December 2010 WDW Trip Report, Part 3
Please see Part 1 for cast and plot summary...
Day 2: Dec 8th, Downtown Disney and Magic Kingdom
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I'm up early because I'm usually up early.
PiC arrives today, so I'm going to go into Downtown Disney to exchange my AP and pick up my will-call MVMCP tickets, then go to the airport and pick her up.
I get to Downtown Disney at 9am, only to find most of the stores open at 9:30am. Didn't they used to open at 9? Oh well, guest services is open, and I get my transactions completed with no wait in line.
I have a new camera, and take a few pictures. I look for some new photo angles, but Marketplace still looks like Marketplace. Ah, well, that's what you get for being a somewhat frequent visitor. Goofy's Candy Store is open, and take a walk through, and amazingly enough, don't buy anything. 9:30am finally rolls around, and walk through the Days of Christmas. I decided I needed a few more lights to decorate the room, but they don't sell any lights anymore. Huh? First, they discontinue my yearly Christmas mug series, now, I can't get any Mickey Lights. (sigh.)
As I walk to my car, I pass the kitchen store and stop in. Last year I bought some measuring cups, and as I was making some carrot cakes for Christmas, asked myself why I didn't get the measuring spoons too, just so I could fully Disney geek myself while baking. (No, I don't have Disney stickers on my Kitchen-Aid.) So I get a set, and while looking around the store, notice they sell spices now too. While I have a fresh spice store near me, they're selling finishing salts that I've wanted to try. I'm about to buy two different kinds when I notice they have a set of three that includes the two I'm going to buy. Sold!
I have my GPS with me, so I fix MCO as one my favorites, and tell it to get me there. It wants to route me up I-4 and down the Beeline. Nope, sorry, not today. Up the Greeneway to Airport Boulevard is better, especially if you're going to the cell phone lot. It take some time, but it finally agrees with me, and I'm at the Cell lot.
I send PiC a text saying I'm there. I almost immediately get one back from PiC, "I here have to go p". Great. Someone else who has to tell me about a bathroom break at the airport. I give her a few of minutes, then call her. I still wonder at the technology of the cell network, here I am in my car in Florida calling a phone number in Chicago that's 1/4 mile from me in Florida...
She's in departures rather than arrivals. Huh? Oh well, I like driving around in circles in front of the MCO terminal. Not. I think I'm the only one picking someone up.
We return to Downtown Disney to take care of some unfinished business (like, I'm hungry) and the GPS understands to take the Greeneway this time. So maybe where the GPS thinks MCO is, it's better to take the Beeline, but when I tell it to go back to Downtown Disney from my actual position, the Greeneway is better. Then too, maybe it flipped a virtual coin and said "Greeneway."
MCO and the Entrance via Florida 536
Downtown Disney (Part Deux)
Food is the first order. We head toward Pleasure Island (soon to be Hyperion Wharf) and the big Lego dinosaurs that were on the lakefront are gone. I wonder if Lego is bugging out (or Disney is kicking them out) when Blackstone finally opens Legoland...
We look at the menus for Portobello and Fulton's, and we end back up at Raglan road.
PiC had the sliced banger flatbread and I had the chicken and wild mushroom pie. PiC, having no ongoing knowledge of Food Porn, takes a bite before I can get the camera. My dish could have used more white sauce, and yes I know it's the unhealthy stuff in the dish, but I don't care. Okay? It was still tasty, but I'd try something else next time. Still better than a Pecos Bill's burger.
Then to Ghirardelli's, because we always have to go to Ghirardelli's, then to Guest Services. Again. PiC thinks her MYW pass has been used up, even though there's a "3" that's written on it on from HER LAST DAY AT WDW LAST YEAR. No, I'm not yelling. I tell her to bring it anyway (with her unused 10-day, of course) and when checked, it has 3 days on it. Hmmmm....
On to World of Disney, where I'm still amazed at the lack of 2010 merchandise. Plenty of 2011 stuff, but it's not 2011, is it? Since this is the second year in a row this has happened, I supposed I should buy a 2011 shot glass in anticipation of being here next year. That makes it an incentive to want to go back in 2011, right? Right? (I didn't buy one. I'm out to spite Disney.) I somehow do buy enough to get my 20 percent Disney Visa discount.
We walk through Basin, where I always have to buy a bar or two of Mickey soaps for the kitchen. I never considered soap being sold by the pound until I came here.
We're back in OKW when there's a knock at the door. It's a Maintenance CM who wants to change the air filter. He needs a ladder, and has to unscrew a panel in the ceiling, and I tell him he's free to come over to my place any time and change mine at home. He tells me it's the most common comment he gets. Got it. Stupid Guest comment. Still wouldn't stop me from making it next time, you never know. My air filters are expensive.
PiC wants to walk around the resort before we go into Magic Kingdom tonight and we take a walk around OKW. PiC *has* to feel the pool water temp, and it might be cold, but Disney keeps the pool water in the 80's, very comfortable. Just don't get out. Testicular shrinkage. (An Anthony Bordain term.)
Magic Kingdom
We're wearing clothes with pockets, so we have no bags and walk right in.Arrived just in time for the flag retreat. I've never seen it, because it requires you to be at Town Square at just the right time. The flag is lowered, and the honored guest walks the flag backstage. Very nice.
Walked down main street, took some window pics, looked to see if the Sherman Brothers got a window at WDW (I know they have one at DL), but couldn't find one. PiC doesn't know who the Sherman Brothers are. Sad. She will be educated tonight.
Wandered over to Christmas store in Liberty Square. Nothing. No mug, no lights, no 2010 stuff. Well, okay, no 2010 stuff I'd buy, and considering they still have some of it, means no one else wanted to buy it either.
Threatened PiC with Jungle cruise and Country Bears, and she didn't bite on either.
From there to pirates, it was backed up to the door. Nope, will be here for the MVMCP, not tonight. Got a pic of Pirate Goofy, though.
Went to HM, and the headstones are walled off and under refurb. As we get to the front of the line, the doombuggies stop, and we have to wait for a few minutes. Lots of guests riding twice. How does that happen? Neither one of us is number 1000, and we escape only to bring another ghost home with us. Wait! That mysterious call my phone made in my car? Maybe it was the last ghost that followed me home! The attraction still looks pretty darn good. I really like the lovely lady that appears with the axe. You know, the one with the headless husband portraits.
We get over to my favorite place in Frontierland to tape the Main Street Electrical Parade. We decide to get some food, and PiC goes off to get a couple of egg rolls and a soft pretzel. (Pork and shrimp is better than the veggie, but neither are as good as I can get at home or make myself. Actually, the last real Cantonese restaurant I go to has a pretty darn good egg roll...)
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls..." Wow, I missed this parade. New floats, and the subtle changes to the digital track don't distract, and I thoroughly enjoy it. I can't tell if Tink is supposed to be so perky, or the CM is just that cold in that skimpy costume. I take video, PiC photographs the parade with the G12. She does a commendable job, and the images look pretty good. I think I can justify buying the new camera. Hahahaha...
We wander over to main street, right across the street from the Ice Cream Parlor, and wait for Wishes. I use a garbage can to steady the camcorder, and it does a commendable job. The wind is blowing down main street again. Some hit-and-miss effects (like the face) is a miss, but I still like this show. It's especially cool this time of the year when they light up the castle lights during the finale. Very cool.
Oh, and let me add I still hate all of you people who put up your kid on your shoulders milliseconds before the event. And I find you people who video Wishes on your smartphone sad.
Still, I could probably do MSEP and Wishes every night.
After the show, as the masses are filing out of the park, we find the garbage can is like rock in the stream that you can stand behind. While the throngs of guests have to pass around the garbage can, we stand in the safety of the eddy and are not carried downstream with the rest of the guests. Those of you who hunt fish will understand the concept... :-)
We finally file out, and there's all sorts of problems with transportation. As we get to the OKW stop, one is pulling away, and we wait for the next half hour. Only one bus on the OKW side of the terminal goes past. There's a broken bus at the SSR stop, so they have to bring another SSR bus up, which load in the main road. This backs up about 10 busses behind it, and suddenly there are three busses for SSR, while we're still waiting.
Non-Disney buses too. Is Disney leasing part of their bus fleet now? (I never get a one of these types of buses.)
Back to OKW, and put on "The Boys" on the DVD player (and boy is the in-room DVD player slooooow.) We get through about 2/3 of it and succumb to sleep, but PiC recognizes almost every song. Perhaps if I fill her head with enough Disney she will succumb to the dark side...
End December 2010 Trip Report - Part 3.
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