Veater
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2000
- Messages
- 66
FRIDAY, March 9, 2001 Magic Kingdom â EPCOT
This morning was our breakfast with Cindy. I had gotten up at 3 am three months ago to make this PS. We had never done this and were anxious to see what it was like. I was amazed at how many people were there that early in the morning. The park didnâÂÂt open until 9:00 and we had a PS for 8. But there were definitely different groups being let in even before us. Perhaps some cheerleading conference or something. Anyway, we went in and were seated fairly quickly. It was a very nice breakfast. Bethany sat on the inside and didnâÂÂt really want many pictures so I didnâÂÂt get much of her with the characters but Miles did pretty good at posing for me with the Princesses. The food was good and service was great so it was fun. It would have been more fun if the kids would have been delighted to get their pictures taken instead of grudgingly but they are past that stage now. I will have to wait for grandchildren (not for a loooooong time though!). It was crazy when we left though. It was still before 9 so the entrance to Fantasyland was PACKED with people. We wound our way through the masses towards Splash Mountain area. This was the morning that I would take the plunge. I had promised that I would ride ONCE on this ride and this was it. We went with the crowds of people to the entrance and basically walked onto the ride. You donâÂÂt have to be at the front of the crowd to get on fairly quickly. However, the ride stopped a couple of times on the inside so it gave me time to get really nervous before the big drop! I screamed and survived on the big drop. Actually, I think the Magic Kingdom version seating is much better than the Disneyland version. They went on Big Thunder Mountain while Gary and I shopped for a pair of sunglasses. I had left mine in my room and needed them. This day was actually warm again. Hurray! Then I took the boys and went over to Tom Sawyer Island. They played there a while and had a good time. Charlene and Crystal went on the Steamboat and we could see them from the island. We talked to each other on the radios. That was fun! I think Bethany and Gary went over to ride Buzz again. We met up with Charlene and Crystal after that and went to the Tiki room. Almost fell asleep in the dark room but stayed awake for most of it!
At that point, we decided to go over to the Contemporary and rent a boat. We rented one of those pontoon boats and Gary drove it. We went by Wilderness Lodge, River Country, over the highway, by the Magic Kingdom, the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. It was a great day for it. When we got back we split up again into two groups.
Gary took Chad, Miles and Bethany on the monorail over to Epcot. They got to ride in the front. Then they went back for swimming at the hotel. While Charlene, Crystal and I caught a bus over to Animal Kingdom. I remembered that the next Lion King show was at 1:15 so we were trying to get there in time for it as the next one wasnâÂÂt until 2:45. I had forgotten how far you have to walk to get into the park over the bridge to the Tree of Life over the bridge to Mickey and MinnieâÂÂs land and into the theatre. We made it just a few minutes after it had started and got seats in the Giraffe section. I was glad we made it but next time, I wonâÂÂt push us so hard and just wait until the 2:45 show. We did enjoy it a lot. Then we went over to the Safari ride to check on the lines and it was just about a walk on so we did that next. I was hoping to see more giraffes than we had earlier in the week but we just glimpsed one that was all. We then stopped at Pizzafari for something to eat on the way out. We then rode the bus back to the hotel.
We got back to our rooms around 4. Then Bethany, Crystal and I went early to Epcot to see if we could go on Test Track. We would meet the others in France in time for our dinner reservations. We took the bus and had a wonderful driver. He was full of facts and information! Quite delightful! We went in and it showed a 30-minute for Test Track. We persuaded Crystal to try the singles line with us. The fast pass time at that point was for after 9 pm and we had a boat reservation for that night so that was out. Anyway, I had read about it and so we tried the singles line. Well, they had us wait right under the raceway. Talk about noisy and shaking a lot. Was quite impressive there. The standby line was moving way faster than ours. They had 3 rooms full move in before ours moved 1 room. At that point, I wondered if we had done the right thing but then our line moved. Us "single" people were all given an orange tag that said single. We watched the presentation then were let into the main room in a separate line. It was quite organized. You have no idea how long it will be because it depends on the groups of people coming through. One lady in the singles line was trying to get in the same car as her sister in the regular line, she moved back in the line a ways and then her sister got in ahead of her anyway so it is difficult to predict. Bethany quickly had me change places with her in line and then it turned out that Crystal and I rode in the same car after all. It was fun!
At that point, we went over to check out Innoventions and we made a 10 second video to send back. It was quite interesting making this with two teens. I didnâÂÂt say much â just waved! We looked around there a while then went to Ice Station Cool. I told Crystal that she should try the beverage from Italy. So she got a full glass of the "Beverly" . Just as she was about to drink it, Bethany got her camera out and so she became suspicious of us â the fact that I burst into laughter didnâÂÂt help much. She did take a sip of it and that was worth it all. We tried to get the boys back to there the next day but we were never there when it was open.
Then we took the boat over to Morocco to save our feet and Gary called on the radio that they were there. So we met up with them and Charlene took Miles and Chad to explore while Gary, Crystal, Bethany and I went to France to eat. We enjoyed the food there â we always do. Bethany however couldnâÂÂt handle the cheese on her cheeseburger so she didnâÂÂt eat much. Crystal had the veal which she had never had before and really liked it. We ordered dessert which is what Bethany had come for and that made the meal. Very good! We noticed that it was raining outside while we were eating. People were walking by wearing ponchos and using umbrellas so we knew it was pretty bad. We met Charlene and the boys as planned. They had eaten in America â hamburgers and hot dogs. The boys loved it! They had taken the Friendship launch over from Germany and then back to Morocco to meet us.
We decided to walk towards the Yacht club marina since we didnâÂÂt know how long it would take us to get there. We got there about 8 oâÂÂclock but the rain was kinda yucky! It wasnâÂÂt pouring but it wasnâÂÂt going away either. The captains were very nice and were getting things ready for us like lifejackets and towels. We huddled under the eaves waiting for the okay to board. They waited until around 8:30 to have us board as they were hoping the weather would clear but alas it didnâÂÂt. We apparently got the slower boat of the 3 since we had only 7 on board. Our captain joked about it when they passed us on the ride over to Disney Studios. She was full of interesting tidbits of info and was enjoyable. The weather however was not helping. We had a half canopy on the boat so some of us huddled under it but then it had holes in certain places that werenâÂÂt helpful so it was interesting trying to stay dry. We then parked under the bridge and tied up the boat there. There are places for exactly 6 boats and no more. No extra room at all and yes it is not the best view of the show but definitely nicer than being crowded with all those people above on the walkways. It was very nice but the weather definitely made it less enjoyable than it could have been. We then trudged out to the car which Gary had parked at the Beach Club since we had the cruise. We did have a problem locating our car though. We walked through the Yacht Club hotel thinking that it was the Beach Club so our car wasnâÂÂt sitting where we expected it to be. We were a tired group of wet people trying to find our car in the vast sea of parking spaces. They remembered what the spot number was but the lots didnâÂÂt match, when we realized that we were at the wrong hotel. That made a huge difference and then we did find the car. We piled in, buckled up and went home, a tired happy group!
This morning was our breakfast with Cindy. I had gotten up at 3 am three months ago to make this PS. We had never done this and were anxious to see what it was like. I was amazed at how many people were there that early in the morning. The park didnâÂÂt open until 9:00 and we had a PS for 8. But there were definitely different groups being let in even before us. Perhaps some cheerleading conference or something. Anyway, we went in and were seated fairly quickly. It was a very nice breakfast. Bethany sat on the inside and didnâÂÂt really want many pictures so I didnâÂÂt get much of her with the characters but Miles did pretty good at posing for me with the Princesses. The food was good and service was great so it was fun. It would have been more fun if the kids would have been delighted to get their pictures taken instead of grudgingly but they are past that stage now. I will have to wait for grandchildren (not for a loooooong time though!). It was crazy when we left though. It was still before 9 so the entrance to Fantasyland was PACKED with people. We wound our way through the masses towards Splash Mountain area. This was the morning that I would take the plunge. I had promised that I would ride ONCE on this ride and this was it. We went with the crowds of people to the entrance and basically walked onto the ride. You donâÂÂt have to be at the front of the crowd to get on fairly quickly. However, the ride stopped a couple of times on the inside so it gave me time to get really nervous before the big drop! I screamed and survived on the big drop. Actually, I think the Magic Kingdom version seating is much better than the Disneyland version. They went on Big Thunder Mountain while Gary and I shopped for a pair of sunglasses. I had left mine in my room and needed them. This day was actually warm again. Hurray! Then I took the boys and went over to Tom Sawyer Island. They played there a while and had a good time. Charlene and Crystal went on the Steamboat and we could see them from the island. We talked to each other on the radios. That was fun! I think Bethany and Gary went over to ride Buzz again. We met up with Charlene and Crystal after that and went to the Tiki room. Almost fell asleep in the dark room but stayed awake for most of it!
At that point, we decided to go over to the Contemporary and rent a boat. We rented one of those pontoon boats and Gary drove it. We went by Wilderness Lodge, River Country, over the highway, by the Magic Kingdom, the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. It was a great day for it. When we got back we split up again into two groups.
Gary took Chad, Miles and Bethany on the monorail over to Epcot. They got to ride in the front. Then they went back for swimming at the hotel. While Charlene, Crystal and I caught a bus over to Animal Kingdom. I remembered that the next Lion King show was at 1:15 so we were trying to get there in time for it as the next one wasnâÂÂt until 2:45. I had forgotten how far you have to walk to get into the park over the bridge to the Tree of Life over the bridge to Mickey and MinnieâÂÂs land and into the theatre. We made it just a few minutes after it had started and got seats in the Giraffe section. I was glad we made it but next time, I wonâÂÂt push us so hard and just wait until the 2:45 show. We did enjoy it a lot. Then we went over to the Safari ride to check on the lines and it was just about a walk on so we did that next. I was hoping to see more giraffes than we had earlier in the week but we just glimpsed one that was all. We then stopped at Pizzafari for something to eat on the way out. We then rode the bus back to the hotel.
We got back to our rooms around 4. Then Bethany, Crystal and I went early to Epcot to see if we could go on Test Track. We would meet the others in France in time for our dinner reservations. We took the bus and had a wonderful driver. He was full of facts and information! Quite delightful! We went in and it showed a 30-minute for Test Track. We persuaded Crystal to try the singles line with us. The fast pass time at that point was for after 9 pm and we had a boat reservation for that night so that was out. Anyway, I had read about it and so we tried the singles line. Well, they had us wait right under the raceway. Talk about noisy and shaking a lot. Was quite impressive there. The standby line was moving way faster than ours. They had 3 rooms full move in before ours moved 1 room. At that point, I wondered if we had done the right thing but then our line moved. Us "single" people were all given an orange tag that said single. We watched the presentation then were let into the main room in a separate line. It was quite organized. You have no idea how long it will be because it depends on the groups of people coming through. One lady in the singles line was trying to get in the same car as her sister in the regular line, she moved back in the line a ways and then her sister got in ahead of her anyway so it is difficult to predict. Bethany quickly had me change places with her in line and then it turned out that Crystal and I rode in the same car after all. It was fun!
At that point, we went over to check out Innoventions and we made a 10 second video to send back. It was quite interesting making this with two teens. I didnâÂÂt say much â just waved! We looked around there a while then went to Ice Station Cool. I told Crystal that she should try the beverage from Italy. So she got a full glass of the "Beverly" . Just as she was about to drink it, Bethany got her camera out and so she became suspicious of us â the fact that I burst into laughter didnâÂÂt help much. She did take a sip of it and that was worth it all. We tried to get the boys back to there the next day but we were never there when it was open.
Then we took the boat over to Morocco to save our feet and Gary called on the radio that they were there. So we met up with them and Charlene took Miles and Chad to explore while Gary, Crystal, Bethany and I went to France to eat. We enjoyed the food there â we always do. Bethany however couldnâÂÂt handle the cheese on her cheeseburger so she didnâÂÂt eat much. Crystal had the veal which she had never had before and really liked it. We ordered dessert which is what Bethany had come for and that made the meal. Very good! We noticed that it was raining outside while we were eating. People were walking by wearing ponchos and using umbrellas so we knew it was pretty bad. We met Charlene and the boys as planned. They had eaten in America â hamburgers and hot dogs. The boys loved it! They had taken the Friendship launch over from Germany and then back to Morocco to meet us.
We decided to walk towards the Yacht club marina since we didnâÂÂt know how long it would take us to get there. We got there about 8 oâÂÂclock but the rain was kinda yucky! It wasnâÂÂt pouring but it wasnâÂÂt going away either. The captains were very nice and were getting things ready for us like lifejackets and towels. We huddled under the eaves waiting for the okay to board. They waited until around 8:30 to have us board as they were hoping the weather would clear but alas it didnâÂÂt. We apparently got the slower boat of the 3 since we had only 7 on board. Our captain joked about it when they passed us on the ride over to Disney Studios. She was full of interesting tidbits of info and was enjoyable. The weather however was not helping. We had a half canopy on the boat so some of us huddled under it but then it had holes in certain places that werenâÂÂt helpful so it was interesting trying to stay dry. We then parked under the bridge and tied up the boat there. There are places for exactly 6 boats and no more. No extra room at all and yes it is not the best view of the show but definitely nicer than being crowded with all those people above on the walkways. It was very nice but the weather definitely made it less enjoyable than it could have been. We then trudged out to the car which Gary had parked at the Beach Club since we had the cruise. We did have a problem locating our car though. We walked through the Yacht Club hotel thinking that it was the Beach Club so our car wasnâÂÂt sitting where we expected it to be. We were a tired group of wet people trying to find our car in the vast sea of parking spaces. They remembered what the spot number was but the lots didnâÂÂt match, when we realized that we were at the wrong hotel. That made a huge difference and then we did find the car. We piled in, buckled up and went home, a tired happy group!
