dizneycc
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
- Messages
- 532
Cast
Me-36
DH-36
(Note: DHs plans changed and he couldnt join me in Orlando until Friday. I decided not to change my original plans and headed down alone. This was going to be my first time touring a park alone, so I chose Epcot. It is my favorite park, with so much to do and see!)
Arrival
May 12, 2004
Flew out of Norfolk, VA on Southwest at 730 pm
Arrived at MCO at 9pm
We always use Dollar car rental. I had joined up for fastlane after our last trip when I had to wait in line for over an hour to get a car. Of course, when I arrived this time, on a Wednesday night, there wasnt a line and I was next anyway. Check in was smooth. Another nice thing about fastlane was when I walked across the road to pick up the car, fastlane cars are waiting for you right next to the key pickup window. I had received a coupon for an upgrade when I joined fastlane, but I had already reserved an intermediate car (Taurus) and with gas prices the way they were, I didnt want anything bigger!
I had decided to use the new Publix on Vineland Road for my grocery stop since I had seen this on Debs website, and I knew where it was. I arrived there at 1010 pm, only to find they were already closed for the evening!!! Fortunately, I had brought all my snacks with me and all I needed was a few gallons of water, so I just went into the Walgreens next door.
Its a tradition that we always drive past Downtown Disney on our way to our hotel, so I cut down Vineland Road to 535, then down Hotel Plaza Drive. Within minutes, I was driving by the Marketplace, a sure sign that I was indeed at Disney World!!!!
I arrived at Shades of Green sometime around 11pm. Valet parked the car, which was free, except, of course, for the tipping. I used valet the entire time I was there. It was great. All I had to do was call down before I left the room and the car was waiting for me.
I had requested a top level floor room with a golf course view. I didnt get either.
Instead I was in the original wing overlooking Evergreens. I could see the pool if I leaned over the railing and looked left. But it was really quiet and I enjoyed it.
The room was the same as it had been before they closed down. Two queen beds, a pull out couch, table with four chairs and a refrigerator that wouldnt hold a gallon of water. The room was clean and comfortable. The shower gel and shampoo was as awful as I had read it would be. I had brought my own shampoo, knowing what to expect, but I had to make do with the apple smelling shampoo, that you couldnt even get worked up into lather.
It amazes me that SOG has three full service restaurants and not a food court. I think that a food court would have been a great addition during the renovations! But, thats just my opinion.
Anyway, I unpacked and before I knew it I was dreaming of Mickey and my first solo trip to Epcot!
Day 1
May 13
Took my time getting ready and drank my tea on the balcony. Just enjoyed being at Disney for a while! Then I headed over to Epcot. I had decided to give the SOG transportation a shot! The bus was waiting for me when I arrived downstairs. The buses are still picking you up outside the lobby, but I dont think it will be long before they start picking you up downstairs. They were painting the railing on the way down while we were there. The bus takes you to the TTC where you have to catch the monorail to Epcot. I think it was about 1030 by the time I arrived at Epcot. Since I was on my own, I wanted to catch the entertainment type stuff that we usually dont get a chance to see because we are on a mission.
First I watched Kristos. They did their act in front of the fountain on the walkway to World Showcase. Three performers dressed like aliens who do some acrobatic type stuff. A lot of bending, etc. Glad I finally caught this, but not a big deal. Lasted about 7 minutes.
Next for some shopping while waiting for the Jammitors~ They are a Stomp like group. Played music on trash cans, flower pots and trash can lids. They perform in the Innovations breezeway on the Mission Space side. They were great. I will definitely catch this again.
Then I was able to walk into the pre-show for Ellens Energy adventure. I forgot what a great show this was. The ride was great too. But the little girl next to me, about 6 or 7, was very scared most of the show.
For some reason, I tend to do World Showcase counter clockwise. My first stop was Canada to see Off Kilter for the first time!!! We already have one of their CDs, but we have never seen the show. I must say they were as great as I expected!!! I really enjoyed the umbrellas over the seats. Im thinking that it might not be as great a show without Jamie. He truly made the show.
I got some fish and chips in UK and went back to get a seat for British Invasion. I had a nice conversation with a couple from West Palm Beach while eating my fish and chips. Since I was never a Beetles fan, I didnt enjoy the show and I left after a couple songs.
Next stop was France. I had seen the Serveur Amusant before, but DH hurried me along. This time I sat and waited for it to begin and stayed for the whole show. It is very funny and if you havent seen it, I dont want to give it away. Pure Disney entertainment.
Next stop America! I wanted to see Voices of Liberty and American Vybe. American Vybe was just finishing up a set when I entered the room. So I sat and watched that, then Voices of Liberty started. WOW, again, just as great as I expected. Then I stayed around and got a better seat for the next American Vybe show. Soooooo great!!! I even got their CD later that night.
Also saw the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corp. Very cute. If you have little ones, let them join in and they will get a free souvenir when it is over.
By now it was 4pm and I was toying with the idea of returning to SOG for awhile before Illuminations. However, being a hockey fan, I knew that I would wind up at Evergreens watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and never getting back to Epcot, so I opted to stay for the rest of the evening. I stopped at the Fountainview Bakery and got some fruit and a piece of cheesecake, (I figure they balanced each other out), and a soda. I sat on the porch for over an hour. There was a wonderful breeze blowing and it just felt so great to sit and people watch. I even started to write up some of my trip report. Also, it was a very windy day, and I got a kick out of watching innocent passer byers getting soaked by the fountain. I mean soaked! When it was blowing at its full height, the wind would just drop the water down like buckets on these poor people.
(Question: I heard a clock ringing out the hour while I was sitting on the Fountainview porch. Does anyone know where the clock is?)
I had some time, so I wandered over to the Living Seas. It has been years since I was in there. Great way to spend an hour or so, exploring and watching the fish. I even saw some people doing the diving lessons.
By now it was almost 7pm, so I headed back over to World Showcase. I caught the end of Dave Mason at the America Gardens Theater. Then I got a glass of wine in Italy
and found an open bench. I sat there and enjoyed people watching. Also, they were setting up for a wedding, so I watched that. I shared my bench with a young couple from Texas and we watched Illuminations and the wedding.
After Illuminations was over, I continued walking counter clockwise out towards future world. I found an open bench and watched the fountain until about 945pm while all the people filtered out.
Then I took the monorail back to the TTC and waited about 10 minutes for the SOG bus. 9am tomorrow morning I have to pick DH up at the airport.
Thoughts on the day ..
1. Absolutely loved being able to explore Epcot on my own!!!! Already trying to figure out a way to do it again in the very near future!!!
2. Although the flowers were beautiful for the Flower and Garden show, they are always beautiful, so I didnt think it was that much more amazing.
3. Why dont they have hand dryers in the bathrooms? Everything else is automatic. I dont understand all the paper waste!
Me-36
DH-36
(Note: DHs plans changed and he couldnt join me in Orlando until Friday. I decided not to change my original plans and headed down alone. This was going to be my first time touring a park alone, so I chose Epcot. It is my favorite park, with so much to do and see!)
Arrival
May 12, 2004
Flew out of Norfolk, VA on Southwest at 730 pm
Arrived at MCO at 9pm
We always use Dollar car rental. I had joined up for fastlane after our last trip when I had to wait in line for over an hour to get a car. Of course, when I arrived this time, on a Wednesday night, there wasnt a line and I was next anyway. Check in was smooth. Another nice thing about fastlane was when I walked across the road to pick up the car, fastlane cars are waiting for you right next to the key pickup window. I had received a coupon for an upgrade when I joined fastlane, but I had already reserved an intermediate car (Taurus) and with gas prices the way they were, I didnt want anything bigger!
I had decided to use the new Publix on Vineland Road for my grocery stop since I had seen this on Debs website, and I knew where it was. I arrived there at 1010 pm, only to find they were already closed for the evening!!! Fortunately, I had brought all my snacks with me and all I needed was a few gallons of water, so I just went into the Walgreens next door.
Its a tradition that we always drive past Downtown Disney on our way to our hotel, so I cut down Vineland Road to 535, then down Hotel Plaza Drive. Within minutes, I was driving by the Marketplace, a sure sign that I was indeed at Disney World!!!!
I arrived at Shades of Green sometime around 11pm. Valet parked the car, which was free, except, of course, for the tipping. I used valet the entire time I was there. It was great. All I had to do was call down before I left the room and the car was waiting for me.
I had requested a top level floor room with a golf course view. I didnt get either.
Instead I was in the original wing overlooking Evergreens. I could see the pool if I leaned over the railing and looked left. But it was really quiet and I enjoyed it.The room was the same as it had been before they closed down. Two queen beds, a pull out couch, table with four chairs and a refrigerator that wouldnt hold a gallon of water. The room was clean and comfortable. The shower gel and shampoo was as awful as I had read it would be. I had brought my own shampoo, knowing what to expect, but I had to make do with the apple smelling shampoo, that you couldnt even get worked up into lather.
It amazes me that SOG has three full service restaurants and not a food court. I think that a food court would have been a great addition during the renovations! But, thats just my opinion.
Anyway, I unpacked and before I knew it I was dreaming of Mickey and my first solo trip to Epcot!
Day 1
May 13
Took my time getting ready and drank my tea on the balcony. Just enjoyed being at Disney for a while! Then I headed over to Epcot. I had decided to give the SOG transportation a shot! The bus was waiting for me when I arrived downstairs. The buses are still picking you up outside the lobby, but I dont think it will be long before they start picking you up downstairs. They were painting the railing on the way down while we were there. The bus takes you to the TTC where you have to catch the monorail to Epcot. I think it was about 1030 by the time I arrived at Epcot. Since I was on my own, I wanted to catch the entertainment type stuff that we usually dont get a chance to see because we are on a mission.
First I watched Kristos. They did their act in front of the fountain on the walkway to World Showcase. Three performers dressed like aliens who do some acrobatic type stuff. A lot of bending, etc. Glad I finally caught this, but not a big deal. Lasted about 7 minutes.
Next for some shopping while waiting for the Jammitors~ They are a Stomp like group. Played music on trash cans, flower pots and trash can lids. They perform in the Innovations breezeway on the Mission Space side. They were great. I will definitely catch this again.
Then I was able to walk into the pre-show for Ellens Energy adventure. I forgot what a great show this was. The ride was great too. But the little girl next to me, about 6 or 7, was very scared most of the show.
For some reason, I tend to do World Showcase counter clockwise. My first stop was Canada to see Off Kilter for the first time!!! We already have one of their CDs, but we have never seen the show. I must say they were as great as I expected!!! I really enjoyed the umbrellas over the seats. Im thinking that it might not be as great a show without Jamie. He truly made the show.
I got some fish and chips in UK and went back to get a seat for British Invasion. I had a nice conversation with a couple from West Palm Beach while eating my fish and chips. Since I was never a Beetles fan, I didnt enjoy the show and I left after a couple songs.
Next stop was France. I had seen the Serveur Amusant before, but DH hurried me along. This time I sat and waited for it to begin and stayed for the whole show. It is very funny and if you havent seen it, I dont want to give it away. Pure Disney entertainment.
Next stop America! I wanted to see Voices of Liberty and American Vybe. American Vybe was just finishing up a set when I entered the room. So I sat and watched that, then Voices of Liberty started. WOW, again, just as great as I expected. Then I stayed around and got a better seat for the next American Vybe show. Soooooo great!!! I even got their CD later that night.
Also saw the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corp. Very cute. If you have little ones, let them join in and they will get a free souvenir when it is over.
By now it was 4pm and I was toying with the idea of returning to SOG for awhile before Illuminations. However, being a hockey fan, I knew that I would wind up at Evergreens watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and never getting back to Epcot, so I opted to stay for the rest of the evening. I stopped at the Fountainview Bakery and got some fruit and a piece of cheesecake, (I figure they balanced each other out), and a soda. I sat on the porch for over an hour. There was a wonderful breeze blowing and it just felt so great to sit and people watch. I even started to write up some of my trip report. Also, it was a very windy day, and I got a kick out of watching innocent passer byers getting soaked by the fountain. I mean soaked! When it was blowing at its full height, the wind would just drop the water down like buckets on these poor people.
(Question: I heard a clock ringing out the hour while I was sitting on the Fountainview porch. Does anyone know where the clock is?)I had some time, so I wandered over to the Living Seas. It has been years since I was in there. Great way to spend an hour or so, exploring and watching the fish. I even saw some people doing the diving lessons.
By now it was almost 7pm, so I headed back over to World Showcase. I caught the end of Dave Mason at the America Gardens Theater. Then I got a glass of wine in Italy
and found an open bench. I sat there and enjoyed people watching. Also, they were setting up for a wedding, so I watched that. I shared my bench with a young couple from Texas and we watched Illuminations and the wedding. After Illuminations was over, I continued walking counter clockwise out towards future world. I found an open bench and watched the fountain until about 945pm while all the people filtered out.
Then I took the monorail back to the TTC and waited about 10 minutes for the SOG bus. 9am tomorrow morning I have to pick DH up at the airport.
Thoughts on the day ..
1. Absolutely loved being able to explore Epcot on my own!!!! Already trying to figure out a way to do it again in the very near future!!!
2. Although the flowers were beautiful for the Flower and Garden show, they are always beautiful, so I didnt think it was that much more amazing.
3. Why dont they have hand dryers in the bathrooms? Everything else is automatic. I dont understand all the paper waste!
I would love to do Epcot solo!*sigh* One of these days....
