On a collision course with Disney June 2007

[Snowysmom]

This is my first attempt at a trip report so here goes nothing. We were at WDW June 17 until June 25. This was a celebration trip for older DS's college graduation, younger DS's high school graduation, and our 30th anniversary trip (our 30th was actually last July!) A plus for this trip is we get to go to a wedding at the Wedding Pavilion so I am excited about that.

Cast: Me trip planner
DH
Older DS 21
Younger DS 17

We left Logan at 8:15 am on Delta and were actually at MCO early which was nice. I love when we get on the transit train at MCO. I even like the ladies room right near the gate on our way to the transit train. I feel like I am home. We got our luggage, our rental at National, and off we go. We got a Toyota Highlander at an outstanding rate.
DH always wants to stop at Goodings even though I wanted to find the Winn Dixie so after a stop at Goodings, we were on our way to POFQ. Our room was ready so we dropped off the luggage and had lunch at the food court. Then it was off to MK. I love riding the bus to MK and then seeing the train station and Main St. It makes me feel so peaceful. We started off at Monster Inc laughing floor which is a cute little show. Then the kids got fast passes for Space Mountain. When their time came up, they ended up having to wait because the ride broke down. That took about 45 minutes.We rode on Buzz Lightyear, TTA (we still call it Wedway.) Then we had an ADR for Plaza Restaurant. The food here is OK, we had the reubens and burgers. But, the milkshakes are delicious and the service is great. After dinner, we went on Small World. Since we had been up since 3 am, we were exhausted so we went back to the room to rest up for tomorrow. The kids were kind enough to go fill our refillable mugs. I keep telling them there was a reason we had them. They talked with their girlfriends back home and all is right with the world. Good night.

 

[Snowysmom]

Day 2 Monday June 18

We went to MGM today and specifically wanted to see the cars stunt show. It didn't start until 11:50 so we went on the backlot tour. Then we got into the stadium for the stunt show. It was really good. I think the guys enjoyed it more than I did but it was still worth seeing. We then went to the other end of the part where we got fast passes for Rock N' Roll coaster with a return time of 4:55 pm. and the kids went on Tower of Terror. It was only a 30 minute wait which wasn't bad for noon time. DH and I found a cool shop to wait in. We went to the Flatbread Company for lunch. The pulled pork is good as well as the chicken caesar wrap. The kids and I went on Star Tours and then we all saw the Muppet show. The Muppets is always a must for us. We then went on the Great Movie ride. Our ride car was having trouble and it would stop periodically. When the gangster came into our car, he couldn't get it to move so he had to ad lib for a while until it got fixed. Extra actors even came in from the set to help him out. It was kind of funny. It was time to go to Rock N' roll Coaster for our fast passes. DH does not do coasters so the kids and I went on. This is the first time I kept my eyes open through the whole ride. Usually I don't care for MGM that much but this time I really had a good time. We went back to POFQ and had dinner at the food court. DH and the kids went into the pool. Again the kids nicely refilled our mugs and called their girlfriends (after 9:00 pm for the free nights deal.) Time to turn out the lights.

 

[Snowysmom]

I am on a roll and decided to post another day.

Day 3 June 19.

Today we went offsite to Kennedy Space Center. The kids have never been here before. DH and I went here on our honeymoon in 1976 so things have changed just a little bit.

They take security very seriously here and really looked at my bag that I carry and we had to empty our pockets and walk through a metal detector. We got on the bus tour and went out to the first stop. On the way we saw the huge vehicle assembly building. In 1976 we got to go inside the building but with the shuttle program, it is no longer open to the public. We went up onto the platform from where you can see the launching pads. We also could see Cape Canaveral on the other side. The next stop on the tour was a launch simulation. Then we went into a big area where there was Saturn V and other equipment. We got some food for lunch but I would not recommend it. The food was overpriced and mediocre. The next stop on the tour was all about the Space station that NASA is working on. We then went back to the main area and saw an IMAX film about moon landings. After that we saw the inside of a shuttle vehicle. DH is a big space fanatic and could tell us everything about the Gemini and Apollo programs. The kids really enjoyed it and I am glad we waited until they were older to see it.

This is where the collision course comes in to play. On the way back to Disney, we were sitting at the end of a ramp off I-4 near Crossroads. The light was red and the sign said no turn on red. The guy coming down the ramp behind us did not stop and plowed into us. We were able to drive to the nearest parking lot. No one was hurt thankfully except for a little sore neck and uper back. I really thought the rear of the SUV would be badly damaged but there were only scrapes. The other guys car had a bent hood and broken headlight. He took total responsibility and it was his fault. Both cars were driveable.So we exchanged info, called the police (they never showed up) and we went to the National car office on site. We filed a report with them. Then we called the police to find out where to go to get an accident report. We called Kissimmee Police and DS told them we wanted an accident report. We got directions and went there. We got there and they told us they did not have any accident reports. We drove 30 minutes for nothing. They said we could get a report from Disney Security. Now they tell us! We did get the report and Disney Security was very nice and even made sure we were all OK. However, I had to spend precious vacation time over the next few days calling insurance and rental car companies so I was not pleased. We finally ate dinner at Sizzler at 9:45 pm. We headed back to POFQ and fell into bed.

 

[Snowysmom]

Wednesday June 20

We went to Typhoon Lagoon today. We made sure to get up early to take advantage of the early entry for resort guests. We got there a little after 8, got locker, a chair, and the kids got on all the water slides by 9 am. Some slides they did twice. We also had a nice uncrowded spin around the park in the lazy river. Then we did the wave pool for a while and it was just starting to get crowded when we left. We went back to POFQ and went in the pool there for a while. I also did some laundry which is a necessary evil on the trip.

We ate at the POFQ foodcourt and then went to AK. I was surprised at how crowded it was. The kids did get on Expedition Everest. I wanted to go on but since my neck and back were still a bit sore from the car accident, I really didn't want to risk anything. We then went on the Safari ride. We looked around and just kind of wandered a bit. Then we had to leave for an ADR at Boma.

We got to AKL a bit early so we looked around. We had stayed here before so it was like a homecoming. We checked in at Boma and only waited about 5 minutes before being seated. It was very crowded and there were long lines at each station. This restaurant is a family favorite. DH loves the soups and sampled all 4. The kids like the meats. I love the desserts-zebra domes, tarts, and chocolate mousse. After dinner we took a ride to find Winn-Dixie and got some drinks and snacks. We met a really nice employee who used a store card to get us the sale prices on the items. Next trip I will probably just sign up for one. Back to POFQ and sleep. Tomorrow we are moving to another resort.

 

[Snowysmom]

Thursday June 21

Today we are leaving POFQ for the Yacht Club. First, one more load of laundry and one more breakfast at the food court. We are all packed up and head out to the Yacht Club. We are concerned that the Yacht Club is a bit too posh for us and we were right. The greeter, who we dubbed Captain Crunch, said hello and gave a salute. Our room was ready so we went up and unpacked. The kids looked around the resort and came back to report to us where everything was located. The CM's here with only a couple exceptions were very nice and competent. The room was gorgeous and housekeeping was very good. We just were not comfortable here and prefer a resort with a food court and a low key atmosphere. We like POFQ and AKL especially.

Now that we are settled in, we were off to MK. We started off in Frontierland at Splash Mountain. I opted not to ride so the 3 guys got in line after we got a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. They got soaked! Younger DS was sitting in the front right where the water splashes. BTMRR was great as always. Then we got fast passes for Peter Pan and left the park for an ADR at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. Kona Cafe was OK, but not great. Younger DS liked the mahi-mahi but the teriyaki beef was so-so, not much flavor and my meat was tough. DH got the chicken noodle bowl and there was not alot of food. The chocolate cake dessert was delicious though.

Back to MK to finsh up the evening. We saw Philharmagic. I am surprised at how good that is. I love the music and Donald getting into trouble. We then used our fast passes at Peter Pan. It seems like this ride has turned into a mainly fast pass ride. The stand by line did not move at all while the fast pass line was long and we waited quite a while. We then went on tea cups. The kids got their own tea cup since they like to spin it like crazy. DH and I just gently turn the tea cup. Of course we had to take a ride on TTA again. Then Carousel of Progress was next. Since we don't know if it will be there on our next trip (4 years boo hoo!) it was a must. The kids went on Astro Orbiter. Older DS does not like heights so I don't know why he went on this one but he stayed down low while Younger DS loved being up high. Then it was time to get a spot for Wishes. As we were walking we spotted a space on a wall that I could lean up against. A family was saving some of the spots but graciously allowed me to take a space to lean. That was very nice and much appreciated! The guys were taking pics nearby. The show was great. We joined the masses heading towards the buses and it was back to the Yacht Club. The kids want to be up early to go to Epcot. They must do the nightly ritual of talking to their girlfriends before bed.

 

[Snowysmom]

Friday June 22

Today is Epcot day. We got going around 8:30 and got the boat from Yacht Club to Epcot. That is a nice feature of staying at Yacht and Beach Clubs. We walked from the World Showcase entrance to Soarin. The wait time was only 30 minutes so we stayed in line. We got lucky and ended up in the front row. It is a great ride. From there we went to Mission Space and the kids rode since the wait time was only 30 minutes. Then to Test Track and again, only a 20 minute wait. When we get up early and get going, we get so much more done. We went to the coca cola station cool and taste tested the drinks again. I like the ones from Mexico and Israel. Beverly is still hideous! Then we had lunch at the Electric Umbrella. The chicken salad and veggie wrap are both really good. Then we went to the Living Seas to look around.

We went on to World Showcase. The kids wanted to spend more time here really visiting the countires this trip. We started in Canada and worked our way around the lagoon. We saw the movie in France which was new for us. The CM who was the host greeted us by singing and he had an absolutely beautiful voice. Then we visited Morocco, Japan, Italy, Germany. It was nice to take our time and really look around. We then took the boat across the lagoon. We had an ADR for Rose and Crown for dinner. We sat on the porch and it was really nice and peaceful. We liked the food even though the menu is limited. The fish and chips were good as well as the steak and chicken. After dinner DH and younger DS went on to China, Norway, and Mexico. Older DS and I sat near Japan and people watched. We were just really tired from all the walking and we do love to people watch. DS went to scout out places to watch Illuminations and came back with passes to a premier viewing area near the bridge between France and England. It is part of the YOAMD promotion. We had such an up close view of Illuminations. Then we walked back to the Yacht Club. It was nice not to have to become part of the mass of people heading to the buses. Even though we were not thrilled with Yacht Club, it does have it's good points.

 

[Snowysmom]

Saturday June 23.

Today is a different day for us at Disney. We went to a Disney wedding at the Wedding Pavilion. A friend's daughter was getting married and she asked if we could come so we scheduled our trip around the wedding date. I really wanted to see the wedding pavilion. It was a challenge to pack and transport dress clothes and shoes without getting them overly wrinkled but it wasn't too bad and I just had to iron the shirts and my dress.

A coach bus picked us up at Yacht Club and brought us to the wedding paviliion. (This is the reason we stayed at yacht Club. We got a wedding discount for the room and the bus would transport us.) It is really a beautiful spot. The pavilion itself is gorgeous with a view of the castle through the window behind the altar. The wedding went perfectly. The bride's gown and the bridesmaids' dresses were lovely. It is interesting to see how the dresses are simpler these days without all the lace and gee gaws we had back in my day. The bridemaids could actually wear their dresses to other occasions which is nice. The bus took us back to the Yacht Club for the reception. There was a cocktail hour outside on a patio while we waited for the bridal party. It was a really hot day so we couldn't wait to go inside. The reception room was nice, not overly elegant but it worked. They had a buffet set up and lots to choose from. The cake was delicious. By now my feet were sore from my dress shoes so I just kicked them off and went bare foot. Everyone else was doing the same thing so no one cared. I actually ended up with a blister on one toe. I walk around Disney for 6 days with no trouble and 3 hours in dress shoes does me in. The reception ended at 6. It was a quick walk back to the room. We ended up going to Storm Along Bay for a while. We tried to eat at Beaches and Cream but the wait was 2 hours. We went off site to Red Lobster for dinner.

 

[Snowysmom]

Sunday June 24

This our last day at WDW. We decided to eat breakfast at the Yacht Club Galley. This is where we met some rude and somewhat snooty CMs. The CM taking names was rather snooty, gave us the little buzzer, and we went on our way to await our call to breakfast. When we did get in, the waiter was rude and snooty. He took our order, brought our drinks, and that was the last we saw of him at our table for quite a while. He came over once to bring the pancakes and that was it. The couple at the table next to us saw him quite a bit. He talked with them, laughed, and continually asked them if they needed anything. I guess we don't look like the Yacht Club Type? I don't know! Well, his poor service was reflected in the tip. He probably disliked us even more once he saw that.

The kids wanted to drive the sea racers so we went to the dock at yacht club. They had to show a room card or license, get life jackets, and a crash course in how to drive the boat and what to avoid once out in the lake. They had a good time. They ended up going up near MGM. There are lifeguards stationed all around the area in case you need help. It was $25 for 30 minutes which was enough for them.

Now, on to MK. But first, we have to get on the bus. After waiting about 20 minutes for a bus, we notice the MK bus is stuck at a gate just before the bus stop at Yacht Club. Finally he gets through, gets to the bus stop, and we board. He can't get the gate to go up so the bus can leave the bus stop. He tries and tries but no luck. Older DS thought that the driver was actually too close to the gate and needed to back up a bit to trigger it. We wait a while thinking maybe help will be coming but then we decide to drive and get off the bus. As we are crossing away from the bus,the driver backs up, and the gate goes up. We run back to the bus but the driver won't let us back on and just leaves. I guess he figured if we did not have faith in him that he could get the gate lifted, then he did not want us on his bus. Luckily another Mk bus pulled up, we got on, and we're off. We did stop at Beach Club to pick up other guests and noticed the bus with the gate trouble was still there, still having problems. Glad we're on the other bus.

Of course, when we arrive at MK, the afternoon parade is just about to start so we high tail it up Main St. and over to Adventureland. We pick up fast passes for Jungle Cruise and go the Pirates of the Caribbean. The drop in Pirates seems steeper than before but I just may be remembering it wrong. We went to Jungle Cruise and it started raining just as we left the dock. All week the weather men said it was going to rain and it didn't. Today, they said clear skies, no rain, and it poured. The guide closed the tarp so we didn't get wet. We saw the Tiki bird show before going to Liberty Tree Tavern for our ADR. We always like it here. The kids are too old (their words, not mine) for the characters so we only took a couple pics of them with characters. I posed with Minnie Mouse and DH got a pic with Chip. The food as usual is good especially the apple crisp and ice cream dessert. the common thread here is that I really like the desserts at Disney.

We walked across to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz Lightyear again. The kids wanted to go on Space Mountain again. And we went on TTA (Wedway.) By now we were tired and had to go back to pack up for leaving tomorrow so we caught the bus back to the hotel. I am always sad to leave Disney but my feet were happy to be going home.

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Is Goodings a grocery store? How was it?

 

[Snowysmom]

June 25 and conclusion

We left Yacht Club and got to the airport around 9:30 for a noon flight. We dropped off the rental car and went over to Delta to check in. The security check did not take as long as I thought it would. We had breakfast at Burger King and then went to the gate to wait. We got on the plane and it taxied out to the runway to get in line with all the other planes. We don't move for 20 minutes and neither does anyone else. The pilot comes on and tells us the airport radar system is down and they are waiting for the back up system to come on line. Not the news we wanted to hear! Plus, there were thunder storms along the flight path out of the area. Finally they sent the first plane out as a test case to see if they could manuever through the bad weather (the pilot told us this.) Glad I was not on that plane. It must have worked because we took off shortly. As we took off we could see about 14 other planes waiting to take off. We got to Logan around 4 so it was only an hour delay.

We had a nice trip and it was nice to try a new resort, Yacht Club, but I don't think we will stay here again. We really like POFQ and will probably stay here in the future. The wedding was a nice addition to the trip. The weather was hot but you could always go inside somewhere to cool off. The car accident really put a crimp in the vacation. I hated having to take time out of my vacation to call insurance companies and go to the National car center as well as a wild goose chase to Kissimmee Police Dept. There is nothing like walking through MK and getting a phone call from the other driver's insurance company. The next day I was in England in Epcot and got a call from my insurance company. I did tell them where I was and they did cut the calls short which I appreciated. It will be 4 more years before we can go again since the kids will be in college and medical school. Oh well, with 4 years I can plan a really great trip and save up all my pennies for it!

 

[Snowysmom]

Goodings is an overpriced grocery store at the Crossroads Shopping Plaza. Because we went there on our first trip in 1996, DH always wants to go there. This time, the store was in tough shape with limited items, and only a few customers. With Winn Dixie right down the street, I am sure they are losing customers. I bought very little at Goodings and later in the week went to Winn Dixie. Next trip it will be just Winn Dixie and DH agrees!