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Noreen Chin -- May 2003 -- Walt Disney World (Offsite)WHO ARE WE?
PLANNING Our friends Chris and Alise (who also joined us during our May 2000 trip to Disney World) planned a trip to Disney for May 2004. They asked us if we could go too since we had a good time last time we went together. Paul and I weren’t planning to take a trip to Disney yet. He is in the midst of changing careers so we are trying to be economical and didn’t think a trip to Disney was in the cards this year. Also, my coworker was due to have a baby at the end of April so I needed to be around if he was going to be out. My coworker had the baby and didn’t take off from work as quickly as I thought he would. It was May 5th and he still hadn’t taken off. He wasn’t planning to take off the following week either since his in-laws would be around. Chris, Alise, and family were leaving on Saturday May 8th. On Wednesday May 5th, Paul said if your co-worker is going to be in next week, why don’t we go and meet Chris and Alise at Disney. He put a hold on a room at our timeshare that night while I waited for my co-worker to talk to his wife and decide for sure his status for the following week. Thursday May 6th, my coworker said he’d definitely be in the following week – so the Disney plans are on. However, we need to be in Brooklyn for Mother’s Day Dinner on Saturday night. Flying at such short notice would cost a lot. Even a cheaper airline like JetBlue would cost a minimum of $250 each, not counting the rental car in Florida, and leaving our car at the airport in Long Term Parking; so we decided we’d drive down to Florida after dinner in Brooklyn Saturday night. I called Peter (my brother in law’s partner) to see if he was free next week. He dog sits/house sits for us when we go away. We have a beautiful Akita named Kiki and I wouldn’t just leave her with anyone and Peter loves her as much as we do. So I know she will be well taken care of. Lodging Car Rental Flight Driving So our plan is to leave Saturday night from Brooklyn after dinner and drive through the night and arrive in Florida Sunday evening. Attractions Food Admission Media Other People General Planning DAY BY DAY The week before our trip The day before/night of the start of our trip – Saturday 5/8/04 Sunday 5/9/04 We were almost through Virginia, about 20 miles before the border of North Carolina, around 5am when we got a flat tire. It was pitch black outside. We unloaded the trunk and Paul changed the tire at the side of the road. Luckily, we had a flashlight with us and a flare so the few 18-wheeler trucks barreling down the highway would see us. The tire was totally shredded. Our spare is a full tire (not a doughnut) so we were in good shape. However, we did not want to go too far without a spare. We continued down I95 into North Carolina and we saw a sign for a 24-hour place that sold tires so we stopped there. They did not have the right size for our car. But they directed us to a Super Walmart, which was about 10 minutes away. Wal-Mart was open but the tire section did not open until 10am since it was Sunday. It was only around 8am at this point. We debated waiting versus driving to the next place we may find. The people working in Wal-Mart were so friendly and helpful. They called around to try to find us somewhere open or the next SuperWalmart going south. The next SuperWalmart had a tire section but they didn’t open until 1:30 on Sundays. We decided to wait. We went to Cracker Barrel for Breakfast which was nearby. Paul had Eggs in a Basket. This was the cutest thing. They made a hole in the toast then put that in the pan, dropped an egg in the hole, and flipped it. So you had an over easy egg in the center of toast. I had a scrambled egg, with bacon and a biscuit. Paul had juice and I had soda. The total with tax and tip was about $11. We were back in SuperWalmart by 9:45 and wandered around waiting for the tire section to open. When they opened we bought our new tire. We found out the rim was dented so they mounted the new tire on the rim from the spare and put the older tire (now the spare) on the dented rim. They didn’t have the rims there for our car so we’ll get one from the dealer when we’re back home. They told us if we had to drive on the dented rim it would be OK just a little wobbly. The new tire was $118. We also bought 2 water cameras while in Wal-Mart for $18. We were back on the road by 11:45. We made decent time driving through the various states. Paul did more of the drive than I did. People are so friendly in the South. Every time we’d stop at a rest area people would talk to us and be pleasant. We made it to Vistana around 7pm and checked in – room 1925. If it wasn’t for the delay with the tire we would have been here around 4ish. Before going to our room we went to Publix (the supermarket) to get a few things like Orange Juice, cheese, eggs, soda, chips, english muffins, etc. We spent about $17 in Publix. We were back before 8 and brought up our bags, food, etc. We have a premium one-bedroom this time. When you open the door to the left is a full kitchen with island; beyond the island is the Living Room with a pull out couch, coffee table, TV, etc; beyond the Living Room is sliding glass doors to the patio with a table and chairs. If you go to the right when entering the front door there is a closet with a stacked washer and dryer. After that is a door to the sink area of the bathroom. There is a separate door in there to the area of the bathroom with the toilet and shower. The other side of the sink room has the door to the Master Bedroom. The master bedroom has another sink in it, a Jacuzzi, King Size bed, closet, dresser, TV, etc as well as a door into the living room and a sliding glass door to the Patio. It’s a very nice room. We did some unpacking and got settled into the room. We called our friends Chris and Alise to tell them we were here. This was a surprise to them since we originally weren’t planning to come and here we are. We made plans to meet up tomorrow. Around 9pm Paul and I were hungry. We haven’t eaten (except some snacks in the car) since our breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We went to Downtown Disney to the Earl of Sandwich and got food to go. Paul had the Full Montagu which had roast beef, turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. I had the All American which had turkey, cranberry, lettuce, and tomato. I like how they grill the sandwiches. Each sandwich was only $4.95. It took a while so the manager threw in free potato chips. We stopped at the Days of Xmas store and bought one of the 2004 Annual Ornaments for $10.95. We went to Guest Relations next. We bought 5 Day Park Hopper Plus passes (2 – one for each of us). We had 1 day credit towards this from a hopper pass from 2002 (only 1 of these). The total for the 2 passes was about $600. With the credit from the old hopper it came to approximately $550. We went back to the room to eat our sandwiches. They were very good. We went to bed around 11:30. Monday 5/10/04 We were planning to leave around 8:30 but my office called at 8:15. I was on the phone with them until 9:30 then we left for Animal Kingdom. We met Chris and Alise and their kids in Harambe when they got off the conservation train. They had fast passes for the safari so we took their admission tickets and went to get Kali River Rapids fast passes that were good at 11:35. They were to meet us at Kali after their safari ride. Paul and I went through the Maharajah Jungle Trek. They met up with us at 11:30 and they went on Kali with Paul. I didn’t want to get wet so I took all the park passes and went to get fastpasses for Tough to Be a Bug (these were good at 12:15). I wandered through the stores while waiting. The group showed up at 12:10 and we waited the 5 minutes until it was our fast pass time. We enjoyed the show. It ended about 10 to 1 and we rushed over to try to catch the 1pm Lion King Show. We just made it and everyone enjoyed the show. Out next stop was Dinoland. We all went on Triceratops Spin. The kids loved it. Chris, Haley, and I headed over to Primeval Whirl but Haley was too short to go on so we left her with Chris, Paul, and Danny. Chris and I rode after about a 15-minute wait. This is a cute ride. We both enjoyed it and it doesn’t spin that much so we told Alise even she could go on it. Then Alise and Paul went on Primeval Whirl while Chris and I stayed with Haley and Danny. The kids played one of the carnival games where you squirt water onto a target to make the light rise. First one to the top wins. It wasn’t either Haley or Danny so Danny had a bit of a fit over not winning. We headed over to the Boneyard next. Paul and I have never been in this section as we usually travel without children. It was a cute area and the kids could have spent hours there. The adults had other plans so dragged them out by 3:30 to claim a spot for the 4pm Jammin Jungle Parade. The parade was cute and everyone enjoyed it. After the parade we left Animal Kingdom and headed over to MGM. Chris, Alise, and their kids went to the Little Mermaid while Paul and I went to the 5:50 Millionaire show. We met at Tower of Terror. Chris, Haley, Paul and I went on. Haley almost chickened out but Chris convinced her to go on and she loved it. Alise and Danny went to see the Muppets. Paul and Chris went on Rock n Roller Coaster while I waited with Haley. We all met up and went on the Great Movie Ride together. It was about 8pm when we all left and headed back to the Beach Club. Haley, Danny, and Chris swam then we all went to Beaches & Cream for Dinner. Paul had a double cheeseburger, onion rings, and a cream sickle shake; I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a sprite. Haley had a burger and fries, Danny had grilled cheese, Chris had a sundae and Alise had onion rings. Our share of the bill after tax and tip came to $30. We really like Beaches & Cream – their burgers are very good. We used to be able to walk into Beaches & Cream and be seated quickly – now there is usually a line. I guess a lot of other people have figured out that it’s good and come here too. When we stopped in their room – Paul had the kids in hysterics because he took Haley’s doll (Molly) and put her on one of the blades of the ceiling fan. When the fan was turned on it would pick up speed and eventually Molly (the doll) would be tossed across the room. Paul is a big kid when he’s with them. After dinner Paul and I headed back to Vistana went in the Jacuzzi and got ready for bed. Tuesday 5/11/04 Someone from Security stopped by to fix the safe in the room. We went to the Starwood Member meeting around noon. This took about 40 minutes. The woman they assigned us to was very nice and gave us more information about using the points, options, etc related to our timeshare. She did not try to pressure us into buying another week. They gave us $40 for our time. We drove over to the Swan and parked there. We walked around the hotel a bit then took the boat to Epcot. In England we saw Pooh and Tigger and took a picture with them together (both of them in one picture with us). At 1:35 we watched the World Showcase Players perform “My Unfair Lady”. These shows are really funny; the audience participation really makes a difference. We headed towards Future World. Test Track was closed. Surprisingly, there was no wait for Mission Space. We walked right in. I like roller coasters, even ones that flip you over. The only rides I don’t like are rides that go in circles. So we went on Mission Space. You really feel like you are in taking off towards space. You face gets pulled back. It’s a very odd sensation. And you do experience weightlessness. It was a lot of fun. However, when we were getting off I started feeling dizzy and slightly queasy. I figured out why…even though you feel like you are taking off and in space – you are really spinning very very fast to create that sensation. So I was on a ride going in circles; I’m glad I experienced it, but I won’t be going on Mission Space again. I sat down and had some water and felt better in about 10 minutes. I spoke to work again for about ½ hour. Then Paul and I went into the Living Seas. We saw the new Nemo stuff that is pretty cute. However, the attraction as a whole doesn’t seem like it’s changed much. We went on Spaceship Earth next with no wait. Then we looked for our Leave a Legacy Tile. These don’t seem to have been that well received since there is still a lot of blank space left on them. We took the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom and sat up front with the driver. We had a very friendly driver and chatted with him the whole ride over. We picked up Fast passes for Mickey’s Philharmagic that were good from 5:50-6:50pm then tried to get into the 5:30 Goofy’s Hoedown. There was a line wrapped around the building in the sun when we got there so Paul said let’s get a soft pretzel and get in line when it starts moving. So we eat our pretzel, the line starts moving and we join the end. The people ahead of us get into the show; and we are stopped (it’s full). So we’ll have to come back another day for this, as this was the last show of the day. We saw Mickey’s Philharmagic at 5:50 – no wait just walked right in. This was adorable – probably my favorite 3D show at Disney. We enjoyed it so much we saw it again right after the first time. Chris & Alise called – they are on their way to the Magic Kingdom. We are meeting them at the Crystal Palace where we have a 6:40pm Priority Seating. Paul and I continued on to the Haunted Mansion. Then we went to Pirates of the Caribbean. No wait for either one. These are both favorites of mine. The Jungle Cruise had a long wait so we skipped it for now. At 6:40 we went to Crystal Palace. We were seated quickly. Chris forgot their camera in the car and was going to go back for it, but by the time he took the monorail or boat to the TTC, then a tram to the car, got the camera, and did that to come back – we would be done with dinner. So we suggested he buy a disposable at one of the stores on Main Street. After he left the waitress told us that they sell them right in the restaurant because it’s common for people to forget their cameras. We used our camera to take pictures while we waited for Chris to return. All the characters (Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet) came by to see us. I like how they tell you the path the characters would take so you know when they are on their way to you. The food was pretty good too. At 9pm we watched Spectromagic – it was very crowded. The park wasn’t that crowded most of the day, but they were lined up for the Parade. At 10pm we watched Wishes (the new fireworks show) from FantasyLand. Danny is afraid of fireworks so Chris took him to see Mickey’s Philharmagic while the rest of us watched Wishes. The cast members in FantasyLand were great and pointing out the directions we should look during the fireworks show so we didn’t miss anything. You can tell they enjoyed their jobs. We took the bus back to the Swan at 10:45. Publix was closed so we stopped in Wal-Mart for more Orange Juice, Water, and English Muffins (about $17). We were back at Vistana around 12:15, did some laundry, checked my work voicemail then went to bed. Wednesday 5/12/04 We went to see the 10:45 Sea Lion and Otter Show and met Chris and Alise there. The show is very cute and has changed since the last time we were here. We went through the Penguin exhibit then the Shark exhibit. Chris, Alise, Paul, and Haley went on Journey to Atlantis. I waited with Danny. I don’t like getting wet when I’m dressed. I don’t mind if I’m at a water park or in a pool, but if I’m in my clothes, I don’t like walking around wet. Danny was afraid of the ride. There is an area right where you can watch the boats come down the big hill on Journey to Atlantis that has water squirting out of the floor (a fountain) that kids like to play in. Danny and I waited there. Chris and Paul went on Kraken next while Alise and I stayed with Haley and Danny. We stayed in the Fountain area near Journey to Atlantis. The line for Kraken was longer than we expected and it took them a while to get back. We saw the 1:45 Pet’s Ahoy Show which was really cute. We all enjoyed that. It’s amazing the tricks these animals did. There were a lot of dogs and cats in this show that made it fun, as these are animals we’re used to seeing. We saw the 2:30 Dolphin show which we all enjoyed. We walked through Dolphin Cove, by the Alligators, and by the Stingrays. We are doing a lot of walking back and forth at this park from one end to the other. I spent a little more time on the phone with work. Then we saw the Manatees. At 4pm we went to the Shamu show. The kids wanted to sit in the splash zone and get wet. I sat a few rows back since I wanted to stay dry. It was a good show and they were soaked at the end. We stopped in the Carnival Games section for a bit, then headed over to Shamu’s Happy Harbor. Paul and I have never been here since we don’t usually travel with children. This was a really cute area – they had a bounce house, a giant climbing thing, and all sorts of other fun things for kids. The kids probably could have spent the whole day here and been happy. We went to the 5:15 Odyssea show that is a Cirque De Soleil type of show. Chris and Alise left after the show. Paul and I went to the Anheiser Busch/Clydesdale Hamlet and looked at the horses. Paul had some of the free beer they give out as samples. We went on the Wild Arctic next. We picked up the 2nd day free pass on the way out in case we decide to stop back at Sea World during the rest of our time in Florida. We stopped back at Vistana for Paul to change. Then we drove around trying to decide where to have dinner. We ended up at Cape May Café. Thursday 5/13/04 We went to Universal Studios next. We went the wrong way on I4 and had to turn around. We didn’t make it to Universal until about 10:30 and met up with Chris and Alise at City Walk. In 1999 when we were here, we bought Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure 3 day Hopper Passes that don’t expire. We paid $99 each for the 3-day hoppers (it was a special promotion for having a certain car). We still had a day left on them so used it. The prices have gone up a lot since then. A 1-day/1 park ticket is now $54.75. A 2-day/2 park ticket with hopping ability is now $99.95. You can also buy the “Express Pass” for an extra $15 per person, which allows you to bypass the lines at the most popular attractions. However, you can only ride each attraction once. This would only be worthwhile during the most crowded times. Our first stop was Shrek. We waited about 20 minutes. This was a very good show; probably one of the best 3D shows I’ve seen. When we exited we took pictures with Shrek. Similar to Disney – Universal had character greetings going on throughout the park. We went on ET next with only a 5-minute wait. Haley was very anxious to go on the new Jimmy Neutron ride. This replaced Hanna Barbera, which I used to really enjoy. It’s the same set up, just a new cartoon and new characters that the story is about. We waited about 20 minutes for this. We waited about 15 minutes for the Men in Black ride. Everyone enjoyed this even the kids. We went on Jaws with a 20-minute wait. I’m not particularly fond of this attraction since I don’t get the need for the fire to be so hot that you feel your skin is scorched. We’re already in Florida, we don’t need more heat. The kids freaked on this ride and were crying from the fire and the shark. Then we went on Earthquake where Paul was chosen as a stunt man. He had to pretend to fall down an elevator shaft then climb back on the stage. Very cute. I tried taking a picture but it was too dark and didn’t work – all that showed up was the bald spot of the guy sitting in front of me. The kids didn’t mind the part Paul was in but once we went on the tram and the fire and water started they were hysterical here too. After traumatizing their kids on Jaws and Earthquake, Chris and Alise took them to see Barney. Since Paul and I don’t have kids, we were not obligated to watch Barney and took a walk over to see if Revenge of the Mummy was open. It’s scheduled to open later this month (5/21), but we heard they might be doing sneak previews, which it was. We waited almost an hour. There are lockers outside the ride to leave your bags in. We really enjoyed it. It’s a rollercoaster with great effects. It’s not a big flipping upside down one, but it was really good. I would encourage even those non-rollercoaster people to ride it just for the effects. We stopped at the fish fast food place; I think it was called Quints. We shared a combo basket of fish, chicken, shrimp, and fries for $10.50. We ate outside at the tables overlooking the water. At 5:15 we met Chris and Alise for the Animal Planet Live show. This was cute. After the show Chris and Alise went to see Terminator and we left to hop over to Islands of Adventure. Paul went on the Hulk rollercoaster with about a 15 minutes wait. He loved it. We both went on Spiderman using the single rider line with no wait. The normal wait would have been 20 minutes. We both went on the Hulk Coaster then. For such a big coaster, it’s a very smooth ride. It was about 7pm and the park was closing. We stopped at Starbucks on City Walk for a Frappacino and Iced Tea (about $10). We met Chris and Alise at Downtown Disney for some shopping. We shopped in World of Disney and the Christmas Store. This was a pretty economical shopping trip for us as we only spent about $110 in World of Disney and $20 in the Xmas store. Our normal Disney souvenir bill is usually several hundred dollars. We had dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express. We sat at their tables outside. Paul had the Chinese noodle dish and a chicken sandwich (he wasn’t sure which he was in the mood for so got both) $14. I went over to Earl of Sandwich and bought a Caprese Sandwich and a soda for $7.50. Chris and Alise ate things from Wolfgang Puck Express, the kids ate McDonalds. After eating we went back to Vistana Friday 5/14/04 On the way to Epcot, we stopped at 7-11 to pick up a few things. There was a woman outside trying to convince us to go to a timeshare presentation. We explained that we already have a timeshare and aren’t looking to buy another one. She went through her whole speech about how it doesn’t matter if we don’t want to buy, but we’ll get tickets to a park or various other things to spend 90 minutes. We said OK when she offered cash and said we are free to do it now. She had us fill out these forms with our address, social security number, birthdates, etc. Then she asked for a credit card. I asked what for and she said that she needs to charge our credit card as a deposit that we’ll show up and we’ll get it back. This is turning into more trouble than it’s worth and I told her I did not want to leave a deposit, we were willing to go to the presentation now, if that’s not good enough then we won’t bother. She started harassing us to give her the credit card. I got a little paranoid because she has all our personal information on the form already. I told her to just forget it and took the form back and ripped them up. She told me she’s supposed to keep the forms. I told her that it had all of our personal information on it and I was not comfortable with her keeping them. Paul thinks I scared her by ripping the forms up. With all the identity theft out there I wasn’t about to leave our social security numbers on the form. We stopped at downtown Disney to return two of the items we bought. Then we went to the McDonald’s on Disney property. Paul wanted to get a few burgers to bring with him in case he or Haley gets hungry. We parked at the Swan and took the boat to Epcot and entered through the International Gateway. Our first stop was the American Adventure at 12:30 – Paul fell asleep and I had to nudge him to keep him from snoring. We saw the statue Imaginum act in Italy at 1:05. I really enjoy watching this performance; people’s reactions are so funny. I don’t know how she stays so still; if that were me I’d have an itch or sneeze or something. We went to China next, did some browsing, and then saw the movie. I had a quick lunch in the Lotus Blossum – I ordered the kids meal for $3.75 which included fried rice, an egg roll, and soda; it was perfect. Paul had one of his McDonald’s burgers. We picked up a fast pass for Maelstrom, which was good from 3-4pm. I wanted to get the rice cream from the Kringla Bakery (one of my favorite Disney treats) but it was closed. We went into Mexico and onto El Rio Del Tiemplo with no wait. We wandered around in Mexico for a while until it was time for our fastpass at Maelstrom. We went back to Norway at 3 for Maelstrom and stayed for the movie. Most of the people ran out and didn’t stay. We stayed because I think it’s insulting to just run through and not stay. It’s pretty short. However, I think it’s very nice that they now leave the doors open to allow people to leave without seeing the movie. We obtained fast passes for Test Track which were good from 5:40-6:40 and we also received a bonus fast pass for Honey I Shrunk the Audience from 6-6:15. The standby wait was 60 minutes and the single rider line was 30 minutes. We met Chris and Alise at the Land Boat Ride and waited about 20 minutes. Haley was getting a bit crabby in line, and then Paul asked her if she was hungry and wanted a McDonald’s hamburger. She was a happy camper after that and gobbled up the burger on the ride. We all went to the Electric Umbrella for dinner after that. Danny wanted pizza but they didn’t have any so Paul went to see if he could find some elsewhere and bring it back. Paul and I shared a Cheeseburger meal. Chris and Alise wanted to go on Test Track so we watched Haley and Danny at the jungle gym area. Haley climbed onto the jungle gym thing and got stuck. I was about to climb up and help her down when the cast member said not to worry she would since she rescues kids that climb too high all the time. Test Track was down so Chris and Alise were back quickly. We all went to Honey I Shrunk the Audience next, which was fun. Then we all went on the Imagination ride with no wait. We played in the Imagination labs for while. The kids played in the fountains just outside the Imagination Pavilion. Paul too – he’s like a big kid. He was splashing them with water and riling them up. We were going to head into the countries as I told the kids about the Kidcot stations and making masks so they were eager to do so. Chris and Alise wanted to try getting on Test Track since it was down earlier, so Paul and I took the kids into World Showcase. We made good time and were stopping at all the different Kidcot centers. Chris and Alise caught up to us between Germany and Italy. Paul was ready for another snack so got a combination plate in the fast food place in Japan for $8.25. I had a few bites and it was pretty good. We watched Illuminations then walked back to the Beach Club. Paul and I shared 2 scoops of ice cream for $4.50 at Beaches and Cream. He waited on the to-go line for ½ hour to get the ice cream. The people waiting for a table for service were waiting for about 45 minutes. We took the boat to the Swan then drove back to Vistana. Saturday 5/15/04 I had to redo some of the laundry because some of it had an odd mildew smell. We went to Magic Kingdom this morning and it was very crowded. We wanted to go on Big Thunder Mountain and ended up waiting about an hour for it. We just missed the 12 noon Goofy Jamboree. We got a fast pass for Winnie the Pooh but it’s not good until 1:50; so we headed over to Mickey’s Philharmagic and waited almost ½ hour to get in. But this was very cute. We just made the 1pm Goofy Jamboree. After all that effort to see it, it was kind of silly. Some characters come out and dance, then they teach the people in the audience how to do some dances and they join the crowd to do it. I’m surprised no one gets hurt as all these people are in the middle of the floor dancing around. We stopped for a Dole Float ($3.50). This was very refreshing. We left Magic Kingdom to meet Chris and Alise at Perkins on Route 535. They were getting ready to head to the airport and had bought tons of things that wouldn’t fit in their luggage. Since we drove, we offered to drive their stuff home for them. They live only about 15 miles from us. We had lunch at Perkins. I had the chicken BLT salad in a bread bowl and a sprite. Paul had the chicken finger sandwich, fries, and iced tea. Our total with tax and tip was $25. It was kind of a nice break from the heat and the crowds to have lunch at Perkins. We said our goodbyes to Chris, Alise, Haley, and Danny. Paul and I decided to do a little resort hopping. We usually like to look at the different Disney resorts. We stopped at Old Key West and bought Mickey Salt and Pepper shakers in the general store. We drove around the property. It reminds us a bit of Vistana as it’s spread out and you can park right in front of your Villa. We drove over to Saratoga Springs next, but they aren’t open yet so we didn’t get to wander around. Next we stopped at Pop Century to have a walk around. We went to MGM and arrived a little after 5. We saw the 5:30 Stars and Cars Parade not because we planned to but when we got there the area was roped off so we were stuck. It was cute. We saw the 6:20 Millionaire show and didn’t do too well – we didn’t even make it to the top 10 board. Next we saw the Backlot Tour that ended at 7:35 so we missed the Mermaid show that was to be our next stop. We went to the Animation Tour at 8. This has been re-done since the last time we were here and we really enjoyed it. It was much more interactive as you are taught to draw Mickey Mouse too. We went to Fantasmic arriving at 8:45 to standing room only. Paul got a hot dog and a turkey leg ($7) to snack on. Even though we were in the standing room only section we had a good place to stand (against the wall front row of standing section). We enjoyed this as always. We stopped at Pizzeria Uno for an individual pizza (Supreme) ($8.50) to bring back to Vistana. It was pretty good. Sunday 5/16/04 We originally wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon, but it’s pretty cloudy out and looks like it’s going to pour. We went to the Cascades section pool at Vistana. It has a nice waterfall. This was a good choice as it was cloudy with just peeks of sunshine and lots of sprinkles. Paul always says we should have a day where we aren’t running from park to park all day but that we just can relax. I don’t know how to relax and find this very difficult, but we are going to try his plan today. We stayed at the pool until about 2pm, and then went back to our room to shower and change. Paul was in the mood for chicken wings from Hooters for lunch. We drove down 192 but never went to Hooters. We stopped at Publix to pick up some supplies for the ride home like bottled water and snacks. Then we stopped at Wal-Mart for a few other items like cans of soda. We drove around Celebration. I always used to think I wanted to retire there, but after driving around there again, I’ve changed my mind. The houses are very close together. We were really hungry by now since we never stopped for lunch. We decided to try for an early dinner at O’Hana at the Polynesian. We arrived around 5:30 with no priority seating. They said they could seat us around 6:30 so we wandered around the Polynesian. I stopped at Guest Services to see if it would be quicker if I made a priority seating but the first available was 9:10 so we stuck with standby. We had a Pina Colada while waiting in the lounge area by O’Hana. We were seated at 6:20. The appetizers were rice, fried wontons, salad, green beans, and chicken wings. The skewers that came around were steak, turkey, shrimp, and pork. The dessert was pineapple with caramel sauce. We both had soda. The total with tax and tip was $60. We had to stop back at Vistana to pick up our Disney Passes to go to Pleasure Island. We just made it in time for the 8:20 comedy show. We also stayed for the 9:15 comedy show. The 8:20 show was funnier than the later one. We went into the 70’s club, Motion, and the Adventure club – saw the show in the mask room then the inauguration ceremony. We watched the New Year’s show outside then headed back to Vistana, did some laundry and started packing. Monday 5/17/04 Tuesday 5/18/04 FINAL THOUGHTS Noreen Chin Noreen.s.chin@citigroup.com Mail a Comment to Noreen Chin |
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