Larock Family WDW Trip

Day 5 – MGM Studios, Downtown Disney and Port Canaveral

Cast of characters – Mommy, Daddy, Nina (6) and Julia (5)

I don’t know how he did it, but Daddy was up and out the door before our 8:15am wake up call. Nina picked up the wake-up call and upset Julia. Poor kid seems to sleep through everything! Daddy had already supplied us with breakfast for the morning and since we weren’t in any hurry, we munched on fruit, granola bars and of course, the M&M cookies. Guess which item was finished first?

We packed up everything in our hotel room and made our way to the car since we were checking out this morning. We drove to MGM studios and when we reached the parking lot, I remembered that I had forgotten to check out! I called the front desk and explained the situation and they couldn’t have been nicer about it. They offered to e-mail me a list of my expenses applied to my credit card and that was it!

When we walked up to the tram we were greeting by little green Army men from Toy Story shouting instructions to everyone boarding the tram. They definitely made the experience a lot more fun! We rode from Goofy Film to the security line that was long but moved quickly.

Today we used up the last of our DisneyWorld park tickets and I found that sad. I know we’d get new ones for our next visit but there’s something reassuring about taking unused days home with you. It’s like an unspoken promise of trips yet to come.

As we walked down the main street of MGM the girls saw Lilo and Stitch and we just HAD to get in line to see them. We also waited to see Timon and Rafiki before going to the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” Playground. The girls enjoyed the oversized backyard especially the unexpected things like the steps that make noises going into the spider’s web.

Behind the playground, I took the girls to the small marketplace where Daddy and I had gotten a computer generated photograph of us with Roger Rabbit in 1992. They each wanted to have their photographs taken so we had fun watching them put Nina on a surfboard with Lilo & Stitch and then Julia was carefully deposited among a group shot of the Princesses. They were both so pleased with the outcome and couldn’t wait to show Dad.

As we walked back behind the Chinese Theater we happened to peak in one of the building and there was Sorcerer Mickey, all by himself! Needless to say, we went right in and said hello. As we approached the Sorcerer’s hat in front of the Chinese theater we stopped to greet Tigger before heading to the Prime-time Café for our lunch appointment. Alicia our server was good with the girls and didn’t harass them too much but encourage them to join the Clean Plate club. We did, however, get to watch several men my age get the full treatment and the girls couldn’t help but wonder what they kept doing wrong! It was hilarious. Nina was very happy to make the Clean Plate club when she finished her pasta and Julia promised that she would join the Clean Plate club on her next visit. We had fun watching the different t.v. clips too including the ones of the fashions of the 50s. My cell phone battery had given up and we were supposed to get in touch with Daddy so Nina found a payphone for us and we arranged to meet him at 2pm at Downtown Disney’s Lego store.

I convinced the girls to ride the Great Movie Ride with me and when we approached the cement footprints, they had a great time reading the names and comparing the relative sizes of hands and feet to their own. Once inside, they had a good time going through the ride and I purposefully had them hide their eyes during the Alien encounter, which I knew, would keep them from ever riding it again. After the ride was over Julia declared that she “kind of liked it” so I asked them if they wanted to ride the Backlot tour. We spoke with the Cast Member at the entrance and after they asked her a few questions, they decided that they would wait until their Daddy could ride it with them.

As we walked toward the front of the park, we encountered the Great American Bargain Hunter skit. This is by far, one of the funniest skits I have ever seen. It involves two seemingly independent skits going on; the first between a stereotypical “Guido” and his voluptuous, tightly clothed, bee-hive hairdo-ed wife and the second a group of nature safari type explorers. The explorers are on the hunt for the Great American Bargain Hunter and observe at a distance the antics of the wife who is having a “discussion” with her husband about why she shouldn’t shop while he makes a reservation for lunch at the Brown Derby. While he’s away, the explorers shoot a sleep dart into the wife who falls into a deep sleep and awakes tagged just like a wild elephant on Discovery Channel. The husband returns and thinks that she’s bought a new bracelet! My sides were aching and while the girls didn’t get many of the jokes they still thought it a funny sketch to watch and laughed even more when I explained some of the characters actions to them.

From the parking lot, we drove to Downtown Disney and found Daddy on the way to the Lego store. The girls immediately set about shopping like a great pair of bargain hunters! Nina chose a plush Pegasus and a small Kim Possible doll. Julia chose a pretty Cinderella play set. I made a few purchases of my own and had a great conversation with one of the Cast Members about Roy Disney’s recent retirement and the true spirit of Disney. Once we were finished our shopping, we went to Ghiardelli’s for a banana split. We played for a bit at the Lego store and then we were on our way to Cape Canaveral. For the first time all week, we encountered rain showers. Julia took a well-deserved nap and didn’t wake up until we had checked into the hotel and were already in our room! The room at the Radisson at the Port was amazing! In fact, it was a suite with a separate living area including desk, sofa and small kitchenette. The bedroom had a Jacuzzi tub and separate shower area. Nina immediately started a bubble bath and Julia quickly joined her. Daddy went next door for pizza and sodas and we had a great time eating in our room. We even laughed when Daddy somehow got the soda bottle all shaken and we all went diving for cover!

The girls did some additional homework to stay caught up and then it was time for bed. We finished the day with a Christmas story and then tucked ourselves in to get ready for a big day tomorrow.

Part: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9