Ducky4Disney
-->Place Tag HERE!
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2003
- Messages
- 1,863
Please see part 1 or 2 for the pertinent info (who, what, where, when, and why)
Epcot Segway tour!
Its day 3 and Im up and out of POFQ early, after a late night at Epcot and Im headed back! Ive got to get there on time for my 9:15 Segway tour, and me being on time is an oxy moron. Do I have time for beignets? No, I better skip those, no time. I have to drive to the conference sign-in and then get to Epcot. So what do I do? Take a wrong on the way to the conference!
Go figure.
Im not lost, I just realize too late that I have missed my exit and turning around is going to be a pain in the butt, and I need to be on time! Turn around, head back and take the *correct* exit, sign in, and head back to WDW. Plan B was to get beignets after sign in but before going to Epcot. That was squashed with the wrong turn fiasco. I wonder if I would have missed my exit if I would have had my morning beignets. They were important to me, can you tell?
Wow, I got to Epcot before they opened, thats amazing! I wonder if I can get in early, No according to Mr. Security Guard; fine. Once they start allowing people in I get to the rope and let them know about my 9:15 Segway Tour, I need to get to guest relations 15 minutes early for check in. Im let through and head straight to guest relations where a very nice CM signed me in and gave me a name tag.
Hmmm Im the only one here. Am I really that early? Theres another group of people but they have different name tags on, and theyre leaving. I check with the really nice CM just to be sure that wasnt my group. He assures me it wasnt, people will start arriving around 9:15 and they will come to collect us around 9:30.
9:30?
Oh yeah, its a 9:30 tour that I was supposed to be 15 minutes early for 9:15 (what I had written on my itinerary). Not a 9:15 tour that I had to check in at 9:00! HA! I actually tricked myself into being early! My DH does that to me all the time.
The Segway tour is GREAT! We got a one hour training lesson and then an hour in the WS. What I really liked about this tour was the combination of the entertainment factor and information factor. Riding the Segway is really fun and challenging. They taught us different maneuvers like slaloming in between cones, and we used those skills in the WS. After testing our new Segway skills we would stop and get a tour of that country. I cant tell you how great it was try it!
Something I learned about Evening Magic Hours: there are two ways to benefit from these evening hours. Go to the park having the EMH and enjoy a less crowded park all evening long. Or get up early and hit the park the day after the evening EMH. Most resort guests that were there the night before are either sleeping in or conquering a different park. I say this because Epcot wasnt crowded at all that morning!
Late night + early morning = afternoon nap.
After my nap I headed back to Epcot. With the F&G Festival going on there were lots of flowers to photograph. I can burn up some memory snapping away at all those beautiful roses
, and I did. I also got some pictures of the butterfly garden and the orchids in Mexico. I have to say that the butterfly garden was a little sad and pathetic. I felt bad for the little buggers (get it?). I was hoping to see some Monarch butterflies, but the only ones I saw were dead or dying. They also dont hold still for the camera. Last year Mexico had lots of beautiful orchids, but this year there seemed to be very few. Was it just me?
Dinner was at the Biergarten, one of my favorite places. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone traveling solo. You can meet some great people there because they seat you family style. I met a very nice family from different part of the U.S. meeting for vacation. I felt like I had been adopted by them! I didnt catch names, except their youngest daughter Griffon (or Gryffon, I didnt ask for a spelling). She was a very cute 2 year-old. I liked it when she put the short end of her flexible straw in her cup. I think the logic behind that decision was so that she wouldnt hand to reach for the cup, the long end went right to her mouth. Of course, a few sips into it and she wouldnt get anything, Dad helped her out to fix it.
I decided to leave Epcot before Illuminations so I could spend some time at PI at the Adventurers Club. It was a tough decision, but I knew I would be back another night to see Illuminations.
Oh look, a long line that must be mine.
In that long line I met Pam, a very nice lady who was there with her daughter Cass. Somehow DVC came up and she had just been to a showing but wanted to hear first hand from on owner. We talked and talked all the way back to POFQ and then outside my room. Turns out, she surprised her daughter with this trip to WDW by sending a limo to school. Pam was in the limo and had all ready packed for Cass, they went straight to the airport! What a great surprise! An hour of chatting goes by and I write down some important websites for WDW information. Can you guess which ones? I bet you can!
D4D
Epcot Segway tour!
Its day 3 and Im up and out of POFQ early, after a late night at Epcot and Im headed back! Ive got to get there on time for my 9:15 Segway tour, and me being on time is an oxy moron. Do I have time for beignets? No, I better skip those, no time. I have to drive to the conference sign-in and then get to Epcot. So what do I do? Take a wrong on the way to the conference!
Go figure.
Im not lost, I just realize too late that I have missed my exit and turning around is going to be a pain in the butt, and I need to be on time! Turn around, head back and take the *correct* exit, sign in, and head back to WDW. Plan B was to get beignets after sign in but before going to Epcot. That was squashed with the wrong turn fiasco. I wonder if I would have missed my exit if I would have had my morning beignets. They were important to me, can you tell?
Wow, I got to Epcot before they opened, thats amazing! I wonder if I can get in early, No according to Mr. Security Guard; fine. Once they start allowing people in I get to the rope and let them know about my 9:15 Segway Tour, I need to get to guest relations 15 minutes early for check in. Im let through and head straight to guest relations where a very nice CM signed me in and gave me a name tag.
Hmmm Im the only one here. Am I really that early? Theres another group of people but they have different name tags on, and theyre leaving. I check with the really nice CM just to be sure that wasnt my group. He assures me it wasnt, people will start arriving around 9:15 and they will come to collect us around 9:30.
9:30?
Oh yeah, its a 9:30 tour that I was supposed to be 15 minutes early for 9:15 (what I had written on my itinerary). Not a 9:15 tour that I had to check in at 9:00! HA! I actually tricked myself into being early! My DH does that to me all the time.
The Segway tour is GREAT! We got a one hour training lesson and then an hour in the WS. What I really liked about this tour was the combination of the entertainment factor and information factor. Riding the Segway is really fun and challenging. They taught us different maneuvers like slaloming in between cones, and we used those skills in the WS. After testing our new Segway skills we would stop and get a tour of that country. I cant tell you how great it was try it!
Something I learned about Evening Magic Hours: there are two ways to benefit from these evening hours. Go to the park having the EMH and enjoy a less crowded park all evening long. Or get up early and hit the park the day after the evening EMH. Most resort guests that were there the night before are either sleeping in or conquering a different park. I say this because Epcot wasnt crowded at all that morning!
Late night + early morning = afternoon nap.
After my nap I headed back to Epcot. With the F&G Festival going on there were lots of flowers to photograph. I can burn up some memory snapping away at all those beautiful roses
, and I did. I also got some pictures of the butterfly garden and the orchids in Mexico. I have to say that the butterfly garden was a little sad and pathetic. I felt bad for the little buggers (get it?). I was hoping to see some Monarch butterflies, but the only ones I saw were dead or dying. They also dont hold still for the camera. Last year Mexico had lots of beautiful orchids, but this year there seemed to be very few. Was it just me?Dinner was at the Biergarten, one of my favorite places. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone traveling solo. You can meet some great people there because they seat you family style. I met a very nice family from different part of the U.S. meeting for vacation. I felt like I had been adopted by them! I didnt catch names, except their youngest daughter Griffon (or Gryffon, I didnt ask for a spelling). She was a very cute 2 year-old. I liked it when she put the short end of her flexible straw in her cup. I think the logic behind that decision was so that she wouldnt hand to reach for the cup, the long end went right to her mouth. Of course, a few sips into it and she wouldnt get anything, Dad helped her out to fix it.
I decided to leave Epcot before Illuminations so I could spend some time at PI at the Adventurers Club. It was a tough decision, but I knew I would be back another night to see Illuminations.
Oh look, a long line that must be mine.
In that long line I met Pam, a very nice lady who was there with her daughter Cass. Somehow DVC came up and she had just been to a showing but wanted to hear first hand from on owner. We talked and talked all the way back to POFQ and then outside my room. Turns out, she surprised her daughter with this trip to WDW by sending a limo to school. Pam was in the limo and had all ready packed for Cass, they went straight to the airport! What a great surprise! An hour of chatting goes by and I write down some important websites for WDW information. Can you guess which ones? I bet you can!
D4D
