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 had a wake up call for 7:00 AM and right on schedule Mickey and Stitch were telling us it was time to get up! They don't have to tell me twice! I'd been up since 6:20!!! Laura and Heidi slept in our room last night so I held the phone to Heidi's ear so she could hear.
I walked down to Classic Hall to get our mugs filled, mainly so Laura could take her medicine. It made me smile as I passed all the "mug men" going to and fro!
I went down to the food court again a little before 8:00 to see if the cast members really do twist! It was so cute! Some of them really get into it and some of them look like they can't wait for it to end!!!
We all met at the bus stop to MGM. Our plan was to be at the bus stops around 8:00 each day for the 9:00 park openings, allowing for possible waits for buses. MGM is really close to Pop and we got on a bus quickly so we were there pretty early. There was a cute old man passing out stickers. He said he spoke several languages and had traveled the world. He was just a cutie and how wonderful that at Disney there's a job for everyone! I wonder what he did the rest of the day. I noticed as soon as the turnstiles opened he was outta there so he didn't get trampled!
Everyone headed to ToT followed by RnR. Last trip Laura got brave enough to ride RnR once and she got off in tears. This trip she was determined to do it again! I would have loved to go on these two rides with everyone but needed to get some FP. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. No, seriously I hate (and avoid) anything with drops. I know RnR doesn't drop necessarily but there's just no way!!!
I went to get FP for Little Mermaid but the FP return time was too early and they wouldn't be finished with RnR & ToT by then. So I went back and just got a bunch of FP for ToT and waited for everyone. Can I just say I love waiting (if its not in a line)! I really do! I know everyone is having fun doing something they want to do and I can soak up the atmosphere and spirit of Disney!
After everyone had their fill of being dangerously dropped from falling elevators and flying through Hollywood in out of control limos (which Laura loved this time), we went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Classic Disney! I love it!
We then got seated immediately for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire!" That was fun and the guy in the hot seat reminded us of Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite! The host (a lady) asked him what his favorite ride at Disney World was and he said "Soarin". She acted like she had no idea what he was talking about and he said "Soarin, its a ride over at Epcot!" None of us ever made it in the top 10, darn it.
After Millionaire we got FP for the 1:00 (first show) of Lights, Motor, Action. We went on the Backlot Tour while waiting for our FP return time. MM's sunglasses broke just before going on the ride!
The Backlot Tour was fun and we got a little taste of what was to come in LMA because we could see the stunt drivers rehearsing. (Actually, after seeing LMA myself, the few minutes of seeing the stunt drivers rehearse was just the right amount of time I'd like to devote to this new attraction.)
We got in the line for LMA that I swear started in Epcot. But at least it moved at a steady pace until we got into an area under the bleachers where it just stopped for about 10 minutes (seemed longer). We were all crammed in there and it was hot, totally not moving. There's got to be a better way.
We were seated for the show finally and it lasted 30 minutes. It was okay and the guys seemed to enjoy it the most but I wouldn't see it again. After about 15 minutes I was looking at my watch and thinking how much longer.
After LMA we wanted anything air conditioned and Muppets were close by and fit the bill. This is always a fun 3-D show.
It was time for our priority seating at 50's Prime Time Cafe! We love this place! We checked in and sat down in the living room to wait. I asked if we could please have a fun server because I've heard some aren't really into the fun but was told basically we get who we get when a table comes open for our party size. Well okay then.
After a short wait we got Aunt Elaine. She was a hoot! There was another diner in the next room (Ruben) who added to the spirit of the place by complaining his mashed potatoes were too lumpy or something! Aunt Elaine even had relatives in Utah! She was just so funny!!! All the food was really good. Prime Time Cafe has the best fried chicken anywhere. The boys got root beer floats and Laura got a peanut butter & jelly shake. I tasted it and wow, it was yummy! We had a little glitch with being charged for two more drinks than we had ordered but we got that straightened out, made sure we got our 20% DDE discount and were on our way.
We were trying to make the next (and last) showing of Indiana Jones. We made it just in time but had to sit far, far over to the right.
After that we went on the Great Movie Ride (gangster side). It was starting to rain a little so we found a couple of tables with umbrellas where we sat to rest and sort of watch the Stars and Motorcars parade. We thought we'd have a pretty good view but once people started lining up it was harder to see than we thought.
When the parade had passed we flew to Endor on Star Tours. We had a second day planned for MGM but that would be during Star Wars weekend. We knew that area would be busy, busy so made sure we went on Star Tours today. Paul and Laura sat this one out.
JM and I hurried to see Beauty and the Beast. We were late so we had to sit up in the bleachers way in the back after they dried them off from the rain. I love this show and it never fails to give me chills and a lump in my throat!
While we were watching the show the rest of the group went on RnR or ToT one more time.
The boys decided they wanted to go back to the hotel and before we knew it everyone was going back with a promise to return another night to see Fantasmic since we were going to miss it tonight. That's not a promise we'd end up keeping, unfortunately.
Some ended the day with swimming. I went for a walk around the resort and went back on the path by the lake. It was too dark to see anything but it was a nice little walk until I saw a huge, huge bug with wings that started to flutter them in a most un-Disney way. It scared the living crap outta me. So I went back home to my room!
It was another very good day.
Part 5 - Epcot
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 had a wake up call for 7:00 AM and right on schedule Mickey and Stitch were telling us it was time to get up! They don't have to tell me twice! I'd been up since 6:20!!! Laura and Heidi slept in our room last night so I held the phone to Heidi's ear so she could hear.
I walked down to Classic Hall to get our mugs filled, mainly so Laura could take her medicine. It made me smile as I passed all the "mug men" going to and fro!
I went down to the food court again a little before 8:00 to see if the cast members really do twist! It was so cute! Some of them really get into it and some of them look like they can't wait for it to end!!!
We all met at the bus stop to MGM. Our plan was to be at the bus stops around 8:00 each day for the 9:00 park openings, allowing for possible waits for buses. MGM is really close to Pop and we got on a bus quickly so we were there pretty early. There was a cute old man passing out stickers. He said he spoke several languages and had traveled the world. He was just a cutie and how wonderful that at Disney there's a job for everyone! I wonder what he did the rest of the day. I noticed as soon as the turnstiles opened he was outta there so he didn't get trampled!
Everyone headed to ToT followed by RnR. Last trip Laura got brave enough to ride RnR once and she got off in tears. This trip she was determined to do it again! I would have loved to go on these two rides with everyone but needed to get some FP. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. No, seriously I hate (and avoid) anything with drops. I know RnR doesn't drop necessarily but there's just no way!!!
I went to get FP for Little Mermaid but the FP return time was too early and they wouldn't be finished with RnR & ToT by then. So I went back and just got a bunch of FP for ToT and waited for everyone. Can I just say I love waiting (if its not in a line)! I really do! I know everyone is having fun doing something they want to do and I can soak up the atmosphere and spirit of Disney!
After everyone had their fill of being dangerously dropped from falling elevators and flying through Hollywood in out of control limos (which Laura loved this time), we went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Classic Disney! I love it!
We then got seated immediately for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire!" That was fun and the guy in the hot seat reminded us of Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite! The host (a lady) asked him what his favorite ride at Disney World was and he said "Soarin". She acted like she had no idea what he was talking about and he said "Soarin, its a ride over at Epcot!" None of us ever made it in the top 10, darn it.
After Millionaire we got FP for the 1:00 (first show) of Lights, Motor, Action. We went on the Backlot Tour while waiting for our FP return time. MM's sunglasses broke just before going on the ride!
The Backlot Tour was fun and we got a little taste of what was to come in LMA because we could see the stunt drivers rehearsing. (Actually, after seeing LMA myself, the few minutes of seeing the stunt drivers rehearse was just the right amount of time I'd like to devote to this new attraction.)
We got in the line for LMA that I swear started in Epcot. But at least it moved at a steady pace until we got into an area under the bleachers where it just stopped for about 10 minutes (seemed longer). We were all crammed in there and it was hot, totally not moving. There's got to be a better way.
We were seated for the show finally and it lasted 30 minutes. It was okay and the guys seemed to enjoy it the most but I wouldn't see it again. After about 15 minutes I was looking at my watch and thinking how much longer.
After LMA we wanted anything air conditioned and Muppets were close by and fit the bill. This is always a fun 3-D show.
It was time for our priority seating at 50's Prime Time Cafe! We love this place! We checked in and sat down in the living room to wait. I asked if we could please have a fun server because I've heard some aren't really into the fun but was told basically we get who we get when a table comes open for our party size. Well okay then.
After a short wait we got Aunt Elaine. She was a hoot! There was another diner in the next room (Ruben) who added to the spirit of the place by complaining his mashed potatoes were too lumpy or something! Aunt Elaine even had relatives in Utah! She was just so funny!!! All the food was really good. Prime Time Cafe has the best fried chicken anywhere. The boys got root beer floats and Laura got a peanut butter & jelly shake. I tasted it and wow, it was yummy! We had a little glitch with being charged for two more drinks than we had ordered but we got that straightened out, made sure we got our 20% DDE discount and were on our way.
We were trying to make the next (and last) showing of Indiana Jones. We made it just in time but had to sit far, far over to the right.
After that we went on the Great Movie Ride (gangster side). It was starting to rain a little so we found a couple of tables with umbrellas where we sat to rest and sort of watch the Stars and Motorcars parade. We thought we'd have a pretty good view but once people started lining up it was harder to see than we thought.
When the parade had passed we flew to Endor on Star Tours. We had a second day planned for MGM but that would be during Star Wars weekend. We knew that area would be busy, busy so made sure we went on Star Tours today. Paul and Laura sat this one out.
JM and I hurried to see Beauty and the Beast. We were late so we had to sit up in the bleachers way in the back after they dried them off from the rain. I love this show and it never fails to give me chills and a lump in my throat!
While we were watching the show the rest of the group went on RnR or ToT one more time.
The boys decided they wanted to go back to the hotel and before we knew it everyone was going back with a promise to return another night to see Fantasmic since we were going to miss it tonight. That's not a promise we'd end up keeping, unfortunately.
Some ended the day with swimming. I went for a walk around the resort and went back on the path by the lake. It was too dark to see anything but it was a nice little walk until I saw a huge, huge bug with wings that started to flutter them in a most un-Disney way. It scared the living crap outta me. So I went back home to my room!
It was another very good day.
Part 5 - Epcot
