DISboard newbie Pre-Trip Report

[amgangi]

I have been motivated by some of the great PTRs I've been reading and want in on it!

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

This trip is to celebrate my dd Jill's 16th birthday. Her birthday is in June, but having been to WDW in June once before I knew going back at that time of year is NOT for me. I just cannot handle the heat and humidity. So we postponed her trip until November.

The tradition is that Mom takes the birthday child for their 16th birthday. I did this trip with my now 19 yr old dd 3 years ago. I booked our airfare and hotel back in March. After giving it some thought and feeling guilty that we were not taking the trip until 5 months after her actual birthday, I came up with the idea of inviting her best friend Maria. My first move was to discuss the idea with Maria's mom. I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. Maria was given the A-Ok to go with, so I booked another airline ticket. This was in April. We needed to keep this aspect of the trip a secret from dd Jill until her birthday in June. It wasn't easy. On her birthday I took Jill and Maria out for dinner and Jill's gift was a set of HB Mickey Ears and our flight itinerary listing 3 names, not 2. She was a bit confused at first, but once she realized what it meant, she was thrilled. She was shocked that we all kept the secret as long as we did.

Originally I planned 2 nights at Pop, 2 nights at AKL, 2 nights at GF, utilizing DME. Since the first 2 days were not going to be big park days for us due to the Thanksgiving holiday, moving didn't seem like too big of a deal. After looking at finances I decided "wouldn't it be great if we could do the first FOUR nights at AKL and that way we could really enjoy the resort with our downtime the first 2 days?" So I changed my ressies. 4 nights AKL, 2 nights GF. BUT both dd Jill and gf Maria believe we are doing all 6 nights at POP.

I am also surprising them with a town car instead of doing the original plan of DME.

Another surprise I have planned for the girls is the Keys to the Kingdom tour Saturday Nov 29th. I didn't want to do a park that day because of the crowds but a tour seemed to be a great way to manage them. After the tour we will head back to AKL to hang out.

The next surprise comes on Sunday evening with tickets to MVMCP. The girls have no idea. I don't even think they know the party exists.

I will surprise them one last time when I tell them to pack up their things Tue morning when we move to the Grand Floridian

I've tweaked and played around with our itinerary but I think this is the final draft.

Friday, Nov. 28th

Arrive in Orlando at 10am. Check in at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Savannah View, keeping fingers crossed that our room will be ready. If not we will have our swimsuits with us and we'll just enjoy the resort. We have 8pm ressies for Chef Mickey's then back to AKL to hit the sheets as we have to be up early for the tour the next day.

Saturday, Nov 29th

Keys to the Kingdom Tour in MK. Back to AKL to rest and/or swim. We have ressies for Whispering Canyon Cafe at 8:30pm but I think we'll cancel that and head to DTD early and put our name in at T-Rex for an early dinner, then spend the rest of the evening shopping

Sunday, Nov 30th

Since the night before should be a fairly early night, we will hit AK in the morning, back to the hotel to rest early afternoon, then to 1900 Park Fare for an early dinner, then to MK for MVMCP.

Monday, Dec 1st

We have Boma ressies for 9:25am, then possibly go to AK for a bit. DHS is the plan for the evening. We have ressies at Sci Fi at 8:30pm and hope to see Fantasmic.

Tuesday, Dec 2nd

We'll pack our things and have our luggage sent over to GF. We'll bus over to the resort and check in then to Epcot. We have ressies at LeCellier for 1:30. We may stay for Illuminations or go over to DHS to see Fantasmic if we happened to miss it the night before. We have some flexibility

Wednesday, Dec 3rd

Tentative plan is DHS in the morning. We have ressies at 50's Prime Time at 12:40, but I don't know if we are going to be in the "mood" for this place. Again, we are flexible but I believe the day will end in the MK to see Spectromagic and Wishes one last time before we leave.

Thursday, Dec 4th

Our flight home does not leave til 7pm, so we have until 3 to hit any parks we want, pick up some last minute items, shed a few tears, etc.

 

[amgangi]

the strap around my suitcase is lime green!!! heeeee


My turkey is in the oven, my boarding passes have been printed and I'm shifting my suitcases around cause the big one is just *too close to 50lbs for my comfort.

This time tomorrow our plane will have landed in Orlando and our town car should be taking us to AKL. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays dry while we're there and that our room is ready when we get there!

Thanks for reading

 

[stitcharoo]

oh my.
how did you keep it a secret for so long?!?
i could never.
i am horrible about secrets!
your trip will be fun! especially with two 16 year olds!!
good luck with that!!

 

[amgangi]

oh my.
how did you keep it a secret for so long?!?
i could never.
i am horrible about secrets!
your trip will be fun! especially with two 16 year olds!!
good luck with that!!

We had a ball and laughed SO much. I have started my trip report but I'm not so sure how to post it!

 

[OhMari]

Just continue on here. I'll move you over to the regular TR Board.
OhMari

 

[amgangi]

Thanks!

 

[amgangi]

DAY 1 - Friday 11/28/08

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

Plan: Fly out of Logan, check into Pop Century Resort, dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort

Actual: Surprisingly enough, I found I was able to sleep and woke at 3am to get ready. We were out of the house by 4:20 and picked up Jill’s friend Maria promptly at 4:30. I expected no traffic at all but I think we encountered some very early Black Friday shoppers on the road. It took about 30 minutes to get to the airport.

I had printed out our boarding passes online and informed them of how many bags we had each. At first I got into the wrong line (the longer line), then I noticed the shorter, checking bags only line so we moved over and our luggage was tagged quickly.

Over at security, there were no lines but we did get stopped. I had warned Jill before we left the house that she couldn’t bring the bottled water through security with us. She forgot, oooopppps. There was *something in Maria’s bag that flagged her but they couldn’t find anything on inspection :::shrug:::: We were at our terminal by 5:30.

We flew Delta and our plane was not equipped with screens to watch movies L Oh, well. We landed a bit earlier than expected at 10:10. I had booked a ************* and could not locate the driver. We retrieved our bags and still no driver. I had to call and they told me they would call me back. Eventually they did. Apparently they had a drop-off first and since my flight was a little earlier than expected, the driver was running late. I was a bit disappointed as part of the fun is seeing the sign with your name on it. The driver finally arrived, apologizing profusely and we were on the road by 11am. The town car was in pristine condition and very comfortable. I had changed plans and decided instead of 2 nights at Pop Century (PC), we’d do 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL). I emailed ******** ahead of time to notify them that it was a secret so the driver wouldn’t mention where he was going to be dropping us off/picking us up. He was very discreet

As we were traveling Jill noticed that we did not take the turn for Pop Century, so she knew something was up but kept her thoughts to herself. Maria was already in on the secret. Jill was pleasantly surprised when we pulled up to the AKL.

Our room was ready!! YAY! At first they wanted to put us on the sunset savannah but I did not care for it the last time I stayed at AKL, I had requested Arusha Savannah, Zebra Trail. They were happy to give me a different room. We ended up in room 2523 with a queen bed and a set of bunk beds.

We had lunch at Mara. It was nothing to rave about. I got the cheeseburger which seemed to have been hanging around a while. Then we walked around the resort and headed back to our room about 2 to change into our swimsuits. We’re not big swimmers. We just wanted to take a dip and hit the hot tub. We were back in the room by 2:50pm to shower and get ready for the night.

We didn’t have any real plans other than Chef Mickey’s at 8:20pm so we decided to just hop on the first bus that showed up. Epcot! We noticed as the days went on that there were always a lot of Epcot buses. The bus was empty. We exited at Epcot and road the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) where we switched to the resort monorail. We got off at the Polynesian resort and walked around a little bit, then decided to find the walkway to the Grand Floridian. It took us a while but we found it. It was a lovely walk.



We entered the Grand Floridian (GF) and checked things out (the girls did not know we would be staying here later in the week). I noticed that Afternoon Tea was still going on at the Grand View Lounge. It’s something I always wanted to do but didn’t want to “schedule”, so we decided to do it! It was very nice. The girls picked the Princess Breakfast Tea (A sweet custom blend of South African organic rooibos flavored with vanilla bean and a hint of strawberries. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and naturally decaffeinated), which smelled delicious. I had the Eros - Medium bodied Ceylon (Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish). All the tea selections were $5.95 per person. We also shared a plate of assorted tea sandwiches (cucumber with watercress, shrimp salad with dill, chicken salad with almonds, and egg salad, each on a different bread) for $8.50.





After taking some pictures in the lobby and checking out the gift shops we got back on the monorail. It was only about 7pm, we had some time before our reservations at Chef Mickey’s so we got off the monorail at the Contemporary and checked out the resort. We found a ping pong table in the pool area and the girls played for a while. They were also showing Wall-E on the big screen outside. While the girls played I found a nearby lounge chair and called hubby on my cell phone to check in.



At 7:45pm we headed up to Chef Mickey’s but had to wait a bit. The Cast Member (CM) instructed us to go out the back where we could watch Wishes fireworks at 8pm. There were a few others out there also. The fireworks never started, then a young boy announces that he believes the fireworks aren’t until 9pm. I told him he was right. After thinking about it, the Spectromagic parade was at 8 & 10 that evening and Wishes at 9. Oh well, the castle still looked beautiful. Very soon our beeper went off.

Dinner was fun and the food was enjoyable altho I don’t remember everything I tried. We got lots of pictures taken with the characters and they sang Happy Birthday to Jill.



We were back at the bus stop at 10pm. AKL bus arrived at 10:10. We were pretty tired. It had been a long day and the swimming and hot tubbing wiped us out more than we’d expected. We all slept very well that night

 

[amgangi]

My goal is to write a trip report a day. I am ready to go with Day 2, I’ve got a glass of white wine in my new mouse ears etched wine glass I purchased while there and I’m gonna get serious . . .

DAY 2 - Saturday 11/29/08

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

Plan: Keys to the Kingdom Tour, rest, dinner at 'Ohana

Actual: It’s a good thing last night wasn’t a late night. We were up at 6am and left the room at 7 for a quick breakfast at Mara (AKL’s quick service food area). We purchased muffins and juice and by 7:40 were off to the Magic Kingdom bus for our 9:00 Keys to the Kingdom Tour.

It didn’t take us long at all and we were in the park by 8am. It was awesome because there were very few people in the park at this time. Only those going on tours or who had early breakfast reservations. We checked in at the Tour Garden and received our identifaction stating we were part of the tour and we had a good 45 minutes to walk around the park while it was empty, so we took quite a few pictures.













At 8:55 we were back at Tour Garden and we were instructed by the cast members to keep back for our safety as the “running of the bulls” was about to take place. At promptly 9am, everyone at the turnstiles came running! It was a site to see.

Our tour guide was Evelyn from Germany. I didn’t realize we had to wear a headset to hear her, but it was actually a great idea. It was very noisy in the park!

She took us down Main Street and off to a dead end side road where we sat and she explained some Disney things. Then we went further down Main Street and left to Adventure Land. At 10:20 we walked through the exit of Jungle Cruise and onto our own boat where she shared some secrets of the ride with us.

We went through the back of Adventure Land to Pirates of the Caribbean and Captain Jack Sparrow was out with his pirate buddies singing! Unfortunately, Evelyn wouldn’t let us stop L

We went through to the back of Frontier Land where the parade starts and Evelyn took us behind the scenes here. It was pretty cool. Then we walked through to Liberty Square to have lunch at Columbia Harbour House. It was about 11:30am

I’d never been in this restaurant. We were taken upstairs to a private area and our lunch was all laid out for us with place cards with our names holding our Keys To The Kingdom pin

We had placed our lunch orders when we checked in for the tour. I chose the tuna sandwich which was good. Jill had the chicken strips basket and I *think Maria the chicken ceasar salad.



We were done with lunch about noon and our next stop was Haunted Mansion. Again, Evelyn took us right into the exit and we got right on. The posted wait time was 20 minutes. Not *too bad for the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.

We then went behind the scenes and into the utilidor. We didn’t see a whole lot of it but it was cool to see how it all works. We were then brought out along the back lot near Town Hall. As we were entering back into the actual park, the big winners of the overnight stay in Cinderella’s Castle were being dropped off. We all congratulated them on their good fortune. Lucky lucky!!!

Our tour went a bit over the 5 hour estimation by 20 minutes (2:20pm). Probably due to one very talkative annoying woman, but we won’t dwell on her.

My girlfriend Karin had been in Disney 2 weeks before us and was given these special passes to use on Rock N Rollercoaster as it had broke down while she was in line for it. I’d never seen these passes before. They were called a “Re-entry Pass”. They were going to expire tomorrow and we didn’t want THAT to happen! So we hopped onto a Hollywood Studios (HS) bus.

We arrived at HS about 2:47. Tower of Terror had a 50 minute wait and Rock N Rollercoaster had a 90 minute wait (I don’t want to know what Toy Storia Mania’s status was). But that’s ok, cause we got the re-entry pass!

Maria has never been on this ride, she’s not a big coaster fan. But she assured us that she would do it for Jill J She was nervous and when she got her first glimpse of the limo/coaster car launching, the look on her face was priceless. We were talking to her, telling her it would be ok. The cast member who was helping to load the ride heard us and came over to assure Maria she would love, love, love the ride. She was SO sure Maria would love the ride, she handed us 3 special fast passes that we could use on any ride in the park. If Maria didn’t love the ride, we were to give the passes back. How nice was that???

Maria went on and enjoyed it. She definitely conquered her fear and there was no stopping her now! Next stop? Tower of Terror to use our special fast passes!! It could not have worked out better.

About 4 we stopped for a snack of McDonald’s French fries and watch some of the street performers. I don’t remember the name of the show, but they were dressed as town workers. They were a hoot.

We headed back to the hotel and I could use a rest. I laid down for a bit while the girls hit the hot tub. I believe it was at this point where they came in contact with some interesting people. One woman in particular who had frozen bottles of water and proceeded to submerge them in the hot tub to thaw and then she drank from them! ewwwwwwwwwwwww

I had cancelled Ohana’s for tonite and had actually made ressies at Whispering Canyon Café but changed my mind AGAIN. We headed to Downtown Disney (DTD) to try to get into T-Rex. We figured we’d shop while we waited for our table. We left the hotel at 7pm

Once at DTD we got a little lost as I didn’t think to look at a map and I don’t know DTD very well. We finally arrived at T-Rex at 8:15pm and were told it was only a 30 minute wait. Jill and Maria went off to check out some of the stores. It was so crowded in the shopping area of the restaurant I could not deal, so I sat outside at an empty table and updated my notes.





We were seated right at 8:45. I ordered Jurassic Shrimp Skewers - Grilled shrimp with red and green bell peppers and onions, served over Raptor rice with mango fruit salsa and lemon butter sauce ($20.99). It was good but the shrimp itself didn’t have a lot of flavor. The mango fruit salsa was delicious.



Maria had a chicken sandwich. I think it was the Paleonzoic Chicken Sandwich - Fried pizza dough with grilled chicken, lettuce, bacon, pepper jack cheese, avocado, tomato and lemon aioli ($12.99)



Jill had a Bronto Burger - A 100% beef burger piled high with a fried onion ring, pickles, lettuce, tomato and your choice of cheese. ($11.99) with waffle fries. I stole some of her fries as I LOVE waffle fries.



She also ordered a side salad but it never came L We had forgotten about it but then it was too late to bother asking for it to be brought out. The waiter apologized and took it off our bill.

T-Rex is a pretty cool place! I’m glad we went.

We were off to go shopping at 9:45. There were all these special deals . . . Spend this much money and for $10 you can get THIS, etc. I spent enough to get a rolling Disney duffle bag which I promptly put all my purchases in and rolled back to the hotel. Later on the flight home I used it as one of my checked luggage.

By 11:15 we were done shopping and the stores were closing very soon. We caught the bus back to the resort and were back in our room by midnight. I’m glad tomorrow isn’t an early day!

 

[jamal]

Nice report, Annemarie!

My DS 14 is a huge Disney fan and I've wondered about the KTTK tour for him at 16. I did it a few years ago and loved it, but wondered if it ruined any of the magic for the girls. What was their feedback?

I'm enjoying your report! You arrived the day before we checked out, by the way.

 

[amgangi]

Nice report, Annemarie!

My DS 14 is a huge Disney fan and I've wondered about the KTTK tour for him at 16. I did it a few years ago and loved it, but wondered if it ruined any of the magic for the girls. What was their feedback?

I'm enjoying your report! You arrived the day before we checked out, by the way.

Thanks! They liked it and didn't feel as if it ruined the magic for them. We'd go through the parks and happen upon certain things that would jogg our memories of things Evelyn mentioned

 

[amgangi]

DAY 3 - Sunday 11/30/08

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

Plan: Transfer to Animal Kingdom Lodge, dinner at 1900 Park Fare, MVMCP

Actual: No need to “transfer” to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We are already here! We slept in a little and went down to breakfast at Mara about 9:30. I had the breakfast platter which consists of scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon and a biscuit ($5.59).

We decided over breakfast to go to Animal Kingdom for a little while as tonight would be Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in the Magic Kingdom (MVMCP). A bus for Animal Kingdom took FOREVER, which makes no sense. AKL is the closest resort to the park! I remember when I stayed here 3 years ago it was the same way. I also noticed they do not have any cast members nearby monitoring the bus needs like some of the other deluxe resorts do.

Finally a bus arrived and we were in Animal Kingdom at 10:50. As in previous days, we went through security fine and the turnstiles were a very short wait. Unfortunately I started having trouble with my pass. Usually it would work at the turnstiles but it would be difficult the rest of the week to get fast passes.

We first went to Expedition Everest as none of us have been on it. The posted wait time was 45 minutes so we got a fast pass with a return time of 12:00.

We headed over to Dino Land. Primeval Whirl had a wait time of 60 minutes and the fast pass machines were down and covered. We will later find out that the ride had been down for quite a while and it just re-opened on Thanksgiving and they were “testing” it and would not be opening it up for fast passes while we were here L

It was about 11:08 and Dinosaur had a posted wait time of 10 minutes so we got in line. It was more or less a “walk on”.

No one was interested in A Bug’s Life so we went on the Maharaja Trek. Unfortunately I seem to have lost my notes for the rest of the morning, so I’m relying on my memory here.

They were forecasting some very extreme weather. Downpours, lightning and eventually a tornado watch (or was it a warning?). It was drizzling off and on and very windy. We were able to ride Expedition Everest with our fast pass when it really started getting wild. As we were walking back towards the exit with our umbrellas, a big gust of wind came by and all three of our umbrellas turned inside out. We all screamed lol

We hurried into a store just in time for the sky to open up and the extreme heavy rains started and wouldn’t stop. Of course everyone else was hiding in the stores also.

The girls still do not know about MVMCP. It was one of my “secrets”. while they were inside the store browsing I called Disney on my cell phone from under the awning outside. I explained that we had tickets for the party tonight, was there any way to switch them to Tuesday night? I know they are non-refundable, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. She explained that they could not do that but IF it gets cancelled I can get a refund. As of early afternoon it was still on as planned.

I went into the store and found the girls and convinced them that on days like THIS, umbrellas will not work. We have to break down and purchase ponchos, which we did and we survived the fashion statement.
We headed to the bus stop and it was pouring and extremely windy and we were still getting soaked with the ponchos on. Again, the line for AKL was very long. Finally it showed up and we all squeezed on, standing room only. I’d rather stand in the dry bus than outside in the monsoon. Who knows how long it would take for another bus to show up.

Since we had a late lunch and an early dinner (4:00) planned, we didn’t have lunch. The girls would later grab some snacks to tide us over. We went back to the room and Maria had a great idea of putting the open umbrella in the tub to dry out. A point for Maria!

All week long we’ve been playing a game. Whenever someone comes up with a good idea, they earn a point. But the idea has to benefit ALL of us, not just the one person who came up with it And there were times were points were deducted lol We really didn’t keep track but it was fun and made us giggle at times.

We hung our ponchos from the dryer line (I thought ahead to bring clothes pins - - point for ME!) because more than likely we will need them later. Since the girls were wearing sneakers, their shoes were soaked and didn’t have another dry pair. They headed down to the laundry to throw them in the dryers. I stayed behind to pick up the room, monitor the weather, etc.

They had quite a time in the laundry room. There were many guests there with the same idea. Problem was, the dryers became dangerous. Every so often the sneakers would hit the inside of the dryer door and it would fly open and shoes would come bolting out. One time it almost hit Maria as she walked by ACK!!!! Thankfully no injuries. That would have been bad and what would I tell Maria’s Mom????

The sky looked ominous but the sun looked like it was trying hard to peek through. I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would clear up for tonight’s festivities.



At 3:10pm we headed to the bus stop. We needed to get to the Grand Floridian (GF). The plan was a bus to Magic Kingdom then the resort monorail line to the GF for out 4:00 reservations at 1900 Park Fare. The bus arrived shortly after we arrived the stop and we were on the monorail at 3:30. Lucky for us there was no one in the front cockpit!





First stop was Contemporary Resort, then the Polynesian, then the Grand Floridian. We checked in at the podium of 1900 Park Fare at 3:50, they open for dinner at 4.

Dinner was good and the characters in attendance were Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella. The step-sisters were very funny. Lady Tremaine was great. How they do what they do with a straight face is beyond me. I enjoyed the chilled strawberry soup and the girls were daring enough to try it also. We agreed that this was the best meal so far.









Isn't this little cup of chocolate mousse cute???? To the right of that is carrot cake. The two square tarts at the bottom a cheesecake and key lime pie.



All during dinner the girls were asking questions about the surprise. I finally told them but kept quiet about the “snow” on Main Street. The party officially starts at 7pm. You need to have a separate ticket for it and those guests in the park for the day must leave at 7. They allow those of us with the party tickets in at 4:00. We were in the park by 5:20.

Our first stop was Pirates of the Caribbean which was a walk-on. Haunted Mansion had a 10 minute wait as well as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMR). We went on BTMR before it started raining again and it was basically a walk-on.

The rain did start up again but ponchos weren’t necessary. Maybe because the buildings shielded us from the high winds? We were able to get by with umbrellas. We walked on Small World. Peter Pan had a 35 minute wait so we skipped it. Yet Pooh was only a 10 minute wait. We should have hopped in that line, but it would work out to our advantage later.

We headed to Tomorrowland and stood in line for Space Mountain (another first for Maria). The wait time was 20 minutes but it didn’t seem it as the line was constantly moving.

It was 7pm and the party had officially started. We attempted to go to one of the Christmas shows at the Galaxy Palace Theatre. Once we made our way through the crowds and the rain to the front we were told it was full. It would have been nice to have known this before dealing with all that. We’ll try back later.

We rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority and it was pretty crowded . . . All those people trying to stay dry. We attempted to go to the Galaxy Theatre for the 8pm show and we were able to get in. What we didn’t realize that it wasn’t a covered theatre. All the seats were wet and I just couldn’t sit there with 4 more hours left in the park with a wet butt, so we left and went on Buzz Lightyear. Last time I was hear Buzz always had a long wait and fast passes were a good idea. Now it’s pretty much a walk-on. We headed back to Fantasyland and Pooh now had a 20 minute wait. We decided since it was a covered queue we’d get in line. Just as we entered, Pooh and Eeyore came out for pictures! We went to the right of the line where we were standing and were 4th in line. Pooh is Maria’s favorite so she was thrilled. Some people got out of the ride line for the picture opportunity which shortened our wait a bit.



From there were went to Mickey’s Philharmagic which I love.

We were wondering if the 8:15 parade went on as planned. We were going to see the 10:30 parade. It did happen but was late getting started. We walked back to Main Street to watch the 9:30 fireworks. Tink didn’t fly, probably due to the weather and the fireworks were enjoyable but I like the regular Wishes best.

The girls went off on their own while I claimed a parade spot. I did find curbing along Main Street on the bridge next to a trash receptacle. I put down my poncho and sat against the metal bin under my umbrella trying to stay as dry as possible. Ha ha ha. Soon Jill and Maria found me and we huddled together.



I thought for sure with the weather the way it was they’d shorten the parade but they didn’t. It was nice but I so wish it was dry.

Even though the park is open till midnight we were so ready to go home. Well, almost. Our butts were soaking wet. The rain had pooled onto the ponchos which we were sitting on L We decided to grab a snack at Main Street Bakery and dry/warm up a bit before heading for the buses. The chocolate cake was awesome and we’d get it again later in the week. I think we were back at Animal Kingdom Lodge by midnight.

If I had to do it over again, I think I'd not have purchased the MVMCP ahead of time. I should have waited until I got there and could foresee the weather better. Oh well. We made the best of it

 

[amgangi]

DAY 4 - Monday 12/01/08

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

Plan: Breakfast at Boma, Animal Kingdom park, Hollywood Studios, dinner at Sci Fi, Fantasmic

Actual: I was awake a bit earlier than the girls to get ready. We have 9:25am ressies at Boma. I was sad to hear they no longer have Frunch (a combination of lemonade, pineapple juice, guava juice, orange juice, and papaya juice)
on the menu L Also the breakfast pizza was missing. I really liked the curried sausage bake that was covered with bisquits. I went back for seconds on that. I stayed away from the pap and tried the bobotie but didn’t like the texture. No wonder, it was corned beef bobotie and I don’t like corned beef.

There were some definite things we wanted to do, the new things none of us have done before: Expedition Everest, and Toy Story Mania. So we were off to Hollywood Studios (HS) to get fast passes to Toy Story and arrived at 11am. The fast pass return time was 6pm that night :X

We didn’t really want to spend the entire day here so we did a little shopping and headed to Animal Kingdom (AK).

When we arrived in AK at 1pm the waits were 40 mins for Dinosaur, 60 mins for Primeval Whirl (PW) (no fast passes available again today), 45 mins for Expedition Everest (EE) and 30 mins for Kilimanjaro Safari (KS). We hemmed and hawed over which rides to get fast passes for and which to stand in line for. We decided to walk over to EE and get a fast pass.

Our fast pass return time was 2:30. We were headed towards KS to stand in line when we decided we were hungry. We’ll stop in Pizzafari for lunch. It was about 1:30.

As we were walking along a small group of guests came up to us and asked if we were a party of 3. We said we were. They handed over 3 Dream Fast Passes (DFP) they received that day, they were leaving the parks. COOL!!!! On the DFP were Dinosaur, EE, It’s Tough To Be A Bug, Kali River Rapids and PRIMEVAL WHIRL!!! WOOT!!! We won’t have to stand in the 60 min line!!! The guests had already used the Safari FP but that’s ok! We graciously accepted them and we felt important wearing them around our necks

At Pizzafari I had my favorite Hot Italian Style Sandwich with Carrot Sticks or Chips - Turkey, ham, Swiss and Provolone Cheese topped with Caesar salad and pesto marinated tomatoes ($7.49). Jill got the pepperoni pizza ($6.09) and Maria the Caesar Salad with Chicken ($7.19)

We waited in line for the Safari which only had a 10 min posted wait time. Then it was time for our 2:30 fast pass window at Expedition Everest. When we finished we got back in the fast pass line with our Dream Fast Pass.

We went over to Primeval Whirl but they wouldn’t accept the Dream Fast Pass. They said since they were not open for fast passes they don’t accept ANY. I explained to them that it wasn’t ANY fast pass, it was a DREAM fast pass. They weren’t buying it lol Jill was so disappointed.

The girls went to find a spot for the 3:45 parade and I went to the front of the park to talk to guest services. I didn’t think it fair that the cast members at Primeval Whirl wouldn’t take the Dream Fast Passes. The man at guest services was very nice and he called the Dream Squad to ask for me. He got the same answer I did. If the fast pass machines for those rides are not open for the day, no fast passes will be expected, period. Oh well, I tried. I guess Jill just won’t get to ride this one cause we were not planning on coming back to AK.

We watched the parade, which is short and sweet. We shopped a little on our way out and grabbed a bus back to Animal Kingdom Lodge to drop off our purchases. From AKL we grabbed a bus back to Hollywood Studios to use our Toy Story Mania FP.

Maria, Jill and Annemarie with the Hollywood Studios tree



We arrived in HS about 6pm and we stood and watched some of the street performers. I love these guys!



The wait time for Toy Story Mania was 90 mins. With the fast passes it was only about a 15 min wait. It’s a fun ride and glad I did it but I wouldn’t stand 90 mins for it.

Jill (left) and Maria (right)



Then it was time for the Osborne Family Lights.

As usual it’s a beautiful sight to see and it was snowing!!! Finally the girls got to see Florida snow

From there we walked over to watch Fantasmic. Since it was close to show time, it was standing room only. The show was as usual and leaving the stadium was interesting because of the crowds.

We had 8:20 ressies at Sci Fi Diner but it was only 7:50. We decided to try to get in a bit early. We were seating within 5 mins. We all agreed this was the WORST meal of the trip. I know they are not known for their food but for the experience, but we still ate a full meal. I highly recommend if you are going, just get the onion rings and shakes.

We started with Crispy Onion Rings - A generous portion of Battered Onion Rings ($5.99) and BLT Soup - a creamy tomato basil soup, topped with an herb crouton, freshly shredded lettuce and bacon ($5.49) which were both good. We should have stopped there . . .

Next up I ordered Shrimp Pasta - Bow Tie Pasta and Sautéed Shrimp tossed with Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives, Baby Spinach, and Feta ($18.99) and the girls both ordered Italian Grilled Chicken Sandwich - with bruschetta topping served on a kaiser roll. Served with choice of cucumber-melon salad or fries ($13.99). They said it had no flavor and had to add quite a bit of mayo. After 4pm the hamburgers disappear from the menu. By 9:00 we were done with this place and headed back to the resort.

By 9:45 we were in the hot tub at Animal Kingdom Lodge. My entire lower body was so sore lol On the way back to our room we stopped off at Mara for a snack. Jill got the flourless chocolate cake which was icky. Maria was good and got fruit if I’m remembering correctly. I don’t remember what I got so it must not have been fabulous :::shrug:::

We were in bed by 11. Tomorrow we are to move to the Grand Floridian. Maria and I have Jill convinced that we are moving to Pop Century. We’re going to have to be careful tomorrow not to let on. It’s not going to be easy

 

[amgangi]

DAY 5 - Tuesday 12/02/08

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

Plan: Room service on balcony, transfer to Grand Floridian, Epcot, lunch at Le Cellier, Fantasmic or Illuminations

Actual: Check out is at 11am so we took our time getting up. Instead of room service we just got a quick bite at Mara. We finished packing up our belongings and brought them downstairs to bell services. Maria took Jill off to the gift shop to browse so she would not hear me tell the cast members where to ship our luggage. Jill is thinking we are going to Pop Century but we are actually going to the Grand Floridian. She will learn that you never switch down a level, it will only be disappointed. You always switch UP.

I found Jill and Maria in the store and we got on a bus for Epcot. I’m still not sure how we’re going to get Jill to the Grand Floridian. I will brain storm during the day.



We arrived in Epcot about 11am and the wait for Soarin’ was 60 mins. We got a fast pass with a return time of 3pm. I’m really having trouble getting my park pass to work in the machines. A cast member had to come over to help and she gave me a special ticket to use in the fast pass machines for the day but suggested I stop by guest services to get my park pass replaced.

Nemo was a walk-on at this time as was Imagination. We did Imagination and will do Nemo later. Test Track had a wait time of 90 mins. We’ll stop by there later too.

It was about noon and Mission Space (MS) had a 10 min. wait. Maria is a big fan of MS. Neither Jill nor I have ever been on. We’re both too afraid. My worst fear? I’ll have an undiagnosed heart condition and will die on the ride :X OR I’ll get sick and it will ruin the rest of my day. If I’m going to do this, let’s do it BEFORE lunch.

I was really nervous but Maria had conquered her fear of roller coasters and I wanted to conquer mine. Jill gets nauseous just changing her earrings (seriously) so we thought it best she sit out. Many people along the way were very comforting to me, letting me know what to do, what NOT to do, how many times they’ve been on it, etc. Once I got into the capsule I grabbed one of the motion sickness bag. The cast member loading us looked concerned. I told him not to worry, that holding the bag in my hand is my security blanket. Just knowing it’s there I won’t need it . . . I hope.

A looked straight ahead, following everyone’s advice. At first I felt a bit disorientated and some pressure, but it subsided. Never did I feel nauseous. I survived!!!! I’m glad I went on it but I don’t think I’d rush to do it again.

It was now 12:30 and Test Track’s posted wait time was 70 mins. We decided to do the single rider line and we in and out in 30 mins. We sauntered over to Canada where we had lunch reservations for 1:30pm

We had to wait about 10 mins for our table to be ready in Le Cellier. People were coming in asking if there were any available seats. They were completely booked for the rest of the day but the hostess offered to look up other restaurants in Epcot via computer to see if they had any availabilities and there were. She booked it for the woman. I thought that was very helpful.

Lunch was AWESOME! We all agreed the best meal of the trip. After surviving Mission Space I decided I deserved a glass of wine with my meal

Out came the breadsticks



Jill and I started with the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup - smoked bacon and Moosehead beer ($5.49 cup, or bowl $6.99). It was delicious



Maria had the Three Onion Soup - gardnished with a cheese crouton ($5.49 cup, or bowl $6.99).



For an entrée I had the Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon - with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce ($25.99)



And the girls both had the Grilled Steak Burger topped with homemade onion ketchup and your choice of cheddar or blue cheese ($12.49). MUCH better than the “burger” at the Mara.



Maria and I shared an order of the Oven-roasted Mushrooms ($4.29)



We waited in line for Nemo, about 20 minutes. It’s cute but nothing fabulous in my opinion.

Jill and Maria on Finding Nemo Clammobile



Then it was our fast pass time for Soarin’.

When Jill had stepped away from the table during lunch, Maria and I devised a plan to get her to the Grand Floridian. Maria said there was something in one of the stores at the GF that she wanted to get for her Mom so we decided after lunch to leave Epcot and take the monorail to the Grand Floridian, then we’ll go check in at Pop Century to get rid of our bags then come back to Epcot to do the countries and see Illuminations. hee

So we left Epcot about 4pm, after stopping off at guest services and getting my park pass replaced. When we got to the Grand Floridian Maria took Jill off to find what she was looking for. I told her I was going to buy cookies at the gingerbread house.

There was a line at check in and only 2 cast members checking people in. Jill texts me on the phone to tell me they’re going to a different store. I was afraid Jill would see me checking in so I was hiding behind columns in the lobby so not to be seen. It was taking forever! Jill keeps texting me asking me where I am, she needs money cause she sees something she wants, what is taking me so long, blah blah blah lol

FINALLY I’ve got our room keys and they are bringing our luggage to our room in 7 mins. But Jill still needs money! So I am rushing around trying to find her, buying what she wants and she’s not understanding why we are going out THIS way. I finally had to just hand her the room key and said “SURPRISE!” It took her a moment to realize what it meant. “we are staying HERE?” hee hee hee

We are on the second floor of the Big Pine Key building with 2 queen beds and a day bed. I booked a garden view and we overlooked the pool. What a gorgeous resort.





















It was about 6:30pm now so we headed back to Epcot.

Since we didn’t get on earlier, we went on Spaceship Earth. It was different from what I remember, but still boring. Until the end. At first I couldn’t imagine what everyone was laughing about until it came time for MY picture to upload. Oh gosh, we sure laughed.





Jill and I snacked in Norway. Maria was smart and got a sandwich. We then rode the Maelstrom. We did a bit of shopping in China. In Italy we got another snack. I had a very small glass of red wine. Jill and Maria had hot chocolates (it was so cold!) and Jill had a cannoli. I had a bite and wished I had gotten one for myself. We caught Neil Patrick Harris closing out the Candlelight Processional show. Before we knew it it was almost 9:30 and time for Illuminations. I went looking for another snack but wasn’t finding anything. We sat on a bench between Morocco and France. Actually we were right at the Friendship Dock.

We left right after Illuminations as most everything but the sit down restaurants were closed. I wanted to hit the hot tub at the Grand Floridian but the girls were just too chilled. They just wanted a hot shower and to go to bed and I’m just too lazy to go alone, so we stayed in. But not before hitting the counter service Gasparilla Grill to grab something to eat. It was hard to find! You had to go outside to enter. I had an Italian Meat Sandwich ($8.09) which was decent. I think Jill got a muffin or something similar and Maria some veggie sticks. We stayed up for a bit, eating and chit chatting. Maria made an observation . The entire time we’ve been here we haven’t put on the tv. We’ve just been keeping each other entertained. I think that’s a good sign

Our view at night:



Tomorrow is our last full park day. It’s sad to think it’s almost over.

 

[amgangi]

DAY 6 - Wednesday 12/03/08

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

Plan: Room service on balcony, MGM, lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe, Magic Kingdom for final Spectromagic and Wishes

Actual: Well, we didn’t eat on the balcony (it was too cold) but we did order room service. We slept in today and it was definitely a lazy morning. We didn’t get into the park til 11:45am!

It was a bit noisy this morning, I heard doors opening and closing. This was about 9:30. I opened the door to see what it was and this is what I found:



Moses baskets outside every door with clean linens for the day. Interesting!!! They don’t do housekeeping carts here at the Grand Floridian, which is nice. At Animal Kingdom Lodge there were always carts cluttering up the hallways. All. Day. Long.

I ordered room service at 9:45. They informed me it would be about 30 minutes. Works for us! Promptly at 10:15 there was a knock on the door. A very nice woman came in with our breakfast and laid out a very lovely table for us.



Eggs Benedict - two poached eggs on toasted English muffin with Canadian bacon and Hollandaise sauce ($12.99)



The Grand American Breakfast - two eggs, prepared any style, served with buttermilk biscuits; bacon, sausage or ham steaks; grits or hash brown potatoes; coffee, tea or decaf coffee; and your choice of juice ($16.99)



And another breakfast that seems to be missing off the online menu



We didn’t feel the need to go to Hollywood Studios as originally planned so we headed to Magic Kingdom for our final full day. I called and cancelled our 50’s Prime Time reservation for lunch. I tried to get into Crystal Palace for lunch or dinner but they were completely booked. We would just have to plan our meals as we go along with our day.

At Noon we were in line for Peter Pan with a 25 minute posted wait time. From there we went to Haunted Mansion which was pretty much a walk-on. Then it was off to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! It had a wait time of 20 mins but we were constantly moving so it didn’t seem that long.

At 1:30 we found ourselves walking on Pirate of the Caribbean.

Jill and Maria in POTC queue



After we went to Aloha Isle. I got a dole whip float, Jill a plain vanilla soft serve and Maria had grabbed a frozen chocolate covered banana. We walked and ate across the center to Tomorrowland.

The posted wait for Space Mountain was 40 minutes so we got a fast pass to return at 3pm. It was a bit after 2 and we went for a snack at Cosmic Rays. Jill and Maria then went on Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. I sat out. For some reason this ride does not appeal to me. Then it was the teacups! I was surprised it was only a 5 minute wait.

Maria and Jill on Mad Tea Party



By now it was 3pm, time to ride Space Mountain with our fast pass. When we came out it was time to catch the Dreams Come True Parade. We just walked over the bridge to the center and watched from the back of the crowd. I like nighttime parades better.







Afterwards we headed over to Mickey’s Toontown Fair to check out Pixie Hollow. It was a 70 minute wait! So we left.

We wanted to do Pooh again but the wait was 40 minutes. Jill was hungry (she didn’t get anything at Cosmic Rays . . . Our eating schedules were all off!!) so we went to Pinocchio Village Haus. While I sat with Jill, Maria ran back to Pooh to get fast passes for all of us.

Apparently when she put the first park pass into the FP machine, it gave her two passes. One for Pooh and a Surprise Fast Pass for Mickey’s Philharmagic! Thankfully the other two park passes got the same deal. Maria was thrilled. But I couldn’t help bursting her bubble by telling her that Mickey’s Philharmagic was a walk-on anyway lol

At 4:45 we went over to Mickey’s Philharmagic and the cast member was so bizarre. He was directing the crowds to line up outside the doors in an odd way. Usually we all just mill about on and our own. I don’t know why he felt the need to do this, it wasn’t a crowded park day!

We headed back over to Space Mountain but it was closed down. We rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority and then it was time for our Pooh fast pass.

It was 6pm now and Spectromagic starts at 7. The girls wanted to ride Snow White (lame) and the carousel so I went and staked out a parade spot. I was surprised to find NO open curbs on Main Street. I did find an open spot right behind those at the curb out in front of the Hall of Champions Sports store. And there was a post for me to lean against! People were brutal. If you stepped away from your spot for a second and you had no one to hold it for you, people would take it over. When Jill and Maria came I instructed them that I needed to go into a store. They were to spread out and lean against my pole or it would surely not be available to me when I got back.



Spectromagic is my favorite parade and I was so excited to see it again. Except for the Spectromen. They really messed up changing them to face characters. I want the masks back!

After the parade I went to the front of the park to pick up some items that I had purchased earlier that they were holding for me. They really have it organized very well. Then we did more shopping wishes was scheduled for 8pm and I was still in line paying and getting antsy that I was going to miss it. I resorted to singing the soundtrack to Wishes to cast member Bob who was ringing up my purchases. “Wishes. Dream A Dream” as I bounced up and down like Tigger.

Phew, I was back out onto Main Street before they started. I love Wishes even more than Spectromagic. The park “closed” at 8pm tonite but the bakery was still open so we went in and I bought chocolate cake (last slice left - - SCORE!) to take back to the hotel.

We decided to take the boat back to Grand Floridian. Jill was NOT happy about this. She wanted to do the monorail but it looked kinda crowded and we hadn’t been on any of the launches yet this trip. We waited maybe 10 minutes for another boat to arrive and it was a nice ride over.

We were back in our room at 9pm and they had come to do turn down service. I always thought turn down service also included ice in the bucket and emptying the trash? I guess that’s only in Vegas.







It was not as cold as the night before so we headed down to the hot tub. This is where I have my biggest gripe.

When my kids were younger, I never let them go into the hot tubs. IMO hot tubs are an adult thing (esp at night after a long day) where we go to relax and unwind. It’s not so relaxing with 12 kids (some very small, in swim diapers, crying and splashing). Then there are those guests who think the “no food, drink or glass items in or near the hot tub area” rule does not apply to them. One guy actually had a glass beer bottle with him IN the hot tub. It was too bad that adults would come to the hot tub and end up leaving because it wasn’t a pleasant experience for them. I waited it out, jumped into the regular pool a couple of times and the young ones finally left.

The swimming pool here at the Grand Floridian seemed warmer than at the Animal Kingdom Lodge but the jets in the hot tub at AKL seemed more powerful and the water level was higher.

Our last full day was over and I am NOT looking forward to packing up and leaving

 

[amgangi]

DAY 7 - Thursday 12/04/08

Who: Annemarie (43), DD Jill (16 - birthday trip), DD's bff Maria (16)

Plan: Room service on balcony, parks at our whim, late flight home

Actual: I am too depressed to finish, but I shall.

We slept in a little, waking at 8:30, showering and packing. I planned on using the Resort Airline Check-In Service. At 9:30 we brought our checked luggage outside to the counter. We had more luggage leaving than what we came with thanks to all our purchases. Since Jill and I booked our flights before April, we were allowed 2 free checked pieces. Maria has one free. We have a 50 lb weight limit.

Jill’s medium size suitcase was fine as were the 2 duffle bags we were checking. When they got to my large suitcase they knew it was iffy. It weighted in at 49 lbs. WOOT! I literally did a cheer. Then it was Maria’s turn . . . 51 lbs!!! ACK! That’s ok, I had a plan. We would take a few things out of her suitcase and put it in Jill’s as she had room. But the cast member said to hold on, don’t’ jump the gun. They decided to just “overlook” the extra pound. YAY!!! I tipped them well and off we went with our boarding passes. Hee!

We checked with the Grand Floridian Café to see what the wait was and it was 30 mins. None of us felt like waiting so we just grabbed quick muffins at Gasparilla Grill. At 10:30 we went back up to the room and retrieved our carry-on items and brought them down to bell services to hold for the day while we hit the parks for the last time.

We discussed what we felt we wanted to do and Jill had her heart set on Primeval Whirl in Animal Kingdom since we never did get on it. So we got on the AK bus. We arrived in AK at 11:30 and the posted wait time was 40 mins. This was our last chance so we stood in line. It really was only about 30 mins and wasn’t so bad of a wait. I wouldn’t bother going on this ride again, too jerky.

Jill and Maria on Primeval Whirl in Animal Kingdom


We shopped a bit and decided our next stop would be Hollywood Studios so we caught a bus and were in HS by 1:10pm. We stood in line for Rock N Rollercoaster which had a 25 min wait time, but moved right along. Then it was Tower of Terror with a 20 min wait time, but again, we moved right along. It was 2:00 and we were ready for some food.

We went to Rosie’s All-American Café and got burgers. I think Maria got a salad?

At 2:30 we walked over to Star Tours. Everyone was lined up for the Block Party Bash Parade that was scheduled for 3:00. The posted wait time for Star Tours was 30 min. That was cutting it too close for my comfort level as we planned on leaving whatever park we were in promptly at 3 as the town car was picking us up at the Grand Floridian at 4:30. We decided to leave now and it’s a good thing we did. The bus line for the Grand Floridian was very long as it was also for the Contemporary and the Polynesian resorts with the Floridian being the last stop. Also there were a couple of scooters and wheelchairs and the bus driver was having a hard time getting them loaded. We decided to get on this bus, standing room only. As we stopped at other resorts seats opened up.

Back at the Grand Floridian we retrieved our carry-ons and bought some gingerbread cookies to much on while we waited for our ride.

I took these pictures while waited:















Our driver was a little early, picking us up at 4:20, which I would prefer. I believe it was the same driver and same car. There was a bit of traffic getting into the airport due to the time of day. We arrived about 5.

There was a huge long line at security and that had me concerned. We were hoping to be able to have a sit down dinner at the Outback, but it was going to be cutting it too close.

Finally we made it through security except Jill got stopped again. Hmmmmmm, what could possibly be in that bag??? Jill did it again. They found a bottled water stashed at the bottom of the bag! Jill had forgotten it was there. The security guard called her naughty lol

We did stop by Outback but took our food to go and ate it at our terminal. My cell phone died so I was scrounging for an electrical outlet. Not easy, but I did find one in an adjoining terminal.

Our flight ended up leaving about 10 mins later than planned but we made it up in the air and landed ahead of our originally scheduled time.

Maria’s parents came to pick us up and her mom was waiting for us at the carousel. All our luggage arrived in one piece. YAY!

We had so much fun, well I know *I did. If I had to do it over again, I’d only do two things differently.

As I mentioned earlier in my report, I would have waited to get Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tickets til we got there and checked out the weather.

The other change is I would have done only 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge and 3 nights at the Grand Floridian. Two nights at the Floridian just wasn’t enough.

I hope you enjoyed my trip report. Here is a link to the entire set of photos. No, I did not send/attach them all into the report even tho it may have seemed like it at times ;-) Thanks for reading!

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/569139358fbSQMR?vhost=good-times