Majestic
WILDERNESS LODGE VET
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 1,964
Good things come to those who go to Disney!!!
Day 6
Today we did Epcot. We started the day with some coffee and snacks from the concierge area. Again, this is a place I have found is handy but not a replacement for normal meals. We all headed on over to Epcot and arrive to a mostly empty park around 10am or so. Cast members include myself, DW, DD, DFIL and DMIL, and my good friend CM Brian. I didn't plan on doing it but my friend Brian talked me into going on Mission: Space. We had a 5 minute wait. Unbelievable. Could have gone on it 3 to 4 times in a row if we wanted to. (No I wouldn't have wanted to either!) I gotta say that Disney pulled all the stops with this ride. We actually stopped a few times in the line area to take a few pictures and look around. The detail is impressive.
Finally we go to the staging area where we see the movie with Gary Sinese. We have been warned about 5 times already about
close spaces and motion sickness so I am getting a bit nerved. After the staging area we go to the last area prior to riding and are shown the correct head postitioning while riding and we are warned 2 more times about the close spaces and stuff.
UGG! Am I making a mistake? Finally we board. Close spaces were not a problem. They have nice cool air on you which really helps. Restraint is not so tight and I am a big guy. Plenty of room. We blast off. I'm not going to go into detail here because I don't want to spoil experiences for anyone. All I can say is the ride is INCREDIBLE! What an experience! I was amazed but of course....I got what I expected. That disoriented and somewhat nauseating feeling. Sad thing was, I felt it for over 4 hours after riding! Do I regret going on it? Nope. I had to do it. Had to experience it at LEAST ONCE. I came, I saw, I rode, I felt sick. Won't do it again.
After that, we toured the World Chow....errr...Showcase. The smells were so good that I started thinking I can do lunch even with my Mission: Space aftermath. We head on over to Italy and do Alfredo's. The food was great. Julia really took to one of the waiters and was dancing around with him. It was really cute. She's normally really shy too. Desert was to die for and coffee was excellent.
Next we head on over to Germany and the Bier Garden to partake in some dancing and Polka music. Julia had a blast. We could barely pull her off of the dance floor. The CMs all thought she was really cute. Julia steals the show.
Now it's off to the Africa stop. We see some people playing bongo drums (I think they would be called bongos???) and are invited to join in. Julia gets hers and I get mine. We stay and play drums for about 10 minutes. I know SHE had fun but I did too! It was really cool. I could have stayed longer but we left. Julia gets applause from everyone. Again, Julia steals the show.
My question is, when did Epcot become SOOOOOOOO kid friendly? I don't remember all of the fun things we did. This was the first time we did Epcot with Julia on a trip. I don't regret it. We all packed up and headed on back to the hotel.
We arrive at room 7058 and see we have a message. It's Mark, the Concierge Manager. He says he knew he was supposed to get us a courtyard view room and one has opened up. He asked that we call when we are ready to go see if we want it. I hook up with Mark and I go to check out the room with him. He says that the room he was going to show us was the only one they had available tonight but there are a few more opening up tomorrow if we didn't like it. We head down the hall away from the concierge area. Far away. Turn the corner and stop. We are standing in front of a room labled the Yosemite Suite. Mark opens the door and I can't help but wonder if this is a joke. Previously I had asked if we could tour the suite one day so I thought what the heck, he's just showing it to me. What a ROOM...I mean...apartment! It's FANTASTIC. Mark is explaining the room to me and showing me around. In the back of my head I'm wondering if he is going to offer this to us for an additional fee. He then takes me out to the balcony. It's L shaped and goes around the entire suite. What a view. (Pics WILL be on display when I get back) I am also told this is the Vice Presidential suite and that it actually has a better view than the Presidential suite. After the tour is over, Mark asks if I would want to stay in this room. (Is that a loaded question? Who in their right mind would say no?) I said of course but how much more would it cost? Mark doesn't say a word or answer verbally. He just waves his hand back and forth in a motion that says, "Nothing" to me. I asked if he was kidding and he said no. I couldn't believe it! I felt tears building in my eyes but held back to avoid looking like a total mushy wimp. I told him I would have to ask my wife. (I was joking really!!!) Renee was still back at 7058 packing our stuff. I go and grab her and bring her down. She looks at the sign and asks if I am joking. I said no. She walks through the suite and starts to cry happily. (Women can let go and it's ok. Men look like wimps if they do!) Here is the best I could do to explain the suite to you. You walk into an entry foyer that has hardwood floors. There is a half bathroom on the right and a full closet on the left allong with a table with floral centerpiece. This leads right into the living room that has a queen size sofa bed and a complete stereo and 36 inch Sony TV. Movies are also included in the drawers. We watched A Bug's Life later on in the evening. The living room has huge floor to ceiling windows with gorgeous sheers and drapes. There are two single french doors that lead out the the spacious balcony and a small table and chair set. Next to the living room there is a small dining area with a full table and chairs. The chandelier here is one just like the TeePee (???) ones in the lobby but smaller. The dining area also has floor to ceiling windows and double french doors out to the balcony. This part of the balcony has a full table and chair set for dining outside. Unbelievable. Next there is the small kitchenet that has a full set of dishware and wine rack with glasses. There is a slightly larger than normal fridge and even a Microwave and a toaster. (Does anyone use these?)
There is also lots of cabinet space. This place is good for a REALLY long stay! There's also an open seating area oposite the kitchen in the living room that acts as a bar. Off the dining room there is the master bedroom that has a nice sitting chair with a lamp for reading and a king size bed. There's also a big window with a great view of the courtyard and pool and waterfall. Last but not least, is the GIGANTIC bathroom which is really 2 sections. The Jacuzzi tub and double vanity sinks are in one section and the toilet and large enclosed shower are in the other. Plenty of supplies sit on the counter top. I hope this is enough to give you all an idea. By 7:30pm, we are settled into our new digs (Room 7037) for the rest of our stay. We decide to celebrate with room service from Artist Point and have dinner delivered to us in 30 minutes. (Dominoes Pizza would have a HARD time matching THIS service!) The guy puts a table cloth down on the table in the dining area and sets it with utensils and cloth napkins. A dream come true. I love it and still can't believe it's happening. I decide to take advantage of the jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom (yes there are TWO bathrooms!) and then retire for the night in our plush king size bed.
Day 7
Up and early. We are Flag Family today and have to get ready! We meet ranger Stan downstairs in the lobby and head back up to go on the roof. I get the honor of carrying our nation's colors while DD, DW, and DFIL all carry the rest of the flags. Julia
is loving the experience so far. We get up to the roof and I practically lose my breath! WHAT A VIEW! Nothing LIKE it ANYWHERE. You can see the ENTIRE kingdom from here. I can't explain it any better with words. You'll have to see the pictures. We do the video tape and photo thing. I get to raise the American Flag. What an honor. Renee does the Wilderness Lodge flag, Julia did the Mickey flag and my father in law did the State of Florida flag. We all say the pledge of allegiance. Ranger Stan is an EXCELLENT host! He gives us some background about the ceremony and explains that it has been done for about eight and a half years. The most famous person he can recall doing it was Deb Wills. Heh. That was cool. We all know Deb right? (www.wdwig.com) He also takes time to point out the different attractions that are visible including the tree of life over seven miles away and the water tower in MGM. Finally, Ranger Stan takes a picture of us all with the castle in the background. (Not sure if this one came out good or not though) I also got some fantastic pictures of the American Flag with the Moon high in the sky behind it. It was a very memorable ceremony. As it came to an end, Ranger Stan and I joked about how many people would want his job. He said about 30 or so would jump right in. I told him he was underestimating a bit and that 30 would probably be thousands. He spoke of how his retirement was coming up but had not picked a date yet. I could see that he was getting emotional as he told me, "I haven't picked a date yet. I still have no idea how I am going to walk away from this place. I love this hotel. I just don't know how." Ranger Stan, if you are reading this, you helped make OUR stay MAGICAL! Don't ever stop! THANKS!
The rest of the day is slated as a pool / relaxation day. I don't think I will have much more to post. I may end up riding a Segway today if they aren't booked solid. That should be fun. I may also end up renting a boat for a ride through Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. If anything interesting comes up, I will add it later.
Somebody pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming!!!
Fred
Day 6
Today we did Epcot. We started the day with some coffee and snacks from the concierge area. Again, this is a place I have found is handy but not a replacement for normal meals. We all headed on over to Epcot and arrive to a mostly empty park around 10am or so. Cast members include myself, DW, DD, DFIL and DMIL, and my good friend CM Brian. I didn't plan on doing it but my friend Brian talked me into going on Mission: Space. We had a 5 minute wait. Unbelievable. Could have gone on it 3 to 4 times in a row if we wanted to. (No I wouldn't have wanted to either!) I gotta say that Disney pulled all the stops with this ride. We actually stopped a few times in the line area to take a few pictures and look around. The detail is impressive.
Finally we go to the staging area where we see the movie with Gary Sinese. We have been warned about 5 times already about
close spaces and motion sickness so I am getting a bit nerved. After the staging area we go to the last area prior to riding and are shown the correct head postitioning while riding and we are warned 2 more times about the close spaces and stuff.
UGG! Am I making a mistake? Finally we board. Close spaces were not a problem. They have nice cool air on you which really helps. Restraint is not so tight and I am a big guy. Plenty of room. We blast off. I'm not going to go into detail here because I don't want to spoil experiences for anyone. All I can say is the ride is INCREDIBLE! What an experience! I was amazed but of course....I got what I expected. That disoriented and somewhat nauseating feeling. Sad thing was, I felt it for over 4 hours after riding! Do I regret going on it? Nope. I had to do it. Had to experience it at LEAST ONCE. I came, I saw, I rode, I felt sick. Won't do it again.
After that, we toured the World Chow....errr...Showcase. The smells were so good that I started thinking I can do lunch even with my Mission: Space aftermath. We head on over to Italy and do Alfredo's. The food was great. Julia really took to one of the waiters and was dancing around with him. It was really cute. She's normally really shy too. Desert was to die for and coffee was excellent.
Next we head on over to Germany and the Bier Garden to partake in some dancing and Polka music. Julia had a blast. We could barely pull her off of the dance floor. The CMs all thought she was really cute. Julia steals the show.
Now it's off to the Africa stop. We see some people playing bongo drums (I think they would be called bongos???) and are invited to join in. Julia gets hers and I get mine. We stay and play drums for about 10 minutes. I know SHE had fun but I did too! It was really cool. I could have stayed longer but we left. Julia gets applause from everyone. Again, Julia steals the show.
My question is, when did Epcot become SOOOOOOOO kid friendly? I don't remember all of the fun things we did. This was the first time we did Epcot with Julia on a trip. I don't regret it. We all packed up and headed on back to the hotel.
We arrive at room 7058 and see we have a message. It's Mark, the Concierge Manager. He says he knew he was supposed to get us a courtyard view room and one has opened up. He asked that we call when we are ready to go see if we want it. I hook up with Mark and I go to check out the room with him. He says that the room he was going to show us was the only one they had available tonight but there are a few more opening up tomorrow if we didn't like it. We head down the hall away from the concierge area. Far away. Turn the corner and stop. We are standing in front of a room labled the Yosemite Suite. Mark opens the door and I can't help but wonder if this is a joke. Previously I had asked if we could tour the suite one day so I thought what the heck, he's just showing it to me. What a ROOM...I mean...apartment! It's FANTASTIC. Mark is explaining the room to me and showing me around. In the back of my head I'm wondering if he is going to offer this to us for an additional fee. He then takes me out to the balcony. It's L shaped and goes around the entire suite. What a view. (Pics WILL be on display when I get back) I am also told this is the Vice Presidential suite and that it actually has a better view than the Presidential suite. After the tour is over, Mark asks if I would want to stay in this room. (Is that a loaded question? Who in their right mind would say no?) I said of course but how much more would it cost? Mark doesn't say a word or answer verbally. He just waves his hand back and forth in a motion that says, "Nothing" to me. I asked if he was kidding and he said no. I couldn't believe it! I felt tears building in my eyes but held back to avoid looking like a total mushy wimp.
I told him I would have to ask my wife. (I was joking really!!!) Renee was still back at 7058 packing our stuff. I go and grab her and bring her down. She looks at the sign and asks if I am joking. I said no. She walks through the suite and starts to cry happily. (Women can let go and it's ok. Men look like wimps if they do!) Here is the best I could do to explain the suite to you. You walk into an entry foyer that has hardwood floors. There is a half bathroom on the right and a full closet on the left allong with a table with floral centerpiece. This leads right into the living room that has a queen size sofa bed and a complete stereo and 36 inch Sony TV. Movies are also included in the drawers. We watched A Bug's Life later on in the evening. The living room has huge floor to ceiling windows with gorgeous sheers and drapes. There are two single french doors that lead out the the spacious balcony and a small table and chair set. Next to the living room there is a small dining area with a full table and chairs. The chandelier here is one just like the TeePee (???) ones in the lobby but smaller. The dining area also has floor to ceiling windows and double french doors out to the balcony. This part of the balcony has a full table and chair set for dining outside. Unbelievable. Next there is the small kitchenet that has a full set of dishware and wine rack with glasses. There is a slightly larger than normal fridge and even a Microwave and a toaster. (Does anyone use these?) There is also lots of cabinet space. This place is good for a REALLY long stay! There's also an open seating area oposite the kitchen in the living room that acts as a bar. Off the dining room there is the master bedroom that has a nice sitting chair with a lamp for reading and a king size bed. There's also a big window with a great view of the courtyard and pool and waterfall. Last but not least, is the GIGANTIC bathroom which is really 2 sections. The Jacuzzi tub and double vanity sinks are in one section and the toilet and large enclosed shower are in the other. Plenty of supplies sit on the counter top. I hope this is enough to give you all an idea. By 7:30pm, we are settled into our new digs (Room 7037) for the rest of our stay. We decide to celebrate with room service from Artist Point and have dinner delivered to us in 30 minutes. (Dominoes Pizza would have a HARD time matching THIS service!) The guy puts a table cloth down on the table in the dining area and sets it with utensils and cloth napkins. A dream come true. I love it and still can't believe it's happening. I decide to take advantage of the jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom (yes there are TWO bathrooms!) and then retire for the night in our plush king size bed.
Day 7
Up and early. We are Flag Family today and have to get ready! We meet ranger Stan downstairs in the lobby and head back up to go on the roof. I get the honor of carrying our nation's colors while DD, DW, and DFIL all carry the rest of the flags. Julia
is loving the experience so far. We get up to the roof and I practically lose my breath! WHAT A VIEW! Nothing LIKE it ANYWHERE. You can see the ENTIRE kingdom from here. I can't explain it any better with words. You'll have to see the pictures. We do the video tape and photo thing. I get to raise the American Flag. What an honor. Renee does the Wilderness Lodge flag, Julia did the Mickey flag and my father in law did the State of Florida flag. We all say the pledge of allegiance. Ranger Stan is an EXCELLENT host! He gives us some background about the ceremony and explains that it has been done for about eight and a half years. The most famous person he can recall doing it was Deb Wills. Heh. That was cool. We all know Deb right? (www.wdwig.com) He also takes time to point out the different attractions that are visible including the tree of life over seven miles away and the water tower in MGM. Finally, Ranger Stan takes a picture of us all with the castle in the background. (Not sure if this one came out good or not though) I also got some fantastic pictures of the American Flag with the Moon high in the sky behind it. It was a very memorable ceremony. As it came to an end, Ranger Stan and I joked about how many people would want his job. He said about 30 or so would jump right in. I told him he was underestimating a bit and that 30 would probably be thousands. He spoke of how his retirement was coming up but had not picked a date yet. I could see that he was getting emotional as he told me, "I haven't picked a date yet. I still have no idea how I am going to walk away from this place. I love this hotel. I just don't know how." Ranger Stan, if you are reading this, you helped make OUR stay MAGICAL! Don't ever stop! THANKS!
The rest of the day is slated as a pool / relaxation day. I don't think I will have much more to post. I may end up riding a Segway today if they aren't booked solid. That should be fun. I may also end up renting a boat for a ride through Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. If anything interesting comes up, I will add it later.
Somebody pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming!!!
Fred
