Our Laid-Back, Completely-Stuffed-with-Free-Food Trip Report! MK with Cute Little Husband! About This Page:

[LanieLovesDisney]

This was a really great trip...and I got to spend more days in one trip at WDW than I've ever had before! Hooray for being a housewife with no "earned time off"!

September 23-25: Melanie (me!), Mom & Dad
September 26: Melanie and Mrs. Hipskind (our friend's mom who lives near Orlando)
September 27-October 4: ME AND MY CUTE LITTLE HUSBAND!!

Here we go!

Picture this: Searcy, AR...2005. The day is September 23; the time: 3:45 a.m. (I've been watching a lot of Golden Girls on Lifetime since quitting work )

I pop a valium, which is absolutely necessary for me since I am TERRIFIED of flying. I'm lucid long enough to put on my cute travel outfit, which I had deliberated over for weeks because I wanted to pick something conducive to survival if my plane crashed. I read in a book in Cracker Barrel that you should wear cotton and then I decided that boots made sense for walking through rubble, even if I did have to take them off at every security station. Anyway, I remember nothing between Jason pulling out of the driveway and our arrival at the Little Rock airport (about an hour from home).

Slight drama begins at the NWA check in. Since i don't fly much, I have no idea that your luggage can only weigh 50 pounds. Mine weighs 55 (thanks to all the stuff I was able to pack with my new rolling technique!). Anyway, out come a box of granola bars, a purse, a hairdryer WITH diffuser and my Big Sexy Hair Hairspray. And I was already carrying a purse and a backpack and my camera! One of Jason's friends once called me a small, sprite of a girl...and sprites of girls shouldn't have to carry around that much stuff by themselves!

Next is security. Off with my rubble boots, my belt AND my jacket (over which I'm wearing a tube top. Boys (disguised as grown men) actually stopped and told me that they were waiting to see what else I had to lose.
Luckily, they are NOT on my flight. And my medication is still going strong, so I'm not as easily offended.

I find my gate, put on my makeup and pray that Della Reese will be in the seat next to me on the plane. My friend Stan got to sit by her once. He, too, is afraid of flying and she helped considerably, being an angel for several seasons and all. But no such luck. My flight is Della-free. I doubt she flies coach, anyway.

So, anyway, I lived through the flight, got onto the ME (even though they have no record of me, regardless of the fact tht I'd confirmed everything the day before. No worries, though).

Arrive at Pop Century, meet mom & dad, grab a burger, etc. After some rest time, it's finally time to go to Ohana. Will it be yummy or will the evil new menu items destroy it all??? Oh, but it was yummy and mekelekahi-mekahineeho! Those cursed potatoes that everyone has been talking about are awesome...and so is the shrimp! We love every bite of everything (although I didn't try the sausage because it was sausage and yuck). Oh! And I normally hate bread pudding, but this is AMAZING! It came a'la mode with a separate bananas foster sauce. I decide to cancel my PS with Jason for Boma because mom and dad weren't impressed with it. I think he'll LOVE Ohana. OOOOOOH! I miss him!
O'Hinee! Get it?
Me and Mom with an innocent pineapple beverage. Yum!
Up next: "Scary" Stuff with Mom while Dad just sits.

[karmic]

Great start, Melanie! Looking forward to more!

[Grammy Grumpy]

Great start, and wonderful descriptions of your travel!!!

[DawnDenise]

What a great start!! Glad you made it through the flight okay and dinner sounded wonderful at Ohana's. Looking forward to more!!

[lablady]

Great TR so far! I'd be afraid to take Valium if I was traveling alone! I'd be afraid that I'd be out of it and there'd be nobody to keep me from looking stupid!

Can't wait to hear more!

[Colexis Mom]

Great start Melanie More please

[HueyDeweyandLouiesMom]

Great Start...Can't wait to hear more.

[lauren-roxy]

Great start Melanie!! Sounds like you had a really wonderful dinner!! Can't wait for more!!

[desiab]

Melanie,

I hardly ever post, but I had to post to tell you how funny and entertaining I found the beginning of your trip report.

Keep it coming please!

[Diz]

I love how you put on your makeup while waiting for your flight. With valium - heavy luggage, undressing for the boys - nothing fazed you! But as us ladies know - makeup is important! Even valium can't change that!

Great start to your tr.

[LanieLovesDisney]

Day Two: To the Magic Kingdom! (Saturday, September 24)

Guess who woke me up today??? STITCH!! And here's the best part: it was Stitch waking me up this morning and NOT my parents' snoring! I bought SnorEnz at Wal-Mart before I left home and IT ROCKS! I had honestly planned on making myself a little bed in the tub with the vent fan on if I had to.

I feel like a mom trying to get my kids ready to go. Dad could NOT get it together! Still, we make it to the MK in time and get to Splash Mountain by 9:30 and walk right on. This is mom's first time to ride this (Dad won't ride ANYTHING but kiddie rides, so she had to save them all for me!). She LOVES IT! And I find a Hidden Mickey all by myself! That's only the second time ever that I've done that! Want a hint? Sometimes you gotta fish around for 'em!

At the big drop, mom forgets to put her head down like I told her to do. Her hair ends up completely spiked up in the front and her face is just soaked and she's laughing like a mad woman. It was awesome.

We also walk right on to BTMR and then scoot over to Space Mt. And is it just me, or does it seem really slow now? It's not really "thrilling" to me at all! Maybe it's because I have RnRC to compare it to now.
Me, Mom and Dad at BTMRR(Dad looks like he's pretending that he actually rode the ride. Yeah.)

As I mentioned before, Daddy is terrified of any ride that moves faster than "neutral", but we finally convince him that Buzz Lightyear is completely ok. Even after we get on, he still thinks we've tricked him onto a thrill ride! Anyway, he beats us...badly. I just don't get that ride.

We decide our hungry tummies can make it through one more show, so off to Stitch. Too cute! And thanks for the chili dog warnings! I looove his litte voice! I keep trying to talk like him, but I sound more like Grover.

Lunch is at Cosmic Ray's and I just mooch all over the place. Mom and Dad each get the 1/2 rotisserie w/ribs, mashed taters and carrots. It was MORE than enough food and we had plenty left over. Note to all you southerners. The ribs here are as good as any I've had in Memphis. The meat just falls right off the bone! Yummy!

We do a few more things like Philharmagic (am I the only one who can't keep from singing along?) and a repeat of Splash and BTMR. Then I give myself a Dole Whip aversion by almost making myself sick by trying to eat a whole float by myself.

Now I'm the kid again: cranky cranky cranky. Naps should be mandetory.

This is blurry, but I like it!

After a few hours at the hotel, we do dinner at the Coral Reef. They have so got to get a new hostess outside. I mean...completely void of personality, much less magic. Whew! Our waiter is the complete opposite. He had no problem at all with me just ordering an appetizer and then sharing with mom and dad. My corn chowder is sooooo good and pretty much fills me up so I just have a taste of mom's lobster and shrimp. Both are great, but the mashed potatoes that came with her meal look like they've been sitting out for a while. For dessert, I shared dad's Chocolate Adrift and it rocked my socks!

Their two appetizers, entrees, teas and desserts with gratuity and tax would have been $139. Our only complaint was that the food was slow in getting to us. We were there for two and a half hours!! We barely made it back to the MK for Wishes!

By the end of the night, I'm really missing Jason. He had called right before dinner to tell me that his grandmother (who I've always been really close to) had had an aneurism in her heart. She would live one day to two weeks. Not knowing when she would pass away, he wanted me to stay and the family had voted and decided that Jason should still come to Florida on his scheduled date. To fast forward a bit, she died Monday morning. Our church graciously let Jason leave Sunday after he preached our morning service to go be with her and his family, so he got to spend her last conscious 30 minutes with her and comfort his mom until his dad was able to arrive after preaching his evening service. Jason was able to spend all day Monday with them and they really wanted him to take our trip as planned, so he arrived Tuesday evening. But more on that later. All of this was a big part of our trip, but I wanted to go ahead and tell the whole story.

Up next: Epcot and MGM and Mom actually rides ToT and RnRC!

[karmic]

Great update! Very entertaining!

[DrDolphin]

Great update. I can't wait to read more - although I was sad to read about DH's grandmother.

[lauren-roxy]

Great update!! Sounds like you are having an awesome time with your parents!! Can't wait for more!!

[Linda K]

Great trip report. Keep it coming.

Linda K