Life in 4-D

Aug 12

Up this morning to see our movie. We went down for breakfast, but neither of us could face the crowds, and noise, so we decided to just get something when we got to the movie. There’s a free bus that runs back and forth between the hotel and the park, so went to wait. There was a huge crowd, and most people were really pleasant, waiting their turn. We could see the bus coming in the distance, and then a loud bang, and then we could see the bus driver get out and run around the bus. Clearly it wasn’t coming for us, so it looked like another 15-minute wait. Babies started to cry, parents started to fret, and toddlers started to look for entertainment. There are a lot of strollers here, which can be a hazard to navigation, but everyone is remarkably tolerant about it.

When we saw the bus approach, one young woman decided to run along between the railing and the bus so she would be first on. When the doors opened and the crowd surged forward, she ended up pushing a woman with a stroller, which enraged the husband, who then gave her a great shove. Many hands reached out of the crowd to pat him on the back and calm him, and she looked slightly scared, which was probably a good thing.

We got there in plenty of time for the movie, and managed to find a Starbucks, so we even had muffins and coffee for me and a strawberry thing for E. The movie was really good. It was in French, and I was happy to see that my French was good enough to provide a running translation. There were only 4 people in the audience, including us, so we weren’t disturbing anyone. 4-D movies are quite an experience…we had been to one before, but this one was much more technically advanced. We wore 3-D glasses, and the seats moved up and down and back and forth. Water sprayed on us, wind blew on us, and lights flashed. The story isn’t much, but the special effects are remarkable. I ended up feeling sorry for the hyenas, which I don’t think was what Disney intended. We also saw the trailer for an action movie, also in 4-D, which was quite a bit more active, with huge amounts of shaking as motorcycles roared around corners and crashed into things.

I know E was sick when she agreed to go back to the hotel to lie down instead of yet another trip through Thunder Mountain. She has spent the day sleeping; I keep drugging her and hoping for the best. I find the room very hot – because it is a cool 21 degrees, they have the heat on and it can’t be adjusted. She is comfortable though, and right now that is more important.

My suitcase did not survive the flight and the train trip – the side blew out. I thought I could fix it but Eunsol had a better idea…she is now the proud owner of a Disney suitcase, which I am allowed to borrow until we get home. Also a Disney blanket because it was today’s discounted item if you spent enough money, and she thought it would make her feel better.

Back to the bar for supper, more chips and salsa and a blue slushy for her, and a really good ham and cheese sandwich for me, then back to sleep. We had a dinner reservation for tonight at Ratatouille’s bistro – when E agreed that we should cancel it, I knew she really wasn’t feeling well. We’re both hoping for a better day tomorrow… we don’t want to be the only people who went to Disneyland and didn’t see the fireworks!