1437 Miles From Mississippi to Magical and Back

[JAMIESMITH]

Both Marie and I left our cameras, actually we left everything except our keys to the world, in the room so there aren't any photos to go along with this post While it's on my mind, Kavu back packs we took to the parks worked really well for us.

We got in our second ride on Soarin. Then Jamie and I had another turn on Mission Space while Marie and Maddy made a trip to Mouse Gears. Marie bought a shirt for herself (the one you'll see her wearing at Animal Kingdom).

Then we all headed to the Mexican Pavillion for some quick service food. Marie had the chicken tacos. I had nachos without sour cream or tomatoes. We both thought that the food was pretty good. Madilyn had chicken nuggets which she ate without any complaints. Jamie had the beef tacos and he ate them, but he didn't like them. I didn't try the churros because I was too full, but everyone else liked them.

I had heard that the seating area for La Cantina de San Angel was the best place to see Illuminations, but I have to disagree. Unless you are seated right next to the rail, the awning really disrupts your view of the higher fireworks. This was Madilyn's very first ever experience with fireworks.

Illuminations kind of freaked me out. I was not expecting the big explosion on the water (I was told later that they explode 200 gallons of propane every night). The area we were seated in got really hot and I thought something had gone wrong! I would love to see Illuminations again from a different spot.

On the way out of the park, the cast members line up and gave everyone (at least everyone who wanted) high (or low) fives with Mickey gloves. I thought that was a really cool touch. We ran back into Mouse Gears and I bought Madilyn a small stuffed Figaro I'd seen earlier that day. I've never ever seen a stuffed Figaro before!

While we were waiting for the monorail, Marie made a few new friends (she's they type of person who never ever meets a stranger). Tony from New York was a really funny cast member working at the monorail gates. He said that Epcot should stand for "Every person comes out tired." Marie also met a group of girls who were off duty cast members (and really drunk). They were pretty funny, too!

A group of men were nice enough to stand up so we could sit down on the monorail ride. I can't tell you how glad we were to get off the monorail and be just a short walk to our hotel room.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Third update today! I'm on a roll!

We set the alarm for 6:30 so that we would make it to the park for the morning extra magic hour (the only extra magic hour of our trip, actually).

Here's a shot of Marie and Madilyn waiting while my husband smoked his morning cigarette.

We only waited at the bus stop for ten minutes or so. The bus ride was quick and painless, but the park entrance is a pretty good hike from the bus stop.

A shot of the Tree of Life while we were waiting for the park to open.

Another shot as we were walking in.

We headed straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris.

We passed this cool building on the way.

My camera wouldn't cooperate on the safari, but Marie got some pretty cool pictures. We were lucky enough to see some lionesses on the rock formations, but couldn't get a decent picture.

Rhino.

Hippos under the water.

Giraffe.

Another giraffe.

Elephant.

Pink flamingos (these are the palest pink variety in the world).

Not sure what he is, but he has a target on his butt!

More rhinos.

Look, it's Pumba!

This is a little blurry, and I can't remember what these are called, but their horns are so cool!

Our driver was a nice lady (another New Yorker) who was really into her job. She made the experience interesting.

Next up: Expedition Everest (my first ever roller coaster!) and Kali River Rapids!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

After our safari we headed toward Expedition Everest. On the walk, Madilyn had her first melt down of the trip. She drinks A LOT of chocolate milk at home from a special type of sippy cup. She will drink anything else from a regular cup, but chocolate milk MUST be in her special cup. She drank some milk before we left our room so I didn't bring any milk or that cup with us to the park that morning. Anyway, at this point Maddy said that she wanted some chocolate milk. I told her that I didn't have any with me and asked her if she wanted something else to drink. She started screaming and crying and just generally throwing a fit. I tried to get her to let me buy her a coke (something that's usually a special treat) or some ice cream, but she just wouldn't be reasoned with.

During Maddy's "fit" Marie ran over to the fast pass machine and got us passes for Kali River Rapids (we didn't end up needing these). I knew Maddy would be too short for Expedition Everest so I sat down on the little ledge at the entrance to the ride with her and sent Marie and Jamie to ride first. Even at Disney World, I am only willing to put up with so much out of my child so after a few more minutes of "fit throwing" Maddy got a spanking. Yes, I am the parent who will spank a child at the happiest place on earth (please don't hate me). When Jamie and Marie came back, Maddy was still sniffling, but she had stopped all the screaming and crying. Marie carried her to the bathroom to clean up her face (Marie, have I mentioned how much I love you? ) while Jamie and I had our turn on Everest (my first ever time on a roller coaster!). Despite being really frustrated with Maddy, this was one of my favorite rides of the trip!

A couple of pictures of Everest (which had a five minute wait listed, but was really a walk on).

We found Marie and Madilyn and headed over to Kali River Rapids. Maddy's mood seemed to have improved and she was excited for a ride she could get on. This ride was another walk on. The first time we rode we had a raft to ourselves and didn't get very wet at all. We decided to go back through the ropes for a second turn. I love the theming of this ride! We sat with a nice family with two sons (I'd say around 8 and 10). This time we got drenched! We had ponchos in our bag, but hadn't used them. Maddy's good mood seemed to have been washed away. She started crying again because she wanted dry clothes (something else I didn't have with me).

I used our first snack credit to get her a vanilla waffle cone from this cool truck.

All wet!

The ice cream cheered her up. It was really good! I ate what she hadn't finished I told her that she would dry off soon and we would go find something else she could ride.

We walked past Expedition Everest toward Dinoland. We rode Triceratops Spin. We saw Goofy and Pluto from the air at their meet and greet location for the day, but skipped out because we had already met them yesterday at Epcot. Madilyn was too short for Primevil Whirl (which is a shame, she would have loved it!) so I took her for a second turn on Triceratops Spin while Marie and Jamie rode Primevil Whirl. We sat in a dinosaur behind a nice lady from Mississippi. She was on a solo birthday trip. I took her picture in the dinosaur when the ride was over. Then I rode Primevil Whirl with Marie while Jamie took Maddy back to Triceratops Spin. Marie asked how much the carnival games were to play and we were all shocked to hear that they were $4 each We headed toward Dinosaur, but a cast member told us that the ride had never opened that day, but would hopefully be up and going that afternoon.

Madilyn started fussing again about being wet, but thankfully it wasn't the full blown "fit" she had thrown earlier. I told Marie that I had seen a t-shirt I liked in the Expedition Everest gift shop. I decided I would buy it and let Madilyn wear it as a dress for the rest of the day. So we headed back towards Expedition Everest. Jamie spotted the smoking section near the exit. He stayed there with Madilyn while Marie and I walked back on the ride.

After I changed Madilyn into her new "dress" and we all used the restroom, it was 11:15. I knew there was an 11:30 showing of Flights of Wonder so we headed in that direction.

After we got home and Madilyn was telling my dad (her "Pop Pop") all about our trip, she said "Wet is fine if you have a swim suit." It was really cute!

 

[jennyjinx3]

It sounds like Kali River Rapids was great!! We didn't get to try it yet after 3 trips!! I hear you about the meltdowns...we had a few of those (ok, more than a few) and had to deal with them accordingly . Sorry for those people next to us at the Poly! It sounds like having Marie with you was an amazing bonus! How nice for you guys.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

It sounds like Kali River Rapids was great!! We didn't get to try it yet after 3 trips!! I hear you about the meltdowns...we had a few of those (ok, more than a few) and had to deal with them accordingly . Sorry for those people next to us at the Poly! It sounds like having Marie with you was an amazing bonus! How nice for you guys.

I'm glad some one is reading this, I was begining to think I was talking to myself! I am SO glad Marie came on the trip with us! Kali River Rapids WAS a lot of fun, but we have unanimously decided that on future trips it will be our last ride in the park for the day. I'm glad we aren't the only people who have melt downs in Disney! What building did you wind up in anyway? Did you decide if you would do a trip report? I'd love to read it if you do one!

 

[saintstickets]

KRR is one of my favorite rides...I just wish it was longer like the one at Universal's Island of Adventure. Keep the great TR coming. Many of us are lurkers and not frequent posters!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

KRR is one of my favorite rides...I just wish it was longer like the one at Universal's Island of Adventure. Keep the great TR coming. Many of us are lurkers and not frequent posters!

I saw a Petal Fire Truck today being repaired at a shop in Meridian. I'd like to give Universal a try, too. I think we'll have to do a repeat trip to Disney first, though! I'm glad I'm not just talking to myself!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Just let me start by saying that this is one of the best and most under appreciated shows in all of Disney World (of course that's just my opinion )

We followed the signs to Flights of Wonder and met a man at the entrance to the open air stage who was holding an owl (the mascot of Marie's sorority). He told us all about how she had been rescued and brought to Animal Kingdom. Very interesting, but not very entertaining. When he was finished telling us all about Mr. Owl, we were invited to sit down and wait for the show to begin. We sat on the first row on the left side that was not handicapped.

Jamie and I waiting for the show to start.

Madilyn modeling her new "dress".

The show was a good mix of funny, educational, and entertaining. We saw a man who was supposedly scared of birds be chased around the stage by chickens. Another bird stole a flag from the same man (who was playing the part of the audience's tour guide) . A falcon took a dollar bill from the hand of a man in the audience and put it in his trainer's shirt pocket. The trainer then walked to the other side of the audience and asked if anyone wanted to hold up a twenty. A few minutes later the falcon returned the dollar to the same man he had taken it from earlier. Several different birds caught grapes that were thrown up high in the air. During the whole show, birds were flying over the audience and comming in and out of the windows of the building on stage. Overall a very cool experience!

Madilyn loves eagles. Her Grandma keeps her during the week while I'm at work and she has a large one that someone carved out with a chainsaw in her living room. We were introduced to Hope at the end of the show. This is one of my favorite photos from our trip.

One more.

 

[Queila]

Hey Jamie,

Those are great updates and with nice pictures too.

What a great start to your trip at Epcot. We did Epcot on our first day too and I am starting to believe that the waiting time at Character Spot is actually underrated. It is ALWAYS long! No matter the day, no matter the time.

Maddy is a cutie. I guess every mom of a toddler knows what it takes to stop "the fit".

Flights of Wonder is the one show that I tell myself I wan to see every year but somehow it ends up going back to the "next year" list.

Anyways, cannot wait to read more.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Hey Jamie,

Those are great updates and with nice pictures too.

What a great start to your trip at Epcot. We did Epcot on our first day too and I am starting to believe that the waiting time at Character Spot is actually underrated. It is ALWAYS long! No matter the day, no matter the time.

Maddy is a cutie. I guess every mom of a toddler knows what it takes to stop "the fit".

Flights of Wonder is the one show that I tell myself I wan to see every year but somehow it ends up going back to the "next year" list.

Anyways, cannot wait to read more.

Those fits are bad enough in the real world, but I HATE them while on vacation! Our wait at the Chase Character Spot was almost nonexistant, but there were only two characters there. Definitely work Flights of Wonder into your next trip! I was so impressed!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

After Flights of Wonder, we were all getting really hungry. We decided to head on over to Flame Tree Barbeque and get some lunch. When we were in sight of the restaraunt, my husband pointed out Dug and Russell from Up and Madilyn wanted to stop and meet them.

Madilyn petting Dug's ear and telling him what a good dog he is Dug "licked her" after that, but I didn't get a good picture of it!

Hugging Russell.

And a couple more...

Once again, no pictures of our food. Marie got the Chicken Sandwich, Jamie got the Pork Sandwich and a side of fries, I got the ribs, and Madilyn had a hot dog. Jamie and I both had chocolate mousse for dessert. Marie had the key lime mousse and Madilyn had a chocolate chip cookie. The food was all really good, but it was a little hard to carry it all to the seating area. The bottom broke out of the first chair I sat in (I'm not THAT fat ). I got another one from a nearby empty table and pointed the broken one out to a cast member. She removed it from the seating area. Madilyn enjoyed feeding her grapes to the birds (I know you're not supposed to ). This was my favorite quck service meal of our trip and I would definitely eat here again.

A shot of Marie and Madilyn right after lunch.

A shot of Madilyn and me.

Just a picture of Everest.

We headed over to Dinoland and were able to ride Dinosaur. I was really proud of Madilyn for not freaking out on the ride! I didn't realize it would be quite so scary! My husband found the smoking area near the ride's exit. I really wanted to see the Jammin' Jungle Parade, but we would have to kill almost two hours before the parade and we were all pretty tired (and I know my jeans were still soaked!). We decided to head back to our hotel and chill out a while before our dinner reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We had a 6:30 reservation at The Grand Floridian Cafe. We walked to the Great Ceremonial House and rode the Resort Monorail to the Grand Floridian Resort. I can't tell you how impressive this resort is. My husband says that it reminds him of the inside of the Titanic.

This is the first view you see after walking into the lobby.

The Grand Floridian initials on the floor.

Looking down into the main lobby.

The man playing the piano was really great!

I love all the Disney characters on the floor.

The host at the Grand Floridian Cafe seemed a little snooty when he asked if we had reservations, but everyone else was really nice. The man who showed us to our table was from China and his name was "Fun". I thought that was "Fun"ny Our waitress was another New Yorker and she was really great.

Here are a few shots of the inside of the restaraunt. We were walking so they're a little out of focus, but still kind of cool (at least I think so!).

All the adults had the New York Strip. The menus I've seen on line call it a "bone in" steak, but it wasn't. This was hands down the BEST meal of our entire trip and we WILL make it a part of the next one. Madilyn had the Meaty Macaroni and she ate it better than anything else during our trip.

Jamie and I got the dessert sampler, but next time we'll both be getting the lemon cheesecake.

Marie had the fondue and Madilyn had dirt in worms. Translation: we shared everything!

One last shot of us after leaving the restaraunt.

We also really enjoyed the monorail ride back to our hotel.

 

[saintstickets]

Wasn't the Grand Floridian....grand? We still have several restaurants there that we want to try. If you ever get a chance to go back when the Christmas decorations are up, it is amazing!
I love Flaming Tree BBQ too. It is one of my favorite quick service places to eat.

Great TR...keep it coming!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Wasn't the Grand Floridian....grand? We still have several restaurants there that we want to try. If you ever get a chance to go back when the Christmas decorations are up, it is amazing!
I love Flaming Tree BBQ too. It is one of my favorite quick service places to eat.

Great TR...keep it coming!

The Grand Floridian was SO Grand I would love to go in December (for SO many reasons), but I'm not sure my husband would do well with the higher crowd levels. If he has his way, we'll stick to September trips, but we may have to rethink that once Madilyn starts school Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad someone is reading along!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

By day three I know Madilyn and her daddy were both wondering "When are we ever going to see that castle?" We caught the boat to Magic Kingdom at around 8:30 from the Polynesian's dock. This was the same boat Marie and I had taken a picture of on Sunday.

A shot of Madilyn, Jamie, and me on the boat.

Another one of just Madilyn.

And Marie looking very relaxed

Looking back at our resort.

The Contemporary in the distance.

Construction between the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian.

The driver of the boat slowed down to point out an alligator and the buoy he'd been chewing on.

A shot of the Grand Floridian.

The far side of the Polynesian.

Back towards the Great Ceremonial House.

And sunset point.

Another shot of the Grand Floridian.

The Polynesian in the distance.

The Avengers monorail.

We met the ferry heading from the TTC. We never did ride it, but it looked neat!

And finally comming up on Magic Kingdom.

My husband preferred the monorail to the boats, but I liked the boat ride better. To each his own!

 

[saintstickets]

Construction between the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian.

That's the new DVC units that will be part of the Grand Floridian. I hope we'll be able to stay there some day.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

That's the new DVC units that will be part of the Grand Floridian. I hope we'll be able to stay there some day.

I had heard that that was what they were working on there, but I wasn't sure. Aren't they also about to start some DVC units at the Polynesian?

 

[mjohn9083]

AHHHH!!! I am one terrible blogger!! But I am loving reliving our trip through this.. I promise I'm going to help starting tomorrow. I literally just got my wifi turned on at the house and my husband (woah - that was weird to type) has demanded use of the computer.

Tootles!!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Sorry, just got all caught up! Nice shot of the alligator! I knew they were in that water!!

 

[Lynnp]

Great TR! I'm in Jackson, so I am familiar with Meridian.

Thanks for the tip on Lake City. We were talking about where to stop on the way down.