Day Six at the Lodge- "The EPCOT Escapades!"
New Jersey's Fab Four's First Trip to the World!
Participants: Myself (age 32)
DH (age 36)
DisTwins (age 5)
Week of Aug. 24th to 31st
We figure today will be a relaxing day of touring EPCOT in the a.m., taking a break at Downtown Disney, and returning for Illuminations. Were we ever WRONG!
The day starts off on a bad foot as we are running late for an 8:40 PS for the Princess Breakfast at Akerhaus in Norway. DS is complaining already that it is too much walking (and we're not even past Spaceship Earth!). We realize later how much we regret not getting a stroller!
We get seated right away and enjoy yet another fabulous character meal. Despite the fact that we already met 3 of the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table and Jasmine in Adv. Land, we are excited to see a new face to greet, Mulan! All the princesses are delightful as usual! Belle comes over to our table singing and extends a friendly invitation to look for her and the Beast later in France (very nice of her, though a BIG letdown for DD when they are not there later!). Mulan was also very personable and talked with DS about how she acts more like a boy!
The food, by the way, was exceptional, as well!
The downhill descent begins right after bkfst as we attempt 3 - 4 times to get a picturesque shot in front of Spaceship Earth (DH kept taking the shot before kids were ready!). I then drop the (rather expensive) camera hard on the ground as I try to shuffle it with a bag on my shoulder! Doesn't sound good!
DH gets FP's for Test Track and meets us over at Journey to Imagination. NO ONE is at this attraction yet (I mean, LITERALLY! We were the ONLY ones entering the attraction and even had ALL of Imageworks to ourselves afterward!). DD is showing her cranky side and complains through the whole ride and Imageworks experience (Family at home all get a kick out of our picture emailed to them with DD showing a classic scowl!
). We decide to split up w/ DH and DS headed for Test Track (again, DD is not a "thrill seeker" so she is happy to sit out!) and we gals are off to the Camera Center (w/ fingers crossed!) to see if anything can be done for the 'ol Minolta! The CM is knowledgeable and friendly (and even sympathetic!) but reveals that the shutter is not working properly. She provides directions to a local repair shop but in the meantime I purchase a couple of disposables for the remainder of our trip! (At least the Pixie Dust kept this little mishap from happening until our last park!)
We catch up with the boys at Test Track and DS is ready to take his 'ol Mom for a spin, as we have 2 more FP's to use (w/ DD and I sitting out the first round). Okay, one more spin which I find to be a lot of fun!
Finally, we're off to my favorite place in Disney - The World Showcase! We ride the boat ride through Mexico, which seems to be enjoyed by all! (The kids call it the "cemetary ride" because the large tomb at the beginning makes them think it's a cemetary! ) DD then has a breakdown at the Penny Press because she is convinced DS's collection now totals more than hers and demands that he not be allowed to get one! Thank God there is a Margarita Stand just calling our names right outside! 
They're delicious - put this pitstop on your list! We go next door to Norway for the "Maelstrom" boat ride, but with these tall margaritas to drink, we have to wait. Fortunately we peek in the gift shop and discover the "Kidcot Station" where the kids can make masks, to be adorned with new "tokens" and stamps from each country! What a great way to kill the time while we "kill" those yummy margaritas! We have a nice chat with the CM's who explain that all the CM's in each country are natives of that locale and are here visiting for a year. Take the time to talk with these nice people! They really enjoy sharing their experience and we learned a lot from them!
(Sidebar: While in the giftshop, a small group of ladies come in and request that everyone don a "viking hat" to pose for a Polaroid - they're on a scavenger hunt-type adventure and get more points for more people in their photo! Cute idea for anyone going with a large group! We all oblige and get a kick out of it!)
The Maelstrom ride also had NO wait (neither did the Mexico ride!) (This is a GREAT day to be in EPCOT!) and, though the kids find some parts a little intimidating, it's a nice ride. We really liked the film of Norway shown afterward! We ride the Friendship Cruise across the lake over to Canada, as our strategy is to go around World Showcase counterclockwise against the crowd (not that it matters today, though . . . WHAT crowd?!). Another meltdown, this time from DS, when he stops for a milkshake at the McDonald's refreshment stand and is told they don't have any! (You'd think we'd get a clue by now and call it a day! )
We quickly go through Canada and head over to Great Britain. CHARACTER SEEKERS: If you are not doing the Pooh meal in MK, GO HERE to see the Pooh pals! They are in the toy store and, appearing in a quiet room in the back, there is NO ONE waiting to see them! They actually get bored (we had Pooh and Eeyore) and venture through the store, goofing with CM's and sneaking up on the kids! Cute! DS is upset about leaving (even though we were there over 30 minutes and he had 2 - 3 warnings!) and we endure another meltdown! We very naively figure we can make our way over to Germany before we take the Friendship Cruise back to the front of World Showcase and head out for the afternoon. BAD IDEA! We stop in France and DS places an ink stamp on his mask handle. He decides this is not where he wants it to be and demands that it be "erased"! Oh, boy! Now he is PAST his threshold of tolerance and is taken to the boat dock screaming loud enough for all of Wrld. Shwcase to hear! (However, we fortunately make it under the covered dock just before a downpour!) DH and I think seriously about taking a flying leap into the lake!
Fortunately the rain is finished by the time we make it across Wrld Shwcs and exit the park! We make a BEELINE for the Lodge to put our Disney Darlings to bed! (It's about 3:00) We all nap for 2 and a half hours and wake up all feeling 100% better! DH and I feel badly about not picking up on the kids' cues sooner!
DD says she'd like to have Chinese for dinner and they agree to return to EPCOT for dinner in China and Illuminations. First stop when we return - STROLLER RENTAL!! Kids are already starting off on a higher note when we stop in Innoventions and play video games! They really have a lot of fun in here (though "Tom Morrow's Playground" is a little advanced for them and we give up!). We enjoy a very pleasant and relaxed dinner in China (yep, the stroller is a God-send . . . just KICK us for not thinking of it sooner!) and kids have LOTS of fun playing with the Chinese toys at the merchant's stand. They also LOVE visiting the Kidcot Station here where the CM writes their name and birthdate in Chinese on their masks!
We make our way around to France (where we left off earlier!), visiting all the Kidcot stations to finish our masks. A new pet peeve I've discovered: ADULTS who hold up the line at the Kidcot Stations because they want to have a mask stamped! Two or three times we were held up by a couple of twenty-somethings who wanted to have a souvenir mask!
Didn't they see the sign that read KIDcot Station?!
We finish just in time to get a spot for Illuminations. The show is truly magical and awe-inspiring! The kids were concerned that it would look "just like the fireworks" they saw in MK and were amazed at how incredible it was! (Actually were frightened a couple of times when some of the blasts/fireworks came right out of the torch in front of us!) We take a leisurely stroll back to the front of the park. Don't miss the stones that light up in front of Spaceship Earth as you walk on them! They LOVED playing on these!
Back to the Lodge to call it a night! Tomorrow is our LAST full day at Disney!
New Jersey's Fab Four's First Trip to the World!
Participants: Myself (age 32)
DH (age 36)
DisTwins (age 5)
Week of Aug. 24th to 31st
We figure today will be a relaxing day of touring EPCOT in the a.m., taking a break at Downtown Disney, and returning for Illuminations. Were we ever WRONG!
The day starts off on a bad foot as we are running late for an 8:40 PS for the Princess Breakfast at Akerhaus in Norway. DS is complaining already that it is too much walking (and we're not even past Spaceship Earth!). We realize later how much we regret not getting a stroller!
We get seated right away and enjoy yet another fabulous character meal. Despite the fact that we already met 3 of the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table and Jasmine in Adv. Land, we are excited to see a new face to greet, Mulan! All the princesses are delightful as usual! Belle comes over to our table singing and extends a friendly invitation to look for her and the Beast later in France (very nice of her, though a BIG letdown for DD when they are not there later!). Mulan was also very personable and talked with DS about how she acts more like a boy!
The food, by the way, was exceptional, as well!The downhill descent begins right after bkfst as we attempt 3 - 4 times to get a picturesque shot in front of Spaceship Earth (DH kept taking the shot before kids were ready!). I then drop the (rather expensive) camera hard on the ground as I try to shuffle it with a bag on my shoulder! Doesn't sound good!
DH gets FP's for Test Track and meets us over at Journey to Imagination. NO ONE is at this attraction yet (I mean, LITERALLY! We were the ONLY ones entering the attraction and even had ALL of Imageworks to ourselves afterward!). DD is showing her cranky side and complains through the whole ride and Imageworks experience (Family at home all get a kick out of our picture emailed to them with DD showing a classic scowl!
). We decide to split up w/ DH and DS headed for Test Track (again, DD is not a "thrill seeker" so she is happy to sit out!) and we gals are off to the Camera Center (w/ fingers crossed!) to see if anything can be done for the 'ol Minolta! The CM is knowledgeable and friendly (and even sympathetic!) but reveals that the shutter is not working properly. She provides directions to a local repair shop but in the meantime I purchase a couple of disposables for the remainder of our trip! (At least the Pixie Dust kept this little mishap from happening until our last park!)We catch up with the boys at Test Track and DS is ready to take his 'ol Mom for a spin, as we have 2 more FP's to use (w/ DD and I sitting out the first round). Okay, one more spin which I find to be a lot of fun!
Finally, we're off to my favorite place in Disney - The World Showcase! We ride the boat ride through Mexico, which seems to be enjoyed by all! (The kids call it the "cemetary ride" because the large tomb at the beginning makes them think it's a cemetary! ) DD then has a breakdown at the Penny Press because she is convinced DS's collection now totals more than hers and demands that he not be allowed to get one!
Thank God there is a Margarita Stand just calling our names right outside! They're delicious - put this pitstop on your list! We go next door to Norway for the "Maelstrom" boat ride, but with these tall margaritas to drink, we have to wait. Fortunately we peek in the gift shop and discover the "Kidcot Station" where the kids can make masks, to be adorned with new "tokens" and stamps from each country! What a great way to kill the time while we "kill" those yummy margaritas! We have a nice chat with the CM's who explain that all the CM's in each country are natives of that locale and are here visiting for a year. Take the time to talk with these nice people! They really enjoy sharing their experience and we learned a lot from them! (Sidebar: While in the giftshop, a small group of ladies come in and request that everyone don a "viking hat" to pose for a Polaroid - they're on a scavenger hunt-type adventure and get more points for more people in their photo! Cute idea for anyone going with a large group! We all oblige and get a kick out of it!)
The Maelstrom ride also had NO wait (neither did the Mexico ride!) (This is a GREAT day to be in EPCOT!) and, though the kids find some parts a little intimidating, it's a nice ride. We really liked the film of Norway shown afterward! We ride the Friendship Cruise across the lake over to Canada, as our strategy is to go around World Showcase counterclockwise against the crowd (not that it matters today, though . . . WHAT crowd?!). Another meltdown, this time from DS, when he stops for a milkshake at the McDonald's refreshment stand and is told they don't have any! (You'd think we'd get a clue by now and call it a day!
) We quickly go through Canada and head over to Great Britain. CHARACTER SEEKERS: If you are not doing the Pooh meal in MK, GO HERE to see the Pooh pals! They are in the toy store and, appearing in a quiet room in the back, there is NO ONE waiting to see them! They actually get bored (we had Pooh and Eeyore) and venture through the store, goofing with CM's and sneaking up on the kids! Cute! DS is upset about leaving (even though we were there over 30 minutes and he had 2 - 3 warnings!) and we endure another meltdown! We very naively figure we can make our way over to Germany before we take the Friendship Cruise back to the front of World Showcase and head out for the afternoon. BAD IDEA! We stop in France and DS places an ink stamp on his mask handle. He decides this is not where he wants it to be and demands that it be "erased"! Oh, boy! Now he is PAST his threshold of tolerance and is taken to the boat dock screaming loud enough for all of Wrld. Shwcase to hear! (However, we fortunately make it under the covered dock just before a downpour!) DH and I think seriously about taking a flying leap into the lake!
Fortunately the rain is finished by the time we make it across Wrld Shwcs and exit the park! We make a BEELINE for the Lodge to put our Disney Darlings to bed! (It's about 3:00) We all nap for 2 and a half hours and wake up all feeling 100% better! DH and I feel badly about not picking up on the kids' cues sooner!
DD says she'd like to have Chinese for dinner and they agree to return to EPCOT for dinner in China and Illuminations. First stop when we return - STROLLER RENTAL!! Kids are already starting off on a higher note when we stop in Innoventions and play video games! They really have a lot of fun in here (though "Tom Morrow's Playground" is a little advanced for them and we give up!). We enjoy a very pleasant and relaxed dinner in China (yep, the stroller is a God-send . . . just KICK us for not thinking of it sooner!) and kids have LOTS of fun playing with the Chinese toys at the merchant's stand. They also LOVE visiting the Kidcot Station here where the CM writes their name and birthdate in Chinese on their masks!
We make our way around to France (where we left off earlier!), visiting all the Kidcot stations to finish our masks. A new pet peeve I've discovered: ADULTS who hold up the line at the Kidcot Stations because they want to have a mask stamped! Two or three times we were held up by a couple of twenty-somethings who wanted to have a souvenir mask!
Didn't they see the sign that read KIDcot Station?!We finish just in time to get a spot for Illuminations. The show is truly magical and awe-inspiring! The kids were concerned that it would look "just like the fireworks" they saw in MK and were amazed at how incredible it was! (Actually were frightened a couple of times when some of the blasts/fireworks came right out of the torch in front of us!) We take a leisurely stroll back to the front of the park. Don't miss the stones that light up in front of Spaceship Earth as you walk on them! They LOVED playing on these!
Back to the Lodge to call it a night! Tomorrow is our LAST full day at Disney!
