The Last Vacation We're Ever Taking (we'll see about that!) - THE END!!

[AnninIowa]

WHAT: 7 night trip to WDW
WHEN: January 31-Febraury 7
WHERE: Animal Kingdom Lodge
WHO: Me (Ann, 33, internet retailer and pug mama of 2) and my dad (Chuck, 75, Hawkeye/Cubs/Broncos/Bulls fan, John Deere retiree, my "volunteer" shipping manager, and Papa to my two pugs)
WHY: Why, because we like you...er, Disney! He, he!!

PICTURES? Yes, I'm working on editing them and will post a link to them soon!


PART 1: Here we go!!

As soon as I booked this trip to Walt Disney World (WDW), my dad started announcing that this was the last trip he was ever taking. It’s too hard to travel. It’s too expensive. The real reason? He doesn’t want to leave the dogs!

Well, I love my babies, but I need to get away sometimes; and since we had a whirlwind 5 night stay at WDW where I left feeling like I’d hardly seen anything, I really wanted to go back.

This trip would be different from the last: I’d wear better shoes (the dreaded Crocs over the cheap Old Navy flip flops), we go in winter when the weather was cooler and the crowds were lower, we’d stay seven nights so we’d have six full days to explore, and we would (GASP!) leave Disney property to go to Busch Gardens and SeaWorld.

I decided on Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) because it was the cheapest deluxe resort (yes, I’m a hotel snob) and because of the animals. This trip would be all about the animals!

So I booked the trip through my TA Gayle at AAA for January 31-February 7…and then didn’t do much else. Normally I’d be fretting and planning, but with the holiday sales rush and the holidays themselves, I was too distracted to really think about the trip. Before I knew it it was January and I hadn’t done anything! Within one hour, I booked Cirque du Soleil, ordered tickets and transportation online for Busch Gardens and SeaWorld, and made dining reservations for Wolfgang Puck’s. Then it was out to buy ponchos, umbrellas, order clothes (why didn’t I stock up on tees at the end of summer?!), and prepare my business, www.AnnabellasGiftShop.com, to be closed for a week.

The hardest part? Yes, it was leaving my babies! I talked to them a lot about going to visit Dr. Klima, how much fun they’d have with the other doggies, how I’d bring them lots of presents from Disney. They were fine…my dad and I weren’t!

Finally, it was time! After two weeks of being cooped up (in an effort to avoid the flu) and praying the winter weather didn’t affect our travel plans, we were packed and ready to go!! As suspected, Max and Lucy were excited to go to Dr. Klima’s and didn’t even look back as we left them (sniff!); and we were off to Cedar Rapids to catch our flight.

Ah, the joys of living in Iowa: clean, safe, low prices…and no direct flights anywhere. At least you can’t get lost in the Iowa airports. I think Cedar Rapids has four gates in all! We were flying Delta with a layover in Cincinnati before our scheduled landing in Orlando at around 4:30 pm.

Traveling sucks. I just hate being trapped in that tight little space breathing recycled air with nothing to do. Yet even though you do absolutely nothing all day long, you are completely exhausted at the end. Alas, it’s a necessary evil.

However, the Biscoff cookies served by Delta were YUMMY! I had 4 packages flying to and from!

Of course, as soon as we are seated on the plane, Dad turns to me and says, “This is the last trip I’m ever taking!”

We’ll see about that.

The best thing about WDW is that you don’t have to drive. All your transportation is taken care of for you. They pick you up from the airport with their “Magical Express” buses, they get your luggage and deliver it to your room, they bus/boat/monorail you around the property your entire stay; and when it’s over, they check your bags and take you back to the airport. It’s heaven!

CELEBRITY SITING ALERT: While at the Cincinnati Airport, we saw CNN’s Gary Tuckman eating McDonald’s 3 tables away from us at the food court!

So, we arrive at Orlando International Airport and look for the Mickey Hands. Yes, some people actually have the job of wearing oversized Mickey Mouse gloves and waving in the middle of the airport to direct you to the buses. It’s pretty funny. Yet I couldn’t laugh this time, as there were no Mickey Hands to be found! Instead we wandered aimlessly (yes, I know there is a map with the Magical Express booklet, but we couldn’t follow it…we are the family that ended up in Illinois on our way to a vacation in Wisconsin) until an airport employee directed us to the right location. Check in was super fast, then we got into the AKL bus line and waited…and waited…and waited. I guess the slow time of year also applies to the buses. There was hardly anyone else in line, maybe 50 people all total (and that’s for ALL the resorts, not just ours).

Finally we were picked up, and after stops at POP and Coronado Springs, we were at AKL! We were greeted by nearly all the valets that were outside, and check-in only took a few minutes. We had booked a pool view room but were UPGRADED to a Savannah View room (happy dance!). Of course, upgrades come at a price as our room was all the way around the resort and in a corner of one of the sections. This is now our vacation joke; we always get the room at the very furthest distance. Isn’t that oh so funny?! When standing on the balcony we were practically facing our neighbors, plus we were right above the gates where the staff came out from. At this time I was wishing we’d kept the pool view (although I’d change my mind in the morning!).

We were tired but hungry, so we trekked back down to The Mara, the quick service restaurant at the resort. After helping Dad figure out what he wanted (he is worse than a child at finding something to eat!), I got in line and waited…and waited…and waited. Déjà vu. The line for hot food at Mara is very small and even a few people clog it up, and when I finally did get up to order, I was told I had to order THAT food in the second section of the line. Oy!

Finally, we sat down to eat and I discovered my new favorite food: sweet potato chips! Yum!! Getting some food perked us up a bit, and it wasn’t too long after we got back to the room that our luggage arrived and we were getting ready for bed. Dad slept like a log; a great, big snoring log. Oh well, who needs sleep?! I had an iron-clad plan for Epcot the next day, with Soarin’ at the top of the list!!

 

[CourtneyandRyan]

Finally, we sat down to eat and I discovered my new favorite food: sweet potato chips! Yum!! Getting some food perked us up a bit, and it wasn’t too long after we got back to the room that our luggage arrived and we were getting ready for bed. Dad slept like a log; a great, big snoring log. Oh well, who needs sleep?! I had an iron-clad plan for Epcot the next day, with Soarin’ at the top of the list!!

Aren't sweet potato chips the best??????!!!!!!!!!!

I love them too.

Great start to your report- Can't wait to read more. Can't wait to see the pictures too!

 

[AnninIowa]

Anyone know of a chip company that makes sweet potato chips? I'll have to check out the gourmet chip section at the grocery store! I have a major craving right now!!

 

[AnninIowa]

I wrote seperate reports on AKL and dining; here are the links if anyone is interested:

AKL: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1353597

Dining: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16929923#post16929923

 

[AnninIowa]

Day 1 Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/anneckhart/WDW2007Day1Epcot

Disney is no vacation in the traditional sense. I learned that the hard way the first time I went, thinking I could just show up, walk around, and see everything.

Ha!

This time I came prepared. I had printed day-by-day itineraries in my bag that include what attractions to see, in what order, and where to eat. I had also made a point to memorize the itinerary flash-card style just in case they were lost. I had my Crocs (you can find some not-so-ugly styles on their website), I had my over-the-shoulder touring bag with a side strap for a bottle of water…I was set.

Every morning of our trip would begin the same; I would go to Mara to bring breakfast back to the room and hope Dad was able to get going so we could keep up my schedule.

Looking out our room window, we did see a Kudu, which looks like a really big cow with huge horns. However, when I left to get breakfast, I realized one of the viewing areas was right outside our room…and out were giraffes and zebras! I ran back in to tell my dad, but he was shaving and wasn’t budging. Wuss! I stayed a view minutes on the balcony looking at the animals, and quickly realized that you don’t need a Savannah view room to see them…so save your money when booking (you still might get upgraded) and just go to the viewing areas.

I had Epcot planned for our first full day, but only Future World as I also learned the hard way last trip that you cannot see Epcot in one day (remember the bad shoes and extreme heat mentioned earlier?). No, this time we would do Future World one day, World Showcase another. If we hurried, I thought we could do Soarin’, The Seas and Spaceship Earth before heading to a late lunch at the Boardwalk Inn before having just enough time to freshen up before Cirque du Soleil.

We were able to get out the door by 8:15, but when we got to the bus stop, it was practically empty. Crap, I thought; everyone is already in line at the park! I fretted the entire ride to Epcot. Then we got to Epcot and hardly anyone was in line at the bag check or turnstiles. Ack! They are all in front of the rope and we’ll have a two hour wait for Soarin’, I was sure.

We had to forge ahead. Must. Get. To. Soarin’. We walked steadily towards the center of Future World behind the big golf ball, i.e. Spaceship Earth, and I could see the rope! Yes, I could see the rope…BECAUSE HARDLY ANYONE WAS THERE IN FRONT OF IT! That’s when I realized that hardly anyone was at Epcot. Hardly anyone was at Disney. We didn’t have to rush. We wouldn’t have to wait. Buh, bye the itinerary!!

Yes, the itinerary was trashed that night back at the resort.

So, we stood behind the rope, literally right by it. No one was pushing, no one was jocking for position. Cast members from the big attractions – Soarin’, Test Track and Mission Space – were at the rope mingling with the crowd, letting people know that when the rope dropped they could follow them to the respective attraction. The only children present were the under-kindergarten crowd, so they got a lot of attention from the cast members. When Mickey, Minnie and the rest of the characters approached, they were able to go right up to the kids rather than lines needing to be formed.
Then the rope dropped…and no one ran, no one pushed. No one even moved. Everyone lined up like good little boys and girls and when their attraction leader started walking, they followed. Calmly. Politely.
It was amazing to behold!!

When we finally reached The Land building where Soarin’ is, all the staff members from the various restaurants were inside beating drums, waving Mickey hands, and chanting, “Welcome To Epcot!” as we passed by on the way to Soarin’ (one older lady who was really petite was way in to it…”Wel-come To Ep-Cot!! Wel-come To Ep-Cot!!” she shouted as she would beat on her drum with a stern look on her face. I was a little scared.)

Finally we were at Soarin’, with only a 20 minute wait (because no matter how calmly everyone walked, of course they all passed us!). I rode Soarin’ before with no problems, so I balked at the motion sickness warnings posted all over. Who could get sick on Soarin’?

I got sick on Soarin’!

For those who don’t know, here is the description for Soarin’: This unforgettable experience combines cinematic artistry and state-of-the-art motion base technology. You are literally lifted 40 feet inside a giant projection screen dome and completely surrounded with the beauty and wonder of the state of California as their elevated theater seats take them on a scenic tour over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Redwood forests, Napa Valley, Yosemite and more. The free-flight experience intensifies as guests feel the sweeping winds and smell fragrant orange blossoms and pine trees around them.

It’s kind of like watching an IMAX movie but with your seat moving along with the motion of the film.

I wanted to really take in every part of the movie this time, and that was my big mistake. Instead of keeping my eyes forward, I looked down and around…and became instantly nauseous. The part where you sweep down where they are white-water rafting? Barf bag, please! I wised up enough to finally close my eyes, but the damage was done. While I didn’t hurl, I was sick for a good hour afterwards. Even riding “Living with the Land”, which is a slow boat ride about the evolution of farming made me queasy.

Not a fun way to start the day.

Still, we were able to do Soarin’, Living with the Land AND the Circle of Life film (which I only went to as I still needed to recover, but ended up really liking…everyone should see this film!) all before 11 am! By then I was feeling better and we headed toward The Seas, which had been closed for refurbishment on our last trip. I love animals, so I was really excited to tour here.

Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was really disappointed. We started with the Nemo ride, where you get into a “clam mobile” and ride by little scenes of Nemo and characters from the movie (I haven’t seen the movie, so maybe it’s more fun if you know who the characters are?).

Anyway, it was a relatively short ride, so then we were free to explore. Again, I guess I was expecting this to be a great, big place full of all kinds of marine life…I thought it would take a couple hours to see everything. We were done in under 15 minutes. I kept looking around, thinking maybe I was missing something. We did get to see some manatees close up at the top of their tank, but other than that only got a small glimpse of some dolphins and small sharks through the murky water. Oh, well; we were going to SeaWorld later in the trip, so I knew I’d see a lot more there!

By now it was barely past 11 – we were way ahead of my original itinerary! We went on Spaceship Earth, and even though the ride iteself isn't that interesting, I think it’s cool just to know you are riding around in the giant golf ball!!

I decided that we had time to ride the monorail on the Epcot line, and the best part of that was near the end when you actually go around Future World and the automated monorail announcement thingy tells you about the attractions. With so few people around, it was much easier to get our barings. The entire park instantly made sense and I knew I’d never get confused there again. When we passed Test Track around 11:30, the wait was only 15 minutes! Amazing!!

Now, after the monorail I should have taken us to the Imagination Pavilion, then gone to the Boardwalk through the International Gateway. Did I just say I’d never get confused at Epcot again? Scratch that; I got confused. I forgot that you can’t take a bus from Epcot to the Epcot resorts, i.e. the Boardwalk. You can only take the boat through the International Gateway. When did I remember this? When we had walked all the way to the Epcot bus depot and I couldn’t find the Boardwalk bus stop.

Sigh.

BUT I then realized that we could take a bus to MGM and get the boat from there! So we walked all the way to the MGM bus stop, and waited. By ourselves. No one was there. No one was at any of the bus stops. It was kind of creepy. We waited a long time. A really, really long time. I started asking Jesus to please send us a bus…and then one came! Then we were the only ones on the bus…and the bus driver wanted to wait to see if anyone else came…and the bus driver wanted to chat about her sister, brother, and her vacation pay.

Sigh.

Finally we were off (the only ones on the bus), we got off at MGM, hiked all the way over to the boat dock and waited for the boat.

Sigh.

This entire process took two hours, longer than we’d spent at Epcot.

However, we finally reached Big River Grille at the Boardwalk Resort, where my dad had had his favorite meal of our previous trip, a BBQ Pork Sandwich. My dad LOVES a good BBQ pork sandwich; sweet, not spicy, and Big River’s was perfect. He even told the waiter it had better be as good as last time! We were seated outside and it was so nice to look out over the lake while we ate. We stopped for treats at the Boardwalk Bakery and SeaShore Sweets, then took the bus back to AKL, where we had about an hour and a half before we needed to leave for Cirque. Dad took a nap and I tended to my blisters. I finally realized there is just no way to avoid sore feet at Disney, even in Crocs!

At around 4:15 pm we left to catch the bus to Downtown Disney to see the 6 pm Cirque Show. We LOVED La Nouba, so it was a must-do again. We had plenty of time to wander to West Side shops. It’s a much different shopping experience than on the Marketplace side, and it was nice to see some non-Disney merchandise. I loved everything in the Hoypoloi – all sorts of glass and ceramic sculptures and decorative items. So unique! Alas, the prices were beyond my budget; and besides, how on earth would you get this stuff home on the plane?

After lurking in the Virgin Megastore (no Depeche Mode, boo!), it was time for Cirque. Our previous trip we’d had the “best seats possible” – front and center but behind the pathway the performers use. Perfect seats, but expensive. So this time I booked Category 2, figuring there really are no bad seats. Well, we were in BAD seats – very front row on the side so you had to look UP to see the performance. My dad sat down for all of 10 seconds and announced “No way am I sitting here!” before marching off to see if we could change seats. Thankfully we were given a choice of two spots, and we choose the row right below the pathway (in retrospect we should have gone higher as we had to crane our necks to see the clowns and performers enter, but anything was better than where we'd been).

There is so much to see in this show that you could go dozens of time and still see new things! It was amazing, one of the top 5 things we did on our trip.

Afterwards, however, I could hardly hear; being on the side meant you were closer to the speakers…ouch! I actually had to cover my ears during parts of the show. My dad is hard of hearing, anyway, so we were quite a site after the show. “Huh? What did you say? Speak up, I can’t hear you!”

We stopped at Wetzel’s Pretzels as we were still pretty full from lunch but wanted a little something. I think I was in line for 20 minutes there! We didn’t have to wait long for the bus back to AKL, and I made what would become a nightly stop at Zawadi Marketplace for more bottled water. I’ve only been to one other resort gift shop, Beach Club, but I can’t imagine any other resort having a better store! Along with the park memorabilia and snacks, they have a huge selection of African art. Beautiful!

I set up for a wake-up call for 5:30 am for the next morning as we were going to Busch Gardens. I spoke with one of the valets who advised leaving AKL for the 9 am Busch Garden’s shuttle bus pick-up at SeaWorld at 7:45 am as he thought there would be a lot of traffic. Since he was really cute, I blindly took his advice!

 

[vanyel]

More, more, more!

 

[AnninIowa]

Day 2 Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/anneckhart/WDW2007Day2BuschGardens

Today was the day I was most nervous about: leaving Disney property and their glorious transportation system to go to Busch Gardens. As the valet had suggested, we were outside at 7:45 am to get a taxi.

Taxis were always lined up outside AKL, so there was never a wait. However, our driver wasn’t sure where the SeaWorld bus depot was ; when I told him we were catching the Busch Gardens shuttle, he wanted to take us to one of the malls to catch it instead! I insisted that, no, we had reservations for the shuttle bus that was picking up at SeaWorld.

The ride to SeaWorld itself was quick, but I couldn’t get him to drive into the bus area which I could clearly see was where we needed to be dropped off at. He stopped the taxi, walked around a bit, asked a couple of guys where to go. Finally I got him to drive to where we needed to be, and $36 later he was gone. It was only 8 am. The shuttle bus wasn’t coming until 9 am.

Oh my.

So we wandered around the front of SeaWorld, where we would be going tomorrow. Then we wandered back to the bus stop. Then we stared at our feet. Then we watched the SeaWorld employees coming on the I-Shuttle to work. Then a big Mears bus showed up and the driver said it was the Busch Gardens shuttle (it was missing the Busch wrap that you see on TV; apparently this bus’ wrap had the day off). So we get on the bus…and the driver tells us we have to wait until 9:15 for the next pick-up.

Booking this shuttle was so confusing as there was so little information on the website. I thought multiple buses did pick-ups, so I choose the 9 am one. However, this bus was picking up for both 9 AND 9:15 am. Maybe it was because it was the slow season??? Anyway, after we left SeaWorld at 9:15, we went to the Premium Outlets to pick up the 9:30 stop there! Premium Outlets is closer to Disney, so we not only could have slept in later but saved a few bucks by getting the shuttle there.

Sigh.

So for anyone doing this in the future, here is what to do: take your resort bus to Downtown Disney and catch a taxi from there to the Premium Outlet bus depot. Should save you around $15 in cab fare!

Finally, we were off to Busch and were there in about an hour and a half. Tampa is a strange place; it looks just like any other American small town but with this zoo/theme park in the middle. They have a water park, too, but otherwise there wasn’t any indication that this was a tourist destination.
We were given tickets as we departed the bus so we could get back on the bus, which would leave at 5 pm. So we had over 6 hours to explore. The park was really empty; at times we were the only people on the paths. We were able to linger at the animal exhibits, and we didn’t have to rush to eat or shop.

Since Busch is really a zoo with attractions (whereas Animal Kingdom seems like it’s an attraction with animals in the backdrop), you get to see many more animals here and you see them much closer. We started in the Myombe Reserve, where the gorillas are. They were still pretty tired and laying around, but the baby was with it’s mother right up against the glass inside on of the caves! He wanted to play by batting his mom, and she kept shooing his hands away; so cute!

Next we headed towards Rhino Rally, stopping for a funnel cake first (hey, a funnel cake is really a donut…and it was still technically morning!). They had two sizes of funnel cakes; the big one was the size of a pizza! Plus you could add toppings; the guy ahead of me got the large with strawberries, and they had a giant bowl of strawberry goo…the clerk put about 3 giant spoons on it. Ewww! The guy looked mortified!! I stuck with the small size, plain.

Whenever we get food to share, my dad takes two bites and then declares he is done and that I can have the rest. So I eat about 1/3 of it and act like I’m going to throw it away. At that point he says he might have a little more…and finishes the whole thing. This is how we ate the funnel cake.

Afterwards we saw some other animals: turtles, alligators, camels, elephants. even a sloth that I got to pet (which I wouldn’t have done when I found out how filthy they were as the handlers had hand disinfectant for you. I’m a major clean-hand freak, so that disinfectant gel doesn’t do it for me. I always have handi-wipes with me, but nothing beats water and soap!).

Off to Rhino Rally, which is a really rough jeep ride around some of the animal areas. You get really close to the elephants, as well as rhinos (duh). There were a lot of animals around during this, but to be honest I can’t really remember much as I was holding on for dear life. It is REALLY bumpy; it’s a real truck they drive through a path (which was muddy that day). What I did like here was that the guides knew their spiel was corny, they knew we knew it was corny, and they really hammed it up. There is one part where the truck crosses a bridge, the bridge seems to go out, and the truck turns into a boat and you are white water rafting! It was really cool!!

We tried to get on the train (it goes throughout the park and gets you close to the animals on the Serengeti Plain, but we had missed it and would have to wait another 40 minutes. We stopped off at the Clydesdale stables, and I got to pet one and talk with the handler (she said they rotate the horses out for public viewing, and move the various Clydesdales around to the shows and events…so no one horse is ever stuck doing one thing or in a stable).

Afterwards we went on the SkyRide, which takes you to the part of the park where all the rides and roller coasters are, including SheiKra, which goes down 90 degree drops twice, then underground, then through water that splashes anyone standing near the coaster. That was fun to watch…especially the clueless people who wandered near it and got soaked (obviously not seeing the huge puddle of water beneath them)!

We were finally able to board the train at another station here and made the bad decision to sit in the front of one of the cars. Why was this a bad decision? Because a few moments after the train started, it started to rain. No, pour. The rain flew in to the front of our car and filled our seat with water…and there was nothing we could do. By the time we dug out the ponchos and attempted to cover ourselves, it was too late. We were completely, miserably SOAKED. We got off the train and ran for cover, where we desperately tried to wring out our clothes.

It’s one thing to be cold or wet…but to be cold AND wet? Now I was in a really bad mood and sulked for a good hour! Had we been at Disney we could have gone back to the hotel to change, but we were stuck.

After the rain let up, we made our way back towards the front of the park as we had a 2 pm reservation for the Serengeti Safari, where you ride a truck and get to feed giraffes. This was what we were most looking forward to on the trip, but we still had some time to kill so we went to the Crown Colony for lunch. This restaurant has two sections: a sit-down full service part, and a counter service part. Since we were a wet mess, we opted for the counter service. We shared a club sandwich and found a seat overlooking the Serengeti with all the animals. We were finally drying off and our moods were much better as we made our way to the safari.

The Serengeti Safari is an extra $40 per person in addition to admission. It’s a private ride out onto the area where the giraffes, zebras and other “safari” animals are. There were only 10 of us total, and we had to stand in the back of a truck with a guide who told us all about the animals. It's a bumpy ride; if you do this hang on to the rail but don't lean against the side as then you bump along WITH the truck (another leason I learned the hard way!).

Yeah, learning is okay and all, but give me some lettuce so I can feed the giraffes!!

One giraffe came lurking toward the truck as soon as she saw it; her name was Tango (nicknamed Tango the Terrible) and she was a greedy girl who wanted that lettuce! Our guide, Chad, had a big bag of romaine, and since the tour wasn’t completely booked, we all got extra changes to feed Tango. She wasn’t shy, either; she plunged her head right down into the truck and took the lettuce right out of our hands! If some fell on the floor she just stretched down to lick it us. It was amazing to feed her and pet her; at one point she practically knocked me over trying to get to someone else’s lettuce. Then she had my dad pinned in a corner with her neck. We all got to pose for pictures (not Busch taking them, us taking pics with our own cameras), and after about 15 minutes the truck started moving…just as another giraffe started to come over (none of the others seemed to interested – only Tango). We found out this other giraffe was the oldest they had at 28, and, oops!, had recently gotten pregnant! Mama-to-be was late to the party, though, so no lettuce for her as we headed off to see more animals.

Also on the safari were two kinds of zebras, rhinos (including mom and a baby!), lots of birds, and lots more giraffes. When we came upon the Kudu we were able to feed those through the gate of the truck (although only a couple were interested). As we were doing this, who shows up again but Tango! She’d walked all the way to the other side of the plain for more lettuce and would try to eat it out of our hands as we feed the Kudu. When that wasn’t working she started eating it from the Kudu’s mouths!

We had the BEST time on the safari; it was definitely the highlight of our trip (sorry, Disney!)!!

After the safari we walked the trail of the Serengeti Plain for more animals, including hyenas and two lions that came right up to the glass enclosure. The keepers were there explaining that they rotate the lions and hyenas in their respective areas periodically so they maintain their sense of predatory smell. They have decorative trucks on the sides of the lion glass, which are actually used to slip treats in to the lions. A couple keepers were having trouble getting the door where the food goes in to open, and the female lion was roaring and scratching at them through the glass. Another amazing site; we stayed here a good 15 minutes to watch.

After the Serengeti, we decided to walk once more through the Myombe Reserve to see the gorillas and chimps, and this time they were much more active. Five of them were chasing each other around, pushing and playing. The oldest one had been at the top of a tree branch the first time we walked through, and when the younger ones started playing, he climbed right back up! It was a single tree truck and he was able to perch right on top of it.

By now we still had about an hour to kill before it was time to board the bus back to Orlando, so I got dad seated under some shade with some popcorn while I went shopping. Even though I wasn’t sure I could fit them into my suitcase, I couldn’t resist two different styles of plush giraffes, plus a plush gorilla and a chimp! My plush souvenier habit would grow worse as the trip continued!!

Finally it was time to go back to Orlando; the trip was uneventful except for when we first started out, we were seated under a drip! Drip, drip, drip right onto MY head until we finally changed seats. My dad embarrassed me so by yelling “We’ve got a leak!!”…the bus driver completely ignored him. Then the smart *** behind me said, “You just got dripped on again.” Yes, I know that, jerk!

We got off at the Premium Outlets knowing the cab ride back to AKL would be cheaper, and it was here where I encountered the most difficult part of the vacation: not shopping at the mall. I kept telling myself, “I don’t need to go to Burberry. I don’t need to go to Versace. I came here for park touring, not shopping.”

It was so hard!!!!!!!

We caught a cab back to AKL (note that if you are doing this you could take the cab to Downtown Disney, which is closer, and catch a bus to your resort there to save some money…we were just too tired at that point) and had a late dinner at Mara (where my dad was very happy with his Butternut Squash soup; it was sweet, which is how he likes it. I had a salad and sweet potato chips; see, I had only vegetables!), and then collapsed in the room. What a day!

Tomorrow would be another animal-packed day at SeaWorld!

 

[AnninIowa]

Day 3 Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/anneckhart/WDW2007Day3SeaWorld

We got a bit of a late start Saturday morning and didn’t get to SeaWorld until almost 10 am. I’d read that SeaWorld was a difficult park to tour as the shows where spaced out time-wise and across the park so that it was nearly impossible to see everything.

Plus, I had put on a tee shirt and short skort in the morning, figuring 60 degrees was plenty warm. 60 degrees with clouds, wind and rain? Not so warm.

The main shows I wanted to see were Believe (the Shamu show) and Blue Horizons (the dolphin show); by the time we arrived, we’d missed the first showings of those two, so I decided we might as well go to the Clyde & Seamore Take Pirate Island show (C&S), which features sea lions and a walrus.

That decision would totally mess up touring for the day.

Trying to see all of the SeaWorld shows AND all of the animal exhibits in one day is impossible. I originally did want to see (C&S), but was willing to forgo it if I had to. However, with no dolphin or Shamu shows scheduled for another two hours, I figured we could do C&S. Once we finally found the arena (either the SeaWorld maps are totally confusing or I totally lost map reading skills this day), we had a good 20 minute wait for the show to start. They have a pirate mime that entertains beforehand (i.e. makes fun of people as they enter – really funny…although now I’m wondering if WE were made fun of, too???). The show is totally corny, but as they did at Rhino Rally at Busch Gardens, the cast knows we know it’s corny and hams it up. The sea lions are just amazing with the tricks they know; I was so glad we got to see it.

Afterwards we headed for the Pacific Point Reserve where you can actually feed the sea lions. Well, you have to BUY the food to feed them ($4 for 4 dead fish…ewww!), but it is so worth it! They perch up on the rocks and look around with their mouths open, just like a dog begging for a treat. We spent quite a bit of time here and I was able to get some good pictures.

After the sea lions, I thought we better find Shamu Stadium to see Believe…so off we went in search of that. On the way we stopped at the Penguin Encounter, which consists of riding a moving walk-way past a window where all the penquins live in their fake snow environment. I felt sad for them; what a life! After the walk-way you walk through some exhibits, then you end up back at the window behind the walk-way where you can just stand and watch the penquins.

I would realize later we took a major wrong turn that took much longer, but eventually we found Shamu Stadium and scored some good seats (high up in the splash zone where I was pretty sure we wouldn’t actually get wet).

They have two huge screens where they show some little time-killing segments such as trivia, kids asking questions, save the environment stuff (and a commercial for Busch Gardens). There was a killer whale in the tank leisurely swimming around and poking her head out to look at the crowd.

A trainer came out and did a salute the troops speech where he asked all the current and past military members of the U.S., U.K. and our allies to stand up; I made my dad stand for his part serving in the Navy during the Korean Conflict! I noticed that SeaWorld and Busch offered a lot for the troops: special ticket prices, even a special entrance.

Then the trainer started talking about the whales, how they are trained, how they are never MADE to do anything, just given choices. Finally he says that the whale in the tank isn’t actually supposed to be there, but she wasn’t responding to the “choice” they were giving her to move (the “choice” was another trainer tapping the side wall to let her know she could come to him).

As the trainer said, the females are dominant and do as they please…and this was definitely a female! The second trainer gave one more tap, to while the whale actually turned her back to him and faced us!!

So, they had to cancel the show as, again, they don’t make the animals do anything they don’t want to do; which I totally respect.

However, this put another wrench in the touring plan.

The trainer let us know that Jack Hanna was in the park that day and his next performance was coming up shortly. I really would have loved to see that, BUT that would have meant missing the next Blue Horizons dolphin show.

I told you touring this park is hard!!

So, off we went in search of the dolphin stadium….all the way on the other side of the park. By this time I was freezing and gave in to buying a SeaWorld poncho, the color of which is a cross between a Smurf and a blueberry. I choose the later desciption and began referring to myself as a frozen blueberry. There were many other frozen blueberries in the park that day. At $6 a poncho, I think they could totally support the park with poncho sales. My dad had smartly dressed warmly and was content in his Dollar Tree poncho (two for only $1…and since I had a new one, he claimed the clear on for himself and ditched the red one I’d been making him use!).

So off we went to find the Horizons stadium. Another major hike…probably because I just couldn’t get my barrings.

Well, the walk was so worth it, because while the theme of the show is super corny (but unlike the others the cast go along with it), watching the dolphins do their skills is amazing! There are also birds in this show that fly from one side to the other. My only complaint is that the should leave the show at just the animals and get rid of all the extra cast – there are dive boards on each side and between nodding your head back and fort to watch the divers, having a lady dressed like a bird flying in the center, more bird people dropping down from other ropes, it’s just too much fluff. However, the dolphins make this a must-see for sure!

We had almost 2 hours before the next Shamu show, but to make sure we didn’t miss it we headed BACK OVER to the other side of park so we’d be close by and decided to find some lunch. We ended up in the Waterfront section of the park, which is a collection of shops and restaurants.
We found a restaurant for lunch that served pizza and salad, so we relaxed there for awhile (one piece of pizza and my salad plus one drink cost nearly $25! If you thought Disney food was over-priced, it was nothing compared to Busch Gardens or SeaWorld! Also, you start to see the same food at both parks; for instance, the exact same desserts we had seen at Busch were being served at SeaWorld).

After eating we stopped at the Shark Encounter, which is similar to the Penquin exhibit where you ride the moving platform while the sharks and fish swim around you in a glass enclosed tunnel. We weren’t very impressed with the sharks we saw; they were those little ones that look more like fish. Not too exciting.

We made it back to Shamu Stadium even before they were letting people in, so we had a little wait. Since we were so early I was able to get even better seats than last time, high in the splash zone and close to the center. At all the SeaWorld shows they have staff walking around and standing in front selling stuff: caramel corn, cotton candy, towels, toys. It gives it a cheap circus feel that I didn’t like.

Well, at least this time the show went off without a hitch, and it was even better than the dolphin show! The whales jump, carry the trainers, and splash the audience. The trainers are so loving with the whales; it’s amazing how such a large animal can be so gentle!

After the show I thought we’d go ride the Sky Tower, but when we went there we found out you need reservations AND that is costs extra!
By this time we were really tired and I almost called it quits, but then towards the entrance I saw we were so close to the Key West section where the dolphins were and my energy was renewed.

After a brief stop to see the stingrays, we got in line for food to feed the dolphins ($5 for 4 dead fish here), and went up to the large pool where the dolphins were.

This is where I had a bit of a breakdown. I was tired and cold and all I wanted to do was feed the dolphins, but the damn birds overhead stole TWO of the fish! Birds were all over, swooping down and stealing fish right out of people's hands. I wanted to cry, especially when some guy started making a big deal about it, telling his wife not to stand where I had because “that lady was cursed”!

Boo!

THEN I got so frustrated with my dad and we had a bit of a row. I wanted him to take a picture of me feeding (or by now just petting, since I had no food) a dolphin, but he just couldn’t get it done. He kept saying we needed to be still, and I’m like, Dad, the dolphin isn’t going to be still! Just take some pictures!! He never did get one. So I sulked some more.

Then I decided to get over it and we made up, stopped for some souveniers (more plush!), and got a taxi back to AKL. We rested a bit and then headed to Downtown Disney for dinner where we ate at Earl of Sandwich. I think this is my absolute favorite restaurant in all of Disney and maybe the world! Is that sad?

After Earl’s, we (and by “we” I mean “me”) did a little shopping. While the signs for Disney Tails, the pet accessory store, were still up, inside I was disappointed to find the merchandise was pretty much gone, relegated to a couple shelves in the adjacent Pooh store. Boo! I was able to find some toys for Max and Lucy, plus a bandana that read, “My human went to Disney World and all I got was this lousy bandana!” Where the pet stuff used to be were racks marked with signs like “Under $15”, “Under $12”; seems like they are trying to extend the Mickey’s Mart store (where everything is under $10) next door into this space. The guy who checked me out said he was disappointed they hadn't expanded to pet selection to include costumes and such. Of course I agree! I really wanted a princess dress for Lucy!!

We made what would become a nightly stop into a candy store, this time Goofy’s Candy Co. (where the clerk told me to “Have a Goofy Day!”) before heading back to the resort and calling it an early night. I was glad to be back safely on Disney property and relived there would be no more taxi fares to pay for the rest of the trip!

While I really liked SeaWorld, it was a very tiring and frustrating park to tour; they’ve definitely make sure you can’t see everything so you have to visit again…and I would definitely recommend both Busch Gardens and SeaWorld to anyone…and the Serengeti Safari to feed the giraffes for sure!!

 

[byoung]

Nice reporting.

 

[bunnysmum]

Ann! Great trip report! I think it is so cool that you went with your Dad. I can't get mine to agree to come with us, though I am fairly certain he'd have a blast if he would.

Very nice job reporting fairly: the good, the bad, and the just plain awful.

Now, it sounds as if you are something of a seasoned traveler, so I hope that little disagreement you had with your Dad didn't ruin your day! I was horrified that my Mom (aka "Nana") and I had a little tiny disagreement or two (it was probably more like ME losing my cool, to be honest!) during our weeklong trip last year. I think anytime you are with someone all day, all the time for that long, there are bound to be a couple of rough spots. :thumbsup

Looking forward to more!

 

[AnninIowa]

Thanks Bunnysmom! Yes, my dad and I got over our little row quickly; I felt bad that I lost my temper and just have to realize that at 75 his camera skills aren't what they once were, LOL! That day at SeaWorld was exhausting, not to mention cold and wet. That's what I get for betraying Disney and leaving property!!

 

[CourtneyandRyan]

After Earl’s, we (and by “we” I mean “me”) did a little shopping. While the signs for Disney Tails, the pet accessory store, were still up, inside I was disappointed to find the merchandise was pretty much gone, relegated to a couple shelves in the adjacent Pooh store. Boo! I was able to find some toys for Max and Lucy, plus a bandana that read, “My human went to Disney World and all I got was this lousy bandana!” Where the pet stuff used to be were racks marked with signs like “Under $15”, “Under $12”; seems like they are trying to extend the Mickey’s Mart store (where everything is under $10) next door into this space. The guy who checked me out said he was disappointed they hadn't expanded to pet selection to include costumes and such. Of course I agree! I really wanted a princess dress for Lucy!!

AnninIowa--- What kind of dog is Lucy? I have a shih tzu named Maddie and she's always dressed for every occassion... Because of that, I opened a pet clothing and accessories business! So, I can pamper other people's pets too! She has a princess outfit!!

Still loving your report!

 

[jodistar]

Love you report! Can't wait to read more

 

[AnninIowa]

Max and Lucy are pugs; Max will be 3 in May, Lucy 1 this coming Friday. Oh, look: I just happen to have an online photo album of their pictures!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/anneckhart/MaxLucy

 

[CourtneyandRyan]

Max and Lucy are pugs; Max will be 3 in May, Lucy 1 this coming Friday. Oh, look: I just happen to have an online photo album of their pictures!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/anneckhart/MaxLucy

How cute!!!!!!!

They are ADORABLE!!!!!! And happy early birthday to Lucy! You should check out my shih tzu, Maddie at http://www.wagginrags.com. She's a handful! But I adore her... As I'm sure you do to Max and Lucy!

Can't wait to read the rest of your report!!!

 

[Bari]

my dad started announcing that this was the last trip he was ever taking. It’s too hard to travel. It’s too expensive. The real reason? He doesn’t want to leave the dogs!

Ann, just wanted to tell you I'm lovin' your trip report and my Dad is just like yours!! He will NOT go anywhere because of the dog, cats, and just can't leave the shadow of Baptist hospital! Too funny. At least you got him to go. We take my Mom with us on our trips but my Dad sits home.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[AnninIowa]

My mom died when I was six, leaving my dad to raise me and my two older brothers, the oldest of which was severely mentally retarded and died three years after my mom. By then my other brother was out of the house on his own, so it's just been me and my dad since I was 9. He raised me all by himself, doing all the "mom" stuff. Now he is 75 and lives with me, and it's my turn to take care of him (although he is very healthy and still very able); getting the dogs really improved his quality of life! Any one with senior parents should definitely consider a pet if at all possible!!

My dad likes to make a big production about not wanting to go anywhere, but just today he caught himself saying we'd have to have the next trip paid for before we went (as opposed to using credit cards). I said, "Gotcha, Dad! You just said we're going on another trip!!" I told you this wouldn't be the last trip we'd ever take!!

 

[Schachteles]

My mom died when I was six, leaving my dad to raise me and my two older brothers, the oldest of which was severely mentally retarded and died three years after my mom. By then my other brother was out of the house on his own, so it's just been me and my dad since I was 9. He raised me all by himself, doing all the "mom" stuff. Now he is 75 and lives with me, and it's my turn to take care of him (although he is very healthy and still very able); getting the dogs really improved his quality of life! Any one with senior parents should definitely consider a pet if at all possible!!

My dad likes to make a big production about not wanting to go anywhere, but just today he caught himself saying we'd have to have the next trip paid for before we went (as opposed to using credit cards). I said, "Gotcha, Dad! You just said we're going on another trip!!" I told you this wouldn't be the last trip we'd ever take!!

I am so sorry to hear about your mom and brother...that is so great that you are there for your dad now...and I love to hear about your trip...I am amazed that as 75 he is keeping up with you...my dad is only 57 and I am not sure he would be cut out for it!

GREAT trippie...keep it coming!!

 

[AnninIowa]

Day 4 Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/anneckhart/WDWDay4AnimalKingdomMagicKingdom


After a rough end to the previous day, both my dad and I woke up in better moods! We were in no hurry, either, which was nice. I was debating whether or not to go to Animal Kingdom as scheduled; I figured with the resort, Busch and SeaWorld, did I really need to see more animals?

Yes, I decided I did!

So, back to my favorite Disney bus system to go to AK! Apparently everyone else had the same plan, because it was standing room only. Fortunately, AK is only 3 minutes from AKL, and we were there before we knew it.

I thought the bus situation would mean a crowd at AK, but it was pretty empty; again, we had many times where we were the only ones on a path! The last time we’d been at AK is was so hot and humid we only lasted a couple hours; this time it was almost COLD! Did you ever think AK could be cold?!

We walked to Kilimanjaro Safari and only had a about a 5 minutes wait. The animals were out in full force, probably because of the cool weather. We drove right past the baby giraffe; he was standing very close to the road just watching us! I only snapped a couple of pictures, though, as the last visit they’d all come out horribly; a bumpy, moving truck does not make for good picture taking. I did get a picture of the baby elephant, though!

Either there were a lot of international visitors while we were there, or we just noticed them more because so many Americans weren’t there. We kept joking that the language we heard LEAST while at Disney was English. There were a lot of French, Japanese and Argentineans there (as well at the Brits and Aussies); and the language barrier really came into play on the safari because several non-English speakers kept standing up. The tour guide was constantly telling people to sit down, but they didn’t understand. I finally turned around and motioned to a girl that she had to SIT DOWN! Fortunately she understood the universal language of my motioning at her wildly with my hand waving downward.

While we saw lots of animals on the safari, I really wish they would drop the whole “find the poachers and save the animatronics elephants” storyline. You can hardly hear what the guides are saying, anyway, so I wish they’d just stick to what most people want, which is more information about the animals! Or maybe have two tracks; people who like the storyline and those who want to skip it.

After the safari we walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. We spotted a couple meerkats and lots of fish. The gorillas had been given blankets, and a couple of them were all snuggled up! The others were moving about, though, and we stayed for quite some time watching them.

After Pangani, we walked over to Asia…again, the paths were so empty that we could just walk leisurely and stop to look around. We’d just missed the Flights of Wonder show, which I had wanted to see; maybe next time. Instead we went to the Maharajah Jungle Trek. I was going to be brave and see the bats, but the keeper told us they weren’t out because of the cold. Oh, darn! Well, at least I tried to see them!!

The tigers were lounging about and we spent a good while watching them. It was here we met another Iowa family, the 4th one we’d met on the trip! Seems Iowans were out in force at Disney that week!!

We then went over to “It’s Tough To Be A Bug!”, which we both really liked the last time. We got right in and only had a couple of minutes to wait before entering the theatre. I was stuck on the end of the row, which I wasn’t too happy about; I felt a little strained looking at the screen. However, it was a great show, just as we’d remembered!

By then we had seen everything we wanted and it was only 11 am! I realized that we would be able to do a second park that day, and I already knew I wanted to go to the Magic Kingdom. Then my dad says “Where did we get that pretzel the other night? I wouldn’t mind having one of those for lunch.”

Yea, Dad, those pretzels were at Downtown Disney…we’re not taking a major detour to Downtown Disney and then over to the Magic Kingdom. I gave him a long description of the complicated journey we’d have to take just for a cinnamon sugar pretzel, and convinced him we could get something similar at the MK. He agreed, and after a brief stop at the Lodge to freshen up, we took the bus to MK and were there by 12:30.

The Family Fun Day parade was passing as we entered, so we stopped to watch that. There was one little boy, in a sea of all girls, who was about 4 and a little chubby ball…shaking the pom-poms right along. So cute!!

We went straight to Tomorrowland where I knew The Lunching Pad had some pretzels…AND frozen Cokes! We are big pretzel people; we eat at the mall stands about 3 times a week! Plus I am addicted to Burger King frozen Cokes; so this looked perfect. The pretzels here were called Sweet Cream Cheese; regular soft pretzels with a sweet (duh!) cream cheese filling. Not as great at the Wetzel Pretzels, but still very good.

Tomorrowland seemed crowded, but I think no matter how many people are in MK it feels crowded because it’s so much smaller than the other parks. All the rides were walk-on, and we did the Carousel of Progress (where the guys behind us sang along, loudly, which I really didn’t appreciate ), and then rode the Transit Authority. I just love that ride - no hills!

We walked over to Fantasyland, where the ride waits were much longer. However, we were able to walk right into Mickey’s Philharmagic, which we hadn’t seen last time. I’m becoming addicted to these 3-D shows; they are amazing! Although I don’t know why it isn’t called Donald’s Philharmagic since he is the star. Poor Donald never gets his due!

After Philharmagic, we went around to Liberty Square where we got onto the Liberty Square Riverboat, another attraction we’d missed last time as it had been down for maintenance. Boy, does that boat go slow! It seemed like we were on there forever, but you do get great views of Big Thunder Mountain and Tom Sawyer Island. It’s especially funny to watch the adults walking through; some act like big kids and others look like they wonder how on earth they’ll ever get out!

By the time the boat ride was over, people were lined up for the parade. Since this was another thing we’d missed last time, I thought we’d stop to watch. I’d read about how people get a little crazy about lining up for the parade, joking for position and not caring who they push out of the way to get the best seat.

Man, was that ever true! Grown adults pushing other kids out of the way so THEY, not their own kids, could get a better seat. My dad got squeezed out completely, and my view ended up getting blocked by a man of about 6’4” who slowly inched his way in front of me.

In the end, I was able to see the back of the floats as they passed. I guess I’m just not a parade person, because I didn’t enjoy this too much. When the float with Cinderella came by, the Fairy Godmother said something about how Cinderella wished to go to the ball and it came true…and all I could think was that maybe Cinderella should have gone to college and gotten a job instead!

I guess I’m not much into fairytales.

Well, at least I could cross that off my “to see” list. With the parade over we were able to get right into the next showing of the Hall of Presidents, which I absolutely love! I always wonder about how they decide the placement of the presidents and wish they would stand them in more chronological order so that when they do the roll call you aren’t whipping your head back and forth. Plus, why is Nixon so close to the front? I would have stuck him more towards the back. I do love how they fidget and some turn to each other as though they are having a conversation!

By now all of the attractions seemed to be filling up, so I went in search of the Fire House on Main Street as I heard they carried pet items. They pretty much had the same selection as Downtown Disney (some bowls, leases and collars, a few toys, and a couple doggie t-shirts), and they had a few human shirts, too. I found one with Mickey and Pluto that said “Bone-a-fide Dog Lover!” It’s ugly, it’s tacky, and I love it (yes, I bought it!).

By this time I decided that Pluto was my favorite character. Despite this being our second trip to Disney, we aren’t Disney fans per say. I haven’t seen any of the new Disney films they’ve put out in the last two decades (other than the first Toy Story). My Disney memories are of the old films, but both Dumbo and Bambi traumatized me! I did like Lady and the Tramp, though; oh, and I liked the Fox & The Hound. Anyway, I had fallen in love with Pluto by now, probably just because he is a dog and I love dogs…and I like the fact that he doesn’t talk. He just seems so innocent!

Choosing a character gave me a greater sense of purpose! I could now look for Pluto out and about at character greetings. I could look for Pluto merchandise in the store. I finally felt like I truly belonged!!

Another thing I realized I was over was my fear of the characters. Yes, for most of my 33 years I was terrified of people in costume. There is an amusement park called Adventureland in Des Moines where we went every year (every one in Iowa goes every year, LOL!), and their mascot is a dog. Every year I’d stand at the gates figuring out how I could run through without that dog coming near me.

So, needless to say, people lining up for pictures with the characters at Disney was a foreign concept to me. However, on our previous visit, we’d had breakfast at Cape May Café at the Beach Club, which is where we stayed that trip; of course, they have characters there. I thought maybe they’d just wave at us since we didn’t have kids, but, no, Minnie marched right up and pointed to the camera! Then I was hugged by both Goofy and Dale (Chip was suspiciously absent that day), and I was okay! I didn’t freak out or anything, and my fear of characters was gone.

Anyway, after MK I was happy we’d utilized the park hopper feature on our tickets; I felt like I’d gotten my moneys worth!

We headed back to AKL to rest. Since it was still fairly early, I thought we might head over to Downtown Disney West Side to see if we could get into Wolfgang Puck’s. I’d made reservations for the following night, but I was craving cheese ravioli!

We were able to get right in, no problem! Last time we had been seated outside, which was nice and relaxing. This time we were inside, which is extremely LOUD. I have excellent hearing, and even I could hardly hear the waiter. However, I’d been craving Puck’s cheese ravioli for a year and a half, so I could do with a little noise. I had had to force dad to come here again, as he had hated it the last time (when he insisted on ordering the Meatloaf Heard ‘Round The World, which contained no beef and had no gravy). I convinced him he would like the Margarita Pizza, and he likes the Mango Iced Tea here, too.

Finally the moment I’d been waiting for: my huge plate of cheese ravioli was in front of me…and...it was… AWFUL! Cold, undercooked, and did the chef forget to put the cheese in?! I felt so betrayed by Wolfgang; how could his cooks ruin a dish like cheese ravioli?!

I didn’t send it back. I ate it. I think I was too heartbroken to even react! Fortunately they give you bread, too, so I filled up on that. We got out of there quickly, with my desire to eat there ever again gone. Thankfully my dad had liked his food, so all was not lost.

We stopped in to the Candy Cauldron for the nightly chocolate run, then headed back to AKL, where we turned in early. We only had two more days left at Disney; I was sad as I went to sleep thinking how fast the trip was going.

 

[AnninIowa]

Day 5 Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/anneckhart/WDW2007Day5PicturesEpcotWorldShowcase

I woke up Monday morning and literally couldn’t move. After 4 straight days of park touring, I’d hit the wall! Fortunately, today was another Epcot day, with the plan to tour World Showcase; since WS doesn’t open until 11 am, we had plenty of time.

I also had major blisters on my feet; not on the bottoms, but on the top/side of my right foot from the Croc strap rubbing against my skin. I had two huge open sores by now, and realized there was no way I could wear the Crocs again today (I hadn’t had a chance to break these in before the trip; and these were the flip-flop style Crocs, not the traditional kind they have in the stores). So my only choice was to wear a pair of thick, black socks with the black sneakers I’d worn on the plane. With knee-length pants. Talk about a fashion DON’T! Plus the sneakers aren’t really walking shoes (more like “don’t they look cute?” shoes to wear shopping), so by the end of the day my feet really were aching. I just can’t win with shoes on vacation!!

Today was the day I also gave up any hope of a warm, sunny day; I wore the fleece coat I’d worn on the plane. Boo!

Well, you can’t do anything about the weather, so we braved the cold and headed back for another day at Epcot! I had reserved the entire day for touring World Showcase, as we’d only see a few countries on our previous trip. We got to Epcot shortly after it opened; again, hardly anyone was there. I wanted to give Soarin’ another try, so we walked to The Land, where the wait was only 15 minutes!

I did MUCH better this time; I stayed focused on the center of the screen and when I started feeling sick I immediately closed my eyes.

After Soarin’ we headed toward the Imagination! Pavilion, another area we had never been to before. We walked into Journey Into Imagination with Figment side, and it was completely empty. For a moment I thought it was closed! We walked slowly toward the line entrance and out came a couple cast members. I assumed they were there to point the way forward, but then one announced they were members of the Dream Squad and because we had just come in that particular door, we had won the Dream FastPasses! So we (as well as the few people who were now behind us) all got the FastPass card to use for the rest of the day at Epcot…which was kind of funny since there were no lines to really use it for, and we’d didn’t plan to go back to Future World that day. Oh well, it was still cool to win!

The passes were to be worn around your neck, and we got a lot of looks the rest of the day and I could hear people whispering that they knew we’d won.

We got right onto to the Journey ride…I don’t know who Figment is or what movie he comes from, and quite frankly the entire ride reminded me of science day at the museum at school. Boring! Oh well, another thing we could cross off our list of things to see! There were a lot of people in the gallery where the ride exits playing with all of the exhibits. Lots of kids were having a great time there; so for that reason, I would make this a must-do attraction for children. The ride part is short, and then they can play for a while.

Next we went to Honey I Shrunk The Audience, where they took our FastPasses even though we were in the regular line (so if you win the FastPass and want to save it for later, hide it when getting in line at the attractions!). Now, while we both liked the actual show here, we did not like the pre-show at all! You have to stand on a slanted floor outside the theatre (very uncomfortable, especially for my dad), the staff kept telling people to move over as far as possible to the doors even though there were very few people there, and then we had to watch what was essentially a very long Kodak commercial. I know Disney gets sponsors for a lot of its attractions, but shouldn’t paying admission let you off from having to watch actual advertisements?

Well, as I said, the show was great, but the pre-show turned me off from ever wanting to come again.

By now it was 11 am and time to hit World Showcase! On our last visit, we had only seen England, France and the U.S., so I really wanted to see every area this time. We started in Canada and went to the Oh Canada! film there. The circle theatre effect is really cool, although a little hard for people like me with migraine and dizziness problems. Again, if you stay focused on the front screen, it’s okay. The film was a little outdated, and after awhile standing got tiring, but I felt I’d fulfilled my half-French/Canadian heritage by watching!

Next up was England, and I got my dad some Fish & Chips for lunch. We also browsed the shops; I asked one of the clerks if they had any Depeche Mode, but no! Boo! Then we were off to France, where I got my lunch at the bakery there. I absolutely love the Ham & Cheese Croissant there! We browsed here, too, but I didn’t buy anything. As a gift shop owner, I’m always thinking I can find the same items wholesale; so it’s hard for me to shop at retail prices!

We breezed through Morocco and then went to Japan, where we spent quite a bit of time in the Mitsukoshi Department Store. My dad spent two years in Japan while in the Navy, so we’re always interested in Japanese culture. I was looking at the toys when I spotted an entire section of Monchhichi dolls! I hadn’t seen or heard of Monchhichi since I was a little girl. I remembered the commercials they aired for the dolls one Christmas season; my oldest brother Danny, who was severally mentally retarded (basically had the mental capacity of a two-year-old) LOVED the song (“Monchhichi, Monchhichi! Oh so soft and cuddly!”) and sang it constantly! I bought one of the dolls here to remind me of Danny, who died at age 22 when I was only 9.

After Japan, we headed to America to see The American Adventure; BUT the next show was an hour away. So we did a little shopping there (I bought a little George Bush doll), then browsed a bit in Italy. All week long and even before the trip, my dad kept mentioning getting some gelato, as he had really liked it during our last trip (they have it at the Beach Club, where we stayed last trip). So, right there in Italy was a gelato cart! I pointed it out to him and said I’d get him some; he then says he doesn’t want any, as it’s too cold to eat ice cream!

Good grief!!

We walked by that cart 3 times that day, so he had his chance; I told him I never wanted to hear about him wanted gelato again!

We took a bathroom break in Germany (warning, the bathrooms there are kind of scary) and took some time to look at the miniature train display. We didn’t go into any of the buildings here as it was time to head back to America for the show. I LOVE The American Adventure and can’t believe some people actually fall asleep here (Dad!!).

After the show and Dad’s nap, we were both pretty tired, not to mention COLD! We walked around the rest of the Showcase, just looking at the fronts of each pavilion, until we got to Norway. I really wanted to ride Maelstrom, and since we had the Dream Fastpasses, we were able to get right on. I have lost all ability to handle rides that go downhill as the little hill on the boat ride made me nauseous! I’m going to have to find some motion sickness remedy before doing any rides in the future. I thought the boat ride was jerky and not much fun; my dad, however, liked it.

I asked Dad once more if he was sure he didn’t want to ride Test Track, and he didn’t (he thought it was too intense). I would have gone on it, but was okay with skipping it. So we headed back to the bus stop and to AKL, where we both took 2-hour naps! I was so exhausted; I could have crawled under the covers and slept till morning!!

Around 4:30 we got up and headed to Downtown Disney to find dinner. I could have eaten at Earl of Sandwich every single night, but dad isn’t as crazy about it; so I decided to look at the menu for Wolfgang Puck Express. Dad was able to get chicken fingers here, which are easy for him to eat; and when I saw they had cheese ravioli, I decided to give it another shot. This time it was much better (and cheaper; $8 LESS than the sit-down restaurant!); not as good as the very first time I’d had it, but very good!

After ANOTHER stop at Goofy’s Candy Company (those peanut better cups are addictive!), we headed back to AKL and turned in early. Tomorrow would be our last full day, and I had big plans to tour the Magic Kingdom!