Go ahead and put it on DisBoards. Beware, I will get you...eventually Final Photos!

[Moira222]

The line for Sorcerer Mickey was very long, but there was one line just starting – so I walked behind the big map and was the third person inline. I still had a little while to wait, but eventually I saw this guy.

By then Mickey’s line was shorter, so I jumped in. Joe and Lesley called while I was in line. I was sort of hoping they’d catch on and jump in another line so I could get another signature by just passing the shirt on, but they were very happy to sit back & watch the crowds. I missed Mary Poppins freak out because a little garden snake got in the building. oh well.

After I had a visit with Sorcerer Mickey (who showed me a great way to hold the shirt for signatures) we realized it was time to move on.

Just as we were leaving our room that morning, Joe received a phone call. If you read my TR from last year, you might remember that a friend of Joe’s works for WDW and was able to line us up with VIP seats for Lights! Motors! Action!.
She’d heard it was our 20th anniversary, and wanted to make is special. She’d put our names on a VIP list to the Indiana Jones stunt show. WAHOO! We headed over to the show. I have to say that this friend also put our names on the VIP list for LMA and Fantasmic, which we’d really wanted to see. but we knew that we had late dinner ressies in France, and it was darn near impossible for us to make it back to see Fantasmic that night.

We arrived at the Indiana Jones show, and had seats front and center in the theater. We were in the second row, and were right along side the little tech hub in the center of the stage/area. we had awesome seats!!! I love seeing this show – and we had not seen it since our very first trip in 2007. The other wonderful tie in was that our first date was to see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. So it had extra special meaning to us. The show was really fun, though Joe noticed one or two changes in the special effects, particularly in the plane scene, that changed since the last time. We thoroughly enjoyed the antics of the volunteers for the show, and had a great time. Did I mention what a lovely relief it was to not be in the sun.

After the show we did a little bit of browsing and shopping in the outdoor shop, and then made our way to a much anticipated meal.

You may have noticed that we are not generally big lunch eaters – the counter service meal is usually just perfect for us. But today was the one day that we could work in an ADR that we were really looking forward to.

We made our way down and checked in to the 50’s Prime Time. Wow, this place is great! It was our first visit, and while the waiting area was quite crowded, I didn’t mind much. I took it as a chance to wander and explore. I loved the old wall decorations, furniture, tv’s and old clips. I especially loved this lamp!

Joe noticed that the door handles on the old kitchen is the same as our kitchen now, and the cabinets looked just like the cabinets in his grandmother’s kitchen.

Finally we were seated – we just loved checking out all of the props, the old tables and chairs (just like we had in my kitchen and my grandparents’ kitchens growing up). I splurged on a drink with a glow cube in it, and Joe and Lesley both ordered their soda’s in special R2D2 soda steins.

uh oh… elbows on the table. better watch it, don’t want to be told again LOL. We ordered our dinners and were taking photos with our phones when we were promptly told
“No toys at the dinner table. Put those away”

We had a fun server, who was just the right combo of being in character and being a generally fun woman who enjoyed her job. across from us were two booths with families from I’m guessing England by their accents, which each had young children. Our server sat between the two tables and chatted up with the kids, giving them stickers and finding out how they were enjoying their trip.

Finally lunch came.

OH MY GOSH this food was a delicious as it looked! Pot roast for Lesley, and the combo plates for Joe and I. WOW. The fried chicken was soo awesome, as was the meatloaf and the pot roast. Finally a meal served with veggies, too. I secretly passed my greens to Joe – he said they reminded them of a dish his grandmother used to make and he loved them. I personally prefer leafy greens to be fresh and crispy, not fried or mushy.

That lunch was filling too. When it came time for dessert, I didn’t want to go too nuts. Joe and Lesley both splurged on Dad’s Brownie Sundae. WOW, HUGE!!!

I opted for a sundae. Our awesome server, who’s name I wish I could remember, told me the choices were strawberry or caramel. I was torn, and could not decide, so I asked her to surprise me. She did – she gave me a strawberry AND caramel sundae. Yummmmmm

Hands down we LOVED this restaurant and would absolutely go back. The hardest choice would be what to choose, as the sampler proved all the dishes were excellent.

 

[Moira222]

After lunch we headed back to finally use our TSM fast passes. Have to say, I so prefer the fast pass to waiting for 80 minutes with Katie as she and I did last year. In no time at all we were teaming up to play. This time Joe and I rode together, and Lesley rode solo. Amazingly enough I won, and I wasn’t even fast enough to get a photo of our score. DARN!

From TSM we headed over to the Great Movie Ride. about this time, the rain started again. and boy did it! We were prepared, and threw on our raingear as we walked. Many people were not so prepared and it was raining really really hard. There is a small section of the Muppet Vision queue that is not covered – the small group in front of us included a woman who was not prepared for the rain. She just sort of stood there watching the water for a minute—she clearly didn’t want to get wet but , well, too bad – move it or move over LOL (we didn’t really say that but umm, well, it was implied gently) We did not have much time waiting in the final wait area – I barely had time to take pictures before we headed in to the theater.

Happily we were able to get seats pretty close to the middle and didn’t even have to break the rules to do so! I did not have a great phone with me, so I did not take photos during this session. I loved seeing the two old guys in the box to the right of the theater.

In my home town there is an old historic theater, and when we were kids they played movies there. EVERY TIME I saw a movie in that theater, I expected those two old hecklers to show up in the box off of the stage. J


I loved watching the Muppets as a kid and enjoyed the latest Muppet Movie at Christmas time with Lesley & Katie. The three d muppet vision did not disappoint, and Lesley and I cheerfully sang along and even Joe enjoyed himself. Can’t wait to take Katie there next year!



By the time we got out of the Muppet vision, the rain had stopped again (mostly) and the humidity was up full force. Yay Florida. We did not really explore the streets and scenery as I had planned, but mostly because it was icky. really. yuck. so we were enjoying the in and out hops from one air conditioned attraction to the next.

What was next?

A new favorite of ours – The Great Movie Ride. I don’t think Lesley had ever ridden this – maybe they don’t have it in CA’s Disneyland? I forget.

We got the usual mobster story line (maybe some day we’ll catch the other) and thoroughly enjoyed our trip through the years and top movies of Hollywood.

After TGMR we headed up to see yet another show that I’d been trying to see since our first trip. It was time for Beauty and the Beast! Joe was not keen on this, but he very thoughtfully kept his peace (see I married a smart guy LOL) and we were seated for the show.

This show was so nicely done, I really enjoyed it. I took a gazillion photos. I have a feeling that next year if Katie wants to see the show, Joe will go ride Rockin Roller Coaster a bit. Too much singing for Joe.

Since we were nearly there, we knew that we had to check into the local hotel ---the Tower of Terror! This ride is not Lesley’s cup of tea, so she headed over to that section of snacks and shops and found a comfy chair.

Joe and I headed over and there was really no wait at all. We didn’t even get to linger over the décor and theming on the way in. too bad because I just love the lobby J

Before we knew it we were seated and entering the Twilight Zone. We had a blast! I have to confess, I love the ride, but I am a bit queasy by the time I get off of it. Its definitely not a ride that I could do over and over in a row. not without being as white and pale as the ghosts that live in the hotel!

Red neck photo:

we are all the way in the back row, on the left of the image as you look at it—Joe’s wearing the blue shirt.

After this it was getting late and we had 7:30 reservations at Epcot. Our plan had originally been to leave DHS around 4, return to the resort, freshen up, maybe take a nap or have a drink. None of that happened however. We hopped a ferry – Joe got off at the Yacht Club – he needed something in the room – and Lesley and I stayed on and enjoyed the ride to Epcot’s International Gateway.

 

[eandesmom]

oh my word what an update!

First, YUM at PTC!!!

Second, how fun to see your wedding pics. What a fun story. Well, except for the no show groomsman. Nice Beer!

I love that you spent your time getting the t shirt signed, that is so cute. Very cute Photopass anniversary picture!

YAY for Beauty and the beast. BOO for rain.

 

[Moira222]

oh my word what an update!

First, YUM at PTC!!!

Second, how fun to see your wedding pics. What a fun story. Well, except for the no show groomsman. Nice Beer!

I love that you spent your time getting the t shirt signed, that is so cute. Very cute Photopass anniversary picture!

YAY for Beauty and the beast. BOO for rain.

I had the update written for so long but had not been able to scan any wedding pics. I should have just added them later.

Katie LOVED the t-shirt - and Joe has declared that this will be our new keepsake for every trip - a signed tee. She loves to wear hers and show off all the signatures.

Thanks for stickin' with me!

 

[MEK]

Catching up now that I can see pics.

SIL - ugh - who bought those tickets that are still on your frig? I'm thinking they are for Dorney Park maybe and I think you should just take her yourself on a weekend. I know the park stays open through october on the weekends and if you can get a good weather day you can have a literal ride fest there. Denny's company had their picnic there a couple years in a row and I couldn't keep up with how many times I could have ridden the coasters. Forget about the SIL, you or Joe go with her and have fun.

Love your wedding photos. Aren't they fun?

Really enjoying your updates, but I keep forgetting that you have to block out Joe and in one of the photos I thought to myself, "what is ON his face?"

Looks like you had a blast at PTC and yeah for having the high score on TSM.

 

[Moira222]

First, an apology - I have just been so busy lately, and my laptop is near death. Using it at night for a quick DISboards fix has become so frustrating for me that now I catch up using my phone or my nook, which means that its much easier for me to read than it is to comment. So I am sorry that I am so slow to reply & to post on my own TR.

I also realized that when I edited my photos, I really made them too small. but I spent so much time doing it i'm not sure i have time to re do them all so, well, they are what they are!

I finally finished writing out our trip, because I hate to leave something unfinished, and am going to post as much of it this afternoon while I can. I hope you all will read along as you have time & enjoy the rest of our trip. Thanks for sticking with me!

and now I return you to the evening of June 6.......




Being the casual girls that we are, we stopped at the gateway’s restrooms and freshened up just a bit – washed our faces & hands, lipgloss, and Lesley very kindly braided my hair, which was just a big hot frizzy sweaty mess between the rides, the rain, the humidity and the heat. We stopped in the store there as well to pick up something that Lesley had not seen in any of the other shops.

We laughed because we took so long to actually get into the park that Joe actually beat us to the restaurant!

So, where were we eating? Chefs de France. Yet another “first” in restaurants for us, and certainly one we would eat at again.

I had hoped to see Ratatouille while we there, but he must have been busy in the kitchen preparing our delicious meal!

We all opted for the Prix Fixe –

Lesley & I had French Onion Soup

(Joe had me put my KTTW card there so you could see how big the bowl really is) , and Joe had the Lobster Bisque. ( I didn't get a photo of this.) Ok, here's the truth. I originally wrote that Joe & I had the French Onion Soup & Lesley had the bisque, however, I know that Lesley hates seafood, although she did try a lot of new foods this trip (and liked most of them!) so I switched it around. I know that our table had 2 French Onion soups & one Lobster Bisque! The French Onion soup was wonderful. The Lobster Bisque was good, but not as good compared to others the way the French Onion soup was.


For an entrée, I had the Braised Beef Short Ribs

they were FABULOUS! they were tender, falling apart, and the dish had egg noodles, mushrooms, and a delicious gravy that just went together perfectly. I would absolutely order this again.

Joe had Roasted Chicken

which he thoroughly enjoyed, especially the crunchy on the oustide, hot and smooth on the inside potatoes.
And while I don’t see it on the Disboards menu, I’m sure that Lesley had a Prime Rib

.
and she really got a decent serving of vegetables. I wonder if you asked if the staff would let you substitute veggies for potatoes? We really missed our veggies.

Dessert – Crème Brulee for Joe,
Profiteroles au chocolate for
Lesley.

, and I had Fraisier, sorbet et coulis aux fruits rouges - Strawberry cake with red berry sauce and sorbet (Thanks DISBoards!)


Have to say this was a fabulous meal! We found the restaurant to be a tad noisy compared to some of the other places we’d eaten but that didn’t faze us as we really enjoyed our dinners! Our server was a wonderful French girl who chatted with us on the differences between EPCOT’s “French” food and at home cooking for her. She was very nice, and took a great photo of us at our table as well.

The only thing that disappointed me here was that at neither restaurant we ate at this day did they recognize our anniversary. That left me a bit bummed – I did note it on my reservations that this was the actual day. I wonder since we had a third person if they decided not to? Strange. But I didn’t mention it to Joe – he didn’t expect it (the drawbacks of being a DISboard fanatic, right?) so he wasn’t disappointed.

As we left the restaurant, Illuminations was going on. We all stopped on the bridge to watch the end of the show, and from there Lesley headed down to England and onward to do some shopping, and Joe & I headed back to the Yacht Club for a swim and some cordials from the concierge lounge.

When we got back to our room, we found a lovely surprise waiting for us. The Yacht Club had indeed received the memo that it was our 20th Wedding Anniversary. They sent up a beautiful tray with a white chocolate Mickey, tuxedo strawberries and a lovely card.

Even the towels were celebrating…

“and that’s all I have to say about that” J




Goals for the Day: How'd we do on my plans for the day?

• Disney’s Hollywood Studio for 8 a.m. rope drop well we missed rope drop but got there shortly after.
• Beauty and the Beast show YES! Loved it!!
• Tower of Terror YES!
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular YES!
• Muppet Vision 3-D YES!
• The Great Movie Ride YES!
• Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream. Darn, STILL have not seen this attraction!
• Magic of Disney Animation missed it
• Studio Backlot Tour missed it
• Phineas and Ferb! Didn’t even know if they’d be there.
• Pixar Place for Autographs on Katie’s TShirt YES! Got a few good ones for her.
• Lunch at 50s Prime Time Café DELICIOUS!!
• Dinner AT Les Chefs de France in EpcotYUMMM
• Impressions de France – Not this night but we did see it earlier in the week
• Off Kilter (UK) no, we didn’t tour the world this night.
• The Land if we can get in J No.
• JellyRolls open 8 pm till 2 am.
• Atlantic Dance Hall 9 pm – 2 am

I guess these last two were overly ambitious in the first place. one of these trips I am going to get the hang of napping and relaxing mid day so that we can enjoy the night life more. How many more trips till I manage that do you think? 5? ten? lol

 

[Moira222]

Thursday June 7​

Magic Kingdom day! Since we were taking advantage of the military park passes, which were only for four days, we each purchased a one-day park pass, for use today at the Magic Kingdom.

We woke & dressed & headed out, grabbing only a bottle of water at the concierge on our way out. We had a mission. Today was the day I was going to see the Rope Drop show at the Magic Kingdom.

We had decided the day before to drive the car this day thinking we’d save some time. What I learned this day was that there is no real “Magic Kingdom parking lot” – you follow the signs to the MK parking but once you park, you have to take transportation to the park. Grr. It was pouring rain, and we definitely were drippy even in our rain gear (but we were glad we had it, as some folks did not!).

We opted for the monorail, and while we didn’t get to ride it, we did catch a fleeting glimpse of the Avengers monorail.

Finally we had managed to be at the MK in time for rope drop. Hmm but it had been raining pretty heavily when we parked the car. It had slowed and finally stopped as we waited, but the skies were still dark, and everything was soaked. Would there even be a show? Hmmm. We waited, and waited.

We watched as staff pushed the rainwater off of the train station. We had our photo taken

We chatted with the people next to us, also waiting, waiting.

FINALLY! Movement!

We saw an abbreviated version of the Rope Drop show – no train. The characters just came out onto the platform, danced a little ( I think they were being very cautious because of the wet platform) and waved.

Joe and I agreed that we needed a do-over for this one – so next trip with Katie we will get up early again!

At last 8 a.m. came around and we entered the park along with the masses . I just get teary eyed everytime I walk into the Magic Kingdom and see the castle.

We had a very particular destination in mind for today.

A favorite which will be a family tradition for MK days

mmmmmmmm LOVE me some Main Street Bakery Cinnamon Buns!!!! With extra goo please!

After we threw ourselves into sugar overload, we headed up Main Street. By the time we’d eaten, the crowds had scattered.

Where did we go?

Tomorrowland.

First on the list? To Infinity and Beyond!!!! Love this ride! There was a short line – long enough for us to give Katie a call before she arrived at school (my sister was driving her this week) and give her our love. We had a blast horsing around in line. Because I’d beaten him twice so far during our trip (air hockey and TSM) Joe insisted on riding with Lesley this time. LOL I think he did win, too. I really suck at Buzz Lightyear, but I love the ride anyway.

After Buzz, Joe & Lesley also headed over to ride Space Mountain. I wandered around a bit, preferring my cinnamon bun and coffee to stay where they were. I thought this guy was cool.

Before long, Joe & Lesley found me and we headed over to one of my favorites:

As we shared the theater with only one other couple, and we were in the front row, I felt free to snap a few non-flash photos as we went along. (OOPS apparently I did not upload them to my google album!)

As I sang along, and Joe rolled his eyes at me and Lesley just laughed (at me, I think) we enjoyed our tour through the last century.

We headed out and right up the escalator to the People Mover.

Another ride that I just enjoy – looking over the trees at the park, snapping photos. I wish there were more rides like this that give you a bird’s eye view.

We did a bit of browsing

and headed down to see the newly opened section of fantasy land.

A peek over the wall

 

[Moira222]

and heading down (it’s funny because so much more of this is probably open now, can’t wait to see more!!!)

“Oh goodie” I say – “Goofy’s Barnstormer is open again!” I insist that Joe ride with me. It was Katie’s first ever roller coaster and she loved it and rode it with him about four times in a row on our first trip to Disney World. OF COURSE we have to go on it again! Joe was not thrilled, and Lesley totally begged off to wander around a bit.

Look, its our turn, here comes our ride!

Joe of course is insisting the whole wait that this is really a kiddie ride, and he won’t fit. OH POOH I tell him, we’re riding! But alas, he was right (again darn it) and he really didn’t fit – his legs were just way too long.

So I said “See ya!” and rode it myself!!

Once the ride was over, we rejoined Lesley, who had gone a-wandering , and took a train ride over to Frontierland.

Next ride up? Katie’s 2nd roller coaster – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!

Love that ride! An no glitter this time to fly in Joe’s face !

I had wanted to ride Splash! But of course, we were taking such efforts to stay dry despite the rain that the idea of riding a water flume just didn’t sit right with Joe or Lesley, so I lost out on that one. Boo.


After this, we stopped to see the new (to us) restored to the original Tiki Room It was so much fun! We arrived just after a show had filled up, so had the opportunity to see the little pre-show in the bushes. I don’t remember ever seeing this little bit before, and am looking forward to seeing it again with Katie!

After the TIki room, Lesley really wanted to stop at Aloha Isle for a a Dole Whip, so I took that time to collect another signature for Katie’s tee….

And a goofy hug for me J

Now by this time it was lunch and we were HUNGRY. Actually, Lesley was still in line for her Dole Whip – it was a seriously long line. But Joe and I were quickly getting crabby because we were so hungry. I popped over to tell Lesley that we were going to head to Casey’s for hot dogs & to get her order. I headed to the restroom & Joe went to get in line. Well, that place was a total mad house. By the time I got in there, he was seriously frustrated at the chaos, and we decided that hot dogs just weren’t worth it. Hmm, food needed, now. Where to go? Well there was one QS place that we try to eat at every trip, but its always closed. The Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station. Have you been there? We FINALLY got to eat there, and know what? It was awesome. I quickly texted Lesley to let her know where we were, and Joe headed off to find a table – it was noon and tables were getting scarce. Knowing my BFF like I do, I knew just what she’d pick from this menu:

1/3 Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - Topped with lettuce, tomato and served with French Fries

And chocolate cake for dessert (I’m pretty sure that Lesley’s chocolate cake was stashed in a bag for later since she just binged on a Dole Whip J)

Joe had

Pasta Alfredo - With chicken and carrot cake for dessert


and I had something I’d read about on a trip report, and was very curious about:

Lobster Roll - Served with homemade chips with chocolate cake for dessert.

And everything was sooo good. If you are hungry & manage to find this QS restaurant open, stop – you won’t be disappointed!

Bellies full, we meandered up Main St through the entrance & headed back to the car. It was getting hot & muggy and we were ready for rest.

I am guessing that this was the day when we all just kicked back for a bit, with me reading & Joe & Lesley both napping. BOY Do I wish I was capable of mid day naps. Truthfully I have no idea what we did, but I know that one day they napped while I read, and one day Joe & I hit the pool. Hmm and one day I think that Lesley and I hit the pool. Guess I should take better notes….and not take four months to write my trip report!!

 

[Moira222]

What I do remember was that it didn’t take long before the skies opened up again. And the rain rain rain came down down down…seriously, I fully expected to see piglet floating down the stream. It was crazy rain!!!

Eventually we headed up to the lounge area and had a selection of hot and cold appetizers and a drink or two for dinner. We were not having an “official” sit down dinner because we had plans for a very special evening treat. The rain was looking really awful, and the club lounge was filling up quickly as people avoided being outside. After a bit, we decided that a little rain (ok a small monsoon) wasn’t going to keep us from the Magic Kingdom! We donned our raingear & headed out for the ark. Oh I mean bus. Did I mention the rain? It was raining so hard it was kind of funny. There a family getting off of the bus as we were waiting, we joked a bit about the lovely weather and about looking forward to an empty park at MK and then climbed aboard. Noah…oh I mean the bus driver.. applauded our brave souls and off we went!

When we arrived at the MK, yup, it was still raining. We headed in and while Joe and Lesley had a shopping destination in mind, I made a beeline into see the Princesses.

Well, I thought I was going to see the princesses, but really the wait was about 40 minutes. UGH I wasn’t up for that! So I jumped lines to see Mickey & Minnie. It was a 10 minute line, if that. I headed in very quickly & removed my rain gear & took out Katie’s T-shirt. Of course, I reminded Mickey that he had signed my shirt already, and thanked him for showing me a good way to hold it. and Mickey helped hold the tee for his sweetie Minnie to sign it for Katie.

Lesley & Joe were waiting for me outside of the dump shop. I think Lesley may have been looking for the Mickey crocs, which were sold out in our shoe size everywhere (yes, we wear the same size shoes). No doubt waterlogged feet everywhere were begging for crocs because they would at least let the water back out. Ours were!

The deluge continued, and we headed back to Adventureland.

OH! Score for me again as there was an indoor (read out of the rain) line to see a fairy. I didn’t even care which one – it was inside! Joe and Lesley did a bit more shopping, this time Joe was on a quest to find a good gilly hat to keep the rain out of his face. Luckily Adventureland is just the place to find an adventurer’s hat. They popped in and waited with me for a while out of the rain, then headed out to a covered area right outside to sit and people watch with hot chocolates.

My wait was worth it – I got to see Vidia, who is probably Katie’s favorite fairy (and mine next to Tink.). She is a hoot. I would so love to go bar hopping with Vidia we would for sure get into trouble!

After getting autographs for Katie’s tee, it was time for a ride. Hmm what to do in the rain?

We headed first to Joe’s favorite, the Hall of Presidents. Uh oh – it was closed. Joe was not happy. My photos are scarce here because well, it was raining and it was a hassle to keep digging under my rain poncho to my bag and then digging out a Ziploc that my camera was stored in – you get it right?


Then we dodged a few raindrops and made our way over to the Haunted Mansion. Of course, the park was pretty empty so there was no line. We walked through the interactive queue – Lesley had not seen it before – and played for a little while before we headed in.

Finally the rain had slowed to a sporadic drizzle. Sounds like fun, right? LOL! After the Haunted Mansion, we headed back over to Tomorrowland. Joe and I had reservations for the Wishes! Dessert Party. Concierge had been unable to add a ticket for Lesley, so we headed over to see if we could do so. We got there way to early, so wandered around a little, taking in the scenery

and took another ride on Buzz Lightyear.

Did a little shopping

And headed back.

FINALLY it was time to line up – we were about 6 couples in. Who was right next to us inline? The same family we’d chatted with that morning, waiting for rope drop in the rain. See, it really is a small world after all.

We were able to add Lesley to our table with no problem. WHEW! And in we went. Oh MY were the dessert tables just amazing! We each had a hearty selection of desserts and coffee through out the evening. I didn’t take a photo of every plate.

and what a great view of the castle, the electric parade, the light show & the fireworks!

This was a great evening. The weather cooperated and the rain and mist finally stopped in time to see the light shows. If you’ve never done this (and are not diabetic!) – do it! We really enjoyed ourselves and had only a small amount of guilt that Katie wasn’t with us. More reason to do it again next time!

Finally we headed out of the Terrace after a stop with a Photopass photographer

We may have wandered through more rides. ( I know we rode Stitch at some point this day, maybe it was now?) but didn’t stay too much later. Much as we had high hopes of closing the parks at night, we were just too tired, soggy, and quickly going into sugar coma from all the sweets.


Goals & Plans for the day – how’d we do?

Breakfast at Main St Bakery YES
Lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace -FINALLY

Consider a mid day pool break and then head back to MK for evening and fireworks. YES, siesta (well for some of us!)

9 pm Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party to view Wishes YUMMMMMM

Goals for Magic Kingdom:

Rope Drop!! YES
Jungle Cruise YES
New / original Tiki room YES
Splash Mountain nope, we were already too wet
Aladdin’s Magic Carpets too rainy!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad YES
Riverboat STILL have not done this ride!
Haunted Mansion YES

 

[Moira222]

Friday June 8- Last Park Day & resort switch

Now my notes suggested that we sleep in for our last day in the parks. I’m pretty sure this didn’t happen, at least not by most people’s standards of sleeping in. We may have slept till 7 am or so. Hey, it counts for us!!!

This was check out of the Yacht Club day, and the plan was to pack up (we’d done a lot of it the night before) and stow everything in the car. We had purchased a Styrofoam cooler at the gas station, and put our white chocolate Mickey inside, surrounded by ice. We hadn’t eaten any of him – we wanted to show him to Katie at home first. We breakfasted in the lounge again and took our time packing up.

We loaded everything up in the car & covered our luggage, etc with blankets and headed out. Here is another new thing for us – switching resorts during our stay. Originally we were going to head home on Friday, but knowing that the parks were open till 2 a.m. was just too much of a temptation. (Not that we EVER saw 2 a.m. !) and we decided to add one last night at Pop! Century.

We drove the van to the front entrance of EPCOT. We’d been entering through the gateway all week, and had not had that classic view in front of the ball yet. Can’t miss that entrance!!

We headed to the Sum of all Thrills – I was pretty curious about the storm show that I’d read about. We were the 2nd group in line (there was a couple ahead of us) and were having a lovely chat with the cast member. Joe was needing some caffeine, namely a Diet Coke. The cast member kindly pointed out that there was a place where we could get Coke products for free. Lesley & Joe caught that one fast. I quickly diverted (hehehe) and said “OH I heard about that – heard there’s a drink called Beverly that is not to be missed”. .

He agreed with me – it was absolutely a memorable drink and everyone should try it. (can you see the set up here??)

We really enjoyed learning about how houses are designed to withstand hurricane –level winds and storms. It was pretty interested, and despite saying that most 3-d presentations don’t work well for him, Joe could see the 3-d aspects really well.

We wandered through Innoventions for a bit. I really wanted to go to the Character greeting area but the lines were just crazy!!! Question for Disney Visa holders – is this where the “special” character area is as well? I still haven’t found it, unless the crazy line I was witnessing was for the Disney Visa character spot. I was so not waiting in it.

We headed over to Club Cool ---FINALLY! I get there. Sadly, Joe detoured to find a washroom, so Lesley and I headed over to sample the Coke products from around the world.

Teeheehee I was SO setting her up. She didn’t just take a tiny little sip – she filled that little cup with Beverly and downed it all together.


Now, for those of you who wondering where the title of my TR comes from, this right here is the moment. Because I am horrible and not only set up my best friend to taste Beverly expecting something awesome, but I had my camera ready. And even now, four months later, I am cracking up.

But before I could consider posting this picture, I had to ask her permission. Her answer? You guessed it – “Go ahead and put it on Disboards. But beware – I will get you.....eventually”.

Ready?

I know that I will pay for the photo one day, but still I just love it!!! (sorry Les! You know I love you!)

Joe had wandered in and sampled the soda’s without my evil camera to bear witness. Darn. He said he tasted it from one section, and thought maybe they were out of syrup, so he tried it from another section and yup, it was still bitter.

We wandered around a bit more

Thirst indulged we headed over to the Land.

This is another area we rarely seem to make it to. Joe, Katie an I road Soarin! one time in 2009 during EMH- and everything else in the building was closed.

We loved the whole building – the décor, the balloons hanging from the ceiling.

We first walked up to see if we could score Soarin Fast Passes. Which we did, but they were for 10 p.m. hmmmm. Fast passes in hand, we headed down to the Land.

After this we were pretty ready to sample some of those veggies we saw growing on the ride. Another new QS location for us – Sunshine Seasons!

We all wandered around to find what we wanted & see all the choices. Wow, there are a LOT of choices there. It was difficult to pick one thing. Especially for me, as I ended up at the table last.

I wish I could tell you what Joe ate, but he was so hungry that it was gone when I got there! But he also ordered a separate salad – I may have mentioned this but we really were in veggie-withdrawal at Disney World. When I saw his salad I as a bit envious but I did have veggies on my plate for lunch.

( it may have been a Rueben, but I can’t be sure! I had to take pictures just to show how hungry we were!!!)

Lesley did some damage on her lunch too

I ordered a pork chop – but you can see that I ate my veggies before I thought to take a photo!

Strawberry shortcake…..yummmmmm

Bellies happy, we headed out. Up next: Nemo!!

The Nemo ride is a very quiet, stilling ride. I think I may have dozed off for a second or two….food coma!

 

[Moira222]

But then we were out & checking out the fish.

Outside we happened to catch Aurora giving autographs. Out came the t-shirt for Katie!

LOVE these sand sculptures! This year it was Brave – amazing that it held up so well considering all the rain we’d had.

We wandered around a bit more, and stopped in Mexico to catch Senor Donald for Katie’s tee.

Donald Duck cracks me up. First, he was a bit put off that Mickey was on the Tee, and that Mickey had already signed. But then he had a brainstorm. Donald the trickster signed his name right in front of Mickey’s mouth, really big, so that it looked like Mickey was saying “Donald Duck #1”. We had a good laugh about this with Donald & his photographer!

Up we strolled to Norway. I didn’t care if there was a line, we waited & rode Maelstrom.

By the time we got to the movie at the end, I was a little sleepy from the heat and the air and the water. But I do enjoy this ride and the movie.

We continued up to China – Joe was anxious to show Lesley the warrior statues. Can you see the raindrops on the lily pond?

I admit – I watched a little show while they went in to see the clay soldiers. I thought the acrobats were coming out to perform, but I’d read the schedule wrong.

After China, I was needing a nap in a serious way. We all were. We headed out to the car and on our way to yet another first.

Pop Century! I’d seen so many great photos here on the boards that I was looking forward to checking this resort out.

Joe waited in the car while Lesley & I went in to check in. (We were using the military room discount, so she needed to be there in case they asked for ID, which they did not). The store looked so cute, I was itching to go explore, but felt bad for Joe waiting outside so we put it off till later. (bad idea)

We found our building & a parking spot (barely) and lugged our bags up. Thank goodness for elevators!


Our room:

I wandered around outside our room and took some pictures from the walkway:

The Art of Animation across the lake:

and then I crashed! We all just kicked back for a little while. Joe walked down to the store & the snack bar to check things out & I think get a diet coke. I just put my feet up and closed my eyes for a little. I may have dozed off but I think its more likely that I just lay quietly, which is as close as I get to a mid-day nap.

Having gone from a deluxe to a value we definitely noticed the differences in the pillows, bedding, mattresses, and the sounds coming through the walls from other rooms. Mental note: always move UP during your stay, from value to deluxe, not the other way around!

All told, Pop was a nice hotel and we were comfy while we were there. The pool looked like lots of fun. I never did make it back to the store while we were there, which means I will have to go back because Joe said there was a lot of fun gifts and tee’s that he’d not seen elsewhere in the World.

 

[pinkxray]

Yay! I am glad you came back to finish up. I too am guilty of reading updates on my Kindle and not posting. I hate posting on that think but is so convienent to use.

The dessert party looks yummy.

As I was reading your Pop update I was thinking you were kind of doing the switch the wrong way. It is certainly hard to go to a value after a deluxe. But if you were able to take a nap, it served it's purpose.

I LOVED the gift shop at Pop (and AOA when we stopped there for lunch last month) Everything is so colorful and they do seem to have different items than other places.

Do you have any plans in the works for taking Katie back?

 

[Moira222]

We will be going again October of 2013 with Katie, but won'tt be staying at Pop. We are actually in the process of buying DVC....we are going through resale and are waiting out the 30 days for Disney's ROFR.

I have one or two more updates to do for our last day and out souvenirs.

The dessert party was great we will definitely do that with Katie next year.

 

[Moira222]

Yay! I am glad you came back to finish up. I too am guilty of reading updates on my Kindle and not posting. I hate posting on that think but is so convienent to use.

The dessert party looks yummy.

As I was reading your Pop update I was thinking you were kind of doing the switch the wrong way. It is certainly hard to go to a value after a deluxe. But if you were able to take a nap, it served it's purpose.

I LOVED the gift shop at Pop (and AOA when we stopped there for lunch last month) Everything is so colorful and they do seem to have different items than other places.

Do you have any plans in the works for taking Katie back?

I just popped over to your Princess Half PTR - didn't realize you were a runner. Joe is working his way up to doing a Disney Half. I just sent him the link to the training program you mentioned. He runs about 5 miles a day now, so I think having a schedule will help him extend his distance. I didn't sub (I can't manage my subs now!) but I promise to pop over & visit!!

Are you trick or treating tonight? or do you go on Halloween?

 

[KatMark]

I lost my subscription to this....I will come back tonight to catch up.

 

[Moira222]

Friday, June 8 - evening

And here’s what a mid day break does to me. I got antsy, and ambitious. And decided to drag the whole crew with me. As I lay on the bed supposedly resting, the mind was cranking out ideas. It was mid-afternoon. We had hours and hours to spend. I know what we can do!!! Let’s visit all of the parks! It took only a little convincing. We piled into my car (there was no way we were going to do to this using busses!) and cruised down to the Animal Kingdom.

We were headed back to DinoLand but stopped to watch this show for a minute or two:

I can barely walk on my own feet yet alone on stilts. Amazing!

We rode Dinosaur! and Lesley found a velociraptor for Adam. Don’t ask me why a college freshman needs a velociraptor, but he did. So she found one for him!


I didn’t take picture on the ride, its too bumpy and crazy. But I do love that ride!

From Dinosaur, we managed to catch the last showing of Bugs Life – Joe and I hadn’t done this attraction since our first visit with Katie. It was much more pleasant to wait in the cave when it wasn’t completely crowded. We took our time walking in, checking out some of the animals at the lower end of the Tree of Life, and reading all the funny Bugway Musical posters.

After our trek through Animal Kingdom, we were hungry. But we had a plan! Back in the car we headed, once again in the pouring rain, this time to Coronado Springs Resort. Destination?

The Pepper Market! Our first stay at DisneyWorld was at CSR and we really loved it. We always thought the Pepper Market has the best QS variety around, so we were looking forward to it. Sorry my photos of dinner are really awful. Joe & Lesley both had burritos

, and I had Chicken & steak Fajitas. Yummmm.

After dinner, it was still raining pretty hard. But we had a mission now, so on we went to Hollywood Studios. Our first stop was the stores – Lesley and I were still looking for crocs. And it was pouring. We headed up to see what rides we could do in a short time, but with the rain, all of the indoor rides were totally mobbed, and well of course there are only a few outdoor things in DHS and they were off the list. We didn’t get to ride anything, but we did officially enter the park & do some shopping anyway.

After DHS we headed to the Magic Kingdom. Still raining, we took the ferry over.

When we got into the park, we decided to try something different. We headed over toward the Fire Company and signed up for the new game – Keys to the Kingdom. It was interesting. Lesley and I each got our playing cards, and started one quest, but truthfully, we didn’t get very far.

The rain was a slow drizzle now, and we headed back through Adventure land to take a cruise in the dark.

The Jungle Cruise. Sadly I did not take any photos on this ride, and truthfully, I remember that we were the last people to get on, in the back of the boat, and that we could barely hear or understand our tour guide. boo. It was so non-memorable that I apparently did not even take pictures!

We did a bit of shopping, checked at the Hall of Presidents, but they were closed. I truly can’t remember what else we did – it was a long day, and we were really tired. It was just after 10 p.m. now, so we realized that there was no way we’d get to use our Soarin Fast Passes in EPCT, and frankly, we were done in – it was muggy, hot, raining, and we were wearing plastic rain ponchos that just seemed to suck the energy right out of us.

We decided to call it a night, but did so knowing that in one day we’d visited three different resorts and all four parks. Seemed like a great way to wrap up our trip!

Bye Lady

 

[eandesmom]

so much for resting huh! Bummer on the rain, that can be a damper. Literally!

Pepper market looks really good. I think I'd have a hard time justifying the travel to get there to try it but you never know, it looks delicious!

 

[KatMark]

I'm too far behind to quote as much as I'd like.

I was very glad to read of your meal at Chefs de France as we are eating there in December (our first time too). I'm happy you had a good meal at 50's PT...unfortunately, ours was not good (Mark had the same thing as you and Joe and absolutely hated it...pot roast had no taste, the meatloaf was undercooked and the chicken...which I also had...was fair at best).

Love all your own photos and the photopass pictures too.

 

[Moira222]

so much for resting huh! Bummer on the rain, that can be a damper. Literally!

Pepper market looks really good. I think I'd have a hard time justifying the travel to get there to try it but you never know, it looks delicious!

I generally get into trouble when i am "rested" lol

The drive there was not an issue because we had our car but we would not have done it if we had to manage a bus for sure.

 

[Moira222]

I'm too far behind to quote as much as I'd like.

I was very glad to read of your meal at Chefs de France as we are eating there in December (our first time too). I'm happy you had a good meal at 50's PT...unfortunately, ours was not good (Mark had the same thing as you and Joe and absolutely hated it...pot roast had no taste, the meatloaf was undercooked and the chicken...which I also had...was fair at best).

Love all your own photos and the photopass pictures too.

Oh that's a bummer that your 50's meal was tasteless. You would think with staple recipes that it would be consistent each time. Guess the chefs must add their own flair maybe?

I played around with photopass a little. It was strange not having photos of Katie in there!