AND NOW-you will be pleased (I am sure!)PART2

[imsorry]

Day4
Early openings are out of the question. We are having late dinners and sleeping well accordingly. Coffee, and yes, those delicious chocolate chip cookies again. That Cape May buffet really didn’t have to dump all those cookies in JM’s bag the other night!

We turn on the TV only to see Regis and Kelly in front of the castle! The weather looks perfect again – we open our curtains, and yes the sky really is that blue! (it was two days later that we found out they were at Disneyland California that day!!) Take a cup of coffee out to the terrace to plot our day.

Animal Kingdom is open an extra 3 hours til 8PM and Magic Kingdom is open til 10PM. These are tough decisions. Glad I am not an executive. Both parks sound great. Love Tarzan Rocks and the Magic Kingdom speaks for itself.

We set up at the pool and Judy refills our mugs at Beaches and Cream. (Seltzer not beer – are you crazy – it’s only 10AM!) She has the $2 yogurt and $1 banana from the store in the lobby. Another perfect day – down the slide, into the pool. Float around to the hot tub. Everytime a small cloud passes by I think we should go to a park. Then the sun comes out and Judy says “No way, it’s too hot”. Guess we will have a beer and ponder this dilemma. We must be slipping – the lst beer at 1:20! This goes on until 5PM. Trying to decide what to do: eating is not an option as we can’t run around with full stomachs. Wishes is at 10PM which means by the time we get back the only thing open will be ESPN. Those pistachios, cookies and beers might have to hold us until midnight!

Got to Magic Kingdom at 7PM. Headed straight to Mickey’s Philharmagic. Awesome 3-D! Then It’s a Small World –love the new entrance. There is a giant cuckoo-type clock. (no, they don’t drink beer – shame on you for suggesting such a thing!). Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain (twice). Then saw Spectro Magic, went to Peter Pan (had a fastpass for this). Finished the night with Wishes again. Can’t believe how much we did in three hours. Main Street was awesome – I love walking there at night. Mickey waved us good bye as we left the park. Took the bus to ESPN on the Boardwalk. I had another extreme Reuben sandwich and Jude had a delicious cheeseburger with onions. Of course, a pitcher of Killian’s Red finished the night!

May 11 – day 5
We sleep til 9AM. After all, we were out til after midnight last night! Coffee and cookies are the norm.

Before I tell you about the rest of my day, a thought of how lucky (blessed) we are to be here. Haven’t seen a car in 4 days. Being entertained, everyone in a good mood, the weather couldn’t be better. Come on, someone pinch me. Is this real? Only those who have experienced it know what I am trying to say. Okay, enough mushy stuff – back to my trip report.

We decide, because the sky is a little white, not perfectly blue (gasp!) that we will hit the Animal Kingdom. Off to the bus stop, meet another nice couple. Soon as we start to talk the bus arrives. We tell them not to miss Tarzan Rocks. My bride, Judy Marie is feeling really strong on this trip. She’s walking fast and not complaining of any pain at all. Disney knows how to make you walk all day with a big smile on your face (even if your feet are screaming at you to slow down).

We get off the bus and again my Mizuno’s are at full throttle. We just have to make it to Tarzan Rocks. We love this show and think it should be on Broadway.

Jude stops for a Mickey Bar (for energy - the sugar from the cookies is wearing off ) Then off to Primeval Whirl, Dinosaur, Bugs Life, Kilamanjaro Safari, Lion King (we saw the Broadway version and this is equally great). Went back to see Tarzan Rocks a second time!

The sky is darkening as we ride Kali River Rapids. It is now 5PM and time to head to the bus. The skys open up as we get to our room. I write this report as we have some beers on the terrace watching the lightning.

Now another executive decision – dinner. Let you know how we end up later. As of now we have a priority seating at Spoodles.

Where else but at Disney can you enjoy a thunderstorm? It’s like the imagineers designed the thunder, lighting and rain just for us to enjoy.

With the rain pouring down, we decide to stay in and go back to Cape May buffet (the cookies have nothing to do with it!) It is directly underneath our room. We go down the stairs and don’t even have to walk to the elevator. We again receive our 20% discount – what a bargain!

The rain stopped after dinner and we took a little walk around the hotel. The view of the Boardwalk across the way never gets old! (and hopefully, neither will we). Off to dreamland (sleep, not another park!)

May 12 – day 6

OK! God loves us – it’s another sunny day. (Pool day). Pack 10 beers in the cooler and down the stairs we go. Spend the day swimming, relaxing, and drinking those cold beers (with pistachios, of course). Make a reservation for Spoodles again – hope it doesn’t rain tonight. Did you ever make a reservation at Spoodles? It is the funniest thing – no matter what time you ask for they have 10-15 minutes earlier or later. JM called and asked for 7:30 or 8PM. They countered with 7:40 or 7:50. Struck a deal for 7:50 – thank you Duncan at PS.

It’s now 5PM – thinking how we would still be at our desks back home. Enough depressing thoughts! What will we order at Spoodles? If the fettuccine is not on the menu JM will break down and cry. Sounds enticing, but that sun is so perfect. Raouf has the kids all excited over some kind of water polo game. Some poor chap at the pool has a huge piece of wood stuck in his heel. It is his first day here and he is wondering how he will walk thru the parks. Feel sorry for him, but glad it isn’t me!

Head over to Epcot at 7PM. We see a band called the Nelsons. Ricky Nelson’s sons – remember him?
Ozzie & Harriet’s grandsons – remember them?
What, were you born yesterday!?

They were surprisingly great. They don’t have much new material, but play many of their father’s old songs: Travelin Man, Hello Marylou, I’m Walkin and Garden Party. Their final number is Just One More Day, which leaves a lump in your throat. Excellent. They said it is their 4th year at Epcot, but our first time seeing them. Hope to see them next year – very happy, fun music. I think the guitar player was making eyes at JM.

After the concert ends we shuffle off to Spoodles. Weather was beautiful, sun is setting, there’s a breeze and no humidity. Is this the usual or unusual weather for May?

Can’t help but notice that the Boardwalk is buzzing. There’s a man playing this piano on a bicycle and another show going on down on the side. Everyone just seems so happy. There’s entertainment everywhere and the weather is so perfect. Never saw so many families on those multi-person bicycles. There seems to be so much excitement in the air.

I find myself on line at Spoodles just to leave my name. We are dispatched a beeper and take a short walk. In no time we are paged. I was not expecting such a great meal. We split Prince Edward Island mussels for an appetizer. The bread and seasoned olive oil are superb. JM has her fettuccine and I have the NY strip steak. Delicious and a bargain at 42.50 thanks to JM’s 20% off dining card.

Back to Epcot as it is open til midnight tonight. This is our first time in Epcot on a late night. The lines were pretty long – couldn’t do Soarin again. Managed to see the Land, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Figment (it will always be Figment to us), and Test Track.

Midnight – a beautiful romantic walk back to the Beach Club. It doesn’t get any better than this!

 

[Marla Hellwig]

You are having a perfect trip to me - thanks for posting!