shakebear
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2007
- Messages
- 436
*A little note: the reason I re-posted this was to simply see what a few other people thought of it. If this is against the rules in any way, I am very sorry.
Preparing + Getting There
I don't know where to start. Before we went to Disney, (about a month or so before) we found out that 3 other family friends of ours were going: The Garlie's, Lucases and the Bennetts. That was so cool! Alright,fast forward to when we were going to the airport: We actually took a little detour on our way to Florida. We live in Newfoundland, Canada and we wanted to see some friends who live in Nova Scotia, so, since our plane stopped in Halifax anyway, we decided to spend 2 days there, our flight was so much fun! Me or my sister (who is 12), hadn't been on planes in a long time, so it was so much fun. I won't tell you much about Halifax, because this is a Disney website after all, so I do not want to bore you, but it was a lot of fun, but we were really too excited for Disney World to really pay much attention. But anyway, after Halifax, we flew straight to Toronto (the only bad part of that was the reeeaaallyyy bad toothache I got on the plane- from air pressure and stuff. Then, when we got to Toronto, we were soo upset. You see, some people had been a long time boarding the plane, so we were running really late getting to Toronto, which, in turn caused us to be late getting to Toronto. We booted it off the plane, let me tell you that, and sprinted to the place where they have the shuttles, and found that we had just missed the last one! We were so upset! We had to wait 15 minutes, but it seemed like hours. It was just us and a security guard. We wanted to badly to just walk there (me and sissy) but Toronto airport was just too big to walk to where we needed to go, so we had to stay put and see if another one was going to come soon. After a while, it did come, and we just got there in time. Then it was off to the luggage place, only to find that right after everyone got off the plane something happened with the electricity and they couldn't get the luggage off, but they told us they would pay for us to stay in a nice Toronto hotel. Daddy was trying to make it seem like fun, but to tell you the truth, I was bawling! I was exhausted and I just wanted to go straight to Disney World, not spend a night in Toronto! Then, we had some other problem but I don't remember because I was sleepy and crying. Then, they solved that other problem but we still had the problem of luggage. Then, after a long time, they told us that we could go without out luggage, and me and Sissy dried our tears, and got ready to run. We literally SPRINTED to gate (even though my sister wasn't being that smart and had worn these HUGE heeled sandals, uncomfortable clothes) and just made it in time, in fact, one more person came after us, but still...! Then, it was time to board the plane. It was the most uncomfortable of all the planes, very small, verywarm and very cramped. But we knew not to complain. We wanted to get to Disney World no matter what. Then soon, we were offered food and drinks. Sissy got noodles and I got noodles and a Pepsi. Then though, since all the TV had on was Spongebob Squarepants- in French (My sister speaks French, but I don't so it was literally useless to me), I got a pillow and blanket and went to sleep. Actually, Jordan (my sister) said she was the only one who stayed up the whole time. She said she tried for a long time to wake me up before I actually woke up, even though she was saying what I had waited to hear for all my life, ''Hannah, we're in Disney World!'', we had had such a long day, and I was so sleepy, it was really hard to wake up, but eventually I did, and we were on our way to Coronado Springs!
Being There
We went on a cool subway thing in the airport and went to the place where you go to go to Disney, and lined up in this thing (well not really lined up- since it was only us, I don't know why), and then went on a huge, comfy bus where we watched a cool video about Disney World, and by then though, I was wide awake, (thanks to my nap on the plane) and sooooo excited! We were the last stop after all the other resorts, but when we finally got there, it was worth it. It was beautiful. We went, got our room keys and everything and went off to found our room, walking slowly, taking in the sights, but when we got there collapsed in our beds.
Magic Kingdom
The next morning, we walked to the bus stop to Magic Kingdom. The bus was cool, but we couldn't wait to go to the park! We got there, went through the gates and then walked around, just in awe of the amazing-ness of it all. It was so cool! Since a lot of lines were long, we noticed one very small line, for It's a Small World, and decided it would be perfect to kick off the trip with a classic. It was so cool, and we were pretty much the first people in line (2 people before us), and it was just so fun! The dolls were beautiful! Then, after that, we got a little snack (frozen lemonade and a pretzel- yumm). After our trip, we had to go on our first roller coaster type thing (even though my sissy is a bit of a wimp- not to brag or anything, but I was the first in line and the first in all the cars, I love scary rides- I loved Summit Plummit): Splash Mountain! It was so fun- even though Jordan was scared. I loved it. After that, things began to become a bit of a blur. We went to a cool restaurant- umm .. Cosmic Ray's Cafe .. or Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe, that was the first time we found out we could use our room keys to buy stuff, which I thought was about the coolest thing ever- it was like we had credit cards! We also went on Space Mountain, and even Jojo loved that (I could tell, even despite all the screaming that her life was about to end), it was wickedd! We also went on Cinderella's Golden Carousel and the Dumbo ride. I'm sure we also went on other things too, I just can't remember now (expect editing later!). That night for supper we went to Crystal Palace- again, we also almost didn't make it in time (does anyone else see a pattern emerging?), but got one of those really cool beeper things and eventually sat down to our meal (after getting a lot of cool foods we never tried from the very diverse buffet!), it was so yummy! After getting the Pooh Bear characters' signatures, we went to watch the Fireworks. They were pretty much the most beautiful things I'd ever seen in my entire life. And we also went to The Main Street Bakery- the chocolate chip cookies are sooooo good ! Then, we walked around a little while longer and then went to the bus stop. I went to sleep, but Jojo told me later that she heard these two strangers swap stories about being camp counselors on the way back to Coronado Springs. Although I can't really remember it, mommy, daddy and Jojo told me that I had to be carried back to our room because I was so sleepy. Oh my goodness, this doesn't really have anything to do with Disney, but I especially miss Disney right now- it's about -20 degrees celsius and I think there is 20 ft of snow outside- no exageration. By the way, we still did not have our luggage. But anyway, to the next day....
Animal Kingdom
I loved Animal Kingdom! It was so much fun. And, this day, we actually met up with The Lucases and Garlies and rode rides like the Rapids, and had lunch together- at the Tusker House, i think. It was so much fun! Jojo and mommy had the only seats where you don't get wet!! We also saw some shows together like ''It's Tough to Be a Bug''- me and Jojo loved it, but Emily (Garlie) and Courtney (Lucas) got really upset. Also, we wanted really bad (well, I did, and Emily was kinda pretending she did- she's a bit younger than me, Jojo really didn't- she was really scared) to go on Expedition Everest- but had to take a raincheck due to the weather- but did come back later. We also saw some performers annd wanted to go on this cool ride, but we couldn't because of the weather. And guess what ?? We finally got our luggage back that night! Although it was only 2 days, it was kind of torture- Jojo's high shoes gave her blisters, but anyway, we were all verrrryyyy glad to have clean pajamas for that night!! And while we were at Animal Kingdom, by the way, we of course saw The Tree of Life (while we were at It's Tough to Be a Bug), and this reaaaly cool ttree lady, who we watched for a long time, and, how could I forget Kilimanjaro Safaris- which we all loved!
Blizzard Beach
We also loved it here- of course. It was so fun! The only damper though was Jojo, who wasn't being much fun because she was sick (she had sunstroke- she deals better in what she calls ''good old Newfoundland thin air''. She LOVED Disney World with all her heart, all she didn't like was the heat), but started to have more fun when we did some rides. My favorite Blizzard Beach ride was Summit Plummit. It was AMAZING! It was so cool! I don't know what speed I went in, because I there was no one at the bottom to tell me, since I went first. But it felt fast! We also had lunch in Blizzard Beach, went on the Slush Gushers, Toboggan Racers, and that wicked ride where we got in a family tube-type thing that we loved! Then, after that and a little longer, we went back to out hotel and swam in the pool and relaxed before going to supper, although I don't remember where.
Shopping
Okay, not much to write here, all we really did was go to the outlets, and we got a BUNCH of new clothes, it was pretty fun, but I wanna talk about the next day. Also, the ''Fantasmic Shuttle Servies'' are pretty good, with a nice air-conditoned van, although there are some cabs that charge a lot less! I meant that last comment for those of us who are rarely in cabs ever- and so is this one: watch out for people ripping you off! One cab driver charged twice as much as another!!
MGM
Mine and Jojo's personal favorite park. I just loved it, but Jojo says she loved the old-Hollywood spirit of the place
. Mommy and Jojo went at a different time than me and daddy, because they wanted to go back to the outlets for a while and me and daddy didn't. We went without them on Tower of Terror without us. They got so mad! They told us they were going to, but didnt want to go without us so we wouldnt get mad, but oh well. I LOVED it ! Jojo didnt though, she was sooo scared- especially when she asked a cast member how long the ride is (she always has to ask for some reason), and she looked at her funny and said, What ride?, and Jojo got even more freaked out. Anyway, we got on and it was soooo wicked! Anyway, after that we went on Rockin Roller Coaster- which even Jojo loved! It was so fun!! We loved the fast start, music, etc. We went on a lot of times, once I even got to sit in the front car/seat thing of the limo!!! Also, we went on the Star Wars ride- which Mommy loved the idea of the ride, because she is such a huge Star Wars fan- but found the actual ride very, very, very disappointing. Ohh , and we saw Fantasmic- where we ran into the Garlies and Lucases !! And that night we ate at Hollywood & Vine !Back to Animal Kingdom
This time went by ourselves, without The Lucases and Garlies, just our family. And, this time we actually got to go on Expedition Everest, which (as usual), Jojo was very scared to go on. She was only scared because she saw the MASSIVE drop, around-the-corner thingy, and was so scared she had to keep her eyes closed the entire time (although she regretted it later, because she missed out on all the yeti info, and had to do a report on the yeti this year), but I thought it was all really cool- especially the yeti! And after, she said it wasnt nearly as bad as she expected it to be, that when the ride was over, her eyes were still closed, but didnt even know we went down the drop. And that night, we all went over to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickeys (which we absolutely loved- except for the fact that the couple next to us were making fun of Mickey, and Disney in general, and me and Jojo for wanting their autograph! Also though, we didnt even really have to wait long- and we got another one of those cool beeper thingies They had clearly according to Jojo- had too much to drink, they were being very rude!!), the food was fabulous! Also though, we didnt even really have to wait long- and we got another one of those cool beeper thingies, and the food was so yummy! But anyway, later that same night we went to (by that cool train- type thing). I think we ate at Restaurantosaurus. Also, while we were here we did SO much shopping!! Jojo and mommy had more fun with it, but I still liked shopping too, especially because the stores were Disney !
Epcot
By the time we got there it was like 7:00 (pm, of course) so we didnt really have time to do a whole lot, but we did the Spaceship Earth ride and hmmm... what else ? I know we did a lot of other things, I just can't remember what.... We wanted to do Soarin', but by the time we got there it was 1:00 (am), and I was so0o0o0o sleepy, and there was a 90 minute wait, we knew we definitly could not stay, also we wanted to do Mission: Space, but again, did not have time, and we (earlier saw Illuminations, and did the Test Track, and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. We wanted to see the Pavillions- but we didn't have time.
Back to Magic Kingdom
This time we re-did some rides (like Space Mountain), and some new ones, like The Haunted Mansion, and we wanted to do Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but they had some electrical problems. Also, Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We did almost everything we wanted to (everything else we'll do next time!), and I think the only thing we really did not want to do was the Mad Tea Party- those things make everyone (but me really,lol) stomach-sick, so we didn't really want to. And guess where we went this time?! CINDERALLA'S ROYAL TABLE! It was amazing- just beautiful, and the food was so delicious (just like everything else in WDW), the entrees, appetizers and desserts were all great ! And the place itself was like the most beautiful place I'd ever seen- even the stairs and bathrooms were gorgeous! And of course, we got our picture taken with Cinderella And we had ice cream at a great little place, but I don't remember the name of it. We also had pretzels and frozen lemonade (we had that A LOT). Ooooh, and we saw Wishes, and SpectroMagic! It was so cool during the fireworks when Tinkerbell flew over!Oh, and I forgot- the Bennetts ran into the Garlies and asked where we were and they told us we were at Cinderella's Royal Table, and they met up with us outside, and we exchanged stories about what we've done so far, it was really nice to see them- Jojo was so excited to see Laura (her very best friend), and we sat together to watch the fireworks. Oooh, and we saw the Mickey Fanstasia thing. I think that's it for then.
Downtown Disney
It was so much fun here, we didn't spend a much time here though. We wanted to see Cirque Du Soleil, but couldn't because we just didnt have time. The stores we went to here were: World of Disney, Bibbidi Bobbiti Boutique, Disney Tails, Disney's Days of Christmas (we got alot of presents here- even though our favorite store, [well , mine and Jojo's favorite store] was PANCHITO'S! (in our hotel, Coronado Springs), it was our favorite, and we got a lot of cool stuff here, Goofy's Candy Company (we LOVED it here, even though the giant lollypop i got mommy wouldn't let me eat because of the toothache I had on the plane, and Jojo got a bag of Goofy Smarties from a cool Machine- and we both made Pixie Sticks), the Rainforest Cafe Shop (we made stickers, bought t- shirts, etc. here. We also went to Team Mickey Athletic Stores, which I think was mommy's favorite because she got her most treasured possesion there- her Brett Favre jersey- she LOVES it, she is a huge football fan and her favorite team are the Packers! (Her other favorite were her cowboy hat and ''teenager jeans''- as daddy called them). Anyway, to sum up, Downtown Disney was very fun!
Typhoon Lagoon
Our favorite waterpark by far ! We thought that we would like Blizzard Beach more than Typhoon Lagoon, but we loved Typhoon Lagoon (despite Jordan getting heatstroke-again- but worse this time). Just to get over with talking about dining now, we ate at a little quick service place (except for daddy- who had an ice cream sundae, hehe. The only bad attraction here was Crush N' Gusher- which was the most painful thing ever- it hurt my back (and bum) so bad I was crying. We also went on Castaway Creek, Storm Slides, Mayday Falls, Keelhaul Falls, Humunga Kowabunga, and our two favorites- Shark Reef (Jojo & mommy loved this, but me and daddy didn't- daddy found it too cold and I didn't really see anything- but Jojo and mommy took lots of pictures with our underwater cameras- so I got to see the sharks after- they were really cool!), and our FAVORITE- the Surf Pool, which me, Jojo and Daddy spent hours in (while Mommy tanned- she doesn't really like swimming/water) it.
Getting Ready + Going Home
On our last night, we went to Maya Grill and tried to use up what we had left on our free meal plan things. Mom was shopping again, so it was just 3 of us. Daddy and Jojo had these platters with a rack of ribs, a whole fish, wings, nachos and filet mignon. I just had my usual though, nuggets and fries. I have to say something about Coronado Springs though- it is BEAUTIFUL!! After supper we went for a walk and back to the pool (although all 4 pools are great- we loved the main pool- The Dig Site, with the slide and arcade- the best), all the trails have cute little things like Geckos running around, and it is overall beautiful. Also, the little Deli place (I dont remember the name), the arcade in the main building, and Panchitos and the Pepper Market and Maya Grill. We went to all those places, and they were all amazing. But anyway, that night, we walked back to our room (by then we knew the route blindfolded!) and, much to our dismay, packed up and got ready to go to sleep. We woke up about 3:30 am the next morning, took the big shuttle bus to the airport (although it didnt take as long to get to the airport as it did to get to our resort at the beginning, because it was only us and one other family this time- and they were from Coronado Springs!) and met up with the Garlies (we were on the same flight home- and it was just a coincidence!!), and spend the next hour or so eating muffins, the adults drinking coffee, and we went to the little store place and bought some stuff. I bought a Minnie pillow, and a magazine, and Jojo got the book version of The Notebook, like the movie, a few magazines for the flight home (although we also had our way home carry-ons ready too), and she bought a Minnie Pillow. And we also walked around the beautiful Orlando International Airport- that wicked waterfall thing was soooo cool! But anyway, before we knew it, it was time to board the plane to go to Toronto. Soooo, we got on the plane and we had the cool kinds with the touch screen TVs in the back. Jojo was the only one who stayed up the whole time (again- she doesnt really like sleeping). Then, before we knew it, we were in the Toronto International Airport! We spent more time there than last time, although still not much, but after that (which included looking around and a trip to Tim Hortons which we all really missed- Im sure you fellow Canadians will agree with that). Then it was time to get back on the plane- this time straight home to St.Johns/Mount Pearl. Soon, we had found nana and were in her car telling her about the trip. Now, here I am, 6 months later, sitting on my bed with the laptop in front of me, finishing up my reminiscing about the best time of my life.
By Jordan & Hannah Loder (almost entirely by Jordan, with memories and input added in my Hannah)
A little note: Although it seems like it was written by Hannah by having me and Jojo , etc. everywhere, it was written by Jordan, but we had started to write it as Hannahs, just Jo typing it, although Hannah was a great help in remembering some things, and I didnt want to change it, so it is Hannahs trip journal written by Jordan.
Thanks to everyone for reading!!
)...you should print out what you wrote here and put it away somewhere. It would be fun for you and your little sister to be able to read it when you have grown up!!!
