Well, its Monday, and here I am with the update. I hope yall enjoy!
So we sleep in a bit, getting up at 6 am instead of 5 am. We get up early every day for work, so it isnt as bad as it seems. We let the boys sleep in til almost 7, so we arent tooo mean to them! Once we get ready we head out to the bus stop. We immediately see an MK bus, and decide, hey, lets ride the monorail over. We always try to fit a monorail ride in whenever we are there. It does take a bit of time, but we arent in a hurry. The park doesnt open til 9, and we get there at 9:05. Not too bad at all!
Walk in through the gate, and here we are!!! EPCOT!
The Flower & Garden Festival starts tomorrow, and everything is ready.
Our first stop this trip is the Land.
We have never been on Soarin, and we really want to try it this time. We head over, grab our fastpasses, and head to Sunshine Seasons for breakfast. Yummy! We really like the croissants. We still have time before our fastpasses are ready, so we head over and ride Living with the Land. We are taking the Behind the Seeds Tour in July. Our youngest is really interested in this stuff!
So we still have a bit of time, and head over towards the Nemo building. The line for the ride is out the building already! We head to the back entrance, and take in some of the aquarium sights. Love this place!
So finally, Soarin time!!! We take the fastpass line, and still end up waiting about 15 minutes. Not too bad, considering the stand-by line is already 90 minutes!
We asked if we could ride in the first row, and we noticed the CMs checking our anniversary pins. They said, no problem! Wow!!! What a ride!!! I can see why it is so popular! They really needed to build more of them, to help with the waits. I bet they didnt think it would be so popular.
Next, we wanted to do Spaceship Earth.
The nice CM at the entrance said the wait was 40 minutes, and of course, there is no fastpass. But we really want to go on this, so we wait. Well, the wait was only 24 minutes!! Our longest of the trip, but still not too bad. DW and I have been on it before the rehab, but this is a first for the boys. We really liked the updates! Pretty cool. I wont spoil it for anyone who hasnt been on it since the updates.
So now its time for the countries! Here we come World Showcase. But a few pictures first.
First stop. Canada! No pics here for some reason?!?! Ill have to ask the DS17 why he didnt take any?!? We just looked around the shops this time. We will see the updated film in July, plus we have Le Cellier on our ADR list twice!!
Next, is Great Britain!
Just some store browsing this time. We werent ready for beer, but as we were walking towards France, we decided a few wines around the world wouldnt hurt!
We sampled a VERY good French wine, but I dont have the name here. DW has it written down in her purse, which is unavailable to me at this time.
Next came Morocco.
We did more shop browsing here as well. Some really nice stuff, but we resisted temptation to buy much this trip. We will have a long time in July to decide! Of course, we had to stop in Japan to browse the HUGE store!
DS15 bought some things here for his not girlfriend (thats we he says she is). We had bought a pearl for DW last year. Got a good one from the oysters!
We skipped over America this year. We wanted to eat a late lunch at Biergarten, so we skipped a bit this year. But DS17 still took a picture. He was obviously behind us at the time.
Well, next was Italy! We tasted a really good sparkling wine here, and we kept the glasses. DW said she has plans for them.
So onward to Germany!!
We have eaten at the Biergarten before, and, well, 3 of us love the food. DW and I had the reisling wine flight, which was very good, and highly recommended!
DS15 is picky, and only likes the Mac & Cheese with some bread. Oh well, hell have to make do. We are NOT going to let one picky eater dictate everything all the time.
The band was really good!
Now if you dont know, the Biergarten tries to sit multiple families together. Who do we get seated next to, but an Air Force officer and his friends!! We had quite a bit to talk about, and it was a most enjoyable lunch!
Fully sated, we head to China for a look around.
We go through the shops, but not the movie. We actually havent seen it yet, so its on our list for July.
We skip past Norway, and notice that Maelstrom is closed?!?!? Dont remember seeing anything about that.
So on to Mexico.
We have been on the updated ride, and think it is OK. We didnt ride this time, since we were leaving soon to go back to the room to clean up for our ADR at California Grill later.
We headed out, and stopped in Mousegear for a quick look around.
So of course, since its our anniversary, we had to get a picture with the bride and groom ears!
DWs favorite!
We headed out, and DS17 decided he would like to ride Universe of Energy. Something else we have never done before. Not too bad, but I dont know if well ever go on it again.
So we head out, and catch the bus.
We get ready, and head out to the Contemporary. Bus to MK, and monorail again! With the excellent transportation luck, we arrive an hour early!! So we browse the shops, and DW sees a Penn State Disney pin. She is a huge Penn State fan, so we had to have it! We decided to check in a little early, since we wanted a window view of MK if possible. They had noted on our reservation that is was our anniversary, so we were hopeful. The really nice CMs said it might be a bit of an additional wait, but they would try. Oh, we didnt take our camera here. We wanted to relax, and not worry about it. It was our first time eating here, and it was our anniversary dinner.
Well, once we were escorted upstairs (they won't let you up unless you have an ADR now) we ended up waiting only 20 minutes (still 5 minutes from our ADR time!), and while waiting we see a window table being cleared. We know there are people ahead of us (at least we think there are, though we dont really know for sure), but we hope we get that table. It looks like one of the best in the restaurant for Wishes views!
So, of course, our pixie dust is working overtime, and we get the table!!!! Yay!! Perfect view of Wishes!
Another really nice CM comes over, and says that since this our first time, and anniversary, can she take our picture, and email it to us? Sure!!
We have an absolutely wonderful meal! We asked the server to be pokey on the orders, and she was awesome!! DW and I had the Triple Cheese Flatbread. Very tasty!! DS17 had the Spice Sensation, and really liked it. DW and I had the Hearts of Romaine for First Course. Another good one! DS15 doesn't eat any of that, so he was pretty much sitting there sipping coke for an hour, while we had appetizers and salads. Oh well. Hopefully he'll get better some day. We all had the filets for our entrée. When they brought them out, DS15 asked, wheres the steak knife? Then he cut it just fine with his butter knife!!! An awesome steak was had by all. Cooked to perfection the first time for all of us!! We had the molten cake with ice cream for dessert, and oh was it ever good!!!
So another wonderful meal, and its almost midnight! Monorail back to MK, and bus from there.
We sleep in Wednesday (well, I woke up at 5 anyway, but went back to sleep). We had talked the night before about maybe going to AK or HS for a few hours before catching the ME bus to the airport. We were so tired, that we decided to just completely relax around the resort until our bus at 12:30.
We had breakfast at Artists Palette. Pretty good quick service. Well be eating here again. Purchased some last minute items, and DW and I relaxed by the big pool, while the boys found and used the arcade. Bus ride back was sad, since we were leaving. Had a funny talker on the bus. He made the ride go quicker. Rest of the travel was OK. All of our luggage made it just fine, and drive home was uneventful.
So thats it! My mini TR. We had an absolutely wonderful time, and DW and I were mentioning to each other that we already miss Disney.
We had a LOT of firsts this time (even though I used to live in Orlando, and have been to MK over 40 times):
Magical Express
Saratoga Springs Resort
Earl of Sandwich
Margarita Bar
Buzz Lightyear
Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor
Mickeys Philharmagic
Haunted Mansion (new-ish after rehab anyway!)
Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management (I had been in the old, but was new to the rest)
Jungle Cruise well, new to the boys only. DW and I had been on before.
MK Retreat Ceremony awesome!! One of the highlights of the trip.
Liberty Tree Tavern
Tom Saywer Island (new to the boys)
Liberty Square Riverboat (nope, never rode it before)
Soarin
Spaceship Earth (well, again, first for the boys, first since rehab for us)
Universe of Energy
California Grill
Of course, we already have plenty of firsts planned for the next trip!!
So we sleep in a bit, getting up at 6 am instead of 5 am. We get up early every day for work, so it isnt as bad as it seems. We let the boys sleep in til almost 7, so we arent tooo mean to them! Once we get ready we head out to the bus stop. We immediately see an MK bus, and decide, hey, lets ride the monorail over. We always try to fit a monorail ride in whenever we are there. It does take a bit of time, but we arent in a hurry. The park doesnt open til 9, and we get there at 9:05. Not too bad at all!
Walk in through the gate, and here we are!!! EPCOT!




The Flower & Garden Festival starts tomorrow, and everything is ready.
Our first stop this trip is the Land.

We have never been on Soarin, and we really want to try it this time. We head over, grab our fastpasses, and head to Sunshine Seasons for breakfast. Yummy! We really like the croissants. We still have time before our fastpasses are ready, so we head over and ride Living with the Land. We are taking the Behind the Seeds Tour in July. Our youngest is really interested in this stuff!
So we still have a bit of time, and head over towards the Nemo building. The line for the ride is out the building already! We head to the back entrance, and take in some of the aquarium sights. Love this place!
So finally, Soarin time!!! We take the fastpass line, and still end up waiting about 15 minutes. Not too bad, considering the stand-by line is already 90 minutes!

We asked if we could ride in the first row, and we noticed the CMs checking our anniversary pins. They said, no problem! Wow!!! What a ride!!! I can see why it is so popular! They really needed to build more of them, to help with the waits. I bet they didnt think it would be so popular.
Next, we wanted to do Spaceship Earth.

The nice CM at the entrance said the wait was 40 minutes, and of course, there is no fastpass. But we really want to go on this, so we wait. Well, the wait was only 24 minutes!! Our longest of the trip, but still not too bad. DW and I have been on it before the rehab, but this is a first for the boys. We really liked the updates! Pretty cool. I wont spoil it for anyone who hasnt been on it since the updates.
So now its time for the countries! Here we come World Showcase. But a few pictures first.



First stop. Canada! No pics here for some reason?!?! Ill have to ask the DS17 why he didnt take any?!? We just looked around the shops this time. We will see the updated film in July, plus we have Le Cellier on our ADR list twice!!
Next, is Great Britain!

Just some store browsing this time. We werent ready for beer, but as we were walking towards France, we decided a few wines around the world wouldnt hurt!

We sampled a VERY good French wine, but I dont have the name here. DW has it written down in her purse, which is unavailable to me at this time.
Next came Morocco.

We did more shop browsing here as well. Some really nice stuff, but we resisted temptation to buy much this trip. We will have a long time in July to decide! Of course, we had to stop in Japan to browse the HUGE store!

DS15 bought some things here for his not girlfriend (thats we he says she is). We had bought a pearl for DW last year. Got a good one from the oysters!
We skipped over America this year. We wanted to eat a late lunch at Biergarten, so we skipped a bit this year. But DS17 still took a picture. He was obviously behind us at the time.

Well, next was Italy! We tasted a really good sparkling wine here, and we kept the glasses. DW said she has plans for them.

So onward to Germany!!

We have eaten at the Biergarten before, and, well, 3 of us love the food. DW and I had the reisling wine flight, which was very good, and highly recommended!

DS15 is picky, and only likes the Mac & Cheese with some bread. Oh well, hell have to make do. We are NOT going to let one picky eater dictate everything all the time.

The band was really good!
Now if you dont know, the Biergarten tries to sit multiple families together. Who do we get seated next to, but an Air Force officer and his friends!! We had quite a bit to talk about, and it was a most enjoyable lunch!
Fully sated, we head to China for a look around.

We go through the shops, but not the movie. We actually havent seen it yet, so its on our list for July.
We skip past Norway, and notice that Maelstrom is closed?!?!? Dont remember seeing anything about that.
So on to Mexico.

We have been on the updated ride, and think it is OK. We didnt ride this time, since we were leaving soon to go back to the room to clean up for our ADR at California Grill later.
We headed out, and stopped in Mousegear for a quick look around.

So of course, since its our anniversary, we had to get a picture with the bride and groom ears!

DWs favorite!
We headed out, and DS17 decided he would like to ride Universe of Energy. Something else we have never done before. Not too bad, but I dont know if well ever go on it again.
So we head out, and catch the bus.

We get ready, and head out to the Contemporary. Bus to MK, and monorail again! With the excellent transportation luck, we arrive an hour early!! So we browse the shops, and DW sees a Penn State Disney pin. She is a huge Penn State fan, so we had to have it! We decided to check in a little early, since we wanted a window view of MK if possible. They had noted on our reservation that is was our anniversary, so we were hopeful. The really nice CMs said it might be a bit of an additional wait, but they would try. Oh, we didnt take our camera here. We wanted to relax, and not worry about it. It was our first time eating here, and it was our anniversary dinner.
Well, once we were escorted upstairs (they won't let you up unless you have an ADR now) we ended up waiting only 20 minutes (still 5 minutes from our ADR time!), and while waiting we see a window table being cleared. We know there are people ahead of us (at least we think there are, though we dont really know for sure), but we hope we get that table. It looks like one of the best in the restaurant for Wishes views!
So, of course, our pixie dust is working overtime, and we get the table!!!! Yay!! Perfect view of Wishes!
Another really nice CM comes over, and says that since this our first time, and anniversary, can she take our picture, and email it to us? Sure!!

We have an absolutely wonderful meal! We asked the server to be pokey on the orders, and she was awesome!! DW and I had the Triple Cheese Flatbread. Very tasty!! DS17 had the Spice Sensation, and really liked it. DW and I had the Hearts of Romaine for First Course. Another good one! DS15 doesn't eat any of that, so he was pretty much sitting there sipping coke for an hour, while we had appetizers and salads. Oh well. Hopefully he'll get better some day. We all had the filets for our entrée. When they brought them out, DS15 asked, wheres the steak knife? Then he cut it just fine with his butter knife!!! An awesome steak was had by all. Cooked to perfection the first time for all of us!! We had the molten cake with ice cream for dessert, and oh was it ever good!!!
So another wonderful meal, and its almost midnight! Monorail back to MK, and bus from there.
We sleep in Wednesday (well, I woke up at 5 anyway, but went back to sleep). We had talked the night before about maybe going to AK or HS for a few hours before catching the ME bus to the airport. We were so tired, that we decided to just completely relax around the resort until our bus at 12:30.
We had breakfast at Artists Palette. Pretty good quick service. Well be eating here again. Purchased some last minute items, and DW and I relaxed by the big pool, while the boys found and used the arcade. Bus ride back was sad, since we were leaving. Had a funny talker on the bus. He made the ride go quicker. Rest of the travel was OK. All of our luggage made it just fine, and drive home was uneventful.
So thats it! My mini TR. We had an absolutely wonderful time, and DW and I were mentioning to each other that we already miss Disney.
We had a LOT of firsts this time (even though I used to live in Orlando, and have been to MK over 40 times):
Magical Express
Saratoga Springs Resort
Earl of Sandwich
Margarita Bar
Buzz Lightyear
Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor
Mickeys Philharmagic
Haunted Mansion (new-ish after rehab anyway!)
Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management (I had been in the old, but was new to the rest)
Jungle Cruise well, new to the boys only. DW and I had been on before.
MK Retreat Ceremony awesome!! One of the highlights of the trip.
Liberty Tree Tavern
Tom Saywer Island (new to the boys)
Liberty Square Riverboat (nope, never rode it before)
Soarin
Spaceship Earth (well, again, first for the boys, first since rehab for us)
Universe of Energy
California Grill
Of course, we already have plenty of firsts planned for the next trip!!