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View Full Version : AliciaG's May 2003 Adventure Day 5- MGM, & rude men on b


AliciaG
06-05-2003, 02:25 PM
Tuesday, May 27

We were up just a little bit later this morning. I’d been up till around midnight doing some laundry. We’d planned on making EE at MGM, but it ended up that we didn’t enter the park until 8:40, still EE, but not by much. We headed directly for Rock n Roller Coaster. This would be the first time for the kids to ride it, and Kristen was a little surer of it than Eric. He decided to stay with John and the baby, while Kristen and I took the first ride. They guys went to get us a fastpass for VOTLMM while they waited. Kristen was really excited, and didn’t seem to mind the thought of going upside down, but she did get a little concerned when she saw the limo take off. When we got off the ride I looked to her for her reaction, and she was jumping for joy. It was love at first ride! We went outside and once her brother saw how joyous his little sister was…he decided he could handle it too. John used the babyswap ticket to ride with both kids again.

Next up was VOTLMM. It was so nice to have that fastpass and be able to wait in air-conditioned comfort rather than that hot line. The show was a big hit. Anna Kate loved the bubbles and was waving at everyone from Ariel to Ursula. On the way over to Star Tours Anna Kate decided to take a nap in her stroller. I was happy to sit and people watch while she slept, and everyone else rode Star Tours. I always take my bonine before I hit MGM. I need it for RnRC and ToT, and I didn’t want to push things with Star Tours.

We had lunch scheduled at the Sci-Fi Dine In. We were a little early, and had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated. It was worth the wait, because we got a great car right in the center of the room. I’d been warned by roodad to stick with the burger and shake. I did just that, but forgot to warn John, who ordered a Rueben sandwich. My burger was awesome! I added the sautéed onions and bacon, and had a chocolate shake to drink. John’s Rueben sandwich was toasted a little too much, and just so so. Everyone was happy though, and we enjoyed a nice break in the cool restaurant. Lunch was $50 with tip.
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Go for the burger & shake!

We didn’t want to stay too long, because we had e-night tonight. We’d talked about touring the DVC, and guess what was just around the corner from Sci-Fi? We had gotten an invitation earlier at BCV, and took it over to the guy working the DVC booth here. He made a call, and arranged to get us a tour right then. They sent a DVC van over to MGM for us, and he walked us up front to meet it. DVC really does this right. They even had a car seat in the van for the baby. We were impressed!

Once we reached the Boardwalk sales center the kids were whisked off to the playroom, and we were offered lemonade, tea, and cookies. We relaxed with a cool drink for a few minutes, and then were taken back for the tour with our guide Kelly Jo. I really liked her! She took the time to find out that we were pretty familiar with how the DVC works, then steered our tour in that direction. The model units are gorgeous, and we were so jealous of those one bedroom and two bedroom units. We were sorely tempted to buy, but knew that we weren’t quite in the position to afford it right now, and we wanted to get home and really look over the materials. The kids LOVED their time in the playroom, and wanted to know when they could go back. We were given 5 quick and casual meal vouchers for taking the time to tour DVC. We saved those, and decided I’d use them during my December Mousefest visit.

We walked back over to the BCV and took quick naps and then cleaned up for e-night. We were bound and determined to get into Beaches & Cream tonight. Luckily for us there was no wait, and we were able to get a table right away. The kids had been dying to try the kitchen sink since they saw Samantha Brown get one on the Travel Channel YC/BC special. We ordered and waited for the monstrosity to arrive. The waitress brought it over with a lot of hoopla, and announced that 5 little piggies were ready to try the kitchen sink. She also told us that the previous record for eating this thing solo had been 37 minutes (?). That record had just been broken in the last few days, when a guy managed to down one in 15 minutes!!! She said they couldn’t believe it, and that he got his kitchen sink free. I bet a free kitchen sink isn’t all he got. We dove in and managed to finish a lot of it, I won’t even call it most of it. The kitchen sink, 4 waters, and a milk set us back $30 with tip.
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Before

http://members.aol.com/aguethlein/yummy.jpg
After

We waddled to the bus stop and hopped onto a full bus. John had the stroller, so I had to hold the baby. There were several men sitting, but not one offered to let me sit while I held the baby. I made the comment to John that I hoped some of these people were getting off at the Boardwalk, because there is no way I could hold Anna Kate all the way to the Magic Kingdom. Still, no one offered to give up his or her seat. Thankfully, some people did get off at the Boardwalk…including some of those men in close proximity who wouldn’t give up their seat for 3 minutes.

We entered the gates of the Magic Kingdom at 6:15. E-night started at 7:00, and there was a huge line at city hall to get the wristbands. We decided to head back to the Tomorrowland arcade to get ours, but first it was time to get some solid food. I was feeling just a little queasy with a tummy full of ice cream. http://christiansurvivors.com/forums/images/smilies/ill.gif We stopped and picked up a couple of hot dogs, fries, and bottled water at Casey’s. We carried these on over to Tomorrowland where we got our wristbands with no wait. Space Mountain was a walk on over and over again. We rode it four times in quick succession. John and I took turns staying with the baby, and eating our hotdogs. We were both able to have a nice conversation with a couple visiting from Utah. They were staying at OKW, and waiting while their teen sons had their way with SM.

We finally decided to go somewhere else, and John rode Astro Orbiter with the kids. They liked it, and said the views were great. I picked up some slushies while they were riding. Is it any wonder we weren’t all in some kind of sugar coma by now? Next we tried our hand at Buzz Lightyear. It’s always fun, and we had no wait again.

The kids were itching to get to the other side of the park, but on the way John and I insisted we make a stop at the Haunted Mansion. When I’d taken the Keys tour, our guide told us of an unofficial hidden Mickey that the CMs like to put out. It was not there on our tour, and she said they had to take it off when the Imagineers came thru. It still wasn’t there this night, but I was able to show everyone the hidden Donald, and the hidden Mickey in the cemetery.

Now it was my turn for my favorite ride. We got two rounds on BTMRR! I just love this, and it is so cool at night. Brer Krissy was having a fit to go to her laughing place, so we lined up for Splash Mtn. We could have ridden this over and over. There was nobody waiting to get on the thing. We had two rides on Splash, and were able to make it back over to BTMRR for the last ride of the night.

We took our time walking out of the park, and just enjoying the peacefulness of it at night. A CM took our picture in front of the castle when it was lit up in that beautiful indigo blue. What an excellent e-night! It was soooo worth the money.

The lines were pretty long for the buses to the Epcot resorts, and we had to wait for the second bus that came along. Once again we encountered rude men! What is it with these guys? :evil: Here I am standing once again trying to handle a 26-pound toddler. A woman sitting across from us with her son and husband asked him quietly if he’d get up…he didn’t. He did allow her to stand and let my kids sit. Aarrghhh! That’s just not right! Anyway, we were standing near some recent high school graduates, and one of them gave me her seat. I got to talk with them, and they were really sweet. They’d come down for a graduation celebration and were staying at BWV. They had just graduated from a Catholic school in Baltimore, and were all headed different ways for college. I commended them for being polite, and wished them a great trip. There sat that same dude, with his lazy backside planted firmly in his seat.

http://www.aliasboards.com/forum/images/smilies/rant.gif….To all you guys out there that might be reading this…please give up your seat to elderly people, pregnant women, small children who may have trouble holding on, or women carrying babies. It’s just common courtesy! I’m not lazy, and I have no problem standing on a bus. It’s just darn near impossible to do while you are carrying a toddler.

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BCV at night

Up next…Eating in both Norway and Morocco

BetsyAnn
06-05-2003, 03:05 PM
Keep them coming -- I love your trip reports

And AliciaG -- I will always offer a seat to children, and moms or dads with children. :wink:

AliciaG
06-05-2003, 03:13 PM
That was the problem, Betsy Ann...women and teen girls were giving up their seats. It was the men who seemed to have no manners. Unbelievable!

sandar
06-05-2003, 03:37 PM
Hey! I saw that Samantha Brown show on the YC/BC. Thanks for sharing your photo of your beautiful family with the kitchen sink (which looks like enough ice cream for 4 families). Thanks, too, for all the tips in your reports, including your mentions of when you used fastpass and how they worked out for you.

Great stuff, Alicia! :D

Sandi

p.s. I agree with you that the 1-bedroom villas look fabulous. Waaaaaaah!

Tagrel
06-05-2003, 06:05 PM
Another great segment! We have never done Enight, but it sounds like a blast!

See what happens when you ask for equality? You GET it! :rofl: All the men keep themselves planted in their seats! :D

There are rude people everywhere, but I think that after a day in the parks people are REALLY adverse to standing again. For the record, I give up my seat when I can do it safely (i.e. not balancing two strollers). But playing devils advocate, I can't say I EXPECT anyone else to give up their seat to us. We could always wait for the next bus. We CHOSE to get on a standing room only bus. So I try not to expect kindness - just be very grateful when it occurs! I'm much less disappointed that way! :D

Just the point of view of someone who stands almost every bus trip. It does get old...

Next time, you could always dangle the baby over the guy that is being rude, and casually make the comment you hope she doesn't start throwing up again! :mrgreen:

disneylover
06-05-2003, 06:17 PM
Great job again with the reports.Having a fun and great time reading them.Hay thanks for posting the pictures of the "new" con. over at the poly.We will be there in 5 weeks.Any suggestions on a LV room there.Keep the TR coming.BTW....Some MEN! :roll:

AliciaG
06-05-2003, 06:46 PM
And where was it you live again, Tagrel? Oh yea, New York! :lol: :lol: Just kidding...I live in the south, and it is not quite as common policy for that type of equality yet. :wink:

We really didn't realize we were getting on a standing room only bus. That first time we'd been on one was that day. People were getting on, and we weren't quite sure how many seats would still be available. It's not that I want it because I'm a woman...like I said I have no problem standing. It's just a safety issue. If I'd have stood with her the entire trip she'd have probably been launched as the bus driver went around a curve. We'll keep a better eye out in the future on how full the bus is getting, or I'll use that "she's gonna blow" trick. :rofl:

disneylover, I'm glad you enjoyed the pics over at the DIS. Tikiman actually posted some of them on his great Polynesian site. We were on the west side of the building (closer to the pool), and I'd prefer that side for lagoon view so that you aren't quite as close to the TTC. I'd check Tikiman's site, or even e-mail him for room suggestions. He can tell you exact room #s and if their view is blocked or not.

I'm glad y'all are enjoying these. It's fun to re-live it again!

AnaME
06-05-2003, 07:06 PM
Alicia,
GREAT reports! Keep em coming!

Tagrel
06-05-2003, 07:21 PM
I'm POSITIVE I've learned to expect LESS kindness from strangers after living in NY for most of my life! ;) Thus the surprise and gratitude when anyone actually HAS manners. :mrgreen:

But even here it really depends. You get the courteous and the NOT courteous all the time. Luck of the draw.

We all had to stand coming back from AK last trip. Youngest had JUST turned 4 so it was quite a juggle keeping her upright around those corners! :) But not waiting for the next bus was VERY worth it! :D And it made for a memorable bus trip! Not pleasant, but memorable! :D

MargaretJ
06-05-2003, 09:50 PM
Alicia loving your trip reports. I am with you I do not understand people who do not give up their seats to the elderly or those with toddlers. Male, female or teenager - it is just common courtesy. Those buses are hard to stand up on when you are only keeping yourself up much less when you have a toddler. It can be quite dangerous.

LimeGreenCheri
06-06-2003, 08:07 PM
I agree it is common courtesy to give up a seat for elderly, pregnant women, women with small children or just a small child. But then again, where am I from? THE SOUTH! LOL :wink:

BetsyAnn
06-06-2003, 10:04 PM
Now what was that saying -- Oh yea!

Treat people better than you want to be treated :lol:

If it means giving up a seat for someone in need then I do it

Cinderella
06-07-2003, 03:10 PM
Great trip reports and I love the pictures. You sure have one beautiful family. The kids are adorable. Maybe by Dec. I'll have figured out how to add pics to the postings.

Keep them coming!

Claire
:D

Rosebud
06-10-2003, 06:12 PM
I understand your frustration with the standing on the busses. However, I'm with Tagrel on this one, after going through a park all day most people want to sit down. Plus you never know, they might have feet full of blisters (or something)! Something Val used to suffer with terribly when there until she stopped wearingsneakers, so even though she looked like she might be better off standing then someone else, that often wasn't the case

I personally HATE and DETEST Disney busses and hope I never have to wait for one again. The last time I was there I absolutely refused to stand. If more than about 10 people entered before me, then I would ask the bus driver if there was a seat before I got on. If not I simply waited, which also meant I wasn't about to give up my seat for anyone.

I'm from the North and at home I would always give up my seat for someone that I thought should have it over me, but at Disney just wouldn't happen unless maybe the very first bus trip on the very first day going into the park. I will however offer to hold bags or stuff for people - usually little kids don't want to sit on a stranger's lap.

However, all this doesn't really matter because I really can't see myself ever doing a Disney bus again - the car is so much faster and more comfortable. My mother never drove so I grew up taking busses. When I worked in the city I continued to take busses because much cheaper than parking. Disney just doesn't know how to run the busses good enough to suit me.

Lady
06-13-2003, 08:32 PM
I don't know where these people come from Alicia - Rude is not the word - seems to kind to use on their lazy butts!! - grrrrrr - just reading about it makes me mad

While we were in New Orleans on the Street Car - Scamp got up and let an elderly woman sit - I've seen Tramp get up and let others sit - he'll even get up for elderly men and I too will stand and let those less able sit

Maybe they just weren't raised right

the photo of Anna Kate - OMG add that to the Panda Bears - what great photos - she is too precious in this photo - wow - that would win a prize!