Our Crazy, Awesome, Imperfect Trip (May 2011)- Updated 8/21

[lbuzz52]

I like your teeshirt!

A stroll through A basically empty World Showcase sounds like a great way to end the evening!

 

[ctink23]

Good to hear a good review for Biergarten! I want to eat there on my next trip!

Glad you got to ride Soarin and Test Track! Great way to end the night!

 

[dd50]

I love WS also and now so do my kids.

 

[Belle83]

Part 17: Kennedy Space Center - Saturday 5/28 (Day 8)
First Trip to Kennedy, Dinner at Garden Grove
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My SO is a huge space nut, he's wanted to visit Kennedy since he was a little kid. I've never been, either. I thought it would be a good idea to visit on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend because the theme parks would be packed.

We were out late at Epcot the night before, so we slept in today and left our hotel around 12:15 p.m. I love that you see Tower of Tower from the road when you leave Epcot Resorts Blvd.

The drive out is pretty, but not terribly exciting. We had Sirius satellite radio in our rental, which helped big time (we both have Sirius at home, too). Around 1:35 p.m., we were pulling in to the Visitor Center parking lot for Kennedy Space Center.

Kennedy was the first place we saw a line for tickets. I’m glad I bought ours before the trip, from Undercover Tourist. The tickets for Kennedy were more discounted than for the theme parks, but I think you can actually get free tickets if you write to your state representatives. This was right inside the entrance.

Our first stop was the IMAX theater. They had two movies, one of which I’ve seen elsewhere. We just missed a show by about 2 minutes, so we decided to eat lunch instead. Our lunch at the Orbit Café was your typical fast food cafeteria, but much more reasonably priced than the theme parks. The food was more than o.k., we were so hungry that we probably would have had anything though. After lunch, we walked around the rocket garden. There was some sort of school competition/camp thing going on.

My SO wanted to check out the Shuttle Launch Experience (a simulator), but on the way we saw the buses that take you on the tour of KSC. The bus tour is the only way to really see KSC, so I wanted to do that, but…

…my SO wanted to check out the Explorer replica, and the simulator, so that’s where we went instead. This picture is of the Explorer replica. The Launch Experience simulator is pretty neat, but the line is all outside and it was hot! The posted wait was 15 minutes, but it’s the government so….double that, lol. I think most kids would enjoy the simulator.

We had fun in the gift shop you exit into after the ride. That’s where I took this picture.

After the simulator, we finally made our way to the buses…but unfortunately, we missed the last bus.

I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that the bus tours stop sort of early, but we managed to miss this little detail while we were wandering around.

My SO was beyond crushed, he just wanted to go back to the hotel. It was the last day of our trip and our flight was supposed to leave the next morning around 8 a.m. I felt so sad for him, I knew how much he wanted to see everything at KSC. We bought some stuff from the gift shop, and had a very quiet drive 'home'.

When we got back to the hotel, I began looking into switching our flights. Our original departing flight left super early, and had 2 layovers , so even if we hadn't missed the bus tour I would have tried to change it. I had booked with airline miles, so it was a little tough moving things around but I managed to change our flight out for 6:30 p.m. the next day with only 1 layover. It was $150 for the flight change but more than worth it for us. I am so glad we were able to switch flights, and my SO was happy because now we would be able to go back to Kennedy before our flight left the next day. After taking care of flights, we walked over to the Swan for dinner at Garden Grove, walking by my fave fountain on the way .

We still had a free dinner voucher to use from the hotel. It wasn't valid at Shula's, bluezoo, or Il Mulino. Our original plan was to use it at Kimono's but we figured we would end up spending money out of pocket because it's a sushi restaurant. We picked Garden Grove, the Swan's character buffet. You can sort of see Goofy in this picture.

I was pleasantly surprised by the food here. It was not crowded at all (I don't think it's on the dining plan, which helps). We walked right in without a reservation. Pluto and Goofy were walking around, taking tons of pictures with everyone. I wasn't looking forward to the character aspect and didn't want pictures. Pluto's handler convinced us to take one, though (lol). It was Mediterranean night, the food was awesome. We had the best salad of our trip there. I'm not sure how much it is out-of-pocket, but it was excellent for a free dinner!

After eating, our plan was to go to the Magic Kingdom to watch Wishes and the Electrical Parade. Pics from that are next!

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[dd50]

I have lived in FL for 25+ years and have never went to to KSC. I think I need to do a mini trip.

 

[Belle83]

I have lived in FL for 25+ years and have never went to to KSC. I think I need to do a mini trip.

I'm glad I visited, at least once. I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to. I was thinking you could spend a half day and see everything, but it's definitely a full day trip.

 

[Belle83]

Part 18: Magic Kingdom - Saturday 5/28 (Day 8)
Wishes & Electrical Parade
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We spent our last night at the Magic Kingdom. We still hadn’t seen Wishes, and I wanted to watch the Electrical Parade (I’ve never seen it). Around 9:30 p.m., we were in the parking lot at MK on our way to the monorail. I really wish we had given up on driving to MK, the buses would have been the better route to go from our hotel. Oh well, now we know! This was on our way to the monorail in the lovely trams.

Wishes started at 10 p.m. When we arrived, Main Street was packed with everyone waiting for it to start.

We popped into the gift shops really quick, just because the candy store smells so good. I swear they pump that scent through the stores!

Watching Wishes was one of my favorite parts of our entire trip. It was so romantic watching Wishes together, and perfect for our last night. I've never seen the whole thing, just bits and pieces during my last trip.

I got some nice pictures, but I’m really short so it was tough (especially with kids on parents' soldiers).

Love this one!

I’m obsessed with the balloons they sell on Main Street, especially the Mickey ones in the bigger balloon. They light up, how cool is that?

We went back into the gift shops after Wishes, and did some major damage. I have mixed feelings on the Dooney purses. When I first saw them in 2004, I was not a fan. They are growing on me, but I can’t see myself ever buying one. I love those glittery pink coffee mugs but had read horrible reviews of them on the Disney store website so I refrained.

My SO still hadn’t been inside the castle yet, so we strolled through it. Love

Soon enough, it was almost time for the Electrical Parade (I think it started at 11 p.m.). We found a great spot sitting on the gallows in Liberty Square, it wasn’t crowded at all. My SO grabbed a turkey leg and snacked on that while we waited for the parade to start. It wasn't long before the parade began!

Like I said, this was the first time I’ve seen it. Back in 2004, I caught a little bit of Spectromagic but only while walking by. Some pics from the parade:

After the parade, I picked up vanilla ice cream from Sleepy Hollow while we basically ran across the park to hit Space Mountain one last time (MK closed at midnight).

The posted wait for Space Mountain was 45 minutes, but it only took about 20 minutes. It was very bittersweet, our last ride of the trip. So much fun though! After Space Mountain, we stopped one last time in the gift shops and sadly headed toward the monorail.

We spent the rest of the night packing, which was an adventure because we didn't bring any extra bags for the souvenirs we bought. Our trip was almost officially over, but because I moved our flights we still had part of the next day.

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[goofy's_gurl]

Sounds like you had a fun relaxing trip. I have never been to KSC an I lived here my whole life. Perhaps I'll need to take a trip there soon.

 

[rndmr2]

Great updates! We had been to Kennedy Space Center a couple times in the past, but I haven't been there in a while. There was a tentative plan to go there this past trip but it didn't happen. For some reason, I love that astronaut ice cream! I get it anytime I see it. It used to be the only place you could get it was the space center but you can get it at various places at WDW (the "Space-themed" rides like Mission Space, Star Tours and Space Mountain). Too bad you missed that last bus tour, but I hope you are able to get there the last day.

 

[Belle83]

Sounds like you had a fun relaxing trip. I have never been to KSC an I lived here my whole life. Perhaps I'll need to take a trip there soon.

It was definitely relaxing, we did things at our own pace If I lived in FL, I would definitely make a weekend trip out of Kennedy. We wanted to check out Cocoa Beach too, but didn't have time. Our next trip we are going to do both and stay in a hotel near Kennedy for a night at the beginning or end of the trip.

Great updates! We had been to Kennedy Space Center a couple times in the past, but I haven't been there in a while. There was a tentative plan to go there this past trip but it didn't happen. For some reason, I love that astronaut ice cream! I get it anytime I see it. It used to be the only place you could get it was the space center but you can get it at various places at WDW (the "Space-themed" rides like Mission Space, Star Tours and Space Mountain). Too bad you missed that last bus tour, but I hope you are able to get there the last day.

I love space ice cream! It's so good. I bought some for my co-workers, and almost kept it for myself, lol. We did make the bus tour the next day, thankfully.

 

[lbuzz52]

Isn't the last night always so sad?

Glad you got to see MSEP and end on one of your favorites!

 

[ctink23]

Oh no! Too bad you missed the bus! I hope your SO was not too crushed! Hopefully, the space ice cream lifted his spirits.

Sounds like you had a great last night in MK!

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This is a great picture. You are a really good photographer!​

 

[Belle83]

Oh no! Too bad you missed the bus! I hope your SO was not too crushed! Hopefully, the space ice cream lifted his spirits.

Sounds like you had a great last night in MK!

This is a great picture. You are a really good photographer!

Thanks! I love that picture.

Isn't the last night always so sad?

Glad you got to see MSEP and end on one of your favorites!

The last night is always very sad, but this actually ended up not even being our 'real' last night. We ended up staying an extra night because of flight issues, which I'll get to later....but our 'real' last night was even more sad than this one.

It really was a great night at Magic Kingdom, and a nice way to end our vacation.

 

[fulseasmama]

Just had a chance to read your TR. Sounds like you guys had a great trip. I am glad you are getting a second chance at Kennedy Space Center. We got to go at the end of our trip and being out by the launch pads is pretty amazing. Thanks for stopping by my TR!

 

[Belle83]

Part 19: Checking Out & Kennedy Space Center - Sunday 5/29 (Day 9)
Leaving the Dolphin and our Second Trip to Kennedy
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Today was supposed to be our last day. We checked out of the Dolphin using their express check-out. I think check-out was technically 11:00 a.m. but I overheard a hotel staff member telling another guest that the could probably get away with leaving closer to 12:00 p.m.

My SO made sure we didn't leave without his new stash of Bliss Mandarin Mint products. He's so not into stuff like that, so I thought this was pretty funny.

By around 11:20 a.m., we were down by the parking lot area with our stuff.

View of the hotel from the drive-up entrance:

Our suitcases, very sad to leave:

Our plan was to visit Kennedy again before going to the airport. On our drive out there, we realized we were starting to run pretty low on gas. It wouldn't be such a big deal except there really isn't much on the way to Kennedy. We had a GPS but not one that shows gas stations, so I was a little nervous. We made a slight detour toward a town called Bithlo, stopping at a depressing little gas station. I think this picture was taken on our little detour:

What matters is we didn't run out of gas! Soon enough, we were closer to the ocean and almost back to Kennedy.

After arriving at Kennedy, our first stop was, of course, the bus tour! We were in line by around 1:30 p.m.

It took about 25-30 minutes to get on the bus, which was a pain. After all that waiting, there was a couple behind us in line who wouldn't get on because they didn't see any seats together. They wanted to wait for the *next* bus. There actually were seats together...just in the back where you couldn't see that well. Keep in mind that this isn't a bus tour where you are on the bus the whole time, it basically just shuttles you around the Space Center to the different sites, where you get off. You don't have to stay on the same bus, and can stay at the different sites as long as you want (well, as long as KSC is open). We found this so strange, but moving on....

The first stop on the bus tour is the observation gantry. We didn't get off on this stop, because we didn't have enough time (we still had to catch our flight later that day). After waiting a few minutes for the bus driver, we made our way to the Apollo/Saturn V center.

When you arrive at the Apollo/Saturn V center, they shuttle people into the command center used for Apollo missions (the actual computers/controls, not replicas, transferred from Houston, I think).

Then, it's in to see the Saturn V rocket. The thing was huge!

More pics from the Apollo center:

Kitty Hawk Command Module from Apollo 14:

This picture cracks me up, it's from the Apollo Treasures gallery:

Took this from the bus on the way back to the Visitor Center, it's the Vehicle Assembly Building:

Had to take a pic of the Endeavour flag:

We left Kennedy around 4 p.m. for the airport. There was a fire on the way back that we drove by. I tried taking pictures but you can't really see the fire. It was super smoky and we saw little areas of flames too.

Next up: will we make our flight?

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[Belle83]

Part 20: Leaving Orlando? - Sunday 5/29 (Day 9)
Our Extra Night in Florida
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After our airport fiasco at the beginning of the trip, we made sure to arrive at the Orlando airport with plenty of time. We turned our rental car in and were making great time for our 6:30 p.m. flight.

In the airport check-in area, we couldn't help but notice tons of people emptying their suitcases to get them under the 50 lb. weight limit. With all of the souvenirs we bought, our suitcases were well over 50 lb. each and we didn't think to bring a second (lesson learned!). We checked in but waited to check our luggage to do some rearranging. After we finally got our luggage under the weight limit (no small feat, lol), we were told that our flight would not be leaving on time and that there was basically no way to make our connecting flight (in Atlanta) to Denver that evening. They put us in the 'special' line (where there was no line), to get us set up at a hotel.

Our choices were to either stay an extra night in Orlando or stay the night in Atlanta. Orlando was the obvious choice. I was honestly a little excited about staying an extra night in Orlando. We both still had Monday (5/30) off from work because it was Memorial Day. Maybe we would try to spend more time at Hollywood Studios (it had EMH that night, I believe)? We each still had an extra day on our MYW tickets to use, too.

The airline (Delta) gave us two hotel options nearby, of which we picked the Crowne Plaza. We also had meal vouchers, so we had a free lunch/dinner at the airport McDonalds. I had to stop at the airport Brookstone to buy an extra bag (our plastic shopping bags from WDW were not the sturdiest carry-on bags), before waiting for the shuttle.

Waiting for the shuttle to the hotel took forever....at least 45 minutes. We didn't have our rental car anymore, sadly. I should have known right there and then to walk over to the Magical Express area and book a night at Pop Century, it would have been soooo worth the $90. Another lesson learned.

By the time we got to our hotel, I realized there was no way we were going to visit Hollywood Studios that night. We would have had to take a cab to/from the hotel, and who knows how much $$$ that would have been from the airport. We didn't get into our hotel room until 7:30 p.m., too. The lobby at the hotel was nice enough. It seemed to cater mostly to pilots and flight attendants, or convention people.

Our hotel room was, in a word, disgusting. It smelled strongly like mildew and the bathroom was kind of dingy. The wallpaper was peeling off, and there were spots of who knows what on the furniture. We had a view of the pool and airport parking lots......

The smell was so bad we had to ask for a different room. Our second room didn't have the mildew smell, but it was still pretty sad. It doesn't look quite so bad in this picture, but it was.

View from second room:

We were so sad. It was the end of our vacation, which was hard enough, but to make matters worse, we were all packed and ready to go home only to have to stay in a gross airport hotel. Being so close to WDW just made it worse. Thanks Delta! We were told our plane was stuck for 'maintenance', so in the end I'm glad we weren't on a broken plane, but still. Not a great way to end our vacation.

We went across the street to have a cheap dinner at Denny's. While waiting, a couple walked in who smelled like they hadn't showered in a week...killing my appetite completely. Went back to our hotel after eating, watched some DVDs on our laptop (because the hotel TV was broken...), and went to bed. Some last night huh?

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[lbuzz52]

oh, i'm so sorry you had bad luck at the airport. i hope you complained to the hotel.

 

[Belle83]

oh, i'm so sorry you had bad luck at the airport. i hope you complained to the hotel.

We did. The hotel staff was super nice, but that was all it had going for it. We look back at that night now and sort of laugh about it, but it was not fun.

 

[ctink23]

Too bad that you had flight problems, but I am glad that the airline actually gave you hotel and meal vouchers! I feel like they don't do this as much anymore. It would have been even worse if you had to pay for the gross airport hotel room.

And I also have problems with the 50lb weight limit. I just flew Virgin Airlines, and their weight limit for the first bag is 70lb until October 2011. I was very luck because my suitcase was close to 60lb!

 

[goofy's_gurl]

So sorry to hear about your last night been so down. I would have not stayed at that hotel if it was like that. I would have booked a room else where. Some times theres a border between free an horrible.