Mandymouse’s POPping back to WDW ~ Aug ’09 ~ Part One

[mandymouse]

Castmembers

Mandy, Paul, Kerry (18) & Becky (16)

Pre-trip report

Friday 7th August ‘09

Finally it was 6.28pm and my holiday had started. After a rather stressful day, we were at last reversing off the drive and heading to Manchester Airport

We arrived at the Travelodge, Manchester Airport around 8pm after an uneventful drive up there. We checked in, then jumped back in the car and headed to the Trafford Centre for some dinner. We had a lovely meal at our fave Chinese restaurant where we shared BBQ ribs, prawn crackers and spring rolls, followed by chicken curry, chicken in satay sauce, sweet & sour chicken with rice and noodles

The meal was delish and feeling suitably stuffed we drove back to the Travelodge around 10pm. Paul and the girls had a quick drink in the bar, and we were all in bed around 11.30pm

Saturday 8th August ‘09

We started to wake around 6am and we left the Travelodge at 6.45am for our short drive to terminal 2. We were supposed to meet ‘Meteor Meet & Greet’ at 7am, but after many phone calls, we decided to park our car and drop off our suitcases at the Virgin desk, as I had already done on-line check in 24 hours prior to our flight. The Virgin desks were very quiet and within minutes our bags were handed over

We went back outside to ring our Meet & Greet, but we kept getting an answerphone. By chance, an official looking guy was walking by and he was able to ring Meteor, and 10 minutes later the chauffeur arrived and we were heading back into the airport

Once we’d passed through passport control, we went to get some breakfast and then we had a wander around duty free, where samples of coffee Bailey’s were being handed out, Mmm, it was delish, and I sent Paul to get me another one – note to self, get some in for Christmas. Around 9am we wandered down to our gate, but it didn’t open till 9.30am. As we entered, our boarding cards and passports were checked, so when they called our seat numbers, it was so much quicker to board

Our flight (VS075) left on time (10.25am), and the flight was only going to take 8 hours and 32 minutes. The flight was uneventful, and the films didn’t interest me, so I got stuck into my Twilight book, that I received in our Secret Summer exchange (thanks secret sender, I really enjoyed it). For dinner we had a choice of Beef Stew or Chicken in Leek, I had the Beef Stew and it was very nice. Later in the flight we had a choc ice and a ham & tomato salsa sandwich with a cereal bar an hour before we landed. The only annoying thing was that the Skymap wasn’t working

When we landed, we were off the plane pretty quickly, and we went to the right side at passport control, and as there weren’t any US Citizens on our flight, we were called over within minutes. In fact it only took an hour to go through passport control, pick up our cases (we didn’t drop them off again, we took them with us, as did most people), got the monorail, and picked up our jeep

Even though it was raining, it was great to be driving (well Paul was driving) down the familiar roads towards the Pop Century. Once at the resort, check-in was empty so it didn’t take long for us to get checked in. We were in the 80’s building, overlooking the Computer Pool in rooms 9202 & 9203 on the first floor. The girls had the usual twin queen beds, and Paul & I had a huge king size bed

Once everything was unpacked we went to DownTown Disney to pick up our 14 night tickets, an Annual Pass and the Tables of Wonderland card

Next stop was Wal-Mart for the usual supplies – Lays chips, Mountain Dew, Water etc.

When we got back to the Pop Century, me and Paul went to the food court, beef & broccoli for me and fried chicken dinner for Paul. We then popped to the Petals pool bar for our first cocktail of the holiday – a Captain’s Mai Tai, then it was off to bed

 

[mandymouse]

Sunday 9th Aug ’09 ~ High 92F

I woke around 4am, and lay in bed thinking about what we were going to do today. I knew we had to get to a cashpoint machine today to get some cash that I had loaded onto my brand new Fairfx card, when it suddenly hit me that I had left my card at home – d’oh !! Thankfully I’d only loaded 3 days worth of money on it, but I couldn’t believe what a numpty I was. As you can imagine, Paul had plenty of mileage with it, and everytime something went missing I got ‘it must be at home with the Fairfx card’

Anyway I got up around 6am and woke the girls up 45 minutes later as we were leaving at 7.30am for 8am EMH at Epcot

It was already very warm when we left the room, so we decided to take things very easy this morning. We were at Epcot for rope drop, and we joined the crowd heading to Soarin’. Paul went ahead and got fastpasses, and we rode it straightaway. After Soarin’, we walked over to Test Track, but the line was outside, and we really didn’t want to wait out in the heat, so we rode Mission:Space then had a wander around MouseGear (my fave shop). We then headed back to The Land for some breakfast. Kerry & I had a breakfast croissant and Paul & Becky had a breakfast platter each, which was all very nice, and then we used our Soarin’ FP’s.

After the ride, we decided to head back to the Pop for a lie by the pool

We had a lovely hour reading and relaxing, and after a quick shower me & Paul went to the food court and wandered around the resort taking photos

After an hour just chilling in our room, me, Paul & Becky drove to the Florida Mall. I didn’t buy anything, but Becky found a few things she wanted to buy later in the holiday and Paul got a shirt from Billabong and some aftershave from Pac-Sun

After dropping Becky back at the Pop, me & Paul caught the bus to Epcot for a drinkypoo evening. First we rode Test Track as we had picked some FP’s up this morning, and then we wandered around the World. I had a White Zinfandel from the kiosk outside Norway, and Paul had a Carlsberg ..

we both had egg rolls from China, then we both had a glass of Liebfraumilch in Germany ..

then I had a Rosa Regale in Italy while Paul had an Asti ..

Paul had a couple of pints in the UK and I had Bacardi & diet Cokes ..

We left the World Showcase before Illuminations started and we popped into MouseGear so I could buy a cute Mickey t-shirt and some necklaces I’d seen earlier

Once back at the Pop we stopped by Petal’s where we sampled a couple of cocktails and we shared a tuna sandwich and a cookie before collapsing in bed around 11pm. The girls went off to evening EMH at Magic Kingdom and rolled back around 1am

 

[mandymouse]

Monday 10th August ’09 ~ High 90F

It was EMH at Disney Hollywood Studios this morning, so we were up around 6.45am and out by 7.30am

First we picked up FP’s for Tower of Terror, and we rode RockNRollerCoaster, which was rather dull as the music wasn’t working

Next we grabbed some drinks and cakes at Starring Rolls, then we took a leisurely walk around the park. It was already very warm, so it was nice to stop by the ‘Singing in the rain’ umbrella to cool down. We were taking photos of each other, when a rather obnoxious woman pushed in to let her kids have a go. We watched as she moaned that the rain wouldn’t work, and when she eventually left, she dropped her sunglasses which she promptly stepped on. It served her right for being so rude, and it gave us a good laugh

It was time for our ToT FP, so we headed over to that side of the park, and as ever the ride was brilliant. The girls then did a bit of shopping and we left

We then spent an hour or so by the pool, and we picked up some fruit from the food court

It was really hot this afternoon, so we took off for the Mall at Millenia for the air con and a bit of retail therapy. I stocked up on some Yankee Candles (thanks Bev for the coupon code), Becky bought a few things from Pac-Sun and unusually, Kerry didn’t see anything. Next we called in at Festival Bay, and we moseyed around Pac-Sun, Hot Topic and Ron Jon’s

Once back at the room, we had a little nap got some food for the girls, then Me, Paul & Becky went to evening EMH at Animal Kingdom.

We rode Expedition Everest and we found a little bar behind the Yak & Yeti restaurant. I had a delish Yak Attack (Mango Daiquiri, Bacardi Light Rum, and Wildberry Flavors) – Mmm, and Paul had a Kingfisher lager. After a quick look around the shops we went back to the room, and I’m sure I was out for the count around 10pm

 

[mandymouse]

Tuesday 11th August ’09 ~ High 94F

Paul woke me at 6.50am as we were heading to the Magic Kingdom for morning EMH. We left the room around 7.20am, and we left the girls in bed as they were joining us a little later and fancied a bit of a lie in

Once again, it was very warm, and we arrived for park opening. We were thrown a bit as Tomorrowland wasn’t open for EMH (as Buzz is usually our first stop), but Frontierland was, so we rode Big Thunder Mountain and the Haunted Mansion (we haven’t been on this for years).

We wandered around Fantasyland and popped into the shops along Main Street USA where we saw Kerry and Becky having their photos taken. We joined the girls, then Paul went off to get FP’s for Splash Mountain

We had an ADR for breakfast at the Crystal Palace at 9.30am. We didn’t have too long to wait once we’d checked in. As usual, the food was really nice. Me & Paul had omelettes made, which were delish, and we had lots of fun with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Eyeore (we missed Tigger).

After brekkie, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean, then we used our FP for Splash Mountain, but we didn’t get a good soaking, which was a shame as it was so hot

The heat was starting to get to us, so we jumped back on the bus and back to the Pop for a chill by the pool

Next it was shopping time, so we drove up to the Florida Mall. The girls did lots of shopping. Becky bought a couple of pairs of jeans and Kerry bought 4 dresses, then we called in at Wal-Mart to stock up on supplies

The girls were heading to DTD to catch a movie, so Paul & I had a drinkypoo evening. We caught the bus back to the Magic Kingdom to get dinner at Cosmic Rays, then we got the monorail to The Contemporary. Our first stop was The Wave as we’ve never been there before, where we ordered a couple of Bahama Mama’s.

This is where Paul found out that when he used his Tables of Wonderland card, he got the 20% discount, but 18% gratuity was automatically added on. He wasn’t very happy about this, as he usually leaves just a couple of dollars for a tip. Next stop was The Outer Rim, where once again we had a couple of Bahama Mamas, but to make a point (even though it would work out more expensive) Paul didn’t use his card, but left his usual tip (d'oh)

We then left The Contemporary and took the monorail to The Polynesian, where we had a couple of incredibly strong Lapu Lapus (yes, they were even too strong for me) at the Tambu Lounge. I made sure we used the Tables of Wonderland card, but I paid to stop him moaning

After our Lapu Lapus, we caught the monorail and bus back to the resort and had one final cocktail at the Petals pool bar where we had a good laugh with a couple of Brits

**It was even funnier the next day when I checked a bill from the Rose & Crown bill, where an automatic gratuity had been added, but Paul had also left a cash tip too **

 

[mandymouse]

Wednesday 12th Aug – High 94F

As usual, we were up around 6.40am and out by 7.30am. Kerry wasn’t feeling too well today (she had a really bad cough), so she stayed in bed, and the rest of us went to Animal Kingdom for EMH.

First we picked up FP’s for Expedition Everest, then we joined the line to ride it. We were nearly at the end of the ride (where you see the big Yeti), when the ride broke down. We sat there for about 10 minutes, and various announcements were made, then a CM arrived to evacuate us. We were told that we couldn’t take any photos or video (or these items would be confiscated), and we followed the CM passed the Yeti. Wow, it was so cool to see it so close up and in the light, I really wished I could've taken a photo, but we were hurried down the stairs and under the ride. Once back at the station we were given extra FP’s for later.

Next we wandered over to Dinoland and we rode Dinosaur, goodness me this is such a bumpy ride.

We passed the It’s Tough to be a Bug area, where the new central FP distribution stations are, and we picked up a FP for Kilamanjaro Safari and one for Dinosaur (which we weren’t planning on using, we just wanted to see if we could get more than one FP at a time). We then headed to Pizzafari for breakfast, where we all had the sausage breakfast platters – Mmm

After breakfast we went to see if EE was working, which it was, so we rode it twice more with our FP’s. Lastly we rode the safari and as it was sooooo hot, we left the park for an hour or two by the pool

After grabbing some lunch at the food court (beef & broccoli and tuna sandwich), we went to DTD for a wander around the shops. The girls had tried to ride the new Characters in Flight balloon ride, but whenever they went down the weather conditions weren’t favourable, and today was no exception as the sky looked threatening. We wandered around the shops and I made a few mental notes of things to buy later in the holiday

The girls had a McDonalds and when we got back to the room, Paul & I got ready for our ADR for dinner at Tutto Italia

We caught the bus over to Epcot, and when we arrived we could hear the thunder in the distance. We managed to get to Norway before it started to spit with rain. I had my usual White Zinfandel and Paul had a pint and we found a table at the Outpost to sit and enjoy our drink

It was still only drizzling when we got to Germany for a Liebfraumilch, but then the heavens opened. Thankfully it calmed down a little as we legged it to Italy. We were a little early for our ADR, but we were seated straight away. We started with some breads and breadsticks, then for starters I had Minestrone di Vedure and Paul had Prosciutto di Parma. Then for our mains, I had Cannelloni al Forno and Paul had Lasagna al Forno, all washed down with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. For dessert we shared a Mocha Tiramisu (though I use that word loosely, as Paul didn’t get a look in), and I laughed when I jokingly told the waiter to bring Paul a small spoon, and he did

The meal was absolutely delish, though we did feel that we were rushed, as when we had finished one thing, then next item arrived

We left during IllumiNations, and thankfully the rain had stopped, but unfortunately we were only at Mexico when the fireworks had finished, so it took a good hour to get on a bus and get back to the Pop due to the crowds

 

[mandymouse]

Thursday 13th August ’09 ~ High 88F

Today it was morning EMH at Magic Kingdom, but we really fancied a bit of a lie in, so we arrived around 9am. We popped to Main Street Bakery for some cakes for the girls, then at 9.30am Kerry & Becky went off to meet their friends Jordan & Shannon (who live in the next street to us).

After a quick chat, we all split up, and me and Paul went to ride Buzz Lightyear. Once again I won with a score over 700,000 and Paul was annihilated. We then rode Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, stopped off for some fruit in Liberty Square, then watched Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Before leaving the park, we called at Aloha Isle and had a Pineapple Float each – yummy !!

Back at the Pop, we had a good hour by the pool, then Kerry came back around 1.30pm, and we grabbed some food from the food court

This afternoon Paul & I were heading to Port Canaveral to see the Disney Wonder and to wave off our friends Danielle & family. The next time we would see the Wonder would be when we would be boarding her on Sunday. We left the Pop around 3.30pm (just as Becky got back from the Magic Kingdom), and we arrived at Port Canaveral around 4.45pm. We drove past the DCL terminal, and noticed lots of work going on for a new car park for when the new ships arrive in 2011 & 2012.

Ten minutes later we arrived at the Jetty Park and we noticed that the Wonder had already set sail. It was a bit muggy this afternoon and behind the ship, it looked rather dark, but thankfully no rain arrived. We watched the dolphins playing in the estuary and as the ship neared us, we heard the ships horn

I had told Danielle that we were going to be at the Jetty Park, and I’m sure we saw her and her family waving on top deck as they passed us

After the ship passed by, we took a walk along the beach and took more photos

We left around 5.45pm and drove back to WDW through some awful rain

By the time we got back to the Pop, the rain was very light, so we dropped the girls at the Winter Summerland miniature golf (we were given some free golf gift cards when we checked in) and Paul & I went to McDonalds for a burger and Paul dropped a full cup of coke all over the floor, then we went back to see how the girls were getting on with the golf and we took some photos.

The girls had a great time, and when we got back to the Pop, Paul & I had a quick Captain’s Mai Tai before heading to bed

 

[mandymouse]

Friday 14th August ’09 ~ High 91F

We were up bright and early and at Disney Hollywood Studios for 8am for EMH. It was really busy at the entrance, and the crowd was huge heading towards Toy Story Midway Mania. As we neared the area where wheelchairs can access the ride, a CM asked us how many were in our group, and they allowed us to go straight on the ride, which was great as it probably reduced our wait time by 20 minutes. We all enjoyed the ride and once again Paul beat me

After TSMM we went to get FP’s for RockNRollerCoaster, and then we lined up to ride Tower of Terror, which was great and even the photo was good, so we bought it – and what’s even better is that they can crop the photo to just your party

After ToT we grabbed some breakfast of cakes, cookies and fruit, and then we rode Star Tours, followed by photos with Lightning McQueen and Mater and then we rode the Backlot Tour.

Finally we used our RnRc FP and then we headed out of the park and went for lunch at T-Rex at DownTown Disney

We shared 2 portions of onion rings to start (which were huge), then me & Becky had lasagne, Paul had a T-bone steak and Kerry had the chicken & ribs combo. The meal was lovely and the portions were dino-size

After lunch we chilled out by the pool for an hour or so, then drove over to Festival Bay and Wal-Mart where I picked up lots of holiday souvenirs for friends

When we got back to the Pop, the girls chilled out before hitting the Magic Kingdom for evening EMH, so Paul & I caught the bus to Epcot for the last hour of opening time. We had enough time for a White Zinfandel & Lager (Norway), Liebfraumilch for Paul (Germany) & a Rosa Regale for me (Italy). We share a Japanese curry in err Japan then sat outside the Rose & Crown with a Bacardi & coke for me and a pint for Paul while IllumiNations was going off. We sat outside the pub till all the crowds had left, then we hit MouseGear for some serious shopping. We left Epcot around 10.30pm and after a bit of faffing around we got to bed around 11.30pm

 

[mandymouse]

Saturday 15th August ‘09 ~ High 91F

We were supposed to be up early for EMH at Animal Kingdom this morning, but when I woke up at 6.30am, I just couldn’t be bothered to get up. So we got up an hour or so later and got ready for normal opening at Epcot. The girls had left a note saying that they didn’t want to be disturbed (cheeky, lazy beggars !!), so Paul & I left around 8.30am

This morning a Tropical Storm, Ana had been named and several other storms were being watched that could affect our Cruise during the week – but hey, there wasn’t anything I could do about it, so I chose to not let it worry me (though I did take the time to mention it in my trippy )

Anyway back on track. We got to Epcot for rope drop and we went straight on Test Track. When we got off, we picked up a FP for later then we rode Mission:Space.

We then wandered over to The Seas with Nemo & Friends and had a breakfast croissant and platter in The Land before riding Journey Into Imagination. We finished off with Test Track again and we left the park as it began to pour down

When we got back to the Pop, the girls hadn’t been up long, so Paul sunbathed by the pool, while I did some laundry and made a start on our packing for the Cruise tomorrow

Later in the afternoon we made a dash to the Mall at Millenia, as Becky remembered something she ‘just had to have’ to take on the Cruise

When we got back to the Pop, Paul & I got ready to go out. We really fancied a nice meal, but we hadn’t made an ADR, so we caught the bus to Epcot and called in at Guest Services to see if we could get a table at Restaurant Marrakesh. Unfortunately there wasn’t a table available for a couple of hours, so we decided to head to Morocco and try our luck at the restaurant.

We were chuffed to be seated within 5 minutes. We had a lovely meal which included a combo for two for starters, then I had the Roast Lamb Meshoui and Paul had the Shish Kebabs, all washed down with 3 Marrakesh Express cocktails

After dinner we stopped in Italy for a Rosa Regale for me and an Asti for Paul, then a wine in Germany and finally a White Zinfandel and Carlsberg for Paul. The pint ended up being a free ½ pint, as the barrel had ran out, then we finished off the evening with a final Captain’s Mai Tai at the Pop Century’s food court

 

[tashasmum]

Good trippie and lovely clear photos.

 

[natalielongstaff]

oooh so much to comment on !!

Great tops

plenty of yummy drinks

Shame about the skymap, John loves watching that

Love the pop pics, did you requst the 90's

 

[Pinky166]

Wow you made a great start Mandy! You seem to be having such a relaxing time, a few hours in the parks, then the pool & then some shopping....all washed down with some fab cocktails! Perfect!!! Lovely photos too.

Now I don't want to seem ungrateful but I can't wait to read the next bit - the Wonder!

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

Great TR so far Mandy, i love your Mickey necklace

 

[tony64]

Hi Mandy great trippie so far, next the cruise.

 

[CustardTart]

Loving your trippie as usual, Mandy!!! It's got the lot - fantastic photos, fab food, captivating cocktails and dazzling descriptions of each day's delights - I really feel like I'm there...

Really looking forward to the next bit...

 

[Chilly]

Is this the fastest trippie ever!?

 

[buzz for boys]

Great trippie so far !!! I was gutted when you cut it b4 you had boarded the wonder x x

 

[Minniespal]

As always Mand.........I'm really enjoying reading your reports.

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

I'm glad I didn't try a Lapu Lapu if they are too strong for you (didn't quite know how to put that without seeming rude, you are obviously a lot more used to the drinks than I am!!!!) Looking forward to more.

 

[Jets fan]

Great trippie and pics so far, am really enjoying it. Love your necklaces, especially the Mickey one which looks great in the pics.

Tina

 

[saratogagirl]

Brilliant Mand, it looks like you had such a wonderful time. You had lots of lovely cocktails, well done on the consumption. I am loving all the tops and can't wait to read about The Wonder x