Torin's birthday trip to Disney!

[torinsmom]

My son turned 12 August 24 and being the budget conscious mother that I am, I booked a free dining package to celebrate a little late August 30-September 4. This trip, it was me35, DS12, and DM60.

Things were a little dicey there for a few days before we left. Ernesto was brewing off the Florida coast and noone seemed to know what was going to happen. Our plan was to leave Wednesday 8/30 at 4pm and arrive at Pop Century around 1am Thursday morning. The day before we left, they were forecasting tropical storm force winds through Thursday 6am, so we made a backup plan to stop for the night in South GA if need be. Everyone thought we were crazy for still going, even relatives in FL who asked if we planned on floating around Disney. I was NOT amused and I was NOT cancelling!

We left a little early from NC on Wednesday(3pm) in the midst of a terrible thunderstorm. I mean one of those where the traffic on 95 is going 25-30mph with flashers on. We drove through it and had beautiful weather all the way up to Jacksonville.

Two things I have to say about Florida. 1)They must have the most construction ever seen in the US! 2)They can't decide on a set speed limit! My job was to drive and my mom's was to watch for the speed limit signs, so I could drive accordingly.

Back to Jacksonville.....We hit a big rain area right in the Jacksonville construction zone. By this point I was determined not to stop. I had heard on the radio that Ernesto was all rain and I can deal with a little rain to get to Disney 12 hours earlier. About halfway between 95 and Orlando, we could actually SEE the storm clouds swirling counter clockwise. It was really cool and I knew at that point we were almost through the rain. Sure enough, things cleared up and we arrived at Pop Century at 1am Thursday morning. For the record, except for the occasional normal Florida storms, the weather was GREAT!

We drug our behinds up to the PC counter and were given a room right where I had asked. First floor, lakeside in the 60's. Of course, it was as far from the parking lot as was possible. We lugged our first load to the room, opened the non-smoking room door and were immediately hit by the stench of cigarrette smoke. Not what three worn out travelers need at 1am. So I call the desk and she says to come and she will give us a new room. I left my mom and son in the first room and went right up. We were given a new room on the 2nd floor, not too far from the first room. When I went to change rooms, I remembered to tell them Torin was celebrating his bday. I put in a request for a towel animal and they asked his favorite character(Stitch) Our new room was very fresh and we did not waste any time getting to sleep!

Thursday was slated as our DTD day. We slept in a little, then went and had a nice breakfast at the PC food court. Got to DTD around 11 and went to wait for DisneyQuest to open. Stayed there a few hours and then went to the stores. We ended up paying OOP for a light lunch. We couldn't find anywhere in DTD that has DDP CS meals

We had Planet Hollywood for dinner. We had the greatest waiter who was ex-military. He ran his section that way and everything was top notch. The only problem we had was finding room in our stomachs to put the entrees! We had the crunchy chicken, texas tostados and spinach dip with chips as appetizers and they were enough to fill us up! We tipped our waiter $10 OOP because he was really great.

Friday morning we were up early for MK. We got there early and got Krispy Kreme donuts in the bakery. Went in the town hall to get Torin a birthday button and they were very nice. We had barely gotten out of the town hall when a CM approached us by the bench with Roy Disney and Mickey on it. The Cm wished Torin a happy birthday and offered to take a pic of us all with Mickey and Roy. We accepted. Then the CM gave Torin one of those fastpasses that can be used on any ride. Torin was so happy that he got something special.

MK was totally dead this particular day. We walked right on AstroOrbiter and then onto Buzz Lightyear. Next Torin and I did Stitch(even though I hate it). Then we made a beeline for FantasyLand. We did Mickeys Philharmagic and Peter Pan, again walking right on. We tried to talk Torin into IASW but he said he would go insane if he had to hear that song over and over, LOL. Instead, we headed over to the Haunted Mansion, where again we had no wait. Next was POTC, which none of us have ever been on! My mom did not want to ride, and I was a little worried until the CM told me it was only a 10 foot drop. I figured I could deal with that to see Johnny Depp(even if it was only a fake one) It wasn't too bad and no wait. When we came out, the pirate show was just starting. THe JAck Sparrow was a dead ringer for Johnny Depp. Torin really wanted to get picked for the sword fighting, but they chose the younger kids. It was a neat little show.

After I had lived through the POTC drop, Torin decided to talk me into BTMRR. I am NOT a roller coaster person, but after much convincing by the CMs that there really were no big drops, I conceded. It was a wild ride, but no big drops, so I was okay.

We had an ADR at Chef Mickey's so off we went. We lucked out and got to ride up front on the monorail on the first one. Of course it was only for a short time, but still. We checked in at Chef Mickey's and didn't wait more than 5 minutes. The food was great as always and everyone made a big deal of Torin's birthday. Torin was glad we went. He had said before that he hated Chef Mickeys but once we got there, he remembered that it had been Mama Melroses that he hated last trip. Our waiter at CMs got an extra tip as well. After CM's we went back to MK to ride more rides. Torin wanted to ride BTMRR again and talked my mom into riding. Now, this woman has never ridden more than a carousel before. She survived, but won't do that again! We went a rode the teacups and tomorrowland transit, Winnie the pooh. When the fireworks started, we headed for the gates. In March we got caught in the herd of cattle leaving MK and I did not want a repeat. We watched on the way out and as we got to the ferry landing, a big storm came up and it poured. I sure was glad that we got out when we did!

Next.....Epcot

 

[DeterminedOne]

Glad the weather held up for you. Good decision to forge ahead with your plans when everyone else advised against it. Glad you survived the drop on Pirates.

 

[torinsmom]

Okay, I have to back up here. I totally forgot that we left MK about 1 to go over to POR for cane pole fishing! Of course, it started raining on the way and by the time we got there, it was lightning. No cane pole fishing for us, so we caught a bus to Epcot and went back to Pop Century for the car. We headed out to the Character Premiere store off exit 68. We didn't really find any great deals there, so we headed back towards I4 and on the other side of I4 was a place called Gala Gifts. Its a big blue store with a Waffle House attached. They have EVERYTHING and it is 1/2 the price of Disney. Now the shirts do say Disney Dreams, but the designs are as cool or cooler than the ones at the parks. We got most of our souvenirs there. Then we headed back to MK for Chef Mickey's which I covered in my first post.

 

[torinsmom]

Okay, EPCOT day!

We got up early and had a box on Entemanns donuts for breakfast. Great treat and only 1 snack credit! LOL Then we made an executive decision and headed over to POR to hit the cane pole fishing while it was clear. Torin had a great time, but only caught one fish. You could see the fish, but I think they are too smart to get on the hook!

Around 10:30, we headed over to Epcot. Went straight to Soarin and got fast passes. Then headed over to see the Lion King show and to walk around TH LIving Seas. By the time we were finished there, it was time for our FP's. THe FP line was long, so we still waited about 20 minutes to ride. Of course, it was worth it! Living with the Land was being refurbished.

From there, we headed into Innoventions where Torin did some of the activities, and mom and I rested. It was a HOT day! THen we had lunch at Electric Umbrella. Great food for a CS! We walked right on Spaceship Earth, where I almost fell asleep. Note to self: Never eat a big meal and then get on SE! Torin was deliberating about riding Test Track, but when we went over, it was down, so that deliberation ended quickly.

Next we hit Figment. Torin loves the Kodak lab at the end. He was kidding with my mom about the big drop in line and scared some poor older women. I had to reassure them that it was a kiddie ride. AFter the ride, Torin made all kinds of weird pictures and emailed them home.

After Figment, it was off to Epcot. We rushed quickly to Japan, as a storm was coming up. We were disappointed that there was no candy lady. She is off on Saturdays. We did do the pearl thing and got an 8mm and a 7 3/4 mm pearl. Lot of other neat stuff to look at here. As my son says, "All the cool stuff started out in Japan!"

It rained a little while we were in Japan. Then we headed out and went in some of the other countries on the way back to Canada from our ADR. We went in to see the Canada movie(nana's revenge for getting on BTMRR with Torin), LOL. We checked in at Le Cellier and were seated quickly. They were not busy this day. We ordered what we did last time, the filet mignon. However, this time it was COATED in BBQ sauce. Not what any of use expected, but we ordered it. Luckily, it was paid for by the free DDP and the other food was enough to fill us up. Our server was not good and did not refill our drinks at all, so that was a disappointment. She just didn't seem to be happy(Or maybe she knew she would get 18% tip either way) Another waitress came to bring our desserts out, and they were rich, but good. We didn't leave an extra tip this meal, because the service was not good.

After our ADR, we continued around the world showcase and rode the Norway and Mexico ride. When we went back by Japan, we went in the candy store and got Japanese candy--YUMMY! We headed out of the WS around 8:30. Again, we didn't want to get caught in the post show herd, and we were all too tired to stick around anyway!

So, back to Pop, I thought for Torin to take a swim, but he was so tired he couldn't even handle that, LOL.

Next Animal Kingdom or the other tourists come out from under the rocks.....

 

[torinsmom]

Well, I guess noone cares about my trip.........

 

[dmthoma76]

Oh I DO! It's a fun read, really enjoying it. Thanks for the food reviews, I was upset I did not get a LaCellier ADR but now feel better. We are eating in Japan instead.

Sounds like a great birthday trip!

~Donna

 

[Temair]

Please tell us more. I'm enjoying your trip report.

Temair

 

[torinsmom]

Sunday was our Animal Kingdom day! We had a quick snack for breakfast and then headed out. We got there around 9am and it was evident that everyone and their grandma must have been traveling on Saturday, because it was PACKED! Took us almost 10 minutes to get through the gates. We headed straight for the Safari, and had a 20 minute wait. There were lots of animals out and we had a great driver. It was lots of fun! After Safari, we walked through some of the animal paths and enjoyed the animals. It was VERY crowded and hot to boot.

Around 10:15, we headed over to DinoLand for our ADR at Donald's. We were seated fairly quickly and had a wonderful waitress who kept our glasses constantly full. The food was great, and I enjoyed the Krispy Kreme donuts at the end. The characters came around and were really playful. We got the waitress to take a picture of us all with Goofy. At the end, she noticed Torin's b-day button, and wanted to sing to him. He really didn't want her to, but she insisted and he was blushing by the end. She brought him a b-day card to keep as well. We left that waitress an extra tip, as she was super-nice and attentive.

After DinoLand, Torin spied Primieval Whirl. I had read the cautions on this one, and seeing as I am not the whirly kind, I stood in line with him and then took the chicken exit. Torin really loved that ride! Then we headed over to Dinosaur, which I always thought was a roller coaster Well, there were CM's outside that told us that the dinosaurs had "escaped" and the ride was closed. She also told me it was NOT a RC, it was just jerky, so we all got fastpasses. We headed over to the bird show, which is always cute. When that was over, we did Its a Bugs Life in the tree. My mom was a little shaken by the bee "sting", LOL.

We headed back for Dinosaur, which was now open. I asked another CM about it, and after getting the same response as the first, I figured it was safe to ride. My mom didn't particularly like it, but it was definitely NOT a roller coaster, LOL.

At this point, it was starting to get dark, and I knew the storm was coming. We headed over to Camp Minnie Mickey for the Legend of The Lion King. It was spectacular and even Torin, who had been pouting about going in a "baby show" enjoyed it. The storm had passed while we were inside, so we headed to Asia to try out the Kali River Rapids. It was a long trek and wouldn't you know it, we get there and it is closed down and no idea when it will reopen.

Its getting close to Parade time and none of us really cares about the parade, so we head out for one more ride on the Safari. It starts to rain AGAIN when we are in line, so that safari was a little wet! After Safari, we have to break out the ponchos and brave the rain for the walk to the buses. We have an ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe. It is only 5:00 and our ADR is at 6:30, but we head over to WL anyway.

Noone ever warned me about the WL buses! The bus stopped at TL on the way back to the resort, which was fine. Took us 20 minutes to get from AK to WL. Then we decided we didn't really want to try something new and my mom really wanted to go back to DTD to buy something she had seen on Thursday. SO.....we decide to wait for the DTD bus. We waited and waited and waited. It was 30 minutes before a bus to DTD came! Then we got on and thought we would be there soon. Um...no----we stopped at two other resorts and a water park before we went to DTD. No lie, we left AK at 5:00 and got to DTD at 6:30! That was my worst experience on Disney transportation ever.

Once we got to DTD, we went to Planet Hollywood and had another wonderful dinner. Again, the appetizers were enough for a meal, but we ate some of our entrees and had milkshakes for dessert. The server was not as good, but we could see our waiter from Thursday and were wishing we were in his section. We were joking that we were having "waiter envy".

After Dinner, we headed over to the Marketplace to the Pet store. They had the cutest ceramic pet dished on sale and we bought one for all the family pets, 7 in all. I also had one of the pearls I got from Japan mounted on a simple mount, so I could wear it some. We grabbed a bus back to Pop and I tell you what.....we were very glad for Pop's direct service!

Back at the room, I braced for no towel animal on our last night. I had requested one, but so far nothing. Then what should I see in the window but.....a cute little turkey? towel animal! Torin was so excited as he opened the room door. When he turned on the lights, there was balloons and a b-day card signed by Stitch! It was really a nice touch on our last night! We packed up everything, knowing that the morning would bring a long drive back to NC. And it did.

The End

 

[dmthoma76]

The loud sound you hear is the sound of thunderous applause! Great little report there! Sounds like a good time was had by all!







~Donna