GaDisneyDad
07-02-2002, 07:57 AM
Cast:
Norm (me) (39); husband, father, trip planner, scribe and photographer
Robin (39); wife and mother with veto power over trip plans, wants a more relaxed Disney trip this time (Ha!)
Kent (14); teenage son, not interested if it’s not fast, loud, or scary (preferably all three)
Whitney (13); teenage daughter, into thrill rides like her brother, but will do the others with less complaining (usually)
Setting:
7 days at Port Orleans Riverside, plus 1 offsite at Islands of Adventure (son’s favorite, of course). This is our second straight year at POR, and third WDW trip in four years. Due to finding a discounted resort rate back in January, we decide to stay longer than our usual 4 or 5 days to have more time to “stop and smell the roses”.
Scene 8 – Friday, June 21 – “Favorites day”
Up at 6:30. All packed and ready to load up the car and then head off to the parks. We always reserve our last day for favorites. As tempting as it was to try just to say we did, we decide not to try to hit all 4 parks in one day. Test Track was the only thing anyone wanted to do one more time at Epcot, and knowing the technical problems with it, we decide it’s too big a risk to devote any time to Epcot. But we will hit the other 3 parks.
First stop, AK. Got there at 8:30, took some pictures. I now have group shots from each park in front of the castle, golf ball, sorcerer’s hat, and now the tree of life, so my collection is complete for this trip. Waited at rope drop then went down for ITTBAB (guess who put this on our favorites list?). Kent and Whitney both wanted to ride Primeval Whirl once again, so we (they) did that next. It’s now 9:30 and we’re finished with AK and head for the bus.
I did want to mention one thing from our trip to AK earlier in the week that I forgot in Monday’s trip report. While waiting for Robin to shop and phone her mom, the kids and I were sitting outside some shop in the front part of the park. Just in front of us was one of those food carts that are sprinkled throughout the park, and a family was grabbing a quick bite for breakfast. One of their kids dropped and spilled their milk all over the ground right in front of the cart. It wasn’t 30 seconds later that no less than a 4 man cleaning crew was on the scene with hoses and push brooms, cleaning up the mess. 2 minutes later, it was like nothing had ever happened. We occasionally (but rarely, for this very reason) visit the local Six Flags in Atlanta, and I can tell you, spills don’t get handled that way there. This is just another example of why we love Disney.
Next stop, MGM. The security lines were really long today, so I took all the bags and sent Robin and the kids on in. Even though she only had 3 passes, she wasn’t going to ride ToT anyway, so she got FP’s for Kent, Whitney and I and then waited for me at RnRC. The sign said 65-minute wait, but despite what I said in yesterday’s report, this one was way off. It only took about 30 minutes. Checked out Little Mermaid but wait was already 75 minutes, so we passed once again. I hated to miss this one this trip, but we just didn’t have the time. Lines were really long, even for the Movie Ride, so we just grabbed a bench under the hat, had a water and some ice cream and a pretzel for Whitney, and waited for our ToT FP time.
While Kent, Whitney and I went off for our last trip on ToT, Robin kept all the bags, found a shady bench and actually nodded off for a few minutes. By 12:30, we were done with MGM and were off to complete our trip at the MK, still our favorite.
First thing, we got a FP for SplM and then sent the kids off by themselves, while Robin and I just relaxed some. I finally got my turkey leg that I had been waiting all week for, but had not seemed to be able to work in. Robin got a hot dog, and we sat on shaded bench in front of one of the shops in Frontierland. I was glad to have some time just to sit and people-watch without having the kids bug us for the next ride, but overall, I didn’t enjoy being split up. Vacation should be family time, and here we are spending part of our last day apart. Robin didn’t have the same problem I did, and WAS enjoying not having the kids around for a while, but she agreed to walk over to Tomorrowland and try to find the kids.
We knew they would either be on SpcM or Buzz, so we went over between the two and tried to reach them on the radio. We see that Buzz has gone down for what looks like will be several minutes, so hopefully they chose SpcM instead. About 5 minutes later, we hear Kent on the radio. They had just finished SpcM after about a 45-minute wait. Our FP for SplM wasn’t up yet, so we decided to eat at Cosmic Ray’s and then we watched the 3:00 parade. It’s starting to sprinkle now, so we walk over to SplM for our last ride. I’m glad we finished up with this one, as it is probably our overall favorite ride. There’s enough excitement for the kids, and enough scenery for Mom and Dad. I should probably mention here that while FP in general is great, some rides make better use of it than others. SplM is one ride that gets the most out of the FP. This FP line takes you past dozens and dozens of people right up to the front of the line. Kali River Rapids, on the other hand, is one that doesn’t. You’ve barely gone into the ride before the FP and standby lines merge together. Not much of a time savings there.
It’s now about 4:30 and starting to rain harder, although still fairly light (at least by this week’s standards) so we decide to end on a high note and head for the exit. We all hate for it to end, but it’s been a very tiring week, and we’re all exhausted. We take the bus back to POR for the last time and hop in the car. Our day is not complete yet, as we have one more fun stop, but in a way it is the end since we are pulling out of POR and won’t be going back to any of the parks.
We take the short drive to Downtown Disney to meet some friends of ours who live in Tampa and have driven over to meet us for the night. The plan is to let the kids, Kent and Whitney, and their son Matthew, hit DisneyQuest while the grownups relax, talk, and enjoy the sights. We get there first, so Robin and I decide to take a quick trip through DQ just to check it out. It was okay, but definitely more interesting to our teenagers than to us. We rode the Jungle Cruise ride (and didn’t do very well – no one would listen to me when I told them which way to paddle), walked around a bit, and then came back out to meet our friends, Dave and Marsha. It was about 6:00 now and the rain had pretty much stopped. We sent the kids back in DQ and then we grabbed a table near the lake and some coffee, water, etc. and talked for several hours.
About 9:00, we got the kids out and walked down to McDonald’s to get them a bite to eat. The grownups weren’t really hungry for a meal so we passed, and then all went over to Ghiradelli’s for one last sundae. This was great because Dave and Marsha had never been here before. I got my usual, the Strike it Rich sundae, and Robin tried something new – The Cooke-Bottom Sundae. This was not here when we ate here last Saturday, and I was immediately jealous. A huge WARM chocolate chip cookie, covered with vanilla ice cream, covered with the famous Ghiradelli’s hot fudge sauce, covered with whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a cherry. I had made the wrong choice. Thankfully, Robin was not able to eat all of hers and I was able to help her out. I now know what I will be getting on my next trip here.
We let the kids go back to DQ for a little while longer. Dave and Marsha walked them back down, while Robin and I shopped some at the WoD store. Finally about 11:30, it was time to call it a night. The original plan was for us all to spend the night at a Ramada just outside Universal, but they had had a busy week and decided to head back to Tampa that night. We said our goodbyes (to Disney and our friends) and headed off to the Ramada. It was an okay hotel, literally just outside Universal; old but clean and cheap. We still have one more day to go tomorrow before heading home.
Day seven:
The best – Splash Mountain, Ghiradelli’s, and seeing our old friends
The worst – the rain (what else?) and saying goodbye to Disney
Norm (me) (39); husband, father, trip planner, scribe and photographer
Robin (39); wife and mother with veto power over trip plans, wants a more relaxed Disney trip this time (Ha!)
Kent (14); teenage son, not interested if it’s not fast, loud, or scary (preferably all three)
Whitney (13); teenage daughter, into thrill rides like her brother, but will do the others with less complaining (usually)
Setting:
7 days at Port Orleans Riverside, plus 1 offsite at Islands of Adventure (son’s favorite, of course). This is our second straight year at POR, and third WDW trip in four years. Due to finding a discounted resort rate back in January, we decide to stay longer than our usual 4 or 5 days to have more time to “stop and smell the roses”.
Scene 8 – Friday, June 21 – “Favorites day”
Up at 6:30. All packed and ready to load up the car and then head off to the parks. We always reserve our last day for favorites. As tempting as it was to try just to say we did, we decide not to try to hit all 4 parks in one day. Test Track was the only thing anyone wanted to do one more time at Epcot, and knowing the technical problems with it, we decide it’s too big a risk to devote any time to Epcot. But we will hit the other 3 parks.
First stop, AK. Got there at 8:30, took some pictures. I now have group shots from each park in front of the castle, golf ball, sorcerer’s hat, and now the tree of life, so my collection is complete for this trip. Waited at rope drop then went down for ITTBAB (guess who put this on our favorites list?). Kent and Whitney both wanted to ride Primeval Whirl once again, so we (they) did that next. It’s now 9:30 and we’re finished with AK and head for the bus.
I did want to mention one thing from our trip to AK earlier in the week that I forgot in Monday’s trip report. While waiting for Robin to shop and phone her mom, the kids and I were sitting outside some shop in the front part of the park. Just in front of us was one of those food carts that are sprinkled throughout the park, and a family was grabbing a quick bite for breakfast. One of their kids dropped and spilled their milk all over the ground right in front of the cart. It wasn’t 30 seconds later that no less than a 4 man cleaning crew was on the scene with hoses and push brooms, cleaning up the mess. 2 minutes later, it was like nothing had ever happened. We occasionally (but rarely, for this very reason) visit the local Six Flags in Atlanta, and I can tell you, spills don’t get handled that way there. This is just another example of why we love Disney.
Next stop, MGM. The security lines were really long today, so I took all the bags and sent Robin and the kids on in. Even though she only had 3 passes, she wasn’t going to ride ToT anyway, so she got FP’s for Kent, Whitney and I and then waited for me at RnRC. The sign said 65-minute wait, but despite what I said in yesterday’s report, this one was way off. It only took about 30 minutes. Checked out Little Mermaid but wait was already 75 minutes, so we passed once again. I hated to miss this one this trip, but we just didn’t have the time. Lines were really long, even for the Movie Ride, so we just grabbed a bench under the hat, had a water and some ice cream and a pretzel for Whitney, and waited for our ToT FP time.
While Kent, Whitney and I went off for our last trip on ToT, Robin kept all the bags, found a shady bench and actually nodded off for a few minutes. By 12:30, we were done with MGM and were off to complete our trip at the MK, still our favorite.
First thing, we got a FP for SplM and then sent the kids off by themselves, while Robin and I just relaxed some. I finally got my turkey leg that I had been waiting all week for, but had not seemed to be able to work in. Robin got a hot dog, and we sat on shaded bench in front of one of the shops in Frontierland. I was glad to have some time just to sit and people-watch without having the kids bug us for the next ride, but overall, I didn’t enjoy being split up. Vacation should be family time, and here we are spending part of our last day apart. Robin didn’t have the same problem I did, and WAS enjoying not having the kids around for a while, but she agreed to walk over to Tomorrowland and try to find the kids.
We knew they would either be on SpcM or Buzz, so we went over between the two and tried to reach them on the radio. We see that Buzz has gone down for what looks like will be several minutes, so hopefully they chose SpcM instead. About 5 minutes later, we hear Kent on the radio. They had just finished SpcM after about a 45-minute wait. Our FP for SplM wasn’t up yet, so we decided to eat at Cosmic Ray’s and then we watched the 3:00 parade. It’s starting to sprinkle now, so we walk over to SplM for our last ride. I’m glad we finished up with this one, as it is probably our overall favorite ride. There’s enough excitement for the kids, and enough scenery for Mom and Dad. I should probably mention here that while FP in general is great, some rides make better use of it than others. SplM is one ride that gets the most out of the FP. This FP line takes you past dozens and dozens of people right up to the front of the line. Kali River Rapids, on the other hand, is one that doesn’t. You’ve barely gone into the ride before the FP and standby lines merge together. Not much of a time savings there.
It’s now about 4:30 and starting to rain harder, although still fairly light (at least by this week’s standards) so we decide to end on a high note and head for the exit. We all hate for it to end, but it’s been a very tiring week, and we’re all exhausted. We take the bus back to POR for the last time and hop in the car. Our day is not complete yet, as we have one more fun stop, but in a way it is the end since we are pulling out of POR and won’t be going back to any of the parks.
We take the short drive to Downtown Disney to meet some friends of ours who live in Tampa and have driven over to meet us for the night. The plan is to let the kids, Kent and Whitney, and their son Matthew, hit DisneyQuest while the grownups relax, talk, and enjoy the sights. We get there first, so Robin and I decide to take a quick trip through DQ just to check it out. It was okay, but definitely more interesting to our teenagers than to us. We rode the Jungle Cruise ride (and didn’t do very well – no one would listen to me when I told them which way to paddle), walked around a bit, and then came back out to meet our friends, Dave and Marsha. It was about 6:00 now and the rain had pretty much stopped. We sent the kids back in DQ and then we grabbed a table near the lake and some coffee, water, etc. and talked for several hours.
About 9:00, we got the kids out and walked down to McDonald’s to get them a bite to eat. The grownups weren’t really hungry for a meal so we passed, and then all went over to Ghiradelli’s for one last sundae. This was great because Dave and Marsha had never been here before. I got my usual, the Strike it Rich sundae, and Robin tried something new – The Cooke-Bottom Sundae. This was not here when we ate here last Saturday, and I was immediately jealous. A huge WARM chocolate chip cookie, covered with vanilla ice cream, covered with the famous Ghiradelli’s hot fudge sauce, covered with whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a cherry. I had made the wrong choice. Thankfully, Robin was not able to eat all of hers and I was able to help her out. I now know what I will be getting on my next trip here.
We let the kids go back to DQ for a little while longer. Dave and Marsha walked them back down, while Robin and I shopped some at the WoD store. Finally about 11:30, it was time to call it a night. The original plan was for us all to spend the night at a Ramada just outside Universal, but they had had a busy week and decided to head back to Tampa that night. We said our goodbyes (to Disney and our friends) and headed off to the Ramada. It was an okay hotel, literally just outside Universal; old but clean and cheap. We still have one more day to go tomorrow before heading home.
Day seven:
The best – Splash Mountain, Ghiradelli’s, and seeing our old friends
The worst – the rain (what else?) and saying goodbye to Disney