The Cast:
Me - 50 - aka ABFine - Father
Marie - 49 - Wife & Mother
Sarah - 19 - Daughter & Student
Our Priors:
1980 - Off-Site
1982 - Contemporary
1987 - Polynesian ( Sarah's First Trip )
1989 - Grand Floridian
1992 - Beach Club
1993 - Beach Club
1995 - Dixie Landings / Beach Club / Vero Beach
1996 - BoardWalk Inn
1997 - Wilderness Lodge / Beach Club
1999 - Disneyland Paris
2000 - BoardWalk Inn
2003 - Polynesian / BoardWalk Inn
Up at 6:45, Sarah & I walked over to the Floridian to use the gym. She jogged, I pedaled. Walked back and showered. Went to Kona Cafe for breakfast, Sarah has been talking about Tonga Toast for a month now. Sarah & Marie split the Tonga, I had eggs & sausage......$34.00 with tip.
Went to Magic Kingdom, went to Pirates, Splash Mtn., Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Snow White, What do you mean Pooh is closed, I thought it just opened !! Sarah's a big Pooh fan. Went on TTA and then Buzz. No more than 10 minute waits though we did fastpass Buzz. A little disappointed that the Carousel of Progress was closed. We asked a CM about it and he said they only open it seasonally ( read " When the park is crowded " ) as it uses more energy than the rest of Tomorrowland combined. I'll buy that. And shouldn't it be moved from " Tomorrowland" anyway, it's a piece of Americana, it should have it's own place of honor elsewhere. Just a thought. Anyway, time for lunch. Went to Liberty Tree.
Sarah - Clam Chower - Souvenir Mug
Marie - Pot Roast
Me - Turkey
No dessert.....$53.00 with tip
One small complaint, we sat down, looked over the menu, ordered, the drinks came, a minute later the waiter brought bread. By the time I split open a roll and buttered it, the entree was hitting the table. I swear it was less than 5 minutes, OK, maybe 8, from the time we ordered till the food was on the table. I spent more time waiting for the table even with a PS. I mean, come on now, we've been walking around the park for a few hours now, I want to sit and have a leisurely lunch, not feel like I'm being rushed out the door.
Shopped a little then caught a bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. A friend of mine had stayed there and told me how nice it was so we wanted to check it out. The lobby was very impressive, looks kinda like Wilderness Lodge. Went outside to look around and it started to rain. Looks nice but we have a thing about having to rely on bus transportation to get everwhere. Learned that at Wilderness Lodge.
Bus back to Magic Kingdom, Mono to Poly. Thunder and lightening, pools closed, back to room. Cleared up about an hour later, I'm seeing watermice out on the lagoon. Me and Sarah go to the marina to rent one. Sorry, it's 4:45 and we're closing in 15 minutes. What kind of resort is this?? Don't these people realize that most people spend the day in the parks and than come back to the resort to chill and have a little fun??
Go to the pool and hang out there for awhile. 9:30 PS at California Grill, only time we could get, no hurry to get ready. Back to room to shower and dress. We'll go hang out at the Contemporary for awhile before dinner. Suddenly I'm thinking that I remember seeing a sign somewhere that says the monorail stops running at 11pm. With a 9:30 seating, we may not finish dinner before 11:00. Marie calls down to the desk and poses that question. The response?? " If it's after 11, you'll have to call a cab". Marie says, " You're telling me there is no way to get from the Contemp. to the Poly after 11". The response, " Call a cab or take a bus to Downtown and then back to the Poly". Well,golly gee, that's pretty convenient. The phone was still in one piece after she hung up. As we're fuming about this developement, Sarah says " Wait a minute, it's E-night at the Magic Kingdom, the monorail has to be running". Marie calls back down to the desk, "It's E-night, how are all those people going to get back? Can you believe the CM said, " They'll all have to call a cab". I now firmly believe that we're speaking to an utter moron ( sorry, don't mean to be nasty,but there is no excuse ). We leave for the Contemp. knowing in our heart of hearts that the monorail will be there for us.
Arrive at the Contemp. about 8:30 and shop and look around a bit. Head upstairs a little after 9:00. Get off the elevator and it's utter bedlam, people everywhere. Marie gets in line to let them know we're there. A special shout out to the large,obnoxious woman in all her lime green glory who charged off the elevator and pushed in line in front of my wife. It's people like you who give people like me something to write about. But it gets better. Marie is informed that the PS is running a little behind schedule, like 40 to 50 minutes behind schedule. We're going to roll with the punches and make the best of it. I remember last time we were here we kinda lingered over coffee to see the fireworks. So, we get some drinks and go out on the roof for the fireworks. Very crowded out on the roof but we had a good spot and enjoyed the show. Finally got seated about 10:30:
Sarah - Goat Cheese Ravioli
Tuna over Rice Pilaf
Marie - Asparagus Soup
Tuna
Me- Asparagus Soup
Mahi - Mahi
Wanted Creme brulee for dessert but they ran out. Just had coffee...........$150.00 with tip
Sarah and Marie agree it was the best tuna they ever had. Kudos to the chef.... Special thanks to Ron, our waiter, for sending the software he promised. The 10,000 Mickey Mouse confetti that poured out of the envelope was a little much but thanks all the same.
Large,obnoxious lime green woman and entourage left right after the fireworks. What a surprise.
Went downstairs and lo and behold, the monorail was still running. Got back to the ( musty ) room about 12:30. Good night!
Me - 50 - aka ABFine - Father
Marie - 49 - Wife & Mother
Sarah - 19 - Daughter & Student
Our Priors:
1980 - Off-Site
1982 - Contemporary
1987 - Polynesian ( Sarah's First Trip )
1989 - Grand Floridian
1992 - Beach Club
1993 - Beach Club
1995 - Dixie Landings / Beach Club / Vero Beach
1996 - BoardWalk Inn
1997 - Wilderness Lodge / Beach Club
1999 - Disneyland Paris
2000 - BoardWalk Inn
2003 - Polynesian / BoardWalk Inn
Up at 6:45, Sarah & I walked over to the Floridian to use the gym. She jogged, I pedaled. Walked back and showered. Went to Kona Cafe for breakfast, Sarah has been talking about Tonga Toast for a month now. Sarah & Marie split the Tonga, I had eggs & sausage......$34.00 with tip.
Went to Magic Kingdom, went to Pirates, Splash Mtn., Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Snow White, What do you mean Pooh is closed, I thought it just opened !! Sarah's a big Pooh fan. Went on TTA and then Buzz. No more than 10 minute waits though we did fastpass Buzz. A little disappointed that the Carousel of Progress was closed. We asked a CM about it and he said they only open it seasonally ( read " When the park is crowded " ) as it uses more energy than the rest of Tomorrowland combined. I'll buy that. And shouldn't it be moved from " Tomorrowland" anyway, it's a piece of Americana, it should have it's own place of honor elsewhere. Just a thought. Anyway, time for lunch. Went to Liberty Tree.
Sarah - Clam Chower - Souvenir Mug
Marie - Pot Roast
Me - Turkey
No dessert.....$53.00 with tip
One small complaint, we sat down, looked over the menu, ordered, the drinks came, a minute later the waiter brought bread. By the time I split open a roll and buttered it, the entree was hitting the table. I swear it was less than 5 minutes, OK, maybe 8, from the time we ordered till the food was on the table. I spent more time waiting for the table even with a PS. I mean, come on now, we've been walking around the park for a few hours now, I want to sit and have a leisurely lunch, not feel like I'm being rushed out the door.
Shopped a little then caught a bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. A friend of mine had stayed there and told me how nice it was so we wanted to check it out. The lobby was very impressive, looks kinda like Wilderness Lodge. Went outside to look around and it started to rain. Looks nice but we have a thing about having to rely on bus transportation to get everwhere. Learned that at Wilderness Lodge.
Bus back to Magic Kingdom, Mono to Poly. Thunder and lightening, pools closed, back to room. Cleared up about an hour later, I'm seeing watermice out on the lagoon. Me and Sarah go to the marina to rent one. Sorry, it's 4:45 and we're closing in 15 minutes. What kind of resort is this?? Don't these people realize that most people spend the day in the parks and than come back to the resort to chill and have a little fun??
Go to the pool and hang out there for awhile. 9:30 PS at California Grill, only time we could get, no hurry to get ready. Back to room to shower and dress. We'll go hang out at the Contemporary for awhile before dinner. Suddenly I'm thinking that I remember seeing a sign somewhere that says the monorail stops running at 11pm. With a 9:30 seating, we may not finish dinner before 11:00. Marie calls down to the desk and poses that question. The response?? " If it's after 11, you'll have to call a cab". Marie says, " You're telling me there is no way to get from the Contemp. to the Poly after 11". The response, " Call a cab or take a bus to Downtown and then back to the Poly". Well,golly gee, that's pretty convenient. The phone was still in one piece after she hung up. As we're fuming about this developement, Sarah says " Wait a minute, it's E-night at the Magic Kingdom, the monorail has to be running". Marie calls back down to the desk, "It's E-night, how are all those people going to get back? Can you believe the CM said, " They'll all have to call a cab". I now firmly believe that we're speaking to an utter moron ( sorry, don't mean to be nasty,but there is no excuse ). We leave for the Contemp. knowing in our heart of hearts that the monorail will be there for us.
Arrive at the Contemp. about 8:30 and shop and look around a bit. Head upstairs a little after 9:00. Get off the elevator and it's utter bedlam, people everywhere. Marie gets in line to let them know we're there. A special shout out to the large,obnoxious woman in all her lime green glory who charged off the elevator and pushed in line in front of my wife. It's people like you who give people like me something to write about. But it gets better. Marie is informed that the PS is running a little behind schedule, like 40 to 50 minutes behind schedule. We're going to roll with the punches and make the best of it. I remember last time we were here we kinda lingered over coffee to see the fireworks. So, we get some drinks and go out on the roof for the fireworks. Very crowded out on the roof but we had a good spot and enjoyed the show. Finally got seated about 10:30:
Sarah - Goat Cheese Ravioli
Tuna over Rice Pilaf
Marie - Asparagus Soup
Tuna
Me- Asparagus Soup
Mahi - Mahi
Wanted Creme brulee for dessert but they ran out. Just had coffee...........$150.00 with tip
Sarah and Marie agree it was the best tuna they ever had. Kudos to the chef.... Special thanks to Ron, our waiter, for sending the software he promised. The 10,000 Mickey Mouse confetti that poured out of the envelope was a little much but thanks all the same.
Large,obnoxious lime green woman and entourage left right after the fireworks. What a surprise.
Went downstairs and lo and behold, the monorail was still running. Got back to the ( musty ) room about 12:30. Good night!
