how much WDW fun can you have in 4 days? may '07 - w/ pics & video! FINISHED!!!

[punkin413]

stopping somewhere about an hour north of orlando to spend the night. don’t know where yet and i’m not making reservations…we’re just gonna wing it!

OK, I'm here too! Hi fellow Peep! I wanted to offer you a few little tidbits of advice if ya don't mind. Well, I'm gonna do it anyway!

DON'T, I repeat, DON'T stop in Wildwood, FL on your way down to WDW. DH and I did that on our honeymoon and encountered a mouse that wasn't Mickey in our hotel room! Ocala is pretty nice.

DO ToT!!! (Assuming you like thrill rides, of course.) I didn't do it until Feb '06, when a friend got me to go on it first thing in the morning. It ROCKS! It might just be my fave at MGM! LOVE IT!

At PI, DH's and my fave is Adventurer's Club. I describe it a little in my TR, but it is just a riot!

At The Boardwalk, we love Jellyroll's. Sing-along dueling piano bar - SO much fun!

And DH and I are Star Wars fans too! (Not like over-the-top, but we are fans.) I can't believe they moved Star Wars weekends either! We will miss it too, and we have done it the past 2 years!

So glad you are doing a trippie! Can't wait to read it! (Probably after I get back from WDW myself. )

yay! more peeps! thanks for the advice about the hotel. i want to stay somewhere cheap, but not THAT cheap! and we're definitely going to the adventurer's club. i already have that on my to-do list!

about ToT, i'm thinking i will do it. here's my problem: i hate those drops! i LOVE rollercoasters. i rode space mountain when i was 8 years old and of course the times i've gone back since. i live near atlanta and i ride almost everything at six flags over georgia. my favorite ride there is deja-vu (which is now closed......boo! ), which was a very scary roller coaster that takes you straight up backwards, drops you forward and go through loops and turns and whatever, then takes you straight up facing the sky and drops you straight down backwards and you do the whole thing over again. i said i ride most everything because i do.....everything except acrophobia!!!!! it's a ride similar to ToT (although not as cool, i'm sure!) that just drops you and then it's over. i love thrills, but i just hate the dropping down and, boom, you're done. i feel like i'm gonna pee on myself.....literally. but from what i've seen and read about ToT, the theming is really cool and the drops aren't too horrid because you're strapped in. i think i can handle it *once*. we shall see!

 

[punkin413]

DON'T, I repeat, DON'T stop in Wildwood, FL on your way down to WDW. DH and I did that on our honeymoon and encountered a mouse that wasn't Mickey in our hotel room! Ocala is pretty nice.

hey! i just looked up ocala on mapquest and i'm worried that my directions aren't correct. i originally had gotten directions from gainesville because we were thinking we were going to spend the night there, but this ocala place is closer and i'm thinking that might be better. anyway, wouldn't my gainesville directions still work? if you don't mind, take a look at these and see if this seems correct (directions from ocala to disney world):

-I-75 South towards Tampa
-Exit 328 – left to Florida’s Turnpike South/Orlando (40 miles)
-Exit 259 – right onto I-4/Sea World/Disney World/Tampa (9.5 miles)
-Exit 65 – follow signs to Pop Century

you seem to know your way around pretty well! thanks!

 

[princessjv]

Okay Punkin-

What is a Peep? Should I, could I be one too?

 

[punkin413]

Okay Punkin-

What is a Peep? Should I, could I be one too?

peeps are the "people" on the disappearing peeps thread. it's a support forum for people trying to lose weight, whether it be 10 pounds or 100 pounds. it's a great place to come just to get the encouragement you need if you're dieting and have a weak moment. we also talk about other stuff, just life in general, and make each other smile and laugh....and sometimes cry! i'm fairly new to the thread, but it's really helped me lose the weight i'm wanting to before my WDW trip. so far i've lost 7 pounds....and i have 20 more to go! but i have no doubt that i'll still be reading that thread on a regular basis even after i've lost the weight. i've made some good "friends" there....my peeps!

here's the link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273475

 

[Disneyfreak92]

hey! i just looked up ocala on mapquest and i'm worried that my directions aren't correct. i originally had gotten directions from gainesville because we were thinking we were going to spend the night there, but this ocala place is closer and i'm thinking that might be better. anyway, wouldn't my gainesville directions still work? if you don't mind, take a look at these and see if this seems correct (directions from ocala to disney world):

-I-75 South towards Tampa
-Exit 328 – left to Florida’s Turnpike South/Orlando (40 miles)
-Exit 259 – right onto I-4/Sea World/Disney World/Tampa (9.5 miles)
-Exit 65 – follow signs to Pop Century

you seem to know your way around pretty well! thanks!

Sounds right to me! We used to stay at the Courtyard by Marriot in Ocala on our way down. (Ocala is where the WDW visitor center used to be.) We have started driving further and staying at the Crossings, right accross from the DTD entrance, and this time, we will actually be on-site the WHOLE time at the same hotel! (That's a first for us.) But we take the same route regardless. And we do take I-75 to the Florida Turnpike to I-4 to whatever WDW exit is closest to where we are going, so that sounds right to me.

Oh! And if you like seafood and are going to be eating in Ocala, there is a place (can't remember the name - I'll try to remember to ask DH) that has great seafood, particularly crab legs. It is next to the Publix.

 

[princessjv]

peeps are the "people" on the disappearing peeps thread. it's a support forum for people trying to lose weight, whether it be 10 pounds or 100 pounds. it's a great place to come just to get the encouragement you need if you're dieting and have a weak moment. we also talk about other stuff, just life in general, and make each other smile and laugh....and sometimes cry! i'm fairly new to the thread, but it's really helped me lose the weight i'm wanting to before my WDW trip. so far i've lost 7 pounds....and i have 20 more to go! but i have no doubt that i'll still be reading that thread on a regular basis even after i've lost the weight. i've made some good "friends" there....my peeps!

here's the link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273475

THAT IS WHERE I NEED TO BE! I will check it out! Thanks for the info!

 

[mommys3]

Hi! We'll be at WDW May 9-13 and also staying at Pop! And we'll also be at MK on Wednesday...maybe we'll see you guys there!

hey! i just looked up ocala on mapquest and i'm worried that my directions aren't correct. i originally had gotten directions from gainesville because we were thinking we were going to spend the night there, but this ocala place is closer and i'm thinking that might be better. anyway, wouldn't my gainesville directions still work? if you don't mind, take a look at these and see if this seems correct (directions from ocala to disney world):

-I-75 South towards Tampa
-Exit 328 – left to Florida’s Turnpike South/Orlando (40 miles)
-Exit 259 – right onto I-4/Sea World/Disney World/Tampa (9.5 miles)
-Exit 65 – follow signs to Pop Century

you seem to know your way around pretty well! thanks!

Those directions look correct (we live in Gainesville)

 

[punkin413]

Sounds right to me! We used to stay at the Courtyard by Marriot in Ocala on our way down. (Ocala is where the WDW visitor center used to be.) We have started driving further and staying at the Crossings, right accross from the DTD entrance, and this time, we will actually be on-site the WHOLE time at the same hotel! (That's a first for us.) But we take the same route regardless. And we do take I-75 to the Florida Turnpike to I-4 to whatever WDW exit is closest to where we are going, so that sounds right to me.

Oh! And if you like seafood and are going to be eating in Ocala, there is a place (can't remember the name - I'll try to remember to ask DH) that has great seafood, particularly crab legs. It is next to the Publix.

cool beans! thanks!

oh, and i love me some seafood, but we're probably not leaving here til like 4:00 in the afternoon, so i'm thinking we'll be getting to ocala around 10:00 or maybe even later. so i'm sure we're going to be eating at taco bell (a/k/a taco hell) or something similar that's open late. diet? what diet?

 

[punkin413]

Hi! We'll be at WDW May 9-13 and also staying at Pop! And we'll also be at MK on Wednesday...maybe we'll see you guys there!

awesome! i can't believe so many people are going the same time as me. cool....but kinda scary! as i've been telling everyone else, look for my green mickey head pinned to our bookbag. i think i'm going to write "punkin413" on it to identify myself.

 

[Goofster57]

Hi Dawn,
Just found your report today, they have been making me work at work, what’s up with that?

so obviously it’s been a long time coming for both of us…..too long!

You are going to be really happy when you see all the changes

it seems like those 3 months were more like 3 years!!!

That always seems to happen when waiting for a trip to the World

but i have promised him we will go to yellowstone national park on our next major vacation. don’t know how much fun that will be, but he’s letting me do the disney thing, so I guess it’s only fair!!

It’s no Disney World, but is a very nice destination

my one requirement before even DISCUSSING having kids was that DH and i go to WDW on our own without kids. may not make a lot of sense to some of you, but i don’t make sense to a lot of people!

Makes a lot of sense

we’re staying at pop century. i would’ve loved to stay at one of the nicer resorts (the poly being my dream hotel), but i figured we’d rather have more spending money instead of spending it on the hotel.

Good choice, the POP resort is a lot of fun

Your plan looks like you will have a lot of fun.

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip when you get back.

 

[punkin413]

okay.......i lied.

i do have another installment to my pre-trip report! hooray! more meaningless details of my WDW trip to waste your time!

last night i decided to pull out my maps and come up with sort of a game plan for attacking the parks. here's what i've come up with. i'm sure i will change this numerous times before we leave. and of course i would also appreciate any suggestions you may have!

but before i get into that, one minor change to our plans: i changed our le cellier ADR from 12:00 to 1:00 b/c i was afraid we wouldn't be able to get through future world before 12:00.

anyway, on to the game plan......

MGM (arriving around noon):
-first thing....get fastpasses to RnRC, then go to ToT and get it over with!
-see what time beauty & the beast starts and coordinate that with our RnRC FP time.
-head over to star tours & indiana jones show.
-keep in mind that the parade is at 3:00.
-muppet vision 3-D.
-the great movie ride.
-journey into narnia.
-walt disney – one man’s dream.
-voyage of the little mermaid.
-sci-fi for dinner @ 6:30.
-fantasmic!
-MK has extra magic hours that night (til midnight). we're planning on walking to the boardwalk from MGM (to avoid the masses at the bus stops) and then taking a bus from there to MK. i'm not going to plan these couple of hours at MK - just go with the flow.

epcot:
-first thing......get fastpasses to soarin.
-make a beeline across the SE area to get to mission space (i want to do this first thing in the morning so i have plenty of time to recover before lunch in case it makes me queasy!)
-test track
-innoventions (where we will be sampling that wonderful italian sode and i will purchase my passport book!)
-use Soarin FP somewhere along here (hopefully)
-the sea with nemo & friends
-le cellier for lunch @ 1:00
-drink our way around WS!

DTD:
-catch the bus to DTD marketplace to eat and shop!
-wolfgang puck express for dinner.
-places i definitely want to hit: lego imagination center, world of disney (i will be in this store forever!!!!!!) & goofy’s candy company (to buy some treats for later)
-ghirardelli for dessert!
-head to PI.
-places we'll probably go: adventurer’s club, mannequin’s, motion
-we may go over to the west side and check out disney quest before PI if we have time....we'll see.

AK:
-first thing....get fastpasses for EE! not sure where we're going to work in the FP, but we'll make it happen! (hopefully more than once!)
-africa - kilamanjaro safaris (must do early to see animals!)
-africa - pangani forest exploration
-wildlife express train to rafiki’s planet watch
-planet watch - affection sectio, conservation station, etc.
-catch train back
-eat late lunch (our dinner ADRs aren't until 8:10!) at pizzafari or flame tree BBQ
-asia - kali river rapids
-parade is at 4:00 - maybe see this sitting in front of flights of wonder (which we will NOT be seeing because i have an irrational fee of birds!)
-asia - EE (again?)
-dinoland - dinosaur
-if we have time, go by AKL

MK:
-rope drop is at 8:30!!! this is the only rope drop i'm planning on seeing. we like to sleep in!
-first thing.....get fastpasses to space mountain (and maybe even ride it right then if there's no line!) space mountain is one of my favorite coasters...although i've never ridden EE or RnRC, so we'll see what i think after this trip!
-head to toontown for characters (get there early)
-get FP to peter pan's flight while in toontown/fantasyland area
-go back to Tommorrowland for space mountain (again?); buzz lightyear; astro orbiter
-head towards fantasyland for mad tea party; snow white’s scary adventures; dumbo (yes, I'm 30 years old with no kids and i AM riding dumbo!); it’s a small world (i'm sorry....but i cannot not ride this ride! too many memories of my little sister and brother singing it!); peter pan (using the FP i hopefully got earlier); mickey’s philharmagic
-lunch @ casey’s on main street
-head towards adventureland for swiss family treehouse; jungle cruise; pirates of the caribbean; enchanted tiki room (i can do this because they're fake birds! plus DH has mentioned it a couple of times so we have to do it. i can't disappoint him! besides, it's a good spot for a nap! ); magic carpets of aladdin
-frontierland for splash mountain; BTMRR
-parade is at 3:00 – try to get a seat in frontierland – it’s less crowded!
-liberty square for hall of presidents (for DH!); haunted mansion
-dinner at kona café at the poly @ 5:30
-back to MK for rest of night to do whatever!
-get wishes viewing spot under tink’s wire


okay. that's it. thoughts?

 

[punkin413]

Hi Dawn,
Just found your report today, they have been making me work at work, what’s up with that?

i'm a court reporter and i do most of my work from home, which means when i waste my time on the DIS boards (like i'm doing right this very minute), i have to stay up late to finish my work and it takes me twice as long. but that's the price you pay for being a DISer!

by the way, welcome!

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

about ToT, i'm thinking i will do it. here's my problem: i hate those drops! i LOVE rollercoasters. i rode space mountain when i was 8 years old and of course the times i've gone back since. i live near atlanta and i ride almost everything at six flags over georgia. my favorite ride there is deja-vu (which is now closed......boo! ), which was a very scary roller coaster that takes you straight up backwards, drops you forward and go through loops and turns and whatever, then takes you straight up facing the sky and drops you straight down backwards and you do the whole thing over again. i said i ride most everything because i do.....everything except acrophobia!!!!! it's a ride similar to ToT (although not as cool, i'm sure!) that just drops you and then it's over. i love thrills, but i just hate the dropping down and, boom, you're done. i feel like i'm gonna pee on myself.....literally. but from what i've seen and read about ToT, the theming is really cool and the drops aren't too horrid because you're strapped in. i think i can handle it *once*. we shall see!

I'm with you on this. I was in Texas for training two years ago, and my coworker and I went to Six Flags over Texas. I loved every single roller coaster there, except for Superman. This ride sounds similar to ToT. They strap you in, and the ride takes you straight up at 45 MPH. And then they drop you straight down. And back up, and back down. It was absolutely terrible. And because of this, I refused to do ToT on my honeymoon. Maybe when I go back this September I'll try to face my fears, but I completely understand why you are hesitant to try it.

 

[winkers]

I love ToT!!!! One of the things I love about it is that you go down and then back up, and then down again, so at times your body isn't sure if it's going up or down. My dh is a scardycat but I convinced him to go on it and he loved it! You have to try it just once!!

 

[snowbell]

yay! more peeps! thanks for the advice about the hotel. i want to stay somewhere cheap, but not THAT cheap! and we're definitely going to the adventurer's club. i already have that on my to-do list!

about ToT, i'm thinking i will do it. here's my problem: i hate those drops! i LOVE rollercoasters. i rode space mountain when i was 8 years old and of course the times i've gone back since. i live near atlanta and i ride almost everything at six flags over georgia. my favorite ride there is deja-vu (which is now closed......boo! ), which was a very scary roller coaster that takes you straight up backwards, drops you forward and go through loops and turns and whatever, then takes you straight up facing the sky and drops you straight down backwards and you do the whole thing over again. i said i ride most everything because i do.....everything except acrophobia!!!!! it's a ride similar to ToT (although not as cool, i'm sure!) that just drops you and then it's over. i love thrills, but i just hate the dropping down and, boom, you're done. i feel like i'm gonna pee on myself.....literally. but from what i've seen and read about ToT, the theming is really cool and the drops aren't too horrid because you're strapped in. i think i can handle it *once*. we shall see!

You are going to LOVE TOT. I was so scared before I went on and almost backed off. As soon as It was over I ran to the front of the line.
My obsession with TOT is so bad that I actually videotapped myself during the drop. It is freaken hilarious

 

[punkin413]

You are going to LOVE TOT. I was so scared before I went on and almost backed off. As soon as It was over I ran to the front of the line.
My obsession with TOT is so bad that I actually videotapped myself during the drop. It is freaken hilarious

i wish there was some way to post that video!!!

 

[princessjv]

okay.......i lied.

i do have another installment to my pre-trip report! hooray! more meaningless details of my WDW trip to waste your time!

last night i decided to pull out my maps and come up with sort of a game plan for attacking the parks. here's what i've come up with. i'm sure i will change this numerous times before we leave. and of course i would also appreciate any suggestions you may have!

but before i get into that, one minor change to our plans: i changed our le cellier ADR from 12:00 to 1:00 b/c i was afraid we wouldn't be able to get through future world before 12:00.

anyway, on to the game plan......

MGM (arriving around noon):
-first thing....get fastpasses to RnRC, then go to ToT and get it over with!
-see what time beauty & the beast starts and coordinate that with our RnRC FP time.
-head over to star tours & indiana jones show.
-keep in mind that the parade is at 3:00.
-muppet vision 3-D.
-the great movie ride.
-journey into narnia.
-walt disney – one man’s dream.
-voyage of the little mermaid.
-sci-fi for dinner @ 6:30.
-fantasmic!
-MK has extra magic hours that night (til midnight). we're planning on walking to the boardwalk from MGM (to avoid the masses at the bus stops) and then taking a bus from there to MK. i'm not going to plan these couple of hours at MK - just go with the flow.

epcot:
-first thing......get fastpasses to soarin.
-make a beeline across the SE area to get to mission space (i want to do this first thing in the morning so i have plenty of time to recover before lunch in case it makes me queasy!)
-test track
-innoventions (where we will be sampling that wonderful italian sode and i will purchase my passport book!)
-use Soarin FP somewhere along here (hopefully)
-the sea with nemo & friends
-le cellier for lunch @ 1:00
-drink our way around WS!

DTD:
-catch the bus to DTD marketplace to eat and shop!
-wolfgang puck express for dinner.
-places i definitely want to hit: lego imagination center, world of disney (i will be in this store forever!!!!!!) & goofy’s candy company (to buy some treats for later)
-ghirardelli for dessert!
-head to PI.
-places we'll probably go: adventurer’s club, mannequin’s, motion
-we may go over to the west side and check out disney quest before PI if we have time....we'll see.

AK:
-first thing....get fastpasses for EE! not sure where we're going to work in the FP, but we'll make it happen! (hopefully more than once!)
-africa - kilamanjaro safaris (must do early to see animals!)
-africa - pangani forest exploration
-wildlife express train to rafiki’s planet watch
-planet watch - affection sectio, conservation station, etc.
-catch train back
-eat late lunch (our dinner ADRs aren't until 8:10!) at pizzafari or flame tree BBQ
-asia - kali river rapids
-parade is at 4:00 - maybe see this sitting in front of flights of wonder (which we will NOT be seeing because i have an irrational fee of birds!)
-asia - EE (again?)
-dinoland - dinosaur
-if we have time, go by AKL

MK:
-rope drop is at 8:30!!! this is the only rope drop i'm planning on seeing. we like to sleep in!
-first thing.....get fastpasses to space mountain (and maybe even ride it right then if there's no line!) space mountain is one of my favorite coasters...although i've never ridden EE or RnRC, so we'll see what i think after this trip!
-head to toontown for characters (get there early)
-get FP to peter pan's flight while in toontown/fantasyland area
-go back to Tommorrowland for space mountain (again?); buzz lightyear; astro orbiter
-head towards fantasyland for mad tea party; snow white’s scary adventures; dumbo (yes, I'm 30 years old with no kids and i AM riding dumbo!); it’s a small world (i'm sorry....but i cannot not ride this ride! too many memories of my little sister and brother singing it!); peter pan (using the FP i hopefully got earlier); mickey’s philharmagic
-lunch @ casey’s on main street
-head towards adventureland for swiss family treehouse; jungle cruise; pirates of the caribbean; enchanted tiki room (i can do this because they're fake birds! plus DH has mentioned it a couple of times so we have to do it. i can't disappoint him! besides, it's a good spot for a nap! ); magic carpets of aladdin
-frontierland for splash mountain; BTMRR
-parade is at 3:00 – try to get a seat in frontierland – it’s less crowded!
-liberty square for hall of presidents (for DH!); haunted mansion
-dinner at kona café at the poly @ 5:30
-back to MK for rest of night to do whatever!
-get wishes viewing spot under tink’s wire


okay. that's it. thoughts?

Comandoing are we...?
AK, you may be able to hop in line and ride if you are there close after rope drop...but if you are a sleeper...maybe not.

The Nemo & Festival of the Lion King shows are well worth it, if you have time. It is soo hard to fit it all in...

 

[Tinkabella]

Hi Dawn Another Peep here ! I LOVE your pre-TR...can't wait for more. We will be at Disney May 5-12 and we plan on being at Epcot on Monday and MK on Wednesday too ! I will be looking for you and all our fellow fockers....

 

[Eventer98]

we sleep in a queen bed with two dogs, so we're used to being kind of crowded b/c our two dogs pretty much OWN our bed! but i would absolutely love to get a king.

Hello again fellow Peep!! We also sleep with 2 of our 3 dogs on the bed but it's only a full size!! Our dogs are 50+pds too!! DF constantly complains about it but I sleep in the fetal position so they know to stay on my side or he will kick them off. Our other dog doesn't do stairs (Thank God!!) so she stays on the couch. Occasionally one of my cats also joins us on the bed. I know..we're crazy. I would never let my future kids sleep with me but pets..I guess it's different!

We went to Disney in August for what we thought was a pre-honeymoon and the only trip we would take without kids. Well, we are going again as you can see for last adult trip..we hope!! I think it's definetly something you have to do!! I hope you have a great time and if you're any more like me then you already are you will find yourself crying the last night b/c you don't want to go home!

I look fwd. to reading more....by the time you get back it will be just over a month until our trip!

 

[punkin413]

Hi Dawn Another Peep here ! I LOVE your pre-TR...can't wait for more. We will be at Disney May 5-12 and we plan on being at Epcot on Monday and MK on Wednesday too ! I will be looking for you and all our fellow fockers....

yay......more peeps! i can't believe so many people are going the same time as us.....it's starting to scare me a little! haha. but i'm sure it's just that the people that are going during this time see the dates in my subject line and start reading. anyway, welcome! 36 more days til we leave!!!!!!!!!!