puffkin
DVC Owner- SSR & AKV
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2001
- Messages
- 9,848
Cast:
Woody- Disney nut and obsessive trip planner, 5th trip, age 23
Buzz- fiancé of Woody, tolerates Disney, 4th trip, age 25
Jasmine- Mother of Woody, 1st trip, age 49
Day 3 (December 8, 2003)
Although we were getting a lot accomplished because of the low crowds, we were following a somewhat relaxing pace. This morning, our wake up call came at 7:15 am. By now we had our morning routine down pact and we were ready to go and at the bus stop by 8:15 am. We waited about 2 minutes for a bus to Epcot.
When we arrived at Epcot, they were allowing us through to the ropes at Spaceship Earth. Buzz and I found our Leave a Legacy tile that we had done on our first trip back in June 2001 to show my Mom. Then we waited for the rope drop and saw the cute little show the characters put on. When the rope dropped, I rushed ahead to grab Fast Passes for Mission Space while Mom and Buzz strolled over to Test Track. They said all the characters had gotten off the bus but everyone was rushing by, so it would have been a perfect opportunity to get pictures.
I met up with them at Test Track and we used the standby line. We were admitted right into a screening room. While several times during the ride, it shut down for as long as 5 minutes at a time. Luckily, we got to experience the entire high speed portion without it stopping, but the ride wasnt very good. We all decided that we didnt want to ride it again.
After our disastrous Test Track ride, we headed over to Mission Space. We didnt need to use our Fast Passes because the standby line was only 5 minutes. We were on the ride in no time and had an enjoyable mission to Mars. Buzz and I think this ride is pretty good, but we dont see what all the fuss is about. Mom liked the ride, but she said she got kind of hot and panicky when they closed up the capsule. She thinks she was a bit claustrophobic. She didnt feel sick and she liked the ride, but she said it wasnt something she would need to do again anytime soon.
Since we were on that side of the park, we headed into the Wonders of Life pavilion. The pavilion was virtually deserted. First we headed to Body Wars and rode with about 4 other people. Then we walked right in on the next showing of Cranium Command, which is one of those hidden gems at Disney (highly enjoyable, but easily forgotten about). After spending some time exploring the many exhibits in the pavilion, we decided to head over to the Land pavilion to see those attractions and rides.
On our way to the Land pavilion we stopped at Ice Station Cool, which Buzz highly enjoys. We warned Mom about the Beverly, but she said it wasnt bad at all. Buzz and I think it is disgusting. When we got to the Land pavilion, Living with the Land had a 40 minute wait, so we grabbed Fast Passes and decided to each lunch. I had planned a trip for a co-worker of my Moms in June and they had done the Disney Vacation Club presentation and gotten the free lunch vouchers (6 of them). They werent able to use them, so she had given them to me. Therefore, our meals ended up being free. I got the baked potato, salad and cookie; Buzz got a sandwich; and Mom got a tuna salad sandwich.
One attraction that I wanted to make sure we saw this trip was Food Rocks since it would be closing soon due to the new attraction being built. A show was starting in a few minutes so we decided now would be a good time to see it. After Food Rocks, we used our Fast Passes for Living with the Land. The part with the fish and alligators wasnt operational because it was being refurbished.
We were finished with the Land pavilion by this point, so we headed over to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We just missed a show, so we got to see the entire preshow. Mom screamed at the mouse part. We had seen most of what we were interested to see in Future World, so we decided to head back to the resort for a break. We only waited about 2 minutes for a bus.
Back at the resort, we relaxed and did some animal watching and Buzz napped. We were rested and ready to get back to Epcot, so we left around 4 pm. When we got back to Epcot, we walked on to Spaceship Earth. We were doing the Candlelight Processional so we headed back to World Showcase for our dinner at Le Cellier. We checked in around 5:15 pm for our PS and were seated in a few minutes. Since we had bought the dinner package we went all out. We all had the filet. Buzz and I had the cheddar cheese soup and Mom had a salad. For dessert, I hade the crème broule, Mom had the sorbet and Buzz had the cheesecake. Our meal was excellent, and probably the best one of the week.
After dinner we walked through the shops in Canada, England, France and Japan. We caught the Father Christmas (United Kingdom) and Pere Noel (France) Holiday Storytellers which we all enjoyed. We got in line around 8:00 pm for the 8:15 showing of the Candlelight Processional. We were seated about half way back in the theater and had a great view. The celebrity narrator for the evening was Erica Dunlap (Miss America). She did a good job, but I wish we could have seen someone who would have put more emotion into the reading. The choir and orchestra were good and the choice of songs was nice. We enjoyed the show and thought it was a must see at Epcot during the holidays.
After the Candle Processional, we hurried around the lagoon to try and find a good spot to see Illuminations. We found a decent spot in Canada and waited about 15 minutes until the show started. After Illuminations we joined the stampede to the bus stop and waited about 2 minutes for a bus back to the AKL. Once back at the resort, we all decided to use the hot tub. Buzz took another quick dip in the pool before we headed back to the room. I showered, and we all turned in around 11 pm.
Stay tuned for Day 4 at the Animal Kingdom and MVMCP.
Woody- Disney nut and obsessive trip planner, 5th trip, age 23
Buzz- fiancé of Woody, tolerates Disney, 4th trip, age 25
Jasmine- Mother of Woody, 1st trip, age 49
Day 3 (December 8, 2003)
Although we were getting a lot accomplished because of the low crowds, we were following a somewhat relaxing pace. This morning, our wake up call came at 7:15 am. By now we had our morning routine down pact and we were ready to go and at the bus stop by 8:15 am. We waited about 2 minutes for a bus to Epcot.
When we arrived at Epcot, they were allowing us through to the ropes at Spaceship Earth. Buzz and I found our Leave a Legacy tile that we had done on our first trip back in June 2001 to show my Mom. Then we waited for the rope drop and saw the cute little show the characters put on. When the rope dropped, I rushed ahead to grab Fast Passes for Mission Space while Mom and Buzz strolled over to Test Track. They said all the characters had gotten off the bus but everyone was rushing by, so it would have been a perfect opportunity to get pictures.
I met up with them at Test Track and we used the standby line. We were admitted right into a screening room. While several times during the ride, it shut down for as long as 5 minutes at a time. Luckily, we got to experience the entire high speed portion without it stopping, but the ride wasnt very good. We all decided that we didnt want to ride it again.
After our disastrous Test Track ride, we headed over to Mission Space. We didnt need to use our Fast Passes because the standby line was only 5 minutes. We were on the ride in no time and had an enjoyable mission to Mars. Buzz and I think this ride is pretty good, but we dont see what all the fuss is about. Mom liked the ride, but she said she got kind of hot and panicky when they closed up the capsule. She thinks she was a bit claustrophobic. She didnt feel sick and she liked the ride, but she said it wasnt something she would need to do again anytime soon.
Since we were on that side of the park, we headed into the Wonders of Life pavilion. The pavilion was virtually deserted. First we headed to Body Wars and rode with about 4 other people. Then we walked right in on the next showing of Cranium Command, which is one of those hidden gems at Disney (highly enjoyable, but easily forgotten about). After spending some time exploring the many exhibits in the pavilion, we decided to head over to the Land pavilion to see those attractions and rides.
On our way to the Land pavilion we stopped at Ice Station Cool, which Buzz highly enjoys. We warned Mom about the Beverly, but she said it wasnt bad at all. Buzz and I think it is disgusting. When we got to the Land pavilion, Living with the Land had a 40 minute wait, so we grabbed Fast Passes and decided to each lunch. I had planned a trip for a co-worker of my Moms in June and they had done the Disney Vacation Club presentation and gotten the free lunch vouchers (6 of them). They werent able to use them, so she had given them to me. Therefore, our meals ended up being free. I got the baked potato, salad and cookie; Buzz got a sandwich; and Mom got a tuna salad sandwich.
One attraction that I wanted to make sure we saw this trip was Food Rocks since it would be closing soon due to the new attraction being built. A show was starting in a few minutes so we decided now would be a good time to see it. After Food Rocks, we used our Fast Passes for Living with the Land. The part with the fish and alligators wasnt operational because it was being refurbished.
We were finished with the Land pavilion by this point, so we headed over to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We just missed a show, so we got to see the entire preshow. Mom screamed at the mouse part. We had seen most of what we were interested to see in Future World, so we decided to head back to the resort for a break. We only waited about 2 minutes for a bus.
Back at the resort, we relaxed and did some animal watching and Buzz napped. We were rested and ready to get back to Epcot, so we left around 4 pm. When we got back to Epcot, we walked on to Spaceship Earth. We were doing the Candlelight Processional so we headed back to World Showcase for our dinner at Le Cellier. We checked in around 5:15 pm for our PS and were seated in a few minutes. Since we had bought the dinner package we went all out. We all had the filet. Buzz and I had the cheddar cheese soup and Mom had a salad. For dessert, I hade the crème broule, Mom had the sorbet and Buzz had the cheesecake. Our meal was excellent, and probably the best one of the week.
After dinner we walked through the shops in Canada, England, France and Japan. We caught the Father Christmas (United Kingdom) and Pere Noel (France) Holiday Storytellers which we all enjoyed. We got in line around 8:00 pm for the 8:15 showing of the Candlelight Processional. We were seated about half way back in the theater and had a great view. The celebrity narrator for the evening was Erica Dunlap (Miss America). She did a good job, but I wish we could have seen someone who would have put more emotion into the reading. The choir and orchestra were good and the choice of songs was nice. We enjoyed the show and thought it was a must see at Epcot during the holidays.
After the Candle Processional, we hurried around the lagoon to try and find a good spot to see Illuminations. We found a decent spot in Canada and waited about 15 minutes until the show started. After Illuminations we joined the stampede to the bus stop and waited about 2 minutes for a bus back to the AKL. Once back at the resort, we all decided to use the hot tub. Buzz took another quick dip in the pool before we headed back to the room. I showered, and we all turned in around 11 pm.
Stay tuned for Day 4 at the Animal Kingdom and MVMCP.
