Disney World, Day 2

We had an early reservation at Chef Mickey, so it was early to rise, quick snack in the room, and off to the restaurant, where all your favorite Disney characters would be frying eggs and sizzling bacon. Or wearing Chefs hats and aprons and walking around slapping high fives with the kids and signing autographs, whichever. Jack and Kate suited up with their Goofy hat and Minnie Mouse ears, grabbed their autograph books, and we were off.

The experience began with riding a Monorail to the restaurant, which was kind of fun, and then we lined up for a pre-breakfast picture with a statue of Chef Mickey. Amusingly, when they went to sell us the picture during our meal, they showcased one with Jack frowning -- even though we later found that the two other pictures they'd snapped were perfect. Anyway, the kids ate very little, star-struck as they were by the characters, and Pluto cracked us all up by signing autographs by holding the book on his giant nose. And then it was off to Magic Kingdom for our first round of Disney rides.

We got to the Tomorrowland section of the park early enough that there wasn't much of a line for the oft-mentioned "Space Mountain" ride, so we all clambered into that one. It was a ripping, wrenching, peaks and valleys up-and-down rollercoaster in nearly total darkness. So you couldn't see what was coming, just had to react to it. I took notes about their post-ride reactions.

Kate: "I will NEVER do that ride again. I did NOT like that." Jack: "THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!" We then did the Astro Orbiter ride, which we eventually discovered followed a similar template to many other rides: you sit in a vehicle of some shape (in this case, a spacecraft) and travel in circles around a central post. This ended up being one of our favorites because you were really high up. Kate loved this one (and we would soon find that she loved most rollercoasters, just not Space Mountain. And I'm with her; that thing was not great on my back, and because it was dark I had to fret that maybe I was too tall and I'd end up getting the top of my cranium lopped off. Where was I?), and we ended up doing it a couple more times.

After lunch (strangely the kids were hungry; they didn't eat enough at the all-you-can-eat buffet at Chef Mickey's, sigh), we took in an "Enchanted Tales with Belle" show, featuring an actress playing Belle from Beauty and the Beast (all the kids were invited up to meet her; Kate didn't want to go), and some cool effects with a talking cupboard and candlestick and whatnot. Good show, I said, eh, Jack? as I woke him up before he fell off his seat.

Then it was on to more rides. We stood in a ridiculously long line for the Dumbo ride, because you have to do it once, and discovered it was essentially the same ride as Astro Orbiter, only not as high, not as cool, and way, way more of a line. Sorry, Dumbo. We then did the Buzz Lightyear ride, which was a lot better. We'd read the description about how you'd be shooting things, and Kate wanted NO part of it. All through the line, she groused about it and said she was afraid and wanted no part of it. Who ended up loving it? That's right, Kate. Actually we all did, so much so that a few days later we stood in like a 70-minute line to go on it, and didn't regret it.

Our best ride of the day, by far, and surprisingly, was the spinning Teacup ride, which Jack groaned about beforehand ("Teacups? Oh yeah, THAT sounds cool" -- and at this point he hadn't even read any Calvin and Hobbes) -- but in fact, it was awesome, partly because it was one of the few rides were we could all four sit in the same vehicle/cup, and we spun and laughed and discovered clearly why Disney is such a wonderful place. Because we all had fun and were all happy and for a little while it was just us in a ride grinning at each other like idiots and laughing it up.

When our day finally ended, we went back to the lodge and the kids wanted to go swimming. I went with them, while Emily sat in a deck chair taking pictures while wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Because it was COLD. Not zero degree cold, but maybe 60 (maybe). All of us were shivering and our teeth were chattering afterward, but we did swim.

Back in the room, Kate found something of hers (my notes fail me) in a place she didn't want it, like near a wet towel or something. She complained to Jack, who responded "I didn't put it there, the Mousekeepers did!" (Housekeepers = Mousekeepers, naturally.) Kate, in a funny voice, lamented "Ooh, the Mousekeepers keep making me touch nasty things." I guess you probably had to be there. Also to see the Mousekeepers folding our towels into funny animal shapes, like this one.

Finally -- yup, day not over yet -- we went out to an overlook where they provided night vision goggles to see animals. That was pretty cool. Though I think we were still kind of chilled from the pool. Slept hard that night.