7/23-7/29 All Adult Party: Backstage at MK & On stage at MGM (Updated 8/1)

[Karthur]

Here's the cast of characters you'll encounter in this tale of our journey...

Myself, 29, High School Industrial Tech Teacher (think shop and pre-engineering)

DH, 32, Project Information Manager for a major government contractor, Disney fan extraordinare and the brains behind the trip.

FIL, 60, Electrical Engineer

MIL, 60, Caretaker of SIL

SIL, 35, Special Needs/Autistic, works in an office part time

The Journey
We drove from metro-Atlanta in a rented Expedition. It was large enough for all five of us and our luggage. This was impressive because we do not pack light at all. Also, it had enough outlets for everyone to be entertained by the electronic device of their choice.

Arrival
After about 9.5 hours of driving, we made our way to Downtown Disney where DH had to cash in his AP voucher for the actual AP. We also needed to trade in some old tickets to put towards my ticket. The Cast Member tried to talk us out of cashing in the old tickets, but we were correct in doing so. If we had followed her suggestion and bought a 4-day ticket and used the two remaining days on the tickets we had, we would have spent more money. Walking away with a 6-day park hopper and DH's AP, we set out to check into our rooms at the Beach Club.

Beach Club Check In
We had booked two rooms on the AP discount with specific instructions that they were not to be connecting. Sorry, but I didn't want to be THAT close to my inlaws on a vacation. Well, when we got there, they were connecting. Anyway, the front desk clerk was amazing. She was completely sympathetic and worked to split us up. We walked away with the inlaws in a room with two beds (which they obviously needed being three of them and all) and the two of us in a room with 1 king.

DH and I went up to our room and quickly returned to the desk. It reeked horribly of smoke (I'm asthmatic). Again, the cast member who checked us in did a fabulous job and moved us. She apologized for the problem and sent us to a room with two queens. We were happy!

Also, because DH had booked his folks' park tickets before hand, they were pre-coded into their room keys.

Beach Club
Being a native Newporter, I really enjoyed this hotel. It reminded me of the resorts at home and it wasn't overwhelming huge. Our room was comfortable, with two queen beds, a desk, a short cabinet that held the fridge and TV, a large floor lamp and a high boy dresser. Having the vanity outside the bathroom was a real plus, too. I guess the only negative was that the toliet and tub were rather close together--reminded me of my first apartment--but I'm not complaining.

The pool at Beach Club was fantastic. SIL especially enjoyed the waterslide. One day it was crowded but on another it was very peaceful. They were very careful about checking your card and making sure that children under 12 were there with a parent.

We didn't eat at BC so I can't comment on the food. DH bought one of those refillable cups and used it like crazy.

The best feature about BC though, IMHO, was the five minute walk to Epcot. Of course, it put you out by UK and Canada, but still...that was wonderful.

First Evening: Dinner in Germany's Biergarten
We originally had reservations at Downtown Disney, but after the check-in fiasco and moving rooms, we realized we would not make them. DH called the dining center to see what else was available. Only thing that could take us around 8-9PM was Biergarten in Epcot.

First, having been to Germany, it seemed like a decent representation of the food. There were different kinds of sausages, schitzels and desserts. It was reasonably priced (at least it was after DH used his "Disney's Dining Experience card for the 20% discount) The alcohol was a bit overpriced, but ah well. I'll rate the restaurant 7 out of 10. But then...I'm not big on buffets to start.

**Let me say that the DDE card was the best deal we got next to the AP rates at Beach Club. After receiving the AP voucher, he bought it online for $60 about three weeks before we left for the trip. We received it within 1 week--I suppose this is relevant because he says you cannot buy them at the park. Anyway, the DDE card lets the AP holder plus up to 9 other people receive 20% off all purchases at most table service restaurants in WDW. THIS INCLUDES ALCOHOL. For a party like ours that drinks at every dinner and some lunches...well...let's just say the card paid for itself after one meal**

First Night: Extra Magic Hours at MK

**I need to note that we DID NOT get a GAC pass for SIL. She may be autistic and mentally 10 years old, but she is capable of waiting in lines. Infact, the only time she really becomes anxious is when waiting for a bus. Apparently this goes back to her school days, but we did not have any problems with the bus on this trip**

We got to the park around 10:30PM, just when mobs of people were leaving from the fireworks. They had a special gate open to get wristbands for EMH. From the gate we went right to PotC. I've been a pirates fan since 1985 when I first rode it at age 8. We walked right on.

Next was Thunder Mountain which had a 20 minute posted wait but we were on in less than 10. When I was a kid this was my favorite ride. My uncle and I rode it five times in a row in October of '85 when Space Mountain was being refurbished. There was NO line then. Heck, I remember the CM who was running it at the time just letting us stay on the train.

But I digress...then it was Haunted Mansion. Walked right on. Now that's another classic right there! Then we watched the end of the 11pm parade as it passed by. Beautiful lighting effects! (I learned some of the secrets behind those on the Backstage Tour!)

Then we did Peter Pan's Flight. This one had a 20 minute wait but none of us had done it before so we waited. It was different being suspended above. Definitely a cute ride!

Finally, and only because there was no wait, we did Its A Small World. FIL was once trapped on the ride when it broke down so we had to drag him because he claims the song gave him nightmares.

At this point it was about 1AM and we were bushed. We took the bus back to BC and called it a night.

And now...a segment I'll call the "People Behaving Badly Award"
I worked in hospitality for awhile and it never ceases to amaze me how some people on vacation just completely forget all manners or social rules. On the first night of my trip, the receipent of the PBBA goes to the couple in Haunted Mansion's stretch room that seemed to believe the rest of us wanted to watch them conceive their child. We're not talking a nice, sweet little kiss. This was his hand up her blouse and her hands below his belt all the while making lovely noises that called all attention to themselves including some rather naughty words. To make it worse, it may have been late at night but there were still some little kids around. Get a room you two--and not the Stretch Room!

More to follow...

 

[DeterminedOne]

Can't wait to read more.

 

[Karthur]

Monday, 7/24: Epcot
We walked over to Epcot from BC around 9AM and headed straight for The Land to ride Soarin'. The wait was only 20 minutes and the ride was fantastic. I asked one of the CMs why it normally had a very long wait. He told me it had to do with the load time. That made sense. SIL particularly loved it and wanted to ride it again. Unfortunately, the line was now 60 minutes and FP was showing a 2PM return.

So, we got Fast Passes for Test Track and DH got a special "walk on" bonus pass for Mission: Space. He didn't want to do it alone, so he walked over and gave it to some random guy. Then went went to Universe of Energy. I never get tired of the Dinosaurs! Unfortunately, shortly into the introduction film, we were told the attraction was having mechanical problems and were told to come back later.

Lunch: San Angel Inn, Mexico Pavillion
At this point it was near 11:30AM and we wanted lunch. FIL suggested Mexican and we decided to go to the San Angel Inn. Now, the last time I ate at SAI, it was terrible. It was 12/30/04 [my anniversary, that's why I know the date]. DH had made the plans way ahead of time because he knows how much I love Mexican food. That night, we were packed in like rats, seated next to a very rude party and the food was cold. So, needless to say I was skeptical.

Anyway, lunch there this time was delicious, the service was excellent and the ambiance was wonderful. Also, the price was reasonable for five people eating in a theme park. So, with full tummies we went to ride the Mexican boat tour.

My Restaurant Rating: 9 out of 10

Afternoon in Epcot

After that, we went back and did Test Track because it was fastpass time. This was one of my favorite attractions. It's very unique and I finally got to feel the difference between anti-lock brakes and no anti-lock brakes.

We also did Imagination with Figment and then went back to the Universe of Energy. After that, we walked around World Showcase and did some shopping.

Dinner: Restaurant Marrakesh, Morocco Pavillion
Of all the places we ate on this trip, this was the worst. I'm a fan of exotic foods so I was excited to give it a try. The service was average and the food was overpriced for what was served. We did the Moroccan Feast which is $35/head and is soup, entrees and dessert. The soup was magnificent. The entrees were: veggies and cous-cous, tiny beef shishkabobs--only one per person and small pieces of lemon-glazed chicken--again, only one per person. For $35/head, I expected a little more food. Dessert was also tiny portions of various types of a bakalava-ish pastry.

The show that was performed was short but entertaining and the belly dancer brought children up on the stage to dance with her. One little boy was absolutely transfixed with her. It was adorable!

My Restaurant Rating: 5/10.

Evening in Epcot
We did more shopping--spent a bundle in Japan because I love their handle-less teacups. We made our way down to Norway and rode the "Malestrom" ride. I love the trolls but DH and I were seated in the front of the boat and we got soaked!

Then it was just about time for Illuminations to start. We watched it from a spot near the Norway pavillion and I have to say, I don't remember Epcot's nighttime display being that awesome. Between the giant balls of fire and the globe...it was fantastic. The music was also beautiful--I bought a CD of it.

We made it back to the hotel after Illuminations and parked for the night with plans to get up and head to Animal Kingdom.

People Behaving Badly Award for Monday
This one goes to a family. After we ate lunch in the Mexican Pavillion, the five us decided to get on the boat ride. There wasn't a line, perse, but you did have to wait for the people in front of you to board their boat before you could move up. As we were standing there, someone SLAMMED into me. The floor was a bit slick to begin with so with the extra push, the five of us ended up domino-ing on each other and into another party ahead of us.
I turned to look at the offender and saw it was a boy of about 10 yrs with those funny shoes that double as in-line skates.

The rest of the boy's party arrived as we loaded into our boat and the gal working the ride told the parents(?) that he could not use the wheels in the park. The mother(?) said something nasty (and untype-able) loudly to the CM. At that point, our boat departed and when we returned the family was standing outside the "temple" speaking to a CM that wasn't dressed in the Mexican garb.

I'm giving the award to the family because the boy shouldn't have been skating--especially indoors when he had little control--and the mother(?) for the wonderful example she set for her child by cussing out a CM that was politely doing her job.

Next up...Animal Kingdom!

 

[theflowerladee]

Your report is great and I must completely agree, some people loose all
manners and etiquette when on vacation, or maybe not maybe they are
just idiots in their every day life. Can't wait to read more.

 

[beeayekay]

Animal Kingdom?????

 

[pumba]

thank you so much for such a great report......YOu did a thorough job of describing it all.....thanks again....

 

[bookgeek]

Enjoyed reading about your trip!

 

[exwdwcm]

I'm in, can't wait to read the rest!

 

[Karthur]

Tuesday, Animal Kingdom

We got up and around 8:30 headed to the bus stop at BC for the Animal Kingdom. When the bus arrived it was nearly full (it stopped at YC first) and there was a huge line. SIL was starting to get agitated because waiting for the bus is one of her greatest frustrations. Fortunately, we were able to board the bus, even though we had to stand. A few people waiting at the stop were not able to get on, but the driver said another bus was about 10 minutes behind him.

When we arrived at AK, we headed right for the Kilimanjaro Safari. There was a posted 20 minute wait but we walked on in about 10. The driver of our truck was a lot of fun, but I wish the CM assigning seats hadn't put us all in one row. It was really a tight squeeze for five adults--and none of us are Tinkerbells!

After that, we went and got Fast Passes for Expedition Everest. The posted return was 12:30-1:30 and the standby wait was over an hour. We headed to Dinosaur!

Now, one thing I have to say about AK is that it's VERY spread out so be prepared for a lot of walking. On Tues, 7/25 it was incredibly hot and the park was very crowded--probably the highest crowds we encountered anywhere in the parks that week.

Anyway, Dinosaur! had a posted wait time of 20 minutes so we waited. The waiting areas are incredibly detailed and had some interesting things to look at. The ride itself was fantastic. There were some terrified little kids--some who were crying--and Disney isn't kidding when they say "intense scenes." One little girl (maybe about 5 or 6) came off the ride shaking and clinging her father. Those with little ones might want to keep this in mind before experiencing Dinosaur!

Lunch: Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe is a chain that has a restaurant sort of inside and outside the park so people who are at AK can also eat there. It is also not on the DDE plan, but AP holders will get 10% off all entrees for their party.

I've eaten at one before (in Nashville) and it's decent food--mostly American fare--with reasonable prices. Our server was excellent and the drinks were great. (I recommend the Electric Lemonade)

My Restaurant Rating: 9/10

Afternoon: Everest Breaks Down, All Hell Breaks Loose
We went back to Expedition Everest to use our FPs. The FP line was ridiculous because people whose times hadn't come up yet were standing in front of the FP entrance. But, after we made our way up there and down the FP queue, the attraction had mechanical problems. They weren't sure when it would be back up and running and SIL was getting antsy so we left the line. We were told we could use our FP later in the week if we wanted to come back. We never did get a chance to get back over there.

Instead, we went back to the hotel and used the pool. Stormalong Bay is awesome and CMs were there to check resort IDs and issue wristbands. We spent the afternoon there and then set out for dinner.

Dinner: Whispering Canyon Cafe, Wilderness Lodge
DH took care of all the dinner reservations and when he told me this one I was skeptical. We thought about staying at WL but changed our minds when the AP rates for the Epcot Resorts came out.

Getting there was an adventure, but only because DH wanted it to be. We took a monorail from Epcot to the TTC, then took a ferry to MK, then another ferry to WL. (It would have been much faster to take a bus to MK, then a launch to WL...but anyway)

WL has a beautiful lobby and the Whispering Canyon Cafe is just off of it. We were seated about 10 minutes after our reservation. The food was good and VERY reasonably priced. But the atmosphere threw me for a loop. It was goofy, silly and a lot of fun. They had stick horse races for kids and the place was loud and lively. Be sure to ask for Ketchup and Crayons. Trust me on this.

Restaurant Rating: 9.5/10

Extra Magic Hours: Epcot
Following dinner we caught a bus to MK and then got on a monorail to Epcot. Again we were given wristbands and we headed right for Mission: Space. With the help of the few drinks I had a dinner, I decided I wanted to do Orange Team. DH was sort of "okay..." and the rest of the party really didn't know the difference. So, we did Orange Team!

I loved it. It was a real kick in the butt! Also, Disney has taken all sorts of precautions so people can't say "I got hurt and you didn't tell me it was dangerous!" As you enter, you are given either an orange or green "ticket" that states people with certain conditions shouldn't ride. Also, there are TV monitors that continually show the difference between the two and state something to the effect of "if this isn't for you, ride Green Team or ask for Mission Control Training."

Following Mission: Space, we tried Test Track again but the wait was over an hour. We walked over to Soarin' and it was at 120 minutes. I guess since Epcot doesn't have as many attractions open during Extra Magic Hours the waits get rather long.

Deciding we didn't want to wait in either of those lengthy lines we headed back to the hotel to call it another great day.

Next up...Wednesday: Keys to the Kingdom Tour (Backstage)

People Behaving Badly Award: Tuesday
This one goes to the big, football player sized fellow in the Everest line who started cussing his head off when the CM informed us that the ride was having "mechanical problems." Come on, dude. Show some class.
Yea...fortunately that was the worst of human behavior I saw on Tuesday. The rest of the week was definitely more...uhh...intense.