Today, I got to shepherd two Things back to CA all by my lonesome. They were very good, which was appreciated, especially due to my high stress level.
When I took Sweetie to the airport, it took about 40 minutes. But today, we got on I-4 and it was a parking lot. (Beach traffic? It's Saturday for god's sake.) I hadn't left enough time for I-4 to be a parking lot, so I scrambled about with the GPS and found an alternate route. I think we got on 417 to the FL turnpike to 528. It was much emptier that way, but I still didn't have time to fill up the rental before turning it in.
Entering the airport I saw that American only had something like 4 check-in spots open, and the line was ridiculous. We stood there for about 10 minutes (with the line not moving) when someone came out and said, "Anyone for LA?". Off we went to the front of the line. Ten minutes later we were in a huge line for security. My stress level was still pretty high. But we did make the flight. We even had a chance to pick up some food before we boarded. Tasty, expensive airport fast food. Mmmmm.
Like I said, the Things were excellent. No whining at all during the entire stressful journey to the plane. They've both reached ages where that's possible, thank goodness. The movie on the plane was How to Train Your Dragon, which is funny and entertaining, although the Things had seen it before. They continued their good behavior all the way to the apartment in SP.
At that point, everyone collapsed into a heap. A successful vacation. We have a day of shopping ahead of us, and then Calvin goes off to sleep-away camp for two weeks. Hobbes will be awfully lonely. About the time Calvin is back from camp, Sweetie will not only be back from the cruise, but done with the class, and then it's just a few weeks until school starts, and life returns to normal.
Or at least as normal as life ever is around here.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Vacation Day 12 - Bye-bye to Sweetie
Today was not the most exciting vacation day, but we definitely needed a rest day, especially Sweetie. Not because she was so tired yesterday, but because of what is in store for her. More on that in a moment.
We stayed in and did laundry and packed while the kids - wait for it - swam in the pool. Sweetie finally had a chance to talk to her mom and siblings and nieces and nephews. The kids watched some Mickey Mouse cartoons.
In the evening, I dropped Sweetie off at the airport. She is flying to SF and will be teaching 20 day class, of which the first 10 days are on a tall ship sailing from SF down through the Channel Islands to Catalina. Then the next 10 days are on Catalina, so she'll be home, but not home. This will be very exhausting, particularly because she will be a deck hand while on the boat. That means she'll have to stand watch, help with sails, and do all those tall ship things you read about in the Master & Commander novels. Very exciting, no?
Some of the other family left today, too. So it's really feeling like vacation is over. Tomorrow - we leave.
We stayed in and did laundry and packed while the kids - wait for it - swam in the pool. Sweetie finally had a chance to talk to her mom and siblings and nieces and nephews. The kids watched some Mickey Mouse cartoons.
In the evening, I dropped Sweetie off at the airport. She is flying to SF and will be teaching 20 day class, of which the first 10 days are on a tall ship sailing from SF down through the Channel Islands to Catalina. Then the next 10 days are on Catalina, so she'll be home, but not home. This will be very exhausting, particularly because she will be a deck hand while on the boat. That means she'll have to stand watch, help with sails, and do all those tall ship things you read about in the Master & Commander novels. Very exciting, no?
Some of the other family left today, too. So it's really feeling like vacation is over. Tomorrow - we leave.
Vacation Day 11 - Return of the Typhoon
Today, in part to make up for the day before, we let Calvin choose where we were going to go, and, of course, he wanted to go back to the water park. So it was off to Typhoon Lagoon again.
We started the day in the Wave Pool, which we hadn't done at all Monday. Hobbes and I went out a little deeper than Calvin and Sweetie. The waves were fun, but it was so crowded that I found myself checking upstream and downstream before they hit so I could see who was going to smash into me and into who I would smash. I almost lost my sunglasses twice. Every half-hour or so the mode of the pool changes from waves to swells (or vice-versa) So we played in the swells a bit, and then decided to move on.
At this point, vacation seemed to catch up with Sweetie and she said she was feeling very tired and a little unwell, so she went off to nap in a chair in the shade, while we boys roamed the park.
We went back to the Storm Slides and went down many, many times, and then went back over to the Mayday, Gangplank and Keelhaul Falls. All very wet, splashy fun. It was interesting looking at the other patrons now that it was later in the week: there were more people there, and the sunburns were much worse than on Monday.
Being back on the correct side of the park, we checked in on Sweetie (feeling better after her nap, but not up to speed yet). The Things got caught up in playing in the Ketchakiddee Creek splash park area (which they thought they were too old for the other day), so we hung out there for a while.
With Sweetie still staying behind, we went back down to the slides because Hobbes wanted to go down the Humunga Cowabunga again. I asked him if he could go by himself, since I didn't want to leave Calvin alone, and he was fine with that, so off he went while Calvin and I went down the Storm Slides. At the top, we saw him getting ready to go down. I shouted, but Hobbes didn't hear me. After that, Hobbes wanted me to go with him, so (being a very trusting parent) I told Calvin to wait at the bottom of the HC for us (which he did, very nicely). Boy that slide is quite a rush. I enjoyed my second slide much more than the first time on Monday. And I got less of a water wedgie.
Sweetie rejoined us. We went down to do the Crush'n'Gusher a few times, hit the wave pool again, and then large black clouds rolled in, and there was some thunder. The lifeguards blew their whistles and cleared all the attractions. It looked like it might blow over, but it was getting late in the day, so we decided to go back to the house...and swim in the pool.
After dinner, one of the cousin's came into the house saying "Hey come look at this!" So we went outside and found a big rhinoceros beetle! That was pretty cool. (And gives us our only pictures from today.)
This was our last day of activities for vacation, although there's still another day left. I think we've done enough and are tired enough to take a day off.
Today's (short) Scorecard:
We started the day in the Wave Pool, which we hadn't done at all Monday. Hobbes and I went out a little deeper than Calvin and Sweetie. The waves were fun, but it was so crowded that I found myself checking upstream and downstream before they hit so I could see who was going to smash into me and into who I would smash. I almost lost my sunglasses twice. Every half-hour or so the mode of the pool changes from waves to swells (or vice-versa) So we played in the swells a bit, and then decided to move on.
At this point, vacation seemed to catch up with Sweetie and she said she was feeling very tired and a little unwell, so she went off to nap in a chair in the shade, while we boys roamed the park.
We went back to the Storm Slides and went down many, many times, and then went back over to the Mayday, Gangplank and Keelhaul Falls. All very wet, splashy fun. It was interesting looking at the other patrons now that it was later in the week: there were more people there, and the sunburns were much worse than on Monday.
Being back on the correct side of the park, we checked in on Sweetie (feeling better after her nap, but not up to speed yet). The Things got caught up in playing in the Ketchakiddee Creek splash park area (which they thought they were too old for the other day), so we hung out there for a while.
With Sweetie still staying behind, we went back down to the slides because Hobbes wanted to go down the Humunga Cowabunga again. I asked him if he could go by himself, since I didn't want to leave Calvin alone, and he was fine with that, so off he went while Calvin and I went down the Storm Slides. At the top, we saw him getting ready to go down. I shouted, but Hobbes didn't hear me. After that, Hobbes wanted me to go with him, so (being a very trusting parent) I told Calvin to wait at the bottom of the HC for us (which he did, very nicely). Boy that slide is quite a rush. I enjoyed my second slide much more than the first time on Monday. And I got less of a water wedgie.
Sweetie rejoined us. We went down to do the Crush'n'Gusher a few times, hit the wave pool again, and then large black clouds rolled in, and there was some thunder. The lifeguards blew their whistles and cleared all the attractions. It looked like it might blow over, but it was getting late in the day, so we decided to go back to the house...and swim in the pool.
After dinner, one of the cousin's came into the house saying "Hey come look at this!" So we went outside and found a big rhinoceros beetle! That was pretty cool. (And gives us our only pictures from today.)
This was our last day of activities for vacation, although there's still another day left. I think we've done enough and are tired enough to take a day off.
Today's (short) Scorecard:
| Ride | Me | Sweetie | Hobbes | Calvin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool | B | C+ | A+ | A+ |
| Ketchakiddee Creek | C | n/a | C | C+ |
Monday, August 9, 2010
Vacation Day 10 - Calvin's Birthday
[Editor's note: You will notice, of course, that I am writing as though events happened today, rather than a month ago. This works better for me as a 'writer'. Also, wanted to note that updated ride grades have been posted for the days leading up to this one, and there may even be one or two new pictures, so take another look at the last few vacation posts.]
Today was Calvin's birthday. Turning the big 7. In celebration, we went to the Magic Kingdom, not because he really wanted to (he wanted to go back to the water park), but because most of the rest of the extended family was also going, and we thought it would be nice if we all went together. As it turns out, we did run into some of the other family groups during the day, but we didn't really do anything with them at the park.
Upon our arrival, we decided to go to Adventureland and check out Thunder Mountain Railroad. Calvin took one look and decided this was way too scary and he wasn't going on it. Vast amounts of cajoling, ego massaging, etc were for naught - he wouldn't go. So Hobbes and I took a ride, had a great time, told Calvin as much, but alas, still no movement. So Sweetie and Hobbes went while I tried to determine what Calvin DID want to do today (Sweetie has also tried this while Hobbes and I were on the ride). Well, he didn't want to do anything. Everything either fell into the category of Too Scary, or For Little Kids. On top of this he was upset with himself for being 'chicken', and he thought Sweetie and I were mad at him because he didn't want to go on any rides. We tried to straighten him out, to no avail. So we got something to eat, hoping that would improve his disposition.
After our snack, he was still being persnickety, so Hobbes and I went on the Splash Mountain flume ride. Once again, it was hot. Really, really hot, so the flume was popular. We got on line and the wait was 45 minutes, which really wasn't too bad, considering there was this huge group of Argentinian teenage girls in the park that day, who were hitting the rides in large packs. We were in front of them in line, thank goodness. While in line, I tried to explain to Hobbes what Song of the South was (the ride is based on it) and remember some of the Bre'r Rabbit stories. The ride was pure Disney and had a great flume at the end.
We found Sweetie and Calvin, and Sweetie told that they had arrived at a plan: she and Calvin would go and ride the Barnstormer (the only thing he agreed to go on) while Hobbes and I did what we wished and we would meet up later. Fine, so long as Calvin was happy on his birthday.
Hobbes and I went on a bunch of rides: Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin's Magic Carpet, The Enchanted Tiki Lounge (Under New Management). I even convinced him to try the Haunted Mansion, which was spookier than I remembered, but still not that scary. Hobbes was a little freaked out, and didn't like the ghost sitting in the carriage with us, but he got through it okay. We also did the Hall of Presidents. (Barak Obama got quite an ovation.)
It was getting on in the day, so we decided to try to switch off boys. As we passed the Magic Castle, on of the shows was going on, so we stopped to watch it. I didn't think Hobbes would be that interested (since it had singing and dancing and princesses), but he was pretty engaged.
We found Sweetie and Calvin. They had rode the Barnstormer many times, looked in Minnie Mouse's house, and then gone to the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor show twice. Once they texted in a joke, and it was used in the show, which I think was quite a thrill for Calvin.
Sweetie and Hobbes headed off for Space Mountain, and Calvin and I headed for the Jungle Cruise. Things were not to be, however. The line for Space Mountain was 70 minutes, and Hobbes didn't want to wait that long. Meanwhile Calvin and I stood in line for the Jungle Cruise only to have the ride break down when we were close to the front. So we headed over to the Aladdin ride. We stood in line, and Calvin worried about how high the carpets went. In the end, he got out of the ride because Sweetie called to say that if we didn't leave the park soon, the pizza party dinner we were supposed to be hosting back at the house wouldn't be until 8pm. So we bailed. (Although both Things did get Mickey Mouse watches before we left.)
We returned to the house, and the kids (duh) went swimming while we waited for the pizza to show up. We had a nice big family birthday party for Calvin (and Hobbes also got a few gifts). He's had some pretty lame birthdays in the past, because we're often travelling on his birthday, so I think he enjoyed being the center of attention at this big party.
Later that night, Sweetie and I were talking about Calvin's problems during the day, and we decided that on top of probably being tired, the last attraction we did Monday when we were at Magic Kingdom was that stupid Stitch's Great Escape experience, which scared the pants off Calvin. So maybe he didn't want to try new rides because he didn't want to be scared like that again. Who knows. I think at the end, he had an enjoyable day, and that's what's important, even if it didn't meet the expectations in my head.
Today's Scorecard (for new rides only):
Today was Calvin's birthday. Turning the big 7. In celebration, we went to the Magic Kingdom, not because he really wanted to (he wanted to go back to the water park), but because most of the rest of the extended family was also going, and we thought it would be nice if we all went together. As it turns out, we did run into some of the other family groups during the day, but we didn't really do anything with them at the park.
Upon our arrival, we decided to go to Adventureland and check out Thunder Mountain Railroad. Calvin took one look and decided this was way too scary and he wasn't going on it. Vast amounts of cajoling, ego massaging, etc were for naught - he wouldn't go. So Hobbes and I took a ride, had a great time, told Calvin as much, but alas, still no movement. So Sweetie and Hobbes went while I tried to determine what Calvin DID want to do today (Sweetie has also tried this while Hobbes and I were on the ride). Well, he didn't want to do anything. Everything either fell into the category of Too Scary, or For Little Kids. On top of this he was upset with himself for being 'chicken', and he thought Sweetie and I were mad at him because he didn't want to go on any rides. We tried to straighten him out, to no avail. So we got something to eat, hoping that would improve his disposition.
After our snack, he was still being persnickety, so Hobbes and I went on the Splash Mountain flume ride. Once again, it was hot. Really, really hot, so the flume was popular. We got on line and the wait was 45 minutes, which really wasn't too bad, considering there was this huge group of Argentinian teenage girls in the park that day, who were hitting the rides in large packs. We were in front of them in line, thank goodness. While in line, I tried to explain to Hobbes what Song of the South was (the ride is based on it) and remember some of the Bre'r Rabbit stories. The ride was pure Disney and had a great flume at the end.
We found Sweetie and Calvin, and Sweetie told that they had arrived at a plan: she and Calvin would go and ride the Barnstormer (the only thing he agreed to go on) while Hobbes and I did what we wished and we would meet up later. Fine, so long as Calvin was happy on his birthday.
Hobbes and I went on a bunch of rides: Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin's Magic Carpet, The Enchanted Tiki Lounge (Under New Management). I even convinced him to try the Haunted Mansion, which was spookier than I remembered, but still not that scary. Hobbes was a little freaked out, and didn't like the ghost sitting in the carriage with us, but he got through it okay. We also did the Hall of Presidents. (Barak Obama got quite an ovation.)
It was getting on in the day, so we decided to try to switch off boys. As we passed the Magic Castle, on of the shows was going on, so we stopped to watch it. I didn't think Hobbes would be that interested (since it had singing and dancing and princesses), but he was pretty engaged.
We found Sweetie and Calvin. They had rode the Barnstormer many times, looked in Minnie Mouse's house, and then gone to the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor show twice. Once they texted in a joke, and it was used in the show, which I think was quite a thrill for Calvin.
Sweetie and Hobbes headed off for Space Mountain, and Calvin and I headed for the Jungle Cruise. Things were not to be, however. The line for Space Mountain was 70 minutes, and Hobbes didn't want to wait that long. Meanwhile Calvin and I stood in line for the Jungle Cruise only to have the ride break down when we were close to the front. So we headed over to the Aladdin ride. We stood in line, and Calvin worried about how high the carpets went. In the end, he got out of the ride because Sweetie called to say that if we didn't leave the park soon, the pizza party dinner we were supposed to be hosting back at the house wouldn't be until 8pm. So we bailed. (Although both Things did get Mickey Mouse watches before we left.)
We returned to the house, and the kids (duh) went swimming while we waited for the pizza to show up. We had a nice big family birthday party for Calvin (and Hobbes also got a few gifts). He's had some pretty lame birthdays in the past, because we're often travelling on his birthday, so I think he enjoyed being the center of attention at this big party.
Later that night, Sweetie and I were talking about Calvin's problems during the day, and we decided that on top of probably being tired, the last attraction we did Monday when we were at Magic Kingdom was that stupid Stitch's Great Escape experience, which scared the pants off Calvin. So maybe he didn't want to try new rides because he didn't want to be scared like that again. Who knows. I think at the end, he had an enjoyable day, and that's what's important, even if it didn't meet the expectations in my head.
Today's Scorecard (for new rides only):
| Ride | Me | Sweetie | Hobbes | Calvin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | A | A | A+ | n/a |
| Minnie's Country House | n/a | B- | n/a | B+ |
| Splash Mountain | A | n/a | A | n/a |
| The Magic Carpets of Aladdin | C | n/a | B+ | n/a |
| The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management | C | n/a | B+ | n/a |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | B | n/a | B+ | n/a |
| Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe | D | n/a | A | C+ |
| Hall of Presidents | A | n/a | A | n/a |
| Haunted Mansion | B | n/a | B+ | n/a |
Vacation Day 9 - Animal Kingdom
In the interest of slowing things down a bit, this morning we took our time getting started. Around 11am we drove over to the Animal Kingdom, picking up a scooter for Grandma W, who was accompanying us today. It was hot. Really hot. Again.
Upon entering the park, we were confronted by the Tree - this is a very cool giant tree sculpture with animal figures worked into the bark. It was fun to try to identify all the critters in there, and as we traveled around the tree, each new angle revealed new creatures to discover. I thought it was very well done.
We looked at some animals, including a shark-looking catfish, a digging porcupine, some big storks, a pair of parrots, and the flamingos. One flamingo decided it was time to put on a little show, and was running around, flapping his wings in full mating display. We crossed the bridge into Africa, had a quick lunch, and then hopped on the Kilimanjaro Safari. This is a bus trip purportedly through the African savannah. They have lot of animals roaming around, and a few came very close to the truck, including a rhino, and a mother and baby giraffe. That was pretty cool.
After this, we took the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. The highlight was the baby gorilla. It was apparently 5 months old, and was taking a nap on the ground in the shade. It was so relaxed it practically looked deceased. But she was awfully cute. Mom didn't like everyone looking at her baby and picked her up. We also went through an aviary that had a number of colorful birds, including a striking violet-backed starling (which, alas, I got video of, rather than a picture).
As we were finishing this, we got a call from another part of our group. They had found the DINOSAUR ride, and thought the Things might like to try it. So we trudged down to DinoLand USA. A quick look at the descriptive sign (dark, shaking around, thrill ride) told us that Calvin would not like it, so Hobbes and I went in. And let me tell you, Calvin would not have enjoyed it. It was very dark, and every time you went around a corner, a giant dinosaur head pops out of the darkness at you. Pretty intense. And loud. I'm not sure Hobbes liked it that much; heck, I'm not sure I enjoyed it. But we survived and bought a souvenir.
Calvin was fading fast at this point. He was hot and tired and cranky. I tried to get him interested in going to It's Tough to be a Bug! (a Bug's Life-themed short movie) - no dice. How about the Kali River Rapids floom ride? Nope. Sigh. We decided to do the petting zoo, sorry, Affection Section, and call it a day. A short train ride on the Wildlife Express took us to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Before petting, we went into the (air conditioned!) Conservation Station and saw big insects, snakes, and talked to a lady about the food they feed the animals there. Then we went out to pat the goats and sheep. They also had a cow, some miniature donkeys, a pig and a llama, but they weren't very pattable. Calvin and Hobbes really enjoyed this, and it was a good way to end the day.
The Things were so exhausted when we got back to the house that they had to swim in the pool for a few hours to rest.
Tomorrow - Calvin's Birthday!
Today's Scorecard
Upon entering the park, we were confronted by the Tree - this is a very cool giant tree sculpture with animal figures worked into the bark. It was fun to try to identify all the critters in there, and as we traveled around the tree, each new angle revealed new creatures to discover. I thought it was very well done.
We looked at some animals, including a shark-looking catfish, a digging porcupine, some big storks, a pair of parrots, and the flamingos. One flamingo decided it was time to put on a little show, and was running around, flapping his wings in full mating display. We crossed the bridge into Africa, had a quick lunch, and then hopped on the Kilimanjaro Safari. This is a bus trip purportedly through the African savannah. They have lot of animals roaming around, and a few came very close to the truck, including a rhino, and a mother and baby giraffe. That was pretty cool.
After this, we took the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. The highlight was the baby gorilla. It was apparently 5 months old, and was taking a nap on the ground in the shade. It was so relaxed it practically looked deceased. But she was awfully cute. Mom didn't like everyone looking at her baby and picked her up. We also went through an aviary that had a number of colorful birds, including a striking violet-backed starling (which, alas, I got video of, rather than a picture).
As we were finishing this, we got a call from another part of our group. They had found the DINOSAUR ride, and thought the Things might like to try it. So we trudged down to DinoLand USA. A quick look at the descriptive sign (dark, shaking around, thrill ride) told us that Calvin would not like it, so Hobbes and I went in. And let me tell you, Calvin would not have enjoyed it. It was very dark, and every time you went around a corner, a giant dinosaur head pops out of the darkness at you. Pretty intense. And loud. I'm not sure Hobbes liked it that much; heck, I'm not sure I enjoyed it. But we survived and bought a souvenir.
Calvin was fading fast at this point. He was hot and tired and cranky. I tried to get him interested in going to It's Tough to be a Bug! (a Bug's Life-themed short movie) - no dice. How about the Kali River Rapids floom ride? Nope. Sigh. We decided to do the petting zoo, sorry, Affection Section, and call it a day. A short train ride on the Wildlife Express took us to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Before petting, we went into the (air conditioned!) Conservation Station and saw big insects, snakes, and talked to a lady about the food they feed the animals there. Then we went out to pat the goats and sheep. They also had a cow, some miniature donkeys, a pig and a llama, but they weren't very pattable. Calvin and Hobbes really enjoyed this, and it was a good way to end the day.
The Things were so exhausted when we got back to the house that they had to swim in the pool for a few hours to rest.
Tomorrow - Calvin's Birthday!
Today's Scorecard
| Ride | Me | Sweetie | Hobbes | Calvin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Island Trails | C | B | A- | B |
| Kilimanjaro Safaris | A | A | A | A |
| Pangani Forest Exploration Trail | B | A- | A- | B+ |
| DINOSAUR | B | n/a | D | n/a |
| Wildlife Express Train | C | B | C | |
| Conservation Station | B | B- | A | |
| Affection Section | D | C- | A | B+ |
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Vacation Day 8 - Water, water, everywhere
The Disney ticket package we purchased gave us access to their water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. As I might have mentioned, it's been really hot and humid, so we decided to check out one of the water parks. After extensive research, we decided on Typhoon Lagoon because there are fewer slides with height restrictions (for Calvin to ride).
[Better pictures are coming, but we need to develop our waterproof camera.]
Another nice thing about the water parks (besides the water on a hot day) is that parking is free, although locker rental is $10 (for unlimited access to a large locker for the day). Central to Typhoon Lagoon is a large wave pool, which I referred to as "stew" because of all the people floating in the water. We actually avoided that this day and headed right over to the Crush 'n' Gusher, a water roller coaster - you carry a tube up to the top of the tower and there's a series of drops and lifts, so it's not quite a floom with one large drop. There are actually three different courses to take, which speeds the lines and adds variety. This was one of the rides that Calvin was a tad too short to ride on; we said he could leave on his sandals to do the height check, but he refused, saying he didn't want to cheat (very admirable). So Hobbes and I tried it out and it was fun. So Hobbes went again with Sweetie.
Then we moved on to some other raft rides: Gangplank Falls, Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls. Gangplank was a "family" raft ride in which you got soaked. The other two were single-rider slides. They were all fun, but I liked Gangplank best. After lunch, we headed over to the Storm Slides. These were three water slides with different personalities: one had a dark tunnel, one was very twisty, and one was very fast. Calvin, in particular, loved these and went on them many, many times. (Here I will note that it was 110 steps up (and 37 steps down) to get to the top of the Storm Slides. Calvin went on them 9 times this day.)
Right next to the Storm Slides was the Humunga Cowabunga, a five-story straight down water slide. This also had a height restriction, so Hobbes an I did this first, and then Sweetie and Hobbes went. It's a tube, so when you start, you drop into pitch black, and then, when you get toward the bottom and start to see light, your feet start kicking up water, essentially blinding you. So you really can't see anything the whole way down. Terrifying.
We bounced among these rides for the rest of the day, and then left before dinner because we had a special appointment that evening. Yes, as part of Calvin's birthday, we had gotten tickets to the Pirates & Pals Firework Voyage, a cruise across the Disney Lake to see the electric parade and the "Summer Nightastic" fireworks show. We were met at the Contemporary Resort by Patch and Patch the identically named pirates who introduced Mr. Smee and Capt. Hook. Now I don't know if it was because we had a full, tiring day at the water park, or if Calvin was just a little freaked out by the costumed characters, but he wouldn't go anywhere near them and started saying he didn't want to go on the boat. Augh! So we gave him a coke and a brownie and some cotton candy and crossed our fingers. Hobbes was enjoying meeting the characters, and even had a minor kerfuffle with the crabby Capt Hook.
After the meet-and-greet with the Hook and Smee, it was time to split up into our boat groups and head down to the pier. Calvin got a special surprise here, because he was called up to be First Mate (that means he carried the flag and led the group down to the boat). I wasn't sure how he was going to respond to this given his behavior so far this evening, but he went right up when called and took the flag (remarking "but I don't know how to get to the boat") and off we went. He did a great job, and did get us to our boat; in return, he received a nice plastic cutlass from Patch.
The boat set sail, and there were jokes and songs and general rowdiness until we reached the position from which we watched the Electric Water Pageant, which apparently hasn't changed (much) since its debut in 1971. That was pretty enjoyable. We then celebrated birthdays (including Calvin's and Hobbe's) and anniversaries until we reached our position for watching the Summer Nightastic fireworks display. Let me just say Disney wins when it comes to fireworks - what a great display! Everyone oohed and aahed. On the trip back to the pier, we played a trivia game in which Hobbes won a water flintlock pistol. Everyone was very satisfied - and tired. At the pier, who should meet us, but Peter Pan himself! Calvin was having none of that, either, but Hobbes was a good sport and discussed how to defeat Hook with him.
Home, to bed, and looking forward to a lighter day tomorrow.
Today's Scorecard
[Better pictures are coming, but we need to develop our waterproof camera.]
Another nice thing about the water parks (besides the water on a hot day) is that parking is free, although locker rental is $10 (for unlimited access to a large locker for the day). Central to Typhoon Lagoon is a large wave pool, which I referred to as "stew" because of all the people floating in the water. We actually avoided that this day and headed right over to the Crush 'n' Gusher, a water roller coaster - you carry a tube up to the top of the tower and there's a series of drops and lifts, so it's not quite a floom with one large drop. There are actually three different courses to take, which speeds the lines and adds variety. This was one of the rides that Calvin was a tad too short to ride on; we said he could leave on his sandals to do the height check, but he refused, saying he didn't want to cheat (very admirable). So Hobbes and I tried it out and it was fun. So Hobbes went again with Sweetie.
Then we moved on to some other raft rides: Gangplank Falls, Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls. Gangplank was a "family" raft ride in which you got soaked. The other two were single-rider slides. They were all fun, but I liked Gangplank best. After lunch, we headed over to the Storm Slides. These were three water slides with different personalities: one had a dark tunnel, one was very twisty, and one was very fast. Calvin, in particular, loved these and went on them many, many times. (Here I will note that it was 110 steps up (and 37 steps down) to get to the top of the Storm Slides. Calvin went on them 9 times this day.)
Right next to the Storm Slides was the Humunga Cowabunga, a five-story straight down water slide. This also had a height restriction, so Hobbes an I did this first, and then Sweetie and Hobbes went. It's a tube, so when you start, you drop into pitch black, and then, when you get toward the bottom and start to see light, your feet start kicking up water, essentially blinding you. So you really can't see anything the whole way down. Terrifying.
We bounced among these rides for the rest of the day, and then left before dinner because we had a special appointment that evening. Yes, as part of Calvin's birthday, we had gotten tickets to the Pirates & Pals Firework Voyage, a cruise across the Disney Lake to see the electric parade and the "Summer Nightastic" fireworks show. We were met at the Contemporary Resort by Patch and Patch the identically named pirates who introduced Mr. Smee and Capt. Hook. Now I don't know if it was because we had a full, tiring day at the water park, or if Calvin was just a little freaked out by the costumed characters, but he wouldn't go anywhere near them and started saying he didn't want to go on the boat. Augh! So we gave him a coke and a brownie and some cotton candy and crossed our fingers. Hobbes was enjoying meeting the characters, and even had a minor kerfuffle with the crabby Capt Hook.
After the meet-and-greet with the Hook and Smee, it was time to split up into our boat groups and head down to the pier. Calvin got a special surprise here, because he was called up to be First Mate (that means he carried the flag and led the group down to the boat). I wasn't sure how he was going to respond to this given his behavior so far this evening, but he went right up when called and took the flag (remarking "but I don't know how to get to the boat") and off we went. He did a great job, and did get us to our boat; in return, he received a nice plastic cutlass from Patch.
The boat set sail, and there were jokes and songs and general rowdiness until we reached the position from which we watched the Electric Water Pageant, which apparently hasn't changed (much) since its debut in 1971. That was pretty enjoyable. We then celebrated birthdays (including Calvin's and Hobbe's) and anniversaries until we reached our position for watching the Summer Nightastic fireworks display. Let me just say Disney wins when it comes to fireworks - what a great display! Everyone oohed and aahed. On the trip back to the pier, we played a trivia game in which Hobbes won a water flintlock pistol. Everyone was very satisfied - and tired. At the pier, who should meet us, but Peter Pan himself! Calvin was having none of that, either, but Hobbes was a good sport and discussed how to defeat Hook with him.
Home, to bed, and looking forward to a lighter day tomorrow.
Today's Scorecard
| Ride | Me | Sweetie | Hobbes | Calvin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gangplank Falls | A | A | A | A |
| Keelhaul Falls | B+ | A | A+ | A+ |
| Mayday Falls | B | B- | B+ | A+ |
| Castaway Creek | C | C | C | C |
| Storm Slides (Stern Burner) | A | A | A+ | A+ |
| Storm Slides (Jib Jammer) | A- | A | A+ | A+ |
| Storm Slides (Rudder Buster) | A | A- | A+ | A+ |
| Humunga Cowabunga | B- | A- | A | n/a |
| Crush 'n' Gusher (Banana Blaster) | A | n/a | A+ | n/a |
| Crush 'n' Gusher (Coconut Crusher) | n/a | A | A+ | n/a |
| Crush 'n' Gusher (Pineapple Plunger) | n/a | A- | A+ | n/a |
| Pirates n' Pals Fireworks Voyage | A | A | A | A |
Vacation Day 7 - Off to Disney!
Today it was time to say goodbye to Grammy and Grandpa and head off to the W compound. One of Sweetie's nieces rented some houses for the W clan to stay in for a big family vacation. We were staying at a place called Solana, and the houses were really nice, and each had a swimming pool in a screened in back porch, and some games in the garage. We were staying with Sweetie's cousin and wife and their young son (a little younger than Calvin), Sweetie's 15-yr old nephew, and Sweetie's sister (Aunt T) and her husband. The rest were in the other house.
People were still settling in (they all were coming in from the Midwest), so we decided to hit the Magic Kingdom. The drive over took about 20 minutes, and after parking, we took the monorail to the park, and then rode the train to Mickey's Toontown Fair on the far side of the park. We looked in on Mickey's house, which was entertaining, and then stood in line in the Judge's tent to see Mickey. It was cool to see him (and Minnie), and I think the kids enjoyed it, although Calvin was a little unsure of them.
We then headed over to our first ride of the day, the Barnstormer, a little roller coaster. Lines weren't too bad, about 15 minutes, and everybody really enjoyed the ride. After that we headed over to Tomorrowland and the Speedway. I drove with Calvin, and Sweetie and Hobbes had their own cars. I thought this was a lot of fun, but Hobbes was having some trouble steering, so he was a little frustrated. After that, we grabbed a bite and then went to the Carousel of Progress. This is one of the rides I went on when I was here when I was about Calvin's age. Since then the ride has changed. It's not obviously sponsored by GE anymore, and they've changed the song that is sung (from "Now is the Best Time" to "A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow") and the last scene was modernized - I don't remember what it was like before, but it certainly didn't include a big flat-screen TV, video games and a laptop computer in 1976.
After that, we did the Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor, which was a funny show with some good audience participation. Everyone loved that. Right across the way was Stitch's Great Escape. In this, well, it wasn't really a ride, more like an experience, you're supposed to be a space police recruit trying to capture Stitch. You end up sitting in the dark with a harness down over you and they use sound and move the harness to make you think Stitch is running around on and behind you. I didn't think it was much of anything, but it scared the bejezeesus out of Calvin - he was quite unhappy about it. And then we were dumped in a gift shop and he bought a plush Stitch and was happy again. Go figure. We decided it was time to start heading to the exit, but on the way, we passed the Prince Charming Regal Carousel and had to give it a ride. We decided to take the ferry back to the parking lot, just for the experience.
Sweetie decided we should grade all the rides, so here's today's scorecard:
People were still settling in (they all were coming in from the Midwest), so we decided to hit the Magic Kingdom. The drive over took about 20 minutes, and after parking, we took the monorail to the park, and then rode the train to Mickey's Toontown Fair on the far side of the park. We looked in on Mickey's house, which was entertaining, and then stood in line in the Judge's tent to see Mickey. It was cool to see him (and Minnie), and I think the kids enjoyed it, although Calvin was a little unsure of them.
We then headed over to our first ride of the day, the Barnstormer, a little roller coaster. Lines weren't too bad, about 15 minutes, and everybody really enjoyed the ride. After that we headed over to Tomorrowland and the Speedway. I drove with Calvin, and Sweetie and Hobbes had their own cars. I thought this was a lot of fun, but Hobbes was having some trouble steering, so he was a little frustrated. After that, we grabbed a bite and then went to the Carousel of Progress. This is one of the rides I went on when I was here when I was about Calvin's age. Since then the ride has changed. It's not obviously sponsored by GE anymore, and they've changed the song that is sung (from "Now is the Best Time" to "A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow") and the last scene was modernized - I don't remember what it was like before, but it certainly didn't include a big flat-screen TV, video games and a laptop computer in 1976.
After that, we did the Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor, which was a funny show with some good audience participation. Everyone loved that. Right across the way was Stitch's Great Escape. In this, well, it wasn't really a ride, more like an experience, you're supposed to be a space police recruit trying to capture Stitch. You end up sitting in the dark with a harness down over you and they use sound and move the harness to make you think Stitch is running around on and behind you. I didn't think it was much of anything, but it scared the bejezeesus out of Calvin - he was quite unhappy about it. And then we were dumped in a gift shop and he bought a plush Stitch and was happy again. Go figure. We decided it was time to start heading to the exit, but on the way, we passed the Prince Charming Regal Carousel and had to give it a ride. We decided to take the ferry back to the parking lot, just for the experience.
Sweetie decided we should grade all the rides, so here's today's scorecard:
| Ride | Me | Sweetie | Hobbes | Calvin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WDW Railroad | B | B | C+ | C+ |
| Mickey's Country House | A | B+ | A- | B |
| Judge's Tent | B | B- | B+ | B+ |
| Donald's Boat | D | D- | D | |
| The Barnstormer | A | A | A | A+ |
| Tomorrowland Speedway | A- | B | B | C |
| Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café | D | C | B- | A |
| Carousel of Progress | B- | C | C | B- |
| Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor | A+ | A- | A | A- |
| Stitch's Great Escape | C | C | B- | C+ |
| Prince Charming Regal Carousel | A | A | A- | B+ |
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