B'rer Karen
<font color=purple>DIS Veteran<br><font color=deep
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2001
- Messages
- 1,813
3/9/03
Sunday morning started off as another beautiful day, with us making it out of our room around 8:30 again. We were planning on spending the whole day at Epcot, with the exception of our character breakfast, which was at Chef Mickeys, located in the Contemporary Resort. We hopped a bus to Epcot and got there around ten to nine. We were really surprised to see that they hadnt let anyone into the park yet. In the past, even though the park doesnt open until 9, they would start letting people in before that, and then would just have CMs holding a rope to the various lands until 9. But they didnt let anyone into the park until the stroke of 9. As soon as we entered the park, David was approached by a CM and asked if hed mind answering a few questions, which he didnt. The questions were about where he was staying, how many days would he be in the parks, what specifically brought him to Epcot that day, that sort of thing. It didnt take long. Since we hadnt been able to make it on Ellens Energy Adventure on Thursday, we headed there first today. Shockingly it was closed, or at least appeared to be. I was beginning to think we werent ever going to get to see it. So we walked over to the Wonders of Life pavilion instead. There are a lot of different activities for young kids inside the pavilion, but we were really only interested in two things. The first one we did was Body Wars, which is a simulator ride that takes you inside the human body. The second attraction is a show called Cranium Command. Its a really cute show about a rookie pilot who is in charge of a teenage boys brain. He has to get the boy through a hectic day in his life, including a crush on a cute girl. They have different actors such as Bobcat Golthwait, George Wendt, and John Lovitz, portraying other areas the body. Like I said, pretty cute.
Our priority seating for breakfast was at 10:45, so I figured we had time to do a quick ride on Test Track before we needed to leave the park. Well that would have worked if the ride hadnt kept stopping and the line didnt take forever! When we finally got off Test Track it was already like 10:20. So we exited the park, hopped the monorail to the TTC, and then transferred to the resort monorail. That has to stop at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and the Magic Kingdom before getting to the Contemporary. At first I wasnt concerned. I figured wed be a little late and we might have to wait a bit to get seated, but that would be fine. But then I had a moment of panic. It was already a few minutes after 11. I had this sinking feeling that Chef Mickeys closed for breakfast at 11. That would be bad, because I had really been looking forward to this. I normally have Slimfast for breakfast, and since I love breakfast food, this was going to be a big treat. So we finally got to the restaurant around 11:15 but thank goodness, they didnt close until 11:30. So we got to eat our pound of bacon (among all the other yummy breakfast items on the buffet), stuffed ourselves silly, and got to have our pictures taken with various characters. While we were finishing up, this young boy who was seated at the next table started walking around and accidentally bumped my chair. It was no big deal, but he looked at me with this scared look and said, That was my fault! Im sorry. I said (in a soothing voice), Its okay, it was an accident. Its fine. So then he starts talking to me, just little kid stuff. His mom must have realized that he was talking to David and me and she says, Leave those people alone. Theyre trying to eat. I told her he was fine, it wasnt a problem. So he walks up to his mom and I hear him say, It was my fault mom. I bumped into her chair. I wasnt paying attention. I felt so bad for this little kid. He had a major complex and it made me think that he gets yelled at a lot. A little later him and his brother were talking with us and again were admonished and told to leave us along. Now that I think about it, maybe the mom just thought David and I were scary and her kids shouldnt come near us!
After breakfast we walked down to the pool area of the Contemporary where they have this neat photo op area. Its a large, steel set of Mickey ears, with Mickey sitting on top. As we walked up, there was this family trying to take a picture and we offered to take their picture if theyd take ours. David and I each perched in an ear. It was a cute photo. Then we hopped on the monorail back to the TTC. There, when we were going to switch to the Epcot line, we asked to sit up front. There was already someone in line for the next train, so we opted to wait for the one after so that David could get the experience of sitting up front. Doing this on the trip to Epcot is the best as its the longest stretch of track and you circle through Epcot.
When we got back to Epcot, we headed one more time over to the Universe of Energy and FINALLY we were able to go on Ellens Energy Adventure. Luckily we got there before the pre-show started because I think thats the best part of the attraction. I hate when I get there half way through the pre-show. Next up with the Living Seas pavilion. I think this pavilion could be so great, but it is in major need of an overhaul. I like to go and see the fish and the dolphins, which are my favorite. But we didnt need to spend too much time in here. Next up was The Circle of Life movie in the Land pavilion. I was so proud of myself. I stayed awake through the whole thing! That has never happened before. Not because it isnt interesting or well done (which it is), I just fall asleep in dark, air-conditioned theaters when Ive been running at full speed with no sleep for four days! At this point David and I were both in the mood for a frozen coke, so we trekked over to the stand that near Test Track. We drank our frozen cokes while we walked over to Mexico. We were going to start our trek around the World Showcase, taking all the countries in.
While in Mexico, we rode Rio de Tiempo, which is sort of like Its A Small World in Mexico and without the annoying song. J Then we shopped a little bit and I bought a bracelet that had the same color stones as what was in the earrings I bought two days before. Next up was Norway. When I was in Epcot in September, Maelstrom, the main attraction in Norway, was closed for refurbishment, so I was anxious to ride it again. Its a fun boat ride that takes you through the days of the Vikings. Its short but kind of cool, especially the part where you go backwards. After the boat ride there is a short film that we bypassed. One of these days I should probably sit through it because I really dont know what its about! We finished up Norway by doing some window-shopping. We then headed to China where we caught the end of the performance of the acrobats. Those girls and boys are sooo amazing. After the acrobats, we watched the Circlevision movie, Wonders of China. I had never seen this and its being replaced soon, so I definitely wanted to see it. It was interesting. It amazes me how much I dont know about the other countries of the world. When we came out of the movie it was starting to drizzle, but nothing too terrible. After the movie we window-shopped. I love the store in China. They have a lot of neat and beautiful items. As we left China, the drawbridge was up to allow the globe for Illuminations to be floated into the lagoon. So we watched that and got some pictures. Then we continued on to Germany.
One thing I really wanted to show David in Germany was this large model train village that they have. Well I could show it to him, but it wasnt running. I dont know why, unless it was the threat of rain. So again we did some window shopping and then moved on. Next up was Italy. There isnt a whole lot to do in Italy except window-shopJ Finally we made it to the good ole USA the American Pavilion. We walked in to the pavilion in time to catch the tail end of a performance by the a cappella group Voices of Liberty. While we listened to the performance we viewed the flag that was recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center that they have on display. I had seen this last September, but I was just as moved this time as I was upon my initial view. When the performance ended it was time for the main attraction of the pavilion, The American Adventure. I absolutely love this show, especially the montage at the end and the music it is set to. Ive always thought it was wonderful, but in these times, it is even more touching.
When we left The American Adventure, it was starting to rain. Even though it was only about 4:30 it was getting very dark out. We window shopped for a bit and then David thought he better buy a parka, because it was going to come down (I had brought my windbreaker with me). Good thing he did because no sooner did he pay for the parka then it started to pour. Were talking monsoon rains here. If it was only a light rain, we could just walk on through the World Showcase, but that wasnt going to be possible. So we made our plan to get to Japan run like crazy! We ran to Japan where we did more window-shopping. Meanwhile it continue to pour and pour. This was really disappointing because I like to go through the garden in Japan. Thats the major draw for me. But in a downpour, that wasnt a good idea. We ran like crazy until we hit the next country, Morocco. Again we couldnt really enjoy the pavilion because of the rain. We did a little window-shopping and ran on to France. We were going to see the movie here, mainly because it was still pouring and the next country, the United Kingdom, is really far away. But the movie had just started and we were going to have to wait awhile. So we browsed the shops some and then the rain let up. We decided that we might as well head over to the U.K. and Canada while the weather permitted. We decided to head to Canada to eat beavertails. When we got there, the stand was closed. L Probably due to the rain. Since we were there, and it was on our list, we decided to see the circlevision movie O Canada. I think this movie does a good job of portraying Canada for the beautiful country it is, but it needs to be updated. It seems to be getting outdated. After the movie we shopped in Canada where David bought a small gift for a friend. The beavertail stand was still closed, so we moved on.
Since we had to run through all the countries, it was pretty early, and we planned on being in Epcot until closing so we could see Illuminations again. So we decided to stop in the Rose and Crown pub and have a beer. It was crowded, but we got lucky because a table opened up right after we ordered our beers. We sat down on one side of the table and an older couple sat down opposite from us. Turns out they were from England! We talked with them for a while and learned this was their first trip to the states. They were very nice and interesting. They left after about 15 or 20 minutes and David and I hung out a little longer and finished our beers.
While we were drinking it had stopped raining. David suggested we make our way back to Canada to see if the beavertail stand had opened, and it had! Beavertails are a flat pastry that you can get topped with different toppings. I ordered mine with apples and cinnamon, and I think David had chocolate on his. Not only was it important to eat beavertails because they are delicious. It was important because we have a good friend, Wynne, who is Canadian and we wanted to eat them in honor of her. Before we chowed down, we had a CM take our picture in front of a stand selling Canadian merchandise, holding our beavertails. He thought we were kind of odd, but we didnt care. Unfortunately, due to my cameras decision to make every picture panoramic, the bottom of the picture with the beavertails got cut off. But its the thought that counts!
We sat down to eat our beavertails and about halfway through them it started raining again! It wasnt a monsoon, but it was annoying. When we finished eating we walked over to the store at the International Gateway and did some shopping. I purchased a ring that exactly matched the earrings I bought two days before as well as a pair of gold hoops with inlaid cz mickeys. They also had some scrapbook stickers for sale that I wanted, so I picked those up too.
We walked back around through Canada to the entrance to the World Showcase. There are a couple of stores there so we browsed through them. David wanted a margarita so we walked to Mexico to the Cantina de San Angel so he could get one. We then staked out a spot to watch Illuminations back by the stores we had been browsing in. Right before Illuminations started, these people walked up and tried to push in front of us. I tried to ask them what they were doing, but they didnt speak English. As we blocked them from going in front of us, I think they got the hint that it was rude to walk up at 5 minutes to 9 and try and cut in front of people who have been there for 45 minutes.
After Illuminations we were originally planning on going straight to Pleasure Island, but we were so water logged we had to go back to the resort first to change. So we got on a bus back to our hotel. There was the most annoying family ever on the bus. I dont know how many members of the family there were, but they were all over the bus. They were loud and obnoxious, even the grandma! At one point when we were at the resort making the rounds of the stops, this group of teenage girls got on. Grandma and one other adult woman start yelling to the back of the bus, Todd, Todd, there are cute girls up here. Wheres Todd? It went on like this until they got off the bus. Highly annoying.
We quickly changed and freshened up and then hopped a bus to Pleasure Island. Of course we headed straight to the Adventurers Club. When we got there they must have just started a library show because the parlor area was pretty empty. We walked down the spiral staircase and into the parlor as the Colonial (who is basically a ventriloquist dummy attached to the wall with a CM behind operating him and talking for him) was interacting with the room. We walk in and immediately the Colonial greets us. He asks us if this is our first time here and I said no, and then did the club salute. So he asked these two young guys who were sitting there if they could return the club salute to me, which they did. So the Colonial starts talking to us and asks us if David and I were there together. I said, Well were here together, but were not together. The Colonial was like, Together, but not together I dont get it. So Im trying to explain that were just friends. This went on for a little while. So then he starts talking about how hes trying to hook up the two young guys and asks this other lady for her opinion on them. She said, Well I like my guys a little bit older. After a little while one of the characters came into the room and the Colonial was giving him the low down of who everyone in the parlor was and he points to us and says, And these two were not sure about. Shes being very tight lipped about their relationship. It was pretty funny, but also embarrassing.
We had some time before the next library show, and we never really got dinner, so we walked next door to this snack bar where we got a late snack. Then we headed back to the Adventurers Club for the last show of the night. This was our last night at Disney and there was no better way to end it then at the Adventurers Club. We took the bus back to the hotel and actually got back around 12:30! This was our earliest evening, but of course we had to pack so we didnt get to sleep much earlier than usual.
Sunday morning started off as another beautiful day, with us making it out of our room around 8:30 again. We were planning on spending the whole day at Epcot, with the exception of our character breakfast, which was at Chef Mickeys, located in the Contemporary Resort. We hopped a bus to Epcot and got there around ten to nine. We were really surprised to see that they hadnt let anyone into the park yet. In the past, even though the park doesnt open until 9, they would start letting people in before that, and then would just have CMs holding a rope to the various lands until 9. But they didnt let anyone into the park until the stroke of 9. As soon as we entered the park, David was approached by a CM and asked if hed mind answering a few questions, which he didnt. The questions were about where he was staying, how many days would he be in the parks, what specifically brought him to Epcot that day, that sort of thing. It didnt take long. Since we hadnt been able to make it on Ellens Energy Adventure on Thursday, we headed there first today. Shockingly it was closed, or at least appeared to be. I was beginning to think we werent ever going to get to see it. So we walked over to the Wonders of Life pavilion instead. There are a lot of different activities for young kids inside the pavilion, but we were really only interested in two things. The first one we did was Body Wars, which is a simulator ride that takes you inside the human body. The second attraction is a show called Cranium Command. Its a really cute show about a rookie pilot who is in charge of a teenage boys brain. He has to get the boy through a hectic day in his life, including a crush on a cute girl. They have different actors such as Bobcat Golthwait, George Wendt, and John Lovitz, portraying other areas the body. Like I said, pretty cute.
Our priority seating for breakfast was at 10:45, so I figured we had time to do a quick ride on Test Track before we needed to leave the park. Well that would have worked if the ride hadnt kept stopping and the line didnt take forever! When we finally got off Test Track it was already like 10:20. So we exited the park, hopped the monorail to the TTC, and then transferred to the resort monorail. That has to stop at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and the Magic Kingdom before getting to the Contemporary. At first I wasnt concerned. I figured wed be a little late and we might have to wait a bit to get seated, but that would be fine. But then I had a moment of panic. It was already a few minutes after 11. I had this sinking feeling that Chef Mickeys closed for breakfast at 11. That would be bad, because I had really been looking forward to this. I normally have Slimfast for breakfast, and since I love breakfast food, this was going to be a big treat. So we finally got to the restaurant around 11:15 but thank goodness, they didnt close until 11:30. So we got to eat our pound of bacon (among all the other yummy breakfast items on the buffet), stuffed ourselves silly, and got to have our pictures taken with various characters. While we were finishing up, this young boy who was seated at the next table started walking around and accidentally bumped my chair. It was no big deal, but he looked at me with this scared look and said, That was my fault! Im sorry. I said (in a soothing voice), Its okay, it was an accident. Its fine. So then he starts talking to me, just little kid stuff. His mom must have realized that he was talking to David and me and she says, Leave those people alone. Theyre trying to eat. I told her he was fine, it wasnt a problem. So he walks up to his mom and I hear him say, It was my fault mom. I bumped into her chair. I wasnt paying attention. I felt so bad for this little kid. He had a major complex and it made me think that he gets yelled at a lot. A little later him and his brother were talking with us and again were admonished and told to leave us along. Now that I think about it, maybe the mom just thought David and I were scary and her kids shouldnt come near us!
After breakfast we walked down to the pool area of the Contemporary where they have this neat photo op area. Its a large, steel set of Mickey ears, with Mickey sitting on top. As we walked up, there was this family trying to take a picture and we offered to take their picture if theyd take ours. David and I each perched in an ear. It was a cute photo. Then we hopped on the monorail back to the TTC. There, when we were going to switch to the Epcot line, we asked to sit up front. There was already someone in line for the next train, so we opted to wait for the one after so that David could get the experience of sitting up front. Doing this on the trip to Epcot is the best as its the longest stretch of track and you circle through Epcot.
When we got back to Epcot, we headed one more time over to the Universe of Energy and FINALLY we were able to go on Ellens Energy Adventure. Luckily we got there before the pre-show started because I think thats the best part of the attraction. I hate when I get there half way through the pre-show. Next up with the Living Seas pavilion. I think this pavilion could be so great, but it is in major need of an overhaul. I like to go and see the fish and the dolphins, which are my favorite. But we didnt need to spend too much time in here. Next up was The Circle of Life movie in the Land pavilion. I was so proud of myself. I stayed awake through the whole thing! That has never happened before. Not because it isnt interesting or well done (which it is), I just fall asleep in dark, air-conditioned theaters when Ive been running at full speed with no sleep for four days! At this point David and I were both in the mood for a frozen coke, so we trekked over to the stand that near Test Track. We drank our frozen cokes while we walked over to Mexico. We were going to start our trek around the World Showcase, taking all the countries in.
While in Mexico, we rode Rio de Tiempo, which is sort of like Its A Small World in Mexico and without the annoying song. J Then we shopped a little bit and I bought a bracelet that had the same color stones as what was in the earrings I bought two days before. Next up was Norway. When I was in Epcot in September, Maelstrom, the main attraction in Norway, was closed for refurbishment, so I was anxious to ride it again. Its a fun boat ride that takes you through the days of the Vikings. Its short but kind of cool, especially the part where you go backwards. After the boat ride there is a short film that we bypassed. One of these days I should probably sit through it because I really dont know what its about! We finished up Norway by doing some window-shopping. We then headed to China where we caught the end of the performance of the acrobats. Those girls and boys are sooo amazing. After the acrobats, we watched the Circlevision movie, Wonders of China. I had never seen this and its being replaced soon, so I definitely wanted to see it. It was interesting. It amazes me how much I dont know about the other countries of the world. When we came out of the movie it was starting to drizzle, but nothing too terrible. After the movie we window-shopped. I love the store in China. They have a lot of neat and beautiful items. As we left China, the drawbridge was up to allow the globe for Illuminations to be floated into the lagoon. So we watched that and got some pictures. Then we continued on to Germany.
One thing I really wanted to show David in Germany was this large model train village that they have. Well I could show it to him, but it wasnt running. I dont know why, unless it was the threat of rain. So again we did some window shopping and then moved on. Next up was Italy. There isnt a whole lot to do in Italy except window-shopJ Finally we made it to the good ole USA the American Pavilion. We walked in to the pavilion in time to catch the tail end of a performance by the a cappella group Voices of Liberty. While we listened to the performance we viewed the flag that was recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center that they have on display. I had seen this last September, but I was just as moved this time as I was upon my initial view. When the performance ended it was time for the main attraction of the pavilion, The American Adventure. I absolutely love this show, especially the montage at the end and the music it is set to. Ive always thought it was wonderful, but in these times, it is even more touching.
When we left The American Adventure, it was starting to rain. Even though it was only about 4:30 it was getting very dark out. We window shopped for a bit and then David thought he better buy a parka, because it was going to come down (I had brought my windbreaker with me). Good thing he did because no sooner did he pay for the parka then it started to pour. Were talking monsoon rains here. If it was only a light rain, we could just walk on through the World Showcase, but that wasnt going to be possible. So we made our plan to get to Japan run like crazy! We ran to Japan where we did more window-shopping. Meanwhile it continue to pour and pour. This was really disappointing because I like to go through the garden in Japan. Thats the major draw for me. But in a downpour, that wasnt a good idea. We ran like crazy until we hit the next country, Morocco. Again we couldnt really enjoy the pavilion because of the rain. We did a little window-shopping and ran on to France. We were going to see the movie here, mainly because it was still pouring and the next country, the United Kingdom, is really far away. But the movie had just started and we were going to have to wait awhile. So we browsed the shops some and then the rain let up. We decided that we might as well head over to the U.K. and Canada while the weather permitted. We decided to head to Canada to eat beavertails. When we got there, the stand was closed. L Probably due to the rain. Since we were there, and it was on our list, we decided to see the circlevision movie O Canada. I think this movie does a good job of portraying Canada for the beautiful country it is, but it needs to be updated. It seems to be getting outdated. After the movie we shopped in Canada where David bought a small gift for a friend. The beavertail stand was still closed, so we moved on.
Since we had to run through all the countries, it was pretty early, and we planned on being in Epcot until closing so we could see Illuminations again. So we decided to stop in the Rose and Crown pub and have a beer. It was crowded, but we got lucky because a table opened up right after we ordered our beers. We sat down on one side of the table and an older couple sat down opposite from us. Turns out they were from England! We talked with them for a while and learned this was their first trip to the states. They were very nice and interesting. They left after about 15 or 20 minutes and David and I hung out a little longer and finished our beers.
While we were drinking it had stopped raining. David suggested we make our way back to Canada to see if the beavertail stand had opened, and it had! Beavertails are a flat pastry that you can get topped with different toppings. I ordered mine with apples and cinnamon, and I think David had chocolate on his. Not only was it important to eat beavertails because they are delicious. It was important because we have a good friend, Wynne, who is Canadian and we wanted to eat them in honor of her. Before we chowed down, we had a CM take our picture in front of a stand selling Canadian merchandise, holding our beavertails. He thought we were kind of odd, but we didnt care. Unfortunately, due to my cameras decision to make every picture panoramic, the bottom of the picture with the beavertails got cut off. But its the thought that counts!
We sat down to eat our beavertails and about halfway through them it started raining again! It wasnt a monsoon, but it was annoying. When we finished eating we walked over to the store at the International Gateway and did some shopping. I purchased a ring that exactly matched the earrings I bought two days before as well as a pair of gold hoops with inlaid cz mickeys. They also had some scrapbook stickers for sale that I wanted, so I picked those up too.
We walked back around through Canada to the entrance to the World Showcase. There are a couple of stores there so we browsed through them. David wanted a margarita so we walked to Mexico to the Cantina de San Angel so he could get one. We then staked out a spot to watch Illuminations back by the stores we had been browsing in. Right before Illuminations started, these people walked up and tried to push in front of us. I tried to ask them what they were doing, but they didnt speak English. As we blocked them from going in front of us, I think they got the hint that it was rude to walk up at 5 minutes to 9 and try and cut in front of people who have been there for 45 minutes.
After Illuminations we were originally planning on going straight to Pleasure Island, but we were so water logged we had to go back to the resort first to change. So we got on a bus back to our hotel. There was the most annoying family ever on the bus. I dont know how many members of the family there were, but they were all over the bus. They were loud and obnoxious, even the grandma! At one point when we were at the resort making the rounds of the stops, this group of teenage girls got on. Grandma and one other adult woman start yelling to the back of the bus, Todd, Todd, there are cute girls up here. Wheres Todd? It went on like this until they got off the bus. Highly annoying.
We quickly changed and freshened up and then hopped a bus to Pleasure Island. Of course we headed straight to the Adventurers Club. When we got there they must have just started a library show because the parlor area was pretty empty. We walked down the spiral staircase and into the parlor as the Colonial (who is basically a ventriloquist dummy attached to the wall with a CM behind operating him and talking for him) was interacting with the room. We walk in and immediately the Colonial greets us. He asks us if this is our first time here and I said no, and then did the club salute. So he asked these two young guys who were sitting there if they could return the club salute to me, which they did. So the Colonial starts talking to us and asks us if David and I were there together. I said, Well were here together, but were not together. The Colonial was like, Together, but not together I dont get it. So Im trying to explain that were just friends. This went on for a little while. So then he starts talking about how hes trying to hook up the two young guys and asks this other lady for her opinion on them. She said, Well I like my guys a little bit older. After a little while one of the characters came into the room and the Colonial was giving him the low down of who everyone in the parlor was and he points to us and says, And these two were not sure about. Shes being very tight lipped about their relationship. It was pretty funny, but also embarrassing.
We had some time before the next library show, and we never really got dinner, so we walked next door to this snack bar where we got a late snack. Then we headed back to the Adventurers Club for the last show of the night. This was our last night at Disney and there was no better way to end it then at the Adventurers Club. We took the bus back to the hotel and actually got back around 12:30! This was our earliest evening, but of course we had to pack so we didnt get to sleep much earlier than usual.
