Memories of the DREAM come true .. 08/09 All 30 days done!

[dizneeat]

Day 23, September 4

A show, a safari and an expedition in the morning and fireworks and Extra Magic in the evening - Part 2

Once the show was over we finally headed over to Expedition Everest and went past the long line at the standby entrance and over to the Fastpass machines.
They still had Fastpasses for around 11am and that seemed perfect. We picked up the passes, turned round and decided against getting into the standby line and instead headed over to the Kilimanjaro Safari. When we arrived the standby line wait was 25 minutes, but that was okay with us.
We were surprised to see lines weave through areas we hadn’t lined up in before but since the line moved steadily it wasn’t a big problem.

It did indeed take about half an hour until we were finally seated in one of the Safari vehicles.

We were lucky as the two of us were seated in a row of our own and off we went.

The animals were very active that day and we got to see many of them roaming around.

Ever since we have been on the Wild Africa Tour we also watch out for tour groups as they are often hard to spot, but this time we were able to spot a tour and it was so fun to see them, brought back a lot of memories.

All too soon the ride came to an end and we got off. We were both thirsty, so we got a Diet Coke at one of the stands,

found a table near the water and sat and people watched for a while. Once we had finished our drink and were refreshed we got underway and over to Expedition Everest. We were stunned to see that they still offered Fast Passes that were good for shortly past midday,

so we picked up a second set. Then we took our first set of Fast Passes and got into line. We made it to the front of the line pretty quickly and Tom asked if there was a chance to ride in the front. Sure they would let us ride in the front car, we just had to step aside and wait for about a minute. With a wave of his hand the Cast Member signalled us to go to the front row and in no time we were seated and off we went. This is such a fun ride and we both especially love to ride it in the front row, as you have an amazing view of all of Walt Disney World.

When we returned from our ride we thought about what to do as we had about half an hour until our next Fast Pass would open up. We discussed getting into the standby line, but it snaked through the tea garden and it was hot and that was just not what we wanted. So we decided to stroll over to Dinoland and just have a look around. We walked through the little gift shop next to Prime evil whirl and then strolled over to the Dinosaur ride.
They were just opening it up again after it had been down and the line was supposed to only be 5 minutes so that was what we went to do. We walked through the first room and into the pre-show and right onto a ride vehicle. The ride is still nice, but it is a bit too dark for me, I’d rather see a little bit of the scenes. When we got off we had about 10 more minutes until our next ride on Everest, so we walked back to the ride and took pictures of the train speeding down

until it was time to use our Fast Pass tickets again. Again it did not take long until we had reached the end of the line. Tom asked for front row again and we were granted it. This time we had to wait for two trains to go through and then it was our turn again.

When we got off the ride the skies had gotten dark and we knew we were in for an afternoon rain storm.

To be continued ..........

 

[englishrose47]

You are sooo brave !!!I could not possibly ride EE let alone the front row !!!As for Dinasaur I LOVE it !!!!

 

[dizneeat]

You are sooo brave !!!I could not possibly ride EE let alone the front row !!!As for Dinasaur I LOVE it !!!!

Rosie, Tom and I just LOVE the roller coasters. EE is awesome from the front row as you get to enjoy the wonderful view over ALL of WDW.
I like Dinosaur too, but I liked it more when there was a little more light on. It is too dark now!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

How in the heck did you get such good pictures while ridng EE? I have to ride EE again it has been awhile since I rode it.

 

[baseballmickey]

Hi! Found your TR and I've read up to your docking back in Port Canaveral on the first leg of your cruises. Love all the food pics you took!!

We are sailing on the Dream in about 2 weeks!!

I'll be back to read more!!

 

[dizneeat]

How in the heck did you get such good pictures while ridng EE? I have to ride EE again it has been awhile since I rode it.

I used my little point and shoot camera .... and it helps if you sit front row - no heads!!!
But I was extremely lucky with the pictures on this trip, as they not always turn out so nice.

Hi! Found your TR and I've read up to your docking back in Port Canaveral on the first leg of your cruises. Love all the food pics you took!!

We are sailing on the Dream in about 2 weeks!!

I'll be back to read more!!

Welcome!
I am so happy you found my trip report and enjoy reading it. We just love our food ... hence there are lots of photos of food.

Is this the first time you are going to sail on the DREAM? It is such a beautiful ship and we cannot wait to go back in about 6 weeks.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 23, September 4

A show, a safari and an expedition in the morning and fireworks and Extra Magic in the evening - Part 3

When we got off the ride the skies had gotten dark and we knew we were in for an afternoon rain storm.
So we headed towards the exit, but made a pit stop to pick up a Turkey leg and have it wrapped.
We took it with us to eat at our villa lateron. Once we had gotten to the tram it did not take long and we were on our way out to our car. We got in and started driving towards Old Key West when it began to rain. Back at the resort it was raining lightly and we hurried inside our villa.
Since we were hungry we took the salads out of the fridge, prepared some Caesar salad and put the turkey leg on the table.

We sat in front of the TV, watching talkshows, while having our lunch. Once we had finished our picnic, I cut the cake pop into pieces and we nibbled on those for dessert.

Since it was still raining heavily we watched TV, I booked us a room for next summer with Free dining and just relaxed.

At 5pm we watched the Disney Dream sail out again

and around 6.30 when the rain had stopped we got ready to head out again. We arrived at the Grand Floridian Resort a little early and checked out the resort for a while until checking in for our reservation at the Grand Floridian Café. We had to wait for about 10 minutes and then we were led to our table.
We ordered two Diet Cokes and had a look at the drinks menu too. Tom ordered

a Mojito, while I wanted

a Pina Colava. While we were waiting for the drinks we were served

some rolls and

butter sprinkled with seasalt. We were discussing the evening while waiting for our main courses which were delivered shortly after. Tom had ordered

the Pan Seared Halibut, served with roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Broccolini. I had ordered

the Grand Floridian Burger, Angus Chuck Burger, butter-poached Lobster, with red onion marmalade, crispy prosciutto and arugula on a brioche bun with chips. We both were very pleased with our food, but since we had snacked a lot all afternoon we decided against dessert and after paying our bill we headed to the Monorail to ride over to the Magic Kingdom.
When we arrived at the platform there were already a lot of people waiting and we later learned that they were having problems with the Monorail and the Resort Monorail was seriously delayed. There were a few Express Monorails coming through until the first Resort one came in. We were able to squeeze in and headed over to the Magic Kingdom, which was open late for Extra Magic Hours.
We arrived around 20 minutes before Wishes was supposed to start, so we spend a little time in the shops browsing, before we headed back to Main Street, found a nice spot and waited for the fireworks to start.

To be continued ..........

 

[dizneeat]

Day 23, September 4

A show, a safari and an expedition in the morning and fireworks and Extra Magic in the evening - Part 4

We arrived around 20 minutes before Wishes was supposed to start, so we spend a little time in the shops browsing, before we headed back to Main Street, found a nice spot and waited for the fireworks to start.

As always Wishes was wonderful to watch and there were many oohs and aahs to be heard from the people around us. The Magic Kingdom was still packed when the fireworks ended and even though there was a steady stream of people walking towards the exit, it didn’t seem to impact the crowds. So to get out of the way and let it all die down a bit we walked over to the Peoplemover and found a line, a short line, but a line none the less.

We still got onto the ride in 5 minutes and enjoyed the view and people watching from this perspective. Once we got off the Peoplemover we checked the line for Space Mountain, but it was still too long, so we walked over to Fantasyland. Most of the rides had quite a line and there was even one for It’s a small World, but it was short enough we wanted to get into it.

I got handed a red tag to check the time it takes to make it through the line and we were seated soon enough and went off on the happiest cruise that ever sailed. When we got off we walked over to Haunted Mansion, but the line was still too long and we didn’t want to wait along the water’s edge in the dark, so we headed over towards Big Thunder Mountain, but then we took the shortcut over to the Jungle Cruise. We waited for about 15 minutes until we got on our cruise.

The Skipper was too funny, sticking to basic jokes and then throwing in a few of his own. Especially since it was dark he had to fill in a few gaps and had the whole boat in stitches with his jokes. Far too soon it was time to get off again, and our next stop was Pirates of the Caribbean. We walked up to the doors, but were directed away again, since the ride was down. So, there was one more ride we wanted to do that day, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We walked over and to our amazement we saw that the line was pretty short. No question we were in the line as soon as we could.
We asked if we could sit in the last row and were told that if we wanted to wait, we could. So we rode in the last row, enjoying it immensely. And since there was still time left we just walked around and got in line again. Same procedure, we asked for last row and were granted our wish. When we got off it was 10 to 1am and we decided to head towards the exit. It was exactly 1am when we went through the turnstiles

and headed towards the Monorail. We picked up the car and drove back to Old Key West. We were both so tired, we just fell into bed.

To be continued ..........

 

[jenseib]

I LOVE this picture!!!!

I do love the late night EMH's at MK. I ust wish those "other" people would leave faster so I can get on the rides.

 

[dizneeat]

I LOVE this picture!!!!

I do love the late night EMH's at MK. I ust wish those "other" people would leave faster so I can get on the rides.

Thanks, Jen!
I am glad you like it and so with you on the late EMHs!

 

[englishrose47]

Great updates !! That Burger looked interesting !!!!Love the Wishes pix !!!I am hoping to get Wishes Dessrt party seats in October !!!

 

[dizneeat]

Great updates !! That Burger looked interesting !!!!Love the Wishes pix !!!I am hoping to get Wishes Dessrt party seats in October !!!

It WAS a great burger, unfortunately they messed with it and it is different now, but I have discovered a similar burger at the Turf Club!

Hope you'll get to go to the Dessert Party. It is awesome. Just be there early as the buffet gets raided as soon as they open. They do refill, but sometimes they run out of things.

 

[annmarieda]

And now I am caught up with this tread!!!


I can't believe how crowded the street up to Sorcerers Hat was.

yay for ToT 4 times in one morning!!!

Disney channel rocks show was something I wanted to see in December...but sadly we missed.

Toms Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwich looks so yummy. When I first saw the picture I thought “why have I not tried that?” Then I read “PESTO” That would be why. I tend to stick with the salmon... YUM

Great seats for Nemo! LOVE the pictures

OMG, your pictures on EE are AMAZING!

I also love your firework pictures... especially this one

And...as I read on... I had to laugh cause Jen also picked that very same picture out!! See... it is an amazing shot!

 

[dizneeat]

And now I am caught up with this tread!!!


I can't believe how crowded the street up to Sorcerers Hat was.

yay for ToT 4 times in one morning!!!

Disney channel rocks show was something I wanted to see in December...but sadly we missed.

Toms Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwich looks so yummy. When I first saw the picture I thought “why have I not tried that?” Then I read “PESTO” That would be why. I tend to stick with the salmon... YUM

Great seats for Nemo! LOVE the pictures

OMG, your pictures on EE are AMAZING!

I also love your firework pictures... especially this one

And...as I read on... I had to laugh cause Jen also picked that very same picture out!! See... it is an amazing shot!

you are one busy lady, writing your own TR and catching up!
Some days of our vacation it was pretty crowded but thankfully it died down towards the end of our vacation, hence the 4 ToT rides.

We just love riding EE and since tom mostly asks for front row I usually ride with my camera in hand and I got some pretty good shots there.

Plus I sometimes get lucky with fireworks pics too. Tom has a much better camera and his photos mostly turn out pretty good, but as you can see mine are mostly blurry and there now and then is a good shot in between.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 24, September 5

………… and a whole can of whipped cream!!! - Part 1

Even though we had gotten into bed pretty late we were up again at 7.30. Just a little later there was a knock at the door.
First we thought we must have heard some knock from the studio next door, but there it was again. Still not dressed very presentable I looked out the peep hole and there were the Fishermans. We very briefly talked and asked them to be patient until we had gotten dressed properly.
10 minutes later they were back and this time we were ready for visitors. They brought more presents and we sat and talked for a while and decided on meeting up with them in the afternoon as it was their last full day at Walt Disney World.
Once they were gone we got ready to head out and went to do some more outlet mall shopping. We went to the Premium Outlets and did some window shopping for a suitcase, went through the Disney outlet and strolled through a few other stores. When we wanted to drive back to our resort, the way we had come from was blocked, so we thought why not drive around and find another exit. While that was not as easy as it sounded, we did find something else. Another huge Publix market, which we decided to pay a visit. We did pick up a few more items and since they had a huge wine selection we looked for Silverado wines. They had several different ones and we were in heaven. We picked up two bottles and then headed towards check-out. Once we had everything in our car and were finally on the way back to the resort we quickly forgot about the idea of having lunch in one of the park restaurants, but instead we wanted to try something we had heard about, but never had the time to do. We went to Steak ‘n’ Shake.
We used our GPS to find one, and since there was one close by we were on our way right away. Within a few minutes we drove into the parking lot and were on our way to the restaurant. We stopped outside to read the menu and decided to give it a try. A super friendly server took us to our table,

handed us a menu and took our drinks order. She very soon returned with a Diet Coke for me and a shake for Tom. With a name like Steak ‘n’ Shake we figured their milk shakes must be good, so Tom decided on trying their

Cookies 'n Cream Milk Shake. It’s hand-dipped, made with real milk and topped with whipped cream and it was easy to say that he loved it. A little while later our lunch arrived. Tom had ordered the

Guacamole Steakburger, two hot-off-the-grill Steakburgers with cheese on a toasted bun, fresh, made-from-scratch guacamole, cilantro, squeezed lemons and limes and spicy chipotle mayo, served with thin 'n crispy fries. It looked huge, and it smelled and tasted delicious. I had ordered the

Cheesy Cheddar Steakburger, a Double Steakburger, smothered with loads of melted Wisconsin Cheddar served with lettuce, vine ripened tomato and fries. This was a very different burger to the ones we usually have and we both enjoyed our meal and when we were done we could not believe how low the bill was.
We walked back to the car and drove back to our villa, where we spent some more time enjoying our balcony and checking the internet. But we didn’t have much time to spend at Old Key West, as we were to meet with the Fishermens for a special treat. So very soon we left our villa again and drove over to the Beach Club Resort.
Jeff and his family were already there and we all signed in at Beaches and Cream. They told us that for our party size the wait would be at least an hour. Okay. Since it was pretty hot outside we just walked next door to the arcade. Molly and Philip already had game cards and went to play several games.

We have not spent much time in the arcades, so this was especially interesting. The kids were so happy to play, so we got them some new cards so they could continue playing. They even took some fun photos in one of the photo booths and we had lots of fun together.

Time flew by and finally our beeper went off.

To be continued ..........

 

[jenseib]

Kids just love the arcades. Claire usually has no clue how to play half the games...but she still thinks we should go in...I try to avoid them like the plague!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Kids just love the arcades. Claire usually has no clue how to play half the games...but she stil lthinks we sould go in...I try to avoid them like the plague!!!

We have never been to the Arcades. There were times when you would get a free arcade card with a reservation and we would find someone to give it away to.
But being in there with Jeff's kids was so much fun and you could see the excitement in their eyes.

 

[eandesmom]

all caught up! I love me some Steak and Shake, haven't had that in several years and it probably would have been better that I didn't know there was any in Florida as I'm now thinking htat maybe we shoudl go there for lunch!

Not that it really fits into our plans but...YUM!

Wonderful EMH fireworks pics!

 

[KatMark]

Karin, I promise I'm still reading....just don't have a lot of time to post. Great fireworks pictures

 

[englishrose47]

Karin I do believe you jogged my memorywith Steak and Shake , that is the restaurant in Erie Pa that I was told was a great bargain and good food , and now I see that milkshake Tom had OH YEA!!!!!!!