Day 6 - MK / Epcot / Honey, we can slow down now.
Cast:
PoohFanKC, 39, dad and husband (me);
DW, 39, lets me do the planning, but has veto power;
DD, 11; DS, 9; DS, 7.
Dates: June 1 - June 8, 2002
Resort: Port Orleans Riverside (Dixie Landings)
Trip: Second trip for all of us, first was in 2000.
After three fast paced days in the theme parks and a longer than expected off day, we were ready to experience the attractions that we had missed at MK and finally see the Tapestry of Dreams parade at Epcot. We promised the kids that if we got up and out to the parks early, we would have a long rest in the afternoon. The kids brought their disposable cameras today. After an in-room breakfast, we were off to MK. We were through security and in line at the turnstiles at opening.
Our first morning at MK, we went left - this time, we went right. As the family headed for Space, I detoured for FPs at Buzz and then joined the family in line. A TV camera crew was tracking a groups progress through Space. There were particularly interested in the standby sign, which had a 15 minute wait time posted. I dont know if this was an example of gritty investigative journalism or just a puff piece about WDW. We were just a bit in front of the action, but it provided distraction for us while we waited. Within 15 minutes we were already on the coaster and may have even been in the post-ride trek to the gift store. So much for the gritty investigative report. Our FP time for Buzz was still a little ways off, and we had no interest in Alien Encounter, so we headed towards the Indy Speedway. An executive decision was made that a 30 minute wait for go-carts was too long for us this morning. We promised the kids that we would do this at home sometime. We went on up to Fantasyland for a quick tour.
We had done and redone Fantasyland on our previous trip. The kids had rated all of the WDW attractions before the trip started. I had kept those ratings in mind as we thought about touring the park each time. Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan and the Mad Tea Cups didnt rate well. Small World gained some high marks and one zero. In other words, our tour of Fantasyland was going to be quick. We just walked through much of it slowly, looking around and enjoying WDW at a slower pace today. We ended up at Small World with no line. DS9, who rated this attraction as a zero on his scale, decided to go on it, but only to hunt for Hidden Mickeys. I scooted over to Haunted Mansion (its practically next door) to get FPs for later. As I waited for the family to exit Small World (rides take forever when you are not on them), I struck up a conversation with the CM at a nearby kiosk. She wondered why I wasnt on Small World and I said that it was too scary for me. She laughed and I explained that I was getting FPs for the next ride. I then took a look at her lanyard for pin trading opportunities. I explained that I had purchased pins for each of the children at home ($4 at Disney Store), but none were really into trading. I went ahead and let the CM decide which one to take from me and which one to give back. At this point I just wanted to get some trading going. It wasnt until about two hours later that one of the kids noticed that I had traded a pin. DS9's pin had gone and he was OK with the trade.
Since HM was no wait, we went there, returned to Buzz for FP - DS7 had the high score, I was a close second. We headed back to HM for FP (obviously one of everyones favorites). DD and DS7 wanted to do Splash and Thunder again before leaving, but DS9 wasnt interested. I headed for the mountains with DD and DS7 while DW and DS9 agreed to meet me in an hour at the Christmas Shop. I grabbed 5 FPs for Splash and we got in line for Thunder. After about ten minutes, an announcement was made telling people that the ride was temporarily down, and they could wait or leave. We waited and looked at the people trapped on one of the trains. About five minutes later, after we had moved up pretty close to the ramp because of all of the people that left, the ride was closed. Oh well. Return time for Splash was still a little while away, so we went to Pirates again. It turns out that DW and DS9 had headed for Pirates as soon as we split a half hour ago. We went to the left this time - a new twist for us, as this line is usually roped off. On previous rides we had gone right and loaded from that side. Next we were on to Splash for the first three of our FPs. Because of the timing of the FPs, we were getting close to our meet time with DW and DS9 (actually a few minutes late already). I sent DD and DS7 through again with the remaining two FPs while I ran back to meet up with DW and DS9. DW had found several ornaments and let me narrow down the purchase to four of them. DW and I get an ornament or two each year. Usually they are linked to a trip or special event from that year. We added these to the Millennium Celebration ornament from our prior trip. DS9 and I went back to meet up with DD and DS7 after their ride. Once again, I noticed how long a ride takes when you are not on it. We hooked up, rejoined DW and did Pirates one last time. By noon we were headed out of the park. We took pictures of the castle, including the you take mine and Ill take yours arrangement with a group of three twentysomethings. DS7 took pictures of all of the brass characters on posts near the Walt & Mickey statue (I had not noticed them before) and the horse pulling the trolley. He was really burning up his roll of film. It was only about noon. We headed back to POR for lunch and planned an early afternoon arrival at Epcot.
Upon arrival at Epcot, we headed directly to Mexico. We toured clockwise, gathering smashed pennies and shopping but not buying in numerous stores. We caught several of the street performances - our primary focus of the afternoon. The acrobats in China are very young, but very talented. We listen to music in several places. We later watched the juggler in France. After gathering more country pennies, our collection was complete - except for China. We couldnt find a machine there. (The next day I stopped at Guest Services before the park opened and got a list of all of the penny machines/designs. The CM explained that China simply didnt have penny machines and there was no China design on the list. It had something to do with their particular participation status at WDW. I guess the collection was as complete as it was going to be.)
After a tour of a baseball exhibit in Japan (DS7 loves baseball), we hustled back to Germany to get a prime spot for the first ToD parade. After missing the parade on two previous evenings at Epcot, this was my goal for the evening. I had read that by sitting across from the large wooden doors next to Germany, you could view both sections of the parade - the one starting in Germany and the one ending there. When we arrived, the best spots were taken, but we found a bench next to the crystal shop on the country side (not the lake side), right by the big wooden doors. It was a single bench, with the crowd-control rope stretch in front of it. It seemed like this might be a reserved spot or not to be used at all, but I asked a couple of different CMs if we would be allowed to stay there. Not only would we be allowed to stay, we would have to stay through both sections of the parade. We could deal with that! While DW and DS9 saved the spot, the rest of us met with Snow White and Dopey. I traded another of my childrens pins with the characters handler. We swapped places, DW got some food and we were set.
From our location, DS7 was the first person encountered by the parade section starting in Germany. He was showered with attention, with about 1/3 of the performers stopping to shake hands or bow to him. DD got into the act a little while DS9 simply sat and watched. DW and I were snapping lots of pictures. When the first section of the parade ended, we received similar treatment from the performers in the second section as they ended their route. It was almost as if the performers thought we were VIPs because of our location. It almost got boring interacting with all of the performers, there were so many. We were spoiled.
Just as the parade began, two other people joined us in this special location - a woman and her wheelchair-bound older daughter. They were also showered with attention. Disney really does try to do some special things to make the magic. I even noticed that one of the German CMs was holding up a small child during much of the parade so that she would not be missed by the performers. I dont know if the CM knew the guests, but I doubt it. We were also joined by a rabbit from the shrubs behind our bench. It just hopped out and watched the parade for about five minutes. I dont know if it had seen the parade before, but it seemed to like it. We took its picture as the parade went past. Some people we recognized from the bus from POR that afternoon came over after the parade just to see the rabbit. It was not our only encounter with nature during the trip. At POR we had lots of rabbits and engaged in numerous skink hunts along the paths. The water birds were also prevalent. DW even snapped a picture of a cute lizard in Mickeys garden.
After the parade, we worked clockwise through WS with plans to watch Illuminations to cap off the evening. While visiting the US, DS7 noticed that masks were available to decorate. Kids could get stamps and additional decorations for their masks at each country. His quest began as we repeated a previous days tour of the right side of the world, this time focused on the mask. As we wound up the world tour, we really enjoyed the O Canada show. DS7 had half his mask done and was now keen to return tomorrow to get the rest. We arranged for that in the next day's schedule.
At about 8:00, Epcot takes on a frantic feel when people start rushing around jockeying for position for Illuminations - the storm before the calm. Last trip we sat on the patio at the Rose & Crown, ate dinner and enjoyed the show. It was great, but since he had seen the show before, we were not compelled to wait long to get a great spot. This time we stood behind the triangular island in the central walkway that takes you from Future World to WS. There were several people between us and the lake, but none right in front of us. This spot was perfect for us; it had a direct if slightly obstructed view of the lake and offered opportunity for a quick exit. We grabbed frozen treats for the kids from a street vendor and enjoyed the show. We hightailed it out to the POR bus stop and were back in the room by about 9:40.
It was a good day. After a quick favorites tour of MK, we slowed down and really concentrated on the World Showcase. The kids were older this trip and appreciated the countries a lot more than two years ago. We felt like the trip was beginning to wind down. We also felt that with a few exceptions, that we had seen most everything that we wanted to see. The remaining must-sees would be completed tomorrow. (DS9 had just announced that Fantasmic! was a must see or Ill die attraction, so the plan was adjusted to accommodate.)
Best Experience of the Day: Tapestry of Dreams
Worst Experience of the Day: None.
Next Report: Day 7 - Epcot / MGM / Honey, we leave tomorrow.
Cast:
PoohFanKC, 39, dad and husband (me);
DW, 39, lets me do the planning, but has veto power;
DD, 11; DS, 9; DS, 7.
Dates: June 1 - June 8, 2002
Resort: Port Orleans Riverside (Dixie Landings)
Trip: Second trip for all of us, first was in 2000.
After three fast paced days in the theme parks and a longer than expected off day, we were ready to experience the attractions that we had missed at MK and finally see the Tapestry of Dreams parade at Epcot. We promised the kids that if we got up and out to the parks early, we would have a long rest in the afternoon. The kids brought their disposable cameras today. After an in-room breakfast, we were off to MK. We were through security and in line at the turnstiles at opening.
Our first morning at MK, we went left - this time, we went right. As the family headed for Space, I detoured for FPs at Buzz and then joined the family in line. A TV camera crew was tracking a groups progress through Space. There were particularly interested in the standby sign, which had a 15 minute wait time posted. I dont know if this was an example of gritty investigative journalism or just a puff piece about WDW. We were just a bit in front of the action, but it provided distraction for us while we waited. Within 15 minutes we were already on the coaster and may have even been in the post-ride trek to the gift store. So much for the gritty investigative report. Our FP time for Buzz was still a little ways off, and we had no interest in Alien Encounter, so we headed towards the Indy Speedway. An executive decision was made that a 30 minute wait for go-carts was too long for us this morning. We promised the kids that we would do this at home sometime. We went on up to Fantasyland for a quick tour.
We had done and redone Fantasyland on our previous trip. The kids had rated all of the WDW attractions before the trip started. I had kept those ratings in mind as we thought about touring the park each time. Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan and the Mad Tea Cups didnt rate well. Small World gained some high marks and one zero. In other words, our tour of Fantasyland was going to be quick. We just walked through much of it slowly, looking around and enjoying WDW at a slower pace today. We ended up at Small World with no line. DS9, who rated this attraction as a zero on his scale, decided to go on it, but only to hunt for Hidden Mickeys. I scooted over to Haunted Mansion (its practically next door) to get FPs for later. As I waited for the family to exit Small World (rides take forever when you are not on them), I struck up a conversation with the CM at a nearby kiosk. She wondered why I wasnt on Small World and I said that it was too scary for me. She laughed and I explained that I was getting FPs for the next ride. I then took a look at her lanyard for pin trading opportunities. I explained that I had purchased pins for each of the children at home ($4 at Disney Store), but none were really into trading. I went ahead and let the CM decide which one to take from me and which one to give back. At this point I just wanted to get some trading going. It wasnt until about two hours later that one of the kids noticed that I had traded a pin. DS9's pin had gone and he was OK with the trade.
Since HM was no wait, we went there, returned to Buzz for FP - DS7 had the high score, I was a close second. We headed back to HM for FP (obviously one of everyones favorites). DD and DS7 wanted to do Splash and Thunder again before leaving, but DS9 wasnt interested. I headed for the mountains with DD and DS7 while DW and DS9 agreed to meet me in an hour at the Christmas Shop. I grabbed 5 FPs for Splash and we got in line for Thunder. After about ten minutes, an announcement was made telling people that the ride was temporarily down, and they could wait or leave. We waited and looked at the people trapped on one of the trains. About five minutes later, after we had moved up pretty close to the ramp because of all of the people that left, the ride was closed. Oh well. Return time for Splash was still a little while away, so we went to Pirates again. It turns out that DW and DS9 had headed for Pirates as soon as we split a half hour ago. We went to the left this time - a new twist for us, as this line is usually roped off. On previous rides we had gone right and loaded from that side. Next we were on to Splash for the first three of our FPs. Because of the timing of the FPs, we were getting close to our meet time with DW and DS9 (actually a few minutes late already). I sent DD and DS7 through again with the remaining two FPs while I ran back to meet up with DW and DS9. DW had found several ornaments and let me narrow down the purchase to four of them. DW and I get an ornament or two each year. Usually they are linked to a trip or special event from that year. We added these to the Millennium Celebration ornament from our prior trip. DS9 and I went back to meet up with DD and DS7 after their ride. Once again, I noticed how long a ride takes when you are not on it. We hooked up, rejoined DW and did Pirates one last time. By noon we were headed out of the park. We took pictures of the castle, including the you take mine and Ill take yours arrangement with a group of three twentysomethings. DS7 took pictures of all of the brass characters on posts near the Walt & Mickey statue (I had not noticed them before) and the horse pulling the trolley. He was really burning up his roll of film. It was only about noon. We headed back to POR for lunch and planned an early afternoon arrival at Epcot.
Upon arrival at Epcot, we headed directly to Mexico. We toured clockwise, gathering smashed pennies and shopping but not buying in numerous stores. We caught several of the street performances - our primary focus of the afternoon. The acrobats in China are very young, but very talented. We listen to music in several places. We later watched the juggler in France. After gathering more country pennies, our collection was complete - except for China. We couldnt find a machine there. (The next day I stopped at Guest Services before the park opened and got a list of all of the penny machines/designs. The CM explained that China simply didnt have penny machines and there was no China design on the list. It had something to do with their particular participation status at WDW. I guess the collection was as complete as it was going to be.)
After a tour of a baseball exhibit in Japan (DS7 loves baseball), we hustled back to Germany to get a prime spot for the first ToD parade. After missing the parade on two previous evenings at Epcot, this was my goal for the evening. I had read that by sitting across from the large wooden doors next to Germany, you could view both sections of the parade - the one starting in Germany and the one ending there. When we arrived, the best spots were taken, but we found a bench next to the crystal shop on the country side (not the lake side), right by the big wooden doors. It was a single bench, with the crowd-control rope stretch in front of it. It seemed like this might be a reserved spot or not to be used at all, but I asked a couple of different CMs if we would be allowed to stay there. Not only would we be allowed to stay, we would have to stay through both sections of the parade. We could deal with that! While DW and DS9 saved the spot, the rest of us met with Snow White and Dopey. I traded another of my childrens pins with the characters handler. We swapped places, DW got some food and we were set.
From our location, DS7 was the first person encountered by the parade section starting in Germany. He was showered with attention, with about 1/3 of the performers stopping to shake hands or bow to him. DD got into the act a little while DS9 simply sat and watched. DW and I were snapping lots of pictures. When the first section of the parade ended, we received similar treatment from the performers in the second section as they ended their route. It was almost as if the performers thought we were VIPs because of our location. It almost got boring interacting with all of the performers, there were so many. We were spoiled.
Just as the parade began, two other people joined us in this special location - a woman and her wheelchair-bound older daughter. They were also showered with attention. Disney really does try to do some special things to make the magic. I even noticed that one of the German CMs was holding up a small child during much of the parade so that she would not be missed by the performers. I dont know if the CM knew the guests, but I doubt it. We were also joined by a rabbit from the shrubs behind our bench. It just hopped out and watched the parade for about five minutes. I dont know if it had seen the parade before, but it seemed to like it. We took its picture as the parade went past. Some people we recognized from the bus from POR that afternoon came over after the parade just to see the rabbit. It was not our only encounter with nature during the trip. At POR we had lots of rabbits and engaged in numerous skink hunts along the paths. The water birds were also prevalent. DW even snapped a picture of a cute lizard in Mickeys garden.
After the parade, we worked clockwise through WS with plans to watch Illuminations to cap off the evening. While visiting the US, DS7 noticed that masks were available to decorate. Kids could get stamps and additional decorations for their masks at each country. His quest began as we repeated a previous days tour of the right side of the world, this time focused on the mask. As we wound up the world tour, we really enjoyed the O Canada show. DS7 had half his mask done and was now keen to return tomorrow to get the rest. We arranged for that in the next day's schedule.
At about 8:00, Epcot takes on a frantic feel when people start rushing around jockeying for position for Illuminations - the storm before the calm. Last trip we sat on the patio at the Rose & Crown, ate dinner and enjoyed the show. It was great, but since he had seen the show before, we were not compelled to wait long to get a great spot. This time we stood behind the triangular island in the central walkway that takes you from Future World to WS. There were several people between us and the lake, but none right in front of us. This spot was perfect for us; it had a direct if slightly obstructed view of the lake and offered opportunity for a quick exit. We grabbed frozen treats for the kids from a street vendor and enjoyed the show. We hightailed it out to the POR bus stop and were back in the room by about 9:40.
It was a good day. After a quick favorites tour of MK, we slowed down and really concentrated on the World Showcase. The kids were older this trip and appreciated the countries a lot more than two years ago. We felt like the trip was beginning to wind down. We also felt that with a few exceptions, that we had seen most everything that we wanted to see. The remaining must-sees would be completed tomorrow. (DS9 had just announced that Fantasmic! was a must see or Ill die attraction, so the plan was adjusted to accommodate.)
Best Experience of the Day: Tapestry of Dreams
Worst Experience of the Day: None.
Next Report: Day 7 - Epcot / MGM / Honey, we leave tomorrow.
