Our Wonderfully Magical Truly Exciting and Never Dull Trip! I FINALLY FINISHED!! #60

[ericafny]

Cast of Characters:

Myself - 27 princess:
DBF - 26 pirate:

Trip Details:

July 26 - Aug 4 2006
2 nights at ASsp and 7 nights at Dolphin

Day One – Pre-Trip/Arrival – What’s wrong with All Star Sports?

We woke up at 7:00am because DBF had to be at work at 8:00am. He was working a half a day and then it was off to the airport for our 4:20pm flight to Orlando! There was sooo much to do and while he was at work I had to do it all!!!

I drove him to work because he left his car at his parents house while we will be away (it will be safer there, trust me). Once I dropped him off I was a busy bee buzzing around and trying to get everything ready. Oh yeah, did I mention I was SICK?!? I had the worst stomach ache/nausea I had ever experienced. I am not sure what was wrong with me but it started after I had a Mocha Frappacinno from Starbucks the night before (damn that Starbucks!) So despite me being sick I was still the happiest person because I was going to DISNEY!

I finished up my chores (which included cleaning the fridge, taking the garbage out, finish packing, getting myself ready, and unplugging all of the appliances in my house-yes I am a nut!) At 12:00pm I arrived to pick up DBF. A quick bite to eat back at our place before it was time to head to my mother’s so she could drive us to the airport.

We got to the airport at 2:45pm, plenty of time before our flight was to leave. We flew JetBlue and used one of those automated kiosks at the airport to check-in. Let me tell you, if your airline has this---use it! Especially if there is a long line at the check-in counter. Within minutes, we were checked in and then directed to a separate counter to have our luggage weighed and tagged. The whole process seriously took about 15 minutes. Very convenient!

Our flight was actually very smooth and we were early arriving to Orlando so we had to sit in the plane before we could get a gate to deboard. It was raining when we got there, but we didn’t care because we weren’t planning on doing anything that night except walking around the hotel.

Once off, we headed to check-in with Magical Express. If I could give another piece of advice here to expedite the speediness of your arrival it would be to know where you are going! There were no signs pointing people in the right direction for DME. We had landed at 7:05pm so I am not sure if maybe it was during the day it would have been different, but I am not sure. There was NO ONE waiting at the DME counter and we were checked-in and waiting in line for our resort in about 5 minutes. Of course, we then sat on the bus for about 25 minutes to wait for more people to board. The bus was going to Pop Century first, then the All Stars (Sports, Music, and Movies in that order). We were the only people getting off at ASsp and I began to wonder why…(oh yes I know why and if you keep reading you will find out)

We arrived and the lobby was buzzing with people. Personally, I thought the lobby was really neat with cool themeing. There were two people in front of us at check in, and the line moved pretty quickly. Now, since we were only staying at this resort for two nights and one day I didn’t request a specific section because I didn’t really care. I figured ‘whatever we get we get’. We were assigned Touchdown Building 10, room 0141, Football---Did I mention how much I HATE football…I didn’t care at this point though because it was 9:30 and we hadn’t eaten since 12:30 (unless you count the snack on the plane, but I wouldn’t if I were you), and I wanted to see the room and get some food! Our room turned out to be pretty nice, on the first floor in the back of the building (which meant no noise at night except for the people in the room next to us). I know I didn’t pay extra, but correct me if I am wrong here, is Touchdown Building 10 a preferred location? We were steps away from the main building. We had a king handicapped room. Here are some pictures:
Bed with star light above it:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0193.jpg
Decorative light above table and chairs:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0194.jpg
Handicapped bathroom with roll-in shower:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0195.jpg
and this was a towel animal that was waiting for us in our room when we arrived:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0196.jpg

After checking out the room we headed to Stadium Hall to get some food. It was about 10:00pm and this place was CRAZY!!! There were a million teenagers running around, at least a million, possibly a trillion. OK, maybe I am exaggerating a bit here…but there were a lot! Oh yes, and they were from that Infamous place called Brazil, and oh yes they were part of one of those infamous tour groups….(insert horror music here)…. Note: I am not saying that people from Brazil are bad. I am sure, in fact I know they are quite good! It is just a little known fact here on the DIS Boards that those teenagers from the Brazilian tour groups are quite rowdy and rude. Sorry if I offended anyone, not my intention…On with the report…

OK, it wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t good either. To get to the drink area I had to wait in line…ehhh….not my kind of hotel! But that night I had a veggie burger w/cheese and fries and DBF had cheeseburger and fries. Mine was pretty good and it came on a whole wheat bun. DBF said his was good too. Note: I do not eat red meat, however I do eat poultry. I have to say that Disney has really come a long way in offering ‘healthy’ choices to those who do not wish to eat burgers and fries all week long…more on that later.

We walked around the hotel afterwards and passed in the front of our building by the ‘football field’. The entire Brazilian tour group was out blasting music and playing…football (the American kind). I felt really bad for anyone whose room was over there, as they were probably not getting to sleep anytime soon.

We walked back to the room and went to bed…A long day and we needed our rest! Next up is Animal Kingdom and my review of EE…

[Alicnwondrln]

nice start

[Bev J]

Good report so far, will be reading the rest as you post it...
My DD also does not eat red meat (or fish) so I will be very interested to see how this worked out for you.

Bev

[ericafny]

Thanks guys!

Bev-I will post everything I ate and where I got it. I had no problem at all with food!

[2infinity&B-ond]

great report so far...can't wait for the rest!!!

[PoohGal05]

Good start on your report! Can't wait to read more!

[SleepingBeautyDreamr]

Very good start. I am looking forward to more popcorn::

[ericafny]

Thanks to everyone that has responded so far! Tomorrow is back to work :furious: but I will try to have the next installment up by either tomorrow or Tuesday...

[ericafny]

Day Two (Part 1) – Expedition Everest is not for us!

The alarm was set for 7:00am but I popped out of bed at 6:40am because I WAS IN DISNEY WORLD!!! We got ready and headed to the food court to get some breakfast. I was still not feeling right so I had a croissant and some fruit salad. DBF had a western omelet with home fries and toast. He said it was good but the home fries were cold.

After breakfast we headed to the bus stops to catch the bus to AK. We arrived just in time as the AK bus was pulling up. The bus was not crowded. As we were pulling into AK I got very excited because you can see Everest! It looks so real it is incredible.

We got to AK at 8:40am, the park opened at 9:00am. They were letting people in up until Discovery Island. I have never been to a park opening before and there were so many people standing around. It was a sea of people…then…all of a sudden….out of the mist and trees came…a bus with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy!!! What a great way to start your day! I thought the opening ceremony was cute, however we were pretty far away and I had a hard time hearing what the characters were saying. Folks if you want to have your kids enjoy this you probably need to be pretty close and have them sitting on your shoulders. Once the bus came out about a dozen or so kids popped up on their parents shoulders. We have this on video and it is actually quite funny.

After the park officially opened, it was mad dash of people going to the right of the Tree of Life. I could have sworn an old lady tried to trip me with her cane! But seriously…everyone was obviously making their way to Everest…and so were we. We got there and the standby line was probably about a 30 min wait. The fast pass line was about a 15 min wait. No, I am not talking about fast pass return time, I am talking about the LINE TO GET A FAST PASS. We got ours and it was a return time of 10:05-11:05. We had an hour so off it was to Dinosaur (my favorite ride at AK!!!). We got to Dinosaur and there was absolutely no one there. I think we were two of maybe 10 people that thought to go over to this ride. If I must say one thing about Disney putting a new ride at their newest theme park it is this: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! (ok…technically that was three things, but after a week and a half in Disney who is counting?) By putting in a new ride it virtually eliminated the wait times for their other big ticket rides. Some advice for you parents with the little ones and who aren’t interested in riding Everest…when park opens go directly to It’s Tough to be a Bug (5 min wait) then go to Dinoland (no one there when we were there!). We rode Dinosaur and I don’t know why but this ride is soo much fun! Say what you will about Disney skimping on the set of that ride, but I think it is truly good clean fun! After we got off Dino we wanted to head back towards Asia and decided to do the Maharaja Jungle Trek. We didn’t do that last time we were at AK because, well, I didn’t know it existed! I think I like this trail better than the Pangani Forest one because I found the animals here to be more exotic. Here are some pics of some of the animals we saw:

This is a Kimodo Dragon
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0205.jpg

Two bats sharing an apple (the guide said that its very rare they share food...and he also told us they only eat fruit and vegetables!)
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0207.jpg

A tiger taking a nap
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0208.jpg

One thing I will mention is the effort Disney puts into really making this experience a learning one. I found the guides at each viewing point to be very knowledgeable and ready and willing to answer any question you may have for them. One thing I learned is that all of the animals featured at Animal Kingdom are endangered species. Very interesting…

OK, one with the report. Finally, finally, it was time to ride Everest. We got to the FP line and zipped and zoomed our way to the loading area. I agree with those that say going on the FP line does not allow you to take in the magnificent cultural artifacts that are placed in the queue for you to look at. I wish the standby line wasn’t so long (by this time about 70 min) so I could stroll through leisurely and take in the themeing. No bother though, and onto the ride we go…

The trains come and load pretty quickly, which means they must have at least 4 of them running. We sat somewhere in the middle of the train, which is fine for me as I am becoming not so much of a thrill seeker in my old age (read on to find out about the Dueling Dragons fiasco at IOA). The ‘outside’ part of the ride is neat and gives you a sense of calming. Once you start to climb the hill though, anxiety sets in because it is a slow decent, and that music is playing, and you can slightly hear a yeti roaring in the background…oh no wait, that was my stomach…but seriously it is a slow climb up the mountain. Once inside everything then happens so quickly. You see the broken track, you go backwards in the dark (oh no here comes the nausea), you stop and see the yeti break the track, you go down the big hill, you come up again, you see the yeti (he is uggggly!) and then its done.

Here is my honest opinion of the ride---not as good as I had hoped for. I mean, with all of the money Disney spent on this ride, sending their imaginers to Nepal to do research, I feel it could have been (a) a little longer (b) a little smoother and (c) their should have been more ‘yeti time’. Those who love the ride, I hope I am not offending. Just think of it this way: I am one less person that will be standing in line between you and the ride. Oh yeah and one more thing, that ride made me nauseas!

After EE, it was pretty hot so off to Kali River Rapids we went. Now last year by this time (around 11am or so) the standby line for Kali was well over 60 min with FP’s being issued for 4pm or later. This time the standby line was 20 minutes with FP’s being issued for sometime around 12pm. Once again, that Everest making its presence known! Kali was good, and we got pretty soaked! We walked past that tea stand once off Kali and I wanted to try it so I decided to get the iced green tea with ginseng. The tea was delicious however I tried to use my Disney Rewards Card there and they told me the tea stand was not owned by Disney and I couldn’t use it. So now you know people, can’t be charging anything to the room or using those Visa points to buy things from this tea stand!

Next up the rest of our day at AK and dinner at Portobello Yacht Club (small dining review included for no extra charge!!!) :thumbsup2

[dwheatl]

You're off to a great start. I looked for you, but obviously the Dolphin was packed with conventioneers.

[lauren_elizabeth]

Reading your trip makes SO excited to be going back to Disney!
Can't wait for more! :thumbsup2

[Liz]

I'm enjoying your report very much! Thanks for the review of EE. I'm still trying to decide if that's one I'll do next time. Not a roller coaster fan at all but I'm curious to try it. How bad is the drop compared to Splash Mountain (which I hate)? Thanks!

[ericafny]

You're off to a great start. I looked for you, but obviously the Dolphin was packed with conventioneers.


I looked for you too :guilty:

Those conventioneers were EVERYWHERE!

[ericafny]

I'm enjoying your report very much! Thanks for the review of EE. I'm still trying to decide if that's one I'll do next time. Not a roller coaster fan at all but I'm curious to try it. How bad is the drop compared to Splash Mountain (which I hate)? Thanks!

Thanks Liz! I am enjoying writing it. The drop on EE is much steeper than the drop on Splash Mountain. In fact if you do not like the drop on SM then I would not suggest riding EE as there is a part where it goes backwards. Hope that helps.

I will try to get the next installment up by Friday (I hope...)

[heaven2dc]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! How cool that cat looks - can't wait to see AK for our first time. I'm wondering as well how I'll like EE - the backwards part seems like it might be a little nauseating - will see!!

[Ltl Mermaid]

I am loving your report thus far!! Did you ride Kilamanjaro Safaris while you were at AK?? How was the wait for it?? Thanks for the enjoyable report!

[MickeyNicki]

Loving your report, you have given me great advice to tackling AK when we go in October!

[tammyandtommy]

Loving youre trip report! Keep up the good work its only day 2

[ericafny]

Day Two (Part 2) – Rest of AK and Adventures in getting to DTD

I had some extra time (yippee!) so I decided to write more of my trip report…now lets see where was I….

Oh, right after I got my iced tea (which was very good and refreshing!) we sat down at these few tables near the water across the way from the Tree of Life. I am not exactly sure where it was but it was on the way from Asia to Africa and near a hot dog stand. It was nice and cool due to the shade of the trees and there was also a slight breeze blowing in. While sitting we saw a small alligator (or crocodile, I never know which is which) floating in the water. Here is a pic:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0211.jpg
And here is a pic I got of the Tree of Life from where we were sitting:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0210.jpg

We then made our way into Africa and there was an African drum band performing at the bar next to Tusker House. We stopped there to watch for a little bit. (Side note: We did a lot of ‘stopping to smell the roses’ this trip as last year we were kind of rushing around not taking things in. I have to say that I enjoyed myself much more this trip because I was more relaxed and had the attitude of ‘I’ll get to do everything so there is no need to rush’. If you take one piece of advice from me then let it be this, take the time to stop and explore the things that are ‘off the beaten path’ or the little side shows, or anything else Disney has in order to enhance your experience at the parks. You will come to see just how truly magical this place really is.)

We headed to Kilamanjaro Safaris and got FP’s for it. The wait wasn’t too long, about 35 min, but we also wanted to do the Pangani Forest Trails so we figured we would go with the FP’s. Like I had mentioned before, we had done Pangani Trails last year and while it is still interesting and the animals are beautiful, I still think it isn’t as good as the Maharaja Jungle Trek. Still, we saw some cool animals. I didn’t take any pics though, most of them were lounging in the shade due to the extreme heat. After we were finished with the trail we handed in our FP’s and rode the safari. I always enjoy this ride and have heard stories of DIS’ers all going on together and reciting the whole ride (‘Simba One, Simba One’)…As I was on it this time I thought how cool would that be! But alas, I seemed to be on with no one like that, and even my tour guide didn’t seem too into it. We did see some animals though.

After Kilamanjaro, we were STARVING! It was almost 1pm and I feared that my plan to eat at Tusker House would be foiled due to the time. However, we managed to eat there unharmed (and got a nice table outside in the shade too!). Except for the obnoxious 8 year old campers that were sitting behind us on a camp trip, the experience was quite pleasant. I had read about Tusker House here on the boards and knew that was where we would eat lunch when we went to AK. I just had to try it! I am so glad we ate there because the both of us LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!!! We both had the ½ Rotisserie Chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies. It was very good! The chicken was not dry, but very juicy and the potatoes were very creamy. The veggies tasted very fresh too. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be eating there again on my next trip.

While we ate we discussed what we wanted to do next. I wanted to see a show and heard Festival of the Lion King was in an air conditioned theater. We decided to check it out and made our way over to Camp Minnie-Mickey when we were finished eating. I have to tell you something funny here. I don’t think DBF understood that we were supposed to be in a ‘camp-like’ environment over in that part of the park. He kept asking me why we were being called campers, and thought the CM’s thought we were part of a camp or something. Once I explained it to him he was like ‘ohhhhhhhh’…

I kind of liked this show. The talent Disney recruits for its shows has and will continue to be top notch, but for some reason this show seemed to have exceptionally good talent in it. The voices of the 4 ‘hosts’ were amazing and the acrobats (is that a PC term or are we calling them something else now?!?) were very good too! All in all I am glad we decided to see that and you parents out there with the little ones, definitely take them to see this because at the end the kids can get up and dance around with the performers. Just be sure to try to get in the front for that though.

After the show it was thundering and raining pretty bad so we decided to head back to ASsp to relax and get ready for dinner at the Portobello Yacht Club. Once again we arrived back to the ASsp and the circus that ensues there. It was raining, but of course the hotel was crawling with people. DBF took a nap and I wrote some notes for this here report that I am writing. I also watched some tv and may have dosed off myself for a few minutes.

Now that we were well rested, showered up, and ready for dinner we made our way to the bus stop (once again passing through the craziness that is a food court) and were first in line for the bus to DTD. After a few minutes some more people got on line after us, then some more, then that big Brazilian tour group I was telling you all about. At this point we had been waiting over 30 min, the line was long, and had seen 2 DTD busses pass by us on the outer road that leads to the other All Star Resorts. What was going on?!? A bus finally arrived after almost 45 minutes. It was full of course and we had to stand. I actually felt bad for the leader of the tour group because she couldn’t get all of her group on the same bus and started arguing with the bus driver. She had every right to though because we were waiting for so long and then a full bus shows up. After that small bump, we were on our way, or so we thought…the bus driver then proceeds to stop at ASMu. Let me tell you folks that the bus was full. I felt like I was on a NYC subway car, that’s how full. The bus driver refused to move because she thought there was room in the back and kept asking people to move back. We kept screaming ‘there is no more room’. Finally after 10 minutes she closes the door. And then, yup you guessed it, she drives to ASMo to pick up some more people! Is she insane?!? (yes I believe she was). Some people got off there, making the bus at least bearable. But no folks, she doesn’t stop there, she goes BACK to ASMu and picks up the rest of the people there. Once again, packed in like sardines we are. The ride to DTD wasn’t pleasant either and I think she took the long route just to piss people off. We arrived at DTD at 7:30. We left ASsp at about 6:15. Not Cool.

Our ADR was for 8:30 and I wanted to check out the newly redone World of Disney store. I don’t remember this being there from last year, so correct me if I am wrong people, but Stitch is now standing on top of the building and spitting at people. Are they kidding? Who wants to be spit at by that wretched thing? I walked around to another entrance just to avoid this awful site.

Once inside I explored the pirate room and the princess room (formerly the Alice in Wonderland room) which I had loved! They did a good job with redoing the store, it seems more organized now. The Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique is smaller than I thought but closed in and private so your little princess (or prince, I hear they will do makeovers for little boys too) can be pampered in peace. It was extremely crowded and we were getting hungry! We checked our watch and it was 8:00pm so we decided to see if we could get seated early for our ADR.

We checked in with the hostess and got sat about 10 min. later. I requested an outside table and received one. It was nice to sit outside and look out onto the water. The restaurant was pretty crowded and our waiter seemed slightly overwhelmed. Altogether though the service was pretty good, and I must say that I am probably not the best person top ask being from NY and used to getting everything in under 15 min. flat. We NY’ers don’t exactly eat a leisurely dinner.

On with the food. We both got a glass of wine. I asked the waiter for his suggestion on which Pinot to order and DBF did the same for his Merlot. The waiter’s suggestion was excellent and it was a great start to a great dinner. We then ordered calamari for appy and also were served bread and roasted garlic. The calamari was really good and crispy. It rivaled some Italian restaurants back here in NYC. For main course I had farfalle with chicken, asparagus, and peas in a cream sauce (minus the chicken) and DBF had Eggplant, Zucchini, with fresh mozzarella. DBF loved his dish and thought it was excellent. I enjoyed mine, however it was slightly bland. I would however order it again. We were too stuffed to order dessert. All in all it was one of the better dining experiences we had on our trip. It was pricey though, but worth it. All in all I give the restaurant an A-.

After dinner we walked around DTD and PI for a little bit. We aren’t exactly club people so we didn’t want to go into any of them in PI. We were thinking about doing the comedy club, but the line was long and we were tired from our long day. I noticed they are doing lots of construction at PI. I am curious to see what they are going to do with it. I had heard about a major overhaul of the place but what more could they do?

I wanted so badly to get ice cream at Ghiradelli however the line was out the door. We decided to head back to get our stuff together because tomorrow we were transferring to the Dolphin!!!

Up next the weird maid service at the Dolphin…

[dwheatl]

I loved the part when DBF wanted to know why they were calling you campers. Also, I'm glad to know they still have some wild alligators hanging out at AK. We saw some 4 years ago, but none this time.

[SmithFamily2003]

Great trip report! Can't wait for more!

[NeverlandClub23]

Great trip report! :thumbsup2 :goodvibes Looking forward to the rest!!

[ericafny]

I loved the part when DBF wanted to know why they were calling you campers.

Yeah he is special but I love him! :rotfl2:

[ericafny]

Hi guys...I have been bogged down at work and didn't get home until late tonite (I know, its a Friday too) so I haven't had a chance to write more of my TR. I am going away for the day tomorrow but I will write more on Sun, I promise!

Thanks to all that have been reading I am having so much fun writing this report! :Pinkbounc

Day 3 is coming soon....(it gets much more interesting...trust me)

[ericafny]

Day Three (Part 1) – Now THIS is a hotel!

I woke up at 8:00am and freaked out! Our alarm was set for 7:00am but never went off. DBF looked at his cell phone (which is what we use for alarms) and he realized he had set it for 7:00pm, not am…oh well!

We got ready as quickly as possible, packed up all our stuff and hauled our luggage down to bell services to have them transfer it to the Dolphin for us. We then checked out and grabbed breakfast. One last breakfast at this horrific food court…thank goodness! I had French toast (minus the bacon it was supposed to come with) and I ended up with a lousy 2 pieces. Pretty good but definitely not enough food and I should have gotten fruit or something to go with it but the only other thing I got was coffee. DBF had eggs again with sausage and homefries, he said it was OK, nothing special.

After breakfast we hopped on a bus to MGM and then took the friendship boat to the Dolphin. Now I didn’t know this at the time, however that was the best choice to make because if we would have gone to Epcot then taken a boat it would have taken us a lot longer. You see the boats operate like this: MGM, S/D, Yacht & Beach Club, Boardwalk, Epcot…then reverse it coming from Epcot. We got to the Dolphin (or as I was calling it all week the Swalphin) at around 10:00am. The hotel is just gorgeous! Now this is a hotel!!! The lobby was still being worked on when we arrived and had a barricade around it. I was a little disappointed, but that was the only day it was like that. They finished up work that afternoon and the lobby was fully functional the rest of the week. (Later on I came to realize that they finished it up quick due to the very LARGE conference they were hosting that week…but more on that later). So here we are checking in to the one hotel I have wanted to stay at every since they built it! I was sooooo soooo soooo happy!!! I requested a balcony and we were given one no problem! She even had our room ready that minute and we were given our keys and away we went! Our room was room number 4183 West side of the building. We had views facing the pool and beach and we could see the ToT from our balcony. Here are some pics:
Interior room pics:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0222.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0223.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0224.jpg
View of ToT from our balcony:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0225.jpg
Views of pool and beach from our balcony:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0227.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0226.jpg
After we settled in it was off to Epcot we went. We walked there, through the Yacht and Beach Club (it is possibly shorter to walk thru the Boardwalk though as we discovered on our second to last day there). Its OK though because I got to see Y&B up close! What a great hotel! The pool area looks fun and I just like the themeing. I am kind of a beach girl so this is definitely a hotel I would like to stay at! We arrived at Epcot (well actually it’s the International Gateway) at around 11:00am and hightailed it through the park to grab FP’s for Soarin. We also got a surprise FP for Living with the Land (and I have come to learn that dwheat1 had gotten that same FP. They must have been doing an experiment with the FP’s or something---although for a tiny moment I thought I was special…) Anyways, that was perfect because I wanted to ride and I didn’t feel like waiting the 50 minutes that was posted as the wait time. Since we had some time we decided to grab a mid morning snack at sunshine seasons. We weren’t hungry for lunch yet so we both got the mini fruit salads they offer. Pretty affordable $2.99 or so, however the fruit didn’t seem that fresh. Some of the melon wasn’t that ripe. I was still slightly impressed with the place and we decided we would come back for dinner another night. After our fruit we still had almost an hour for Soarin so we decided to chance it and head to TT to see what the wait was. On the way to TT, I saw the sign for Character Connection and just had to check it out. OK, here is another piece of advice I am going to bestow on you wonderful people---GO THERE! We waited maybe 15 minutes to take a pic with Mickey (and that was only because Mickey was taking a break). We then got to take pics with Minnie and Chip and Dale and I got one with Alice! Here is a pic of me with Alice:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0235.jpg
After I had my fun (and I think DBF did too!) we made our way to TT. The standby said 50 min, but we looked inside and it did NOT look like 50 minutes. We took our chances and I am glad we did. The wait was only about 20 min!!! Definitely look inside the building to see if they have overestimated the wait. I have also experienced them underestimating the wait there too, so that is one ride you need to feel out the line for before you take your chances! We rode TT and of course the ride was awesome as usual!

By this time it was way into our return time for Soarin so off we went to ride. Last time I went on this ride we were all the way on the top and I was a tiny bit nauseous when we got off. I was worried that would happen again, but luckily we got second row. Ofcourse we were sitting in a row with some obnoxious teenagers who were swinging the seats before we took off. I had to ‘yell’ at them and then they stopped. Yes I am the party pooper but I like my rides to be safe! So sitting in the second row I did not get nauseous and I really enjoyed the ride! I also kept my head back and my eyes on the screen. If any of you out there are prone to motion sickness request the middle or bottom row and follow what I did. You will be glad you did so you could experience this wonderful ride! After we rode Soarin our FP’s were ready to use for Living with the Land. I wanted to go on this ride because I am very big into eating organic (that’s what we eat at home) and I like to see how Disney is using innovative ways to grow the fruits and veggies they use for our meals. I also got a surprise to learn they have a fish farm too (you can see part of that on the ride). While we were riding some lucky people who were doing the Behind the Seeds Tour were walking behind one of the fish tanks there. That tour looks interesting and I would maybe look into doing it next time I am there. All in all, the ride was very informative and I highly recommend it if you are at all interested in that kind of stuff.

After we got off the ride we were HUNGRY!!! DBF wanted to see the British Invasion play so we headed to UK to have lunch and wait for the show. We had fish and chips at Yorkshire County Fish shop. The food was very good, although a bit too greasy for me. I have a stomach condition that doesn’t allow me to eat lots of grease so I was a bit weary of it, but I ate it and felt fine. Definitely a good quick bite if you are hungry and don’t feel like eating anything fancy. All they serve there is fish and chips.

We then watched British Invasion, which is essentially a Beatles cover band. They play in the gazebo in the garden in the back of the UK. There are benches there to sit and it is nice to relax and watch them play. You need to get there fairly early though as it got crowded right before the show. Also, the band only plays about 5 songs per show, however every show they play different songs so try to catch them more than once if you can. It is really a treat! Here is a pic of the band, however it isn’t that close up:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0238.jpg
Oh, I forgot to mention, while we were waiting to watch the band, we saw Eeyore peek his head out of one of the windows of the shops in UK. We then saw him, Tigger, Pooh, and Mary Poppins head out to greet people on the street. The characters were waving at us, it was very cute!

We walked around WS some more and caught a cute side show in UK called ‘King Arthur and the Holy Grail’, very entertaining! We then wandered over to Italy and we got Frozen Caramelcinnos---YUM! It was getting late and we had an ADR at Whispering Canyon Café at the Wilderness Lodge so we headed back to the Dolphin to get ready for dinner. We actually got off the boat at the Boardwalk and walked as it was much quicker to do that than to sit on the boat until it got to the Dolphin. Once back at the hotel, the lobby was done and I knew pixie dust had been sprinkled on me! But the feeling didn’t last for long…..

Next up, I promise I will tell you why the maid service is weird at the Dolphin and the rest of our night involving Whispering Canyon and EMH Evening at MK!

[tammyandtommy]

Loving youre trip report! Cant wait to hear about the maid service! LOL

[dwheatl]

Loving youre trip report! Cant wait to hear about the maid service! LOL

I feel special, because I KNOW! :ssst:

[ericafny]

Day Three (Part 2) – I :love: the Wilderness Lodge!

So we get back to the Dolphin and enter our room. We still hadn’t called bell services to bring our luggage up so we do so and relax a little before dinner. I decided to write down our confirmation number for our ADR at Whispering Canyon Café so I went to look for our itinerary which contained just that along with our entire trip planned out. Hmm…I could have sworn I left it on the table next to the t.v. And how come there is a new soap in the soap dish next to the sink when I clearly washed my hands before we left for Epcot and removed the soap from the box. For a slight moment I thought Ashton Kutcher was going to come out and tell me I had been Punked. I realized that the maid had come to service our room while we were at Epcot. I also realized that while she was cleaning our room, she threw away my itinerary which contained all of my ADR times and confirmation numbers along with our entire trip planned out to the very last minute of the very last day. NO NO NO NO NO!!!! I immediately called guest services and asked why our room was serviced by the maid when we had JUST CHECKED IN??? She apologized and said she would speak with the housekeeping manager to let him know what had happened. She then transferred me to the Disney desk at the Dolphin so I could get my ADR confirmation #’s and times. The woman I spoke with at the Disney desk was very un-Disney like. She was short with me and rude. When she finished giving me my ADR info. I asked if I could speak with the housekeeping manager and she asked ‘why?’ in a very snotty tone. She then said she would transfer me back to guest services and I got the same lady I had spoken to before. She wouldn’t let me speak with the housekeeping manager either and told me that while I was on the phone with Disney dining she had spoken to the manager…and if you believe that folks I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn…anyways I wasn’t going to let a small snafu like that ruin my trip so I decided that we would slightly ‘wing-it’ the rest of the trip and do what we feel. This plan turned out wonderfully as you will continue to read…

So we left our hotel around 7:15 and hoped the bus to MK to then get the boat to Wilderness Lodge for our 8:40pm ADR at Whispering Canyon Café. I had wanted to eat here because I saw a special on the Travel Channel on the Wilderness Lodge and they featured the Whispering Canyon Café on it. I thought the restaurant looked really fun so and I made my ADR right after the special aired. DBF didn’t know much about the restaurant but trusts my judgment. Once we arrived at the WL, I was completely taken away by this hotel. I think I feel in love that night, with a hotel! The walk from the boat to the main building is so authentic I really felt like I was in the woods. Once inside the main building I cannot even begin to describe the lobby. It is gorgeous! Here are some pics (but they really do not do it justice):
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0240.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0242.jpg
We checked in with the hostess at WCC and were given a pager and she told us we would have the next available table for two. We sat down in the lobby and just vegged. I don’t know what it was about that hotel but I felt so relaxed! I could sit in that lobby for hours and hours. After about 20 minutes we got paged and our table was ready. I was slightly disappointed when we were walking to our table, but we got seated in the back room of the restaurant, not in the main room where all the shenanigans go on. Oh well, I could still hear it and if I really wanted to I could get up and watch it. We were however seated right next to a lovely fireplace. After we were sitting there for a little bit, a boy came over and was looking at the fireplace. I asked him what he was looking for and he said there is a hidden Mickey on the fireplace. We helped him look but couldn’t’ find it. Our waiter than came over and told us we would have to get down low to look for the Mickey. I quickly found it after he gave me that clue but I couldn’t find the little boy. I hope he went back to look for it…

On to the meal. We did not get the skillet because I only eat poultry and would not eat ¾ of the skillet meal. I did however get the roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and apples. I got a salad for an appy. DBF got meatloaf and he also had a salad. We both got beers which went really nicely with the meal. The food was soooo delicious and I truly enjoyed it. The mashed potatoes are the best I have ever had (I am seriously not kidding here!). The only problem I had was that I think I filled up too much on the cornbread they give you before your meal comes out. Needless to say we were stuffed to the gills when we were done with dinner.

After dinner we headed out to one of the porches and sat on some wooden rocking chairs and relaxed a bit taking in the breathtaking scenery. I almost did not want to leave but alas EMH evening at the MK was calling my name. We walked to the boats and got to catch the electric water parade on our way back to MK. How cool is this show? Does anyone have info on which hotels are able to see this and what is the best viewing spot? I remember my first time in Disney (I was 7) we stayed at the Contemporary and we had a balcony and we could see this from our balcony. It was as awesome as I remembered it!

Once at MK we arrived right at 11pm when the EMH was starting. I hightailed it through Main Street because I knew Spectro was starting and we weren’t going to watch it tonite (we had it sloted for another night) and we headed straight for Adventureland. I could not wait to ride Pirates and the wait was only 20 minutes! After Pirates we realized we needed our EMH bracelets and were able to get them right outside the ride in the Plaza. (It’s less crowded over here than it is on Main Street so if you don’t mind waiting to get your bracelet get it there). After Pirates we managed to cross into Frontierland right as they were beginning to not let people cross. I could see the parade in the distance and was glad to cross into Frontierland and not get stuck waiting for it to cross. We thought we would be able to get on either SM or BTMR but both had a wait time of 40 minutes. Bummer. We walked along the river and caught glimpses of the parade as we made our way to Liberty Square. This was the second parade of the night and there were plenty of spots open in Frontierland to watch. If you don’t mind waiting till the second parade and watching it from Frontierland, I would say you probably could get a good seat with a very little wait time. We used this to our advantage on our last night.

We walked right onto HM, and I must say I love this ride! I think it is so much fun and there is always something new to look at. I think the ride was malfunctioning though because we got stuck at the very end when that small woman says good bye or whatever she says ‘come back soon’. Very weird.

By this time it was midnight and we were both exhausted. We headed back to the Dolphin and were looking forward to tomorrow as we were both getting massages at the Mandara Spa! I surprised DBF with this and told him about it that day. What a great girlfriend I am!

Next is my review of Mandara Spa and Fantasmic Dinner Package!

[dwheatl]

Great pictures of the WL. Can't wait to see and hear more. :thumbsup2

[DizneyNutz]

Oh my gosh----this post just does my heart good!

The DH and I planned our "once in a lifetime trip" several years ago---I wanted to stay somewhere less expensive (I am the $ cruncher in our unit) and he said, "look, we may NEVER get to do this again, so let's do it right!) and so WL was our resort of choice.

We've been 4 times (coming up on five in as many years) I can honestly say that 3 of the 4 were spent at WL and one at DBL tree suites...and while I will NEVER say that DBL tree suites wasn't nice, it was, the rooms were BIGGER, but it wasn't WL. I fell in love with that place upon sight and have never gotten over it!

It is an awesome place, when you get back there at night so pooped that you can hardly function, it's like "coming home!"

No other place short of home, can make you feel that way!

[__disneygirl]

Thanks for this great trip report! I enjoy the way you write. Can't wait to read more :thumbsup2

I agree about the WL. It is amazing there. We had breakfast at WCC and I can not wait to go back. :goodvibes

[ericafny]

Oh my gosh----this post just does my heart good!

The DH and I planned our "once in a lifetime trip" several years ago---I wanted to stay somewhere less expensive (I am the $ cruncher in our unit) and he said, "look, we may NEVER get to do this again, so let's do it right!) and so WL was our resort of choice.

We've been 4 times (coming up on five in as many years) I can honestly say that 3 of the 4 were spent at WL and one at DBL tree suites...and while I will NEVER say that DBL tree suites wasn't nice, it was, the rooms were BIGGER, but it wasn't WL. I fell in love with that place upon sight and have never gotten over it!

It is an awesome place, when you get back there at night so pooped that you can hardly function, it's like "coming home!"

No other place short of home, can make you feel that way!

I am trying to convince DBF to stay there next trip...he is the money cruncher in out family!

[ericafny]

Thanks for this great trip report! I enjoy the way you write. Can't wait to read more :thumbsup2

Thanks! I should be posting the next installment either tonite or tomorrow morning :sunny:

[ericafny]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to let you know I have not forgotten about my TR...I am going to try to have another installment up tonite. Hang in there...

[ericafny]

Day Four – Ahhhh Mandara Spa!

(sorry this one took me so long to write...and it doesn't have any pics...more pics to come soon though...)

We allowed ourselves to sleep in today since this was our designated ‘relaxation day’. I guess you could call it our overindulgence day too because we caved in and ordered room service for breakfast. For around $45 including tax and tip here is what we got: Manhattan breakfast which includes bagel, smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, red onion, and some crumbled hardboiled egg bits. Heavenly Pancakes with strawberries and syrup. Two OJ’s (fresh squeezed of course!). Was it good? Not really. I definitely would not do that again but I figured we are on vacation and today was a kind of lazy day so what the hay! :confused3

We ate our breakfast on our balcony, which was very nice. At around 11am we got dressed and walked around the hotel a little bit. Our massages were not scheduled until 12pm so we figured we would explore the hotel since we didn’t get a chance to do that yesterday. We walked around the whole pool area and then walked around the lobby. Before we knew it, it was 11:45 and we needed to get ourselves to the spa!

Now this was a surprise for DBF and I only told him the day before that we were getting massages. Both of us had never had a massage and were extremely excited for the experience. I opted for separate massages, as it was cheaper than the couples massage.

The spa is very tranquil and they try their best to really make you feel at home. Once you check in you are lead to a locker room and are given a robe and slippers to change into. They tell you to dress to your comfort level. Once you have done that you are then taken to the waiting area where water with fresh citrus is waiting for you. You are then instructed to fill out a small questionnaire which is used by the therapist to get a better picture of your body and what areas to concentrate on. We both had Swedish massages and I got the add on foot scrub and DBF got the Frangipani scalp massage add on.

The massage was wonderful, especially the foot scrub after walking all day at the parks! I would definitely get one again. DBF enjoyed his as well and said the scalp massage was the best part. After your massage you are lead into what they call a ‘meditation room’. There you are able to have some water or tea and relax. The room overlooks the pool area of the Dolphin. The only thing I didn’t like about this part was there was a boy of about 10 playing his video game in there. Not that I do not like children, however when I am getting a massage (which is definitely a grown up thing to get) and I am relaxing afterwards, I definitely do not want to be around a little boy playing his video game. Since I was not able to fully meditate in the mediation room I headed back to the locker room to sit in the sauna and told DBF I would meet him in 15 minutes.

All in all I would say that my experience at the spa was very rewarding and I would definitely go back. The only thing I didn’t like was the sales tactics that are used at the end when you pay and I was swindled into buying some massage gel for $53! Whatever, I’m on vacation, right?

After all of that relaxing and pampering, we were hungry so decided to check out Cabana Bar and Grill by the pool. Since it was Saturday, the place was busy (but we got a table right away) and there was a DJ at the pool playing music and doing games with the kids (see, I like kids!) I ordered a Caesar salad and a drink called ‘the Caribbean’ (Limon liquor and pineapple juice---very yummy!) and DBF got the veggie wrap and a Corona. We didn’t want to eat a big lunch because we had a 4:45 ADR for Mama Melrose and the FDP.

I want to say that we ate at the Cabana Grill three times during our stay and each time the service was excellent and the food was delicious! I highly recommend it! :thumbsup2

Once we had our light lunch, we laid by the pool for a little bit and soaked up some sun. Before we knew it though, we had to get back to the room to get ready for dinner and Fantasmic!

We showered up and hopped on the boat to MGM. We got to the park at 4:15 and had plenty of time to get to Mama Melrose. I had to look at a map because I had no idea where the restaurant was! In fact, I know I have walked past it but never noticed it before…it is pretty hidden, right near Pizza Planet.

I have to say this was my least favorite meal while at WDW. Since we did the package we only got to order off of a limited menu. You are given a salad to share (which was mediocre at best), ‘flat bread’, which is pretty much a personal pizza, and then each person gets to pick an entrée. We got some kind of basil pesto flat bread which was not very good at all and we both got chicken parm. I thought the chicken was dry and the food was not very good. For dessert we each got gelato, I got the chocolate (of course) and DBF got vanilla.

After our mediocre dinner we had lots of time to kill before our 8:30 arrival for Fantasmic. I wanted to do Little Mermaid and DBF didn’t care so off we went to wait for the next show. Cute show, as always. Some idiots were taking pictures during the first seen with Sebastian (even though they clearly tell you not too), but all in all it was fun. I got some soap from the bubbles in my eye (I was sitting on the end and it dripped on me) so parents beware, do not let the little tykes sit on the end (see once again, I am thinking of the kiddies!). After Voyage we hit up the Great Movie Ride. Our tour guide wasn’t too enthusiastic and we were in the back so I pretty much just took in the scenery and didn’t pay too much attention to the storyline. I don’t mind this ride and think it’s a good respite from the heat and humidity.

At about 8:15 we headed to the special entrance for the FDP people and entered the Fantasmic theater. I felt so special going to this entrance and I will say that the FDP is DEFINITLY worth it. We only had to wait about 30 min for the show and we were fourth row! If you are willing to pay for the dinner package I say do it, you will be happy you did when you are walking into the theater and the massive crowds are waiting outside to get in.

The show was spectacular as usual and I have to say it is my favorite show at the World. Once the show was over we headed back to the Dolphin via the Friendship boats and yet another magical day comes to an end…

Stay tuned for MGM during the day and another nite at MK! :wizard:

[BeautyNBeast]

Oooohhh....massages...that sounds wonderful! ;)

Your report sounds great, Cannot wait to read more

[dwheatl]

Loving your TR. You got me sidetracked. I started day-dreaming about a couples day at a spa, and I clicked on one of the links below for a Calistoga spa. I think you've started something here.

[ericafny]

Loving your TR. You got me sidetracked. I started day-dreaming about a couples day at a spa, and I clicked on one of the links below for a Calistoga spa. I think you've started something here.

Oh forget it, I am already planning our next 'spa adventure' when we go on vacation next year! It is a sublime experience :)

[ericafny]

Day Five (Part 1) – Youse Guys Moichendise

After our relaxing day at the spa it was back to the old heave-ho and the alarm went off at 7:00am. We got ourselves ready and headed down to Picabu for breakfast. We both had eggs (and I got my 20% AAA discount!) and I had Starbucks coffee (yum!).

We got to the boat dock and what do you know---the boat is pulling up and it is going to MGM—yeah! We arrived at MGM at a little after 9am and we immediately headed to get an FP for ToT. After that we noticed there was a 15 minute wait for RnRc and me being the nervous nelly that I am hesitated but finally got in line. Now if you would have known me in my teen years, you would think I am a different person! I used to be the one who went on all the crazy/spinny/twirly/loopdey-loo rides, however now in my old age (haha) I can not so much take a good old corkscrew loop without feeling like I might loose my lunch. I have been on RnRc before, but I was getting nervous now that we were standing in line because it was only 9:25 and I did not want to get sick the rest of the day! But I did want to ride, so of course my Id won that battle.

After the ride was over, I forget why I was so nervous because it is AWESOME as usual! A bit queasy, but not too bad so I head to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face and DBF snapped this pic:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0256.jpg
I needed a little rest before we hit ToT so we sat down on a bench to relax. I started to smell cigarette smoke and realized we were sitting in a designated smoking section. Disney should really put more signage up to alert people about this. I don’t mind if people smoke, but I would like to not be around it. Here is one thing that does bother me, and if I get flamed for it so be it but here goes: While we were sitting in the smoking section (unbeknownst to us, of course) there was a family of four, two small children no older than 5 and two parents and both the parents were smoking. Blowing smoke in their kids faces and just smoking right next to them. I just can not stand when parents smoke around their kids. Not only are they teaching their kids that smoking is OK and possibly influencing them to start smoking at a young age, they are also poisoning their small lungs. If you have kids and you smoke at least smoke away from them so they do not have to breath in those toxins…ok I am done now.

Once we ‘rested’ we headed to the ToT entrance but noticed we still had 5 minutes before we could enter with our FP’s. We stood outside to wait. Just then one of the bellhops come over to us and in a freaky tone of voice says ‘why are you waaaaaiting?’. I showed him my FP and said ‘because it isn’t time yet’. He then proceeded to let us go, a few minutes before we were supposed to. I know that may screw up the FP system, but I thought it was nice/funny and it was a little pixie dust sprinkled our way!

After a very funny ride on ToT we headed to Muppet Vision 3D (which is always a great show, it brings me back to when I used to watch the Muppet Show on t.v. when I was a kid) and then after that we went to stand in the extremely hot line that is for the Lights, Motors, Action Stunt show. It was 11:15 and the show didn’t start until 11:50 but if I tell you how many people were already there and waiting you would not believe me! A word of advice: try to see the latest show possible and get there early. It is extremely hot in the queue area and it fills up quickly! If they have a late afternoon show take advantage of that when the sun is setting and it is getting a little bit cooler out.

We had never seen this show and I thought it was very interesting. I didn’t really like the ‘filler’ stuff they show like clips from action movies in the beginning, but still I enjoyed the show and would see it again. Here are some pics from the show:
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0258.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0260.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0266.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d26/ericafny/IMG_0267.jpg
After the show we were hungry for some lunch so we walked across the way to the Flatbread Grill. I thought it may be crowded because the show just let out and it was lunchtime but on the contrary it wasn’t so crowded. Plus, its covered and pretty cool in there. We both got the chicken Caesar wrap and I have to say it was very good. It wasn’t really a wrap though, it was in a pita. Whatever it was it was pretty tasty and a good light lunch in the Florida heat!

It was a little after 1 and the Indiana Jones Stunt show was going to start at 1:30pm. The next show wasn’t until 3:30 so we really wanted to try to catch this one so we hightailed it over to the theater. On our way we passed by the backlot streets and passed an outside store titled ‘Youse Guys Moichendise’. We both thought that was hysterical because we are NY’ers and we think its funny when people make fun of the way we talk (not that we really talk like that!) We just made the 1:30 show and they cut off the people standing in line a few people behind us due to the theater being full. YES! We sat all the way on the far right of the theater and by the top (easy exit) yet we still had a pretty good view of the show. The show was OK and DBF seemed to enjoy it a lot more than I did. I am not a big fan of Indie so for me it was just a stunt show. I did like the LMA show much better though.

Once done with the show the heat was getting to be too much for me so we grabbed some churros (my favorite snack!) and hopped the boat back to the Dolphin to go swimming to cool off.

That cool off was just what I needed because by 5pm I was ready to get back out there and go for more theme park action! We showered up and headed to the Boardwalk for dinner. We didn’t have specific plans for dinner so we decided to go check out some of the restaurants there and see what we like. Tonite was EMH at MK and we needed all the energy we could get! We decided on Big River Grill because it was not crowded and the menu looked interesting. Plus I wanted to try their beer that they brew onsite. I noticed that it was 6pm and the restaurant had plenty of tables. Go early if you don’t want to wait! The dinner was pretty good. I got the light lager as my beverage and DBF got the Pilsner. I liked mine, it had a smooth taste and rivaled some beers on the market today. DBF said his wasn’t ‘that special’ and decided he would stick with Coronas from now on…go figure! For dinner I had the hazelnut crusted chicken which came with veggies and mashed potatoes. The portions were very large and it was way too much food for me (plus I got a salad for appy). DBF got a burger and wanted fries with it (the menu said it comes with chips). Our server said they do not serve fries, or anything fried for that matter, at the restaurant so DBF settled on some mashed potatoes instead.

After dinner there was a very dark rain cloud hanging over the world and we were contemplating chancing it or going back to the hotel….

Did we go back or did we go ahead with the original plan? Find out next time…

[tammyandtommy]

thanks for the update, Tom wants to try the brewery restaurant but he drags me to sooo many im thinking of nixing this one on our must do list! LOL Keep it coming I love youre reports!

[ericafny]

thanks for the update, Tom wants to try the brewery restaurant but he drags me to sooo many im thinking of nixing this one on our must do list! LOL Keep it coming I love youre reports!

The Big River Grill is pretty good and I would say try it if you have a night where nothing else is planned. The food was pretty good! Like my report said, DBF and I did not agree on the beer. I liked it, he thought it was alright.

Thanks for the comments! I will have the next report up soon. I just got a promotion at work :Pinkbounc but now that means more work (go figure :confused3 ) Hopefully by tomorrow I will get the next part posted...

[dwheatl]

I'm with you on the smoking thing. I teach elementary school and I feel so bad for kids reeking of smoke from the family smoking around them.
We missed LMA because we waited for the late afternoon show and it go rained out. Who knew?

[ericafny]

Day Five (Part 2) – I’m Not Gonna Let It Rain On My Vacation!

I know this has taken me a LONG time to post but its worth it (I promise!)

So here we are at the Boardwalk, big dark rain cloud threatening to ruin our night at MK. We are minutes from our hotel and think, well we can just go back and have a relaxing night, maybe get a few drinks at the bar…or we can chance it and go to MK and hope the rain steers away some of the crowds. We decided to chance it and head over to the MK bus stop at the Boardwalk. The bus comes and as soon as we get on it starts to POUR. I had started to second guess our decision and when the bus pulled into the Dolphin stop I thought maybe we should get off here. It was one of those rain storms where everything gets dark and the wind picks up (hey doesn’t that sound like a hurricane???). :confused3

Have no fear though, once we arrived at MK the rain had subsided and the only trace of the storm was the huge puddles that were on the ground. :Pinkbounc YES! At this point it was about 8 and we knew the parade would be starting in an hour. I didn’t want to get caught up in the parade crowd (don’t worry, we eventually take time to watch it another night!) because I was on a mission to ride some of my all time favorites and new not so favorites at MK. We decided to stay in the Fantasyland/Liberty Square/Frontierland area, as even if the parade is moving through you can somewhat maneuver your way from one land to the next if you stay on that side of the parade route. We entered Fantasyland, and grabbed FP’s for Pooh. The jury is still out for me on this ride as I have very fond memories of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride from when I was a kid and was very sad when they took it away. Don’t get me wrong, I love Pooh, but couldn’t they have kept MTWR and added Pooh somewhere else?!?

Doesn’t matter now. So we got our FP’s and then waited in line for Snow White’s Scary Adventures. When I was little this ride was just named ‘Snow White’s Adventures’ and my dad took me on it and I totally freaked out in the beginning of the ride when the queen turns around and she is the old lady. I think Disney quickly realized they need to change the name and include the word ‘scary’ in there somewhere as even as an adult that still freaks me out! I do though enjoy this ride and find myself laughing the entire way through! After the ride we headed over to Frontierland and grabbed a FP for Big Thunder, then went back to Fantasyland to ride Pooh. Let me just stop right here for a minute and say this: we are two adults who are in average shape. This plan would not be possible if you have kids, a larger party, or someone who requires special assistance. The park was VERY crowded at this point especially since the parade was about to start. I do not recommend doing what we did unless you are able (and willing for that matter) to run from one land to the next through swarms of people.

OK, on with the report. So off we go back into Fantasyland. Forget what those ‘experts’ say that when the parade is about to start you will be able to get on most of the rides without a long wait. I don’t agree. Fantasyland was PACKED. I don’t know if it was because of the rain storm earlier and now people are making up for lost time, but even though we had FP’s for Pooh we still waited 20 minutes! We rode Pooh and it is enjoyable, the ‘trippy’ part where Pooh is dreaming is a little odd and I always look for where Pooh is being handed the deed from is it Mr. Toad(?) but I can’t seem to find it!

After Pooh the parade had started and we somehow managed to make it to Frontierland unscathed and ready to ride BTMR! I like riding this at night better than the day, I think it adds to the atmosphere of the ride. We flashed our FP’s and rode ‘the wildest ride in the wilderness’. While on the ride I could see parts of Spectro passing by. That was pretty darn cool!

After Big Thunder the parade had ended and we kind of wanted to stay for Wishes but I didn’t feel like dealing with the large crowds after the show. We decided to save Wishes for our last night (part of our original plan) and head on back to the Dolphin and beat the crowds. Plus, the sky didn’t look too promising for Tinkerbell that night and Wishes just isn’t complete without her flying out and lighting the fireworks!

We got back to the Dolphin in record time and I was in the mood for some ice cream! The Dolphin has a great counter service ice cream stand right next to the Dolphin Fountain restaurant. The ice cream was delicious and a perfect end to another perfect day! When we got back to the room I went out on the balcony and could see some of the fireworks used in Fantasmic. Definitely a cool site to see!

Stay tuned for tomorrow…we brave Blizzard Beach and do Epcot and AK that evening!

[ericafny]

This has been a long time coming, so enjoy...

Day Six – Blizzard Beach/Epcot/’We’re not gonna make it, we’re not gonna make it’ (AK)

So today we decided to brave a waterpark. I say ‘brave’ because I do not really like waterparks and DBF doesn’t like waiting on line for 45 minutes in the blazing sun while holding a 2 person tube…

We got up at 7 and since we were going to be in the water all day, no fussing was had this morning over hair and makeup and whatever else I fuss over. Breakfast at the usual spot-Picabu and off we were to BB. We arrived there at 9:15 and I must say that it wasn’t that crowded. It was morning EMH and I thought for sure we were screwed by arriving so late. Not so!

We had no idea where any slides were as I had only been there once (about 9 years ago) and DBF had never been there. So we threw our stuff in a locker and began to walk. We hit the Double Dipper first and waited only 5 minutes for that. I liked this one and thought it was really really fun! We did the double-tube slide. After DD, we hit up Snow Stormers and again only waited 10 minutes. We headed over to the red slopes after Snow Stormers and rode the double raft ride there (not sure what it was called). After this we wanted a little break and I wanted to ride the chair lift! I was definitely not planning on going on Summit Plummit or the other ginormous slide there, but I was curious about Teamboat Springs so I talked DBF into getting on the pretty long line for the chair life up to Mt. Gushmore. The line moved pretty quickly but since we were two they stuck a third person with us from the single rider line. I guess that’s why the line moves so quickly. The girl we rode with was nice, from the UK. She said she had been on Summit Plummit a few times and I told her there was no way I was going to go on that thing!

Once off the chairlift we headed to Teamboat Springs. Unfortunately we encountered a sign that stated this ride is for 4 or more people ONLY. What a bummer. How come we get penalized for only having 2 people in our party?!? Hmmf.

So there we were on top of Mt. Gushmore, and for a tiny moment DBF got brave and thought he may tackle Summit Plummit, but then that moment passed and we walked down the steps of shame to the bottom of the mountain. Everyone was pointing and laughing and calling us ‘sissys’. OK, just kidding about that part. Once down the stairs we decided to take a relaxing ride on the river (I call it a lazy river because there is a waterpark near where I live and that is the name of it). It’s not called that, but I totally forgot what it was called, but you all know what I am talking about! After the river I wanted to do Double Dipper again but this time the line was about 45 minutes long. It was about 11 at this point and the park was VERY crowded now. We both threw in the towel (both literally and figuratively) and headed back to the Dolphin to relax at the pool and grab some lunch.

Once back, we had another satisfying lunch at Cabana Grill and hung out around the pool. It was seriously about 98 degrees out today and you could not stay outside for very long without frying. After about an hour I couldn’t take it anymore so we went back to the room, showered, and headed to Epcot to hang out there and grab some dinner later on.

We arrived at Epcot around 3 and since it was still sweltering outside sought refuge in Spaceship Earth for the second time. After SE, we headed to Universe of Energy and I was happy that we walked in right at the beginning of the preshow. I really like Ellen Degeneris and I think she is hilarious so I kind of enjoyed this ride! The last time I was on it was well over 10 years ago and I am impressed how they changed it to make it more interesting. I always knew it as ‘the dinosaur ride’ and I never fully appreciated the opportunity for learning this ride affords. After the ride I woke DBF up (he falls asleep on everything that is slow moving and in air conditioning!) and we headed to Test Track and grabbed some FP’s. They were for around 7 pm and at this point it was around 5 so we headed over to World Showcase to kill some time. Since we had an early lunch we decided to have an early dinner and decided on Yakitori House in Japan. We shared the sushi and Shrimp Tempura with Udon Noodle. The food was OK at best, however the place was empty and air conditioned! As we were walking out the Japanese Drummers were performing so we stayed to watch that for a bit.

We meandered a little while longer and ended up in Germany. I was happily looking at the trains when all of a sudden the wind picked up and the sky got really dark. The wind got stronger and stronger and the glass kiosk by the trains was having some problems with the glass breaking because the wind was so strong. I felt really bad for the women working there because they were trying their hardest to keep things at bay.

And then the rain came….and it rained…and rained…and we walked around the shops in Germany…and it rained….and rained….and we sat on a bench under an awning….and it rained…and rained…no sign of stopping. After almost 45 minutes, it was still raining, but lighter now so we donned our stylish ponchos and headed to Test Track to use our FP’s. No such luck as it had closed due to the rain and they were unsure as to whether they would be opening it again this evening. Oh well. Since it was AK EMH evening, we decided to head there and check out what rides were open. Ponchos on again, and off we were to the busses for AK.

I thought for sure there would not be a lot of things to do at AK EMH to begin with, but because of the rain there was hardly anything to do. Everest was closed and while it was only drizzling now, they kept saying it will not reopen until the rain completely stops. You should have seen the madness that was going on over there. We headed to Dinosaur and walked right on. They made us take our ponchos off before we entered the building which I thought was weird. Once again, Dinosaur was awesome! I seriously love this ride, I may be in the minority, but I love it! Since not much else was open, after Dinosaur we ventured over to the circus, err I mean, Chester and Hester’s Dinorama. I talked DBF into riding Primevil Whirl after I assessed the ride and determined the puke factor was a 2 on a scale of 1-5. We actually enjoyed the ride and rode it was a small girl and her mother.

I wanted to play a game so we walked around and played the racing game where you roll the ball into the holes. I won, but I felt bad that I beat a little kid (if that was your kid I am truly sorry) and I won a red and yellow frog which is sitting on top of my tv now. He is cute and a nice reminder of that night!

We walked over to Asia past the old Tarzan theater and noticed they were running Kali River Rapids. Definitly didn’t feel like going on that since we were just drenched in the rain storm and the temp had actually dropped quite a bit. The line was still out of control for EE and it was still not opened. Since I was a little chilly we stopped at my now favorite tea stand and got some hot tea. We walked around a little more and determined not much else was happening here at the AK so we headed back to the Dolphin. In my opinion, evening EMH at AK is definitely not worth it. Better off getting up early and doing morning EMH. AK is not meant to be enjoyed in the dark, its actually quite creepy.

On the bus ride home, my DBF met a former Yankee played (baseball) and was really excited. We decided to get off at the BC, and go to Beaches and Cream for a nightcap. This hotel is gorgeous and I am working on having us stay here on our next trip! The line for Beaches and Cream was extremely long and we were told we could not sit down in the sit down section for at least 20 min (even though there were 3 empty tables) so we said forget this and went to the Boardwalk and got ice cream at Seashore Sweets. Just as yummy and not as crowded!

And with that, our very long day ended…

Next up is MK and Epcot EMH.

[dwheatl]

I think you got ripped off on Teamboat Springs. When we rode, they put a couple in with us, so if you were willing to ride with strangers, you could have gone.
I love the UoE, too. Ellen is hysterical!

[ericafny]

I think you got ripped off on Teamboat Springs. When we rode, they put a couple in with us, so if you were willing to ride with strangers, you could have gone.

Thats kind of what I thought, but oh well....next time we will definitly try it!

[ericafny]

Day Seven – Crank up the temperature, we’re going to the Magic Kingdom (oh yeah and we also do Epcot EMH at night…)

So now is the part of the trip where we start to realize we have ran out of clothes. We woke up at 8 and headed down to the ‘launderette’ at the Dolphin to do a wash (or two). $2 for a load, are they kidding me??? After the clothes were in the washer, we decided to walk over to the Swan and have a nice sit down breakfast at the Garden Grove Café. It wasn’t a weekend (in fact it was Tuesday) and I knew there wouldn’t be a character breakfast, so that meant not crowded. And boy was I right! There was maybe 3 other families eating breakfast that morning. The restaurant has a very nice buffet, but we opted for the ‘American breakfast’ which consisted of eggs, some sort of meat (I opted for turkey bacon) and potatoes with your choice of bread. Very satisfying! Juice and coffee were not included in the rather hefty price, however let me tell you that this breakfast was way worth the price. It was the best breakfast I had had all trip! Way better than the cold eggs and toast they serve at Picabu.

After breakfast, we checked on our laundry and threw the clothes in the dryer, once again $2 for a spin in the dryer---insane! When I lived in Albany (during college) we had a Laundromat that had dryer cycles for 25 cents! Now those were the days!!! (also I guess since it is a resort and we are a captive audience they can charge whatever they want?!?) We had about 45 minutes more to kill so we walked around the resort some more and ended up near the convention center. I felt a little funny because we were obviously lost and there were all these ‘suits’ hanging around drinking coffee and talking on their cell phones. We eventually found our way back, retrieved our clean clothes, dropped them off in the room, and headed out to MK.

The bus took a very long time this morning, and this was the first time we had to wait for more than 10 minutes for the bus to come. It was also a scorcher today, definitely 100+ degrees with the humidity. Finally the bus came and we arrived at MK. Once through the gates we hopped on board the Walt Disney World Railroad (one of my faves!) and made our way to Frontierland. Now I have to say that since we had already been to MK two times at night before this day, we kind of got lazy and arrived rather late to the park. It was already past 11am when we boarded the railroad. This is definitely a disadvantage, as you will see if you read on. So remember, get there EARLY!!!

Once in Frontierland, we ran straight to Splash Mountain and the standby line was incredibly long (prob around 75 minutes or more) and the FP return time was 4:15-5:15---OUCH! What were we going to do? We grabbed a couple anyways, and thought it we decided to stay then we would ride, if not we would give our FP’s away. After that we headed to Tomorrowland and checked the wait time for Space Mountain….also extremely long, so we went on Tomorrowland Transit Authority (‘paging mr. morrow, mr. tom morrow’)…It was BRUTALLY hot out and I was not the happiest camper around. After our ride around Tomorrowland, I needed to be indoors, so we headed over to Philharmagic and with a 15 minute wait we hoped on line and immediately cooled off! While we were on line, there was a band (with horn instruments) playing songs for people. It was fun and really passed the time! Everyone in the line was singing and dancing. I love this show, it is extremely entertaining. I think I like it because it includes a lot of the famous Disney movies. Whatever it is it is one of my top things to do at the World!

After Philharmagic it was time to eat lunch so we headed over to Columbia Harbor House, as I had heard great things about that place on these boards. And I know my fellow DISers would not be wrong! It was mildly crowded, however I ventured upstairs for a table and there were plenty. Tip for parents with little ones: there is a bathroom located in the restaurant so once you are done eating make sure you utilize that before heading back out into the crowds! The food was good, I got chicken fingers and fries, and DBF got the chicken/fish combo with fries. We both enjoyed it! Once we were done eating it was time to grab another FP so we got one for Space Mountain. At this point, we really didn’t know what to do with ourselves and DBF suggested Hall of Presidents. What was I to say? So off we went to the ever exciting Hall of Presidents. It was 30 minutes to the next show---lucky us! So we strolled through some of the shops around there and then DBF strolled around the waiting area of the show. He likes this kind of stuff, I on the other hand could care less. Finally we were let into the theater, which by the way needs a serious rehab. The seats were sunken in and it smelled rather musty. YICK! The show was OK, mostly a history lesson which I guess is good for the little ones. The presidents look very real and its fun to watch what each of them does on stage. I guess it was a good rest from the heat too. Well thank goodness for the Hall of Presidents because it killed so much time that our FP’s for Splash Mountain were now ready to be used, yippee!!!

Off we went to Splash, and I was as excited as a little girl. I like this ride because it reminds me of my childhood. My dad took me on it the first time we went to Disney and I remember him singing the song to me. It holds a special place in my memory. The ride was fun, but we didn’t really get wet. We were sitting in the back, so I am not sure if that has anything to do with it. We got stuck between scenes at the end, and the boats were all backed up. They made that announcement that they always make about Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit causing trouble down stream. I am wondering if they had some technical difficulties or not. Either way it was only for a minute or so and then we were off the ride.

Since our FP’s for Space Mountain were almost ready to be used, we hoped on the railroad (again!) and took it to Toontown Fair. This is actually a really quick way to get to Tomorrowland. Once off the train, you don’t even have to walk into Toontown Fair, you can just walk along this walkway and follow the signs to Tomorrowland—very convenient!

We got on the FP line for SM, however it moved almost as slow as the standby line. We still waited about 25 min to get on the ride. Not sure what was going on with the FP system that day but it was definitely not working properly. After our bumpy, yet fun ride on SM we dragged our tired butts back to the hotel but no time for rest and relaxation, it was EMH at Epcot and I had to get in another ride on Test Track!

We got back to the hotel and took some much needed showers. We then quickly walked over to Epcot, this time walking through the Boardwalk (which is a very quick route). We arrived around 7:30 and as we were coming over the bridge into the UK, British Invasion was playing! We stopped to watch those guys play as they are pretty good! We then grabbed our writbands for EMH and headed to the land to see if by chance the wait for Soarin would be a short one. No such luck---75 min wait. WOW. Definitely not waiting on that line, and it said there wouldn’t be any FP’s issued for EMH either, so scratch that idea of the to-do list. Since we were at the Land, we decided to have dinner at Sunshine Seasons. The food was pretty good, although the lines were long. I got some Asian influenced food which included white rice, broccoli with garlic, and noodles. I could have gotten some sort of meat with it but I opted out and the girl behind the counter gave me the dishes as three separate side dishes because she said it was cheaper---thanks! DBF had a sandwich and he said it was good.

After dinner it was 8:45 so we headed to Test Track and wait in line for the FP machines to open at 9 for EMH. Well, we weren’t the only ones who had this idea. I think the park at this point was divided into two crowds, the ones waiting to watch Illuminations, and the ones waiting in line for a FP for Test Track (this was the ONLY ride that was offering FP’s for EMH). They opened the machines well after 9 and a few of them broke. Go figure! We were luckily on one that didn’t break and got FP’s for 10:20-11:20…ARG! Now what do we do? Oh, I have an idea—lets go on Spaceship Earth for the gazillionth time---great! And so we did, we went on that slow moving, kind of fascinating, and boring towards the end ride. After that we relaxed and people watched for half an hour by the fountain. It was very relaxing and at night it looks very pretty. Finally it was time to ride Test Track and it was super awesome this time! I like riding at night, I think it goes faster….

We headed back to the Dolphin and I just had to get a brownie at Picabu. It was delicious!

Next up is getting nauseous at Islands of Adventure and the high in the sky trolley train is in fact, pretty high!

[dwheatl]

Hey, were people dancing when the British Invasion was there? People were sitting like they were listening to Beethoven instead of the Beatles when we were there. We were across the way in one of the stores, and when we came out the music stopped; otherwise, I would have been out there shaking a leg. :banana:

[ericafny]

Yes there were people dancing and a really drunk dude pole dancing...hmmm... :rotfl:

I forgot to write about that in the report but u just reminded me!

[dwheatl]

Yes there were people dancing and a really drunk dude pole dancing...hmmm... :rotfl:

I forgot to write about that in the report but u just reminded me!

Well, I'm sorry I missed that...I think.

[ericafny]

I finally wrote another installment, although I think Danielle is the only one still reading this...

Day Eight – I’m just not a Universal kind of gal

So today was the day we would go to Universal. Since we did Universal Studios last year, we decided to do Islands of Adventure this year until I found a special AAA was running for a 2 park/1-day pass. I jumped on that and figured we would go to both.

We woke up around 7:00am and since we were pressed for time (rent-a-car needed to be picked up at 8:00am) we had a quick breakfast in the lobby where the bar is. Not bad, I had a bagel and DBF had a muffin. It was us and those ‘business people’. After that we headed to the Alamo desk in the lobby and picked up our snazzy ride. It actually wasn’t that snazzy although it was a little sporty. I think it was a chevy of some sort…maybe an aveo? I dunno, but it served its purpose!

Off in the rental car we go. DBF drove and I co-piloted since I am very good with directions. We made it to US/IOA in about 15-20min (around 8:45) and the park opened at 9:00am. There were lots of people in the parking lot which didn’t seem like a good sign to me. As you will see if you read on, that is no indication of the crowd level at all. Anyways since we were eager to do IOA we headed in that direction first. Now I have done IOA pre-DBF and kind of knew what to do first. So we immediately headed to Spiderman, as I remember that being a popular, and very entertaining ride! There was no line and we walked right on. DBF didn’t even get a chance to take in some of the props that are set up in the queue area. The ride was not as good as I remember (could age be getting the best of me?) and afterwards I was slightly disappointed. I also felt kind of embarrassed as I had talked up what a great ride it was to DBF and he thought it was good but the spinning part didn’t sit well with him. After our ride with Spidey, we headed to the section where all the water rides are. We hit up Pluto’s raft ride and were the ONLY people on the raft. Yup! It was a little eerie and I was beginning to think that attendance at Universal just isn’t what it used to be. The ride was fun though and we got soaked. Definitely better than Kali Rapids if you ask me (please don’t flame me!)…After our ride and since we were soaked to the bone we figured we may as well stay that way and hit up Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls. Now the queue for this was definitely creepy because we were the only people on it. I swear. The worker at the ride looked at us like she hadn’t seen people in a year. OK, maybe I am exaggerating but we were the only people on the ride. The ride was fun, but the themeing is slightly off. The story line is hard to follow and I don’t know Dudley Do-Right from a hole in the wall and I can’t imagine your average American kid would either so for me this was just another log flume...oh yeah and a wanna-be Splash Mountain. After that we headed to Jurassic Park, which I remember really liking last time I was here. Once again, no wait and off we were on our quiet river adventure…I know I know, but I don’t want to spoil it for the rest of those folks! Once again, hard to follow the story line, seemed a bit rushed and just waiting for the ‘big’ finish. The end does and always will freak me out and I ducked as we went down the hill (I’m such a chicken!). We didn’t get too wet on that one but that’s OK cause we were starting to dry off at this point. I wanted to check out more of Jurassic Park but we couldn’t go on those flyer things in the sky because we were too big (go figure!) and I wasn’t in the mood to ask any parents if I could borrow their kid for 20 minutes. So off we headed towards what would be our worst decision of the day…

We headed into the Lost Continent with distant screams coming from afar. DBF looks straight up and points to it—that massive entangled structure, one side blue, one side red, both sides equally frightening. Now let me give you a little back history on good old Erica here. I used to be the rollercoaster QUEEN. I would go on every single coaster imaginable. I have even been on Dueling Dragons and loved it. Now in my ‘old’ age I am becoming a chicken and also not fond of anything that spins, loops, or gyrates in any sort of unnatural motion. Well, the Id once again took over and there we were on line for the coaster. After careful surveying and inspection, I choose Fire as I concluded it wasn’t as ‘loopy’ as its counterpart Ice. There was hardly a wait (maybe about 10 min) and then we were on the ride. It starts out smooth, calm, and quite enjoyable. Then, out of nowhere, the first loop comes and the coaster gets faster, and faster, and loops, and twists, and corkscrews, and drops, and twists…well you get the picture. Once the ride was over DBF and I looked at each other and we both knew….we were sick from the ride. Oh how lovely it is to get off of a rollercoaster and feel like your head was just bashed in. The park didn’t stop spinning. I was walking sideways. Poor DBF needed to sit down and there was no where to do it! We somehow made our way over to a small area with tables and chairs. The stand we were sitting near was closed but there was a cart to our right that was selling water. We got some and I noticed the woman selling us the water was from Manhattan. I told her we were from NY too and I asked if she misses it. She said she didn’t and we had a nice chuckle. DBF was in no mood to chit chat so I said goodbye and we sat down again and slowly drank our water. At this point neither of us were up for Hulk, which is too bad because I kind of liked that coaster, however I did want to check out the new High in the Sky Trolley in Seuss Landing. DBF made me promise him that it wasn’t a nauseas ride and I told him it’s a kiddie ride and he said ‘great lets go’. We rode that, and it definitely is a kiddie ride although they strap you in that thing as if you are being launched to the moon. I opted not to go on the Cat in the Hat as I remember it kind of spins a little bit.

After that we decided to get some lunch at CityWalk and head to the Studios side of the complex. I thought after we ate something we would be up for Mummy or at least to see some shows over there. We decided to eat at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville (as I type this his song is in my head). I liked this place. The themeing was nice and it was a very big restaurant. It wasn’t crowded at all, but it was only just about noon when we arrived. I thought the food was pretty good. I had a turkey burger and DBF had some sort of chicken sandwich. It was also moderately priced and the service was excellent, our waiter was very attentive!

Once finished with lunch, we strolled over to US and were still feeling a bit woozy. This park however was much more crowded than IOA and the wait for the Mummy and pretty much all of the other big attractions (Jaws, Earthquake, Back to the Future) was 40 min and up. We decided to not go on any more rides for the day and watch a show. I really wanted to see Fear Factor Live because I watch it on tv and was curious as to how they do it here. We waited for the next show and got pretty good seats at the top where we could lean against the rail. Pretty entertaining show, although I found out from my dad that its always the same stunts (we compared stunts). That disappointed me a little. I also don’t get why people would volunteer from the audience to do those stunts in between like with the spider crawling on that woman’s head and those people eating that gross stuff. They won a hat or something. I would not do that for a hat!

After the show we headed back to Disney, and once again I was at rest. I definitely am not a Universal kind of gal and probably will not return any time soon. The level of quality there is sub par and not on the same level as Disney (not even close). The ‘cast members’ are rude, and not helpful, and the theming of the rides, well lets not even go there. The rides are ‘bigger’ and ‘faster’ but if I wanted that I could go to NJ and go to Six Flags. I like Disney for the classic, timeless, family fun, not the big thrill rides that they build.

OK, off my soapbox now.

Once back at the Dolphin we used the self park option and it is very easy. You just stick your room key in and the gate opens. The parking is also pretty close to the entrance so unless you have a special need, don’t waste money on the valet. It was very hot outside but I wanted to get in some pool time. A few dips in the pool and DBF couldn’t stand sitting in the heat anymore. We went upstairs to the room to shower up and decide where to eat for dinner.

We decided to go to ESPN Club (I think DBF had an ulterior motive here as the Yankee game was on) but I acquiesced and what do you know, we walk right into the beginning of a live radio show being filmed and broadcasted from the restaurant. There was an ex-ballplayer there (a former Met, don’t know his name) and an ex-basketball player who played for the Orlando Magic. I am not into sports at all but I thought it was pretty neat. The food was good too however they screwed up our order and it took a really long time to get our dinner. No worries though, this is Disney and we were given a free brownie sundae dessert for our troubles, no questions asked.

After dinner we decided to hit up EMH at MGM. We hopped on a boat, couldn’t walk, way too full and tired, and already I could tell it was going to be a crowded night. Once off the boat, swarms of people were headed into MGM. I could tell this was definitely not going to be a pretty sight. Once through the gates, the lines to get the EMH bracelet were so long and disorganized. DBF’s patience was wearing thin and I was trying to find an EMH times guide so I could see which attractions would be offering FP that night. We finally found one and I noticed that ToT was going to start offering them at 10pm. The park was so crowded that to walk down Sunset Blvd towards ToT and RnRc was horrible. We sat and waited by the FP machines for ToT but 10pm came and went and no one came to open up the machines. We decided to leave due to the crowd level and the fatigue that had come over us.

Up next our last full day at the World and yes it can be done---all 4 parks in one day!

[SleepingBeautyDreamr]

I finally wrote another installment, although I think Danielle is the only one still reading this...
No I am still reading it too :thumbsup2

[ericafny]

Ha ha thanks Sleeping Beauty! :wave:

[NeverlandClub23]

Great Installment!! Sorry you guys didn't get to enjoy EMH at MGM but I would have left too. No amount of magic can make a tired and cranky person deal with lots of people and chaos. Can't wait for the last day even if it's always the most depressing day. :teeth:

[dwheatl]

Boy, and I thought we tried to cram too much into a day!
We have never tried US/IOA in FL. We have been to US in CA (my nephew was a tour guide on the tram tour) but we weren't impressed. Of course, the tour was fun, but the rest of the park lacks the charm of Disney.

[MousekaMaddi]

lookin for more............ :wave2: popcorn::

[ericafny]

Boy, and I thought we tried to cram too much into a day!
We have never tried US/IOA in FL. We have been to US in CA (my nephew was a tour guide on the tram tour) but we weren't impressed. Of course, the tour was fun, but the rest of the park lacks the charm of Disney.

I was in US in CA when I was 12. I remember the tour being really fun! It's definitly not like that in Orlando...

I read your ticker...I'm jealous you are going to DL :(

[dwheatl]

Did you see that you inspired DH and me to do a spa trip? He went to confession, and the priest told him to take a mud bath for his penance! Honest!
The DL trip is the penance I assigned him for any little infractions around the house :)

[ericafny]

Did you see that you inspired DH and me to do a spa trip?

I am glad I can be of inspiration! Have a wonderful time! California has so many nice spa getaways...NY'ers just don't relax like that :confused3

Sorry it is taking me so long to finish thing. I have been busy walking to raise money for autism research (our team raised over $2000!) and I was in the midst of planning a conference on autism but all that is over now so I am going to try to finish this up this week. Hang in there folks...

[ericafny]

OK, the FINAL installment is FINALLY here....Thanks to Danielle for inspiring me to finish and thanks to everyone who has stuck by me while I dragged myself to finish...so here it is folks...

Day Nine – ‘When You Wish Upon A Star…’

8:15am and the alarm goes off…it’s our last full day here and I was very sad, however I wasn’t going to let that stop me from an all out park hopping day of riding and visiting my favorite attractions at all of the four parks…

Breakfast once again at Picabu and off we go to AK. Once there we walked right past EE (sorry all you EE lovers) and headed straight to my favorite ride there---Dinosaur. Of course, no line, and thank goodness because we didn’t have much time! After Dinosaur I wanted to try to do Kilamanjaro but the standby line was already over an hour and there was not enough time to get an FP and wait around so off we go to MGM. Side note: Today was EXTREMELY HOT and I had started to loose it very quickly but thanks to my delightful DBF once we were on the bus to MGM I got right back into enjoying my last day at WDW.

Once at MGM we headed to ToT and grabbed FP’s, then off to the Great Movie Ride to wait out the FP’s. Our tour guide was subpar and I lost myself in the sets and sounds of the ride. After it was done we used our FP’s for ToT. We have been on this ride numerous times and this was the third time on this trip and I have to say I think that some pixie dust had been sprinkled on us that day because this was the best ride sequence we had experienced! It was the perfect last ride on ToT for this trip. I was so pumped and wanted to go again but alas…the time clock was ticking away and we still had two more parks to do!

By this time it was hot and we were hungry, we hoped on the boat back to the Dolphin and thought we would try something new and decided to try the Fountain. We were barely greeted by a host and he said to ‘sit anywhere’. That we did and waited about 10 mins. NO ONE came over to us. Several waiters and waitresses saw us and didn’t acknowledge us. Now I know I am a NY’er and can come off as impatient, but HELLO…at least give us menus! So we left and went to the old standby, Cabana Bar and Grill and let me tell you it was just as delicious as the other times we ate there with impeccable service!

Since it was incredibly hot and we had a long rest of the day into the evening we took a small siesta in the room for an hour so we could recharge for the evening. We had originally had ADR’s for O’hana for this evening but we decided to eat at Epcot at Alfredo’s in Italy so I went and had the ADR’s changed (and wouldn’t you know they had an open ressie for us---there goes that pixie dust again!).

At around 5pm we left for Epcot, once again utilizing the walkway, not the very very very slow boats. We headed straight for my favorite ride in Epcot-TT and hoped on the standby line. The time posted said 70 min but the wait was more like 25 min. Once again, an awesome ride! Afterwards we had some more time to kill but our legs were actually killing us so we took the boat across the lagoon towards Italy. This was prob not the best idea since it goes extremely slow and there is no air conditioning. No bother though, and off we went for our 7:45 ADR at Alfredo’s. We got there early, but were seated right away. Our waiter, I forgot his name, was absolutely fantastic! He was from Rome and his English was very good! He was also very accommodating because I ordered the pasta trio but the Lasagna had meat in it so he gave me extra pasta dumplings. We also got the tomato and mozzarella appetizer and DBF got pasta and shrimp with vodka sauce. The meal was very delicious (even being from NY and dining in Little Italy). The couple next to us was on the dining plan (I overheard them talking) and said that they had so much food! We did too and weren’t even on the plan---the portions were huge!

After dinner we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and slooooowly walked towards the front of the park so we could hop on the monorail to MK. The walk was actually really refreshing and allowed us to digest.

The monorail ride brought me back to when I was a little girl and I stayed at the Contemporary. I haven’t been on the monorail in a long time, and after riding it this time I decided that I am going to ride it every time I go to the World. It is such a magical experience!

Once at MK we headed to the HM. I absolutely love this ride! I am starting to learn the dialogue and DBF was making fun of me! After HM the parade was about to start so we found ourselves some nice seats in Frontierland and waited for Spectro. Our last night in WDW and it was turning out to be spectacular! We watched Spectro with the same wide eyed awe as the 3 year old next to us. After we ran to Main Street and waited to watch Wishes. This always makes me cry! I am such a sucker!

Towards the end of Wishes we started to make our way to the exit to try to beat the crowds. We actually kind of did and got a seat on the bus but the bus driver had to wait until the bus filled up. On our last bus ride back to the Dolphin I reflected on the magical vacation we had and how I can’t wait to continue to return year after year and eventually share this experience with my own children….

Once back in the hotel room our pixie dust had run short because we arrived to a very large surprise sitting next to DBF’s deodorant…a giant cockaroach….Nope it was not a palmetto bug, it didn’t fly.

I called maintenance and they sent someone up to kill it. Even he was grossed out and identified the bug as a cockaroach. YUCK! I wanted a room change and we got one and we also got comped for that night…it was so stressful to have to pack up everything at 1am, the night before you are leaving, in a hurry, so you can change rooms and then go to sleep for a few hours and wake up and travel back home….not the ‘perfect end to my perfect vacation’ that I was hoping for, but hey stuff happens, right? Needless to say I didn’t sleep very well that night and was praying to the gods that we didn’t bring home any unwanted hitchhikers (side note: we didn’t thank goodness!).

The next morning we checked out, had some breakfast, and drove ourselves to Orlando International Airport….Bye bye Disney….be back soon :wave:

[dwheatl]

I'm sorry to see this end. I wonder how often we crossed paths and never knew?

[ericafny]

I'm sorry to see this end. I wonder how often we crossed paths and never knew?

I thought about that too... :confused3

Thanks for sticking with me to read it through! It was alot of fun despite it taking me so long to write. :sunny: