Smileybug
Some honey for my old tags back
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2006
- Messages
- 15,731
THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!! The Incredible(s) Trip to Disney
- Thread starter LegoMom3
- Start date
Lady Lallie
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2008
- Messages
- 18,540
LegoMom3
WDW vet now exploring "Walt's Park!"
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 10,461
Welcome! If anyone would like to read the precursor to this TR, you can find it here. It gives some detail on our cast of characters and all the usual anticipation leading up to a long-awaited Disney World trip!
You can also find subsequent chapters to this TR here at the beginning. Links are now at the end of this post!
And now, without further ado, The Incredibles Trip Report!
--------------------------------------------------------
"Dash: We're dead! We're dead! We survived but we're dead!"
We're goin' to Disney World!!! The day has finally arrived!
I was up by 6:30am, as expected. No alarm clock. Just pure adrenaline and anticipation. I poured my token cup of coffee and immediately wished for more... But since I don't particularly like to fly nor do I enjoy having to use the broom closet that they call a "lavatory", one cup o' joe was all I was partaking of on this morning.
So. Sad.
Anywho, we were up, had the car loaded and were off to the airport right on schedule. About 10 minutes into the 45-minute ride, it started....
DS11: "Tell N to turn his Gameboy down. I don't want to listen to that all the way there."
Me: "It's not that loud. He's not bothering anyone."
DS11: "It's bothering me! I don't want to listen to that!"
Me: "Well I'm sorry it's bothering you but I can barely hear it and I'm closer to him! Deal."
Some whining commenced and more not-so-polite words flew through the small confined space of our Taurus wagon... Nice. Well aren't we off to a bright and cheerful start! I think the bickering eventually stopped. I tried to block that part out of my memory so I don't really remember the rest of the ride.
We got to the airport in plenty of time, met up with the in-laws who were taking our car for the week, and headed in to check our bags. Through security, and we make it to our gate with time to spare.
Then it happened. The announcement from hell. Words to strike fear into one's very heart and soul. Right about the time we should have begun boarding, we instead heard this:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize we are going to have a bit of a delay. The person who was refueling the plane indicated that he noticed some hydraulic fluid where it shouldn't have been, so we have some maintenance mechanics taking a look at it and see if we can find out what's going on...."
Um, YEAH!....would you please?!!
Hydraulic fluid where it shouldn't be....
So we waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
After 2 hours and about 6 people looking under just about every panel on the underside of that wing, the plane was cleared for flight and we were instructed to board.
It occured to me after-the-fact that I ended up taking a seat right over the offending wing. But the flight finally got underway and it ended up being a smooth and uneventful trip. Except I did end up having to use the broom closet...
Three hours later we FINALLY landed in Orlando!!!!!!! As we broke through the clouds and I could see Florida below, I got all kinds of goose-bumpy and realized that THAT is my home....where I truly belong.
We made our way to the little monorail-wannabe tram that takes you from the gates to the main terminal.
I remembered the airport lobby and the sights and sounds and smells were heightening the anticipation. The boys wanted to stop and mess with the fountain, but I reminded them we had a Magical Express bus to catch and that Mickey was waiting for us. After all, we were two hours late!
I checked us in at ME, and snapped this pic of DS8 and DS6 at the Red Carpet!
In no time we were on our way! But then the announcement came that Port Orleans Riverside was the last of four stops that the bus would make... Rats. I did, however, get a good look at Old Key West and decided then and there that if we are ever blessed enough to be able to join DVC, that will be our "home" resort! Did I mention that I love Florida?
When we got to POR, it was like coming home. That sounds so sappy but it was true. Everything was just as I'd remembered. DH and the boys sat by the TV in the lobby while I checked us in. The CM quickly produced the basket that was magically delivered to the boys from Mickey, and it was SO cool. Then, she took out the map of the resort and announced that we were in Building 34!!
WOO-FREAKIN'-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had requested it but wasn't holding my breath. It's way at the back of the Alligator Bayou section and I guess that's why we got it, but it's where we stayed last time and I just really loved the location.
I also know how to find it, which is a key component to staying at POR.
We ended up just around the corner and about 9 room numbers from our old room from last time! How cool was that. When we entered this was the first thing I saw!
We scored towel animals!!! We had NONE on the last trip, so this excited me. Abnormally so, I'm sure, but nonetheless...
This was the view from our room:
At this point we decided it was too late to head to the Studios for the evening. All we wanted to do was grab a bit to eat and have a swim before bed. We would be doing the EMH at Epcot the next morning, so a relaxing evening was the better choice. We headed first to the food court for the first of our FREE meals! While the food was always fresh and good, I must point out here that I was very disappointed in the kids offerings. It seemed like every station had only 2 kid's choices and they weren't much to choose at that. And my biggest complaint was that there was NO pizza on the kids menu at all!! THAT had changed from last time. We always got the little 8" pizza and we all had it and it was never a problem. But since DS8 had his heart set on pizza for dinner, we got it for him anyway.
Enter Susie Snarkypants.
The CM who checked us out seemed obsessed over the fact that we understand that pizza was NOT part of the kids' meal plan, and that she would have to deduct adult credits and how we had so many adult credits' worth on our trays and so many kid credits.... I was confused by the perseveration on her part. Our cards said 3 adults and 2 kids. What we had on our trays was 2 adult meals and 2 kids meals. Never mind that we are supposed to be able to use our credits in any way or combination that we want! If I wanted to use all 8 of my personal adult credits on that one night, then it's my right to do so!!
It would be gross, because I would never eat that much food in one sitting, but I could.
Just sayin'....
Eventually we somehow squeaked through Susie Snarkypant's rigorous meal-credit-use grilling and made our way to a table.
The somewhat pained expression on DH's face is due to the fact that he is handing over a precious bite of his yummy chocolate cake to DS8. You don't mess with DH and his chocolate cake!
After dinner we went back to our room to change into swim suits and headed off to Ol' Man Island. The pool was wonderful and I went straight into the water. Only in the South do I swim like that! The boys had a blast and we all started to unwind after our long and quite interesting travel day. When it got dark the lights came on in the pool, the air was still warm and muggy, a horse and buggy clopped down the path and over the wooden bridge....
Yep, it was good to be home.
---------------------------------------------
Epcot, my Epcot!
Epcot, my Epcot! Part II
The Whispering Canyon that yelled at us...
Day 2 - THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!! (Part 1)
Day 2 - THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!! (Part 2)
From Totally Wicked!...to Completely Sucky
Photo Interlude....
Heffalumps and Woozles...!
And the Rain-Rain-Rain Came Down-Down-Down
The Best Day [Off] Ever!
What does it mean?........It's big.
Monkeys...
Funniest. Parade. Ever.
Phenomenal cosmic meat stations!!!...itty-bitty desserts!
The Mostly-Marvelous Magic Kingdom
The Mostly-Marvelous Magic Kingdom - part 2
Only the Beginning of the Adventure...
.
You can also find subsequent chapters to this TR here at the beginning. Links are now at the end of this post!
And now, without further ado, The Incredibles Trip Report!
--------------------------------------------------------
"Dash: We're dead! We're dead! We survived but we're dead!"
We're goin' to Disney World!!! The day has finally arrived!
I was up by 6:30am, as expected. No alarm clock. Just pure adrenaline and anticipation. I poured my token cup of coffee and immediately wished for more... But since I don't particularly like to fly nor do I enjoy having to use the broom closet that they call a "lavatory", one cup o' joe was all I was partaking of on this morning.
So. Sad.
Anywho, we were up, had the car loaded and were off to the airport right on schedule. About 10 minutes into the 45-minute ride, it started....
DS11: "Tell N to turn his Gameboy down. I don't want to listen to that all the way there."
Me: "It's not that loud. He's not bothering anyone."
DS11: "It's bothering me! I don't want to listen to that!"
Me: "Well I'm sorry it's bothering you but I can barely hear it and I'm closer to him! Deal."
Some whining commenced and more not-so-polite words flew through the small confined space of our Taurus wagon... Nice. Well aren't we off to a bright and cheerful start! I think the bickering eventually stopped. I tried to block that part out of my memory so I don't really remember the rest of the ride.
We got to the airport in plenty of time, met up with the in-laws who were taking our car for the week, and headed in to check our bags. Through security, and we make it to our gate with time to spare.
Then it happened. The announcement from hell. Words to strike fear into one's very heart and soul. Right about the time we should have begun boarding, we instead heard this:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize we are going to have a bit of a delay. The person who was refueling the plane indicated that he noticed some hydraulic fluid where it shouldn't have been, so we have some maintenance mechanics taking a look at it and see if we can find out what's going on...."
Um, YEAH!....would you please?!!
Hydraulic fluid where it shouldn't be....
So we waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
After 2 hours and about 6 people looking under just about every panel on the underside of that wing, the plane was cleared for flight and we were instructed to board.
It occured to me after-the-fact that I ended up taking a seat right over the offending wing. But the flight finally got underway and it ended up being a smooth and uneventful trip. Except I did end up having to use the broom closet...
Three hours later we FINALLY landed in Orlando!!!!!!! As we broke through the clouds and I could see Florida below, I got all kinds of goose-bumpy and realized that THAT is my home....where I truly belong.
We made our way to the little monorail-wannabe tram that takes you from the gates to the main terminal.
I remembered the airport lobby and the sights and sounds and smells were heightening the anticipation. The boys wanted to stop and mess with the fountain, but I reminded them we had a Magical Express bus to catch and that Mickey was waiting for us. After all, we were two hours late!
I checked us in at ME, and snapped this pic of DS8 and DS6 at the Red Carpet!
In no time we were on our way! But then the announcement came that Port Orleans Riverside was the last of four stops that the bus would make... Rats. I did, however, get a good look at Old Key West and decided then and there that if we are ever blessed enough to be able to join DVC, that will be our "home" resort! Did I mention that I love Florida?
When we got to POR, it was like coming home. That sounds so sappy but it was true. Everything was just as I'd remembered. DH and the boys sat by the TV in the lobby while I checked us in. The CM quickly produced the basket that was magically delivered to the boys from Mickey, and it was SO cool. Then, she took out the map of the resort and announced that we were in Building 34!!
WOO-FREAKIN'-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had requested it but wasn't holding my breath. It's way at the back of the Alligator Bayou section and I guess that's why we got it, but it's where we stayed last time and I just really loved the location.
I also know how to find it, which is a key component to staying at POR.
We ended up just around the corner and about 9 room numbers from our old room from last time! How cool was that. When we entered this was the first thing I saw!
We scored towel animals!!! We had NONE on the last trip, so this excited me. Abnormally so, I'm sure, but nonetheless...
This was the view from our room:
At this point we decided it was too late to head to the Studios for the evening. All we wanted to do was grab a bit to eat and have a swim before bed. We would be doing the EMH at Epcot the next morning, so a relaxing evening was the better choice. We headed first to the food court for the first of our FREE meals! While the food was always fresh and good, I must point out here that I was very disappointed in the kids offerings. It seemed like every station had only 2 kid's choices and they weren't much to choose at that. And my biggest complaint was that there was NO pizza on the kids menu at all!! THAT had changed from last time. We always got the little 8" pizza and we all had it and it was never a problem. But since DS8 had his heart set on pizza for dinner, we got it for him anyway.
Enter Susie Snarkypants.
The CM who checked us out seemed obsessed over the fact that we understand that pizza was NOT part of the kids' meal plan, and that she would have to deduct adult credits and how we had so many adult credits' worth on our trays and so many kid credits.... I was confused by the perseveration on her part. Our cards said 3 adults and 2 kids. What we had on our trays was 2 adult meals and 2 kids meals. Never mind that we are supposed to be able to use our credits in any way or combination that we want! If I wanted to use all 8 of my personal adult credits on that one night, then it's my right to do so!!
It would be gross, because I would never eat that much food in one sitting, but I could.
Just sayin'....
Eventually we somehow squeaked through Susie Snarkypant's rigorous meal-credit-use grilling and made our way to a table.
The somewhat pained expression on DH's face is due to the fact that he is handing over a precious bite of his yummy chocolate cake to DS8. You don't mess with DH and his chocolate cake!
After dinner we went back to our room to change into swim suits and headed off to Ol' Man Island. The pool was wonderful and I went straight into the water. Only in the South do I swim like that! The boys had a blast and we all started to unwind after our long and quite interesting travel day. When it got dark the lights came on in the pool, the air was still warm and muggy, a horse and buggy clopped down the path and over the wooden bridge....
Yep, it was good to be home.
---------------------------------------------
Epcot, my Epcot!
Epcot, my Epcot! Part II
The Whispering Canyon that yelled at us...
Day 2 - THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!! (Part 1)
Day 2 - THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!! (Part 2)
From Totally Wicked!...to Completely Sucky
Photo Interlude....
Heffalumps and Woozles...!
And the Rain-Rain-Rain Came Down-Down-Down
The Best Day [Off] Ever!
What does it mean?........It's big.
Monkeys...
Funniest. Parade. Ever.
Phenomenal cosmic meat stations!!!...itty-bitty desserts!
The Mostly-Marvelous Magic Kingdom
The Mostly-Marvelous Magic Kingdom - part 2
Only the Beginning of the Adventure...
.
LegoMom3
WDW vet now exploring "Walt's Park!"
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 10,461
THE TRIP REPORT HAS BEGUN!!
But rather than clutter this PTR up and make it really really long, I've started a new thread, which you can find here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=27688554#post27688554
Hope to see y'all over there!
.
But rather than clutter this PTR up and make it really really long, I've started a new thread, which you can find here:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=27688554#post27688554
Hope to see y'all over there!
.
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
- Messages
- 9,530
First reply! And looking forward to reading more and seeing more of POR! Looks like you handled Susie Snarkypants well.
AND, I've been very patient waiting on you to start your TR. Just sayin'.
AND, I've been very patient waiting on you to start your TR. Just sayin'.
MomsOf2boys
<font color= deeppink ><marquee>Has obsessive fing
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2007
- Messages
- 4,006
Welcome home Legomom!!! Yeah for your trip report to have started. I will catch up on it when I return!
2xcited2sleep
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
- Messages
- 11,304
Oh my stars you're back already! Well your trip just flew by for me so I can only imagine how it felt for you!! Selfishly, I am glad to have you back so I can hear all about it! 
Oy. NOT what you needed. I once had a flight (not to WDW) where they spent a minimum of 4 hours examining windshield wipers. Seriously. But I guess we want them to be sure before we fly off into the atmosphere!
They look so excited and adorable!!
Yee-haw!!
I'll be on the lookout for her in October.
Can't wait for more!!
I am SO glad to find someone else who feels this way! I will take almost heroic measures so as not to have to use the broom closet. It freaks me out. And everyone else I know thinks I'm nuts. You and me together, Lego Mom! Solidarity.
Oy. NOT what you needed. I once had a flight (not to WDW) where they spent a minimum of 4 hours examining windshield wipers. Seriously. But I guess we want them to be sure before we fly off into the atmosphere!
Argh. Sorry about that.Except I did end up having to use the broom closet...
They look so excited and adorable!!
I stayed there in '06 and LOVED it. Not to mention it is the lowest # of points per night!! And they just made extended contracts available (original ones expired in 2042 but now they expire later than that, I think). Love, love, LOVE OKW!!
Then, she took out the map of the resort and announced that we were in Building 34!!
WOO-FREAKIN'-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yee-haw!!
I'll be on the lookout for her in October.Can't wait for more!!
Lady Lallie
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2008
- Messages
- 18,540
It's started! It's started!
Wow. I would have been freaking on the flight if my plane had technical difficulties. I freak out anyways without them so there you go. I will not use the broom closet either. How do they think that works? Just ridiculous.
POR looks heavenly! Heavenly! I can't wait to read more!
Wow. I would have been freaking on the flight if my plane had technical difficulties. I freak out anyways without them so there you go. I will not use the broom closet either. How do they think that works? Just ridiculous.
POR looks heavenly! Heavenly! I can't wait to read more!
Tnkrbelle565
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2004
- Messages
- 8,490
Made it over to your trip report. Good start. What a dope that CM was...kid credits and adult credits are the same thing on the card!!!
Had our flight from hell two years ago on Christmas morning. Seems that someone forgot to turn off the batteries on the plane the night before (20 degree night) and they were dead in the morning and they couldn't give the plane a jump so after 3 1/2 hour delay we finally took off (later than we were due to arrive) after replacing 4 huge batteries.
They were good enough to give us all a compensation package. Used the reduced flight coupons to book our tickets to Disney this November.
They were good enough to give us all a compensation package. Used the reduced flight coupons to book our tickets to Disney this November.
snowwhite325
<font color=green> Another Tag Dreamer... pinch me
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2007
- Messages
- 13,506
I can't wait to read more
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
- Messages
- 9,530
Finally, there is writing in this here report!! And you are off to such a fine start too. Just don't keep us waiting. I'd hate to go all Susie Snarkypants on you.
Somehow, I have a hard time envisioning you as Susie Snarkypants. . .I guess it all has to do with the heart-tooting Pooh Bear. . .
Smileybug
Some honey for my old tags back
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2006
- Messages
- 15,731
You might be mighty surprised at what a little southern heart tooting Pooh Bear can really do.
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
- Messages
- 9,530
You might be mighty surprised at what a little southern heart tooting Pooh Bear can really do.
You probably could have the same reaction I had this morning when four boys tackled my son in NONCONTACT football. . .
. . .or the reaction I had last year when I was told a group of students weren't going to be allowed on a field trip because they were in wheelchairs.
Lesson learned: don't mess with a Southern woman's babies (even if they aren't babies we gave birth to.)
Smileybug
Some honey for my old tags back
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2006
- Messages
- 15,731
You probably could have the same reaction I had this morning when four boys tackled my son in NONCONTACT football. . .
. . .or the reaction I had last year when I was told a group of students weren't going to be allowed on a field trip because they were in wheelchairs.
Lesson learned: don't mess with a Southern woman's babies (even if they aren't babies we gave birth to.)
AMEN!!!!
LegoMom3
WDW vet now exploring "Walt's Park!"
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 10,461
Oh how I love thee!
Tuesday morning, 6:12am.... I'm awake and ready for my first coffee walk of the week. In what was to become the pattern for this trip, I had spent a fitfull night trying to sleep in between elbow jabs from DS8. So I was glad to be up, out of bed, and starting a new day. Our first full day! I grabbed my KTTW card and stepped outside into the dawn.
And was promptly mugged by the air...
Undaunted and actually revelling in the humidity, I began my stroll from Building 34 allll the way to the food court. It still didn't seem real. It felt like a dream - like I was just re-living it in my mind for the 4,192nd time.
I picked up some bottles of juice and two Year of a Million Dreams refillable mugs which I put right to work. When I returned to our room the boys were still asleep, but DH was awake and we spent a few moments out on the balcony with our coffees. Right about here we realized that the sun rises right outside our door, and we made a little ritual of having our morning coffee together outside, watching the day begin at Disney. It was our moment of solitude, serenity and peace at the start of each day. A few moments to enjoy the beauty of God's creation that we call Florida... A few moments to really just enjoy each other's company and realize how blessed we were to be back in our Happy Place and have this time away. I love my early mornings at the resort.
*sigh*....
Meanwhile, back at WDW on this particular Tuesday!.... Since we wanted to make the EMH at Epcot this morning, we woke the boys before too long and managed to have everyone ready and out the door before 7:30. A quick walk to the West Depot put us on a bus in no time (this would not prove to be the pattern with buses for us, and the experience went quickly downhill the rest of the week...).
Once we stepped off the bus at Epcot and headed for the gate, hearing the Epcot entrance music playing and seeing the park come into view...suddenly it all hit home. We were really there! I got all kinds of giddy and felt like a kid on Christmas morning. The feeling is beyond words.
Which begs the question of why even attempt to write a trip report....
But those of you who've been there, who know that feeling, can appreciate my feeble grasping at words to try to convey the experience of the magic of your first park day.
I find that pictures often do a much better job at relaying an emotion, so here....have a few:
Epcot tends to swallow crowds anyway, and since most people just don't like to get up early on their hard-earned, well-deserved vacations, the place seemed almost empty. We headed straight for Spaceship Earth, eager to pass our judgement on the new "upgrades" that it had received since our last ride on it. I was highly skeptical. I loved the old installment of the ride. I loved the music, the narration, and the whole SE experience. I didn't think it needed messin' with.
Upon entering a car with DS6, I was too busy looking around me to notice that the little interactive screen actually wanted me to interact with it. So DS6 took it upon himself to press the screen. Except that he doesn't read yet, so he inadvertently chose "Japanese" as our language of choice.
Well, wouldn't bother me none but that I don't understand Japanese, written or spoken!!!
Turns out, our audio was malfunctioning anyway (NOJanetJacksonwardrobe) so nothing lost, really. I did enjoy the new CGI mammoth scene. Our family has a thing for mammoths. It has to do with DS6's favorite stuffed animal, which happens to be a mammoth. He's carried that thing around with him everywhere since he was 3 months old, and it's kind of become our familly's mascot. So we get excited by mammoths.
On to the Roman scene. I immediately noticed that the charioteer no longer careens around that corner and runs down the road. Hmm.... Well, at least Rome still burns in the next scene and you can still smell the smoke! I do have to say that without the audio (which we would finally experience later in our trip) some of the new scenes made no sense to me. Why is there an old car outside some guy's garage?? And why were thigh-high boots EVER legal??!!
Yikes.
Of course the "return to Earth" was pretty blah without any audio and without an interactive screen. So we looked at the very calculated array of stars at the end and I wondered how many mirrors there actually were to make them seem like they went on forever.
At the end of the ride we were happily surprised by the interactive segment. Seimen's is the parent company of DH's employer, so he was especially curious to see what they had done. The kids found the racing game right away, and would have stayed there for the rest of the day had we not reminded them that this was Epcot and not just a big computer playground. Well, parts of Epcot are a big computer playground, but I digress...
From Spaceship Earth we headed to Soarin'. This is a favorite ride of our whole family so it was important to get on it early before the lines built up. And then something happened on the way through The Land.
Hunger struck.
When a man gets hungry, you feed him. Doesn't matter if he's 5 or 105...a man's hunger is not to be denied!
Conveniently they put the Sunshine Season's Food Fair right smack in the middle of the pavillion! And here is our breakfast of champions: (NOwheaties)
Happiest. Nom. Ever.
Having consumed our day's quota of sugar in 3 or 4 delicious bites, we finally queued up for Soarin'. The wait was 5 minutes, which is not a wait in my book. And I high-fived Puddy on my way into the flight deck.
As we exited Soarin' we decided to grab some Fastpasses so we could see it again. The return time was just far enough away that we thought we could go see the "new" Seas with Nemo and Friends. And so we did. These guys cracked us up on our way in...
There was no wait here, either, which simply put means that the long and winding queue area seemed really, really long before we ever reached a clam-mobile! There was some really cool theming in there, though. I liked the area where you appear to be under water, complete with the "butt" floating above!
The ride here was cute enough. We did spend quite a bit of time watching the fish in the aquarium. I'm not brave enough to ever learn to scuba-dive, but I love the chance to really observe an underwater environment as though you're right there in it.
Cool stuff.
Just about the time we decided we'd seen what we wanted to of The Seas, sure enough it was the start of our Fastpass return time for Soarin'. After another high-five and another trip over the orange groves (love that scene!!), it was time to traverse the park to the other headliners that might require the strategy of a Fastpass.
A funny thing happened on our way to Test Track....
.
Tuesday morning, 6:12am.... I'm awake and ready for my first coffee walk of the week. In what was to become the pattern for this trip, I had spent a fitfull night trying to sleep in between elbow jabs from DS8. So I was glad to be up, out of bed, and starting a new day. Our first full day! I grabbed my KTTW card and stepped outside into the dawn.
And was promptly mugged by the air...
Undaunted and actually revelling in the humidity, I began my stroll from Building 34 allll the way to the food court. It still didn't seem real. It felt like a dream - like I was just re-living it in my mind for the 4,192nd time.
I picked up some bottles of juice and two Year of a Million Dreams refillable mugs which I put right to work. When I returned to our room the boys were still asleep, but DH was awake and we spent a few moments out on the balcony with our coffees. Right about here we realized that the sun rises right outside our door, and we made a little ritual of having our morning coffee together outside, watching the day begin at Disney. It was our moment of solitude, serenity and peace at the start of each day. A few moments to enjoy the beauty of God's creation that we call Florida... A few moments to really just enjoy each other's company and realize how blessed we were to be back in our Happy Place and have this time away. I love my early mornings at the resort.
*sigh*....
Meanwhile, back at WDW on this particular Tuesday!.... Since we wanted to make the EMH at Epcot this morning, we woke the boys before too long and managed to have everyone ready and out the door before 7:30. A quick walk to the West Depot put us on a bus in no time (this would not prove to be the pattern with buses for us, and the experience went quickly downhill the rest of the week...).
Once we stepped off the bus at Epcot and headed for the gate, hearing the Epcot entrance music playing and seeing the park come into view...suddenly it all hit home. We were really there! I got all kinds of giddy and felt like a kid on Christmas morning. The feeling is beyond words.
Which begs the question of why even attempt to write a trip report....
But those of you who've been there, who know that feeling, can appreciate my feeble grasping at words to try to convey the experience of the magic of your first park day.
I find that pictures often do a much better job at relaying an emotion, so here....have a few:
Epcot tends to swallow crowds anyway, and since most people just don't like to get up early on their hard-earned, well-deserved vacations, the place seemed almost empty. We headed straight for Spaceship Earth, eager to pass our judgement on the new "upgrades" that it had received since our last ride on it. I was highly skeptical. I loved the old installment of the ride. I loved the music, the narration, and the whole SE experience. I didn't think it needed messin' with.
Upon entering a car with DS6, I was too busy looking around me to notice that the little interactive screen actually wanted me to interact with it. So DS6 took it upon himself to press the screen. Except that he doesn't read yet, so he inadvertently chose "Japanese" as our language of choice.
Well, wouldn't bother me none but that I don't understand Japanese, written or spoken!!!
Turns out, our audio was malfunctioning anyway (NOJanetJacksonwardrobe) so nothing lost, really. I did enjoy the new CGI mammoth scene. Our family has a thing for mammoths. It has to do with DS6's favorite stuffed animal, which happens to be a mammoth. He's carried that thing around with him everywhere since he was 3 months old, and it's kind of become our familly's mascot. So we get excited by mammoths.
On to the Roman scene. I immediately noticed that the charioteer no longer careens around that corner and runs down the road. Hmm.... Well, at least Rome still burns in the next scene and you can still smell the smoke! I do have to say that without the audio (which we would finally experience later in our trip) some of the new scenes made no sense to me. Why is there an old car outside some guy's garage?? And why were thigh-high boots EVER legal??!!
Yikes.Of course the "return to Earth" was pretty blah without any audio and without an interactive screen. So we looked at the very calculated array of stars at the end and I wondered how many mirrors there actually were to make them seem like they went on forever.
At the end of the ride we were happily surprised by the interactive segment. Seimen's is the parent company of DH's employer, so he was especially curious to see what they had done. The kids found the racing game right away, and would have stayed there for the rest of the day had we not reminded them that this was Epcot and not just a big computer playground. Well, parts of Epcot are a big computer playground, but I digress...
From Spaceship Earth we headed to Soarin'. This is a favorite ride of our whole family so it was important to get on it early before the lines built up. And then something happened on the way through The Land.
Hunger struck.
When a man gets hungry, you feed him. Doesn't matter if he's 5 or 105...a man's hunger is not to be denied!
Conveniently they put the Sunshine Season's Food Fair right smack in the middle of the pavillion! And here is our breakfast of champions: (NOwheaties)
Happiest. Nom. Ever.
Having consumed our day's quota of sugar in 3 or 4 delicious bites, we finally queued up for Soarin'. The wait was 5 minutes, which is not a wait in my book. And I high-fived Puddy on my way into the flight deck.
As we exited Soarin' we decided to grab some Fastpasses so we could see it again. The return time was just far enough away that we thought we could go see the "new" Seas with Nemo and Friends. And so we did. These guys cracked us up on our way in...
There was no wait here, either, which simply put means that the long and winding queue area seemed really, really long before we ever reached a clam-mobile! There was some really cool theming in there, though. I liked the area where you appear to be under water, complete with the "butt" floating above!
The ride here was cute enough. We did spend quite a bit of time watching the fish in the aquarium. I'm not brave enough to ever learn to scuba-dive, but I love the chance to really observe an underwater environment as though you're right there in it.
Cool stuff.
Just about the time we decided we'd seen what we wanted to of The Seas, sure enough it was the start of our Fastpass return time for Soarin'. After another high-five and another trip over the orange groves (love that scene!!), it was time to traverse the park to the other headliners that might require the strategy of a Fastpass.
A funny thing happened on our way to Test Track....
.
LegoMom3
WDW vet now exploring "Walt's Park!"
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 10,461
....we suddenly found ourselves inside Club Cool.
And was it ever cooooool in there. Literally. It's a wonder more people don't get sick at Disney. The difference between inside air and outside air in the summer months has got to be near 30 degrees and 40% humidity! And, in this case, some really nasty Coke products (NOBeverly!!!!!)
I don't recall all the names of the sodas, but we liked the one from Israel, the one from China, and the Gingerale-like one that I don't remember where it's from. The others were "meh" at best. Beverly stands alone.
Oh so alone....
By the time we reached Test Track, the Sign of Doom was reading 40 minutes. The LegoMom Clan doesn't do 40-minute waits, so Fastpass it was and off to Mexico to kill some time. The boat ride is a good respite from the heat, at least. Donald now adds some much-needed comic relief, but to me it's still just a time-killer. Sorry, Mexico! After Mexico, heat-exhausted by the 10 or so steps that we'd taken since exiting the building, we were again accosted by food. This time in the form of an ice cream cart. Dang but those snack credits come in handy! So we enjoyed our Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bars in the shade of a blessed tree by the Odyssey Center (what is that about anyway??....other than a convenient path between Test Track and World Showcase!). This was actually one of those warm-fuzzy family moments. We were all feeling happy, enjoying our ice cream, sitting in a pleasant shady spot on a very hot day.... It was just a "life is good" kind of moment and simple though it was, it stands out as a very good memory from that day and indeed the entire trip. Sometimes there's great joy in the smallest moments!
Once again, we had used the Fastpass system perfectly to our advantage and it was now the start of our return time window. There was still a bit of a wait, but nothing like the now-almost-an-hour standby line! Score. We got to see, for the first time, some of the testing that is on display in the queue area. The neck stress test was particularly disturbing.... The dummy is flung around in a 180-degree arc and stopped very abruptly, whereupon his head and metal-spring-like neck are snapped back with great force. Ewww.... The boys, on the other hand, were getting quite a kick (no pun intended) out of the knee-reflex thing that was going on with this other dummy. I never figured out what that was about, but it was funny to watch.
After Test Track the Brave Ones decided they weren't so much in the mood for Mission Space just now, so it was saved for another time. We spent some time looking at all manner of Disney merchandising propoganda in Mouse Gears, whereupon I discovered that even the wingnuts have been Disney-fied...
Beaten by the heat, a unanimous vote was taken to return to Port Orleans and have a nice refreshing swim for a bit before dinner....
--------------------------------------
Next time: It's neither whispering, nor a canyon: discuss!
Incredible Quote:
Underminer: Behold, the Underminer! I'm always beneath you, but nothing is beneath me! I hereby declare war on peace and happiness!....
.
And was it ever cooooool in there. Literally. It's a wonder more people don't get sick at Disney. The difference between inside air and outside air in the summer months has got to be near 30 degrees and 40% humidity! And, in this case, some really nasty Coke products (NOBeverly!!!!!)
I don't recall all the names of the sodas, but we liked the one from Israel, the one from China, and the Gingerale-like one that I don't remember where it's from. The others were "meh" at best. Beverly stands alone.
Oh so alone....
By the time we reached Test Track, the Sign of Doom was reading 40 minutes. The LegoMom Clan doesn't do 40-minute waits, so Fastpass it was and off to Mexico to kill some time. The boat ride is a good respite from the heat, at least. Donald now adds some much-needed comic relief, but to me it's still just a time-killer. Sorry, Mexico! After Mexico, heat-exhausted by the 10 or so steps that we'd taken since exiting the building, we were again accosted by food. This time in the form of an ice cream cart. Dang but those snack credits come in handy! So we enjoyed our Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bars in the shade of a blessed tree by the Odyssey Center (what is that about anyway??....other than a convenient path between Test Track and World Showcase!). This was actually one of those warm-fuzzy family moments. We were all feeling happy, enjoying our ice cream, sitting in a pleasant shady spot on a very hot day.... It was just a "life is good" kind of moment and simple though it was, it stands out as a very good memory from that day and indeed the entire trip. Sometimes there's great joy in the smallest moments!
Once again, we had used the Fastpass system perfectly to our advantage and it was now the start of our return time window. There was still a bit of a wait, but nothing like the now-almost-an-hour standby line! Score. We got to see, for the first time, some of the testing that is on display in the queue area. The neck stress test was particularly disturbing.... The dummy is flung around in a 180-degree arc and stopped very abruptly, whereupon his head and metal-spring-like neck are snapped back with great force. Ewww.... The boys, on the other hand, were getting quite a kick (no pun intended) out of the knee-reflex thing that was going on with this other dummy. I never figured out what that was about, but it was funny to watch.
After Test Track the Brave Ones decided they weren't so much in the mood for Mission Space just now, so it was saved for another time. We spent some time looking at all manner of Disney merchandising propoganda in Mouse Gears, whereupon I discovered that even the wingnuts have been Disney-fied...
Beaten by the heat, a unanimous vote was taken to return to Port Orleans and have a nice refreshing swim for a bit before dinner....
--------------------------------------
Next time: It's neither whispering, nor a canyon: discuss!
Incredible Quote:
Underminer: Behold, the Underminer! I'm always beneath you, but nothing is beneath me! I hereby declare war on peace and happiness!....
.
TarzansKat
Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 12,787
After our "drive-by" Dis meet, I'm so excited to read your report and really hear about what a great time you guys had! Can't wait to read more!
Dis meet, I'm so excited to read your report and really hear about what a great time you guys had! Can't wait to read more! -
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