IvyandLace
Certified pixie dust user
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2000
- Messages
- 758
September 24, 2001
Schedule for the day: EE MK, CBR for lunch, MGM, Epcot for TOD and IllumiNations
It's time to play
Since today was our last park day for the three of us together, we were up again at 6am with everyone feeling much better after a good night's rest! We were ready for MK EE!! One thing that we did differently this tour as opposed to last tour is that this time we really park hopped a lot!! It's so much easier with just three people than with eight, of course! We had been to MK already this tour, but everyone really wanted a day that we could "hit the ground running" and get all our favs in. This was the perfect day to do just that.
After a backpack search, which, I must say, we are becoming experts at, and the countdown at the gate, we are "off"!! Unfortunately, I started having instant flashbacks to the infamous "Beaches-n-Cream to bus stop through Epcot after IllumiNations" marathon (see Day One for details) as we dodged and weaved our way through the masses on Main Street. Again, our motto was "Don't look behind you!" It was worth it, however, since we got the first ride on Dumbo which was ironic seeing how it was MM's first ride (EVER!) on Dumbo! We were disappointed that there were no characters on the ride, but I think we ran so fast through Main Street and Fantasyland that we passed them. **giggle** What a wonderful feeling flying through the air with the early morning sun on you, the fresh breeze of the new day hitting you in the face as you maneuver your elephant up and down, up and down! Fantasyland was still empty literally. So much for our walking fast Peter Pan was a walk on-which we did, of course!-and then we headed to the Carousel (another walk-on!) since none of us had ever braved the lines to ride this. My horse was named "Princess Aurora"-family tradition-and was, of course, the most beautiful horse on the ride.
Since Winnie-the-Pooh wasn't open for some strange reason, we walked to Tomorrowland. We didn't think Buzz was open for EE, but it was and it was a walk-on! We took advantage of the opportunity and rode two times in a row. I had a stupid gun on the first ride and Pun'kin beat me, but I got back at her the second time around! (Insert evil laugh) MM, we fear, will never be a space cadet. **sniffle** Space Mt was down for repairs at that time-bummer-so we grabbed a FP. Walked back to Fantasyland and discovered that just 30 minutes later, Winnie-the-Pooh was open for business!! I really love this ride. So colorful and the music just makes you want to bop around! We got stuck on the ride in the "rain" scene with "Rain, Rain, Rain comes down, down, down " song playing-it's kinda repetitive but catchy, nonetheless, and we were all singing it from then on. We had a laugh at the announcement that came when we stopped for a few minutes in Pooh: "Please stay seated in your honey pot vehicles!" **giggle**
It's a Small World was next, and I was surprised to find it wasn't as long and annoying as I remembered! (I must be growing up!) It was nearing 9:00am-official opening time-so we booked it to Adventureland. It was roped off until the official announcement of the park opening, and then we were walked through Adventureland to Frontierland to Splash Mountain. (To all who care, this IS the fastest way to Splash we came out ahead of a HUGE group of people who were headed to Splash through Liberty Square/Fantasyland.) Pun'kin was number one person on Splash!! Woo-hoo for her! (She absolutely refused to let anyone in front of her, but a family of three edged me and MM out for second and third-drats!) We went on Splash two times and didn't get too wet either. Mom bought niece (Boppity) a T-shirt here since it was her favorite ride last tour.
Off to BTMRR-wow! Try keeping your arms up the whole ride! I never remembered this ride being this fun, but I really loved it this time! (Too bad no e-nights this tour!) Just goes to show how rides can be better (or worse) than your memory. We decided to take the train to Main Street for some baked goods. (Oops! Somewhere in here we decided to stop at Ariel's grotto and picked up some good pics of the Queen of Hearts and Cruella, but we didn't want to wait in the Ariel line. Maybe next time, Ariel!)
After our snack-we have to keep up our strength, you know!-we decided to head to Mickey's Toon Town since we had yet to see the mouse himself! We waited a good 25 minutes to take a pic of us and Mickey, but it was worth it! It was now time for our FP time at Space Mountain so off we went. It's still a classic! Left side of Space is the best, in our opinion. We took a stop in the Tomorrowland gift shop/arcade after the ride and bought nephew (Bippity) a Space Mountain T-shirt. We had to ride the Carousel of Progress next for me since I love it and found out that MM had seen it at the World's Fair! Cool! We stopped to buy nephew (Boo) a Buzz T-shirt in neon green and decided to ride Buzz again! Pun'kin got over 500,000 points-yikes!! MM and I are now totally depressed. We saw the talking trash can again-just happened to be there at the right time-and laughed and laughed.
MK was getting a bit congested, and we were getting hungry. We finally decided to take a bus to CBR to check it out for next tour with the whole family. We loved the pool area and relaxing atmosphere with all the foliage. Truly felt as if you were on a deserted island. We all felt that we would stay here for an "adult" stay but still preferred All-Stars for travel with kids for the price difference. We lunched at the food court and were refreshed. We talked about our options and decided that we really wanted to head back to MGM again and we are so glad we did!!
Upon arriving at MGM, we discovered that the walls surrounding the "big hat" are now down to reveal kiosks for 100 year celebration! Many of the 100 year celebration pins were now out, and so I broke my creed and bought one! **grin** We immediately headed to T-o-T and rode two times in a row-wonderful! We are, again, saddened by the fact that R-n-R is closed for repairs and reopens the day after I leave. Bummer! I get this idea that maybe since MK had their soft opening of parades going MGM would also have theirs! The CM we asked wouldn't commit to an answer, but we decided to find a spot anyway. We found a great spot just opposite the big hat right near the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs topiaries. Wonderful!! MM held our spots and took a break while Pun'kin and I raced off to Al's Toy Barn (or Tal's Boy Yarn as we like to call it) to see if any Toy Story characters could be found. We were in luck! Woody made a very brief appearance before the parade! Yeah! We then found time to play with the kiosks under the big hat and happened to notice that the new Walt exhibit was now open-1st day! Wow!
The skies were threatening and we were nervous that they might cancel the show if the rain started-no worries, however, cuz the show went on! It was a wonderful parade with so many characters!! We all loved the car theme, and it was so fun to have the characters come so close to you! What a great photo op! This turned out to be everyone's favorite parade so far! We left smiling and humming and wondering on our good luck!
We headed straight to the newly opened Walt exhibit which turned out to be wonderful! We were very pleased; there was so much detail here that you could spend hours reading and experiencing all that Walt accomplished. Unfortunately, I really felt rushed through and would have enjoyed wandering through at my own pace, but the film at the end was a wonderful way to end the experience. This is a must do! Might be a little hard for little kids to experience fully but there's lots to see. This tour we are definitely learning so much about how the magic came to be-something I never really thought a whole lot about before.
I wanted to do the Backstage Pass which was interesting in small parts but was disappointedly boring overall. We will skip this next time. I'm glad we were able to do some rides and attractions like BP that I didn't get to do last tour and won't take the time to do next-makes me feel like my time is spent more wisely. We said our goodbyes to MGM and went to the boat launch (Friendship) to await the boat ride to Epcot. While waiting, we saw a soft shell turtle feeding with the ducks and fish-he was huge! Very neat. We had never taken advantage of the boat ride before and we definitely liked it as it was a nice change of pace/very relaxing.
We arrived at Epcot with two things in mind: catching Tour of Dreams (brand new!) and IllumiNations. We didn't really have a good idea where to see both-I forgot! (gasp)-but I thought I remembered something about Mexico. We headed to La Cantina to eat (counter service) which had decent food (wonderful refried beans-a bargain for $.80 a side dish!). Pun'kin and I split dinner of 2 chicken enchiladas and beans for about $8.00. It started to pour while we were ordering our food, and even though we got a little wet, we were glad to have the umbrella over our table as many people were caught unaware and were scrambling around for cover. We weren't sure if TOD would pass by La Cantina so Pun'kin and I headed out to Norway for a better spot. TOD was so beautiful and touching! We absolutely loved it. We loved how the dancers were so expressive and high energy! It's my favorite parade. IllumiNations was great as always-we watched from La Cantina which wasn't the greatest spot, but we all agreed that it was better viewing than last tour's spot (Morroco). Very impressive! We waited about ten minutes for the mad rush to be done and strolled to the bus stop-no more marathons for us! We were able to get on the next bus and repeated what has become a motto for our trip: "We are so glad we stay at the All-Stars!" I couldn't believe everyone had gotten cleared out so quickly-much different than the MK closing! To bed goodnight.
Tip(s) for the day: EE was so worth it-I'm so sad that they have done away with them!; Take time to see both the new MGM parade and Walt exhibit!; if you need a decent meal on a budget, consider eating at La Catina but get a table with as unobstructed a view as possible at least an hour before the fireworks; don't miss TOD! (and buy the CD with the music if you can find it!)
Next up: The Pixie Chicks' World Tour-Day Six: "So long, farewell..."
Schedule for the day: EE MK, CBR for lunch, MGM, Epcot for TOD and IllumiNations
It's time to play
Since today was our last park day for the three of us together, we were up again at 6am with everyone feeling much better after a good night's rest! We were ready for MK EE!! One thing that we did differently this tour as opposed to last tour is that this time we really park hopped a lot!! It's so much easier with just three people than with eight, of course! We had been to MK already this tour, but everyone really wanted a day that we could "hit the ground running" and get all our favs in. This was the perfect day to do just that.
After a backpack search, which, I must say, we are becoming experts at, and the countdown at the gate, we are "off"!! Unfortunately, I started having instant flashbacks to the infamous "Beaches-n-Cream to bus stop through Epcot after IllumiNations" marathon (see Day One for details) as we dodged and weaved our way through the masses on Main Street. Again, our motto was "Don't look behind you!" It was worth it, however, since we got the first ride on Dumbo which was ironic seeing how it was MM's first ride (EVER!) on Dumbo! We were disappointed that there were no characters on the ride, but I think we ran so fast through Main Street and Fantasyland that we passed them. **giggle** What a wonderful feeling flying through the air with the early morning sun on you, the fresh breeze of the new day hitting you in the face as you maneuver your elephant up and down, up and down! Fantasyland was still empty literally. So much for our walking fast Peter Pan was a walk on-which we did, of course!-and then we headed to the Carousel (another walk-on!) since none of us had ever braved the lines to ride this. My horse was named "Princess Aurora"-family tradition-and was, of course, the most beautiful horse on the ride.
Since Winnie-the-Pooh wasn't open for some strange reason, we walked to Tomorrowland. We didn't think Buzz was open for EE, but it was and it was a walk-on! We took advantage of the opportunity and rode two times in a row. I had a stupid gun on the first ride and Pun'kin beat me, but I got back at her the second time around! (Insert evil laugh) MM, we fear, will never be a space cadet. **sniffle** Space Mt was down for repairs at that time-bummer-so we grabbed a FP. Walked back to Fantasyland and discovered that just 30 minutes later, Winnie-the-Pooh was open for business!! I really love this ride. So colorful and the music just makes you want to bop around! We got stuck on the ride in the "rain" scene with "Rain, Rain, Rain comes down, down, down " song playing-it's kinda repetitive but catchy, nonetheless, and we were all singing it from then on. We had a laugh at the announcement that came when we stopped for a few minutes in Pooh: "Please stay seated in your honey pot vehicles!" **giggle**
It's a Small World was next, and I was surprised to find it wasn't as long and annoying as I remembered! (I must be growing up!) It was nearing 9:00am-official opening time-so we booked it to Adventureland. It was roped off until the official announcement of the park opening, and then we were walked through Adventureland to Frontierland to Splash Mountain. (To all who care, this IS the fastest way to Splash we came out ahead of a HUGE group of people who were headed to Splash through Liberty Square/Fantasyland.) Pun'kin was number one person on Splash!! Woo-hoo for her! (She absolutely refused to let anyone in front of her, but a family of three edged me and MM out for second and third-drats!) We went on Splash two times and didn't get too wet either. Mom bought niece (Boppity) a T-shirt here since it was her favorite ride last tour.
Off to BTMRR-wow! Try keeping your arms up the whole ride! I never remembered this ride being this fun, but I really loved it this time! (Too bad no e-nights this tour!) Just goes to show how rides can be better (or worse) than your memory. We decided to take the train to Main Street for some baked goods. (Oops! Somewhere in here we decided to stop at Ariel's grotto and picked up some good pics of the Queen of Hearts and Cruella, but we didn't want to wait in the Ariel line. Maybe next time, Ariel!)
After our snack-we have to keep up our strength, you know!-we decided to head to Mickey's Toon Town since we had yet to see the mouse himself! We waited a good 25 minutes to take a pic of us and Mickey, but it was worth it! It was now time for our FP time at Space Mountain so off we went. It's still a classic! Left side of Space is the best, in our opinion. We took a stop in the Tomorrowland gift shop/arcade after the ride and bought nephew (Bippity) a Space Mountain T-shirt. We had to ride the Carousel of Progress next for me since I love it and found out that MM had seen it at the World's Fair! Cool! We stopped to buy nephew (Boo) a Buzz T-shirt in neon green and decided to ride Buzz again! Pun'kin got over 500,000 points-yikes!! MM and I are now totally depressed. We saw the talking trash can again-just happened to be there at the right time-and laughed and laughed.
MK was getting a bit congested, and we were getting hungry. We finally decided to take a bus to CBR to check it out for next tour with the whole family. We loved the pool area and relaxing atmosphere with all the foliage. Truly felt as if you were on a deserted island. We all felt that we would stay here for an "adult" stay but still preferred All-Stars for travel with kids for the price difference. We lunched at the food court and were refreshed. We talked about our options and decided that we really wanted to head back to MGM again and we are so glad we did!!
Upon arriving at MGM, we discovered that the walls surrounding the "big hat" are now down to reveal kiosks for 100 year celebration! Many of the 100 year celebration pins were now out, and so I broke my creed and bought one! **grin** We immediately headed to T-o-T and rode two times in a row-wonderful! We are, again, saddened by the fact that R-n-R is closed for repairs and reopens the day after I leave. Bummer! I get this idea that maybe since MK had their soft opening of parades going MGM would also have theirs! The CM we asked wouldn't commit to an answer, but we decided to find a spot anyway. We found a great spot just opposite the big hat right near the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs topiaries. Wonderful!! MM held our spots and took a break while Pun'kin and I raced off to Al's Toy Barn (or Tal's Boy Yarn as we like to call it) to see if any Toy Story characters could be found. We were in luck! Woody made a very brief appearance before the parade! Yeah! We then found time to play with the kiosks under the big hat and happened to notice that the new Walt exhibit was now open-1st day! Wow!
The skies were threatening and we were nervous that they might cancel the show if the rain started-no worries, however, cuz the show went on! It was a wonderful parade with so many characters!! We all loved the car theme, and it was so fun to have the characters come so close to you! What a great photo op! This turned out to be everyone's favorite parade so far! We left smiling and humming and wondering on our good luck!
We headed straight to the newly opened Walt exhibit which turned out to be wonderful! We were very pleased; there was so much detail here that you could spend hours reading and experiencing all that Walt accomplished. Unfortunately, I really felt rushed through and would have enjoyed wandering through at my own pace, but the film at the end was a wonderful way to end the experience. This is a must do! Might be a little hard for little kids to experience fully but there's lots to see. This tour we are definitely learning so much about how the magic came to be-something I never really thought a whole lot about before.
I wanted to do the Backstage Pass which was interesting in small parts but was disappointedly boring overall. We will skip this next time. I'm glad we were able to do some rides and attractions like BP that I didn't get to do last tour and won't take the time to do next-makes me feel like my time is spent more wisely. We said our goodbyes to MGM and went to the boat launch (Friendship) to await the boat ride to Epcot. While waiting, we saw a soft shell turtle feeding with the ducks and fish-he was huge! Very neat. We had never taken advantage of the boat ride before and we definitely liked it as it was a nice change of pace/very relaxing.
We arrived at Epcot with two things in mind: catching Tour of Dreams (brand new!) and IllumiNations. We didn't really have a good idea where to see both-I forgot! (gasp)-but I thought I remembered something about Mexico. We headed to La Cantina to eat (counter service) which had decent food (wonderful refried beans-a bargain for $.80 a side dish!). Pun'kin and I split dinner of 2 chicken enchiladas and beans for about $8.00. It started to pour while we were ordering our food, and even though we got a little wet, we were glad to have the umbrella over our table as many people were caught unaware and were scrambling around for cover. We weren't sure if TOD would pass by La Cantina so Pun'kin and I headed out to Norway for a better spot. TOD was so beautiful and touching! We absolutely loved it. We loved how the dancers were so expressive and high energy! It's my favorite parade. IllumiNations was great as always-we watched from La Cantina which wasn't the greatest spot, but we all agreed that it was better viewing than last tour's spot (Morroco). Very impressive! We waited about ten minutes for the mad rush to be done and strolled to the bus stop-no more marathons for us! We were able to get on the next bus and repeated what has become a motto for our trip: "We are so glad we stay at the All-Stars!" I couldn't believe everyone had gotten cleared out so quickly-much different than the MK closing! To bed goodnight.
Tip(s) for the day: EE was so worth it-I'm so sad that they have done away with them!; Take time to see both the new MGM parade and Walt exhibit!; if you need a decent meal on a budget, consider eating at La Catina but get a table with as unobstructed a view as possible at least an hour before the fireworks; don't miss TOD! (and buy the CD with the music if you can find it!)
Next up: The Pixie Chicks' World Tour-Day Six: "So long, farewell..."
