shatzjsl
<font color=teal>No wonder I love DIS boards so mu
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2004
- Messages
- 2,500
Day 3 June 17, 2004
Cast:
Susie - 38
Lauren 10
Today is Epcot day. We were up and fed and at the bus stop by 8:15. Today was EMH day at MK and the line for the MK bus was very long. We only shared our Epcot bus with about 10 people. Through bag check and the turnstile (Im definitely working these things now) and we waited for the rope drop. I wasnt sure how they opened Epcot so I was pleasantly surprised to see the character bus come around the corner. I was surprised at how many characters they have on the bus. After rope drop everyone seemed to be DISers and headed left so we headed right. We jumped in line for Spaceship Earth and walked right on. We both enjoyed this ride and thought it was very cool that we were all the way at the top of the ball. The ride down backward was fun, too. We then headed to one of the Innovations (I think West) and took part in a video game. I played because there were only three kids there and they needed a fourth. I was Goofy and just kind of ran around not collecting any eggs. When I was It I made half hearted attempts to tag the others. Except Lauren of course! I ran her down like a dog after a rabbit and tagged her. The I got stuck on the trolley and couldnt figure out how to get off. After I one Best Hider we went over to make a video to send home to family and friends. None of which can open it by the way. We then explored the rest and did all of the fun things that could be done. We left and headed over to the other Innovations and send an electronic postcard to a person I had left an e-mail list with so she could forward it to family and friends. Everyone was able to open it. We did everything we could do and headed over to Journey into the Imagination. On the way I saw Ice Station Cool and we went in. The snow wasnt working but it was nice and cool. There were only about five other people in there. Where was everybody? We tasted sodas and Japan was my favorite. I tricked Lauren into trying Beverly and had a good laugh because she got so mad. What a face! I didnt try it. On to see Figment! This ride was a walk on and we enjoyed it. Lauren still crinkles her nose when we talk about the skunk smell.
After Figment we walked over to the Living Seas and took pictures of Nemo and friends before heading inside. Again, we had no wait and walked right into a hydrolater. Wow!! This place was awesome. We watched the dolphins and spent about 20 minutes just sitting and watching the manatees have their lettuce breakfast. They are so graceful. We had decided before leaving home that we werent going to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience because Lauren is afraid of snakes and wanted no part of it after she saw a picture of it in a guidebook. We decided to head over and see how the line was for TestTrack. Aha! Heres where all the people were! It was a mob scene. We got FPs but Lauren saw how fast the cars were going and decided that she didnt want to do it. I was disappointed but wasnt going to force her on a ride so we gave our FPs away and headed to World Showcase. Now I had probably already walked by it but on our way we saw the fountain. It was awesome. I told Lauren I wanted one in the front yard but she thought the neighbors probably would have a problem with that. Sigh, shes probably right. We grabbed Mickey Bars and watched it for about 15 minutes before moving on. As we were going into WS we saw the character bus and got in line for Donald Duck. We were about 3 people away when the music stopped and they started getting back on the bus. Donald saw Lauren standing there and I was trying to get his picture when he motioned for me to wait and he walked up to Lauren and posed with her. Magic moment!
We stopped to get our picture taken and started walking our way around WS starting in Mexico. Back to going left! We browsed the shops and walked onto El Rio del Tiempo. This made Lauren madder that Its a Small World was closed when we saw the dolls.
Left Mexico and headed to Norway where we walked onto Maelstrom. I had read that this was a fun ride but that was about it. We really liked Maelstrom. I thought it was another boat ride like del Tiempo but was surprised with the dips.
Onto China where Lauren purchased an umbrella with her name in Chinese and we browsed the stores. We didnt do Reflections of China because we were hungry and were looking for food. Next up was Germany. Lauren and her dads motherland. Jays grandfather came from Germany after the first World War. She was excited to visit Germany so we took our time looking in the shops and at the trains. She wanted to eat there but couldnt find anything on the menu that she liked so we moved onto Italy. After browsing the shops we looked at the menu for Alfredos. We didnt have a PS but decided to take a chance. We were seated right away. I had fettuccini alfreado and Lauren had kids spaghetti. They were both very good and we left very full. The olive oil they have for the bread was wonderful.
Next stop was the good ol USA. We walked into the American Adventure and listened to the singers sing about 4 songs before it was time to go into the theater. When the show started the theatre was only about ¼ full. What a great show. Major Mickey bumps! I am a very patriotic person and was full of American pride when I left. The animatronics were amazing. I had to convince Lauren that they werent real people.
Next we browsed the shops of Japan and Morocco before heading to France. I should note that we saw quite a few characters as we were walking around but none that Lauren wanted to meet. In France a waiter was setting a table up outside and had Lauren sit in one of the chairs. He started a plate spinning on a fork or spoon and made her hold it. He kept coming over and spinning it. I was impressed that she didnt drop it because she looked scared. After he finished setting the table he and his partner started their chair show. He was making me nervous. Those types of things always do but they put on a good show.
At the United Kingdom I needed a break so I sat around back by the Off-Kilter stage and Lauren wandered around the area looking around. We saw Mary Poppins as she was going into the building and she smiled and waved at Lauren. We browsed the UK shops and headed over to Canada for a much talked about Beaver Tail. Alas, they were closed and wouldnt open until 4:00, which was the time we had planned on leaving for our PS at 1900. We entered FW in time to see the character bus loading up again. This was the third time we missed it. As we worked our way around WS I took a picture of the buildings in each country. I realized that I had only taken pictures of the trains in Germany and wanted to get a picture of the buildings. We decided to take a boat over but as my luck goes, we got on the wrong boat. It only went to Morocco and back. I thought they went all the way around the lake. They should. We didnt really have time to get on the other boat so I took a picture from the boat we were on. We stopped on the way out and picked up our picture (a really cute one with Sorcerer Mickey in our hands) before heading to the monorail for our ride to the Grand Floridian and a date with Cinderella.
I asked the CM at the monorail station about riding in the front and no one had asked so we were allowed to. We had a great monorail driver this time. He pointed things out to us and told us about an owl that he hit the night before (he was fine, just winged him). We got to see wild turkeys and just had a high old time. At the TTC we got off and went down the ramp then back up another ramp to catch the resort monorail. We got off at the Grand Floridian and when we walked into the lobby we just stopped. Mickey Bumps! This is my dream resort. I want to live here if I cant live in the castle or the tree house. I put my request in with Mickey. We headed down to 1900 and checked in. Lauren had her picture taken with Fairy Godmother while we waited. After we were shown to our table the characters started showing up. We met all of the characters within 10 minutes of sitting down. Suzy and Perla were first then Peter Pan. Peter Pan was a lot of fun. He was the most in-character person that we met. He was bouncing around jumping up into chairs and having a great time with the kids. Then she came by. Cinderella. Watching Laurens eyes light up when she saw her was worth the whole trip. Mickey Bumps again!
This is where the lowest point in the trip happened and it was supposed to be one of the highest. I had ordered a princess slipper for Laurens dessert. It is a white chocolate slipper filled with whipped cream and a piece of raspberry cheesecake. I checked with the waiter and he said it was waiting in the back to let him know. Great! This is where it gets bad. It was a very hot day and we had been outside at Epcot most of the day. When we order our drinks Lauren got a big glass of chocolate milk, which she promptly gulped down. I should have known that this was a horrible mistake but I didnt see it coming. We sat and ate, she really just picked at her food, and then she got that look on her face. She got up and took off running. About this time the waiter was coming with her dessert. I told him to hold it because she wasnt feeling well and took off after her. I wont go into all the details her shirt was a little messy. I went to the gift shop and bought her another shirt. When I came back she was sobbing because she was so embarrassed and I felt so bad for her. It just broke my heart. We went back to the restaurant and the waiter brought her dessert. Apparently the CM that helped us told him what happened because he didnt make a big fuss over it. Peter Pan was supposed to bring it to her and make a big deal out of it but he just kind of moved to the side. Bless her heart, Lauren tried to be excited about it but she just wasnt feeling well. I ate some of it and it was good but she wouldnt even try it. The waiter came by with the check and said that he had taken the cost of her meal and the dessert off of the bill because of what had happened. Disney Magic even at our lowest moment.
Now I had a big decision to make. We were schedule to go on a Wishes cruise that evening with fellow DISer Nancy (aka mickeylover6) and her family but I wasnt sure Lauren was up to it. I decided to leave it up to her and if she didnt I would get with Nancy and give her my share of the cruise. I asked Lauren if she wanted to go back to the resort or press on. She said that maybe we could go over to MK since we were so close and ride some air conditioned rides. Thats my girl!!
So we hopped on the monorail and were soon going through the MK turnstiles again. I decided that the Hall of Presidents would probably be a good thing so we headed there. Walked right on in and had a seat in the AC. Great show! Again, the animatronics were incredible. I also thought another ride on the TTA was in order but Lauren disagreed so we hopped on the Liberty Boat for a cruise. The AC at HoP did wonders for Lauren and by the time the cruise was over she was back to her old self. Is he selling Mickey Bars? Yep! Time for another one for me! Lauren was still leery about putting anything in her stomach. We walked over to Fantasyland to see what the lines for the Carousel were like and walked right on. (This is EMH day isnt it?) The park didnt seem crowded at all. When we walked by I noticed that Haunted Mansion only had a 15-minute wait and I couldnt see the line at Big Thunder Mountain. After the Carousel we went to check the line for the Tea Cups but it was 30 minutes and we wanted to take a boat to meet up for our Wishes cruise and wasnt sure how long it would take.
We walked out to the boat docks and asked which one would take us to the Contemporary. A CM pointed us to the dock for the Wilderness Lodge. I told him I wanted the Contemporary. He said that yes that boat would get me there. Yeah, it got us there 45 minutes later! We took a boat to The Wilderness Lodge. Then were told to get off and catch one with a blue flag that would take us to the Contemporary. Oh, okay, no big deal. Well the blue flag boat shows up 15 minutes later and I ask if he is going to the Contemporary. Yes. Great! We hop on. The boat starts heading in the wrong direction! Uh, sir, where are you going? Oh, we have to go to Ft. Wilderness campground first. Uh, oh! After stopping at the campground we finally went all the way around the island before making it to the Contemporary. Next time Ill just take the monorail.
We met up with Nancy and her family of 3 sons, one daughter, and her mother and boarded a boat for our Wishes cruise. After a cruise around the lake and great conversation with Nancy we stopped in front of MK. Wow! Wishes is wonderful. We could here most of the music but could only make out some of the words. We kinda saw Tinkerbelle fly. It was more like a green blob but we knew what it was so it was exciting to us. A big THANK YOU to Nancy for inviting us along! After Wishes we headed back to the Contemporary to catch the monorail. After making the resort loop we exited at MK to catch a bus. The line for Music was very long but the line for Sports wasnt so we hopped in that line and caught the next bus. Our room faced Sports so it wasnt much of a walk after we got off the bus. Made it back to the room around 11:00 to find Laurens dogs in the window with a new elephant friend. Or it could be a peacock. We are still arguing about it.
Cast:
Susie - 38
Lauren 10
Today is Epcot day. We were up and fed and at the bus stop by 8:15. Today was EMH day at MK and the line for the MK bus was very long. We only shared our Epcot bus with about 10 people. Through bag check and the turnstile (Im definitely working these things now) and we waited for the rope drop. I wasnt sure how they opened Epcot so I was pleasantly surprised to see the character bus come around the corner. I was surprised at how many characters they have on the bus. After rope drop everyone seemed to be DISers and headed left so we headed right. We jumped in line for Spaceship Earth and walked right on. We both enjoyed this ride and thought it was very cool that we were all the way at the top of the ball. The ride down backward was fun, too. We then headed to one of the Innovations (I think West) and took part in a video game. I played because there were only three kids there and they needed a fourth. I was Goofy and just kind of ran around not collecting any eggs. When I was It I made half hearted attempts to tag the others. Except Lauren of course! I ran her down like a dog after a rabbit and tagged her. The I got stuck on the trolley and couldnt figure out how to get off. After I one Best Hider we went over to make a video to send home to family and friends. None of which can open it by the way. We then explored the rest and did all of the fun things that could be done. We left and headed over to the other Innovations and send an electronic postcard to a person I had left an e-mail list with so she could forward it to family and friends. Everyone was able to open it. We did everything we could do and headed over to Journey into the Imagination. On the way I saw Ice Station Cool and we went in. The snow wasnt working but it was nice and cool. There were only about five other people in there. Where was everybody? We tasted sodas and Japan was my favorite. I tricked Lauren into trying Beverly and had a good laugh because she got so mad. What a face! I didnt try it. On to see Figment! This ride was a walk on and we enjoyed it. Lauren still crinkles her nose when we talk about the skunk smell.
After Figment we walked over to the Living Seas and took pictures of Nemo and friends before heading inside. Again, we had no wait and walked right into a hydrolater. Wow!! This place was awesome. We watched the dolphins and spent about 20 minutes just sitting and watching the manatees have their lettuce breakfast. They are so graceful. We had decided before leaving home that we werent going to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience because Lauren is afraid of snakes and wanted no part of it after she saw a picture of it in a guidebook. We decided to head over and see how the line was for TestTrack. Aha! Heres where all the people were! It was a mob scene. We got FPs but Lauren saw how fast the cars were going and decided that she didnt want to do it. I was disappointed but wasnt going to force her on a ride so we gave our FPs away and headed to World Showcase. Now I had probably already walked by it but on our way we saw the fountain. It was awesome. I told Lauren I wanted one in the front yard but she thought the neighbors probably would have a problem with that. Sigh, shes probably right. We grabbed Mickey Bars and watched it for about 15 minutes before moving on. As we were going into WS we saw the character bus and got in line for Donald Duck. We were about 3 people away when the music stopped and they started getting back on the bus. Donald saw Lauren standing there and I was trying to get his picture when he motioned for me to wait and he walked up to Lauren and posed with her. Magic moment!
We stopped to get our picture taken and started walking our way around WS starting in Mexico. Back to going left! We browsed the shops and walked onto El Rio del Tiempo. This made Lauren madder that Its a Small World was closed when we saw the dolls.
Left Mexico and headed to Norway where we walked onto Maelstrom. I had read that this was a fun ride but that was about it. We really liked Maelstrom. I thought it was another boat ride like del Tiempo but was surprised with the dips.
Onto China where Lauren purchased an umbrella with her name in Chinese and we browsed the stores. We didnt do Reflections of China because we were hungry and were looking for food. Next up was Germany. Lauren and her dads motherland. Jays grandfather came from Germany after the first World War. She was excited to visit Germany so we took our time looking in the shops and at the trains. She wanted to eat there but couldnt find anything on the menu that she liked so we moved onto Italy. After browsing the shops we looked at the menu for Alfredos. We didnt have a PS but decided to take a chance. We were seated right away. I had fettuccini alfreado and Lauren had kids spaghetti. They were both very good and we left very full. The olive oil they have for the bread was wonderful.
Next stop was the good ol USA. We walked into the American Adventure and listened to the singers sing about 4 songs before it was time to go into the theater. When the show started the theatre was only about ¼ full. What a great show. Major Mickey bumps! I am a very patriotic person and was full of American pride when I left. The animatronics were amazing. I had to convince Lauren that they werent real people.
Next we browsed the shops of Japan and Morocco before heading to France. I should note that we saw quite a few characters as we were walking around but none that Lauren wanted to meet. In France a waiter was setting a table up outside and had Lauren sit in one of the chairs. He started a plate spinning on a fork or spoon and made her hold it. He kept coming over and spinning it. I was impressed that she didnt drop it because she looked scared. After he finished setting the table he and his partner started their chair show. He was making me nervous. Those types of things always do but they put on a good show.
At the United Kingdom I needed a break so I sat around back by the Off-Kilter stage and Lauren wandered around the area looking around. We saw Mary Poppins as she was going into the building and she smiled and waved at Lauren. We browsed the UK shops and headed over to Canada for a much talked about Beaver Tail. Alas, they were closed and wouldnt open until 4:00, which was the time we had planned on leaving for our PS at 1900. We entered FW in time to see the character bus loading up again. This was the third time we missed it. As we worked our way around WS I took a picture of the buildings in each country. I realized that I had only taken pictures of the trains in Germany and wanted to get a picture of the buildings. We decided to take a boat over but as my luck goes, we got on the wrong boat. It only went to Morocco and back. I thought they went all the way around the lake. They should. We didnt really have time to get on the other boat so I took a picture from the boat we were on. We stopped on the way out and picked up our picture (a really cute one with Sorcerer Mickey in our hands) before heading to the monorail for our ride to the Grand Floridian and a date with Cinderella.
I asked the CM at the monorail station about riding in the front and no one had asked so we were allowed to. We had a great monorail driver this time. He pointed things out to us and told us about an owl that he hit the night before (he was fine, just winged him). We got to see wild turkeys and just had a high old time. At the TTC we got off and went down the ramp then back up another ramp to catch the resort monorail. We got off at the Grand Floridian and when we walked into the lobby we just stopped. Mickey Bumps! This is my dream resort. I want to live here if I cant live in the castle or the tree house. I put my request in with Mickey. We headed down to 1900 and checked in. Lauren had her picture taken with Fairy Godmother while we waited. After we were shown to our table the characters started showing up. We met all of the characters within 10 minutes of sitting down. Suzy and Perla were first then Peter Pan. Peter Pan was a lot of fun. He was the most in-character person that we met. He was bouncing around jumping up into chairs and having a great time with the kids. Then she came by. Cinderella. Watching Laurens eyes light up when she saw her was worth the whole trip. Mickey Bumps again!
This is where the lowest point in the trip happened and it was supposed to be one of the highest. I had ordered a princess slipper for Laurens dessert. It is a white chocolate slipper filled with whipped cream and a piece of raspberry cheesecake. I checked with the waiter and he said it was waiting in the back to let him know. Great! This is where it gets bad. It was a very hot day and we had been outside at Epcot most of the day. When we order our drinks Lauren got a big glass of chocolate milk, which she promptly gulped down. I should have known that this was a horrible mistake but I didnt see it coming. We sat and ate, she really just picked at her food, and then she got that look on her face. She got up and took off running. About this time the waiter was coming with her dessert. I told him to hold it because she wasnt feeling well and took off after her. I wont go into all the details her shirt was a little messy. I went to the gift shop and bought her another shirt. When I came back she was sobbing because she was so embarrassed and I felt so bad for her. It just broke my heart. We went back to the restaurant and the waiter brought her dessert. Apparently the CM that helped us told him what happened because he didnt make a big fuss over it. Peter Pan was supposed to bring it to her and make a big deal out of it but he just kind of moved to the side. Bless her heart, Lauren tried to be excited about it but she just wasnt feeling well. I ate some of it and it was good but she wouldnt even try it. The waiter came by with the check and said that he had taken the cost of her meal and the dessert off of the bill because of what had happened. Disney Magic even at our lowest moment.
Now I had a big decision to make. We were schedule to go on a Wishes cruise that evening with fellow DISer Nancy (aka mickeylover6) and her family but I wasnt sure Lauren was up to it. I decided to leave it up to her and if she didnt I would get with Nancy and give her my share of the cruise. I asked Lauren if she wanted to go back to the resort or press on. She said that maybe we could go over to MK since we were so close and ride some air conditioned rides. Thats my girl!!
So we hopped on the monorail and were soon going through the MK turnstiles again. I decided that the Hall of Presidents would probably be a good thing so we headed there. Walked right on in and had a seat in the AC. Great show! Again, the animatronics were incredible. I also thought another ride on the TTA was in order but Lauren disagreed so we hopped on the Liberty Boat for a cruise. The AC at HoP did wonders for Lauren and by the time the cruise was over she was back to her old self. Is he selling Mickey Bars? Yep! Time for another one for me! Lauren was still leery about putting anything in her stomach. We walked over to Fantasyland to see what the lines for the Carousel were like and walked right on. (This is EMH day isnt it?) The park didnt seem crowded at all. When we walked by I noticed that Haunted Mansion only had a 15-minute wait and I couldnt see the line at Big Thunder Mountain. After the Carousel we went to check the line for the Tea Cups but it was 30 minutes and we wanted to take a boat to meet up for our Wishes cruise and wasnt sure how long it would take.
We walked out to the boat docks and asked which one would take us to the Contemporary. A CM pointed us to the dock for the Wilderness Lodge. I told him I wanted the Contemporary. He said that yes that boat would get me there. Yeah, it got us there 45 minutes later! We took a boat to The Wilderness Lodge. Then were told to get off and catch one with a blue flag that would take us to the Contemporary. Oh, okay, no big deal. Well the blue flag boat shows up 15 minutes later and I ask if he is going to the Contemporary. Yes. Great! We hop on. The boat starts heading in the wrong direction! Uh, sir, where are you going? Oh, we have to go to Ft. Wilderness campground first. Uh, oh! After stopping at the campground we finally went all the way around the island before making it to the Contemporary. Next time Ill just take the monorail.
We met up with Nancy and her family of 3 sons, one daughter, and her mother and boarded a boat for our Wishes cruise. After a cruise around the lake and great conversation with Nancy we stopped in front of MK. Wow! Wishes is wonderful. We could here most of the music but could only make out some of the words. We kinda saw Tinkerbelle fly. It was more like a green blob but we knew what it was so it was exciting to us. A big THANK YOU to Nancy for inviting us along! After Wishes we headed back to the Contemporary to catch the monorail. After making the resort loop we exited at MK to catch a bus. The line for Music was very long but the line for Sports wasnt so we hopped in that line and caught the next bus. Our room faced Sports so it wasnt much of a walk after we got off the bus. Made it back to the room around 11:00 to find Laurens dogs in the window with a new elephant friend. Or it could be a peacock. We are still arguing about it.
