Journey to the Center...
- Thread starter bluehouse
- Start date
I'm in, but before I say anyything about your TR I have to say
TAR HEELS ROCK!!!!!!
Now back to the trip. Sounds like a great time so far. Can't wait for more.
Oh ya we won we won.......
Ouch! Tough jab.
What's your philosophy towards Illuminations? Do you find your spot a good two hours ahead of time and park it for the night? Or do you tour WS as much as possible and grab a mediocre spot (usually standing) in the last 10-15 minutes? Last year we did option one. This year, we didn't feel like wasting our evening in such a way and promised to do option two. We decided to watch Illuminations and head home in time for the second half of the basketball game.
But around 8 p.m., Ann began to get a little tired and volunteered to stake out a good spot along the railing in front of Italy. Ben and I headed to France for some pastries to go, which we planned to eat while watching the fireworks. Of course, nearly everyone else in WS had the same idea, and the line was well out the door. However, it moved relatively quickly, and I had my first-ever napoelon this evening. Delicious. Couple that with a fairly decent caffe latte, and I was in great shape for the fireworks. Although the graphics on the spinning globe are somewhat incomprehensible, and the overall storyline a bit corny, the fireworks and lasers are excellent. Illuminations is always a must-do.
As we filed out of Epcot that evening I had a minor revelation: World Showcase really is a big place, and it takes more than one evening to do it justice. For the last several years, we always make a plan to stroll around the world from about 6-9 p.m. We always run out of time. I finally realized that the truly great way to experience World Showcase is to get there around lunchtime and spend the entire afternoon and evening there. That's the only way to absorb all of the movies, shops and snacks without feeling rushed. I can't believe it took me 12 trips to WDW to learn this, but there it is. Next time -- whenever that time arrives -- we'll carve out an entire day for the countries and do it up right.
All in all, this was a great first full day at WDW. By far the biggest disappointment -- bigger than Honey I Shrunk the Audience -- came as we drove out of the Epcot parking lot. As we turned on the radio and frantically flipped for the game, we heard the terrible news:
"With 7 minutes to go in the first half, North Carolina already leads Michigan State by 20 points."
We got back to the hotel room as the first half was winding down, and the TV revealed our worst fears come to life. While the Spartans were jacking up off-balance shots and turning the ball over on nearly every possession, the Heels (with their deep roster of future NBA lottery picks) were scoring at will. Such a disappointing end to a great season, but UNC was clearly the better team. Congratulations on a well-earned title. Sorry we couldn't have put up a better challenge in the final game. The only consolation was feeling happy we did not leave Epcot early. It would have been a shame to miss Illuminations for this!
Oh, we had two more consolations. 1) Many of MSU's best players will be back next year. 2) Five more full days in Disney World!
And so to bed.
But around 8 p.m., Ann began to get a little tired and volunteered to stake out a good spot along the railing in front of Italy. Ben and I headed to France for some pastries to go, which we planned to eat while watching the fireworks. Of course, nearly everyone else in WS had the same idea, and the line was well out the door. However, it moved relatively quickly, and I had my first-ever napoelon this evening. Delicious. Couple that with a fairly decent caffe latte, and I was in great shape for the fireworks. Although the graphics on the spinning globe are somewhat incomprehensible, and the overall storyline a bit corny, the fireworks and lasers are excellent. Illuminations is always a must-do.
As we filed out of Epcot that evening I had a minor revelation: World Showcase really is a big place, and it takes more than one evening to do it justice. For the last several years, we always make a plan to stroll around the world from about 6-9 p.m. We always run out of time. I finally realized that the truly great way to experience World Showcase is to get there around lunchtime and spend the entire afternoon and evening there. That's the only way to absorb all of the movies, shops and snacks without feeling rushed. I can't believe it took me 12 trips to WDW to learn this, but there it is. Next time -- whenever that time arrives -- we'll carve out an entire day for the countries and do it up right.
All in all, this was a great first full day at WDW. By far the biggest disappointment -- bigger than Honey I Shrunk the Audience -- came as we drove out of the Epcot parking lot. As we turned on the radio and frantically flipped for the game, we heard the terrible news:
"With 7 minutes to go in the first half, North Carolina already leads Michigan State by 20 points."
We got back to the hotel room as the first half was winding down, and the TV revealed our worst fears come to life. While the Spartans were jacking up off-balance shots and turning the ball over on nearly every possession, the Heels (with their deep roster of future NBA lottery picks) were scoring at will. Such a disappointing end to a great season, but UNC was clearly the better team. Congratulations on a well-earned title. Sorry we couldn't have put up a better challenge in the final game. The only consolation was feeling happy we did not leave Epcot early. It would have been a shame to miss Illuminations for this!
Oh, we had two more consolations. 1) Many of MSU's best players will be back next year. 2) Five more full days in Disney World!
And so to bed.
I have to admit tho, it looked like in the second half the the Heels had gotten cocky and MSU really did a good job. Was worried there for a little bit. As for Ill. I think it depends on how the day has gone for us. If we are tired, we stake out a spot or I do since Ill. is my favorite fireworks. What park is next?
Day 2 -- The Space Coast
What's your favorite non-Disney attraction in central Florida? How frequently do you venture off-property for your vacation enjoyment?
For the first time in our lives, we decided to do this on Tuesday (April 7) by going to Kennedy Space Center. It was sunny but very breezy and cold all day. We followed the same blueprint for KSC as we did for most theme parks -- arrive early in order to see the best attractions with a minimal wait. Like most theme parks, KSC is large enough to see in a couple of days, and we only saw two major attractions.
Attraction 1: an IMAX 3D movie entitled "Magnificent Desolation" about walking on the moon. Narrated by Tom Hanks, this movie combined a perfect blend of humor, silliness, history, vintage footage and sci-fi speculation. It was a terrific show with excellent 3D effects. Highly recommended.
Attraction 2: the bus tour of KSC. This was not the NASA Up-Close tour that cost extra. This was the standard NASA tour included with everyone's park admission. Essentially there were three stops: 1) the observation gantry, where we got a look at the Space Shuttle on the launch pad; 2) a museum devoted to the Apollo missions and including a massive Saturn rocket; 3) a brief tour of the working labs where scientists were putting together the next instruments to go into the International Space Station.
By far the best stop on the tour was Stop 2. We began with a short movie on the Apollo project, focusing on the tragic deaths of the Apollo 1 astonauts. This was followed by a trip to the "firing room," a replica of the mission control room for the Apollo 8 liftoff. However, calling it a "replica" does not do it justice. These were the real computers used by the engineers and controllers during liftoff. The "movie" was unlike any show I have ever seen. The computers and wall panels came to life, displaying much of the same data they displayed on the day of liftoff. Next thing, we were surrounded by movies and audio of the REAL liftoff -- both behind-the-scenes footage of the guys on computers and crowd shots, booster rockets spewing smoke and fire, and all other ambient effects. One second, we're watching Walter Cronkite get ready for his report, the next we're hearing the real recordings of the final countdown, the next the room is aglow with orange light and the windows are shaking like they did back then. The net effect was that I felt like I had travelled back in time to December of 1968 to watch Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders take off for America's first orbit around the moon.
I can't stress enough how truly realistic it all was. This was not some Disney conconction--these were the real audio and video recordings and the real computers lighting up before our eyes. When the show was over, a white-haired gentleman appeared on the video monitors and said, "The Apollo 8 mission successfully made it to the moon and back. I know, because I'm Jim Lovell and I commanded that mission." He went on to talk about the mission being one of the greatest adventures of his life, and with a twinkle in his eye added, "I didn't go up in space again until the mission of Apollo 13, but that's another story."
Then the doors opened. We all walked into an enormous hangar to come face-to-face with the Saturn V booster rocket. Words can little describe the sense of awe at staring at this behemoth:
To appreciate the scale of the rocket, here's me alongside just one booster:
What can I say? I was moved. I was awed. I was inspired by the dedication and courage it took to reach a point where humans actually walked on the moon. I can be pretty cynical in life, but this caused me to get a bit misty-eyed.
The rest of the Space Center was a bit anticlimactic after this particular stop on the tour. We went to Cocoa Beach with the hopes of swimming, but it was far too chilly. We dipped our toes in the Atlantic Ocean
and spent a little time in Ron Jon Surf Shop, which was actually a pretty fun place. The rest of Cocoa Beach was a bit of a letdown. I was last there about 20 years ago, and I don't remember there being so many strip clubs on the main drag, but Ron Jon was certainly family-friendly.
For dinner we decided to go back to Coronado Springs and eat at Pepper Market again. I had the stir fry, which was excellent and spicy. Ann followed a recommendation and got the salmon. It was tender and delicious. Pepper Market was shaping up to be a real bonus for staying at CSR. This was not your run-of-the-mill food court. I've eaten at plenty of those. This was turning into something pretty special.
We actually decided to hit the sack a bit early because we had a HUGE agenda for tomorrow: Magic Kingdom. Not just any old day at MK, however. In an attempt to accomodate heavy crowds, Disney made the interesting choice to open the park early....(wait for it)....7 AM. That's right, we planned on waking up at 5:30 on the third full day of our vacation. We'd need a good night sleep.
And so to bed.
What's your favorite non-Disney attraction in central Florida? How frequently do you venture off-property for your vacation enjoyment?
For the first time in our lives, we decided to do this on Tuesday (April 7) by going to Kennedy Space Center. It was sunny but very breezy and cold all day. We followed the same blueprint for KSC as we did for most theme parks -- arrive early in order to see the best attractions with a minimal wait. Like most theme parks, KSC is large enough to see in a couple of days, and we only saw two major attractions.
Attraction 1: an IMAX 3D movie entitled "Magnificent Desolation" about walking on the moon. Narrated by Tom Hanks, this movie combined a perfect blend of humor, silliness, history, vintage footage and sci-fi speculation. It was a terrific show with excellent 3D effects. Highly recommended.
Attraction 2: the bus tour of KSC. This was not the NASA Up-Close tour that cost extra. This was the standard NASA tour included with everyone's park admission. Essentially there were three stops: 1) the observation gantry, where we got a look at the Space Shuttle on the launch pad; 2) a museum devoted to the Apollo missions and including a massive Saturn rocket; 3) a brief tour of the working labs where scientists were putting together the next instruments to go into the International Space Station.
By far the best stop on the tour was Stop 2. We began with a short movie on the Apollo project, focusing on the tragic deaths of the Apollo 1 astonauts. This was followed by a trip to the "firing room," a replica of the mission control room for the Apollo 8 liftoff. However, calling it a "replica" does not do it justice. These were the real computers used by the engineers and controllers during liftoff. The "movie" was unlike any show I have ever seen. The computers and wall panels came to life, displaying much of the same data they displayed on the day of liftoff. Next thing, we were surrounded by movies and audio of the REAL liftoff -- both behind-the-scenes footage of the guys on computers and crowd shots, booster rockets spewing smoke and fire, and all other ambient effects. One second, we're watching Walter Cronkite get ready for his report, the next we're hearing the real recordings of the final countdown, the next the room is aglow with orange light and the windows are shaking like they did back then. The net effect was that I felt like I had travelled back in time to December of 1968 to watch Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and Bill Anders take off for America's first orbit around the moon.
I can't stress enough how truly realistic it all was. This was not some Disney conconction--these were the real audio and video recordings and the real computers lighting up before our eyes. When the show was over, a white-haired gentleman appeared on the video monitors and said, "The Apollo 8 mission successfully made it to the moon and back. I know, because I'm Jim Lovell and I commanded that mission." He went on to talk about the mission being one of the greatest adventures of his life, and with a twinkle in his eye added, "I didn't go up in space again until the mission of Apollo 13, but that's another story."
Then the doors opened. We all walked into an enormous hangar to come face-to-face with the Saturn V booster rocket. Words can little describe the sense of awe at staring at this behemoth:
To appreciate the scale of the rocket, here's me alongside just one booster:
What can I say? I was moved. I was awed. I was inspired by the dedication and courage it took to reach a point where humans actually walked on the moon. I can be pretty cynical in life, but this caused me to get a bit misty-eyed.
The rest of the Space Center was a bit anticlimactic after this particular stop on the tour. We went to Cocoa Beach with the hopes of swimming, but it was far too chilly. We dipped our toes in the Atlantic Ocean
and spent a little time in Ron Jon Surf Shop, which was actually a pretty fun place. The rest of Cocoa Beach was a bit of a letdown. I was last there about 20 years ago, and I don't remember there being so many strip clubs on the main drag, but Ron Jon was certainly family-friendly.
For dinner we decided to go back to Coronado Springs and eat at Pepper Market again. I had the stir fry, which was excellent and spicy. Ann followed a recommendation and got the salmon. It was tender and delicious. Pepper Market was shaping up to be a real bonus for staying at CSR. This was not your run-of-the-mill food court. I've eaten at plenty of those. This was turning into something pretty special.
We actually decided to hit the sack a bit early because we had a HUGE agenda for tomorrow: Magic Kingdom. Not just any old day at MK, however. In an attempt to accomodate heavy crowds, Disney made the interesting choice to open the park early....(wait for it)....7 AM. That's right, we planned on waking up at 5:30 on the third full day of our vacation. We'd need a good night sleep.
And so to bed.
Day 3 - Magic Kingdom
What's the earliest you've ever awoke on a Disney vacation?
What's the best meal you've ever eaten?
Have you ever done something at WDW and thought to yourself, "This is either the most brilliant thing I've ever done in my life...or the most idiotic?"
Those were some of the questions I've asked myself as I experienced Wednesday of Easter Week at Walt Disney World. It all started early in the morning, long before the sun rose. The key to successful touring on a busy day is to arrive early. When the park opens at 7 a.m., that means arriving at the Magic Kingdom by 6:30, which in turns means waking up at 5:30. This, of course, is insane. Who wakes up at 5:30 a.m. on their vacation? Can we even call it a vacation when we have to wake up so early?
Of course, there's one thing on earth that can help to compensate for the misery of waking early...good coffee. Sadly, the hotel rooms at WDW have a bitter, brown powder that is a disgrace to the word 'coffee.' That's why for the last two years I've started bringing my own. The day before leaving for WDW, I went to Starbucks, purchased their best beans, ground them the morning our plane departed for Florida, and packed them in my suitcase with a few coffee filters. Voila! Good coffee in a WDW hotel room! All of a sudden, the morning is tolerable.
We awoke, showered, got dressed and downed some coffee, then got our bleary-eyed kids out of bed and a little cold cereal in their bellies. By 6:20 a.m., we got on the monorail. There was no one else on the platform. We asked to ride with the driver in front. As our monoral rounded the big curve between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom, we just notice the sky getting light over the Contemporary in the East. As we got off the monorail at the MK, we noticed something unusual: no one else got off with us. That's right, we had an entire monorail to ourselves. This was either a sign that we were incredibly dumb for getting up so early, or amazingly brilliant for arriving at the MK before everyone else. As we walked down the ramp from the monorail platform to the Magic Kingdom entrance, I got that old familiar feeling. I began to hear the music, see the MK Railroad Station and feel a way that is nearly indescribable. It's this magical feeling that tells me I'm in a happy place. No other park entrance makes me feel this way. Am I the only one who notices this? Anyway, as we walked up to the entrance, we saw a half-dozen security officers, waiting to inspect our backpacks. They, too, were alone. We then went to the rope, where there were maybe two dozen other guests with the same idea we had: arrive early to beat the crowds.
The net result of all of this was one of the most magical moments our family has ever experienced. It wasn't a single instance, per se. Instead, it was the accumulation of a lot of smaller moments: the family monorail ride, the quick experience at security, the peaceful feeling as we approached the MK gate, the traveler cup of good coffee, the eastern horizon slowly brightening throughout this. Usually when we experience these moments, we're packed in with hundreds of other guests -- I suppose MK is always the most popular of the four theme parks. The entry area got a bit more crowded over the next 20 minutes, including a very nice couple from Montreal on their honeymoon. But as the rest of the brave guests joined us for the 7 a.m. opening, I paused for a minute to appreciate the relative solitude and serenity (has anyone ever used those two words to describe a day at MK?). No matter what happened from here on out, I had a feeling this day was going to be special -- maybe even magical.
What's the earliest you've ever awoke on a Disney vacation?
What's the best meal you've ever eaten?
Have you ever done something at WDW and thought to yourself, "This is either the most brilliant thing I've ever done in my life...or the most idiotic?"
Those were some of the questions I've asked myself as I experienced Wednesday of Easter Week at Walt Disney World. It all started early in the morning, long before the sun rose. The key to successful touring on a busy day is to arrive early. When the park opens at 7 a.m., that means arriving at the Magic Kingdom by 6:30, which in turns means waking up at 5:30. This, of course, is insane. Who wakes up at 5:30 a.m. on their vacation? Can we even call it a vacation when we have to wake up so early?
Of course, there's one thing on earth that can help to compensate for the misery of waking early...good coffee. Sadly, the hotel rooms at WDW have a bitter, brown powder that is a disgrace to the word 'coffee.' That's why for the last two years I've started bringing my own. The day before leaving for WDW, I went to Starbucks, purchased their best beans, ground them the morning our plane departed for Florida, and packed them in my suitcase with a few coffee filters. Voila! Good coffee in a WDW hotel room! All of a sudden, the morning is tolerable.
We awoke, showered, got dressed and downed some coffee, then got our bleary-eyed kids out of bed and a little cold cereal in their bellies. By 6:20 a.m., we got on the monorail. There was no one else on the platform. We asked to ride with the driver in front. As our monoral rounded the big curve between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom, we just notice the sky getting light over the Contemporary in the East. As we got off the monorail at the MK, we noticed something unusual: no one else got off with us. That's right, we had an entire monorail to ourselves. This was either a sign that we were incredibly dumb for getting up so early, or amazingly brilliant for arriving at the MK before everyone else. As we walked down the ramp from the monorail platform to the Magic Kingdom entrance, I got that old familiar feeling. I began to hear the music, see the MK Railroad Station and feel a way that is nearly indescribable. It's this magical feeling that tells me I'm in a happy place. No other park entrance makes me feel this way. Am I the only one who notices this? Anyway, as we walked up to the entrance, we saw a half-dozen security officers, waiting to inspect our backpacks. They, too, were alone. We then went to the rope, where there were maybe two dozen other guests with the same idea we had: arrive early to beat the crowds.
The net result of all of this was one of the most magical moments our family has ever experienced. It wasn't a single instance, per se. Instead, it was the accumulation of a lot of smaller moments: the family monorail ride, the quick experience at security, the peaceful feeling as we approached the MK gate, the traveler cup of good coffee, the eastern horizon slowly brightening throughout this. Usually when we experience these moments, we're packed in with hundreds of other guests -- I suppose MK is always the most popular of the four theme parks. The entry area got a bit more crowded over the next 20 minutes, including a very nice couple from Montreal on their honeymoon. But as the rest of the brave guests joined us for the 7 a.m. opening, I paused for a minute to appreciate the relative solitude and serenity (has anyone ever used those two words to describe a day at MK?). No matter what happened from here on out, I had a feeling this day was going to be special -- maybe even magical.
oddBotkins
Cajun Power, "Shake It and Use It Baby"
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
- Messages
- 178
Thanks for putting me there at the gates of MK. It gives me the courage to encourage my party to rise with the earlybirds. Ahh, nothin' like good coffee, I had already planned on bringing my own. It's a Louisiana favorite Community Coffee, but I just might go overboard and hace some fresh ground ?? Nah. Well, the suspense is killin' me. Again, thanks for the ride. Oh, concerning the Tar Heels, I was just glad LSU was able to give them a good run for the money hehehe.
It does take courage to drag yourself out of bed early in the morning during what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation. But when you have a 5-minute wait to get on Space Mountain...you'll know it's worth it. You can always go back to your hotel for a nap and a swim in the afternoon.
oddBotkins
Cajun Power, "Shake It and Use It Baby"
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
- Messages
- 178
Will there be more? Have the siren's sung? We leave in 10 days. I will attempt to compose a post trip report. Till then I await more...
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