We Don't Play Nice With Others. (Complete!)

[mickeystoontown]

Personally, I'm glad that you didn't have any Dis time on your hands because I was so far behind. I have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies but I can still appreciate Universal's attention to detail. It looks amazing!

Oh and I almost forgot....your paintings are beautiful!

 

[momabbate]

Happy 2015! Hope you had a great Christmas and New Years!

 

[teekathepony]

Personally, I'm glad that you didn't have any Dis time on your hands because I was so far behind. I have never seen any of the Harry Potter movies but I can still appreciate Universal's attention to detail. It looks amazing!

Oh and I almost forgot....your paintings are beautiful!

Haha I know how you feel! I'm looking at everyone's reports and wondering how I'll ever catch up!
Thank you!

Happy 2015! Hope you had a great Christmas and New Years!

Same to you! We did have a wonderful holiday season.

 

[teekathepony]

Happy New Year everyone!!

A late sentiment, but heartfelt I promise.

This holiday season was the busiest we've ever had at work. It was good, but so tiring! Johnny and I took it really nice and easy over our Christmas break and we had a wonderful Christmas. I got a few new toys, had some good food (way too much of it!) and visited with our family.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/holiday too, and that you have a wonderful new year ahead!

Ok, I promised I wouldn't give up on this report, and I'm not going to, but I am going to ah... rush it through a little more. I'd like it to be done so I can move on to the planning of the next trip!

So anyway, onto the story!

Chapter 8:
Food and more "Fun"

We left off (LONG long ago!) looking for some food. We came across a fairly empty table service restaurant and were quickly seated. Our waiter was so quiet and calm that at first I thought he was just really easy going... but as the meal went on we never had a smile, a thank you, a please or a single polite gesture. That guy, as it turned out, was just rude and didn't appear to give a crap.

Anyway. I had nachos,

IMG_3793 by teekathepony, on Flickr

They were really tasty.

Johnny had a burger,

IMG_3794 by teekathepony, on Flickr

He enjoyed it. It was a pretty good, filling and relatively inexpensive meal. Other than the waiter, it was all good.

After that we rode some more rides (seriously, I can't actually remember exactly what we did, I'm going by the pictures.)

Definitely did Spiderman...
IMG_3796 by teekathepony, on Flickr

Got some more pictures of the other castle:
IMG_3797 by teekathepony, on Flickr

IMG_3798 by teekathepony, on Flickr

I believe we went back through Harry Potter so that we could get on the train and go back to the other park.

We rode MIB which is one of our absolute favourites

IMG_3801 by teekathepony, on Flickr

And made our way to Transformers,

IMG_3802 by teekathepony, on Flickr

I didn't love Transformers. It was a good ride, but nothing new. It was Spiderman with a makeover. Also it made me very nauseated.

It started to rain and I'm sure we did a few more rides. Then it started to pour.

We ducked back into the Harry Potter section and got a butterbeer.

IMG_3805 by teekathepony, on Flickr

IMG_3807 by teekathepony, on Flickr

We bought some new Harry Potter t-shirts because we were soaked, and then decided to head out. It was almost time for our evening entertainment.

We left and drove to Capones dinner theatre where we met up with the rest of the family. Unfortunately my MIL was very, very angry with me for leaving the rest of them for the day. The rest of the family didn't care at all, and she wasn't even mad at Johnny, just me. Absolutely ridiculous, but true nonetheless. She made my evening quite horrible in a very 7th-grade style manner and so I spend the evening waiting for it to be over. She can be pretty immature to say the least.

Other than that, the dinner theatre was pretty good. Food was good, lots of selection. If you like a few drinks, they kept them coming non-stop. The entertainment was ok. I wasn't in the mood to take any pictures though. The kids had a good time. Prince C enjoyed picking out his own food (french fries, plain spaghetti, rolls, and plain nachos -- all colourless foods.) and Princess D and I had a great time chatting about Harry Potter.

When the evening was mercifully over, we drove back to the condo and I went to bed and put my headphones in so I could drown out Extreme Shrimp Fishing or whatever show they were watching on top volume as they yelled to talk over it. I was ready to go home.

Next up: Finally things looking up, and back to Disney!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

WHAT??!!!! AN UPDATE??!!!

I'm glad you took time to really just enjoy the Holiday. With your crazy pre-Christmas work, I think that was the right choice, no question.

"That guy, as it turned out, was just rude and didn't appear to give a crap.

Anyway. I had nachos, "

I don't know why, but that just cracked me up.

Bang on with Transformers. So disappointing.

Ugh, this was the 23nd right? AKA, the day the sky fell in the form of rain? I remember it vividly.

Oh Lord, and the trip from hell continues. If memory serves, you did annouce that you were focussing on Potter that day. Some people just look for anything to complain about.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

i'm glad your Christmas and new years was good! it's nice to take a break at the end of the year and spend time with family!

man, you did get soaked at universal! glad you still had fun in spite of it. we haven't been to universal in forever, but I do remember loving men in black. I can't wait until we get the chance to go again!

what a bummer that MIL was being so passive aggressive and ruined the day for you. I know you can all get on each other's nerves on vacation, but at least be grown up enough to talk about it or let it go.... (unintentional frozen reference! )

 

[natebenma]

Glad to hear you had a nice Christmas and New Years, especially after a busy season at work.

Wow, I can't believe someone with such a lack of manners and personality was waiting tables at a theme park restaurant. Were you at Bubba Grumps?



I totally agree with you about Transformers. It's good, but didn't blow me away. I like Spiderman better. Maybe it is because I haven't really watched any of the Transformer movies, but I don't think that is it.

Men in Black is great!

So sorry to hear that is started raining and then started pouring.

Boo on getting the wrath of MIL at dinner!

 

[KatMark]

Wendy, so glad you and Johnny had a good Christmas and New Year. I loved your countdown on FB.

Sounds liked a crabby pants server at lunch for sure. And he must have had a talk with your MIL somehow too. Wow...what's with the MIL attitude? I would have left myself.

LOVE Men In Black!!!

You look so cute with your wet hair and butterbeer.

 

[jedijill]

Ugh, I'm sorry about the rain and MIL's attitude. I hate people that act that immature. My SIL is mad at me because I chose to spend Christmas Day with my parents instead of her mother's house.

Jill in CO

 

[JulieODC]

Ahhh, gotta love MILs!!

But, despite that, it sounds like it was a nice day overall!

Glad you had some time to relax and enjoy the holidays!

 

[teekathepony]

WHAT??!!!! AN UPDATE??!!!
I know, right? Can you believe it??

I'm glad you took time to really just enjoy the Holiday. With your crazy pre-Christmas work, I think that was the right choice, no question.
It was wonderful to relax and recharge.

"That guy, as it turned out, was just rude and didn't appear to give a crap.

Anyway. I had nachos, "

I don't know why, but that just cracked me up.
I wrote it in a bit of a hurry, but seeing it broken down into those two sentences, it does look kind of ridiculous!

Bang on with Transformers. So disappointing.
Yeah. I get it, it's a great ride platform... but no need to use it twice.

Ugh, this was the 23nd right? AKA, the day the sky fell in the form of rain? I remember it vividly.
Sounds right. I couldn't believe how heavy the rain came down!

Oh Lord, and the trip from hell continues. If memory serves, you did annouce that you were focussing on Potter that day. Some people just look for anything to complain about.
I did make it very clear ahead of time... but anyway. You're so right, and I'm one of two in-laws available for the receiving end of it!

i'm glad your Christmas and new years was good! it's nice to take a break at the end of the year and spend time with family!
It was really nice, hope yours was as well!

man, you did get soaked at universal! glad you still had fun in spite of it. we haven't been to universal in forever, but I do remember loving men in black. I can't wait until we get the chance to go again!
Completely drenched. But we still had fun for sure! Universal is kind of nice for a little change.

what a bummer that MIL was being so passive aggressive and ruined the day for you. I know you can all get on each other's nerves on vacation, but at least be grown up enough to talk about it or let it go.... (unintentional frozen reference! )
Agreed! I get it, the nerves get frayed... but yes, being a little more grown up about it would be nice.

Glad to hear you had a nice Christmas and New Years, especially after a busy season at work.
We needed some down-time, so it was very nice. How was yours Dee?

Wow, I can't believe someone with such a lack of manners and personality was waiting tables at a theme park restaurant. Were you at Bubba Grumps?


Hahaha! He shouldn't have been a server, that's for sure. Personality of a potato.

I totally agree with you about Transformers. It's good, but didn't blow me away. I like Spiderman better. Maybe it is because I haven't really watched any of the Transformer movies, but I don't think that is it.
I watched (and liked!) the Transformer movies and still wasn't blown away by the ride. We like Spiderman better too.

Men in Black is great!
It's one of our favourites, and we miss it when we only go to Islands.

So sorry to hear that is started raining and then started pouring.
We were getting used to it!

Boo on getting the wrath of MIL at dinner!

It really ruined my night for sure. Even now thinking back on it, I know we were all getting tired and cranky, but she seriously channeled it all straight to me. Ugh.

 

[teekathepony]

Wendy, so glad you and Johnny had a good Christmas and New Year. I loved your countdown on FB.
Thanks Kathy, it was nice to relax. Hope yours was also wonderful (kept up a little on Facebook, it looked very nice!)

Sounds liked a crabby pants server at lunch for sure. And he must have had a talk with your MIL somehow too. Wow...what's with the MIL attitude? I would have left myself.
I wanted to, but would have just had to sit in the van. Also I didn't want to afford her a single, solitary, real, concrete excuse for being mad at me, so I acted like a perfect angel!

LOVE Men In Black!!!
Us too!! (Hey wow! We agree on a ride! )

You look so cute with your wet hair and butterbeer.
Aww thanks! I was aiming for a '90s drowned rat look.

Ugh, I'm sorry about the rain and MIL's attitude. I hate people that act that immature. My SIL is mad at me because I chose to spend Christmas Day with my parents instead of her mother's house.

Jill in CO

Ugh, in-laws! I'm sorry about your situation with your SIL! Things get tough when you blend two families.

Ahhh, gotta love MILs!!
So they tell me.

But, despite that, it sounds like it was a nice day overall!
It was, I was glad to get to see all the new Harry Potter stuff!

Glad you had some time to relax and enjoy the holidays!
It was much-needed! Hoping you had a great holiday season too.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

yeah for an update! And planning the next trip is some of the best motivation to finish up a current trip report, I think


your nachos look good - bummer about the waiter though

Men in Black is a fun ride - I like it better than Buzz

Been seeing a trend in reviews for Transformers - I think this is one of the few "misses" Universal has had of late

What a bummer about the evening and your MIL ... sounds like she just didn't get what she wanted and took that out on you. At least the evening ended at some point

to be fair, extreme shrimp fishing can only be truly appreciated at maximum volume - shrimp are fairly quiet creatures you know

 

[MEK]

So happy to see an update, but I can definitely see while reading this update, why your enthusiasm for this trip was low.

So refresh my memory - what was the rest of the family doing while you guys were visiting Universal? Ugh to the cold shoulder during dinner. I would definitely not have liked that. Boo!

Rob had the same comment on the transformer ride. Interesting. The best way to drown out nausea - a butter beer!

 

[KatMark]

Happy Birthday dear Wendy; Mark and I wish you a magical day.

 

[amazingact21]

Yay, an update! I had wondered if this TR was tapered off due to it not being the best of times. It's hard to write about negative experiences. But I completely and totally understand that you were swamped at work. A photographer store during Christmas? I can only imagine how much traffic you saw in the store.



MIB is an awesome ride! I, too, love it. Sorry about Transformers not being that great. Everywhere I read, people say it's just a copycat of Spider-Man, which is a bummer. Universal has the creativity and means to create a whole new ride.


Oh gosh, that's no good about your MiL. I thought splitting up was the plan? And even if it wasn't, you can't expect people to stay together throughout an entire trip. People have different interests and likes. Oh well...sorry you had to deal with that at dinner.

 

[teekathepony]

yeah for an update! And planning the next trip is some of the best motivation to finish up a current trip report, I think
Agreed, especially when the upcoming one will be more exciting. I promise to update myself on your reports very soon! It's my project for today!


your nachos look good - bummer about the waiter though
They were good. At least he wasn't rude... he just wasn't nice either!

Men in Black is a fun ride - I like it better than Buzz
So do we! It's a really great ride.

Been seeing a trend in reviews for Transformers - I think this is one of the few "misses" Universal has had of late
Yeah, it's just disappointing when they copy an existing ride when they have the potential to do something really great.

What a bummer about the evening and your MIL ... sounds like she just didn't get what she wanted and took that out on you. At least the evening ended at some point
I think it was one of those times where everyone got tired and cranky. Unfortunate for sure!

to be fair, extreme shrimp fishing can only be truly appreciated at maximum volume - shrimp are fairly quiet creatures you know

So happy to see an update, but I can definitely see while reading this update, why your enthusiasm for this trip was low.
It's true, and I've been trying to make the best of it but really, I just can't wait to put it behind me! lol

So refresh my memory - what was the rest of the family doing while you guys were visiting Universal? Ugh to the cold shoulder during dinner. I would definitely not have liked that. Boo!
Ugh. I guess they watched while PrinceC played in a fountain for a FULL HOUR. Anyway. They were doing their thing and no one else had a problem with us doing ours...

Rob had the same comment on the transformer ride. Interesting. The best way to drown out nausea - a butter beer!
I remember Rob saying that, and then after riding thinking that it was a very accurate discription. Butterbeer soothes everything!

Happy Birthday dear Wendy; Mark and I wish you a magical day.

Thank you Kathy & Mark!!

Yay, an update! I had wondered if this TR was tapered off due to it not being the best of times. It's hard to write about negative experiences. But I completely and totally understand that you were swamped at work. A photographer store during Christmas? I can only imagine how much traffic you saw in the store.
You're not wrong about it tapering off due to a lackluster trip. I don't like unfinished business though, so I'm just going to rush through it instead! But yes, haha we were very, very busy! I think everyone on the island got a gallery wrap canvas print for Christmas!


MIB is an awesome ride! I, too, love it. Sorry about Transformers not being that great. Everywhere I read, people say it's just a copycat of Spider-Man, which is a bummer. Universal has the creativity and means to create a whole new ride.
Exactly! Universal, of all places, has the means to really do something special so it's really a bummer when they just copy something that already works.


Oh gosh, that's no good about your MiL. I thought splitting up was the plan? And even if it wasn't, you can't expect people to stay together throughout an entire trip. People have different interests and likes. Oh well...sorry you had to deal with that at dinner.
We thought splitting up was the plan too... it really sucked and I am so glad that's behind me now!

 

[teekathepony]

Hi all! Are you ready for a vastly accelerated account of the rest of the trip? Buckle up!


Chapter 9
“The Entire Magic Kingdom Day”

The next morning was drama-filled and yet again, we were very late getting to Magic Kingdom.

IMG_3810 by teekathepony, on Flickr

IMG_3811 by teekathepony, on Flickr

S-FIL had a talk with MIL, who was talking to me again. They all stopped at McDonalds for breakfast on the way, but Johnny and I headed to the Main St. Bakery for our breakfast. Something I'd always wanted to do! (And I got addicted to pumpkin spiced frappucinos! Yum!)

IMG_3818 by teekathepony, on Flickr

Johnny and I went straight to the Mine Train (leaving everyone else to do their own thing -- at that point, what had we to lose?) The line was quite long, 70 minutes, but we didn't know if we would get another opportunity so in it we stood.

IMG_3824 by teekathepony, on Flickr

I love the new queue! I love all the interactive elements. I can see how it could get really frustrating waiting for the people in front of you to move, but we didn't encounter any problems.

Finally time for the ride!

IMG_3830 by teekathepony, on Flickr

We loved it! It was fun and the animatronics were so cool. Great ride!
We met back up with the family somehow and rode Buzz.

IMG_3841 by teekathepony, on Flickr

I used a new trick I learned and got my highest score ever (Danielle, please don't laugh at my pathetic highest score ever.)

IMG_3846 by teekathepony, on Flickr

(And Johnny's score...)
IMG_3852 by teekathepony, on Flickr

Johnny was blown away and I promised to tell him my secret later. Maybe.

Next we all did Little Mermaid together.

IMG_3863 by teekathepony, on Flickr

IMG_3877 by teekathepony, on Flickr

The kids loved it, and so did the adults, but Shellie was completely awed by the ride and she said she felt like she had stepped right into one of her all-time favourite movies. She declared that if she did nothing else in the Magic Kingdom that day, she would still leave happy! She even texted some pictures to her sister who was a bigger Little Mermaid fan than she is.

Big Thunder Mountain railroad appears to have been next.

IMG_3930 by teekathepony, on Flickr

I'm pretty sure we had a fastpass for the whole family. I can't remember who among us rode and who didn't. It's possible Billy and PrinceC sat out. Anyway, the rest of us had fun.

After that... well I'm drawing some blanks. I do know that we all at some point ate at Cosmic Rays. That was fine. We did some more rides. This all might have been before BTMRR though because I know that after we rode that, it was almost time for the parade. We headed towards Main St. but the parade had started early! I missed the memo. I was so disappointed because this was my only chance to see Festival of Fantasy... and we blew it! I got a far off view of it though.

IMG_3931 by teekathepony, on Flickr

It's the #1 priority for this year's trip.

After that everyone was ready to head home. Yup, at 3:30. Billy and Shellie did say that they planned to come back for the fireworks with the kids. We told them to message us when they got back. We all went our merry ways.

Johnny and I may have done a few more things. Very possibly Splash Mountain. We got hungry and stopped, for the first time ever, at a Dis favourite (and highly recommended) Columbia Harbour House. We are not seafood fans and so we've never really been interested to try it before, but with so many good reviews, how could I keep saying no? Besides, I had a look at their menu and thought there were a couple of options for us.
When we got inside and looked at the menu, a chicken pot pie was calling to me like a siren. "Home style fooooood" It said. "Side of broccoli!" It sang. "NOT deep fried!" It beckoned. I was hooked.

IMG_3932 by teekathepony, on Flickr

Found out later that was the first day (I think) the pot pie was being offered!

I honestly can't remember what Johnny got, but similarly he was sick of fried foods and got something with vegetables. We both loved our meals and had a lovely little quite upstairs table. We will be back!

A few more rides,

IMG_3933 by teekathepony, on Flickr

A selfie,

IMG_3953 by teekathepony, on Flickr

More rides,

IMG_3955 by teekathepony, on Flickr

and then Johnny insisted on another go-round on Buzz. I told him the secret, but it didn't help -- we both must have missed it!

IMG_3960 by teekathepony, on Flickr

IMG_3963 by teekathepony, on Flickr

We were standing in Tomorrowland when I spotted a familiar face.

"Rob!" I shouted, hoping I was right.

The familiar face looked my way.

Sure enough we had bumped into DisneyKid4Life! We chatted for a while, compared notes on our trips. Eventually we got a text from the family -- they were back and just getting through the gates. We parted ways with Rob and went to meet them.

The streets were lining up for MSEP and I highly recommended we watch it. Johnny and I held a spot while Billy, Shellie and the kids got some Photopass pics taken.

IMG_3969 by teekathepony, on Flickr

While trying to save space for four, a family butted in front of me to my right. I held my ground, but one small lady with Down's Syndrome got in front of me. She turned to me and smiled shyly and said, "You're taller... is it ok?" Well she had me at taller. I'm 5'1" so it's rare that I'm taller than anyone. Plus that smile was hard to resist. I smiled back, "You're fine. Can you see ok?" "Yep. Thanks."

Our family came over and we all got squeezed in and situated. The music and parade started and the lady next to me leaned in with her hand on my arm, "Look! Here it comes!"

I took no pictures. I just enjoyed the whole experience.

That young lady was the highlight of my parade. At every float and character she would lean over and hold my arm or put her arm around my back and excitedly exclaim who was coming and how pretty their dress was. By the end of the parade we were linking arms and dancing to the music.

When the parade was over my new friend and I parted ways. We headed up toward Fantasyland. Everyone who was lined up for the parade stayed lined up for the fireworks but the family didn’t want to stay in one place too long and were hoping to get a few rides done.


(Like this one!)
IMG_3970 by teekathepony, on Flickr

Johnny was happy to finally have some kids to ride with. We noticed the Mine Train wait time – 15 minutes!!! Shellie, PrincessD, Johnny and I ran for it. We had a great ride and PrincessD kept loudly laughing and shouting, “THIS IS AWESOME!” which made my ride 10x more awesome. We had fun on that short ride and all came off with huge grins. (So much better at night!)

The fireworks were just about to start and we had no time to get in front of the castle so we watched them from very close to the entrance to Enchanted Tales with Belle. It was a fun spot to watch from, because some went off in front of us and some behind. We stood in one spot and swiveled. They loved the show, despite not having optimal viewing area.

Next we ran to Enchanted Tales with Belle.

IMG_3982 by teekathepony, on Flickr

Another one high on not only my priority list, but Shellie’s as well. We were all amazed at the mirror and really, the whole thing. What a fantastic (and adorable!) attraction!

IMG_3986 by teekathepony, on Flickr

Then it was time to leave.

IMG_3996 by teekathepony, on Flickr

We wandered out of the park and made it back to the condo and crashed in bed.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Seatbelt is on Wendy!!!

Good for you. McDonald's or Main St. Bakery? Yeah, you chose... wisely.

I'm really glad you rode Mine Train. Even if you hadn't liked it, given all you've been through this trip, it probably would have been a big regret.

I'm kinda loving the Mermaid love.

The parade started early???? Oh I'm so sorry you missed it. BUT, one more priority for next time.

I still can't get over everybody leaving so early. I just don't get it. Different strokes I guess.

Columbia Harbour House right??!! Yeah, you'll be back.

Ah YAY second DISmeet!!!! That was so cool to run into you like that. And I guess it was so normal by that point, no pictures at all, lol. This was actually my favourite end to end day of the trip (and as it turns out final day). So much to talk about after we parted ways.

Not exactly being Shaq myself, when you get a "You're taller", yeah, you take it. Plus, what a sweet memory to have with that young lady.

How weird is it that I was actually watching those same fireworks in almost the same spot? Just around the corner I was.

 

[jedijill]

Glad your day at MK was so awesome! What a sweet story about the lady at the parade.

Jill in CO