dawgsgirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2003
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OUR DISNEY ADVENTURE
Who: Me, 51 year old trip planner, AKA Mot
Nan, my 43 year old cousin
Rach, Nans 8 year old daughter
When: Sat., Feb. 12--Sun., Feb. 20
Day One Feb 12
This was our third trip to the World together. We are true Disney addicts and know a little more than the first 2 trips. We have annual passes, a DDE card, and the knowledge and power of the DISboards! We were blessed with a week of glorious weather! We arrived around 2:30 at the AKL after a 7 hour drive from Georgia. WOW! What a place! Upgraded to savanna view from a standard that I had at AP rate. It was one of those savanna views that people like me get. A view of the people pen, some fences, and 2 long horned cattle things. Oh well, we were thrilled! Rach just had to hit the pool first thing. We then looked around some and had dinner at Boma. YUM! Then we did the night vision goggle thing and hit the resort store. To bed tired and happy! We were finally HERE!
Day Two Feb 13
Up early and checked out of the AKL. Its a very nice place, but we were glad to leave. Those rooms are tiny! Off to AK to continue our African experience. Entered through the secret entrance and headed to Africa. Pulled a FP for the Safari ride and walked the trail. We then had our Safari, shopped, lunched out back at the Tusker house to the kitchen cleaning sounds, and had our first of many Mickey Bars on our way out of the park. On to Cypress Pointe, our home for the rest of the week. We had stayed here before and felt like we were home. Rach took a swim and I made a grocery run. We rested a bit and then drove back to the AKL and took the bus to MK. This was an EMH evening and we took advantage of our resort ID cards! Arrived at MK in plenty of time to get a piece of the curb on Main St. for Spectro. Spent the time making friends with our neighbors, looking in the stores, and getting our ID bracelets for EMH at the Rose Garden. Spectro was pure magic as always! We then RAN into Caseys and beat the crowd for our fuel for the evening. No place to sit anywhere--so we used a trashcan top for our dining. Only at WDW! Watched Wishes from in front of Caseys and then we were off for our night of fun. The EMH was from 10:00 til 1:00. I had plans for what to ride, but Rach seemed to regress in age, so we did tame rides. Buzz, TTA, Indy cars, Pooh(2x), Peter Pan, Philharmagic. At around 12:30 we were goners, and headed out through the castle. As we came down from the castle, I noticed some people just hanging around. Very weird at that time of night and with the stupid wall all around the hub. Then we heard someone say--Here they come! What? We turned around and here comes all these characters! Pure Disney Magic! Mickey and Minnie were posing together. There were not many people around and Chip and Dale were really being naughty. Chip was chasing Rach around and pulling on her Eyeore ears! What a priceless Disney memory! Arrived back at our condo around 1:45 and collapsed. A long, but magical day!
Day Three Feb 14
Needless to say, we were pretty tired today. We arrived at MGM around noon and took our time for the afternoon. Went to HISTK playground, Muppets show, and played games at Pizza Planet. Then to Sci-Fi for a late lunch. Rach really loved this place. We had good burgers and shakes and then moved on to the afternoon parade. Then we went to Millionaire and Little Mermaid. Even though it was early, we went on to Fantasmic. We got great seats in the Mickey section about 5 rows from the back. We had a long wait, but we were so tired that was fine. We ate Mickey Bars and adorned ourselves with our cheap and tacky Valentine light-ups from the Dollar Tree. Rachs first time for Fantasmic and she loved it. Straight back to the condo and dreamland.
Day Four Feb 15
Today was a MK day. We arrived in time for the opening ceremony. Im such a sap--I just love this! We were blessed this day with wonderful weather and low crowds. We did Thunder(2x), Splash, Aladdin, and pulled a FP for Jungle Cruise. Then to CP for our late breakfast with Pooh. YUM! We then returned for our FP at JC and then did POC. We were still tired from our late night on Sunday. We went to Tom Sawyer Island and hung around for awhile. Then to HM. We were really dragging, so we just sat around for while outside of Columbia Harbor House and watched for BAD Shoes! It is just amazing the footwear you can see. We then headed out of the park and watched the parade on our way. Back to the condo and a nice long swim. To bed early! What a great day--we did not wait in a single line all day.
Day Five Feb 16
Another MK day. We were finally rested up. Rach finally got up her courage to ride Space. She loved it! So--Rach and Nan rode Space and then went back to Fantasy Land and did Pooh and Snow White. I did COP and met back up with them to do Buzz. They had a FP for Space so they did that again. We had an early lunch at Cosmic Rays. Nan and Rach rode Space again, and then we did ToonTown. Then on to see Philharmagic one more time. I think this is my favorite show in all of WDW. Then we got the beloved Dole Whip and chilled out for awhile. Nan and Rach did the Swiss Family Treehouse. I have bad knees and passed on the opportunity. We shopped at the Emporium during the parade and ended our day with a complete trip around the park on the train. We had an early supper off-site and then hit DTD. We were early enough to score a parking space in Section B! Had to go to the Toy Store for the My Little Pony stuff and then to the Disney Store. We made our escape right as it got crowded. Another great day with glorious weather and low crowds. The only line we waited in was for the Dole Whips!
Day Six Feb 17
Today was AK day. We again entered through the secret entrance. Did Dinoland first and then had an early lunch at Pizzafari. Made the 11:40 FOLTK show. What a great show. More Disney magic--Rach got picked to be in the show! We then took in the Pocahontas show. We then wandered over to Asia, taking in the trails behind the Tree of Life. We saw Flights of Wonder and had a nice long Mickey Bar break overlooking the Tree of Life and the river. We made our way to Africa to wait on the parade. Rach had her face painted and did some shopping. Have I mentioned that this child LOVES to shop? She drove us crazy all week with her shopping. Pulled a FP for the safari ride and did this after the parade. We did not need the FP at all. There was no line! We enjoyed our late safari--there were lots of animals out. We then made our way to the Rainforest. We had about a 10 minute wait using my Safari Club card. Rach took an evening swim and we retired early. This was a very relaxing day, again with low crowds and glorious weather.
Day Seven Feb 18
Slept late and hung around the condo for while. We started out the day with a trip to the Disney Outlet at Premium Outlets and grabbed a quick bite to eat there. Then on to EPCOT. We did what we wanted in FW with no lines at all. Rach refuses to do TT or MS, so we did not have to worry about those wait times. Turtle Talk with Crush was GREAT! We all loved this a lot. Crush picked Rach out to ask her a question and then she had a question ready to ask him. More Disney Magic! Then we took the monorails to the Poly for our 5:00 PS at Ohanas. Great table right on the window with a castle view and great food and fun! Then we rode in the front of the monorail back to EPCOT! This was a highlight of the trip for me. We wandered a little in the WS and watched Illuminations from Norway. Another great Disney day!
Day Eight Feb 19
Back to Epcot right around opening. Here we experienced more Disney Magic! We kept finding characters all hidden in the Leave a Legacy area. There were no lines and it was wonderful to just see who was around the corner! We visited the WOL pavilion since it was open and who knows when we will see Cranium Command again. Rach wanted to see HISTA one more time, so we took in that again. The WS was just opening , so we did Maelstrom and had an early lunch at the counter service place in Mexico. We then wandered the WS. We had a magical encounter with the Living Statute in Italy. He got Rachs hat and put it on his head! Another one of those priceless memories! We took in the American Adventure and had a wonderful time making a mess with funnel cakes. Rach got to shop, which is the main reason EPCOT is her favorite park. We hit Mousegears and had our final Mickey Bars while we watched the fountain. Back to the condo and a long swim. Spent the evening packing and getting ready to go home. One of those I cant believe its over moments.
Day Nine Feb 20
We were blessed to have a safe trip home.
I have described the nuts and bolts of our trip in this report. We had a wonderful, magical, happy trip to the World. Many special family memories and those small things that make a vacation so memorable. We laughed a lot and just enjoyed each other and the wonderful Disney magic. We were blessed with great weather. No rain all week and temps in the 70s to around 80. I had feared we would run into crowds, but we never really waited in a line all week. Probably 10-15 minutes was the longest we waited. We saw all 3 afternoon parades and all of the big night shows. Many thanks to my Dis friends for sharing all your knowledge over the years. It made for a perfect trip to the World!
Who: Me, 51 year old trip planner, AKA Mot
Nan, my 43 year old cousin
Rach, Nans 8 year old daughter
When: Sat., Feb. 12--Sun., Feb. 20
Day One Feb 12
This was our third trip to the World together. We are true Disney addicts and know a little more than the first 2 trips. We have annual passes, a DDE card, and the knowledge and power of the DISboards! We were blessed with a week of glorious weather! We arrived around 2:30 at the AKL after a 7 hour drive from Georgia. WOW! What a place! Upgraded to savanna view from a standard that I had at AP rate. It was one of those savanna views that people like me get. A view of the people pen, some fences, and 2 long horned cattle things. Oh well, we were thrilled! Rach just had to hit the pool first thing. We then looked around some and had dinner at Boma. YUM! Then we did the night vision goggle thing and hit the resort store. To bed tired and happy! We were finally HERE!
Day Two Feb 13
Up early and checked out of the AKL. Its a very nice place, but we were glad to leave. Those rooms are tiny! Off to AK to continue our African experience. Entered through the secret entrance and headed to Africa. Pulled a FP for the Safari ride and walked the trail. We then had our Safari, shopped, lunched out back at the Tusker house to the kitchen cleaning sounds, and had our first of many Mickey Bars on our way out of the park. On to Cypress Pointe, our home for the rest of the week. We had stayed here before and felt like we were home. Rach took a swim and I made a grocery run. We rested a bit and then drove back to the AKL and took the bus to MK. This was an EMH evening and we took advantage of our resort ID cards! Arrived at MK in plenty of time to get a piece of the curb on Main St. for Spectro. Spent the time making friends with our neighbors, looking in the stores, and getting our ID bracelets for EMH at the Rose Garden. Spectro was pure magic as always! We then RAN into Caseys and beat the crowd for our fuel for the evening. No place to sit anywhere--so we used a trashcan top for our dining. Only at WDW! Watched Wishes from in front of Caseys and then we were off for our night of fun. The EMH was from 10:00 til 1:00. I had plans for what to ride, but Rach seemed to regress in age, so we did tame rides. Buzz, TTA, Indy cars, Pooh(2x), Peter Pan, Philharmagic. At around 12:30 we were goners, and headed out through the castle. As we came down from the castle, I noticed some people just hanging around. Very weird at that time of night and with the stupid wall all around the hub. Then we heard someone say--Here they come! What? We turned around and here comes all these characters! Pure Disney Magic! Mickey and Minnie were posing together. There were not many people around and Chip and Dale were really being naughty. Chip was chasing Rach around and pulling on her Eyeore ears! What a priceless Disney memory! Arrived back at our condo around 1:45 and collapsed. A long, but magical day!
Day Three Feb 14
Needless to say, we were pretty tired today. We arrived at MGM around noon and took our time for the afternoon. Went to HISTK playground, Muppets show, and played games at Pizza Planet. Then to Sci-Fi for a late lunch. Rach really loved this place. We had good burgers and shakes and then moved on to the afternoon parade. Then we went to Millionaire and Little Mermaid. Even though it was early, we went on to Fantasmic. We got great seats in the Mickey section about 5 rows from the back. We had a long wait, but we were so tired that was fine. We ate Mickey Bars and adorned ourselves with our cheap and tacky Valentine light-ups from the Dollar Tree. Rachs first time for Fantasmic and she loved it. Straight back to the condo and dreamland.
Day Four Feb 15
Today was a MK day. We arrived in time for the opening ceremony. Im such a sap--I just love this! We were blessed this day with wonderful weather and low crowds. We did Thunder(2x), Splash, Aladdin, and pulled a FP for Jungle Cruise. Then to CP for our late breakfast with Pooh. YUM! We then returned for our FP at JC and then did POC. We were still tired from our late night on Sunday. We went to Tom Sawyer Island and hung around for awhile. Then to HM. We were really dragging, so we just sat around for while outside of Columbia Harbor House and watched for BAD Shoes! It is just amazing the footwear you can see. We then headed out of the park and watched the parade on our way. Back to the condo and a nice long swim. To bed early! What a great day--we did not wait in a single line all day.
Day Five Feb 16
Another MK day. We were finally rested up. Rach finally got up her courage to ride Space. She loved it! So--Rach and Nan rode Space and then went back to Fantasy Land and did Pooh and Snow White. I did COP and met back up with them to do Buzz. They had a FP for Space so they did that again. We had an early lunch at Cosmic Rays. Nan and Rach rode Space again, and then we did ToonTown. Then on to see Philharmagic one more time. I think this is my favorite show in all of WDW. Then we got the beloved Dole Whip and chilled out for awhile. Nan and Rach did the Swiss Family Treehouse. I have bad knees and passed on the opportunity. We shopped at the Emporium during the parade and ended our day with a complete trip around the park on the train. We had an early supper off-site and then hit DTD. We were early enough to score a parking space in Section B! Had to go to the Toy Store for the My Little Pony stuff and then to the Disney Store. We made our escape right as it got crowded. Another great day with glorious weather and low crowds. The only line we waited in was for the Dole Whips!
Day Six Feb 17
Today was AK day. We again entered through the secret entrance. Did Dinoland first and then had an early lunch at Pizzafari. Made the 11:40 FOLTK show. What a great show. More Disney magic--Rach got picked to be in the show! We then took in the Pocahontas show. We then wandered over to Asia, taking in the trails behind the Tree of Life. We saw Flights of Wonder and had a nice long Mickey Bar break overlooking the Tree of Life and the river. We made our way to Africa to wait on the parade. Rach had her face painted and did some shopping. Have I mentioned that this child LOVES to shop? She drove us crazy all week with her shopping. Pulled a FP for the safari ride and did this after the parade. We did not need the FP at all. There was no line! We enjoyed our late safari--there were lots of animals out. We then made our way to the Rainforest. We had about a 10 minute wait using my Safari Club card. Rach took an evening swim and we retired early. This was a very relaxing day, again with low crowds and glorious weather.
Day Seven Feb 18
Slept late and hung around the condo for while. We started out the day with a trip to the Disney Outlet at Premium Outlets and grabbed a quick bite to eat there. Then on to EPCOT. We did what we wanted in FW with no lines at all. Rach refuses to do TT or MS, so we did not have to worry about those wait times. Turtle Talk with Crush was GREAT! We all loved this a lot. Crush picked Rach out to ask her a question and then she had a question ready to ask him. More Disney Magic! Then we took the monorails to the Poly for our 5:00 PS at Ohanas. Great table right on the window with a castle view and great food and fun! Then we rode in the front of the monorail back to EPCOT! This was a highlight of the trip for me. We wandered a little in the WS and watched Illuminations from Norway. Another great Disney day!
Day Eight Feb 19
Back to Epcot right around opening. Here we experienced more Disney Magic! We kept finding characters all hidden in the Leave a Legacy area. There were no lines and it was wonderful to just see who was around the corner! We visited the WOL pavilion since it was open and who knows when we will see Cranium Command again. Rach wanted to see HISTA one more time, so we took in that again. The WS was just opening , so we did Maelstrom and had an early lunch at the counter service place in Mexico. We then wandered the WS. We had a magical encounter with the Living Statute in Italy. He got Rachs hat and put it on his head! Another one of those priceless memories! We took in the American Adventure and had a wonderful time making a mess with funnel cakes. Rach got to shop, which is the main reason EPCOT is her favorite park. We hit Mousegears and had our final Mickey Bars while we watched the fountain. Back to the condo and a long swim. Spent the evening packing and getting ready to go home. One of those I cant believe its over moments.
Day Nine Feb 20
We were blessed to have a safe trip home.
I have described the nuts and bolts of our trip in this report. We had a wonderful, magical, happy trip to the World. Many special family memories and those small things that make a vacation so memorable. We laughed a lot and just enjoyed each other and the wonderful Disney magic. We were blessed with great weather. No rain all week and temps in the 70s to around 80. I had feared we would run into crowds, but we never really waited in a line all week. Probably 10-15 minutes was the longest we waited. We saw all 3 afternoon parades and all of the big night shows. Many thanks to my Dis friends for sharing all your knowledge over the years. It made for a perfect trip to the World!
