Meeko's Walt Disney World Trip 2004
Well, here we go with yet another photo trip report from me. Here's the first from my report from my latest trip to WDW. I hope you enjoy reading it.
On an early Tuesday morning, the day had finally come for my annual summer trip to Walt Disney World. Like last year, it would again be only 3 ½ days, but for a change of pace, I decided this would be one of my most relaxing trips yet. This would mean a little less time in the parks, more time doing more soothing things at the resorts, and doing less character searching since I didnt need to get pictures for my web site after I shut it down recently. Hopefully, all this would work together for an enjoyable and fun vacation.
The day started before 9am when I arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter. It was the first time I had been there since it became the French Quarter when the resort combined with Dixie Landings/ Riverside a few years back, and although it was a little sad to see Bonfamilles Cafe closed down since it had always been one of my favorite places for breakfast at Walt Disney World, the resort still looked as nice as ever. There wasnt too much time to look around though- just enough to check in, check out the gift shop, and put everything in the room before catching the bus to EPCOT.
By the time I had made it to EPCOT, there was still more than one hour before World Showcase opened. This meant that there was a little time to spend in Future World. After taking the usual stroll through Leave a Legacy and under Spaceship Earth, it was over to the tip board to see how the waits at the Future World attractions were. I was planning on doing the Living Seas since it had been quite a few years since I had been there, and when the tip board said there was no wait, I headed right over there.
Before entering the pavilion, I took a look at the new Finding Nemo garden that was nearby. It looks like a nice addition, and even in the early morning with few people in that area of the park, it was one of the most popular photo spots I saw the whole trip. Inside the pavilion, things seemed to have changed a little since I was there last. The United Technology movie at the beginning was gone (not a horrible loss IMO) and they also let you bypass the other training briefing at the beginning and let you go straight to the hydrolators if you wish. Having never been overly found of the movie, I started with the hydrolators to Sea Base Alpha. The Nemo area that was new was pretty cute and the rest of the tanks were cooler than I remembered. The dolphins and manatees were a lot of fun to watch and blue tangs were hilarious. I can understand why PIXAR knew a blue tang like Dory would be a good choice for a comic relief character. Theyre even funnier in real life than in the movie. On the way out, I noticed Nemo and his seaweed friends doing meet-and-greets. After Living Seas, there was still some extra time before World Showcase opened, so I used the time to do a quick visit to Ice Station Cool to try some of my favorite drinks again.
In World Showcase, Canada would be my first stop. There, I spent some time in the Victoria Gardens. After that, I saw the Characters on Holiday bus arriving at Showcase Plaza. I checked to see who was over there, but there werent any characters I was that interested in meeting, so I went back to Canada to check out the gift shops. Next it was on to the United Kingdom. Again, I looked around the shops and gardens as usual.
On the walk from the UK to France, I noticed some dark clouds that appeared to be coming in from the Boardwalk/ Yacht and Beach Club area. Since I had priority seating at Morocco at noon, I decided to skip France for now and head to Morocco. If it did begin to rain, it would be easier to get to Marrakesh without getting as wet as I would if I had to go from France to Morocco in the rain.
There was enough time to take a little look around the pavilion before lunch, so looked through some of the exhibits and marketplace before the PS came up. Lunch was wonderful as usual and I was able to see the show they have there as well. During lunch, it began to rain a bit, but the rain didnt last too long. By the end of the meal, the sun was out, but it was still sprinkling very lightly. When I came out of the restaurant, I noticed Princess Jasmine walking over to the nearby meet-and-greet location. I decided this year I would do less character seeking than some of my other trips, but I decided I would meet as many of the princesses as I could. I made my way over to the area and both Jasmine and Aladdin were there. After getting their picture, I moved on to France.
My first stop in France would be Belles library. Belle was doing meet-and-greets there, so I got her picture and then headed to see some of the shops in the pavilion. After I did, I checked my digital camera to see how the pictures I took of Jasmine and Aladdin in Morocco and Belle in her library I took came out. Because there was so much light coming through the stained glass window behind Belle, her photo, even with flash, turned out to be little more than a silhouette of her. I went back to the library to see if there was a short line to see her and discovered there was none. I told her about the picture and she asked if she could pose for another against a wall without a window. I took her photo again and she reminded me to check to see if it turned out. I did and then showed it to her. Pleased, she said that she liked that backdrop even better than the window. Princess Aurora was also in the room now, and she agreed to have her picture taken as well. After that, there was still no one else around, so I asked if they wouldnt mind posing for a picture together. They agreed, and after I too their picture and, to their delight, showed both of them how it turned out. After that, I thanked them, said good-bye and headed off to Japan.
Next up in part two, the rest of my afternoon at EPCOT an an evening at Downtown Disney Marketplace. 
