TigrLvsPooh
Travel Channel's Ultimate Disney Fan
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2001
- Messages
- 12,074
Day 6 Wednesday, May 4th
Now we are really getting into the exciting part of the trip!! Today was the day dh and I left the kids at the Poly with my Mom and checked in over at AKL for the big press event! Three days of special events, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, and feeling quite important. (ha ha) We checked in at the AKL that morning and had an AWESOME room!!! A king bed deluxe room savannah view. Now THAT is the way to go let me tell you. After running from building to building in the rain at the Poly the night before we were sooooo happy to be indoors at the AKL for a change. I never thought I would enjoy or appreciate the whole animal thing, not being much of an animal lover myself, but we were mesmerized by the savannah!! DH and I hung out on the balcony with our little animal guide trying to see how many animals we could spot.
Of course that view didnt even hold a candle to our access to the Vice Presidential Suite the Disney people had set up for the media that was by far the hit! What a gorgeous suite it was and all the Disney castmembers working in the suite were so kind and helpful. DH got lots of freebies and gifts. They gave him a big Disney bag full of things, a Light Motors Action watch, a special pin for the event, a bunch of cool toys for the kids, free batteries, snacks, Disney treats of all kinds, a huge gumball machine with the castle on top, I cant even remember everything there was so much!
The suite had a huge spread of food, drinks, bottled water, and goodies to drop in for anytime we wanted. What a way to get spoiled!!! They really know how to roll out the red carpet. One morning in the suite we even had our first celebrity experience. A very nice lady came up to dh and I to tell us she loved our show and took our picture. Boy I could get use to that kind of attention!! 
Of course it was just the beginning of our celeb experience
more to come on that.
We left our luxury at AKL to take the kids to Epcot that afternoon. Of course with our free media fastpass card we experienced the parks like NEVER before. Not only could we use the card as many times as we wanted, but it prints out a fastpass for the exact time you are standing there, so NO waiting!!! Can you imagine how awesome that was??? Walking up to Soarin that afternoon the fastpasses were already spitting out 8:00 pm, but we were able to get passes to ride instantly. (How the heck do you get one of these things permanently????)
Now, to talk about Soarin I was blown away. It is definitely the best attraction at WDW by far. We rode it 3-4 times that week and it kept getting better and better. Try to get row 1 if you can that was the best. We then headed over to see Crush at the Living Seas which is also an AWESOME must see attraction. The kids were in heaven!! I dont want to give away much because its just better not knowing what will happen. But dont miss it. They have also added lots more Nemo stuff. Heres a great new photo spot:
Were Havin Fish Tonight!!!!!!
Now, sadly, its time to ditch the kids and hurry back to AKL so we can change clothes and get ready for the big press event at MGM. The moment weve been waiting for was finally here! Our first press event at WDW ever!! And we knew it would be incredible.
We were taken by Disney cruise buses to the back side of MGM right near Light Motors Actions entrance. Backstage as they say! We were ushered in down a red carpet surrounded by photographers, then past tables of drinks, bottled water, snacks, etc, and into the show. Oh, and every person was given a free Mickey umbrella just in case of rain! (Great souvenir too!) I quickly turned around a snapped a picture behind us .
This version of LMA! was way better than what we had seen the day before. They had added more stunts, more explosions, and a parade of Disney Heroes like The Incredibles, Toy Story, Power Rangers, Mickey, etc, to spice things up. Oh, also Robby Knievel was there doing some stunts and wowing the crowd on his motorcycle. Hes got his own show on A&E that dh and I sometimes watch.
The stands were packed with tons of media and celebrities. I was too busy pointing out the designers from Extreme Makeover Home Edition to dh to even watch the stunt show. That happens to be one of my FAVORITE shows of all time, so I was giddy with excitement! Probably acting like a complete fool! Also I spied the Travel Channel gang sitting just across from us, who we hadnt seen in a year, and boy were they surprised to see the Murphys!!! (We really must be the ultimate fans, huh??) After the show they came over and asked what the heck we were doing there! Then they remembered dh was a member of the media and we had a chance to hang out with them and catch up. Also I got a chance to meet some senior execs including the VP of the Travel Channel, which was ultra cool. I made sure he knew I was ready to take on my own show anytime they are ready for me. (hee hee) Or if Samantha Brown needs a replacement Id be happy to step in.
OK, fast forward a little, we are now walking down NY Street at MGM surrounded by the media and also scattered celebs. I had fun pointing them out and snapping pictures. DH was probably getting annoyed with me, but HEY how often do you see members of NSync just standing around chatting?? They were handing out program for the nights events too. Check out the marquee behind us!! LOL!!
After getting the lay of the land we headed INSIDE the Great Movie Ride to have dinner. Yes, you heard me right, INSIDE the Great Movie Ride for dinner!!!!!! Another big highlight of the trip let me tell you. They had set up buffet tables right where the ride cars go though and people were just eating right there! Here are some pictures of dh and I eating with Clint Eastwood and John Wayne!
Stick Em Up!!!!
Is that not totally cool or what??? WOW!!!!
After we ate dinner I had my big moment. The biggest moment of my trip! The MOTHER of all Moments!!! I actually got up the nerve to tap Michael (from Extreme Makeover Home Edition) on the shoulder and ask if he and Paige would take a picture with me. (BIG geek moment for me!!) They were very nice and we ended up talking for a few minutes about the Travel Channel (they both said it would be a dream job for them) and also Michael talked about a show they are doing from Monte Carlo (I think thats what he said, I was in my moment).
So now Im floating through the park. Nothing else can top that moment! Well, seeing Diana Degarmo posing for pictures with the WDW commercial dogs was a treat too!
We headed over to the Indiana Jones stage to catch the live show. Ashanti and Smashmouth and happened across a martini bar. YES!!!! We ended up spending quite a bit of time watching the concerts and drinking martinis. Appletinis, Chocolatinis, and any kind of tini we could get our hands on.
OK, so after the concert the night was starting to wind down. They had a fashion show in front of the hat followed by fireworks and a big finale. It was a great evening and best of all it didnt rain!!
We took the buses back to AKL and collapsed from exhaustion. I just have to add again that I loved our room. It was nice having the king sized bed and the daybed the room was really comfy and we liked the night view of the animals. Im hoping we stay there again for our trip coming up this September.
Now we are really getting into the exciting part of the trip!! Today was the day dh and I left the kids at the Poly with my Mom and checked in over at AKL for the big press event! Three days of special events, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, and feeling quite important. (ha ha) We checked in at the AKL that morning and had an AWESOME room!!! A king bed deluxe room savannah view. Now THAT is the way to go let me tell you. After running from building to building in the rain at the Poly the night before we were sooooo happy to be indoors at the AKL for a change. I never thought I would enjoy or appreciate the whole animal thing, not being much of an animal lover myself, but we were mesmerized by the savannah!! DH and I hung out on the balcony with our little animal guide trying to see how many animals we could spot.
Of course that view didnt even hold a candle to our access to the Vice Presidential Suite the Disney people had set up for the media that was by far the hit! What a gorgeous suite it was and all the Disney castmembers working in the suite were so kind and helpful. DH got lots of freebies and gifts. They gave him a big Disney bag full of things, a Light Motors Action watch, a special pin for the event, a bunch of cool toys for the kids, free batteries, snacks, Disney treats of all kinds, a huge gumball machine with the castle on top, I cant even remember everything there was so much!
The suite had a huge spread of food, drinks, bottled water, and goodies to drop in for anytime we wanted. What a way to get spoiled!!! They really know how to roll out the red carpet. One morning in the suite we even had our first celebrity experience. A very nice lady came up to dh and I to tell us she loved our show and took our picture. Boy I could get use to that kind of attention!! Of course it was just the beginning of our celeb experience
more to come on that.We left our luxury at AKL to take the kids to Epcot that afternoon. Of course with our free media fastpass card we experienced the parks like NEVER before. Not only could we use the card as many times as we wanted, but it prints out a fastpass for the exact time you are standing there, so NO waiting!!! Can you imagine how awesome that was??? Walking up to Soarin that afternoon the fastpasses were already spitting out 8:00 pm, but we were able to get passes to ride instantly. (How the heck do you get one of these things permanently????)
Now, to talk about Soarin I was blown away. It is definitely the best attraction at WDW by far. We rode it 3-4 times that week and it kept getting better and better. Try to get row 1 if you can that was the best. We then headed over to see Crush at the Living Seas which is also an AWESOME must see attraction. The kids were in heaven!! I dont want to give away much because its just better not knowing what will happen. But dont miss it. They have also added lots more Nemo stuff. Heres a great new photo spot:
Were Havin Fish Tonight!!!!!!
Now, sadly, its time to ditch the kids and hurry back to AKL so we can change clothes and get ready for the big press event at MGM. The moment weve been waiting for was finally here! Our first press event at WDW ever!! And we knew it would be incredible.
We were taken by Disney cruise buses to the back side of MGM right near Light Motors Actions entrance. Backstage as they say! We were ushered in down a red carpet surrounded by photographers, then past tables of drinks, bottled water, snacks, etc, and into the show. Oh, and every person was given a free Mickey umbrella just in case of rain! (Great souvenir too!) I quickly turned around a snapped a picture behind us .
This version of LMA! was way better than what we had seen the day before. They had added more stunts, more explosions, and a parade of Disney Heroes like The Incredibles, Toy Story, Power Rangers, Mickey, etc, to spice things up. Oh, also Robby Knievel was there doing some stunts and wowing the crowd on his motorcycle. Hes got his own show on A&E that dh and I sometimes watch.
The stands were packed with tons of media and celebrities. I was too busy pointing out the designers from Extreme Makeover Home Edition to dh to even watch the stunt show. That happens to be one of my FAVORITE shows of all time, so I was giddy with excitement! Probably acting like a complete fool! Also I spied the Travel Channel gang sitting just across from us, who we hadnt seen in a year, and boy were they surprised to see the Murphys!!! (We really must be the ultimate fans, huh??) After the show they came over and asked what the heck we were doing there! Then they remembered dh was a member of the media and we had a chance to hang out with them and catch up. Also I got a chance to meet some senior execs including the VP of the Travel Channel, which was ultra cool. I made sure he knew I was ready to take on my own show anytime they are ready for me. (hee hee) Or if Samantha Brown needs a replacement Id be happy to step in.
OK, fast forward a little, we are now walking down NY Street at MGM surrounded by the media and also scattered celebs. I had fun pointing them out and snapping pictures. DH was probably getting annoyed with me, but HEY how often do you see members of NSync just standing around chatting?? They were handing out program for the nights events too. Check out the marquee behind us!! LOL!!
After getting the lay of the land we headed INSIDE the Great Movie Ride to have dinner. Yes, you heard me right, INSIDE the Great Movie Ride for dinner!!!!!! Another big highlight of the trip let me tell you. They had set up buffet tables right where the ride cars go though and people were just eating right there! Here are some pictures of dh and I eating with Clint Eastwood and John Wayne!
Stick Em Up!!!!
Is that not totally cool or what??? WOW!!!!
After we ate dinner I had my big moment. The biggest moment of my trip! The MOTHER of all Moments!!! I actually got up the nerve to tap Michael (from Extreme Makeover Home Edition) on the shoulder and ask if he and Paige would take a picture with me. (BIG geek moment for me!!) They were very nice and we ended up talking for a few minutes about the Travel Channel (they both said it would be a dream job for them) and also Michael talked about a show they are doing from Monte Carlo (I think thats what he said, I was in my moment).
So now Im floating through the park. Nothing else can top that moment! Well, seeing Diana Degarmo posing for pictures with the WDW commercial dogs was a treat too!
We headed over to the Indiana Jones stage to catch the live show. Ashanti and Smashmouth and happened across a martini bar. YES!!!! We ended up spending quite a bit of time watching the concerts and drinking martinis. Appletinis, Chocolatinis, and any kind of tini we could get our hands on.
OK, so after the concert the night was starting to wind down. They had a fashion show in front of the hat followed by fireworks and a big finale. It was a great evening and best of all it didnt rain!!
We took the buses back to AKL and collapsed from exhaustion. I just have to add again that I loved our room. It was nice having the king sized bed and the daybed the room was really comfy and we liked the night view of the animals. Im hoping we stay there again for our trip coming up this September.
We had a wonderful day that day... but if you can believe it our 7th day was even better! 
Thanks for sharing it with us! 
