Cast: Beth (me: 40, planner, fretter, trip #9)
Dh: Mark (39, a great big wonderful kid, always up for a lark,trip #5)
DS: N. (trip #5, pre teen, and determined to do every ride he was too afraid of on his last trip)
DD: A. (trip #4, 7yo, so totally psyched)
Friday, our last full day. We wake up early, around 7:00, shower, dress & head to the concierge lounge for breakfast. We're able to get a seat by the window overlooking the beach, and we look out to see Guippetto (Pinnochio's dad) sitting on the swing, all alone, quiet & peaceful. Pretty cool character siting.
We've made a list of things we have to see & do (the top thing on our list is to eat well today as we're back to having to cook our own food tomorrow), and we're heading to Epcot & MGM again. For the last two trips these have been our favorite parks, so we've vowed that the next time we come, we're going to stay at the Beach Club to shorten our transportation time.
At MGM about 9:45 and we split up so that A. and I could go see the Beauty & the Beast show. People line up about a 1/2 hour in advance at least, so we take our place in the lines, while M. & N. head over to ToT. The opening act for the B&B show is awesome (4 For a Buck, I think) and they do this cute little act like they're the sound guys, testing the equipment and getting carried away. Cute as buttons, these fellas are! Funny, and excellent singers. We truly enjoyed them. The B&B show was ok, both A. and I preferred the Hunchback show, largely because we felt the performers were more "into" it. Still, A. was inspired, and said that when we got home the first thing she was going to do was watch the Beauty & the Beast movie (and this is exactly what she did!). We had to laugh because sitting next to us was this adorable family with three little kids (all under 6 I'd guess) and mom pulled out a sheet of paper with their entire day scheduled by the hour & half hour. She was very proud of her plan, and was happy to share her wisdom and advice with me. She was like "Commando Vacationer" and I'm quite sure her family got to see & do absolutely everything. You go, girl!
After the show we met up with our men again (and they looked really, really wide awake after ToT), and headed over to try the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show. A friend of ours had been here a few months earlier and swore that without even trying, just happened to be the fastest finger and ended up in the hot seat. "Not even trying," my patootie! We wanted to get up there, and we wanted it bad, but no way. Some folks have really fast fingers! The show was a riot, though none of the contestants made it all the way. We had a great time though. Good game!
We then saw the Indiana Jones show, and that was a lot of fun. The best thing about the show were the folks who got picked from the audience...what a crew! They were all very funny, and unique, and if I didn't see them throughout the day with their families, I would have thought they were plants.
Great character sitings today: Hercules, Cruella Da Ville, the Queen of Hearts (who pointed at N. and signalled "Off with his Head"). Some of these characters we'd never seen before! We've decided we've about done MGM to death, though we chose to pass on the Little Mermaid & the RnR this trip...one was too tame for us this year, one too rollercoastery; and we head on the boat to Epcot. No funny capt. this time
At Epcot we're just in time to see the Living Statues (well, and whattayaknow? its after 2:00 so I'm ready for a glass of french wine, merci) and then to hear the British Invasion again. Love these guys, though my kids are rolling their eyes at me and dh. After the music we watch some street performers do a play about the Jolly King of England and Sir Lancelot, which is great fun Then in Canada we're just in time to see Off Kilter. Now these guys are awesome! Dh is loving this, and N. gives it a big grin and some toe taps (major props) while even A. starts dancing around. We're so happy we got to see this band and now M. is wishing he'd bought their CD. Oh, well, I'll make the sacrifice and go back to Epcot to get it for him.
We decide to do FutureWorld as best we can, and A. loves the Living Seas. We didn't know what to expect though as we'd never done it before, and I thought M. was going to bust a gasket when some teenagers plowed over A. in their haste to get a spot on the hydrolater. The Living Seas was nice, a peaceful respite in the day. After this we felt so refreshed, and we wandered into some building that had videogames. Now N. is right in his element, and gets to try some upcoming PS2 Xtreme sports games. A. found some great art programs to play with, and the kids had a ball! I'll bet we stayed an hour at least (I wish I could remember where this was, I highly recommend it). The crowds here were great, too, everyone was very patient and considerate about sharing the games. We headed over to the Land and saw what I think was the world's largest gourd, and that was interesting (to me anyways, the kids much preferred the videogames). We also tried out the new Figment ride...2ce. A. loved this. I enjoy the Eric Idle sightings at Epcot, he just cracks me up.
We do the Ice Station again, because N. just has to pull the leg of some unsuspecting taste tester and convince them to try Italy. He's successful, and a poor couple from Scotland were appropriately surprised by the taste. Very nice people, played along with N. very well (and probably knew full well what he was trying to do).
On to Mexico, and Margaritas for M & I, churros for the kids. N. has heard from a friend that the River Ride in Mexico is a lot like Splash Mountain, so he won't let A. go on it (I'd never heard that, and didn't think it was true, but she wouldn't listen to me), so we wandered along to Norway. The Maelstrom was closed, but the bakery was open, so its a country well worth visiting. As we snacked a little, we watched the Tapestry parade again. In China (or was it Japan?) we watched these great drummers. By now we're getting tired, and beginning to argue about where to go for dinner. I'm not even hungry, M & N are always hungry, and A. just wants something light. Also, M wants out of the park before Illuminations because he doesn't want to fight the monorail crowds. We continue round the countries, stopping in France once more so that I can check out the perfume stores (I smelled a great one, too, but didn't buy it and am now kicking myself...maybe I can find it at home, it was Something Something Relaxation, like an aromatherapy scent...maybe Givenchy?). Tip to everyone: if you see something you want and you won't have to mortgage your house to get it, just buy it. You'll regret it if you don't.
We make it out of the park around 8:30, and decide to just have dinner at the Kona Cafe if they can seat us. Our back up plan is Capt. Cooks, because we're just plain dragging now. The GCH is packed tonight, but the Kona can seat us right away. We order dinner (M & I had prime rib, N. had a stir fry & A. had chicken) and it was fabulous. Probably the best dinner meal we'd had throughout the whole trip. Try the desserts here, too, if you can save room. They debuted a new light desert: a white chocolate shell with a little bit of cake in the bottom, covered with fruit (peach, kiwi, melon, I think) covered with a light sugar topping and a pudding like filling. Served with raspberries. Very light and pretty, oh so delicious. The kids had Brownie sundae things that they couldn't finish...you will definitely get your $ worth here. I think the whole meal, with drinks, only cost us about $85.00. Wish I could go back! The only thing was that the waitress was so busy that it took forever for us to get our desserts, (but we were happy and didn't complain), so she gave dh & I cappucinos on the house to make up for the wait. Yum.
Its late though. We've missed the boat parade & the fireworks, but we've still time to take a quick swim, and then hit the sack. Tomorrow we head home, and Tiffany Towncar is picking us at at noon.
Our only plans for the am were sleep in a little (we'd gotten 7 day passes, so we'd used them all up, no park visits for us), have a nice breakfast in the lounge, pack it up, and do a little shopping along the monorail line before our driver met us back. We didn't do a lot of souvenir shopping, though A. had gotten a lanyard and quite a lot of pins, as well as her Jasmine doll, her parasol and teddies, teddies, teddies. N. bought nothing at all, he brought 80.00 spending $ with him and didn't spend a cent! M. & I picked up a few things for our parents, but that was about it. The trip was over, and it had been wonderful. We didn't push ourselves very much at all, we stopped when we were tired, and split up when we needed to. I think the best part about it all was that we were able to relax, and enjoy each other's company. We didn't worry about what we didn't get to do, I think because we know we'll be back. We just took it easy, and let the vacation kind of evolve, and this made it probably our best trip yet.
Thanks to everyone for reading my reports, I hope I didn't bore you to death. It was great fun for me to re-live the whole vacation through writing these! Happy WDW vacations to you all! I hope you get to go soon!
Dh: Mark (39, a great big wonderful kid, always up for a lark,trip #5)
DS: N. (trip #5, pre teen, and determined to do every ride he was too afraid of on his last trip)
DD: A. (trip #4, 7yo, so totally psyched)
Friday, our last full day. We wake up early, around 7:00, shower, dress & head to the concierge lounge for breakfast. We're able to get a seat by the window overlooking the beach, and we look out to see Guippetto (Pinnochio's dad) sitting on the swing, all alone, quiet & peaceful. Pretty cool character siting.
We've made a list of things we have to see & do (the top thing on our list is to eat well today as we're back to having to cook our own food tomorrow), and we're heading to Epcot & MGM again. For the last two trips these have been our favorite parks, so we've vowed that the next time we come, we're going to stay at the Beach Club to shorten our transportation time.
At MGM about 9:45 and we split up so that A. and I could go see the Beauty & the Beast show. People line up about a 1/2 hour in advance at least, so we take our place in the lines, while M. & N. head over to ToT. The opening act for the B&B show is awesome (4 For a Buck, I think) and they do this cute little act like they're the sound guys, testing the equipment and getting carried away. Cute as buttons, these fellas are! Funny, and excellent singers. We truly enjoyed them. The B&B show was ok, both A. and I preferred the Hunchback show, largely because we felt the performers were more "into" it. Still, A. was inspired, and said that when we got home the first thing she was going to do was watch the Beauty & the Beast movie (and this is exactly what she did!). We had to laugh because sitting next to us was this adorable family with three little kids (all under 6 I'd guess) and mom pulled out a sheet of paper with their entire day scheduled by the hour & half hour. She was very proud of her plan, and was happy to share her wisdom and advice with me. She was like "Commando Vacationer" and I'm quite sure her family got to see & do absolutely everything. You go, girl!
After the show we met up with our men again (and they looked really, really wide awake after ToT), and headed over to try the Who Wants to be a Millionaire show. A friend of ours had been here a few months earlier and swore that without even trying, just happened to be the fastest finger and ended up in the hot seat. "Not even trying," my patootie! We wanted to get up there, and we wanted it bad, but no way. Some folks have really fast fingers! The show was a riot, though none of the contestants made it all the way. We had a great time though. Good game!
We then saw the Indiana Jones show, and that was a lot of fun. The best thing about the show were the folks who got picked from the audience...what a crew! They were all very funny, and unique, and if I didn't see them throughout the day with their families, I would have thought they were plants.
Great character sitings today: Hercules, Cruella Da Ville, the Queen of Hearts (who pointed at N. and signalled "Off with his Head"). Some of these characters we'd never seen before! We've decided we've about done MGM to death, though we chose to pass on the Little Mermaid & the RnR this trip...one was too tame for us this year, one too rollercoastery; and we head on the boat to Epcot. No funny capt. this time
At Epcot we're just in time to see the Living Statues (well, and whattayaknow? its after 2:00 so I'm ready for a glass of french wine, merci) and then to hear the British Invasion again. Love these guys, though my kids are rolling their eyes at me and dh. After the music we watch some street performers do a play about the Jolly King of England and Sir Lancelot, which is great fun Then in Canada we're just in time to see Off Kilter. Now these guys are awesome! Dh is loving this, and N. gives it a big grin and some toe taps (major props) while even A. starts dancing around. We're so happy we got to see this band and now M. is wishing he'd bought their CD. Oh, well, I'll make the sacrifice and go back to Epcot to get it for him.
We decide to do FutureWorld as best we can, and A. loves the Living Seas. We didn't know what to expect though as we'd never done it before, and I thought M. was going to bust a gasket when some teenagers plowed over A. in their haste to get a spot on the hydrolater. The Living Seas was nice, a peaceful respite in the day. After this we felt so refreshed, and we wandered into some building that had videogames. Now N. is right in his element, and gets to try some upcoming PS2 Xtreme sports games. A. found some great art programs to play with, and the kids had a ball! I'll bet we stayed an hour at least (I wish I could remember where this was, I highly recommend it). The crowds here were great, too, everyone was very patient and considerate about sharing the games. We headed over to the Land and saw what I think was the world's largest gourd, and that was interesting (to me anyways, the kids much preferred the videogames). We also tried out the new Figment ride...2ce. A. loved this. I enjoy the Eric Idle sightings at Epcot, he just cracks me up.
We do the Ice Station again, because N. just has to pull the leg of some unsuspecting taste tester and convince them to try Italy. He's successful, and a poor couple from Scotland were appropriately surprised by the taste. Very nice people, played along with N. very well (and probably knew full well what he was trying to do).
On to Mexico, and Margaritas for M & I, churros for the kids. N. has heard from a friend that the River Ride in Mexico is a lot like Splash Mountain, so he won't let A. go on it (I'd never heard that, and didn't think it was true, but she wouldn't listen to me), so we wandered along to Norway. The Maelstrom was closed, but the bakery was open, so its a country well worth visiting. As we snacked a little, we watched the Tapestry parade again. In China (or was it Japan?) we watched these great drummers. By now we're getting tired, and beginning to argue about where to go for dinner. I'm not even hungry, M & N are always hungry, and A. just wants something light. Also, M wants out of the park before Illuminations because he doesn't want to fight the monorail crowds. We continue round the countries, stopping in France once more so that I can check out the perfume stores (I smelled a great one, too, but didn't buy it and am now kicking myself...maybe I can find it at home, it was Something Something Relaxation, like an aromatherapy scent...maybe Givenchy?). Tip to everyone: if you see something you want and you won't have to mortgage your house to get it, just buy it. You'll regret it if you don't.
We make it out of the park around 8:30, and decide to just have dinner at the Kona Cafe if they can seat us. Our back up plan is Capt. Cooks, because we're just plain dragging now. The GCH is packed tonight, but the Kona can seat us right away. We order dinner (M & I had prime rib, N. had a stir fry & A. had chicken) and it was fabulous. Probably the best dinner meal we'd had throughout the whole trip. Try the desserts here, too, if you can save room. They debuted a new light desert: a white chocolate shell with a little bit of cake in the bottom, covered with fruit (peach, kiwi, melon, I think) covered with a light sugar topping and a pudding like filling. Served with raspberries. Very light and pretty, oh so delicious. The kids had Brownie sundae things that they couldn't finish...you will definitely get your $ worth here. I think the whole meal, with drinks, only cost us about $85.00. Wish I could go back! The only thing was that the waitress was so busy that it took forever for us to get our desserts, (but we were happy and didn't complain), so she gave dh & I cappucinos on the house to make up for the wait. Yum.
Its late though. We've missed the boat parade & the fireworks, but we've still time to take a quick swim, and then hit the sack. Tomorrow we head home, and Tiffany Towncar is picking us at at noon.
Our only plans for the am were sleep in a little (we'd gotten 7 day passes, so we'd used them all up, no park visits for us), have a nice breakfast in the lounge, pack it up, and do a little shopping along the monorail line before our driver met us back. We didn't do a lot of souvenir shopping, though A. had gotten a lanyard and quite a lot of pins, as well as her Jasmine doll, her parasol and teddies, teddies, teddies. N. bought nothing at all, he brought 80.00 spending $ with him and didn't spend a cent! M. & I picked up a few things for our parents, but that was about it. The trip was over, and it had been wonderful. We didn't push ourselves very much at all, we stopped when we were tired, and split up when we needed to. I think the best part about it all was that we were able to relax, and enjoy each other's company. We didn't worry about what we didn't get to do, I think because we know we'll be back. We just took it easy, and let the vacation kind of evolve, and this made it probably our best trip yet.
Thanks to everyone for reading my reports, I hope I didn't bore you to death. It was great fun for me to re-live the whole vacation through writing these! Happy WDW vacations to you all! I hope you get to go soon!
