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Anne Croyden -- June 2000 -- Walt Disney World (WL)6/25/00-7/4/00 Introduction After 3 years (off and on) of reading trip reports and taking notes, I decided, after this trip, to write my own. I took very few notes at WDW. I started out with good intentions and a small memo pad to scribble in, but as the week went by, I just stopped writing. Anyhow, I hope that someone out there will find something in this report that will help them on a future trip. Planning: I found RAD in 1997 through Rita's Reader's Clubhouse site. We' d planned a trip for Dec. 1997 which we ended up canceling, but Disneyphile that I am, I saved all of my "research". I decided that the summer of 2000 would be a good time to go, to celebrate Y2K and our daughter finishing middle school. So in early 1999 I started taking notes again from RAD, called CRO and made a reservation at the Wilderness Lodge. I waited until the 2000 editions of the Unofficial and Official Guides came out and then took notes from them as well.(actually, the Official one I just buy for the pictures!) I frequented Deb's site as well as Brian Bennett's. I found the trip reports from the summer of '99 to be very helpful. I thank everyone who has posted trip reports, contributed to web sites and answered my many questions, especially about the WL. Your information added so much to our enjoyment of a place we already felt we knew so well. Who We Are: I am only typing this info. here , so if you forget who we are, just come back to the intro.
Previous Trips: E went with his parents the year WDW opened and they stayed at the Poly. He & I went in 1981 and stayed offsite. Our 1st family trip was in April 1990 (K was 3 1/2) and we stayed at the Poly. Subsequent trips: 8/91: Beach Club ( at the special introductory rate of 125 a night!), 7/92: Port Orleans, 10/94: Poly, 10/96: Caribbean Beach. I apologize for the length of this report-once I got started I couldn't stop. I started out doing it from a feeling of wanting to give something back and ended up feeling like I was reliving my trip. I highly recommend this activity. I also apologize in advance for all typos and grammatical errors-especially my tendency to switch tenses. I wrote this looking back, so most of it is in the past tense, but as I wrote it I sometimes felt like I was there again and switched to the present. It will probably only irritate present and former English majors. All opinions expressed are my own and regardless of how I express them, should be read as just that-opinions. Mode of Transportation: Car and away we go....... 6/25 Sunday - Drive to Santee SC, meet internet friend Left around 11 am. Very pleasant Sunday drive to Santee, SC. Stayed in Best Western off exit 98.( $63.00 a night, including Continental b'kfast) Nice motel, except for musty smell in the room AC unit. ( I forgot to mention in my introduction that I am very sensitive to smells, have a bad back, and am prone to motion sickness. If anyone else has these afflictions they may find some of my experiences helpful.) To get back to my story, we ate in the Verandah restaurant next door. Would have loved a beer, but they have blue laws in SC! Looking back, the shrimp cocktail was by far the best shrimp we had the entire trip. (total before tip $42.71) While E & K enjoyed the pool, I visited with a friend I had made on the internet-very exciting to meet someone I've known only as a screen name for the past 2 years. It was like meeting a pen pal. We talked easily and for a long time. She had to go to work the next morning, so we said good-bye shortly after 11pm.
6/26 Monday - Firestone Failure and arrival at All Sports After a decent continental breakfast, we were on our way to WDW! A beautiful day suddenly turned dark and stormy, and somewhere north of the Palm Coast/ Flagler Beach exit on 95 we heard a loud noise. It felt like something may have hit the car. Then another even louder noise and after pulling onto the shoulder we discovered, much to our dismay, that we had a flat tire. (our car is less than a year old) ** While E went into hyper drive putting on the spare in the pouring rain, I was on the phone trying to get help. Well, E finished way before the time the road assistance was going to arrive, so I called and cancelled. We slowly drove on the spare and got off at the Flagler Beach exit (very upscale area)and stopped at a gas station. A friendly attendant told us where the nearest tire place was and we drove there, only to discover that our tire was very uncommon. They looked through 50 places on the computer in the Orlando area before they could find one with it listed in their inventory. Back in the car, with the flashers on, heading towards Winter Springs with many angry faces passing us on 95, we slowly drove on the spare hoping that they really had the correct tire. Luckily they did, and the very nice people at Firestone took care of us right away, even though they were very busy. New tire on, we arrived at WDW about 4 hours later than my estimated time. I had changed our trip a few times and added a night at the last minute and we were staying 1 night at the AS Sports. As we pulled in, K spied the McDonalds (guess where we had dinner that night?). We checked in and I bought our E tickets for the next night (I had old unused 5 day passes). We all thought the main building looked like a shopping mall. The room was certainly adequate, but the giant Coke cup and football just didn't feel like Disney to us. We went out for a walk and saw an armadillo on the way to McDonalds. It was nice to watch Cinderella (the movie) while we ate, but E & I still didn't have that Disney feeling yet. We had a feeling that would all change once we got to the WL.
Author's note (haha)- Imagine our surprise, when a few weeks after we got home, we heard the news story about Firestone Wilderness tires! Our model is not included in the recall (yet), and we really did hit something, but it was an interesting coincidence to say the least and we are all very thankful to be alive. 6/27 Tuesday-Pt.1 - All Stars to Wilderness Lodge, our first time at Animal Kingdom E carefully labeled all of our luggage "Wilderness Lodge" (this will be important to remember later) and left it for the AS Sports bell services to transfer to the WL. We took a few things ourselves in the car and drove over to the WL. As we approached the towering entrance(which reminded us of Jurassic Park) and got our first look at the hotel we finally felt like we were at Disney. What a lobby! It is tremendous, but detailed to the smallest degree-animal silhouettes in the lighting fixtures and animal carvings on the handrails just to name a couple. Everywhere we looked, there was something to look at. I registered and traded in our old passes for UMPs. I had faxed a request for an upper level room and the CM said that we would be on the 6th floor. There was some renovation going on in the hotel and certain hallways were getting carpet replaced. Luckily, that didn't effect us at all. It was just after 9 am, too late to get to a park early, and we were hungry so we decided to have breakfast at the Whispering Canyon.(funny name, as there is very little whispering going on) What fun! No sooner had we sat down then I was put in jail. A woman close by must have done something terrible, as she was tied up. As I opened my mouth to ask for ketchup, I had a dim recollection of reading something about that on RAD. Our server very loudly said, "Ketchup?" and the next thing I knew, people from all over the room were bringing their ketchup bottles to our table. The feeling of finally being at Disney was getting stronger by the minute. We were relaxed and ready to explore the AK. I knew it was late to go, but since I had scheduled it for Thursday, I thought we would just go and get the lay of the land and maybe see a couple of things. (this was our first time to this park) We walked out to the bus stop and I took my traditional first picture of K&E sitting on the bench, waiting for our Disney adventure to begin. The wait was maybe 5-10 minutes and we were off to AK (with a stop first at Blizzard Beach). There was a short line to get in, so I ran over to Guest Relations figuring I would make my PS for the Fantasmic dinner package. The CM typed it on his computer, but never gave me a confirmation number. Meanwhile, I saw that E&K were already in the park, so I hurried back on line with a vague feeling of unease in the back of my mind. (The next day I went to Guest Services at our hotel to get a copy of all of our PS and sure enough, it wasn't on there. It worked out fine though, cause I was able to get another one-just a lesson to share-always get a confirmation number) Once inside the park we were all overwhelmed with how much there was to look at. I didn't want to rush anyone, so I took all of our passes and raced off to get FPs for KSafari. The posted FP time was for about an hour or so away. E & I tried unsuccessfully to use our FSRs to reconnect-picture me talking into this thing, getting no reply and then practically bumping into him in Harambe! We had enough time to go to Conservation Station. Great details, like old notices posted on the walls of the station and old beat up luggage tied on top of the train, made us feel like we might really be in Africa. Not to mention the heat- our little fan misters, that I had bought at Target before we left, really came in handy. I had read about Sounds of the Rainforest, so that's where we went first. It was very relaxing, sitting in the dark,cool booth with headphones on. We wandered around the hospital area and when we got to the outside petting area it was pouring rain. Yay! I was afraid that we wouldn't see any animals, going on the safari in the mid day heat, but now I was a bit more hopeful. When we arrived at KS, the rain was just letting up and we saw so many animals! The guide couldn't name them fast enough. I agree with all the people who have said that the poacher story is hokey and totally unnecessary. Seeing the animals is enough excitement in and of itself. One of the cougars (or was it a cheetah?) walked straight towards us. We all laughed when we came to the girl holding the rifle and saying her one line. Can you imagine doing that all day? A note for all photographers and videotapers-it is not easy to do because of the bumpiness and the suddenness at which the animals appear. Unfortunately, we have lots of footage of my leg and the floor of the jeep because somewhere along the line E thought the camera was off when it was still on. It's pretty funny to watch, but he doesn't think so-yet. For all with back problems- I asked for the front seat and it was just fine. Afterwards, I thought it might be a good time for a snack since we weren't having dinner til later.(8:10 PS at Crystal Palace) I had read about the frozen cappuccinos at the Kusafari Bake Shop so we headed there.(excellent- refreshing and filling)) It was neat to see all those chickens cooking. K's one complaint-no straws. Apparently there are none at all in AK-they said it was because of the animals. I wanted to make sure that we saw Festival of the Lion King, so we headed off to CampMM. We were there around 30 minutes before show time (2:45 show) so we had a pretty good choice of seats. I asked which was the Lion section and we sat there. We had no trouble with back lighting, as it was a pretty cloudy day, but I could see how Warthog would be the best for videotaping on a sunny day. What a great show! The costumes were stunning, the Tumble Monkeys were very entertaining, the singing was good, and I'm really glad we saw it. After the show, we knew our room was probably ready so we headed back to the WL. This day was so long that I am splitting it in 2.
6/27 Tuesday Part 2 - WL, MK and E night Remember when I mentioned how E had labeled our luggage? Well, when we checked into our room and called bell services our luggage was not there. After some checking, they discovered that the All Star people had taken our luggage to Ft. Wilderness! I wonder if this happens a lot? Disney probably should have named the WL something else to avoid confusion. Anyhow, it was a good 45 minutes to an hour before we finally got our luggage. E was a bit annoyed, so knowing how Disney likes to please, when I spoke to the WL bells services on the phone I mentioned that a refrigerator for the week with no charge might be nice. (I still can't believe I said that) Well the next thing I knew a refrigerator was at our door, and no, we were never charged. (yay Disney!) It really came in handy too. I had planned to use our cooler and ice all week, cause there was no way I was paying $10.00 a day, and this worked out very well for waters, fruit and juices. So, after unpacking and setting up the room that was going to be our home for the next week, we set off for the MK. We started towards the exit near Roaring Forks, which leads to the boat, but it was POURING rain. So we turned around and went out the exit just past the Mercantile and took the bus to TTC, and then the monorail. The rain finally let up while we were waiting on the porch at the Crystal Palace. We had an 8:10 PS and waited quite awhile-maybe 20-30 minutes. But, the castle changed colors and we saw a complete rainbow in the sky. I took pictures with my disposable, which had 800 film, thinking I might be able to take available light pictures. Oh well. What I gained in convenience-very lightweight and not expensive-I lost in not being able to make manual adjustments in those tricky lighting situations. Back to dinner. What I love about buffets isn't the all you can eat aspect, it's the fact that you can eat interesting combinations of foods that would never be served like that at a sit-down meal. I put some raviolis in my salad and then I had a plate of mashed potatoes with vegetables mixed in. (E had plenty of meat and K enjoyed the dessert bar) The chocolate milk was great and very filling. This was our first trip in which K was considered an adult in restaurants and I noticed the difference in the check total immediately. Dinner for 3 before tip was $63.45. But Pooh and Piglet are K's favorites and Eeyore is E's and it's such a low stress way to meet them. After dinner we headed over to Fantasyland to see what the line for Pooh was like. (it had started to rain again-and the rain rain rain came down down down) It was about 20-30 minutes so we decided to do it. We loved the ride. I just happened to be looking towards the left when it started and I saw Mr. Toad! Every time I thought we were in the final room, there would be another one. I'm glad it wasn't too short. Bright and cheery colors-a very happy ride and somewhat psychedelic in the Heffalumps and Woozles part. We finally broke down and bought ponchos when we came out.(still raining) We were doing fine with our umbrellas, but I thought I might want to wear a poncho on Splash later. We walked right on to It's a Small World-always a favorite, especially because we have memories of K when she was little on that ride (the hula girls were her favorite). The rain seemed to have let up a bit when we came out and since it was around 10:30 I suggested that we head over to Main St. to see if they were going to have the 11pm MSEP. (I think the 9pm had been cancelled) We were standing near the roped off area outside the entrance to Liberty Sq. at about 10:40 and I was talking to a CM about the spot we had picked, and he pointed out an available curbside right across from where we were standing. I ran over and spread out my poncho and motioned for E&K to come over. What a wonderful spot it turned out to be! The parade came directly towards us, then stopped and turned in front of us to go over the bridge to LSq. The only way I could have been closer was if I had been on a float! My family is quite familiar with the music, as I play it all the time. I was in my own private happy place and so thankful that the rain had kept the crowds away. I couldn't believe we got such a great spot- 20 minutes before the parade in the summer! E night had started already, so we headed off to Haunted Mansion. We never get sick of this ride and always do it more than once each trip.(I am listening to the waltz as I type this!) Then we walked over to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mtn. Only 1 side was running so the line seemed longer than we expected, but it moved right along. I remember this ride being a little rough and I was worried about my back, but it seemed smoother.( I sat in the 2nd or 3rd seat and was able to brace myself) Next was Alien Encounter, which we had never done because we thought it would be too scary for K.(she had always hated sudden loud noises) She was reluctant to go, even at 14, but we forced her to! I told them about sitting up straight and we were all so glad we knew that ahead of time. (Thank you RAD!)I think I would have hated this ride if I had felt that harness confine me any more than it did. None of us were overly impressed with AE and K didn't think it was scary at all. It does have a dark and more threatening mood than many WDW attractions, and I can see why some people don't like it. E & I wanted to be scared and were disappointed. The line outside Buzz was very long and none of us were overly eager to do that, (we're not really into video games or spinning) so we went to do the other mountains. On Splash, the ride stopped right next to the waterfall and I was sitting on the right side so I got soaked! I think this is now my favorite ride in the MK. It is just so happy,fun,relaxing, and exciting all at the same time. Next we rode BTMRR to dry off and because it's always our last ride at MK. We had gone the distance-til 2 am, and then took the monorail and bus back to WL. I didn't fall asleep til almost 3:30. Tomorrow's plan is to sleep late and then hang out at Epcot.
6/28 Wednesday - Sleep late, Epcot, WL pool E & K slept til noon, but I woke up at 9:40 and couldn't go back to sleep. I kept thinking, " I'm at Disney, what the **** am I doing in bed?" So I got up and went down to RFks to throw some food and OJ on a tray to bring back up to the room. I finally bought our refillable mugs. They had 2 choices, 1 that fits a car cup holder ( about $8.50) and 1 that is more like a big mug (about $9.50). I bought 3 of the car-sized ones. Have I mentioned yet how much I loved this hotel? I had tons of stuff on this tray, but had no trouble at all walking with it back to our room-1 hallway, a walk over a little indoor bridge w/ running water under it, then into the elevator that moves really fast up to the 6th floor, 1 more hallway and then home. The music all along the way was quite nice as well. I set up a little b'kfast and trip planning area near the vanity sinks, ( I wanted to look at my Epcot notes) after putting all the cold stuff in the fridge. After E & K got up we had brunch on the balcony. We were in room 6058 which overlooks the smokehouse in the foreground, and the Contemporary in the distance beyond the trees. We loved this room, although I know others have mentioned not liking this view. More about the room later. We finally left the room and waited no more than 10 minutes for a bus to Epcot. It was a very hot and humid day with everyone taking advantage of the misting areas and the fountains. We rushed over to Test Track, although we thought that at 2 pm there was probably no way we would get on. FPs were sold out, but we didn't mind waiting a mere 15 minutes on the single riders line! This is The Way to do TT. (thanks again RAD) It was not bumpy, not rough, just fun- especially the few seconds when you accelerate to 65 mph. Do not wear a hat and hold on to your glasses-the wind really blows your hair around, like on the back of a motorcycle(before helmet laws). Afterwards, we went on Spaceship Earth (no line) and then headed over to Wonders of Life. We stopped at Ice Sta. Cool to lower our body temps significantly and play with the drinks. I was nice and warned them about Beverly, although K was very brave and tried it for herself. She of course wanted me to try it and I have to say that it starts out just fine. Then, it suddenly turns on you and you feel like you've swallowed old, wet cardboard. I mixed watermelon together with a little bit of the lemon, and though it was incredibly sweet, it was pretty tasty. We had never done Body Wars so we went over to WoL and walked right in. At first we thought maybe it was down or something-no line at all.(this was somewhere between 4 & 5pm) Due to my tendency towards motion sickness, I asked for a stationary seat and was led down a long hallway to a private screening room! It was kind of fun being by myself, I just wish the movie had been better. It looked a little old and faded. I asked E & K when we met afterwards if theirs was too and they said yes. E said he felt a little dizzy, but K doesn't seem to get motion sickness on any ride, only when she reads in the backseat of the car. One troubling observation while we were hanging out in WoL. I saw a woman, who was obviously upset with her 8-9 year old son, haul off and kick him in the side a la Bruce Lee. Then she hit him on top of the head with her hand I stood there stunned with my mouth open staring after her as they went up the ramp to leave. WDW seems to bring out the worst and the best in people.(it's like a natural disaster that way) We had 5:40 PS at Le Cellier, so we headed to WS. As we approached Canada I heard music starting up and I was so excited to see that Off Kilter was just starting their 5 pm show. They are a hoot and I'm so glad, after reading about them so much, that we got to see them. We were immediately seated in LeCellier and we all enjoyed our meals. E had the Surf & Turf special, I had the Stuffed Filet and K had Filet Mignon.(which I tried and it was very good) Mine was cooked medium instead of medium rare, but I think our waitress may not have heard me. She was very busy talking. She certainly was very nice, but she was so busy talking and getting to know everyone that she didn't get our bread to us in time to soak up that yummy Cheddar cheese soup, and our dessert didn't arrive til we were almost done with our coffee. We had a children's portion of their Chocolate "Moose" which we split 3 ways.(this is a great option when you are so full from dinner) K loved her Caesar salad-she ordered it everywhere we went and rated this one the best. The bill for 3 adult meals, soups and salad,4 draft Mooseheads, a Coke and the child's dessert came to $125.00 before the tip. We noticed that people just coming in to eat were wet so we got our umbrellas ready and walked over to the Living Seas.(this is one place we never miss) It is so relaxing to just watch the fish and observe how the schools can turn on a dime. Considering the weather, it was nice to be able to skip that pre-show movie.(and it rained....) For all manatee lovers, there were 2 there and we got to see them eating. We always spend a long time here and by the time we got back outside we only had time to do 1 more thing.(we weren't doing Illuminations. tonight) The line for HISTA was only 15 minutes, so we hopped on. The line was very organized until we got up to the place where you get your glasses and the area widened enough so that some of the people who were behind us went around and got in before us. We didn't mind because we knew we'd eventually get in-they hadn't put up a rope outside. We walked up and the CM put her hand up to us and put a chain across and said "That's it." What? E. stated emphatically that several people who had been behind us were now inside, and she let us through. While we were in the holding pen area (more corporate advertisement in the guise of a pre-show) a bunch of people followed in after us. That never happened before. Maybe she was new. Anyhow, we went inside and sat around 3/4 of the way back to best experience the 3D effects and suddenly, when the scampering critters scene occurred, this huge woman behind me screamed and then picked up her feet (which I can understand) and began to pommel the back of my seat with them in machine-gun like bursts (which I can't). I turned around and asked her not to do that (I had been so careful about my back). A few seconds went by and she did it again! E spoke to her very harshly (an understatement) and I quickly suggested that we just move to different seats. I honestly think there are people who think that they are entitled to do anything they want to on their vacation-no matter who they hurt, insult, or how rude their behavior is. Needless to say, it was hard to enjoy the show after that. We trudged on out after the show, just a little ahead of the Illum. masses and made our way to the WL bus. We went back to our room and talked about a late night swim to unwind. E looked out our balcony and said, "Hey, there's fireworks!" Thank you Disney magic! I really needed that. I didn't realize we were going to have such a great, totally unobstructed view from our room and it was a wonderful surprise. We changed into our suits and I hit the hot tubs. Between that and a drink by the pool, I had just about erased the damage that that 1 stupid woman had done. I think the Jacuzzi saved my back. K enjoyed the pool and said the slide was fun, but the pool at the Beach Club will always be her favorite. Another late night, and I had a funny feeling that we weren't going to be doing many Early Entries this trip. But I was determined to get to AK at opening the next day.
6/29 Thursday - Animal Kingdom, Cirque du Soleil, MGM Well, the best laid plans... We didn't exactly arrive at AK by 8am. We had a 10:30 PS at Donald's Breakfastasaurus, so we walked to Dinoland and picked up FPs for Dinosaur and then checked in for breakfast. We were forced to get our picture taken in the glaring, hot sun with no sunglasses on and the woman posed K on a crate in a specific way, so in the picture we are all squinting and K is looking a bit annoyed. But E noticed that the dinosaur in the background had its mouth open as if to eat his head, so we bought the pictures.($26.50) Breakfast was OK-the tacos were tasty. I thought I remembered reading about some story that they act out, but it was just the characters in their farmer outfits. It was nice to talk to Donald and give him the attention he craves so much.(I asked him how he and Mickey were getting along) We arranged to have our pictures sent back to the WL (pick- up was at the Mercantile). Breakfast for 3 before tip was $47.55. There wasn't enough time to head to another part of the park, so we just slowly walked over to Dinosaur. As much as I loved the AK, this may be one area they can improve. It takes so long to get to each land, especially on a sunny day when it's crowded, that you can get stuck waiting for a FP time with nothing to do. Anyhow, we were not in commando mode so we didn't mind. We all enjoyed Dinosaur-I had heard so much about it being rough, but I thought it was very smooth. I asked to sit in the center and that worked out well. Afterwards, E bought a hat in Chester and Hester's. Not being aware of the pin trading going on, he was surprised when a few nights later a little girl in front of us at Fantasmic asked to trade for the pins on his hat. Unfortunately, they were permanently affixed. On to Asia, to pick up FPs for Kali and explore the MJTrek. This may have been my favorite part of AK. In spite of the heat, the tigers were pretty playful. The temples were beautiful. I took so many pictures here. The birds are exquisite, but you have to take the time to stand around, look up and just wait to see what happens. This is not a place to rush though or you will miss so much. The CMs are very knowledgeable and helpful and it's fun to talk to them about their home countries. Even with taking our time, we were still 10 minutes early for our FP time, so we just waited. While we were on line, E noticed a very rude family that just cut in front of everyone and when we got up to the boarding area it looked like we were going to be in their boat. E said let's wait and get on with someone else. I am so glad we did, because we rode with a very nice family form Scotland. In these group experience rides, it adds so much when you share it with nice people. As we got into the raft, the CM told E & K to move to the back of the raft.(hmm-I thought I remembered reading that the back was where people got the most soaked) We all had a great time watching my husband get drenched! (BTW, putting your feet up on the bar really helps) I absolutely loved Kali and wanted to ride it again, so we got more FPs. When we arrived in Africa it had started to rain so we took shelter at an outdoor concert that was covered. I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me who was from So. Africa. We later got up and danced.(much to our daughters' chagrin) These impromptu conversations and brief encounters with people from all over the world are a part of what makes WDW so special to us. On to the gorillas! The Pangani Trail was also wonderful. What a sense of place. It was easy to imagine being in another part of the world. We saw the baby gorilla riding on it's mom-lying down on her back, facing up, like it was on a moving bed! As much as I wanted to do Kali again, we decided to head back to the hotel. We had tickets for the 6 pm show of Cirque du Soleil and I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there on the bus. On our way back I thought I heard the bus driver talking to another driver and saying that they were not allowing any busses into the Boardwalk. I later found out why. After showering and changing we waited 10 minutes for the bus to DD. (direct after 4 pm) On the way, we saw police barricades in front of the Boardwalk and by then we had found out about the hostage situation. We could only imagine what our friends and family back home must have been thinking knowing we were there.(luckily, not at the BW) We arrived at the West Side stop at 5 pm (45 minutes transit time). We had some time to kill, so I suggested we check out Disney Quest-just to scope it out. Not a good time to go-it was very crowded and chaotic and that clinched my decision that the only time we were going to go there was at opening. Cirque du Soleil- what can I say that hasn't been said before? Every time I thought something was incredible, the next act would blow me away. For anyone wondering-Yes-it is so worth the money. The trapeze artists actually made a mistake during our show-one of them didn't send the bar back at exactly the right time for the one waiting and he fell into the net. It was a bit unnerving to see that in the midst of Absolute Perfection. I bought our tickets months ago and, again, thank you RAD for recommending the 2nd level. We were in section 205 about 4 rows back-great seats. My plan for after the show was to hang out at Pleasure Island or go to MGM and ride RnRC and ToT during Fantasmic. The family voted for MGM. (will I ever get to the Adventurers Club?) We just missed the bus to MGM, so we hopped on the next resort bus (Coronado) and figured we'd take a bus from there. When we got to MGM there was a 40 minute stand-by time posted for RnRC, but we waited anyhow-and it was really only a 20 minute wait. I had butterflies in my stomach just waiting on line-imagine the flip-flops it started to do when I watched the launches of those ahead of us. My love of speed won out over my fear of motion sickness (and I had read it was over quickly anyhow). Wow-that launch is worth the wait-I loved it! And all the signs as you fly by in the dark, kept me looking forward so I didn't feel sick at all. And it really is a quick ride. It's important to keep your head back. Then it was on to the Tower of Terror. I wish I had paid more attention to the descriptions that I had read here. The pre-show stuff was great, but that wasn't how I felt after the ride. Not everyone experiences motion sickness from the same things. E gets it from spinning(Tea Cups) or moving side to side, but not up and down. I get it from spinning, inversions and some up and down motion. If there had been 1 huge drop I would have had a great time. But having the doors open and close and going up and down like a yo-yo totally confused my brain and inner ear and by the time I closed my eyes it was too late. I just sat with my lips pursed tightly together and prayed for it to be over soon. When it finally stopped, it took me a while to stand up. My husband looked at me and noticed, with concern, that my skin was a whiter shade of pale with a hint of green. It took all of my self-control to keep myself from running to a bathroom. I saw a kid drinking a Coke and my body demanded that I have one. I sat on a bench while E went to get it. I took tiny sips, very slowly, and I gradually felt like I could get up and walk. I wish I could say that this was the end of the story-but I had waves of dizziness for the next few days. Another thing I learned about motion sickness-the effects can last for awhile. The next morning I felt like I had a hangover. I'm sorry to be going on like this, but if there is someone reading this who gets motion sickness in the same way, hopefully they will avoid what happened to me. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to take the Dramamine 2 that I had packed for just this situation! Someday I am going to have to try that stuff. I am just so glad that we did RnRC first! Our bus ride back to the hotel provided me with a bit of that Disney magic when I needed it once again. We had a singing bus driver-thank you Anthony for helping to keep my mind off my dizziness!
6/30 Friday- Laundry day,chill out, E&K do Summit Plummet, MK, dinner at Chef Mickey's and fireworks on the roof Our original plan was to do EE at Epcot and then breakfast at Spoodles, but we had decided yesterday to skip Spoodles because of the hostage situation. Anyhow, there was not enough to do at Epcot EE to entice us out of bed early. I had to do laundry and, feeling the way I did, I needed a little down time. We woke up at 8:30, E went down to RFks to get breakfast and we ate in the room. We did this every morning and it was quite convenient. E&K went off to Blizzard Beach while I stayed behind to do the laundry. It was nice to have some time to myself. I got 2 machines immediately and just had to wait around 10 minutes for a 3rd. A woman came in and said you couldn't buy a machine yesterday, so maybe Friday was a better day for laundry than Thursday. I found out that the hostage situation had been resolved. One woman said that her husband videotaped the news last night so that they could have it on their vacation video! When I went up to the room I took the front page of the Sentinel and put it in our souvenir bag. I also called Guest Services to see if there was any chance WDW had added tonight as an extra E night. Sadly, they hadn't. Then the CM said that the next one was July 3rd. Monday night?! Wow-we weren't leaving til Tuesday morning and that meant we could have an E night as our last night! I said I'd be right down and I quickly hung up the phone and practically ran over to Guest Services. I couldn't wait to show those tickets to E & K. (more Disney magic) I wandered around the hotel and went outside on the hour to watch the geyser erupt. With a cloudy sky there wasn't much of a contrast between the geyser and the sky, so I didn't take a picture. I imagine with a perfectly clear blue sky as a background it would make a great picture. Anyhow, shortly after K & E left, it had really started to pour and I wondered how they were doing at BB. It turned out that between the bus ride, waiting on line for Summit Plummet, and waiting while they closed the park for a bit, they spent almost 3 hours to go on 1 ride! But, they enjoyed it, although E was a bit sore-he has no butt, so be forewarned all you bony butts out there. After E & K got back, K went online to talk to her friends and E & I went downstairs to fold the wash. By this time we were all a little hungry, so we went to check out the grub at Whispering Canyon. I wish I could remember our server's name-she was great! (the name on our check says Ima Noyin!) The frozen cappuccinos were the best we had anywhere. I had something with portabella mushrooms that was pretty good. To continue in chill out mode, K & I decided to do some hotel souvenir shopping at the Mercantile after lunch. E went up to the room to rest or go on the computer, I don't remember. After that, we took a relaxing boat ride over to the MK for some early evening touring before dinner at Chef Mickey's. While waiting for the boat, I got some good pictures of the geyser erupting, with the hotel in the background. Took some pictures of K & E with the Walt and Mickey statue and the castle in the background. Meandered over to Adventureland and rode Pirates with no wait. We hadn't done this in a long time and we all enjoyed it more this time around. There was a little girl behind us who was a bit scared and I told her it was just like a story book and that nothing would hurt her. Ah-I remember those days well. This trip I enjoyed being able to completely experience the rides without worrying if they would scare K! Our families don't understand how we can keep going back to the same place so many times. Even if there wasn't anything new-WE are different each time we go, so it's never the same vacation. Oh well. Somethings you just can't explain. After Pirates we went over to the Jungle Cruise and fervently hoped we wouldn't get the guide who we heard singing! Just missed him. Our guide was funny, but you could tell it had been a long day. Continuing in relaxation mode, we decided to take a ride on the train. We walked over to Toontown, (none of us wanted to do anything here this time), and hopped on the train. I looked for Bruce but didn't see him. As we neared Main St. Station, we saw a live deer(not an animatronic one). That was cool. We took the train around again so we could do the whole circuit. It was getting close to our PS time, so we hopped on the monorail to the Contemporary. Since we were a little early, we decided to check out the route to the roof that I had read about. We took the elevator to the 11th floor and then found the exit door to the outside steps and walked up 4 flights to the roof. Then we went back Chef Mickey's to check in. It was fun having Mickey and Minnie announce the floors in the elevator. (I wonder what it would be like after a week...)We got our picture taken- again.(didn't buy this one) The buffet was fine-but I think we liked the Crystal Palace better. But, it was great to see The Mouse. There was a happy, festive atmosphere here, but there was something about the acoustics of the room which made it seem very loud-a constant din. We still had a great time and enjoyed our dinner. After dinner, we went up to the roof to wait for the fireworks. I finally saw Tinker Bell! (as best as I could from that distance) K is not a big fan of the loud booms of fireworks, so this was a perfect place to watch them. That last one that looked like a curtain was our absolute favorite. When it was over, we heard the music from the Electric Water Pageant and walked to the other side of the walkway to watch it. This is a good nostalgia event-memories of watching it from the beach at the Polynesian and catching it unexpectedly at the Grand Floridian one time after dinner at Park Faire. We went down to the dock, but there was not a boat in sight, so we took the mono to the T&TC and got a bus back to the lodge. We may not have done a lot today, but it was a very relaxing day and a nice break in the middle of our week.
7/1 Saturday - Blizzard Beach, Epcot, dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse, more Epcot We set our alarm to go off in time to get to BB at opening.(as much as I love Mickey Mouse, I hate waking up to the sound of a ringing phone, so we used E's watch instead) Getting to BB from the WL is very easy since it's the same bus that goes to AK. Many thanks to Daniel (of Daniel Does Disney) for recommending the nice shaded areas near the base of Summit Plummet. We set up camp in one of the picnic areas just outside of the Ski Patrol and a hop, skip, and a jump from the restrooms. We had been to Typhoon Lagoon a few trips ago, and we couldn't help but make comparisons. This park is so much easier to navigate and those small picnic/sitting areas are very comfortable (read shady) and convenient. E & K went off to do the slides and I walked over to the entrance to Castaway Creek. There were millions of empty tubes just bobbing along and hardly any people-great. As I tried to get into my inner tube, it capsized and I went under. An embarrassing moment for sure, and I thought I got away with it unnoticed. Wouldn't you know, the one woman I struck up a conversation with as we were floating along had seen me. Oh well. While I was floating, E & K were doing all the slides (except Summit Plummet) with very little wait time and they even did some more than once. E said that even when there was a line, it seemed to move faster than at TL. He also said to warn anyone who plans on going on Slush Gusher, that you are actually airborne for a second or two! None of the CMs along CC seemed to know the name of the stop near Ski Patrol (they had just put up these new signs) and I forgot to look when I got on, so I tried to guess using Summit Plummet as a landmark. I think I may have missed it by one stop, but I enjoyed looking around and watching the people coming down the slides. I came back to our home base and curled up with a good book and relaxed-alone! Saturday? 4th of July weekend? Beautiful, sunny day? Where were all the people? (we later saw them all coming in around noon when we were leaving!) When E & K got back, we walked over to the family raft ride-Teamboat Springs. If anyone has a problem with stairs, they may want to reconsider going to these water parks. I took my time (add a bad knee to that bad back). In the heat, it could be a problem for some people. The CM at the top just pointed to the raft and gave us no directions on how to work the straps or anything, even though we did ask, and the next second we were off ! And we got our picture taken again!! I was very glad it wasn't ready when we left. The ride is a little bumpy, but fun. And we could do it together, so that was nice. After that, E & K went to find Toboggan Racers, which they had missed before, and to also play in the wave pool. I went back to read some more. If BB had the same wave pool as TL, it would be perfect. We were totally done and happy and left the park just before noon. As we passed the entrance to Castaway Creek I noticed how many people were there now and how few empty tubes were floating along. Now the park was really filling up. One of my favorite things to do at WDW is to walk against a huge crowd in the opposite direction! Well, if this story doesn't persuade someone to get to BB at opening, nothing will. It is so worth it. We took the bus back to WL and K & I went down to RFks to get some lunch/snacks to bring up to the room. We didn't want to eat a lot because we had a 5:30 PS at Yachtsman Steakhouse. After lunch, we headed over to Epcot to what used to be K's favorite place-Image Works. I had warned her that it had changed, but she wanted to go anyway. All I can say is that I'm so glad that we have pictures, videos, and many happy memories of the way it used to be. Sending an email postcard was fun, although it took us quite a few tries until we were somewhat satisfied with our picture. I missed the sounds and lights room. I sadly walked around the new pictures, that aren't even in their own room, listening to the cow moo, the cat meow and all of the background noise in the room. It just wasn't as good. I used to jump back and forth between the harp arpeggios going up and down. It made me feel like a little kid. This didn't make me feel anything but disappointed. I know that K missed the big pin table. What has happened to the Imagineers imaginations? Don't they know anything about children and their need to have other kinesthetic experiences besides pushing buttons and clicking a mouse? A truly interactive playground should engage all of a child's senses as gateways to their imaginations. End of soapbox. Not wanting to experience any more disappointment, we decided to skip JIYI. On our way out, we noticed an available WDW Forever kiosk. We started just fooling around and then seriously debating and planning our family CD. We spent a good 40 minutes working on it and when we were done we pushed the "make the CD" button-the screen image disappeared and a "Temporarily Out of Service" message appeared. After all of our work and time! I asked the CM at the counter and she didn't have a clue. I remember reading about more kiosks in the store near the International Gateway, so I thought that maybe we'd get to try it again later. It was after 4 pm and we figured we should start walking towards WS. We stopped in a bathroom near Canada that had 2 stalls and a line and I saw a sign about where other rest rooms were located. Oh yeah! The famous Mill Vill bathrooms. K & E thought my enthusiasm about a restroom was a little strange, but they weren't really surprised by it. Afterwards, they had to admit that those bathrooms really were tremendous. Men don't appreciate this, but an endless row of empty stalls is a welcome sight to any woman. Since we had a little time, we decided to explore MV a bit. Winter in Sweden was a nice break from the heat. We saw part of a dance show and K & I played golf in Scotland while E, who was very hungry, waited for us outside. We didn't really do enough to recommend anything. K & I weren't all that thrilled with the golf-but then again, we were in a hurry. Unfortunately, while we were inside it had started to pour outside. We weren't sure whether to wait for a boat to the YC, which is so close, or to walk in the pouring rain. It was the kind of rain that a poncho and an umbrella combined still couldn't keep you dry. We splashed through the puddles over to the YC and were about 15 minutes early for dinner.(they don't open til 5:30) We had drinks in the bar and began to relax and anticipate dinner. (bar bill for 1 Diet Coke, 1 Sam Addams draft, and 1 glass of St. Jean Merlot- $19.56 before tip) While we were ordering, I mentioned to our server Steve (very nice and attentive), that I had read about Lionel on a WDW web site. A short while later, while eating our salads, Steve walked up to our table with this guy and introduced him to me-it was Lionel! (this probably won't mean anything to anyone except Deb Wills) He's very nice and said the same about Deb. I felt a connection between my internet Disney reading experiences and my real life WDW experiences that made me very happy in a way I can't really describe. Needless to say, the food was excellent and we were all very happy with our dinners. I'm sorry I can't remember what we ordered-I think it was Chateau Briand for 2 and Filet Mignon. It was just delicious, with a real quality meat flavor that wasn't hidden by a lot of other flavors. Unfortunately, we didn't have room to really appreciate dessert, but we did split some kind of intensely chocolate cake 3 ways.(yum) And of course, cappuccinos with those rock candy sticks that are so much fun to eat. (total cost of dinner before tip-$190.38) As we walked back through the Int'l Gateway, K's gift shop radar went off and we found ourselves in the World Traveler. Good thing too, because I had forgotten about the CD kiosks. E & I quickly made one and even changed it a little. (E added the Horizons theme, which is on right now as I type this!) We all loved the acoustic guitar music we heard at AK so we had selected some of those, a few carousel songs from MK, the waltz from the HM, and we opened with The Little Mermaid opening credits music. It may be expensive($21.98 for 10 really short tracks) but I listen to it all the time. The Horizons theme always makes me feel like I'm at Epcot. It was around 8 pm, too late to catch a live show, so we walked over to Morocco to watch Tapestry of Nations. Since it was still raining lightly, they waited until the absolute last second to decide if they were having it. (the 6:25 had been cancelled) Lucky us! It was like our experience at the MSEP all over again. Low crowds and great viewing spot. We were on a bench directly across from Morocco and to the right of the dock. When ToN finished, we scurried over to the wall and had a great spot for watching Ill. We kept looking around and commenting that it was 4th of July weekend and where was everybody? Maybe this day after EE strategy really works. Anyhow, the parade was wonderful. We loved the drums. Afterwards I kept humming the song, but I couldn't keep myself from adding nah-nah-nah-nah- hey-hey-goodbye.. While waiting at the wall for Ill. we met another nice family from Scotland. We could see the globe pretty well from where we were, but we were more impressed by the combination of the music with the fireworks. Very moving and very impressive. We walked slowly and happily out of Epcot.(do other couples hold hands more at WDW than anywhere else?) As we walked out, we saw our first Brazilian tour group. Maybe they arrive on July 1st? No bad behavior-just a very large group. The WL bus was there, waiting for us, with only a few people on it. I was again glad that I had picked this hotel. And again, I gazed out the window of the bus at the MK entrance as we drove by thinking, "Almost home." Watched the MK fireworks from our balcony as K talked to her friends online. Disney Quest and MGM tomorrow.
7/2 Sunday - Disney Quest, MGM Our plan for today was to be at Disney Quest by opening.(10:30) Had a quick RFks breakfast in our room and then hopped on the bus. I guess this would be a good place to describe the bus system at WL. First, the signs can be a little confusing. There are signs with bus stop numbers on them and the busses that come to those stops. For example: Bus Stop #2 (I think) says: · Epcot · Animal Kingdom That represents 2 separate busses, but I met quite a few people who thought it meant that a bus that went to both parks stopped there. One morning, I overheard a family talking about what they were going to do at Epcot that day and when the AK bus came, they loaded their children and their stroller on. We were going to AK, and when I passed them as I walked down the aisle I said, "Excuse me, but I think I heard you talking about going to Epcot? This bus goes to AK." They got off the bus and I was glad I saved them from that aggravation. We met another family on a bus one day who learned the hard way. The other problem with the bus signs is how they label the ones that are different before and after 4 pm. They are a bit vague. There were also a lot of people confused by the Boone and Crockett busses. For anyone who is planning on staying at the WL: The Crockett bus goes from the WL to the T&TC as it's first stop. (before 4 pm this is the way to go to Typhoon Lagoon and Downtown Disney-after 4 pm there is a direct bus) You can also take the Crockett to the T&TC if you'd rather take the mono to MK than the boat from the WL. When you're returning to the WL from the T&TC, take the Boone bus-the WL is the first stop coming from that direction. I have looked through my copy of the hotel newspaper, The Silver Creek Star, that I kept as a souvenir, sure that there would be transportation information there. Nope. I suggest reading WL trip reports (thanks Alan Schaefer and Dennis), studying the bus map that you get when you check in( it's also available on some web sites), and if unsure, always ask the bus driver. OK, back to Sunday. First I should explain that we are not a very active computer game family. K plays Mario on her N64 a few times a year and E&I never play anything but card games on the computer. But I thought K might like DQ, so we went to check it out. We headed straight to Cyber Space Mountain (no line) where she designed a Level 2 to start out with. (E was riding with her and wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of turning around and around in that big red pod) I was saving my stomach for Monday's E night, so I just watched them. K was disappointed in her ride-she said it was pretty boring towards the end and she will definitely design a higher level one on our next trip.(whenever that will be) It was fun to watch them on the screen. Afterwards, E did feel a bit dizzy. We mostly hung around in the Create Zone-played Songmaker, where you program prerecorded lyrics and song styles together, created strange toys and interesting photos of E. They rode the virtual Jungle Cruise and thought it was OK. I think to really enjoy this place you probably have to go twice. Once to try things and another time to concentrate on your favorites. I really wanted to play Skee Ball, so we went up to the arcade. I know some people resent having to pay more for these games, but I'd rather play these games than virtual ones, so we bought a 10.00 card for the 3 of us. It didn't take long to use it up, but we had a great time. We ended up with about 850 points to spend (those ticket eating machines are fun). The selection of prizes was pretty pitiful, but K was happy with what she got, so we were happy. It was about 1 pm and we were getting hungry, so we walked around and around the computer tables until one was available. While E&K saved it, I went upstairs to get our food. Luckily, K came up to see what was taking me so long and helped me to carry it all back downstairs. This has to be some of the best counter service food at WDW. No precooked burgers here. You see them make your burger and fix it just the way you want it. And it's huge. K&E had burgers ( I tried one and it was very tasty) and I enjoyed my Spinach & Artichoke dip with nacho chips. Total for lunch, $26.19. It was starting to get very noisy and crowded and we decided to leave. K probably would have liked to have spent an entire day there. But, the prospect of shopping at World of Disney was incentive enough for her to leave. E had no interest in shopping, so he went back to the hotel. He rented a bike ($4.54 for 45 minutes) at the WL and rode over to Ft. Wilderness. Meanwhile at WoD, K was having a great time trying on all the clothes that I wouldn't let her buy at other stores because I wanted to use my Amex discount here! Remember to ask for it-we saved almost 25.00. As we walked to the bus stop, we passed Ghiardelli's and I wished that I was hungry-I had really wanted to try one of their chocolate shakes. We met back at the hotel and we heard all about E's biking adventure. He had biked through Acadia Nat'l Park last summer, so it paled in comparison, but it was still better than shopping! We went out to catch the bus to MGM and this wait was a bit longer than our others (or maybe it just seemed that way because we had to get to our Fantasmic dinner PS at Mama Melrose's by 5:10). We arrived at Mama Melrose's about 10-15 minutes late, but it wasn't a problem and we were seated shortly thereafter. We used to really like this restaurant. I think their menu has changed, because it was much harder to find something we liked on it, except for pizza. It used to have some "regular" food-like spaghetti marinara or linguini with clam sauce. Now, everything has either feta or gorgonzola cheese and some strange flavor combinations that I think I can rightfully blame on California Nouvelle cuisine. I'm sorry, but I'm Italian and I resent having a place call itself an Italian restaurant and then serving this stuff. We each ordered our own pizzas with specific instructions as to what to leave off of them. Luckily, we were still pretty full from lunch and didn't require massive quantities of food to be satisfied. We enjoyed our rock candy again, put our orange Fantasmic pass in a safe place, and went to explore MGM. One important thing to note about the pass. The waiter told us to get to the entrance near Oscar's, at the latest, 30 minutes before the show. It is very important to do this and to also read the BACK of the pass. You are not guaranteed a seat by doing this package. If everyone else arrives before you do, you will have to stand. Later, at the show, I saw people walk in about 10 minutes after we were seated who weren't able to find any seats in the designated section. OK-back to MGM. We went on the Great Movie Ride and got the western side.We haven't had the gangster one in a long time. We still enjoy this ride, especially The Wizard of Oz section. The ruby slippers are not in the waiting area anymore. I asked a CM what happened to them and she didn't know. I later read in the TV Guide that a private collector, who had leant them to Disney, offered them for sale this May at a Christie's East memorabilia auction, and they sold for $666,000.00! The new owner will be putting them in a new museum in Hollywood. Anyhow, after the movie ride, we walked over to Sounds Dangerous. We like Drew Carey, but this show was not as much fun as the original and nowhere near as educational. I'm not sure if this perception is accurate, but there seems to be less of an effort to instruct as well as entertain in some of the newer attractions and more of an emphasis on shocking or scaring the audience with loud noises, darkness, or having water sprayed at them. There were also some very rude people in the audience who kept calling back and forth to each other so loudly that we could hear them, even with our headphones on. Some people just want to be part of the show I guess. I am going to apologize now for the preponderance of negativity in this installment of my report, but I have to be honest. On the way to SD from the GMR, we stopped in the restrooms that are between the GMR and Doug Live. I walked in and walked right back out. I have never in my life seen a bathroom at WDW that was so disgusting-I'm talking worse than some gas station bathrooms. It was not something I ever expected to see at WDW. It was getting close to our Fantasmic time and we headed over to Oscar's. It was fun taking that back way in. I will just summarize our feelings about the show. First, we thought the juggler during the pre-show was just awful. I forgot his name-it started with a D. We just didn't find him very funny or talented. As for Fantasmic, I loved seeing Sorcerer Mickey and the barges going by with the characters. I also enjoyed the singing and the fireworks. But the images on the screens didn't do much for me. I wasn't crazy about the story either. I'm still glad we saw it. I'm even more glad that we didn't wait and hour and a half for it! We decided to go back to the hotel after the show. We were coming back to MGM the next morning at opening and I knew K&E could ride ToT and RnRC then.
7/3 Monday - MGM, MK, Epcot, Enight again *sigh* Our last day. I have been avoiding writing about this last day because of an unanticipated side effect of writing a trip report. I have been dreaming about WDW! I guess writing activates my subconscious more than reading does. OK. So the plan for today was to do favorites again, make a special trip to MK to see Carousel of Progress, and just enjoy being in the parks. After a quick RFks breakfast of fruit, juice, coffee, and splitting a blueberry muffin, we made it out to the bus stop around 8:30, intent on getting to MGM by 9 am. This was our only major aggravation with the busses at WL the entire trip. Five AK busses came and went while we waited 40 minutes for an MGM bus to finally show up. There were people there who had been waiting since 8:20, so it wasn't like we had just missed one. I tried not to be Grumpy as I got on the bus-this was our last day and nothing was going to bother me. Luckily, it wasn't crowded when we got to MGM-no line or anything. (love this day after EE strategy) As much as I wanted to do RnRC again, I didn't want to risk feeling even a moment of motion sickness and jeopardizing my good time at Enight later. Besides, I wanted to see the Muppets and E&K didn't, so it worked out well. They went off to do RnRC and ToT, while I strolled through an almost empty park back to the Muppet show. The pre-show was very funny and I especially enjoyed reading the ticker going by on a monitor behind the other TVs- very funny comments inserted between the countdown postings. The CM began her "move all the way down the row" speech, but then she noticed how few of us there actually were and said, "sit wherever you want to." So, I sat about three quarters of the way back in the center.(great view of the cannon) I had a great time seeing this show by myself. This is one show where I don't mind the 3D effects-I guess because the emphasis is on humor rather than fear or shock. I walked out quite happy and ready to do some more solo exploring. I had some time before our 10:20 PS at Hollywood & Vine, so I headed over to the Animation building. I was hoping to do the tour and cut out before the movie, but the CM announced that it was a 40 minute tour with no bathroom and no exits! Oh well. Next trip. (it was 9:50) So I walked over to H&V and just sat outside and people watched and scribbled in my notepad til E&K arrived. ( a side note-those metal chairs they have outside are really noisy when people move them.) I noticed walk-ins being seated within 5-10 minutes, so I guess my PS wasn't necessary. E&K eventually showed up. When they had arrived at RnRC, stand-by was 15 minutes. ToT had a huge line, so they got FPs for that and went back to ride RnRC. Breakfast here was fun and the food was pretty decent. The CMs don't have home locations on their badges because we are to assume that they are all aspiring actors from Hollywood. Minnie doesn't circulate, but Goofy and Chip 'n Dale do. Every now and then they get together in the front and do a Chucky Cheese type show with Minnie. You can meet Minnie on your way out. It's not the best character breakfast, but the food wasn't bad. For those with a sweet tooth, there was chocolate French Toast. K ordered a special drink that wasn't included in the buffet, so the bill for 3 adults, before tip, was $51.30. After breakfast, we walked over to line up for the noon HoND show. (I think it's the first one of the day) We were near the front of the line (we got there around 11:35), and when the CM let us in, I made a beeline for the seats near the runway. We were about 2/3s of the way back on the right side(stage left). Thanks to everyone who told me to see this show! (even though I hated the movie) First, I have to say how much we enjoyed Matt, the juggler. He was smart, funny, and very talented. (what a contrast to the guy at Fantasmic) Make sure you get there in time to see the pre-show. And what a show-it was powerful, with talented singers, beautiful costumes and scenery. First rate and not to be missed! I was glad we saw the first show, before the heat of the day set in. When they were taking their curtain call, Esmeralda actually grabbed hold of my hand and held it awhile. Very exciting! I saved some confetti as a souvenir. After the show we decided to try the Animation building. There was a posted time of 15 minutes, so we went into the Studio store for a few minutes and when we came out the new time was 40 minutes! We decided to save that for another trip, headed back to the hotel, and caught the boat to the MK to see CoP.(for those who may not know, it is only open from 11-5) E & I both remember it from the NY World's Fair and see it every trip. We must have just missed a show because we had to wait around 15-20 minutes.(one of our longest waits of the trip!) We didn't care though, we weren't leaving the MK without seeing it. I love singing along to that song. K had a suggestion that I agreed with. Instead of having 20 year intervals for the earlier times and then jumping ahead from the 40's to the future, it would be nice to see 30 year intervals so there could be a 60's kitchen and teenager. Anyhow, we checked that off our mental list and walked to the Epcot monorail and asked to sit in the front car. Someone had asked already, but we were quite willing to wait on the bench for the next train. This is my favorite way to arrive at Epcot. I think it is also reminiscent of the '64 World's Fair, seeing the pavilions from the monorail.(I still have an old ticket) Unfortunately, our driver seemed like he would have been better as a CM at the Haunted Mansion. I tried to engage him in some friendly conversation, but he remained silent the entire trip. It was sad to see Horizons being ripped apart, but I love that long, slow trip around FW. We went directly to the single riders line at TT for one last ride. There were people next to us in the stand-by line who had already been waiting for 90 minutes and still had quite a ways to go. At the risk of sounding redundant- this is the only way to do TT! As it turned out, K & I ended up riding together. We waited maybe 15 minutes outside and then 10 or so inside because it broke down for a little while. But, the people out in the SB line hadn't moved at all. This was around 5:30 I think. It was pretty hot out and quite crowded,( more of those tour groups that I hadn't noticed before 7/1), so we stopped in the Fountainview for frozen cappuccinos and something sweet. E & I had the Millenium Chocolate Mousse Cake and K had the cheesecake. Both excellent. For those keeping score-3 desserts and 3 drinks came to $19.98. We wanted to rest before our Eticket evening, so we went back to the hotel. E & I fell asleep, while K typed away for an hour or so talking to her friends online. We took the boat to the MK and unfortunately, arrived just before the 9 pm MSEP was about to start. It was really hard to get by and we were a little late for our 9 pm PS at the Crystal Palace.(but it took less time to get seated than the last time when we were early!) The parade route was jammed with people-what a difference compared to last Tuesday night. We relaxed and enjoyed our dinner at the CP. Our server,Todd, was very nice. K wrote a report in my notebook: " The soft ice cream is very good, except it melts quickly. So, I advise you to obtain the frozen treat and return to your seat quickly to eat it. Don't go back for more dessert, because when you get back to your seat, your soft ice cream will have turned into a sea of chocolate and vanilla, with little sprinkle boats." We hadn't had time to get our wristbands before dinner, so we went to Splashdown Photos afterwards. It was around 10:30 pm, so I asked K what she wanted to do in Fantasyland before Enight started. We walked over to Peter Pan and got on line. (it was around a 15-20 minute wait with a posted time of 30 minutes) We have fond memories, and a few photos, of a time when we got stuck on this ride and saw everything with the lights on. I never tire of flying over London and Big Ben. We were hoping for 1 last ride on IASW, but they had just closed it. We were pretty tired, so we decided to just do the HM and the 3 mountains at Enight and not stay til the bitter end this time. Space Mtn. had both sides running, so it went very quickly. It seemed more crowded than last Tuesday, but the lines really moved. Even if there is a wait, it is so much better to do it at night and not have that Florida sun beating down on your head. We rode Splash twice. I insisted, because I discovered how much fun it was to ride it leaning forward and wanted to do it again. Another family tradition is to end our last night on BTMRR.(one year we got to go around twice at closing without getting off, and we're always hoping that will happen again) It didn't, but we still enjoyed our last ride. Bittersweet. I walked backwards down Main St. trying to burn the image of the castle changing colors into my brain. One last glance and a whispered, " See you again, someday." Then it was off to the monorail, to the T&TC, and a bus back home to the WL.
7/4 Tuesday - Final Day, Final Thoughts Another family tradition is to have a Character Breakfast in our hotel before we check out and hit the road. A last bit of magic to carry us through. We finally ate at Artist Point and enjoyed the company of Pooh and his friends. E wore his Eeyore shirt and I videotaped him with his soul mate. I wished I was hungrier, because the food here was pretty good, but very filling. ($46.11 before tip) Before breakfast, I had gone downstairs to buy a WL Pooh that K had been admiring all week. I hid him in my suitcase and when we got home we discovered our stowaway! ( I don't think anyone is ever too old for that kind of fun-I guess that's why I love WDW) Since we were driving to Savannah, we decided to leave after checking out. We felt very satisfied. It was our longest stay yet, and we really had a wonderful time. Final Thoughts Hotel- We loved the WL, despite those pesky bedposts! It may not have been as roomy as the Poly, but it was fine for the 3 of us. Except for that 1 trip to MGM, we never had a problem with the bus. Our lodgekeeper was excellent and our bathroom was very clean. The staff was friendly and helpful, especially bell services with that luggage mix-up. We encountered no rudeness by any CM here, although guests who expect overly solicitous behavior might be disappointed. We loved the music that was playing throughout the hotel. (although by the end of the week, E was getting a little tired of hearing Billy the Kid) I recently bought a CD with Appalachian Spring and BtK on it so I could play it while typing this report! Roaring Forks was Extremely Convenient and saved us so much time every morning. This hotel is great for people who enjoy sensory experiences-it's full of details to look at, beautiful music to listen to, and wonderful aromas from the restaurants and the smoke house. We loved living here for a week and would definitely go back. The Parks- Mixed feelings here. Epcot used to be our favorite, but we didn't feel the same about it this trip. Maybe because we went in the summer this time. We always seem to do more in World Showcase when we go in October. And Future World just seemed kind of flat this time. MGM-loved RnRC. This is a great addition to the park. This was the least clean of all the parks though- I wish I could forget that awful rest room. AK-fantastic! We definitely want to go back. BB-loved it, especially getting there at opening. MK-I think this was our favorite park this trip. It didn't seem to matter that we had done so much of it before-there is just something special about this park that consistently provides the Disney magic we enjoy-it's easy to find our "happy thoughts" here. For this reason, I think we will always feel most "at home" at a MK resort. Going in the summer- We love rain! It definitely worked to our advantage this trip. Also, we are night people, so having the late hours and Eticket nights worked well for us. Strategies that worked- Day after EE, going to AK, BB, and DQ at opening, and doing late night touring. There seemed to be a noticeable increase in the crowds (and tour groups) on July 1st. Before that, the parks didn't seem as crowded as I expected them to be. Writing a trip report- I actually wrote this in a notebook first and then typed it. I can't tell you why, it just happened. I put all my receipts in separate envelopes, labeled with the date, and listed what I could remember about each day on the front of the envelope. The receipts helped me to remember not only the days we did everything, but the approximate times as well. I had these, my photos, and my little notebooks that I wrote some notes in, spread out on my dining room table and just started writing in a notebook. I started out with an entire pencil and ended up with a tiny stub. It was truly a labor of love. I apologize for the length. Many of you in your 40's and 50's will understand the desire and the need to write things down in order to remember them later! To all of you who have posted trip reports- Thank you so much! All the notes I scribbled down while sitting in front of my computer, helped to make this our best trip yet. I hope this trip report will help someone else out there. Thanks for reading! Anne Croyden lou1478@hotmail.com Mail a Comment to "Anne Croyden" |
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