TRAPPED-PARENT
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2002
- Messages
- 550
Day Four (Sat, March 29) Pool, Church, Ohana
This was to be a relaxing day, but my DH and I both got up early (7:00) and started the morning routine of coffee, newspaper and breakfast. It promised to be a nice day weather-wise but a cold front was on the horizon. About 9:00 I crossed the road from our camping loop with our beach towels to stake out 4 lounge chairs by the pool. It was at the deep end of the pool and would be in full sun by 11:00.
We spent from 10:00-1:30 by the pool, reading, people-watching, eavesdropping and cooling off with periodic dunks in the water. About 1:30 we decided wed had enough and went back to the campsite for lunch. Since my DH was scheduled to golf the next day, he got cleaned up and went to the Bonnet Creek Golf Club to hit a bucket of balls at their driving range. He showed up in a t-shirt which was against dress code (yes, even at the driving range), so gave him a collared shirt to wear. The rest of us just lounged around before cleaning up for Saturday evening mass.
Once ready, we get in the van and drive to Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine which is on Vineland Road about 5 minutes from the Crossroads shopping area. We always used to attend mass at the Poly but that has since been discontinued due to a priest shortage. Well, we get there okay but it looks like they are expecting a full crowd as they have police and security prepared to direct traffic. The place was huge and very beautiful. We sit up near the front but off to the side. When 6:00 came, the Director of the shrine (a priest) came forward and spent 25 minutes welcoming everyone and talking about the shrine. This was quite nice, but we had a PS for Ohanas at 7:50 so was hoping he would get things underway. The church was completely full by this time and the official mass got started. My only disappointment with the whole thing is that the Director talked about the shrine and funding during the homily too. I really felt like this was a bit of overkill but can also understand that their only means of funding come from the visitors to the shrine.
After mass we quickly proceeded to the Poly where we were given a 3-hr parking pass by the security guard at the entrance to the parking lot. We made our way to Ohanas and were given a pager. The drinks at the lounge were quite expensive and I hadnt really budgeted for them, but my DH said he would pay (he always seems to have some extra money tucked away) so we placed an order. It didnt take too long for our pager to go off so we went to the desk and they were able to cancel our drink order because they hadnt started making them yet (we visited the lounge later in our trip and got drinks, which were yummy!). Well, our cousin escorted us to the grilling area and then showed us the desserts (which cost extra). This was our first time at Ohanas and a little more pricey than what we usually pay for dinner, but we wanted to do something different. I had heard a lot about Ohanas on the boards, so knew enough to ask for a window table. Yes, we got the table by the window and shortly after receiving our starters (stir-fried vegetables, salad, shrimp wontons, BBQ chicken wings, stir-fried rice), the lights dimmed and the MK fireworks started with the music being pumped into the restaurant. It was really great!!
Soft drinks were included in the meal so we had those. Then comes all the skewers of shrimp, sirloin steak, turkey breast, and BBQ pork!!! Wow, everything was really great. We ordered more chicken wings and shrimp wonton too. While eating the kids got up to do a hoola-hoop thing. It was a lot of fun to watch, even if our group was too old to participate.
When we couldnt eat anymore, our cousin brought us some fresh pineapple w/ caramel dipping sauce. Yum!!! Total bill was $120 (4 dinners @ $24 + tax/tip).
This was a perfect day at WDW and we didnt even set foot into the parks!!!
Day Five (Sun, March 30) Epcot/Studios
This was suppose to be the day that we went to Typhoon Lagoon (Id scheduled two days for this) and my DHs round of golf at Osprey Ridge but things did not develop that way. The cold front was in process of coming through and the temperature was only going to be in the 60s and would be accompanied by rain. We quickly decided that this might be a day to go into the parks. I called the golf club and they were kind enough to cancel my DHs tee time without penalty due to weather. We quickly got ready and drove to Epcot. Because of the last minute change in plans we were not able to take advantage of the early entry, but were able to do most things that we wanted to anyway.
When leaving the van, my DD and I decided to take our sweatshirts and tie them around our waist because we knew we would get cold later on. Of course, the men in my family dont do that, so they left their sweatshirts in the van. Off we go to Test Track. Ive picked up a lot of good tips from these boards, so we threw in a couple of variations from previous trips. We got Fastpasses and decided to get in the singles line which had a 5 min wait vs a 30 min wait in the standby line. My family grumbled all the way about not being able to ride together, but I assured them that this was okay. Well two of us got in one car (not next to each other though) and the other two in another car. This was great!!! Then we went to Body Wars, Cranium Command and Ellens Energy Adventure.
It was really, really cold by this time and there was quite a stiff wind. Since we were planning to proceed to World Showcase next, we decided this was the closest we were going to be to the parking lot and the guys had better get their sweatshirts!! I gave the one umbrella to my DH and off he went with DS. DD and I waited at the entrance of Spaceship Earth.
Once they arrived back, we decided to take a ride on SE since it was a walk-on. After that we proceeded back to the left side of WS, stopping in Germany for some sandwiches ($23).
By this time we were ready for our Fastpass on TT. It was just starting to rain when we entered the line, but it appeared that everything was a go. They were announcing that since it was raining, however, you would get wet. Very strange, but the Fastpass line was twice as long as the standby line! Im not sure what this was all about, but after 20 minutes we were able to get on. Weee that was fun! Only a few raindrops.
Next we went to the Living Seas and then The Land. We got ice cream and cappuccinos and then rode Living with the Land.
We were ready to move on to something else so went through WS to the International Entrance and took the ferry to the Studios. It really took quite a while to get there as the boat stopped at the BC/YC, BW, S&D before finally arriving at the Studios. Once again, we went through Security checks and headed back to the Tower of Terror. The line was almost non-existent so we were able to ride twice fairly quick. This is one of my favorites and I think that the new ride sequences are great. Another change is that there are lap belts instead of lap bars in the elevator (with at least one exception as we found out later in the trip). It was great!! Next we went on Rock-n-Rollercoaster. Once was enough for me so the rest of the gang got in line for a second ride without me. I didnt have to wait long because the ride was closed down.
We are one of those few families that seems to have not seen Fantasmic before hey, what do you think? Everyone seemed to be interested even though it was freezing cold and they werent sure what it was. We stopped at the Market to get some supper. My DD was anxious to try a turkey leg and I said I would share with her. The guys each got hot dogs. Total $12.37. Well, I wasnt feeling too hot from the rides so I only had a taste of the turkey leg (it was good). Fantasmic was supposed to start at 7:30 and it was now 7:00 so we headed in and found that the stadium was huge!! I bought a very expensive hot chocolate in a souvenir mug ($7 I think) to try to warm up but it didnt help much. What did help is that the crowd started to do the Wave this helped to keep the audience entertained and also warm at the same time. It was a lot of fun.
Id always heard how crowded Fantasmic always got and how early you had to arrive to get a seat, but people were arriving at the last minute and there were still two sections empty when the show started. It was really a great show and I was surprised how much everyone in my family liked it. Im really glad we had the opportunity to see it!
Well, next problem how do all these people get out of here at the same time? The park is now closed and EVERYONE will be headed for the exit. We managed to escape from the theatre fairly quick and head for a bus that was going to Epcot (our van was over there). Disney does a nice job when these bigger shows let out and sent lots of buses to immediately disperse the crowd. It went much smoother than we thought!
I think we got back to our campsite by 9:00 and were all sleeping by 10:00. Even though it wasnt spent doing what we had originally planned to do, we had another great day at WDW in spite of the weather.
This was to be a relaxing day, but my DH and I both got up early (7:00) and started the morning routine of coffee, newspaper and breakfast. It promised to be a nice day weather-wise but a cold front was on the horizon. About 9:00 I crossed the road from our camping loop with our beach towels to stake out 4 lounge chairs by the pool. It was at the deep end of the pool and would be in full sun by 11:00.
We spent from 10:00-1:30 by the pool, reading, people-watching, eavesdropping and cooling off with periodic dunks in the water. About 1:30 we decided wed had enough and went back to the campsite for lunch. Since my DH was scheduled to golf the next day, he got cleaned up and went to the Bonnet Creek Golf Club to hit a bucket of balls at their driving range. He showed up in a t-shirt which was against dress code (yes, even at the driving range), so gave him a collared shirt to wear. The rest of us just lounged around before cleaning up for Saturday evening mass.
Once ready, we get in the van and drive to Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine which is on Vineland Road about 5 minutes from the Crossroads shopping area. We always used to attend mass at the Poly but that has since been discontinued due to a priest shortage. Well, we get there okay but it looks like they are expecting a full crowd as they have police and security prepared to direct traffic. The place was huge and very beautiful. We sit up near the front but off to the side. When 6:00 came, the Director of the shrine (a priest) came forward and spent 25 minutes welcoming everyone and talking about the shrine. This was quite nice, but we had a PS for Ohanas at 7:50 so was hoping he would get things underway. The church was completely full by this time and the official mass got started. My only disappointment with the whole thing is that the Director talked about the shrine and funding during the homily too. I really felt like this was a bit of overkill but can also understand that their only means of funding come from the visitors to the shrine.
After mass we quickly proceeded to the Poly where we were given a 3-hr parking pass by the security guard at the entrance to the parking lot. We made our way to Ohanas and were given a pager. The drinks at the lounge were quite expensive and I hadnt really budgeted for them, but my DH said he would pay (he always seems to have some extra money tucked away) so we placed an order. It didnt take too long for our pager to go off so we went to the desk and they were able to cancel our drink order because they hadnt started making them yet (we visited the lounge later in our trip and got drinks, which were yummy!). Well, our cousin escorted us to the grilling area and then showed us the desserts (which cost extra). This was our first time at Ohanas and a little more pricey than what we usually pay for dinner, but we wanted to do something different. I had heard a lot about Ohanas on the boards, so knew enough to ask for a window table. Yes, we got the table by the window and shortly after receiving our starters (stir-fried vegetables, salad, shrimp wontons, BBQ chicken wings, stir-fried rice), the lights dimmed and the MK fireworks started with the music being pumped into the restaurant. It was really great!!
Soft drinks were included in the meal so we had those. Then comes all the skewers of shrimp, sirloin steak, turkey breast, and BBQ pork!!! Wow, everything was really great. We ordered more chicken wings and shrimp wonton too. While eating the kids got up to do a hoola-hoop thing. It was a lot of fun to watch, even if our group was too old to participate.
When we couldnt eat anymore, our cousin brought us some fresh pineapple w/ caramel dipping sauce. Yum!!! Total bill was $120 (4 dinners @ $24 + tax/tip).
This was a perfect day at WDW and we didnt even set foot into the parks!!!
Day Five (Sun, March 30) Epcot/Studios
This was suppose to be the day that we went to Typhoon Lagoon (Id scheduled two days for this) and my DHs round of golf at Osprey Ridge but things did not develop that way. The cold front was in process of coming through and the temperature was only going to be in the 60s and would be accompanied by rain. We quickly decided that this might be a day to go into the parks. I called the golf club and they were kind enough to cancel my DHs tee time without penalty due to weather. We quickly got ready and drove to Epcot. Because of the last minute change in plans we were not able to take advantage of the early entry, but were able to do most things that we wanted to anyway.
When leaving the van, my DD and I decided to take our sweatshirts and tie them around our waist because we knew we would get cold later on. Of course, the men in my family dont do that, so they left their sweatshirts in the van. Off we go to Test Track. Ive picked up a lot of good tips from these boards, so we threw in a couple of variations from previous trips. We got Fastpasses and decided to get in the singles line which had a 5 min wait vs a 30 min wait in the standby line. My family grumbled all the way about not being able to ride together, but I assured them that this was okay. Well two of us got in one car (not next to each other though) and the other two in another car. This was great!!! Then we went to Body Wars, Cranium Command and Ellens Energy Adventure.
It was really, really cold by this time and there was quite a stiff wind. Since we were planning to proceed to World Showcase next, we decided this was the closest we were going to be to the parking lot and the guys had better get their sweatshirts!! I gave the one umbrella to my DH and off he went with DS. DD and I waited at the entrance of Spaceship Earth.
Once they arrived back, we decided to take a ride on SE since it was a walk-on. After that we proceeded back to the left side of WS, stopping in Germany for some sandwiches ($23).
By this time we were ready for our Fastpass on TT. It was just starting to rain when we entered the line, but it appeared that everything was a go. They were announcing that since it was raining, however, you would get wet. Very strange, but the Fastpass line was twice as long as the standby line! Im not sure what this was all about, but after 20 minutes we were able to get on. Weee that was fun! Only a few raindrops.
Next we went to the Living Seas and then The Land. We got ice cream and cappuccinos and then rode Living with the Land.
We were ready to move on to something else so went through WS to the International Entrance and took the ferry to the Studios. It really took quite a while to get there as the boat stopped at the BC/YC, BW, S&D before finally arriving at the Studios. Once again, we went through Security checks and headed back to the Tower of Terror. The line was almost non-existent so we were able to ride twice fairly quick. This is one of my favorites and I think that the new ride sequences are great. Another change is that there are lap belts instead of lap bars in the elevator (with at least one exception as we found out later in the trip). It was great!! Next we went on Rock-n-Rollercoaster. Once was enough for me so the rest of the gang got in line for a second ride without me. I didnt have to wait long because the ride was closed down.
We are one of those few families that seems to have not seen Fantasmic before hey, what do you think? Everyone seemed to be interested even though it was freezing cold and they werent sure what it was. We stopped at the Market to get some supper. My DD was anxious to try a turkey leg and I said I would share with her. The guys each got hot dogs. Total $12.37. Well, I wasnt feeling too hot from the rides so I only had a taste of the turkey leg (it was good). Fantasmic was supposed to start at 7:30 and it was now 7:00 so we headed in and found that the stadium was huge!! I bought a very expensive hot chocolate in a souvenir mug ($7 I think) to try to warm up but it didnt help much. What did help is that the crowd started to do the Wave this helped to keep the audience entertained and also warm at the same time. It was a lot of fun.
Id always heard how crowded Fantasmic always got and how early you had to arrive to get a seat, but people were arriving at the last minute and there were still two sections empty when the show started. It was really a great show and I was surprised how much everyone in my family liked it. Im really glad we had the opportunity to see it!
Well, next problem how do all these people get out of here at the same time? The park is now closed and EVERYONE will be headed for the exit. We managed to escape from the theatre fairly quick and head for a bus that was going to Epcot (our van was over there). Disney does a nice job when these bigger shows let out and sent lots of buses to immediately disperse the crowd. It went much smoother than we thought!
I think we got back to our campsite by 9:00 and were all sleeping by 10:00. Even though it wasnt spent doing what we had originally planned to do, we had another great day at WDW in spite of the weather.
