exwdwcm
wishes she was Wendy Moira Angela Darling
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12th
So after a well deserved nights sleep, we were up and at em early again. Our group was splitting up some again today. Wowo and her family had scheduled some extra meals, mostly breakfasts and they had one this morning. Everyone except us (Alan, Pooh and I) were taking part. They were doing breakfast at Trails End Buffet at Fort Wilderness. We had all heard great things about Trails End. I am not a big breakfast eater, so we passed on these extra meals- it is hard enough to get Pooh to sit through one sit down meal a day. The meals we did do were hard enough, so I am glad we passed on some of these extras.
The rest of the family raved about the meal though.
So we were up by 7ish and out the door to Epcot this am. Auntie and Chase actually came with us this am instead of doing breakfast. My plan was to hit Soarin or TT for fastpasses and maybe try and catch Turtle Talk with Crush. This is not what ended up happening, but remember, I was trying to be more flexible! Lol .actually it wasnt too bad, flexing just a bit! So our little group did the usual parking, walking, security check dance and were through the gates. I have to say, Epcot is one of my favorites parks. I really love it here. We took a few minutes to enjoy the holiday topiaries and Pooh checked out the fountain- he loves water. Water, lights and trash. What more could a kid want?
So we were at Epcot just after opening of 9am. We headed over to Soarin immediately. We had missed the rope drop stampede, so it wasnt too bad. We parked the stroller outside and headed in to grab fastpasses. Standby wait was only 15 minutes and FP return was for like in 45 minutes. So we grabbed fastpasses for all of us, including Pooh, even though he couldnt ride. We knew we could use his for another family member. So now, who was to ride first, while someone sat out with Pooh? We went up and got a child swap pass too. So I figured maybe Auntie and Chase could go first, but he said I should go with her, so Auntie and I rode together and just got in the standby line. We had a short wait or so, it actually seemed a lot longer than it actually was. We finally made it down and boarded our flight over California. I had been listening to this soundtrack for over a year and now I was finally hearing it live on the attraction! We enjoyed our flight and next Chase and Alan rode together while Auntie and I sat out with Pooh- they used the child swap pass, so we still had all of our fastpasses intact. Pooh was getting pretty restless by now. I took him over to the Sunshine Season food court to get something to snack on. Of course he selected some bips (chips) at 9:30 in the morning. Hey, it is vacation, why not. So we went back to sit down and entertain him with eating some bips. By this time, it was nearing 10:30 or so, and the rest of the family was arriving at Epcot finally. So we met up with everyone and handed off our leftover fastpasses, which totaled 5. So of course, 5 fastpasses were not enough for everyone. My parents, Nene, Jeff and Nancy ended up going. That left Mike, Wowo and the kids with no FP. Mike decided he wanted to go so he went ahead and got in the standby line with Princess. I think it was over 35 minute wait or so now.
So Wowo, Mikey, Auntie, Pooh and I headed to Living with the Land- the boat ride. Alan and Chase had gotten a drink (coffee) and decided to sit this one out to enjoy it. We enjoyed our boat ride through the gardens and took tons of pics. The huge 10lb lemons were so cool. We found a hidden mickey in the fish tank. And they had decorated some of the hydroponics with ornaments hanging from them etc. very cute!While this ride is nothing spectacular, it is always fun.
After our ride, we decided to head over to the Journey into Imagination pavilion to see if my old roommate who works there. I worked on the Walt Disney World College Program (WDWCP) back in the fall of 1996, during my senior year of college. I worked at the then Disney-MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios) from August 96-Dec 96. It was one of the best times of my life. Dont get me wrong, the work was hard (bussing tables, cashiering and even serving food cafeteria lady style), but it was a great time and awesome program. I had 5 roommates (6 per apartment) from all over the US- PA, AZ, NY, MI etc. We all still keep in touch, with the exception of one who was much younger and never clicked with the rest of us who were a bit older. So anyhow- I worked at Hollywood and Vine which at the time was a cafeteria serving only breakfast and lunch.
I lived in an apartment with all the other college program students (from all over the world- INTL ones worked in Epcot World Showcase). Then we attended classes each week to learn about how Disney operates, from finance, to HR, to Marketing, to engineering. It was a great experience. So while my job was not exactly fun, my actual roomie was friends with the characters at the Studios and was in the parade each day (Toy Story at the time). Anyhow- my old roomie had worked in entertainment for years- she was in the Hunchback stage show, many parades and other venues. She had settled down in Orlando for good with her mom. Heather now worked at the Imagination pavilion in the Kodak area when you exit the ride. You know the big camera there with a mad scientist looking character that does a little camera spiel? Well she does that. She actually contracts out with Kodak, not directly with Disney (who doesnt pay very well). She has worked for the mouse since 1995 now!
Heather and I in 2004.
I knew Heather was working that day- she had called and left me her work schedule so we could meet up. Heather belongs in entertainment! She is purely hysterical, everything is a show to her. When we lived together on the WDWCP, she was constantly playing dress up. She would come out of her room dressed as princess lea or a waitress wearing my apron from work. It was always entertaining around her. So I was hoping I would catch her working and not on break. So we boarded our ride through Imagination and had a good time. Of course it is nothing close to the original. But what can you do? Of course there was no line to speak of. Is there ever? Once we exited the ride, there she was!!!!! We gave each other a big old hug and caught up a for a bit. She had just finished a show and was about to go on break. We took a few pictures and she got to meet Pooh- who she had not met yet. We spent some time chatting it up and then had to head out for a lunch reservation at Coral Reef. We said good bye to Heather with plans to meet up later in the week before she was off on vacation.
Upon exiting, it was time to change Pooh, so I rushed to do that. I missed one of our favorite things to do- take a photo with my sisters in front of the jumping fountains back near the 3D movie area. In rushing to change Pooh, I totally forgot and missed it. Darn it. We have pics of us there as kids and adults, almost every trip. It was not to be this trip I guess.
So apparently, as we were chatting with Heather, the rest of the family had come over and saw us through a little window before they boarded the ride. We didnt see them though. So we all headed over to the Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion to check in for lunch. Our lunch ressie was at noon. So we had managed to do Soarin, Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination and chat with Heather and play in the Imagination area for a bit in those 2.5 hours or so. Not too bad. We checked in at Coral Reef and sat outside to wait our turn. The kids ran around and burned off some energy. I listened to the gulls call mine, mine, mine over and over. I love that. Coral Reef was a first time restaurant for all of us. I dont eat seafood, but I knew they had a great menu with other selections. I wasnt sure if we would be seated together due to our party size of 14. So after a 15 minute wait or so, we were called and headed back.
We were seated in a huge curved booth along the back wall which seated 10 of us. The other four were seated at a table just across from us. The view was great- we really enjoyed watching the sea turtle (huge!) and fish throughout our meal. There were even divers doing some cleaning down there on the coral too. While we were sitting far away from the aquarium, we could still see fairly well. Service was a little slow here, but overall good. We all ordered a drink and a few of us decided to have an adult beverage! The kids got a drink with a glow in the dark tinkerbell or car on it. And yes, a few of the adults thought it was so cool, they got one too (Wowo, Mama .lol). The menu offered a good selection from fish to steak to chicken and vegetarian. I ordered this:
Seared Chicken Breast - served over spaetzle finished with Applewood smoked bacon - chicken broth $20.99
Alan had this:
Grilled Mahi Mahi - topped with a spicy pineapple chutney over cashew-jasmine rice finished with a coconut rum beurre blanc $20.99
We ordered Pooh the kids plate where he picks an appetizer, entrée and dessert- so he had the lobster chowder (which Alan ate and enjoyed!) and then the mahi mahi with broccoli and mashed potatoes. He had a sundae (build your own) for dessert. It was a lot of food! Pooh enjoyed his food too. He loves broccoli.
I know my mom had the wild mushroom lasagna and someone had the steak. I knew I would be eating steak later this trip, so while I am a huge steak fan, I went with the chicken. The chicken was very good- large portion, juicy and not dry. Overall, I was very pleased. Alan enjoyed his as well. It seemed everyone really enjoyed their food and the atmosphere.
For dessert- I had the butterscotch crème brulee, it didnt have much of a butterscotch taste, but was very good. I shared a bit so I could have some of Nancys dessert- the infamous chocolate wave! Yum! Alan had Baileys and Jack Daniels chocolate mousse. I did not try it, but it looked good. He said there was a huge shot of Jack at the bottom. Our meal for the three of us (including child) probably would have come to about $75 for lunch. Pretty good deal considering it was all free to us with free dining! Overall, I would recommend Coral Reef for lunch. We enjoyed the atmosphere, theming, service and food. I wasnt sure what to expect as Ive read both bad and good reviews here. Originally we were hoping to have the customized menus and the diver with a sign, but they stopped offering that earlier in 2009. Still a great meal and we will probably go back in the future.
Once again, we struggled when it came time to pay. Having five separate room accounts to deal with made it difficult for our servers it seems, every single mealtime. I had to walk Will out while Alan waited on the bill. I really feel for the CMs now having to print out a check for the meal (to be paid with the KTTW card for free dining) but then also one for the tip, which most of paid with cash or charged back to our rooms. It meant a lot of paperwork and receipts every meal. Quite the hassle. Oh, to remember the days when tip was included on the dining plan.
So after our big lunch, we were pretty stuffed. Pooh was almost in meltdown mode. We had been going since about 7:30am that morning and it was now nearing 2pm. The rest of the family stayed to check out the Nemo pavilion, ride the ride and do Crush. We simply couldnt- Pooh wouldnt make it that long without a complete fit. And who can blame him. As much as I would have liked to stay and get more accomplished, I knew I had to bend to his schedule and Alan and I both knew it was time to take a break. So we headed back out of the park. I think Nancy and Chase came with us. Her foot usually would swell up and she needed to get it on ice for a bit before starting out again in the evening.
We headed back to the car, which was not a long walk since we had a pretty good parking space near the front from arriving so early. We were back in the room by 2:30 or so- stopping to fill our refillable mugs with something to drink. We had water and juice and milk in our fridge for Pooh that we had ordered through garden grocer.
We got back to the room and let Pooh nap. He was pretty good about going down for his nap. Alan headed off to the gym at the wilderness Lodge to work off some of his lunch! I stayed in the room with Pooh- straightening up the room a bit more and watching some tv. I didnt ever nap the whole trip, but did rest a bit. We had planned to take a 2-3 hour break each day. I know this is a great debate among many, to take a break or not to take a break? Pooh usually naps at day care from 12pm-2pm each day, so we were pretty certain it was a must for us. Otherwise, he would be a complete monster in the evenings. So break it was. He wont sleep in his stroller for long, so that wasnt really an option for us to keep going and wait for him to fall asleep in the stroller. Even when we travel sans children, we almost always take a midday break- it just gets us out of the parks in the height of the rush and heat (if there in the spring/summer) and we can come back refreshed and stay until closing.
fireplace at WL
So after a well deserved nights sleep, we were up and at em early again. Our group was splitting up some again today. Wowo and her family had scheduled some extra meals, mostly breakfasts and they had one this morning. Everyone except us (Alan, Pooh and I) were taking part. They were doing breakfast at Trails End Buffet at Fort Wilderness. We had all heard great things about Trails End. I am not a big breakfast eater, so we passed on these extra meals- it is hard enough to get Pooh to sit through one sit down meal a day. The meals we did do were hard enough, so I am glad we passed on some of these extras.
The rest of the family raved about the meal though.
So we were up by 7ish and out the door to Epcot this am. Auntie and Chase actually came with us this am instead of doing breakfast. My plan was to hit Soarin or TT for fastpasses and maybe try and catch Turtle Talk with Crush. This is not what ended up happening, but remember, I was trying to be more flexible! Lol .actually it wasnt too bad, flexing just a bit! So our little group did the usual parking, walking, security check dance and were through the gates. I have to say, Epcot is one of my favorites parks. I really love it here. We took a few minutes to enjoy the holiday topiaries and Pooh checked out the fountain- he loves water. Water, lights and trash. What more could a kid want?
So we were at Epcot just after opening of 9am. We headed over to Soarin immediately. We had missed the rope drop stampede, so it wasnt too bad. We parked the stroller outside and headed in to grab fastpasses. Standby wait was only 15 minutes and FP return was for like in 45 minutes. So we grabbed fastpasses for all of us, including Pooh, even though he couldnt ride. We knew we could use his for another family member. So now, who was to ride first, while someone sat out with Pooh? We went up and got a child swap pass too. So I figured maybe Auntie and Chase could go first, but he said I should go with her, so Auntie and I rode together and just got in the standby line. We had a short wait or so, it actually seemed a lot longer than it actually was. We finally made it down and boarded our flight over California. I had been listening to this soundtrack for over a year and now I was finally hearing it live on the attraction! We enjoyed our flight and next Chase and Alan rode together while Auntie and I sat out with Pooh- they used the child swap pass, so we still had all of our fastpasses intact. Pooh was getting pretty restless by now. I took him over to the Sunshine Season food court to get something to snack on. Of course he selected some bips (chips) at 9:30 in the morning. Hey, it is vacation, why not. So we went back to sit down and entertain him with eating some bips. By this time, it was nearing 10:30 or so, and the rest of the family was arriving at Epcot finally. So we met up with everyone and handed off our leftover fastpasses, which totaled 5. So of course, 5 fastpasses were not enough for everyone. My parents, Nene, Jeff and Nancy ended up going. That left Mike, Wowo and the kids with no FP. Mike decided he wanted to go so he went ahead and got in the standby line with Princess. I think it was over 35 minute wait or so now.
So Wowo, Mikey, Auntie, Pooh and I headed to Living with the Land- the boat ride. Alan and Chase had gotten a drink (coffee) and decided to sit this one out to enjoy it. We enjoyed our boat ride through the gardens and took tons of pics. The huge 10lb lemons were so cool. We found a hidden mickey in the fish tank. And they had decorated some of the hydroponics with ornaments hanging from them etc. very cute!While this ride is nothing spectacular, it is always fun.
After our ride, we decided to head over to the Journey into Imagination pavilion to see if my old roommate who works there. I worked on the Walt Disney World College Program (WDWCP) back in the fall of 1996, during my senior year of college. I worked at the then Disney-MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios) from August 96-Dec 96. It was one of the best times of my life. Dont get me wrong, the work was hard (bussing tables, cashiering and even serving food cafeteria lady style), but it was a great time and awesome program. I had 5 roommates (6 per apartment) from all over the US- PA, AZ, NY, MI etc. We all still keep in touch, with the exception of one who was much younger and never clicked with the rest of us who were a bit older. So anyhow- I worked at Hollywood and Vine which at the time was a cafeteria serving only breakfast and lunch.
I lived in an apartment with all the other college program students (from all over the world- INTL ones worked in Epcot World Showcase). Then we attended classes each week to learn about how Disney operates, from finance, to HR, to Marketing, to engineering. It was a great experience. So while my job was not exactly fun, my actual roomie was friends with the characters at the Studios and was in the parade each day (Toy Story at the time). Anyhow- my old roomie had worked in entertainment for years- she was in the Hunchback stage show, many parades and other venues. She had settled down in Orlando for good with her mom. Heather now worked at the Imagination pavilion in the Kodak area when you exit the ride. You know the big camera there with a mad scientist looking character that does a little camera spiel? Well she does that. She actually contracts out with Kodak, not directly with Disney (who doesnt pay very well). She has worked for the mouse since 1995 now!
I knew Heather was working that day- she had called and left me her work schedule so we could meet up. Heather belongs in entertainment! She is purely hysterical, everything is a show to her. When we lived together on the WDWCP, she was constantly playing dress up. She would come out of her room dressed as princess lea or a waitress wearing my apron from work. It was always entertaining around her. So I was hoping I would catch her working and not on break. So we boarded our ride through Imagination and had a good time. Of course it is nothing close to the original. But what can you do? Of course there was no line to speak of. Is there ever? Once we exited the ride, there she was!!!!! We gave each other a big old hug and caught up a for a bit. She had just finished a show and was about to go on break. We took a few pictures and she got to meet Pooh- who she had not met yet. We spent some time chatting it up and then had to head out for a lunch reservation at Coral Reef. We said good bye to Heather with plans to meet up later in the week before she was off on vacation.
Upon exiting, it was time to change Pooh, so I rushed to do that. I missed one of our favorite things to do- take a photo with my sisters in front of the jumping fountains back near the 3D movie area. In rushing to change Pooh, I totally forgot and missed it. Darn it. We have pics of us there as kids and adults, almost every trip. It was not to be this trip I guess.
So apparently, as we were chatting with Heather, the rest of the family had come over and saw us through a little window before they boarded the ride. We didnt see them though. So we all headed over to the Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion to check in for lunch. Our lunch ressie was at noon. So we had managed to do Soarin, Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination and chat with Heather and play in the Imagination area for a bit in those 2.5 hours or so. Not too bad. We checked in at Coral Reef and sat outside to wait our turn. The kids ran around and burned off some energy. I listened to the gulls call mine, mine, mine over and over. I love that. Coral Reef was a first time restaurant for all of us. I dont eat seafood, but I knew they had a great menu with other selections. I wasnt sure if we would be seated together due to our party size of 14. So after a 15 minute wait or so, we were called and headed back.
We were seated in a huge curved booth along the back wall which seated 10 of us. The other four were seated at a table just across from us. The view was great- we really enjoyed watching the sea turtle (huge!) and fish throughout our meal. There were even divers doing some cleaning down there on the coral too. While we were sitting far away from the aquarium, we could still see fairly well. Service was a little slow here, but overall good. We all ordered a drink and a few of us decided to have an adult beverage! The kids got a drink with a glow in the dark tinkerbell or car on it. And yes, a few of the adults thought it was so cool, they got one too (Wowo, Mama .lol). The menu offered a good selection from fish to steak to chicken and vegetarian. I ordered this:
Seared Chicken Breast - served over spaetzle finished with Applewood smoked bacon - chicken broth $20.99
Alan had this:
Grilled Mahi Mahi - topped with a spicy pineapple chutney over cashew-jasmine rice finished with a coconut rum beurre blanc $20.99
We ordered Pooh the kids plate where he picks an appetizer, entrée and dessert- so he had the lobster chowder (which Alan ate and enjoyed!) and then the mahi mahi with broccoli and mashed potatoes. He had a sundae (build your own) for dessert. It was a lot of food! Pooh enjoyed his food too. He loves broccoli.
I know my mom had the wild mushroom lasagna and someone had the steak. I knew I would be eating steak later this trip, so while I am a huge steak fan, I went with the chicken. The chicken was very good- large portion, juicy and not dry. Overall, I was very pleased. Alan enjoyed his as well. It seemed everyone really enjoyed their food and the atmosphere.
For dessert- I had the butterscotch crème brulee, it didnt have much of a butterscotch taste, but was very good. I shared a bit so I could have some of Nancys dessert- the infamous chocolate wave! Yum! Alan had Baileys and Jack Daniels chocolate mousse. I did not try it, but it looked good. He said there was a huge shot of Jack at the bottom. Our meal for the three of us (including child) probably would have come to about $75 for lunch. Pretty good deal considering it was all free to us with free dining! Overall, I would recommend Coral Reef for lunch. We enjoyed the atmosphere, theming, service and food. I wasnt sure what to expect as Ive read both bad and good reviews here. Originally we were hoping to have the customized menus and the diver with a sign, but they stopped offering that earlier in 2009. Still a great meal and we will probably go back in the future.
Once again, we struggled when it came time to pay. Having five separate room accounts to deal with made it difficult for our servers it seems, every single mealtime. I had to walk Will out while Alan waited on the bill. I really feel for the CMs now having to print out a check for the meal (to be paid with the KTTW card for free dining) but then also one for the tip, which most of paid with cash or charged back to our rooms. It meant a lot of paperwork and receipts every meal. Quite the hassle. Oh, to remember the days when tip was included on the dining plan.
So after our big lunch, we were pretty stuffed. Pooh was almost in meltdown mode. We had been going since about 7:30am that morning and it was now nearing 2pm. The rest of the family stayed to check out the Nemo pavilion, ride the ride and do Crush. We simply couldnt- Pooh wouldnt make it that long without a complete fit. And who can blame him. As much as I would have liked to stay and get more accomplished, I knew I had to bend to his schedule and Alan and I both knew it was time to take a break. So we headed back out of the park. I think Nancy and Chase came with us. Her foot usually would swell up and she needed to get it on ice for a bit before starting out again in the evening.
We headed back to the car, which was not a long walk since we had a pretty good parking space near the front from arriving so early. We were back in the room by 2:30 or so- stopping to fill our refillable mugs with something to drink. We had water and juice and milk in our fridge for Pooh that we had ordered through garden grocer.
We got back to the room and let Pooh nap. He was pretty good about going down for his nap. Alan headed off to the gym at the wilderness Lodge to work off some of his lunch! I stayed in the room with Pooh- straightening up the room a bit more and watching some tv. I didnt ever nap the whole trip, but did rest a bit. We had planned to take a 2-3 hour break each day. I know this is a great debate among many, to take a break or not to take a break? Pooh usually naps at day care from 12pm-2pm each day, so we were pretty certain it was a must for us. Otherwise, he would be a complete monster in the evenings. So break it was. He wont sleep in his stroller for long, so that wasnt really an option for us to keep going and wait for him to fall asleep in the stroller. Even when we travel sans children, we almost always take a midday break- it just gets us out of the parks in the height of the rush and heat (if there in the spring/summer) and we can come back refreshed and stay until closing.
I want as much info as I can find! 
How did I miss the start of this TR?! I am soooo behind on things---the holidays really screwed me up.
We ended up having to cut our trip short due to a death in the family, but I've still got 5 days of TR to write, so hopefully it'll be worth reading. 
Do you know if they're planning on having Dis-apalooza again this year?! It sounds like such a fun night!!! 
