Sooooo tired.
Guess they were wiped out from Lilo's Playhouse.
Finally, they woke up and got moving.
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRR
We had lunch reservations on the 50's Prime Time Café.
So, we bussed it on over there and had enough time to get in line for the Great Movie Ride.
After waiting for about 15 minutes, the ride broke down and they cleared the line on us.
Oh well.
That gave us some time to get some family photos done over near Echo Lake.
We had heard from my Mom and sister the night before about the abuse (yes, abuse) they took from their server at the 50's Prime Time Café and decided it sounded like fun.
You see, here, you are served by your cousin (or aunt or uncle) who likes to follow Mom's rules.
No elbows on the table, sit up straight, finish your veggies or no dessert type of rules.
The menu is full of home cooking old time favorites - pot roast, turkey dinner, fried chicken, chicken pot pie, etc.
We were served by Cousin Gina.
The kids loved her.
Though at first, they were confused that she called herself our cousin.
After a little explaining, they got it.
Soooooo hungry......is that an elbow on the table?
Cousin Gina was pleasantly surprised at the kids politeness and allowed them to order dessert with just the minimum of veggies eaten.
Brownie a la mode!
Mikey thought it was hilarious when Cousin Gina would reprimand people.
He kept pointing out to her when my elbows were on the table and even held them in place when he could.
Cousin Gina asked him if he wanted to see me get in trouble.
Of course, he said yes.
She decided to make an example of me to all the other tables.
She had me get up and sing "I'm a Little Teapot", accompanied by the motions, as loud as I could in the center of the room.
Ohhhhhh yes.
We have video proof.
Mikey just about flipped his lid.
He thought it was the most hilarious thing ever that I had got in trouble.
Thanks, Cousin Gina, for a fabulous meal!!!!
Probably not good planning, but what can you do, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was our first ride RIGHT after lunch.
The kids both SO wanted to ride this in Disneyland.
It is not Huzbend and I's favorite ride.
Actually, to put it frankly, I hate it.
I successfully avoided it the first day we were in Disneyland and then Mikey got sick and you know....
Anyways, it was the #1 ride on their "Must Ride" list for this trip.
There was no turning back.
Spooooky.
I seriously thought the creepy atmosphere might make them hesitant to ride.
Nope.
All smiles in the boiler room.
Katie and Mikey loved it.
They laughed and giggled the whole time...
...especially during the drops.
Here's a cool little video of our fall.
Another "We Survived" photo.
They SO wanted to ride again.
I did not.
Next up, it was Toy Story Midway Mania time.
The glasses always make for a silly picture.
One of the reasons I love this ride (besides the fact that it's super fun) is because I can beat Huzbend at it.
(Katie is Player #2 in this picture)
Star Tours time.
We outran the First Order on Jakku and then ended up on Naboo with the Gungans running away from giant sea monsters.
We exited through the gift shop, but did not leave empty handed.
Katie got a really cute R2D2 shirt and Mikey picked up some Boba Fett Gauntlet Blasters that he wore the rest of the day.
Alas, Mikey was not tall enough to ride the Rockin' Roller Coaster this time around.
So, Katie and Huzbend went over to hop in line, since the wait wasn't that long.
Meanwhile, Mikey and I hung out in the hub to watch the Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away stage show.
It was okay. Just a bunch of clips from the movies interspersed with character appearances.
Meh.
Mikey liked it though.
It was HOT standing on the pavement and there was another performance about to start.
We ran over and grabbed a Mikey Premium Ice Cream Sandwich to make the heat a little more bearable.
Next up, Captain Phasma marched her First Order troops into the hub for a display of power and intimidation.
We were up front and, yes, Storm Troopers ARE pretty intimidating.
Especially when you are only 2 inches away from them.
Katie and Huzbend returned from their ride and, to be fair, we had to take a break for Katie to have an ice cream as well.
It was really hot by this time.
We figured it was a good time to head indoors to visit the Star Wars Launch Bay.
The grumps were setting in......
Even though it was hot enough to cause sweat to drip off of you, Mikey did not remove his gauntlet.
Huzbend got to wear the other one for a while.
"Pew, pew!"
After wandering around the displays we hopped in line to see some characters.
First up was Kylo Ren.
For some reason, his line was waaaaay shorter than Chewbacca's.
I wonder why?
OH! I know why now.
He is uber-creepy.
And awkward to talk to because he does NOT break character.
He is evil and uses the meet and greet opportunity to promote the First Order and the Dark Side.
You can feel the menace in the room. It's palpable.
I think he met his match with Mikey though.
He was not intimidated.
I was.
Katie just smiled awkwardly and giggled.
Which, I'm sure Kylo did not appreciate.
He sets the tone and the tone was serious.
You almost don't even want to smile.
He dismissed us with a, "We are done."
We anxiously left the room.
But, Kylo was not done yet.
I turned to look back at him to say some sort of thanks and he said this, cutting me off,
"In answer to your last thought.......you're welcome."
I am NOT kidding.
We then jumped in line to visit Chewie.
What a difference!
If Kylo was scary, Chewie was anything but.
He greeted everyone with a handshake and a "ROWWWWRRRR".
There wasn't much to say as we don't speak shyriiwook.
Chewie was very amiable and the kids left with big smiles on their faces.
The adults too.
What a treat to meet a childhood hero.
We then wandered out into the cantina area.
What a tourist.
There were a couple of jawas out meeting and greeting......
....and pick-pocketing.
One took a particular liking to Mikey.
He was lucky Mikey didn't have his Kylo Ren blade or we woulda had a light saber throw down right there.
We left the Launch Bay and ran over to Echo Lake to catch the Indian Jones Stunt Spectacular before dinner.
Mikey enjoyed it.
Katie had the grumpies. It was too loud.
A Dum Dum lollipop made it all better.
Time to head to dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby.
First, a photo op with a dragon.
We had booked the Fantasmic! dining package which allowed us access to a special seating section for that nights performance.
Huzbend ordered Beef Wellington, I got some kind of beef.
Katie got chicken breast and Mikey got a grilled cheese.
I thought the food was better in the past.
Katie liked the bread service the best.
They gave her her own giant plate of butter into which she dipped her gluten free rolls.
No butter knife needed.
Dessert was a pre-plated affair for the dining package people.
Three tiny samples of desserts regularly served.
It was just okay.
The kids got a "Hidden Treasures" dessert which had smooshed up oreo-like cookies with ice cream and gummie worms were hidden underneath in the bottom of the bowl.
Everyone was all smiles after that.
So, Huzbend and Mikey went to save our seats in the Fantasmic! theatre.
I forgot how fast it was.
She thought it was funny how loud I screamed.
After our ride, we had to book it across the street to the Fantasmic! theater as the show was going to start in about 10 minutes.
After some frantic texting and phone calls, we found Huzbend and Mikey and were seated.
I'm not sure the kids noticed, but one row ahead of us and to the left someone puked.
Six Disney employees swept onto the scene out of nowhere to clean and sanitize the area.
They completed the task just in time for the show to start.
It was impressive.
The cast members received a round of applause before they trucked out of there with their cleaning supplies in tow.
This was the first time my kids had seen Fantasmic!.
The first time we visited WDW, Katie had no interest in it.
The second time, it just didn't work into the schedule.
And the time in Disneyland, Mikey went to the hospital.
They really liked it.
As soon as the show was over, we exited onto Hollywood Blvd. and parked ourselves right underneath the Crossroads of the World to watch the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Fireworks Show.
The fireworks and pyrotechnics were set to Star Wars music. The show was entertaining and the best part....as soon as it was over, we could turn around and head right out the turnstiles to the bus stops.
We managed to make it on the first super-packed bus back to the resort.
Right on!
The lobby was empty when we returned.
Mikey almost didn't make it back to the room, he was so tired.
Katie thought the resort mascot was cute and asked me to take this picture.
Bedtime!
Katie's Favorite Parts of the Day:
- the Tower of Terror, where Mommy and Daddy were the only ones screaming
- Rockin' Roller Coaster
- the Hidden Treasure dessert
- Fantasmic!
Mikey's Favorite Parts of the Day:
- the Tower of Terror
- the part in Fantasmic! where Mickey destroyed the snake
- when Mommy had to sing the teapot song
