Sunday, April 22, 2012

2 Queens: Halfway to 50!

Beth has been my BFF since we were 7 years old. We call ourselves the 2 Queens. In the spring of 2009 we both turned 25 and thought that this milestone would be best celebrated in the place of the eternally young at heart: Disney World! (Are you really surprised?)



We went for a short 5 day trip over Memorial Day week and discovered a few new things...

1. Dining Plan
We signed up for the Quick Service Dining plan, which got us 2 counter service meals and 2 snacks per day. The plan was a little confusing at first as far as what was included in a meal. The counter service in the parks were pretty straight forward, but grabbing breakfast at the resort (we stayed at POP) was hard to understand how many beverages, which types, etc. But we managed and it was quite convenient. Overall, the CMs are willing to explain if you ask what's included.

2. Animal Kingdom
I convinced Beth of the benefits of Rope Drop and the first morning we hit up AK. Now, I'm not proud of what I'm about to tell you, but since a few years have passed I'm willing to confess.
I was really, really eager to be the first ones on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. (I admit to being the annoying speed walker. What can I say? I walk with purpose!) We got to the turnstiles early but there were still a few people in front of us. We didn't realize that there were special turnstiles for guests with Tusker House reservations before park opening. So when the folks in front of us got let in, I thought we were just lucky. And we started following this small group of 20 or so people through the park towards the safari. Except I realized that none of the other turnstiles opened up and that we were the only 20 guests in the park while the masses were still waiting back by the entrance.. As a CM led this group towards Tusker House, we realized that we should not be there.  Too embarrassed to break away from the crowd and go back, we blended into the shadows of some of the mercantile storefronts and meandered towards the rope closer to the Safari until the rest of the Rope Drop guests arrived. Needless to say, no one ever caught us and we wound up being the very first guests on the first truck in the first row. 

Somehow, despite two somewhat-researched trips to the World, I never knew about the Dinosaur attraction. Oh, if only we had bought the picture at the end of the ride: I'm pretty sure Beth's head was between her legs as she was missing from the photo entirely, while I had my arms up, protecting my head with a look of sheer terror on my face. Despite this, we rode it a second time and in the next photo we had not gained an ounce more of our dignity back.
This was obviously taken before riding Dinosaur. I still have my wits about me here.
We also made sure to ride Expedition Everest a few times. Although it's very rare and I would never recommend planning on this, we got in the single-rider line and managed to sit together!

3. 50's PrimeTime Café
If you miss hanging out in your Grandma's kitchen, look no further than this restaurant. After waiting in Grandma's living room, we were seated at a Formica table and our server, Uncle Dale, seemed to be excited about how much we'd grown. Apparently the last time he saw us he was bouncing us on his knee. Everyone in the restaurant gets in on the act. When I came back from the restroom, Uncle Dale asked if I washed my hands. When I said "yes", he quickly shot back "Then what color was the soap?". He even made us set the table! The most memorable moment was when Uncle Dale refused to clear our plates until we had one last bite.  And he insisted that we feed it to each other, while egging on the other restaurant patrons extended family to cheer us on while he photographed the evidence.
Click on the photo to enlarge.


Other Stuff
We met Beth's friend, Sarah, who was a CM at Kidani. She took us around and gave us the "insider's scoop" on a few things. We rode Astro Blaster at night to see all the lights, checked out the International Epcot Flower & Garden Festival and asked CMs at Rock n' Roller Coaster "Should we Walk This Way? I don't want to miss a thing." We may have been 25, but we'll never grow up!



2 comments:

  1. UGH! I have to stop reading your blog...it's making me want to go back SOOO bad...which in turn drives Colin nuts 'cus I keep talking about it! LOL!!

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  2. LOL! Time to start planning! Disney is downright addictive.

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