The one before Graduation ... FINISHED + all pictures updated

[tink2020]

Friday

Up and at 'em for the longest day yet! I'm really not a horrible planner, but Cassi's one request was to be in the Magic Kingdom ON her birthday. So, we head out to the park on one of its worst days... PLUS early EMH.... PLUS Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I tried my best to switch things aroud, but it wouldn't suffice. So then I tried my best to warn everyone. Even still, I was quite leary....

After our routine stop at Everything Pop!, we headed for the bus stop. I wasn't thrilled about riding the busses, but I figured it would be a good day to give them a try. I won't do it anymore. The wait wasn't bad either direction (for anyone wonderign), but waiting on someone else for transportation is SO not my thing. I just needed to confirm that.

We got to the park around 7:45am, and walked right in. We did all of the Fantasyland rides before 9am (minus Dumbo, although - for those of you with small children - we could have walked right on). As expected, Mickey's Philharmagic was a favorite of everyone else, as well And Mad Tea Party was AWESOME We tend to skip it, since we are, you know, adults... but one of my fondest memories of Kings Island (a nearby amusement park) was riding the Witch's Cauldrons with my dad. He would spin them so fast he once made my headband fly off! I "claimed" his tea cup a long time ago, and so we rode Not quite as cool as the Cauldron's though, since Disney's version sort of maxes out. Oh, AND they have that hydraulic break thing at the end which about gave us whiplash. KI didn't have that either. Still, we had fun.

From Fantasyland we headed around to the rest of the park, skipping Adventureland (since we had done that on Wednesday). As sort of expected, The Timekeeper and Carousel of Progress were both closed. So sad

We also skipped Hall of Presidents, as my dad was already napping a bit too much for my liking Kyle was about to kill me, though, because he has YET to see it... and I think he'll actually really enjoy it. Oh, well.... I guess we'll have to go back.

Cassi thoroughly enjoyed Stitch's Great Escape. I was looking forward to it, but it doesn't quite have the startle factor of Alien Encounter, does it? I never cared too much for the Alien theming, but this was sort of disappointing. I guess it can't be too scary, though, if Stitch is going to draw little ones inside. I did, however, hear about the Chili Cheese burp, and how disgusting it was. I didn't experience it myself, though, thanks to a little advance warning

While riding the TTA, my mom thought she spotted Stitch. He was the one character we were willing to wait in line for (for reasons which should be obvious by now ). When we got out, he must have left already. We thought she was just crazy though

We were able to find him a while later, which made Cassi's day

 

[tink2020]

Can I just point out right now, that someone in my family brings bad luck to the rides. Out of all the times I've been to WDW, I've never had a ride break with me on it. In this one afternoon, it happened four times. First we were stuck in one spot on Buzz for about 12 minutes. Made for an easy high score, although it was kind of disappointing. My dad got 999999 and I think he probably would have even without stopping! Whatever he hit with his first shot gave him 40,000 points! It was sort of negated, though since we were stopped.

We also got stopped at the top of the first "hill" on Splash Mountain. This time only for about 4 minutes, but still. By now we were starting to pick out who to blame We really sealed the deal when we broke the Haunted Mansion and TTA

Lunch was at Peco's Bills. Good, as usual

We were able to get a lot done the first half of the day, so we got a Dole Whip Float ( ) and headed back to Pop for a little break at about 2:30. Mom slept, Daddy and Cassi swam. I went to the gift shop to pick up packages from previous days (don't get me started on that ). After coming back from the gift shop empty-handed, Kyle and I took a walk and then watched some TV (where the infamous DVC conversation first came up ). I wish I would have been able to sleep, but it was at least a nice break between LONG stents at the same park.

At about 4:30, we were back on the busses headed for MVMCP. We walked through the shops on our way to Liberty Tree Tavern, and checked in there around 5pm. Our ADR wasn't until 5:25, but we were seated almost immediately! Dinner was fantastic, and the cake we ordered was delicious as well. The characters were fun, but not quite as fun as at Chef Mickey's. Much different atmosphere, obviously. We got some cute pictures, though..... but mostly we were too busy eating! We hung around there for about 20 minutes after eating so as to avoid being corralled into Tomorrowland.... although when we came out of the restaurant at about 6:30 it appeared they hadn't dont that at all They were simply checking wristbands a few times throughout the park, and there was no sign of corralling. Maybe they let people out early? I never took the time to find out....

We definitely took advantage of the free cocoa right away (yum!) but held on to the cookies until later. We were still completely stuffed! They were good, too though

 

[tink2020]

We watched the carolers in Liberty Square for a few minutes, and then headed over to the Galaxy Palace Theater to see the 7:45 'Twas the Night Before Christmas show. It was TOO cute! Maybe my new favorite stage show in the whole World (hey, did you know there are TWO smilies with hearts? apparently I didn't.... )

After the show we checked out the picture line, but it was still rediculously long. We knew they'd be open until midnight (and we weren't exactly wearing our Christmas best or anything), so we thought we'd wait. We went and staked out a spot for Wishes on the "secret pathway from Main Street to Tomorrowland" . It really was quite a nice view. We sat down and relaxed while waiting for the fireworks to start.

Holiday Wishes was a FANTASTIC show. Not that wishes isn't usually, but the fireworks surrounding the whole park was such a neat addition! I was quite excited after hearing about the MNSSHP show, and this definitely lived up to the expectations!

When Wishes was over, we all started feeling pretty tired. We slowly made our way to some seats to watch the Celebrate the Season show on teh Castle Forecourt Stage. It, too, was cute.... but then again, what at Disney isn't at least decent?

To finish out the night, we walked over to Fronteirland to view the parade. It was a lot of fun (although we lost my dad for a bit.... he kept wandering off ). Then we went to the Fronteirland photo station, where we were able to use two tickets for just Kyle and I and 3 for the whole group. We pretty much got right in and out, then headed up mainstreet (where it was still snowing ) and out to the busses. It was really a magical party... I'm SO glad we did it!

The bus ride back was long because we all had to stand, but we made it back.... just in time to practically pass out

 

[tink2020]

Saturday

Saturday morning at breakfast, I talked to Cassi about plans for Sunday. I explained that we got an extra MYW pass, so we could go to the parks for a bit before heading to lunch and the airport. We talked about doing Animal Kingdom, but felt like a few hours there wouldn't do it justice. Kyle's first time at Epcot was very brief, and it almost ruined it for him! Cassi had really been looking forward to Epcot, and had been thinking all along it would be her favorite. So she decided that, most likely, she wanted to be able to take time with stuff at Epcot and go back again a second day. Sounded like a fine plan to me, as I really agreed that rushing through AK just to hit "the big stuff" sounded like a lousy last day! This way, whether Epcot or something else, she could go back to a park of her choice and enjoy the last few hours at a nice pace.

SO..... off to Epcot for the first trip through Since we knew we would have more time, we skipped the time-trap stuff, where you could spend all day (namely Innoventions!), and made sure to get through the rides with lines. We headed first to Mission: Space. My whole family (even Daddy!) had been looking forward to this one. We sent Kyle up ahead for Test Track Fastpasses, while we got Cassi's birthday pin and headed for the M:S queue. The Epcot birthday pin is adorable, by the way. It features Mickey, and says "Happy Birthday" in several languages. I highly reccommend picking one up

We rode Mission: Space, and then let Daddy and Cassi get breakfast (ice cream ) and my mom sit and rest while Kyle and I ran over to Soarin' to get Fastpasses. We then road Test Track and Living with the Land, and returned for our Soarin' fastpass time. The rumors are true..... Soarin' is absolutely breathtaking. My dad and I actually had the opportunity to go hang gliding on vacation before, and this was seriously almost as cool. I mean, maybe not the physical thrill, but we also didn't see near the sights in real life. Either way..... spectacular ride.

We also went to The Living Seas. I, for one, am glad they redid the theming. And I DON'T miss the hydrolators The Nemo stuff was very cute, and Turtle Talk with Crush was awesome. Kyle and I spent the next couple of hours trying to figure out the secret

 

[tink2020]

We ate lunch at the Electric Umbrella, as Sunshine Seasons didn't look good to my dad and sister It was great food, but just your usual fare -- chicken, burgers, etc. My mom did have some roast beef sub thing that looked pretty good. And the cheesecake for dessert was nice, too.

After lunch, we saw Honey I Shrunk the Audience, rode Journey Into Your Imagination and played a few minutes in the Kodak labs. They closed it after about 10 minutes though.... not sure what that was about. Probably just our jinx again

We also went to Ice Station Cool (sorry... Club Cool), where I "got" nearly everyone with the Beverly. Hey... even the perfect child has to have a little fun, right? . We seriously spent about 15 minutes after that just watching others try the Beverly. Pretty cheap thrill, if you ask me.

 

[tink2020]

Next stop, as you might guess.... World Showcase. We started with Canada and worked our way counter-clockwise. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to watch many of the shows or storytellers. Seriously.... even in 2 days you can't do all of Epcot I was bummed by that, but we did a lot. We also got chocolate from each of the countries (where available). I could seriously write a trip report just on chocolate

We mostly spent some time in various shops, gardens, etc before heaing to Alfredo's at 5:00. Contrary to what some have reviewed, I thought it was a nice dining experience. I was actually surprised at the menu a bit, but was quite glad for my dad's sake that they had some "normal" items like steak and potatoes I think the food was about a 6/10. My favorite part though, was the Italian staff and murals, etc. I went to Rome with a school choir this past March (for a decent amount of time), and have pretty much been obsessed with Italian culture ever since. It was so nice to be there, and it was at least authentic enough that I found myself accidently replying in the bit of Italian I had picked up. That was ONLY the first time the waiter came around, mind you. I was mortified, and after that made QUITE sure to speak in only English. And, of course, dessert was amazing. In the restaurant anyway. As a side note, the gelato outside from the little cart thing was crap. Just my opinion, though ....

After dinner we spent about another hour looking around, and also saw the American Adventure. Daddy loved that one, finally (what he was awake for!) We then headed over to the Candlelight Processional line. I seriously doubted Disney for a few minutes time. The line was SO incredibly long, even for package holders, that I really thought we wouldn't get in. We started from the America Gardens theater and formed a line toward Japan. But that same line went all the way to the International Gateway! We got in fine, though. They really do know what they're doing.

The CP was beautiful. Harry Hamlin, who I had not heard of before our trip, did an excellent job. The ASL interpreter was a joy to watch, and the choir sounded excellent. And I'm quite picky about massed choral stuff.

We found a prime spot to view Illuminations after the CP, and then headed back home. When we got to the room, we had friends greeting us at the window! Thank you, mousekeeping

We couldn't believe our trip was almost over!

 

[tink2020]

PICTURES

Days 1-4, plus parades, etc:

http://photobucket.com/albums/c96/tink2020Trip/

Photopass:

https://disneyphotopass.go.com/DPI/0/0/.TOP.System.Guest.SlideShow.aspx?sub=2289&iId=337294406​

 

[bear74]

Jennifer great pics and great trip report. So glad your family had such a great time.

 

[rosiejo]

That's too funny! I bet you were still signed into your account, at least this time. We were posting our links at about the same time.

Who knows why it didn't work the first time? Is there another way to share them besides a link?

Hooray! It works today Gorgeous pictures - and I love the one of you and goofy in your sig too

 

[tink2020]

Hooray! It works today Gorgeous pictures - and I love the one of you and goofy in your sig too

Thank you I wish we had more of the actual dancing, but this was quite sufficient when I thought I wouldn't have any!

 

[Steamboat Marti]

Absolutely loved your trip report! Its easy to follow and fun to read. Makes me wish I were there right now!!

 

[tink2020]

Absolutely loved your trip report! Its easy to follow and fun to read. Makes me wish I were there right now!!

Thanks I'll finish the last installment or two as soon as I get home! Thanks for reading!

 

[LightBurnsBlue]

I am loving your trip report--it sounds like you all had such a great time at the parks. I agree with your decision to do a 2nd day in Epcot instead of just a few hours at AK. It would have been so frustrating and stressful to have to rush everywhere and not get to see everything that looked like fun.

I can't wait to see your pictures! (I'm home for Christmas, and my parents have such a slow internet connection that I don't even want to try it...)
Have a safe trip home!

 

[Steffy]

Great trip report. I love your photos. Great shirts too!!!

Thanks for sharing....

 

[tink2020]

Yikes! I guess I should finish, huh? Sorry to leave you hanging! There's really not much to Day 5, so I guess I forgot

 

[tink2020]

Sunday

Sunday morning proved to be quite hectic... despite telling the group we need to be ready at a decent hour if we want any time in the park at all. Nevertheless, we were at Everything Pop!, enjoying breakfast by about 9:00. But not before a minor crisis.

While packing, I wanted to make absolutely sure the photopass card was accessible because we hardly got any pictures yesterday at Epcot. Well, even after searching for about 2 hours, no sign of it. I had kept it tucked away in my Hidden Mickeys book, in my own bag, for days without incident. But then I remembered that Cassi pulled that book out a couple of times yesterday. I was a wreck! If it were just Kyle and I, I wouldn't have minded near as much. But this card had EVERY picture of the five of us. And, more importantly, I had counted on making a PhotoMovie with some of the pictures for Christmas for my parents. I was quite distraught, but still held out hope that they would be able to somehow retrieve my number

As a side note -- I know this has been mentioned before, but it's true. You get a MUCH better deal for your counter service credit if you use it for lunch, and especially in the parks (with a few exceptions like Pepper Market, etc). We had pretty lame breakfasts, but it didn't matter since we had to use it one way or another. But I digress...

So we checked out, mailed some postcards (nothing like procrastination), finished loading up the car, and headed back to Epcot. My family went to Innoventions East, while I headed to the Kodak Photo Center, in hopes of hunting down my missing pictures...

 

[tink2020]

Unfortunately, I can't really tell you much of what went on at Innoventions East. My family had a great time. They played some games, got some certificates, etc. They even got me an "honorary" certificate from Ranger Bob since I couldn't be there. But for about 55 minutes, I have no clue what really went on, because I was stuck elsewhere.

I CAN tell you, however, that - regardless of what some may say - Disney magic and Disney customer service still reign supreme as far as I'm concerned. Joe in Photopass spent an hour helping me. We sifted through hundreds of pictures taken at about the same time as some we had taken in previous days... until we found Cassi and Stitch! From there, he was able to access my original Photopass number! But he even took it a step further. He wrote it down on a card for me, and then also took the time to transfer, one by one, the pictures associated with the original card to a new card. I was thrilled!

So I joined up with my party just in time to see Cassi at the virtual batting thing. It was quite a sight. She's practically a softball legend around here, if I can share my unbiased opinion No really. She's fantastic. Like recruited to high schools and stuff. NOTHING like her sister, that's for darn sure! Oh, and she happens to be a lefty. But this crazy woman running the station would NOT let her bat left handed. She kept telling her that she's "supposed to stand like this", and couldn't understand why Cassi kept wanting to hit on the other side of the plate

So Cassi, too nice to say anything, became a switch hitter. She did all right, since the game's not all that hard, but it was definitely something trying to convince that lady that she really had played ball before, and wasn't a total goof.

 

[tink2020]

From there, we went to Innoventions West, and made a quick return stop to Club Cool for a taste of Kinley (yum!).

At about 12:30, we headed back to World Showcase for a couple of hours. We walked through a few of the shops my parents wanted to visit again, and we stopped in the UK for some Harry Ramsden fish and chips. We all split a basket, "just for a taste", because we had a big meal soon, on our way out of town. We also checked one more time for some chocolate in the UK, but they were still out. Yet ANOTHER excuse to go back. Darn.

At 2:30 we left Epcot and drove towards Wide World of Sports. On our way, we remembered that someone forgot to pick up a package at Pop, so we sped that direction, starting to feel a little pressure to make dinner and our flight.

I don't think many people choose to use a Table Service meal at the All Star Cafe, since it's out of the way, etc. It was, however, quite possibly our best meal. Which may be in part to Casey, our server-extraordinaire. We had way too much food, of course, but it was all amazing. The spinach and artichoke dip appetizer is to die for, let me tell you. We also had wings, quesidillas, etc. My dad was QUITE please with the "normal" fare, and my sister was astounded by all the big screen TVs with every 1:00 football game on. Our server was undoubtedly the nicest guy I have ever met. Including my family. By the time we got our meals, it was really pushing time to go. He pretty much brought our food along with all sorts of boxes so that we could taste it and then pack it up for the airport. We also ordered our desserts to go, and lugged two giant bags of food into the airport as well as our luggage

 

[tink2020]

We got to the airport in record time, and we checked oru bags as Kyle returned the rental car. At the counter, a man stopped us and - in the rudest way possible (already missing Disney...) - offered to put us on a direct flight that would get in a little earlier. He was a jerk, but we liked the fact that it also left 45 minutes later, so we wouldn't be in such a rush. We had originally booked a flight with a connection because no direct flights left after about 4:30. I wanted to stay in Disney as long as possible (obviously ), so we took this other flight home. Well apparantly, another flight had been delayed about 2 hours, and it was not full. So we settled down, took our time getting to the gate, etc.

This extra time was very good, because my sister kept setting off the metal detector in security. She handled it well, but we were all worried for her because, as mentioned, this is her first time flying (besides the trip down) and I'm SURE she had no idea what the next steps were. We kept reassuring her that they would just scan her with that hand thing, and we'd be on our way. She had a few extra snaps, etc on her pants, so we figured that was the problem.

Well, 10 minutes later they are still scanning. They're up by her shoulder and saying it can't be the pants. So they get a "female assist", pat her down a bit and send us on our way. Weird, but we were back on track, with plenty of time to spare.

When we got to the gate, we enjoyed our dinner (finally) and hung out. Cassi was warm, so she took off her long-sleeve shirt.... and figured out that it was her birthday pin setting off the alarm! Why they didn't at least ask if she had another shirt on underneath is beyond me, but we found it pretty humorous

Our flight home was all right. I was QUITE annoyed still with the way that guy was talking to us, etc and then it seemed to take forever to board. We were with a lady who had a service dog, which I never thought of flying with. It was pretty cool, the dog just lay on the floor in front of her, even on the plane! It was pretty cool. She also had with her party another, small dog in a crate from Target. I recognized it well, because our dog has the same. Well, I knew that it didn't fit regulations to fly, because we had to buy a different one when we were planning on bringing Thea with us. So I assumed the small dog wasn't coming on board, and didnt' think anything of it.

Well, we taxied forever, and then heard an announcement that we were going back to the gate to get an approved carrier because someone's pet crate was too big. What?! I even knew the airline's policy, and this crate was WAY too big. We aren't talking an inch, maybe unnoticeable, but like almost twice the size of their requirements!? Why didn't they say something when she got on?! Blah. At this point I was quite a grump. We were going to end up getting in town even later than our original flight, and on that one we would have had almost 2 hours free time OFF of the plane.

Can we just live in Disney World?

 

[tink2020]

Well, I got over it, we got home and went to bed. The trip was quite a success, and my famly was very appreciative.

As they went through a slideshow of pictures, watched the Photo Movie, told family all about the trip while they were over for Christmas, etc I was happier than ever that we decided to take this trip.

It was done a LOT differently that I could have planned. My parents' and sister's style don't hardly fit Kyle's and my idea of a Disney vacation. They didn't follow my plans, didn't like the same stuff as us, hated some of the food, etc, and still think it was "the best vacation ever".

... but isn't that what makes Disney so unique? That VERY different people can go on VERY different trips.... and still have the time of their life?