This is my 1'st trip report - I know it cannot compare to some of the great and entertaining ones I've read here! It's also very late. I hope I remember everything because I didn't write anything down. I didn't buy a Passporter for this short trip. It was a short, late-planned long weekend.
Cast: Me - 41, Disney fanatic and planner
DH - 39, loves to vacation at WDW to get away from the Real World. Goes with whatever I plan and pays for our trips.
Background: We now usually go to WDW twice a year. When it was time for my 40th birthday, I told my husband the only place I wanted to be on that day was the Magic Kingdom. So, we planned our first April trip around my 40th bday, April 15, 2004. We had a great time and that was one of the best birthdays I've ever had! After that, we decided to go again in October for his bday. We also wanted to try MNSSHP and the F & W festival. Had another great trip. We decided to go again in April 2005 and I finally talked DH into getting APs. Had another great trip so I starting planning our October trip. I broke 2 bones in my foot in June. I have a lot of health problems that complicate even the simplest things. It ended up we had to cancel the October trip because my foot was not healing and it was really bothering me. So, we tried to plan a December trip. Other health problems intervened and we had to cancel. Our APs expire on April 12 2006 and we knew we wouldn't be g!
oing for my birthday in 2006 because it falls on Easter weekend and there was no way we wanted to go during that crowded time. Plus, my DH really enjoys the F & G show and it wouldn't have started by then. It just figures the first time we buy APs we only do one trip!! I also don't have a lot of time to take off work because of having to take off for health reasons. I was pretty depressed about everything.
Then at the end of December it happened...I got an email from Disney inviting the passholders to preview Expedition Everest. My mind started racing - how was I going to do this? How would I be able to talk DH into this? We already had our APs. We had to use them at least one more time before they expired. I don't have a lot of leave to take off of work. I started researching. I so needed to get away. I also needed a Disney fix - bad! I started out by saying "If I pay for everything, can we go to the EE preview?" He was skeptical at first, but said, if you can pay for it, we can go. Uh oh. I' m not the big breadwinner in the family. (P.S. DH ended up paying for everything except the first night's hotel deposit and the airfare, which included the kennel for the dog, Tiffany Towncar and our wonderful meals).
I got a good fare on SWA. I had a credit with SWA due to our cancelled trips, but it had to be used by Jan 22. I had called earlier when we had to cancel our December trip and asked if that could be extended due to the medical nature of the cancellation. She said it would be extended until June, but I had to pay up front and be reimbursed. Fine with me. I wanted to do late Thursday, Friday and leave Sunday, but couldn' t work out the flights. So, I made it late Friday and leaving Monday evening. We' ve never done a weekend trip, especially since DH has problems with motion sickness on the plane. He hates to fly. He used to love it, but he has TMJ and his motion sickness on the plane is getting worse. We also usually stay on the Polynesian. DH doesn't want to stay anywhere else. I decided to check AKL since we were going for the EE preview and I wanted to try something new, especially since this was a short trip. We go to Jiko every trip, so I knew what the resort was like. This was when the Best Rate program was still in effect. I didn' t like this program because of the non-refundable deposit and I never knew when we'd have to cancel because of illness. I got a AAA rate for a standard pool view. It was an ok rate, but I thought I could do better because of value season, but I had to take what I could get. Then they did away with the Best Rate program and I called back because I really wanted a Savannah view room. No luck. I figured all the passholders coming for the preview had gotten all the rooms. I tried back a few times and then just gave up. I also was still having trouble with my foot and I was afraid that some of the Savannah view rooms would be quite a long walk. I hadn't done any serious walking since the summer. What was I thinking ? You have to walk A LOT in WDW. At this point, I had to go.
Even though there wasn't much time before the trip, time seemed to drag. Work days went so slow. We happened to be at Home Depot the weekend before we left and I remembered to grab the green Mickey heads. I had DH laminate them for me and cut them out and I put them on my purse. I was so excited about finally having my green Mickey heads! I was so disappointed when I did not see anyone with them, nor did anyone say anything about mine!
Finally, here's the trip! (I sure do babble, don't I?)
FRIDAY 27 JANUARY
Today is my brother's 50th birthday. I had called before I officially planned the trip to make sure they weren't doing anything special - they weren't, so I went full steam ahead.
My husband and I are early risers and we (I especially) go to bed early. I had thought I had gotten enough done during the week that I wouldn't be running around Thursday night like crazy trying to pack. (I am a super over-packer). I wasn't sure about the weather, so I took everything. I was up later than I would've liked and I didn't finish packing, but I thought I might have a little time when I got home from work. DH didn't sleep at all. So, we were both dragging that morning. I was working a half day and leaving at 1100. Work went slow, it was quiet. Until 1000 when my boss gave me a project I had to do before I left. (I'm a secretary). Not sure why he couldn't have given it to me the afternoon before when it was quiet, but what can I do? I hurried and finished around 1045. I had brought my WDW purse with me to switch at work because I hadn't had time to do that, but my boss had the talkers and came out to chat with me. He left for his appointment at 1055. I got out of there at 1100 and got home around 1130.
DH was already home. He was packing - he's a very light packer. We had printed out our boarding passes Thursday - we had As. I love SWA's 24-hour window. No more getting up at midnight! I finished packing, making sure I had all my meds and necessities. We wanted to get out of the house by 1230 because we had to take the dog to the kennel and it wasn't exactly on the way. Our plane leaves at 4:05pm, but DH likes to get to the airport 2 hours early. That was fine with me because I hadn't eaten lunch and I was getting hungry. He had a PB&J before I got home. He doesn't like to eat too soon before the flight. So we all loaded in the car and dropped off Sam, our beagle, at the kennel. We tell him he's going to "Doggy Daycare" and he gets excited - he loves it there, which makes us feel better about leaving him there.
We park our car at a parking lot near the airport. We like this one better than the airport long-term parking. The shuttle picks you up right at your car instead of having to go to a bus stop to wait for a bus. The drivers are really nice. We hadn't seen the new Southwest concourse at BWI that we had been watching them build for a while now. It's the first stop. We did curbside check in. We checked 3 bags - can you believe it? It looks really nice inside the new concourse. Security was quick, as usual. We sat down near the food area and I went to get something to eat. Nothing seemed appealing to me, but I got some chicken strips and biscuit from Church's Chicken. It was horrible, so I didn't eat much. When we got to our gate area, there were a few more food places. There was an Au Bon Pain (is that how you spell it?) and I wish I would have waited and got something there. Oh well. I know for next time.
Time for boarding. DH wanted to sit in the very back of the plane, next to the restroom. He was really dreading this flight. He had taken his Dramamine in the airport - the kind that is supposedly the "less drowsy" formula, but I have my doubt about that. I grabbed the first window seat in the first empty row and sat down. An older retired gentleman sat in the aisle seat. We were told the flight was full, so every seat would be taken. A larger pooh-sized gentleman sat in the center seat. I'm not a big person, I'm only 5' and I was uncomfortably squeezed next to the window. We started talking - he was a patent lawyer - and we talked for the whole 2+ hours which made the flight go by quickly. Very nice guy. When the drinks and snacks came, I was not able to put down my tray table, which was a first for me. I was hoping DH was doing ok in the back. I was hoping I could catch a nap, but I was too uncomfortable, plus the conversation was good and made the time go q!
uickly.
Finally - we're in Orlando!! The weather was great. DH said he did fine, but was also very uncomfortable squeezed in his seat for the same reason I was. He was not able to sleep. My problem with flying is my ears. They get clogged and are usually not back to normal until the next day. I've tried everything, including Ear Planes. Nothing works for me, so I go around until the next day in a kind of fog.
Our Tiffany driver was waiting for us. We had Renata, who we've had before and really like. My plan for tonight was to check in, not unpack like I usually do to save time and go right to Epcot. Epcot had EMH that night and my mission was for DH to ride Soarin'. He wouldn't ride it last April because he was concerned about motion sickness. He can do all the other rides at WDW, including Rock-n-Roller Coaster, but sometimes has problems with virtual reality things. After reading all the posts here about people with motion sickness being able to ride Soarin', I told him he has to try it. Plus, I was really looking forward to riding it again also.
The AKL lobby was a madhouse. Lots of activity and there was a decent line at check-in. It felt strange to us checking in somewhere else other than the Polynesian, but also very exciting trying something new. It was finally our turn. I asked if they had any Savannah rooms available and she said no, they were at capacity for that night. We ended up getting a deluxe pool view room, which sounded good to me. We were in Zebra Trail, room 5468. The room was great. I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the Mickey drapes. The pool view was also very nice. I especially liked the bathroom sink area. It was beautiful and functional. We checked out the room and view, made our "we made it here safely" phone calls, took a few pictures of the clean room and took off for Epcot.
When we got to the Epcot bus stop, we realized this was the very first time ever that we rode a bus to Epcot. Even when we stayed at CBR on our very first trip to WDW, we had taken the monorail to Epcot from MK. We didn't even know where the bus stops were at Epcot. We missed the monorail ride around Epcot when you first get there. DH's priority right now was getting something to eat. He was starving. I wanted to try eating in the Land pavilion, but since it was after 8:00pm, I didn't know how long they stayed open, especially since this wasn't peak time at the parks. So, we decided to eat at Electric Umbrella. It was about 8:30. We've only eaten here once - on our very first trip to WDW when we didn't know much about anything, we had eaten there. We both had burgers. I had the small one, he had the big one. Total came to $17.09. We hurried so we could get to Soarin'.
When we got to the Land pavilion, the food area was open. I had wanted to try the flatbread. I was worried about how bad the lines would be at this time of day, but when we got there, it said 40 minutes. I didn't think DH would want to wait in that line, but he did, despite being exhausted from lack of sleep the night before, plus the motion sickness pills. The line did not seem to take 40 minutes. It moved quickly. We figured out why. Illuminations was just starting, so we figured people were out there for that and the line wasn't bad at all. I was hoping that for his first ride we would get row 1, but I didn't want to ask for it. Pixie dust! We got row 1 for his first ride. He loved it!! I was a little worried, but he loved it. He said that it wasn't a ride, but an experience.
After that, we were so tired, we just wanted to go back to the room. We did Spaceship Earth before we left. Again, riding the bus from Epcot was strange. We got back to the AKL and DH said he wanted some kind of dessert, so we went to Mara. We were walking around in some kind of tired-drunk stupor. We finally got our wits together and said what are we doing - let's get to bed! Back in the room, I set the wake-up call for 7:00. We usually get up earlier, but we really needed the sleep. Our plan for Saturday was to have a quick breakfast at Mara, go to AKL and ride EE and then go to the AllEarsNet meet at Tusker House and meet Deb Willis. We had a 6:00 ADR at Rose and Crown. We tried to get Le Cellier, but were not able to get one there.
SATURDAY 28 JANUARY
The call came at 7:00, although I was awake, slightly. I like to shower first, so it took me a while to get my stuff together. The weather that day was going to be mostly sunny and in the low 70s! I had to keep reminding myself that it was the end of January. We both wore jeans and short sleeved shirts and our hooded sweatshirts jackets.
We went to Mara for breakfast around 8:30. The walk to Mara was nice. AKL is beautiful and peaceful. I love the mornings at the resort. I know a lot of people really like Mara, but we didn't care for it. It probably would have helped if we had gotten there earlier. I got the breakfast platter, which I didn't care for. I only ate the eggs and the biscuit. DH got the Mickey waffle, which he liked. I should've gotten that also. The total was $20.17.
We got the bus to AK. We got there later than we wanted, but we really needed the sleep. It was around 9:30, so we thought we'd better get to EE first thing. The mountain is really beautiful. I was hoping to just get a fastpass. Wrong!! When we approached the area, a CM was telling people this was the line for the passholders and DVC members only. He said the line was an hour and a half. We got in line and I was pretty sure at that point that I wouldn't be able to get to the AllEarsNet meet at Tusker House between 10:30-11:30. Oh well, this is what we came for. I was a little nervous about riding EE. I'm not a big fan of drops. We've done all the coasters at WDW, including RnR, but I was still hesitant. I was glad I had read all the information and reports on the ride before I went - that way I kind of knew what to expect. The line didn\rquote t move too slowly and we had to show our photo ID and pass 2 more times. We got our coupon for the lanyard and pin. We finally got to the queue and it was everything everyone said it would be. It kept us occupied looking at everything. I really wanted to sit down - my foot was bothering me. We finally got to the load area and everything went quick. We were a couple of rows back from the front. The ride started and it was very smooth. I was worried when we went up the steep lift. The view is wonderful from up there. When we got to the top, I was really glad I was prepared for what happened next. I won't say too much about it in case some people don't want to know. I'm pretty sure I had my eyes closed for a lot of the ride! I wasn't too crazy about the drop coming out of the mountain, but I survived. It was a very exciting ride and I'm sure we'll be doing it again next time. The gift shop was a zoo. Way too crowded to look at things. We got our lanyards and pins.
When we got out, I realized we still had time to get to Tusker House and catch the end of the meet. We headed over towards Tusker House. My feet and legs would not let me move too fast. We made it there and I recognized Deb Willis from her pictures. What a nice person! We got a picture and I didn't meet any of the rest of the team because they were in the middle of a conversation and I didn't want to interrupt. We weren't quite ready to eat lunch yet, so we sat and listened to the African band playing. We finally decided to see what the next Flights of Wonder show time was. We had only seen the show once a few years ago and DH wanted to see it again.
As we were heading out, we were standing at the corner where the bridge leaves Africa to Discovery Island, I saw one of those CM who escorts VIPs walking towards DI. He was with someone pushing a stroller that I didn't recognize, but I really didn't get a good look at them. Following behind them going a little slower was a man carrying a child. I told DH "that guy is famous" - I don't know who he is but he is famous. He was tall, with dark hair and had an air about him that he was a celebrity. He saw me looking at him and talking to DH. He didn't smile but was probably hoping I wasn't going to come up to him and bother him. I told DH whenever you see one of those CMs, there would be someone famous.
The 1130 Flights of Wonder show had just started and the CM said we could go in. Perfect timing. After that, we decided we'd better get lunch before it gets too late. We wanted to try Flame Tree BBQ since we had never eaten there. Another first for us. DH got in line and I went to get a table. The seating areas are great. We had a nice view of EE. DH got the ribs and I got the pork sandwich. He liked the ribs. I wasn't that hungry so I only ate the pork, not the bun. I tried the beans but I thought they were too sweet. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable lunch. The total for lunch was $19.04. After lunch, we decided it was time for a Mickey bar. We headed towards the front of the park and got our Mickey bars. Is it our imagination or did they get smaller? After our Mickey bars, we headed back to AKL to relax and take a rest.
Back in the room, we sat out on the balcony and just enjoyed being there. We took a short nap, then decided we'd better give ourselves extra time to got to Epcot and get to Rose & Crown for our 6:00 ADR. I was moving slowly due to my legs and feet bothering me. Due to my foot injury, I had not been walking very much. I usually prep for our WDW trips, knowing how much walking we do.
I can't remember what time we got to Epcot, but we had plenty of time to mosey back to World Showcase and Rose & Crown. We looked around in the shops for a while. Finally, we decided to check in early. I asked DH if he wanted to sit outside and he said sure. The plastic wind barriers were up, so I didn't think it would be too bad. So, we got seated outside to a table we've sat at before. We've been to Rose & Crown for lunch, but not for dinner. Another first. The plastic wind barriers were not up near our table. It was comfortable when we first got there, but it got colder when the sun went down. Our waiter was Barry from Liverpool, a very charming and friendly guy. DH got the "Surf & Turf". I got the Guinness beef stew. We decided not to get appetizers and to save room for dessert. I noticed we didn't get any straws (I must have a straw!), so DH said I should say "Can I have a straw, Barry". No, he's probably heard that a thousand times! DH was a little disappointed in the steak - he usually gets filets. He said it was ok though. My beef stew was ok, but not great. For dessert, we got the dessert sampler that had the Apple Crumble, the Guinness chocolate cake and the sticky toffee pudding. They were all great. The total came to $49.88 with the DDE discount of $11.71. We finished around 7:00. We really like eating at the Rose & Crown and Barry was an excellent waiter.
After dinner, I was much too sore to do much walking, so we decided to go back to the resort and relax. We went shopping in the resort gift shop, walked outside to see if we could see any animals, explored a bit and went back to the room. We wanted to get to bed at a decent hour because tomorrow was MK day and we had an 0730 ADR at Boma.
SUNDAY 29 JANUARY
Mickey and Stitch called at 0600. We were ready early and decided to head down early. DH decided to wear shorts today. Not me, I didn't even bring shorts. We were the first ones at Boma and we checked in and got our beeper. I asked if I could go in and take a picture and she said I could. We've been to Boma for dinner, but not for breakfast. Another first. We got seated and had a wonderful waitress, Anne. We ordered the Frunch. It was good, but kind of sweet. DH got some eggs and pancakes for the first round. I got an omlette. For the next round, DH tried the Qinoa and loved it. I asked him to get me a bowl also. That was it for us. We really don't get our money's worth at breakfast buffets, but we had to try Boma for breakfast at least once. The total was $28.95 with a DDE discount of $6.80. Gotta love the DDE card.
On to MK! We got there around 0840. We were let into the "holding area" and watched the show. I asked DH what he wanted to do first and he said he didn't care. BTMRR is my favorite ride so we headed in that direction, but I wasn't sure if Frontierland would be open. We stopped and asked the CM at the tip board. He said it was open. He also noticed our EE lanyards and asked us about our experience. He said he was chosen to be in the new EE commercial and he had to ride it for 7 hours straight! We stopped and got our picture taken over by CP with our PhotoPass. We walked through an empty Adventureland. DH did not want to ride the carpets and I didn't want to be the only ones on POC, so we kept going. We walked right on to BTMRR. We headed over the Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan, with just a short line there. I did Pooh by myself. DH doesn't like it. On to Tomorrowland and the TTA. DH was not ready to do Space Mountain. Buzz in one of his favorite rides and he was disappointed that it was closed, but I did warn him in advance.
We wanted to ride the train next, so we headed over to Toon Town via the path that goes along the railroad tracks from Tomorrowland. The train was just getting ready to leave, so we decided to wait for the next one. We grabbed a bench and just enjoyed being in the warm sunshine on a beautiful day at WDW. I also like waving to the people on the train. There was no one else around. I looked over to my right and saw another one of the VIP CMs. As the person approached, I noticed it was Kelly Ripa, pushing a double stroller. I whispered to DH, look, it's Kelly Ripa. She was jabbering a mile a minute to the CM, wearing big sunglasses. I almost yelled out "Hi Kelly!", but decided to give her some peace. They went off to Toon Town and that was the last we saw of her. Finally, I saw a famous person at WDW!
We boarded the next train and went full circle. Next, we headed over to Pecos Bills for lunch. It is the only place DH likes to eat lunch in MK. We didn't want to wait too long to eat because we had 5:40 ADRs at Jiko. We also decided we would split the burger because of our big breakfast. DH went to order and I got a table outside. It was very pleasant outside. Eric, one of the CMs working outside, came over to talk to me and some other guests. Very nice guy from Illinois who just arrived at WDW a few weeks earlier for the College Program. DH arrived back and realized he had gotten my water but forgot his soda, so he went back in. All of the sudden I see something come from below the table and grab the top of the burger bun! It was one of those white birds with the long beaks. (Sorry, I don\rquote t know what they're called). I couldn't believe it! I turned to the family next to me and said "did you see that?!" They hadn't seen it but couldn't believe it. I called DH on the cell to see if he could get a bun top while he was in there. Another family came and sat at the other table next to us and the guy noticed the bird eating the bun and so I told him what happened. He said he will definitely protect his food! DH finally came with a new bun and soda and he said he had trouble hearing me on the cell, but understood enough to get the bun. As we were eating, there was a "Ho Down" going on behind us, so I joked we were kind of at a dinner theater. Guess you had to be there. The family from Minnesota next to us gave us there unwanted dessert and I said you must be on the dining plan! I lost the receipt for this meal.
After lunch, we decided that if we were going to do Splash Mountain, we'd better do it while it was warm and sunny. DH got fastpasses and we headed to POC. We made a pit stop and then headed over to Splash. When it was our turn to get on, we got the front row, which we've done many times before, but the log was extremely wet. When we got in, our pants/shorts got very wet. We were soaked before we ever went inside. We got a good soaking right before Slippin' Falls. We were so wet when we got off that we just decided to go back to AKL, rest and get ready for our 5:40pm Jiko ADR and EMH at MK. Wet underwear is not very comfortable!
After our rest, we got ready and went down to Jiko for dinner. This is DH's favorite restaurant. He loves the filet there. We waited in the bar area for a few minutes then got the very same table we had last time. Jeff was our waiter - he was very good. We ordered the Taste of Africa appetizer. We enjoyed that. I liked the olive hummus, DH liked the red one (can't remember what exactly was in that). DH got the filet and I got the pork tenderloin. We were entertained by a man behind us who was very, very picky about his wine. Nothing was good enough for him. I felt bad for Jeff, his waiter and the "wine guy" (I know they have a name, but it's not coming to me). It just went on and on. DH loved his filet, as always. My pork was not as good as last time. My menu selections are limited because: 1) I don't like fish; 2) I don't like spicy foods; 3) I don't usually like to order chicken when we're on vacation because we eat a lot of chicken at home and 4) I like my!
beef well done and if I get filets, they usually aren't cooked enough for me. So, I got the pork, which I enjoyed last time, but didn't care for this time. For dessert, we shared the chocolate flourless cake. We were sharing and both of us couldn't even finish it - it was very rich. The total was $69.00, with a $16.20 DDE discount. Again, we finished dinner around 7:00.
After dinner, we went back up to the room. I wanted to put on my Tinkerbell sweatshirt. (It ended up I was dressed way to warmly and was actually hot. The evening was really nice). We got to MK just before Wishes started. We headed over to Tomorrowland and got our wristbands. We got on TTA and decided to stay on a second time and watch Wishes from there. It was a very relaxing ride. We headed over to Haunted Mansion. We like to do HM at night. We hurried over to BMTRR before it got too crowded from the people who had watched Wishes. We rode 3 times in a row, after getting off and getting in the very short line. I love BTMRR at night. We headed over to do Small World, then decided to head back to the hotel. We stopped in the candy store, but didn't buy anything. Back at the hotel, we relaxed a little bit then went to bed. We had 0830 ADRs at Rainforest Cafe the next morning.
MONDAY 30 JANUARY
We set the wake-up call early so we could pack and be ready to check out when we got back from breakfast. When I woke up, my foot really hurt. Not a good sign. My legs were also very sore from using those muscles I hadn't used in so long. We decided we'd better cancel Rainforest Cafe because of the long walk from the bus stop, and just go to Boma. When we went down to Boma, it not as crowded as the weekend had been. We got a different waitress this time and I wished we had Anne from the day before. DH had eggs, pancakes and the qinoa again. I had another omlette and the French toast with raisins in it (I know that has a name also). Very good, but again, we don't get our money's worth from the buffet.
We had packed and called Bell Services. We decided to to go Epcot today since we didn't get to spend much time there. It was a cool, drizzly day. When we got there, I barely could walk from the bus stop. We decided I'd better get a wheelchair because I really didn't want to spend the day sitting in the AKL lobby. We went to the Land. DH didn't want to do Soarin', plus the line was long. Living With the Land also had a big line. We went to the Living Seas. Crush had a really big line, so we looked around a bit and left. By this time, World Showcase was open. We started with Mexico and rode El Rio de Tiempo. Next, we did Maelstrom. The weather was really depressing - cool and rainy. We also noticed how plain Epcot looked. The last several times we've been there either the Flower & Garden Show or the Food & Wine Festival was going on. It sure looked empty. Plus, there were hardly any people there. We stopped in Germany to buy some candy. We were a little hungry and DH didn't want to eat too close to the time our flight took off (5:40pm). We went to Sommerfest and split a brat platter. By this time I had talked DH into putting our rain ponchos on. We stopped in Japan and bought more candy. DH loves Pocky. We continued around and decided to head back to AKL.
When we got back, we looked around the resort for the spots where we could see the animals. We saw quite a few giraffes. Tiffany was supposed to pick us up at 3:40pm. We sat in the lobby and just relaxed and enjoyed our last bit of time at AKL. I can't remember exactly what time it was, but we looked up and saw our driver in the lobby. She was there really early, but we were ready to go anyway. We were just surprised to see her so early.
We did curb-side check-in again. Since we weren't allowed to check in 24 hours early (the hotel would only do it 12 hours ahead and they weren't open then, we had B boarding passes. DH had a bad headache, so he sat in the area just outside the Disney store while I shopped. I am so glad we got there early, because by the time I came out and we got in the security line, it was almost back to the Disney store. We couldn't believe it. I didn't think it would be so crowded on a Monday evening. It was crazy. I've never seen security lines like that at BWI. When we got to the top of the line, the TSA agent sent us to different stations. I had both boarding passes. They let DH through anyway. My agent was yelling at me because I had DH's pass and that I'd better find him or he wouldn't be able to get through security. Next time I will make sure we are at the same station. What a fiasco.
When we got to our gate, DH was not feeling well. His headache was really bad, plus he was worried about the flight. I was starting to get a little hungry, but didn't want anything from the BBQ place near our gate. A family arrived with food from McDonalds that made me hungry for McDonalds, but I didn't think I had time to go get something. It was approaching 5:00, 5:15 and finally 5:30 with no boarding call or announcements. People had been lined up in their respective A, B, or C line for a while. There were no SWA agents at our gate. I finally went over to the next gate where there were 3 SWA agents and asked them about our flight. The rude guy says it is going to be delayed 50 minutes. I asked if he were going to make an announcement and he said it had been posted on the board. No one in those lines was looking at the board. He said I'll make the announcement soon. I went over to DH in our B line and told him and said let's go get McDonald's. DH didn't want to eat because of his stomach.
The plane finally arrived and we took off around 6:30 and made it home safely. The flight was much more comfortable for both of us.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We had a great time and were really surprised that the weekend did not fly by too quickly. For the Seinfeld fans, we referred to this trip as our "Anti-George" or "Bizarro World" trip because it was a little different from the trips we usually take. We both really needed to get away and have some fun. DH did mention that maybe we could take some other weekend trips to try other resorts. He will only stay at the Polynesian for our regular trips.
We did not like the new Top 7 girl Stacy. DH really liked the last one. (I will not write her name because I always get flamed, yes flamed when I spell her name wrong). We like to have that on in the room, but we couldn\rquote t watch it this time. Hopefully the new one with EE will be better.
I noticed that the people waiting for the busses are really rude and do not follow "line etiquette". We saw some really rude people pushing their way in when there were other people, including us, who had been the first ones in line.
I also had a few pictures I wanted to post but I don't know how, even after reading the tech board.
I guess that's it. Thank you for sticking with this and reading it all if you've made it that far. Our next trip is planned for 26 April - 3 May, staying....guess where?
Thanks!
Cast: Me - 41, Disney fanatic and planner
DH - 39, loves to vacation at WDW to get away from the Real World. Goes with whatever I plan and pays for our trips.
Background: We now usually go to WDW twice a year. When it was time for my 40th birthday, I told my husband the only place I wanted to be on that day was the Magic Kingdom. So, we planned our first April trip around my 40th bday, April 15, 2004. We had a great time and that was one of the best birthdays I've ever had! After that, we decided to go again in October for his bday. We also wanted to try MNSSHP and the F & W festival. Had another great trip. We decided to go again in April 2005 and I finally talked DH into getting APs. Had another great trip so I starting planning our October trip. I broke 2 bones in my foot in June. I have a lot of health problems that complicate even the simplest things. It ended up we had to cancel the October trip because my foot was not healing and it was really bothering me. So, we tried to plan a December trip. Other health problems intervened and we had to cancel. Our APs expire on April 12 2006 and we knew we wouldn't be g!
oing for my birthday in 2006 because it falls on Easter weekend and there was no way we wanted to go during that crowded time. Plus, my DH really enjoys the F & G show and it wouldn't have started by then. It just figures the first time we buy APs we only do one trip!! I also don't have a lot of time to take off work because of having to take off for health reasons. I was pretty depressed about everything.
Then at the end of December it happened...I got an email from Disney inviting the passholders to preview Expedition Everest. My mind started racing - how was I going to do this? How would I be able to talk DH into this? We already had our APs. We had to use them at least one more time before they expired. I don't have a lot of leave to take off of work. I started researching. I so needed to get away. I also needed a Disney fix - bad! I started out by saying "If I pay for everything, can we go to the EE preview?" He was skeptical at first, but said, if you can pay for it, we can go. Uh oh. I' m not the big breadwinner in the family. (P.S. DH ended up paying for everything except the first night's hotel deposit and the airfare, which included the kennel for the dog, Tiffany Towncar and our wonderful meals).
I got a good fare on SWA. I had a credit with SWA due to our cancelled trips, but it had to be used by Jan 22. I had called earlier when we had to cancel our December trip and asked if that could be extended due to the medical nature of the cancellation. She said it would be extended until June, but I had to pay up front and be reimbursed. Fine with me. I wanted to do late Thursday, Friday and leave Sunday, but couldn' t work out the flights. So, I made it late Friday and leaving Monday evening. We' ve never done a weekend trip, especially since DH has problems with motion sickness on the plane. He hates to fly. He used to love it, but he has TMJ and his motion sickness on the plane is getting worse. We also usually stay on the Polynesian. DH doesn't want to stay anywhere else. I decided to check AKL since we were going for the EE preview and I wanted to try something new, especially since this was a short trip. We go to Jiko every trip, so I knew what the resort was like. This was when the Best Rate program was still in effect. I didn' t like this program because of the non-refundable deposit and I never knew when we'd have to cancel because of illness. I got a AAA rate for a standard pool view. It was an ok rate, but I thought I could do better because of value season, but I had to take what I could get. Then they did away with the Best Rate program and I called back because I really wanted a Savannah view room. No luck. I figured all the passholders coming for the preview had gotten all the rooms. I tried back a few times and then just gave up. I also was still having trouble with my foot and I was afraid that some of the Savannah view rooms would be quite a long walk. I hadn't done any serious walking since the summer. What was I thinking ? You have to walk A LOT in WDW. At this point, I had to go.
Even though there wasn't much time before the trip, time seemed to drag. Work days went so slow. We happened to be at Home Depot the weekend before we left and I remembered to grab the green Mickey heads. I had DH laminate them for me and cut them out and I put them on my purse. I was so excited about finally having my green Mickey heads! I was so disappointed when I did not see anyone with them, nor did anyone say anything about mine!
Finally, here's the trip! (I sure do babble, don't I?)
FRIDAY 27 JANUARY
Today is my brother's 50th birthday. I had called before I officially planned the trip to make sure they weren't doing anything special - they weren't, so I went full steam ahead.
My husband and I are early risers and we (I especially) go to bed early. I had thought I had gotten enough done during the week that I wouldn't be running around Thursday night like crazy trying to pack. (I am a super over-packer). I wasn't sure about the weather, so I took everything. I was up later than I would've liked and I didn't finish packing, but I thought I might have a little time when I got home from work. DH didn't sleep at all. So, we were both dragging that morning. I was working a half day and leaving at 1100. Work went slow, it was quiet. Until 1000 when my boss gave me a project I had to do before I left. (I'm a secretary). Not sure why he couldn't have given it to me the afternoon before when it was quiet, but what can I do? I hurried and finished around 1045. I had brought my WDW purse with me to switch at work because I hadn't had time to do that, but my boss had the talkers and came out to chat with me. He left for his appointment at 1055. I got out of there at 1100 and got home around 1130.
DH was already home. He was packing - he's a very light packer. We had printed out our boarding passes Thursday - we had As. I love SWA's 24-hour window. No more getting up at midnight! I finished packing, making sure I had all my meds and necessities. We wanted to get out of the house by 1230 because we had to take the dog to the kennel and it wasn't exactly on the way. Our plane leaves at 4:05pm, but DH likes to get to the airport 2 hours early. That was fine with me because I hadn't eaten lunch and I was getting hungry. He had a PB&J before I got home. He doesn't like to eat too soon before the flight. So we all loaded in the car and dropped off Sam, our beagle, at the kennel. We tell him he's going to "Doggy Daycare" and he gets excited - he loves it there, which makes us feel better about leaving him there.
We park our car at a parking lot near the airport. We like this one better than the airport long-term parking. The shuttle picks you up right at your car instead of having to go to a bus stop to wait for a bus. The drivers are really nice. We hadn't seen the new Southwest concourse at BWI that we had been watching them build for a while now. It's the first stop. We did curbside check in. We checked 3 bags - can you believe it? It looks really nice inside the new concourse. Security was quick, as usual. We sat down near the food area and I went to get something to eat. Nothing seemed appealing to me, but I got some chicken strips and biscuit from Church's Chicken. It was horrible, so I didn't eat much. When we got to our gate area, there were a few more food places. There was an Au Bon Pain (is that how you spell it?) and I wish I would have waited and got something there. Oh well. I know for next time.
Time for boarding. DH wanted to sit in the very back of the plane, next to the restroom. He was really dreading this flight. He had taken his Dramamine in the airport - the kind that is supposedly the "less drowsy" formula, but I have my doubt about that. I grabbed the first window seat in the first empty row and sat down. An older retired gentleman sat in the aisle seat. We were told the flight was full, so every seat would be taken. A larger pooh-sized gentleman sat in the center seat. I'm not a big person, I'm only 5' and I was uncomfortably squeezed next to the window. We started talking - he was a patent lawyer - and we talked for the whole 2+ hours which made the flight go by quickly. Very nice guy. When the drinks and snacks came, I was not able to put down my tray table, which was a first for me. I was hoping DH was doing ok in the back. I was hoping I could catch a nap, but I was too uncomfortable, plus the conversation was good and made the time go q!
uickly.
Finally - we're in Orlando!! The weather was great. DH said he did fine, but was also very uncomfortable squeezed in his seat for the same reason I was. He was not able to sleep. My problem with flying is my ears. They get clogged and are usually not back to normal until the next day. I've tried everything, including Ear Planes. Nothing works for me, so I go around until the next day in a kind of fog.
Our Tiffany driver was waiting for us. We had Renata, who we've had before and really like. My plan for tonight was to check in, not unpack like I usually do to save time and go right to Epcot. Epcot had EMH that night and my mission was for DH to ride Soarin'. He wouldn't ride it last April because he was concerned about motion sickness. He can do all the other rides at WDW, including Rock-n-Roller Coaster, but sometimes has problems with virtual reality things. After reading all the posts here about people with motion sickness being able to ride Soarin', I told him he has to try it. Plus, I was really looking forward to riding it again also.
The AKL lobby was a madhouse. Lots of activity and there was a decent line at check-in. It felt strange to us checking in somewhere else other than the Polynesian, but also very exciting trying something new. It was finally our turn. I asked if they had any Savannah rooms available and she said no, they were at capacity for that night. We ended up getting a deluxe pool view room, which sounded good to me. We were in Zebra Trail, room 5468. The room was great. I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the Mickey drapes. The pool view was also very nice. I especially liked the bathroom sink area. It was beautiful and functional. We checked out the room and view, made our "we made it here safely" phone calls, took a few pictures of the clean room and took off for Epcot.
When we got to the Epcot bus stop, we realized this was the very first time ever that we rode a bus to Epcot. Even when we stayed at CBR on our very first trip to WDW, we had taken the monorail to Epcot from MK. We didn't even know where the bus stops were at Epcot. We missed the monorail ride around Epcot when you first get there. DH's priority right now was getting something to eat. He was starving. I wanted to try eating in the Land pavilion, but since it was after 8:00pm, I didn't know how long they stayed open, especially since this wasn't peak time at the parks. So, we decided to eat at Electric Umbrella. It was about 8:30. We've only eaten here once - on our very first trip to WDW when we didn't know much about anything, we had eaten there. We both had burgers. I had the small one, he had the big one. Total came to $17.09. We hurried so we could get to Soarin'.
When we got to the Land pavilion, the food area was open. I had wanted to try the flatbread. I was worried about how bad the lines would be at this time of day, but when we got there, it said 40 minutes. I didn't think DH would want to wait in that line, but he did, despite being exhausted from lack of sleep the night before, plus the motion sickness pills. The line did not seem to take 40 minutes. It moved quickly. We figured out why. Illuminations was just starting, so we figured people were out there for that and the line wasn't bad at all. I was hoping that for his first ride we would get row 1, but I didn't want to ask for it. Pixie dust! We got row 1 for his first ride. He loved it!! I was a little worried, but he loved it. He said that it wasn't a ride, but an experience.
After that, we were so tired, we just wanted to go back to the room. We did Spaceship Earth before we left. Again, riding the bus from Epcot was strange. We got back to the AKL and DH said he wanted some kind of dessert, so we went to Mara. We were walking around in some kind of tired-drunk stupor. We finally got our wits together and said what are we doing - let's get to bed! Back in the room, I set the wake-up call for 7:00. We usually get up earlier, but we really needed the sleep. Our plan for Saturday was to have a quick breakfast at Mara, go to AKL and ride EE and then go to the AllEarsNet meet at Tusker House and meet Deb Willis. We had a 6:00 ADR at Rose and Crown. We tried to get Le Cellier, but were not able to get one there.
SATURDAY 28 JANUARY
The call came at 7:00, although I was awake, slightly. I like to shower first, so it took me a while to get my stuff together. The weather that day was going to be mostly sunny and in the low 70s! I had to keep reminding myself that it was the end of January. We both wore jeans and short sleeved shirts and our hooded sweatshirts jackets.
We went to Mara for breakfast around 8:30. The walk to Mara was nice. AKL is beautiful and peaceful. I love the mornings at the resort. I know a lot of people really like Mara, but we didn't care for it. It probably would have helped if we had gotten there earlier. I got the breakfast platter, which I didn't care for. I only ate the eggs and the biscuit. DH got the Mickey waffle, which he liked. I should've gotten that also. The total was $20.17.
We got the bus to AK. We got there later than we wanted, but we really needed the sleep. It was around 9:30, so we thought we'd better get to EE first thing. The mountain is really beautiful. I was hoping to just get a fastpass. Wrong!! When we approached the area, a CM was telling people this was the line for the passholders and DVC members only. He said the line was an hour and a half. We got in line and I was pretty sure at that point that I wouldn't be able to get to the AllEarsNet meet at Tusker House between 10:30-11:30. Oh well, this is what we came for. I was a little nervous about riding EE. I'm not a big fan of drops. We've done all the coasters at WDW, including RnR, but I was still hesitant. I was glad I had read all the information and reports on the ride before I went - that way I kind of knew what to expect. The line didn\rquote t move too slowly and we had to show our photo ID and pass 2 more times. We got our coupon for the lanyard and pin. We finally got to the queue and it was everything everyone said it would be. It kept us occupied looking at everything. I really wanted to sit down - my foot was bothering me. We finally got to the load area and everything went quick. We were a couple of rows back from the front. The ride started and it was very smooth. I was worried when we went up the steep lift. The view is wonderful from up there. When we got to the top, I was really glad I was prepared for what happened next. I won't say too much about it in case some people don't want to know. I'm pretty sure I had my eyes closed for a lot of the ride! I wasn't too crazy about the drop coming out of the mountain, but I survived. It was a very exciting ride and I'm sure we'll be doing it again next time. The gift shop was a zoo. Way too crowded to look at things. We got our lanyards and pins.
When we got out, I realized we still had time to get to Tusker House and catch the end of the meet. We headed over towards Tusker House. My feet and legs would not let me move too fast. We made it there and I recognized Deb Willis from her pictures. What a nice person! We got a picture and I didn't meet any of the rest of the team because they were in the middle of a conversation and I didn't want to interrupt. We weren't quite ready to eat lunch yet, so we sat and listened to the African band playing. We finally decided to see what the next Flights of Wonder show time was. We had only seen the show once a few years ago and DH wanted to see it again.
As we were heading out, we were standing at the corner where the bridge leaves Africa to Discovery Island, I saw one of those CM who escorts VIPs walking towards DI. He was with someone pushing a stroller that I didn't recognize, but I really didn't get a good look at them. Following behind them going a little slower was a man carrying a child. I told DH "that guy is famous" - I don't know who he is but he is famous. He was tall, with dark hair and had an air about him that he was a celebrity. He saw me looking at him and talking to DH. He didn't smile but was probably hoping I wasn't going to come up to him and bother him. I told DH whenever you see one of those CMs, there would be someone famous.
The 1130 Flights of Wonder show had just started and the CM said we could go in. Perfect timing. After that, we decided we'd better get lunch before it gets too late. We wanted to try Flame Tree BBQ since we had never eaten there. Another first for us. DH got in line and I went to get a table. The seating areas are great. We had a nice view of EE. DH got the ribs and I got the pork sandwich. He liked the ribs. I wasn't that hungry so I only ate the pork, not the bun. I tried the beans but I thought they were too sweet. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable lunch. The total for lunch was $19.04. After lunch, we decided it was time for a Mickey bar. We headed towards the front of the park and got our Mickey bars. Is it our imagination or did they get smaller? After our Mickey bars, we headed back to AKL to relax and take a rest.
Back in the room, we sat out on the balcony and just enjoyed being there. We took a short nap, then decided we'd better give ourselves extra time to got to Epcot and get to Rose & Crown for our 6:00 ADR. I was moving slowly due to my legs and feet bothering me. Due to my foot injury, I had not been walking very much. I usually prep for our WDW trips, knowing how much walking we do.
I can't remember what time we got to Epcot, but we had plenty of time to mosey back to World Showcase and Rose & Crown. We looked around in the shops for a while. Finally, we decided to check in early. I asked DH if he wanted to sit outside and he said sure. The plastic wind barriers were up, so I didn't think it would be too bad. So, we got seated outside to a table we've sat at before. We've been to Rose & Crown for lunch, but not for dinner. Another first. The plastic wind barriers were not up near our table. It was comfortable when we first got there, but it got colder when the sun went down. Our waiter was Barry from Liverpool, a very charming and friendly guy. DH got the "Surf & Turf". I got the Guinness beef stew. We decided not to get appetizers and to save room for dessert. I noticed we didn't get any straws (I must have a straw!), so DH said I should say "Can I have a straw, Barry". No, he's probably heard that a thousand times! DH was a little disappointed in the steak - he usually gets filets. He said it was ok though. My beef stew was ok, but not great. For dessert, we got the dessert sampler that had the Apple Crumble, the Guinness chocolate cake and the sticky toffee pudding. They were all great. The total came to $49.88 with the DDE discount of $11.71. We finished around 7:00. We really like eating at the Rose & Crown and Barry was an excellent waiter.
After dinner, I was much too sore to do much walking, so we decided to go back to the resort and relax. We went shopping in the resort gift shop, walked outside to see if we could see any animals, explored a bit and went back to the room. We wanted to get to bed at a decent hour because tomorrow was MK day and we had an 0730 ADR at Boma.
SUNDAY 29 JANUARY
Mickey and Stitch called at 0600. We were ready early and decided to head down early. DH decided to wear shorts today. Not me, I didn't even bring shorts. We were the first ones at Boma and we checked in and got our beeper. I asked if I could go in and take a picture and she said I could. We've been to Boma for dinner, but not for breakfast. Another first. We got seated and had a wonderful waitress, Anne. We ordered the Frunch. It was good, but kind of sweet. DH got some eggs and pancakes for the first round. I got an omlette. For the next round, DH tried the Qinoa and loved it. I asked him to get me a bowl also. That was it for us. We really don't get our money's worth at breakfast buffets, but we had to try Boma for breakfast at least once. The total was $28.95 with a DDE discount of $6.80. Gotta love the DDE card.
On to MK! We got there around 0840. We were let into the "holding area" and watched the show. I asked DH what he wanted to do first and he said he didn't care. BTMRR is my favorite ride so we headed in that direction, but I wasn't sure if Frontierland would be open. We stopped and asked the CM at the tip board. He said it was open. He also noticed our EE lanyards and asked us about our experience. He said he was chosen to be in the new EE commercial and he had to ride it for 7 hours straight! We stopped and got our picture taken over by CP with our PhotoPass. We walked through an empty Adventureland. DH did not want to ride the carpets and I didn't want to be the only ones on POC, so we kept going. We walked right on to BTMRR. We headed over the Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan, with just a short line there. I did Pooh by myself. DH doesn't like it. On to Tomorrowland and the TTA. DH was not ready to do Space Mountain. Buzz in one of his favorite rides and he was disappointed that it was closed, but I did warn him in advance.
We wanted to ride the train next, so we headed over to Toon Town via the path that goes along the railroad tracks from Tomorrowland. The train was just getting ready to leave, so we decided to wait for the next one. We grabbed a bench and just enjoyed being in the warm sunshine on a beautiful day at WDW. I also like waving to the people on the train. There was no one else around. I looked over to my right and saw another one of the VIP CMs. As the person approached, I noticed it was Kelly Ripa, pushing a double stroller. I whispered to DH, look, it's Kelly Ripa. She was jabbering a mile a minute to the CM, wearing big sunglasses. I almost yelled out "Hi Kelly!", but decided to give her some peace. They went off to Toon Town and that was the last we saw of her. Finally, I saw a famous person at WDW!
We boarded the next train and went full circle. Next, we headed over to Pecos Bills for lunch. It is the only place DH likes to eat lunch in MK. We didn't want to wait too long to eat because we had 5:40 ADRs at Jiko. We also decided we would split the burger because of our big breakfast. DH went to order and I got a table outside. It was very pleasant outside. Eric, one of the CMs working outside, came over to talk to me and some other guests. Very nice guy from Illinois who just arrived at WDW a few weeks earlier for the College Program. DH arrived back and realized he had gotten my water but forgot his soda, so he went back in. All of the sudden I see something come from below the table and grab the top of the burger bun! It was one of those white birds with the long beaks. (Sorry, I don\rquote t know what they're called). I couldn't believe it! I turned to the family next to me and said "did you see that?!" They hadn't seen it but couldn't believe it. I called DH on the cell to see if he could get a bun top while he was in there. Another family came and sat at the other table next to us and the guy noticed the bird eating the bun and so I told him what happened. He said he will definitely protect his food! DH finally came with a new bun and soda and he said he had trouble hearing me on the cell, but understood enough to get the bun. As we were eating, there was a "Ho Down" going on behind us, so I joked we were kind of at a dinner theater. Guess you had to be there. The family from Minnesota next to us gave us there unwanted dessert and I said you must be on the dining plan! I lost the receipt for this meal.
After lunch, we decided that if we were going to do Splash Mountain, we'd better do it while it was warm and sunny. DH got fastpasses and we headed to POC. We made a pit stop and then headed over to Splash. When it was our turn to get on, we got the front row, which we've done many times before, but the log was extremely wet. When we got in, our pants/shorts got very wet. We were soaked before we ever went inside. We got a good soaking right before Slippin' Falls. We were so wet when we got off that we just decided to go back to AKL, rest and get ready for our 5:40pm Jiko ADR and EMH at MK. Wet underwear is not very comfortable!
After our rest, we got ready and went down to Jiko for dinner. This is DH's favorite restaurant. He loves the filet there. We waited in the bar area for a few minutes then got the very same table we had last time. Jeff was our waiter - he was very good. We ordered the Taste of Africa appetizer. We enjoyed that. I liked the olive hummus, DH liked the red one (can't remember what exactly was in that). DH got the filet and I got the pork tenderloin. We were entertained by a man behind us who was very, very picky about his wine. Nothing was good enough for him. I felt bad for Jeff, his waiter and the "wine guy" (I know they have a name, but it's not coming to me). It just went on and on. DH loved his filet, as always. My pork was not as good as last time. My menu selections are limited because: 1) I don't like fish; 2) I don't like spicy foods; 3) I don't usually like to order chicken when we're on vacation because we eat a lot of chicken at home and 4) I like my!
beef well done and if I get filets, they usually aren't cooked enough for me. So, I got the pork, which I enjoyed last time, but didn't care for this time. For dessert, we shared the chocolate flourless cake. We were sharing and both of us couldn't even finish it - it was very rich. The total was $69.00, with a $16.20 DDE discount. Again, we finished dinner around 7:00.
After dinner, we went back up to the room. I wanted to put on my Tinkerbell sweatshirt. (It ended up I was dressed way to warmly and was actually hot. The evening was really nice). We got to MK just before Wishes started. We headed over to Tomorrowland and got our wristbands. We got on TTA and decided to stay on a second time and watch Wishes from there. It was a very relaxing ride. We headed over to Haunted Mansion. We like to do HM at night. We hurried over to BMTRR before it got too crowded from the people who had watched Wishes. We rode 3 times in a row, after getting off and getting in the very short line. I love BTMRR at night. We headed over to do Small World, then decided to head back to the hotel. We stopped in the candy store, but didn't buy anything. Back at the hotel, we relaxed a little bit then went to bed. We had 0830 ADRs at Rainforest Cafe the next morning.
MONDAY 30 JANUARY
We set the wake-up call early so we could pack and be ready to check out when we got back from breakfast. When I woke up, my foot really hurt. Not a good sign. My legs were also very sore from using those muscles I hadn't used in so long. We decided we'd better cancel Rainforest Cafe because of the long walk from the bus stop, and just go to Boma. When we went down to Boma, it not as crowded as the weekend had been. We got a different waitress this time and I wished we had Anne from the day before. DH had eggs, pancakes and the qinoa again. I had another omlette and the French toast with raisins in it (I know that has a name also). Very good, but again, we don't get our money's worth from the buffet.
We had packed and called Bell Services. We decided to to go Epcot today since we didn't get to spend much time there. It was a cool, drizzly day. When we got there, I barely could walk from the bus stop. We decided I'd better get a wheelchair because I really didn't want to spend the day sitting in the AKL lobby. We went to the Land. DH didn't want to do Soarin', plus the line was long. Living With the Land also had a big line. We went to the Living Seas. Crush had a really big line, so we looked around a bit and left. By this time, World Showcase was open. We started with Mexico and rode El Rio de Tiempo. Next, we did Maelstrom. The weather was really depressing - cool and rainy. We also noticed how plain Epcot looked. The last several times we've been there either the Flower & Garden Show or the Food & Wine Festival was going on. It sure looked empty. Plus, there were hardly any people there. We stopped in Germany to buy some candy. We were a little hungry and DH didn't want to eat too close to the time our flight took off (5:40pm). We went to Sommerfest and split a brat platter. By this time I had talked DH into putting our rain ponchos on. We stopped in Japan and bought more candy. DH loves Pocky. We continued around and decided to head back to AKL.
When we got back, we looked around the resort for the spots where we could see the animals. We saw quite a few giraffes. Tiffany was supposed to pick us up at 3:40pm. We sat in the lobby and just relaxed and enjoyed our last bit of time at AKL. I can't remember exactly what time it was, but we looked up and saw our driver in the lobby. She was there really early, but we were ready to go anyway. We were just surprised to see her so early.
We did curb-side check-in again. Since we weren't allowed to check in 24 hours early (the hotel would only do it 12 hours ahead and they weren't open then, we had B boarding passes. DH had a bad headache, so he sat in the area just outside the Disney store while I shopped. I am so glad we got there early, because by the time I came out and we got in the security line, it was almost back to the Disney store. We couldn't believe it. I didn't think it would be so crowded on a Monday evening. It was crazy. I've never seen security lines like that at BWI. When we got to the top of the line, the TSA agent sent us to different stations. I had both boarding passes. They let DH through anyway. My agent was yelling at me because I had DH's pass and that I'd better find him or he wouldn't be able to get through security. Next time I will make sure we are at the same station. What a fiasco.
When we got to our gate, DH was not feeling well. His headache was really bad, plus he was worried about the flight. I was starting to get a little hungry, but didn't want anything from the BBQ place near our gate. A family arrived with food from McDonalds that made me hungry for McDonalds, but I didn't think I had time to go get something. It was approaching 5:00, 5:15 and finally 5:30 with no boarding call or announcements. People had been lined up in their respective A, B, or C line for a while. There were no SWA agents at our gate. I finally went over to the next gate where there were 3 SWA agents and asked them about our flight. The rude guy says it is going to be delayed 50 minutes. I asked if he were going to make an announcement and he said it had been posted on the board. No one in those lines was looking at the board. He said I'll make the announcement soon. I went over to DH in our B line and told him and said let's go get McDonald's. DH didn't want to eat because of his stomach.
The plane finally arrived and we took off around 6:30 and made it home safely. The flight was much more comfortable for both of us.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We had a great time and were really surprised that the weekend did not fly by too quickly. For the Seinfeld fans, we referred to this trip as our "Anti-George" or "Bizarro World" trip because it was a little different from the trips we usually take. We both really needed to get away and have some fun. DH did mention that maybe we could take some other weekend trips to try other resorts. He will only stay at the Polynesian for our regular trips.
We did not like the new Top 7 girl Stacy. DH really liked the last one. (I will not write her name because I always get flamed, yes flamed when I spell her name wrong). We like to have that on in the room, but we couldn\rquote t watch it this time. Hopefully the new one with EE will be better.
I noticed that the people waiting for the busses are really rude and do not follow "line etiquette". We saw some really rude people pushing their way in when there were other people, including us, who had been the first ones in line.
I also had a few pictures I wanted to post but I don't know how, even after reading the tech board.
I guess that's it. Thank you for sticking with this and reading it all if you've made it that far. Our next trip is planned for 26 April - 3 May, staying....guess where?
Thanks!
