Meeko at Walt Disney World 2006 with Pictures *Completed- 10/10*

meeko_33785

<font color=teal>Surrounded by characters<br><font
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Part One- Introduction

Here we go again! It’s time for another trip reports. After finishing my 10th last year, I seriously considered calling it quits. I mean, I had a good run and it was fun at all, but after 10 I wasn’t sure if I could keep going. And yet after a month of waiting and debating after coming back from this trip, here I am back to start number 11. Of course, as always, you can expect to see some photos mixed in as well, and I’ll be posting all parts of the report in one thread, just to make it easier on everyone. Before the report begins, I thought that I’d give a peek into some of the plans for the trip.

Resort: Coronado Springs. It had been years since I had been here last, so I thought I’d give it a try again. On all my last trips I had always stayed in the Casitas section, but I was hoping for something different this year.

Theme Parks: I ended up getting a three-day pass without a park hopper (great deal!). That however raises the problem for which park to skip. I couldn’t skip Animal Kingdom since Everest was near the top of my to-do list. I wanted to try the Fantasmic Dinner Package again this year and spend lots of time at MGM Studios, so I couldn’t skip it. In the end, Magic Kingdom ended up being the park to skip this time. My last trip was nothing but Magic Kingdom, so I figured if there was any I could skip, it’s that one.

Dining: The list of restaurants that I’ve never tried is getting smaller and smaller as time goes by, but I found two to try- Holllywood and Vine at MGM and Raglan Road at Pleasure Island. I’d heard some good things about both so here’s hoping for some good meals!

Characters: As usual, I’ll be on the look out for some new characters to take photos of. My main priorities would all (hopefully) be at MGM- Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, and Clarice (you know, Chip and Dale’s crush, the nightclub singer). All three of them started appearing in the parks after my last trip, so this will be my first chance to see them. Hopefully there’ll be a few more out too that I never met yet.

Photos: I’m doing another Scavenger Hunt! I tried this last year and it worked out great, so I decided to try again. Basically, I have around 40 or 50 words or phrases ranging from “Attraction Sign” to “Villain” to “FastPass Machine”. I randomly pick two out a day and take pictures of it. Of course, I’ll post the pictures here in the report.

So, in short, that’s the plan. Stay tuned for Day One.

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anxiious for your report to begin......if you go to DTD for a break.....try out Earl of Sandwich too......
 
pumba said:
anxiious for your report to begin......if you go to DTD for a break.....try out Earl of Sandwich too......


Actually, I'm already back (I've been back for a month but I'm just starting my trip report now). Didn't eat at Earl of Sandwich this trip, but I've eaten there before and enjoyed it. :thumbsup2
 

I can tell this is going to be very organized which makes for a very fun read! I am looking forward to hearing all about it. Are you a solo traveler? I am just curious because I didn't see if you posted the cast for this trip. I could have misread. I will go back and double check.

Overall, excellent!
 
DisneyFan06 said:
I can tell this is going to be very organized which makes for a very fun read! I am looking forward to hearing all about it. Are you a solo traveler? I am just curious because I didn't see if you posted the cast for this trip. I could have misread. I will go back and double check.

Actually, it's not a solo trip. I just didn't post the cast. Usually for trip reports, I don't mention who I'm traveling with for privacy reasons and then write my reports in the first person.
 
Part Two- Day One

I arrive at Coronado Springs Resort around 8:30am. After seeing if there was any way for early check-in (which there wasn’t), it was straight to the bus stop and on to EPCOT! There’s nothing quite like arriving at WDW and heading straight for your first park. Before I begin my day, I randomly picked out my two things to look for today for my scavenger hunt- “Balloon” and “Toy”. Neither sounds too hard to find. After entering the park, First stop is The Land and Soarin’. Surprisingly, lines weren’t too bad at all- practically a walk-on! It was just as good as I had remembered. Great fun. On my way out, I get my first picture for my scavenger hunt.

“Balloon”
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Next, it was off to Mission: SPACE. I had heard that there was now a “lite” version of Mission: SPACE called Green Team where all the effects still happen but the capsule doesn’t spin. I was curious to see how the two versions are different, so I decided to give the new version a try. At the front of the line, a Cast Member asks if I wanted to do the Orange Team (original version) or Green Team. I say Green, but the he asks me if I’m sure. I say yes. He rolls his eyes, scoffs and gives me a green pass. :rolleyes: Gee, thanks. Winner of "Least Friendly Cast Member of the Trip".

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The line for the Green Teem is a little shorter than the regular version and both move pretty quickly. All in all, the new version wasn’t too bad. You defiantly don’t get the g-forces that you get on the Orange version though. Still, I was defiantly not nearly as dizzy getting off and didn’t need adjustment time like I do on the Orange version. That’s a plus. After the ride, it was off to the EPCOT Character Connection at Innoventions. I’d heard a lot about this new location on the boards, so I was curious to check it out. The line is fairly short. When I get up to the front, the Cast Members announce that Mickey and friends are going to take a cheese break and will be back in five minutes. Must have been a quick bite of cheese, because they weren’t even gone that long. If you’ve never been to the Character Connection before, the system is that everyone lines up in one line and once you get to the front there are five different stations you go to with a character or two at each one.

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The first character up is Mickey, then Pluto, Minnie, Donald, and Chip & Dale. Each gladly poses for photos and have PhotoPass photographers at each station. The Character Bus was fun, but whoever came up with this is smart! Within a few minutes, I had met most of the major characters in an indoor, air-conditioned, well-organized location with a fairly short wait. Defiantly gets a recommendation from me. On my way out, Goofy is hanging out in the hallway so I get his picture too. By now, it’s past 11am and World Showcase is open, so I head over to Mexico. Along the way, I notice something I had never noticed before. If you are standing on a specific place on the bridge that goes past the old Odyssey building (aka where the first aid is) and look over towards Morocco, the Tower of Terror is directly behind it. Because they both have similar coloring, it looks like the Tower is part of Morocco. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it, but every time I tried it either came out blurry or to sunny because it was so far away. Anyway, next time you’re there, check it out.

First stop in World Showcase is Mexico. I had an ADR at San Angel Inn, but I had some time to look around the Pavilion first. I take a look at the Casa Mexicana and try making a virtual postcard at one of the kiosks. It turned out really nice. A nice free souvenir. San Angel didn’t seem to busy so I decided to see if I could go ahead and get a seat before my ADR time. No problem, and I’m seated right away. The table’s near the kitchen. Not a great view of the boats going by, but ok. I ordered the Tacos Al Carbon which was great. Service was some of the fastest I’ve ever had at WDW. The restaurant defiantly wasn’t busy by any stretch of the imagination, just like the rest of the park. Surprisingly, crowds were pretty low for summer. After the meal is over, I leave Mexico and head out to explore the rest of World Showcase.
 
meeko_33785 said:
Actually, it's not a solo trip. I just didn't post the cast. Usually for trip reports, I don't mention who I'm traveling with for privacy reasons and then write my reports in the first person.

Oh, okay. Sorry I never read one of your trip reports, this is a first.

Sounds like you really enjoy the Characters at Character Connection. It does sound like a smart idea.
 
DisneyFan06 said:
Oh, okay. Sorry I never read one of your trip reports, this is a first.

Sounds like you really enjoy the Characters at Character Connection. It does sound like a smart idea.

No need to appologize. I've actually never made that clear in my other trip reports either so there's no way that you would have known. Thanks for the comments too. The characters definatly were a lot of fun there.
 
Part Three- Day One (Continued)


After leaving Mexico it was on to Norway and straight to Maelstrom. The line is practically nonexistent. By now it’s clear that crowds are more than just a little light today. The ride was fun as usual. As the boat was about to pull into the dock at the end, the ride suddenly stop. All of the lights come on and all the boats behind mine are lined up back into the last show scene (I felt bad for the people that were stuck in the part where you get splashed). The Cast Members make a few calls and everything apparently gets fixed. Skipping the movie at the end, I head back into Norway.

As I’m walking through the courtyard, I notice that the crowd at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is pretty small- surprising for a Princess meal! Now, for my last couple of trips, one of the characters that I’ve most wanted to get a picture of is Ariel in her human form. Unfortunately, it seems that Akershus is the only place to find her. I say unfortunately in that 1) Usually planning doesn’t begin for my trips until after the point when ADRs for meals like this run out and 2) Even if I did go, there’s no guarantee that Ariel would be there. The food just doesn’t appeal to me, and I’ve met the rest of the Princesses that usually appear there. So, to have a meal I’m not going to like and possibly still not see the one character I’m going there for seems a waste of money. Now, since the restaurant doesn’t look busy, I thought I’d at least give it a try to see if there was any way that I could just get a photo of Ariel. After all, it doesn’t hurt to ask. I explain to the Cast Member at the podium that I didn’t have a reservation but had heard that this was the only place that Ariel appears in her human form and ask if there was any way that I could go in for a quick photo and autograph. The Cast Member isn’t sure, so she pulls in another Cast Member who also isn’t sure. It’s not usually allowed, but the crowds were so strangely low that they decided to let me in.

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I’m escorted to Ariel who is all by herself in the lobby. I tell her that I’m glad that she finally has her legs and tell her how much I like her dress. She twirls around and tells me that her daddy made it for her. She signs her autograph and we have a chat about how far I had to swim to get here and what adventures I’ve been on today. She’s perfectly in character and a lot of fun to chat with. I get my picture and say good-bye to Ariel and a big thank you to the Cast Members. :thanks: It was defiantly a right place/ right time situation that was one of the highlight of the day for me.

I check out the new Viking exhibit in the Stave Church and head off to China. There, walking down the side street near the gift shop is Mulan. I say hi and ask if I can get a picture. She says yes, but thinks that there’s a better backdrop than the construction wall she is standing in front of. She asks if I would escort her there and tells me that I’m very brave to be walking around here by myself. We get to the spot and I get my picture, and she tells me that I reminder her of one of her warriors- Ling. Hmmm… really? I can honestly say I’ve never been told that before. We part saying how much of an honor it is to meet each other. I wanted to check out the Hong King Disneyland exhibit again, but it turns out to be closed while they prepare for a new exhibit.

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On to Germany! I check out some of the shops and soak in the atmosphere. While I’m heading over to check out the Railway Garden, I notice J. Worthington Foulfellow and Gideon from Pinocchio nearby in Italy. I didn’t have Foulfellow’s autograph, so I headed over and got in line. I decide to get a quick autograph, picture and get out because I have some rather rude and impatient parents behind me (although the daughter didn’t seem to mind waiting in line. Go figure). I tell Gideon that I already have his autograph, but ask Foulfellow for his. Foulfellow points and laughs at Gideon who walks to the corner and strikes a Jack Benny-ish pose. After Foulfellow is done, Gideon comes up and mimes that he wants to play rock-paper-scissors with me for a while. So much for a quick autograph and leaving, but it was still fun. I get my photo and head back to the Railway Garden in Germany before returning to Italy to see some of the shops.

I skip the American Adventure besides stopping to see the Fife and Drum band for a little while and to take a peek at the Pin Cart, and it’s over to Japan. An air conditioning break from the afternoon heat sounds good, so I head into the Tin Toy Story exhibit, which turns out to be the perfect place to get the second photo for my scavenger hunt today.

“Toy”
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The tin Mickey was one of a number of Disney tin toys that were on display that I couldn’t remember ever seeing before. I take a break on a bench inside the exhibit, to check out some of my pictures, jot down notes about some of the things I had seen already that day, and watch John Lasseter’s little video on toys. I breeze through the gift shop to check out the gardens outside before leaving Japan.
 
aww it sounds like you had such a good time! I want a picture with Ariel....where are all the pictures of you???
 
serendipity said:
aww it sounds like you had such a good time! I want a picture with Ariel....where are all the pictures of you???

I'm affraid that I'll be staying behind the camera instead of in front of it for this report. ;)
 
Part Four- Day One (Continued)

As I continue through World Showcase, Morocco is next. I take a quick look around, but don’t stick around too long. As I’m walking from Morocco to France, I notice Belle doing meet-and-greets near the promenade, so I greet her and get a photo. As I’m walking into the actual pavilion, I notice a familiar looking figure in the nearby garden- It’s the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella! I had never seen her doing meet-and-greets before and had never even heard of her ever appearing at EPCOT, so I head straight over and get in line.

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When I get to the front of the line, she gladly signs her autograph and tells me that she is Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. I tell her what a nice thing she did for Cinderella, and she asks if I know her. After explaining to her how I’ve met Cinderella on some of my past trips, the Fairy Godmother gets excited and tells me that she’s on her way and will be there any minute. Now, this sounds too good to be true, but the Fairy Godmother assures me and tells me to sit down and wait for her. Of course, she was right and a couple of minutes later Cinderella appears. The Cast Member with the Fairy Godmother comes over to me and invites me back in line. When I get to the front the Fairy Godmother tells Cinderella what I had told her, and we have a nice chat and get pictures. Definatly an awesome surprise. After that, I check out the rest of the pavilion and head on to the United Kingdom. Not too much going on here. Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger are in the back of the Toy Store, but they’re getting ready to leave. I end up looking at the gardens and heading on to Canada to do the same thing. After finishing up World Showcase, it’s back to Future World. On the way out I check out Club Cool. Almost all the stations are out of order so I end up not getting anything. Having finished my first theme park day, I get on the bus and head back to Coronado.

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By now, the room is all ready. It’s in the Rancheros section of the resort, which is cool since I’d never stayed there before. After bringing in the bag and watching a little bit of the Top 7 Must Sees on TV (no matter how mant times I watch it, it never gets old :happytv: ), I head down to the Dig Site pool for a bit. The weather’s been hot but nice all day without a drop of rain. After cooling, I head inside to get something to eat. Lunch at San Angel’s was pretty filling, so I opt to just get the peanut butter and jelly sandwich box from La Tienda, the convenience store next to the Pepper Market. I know it’s probably meant for kids, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat much more than that. I take it back to the room, eat dinner and get some sleep. I’ve got to rest up for the next day.

Stau Tuned for Day Two. I'm off to Animal Kingdom to ride Expedition Everest.
 
You are getting some really good pictures of the characters. I'm still lurking and waiting for more.
 
Part Five- Day Two

It’s early in the morning. Stitch calls. :stitch: “No More Sleeping!” It’s time to get up and get ready for Day Two! Animal Kingdom is opening early today, and I wanted to be there first thing to get to Expedition Everest before the lines get ridiculous. After pulling out the two phrases for my photo scavenger hunt today (“Restroom Sign” and “Ride Vehicle”), I get a quick breakfast at the bakery and head off to the Animal Kingdom.

As soon as I’m there it’s off to Asia. Already, the line for Everest is spilling out of the queue and stretches all the way past the new restroom. It worked out ok though since I was able to get my first photo for the scavenger hunt.

“Restroom Sign”
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I liked how I was able to get the sign without the restroom. :thumbsup2 Pretty soon, it becomes apparent that the line is spilling out that far because not all the queue space is opened yet. Once inside, the line moves pretty quickly. I’ve got to say that the queue for Everest is pretty elaborate. The ride itself was a blast too, defiantly one of my favorites in the park now. I don’t want to give too much away for anyone who hasn’t ridden this yet, but I will say that the Yetti is HUGE! He’s a lot bigger than I expected him to be.

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By now, the crowds are beginning to pick up more and people start come in mass over the Asia bridge, while I spot others in the distance running from Dinoland over to Everest trying to beat the crowds. I don’t think it appeared to be any faster, but it did look exhausting sprinting through the park that early in the morning. Having survived Everest, Before leaving Asia, it’s off to Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the animals. The tigers aren’t very active this time around. After that, it’s off to Africa to check out the Safari. The park is officially open by now, so it’s beginning to get a little more crowded, but not too bad. While on safari I get my second photo for the scavenger hunt today.

“Ride Vehicle”
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I really got through those fast today! The ride was nice. We did have one person on the safari that didn’t seem to understand that while you are riding through the elephant habitat wasn’t the best tome to talk on the cell phone. I thought it was somewhat amusing, but I could see why other people, especially those who had never been on the ride before, could get a little upset. I wonder how long it will be until they have to make a “no talking on phones” announcement before the rides if this sort of thing continues. After the safari, I head to Pangani Forest trail. The gorillas are up and active so I watch them for a while. I try to get a good picture of the naked mole rats but they prove to be tricky to photograph. The biggest surprise on the trail this time was that the meerkats were missing! Not a single one was out and there wasn’t even a clue as to why they weren’t out. I’m hoping this isn’t permanent since they’re usually one of my favorite parts of the trail. After finishing the trail, it was back to Harambe for a quick look-around before heading back to Discovery Island.
 
Part Six- Day Two (Continued)

Next on the agenda was to head to Dinoland to ride Dinosaur and have some lunch, but I wanted to walk through Discovery Island first to see if any interesting characters were out and about. After all, by now it's getting close to lunch and I haven't gotten any character pictures yet. :eek:

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I spotted Flik over near the Tree of Life and got in line. Suddenly without any warning, the Cast Member with him announces that it’s time for Flik to leave and doesn’t say when he’ll be back. Oh, well. I look around at some of the shops at Discovery Island and within a few minutes, Flik is back and the Cast Member is apologetic to everyone in line and thanks them for their patience. Not sure what the problem was. I get his autograph and photo with him and head on to Dinoland.

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Dinosaur turned out to be the longest wait for the trip so far. Still, I don’t think it was any more than maybe 20 minutes. Next it was on to Restaurantasaurus for lunch. Most of the dinning room was still closed while it was getting changed over from Donald’s breakfast to the regular setup, but supposedly it would be all set up soon. By the time I get my burger, the dinning room is opened up and I get a table. If you know the restaurant, then you know that there's a room in it that looks like a trailer with a jukebox in it. It's always seemed like a cool table but it's always hard to get a seat there unless you camp outside the trailer for one. Well, this time, since the dinning room had just opened up, I had no problem getting the table. Yet another case of right place/ right time, except the people camping outside the trailer to get the table next can be a little creepy though, especially when they keep peeking in at you through the window. :scared: All in all, it was fun though. Next, it’s off to the Chester and Hester’s area to explore. There’s a Character Attendant walking around, but no characters in site. I think I heard it would be Chip and Dale and, having met them yesterday, decided not to stick around until they appeared.

Leaving Dinoland, I check to see how long of a wait It’s Tough To Be A Bug has. It turns out to be 0 minutes- they don’t even have FastPass running! I’ve never experienced such a short line at this attraction. I've seen the movie a number of times, but it’s still fun. I have to admit that I still cover my nose when the stinkbug comes out, and lean forwards during the surprise ending.

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By now I had done all the attractions I had really wanted to do today, so I thought it might be nice to walk to Camp Minnie-Mickey to see if any interesting characters are around. When I get there, it doesn’t look like anyone out of the ordinary- only Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy were there. I wasn’t really interested in waiting in line for them again since I had just seen them the day before at EPCOT (in the air conditioning and with short lines- yay for Character Connection!), so I checked out some of the scenery of the area. Finally got a good picture of the Dragon Rocks near the bridge.

I had an ADR for Raglan Road at Pleasure Island that evening, so now seemed like a good time to leave the park and start getting ready for the evening. On my way out, I check around the Main Entrance area to see if there are any characters around, but there aren’t any. I was actually disappointed in the character variety at Animal Kingdom this year. Outside of Flik, I didn’t see any characters that don’t already appear everywhere else at WDW (Mickey, Pooh, Stitch, Baloo, etc.). I remember being able to find more unusual characters like Brer Rabbit, Mushu, and Jane Porter here before, but no one like that was anywhere to be found at Animal Kingdom on this trip. Oh, well. I head to the bus stop and head back to the Coronado.
 




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