Becca's Trip Report "The Rollercoaster of Food"

And it's plenty disastrous. Here's a teaser - A wheelchair is involved

This is the first time I have seen the water characters. That is cool. I did not know they did that.

Day 4 - Wednesday 12/5 - Hollywood Studios (Wheeee! Screeeech! Crash! Scream! OH NO!!!)

Got another fairly late start as we didn't want to knock ourselves out with too many late nights followed by early mornings so we arrived at HWS a bit after 10. I checked the My Disney Experience app to see what the wait time was for TSM, 120 minutes, so I decided to scratch that idea. Honestly, I'm not sure what the big deal is with that ride? I know we rode it in 2010 and it was fun, but it just didn't leave that big of an impression on either of us. I guess that's good because we weren't heartbroken that we might not get to it on this trip. So we headed over to Rock N Rollercoaster, another one of our absolute favorites! I just wish there was a way to skip the "set up" part of the ride, it's cool the first couple of times, but then it just gets old. (I feel the same way about the set up for Mission: Space, although I know they have to do things this way to keep the lines moving smoothly. I'm juuuust sayin.) After RnRC we wandered through the shops to waste some time before our lunch ADRs at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.

[Side note: As much as we enjoyed all of the meals, it was a bit of a pain because it always seemed like we were waiting for another ADR. Next time, we'll either schedule more 2 credit meals so we're only eating twice a day with more spread-out times or we'll just not take full advantage of the plan (maybe give some meals away and spread the magic). Or possibly we'll forgo the deluxe plan altogether.]

We walked over to Sci-Fi and checked in. Again, like at Biergarten, we just watched for the host/hostess who had a perplexed look on their face (this particular hostess went over to the girl at the check in desk to ask, we saw her trying to sound out the name). What makes this truly funny is, as we were walking through the Streets of America, we realized there is a street sign with our last name on it! For the record, our last name is Gillespie (Like Dizzy Gillespie, for any jazz fans out there). Pronounced just like it's spelled. Gill - like a fish gill; es - like the letter S; pie - like the letter P (I give people passes when they use a soft G or end it in 'pie' rather than 'p'). It's just comical how much trouble people have with it. I had less trouble with my maiden name and that had a silent letter in it! Anyhoo, I digress. We were seated as "hitchhikers" in a car toward the front of the restaurant which was cool we had been seated in the back the last time we ate there. We had the Buffalo Popcorn Chicken Bites and the Fried Pickles to start (sorry, no pictures of these it was too dark). The chicken bites were tasty and the fried pickles were divine! We've gotten them elsewhere and found them to be too greasy, but these were perfect. Entrees were: Reuben Sandwich for me (The Reuben - Corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss, thousand island dressing on marble rye bread, served with a pickle spear and a choice of cucumber salad or french fries) and the Angus Burger for Sean (Angus Chuck Burger - flame broiled beef patty topped with cheddar or Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and crispy bacon, lettuce and vine-ripened tomatoes, served with a choice of cucumber salad or french fries). The Reuben was a repeat for me and it was just as good the second time. Sean really enjoyed the burger, he always enjoys a burger! I had the Turtle Cheesecake for dessert (it's a new item so I can't find the description on any of the online menus. But to the best of my memory it was "a 'pile' of cheesecake, covered with chocolate and caramel sauce with toffee crumbles and pecans") and Sean had the Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cake (Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cake - Warm chocolate cake with a creamy peanut butter center served a la mode) they had him at Peanut Butter. All-in-all a great, tasty meal! And we didn't order milk-shakes! I'm so proud of us!

After lunch we walked over to Muppet Vision 3D. Such a cute show, we never miss it. We both love the Muppets, we even named one of our cats Beaker, after Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's assistant, mostly because this cat acts just like Beaker...he even sounds like him! After the Muppets we rode The Great Movie Ride. One of my favorite WDW factoids is that Isabella Rossellini brought her kids on The Great Movie Ride to see "Grandma" aka Ingrid Bergman in the Casablanca scene. Love it! Then we trekked waaaay to the back of the park to see Lights Motors Action! We loved the update with Mater and Lightning McQueen. Super fun! Oh and one of the stunt drivers was a woman! GIRL POWER!! whoowhoo! After the stunt show, we checked the wait for Star Tours and it was only 15 minutes so we rode it another two times. That made a total of 5 rides and we ended up in Naboo every time. I thought there were multiple endings? Anyone know anything about this?

We needed to kill some time before our dinner ADRs and oh boy, did I EVER kill some time, along with myself, almost! We stopped in the shop that is under the Sorcerer Mickey Hat and browsed around. I found an Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights pin that I wanted for my lanyard. I bought said pin and we started to walk out of the shop. I was multi-tasking and trying to shove the receipt into my wallet and not looking where I was going. Well, there happen to be two small steps down from that shop that I did not see. My heel made it onto the first step, but the rest of my foot didn't. Forward motion...ankle rolls reeeeaaaalllyyy far on it's side (I swear that the arch of my foot touched my ankle)...and I go flying down onto the concrete. During this process there was also a very loud snap.

Will the trip continue? Or has it been derailed? Stay tuned!

First off, I just want to say "ouch!" I also know when my table is ready by the looks on their faces when they see my last night.

Oh no!

Hmmm.....do I see a cast in your next report?

Oh my goodness! I hope the ankle didn't ruin the trip! I'm waiting anxiously in suspense for the rest of your TR!

Awesome trip report so far!!! I am in LOVE with the Castle pic reflecting off the water The water characters are neat. I have yet to see them being drawn. DH has seen it several times and this trip I was on the look out for them but didn't see any.

You're last name isn't that difficult. But ofcoarse, I knew someone with that last name, so I already knew how to pronounce it. Lol. How about this, our last name is Werner....It's German. But yet, the GERMAN hostess at Biergarten could not pronounce our name.?.?.

Thank you! That's one of my favorite pics! We had never seen the water drawings before, we were really impressed!

I just don't get it. Most people pronounce it Giuseppe or they flip the s and the p and say Gillepsie. OMG! haha! I could understand if they pronounced it with a V at the beginning depending on what region they're from, but to not be able to pronounce it at all? My maiden name was Schultz...nobody ever mispronounced that it's just weird!

I am afraid that is SO TRUE!!! St. Agur from France is my FAVORITE!

AND YOUR ANKLE???? A wheelchair???

Day 4 - Back on track

After my crash landing came to a full and complete stop, I took stock. Having sprained my left ankle 3 times before, I knew what to look for. I immediately wiggled my toes and tried to move my foot as much as I could. Success! Sean was only a few steps behind me when this all went down so he was already at my side fussing over me. He helped me sit up and then stand up and sit on the steps that had caused the whole crisis in the first place. A few of the cast members came over to check on me. The one girl was so incredibly sweet, I wish I had gotten her name.

As for the loud snap? It was just the strap on the sandals I had bought the day before! Whew!

The CMs offered to call for a wheelchair to be brought down. I was resistant at first, I just wanted to get an Ace bandage and be on my way and I hate to have any type of fuss made over me. That and at that moment I was struggling with the extreme embarrassment of having totally klutzed out in front of so many strangers! Because they mentioned that the first aid station was at the front of the park, Sean talked me into agreeing to have a wheelchair brought to me. So I stayed on the steps as my ankle really blew up!

I had scraped up a couple knuckles and my elbow so I grabbed my handy-dandy first aid kit and started bandaging myself up as best I could. A few very nice people came up and asked if they could help or if I needed anything. It's very touching that there are so many people willing to help out a total stranger.

The wheelchair arrived and I stood up and tested my ankle. I could put pressure on it, so I knew I would be fine. I just needed a bandage and some ice. Sean started to wheel me toward first aid and I realized we only had 10 minutes until our ADRs (you have to have priorities!). So Sean parked me in front of the Brown Derby and went in to ask if we could move our reservations to a later time. They were awesome! They told him to get me taken care of and we could come back at any time.

A quick stop in first aid for a bandage and some ice and we carried on with our adventures. Well, I sat and Sean pushed...on with our adventures.

Up next...The Hollywood Brown Derby

Oh, and after that very appetizing ankle picture....here are the pics from earlier in the day and from Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater

I love the balloon pictures!. That was the biggest bunch I've seen yet!
And....oh my gosh....your poor ankle

You are such a trooper..I would have had tears going down my face ..ouch

Hope you are better!

Balloons make me so happy! I kept trying to figure out how to get one on the plane, but sadly, no luck!

I have a very high pain threshold, that and I was in WDW, nothin was gonna get me down.

Thanks! Yes, much better. Mostly back to normal, just some swelling left and a little stiffness, but that will work itself out.

Oh dear...that looks not nice!!! So glad to hear they were most helpful and concerned with you and your ankle! YAY!

I was half-expecting to find a hidden Mickey in your bruise...

Holy crap that ankle looks nasty! Glad you came out with a smile though and that people were so helpful.

Yowcher. So sorry! But lovin' that Disney smile on your face nonetheless.

Ouch, your ankle looks crazy! Glad Brown Derby was so nice about it! 50s Prime Time was the same way with pushing back our reservation when my hurt foot had slowed down our schedule.

Great to hear that it was only a sprain and not a fracture of sorts - you always get scared when you hear a "snap". I work in the medical field and that's what I always think when someone tells me they heard or felt something.
It sounds like you've sprained your ankle before - it will always look worse than it feels even after a period of time.

Were you tempted to be one of those wheelchair maniacs??? LOL!!!!!!!

Not that any of us would take advantage of an injury - but did you get a handicapped ID from customer services? I would think they would give you one if requested. You could use the FP line at all attractions and skip the main line. I went with some friends who had physical needs and he was given a handicapped ID that allowed everyone in the party to use the FP line. I sort of felt guilty being able to skip the long lines.

Oh Becca I can so sympathize with you. I have sprained my ankle so many times I should have stock in Ace Bandages. I am so glad that it didn't slow you down. Great trip report BTW. Can't wait to read more!

Oh my gosh... That ankle looks horrible... But I do love the picture of you in front of that door

Double crap on that nasty ankle!! I know they can look much worse than they feel, but DANG! If you got back up on that right away, you are a tough lady!!

But WDW is its own kind of endorphin!!

Thanks everyone, while if I could do it over again, I'd go injury free, there is a silver lining. It's made for some extra drama in my TR and I've certainly got a story that I'll never forget!

Yeah, because these things seem to happen in slow motion, that's all I could think of as I was falling "Pleasepleaseplease don't let it be a broken ankle or torn ligament!"

This is my 4th severely sprained ankle, but the first time I've sprained my right ankle. It's my left side that usually takes a beating I'm not really accident prone, but when I go, I go BIG. Severe ankle sprains, dislocated knees, herniated discs in my back. Been there done them all. And nope, no handicapped ID. I turned the wheelchair in at the front gate of HWS and was fully ambulatory for the rest of the trip. I have a "use it or lose it" mentality. Because I've dealt with arthritis in my knees and sciatica since I was a teenager, I know it's best to just keep moving so no wheelchairs for me until I'm completely immobile.

haha! Did you see my comment on Day 3 about how I'm almost always prepared? Well, here I wasn't and look what happened! I go by the theory that if you're prepared for something bad, it won't happen. Like if it's supposed to rain and you bring an umbrella, it won't rain (believe me, it works!). I had planned on packing an Ace bandage considering my history of joint injuries, but I forgot to pack one and just look what happened!

Yes it is!! Just like there's no crying in baseball...there's no crying in Disney! (unhappy/sad crying anyway)

OMG!OMG!OMG! Ok at first, I read that and got a good laugh out of it. Thank you for that! But then, I felt compelled to look for hidden Mickeys myself....AND I FOUND ONE!! Please tell me I'm not the only one who can see this and I haven't gone off the Disney deep end!

If you tip your head to the left and look at the top, biggest bruise....it looks like Mickey in profile! Holy cannoli!

Sacre Bleu!!
'Eet ees a 'idden MeeKee. . .

Some people have ALL the luck!!!

Day 4 - LA dining and NY City Streets (Wheeeeeee! again! Yay!)

So, after the stop at first aid we made our way back to the Hollywood Brown Derby. I did stay in the wheelchair to take some of the immediate pressure off my ankle, but I knew it wouldn't last long! I just don't have it in me to be an inconvenience if I have the slightest ability to "do it on my own" I call it being considerate, Sean says I'm just a stubborn German! Anyhoo, the people at the Brown Derby were awesome! They had a table waiting for us where they had removed one of the chairs so I didn't have to get out of the wheelchair. Sean just wheeled me right up to the table. We then proceeded to have an incredible meal! Sean got the appetizer sized Cobb Salad (Our Famous Cobb Salad - with finely chopped greens, turkey breast, egg, bacon, tomatoes, crumbled bleu cheese, avocado, chives and Cobb dressing) he was really happy that they were offering a smaller size. He had gotten the Cobb salad in 2010, but they only had the one size and it was humongous! I ordered the Brie, Midnight Moon and Prosciutto Cake (Brie, Midnight Moon and Prosciutto Cake with Tete de Moine Petals, and an olive-roasted vegetable salad) and oh my goodness! It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten! Can you tell that I liked it? We both had the Filet for our entree (Char grilled filet of beef - Over Zellwood Corn and Pancetta Risotto, Arugula Pesto and Pickled Rainbow carrots). The only hiccup there was, I think they switched them. I ordered mine Med-rare and Sean ordered his Medium, but his was pretty red for Medium and I was too far into mine to make it worth switching them back. Minor quibble though. Both of the desserts were fantabulous! The Citrus Honey Nest for me (Citrus Honey Nest - Filled with Candied Ginger Blueberries over a lemon Cheesecake) and the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower for Sean (Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower - Served on a cocoa almond cookie and Bananas "Foster."). Both of them ranked really high on the best desserts of the trip list.

After dinner, we had just enough time to squeak into the last showing of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. There was a spot for my wheelchair right in the center and there we sat. We had missed the show in 2010 due to thunderstorms. We tried to see it twice on that trip, but they were only able to do the first portion of it. We really made a point to see it this time. It's such a great show no matter how many times you've seen it.

Originally we were going to catch Fantasmic! but we had decided earlier in the day, pre-injury, that we were going to get another Osbourne Lights fix. So after Indiana Jones we wheeled back to the Streets of America. It was waaaaay more packed than it had been the first night. To quote A Christmas Story...we were "packed in earmuff to earmuff". The wheelchair made it much more difficult to navigate. I felt so bad for Sean, but he didn't complain once! Since the streets are supposed to be authentic and mimic NYC streets, they had some defects in the pavement and the wheels kept getting caught in them. Although, as someone who has lived in the state of New York their entire life, I can say those streets were "Disney authentic" not real life authentic. To be truly authentic to NY streets and roadways, they'd have to have potholes you could lose a Buick in! Because it was so hard to move around, we decided to call it a night. We asked a CM at the gates where to return the wheelchair, she pointed out the return and I very gingerly stood up, no worries! I ain't gonna lie, it didn't feel good, but it was bearable. Sean returned the wheelchair and then he walked and I hobbled out to the bus stop.

Coming up - Day 5 - Epcot - Walking, walking and more walking. Did I mention walking?

Yay me! Apparently Disney really does get in your blood?

I was gonna say "look Jeff I do see a hidden mickey", but i thought I was crazy! Ha ha ha !

I printed it out and traced it too!

Becca the spirit of Mickey definitely was and is with you.

LoL... Don't feel bad. My last name is Kirk and people can't seem to get it right. I mean, there are only four letters, how hard could it really be?