Using My Powers for Good - 4/29-5/7 - Thread 1 - thru Day 4 About This Page:

[DawnDenise]

Excellent Report!! It's cool that you felt like you knew Karen and Zack forever. Looking forward to more!

[poohsgirl]

[ QUOTE ]
Karen and Zack chatted with us all on the bus and it was a great reassurance to Bob and Frank and Donna that my “internet friends” aren’t weirdos… Any mention of "the boards" or "my internet friends" produced lots of eye rolling when I brought them up in conversations *before* we left on the trip. Well, they thought Karen was a doll and that Zack was terrific! Bob was pleased that I was considered *normal* in some parts of the world!


[/ QUOTE ]
<font color="purple">That is so funny! When I brought my mom along to a meet with SharonK0527, Kathy320 &amp; family, my mom said the same thing! She was happily suprised that Disney nuts like us are actually normal!! Gee, thanks Ma!

And you can imagine the looks &amp; comments I've gotten when I say I'll be going to WDW with 7 other internet buddies!

I'm so glad your meet went so well, Eileen. I hope you can post the Canadian hotties before I head down to see them in person!!

</font>

[pluto_n_goofy]

I am really loving this TR!!!!! Thanks for such a wonderful account. I absolutely LOVE your pictures and all of the kids are adorable.

[lauren-roxy]

What a great report and the pictures are really good!! Can't wait to hear more!!!

[Colexis Mom]

Just catching up Eileen What a great time! You're pictures are fantastic! Love the ride photos from Buzz

More please

[luvnwdwgal]

Loving this Eileen!! Hurry back with more!!!

[Steph A]

I just caught up on your TR. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!!! Can't wait to hear about the remainder of your trip.

Steph A

[David's Mom]

Spent the morning catching up on your trip report!! Sounds like a great time. More please!!

[BabieeMelly]

Great update, Eileen! I'm loving this trip report... then again, I've always loved all your trip reports It sounds like you're vacation really did get off to a great start and I can't wait to hear more. I'm glad you loved Fantasmic, I can't wait to finally see it!

[Caldercup]

Day Three – May 1st

<u>Our Party:</u>
(Eileen), 38, complete Disneyphile, 10th trip
DS (Calder, also called CJ), 9, all-around-great-kid and Disney World addict, 7th trip
DH (Bob), 39, long-suffering spouse of a WDW-aholic, he thinks it’s his 10th trip
DStepB (Frank), 37, my dad’s wife’s son, 3rd trip
DStepSIL (Donna), 36, Frank’s wife, 3rd trip
DStepN#1 (Brian), 12, Frank and Donna’s eldest, 2nd trip.
DStepN#2 (Michael), 9, middle son, good friend of Calder, 1st trip!!
DStepN#3 (Stephen), 5, youngest son, 1st trip!!
DFather (Bud), 69, WDW skeptic and my targeted “convert”, 3rd trip.
DStepMom (Joan), 60-something (friends don’t mention ages!), wonderful Mom-Mom, 3rd or 4th trip?

The wake-up call came at 7:22 again and we all popped up pretty quickly – it was May Day after all and we were headed to Epcot! After showers and getting dressed, we ate breakfast from our snack box – I had purchased oatmeal cups that made good use of the coffee maker’s ability to heat water! The Esterles were all greased up and fed quickly and we were all ready to head out by 8:30.

The bus depot was only a short walk from our room and an Epcot bus pulled up as we got there. This was an omen of good timing this whole trip – I don’t think we ever waited very long for a bus except on our very last night!

I sent everyone to security while I made a quick stop at the Guest Relations outside the park to pick up my new Disney Dining Experience (DDE) letter. I was in line behind a woman in a very tight skirt and very high heels – I’ll never understand why people come dressed for the parks like this. She must’ve been in agony by the end of the day!

DDE letter in hand, I caught up with the gang just as they got through security. I handed Calder his AP and held mine at the ready. Well… they wouldn’t work in the turnstile. We sent them through several times and then the CM took them away a moment before coming back with new ones. Oh, no… Donald and Goofy!! Calder and I were bummed to have lost our precious Minnie and Mickey! Oh, well. I gotta figure out what about my bag keeps de-magging these tickets!

We stepped up to the photographer and handed over our special AP holder PhotoPass (50% discount on 4 purchased pictures!) The day was a little gray, but we wanted to take as many family pictures as possible so we had something from which to choose when we got home and could log onto the PhotoPass site. After taking a couple of traditional “hugging” pictures, the photog told us to look behind us in the sky as if we were scared. &lt;sigh&gt; I guess Karen and Zack were right – Stitch is taking over The World.


[PhotoPass pictures]

We walked through Innoventions and the kids thought that Fantastic Plastic was pretty cool. They all were up for building and racing robots and spent alot of time in that section.



Then everybody had to build their own little take-away robots:



All the adrenaline junkies were jonesing for Test Track and Mission:Space so we headed in that direction first, by-passing Spaceship Earth, which Calder and I traditionally ride first. Oh, well… we knew we’d get a chance later! As we walked past that little cappuccino stand, I practically sailed away on the good “fumes”… (I wanted to wait until after M:S, but never made it back!) TT was posting a 35 minute wait and M:S had a 5 minute wait – so… BLAST OFF!



The boys got a kick out of Goofy because he signed their autographs BEHIND his head -- what a cool Goofy!

Donna was looking a little “peak-ed” about this ride and Bob and I spent a little time explaining the science and experience of the ride. She seemed okay, but a bit leery of it. (The pre-boarding pictures Bob took of her are a riot. She looks so scared!)


[Blurry, but funny!]

Because we were a group of 8, we split into two teams – Team 1:Brian, Stephen, Frank and Donna and Team 2:Bob, me, Calder and Michael. Since I wasn’t sure how well Michael would handle this experience, Bob and I sat on each end with the kids in the middle. Well, it was just as intense and fabu as always – I just HAVE to scream on take-off. Calder and Bob were hooting too, but Michael was quiet and I worried that it was too much for him. We managed to avoid the asteroids and complete our shaky landing on Mars. When the doors opened, I asked Michael if he liked the ride and I had to ask three times before he was able to respond – but he said “totally awesome!” I looked out the door and saw Donna in the “pod” next to us. She gave me this shaky and watery smile. Oh, no! She sort of liked the ride, but it definitely made her feel iffy for the next half hour. She wasn’t sure if it was the ride itself or all the warnings, but she didn’t think she’d ever want to ride it again.

We wobbled our way down into the post-show area and saw that they were gearing up for the start of the big team game Mission:Space Race. (I played this on-line a lot last year and even won Calder a T-shirt by getting the day's top score!) They had already chosen the families for the “crew” so we all settled into Triton’s Mission Control. We were pretty stinkin’ good at it too and we ended up winning with a team score of 97%! About half way through the game, Donna decided she needed to get some air, so we all left after completing the game and went to find her. Some of the kids had to use the rest room so we headed out towards the ones near the back of MouseGears.

Brian and Frank and Bob wanted to do Test Track, which was now posting a 20 minute wait. Frank was craving sushi and we had all wanted to try Teppanyaki so I made a quick call to WDW-DINE and got us a PS at 1:15, just 45 minutes away. The Big Boys left for TT and Donna and I herded the "regular" boys into MouseGears and played around with the hats and stuffed animals.


[Playtime]


&lt;More in next post&gt;

[Caldercup]

&lt;Day 3 - Part 2&gt;

We then headed out to the Friendship launch to get to Japan on time. As we stepped into the boat, we ran smack into Bob and Frank and Brian, who had just had a great ride on Test Track. This Friendship launch was the first time I had been on one of these and I thought it a relaxing way to get to the other side of World Showcase. As we stepped off the boat, who should we see in line for the return trip, but Karen and Zack. It was so nice to see a friendly face and made me really think of these as “Friendship” launches!! (We were running to make our PS and they were headed out of the park so we only had a second to say Hello and Goodbye, but it was nice to see them nonetheless.)

Bob saw this Hidden Mickey in the garden in front of the Japan pavilion (it's hard to see, but it's in the top shape of the sand etching):


Then I suffered embarrassment because, for once, I had no idea where we were going! I had never done very much in Japan and didn’t know where the restaurants were. Finally, Bob called down to us from the steps of the Mitsukoshi restaurants and waved us up there – I had to take a great deal of *&amp;%$ for not knowing something about WDW. (Even right now, Bob is still teasing me about it!) We stepped in and they were ready for us right away. I loved the warm towel they gave us as we sat down – how civilized!! Bob and I ordered the Momo because we both love creamy fruit drinks – oh, man, was that delicious! Frank indulged his love of Kirin beer. The kids all went wild and tried that traditional Japanese drink – orange soda.

Our chef came out and introduced himself as Chef Nagatoshi and he was incredibly charismatic and excited by our enthusiasm for his work. (In fact, Bob noticed that the table behind us had a much less interesting time because they all sat like “bumps on logs” and barely clapped when the onion volcano did its thing!) Although our kids had no interest in the food, they were totally awed by Chef Nagatoshi.



When the steam came pouring out of the volcano, Calder actually stood up and started cheering! I was afraid Stephen would burn his chin on the hot table when his jaw dropped in amazement!


[Volcano]

The parents were equally enchanted and we clapped and cheered, sending Chef Nagatoshi into even greater displays of his artistry. The things he can do with pepper grinders are amazing – he had this terrific rhythm going! Donna had the Hatamoto (shrimp and chicken), Frank had the Komome (scallops and chicken), Bob splurged and had the Fujiyama (steak and shrimp) and I had the Kaibashiri (scallops). All of it was terrific and we ate each and every speck – and I adored the bean sprouts. We applauded Chef Nagatoshi roundly and he got all the kids up to pose with him. He made this great face like a samurai warrior!


[Hi-yee-aaa]

The meal came to $122.64 (the kids split a single chicken dish – which I think Brian ate most of) and Teppanyaki doesn’t take the DDE plan, so no discount here. Well, it was worth every penny! I think this will be a must-do for us in the future. We headed out of the restaurant to find the kids something to eat.

As we headed out, we saw that Miyuki was making her candy and the kids wanted to see it. Calder and I have never seen this before and it was thrilling. She said that the candy is very hot and then showed off a HUGE blister on the palm of her hand – yowsa, that must’ve hurt! We watched her make several things and I snuck off into Mitsukoshi just to take a quick look around. I’m always drawn to the Hello, Kitty stuff.

The kids were wanting something to eat, although they weren’t specifically asking for a meal. I think they wanted treats! I pointed over to the American pavilion as a place to get them hot dogs and burgers, but they were lured by the smell of funnel cakes instead. (Frank sat in some of the powdered sugar and I called him “Sweet Cheeks” for the rest of the afternoon!) Calder and Bob didn't feel like having funnel cakes, so we just played with the cameras. I tried really hard to get a picture of Calder holding the ball, but either he couldn’t hold his hand still or I had trouble framing it properly. This was our best attempt.


[He’s got the whole world….]

I realized then that the drummers in Japan would be starting soon and I wanted to see if the Esterle boys would be as enchanted as Calder had been a few years ago. (I had an experience with a group called The Kodo Drums who came through the Performing Arts Center were I got my Master’s degree. Even with all the soundproofing and cement walls at Krannert, these huge drums set up such a resonance that the joint was literally humming!) Bob and Calder stopped for some Kaki-Gori and really liked it – they slurped it up throughout the show and now I’ve got to figure out how to get the juice out of white cotton T-shirts! The drummers started doing their thing and I loved looking from one performer to the other – one fellow always had a scowl on his face, the woman was very intense and the other fellow had the most charming smile. Well, we got through almost all of the performance before the boys wanted to move on. Oh, well…

I knew that the French street performers, Serveur Amusant, would be starting soon and Calder and I had really enjoyed the fellow (Le Mime Roland) back in November, so we headed that way. (As we passed Morocco, Bob and Frank exchanged looks and waggled their eyebrows!!) We got to the area outside Chefs de France and we could see that the chair stacker was beginning to set up. Once he had his table in place, he chose a woman from the other side of the crowd and had her sit on a chair. Then he pointed… at me! He placed a chair a few feet away from the other woman and had me sit down. Then he pulled out a basket of flowers and pretended to decide which of us to give the flowers to – first he’d lean towards her and then he’d lean towards me. Being the shy, quiet type that I am, I lifted up my sunglasses and gave him a BROAD wink!! He did a double-take and then decided that he’d better not “encourage” me… so he put the flowers down, out of sight. (Bob videotaped this all, but Frank took pictures. I’ll have to get his snap of this encounter!) Anyway, we were all very impressed with the show and the kids thought it was pretty amazing. I think someone better recommend that they trim the tree by the restaurant, though. By the very last chair, the acrobat’s legs actually brushed against the tree limb and I gasped!

When the show was over, I checked my watch and realized that I’d get to do a “first” – see Off Kilter!! I practically ditched the rest of the group and started race walking over the bridge and through the UK pavilion. When everybody caught up to me, they decided not to stay and wanted to try their luck at the Soarin’ line. I grabbed a seat and waited for the show to start. A woman brought her two kids up and asked if they could sit on the left side of me on the bench. I nodded and she had them sit before seating herself on a curb to my right. She then asked me if I knew anything about the group about to perform. I told her that they were Canadians with a Scottish flare and she raised her eyebrows. I added that these guys had a rather dedicated “following” of ladies on the Internet. As they dashed onstage in their kilts, she leans over to me and says, “Wow! I can see why!” I got to giggling and my foot got to tapping. These guys live up to the hype and I really enjoyed their show. My new friend leaned in a couple of times and got me laughing again with her enthusiastic endorsement of Canadian/Scots men and their ability to wear kilts. At one point she said, “That guy really has the Mel Gibson thing going.” I commented that his accent was Scottish, though… not Australian. She leaned in with this intense wink and said, “A girl can dream, can’t she!”



Let me just say that Off Kilter definitely puts the “O” in “O, Canada!” When the show was over, I went into the shop at the Canadian pavilion and bought their “Off Kilter” CD.

Then it struck me... ...I was unencumbered by any other person – I was actually solo in Epcot, something I hadn’t thought would happen during this trip! Well, I did what any self-respecting person would do, I went shopping! I stopped at one of the Flower and Garden Festival carts and checked out the merchandise – I loved the plush “Mickey Topiary” doll, but decided against it. I wanted a F&amp;GF pin, but the one I really liked was part of an expensive set, so I settled for a simple pin that wasn't quite as charming, or expensive! Then it was off to MouseGears to do some damage. I needed to replace my Mickey sneakers (the last ones bit the dust and prompted the title of my last trip report – Momma Needs a New Pair of Shoes) and I needed a new hat. I also looked at the jewelry since I had forgotten my simple silver “Hidden Mickey” earrings, but I didn’t find anything I liked. I went in search of something I thought Calder would like – Stitch ears. They were on a headband, but didn’t look too “girlie” so I nabbed ‘em for ma boy! I then stopped at the Pin Station and checked out the AP pins – they had the Passholder “key” one that I got last time and a Stitch one that I bought for Calder. (Ssssh, it’s going to be a surprise!)

Since Donna had been asking me about the “Wishes Cruise” scheduled for that night, I decided to stop at Guest Relations to see if they had any info on the event. Sadly, as was true of almost all of the Grand Gathering events we did, very little information was available about the event itself. In fact, we got a lot of conflicting information about times and places to be for the start of each event. (I’m actually going to send a letter to the GG coordinators with a recommendation that they produce a fact sheet on each event that gives a little more detail for the obsessive-compulsive types, like me.)

Finally, I took a moment to grab some info on the Leave A Legacy tiles. Bob and Frank had been talking about these earlier in the day and estimated that they were ~$75 or so. Huh?! They were only $25 and as AP holders we could buy one and get one free! I was hoping to do this on this trip, but we never got around to it again!

I meandered out to the buses and got in line. It was a few minutes until a bus for PORiverside arrived, but, as it pulled up, I said, “Oh, there it is.” (Yes, I do speak to myself…) I think I forgot I didn’t have Calder with me and I noticed the two ladies behind me sort of pointing at me and whispering to each other. I thought, “okay, I’m weird!!”
Then one of them said, “Eileen?”
Huh? “Yes, I’m Eileen… do I know you?”

They pointed to my big yellow Passporter pin on my bag and introduced themselves as fellow Passporters – it was Mouseketeer (Lynda) and Burt&amp;Sully (Elaine). I embarrassed myself even more by announcing, “Wow! You’re… like… famous!” We chatted the entire trip back to Port Orleans and Elaine even brought up a sig line she liked – “people go to Vegas all the time, but they roll their eyes when I go to WDW.” (How cool was that, meet a total stranger, realize that you “know” each other and then have the person paraphrase you?!) It was lovely talking to them and I'm still amazed at how it’s like meeting old friends whenever I run into Passporters. You guys are the best!

&lt;Up next: Cruising the Seven Seas Lagoon with a Pirate&gt;

[pluto_n_goofy]

Yay!!! I absolutely your TR!!! The boys are SOOO cute!! LoL! More please!

[lauren-roxy]

Great update!! Your pictures are awesome!! Can't wait to read more!!

[Luv2plan]

What a great update!!! I love the photos of the boys goofing off in Mousegears with all the hats, they're too cute!! And it's so fun to read about all the little shows you're catching in WS - something I always want to do - I hope I get to see Off Kilter in Dec.!!!

Looking forward to more, please!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Eileen Love your Photopass pictures, how cool with Stitch

We found the plastic station in Innoventions as well, the kids had a blast And glad that you enjoyed Teppanyaki (and Off Kilter )!

How great to meet Elaine and Lynda

What a great day! More please