Travels With Teens: Take Two “I Can Organize This Trip in My Sleep!”BC Dee in DC Roti & Fini p. 40

[Melindacruisin]

Saved for Chapter Links
THanks for the info
Intro: Post 1

Monday June 8

Getting There is Half the Fun. Wait. No it isn't! Part 1
"I Can Organize This Trip in My Sleep!"

Tuesday June 9

All About All Star Movies (or Not!), Breakfast and Y.E.S Energy and Waves

Solo Morning at MK

Part 1- Arrival at MK

Part 2-Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Queue
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride
More Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

A New Way to Experience a Classic (Peter Pan Queue Line)
Peter Pan Queue Two
Peter Pan Queue Three
And Away We Goooooo!

A Chance Encounter at the Tangled Tinkle Spot
I Have Waited My Whole Life To Fly With Elephants
Dee Does Dumbo

Missing a bunch of links... to be added...

Wednesday June 10

Behind the Seas, Y.E.S. Class, Part 1
Behind the Seas, Y.E.S Class, Part 2
Electric Umbrella, Spaceship Earth and Test Track

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Meant to comment earlier I'm loving your manicure on the SSE photo
Very Disney-esque indeed

 

[jenseib]

Gosh it's been 15 years or more since we last ate at electric umbrella. It looks really good !

 

[natebenma]

I think that's the first Electric Umbrella review I've seen in a trip report! It actually seems pretty good!

I was pretty impressed, but not enough to give up Sunshine Seasons or our favorite World Showcase counter service meals on a future trip. It really was a great choice for the boys, though.

Electric Umbrella is our go-to Epcot counter service restaurant. Yes, I know that there are a lot of others to choose from but we really like it. And, as your pictures show, the view is quite nice too.

I thought of you a couple of times while we were eating there. Fortunately, we didn't have anything dramatic happen.

You know, I can't remember. I am going to text my niece right now and ask. It certainly won't do any good to text him because he's probably off on another adventure. Must be nice.

Dee, my niece had no idea where my nephew swam with the sharks. I went to his facebook page to look through his pictures and tried to narrow it down to where it might have been. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't Cairo, Paris, Italy, Ireland, Japan, China, Turkey, Utah or Colorado. So, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was from his time in Fiji. After looking through his pictures, I've concluded that I don't really like him much. LOL! Just kidding but I do wish that I was able to do all of the things that he has done.

Thanks for trying to find out. Now I am seriously jealous! Fiji AND swimming with sharks. Cool!

I like the pics from Spaceship Earth

Thanks!

It is fun to be silly with a friend. Especially when your DH and kids refuse to play!

(get it?)

Electric umbrella is a popular place. I haven't eaten there in a while.

I love SSE and always try to come up with something for the picture.

I also love designing the car in Test Track. Speed wins!

That was our first time. The line to order food was pretty long, but I didn't care, as long as we could all sit pretty close together.

I love everything about SSE, but it has been especially fun with the "new" interactive future feature.

I was a little bit bummed not to do Test Track. I was shut out when I chaperoned Nate's trip too because the ride was closed for refurb. But I have had a few recent opportunities to ride. I think I like the new version. The neon colors are kind of cool and it was fun to see the kids designs.

 

[natebenma]

Those burgers from Electric Umbrella look yummy! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your first experience there.

I love your idea for the Spaceship Earth picture - we never do any special poses (we're boring sometimes), but I love seeing how the funny poses come out!

Sorry to hear you weren't able to ride Test Track, but I'm glad the boys all got to ride before it was affected by weather! I really hate when weather gets in the way of ride operations ... but I guess that's just what happens in Florida (and California too sometimes).

The food at Electric Umbrella was good. It was the right place for us to eat with this group, but I doubt that we will be visiting with my family just because we like other places more.

I wish I could think of more funny poses. Especially at Universal, since we have an annual Photoconnect card, and we do a lot of the same rides over and over.

It would have been a shame if the boys didn't get to ride Test Track. They really enjoyed it.

Great updates. Shame the boy didn't like the look of test track but it was kind of you to sit it out with him

It was a little annoying because there really was no reason for him not to ride. He told us he was afraid of heights and drops and rollercoasters and we tried to explain that this was not like a coaster.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure that the two male chaperones ever sat out a ride, but my friends L. and S. and I all took turns. L. sat out a lot because she doesn't ride many thrill rides and S. didn't really want to go on anything too tame. For me, everything is just...right.

I've never eaten at Electric Umbrella either. That French Dip Burger looked very good.

That's too bad you had one student who didn't want to ride Test Track. Was he like that for most of the rides?

Yes, my burger was very tasty!

The boy was like that for most of the rides- Space, Splash, Big Thunder, Test Track, Mission Space so far. He did ride Small World, Haunted, Soarin and Spaceship Earth. We had issues with Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. He tried to beg off of Star Tours but we were able to get him on that, twice. Everest was a no-go, but he rode Dinosaur when they wouldn't let him exit, so he rode. And liked it.

 

[natebenma]

You were coming in with a group of teenage boys. Enough said. They were more than happy to give up their table and make a run for it!

Good! I've had a few meals there. It isn't anything spectacular, but it certainly isn't bad.

A pretty accurate review.

That stinks. I'm sorry you missed out, but at least everyone else got on before the weather interfered.

I was glad my friend L. got to ride. I've done the new Test Track a few times since the refurb. She had not been to Disney for 10 years and some of the boys have never been.

Not riding was not ideal, but it was fine.

:

 

[Wood Nymph]

We've never eaten at Electric Umbrella. What is in the french dip burger? Do they give you sliced beef and a burger on the same bun?

Spaceship Earth is one of our favorite rides. For our last trip we choose completely crazy choices, things we would never pick in real life. Our future had us jumping off cliffs and jetting around the world. It was funny.

 

[natebenma]

Meant to comment earlier I'm loving your manicure on the SSE photo
Very Disney-esque indeed

Thanks!

Do you have Jamberry nails over there? They are stickers that go over your nails and are sold by consultants like Tupperware or Avon/Mary Kay products. This was a custom Disney one created by one of the consultants, I believe. They last a couple of weeks.

Gosh it's been 15 years or more since we last ate at electric umbrella. It looks really good !

The food was really good, but I still prefer the choices at Sunshine Seasons.

We've never eaten at Electric Umbrella. What is in the french dip burger? Do they give you sliced beef and a burger on the same bun?

Spaceship Earth is one of our favorite rides. For our last trip we choose completely crazy choices, things we would never pick in real life. Our future had us jumping off cliffs and jetting around the world. It was funny.

Yes, there is brisket on top of the burger. It was definitely filling, but I don't remember it being overly heavy.

That is really great! We almost always end up in S.C.U.B.A. gear because we answer "Live Under Water"

The pose I did with Joanie was censored. You know, when we had to wait FOREVER for my FP time to arrive.

I have heard the suggestion to choose a language other than English for giggles.

 

[natebenma]

Lost in Space, Back in Time and Sum of Thrills


Our final Fast Pass was Mission:Space from 2:15 to 3:15.

Time for a math problem- We have 12 teen boys, and 5 Chaperones, 1 ride with 2 versions.


How many ride Orange (intense)?

How many ride Green?

How many opt out?


But first, before you answer, let’s do a Flashback to the last time Ben rode M:S Orange (July 2009)


**************************************************************

Givin’ it up for Mission Space Orange (Warning: Graphic update not for the faint of stomach)


My husband has always wanted to try Mission Space Orange, the more intense experience but we have always been on green. I don’t do well on spinny rides, so I wasn’t going to attempt it, and Nate had stomach issues on a previous trip, so he wasn’t willing to go, but Ben, our 9 year old daredevil, was game to accompany my DH.


Nate and I waited for them in the game area near the exit of M:S.


After about 20 minutes, I see Mark and Ben walking triumphantly towards us. Ben has a huge smile on his face.


“I puked! 3 times!!!”


Our apologies to their two unsuspecting shuttle-mates, who exited on the opposite side from Ben. On the plus side, apparently Ben successfully utilized the barf-bags provided in the ride vehicle.


****************************************************************

Final Answer:


1 Chaperone, 1 boy sat out, same one who sat out Test Track. I think they went on Spaceship Earth

2 Chaperones, 2 boys on M:S green (including me)

2 Chaperones, 9 boys on M:S orange (including Ben)



Because I was not with any disapproving members of my own family, and it was only members from my group in our capsule, I was comfortable taking a few pictures.

Barf Bag

M:Selfie

“Don’t Move a Muscle!”



When we finished with the ride and regrouped the brave space travelers, I put a post on Facebook with a picture of the 9 boys holding Green Cards:
“Nobody Ralphed!!!”



Next, we went with a kinder, gentler attraction- Universe of Energy.

But we were still waiting for our two missing group members to get back from Spaceship Earth. It was raining so we decided to go into the preshow.

They were still not there when the doors opened to the ride vehicles so we asked if we could just wait for the rest of our party in the waiting room. We were told no, but we could wait in the empty room (maybe the exit area?) next to the ride.


The boys sat in a circle and you probably could never guess what the boys did.


They played the Telephone Game! You know, where one person whispers a phrase to the boy next to him, and so on until the message, often much different, gets back to the original speaker.


I didn’t even know Ben knew this game!


Once the others arrived, we went back into the preshow, then onto the ride.


While some napped, I snapped some of the best pictures I have ever taken in here!

As we exited, one of the boys realized he had left his hat in the preshow area. I went in with him and when the preshow was over, we went to the CM working the room, and she had the hat. Phew!


In the meantime, the boys were in the empty room, playing more telephone.


One more attraction was on the agenda. We decided to check out Sum of All Thrills, the design your own thrill ride attraction in Innoventions. This was a must-do for this group of students as it involves design, engineering, physics and SPEED!


I believe the wait time was around 25 minutes, not bad at all!


As predicted, a couple of the kids opted out. My friend L. took them to Living with the Land. I was so proud of her, though. Not a thrill rider, she did try this ride out with another chaperone while the rest of us were in the marine biology class earlier that day.


I believe I rode with hard-core S. for whom no ride is too extreme! I let her design as I took pictures.

We had one more important stop before we “Hit the World”- a visit to Club Cool is definitely a necessity for teen boys. Bright lights! Sticky Floors! FREE Soda!


We didn’t have the *spoiler alert* video on the Magical Express to the airport, so a couple of the boys were potential marks for a taste of Beverly. I believe a couple of boys had their first tastes.

We had done just about everything on our must-do list for Future World- it was time to make our way to the World Showcase. We hoped the rain would hold off as we walked by the countries, ate dinner and headed to Hollywood Studios.

Next Up: A Visit from RCFD

 

[Wood Nymph]

The pose I did with Joanie was censored. .

I can totally believe that. I've heard that they will censor masks, too.

Our final Fast Pass was Mission:Space from 2:15 to 3:15.

That is funny about 9 year old Ben. He seemed to be proud of puking. DH took our 8 year old grandson on Orange, and thank goodness he was fine. I'm glad you didn't post Ben's story until after we returned our trip.

I went on Green once and it was the claustrophobia that almost gave me a panic attack, not any of the motion.

While some napped, I snapped some of the best pictures I have ever taken in here!

Those are good pictures of the dinosaurs. It is really dark in there. I know a lot of people avoid this ride, but we like it.

 

[afwdwfan]

After about 20 minutes, I see Mark and Ben walking triumphantly towards us. Ben has a huge smile on his face.


“I puked! 3 times!!!”

Next, we went with a kinder, gentler attraction- Universe of Energy.

Nap time!

One more attraction was on the agenda. We decided to check out Sum of All Thrills, the design your own thrill ride attraction in Innoventions. This was a must-do for this group of students as it involves design, engineering, physics and SPEED!

Cool! Should be a great ride for a group of students!

We didn’t have the *spoiler alert* video on the Magical Express to the airport, so a couple of the boys were potential marks for a taste of Beverly. I believe a couple of boys had their first tastes.

So was the reaction what you expected or were they going for seconds?

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Brilliant Dino photos. Love cooling off in there.
Matthew and I did SOAT and we loved it. He also loved MS orange so I'm thinking I've finally got a companion for the thrill rides .
Haven't heard of Jamberry nails but then I'm the least up to date person on the planet when it comes to beauty products so they may exist here

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

oops double post

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

make that a triple post. Sorry

 

[annie170]

That kid who wouldn't go on many of the rides would have gotten old very quickly. That's the type of kid you wished his parents would have chaperoned so they could stay with him while everyone else is riding. I admire kids at that age who do not give in to peer pressure, so good for him. Not good for you, though!

I honestly can't remember the last time I was on the Universe of Energy. Great place to cool off and take a snooze! The east side of Future World makes me sad. I'm still bitter about the closing of the Wonders of Life Pavilion. Body Wars, Cranium Command, Goofy About Health, my kids loved that building.

That's a cute picture of you in front of the fountain!

 

[natebenma]

I can totally believe that. I've heard that they will censor masks, too.

That is funny about 9 year old Ben. He seemed to be proud of puking. DH took our 8 year old grandson on Orange, and thank goodness he was fine. I'm glad you didn't post Ben's story until after we returned our trip.

I went on Green once and it was the claustrophobia that almost gave me a panic attack, not any of the motion.

Those are good pictures of the dinosaurs. It is really dark in there. I know a lot of people avoid this ride, but we like it.

Can't blame Disney for monitoring the content of ride photos. Although I know for a fact that they don't catch everything. On the previous class trip, I have a picture of one of our boys flipping off the camera in Buzz Lightyear. Not cool!



It is a pretty tight space in Space. I would love to be able to daring and try Orange sometime because Green does not do much for me. Once you have seen the storyline a dozen times or so, the ride is pretty meh without all the G's.



Ben could not have been more proud of puking! Fortunately, he got it all out of him so to speak, and was feeling fine the rest of the day. The problem can come when people get motion sickness on a ride and then they are done.

I like Universe of Energy. Dinosaurs have always been a favorite of my family. We Mark and I rode even when the pre and post show were very sciency and (boring), but since I love Jeopardy and Ellen, Bill Nye and Jamie Lee "Stupid Judy" are very cool, I like the ride even more.

The tough thing is finding 45 minutes to devote to one ride. It works out well if there is a passing rain shower.

I wish I had a picture of Ben when he came back from his space "adventure". Ear to ear grin. Seriously!

Nap time!

I wish could catch some Zzzzzs in rides. A couple of our chaperones and perhaps some of the boys did nod off.

Cool! Should be a great ride for a group of students!

I make sure I talk about Sum of All Thrills at the Disney trip orientation meetings. The school principal, who goes every year, did not know about this attraction until I talked about it when I was helping with Nate's trip.

So was the reaction what you expected or were they going for seconds?

More grimaces than repeat customers for Beverly.

 

[natebenma]

Brilliant Dino photos. Love cooling off in there.
Matthew and I did SOAT and we loved it. He also loved MS orange so I'm thinking I've finally got a companion for the thrill rides .
Haven't heard of Jamberry nails but then I'm the least up to date person on the planet when it comes to beauty products so they may exist here

Thank you! I like that ride and it was the perfect place to dodge the rain.

I'm so glad that Matthew has started to turn into a thrill junkie! Nice to have a ride buddy.

I am not into beauty products at all either! I have only had a couple of manicures/pedicures in my life. I have a friend who is a Jamberry consultant. Her son actually was on Ben's class trip and she was at Disney at the same time with her daughter, but not part of the class tip. I took those Spaceship Earth pictures to send to her.

:

oops double post

make that a triple post. Sorry

 

[natebenma]

That kid who wouldn't go on many of the rides would have gotten old very quickly. That's the type of kid you wished his parents would have chaperoned so they could stay with him while everyone else is riding. I admire kids at that age who do not give in to peer pressure, so good for him. Not good for you, though!

I honestly can't remember the last time I was on the Universe of Energy. Great place to cool off and take a snooze! The east side of Future World makes me sad. I'm still bitter about the closing of the Wonders of Life Pavilion. Body Wars, Cranium Command, Goofy About Health, my kids loved that building.

That's a cute picture of you in front of the fountain!

It was especially frustrating when he was the only one. I would never force someone to go on a ride they were uncomfortable with, but he would have been fine on Test Track!

Wonders of Life Pavilion was good. It had closed before we took our boys to EPCOT. I enjoyed the improv show they had. I think Body Wars made me queasy.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Wonders of Life Pavilion was good. It had closed before we took our boys to EPCOT. I enjoyed the improv show they had. I think Body Wars made me queasy.

We loved that pavilion. Our favorite ride was Cranium Command and really wish they hadn't closed it. That ride was a fun way to understand how food affects you and why junk food is bad for you. Body Wars was like Star Tours with the simulator and bumpy ride. It was based on the movie Innerspace and it was an interesting way to see the inner workings of the body. It was a great pavilion.

 

[teekathepony]

The YES class on Marine Biology sounds so interesting. Marine Biologist was on my list of what I wanted to be when I grew up. (Still waiting to grow up so, still a possibility I guess!)
I couldn't keep pH and salinity level in a 50 gallon tank, I can't imagine being responsible for The Seas!!
Electric Umbrella is always Johnny's top pick. I'm so sick of it by now! It's one of the very few things we disagree on when we're at Disney. I want to eat at Sunshine Seasons and he wants to go there.
Too bad that boy didn't try Test Track. I bet he would have loved it!
Mission Space -- I won't do orange either or else I'd probably end up like Ben (though NOT smiling about it!!) Glad no one had to use the barf bags this time round!
I love Ellen's Energy Adventures. A nice relaxing time off your feet to cool down.