TLinden16
Scotty and Ray at Jelly Rolls are the best!
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2002
- Messages
- 16,243
Day 4--Sunday, January 29, 2006
Well, the saddest day of my trip arrived. It was the day I would be going home. Three nights just isnt enough of a Disney fix.
I woke up early to make the most of the day. I showered and got dressed. My roommates were still asleep, so I went downstairs to grab some breakfast. I then went back up to the room, and they were still asleep, so me, being the considerate person that I am, grabbed my hairbrush, and went down to the health club to use a hair dryer down there (yeah, drying my hair is just about the only thing youll see me doing in a health club, especially on vacation). By the time I went back to the room, my roommates were up.
They were going to do some stuff off site, so I said good bye to them, and went to catch the bus to go to the Animal Kingdom to get another ride or two on Everest. My original plan was to spend the morning in the Magic Kingdom, but I decided that I would take full advantage of the opportunity to ride Everest before most other people.
When I got on the bus, I noticed a boy wearing a DIS shirt, so I asked, Whos from the DIS? The mom said she was and told me she was CrazyDisneyMom (or something like that--name to be verified later when I get home from work and check the paper I wrote it down on). They had plans to meet up with another DISer to ride Expedition Everest. I told them that I would also be happy to have three of them join me if the other family didnt have enough room for them.
The line to get through security at the Animal Kingdom was ridiculously long! There was a huge pack of people, and it was hard to tell which line you were in! They wound up opening a second security section, and that definitely saved us some time getting into the park.
When we were through the gates at the Animal Kingdom, the other family called to let them know that they were running late. CrazyDisneyMom was going to skip going on Everest so her son, husband, and father could go in with me. When we got to the check point, a very nice cast member allowed me to show my DVC card and my AP so that all five of us could get in to ride Expedition Everest.
It seemed a lot more busy today than it was on Saturday, and I had even gotten an early start. There was a long line to get into the restricted area, but it seemed to be organized than it was on Saturday. They had the checkpoints set up closer to the ride, and they had tape on the ground so that folks could get in a line to show their DVC member cards and APs to the cast members.
As we made our way to the end of the line for the ride, I realized that it was longer than the line I had stood in the day before, and I told the family that it would be at least a ninety minute wait to get on the ride (and it was only about quarter after 9:00). The fast pass return time was already in the afternoon.
While we were debating what to do, we ran into a cast member handing out single riders tickets! We eagerly grabbed single rider tickets, and got in the line! As we made our way to the single riders line, we ran into JonesTavern (father and son). I told them about the single riders line, and they wound up grabbing single riders passes as well, and we met up with them in line.
We only had to wait about 20 or so minutes to make it through the single riders line--a lot better than the 90 minute wait in the standby line. When it came time to load the coaster, JonesTavern son was in the middle of the train, I sat in the same seat as JonesTavern dad, and CrazyDisneyMom was right behind us in the last row! I pulled out my camera, and took a few pictures of CrazyDisneyMom and JonesTavern while we were on the ride, as well as of the view from the coaster.
After we got off the coaster, I said goodbye to JonesTavern, and my new DIS friends. I was going to leave the Animal Kingdom to go to the Magic Kingdom, but I decided Id take one more ride on Expedition Everest. I got back in the single riders line, and it was a bit longer this time. CrazyDisneyMoms husband and son decided that they would ride again, so I saw them in the line.
As I made my way to the front of the single riders line, I noticed there was an odd number of people in the line of people waiting for the front row. I counted, and figured out who was by himself. I asked him if he was by himself, and he said he was, so I asked him if he minded if I asked the cast members if I could join him in the front row. He told me that would be fine, and suggested that I just climb under the rope to join him then, so I did.
I had to wait an extra coaster or two to ride in the front, but it was well worth it. If I thought the view from the incline was great, the view from the front row when you make the first stop is just breathtaking. I had wished I had my camera out to snap a few pictures, but there was no time for that. It was neat to watch the transition from backwards motion to forward motion from the front row. It was definitely worth riding in the front row, and Im thrilled that I had the opportunity.
Before riding in the front row, I had decided that I would go through the single riders line one more time, but after the amazing ride from the front row, I decided that Id rather let that be my last ride on Expedition Everest for my trip. I rode on it six times, and I will look forward to riding it again on future trips.
I then headed out of the Animal Kingdom and hopped on a bus to the Downtown Disney so I could pick up a birthday button and have the whole collection of birthday buttons. I was at Downtown Disney for less than ten minutes.
I then got a bus to the Swan so I could walk to Epcot and grab some lunch. I decided to go back to Nine Dragons for lunch since I enjoyed my meal there so much. I started my meal off with a cucumber salad, followed by spicy sha cha beef skewers (bet you thought I was going to get the potstickers), and General Tsos chicken. The cucumber salad and General Tsos chicken were both excellent once again. The spice sha cha beef skewers were delicious, but a bit disappointing because of the portion when compared to the price. The price for this appetizer was $7.99. For $7.99, you got a small portion of cole slaw, and three tiny pieces of skewered beef. Id be surprised if the three pieces of beef totaled an ounce. The meat was very tender and tasty, and served with a great dipping sauce, but the portion size was very disappoint at $7.99.
After lunch, I sat on a bench for a while, chatting on my cell phone and enjoying the view of the world showcase. I then began a slow walk around the world showcase heading towards Canada. I stopped and browsed around, but mostly I just enjoyed the walk around this beautiful setting on a beautiful day.
I was planning on meeting up with TravelinTigger and PandyPaws to see Off Kilter at 2:30, and had a bit of time to kill, so I wound up going to Journey Into Your Imagination (or whatever the heck they are calling it now). I have to say that this is one of the lamest rides on Disney property. Im glad that Figment is in the ride again, but oh do I miss the original version of that ride. While I was on the ride, TravelinTigger called to let me know they were on to Epcot.
After the ride, I stopped by the Epcot Character Connection to see if Goofy was out today, but he was not. I never did run into Goofy during my trip.
I then started to walk towards Canada to meet the others for Off Kilter. Along the way, I ran into TravelinTigger and PandyPaws. They were making a stop at Mouse Gears before heading to Off Kilter, so I went with them, and then we all headed towards Canada. I stopped at McDonalds and got a McFlurry to enjoy during the show.
As Off Kilter performed, I called my DIS friend Kaycee so she could listen to the show. She is a huge Off Kilter fan, and she usually catches them countless times during a trip to Disney World. During the show, one of the guys, Mark, mouthed hello to my phone. At the end of the set, I got Jamie to say hello to Kaycee on my phone.
After Off Kilter, TravelinTigger, PandyPaws, and I walked back to the Boardwalk to get TravelinTiggers rental car, and pick up my bags at the Dolphin for the ride to the airport. It was a pretty quick ride, and I said goodbye to TravelinTigger and PandyPaws, and headed to check in for my flight.
As I made my way to the gate, I was chatting with Kaycee on my cell phone. I noticed a lime green Mickey head on a backpack up ahead, and I said to Kaycee, I see lime green. So I said hello to the backpacks owner, Jugglinfish (another user where you get two DISers for the price of one). After a quick hello to Jugglinfish, I finished my call with Kaycee, and grabbed a quick bite at McDonalds. I changed into my jeans in anticipation of the trip up north (where it was 40 degrees colder than it was in Florida).
I found Jugglinfish again, and enjoyed chatting with them about our trips. They were actually on the same flight as me. This is the second time I rode on a plane with someone from the DIS (hello Goofy4Tink).
I arrived home at about 9:00 p.m. that night, exhausted from another busy sleepless trip to Walt Disney World. But it was well worth it to spend my birthday at Disney World. I got to experience a new ride, and spend some time with some wonderful DISers I had never met before.
Time to start thinking about my next trip
Well, the saddest day of my trip arrived. It was the day I would be going home. Three nights just isnt enough of a Disney fix.
I woke up early to make the most of the day. I showered and got dressed. My roommates were still asleep, so I went downstairs to grab some breakfast. I then went back up to the room, and they were still asleep, so me, being the considerate person that I am, grabbed my hairbrush, and went down to the health club to use a hair dryer down there (yeah, drying my hair is just about the only thing youll see me doing in a health club, especially on vacation). By the time I went back to the room, my roommates were up.
They were going to do some stuff off site, so I said good bye to them, and went to catch the bus to go to the Animal Kingdom to get another ride or two on Everest. My original plan was to spend the morning in the Magic Kingdom, but I decided that I would take full advantage of the opportunity to ride Everest before most other people.
When I got on the bus, I noticed a boy wearing a DIS shirt, so I asked, Whos from the DIS? The mom said she was and told me she was CrazyDisneyMom (or something like that--name to be verified later when I get home from work and check the paper I wrote it down on). They had plans to meet up with another DISer to ride Expedition Everest. I told them that I would also be happy to have three of them join me if the other family didnt have enough room for them.
The line to get through security at the Animal Kingdom was ridiculously long! There was a huge pack of people, and it was hard to tell which line you were in! They wound up opening a second security section, and that definitely saved us some time getting into the park.
When we were through the gates at the Animal Kingdom, the other family called to let them know that they were running late. CrazyDisneyMom was going to skip going on Everest so her son, husband, and father could go in with me. When we got to the check point, a very nice cast member allowed me to show my DVC card and my AP so that all five of us could get in to ride Expedition Everest.
It seemed a lot more busy today than it was on Saturday, and I had even gotten an early start. There was a long line to get into the restricted area, but it seemed to be organized than it was on Saturday. They had the checkpoints set up closer to the ride, and they had tape on the ground so that folks could get in a line to show their DVC member cards and APs to the cast members.
As we made our way to the end of the line for the ride, I realized that it was longer than the line I had stood in the day before, and I told the family that it would be at least a ninety minute wait to get on the ride (and it was only about quarter after 9:00). The fast pass return time was already in the afternoon.
While we were debating what to do, we ran into a cast member handing out single riders tickets! We eagerly grabbed single rider tickets, and got in the line! As we made our way to the single riders line, we ran into JonesTavern (father and son). I told them about the single riders line, and they wound up grabbing single riders passes as well, and we met up with them in line.
We only had to wait about 20 or so minutes to make it through the single riders line--a lot better than the 90 minute wait in the standby line. When it came time to load the coaster, JonesTavern son was in the middle of the train, I sat in the same seat as JonesTavern dad, and CrazyDisneyMom was right behind us in the last row! I pulled out my camera, and took a few pictures of CrazyDisneyMom and JonesTavern while we were on the ride, as well as of the view from the coaster.
After we got off the coaster, I said goodbye to JonesTavern, and my new DIS friends. I was going to leave the Animal Kingdom to go to the Magic Kingdom, but I decided Id take one more ride on Expedition Everest. I got back in the single riders line, and it was a bit longer this time. CrazyDisneyMoms husband and son decided that they would ride again, so I saw them in the line.
As I made my way to the front of the single riders line, I noticed there was an odd number of people in the line of people waiting for the front row. I counted, and figured out who was by himself. I asked him if he was by himself, and he said he was, so I asked him if he minded if I asked the cast members if I could join him in the front row. He told me that would be fine, and suggested that I just climb under the rope to join him then, so I did.
I had to wait an extra coaster or two to ride in the front, but it was well worth it. If I thought the view from the incline was great, the view from the front row when you make the first stop is just breathtaking. I had wished I had my camera out to snap a few pictures, but there was no time for that. It was neat to watch the transition from backwards motion to forward motion from the front row. It was definitely worth riding in the front row, and Im thrilled that I had the opportunity.
Before riding in the front row, I had decided that I would go through the single riders line one more time, but after the amazing ride from the front row, I decided that Id rather let that be my last ride on Expedition Everest for my trip. I rode on it six times, and I will look forward to riding it again on future trips.
I then headed out of the Animal Kingdom and hopped on a bus to the Downtown Disney so I could pick up a birthday button and have the whole collection of birthday buttons. I was at Downtown Disney for less than ten minutes.
I then got a bus to the Swan so I could walk to Epcot and grab some lunch. I decided to go back to Nine Dragons for lunch since I enjoyed my meal there so much. I started my meal off with a cucumber salad, followed by spicy sha cha beef skewers (bet you thought I was going to get the potstickers), and General Tsos chicken. The cucumber salad and General Tsos chicken were both excellent once again. The spice sha cha beef skewers were delicious, but a bit disappointing because of the portion when compared to the price. The price for this appetizer was $7.99. For $7.99, you got a small portion of cole slaw, and three tiny pieces of skewered beef. Id be surprised if the three pieces of beef totaled an ounce. The meat was very tender and tasty, and served with a great dipping sauce, but the portion size was very disappoint at $7.99.
After lunch, I sat on a bench for a while, chatting on my cell phone and enjoying the view of the world showcase. I then began a slow walk around the world showcase heading towards Canada. I stopped and browsed around, but mostly I just enjoyed the walk around this beautiful setting on a beautiful day.
I was planning on meeting up with TravelinTigger and PandyPaws to see Off Kilter at 2:30, and had a bit of time to kill, so I wound up going to Journey Into Your Imagination (or whatever the heck they are calling it now). I have to say that this is one of the lamest rides on Disney property. Im glad that Figment is in the ride again, but oh do I miss the original version of that ride. While I was on the ride, TravelinTigger called to let me know they were on to Epcot.
After the ride, I stopped by the Epcot Character Connection to see if Goofy was out today, but he was not. I never did run into Goofy during my trip.
I then started to walk towards Canada to meet the others for Off Kilter. Along the way, I ran into TravelinTigger and PandyPaws. They were making a stop at Mouse Gears before heading to Off Kilter, so I went with them, and then we all headed towards Canada. I stopped at McDonalds and got a McFlurry to enjoy during the show.
As Off Kilter performed, I called my DIS friend Kaycee so she could listen to the show. She is a huge Off Kilter fan, and she usually catches them countless times during a trip to Disney World. During the show, one of the guys, Mark, mouthed hello to my phone. At the end of the set, I got Jamie to say hello to Kaycee on my phone.
After Off Kilter, TravelinTigger, PandyPaws, and I walked back to the Boardwalk to get TravelinTiggers rental car, and pick up my bags at the Dolphin for the ride to the airport. It was a pretty quick ride, and I said goodbye to TravelinTigger and PandyPaws, and headed to check in for my flight.
As I made my way to the gate, I was chatting with Kaycee on my cell phone. I noticed a lime green Mickey head on a backpack up ahead, and I said to Kaycee, I see lime green. So I said hello to the backpacks owner, Jugglinfish (another user where you get two DISers for the price of one). After a quick hello to Jugglinfish, I finished my call with Kaycee, and grabbed a quick bite at McDonalds. I changed into my jeans in anticipation of the trip up north (where it was 40 degrees colder than it was in Florida).
I found Jugglinfish again, and enjoyed chatting with them about our trips. They were actually on the same flight as me. This is the second time I rode on a plane with someone from the DIS (hello Goofy4Tink).
I arrived home at about 9:00 p.m. that night, exhausted from another busy sleepless trip to Walt Disney World. But it was well worth it to spend my birthday at Disney World. I got to experience a new ride, and spend some time with some wonderful DISers I had never met before.
Time to start thinking about my next trip
Thanks so much for taking the time to post such incredibly detailed accounts of your trip. Every meal you eat, every attraction you ride, even just enjoying the atmosphere around World Showcase, it's like you're taking all of us along with you. So glad you enjoyed your birthday trip, and thanks again for sharing with us!!
. Whether I'm there with you in person, or getting a moment by moment phone report, or just reading a report here on the DIS - your trips always provide me with so much joy 
.
