Our August 2006 TRIP REPORT (with lots of Pictures) ***COMPLETE***

[disneykid4ever]

Lovin' it, more, more, more!!! And soon, soon, soon!!!

 

[plgrn]

This is a great TR. Subscribing!

 

[almousefan]

I just have to say I agree with you. It will always be the People Mover to me. Wasn't there even another name with it at one time? Something like WEDWAY?

I am loving your trip report! Thanks for the great pictures!

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

Enjoying the thread! We leave 5 weeks from today. I'm so excited I can't sleep. I'm driving my family nuts. They're happy I found this thread; it keeps me out of their hair for a while. I kinda of new to this and I figured out how to subscribe to a thread. Now if I could only figure out how to use the "smilies". Can't wait to hear more.

 

[FutureMrsC]

I just have to say I agree with you. It will always be the People Mover to me. Wasn't there even another name with it at one time? Something like WEDWAY?

I always call it the People Mover too. Thanks to a recent trip to my local Walmart Vision Center, I recently learned that WEDWAY stood for Walter Elias Disney, so it was Walt's Way

Great Thread! Keep it up!

 

[bdg100]

Ms. H.:

Don't leave us hangin. I can't wait to see where you crazy guys go next.

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

We had a nice leisurely stroll and monorail ride back to the room. We cleaned up, napped, and I did a load of laundry. About 6:00 we were back in the Magic Kingdom.

We walked over to Liberty Square and checked in for our reservations. Check in for the Liberty Tree Tavern is cute. They ask for your name and where you are from. Then when it’s time for you they say “Welcome to the Heimlich family from Texas” and then seat you. CUTE! Anyway. This is a character dinner… (for those of you who live in a cave and didn’t already know that)… Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale, and Pluto are there. The characters (who wear clothes) are dressed in colonial garb. (Chip & Dale wear scarves… I never knew they were meterosexuals….) and Pluto wears a "dog-scarf." Maybe he just went to a colonial groomer...

Goofy was goofy. Pluto did some dog tricks (sit, beg, and catch)-- the picture below is of "sit" -- notice he is in a chair! Dale stole DN's cap and wore it around. He even "danced" a little with the hat on. Minnie was beautiful in her outfit!

The food is really good. I like the salad and salad dressing. The bread left something to be desired, it was a little dry. Here is where I first noticed the butter. I grabbed a piece of bread, spread on some butter, took a bite, and…

It was like chewing on sand. It had a texture like someone had mixed FINE grain sand into the butter. I asked my DH to try it. He agreed. It was weird.

On to the rest of the food…

They bring out huge bowls of Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese (YUM), mashed potatoes, green beans, and a big plate of MEAT.

The Plate-O-Meat had turkey, ham, and beef, all sitting on a mound of stuffing.

It was like a carb – o – rama. I had never seen that many carbohydrates on one table at one time…

Then…. For dessert they serve you a HUGE bowl of apple cobbler with ice cream. I wasn’t going to eat any, but the yummy cinnamon-y apple-y smell enticed me. I ate some.


I was SO full when we left there too. Again. On the DDP.

We rolled our way out of Liberty Tree Tavern and tried to decide what to do next. We needed time for our food to digest… Hmmm… What is the farthest away from where we are??? Tomorrowland you say??? T

We walked to Tomorrowland.

Slowly.

We rode Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. I did really bad. Who can think about aiming a laser when you feel like you could puke at any moment???

DD and DN wanted to ride Space Mountain. No way. The wait was over 45 minutes. AND … I needed something a little more tame. Than Space Mountain. (That's embarassing to type, too.)

We rode the People Mover. Again.

it was great!

We wandered around for while and decided to call it a night. Before we left main street we stopped in the bakery/candy shop.

Here are some things we saw:

I didn’t get anything… STILL not the least bit hungry, but DD got this:

And DN got this:

We left before Spectromagic and Wishes, but not to worry. I watched the fireworks from my bed.

Here was the view at night from our rooms at CR.

 

[bdg100]

Ms. Heimlich:

I am most impressed by your pictures. They are well centered and of something. They make your story come alive. You are unlike many vacationers who seemingly forget to point before they shoot. I'm sorry you didn't like the bread at Liberty Tree. Where to next?

 

[jamal]

Ms. Heimlich,

Lovin' it!! First of all, whenever DS12 asks me my fave Disney (modern) movie, I always say A Bug's Life. Favorite character? Heimlich!!

My DH is Shrek, so I feel your pain.

Thanks for the awesome pics. we love love the CR too. And the fireworks pics??? WOW!!!!

Keep it coming..
Jami

 

[exwdwcm]

more, more more! really enjoying it! we did LTT too and i didn't think i was going to make it out of my chair afterwards. i was so stuffed!

 

[plgrn]

It is NOT your typical tourist trap. This is a REAL oyster bar. You belly up to the bar and there is a trough at the back of the bar full of discarded oyster shells. DB and DH ordered the bucket of raw oysters. For under $20 total (not including beer) they ate the whole bucket of oysters. The “waitress” shucks them right there in front of you and they slurped them down as she got them ready.

Just read this part, and my mouth is watering, eyes are glazing over, and there's no chance of being able to concentrate on my next class! I could go for a whole bucket by myself right now.

 

[plgrn]

We found the horse that is supposedly Cindy’s favorite with a gold ribbon on the tail. DD got to ride on it.

I never knew that! How cool!

Next we hit Mickey’s Philharmagic. I had never seen this either. I really liked it, too. I think it should be called Donald’s Philhar-uh-oh.

My sentiments EXACTLY

we sat thru the Country Bear Jamboree. Skip this attraction... Unless you really like Chuck-E-Cheese and the gang.

 

[tinkerbell1967]

Your trip report is great! Love the pictures, no matter how many times I go to WDW I love to see others pictures, yours are so nice Keep it coming!!

 

[kimmar067]

...after the railroad, we decided we were hungry…We really didn’t want hamburgers so we wandered around until we found Columbia Harbor House....this was probably my least favorite counter service meal from the whole trip. I got the fish and fries basket. The fish was gross and the fries were greasy … ummm … greasier than normal fries… You know what I mean. My stomach was not happy with me….

"....and the winner of the 'Grossest-Place-Where-You-Can-Eat-An-Overpriced-Undercooked-Meal" goes to.....
Universal Studios's Classic Monsters Cafe!

[....talk about gross and greasy.....] YUK!!!

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

Day 3 started out at EPCOT.

EPCOT is probably my favorite park. For example, in 2000, I had the opportunity to visit the world for a day trip. I only had time for 1 park for 1 day and I picked EPCOT. I am a science geek. I admit it. Future World is my favorite place to be!

Due to the increased number of motion simulator rides here, my DB and DSIL both took some Dramamine to ease their motion sickness. DB gets it BAD. He got so sick last time on BODY WARS, he vowed NEVER to ride it again. For those of you who have taken Dramamine before, you know it can have side effects. This becomes important in just a little while.

After going thru the turnstiles, we headed over (with the rest of the crowds) to the Land, home of SOARIN’.

No one in our group had ever experienced this ride so we were all excited to ride it. We got fastpasses and jumped in the standby line (only ~20 minutes). The ride line is pretty boring. After experiencing Tower of Terror’s line I was expecting a little more than some TV screens with trivia playing on them. Anyway, we finally got to the loading area and we were on the 2nd row. We strapped in and before you knew it you were flying over California. It was awesome! I smelled the pine and oranges. The whole this was breathtaking. During the part over the water, I kept thinking my feet were going to get wet (and you know now how I feel about THAT). GREAT RIDE!!!

We had about an hour to kill before our fastpass to ride SOARIN’ again. We decided to walk up to the Imagination Pavilion and see what was going on. The Figment ride was a walk on so… we walked on. I love the Smells laboratory. Hehehe! Here is a shot I got while we were on the ride.

We briefly discussed staying at the Imagination Pavilion for the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show, but it still had 30 minutes until it would start. We walked back over to the Land and waited a couple of minutes for our fastpass. This time we got the first row… My row’s better than your row!!!

I was throwing a fit to the rest of the group that we needed to eat lunch, NOW. It was only 11:00 in the morning and everyone was looking at me like I was nuts… Okay, worse than normal. I explained that we had dinner reservations at Le Cellier at 5:50. If we didn’t eat NOW, we would SO not be hungry for dinner later. Everyone eventually agreed and we ate at Seasons in the Land Pavilion.

This was my favorite CS meal of the whole trip. I had grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, microgreens, and kalamata olive pesto. I also got key lime pie. It was SOOOOO good! DH got a HUGE sandwich and DD got a Caesar salad. She was in heaven.

Next, Diablo (DN) wanted to ride Test Track. We headed over there. DD and I had to make a pit stop at Mouse Gear. She had a clothing problem and it HAD to be corrected toute suite. (Remember, I told you she was a little accident prone….) We found a really cute black skirt for her to wear. Later we added a Jack Sparrow shirt and some flip flops. Here is the complete ensemble:

So, we were waiting outside of Test Track for my DN to come out. I saw this.

I just DO NOT understand people (women) like this. What do they think this is? A singles bar??? WTH?

Once my DN came out we all went in for the single rider line. We were in and out in less than 20 minutes. This time, for a change, TT didn't break down while I was on it!

Next we headed over to Mission: SPACE. I really, really, really, really like Gary Sinise. He is the man.

We had heard they had a tame ride (Green Side) so we got a fastpass for it and waited in the standby line for the Green side. DSIL wussed out at the last minute. The rest of us rode it. It was lame. This was the point my DSIL decided she was going back to the room. The Dramamine had made her VERY tired. She looked like she was drunk. We said bye and went back into Mission: Space with our fastpasses.

We basically walked back on for the orange side. IT ROCKED. They have tamed down this one, too. The sequence at the end where the ship falls off the ice is gone. Oh well… it was still way cool.

Here is a picture of DD, DH, and DB in the "cockpit" on Mission: Space.

After we got to the video game area at the end my DD and DN rode again with extra fastpasses we had. (DSIL didn’t ride and DD had an extra one). So DB, DH, and I waited in the exit area of the ride.

DB was feeling the effects of the Dramamine, too. Here is what happened.

Next we went to Innoventions for my free pictures with a character thru my Disney Visa. Here is the picture that was taken with our camera.

We had decided we were going to head back to the hotel for a little R&R, but we wanted to hit Mouse Gear one more time before we left and browse around. DD had mentioned to me almost the moment we arrived in WDW that she wanted to find a 50th Anniversary Barbie. Not a Barbie-type doll. A real Barbie. She has been collecting Barbies for years and she has one from the last 2 times she has been.

We looked. We looked. We looked. We found all sorts of dolls. No Barbies. Finally, I asked one of the CM’s who was stocking the shelves. He directed me to a manager CM who happened to share my name. She looked in her computer and found that they only had 2 and they were both in the Animal Kingdom in a store called Creature Comforts. The CM at the AK agreed to hold the doll for us. Now for the bad news. They only offer a 24 hour hold. The next day my DH, DB, DSIL, and I were going on the Backstage Magic tour so there was no way we would be able to get to the AK before closing. We were in a dilemma. Finally, I told my DB that my DD and I were going to the AK to get her doll. I offered to meet them back at the restaruant for dinner. He declined and offered to go with us. (I guess he was refreshed after his nap!)

Now, this was a jaunt had only one purpose. We were riding no rides, we were experiencing no shows. We were going in for the Barbie.

It was an extraction mission.

We headed out to the bus stop. We waited. Waited. Waited. Waited some more.

Finally, we decided to take a taxi. This was a great $15 investment. When we arrived at the AK, we speed walked toward Discovery Island and….

Ran into the Jammin’ Jungle Parade.

For those of you who may not know, traffic comes to a screeching halt during the parade. You stay where you are. There is NO walking up the street during the parade. We were stuck watching the whole thing. It seemed to take forever.

Finally it was over. On to obstacle number 2. We were going in the exact opposite direction of every other human being at the AK.

Finally we found Creature Comforts. I approached the checkout desk and asked the CM about a Barbie we had on hold. She said my name and that she’d be right back. Out came the Barbie. DD was ecstatic. BONUS: The doll was on sale – marked down 50%. I guess because it was a 2005 addition. I have to admit the doll is cute. It has a Barbie dressed in 50’s style Mouseketeer clothes complete with bobby socks and Mickey ears. Then there is a 2nd outfit that has 2005 style clothes and GOLD Mickey ears.

Here is a pic of DD and her loot.... It's a BAD picture of her... Sorry honey!!

We stopped a couple of pin carts and looked around. We got a drink. We realized the time and made a bee line for the exit.

We took our loot and headed back out of the AK. We had ADR’s for Le Cellier in less than an hour at this point.

DB called DSIL and we set a meeting point outside of Spaceship Earth next to the Photo pickup.

While we waited I picked up my FREE picture with the characters I got with my Disney Visa!

We headed over to Canada for Le Cellier. Canada is beautiful. The gardens, waterfall, and little stream are so gorgeous. We wandered around a bit while we waited for our pager to go off. Finally we got inside.

Le Cellier.

The Cellar?

They aren’t joking.

That’s exactly what the inside of this place looks like. A cellar. There is “stone” walls, the lighting is made to look like candles on the wall in sconces and in chandeliers. It’s dark. The atmosphere is a little depressing for me. The food on the other hand….

 

[plgrn]

The food on the other hand….

Umm...you can't just leave us hanging like that! We need food porn!

What did you think about the bread sticks there? I think I could made an entire meal just out of those!

 

[Dianna]

Thanks for providing the numbers to your posts!

 

[SLDL]

Thanks for posting the pics, esp. the free Disney Visa card photo. I wondered what that looked like. It also makes me want to pick something for my daughter to start collecting when we take her on her first trip in Sept. I like that tradition.

 

[bdg100]

Extraction of Barbie from the jungle of Animal Kingdom. Now that would make a good trip title. Excellet report, keep the updates coming. I can hardly wait to see what you ate at the cellar. lol.

 

[corinnak]

I am enjoying your perspective and look forward to the rest! Oh, your poor DB and DSIL - dramamine drowsies are almost as impairing as nausea! Keep those photos coming!