Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved. - Walt Disney
When we last left our fearless crew, they were trying desperately to make the most out of the Island, with no phone, no lights, no motorcar...things were as primitive as could be
Oops...Wrong story...Sorry...You can see how i could get them two confused, the characters were all there...(Ill leave it up to you to determine who is who).
Back to the actual,
true story.
As you may remember from the last chapter, (which I know was written so long ago, you may have to go back and re-read the last bit to remember) we were stuck in line for Radiator Springs Racers. We were so close, we could taste it. Well...thats a bad analogy, seeing as I dont really think we could actually taste the closeness, but you know what I mean
One of the CMs began to announce through the loudspeakers that they were having some technical difficulties and they really werent sure how long it would last. They gave everyone the opportunity to leave, or to stick around, it was totally up to them.
I was sure this would be the last straw for Nebo and Smidgy. After all the issues they had at
Disneyland on their first day there, with rides being down or having trouble, and then here we are, wanting to show them one of our favorites, and it goes down as well...I wouldnt have been surprised if they up and left, never to speak to us again!
Thankfully they did not do that.
We watched as a few groups turned around and left, but the majority stuck it out. I dont blame them. Standing in line for 100 plus minutes just to have to do it again some time later, because you walked out, would not be a smart thing to do.
We hung out and talked while we waited. Discussed the evenings plans and at one point, Nebo sunk to a sitting position so he didnt have to stand the entire wait.
All in all it was probably about 30 minutes from the time we entered the fastpass line, to the time the ride was back up and running and we were the next contestants.
We gave Nebo and Smidgy the opportunity to sit up front, since we already had that chance the last time we were here and we wanted them to experience it from that perspective and also be able to gauge their reaction without looking back at them every few moments.
Can you imagine that?
Lady H: Oh look at that, its... *quickly looks back as they go through the canyon to check on Nebo and Smidgy, looks back towards the front only to miss whatever they were passing by*
Talk about possible whiplash too...Oy!
Proof that we got on the ride, and that Nebo and Smidgy were there with us. Look, its the back of their heads!!
We get into the vehicle, put our seatbelts on, and
..get stopped by security
Officer, We were only taking it for a quick spin, Honest! We would have brought it back!
We are asked to check our seatbelts, then let off with a warning, as long as we brought the car back in one piece.
I know both T_Man and I took video with our cameras, however, I dont know what happened to said video. My guess is it didnt turn out all that great (Remember, i had a new camera this trip and we were still trying to figure out the ins and outs of it). Youll have to deal with me telling you what actually happened through the ride. (For those of you who followed along last TR, this may be a good time to go grab a drink, or a snack, or take a pee break
)
The ride begins with a scenic drive through the desert, past a beautiful waterfall, and then into a cave, where you are immediately met with the Rust Ez semi truck, Mack, coming straight at you! The Semi honks at you as his eyes open in fear, and he screams!
You continue through town in the dark, passing a few cars, and even hearing a train approaching. You turn to make sure you dont end up a train speedbump, and are caught by the sheriff, who tells you to slow down!
The sheriff asks Mater to escort you into town for the big race. On the way, he asks if youve ever been tractor tippin. Then teaches you how to do it. You have to sneak up on them...then HONK! Poor tractors didnt know what hit em.
On our way to Luigis tires, you have to go through a scary part of the woods, almost reminds me of the forest part of The Wizard of Oz, there are scary things lurking in that forest!
Finally we make it into town, and meet up with a few cars, getting filled up at Flos V8 Cafe, and are welcomed by Lightening McQueen and Ms. Sally. We are ushered into Luigis, to be pampered and readied for the race.
We pull up to the starting line and are given a pep talk by Doc. Here, we get our first look at our opponents next door, who have just come from Ramones.
Luigi holds the checkered flag, and in his Italian voice says,
Uno for the money, due for the show, tre to get a ready, and quattro to go!
The flag is lowered and off we go. Over hills, and flat lands, the race was a close one, but in the end, our car won, and we brought the car back to the garage in one piece.
Oh look, picture of a picture of our car
.and us! You can see T_Man and I both have our cameras out, trying to take video of the ride.
Not as fun as actually seeing the real thing in action huh? Well...Ive got some good news for you. We found the video. So now you get to see everything from above in action! Just click on the link.
Take a ride with us!
Once we were safely back in the town of Radiator Springs, Nebo and Smidgy decided it would be the perfect time to go back to their room for a while, get in some pool time and have some lunch.
We agreed, thinking this would be a great time to do a little shopping. We needed to find a belt for T_Man, as he always seems to forget it when we go on a trip, and I did not want to be kicked out of DL or DCA because he was mooning people on accident.
We walked out of the park with Nebo and Smidgy. As we were walking towards the bus/shuttle area, we discussed what time we would meet back up.
We wanted to make sure we got in a few more rides before we had to stand in line for World of Color. T_Man suggested 6pm. That would still give us plenty of time all around.
Remember when I said that being late would come back to bite me
...well
.
As T_Man suggested the time, Nebo looked over at us and repeated the time. T_Man nodded his head and went into an explanation of why 6pm would be good. Nebo then repeated the time once again, and said, Are you sure?
Im not too sure if T_Man caught on to where he was going with this, but I heard it loud and clear. Im pretty sure I turned about 50 shades of red.
Nebo then said something to the effect of
I just want to make sure, I dont want to be waiting around for 45 minutes.
To which I sarcastically, but lovingly, replied back, You waited 15 minutes this morning...but I am more than happy to make you wait 45 if you would like!
I ended with a big smile and then laughed. Which then made everyone else laugh, and we continued on our way.
We caught the shuttle to our car and decided to cruise around a little to see what we could find to eat. We had discussed possibilities; Johnny Rockets is always a favorite, and how can you go wrong with an old time soda fountain and burger joint? We also thought about doing Buca di Beppo. Its an italian place, serving Pizza, pasta, etc., all in family style. Its a ton of food!!! The second choice was looking pretty good to us, since for my birthday, my boss gave me a gift card from there. Less money out of our pockets, plus great food to boot!
We had a little time to decide. We had no where to be until 6:45
I mean...6:00pm. So we didnt have to decide right this minute.
Or did we?
As we got closer to Target, we noticed a place neither of us had seen in years.
Sizzler!
The ones that we used to have back in New Mexico have all closed down. I remember this being a favorite of my family after baseball games. I always got the salad bar, and my brother used to love to pop a cherry tomato into his mouth and run from one end of the restaurant to the other, before jumping up and biting down on the tomato. To him, he thought the tomato wouldnt bust open otherwise I guess...He was only like 7 or 8 at the time
Well that was a random trip down memory lane.
Since Sizzler was directly across the street from Target, we decided we HAD to stop and eat there.
We were still a little wet from Grizzly River Rapids...The ride on Radiator Springs, did nothing to dry us off like I had hoped. So once we entered the restaurant I began to freeze! Air conditioner, plus wet clothes, equals a chattery Lady H.
There was only 1 group ahead of us, so we took the time to peruse the menu and figure out what we wanted. I knew for sure I wanted to add the soup and salad bar, but I wasnt sure if I wanted anything else.
They had a great deal going for Surf and Turf. I think it was a filet and grilled shrimp skewer for something like $14.99...Add on the salad bar and a drink and my portion came to about $20 give or take. I think T_Man had the same thing. It would account for the fact that we only have the one picture of our meal. No sense in taking two pictures of the same thing right
?
We got our number and found a table, and before long were lost in the abyss of the Soup and Salad Bar. This bar also had hot appetizers on one side and desserts on another. This in itself can be a meal if you are not careful.
I have found, through the years of going to buffets in Vegas, and of course the few buffets and Salad Bars we have around here at home, that I dont do small when it comes to salads. I make them a meal fit for like 4 people. No matter how hard I try to minimize, it just doesnt happen. By the time I am done and heading back to the table, I have a mountain of salad that I have to figure out how to get through. This time was no different.
We sat down and began to enjoy the food we found at the bar, and shortly thereafter, the rest of our food came.
We ate until we couldnt eat anymore, then made sure to grab dessert before leaving
.
It was a good thing we were going to Target next. We needed to walk off some of this food!
Once outside, I slowly began to unthaw and off we went to Target. Our first stop inside the store was the belt section. T_Man is particular about belts. So I let him peruse and began looking at some of the scarves and purses...never a good thing with me, but I already told myself, we were here for T_Man, not me. So of course I grabbed a cute multicolored scarf that I would use later on in the trip as a belt of my own.
We also decided to check out the grocery section. Tomorrow we are headed to Universal, and plan on making breakfast burritos for Nebo and Smidgy for the ride. For those, we need eggs, cheese, tortillas, and bacon. We have chili in the room, and since we arent sure if Nebo and Smidgy are accustomed to NM chili, we will make a couple with and without for them to choose from.
Since the resort comes with little packets of spices, we didnt need anything else from the grocery area. We scanned the store a little bit longer and found nothing that caught our attention, so we went to checkout.
Once back in the car, we decided now would be a good time to get some park bottles. There was a liquor mart in the same lot as Target, so we cruised over to it and took a look around. Unfortunately, this place really didnt have much in regards to what we like, and the ones that we would have gone for as our second or third choices, were pretty expensive for a mini. We decided to head back to the resort. We knew there was a liquor store just across the street and could check that one out on our way back to the room. This one had a better selection, and we were able to stock up for the time being.
Once back in the room, we put the groceries away, and decided now would be a good time to shower and change. No matter how much I like water rides, you always end up getting that musty water smell when you havent had a chance to dry off completely afterwards. I for one was not going to walk around the rest of the day smelling like wet dog.
After a quick shower and change, we still had a little time left, so we had a drink in the room and then decided to head back early. I was not going to be caught late this time around. Although I really did contemplate hiding from them to see if Nebos head would explode thinking we were late again...but, I didnt want to be the reason for any Nebo accidents
We got back to the park in plenty of time, and even got through the gates without too much of a hassle from the picture nazis.
After grabbing our stuff from the locker, I made a beeline for the little fruit stand next door. They have the best pickles on the planet, and I planned on getting one for later. T_Man made a comment about me only getting one pickle...I gave him a look and may have even stuck out my tongue at him. As soon as he turned his back, I grabbed another one and made a mad dash to the register.
I paid for my goods and stuffed them into my backpack. Nebo and Smidgy snuck in sometime during my purchase, and found T_Man just outside the little store waiting for me. As I hid in the shadows, T_Man explained that I was waiting my allotted 45 minutes, and should be around sometime later
Just kidding...You know I had to milk that one for all it was worth!
Once the pack was all together, we sauntered towards Soarin. This was one ride we hadnt done yet and figured we had a little bit of time to kill before we had to wait in line for World of Color.
I honestly cannot remember how long the wait was. Or if we got Fastpasses for it and just chilled while we waited. Let me consult the master
According to the master, we more than likely used Nebos GAC for this. It definitely wasnt that long of a wait time from the time we spoke with the CM to the time we were ushered to a line for our flight. We were set up into our row, and we waited as patiently as possible. Its obvious I was not really paying attention to where we were standing, because after watching the little film, we were escorted in and it finally dawned on me that we were in the very first row.
We have never been in the very first row! EVER!!!!
This was definitely an exciting time for T_Man and I.
We stowed our belongings under the seat, and got comfortable. After a little tussle with the seatbelt I finally got it on and then started an internal debate on whether or not it would be wise to take off my flip flops.
On one hand, I hate shoes, so I would be happy to take them off. Plus I dont want them to fly off my feet and hit someone below me once the ride begins.
On the other hand...I like these shoes, and I do not want to be thinking about whether or not they will be there when I get back on the ground.
I remove my seatbelt, take off my shoes and slip them in with the rest of my belongings under the seat.
Back to the tug of war with the seatbelt, I dont know why this was giving me such a hard time. Its not that difficult to manage really. You pull the belt from one side, insert it into the other side, and Viola! Um...I mean Voila!
Finally I was safe and secure.
Now, you may remember that I have, from time to time, considered myself a dumb wife on this TR. Most of that is because I am deathly afraid of heights.
This ride is a simulator ride, that takes you up and gives you the feeling of being airborne over California.
See any issues with this?
No? Ok...I just wanted to check before I continued
The ride begins and we are lifted high into the air. Smidgy had once said that while sitting in the very front is the best spot for this ride, its also the scariest spot to ride in. I can now see what she means.
I grabbed hold of the little handles on either side of me, and was a little worried that I may start to have a panic attack, but once we got going, I was pretty good. The film is a good distraction, and after a while you forget about where you are.
I have to say, if I get the chance to do front row again, I will definitely do it. I loved that feeling of not having feet dangling above me while I was trying to enjoy my flight. It sort of ruins you for any other section on that ride.
As for the ride itself...Nothing has changed, nothing is new. Its the same exact experience in Orlando that it is in California. Only in a different state. T_Man and I have had this discussion on more than one occasion, about how they should change it up and at least either re-do the film, so its not so crackly and spotty in areas, or actually do one for Florida. I think it would be cool to be in California and be able to fly over Florida, giving those who have never been, a chance to fly over WDW and see all the sites.
Thats just my own opinion though, not going to change the world with just my voice, and even if I could, I have no clout when it comes to what they do in DL/WDW. So i enjoy it all for what it is.
Once we land safely and I am back in my shoes and have gathered all my belongings, we make our way out into the park.
By now it was getting really close to WoC time, and we were looking forward to getting our spot up front. In order to do this, you must stand in line and wait for the rope to drop. Yes, you heard that correctly, there is a rope drop for World of Color.
We have seen this show a few times the last time we were here, and we absolutely love it, however, the line concept is not so much of a line, as it is a pile of people, gathered together, waiting for the rope to drop so they can haphazardly run over each other to get the best spot for the show.
The fun part is, that once you run over everyone, and have hobbled your way to your designated spot, you must then wait another hour for the show to start. Fun times!
There are a few people in line already, directly behind the ropes. We pull up right behind them and dutifully wait. Now granted, it probably would have been easier, logistically, if we would have just stood in an actual line, because we would have been right in front of where we needed to run. Of course that would have been way too simple.
Since there isnt an actual line for this, we all moved up to the front, where the lady and her family were also waiting. The lady gave us a look. You know the look Im talking about right? The one that could knock down even the Hulk? I was waiting to see if she actually said anything to us, but instead, she went crying to the CM, who told her that there was no line, it was a free for all, and they encouraged people to move forward in order to accommodate everyone.
The lady was not happy, stating something along the lines of them having been standing here for a while to make sure they were first and now people were allowed to just crowd around her. The CM explained again that the reason why the area for the line or non line if you will, is so they can accommodate a lot of people, and to do that, everyone must group together! She huffed, and then gave us another evil glare before resuming her post at the rope.
Now I understand the idea of standing at the ropes, but in all honesty, the CMs know what these people are thinking, and since the rope is all around the area, you are sort of at their mercy in regards to which way they will let the herd run once the running of the bulls begins.
This was one of the reasons as to why we stood behind the family and not beside them. We werent sure how they would let us through, and our luck, if we stood next to the family, they would send us through the top section. Isnt that how things always happen? You go one way, only to have them do things another and you have to backtrack?
Well...it happened to us.
The plan was, to allow me to make the mad dash for our front row spot. This way, Nebo and Smidgy didnt have to trample or get trampled on in the process and since T_Man knows the area I am scoping out, he will be able to find me, and can escort Nebo and Smidgy at a slower pace.
Great plan
The rope drops (of course it drops right where we would have stood, had we been standing next to the family instead of right behind them), and off I go. There is a family of who knows how many, stringed together by their clasped hands that begins their march, going to the left, I want to go right, but now they are all right in front of me, hands joined, and singing hallelujah while others are racing off in the direction I want to go, and will likely take my spot if I do not come up with a plan.
I cant go under their arms, I will more than likely be knocked down and trampled in the process.
I cannot jump over their arms, I was never good at the hurdles during my time in track, and when I did do them, I had at least a good distance between me and the first hurdle to get some momentum. Here I do not have that opportunity.
My only option is through.
Its a good thing no one can hear my thoughts as I mentally yell out, Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Lady H on Over, and break through the clasped hands and dash down the ramp.
Im vaguely aware of someone lady saying something like, Hello! Right here and Um...Okay
but they are far behind me now. The wind is in my hair, my feet are flying machines, and I am close to the trophy that is the perfect spot for watching World of Color.
Now I will be the first to say that I usually despise the people who walk right through you, or have no regard for you being right in front of them, and like the lady, I am usually the first person to say, Hello! Invisible person right in front of you! So I really hated doing what i did, and felt extremely bad for it, but i had no time to go back and apologize, so I hoped they would find it in their hearts to forgive me at some later time...maybe in 30 years or so...
I screech to a halt, throwing up smoke from my perfect skid on the walk. I duck under the rope that separates the walkers and searchers from those of us that have a spot. Throwing down my backpack in one spot a few feet from me, I move over to the farthest point I can go, and begin my search for the rest of my crew.
I see them coming down the ramp and wave frantically. T_Man spots me and I breath a sigh of relief that I didnt have to fight anyone off to keep the area.
T_Man asks if I can move further down towards the very middle. I would have loved to have done that very thing. And trust me, I wouldnt have stopped where I stopped if there was a possibility for me to keep going towards the middle..., but there was a rope protecting the entire center area. I dont know if this was a VIP section, a handicap section or what, but either way, it was off limits.
You can sort of see the sectioned off area in this picture.
I thought about using his line against him and telling him, Youre killing me smalls! ?! or even given him a classic, Hello! McFly! but i held my tongue, pointed to the rope and shook my head.
We made ourselves comfortable, sitting with my back to the water, and my eyes on anyone trying to step into our territory. Nebo and Smidgy decided, now that they knew where we were, they would go back out and grab a mixer of their own.
T_Man began to make our drinks, and I began to devour my pickle and people watch. The crowd was getting thicker and thicker as the minutes ticked by. T_Man and I made sure to spread out our stuff a little more to be sure that Nebo and Smidgy would have a place at the rail.
There was a nice couple behind us that we struck up a conversation with. We were taking turns trying to decide what the roped off area really was for. The lady mentioned that if no one came and stood there when the show started, she was going to sneak in.
T_Man stood up and stretched a little as we waited for Nebo and Smidgy to join us again. I also think he wanted to have the advantage of seeing over everyone to make sure our dear friends found us again. Its dark out, and with everyone sitting down, with their backs to you, everyone looks like everyone else. So its probably a good thing T_Man was on the lookout.
Pretty soon Nebo and Smidgy found us again. Unfortunately, I think Nebo got into a fight with the rope as he was returning to us, luckily he won the fight and all was well.
I do remember a family sitting near or behind Smidgy who kept trying to get in front of her to be near the railing. She allowed the little kids to get in so they could see, and stood behind them. She is so nice! Although I agree, I probably would have done the same. Im all for letting the little ones in, they are short, and you can see over them, they cant see over you. However, Im not ok with the parents standing or sitting in a spot, towards the back, for over an hour, and in the last few minutes, making random movements to try to get in front of you all of a sudden. More often than not, using their kids as a way to do so. It does not work that way. Therefore, while the kids get to enjoy the show from a front row area, the parents will have to do it from behind us.
The moment the lights went out and the show was about to start, the rope dropped once again. This time it was the roped off area next to us. The couple we were talking to earlier, crashed the area after a CM gave the go ahead. I got a tap on the shoulder and turned to see the lady grab hold of my arm and practically drag me with her, to make sure we got in and got a good spot.
Its really good to find nice people out there. They easily could have just forgotten about us and said every man for themselves, but they didnt.
We grabbed our bags and pushed through the masses. We didnt move too far in, but enough to make a difference.
Looking back on earlier in the day, We probably didnt even need to take a shower back at the room, standing this close, in the wet zone, you get a shower whether you want one or not!
We took a ton of photos, Ill post a few here for your viewing pleasure, and then well post a link at the end so you can see them all. You can see the spots from the water spray on some of these pics.
Mickeys excited about World of Color
Who does this person think she is, just sitting in the middle of the show!
Perfect place for a couple of fish...in the water...
Wall-E
Merida!
You never know what can happen, Just around the riverbend
Ok kids...cover your eyes! Here comes some kissing scenes!
Oooh...Pretty colors!!!
I see you...
Of course, it wouldnt be a show without Mickey himself
The End!
Once the show was over, and I came down from the high that I get after watching the show, I turned to Nebo and Smidgy. Excited to see what they thought. Smidgy was smiling, and said she liked it. I turned to Nebo to get his thoughts
He didnt seem to enthused. I think his exact words were
I still like Illuminations better.
Cant win them all I guess.
The crowd around us was starting to thin out, everyone had raced off once it ended, and we like to stick around and wait so we can walk without being trampled. We made it up to the top and slowly inched our way out towards the shuttles.
Tomorrow will be a long day for us. We will be headed to Universal Studios in Hollywood and while the park closes early, by the time we eat, and drive back, it will be late. Plus, T_Man wanted to get a head start on the makings for the burritos, so we arent doing everything in the morning. Otherwise i would have to wake up at 4am...T_Man barely stays alive when he has to wake me at 6am while on vacation...That definitely wouldnt be pretty.
We say our goodbyes, and let them know we will be picking them up tomorrow on our way out. Nebo and Smidgy turn to the left and walk back to their hotel, while T_Man and I turn to our right and stand in line. Tonight, because of the shows, the lines are a little longer than before. Luckily they move pretty quickly and there are plenty of shuttles for everyone. What could have easily been an hour wait or longer, turned out to be about 20-30 minutes tops and we were on our way to the parking lot.
Because of where we parked, it was a straight shot out to the light, and then a hop, skip and a jump...ok fine...two blocks and two left turns later...we were back at the resort.
T_Man got started on preparing the eggs and hashbrowns for the burritos, while I changed into my pjs, grabbed a beer and sat out on the patio and took notes on what we did that day.
Why didnt I help T_Man out you ask? I did...I got him a beer and left him to his own devices.
You see, when we are home, I do most of the cooking. Every now and then, T_Man will grill or use the smoker, or even whip up a pan of enchiladas for us, but for the most part, I do a lot of the cooking at home because 1) I love to cook, and 2) I watch waaaaaay too much Food Network and need guinea pigs to test out the recipes.
When we are on vacation, I want a vacation, therefore T_Man does the cooking.
Plus I would have just been in his way. I offered my assistance, but he declined, so I skedaddled.
Tomorrow is a day full of promise. Another new place for Nebo and Smidgy. New rides, new shows, and adventures to be had.
As we snuggled up in bed, and said our I love yous, I thought about suggesting to T_Man that we should set the alarm for a little earlier than normal. I have this sinking feeling that we will be running around like crazy tomorrow morning trying to do everything before we have to pick them up, and I do not want to be late again.
Before I can manage to get the words out though, my world goes black and I am in dreamland. Oh well...Maybe we will be on time, or even early tomorrow and my worries will be for naught.
On the other hand
as easy as it would be to have everyone do a dis meet out here at the original house of mouse I prefer WDW (did I type that out loud hope they don't yank my annual pass for that hehehehe
