Miffy2003
<font color=orange>I've got Saratoga Springs - mak
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2003
- Messages
- 12,175
Tuesday 21st December
As it has been a week since we were last in the Magic Kingdom, we plan to go here today. In fact, its a most unusual occurrence that we have not paid a visit to the MK in that time and perhaps is because we are coming to love Epcot more? MK will always be the park I have to do first; I dont feel I am at Walt Disney World until I have walked up Main Street. But with each and every trip we make Epcot becomes the park we spend the most time at; not a conscious decision but just the way it works out.
We had explained last night that as the parks were becoming busier on the lead up to Christmas (it was noticeably busier at ASMo by this time) and because MK is the most popular park, we needed to be there for rope drop. We could not get on the first bus leaving ASMo as it was full (this hadnt happened before and again emphasized the difference in crowds!) but a second came along shortly afterwards which we boarded. In the two minutes it took for that bus to load up, at least another fifty people joined the queue for the next MK bus. Yes sirree, it looked like it would be busy today.
We arrived at MK at about 8.30 and joined the queue to get in. The senior members of our party were quite outraged that they had been made to get to MK so early it wasnt even open, but the rest of us were quite happy waiting in the sunshine (just a little, dont get excited) and soon enough the opening ceremony began. This heightens the excitement that you are about to be let in, and we never need an excuse to wave at and sing with Mickey and friends.
We are soon through the turnstiles and head up to Tomorrowland where a rope stops us at the Plaza Pavilion, but we are first in line. No matter, we can see by the CMs shifty look he is about to let us in. Queue more complaining from the seniors about the pointlessness of being here so early we cannot even enter the park. I thought about trying to explain the advantages to where we now stood but as Id tried this before and it had fallen on deaf ears I decided to ignore the complaints. Seconds later the rope was taken away and we were off on our whirlwind tour of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.
By 9.40 we had ridden Buzz twice, Peter Pan, Snow White, the Teacups, Winnie the Pooh, Cinderellas Carrousel and we held Fastpasses for Stitchs Great Escape.
We decided to go on the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway which we had never done before, and I have to say was really quite good fun. Though the enjoyment could have simply been the very light-headed feeling that came over me from the high-octane fumes!
It was now time for our FPs to Stitch. I had read a lot about this new attraction and it was no better and no worse than I had expected; I think it was a good idea to bring Stitch into this, but there has been a lot of hype it was being heavily promoted around WDW, and I dont personally think it lived up to this. But if you go along expecting a tamer version of Alien Encounter, with Stitch thats exactly what youll get and you will probably enjoy it. For the record, neither of my children found this in the least bit scary and Amber now proclaims this her favourite attraction. The shop was good at the end!
Jon wants to ride the Haunted Mansion so we head towards Liberty Square via Fantasyland where the wait times are now topping one hour. Werent we lucky we had no queues when we did this remarks Derek. Errr, no. Thats because we were here so early, and this is the exact reason why we got here so early. But I keep my thoughts to myself as Im sure if I voice them it may come out like a snarl
after all the moaning theyve done today about getting here too early. We have a brief encounter with Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter (though no White Rabbit, who I would like to meet).
Arriving at the Haunted Mansion, Amber announces that the ride is too scary and she wont go on. Now this is bizarre as she has been on this lots of times including the one in Disneyland Paris which is actually a little scary. Im feeling far to mellow to force the issue so I suggest the others go on and I will wait outside for them with Amber. In the end we all decide to have an ice cream instead (yes, its hot enough!) and enjoy the atmosphere. We wander on through Liberty Square and cut through the short cut to Adventureland. The girls want to go on the Swiss Family Treehouse and I need to sneak off and buy Kaa. The advantage to this was that I got to wander round Adventureland for fifteen minutes in absolute peace and quiet. What bliss! I just love listening to the music and seeing everyone enjoying themselves. Its really nice when you see people seeing something for the first time, and their delight in the discovery.
Its about 2 oclock by now and MK is pretty busy so we decide to head back to ASMo, pick up our swimming gear and go back to Blizzard Beach. Julie and Derek decide to chill out by the resort pool so Jon and I perk up at the unexpected treat of being able to have some time with the girls, and to just be able to please ourselves. Well Blizzard Beach was very similar to the other day practically deserted. The girls are getting brave now and go on the ski lift to get to Teamboat Springs, which we ride five times in a row. This is so much better than the equivalent ride at Typhoon Lagoon and thank goodness you dont have to haul the raft up all those steps here! We have some chicken strips and fries at Lottawatta Lodge (in lieu of lunch; we are quite hungry by now as weve only had an ice cream so far today) and are the only customers. It must cost WDW a fortune to keep this place running over the winter as there were far more staff than guests again today.
We decide to get a frozen slushie thing (Snowball) and struggle to choose from the very many different flavours there are here they even have all the flavours in a sugar free version! After much debate we decide to go for Fruitsicle. The CM asks if weve ever had one before which we havent so she suggests she do us a little cup to try before we have a whole one. This sounds like a great idea to us and she gives us a Fruitsicle sample. Well, this is apparently a vanilla / orange flavour but Im sorry to say that it tasted like childrens cough medicine to me, so we decided to go for Cotton Candy instead. So thank you to that CM! I felt sorry for her actually as she was in a little caravan selling the slushies and in the half hour it took us to decide what we wanted, try the Fruitsicle and go for the Cotton Candy instead, we were her only customers. I seem to remember that in summer the queue for this was longer than some of the rides! What a contrast.
We brave the waters of the pool for a bit well, actually for about half a minute as it was cold! The girls decide they want to go on Runoff Rapids (what is happening to my cowardly daughters? They are asking to go on rides!) as long as they can ride with a grown up in a double ring. Going up all the steps (there are a lot!) with a double ring is hard work though the ride back down is lots of fun. Jon takes the girls on again (we want to encourage this new trying rides attitude!) while I sit and catch the last few rays of the day. Now that the sun has almost gone down it is getting very chilly to be sat in a wet swimming costume so we all go and get dressed. We decide its far too early to go back to the resort (plus we are enjoying our freedom too much) so decide to head to Fantasia Gardens for a game of mini golf.
I find this course a little frustrating after Winter Summerland. It is good fun and its very clever but a few of the holes include the type of shot that if you dont get it exactly right you could be there all night trying to find your ball in the bushes! Its definitely showing signs of age this course though it was enjoyable. We are notoriously slow at mini golf (there are four of us and the children can take some time to get the ball in the hole!) so we are used to letting the people behind us play through. However we were actually behind golfers who were slower than us! And there was only two of them! The reason they were so slow is not because they were bad or slow at the golf; it was because they were videoing every single thing. For example, they would get to a new hole, film the scroll (which sets the scene for the hole); they would then walk up and down the hole very slowly filming the whole thing; they would then film each other playing the hole (even to the extent of filming themselves picking the ball out of the hole at the end!) I can only imagine what thrilling footage that will make when they watch it.
Anyway, at the fifteenth hole this couple came over to us and warned us that a snake up ahead had crossed the path and gone into the water. Sure enough, you could see the snake swimming about. Well Im afraid that was it for me. I am petrified of snakes and could not carry on with the thought of one being so close. Yes, I am fully aware that there are snakes all over Orlando but when I actually see one Im afraid Im history so I conceded the last three holes and rushed to the shop where I felt safer. For the record, Jon was winning hugely anyway so Mr Snake just sped up the inevitable.
We headed back to AsMo to pick up Julie and Derek and went out to tea at TGI Fridays at the Crossroads. It was really busy and we had to wait a little while for a table, but we had a nice meal here. I was surprised that the cocktail menu was really small in relation to UK TGI Fridays but the waiter said that they could make any cocktail I cared to name. Unfortunately the one I wanted they had never heard of (!) despite what they had said. A man came round and made some balloon animals for the girls which were very clever. Back to the resort and straight to bed at 10.30.
As it has been a week since we were last in the Magic Kingdom, we plan to go here today. In fact, its a most unusual occurrence that we have not paid a visit to the MK in that time and perhaps is because we are coming to love Epcot more? MK will always be the park I have to do first; I dont feel I am at Walt Disney World until I have walked up Main Street. But with each and every trip we make Epcot becomes the park we spend the most time at; not a conscious decision but just the way it works out.
We had explained last night that as the parks were becoming busier on the lead up to Christmas (it was noticeably busier at ASMo by this time) and because MK is the most popular park, we needed to be there for rope drop. We could not get on the first bus leaving ASMo as it was full (this hadnt happened before and again emphasized the difference in crowds!) but a second came along shortly afterwards which we boarded. In the two minutes it took for that bus to load up, at least another fifty people joined the queue for the next MK bus. Yes sirree, it looked like it would be busy today.
We arrived at MK at about 8.30 and joined the queue to get in. The senior members of our party were quite outraged that they had been made to get to MK so early it wasnt even open, but the rest of us were quite happy waiting in the sunshine (just a little, dont get excited) and soon enough the opening ceremony began. This heightens the excitement that you are about to be let in, and we never need an excuse to wave at and sing with Mickey and friends.
We are soon through the turnstiles and head up to Tomorrowland where a rope stops us at the Plaza Pavilion, but we are first in line. No matter, we can see by the CMs shifty look he is about to let us in. Queue more complaining from the seniors about the pointlessness of being here so early we cannot even enter the park. I thought about trying to explain the advantages to where we now stood but as Id tried this before and it had fallen on deaf ears I decided to ignore the complaints. Seconds later the rope was taken away and we were off on our whirlwind tour of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.
By 9.40 we had ridden Buzz twice, Peter Pan, Snow White, the Teacups, Winnie the Pooh, Cinderellas Carrousel and we held Fastpasses for Stitchs Great Escape.
We decided to go on the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway which we had never done before, and I have to say was really quite good fun. Though the enjoyment could have simply been the very light-headed feeling that came over me from the high-octane fumes!
It was now time for our FPs to Stitch. I had read a lot about this new attraction and it was no better and no worse than I had expected; I think it was a good idea to bring Stitch into this, but there has been a lot of hype it was being heavily promoted around WDW, and I dont personally think it lived up to this. But if you go along expecting a tamer version of Alien Encounter, with Stitch thats exactly what youll get and you will probably enjoy it. For the record, neither of my children found this in the least bit scary and Amber now proclaims this her favourite attraction. The shop was good at the end!
Jon wants to ride the Haunted Mansion so we head towards Liberty Square via Fantasyland where the wait times are now topping one hour. Werent we lucky we had no queues when we did this remarks Derek. Errr, no. Thats because we were here so early, and this is the exact reason why we got here so early. But I keep my thoughts to myself as Im sure if I voice them it may come out like a snarl
after all the moaning theyve done today about getting here too early. We have a brief encounter with Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter (though no White Rabbit, who I would like to meet).
Arriving at the Haunted Mansion, Amber announces that the ride is too scary and she wont go on. Now this is bizarre as she has been on this lots of times including the one in Disneyland Paris which is actually a little scary. Im feeling far to mellow to force the issue so I suggest the others go on and I will wait outside for them with Amber. In the end we all decide to have an ice cream instead (yes, its hot enough!) and enjoy the atmosphere. We wander on through Liberty Square and cut through the short cut to Adventureland. The girls want to go on the Swiss Family Treehouse and I need to sneak off and buy Kaa. The advantage to this was that I got to wander round Adventureland for fifteen minutes in absolute peace and quiet. What bliss! I just love listening to the music and seeing everyone enjoying themselves. Its really nice when you see people seeing something for the first time, and their delight in the discovery.
Its about 2 oclock by now and MK is pretty busy so we decide to head back to ASMo, pick up our swimming gear and go back to Blizzard Beach. Julie and Derek decide to chill out by the resort pool so Jon and I perk up at the unexpected treat of being able to have some time with the girls, and to just be able to please ourselves. Well Blizzard Beach was very similar to the other day practically deserted. The girls are getting brave now and go on the ski lift to get to Teamboat Springs, which we ride five times in a row. This is so much better than the equivalent ride at Typhoon Lagoon and thank goodness you dont have to haul the raft up all those steps here! We have some chicken strips and fries at Lottawatta Lodge (in lieu of lunch; we are quite hungry by now as weve only had an ice cream so far today) and are the only customers. It must cost WDW a fortune to keep this place running over the winter as there were far more staff than guests again today.
We decide to get a frozen slushie thing (Snowball) and struggle to choose from the very many different flavours there are here they even have all the flavours in a sugar free version! After much debate we decide to go for Fruitsicle. The CM asks if weve ever had one before which we havent so she suggests she do us a little cup to try before we have a whole one. This sounds like a great idea to us and she gives us a Fruitsicle sample. Well, this is apparently a vanilla / orange flavour but Im sorry to say that it tasted like childrens cough medicine to me, so we decided to go for Cotton Candy instead. So thank you to that CM! I felt sorry for her actually as she was in a little caravan selling the slushies and in the half hour it took us to decide what we wanted, try the Fruitsicle and go for the Cotton Candy instead, we were her only customers. I seem to remember that in summer the queue for this was longer than some of the rides! What a contrast.
We brave the waters of the pool for a bit well, actually for about half a minute as it was cold! The girls decide they want to go on Runoff Rapids (what is happening to my cowardly daughters? They are asking to go on rides!) as long as they can ride with a grown up in a double ring. Going up all the steps (there are a lot!) with a double ring is hard work though the ride back down is lots of fun. Jon takes the girls on again (we want to encourage this new trying rides attitude!) while I sit and catch the last few rays of the day. Now that the sun has almost gone down it is getting very chilly to be sat in a wet swimming costume so we all go and get dressed. We decide its far too early to go back to the resort (plus we are enjoying our freedom too much) so decide to head to Fantasia Gardens for a game of mini golf.
I find this course a little frustrating after Winter Summerland. It is good fun and its very clever but a few of the holes include the type of shot that if you dont get it exactly right you could be there all night trying to find your ball in the bushes! Its definitely showing signs of age this course though it was enjoyable. We are notoriously slow at mini golf (there are four of us and the children can take some time to get the ball in the hole!) so we are used to letting the people behind us play through. However we were actually behind golfers who were slower than us! And there was only two of them! The reason they were so slow is not because they were bad or slow at the golf; it was because they were videoing every single thing. For example, they would get to a new hole, film the scroll (which sets the scene for the hole); they would then walk up and down the hole very slowly filming the whole thing; they would then film each other playing the hole (even to the extent of filming themselves picking the ball out of the hole at the end!) I can only imagine what thrilling footage that will make when they watch it.
Anyway, at the fifteenth hole this couple came over to us and warned us that a snake up ahead had crossed the path and gone into the water. Sure enough, you could see the snake swimming about. Well Im afraid that was it for me. I am petrified of snakes and could not carry on with the thought of one being so close. Yes, I am fully aware that there are snakes all over Orlando but when I actually see one Im afraid Im history so I conceded the last three holes and rushed to the shop where I felt safer. For the record, Jon was winning hugely anyway so Mr Snake just sped up the inevitable.
We headed back to AsMo to pick up Julie and Derek and went out to tea at TGI Fridays at the Crossroads. It was really busy and we had to wait a little while for a table, but we had a nice meal here. I was surprised that the cocktail menu was really small in relation to UK TGI Fridays but the waiter said that they could make any cocktail I cared to name. Unfortunately the one I wanted they had never heard of (!) despite what they had said. A man came round and made some balloon animals for the girls which were very clever. Back to the resort and straight to bed at 10.30.
at Universal etc.
