Who we are.
Me, Ali (40-but only just!) - chief planner, packer, and organiser
Tim (47) - husband, driver, generally willing to go along with my plans, hates queuing.
Thomas (9)- son, Harry Potter fan
Molly (6) daughter, loves Ariel and all the other Disney Princesses.
This is my first attempt at a trip report and I shall be working largely from memory. Forgive me if I ramble on (and on!) but remember as first-timers, it was all wonderful and new to us!
Day 10 Mon 31/3/03 Epcot
We thought we would try the breakfast at The Black Angus as we had been pleased with the evening meal. The surroundings were more pleasant than most we had been to, but not such a large choice. This didnt matter much to us as that morning, I think we all had reached saturation point as far as the all American breakfast buffet was concerned and none of us ate very much.
We were all keen to get to Epcot that morning; it was the last of the Disney parks to experience. We were there for opening not bad for our second week! Although sunny that morning, there was a chilly wind and we had dressed accordingly with long trousers and light jackets. Many people were arriving in shorts and sun tops obviously made of sterner stuff than us. We headed straight for Test Track along with everyone else, although they seemed to know where it was, we had to keep checking on the map. I had mastered the technique of reading the map whilst still walking so as not to waste valuable time. The queue for Test Track was building quickly and we were still rather full after breakfast to face hurtling around a test track at 65mph, so we collected FPs for later.
We went instead into The Wonders of Life what a fascinating place! After a quick look around we went on Body Wars no queues here. Neither Tim nor I particularly enjoyed this ride, it didnt have the same appeal as Star Tours and it was still too soon after breakfast for a ride of this kind.
We had planned to try and book a character meal during our stay and thought that Epcot would be a good choice as it would break up what could be a long day. I was worried we might not get a Priority Seating if we left it too long so we went next to Guest Relations. The children were unaware of what we were doing, and we were able to book the latest lunch slot available at the Garden Grill 3pm.
Next, it was time for our Test Track ride; Im pleased we had let our breakfast go down first! Fantastic ride!
After that, we went on Ellens Energy Adventure. Molly was rather dubious about going on this, it seemed too much like school to her boring! She neednt have worried; we were all impressed with this attraction, it kept the childrens attention, and they may even have learned something (heaven forbid!)
We went passed the dancing fountains (why did they always stop when I got the camera out?) and queued for Spaceship Earth. It was only a 10-minute wait but seemed longer because of the chilly winds rushing round the entrance, forcing us to huddle together. We were glad of the long trousers! Once inside, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, particularly at the summit with all the stars.
By then it was 11am so we headed for the World Showcase. Once again Molly was dubious; where were all the rides?
In Mexico, we directed the Tom and Molly to the Kidcot Fun stop where they were soon happily colouring in a mask each. They would have cheerfully stayed there for the rest of the day but we pointed out there would be more Fun Stops as we went round.
They had a wonderful time searching each country for the Kidcot Fun stop and collecting all the emblems that were attached. Tim and I enjoyed the opportunity to browse the shops, although I would have loved to try some of the restaurants too.
By 2.15pm, we had visited Norway (where we went on Maelstrom), China, Germany and Italy where we watched the fascinating statue for some time. We then decided that we ought to be making our way to The Garden Grill for lunch and realised that we were at the furthest point away (bad planning!) Molly isnt very good at walking long distances without distractions, so we had to allow time for whinging and several rests on the way. We made good time and so were able to visit Canada before lunch another Kidcot Fun stop!!
Thomas and Molly still didnt know that we were having a character meal so as we approached The Garden Grill and they saw Chip and Dale there, they became very excited. When I explained that Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto would be there for the duration of the meal, the expressions on the childrens faces were priceless. The meal was a great success, one of the highlights of the holiday. The restaurant was quite empty, so we had plenty of interaction with the characters. I shall never forget Molly cuddling Pluto and trying her hair band on his head. Even Thomas, who tried to be cool and aloof, was soon giving Mickey a hug.
At first, the children didnt believe us when we said the restaurant was revolving; it was moving so slowly. But soon they saw the changing scenery and a volcano came into view part of Living with the Land ride. By the time we had finished the meal (which was very tasty) and had several photo sessions with the characters, we had completed an entire revolution.
After lunch, we saw the Circle of Life film. After so many days of Disney it felt strange watching a film that wasnt in 3D and where we didnt get wet or poked in the back!
Next we did Journey Into The Imagination with Figment and then ImageWorks, which was fascinating.
After that, we viewed Honey I Shrunk The Audience. When we saw this in Paris we sat right at the front (I hadnt read Simon Vs book then!) so this time we made sure we were further back and central and the effects were much better.
We had earlier picked up FPs for Living With The Land so returned to do this ride. I found the plants in the greenhouses remarkable.
By this time it was nearly 6pm and the attractions in Future World were closing. We had thought that by that time Thomas and Molly would have had enough and would want to leave, but not so. They were both really keen to return to the World Showcase to complete their masks; who were we to stop them!
This time our first stop was the UK. Quite bizarre! The girl manning the Fun stop recognised Thomas Birmingham accent straight away and while we were listening to his conversation with her, Molly took the opportunity to slip into the next room. On investigating further, we discovered her having a cuddle with Winnie-the-Pooh!
It was a good day for character interaction. In France we met the Beast then in Morocco we met the Genie and Aladdin. Molly thought Aladdin was wonderful and flirted like mad with him he made her feel really special and called her his Princess!
It was growing dark as we made our way through Japan and the USA (where the children completed their masks). In Italy we watched a street performer who was extremely talented, he had us all in hysterics and we watched his entire act. After that the statue returned so we stayed to watch her as well.
It was getting rather chilly by that time, and for once we were going into shops to get warm not to cool off! The children were beginning to tire but as it was after 8pm by then, we were really keen to stay and watch the Illuminations at 9pm. We bought hot chocolate from the Outpost to warm us up and found a bench outside China to sit and drink it. I had been planning to be further round the lake to view the show but the kids were quite settled on the bench and I wasnt sure if we would find anywhere else to sit if we moved. So we stayed and watched Illuminations from there. We were able to see the fireworks well but the Earth was quite a long way off. Nevertheless, we were all tremendously impressed with the display and returned to the hotel tired but happy.
Day 11 Tue 1/4/03 Kennedy Space Center
We were all unanimous in not wanting breakfast this morning; the novelty of the American buffet breakfast had well and truly worn off! We made do with a few biscuits in our room.
We set off for Kennedy Space Center at around 10am. Tim was pleased to be able to try out the cruise control on the car (a Dodge Stratus) and we had a very pleasant drive over to the coast, arriving at the Center at around 11am.
We chose the Standard admission we reckoned it would be the best choice with kids in tow. We started our visit by viewing the Robot Scout exhibition. The verdict on this was that Tim and I found it fascinating, Thomas was interested and Molly endured it! (This was to be the pattern for the day!)
We took the bus tour to LC39 next, to view the shuttle launch site. Tim and I were really impressed by the scale of the site Thomas and Molly had a brief look then had a fight over a packet of Pringles. There had been a launch from the site two days previously, the guide told us that normally, two months preparation was required for a launch, but in this instance, because of the war, the preparations had taken only two weeks.
Next stop was the Apollo Saturn V centre. This was the part I especially wanted to visit. I clearly remember as a child watching the moon landings at school on a black and white TV and then at night looking up at the moon and thinking that there were men actually standing on it. The introductory film at the centre was informative and then the launch experience recreated the atmosphere tremendously, even Thomas and Molly were engrossed at this point. When we walked into the room containing the Saturn V rocket, we were all totally in awe it was such a terrific sight and it made me realise what a feat it had been to achieve the moon landing.
We spent a while looking around at the fascinating exhibits, I tried to impress upon the children that it was all real and not just another theme park exhibit. We had lunch in the café there - ciabatta rolls and salad, tasty but fairly costly. After browsing in the shop we caught the bus back to the visitor centre. On the journey, the driver pointed out a bald eagles nest and to our delight we saw the bird returning.
Back at the visitor centre, we had a look around the Rocket Park and then let the children play in the play dome. After that, we viewed the Astronauts Memorial, which was rather moving with the quite recent loss of the Challenger. We had a look around the Shuttle then as we made our way back to the main building, saw a crowd of people peering over the wall into the lake. Not wanting to miss out, we gather round to look too! There were three large turtles and a six-foot alligator in the water beneath us; someone was trying to feed it crisps. Thomas and Molly would have happily stayed there watching for the rest of the afternoon, but we wanted to catch the last showing of the IMAX film Space Station 3D.
The cinema was rather full by the time we entered but we found seats together. For me, this film was a high point of the day; a culmination of all we had experienced. We were all total absorbed by the stunning photography. I was so pleased we had visited the Space Center; it had made a dramatic change to all the theme parks and was well worth the journey.
Rather than driving straight back after, Tim wanted to drive down the coast a little. We had endeavoured to build in a day at the beach but it wasnt going to happen; so Tim at least hoped to see the sea! We arrived at Cocoa Beach at around 6pm where the 3 kids went for a paddle and a play on the sand.
Now wet and sandy, we thought it best to go back to the hotel and change rather than eat on the way back! We were back at around 7.30pm and went to dinner at Golden China. This was a winner with the children who love Chinese food; Thomas had the most enormous spare rib I have ever seen! The food was tasty and good value for money ($70 for 4), but had some unusual choices for a Chinese buffet, such as mashed potato and gammon.
We retired to our hotel room full, and happy that wed had yet another great day.
Me, Ali (40-but only just!) - chief planner, packer, and organiser
Tim (47) - husband, driver, generally willing to go along with my plans, hates queuing.
Thomas (9)- son, Harry Potter fan
Molly (6) daughter, loves Ariel and all the other Disney Princesses.
This is my first attempt at a trip report and I shall be working largely from memory. Forgive me if I ramble on (and on!) but remember as first-timers, it was all wonderful and new to us!
Day 10 Mon 31/3/03 Epcot
We thought we would try the breakfast at The Black Angus as we had been pleased with the evening meal. The surroundings were more pleasant than most we had been to, but not such a large choice. This didnt matter much to us as that morning, I think we all had reached saturation point as far as the all American breakfast buffet was concerned and none of us ate very much.
We were all keen to get to Epcot that morning; it was the last of the Disney parks to experience. We were there for opening not bad for our second week! Although sunny that morning, there was a chilly wind and we had dressed accordingly with long trousers and light jackets. Many people were arriving in shorts and sun tops obviously made of sterner stuff than us. We headed straight for Test Track along with everyone else, although they seemed to know where it was, we had to keep checking on the map. I had mastered the technique of reading the map whilst still walking so as not to waste valuable time. The queue for Test Track was building quickly and we were still rather full after breakfast to face hurtling around a test track at 65mph, so we collected FPs for later.
We went instead into The Wonders of Life what a fascinating place! After a quick look around we went on Body Wars no queues here. Neither Tim nor I particularly enjoyed this ride, it didnt have the same appeal as Star Tours and it was still too soon after breakfast for a ride of this kind.
We had planned to try and book a character meal during our stay and thought that Epcot would be a good choice as it would break up what could be a long day. I was worried we might not get a Priority Seating if we left it too long so we went next to Guest Relations. The children were unaware of what we were doing, and we were able to book the latest lunch slot available at the Garden Grill 3pm.
Next, it was time for our Test Track ride; Im pleased we had let our breakfast go down first! Fantastic ride!
After that, we went on Ellens Energy Adventure. Molly was rather dubious about going on this, it seemed too much like school to her boring! She neednt have worried; we were all impressed with this attraction, it kept the childrens attention, and they may even have learned something (heaven forbid!)
We went passed the dancing fountains (why did they always stop when I got the camera out?) and queued for Spaceship Earth. It was only a 10-minute wait but seemed longer because of the chilly winds rushing round the entrance, forcing us to huddle together. We were glad of the long trousers! Once inside, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, particularly at the summit with all the stars.
By then it was 11am so we headed for the World Showcase. Once again Molly was dubious; where were all the rides?
In Mexico, we directed the Tom and Molly to the Kidcot Fun stop where they were soon happily colouring in a mask each. They would have cheerfully stayed there for the rest of the day but we pointed out there would be more Fun Stops as we went round.
They had a wonderful time searching each country for the Kidcot Fun stop and collecting all the emblems that were attached. Tim and I enjoyed the opportunity to browse the shops, although I would have loved to try some of the restaurants too.
By 2.15pm, we had visited Norway (where we went on Maelstrom), China, Germany and Italy where we watched the fascinating statue for some time. We then decided that we ought to be making our way to The Garden Grill for lunch and realised that we were at the furthest point away (bad planning!) Molly isnt very good at walking long distances without distractions, so we had to allow time for whinging and several rests on the way. We made good time and so were able to visit Canada before lunch another Kidcot Fun stop!!
Thomas and Molly still didnt know that we were having a character meal so as we approached The Garden Grill and they saw Chip and Dale there, they became very excited. When I explained that Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto would be there for the duration of the meal, the expressions on the childrens faces were priceless. The meal was a great success, one of the highlights of the holiday. The restaurant was quite empty, so we had plenty of interaction with the characters. I shall never forget Molly cuddling Pluto and trying her hair band on his head. Even Thomas, who tried to be cool and aloof, was soon giving Mickey a hug.
At first, the children didnt believe us when we said the restaurant was revolving; it was moving so slowly. But soon they saw the changing scenery and a volcano came into view part of Living with the Land ride. By the time we had finished the meal (which was very tasty) and had several photo sessions with the characters, we had completed an entire revolution.
After lunch, we saw the Circle of Life film. After so many days of Disney it felt strange watching a film that wasnt in 3D and where we didnt get wet or poked in the back!
Next we did Journey Into The Imagination with Figment and then ImageWorks, which was fascinating.
After that, we viewed Honey I Shrunk The Audience. When we saw this in Paris we sat right at the front (I hadnt read Simon Vs book then!) so this time we made sure we were further back and central and the effects were much better.
We had earlier picked up FPs for Living With The Land so returned to do this ride. I found the plants in the greenhouses remarkable.
By this time it was nearly 6pm and the attractions in Future World were closing. We had thought that by that time Thomas and Molly would have had enough and would want to leave, but not so. They were both really keen to return to the World Showcase to complete their masks; who were we to stop them!
This time our first stop was the UK. Quite bizarre! The girl manning the Fun stop recognised Thomas Birmingham accent straight away and while we were listening to his conversation with her, Molly took the opportunity to slip into the next room. On investigating further, we discovered her having a cuddle with Winnie-the-Pooh!
It was a good day for character interaction. In France we met the Beast then in Morocco we met the Genie and Aladdin. Molly thought Aladdin was wonderful and flirted like mad with him he made her feel really special and called her his Princess!
It was growing dark as we made our way through Japan and the USA (where the children completed their masks). In Italy we watched a street performer who was extremely talented, he had us all in hysterics and we watched his entire act. After that the statue returned so we stayed to watch her as well.
It was getting rather chilly by that time, and for once we were going into shops to get warm not to cool off! The children were beginning to tire but as it was after 8pm by then, we were really keen to stay and watch the Illuminations at 9pm. We bought hot chocolate from the Outpost to warm us up and found a bench outside China to sit and drink it. I had been planning to be further round the lake to view the show but the kids were quite settled on the bench and I wasnt sure if we would find anywhere else to sit if we moved. So we stayed and watched Illuminations from there. We were able to see the fireworks well but the Earth was quite a long way off. Nevertheless, we were all tremendously impressed with the display and returned to the hotel tired but happy.
Day 11 Tue 1/4/03 Kennedy Space Center
We were all unanimous in not wanting breakfast this morning; the novelty of the American buffet breakfast had well and truly worn off! We made do with a few biscuits in our room.
We set off for Kennedy Space Center at around 10am. Tim was pleased to be able to try out the cruise control on the car (a Dodge Stratus) and we had a very pleasant drive over to the coast, arriving at the Center at around 11am.
We chose the Standard admission we reckoned it would be the best choice with kids in tow. We started our visit by viewing the Robot Scout exhibition. The verdict on this was that Tim and I found it fascinating, Thomas was interested and Molly endured it! (This was to be the pattern for the day!)
We took the bus tour to LC39 next, to view the shuttle launch site. Tim and I were really impressed by the scale of the site Thomas and Molly had a brief look then had a fight over a packet of Pringles. There had been a launch from the site two days previously, the guide told us that normally, two months preparation was required for a launch, but in this instance, because of the war, the preparations had taken only two weeks.
Next stop was the Apollo Saturn V centre. This was the part I especially wanted to visit. I clearly remember as a child watching the moon landings at school on a black and white TV and then at night looking up at the moon and thinking that there were men actually standing on it. The introductory film at the centre was informative and then the launch experience recreated the atmosphere tremendously, even Thomas and Molly were engrossed at this point. When we walked into the room containing the Saturn V rocket, we were all totally in awe it was such a terrific sight and it made me realise what a feat it had been to achieve the moon landing.
We spent a while looking around at the fascinating exhibits, I tried to impress upon the children that it was all real and not just another theme park exhibit. We had lunch in the café there - ciabatta rolls and salad, tasty but fairly costly. After browsing in the shop we caught the bus back to the visitor centre. On the journey, the driver pointed out a bald eagles nest and to our delight we saw the bird returning.
Back at the visitor centre, we had a look around the Rocket Park and then let the children play in the play dome. After that, we viewed the Astronauts Memorial, which was rather moving with the quite recent loss of the Challenger. We had a look around the Shuttle then as we made our way back to the main building, saw a crowd of people peering over the wall into the lake. Not wanting to miss out, we gather round to look too! There were three large turtles and a six-foot alligator in the water beneath us; someone was trying to feed it crisps. Thomas and Molly would have happily stayed there watching for the rest of the afternoon, but we wanted to catch the last showing of the IMAX film Space Station 3D.
The cinema was rather full by the time we entered but we found seats together. For me, this film was a high point of the day; a culmination of all we had experienced. We were all total absorbed by the stunning photography. I was so pleased we had visited the Space Center; it had made a dramatic change to all the theme parks and was well worth the journey.
Rather than driving straight back after, Tim wanted to drive down the coast a little. We had endeavoured to build in a day at the beach but it wasnt going to happen; so Tim at least hoped to see the sea! We arrived at Cocoa Beach at around 6pm where the 3 kids went for a paddle and a play on the sand.
Now wet and sandy, we thought it best to go back to the hotel and change rather than eat on the way back! We were back at around 7.30pm and went to dinner at Golden China. This was a winner with the children who love Chinese food; Thomas had the most enormous spare rib I have ever seen! The food was tasty and good value for money ($70 for 4), but had some unusual choices for a Chinese buffet, such as mashed potato and gammon.
We retired to our hotel room full, and happy that wed had yet another great day.
