MeghanEmily
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2016
"I Like for my Showers to be On Purpose"
Disney Day 1 - Part 1
Are we finally at Disney Day yet...? ...Really? We really are? ...OH thank goodness!!
Finally, we were going to Disney!! (I expect at this point you're probably as excited and relieved to hear that as we were at the time. )
I awoke, sleepy, at 6:23, (according to my Fitbit, I'd slept 4 hours and 44 minutes,) and I got N up shortly after. We packed our Finding Dory backpack for the day and were out the door before 8. Here's what our suite at the resort looked like...
I'd planned to make a pit stop at the Publix on the way out of the resort for sunscreen since we hadn't packed any except the tiny bottle of my facial sunscreen, and since we hadn't thought to get it at Walmart the night before. N was still peckish after our breakfast of honey nut cheerios, so I convinced him to get a bag of combos since they're more uncommon to see around home. Yum...I remember Pizzeria Pretzel...
We got to AK, parked, took N's first-ever tram (one of many this trip), and made it to through the AK gates before 9am rope drop! I was torn about how I felt about driving versus bussing—not waiting for busses and zipping wherever we wanted whenever was awesome, but not being dropped off at park entrances stunk.
Our first stop once inside the gates was Guest Relations. I was hoping to get my first DAS applied to my account. For those who aren't familiar, DAS stands for Disability Access Service, and it's for anyone with a disability that prevents them from being able to wait in a traditional queue line. You go get a return time that allows you to spend the ride's wait time doing something else, and then you return to ride when it's your time. I don't usually talk too much about my brain condition or neurosurgery on here, but with my symptoms I thought it would be a good fit for me. I didn't bother with it on our December trip because the weather was milder, but in May and August it would be very helpful because my condition causes me not to be able to spend long periods in the heat without becoming really ill. (Kind of like really rapid-onset heat stroke, no matter what precautions I take, that affects the rest of my day.) I wouldn't typically need DAS for indoor air conditioned queues, but it would be very helpful for anything with an outdoor queue line. I also experience sensory overload much more easily than the normal person, so I get overwhelmed and headachy/dizzy if I'm in a crowded noisy environment with a lot going on or a lot to look at for a long period of time. The CM was very helpful, and we got it set up quickly.
AK was beautiful this morning, and I was starting to feel the Disney excitement!
After the welcome thing with the parrots, we were on our way in the direction of Expedition Everest. N didn't realize it yet, but we were on a mission: complete his two FP for EE and Dinosaur before we had to be at the tour desk for 9:45 for our surprise Caring for Giants tour which I'd set up as a little gift to us both. But things got derailed when cast members were roping people into meeting Minnie and Mickey with no wait! I couldn't resist! How fun would it be to see the Disney Duo as our very first Disney thing!? So we did. And then I got all anxious in the short line about not being able to get everything in on time.
But we did our meet anyway, and they were in prime form this morning! Minnie complimented me on my tank top and was flattered when I told her how nice she also looked that morning.
And of course I asked them if we could take a selfie together:
Not our best selfies, I have to say. But the main mice were lookin' fly, so they remain in the TR.
With our M&G finished, we kept racing (fast walking) toward Dinosaur, when I saw on my phone that we'd gotten an email: EE was down and that FP could be used later or for another experience. As disappointing as it was for N to possibly miss it, it worked better for us in terms of staying on time. (Note, the first time we experienced something break down. #DisneyIsBroken)
We arrived at Dinosaur, and I sent N inside while I took photos.
I can't ride this one with my brain condition and motion sickness, so N had never managed to ride it before now. I made the FP especially so he'd get on it...and did he like it? ...He ended up thinking it was just okay. And that it was dated. He'd ride it again, but wasn't crazy about it. I guess he isn't going to join the fan club. I thought his ride photo was hilarious because he's not even paying attention to the scary dinosaur!
"Oh, a dinosaur? Really? Not scary. No big deal. You'll have to try harder than that, Disney."
Oh well.
While N was inside I was messaging my mom and sending her pictures. When he came out we got a frozen lemonade because it was already feeling hot and muggy and he loves these things:
I felt artsy for taking the photo in front of the hanging backpacks. The theming at AK is awesome.
At this point, the skies opened up. It became a running theme for the day. I messaged my mom, "And then it started to rain." Whenever it rained from that point on, that's what we said to each other. Another of many possible TR titles. On our way to the tour desk (N thought we were just heading to our safari FP) it stopped raining, and then started again. N, ever the optimist, made some comment about how it was just like getting an extra shower this morning, and I grouchily responded, "I like for my showers to be on purpose!"
But Disney rain is better than Canadian sun any day, so we were off to check in for our tour!
Disney Day 1 - Part 1
Are we finally at Disney Day yet...? ...Really? We really are? ...OH thank goodness!!
Finally, we were going to Disney!! (I expect at this point you're probably as excited and relieved to hear that as we were at the time. )
I awoke, sleepy, at 6:23, (according to my Fitbit, I'd slept 4 hours and 44 minutes,) and I got N up shortly after. We packed our Finding Dory backpack for the day and were out the door before 8. Here's what our suite at the resort looked like...
I'd planned to make a pit stop at the Publix on the way out of the resort for sunscreen since we hadn't packed any except the tiny bottle of my facial sunscreen, and since we hadn't thought to get it at Walmart the night before. N was still peckish after our breakfast of honey nut cheerios, so I convinced him to get a bag of combos since they're more uncommon to see around home. Yum...I remember Pizzeria Pretzel...
We got to AK, parked, took N's first-ever tram (one of many this trip), and made it to through the AK gates before 9am rope drop! I was torn about how I felt about driving versus bussing—not waiting for busses and zipping wherever we wanted whenever was awesome, but not being dropped off at park entrances stunk.
Our first stop once inside the gates was Guest Relations. I was hoping to get my first DAS applied to my account. For those who aren't familiar, DAS stands for Disability Access Service, and it's for anyone with a disability that prevents them from being able to wait in a traditional queue line. You go get a return time that allows you to spend the ride's wait time doing something else, and then you return to ride when it's your time. I don't usually talk too much about my brain condition or neurosurgery on here, but with my symptoms I thought it would be a good fit for me. I didn't bother with it on our December trip because the weather was milder, but in May and August it would be very helpful because my condition causes me not to be able to spend long periods in the heat without becoming really ill. (Kind of like really rapid-onset heat stroke, no matter what precautions I take, that affects the rest of my day.) I wouldn't typically need DAS for indoor air conditioned queues, but it would be very helpful for anything with an outdoor queue line. I also experience sensory overload much more easily than the normal person, so I get overwhelmed and headachy/dizzy if I'm in a crowded noisy environment with a lot going on or a lot to look at for a long period of time. The CM was very helpful, and we got it set up quickly.
AK was beautiful this morning, and I was starting to feel the Disney excitement!
After the welcome thing with the parrots, we were on our way in the direction of Expedition Everest. N didn't realize it yet, but we were on a mission: complete his two FP for EE and Dinosaur before we had to be at the tour desk for 9:45 for our surprise Caring for Giants tour which I'd set up as a little gift to us both. But things got derailed when cast members were roping people into meeting Minnie and Mickey with no wait! I couldn't resist! How fun would it be to see the Disney Duo as our very first Disney thing!? So we did. And then I got all anxious in the short line about not being able to get everything in on time.
But we did our meet anyway, and they were in prime form this morning! Minnie complimented me on my tank top and was flattered when I told her how nice she also looked that morning.
And of course I asked them if we could take a selfie together:
Not our best selfies, I have to say. But the main mice were lookin' fly, so they remain in the TR.
With our M&G finished, we kept racing (fast walking) toward Dinosaur, when I saw on my phone that we'd gotten an email: EE was down and that FP could be used later or for another experience. As disappointing as it was for N to possibly miss it, it worked better for us in terms of staying on time. (Note, the first time we experienced something break down. #DisneyIsBroken)
We arrived at Dinosaur, and I sent N inside while I took photos.
I can't ride this one with my brain condition and motion sickness, so N had never managed to ride it before now. I made the FP especially so he'd get on it...and did he like it? ...He ended up thinking it was just okay. And that it was dated. He'd ride it again, but wasn't crazy about it. I guess he isn't going to join the fan club. I thought his ride photo was hilarious because he's not even paying attention to the scary dinosaur!
"Oh, a dinosaur? Really? Not scary. No big deal. You'll have to try harder than that, Disney."
Oh well.
While N was inside I was messaging my mom and sending her pictures. When he came out we got a frozen lemonade because it was already feeling hot and muggy and he loves these things:
I felt artsy for taking the photo in front of the hanging backpacks. The theming at AK is awesome.
At this point, the skies opened up. It became a running theme for the day. I messaged my mom, "And then it started to rain." Whenever it rained from that point on, that's what we said to each other. Another of many possible TR titles. On our way to the tour desk (N thought we were just heading to our safari FP) it stopped raining, and then started again. N, ever the optimist, made some comment about how it was just like getting an extra shower this morning, and I grouchily responded, "I like for my showers to be on purpose!"
But Disney rain is better than Canadian sun any day, so we were off to check in for our tour!
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