Liz
Make a miracle!
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 4,909
Our Family:
Me - 46, born & raised in Florida but have been gone since 1981. Love WDW, obsessive planner. Really want this trip to be nice because we're bringing a family of 1st timers! Writes trip reports with way too much detail but I just can't do it any other way!
Paul - DH 52 - Loves Disney but not as much as I do. He'd probably be happy to vacation some place else occasionally but as soon as we get home I'm planning our next trip before he has time to process what I'm doing!
Jeff - DS 17 - Raised on WDW and Disneyland and loves it all. Super friendly guy!
Laura - DD 16 - Loves WDW but doesn't handle the heat well. Gets tired easy but she has a good excuse. She had a heart transplant when she was 6 weeks old and had West Nile Virus in 2002. Doing really well though. Our sweetheart.
Our Friends:
MM - 40ish - Going to WDW for the wife & kids. Isn't really a theme park kind of guy. Really nice though.
JM - 40ish - My good friend! Been trying to get her DH to go to WDW for a couple of years now!
Mike - DS 16 - Jeff's best friend since probably Kindergarten.
Heidi - DD 13 - Laura's friend. Despite the age difference they get along great!
We all met at the bus stop around 8:00 AM and found out our friends had had a rough night. Heidi had been sick with an upset stomach until about 1:00 AM, then noise from the pool kept them awake till 2:00. I guess people were hollering and making a ton of noise. We slept well and never heard a thing so that shows how two families in side by side rooms can have a totally different experience when it comes to noise.
I told JM to let me know how they were doing and if they needed a break or whatever we'd do it. Heidi felt fine this morning (thankfully). Before leaving home that had been one of our worst fears, that someone would get sick on vacation.
Today was Epcot - my favorite park!!! While we were waiting for the Epcot bus Jeff spotted a person with a lime green Mickey head on their backpack that identified themselves as a DISer! They were walking to another bus stop but I got out of line and caught up with them. It was a very nice couple and the girl identified herself as DisWorldObsessed (I hope I got that right). She was the first, and only, DISer I met on the trip (although I did talk to one by phone in Jacksonville - hi HolyCow!)
We arrived quickly at Epcot and had kind of a long walk from the bus stop to the entrance. We had planned to send our two fastest people (Mike & Jeff) to get FP for Mission Space while the rest of us walked to Test Track. Jeff is a Disney nut like I am and usually knows the parks forward and backward. At Magic Kingdom when I'm turned around I can always count on Jeff to take us where we need to go. So he can be forgiven for this what the heck were you thinking moment!
We were all at Test Track waiting. Part of our group ended up heading into the stand by line to ride while Paul and I waited for the boys. After a few minutes we saw the boys running for Mission Space! Where had they been? They got the FP and then ran to Test Track. Jeff said he'd accidentally gone to the LAND!!! Oh well, no problem!
We all loved Test Track! Its so fun and the best part about it . . . no drops! After that we went to Mission Space. JM and Heidi played in the exit area while we flew to Mars. It didn't seem like a good idea for Heidi to go on that right at this time since she'd been sick in the night. Its so nice that there are fun games to play for those who don't or can't experience the ride.
Our timing was perfect because when we exited Mission Space we ran straight into the Jammitors. Mike and Jeff are both high school drummers so they loved seeing these guys! I watched for several minutes and then took off for the Land to get FP for Soarin. I saw the Jammitors last year so even though I didn't see their whole performance, I had seen them before. They are awesome!
We all met up at Soarin' and went on Living with the Land boat ride while waiting for our FP return time. I love this boat ride and never get tired of it!
After looking at veggies we tried to go to the Living Seas but the line was out the door. I'd heard nothing but good things about Crush so that was high on our list of "to do's" but it would have to wait for another day. Instead we went to "Journey Into Your Imagination".
Our boys have a homing gene when it comes to water and opportunities to get wet. Jeff has always enjoyed the squirting fountains and today was no exception. The only different thing about today was when the water hit him in the face it knocked one of his contacts out of his eye!!! We had extra contacts back in the room but a quick check of our itinerary revealed a trip back to the room to put a new contact in his eye was not scheduled!!!! Luckily the contact was not gone, just pushed to the side of his eye. JM spotted it and helped him get it back where it belonged. Whew!
A contact disaster averted, we went to "Honey I Shrunk the Audience". The pre-show of "HISTA" is not good for families who are missing pets at home, particularly dogs. I was getting choked up and shed a tear or two. I glanced over at Laura and saw she was quietly crying. I wanted to comfort her but knew if I did it would turn from shedding a few tears to full blown crying for both of us.
It was finally time for our "Soarin" FP so we flew over the great state of California. Wonder why here its just called "Soarin" and at California Adventure its called "Soarin Over California". This is such a great addition to Epcot! I just wished it lasted twice as long!!
After "Soarin" we crossed over to Mexico to start our tour of World Showcase. We wanted to end the day by United Kingdom, where we had dinner reservations.
We saw a little bit of the Mariachi band playing before we entered the Mexican pavilion. Everyone but Paul rode the Mexico boat ride. He always likes to get a bean burrito from the counter service place. Then when everyone finished the ride the boys and Laura decided they wanted something to eat too so we waited for them to finish eating before moving on.
In Norway we rode the boat ride but made a quick exit before the movie. We checked out the viking ship, the grass and flowers growing on the rooftops and the church. We also saw a performance of Spelmanns Gledje, which was Norwegian folk music. Heidi wanted to eat a little bit in each country but the line for the counter service, although it wasn't that long, also didn't appear to be moving. After a few minutes of making no progress we gave up.
Laura was beginning to wilt so when we reached China, while everyone else saw the 360 degree movie in the round, I found a cool place for Laura to sit and rest. Inside the temple is a very good place to rest because its dark and cool. There's a lot to see in the adjoining area too, displays about Hong Kong Disneyland and such.
After the movie others decided to get something to eat in China. Jeff hadn't had much to eat in Mexico so he and I, and our friends ate. We got the fried rice with beef that was really good and filling and only $3.99! We then had only a few minutes until the Chinese children acrobats performed. They were so adorable. Its unbelievable how they do what they do! How can their little bodies do all those things!!! Wow!
The boys and Paul went on to Germany while the rest of us stopped at the African Outpost and the drum circle. We heard the story of how the cat came to live in our homes and played on the drums. It was fun.
Jeff & Mike have taken two years of German in school and were anxious to try out their speaking skills on a pretty German girl. It was so funny because when we caught up with them they said they now realize they don't speak German at all!!! Jeff said one girl spoke to him and she was so pretty he couldn't even reply!!! After buying some german chocolates we moved on to Italy, where we only stayed a few minutes and then the USA.
We rested and sat inside the cool pavilion and listened to the Voices of Liberty. They are great! We enjoyed the presentation inside the theater, well those of us who didn't sleep through it enjoyed it!!! After that we watched the Fife & Drum Corp. and all sang "God Bless America" with them.
Next came Japan, where we saw the Matsuriza drummers! They were awesome! There were two ladies and one man. Wow, what strength! It was very enjoyable!!!
After the drummers we saw a few minutes of the candy lady. She was making a candy panda bear and cub. She was very cute and funny. Laura liked her a lot. I wish we'd had more time to watch her. We'll have to make that a high priority next time!
We had to hurry past Morocco, France and the UK to get to Canada in time to see Off Kilter perform. In all our visits to Disney World we have never managed to see them! They were awesome! They totally rock!!!
After Off Kilter we backtracked a little bit to the UK to see the British Invasion. I didn't think they were very good. The boys and Paul are big Beatles fans and they thought the band was okay. Some songs were good and some were just okay.
We had a PS for Rose & Crown at 7:30. We debated whether to keep the reservation because their lower outdoor seating was closed due to rain. We were mainly eating here to have a good vantage point for Illuminations. They said they'd give us the best seating they could and we ended up getting very good seats! Our table was as close to the water as we could get without actually being outside. Dinner was good, our server was good, and getting 20% off with the DDE card was great!
Our server asked if we'd ever been to the United Kingdom. We said no, but I said we're seeing it now at Epcot! He said "oh, this is nothing like it really is." Nooooo, don't tell me that! I want to believe my beloved Epcot is perfect in every way!
After Illuminations we made our way back to the bus stop for our return trip to Pop. Laura was limping a little. Back in the room I noticed a bad rash on the top of her left foot and a little bit on her lower leg. She said it was painful and itchy and it hurt to put it in the water. Not sure what to do about it but it resembled a similar problem I'd had on my legs on a prior WDW trip. That knowledge made me a little less worried, but I was very concerned. Luckily tomorrow would be a slower day and she could take it easy.
We got ice cream at Pop and on our way back to the room saw some more of those huge bugs on the sidewalk! I had some bug spray I borrowed from my mom's house so I sprayed the ground outside of both our doors, hoping to prevent any unwanted creatures from entering! Yuck!
As I was falling asleep I remember thinking if I wasn't worried about Laura's foot, everything would be perfect!
Part 6 - Typhoon Lagoon & Disney Quest
Me - 46, born & raised in Florida but have been gone since 1981. Love WDW, obsessive planner. Really want this trip to be nice because we're bringing a family of 1st timers! Writes trip reports with way too much detail but I just can't do it any other way!
Paul - DH 52 - Loves Disney but not as much as I do. He'd probably be happy to vacation some place else occasionally but as soon as we get home I'm planning our next trip before he has time to process what I'm doing!
Jeff - DS 17 - Raised on WDW and Disneyland and loves it all. Super friendly guy!
Laura - DD 16 - Loves WDW but doesn't handle the heat well. Gets tired easy but she has a good excuse. She had a heart transplant when she was 6 weeks old and had West Nile Virus in 2002. Doing really well though. Our sweetheart.
Our Friends:
MM - 40ish - Going to WDW for the wife & kids. Isn't really a theme park kind of guy. Really nice though.
JM - 40ish - My good friend! Been trying to get her DH to go to WDW for a couple of years now!
Mike - DS 16 - Jeff's best friend since probably Kindergarten.
Heidi - DD 13 - Laura's friend. Despite the age difference they get along great!
We all met at the bus stop around 8:00 AM and found out our friends had had a rough night. Heidi had been sick with an upset stomach until about 1:00 AM, then noise from the pool kept them awake till 2:00. I guess people were hollering and making a ton of noise. We slept well and never heard a thing so that shows how two families in side by side rooms can have a totally different experience when it comes to noise.
I told JM to let me know how they were doing and if they needed a break or whatever we'd do it. Heidi felt fine this morning (thankfully). Before leaving home that had been one of our worst fears, that someone would get sick on vacation.
Today was Epcot - my favorite park!!! While we were waiting for the Epcot bus Jeff spotted a person with a lime green Mickey head on their backpack that identified themselves as a DISer! They were walking to another bus stop but I got out of line and caught up with them. It was a very nice couple and the girl identified herself as DisWorldObsessed (I hope I got that right). She was the first, and only, DISer I met on the trip (although I did talk to one by phone in Jacksonville - hi HolyCow!)
We arrived quickly at Epcot and had kind of a long walk from the bus stop to the entrance. We had planned to send our two fastest people (Mike & Jeff) to get FP for Mission Space while the rest of us walked to Test Track. Jeff is a Disney nut like I am and usually knows the parks forward and backward. At Magic Kingdom when I'm turned around I can always count on Jeff to take us where we need to go. So he can be forgiven for this what the heck were you thinking moment!
We were all at Test Track waiting. Part of our group ended up heading into the stand by line to ride while Paul and I waited for the boys. After a few minutes we saw the boys running for Mission Space! Where had they been? They got the FP and then ran to Test Track. Jeff said he'd accidentally gone to the LAND!!! Oh well, no problem!
We all loved Test Track! Its so fun and the best part about it . . . no drops! After that we went to Mission Space. JM and Heidi played in the exit area while we flew to Mars. It didn't seem like a good idea for Heidi to go on that right at this time since she'd been sick in the night. Its so nice that there are fun games to play for those who don't or can't experience the ride.
Our timing was perfect because when we exited Mission Space we ran straight into the Jammitors. Mike and Jeff are both high school drummers so they loved seeing these guys! I watched for several minutes and then took off for the Land to get FP for Soarin. I saw the Jammitors last year so even though I didn't see their whole performance, I had seen them before. They are awesome!
We all met up at Soarin' and went on Living with the Land boat ride while waiting for our FP return time. I love this boat ride and never get tired of it!
After looking at veggies we tried to go to the Living Seas but the line was out the door. I'd heard nothing but good things about Crush so that was high on our list of "to do's" but it would have to wait for another day. Instead we went to "Journey Into Your Imagination".
Our boys have a homing gene when it comes to water and opportunities to get wet. Jeff has always enjoyed the squirting fountains and today was no exception. The only different thing about today was when the water hit him in the face it knocked one of his contacts out of his eye!!! We had extra contacts back in the room but a quick check of our itinerary revealed a trip back to the room to put a new contact in his eye was not scheduled!!!! Luckily the contact was not gone, just pushed to the side of his eye. JM spotted it and helped him get it back where it belonged. Whew!
A contact disaster averted, we went to "Honey I Shrunk the Audience". The pre-show of "HISTA" is not good for families who are missing pets at home, particularly dogs. I was getting choked up and shed a tear or two. I glanced over at Laura and saw she was quietly crying. I wanted to comfort her but knew if I did it would turn from shedding a few tears to full blown crying for both of us.
It was finally time for our "Soarin" FP so we flew over the great state of California. Wonder why here its just called "Soarin" and at California Adventure its called "Soarin Over California". This is such a great addition to Epcot! I just wished it lasted twice as long!!
After "Soarin" we crossed over to Mexico to start our tour of World Showcase. We wanted to end the day by United Kingdom, where we had dinner reservations.
We saw a little bit of the Mariachi band playing before we entered the Mexican pavilion. Everyone but Paul rode the Mexico boat ride. He always likes to get a bean burrito from the counter service place. Then when everyone finished the ride the boys and Laura decided they wanted something to eat too so we waited for them to finish eating before moving on.
In Norway we rode the boat ride but made a quick exit before the movie. We checked out the viking ship, the grass and flowers growing on the rooftops and the church. We also saw a performance of Spelmanns Gledje, which was Norwegian folk music. Heidi wanted to eat a little bit in each country but the line for the counter service, although it wasn't that long, also didn't appear to be moving. After a few minutes of making no progress we gave up.
Laura was beginning to wilt so when we reached China, while everyone else saw the 360 degree movie in the round, I found a cool place for Laura to sit and rest. Inside the temple is a very good place to rest because its dark and cool. There's a lot to see in the adjoining area too, displays about Hong Kong Disneyland and such.
After the movie others decided to get something to eat in China. Jeff hadn't had much to eat in Mexico so he and I, and our friends ate. We got the fried rice with beef that was really good and filling and only $3.99! We then had only a few minutes until the Chinese children acrobats performed. They were so adorable. Its unbelievable how they do what they do! How can their little bodies do all those things!!! Wow!
The boys and Paul went on to Germany while the rest of us stopped at the African Outpost and the drum circle. We heard the story of how the cat came to live in our homes and played on the drums. It was fun.
Jeff & Mike have taken two years of German in school and were anxious to try out their speaking skills on a pretty German girl. It was so funny because when we caught up with them they said they now realize they don't speak German at all!!! Jeff said one girl spoke to him and she was so pretty he couldn't even reply!!! After buying some german chocolates we moved on to Italy, where we only stayed a few minutes and then the USA.
We rested and sat inside the cool pavilion and listened to the Voices of Liberty. They are great! We enjoyed the presentation inside the theater, well those of us who didn't sleep through it enjoyed it!!! After that we watched the Fife & Drum Corp. and all sang "God Bless America" with them.
Next came Japan, where we saw the Matsuriza drummers! They were awesome! There were two ladies and one man. Wow, what strength! It was very enjoyable!!!
After the drummers we saw a few minutes of the candy lady. She was making a candy panda bear and cub. She was very cute and funny. Laura liked her a lot. I wish we'd had more time to watch her. We'll have to make that a high priority next time!
We had to hurry past Morocco, France and the UK to get to Canada in time to see Off Kilter perform. In all our visits to Disney World we have never managed to see them! They were awesome! They totally rock!!!
After Off Kilter we backtracked a little bit to the UK to see the British Invasion. I didn't think they were very good. The boys and Paul are big Beatles fans and they thought the band was okay. Some songs were good and some were just okay.
We had a PS for Rose & Crown at 7:30. We debated whether to keep the reservation because their lower outdoor seating was closed due to rain. We were mainly eating here to have a good vantage point for Illuminations. They said they'd give us the best seating they could and we ended up getting very good seats! Our table was as close to the water as we could get without actually being outside. Dinner was good, our server was good, and getting 20% off with the DDE card was great!
Our server asked if we'd ever been to the United Kingdom. We said no, but I said we're seeing it now at Epcot! He said "oh, this is nothing like it really is." Nooooo, don't tell me that! I want to believe my beloved Epcot is perfect in every way!
After Illuminations we made our way back to the bus stop for our return trip to Pop. Laura was limping a little. Back in the room I noticed a bad rash on the top of her left foot and a little bit on her lower leg. She said it was painful and itchy and it hurt to put it in the water. Not sure what to do about it but it resembled a similar problem I'd had on my legs on a prior WDW trip. That knowledge made me a little less worried, but I was very concerned. Luckily tomorrow would be a slower day and she could take it easy.
We got ice cream at Pop and on our way back to the room saw some more of those huge bugs on the sidewalk! I had some bug spray I borrowed from my mom's house so I sprayed the ground outside of both our doors, hoping to prevent any unwanted creatures from entering! Yuck!
As I was falling asleep I remember thinking if I wasn't worried about Laura's foot, everything would be perfect!
Part 6 - Typhoon Lagoon & Disney Quest
