Our Crash Course in Disney 101 - Trip Report - COMPLETE 10/1 About This Page:

[tammyd_rn]

Great update. Glad you guys got to see and enjoyed Illuminations. We missed it this trip.

[MomtoCCC]

Sounds like a great trip - looking forward to more!

[mcc0313]

Wonderful day even with the rain...it is the best park...Glad you had a great day anyway...

Waiting to hear more...like ToT....

[Colexis Mom]

What a great day at Epcot More please

[disney_duke]

Another successful day, even in the rain. And you got to eat at Morocco! Good work, mom! Alexa is a great older sister, what a big helper. That's so cute that she enjoyed the quiet time at Epcot. Simple things make great memories. Looking forward to MGM....

[Nemo125]

Love reading all about your trip! Great details. Keep them coming!!!

[Nimros]

We all awoke the following morning in high spirits and looking forward to our next park – MGM Studios! (Part of that may have to do with the fact that we were so exhausted from the last two days that we slept in a half hour more than planned!) And yes, I did freak out a bit that we were ‘off the schedule’, but Kevin reminded me just to calm down and relax and we made it to the buses.

Everyone was laughing and happy and full of energy – we all knew we’d love MGM and have the time of our lives! Little did we know the day was quickly going down a path we hadn’t foreseen….

The weather was beautiful – much like we’d seen at MK; lots of sun but still the possibility of rain. Since we weren’t the first to arrive at MGM, the park was already filled with people – but not crowded by any means. Alexa told us the crowd levels so far were nothing like she’d seen the time she went with her dad at Christmastime, so that was very encouraging.


The itinerary called for visiting Tower of Terror first thing this morning. (It would have been ToT and Rock-n-Roller Coaster, but alas, RnRC was closed for refurb.) We were laughing at the wisdom of putting the little girls in the Tower first thing in the morning; Alexa was excited about finding a Yoda backpack she’d seen someone carrying around Epcot yesterday, and Kevin was looking around , comparing MGM to Universal Studios as we hurried toward that ominous hotel at the end of Sunset Boulevard.

Kevin thought ToT would be no problem for him; after all, it didn’t have any of the spinning or quick back and forth motions of a typical thrill ride. So he was confident that after he took his Dramamine, he’d have no trouble (or just a bit of motion sickness) if at all.

The queue was moving extremely swiftly – I almost wish it would have been slower so we could enjoy all the ‘story’ along the way, and the beautiful setting. Kelley was bit nervous in line – alright, she was scared! Could be she heard the screams coming from the Tower! Or could be the creepiness of it all was getting to her. But Kevin told her if Daddy could ride it, then it wouldn’t be bad so she continued on.

And I’ll have to admit – I was very nervous myself!!! As the elevator doors opened to allow us inside, I truly felt like I was entering The Twilight Zone!! Cory and Alexa took one row, while Kevin and I put Kelley in between us in another.

Poor Kelley – she was so scared, but trying to be brave. She grabbed on to my hand as the elevator doors closed. No turning back now….

The suspense was terrible!!!!! Even my heart was pounding with the thrill of the sudden drops we knew were just ahead of us…

And then, the car stopped moving, the elevator doors opened for one last, terrible view of MGM far below us and …

Aaaeeeeehhhhhhhhh!!!!!

What a ride!! I LOVED it!! Everyone was screaming, Kelley gripping my hand tightly as we dropped not once, not twice but three times!!! This was too much fun!!

Finally the car came to a stop and the doors opened. I was laughing along with Alexa and Cory and asking Kelley what she thought as we walked out towards the gift shop. I looked over at Kevin to see what his impression was…and he was AS WHITE AS A GHOST.

“I need to get some fresh air,” he whispered.

And that’s when I knew The Tower had claimed a new victim…

The Tower had taken Kevin out for the rest of the day…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Outside, I had the girls sit down on the curb and eat a granola bar to keep them occupied for a moment while I accessed the situation with Kevin. He stood still and was trying to keep it under control, but you could tell he was really, really. REALLY sick.

A dozen emotions were going through me at the same time. Naturally I was very concerned over his condition and wanted to get him to a place where he could start feeling better. And naturally I was upset as I had three kids who were jumping at the bit to do more fun things – and I didn’t want their day to be ruined. And there was even a part of me that was starting to feel a bit angry that Kevin got motion sickness at all!

And I know he was feeling really angry too – he told me later MGM was the park he was most looking forward to visit and he was so angry he had ruined his day. He also told me it was the up and down motion of ToT that got him – he said he thought it was just one drop. (I will beg to differ here as we talked about the ride many times and explained the whole concept.)

After a few minutes of standing, Kevin told us he’d like to see if he could find somewhere cooler to stand (it was starting to feel pretty hot outside.) We walked into one of the air-conditioned shops and I browsed around with the kids while we let him see if the cool air helped. The cool air did help, but he said walking slowly felt best at the time, so we headed outside again.

At this point, I just felt helpless and not sure what to do. Trying to follow the itinerary seemed pretty useless now, but everyone was looking at me to know where to go next. As I stood there totally unsure, Kevin (justifiably PO’d) told me, “Just follow your plan! Go where you had planned on going next!”

Okay.

The Great Movie Ride was up next and it took us a bit to walk there as we needed to go slowly. By the time we reached the entrance, Kevin needed a rest but we didn’t want him to wait in the sun. So we asked the CM at the entrance if there was a cool place inside he could sit down (I explained about ToT) and the CM suggested he just go on the ride, as it was cool, slow-moving and shouldn’t be a problem.

Kevin agreed to go (it couldn’t get any worse, could it?) and so we boarded. The CM was right; the ride itself was no problem, but for some reason the tour guide’s microphone volume was so incredibly loud, the ride was actually painful for someone with sensitive ears – that’s Kevin and Kelley. They had to cover their ears for the entire ride – even I put my foot over the speaker in the back of the seat in front of me to reduce the blare.

Star Tours was next on the itinerary. This should have been my most memorable ride as a die-hard “Star Wars” aficionado, but Kevin was nearly at his dropping point – his nausea was not going away and he was miserable. I did not want to leave him by himself, but I didn’t want to miss this, either. We were outside of Backlot Express and Kevin collapsed into a chair on the patio and told us all to go on.

The little girls love “Star Wars”, too – but we couldn’t convince Kelley to ride with us. At that point, I think she was so upset over her dad’s experience with ToT that she concluded if Dad got sick on a ride, then she would, too. And she remained that way for the rest of the trip.

I couldn’t help getting excited over ST – even waiting in line (about 10 min.) was fantastic, as I got to watch R2 and 3P0 and all the theme-ing! Alexa, Cory and I had a ball (even though we all agreed our droid pilot sounded a lot like Peewee Herman at times!) And Tatooine Traders was the best – Alexa found her Yoda backpack, but was dismayed that it was more than she budgeted for. Oh, well – next time…



By the time we got over to Backlot Express, I was just gushing over with excitement about ST – and wanting to share it all with Kevin. You know, the very WORST THING about his motion sickness is that ST and ToT and Mission: Space are all the types of things that Kevin loves most. He is a total sci-fi/horror/fantasy fan – and he knows he would enjoy these attractions immensely – but he just physically can’t handle them.

He and Kelley were waiting patiently – but no improvement.

By this point, Alexa was getting frustrated. She was wanting to go, go, go. Muppet Vision 3D was next on the list, and I encouraged Alexa to take her sisters while I spent some time with Kevin. They took off and Kevin and I moved indoors at Backlot – he needed some cool air and thought a cup of coffee might help. We sat and talked and waited on the girls to return (earlier we had decided on Backlot Express for lunch.)

The girls were taking forever to return, so we decided to walk down and meet them. We stopped by the entrance (I wasn’t sure where they would exit from), close by Pizza Planet, where the enticing aroma of pizza drifted our way. I was surprised to hear Kevin say, “That actually smells really good right now,” I agreed – so we made a quick decision to eat at PP instead.

Pizza Planet was one of those counter-service restaurants I had heard mixed reviews about. True, it didn’t look anything like the PP from “Toy Story” – but the food looked (and smelled) delicious. We all got a personal pizza, salad, chips (or dessert) and a drink – and it was all very good. Too much salad and pizza meant we couldn’t eat the chips, so I carefully stuffed them in the Baggalinni to munch on at Fantasmic! that evening. Cory ate her rice crispy treat on the way out.

At this point, Kevin was beginning to feel just a bit better (but still pretty sick) and we headed over to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Beauty and the Beast Onstage followed (everyone was quite impressed with this one, especially Kevin.) Streets of America were up next – but just as we arrived, the sky let lose with a mini-downpour – and we were forced to run for cover rather than get out the ponchos.

We dashed inside of Writer’s Stop (with about a hundred other people, it seemed!) and when we started to feel guilty about it, we wandered through an open doorway and into the waiting area at Sci-Fi Dine In (where we had ADRs in another hour and a half!)

The rain ended and Alexa decided to dash down and get four FPs for ToT. Kevin excused himself to go to the bathroom and the little girls and I sat outside waiting. All of a sudden, an entourage of Characters came bustling by! Jafar, the Wicked Queen, Chip-n-Dale, Jasmine and Aladdin!!! They were headed to the Character spot by the Sorcerer’s Hat and I was ready to follow! But Kevin had the camera AND the autograph books (in the Baggalinni) and if we left, neither he nor Alexa would know where we were. Arrgghhh! I was really hoping that Kelley and Cory would be more ‘into’ the Characters than they were. They liked them – they just didn’t like to stand in line to see them. Ah, well.

As soon as everyone was together again, Alexa suggested the girls might enjoy Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set. Unfortunately, the rain had shut it down temporarily so we headed back to the Streets of America once again.



ADRs were ready now for Sci-Fi Dine In. Although I knew what it was all about, I wasn’t prepared for the enormity of the place!! It really felt like we were at a drive-in theater. We put the little girls up front by themselves, Alexa has the middle seat of our car and Kevin and I snuggled in the back (well, as much snuggling as you can do when you feel ill!) Although the atmosphere was cool, we were not impressed with the food (except that Kevin and Alexa said the peach apple cobbler was the best they ever had.) The girls had a blast – they were very happy to have some time by themselves and we didn’t talk or see them until we were ready to go!!



Kevin needed to rest again and Alexa talked Cory into going to Drew Carey’s Sounds Dangerous. (Kelley decided if it sounded dangerous, she wasn’t going!) I stayed to give my husband some moral support. But I was getting worried about him since he didn’t seem to be snapping out of this. I suggested that maybe he could just take the bus back to the resort and rest… He wasn’t going for it – and besides, he was afraid the bus ride home might make it worse than it already was.

Finally, finally, finally – the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular!!! Did I mention that Spielberg and Lucas are my heros? OMG – we LOVED it!! Kelley especially was enthralled by the show. And I know I had told my family I would jump up and down and try to be picked to participate – but when we got there, I knew I wanted to SEE it all first. Next time, I promise…

FPs for ToT were ready. You could see the look in Kevin’s eyes as we headed back down Sunset Strip!! I think every step towards that tower made him feel a bit queasier. Kelley refused another go, so Alexa, Cory and I breezed through the FP line. That’s another thing about WDW I was amazed at – the stand-by line was huge and moving slowly – why didn’t more people utilize FastPass??? It works!

This time we were joined by a very rowdy bunch of twenty-something guys who yelled at the top of their lungs – and Cory came out of the Tower crying!!!

When we came out, the crowds were already beginning to form in front of Fantasmic! I’ll admit – this was one of my top attractions I wanted to see and I was hoping Kevin was up for it. He and Kelley had been to the fruit stand across the street and came back with frozen lemonade. I was just going to ask him if he wanted to sit somewhere and join us after rope-drop – when the rope dropped!!

We found perfect seats in the center section and were just beginning to sit down and get organized when we looked up and noticed the sky. The clouds were dark, swift-moving and packing in on each other. There was no way it would not rain, even if just a little. A few sprinkles began to fall and out came the trusty rain ponchos. A second later, lightening ripped the sky and a deep rumble of thunder accompanied a downpour!! Those without ponchos made a quick exit out of the stadium but we just sat with heads down, waiting for it to be over. And then – the wind hit.

As someone who grew up in the Midwest, we know when weather acts like that, it usually precedes hail – or worse, a tornado. There was no question about it – it was time to leave. (We did see on the news that a tornado hit just a bit northwest of WDW that evening.)

Although we never heard if the show was officially cancelled (there was still at least 30 minutes to go until showtime), most people left the stadium. If I had my way, we might have tried to duck into a shop and see what the weather decided to do – but all the stores were jam-packed with drenched guests already. And, I think Kevin had had enough for one day.

As we all trudged through the water, a man behind us started to sing, “Under the Sea” and my girls burst out laughing. That was one of their favorite memories.

And here’s where I get to put in my plug for Crocs. I was hesitate to get a pair (thinking we’d do better in our flip flops that we wear daily) – but then I noticed how slippery they got when wet. Many of you on the boards commented on how well Crocs drain. So, I bought a pair for each of the little girls and myself. Alexa is too much of a fashionista to wear them, and Kevin only brought athletic shoes (couldn’t talk him into his sandals.)

Crocs were fantastic!!! Not only did we stay safe inside our shoes while walking through a couple inches of water, they drained immediately and by the time our bus arrived back at the resort, our feet we basically dry! Kevin and Alexa, however, had soggy, heavy shoes that took two days to dry out!!! So Crocs are da bomb!

Back at the resort, the rain had stopped. We were running low on milk for our morning cereal, so Alexa and I volunteered to walk down to the food court for more. Water dripped from the trees and bushes while flashes of far-off lightening lit the sky, but we enjoyed our time alone to talk over the day and share our frustrations over what had happened. I think it’s hard for kids to understand that a mom feels everything that happens to her family – and always wants everyone to be happy – even if that sometimes means making sacrifices on her part.

But we also talked about the fact that doing what you want to do and not feeling guilty about it is important, too. We agreed that someday we want to do a mother-daughter vacation – we both get along so well that we know we’d have a great time together.

Our last day was fast approaching…

UP NEXT : Letting Out the ‘Wild Child’ at Animal Kingdom and Returning to Civilization at Downtown Disney

[Colexis Mom]

Sorry to hear the Tower claimed Kevin Sounds like you guys still got quite a bit done in MGM, except for that downpour at the end

Sorry the trip is all coming to an end

[stefffe]

what a great TR !!!! i feel so bad for Kevin....i have motion issues as well....and would not EVEN brave ToT or RnRC.... i rode BTMRR twice in a row and had to sit down for a while but you guys got a lot done in spite of it all.....

i cant wait for the next installment

and we were disappointed about the prices in the star wars store too....the Darth Tater was just too funny but not worth the big bucks they wanted for him

[TMWIlson7196]

What a great trip report. I'm sorry to hear Kevin had motion sickness issues. I too suffer from motion sickness but I LOVE Tower of Terror. I take ginger root pills for my motion sickness and they work great. Last trip to WDW I went to ride Space Mountain and realized I forgot to take something for the motion sickness. I was about 30 seconds from getting on the ride and I popped a ginger root pill. It worked wonders. I was able to ride SM and it didn't bother me at all. I can't even ride in a car without getting sick. So now I make sure I always have ginger root pills with me when I go to WDW.

[jpod523]

...even though we all agreed our droid pilot sounded a lot like Peewee Herman at times!

you can really hear pee-wee in that ride. (paul reubens is the voice...for now anyways...there are update rumors!) and george and steven are my heroes too!! i am a huge star wars geek!!!

kevin was sick all day!!! all the more reason for a next time!!!

[mcc0313]

Poor Kevin...it must have been so hard on all of you...he feeling crappy and wanting to run around, you feeling bad for him yet worried about the girls...the girls worried about Dad...

I remember once going to Great Adventure in NJ...it was years and years ago and the big attraction was this bobsled ride...so there I was all pumped up and excited...never had a problem on rides...however this ride for whatever the reason...(I think that it was the corkscrews that had no angle...since you were in a tunnel ytou just went around and around)...anyway I got off feeling so sick and my head felt like I would rather have shot myself and remained concious then feel this pain...

I took tylnol...some advil, drank some soda...nothing worked...

That had been our first ride and I can tell you that I never made it around the park...I think I sat on a bench with my head down for about 5 hours...(Im totally serious), my friends left I told them I would find them later...did not care just wanted to die...

Finally about 6 hours later I was able to stand and I went on the lookout for my friends...I finally went on the rapids ride at 10 pm...exactly 12 hours after I got off the bobsled ride...

Worse day of my life but sometimes if that ride hits you it really does...I give it to your DH...he made it all day walking around that park...he should get an award just for that....

[Starla4436]

Another great installment....can't wait to hear about your day at AK..

[BelmontBelle]

I'm so sorry that Kevin wasn't feeling well at MGM. It sounds like you had a good day despite that and having to miss Fantasmic . I'm looking forward to your day at AK and DTD!

[Nimros]

Originally Posted by mcc0313

...anyway I got off feeling so sick and my head felt like I would rather have shot myself and remained concious then feel this pain...

I took tylnol...some advil, drank some soda...nothing worked...

That had been our first ride and I can tell you that I never made it around the park...I think I sat on a bench with my head down for about 5 hours...(Im totally serious), my friends left I told them I would find them later...did not care just wanted to die...

I think you explained this better than I could possibly hope to - I'm sure that's exactly how Kevin was feeling.

Cathy