Disney SPECTACLEFEST 8/5-8/12! *COMPLETE*-- with pics!

[MsSpinShady]

Enjoying your reports -- keep 'em coming!

MsSpinShady

 

[burly]

Subscribing

 

[Catrin]

Wow!
What a great trip report!
I have also enjoyed your wonderful dining report as well!

Looking forward to more!
Catrin

 

[vsimeone]

I think we were on the same schedule as you all!!! We were in MK on Monday, 8/7 and waited out that storm in and around the gift shop at POC. You were lucky to get on Splash Mt. before the storm. Our FP were for after the storm but the ride was shut down. We just gave our FPes away for taht day. After our afternoon break, we headed to EPCOT and ate dinner at Biergarten and had an Illuminations Cruise from the Yacht Club marina.

We probably passed you all week and didn't know it! I can't wait to see how similar the rest of your report is! We're the lack of crowds AMAZING????

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

Great report. Thanks for the tip about Pokemon stuff in Japan- I know my 8yo DS will want to shop there!

 

[magicforever]

loving your report!!!!

 

[tashasKraz4WDW]

Great trip report..

 

[FortWildernessCamper]

Really enjoying your trip report...very amusing too! Love the pictures of your family...you must be very proud. I was wondering about the Route 429 South you took to Disney after leaving the Publix in Clermont. We are returning to WDW in October for our second time there...was 429 off of 95?
We can't wait to be there again and especially this time with our adult children and our grandson.

 

[DisDoc]

Great report! Cannot wait to hear more!

 

[Praying Colonel]

just wondering where did you grab a spot to view illuminations on your first evening at Epcot? I never seem to grab a good spot!

I know what you mean--it can be hard to find a good spot unless you want to show up very early.

There's a line of fence on the FW side of the lagoon, between a gift shop and a boat landing as you're walking toward Canada. The open part of the fence was close to the boat landing. We thought the canopy over the boat landing might obscure our view, but it never came into play.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Really enjoying your trip report...very amusing too! Love the pictures of your family...you must be very proud. I was wondering about the Route 429 South you took to Disney after leaving the Publix in Clermont. We are returning to WDW in October for our second time there...was 429 off of 95?
We can't wait to be there again and especially this time with our adult children and our grandson.

We took 75 S to the Florida's Turnpike exit, then traveled east on that until we got to the 429 exit. It's so much better than getting on I-4.

And thanks for the kind words on the family. I have to give DW all the credit on that one. They favor her much more than their old man's side of the family.

 

[disneysnowflake]

Hey, I like your new "son".
I can't wait for an update.
I had to chuckle when you mentioned your son going to Japan to shop. I seem to lose my one son there, too.

 

[Praying Colonel]

We thought we learned our lesson about "The Wall" during our last visit to WDW, in August 04. We'd heard that you better program a rest break into your days because the heat and humidity really get you before you realize it. "Well, we're a little tougher than your average family," we thought. "Rest break? We don't need no stinkin' rest break!"

Hoo boy! By Day 3 we all became intimately familiar with "The Wall" as we hit it at a high velocity and spent much of that day just resting.

This time around we tried to program in rest breaks for each day and figured we'd done a pretty good job of balancing touring and rest. Those plans looked really good, but plans made in the air-conditioned comfort of your home sometimes are a little too optimistic.

This day--Day 4--was the day we learned that lesson.

I started the day at 6:15 with my usual morning ritual of going to the Dig Site pool and hot tub to soak, and DW joined me as usual. But it was a little harder to get up this morning--that bed just didn't want to let go. So we were moving a little slower, and the kids were a little tougher to get out of bed. We got down to the bus stop by the usual time, but we didn't quite have the pep in our step we'd had the previous days:

Nevertheless, we were at MGM, through security and first at the turnstiles by 8:15.

After the opening ceremony

the rope line was walked all the way down to the ToT, and even inside the hotel itself. What a great job by the CM's--much better than the "Tomorrowland Jailbreak" we'd experienced the day before!

We were the 2nd family in line behind the featured family that morning, and we had great fun again riding the ToT. The "drop sequence" took us up and down several times without stopping in between, which was something we'd never experienced before.

While the family shopped in the gift shop (DS is a big Jack Skellington fan, and he said they had lots of cool Jack S stuff there), I went around to get ToT FP's. Then they'd meet me and we'd go to RnRC. They didn 't have the ToT FP machines working yet, so they gave out manual FP's. That meant we could get RnRC FP's right away!

So the family met me and we got RnRC FP's, then walked onto RnRC via standby. This is the kids' favorite attraction in WDW, and I love it too--that first sequence with the "blastoff" and then loop is phenomenal.

Then we went back to ToT to use our FP's--but there still wasn't a standby line, so we walked onto ToT and rode it standby, then got back in line and this time used our ToT FP's. Then we walked back down to RnRC and used our RnRC FP's.

So between 9 and 10:30 we rode ToT and RnRC 5 times with no waiting. I thought the August crowds were supposed to be bad? Thanks to TGM for suggesting that we go to MGM on this date!

Next we looked at the Great Movie Ride--this must've been where the crowds were, because the wait was around 30 minutes on standby (no FP machines for GMR that day). So we bypassed GMR for later and headed for Muppetvision 3D. DW has never really liked it, but us kids dig it.

After this we wanted to see Millionaire, so got in line to see it. We noticed the line was really short:

We thought this must be the reason why they're closing this attraction--the crowds are really small! We thought we'd get picked for sure to sit in the Hot Seat. When they started admitting the audience, however, they turned us in a different direction. It's then we learned from a CM that we were in the wrong line--we'd been waiting for Narnia! Our wait in the Narnia line meant we missed Millionaire by about 5 minutes. Duh.

DS is a WED history buff and we'd never seen "One Man's Dream," so we took that opportunity to see it. What a great attraction! The static exhibits alone are so cool--neat historical items like Walt's California office in its original state. If that's all there was to it, it would still be a must-see. But the movie topped it off. It's sad that it's not in a more prominent location or that more people don't see it. I highly recommend it!

But it's about this time that we had a visit from The Bear.

Remember "The Cosby Show"? There's an episode where Cliff is training for a Master's track meet, and he talks about how he did well in his first training lap, then on the 2nd lap he meets up with this Bear that gives him a piano and a refrigerator to carry. Well, that same Bear must've been vacationing in WDW that week, because he met us as we were exiting OMD, and he had lots of stuff he wanted us to carry for him. He gave us refrigerators, pianos and all kinds of large furniture! It's hard to tour WDW with a piano on your back--it slows you down!

We'd all hit The Wall and were having "not fun." So we decided to cut our touring short and head back to CSR for an early break. So we went to the bus stop and waited

and waited

Finally our bus came about 40 minutes after we got there, and we rode back to CSR for what was now a late lunch. After eating at Pepper Market, the kids slept

while we adults--slept too, you think, right? Wrong. We did laundry and played in the pool! Sleep? We don't need no stinkin' sleep!

Those of you who played youth sports--remember when your coach would tell you not to go to the pool the day of a game? Well, I guess DW and I forgot that lesson. We had fun sharing some alone time, but for 2 people who'd hit The Wall, we weren't showing much sense.

That night we drove to the Cape May cafe for dinner, then over to MGM for an evening session! TGM said that Tuesday night was a great night to be at MGM since the park was open until 10 but there was only 1 showing of Fantasmic at 9, meaning that you can experience attractions while most folks are at Fantasmic. Great idea!

Both kids wanted to ride Star Tours, so I went off to get ST FP's, then meet the family at the GMR. We had a 30-minute wait in standby, so we waited in the heat and humidity.

While we waited, DW and DD got into a not-so-magical "discussion" that probably wouldn't have happened if we weren't tired from carrying The Bear's stuff earlier in the day. After the GMR, we used our ST FP's.

I got a little motion sick the last time I did ST so I was a little nervous, but I had a full stomach from dinner and that seemed to help. We had a good time.

I'd been under the impression that DS didn't want to do the Backlot Tour, but it turned out that I'd misheard him and he did want to see it. So at 8:30 we set out for the BT. After missing a turn and getting lost, we found a CM and learned that BT's last showing was 7:30. Great!

At this point we learned they'd added another showing of Fantasmic at 10:30. So those folks who might've gone to a 9:00 Fantasmic just kept touring, meaning there were lines at the attractions we wanted to visit again.

That was OK, though--we'd done ToT and RnRC a lot that morning, and the kids just wanted to shop. We shopped until our shoppers were sore, and left the park around 10.

But to top off the day, 4 people who've hit The Wall have also Lost Their Vehicle. We did the Zombie Walk through the parking lot until we finally found our vehicle. We got in, rested for a couple of minutes in the wonderful A/C (we believe that whoever came up with the idea for vehicle A/C should get a Nobel Prize or something), and then back to our room.

Before we went to sleep, DW said that maybe she'd stay in the next morning and not go to MK with us. But we've always gone to the parks together. What will we do? Will we go without DW? Will we just stay in and not go to MK until afternoon? Stay tuned....

Next: Day 5--A change in plans....

 

[katiesmomluvsdizne]

After reading your DR I just had to come over and read your TR. I love it!

 

[LoveMyBoys]

The reviews are great, can't wait to read more.

 

[Praying Colonel]

After our encounter with The Bear on Day 4, we were all feeling pretty whipped physically. Even DS, who lives for going to WDW and is perpetually chipper whenever we're going to the parks, was struggling with his sore toe and we were unsure if he would be able to walk on it the next day. DW was talking about sitting out the next morning and not going to MK with us--she was thinking about sleeping in and joining us in the afternoon, which would mean she'd miss her favorites--Splash Mountain and BTMRR--which we were planning on doing in the morning.

Normally the Plan is inviolate. The Plan is our WDW daily itinerary, arrived at after painstaking weeks of study and consultation among family members. We read the DIS, we consult TGM and the UG, we prepare a draft, we discuss it among each other, we prepare a 2nd draft and then go through the process again. Usually our flexibility is pre-Plan; everything's subject to change before the final Plan is drafted, but once it's in place and everyone's agreed to it, that's our schedule at WDW and nothing changes. Ever.

Well, the Plan changed on Day 5. We were getting to the parks a lot sooner than we needed to, because the crowds weren't nearly as bad as the UG was estimating them (8 and 9 on a scale of 1-10). We decided that sleeping in an extra hour or so and getting to the parks at rope drop or a little after would work just as well.

So I slept in until 7 and then got up to go to the Dig Site hot tub and pool for a morning soak. DW joined me, a little wobbly but strong in spirit and enjoying the sunrise with me as we walked over the bridge to the pool, seeing the morning sun on El Centro.

The kids were slow to rise, but I knew what would get DD out of bed and on the way. DS and I loved to listen to the Spanish-language Disney channel where this young girl talked about all the great things to do at WDW. At least we assume that's what she was talking about, because neither of us speaks a word of Spanish. But we loved her enthusiasm. Anyway, DD hated it when we watched that channel--she figured 10 times was enough. So I came in, turned the TV on and put on "Spanish speaking Disney girl," as DS called her. DD was up and moving around in no time! Evil Dad....

We were out the door by about 8:40 and on our way to MK.

^DS with his perpetually happy appearance when he's heading to the parks; DD trying to figure out how she got herself into this

TGM said that Wednesday was the best day of the week to visit MK, so our itinerary was to tour MK from opening until around 1, then take a break and go back later for evening touring. Then a late seating at the Kona Cafe and viewing Wishes from the beach at the Poly.

We walked onto Main Street shortly after rope drop and saw some neat vehicles coming down Main Street:

Following the UG's touring plan, we headed over to Splash Mountain. Arriving at park opening is the way to go. We walked on via standby. This was the standby line for Splash at 9:10:

Beats the heck out of doing Splash on standby at 12:30 (pic from Monday):

Although my wife is the big Splash Mountain fan in our family, I enjoy it, too, and have a growing appreciation for it. I see something new on that attraction every time we do it.

After Splash, we waited only 2 minutes before riding BTMRR

then DW had to take a rest-room break. While waiting, DS and I headed back to Splash to get FP's for later use. Then we all met up and decided to deviate once again from The Plan. DD is a Pirates freak, and she'd gone just about as long as she could (a Monday MK visit and now about 45 minutes into a 2nd MK day) without experiencing Pirates. So we headed over to Adventureland and Pirates.

I have to admit that I didn't really "get it" the 1 and only time I did Pirates on our last trip. I thought it was OK, but it didn't do much for me. But I loved it this time. I've since seen both movies now, and the revisions to the attraction to incorporate the movie elements really added a lot, IMHO.

A CM in the Pirates gift shop told us that Captain Jack would be making an appearance around 10:15, so we decided to wait a few minutes for him. While we waited, a nice CM took our picture:

We waited until 10:25 and Captain Jack didn't show, so we moved on. We looked at the Jungle Cruise, but it was a 25 minute wait and they had the FP machines covered, so no FP's available for JC. We decided to see the Tiki Birds since we were in the area and the show was just starting. The show's hokey, but there's something about it that our family enjoys. It was a nice break.

After the Tiki Birds, DW decided that it was Dole Whip time! Believe it or not, we'd never had a Dole Whip before, and I've got to say, they were awesome! They must add pixie dust to them, because after our Dole Whip break we were refreshed and got our 2nd wind.

We were in our window to use our FP for Splash, so we went back and rode it again, then looked for someplace to have lunch. We didn't want to do Pecos Bills for a 2nd day, so we decided to try Columbia Harbor House, someplace new.

After lunch and taking the obligatory pic outside CHH:

We headed back to Frontierland and caught the WDW Railroad.

This is one of my favorite attractions in MK. I love the nostalgic feel, as if you're going back to the old West.

We got off in Toontown. At this point we were going to get FP's for Space Mountain for use later that evening when we returned.

^DS leading the charge to Tomorrowland and Space Mountain FP's

But when we got the Space FP's, the return time was just an hour later. Everybody was still feeling good, so we decided to change The Plan yet again! We decided that we'd finish our MK touring that afternoon and take a long break before our late dinner at the Poly.

So while we waited on our FP window for Space, we headed for one of our family favorites: the Carousel of Progress.

"It's a great big beautiful Tomorrow...."

Unfortunately it was down temporarily, so we headed over to Stitch and waited in standby 15 minutes. Sometimes while waiting in line my family will play a game we call "How long?"--we discuss how long we'd wait in standby to experience certain attractions. This was our first time seeing Stitch, and afterward I think we all agreed that waiting in standby 15 minutes for Stitch was way, way too long. It was cute, but that's about it. I have to think they could find something more fun to do with that area.

We were in our FP window for Space, so we walked in and experienced it, having as much fun as we always do (as I said previously, this is my favorite MK attraction). After Space, we went to CoP to see if it was running, and it was! This is the very first attraction we all did as a family at MK, so it's always fun for us to do CoP. In spite of this, DW couldn't keep her eyes open--she has this thing about cool, dark places and just has to nap. But she did so while heeding the CM's admonition ("if you don't like it, you can sleep--if you sleep, try not to snore--that's for the Hall of Presidents").

We decided not to walk back across the park to stand in line for the Jungle Cruise, so we were finished. Feeling refreshed from her CoP power nap, DW wanted to visit Cinderella Castle and do some Main Street shopping, while the kids wanted to poke around some more in Tomorrowland. So DW and I left them there and headed toward the castle, planning for us all to meet at the Emporium at 4.

While walking up the castle steps, we just happened to catch the beginning of the afternoon parade!

We walked down to the sidewalk and saw the rest of the parade

then walked inside the castle. DW says it's just not a MK trip until she's been to the castle.

Walking down Main Street to do some shopping and meet the kids, we saw a neat ensemble playing big band tunes:

we found some Mickey Bars

and did some shopping. DW convinced me that I should join her in pin collecting, so I bought my first lanyard and pins.

Then we met up with the kids and headed out of the park around 4. On the way, we saw Chip and Dale and a relatively short line, so we stopped for a quick visit:

Then it was back to the CSR for a late nap.

We awoke around 7 and got ready to go to the Poly for an 8:15 ADR at the Kona Cafe. None of us had been to the Poly before, and we were just blown away by the place. The waterfalls, the music, the theming--it just really set the mood for a great evening together.

After dinner, we took our time shopping and exploring the grounds, then walked out to the beach for Wishes. DW missed the accompanying music, but we found a speaker and positioned by it. The beach area was cool with low humidity (for Florida in August!), and the fireworks were beautiful in the distance. It was a great family moment to share.

After some more shopping and exploring, we drove back to the CSR with memories of a magical day.

Next: Day 6--Intense sun and an intense dinner

 

[LoveMyBoys]

I am loving your trip report, and you have a beautiful family. How was your DS's toe, I am familiar with that kind of pain, so was wondering how he did all the walking?

 

[TheZeppo]

Awesome trip report!!

 

[arizonacolbys]

Am really enjoying your trip report with the pics! I enjoyed your dining review so much, I had to come over & check out your trip report, too!

It looks like your family is having a great trip together so far!

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

My family was at the parks the same days as your family. We found light crowds most of the time, too. Especially in the mornings.

Don't people know what time the parks open??? ;-)

Anyway, enjoying your trip report.

Keep up the good work!

JR