TiggerEyes
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 25, 2005
- Messages
- 55
This is the first time I've posted a trip report, so here it goes.
First thing first: Disney was part two of my vacation with my DB. He flew in from the northeast on June 30th for the NASCAR races in Daytona Beach. Right away we had a problem: The airline sent his luggage to Dayton, Ohio in stead of Daytona. I had never been so grateful for a rainy day before. At least we didn't have to feel bad being stuck at home most of the day waiting for the luggage guy to show up.
The races were great! Martin Truex won the Winn-Dixie 250 (Yea, Martin!), and Tony Stewart won the Pepsi 400 (Yea, Tony!). Good thing he won too, after I spent four hours sitting out in the rain waiting for the race to begin. Didn't get back until 3am!
July 3rd:
Finally we arrived at Disney around 11:30 am on Sunday. We decided to stay at the Pop Century Resort. I had my - pardon the pun - reservations about staying there since it's the value resort I'm the least familiar with. I have to say though that check-in was a breeze. The CM taking care of us had a great sense of humor and laughed and joked along with us. I found out later that he had been on the job only three days!
After check-in, I dumped my DB with the luggage outside so we could arrange to have it delivered to our rooms once they were ready. Then I went back in to buy our tickets at the concierge. The CM at the concierge didn't seem very sure of herself, but I had a relatively simple request for tickets, so it didn't take very long.
The line for the luggage hadn't moved an inch by the time I returned, so DB and I decided to skip it and hauled our luggage back out to the car so we could get to Epcot! I found out from a CM the next day that there are actually two lines - one for airline luggage check-in and one for everyone else. I think we may have gotten into the wrong line. We'll know better for next time.
Finally we get to Epcot. First thing first: food. We hadn't eaten since eight o'clock that morning, so we headed over to Seasons at The Land. I hadn't seen this place since they renovated it. On one hand, it's definitely lighter and brighter, but on the other hand it has that cafeteria feel to it instead of a country fair. We managed to get our food pretty quickly though, so I can't complain about that. My DB had the Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread and I had the Rotisserie Beef Flatbread, both excellent (I'll post a more detailed food review on the restaurant boards).
Then we headed over to Mission:Space. My last (and first) experience on this ride resulted in me running across Future World to the nearest bathroom to throw-up. Needless to say, I really didn't want to go on this ride, but my DB didn't want to ride alone - so I gave in and joined the queue. By the time I lowered the harness over my shoulders my whole body was shaking. I got through it, but I had to sit down on one of the benches in the corridor leading the store. A CM came over to talk to us while my DB rubbed my back. Don't get me wrong, it is a fun ride, but I just don't handle spinning very well. Heck, I got sick on the teacup ride when I was eight!
We returned to The Land for Soarin'. Spectacular! I've never been to California and now I want to go. I hope they do more movies like this one. Can you imagine Canada, France, and China with this type of ride? I can, and it would be wonderful. I did notice that in the queue, they played a lot of John Williams music and the old Battlestar Galactica theme, which struck me as funny because I thought it would have been better themed for Mission:Space, not Soarin', but it's good music and I was glad to hear it.
Next on our list was Journey Into Imagination. I hadn't ridden this ride since the renovated it from Journey Into Your Imagination. I have mixed feelings about the results. I'm very glad to see Figment, but I wish they had made a complete break from JIYI. It's like there isn't enough of the new ride or the the old one to define this new creation. For example, they have only one optical illusion for the "sight" sense. They should have kept more optical illusions from JIYI because they really are cool - they just weren't well used in the previous ride. Still, Figment is back and that makes up for a lot.
Both DB and I were very disappointed that Wonders of Life and Spaceship Earth were closed. We love Cranium Command! I had heard that Spaceship Earth might undergo a two year rehab - maybe that's why? I don't understand why Wonders of Life would be closed for the summer season. Isn't this WDW's busiest time of the year except for maybe December? Makes no sense to me.
Universe of Energy and Test Track were both familiar and fun. I hated the Dreamcatchers VR demo at Test Track. I think I went on this once before and it was a cute cartoon ride through through a magical world or something? Now it's little more than an advertisement for GM cars. I felt like a complete sucker when I stepped off the seat.
We tried to find a dine-in restaurant after Test Track, but everyplace we went either turned us away or had a long wait. We opted for CS since we did want to see the Illuminations, so we dined at the Tangierine Cafe at Morocco. I had the Lamb Shawarma Platter and my DB had two platefuls of the meatballs. We finished in time to walk back to the other side of the lake and find a good place to watch Illuminations. My DB had never seen it before and he was absolutely blown away by the show!
We followed the crowd out to the parking lot when I realized that I never noted the row our car was parked in! Luckily Epcot's parking lot is pretty simple to navigate and I was able to narrow down my first guess to within one row of where my car was parked. We had no trouble after that.
We had called the hotel earlier that evening to get our hotel room numbers, so we drove straight to the 50's parking lot and unloaded the luggage. The signs showing range of room numbers did not seem accurate to me and I had to wander around two or three buildings before I realized that the signs had me going in circles instead of pointing the shortest way from where I stood to where the rooms were. Not very helpful.
I do have to say, though, that even though my room was located right next to the pool (which was very noisy even this late at night), I heard very little noise. I'm a very sensitive sleeper, so I always bring ear plugs and and an eye mask with me. Once I popped in my ear plugs, I couldn't hear a thing. Can't say that more most value resorts. I've been in places where even with ear plugs I could ear everything going on outside.
July 4th:
We decided not to go into the parks today, figuring that it would be too crowded even for us. Luckily, I had enough foresight to make ARs for Kona Cafe for breakfast. We were seated quickly and both of us ordered Tonga Toast and Lilikoi Juice. Oh. My. God. Too much sugar, even for me and I have quite a sweet tooth. We both loved it, but I had to leave the last bite on my plate. My stomach just rebelled and wouldn't let me finish it. I did order a second glass of Lilikoi Juice, which tasted wonderful.
After breakfast we returned to PC and lay out by the pool. It felt good to just relax in the sun for a few hours. Then we went to Tampa to visit some friends, but due to circumstances, we had to return much earlier than we thought. We thought maybe we could see the MK fireworks from the beach at Poly, but they turned away anyone who didn't have ARs. We then drove to DTD, but took one look at the parking lot and knew we'd never find a spot, so I kept driving. I knew I didn't want to get on LBV Blvd because that would dump me onto I-4, so I kept driving straight. I had no idea where I was and there was only one sign for three resorts I was not familiar with, so before we got more lost than we already were, I turned into the driveway for the Beach Club Villas. We lucked out because after I poured out our tale of woe to the grandfatherly security guard on duty, he spent a full five minutes (a long time in an idling car at a guard shack with more cars lined up behind you) calling around, double checking when each park would be setting off it's holiday fireworks, then directing us to the Boardwalk where we could see the Epcot fireworks again from a bridge behind the resort. I could have kissed him.
So we drove to the Boardwalk and did exactly as instructed. It started sprinkling and the lighting strikes hit fast and furious, but around 10:15 the weather calmed down and Epcot started the Illuminations, so we were able to watch it again from a distance.
July 5th:
Today we decided to go to the MK. We had thought to do DAK because of the EMH, but it didn't fit in with our evening plans and we wanted to see Wishes. So we headed to Everything POP for breakfast. I decided to treat myself to the Pancake Platter. Big mistake. By the time I got there, they had run out of plain pancakes. I waited and waited, but my stomach started growling, so I told them to just give me the chocolate chip pancakes. I love chocolate, but not in my pancakes. It just tastes bitter to me, but by this point, I just wanted to sit down and eat something. When you serve a couple hundred people for breakfast every morning, how can you not plan to have enough pancakes?
Anyway, we arrived at MK just in time to catch one of the Cinderellabration shows. I hadn't expected fireworks, so that startled me, but the show was fun and the costumes looked lovely.
Most of the rides are the same, so I won't bore everyone with a blow by blow review. I will say that I have mixed feelings about Stitches Great Escape. While I'm glad that they got rid of the "fried alien" in the pre-show (that always bothered me), the great escape just doesn't have the edge of terror that the previous show had. I also liked the new It's a Small World. I'm not familiar enough with the old ride to note all the changes, but the whole ride had a nice, shiny, "scrubbed" look to it. The last time I rode, you could see dust and cobwebs. Not anymore.
If anything needs a rehab it's Carousel of Progress. Not only did the first segment repeat itself when the theater failed to turn, but it jumps from the 1940s to turn of the century. I know it's not designed to hold more than four theater segments, but they're going to have to do something to spruce up this ride. I used to really enjoy it, but after today, I think I'll be giving this one a pass.
We did run into the talking trash can over in Tomorrowland. Both DB and I were rolling on the ground watching it follow the little kids around, calling them by name, burping when someone dumped garbage inside. Hysterical. They need more of these all over the park. It's a good distraction from the long lines.
And speaking of long lines, I want to say "thank goodness" for Fastpass. I'm not an expert user, but I figured out pretty quickly how to time the rides so while we had Fastpasses for Space Mountain, we had plenty of time to line up stand-by for Stitch. We also timed it so we got our Fastpass for Splash Mountain, went to eat at Pecos Bills (great chicken wraps), got our Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain, and rode both within fifteen minutes of each other. This offset the negative experience of actually getting on Splash Mountain, where the people in the stand-by line jeered us Fastpassers because they had been in line for over two hours and one of them started yelling at a CM, telling him that it's not fair that we got to cut in front of him when he paid just as much for his tickets as we did.
The only other negative part of the day was the number of people smoking. Some folks just don't think the rules apply to them. The worst part, was when the queue for Stitch snaked around the back of the building where there are no cast members and a couple of people immediately lit up the cigarettes, blowing smoke all over the place. The large fans kept the smoke at bay, but you could still smell the stench whenever we passed by them. Do these people even have a clue as to just how bad they smell?
Later that even we watched Spectro-Magic and Wishes! We got a great view from right in front of Cinderella's castle, but that was more by accident then anything else. We were trying to make our way to City Hall to report a lost baseball cap (we think we left it on the Jungle Ride), but the first showing of Spectro-Magic was about to begin and the crowd just would not let us through for anything. So we stayed and watched both SM and Wishes. Beautiful!
July 6th
We decided to try Everything POP again this morning. I ordered the Waffle Platter this time. Smaller portion, but at least they had plenty of them. I also got the chocolate filled Croissant. I know, I know - how can I not like chocolate chips in my pancakes, but eat a chocolate Croissant with my waffle? What can I say? It just tastes different to me.
After, I tried calling Central Lost & Found for our missing baseball cap. Twenty minutes later, still no answer. A CM told me that there are only two CMs who work the phones for C L&F. Only two! In a vacation kingdom where hundreds of things get lost every day! Not acceptable, but what was I going to do, wait on the phone all day long? The cap only cost $5, so I decided to just let it go.
We decided to head for DAK today. We fastpassed most of the rides, but for many of them it wasn't even necessary. Dinosaur makes me scream everytime, even though I know when the dinos are going to jump out at me. This time though, I finally figured out who Dr. Grant Seeker is: he's one of the actors from CSI! I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I've started watching it in reruns. I had no idea until today.
Primeval Whirl made me queasy all over again. When will I ever learn! The animals put on quite a show all day, the siamang especially. They were swinging all over the place, even the little baby siamang! He was soooo cute. All the rides were magical, even though the tigers and gorillas slept the entire time, it was fun to watch them yawn, stretch, scratch, open their eyes and glare at the humans before rolling over and going back to sleep.
After my stomach calmed down a little bit we went to eat at Tusker House. I had the salmon and my brother had the Rotisserie Chicken.
DeVine really surprised us. We didn't know what everyone was looking at because she had wrapped herself around a lamp post and didn't move for a while. Then she stretched and started walking (slithering?) through the street. Pretty cool!
We managed once again to exit the Safari ride just in time to watch Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. I loved it especially when Pluto came over and gave me a big hug! One of the stilt walkers also high-fived me. Fun, fun, fun!
We also did It's Tough to be a Bug, Dinosaur (again), Kali Water Rapids (I took my socks and shoes off for this one), and Rafiki's Planet Watch (I got to see a golden lion tamerin! He was hopping around all over the place - very spunky little fella!).
That's pretty much it for our Disney vacation. We left DAK about an hour before closing to head for Arabian Nights. This is was a good show too. Usually DB and I go to Medieval Times, but decided to do something different. I would recommend it.
TE
First thing first: Disney was part two of my vacation with my DB. He flew in from the northeast on June 30th for the NASCAR races in Daytona Beach. Right away we had a problem: The airline sent his luggage to Dayton, Ohio in stead of Daytona. I had never been so grateful for a rainy day before. At least we didn't have to feel bad being stuck at home most of the day waiting for the luggage guy to show up.
The races were great! Martin Truex won the Winn-Dixie 250 (Yea, Martin!), and Tony Stewart won the Pepsi 400 (Yea, Tony!). Good thing he won too, after I spent four hours sitting out in the rain waiting for the race to begin. Didn't get back until 3am!
July 3rd:
Finally we arrived at Disney around 11:30 am on Sunday. We decided to stay at the Pop Century Resort. I had my - pardon the pun - reservations about staying there since it's the value resort I'm the least familiar with. I have to say though that check-in was a breeze. The CM taking care of us had a great sense of humor and laughed and joked along with us. I found out later that he had been on the job only three days!
After check-in, I dumped my DB with the luggage outside so we could arrange to have it delivered to our rooms once they were ready. Then I went back in to buy our tickets at the concierge. The CM at the concierge didn't seem very sure of herself, but I had a relatively simple request for tickets, so it didn't take very long.
The line for the luggage hadn't moved an inch by the time I returned, so DB and I decided to skip it and hauled our luggage back out to the car so we could get to Epcot! I found out from a CM the next day that there are actually two lines - one for airline luggage check-in and one for everyone else. I think we may have gotten into the wrong line. We'll know better for next time.
Finally we get to Epcot. First thing first: food. We hadn't eaten since eight o'clock that morning, so we headed over to Seasons at The Land. I hadn't seen this place since they renovated it. On one hand, it's definitely lighter and brighter, but on the other hand it has that cafeteria feel to it instead of a country fair. We managed to get our food pretty quickly though, so I can't complain about that. My DB had the Rotisserie Chicken Flatbread and I had the Rotisserie Beef Flatbread, both excellent (I'll post a more detailed food review on the restaurant boards).
Then we headed over to Mission:Space. My last (and first) experience on this ride resulted in me running across Future World to the nearest bathroom to throw-up. Needless to say, I really didn't want to go on this ride, but my DB didn't want to ride alone - so I gave in and joined the queue. By the time I lowered the harness over my shoulders my whole body was shaking. I got through it, but I had to sit down on one of the benches in the corridor leading the store. A CM came over to talk to us while my DB rubbed my back. Don't get me wrong, it is a fun ride, but I just don't handle spinning very well. Heck, I got sick on the teacup ride when I was eight!
We returned to The Land for Soarin'. Spectacular! I've never been to California and now I want to go. I hope they do more movies like this one. Can you imagine Canada, France, and China with this type of ride? I can, and it would be wonderful. I did notice that in the queue, they played a lot of John Williams music and the old Battlestar Galactica theme, which struck me as funny because I thought it would have been better themed for Mission:Space, not Soarin', but it's good music and I was glad to hear it.
Next on our list was Journey Into Imagination. I hadn't ridden this ride since the renovated it from Journey Into Your Imagination. I have mixed feelings about the results. I'm very glad to see Figment, but I wish they had made a complete break from JIYI. It's like there isn't enough of the new ride or the the old one to define this new creation. For example, they have only one optical illusion for the "sight" sense. They should have kept more optical illusions from JIYI because they really are cool - they just weren't well used in the previous ride. Still, Figment is back and that makes up for a lot.
Both DB and I were very disappointed that Wonders of Life and Spaceship Earth were closed. We love Cranium Command! I had heard that Spaceship Earth might undergo a two year rehab - maybe that's why? I don't understand why Wonders of Life would be closed for the summer season. Isn't this WDW's busiest time of the year except for maybe December? Makes no sense to me.
Universe of Energy and Test Track were both familiar and fun. I hated the Dreamcatchers VR demo at Test Track. I think I went on this once before and it was a cute cartoon ride through through a magical world or something? Now it's little more than an advertisement for GM cars. I felt like a complete sucker when I stepped off the seat.
We tried to find a dine-in restaurant after Test Track, but everyplace we went either turned us away or had a long wait. We opted for CS since we did want to see the Illuminations, so we dined at the Tangierine Cafe at Morocco. I had the Lamb Shawarma Platter and my DB had two platefuls of the meatballs. We finished in time to walk back to the other side of the lake and find a good place to watch Illuminations. My DB had never seen it before and he was absolutely blown away by the show!
We followed the crowd out to the parking lot when I realized that I never noted the row our car was parked in! Luckily Epcot's parking lot is pretty simple to navigate and I was able to narrow down my first guess to within one row of where my car was parked. We had no trouble after that.
We had called the hotel earlier that evening to get our hotel room numbers, so we drove straight to the 50's parking lot and unloaded the luggage. The signs showing range of room numbers did not seem accurate to me and I had to wander around two or three buildings before I realized that the signs had me going in circles instead of pointing the shortest way from where I stood to where the rooms were. Not very helpful.
I do have to say, though, that even though my room was located right next to the pool (which was very noisy even this late at night), I heard very little noise. I'm a very sensitive sleeper, so I always bring ear plugs and and an eye mask with me. Once I popped in my ear plugs, I couldn't hear a thing. Can't say that more most value resorts. I've been in places where even with ear plugs I could ear everything going on outside.
July 4th:
We decided not to go into the parks today, figuring that it would be too crowded even for us. Luckily, I had enough foresight to make ARs for Kona Cafe for breakfast. We were seated quickly and both of us ordered Tonga Toast and Lilikoi Juice. Oh. My. God. Too much sugar, even for me and I have quite a sweet tooth. We both loved it, but I had to leave the last bite on my plate. My stomach just rebelled and wouldn't let me finish it. I did order a second glass of Lilikoi Juice, which tasted wonderful.
After breakfast we returned to PC and lay out by the pool. It felt good to just relax in the sun for a few hours. Then we went to Tampa to visit some friends, but due to circumstances, we had to return much earlier than we thought. We thought maybe we could see the MK fireworks from the beach at Poly, but they turned away anyone who didn't have ARs. We then drove to DTD, but took one look at the parking lot and knew we'd never find a spot, so I kept driving. I knew I didn't want to get on LBV Blvd because that would dump me onto I-4, so I kept driving straight. I had no idea where I was and there was only one sign for three resorts I was not familiar with, so before we got more lost than we already were, I turned into the driveway for the Beach Club Villas. We lucked out because after I poured out our tale of woe to the grandfatherly security guard on duty, he spent a full five minutes (a long time in an idling car at a guard shack with more cars lined up behind you) calling around, double checking when each park would be setting off it's holiday fireworks, then directing us to the Boardwalk where we could see the Epcot fireworks again from a bridge behind the resort. I could have kissed him.
So we drove to the Boardwalk and did exactly as instructed. It started sprinkling and the lighting strikes hit fast and furious, but around 10:15 the weather calmed down and Epcot started the Illuminations, so we were able to watch it again from a distance.
July 5th:
Today we decided to go to the MK. We had thought to do DAK because of the EMH, but it didn't fit in with our evening plans and we wanted to see Wishes. So we headed to Everything POP for breakfast. I decided to treat myself to the Pancake Platter. Big mistake. By the time I got there, they had run out of plain pancakes. I waited and waited, but my stomach started growling, so I told them to just give me the chocolate chip pancakes. I love chocolate, but not in my pancakes. It just tastes bitter to me, but by this point, I just wanted to sit down and eat something. When you serve a couple hundred people for breakfast every morning, how can you not plan to have enough pancakes?
Anyway, we arrived at MK just in time to catch one of the Cinderellabration shows. I hadn't expected fireworks, so that startled me, but the show was fun and the costumes looked lovely.
Most of the rides are the same, so I won't bore everyone with a blow by blow review. I will say that I have mixed feelings about Stitches Great Escape. While I'm glad that they got rid of the "fried alien" in the pre-show (that always bothered me), the great escape just doesn't have the edge of terror that the previous show had. I also liked the new It's a Small World. I'm not familiar enough with the old ride to note all the changes, but the whole ride had a nice, shiny, "scrubbed" look to it. The last time I rode, you could see dust and cobwebs. Not anymore.
If anything needs a rehab it's Carousel of Progress. Not only did the first segment repeat itself when the theater failed to turn, but it jumps from the 1940s to turn of the century. I know it's not designed to hold more than four theater segments, but they're going to have to do something to spruce up this ride. I used to really enjoy it, but after today, I think I'll be giving this one a pass.
We did run into the talking trash can over in Tomorrowland. Both DB and I were rolling on the ground watching it follow the little kids around, calling them by name, burping when someone dumped garbage inside. Hysterical. They need more of these all over the park. It's a good distraction from the long lines.
And speaking of long lines, I want to say "thank goodness" for Fastpass. I'm not an expert user, but I figured out pretty quickly how to time the rides so while we had Fastpasses for Space Mountain, we had plenty of time to line up stand-by for Stitch. We also timed it so we got our Fastpass for Splash Mountain, went to eat at Pecos Bills (great chicken wraps), got our Fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain, and rode both within fifteen minutes of each other. This offset the negative experience of actually getting on Splash Mountain, where the people in the stand-by line jeered us Fastpassers because they had been in line for over two hours and one of them started yelling at a CM, telling him that it's not fair that we got to cut in front of him when he paid just as much for his tickets as we did.
The only other negative part of the day was the number of people smoking. Some folks just don't think the rules apply to them. The worst part, was when the queue for Stitch snaked around the back of the building where there are no cast members and a couple of people immediately lit up the cigarettes, blowing smoke all over the place. The large fans kept the smoke at bay, but you could still smell the stench whenever we passed by them. Do these people even have a clue as to just how bad they smell?
Later that even we watched Spectro-Magic and Wishes! We got a great view from right in front of Cinderella's castle, but that was more by accident then anything else. We were trying to make our way to City Hall to report a lost baseball cap (we think we left it on the Jungle Ride), but the first showing of Spectro-Magic was about to begin and the crowd just would not let us through for anything. So we stayed and watched both SM and Wishes. Beautiful!
July 6th
We decided to try Everything POP again this morning. I ordered the Waffle Platter this time. Smaller portion, but at least they had plenty of them. I also got the chocolate filled Croissant. I know, I know - how can I not like chocolate chips in my pancakes, but eat a chocolate Croissant with my waffle? What can I say? It just tastes different to me.
After, I tried calling Central Lost & Found for our missing baseball cap. Twenty minutes later, still no answer. A CM told me that there are only two CMs who work the phones for C L&F. Only two! In a vacation kingdom where hundreds of things get lost every day! Not acceptable, but what was I going to do, wait on the phone all day long? The cap only cost $5, so I decided to just let it go.
We decided to head for DAK today. We fastpassed most of the rides, but for many of them it wasn't even necessary. Dinosaur makes me scream everytime, even though I know when the dinos are going to jump out at me. This time though, I finally figured out who Dr. Grant Seeker is: he's one of the actors from CSI! I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I've started watching it in reruns. I had no idea until today.
Primeval Whirl made me queasy all over again. When will I ever learn! The animals put on quite a show all day, the siamang especially. They were swinging all over the place, even the little baby siamang! He was soooo cute. All the rides were magical, even though the tigers and gorillas slept the entire time, it was fun to watch them yawn, stretch, scratch, open their eyes and glare at the humans before rolling over and going back to sleep.
After my stomach calmed down a little bit we went to eat at Tusker House. I had the salmon and my brother had the Rotisserie Chicken.
DeVine really surprised us. We didn't know what everyone was looking at because she had wrapped herself around a lamp post and didn't move for a while. Then she stretched and started walking (slithering?) through the street. Pretty cool!
We managed once again to exit the Safari ride just in time to watch Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. I loved it especially when Pluto came over and gave me a big hug! One of the stilt walkers also high-fived me. Fun, fun, fun!
We also did It's Tough to be a Bug, Dinosaur (again), Kali Water Rapids (I took my socks and shoes off for this one), and Rafiki's Planet Watch (I got to see a golden lion tamerin! He was hopping around all over the place - very spunky little fella!).
That's pretty much it for our Disney vacation. We left DAK about an hour before closing to head for Arabian Nights. This is was a good show too. Usually DB and I go to Medieval Times, but decided to do something different. I would recommend it.
TE
