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Noreen Chin -- May 2005 - Walt Disney World (WL)

WHO ARE WE?

Noreen - 37 years old; First Vice President at an Investment Banking Firm in New York City. I will be the author of the report.

Paul (my husband) - 37 years old; Small business owner. Paul won’t be able to join me on this trip.

Phil – my brother in law (Paul’s brother) – 40 years old

Peter – Phil’s partner – 55 years old

PLANNING

Paul bought a small business in March and has been working 7 days a week so will not be able to join us for this trip.

Paul and I were in Disney World in January 2005. We knew Paul probably wouldn’t get a chance to take many other vacations this year, but there are several friends/family members that have all expressed an interest in going to Disney so I’ll be traveling with them this year. I have my annual pass all ready to go.

I will try to note the prices I paid for things throughout the trip but won’t be compulsive about it.

Peter loves Disney World. Phil can take it or leave it. We’ve spoken a couple of times about going but they were pretty non-committal. At one point they said they didn’t want to go and were planning to go to Europe instead.

I planned another trip for late May (5/21-5/27 at Wilderness Lodge) with my friend Kim not knowing what would happen with Phil and Peter. Kim and her husband were planning to stay at Pop Century, but I wanted to stay at Wilderness Lodge so booked that. We don’t have to be at the same hotel. We ended up changing and are all going to stay at Coronado Springs, but those details are in the trip report for that trip.

When Phil, Peter, and Paula (Paula is another friend of ours who won’t be joining our Disney trip) were at my house on Saturday 3/12/05 they decided they wanted to go to Disney after all. I think it was more Peter who wanted to go and convinced Phil to go.

Lodging

On 3/9/05 I received an email with annual passholder rates for value resorts at $74; moderate resorts at $109; and to call for others. I can book up to 4 rooms at a time with the annual pass.

I called Disney and booked rooms for all of us (one room for me and one room for Phil & Peter).

Phil and Peter at the Wilderness Lodge – Woods View from 4/30 – 5/5. I was able to leave the deposit of $183.98 on Peter’s credit card and he will receive his own confirmation in the mail. I just need to be there to check them in. This was $165 + tax a night. Their grand total is $920. Phil wanted to book a concierge room but Peter and I talked him out of it. He liked the idea of the concierge lounge.

I booked my room at the Polynesian from 4/30 – 5/5 in a Garden View Room for $254 + tax a night for a grand total of $1416. I left a deposit of $283.21.

Now that Phil and Peter want to go to Disney and I’m going twice in a month, I may change my hotel. I like to try different ones. Since I’m booked at the Wilderness Lodge for my trip with Kim, Phil said why not stay at Wilderness Lodge when I go with him and Peter and pick a different hotel for my trip with Kim.

On 3/13/05 I changed my reservation for this trip to the Wilderness Lodge – Woods View for $165 + tax a night so we will all be at the same hotel (me, Phil, and Peter). My new total is $920 and my original deposit of $283.21 is being applied.

Car Rental

On 3/12/05 when I booked the hotel for Phil and Peter, Phil booked a rental car online with National for about $160. The 3 of us can share the car rental so I will just give Phil my 1/3 of the cost.

I was looking at mousesavers.com and found some discount codes for car rental. I booked a car for Phil on 3/15/05 online with National. A Fullsize with unlimited mileage for $118.98. My third of the cost just got cheaper.

Flight

On 3/14/05 I booked my flight online. Although I live in New Jersey and would prefer to fly out of Newark I was able to save over $100 on the flight by using Jet Blue out of JFK. Also, this way I’m on the same flight as Phil and Peter. On Saturday 4/30/05 it’s flight # 41 leaving from JFK Airport at 9:05 am landing in Orlando at 11:50 am. Coming home Thursday 5/5/05 on it’s flight #122 leaving Orlando at 9:30pm and landing at JFK Airport at 11:59 pm.

I’m not sure if I’m going to do long term parking at JFK or just take car service. After looking at Internet Directions to JFK from my house, I realized that Newark airport is 43 miles from my house, JFK is 48 miles from my house (only 5 more miles) so there really isn’t that much of a difference in how far the different airports are.

Food

This will be a challenge this trip as I became a vegetarian in November 2004 and am still figuring out what I like to eat without meat, chicken, or fish in my diet. When Paul and I were in Disney in January I had difficulty finding things to eat. Phil and Peter love to eat so it will be interesting.

On 3/18/05 I made a priority seating for Monday 5/2/05 at the California Grill at 8:20. Wishes will show at 9pm so we will be able to see it from the restaurant. The reservation is for 4 people just in case Paula (another friend) decides to join us in Disney after all.

On 3/30/05 I made a priority seating for Sunday 5/1/05 at the Brown Derby at 5:40pm.

Admission Media

I have an annual pass so no new admission media is needed for Disney. Phil and Peter will buy their passes when we arrive – most likely Hopper passes or Hopper Plus passes.

General Planning

DAY BY DAY

The week before our trip

I was busy at work tying up loose ends so things will run smoothly while I’m away. Paul has a catering job on Saturday and it won’t fit in his car (he has a BMW). Normally, not a big deal, he can use mine for the day (I have a Jeep Liberty). However, since I’m leaving for the airport Saturday morning, we would have to switch cars for the week. He doesn’t want to use my car all week since he thinks it’s a “girly” car. So I’m going to take car service to the airport and Paul will pick me up when I come home.

The day before our trip – Friday 4/29/05

I worked late which is pretty normal for me the day before I go on vacation. I also called Bergen Limo to arrange my car to the airport for tomorrow morning. It’s $79 plus tolls and tip.

Saturday 4/30/05

6:30am Bergen Limo came. I was expecting a normal towncar, but was picked up in a white limousine.

Paul and Kiki walked me out of the house and over to the car and I’m sure the driver had a moment of panic when he thought Kiki (an Akita) was getting in the car for the ride too. I told him they are just saying goodbye to me.

It was a quick ride to JFK – over the Triboro Bridge which is a different route than the directions I found on the Internet. I paid attention to the route we took in case I’m driving myself in a few weeks for the next trip. This was pretty easy since as soon as we crossed the Triboro you saw signs for NY airports so you just needed to follow them.

We arrived at JFK at 7:20am. With tolls and tip my total was $105. I was surprised at how quickly we got there.

I checked my suitcase at the counter. The Jet Blue agent offered to put me on the earlier flight, but I had to decline since I’m meeting Phil and Peter at the airport.

Phil and Peter showed up at the airport about 8:15am. Poor Phil has a cold and doesn’t feel well. They brought me a bagel from Brooklyn.

We boarded the flight at 8:35am. I’m in row 21; they are in row 10 or 11. I ate my bagel on the flight. I sat with a nice couple and chatted with the guy much of the flight

We landed in Orlando at 11:45am. They opened the rear door of the plane for us to exit as well as the front. I went against traffic to get to the front to meet up with Phil and Peter. It’s slow going with Phil and Peter. They stop very often and move slowly with many bathroom stops. We get our luggage and get in line at National car rental (waited a bit here). We finally get the car and are on our way. It was a Silver Chevy Monte Carlo I think.

We stop at Publix to get a few grocery items for the week. I was surprised when Phil and Peter wanted their own shopping cart for groceries. I bought a 24 pack of bottled water. I was going to get the 12 pack, but the 24 pack was only $1.50 more. I also bought 12 oz soda bottles, granola bars, donut holes, pineapple, and 2 disposable cameras. Phil and Peter bought similar items and then some more snacks as well as medicine for Phil.

We drove to the Wilderness Lodge. I gave directions from the back seat the whole time we’re driving. Phil still ended up missing the entrance after the Magic Kingdom parking booths – he needed to go right and didn’t. We went in a big circle.

We arrived at the Wilderness Lodge at about 2:20pm. Phil stayed in the car while Peter and I go to check in. Unfortunately, our rooms aren’t ready yet. We wandered around the lobby for a bit.

At 2:45 I called to see if the rooms are ready and Phil and Peter’s room is ready (room 6132) although mine isn’t yet. We gave the bell guy all the luggage and groceries and had them all sent up to Phil and Peter’s room. Surprisingly there isn’t a refrigerator in the room when I’ve read that all the Deluxe and moderate resorts have them. We had one in our room in Port Orleans (a moderate) in January. So we called for one. There was a small square dorm style one in the hallway that the cast member removing it said they can just take that one if they want. So they put it on top of their little table instead of under the sink where it should go. Phil didn’t want to have to bend down.

At 3:20 my room was ready (room 6130) so I go next door. I also don’t have a refrigerator so call to have one sent up and do a little unpacking.

At 4pm I still did not have my refrigerator, but they said they would deliver it so Peter and I plan to go to the Magic Kingdom. Phil isn’t feeling well and wants to stay in the room and try to get better.

We stop at the front desk and Peter buys hopper plus passes for him and Phil. They are coded into their room keys.

We took the Disney Boat to MK. It went the scenic route and stopped at Fort Wilderness and the Contemporary before heading to the Magic Kingdom.

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 4:40pm. This is going to sound corny, but It’s magical walking up Main Street. That first walk of the vacation always puts you in the right frame of mind for a Disney trip. The 4:35 showing of Cinderellabration was already underway, but near the end. We saw a few minutes of it but since we missed most of it wanted to see it in its entirety so we headed off.

At 5pm we headed over to Big Thunder Mountain. There was a 30-minute standby wait or a 5:30 Fast Pass return time. We got the fast pass and headed over to Splash Mountain which had a 45 minute standby wait. Luckily a man walked by and gave us 1 fast pass good for right now. Peter went on. I don’t like rides that get you wet while you are dressed. I called Paul while waiting.

At 5:30pm we used our Fast Pass for Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road. The CM gave us a stack of fast passes so we rode again when we got off.

The Haunted Mansion had a 30-minute wait so we headed into Fantasyland. Small World only had a 10-minute wait so we went on. This is the new improved version. At first I thought they just cleaned up the dolls but as we were continuing the ride we realized how nice it is.

We went to Mickey’s Philharmagic next. I really like this show – it’s probably my favorite 3D show at Disney. Peter really enjoyed it too.

Next we went on Peter Pan which we both enjoyed.

The park was closing at 7pm and we just made it onto Winnie the Pooh. The chain was already up indicating the ride was closed, but the nice cast member let Peter and I in.

We stopped at City Hall on Main Street to ask about Fantasmic Dining for tomorrow at the Brown Derby. The only time available was 4:10pm so we took it. Peter had to use his credit card to hold it and we would be charged a fee if we didn’t show. That’s surprising but OK.

Peter was in the mood for a hamburger so I suggested Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club. We called Phil to see if he was hungry and to tell him to meet us over there.

Peter and I took the bus to the Yacht/Beach Club around 7:30. I showed him around the Beach Club. We put our name in at Beaches and Cream and got a beeper and were told it would be a 20-minute wait. We figured Phil would be there by then. We wandered over to the gift shop and within 5 minutes the beeper was going off. We headed back and still no Phil. We told them one member of our party is lost so they said to let them know when he arrives and they’ll seat us then.

Phil arrived about 8:30 and we were seated. Phil wasn’t happy about how far he had to walk from the parking lot to the hotel. I had the Veggie Burger with fries and a sprite. The veggie burger was very good here. Sometimes they taste like cardboard but this one was very tasty. Peter had the cheese-steak with fruit, a coke, and a cherry lime ricky. Phil had a Bacon double cheeseburger with fruit and tea. We even ordered dessert – nothing too fancy though. I had 1 scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Peter had the strawberry shortcake. Phil had 1 scoop of strawberry yogurt. Phil paid for dinner so I don’t know how much the bill was.

We drove back to the Wilderness Lodge. The refrigerator was in my room now so I put my soda/water into it. It was under the sink so it’s out of the way and doesn’t take up any extra space in the room.

I called Paul to say Hi.

I’m surprised that Phil wanted to go to Disney World. He enjoys going places like Atlantic City where you can gamble and you pretty much are sitting most of the time. He’s a big guy (about 300 pounds) and doesn’t enjoy walking or hot weather.

Sunday 5/1/05

I called Paul to wake him at 6:10am. On the weekends, he doesn’t open until 7 so he gets to sleep a little later. During the week he opens at 6am. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I just got ready for the day. I read my book for a while to pass the time waiting for Phil and Peter.

I spoke to Peter at 8:30am. He was almost ready. Phil still isn’t feeling good so is planning to stay at the hotel to rest while Peter and I run around. He’ll meet us at the Brown Derby later this afternoon. Phil broke his TV remote control by dropping it in a glass of water so I gave them mine and took theirs. I called the front desk to tell them the remote wasn’t working and they said they would get me a new one.

Peter and I headed out around 9. We took the Disney bus to Animal Kingdom. The bus stopped at the Grand Floridian and Blizzard Beach before going to Animal Kingdom. It’s convenient not to have to drive, but you need to have patience with the buses.

Before the entrance to the park there were various characters there for pictures/autographs. We got in the various lines and took pictures with King Louie, Pluto, and Chip before entering the park.

We were in the park by 10:15 headed towards Camp Minnie Mickey to see the 10:40 Lion King Show. Since we had time before the show we took pictures with Safari Mickey in the character greeting area.

We saw the 10:40am Lion King Show. This was the first time Peter saw it and he liked it very much.

We waited 20 minutes for the Kilamanjaro Safari and had an enjoyable time.

We had lunch at Tusker House around 12 noon. I had the vegetable sandwich on focaccia which came with grapes. The sandwich was horrible – it was ice cold. I probably should have gone back to the counter with it, but I didn’t bother. The grapes were good. Peter had ½ Rotisserie Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. We both got ice for the soda we brought with us. Peter paid for lunch so I don’t know what the total was.

After lunch Peter went on Kali River Rapids. I went onto the bridge to squirt him with the elephant’s trunk. I don’t like going on rides where you get wet when you are dressed. I enjoy water slides in pools and even water parks but I’m in a bathing suit then. I don’t like sloshing around in wet clothes.

We took the walkway past where Expedition Everest is being built.

In Dinoland we rode Dinosaur with no wait

Next we went on Primeval Whirl and had a lot of fun. We were whipped all around. It was Peter and I on one side of the car and 2 guys on the other.

We went into Tough to Be a Bug next

Peter and I left Animal Kingdom and took a bus to MGM around 2:30 – it was standing room only.

We saw the 3:25 Who Wants to be a Millionaire. This game is always a lot of fun

There was a preview showing of Lights, Motors, Action at 3:55 that we were unable to see due to our priority seating at Brown Derby.

We met Phil at Brown Derby for our Fantasmic Dining Priority Seating at 4:10. It was a prix fix menu of $37.99 per person and included appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I had the crab cake appetizer since I used to love crab cakes before I stopped eating chicken, meat, and fish. My entrée was the thai noodles with tofu but I asked for it with NO curry (I do not like curry). For dessert I had the grapefruit cake. My food was very good. Peter had the goat cheese ravioli appetizer, lamb entrée, and strawberry creme brulee. Phil had mulligatawny soup, steak entrée, and grapefruit cake. We all had soda. I paid $125.19 for the 3 of our meals. They left the tip.

We saw the 6:15 Beauty and the Beast Show.

We picked up our bracelets for Extra Magic Hours tonight.

We saw the 7pm Animation show. Phil and Peter are starting to drag a bit and we’re only on the second day of vacation. We’re going pretty slowly; luckily it isn’t very crowded.

We went into the Little Mermaid next. It was raining when we came out so Phil and Peter bought ponchos. I had my poncho already.

We headed over to Oscar’s around 8:10pm and the Fantasmic Dining Special Entrance. Phil was unhappy about the walk we had to take to get to the Fantasmic theater.

Fantasmic started at 8:30. There was a slight drizzle but it wasn’t bad and the show wasn’t cancelled. We kept our ponchos on to stay dry.

Extra Magic Hours were tonight from 8:30pm – 11:30pm

After Fantasmic we went on the Tower of Terror twice. This is probably more information than anyone needs to know, but Peter peed in a water bottle in the TV room because he couldn’t wait any longer. In his defense, he has diabetes so it’s not like he just didn’t want to wait. He disposed of the water bottle with the pee at the first available garbage can he saw. The second ride we were in the front row and were all holding hands with them up in the air for the drop where they took the picture. It came out really cute so we got the 4 5*7’s for $29.99. Peter paid for these.

Phil bought us all bottles of coke as we were thirsty. I ran over to the cookie stand by Rock N Roller Coaster to get us all chocolate cookies which I really enjoyed when I was here in January. They weren’t as good this time – they were soft cookies. Last time they were crispy which I preferred.

We waited in a long line for the Great Movie Ride. We had the gangster side. I’m beginning to wonder if there still is two versions. I don’t remember the last time I went on and had a different version than the gangster.

It was 11:27pm when we got off the ride. I wanted to run over to Muppets to try to get in before the park closed at 11:30. They thought I was nuts and starting looking for my “off” switch.

We browsed through the Christmas store on the way out. Then took the tram to the car. We stopped at Walgreens for medicine for Phil. Then we went through Wendy’s drive through. They got burgers, chili, and chicken. I got French fries, and a fruit bowl that I will have for breakfast tomorrow.

Then we headed back to the hotel

Monday 5/2/05

I was up early to wake Paul at 5am. I got myself ready and waited for Phil and Peter. I had some of my fruit from Wendy’s while waiting.

Phil, Peter, and I left for Epcot via the bus around 9am. The bus stopped at Fort Wilderness first. I’m surprised there isn’t a direct bus being a deluxe resort. While on the bus I was talking to the people sitting near us and it turns out they are from Emerson, NJ (where Paul’s deli is). Their names are Marty and Lori. We started talking about the neighborhood and they knew exactly where Paul’s deli is – it’s called “Brooklyn Boys Deli”. They said they would go in. Look at me.., I’m drumming up business for Paul all the way from Disney World.

We went to the Land Pavilion to go on Soarin. The wait was already 90 minutes so we got fastpasses that were good from 10:55 – 11:55. Then we went through the food court in the land for breakfast. I wasn’t that hungry since I had some of the fruit before we left the hotel, but I had a plain croissant. Peter had rice krispies and a blueberry muffin. Phil had a vegetable wrap sandwich and a tray of hummus. I called Paul to tell him about the couple I met on the bus.

After breakfast we went on Living with the Land which only had a 10 minute wait.

At 10:55 we headed over to the fast pass entrance for Soarin. Phil complained about the long walk through the empty queue. We were on pretty quickly. The ride was very good – just like the one in Disney’s California Adventure.

Peter went on the 12pm Behind the Seeds tour since he is very into gardening. Phil and I had no interest so we went over to Universe of Energy. Phil was planning to just sit in a chair in the Land pavilion while Peter did the tour but I convinced him to go to Universe of Energy by explaining that you sit for 35 minutes. We went right onto Universe of Energy and Phil napped during most of it.

We got fast passes for Test Track that were good from 2:15-3:15. Next we headed to Guest Relations to change our California Grill priority seating to tomorrow at 9:30. We wandered into Mouse Gear and I convinced Phil to pose for pictures in the Princess hats. I think he did it because he was able to stay put for a few minutes.

We met Peter at Journey to Imagination at 1:15 and rode with no wait. We sent some emails and played in the Imagination lab. Peter was planning to buy a few stuffed figments, but had a bit of an argument with the cast member. I missed most of it, but she was grumpy and Peter was annoyed that she wasn’t being friendly.

We went on Test Track with our fast passes at 2:45 and had a lot of fun. Phil and Peter sat in several of the display cars on the way out.

We headed over to Mission Space next. I went on this attraction in January and did not like it. I came out of it feeling very dizzy and disoriented. Phil and Peter were planning to go on and I would just wait for them near the exit. There was not much of a standby wait – maybe 5 minutes. I think all the early reports of people getting sick have scared people off as I never see a long wait here. As I’m waiting, Peter comes out without Phil. Peter chickened out at the last minute when they were about to enter the capsule but Phil went. Phil came out maybe 15 minutes later and felt sick from the ride. He said he gets motion sickness normally and that’s why he won’t go on a cruise; yet he went on Mission Space – poor guy. He felt so bad he lay down on a bench and slept for half an hour to try to feel better. Peter and I were starving and ready for lunch.

At 4:30 we headed into the World Showcase to eat. Peter got food from the Mexican Cantina. I got the kids meal from Lotus Blossom Café in China that includes fried rice, an egg roll, and soda for about $4. I brought my food back to Mexico where Phil and Peter had a nice outside table. Even though the fried rice has beef in it, the pieces are big enough for me to easily pick them out and turn it into vegetable fried rice. Phil wasn’t feeling good since he didn’t want any food. After our lunch, I stopped in Norway and brought back 2 rice creams and 1 veiled maiden (apple and whipped cream) for us – cost approximately $7.50.

We went on El Rio Del Tiempo (the boat ride in Mexico) with no wait.

Phil was feeling better and he got a sandwich in the Norway bakery.

We went on Maelstrom next but still couldn’t find the hidden Mickey in the mural.

Phil then bought a sweet pretzel in the Norway bakery.

Approximately 6pm we decided to head over to Magic Kingdom. We took the Monorail to the TTC. Phil wasn’t very happy with Peter and me since he was walking up the monorail ramp very slowly and Peter and I decided to push him up faster. At the TTC the Magic Kingdom monorail wasn’t working so we had to take the ferry. We probably could have gotten on the resort monorail that would have stopped at the Magic Kingdom, but we didn’t. This transportation took a while and we didn’t arrive at the Magic Kingdom until about 7:30pm.

Phil wanted a Hot Dog from Kasey’s but didn’t want to run around Magic Kingdom. Peter originally planned to run around then changed his mind and decided to wait with Phil. The plan was to meet up for Spectro Magic and Wishes.

I, of course, can’t be in Disney without running around. My first stop was the Tomorrowland Noodle Station where I got a vegetable noodle bowl for about $7.50. This was not very good so I dumped most of it. I called Paul while picking at the noodles.

I went onto Pirates of the Caribbean and then Haunted Mansion without much wait. These are two of my favorite attractions in Magic Kingdom.

It was now time for Spectro Magic so I made my way over towards Main Street. It was very crowded and I wasn’t able to get close to Kasey’s to look for Phil and Peter. I ended up watching Spectro from near one of the stores on Main Street.

After the parade ended, I made my way over to Kasey’s where Phil and Peter had a nice ringside table that would give us a perfect view of Wishes. I joined them at their table to watch Wishes. This is now my favorite nighttime show. Peter was very impressed as well. After Wishes we hung out for a little while browsing the shops and letting the crowds thin.

We took the boat back to Wilderness Lodge. This time it went direct with no other stops. Fort Wilderness Campground had a separate boat this time.

The maid created a heart out of one of the towels in the room and left it on the extra bed. Peter and Phil had a cute towel animal in their room. Phil and Peter travel with their “babies” which are a few stuffed animals so I guess the maid figured they would be more into the towel animals than me.

I had a message from Kim (regarding my next Disney trip in a few weeks) regarding our Hoop Dee Doo reservations that she needed to cancel because the day we have them is the day David’s (her husband) parents will be meeting us in Disney and they weren’t able to add two more people to the reservation.

Tuesday 5/3/05

Today the plan was to go to Typhoon Lagoon then do some shopping at Downtown Disney. We would meet at 9:30, have breakfast at Roaring Forks (food court area), and then head to Typhoon Lagoon.

I woke up with a bit of a sore throat today so didn’t know if going to a water park would be the best move. Also, there was going to be a sneak preview of Lights, Motors, Action at 2:15 at MGM today.

We went down to Roaring Forks but there wasn’t anything that I wanted there. I told Phil and Peter I would pass on Typhoon Lagoon and head to MGM. They stayed to eat and go to Typhoon Lagoon and we planned to call each other later to meet up for shopping.

I took the bus to MGM and arrived around 10:25. My first stop was to pick up a fast pass for the Lights, Motors, Action show at 2:15 today. The fastpass says to enter at 1:45. What was nice is that even though you are holding this fast pass you can still continue to get another one for a different attraction.

I headed over to Muppets which was sort of crowded. I missed the whole pre-show, but when I got there I was able to grab the 3D glasses and head right into the theater.

I went on Tower of Terror with absolutely no wait.

I had my picture taken with Sorcerer Mickey.

I went on the Backstage Tour next.

Around 1pm I went to the Backlot Express and had a grilled vegetable sandwich (about $7.50) and got a cup of ice for the little bottle of soda I had. These are the best grilled vegetable sandwiches.

I browsed through a few shops and called the office to see how things were going.

At 1:30 they started letting the fast pass people into Lights, Motors, Action. What a huge theater. And they did a good job seating people and making them move all the way down the row. They also filled the theater by sections rather than letting people just choose seats randomly.

The show started at 2:15. It was very good. Paul would have really liked it. Phil and Peter said they saw it in Disnleyland Paris and didn’t like it that much. They showed you how various car stunts are done. Herbie the love bug was part of the show (I guess it’s good marketing for the new Herbie Fully Loaded movie that is coming out in June). I loved the old Herbie movies and can’t wait to see the new one so the marketing attempt worked 

After the show, I left MGM and headed to the bus stop. Unfortunately, you cannot take a bus directly from the parks to Downtown Disney so I had to go back to the resort first. I called Phil and Peter from the bus stop to see where they were in order to meet up. It turns out they didn’t go to Typhoon Lagoon at all. Phil slept and watched TV most of the day. Peter went to the resort pool for a little while, and then hung out in the room with Phil.

I chatted with a nice couple on the bus to Wilderness Lodge. People are so friendly at Disney; you can just strike up a conversation easily. Phil and Peter weren’t ready when I got back to Wilderness Lodge so I waited for them for a little while. We headed over to the Marketplace and did some shopping and browsing. It was raining on and off.

We decided we didn’t feel like going to California Grill after all. We had dinner at Whispering Canyon Café. Our waitresses name was “Head of Lettuce”. Phil and Peter both had the All you can eat skillet. I had a vegetarian dish made with cannelloni (it was very good). Peter and I had cream sickle shakes and Phil had a smoothie. The shakes were all you can drink, but I couldn’t even finish one of them. We all had soda. For dessert Phil had Apple Pie and Peter had the Banana Ice cream dessert. I tasted a bit of each of their desserts. Peter paid for dinner so I don’t know how much it was.

We were stuffed after that big meal so wandered around the hotel grounds for a while. We were back in our respective rooms by 11pm (a relatively early night).

Wednesday 5/4/05

I wanted to try the pool today. Peter said the slide was a lot of fun.

I was at the pool by 9:30 but the water slide didn’t open until 10am. It was overcast and a bit drizzly out. There was another family out and in the pool. I swam around the pool waiting for the slide to open. The pool is heated and was very comfortable even though it was a bit chilly out. Once the slide opened I went down numerous times along with the other family that was out there. A few more people showed up to use the slide too. I went in the hot tub for a little while. Then back down the water slide into the pool a few more times.

By 11:15 I was back in the room to shower and get dressed. The maid left a cute towel animal made out of a washcloth.

I called Phil and Peter and woke them up at 12 noon. They wanted to shop in MGM. I reminded them that the park is closing at 4. We made plans to meet later. I told them about my cute towel animal today and they told me that when they saw the maid yesterday, they mentioned that I really liked their towel animal and that’s why I got such a cute one today.

I took the bus to the MarketPlace. This took a long time and I didn’t arrive until about 1pm. I went to Earl of Sandwich and had a Caprese sandwich for lunch ($5.28). I like these sandwiches – they are very good and inexpensive.

I am trying to track down the disc shaped annual Christmas ornament. When I was here in January they didn’t have them. They still didn’t have them. The lady in the Christmas store suggested I try the store in Germany in Epcot. So that was my plan. Unfortunately, the buses don’t go direct from the Market Place to the Theme Parks (or vice versa) so I had to go to a resort first. I figured an Epcot Resort would be the quickest as I would be close to Epcot and able to enter through the International Gateway directly into World Showcase. I took the bus to the Boardwalk then the boat to Epcot. It started raining when I got to the boat dock. The rain only lasted 10 minutes.

Upon entering Epcot I walked through the countries making my way towards Germany.

At 2:45 I watched/listened to the Voices of Liberty in America then watched the 3pm American Adventure show. I like this one better then Hall of President’s in Magic Kingdom.

Unfortunately, Germany did not have the ornament I’m looking for so I will continue in my quest to find it.

Around 4pm I stopped in Norway for a Rice Cream (these are delicious). I called Paul and we chatted briefly; he was busy at work. I called Peter and they were leaving MGM to go back to the hotel to rest. They don’t want to go to Epcot until around 7pm.

I called Kim at work to chat for a bit.

I stopped in Mouse Gear and bought a few items.

I headed over to the Land. There was no single rider line for Soarin and the standby line was up to 45 minutes already and I didn’t want to wait that long.

Spaceship Earth was a walk on so I did that.

At 5:45 I took the bus back to Wilderness Lodge to meet up with Phil and Peter. I spoke with Paul during the bus ride. The people I met on the bus from Emerson the other day (Marty and Lori) stopped in his store today.

I stopped in Roaring Forks to get something to eat since after Epcot we planned to go to the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours. I got French fries and nachos (about $5) and brought them back to the room to eat. I did a little packing too.

Phil and Peter weren’t ready to go yet. They were ready around 8pm and we headed out. Peter couldn’t find his room card (also his park pass) at first but then did. We took the bus to Epcot which also stopped at Fort Wilderness. The driver was “earning his ears”. It was a long ride to Epcot. We got there just in time for Illuminations. We had to rush to get over to the World Showcase.

After Illuminations we to took the Mororail to the TTC, then the resort monorail to the Magic Kingdom for Extra Magic Hours. We got our bracelet right near the entrance and headed up Main Street.

The Country Bears were starting in 7 minutes so we went in. It was very warm in there.

Big Thunder Mountain only had a 15 minute wait so we did that next.

Phil and Peter rode Splash Mountain and I waited for them. My silly quirk, but I don’t like getting wet when I’m in my clothes.

We went into Mickey’s Philharmagic – everyone enjoyed this.

Phil didn’t want to walk to Tomorrow Land so we stayed in FantasyLand which was not crowded.

We went on Peter Pan with no wait

Small World was next with no wait. It was so empty that not only did we each take our own row in the boat, but we had the whole boat to ourselves. We had more fun on it this time around as we were trying to figure out each of the countries that were represented.

We exited Small World at 12 midnight which is when Extra Magic Hours ended.

We waited on line for our picture with Minnie and Mickey then a picture with Goofy near the hub by the castle.

At 12:40am we caught the last boat back to Wilderness Lodge

Thursday 5/5/05

Today we check out. We were supposed to meet at 10:30 for breakfast. I was on my balcony and Peter was on his. The balconies are pretty private if you are near your sliding door. Once you go to the front and look out others can see you. That’s how I saw Peter. Phil was still sleeping so Peter woke him and Phil went to shower.

We ended up leaving around 11:15am. We loaded the luggage in the car.

We drove to Epcot and were in almost the last spot in the row. Phil was not a happy camper having to walk all the way down the row to the tram.

We had lunch at the Garden Grill in the Land around 12 noon. This was a character meal with Farmer Mickey, Chip, Dale, and Pluto. They start out giving you breadsticks. Phil had the steak, Peter had the chicken, and I had the mushroom ravioli which was in a reddish sauce with vegetables. I read up on this restaurant on the internet so knew it was all you can eat (even though they bring it out). If you didn’t know it yourself, the waiter did not offer the information. Phil and Peter also each wanted the other dish (chicken or steak). The waiter said he would bring them each one, then bring them another dish of the other when they were almost finished. My ravioli were good and the dish came with 4 of them. I gave one to Phil and one to Peter. After eating the 2 that were left I asked the waiter for a few more. Rather than taking my plate and bringing me a whole new order, he just brought out 4 raviolis to put back in my dish of sauce. The dessert that came out was a chocolate fondue with various things to dip in it (like pound cake, cookies, pineapple, etc). Lunch was $19.99 per person. With my Annual Pass discount we got 10% off. We each paid our respective 1/3 of the bill which came to $25 with tax and tip.

We walked around World showcase stopping periodically for pictures and to see the performers. I even got a candy dog from Miyuki in Japan.

We drove to the Polynesian around 3:30 and parked there. Peter wanted to look at the Gift Shop. We planned to go to Magic Kingdom. Phil was tired and said he would stay at the Polynesian and rest in the lobby. Peter was supposed to go with me to Magic Kingdom, but decided to stay with Phil.

I took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. My first stop was the Christmas shop; unfortunately, still no annual disc ornament.

I headed to Tomorrowland. There was a 50 minute wait for Stitch’s great escape and fastpasses were for much later so I passed on that. Buzz Lightyear only had a 15 minute wait so I went on.

I went to see the 4:35 Cinderellabration show but it was cancelled because it started raining.

Carousel of Progress had only a 5 minute wait so I went on as it’s a cute show and got me out of the rain.

The TTA was a walk on so that was next.

Space Mountain had a 60 minutes wait which I didn’t want to stay for. The park seems much more crowded today than it has most of the week.

I took the monorail back to the Polynesian to meet Phil and Peter around 6:30.

We had dinner in the Kona Café. We got a beeper and waited almost ½ hour to be seated. I had the rice with vegetables in a wonton bowl. Phil had the stir-fried noodles with chicken. Peter had the stir-fried noodles with chicken and shrimp. We all had soda. We ate fairly quickly as we needed to head to the airport. We split the bill and it came to $27 each.

We stopped to gas up the rental car then drove to the airport. We returned the car. Then checked in for our flight. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:30pm but at 9pm the plane still wasn’t there. They announced that our flight is delayed and they expect the plane to arrive around 9:30pm and take off at 10:10pm. We did leave at 10:10 and the pilot made up time in the air. He was going 750 miles per hour. We landed at 12:15am. We retrieved our luggage. Phil and Peter took the Avistar shuttle to get their car. I waited a little longer then Paul picked me up with Kiki.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I love Disney – it’s my favorite place to go. I’ve never really traveled with people other than Paul. Paul and I have traveled together and met up with others on vacation, but I’ve never gone on vacation with other people and without Paul being there too. I’m not used to people that want to spend so much time lying around and not running non-stop on vacation. I guess everyone has a different idea of what a vacation is. To me relaxing and lying around is not my idea of fun. We probably would have driven each other nuts if we insisted on doing everything together. They could not keep up with my Disney pace. The best thing we did was decide to have some of our own time to do our own things. This way I got to run around and they got to relax and we were able to meet up and share some parts of the trip together.

Noreen Chin
Noreen.s.chin@citigroup.com

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