Famille Du Pentium

Marla’s Aunt and Uncle from southern Florida joined us at Magic Kingdom today to help us celebrate a couple of birthdays.  Since we arrived late, we went and got fastpasses for Space Mountain.  We diverged from our plan a bit because we had guests with us.  No sense in killing anyone on our vacation, eh?

Lunch was at Cosmic Ray’s, and it was one of the few disasters we encountered.  We took our time touring, and then ate a late lunch.  We figured by 2:00 PM things would clear out at the counter service restaraunts.  Boy, were we wrong.  We had to scout for seating for 30 minutes, splitting up and staying in touch by cell phone when we found tables.  Once we found one, it had no chairs.  Marla, Penny and Alfie guarded the table and scouted for chairs while I went to get us food.  The food lines were not actually too bad, although they screwed up our order and I had to wait too long for an order of fries with my kids’ meals.  Finally, the food came, and I made my way back to the table.  By now, the others had scrounged some chairs and even another table nearby, so we could actually sit and eat.  From there, it went smoothly, but we were not happy with the seating availability at such a late hour for lunch.

After lunch, we did some more touring until dinnertime.  I’m not going into detail here because I don’t remember it all – I know we finally went to Mickey’s toontown Fair and did the Mickey pictures and the big playground, and at some point we did the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Enchanted Tiki Birds,  but I don’t remember much else until dinner.

Dinner was great, at Liberty Tree.  I must say, having reservations is a must.  We saw several disappointed families waiting to see if they could get in "stand-by" – it was no good this night.  They were booked solid.  This was a character dinner that included Goofy, Minnie, Chip, and Dale.  

After dinner, we rode a few rides but the highlight was It’s A Small World – by now the lines were negligible, and we rode it twice.  We could have ridden it three or more times, but the kids had had enough.  We had already closed this park once, so we packed it in and went back to our hotel.  Tomorrow, we were coming back to MK again, so we needed our energy.

Pictures are HERE (starting with the picture of Ethan on the train), and this is what you’ll see:

• Ethan on the train, Justin on the train, Aaron boarding the train
• A view of Big Thunder Mountain railroad from the (regular) train
• Other scenes from the train
• Playing at the play-park (whatever it’s called) at Mickey’s Toontown Fair
• Waiting for pictures with Mickey
• Pictures with Mickey
• The kids get messy at Cosmic Rays
• Alfie & Penny and Aaron at Cosmic Rays
• Waiting for Pirates of the Carribean
• Jungle Cruise (oh yeah, we did that also 🙂
• "The Backside of Water"
• Dinner at Liberty Tree
• The kids get pictures and autographs from the characters at Liberty Tree
• It’s A Small World!

I will pick up the narrative tomorrow – Disney Day 7, MK Visit 3.  Only two days left!

Every trip to Disney should include planning for a "down day" – recover, rest, and sometimes play at the resort.  As I said in my review of Port Orleans, I wish we had planned for more time to just play at the resort.  As it was, we ate breakfast at Boatwrights – the Port Orleans Riverside table service restaraunt – and then we went swimming at Old Man Island.  We had made plans to eat lunch at a Disney Studios table service restaraunt, however we decided we needed more rest after swimming so we napped and ate at our resort’s counter service food court. 

Dinner was at Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney.  It was our first experience with Planet Hollywood, and we were very happy with it.  Plus, they take the Disney Dining Plan – that alone almost paid for the cost of the plan!  Planet Hollywood is a very expensive place, and we definately ate our money’s worth.  

After that, we looked around Downtown Disney a bit more, and then met up with Marla’s Aunt and Uncle, with whom we toured Magic Kingdom the next day.  We got back to our hotel early, took one last swim, and went to bed, even though our plans called for arriving at  MK late the next day.  You take all the rest you can get at Disney!

I don’t have any pictures for this day, but you can check out some of the scenes from our resort HERE.  What you’ll see:

• Pictures of the "towel animals" that the housekeepers created
• Justin’s P.J.’s after we had them professionally laundered.  They never looked better!
• Scenes from the counter service restaraunt at Port Orleans Riverside 

Day 4 at Disney – June 9th, we went to Magic Kingdom.

The only thing I regret is that we did Epcot the day before Magic Kingdom.  Next time, not gonna do it that way.  We closed Epcot last night, and today is our first day of a park that you have to be very aggressive to tour – Magic Kingdom.  The tour plan we were following was called "Dumbo or Die in a Day".  But, we did it – and, I’ll admit, we had fun.

We arrived at opening and made our way to Dumbo – a cycle loader that pretty much has a 90 minute line anytime 30 minutes after opening.  So if your goal, like ours, was to not wait more than 20 minutes for any ride (a goal we achieved, by the way) you have to hit the rides with long lines first.  

So we rode Dumbo.  Then Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, Buzz Lightyear, and the Laugh Floor Comedy Club.  All before lunch.  Then, we took a break – went back to our hotel, ate lunch, and took a nap.  These were all of our favorite rides amongst the most popular, and they were done.  

When we came back, we took the pontoon boat (Disney calls it a "raft") over to Tom Sawyer Island and looked around.  The younger kids loved it, but Aaron hated it (as you can tell from the pictures).   Even though our plan called for it, by this time we didn’t want to do the ToonTown stuff (Mickey’s house pictures, Donald’s Boat, etc.) until we met up later with Marla’s Aunt and Uncle.  So we skipped forward to Country Bear Jamboree, skipped It’s a Small World (line over 20 minutes, better time to ride will come later) and Pirates of the Carribean.  Meanwhile, we had gotten fastpasses to Jungle Cruise and we took that. 

Whew!  What a day.  Time for dinner, table service at Tony’s Town Square, fashioned after Tony’s in Lady and the Tramp.  Of course, the specialty of the house is Spagetti and Meatballs, which we all devoured and then watched the parade and fireworks before going back to our hotel.  

The pictures of every MK day are HERE; I’ll give you a little guidance on our first day at MK:

•  Some shots of Magic Kingdom "opening"
• Dumbo!
• Indy Speedway – even a three year old can drive the cars!
• Tom Sawyer Island excursion
• Country Bear Jamboree
• Goofy Statue in front of Tony’s
• The SpectroMagic Parade (well, what I could catch of it)
• The Fireworks

At this point, the pictures move into Day 2 at MK (Day 6 at Disney), which I will cover in two blog posts from now. 

Epcot was one of our favorite parks the last time we went.  It didn’t disappoint us this time. We went on day 3, which was June 8th. 

First, we arrived early for opening, and hit the plan running.  Marla and Aaron made their way to test track, while I took the younger kids in the stroller to The Land to get fastpasses for Soarin’, the new flight-simulator ride.  That was an adventure in itself; since Disney has opened this ride, it definately attracts big crowds to The Land which used to be somewhat sedate.  But with a very short wait, I got the fastpasses and made my way back to Test Track.  The idea was, we were supposed to meet up and all ride together.  Marla, knowing that we couldn’t take Justin on the ride, got a switch-off pass, which is kind of like a fast-pass for parents of small children, and then she and Aaron took the ride.  Disney has really improved how they handle switching off now – instead of waiting at the front of the line with your non-riding kids, the non-rider and kids can now tour nearby while the riders go.  Then, when the riders get off, you take the "switch off pass" and the adult with the non-riding kids can go with up to two other riders.  Works great.  So Aaron and I went back to Test Track again.  Only this time, the ride broke down, just as we were about to board.  So this time, we got new fastpasses good anytime that month, no time limit – w00t! We saved the "oops the ride broke while you were in line" fastpasses for our next visit and moved on. 

After a couple of the slow rides (Living with the Land and Journey Into Imagination), we took Soarin’.  This is really an amazing ride, I can’t really describe it.  You are strapped into a sort of hang-glider looking thing and then lifted up in front of a huge IMAX-like screen on which plays a video of a hang glide through many cities.  But the screen isn’t just IMAX, it goes below you and above you and around you – creating a true feeling of flight.  We were blown away.

After Soarin’, it was off to the countries – El Rio del Tiempo in Mexico first.  I love this ride.  They’ve renamed it, and now I can’t remember what it’s called.  But it’s still fun, and we rode it 3 times.   

Next, off to Norway and Maelstrom, a kind of neat indoor ride that includes a small log flume.  

We had lunch at Les Chefs in France – we really wanted to try different dining this time, and Les Chefs was great.  Each time we go to Disney, we have one memorable dining experience – and this time, Les Chefs was it.  Great service, excellent food, and a very relaxing atmosphere.  It’s nice to eat in a French restaurant with kids and not have to worry, because it’s Disney!

Next, we rested up until our dinner reservations at Rose & Crown, the last seating before Illuminations starts, so we could watch it from the outdoor dining area.  This has changed a bit – in the old days, you could get there early and ask for a seat by the rail and be accomodated.  Now, they seem to seat the people who show up last in the best seats – which I found to be considerably rude.  But wait, they redeem themselves.  Just prior to the show, our waiter comes by and asks us, "Do you want to watch the show from our private viewing area?"  It turns out, anyone who gets seated close enough to the show time but not at the rail gets to watch the show a little bit closer, in a small area reserved for that purpose, down by the water.  Great view!  Better than up by the rail!  The only gripe is that you have to stand, but it is a better view by a longshot.  After the show, we returned to our table and were allowed to finish our meal – no rush, they were very nice.  We actually left after park closing, and nobody rushed us.

The pictures are HERE, and here’s what you’ll see: 

• Us hanging out in Norway
• Morocco
• Some attempts to capture the famous Epcot dome at night

Yeah, so I didn’t take many pictures.   

I’m obsessed with finishing my travel review of our trip to Disney, no matter how long it takes :).

On day 2 (this was Thursday, June 7th) we arrived a bit late after needing some extra rest from the drenching we got at Disney Studios the day before.   Our "plan" was still in force, but again we had fewer rides we wanted to take than the plan called for, so we had plenty of time. 

We did ride Dinosaur, the new indoor dark thrill ride.  It was great, except it kept breaking down.  This was OK in one sense, whenever you’re removed from a ride prior to it’s completion, you get a sort of FastPass that lets you come back anytime and ride it again, through the FastPass line.  This is nice because there’s no specific time limit, so you can re-ride anytime you want.  The downside is, when it breaks down they have you walk through most of the ride with the lights on, exposing all of the "surprises" that you would normally experience in the dark.  I guess that’s OK, but I’d rather not have seen the "behind the scenes" before I rode it all the way through.  Eh, what are you going to do.  

My only regret is that we didn’t ride the Safari ride.  We tried, but kept getting sidetracked picking up our Fast Passes, and by the time we finally got there they were out.  

Disney is importing more animal characters into the park, and thus we got the chance to take pictures with Winnie the Pooh and Friends.  

We were disappointed with the petting zoo.  Frankly, the petting zoo at Brookfield Zoo is better.

And of course there’s the big play area (forget what it’s called) themed after an archeological dig.  The kids always love this, and it’s a good way to spend a hot afternoon – in the shade, in a place where parents can sit back and watch their kids burn off energy. 

That night, we ate dinner at Rainforest Cafe.  We’ve eaten at the Downtown Disney Rainforest before, and it was great.  This one was so-so, our seating wasn’t great but the ambience was still very nice.  The downside of Rainforest is that they don’t take the Disney Dining plan, so you have to plan around that.  

Since AK closes early, this was a great day to see some sights, ride a few rides, and then get back to our hotel early and get some rest before our big day (Day 3) at Epcot.   I think the next time we go, we might actually skip AK unless they have some new major rides.  Dinosaur is great, but they need more here.

Oh yeah, pictures of our visit to Animal Kingdom are HERE. 

If you looked for the pictures yesterday, they might have still been uploading.  Everything is done now, and you can find them all at:

http://gallery.famille.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=1249&g2_fromNavId=xdd28d5ca 

This includes Disney, Dells, July 4th, and the car races.

On July 4th, we went to the Skokie fireworks show after returning from the Dells.  This is an annual event held at Niles West High School that includes music, food, games, and of course the fireworks show.  The pictures are HERE, and here’s what you’ll see:

• The kids running around on the Niles West athletic field during the concert. 
• A juggler
• Ethan in the Sack Race
• Aaron waiting for the sack race.  Somehow, he didn’t get to participate.  Sigh.
• Ethan eating watermellon.  There was supposed to be a seed spitting contest, but he just ate the food.
• Justin eating watermellon too
• Ethan in the tug-o-war game
• Aaron in the tug-o-war game (he won!)
• Pictures of the Skokie dusk sky, just before the fireworks
• Aaron on top of the car, waiting to watch the fireworks
• The Fireworks 

So, as promised, pictures from Wisconsin Dells: <http://gallery.famille.org/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=2401&g2_fromNavId=xb17dc9dd>.

Here’s what you’ll see:

• The resort.  We stayed at the Raintree.  Pictures of the building, parking lot, and the indoor waterpark.  We went to the outside waterpark too; it’s basically the same as the indoor except it’s, well, outside.
• Mini-golf.  There’s lots of these places in the Dells that offer hundreds of holes of golf.  We settled for 18 :). 
• The Upper Dells boat tour.  You’ll see our boat, more pictures of Wis Dells sandstone formations, and a few pictures from some of the boat stopovers including the famous Stand Rock (where the dog jumps across).
• The Ducks / Lower Dells tour.  More sandstone :).
• "Top Secret" – a sort of strange upside down house that you tour.  It was fun, but not extraordinary.
• Go carts.  We love go carts.
• Rick Wilcox (magician).  There’s one picture of the kids with him.
• The Riverview and Great Western Railway.  This is kind of special.  It’s a 15" track, with cars and a  real working steam engine built specifically for them. I include pictures of the cars and engine, plus the staff turning the engine around on a turntable at the end of the line.  We approached this ride with some trepidation, thinking it looked kind of like one of those amusement park train rides.  But it’s a nice one, really – 1.5 miles each way and the Engineer explains to the kids how a steam engine works.
• The Lost Canyon.  This is a horse-drawn carraige (sp?) ride through "Lost Canyon" in the Dells.  More sandstone, but this time with horses in the foreground.
• Tommy Bartlett’s Exploratory.  A little difficult to describe, it’s like a small version of the Museum of Science and Industry, where kids can do some hands-on activities.  If you look carefully, you’ll find a picture of Tommy Bartlett water skiing in there – the only time in his life when he put on water skis.  Also, Aaron and Marla’s heads are on a platter, and Justin makes some rubber band art, and Marla does an acrobatic trick involving a bicycle precariously balanced on a high wire.

Last night, we all went to Hartford Speedway Park in Hartford, MI (about 2 hours from Chicago) to watch stock car racing.  This is a half-mile dirt oval track that has Factory Stock, Mini Stock, UMP Late Model, UMP Modifieds, Mini Sprints, Enduros, and Quads.  We actually went to see a friend race in the Quads, which are like little one-cylinder two-stroke four-wheel ATVs.  A friend from work helped the driver rebuild his Quad, and he was there watching his friend race.  So we went, because it’s a good opportunity for the kids to  (A) see REAL stock car racing, and (B) Meet the driver.

This is what NASCAR was 30 years ago – a bunch of guys just racing their hearts out on a dirt track  just for the thrill of it.  And we all had a great time, and came home at 2:00 AM covered in dirt. 

The pictures are HERE.

It’s been a couple of years since we went to the Dells, and things have changed a lot.  It used to be a place where you could go, nearby to suburban Chicago, and (relatively) cheap – compared to places like Hawaii or Disney or so forth.  It’s still nearby.

Driving down the main strip (Wisconsin Dells Pkwy), you feel a real sense of Deja Vu if you’ve ever been to Vegas.  Not that casinos are taking over (although there are two nearby) but because, like Vegas, big players are taking over the strip and making mega-parks that must constantly expand in order to hold bragging rights to the "Biggest waterpark".  

For instance, Treasure Island used to be a big player with a large indoor & outdoor park and an onsite hotel.  Suddenly, a small start-up from up the street, Mount Olympus, owns Treasure Island (and everything else on that side of the strip for that matter).  I’m not saying that’s bad – big parks can be good – but it does change the landscape of things a bit.

The Dells attractions are traditionally a pay-as-you-go  affair.  You buy as little or as much entertainment as you want.  Like the old Vegas.  But now with the mega-parks knocking down the old players and building huge all-inclusive parks, it’s a bit harder.  For instance, we would have liked to have ridden the "Trojan Horse" go-carts.  A few years ago, when Mt Olympus was a newcomer to the strip, TH was a pay-as-you-go affair.  Now, you have to buy in to the Mt Olympus mega-park in order to ride it, whether you want to ride anything else or not.  Maybe that’s fine if you want to do the roller coasters and rides and water park at Mt Olympus.  One price, and you get it all.  But if you just want to ride Trojan Horse, you’re out of luck.

Condos are also taking over, and I think in a bad way.  Timeshare sales is tainting the Dells, and they’re knocking down some good family entertainment in order to build.  For instance, the old Native American dance show at the top of the hill near New Concord, across from the Indian Trading Post, is no more.  They’ve knocked it down to build condos.  No more Native American dance show.  

Same with Big Chief go-carts – gone, soon to be something else, probably a condo.  In fact, in the old days you couldn’t drive a block without tripping over a go-cart place.  Now, only a few go-cart-only places exist (like A-Dare), otherwise you have to buy in to a park to ride go-carts (and the selection is still very limited).   

Wis Dells is still a fun place, and it’s still (just barely) cheaper than Disney, but I’m afraid if they keep developing this way, soon it won’t be.