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Day 6 - Monday June 4
We were all up early, and went to Perkins for breakfast before heading over to Shades of Green to get Military 4-day hoppers and NASA passes for John & Jane. Then, we headed to EPCOT. We got Fastpass for Test Track. The machine rejected my AP for a Fastpass, so a CM inserted a key and printed one for me. She asked if I had already used it for a Fastpass that day in EPCOT. I hadn't, so she figured there was a glitch in the system and told me to check later with guest services. Our group of 4 had time before Test Track to see most of Future World. When we returned to Test Track, we were still about 5 minutes early, so we waited patiently chatting with a very nice young male CM. All of a sudden this woman runs up behind us, her daughter was in a wheelchair. The CM explained that they had changed the wheelchair entries, and he could issue her a return card equal to the standby wait time, or she could get a Fastpass. She was furious, and really chewed out the CM, saying she had a doctor's note, and her daughter couldn't wait in line. The CM was patient, and explained that she wouldn't be waiting in line, and could get a guaranteed return time equal to the standby time...he suggested they use the time for other attractions or to browse through some nice cool shops. That poor CM, the woman really went off on him, saying she didn't HAVE to wait at any other park...blah..blah..blah. The CM calmly stood by the policy, then she spied us, with Mom in a wheelchair. She asked why we didn't have to wait. We said we had Fastpass, and had to wait a few minutes for our time to come up. She stormed off in a huff. I'm so glad I don't work customer service anymore.........
After Test Track we had lunch in the Land Pavilion food court, while we waited I got our Fastpass for the boat ride, mine was rejected again, and a CM printed one for me. The rest of the day we spent in the countries, and we watched IllumiNations.
Day 7 - Tuesday June 5
John & Jane had wanted to do the luau, so I made ressies for the 4 of us before leaving San Antonio.
We had breakfast at Perkins, again. The headed to AK, since we figured we could see most of it and still have time to get ready for the luau. AK was packed with people, I've never seen it so crowded. Knowing I'd need my Fastpass to get on the Safari, I checked at guest services to see if there was a problem. I explained to the CM about what happened at EPCOT. He scanned my pass, and explained that it must have misread at the EPCOT entry turnstile. The computer didn't show that I had been at EPCOT yesterday, and therefor, the Fastpass kiosks didn't issue the pass for the AP. He said the system showed me at AK that day, so the Fastpass should work...it did. I can't begin to imagine such an integrated computer system that ties Fastpass to park entry and guest tracking...WOW! Anyway, we saw the Festival of the Lion King and rode the Safari. The park was so crowded it was tiring just being there...let alone the heat...so we left for DD to shop around until mid afternoon, then showered and dressed in our Hawaiian clothes.
We arrived at the Poly early enough to have a Pina Colada at the bar near 'Ohana...they make the best ones ever! After enjoying our drink, we strolled out to the luau cove, and were seated in about 10 minutes. We had good seats, Tables 21B & 21C, except a support pole made picture taking difficult. The luau menu has improved dramatically this year. Polynesian pork ribs, Hawaiian chicken quarters, lightly seasoned rice with popcorn shrimp and a vegetable medley (mainly fresh broccoli). The appetizer was a mixed green salad, fresh pineapple spear and coconut bread. Dessert was the standard pineapple-coconut cake, only they zipped up the presentation by bring it out on a tray with a dry ice volcano. The only alcoholic beverages included were beer and wine, mixed drinks were an extra charge. I had coffee. The food was very, very good...especially compared to previous years.
Day 8 - Wednesday June 6
We had our normal breakfast at Perkins, then drove to NASA. We encountered our worst smoke during the drive over and back on the Beeline. Upon arrival, we traded the voucher that John was issued at Shades of Green for a NASA entry ticket. Military tickets are $20, general public $25. This tour has improved so much over the last few years it is well worth the price. We loaded onto a bus immediately to begin our tour. We rode out to the Vehicle Assembly Building, one of those giant pads on treads blocked our way for about 10 minutes...moving at 2 miles per hour. They were preparing to move a shuttle to a launch pad. It was the first time we'd actually seen one of those huge pads moving. It was quite a sight. Then we continued on the observation gantry, and saw the launch pads 39A & 39B. We re-boarded a bus, and went to the Saturn V building. Watching several a film on the preparations for the manned moon program under JFK. Afterwards, we were shown into a launch control room where the actual launch is recreated. We had lunch next to the Saturn V rocket, their food service has improved a little...at least the sandwich was edible. We then saw an animatronic recreation of the moon landing...very well done. We again boarded a bus to take us to the International Space Station building. Her we saw a walk through full sized mock-up of some of the International Space Station Modules, as well as some actual components in a testing facility. From there, the busses returned to the visitor center. Your entry ticket also includes your choice of two IMAX films. We chose the IMAX 3D film "L5" about what it would be like to grow up on a space station. The 3D effect is really enhanced by the sharpness of the IMAX format.
We returned to WDW by about 5pm, and headed over to Rainforest at DD for dinner. I had called them the previous evening for a guaranteed reservation under the rules of the Safari Club. The CM there said that at Disney, just show your Safari Club card and you're placed in a special immediate seating line. We were seated in about 10 minutes, the normal wait would have been an hour and a half. The 4 of us all ordered dinner salad, and split 2 orders of pot roast. We then split 2 orders of banana cheesecake. It was a great meal, and the service was very good.
Day 9 - Thursday May 7
We arose and drove to Perkins for breakfast (I know, boring, but everyone else wanted to eat there.) We then drove to the Studios to spend the day. We saw almost all the attractions, except B&B and Hunchback. Millionaire was fun, it was well done for folks who have never been to a soundstage or game show taping. Playing along was fun, even though I pushed a wrong button and missed an easy question. We had a lunch PS at 50s Prime Time, with a really fun waitress. The park was pretty busy, we used Fastpass for Indy and Little Mermaid. During the day we had soft-serve ice cream near the exit to Backlot Tour. About 7:30 we headed over to Fantasmic. With Mom in a wheelchair we had no problem getting a seat, although he amphitheater filled up quickly. Just before 9pm a lightning storm came through and it poured down rain, the show was canceled. By the time we got to our car we were thoroughly drenched to our skin...drip...drip...drip. We stopped at Olivia's for a hamburger and were treated like drowned rats. They brought out towels for us. We'd have gone to the room and changed, but we wouldn't have had time to dry off and make it back to Olivia's before closing. The burgers were good, and the service excellent...they kept bringing towels...we must've been quite a sight.
Day 10 - Friday May 8
I talked everybody into breakfast at EPCOT, so we wound up at the Electric Umbrella. The French toast sticks were crispy, not dry or soggy. It was good. We finished up seeing the countries and did a little shopping in the China pavilion. About 2pm we took the monorail to MK, leaving the car at EPCOT. At the TTC, we transferred to a ferry boat, since none of us had ridden on them in previous years. It was a nice change from the monorail, the cool breeze from lake was refreshing. We arrived at MK about 2:45 and found a spot for the parade on Main Street, of course it was in the hot sun, so I got Mom a hat and I took off to make a dinner PS at Plaza (Ice Cream Parlor) Restaurant. The parade took time to wind down from Frontierland, so I was able to return to our viewing area. During the afternoon we went to several attractions, then were seated for dinner. I had a cheesesteak sandwich, it was OK, Jane & John has Rueben's and Mom had a club sandwich...her sandwich was HUGE. Split one of these between two people, and enjoy malts. After dinner, they had just opened the wheelchair seating area for Spectromagic on the plaza, so we got a spot. It filled up quickly. I walked Mom to the restroom, so we wouldn't loose our place. As much as I liked MSEP, and having grown up with it at Disneyland in CA, I really love Spectromagic. You can sure see the advances in lighting technology. After the parade, we moved to the center of Main Street and waited for Fantasy in the Sky. The park was packed. No way would I want to have tried to work my way up or down Main Street. After the fireworks, we took the parking lot monorail and transferred at EPCOT monorail to retrieve the car. I probably should have sent Mom and the others back to OKW via the bus, but I just wasn't thinking. Anyway, the line moved pretty quickly considering the crowd.
We were all up early, and went to Perkins for breakfast before heading over to Shades of Green to get Military 4-day hoppers and NASA passes for John & Jane. Then, we headed to EPCOT. We got Fastpass for Test Track. The machine rejected my AP for a Fastpass, so a CM inserted a key and printed one for me. She asked if I had already used it for a Fastpass that day in EPCOT. I hadn't, so she figured there was a glitch in the system and told me to check later with guest services. Our group of 4 had time before Test Track to see most of Future World. When we returned to Test Track, we were still about 5 minutes early, so we waited patiently chatting with a very nice young male CM. All of a sudden this woman runs up behind us, her daughter was in a wheelchair. The CM explained that they had changed the wheelchair entries, and he could issue her a return card equal to the standby wait time, or she could get a Fastpass. She was furious, and really chewed out the CM, saying she had a doctor's note, and her daughter couldn't wait in line. The CM was patient, and explained that she wouldn't be waiting in line, and could get a guaranteed return time equal to the standby time...he suggested they use the time for other attractions or to browse through some nice cool shops. That poor CM, the woman really went off on him, saying she didn't HAVE to wait at any other park...blah..blah..blah. The CM calmly stood by the policy, then she spied us, with Mom in a wheelchair. She asked why we didn't have to wait. We said we had Fastpass, and had to wait a few minutes for our time to come up. She stormed off in a huff. I'm so glad I don't work customer service anymore.........
After Test Track we had lunch in the Land Pavilion food court, while we waited I got our Fastpass for the boat ride, mine was rejected again, and a CM printed one for me. The rest of the day we spent in the countries, and we watched IllumiNations.
Day 7 - Tuesday June 5
John & Jane had wanted to do the luau, so I made ressies for the 4 of us before leaving San Antonio.
We had breakfast at Perkins, again. The headed to AK, since we figured we could see most of it and still have time to get ready for the luau. AK was packed with people, I've never seen it so crowded. Knowing I'd need my Fastpass to get on the Safari, I checked at guest services to see if there was a problem. I explained to the CM about what happened at EPCOT. He scanned my pass, and explained that it must have misread at the EPCOT entry turnstile. The computer didn't show that I had been at EPCOT yesterday, and therefor, the Fastpass kiosks didn't issue the pass for the AP. He said the system showed me at AK that day, so the Fastpass should work...it did. I can't begin to imagine such an integrated computer system that ties Fastpass to park entry and guest tracking...WOW! Anyway, we saw the Festival of the Lion King and rode the Safari. The park was so crowded it was tiring just being there...let alone the heat...so we left for DD to shop around until mid afternoon, then showered and dressed in our Hawaiian clothes.
We arrived at the Poly early enough to have a Pina Colada at the bar near 'Ohana...they make the best ones ever! After enjoying our drink, we strolled out to the luau cove, and were seated in about 10 minutes. We had good seats, Tables 21B & 21C, except a support pole made picture taking difficult. The luau menu has improved dramatically this year. Polynesian pork ribs, Hawaiian chicken quarters, lightly seasoned rice with popcorn shrimp and a vegetable medley (mainly fresh broccoli). The appetizer was a mixed green salad, fresh pineapple spear and coconut bread. Dessert was the standard pineapple-coconut cake, only they zipped up the presentation by bring it out on a tray with a dry ice volcano. The only alcoholic beverages included were beer and wine, mixed drinks were an extra charge. I had coffee. The food was very, very good...especially compared to previous years.
Day 8 - Wednesday June 6
We had our normal breakfast at Perkins, then drove to NASA. We encountered our worst smoke during the drive over and back on the Beeline. Upon arrival, we traded the voucher that John was issued at Shades of Green for a NASA entry ticket. Military tickets are $20, general public $25. This tour has improved so much over the last few years it is well worth the price. We loaded onto a bus immediately to begin our tour. We rode out to the Vehicle Assembly Building, one of those giant pads on treads blocked our way for about 10 minutes...moving at 2 miles per hour. They were preparing to move a shuttle to a launch pad. It was the first time we'd actually seen one of those huge pads moving. It was quite a sight. Then we continued on the observation gantry, and saw the launch pads 39A & 39B. We re-boarded a bus, and went to the Saturn V building. Watching several a film on the preparations for the manned moon program under JFK. Afterwards, we were shown into a launch control room where the actual launch is recreated. We had lunch next to the Saturn V rocket, their food service has improved a little...at least the sandwich was edible. We then saw an animatronic recreation of the moon landing...very well done. We again boarded a bus to take us to the International Space Station building. Her we saw a walk through full sized mock-up of some of the International Space Station Modules, as well as some actual components in a testing facility. From there, the busses returned to the visitor center. Your entry ticket also includes your choice of two IMAX films. We chose the IMAX 3D film "L5" about what it would be like to grow up on a space station. The 3D effect is really enhanced by the sharpness of the IMAX format.
We returned to WDW by about 5pm, and headed over to Rainforest at DD for dinner. I had called them the previous evening for a guaranteed reservation under the rules of the Safari Club. The CM there said that at Disney, just show your Safari Club card and you're placed in a special immediate seating line. We were seated in about 10 minutes, the normal wait would have been an hour and a half. The 4 of us all ordered dinner salad, and split 2 orders of pot roast. We then split 2 orders of banana cheesecake. It was a great meal, and the service was very good.
Day 9 - Thursday May 7
We arose and drove to Perkins for breakfast (I know, boring, but everyone else wanted to eat there.) We then drove to the Studios to spend the day. We saw almost all the attractions, except B&B and Hunchback. Millionaire was fun, it was well done for folks who have never been to a soundstage or game show taping. Playing along was fun, even though I pushed a wrong button and missed an easy question. We had a lunch PS at 50s Prime Time, with a really fun waitress. The park was pretty busy, we used Fastpass for Indy and Little Mermaid. During the day we had soft-serve ice cream near the exit to Backlot Tour. About 7:30 we headed over to Fantasmic. With Mom in a wheelchair we had no problem getting a seat, although he amphitheater filled up quickly. Just before 9pm a lightning storm came through and it poured down rain, the show was canceled. By the time we got to our car we were thoroughly drenched to our skin...drip...drip...drip. We stopped at Olivia's for a hamburger and were treated like drowned rats. They brought out towels for us. We'd have gone to the room and changed, but we wouldn't have had time to dry off and make it back to Olivia's before closing. The burgers were good, and the service excellent...they kept bringing towels...we must've been quite a sight.
Day 10 - Friday May 8
I talked everybody into breakfast at EPCOT, so we wound up at the Electric Umbrella. The French toast sticks were crispy, not dry or soggy. It was good. We finished up seeing the countries and did a little shopping in the China pavilion. About 2pm we took the monorail to MK, leaving the car at EPCOT. At the TTC, we transferred to a ferry boat, since none of us had ridden on them in previous years. It was a nice change from the monorail, the cool breeze from lake was refreshing. We arrived at MK about 2:45 and found a spot for the parade on Main Street, of course it was in the hot sun, so I got Mom a hat and I took off to make a dinner PS at Plaza (Ice Cream Parlor) Restaurant. The parade took time to wind down from Frontierland, so I was able to return to our viewing area. During the afternoon we went to several attractions, then were seated for dinner. I had a cheesesteak sandwich, it was OK, Jane & John has Rueben's and Mom had a club sandwich...her sandwich was HUGE. Split one of these between two people, and enjoy malts. After dinner, they had just opened the wheelchair seating area for Spectromagic on the plaza, so we got a spot. It filled up quickly. I walked Mom to the restroom, so we wouldn't loose our place. As much as I liked MSEP, and having grown up with it at Disneyland in CA, I really love Spectromagic. You can sure see the advances in lighting technology. After the parade, we moved to the center of Main Street and waited for Fantasy in the Sky. The park was packed. No way would I want to have tried to work my way up or down Main Street. After the fireworks, we took the parking lot monorail and transferred at EPCOT monorail to retrieve the car. I probably should have sent Mom and the others back to OKW via the bus, but I just wasn't thinking. Anyway, the line moved pretty quickly considering the crowd.
