Sharing is Caring - Christmas Trip to the World: Link to Photos Added 4/8/05 About This Page:

[Tara O'Hara]

Great updates, Karen!! I just how you are truly enjoying your time with Zack!! That is exactly the way I like to do AK! You miss out on so much good stuff when you are running around! The Hoop De doo also sounds like great fun!!

[Jillybean]

What a fantastic tr! You've got me hooked!

More please!

Jill

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update More please

[zacksmom_1993]

First of all, thank you everyone for your kind replies. I'm having a blast writing this report - although I didn't intend for it to take me until my next trip to Disney World to finish it!

Here's some more...
Karen

A Star is Born – Day Two (December 17, 2004)

The king size bed must have been comfy because before you knew it the phone was ringing. Zack picked it up and a big grin spread across his face. He told me after he got off the phone that Stitch had been on the call, and Mickey was trying to control him. Huh? It was the beginning of our discovery of the extent of the Stitch invasion at WDW.

My sisters had agreed to go with us to MGM for opening, but neither of them are exactly morning people. Thank goodness for the intense ring volume on those Disney phones! There was no sleeping through that thing. Even with three women in one bathroom we managed to get all packed up and out to the rental car by 8:45. The weather outside was gorgeous, sunny and in the low 60’s. We drove to the MGM parking lot, and were directed to the farthest spot possible from the trams. We were two cars from the very end of the row, right next to the main entrance into MGM. We decided to just cut diagonally across the parking lot and walk to the gate. There’s a special security check on the walkway from the parking lot. It was empty, and we were through the gates at MGM in no time.

Our first stop was going to be Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster. My older sister, Kirsten, is a major adventurer. She was in the Peace Corps in Estonia, has worked for aid organizations in Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of Georgia, and just got back from a consulting contract in Afghanistan. She’s got dozens of harrowing stories about trips on local airlines or through washed out country roads in rusty old cars. But, she’s never been on a roller coaster that goes upside down. I know, go figure. It was exciting sharing this ride with my sisters, because Zack and I absolutely love it. There was no line to speak of, so before you knew it, we were boarding our limo. Zack and I rode behind Kirsten and Alice. The ride was great as usual. There’s nothing like that first acceleration to get your blood pumping in the morning. Alice and Kirsten liked it, but tried to act nonchalant about it. Although Alice told me later that Kirsten did let out a couple of very authentic sounding, blood curdling screams during the ride. So, avoiding land mines on an Afghanistan road, no problem. Riding a roller coaster at Disney World, terrifying.

We were off to Tower of Terror next minus Kirsten who’d decided she’d had enough thrills for one day. The lines were still short, so we were in the lobby soon enough and I was looking at a bulletin board with several letters missing. I wondered… was this the famous “fallen letters” sign. I pressed my forehead against the glass and looked down to see the secret message left by the Imagineers. I showed it to Alice and Zack, and several other people waiting in line who wondered what we were looking at. I love that attention to detail, and I love being on the knowing end of a little Disney secret! I love Tower of Terror; it’s probably my favorite ride at the World. Zack is a little less emotional about it, but still enjoys it. But, Alice didn’t like it at all. She wasn’t scared, just didn’t like the sensation of being bounced up and down. I almost bought the picture at the end of the ride because her expression was so funny. The elevator was full with terrified people, screaming loudly. Alice looked like she was watching the McNeil Lehr News Hour.

We met up with Kirsten and walked down Sunset Boulevard to the villains shop. We were getting hungry for breakfast, but it seemed a little soon after we had been flipping our stomachs upside down and up and down in rapid succession. So, I took them to the Great Movie Ride. I know this ride isn’t for everyone, and it probably could stand for a bit of an update, but I like it darn it! I think the animatronics of Gene Kelly and the Casablanca scene are incredible, and the Wizard of Oz scene is magical. We got the gangster side again. The ride was so empty that they only filled the back car. Why not fill the front car first? Did the bank robber call in sick? Oh well, my quest to return again to the Western scene (my only time was our first ride in 2000) will live on. When we got outside my sisters said nearly in unison, “Well that was the lamest thing ever.” What? How dare they? I let it go, thinking pulling their hair and starting a big girl fight underneath the Sorcerer Mickey hat might not be a good way to facilitate family unity. We headed towards Writer’s Stop but just ended up getting drinks. I think this place is great for those of you who haven’t been. It’s got big comfy chairs to sit and read Disney books while you sip your cappuccino.

We tried to plan out the rest of our day at MGM. My sisters would take Zack on Star Tours, while I finished my coffee and got some money from the ATM. Then we’d try to hit Indiana Jones before lunch, then lunch at Pizza Planet, and finish off the day with Sounds Dangerous and Muppets. OK, break! My sisters and son headed off and I leisurely finished my coffee and got some money from the ATM. I then headed into Tatooine Traders and waited. And waited. And waited. I began to panic that I’d missed them so I started backtracking and trying them on their cell phone. Could they have gone on to Indiana Jones without me? Finally, my sister picked up and told me that they were just getting onto the ride. Apparently, one of the cars had broken down so they had a bit of a backup. Before too long they were exiting the ride into the store. My Mom had loved this ride. When we took her in 2000, Alice, Zack, and I laughed the whole ride because my Mom was whooping the whole time. I mean seriously whooping, “Whoo, whoo, whoooo.” It’s now a tradition that we all whoop on this ride in tribute to my Mom. I’m sure everyone who rides with us thinks we’re absolutely crazy, which we are, a little bit. Alice said that she got a couple of turned heads, but no real substantial embarrassment as she whooped it up.

We’d missed the Indiana Jones show by now. So instead, we headed to lunch first. I fancy myself a wine connoisseur, and my sisters fancy themselves as chocolate connoisseurs. But, Zack, he’s definitely a pizza connoisseur. And, he has declared that the pizza at Pizza Planet is the best at WDW, hands down. So, now you know. We enjoyed our World’s best pizza and then headed to Muppets. My sisters liked this show, and Zack and I laughed like wild banshees throughout. But, when Sam Eagle declares his finale, “A salute to all nations, but mostly America,” and when Beaker struggles with the 3-D machine we complete lose it. I was gratified to hear my sisters laughing nearly as loudly. OK, they’re forgiven for not liking The Great Movie Ride.

We headed towards Indiana Jones, and when I told my sisters that they picked volunteers from the audience to participate, Kirsten said she’d love to do that. We were there in plenty of time, and when the hostess asked for volunteers, my sister very politely and quietly raised her hand. Obviously, she wasn’t picked. Come on Kirsten, this is Disney World, not a tea party. You’re never going to get picked like that. I was trying to show her what she needed to do to get picked when the hostess asked again for volunteers. The hostess said, “OK, you in the striped shirt, with the Mickey Christmas hat on.” Well, we both had striped shirts, but only one of us had on a Mickey Christmas hat and it definitely was not my not-so-Disney sister. I sent her down anyway, and the hostess gave her a hard time until she realized that I had sent her. My sister was in the Indiana Jones show!

The hostess asked a group of three volunteers for their names and where they were from, and then she asked each of them to give a different kind of laugh. You know, a sweet, little laugh, a menacing laugh, and my sister got the crazy laugh. Well, I think she froze a little bit, because she just started screaming for a second and then launched into a cackle. I think she scared the hostess, but she amused the heck out of her sisters laughing at her from the seats. When she got back, she asked Alice about her laugh, and Alice said, “Well you sure sounded crazy.” It was fun watching the show knowing one of the extras, and I got my sisters 15 seconds of fame (well sort of) on video. By the way, she said that the stunt double for Harrison Ford was HOT! So, maybe that’ll give some of you a little extra motivation to volunteer.

After the show, we headed over to Sounds Dangerous. And then, Zack and I went to see The Magic of Disney Animation while my sisters shopped. I’m really disappointed with what they’ve done with this exhibit. It’s similar to the exhibit at DCA in terms of content, but the building at DCA is so much more beautiful and enjoyable. At the end of the show, we waited in a long line to see The Incredibles. We got our PhotoPass card here. I love this system, and can’t wait until they bring it to Disneyland. After our visit with the supers, we met up with the sisters and headed out of the park.

Next Up…I Can See the Castle, But Where’s the Fireworks?

[pparm]

Great update!

Paula

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update More please

[Jillybean]

I absolutely love the story about your mom whooping! Good for you keeping it a tradition!

So that your sister was chosen for Indiana Jones!

You guys are having a great time!

Jill

[Suzie]

My youngest is 11 yrs. old too (my oldest is 24) and he is my Disney buddy. I love reading about the fun that you are having with Zack.
Don'tcha just love arriving in Orlando, and hate having to leave?
Keep up the good work!
Suzie

[Tara O'Hara]

Great update, Karen!! I the Indiana Jones show!! I got to be in it in November and it was great fun!! Can't wait to hear more!!

[zacksmom_1993]

I Can See the Castle, But Where’s the Fireworks? – Day Two Part Two

The tram was waiting for us when we walked out of the park, so we figured we’d save ourselves a few steps and hopped on. We got off at the first stop after a very brief ride on the tram and began the epic trek back to the car. Even though I explained to you that we were only two cars from the very end of the row, we kept expecting to see our car. After a few minutes, we were all saying, “Shouldn’t we be seeing the car by now?” Mind you, we were only about 50% down our row. Then about 75% down the row it turned into, “Maybe we’re in the wrong row. We didn’t park this far away did we?” About 90% down the row we were in full panic mode. Until super Zack spotted the car, exactly where we had parked it, two spaces from the end of the row, 1,679,862 spaces from the beginning. (Well it felt like it anyway!)

I was getting so excited to show the AKL to my sisters; I was practically bouncing out of my seat as I drove out of MGM. I pointed out the sites to my sisters along the way, and Alice immediately noticed the giant fish on the top of the Dolphin. (Zack and I call the hotels the Swan and Flounder, btw.) Alice immediately said, “That’s not a dolphin. It has gills! Don’t the Disney people know that dolphins are mammals?” Thus began my sister’s dolphin outrage. The whole trip whether on bus, car, or boat she’d make comments about it when we passed by. She even talked about writing a letter to Disney. Again, we’re simple people, easily amused, and, it seems, easily outraged.

Before too long we were cresting that small overpass, where you can see the Animal Kingdom parking lot, the Tree of Life, and the top of the AKL. So exciting! We turned the corner into the AKL, and checked in at security. They didn’t give us a parking pass however, like at WL, and told us we’d get one at check-in. I kind of remember this now from the other hotels, but I liked it much better the WL way. It seemed like a clever way to get you to use valet, since you couldn’t leave your car unattended while you checked in. Anyway, my sisters volunteered to park the car and then walk back with the parking permit for me. Zack and I headed up to check-in again, and this time had no wait. Zack was off like a shot checking out the lobby. I asked about our request for a bunk bed room, but was told that they were all taken. The very nice CM did look for the best available room for us and assigned us to room 3311, right overlooking the Arusha Savannah. I thought Zack would be so disappointed about the bunk beds, but he said, “Mom, who cares about bunk beds. I’m staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.” Very sensible, that 11-year-old of mine!

We went to the room and immediately went outside to check out the animals. Zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, and ankole cattle were frequent visitors to this part of the savannah. My sisters were amazed, and must have spent an hour outside just watching the animals and taking pictures. I called down to bell services to have our bags delivered, unpacked a little bit, and then went down to the Mara to buy a couple of mugs. Around 4:30, we headed out for our reservations at Chef Mickey’s. We went out to the bus stop and ran into Colexi’s Mom and her family. I had to say hello because I’ve always found Marnie’s trip reports so helpful in getting me through those WDW withdrawals. I know she said she had a long wait for the bus, but it came only a couple of minutes after we got there. We got to Magic Kingdom quickly enough (with another comment about the fish as we passed the Swan and Dolphin) and then walked over to the Contemporary.

My sister, Alice, had been to Chef Mickey’s with us in 2000, so she knew a little bit what to expect. But, I think both of my sisters were a little taken back by the noise, the number of kids, and all of the characters. We had only been seated for a minute when the characters started showing up one right after the other. First came Chip, then Goofy, then Minnie, then Mickey, and finally Dale. Our poor server kept trying to get drink orders from us and tell us about the buffet, but every time she approached the table another character appeared. Later on in the meal, a little girl was asking where Mickey was. Zack told her, “Don’t worry. If you want to see the characters just call the waitress over to your table.” We did finally order drinks, and I got my first Pina Colada of vacation.

Zack got lots of attention due to his Christmas Mickey hat. Hey! I have one too! And, we got photos and autographs with all. My sisters were so funny; they would talk to the characters like it was just any other adult. You know, “Hey, how’s it going Mickey?” Or, “Hi Minnie, how’ve you been?” Come on! These guys are celebrities! It actually worked out well because we could relax and enjoy our meal with all the autographs and photos out of the way. Then, when the characters came around again, we could just play. When we went up to get Donald’s autograph and picture, Chip tied his apron strings to the handrail. Zack thought that was hilarious; I was just impressed that he could be so dexterous with his paws! My sisters weren’t impressed with the characters, but they were impressed with the dessert bar. Between the dessert bar and the mashed potatoes (unbelievable at this buffet, ) I think I had my carbs for the year.

After dinner, we had a long wait for the monorail (seems like a theme in these reports.) But, we were on soon enough and in Magic Kingdom well before the official start time of MVMCP at 7:00. There was quite the crowd on Main Street. It looked like maybe they were blocking the front of the street, or maybe people were just enjoying the snowfall. In any case, it cleared out quite substantially as we made our way over to Stitch’s Great Escape. Enough has been said about this ride, and I can’t add anything new. What I can tell you is that this ride is now Zack’s favorite at WDW. My sisters and I thought it was cute, but liked Alien Encounter better. We then walked right on Mickey’s Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean. All three rides got thumbs up from our family. Four thumbs way up for Philharmagic, and we all agreed that Pirates is much better at Disneyland. Our Doom Buggies stopped right by the player piano on the Haunted Mansion. Zack pointed out to me the shadow of a man playing the piano, even though there’s no one at the keys. It is a cool effect.

Adventureland was deserted, probably because we had just beaten out the first parade to get over to Pirates of the Caribbean. There was a calypso band playing Christmas songs, and I felt so bad for them playing to nobody. The good news was we had plenty of time to play with Captain Hook and Mr. Smee outside Pirates. They seemed happy to see us! We walked past the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and Kirsten got sprayed full in the face by a spitting camel. You’d think they’d turn those things down in the dead of winter. We cut across to Liberty Square to get some free cookies and cocoa, and found all of the people. It was a mad house trying to get in there, and Zack and the sisters seemed ready to give up. Come on people! There’s free sugar in here, look alive! We weaved and bobbed our way through the crowd, and got our hot chocolate and cookies without too much delay and headed out to stake a spot for the fireworks.

We found what looked to be the perfect spot. We were standing outside the Christmas store with a perfectly framed view of the castle. The fireworks started and we could see Tinkerbell magically floating towards Tomorrowland. Then, we heard these loud booms and could just see the very tops of the fireworks over the roofs of Liberty Square. We couldn’t see anything. Our view caused complete chaos. We started grabbing camera equipment, knocking over hot chocolate, and generally just causing pandemonium to try to get a better view. We ran down towards the boat dock, and managed to see most of the fireworks with a great shot of the finale. How many times have I been to WDW, and I still don’t know where to stand to see fireworks? Honestly. My sisters had had enough by the end of the fireworks, but Zack and I were just getting started. They headed out, and Zack and I headed over to see the show in front of the castle.

Next Up… Closing the Magic Kingdom and Morning at Epcot

[Jillybean]

I have yet to see Wishes from inside the park, so I know that I would have no idea where to stand!

You are such a great detailed writer with a fantastic sense of humor. You keep a on my face!

Come back with more soon!

Jill

[Colexis Mom]

Anothera great update Glad you enjoyed Chef Mickey's And had a great time at MVMCP You should have stopped by the PP meets

Hurry back with more

[JulieandChris]

I love your trip report, did you mention photo`s photo`s.
Look forward to reading more.
Julie.

[zacksmom_1993]

Next Up… Closing the Magic Kingdom and Morning at Epcot

Closing the Magic Kingdom and Morning at Epcot – Day Two Part Three and Day Three Part One

We bid farewell to my sisters and found a good seat in front of the castle. I took stock of my things: camera, check; video camera, check; camera bag… camera bag… CAMERA BAG! I didn’t have my camera bag, which was holding my credit cards, park tickets, driver’s license, and room key. I immediately tried to call my sisters, but got voice mail for both. We ran back to Liberty Square and didn’t see it. We asked some cast members setting up the next parade and they told us to check in City Hall. We dashed down Main Street, frantically calling my sisters the whole time. No camera bag at City Hall. I was getting upset, and I could tell Zack was starting to notice and get upset too. So, I put on my happy face and told him we should just get a spot for the 10:15 parade. We found a great curbside spot in front of the bakery. I was just starting to calm down. I told Zack it would all work out; we could get new tickets, Papa could FedEx my Passport, and Zack still had his key with charging privileges on it. Just when I’d talked us both down from the tree, my sisters called to tell me they had grabbed my camera bag in all of the fireworks confusion. Crisis averted.

Zack and I settled in to watch the parade. It was about 10:00, and I figured the parade was leaving from Frontierland. When, at 10:20, we still didn’t hear anything, I finally looked at the program. The parade wasn’t starting until 10:45! Doh! There was no way we were leaving our primo seats, especially since the late-to-parade vultures were swarming up and down Main Street looking for a last minute seat. Besides, once the camera bag was found, Zack and I were having such a good time just hanging out. The snow was falling magically (and you know how I feel about the artificial snow.) Zack and I were sitting and talking to the people next to us. And, we probably spent a good 15 minutes trying to get the perfect shot on my cell phone to use as new wallpaper. The winner was Zack running past the camera with the castle in the background. He’s kind of blurred, like Roadrunner, but the castle is a crisp, brilliant blue.

We enjoyed the parade (which started from Main Street) with the exception of some very rude people who had squirmed their way right behind us. They probably got there about 15 minutes before the parade started, and their kids were just on total meltdown. Their two boys where standing up and leaning against my son’s back, so bad that they actually fell into the parade route a couple of times. Their little girl had crashed, and her shoe was firmly planted in my son’s backside. I felt bad for her, but when I very gently moved her foot a little bit and said excuse me, her Dad just moved her foot back to where it was. So, Zack was uncomfortable, but, I had no such problems, and the videotape I took of the parade was magical. One funny moment: when the reindeers were dancing in front of us, one of them turned around and his tongue flew out. Zack is at the age where this scene was funny, not horrifying. So, we had a good laugh. The reindeer just danced over, picked up his tongue, and pranced away.

By the time the parade had finished, it was well after 11:00. Zack and I dashed over to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear, and enjoyed rides on both. I don’t remember what our points were on Buzz, but I can guarantee that Zack won. Why, you might ask? Because, I pull back just a tad on this ride. In most cases, Zack is a very mature 11-year-old. But, when his never-touch-a-video-game mother beat him on Buzz Lightyear in the infamous summer of 2003 trip, his sense of self was a bit bruised. Since then, I’ve found it easier to just keep the peace. Most of the time, Zack has about 12-gazillion points within 30 seconds. So, it might be that the whole “letting him win” thing is actually preservation for my ego! After our trips through space, it was closing in on 12:00. So, we headed over to the castle, with a pit stop for some more hot chocolate and cookies.

The show was good, but a little bit long. I think it’s great that Disney is so sensitive to different cultures. But, at 12:15 at night, I was ready for them to sing a few Christmas carols and call it a night. Instead, we got the whole Chanukah, Christmas, Ramadan, Kwanzaa extravaganza. Again, it was good, just very, very thorough. We took our time walking out of Magic Kingdom, and sauntered our way towards the Animal Kingdom Lodge bus line. We had just missed a bus, so we were second in line, but the line started to fill in rapidly. The bus came quickly enough, and it was jammed full in no time. Kids were so tired on this bus. I put Zack on my lap so others could use the seat next to us (he’s still my baby even if he is 5’2” and 110 pounds!) This one little boy sitting in front of us, in the handicapped seats, was just falling asleep as he sat there. He started wobbling, and the people sitting next to him had to catch him before he fell to the ground. The kids were dropping like flies! We got back to the lodge, and the groan when the lights came back on was louder than I had ever heard it. We staggered with the masses back to the hotel, and then tried to noiselessly get into the room and back to sleep.

I didn’t schedule a wake-up call for the next morning, figuring we’d just wake up when we felt like it after our late night. But, I was up before 8:00. I’m at Disney World; I can’t sleep-in! I went down to Mara and got a cup of coffee, and then went back to the room and watched the animals from the balcony. I heard a family in one of the neighboring rooms come out on their balcony. The Mom called back to her kids, and said, “You guys can finally put shorts on today!” She was right; it was already a nice, warm morning. My family woke up in shifts, which made sharing the bathroom easier. When Zack woke up a little after 9:00, he was upset that there wasn’t a wake-up call for him. Oops, sorry honey. We finally left the room a little after 10:00, leaving our tip for Mousekeeping by the sink.

I’m sure it’s a tip I got from the boards, but I pre-made Mousekeeping envelopes before we left. I had some Tinkerbell cards, and I’d leave a little note, like “Thanks for taking such good care of us,” with each day’s tip. I then put a different scrapbooking sticker on each envelope, and stored them in each day’s pouch from my Passporter. Our Mousekeeper, Barb, seemed to enjoy them so much. Each day, there’d be a little something extra for us. And, she even wrote a thank you note and a Christmas card at the end of our stay!

We went down to Mara for breakfast, and then headed out to the car. Destination Epcot! We pulled into Epcot around 11:00, and headed towards Mission Space. Even though it was after 11:00 when we got there, and the Standby line was posted as 40 minutes, the return time for Fast Pass was 11:45-12:45. It was a no brainer for me, so we got four Fast Passes, and went to check out Test Track. The Stand By line for Test Track only said 25 minutes, so we decided to hop in line. Kirsten sat it out, thinking it might aggravate her back. Oops! I hoped I hadn’t inflicted serious damage when I sent her flipping around on Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster the day before! Alice, Zack, and I got in line, and it seemed to move well enough for a few minutes. Then, it just stopped. We couldn’t hear the cars going around the track any more. And, soon enough, a voice was announcing that we might experience a longer wait time than originally posted. Since, our Fast Passes for Mission Space were still 20 minutes away, we just decided to wait it out. We probably got on the ride in around 40 minutes, which gave me time to read every scrap of information in the Standby line. I’d never been in that line before, and my sister gave me a hard time about being excited at having to wait in line. By the time we were off the ride, the Standby time was changed to 45 minutes. Kirsten said they changed it about two minutes after we went inside.

We headed towards Mission Space, and I could tell my sisters were excited. This was one ride that they were really looking forward to, and Zack and I had grown to love it on out last trip to the World. We were glad for our Fast Passes, as the Standby line had really grown crowded. My sisters were starting to get nervous because there were so many warnings about motion sickness. But, they decided to stick it out, and the four of us headed off to our spaceship. We shuffled around so Zack could be the Pilot. I don’t know why he likes this particular spot, since all four roles seem to involve just pushing buttons. But, if it makes him happy, it was an easy enough request to fill. Having been on this ride a few times now, I can feel the spinning if I concentrate on it. But, I think if you just focus on the thought of moving forward, with the images on the screen, you’ll be fine. The opening sequence where you blast off from earth is my favorite sensation at Disney World. After our successful mission, my sisters told me that they loved the ride. They actually thought the warnings were a little over the top. But, when we exited the ride, we could clearly smell someone who had had a little too much fun on the ride. So, I guess the warnings are accurate for some!

Zack and I wanted to do a little shopping in the store, and Alice was looking for a baseball cap. So, Alice and Kirsten set off to Mousegears, and Zack and I picked out a model spaceship at Mission Space. As we walked out the door, we were followed by Mickey and Goofy decked out in their space suits. We let them walk past, and then were front of the line for pictures. Our photo fix satiated, we walked towards Mousegears. Kirsten was acting as blocker, and greeted us preemptively. She told us that Alice was buying a birthday gift for me, and that I shouldn't go inside. I told her, in that case, to take her time, and sat down outside the store next to the fountain.

Next Up… The Best Steak Ever!

[Jillybean]

What a late night at MK -- you must have been exhausted! Sounded like fun though!

And I can't wait to read about the best steak ever - - bet I know where you had it!

Jill