The All in One Thread Trip Report

[Tishke]

Welcome all, please take a seat and enjoy the show.....popcorn?? ice cold water?? Dole Whip???

The Cast:

Me- 27 year old Disney fan, visitor of Disney World since 6 months old.

DH- 26 year old getting-to-be a Disney fan. This is is second trip to the World and his first on site stay.

DS- 6 year old who has been waiting a year to go back and plans on making the most of it. It is his second trip and first on site stay, as well.

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Day One: Four Hundred Miles! Are we there yet?!

Saturday, June 25-- I had gone to bed the night before trying to remember what I had forgotten to pack. We were all so excited to be leaving. It seemed like it would never get here, and then it was time to leave. We all went to bed at 8:00 the previous night, but like a true Disney fan, I was up in the middle of the night a ready to go.

I did a double check of all the suitcases, made sure we had all of the necessary in-car items and then woke the family up. We were out of the house by 5:15 and on the road headed to Disney.

It was a long drive, although it was split into many sections with plenty of rest stops. On a side note, has anyone noticed the signs at rest areas touting the fact that there are poisonous snakes?? I know it is Florida, and with marsh areas that snakes abound, but it was like they were proud of all the snakes. LOL For the record, I never saw one snake the entire trip.

After 9 hours in the car, we pulled up to the All Star Sports hotel. The bright colors and large icons immediately welcomed us and put a smile on our faces. How can you be tired and cranky from a long car trip when there is a 50 foot tall football helmet staring you in the face?!

We entered the lobby and were greeted by a the bright colors of the lobby and got in line to check in. Fifteen minutes later, we were handed room keys emblazened with our names and were off to check out our room.

Although we were hoping to have the Touchdown building, we had been placed in the Home Run building, room 9135. As we saw the theming of the Home Run building, we were glad we were put there. It was not a far distance from the bus stop or food court, and had our theme pool.

DS immediately ooh'd and ahh'd over the large score boards and big lights of the building and when we got the room, it was perfect. A clean, fun place to put our heads down at nght. For the three of us, this hotel was perfect.

DH pulled the car around and we began to unload. Along the way we met a nice couple who asked us how long we would be staying. We told them six nights and they handed us five breakfast certificates to use in the food court at the hotel. The magic was beginning to start.

After a rest in the room, we decided to take our first trip to Downtown Disney. To the bus stop!!

We waited only a short time before we were on the bus and on our way. We were planning on hitting some shops and eating dinner at the Earl of Sandwich. After the long drive, we were starving.

The Earl of Sandwich was better that I could have imagined. DH had the BBQ beef sandwich and I had the Hawaiin BBQ sandwich (ham, BBQ and Pineapple), while DS had a pizza sandwich (is pizza one of the main food groups for kids?) The sandwiches were wonderful and the Earl of Sandwich became a new must have for our family!

We hit the shops for a while and then, feeling a little beat, headed back to the hotel. It was time to get a good nights sleep, we had a date with a big white ball in the morning!!

**BIG DIS THANK YOU** I owe a big Dis Thank You to the Dis'er who gave up their seat on the bus for DS and I on the Downtown Disney Bus. We didn't see that you were a Dis'er until you got off the bus at your stop, but we saw your pin attached to the backpack you were carrying. Our only Dis'er spotted and we didn't even get to say "hi!" LOL

 

[DawnaJean]

Wow! The magic is starting right when you get there. That was very generous of the couple!

Enjoying your report!
Dawna

 

[swankybeth]

Sounds like a great start! Can't wait to read more.

 

[Shelby5514]

Your off to a good start!

 

[Tishke]

The next morning we discovered what was meant by the term turbo-toilet. It never bothered us, and in fact, we found it rather amusing.

We got up at seven and had breakfast in the food court. Plenty to choose from. The boys had french toast and pancakes which they both said were great, and I had the yogurt parfait. We made a quick stop back at the room to grab the backpack and water bottles and were off.

We get to the bus stop and the line is not long at all, when we got to the park, it was a whole new story. After waiting in line to get our bag checked, we ventured up to the growing crowd in front of Spaceship Earth. Then we could hear the music and see the bus coming up from around the bend. The big double decker bus filled with our friends was ready to let us start our day.

After we were allowed in, we headed for Spaceship Earth. DS absolutely loves this ride, so he ran straight for it. We all piled in to our time machine and were off....for about a minute. Then we hung out in limbo for a bit (probably loading someone with special needs) and continued on. We got all the way to the room with the huge Earth, only to stop for a five minute break. At least we weren't laying on our backs LOL

We hit the Universe of Energy and the Innoventions plaza to make our robots. That was a lot of fun. Next we hit Imagination which DS fell in love with. If only he could have seen the original.

By this time, tummies were growling, so it was off for lunch. DH decided that he didn't like anything on the menus until we got to the Lotus Blossom in China. DH had the Beef fried rice, and DS and I shared the veggie lo mein. It was okay, but not anything better than local Chinese.

Next, we took in the show at the American Pavilion. First time DH and DS had seen it and DH found a hidden mickey during the show!

We took a ride on Maelstrom and walked around some of the other countries. Then we decided to call it an early day and go to the hotel to swim. Back on the bus we went and the pool felt wonderful! Not too many people and the heat of the day made it all the more soothing to tired bodies.

After a round of showers we changed and hit Downtown Disney again for dinner at, where else, Earl of Sandwich. DH and I both had the same thing, just as good this time around. DS got the kids turkey sandwich. They were all delicious and I became hooked on the Earl's Grey Lemonade. If I could figure out how to make it here, I would. We also hit Ghirardelli for some chocolate squares to take back to the room. Maybe next trip I can have room for a milkshake.

The only downside was the bus ride to Downtown Disney. OUr drive, Phillip, was the most unDisney like person I have ever seen. There was a huge wait for the buses and we were quite a ways back in the line. There was only room for 2 or 3 more, so Phillip told us to get on the bus. Sounds like a nice thing to do, right? Well, there was a woman who had a party of ten who had been waiting for 30 minutes for a bus. Phillip told her she would just have to keep waiting and closed the door. As he drove off he started muttering (none to quietly) "What else am I supposed to do? Good Lord they expect so much. It just a bus ride, get over it...." 20 minutes to get to Downtown Disney (he took a wrong turn) and he muttered and complained the entire time.

The bus ride home we had Roger Dodger and he was just fabulous and renewed my faith in Disney and the employees there!

We hit bed quickly that night, it was EMH at Epcot the next morning and we had a date with SOarin'!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoying your report ~ Keep em coming

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Great reports thanks for posting.

 

[Nanajo1]

Thanks for posting. I love all in one thread reports.

 

[min75]

Thank you for your report. My DS (7) and I will be staying at All Star Sports in October and am happy to hear your experiences.

 

[Claroquesi]

Diser`s have pins??? How can I get one?

 

[HotMama]

Good reporting.....Keep em coming

 

[Tishke]

So, another early start. We were up for early entry and were ready to see everything that we hadn't the day before. DH was amazed that there was more to see than food a shops in the countries.

Our first stop, once again, was Spaceship Earth. DS rode with me and I was trying to explain some of the different scenes to him. When we got to Rome burning I told him how the city was set on fire. I asked "Do you smell Rome burning?" He said, "No, but I smell bacon." It was entirely too funny

We toured the Living Seas, Imagination and The Land and then rode Soarin'. It was absoulutely breathtaking. We sat in the back row, so we weren't that high up (thank goodness) but it was well worth the 30 minute wait. It was like being right there in the sce, the sights the sounds the smells. Most fun ride I have been on in a long time.

I also went on a little ride called Test Track. Oh, I kept hearing it was going to be great. Best ride in Epcot! Lies I tell you....all lies!! The ride wasn't bad until the outside portion. It was quite literally the scariest ride I have been on in a long time. Not to mention I had a pounding headache afterwards. I'll stick to Land cruise next time

For lunch we hit my favorite place, no not Earl of Sandwich, The Tangierine Cafe. The food is so wonderful in there and you get so much of it! DS and I had the Chicken Shawarma Platter and DH had a hamburger kids meal. One of these days I will get him to step out of his box. The platter was to die for. The couscous is delicious and they chicken was perfect! My favorite place to eat in Epcot. (just talking about it makes me hungry for some lol)

After lunch we visited the UK pavilion for some souvenirs (DS is a big time soccer fan) and he wanted a UK flag. We also picked up a name search. This was very cool and we found that DH family, although Scottish, originated in Ireland. Finally we find a common ancestry.

After strolling a bit more we decided to head back to the hotel for a quick swim and change before we went to Chef Mickeys for dinner.

We got to Chef Mickeys at 4:25 for our 5:00 PS and were seated right at opening. The food was wonderful, as was the character interaction. The napkin twirling was a lot of fun as well. This was the most favorite of DS eateries on the trip.

After dinner we donned ponchos once again and headed over to Epcot again to see Illuminations. We grabbed some school bread and a frosted pretzel form Norway along the way. (both were great)The rain drove a lot of people away, but were were able to get a nice table at the Cantina de San Angel with a perfect view. It was an amazing show and DH and DS had never seen anything like it. It was the perfect end to our night.


So, back to the hotel again for another good night's sleep.

 

[pumpkinfish]

Oh Tishke, it sounds like you really had a great time!

Don't worry, a few more trips should cure your DH of the anti-WDW disease

Looking forward to reading more ...

 

[dismom9761]

Thanks for reporting.I can't wait to try Soarin.

 

[LoriR]

I love reading about your trip! Give us more, give us more!


Lori~~mickeysmagic

 

[eeyore45]

Thank you for taking the time to do the reports - love that they are in one thread, and I can read them in order!!

 

[roberrl187]

Thanks. Great reports. I'm ready for more.

 

[luvmy2sams]

Thanks for sharing your vacation memories. Looking forward to more...

 

[Tishke]

There is nothing like waking up knowing that in just a few minutes you will be greeted by the sight of Cinderella's Castle. When we got to the park we were not disappointed. We stood in the mass huddle that is opening and watched as the Main Street gang opened up the World to us. Then the mad rush began.

We breathed in the smell of popcorn and were on our way to Frontierland (via Adventureland). First stop of the day....Big Thunder Mountain RailRoad. It has been about 20 years since I had been on this ride, as a child it completely terrified me. This time I had a blast! DS wasn't exactly fond of it, but he said it was "WAAAAAAYY better than Test Track!" LOL

From Frontierland it was off to the Haunted Mansion. I love getting there at opening and not waiting. I never realized how much I love this ride!! The CMs on the ride were excellent at staying in character and we all enjoyed the ride.

Next it was off to Neverland! By this time, lines were starting to appear, so it was a quick grab for a fast pass at Peter Pan and a ride on It's a Small World. I absolutely love the new ride! The dolls look amazing, so fresh and bright looking. The whole ride looks great and I was able to convince the family that it was worth riding multiple times a day

Then we took a ride on the carousel. I had never realized that it lasted so shortly. Guess they need to get the people in and out in a rush. Then off to Philharmagic! This movie is just sooo good! I always feel like I am right there and it is always a favorite of the entire family.

Finally it was time for Peter Pan! Off we went to Neverland. I really love this ride, but I think it is a bout due for a little restoration. Some of the paint is chipping in some areas.

Next we hit Pinnochio's Village Haus for lunch. It hadn't eaten there in years, but the menu items sounded great. DH had a hamburger (notice the trend?), DS had the turkey pinwheels and I had this awesome salad. The salad had grilled chicken, walnuts and bleu cheese with a vinnaigrette dressing. (It was so good I made it at home last night!) I highly recommend this place as a great counter service meal.

Next we hit Main Street so I could visit the Cinema and make some VMK characters. We found out that the quests were live and that if we completed them we could take the tour the next day. So me, being the crazy VMK'er that I am dragged the family allover the park. Some of the questions were a little tough, and we got some of them wrong, but we were able to go on the tour the next day at 1:00. Good thing that Disney hates to see people lose!!

At this point, my feet were beginning to be a problem. I wore comfortable shoes (same pair I had worn the last trip), used the foot drying powder, and wound up with three huge blisters on my toes. This coupled with the fact that the sidewalk stopped but I didn't, resulting in a nice twisted ankle, lead us to call it a day. Back to the hotel we went.

DS got in a swim and I got to lounge for a bit. We had dinner at the foodcourt. DS had pasta, DH had a pulled BBQ sandwich and I had a pre-made deli sandwich. All were surprisingly good. I really loved the hotel. I am all for people who need their deluxes, but I really fell in love with the over the top theming and magical feel of our little value resort.

So once more I dialed Mickey for a wake up call so that we would hit EMH and to sleep we went.

 

[Nanajo1]

Thanks for the report. I hope your ankle didn't slow you down.