wilma-bride
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- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
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Fred, Wilma and Family do Disney Day 9 All Around the World
Saturday 19th April
Today we were going back to Epcot. I found being in the same room as Daniel quite difficult as I was the first one up (as usual), but there was nowhere I could go to read my book. It was too dark out on the balcony and the door made a really loud noise when you opened it I didnt want to disturb the girls sleeping peacefully so I ended up in the bathroom, sat on a pillow. Not great! I certainly missed the lobby at the Wilderness Lodge villas.
Eventually, everyone else surfaced and we discussed our options for the day. Chuck wasnt feeling too good so he and Reeny decided they would have a slow start and a wander around the resort and catch a bus to Epcot later on, leaving me, Gary and the kids to our own devices. It was quite nice to have a bit of freedom, to be honest, so I was quite relieved.
We were ready by 8:30 and set off to catch the bus. This is where we discovered that the Old Key West buses were not that reliable. Despite being at the bus stop early, it was almost 9 before an Epcot bus showed up so we didnt arrive at the park until after opening.
I joined the line to get a stroller for Daniel while Gary went off to get Fast Passes for Test Track. That done, we decided to check out the wait time for Mission:Space even at 9:30, it was almost 40 minutes so we decided against it and checked out some of the Flower and Garden Festival exhibits.
Daniel played in the kids play area while the girls and I went into Minnies Butterfly Garden. It wasnt as big as I thought it would be but there were lots of beautiful (and massive) butterflies. There was one girl who had one land on her head and she was a bit freaked out by it it was hilarious.
After that, it was time to ride Test Track. I wasnt sure what Daniel would make of it but he agreed to give it a try. As usual, it broke down just after wed got on and we were stuck at the beginning for about 10 minutes. Eventually, we got moving again. Daniel wasnt really sure whether he liked it or not but I explained that, next time he rode it, he would know what to expect and would like it more. By the end of the day, though, he was asking to go on again.
We took a slow stroll through to World Showcase and wandered around for a while. First stop was Mexico, where we went on the new Gran Fiesta tour (well, not that new but we hadnt been on it since it changed). We all really liked this.
Next, it was on to Maelstrom but there was a 40 minute wait so we decided not to bother.
At 11:30 we decided to stop for an early lunch and try Nine Dragons. As it was originally due to be closed for refurbishment during our visit, I figured we might be lucky getting a walk-up and we were. We were seated straight away, at a nice table by the window. The kids love Chinese food and were in their element. They really enjoyed trying to use the chopsticks.
Daniel ordered the kids sweet and sour chicken boat, with pot stickers to start, and red bean ice-cream for dessert. He didnt like the pot stickers much but ate everything else. Gary had the Canton Pepper Beef and the girls and I shared an order of Sweet and Sour pork and an order of Honey Sesame Chicken. The food was tasty enough but nothing outstanding.
With the exception of Daniel, none of us had dessert. I cant find my receipt for this meal but I do know that we got a discount for being DVC members, despite the server telling us there were no discounts at lunch (personally, I always though the discount was only for lunch but there you go). All in all, it was a nice meal but I wouldnt rush back there.
After lunch, we continued our clockwise stroll around World Showcase, taking pictures along the way. It was really nice to just be able to go at our own pace and not have to worry about anyone else. That sounds really bad, I know, but I was definitely finding the in-laws a bit wearing.
We stopped in Italy for some gelato, which was absolutely delicious. The nice thing about it was that it didnt melt as quick as normal ice-cream so nobody got messy!
Soon, it was almost 2 oclock and time to head off to the Rose and Crown for our DIS meet. On the way round, I mentioned to Gary that his Mum and Charles had probably just arrived at Epcot and gone straight to the UK for lunch. Lo and behold, when we got to the Rose and Crown, who did we spot sitting on a bunch eating fish and chips. Theyre so predictable!!! I left Gary and the kids outside with Chuck and Reeny while I went in to see if anyone else had arrived. I wasnt sure what David and Ray looked like but, obviously, Id already met Terri and Aaron. I was standing in the middle of the Rose and Crown when a guy came over to me and asked if I was Joh. He introduced himself as David and his Dad came over, then we were joined by Terri. Her and Aaron had a table over the other side so I went to get Gary and we got some drinks and joined them. The kids decided they would go for a walk while we were chatting. We spent some time discussing what we had done so far and Terri was telling me about their slightly disastrous cruise. David mentioned that he and Ray had decided to take the DVC tour you all know how that turned out anyway
After a while, the kids turned up and it was obvious theyd had enough of the heat it was a really, really hot day so we said our goodbyes and decided wed call it a day and head back to Old Key West. On the way, we took some pictures with the fantastic Peter Pan topiaries.
Daniel really wanted to go on Soarin again but none of us wanted to wait over an hour so we didnt bother. We dropped off the stroller and walked to the bus stop where (yet again) we waited almost 30 minutes for a bus. Eventually, we were back in the room and we decided we would chill out for a while. We sat out on the balcony for a bit but the people on the next-door balcony were smoking and it was really starting to bug me so we went back inside.
Chuck and Reeny arrived back soon after and we discussed what to do for the evening. Chuck was still feeling poorly so went for a lie down and we decided we would go to Downtown Disney for dinner. Reeny said she would stay with Chuck so we got showered and changed and walked up to Hospitality House to catch the boat. While the buses at Old Key West were really tedious, we found the boat to Downtown Disney to be fantastic. It was so relaxing, floating along, and we love to spend time at Downtown Disney so it was ideal for us and, for that and the size of the rooms, I definitely think we would return to Old Key West in the future. To be honest, it was a resort that grew on us Wilderness Lodge was love at first sight whereas Old Key West was more of a slow-building friendship.
The girls decided to wander off and look round the shops so Gary, Daniel and I headed for Once Upon a Toy, after arranging to meet the girls at Wolfgang Puck Express a bit later.
We bought a few things (some Christmas pressies so I cant really mention here) and then went off to Goofys Candy Company to get some sweets. We met up with the girls and went into Wolfgang Puck to order dinner. Rea chose the kids chicken fingers and a side order of mac and cheese. Sian and I both had chicken fingers and Daniel chose pizza (no sauce). Gary had his usual chinois chicken salad. He also had a crème brulee for dessert. The food was great Wolfgang Puck Express is a great option for a fairly cheap counter service meal.
After wed eaten, we walked around a bit more and then caught the bus back to the resort. As we were approaching Hospitality House, we could see Illuminations in the distance. We walked back to the villa, where Chuck was up and about and feeling much better. After watching TV for a bit, it was off to bed for an early night.
Saturday 19th April
Today we were going back to Epcot. I found being in the same room as Daniel quite difficult as I was the first one up (as usual), but there was nowhere I could go to read my book. It was too dark out on the balcony and the door made a really loud noise when you opened it I didnt want to disturb the girls sleeping peacefully so I ended up in the bathroom, sat on a pillow. Not great! I certainly missed the lobby at the Wilderness Lodge villas.
Eventually, everyone else surfaced and we discussed our options for the day. Chuck wasnt feeling too good so he and Reeny decided they would have a slow start and a wander around the resort and catch a bus to Epcot later on, leaving me, Gary and the kids to our own devices. It was quite nice to have a bit of freedom, to be honest, so I was quite relieved.
We were ready by 8:30 and set off to catch the bus. This is where we discovered that the Old Key West buses were not that reliable. Despite being at the bus stop early, it was almost 9 before an Epcot bus showed up so we didnt arrive at the park until after opening.
I joined the line to get a stroller for Daniel while Gary went off to get Fast Passes for Test Track. That done, we decided to check out the wait time for Mission:Space even at 9:30, it was almost 40 minutes so we decided against it and checked out some of the Flower and Garden Festival exhibits.
Daniel played in the kids play area while the girls and I went into Minnies Butterfly Garden. It wasnt as big as I thought it would be but there were lots of beautiful (and massive) butterflies. There was one girl who had one land on her head and she was a bit freaked out by it it was hilarious.
After that, it was time to ride Test Track. I wasnt sure what Daniel would make of it but he agreed to give it a try. As usual, it broke down just after wed got on and we were stuck at the beginning for about 10 minutes. Eventually, we got moving again. Daniel wasnt really sure whether he liked it or not but I explained that, next time he rode it, he would know what to expect and would like it more. By the end of the day, though, he was asking to go on again.
We took a slow stroll through to World Showcase and wandered around for a while. First stop was Mexico, where we went on the new Gran Fiesta tour (well, not that new but we hadnt been on it since it changed). We all really liked this.
Next, it was on to Maelstrom but there was a 40 minute wait so we decided not to bother.
At 11:30 we decided to stop for an early lunch and try Nine Dragons. As it was originally due to be closed for refurbishment during our visit, I figured we might be lucky getting a walk-up and we were. We were seated straight away, at a nice table by the window. The kids love Chinese food and were in their element. They really enjoyed trying to use the chopsticks.
Daniel ordered the kids sweet and sour chicken boat, with pot stickers to start, and red bean ice-cream for dessert. He didnt like the pot stickers much but ate everything else. Gary had the Canton Pepper Beef and the girls and I shared an order of Sweet and Sour pork and an order of Honey Sesame Chicken. The food was tasty enough but nothing outstanding.
With the exception of Daniel, none of us had dessert. I cant find my receipt for this meal but I do know that we got a discount for being DVC members, despite the server telling us there were no discounts at lunch (personally, I always though the discount was only for lunch but there you go). All in all, it was a nice meal but I wouldnt rush back there.
After lunch, we continued our clockwise stroll around World Showcase, taking pictures along the way. It was really nice to just be able to go at our own pace and not have to worry about anyone else. That sounds really bad, I know, but I was definitely finding the in-laws a bit wearing.
We stopped in Italy for some gelato, which was absolutely delicious. The nice thing about it was that it didnt melt as quick as normal ice-cream so nobody got messy!
Soon, it was almost 2 oclock and time to head off to the Rose and Crown for our DIS meet. On the way round, I mentioned to Gary that his Mum and Charles had probably just arrived at Epcot and gone straight to the UK for lunch. Lo and behold, when we got to the Rose and Crown, who did we spot sitting on a bunch eating fish and chips. Theyre so predictable!!! I left Gary and the kids outside with Chuck and Reeny while I went in to see if anyone else had arrived. I wasnt sure what David and Ray looked like but, obviously, Id already met Terri and Aaron. I was standing in the middle of the Rose and Crown when a guy came over to me and asked if I was Joh. He introduced himself as David and his Dad came over, then we were joined by Terri. Her and Aaron had a table over the other side so I went to get Gary and we got some drinks and joined them. The kids decided they would go for a walk while we were chatting. We spent some time discussing what we had done so far and Terri was telling me about their slightly disastrous cruise. David mentioned that he and Ray had decided to take the DVC tour you all know how that turned out anyway
After a while, the kids turned up and it was obvious theyd had enough of the heat it was a really, really hot day so we said our goodbyes and decided wed call it a day and head back to Old Key West. On the way, we took some pictures with the fantastic Peter Pan topiaries.
Daniel really wanted to go on Soarin again but none of us wanted to wait over an hour so we didnt bother. We dropped off the stroller and walked to the bus stop where (yet again) we waited almost 30 minutes for a bus. Eventually, we were back in the room and we decided we would chill out for a while. We sat out on the balcony for a bit but the people on the next-door balcony were smoking and it was really starting to bug me so we went back inside.
Chuck and Reeny arrived back soon after and we discussed what to do for the evening. Chuck was still feeling poorly so went for a lie down and we decided we would go to Downtown Disney for dinner. Reeny said she would stay with Chuck so we got showered and changed and walked up to Hospitality House to catch the boat. While the buses at Old Key West were really tedious, we found the boat to Downtown Disney to be fantastic. It was so relaxing, floating along, and we love to spend time at Downtown Disney so it was ideal for us and, for that and the size of the rooms, I definitely think we would return to Old Key West in the future. To be honest, it was a resort that grew on us Wilderness Lodge was love at first sight whereas Old Key West was more of a slow-building friendship.
The girls decided to wander off and look round the shops so Gary, Daniel and I headed for Once Upon a Toy, after arranging to meet the girls at Wolfgang Puck Express a bit later.
We bought a few things (some Christmas pressies so I cant really mention here) and then went off to Goofys Candy Company to get some sweets. We met up with the girls and went into Wolfgang Puck to order dinner. Rea chose the kids chicken fingers and a side order of mac and cheese. Sian and I both had chicken fingers and Daniel chose pizza (no sauce). Gary had his usual chinois chicken salad. He also had a crème brulee for dessert. The food was great Wolfgang Puck Express is a great option for a fairly cheap counter service meal.
After wed eaten, we walked around a bit more and then caught the bus back to the resort. As we were approaching Hospitality House, we could see Illuminations in the distance. We walked back to the villa, where Chuck was up and about and feeling much better. After watching TV for a bit, it was off to bed for an early night.
, nice to spend some family time together 
