crazyj4488
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2005
- Messages
- 632
WDW trip report April 24-30, 2005
Day 1 - A young couple re-connects at WDW
Link to Day 2 Report:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8549611#post8549611
Cast:
Me Jeff - 29 yr old male 9th time to WDW
My GF Sally 27 yr old Female 1st time to WDW
The Shopping List
Ballpark investment in trip for 7 days: $3,500
Here is a sample list of stuff we spent money on during our trip:
2 Roundtrip Non-Stop Airline tickets on Continental from Houston to Orlando
6 Nights at Port Orleans Riverside Regular Season AP Rate
1 Annual Pass - 1 7 day Park Hopper
1 2005 UG Guide to WDW 1 Tour Guide Mike Subscription
2 One Day One Park Tickets to Universal Studios
2 Category 1 seating tickets to Cirque Du Soleils La Nouba
1 Preferred parking pass to Universal Studios
1 PS Meal served with wine at the California Grill
1 Hollywood & Vine Fantasmic Dinner Package
1 New Canon Powershot SD200 Digital Still Camera
1 512 MB SD RAM Card for Camera
2 Custom Made Pairs of Nike Shox Shoes to fend off sore feet as much as possible
7 Pairs of $11 moisture wicking / breathable socks from REI
1 Bottle of face friendly Neutragena 35 SPF sunscreen
4 Small Baskets of Breakfast Snacks from Walgreens off I-drive
1 Medium Basket of Wine, Liquor, and Beer to Stock our hotel fridge with
3 Baskets of Bandages for Blistered Feet
1 Table Service Meal for two with Two pints of Harp Lager served at Finnegans (US)
2 Pints of Harp Lager served cold at the Rose & Crown Pub
2 Taco Bell Meals from I-Drive 2 Breakfast Meals from Port Orleans Food Court
2 Dinner Meals at the Lotus Garden (China Pavilion)
1 Lunch Meal at the Noodle Station
2 Dole Whip Swirls (Yum) from Aloha Aisle
1 Wishes CD
1 Illuminations Reflections of Earth CD
1 Hundred Acre Wood Stamp / Stationery set
1 Lasting Memories Snow Globe
1 Mickey Dish Towel
2 Pewter Mickey wine toppers
3 T-shirts (Epcot Glitter, Old Skewl style Mickey T, Tink I love lost boys T)
1 Stuffed Eeyore Medium
1 Stuffed Pooh - Medium
2 Mickey Ponchos
Sunday, April 24 Arrival Day
We woke at 6:15 AM in Houston, TX in order to start our magical journey together. Waking up this early was no easy task as neither of us are morning people. Sally had been working her heart out for weeks and has been, pretty much, exhausted for quite some time. I run my own business and am used to the freedom of waking up on my own clock. 6:15 AM hasnt been in the game plan for me since I was in College.
Sally struggled a bit getting up and I had nag her a bit to rise for the special occasion. She really did well in the end and was in the shower relatively quickly in comparison to some mornings Ive seen her deal with. I was proud of her for being so motivated in order to help make our trip a memorable one.
My friend and co-worker arrived on time to pick us up and take us to the airport. I had checked in online with Continental before we left and this made things super easy. They had a bag drop for us and an ID check. It took all of 5 minutes to get to the security gate while I eyed the large line at the standard check-in area. We were seated at the gate and ready to go at 8 AM with our flight departing at 9:09 AM.
The 2 hour and 22 minute flight was an easy one. I wasnt really too tired and had no interest in sleeping. I was too excited for that. Sally and I both had aisle seats but were still next to each other. After flipping thru some magazines and eating our banana nut muffin, the plane had just about reached its final descent into the Orlando area. The 7 day adventure was really about to begin. It was almost Noon.
We quickly headed over to the bag claim area via the all too familiar airport monorails featuring the same P.A. voice you hear on the Disney monorails. That was my first indication that the fun was finally about to begin. I picked up our bags without hassle while Sally took a smoke break. I am a non-smoker and knew this situation would make my trip a bit more challenging on the patience end of things. I was prepared to be patient though. I really think that if you leave any amount of that attitude at home, you are in for a miserable WDW trip.
Next, we headed over to the National Rent a Car pickup area where I had Emerald Aisle service. We immediately walked into the lot and were told to pick any car we wanted and go. We grabbed a sporty looking Chevy Malibu with nice looking wheels and a spoiler. It was dark silver and I was quite impressed with it. This service level and type of car was quite unexpected when I was only paying $106 for a full 7 days. Thank you Mousesavers.com for this and many other deals I took advantage of on our trip.
We made our way to the Walt Disney World front gates via the toll road. As soon as we saw those gates looming in the distance with Mickeys arms open wide to welcome us, we cheered together in the car. Things were really getting exciting. I followed the big colorful signs to Port Orleans Riverside resort. I had stayed here when it was still Dixie Landings and only a year old and knew we were in for a treat.
Once we entered the lobby, I got the first glimpse of what we would be dealing with on this trip. The crowds were lined up to check in. I had expected this to happen after all the research I did online. A large part of New York and New Jersey were on their Spring Break on this last week of April. I swallowed my rising stress level, put on my patience hat, and headed into the line to check us in while Sally went to the restroom and took another smoke break. I started hearing New York accents all around me and kids making their usual chatter. While I stood in this line, I trained myself to tune it all out and I kept thinking of exactly where I was at. Disney World. Being stuck in a line at my local Wal-Mart and hearing all this chatter would have driven me up the wall. Not here. I would be fine. The energy all around me was actually refreshing and helped keep me on my toes.
Since the resort was fully booked, I did not get any of the room requests I made when making the reservation. I had requested 3 specific buildings in the Alligator Bayou section and had ended up with The Mansions section. Magnolia Terrace Room 8603 ( a bottom floor corner room with two windows) would be our home for the next 7 days. I quickly shrugged off the fact that my room request had not been met and headed towards the car in order to get settled. It was just after 1:45 PM.
The grounds outside were quiet and peaceful (unlike my previous stays at the All-Star resorts) while the room itself was quite pleasant upon entering. No complaints here. It smelled wonderfully clean and the theming was great. I started talking to Sally in a southern belle accent in order to jokingly welcome us into our new digs. We had a laugh while settling in to our new home. The added refrigerator was an awesome feature this time around and I had expected it after reading online about the recent rehab done on this resort. I knew we would be filling that sucker with lots of tasty beverages as soon as possible.
We unpacked everything, got refreshed a bit, and were ready to head out to EPCOT. I have always picked EPCOT as my arrival park as the afternoon are, typically, a pleasant time to spend in the Future World section of the park. I also knew tackling the Magic Kingdom on a Sunday or Monday was a mistake. I had no problems NOT seeing the castle up close until Tuesday if that was what needed to be done to minimize our dealings with the crowds. We parked in the Journey section of the lot and had a bit of hike to the front gates since the tram had just pulled away. We were too excited to wait. The first thing I saw while walking the path was the monorail gliding overhead and Spaceship Earth looming behind it. I joked about that ugly Mickey hand which was bolted alongside the beautiful golf ball in the sky. Sally joked about it as well. We were already on the same page.
I had to activate my annual pass at the ticket booth first. I could hear the Future World music being piped into the gate area. The stage was set. I quickly obtained my Mickey Mouse Annual Pass after presenting my voucher and ID. We then headed to the turnstiles. This was our first experience with the biometric scanners and Sally found it to be quite the awkward challenge. The thing just didnt want to cooperate with her. I stood on the other side of the gate while she finally laughed her way through the turnstiles. It was nearing 3 PM.
Our first stop was Spaceship Earth. I didnt expect any line at all since I knew most of the crowds would have moved into the World Showcase by now. I was correct and this was the first sign that my well thought out tour plans would NOT fail me during this trip. I was all to familiar with crowd patterns at WDW and was prepared not to wait more than 15 minutes for any attraction during our 7 day trip. I refused to waste our precious vacation time together by standing in lines with sore feet. It just wasnt going to happen. No way.
I snapped a quick picture of Sallys beautiful smile with the Spaceship Earth sign in the background while walking up the entrance ramp. As we immediately boarded the omni-movers, I heard ohhhs and ahhhs coming from Sally while we slowly ascended up into Spaceship Earth. This made me smile. I knew seeing WDW through her first-timer eyes would be special.
The ride system on Spaceship Earth was noisy and bumpy. So many people had commented about this online. I was expecting it. It didnt take away from the great experience that is Spaceship Earth. It was all too familiar to me as it one of the most visited attractions on all my trips to WDW. It definitely has a special place in my heart. I can still see and feel myself riding the time machine as a child back in the 80s. The fascination and inspiration was still there after all these years. Tomorrows Child was not. No bother as the ride is still perfectly executed from beginning to end.
Next up was a quick walk through the Innoventions breezeway in order to take a quick check of the crowds over by Mission Space and Test Track. This is always a good area to check in order to get an idea what you are in for, crowd wise, while youre at EPCOT. It was crowded but EPCOT manages crowds very well. I grabbed a Fastpass to Mission Space and was surprised to see the standby time at only 25 minutes.
We headed over to Ellens Energy Adventure after Sally stopped for a smoke and an ice cream cookie. She is an ice cream addict and I knew we would be making many such stops throughout our trip. Together, we shared the tasty snack. It was an endearing moment and I felt good about us re-connecting a bit on our Disney World vacation. The stress of the world had taken its toll on us back home and we desperately needed some quality time together. I dont think it gets any better than WDW for this type of thing.
We walked right into the Energy pavilion and caught the entire pre-show to Ellens Adventure. It was perfect timing. The films and the ride through the distant past were just as fun as I could remember. This was one of my favorite attractions at EPCOT and, once again, it didnt disappoint. It was, however, missing that sulfur smell upon first greeting the dinosaurs. That was a bit annoying but I wasnt expecting everything to be perfect. I knew that many of the attractions at WDW were in need of rehab. This was one of them.
After visiting the Energy pavilion, our fast pass return time was ripe for Mission Space. I was pretty nervous about this ride. I love roller coasters but have never done well with things that spin. We immediately got trained and boarded our space pods upon entering the building. I really liked seeing Gary Sinise during the training video. What a unique and amazing attraction this turned out to be. I didnt feel that it had a good amount of repeat value as it was another simulator ride, but it sure was different. During the ride, I made sure to keep my head back against the headrest and I kept focusing straight ahead. I really think this kept me from feeling sick. Sally got off the ride feeling a bit woozy and didnt feel interested in riding it again over the course of our vacation. Im assuming the surprisingly short standby times for this attraction are because of people feeling this exact same way over this attraction. The weirdest thing I remember about the ride are the tears that it pulled right out of my eyes. I had to wipe my cheeks off after I got off. The heavy G-forces had really made my eyes water. What an odd feeling that was. Again, a unique experience for sure.
Next, we headed over to the other side of Future World. The Journey Into Your Imagination Ride was on my to-do list but I just couldnt pass up the chance to finally see the new Land pavilion. While good looking inside, I still think the feel of the place does not blend well with the outside of the pavilion. The exterior feels natural and warm with all the earth tones. The interior feels too open, cold, and fabricated. It feels like an airport terminal and thats just an out of place element to the new theming if you ask me. They could have used something other than white paint for most of the walls. This would have helped tremendously with the feel of the place. Previously, the interior was full of calming blue tones. That worked much better for the overall vibe in my opinion. Seeing the new Soarin attraction for the first time sure was exciting. The standby times were too intimidating for me to mess with and the Fastpass machines were covered. I was happy that it looked somewhat open to soft previews right before its grand opening. Our chances of seeing this attraction during our vacation were looking extremely good at this point. I felt relieved as it would have annoyed me to miss this great new attraction by only a week.
The theming of the entrance area at Soarin was, again, out of place in my opinion. Who the heck wants to spend hours in airports while traveling to Orlando in order to arrive at another one while at EPCOT. It just doesnt work too well or fit in my opinion but it does look well done. I thought the cast member costumes were pretty cool. They were very colorful and looked like a mix of the old-school formal airliner uniforms seen in the industry years ago and something from the future.
I grabbed a Fastpass for Living with the Land and we headed over to the Imagination pavilion. I was pretty excited to see what they had done with the Journey into your Imagination ride after hearing all the controversy of its rehab. This was, originally, one of my favorite rides at EPCOT. As soon as we walked into the pavilion, it felt very different. We only saw 4 to 6 other people in the queue area. This was not a good sign. Overall, I really dont like what they did with this attraction. Figment was obviously forced into the storyline after so many people had complained about him being removed. Figment was simply overdone in my opinion. The story line of this attraction was now uninteresting and did not flow very well with each scene. It felt cheap, uninspired, and rushed. The only redeeming quality was the finale. I really enjoyed the wall in front of the ride vehicle quickly being pulled away to reveal a huge set full of color and playfulness. Disney always seems to pull off some of the best finales to each of their shows. That is for sure.
We quickly exited Figment land not very interested in returning during our vacation (what a bummer) and headed into the Magic Eye Theater for a viewing of Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. As expected, the film felt quite dated but was still a bit of fun. My favorite part of this attraction is how the floor bounces along with the action on the screen. Overall, I think Disney could do better with this pavilion. Imagination seems to be at the heart of everything done at Disney World and they cant even seem to inspire us with this attraction. Its sorta sad.
No bother because there was so much more to do while at the World. Our Living with the Land Fastpass was now valid so we headed back into The Land to take the pleasant boat ride. I always think about the whacky boat ride in the Willy Wonka movie when I board The Land boat. Sally really enjoyed the Mickey shaped vegetables growing within the greenhouse. I took several pictures of them with my new Canon Powershot and we left the pavilion feeling good. It was time to head into the World Showcase.
On our way into the World Showcase, we walked through one of the rose gardens setup for the Flower and Garden Festival. Sally really loved seeing all the roses and kept stopping to smell them while I took some cute pictures of her doing so.
We continued over to Norway via the Mexico Pavilion. I just had to take Sally inside Mexico to see the tiny village at night inside. That is one of my favorite things in the world showcase. We were really hungry at this point but had no interest in their version of Mexican food since we were from Texas. Texas is notorious for excellent Mexican food and anything less would just be a huge disappointment. Why bother, we thought.
Once we arrived in Norway we found it to be very crowded. There was a huge line outside of the Akershus restaurant and Maelstrom had a 20 minute wait. I had no interest in waiting that long for a 2 minute ride so I grabbed Fastpasses for it and we headed out to find some food. I had planned on us stopping for counter service food that night and China was right next door. We grabbed some food and a couple of Tsing Tao beers (one of my favorites). The beer really hit the spot while relaxing our feet a bit but the food wasnt very good. I was so hungry from all the walking I had already done that it didnt bother me one bit. Sally complained lightly about the meal but you could tell she was in better spirits just by having something in her tummy. At this point, it was dusk. The lights started to come on throughout the park and things felt good. We took some great pictures in the Chinese gardens and headed over to Maelstrom for our Fastpass return. For some reason, the Fastpass line was roped off but some others with passes were jumping it. We did the same and walked right onto the ride. It was a great little journey. As usual, it was too short of a journey though. Sally kept saying, thats it? while we pulled into the Norwegian fishing village for our exit. We sat down to watch the movie at the end because I remember liking it when I was younger. The end of the film was just as uplifting as I could remember and the time we spent watching it wasnt wasted in my opinion.
Upon exiting Norway we were about 35 to 40 minutes away from the start of the Illuminations show. I was too tired to keep walking and I didnt want to be at the front of the World Showcase with the rest of the crowds upon exiting the park so I decided that we should hunker down for a viewing spot right outside of Norway. The view seemed to be promising but the wind was really kicking up. It was freezing cold in that wind. Sally was not dealing with the cold very well at this point and most of the people around us didnt look very happy in their shorts. I was afraid that Sally wouldnt make it through the show or wouldnt enjoy it because of the weather. This was all out of my hands though. I held her near the lagoon and tried to keep her as warm as possible. She wasnt happy though. It was super cold and the wind was relentless. It was blowing and blowing non-stop.
Sally barely made it to the start of the show. Once Illuminations did begin, all the fire on the water really helped with the cold. Overall, the show was incredible as usual. The music was inspiring and moving. I took a ton of pictures with my digicam all while trying to keep my eyes on what was going on over the lagoon. Sally seemed to be in better spirits but I could still tell she was suffering from the cold. I could also tell she was relieved when it was over as she, for the first time on our trip, started to pull far ahead of me while darting for the exit. She weaved her way through the exiting crowds and I followed. We made it back to our rental car in one piece and quickly cranked up the heater.
It felt really good to sit down and I was excited to get back to our comfy room at Port Orleans. We had another problem though. Sallys feet were killing her. She had gotten some blisters. This was not a good situation. Getting blisters on your feet the first day at Disney World is a small disaster in my opinion. I knew we had to get to a Walgreens as soon as possible to pick up some bandages. I realized I had to head towards International Drive but was sort of lost. I ended up taking I-4 towards Tampa instead of Orlando and this was a big mistake. The freeway was under construction and there were no turn around lanes for a good 8 to 10 miles. It really worked my nerves. After turning around, we finally pulled up to a Publix grocery store. It was just after 10 PM and it was closed. We asked some old lady that worked there and was standing out front where we might find another grocery store and she rudely shouted, I couldnt tell ya!!! We had a good laugh with this one. What a cantankerous old bag this woman turned out to be. Did she really despise the tourists that help pay a large chunk of her salary that much? We zoomed out of the parking lot undeterred and found a Walgreens. Surprisingly enough (yeah, right), we started in the liquor store and picked up some goodies to stock our fridge with. I grabbed 2 bottles of Pinot Noir, a couple of Fosters beer cans, and all the ingredients needed for some White Russians. Ahh yes, some adult chocolate milk was fitting for our Disney vacation. We then headed over to the other side of the store and picked up 4 packs of bandages for Sallys feet, granola bars to snack on, and some muffins for breakfast. I knew I didnt want to spend too much time eating in the morning as I had planned on getting to each park before opening all week long. Im more of a Lunch and Dinner person anyways and made no priority seating arrangements for breakfast.
We arrived back at Port Orleans, stocked our lovely fridge, mixed some drinks, and got under the covers while flipping on the T.V. This is when we discovered Kryssa. Oh my, this woman was the perfect Disney poster child. I think she overdosed on happy cheesy pills though. Sally quickly began to hate this annoying woman. Sometimes I just cant stomach Disneys marketing. They try to wrap everything up in this perfect little happy package. Everyone shown in their campaigns are beautiful but not sexy. All the families shown appear to be the most functional groups of people found on Earth. To me, it all just comes off as super phony and becomes insulting. Does Disney really think we are that stupid? Do they think we cant tell that they see everything through rose colored glasses? Their intentions are pure enough but they need to tone it down a notch. It really is ridiculous stuff and I imagine their editing rooms are the most closely watched in the world. I can just see them cutting and cutting until absolutely everything falls into their perfect little ideal basket. After hopping off my soap box and changing the channel, I quickly became tired and completely content with falling into a deep Disney filled dream world. Sounds a bit hypocritical after that rant doesnt it? : )
Anyways, that concludes our first day at the World. It was a long journey full of smiles and wide opened eyes. Arrival day is always a special one. Our morning plans consisted of a 6:45 AM wake-up call and our first day ever at Universal Studios. There is still so much to be done and so much more to see!!
-J
Sally and I in Future World
Day 1 - A young couple re-connects at WDW
Link to Day 2 Report:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=8549611#post8549611
Cast:
Me Jeff - 29 yr old male 9th time to WDW
My GF Sally 27 yr old Female 1st time to WDW
The Shopping List
Ballpark investment in trip for 7 days: $3,500
Here is a sample list of stuff we spent money on during our trip:
2 Roundtrip Non-Stop Airline tickets on Continental from Houston to Orlando
6 Nights at Port Orleans Riverside Regular Season AP Rate
1 Annual Pass - 1 7 day Park Hopper
1 2005 UG Guide to WDW 1 Tour Guide Mike Subscription
2 One Day One Park Tickets to Universal Studios
2 Category 1 seating tickets to Cirque Du Soleils La Nouba
1 Preferred parking pass to Universal Studios
1 PS Meal served with wine at the California Grill
1 Hollywood & Vine Fantasmic Dinner Package
1 New Canon Powershot SD200 Digital Still Camera
1 512 MB SD RAM Card for Camera
2 Custom Made Pairs of Nike Shox Shoes to fend off sore feet as much as possible
7 Pairs of $11 moisture wicking / breathable socks from REI
1 Bottle of face friendly Neutragena 35 SPF sunscreen
4 Small Baskets of Breakfast Snacks from Walgreens off I-drive
1 Medium Basket of Wine, Liquor, and Beer to Stock our hotel fridge with
3 Baskets of Bandages for Blistered Feet
1 Table Service Meal for two with Two pints of Harp Lager served at Finnegans (US)
2 Pints of Harp Lager served cold at the Rose & Crown Pub
2 Taco Bell Meals from I-Drive 2 Breakfast Meals from Port Orleans Food Court
2 Dinner Meals at the Lotus Garden (China Pavilion)
1 Lunch Meal at the Noodle Station
2 Dole Whip Swirls (Yum) from Aloha Aisle
1 Wishes CD
1 Illuminations Reflections of Earth CD
1 Hundred Acre Wood Stamp / Stationery set
1 Lasting Memories Snow Globe
1 Mickey Dish Towel
2 Pewter Mickey wine toppers
3 T-shirts (Epcot Glitter, Old Skewl style Mickey T, Tink I love lost boys T)
1 Stuffed Eeyore Medium
1 Stuffed Pooh - Medium
2 Mickey Ponchos
Sunday, April 24 Arrival Day
We woke at 6:15 AM in Houston, TX in order to start our magical journey together. Waking up this early was no easy task as neither of us are morning people. Sally had been working her heart out for weeks and has been, pretty much, exhausted for quite some time. I run my own business and am used to the freedom of waking up on my own clock. 6:15 AM hasnt been in the game plan for me since I was in College.
Sally struggled a bit getting up and I had nag her a bit to rise for the special occasion. She really did well in the end and was in the shower relatively quickly in comparison to some mornings Ive seen her deal with. I was proud of her for being so motivated in order to help make our trip a memorable one.
My friend and co-worker arrived on time to pick us up and take us to the airport. I had checked in online with Continental before we left and this made things super easy. They had a bag drop for us and an ID check. It took all of 5 minutes to get to the security gate while I eyed the large line at the standard check-in area. We were seated at the gate and ready to go at 8 AM with our flight departing at 9:09 AM.
The 2 hour and 22 minute flight was an easy one. I wasnt really too tired and had no interest in sleeping. I was too excited for that. Sally and I both had aisle seats but were still next to each other. After flipping thru some magazines and eating our banana nut muffin, the plane had just about reached its final descent into the Orlando area. The 7 day adventure was really about to begin. It was almost Noon.
We quickly headed over to the bag claim area via the all too familiar airport monorails featuring the same P.A. voice you hear on the Disney monorails. That was my first indication that the fun was finally about to begin. I picked up our bags without hassle while Sally took a smoke break. I am a non-smoker and knew this situation would make my trip a bit more challenging on the patience end of things. I was prepared to be patient though. I really think that if you leave any amount of that attitude at home, you are in for a miserable WDW trip.
Next, we headed over to the National Rent a Car pickup area where I had Emerald Aisle service. We immediately walked into the lot and were told to pick any car we wanted and go. We grabbed a sporty looking Chevy Malibu with nice looking wheels and a spoiler. It was dark silver and I was quite impressed with it. This service level and type of car was quite unexpected when I was only paying $106 for a full 7 days. Thank you Mousesavers.com for this and many other deals I took advantage of on our trip.
We made our way to the Walt Disney World front gates via the toll road. As soon as we saw those gates looming in the distance with Mickeys arms open wide to welcome us, we cheered together in the car. Things were really getting exciting. I followed the big colorful signs to Port Orleans Riverside resort. I had stayed here when it was still Dixie Landings and only a year old and knew we were in for a treat.
Once we entered the lobby, I got the first glimpse of what we would be dealing with on this trip. The crowds were lined up to check in. I had expected this to happen after all the research I did online. A large part of New York and New Jersey were on their Spring Break on this last week of April. I swallowed my rising stress level, put on my patience hat, and headed into the line to check us in while Sally went to the restroom and took another smoke break. I started hearing New York accents all around me and kids making their usual chatter. While I stood in this line, I trained myself to tune it all out and I kept thinking of exactly where I was at. Disney World. Being stuck in a line at my local Wal-Mart and hearing all this chatter would have driven me up the wall. Not here. I would be fine. The energy all around me was actually refreshing and helped keep me on my toes.
Since the resort was fully booked, I did not get any of the room requests I made when making the reservation. I had requested 3 specific buildings in the Alligator Bayou section and had ended up with The Mansions section. Magnolia Terrace Room 8603 ( a bottom floor corner room with two windows) would be our home for the next 7 days. I quickly shrugged off the fact that my room request had not been met and headed towards the car in order to get settled. It was just after 1:45 PM.
The grounds outside were quiet and peaceful (unlike my previous stays at the All-Star resorts) while the room itself was quite pleasant upon entering. No complaints here. It smelled wonderfully clean and the theming was great. I started talking to Sally in a southern belle accent in order to jokingly welcome us into our new digs. We had a laugh while settling in to our new home. The added refrigerator was an awesome feature this time around and I had expected it after reading online about the recent rehab done on this resort. I knew we would be filling that sucker with lots of tasty beverages as soon as possible.
We unpacked everything, got refreshed a bit, and were ready to head out to EPCOT. I have always picked EPCOT as my arrival park as the afternoon are, typically, a pleasant time to spend in the Future World section of the park. I also knew tackling the Magic Kingdom on a Sunday or Monday was a mistake. I had no problems NOT seeing the castle up close until Tuesday if that was what needed to be done to minimize our dealings with the crowds. We parked in the Journey section of the lot and had a bit of hike to the front gates since the tram had just pulled away. We were too excited to wait. The first thing I saw while walking the path was the monorail gliding overhead and Spaceship Earth looming behind it. I joked about that ugly Mickey hand which was bolted alongside the beautiful golf ball in the sky. Sally joked about it as well. We were already on the same page.
I had to activate my annual pass at the ticket booth first. I could hear the Future World music being piped into the gate area. The stage was set. I quickly obtained my Mickey Mouse Annual Pass after presenting my voucher and ID. We then headed to the turnstiles. This was our first experience with the biometric scanners and Sally found it to be quite the awkward challenge. The thing just didnt want to cooperate with her. I stood on the other side of the gate while she finally laughed her way through the turnstiles. It was nearing 3 PM.
Our first stop was Spaceship Earth. I didnt expect any line at all since I knew most of the crowds would have moved into the World Showcase by now. I was correct and this was the first sign that my well thought out tour plans would NOT fail me during this trip. I was all to familiar with crowd patterns at WDW and was prepared not to wait more than 15 minutes for any attraction during our 7 day trip. I refused to waste our precious vacation time together by standing in lines with sore feet. It just wasnt going to happen. No way.
I snapped a quick picture of Sallys beautiful smile with the Spaceship Earth sign in the background while walking up the entrance ramp. As we immediately boarded the omni-movers, I heard ohhhs and ahhhs coming from Sally while we slowly ascended up into Spaceship Earth. This made me smile. I knew seeing WDW through her first-timer eyes would be special.
The ride system on Spaceship Earth was noisy and bumpy. So many people had commented about this online. I was expecting it. It didnt take away from the great experience that is Spaceship Earth. It was all too familiar to me as it one of the most visited attractions on all my trips to WDW. It definitely has a special place in my heart. I can still see and feel myself riding the time machine as a child back in the 80s. The fascination and inspiration was still there after all these years. Tomorrows Child was not. No bother as the ride is still perfectly executed from beginning to end.
Next up was a quick walk through the Innoventions breezeway in order to take a quick check of the crowds over by Mission Space and Test Track. This is always a good area to check in order to get an idea what you are in for, crowd wise, while youre at EPCOT. It was crowded but EPCOT manages crowds very well. I grabbed a Fastpass to Mission Space and was surprised to see the standby time at only 25 minutes.
We headed over to Ellens Energy Adventure after Sally stopped for a smoke and an ice cream cookie. She is an ice cream addict and I knew we would be making many such stops throughout our trip. Together, we shared the tasty snack. It was an endearing moment and I felt good about us re-connecting a bit on our Disney World vacation. The stress of the world had taken its toll on us back home and we desperately needed some quality time together. I dont think it gets any better than WDW for this type of thing.
We walked right into the Energy pavilion and caught the entire pre-show to Ellens Adventure. It was perfect timing. The films and the ride through the distant past were just as fun as I could remember. This was one of my favorite attractions at EPCOT and, once again, it didnt disappoint. It was, however, missing that sulfur smell upon first greeting the dinosaurs. That was a bit annoying but I wasnt expecting everything to be perfect. I knew that many of the attractions at WDW were in need of rehab. This was one of them.
After visiting the Energy pavilion, our fast pass return time was ripe for Mission Space. I was pretty nervous about this ride. I love roller coasters but have never done well with things that spin. We immediately got trained and boarded our space pods upon entering the building. I really liked seeing Gary Sinise during the training video. What a unique and amazing attraction this turned out to be. I didnt feel that it had a good amount of repeat value as it was another simulator ride, but it sure was different. During the ride, I made sure to keep my head back against the headrest and I kept focusing straight ahead. I really think this kept me from feeling sick. Sally got off the ride feeling a bit woozy and didnt feel interested in riding it again over the course of our vacation. Im assuming the surprisingly short standby times for this attraction are because of people feeling this exact same way over this attraction. The weirdest thing I remember about the ride are the tears that it pulled right out of my eyes. I had to wipe my cheeks off after I got off. The heavy G-forces had really made my eyes water. What an odd feeling that was. Again, a unique experience for sure.
Next, we headed over to the other side of Future World. The Journey Into Your Imagination Ride was on my to-do list but I just couldnt pass up the chance to finally see the new Land pavilion. While good looking inside, I still think the feel of the place does not blend well with the outside of the pavilion. The exterior feels natural and warm with all the earth tones. The interior feels too open, cold, and fabricated. It feels like an airport terminal and thats just an out of place element to the new theming if you ask me. They could have used something other than white paint for most of the walls. This would have helped tremendously with the feel of the place. Previously, the interior was full of calming blue tones. That worked much better for the overall vibe in my opinion. Seeing the new Soarin attraction for the first time sure was exciting. The standby times were too intimidating for me to mess with and the Fastpass machines were covered. I was happy that it looked somewhat open to soft previews right before its grand opening. Our chances of seeing this attraction during our vacation were looking extremely good at this point. I felt relieved as it would have annoyed me to miss this great new attraction by only a week.
The theming of the entrance area at Soarin was, again, out of place in my opinion. Who the heck wants to spend hours in airports while traveling to Orlando in order to arrive at another one while at EPCOT. It just doesnt work too well or fit in my opinion but it does look well done. I thought the cast member costumes were pretty cool. They were very colorful and looked like a mix of the old-school formal airliner uniforms seen in the industry years ago and something from the future.
I grabbed a Fastpass for Living with the Land and we headed over to the Imagination pavilion. I was pretty excited to see what they had done with the Journey into your Imagination ride after hearing all the controversy of its rehab. This was, originally, one of my favorite rides at EPCOT. As soon as we walked into the pavilion, it felt very different. We only saw 4 to 6 other people in the queue area. This was not a good sign. Overall, I really dont like what they did with this attraction. Figment was obviously forced into the storyline after so many people had complained about him being removed. Figment was simply overdone in my opinion. The story line of this attraction was now uninteresting and did not flow very well with each scene. It felt cheap, uninspired, and rushed. The only redeeming quality was the finale. I really enjoyed the wall in front of the ride vehicle quickly being pulled away to reveal a huge set full of color and playfulness. Disney always seems to pull off some of the best finales to each of their shows. That is for sure.
We quickly exited Figment land not very interested in returning during our vacation (what a bummer) and headed into the Magic Eye Theater for a viewing of Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. As expected, the film felt quite dated but was still a bit of fun. My favorite part of this attraction is how the floor bounces along with the action on the screen. Overall, I think Disney could do better with this pavilion. Imagination seems to be at the heart of everything done at Disney World and they cant even seem to inspire us with this attraction. Its sorta sad.
No bother because there was so much more to do while at the World. Our Living with the Land Fastpass was now valid so we headed back into The Land to take the pleasant boat ride. I always think about the whacky boat ride in the Willy Wonka movie when I board The Land boat. Sally really enjoyed the Mickey shaped vegetables growing within the greenhouse. I took several pictures of them with my new Canon Powershot and we left the pavilion feeling good. It was time to head into the World Showcase.
On our way into the World Showcase, we walked through one of the rose gardens setup for the Flower and Garden Festival. Sally really loved seeing all the roses and kept stopping to smell them while I took some cute pictures of her doing so.
We continued over to Norway via the Mexico Pavilion. I just had to take Sally inside Mexico to see the tiny village at night inside. That is one of my favorite things in the world showcase. We were really hungry at this point but had no interest in their version of Mexican food since we were from Texas. Texas is notorious for excellent Mexican food and anything less would just be a huge disappointment. Why bother, we thought.
Once we arrived in Norway we found it to be very crowded. There was a huge line outside of the Akershus restaurant and Maelstrom had a 20 minute wait. I had no interest in waiting that long for a 2 minute ride so I grabbed Fastpasses for it and we headed out to find some food. I had planned on us stopping for counter service food that night and China was right next door. We grabbed some food and a couple of Tsing Tao beers (one of my favorites). The beer really hit the spot while relaxing our feet a bit but the food wasnt very good. I was so hungry from all the walking I had already done that it didnt bother me one bit. Sally complained lightly about the meal but you could tell she was in better spirits just by having something in her tummy. At this point, it was dusk. The lights started to come on throughout the park and things felt good. We took some great pictures in the Chinese gardens and headed over to Maelstrom for our Fastpass return. For some reason, the Fastpass line was roped off but some others with passes were jumping it. We did the same and walked right onto the ride. It was a great little journey. As usual, it was too short of a journey though. Sally kept saying, thats it? while we pulled into the Norwegian fishing village for our exit. We sat down to watch the movie at the end because I remember liking it when I was younger. The end of the film was just as uplifting as I could remember and the time we spent watching it wasnt wasted in my opinion.
Upon exiting Norway we were about 35 to 40 minutes away from the start of the Illuminations show. I was too tired to keep walking and I didnt want to be at the front of the World Showcase with the rest of the crowds upon exiting the park so I decided that we should hunker down for a viewing spot right outside of Norway. The view seemed to be promising but the wind was really kicking up. It was freezing cold in that wind. Sally was not dealing with the cold very well at this point and most of the people around us didnt look very happy in their shorts. I was afraid that Sally wouldnt make it through the show or wouldnt enjoy it because of the weather. This was all out of my hands though. I held her near the lagoon and tried to keep her as warm as possible. She wasnt happy though. It was super cold and the wind was relentless. It was blowing and blowing non-stop.
Sally barely made it to the start of the show. Once Illuminations did begin, all the fire on the water really helped with the cold. Overall, the show was incredible as usual. The music was inspiring and moving. I took a ton of pictures with my digicam all while trying to keep my eyes on what was going on over the lagoon. Sally seemed to be in better spirits but I could still tell she was suffering from the cold. I could also tell she was relieved when it was over as she, for the first time on our trip, started to pull far ahead of me while darting for the exit. She weaved her way through the exiting crowds and I followed. We made it back to our rental car in one piece and quickly cranked up the heater.
It felt really good to sit down and I was excited to get back to our comfy room at Port Orleans. We had another problem though. Sallys feet were killing her. She had gotten some blisters. This was not a good situation. Getting blisters on your feet the first day at Disney World is a small disaster in my opinion. I knew we had to get to a Walgreens as soon as possible to pick up some bandages. I realized I had to head towards International Drive but was sort of lost. I ended up taking I-4 towards Tampa instead of Orlando and this was a big mistake. The freeway was under construction and there were no turn around lanes for a good 8 to 10 miles. It really worked my nerves. After turning around, we finally pulled up to a Publix grocery store. It was just after 10 PM and it was closed. We asked some old lady that worked there and was standing out front where we might find another grocery store and she rudely shouted, I couldnt tell ya!!! We had a good laugh with this one. What a cantankerous old bag this woman turned out to be. Did she really despise the tourists that help pay a large chunk of her salary that much? We zoomed out of the parking lot undeterred and found a Walgreens. Surprisingly enough (yeah, right), we started in the liquor store and picked up some goodies to stock our fridge with. I grabbed 2 bottles of Pinot Noir, a couple of Fosters beer cans, and all the ingredients needed for some White Russians. Ahh yes, some adult chocolate milk was fitting for our Disney vacation. We then headed over to the other side of the store and picked up 4 packs of bandages for Sallys feet, granola bars to snack on, and some muffins for breakfast. I knew I didnt want to spend too much time eating in the morning as I had planned on getting to each park before opening all week long. Im more of a Lunch and Dinner person anyways and made no priority seating arrangements for breakfast.
We arrived back at Port Orleans, stocked our lovely fridge, mixed some drinks, and got under the covers while flipping on the T.V. This is when we discovered Kryssa. Oh my, this woman was the perfect Disney poster child. I think she overdosed on happy cheesy pills though. Sally quickly began to hate this annoying woman. Sometimes I just cant stomach Disneys marketing. They try to wrap everything up in this perfect little happy package. Everyone shown in their campaigns are beautiful but not sexy. All the families shown appear to be the most functional groups of people found on Earth. To me, it all just comes off as super phony and becomes insulting. Does Disney really think we are that stupid? Do they think we cant tell that they see everything through rose colored glasses? Their intentions are pure enough but they need to tone it down a notch. It really is ridiculous stuff and I imagine their editing rooms are the most closely watched in the world. I can just see them cutting and cutting until absolutely everything falls into their perfect little ideal basket. After hopping off my soap box and changing the channel, I quickly became tired and completely content with falling into a deep Disney filled dream world. Sounds a bit hypocritical after that rant doesnt it? : )
Anyways, that concludes our first day at the World. It was a long journey full of smiles and wide opened eyes. Arrival day is always a special one. Our morning plans consisted of a 6:45 AM wake-up call and our first day ever at Universal Studios. There is still so much to be done and so much more to see!!
-J
Sally and I in Future World
loved the way u described everything- 
I actually felt i was there with you and sally! Can't wait to read more!
Thanks again for the feedback everyone!
