Disney Vacation Day 3 - The Big Cheese

Sunday started the way Saturday was supposed to. We woke up early, had breakfast and caught a boat to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

It was Ben's first boat ride. I don't know where he learned it, but he was singing cool boat songs. What's a boat song? You know, Yo ho ho- a pirates life for me. And of course the classic Boats and Hoes. ;)

We didn't wait long for the boat and it took us straight to the park. I know I'm over protective and paranoid, I think it's a good thing, but one day it will get me into trouble.

As soon as we got aboard I started looking for the emergency exit and the life belts. The next thing I looked for was who I needed to fight through to get Ben and Allison to the exit should the boat sink. There were two ways I could go, but YOU, yes you in the Flyers jersey...if it comes down to it, I'm coming right at you.

Anyway, we got to the park safe and sound. We didn't realize that along with Gay Days it was also Star Wars weekend. Coincidence or smart planning? That's a discussion for another blog.

There were storm troopers patrolling the line. They pointed at me and asked for my identification. I played along, but they punked me. As soon as I showed my ID, they said "We don't need to see their identification. These are not the droids we're looking for" It was pretty funny, but I felt like an idiot.
The plan was to go straight to the Playhouse Disney show, but we were early and decided to see if Ben could meet some characters. We went inside the character area and got the schedule. Pluto was going to be out for another 10 minutes, then Mickey Mouse was coming. That's right! The big cheese himself in just 10 minutes!

We got in line to meet Pluto. This could go either way. Either Ben will LOVE the characters or he will scream bloody murder in about 3 seconds. Ben saw Pluto and he immediately though "That dog is much bigger that Molly (our Boston Terrier) Where are his toys? I want to put them in my mouth." He was very interested in Pluto.

We got to Pluto and Ben had a ball. He immediately smiled and laughed and grabbed Pluto's nose. He reached out for Pluto to hold him, but Allison held onto him. I don't think the characters are allowed to hold kids, and even if they could, the probably shouldn't. Ben kept smiling and pointing at Pluto's nose. It was really cute and I got very excited at the whole thing.

Even when we posed for a group picture, you can still see Ben is mesmerized by Pluto.
We said goodbye and got on line to see the big guy. The head mouseketeer. We waited for about 15 minutes and there he was. MICKEY MOUSE. Ben watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Saturday and Sunday mornings. They go way back. And of course you know Allison and I go way back with Mickey too. He came to our wedding remember?
There were about 6 or 7 people before us and then we got to meet Mickey Mouse. Ben looked a little confused, but Mickey knows how to handle that. He did this "jazz hands" wave to Ben and kept moving his fingers closer to Ben's face. Ben responded by trying to bite Mickey's fingers. It was pretty funny. We joked that Ben could smell the cheese on his fingers and was getting hungry. Ben liked Mickey, but he enjoyed Pluto better. I took video of this encounter, so I only have group pix. Once I figure out how to transfer the video online, I'll post Ben trying to snack on Mickey, but in the meantime, here's the group shot.
After this we went to check out the Playhouse Mickey show. It was HOT and we got sweaty and disgusting pretty quickly. Handy Manny and one of the Baby Einstein guys walked by, Ben just look at me like "DAD! DID YOU JUST SEE THAT! THAT WAS HANDY MANNY"
I was a little upset that Special Agent Oso wasn't there, but hopefully they'll add him soon. Don't know who Special Agent Oso is? Check him out, but be warned...the Three Special Steps song is VERY VERY dangerous. Once you hear it, it gets stuck in your head for hours. 2:50 mark.



The show was fun but I think Ben was too young to fully enjoy it. He jumped when there was music, but when bubbles and leaves fell and when everyone was supposed to clap and stomp, he really couldn't do that. In a few years, he'll love it.

There was a Star Wars parade on the way out. The coolest part about it and the coolest part of any parade was Billy Dee Williams. It doesn't get cooler than Billy Dee. R2D2, Chewy, the Ewoks and Darth Vader were there too. What a day and it's only noon. Come back for the next and final post about the Disney Vacation. Day 3 - Return to the Pool.