Long Trip Report from April and May (WOW that was fun!)

[Conan the Librarian]

It's long, but, we had a blast!



After Adventure Report: April 28 thru May 14th, 2007

Day One.

This trip was very different from most of our trips as we didn’t get up at 3:00 am to get there early. We decided to take the easy way and stayed in St. Augustine on Saturday so we didn’t have rush to get a good room and get into the parks.

After dumping off the feline garbage disposals, we hit Highway 17 and took a leisurely drive through the back country of SouthEast Georgia. It had been smoky from the fires in Savannah on Friday, but, we were good until we hit Woodbine just south of Brunswick. The sky got real thick then, but, not so bad as we couldn’t drive. Before we knew it, we had passed into Florida and were headed for A-1-A and clean air.

We like going down on A-1-A because there is a Ferry that goes across the St. John’s river at Mayport. It’s only about a 10 minute ride, but, it is a nice break. Another hours drive put us in St Augustine. We stayed in a Comfort Inn in St. Augustine Beach, and never did actually get back to St. Augustine. We went for a little drive around in parts where the Boss grew up, then went to the Beach for a nice walk. We then drove on the beach for a few miles (I find this very strange as there is no driving on the beach in Savannah). All in all it was a very nice day!


Day Two:

We started out and stopped at a nice little breakfast café that was recommended to me by the Library staff in St. A. We cut over to I-95 and zoomed down to LBV via I-4 and the 417. We were at the Beach Club by 9:30 and by 11:00 we were out again to have lunch at the All-Star Café. We had never been to the Wide World of Sports, so, it was quite eye opening. Being a Braves fan….well it was a nice stop. I also found out that the Devil Rays will be playing there some this summer. The food was very nice at the café and has many big screen TVs to keep you occupied.

The afternoon was spent, first at hitting Malstrom, as it was going to be closed for a while, then Spaceship Earth which was also on the way to being closed for a bit. A quick walk back to the room found us back in the Spa/Stormalong Bay area of the Beach club. It ended up with Supper at Cape May. Another very nice day.

Day Three:

Magic Kingdom day!!!! We had an early breakfast at the Crystal Palace and were their early (for us). After the gates open, it was the race to the check-in counter. The boss and I took a nice walk up main street, managed to beat most everyone to the check in desk and got one of the very first seetings, way ahead of many who were in line before us. It pays to have good reservations!

For some reason we decided that we wanted to go to Tomorrowland for the Monster’s Inc show, and were the only folks at the rope drop. A very nice young lady asked us if we wanted to go to Space Mountain first, and once our breakfast-befuddled brains began to work, we said Yes! We got to be First Family on Space Mountain that day! We got some nice Fastpasses and a ride through the Mountain all by ourselves. It was too cool! After that, we did manage to get into the Laugh floor. This is a great deal of fun and it wasn’t all because I was the go to guy for most of the jokes! It is silly, but, cleaver and just good fun.

We spent the rest of the day riding rides and seeing shows. In the line for Splash Mountain we met some folks who we recruited to go see Saratoga Springs for the DVC tour. We hope they join up. We cut out early so we could go spend more time in the pool that evening.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

Day Four: MGM. We started out with a boat ride over to the park, with a quick stop in at Starring Rolls, our favorite bakery. Then there was the traditional ride on the Great Movie Ride (in the front row as always), Muppetvision, Backlot tour, and a spin through Star Tours, where we bought a Darth Tater for prize at work (we were having a Star Wars program for the 30th anniversary, including one of the authors of the New Jedi Order series and I thought it would be fun). Things were slow enough that we could stand-by most rides and walked down to the wall at Indy’s show. We had dinner at Hollywood and Vine, our first time eating there in about 5 years. The buffet was wonderful and we ate our fill .

As this wasn’t Fantasmic night, we called it an early evening and spent some more pool time at the quiet pool.

Day Five: Wednesday…and I was told to be awake early and follow instructions! I was in for a big treat! We hopped on a bus to the Magic Kingdom where the security folks asked if we were there for the Steam Train Tour. Well it kind of messed up the surprise for the Boss, who is not very good at keeping secrets anyway, but, I was quite happy all the same. There was George, the conductor, the Boss and I , and a couple from Texas. We started at the Main Street Train Station, going over the history of trains with Walt and Roger Broggie, Walt’s friend and engineer. Then up to the train platform. We got a great view of Main St. before the park opened, which was almost as busy as Main St. gets when it is open. We went out to the waiting train, where we got a little more facts about the trains and I got to yell out “All Aboard”.

The train took us round to Toon Town, where the switching post is, and then we road the train backwards to the train shed. It was very strange being back there, with all the security systems they have in place (they wouldn’t even let me take pictures on the way back to the shed). There we got to see all of the Disney Trains, learned more history and got to see a ‘Steam Up’, and then watched the engineers go through their safety checks. We then rode back to the Main St. Station, where, now that the park was open, the train filled up quick. We had a quick break and then back up to the platform for more history of the trains. It was a wonderful experience and I would love to do it again one day.

We then went over to Old Key West where we picked up a boat ride to Downtown Disney. We wanted to do DisneyQuest, but, it was already packed with kids when we got here so we just left. Had Pizza at Wolfgang Puck’s Counterservice in the Marketplace. The Boss says the Pizza is better there than at Westside. I want more proof. We also went to World of Disney and bought a Mickey Head Wedding band for me to replace my missing one. Unfortunately, their biggest size ban is still to small for me. We decided to take it to a jeweler for resizing (more on that later). We still had plenty of time that day, so we popped over to the local Sam’s club for a few supplies and bought cheap gas at the Wal-Mart. On the way back we cut through Celebration and managed to get lost, but, we managed to get back to the resort in time to pop over to the DVC program at the Atlantic Dance Club. Got a couple of free hats, without having to participate in the games or anything.

Dinner was at Alfredo’s. I am sad because it is changing hands, but, all the staff will still be at the new place. I just hope they keep making their own pasta. Jose Feliciano was playing at the amphitheatre, and we stopped and listened for a bit. We popped over to Test Track for a nighttime drive and we then headed back home.

Day Six: Animal Kingdom day. We started off with the Safari, we always do at least three Safaris if we can, and were puzzled by the gaping hole at the entrance to the Savanna. It looked like a plumbing problem. We got some great view of the animals, including watching the Ancoli Cattle chase each other around. Everest was as great as ever. We managed to get in the front seat every ride this trip. It is the only way to do Everest. Riding Primeval Whirl after Everest is quite an interesting experience. We also learned a secret about the tree of life. If you are on the quiet secret trail up to the tree, there is a rock outcropping, almost a grotto on the South West part of the tree. There is a small hole in the rock at the back of the grotto. If you look in the hole, you will be pointed at an ant on the tree. Apparently the story is that this is the ant that built the tree.

We managed to work things so that our last safari was right at closing, and when we got to the loading dock, there wasn’t anyone there. We asked if we could have a private safari and were granted it. We had our tour guide all to ourselves and she gave us a lot of nice secrets, like the flamingo island is a Mickey Head. We even managed to stop the poachers all by ourselves!

Day Seven: Another Break day. We spent most of the day at Stormalong Bay, hoping out occasionally to ‘spa’. We had lunch at Beaches and Cream, absolutely stuffing ourselves with food, while dinner was at the Rose and Crown. We have never been there before, always going for the Chip shop around the corner. I was quite impressed! The Boss had a lamb shank, which was very tasty and I had the steak and fish which I loved. Due to the extremely good planning by the Boss, we were there for Illuminations and were allowed to stand right at the wall in the restaurant. The Boss, being as small as she is, can’t usually see the show very well, but, she had no complaints that night, I can tell you! We had a great view! I finally got it on video!

Day Eight: Saturday. EPCOT day. I wore the wrong shoes and got blisters. I won’t make that mistake again. We managed to get everything done in Futureworld with no problems. I have come to the conclusion that the center row may be the best row in Soarin’. I also found a hidden Mickey in Destination Space! It’s in the hatch covers just before launch. We did the spinning side each time we did DS. We spent a good deal of time in The Living Seas (Mine…..Mine……Mine) enjoying Nemo and Crush. Lunch was at Tangerine Café and dinner was at Le Cellier…our favorite!

 

[Conan the Librarian]

Day Nine: Sunday. Another off day. My brother Leon was coming over to visit, so we planned accordingly. Unfortunately, while eating breakfast, I managed to pop off my temporary crown and before I knew it, I had bitten it and it cracked! There was nothing for it but to go round to the Hess station and buy a tube of crazy Glue. It worked perfectly! The Dentist said fill the thing with Vaseline and it would stay put. We also saw a Sand Hill Crane at the Hess Station. I have never seen one that far inland. We were back well before Leon showed up. When he got there, we gave him a nice tour of the resort, and then took him to lunch at the ESPNzone. We had never eaten there either, so we had a nice visit. I liked the radio show that they have going on. We then took walk around the Boardwalk, took the boat to MGM and back and then went over to the Poly to give Leon a Monorail ride. While there, we got hit by a terrific storm that trapped us in the Poly for about 20 minutes. We finally got around and then raced back to the room, because we had to get over to Mama Melrose for our Fantasmic Dinner package and Leon had to head back to Tampa. We got there just in time and actually got to enjoy eating. We then strolled back to the front gate to go in the special entrance for the show and got a front row seat! As per normal, we got soaked! I do like that show.

Day Ten: Magic Kingdom again. A nice quiet day. We just wandered the Kingdom this day, not doing anything out of the ordinary, other than finally hitting the 999,999 point in Buzz Lightyear! The Parrot and the Pirate was actually open, so we ate there for lunch and had a wonderful dinner at Tony’s where we got to sit out on the deck near the Goofy Statue and people watch. While sitting on the porch, we watched DVC film a new spot, but, we weren’t allowed to participate as we weren’t in the union  .

At dark, we wandered over to Frontierland and got our favorite seat in front of the shooting gallery for Spectromagic. There is a curve in the road there so you get to see the show for a long way before it gets in front of you. A very pleasant but rather un-eventful day all around.


Day Eleven: Back to MGM and lunch at 50s Prime Time (my favorite!) This was more of a show watching day, so we made sure we saw Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid and Lights, Motors, Action. We went to the Animator’s Studio and got to draw Stitch, but, we didn’t get to interact with the Incredibles, or the Bowler Hat Guy.

We did have a terrific time with the streetmosphere. When we first entered MGM we noted a man hunting for talent, and just down the street was Harold Hayseed, a young man looking for help….lots of help! We led Harold to the man and introduced him and told him how great an actor Harold was. It was a hoot! We got to play with them for about 20 minutes.

For Dinner that evening, we went over to Coronado Springs and tried the Pepper Market. We haven’t eaten there before and we were very pleased! For those not familiar with the Pepper Market, it is counter service with a twist. You get seated and handed a card. You then go to different stations around the ‘kitchen’ area. There is a sandwich station, carving station, Mexican station, Asian station and a bakery. You go to the station you want, order your food and they stamp your card with what you ordered. After eating, you take the card to the cashier and they charge you out that way. It’s great food at a very reasonable price.


Day Twelve: World Showcase day. We woke up to a smoky, grim looking morning. Lunch was at St Angel’s Inn so we hobbled over about 10:30 because the Boss wanted to get a riverside seat, so we made sure we were at the rope drop for Mexico. We were first in line for reservations and she got her table. While waiting of the restaurant to actually open, we decided to take a look at the new ride. I found it to be lots of fun and memorable indeed.

After lunch we started our clockwise turn around the lagoon, hitting the shops and museum in the Malstrom-less Norway and the beautiful pavilion in China, where we found there was a problem with our room key and ended up first at guest services and then back to the Hotel for more customer service and a rest.

Feeling much better afterwards, we sauntered back over to the Coral Reef area in time for dinner. It was a magic time as we had never been in that part of EPCOT (the Living Seas, Yes! The Coral Reef side, no) so it was like walking in new grass. We got in, and, after covering up a bit for the seater, we got our table right next to the ‘Sea’. We had a marvelous view of the reef, with sharks, rays and loads of fish swimming by. The Boss was quite pleased with the nice, special Menus I managed to surprise her with pictures showing our path from before our marriage to now and the special message “All My Wishes Have Come True” inside. We watched the fish for a bit, then we noted the diver. He was swimming around and aiming toward us. She thought he was just flirting with us until she heard our part of the restaurant cheer and turned to see the sign he was holding. She is indeed my perfect catch! It caught her totally by surprise! The rest of the evening was indeed magical. We managed to get out in time to run across the World showcase again, finishing up a brief view of “The American Adventure” (a show that always moves me) and we ended up back at the Coral Reef, as the Boss wanted to have the sign from the diver. We watch the high fireworks from Illuminations for a bit and then found a nice seat near the Land to watch the race to the front gate. About 20 minutes of sitting got things thinned out enough so we could walk back to the Beach Club with no worries.




Day Thirteen:
We then went to Animal Kingdom again and we saw the Nemo Show. What a wonderful show! We got down in the pit area, high enough to see, low enough so that the Boss could see. I was VERY gratified to see the Cast Members telling people not to take flash pictures! We took things very easy that day, enjoying Everest, Dinosaur and a Safari. We did manage to get back to the Conservation station early that day to see the staff working with the animals and had a very nice chat with a man who was talking about the turtle that they released at Vero Beach this year. We then went over to Typhoon Lagoon and took a few turns around the Lazy River and SCUBAed with Sharks. Now THAT was cool.

Dinner was at the California Grill and it was phenomenal! The view from up there is breathtaking and Wishes from 15 stories up is something to be seen! I also got an armload of photos of the construction at the north of the resort. We can only guess as to what it will be (DVC!).


Day Fourteen: Friday The Sad Day of Leaving. The bad part of going to DisneyWorld is seeing the Main Gate in the rearview mirror. We went back to the Pepper Market for breakfast. We really like the Pepper Market! Then we took our time getting up and out. After some discussion, we decided to go over to DD and get some shopping and lunch. Due to some strange events, we ended up with 6 counter services and 3 snack credits left so we spent the afternoon eating at Wolfgang Puck’s Café in the Marketplace (picking up a to go pizza for later) and then getting three sammages at the Earl of Sandwich.

We hit the World of Disney for some treasures and then headed over to the Magic Kingdom for a final breath of magic. We got there just in time for the 3:00 parade and found an open railing up on the train platform. I didn’t have to push a kid out of the way or nothing. It gives you a whole new perspective up there. We managed to use up or snack credits while waiting.
We then decided to go over and ride Splash Mountain, where we met a very nice family from Scotland. (Just our week for Splash I guess). It was a bit of a wait, but, we finally got on. We then over to the Haunted Mansion for some Ghoulish Delight. Then it was time. We ambled to the front gate and hopped on the Monorail, managing to snag a seat in the front with the driver. Just a short hop from there to the car and we hit the road. We got to Flagler Beach just before dark, where we found our favorite picnic table and wolfed down one of the sandwiches.

A quick and safe trip home from there and all was well.

 

[the_princess]

Great report!!!!

 

[Conan the Librarian]

Thanks...we had a wonderful time!

 

[OhMari]

Wow, I saw how many days you were there and I couldn't imagine what you would be doing. But it was nice to see you had a wonderful time. What a nice anniversary present. Thanks for sharing your Trip with us.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

"Wow, I saw how many days you were there "

We've joined the DVC which gives us that chance to stay for so long. We have faced the reality that we may not be able to stay that long in the future (we are trying to adopt a couple of kids), and that we might want to do a cruise or some other DVC program and not go to WDW for our big trip.

It's fun having options though!

 

[SnoopyDancer]

I enjoyed reading your trip report. It sounds like you and your wife had a wonderful time!

We did have a terrific time with the streetmosphere. When we first entered MGM we noted a man hunting for talent, and just down the street was Harold Hayseed, a young man looking for help….lots of help! We led Harold to the man and introduced him and told him how great an actor Harold was. It was a hoot! We got to play with them for about 20 minutes.

How did you know to look for Harold?

We watched the fish for a bit, then we noted the diver. He was swimming around and aiming toward us. She thought he was just flirting with us until she heard our part of the restaurant cheer and turned to see the sign he was holding. She is indeed my perfect catch! It caught her totally by surprise! The rest of the evening was indeed magical.

How sweet!

Dinner was at the California Grill and it was phenomenal! The view from up there is breathtaking and Wishes from 15 stories up is something to be seen! I also got an armload of photos of the construction at the north of the resort. We can only guess as to what it will be (DVC!).

I love the California Grill! That’s where my husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. You’re right about watching Wishes up there. Do you enjoy being a DVC owner?

We ambled to the front gate and hopped on the Monorail, managing to snag a seat in the front with the driver.

Did you get a monorail driver’s license? I heard they give them to people, or maybe they just give them kids.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

We have an handfull of Driver's Licenses. We give them to my nephew.

As for Harold, we didn't know. We talked to the talent agent for a bit, then we saw him down the street. It just seem that Harold Hayseed needed an agent and well it worked.

Part of the magic at Disney World is what you bring with you. We brought that bit with us.

 

[SnoopyDancer]

As for Harold, we didn't know. We talked to the talent agent for a bit, then we saw him down the street. It just seem that Harold Hayseed needed an agent and well it worked.

It sounds like you had a great time! It's cool you helped Harold find an agent. I think you're right about the magic of Disney too. Sometimes it's nice to slow down and take things in.