June 6, 2005 (Monday)
Given that this was our last day
we were up around 8:30am, finished packing and had bell service get the bags around 10am so we could head out for another day at the parks. It seems by accident we have ended up at Epcot the last day of each trip and once again this was were we headed.
Upon arrival in the park, we were approached by a Disney PhotoPass photographer, which was the very first time since our trip began. He took 4 different shots, which since weve returned home and had a chance to look at them, we werent impressed. This was disappointing for me since Im the one who always takes the photos on vacation and therefore rarely end up in the photos. I sent an email to Disney PhotoPass about this complaint, but have yet to get a reply.
Then we located our Leave a Legacy tile that we did in 2003. With the help of a CM at the kiosk it was very easy to locate.
DH really wanted to visit the Wonders of Life Pavilion, but it was closed so we went to the Universe of Energy instead and walked right in and the movie started. This was a relaxing attraction, that we enjoyed. Okay, the animatronic Ellen was not one of Disney Imagineers best pieces of work
, but the dinosaurs were great! We had just enough time when we left to get to the World Showcase for our PS/ADR at Germanys Biergarten. I had made this on Sunday while we were at 50s Primetime after overhearing so many people being turned away from so many restaurants. Wed never been to Biergarten and had a good time. We were lucky to be seated with a family of 4 from Gainesville with a DW who was originally from Hamburg. She was so nice to share with us that most of the foods on the buffet were from southern Germany and some information about the various flags hanging around the room. DS who plays tuba in the junior high concert band was a bit disappointed that the Oktoberfest band only played one song with the tuba. DH was taken back to his younger days when he would go with his parents to polka dances, which was a great memory for him. After the band finished we left to wander around the World Showcase.
The Oktoberfest Band
As we passed the American pavilion we noticed the next show of American Adventure was in 15 minutes so we went inside. Boy! We sure were glad we did! We were able to hear the wonderful voices of The Voices of America during the pre-show. We were all moved by their patriotic tunes, yet DH and DS were more impressed with the performers abilities one woman had an amazing high soprano voice that literally shook the rafters.
The Voices of America
Then into the 1000 seat theater yeah! It is huge! I kept telling myself to not expect much since in 2003 I was so disappointed in the Hall of Presidents at MK. As the room darkened and Ben Franklin and Mark Twain began to speak I was mesmerized. The perspective used in the video images and the animatronic figures were so perfect. I found the story to be moving and informative, while DH noticed a bit of negligence in the truthfulness of the storyline in the way the Native Americans were portrayed as well as the role slavery played in the history of America. I dont agree with him totally. I plan to see it again and pay closer attention to that aspect of the attraction. But honestly, I just fully enjoyed the American Adventure and that was most important to me.
When we exited the American Pavilion we realized our remaining time in the park was quickly ticking away and headed past the remaining countries, stopping briefly in the United Kingdom to watch the British Invasion. Then on to Future World and the exit. We were very lucky to find a bus for OKW waiting at the bus stop so we hopped on and knew wed be back in reality soon.
Since we were using the Tiffany Town Car for our return to the airport, we got off at HH and planned to get a cold drink before we left. As the bus pulled up, we notice a black town car waiting sure enough it was our driver, who was about 20 minutes early.
Not a problem for us since we were there and just needed to grab our bags from storage. While DH took care of the bags, DS and I went into Conch Flats to buy those cold drinks for the rode. Our driver, whose name I do not remember was very nice. He loaded our luggage in (but not as efficiently as Marcus had done) and we were off for the airport. It was a nice leisurely drive with light conversation with the driver. He dropped us off directly in front of the door for our airline, expressed gratitude for using their company and said goodbye. 
We checked in at the airport without any difficulties, passed through security without a hitch in and found ourselves waiting at the gate across from another family whod stayed at OKW also. The only big glitch that happened was our flight was delayed 35 minutes out of MCO, which meant we would have no layover in Charlotte. We could deal with it and grabbed a quick snack while sitting there.
As we landed in Charlotte, a thunderstorm hit and lightning struck the field, which sent the ground crews inside until all clear. It hit again, so we waited we finally got off the plane and had 10 minutes until our connecting flight took off luckily the gate was only 2 away.
We landed back in St. Louis around 10:15pm, grabbed our bags and headed to a local hotel for the night before driving 2 hours home in the morning.
Many people probably think we didnt do much of anything on this trip to WDW, but that is fine. Our intention with this vacation was to relax and forget about all of the goings on at home. That was accomplished and we felt rejuvenated and ready to face the real world upon our return. We know that as DVC members and AP holders we will be able to return to WDW more often so there is no rush. We were even planning our itinerary for the Christmas trip in just 6 months while we sat in the airport at Orlando.
Given that this was our last day
we were up around 8:30am, finished packing and had bell service get the bags around 10am so we could head out for another day at the parks. It seems by accident we have ended up at Epcot the last day of each trip and once again this was were we headed. Upon arrival in the park, we were approached by a Disney PhotoPass photographer, which was the very first time since our trip began. He took 4 different shots, which since weve returned home and had a chance to look at them, we werent impressed. This was disappointing for me since Im the one who always takes the photos on vacation and therefore rarely end up in the photos. I sent an email to Disney PhotoPass about this complaint, but have yet to get a reply.
Then we located our Leave a Legacy tile that we did in 2003. With the help of a CM at the kiosk it was very easy to locate. DH really wanted to visit the Wonders of Life Pavilion, but it was closed so we went to the Universe of Energy instead and walked right in and the movie started. This was a relaxing attraction, that we enjoyed. Okay, the animatronic Ellen was not one of Disney Imagineers best pieces of work
, but the dinosaurs were great! We had just enough time when we left to get to the World Showcase for our PS/ADR at Germanys Biergarten. I had made this on Sunday while we were at 50s Primetime after overhearing so many people being turned away from so many restaurants. Wed never been to Biergarten and had a good time. We were lucky to be seated with a family of 4 from Gainesville with a DW who was originally from Hamburg. She was so nice to share with us that most of the foods on the buffet were from southern Germany and some information about the various flags hanging around the room. DS who plays tuba in the junior high concert band was a bit disappointed that the Oktoberfest band only played one song with the tuba. DH was taken back to his younger days when he would go with his parents to polka dances, which was a great memory for him. After the band finished we left to wander around the World Showcase.The Oktoberfest Band
As we passed the American pavilion we noticed the next show of American Adventure was in 15 minutes so we went inside. Boy! We sure were glad we did! We were able to hear the wonderful voices of The Voices of America during the pre-show. We were all moved by their patriotic tunes, yet DH and DS were more impressed with the performers abilities one woman had an amazing high soprano voice that literally shook the rafters.
The Voices of America
Then into the 1000 seat theater yeah! It is huge! I kept telling myself to not expect much since in 2003 I was so disappointed in the Hall of Presidents at MK. As the room darkened and Ben Franklin and Mark Twain began to speak I was mesmerized. The perspective used in the video images and the animatronic figures were so perfect. I found the story to be moving and informative, while DH noticed a bit of negligence in the truthfulness of the storyline in the way the Native Americans were portrayed as well as the role slavery played in the history of America. I dont agree with him totally. I plan to see it again and pay closer attention to that aspect of the attraction. But honestly, I just fully enjoyed the American Adventure and that was most important to me.
When we exited the American Pavilion we realized our remaining time in the park was quickly ticking away and headed past the remaining countries, stopping briefly in the United Kingdom to watch the British Invasion. Then on to Future World and the exit. We were very lucky to find a bus for OKW waiting at the bus stop so we hopped on and knew wed be back in reality soon.
Since we were using the Tiffany Town Car for our return to the airport, we got off at HH and planned to get a cold drink before we left. As the bus pulled up, we notice a black town car waiting sure enough it was our driver, who was about 20 minutes early.
Not a problem for us since we were there and just needed to grab our bags from storage. While DH took care of the bags, DS and I went into Conch Flats to buy those cold drinks for the rode. Our driver, whose name I do not remember was very nice. He loaded our luggage in (but not as efficiently as Marcus had done) and we were off for the airport. It was a nice leisurely drive with light conversation with the driver. He dropped us off directly in front of the door for our airline, expressed gratitude for using their company and said goodbye. We checked in at the airport without any difficulties, passed through security without a hitch in and found ourselves waiting at the gate across from another family whod stayed at OKW also. The only big glitch that happened was our flight was delayed 35 minutes out of MCO, which meant we would have no layover in Charlotte. We could deal with it and grabbed a quick snack while sitting there.
As we landed in Charlotte, a thunderstorm hit and lightning struck the field, which sent the ground crews inside until all clear. It hit again, so we waited we finally got off the plane and had 10 minutes until our connecting flight took off luckily the gate was only 2 away.
We landed back in St. Louis around 10:15pm, grabbed our bags and headed to a local hotel for the night before driving 2 hours home in the morning.
Many people probably think we didnt do much of anything on this trip to WDW, but that is fine. Our intention with this vacation was to relax and forget about all of the goings on at home. That was accomplished and we felt rejuvenated and ready to face the real world upon our return. We know that as DVC members and AP holders we will be able to return to WDW more often so there is no rush. We were even planning our itinerary for the Christmas trip in just 6 months while we sat in the airport at Orlando.
and now I will count the days til I return 
!
