BACKGROUND
Mom and daughter, Jessica, age 17, taking our 10th trip to WDW since 1991. We were there from Saturday, 27 December 2003, to Friday, 2 January 2004, for a total of six nights. We had never visited WDW during the Christmas or New Years time. Since Shades of Green was closed, we stayed at the Hilton for three nights ($95 per night at government rate) and the Dolphin for three nights ($124 per night at government rate). I wanted to stay the whole time at the Dolphin but to save money we had to stay at the Hilton also. We have plans to visit WDW March 2004 (free airfare since we volunteered to get bumped during a previous trip) and stay at Shades of Green ($95 per night), but decided a couple of months ago to visit during New Years too. I figured we could purchase annual passes to use during both trips and rejoined Connections to buy vouchers for both trips (28 QC vouchers and 21 Lunch vouchers). Buying the vouchers ahead of time enabled me to start paying for the trips since I am not very good at saving for anything. We dont bring a video camera with us and we dont carry a camera with us every day. I did not keep good enough notes of our trip to include how much waiting time each ride was, etc, etc. Again, I just wanted to have another great time with my daughter.
Saturday, 27 December 2003
Picked up by Tiffany Towncar driven by Mauro at the Orlando airport at 1:30 pm. He was very nice. For the first time, I requested a grocery store stop. We stopped at Kash n Karry and picked up a six pack (24 oz) of soda for $3.29, a six pack (1/2 liter) of water for $2.29, a tub of cream cheese for $1.69 and bagels for $1.59. We will definitely do this again. We checked into the Hilton, Downtown, and was assigned room 907. It was a nice room but I didnt feel any of the Disney magic and figured it wouldnt totally happen to me until I arrived at one of the parks. We walked over to Downtown and had dinner at The House of Blues. I had the Cajun meatloaf and Jessica had a blues burger. Everything was good no big deal but good. We visited Magic Masters (magic store) where there was a guy doing card tricks for a crowd. Jessica then got picked up by a relative to spend the night at her grandpas house in Oviedo, Florida. I had tomorrow, Sunday, to myself and I would see Jessica again on Monday morning. My plans were to buy our passes in the morning at Shades of Green in the Contemporary Resort and visit Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. I stayed Downtown for a little longer by myself. There was a kids dance party going on with a DJ playing great music. A bunch of young kids were in front of the stage dancing and having fun. The weather was wonderful with a nice breeze. I had a chocolate ice cream cone ($2.95) from Ghirardellis, brought the Fantasmic! CD at The World of Disney ($18.86) and walked back to the Hilton. While I ironed some shirts, I watched the movie Under the Tuscan Sun on pay TV.
Sunday, 28 December 2003
I realized one thing that I like about Shades of Green and that is that they have a schedule that the buses run by. I had to buy the park passes from Shades of Green today so I figured I would take the Magic Kingdom bus and then the monorail to the Contemporary. The wait for the bus was almost an hour. When I got to the Shades of Green office, I noticed that they close at 9 pm I thought it was 5 pm; otherwise I would have purchased the tickets last night and saved some park time today (Two annual passes at $362 for total of $724). Since I was so close, first stop was Magic Kingdom. I stopped and looked at the Mickey Statues-75 InspEARations. Some were showing damage and peeling paint and even though there was a rope surrounding them, there were people going under the ropes in order to have pictures taken with the statues. I knew I had to visit the Country Bear Jamboree Christmas show since Jessica doesnt care for it. I liked it better than the regular show but I really do love Christmas music. I was very hungry but Peco Bills didnt open until 11 according to their sign, but it turned out they started serving at 10:30. What a great burger and chocolate cream pie! Of course, being so early, I had a lot of seats to choose from which was a nice change (Bacon double cheeseburger $6.89; Chocolate cream pie $3.49; Soda $2.29-Total $13.50-Used one QC voucher $11.25-Saved $2.25). I took the train to Toontown and visited Mickeys and Minnies houses. Saw a lot of Hidden Mickeys. I then walked to Tomorrowland using the walkway which I had never done it was very pleasant and I only encountered one other family. Twice I saw the Seven Dwarfs walking through Fantasyland. I dont know if they ever stopped. Since it was the holiday season, I saw the show, Twas the Night before Christmas in Tomorrowland. I enjoyed it as again, I love listening to Christmas music. I didnt want to see anything new without Jessica but decided to get a fastpass for Mickeys PhilharMagic show anyway. After one minute, the screen went blank and after 15 minutes or so, a castmember announced that we had to leave. I felt I was being punished for not waiting until Jessica was with me. They did give out fastpasses for another attraction of your choice in Fantasyland. On my way out to Epcot, I stopped and listened to the Dapper Dans. I took the monorail to Epcot and listened to Holidays Around the World in Mexico. It was interesting and I probably should have attended each story in every country. I also listened a little bit outside of the American Gardens Theatre to narrator Gary Sinise at the Candlelight Processional. Another first for me, was watching Miyuki, the lady in Japan that makes the candy also very interesting. I bought some more lucky cats in Japan but couldnt remember what cats I already had at home so next trip, I will need to buy three more so I will have a lucky cat in every color (three lucky cats $2.25 each for total of $6.75). I watched Masquerade in Italy while resting my feet and saw the Gingerbread house in American where cookies were being sold. I ate at Sommerfest, Germany (Soup $2.89, Schnitzel sandwich $6.29, Apple strudel with vanilla sauce $3.34, Soda $1.99-Total $15.45-Used QC voucher $11.25-Saved $4.20). It was a lot of food but good. I had never eaten there before. I had just enough energy to visit MGM by riding the Friendship Launch boat from Epcot. I only stayed a little while, I love this park, and just wanted to visit for a bit. There was a DJ in front of the Fantasmic! hat playing music - maybe getting ready for New Years Eve? It was now time to go back to the Hilton. I had originally wanted to visit all or most of the parks today while on my own but it turned out either I was not mentally or physically able to do so I cant remember which now.
Monday, 29 December 2003
Jessica and I went to MGM, our favorite park. All the parks had Christmas music playing. We walked right onto The Movie Ride requesting to ride the gangster side. Later in the day, the line was very long we were going to ride the cowboy side but since we were visiting again in March, there was no point in waiting in line now. Another walk-on was The Backlot Tour where I volunteered Jessica to play the captain of the submarine that ends up being attacked. She wasnt too mad at me for doing so. Rock n Roller had a two-hour wait but we had a fastpass. I asked the castmember where the Hidden Mickey was in Rock n Roller and she said in the yield sign during the ride; she mentioned that there were two but I forgot the other. Saw Millionaire and took the bus to Coronado Springs to use our QC vouchers for lunch since we had heard what a great deal the vouchers were there. (Rib eye steak with potatoes and vegetables $17.95, Teriyaki chicken with egg roll and rice $12.95, Two desserts, Soda and a latté-Total about $48-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $25.50). The resort is pretty to visit too. We then took the bus to Downtown and walked to the Hilton for another nap. I have noticed that I dont have the energy like I used to when I was younger but the enthusiasm is still there! I planned on doing some laundry at the Hilton and was very surprised to find out that there was no laundry room. So, it was back to Epcot with enough time to see Roland the Mime, one of our favorites. The show is just so funny! We then took the Monorail to Ohana, at the Polynesian, to have dinner with some of Jessicas relatives for a 7:30 seating ($25.55 for me). We got seated next to the window with a nice view of the castle. I mentioned to the waiter that we were celebrating Jessicas birthday (it was actually two weeks ago) and after dinner, he brought out a big cupcake and had everyone in our section sing Happy Birthday. It was nice and more than I had expected. Jessica and I wanted to leave in time enough to take the monorail to Magic Kingdom and see the Wishes fireworks for the first time. But before we knew it, it was 9 oclock when all of a sudden, the lights went down and the fireworks started over the castle. They even piped in the music! It was so cool! Jessicas uncle asked if they have such a show every night at Magic Kingdom and mentioned that it was better than the 4th of July at Universal. Instead of getting right on the monorail to go to Magic Kingdom, we all decided to take a walk on the beach area. I didnt know that there was a boat to Magic Kingdom, so Jessica and I rode it and planned on staying late at Magic Kingdom since it was open until midnight. We walked onto Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and watched Celebrate the Season a holiday show at the castle. The audience was very small as the show started at 11 pm. It was also snowing on Main Street as we walked into the park and on our way out of the park. After the Castle show, we figured Fantasyland would be empty as it was late (11:30) and it was we walked right onto Mickey PhilMagic Show and saw it for the first time. Just great. You can really really smell the apple pie during the Beauty and the Beast musical number. I convinced Jessica to come on its a small world with me we hadnt ridden it in a long time. I found the two American dolls the Native American and the Cowboy. We took the boat to TTC and the bus to Hilton. As we were looking for the bus to take us back to the Hilton, we took advantage of a left-behind wheel chair and Jessica wheeled me to the bus. Wow, did I need that!
Tuesday, 30 December 2003
We checked out of the Hilton and got a ride from Jessicas uncle to the Dolphin. It was early and the Dolphin was filled and we were told that the room would be ready about 3 oclock. We decided to visit Magic Kingdom again today. All the restaurants were booked for an early lunch except for Tonys. Im not sure if we have ever eaten at Tonys but the food was good (Pomodori Con Formaggio $5.99, Pizza Branca $11.29 (I paid), Pasta al Forno $12.99, Cheesecake $5.49, Soda $1.99-Total $32-Used one lunch voucher $30.50-Saved $1.50). We watched Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Parade and rode Splash Mountain where we got very very wet. The water smells so this is probably something to do later in the evening right before you leave the park. We next visited The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain and Mickeys PhilharMagic for a second time. We used fastpasses as much as possible. We eventually went back to the Dolphin to check in. We were given a room on the 9th floor. I had requested a lower floor room so there was a better chance of getting a renovated room. The desk clerk checked and had the room changed to the 4th floor (room 4012 East). It was a renovated room but he told us that the view was not very pleasant as it was the back of the hotel; the room on the 9th floor had a view of the Swan but not yet renovated. The clerk took me aside and told me that he would take off the resort fee due to the view. I figured I would rather have a renovated room with the heavenly bed rather than a great view. When we got to the room and looked out the window, the view was awful! It was the area where the trucks come in to make deliveries - Ok, I did agree to it! We kept the drapes closed which made the room seem smaller as it was darker. I was very surprised how filthy the carpets were in the hallways! I understand from the Dis board that they too will be replaced but Im sure there are guests that dont know that. The resort needs to put up signs indicating this. We took a nap, actually, Jessica took a 4 hour nap! I couldnt sleep always hard at Disney World as Im so excited to be there. Jessica finally woke up at 10 pm and by that time, we were both pretty hungry. We walked to Beaches and Cream and ate very well (Cheeseburger $8.99, Chicken sandwich $8.99, No Way Jose $7.99, Chocolate cake $5.99, Soda $1.99, Lemonade $1.99-Total $43.75-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $21.25). I just love their hamburgers and Jessica loves the No Way Jose! We sat by the pool at the Dolphin before going up to the room.
Wednesday, 31 December 2003
Well the noise from the workers and trucks woke me up at 5:30 am! I grabbed the laundry to do since I was going to go down to the front desk anyway to request a different room renovated or not just higher up. The desk clerk told me to come back about noon. I went back upstairs and was able to fall back asleep for a couple of hours after I did the laundry. We ate breakfast at Tubbis (Two Tubbis breakfasts at $6.50 each-Total $13.). We went down by the pool as Jessica wanted to sit in the sun (with me in the shade) for a little while. On our way, we noticed a mommy duck with her 13 babies in one of the lakes. So cute. We went back to the front desk at noon was told that we could move to a room on the 8th floor and to top it off, it was a renovated room. I didnt dare ask about the view. We were assigned room 8154 West. What a difference the view makes it wasnt a water view but of the front of the Dolphin. The room seemed so much bigger and brighter now that we could open the drapes. We did not plan on spending the whole day at any park today so we left for MGM where we had priority seating for lunch at Brown Derby at 3 oclock. We had no trouble getting into MGM and it didnt seem like it was very crowded (Portobello mushroom, chevre cheese raviolo $6.29, Coconut shrimp $7.99, Steak and shrimp $21.99, Steak and shrimp $21.99, Grapefruit cake $5.99, Chocolate cake $6.99, Soda $1.99-Total $89-Used two lunch vouchers $61-Saved $28). Jessica then wanted to walk through One Mans Dream. We asked for the trivia quiz at the door which was fun filling out. There was a beginners side and an experts side. We got all the answers right on both sides and Jessica received a Magical Moment certificate. We went to Millionaire and got a fastpass so we could see it twice in a row. We went to the outside of the now closed Superstar Television show and got our New Years Eve hats and horns. We wanted to see either Fantasmic! or Indiana Jones show before we left but decided we always have, yes, the next trip and wanted to go back and relax at the hotel. We took the Friendship Launch Boat back to the Yacht & Beach Club and ate at Beaches and Cream again (Cheeseburger with onions $9.39, Cheeseburger $7.39, No Way Jose $7.99, Mickey Mouse Sundae $3.99, Soda $1.99-Total $32.75-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $10.25). I tried to take a picture of the Mickey Mouse Sundae but my camera didnt work for some reason. It was a scoop of ice cream with two chocolate chips as the eyes, orea cookies as the ears, a cherry stem as the tail and more but I cant remember right now. There was also syrup on top. It was very cute. I dont believe we will ever visit WDW again on New Years Eve so I really thought about whether to stay up and be at one of the parks at midnight or just go to bed. I dont stay up till midnight at home and didnt want to be tired the next day so Jessica and I both fell asleep at about 10 pm. It was a good thing as Animal Kingdom was not crowded the next day, New Years Day Im guessing because everyone was sleeping late.
Thursday, 1 January 2004
We had an appointment at the Beach & Yacht Club for Jessica to get her eyebrows threaded. It took about 10-15 minutes and cost $20. Jessica was very happy with the results. She didnt feel that it hurt as much as she thought it would. On our way to the appointment, we saw the mommy duck again and since it was chilly, all her babies were under her two wings. We planned on visiting Animal Kingdom today and eating at Rainforest Café. Since we were now hungry, we shared a danish at the Beach & Yacht Club (Raspberry Danish $2.39). We took the bus to Animal Kingdom and walked right onto Dinosaur. Probably my last time on that ride as it is just too bumpy! We ate at Rainforest Café Lunch (Quesadilla appetizer $8.99, Crab dip appetizer $8.99, Twp Surf and Turfs (steak and crab cakes) $39.99 each, two chocolate Diablo cakes $5.99, Soda in souvenir yard cup $4.99, Iced drink in souvenir yard cup $4.99-Total $145.69-Used two lunch vouchers $61-Saved $85-the waiter got a $18 tip!). It was a lot of food and every bit of it was very very good. We went back to see The Lion King show (always wonderful). Outside the theatre, before the show started, a group of singers in scarves and hats came out to sing Christmas songs to include Im getting notting for Christmas. On our way out, we watched Wes Palm (a planted palm tree in a planter that drives around) for about 20 minutes. A couple of kids were kicking the planter until a security guard showed up. Some of the things that Wes said were I need somewhere to plant myself, Im bushed, Wow, you are a tall one, you must have been over-fertilized as a young sapling, and when Wes ran into a young couple with children, he would say to the child How nice, youre here with your mommy and grandpa. It was a very short day at Animal Kingdom and back to the Dolphin. Since we were getting picked up by Tiffany Towncar at 4 pm for a 6 pm flight tomorrow, I asked some clerks at the front desk if we could check out late instead of 11 am but they said no as the resort was almost full. I later asked the lady at the Preferred Member desk told her any extra time would be appreciated and that I would even pay extra if we had to. She said we could stay until 1 pm. Yah! Jessica took a small nap and off to Epcot on the Friendship Launch Boat. It was time to try Mission: Space. I tried to relax and pay attention to Gary Sinise as he gave you instructions on the TV screen inside the ride telling you when to press the buttons in front of you. I would have to ride again to get a better feel of it and decide how I really feel about it; but on the other hand, Jessica felt sick for a couple of hours. We ate at Electric Umbrella (Double Bacon Cheeseburger $7.19, Deli sandwich $6.49, Cheesecake with strawberry sauce $3.49, Chocolate cream pie $2.59, Soda $2.29-Total $23.50-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $1) with plans to see Roland the Mime again. Saw him and then walked down to Japan so Jessica could buy a Lucky Cat for her friend. She picked the purple cat for strength in artistic sense and we made plans to see Rolands next show for our last time this trip. I had Jessica pick me out a pearl from an oyster ($12.95). I may have it set later. We went back to see Roland again we could watch him all day! We decided to see IllumiNations since we havent seen it in a long time. There were very few people in Epcot so it was a good time to watch the show. Took the Friendship Launch boat to Dolphin and called it a night.
Friday, 2 January 2004
I walked to the BoardWalk for breakfast while Jessica slept. After I got back, Jessica spent some time at the pool and at about noon, we checked out. The check-in line was almost to the door with convention people. Before we left the room, I made reservations for 50s Prime Time at MGM for 2 oclock. I had to use our lunch vouchers as we were very very low on cash. When we got to MGM, we planned on going to Who Wants to be a Millionaire, another favorite of ours, but we missed the last show and the next one was going to be too late for us. Tiffany Towncar was picking us up at the Dolphin at 4 pm. When we got to the restaurant, there was a long line and a castmember announced that there would be no seating until that evening as they were booked solid. MGM was very crowded today and the weather was getting warmer. Lucky us that we called for priority seating from the resort. Our waitress was Sue also known as Mom. She was better than a lot of servers weve had in the past. While we waited for our meals, she gave us and the people at the different tables different homework assignments name 10 Disney animated movies that have only one word in the title (I looked it up and the answers appear below); name 13 parts of the body that only have three letters and what 50 coins add up to $1.00 (Trout dip $5.99, Onion rings $4.49, Pot roast $13.99, Fried chicken $12.99, Shake $4.99, Cheese cake $3.99, Lemonade $1.99, Soda $1.99-Total $61.75-Used two lunch vouchers $61-Saved $.75). I was hoping at least we would see the Streetmosphere performers on our way out but we didnt see them the whole week. But, since we were walking out of the park about 3 pm, we did get to see The Hollywood Holly-Day parade which was just the regular parade with the characters wearing winter scarfs and hats. We got back to the Dolphin at 4:00 and after grabbing our luggage from where it was being held outside, we got right into the towncar. The driver was different and during the drive, he answered his cell phone and started talking to his wife. Im sure there are people who probably would have told him not to do so while they were in the car. We tried to get bumped in exchange for airline credit but they did not need our seats today! But again, theres always March!
List of Attractions We Visited
MAGIC KINGDOM
Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Parade
WDW Railroad
Wishes Fireworks
Jungle Cruise
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain
Country Bear Jamboree Christmas show
The Haunted Mansion
Mickeys PhilharMagic
Its a small world
Mickeys and Minnies house
Space Mountain
Main Street Philharmonic
Dapper Dans
Mickeys Twas the Night before Christmas Show
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Liberty Belle Riverboat, Carousel of Progress and SpectroMagic
MGM
The Movie Ride
Rock n Roller Coaster
One Mans Dream
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Backlot Tour
Hollywood Holly Parade
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Beauty and the Beast Show, The Little Mermaid, Magic of Disney Animation, Fantasmic! and Indiana Jones Show
EPCOT
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Mission: Space
Character Masquerade, Italy
Miyuki, Japan
Le Mime Roland, France
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Test Track, Journey into your Imagination, Serveur Amusant, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Food Rocks, The Living Statues and British Invasion
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Dinosaur
Festival of the Lion King
Wes Palm
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Mickeys Jammin Jungle Parade, Rafikis Planet Watch, Flights of Wonder, Pocahontas and Friends (training show), Tarzan Rocks! and Safari
EXTRA STUFF
Bring water or soda with you on the plane-all they serve you are drinks in small cups and its nice to have more if you want it
My daughter started a crossword puzzle found in the back of People magazine on the plane and we would work on it and switch back and forth it was fun and it passed the time for us
Bring food to eat on the plane, its not good to get hungry when youre in mid-air
The X-ray machine at the airport, according to the screener, damages film 800 speed and higher. I mail our film home in a padded envelope
Bring your own alarm clock in case the resort forgets to call you in the morningit does happen
Bring two pairs of walking shoesfor the longest time, I didnt because of not enough suitcase room but it is the best advise
I plan on bringing extra wire hangers next trip and just leaving them there when we leave
Bring a night lightyoure in a room that you are not used to and it helps when you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom
I asked at each park about an Annual Pass Loungethere were none
I was so proud of myself that we didnt break down and have a sit-down breakfast (really, its because the funds were low). But as much as I love bacon and eggs, its hard to explain paying $20 with tax and tip for a breakfast. Now, breakfast at Trails End, Fort Wilderness, is a different story. You can get a breakfast buffet there with unlimited drinks (orange juice, chocolate milk, etc) for $10. It will be on our schedule for our next trip.
Make a list of the attractions that you really want to do and do those early in your trip
It was nice sleeping in late, swimming, and hanging out by the pool
We have stayed at both the Dolphin and the SwanI like the Swan better since it not as huge
Dolphin had light bulbs of 23 watts bring your own if you plan on reading
Next trip, we will go on the Hidden Treasure Tour at Epcotthere was not enough time during this trip
Soak your feet in the hot tub every night whether you think you need it or notthe day after I did, I felt like I could walk all day!
Besides bringing magazines to read on the plane, bring a notebook. I wanted to write down trip notes, etc, and didnt have any paper!
We used 10 QC vouchers, saving $65 and 7 Lunch vouchers saving $115
Answer: Disney animated movies
Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan
Mom and daughter, Jessica, age 17, taking our 10th trip to WDW since 1991. We were there from Saturday, 27 December 2003, to Friday, 2 January 2004, for a total of six nights. We had never visited WDW during the Christmas or New Years time. Since Shades of Green was closed, we stayed at the Hilton for three nights ($95 per night at government rate) and the Dolphin for three nights ($124 per night at government rate). I wanted to stay the whole time at the Dolphin but to save money we had to stay at the Hilton also. We have plans to visit WDW March 2004 (free airfare since we volunteered to get bumped during a previous trip) and stay at Shades of Green ($95 per night), but decided a couple of months ago to visit during New Years too. I figured we could purchase annual passes to use during both trips and rejoined Connections to buy vouchers for both trips (28 QC vouchers and 21 Lunch vouchers). Buying the vouchers ahead of time enabled me to start paying for the trips since I am not very good at saving for anything. We dont bring a video camera with us and we dont carry a camera with us every day. I did not keep good enough notes of our trip to include how much waiting time each ride was, etc, etc. Again, I just wanted to have another great time with my daughter.
Saturday, 27 December 2003
Picked up by Tiffany Towncar driven by Mauro at the Orlando airport at 1:30 pm. He was very nice. For the first time, I requested a grocery store stop. We stopped at Kash n Karry and picked up a six pack (24 oz) of soda for $3.29, a six pack (1/2 liter) of water for $2.29, a tub of cream cheese for $1.69 and bagels for $1.59. We will definitely do this again. We checked into the Hilton, Downtown, and was assigned room 907. It was a nice room but I didnt feel any of the Disney magic and figured it wouldnt totally happen to me until I arrived at one of the parks. We walked over to Downtown and had dinner at The House of Blues. I had the Cajun meatloaf and Jessica had a blues burger. Everything was good no big deal but good. We visited Magic Masters (magic store) where there was a guy doing card tricks for a crowd. Jessica then got picked up by a relative to spend the night at her grandpas house in Oviedo, Florida. I had tomorrow, Sunday, to myself and I would see Jessica again on Monday morning. My plans were to buy our passes in the morning at Shades of Green in the Contemporary Resort and visit Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. I stayed Downtown for a little longer by myself. There was a kids dance party going on with a DJ playing great music. A bunch of young kids were in front of the stage dancing and having fun. The weather was wonderful with a nice breeze. I had a chocolate ice cream cone ($2.95) from Ghirardellis, brought the Fantasmic! CD at The World of Disney ($18.86) and walked back to the Hilton. While I ironed some shirts, I watched the movie Under the Tuscan Sun on pay TV.
Sunday, 28 December 2003
I realized one thing that I like about Shades of Green and that is that they have a schedule that the buses run by. I had to buy the park passes from Shades of Green today so I figured I would take the Magic Kingdom bus and then the monorail to the Contemporary. The wait for the bus was almost an hour. When I got to the Shades of Green office, I noticed that they close at 9 pm I thought it was 5 pm; otherwise I would have purchased the tickets last night and saved some park time today (Two annual passes at $362 for total of $724). Since I was so close, first stop was Magic Kingdom. I stopped and looked at the Mickey Statues-75 InspEARations. Some were showing damage and peeling paint and even though there was a rope surrounding them, there were people going under the ropes in order to have pictures taken with the statues. I knew I had to visit the Country Bear Jamboree Christmas show since Jessica doesnt care for it. I liked it better than the regular show but I really do love Christmas music. I was very hungry but Peco Bills didnt open until 11 according to their sign, but it turned out they started serving at 10:30. What a great burger and chocolate cream pie! Of course, being so early, I had a lot of seats to choose from which was a nice change (Bacon double cheeseburger $6.89; Chocolate cream pie $3.49; Soda $2.29-Total $13.50-Used one QC voucher $11.25-Saved $2.25). I took the train to Toontown and visited Mickeys and Minnies houses. Saw a lot of Hidden Mickeys. I then walked to Tomorrowland using the walkway which I had never done it was very pleasant and I only encountered one other family. Twice I saw the Seven Dwarfs walking through Fantasyland. I dont know if they ever stopped. Since it was the holiday season, I saw the show, Twas the Night before Christmas in Tomorrowland. I enjoyed it as again, I love listening to Christmas music. I didnt want to see anything new without Jessica but decided to get a fastpass for Mickeys PhilharMagic show anyway. After one minute, the screen went blank and after 15 minutes or so, a castmember announced that we had to leave. I felt I was being punished for not waiting until Jessica was with me. They did give out fastpasses for another attraction of your choice in Fantasyland. On my way out to Epcot, I stopped and listened to the Dapper Dans. I took the monorail to Epcot and listened to Holidays Around the World in Mexico. It was interesting and I probably should have attended each story in every country. I also listened a little bit outside of the American Gardens Theatre to narrator Gary Sinise at the Candlelight Processional. Another first for me, was watching Miyuki, the lady in Japan that makes the candy also very interesting. I bought some more lucky cats in Japan but couldnt remember what cats I already had at home so next trip, I will need to buy three more so I will have a lucky cat in every color (three lucky cats $2.25 each for total of $6.75). I watched Masquerade in Italy while resting my feet and saw the Gingerbread house in American where cookies were being sold. I ate at Sommerfest, Germany (Soup $2.89, Schnitzel sandwich $6.29, Apple strudel with vanilla sauce $3.34, Soda $1.99-Total $15.45-Used QC voucher $11.25-Saved $4.20). It was a lot of food but good. I had never eaten there before. I had just enough energy to visit MGM by riding the Friendship Launch boat from Epcot. I only stayed a little while, I love this park, and just wanted to visit for a bit. There was a DJ in front of the Fantasmic! hat playing music - maybe getting ready for New Years Eve? It was now time to go back to the Hilton. I had originally wanted to visit all or most of the parks today while on my own but it turned out either I was not mentally or physically able to do so I cant remember which now.
Monday, 29 December 2003
Jessica and I went to MGM, our favorite park. All the parks had Christmas music playing. We walked right onto The Movie Ride requesting to ride the gangster side. Later in the day, the line was very long we were going to ride the cowboy side but since we were visiting again in March, there was no point in waiting in line now. Another walk-on was The Backlot Tour where I volunteered Jessica to play the captain of the submarine that ends up being attacked. She wasnt too mad at me for doing so. Rock n Roller had a two-hour wait but we had a fastpass. I asked the castmember where the Hidden Mickey was in Rock n Roller and she said in the yield sign during the ride; she mentioned that there were two but I forgot the other. Saw Millionaire and took the bus to Coronado Springs to use our QC vouchers for lunch since we had heard what a great deal the vouchers were there. (Rib eye steak with potatoes and vegetables $17.95, Teriyaki chicken with egg roll and rice $12.95, Two desserts, Soda and a latté-Total about $48-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $25.50). The resort is pretty to visit too. We then took the bus to Downtown and walked to the Hilton for another nap. I have noticed that I dont have the energy like I used to when I was younger but the enthusiasm is still there! I planned on doing some laundry at the Hilton and was very surprised to find out that there was no laundry room. So, it was back to Epcot with enough time to see Roland the Mime, one of our favorites. The show is just so funny! We then took the Monorail to Ohana, at the Polynesian, to have dinner with some of Jessicas relatives for a 7:30 seating ($25.55 for me). We got seated next to the window with a nice view of the castle. I mentioned to the waiter that we were celebrating Jessicas birthday (it was actually two weeks ago) and after dinner, he brought out a big cupcake and had everyone in our section sing Happy Birthday. It was nice and more than I had expected. Jessica and I wanted to leave in time enough to take the monorail to Magic Kingdom and see the Wishes fireworks for the first time. But before we knew it, it was 9 oclock when all of a sudden, the lights went down and the fireworks started over the castle. They even piped in the music! It was so cool! Jessicas uncle asked if they have such a show every night at Magic Kingdom and mentioned that it was better than the 4th of July at Universal. Instead of getting right on the monorail to go to Magic Kingdom, we all decided to take a walk on the beach area. I didnt know that there was a boat to Magic Kingdom, so Jessica and I rode it and planned on staying late at Magic Kingdom since it was open until midnight. We walked onto Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and watched Celebrate the Season a holiday show at the castle. The audience was very small as the show started at 11 pm. It was also snowing on Main Street as we walked into the park and on our way out of the park. After the Castle show, we figured Fantasyland would be empty as it was late (11:30) and it was we walked right onto Mickey PhilMagic Show and saw it for the first time. Just great. You can really really smell the apple pie during the Beauty and the Beast musical number. I convinced Jessica to come on its a small world with me we hadnt ridden it in a long time. I found the two American dolls the Native American and the Cowboy. We took the boat to TTC and the bus to Hilton. As we were looking for the bus to take us back to the Hilton, we took advantage of a left-behind wheel chair and Jessica wheeled me to the bus. Wow, did I need that!
Tuesday, 30 December 2003
We checked out of the Hilton and got a ride from Jessicas uncle to the Dolphin. It was early and the Dolphin was filled and we were told that the room would be ready about 3 oclock. We decided to visit Magic Kingdom again today. All the restaurants were booked for an early lunch except for Tonys. Im not sure if we have ever eaten at Tonys but the food was good (Pomodori Con Formaggio $5.99, Pizza Branca $11.29 (I paid), Pasta al Forno $12.99, Cheesecake $5.49, Soda $1.99-Total $32-Used one lunch voucher $30.50-Saved $1.50). We watched Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Parade and rode Splash Mountain where we got very very wet. The water smells so this is probably something to do later in the evening right before you leave the park. We next visited The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain and Mickeys PhilharMagic for a second time. We used fastpasses as much as possible. We eventually went back to the Dolphin to check in. We were given a room on the 9th floor. I had requested a lower floor room so there was a better chance of getting a renovated room. The desk clerk checked and had the room changed to the 4th floor (room 4012 East). It was a renovated room but he told us that the view was not very pleasant as it was the back of the hotel; the room on the 9th floor had a view of the Swan but not yet renovated. The clerk took me aside and told me that he would take off the resort fee due to the view. I figured I would rather have a renovated room with the heavenly bed rather than a great view. When we got to the room and looked out the window, the view was awful! It was the area where the trucks come in to make deliveries - Ok, I did agree to it! We kept the drapes closed which made the room seem smaller as it was darker. I was very surprised how filthy the carpets were in the hallways! I understand from the Dis board that they too will be replaced but Im sure there are guests that dont know that. The resort needs to put up signs indicating this. We took a nap, actually, Jessica took a 4 hour nap! I couldnt sleep always hard at Disney World as Im so excited to be there. Jessica finally woke up at 10 pm and by that time, we were both pretty hungry. We walked to Beaches and Cream and ate very well (Cheeseburger $8.99, Chicken sandwich $8.99, No Way Jose $7.99, Chocolate cake $5.99, Soda $1.99, Lemonade $1.99-Total $43.75-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $21.25). I just love their hamburgers and Jessica loves the No Way Jose! We sat by the pool at the Dolphin before going up to the room.
Wednesday, 31 December 2003
Well the noise from the workers and trucks woke me up at 5:30 am! I grabbed the laundry to do since I was going to go down to the front desk anyway to request a different room renovated or not just higher up. The desk clerk told me to come back about noon. I went back upstairs and was able to fall back asleep for a couple of hours after I did the laundry. We ate breakfast at Tubbis (Two Tubbis breakfasts at $6.50 each-Total $13.). We went down by the pool as Jessica wanted to sit in the sun (with me in the shade) for a little while. On our way, we noticed a mommy duck with her 13 babies in one of the lakes. So cute. We went back to the front desk at noon was told that we could move to a room on the 8th floor and to top it off, it was a renovated room. I didnt dare ask about the view. We were assigned room 8154 West. What a difference the view makes it wasnt a water view but of the front of the Dolphin. The room seemed so much bigger and brighter now that we could open the drapes. We did not plan on spending the whole day at any park today so we left for MGM where we had priority seating for lunch at Brown Derby at 3 oclock. We had no trouble getting into MGM and it didnt seem like it was very crowded (Portobello mushroom, chevre cheese raviolo $6.29, Coconut shrimp $7.99, Steak and shrimp $21.99, Steak and shrimp $21.99, Grapefruit cake $5.99, Chocolate cake $6.99, Soda $1.99-Total $89-Used two lunch vouchers $61-Saved $28). Jessica then wanted to walk through One Mans Dream. We asked for the trivia quiz at the door which was fun filling out. There was a beginners side and an experts side. We got all the answers right on both sides and Jessica received a Magical Moment certificate. We went to Millionaire and got a fastpass so we could see it twice in a row. We went to the outside of the now closed Superstar Television show and got our New Years Eve hats and horns. We wanted to see either Fantasmic! or Indiana Jones show before we left but decided we always have, yes, the next trip and wanted to go back and relax at the hotel. We took the Friendship Launch Boat back to the Yacht & Beach Club and ate at Beaches and Cream again (Cheeseburger with onions $9.39, Cheeseburger $7.39, No Way Jose $7.99, Mickey Mouse Sundae $3.99, Soda $1.99-Total $32.75-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $10.25). I tried to take a picture of the Mickey Mouse Sundae but my camera didnt work for some reason. It was a scoop of ice cream with two chocolate chips as the eyes, orea cookies as the ears, a cherry stem as the tail and more but I cant remember right now. There was also syrup on top. It was very cute. I dont believe we will ever visit WDW again on New Years Eve so I really thought about whether to stay up and be at one of the parks at midnight or just go to bed. I dont stay up till midnight at home and didnt want to be tired the next day so Jessica and I both fell asleep at about 10 pm. It was a good thing as Animal Kingdom was not crowded the next day, New Years Day Im guessing because everyone was sleeping late.
Thursday, 1 January 2004
We had an appointment at the Beach & Yacht Club for Jessica to get her eyebrows threaded. It took about 10-15 minutes and cost $20. Jessica was very happy with the results. She didnt feel that it hurt as much as she thought it would. On our way to the appointment, we saw the mommy duck again and since it was chilly, all her babies were under her two wings. We planned on visiting Animal Kingdom today and eating at Rainforest Café. Since we were now hungry, we shared a danish at the Beach & Yacht Club (Raspberry Danish $2.39). We took the bus to Animal Kingdom and walked right onto Dinosaur. Probably my last time on that ride as it is just too bumpy! We ate at Rainforest Café Lunch (Quesadilla appetizer $8.99, Crab dip appetizer $8.99, Twp Surf and Turfs (steak and crab cakes) $39.99 each, two chocolate Diablo cakes $5.99, Soda in souvenir yard cup $4.99, Iced drink in souvenir yard cup $4.99-Total $145.69-Used two lunch vouchers $61-Saved $85-the waiter got a $18 tip!). It was a lot of food and every bit of it was very very good. We went back to see The Lion King show (always wonderful). Outside the theatre, before the show started, a group of singers in scarves and hats came out to sing Christmas songs to include Im getting notting for Christmas. On our way out, we watched Wes Palm (a planted palm tree in a planter that drives around) for about 20 minutes. A couple of kids were kicking the planter until a security guard showed up. Some of the things that Wes said were I need somewhere to plant myself, Im bushed, Wow, you are a tall one, you must have been over-fertilized as a young sapling, and when Wes ran into a young couple with children, he would say to the child How nice, youre here with your mommy and grandpa. It was a very short day at Animal Kingdom and back to the Dolphin. Since we were getting picked up by Tiffany Towncar at 4 pm for a 6 pm flight tomorrow, I asked some clerks at the front desk if we could check out late instead of 11 am but they said no as the resort was almost full. I later asked the lady at the Preferred Member desk told her any extra time would be appreciated and that I would even pay extra if we had to. She said we could stay until 1 pm. Yah! Jessica took a small nap and off to Epcot on the Friendship Launch Boat. It was time to try Mission: Space. I tried to relax and pay attention to Gary Sinise as he gave you instructions on the TV screen inside the ride telling you when to press the buttons in front of you. I would have to ride again to get a better feel of it and decide how I really feel about it; but on the other hand, Jessica felt sick for a couple of hours. We ate at Electric Umbrella (Double Bacon Cheeseburger $7.19, Deli sandwich $6.49, Cheesecake with strawberry sauce $3.49, Chocolate cream pie $2.59, Soda $2.29-Total $23.50-Used two QC vouchers $22.50-Saved $1) with plans to see Roland the Mime again. Saw him and then walked down to Japan so Jessica could buy a Lucky Cat for her friend. She picked the purple cat for strength in artistic sense and we made plans to see Rolands next show for our last time this trip. I had Jessica pick me out a pearl from an oyster ($12.95). I may have it set later. We went back to see Roland again we could watch him all day! We decided to see IllumiNations since we havent seen it in a long time. There were very few people in Epcot so it was a good time to watch the show. Took the Friendship Launch boat to Dolphin and called it a night.
Friday, 2 January 2004
I walked to the BoardWalk for breakfast while Jessica slept. After I got back, Jessica spent some time at the pool and at about noon, we checked out. The check-in line was almost to the door with convention people. Before we left the room, I made reservations for 50s Prime Time at MGM for 2 oclock. I had to use our lunch vouchers as we were very very low on cash. When we got to MGM, we planned on going to Who Wants to be a Millionaire, another favorite of ours, but we missed the last show and the next one was going to be too late for us. Tiffany Towncar was picking us up at the Dolphin at 4 pm. When we got to the restaurant, there was a long line and a castmember announced that there would be no seating until that evening as they were booked solid. MGM was very crowded today and the weather was getting warmer. Lucky us that we called for priority seating from the resort. Our waitress was Sue also known as Mom. She was better than a lot of servers weve had in the past. While we waited for our meals, she gave us and the people at the different tables different homework assignments name 10 Disney animated movies that have only one word in the title (I looked it up and the answers appear below); name 13 parts of the body that only have three letters and what 50 coins add up to $1.00 (Trout dip $5.99, Onion rings $4.49, Pot roast $13.99, Fried chicken $12.99, Shake $4.99, Cheese cake $3.99, Lemonade $1.99, Soda $1.99-Total $61.75-Used two lunch vouchers $61-Saved $.75). I was hoping at least we would see the Streetmosphere performers on our way out but we didnt see them the whole week. But, since we were walking out of the park about 3 pm, we did get to see The Hollywood Holly-Day parade which was just the regular parade with the characters wearing winter scarfs and hats. We got back to the Dolphin at 4:00 and after grabbing our luggage from where it was being held outside, we got right into the towncar. The driver was different and during the drive, he answered his cell phone and started talking to his wife. Im sure there are people who probably would have told him not to do so while they were in the car. We tried to get bumped in exchange for airline credit but they did not need our seats today! But again, theres always March!
List of Attractions We Visited
MAGIC KINGDOM
Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Parade
WDW Railroad
Wishes Fireworks
Jungle Cruise
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain
Country Bear Jamboree Christmas show
The Haunted Mansion
Mickeys PhilharMagic
Its a small world
Mickeys and Minnies house
Space Mountain
Main Street Philharmonic
Dapper Dans
Mickeys Twas the Night before Christmas Show
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Liberty Belle Riverboat, Carousel of Progress and SpectroMagic
MGM
The Movie Ride
Rock n Roller Coaster
One Mans Dream
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Backlot Tour
Hollywood Holly Parade
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Beauty and the Beast Show, The Little Mermaid, Magic of Disney Animation, Fantasmic! and Indiana Jones Show
EPCOT
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Mission: Space
Character Masquerade, Italy
Miyuki, Japan
Le Mime Roland, France
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Test Track, Journey into your Imagination, Serveur Amusant, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Food Rocks, The Living Statues and British Invasion
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Dinosaur
Festival of the Lion King
Wes Palm
On our list but didnt see on this trip:
Mickeys Jammin Jungle Parade, Rafikis Planet Watch, Flights of Wonder, Pocahontas and Friends (training show), Tarzan Rocks! and Safari
EXTRA STUFF
Bring water or soda with you on the plane-all they serve you are drinks in small cups and its nice to have more if you want it
My daughter started a crossword puzzle found in the back of People magazine on the plane and we would work on it and switch back and forth it was fun and it passed the time for us
Bring food to eat on the plane, its not good to get hungry when youre in mid-air
The X-ray machine at the airport, according to the screener, damages film 800 speed and higher. I mail our film home in a padded envelope
Bring your own alarm clock in case the resort forgets to call you in the morningit does happen
Bring two pairs of walking shoesfor the longest time, I didnt because of not enough suitcase room but it is the best advise
I plan on bringing extra wire hangers next trip and just leaving them there when we leave
Bring a night lightyoure in a room that you are not used to and it helps when you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom
I asked at each park about an Annual Pass Loungethere were none
I was so proud of myself that we didnt break down and have a sit-down breakfast (really, its because the funds were low). But as much as I love bacon and eggs, its hard to explain paying $20 with tax and tip for a breakfast. Now, breakfast at Trails End, Fort Wilderness, is a different story. You can get a breakfast buffet there with unlimited drinks (orange juice, chocolate milk, etc) for $10. It will be on our schedule for our next trip.
Make a list of the attractions that you really want to do and do those early in your trip
It was nice sleeping in late, swimming, and hanging out by the pool
We have stayed at both the Dolphin and the SwanI like the Swan better since it not as huge
Dolphin had light bulbs of 23 watts bring your own if you plan on reading
Next trip, we will go on the Hidden Treasure Tour at Epcotthere was not enough time during this trip
Soak your feet in the hot tub every night whether you think you need it or notthe day after I did, I felt like I could walk all day!
Besides bringing magazines to read on the plane, bring a notebook. I wanted to write down trip notes, etc, and didnt have any paper!
We used 10 QC vouchers, saving $65 and 7 Lunch vouchers saving $115
Answer: Disney animated movies
Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan
Thanks for sharing your mother/daughter trip with us! Sounds like it was a great time. I'll be looking for your trip report after your March trip 
