Live from All Star Sports - Surfs up

[Cellthing]

The people:

Craig (Dad) - high strung, typically Grumpy.

Kristen (Mom/DW) - Easy going, strong willed.

Carly (DD7) - 7 years old, going on 16 at times.

Claire (DD3) - 3 years old, wants to do whatever her sister is up to.

We started today out at the Fairfield Inn in Southaven, MS. Nice hotel, bad location, well actually the location was fine, it is just in the flight path for the Memphis airport, home to FedEx. Does anyone have an idea on what happens at FedEx overnight? Let's put it this way, there were plenty of jets leaving all night, and we were 7 miles away, and it was still enough to not let you sleep well.

The flight from Memphis was uneventful, with a short layover in Atlanta, where Airtran overbooked the flight. If we weren't ready to be at Disneyworld, it would have been good. They were offering round trip tickets to anywhere they fly, and tickets to the next flight to Orlando. We opted on the original flight.

Arrival at MCO is always nice, you can smell the Florida air as soon as you get off the plane. We went to the main terminal, and decided to grab a quick bite, since none of us had ate since 7 AM, and it was 2:30 PM. The girls chose Hot Dogs, I chose the Philly Cheesesteak at the Nathan's stand. Pretty good, considering there was very little area to sit and eat Mom and Dad stood, the girls sat.

You gotta hand it to Disney and the Magical Express, other than the short wait Mom made in line, and Dad trying to keep the girls under control, they totally rock. I have to enjoy not having to deal with our luggage. The trip to All Star Sports was quiet, I guess everyone else was as worn out as us.

We walk into the lobby of All Star Sports, and it was empty, not what we expected, being used to the other All Star resorts. DW gets us checked in, and we are off to our room to drop off our backpacks, and head to the parks, we thought. We open the room, and it was a smoking King Size Bed room. That will not work with 4 people, even though one is fairly small. So we march back down to the lobby, and get reassigned to another room, with the right options.

We had already decided to head to Magic Kingdom, so off we went. Our first ride after some of the usual photos in key areas, was the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It was interesting, as we entered Space Mountain, we saw that the lights were ON. It seems that they were doing some testing on the ride. ####Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow#### I still laugh about that every time. We then took in the teacups, Snow Whites Not So Scary Adventure, It's a Small World, and Cinderella's Carousel.

We decided to head back to the room and get some rest. I took the girls to the food court for ice cream, and a small list of groceries, DW went to the room to unpack. Currently, three of the four of us are passed out, and I am typing to you. We are headed to Epcot tomorrow with lunch at Teppakani.

See ya!

 

[pumba]

I love your family photos......those are gorgeous.......thanks for the beginning of your trip........we are going to use ME for the first time in December.....will be alot different then the town cars we usually use....
Thanks again

 

[svalencia1]

Thanks for the TR. We stayed at AS Sports in Sept. this year. We were in the Surf bldg and loved it! I think it is my favorite value resort by far. Can't wait to read more.

 

[OhMari]

Those matching outfits keep popping up in people's report. I saw them this summer and the jumper wasn't large enough for me. I still ordered some matching t-shirts. My dh saw them coming UPS and he is freaking out. He'll get over it.

I hope you can continue your Live Report, I really enjoy them.

 

[dmthoma76]

Thanks for the TR. We stayed at AS Sports in Sept. this year. We were in the Surf bldg and loved it! I think it is my favorite value resort by far. Can't wait to read more.

I also stayed at AS Sports this September just me (the mom) and seven year old son in the Surf section. We loved it. The room was clean, beds were comfy, lots of soft comfy pillows! We loved the main pool. Tried out the "other pool" in the baseball section but those stadium lights were REALLY bright, do they keep them on all night????

The best part was coming back to the resort on the bus, you were the FIRST stop! The food court was nice, well organized, rarely waited in a line.

We want to go again next September!


~Donna

 

[Cellthing]

The people:

Craig (Dad) - high strung, typically Grumpy.

Kristen (Mom/DW) - Easy going, strong willed.

Carly (DD7) - 7 years old, going on 16 at times.

Claire (DD3) - 3 years old, wants to do whatever her sister is up to.

Dateline Sunday October 29th, we sleep in.....ok at least until 7:30, and we were out the door around 8:45, thanks to the time change. For those of you that know us, we were in the World last spring, when the time changed, except we were leaving, I think we experienced slight jet lag because of it. It was good to gain the hour back though. The accepted mission of the day was EpCot. It is known as the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow to it's creator, Walt E. Disney. Others give it the following names:

Every Person Comes Out Tired - We agree

Every Parent Carries Out a Toddler - Not this time.

Every Pocketbook Comes Out Trashed - We supported the Disney Company well today.

Elvis Presley Comes Every Tuesday - Since we stayed near Memphis before getting here, that is funny.



We decided to get the FastPASS for Soarin', so off Mom went to gather the goods. The girls and I marched our way over to the Living Seas, which appears to be the home of Nemo now. After taking a few pictures, and waiting on Mom, we went in and rode the new Nemo ride. I have to say, there were parts of it that were pretty cool. It was good to have a ride back in the Living Seas. Next up was Turtle Talk with Crush, what a cool interactive show that is. The girls loved it, and I think were glad that they waited in line for it. We then walked around the aquariums, and the Nemo exhibits.

It was then time for our Soarin' adventure. Since DD3 is just under 40", Mom decided to stay behind, and let Carly and I ride. We have ridden it several times before on other trips, but each time, I am just amazed at the ride. For those of you that know about the Year of A Million Dreams, there was a family of 7 from New Jersey that got a golden FastPass for the day, they also rode in the B section, first row, very nice prize I must say.

We then marched quickly to the boats to get to Japan across the lagoon. We had reservations at Teppkani, which is a Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse. The chef did a great job, although we had to laugh, he was from Orlando, and didn't appear to be Japanese. We can't complain though, the food was good, and Mom even stepped out of her comfort zone and tried seaweed salad, and grilled vegetables, minus the onions and mushrooms.

Next up was the every trip Oyster opening for a pearl. We have done this for all of our trips, so we are starting to have a pretty good collection. I figure that once we have enough for a necklace, We will have spent at least a hundred grand at Disney, for a necklace that I could buy much cheaper at a jewelery store. But none the less, the girls enjoy it, and if they aren't happy, no one is happy.

We then walked towards Mexico, I was in search of a Mango margarita, the girls were in search of every KidCot station they could find. We visited half the countries, so that means we have another day at EpCot. No problem with that, I enjoy the park, and the beverages that are available.

Carly then decided it was time to ride Mission Space. She loves the ride, talks about how fun it is. We stopped in at Test Track to get FastPasses, and were surprised with "Surprise FastPasses" to Mission Space. I kind of questioned why they were doing this, since you can pretty much walk onto the ride at any time. Anyway, we went ahead and used two of them. We had the option of doing the "Intense" version or the more laid back, non spinning version. Carly spoke up and said we were there to ride the ride as it is meant to be, so we went intense. I have always loved that ride, and still do, I just hope that there is enough traffic to keep it open.


Carly and Mom then rode Test Track. while Claire and I walked around and looked at the cars, and did the KidCot station. I was hoping to see one of the 2006 Corvettes in the showroom area, but there wasn't one to be had. If anyone wants to donate to my Corvette fund, let me know.

Dinner was at the Electric Umbrella, you basic counter service. The burgers smelled good outside, but the smell was not related to the taste. I think that was the worst burger I have ever had in DisneyWorld. The chicken that Mom got was good though, since she shared with me.

To close out the FutureWorld time of the day, we went on Spaceship Earth. Since it is no longer sponsored by AT&T, there appear to be slight changes going on. I picked up on a boat that is in the beginning, I am really not sure if it was always there. It is still a great attraction, although, I wish the new Sponsor, Seimens would hurry up and do something with the exit area.

We then decided to stake our claim to a spot for Illuminations. We found it on the Futureworld side of the lagoon, just on the other side of the shops before you enter into the countries. The attendant for the handicapped area had a cool blacklight string toy that he let the girls, and the other kids in the area play with. This save several parents' sanity, since we were looking at a 1.5 hour wait for the show. We had a great view of the "inferno barge" close enough to let you feel quite a bit of heat. The fireworks were awesome as they always are.

Tomorrow brings the family to MGM studios. I plan to keep the trip reports as live as possible, who needs sleep. I can rest when I go back to work.

 

[pumba]

fantastic again. thanks so much for your live report.......it is awesome. NOW TELL ME YOUR DAUGHTER DOES MISSION SPACE?????????? WOW.....she is a brave cookie.......thanks again

 

[Cellthing]

Good Morning Disers!!!! I forgot to mention, the crowd levels.... and I told myself that I was going to take care of that in the trip report. The crowds on Saturday were moderate to put it at best. There was only a 10 minute wait to get on the teacups, and 15 minutes to get on Snow White and IASW.
The crowds at EpCot were about the same. I did notice that there seem to be a lot of folks from the UK side of the spaceship that we call Earth.
One very interesting note. In all of our travels to WDW, we have never been able to close a park, and walk directly onto on of the All Stars buses. It was monumental.
We are getting ready to head out to MGM, with lunch at Hollywood and Vine. We will probably come back and take a dip in the pool, rest, and go back for Fantasmic!
I must also say, this trip is not about the usual commando style we take. This is to fill in the blanks on the trips we have had in the past.

Later!

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Great start so far. I love all the matching outfits.

 

[Cellthing]

Dateline October 30, 2006, park - Disney's MGM Studios.

Another sleep in day, although sleeping in is only lasting until about 7:30, but the objective of no alarm clocks still stands.

DD7 decided that she really wanted to go eat at Sci-Fi drive in, but since we had 1:30 lunch reservations at Hollywood and Vine, we didn't think both would really happen. So I changed the time to 11:15 thinking that would give us enough time to do both. Once there, we met up with Mickey and Pluto in the character meet area. After getting the autographs and pictures, we headed over to Lights, Action, Motorcars.

The show is pretty cool, if you like stunts, burning rubber, flames, and loud engines. The girls didn't to much appreciate the loud noises, and were putting up with it. At least it gave them an excuse not to listen to me for the next few hours. Disney did a good job with the show, with just the right amount of action during the time.

Next up was lunch at Hollywood and Vine, which featured Jojo and Goliath from Jojo's Circus. June and Leo from the Little Einsteins were there as well. The food was good, and was plentiful enough for everyone to be really full for the rest of the day, so much for doing sci-Fi drive in, at least today.

We then headed over to the Ariel's undersea adventure, and the animation courtyard. We met Mr and Mrs Incredible in the Animators area. Mom and DD3 left to see Ariel's show. DD7 and I stayed and went into the Animation Academy. We got to draw Stitch, which both of ours turned out quite well. We met up with the others outside Ariels show.

We walked down Mickey Avenue to get something to drink and let the girls play on the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground. Afterwards Mom and DD7 rode Star Tours, which is one of DD7's favorite rides at MGM.

We then hiked across the park to see Beauty and The Beast on stage. It is the cliff notes version of the story, but well told, and the singing and dancing kept the girls attention while I just tried to stay awake. We decided to go back to the room and do a short swim before getting a bite in the food court.

While riding back to the hotel, we started talking to a guy that was sitting across from us on the bus. He ended up being the "Yeti Man". I had read about him several weeks ago, when he had just passed 500 rides on Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. He had completed his 1000th trip up Everest this morning with the CBS Morning Show doing a story on him and the ride. I enjoyed talking with him, even if the girls were not impressed.

We changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the pool after a quick picture with "Yeti-Man". The water was not really cold, but not warm either. Getting out was the frigid part. Dinner in the food court was uneventful.

The crowds today I would say were still moderate, not overly busy, but not walk up style.

Tomorrow might be Animal Kingdom day. We have Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party to go to tomorrow night, so an easy day is in order so we can close the park during the party.

 

[pumba]

thanks again for your great report with great detail........I am loving it......I guess I was out of the look on the Yeti Man....but no way would I do EE.....I am the big chicken you see...
I love Hollywood and Vine when it was just the dinner ......was it good? Thanks again

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

LOL, I've been reading these trip reports boards for years and so far you and I are the only ones I've seen to post pictures of our family while riding on the TTA

I also have pictures of the giant Ant (with Me on it ) at the playground at MGM.

Great report. Thanks!

 

[Adi12982]

LOVE the live TR! Thanks for sharing - my DH thinks the yeti man is insane! Over 1000 times is impressive! I was excited I've ridden it more than 5 times, lol! I'm lookig forward to reading the rest of your report!

 

[Cellthing]

Dateline Halloween 2006!

We decided that not setting the alarm clock was a good thing. But even not looking at the schedule, we were able to be at Animal Kingdom for the rope drop/walk. We went through the Rainforest Cafe shop, and were able to bypass a lot of the crowd, which was nice. We took a few pictures of the family and the tree of life from our favorite vantage point. Time was taken to enjoy the animals on display towards Festival of the Lion King. With front row seats, the girls were able to go out and dance with the characters which was a big highlight for them.

Characters were a big highlight today. We visited Mickey and Minnie who were dressed in their Halloween finest. Stitch was ready to sign and take pictures even with someone who was playing tricks on him. We also saw The Hundred Acre gang, Pooh, Tigger, and Eyeore. In the Conservation station, we saw Rafiki, Jiminy Cricket, and Pocohantas.

Lunch was at our staple restaurant in the Kingdom, Flametree Bar-B-Q. That is always the girls choice for some reason, even if they didn't get BBQ. I got the ribs, which are served dry, but still have good taste. DW got the pulled pork sandwich, which is always a safe bet for her.

We went back to the room a bit later, for rest. Well, from what I heard, I was the only person sleeping in the room. The young girls were not exactly resting, but not bouncing off the walls. DW said she didn't get much rest because of them.

With tickets to the Halloween Night Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we were looking for a good time. I have to admit, after going to the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party last December, I was hoping to have a better time than walking around getting hot cocoa. Even with the party being sold out, it was still typically a 5 minute wait to get on all the rides. We also probably brought home about 4 pounds of candy, which could probably keep the little ones motivated for another late night before we leave on Saturday. The Hallowishes fireworks show was outstanding. I have to say that it beat the regular wishes hands down.

The Boo to You parade was also very good. The headless horseman was really neat to see, once I get the tapes home, I will have to do some frame grabs of it to post. It was also interesting when the pirate ship float starting coming towards us, it died. The pirates and their wenches danced and entertained the entire time, until the parade crew could tow the float away.

We rode Pirates of the Caribbean, and DW and DD7 rode Big Thunder Mountain a couple of times, since DD3 had decided that sleep was necessary. They then headed over to the Haunted Mansion and were one of the last people to ride on it, at the stroke of midnight. We took our obligitory picture of us and the Main Street clock as we always do, and headed for the bus. We got yet another unexpected treat, a bus solely for our family. Not a part of the big promotion, it was just his time to leave for the rotation I guess, so we were the only ones on the bus. As DW and I talked to the driver, DD7 joined DD3 in a nap.

Sorry for the short report, but it is currently a bit after 2:00 AM, and I am ready to go to bed. No discussion on where we are headed tomorrow, but I am sure we will have fun.

 

[VanniGirl]

Love the live report - looking forward to the rest!

 

[pumba]

having you post when you were done with your day has been awesome......thanks for taking the time and I am sure you were tired....everything sounds great too......

 

[Cellthing]

Dateline 11-01-06

Everyone slept in this morning since it was a late night. In order to get the pink hairspray out of DD7's hair, we had to wash it three times, and there were still pink highlights. We ate lunch in the food court at the hotel, which isn't as good as the food court at All Star Movies, but it at least has food.

We then caught a bus to go to EpCot, to fill in some missing rides. DW had not ridden Soarin', so that was the primary goal. We then rode the new Nemo ride twice in a row. The we headed over to DD3's favorite, Journey into Imagination. After the ride, we got a chance to get an autograph, or stamp from Figment.

Innoventions was up next, the first thing that caught our eye was the Segway show. You get to actually take one of the Human Transporters for a short ride. I have wanted to do the Segway tour of EpCot, but haven't gotten the chance. This little trial tells me that I have to do it the next time we are there. It is a very interesting piece of techology that is just way too cool. We also did some of the other exhibits, like the plastics show, and the Fire Game.

Hoping to finish the "Masks" that we had started, we hit a few more countries. We still lack a couple, but we are also OK not getting them, since we might not get back to EpCot this week.

The four of us decided to walk from EpCot to the hotels area to catch a bus to downtown disney for some dinner at Rainforest Cafe and a bit of shopping.

Again, it is another late night, everyone else is passed out, so it is now my turn.

Goodnight!

 

[Adi12982]

Another great day in the Kingdom!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[1stTimeDisneyer]

Thanks for the report! We stayed at the AS Sports in May! I Loved it there!

 

[pumba]

thanks again for your day......I LOVE SOARIN.........how did your wife like it.....