 |  |
| Discussion Boards | Reviews | News | Trip Planning | Shop | Travel | Site Map |
| Disney Trip Report Archive An archive of reader-submitted trip reports | |
| Alex Stroup, editor | Search just the Trip Report Archive. |
|
Stacey Zitto -- February/March 2004 -- Walt Disney World (Offsite)WHO:
WHERE: WHEN: WHY: HOW: Previous trips:
PROPOSED ITINERARY FOR UPCOMING TRIP Friday, February 27, 2004 Arrive in Orlando around 11:30 A.M. After retrieving or bags and rental car, go directly to the convention center to help John set up for the trade show. If he doesn’t have any business obligations for dinner, head over to Downtown Disney to start soaking in the whole Disney atmosphere. I might also meet up with an old friend from the pet industry, if she doesn’t have business obligations herself. I can’t wait to see the look in Annika’s eyes when she sees the World of Disney and all of the other great stuff at Downtown Disney. If John has to work, I won’t have transportation, but we’re staying very close to Universal City walk, so Annika and I will just go over there Saturday, February 28, 2004 Magic Kingdom- John will drop us of at TTC early before he has to work. Annika and I will tour the MK the whole day. We have priority seating for Crystal Palace for a late lunch. I love the Pooh characters, and I think Annika will love the characters in general. If she’s afraid of them when we get to the park, I’ll just cancel the PS. We’ll hang out at the park until John can get us, or until we’ve had enough, whichever comes later. Sunday, February 29, 2004 Epcot- Once again, John will drop us off in the morning and go to the trade show. This is the day that I think we’ll enjoy the most because Epcot is so open and full of atmosphere. Annika should have some time and space to toddle around. Hopefully the fountains will be working. I think she’ll like them. John will get us when he’s finished doing the tear down for the trade show. Monday, March 1, 2004 MGM (and maybe Animal Kingdom) - John will be working around the Orlando area, so once again he’ll drop us off at MGM. We’ll do as much of the age appropriate stuff there, and if we have time, head over the Animal Kingdom and see Festival of the Lion King. Annika loved it last year (she was only 10 weeks old, but mesmerized!) At 7:00 we’ll meet up with John at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at Boma. Tuesday, March 2, 2004 Accompany John to Tampa and spend the day relaxing in the hotel Wednesday, March 3, 2004 Back to Orlando and spend the day at MK and or Epcot to catch whatever we missed. Thursday, March 4, 2004 Fly home. (boo hoo) Change in plans for Tuesday John will go to Tampa, but we will stay at the QI in Orlando and have one extra park day. The Trip Friday, February 27, 2004 John and I woke up before our 4:45 alarm and were out of the house with the baby still in her P.J.s by 5:15. We were pleased because John’s boss had told John the day before that he didn’t have to work on Friday, so that day would be for us. Unfortunately, when we got to the airport we realized that John’s flight didn’t get in until1:00. (We flew different airlines because my going was a late decision and we had a free certificate for me that happened to be on another airline.) Well, no biggie, I would have time to buy my AP at the airport and take care of feeding and diapering the baby while we waited for John. John took all of the luggage so I wouldn’t have to look after it while we were at the airport. The flight was crowded but Annika was great. She fell asleep during take off and slept about an hour. When she woke up I put Baby Beethoven on the portable DVD player and that kept her happy until it was time to stow the player. Then just a short time until landing and she was great. One interesting note: As people filtered onto the plane I saw a couple from the town where we live. They have a daughter a couple of weeks older than Annika and we took an infant massage class and a swim class with them. They were going as a Valentines gift from him to her. (It’s a Small, Small World...)We took the monorail to the main terminal where Annika enjoyed herself watching the fountain (a theme that was to repeat itself throughout the trip) and running around with Mommy trailing after. We got a quick lunch a McDonalds and for the first time ever, I became the proud owner of a Walt Disney World Annual Pass! WAHOO! John’s flight was a little bit late but not much. We got our luggage with no problem, and walked down to Alamo to take care of the car rental. We picked out a car from the intermediate aisle and we were off. Only one wrong turn on the way to our hotel and check-in was uneventful. John is on the Atkins diet, so the cookies served on his flight were no good for him, so he was starved. We walked across the street to the Red Lobster and sat right next to the fish tank which kept Annika happy. We had talked about possibly going to a park, but it was COLD so we decided to skip that idea. John did a little bit of computer work and then we went over to Downtown Disney. We enjoyed the shops and took some pictures of Annika with the stuffed Mickeys, but, remarkably, we left without spending a nickel. Back to the hotel to put Annika to bed and watch my new favorite show, Joan of Arcadia. (Yes, I know it’s kind of sappy, but I really love it.) Saturday, February 28, 2004 I was so excited I woke up early (5:00) I got bored so I woke John up and we talked while the baby slept. When she woke up, we went for breakfast at the IHOP right next to the hotel. Then Annika and I caught the hotel shuttle (a car actually) to the TTC while John headed to the trade show. We picked up a college student and her mother on the way. They were DVC members and both very nice. At the TTC they asked to ride in the front of the monorail, so both Annika and I had this experience for the first time. We arrived at the MK, said good bye to our new friends, and I got my first biometric finger scan. I love the feeling of stepping through the turnstile at the Magic Kingdom for the first time of the trip. It’s like stepping back in time to my childhood, such good memories. As we strolled up Main Street we saw all of the characters in front of Cinderella Castle. We paused to watch for a few moments and then turned right around the castle and headed for Winnie the Pooh. A few minutes wait in stand-by and we were on our first ride of the trip. I don’t think Annika even blinked during the entire ride! She was mesmerized! We exited the ride and I realized that it was warm enough to take off my sweatshirt. I put Annika down to do so, and she saw the Dumbo ride. Her face lit up, she pointed at the ride yelling “DAT DAT” (that that) and started running (in her barely walking toddler way) toward the ride. About 5 steps and SPLAT down she fell and got her very first goose egg on her forehead. She cried and I hugged her for a few minutes and then she was fine. Our next stop was Mickey’s Philharmagic, the first time for both of us. About a 5 minute wait. I didn’t put the glasses on Annika because she is too young to understand that stuff isn’t really flying at her face. I LOVED it and she seemed to enjoy herself, dancing and clapping. Onto Peter Pan, it’s a favorite of mine. Only a 5 or 10 minute wait here too. I was a little nervous because it would have been very easy for a small child to fall out. I held on tight and we both enjoyed ourselves. Annika was once again very big eyed. It’s a Small World was also a big hit. Under 5 minute wait. I’ve always liked it myself, and Annika danced and pointed. Then we went on to the Haunted Mansion. It was the shortest wait I’ve had on this ride. Only a few minutes and we were in the stretch room. About halfway through the ride she fell asleep. I had her in the baby sling so I kept her there and we made our way over to Jungle Cruise. The stand-by wait was listed as 30 minutes, and I wanted Annika to sleep a bit anyway so I jumped in line. She did sleep for the duration of the queue and woke up as we sat down in our boat. She woke up with a big smile on her face and spent most of the cruise flirting with a young man sitting next to us. Our skipper was O.K., but I’ve had better. Annika liked the animals, especially the elephants and she really liked the waterfall. We disembarked and meandered over to Pirates of the Caribbean to see if we could make it on before our priority seating at Crystal Palace. The wait was listed at 30 minutes which wouldn’t have allowed enough time, so we made our way to the baby center for a diaper change and nursing. Out of the Baby Center and exactly on time for our PS. While we waited, Annika toddled back and forth on the porch and burnt off some energy. Our wait was probably less than 10 minutes and then we were on our way in to dine with Pooh and his friends. Our server, Jack, was excellent and very enthusiastic and the food was much better than I expected for a buffet. I especially liked the curries, and Annika was partial to the chicken fingers. Oh, and of course the ice cream was yummy. I really liked the hot apple crumble. When Annika spotted Pooh across the room she got very excited and pointed. When the characters came to our table she got very serious, studying them. When they touched her she seemed a little bit unsure, but not actually scared. Then Jack led the characters on a parade through the restaurant. This was a BIG hit with Annika. She clapped, danced and pointed. This kid LOVES noise and commotion. Bottom line with the characters was that she loved them from a distance but was less sure up close. We filled out our comment card with kudos to Jack, paid our bill and headed out. Next stop was Tomorrowland. I had never done Buzz Lightyear so we checked that out first but the standby wait was long and I knew I’d be back in a few days so we skipped and went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA) which, believe it or not was a first for me! I really enjoyed it, but Annika was a little squirmy. I thought about watching the parade, but Annika was in a mood that I didn’t think would be conducive to waiting for a parade, so I let her run around Ariel’s Grotto for a while and then we went over to Country Bear Jamboree and just missed getting in, so we got in line for Pirates of the Caribbean. While we were in the queue Annika fell asleep, and unfortunately she slept through the whole ride which is one of my all time favorites. She slept through it last year too! By then it was getting close to the time our hotel shuttle would be arriving so I took a leisurely stroll back down Main Street and exited the park. We took the monorail to the TTC and caught our shuttle back to the hotel where I accidentally tipped the driver $50 instead of $5 (a long story which I don’t care to rehash… :-( We were going to get in the pool while we waited for John to return from the trade show, but I checked and the water was too cold, so I ran a bath and Annika and I freshened up for dinner. As it turned out, John’s boss had invited us to join them at Charlie’s Steakhouse for dinner at 8:15, late for the baby, but I’d just bail out if she melted down. We met John’s boss Mark, co-worker Richard and Richard’s wife at the bar in Charlie’s and had just a short wait for our table. The table was cramped and we had TWO drink spills due to the close quarters (Annika didn’t cause either of them!) I had never met Mark before so we chatted (he was recently married, so we talked about that.) Mark helped me amuse Annika as he got stuck in the baby hot seat. After a short time, she got very cranky and I nursed her and she fell right asleep. Annika slept through the whole meal which allowed me to relax, but I had to eat left handed as I was supporting her in my lap with my right arm! We all shared a wonderful seafood appetizer of crab legs, shrimp, scallops and calamari. I had a tuna sashimi appetizer ( chopsticks with left hand) as my entrée and everyone else had steaks. We were all way too full for dessert and we all had big days ahead of us so we said our goodbyes and headed for our respective hotels. Sunday, February 29, 2004 We were up before our wake up call again and headed to Denny’s for breakfast this time. Instead of taking the shuttle John was going to drop me off at Epcot and I would either take the shuttle back, or he would pick me up. We had no problem getting to Epcot and arrived about 20 minutes before opening. We had a short wait at security and then they let us just past the turnstiles where we browsed the Leave A Legacy Tiles while waiting for rope drop. At rope drop, everyone raced for Test Track and Mission: Space so we jumped on Spaceship Earth with no wait at all. Annika was all eyes on this ride, as with most of the dark rides, and exhibited no fear whatsoever. We got off and exited to retrieve our stroller and then headed through Innoventions East where we sent a Video D-Mail (which was never received!) to my mother. When we got through Innoventions I let Annika run around near the fountain, but not in it because it was still a bit cool. After she expended some energy, we went to learn all about energy from Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy. I worried that the “Big Bang” and the dinosaurs might upset Annika, but true to form, she was fun and seemed to enjoy it and soak it all in. We then walked over to the baby center for a diaper change. After that we headed back toward Ice Station Cool at the Coca-Cola exhibit. I just had to try Beverly! We walked through and what do you know? THIS was the only thing the whole trip that scared my daughter! Not scared of rides, shows, characters, but she was afraid of the Coca-Cola Exhibit! (The cold dripping ice/snow) I sampled each of the international soft drinks and other than Beverly (YUCK) I liked each of them. We exited and headed over to the Living Seas. Annika loves “shishies” so I figured this would be her favorite. When we got there the “Coral” character and robot Nemo were out front. Wow did she love this Very Big shishy! I let her run around and check him out, got some very cute photos, and then unloaded the stroller to enter LS. While we waited in the queue, Annika fell asleep again! I was going to watch the film, but she started to cry when I sat down with her in the sling, so I headed right over to the hydrolators and went to see the exhibits myself. I explored more deeply than I had during other stays as I had never before seen either the dolphins or the manatees. I watched a manatee sleeping on the bottom of the tank, and talked to one of the CM docents for a bit and then headed out of LS. By this time I was hungry so I transferred Annika into the stroller and headed into World Showcase. I walked through Canada and into the United Kingdom where I got Fish and Chips from the Yorkshire County Fish Shop. The patio behind the Rose and Crown had no empty tables so I asked a couple if I could join them and they said “sure.” They were a nice couple from Houston and we chatted until they finished and moved on. Annika was still asleep, so I took my time and enjoyed the rest. Two young men (high school /college age) were looking for a table so I told them I’d be leaving soon and to have a seat. I ended up chatting with them a while. They were from PA as well and at WDW for a school choir program. Both were seniors and we talked about college, etc. A nice aspect of touring with only a baby is that I could take the time to meet CMs and guests without disrupting anyone else’s plans. Annika woke up while we were talking and I shared some fish (not interested) and chips (thumbs up) with her. I enjoyed the fish and chips very much. One of the boys noted how many of the foreign nationals he had seen eating at the pavilions of their own countries (Americans did this as well) instead of trying something new. Annika was getting squirmy so I excused myself and we moved on. We walked toward France and I noticed one of the patios overlooking the lake was completely empty, so we went down there and I let Annika out of the stroller to run around and burn of some post nap energy. She did so for about ½ an hour and picked up every piece of trash she could find along the way (Disney should put her on the payroll!) It was getting a little bit cold and overcast so I put her back in the stroller and headed closer to buildings in case it rained. As we walked past France I thought about having a crepe but decided against it since I wanted to try the won ton strips in China for dessert. As we approached Morocco it started drizzling, so we ducked into one of the shops. We meandered through and ended up in one of the courtyards just as Genie was emerging for a photo op. We didn’t partake, but Annika did get a close look at Genie, and like the day before was interested but not thrilled to be touched. I ducked into the bathroom for a potty break and diaper change. By the time we came we came out, the drizzle had passed and the sun was back out. We walked over to the store in Japan and had a good time looking at ALL of the STUFF in there! Wow. I almost bought a sushi book, but I already have two, and rarely actually make sushi, so I passed. I did buy Annika a little drum toy thing and attached it to the stroller so she could play with it. We went out and watched the “shishies” in the koi pond for a while. While were there a large family was taking family pictures so I volunteered to get all of them in a photo. They thanked me and then got one of Annika and I together. I sat and chatted with on of the women who, as it turned out was a FL resident and there with a few of her children. As it turned out, I bumped into this family 4 or five times while at Epcot that day. Out of Japan and on around the lake. I let Annika down for some run-around time in front of the American Pavilion while I listened to a high school orchestra. Then I really wanted to try the cinnamon wonton strips in China, so that’s where we headed. We bought them and looked around the shops a bit. We didn’t stop in Germany, but did walk around the Italy courtyard a bit. It was time for Maelstrom! We had a short wait, but nothing major. Annika was fine and didn’t even seem to notice the drop. She really liked “beeping” the noses of the trolls in the shop, which a CM told me was good luck. With a name like Annika, perhaps it was just instinctive.<g> Then we went over to Mexico. As seems to be usual these days, we walked right onto El Rio Del Tiempo. Annika was due to have some “Mommy Milk” so I took advantage of the dark, cool, smooth ride to oblige her. She fell asleep about halfway through, so I asked if I could stay on for another go-around to make sure she was well asleep before moving her. There was no line, so it was no problem. We exited the ride and I browsed the shops, and then transferred her to the stroller and walked toward Journey into Your Imagination. She slept a bit while I sat by the water and spoke to a couple from New England and my friend from the Japan Pavilion and when she woke up we had fun playing in the leaping fountains. She especially liked sitting with the other little kids in the round red area of small hopping fountains. After 45 minutes or so of this we moseyed on into the JIYI ride. I think the ride is cute and wonder why it is SO abused on the boards! Annika was interested and clapped at several points. I decided not to attempt Honey I Shrunk the Audience due to its intensity. Next we went over to The Land. The queue for Living with the Land was long and I wasn’t sure if we’d be around for the FastPass return, so we just went in and saw The Circle of Life movie with our Japan Pavilion friend again. This movie is one of my favorites and Annika loved the animation and the music. Afterwards we played around the fountain a bit and spoke to very nice older CM from PA. I thought about trying LS again, but I was really kind of winding down, so we went into Innoventions West. I just let Annika toddle and I followed her around. We ended up at the tail end of a demonstration of the robot dog. He was so cool, and he kept confusing Annika’s bright orange shorts with his bright pink ball. I think one of these dogs will be my next pet. No food, no clean-up! (This plan solidified upon returning home to find that my cats had “forgotten” how to use the litter box!) After Innoventions we spent some time around the Fountain of Nations talking to one of the Segway CMs that was originally from Hershey, PA, not far from my home and used to work in operations for Hershey Park. He was very nice and spent quite a lot of time with us. I was getting kind of hungry so we went into the Electrical Umbrella for a burger and fries, and then headed over to the baby center to relax and eat it. About that time I realized that my phone battery was running low and it was my only way to get in touch with John to pick us up. I called him and he was still waiting for the shipping crates to send his trade show booth back to the office and didn’t know how long it would take. I would have stuck it out and stayed for Illuminations, but I was afraid that my phone would die and I wouldn’t be able to reach John (who had also forgotten to recharge and was low on juice) so he said he’d head on over to pick us up and would then drop us at the hotel and go back to finish up at the convention center. (He was by himself because his boss had come down with bad stomach flu overnight.) I felt bad that he would have to do that, but I didn’t see any other choice. Because it would take him some time to get to his car and make it to Epcot, we took our time and walked out toward the passenger drop off area. While there I finally got to eat my (now cold) burger and fries, which Annika happily shared with me. John picked us up and to his credit was not even bothered by the whole situation. He dropped us off and went to finish his work and get some dinner. Annika and I got a bath and got into bed. She fell asleep quickly and I watched the beginning of the Academy Awards. I hoped to be up when John got back, but I quickly fell asleep and he didn’t get back to the room until12:30. Monday, March 1, 2004 We got going a little late because of John’s late night, but were checked out and on our way to our Quality Inn before 8:00. Unfortunately they weren’t able to check us in early, so John just drove Annika and me over to The Studios with the plan to meet up at Boma for our 7:00 PS. while he headed toward the east cost to call on retail pet shops. We arrived shortly after opening and walked slowly toward the Hat, taking in atmosphere. I stopped to take a photo for a large family and just kept on walking. The Playhouse Disney Show wasn’t starting for a little while so we went on the Great Movie Ride. It was essentially a walk-on and Annika was asleep before we started moving. They were only running the gangster side, so that’s where we were. I was afraid that the gunplay would wake my darling daughter, but nope, when she sleeps, she sleeps! It seemed a bit silly to go to Playhouse Disney with a sleeping baby, so we skipped the first show and wandered down past Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-Play It! And stopped to have Annika’s (still asleep in the stroller) picture taken with Minnie Mouse. I also found a small stuffed Mickey holding a beach ball that I purchased. Annika’s favorite toy at home is a beach ball since she definitely recognizes Mickey I thought she’d like it. GREAT PLAN... She LOVED it! It’s the first toy that she’s really hugged. I attached it to the wrist-to-wrist strap that I had purchased to use for Annika and had not used at all and hung the other end around the stroller handle so I wouldn’t spend the day picking Mickey up off of the pavement. We walked past the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, the New York street scene, Muppet Vision 4-D. Star Tours, etc and she was still asleep, so I figured I’d check out what R&R coaster looked like as it had not been here on my prior visits. For some reason I didn’t realize that it was an indoor coaster. I sat down on a half wall outside of Tower of Terror to just rest for the remainder of her nap. I ended up striking up a conversation with a woman from Virginia. She was waiting for her husband to ride TOT. While we talked, Annika slowly woke up. I let her out of the stroller to run around a bit while I continued my conversation. Her husband finally emerged and they headed out and so did we. It was getting close to time for the next showing of Playhouse Disney. What a hit this show is for the little ones. I have to admit that, being a big Bear in the Big Blue House fan myself, I rather enjoyed it. Annika smiled, laughed, clapped and danced. She tried to catch the bubbles as they fell from the ceiling. There was a man in front of us that was watching her and smiling at her, even though he had an almost-as-cute-as-Annika daughter himself. Annika was going up to all of the people near us with no fear. She was so darned cute! When we came out I decided to finally buy her the first pin for her “collection.” Because she loves Bear at home and loved the Playhouse Disney show, I decided on a pin that has Bear and the whole Big Blue House gang on it. At that point it was time for Annika to run around, so we went to the HISTK playground. What fun that place is! Annika is too little for much of what’s in there, but she ran around, climbed steps, went down the roll-of-film slide on my lap and just laughed at the leaky water hose. She also liked the sniffing doggie. We stayed in until it started to get kind of crowded, and then headed out. I was going to take her into Muppet Vision 4-D, but decided against it as she was still kind of squirmy. We had a lunch of Burger and fries at the Backlot Express, and then worked our way over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. This show is getting very old and barely held MY attention, much less Annika’s. Afterwards, we shared a chocolate covered frozen banana. This was a great discovery for me because I can’t get Annika to eat fruit of any kind (except black olives) and she LOVED the frozen banana, even without the chocolate on it. Since I’ve been home I’ve made my own, and she continues to love them. Annika was too squirmy to really do more sit-down shows, so we went to another showing of Playhouse Disney. Then we killed some time at the pin shop under the Hat (which I don’t seem to hate as much as everyone else does) where I bought the first pin for MY pin collection, a Mickey Mouse AP exclusive pin. Soon people were lining up for the parade, so we staked out a spot on the curb. Of course, a balloon vendor stood right in front of us, and Annika is over the moon in love with balloons. She kept pointing and trying to run over to the balloon guy, so I finally broke down and bought her one. She didn’t want to sit still, so I put her in the sling and stood in our spot until the parade started. Once it did, she was happy to sit and watch (except that she wanted to play in the coke spilled by the pre-teen girl beside us.) She liked the music and sights of the parade, and so did I. Following the parade we shopped and meandered and had our picture taken with the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. We then went to catch a bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to meet up with John for our PS at Boma. We were running about an hour early, but I figured we’d just explore and if John also got there early we’d see if they could get us in before our PS time. We waited a few minutes for a bus and were the only passengers with a very friendly CM who had been with WDW since college, 17 years. The lodge is very impressive and I would love to stay here. John arrived just a few minutes after we did so the three of us all headed out to see the animals. There weren’t a lot out and about, but we were able to get a sense of the atmosphere of the savannah. Then we went in to see if they could seat us early. As we stood waiting we noticed a very foul odor. Someone had either vomited or had diarrhea and dripped it all over the waiting area. It was SO NASTY that we decided to leave and get something to bring back to our room. I was sorry to miss Boma, but after that smell, I just couldn’t bring myself to eat there; maybe my next trip. We checked into the Quality Inn, which turned out to be a dump, so I changed my reservation for the next night to the Comfort Suites across the street. Because I was using reward points to pay for the room, they were able to make the change even though it was well past the 48 hour cancellation deadline. John would be in Tampa the next night while I stayed at the Comfort. Unfortunately we were not able to change the third night at the QS which was a separate reservation not using points and it was too late to cancel. Oh well, at least one less night there. I picked up some sushi and edemame at a nearby sushi restaurant and John picked up some Atkins friendly grub at the supermarket, and we returned to the room to eat. Annika loves edemame and sushi rice so she enjoyed it. I called the Comfort Suites to see if they could get us in early the next morning. The very nice receptionist said she would try to hold a room for us to check in early the next morning. Tuesday, March 2, 2004 We checked out of the Quality Inn and drove across the street to the Comfort Suites. True to her word, the receptionist had set aside a room for us and we were able to get into the room at about 8:15. It was a handicapped accessible room, but that was fine (or not…more on that later.) John carried our bags into the room, drove us over to the Animal Kingdom, and headed off to Tampa until the next day. They were letting people into the Oasis when we walked up and we took our time, talking to the CMs who were showing of the various creepy crawlies. Then we took the path to the left and headed toward the Tree of Life. We got to the rope as it was being dropped and headed over to Camp Minnie Mickey to wait for the first showing of Festival of the Lion King. On my only other trip to the Animal Kingdom I had seen this show and thought it was fabulous. Annika, only 10 weeks old at the time, also loved it. This show was the primary reason for my return visit to the AK. We had about ½ hour to wait so I just let Annika run around an Empty Camp Minnie Mickey. Soon we were allowed into the show, which has been put under cover since our last trip. We were seated in Elephant and we waited to see if we still enjoyed this show as much. We were not disappointed. The show is magnificent! I think it is my favorite thing in all of Walt Disney World. Annika danced and clapped and pointed. I just can’t express how much I enjoy this show. When we were done we headed over to Pocahontas and watched the show. I had never seen it before, and I was very under whelmed. The show was cute, but it is so low keyed that if you sat in the rear (which we did) you couldn’t see a thing. The theatre should have had stadium seating. Annika was close to falling asleep, so I put her in the stroller and headed over to Asia and walked on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. I love the bats and watched them for a while. The Tigers were up and about, and I spoke to a CM who was there on the college program. Annika was still asleep, so we went on over to Dino Land. I had never seen this part of the park before. I was hoping to see Tarzan Rocks, but Annika was still sleeping, so I took the opportunity to pick up a meal deal at the Flame Tree Bar-B-Que, pulled pork, and sit on the patio to enjoy a relaxed lunch. I walked back toward Dino Land and watched Primeval Whirl. At some point Annika woke up and I let her toddle around the Cretaceous Trail. At some point, I’m not sure when, I spoke to a very nice CM and was asking her about the pin trading phenomenon. We walked around a bit and I picked up my bottled water and frozen banana, which Annika and I shared. For some reason, AK feels very crowded and hot to me, more so than the other parks, and I had just about had enough, so we walked out and caught the next bus to Epcot. I really wanted Annika to be able to just have fun playing in the interactive fountains. I walked through Innoventions East to go to the fountain. When we got there, the fountain had been boarded up for our “future enjoyment.” I was so disappointed, but what could I do? We walked over to The Land and rode Living with the Land. Annika didn’t mind it, but didn’t seem terribly interested either. From there, we walked to the hopping fountains at JIYI that Annika had enjoyed so much a few days earlier. Then we walked toward Canada and through the World Showcase. We didn’t really stop, just wandered, until we got all the way around to Mexico. By then I was ready for some dinner, so I stopped at the Cantina San Angel and had the combination plate and lemonade. The food was pretty good, and the price was very reasonable. Annika laughed when the black birds came up to us and took food right out of my hand. After I finished eating we headed back toward Future World and walking over the bridge I noticed the OTHER interactive fountains. I can’t believe that I had forgotten about them. I stripped Annika down to her diaper and let her run around in the fountain. There were a few bigger kids, and Annika LOVES big kids. She had a blast! She would bend down to touch the low fountains and would run away, squealing with delight, every time the water got higher. It was so cute I could have died! I let her play until it started to cool down as it got later. I got her dressed and we walked around a few shops and watched the Fountain of Nations do its dance several times. I just love watching water dance to music. I let Annika toddle around and she discovered the colorful fiber optics in the ground outside of Innoventions West. I had never seen them and they were a big surprise to me. I really thought they were great. Annika sat down on the ground and tried to pick them up. Soon it was time to pick up my hotel shuttle back to the Comfort Suites. I went to the parking lot where the buses come and waited, and waited. I was early and the bus was late. Oh well, not terribly so and we made it on even though it was quite crowded. A woman pulled her daughter onto her lap to make room for Annika and I to sit down. It turns out she was from Montreal, where my parents are from originally, and her daughter didn’t speak any English. The daughter loved Annika though and kept her occupied while we drove from hotel to hotel until we reached ours. They were staying at the same hotel as us with the woman’s boy friend and his 3 sons. It was a beautiful night and the pool was very warm, so I thought we’d take a quick dip in the pool to rinse of the heat of the day. We did and when we returned to the room I got Annika’s wet bathing suit off and jumped into a quick shower. Unfortunately I forgot that with the handicapped room and no tub the water would get all over the bathroom floor. Annika came toddling in and promptly slipped and landed on her back, hitting her head with a thud loud enough to make the blood of any mother run cold. We were both naked and soaking wet. I scooped her up and tried to comfort her as best as I could while I got her dry and diapered which I eventually did. I nursed her as quickly as I could and got ice on her head. She nursed and cried and then fell asleep. Of course I panicked as soon as she fell asleep, worrying that she had a concussion. Never mind that it was 2 hours past her regular bed time, I assumed the worst. So, after phone calls to my mother, husband, best friend and a local immediate care facility (they all told me to wake her up a couple of times and that she was probably fine) I paged my pediatrician from home. He called me back in less than 2 minutes and reassured me that a fall from no more than ones own height is rarely serious, and telling me what to look for I finally felt better. I stayed awake 2 more hours and roused her and then went to sleep myself. At about 3:00 I did the same thing and she roused easily. By the time we woke up in the morning she was her smiling, happy self. I had a bit of a post-adrenalin-rush headache, but otherwise we were fine. Wednesday, March 3, 2004 If Annika hadn’t been well we would have stayed away from the parks, but since she seemed fine, we went to the hotel’s free breakfast and were the first in line for the shuttle bus. The family from Montreal was the second in line. The little girl asked her mother if she could sit next to Annika…so cute. We were dropped off at Epcot where I hopped a monorail to MK. My goals here were Buzz Lightyear, Toontown Fair and Country Bear Jamboree. Then I would head back to Epcot for my last Disney segment of this trip. This plan went off without a hitch. We went right over to Tomorrowland but didn’t get right on Buzz, as Annika had fallen asleep in the stroller while on the monorail. She soon woke up and we rode with less than a minute wait. Well…I hope no one counts on ME to save the universe. I hit a few 100 point targets and thought I would end up with 400 points and then I hit a 10,000 pointer. My score was stinky, but it was fun. In my defense, I did have a baby sitting on my lap! Toontown wasn’t open yet, so I got a muffin and let Annika run around Ariel’s Grotto for a bit. We got to Toontown for the rope drop and went directly for an audience with the Big Cheese himself. Our wait wasn’t too long, and I had the CM take our picture with our camera since Annika wasn’t quite willing to have me leave her alone with Mickey while I took a photo. Then we went to the little toddler playground just outside of Mickey’s house. This was also a huge hit. All of the little kids were so cute and Annika had a ball playing with them and climbing around. She kept sitting down on one of the little duckies. After about an hour of this, we went over to Country Bear Jamboree. We had just a short wait and we were in the theatre. I have always loved this production, but I sadly have to agree with many others that it is in need of a rehab/update. Annika liked it and bounced to the music. When we walked outside, there were some cowboys doing the Hokey Pokey with the crowd, so we joined in. That was fun. Annika loves it when I hold her and dance. Having accomplished my MK goals, it was time to head over Epcot, my favorite park. We took the monorail to the TTC and grabbed an Epcot monorail. I just have to say that I LOVE the entrance music at Epcot. It really makes me feel as if I’m walking into someplace very special. I really enjoy Ellen’s Energy Adventure, so we headed over there to take a trip into the past one more time. Then we went straight to the interactive fountains, pausing to watch the Fountain of Nations do its thing. I let Annika splash and have fun for a good long time. She was so cute in her naked-except-for-a-diaper little toddler body that she was actually drawing a crowd. People kept stopping and pointing, commenting on how cute she was (see, I’m not biased, she really IS the cutest baby in the whole world!) I was getting pretty hungry by this time and I wanted fish and chips one more time, so we went over to the Yorkshire Fish Shoppe and I got my lunch. While we were finishing up, the British Invasion started playing an afternoon set, so we walked over to watch. One couple in the audience stood up and danced which got them a lot of applause. I love the Beatles, so I always enjoy watching this show. We went in a few shops in Future World and then John called to say that he was close and would come pick us up. So, we took our time and walked over to the passenger pick-up area, stopping on the way out to get my hand stamped (I will be returning!). John drove us back to the yucky Quality Inn and the room they put us in was NASTY. It smelled like cat urine. Yuck! Luckily they had another room to move us to. We decided we would try one of the lobster buffets on I192. What a joke. We waited about ½ hour to be seated and then when I went to see the buffet it was about a 20 minute wait to get food. Forget that! We got up and left. John ended up getting food at Carrabbas across the street, and we ate in the room. We had to get up very early for our flight, so we went to sleep. Thursday, March 4, 2004 Nothing really notable happened today. Our flight was on time, Annika slept pretty much the whole trip. We got a tram to the car park almost immediately, and we had an easy ride home. Of course my mind was already working on my next trip… Some Final Thoughts While traveling alone with a baby has its downsides (no thrill rides) overall it was very enjoyable. I was able to do what I wanted, when I wanted (around they baby’s schedule, of course) and I was free to strike up conversations with CMs and guests. If John loved Disney like I do, it would have been nice to have him along, but one of the great things about our relationship is that we give each other the freedom to enjoy our own interests. Other than Annika’s two head injuries, and the awful smell at Boma, oh…and the accidental $50 tip, I’d say that this was a nearly perfect trip. I DID stop and smell the roses and had a very relaxing trip. My plan was to return again in October (or with John if he had to work in Orlando again before then,) but after being home only a week, I couldn’t stand it and booked a flight for the first week of May. A whole week this time! Until then…have a magical day! Please e-mail comments to (This was my first attempt, so any input on possible improvement will be appreciated. If you thought it was perfect and could not possibly have been better, you can tell me that as well! ;-) Stacey Zitto staceyrbz@aol.com Mail a Comment to Stacey Zitto |
|