped open the door to catch the breeze and the sounds of the night, and read for the umpteenth time the story of Lees failure to flank Meade at Gettysburg, and wondered if we’d be where we were if he had.
I listened to the boats ply the river, and the gentle clip-clop of horses hooves and the creak of carriages through the streets of the French Quarter.
After midnight, the growing laughter and rapid fire chatter coming down the veranda towards our room informed me that my pals had returned from their all too brief night out. It was ‘Buzz This, Buzz That, Mom can’t shoot, Splash three times, that doll in the Haunted Mansion scares me, yada yada yada……’, the kind of stories that best friends tell on each other, and will continue to tell for decades to come, God willing.
Did you see me at EPCOT on New Years Eve? I was wearing a yellow poncho...
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Robey
Cast Member
Posts: 1023
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-26-03 07:35 PM
WOW!, Ajax! WOW!
I felt like I was really there............
I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody. --Lily Tomlin
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TrpltJanie
Cast Member
Posts: 1661
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-26-03 08:01 PM
Oh Ajax! Amazing trip report and I loved it!
Janie
The Curb Kicker
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Tink *~*~*
Cast Member
Posts: 1066
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-26-03 09:48 PM
yes, Janie - Ajax is whuppin' your butt.
Tink *~*~*
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Mary
Cast Member
Posts: 465
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-27-03 11:08 AM
quote:
Ajax wrote:
Day Three- 1/1/2003
And indeed it had. The deluge of 12/31 was gone, and in its place was a beautiful day with 70-degree temps and a bright sunny sky.
Yeah, we had a hard time getting on the plane with that weather! If I ever go again at this time of year, I plan to stay a little longer as I figured the parks might be pretty empty on New Year's Day. Sounds like they were. Was that the case Ajax?
Mary
First Mate, Good Ship Stickey Mickey and Keeper of the Ships Log
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Ajax
Cast Member
Posts: 1032
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-27-03 11:21 AM
Hi Mary-
That's the way it looked to me. We hit MGM around 10:30-ish, blew thru security and entry, and went right to the big rides. Standbys were 20-30 minutes, and FP times were only an hour and a half away. When I staggered out of the ToT around 11:30 or so, the stand-by was up to 40 minutes. The Fantasmic! show was packed, a lot of people must have come to the park for that.
And it was like that the rest of the week, very comfortable, not remotely close to 12/30.
Did you see me at EPCOT on New Years Eve? I was wearing a yellow poncho...
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Coastalwader
Cast Member
Posts: 935
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-27-03 11:43 AM
Oh how I can relate to TOT...
King Unca Bubba Lord DisneyTex
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Crank
Administrator
Posts: 1957
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-27-03 01:01 PM
Way to go Ajax!! Great TR!
Oh how I love my quiet times alone in the room with my favorite refreshment, a big bag O'birdseeds and Stephen King!!
It's *almost* worth the statements from my credit card company...
I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world.
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891
BOYCOTT FRENCH TOAST, GERMAN SAUSAGE AND BELGIAN CHOCOLATES
Crank-->
All Content is © the Poster and is to be considered Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. Though Brilliant, Breathtaking and Extrememly Well Written the Content contained herein is Opinion and Opinion only.
ib4cruzn at charter dot net
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Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 01-30-03 12:47 PM
I love your stories, Ajax! Surely you can't end it at night, though. What happened the next day? Was the plane ride back eventful? What happened next?
More! More! Author!
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
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Common
Ground / Goofy's HUGE!
/ Day Three- I Can See Clearly Now, The Rain Is Gone!! |
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