mikemelita
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2002
- Messages
- 17
Trip profile
WI family
me-Dad (dismaniac Trip Planner, photo/videographer)
Punkin
(PERFECT 7 year old)
Mom (Awesomely beautiful redhead)
Trip planned 30 days ahead (plane fare got cheap!)
Dec 10 Wed
We awoke at 3:30 AM to see what the weather was like. Predictions for rain/snow possibly as much as 6 inches worried us, and we had a 150 mile drive before a 10 AM flight. This was also how we were going to surprise Punkin with the trip. It was sleeting and snowing, so it was time to go. 3:45 we woke her up, and asked her of there was anyplace she could go, her choice, where would it be? "Disney World"(!) she said. Thats our girl! With the car already packed we put a breakfast bar in her hand after getting dressed, and down the road we went. 4 AM exactly was our start time. VERY nasty roads. We drove about an hour and a half before a difficult to drive on slushy wet snow turned to rain. We arrived at a freind's workplace at just after 8, and he jumped in to take us to the airport. he will take care of our car while we are gone. The clock said nearly 9 when we got to the airport, but check-in was quick and our flight lifted off and took only 2 ½ hours to get us there. We arrived in our room at exactly 3PM, much earlier than I thought we would be. 6 hours left to enjoy whatever we wanted! Our last trip we didn't arrive until midnight, watch those priceline ads! Punkin was a perfect traveler, always listening, no complaining, toting her little wheeled suitcase.
After dropping off our stuff at the front luggage area, we checked in to a room at All Star Sports, and took our carry-ons. As we walked along the hall and past the pool, we noticed DOZENS of cheerleaders, grade school age. Seems there is a national grade school cheerleading competition, and Pop Warner playoffs this week(!) YES, they are also loud when not cheerleading.... After checking to see if we had everything we needed, we rushed back to the food court, ate a sandwich, and were standing in line at the bus stop at 4 to go to Punkin's 1st request; Mickey's Philharmagic! at the Magic Kingdom. Did I say lots of cheerleaders? As we walked the drizzle didn't faze us as we headed straight to the Castle, with the stage show about ½ way through. The drizzle was hard enough for the show to abruptly end, announcements apologizing for the weather. That didn't bother Punkin, she isn't too keen on stage shows anyway. We wheeled around the castle, and were in line for Philharmagic, and waited only 5 minutes to get in. GREAT show, we were all very pleased with Punkin's 1st pick! As we left she spotted It's a Small World, then Peter Pan's Flight, both very close by. Less than a ½ hour in the park, and 3 rides under our belts already, with no great rushing about. The weather is quite cool, mid 50's (perfectly comfy for us northerners). As we walked through the passway to Liberty Square, we saw that Spectromagic was starting, and having seen it, decided to go to Haunted Mansion. We rode twice, getting right on both times, looked around a little for the "hidden" ring, but it was dark and there were no CMs to show us at the exit. Never did find it. Next time! We walked back across the square after the parade cleared, along the bridge to the green area between the castle and Adventureland, and thats exactly when Wishes started. It is a very nice place to watch the fireworks from. We liked the show very much, just as good as or better than the previous fireworks show. We joined the crowd leaving, steered down the street by CMs. A little rain did not dampen anyone's spirits. We were tired, and got back to the room 17 hours after hitting the road. The Mom & Dad unpacked, and we had no difficulties at all in getting to sleep! 10 PM. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thurs Dec 11
Slept till about 8, with my watch alarm waking us, and we (slowly) got up & began what Dad knew was going to be a packed day. Our tickets for MVMCP are tonight. Punkin leads the way into Epcot where Mission Space is the first order of the day. Just like last night, we walked right in, and took 2 rides in quick succession. Mission Space is, in a word, WOW. Best simulation of anything I have been on. We were tickled to get in so quickly and get a chance to go to our favorite quick bite place, The Fountainview. Punkin had a Boston Cream, I had a Crème Brulee, and sweetie had a Chocolate Croissant. YUM! As we left the Fountainview to go to restrooms, we met Francis the robot and Dr. Lulu at the entrance that faces The Land. They were a delightful " hidden Mickey " and we went back a few times later to see if they were there, unfortunately never seeing them again. The weather improved much as we walked over to The Land. It was amazing to us that we had never been in either The Land, or the Wonders of Life buildings(!) We went on "Living With the Land", and noted this would be a great ride to warm up on a cold day. A good experience as well. We all liked it. Figment was next, and he (she??) delighted Punkin. When Punkin saw the "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" sign she said she wanted to see it again. It scared her fairly badly the first time, and we worried it might scare her again. She said she was going to cover her eyes at the scary parts. The cat that turned into a lion and the snake were too much for her. We crossed the Plaza, and went to Body Wars. Punkin expressed am excited desire to go in the big shiny "spaceship"; Spaceship Earth, so that was our last stop at 1PM. I have always been very fond of this ride, no visit to Epcot is complete without it.
As we arrived back at the hotel we found our box we had shipped to ourselves was here, and dove in to eat "free" food! After a nice repast, we hit the beds, and slept till 4:30. We bounced up, grabbed some jackets and gloves, and were off to MVMCP! When we got to MK, we headed straight to a busy Cosmic Ray's for yummy burgers, and nice BIG diet Cokes. The park was emptying, and we went to the former Alien Encounter building to get our photos taken. 5 minutes later we were on Space Mountain for 2 rides in a row.
Punkin had a balloon that the nice CM at Guest Services at the hotel had given me, and the attendant took it at the beginning of the ride and had it waiting for us at the exit. Getting back to Alien Encounter, we were kind of sad to see it closed. The grownups and older kids liked it a lot as a "ride" and were chagrined that Punkin would never know the thrill of having an alien breathe on the back of her neck. Even if it was open, we would not have taken her this year, it was quite scary. After Space Mountain, we saw the Timekeeper was literally empty. We were 1st in line 11 minutes from the show's start, and waited in a VERY warm (almost too warm) lobby. Another show I like very much, charming, and fun, and Punkin gave it 3 out of 5. I know Timekeeper is scheduled for some kind of re-do, and I hope they can keep the charm. We walked around the corner to the Pavilion where the girls found a seat right at the edge, and I went for hot chocolate and cookies. It was about an hour before the fireworks, and we sat next to Henrietta and Howard originally from Michigan, via New Orleans, and then FL. Very nice people. The Pavilion is a VERY nice place to watch the fireworks, (Tink flies right over your head!). I did notice there was not very good sound coverage there, it is much better around the central plaza. After the fireworks, we were back on Space Mountain, then convinced Punkin to come have ice cream and sit for the MVMCP parade. She was fine with that, and ate mint chocolate chip
ears while we sat right at a table and waited ½ hour for the parade. I guess it was on time, because by the time it got to Main, it was 11 PM. They said it began at 10:45, and Main ST was the last stop. Shannon bought a lighted wand she was quite pleased with. The MVMCP parade was excellent, with some very impressive dancing, although Punkin was a little disappointed that her favorite princess, Jasmine was absent. After the parade it was almost 12, so we walked to the Exposition Hall and the Emporium, where I got both the Passholder pins, and the pins for the night for all 3 of us, to the tune of over $60 in one fell pin-swoop! Then back to the room for another FAST night of sleep. All of us were very VERY thankful we napped a couple of hours. SO far tips we have used from the Disboards are getting those photos taken right away, and don't mind missing the 1st parade. GET A NAP IN, and then everything seems nice and easy until midnight.
WI family
me-Dad (dismaniac Trip Planner, photo/videographer)
Punkin
(PERFECT 7 year old)Mom (Awesomely beautiful redhead)
Trip planned 30 days ahead (plane fare got cheap!)
Dec 10 Wed
We awoke at 3:30 AM to see what the weather was like. Predictions for rain/snow possibly as much as 6 inches worried us, and we had a 150 mile drive before a 10 AM flight. This was also how we were going to surprise Punkin with the trip. It was sleeting and snowing, so it was time to go. 3:45 we woke her up, and asked her of there was anyplace she could go, her choice, where would it be? "Disney World"(!) she said. Thats our girl! With the car already packed we put a breakfast bar in her hand after getting dressed, and down the road we went. 4 AM exactly was our start time. VERY nasty roads. We drove about an hour and a half before a difficult to drive on slushy wet snow turned to rain. We arrived at a freind's workplace at just after 8, and he jumped in to take us to the airport. he will take care of our car while we are gone. The clock said nearly 9 when we got to the airport, but check-in was quick and our flight lifted off and took only 2 ½ hours to get us there. We arrived in our room at exactly 3PM, much earlier than I thought we would be. 6 hours left to enjoy whatever we wanted! Our last trip we didn't arrive until midnight, watch those priceline ads! Punkin was a perfect traveler, always listening, no complaining, toting her little wheeled suitcase.
After dropping off our stuff at the front luggage area, we checked in to a room at All Star Sports, and took our carry-ons. As we walked along the hall and past the pool, we noticed DOZENS of cheerleaders, grade school age. Seems there is a national grade school cheerleading competition, and Pop Warner playoffs this week(!) YES, they are also loud when not cheerleading.... After checking to see if we had everything we needed, we rushed back to the food court, ate a sandwich, and were standing in line at the bus stop at 4 to go to Punkin's 1st request; Mickey's Philharmagic! at the Magic Kingdom. Did I say lots of cheerleaders? As we walked the drizzle didn't faze us as we headed straight to the Castle, with the stage show about ½ way through. The drizzle was hard enough for the show to abruptly end, announcements apologizing for the weather. That didn't bother Punkin, she isn't too keen on stage shows anyway. We wheeled around the castle, and were in line for Philharmagic, and waited only 5 minutes to get in. GREAT show, we were all very pleased with Punkin's 1st pick! As we left she spotted It's a Small World, then Peter Pan's Flight, both very close by. Less than a ½ hour in the park, and 3 rides under our belts already, with no great rushing about. The weather is quite cool, mid 50's (perfectly comfy for us northerners). As we walked through the passway to Liberty Square, we saw that Spectromagic was starting, and having seen it, decided to go to Haunted Mansion. We rode twice, getting right on both times, looked around a little for the "hidden" ring, but it was dark and there were no CMs to show us at the exit. Never did find it. Next time! We walked back across the square after the parade cleared, along the bridge to the green area between the castle and Adventureland, and thats exactly when Wishes started. It is a very nice place to watch the fireworks from. We liked the show very much, just as good as or better than the previous fireworks show. We joined the crowd leaving, steered down the street by CMs. A little rain did not dampen anyone's spirits. We were tired, and got back to the room 17 hours after hitting the road. The Mom & Dad unpacked, and we had no difficulties at all in getting to sleep! 10 PM. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Thurs Dec 11
Slept till about 8, with my watch alarm waking us, and we (slowly) got up & began what Dad knew was going to be a packed day. Our tickets for MVMCP are tonight. Punkin leads the way into Epcot where Mission Space is the first order of the day. Just like last night, we walked right in, and took 2 rides in quick succession. Mission Space is, in a word, WOW. Best simulation of anything I have been on. We were tickled to get in so quickly and get a chance to go to our favorite quick bite place, The Fountainview. Punkin had a Boston Cream, I had a Crème Brulee, and sweetie had a Chocolate Croissant. YUM! As we left the Fountainview to go to restrooms, we met Francis the robot and Dr. Lulu at the entrance that faces The Land. They were a delightful " hidden Mickey " and we went back a few times later to see if they were there, unfortunately never seeing them again. The weather improved much as we walked over to The Land. It was amazing to us that we had never been in either The Land, or the Wonders of Life buildings(!) We went on "Living With the Land", and noted this would be a great ride to warm up on a cold day. A good experience as well. We all liked it. Figment was next, and he (she??) delighted Punkin. When Punkin saw the "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" sign she said she wanted to see it again. It scared her fairly badly the first time, and we worried it might scare her again. She said she was going to cover her eyes at the scary parts. The cat that turned into a lion and the snake were too much for her. We crossed the Plaza, and went to Body Wars. Punkin expressed am excited desire to go in the big shiny "spaceship"; Spaceship Earth, so that was our last stop at 1PM. I have always been very fond of this ride, no visit to Epcot is complete without it.
As we arrived back at the hotel we found our box we had shipped to ourselves was here, and dove in to eat "free" food! After a nice repast, we hit the beds, and slept till 4:30. We bounced up, grabbed some jackets and gloves, and were off to MVMCP! When we got to MK, we headed straight to a busy Cosmic Ray's for yummy burgers, and nice BIG diet Cokes. The park was emptying, and we went to the former Alien Encounter building to get our photos taken. 5 minutes later we were on Space Mountain for 2 rides in a row.
Punkin had a balloon that the nice CM at Guest Services at the hotel had given me, and the attendant took it at the beginning of the ride and had it waiting for us at the exit. Getting back to Alien Encounter, we were kind of sad to see it closed. The grownups and older kids liked it a lot as a "ride" and were chagrined that Punkin would never know the thrill of having an alien breathe on the back of her neck. Even if it was open, we would not have taken her this year, it was quite scary. After Space Mountain, we saw the Timekeeper was literally empty. We were 1st in line 11 minutes from the show's start, and waited in a VERY warm (almost too warm) lobby. Another show I like very much, charming, and fun, and Punkin gave it 3 out of 5. I know Timekeeper is scheduled for some kind of re-do, and I hope they can keep the charm. We walked around the corner to the Pavilion where the girls found a seat right at the edge, and I went for hot chocolate and cookies. It was about an hour before the fireworks, and we sat next to Henrietta and Howard originally from Michigan, via New Orleans, and then FL. Very nice people. The Pavilion is a VERY nice place to watch the fireworks, (Tink flies right over your head!). I did notice there was not very good sound coverage there, it is much better around the central plaza. After the fireworks, we were back on Space Mountain, then convinced Punkin to come have ice cream and sit for the MVMCP parade. She was fine with that, and ate mint chocolate chip
ears while we sat right at a table and waited ½ hour for the parade. I guess it was on time, because by the time it got to Main, it was 11 PM. They said it began at 10:45, and Main ST was the last stop. Shannon bought a lighted wand she was quite pleased with. The MVMCP parade was excellent, with some very impressive dancing, although Punkin was a little disappointed that her favorite princess, Jasmine was absent. After the parade it was almost 12, so we walked to the Exposition Hall and the Emporium, where I got both the Passholder pins, and the pins for the night for all 3 of us, to the tune of over $60 in one fell pin-swoop! Then back to the room for another FAST night of sleep. All of us were very VERY thankful we napped a couple of hours. SO far tips we have used from the Disboards are getting those photos taken right away, and don't mind missing the 1st parade. GET A NAP IN, and then everything seems nice and easy until midnight.
