B'rer Karen
<font color=purple>DIS Veteran<br><font color=deep
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2001
- Messages
- 1,813
This is my first time posting a trip report. Hope everyone likes it. I always write my trip reports up and share them with friends who don't necessarily know all things Disney (gasp), so you'll see a lot of explanation of things that I know y'all don't need! But I didn't think you'd mind 
3/6/03
I had a 6:00 am (yes, thats very early) flight from Raleigh to Orlando. My brother very nicely offered to take me to the airport at 4:45 in the morning. My flight was delayed by about 30 minutes due to some thunderstorms in the area, but luckily we didnt have a lot of turbulence. It was a pretty smooth flight. Upon arrival at the Orlando airport, I made my way to baggage claim and decided to call David, who had flown in the day before and who Id be spending the next 5 fun filled days with, to let him know I was on the ground and just waiting for my bags. Well I had a lot of difficulty making phone calls from inside the building. I just couldnt sustain a signal long enough to say much more than Hi, its Karen. Luckily my bags came quickly and I made my way outside, was able to call David, and he found me very easily. David did a very smart thing when he got the rental car. He got a fire engine red car. Made it very easy to find!!
We then headed to the Caribbean Beach Resort, where we would be staying. Once in the Walt Disney World resort, we were following the signs for Epcot Area Resorts as thats where you find Caribbean Beach. Were following the signs, following the signs, and all of a sudden were not at the Epcot resorts, were at Epcot!! Luckily were annual pass holders so we just show the parking lot attendant an AP and you can park for free (so we didnt have to pay 8:00 just to turn around!). So we pulled into the Epcot parking lot, turned around, and left. (We later found out that we werent stupid, there had been construction going on and the exit we needed was blocked off).
We finally made it to Caribbean Beach around 8:30 am. We checked in, but our room wasnt ready yet. I had faxed over a special room request a few days before, and the rooms in the building I wanted were still being cleaned. Thats not unusual since check in time really isnt until 3:00 pm. So we left our bags at bell services. David then left to drive to Islands of Adventure where he planned on spending most of the day. Our plan was to meet back at the hotel around 4:00 pm.
I walked over to the bus stop and waited for the bus to the Magic Kingdom. Thats where I like to start my visits to Walt Disney World. I didnt have to wait log for the bus to arrive. I got to the Magic Kingdom around 9:30, not too long after opening. I walked down main street, just soaking up the warm weather and the wonderful atmosphere. I headed through Adventureland to get to my goal in Frontierland, my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World .Splash Mountain. Now normally when I go on Splash, I get wet, but not soaked. Well not this time. I got soaked. I should mention that my hair does not like the state of Florida. Its really rather frustrating. I normally have my hair in a ponytail and a baseball cap on throughout my trip. But since I had gotten ready at home in Raleigh that morning, I did my hair down as normal. Before I had even gotten on Splash Mountain my hair was already doing weird things. But then I ride Splash and get soaked, and now I just look like a drowned rat. I dont know what I was thinking. And of course my ponytail holders are all back in my bags back at the hotel. I was looking really cute, let me tell you. But I didnt care cause I had just ridden my favorite ride and life was good.
After getting off Splash Mountain I walked over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and grabbed a Fast Pass. I walked through Frontierland over to Liberty Square to ride another favorite attraction of mine, Haunted Mansion. After that, I had a little time before my fast pass window, and since I had been up since 3:30 in the morning I was getting rather hungry, so even though it was only 10:45 am, I decided to have a snack. I walked back to Frontierland to Pecos Bill Café and got an order of cheese fries and a root beer float. One thing I decided to do on this trip was not to carry a lot of cash (or travelers checks). Instead I decided to charge as much as I could back to my room (via my room key). This snack purchase was my first opportunity to break the card in and I will say that it made my life so much easier. So I took my fries and my float and I went to sit out in the sun where it was warm. The high this day ended up being 90, so at nearly 11 am it was already really warm, and I soaked it up. When I first sat down, I had barely eaten a couple of fries when this kid comes up and stands right next to me and starts throwing pieces of a bun or something to feed the birds. Well Disney birds are psycho. You dont want to eat around them. Theyll just steal food off your plate. So this kid is throwing food at them and theyre getting closer and closer to me. I had to move. I was not about to lose my fries!
So I found a new spot, sat down and enjoyed my snack and just basked in the sun and really let all my stress and anxieties and frustrations go. I decompressed and for the first time in months I felt good, dare I say even happy! It was a wonderful feeling. While I was doing all this reflecting and basking I was also people watching. There was another family near by who didnt seem to quite understand how vicious Disney birds are. One guy was eating a hamburger, but hed take a bite, and then hed let his hand kind of dangle with the burger still in it. Well you could see this one bird on the ground just watching the dangling burger and getting closer and closer to it. And then the guy would pull the burger back up and take a bite, and then let it dangle again, and the bird would get closer and closer. I was certain that he was eventually going to lose that burger, but he was able to get it all eaten before being attacked.
Once I was full and fully relaxed, I walked over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for my fast pass. There was a group of teenagers in front of me that was trying to line up so theyd all be on at the same time. Well as they were getting in the different rows for the cars, they somehow got messed up and their one odd member (odd as in odd number, not strange) ended up behind me. He started to ask if he could cut in front of me so that hed be on at the same time as his friends, but then he realized that since I was alone we could just ride together, and I told him that was fine. So we start talking and he says, Youre not here alone are you? I explained that I was for the day, although I had a friend meeting me later. I also said that I had come to Disney alone before though, and would do it again. He just couldnt understand that. He said, I guess Im just to social and like to talk to people. And I said, Well I am too, but I can talk to anyone. Im talking to you, arent I? He just laughed at that. I guess it is weird to a lot of people, but I have no problem being at Disney alone. I have fun when Im there with friends, but Im completely comfortable being there alone too.
After the wildest ride in the wilderness I moseyed back to Adventureland, basking in the sun every step of the way. It was nice to just take my time and take in my surroundings. The rest of the trip ended up being pretty much non-stop, so it was good I took my time in the beginning. Once in Adventureland, I rode Pirates of the Caribbean. While I was walking through the queue line, I overheard the older gentleman behind me say to his wife This young lady can lean on me if she gets scared (referring to me). I turned around and smiled and his wife said Isnt he cute? Arent old guys cute? We struck up a conversation and ended up riding together. They were a really nice couple from Michigan who was on this long driving vacation. They were spending two days at Disney, then they were going to do some golfing and I think they were headed to Savannah, Georgia after that. They hadnt been to Disney since they brought their children in the late 80s, and they were amazed at how much it had changed. I guess this is why I can go to Disney by myself, because I like to strike up conversations with strangers and have no problem doing so.
I said good-bye to the nice couple from Michigan and continued on towards Main Street. I passed the Aloha Isle stand, where they sell my favorite trip in all of Walt Disney World, dole whips! But since I had just had that root beer float, I really wasnt ready for more ice cream. So I passed it for now. I did have to stop at this point and purchase some pony tail holders because I just couldnt take my unruly, wet hair any longer!
I did some browsing and window-shopping down Main Street, getting a feel for what new merchandise they had. I did really well with controlling my shopping on this trip. I think part of it was that I was only there for 5 days but also I knew I was going back in September and in October, and that all of the dated merchandise (2003, 75 years of Mickey) would still be there, and if I still liked it at that time, I could buy it then. But I did see a lot of things I liked. I continued to make my way up Main Street and I was planning on heading over to the Disney-MGM Studios. On my way out I stopped at guest relations to get a new sleeve for my annual pass. The sleeve tells you all of the perks for the year, and I still had the 2002 sleeve, so I needed the 2003 sleeve. As I was doing this, my phone rings and its David. Its only noon, but Islands of Adventure was so dead, he had done everything he wanted to already. So we had a change of plans and decided to meet back at the hotel right away. So I hopped on a bus back to the hotel. Our room STILL wasnt ready, but we knew which building wed be in, so thats where David met me. He parked the rental car there and we hoped on a bus to MGM.
The first thing we did at MGM was head down Hollywood Boulevard towards the Rock n Roller Coaster, which we got a Fast Pass for. We then walked across the way to the Tower of Terror. This is always a fun ride, but I was really looking forward to riding it on this trip because Disney had just made changes around the first of the year where they added four new ride sequences. Not only are they new, but also they are completely randomthe tower is in control. I could immediately notice a difference when we rode it, and I couldnt wait to ride it again to see if I would get the other sequences.
By this time David was getting hungry, so we took a quick break for him to have a burger and I grabbed a bottle of water. Then it was time for the Rock n Roller Coaster. I love, love, love this ride, but that 0-60 launch gets me every time! I just scream my head off and love every minute of it. After we finished our quick trip around L.A. in our stretch limo, we headed over to The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. This was a first for me, as I usually dont take the time to take in this attraction. It is a short live action show that retells the story of the Little Mermaid. I dont know if I would do it over and over again, but it was a cute show and I was glad I got to see it. Plus it was in an air-conditioned theater, so thats always nice J
By this time it was around 4:00 pm and we knew our room had to be ready, so we hopped a bus back to the resort. We stopped at the Custom House (where the lobby was) and had bell services get our bags and drive us over to our room. The room was great. Two full size beds, a small table with two chairs, armoire with television, a dressing area that had two sinks and had a curtain you could draw across it to separate it from the bed area, and then the little room with the toilet and tub/shower. We quickly unpacked, freshened up, and locked the valuables in the safe. Then we hopped another bus over to Epcot where we were going to spend the evening.
When we got to Epcot, my annual pass would not work in the turnstile. A cast member came over to help me out and asked if I had been in another park earlier. I said yes, that I had been at two other parks, so he said, Oh, well then just show me your hand stamp. Well I never get a hand stamp. Im an annual pass holder. It doesnt matter if Ive been in a park earlier in the day or not. And if your pass doesnt work, you just show your photo I.D. and youre fine. So I said to the CM, I dont have a hand stamp. I never get one, he told me I always should get my hand stamped and then asked to see my I.D. So for the next day and a half I was paranoid and kept getting my hand stamped. Of course I had no more problems, and I have since confirmed that it is not necessary to get your hand stamped if you have an AP. So anyway, we finally get in the park and the first thing we did was Spaceship Earth, because this is always the first thing I do when I get to Epcot. Then we ran over to get a fast pass for Test Track. This time it was David who had ticket problem. He must have tried three machines before he was finally issued a fast pass. We thought we were just going to be doomed with tickets. While we were there, we figured wed hit Ellens Energy Adventure. Well we walk over to it and it was closed for a private function. We were really curious about who would have rented out that ride. First off, I dont know why theyd pick that ride, unless they just wanted to really big pre-show area. But we just knew that there was probably some bigwig there and it was killing us not to know who it was!
We still had some time before our dinner reservation, so we went to the Imagination Pavilion and rode Journey Into Your Imagination. When you exit the ride you are in the Imageworks area where you can explore all kinds of things that allow you to use your imagination. This is where we had our picture postcard taken and sent out. After that, we left Future World and headed towards the World Showcase, entering on the right in Canada. We just strolled through Canada and the U.K., and then crossed the bridge to France. Well when we got to France, there was a street performance going on. There was this man who had a chair on top of a table and he was doing a handstand on it. Pretty impressive. Then he grabs a man out of the crowd and put him up on the table, and asked him to put his hands on the chair. Then the performer grabbed the guys legs and lifted them up in the air, to make him do a hand stand (sort of). Everyone clapped, it was cute. So then the performer put a second chair on top of the first, kind of like building blocks. The guy from the audience did not want to do it, but the performer convinced him once again to balance on his hands and then he lifted his legs up. Then he grabs a third chair, and Im standing there thinking, There is no way! Well on this attempt, the man from the audience pulls himself up into a handstand on top of three chairs on top of a table on top of cement. He was a ringer! It was really cute. Well he doesnt stop there. He stacks 2 or 3 more chairs, each time doing a handstand or some other balancing pose. The original performer keeps egging him on. Finally they were out of these square chairs they were using. But the first performer decides to give him a regular round chair that is around the tables that sit out in the café area. The chair he goes to use, he stands on and it breaks (as Im sure it was rigged to), so there are only two legs, the back, and the seat. He tosses this up to the guy who is going to try to balance on it, and they keep acting like hes going to fall. So the performer says he needs some strong men from the audience to help out in case the guy falls. So he pulls this one large guy, then he pulls a medium size older man, then he pulls .me. He has the three of us stand in a row with our arms out, as if to catch the guy. Then he looks up and makes the motion with his hand as if the guys falling, and as if hes measuring where the guy will end up, and it would be on my head. So he has the two guys turn and face in towards me, and he puts a hard hat on my head. This was really funny. I had my hair in a pony tail (from earlier when I was having hair trauma) so he puts this hat on my head and the front pops up. So he pushes it down, and it pops up. And he pushes it down, and it pops up. This went on for a little while and got lots of laughs, including from me! So then he gives me this metal tray, I suppose I was going to catch the guy on it, and then he starts banging on it, like a drum roll. Well of course the guy balances on the chair and doesnt fall (which really was amazing). It was really a lot of fun even if it was mildly embarrassing!
After that little adventure we walked through Morocco and on to Japan where the candy lady was working. She makes these little animals out of taffy like candy. It is an amazing art form and she is super talented. We watched her for a minute and then I realized that all of our fun in France had made us run late. So we walked through America to Italy where we had dinner reservations at LOriginal Alfredo di Restaurante. We ordered Bellinis, one of my favorite alcoholic beverages. I had fettuccini alfredo, which was really good, but really heavy. It did not sit well in my stomach. For dessert I had an excellent tiramisu and coffee. That was totally worth it! David had lasagna for his dinner and chocolate mousse for dessert, which he let me try and it was excellent too. A funny side note, the couple next to us ordered the exact same dinner!
After dinner we needed to walk it off, and we still had our fast passes for Test Track, so we walked all the rest of the way around the World Showcase and over to Test Track. I actually learned something new, thanks to David. Our fast pass time was something like 6:15 to 7:15. Well it was well after 7:15, but they still let us use them. I dont know that they have to, and I imagine if the fast pass line was long or you had a CM who was a stickler for the rules they may not have let us, but we got to ride. After we got off Test Track, we walked over to the Mexican pavilion and just spent a little bit of time in there. I love that pavilion. It looks like youre outside and its really beautiful. We then walked all the way back to France to get a good spot for Illuminations. It was already pretty crowded by this time, but we still got a decent spot. I love Illuminations. Its this wonderful fireworks and pyrotechnics show set to the most beautiful music. I have the cd and I listen to it a lot. I can watch this show every single night, and I will still be brought to tears each time.
After Illuminations, we walked out through the International Gateway and walked to the Boardwalk. As we walked passed the ESPN club, I remembered that I had broken my favorite coffee mug that I had bought there 2 years ago. I was hoping they still had it and they did! So I made my first real purchase of my trip. I was disappointed when they told me they couldnt ship to my resort. Well they could, but evidently they were considered part of the Boardwalk resort and if you want to ship from one resort to another, they use UPS and it takes a week! I said forget that, Ill just carry it, but I wasnt too happy about that!
We walked to the front of the Boardwalk hotel and caught the bus to Downtown Disney. We did a little bit of shopping in the World of Disney (aka the Big Honking Disney Store). I bought a pair of earrings that purple stones on either side of a Mickey shaped cubic zirconia, and a necklace that has a medium sized Mickey shaped cubic zirconia pendant. I also bought a Walt Disney World Frame that is wooden and has the image of the American Flag going across it. They were able to put my coffee mug in with my purchase and ship it all back to my resort, so I didnt have to carry it any more.
After shopping, we walked over to Pleasure Island. David had to buy his annual pass and it took forever, through no fault of his own. It just seemed like no matter what line we got in this trip the people in front of us were having some sort of trauma. Then when we went to enter PI and show our IDs, the CM thought Davids was fake. Its not his fault the state of California issues cheap looking IDs! Once we finally got in, we got some adult beverages and then enjoyed the Adventurers Club for a bit. We stayed long enough to be inducted as members and for David to learn the club salute and song. Kungaloosh!
We then went across the way (grabbing another beverage) and got in line for the Comedy Warehouse. The CW puts on 5 improv shows each night. Its always different and always a blast. Both David and I joined in shouting out ideas for the comedians to use for their skits.
Finally we made our way back to our hotel via bus. I collapsed in my bed at 2 am. It was a very long day, but very fun.
3/6/03
I had a 6:00 am (yes, thats very early) flight from Raleigh to Orlando. My brother very nicely offered to take me to the airport at 4:45 in the morning. My flight was delayed by about 30 minutes due to some thunderstorms in the area, but luckily we didnt have a lot of turbulence. It was a pretty smooth flight. Upon arrival at the Orlando airport, I made my way to baggage claim and decided to call David, who had flown in the day before and who Id be spending the next 5 fun filled days with, to let him know I was on the ground and just waiting for my bags. Well I had a lot of difficulty making phone calls from inside the building. I just couldnt sustain a signal long enough to say much more than Hi, its Karen. Luckily my bags came quickly and I made my way outside, was able to call David, and he found me very easily. David did a very smart thing when he got the rental car. He got a fire engine red car. Made it very easy to find!!
We then headed to the Caribbean Beach Resort, where we would be staying. Once in the Walt Disney World resort, we were following the signs for Epcot Area Resorts as thats where you find Caribbean Beach. Were following the signs, following the signs, and all of a sudden were not at the Epcot resorts, were at Epcot!! Luckily were annual pass holders so we just show the parking lot attendant an AP and you can park for free (so we didnt have to pay 8:00 just to turn around!). So we pulled into the Epcot parking lot, turned around, and left. (We later found out that we werent stupid, there had been construction going on and the exit we needed was blocked off).
We finally made it to Caribbean Beach around 8:30 am. We checked in, but our room wasnt ready yet. I had faxed over a special room request a few days before, and the rooms in the building I wanted were still being cleaned. Thats not unusual since check in time really isnt until 3:00 pm. So we left our bags at bell services. David then left to drive to Islands of Adventure where he planned on spending most of the day. Our plan was to meet back at the hotel around 4:00 pm.
I walked over to the bus stop and waited for the bus to the Magic Kingdom. Thats where I like to start my visits to Walt Disney World. I didnt have to wait log for the bus to arrive. I got to the Magic Kingdom around 9:30, not too long after opening. I walked down main street, just soaking up the warm weather and the wonderful atmosphere. I headed through Adventureland to get to my goal in Frontierland, my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World .Splash Mountain. Now normally when I go on Splash, I get wet, but not soaked. Well not this time. I got soaked. I should mention that my hair does not like the state of Florida. Its really rather frustrating. I normally have my hair in a ponytail and a baseball cap on throughout my trip. But since I had gotten ready at home in Raleigh that morning, I did my hair down as normal. Before I had even gotten on Splash Mountain my hair was already doing weird things. But then I ride Splash and get soaked, and now I just look like a drowned rat. I dont know what I was thinking. And of course my ponytail holders are all back in my bags back at the hotel. I was looking really cute, let me tell you. But I didnt care cause I had just ridden my favorite ride and life was good.
After getting off Splash Mountain I walked over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and grabbed a Fast Pass. I walked through Frontierland over to Liberty Square to ride another favorite attraction of mine, Haunted Mansion. After that, I had a little time before my fast pass window, and since I had been up since 3:30 in the morning I was getting rather hungry, so even though it was only 10:45 am, I decided to have a snack. I walked back to Frontierland to Pecos Bill Café and got an order of cheese fries and a root beer float. One thing I decided to do on this trip was not to carry a lot of cash (or travelers checks). Instead I decided to charge as much as I could back to my room (via my room key). This snack purchase was my first opportunity to break the card in and I will say that it made my life so much easier. So I took my fries and my float and I went to sit out in the sun where it was warm. The high this day ended up being 90, so at nearly 11 am it was already really warm, and I soaked it up. When I first sat down, I had barely eaten a couple of fries when this kid comes up and stands right next to me and starts throwing pieces of a bun or something to feed the birds. Well Disney birds are psycho. You dont want to eat around them. Theyll just steal food off your plate. So this kid is throwing food at them and theyre getting closer and closer to me. I had to move. I was not about to lose my fries!
So I found a new spot, sat down and enjoyed my snack and just basked in the sun and really let all my stress and anxieties and frustrations go. I decompressed and for the first time in months I felt good, dare I say even happy! It was a wonderful feeling. While I was doing all this reflecting and basking I was also people watching. There was another family near by who didnt seem to quite understand how vicious Disney birds are. One guy was eating a hamburger, but hed take a bite, and then hed let his hand kind of dangle with the burger still in it. Well you could see this one bird on the ground just watching the dangling burger and getting closer and closer to it. And then the guy would pull the burger back up and take a bite, and then let it dangle again, and the bird would get closer and closer. I was certain that he was eventually going to lose that burger, but he was able to get it all eaten before being attacked.
Once I was full and fully relaxed, I walked over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for my fast pass. There was a group of teenagers in front of me that was trying to line up so theyd all be on at the same time. Well as they were getting in the different rows for the cars, they somehow got messed up and their one odd member (odd as in odd number, not strange) ended up behind me. He started to ask if he could cut in front of me so that hed be on at the same time as his friends, but then he realized that since I was alone we could just ride together, and I told him that was fine. So we start talking and he says, Youre not here alone are you? I explained that I was for the day, although I had a friend meeting me later. I also said that I had come to Disney alone before though, and would do it again. He just couldnt understand that. He said, I guess Im just to social and like to talk to people. And I said, Well I am too, but I can talk to anyone. Im talking to you, arent I? He just laughed at that. I guess it is weird to a lot of people, but I have no problem being at Disney alone. I have fun when Im there with friends, but Im completely comfortable being there alone too.
After the wildest ride in the wilderness I moseyed back to Adventureland, basking in the sun every step of the way. It was nice to just take my time and take in my surroundings. The rest of the trip ended up being pretty much non-stop, so it was good I took my time in the beginning. Once in Adventureland, I rode Pirates of the Caribbean. While I was walking through the queue line, I overheard the older gentleman behind me say to his wife This young lady can lean on me if she gets scared (referring to me). I turned around and smiled and his wife said Isnt he cute? Arent old guys cute? We struck up a conversation and ended up riding together. They were a really nice couple from Michigan who was on this long driving vacation. They were spending two days at Disney, then they were going to do some golfing and I think they were headed to Savannah, Georgia after that. They hadnt been to Disney since they brought their children in the late 80s, and they were amazed at how much it had changed. I guess this is why I can go to Disney by myself, because I like to strike up conversations with strangers and have no problem doing so.
I said good-bye to the nice couple from Michigan and continued on towards Main Street. I passed the Aloha Isle stand, where they sell my favorite trip in all of Walt Disney World, dole whips! But since I had just had that root beer float, I really wasnt ready for more ice cream. So I passed it for now. I did have to stop at this point and purchase some pony tail holders because I just couldnt take my unruly, wet hair any longer!
I did some browsing and window-shopping down Main Street, getting a feel for what new merchandise they had. I did really well with controlling my shopping on this trip. I think part of it was that I was only there for 5 days but also I knew I was going back in September and in October, and that all of the dated merchandise (2003, 75 years of Mickey) would still be there, and if I still liked it at that time, I could buy it then. But I did see a lot of things I liked. I continued to make my way up Main Street and I was planning on heading over to the Disney-MGM Studios. On my way out I stopped at guest relations to get a new sleeve for my annual pass. The sleeve tells you all of the perks for the year, and I still had the 2002 sleeve, so I needed the 2003 sleeve. As I was doing this, my phone rings and its David. Its only noon, but Islands of Adventure was so dead, he had done everything he wanted to already. So we had a change of plans and decided to meet back at the hotel right away. So I hopped on a bus back to the hotel. Our room STILL wasnt ready, but we knew which building wed be in, so thats where David met me. He parked the rental car there and we hoped on a bus to MGM.
The first thing we did at MGM was head down Hollywood Boulevard towards the Rock n Roller Coaster, which we got a Fast Pass for. We then walked across the way to the Tower of Terror. This is always a fun ride, but I was really looking forward to riding it on this trip because Disney had just made changes around the first of the year where they added four new ride sequences. Not only are they new, but also they are completely randomthe tower is in control. I could immediately notice a difference when we rode it, and I couldnt wait to ride it again to see if I would get the other sequences.
By this time David was getting hungry, so we took a quick break for him to have a burger and I grabbed a bottle of water. Then it was time for the Rock n Roller Coaster. I love, love, love this ride, but that 0-60 launch gets me every time! I just scream my head off and love every minute of it. After we finished our quick trip around L.A. in our stretch limo, we headed over to The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. This was a first for me, as I usually dont take the time to take in this attraction. It is a short live action show that retells the story of the Little Mermaid. I dont know if I would do it over and over again, but it was a cute show and I was glad I got to see it. Plus it was in an air-conditioned theater, so thats always nice J
By this time it was around 4:00 pm and we knew our room had to be ready, so we hopped a bus back to the resort. We stopped at the Custom House (where the lobby was) and had bell services get our bags and drive us over to our room. The room was great. Two full size beds, a small table with two chairs, armoire with television, a dressing area that had two sinks and had a curtain you could draw across it to separate it from the bed area, and then the little room with the toilet and tub/shower. We quickly unpacked, freshened up, and locked the valuables in the safe. Then we hopped another bus over to Epcot where we were going to spend the evening.
When we got to Epcot, my annual pass would not work in the turnstile. A cast member came over to help me out and asked if I had been in another park earlier. I said yes, that I had been at two other parks, so he said, Oh, well then just show me your hand stamp. Well I never get a hand stamp. Im an annual pass holder. It doesnt matter if Ive been in a park earlier in the day or not. And if your pass doesnt work, you just show your photo I.D. and youre fine. So I said to the CM, I dont have a hand stamp. I never get one, he told me I always should get my hand stamped and then asked to see my I.D. So for the next day and a half I was paranoid and kept getting my hand stamped. Of course I had no more problems, and I have since confirmed that it is not necessary to get your hand stamped if you have an AP. So anyway, we finally get in the park and the first thing we did was Spaceship Earth, because this is always the first thing I do when I get to Epcot. Then we ran over to get a fast pass for Test Track. This time it was David who had ticket problem. He must have tried three machines before he was finally issued a fast pass. We thought we were just going to be doomed with tickets. While we were there, we figured wed hit Ellens Energy Adventure. Well we walk over to it and it was closed for a private function. We were really curious about who would have rented out that ride. First off, I dont know why theyd pick that ride, unless they just wanted to really big pre-show area. But we just knew that there was probably some bigwig there and it was killing us not to know who it was!
We still had some time before our dinner reservation, so we went to the Imagination Pavilion and rode Journey Into Your Imagination. When you exit the ride you are in the Imageworks area where you can explore all kinds of things that allow you to use your imagination. This is where we had our picture postcard taken and sent out. After that, we left Future World and headed towards the World Showcase, entering on the right in Canada. We just strolled through Canada and the U.K., and then crossed the bridge to France. Well when we got to France, there was a street performance going on. There was this man who had a chair on top of a table and he was doing a handstand on it. Pretty impressive. Then he grabs a man out of the crowd and put him up on the table, and asked him to put his hands on the chair. Then the performer grabbed the guys legs and lifted them up in the air, to make him do a hand stand (sort of). Everyone clapped, it was cute. So then the performer put a second chair on top of the first, kind of like building blocks. The guy from the audience did not want to do it, but the performer convinced him once again to balance on his hands and then he lifted his legs up. Then he grabs a third chair, and Im standing there thinking, There is no way! Well on this attempt, the man from the audience pulls himself up into a handstand on top of three chairs on top of a table on top of cement. He was a ringer! It was really cute. Well he doesnt stop there. He stacks 2 or 3 more chairs, each time doing a handstand or some other balancing pose. The original performer keeps egging him on. Finally they were out of these square chairs they were using. But the first performer decides to give him a regular round chair that is around the tables that sit out in the café area. The chair he goes to use, he stands on and it breaks (as Im sure it was rigged to), so there are only two legs, the back, and the seat. He tosses this up to the guy who is going to try to balance on it, and they keep acting like hes going to fall. So the performer says he needs some strong men from the audience to help out in case the guy falls. So he pulls this one large guy, then he pulls a medium size older man, then he pulls .me. He has the three of us stand in a row with our arms out, as if to catch the guy. Then he looks up and makes the motion with his hand as if the guys falling, and as if hes measuring where the guy will end up, and it would be on my head. So he has the two guys turn and face in towards me, and he puts a hard hat on my head. This was really funny. I had my hair in a pony tail (from earlier when I was having hair trauma) so he puts this hat on my head and the front pops up. So he pushes it down, and it pops up. And he pushes it down, and it pops up. This went on for a little while and got lots of laughs, including from me! So then he gives me this metal tray, I suppose I was going to catch the guy on it, and then he starts banging on it, like a drum roll. Well of course the guy balances on the chair and doesnt fall (which really was amazing). It was really a lot of fun even if it was mildly embarrassing!
After that little adventure we walked through Morocco and on to Japan where the candy lady was working. She makes these little animals out of taffy like candy. It is an amazing art form and she is super talented. We watched her for a minute and then I realized that all of our fun in France had made us run late. So we walked through America to Italy where we had dinner reservations at LOriginal Alfredo di Restaurante. We ordered Bellinis, one of my favorite alcoholic beverages. I had fettuccini alfredo, which was really good, but really heavy. It did not sit well in my stomach. For dessert I had an excellent tiramisu and coffee. That was totally worth it! David had lasagna for his dinner and chocolate mousse for dessert, which he let me try and it was excellent too. A funny side note, the couple next to us ordered the exact same dinner!
After dinner we needed to walk it off, and we still had our fast passes for Test Track, so we walked all the rest of the way around the World Showcase and over to Test Track. I actually learned something new, thanks to David. Our fast pass time was something like 6:15 to 7:15. Well it was well after 7:15, but they still let us use them. I dont know that they have to, and I imagine if the fast pass line was long or you had a CM who was a stickler for the rules they may not have let us, but we got to ride. After we got off Test Track, we walked over to the Mexican pavilion and just spent a little bit of time in there. I love that pavilion. It looks like youre outside and its really beautiful. We then walked all the way back to France to get a good spot for Illuminations. It was already pretty crowded by this time, but we still got a decent spot. I love Illuminations. Its this wonderful fireworks and pyrotechnics show set to the most beautiful music. I have the cd and I listen to it a lot. I can watch this show every single night, and I will still be brought to tears each time.
After Illuminations, we walked out through the International Gateway and walked to the Boardwalk. As we walked passed the ESPN club, I remembered that I had broken my favorite coffee mug that I had bought there 2 years ago. I was hoping they still had it and they did! So I made my first real purchase of my trip. I was disappointed when they told me they couldnt ship to my resort. Well they could, but evidently they were considered part of the Boardwalk resort and if you want to ship from one resort to another, they use UPS and it takes a week! I said forget that, Ill just carry it, but I wasnt too happy about that!
We walked to the front of the Boardwalk hotel and caught the bus to Downtown Disney. We did a little bit of shopping in the World of Disney (aka the Big Honking Disney Store). I bought a pair of earrings that purple stones on either side of a Mickey shaped cubic zirconia, and a necklace that has a medium sized Mickey shaped cubic zirconia pendant. I also bought a Walt Disney World Frame that is wooden and has the image of the American Flag going across it. They were able to put my coffee mug in with my purchase and ship it all back to my resort, so I didnt have to carry it any more.
After shopping, we walked over to Pleasure Island. David had to buy his annual pass and it took forever, through no fault of his own. It just seemed like no matter what line we got in this trip the people in front of us were having some sort of trauma. Then when we went to enter PI and show our IDs, the CM thought Davids was fake. Its not his fault the state of California issues cheap looking IDs! Once we finally got in, we got some adult beverages and then enjoyed the Adventurers Club for a bit. We stayed long enough to be inducted as members and for David to learn the club salute and song. Kungaloosh!
We then went across the way (grabbing another beverage) and got in line for the Comedy Warehouse. The CW puts on 5 improv shows each night. Its always different and always a blast. Both David and I joined in shouting out ideas for the comedians to use for their skits.
Finally we made our way back to our hotel via bus. I collapsed in my bed at 2 am. It was a very long day, but very fun.
It's totally out of control and I don't even try to do anything with it
