PocahontasLookALike
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2005
- Messages
- 978
This was our second trip to the world and our first trip 'home' as DVC members. My husband and I are mid 20's with no kids, so our trip reports may not include doing ALL the attractions (such as Dumbo and Tea Cups), but I can report on crowds, waits and weather!
Day One Friday May 27th
We arrived in Orlando at 6:30pm. We had arranged for ME, but unfortunately did not recieve the ME package prior to departing. We were only checking one bag so we figured we'd save ourselves the hassle and just claim our bags ourselves. No big deal, we got our bags and were greeted by several Cast Members waving big hands asking if we needed assistance. They pointed us to the ME checkin desk where there were only 2 people ahead of us. We got our vouchers and were directed to the MotorCoach going to the Boardwalk. There were only four other groups on the bus so there was no waiting and plenty of room. We actually were taken on a DCL bus that made two other stops before dropping us off at the Boardwalk Villas. We stopped at CBR and Beach Club. We checked in to our room with a great view of MGM fireworks. We were in our room by 7:45pm, so it was a total of 1 hour and fifteen minutes from the time we landed til we got into our room.
Since it was a friday night, the Boardwalk was busy with lots of things going on. It definitely immersed us in the Boardwalk era, it was awesome!!! We went down to the ESPN Club to get dinner (which was yummy!) and then headed back to our room.
Day 2 Saturday May 28th
Animal Kingdom had Early Magic Hours, so we decided to take advantage of them and head to the park. We got to the park about 30 minutes before park opening and there was already a line at the entrance!!! They let us in at about 7:45am and we were allowed to go into the park but no past the ropes in front of the Tree of Life.
Right before 8:00am, Mickey and Minnie came riding out on a Safari Bus and greeted everyone. I have to admit, that it even made me excited!
At 8:00am, we headed to Kilamanjaro Safaris and had a great ride since it was early, the weather was still relatively cool and the animals were all out eating breakfast. I definitely recommend doing the Safari first thing in the morning if the weather is going to be warm when you go. The lions were even out for us! It was amazing.
We headed for Dinosaur next but were disappointed to discover that Dinoland did not open until about 8:30 am or so. So we waited along with the other disappointed guests until they let us in. We ran for Dinosaur and had no wait at all. After we got off, we got FastPasses so that we could come back later.
NOTE TO PARENTS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN: Both times we were on this ride, there was a family with us whose child was DEATHLY afraid of the ride. To the point that the child was screaming bloody murder, no joke! If your child is afraid of darkness, very loud noises and scary/monster images, this is not the ride for you. I felt so bad for the little girl who was with us the second time we rode, I honestly, had never heard a child scream in fear like she did.
Next we headed for Kali River Rapids, this attraction did not open until 9:30am, but I was aware of this since I had done my planning and read my U.G. There was already a line forming and we decided to ride this immediately so that if we got wet we could have the rest of the day to dry off. Thanks to this board, I was prepared with a disposable poncho and a plastic sack to put my backpack in. My husband didn't think he needed the poncho and he was SOAKED when we got off...but not me! Infact, everyone in our raft was drenched. One family even rode in their swimsuits! At one point, water came spilling over the sides of the raft and everyone who didn't have their feet up on the railing got their feet hosed down with water. It was fun and refreshing! If you don't want to get wet, definitely take disposable ponchos, they worked like a charm.
We milled around and did the discovery treks and had a great time just leisurely taking it all in. One "Not to Miss" is Flight of Wonder, this show was amazing! Definitely a must-see and sit close and have your cameras ready!
Weather: This day was especially humid but this was mainly due to the fact that we were in a park with such dense vegetation. The heat wasn't so bad, but the humidity was a killer! Definitely take your own misting fans, I can't believe that Disney charges $17 for theirs when you can get them at CVS for like five bucks! We had personal fans and they were definitely a lifesaver!
We left the park around 4:00pm to have time to rest and shower up before getting to our 8:30pm PS at Fulton's in DownTown Disney.
I'll post again for Day three which was Disney Studios with Evening Magic Hours.
Day 3 Sunday May 29 Disney Studios
Resort Report - BWV were amazing! We will definitely be staying there again. The ambiance, the staff, the views...everything was spectacular! The rooms were spacious and lovely. We had a studio for the first few nights but then switched to a 1bdrm to save points and the 1 bdrm was wonderful! It was spacious with a HUGE balcony. I love how the bathroom was set up...it had a one full vanity outside of the bathroom so that I could get ready while my DH showered. Lots of cabinet space and a really cool hot tub!
One thing about transportation in and out of the BW is that you will typically be picked up first and dropped off last, it can be tiring and frustrating, but if I had known this in advance it wouldn't have been as bad. So, hopefully I can shed somelight on this for someone else.
Park Report - We saw that we could take a boat to Disney Studios and thought it would be fun, so we waited in line only to be told that only a few people could get on that boat because it was almost full and they still had one more stop to make at Swan/Dolphin! We had to wait near 30 minutes for a boat, plus the 15 boad ride...it would have been much quicker to walk! So my DH and I were now in fowl moods due to the boat experience. The bad moods left us behind as we approached the main gates and we saw Storm Troopers on top of the entrances! That made my DH's day! We stopped on the main street to have PhotoPass take our pictures then dashed off to get ToT and standby line for RnRC. The wait times were not THAT bad, but FP's definitely worked in our favor. With it being a StarWars Weekend, the area with Star Tours was a NIGHTMARE! It was wall to wall people and the crowd wasn't moving at all! Besides this section of the park, the crowds really weren't that bad. We got FP's for StarTours so that we could get the heck out of that area. We went to the Pizza Station for lunch and it was by far the worst lunch I had ever had. My poor, sweet DH stood in line for 35 minutes only to get served the most mediocre pizzas ever. Honestly, my Lean Cuisine pizzas are far better than this. I do not recommend the pizza here.
We got right in for the Lights, Motor, ACTION! show and it was phenomenal! Definitely a 'must see'! It was so fun and exciting, it even had me cheering and I am not a car-girl by any means! It was very entertaining and there's not a bad seat in the house!
We had FDP at the Brown Derby for 6:20pm and it was delicious! However, when we checked in at 6:15pm, we were given a 'pager' and told they would try to seat us within an hour. My DH gave me that 'look' and I told him it was no big deal. It turns outs that they called us to be seated 15 minutes later. I had the sake crab cake for a starter and the pork tenderloin for an entree. My husband had the tortilla soup and the filet for an entree. He is a very picky eater and was very impressed with the experience.
The best part was going in the 'back way' to get seated for Fantasmic and only arriving about 30 minutes early and getting a great seat! Fantasmic is by far one of my most favorite things at Disney and I enjoyed every minute of the show. Again, definitely a 'must see'.
It was Evening Magic Hours at the Studios, but it was definitely not worth staying for. They were still offering FP for all the headliner attractions, but the times were for late in the evening, so we just left. We had ridden each major attraction SEVERAL times (like 5 times each on RnRc and ToT), so we just went home to get rest for our next day at Epcot.
The weather was warm and humid, but not completely unbearable.
I'll be adding Day 4 which is Epcot later!
DAY 4 - MONDAY MAY 30TH EPCOT
Epcot had Early Magic Hours so we decided again to take advantage of the early hours since it was proving to be much more effective than Evening Magic Hours.
Since we were staying at the BoardWalk, we had a leisurely 10 minute walk to the International Gateway. It was nice to have an entrance that had no lines what-so-ever, but the bad part was that it was in the World Showcase and the WS did not open until regular park hours, so we had to trek all the way around to get to Future World where there was already a 30 minute wait for Test Track. So we ran, literally, to the other side of FW to get FP's for Soarin' and then waited out the Test Track Standby line. After Test Track we milled around FW and did Living with the Land (which is REALLY cool, I've never been on that attraction before...very interesting but might be boring for kids. I find research very interesting, so this was right up my alley). Afterward we used our FP's for Soarin'. We've done this attraction many times at DisneyLand, but it just keeps getting cooler everytime we do it. My DH and I try to figure out which parts of California we are 'soaring' over (I think we have them all figured out!). Later in the day, we were able to get 1 more set of FastPasses for each Soarin and Test Track. We did the Station Cool thing which is one of my most favorite things in Epcot. When we went the the World 4 years ago, Station Cool was a ghost town and there was nobody in there. But, alas, people have discovered how cool it is (literally) and the place was packed and the experience not near as enjoyable. (TIP: stay away from that drink from Italy in Station Cool. According to my husband it is like, "@ss in a cup." We laughed about that for the next 5 days.
After getting our fill of FW, we headed to the World Showcase for lunch. The World Showcase is probably my 2nd most favorite thing to do at WDW. I love to talk with the CM and hear about their experiences in America. I think it embarrasses my DH, but I don't care! I also love literally eating our way around the world. By far, the best ice cream (better than the free sundae at Ghirardelli) is the ice cream from the cart in France. We are still talking about it. Although the French girl selling it was certainly less than friendly...I refrained from asking her about her experience in America. I love going in all the little shops and looking around at all the worldly stuff all in one place!
We had a light lunch (so that we could snack all day) in China at the counter service place (super yummy! highly recommended!). We had dinner in Mexico at the San Angel Inn. I decided to give this place a try after reading about it here. My opinion? Try another place. I wasn't happy with the food, although the ambiance is ADORABLE. It was also kinda of pricey, but it was a sit down restaurant after all. My husband and I made sure that we always did a sitdown dinner each night regardless of what park we were in. We had PS's for every night of our trip and it was probably the best thing we could have done.
Before dinner we went back to the hotel for a few hours to rest and recoop. It was especially hot and humid this day, so a shower felt especially nice!
We staked out a good spot for IllumiNations somewhere near MouseGears. We found a great spot about 25 minutes before the show. My husband decided to run to the front entrance before the show started to get the bag from the locker, when about 5 minutes after he left, it started to rain. The masses scattered and I had an even better spot for IllumiNations. I pulled out my umbrella and stayed pretty dry. Then the rain started to come down at an angle and then it started to POUR and it was really windy. Annoucements were made that the show would not be cancelled but just delayed. It had been 25 minutes in the rain and my DH still hadn't made it back! I was starting to worry when we returned as soaked as a drowned rat! We were about to leave when we decided that we were already soaked, we might as well stick it out! So we did! DH reminded me of the ponchos in the back and we struggled to get them on and as soon as we did, the rain freaking stopped! A few minutes later, the show started and we had prime seats! IllumiNations is a wonderfully beautiful show that is not to be missed. Any spot around the World Showcase where you can see the firework "barges" in the middle of the lagoon is a good spot. That is the beauty of the World ShowCase is that there are so many good spots to see the show.
After IllumiNations we 'schlepped' home in our soggy sneakers and shoes.
I'll add our day at Magic Kingdom next!
DAY 5 TUESDAY MAY 31 - MAGIC KINGDOM
This is the day I had been waiting for! I purposely saved it for last because I wanted to excitement to build as the day grew closer! To my dismay, I woke up to a blustery day of a DOWNPOUR! Even our WDW bus driver said, I'd be shocked if they open any of the rides...My urge to show her my middle finger subsided as I just kept thinking that maybe the rain would keep the crowds away. There was no one else on our bus to the MK, so my hopes were definitely high. We were prepared for the rain with changes or clothes, socks, shoes and ponchos. Actually, before leaving for WDW, I sent my DH to the sporting goods store to get heavy duty ponchos because I remember the Disney ponchos being BRIGHT, freaking yellow and completely obnoxious. He returned with a handful of disposable ponchos and a rainsuit...yes you read that right...a rainsuit! I laughed at him and told him there was no way in HELL that I was wearing that thing around WDW...God forbid...someone might SEE me in it. I said we would buy the obnoxious yellow ponchos at the Resort and that was the end of it.
But let me get back on track. On our MK morning, since it was POURING (a tree had even been uprooted on the highway!), we went down to the BoardWalk gift shop to buy the ponchos and I was pleasantly surprised that the ponchos are now clear instead of yellow! We were standing in line at the counter (there was only one dude ahead of us paying) and we stepped up to the counter and happily asked for 2 adult ponchos. The cashier informed us that the dude infront of us had just pruchased EVERY ADULT poncho they had. This is actually when my middle finger started itching to come out.
The dude had the never to turn to us and smile a pompus HAHA smile and walked away. The cashier assured us that we could purchase them at the front entrance at the MK, so we left poncho-less.
My DH said, '...just try on the rainsuit...' Just for a good laugh I did. Relunctantly I pulled it out the packaging to discover it was NOT the horrendous ONE piece rainsuit I imagined. It was actually two seperate pieces of a jacket and pants. I excited put it on over my shorts and tshirt and was excited to see that the pants had a fashionable 'boot cut leg' that allowed the pant bottoms to fit nicely over my shoes and completely protect them from getting wet.
Now we get on the bus, blah, blah, blah...grouchy driver, etc.
We get off the bus and it's raining pretty hard, but I am not phased at all since I am staying COMPLETELY dry thanks to my new and stylish rainsuit! Complete with detachable hood and all! My husband is wearing one of the disposable ponchos just to stay as dry as possible until we can buy the 'good' Mickey poncho.
We get to the entrance, do the finger scan (which is totally easy as long as you make sure you press that little knob between your two fingers) when one of the entrance CM said, "Hey great rainsuit!" I quickly noticed that all the CM's were donning the SAME exact rainsuit as me. Then he proceeded to make my day by asking me, "How'd ya get that rainsuit?...Are you a CM?" I was thrilled that someone thought I was CM. Don't ask why, but it totally made me happy.
We made our way through the entrance, purchased the Mickey poncho, unloaded our extra clothes and stuff into a locker and away we went. There were Early Magic Hours and the crowd was light, apparently the rain didn't scare EVERYONE off. We did just about everything we could possibly within the first 2-3 hours of being there. Mickey's PhilharMagic is completely INGENIUS and we went back SEVERAL times to experience it.
I noticed several people eyeing my rainsuit and I know they were secretly wishing they had one because I had dry socks and shoes and they were soaked by 10am.
As the morning wore on the crowds got heavier and the rain let up. Luckily we had done almost every attraction possible. Except Dumbo, TeaCups and Rockets. I avoid those like the plague. So the heavy crowds didn't bother us one bit. We leisurely strolled around, spotted the actor who played "Willow" in the movie and we were so excited, I know...Dorkville. We had lunch at Cosmic Ray's (love that place!) and saw Cinderellabration, which was awesome, had dinner at CRT with a waiter who was less than thrilled to be a server at WDW. That sorta put a damper on the experience, but we just laughed at it after we left. However, Cinderally herself was in the castle lobby doing a meet and greet and she was wonderful with the kids. My DH wanted his picture with her, but I told him he had to wait until there were no kids in line to do it. As you guessed, there were always kids in line.
We quickly learned that Main Street is the WORST place to see a parade or fireworks. Crowds were lining up for Spectro as far as two hours ahead! That's valuable ride time. We took DisBoard advice and watched the parade where it ends in FrontierLand. We saw fantastic fireworks from infront of the LTT and man alive...that is SOME fireworks display. Something about fireworks gets me emotional...I don't know what it is...
We wrapped up our MK Day with the HM where we were eaten ALIVE by mosquitos while waiting in line. Did you ever notice that the nighttime CM's at the HM are much more in 'character' than the day time ones?
Thanks for reading...I'll update with the remaining days soon!
Day One Friday May 27th
We arrived in Orlando at 6:30pm. We had arranged for ME, but unfortunately did not recieve the ME package prior to departing. We were only checking one bag so we figured we'd save ourselves the hassle and just claim our bags ourselves. No big deal, we got our bags and were greeted by several Cast Members waving big hands asking if we needed assistance. They pointed us to the ME checkin desk where there were only 2 people ahead of us. We got our vouchers and were directed to the MotorCoach going to the Boardwalk. There were only four other groups on the bus so there was no waiting and plenty of room. We actually were taken on a DCL bus that made two other stops before dropping us off at the Boardwalk Villas. We stopped at CBR and Beach Club. We checked in to our room with a great view of MGM fireworks. We were in our room by 7:45pm, so it was a total of 1 hour and fifteen minutes from the time we landed til we got into our room.
Since it was a friday night, the Boardwalk was busy with lots of things going on. It definitely immersed us in the Boardwalk era, it was awesome!!! We went down to the ESPN Club to get dinner (which was yummy!) and then headed back to our room.
Day 2 Saturday May 28th
Animal Kingdom had Early Magic Hours, so we decided to take advantage of them and head to the park. We got to the park about 30 minutes before park opening and there was already a line at the entrance!!! They let us in at about 7:45am and we were allowed to go into the park but no past the ropes in front of the Tree of Life.
Right before 8:00am, Mickey and Minnie came riding out on a Safari Bus and greeted everyone. I have to admit, that it even made me excited!
At 8:00am, we headed to Kilamanjaro Safaris and had a great ride since it was early, the weather was still relatively cool and the animals were all out eating breakfast. I definitely recommend doing the Safari first thing in the morning if the weather is going to be warm when you go. The lions were even out for us! It was amazing.
We headed for Dinosaur next but were disappointed to discover that Dinoland did not open until about 8:30 am or so. So we waited along with the other disappointed guests until they let us in. We ran for Dinosaur and had no wait at all. After we got off, we got FastPasses so that we could come back later.
NOTE TO PARENTS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN: Both times we were on this ride, there was a family with us whose child was DEATHLY afraid of the ride. To the point that the child was screaming bloody murder, no joke! If your child is afraid of darkness, very loud noises and scary/monster images, this is not the ride for you. I felt so bad for the little girl who was with us the second time we rode, I honestly, had never heard a child scream in fear like she did.
Next we headed for Kali River Rapids, this attraction did not open until 9:30am, but I was aware of this since I had done my planning and read my U.G. There was already a line forming and we decided to ride this immediately so that if we got wet we could have the rest of the day to dry off. Thanks to this board, I was prepared with a disposable poncho and a plastic sack to put my backpack in. My husband didn't think he needed the poncho and he was SOAKED when we got off...but not me! Infact, everyone in our raft was drenched. One family even rode in their swimsuits! At one point, water came spilling over the sides of the raft and everyone who didn't have their feet up on the railing got their feet hosed down with water. It was fun and refreshing! If you don't want to get wet, definitely take disposable ponchos, they worked like a charm.
We milled around and did the discovery treks and had a great time just leisurely taking it all in. One "Not to Miss" is Flight of Wonder, this show was amazing! Definitely a must-see and sit close and have your cameras ready!
Weather: This day was especially humid but this was mainly due to the fact that we were in a park with such dense vegetation. The heat wasn't so bad, but the humidity was a killer! Definitely take your own misting fans, I can't believe that Disney charges $17 for theirs when you can get them at CVS for like five bucks! We had personal fans and they were definitely a lifesaver!
We left the park around 4:00pm to have time to rest and shower up before getting to our 8:30pm PS at Fulton's in DownTown Disney.
I'll post again for Day three which was Disney Studios with Evening Magic Hours.
Day 3 Sunday May 29 Disney Studios
Resort Report - BWV were amazing! We will definitely be staying there again. The ambiance, the staff, the views...everything was spectacular! The rooms were spacious and lovely. We had a studio for the first few nights but then switched to a 1bdrm to save points and the 1 bdrm was wonderful! It was spacious with a HUGE balcony. I love how the bathroom was set up...it had a one full vanity outside of the bathroom so that I could get ready while my DH showered. Lots of cabinet space and a really cool hot tub!
One thing about transportation in and out of the BW is that you will typically be picked up first and dropped off last, it can be tiring and frustrating, but if I had known this in advance it wouldn't have been as bad. So, hopefully I can shed somelight on this for someone else.
Park Report - We saw that we could take a boat to Disney Studios and thought it would be fun, so we waited in line only to be told that only a few people could get on that boat because it was almost full and they still had one more stop to make at Swan/Dolphin! We had to wait near 30 minutes for a boat, plus the 15 boad ride...it would have been much quicker to walk! So my DH and I were now in fowl moods due to the boat experience. The bad moods left us behind as we approached the main gates and we saw Storm Troopers on top of the entrances! That made my DH's day! We stopped on the main street to have PhotoPass take our pictures then dashed off to get ToT and standby line for RnRC. The wait times were not THAT bad, but FP's definitely worked in our favor. With it being a StarWars Weekend, the area with Star Tours was a NIGHTMARE! It was wall to wall people and the crowd wasn't moving at all! Besides this section of the park, the crowds really weren't that bad. We got FP's for StarTours so that we could get the heck out of that area. We went to the Pizza Station for lunch and it was by far the worst lunch I had ever had. My poor, sweet DH stood in line for 35 minutes only to get served the most mediocre pizzas ever. Honestly, my Lean Cuisine pizzas are far better than this. I do not recommend the pizza here.
We got right in for the Lights, Motor, ACTION! show and it was phenomenal! Definitely a 'must see'! It was so fun and exciting, it even had me cheering and I am not a car-girl by any means! It was very entertaining and there's not a bad seat in the house!
We had FDP at the Brown Derby for 6:20pm and it was delicious! However, when we checked in at 6:15pm, we were given a 'pager' and told they would try to seat us within an hour. My DH gave me that 'look' and I told him it was no big deal. It turns outs that they called us to be seated 15 minutes later. I had the sake crab cake for a starter and the pork tenderloin for an entree. My husband had the tortilla soup and the filet for an entree. He is a very picky eater and was very impressed with the experience.
The best part was going in the 'back way' to get seated for Fantasmic and only arriving about 30 minutes early and getting a great seat! Fantasmic is by far one of my most favorite things at Disney and I enjoyed every minute of the show. Again, definitely a 'must see'.
It was Evening Magic Hours at the Studios, but it was definitely not worth staying for. They were still offering FP for all the headliner attractions, but the times were for late in the evening, so we just left. We had ridden each major attraction SEVERAL times (like 5 times each on RnRc and ToT), so we just went home to get rest for our next day at Epcot.
The weather was warm and humid, but not completely unbearable.
I'll be adding Day 4 which is Epcot later!
DAY 4 - MONDAY MAY 30TH EPCOT
Epcot had Early Magic Hours so we decided again to take advantage of the early hours since it was proving to be much more effective than Evening Magic Hours.
Since we were staying at the BoardWalk, we had a leisurely 10 minute walk to the International Gateway. It was nice to have an entrance that had no lines what-so-ever, but the bad part was that it was in the World Showcase and the WS did not open until regular park hours, so we had to trek all the way around to get to Future World where there was already a 30 minute wait for Test Track. So we ran, literally, to the other side of FW to get FP's for Soarin' and then waited out the Test Track Standby line. After Test Track we milled around FW and did Living with the Land (which is REALLY cool, I've never been on that attraction before...very interesting but might be boring for kids. I find research very interesting, so this was right up my alley). Afterward we used our FP's for Soarin'. We've done this attraction many times at DisneyLand, but it just keeps getting cooler everytime we do it. My DH and I try to figure out which parts of California we are 'soaring' over (I think we have them all figured out!). Later in the day, we were able to get 1 more set of FastPasses for each Soarin and Test Track. We did the Station Cool thing which is one of my most favorite things in Epcot. When we went the the World 4 years ago, Station Cool was a ghost town and there was nobody in there. But, alas, people have discovered how cool it is (literally) and the place was packed and the experience not near as enjoyable. (TIP: stay away from that drink from Italy in Station Cool. According to my husband it is like, "@ss in a cup." We laughed about that for the next 5 days.
After getting our fill of FW, we headed to the World Showcase for lunch. The World Showcase is probably my 2nd most favorite thing to do at WDW. I love to talk with the CM and hear about their experiences in America. I think it embarrasses my DH, but I don't care! I also love literally eating our way around the world. By far, the best ice cream (better than the free sundae at Ghirardelli) is the ice cream from the cart in France. We are still talking about it. Although the French girl selling it was certainly less than friendly...I refrained from asking her about her experience in America. I love going in all the little shops and looking around at all the worldly stuff all in one place!
We had a light lunch (so that we could snack all day) in China at the counter service place (super yummy! highly recommended!). We had dinner in Mexico at the San Angel Inn. I decided to give this place a try after reading about it here. My opinion? Try another place. I wasn't happy with the food, although the ambiance is ADORABLE. It was also kinda of pricey, but it was a sit down restaurant after all. My husband and I made sure that we always did a sitdown dinner each night regardless of what park we were in. We had PS's for every night of our trip and it was probably the best thing we could have done.
Before dinner we went back to the hotel for a few hours to rest and recoop. It was especially hot and humid this day, so a shower felt especially nice!
We staked out a good spot for IllumiNations somewhere near MouseGears. We found a great spot about 25 minutes before the show. My husband decided to run to the front entrance before the show started to get the bag from the locker, when about 5 minutes after he left, it started to rain. The masses scattered and I had an even better spot for IllumiNations. I pulled out my umbrella and stayed pretty dry. Then the rain started to come down at an angle and then it started to POUR and it was really windy. Annoucements were made that the show would not be cancelled but just delayed. It had been 25 minutes in the rain and my DH still hadn't made it back! I was starting to worry when we returned as soaked as a drowned rat! We were about to leave when we decided that we were already soaked, we might as well stick it out! So we did! DH reminded me of the ponchos in the back and we struggled to get them on and as soon as we did, the rain freaking stopped! A few minutes later, the show started and we had prime seats! IllumiNations is a wonderfully beautiful show that is not to be missed. Any spot around the World Showcase where you can see the firework "barges" in the middle of the lagoon is a good spot. That is the beauty of the World ShowCase is that there are so many good spots to see the show.
After IllumiNations we 'schlepped' home in our soggy sneakers and shoes.
I'll add our day at Magic Kingdom next!
DAY 5 TUESDAY MAY 31 - MAGIC KINGDOM
This is the day I had been waiting for! I purposely saved it for last because I wanted to excitement to build as the day grew closer! To my dismay, I woke up to a blustery day of a DOWNPOUR! Even our WDW bus driver said, I'd be shocked if they open any of the rides...My urge to show her my middle finger subsided as I just kept thinking that maybe the rain would keep the crowds away. There was no one else on our bus to the MK, so my hopes were definitely high. We were prepared for the rain with changes or clothes, socks, shoes and ponchos. Actually, before leaving for WDW, I sent my DH to the sporting goods store to get heavy duty ponchos because I remember the Disney ponchos being BRIGHT, freaking yellow and completely obnoxious. He returned with a handful of disposable ponchos and a rainsuit...yes you read that right...a rainsuit! I laughed at him and told him there was no way in HELL that I was wearing that thing around WDW...God forbid...someone might SEE me in it. I said we would buy the obnoxious yellow ponchos at the Resort and that was the end of it.
But let me get back on track. On our MK morning, since it was POURING (a tree had even been uprooted on the highway!), we went down to the BoardWalk gift shop to buy the ponchos and I was pleasantly surprised that the ponchos are now clear instead of yellow! We were standing in line at the counter (there was only one dude ahead of us paying) and we stepped up to the counter and happily asked for 2 adult ponchos. The cashier informed us that the dude infront of us had just pruchased EVERY ADULT poncho they had. This is actually when my middle finger started itching to come out.
The dude had the never to turn to us and smile a pompus HAHA smile and walked away. The cashier assured us that we could purchase them at the front entrance at the MK, so we left poncho-less. My DH said, '...just try on the rainsuit...' Just for a good laugh I did. Relunctantly I pulled it out the packaging to discover it was NOT the horrendous ONE piece rainsuit I imagined. It was actually two seperate pieces of a jacket and pants. I excited put it on over my shorts and tshirt and was excited to see that the pants had a fashionable 'boot cut leg' that allowed the pant bottoms to fit nicely over my shoes and completely protect them from getting wet.
Now we get on the bus, blah, blah, blah...grouchy driver, etc.
We get off the bus and it's raining pretty hard, but I am not phased at all since I am staying COMPLETELY dry thanks to my new and stylish rainsuit! Complete with detachable hood and all! My husband is wearing one of the disposable ponchos just to stay as dry as possible until we can buy the 'good' Mickey poncho.
We get to the entrance, do the finger scan (which is totally easy as long as you make sure you press that little knob between your two fingers) when one of the entrance CM said, "Hey great rainsuit!" I quickly noticed that all the CM's were donning the SAME exact rainsuit as me. Then he proceeded to make my day by asking me, "How'd ya get that rainsuit?...Are you a CM?" I was thrilled that someone thought I was CM. Don't ask why, but it totally made me happy.
We made our way through the entrance, purchased the Mickey poncho, unloaded our extra clothes and stuff into a locker and away we went. There were Early Magic Hours and the crowd was light, apparently the rain didn't scare EVERYONE off. We did just about everything we could possibly within the first 2-3 hours of being there. Mickey's PhilharMagic is completely INGENIUS and we went back SEVERAL times to experience it.
I noticed several people eyeing my rainsuit and I know they were secretly wishing they had one because I had dry socks and shoes and they were soaked by 10am.
As the morning wore on the crowds got heavier and the rain let up. Luckily we had done almost every attraction possible. Except Dumbo, TeaCups and Rockets. I avoid those like the plague. So the heavy crowds didn't bother us one bit. We leisurely strolled around, spotted the actor who played "Willow" in the movie and we were so excited, I know...Dorkville. We had lunch at Cosmic Ray's (love that place!) and saw Cinderellabration, which was awesome, had dinner at CRT with a waiter who was less than thrilled to be a server at WDW. That sorta put a damper on the experience, but we just laughed at it after we left. However, Cinderally herself was in the castle lobby doing a meet and greet and she was wonderful with the kids. My DH wanted his picture with her, but I told him he had to wait until there were no kids in line to do it. As you guessed, there were always kids in line.
We quickly learned that Main Street is the WORST place to see a parade or fireworks. Crowds were lining up for Spectro as far as two hours ahead! That's valuable ride time. We took DisBoard advice and watched the parade where it ends in FrontierLand. We saw fantastic fireworks from infront of the LTT and man alive...that is SOME fireworks display. Something about fireworks gets me emotional...I don't know what it is...
We wrapped up our MK Day with the HM where we were eaten ALIVE by mosquitos while waiting in line. Did you ever notice that the nighttime CM's at the HM are much more in 'character' than the day time ones?
Thanks for reading...I'll update with the remaining days soon!
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