Growin'upDisney
<font color=blue>I've been to Disney since I was k
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2003
- Messages
- 964
Cast of Characters
Me = Tausha
DH = Chris aka Panda
DM = Julie (my mom)
DSF = Erick (my stepfather) aka Dude
We awoke this morning with a twinge of sadness beginning to seep into our minds. It was our last full day at WDW. No one wanted to say it but it was definitely on our minds. We had been having such a great time and didnt want it to end.
We walked over to the Epcot monorail taking time to stop and read many of the personalized tiles on the path. I really get a kick out of all the different people and places these tiles represent. It fascinates me to read these. I guess after this trip our tiles would have to read as follows:
Picture of the Castle on top
January 2004
Tour Guide Barbie and Panda
Shhh!! Its a Surprise
We arrived at Epcot with gray skies looming above us. Guess it fit perfectly with our moods. We headed to Mission: Space and Test Rack until WS opened. Nothing like earlier morning adrenaline rush to put a smile back on your face.
As soon as 11am rolled around I made a b-line straight for the Beavertails. I was denied these already once earlier in the week and this was going to be my last chance on this trip, so I wasnt about to miss them or was I?
Sure enough the kiosk was closed up. You have got to be kidding me. Out loud I said,
Is this place ever really open or is it some sick joke perpetrated by people in the Internet? The CM at the pin booth heard me and started to laugh. Then she said,
They dont open until 3pm.
ME: So they open at 3pm and closed sometime before 8:45pm?
CM: Yep, they have shorter hours in the off season.
ME: Yes, but you see I AM HERE in the off season and I would like to try one of these things on my own time schedule, and my handy dandy Worksheet has me at Animal Kingdom at 3pm and not back in Epcot until 2005!!
She just stared blankly at me. Freakin Canadians. Thats the second time this trip I have been trumped by our friendly neighbors to the North. I am going to borrow a line from a very famous, loving mother, patient sister-in-law, photo-buying, grasshopper and Christmas tree hating, pizza delivery woman and say to all the Canadians I encountered on my trip (there were only the 2) Love Ya, Mean it!!
OK, so DH sees my disappointment and suggests that we just stay at Epcot until 3pm. I try to explain that this is not how the days schedule was meant to be, but I ended up just saying, we would see how the day progressed.
On this trip around the WS it seemed that we were too early for the performers to be out, so it was another fairly uneventful stroll around the lagoon. Ok note to self when you come to EPCOT in the off season, come in the middle of the day to truly experience the entertainment beyond the rides and films.
We stopped and took some pictures along the way.
So we make it around to Norway and boarded Maelstrom. The only other time I have ridden this we skipped the movie at the end but decided to sit through it this time.
Ok, so I am not sure if it was the impending end of this trip or something in the water I had drunk but when the movie started and the commentator started to speak I couldnt help but notice that the man with the booming voice was saying Norway like Norv-way. It sounded so strange and I couldnt help but to start giggling. And then he said it again and I giggled some more. People were beginning to stare. Again I blame something in the water. Then he said it a third time and I blurted out loud Oy-vay for Norv-way. Now Dude and DH started to laugh and if there is one thing you need to know about Dude is that his laugh is infectious. Once he gets started, forget it. So thankfully the movie is short and we rolled out of their laughing uncontrollably. OK, so I have probably angered the Canadians and the Norwegians out there in the audience.
Side Note I just want to take a moment out here to promise I am a very loving, respectful person who never in a million years would make fun of other people. There was just something that struck me as funny for no particular reason maybe it was because I was hungry and hadnt gotten a Beavertail
So we finished up WS with Mexico. So it was decision time. It was 12:30 - 1pm and the Worksheet had us going to Whispering Canyon for lunch and then on to Animal Kingdom to catch the Festival of the Lion King. Or I had a bright idea of hanging out a little longer, trying to get lunch in at Le Cellier (to make up for us missing it for dinner earlier in the week) and then if it just so happened to be after 3pm then the Canadians would make it up to me by be willing to finally sell me a Beavertail. The problem with option 2 is that it left us no chance to get back to AK this trip to see Lion King, which is a must see I know. I really wanted to see this and have DH see it, but it just goes to show that 1 week every 4 years or so is just not enough time to soak up all WDW has to offer.
Mom, the Lion King fanatic agreed to give up Lion King for a chance at Beavertails. She sacrificed for me - as all great parents do, thanks Mom. So we went to Living Seas and checked out the Nemo exhibits (very cool).
Watched some DiveQuest divers in the tanks with the fishes. Then we headed to The Land for a substitute Lion King performance- The Circle of Life. (FYI its no substitute). Then for the first time I rode Living with the Land. I really, really liked this and was so surprised by the greenhouse section.
So as we stepped outside The Land it was starting to rain and was 2:15pm. I love the rain and would play in it ad nauseum if I could get away with it. But others in my party dont enjoy getting their clothes soaked (Dh in particular) so we scurried over to Le Cellier where there was only a 5 minute wait and had one of the best meals of the week. This was the perfect option after all. So we eat our meal in this cozy setting and enjoy taking it all in and start talking about the events of the week with a couple of Oy-vay for Norv-ways thrown in. Dh, Dude, and mom all thank me for the effort, time and wonderful planning that went into making this a truly memorable vacation. I was so pleased that they were happy. Dude, mom, and I each marveled at the restaurants we had missed on our previous visits and wished Disneyland would start taking its dining situation seriously.
So we finished our meal and lo and behold it was 3:15pm and I was stuffed. But not to be defeated by something as trivial as an overly full stomach I marched right up to Trapper Bobs and ordered 2 Beavertails with chocolate hazelnut sauce. One for me and one for DH. Gosh I really wish I had seen other people eating these throughout the week, than I would have known how BIG these things really were.
Side Note - $3.50 for this huge thing. Its probably one of the best values at WDW. But if you even the slightest bit full, share these.
They were worth the wait and the stomachache that ensued from being so full of food. I was happy, full, walking in the rain with my family in the 2nd most magical place on earth the first being the Mission Santa Clara where DH and I were married. It was at that moment I realized just how lucky I am to be able to enjoy such simple and yet hugely satisfying pleasures.
Me = Tausha
DH = Chris aka Panda
DM = Julie (my mom)
DSF = Erick (my stepfather) aka Dude
We awoke this morning with a twinge of sadness beginning to seep into our minds. It was our last full day at WDW. No one wanted to say it but it was definitely on our minds. We had been having such a great time and didnt want it to end.
We walked over to the Epcot monorail taking time to stop and read many of the personalized tiles on the path. I really get a kick out of all the different people and places these tiles represent. It fascinates me to read these. I guess after this trip our tiles would have to read as follows:
Picture of the Castle on top
January 2004
Tour Guide Barbie and Panda
Shhh!! Its a Surprise
We arrived at Epcot with gray skies looming above us. Guess it fit perfectly with our moods. We headed to Mission: Space and Test Rack until WS opened. Nothing like earlier morning adrenaline rush to put a smile back on your face.
As soon as 11am rolled around I made a b-line straight for the Beavertails. I was denied these already once earlier in the week and this was going to be my last chance on this trip, so I wasnt about to miss them or was I?
Sure enough the kiosk was closed up. You have got to be kidding me. Out loud I said,
Is this place ever really open or is it some sick joke perpetrated by people in the Internet? The CM at the pin booth heard me and started to laugh. Then she said,
They dont open until 3pm.
ME: So they open at 3pm and closed sometime before 8:45pm?
CM: Yep, they have shorter hours in the off season.
ME: Yes, but you see I AM HERE in the off season and I would like to try one of these things on my own time schedule, and my handy dandy Worksheet has me at Animal Kingdom at 3pm and not back in Epcot until 2005!!
She just stared blankly at me. Freakin Canadians. Thats the second time this trip I have been trumped by our friendly neighbors to the North. I am going to borrow a line from a very famous, loving mother, patient sister-in-law, photo-buying, grasshopper and Christmas tree hating, pizza delivery woman and say to all the Canadians I encountered on my trip (there were only the 2) Love Ya, Mean it!!
OK, so DH sees my disappointment and suggests that we just stay at Epcot until 3pm. I try to explain that this is not how the days schedule was meant to be, but I ended up just saying, we would see how the day progressed.
On this trip around the WS it seemed that we were too early for the performers to be out, so it was another fairly uneventful stroll around the lagoon. Ok note to self when you come to EPCOT in the off season, come in the middle of the day to truly experience the entertainment beyond the rides and films.
We stopped and took some pictures along the way.


So we make it around to Norway and boarded Maelstrom. The only other time I have ridden this we skipped the movie at the end but decided to sit through it this time.
Ok, so I am not sure if it was the impending end of this trip or something in the water I had drunk but when the movie started and the commentator started to speak I couldnt help but notice that the man with the booming voice was saying Norway like Norv-way. It sounded so strange and I couldnt help but to start giggling. And then he said it again and I giggled some more. People were beginning to stare. Again I blame something in the water. Then he said it a third time and I blurted out loud Oy-vay for Norv-way. Now Dude and DH started to laugh and if there is one thing you need to know about Dude is that his laugh is infectious. Once he gets started, forget it. So thankfully the movie is short and we rolled out of their laughing uncontrollably. OK, so I have probably angered the Canadians and the Norwegians out there in the audience.
Side Note I just want to take a moment out here to promise I am a very loving, respectful person who never in a million years would make fun of other people. There was just something that struck me as funny for no particular reason maybe it was because I was hungry and hadnt gotten a Beavertail
So we finished up WS with Mexico. So it was decision time. It was 12:30 - 1pm and the Worksheet had us going to Whispering Canyon for lunch and then on to Animal Kingdom to catch the Festival of the Lion King. Or I had a bright idea of hanging out a little longer, trying to get lunch in at Le Cellier (to make up for us missing it for dinner earlier in the week) and then if it just so happened to be after 3pm then the Canadians would make it up to me by be willing to finally sell me a Beavertail. The problem with option 2 is that it left us no chance to get back to AK this trip to see Lion King, which is a must see I know. I really wanted to see this and have DH see it, but it just goes to show that 1 week every 4 years or so is just not enough time to soak up all WDW has to offer.
Mom, the Lion King fanatic agreed to give up Lion King for a chance at Beavertails. She sacrificed for me - as all great parents do, thanks Mom. So we went to Living Seas and checked out the Nemo exhibits (very cool).


Watched some DiveQuest divers in the tanks with the fishes. Then we headed to The Land for a substitute Lion King performance- The Circle of Life. (FYI its no substitute). Then for the first time I rode Living with the Land. I really, really liked this and was so surprised by the greenhouse section.
So as we stepped outside The Land it was starting to rain and was 2:15pm. I love the rain and would play in it ad nauseum if I could get away with it. But others in my party dont enjoy getting their clothes soaked (Dh in particular) so we scurried over to Le Cellier where there was only a 5 minute wait and had one of the best meals of the week. This was the perfect option after all. So we eat our meal in this cozy setting and enjoy taking it all in and start talking about the events of the week with a couple of Oy-vay for Norv-ways thrown in. Dh, Dude, and mom all thank me for the effort, time and wonderful planning that went into making this a truly memorable vacation. I was so pleased that they were happy. Dude, mom, and I each marveled at the restaurants we had missed on our previous visits and wished Disneyland would start taking its dining situation seriously.
So we finished our meal and lo and behold it was 3:15pm and I was stuffed. But not to be defeated by something as trivial as an overly full stomach I marched right up to Trapper Bobs and ordered 2 Beavertails with chocolate hazelnut sauce. One for me and one for DH. Gosh I really wish I had seen other people eating these throughout the week, than I would have known how BIG these things really were.
Side Note - $3.50 for this huge thing. Its probably one of the best values at WDW. But if you even the slightest bit full, share these.
They were worth the wait and the stomachache that ensued from being so full of food. I was happy, full, walking in the rain with my family in the 2nd most magical place on earth the first being the Mission Santa Clara where DH and I were married. It was at that moment I realized just how lucky I am to be able to enjoy such simple and yet hugely satisfying pleasures.