The AutoTrain, Disney World, and MORE report! Picture-heavy. **Final Update 1/5**

[ddstratton]

Sounds like a great trip so far!

Thanks! We were having a blast.

Looking forward to more updates!!!

_________
Maria Rose

Coming up shortly!!

Good for you getting to ride both Rock 'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror first thing. I really enjoyed looking at your TOT pics. I never think to take my camera in.

Those treats sure do look good right now!

We love those two rides. Had to get them in! It took my camera on most rides, actually. Not Rock'n'Roller Coaster though. Nope, not on that one!

 

[ddstratton]

When we last left off, we were leaving Hollywood Studios and heading back to Port Orleans French Quarter.

We got back to the room and found that the Mousekeeper had been playing with DD’s toys…

I made this dude for DD.

We didn’t really do lunch today. We snacked on some stuff in the room, but weren’t really hungry.

Around 2:30, we decided that it would be wise to hit the pool. Ahhhhhh.

We spent about two hours in the pool. Oh, it felt SO good!! We headed back to the room to get ready for supper. We had finally decided that we were HUNGRY! We were going off-site tonight. We went to the Golden Corral – one of those restaurants that we don’t have around home. We each had the buffet and drink. Sorry – no pictures inside. We were too busy eating! They had a nice variety, the place looked pretty clean and the food was tasty. What more could we ask for. Price wasn't too bad either. Total cost here was $58.67 for the four of us.

This restaurant has a gift shop attached. You go through a turnstile to get from the restaurant to the gift shop. If you show your Golden Corral receipt, you get a "free gift". I bought a photo album, a tote bag and something else that I don’t remember! Total cost was $27.79. Our "free gift" was a choice between a shiny pencil and a little shell bracelet. We took the bracelet.

We were done with supper around 6:30 pm and headed back to the French Quarter.

It was still quite early in the evening by the time we got back to the French Quarter – it wasn’t even 7:00 pm yet. EPCOT had Extra Magic Hours and was open until midnight. Magic Kingdom closed at 9:00, and Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios were already closed by now. So, what should we do for the rest of the evening? ? ?


? ? ?


? ? ?


? ? ?


Go back to the pool, of course!

We even got DH to go down the waterslide!

It was close to 9:00 pm when we finally decided we’d had enough pool time for the day. Problem is – swimming makes you HUNGRY!!! We'd had no lunch and a somewhat early supper and were now convinced that we were all starving to death. What to do????

Have a second supper, of course! While planning this trip, I had drooled over photos on someone’s trip report. I have no clue who it was, as I didn’t bookmark the report. I just remember drooling over the pictures for a place called Flipper’s Pizza. They deliver to Disney World. And they did for us. I ordered large pizza, half pepperoni/half mushrooms and an order of cheesy bread. Oh yum. Our total cost was $25.79.

Let’s just say that there weren’t any left-overs to worry about.

After our second supper, we just vegged in the room a bit then hit the beds. We had a fairly early morning coming up.

Overall, today was a great day! A little on the hot side, but crowds were manageable, ride lines weren't horribly long, we had a lot of fun in the pool and we had some good food. Pretty good day!

 

[hill6]

Great review and that pizza looked delicious.

We stayed at POFQ in Nov 08 and didn't get a chance to enjoy the gorgeous pool as a cold front came in and it became very cold.

 

[mickeystoontown]

You guys really made use of the pool. I don't blame you, it looked like a very cool pool.

It's been a long time since I've eaten at a Golden Corral. As a matter of fact, I think the last time was when we were in Kissimmee, Florida.

Yummy looking pizza. Flippers in another spot we used to eat at when in Florida. Haven't had it in years but, after looking at the pics, I want some....right now!

 

[mrsksomeday]

Looks like you had such a great day! You some things accomplished at DHS and had great pool time. We have a Golden Corral in our town. We go there when his parents come to town. That pizza looked good too.

As always I am loving your trip report.

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

The pizza looked great. POR has pizza in their dinning hall so we ordered a large one night for dinner and it surprisingly really good! That pool at POFQ looks so much fun!

 

[ddstratton]

Great review and that pizza looked delicious.

We stayed at POFQ in Nov 08 and didn't get a chance to enjoy the gorgeous pool as a cold front came in and it became very cold.

Thanks. The pizza WAS delish! We certainly didn't have to worry about the cold on this trip. It was really HOT.

You guys really made use of the pool. I don't blame you, it looked like a very cool pool.

It's been a long time since I've eaten at a Golden Corral. As a matter of fact, I think the last time was when we were in Kissimmee, Florida.

Yummy looking pizza. Flippers in another spot we used to eat at when in Florida. Haven't had it in years but, after looking at the pics, I want some....right now!

We were very happy to have access to the pool. It was really nice. Never felt TOO crowded. The only time we go to a Golden Corral is on vacation. Don't have any near us, so we love to go when we can. We really liked the pizza, and the cheesy bread was really good, too.

Looks like you had such a great day! You some things accomplished at DHS and had great pool time. We have a Golden Corral in our town. We go there when his parents come to town. That pizza looked good too.

As always I am loving your trip report.

Thanks!! We had fun at DHS, but it just got too hot for us. The pool was the winner on that particular day!

The pizza looked great. POR has pizza in their dinning hall so we ordered a large one night for dinner and it surprisingly really good! That pool at POFQ looks so much fun!

That pizza was DELISH! We never tried the POFQ pizza... I had seen someone's trip report with pictures of the pizza and cheesy bread from Flippers, and just had to try it.

 

[OhMari]

I'm glad you are back.
It took me most of the day today,
to read all your links.

You would not believe the PM's I receive,
asking if we have any TR's with people using the Auto-train.
I have you booked marked in my favorites, so I can send people the link.

Me and my dh have stayed 3 times now at POR.
When we have the older kids with us, we get an joining room.
We think the beds are way to small, but we are used to a King bed.

That pizza looks really good.
We have a Golden Corral near my sons college, but he refuses to let us eat there. He rather go to Buffalo Wild Wings-yuck.

I am just amazed with the train. Me and my dh just did a train tour-1 day at Sault St. Marie in Canada. 8 hours on the train. 4 hours to a canyon, and 4 hours back. My butt really hurt. But I'm sure you were fine, because you got to sleep, most of the way.

 

[ddstratton]

You would not believe the PM's I receive,
asking if we have any TR's with people using the Auto-train.
I have you booked marked in my favorites, so I can send people the link.

I am just amazed with the train. Me and my dh just did a train tour-1 day at Sault St. Marie in Canada. 8 hours on the train. 4 hours to a canyon, and 4 hours back. My butt really hurt. But I'm sure you were fine, because you got to sleep, most of the way.

Thanks! If anyone has questions about the Auto-Train, I'd be happy to answer any I could.

We've done an excursion train in North Carolina before, as well. The seats weren't quite as comfy as the AutoTrain seats, but Mom managed to fall asleep in them!

They even had one car, mainly for scenic viewing, that had uncomfortable-looking benches.

We really loved the AutoTrain ride. You didn't just have to sit in your seat the whole time. You had the option of going to the lounge car and such. You could get up and walk a bit if you were tired of sitting.

 

[ddstratton]

We were all up fairly early today – we had 8:05 am reservations at the Crystal Palace! We were out the door right around 7:00 am.

The lovely view from right outside our door.

DD was up and awake, but not exactly happy about the time of day…

The pool looked so quiet and peaceful at 7:00 am.

But it wasn’t quite empty! Even at this hour, there was someone getting ready to get in the pool!

Not too many people were wandering around the resort at 7:00 am.

Even the bus stop was empty when we got there.

We waited 10 minutes or so for a Magic Kingdom bus. I don’t remember exactly, but it wasn’t too long. When we got to the Magic Kingdom, we went through security and got in line for Breakfast Reservations. They kept us there in line for about 20 minutes before they allowed people in. We were making our way up Main Street by 7:45.

We arrived at the Crystal Palace and waited behind one other family to check in. We grabbed a seat on the porch and waited.

After a few minutes, a CM came out to open the restaurant and introduce the characters.

I think we were the second or third party called to our table. When I had made the ressie, I had noted that we were celebrating our 19th Anniversary. We had this on the table when we arrived.

Food was delish! Oh, the fresh fruit was so very good. Perfectly ripe and tasty.

We had visits from some friends.

DH and I got a cupcake for our anniversary, and DD got one for her b-day.

Our cupcake didn’t last long. I think he might have taken two bites.

DD enjoyed hers, too.

We also received cards signed by the characters.

Total cost here was $89.42 plus tip. Seems like a lot of money for a buffet breakfast, but we really enjoyed it. Everything was tasty and the service was really very good, too.

We finished with breakfast right about 9:00 am. Perfect timing, as the park opened at 9:00!

Up next -- a Saturday morning at Magic Kingdom. . .

 

[mickeystoontown]

Your pictures of the resort in the early morning sure are pretty and peaceful looking. I can't believe that somebody was about to go swimming at 7:00 a.m.

One of these days, I am going to book a breakfast ADR just so I can get into the Magic Kingdom early. We aren't big breakfast eaters so I haven't been able to justify the cost yet. But, every time I look at pictures of a near-empty park, I want to do it anyway.

 

[Brae's Mom]

We love Crystal Palace. Looks like you had a great time there. We can't wait to go back in June!!!

 

[Rozz]

You got the best photos of ToT! I love the one taken during the ride!

Great report and great trip - I'll be checking back for more!!

 

[mermaid764]

Joining in

Awesome report and pictures.

Looking forward to more

 

[ddstratton]

Your pictures of the resort in the early morning sure are pretty and peaceful looking. I can't believe that somebody was about to go swimming at 7:00 a.m.

One of these days, I am going to book a breakfast ADR just so I can get into the Magic Kingdom early. We aren't big breakfast eaters so I haven't been able to justify the cost yet. But, every time I look at pictures of a near-empty park, I want to do it anyway.

Actually, I think my DD would be in the pool that early, if she were a morning person at all. We're not huge breakfast eaters normally, but on vacation -- yup.

We love Crystal Palace. Looks like you had a great time there. We can't wait to go back in June!!!

We love Crystal Palace. And everything seemed just right this time. We had a wonderful breakfast.

You got the best photos of ToT! I love the one taken during the ride!

Great report and great trip - I'll be checking back for more!!

Thanks! I had fun taking the pictures. Trying to time the one during the drops was the hardest part.

Joining in

Awesome report and pictures.

Looking forward to more

Thanks!! I'll have another update up soon.

 

[ddstratton]

When we last left off, we had just finished up a wonderful breakfast at the Crystal Palace. It was just about park opening time. We headed out to hit a few rides! First up, we came to the Jungle Cruise. This was a walk-on. DH went with us on this one.

Look! It’s the backside of water!!!

After our cruise on the world’s rivers, we took another cruise – with the Pirates of the Caribbean! DH also rode this one with us.

We stopped at the restroom after this ride. I had to take a picture of it – an EMPTY women’s restroom!!! You very rarely see that at Disney World.

Our next stop was Splash Mountain.

Another walk-on. DH did NOT join us here.

Going up the hill before the big drop.

Just before the big drop.

Me, after the big drop.

Our Rednecked ride photo.

continued in next post -- too many pictures.

 

[ddstratton]

Continued from previous post.

Then we hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We had to wait for one train. Gotta love hitting the park early.

Not the best shot, but I love this one.

DH doing his people-watching while we were on the ride.

It’s now about 10:30 am, and we’ve done four rides in an hour and a half. Not too bad, really. It was starting to get a bit warm, so we decided that maybe a nice air-conditioned show was in order. We stopped in to see the Country Bear Jamoboree. It was being refurbished the last time we were here.

After the show, we wandered over toward the Haunted Mansion.

It was a walk-on, basically.

It was now about 11:30. We walked around toward Fantasyland.

Oh.

Oh. My.

I'm cruel, but we're gonna stop here for now.

 

[mickeystoontown]

First off, I hope the "Oh. Oh my" wasn't a bad thing.

I can't believe now much you've gotten to see and do in so little time. The wait times are great.

 

[ddstratton]

First off, I hope the "Oh. Oh my" wasn't a bad thing.

I can't believe now much you've gotten to see and do in so little time. The wait times are great.

Well.... I'll get into that "Oh My" shortly.... We really did get a lot done in the morning. Our wait times were little to none - and we LOVED it!!!

 

[ddstratton]

When we last left off, we had spent a nice morning in Magic Kingdom with very low crowds. Then we rounded the corning into Fantasy Land.

Oh.

Oh My.

It wasn’t a quiet morning anymore. We found CROWDS!!!

We decided to watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic. We waited about 15 minutes. Boy, did they pack us into that waiting room. Wow. We had to keep a tight grip on each other in order to not get separated when going into the theater. They had us packed in the waiting area pretty tightly, and when they opened the doors, people felt the need to rush and push to be the first in. Grr. Once inside and seated, though, we loved the show. We loved it last time, and we still love it.

It was beastly hot, so we stopped and got a couple of drinks at the Enchanted Grove. DH didn’t want anything, Mom and DD each got a Lemonade Slush and I got a Raspberry Lemonade Slush. Total cost here was $11.79. Expensive for three drinks, but so very worth it. They just hit the spot!

I have no idea what was going on at the Magic Kingdom on this particular Saturday afternoon. We expected busy, but WOW!!! We decided to head back to the resort for a while, since it was so busy. Look at the mob we encountered! Not sure why so many people were coming into the Magic Kingdom at once…

We did find out that there was an Iron Man competition (triathalon or something) happening at Disney World this day, but I’m not sure that quite explains the HUGE crowds coming into Magic Kingdom around noon on a Saturday. Just weird.

We stopped at a couple of shops on the way out, partially as a way to avoid the crowd on Main Street. I bought a Mickey glove oven mitt as a gift for DH’s mom, a Mickey head cookie cutter for myself, a bag of hard candy for DD, and a large rice crispy Mickey head for all of us. Total here was $38.13. Hmm. Apparently I only took pictures of the candy and rice crispy treat…

From the shops, we headed to the bus stop. I don’t have any pictures here, but the CROWDS COMING IN!!! OMG – they just kept coming! I think that every single bus available in Disney World just dropped full loads off at the Magic Kingdom! We had to fight against the crowd to leave! We finally made it to our bus stop and we waited. And waited. And waited some more. We saw three buses come and go for the stop next to ours, and four came and went for Port Orleans Riverside. If I had known that it was going to take SO long for a French Quarter bus to come, we would have jumped on one of the buses for Riverside. Once a bus finally came for us, we went back to our room and just vegged for a while. DH and DD went to the pool, but Mom and I stayed in the room. I caught up on some of my pictures and such while Mom napped.

We went off-site again for supper. This time to Sizzler. Nothing special here, but the food was good. DH had the sirloin, I had Malibu Chicken (chicken breasts with cheese, bacon and a sauce). Mom and DD just had the salad bar. I have to say that the entrees DH and I ordered were very good. The salad bar offerings were also pretty good, and it was really pretty clean. A lot cleaner that the buffet restaruants in our hometown. Our total here was $54.28

After eating, we stopped at a gift shop on Apopka-Vineland Road. I bought DD a dragon necklace, two bumper stickers, and a straw hat for myself. I had sunburned the top of my head something horrible. I hadn’t realized it until that evening. My hair is thick enough that I don’t usually burn the top of my head. But I did this time!! The straw hat was enough to keep the sun off while still allowing air in so my head wouldn’t be too hot. Total cost at the gift shop was $27.65.

From there, we went on to Walmart. DD was still having trouble with shoes. We had gotten her a pair of water shoes, but they were just not comfy for wearing in the parks. We found her a pair of fairly good sneakers on clearance. Gotta love clearance. We picked up some snacks and drinks, as well as some socks to go along with those new sneakers. I also picked up a bottle of Solarcaine gel for my poor sunburned head. Total cost here was $41.73.

It was right around 9:00 pm when we were heading back to Disney World. Mom doesn’t like the traffic here, either.

This little guy was exploring! He was on the railing on the second floor.

DD just had to play around with the new hat I had bought.

We were all pretty much pooped and hit the beds in fairly short order. All in all a good day – even with the mega-crowds at Magic Kingdom, since we had done a lot of what we wanted to in the not-so-busy park in the morning then enjoyed a lazy afternoon.