MajorWoody
The View From My Office
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2002
- Messages
- 294
Major Woodys 2 Week TR 5/17 thru 5/31/04
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 3 Wednesday , May 19, 2004:
We got up, got showered and dressed, and headed over to CVS on 192, as Jeanne had to pick up a prescription. While waiting for her prescription, I tried the free blood pressure cuff thingy, and found my BP is slightly elevated, which came as a shock, as its usually a bit below average. I better get it checked when I return. We then drove back to PO-FQ, parked the van, and headed over to the boat dock for the boat ride to DTD. We had a very good skipper, Donald, who provided a steady stream of narration along the trip. He told us about the treehouse villas, the wildlife along the route, and the new Saratoga Springs. He even pointed out a few birds along the way too. He really enjoyed his job, and it made for a very enjoyable trip. We docked at DTD Marketplace, and exited the boat. We decided to check out Earl of Sandwich, which wasnt open on our last trip. There was no line to speak of inside. I ordered the Original, which is roast beef, cheddar cheese, and horseradish sauce, heated on a warm roll. Jeanne had the Cobb Salad, which is freshly made as you order, and I had a coke. The total came to $13, which was very reasonable, and the food was very good. We enjoyed the food at the indoor tables, but there are also additional tables outside if you desire them.
After eating, we made it over to World of Disney for some shopping. I bought a few more desk set pieces that were marked down ( I didnt get the complete set at the outlet), a tie, a candle, the new Wishes CD, a picture frame, and an anklet. The total came to $112 with my AP discount. We then hit the home shop, where we bought a white Mickey toothbrush holder, and a white Mickey soapdish, which came to $19. We then hit Basin, and bought some of the soaps in there, in particular the vanilla ones that smell so good. They even had one with Mickeys inside, so we got one of those too. We then walked back to the boat dock, and caught a boat back to PO. Unfortunately, we had a different and much more sedate skipper, I dont think he said two words the entire trip back. I did manage to take a bunch of pictures on the trip though.
Once we arrived back at PO, we stopped by the room, freshened up, and then went out front and caught a bus to the MK, arriving at 4:00pm. When we entered the MK, we went straight to City Hall, and I inquired about signing up for the Veteran of the Day ceremony during my stay. They had several openings available, and I signed up for Thursday, May 27. This involves being selected to assist with the MK Color Guard doing the daily flag retreat ceremony, and it is a very nice event. I did this on my last trip in December, and was glad to be able to do it once again. After leaving City Hall, I noticed the Main St Gallery was closed, and they had a sign directing people to the shop inside the castle for Gallery merchandise. I hope this wasnt a trend towards reducing the gallery stores, first the one at PI, now the one at MK. We then wandered over to the Haunted Mansion, and rode it with no wait at all. After the ride was over , it started to rain, and we went to the castle. I checked out the gallery store inside, and bought a 11x14 matted print of Walt Disney, riding in a car with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. It cost $18, and had a little metal nameplate under the picture with Walts signature. We then left the castle, went to Peter Pan and got a FP for later on, and went back to City Hall to try for a dinner PS. They had an opening at Liberty Tree Tavern for 8:05pm. We have never eaten there, so we figured we would give it a try and took the PS. We then wandered up Main St, and stopped at the Main St Ice cream Parlor, where we each had a Coke Float, which came to $7.50 for the two. We then walked over to Peter Pan, and rode it using our FPs. We then walked over to Tomorrowland, and got a FP for Buzz Lightyear. We then rode Carousel of Progress, with about only ten or so people. After COP, we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and then followed that up with a spin on Buzz with our FPs.
It was then time to mosey over to Liberty Tree Tavern, and we arrived at 8:00pm. The lobby was packed, and there was one extremely upset guy with his family who was loudly complaining that he had been passed over. He was getting really annoying, and they finally found him a table. We ended up waiting until 8:35pm, which meant we were going to miss Wishes, but I knew we would get to see it some other night. The food was very good, I believe there was ham, roast turkey, and roast beef, along with stuffing, and a very good salad. The characters also came by a few times, and we grabbed a few pictures. The dinner came to $46, with a $9 tip, for a total of $55. As expected, Wishes commenced while we were eating, and although we could hear a little bit of it, we had no chance to see the fireworks.
After dinner, as this was one of the late night Extra Hours nights, we hit Jungle Cruise, with about a ten minute wait. The park was very crowded, much more so than on an E Ride Night. After Jungle Cruise, we walked over to Pooh, and got a FP. The FP didnt list a time for another FP, so we walked to Tomorrowland, and I found I was able to get a FP for Buzz. I then walked to Space Mountain, and found I was able to get on for there also. It appears they allow FPs, but dont limit them to the 2 hour window they use during regular park hours. Tomorrowland was extremely crowded, but having the FPs definitely helped. Most people didnt even try to get FPs, maybe they didnt think they were available that night. We went to ride Buzz, using our FP, but unfortunately, the guns in our car didnt work. We told the CM at the end of the ride, and he allowed us to stay on and ride it a 2nd time, without exiting the ride. That was very nice, although my score didnt reflect my added experience as a return rider. After Buzz, I rode Space, while Jeanne waited. I got the back seat, on the right side, and had an enjoyable ride. After Space, we walked back to Fantasyland, and rode Pooh with our FP. We still had about a 10 minute wait with the FP, but it was better than the standby line. We then went to Mickeys Philharmagic, and were able to do it 2x in a row, as the theater was only about 1/3 full. After the 2nd sitting of Philharmagic, we went and rode BTMRR, which had no line at all. Then we followed that up with Splash Mountain, which also had no line. We definitely got our moneys worth tonight, even with the large crowds for the Extra Magic Hours. I do think I would prefer the old E Nights instead, as the crowds are much smaller, even if you do have to pay the extra $12. After Splash, we wandered out the exit, catching a bus at 12:15am back to PO.
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 3 Wednesday , May 19, 2004:
We got up, got showered and dressed, and headed over to CVS on 192, as Jeanne had to pick up a prescription. While waiting for her prescription, I tried the free blood pressure cuff thingy, and found my BP is slightly elevated, which came as a shock, as its usually a bit below average. I better get it checked when I return. We then drove back to PO-FQ, parked the van, and headed over to the boat dock for the boat ride to DTD. We had a very good skipper, Donald, who provided a steady stream of narration along the trip. He told us about the treehouse villas, the wildlife along the route, and the new Saratoga Springs. He even pointed out a few birds along the way too. He really enjoyed his job, and it made for a very enjoyable trip. We docked at DTD Marketplace, and exited the boat. We decided to check out Earl of Sandwich, which wasnt open on our last trip. There was no line to speak of inside. I ordered the Original, which is roast beef, cheddar cheese, and horseradish sauce, heated on a warm roll. Jeanne had the Cobb Salad, which is freshly made as you order, and I had a coke. The total came to $13, which was very reasonable, and the food was very good. We enjoyed the food at the indoor tables, but there are also additional tables outside if you desire them.
After eating, we made it over to World of Disney for some shopping. I bought a few more desk set pieces that were marked down ( I didnt get the complete set at the outlet), a tie, a candle, the new Wishes CD, a picture frame, and an anklet. The total came to $112 with my AP discount. We then hit the home shop, where we bought a white Mickey toothbrush holder, and a white Mickey soapdish, which came to $19. We then hit Basin, and bought some of the soaps in there, in particular the vanilla ones that smell so good. They even had one with Mickeys inside, so we got one of those too. We then walked back to the boat dock, and caught a boat back to PO. Unfortunately, we had a different and much more sedate skipper, I dont think he said two words the entire trip back. I did manage to take a bunch of pictures on the trip though.
Once we arrived back at PO, we stopped by the room, freshened up, and then went out front and caught a bus to the MK, arriving at 4:00pm. When we entered the MK, we went straight to City Hall, and I inquired about signing up for the Veteran of the Day ceremony during my stay. They had several openings available, and I signed up for Thursday, May 27. This involves being selected to assist with the MK Color Guard doing the daily flag retreat ceremony, and it is a very nice event. I did this on my last trip in December, and was glad to be able to do it once again. After leaving City Hall, I noticed the Main St Gallery was closed, and they had a sign directing people to the shop inside the castle for Gallery merchandise. I hope this wasnt a trend towards reducing the gallery stores, first the one at PI, now the one at MK. We then wandered over to the Haunted Mansion, and rode it with no wait at all. After the ride was over , it started to rain, and we went to the castle. I checked out the gallery store inside, and bought a 11x14 matted print of Walt Disney, riding in a car with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. It cost $18, and had a little metal nameplate under the picture with Walts signature. We then left the castle, went to Peter Pan and got a FP for later on, and went back to City Hall to try for a dinner PS. They had an opening at Liberty Tree Tavern for 8:05pm. We have never eaten there, so we figured we would give it a try and took the PS. We then wandered up Main St, and stopped at the Main St Ice cream Parlor, where we each had a Coke Float, which came to $7.50 for the two. We then walked over to Peter Pan, and rode it using our FPs. We then walked over to Tomorrowland, and got a FP for Buzz Lightyear. We then rode Carousel of Progress, with about only ten or so people. After COP, we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and then followed that up with a spin on Buzz with our FPs.
It was then time to mosey over to Liberty Tree Tavern, and we arrived at 8:00pm. The lobby was packed, and there was one extremely upset guy with his family who was loudly complaining that he had been passed over. He was getting really annoying, and they finally found him a table. We ended up waiting until 8:35pm, which meant we were going to miss Wishes, but I knew we would get to see it some other night. The food was very good, I believe there was ham, roast turkey, and roast beef, along with stuffing, and a very good salad. The characters also came by a few times, and we grabbed a few pictures. The dinner came to $46, with a $9 tip, for a total of $55. As expected, Wishes commenced while we were eating, and although we could hear a little bit of it, we had no chance to see the fireworks.
After dinner, as this was one of the late night Extra Hours nights, we hit Jungle Cruise, with about a ten minute wait. The park was very crowded, much more so than on an E Ride Night. After Jungle Cruise, we walked over to Pooh, and got a FP. The FP didnt list a time for another FP, so we walked to Tomorrowland, and I found I was able to get a FP for Buzz. I then walked to Space Mountain, and found I was able to get on for there also. It appears they allow FPs, but dont limit them to the 2 hour window they use during regular park hours. Tomorrowland was extremely crowded, but having the FPs definitely helped. Most people didnt even try to get FPs, maybe they didnt think they were available that night. We went to ride Buzz, using our FP, but unfortunately, the guns in our car didnt work. We told the CM at the end of the ride, and he allowed us to stay on and ride it a 2nd time, without exiting the ride. That was very nice, although my score didnt reflect my added experience as a return rider. After Buzz, I rode Space, while Jeanne waited. I got the back seat, on the right side, and had an enjoyable ride. After Space, we walked back to Fantasyland, and rode Pooh with our FP. We still had about a 10 minute wait with the FP, but it was better than the standby line. We then went to Mickeys Philharmagic, and were able to do it 2x in a row, as the theater was only about 1/3 full. After the 2nd sitting of Philharmagic, we went and rode BTMRR, which had no line at all. Then we followed that up with Splash Mountain, which also had no line. We definitely got our moneys worth tonight, even with the large crowds for the Extra Magic Hours. I do think I would prefer the old E Nights instead, as the crowds are much smaller, even if you do have to pay the extra $12. After Splash, we wandered out the exit, catching a bus at 12:15am back to PO.
Stay tuned for the next part.....
