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Day 2 – Part
4 - Splash Mountain vs. The Boy
As
a result of the torrential rainfall, there was hardly any line
for Splash. I’m still not sure if that was necessarily
a good thing or not. It meant that we had no time to worry and
stew, but it also meant there was no time to gather up any courage
that may have been hanging around in our wet shoes. As we climbed
the stairs in the queue, Boomer makes an announcement. “I
am NOT riding – I am NOT riding”.
I
guess he found it necessary to repeat himself for affect.
Meanwhile, Fanlover was less than enthusiastic to ride
herself. She was convinced that final hill would induce a heart
attack. Just then, Splashboy started to cry. Boy, the happy family
we had a few minutes ago must have washed away in the rain.
I was a desperate woman. “Look at the balloon”! I
yelled. The balloon was so wet from the rain; it was now only
about 3ft above the ground and it looked like the helium was
being let out of it. Basically, it looked just like we felt.
But, I figured a distraction was in order no matter how sad and
pathetic it looked. Splashboy looked at the balloon and proceeded
to cry harder.
Good
one Goofy Gal. Now there’s someone who should be a parent.
The situation was quickly getting out of control. Just then,
Fanlover grabbed her chance. She said she would stay back with
the boys while the 5 of us go on the ride. Some sacrifice indeed!
She took the boys over the bridge and back to the other side
where we were going to exit the log. Just as the 5 of us were
getting onto our logs, Cocoa bil in a final ditch effort yells
over to Splashboy if he wants to reconsider riding… You could just see the conflict
on Splashboy’s face. He wanted to ride, but was apprehensive. Boomer,
however, wasn’t budging! Under no circumstances was he going to get wet
without a bathing suit on. I’m pretty sure he was wet from
the rain, but I guess that’s different in the mind of a 4yr old.
Just
then, we heard the halleluiah chorus start singing as Splashboy
comes aboard!
We had made it…so far. Everyone enjoyed the ride with lots of smiles
and giggles (even from Splashboy). The final hill finally arrived and we started
the ascent. I wish I could give you a play by play of how Splashboy was reacting.
But, I have a confession to make. I was too chicken. I couldn’t bear
the thought of seeing him cry, so I kept my gaze on the back of ToT sis’ head.
Her hair stood up remarkably well to the rain I must say.
But I digress. I opened my eyes at the bottom of the big hill and opened one
eye to glance over at Splashboy. Not only were there no tears, there was actually
a BIG smile!!!! He was talking excitedly to anyone who would listen about how
great it was. The excitement didn’t end there. When we got off the ride,
he proceeded to tell Boomer and Fanlover how fun the ride was, and that they
shouldn’t be afraid to go on it!! Yes, he was now a Splash Mountain authority
and he was willing to share his knowledge and expertise with his little brother
and grandmother. Life was good again. With a triumphant grin, Splashboy then
proclaims Splash Mountain to be his favourite ride to date. Splashboy
was born! A happier boy, I dare
say you’d never find.
Conquering Splash Mountain sure works up an appetite. We decided to go to Pecos
Bill for dinner. What a pleasant surprise this place turned out to be. The
chicken wraps and pulled pork sandwiches were wonderful. It was so nice not
having to have a hotdog or hamburger at a counter service place but have something
a little tastier, not to mention healthier. Yum! But, in case you didn’t
want to be too healthy, they had a chocolate/peanut butter mousse brownie for
dessert. Since dessert is included in the dining plan (did I mention I love
the dining plan??), we all got one. Were they ever good. If my chicken wrap
hadn’t been so big, I would have devoured mine in just a few gulps, but
sadly I was too full. We ended up giving our other dessert away. As I sit here
writing my report a week after our trip, what I wouldn’t do to have that
dessert now!
After our dinner, we decided to take the train over to Toon Town. The temperature
was much nicer now and the sun had started to set. I’m sure you’re
dying to hear about the state of the infamous balloon. It had dried sufficiently
from the rain, and was back to normal, in all its glory. I have to give Cocoa
bil credit where credit is due. Not once did I hear him complain about that
darn balloon. He had to hold it down during every show or ride and even had
to give it up to strangers. Even with all of that, he was nothing but smiles.
I would have turned into Grumpy long ago.
Some
would argue I already have. ;)
We wandered around Toon Town and toured Mickey and Minnie’s homes. Funny – with
the number of times we’ve been there, they have never been home.
They
sure are busy, yet they always forget to lock up.
It’s
fun to really notice the details in their homes and garage. That’s
what I love about Disney – all the little details! The
buildings where you can meet the characters still had long lines.
Apparently there was a 45-minute wait to see Mickey. That was
one of the longest waits we’d seen all day. We decided
to skip the character lines yet again, and go on Goofy’s
Barnstormer. Since Splashboy was victorious over Splash Mountain,
it was fun seeing him practically fearless as he went on Barnstormer.
For a kid’s ride, it really whips you around. I rode with
Dapper Dad. We are both rather tall and we learned rather quickly
that this ride isn’t best suited for tall people. Ouch!
SpectroMagic was quickly approaching so we went to save our spot.
We went to the front of the park, almost right where the parade
begins. I’ll say
it right now. Fanlover is a genius. She brought a folding chair to sit on for
the parade. It was really small so it was pretty slick to slip into your bag.
She brought it out and sat down and people were in awe. Had she been willing,
I bet she could have made a pretty penny if she had been willing to sell it.
Hmm, that’s something to think about for future trips.
The crowds were plain silly. We had done a pretty good job all day avoiding
them, but at parade time, our luck had run out. Well, not completely. Once
again, a kind lady allowed our boys to sit in front of her so they had great
seats. The rest of us stood in behind. Well, except for Fanlover who was enjoying
the life of luxury. In fairness, we had a pretty good view considering we only
arrived 10 minutes before the parade. We all enjoyed the parade, though ToT
sis wonders if this one is as good as the old electrical parade. I’m
not sure which one I prefer. Boomer covered his ears during some of the loud
parts, but that didn’t interfere with his enjoyment of the parade. Cocoa
bil suggested I try counting the number of lights in the parade.
I
lost count at 10, 243.
It was now about 9:30pm and we were all feeling pretty tired.
Our boys were such troopers! They were so good over such a long
day. The plan had been to stay for Wishes, but it wasn’t
starting for another half hour. The kids were tired, but not
cranky so ToT sis decided that we could stay. We fought the crowd
back down Main Street and staked out a spot. Fanlover had her
chair, so she was happy. She even managed to give her misty fan
a break. She
wrestled a couple people who tried to take it from her, but she got them to
back off.
Cocoa bil had really developed a relationship with his
balloon. It was sweet in a creepy sort of way.  We took a picture of him kissing the balloon in front
of the castle. Ah, there’s nothing quite like new love.
I hope ToT sis didn’t notice.
Wishes began and the boys each took a seat promptly on Cocoa
bil and Goofy Guy’s shoulders respectively. We all enjoy the music and fireworks, but
it’s clear we’re all exhausted. What a wonderful first full day
in Disney. We expected to get in maybe 3 or 4 rides tops, but we almost did
the entire park! We followed the herd out of the park and took the resort monorail
back to the TTC. More than ever we appreciated having a close parking spot.
On the way to the All Star Movies, we called to get our room numbers. As a
result, we simply drove to the parking lot and went straight to our rooms.
All of our requests had been met – non-smoking, Toy Story building, 1st
floor, all 3 rooms together. Having bought a refillable mug at check-in this
morning, Cocoa bil starts to earn his nickname. He begins his ritual of hot
chocolate every night. We slowly make our way to our rooms when I suddenly
remember Fanlover’s belief that our suitcases will have fallen into the
abyss of nowhere’s land. Oh please let our bags be safe and sound in
our rooms!!
With
the swipe of all our cards, all of our suitcases are checked
and accounted for. Had we not been in Disney World, a “told
ya so”, may have been in order, but while in Rome, err,
Disney World, I remained silent. With that, Cocoa bil put our
balloon friend to rest in the corner of their hotel room. The
boys were out like a light while the rest of us went to sleep
with a smile. The Disney magic was alive and well. Tomorrow we’ll
discover just how poor ToT sis earned her name… ‘Night
all.
Day 3 - Part 1...
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