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| Christa Grant's
Trip Report August / September 05 |
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Day 3 – Part 2 – Sitting
on Strangers’ laps
I’ve
got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that ToT sis had NOT
been kidnapped. The
bad news is that she was still lying horizontally on the bench.
Her
face was still a lovely colour of purple though. Come to think of it, that’s probably
not a good thing. She
had not moved since we left. It
looked like a trip back to the hotel was inevitable. However,
ToT sis, being the trooper that she is, thought she was feeling
a bit better. We decided to try to “walk it off”. We started walking slowly down Sunset
Boulevard, popping into stores as we went. Eventually
we found ourselves in the little fudge/candy shop. I don’t know about any of you,
but when I feel nauseas, the last thing I can handle is the smell
of rich food, let alone eating it. I
would have been using my hat/pillow for sure! ;) While
ToT sis and I may be sisters, I learned on this trip that there
are some definite differences between us.
For
her, having a caramel/fudge/chocolate/m&m candy apple is
just what the doctor ordered. To
each there own I guess! After
a few bites, she was a new woman! I
must make a note of this and use it in the future if necessary.
We continued walking around the park for the next half hour. Our
conversation picked up so I knew she was feeling better. Thank
goodness! I
may not have to give her the deed to our house after all. We
made our way over to the Beauty & the Beast theatre where
we were to meet Fanlover, Dapper Dad & the boys. I
asked them to come a half-hour before the show was to begin because
I really wanted them to see the pre-show.
If
any of you haven’t seen the pre-show, be sure to catch
it on your next visit. It’s
truly one of Disney’s best-kept secrets! It’s
on 15-20 minutes before the Beauty & the Beast show begins,
Tuesday – Saturday. I won’t go into detail telling
you what it is, as it’s more fun when you don’t know
what to expect. Suffice it to say, it’s full of
music and fun. Although
most of my family has been to Disney many times, none of them
had ever seen this pre-show before. I was very pleased to have everyone in
his or her seat 20 minutes before B & B was set to begin. That’s no small feat for a family
who doesn’t like to sit for too long unnecessarily. I
let out of a sigh of relief. I
had achieved the impossible.
So
my dad gets up and leaves.
Normally I’d
say having 7 out of 8 family members there was good enough, but
in this case, the biggest music lover had left the building! Things
were sinking fast. Between my nauseas sister and my absent
dad, things were not going according to plan.
Did
I mention I’m an obsessive planner? I
had to do something fast. I
did all that I was capable of doing which included pushing Goofy
Guy out of his seat and mumbling the words “Dad” and “go”. To
his benefit, he didn’t argue with me though I’m still
not certain today if he knew what I was asking him to do. He
saw the panic in my eyes and knew enough to forget the questions.
I
think he’s a keeper.
He
never did find Dapper Dad, but miraculously, Dapper Dad made
it back JUST in time for the pre-show. Thanks
Mickey.
Just
as I knew they would, my family LOVED the show. ToT
sis was back to her ole self, laughing and smiling along with
everyone. The Beauty & the
Beast show was equally well received by my family. The
boys had never seen a Broadway type show before, and they were
enthralled. If I
can’t be Jasmine in Disney, I’d like to be Belle.
I
don’t discriminate.
It
was now time for lunch at the Sci-Fi Diner. This
was going to be a first for everyone with the exception of Goofy
Guy. My family didn’t
even know this place existed until we started planning this trip. We were seated within 10 minutes of checking
in. What a great
ambience! I was expecting the boys to love it,
but I think Fanlover gave them a run for their money!
I’ve
mentioned before how ToT sis and I are “sometimes” considered
Drama Queens, but I never mentioned that we both earned the title
honestly – from our mother! Drama Queens do have their benefits. They’re very expressive when they’re
happy. I think I heard her say how much she loved the restaurant
no less than 10 times during the entire meal. It
could just have been the fact that it was air conditioned, but
I choose to believe it was more than that! ;)
We
were expecting two cars with four in each, but instead we got
1 car for 6 and the other car for 2. Goofy
Guy and I took the separate table from our family. No
problem though, as we were still side-by-side. We all enjoyed a leisurely, air-conditioned
lunch just soaking in the atmosphere. Did
I mention my mom liked the place? Please
see my dining report listed above for a review. For now I’ll say that the food
was pretty average, but the atmosphere was wonderful. We
all got a taste of how well we’d be eating this week on
the food plan. I
couldn’t even bring myself to order dessert because I was
so full. Goofy Guy
wondered if I was ill.
Fanlover told us how much she liked the place.
After lunch, we decided to stay in MGM for a few more
hours to hit some of the highlights. However,
we didn’t think it was possible, but I think it was actually
hotter today than it was yesterday. We
walked from the Sci-Fi Diner directly to the Muppets theatre,
and we were already sweating.
Well, the men were sweating and the women were glowing.
We
didn’t know how long we would last today. Had
it not been for those misty fans, I don’t think we would
have made it. The
guy who invented those things deserves an award. He/she
just may have saved our lives! The
Muppets show was a great hit! The
adults seemed to enjoy it as much as the kids. Walt
would be pleased.
We
took a picture of Splashboy under the Singin’ in the Rain
umbrella before heading to Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground. ToT
sis and I remembered coming here when we were teenagers. Sniff Where does the time go? It took self-control not to break into
a rendition of “Sunrise Sunset”. The
boys really had a ball playing in all the nooks and crannies
in this place. It’s a little hard keeping an eye
on your children though. The
boys tricked me into sticking my hand up some dog’s nose.
It
was time to leave.
We
were all excited to see the new Lights, Motors, Action - Extreme
Stunt Show. For
a family who has been to Disney as much as we have, we were doing
a lot of “firsts” together too. My friends fall down laughing when I
tell them we did something in Disney for the first time. They think I’m practically running
the place.
Maybe next year…
The
theatre is enormous! We
get to our seats and begin the waiting game. It
is HOT! I heard
someone say it was 105F, but I’d say they’re wrong. More
like 125F. I don’t
think Fanlover turned her fan off at all today. Her
hair, face and chest area were completely soaked from the fan. I
told her she should just wear her bathing suit. She did, however, stop fanning herself
long enough to spray a family in front of us. The
poor kids looked like they were really struggling.
It
was then that Fanlover revealed to us her genius yet again this
trip. The hardest part of the trip was definitely
walking from point A to point B in this terrible heat. We had also noticed a lot of those little
segway transporters whizzing by us. Fanlover
said that someone should invent an air-conditioned segway!!!!! To
all the inventors out there – you’re very welcome
for the idea, but Fanlover would like 80% of the profits.
At
long last, the show began. All
the male members of the family were fascinated with the stunts. Fanlover, ToT sis and I were amused,
but glazed over at some of the “car talk”. I
must admit that at a couple points where they explain how the
cars work, I felt a lot like the students in Charlie Brown’s
school listening to the teachers say, “wah wah wah wah”.
Come
on ladies – anyone else?
The
best part of the show without a doubt was watching Boomer’s
face. He has always had a fascination of motorcycles. When
they made their appearance in the show, Boomer could hardly contain
himself!!! There’s nothing quite like watching
a 4yr old experiencing pure joy. Just
when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it was time
for the grand finale of the show – the biggest car stunt
with fire, bells & whistles. Little did I know, the grand finale would
actually be taking place beside us rather than on stage.
When
the final car stunt was executed on stage, Boomer was a little
startled and actually performed quite a stunt himself. He
jumped over our bench, backwards, and landed directly in the
lap of the woman behind him – all without taking his eyes
off the stage. No doubt about it, the kid is gifted. The stranger he was sitting on, didn’t
even seem to mind. It’s
amazing what you can get away with when you’re cute! ;)
Having done all we wanted to today in MGM, we made our
way out of the park. Stick
a fork in her – Fanlover was done. She
was ready to go back to the hotel for some air conditioning,
a swim – and of course for some air conditioning. Note
to the inventors out there: get going on that air-conditioned
segway! The rest of us were going to Animal Kingdom
for the evening extra magic hours. Tonight
we’ll discover what happens when you combine a 41-inch
tall boy and a 48-inch height limit for a ride.
Day 3 - Part 3...
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