MikeR & SuzyB's Courtship, Planning Journal, Wedding, and Disneymoon

[Lizby]

Such a great TR Mike! It cracks me up all the time Congrats to you and Suzy!!!

 

[kramer222]

So...??? What is the difference between a Darth Maul and a Darth Lord???

 

[MistressOfAllEvil]

So...??? What is the difference between a Darth Maul and a Darth Lord???

Right? I want to know too! Did he tell you??

 

[MikeR]

Right? I want to know too! Did he tell you??

No, he never did! And my google-foo has proved weak and I still do not know the difference. Next time I'm at a geekfest I'll start asking around and see if anyone knows.

 

[Lizby]

I have just consulted with the Star Wars Encylcopedia (aka my FBIL) and he said Darth Maul is the name of one of the bad guys in Episode One (it only refers to one person, not a group of people. He was the one with the red face with black stuff on it and yellow eyes) and a Dark Lord is one of the Sith (a jedi turned evil). The Emperor is an example of a Dark Lord... Aren't you glad you know that now??

 

[MikeR]

Mike and Suzy got up early the next day to go back to MGM studios. Transportation didn’t take that much longer than it would have taken from the Polynesian, so moving to the new hotel and saving beaucoup bucks was looking pretty good. They got in and grabbed fast passes for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, but even though they were pretty early, the wait for their fast passes was still a few hours so they looked around and decided to catch a show;

Mike had been meaning to see the Broadway production of Beautify and the Beast for a while now, but for various reasons he had never gotten around to it. He was quite happy when he heard that there was a version of it playing at Disney World and looked forward to seeing it. Even though the Broadway version is a lot longer, has a much bigger cast, and is more adult than the one Mike and Suzy saw, they both have one thing that makes it all worth while. They both have the Bimbettes:

It was an enjoyable quick show and did have great costumes;

Afterwards they headed over to the Great Movie Ride;

The wait was long enough that they saw every preview for every movie in the waiting room at least once. Mike has fond memories of seeing those previews for the first time when he was deeply into being a film buff. Back then, it was fascinating for him to watch previews for movies that had long since come out because back then you really couldn’t do that. Nowadays anyone who wanted to could watch those same previews on you tube or on a DVD extra, but back then, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, it was something you couldn’t see unless you were in the film industry. After the previews were over they got in the in the cart and enjoyed the best animatronics that 1989 had to offer:

When they got off the ride Mike spotted Pizza Planet from Toy Story. He was very curious to check it, hoping that it would be an uber-version of Chuck-E-Cheese with originally games to play that would woosh him away to a different time and space, but such was not the case. It was just a standard fast food pizza joint. Shrug:

Suzy passed by a fountain on the way to the ride, and Mike continued his effort to make sure that no aspect of the trip would be undocumented and told her to not just stand there, (let's get to it), Strike a pose, there's nothing to it;

Finally Mike and Suzy got in line for the Tower of Terror;

Suzy had never heard of the Tower of Terror and asked Mike what the ride was about. Thinking that the best surprise is one that is actually a surprise, Mike told her that it was like the Haunted Mansion. The good décor in Tower of Terror backed him up;

And Suzy got into the ride expecting a quiet non-exiting ride in which she merely watched things. And for the first part that is what she got. The Tower of Terror really does have some great special effects and it’s not surprising that Suzy thought that was the main point of the ride, right up until she dropped three stories without warning.

Suzy freaked out. She had no idea that was coming* and when the ride dropped it really gave her a jolt. And then they flew back up. And dropped. And rose. And dropped again. And Suzy was clutching Mike with a death grip the whole time. Heh heh. Mike is evil. EVILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

* Well, mostly no idea. Mike made sure her seat belt was buckled and that was a slight give away, but she really was surprised.

After their hearts got back in their throats they passed the Broom from Fantasia throwing flowers instead of water. Disney really does have some nice horticulture;

Mike used to be really into animation, so it was a natural that he’d drag Suzy along for the animation tour;

The sculpture of the Rémy from Rattattoie was really cool. It looked like it had just popped out to the movie;

And the colors man, the colors . . . ;

There was also only a two hour wait to shake hands with a college student in a sweaty suit;

As they were walking out they passed a model of Disney Sea which Mike had never even heard of but that looked very cool;

They also caught the Little Mermaid show. Now long, long ago, Mike remembered reading how the Little Mermaid show was actually performed under water and that the actors swam around and gulped air out of a hose. This was not the case with this show, which was performed in the ghastly air. Does anyone know if Mike was just hallucinating or if there really was some Little Mermaid show which was performed under water?;

On their way out to make their reservations, the happy couple passed a line of Toy Story Aliens all in a row on the street. Why were they there? Who put them there? What was there purpose? The world may never know;

 

[MikeR]

I have just consulted with the Star Wars Encylcopedia (aka my FBIL) and he said Darth Maul is the name of one of the bad guys in Episode One

I think I misremembered the question: I think the real question was, "What is the difference between a Darth and a Dark Lord?"

 

[mla1977]

Mike,

There is some other attraction in Florida with "mermaids" that does what you say. I can't think of the name of it though. It is at some natural springs place. Maybe someone else on here could give you more information about it.

 

[MikeR]

As night fell it was time for Mike and Suzy’s second most extravagant meal of their honeymoon, dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s! The downstairs was just a tiny bit busy;

But the upstairs was definitely more romantic;

They were seated rather quickly and after savoring a few brief seconds of peace and quite they inaugurated what would become a truly epic night of drinking by getting a bottle of wine and toasting each other;

For those of you who are going to be keeping score, it should be considered as two drinks for Suzy and three for Mike. (Mike – 3, Suzy – 2).

They got two appetizers, one of spicy tempura battered shrimp with wasabi vinaigrette, Thai sweet chili sauce, and Japanese rice. It was divine. Probably the best tempura that Mike has had in his life and he lived in Japan for two years;

And a appetizer of roasted beet and goat cheese layer torte with micro greens salad, toasted hazelnuts and a citrus-shallot vinaigrette. This was good, but not nearly as good as the rest of the meal;

For the main course, Suzy ordered seared rare ahi tuna (sashimi grade) with roasted sweet peppers, braised fennel, tomatoes, capers, and black olive vinaigrette. Suzy swears that this was the best ahi she has ever had;

And Mike got a Colorado lamb rack with black beluga lentils and tzatziki sauce. Mike is a definite carnivore so it was exquisite to feel the meat just melt in his mouth;

They received their customary gratis desert and Suzy wanted the picture to show off the nice lettering congratulating them, so the cake was tilted towards the camera. And just as the picture was being taken, the cake came tumbling down;

The tasty carrot cake, though slightly marred in the lettering department, was still tasty;

 

[Lizby]

I think I misremembered the question: I think the real question was, "What is the difference between a Darth and a Dark Lord?"

He says there is no such thing as a Darth Lord. Only a Dark Lord. I sure wouldn't know the difference, but like I said before he is the Star Wars Encyclopedia. That guy must have given you a trick question to stump you!

BTW, I am loving all of the pics! That was not very nice to trick your new wife on Tower of Terror that way!!!

 

[roseviolet]

The mermaid show with the hoses is at a plce called Weeki Wach Springd about an hour west of Orlando. It's kinda cool in a depressing, nerdy kind of way. Check it out if you ever have a lot of time to kill.

 

[MistressOfAllEvil]

They also caught the Little Mermaid show. Now long, long ago, Mike remembered reading how the Little Mermaid show was actually performed under water and that the actors swam around and gulped air out of a hose. This was not the case with this show, which was performed in the ghastly air. Does anyone know if Mike was just hallucinating or if there really was some Little Mermaid show which was performed under water?

Little Mermaid was never performed under water...

Mike,

There is some other attraction in Florida with "mermaids" that does what you say. I can't think of the name of it though. It is at some natural springs place. Maybe someone else on here could give you more information about it.

'tis true and my parents took my sister and I as children...

it's Weeki Wachee Springs... you can read up on it HERE.

 

[MistressOfAllEvil]

The mermaid show with the hoses is at a plce called Weeki Wach Springd about an hour west of Orlando. It's kinda cool in a depressing, nerdy kind of way. Check it out if you ever have a lot of time to kill.

OMG... I'm such a dork, I didn't even realize that you had posted this up already because it was on the next page!

 

[Z.Black]

Ok, so I normally lurk, but my inner geek just had to come out and make sure you had the right info.

So the 'official' Wokkieepedia (yes there is such a thing), answer is...

"The title Dark Lord of the Sith is often thought to be synonymous with the title Darth. Contrary to this, however, is the fact that Sith apprentices have been known to carry the title as well."

And...

"The title of Dark Lord was possibly comparable to that of a Jedi Grand Master."

Basically, they're the same thing (according to my sources anyway). Evil trick question!

 

[MikeR]

After waddling out of the store, the couple waddled over to the Virgin Music store where they waddled around for a while. Mike has not bought a CD in literally years, so it felt a bit like being in an actual record store, circa 1989. The writing is on the wall and Mike just does not think stores for music are going to be around for that much longer. When the kids are shown (edited) pictures of the honeymoon, Mike fully expects them to ask something like, “You mean people actually bought music in a _store_?”:

Finally it was time for Cirque de Sole! Mike and Suzy had seen a Cirque about a year ago, but the one in Orlando was completely different. Mike had seen it years ago, and parts of it were very familiar (he vividly remembers the Spider-Man like acrobats that climbed the wall), but others he had forgotten completely;

Mike went and got Suzy a drink for the show, as well as two for himself (Mike – 5, Suzy – 3). Like much of Cirque, you might not think ordinary circus clowns are enjoyable, but these guys were truly hilarious and even joked around with Mike and Suzy for a bit:

After the show, the two headed off to Pleasure Island;

Where they headed to Mike’s favorite club in the entire world, the Adventurer’s Club;

Mike is not a club goer, but he _loves_ the AC and even knows a few lines of the motto by heart;

He was kind of disappointed to find out the they no longer offer any merchandise of any kind. Mike is the proud owner of a monkey-headed drinking cup as well as a Adventurer’s T-shirt, but both of them are getting a little worn so he was looking to replace them, but no such luck. Mike decided to console himself with some house drinks. Kungaloosh! (Mike – 6, Suzy 4);

Suzy admits she is short, but she felt shorter than normal when she got caught by surprise by the shrinking stool;

One of the actors at the Adventurers Club looks a lot like a friend of Mike’s. Surely that’s worthy of another drink (Mike – 7, Suzy 4);

Mike and Suzy weren’t sure if this lady was an actor or not, so Mike went up and started talking to her and it turns out that she used to work at the AC and now just comes back for old times sake. Even former employees love the AC! That deserves another drink and because apparently Mike has turned into a 19-year old girl, it was at this time that he decided to start ordering Long Island Ice Teas (Mike 8, Suzy 4);

The actors at the Adventure’s Club are good sports and don’t mind being the but of a joke;

A skit started, so Mike ordered a drink for the show (Mike - ???, Suzy - shrug) and he was especially pleased when the actors broke out into a song that Mike really enjoys and didn’t know that anyone knew of, called “The Future Soon”;

With the last skit of the night over at the AC, Mike and Suzy stumbled out and tried to do a little dancing;

They were not under the effects of alcohol at _all_;

Nope, not even a _little_ bit;

Suzy was wanting to go home at this point, but Mike was determined to carry on and party till dawn;

That determination lasted all of about thirty seconds once they were in another dance club and Mike swayed back and forth a few times before almost loosing his footing and agreeing with Suzy that it was time to head home;

The bus ride back was . . . not pleasant, but it was only once they got to their hotel room that the nights activities really caught up with them. They were both dog-tired, but once Mike got in bead and closed his eyes the room was exceedingly rude and decided that it would be a perfect time to start spinning and spinning and spinning. Round and round it went until Mike sat up and stumbled to the bathroom. In his perfectly working mind he decided that the best coarse of action would be to take a bath. Suzy was very worried about her husband drowning as shown by how she said, “Don’t drown,” before falling right to sleep. Mike joined her in a half hour after the room had decided to slow down its circular motion.

Hey Mike! How did you feel the next day?

 

[caryndisneydiva]

that wallpaper scares me...

 

[MikeR]

On day six of their honeymoon Mike and Suzy were not happy campers. They were not even gleeful hikers. And they were far from being jubilant spelunkers. This was due to them being hung-over honeymooners.

Come morning, they were able to walk and talk, if you generously define the terms, but they were desperately in need of some food to fill their stomachs and get their blood flowing again. So off they trumped to the All Star Movies cafeteria. It was surprisingly busy, but Mike soon got a hangover burger;

and Suzy got a hangover Sandwich;

Both were inimitably passable grub food of the kind you could get in any college cafeteria, but they achieved the goal of fully waking Mike and Suzy up and really what more could you ask of hangover food?

Recharged, somewhat, the couple decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. They passed the ever present Mickey balloons;

And went to the first ride of the day, which was chosen because it was not a ride at all, but rather a theatre in which the couple could sit and not have their stomachs crashed from one side to the other. The live animation at the Monsters Inc Joke show was pretty good, but not as entertaining and fresh as the turtle show at Epcot;

Next was Stitch’s Great Escape;

Which is also a show more than a ride. Mike and Suzy got locked in and enjoyed watching it, but unfortunately Suzy’s seat did not have a functioning olfactory device and she did not get to experience the pleasure of having cheese-doodle-smelling-air being blown into her face. She survived the depredation;

Continuing the theme of rides that are not rides, Mike and Suzy went on the Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow ride/show. Watching the progression of daily life from 1900 to 2000 was pretty interesting, and the song is almost as catchy as “It’s a Small World”;

At times though, it did seem as if Tomorrow Land was really showing its age. You can really tell that it’s a 1950’s version of what things will be like in the far off year of 2000;

Mike and Suzy went on the Wedway People Mover, which is basically a cart. That moves. People. Mike remembers when he was young being absolutely fascinated by it and being sure that it was going to sweep the country and we were going to be living just like the Jetsons any day now;

This time around the only excitement to be found in the Wedway People mover was ironic excitement;

And ironic excitement just can not compete with the real thing;

Mike and Suzy were not the only ones to feel lukewarm about the People Mover, as shown by the expressions on the other tourists on the other People Mover that zoomed by Mike and Suzy at speeds of up to three miles per hour!;

After the thrills and chills of the people mover, Mike and Suzy got in the Buzz Light-year Space Ranger Zap line, which was _slightly_ longer than the line they waited in for the ever exciting People Mover;

They even received their first tracking card, which is given to tourists so Disney could figure out how long it takes to get through the line. Mike must have asked half a dozen attendants “Do I give this to you?”, “Ok, then do I give it to you?” all to no avail. About the only person he didn’t ask this of was the person he was actually supposed to give it to! And as a result he was buckled in and pulling away before he realized he still had the pass and had to toss it to some random attendant;

The ride itself is rather tame, but the real fun comes from the interactive parts of it; the riders get to spin the cart round and round as they try to hit various targets with their zappers;

At the end of the ride, Suzy had the higher final score;

As the loser, Mike was put in the cage and had to scream , “Nooooooooooooooo!”;

And then he had to do his best gorilla impression;

 

[mla1977]

If you guys make it to Disneyland, try the Buzz ride there. You can actually lift the guns off of the car. I managed to beat DBF (by only about 2000) last weekend. It helps that we got stopped in the ride for a little bit and I was a bit more trigger happy.

 

[MikeR]

Deciding to take a more leisurely method of travel, the couple took a boat to Fort Wilderness;

The boat ride was definitely more peaceful than a bus ride, and is recommended for those wanting a bit of a break from the rush and rush nature that some vacations can become;

And it gave time for Mike to play with the more artistic settings on his camera;

When they arrived at Fort Wilderness, they marveled at how much it looked just like Oregon;

Well, except for the mini-horses, Oregon doesn’t have many of those;

Or Mickey shaped golf carts;

It was at Fort Wilderness that Mike revealed Honeymoon surprise #247, a horse and carriage Ride;

After days of zooming all over the place, it was rather nice to relax and snuggle on such an old fashioned and peaceful mode of transportation. The clomp-clomp of the horses and the rattle of the wheels quickly flowed into a steady and soothing rhythm;

 

[MikeR]

After that was done, Mike and Suzy had front row seats for the Hoop De Doo Review;

The hall is quite large and themed like a Old West theatre;

And the food is served in large portions, and is typical western grub such as cornbread;

Salad;

And a truly disgusting sangria which Mike and Suzy tried one sip of and then pushed aside for the rest of the night;

The mashed potatoes, chicken, ribs, and beans were all . . . decent. A bit like you’d get in some all-you-can-eat buffet;

Now, Mike had strong memories of the strawberry shortcake at the Hoop De Doo Review being the best strawberry shortcake in the entire world and every other strawberry shortcake being a poor imitation, a mere shade, of the sublime beauty that was the Hoop De Doo Review’s Strawberry Shortcake. It is greatly regretted that this is no longer the case. Either they changed how they made strawberry shortcake (boo-hiss) or Mike’s memory is wrong (unpossible), but regardless instead of savoring the strawberry shortcake, Mike only had a some of his. The memory of past greatness was just too strong to make the present enjoyable;

The actors all suited their parts well, although by sitting so close to the stage Mike and Suzy got a much better look at them then would normally be the case and it can be a bit distracting to count the number of pores on someone doing a dancing jig;

The actors also really play-up their roles and aren’t afraid of posing for pictures on-stage;

Captain Tight-Pants had a pretty good singing-voice;

And the show really gets the audience involved, by having them stomp their feat, yell, and wave their handkerchiefs around;

As well as getting them to play a musical instrument alla Washboard-Hero;

You’ve got washboard power – Use It!;

After the show Mike and Suzy went over to Down Town Disney where they made their own Mr. Potato Head;

Looked at a Lego Shark;

And caught an Improv show on Pleasure Island. The improvers asked Mike and Suzy what they had been up to on their honeymoon, and Mike replied, “It’s a family show.”;

Mike and Suzy were still tired from last nights activities so they didn’t stay long and headed back to their hotel, briefly looking at their shadows and were happy to discover that there would be six more days of Honeymoon;