9 Day November Trip - Day 1

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Friday, Nov 23

We arrived at the Orlando airport on Friday about 4:15pm. Got right off the plane and right down to baggage - which took quite a while - which surprised me. After we got our stuff we went to get our car from Dollar. I had signed up for the Express service - which was good, because the line at the ocunter was huge, and not moving fast. I wasn't to impressed with Dollar, and probably won't use it there again, but we finally got our car and out of the airport a little after 5:30.

We headed straight to Downtown Disney - which was packed! Of course it was the day after Thanksgiving, so we weren't surprised. Found a spot and went into the World of Disney - which was very packed as well. Got a cool autograph book and Pirate sword pen, and a couple of other souvenirs. It was a little too busy, so when we left, it was a nice relief! We had 7:00 reservations at the Rainforest Cafe, so we headed over there. We had a nice, relaxing dinner, and then did some shopping at the gift shop. The temperature had dropped quite a bit, so we ran to the car and headed to our hotel - the Hilton Garden Inn at Seaworld. Got in the room and hit the sack. Seaworld tomorrow and then the AKL!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Saturday, November 24

For some reason I woke up around 5:00am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I left a note for the family and drove over to Disney! I drove around the area, and then headed to a grocery store to pick up some things for our stay, and then got some breakfast for the family. Got back to the room, and we ate. We took our time, and got into Seaworld around 10:30.

It was our first time there, and we enjoyed it, but when we were leaving around 5:00, we were all very excited about heading back to Disney! We drove over and arrived at the AKL around 5:30. This was our first time, and we loved it! We stayed in a standard view room on the Giraffe trail - right off the lobby which was fantastic! After unpacking, by daughter and I explored the hotel, and then we all headed down to Boma (a first) for our 7:10 reservations.

Boma is great! Fantastic restaurant - we all enjoyed it a lot - and ate plenty! After dinner, we spent some time if the gift shop - which is really nice, and then went out to Arusha Rock and looked at the animals at night - which was really neat.

We all hit the sack at a decent time - tomorrow is AK!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Sunday, November 25

I woke up really early again, and took a swim and hit the hot tub. Picked up some breakfast for the crew from Mara, and got everyone going. We got to the buses around 8:45, and ended up walking into the park a little after 9:00. We went straight for Everest! We got a fastpass, and then my daughter and I went into the stand-by line - which wasn't bad at all! This is very favorite ride in the world - and she's been on it a lot. After getting off it, we all went over to see the Nemo musical - which was great. We then went back and rode Everest again, and got some souvenirs. We were getting hungry, so we went to the Flame Tree Barbeque (a first), and sat in one of the lower pavillions with a fantasic view of Everest. The food was pretty good. We then went to It's Tough to Be a Bug, check out the Tree of Life and some of the wildlife a little, then hit the Festival of the Lion King - which was great! On the way out we stopped at Camp Minnie-Mickey and got Santa Goofy's autograph (short line), and then headed back to the village. We were all still a little hungy, so we stopped at Pizzafari (a first) and grabbed a small pizza that we all shared. We did some shopping at Island Traders (and got Lilo and Stich's autographs), and decided to head out.

Got back to the room, and went swimming for 2 hours. The original plan was that we would go to MGM that night, but we were all starting to hit the wall. We got some dinner at the Mara, did some more night viewing of animals and shopping in the gift shop, and called it an evening. Back to AK tomorrow morning for EMH!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Monday, November 26

Since Everest is my daughter's favorite - and not my wife's - my daughter and I decided to hit morning EMH at AK! I got up and got breakfast for everyone, and we left early and got to the rope drop in AK just before 8:00am. There was no one there - we were almost right at the rope - which was great!

We walked right over to Everest and got right on - and kept going on. The line was low for a while - and when it got up to where the sign said a 20 minute wait, we went to get a fastpass. We rode it 8 times in a row - got the fast pass and another person's set of fast passes (they said they had had enough!). We then went to Dinoland and rode Primevil Whirl twice, and then went back and rode Everest 2 more times (10 in a morning was enough for me). We then walked the Pangani Exploration trail, and decided to head back to Mom.

We ate lunch at the Mara, did some swimming, and then all got on the bus for EMH at the Magic Kingdom.

We got there around 5:30, and got autograph's from Jimminy Cricket, and the 2 mice from Cinderella, Susie and Perla. We then walked to the castle and saw the Christmas Castle lighting show - which was great. We then all walked over and went into the Laugh Floor (a first for Mom). We all love the show! When it was over, we headed to Liberty Tree Tavern (another first for Mom) for our 6:30 reservations. My daughter got all the needed autographs (Goofy again, Chip, Dale, Minnie, and Pluto), and we all got filled up.

We went onto the Haunted Mansion and loved it's new changes. We then went to Splash Mountain - and got soaked. We decided to do it again (Mom was smart and bowed out) - and proceeded to get soaked again. The nice thing was there was absolutely no line.

We got our EMH bracelets, and rode Pirates, and did a bunch of shopping there. We then rode BTMRR (which I love at night) and decided to call it a quits. Hopped on the bus back to AKL and called it a night. Tomorrow is back to the MK for MVMCP!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Tuesday, November 27

When we set the trip up, my wife had decided to head home early for some activites that were happening back at home that week, so she was flying out mid-afternoon. We've been to Disney a few times, so she was ok with this!

I got up early again, and drove up to the Wilderness Lodge to check it out. We had stayed there a few years ago - and loved it. I then headed down to EPCOT for EMH and hit Mission Space (full-throtle version), and then headed back to the AKL.

We decided to hang at the hotel in the morning (after breakfast at Mara), and checked out all the different viewing areas and the animals there. After packing up Mom, we headed to the airport and had lunch there. She got on the plane, and my daughter and I headed to MVMCP. We got there around 5:00. We hit Space Mountain, Astro Orbiter, Buzz, TTA, and the Laugh Floor. We rode the Teacups, and got Alice and the Queen of Hearts autographs. We then got a couple of hot dogs at Casey's. We rode the Haunted Mansion - and then it started to rain! We got on small world, Peter Pan, Philharmagic, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, and then - soaking wet - decided to call it a night! We did some shopping at the Emporium - and got an MVMCP pin! Got back to the AKL and crashed. Tomorrow is MGM!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Wednesday, November 28

Today was MGM. Our original thought was we'd just spend a couple hours, and then maybe hit Blizzard Beach - but plans change!

We did our breakfast from the Mara, and to MGM around 9:30. We headed right for a favorite - Rock-n-Roller Coaster! We got a fast pass (which was a waste because the lines were small), and walked on the stand-by. Great as usual! We then walked over and did Star Tours, and then got some autographs - Wendy, a bear from Brother Bear, and Hook and Smee! We hit Rock-n-Roller Coaster again, and got some lunch. We then saw Indiana Jones, and then did the Magic of Disney Animation. Got Remy and Emile's autographs (from Ratatouille) and then Mrs. Incredible and Frozone. We then learned how to draw Winnie the Pooh (which we did pretty well!).

We were having a real nice time, so we went to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and then sat down and saw the parade - which was a first. My daughter loved it. We walked the Streets of America, got Woody's autograph, and went to see Light's Motors Action! - which my daughter loves. It was great. As we started walking out on the main street, a card-trick guy - Jack Diamond - set up a table (right in the middle of the street) and did a great show! My daughter loved it and watched it all for a half hour.

I looked at my watch - and it was 5:20. We sat down and discusse our plan - and since it was EMH night and Animal Kingdom, we hopped a bus and got there at 6:00.

We headed right for Everest - no lines - and rode it 10 times in a row! The ride didn;t make me dizzy - it was actually the queue! There are so many twists and turns, and my daughter just ran through the whole thing!

We got a snack and got a few smashed penny's - and went back to the room. Got a qucik bit at the Mara - and my daughter was out cold by 9:15! Busy day!

We ended up having a great time at MGM. I thought she would just want to do the 2 rides she likes there (Rock-n-Roller Coaster and Start Tours - she doesn't like TOT), but she wanted to do it all - which was fun.

Tomorrow is EPCOT!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Thursday, November 29

After a real busy Wedneday, my daughter woke up at 8:45am -- getting a lot of sleep! I grabbed some food from the Mara, and we headed over to EPCOT - getting there a little after 10.

I thought this would just be a couple hour park too, but wrong again! We got fastpasses for Soarin, and hit Mision Space (green). After that, we spend time in the "Training Lab" after the ride. We played the multi-person video game type thing a couple times and had a blast! We sent some e-mail postcards to Mom - which was great - and played the Mars game too - all a lot of fun and things we had never tried.

We then got a fast pass for Test Track, and went back and rode Soarin - which we love. We then headed over to the Seas and rode Nemo, the checked out the Aquarium and the Mantaraes. We looked at all the exhibits and then saw Crush. We got a few crushed pennies, and left and rode Test Track.

We decided then to check out the world! We ate a late lunch in Mexico - at the counter service restaurant - and it was fantastic. The wet burrito is awesome. We picked up a Marianette in China, and then walked throught the Exhibit in the American Pavilion (seeing Abraham Lincolns hat), then got Genie and Jasmine's autographs in Morocco. We then walked through France, got a pastry, and then Sleeping Beauty's autograph. We then decided to head out.

Got back to the AKL and did a quick dip, got changed, and then headed for a 7:10 reservation at Chef Mickey's - a favorite! We did a little shopping, and then got our table. Once again, got all the needed autoraphs (Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Minnie, Goofy) and ate plenty. We then rode the monrail, and headed out. Another great day!

Tomorrow, back to the MK!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Friday, Nov 30

After grabbing breakfast at the Mara, we hopped the bus back to the MK. We knew some filming for the Christmas Day parade was going on, so we wanted to check it out.

We got into the park, and they were interviewing Helio and Julianne (the Dancing with the Stars Champs) and my daughter was excited. They walked right by us and she was happy! We then got Mary Poppins and Burt's autographs, and then Pinochios. We heard they were going to film something in a little bit at the Castle, so we rode the Haunted Mansion quick and then got a fast pass for Peter Pan.

We walked back to the Castle and got to see Patti Labelle sing a couple times - and had great viewing of it. They said in 30 minutes that the Dancing with the Stars group would be there, so we snuck out and rode Peter Pan twice (they didn't collect our fast pass the first time!), and then Snow White.

We got back to the castle and had good viewing of the Dancing with the Stars routine. We watched for about 90 minutes - for a piece that will probably take 3 minutes during the Christmas Day Parade! They said it was the opening number. My daughter got to see all the dancers (and the Cheetah Girl) and was very excited!

We then went to Pecos Bills for lunch. Coming out, we did the Magic Carpets, and then the Tiki Room, and then Pirates. We then saw Timon and Rafiki and got their autographs! We rode BTMRR and Splash, and then headed out.

We did a little swimming at AKL, and the went to dinner at 1900 Park Faire! It was great - and she got the autographs of Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Stepmother and her two daughters. A lot of fun. We walked around the hotel, and headed out.

Got back home and crashed. Tomorrow is the last day - back to the MK!

 

[dw123]

Cast:
Me - DH, 40
DW - 41,
DD - 9

Saturday, December 1

Today was the last day - always sad! I packed everything up - and we ate breakfast in the room. We walked around and took some pictures, and then headed to the MK! We got there and they were filming the parade! We saw Regis and Kelly and then stood and watched some of the actors from the Festival of the Lion King do some of their act for the parade.

We stood right on Main St, and a camera guy came right up and filmed my daughter - so we'll have to watch to see if she's on!

The park was pretty busy today. We hit the Laugh Floor and got a fastpass for Space Mountain. We then got Buzz's autograph and rode the TTA. We got another fast pass for Space Mountain - and then rode it with our first one! We walked into Toontown and walked through Micky and Minnie's Houses and then into the big Country store. We rode Space Mountain and then grabbed some hot dogs in Tomorrowland. It was time to leave - my daughter was not happy - so we walked out through a crowded Main St.

We stopped into the Contemporary quick - to do some last minute shopping - and then it was off to the airport for a 3:30 flight.

A great trip as always - can't wait to get back!