Day Four: Mob Scenes in MK, Breathing Room At Epcot, & A Moonlight Fireworks Cruise
Just a reminder: Our cast of characters includes: Me (Jen) 31, planner of all things Disney; Bill (DH) 32, the yin to my yang; BJ (DS) almost 14, the reason for this trip his graduation from middle school; Nico (DF) 14 BJs compadre; Bob (35) DB, Gina (35) DSIL, Steven (DN) 8, Brianna (DN) 2-1/2.
We woke up early to get to MK by opening to avoid some crowds. We missed. We drove to TTC to save time and took the Monorail in. BIG NOTE FOLKS! When you get to TTC, the lines to MK on the Express are a mob scene. Right next to it is another monorail line that says Resort Line. TAKE THIS! Yes you have stops at the hotels, but there is NO LINE to board it. We saved about 40 minutes doing this plus we got to relax and check out the monorail resorts.
After going through security checks (snacks and water bottles ok) we smiled for about 15 photos on Main Street. I guess no one was stopping, so we did for every CM that asked. We had a great selection to choose from at the end of the day. Then we headed for Tomorrowland to get Fastpasses for Space Mountain. While we waited to ride, we saw Timekeeper. Then on to Space Mountain. On our way out we got Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear. While we waited for that, we shopped in a few shops in Tomorrowland and scouted out a place for lunch. Plaza Pavillion was fairly cheap (For Disney standards) and it was empty a good mix. After Buzz, we headed in for chicken strips and fries. BJ made friends with the adventurous French fry loving birds.
After meeting up with Bob, Gina, Steven and Bri for lunch (they had just arrived) we hung out a bit and decided to try to see some of the park. They were open till Midnight that day and my guess was people wanted to make the most of their tickets. These were the biggest crowds Id see anywhere all week. It was a MOB scene! By 11:30, the fastpass time for Space Mountain was 5pm!
We headed over to FantasyLand, and it was WORSE! We took a quick walking tour through and decided to ride the Railroad before getting out. It was almost claustrophobic. Thank God the kids are older. If they had pitched a fit to stay I might have gone batty. They agreed the lines were ridiculous. We decided to take the car back to the hotel and walk/boat to Epcot for a tour of the place. None of us had been there yet.
What a difference a park makes. Epcot was deserted in comparison. At this point it is about 3:00p.m. We walked around in the rain a bit, which is almost quaint in Epcot. We explored the World Showcase and we entered Canada. I saw Le Cellier just as a cool breeze hit my wet clothes. Suddenly, Cheddar Soup ran through my head.
I convinced the rest of the gang an early dinner was in order. Bobby and Steven had joined us since Gina took Bri to the hotel for a nap. We headed to Le Cellier and were told to come back at 4pm when dinner started.
We ordered cheddar soup and steaks as we decided this would be dinner. The mushroom filet was great the prime rib was really fatty. If I had it to do again though, I probably wouldve had soup, pretzel bread (as good as the rumors) and caesar salad which BJ had and it was awesome!
We also flipped over the fact that they had real Canadian beer, not the watered down versions they send to the US. Two Molson Canadiens and I was loopy!
Now all giddy, we stomped in puddles from Canada to the Future Showcase and saw Body Wars, Cranium Command, and the Making of Me. Test Track was closed from the rain (bummer) so we decided to make our way back to France before hitting the Friendship boats. We had a reservation for a fireworks cruise from the YC/BC docks and we didnt know how long wed have to wait.
We stopped at the Patisserie in France for pastries for the cruise YUM!
We headed to the docks and got a quick launch. This left us time to visit the arcade at YC/BC. The adults got to explore the hotels and we were pleased we were so close. We also met up with Gina and a freshly napped Brianna, and Bills Mom and Dad, who came to enjoy the cruise with us.
Even with the deluge of rain, I was told these boats do not cancel unless there is a hurricane! We met our captain , who usually drives the Breathless, but his name escapes me. He was great with the teenagers especially. They had a ball joking around.
We took a tour of the lakes. He drove us around YC/BC the Boardwalk, the Dolphin/Swan talked about how much the Friendship captains hate the Pontoon captains because when they drive the Breathless, they buzz the boats! It was a hoot. Reminded me of that scene in Top Gun.
We settled under the bridge and tied up with the Breathless. What a beautiful mahogany boat. A shame we couldnt all fit, but our pontoon was great! There was space to walk around. We settled with our pastries and were blown away by Illuminations. Holy Lightshow Batman! It was spectacular! We had the best view in the house. Luckily the wind was blowing the other way, so we had no ash or smoke to contend with.
When it was done, our captain was nice enough to drop Bobby, Gina and the little ones at the Dolphin dock so they wouldnt have to walk. We took it back to YC/BC because that was where my in-laws were parked. It was a beautiful idea and a great way to see the display.
We headed back to the Dolphin and changed into our bathing suits for a late night swim. We headed back to the room about midnight and turned in because we had a big day coming up Discovery Cove!
Link to Day Three:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=230024
Link to Day Two:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=229468
Link to Day One:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228858
Link to Preamble
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=227144
Link to V & A Review
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=229459
Just a reminder: Our cast of characters includes: Me (Jen) 31, planner of all things Disney; Bill (DH) 32, the yin to my yang; BJ (DS) almost 14, the reason for this trip his graduation from middle school; Nico (DF) 14 BJs compadre; Bob (35) DB, Gina (35) DSIL, Steven (DN) 8, Brianna (DN) 2-1/2.
We woke up early to get to MK by opening to avoid some crowds. We missed. We drove to TTC to save time and took the Monorail in. BIG NOTE FOLKS! When you get to TTC, the lines to MK on the Express are a mob scene. Right next to it is another monorail line that says Resort Line. TAKE THIS! Yes you have stops at the hotels, but there is NO LINE to board it. We saved about 40 minutes doing this plus we got to relax and check out the monorail resorts.
After going through security checks (snacks and water bottles ok) we smiled for about 15 photos on Main Street. I guess no one was stopping, so we did for every CM that asked. We had a great selection to choose from at the end of the day. Then we headed for Tomorrowland to get Fastpasses for Space Mountain. While we waited to ride, we saw Timekeeper. Then on to Space Mountain. On our way out we got Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear. While we waited for that, we shopped in a few shops in Tomorrowland and scouted out a place for lunch. Plaza Pavillion was fairly cheap (For Disney standards) and it was empty a good mix. After Buzz, we headed in for chicken strips and fries. BJ made friends with the adventurous French fry loving birds.
After meeting up with Bob, Gina, Steven and Bri for lunch (they had just arrived) we hung out a bit and decided to try to see some of the park. They were open till Midnight that day and my guess was people wanted to make the most of their tickets. These were the biggest crowds Id see anywhere all week. It was a MOB scene! By 11:30, the fastpass time for Space Mountain was 5pm!
We headed over to FantasyLand, and it was WORSE! We took a quick walking tour through and decided to ride the Railroad before getting out. It was almost claustrophobic. Thank God the kids are older. If they had pitched a fit to stay I might have gone batty. They agreed the lines were ridiculous. We decided to take the car back to the hotel and walk/boat to Epcot for a tour of the place. None of us had been there yet.
What a difference a park makes. Epcot was deserted in comparison. At this point it is about 3:00p.m. We walked around in the rain a bit, which is almost quaint in Epcot. We explored the World Showcase and we entered Canada. I saw Le Cellier just as a cool breeze hit my wet clothes. Suddenly, Cheddar Soup ran through my head.
I convinced the rest of the gang an early dinner was in order. Bobby and Steven had joined us since Gina took Bri to the hotel for a nap. We headed to Le Cellier and were told to come back at 4pm when dinner started.
We ordered cheddar soup and steaks as we decided this would be dinner. The mushroom filet was great the prime rib was really fatty. If I had it to do again though, I probably wouldve had soup, pretzel bread (as good as the rumors) and caesar salad which BJ had and it was awesome!
We also flipped over the fact that they had real Canadian beer, not the watered down versions they send to the US. Two Molson Canadiens and I was loopy!
Now all giddy, we stomped in puddles from Canada to the Future Showcase and saw Body Wars, Cranium Command, and the Making of Me. Test Track was closed from the rain (bummer) so we decided to make our way back to France before hitting the Friendship boats. We had a reservation for a fireworks cruise from the YC/BC docks and we didnt know how long wed have to wait.
We stopped at the Patisserie in France for pastries for the cruise YUM!
We headed to the docks and got a quick launch. This left us time to visit the arcade at YC/BC. The adults got to explore the hotels and we were pleased we were so close. We also met up with Gina and a freshly napped Brianna, and Bills Mom and Dad, who came to enjoy the cruise with us.
Even with the deluge of rain, I was told these boats do not cancel unless there is a hurricane! We met our captain , who usually drives the Breathless, but his name escapes me. He was great with the teenagers especially. They had a ball joking around.
We took a tour of the lakes. He drove us around YC/BC the Boardwalk, the Dolphin/Swan talked about how much the Friendship captains hate the Pontoon captains because when they drive the Breathless, they buzz the boats! It was a hoot. Reminded me of that scene in Top Gun.
We settled under the bridge and tied up with the Breathless. What a beautiful mahogany boat. A shame we couldnt all fit, but our pontoon was great! There was space to walk around. We settled with our pastries and were blown away by Illuminations. Holy Lightshow Batman! It was spectacular! We had the best view in the house. Luckily the wind was blowing the other way, so we had no ash or smoke to contend with.
When it was done, our captain was nice enough to drop Bobby, Gina and the little ones at the Dolphin dock so they wouldnt have to walk. We took it back to YC/BC because that was where my in-laws were parked. It was a beautiful idea and a great way to see the display.
We headed back to the Dolphin and changed into our bathing suits for a late night swim. We headed back to the room about midnight and turned in because we had a big day coming up Discovery Cove!
Link to Day Three:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=230024
Link to Day Two:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=229468
Link to Day One:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228858
Link to Preamble
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=227144
Link to V & A Review
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=229459
