jimmiej
I invented the Naked Segway Tour
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2000
- Messages
- 8,395
Day #3
Waiting for the Magic Kingdom bus should have been our first clue this would be a trying day. We didnt set any alarms since we had been out late the night before. We got to the bus stop about 9:30. There were a few people already waiting. Youve seen it before. Buses from every other destination (in some cases more than one) came and went. We waited...and waited...and waited... A BIG crowd was starting to develop. Someone in the crowd called (someone!) about the lack of MK buses. By the time one arrived, they really needed three! Since we were in the front of the line, we made it on.
The MK was already open, but there was still a huge crowd out front. Isnt this supposed to be the low season? Gridlock, pure gridlock. In all our times of visiting WDW during spring break and summer, wed never seen anything like this. It was so bad, we considered leaving, but stuck it out. Fantasyland was a nightmare. Liberty Square was the only sane spot in the park.
This trip was supposed to be non-commando, i.e. stop and smell the roses. Our first order of business was a stop at the Main Street Bakery for breakfast. You guessed it, a REALLY LONG line. We ate our breakfast seated next to a crying baby whose mother had too many other kids to worry about. Well, that was fun! Every time we saw a crying child or angry parents, we just smiled at each other and enjoyed the fact that our kids are 1) older, and 2) away at college! No offense meant to families with young children. Weve been there!
Today was DWs birthday, so we stopped by Guest Relations and got a birthday button. Cast Members and other guests told her Happy Birthday all day. That was nice. (In case youre wondering, I gave DW a pearl necklace, bracelet, and earrings for her birthday.) We did manage a few attractions along with a lot of shopping. I scored my all-time high on Buzz. 865,000 and change. I must have hit something good at the beginning! Rode the train to Toontown and saw Pooh and friends, watched Mickeys Philarmagic, rode Peter Pan, and Pirates. Ate lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. I had the Pilgrims Feast and DW had Beef Medallions. Food and service were both good.
Since we usually go in the summer and its so HOT by 3 pm, wed never seen the afternoon parade. That was a priority this trip. We watched both parades from in front of Diamond Horshoe Saloon. I got some great pics from the afternoon parade. Before the evening parade, we ate at Pecos Bills. Good burgers. Spectro was great as usual. We watched Wishes from a spot near the Ice Cream Shop. Afterwards, got an ice cream and enjoyed Main Street despite the crowd. Another fill-up with the refillable mugs and off to our room. FYI, the hot chocolate at Maras was delicious!
There was a nice flower arrangement in our room, again from DWs boss/friend for her birthday. Another nice surprise! Both our DDs called to wish their mother a happy birthday.
Day #4
The original plan was to do Animal Kingdom in the am and MGM in the pm. We later decided to sleep in this morning and just do MGM when we got there. I had my first turkey leg for lunch and DW had a hot dog while we waited in line for Beauty and the Beast. The turkey leg was good but messy. Lots of napkins!
Have you seen the pre-show for B and B? The stage crew starts setting up microphones for the show and before you know it, theyre singing! And really well. It was very entertaining.
We also did Millionaire, Great Movie Ride, the afternoon parade, and got our picture with Mrs. Incredible. We had a PS for Brown Derby, but decided at the last minute to try Prime Time. Our waiter was Topher. He said Topher is short for Christopher, like Tina is short for Christina. OK... He nailed DW right off the bat for having her elbows on the table! He also had some fun with a couple of pre-teens about giving each other the googly eyes. His favorite line was, Why do you have sunburn in the house? Get it...blushing? I had the meat loaf and DW had roast beef. For dessert, I had a hot fudge sundae and DW had smores. It was all yummy. If you cant take a joke, this might not be the place for you. Its all in good fun though.
We grabbed a seat at Fantasmic about an hour early and the stadium was full thirty minutes out. A family from England was sitting next to us and the mom and DW struck up a conversation. With us being native Texans, she was amazed that we thought the weather was cool. She told us this weather was summer to them. Different worlds.
WDW has some great night time entertainment. DW and I think Fantasmic is the best. Well worth arriving early.
After the show, we were really getting chilled. Of course, wed left our jackets at the hotel. So, we stopped in one of the gift shops and bought a couple of sweatshirts that said 2005 on them. I always like to get something that says the year on it.
Since Epcot had Extra Magic Hours this evening, we walked over from MGM. I remembered there was a shortcut through the Boardwalk resort pool area, so we saved a few minutes there. Slowly walked through the Boardwalk area, enjoying the atmosphere.
We got to Epcot about 8:20. We were told wristbands for EMH were being given out between Canada and Mexico. We wondered why there wasnt a location near the International Gateway. We enjoyed Illuminations again from near Germany.
In our opinion, there arent enough food establishment open during Epcots EMH. Both Mexican restaurants and Electric Umbrella. San Angel Inn was all booked up, so we fought the crowd at Cantina de San Angel and enjoyed some good nachos. We later noticed this place was closed by 10:30. Huh?! I thought Epcot was open till midnight. We rode Maelstrom, Figment, and saw Honey I Shrunk... After that, we headed back to AKL exhausted. We really enjoy touring at night. E-Ride nights at MK have always been a fun experience.
Day #5 (final)
We got up about 8:00 for a 9:00 PS at Bomas. Enjoyed a good breakfast. Went back to the room to pack (Why is it harder to get your things back into the suitcase at the end of your trip?) and then stored our luggage with bell services. Murray Hill was to pick us up at 5:00 for a 7:20 flight.
Since it isnt a trip to WDW without a ride on the monorail, we rode the bus to Epcot, then monorailed to MK. We did Jungle Cruise, Liberty Square Riverboat, and Philarmagic. Did a little shopping and then walked over to Contemporary about 1:30 to catch a bus to Animal Kingdom. Caught Flights of Wonder and did some last minute shopping before returning to AKL. After a short wait, our driver (the same one as when we arrived) was there to pick us up.
We werent ready to leave, but were looking forward to sleeping in our own bed. Our flights home on American were on time and uneventful, the way we like it. We got home about midnight.
Overall, this was a great trip, very relaxed. The Segway tour was a real highlight and we were able to do several things we hadnt done before. The Animal Kingdom Lodge was worth every penny. It is our opinion that we didnt lose anything by staying in a non-savannah view room. The animal viewing areas were easily accessible. This is our new favorite resort.
Our next trip is scheduled for July 2006-our first Disney cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Let the planning begin! Thanks for reading.
Waiting for the Magic Kingdom bus should have been our first clue this would be a trying day. We didnt set any alarms since we had been out late the night before. We got to the bus stop about 9:30. There were a few people already waiting. Youve seen it before. Buses from every other destination (in some cases more than one) came and went. We waited...and waited...and waited... A BIG crowd was starting to develop. Someone in the crowd called (someone!) about the lack of MK buses. By the time one arrived, they really needed three! Since we were in the front of the line, we made it on.
The MK was already open, but there was still a huge crowd out front. Isnt this supposed to be the low season? Gridlock, pure gridlock. In all our times of visiting WDW during spring break and summer, wed never seen anything like this. It was so bad, we considered leaving, but stuck it out. Fantasyland was a nightmare. Liberty Square was the only sane spot in the park.
This trip was supposed to be non-commando, i.e. stop and smell the roses. Our first order of business was a stop at the Main Street Bakery for breakfast. You guessed it, a REALLY LONG line. We ate our breakfast seated next to a crying baby whose mother had too many other kids to worry about. Well, that was fun! Every time we saw a crying child or angry parents, we just smiled at each other and enjoyed the fact that our kids are 1) older, and 2) away at college! No offense meant to families with young children. Weve been there!
Today was DWs birthday, so we stopped by Guest Relations and got a birthday button. Cast Members and other guests told her Happy Birthday all day. That was nice. (In case youre wondering, I gave DW a pearl necklace, bracelet, and earrings for her birthday.) We did manage a few attractions along with a lot of shopping. I scored my all-time high on Buzz. 865,000 and change. I must have hit something good at the beginning! Rode the train to Toontown and saw Pooh and friends, watched Mickeys Philarmagic, rode Peter Pan, and Pirates. Ate lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. I had the Pilgrims Feast and DW had Beef Medallions. Food and service were both good.
Since we usually go in the summer and its so HOT by 3 pm, wed never seen the afternoon parade. That was a priority this trip. We watched both parades from in front of Diamond Horshoe Saloon. I got some great pics from the afternoon parade. Before the evening parade, we ate at Pecos Bills. Good burgers. Spectro was great as usual. We watched Wishes from a spot near the Ice Cream Shop. Afterwards, got an ice cream and enjoyed Main Street despite the crowd. Another fill-up with the refillable mugs and off to our room. FYI, the hot chocolate at Maras was delicious!
There was a nice flower arrangement in our room, again from DWs boss/friend for her birthday. Another nice surprise! Both our DDs called to wish their mother a happy birthday.
Day #4
The original plan was to do Animal Kingdom in the am and MGM in the pm. We later decided to sleep in this morning and just do MGM when we got there. I had my first turkey leg for lunch and DW had a hot dog while we waited in line for Beauty and the Beast. The turkey leg was good but messy. Lots of napkins!
Have you seen the pre-show for B and B? The stage crew starts setting up microphones for the show and before you know it, theyre singing! And really well. It was very entertaining.
We also did Millionaire, Great Movie Ride, the afternoon parade, and got our picture with Mrs. Incredible. We had a PS for Brown Derby, but decided at the last minute to try Prime Time. Our waiter was Topher. He said Topher is short for Christopher, like Tina is short for Christina. OK... He nailed DW right off the bat for having her elbows on the table! He also had some fun with a couple of pre-teens about giving each other the googly eyes. His favorite line was, Why do you have sunburn in the house? Get it...blushing? I had the meat loaf and DW had roast beef. For dessert, I had a hot fudge sundae and DW had smores. It was all yummy. If you cant take a joke, this might not be the place for you. Its all in good fun though.
We grabbed a seat at Fantasmic about an hour early and the stadium was full thirty minutes out. A family from England was sitting next to us and the mom and DW struck up a conversation. With us being native Texans, she was amazed that we thought the weather was cool. She told us this weather was summer to them. Different worlds.
WDW has some great night time entertainment. DW and I think Fantasmic is the best. Well worth arriving early.
After the show, we were really getting chilled. Of course, wed left our jackets at the hotel. So, we stopped in one of the gift shops and bought a couple of sweatshirts that said 2005 on them. I always like to get something that says the year on it.
Since Epcot had Extra Magic Hours this evening, we walked over from MGM. I remembered there was a shortcut through the Boardwalk resort pool area, so we saved a few minutes there. Slowly walked through the Boardwalk area, enjoying the atmosphere.
We got to Epcot about 8:20. We were told wristbands for EMH were being given out between Canada and Mexico. We wondered why there wasnt a location near the International Gateway. We enjoyed Illuminations again from near Germany.
In our opinion, there arent enough food establishment open during Epcots EMH. Both Mexican restaurants and Electric Umbrella. San Angel Inn was all booked up, so we fought the crowd at Cantina de San Angel and enjoyed some good nachos. We later noticed this place was closed by 10:30. Huh?! I thought Epcot was open till midnight. We rode Maelstrom, Figment, and saw Honey I Shrunk... After that, we headed back to AKL exhausted. We really enjoy touring at night. E-Ride nights at MK have always been a fun experience.
Day #5 (final)
We got up about 8:00 for a 9:00 PS at Bomas. Enjoyed a good breakfast. Went back to the room to pack (Why is it harder to get your things back into the suitcase at the end of your trip?) and then stored our luggage with bell services. Murray Hill was to pick us up at 5:00 for a 7:20 flight.
Since it isnt a trip to WDW without a ride on the monorail, we rode the bus to Epcot, then monorailed to MK. We did Jungle Cruise, Liberty Square Riverboat, and Philarmagic. Did a little shopping and then walked over to Contemporary about 1:30 to catch a bus to Animal Kingdom. Caught Flights of Wonder and did some last minute shopping before returning to AKL. After a short wait, our driver (the same one as when we arrived) was there to pick us up.
We werent ready to leave, but were looking forward to sleeping in our own bed. Our flights home on American were on time and uneventful, the way we like it. We got home about midnight.
Overall, this was a great trip, very relaxed. The Segway tour was a real highlight and we were able to do several things we hadnt done before. The Animal Kingdom Lodge was worth every penny. It is our opinion that we didnt lose anything by staying in a non-savannah view room. The animal viewing areas were easily accessible. This is our new favorite resort.
Our next trip is scheduled for July 2006-our first Disney cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Let the planning begin! Thanks for reading.
