MajorWoody
The View From My Office
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2002
- Messages
- 294
Major Woodys 2 Week TR 5/17 thru 5/3/04
Who : Bill (45), veteran of numerous WDW trips; Jeanne ( forty something), only her 4th WDW trip, but learning quick.
Where : PO-FQ for 10 nights, followed by 3 nights at the Beach Club
How : Driving from NYS
Day 13 Saturday , May 29, 2004:
On Saturday we didnt make it out of bed until 9:30am. It was bright and sunny outside, and was supposed to be in the mid 90's. I opened the door to the room to look for the morning paper, but it wasnt there. I later found out they only provide a free paper on Monday through Friday. I really dont see the reason for that, it seems rather chintzy to me, this isnt a business hotel, its a deluxe vacation resort. We got dressed, and made our way outside, and it was already very hot. We took a bus to AK, and walked in at 11:00am. Our first stop was Island Mercantile, where we bought a few more AP pins, and the CM asked if I wanted some DVC pins. They looked nice, so I bought a couple, but I think he was only supposed to sell them to DVC members. I also bought a nice blue Where Magic Lives frame, for $11. I checked for Beach Club pins, to add to my collection of resort pins that I have stayed at, and was unable to find any. They seemed to be out of them everywhere we looked. We then headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey for the best show at WDW, The Festival of the Lion King. We got in line for the 11:45am showing, and were in the theater shortly. I love this show more and more each time I see it, and could probably spend a whole day at AK just visiting this show. This show really brought a tear to my eye, when during the part where they include the kids while the cast sings the Lion Sleeps Tonight, one CM took a kid in a wheelchair from the crowd and made him a part of the show, wheeling him around the theater floor. The look on the kids face was of sheer joy, and it really made an impression on me. It was such a beautiful moment, and made me realize just how magical Disney can be. The singing during this show wasnt the best I have seen, but it was certainly enjoyable even without the Magical Moment. The woman who sang the Circle of Life, though, she did a fantastic version, and really overshadowed the rest of the cast in that performance. After the show ended, we took a walk to the Dawa Bar, in Harambe Village. I had enjoyed the blue colored drink there previously, and wanted to get the recipe. I found out the name was Jewel of the Nile, and the bartender told me it was 1 oz Capt Morgans Rum, 3 oz pineapple juice, ½ oz Blue curacao, 3 oz sweet and sour mix. I have since bought the ingredients, and have had several at home, but none are as good as sitting at the Dawa Bar watching the Jammin Jungle Parade go by. I also checked some of the pin carts and shops for a Beach Club pin, striking out at every chance.
We then took a stroll to Flame Tree BBQ via the Asia path. At Flame Tree we got 2 of the adult meal vouchers $25, and ordered lunch. I had the rib plate, while Jeanne had the grilled chicken salad, 1 coke, 1 bottled water. We went to our usual seating area, out by the Discovery River, and had a nice lunch while watching the birds flying around the river. I usually have the BBQ chicken, but wanted to try something different. The ribs were rather large, but seemed to be mostly fat. I think Ill stick to the chicken next time, which is what I said after trying the pork sandwich last time. After we finished up lunch, we walked to Dino Land, and checked the pin cart for a Beach Club pin, once again striking out. While in Dino Land, I saw a CM wearing a nice looking pin, and asked her about it. She said it was a new release today, a Spring 2004 pin, and it was available at Island Mercantile. I didnt see it when we stopped by there in the morning and bought pins. So we then left Dino Land and trekked over to the Oasis area. We stopped in the gallery store across from Island Mercantile, and I spotted a Harmony Kingdom cat , of which Jeanne is a big fan, and she saw some earrings she liked, so I got them both. At Island Mercantile, we found out the Pin cart had the new pin, not the inside counter where we had bought our AP pins. We went to the pin cart, and bought a few of the new Spring pins. I later found out they had released one for each season at each park, but no one told us this at the pin cart, and I didnt realize it was part of a set until I got home. We then walked to the exit, redeeming our soda and ice cream coupons from the meal vouchers on the way out. We had a good 20 minute wait for the bus, during which time we finished our ice creams, frozen fruit bars for both of us. We finally made it back to the Beach Club at 2:20pm, one of the drawbacks of bus service at BC is you share it with 4 other resorts ( Swan, Dolphin, YC, BW), and sometimes bus travel can be very time consuming from any of those resorts. When we entered the Beach Club, we were greeted by Art the Greeter, and posed for pictures with him. He was in fine spirits as always, and makes you feel welcome at the Beach Club. We then stopped at the gift shop, inquired about BC pins ( negative), picked up our previous days purchases, and went up to our room. We then hit the pool for about 40 minutes, and it was packed, more so than yesterday. We still had a great time, and got to experience everything we wanted to. We then went back upstairs, and changed back into park attire, and Jeanne then went outside and took my picture on the balcony. We then walked to Epcot, and arrived at 4:00pm. It was extremely hot and sunny still, and we decided to stop by Japan and get a Kaki-Gori. Unfortunately, the line was very long, and it was moving very slowly, so we passed. We then went to the USA, and caught the 4:40pm American Adventure show. They had us enter through the exit area, as there was some sort of private party inside in the rotunda. We then went back to Japan after the show, and were able to finally get our Kaki-Goris to cool us down in the hot sun. We talk a long walk around World Showcase, stopping at the margarita stand outside Mexico for a fiesta margarita. We then continued our loop around WS, stopping in the UK where Jeanne did some browsing, while I watched the Beatles cover band do a decent version of Here Comes The Sun. We then continued on to France, and I was feeling the heat, so we found a bench in the shade by the garden area, and sat down for awhile. We decided to catch the 6:30pm Impressions of France, as it would be a nice air conditioned break, and I had forgotten just how good this show is. We really enjoyed both the AC and the show itself. The film ended just in time for our 6:50pm PS at Chefs De France, and we were seated promptly in the room on the Morocco side. Our waiter Yvan took our orders promptly, but finding him after that proved to be quite the chore, as we had to get other waiters to refill our water glasses several times during the meal, as our waiter was not bothering to come check up on us. I had the flatbread appetizer, Jeanne had a salad, I had the duck entree, while she had the seafood skewer again. We got a bottle of Debeouf Merlot, and the dinner total came to $88, with a $16 tip, for a total of $104. Even though the service was not the best tonight, the food was great.
Once dinner was over, we walked over to the USA once again, and caught the 8:15pm Rascals show. Once again, we arrived as they opened up the AP section to everyone, and we got to sit in that section, 4th row. It was a much better show than I expected, with a nice rendition of Good Lovin among other songs. After the show ended, we took a walk to Germany, and I got my traditional brewski from the beer cart, and we got our usual spot near the boat dock to watch Illuminations for the last time on this trip. After Illuminations ended, we talk the long walk around WS, savoring our last night in Epcot on this vacation. We finally made our way around to the IG, and exited back to the Beach Club. We had brought a bottle of champagne with us, that we had saved since Valentines Day, and tonight we popped the cork, and had our champagne on our balcony, sitting there relaxing until midnight, a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation.
Stay tuned for the next part.....
Who : Bill (45), veteran of numerous WDW trips; Jeanne ( forty something), only her 4th WDW trip, but learning quick.
Where : PO-FQ for 10 nights, followed by 3 nights at the Beach Club
How : Driving from NYS
Day 13 Saturday , May 29, 2004:
On Saturday we didnt make it out of bed until 9:30am. It was bright and sunny outside, and was supposed to be in the mid 90's. I opened the door to the room to look for the morning paper, but it wasnt there. I later found out they only provide a free paper on Monday through Friday. I really dont see the reason for that, it seems rather chintzy to me, this isnt a business hotel, its a deluxe vacation resort. We got dressed, and made our way outside, and it was already very hot. We took a bus to AK, and walked in at 11:00am. Our first stop was Island Mercantile, where we bought a few more AP pins, and the CM asked if I wanted some DVC pins. They looked nice, so I bought a couple, but I think he was only supposed to sell them to DVC members. I also bought a nice blue Where Magic Lives frame, for $11. I checked for Beach Club pins, to add to my collection of resort pins that I have stayed at, and was unable to find any. They seemed to be out of them everywhere we looked. We then headed to Camp Minnie-Mickey for the best show at WDW, The Festival of the Lion King. We got in line for the 11:45am showing, and were in the theater shortly. I love this show more and more each time I see it, and could probably spend a whole day at AK just visiting this show. This show really brought a tear to my eye, when during the part where they include the kids while the cast sings the Lion Sleeps Tonight, one CM took a kid in a wheelchair from the crowd and made him a part of the show, wheeling him around the theater floor. The look on the kids face was of sheer joy, and it really made an impression on me. It was such a beautiful moment, and made me realize just how magical Disney can be. The singing during this show wasnt the best I have seen, but it was certainly enjoyable even without the Magical Moment. The woman who sang the Circle of Life, though, she did a fantastic version, and really overshadowed the rest of the cast in that performance. After the show ended, we took a walk to the Dawa Bar, in Harambe Village. I had enjoyed the blue colored drink there previously, and wanted to get the recipe. I found out the name was Jewel of the Nile, and the bartender told me it was 1 oz Capt Morgans Rum, 3 oz pineapple juice, ½ oz Blue curacao, 3 oz sweet and sour mix. I have since bought the ingredients, and have had several at home, but none are as good as sitting at the Dawa Bar watching the Jammin Jungle Parade go by. I also checked some of the pin carts and shops for a Beach Club pin, striking out at every chance.
We then took a stroll to Flame Tree BBQ via the Asia path. At Flame Tree we got 2 of the adult meal vouchers $25, and ordered lunch. I had the rib plate, while Jeanne had the grilled chicken salad, 1 coke, 1 bottled water. We went to our usual seating area, out by the Discovery River, and had a nice lunch while watching the birds flying around the river. I usually have the BBQ chicken, but wanted to try something different. The ribs were rather large, but seemed to be mostly fat. I think Ill stick to the chicken next time, which is what I said after trying the pork sandwich last time. After we finished up lunch, we walked to Dino Land, and checked the pin cart for a Beach Club pin, once again striking out. While in Dino Land, I saw a CM wearing a nice looking pin, and asked her about it. She said it was a new release today, a Spring 2004 pin, and it was available at Island Mercantile. I didnt see it when we stopped by there in the morning and bought pins. So we then left Dino Land and trekked over to the Oasis area. We stopped in the gallery store across from Island Mercantile, and I spotted a Harmony Kingdom cat , of which Jeanne is a big fan, and she saw some earrings she liked, so I got them both. At Island Mercantile, we found out the Pin cart had the new pin, not the inside counter where we had bought our AP pins. We went to the pin cart, and bought a few of the new Spring pins. I later found out they had released one for each season at each park, but no one told us this at the pin cart, and I didnt realize it was part of a set until I got home. We then walked to the exit, redeeming our soda and ice cream coupons from the meal vouchers on the way out. We had a good 20 minute wait for the bus, during which time we finished our ice creams, frozen fruit bars for both of us. We finally made it back to the Beach Club at 2:20pm, one of the drawbacks of bus service at BC is you share it with 4 other resorts ( Swan, Dolphin, YC, BW), and sometimes bus travel can be very time consuming from any of those resorts. When we entered the Beach Club, we were greeted by Art the Greeter, and posed for pictures with him. He was in fine spirits as always, and makes you feel welcome at the Beach Club. We then stopped at the gift shop, inquired about BC pins ( negative), picked up our previous days purchases, and went up to our room. We then hit the pool for about 40 minutes, and it was packed, more so than yesterday. We still had a great time, and got to experience everything we wanted to. We then went back upstairs, and changed back into park attire, and Jeanne then went outside and took my picture on the balcony. We then walked to Epcot, and arrived at 4:00pm. It was extremely hot and sunny still, and we decided to stop by Japan and get a Kaki-Gori. Unfortunately, the line was very long, and it was moving very slowly, so we passed. We then went to the USA, and caught the 4:40pm American Adventure show. They had us enter through the exit area, as there was some sort of private party inside in the rotunda. We then went back to Japan after the show, and were able to finally get our Kaki-Goris to cool us down in the hot sun. We talk a long walk around World Showcase, stopping at the margarita stand outside Mexico for a fiesta margarita. We then continued our loop around WS, stopping in the UK where Jeanne did some browsing, while I watched the Beatles cover band do a decent version of Here Comes The Sun. We then continued on to France, and I was feeling the heat, so we found a bench in the shade by the garden area, and sat down for awhile. We decided to catch the 6:30pm Impressions of France, as it would be a nice air conditioned break, and I had forgotten just how good this show is. We really enjoyed both the AC and the show itself. The film ended just in time for our 6:50pm PS at Chefs De France, and we were seated promptly in the room on the Morocco side. Our waiter Yvan took our orders promptly, but finding him after that proved to be quite the chore, as we had to get other waiters to refill our water glasses several times during the meal, as our waiter was not bothering to come check up on us. I had the flatbread appetizer, Jeanne had a salad, I had the duck entree, while she had the seafood skewer again. We got a bottle of Debeouf Merlot, and the dinner total came to $88, with a $16 tip, for a total of $104. Even though the service was not the best tonight, the food was great.
Once dinner was over, we walked over to the USA once again, and caught the 8:15pm Rascals show. Once again, we arrived as they opened up the AP section to everyone, and we got to sit in that section, 4th row. It was a much better show than I expected, with a nice rendition of Good Lovin among other songs. After the show ended, we took a walk to Germany, and I got my traditional brewski from the beer cart, and we got our usual spot near the boat dock to watch Illuminations for the last time on this trip. After Illuminations ended, we talk the long walk around WS, savoring our last night in Epcot on this vacation. We finally made our way around to the IG, and exited back to the Beach Club. We had brought a bottle of champagne with us, that we had saved since Valentines Day, and tonight we popped the cork, and had our champagne on our balcony, sitting there relaxing until midnight, a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation.
Stay tuned for the next part.....
