<b>Day 6 - Thursday, May 3</b>
Another early wake-up! Were apparently not the types to go on vacation to relax! LOL. We have breakfast PSs this morning for 7:30 at Donalds Breakfastasaurus, so the alarm rings at 6:00. Thats earlier than I wake up at home! Mickey Mouse calls 15 minutes later to awaken Lexi, but shes tired of hearing the same message all week. She growls at the phone, picks it up and sets it down again without listening.
Weve finally learned that the 7:00 buses at the Boardwalk actually show up at about 7:10, once theyve picked up their passengers from the Swan and Dolphin. Unfortunately, this means that were cutting it awfully close to our PS. It was actually 7:30 when we arrived at AK. I had never scheduled a breakfast before a park opened, so I wasnt quite sure how to get in. The entrance was very easy to find though. They had a large banner near the right-hand turnstile that read "Donalds Breakfastasaurus".
We got into line (we were the 4th family) and a CM checked us in. Another CM took our passes and scanned them through one of the machines. We have APs, so I asked how they could do that without taking our fingerprints (Ive seen some excellent CMs, but I didnt think any could duplicate our prints). Well, of course, they have a magic override button that will allow an AP to be used sans fingerprint for just such an event.
(That reminds me; just for kicks, I was going to switch APs with one of the girls just to see if the fingerprint thing is real. I figured that if it didnt take the print, I could just mea culpa an "Oops", take the right pass and do it again. I forgot to try it.)
Our server, Lisa, took the group of us back to the restaurant and described a few neat tips along the way (after breakfast, take the back route past Asia to get to the Safari, that there is a secret path somewhere there, etc.) A couple of people tried to stop to get pictures of animals, but Lisa said "Nope folks, this is just like the movie, Dave. Were walking, were walking." I thought it was funny, but either we had a humorless group, or nobody had seen the movie.
Most of our group lined up for the photo outside the restaurant, but we opted to get ours taken afterwards. You dont have to get your picture done at all, but we usually do one each trip. We went directly inside, and were soon greeted by my favorite, Goofy. All four characters visited the table within five minutes of our arrival. There was no "special" interaction from any of them except Pluto. Pluto was great! He made sure to give the girls each a big sloppy doggie kiss in addition to posing for pictures and autographs. He made three stops during the breakfast, Goofy made two and Donald and Mickey made only the first cameo.
After breakfast, we stopped for the photo and then headed back past Asia to the safari. It was now about 8:40, so we picked up a fast pass good for 9:10 and got into the stand-by line. It was already a 20-minute wait before we got onto our jeep. We lucked out and got the front seat, directly behind the driver.
Fortunately, we had been on the safari before, because the drivers audio system went out and there was no narration during the trip. However, the animals were closer to the road than Id ever seen them. At one point, the jeep ahead of us was stopped because a rhino was standing on the road in front of it. Kind of made me wonder how territorial rhinos tend to get. Id hate to be on the jeep that one decided to charge!
At any rate, we got some of our best safari pictures ever on this trip. The lions were asleep, but in full view; the cheetahs were out; a baby giraffe was feeding with its mom and we got pics of the rhinos and one of the horned deer-looking things (I forget which) from 10 feet.
Then at the end of the safari, the driver turned around and yelled that we were going to get to go again, this time with audio and the full "Little Red" story line. This was great! We switched seat positions and rode again with Lexi taking pictures out the right hand side while I took them on the left.
After the second safari, we wanted to do some other things, so we looked for a family of three that we could give our fast passes to and save them the wait. Soon, we saw a man and woman pushing a stroller with a three-year old inside. I walked up and handed him the passes, and explained that we werent going to use them, but if he wanted to, he could take his family on without waiting. He looked a bit confused, but thanked me and we started to leave. I turned around to see them walking onto the stand-by line.
I called back and pointed to the fast pass line and told him that he wanted to go over there. He still looked a bit perplexed, so I walked back to explain. It was only then that I realized that neither of these folks spoke English (except apparently for "Thank you"). Somehow I managed to steer him to the correct line, but I guess Ill never know whether they followed it to the end or understood the concept.
We then decided that we would head back over toward Dinoland to catch the Tarzan Rocks show. On the way over, the girls needed a restroom break, and while I waited for them, took some great pictures of the Tree of Life. In our haste to get from one place to another on our previous trip, I hadnt seen this vantage point. Once I snapped a couple shots, I realized that I was in the vicinity of the secret path.
I headed up the smokers path and came to the picnic tables. Sure enough, off to the left was what I was looking for. I went back to get the girls and told them that I had a surprise for them. Lexis first question was "Are we allowed back here?" I assured her that we were. It was a much shorter trek than I had imagined from reading trip reports, but it was still pretty cool being on the inside of a secret like this.
We exited then headed for Tarzan. I was disappointed in this show, and dont know if well see it again. The Disney video makes it look like a much better show than it is. It had a couple of highlights, but it was kind of dull. And the audience participation with Terk was very contrived. We left during the last song to beat the crowds.
We had gotten as far as the Oasis when I discovered that I didnt have the camera. I asked Kathey if she had picked it up, but she hadnt. Great. Id left it behind (for those of you keeping score, thats now Lexis autograph book twice, and my camera once).
We ran back to the theater before the next show started, and told the CM that we needed to go in and look for it. He informed us that both a camera and a pair of sunglasses had been found. We went to the entrance, go our camera, then headed back out.
It was just after 11:00, and the park was getting very crowded, so we decided to head back to the hotel. Unfortunately, the breakfast pictures hadnt arrived yet, so we wouldnt be buying these. We were scheduled to check out tomorrow morning, so Kathey wanted to get some laundry done while Lexi napped. I told Lexi I was going to the pool, but Id stay with her until she fell asleep. I think I fell asleep before she did. Two hours later, I woke up. An hour after that, Lexi woke up. Apparently, the pace had finally caught up with us. Kathey, in the meantime, was doing fine. She got some laundry done and wrote out more postcards.
By the time we woke up, it was raining. We were going to go to the Studios tonight for Fantasmic!, but I was pretty certain that today, the rain wasnt going to stop. We cancelled our PSs for 50s Prime Time and rescheduled for the next night. Since we were supposed to go to Downtown Disney Friday night, we just flipped the schedule and decided to go tonight.
When we arrived at DD at 7:00 or so, we were all hungry and faced with the dilemma of not having reservations anywhere. Knowing that it would be an hour or two, I stood in line at the Rainforest Café to try and get a table. The theme of fortunate timing struck once again. A manager came from around the back of the restaurant and asked both the party ahead of us and us if we wanted to be seated immediately. "Of course!" He led us around the back of the restaurant to the deck overlooking the lagoon.
Now, I have to say, this was very cool. Our server invited us to go inside and look around, but the theming and motif of the deck is great! Add to this the fact that its pouring down rain just six feet from us out onto the lagoon and it couldnt be better. When we did go in to look around, we were very happy to be outside. While the theming is nice to visit, I wouldnt want to eat there. Its crowded, and its loud! Id love to eat there again, but Id have to be on the deck to do so.
One of my favorite snacks is a chocolate-covered frozen banana. I cant even get these in Harrisburg, but theres a place back near Moms house in the Pittsburgh area where I stop to get one every time I visit. RC had a drink on their menu called the "Chocolate Banana Blast" made with rum. I ordered one and it was phenomenal. I could have had four or five of them, but for sobrietys sake decided to switch to lemonade after that.
I ordered the mixed grill, a combination of ribs, chicken and shrimp. Very good. Kathey got the pastalaya, a spicy cajun shrimp/pasta mix. Fantastic. Lexi stuck with the old standby chicken, and easily finished the whole thing and ordered the banshee Sunday for dessert. We all agreed that this was one of our favorite dining experiences of the trip. And to think that we just lucked into it!
On our way out, we noticed that the shop had a special on T-shirts, 2 for $20. OK, so thats not a great deal at a place like Old Navy, but after having been exposed to Disney prices for a week, it sounded like a blue light special to us. We picked up a couple of Ts before heading out to shop for a couple of hours. We still had to pack because tomorrow is checkout day from the Boardwalk, so we headed back to the hotel at 9:30, packed, and went to sleep. It never did stop raining.
<b>Day 7 - Friday, May 4</b>
Earlier in the week, we had decided not to check into the Hyatt airport tonight, but instead to stay on property and have Tiffany pick us up tomorrow. I was able to secure a $99 rate at Coronado using one of the discount codes, so we called Bell Services to have our bags transferred over to there. In addition to a tip, I informed the bellman that there were eight of the 12 beers I brought sitting in the fridge, and that they were fair game. We did keep two carry-on bags with us containing tomorrows clothes and toiletries. There was no need to have nine bags carried back and forth to our room at Coronado for one night.
We took the last of our poptarts with us and headed out for early entry at Epcot. The best tip that I can provide is probably this: Unless youre fanatic about Test Track, dont bother with early entry at Epcot. There were very few attractions open, and by 8:30, we were shopping in Mouse Gears only because we had done everything and couldnt get over to the west end of Future World until 9:00. This included the time it took to walk from the International Gateway and rent a locker in the front of the park for our bags.
Once the ropes dropped, there was a mad dash to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Heres another tip. If youre there for the rope drop, take your time. Its a large theater and everyone gets in. In fact, if you stay outside and watch the fountains awhile, you wont be subjected to what is easily the most boring pre-show in Disney history. Kodak runs a 10-minute commercial while youre waiting for the feature attraction. SNOOZE! Worse yet, you cant sit for the pre-show. Thank goodness HISTA is a very good show.
We watched the fountains for awhile after the show, and I got a very nice photo of Spaceship Earth in the background with the monorail running in front of it. There was something that I didnt notice about Spaceship Earth that would be called to my attention a bit later.
We hadnt seen either the Land pavilion, or the Living Seas previously, and since lunch wasnt until 11:30 at Coral Reef, we went to the Land and rode the Living with the Land boat ride. Im not much into gardening, so I didnt find it very interesting, but Lexi was able to see first-hand many of the things that she was studying in school. Because of that, it was quite worthwhile.
Our next stop was Food Rocks. I hadnt heard many good things about this show, so I was pleasantly surprised. It was better than I expected, and Id consider seeing it again. Although the nutritional message is geared toward kids, the performances are directed at the 30- and 40-somethings in the crowd.
From Food Rocks, we went to the Circle of Life show. I had said previously that Lion King is my favorite Disney movie, so that made this bearable. Had it not been for that connection, Id have found this incredibly dull. As it was, we all enjoyed it well enough.
Time for lunch! Headed over to Coral Reef expecting that wed be one of the few eating at the first serving of lunch at 11:30. Wrong! We arrived at 11:20 and the lobby was packed. We were second to the last group seated. Our table wasnt next to the glass, but we were directly across from the glass on the first level. This was one of the places that Kathey had wanted to try. Id rate the atmosphere as just "nice", but then again Im not a fish guy, unless its on my plate.
Lexi ordered the childs pasta and Kathey had her sights set on the seafood medley (clams, mussels, shrimp). I wasnt too terribly hungry, so I ordered the Caesars Salad and the lobster soup. The salad was OK. How can you mess up a salad? The soup was top-notch! Both Kathey and Lexi tasted it and loved it as well. I ate about 2/3 and gave the rest to Lexi because I thought her pasta plate was kind of small. This is a kid whose idea of exotic seafood is Gorton's fish sticks instead of Mrs. Paul's, and here she is thoroughly enjoying lobster soup.
Once lunch was over, we wanted to head over to see the Mexico pavilion, since Lexi had studied Mexico this year. On our way to World Showcase, a photographer who wanted to take our picture with Spaceship Earth in the background stopped us. As much as I wanted a group photo (we hadnt done one yet), I didnt want the construction crane hovering in the background, so I declined. "Look behind you", the photographer said, "they finished last night and took the crane away". Sure enough, the crane was gone. Project finished, photo taken.
Walking toward Mexico, we saw several characters signing near the lagoon and decided to stop. We couldnt believe our eyes when we saw Daisy Duck! Lexi has been chasing down this autograph for two years, and we had never seen her in a park before. She rushed over and got into line. After 10 minutes, she had the prized signature and picture. Five minutes later, the characters loaded up into a bus and left. Again, with the timing!
We decided to blow off Mexico and get our Mexican "culture" from Coronado Springs. It was about 1:00 when we picked up our bags from the lockers, got our group picture and headed for the Coronado bus.
Check-in was easy. There were apparently several rooms ready ,because I requested something close to the pool and they gave me Ranchos 7B, third floor (I always request a top floor; I dont like being awakened by the people above us) with an immediately check-in.
We had passed Coronado Springs several times over the course of the week, but I was unprepared for the size of the place. Our room was a 7-8 minute walk from El Centro, and having been on the go for six hours already, seemed longer. We are planning to have dinner at 6:15 at 50s Prime Time Café, but have nothing until then, so we hit the pool for a couple of hours.
Today was the first day of our trip that could be categorized as gorgeous. No hint or threat of rain, and blue skies; a great day for swimming. Lexi swam by herself for a half-hour, then came to get me to show me the slide. We went down once, and she asked me if she could go down headfirst. Citing the sign, I told her that she had to sit up. The second time down, I noticed that almost everyone was going headfirst, so I set a bad example as a parent and told her to go ahead. I then followed her down headfirst and was promptly chastised by the lifeguards on duty. Oops, I think Ill sheepishly head back over to the other side of the pool.
They were doing hair wraps and Lexi decided that she wanted one. She was spending her own money, so I told her to ask how much. At $1.50 per inch, hers would come to about $21 plus beads. A colossal waste of money in my book, but if shes going to learn any fiscal responsibility, shes going to have to make her own decisions. As an aside, if you want to really enjoy Disney, Ive found it best to check your sense of fiscal responsibility into a locker at the airport.
We showered and headed over to the Studios 25 minutes early for our seating. We checked in anyway and were seated in 10 minutes.
If any experience at WDW depends on the performance/attitude of your server, its this one. While our server was very nice, she really didnt get into the whole mom concept. I was kind of disappointed, because if not for the show, youre grossly overpaying for very average food. I even tried getting into the role on my own, keeping my elbows on the table, not finishing up and being mischievous, but no dice. I wish that wed been sitting in the section next to ours. There, the CM was very much into playing her role, at least three times loudly chiding guests about finishing their green beans and sitting them in the center of the room and feeding them a la race horse or airplane.
We got out at 7:35 and headed to Fantasmic. Maybe its because there was no show the previous night, but the place was already packed! 55 minutes before showtime, and we wound up in the Beast section, all the way at the far left end of the theater. If wed had another night that we could have come back, wed have left. Instead, we had to make the best of it.
Fantasmic is Katheys favorite Disney show, and it was a great way to end our evening. At the end of the show, we lingered in the theater until most of the traffic was gone, rather than trying to fight the lines to the exits. We finished the evening with some last-minute shopping at the Villains Vogue (my favorite store) and Mickeys 5&10. Straight back to Coronado, straight to bed.
<b>Day 8 - Saturday, May 5</b>
What better place to be in Disney on Cinco de Mayo than Coronado Springs? Unfortunately, we will miss the celebration as we have a 12:30 flight, and Tiffany is scheduled to pick us up at 11:00. We had originally planned to do early entry at MK, but had decided last night that wed just sleep in instead. At 8:30, I woke up, showered, and went to the Pepper Grill to bring back breakfast for everyone.
I do not like Pepper Grill. Its big, its kind of confusing, and the whole concept of getting your card stamped could be done much better. Upon entering, I asked the host if there was a to-go menu. He punched my card TO-GO and told me to tell the cashier that the food would be take-out and theyd box it up in the appropriate containers.
After going around to each individual counter to get our order, I went to the cashier, who said "Go ahead and eat, then come back up and pay for your meal". When I told him that it was to go, he told me that each counter should have boxed up the food. While that makes more sense, they had given me a tray and plates, so I just informed the cashier that Id take it to my room like this and bring the trays back when were finished.
Big mistake. It was kind of cool and breezy this morning and by the time I had walked all the way back to our room, all of the food was cold. Being hungry, we ate it anyway, but it didnt make for a very good last Disney meal.
At 10:00, I called Bell Services to ascertain that our bags had arrived yesterday from Boardwalk. They searched while I was on the phone but couldnt find them. I told them that I wasnt going to wait on the phone while they searched, but Id be down to the lobby in 15 minutes or so. By the time I got there, they had found the bags and had them sitting out front waiting for our town car.
We had 45 minutes left to take a few pictures and pick up a couple of last-minute souvenirs. At 11:00 sharp, Ali came rolling up, ready to go. A quick stop at the 7-11 for some gum for the flight, and we were on our way. We checked the bags curbside, and the trip home was uneventful; exactly how I like my flights to be.
And, of course, we're already planning our next trip -- in fact, we're planning our next two.
Another early wake-up! Were apparently not the types to go on vacation to relax! LOL. We have breakfast PSs this morning for 7:30 at Donalds Breakfastasaurus, so the alarm rings at 6:00. Thats earlier than I wake up at home! Mickey Mouse calls 15 minutes later to awaken Lexi, but shes tired of hearing the same message all week. She growls at the phone, picks it up and sets it down again without listening.
Weve finally learned that the 7:00 buses at the Boardwalk actually show up at about 7:10, once theyve picked up their passengers from the Swan and Dolphin. Unfortunately, this means that were cutting it awfully close to our PS. It was actually 7:30 when we arrived at AK. I had never scheduled a breakfast before a park opened, so I wasnt quite sure how to get in. The entrance was very easy to find though. They had a large banner near the right-hand turnstile that read "Donalds Breakfastasaurus".
We got into line (we were the 4th family) and a CM checked us in. Another CM took our passes and scanned them through one of the machines. We have APs, so I asked how they could do that without taking our fingerprints (Ive seen some excellent CMs, but I didnt think any could duplicate our prints). Well, of course, they have a magic override button that will allow an AP to be used sans fingerprint for just such an event.
(That reminds me; just for kicks, I was going to switch APs with one of the girls just to see if the fingerprint thing is real. I figured that if it didnt take the print, I could just mea culpa an "Oops", take the right pass and do it again. I forgot to try it.)
Our server, Lisa, took the group of us back to the restaurant and described a few neat tips along the way (after breakfast, take the back route past Asia to get to the Safari, that there is a secret path somewhere there, etc.) A couple of people tried to stop to get pictures of animals, but Lisa said "Nope folks, this is just like the movie, Dave. Were walking, were walking." I thought it was funny, but either we had a humorless group, or nobody had seen the movie.
Most of our group lined up for the photo outside the restaurant, but we opted to get ours taken afterwards. You dont have to get your picture done at all, but we usually do one each trip. We went directly inside, and were soon greeted by my favorite, Goofy. All four characters visited the table within five minutes of our arrival. There was no "special" interaction from any of them except Pluto. Pluto was great! He made sure to give the girls each a big sloppy doggie kiss in addition to posing for pictures and autographs. He made three stops during the breakfast, Goofy made two and Donald and Mickey made only the first cameo.
After breakfast, we stopped for the photo and then headed back past Asia to the safari. It was now about 8:40, so we picked up a fast pass good for 9:10 and got into the stand-by line. It was already a 20-minute wait before we got onto our jeep. We lucked out and got the front seat, directly behind the driver.
Fortunately, we had been on the safari before, because the drivers audio system went out and there was no narration during the trip. However, the animals were closer to the road than Id ever seen them. At one point, the jeep ahead of us was stopped because a rhino was standing on the road in front of it. Kind of made me wonder how territorial rhinos tend to get. Id hate to be on the jeep that one decided to charge!
At any rate, we got some of our best safari pictures ever on this trip. The lions were asleep, but in full view; the cheetahs were out; a baby giraffe was feeding with its mom and we got pics of the rhinos and one of the horned deer-looking things (I forget which) from 10 feet.
Then at the end of the safari, the driver turned around and yelled that we were going to get to go again, this time with audio and the full "Little Red" story line. This was great! We switched seat positions and rode again with Lexi taking pictures out the right hand side while I took them on the left.
After the second safari, we wanted to do some other things, so we looked for a family of three that we could give our fast passes to and save them the wait. Soon, we saw a man and woman pushing a stroller with a three-year old inside. I walked up and handed him the passes, and explained that we werent going to use them, but if he wanted to, he could take his family on without waiting. He looked a bit confused, but thanked me and we started to leave. I turned around to see them walking onto the stand-by line.
I called back and pointed to the fast pass line and told him that he wanted to go over there. He still looked a bit perplexed, so I walked back to explain. It was only then that I realized that neither of these folks spoke English (except apparently for "Thank you"). Somehow I managed to steer him to the correct line, but I guess Ill never know whether they followed it to the end or understood the concept.
We then decided that we would head back over toward Dinoland to catch the Tarzan Rocks show. On the way over, the girls needed a restroom break, and while I waited for them, took some great pictures of the Tree of Life. In our haste to get from one place to another on our previous trip, I hadnt seen this vantage point. Once I snapped a couple shots, I realized that I was in the vicinity of the secret path.
I headed up the smokers path and came to the picnic tables. Sure enough, off to the left was what I was looking for. I went back to get the girls and told them that I had a surprise for them. Lexis first question was "Are we allowed back here?" I assured her that we were. It was a much shorter trek than I had imagined from reading trip reports, but it was still pretty cool being on the inside of a secret like this.
We exited then headed for Tarzan. I was disappointed in this show, and dont know if well see it again. The Disney video makes it look like a much better show than it is. It had a couple of highlights, but it was kind of dull. And the audience participation with Terk was very contrived. We left during the last song to beat the crowds.
We had gotten as far as the Oasis when I discovered that I didnt have the camera. I asked Kathey if she had picked it up, but she hadnt. Great. Id left it behind (for those of you keeping score, thats now Lexis autograph book twice, and my camera once).
We ran back to the theater before the next show started, and told the CM that we needed to go in and look for it. He informed us that both a camera and a pair of sunglasses had been found. We went to the entrance, go our camera, then headed back out.
It was just after 11:00, and the park was getting very crowded, so we decided to head back to the hotel. Unfortunately, the breakfast pictures hadnt arrived yet, so we wouldnt be buying these. We were scheduled to check out tomorrow morning, so Kathey wanted to get some laundry done while Lexi napped. I told Lexi I was going to the pool, but Id stay with her until she fell asleep. I think I fell asleep before she did. Two hours later, I woke up. An hour after that, Lexi woke up. Apparently, the pace had finally caught up with us. Kathey, in the meantime, was doing fine. She got some laundry done and wrote out more postcards.
By the time we woke up, it was raining. We were going to go to the Studios tonight for Fantasmic!, but I was pretty certain that today, the rain wasnt going to stop. We cancelled our PSs for 50s Prime Time and rescheduled for the next night. Since we were supposed to go to Downtown Disney Friday night, we just flipped the schedule and decided to go tonight.
When we arrived at DD at 7:00 or so, we were all hungry and faced with the dilemma of not having reservations anywhere. Knowing that it would be an hour or two, I stood in line at the Rainforest Café to try and get a table. The theme of fortunate timing struck once again. A manager came from around the back of the restaurant and asked both the party ahead of us and us if we wanted to be seated immediately. "Of course!" He led us around the back of the restaurant to the deck overlooking the lagoon.
Now, I have to say, this was very cool. Our server invited us to go inside and look around, but the theming and motif of the deck is great! Add to this the fact that its pouring down rain just six feet from us out onto the lagoon and it couldnt be better. When we did go in to look around, we were very happy to be outside. While the theming is nice to visit, I wouldnt want to eat there. Its crowded, and its loud! Id love to eat there again, but Id have to be on the deck to do so.
One of my favorite snacks is a chocolate-covered frozen banana. I cant even get these in Harrisburg, but theres a place back near Moms house in the Pittsburgh area where I stop to get one every time I visit. RC had a drink on their menu called the "Chocolate Banana Blast" made with rum. I ordered one and it was phenomenal. I could have had four or five of them, but for sobrietys sake decided to switch to lemonade after that.
I ordered the mixed grill, a combination of ribs, chicken and shrimp. Very good. Kathey got the pastalaya, a spicy cajun shrimp/pasta mix. Fantastic. Lexi stuck with the old standby chicken, and easily finished the whole thing and ordered the banshee Sunday for dessert. We all agreed that this was one of our favorite dining experiences of the trip. And to think that we just lucked into it!
On our way out, we noticed that the shop had a special on T-shirts, 2 for $20. OK, so thats not a great deal at a place like Old Navy, but after having been exposed to Disney prices for a week, it sounded like a blue light special to us. We picked up a couple of Ts before heading out to shop for a couple of hours. We still had to pack because tomorrow is checkout day from the Boardwalk, so we headed back to the hotel at 9:30, packed, and went to sleep. It never did stop raining.
<b>Day 7 - Friday, May 4</b>
Earlier in the week, we had decided not to check into the Hyatt airport tonight, but instead to stay on property and have Tiffany pick us up tomorrow. I was able to secure a $99 rate at Coronado using one of the discount codes, so we called Bell Services to have our bags transferred over to there. In addition to a tip, I informed the bellman that there were eight of the 12 beers I brought sitting in the fridge, and that they were fair game. We did keep two carry-on bags with us containing tomorrows clothes and toiletries. There was no need to have nine bags carried back and forth to our room at Coronado for one night.
We took the last of our poptarts with us and headed out for early entry at Epcot. The best tip that I can provide is probably this: Unless youre fanatic about Test Track, dont bother with early entry at Epcot. There were very few attractions open, and by 8:30, we were shopping in Mouse Gears only because we had done everything and couldnt get over to the west end of Future World until 9:00. This included the time it took to walk from the International Gateway and rent a locker in the front of the park for our bags.
Once the ropes dropped, there was a mad dash to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Heres another tip. If youre there for the rope drop, take your time. Its a large theater and everyone gets in. In fact, if you stay outside and watch the fountains awhile, you wont be subjected to what is easily the most boring pre-show in Disney history. Kodak runs a 10-minute commercial while youre waiting for the feature attraction. SNOOZE! Worse yet, you cant sit for the pre-show. Thank goodness HISTA is a very good show.
We watched the fountains for awhile after the show, and I got a very nice photo of Spaceship Earth in the background with the monorail running in front of it. There was something that I didnt notice about Spaceship Earth that would be called to my attention a bit later.
We hadnt seen either the Land pavilion, or the Living Seas previously, and since lunch wasnt until 11:30 at Coral Reef, we went to the Land and rode the Living with the Land boat ride. Im not much into gardening, so I didnt find it very interesting, but Lexi was able to see first-hand many of the things that she was studying in school. Because of that, it was quite worthwhile.
Our next stop was Food Rocks. I hadnt heard many good things about this show, so I was pleasantly surprised. It was better than I expected, and Id consider seeing it again. Although the nutritional message is geared toward kids, the performances are directed at the 30- and 40-somethings in the crowd.
From Food Rocks, we went to the Circle of Life show. I had said previously that Lion King is my favorite Disney movie, so that made this bearable. Had it not been for that connection, Id have found this incredibly dull. As it was, we all enjoyed it well enough.
Time for lunch! Headed over to Coral Reef expecting that wed be one of the few eating at the first serving of lunch at 11:30. Wrong! We arrived at 11:20 and the lobby was packed. We were second to the last group seated. Our table wasnt next to the glass, but we were directly across from the glass on the first level. This was one of the places that Kathey had wanted to try. Id rate the atmosphere as just "nice", but then again Im not a fish guy, unless its on my plate.
Lexi ordered the childs pasta and Kathey had her sights set on the seafood medley (clams, mussels, shrimp). I wasnt too terribly hungry, so I ordered the Caesars Salad and the lobster soup. The salad was OK. How can you mess up a salad? The soup was top-notch! Both Kathey and Lexi tasted it and loved it as well. I ate about 2/3 and gave the rest to Lexi because I thought her pasta plate was kind of small. This is a kid whose idea of exotic seafood is Gorton's fish sticks instead of Mrs. Paul's, and here she is thoroughly enjoying lobster soup.
Once lunch was over, we wanted to head over to see the Mexico pavilion, since Lexi had studied Mexico this year. On our way to World Showcase, a photographer who wanted to take our picture with Spaceship Earth in the background stopped us. As much as I wanted a group photo (we hadnt done one yet), I didnt want the construction crane hovering in the background, so I declined. "Look behind you", the photographer said, "they finished last night and took the crane away". Sure enough, the crane was gone. Project finished, photo taken.
Walking toward Mexico, we saw several characters signing near the lagoon and decided to stop. We couldnt believe our eyes when we saw Daisy Duck! Lexi has been chasing down this autograph for two years, and we had never seen her in a park before. She rushed over and got into line. After 10 minutes, she had the prized signature and picture. Five minutes later, the characters loaded up into a bus and left. Again, with the timing!
We decided to blow off Mexico and get our Mexican "culture" from Coronado Springs. It was about 1:00 when we picked up our bags from the lockers, got our group picture and headed for the Coronado bus.
Check-in was easy. There were apparently several rooms ready ,because I requested something close to the pool and they gave me Ranchos 7B, third floor (I always request a top floor; I dont like being awakened by the people above us) with an immediately check-in.
We had passed Coronado Springs several times over the course of the week, but I was unprepared for the size of the place. Our room was a 7-8 minute walk from El Centro, and having been on the go for six hours already, seemed longer. We are planning to have dinner at 6:15 at 50s Prime Time Café, but have nothing until then, so we hit the pool for a couple of hours.
Today was the first day of our trip that could be categorized as gorgeous. No hint or threat of rain, and blue skies; a great day for swimming. Lexi swam by herself for a half-hour, then came to get me to show me the slide. We went down once, and she asked me if she could go down headfirst. Citing the sign, I told her that she had to sit up. The second time down, I noticed that almost everyone was going headfirst, so I set a bad example as a parent and told her to go ahead. I then followed her down headfirst and was promptly chastised by the lifeguards on duty. Oops, I think Ill sheepishly head back over to the other side of the pool.
They were doing hair wraps and Lexi decided that she wanted one. She was spending her own money, so I told her to ask how much. At $1.50 per inch, hers would come to about $21 plus beads. A colossal waste of money in my book, but if shes going to learn any fiscal responsibility, shes going to have to make her own decisions. As an aside, if you want to really enjoy Disney, Ive found it best to check your sense of fiscal responsibility into a locker at the airport.
We showered and headed over to the Studios 25 minutes early for our seating. We checked in anyway and were seated in 10 minutes.
If any experience at WDW depends on the performance/attitude of your server, its this one. While our server was very nice, she really didnt get into the whole mom concept. I was kind of disappointed, because if not for the show, youre grossly overpaying for very average food. I even tried getting into the role on my own, keeping my elbows on the table, not finishing up and being mischievous, but no dice. I wish that wed been sitting in the section next to ours. There, the CM was very much into playing her role, at least three times loudly chiding guests about finishing their green beans and sitting them in the center of the room and feeding them a la race horse or airplane.
We got out at 7:35 and headed to Fantasmic. Maybe its because there was no show the previous night, but the place was already packed! 55 minutes before showtime, and we wound up in the Beast section, all the way at the far left end of the theater. If wed had another night that we could have come back, wed have left. Instead, we had to make the best of it.
Fantasmic is Katheys favorite Disney show, and it was a great way to end our evening. At the end of the show, we lingered in the theater until most of the traffic was gone, rather than trying to fight the lines to the exits. We finished the evening with some last-minute shopping at the Villains Vogue (my favorite store) and Mickeys 5&10. Straight back to Coronado, straight to bed.
<b>Day 8 - Saturday, May 5</b>
What better place to be in Disney on Cinco de Mayo than Coronado Springs? Unfortunately, we will miss the celebration as we have a 12:30 flight, and Tiffany is scheduled to pick us up at 11:00. We had originally planned to do early entry at MK, but had decided last night that wed just sleep in instead. At 8:30, I woke up, showered, and went to the Pepper Grill to bring back breakfast for everyone.
I do not like Pepper Grill. Its big, its kind of confusing, and the whole concept of getting your card stamped could be done much better. Upon entering, I asked the host if there was a to-go menu. He punched my card TO-GO and told me to tell the cashier that the food would be take-out and theyd box it up in the appropriate containers.
After going around to each individual counter to get our order, I went to the cashier, who said "Go ahead and eat, then come back up and pay for your meal". When I told him that it was to go, he told me that each counter should have boxed up the food. While that makes more sense, they had given me a tray and plates, so I just informed the cashier that Id take it to my room like this and bring the trays back when were finished.
Big mistake. It was kind of cool and breezy this morning and by the time I had walked all the way back to our room, all of the food was cold. Being hungry, we ate it anyway, but it didnt make for a very good last Disney meal.
At 10:00, I called Bell Services to ascertain that our bags had arrived yesterday from Boardwalk. They searched while I was on the phone but couldnt find them. I told them that I wasnt going to wait on the phone while they searched, but Id be down to the lobby in 15 minutes or so. By the time I got there, they had found the bags and had them sitting out front waiting for our town car.
We had 45 minutes left to take a few pictures and pick up a couple of last-minute souvenirs. At 11:00 sharp, Ali came rolling up, ready to go. A quick stop at the 7-11 for some gum for the flight, and we were on our way. We checked the bags curbside, and the trip home was uneventful; exactly how I like my flights to be.
And, of course, we're already planning our next trip -- in fact, we're planning our next two.
