k.a. Princess Marion’s First Trip “Home”
Day Two – Saturday, September 18th
Magic Kingdom Day
We woke up around 8 or so (yes, my daughter still sleeps through the night) , got Marion ready, (donned my second DWT.com T-Shirt… it´s all about marketing, kids) had a bar for breakfast and headed over to the Transportation and Ticket Center to get to the MK. One note about the room and beds. The beds were very high off the ground, and unfortunately not very comfortable. I can sleep on a bed of nails, but the pillows were quite thin and the bed was… umm… just not very comfortable.
Anyway, we decided since it was such a nice day to take the Joe Potter ferryboat over. Lou sees a golden opportunity to start shooting some video to capture this historic moment (Marion´s first real visit to the MK) , only to find that it´s broken. Needless to say, I was devastated (and pouted like a little girl the whole way over). We arrived on Main Street to the wonderful sights and sounds that I was so looking forward to. We took our picture in front of the Castle, and tried to figure out what Marion’s first ride in the MK would be. Something memorable, of course.
OK, so what should her first attraction be? Something special, right? Over to Adventureland we go, to hit Pirates of the Caribbean. No line. Sweet. Was she afraid of the dark, the noise, etc? Not at all. Took it in like a trooper. And what did she do once we got on the ride, with the skeletons, “dead men tell no tales”, etc.? – She falls asleep. So much for the momentous occasion. We decided to relax awhile and let her sleep, so we sat in the (sadly) closed El Pirata y El Perico. I grabbed a muffin and a raspberry-lemonade slush. (mmmmmmm).
Form there, we picked up a FastPass (FP) for the Jungle Cruise and hit the Tiki Room (no wait again). We´ve been singing the Tiki Room song to her for months, so once she heard it, started dancing (OK, more like “bouncing”) on our laps. Scared of the Tiki Gods? Not here. She laughed and stared the whole time.
We hit the Jungle Cruise (had an “OK” Skipper… I´ve seen better), and wished I could get up and commandeer the boat myself. We headed over (ceremoniously) to, where else but Frontierland (cheers from the crowd) for some lunch. Deanna never had a Turkey Leg (oh, the humanity), and she decided to give it a try. Thinking she wouldn´t necessarily like it, we got one to share. Boy was I wrong – she loved it!. She looked like Fred Flintstone chomping on that thing! We sat by the Country Bear entrance and ate lunch, and even gave Marion some turkey (breaking her in early as you can see). We sat and listed some the street entertainers (banjo, tuba, fiddle players) and then mosey-ed (is that a word) on in to the Country Bear Jamboree. Again, Marion stood up on our laps, clapping and looking around, enjoying every second. She may not remember it, but we sure will!
We then picked up FP for Big Thunder Mountain and rode the WDW Railroad to waste some time (I actually like riding the RR full circle). When we got back, I got FP for Splash, and Deanna rode BTMRR while I stayed in the cool Briar Patch store. We swapped when she came out, and then I rode Splash. While on the ride, I got a call from “FastPass” (Dan R.) from the message forums. He lives down there and we spoke previously about getting together. He came to the MK with his three children and we deiced to meet at the ride exit. As I came out of Splash, I met Dan near the photo pickup area and was introduced to his three wonderful (and quite intelligent) children. We met up with Deanna and headed towards Tomorrowland. We crossed the “street” just as the Share a Dream Come True Parade was starting. We grabbed some McDonald´s fries and stayed to watch for a few minutes, get to know Dan and his kids, etc. We headed towards Tomorrowland, with a brief stop for a Dole Whip (!!!!!), and ended up watching the rest of the parade from the Partners statue hub. We then made our way to Space Mountain. With no wait, we did a child swap, where Deanna rode with Dan and the kids, and we got a FP for us all when they were done. Not really a need, as there was hardly any line at all. A quick poopie-diaper change (note the difference in going with an infant vs. going alone!) , and then off to Buzz! After a sub-par score, we relaxed a bit on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (still the WedWay PeopleMover in my book).
After giving him his DWT.com T-Shirt, Dan headed off to the Rainforest Café in Animal Kingdom with the kids while we made our way to the Crystal Palace for our first Priority Seating (PS) of the trip. I don´t think it was our hunger talking, but the food was absolutely outstanding!! With everything from pulled pork, to cinnamon-lemon infused rice, cornbread, shrimp black bean salad, pasta alfredo, veggies, prime rib… everything was excellent! We were greeted a few times by Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore – all of whom received a kiss from Marion. (awwwww). From there, we headed next door to the Baby Center. Wow. I was quite impressed. It was very nice, spacious, had a TV room and crawling/play area for the kids, and was stocked with any type of baby food and supply you could think of. Plus, it was staffed by a wonderful, helpful Cast Member. Very nice.
But wait! Lou´s been at the MK twice already and still hasn´t been on the Haunted Mansion! Time to correct that! We waddled our way to Liberty Square and literally walked right on. Again, Marion slept right through it. So much for being scary for little kids!
We got a call from Jenn (my friend from work) who had staked out awesome seats (curb) in front of the Castle for Spectromagic. We met up with her, and Lou stood on line for 20 minutes for some much-needed popcorn and ice pops. (Lou averages gaining about 10 pounds a day at WDW). Dan gave me a call and met up with us after Rainforest, already sporting his new DWT shirt! (Attaway, Dan!!). And man, are his kids cute. We were going to stay put for Wishes (LOVE it!), but my girls were pooped, so we fought the crowds and headed “home” to OKW. Of course, as soon as we got back, she was wide awake and wanted to play. (Lou considers Pleasure Island for a brief moment until reality sets in).
Tomorrow is another day…
Day Three – Sunday, September 19th
Disney-MGM Studios MGM Day
Well, Marion was up bright and early, eager to go to MGM (she must have remembered me talking about Playhouse Disney for the past 4 months). We actually took our time getting ready, and Deanna´s friends from the east coast of Florida came by and met up with us. They came to our room and we all headed over to MGM, arriving at about 10:30. Did I mention I was wearing my third DWT.com T-Shirt in three days?
Once you get there, there´s nowhere to go but up – in the Tower of Terror (ToT), that is. Marion was a little too short to ride, so the girls went first, while me and her friend Tara´s boyfriend waited outside and gawked at some of the guests´ outfits. Don´t they have mirrors in all the rooms? Apparently not. Once they came off, we got right in – no waiting at all. That ride never gets old.
While on ToT, the girls got us all FP for Rock n Roller Coaster (RnR). When we came off ToT, we decided to visit Mom and headed over to the 50´s Prime Time Café´. Again – no wait (we got there just in time). I had the meatloaf and Deanna had the fried chicken. We shared an awesome Peanut Butter and Jelly shake. Wow. Fat free, right? We had a fun waiter (cousin) and met some nice people sitting at the next table. ( Marion´s a babe magnet… hehehahhaha). From there, it was Baby Center time, so we headed over to Guest Relations near the main gate.
As we left the Baby Center, we were happy to see a bunch of characters right outside! Everyone from Belle (VERY hot!) to Pinocchio, Hercules and more. Unfortunately, we had to get to RnR. I rode first with Tara´s fiancé, and we walked right on. (Rock on!). Like the ToT, this ride never gets old. I almost forgot how much fun this is. When we got off, I watched Marion while the girls rode.
From there, we took Marion to Playhouse Disney while Tara and Paul went their separate way. The line was already long for a show that started about 25 minutes away. We got setas on the end of a row, but way in the back. That kinda of stunk, since it was touch for her to see over everyone´s heads. That´s OK.. I lifted her when needed. Anyway, I think I may have been looking more forward to it than she was. The show was fun, lively, and we all had a great time. The show started out with Bear in the Big Blue House, followed by my man, Stanley, then Rolie Polie Olie (yeah!) and Winnie the Pooh. I was tempted to get up with the kids and start dancing myself. Bravo, Disney for a great, interactive show for kids. (With cool toys on the way out). We got Marion a JoJo doll (from JoJo´s Cirus for those of you without young children), then made our way down Mickey Avenue.
We walked right into Who Wants To Be a Millionaire (WWTBAM), and I vowed (again) to get into the hot seat. I admittedly stink at the fastest finger, so I wasn´t surprised when a 9 year old kid pressed random buttons in under a second to get in. He actually did quiet well, considering. When they checked the scores during his game, I was in first position. Great. Now all I need is for the kid to choke. So, the question is “What type of animal is Mr. Winkle”? What??!?!? Where is the Candid Camera??! I was looking around like a lost child. Are they for real? Who the heck is Mr. Winkle? Well, I guessed a rabbit, and for those of you who know, you are yelling at me that he´s a dog. Well, I´ll never forget I promise you that. OK. So I live to fight another day. I´ll be back, Hot Seat… I´ll be back…
We headed over to the Great Movie Ride (GMR), and stopped for some water and cashews. I called and made a PS for Mama Melrose´s for later that evening, decided to forgo our plans to go to the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk. We rode the GMR, and feared the Alien scene might scare Marion. She practically laughed at him. You go girl.
From the GMR, we met Sorcerer Mickey back on Mickey Avenue. Surprisingly, there was only one family in front of us, and no one beind us! We spent about 5-7 minutes alone with Mickey himself! Marion loved it! She even reached out to him, and Mickey took her in his arms. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the nose. It was great!
OK, I told you I´d be back, Hot Seat…. We went next door to Millionaire again. I would not be defeated again. A quick stop to meet JoJo and Goliath right across the street, and we were in. I had my game face on. I was pumped. “Be the ball, Danny” I kept telling myself. OK, so I blew the fastest finger question to get things going. That´s OK. The woman who was fastest didn´t even realize it, and wanted her husband to go for her as well. No sweat – she´ll choke fast. So far, she got a bunch of pretty easy questions, and used a lifeline early. I´m in. I can feel it. Time to check the standings. There´s Lou. Right on top. Nice. But wait… she´s still going. That´s OK… or is it. Hmmm. She made it to 64,000. Checking the standings. I´m father out in front. Cool. She´s gonna buckle any second. She gets a tricky NASCAR question and has no clue, so she guesses. Right, of course. Hey… she´s taking a long time… Oy vey. She made it to the Milloin Point question!! OK, she tanked it!! But… Nooooooo!!! Not the “end of time” sound!!??? Who was in first position… awww… too bad Lou… so close. Ugh.
Defeated and dejected, I sulked over to the Backstage Tour. We just missed the tram, so were first in line. The Cast Member (CM) asked Deanna to volunteer, and she quickly agreed. He saw my DWT shirt and started asking me for questions. I gave him a few, and he did OK, so I gave him a pin, which he was thankful for. The show was great, and Deanna got soaked. Once on the tour, Marion slept right through Catastrophe Canyon – explosions and all. While on the tram, you couldn’t help but see the enourmouse sign for the new Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show, as you make your way around the new stadium for it. The area that has been set aside for it is quite large, and it looks like most of the set and construction has been completed. There’s still a lot of work going on at the Streets of America area of the Studios, with construction crews visible in plain sight, and lots and lots of brown walls covering the facades.
On the way out, you could see some damage caused recently by Charley/Frances/Ivan (pick one), including the top of the fountain from Splash being completely broken off. Also, likely due to the season, there were quite a lot of things that were closed, including the Studio Catering Co.
I headed over to the Backlot Express restaurant to “stake out” the place for my Trivia Contest and meet for MouseFest. It will be perfect! And as long as I´m here, might as well hop onto Star Tours. When I say it was empty, I mean that there was not a single person in the queue line ahead of me. I snapped some pictures for future trivia questions, and headed off to the moon of Endor with Rex. I browsed through Tattoine Traders and picked up some necessary supplies for me and my martial arts instructor back home (he lost his Jedi hat). Time for some dinner. (Man, Lou…. is that all you guys ever do is eat??!?!)
We had the last PS at Mama Melrose´s (7:00 p.m.), so the place was deserted (everyone else on line for Fantasmic!) I had spicy sausage and pasta, and Deanna had a chicken and pasta dish. The food was quite good (plus we were sratving). When we left, the Studios were literally a ghost town. We only saw one other family on the way to the front gate. Fantasmic! was just starting, but we would save it for another night. It was a long day and the girls needed their beauty sleep. Back to the room for an early night.
See more pictures in our Photo Gallery Here
Be sure to read Day One, Part Two , “Episode III” and The Final Chapter
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