WDW Veterans Seeking Virgin Experiences (now complete)

[LYNSUE]

I am not sure exactly how many trips we have taken to WDW. It may be around a dozen or so. So I thought this trip report I would highlight the things that were firsts for us (hence, virgin experiences). It might get more difficult each trip to find new experiences, but Disney seems to do a good job of constantly changing and adding things. Our travel dates were from
5-16 to 5-22 and we stayed at Saratoga Springs Resort. SSR is our home resort as we are DVC members.

Tuesday 5-16-06 is the day before we actually travel. I worked until 2:05pm, went home to do the last minute packing, check the house, say good bye to the kids (both adults still living at home!) and all those crazy things that we check and recheck prior to leaving on any vacation. We had cash and park tickets... What more did we need? DH and I left the house at 3:45pm to drive to Milwaukee, WI. Our flight was leaving the next day at 7:00am. We usually drive down the night before expecially in the winter time. It is about a 2 hour drive from our home. As luck would have it, the Brewers were at home that night, so we caught the game at 7:00pm. Since it was the official start of our vacation, we got extra good seats. It was a great game that the Brewers won in the bottom of the 9th inning. We stayed at our usual hotel, Super 8 right near the airport (about a five minute drive). They have a great deal on a room and parking at $88.00. We turned the lights out about 11:30pm. We planned on getting up at 4:30am. We did not set the alarm or order a wake up call. I never sleep the night before we travel and besides I have a great internal alarm clock that allows me to wake up whatever time I tell it to.

No virgin experiences for this day. It was all very very routine. I love this point in the vacation when there is so very much to look forward to. The anticipation is exhilarating.

 

[LYNSUE]

Wednesday 5-17-06

As normal, on vacation eve, I got very little sleep. We got up at 4:30am and caught the 5:30am shuttle to the airport. We were at our gate by 6:00am. Check-in was ok. The airport seem crowded for that early in the morning. It must be the time of year we are traveling.

Virgin Experience #1. This is the first time we have gone to WDW during the month of May. Also the first time we have celebrated our wedding anniversary at the world. The actual anniversary was the 14th, and the main reason for the trip. We were concerned about high temps in May. Also the extended forecast predicted some storms. The first two day at WDW, the temps were perfect, the next three were very hot in the mid 90's and the last day was a little cooler. We never got a drop of rain the entire time we were there. So over-all the weather was ok. The weather reports on TV during our stay did say that the temperatures were unusually high for mid May.

Anyway, back to the airport.... Like I said, the gate at the airport was crowded so we were surrounded by lots of people and of course lots of kids. There were two woman traveling with a group of six children. The children were excited, but pretty well behaved. One boy in the group, I would say he was about 8 years old, was sitting very quietly playing his gameboy. He looked rather tired and you could tell he wanted to be left alone. Well this child's mother was extremely hyper and she kept nagging the kids to line up for pictures. The tired boy did not want too and he told her so. She kept nagging him to get his picture taken until she made him cry. Then at that point she loudly told the child that his behavior was causing her to be a B***h. I felt so sorry for this boy. It was all I could do not to tell mom to chill out. I know I should not judge the situation on such a brief moment, but come on mom, be the adult!

Our flight boarded and took off on time 7:00am. It was a very smooth ride and I actually rested some during the flight. No unusual people to report on. We arrived in Orlando as scheduled 10:30am. We still have the greater part of the day to spend in the world.

Once again we used DME for transportation. We have always had good luck with the ride and the bags arriving. As I said, our flight landed at 10:30 and we were at the DME check-in counter at 11:00, on the bus at 11:06 and departed the airport at 11:12. You can't beat that for service. The bus would make three stops, SSR, Fort Wilderness, and OKW. We were lucky to be the first stop so we were in the SSR check-in line at 11:45. There was a small line to check in. We were in our room by 12:15.

Now I have to tell you about a rookie mistake made by a veteran! When making our reservation, I had requested the Springs area of SSR since it is very close to the main building. Upon check in, there was a room in the Springs section but it was not ready yet. However, there was a room available in the Paddock. I knew that the Paddock was a bit far away as we had stayed there before. But the last time, there was a quite pool and a bus stop about 30 steps from our studio door. So I made the choice to take the available room in the Paddock based on that reasoning. However, I failed to ask the CM what the room # was and to see the map of its location. Big mistake! They have now added more buildings in the Paddock and our room #6112 was very far from the main building as expected, but also very far from the quite pool, hot tub and bus stop. I was very disappointed, but it was my own fault! I beat myself up for about 30 minutes and then decided I am very lucky to be at Disney and I would stop fretting about the location of the room.

We were at the bus stop by 12:25 heading to Epcot. Of course every other park bus came by except Epcot. Epcot bus finally arrived at 12:47 and we were at the park at 1:05pm

Virgin Experience #2. We are now proud annual pass holders! We took our vouchers to the customer service window at Epcot where they were exchanged for the actual park ticket. Silly, but I was very excited about this. Just think, we will have to get as much use out of that ticket in the next 12 months as possible. Also with our DVC discount, the annual pass was actually $30 less than the 10 day park hopper/no expiration ticket that we usually get. Great deal!!

Virgin Experience #3. Our first time dining at Alfredos in Italy. We made it to the restaurant right on time for our ADR at 1:30. Alfredos is the only table service restaurant in World Showcase that we have not tried. We waited only 5 min for our table.

Virgin Experience #4. We purchased the dining plan! This was one of the best things we could have done. I no longer worried about the prices while ordering. I just got what I wanted. I agree with other posters, it is a lot of food. But you know you don't have to order all three courses. I don't eat desserts, so there were many meals that I just skipped it. I still feel that I got more than my money's worth. Although some days I was encouraged to order my dessert by DH and he would eat two desserts.

Anyway... The food at Alfredos was excellent. I would highly recommend it. Sure glad I didn't let any bad reviews stop me from trying it. DH had salad, the italian trio with ziti, lasagne, and tortellini in cream sauce. His dessert was orange creme brulee. I had the tomato and mozz cheese plate, Italian Sausage over Tuscan beans and for dessert (DH ate it) was choc cake with cream cheese. Of course we left there stuffed. The total bill was $76.00 plus an extra $5 left for a tip. This one meal covered the cost of our dining plan for the entire day. So like I said, it's a great deal. As mentioned in other posts, the restaurant was noisey and the tables are close together. We were exactly 12 inches from the couple at the table next to us.

We waddled out of Alfredos and took note of the perfect weather. 74* with a little breeze.

So with 4 virgin experiences in this post, I really need a rest! This report will continue in this same thread.

 

[LYNSUE]

Wednesday 5-17-06 continued.....

I left you last with us waddling out of Alfredos. We watched a street show in Italy that was a mime/clown/juggler type. It was very entertaining and as always they get the crowd involved.

We then went to Future World to try Soarin. Another rookie type mistake for a veteran. The wait time was 80 min and the FP return time was 4:30. We did not plan on being in Epcot that late since there is new exciting stuff at Animal Kingdom just waiting for us. So from the Land, we went to Innoventions to check out this free photo with Characters sponsered by my Disney Visa.

Virgin Experience #5. DH and I have never had a posed photo taken with characters. We waited in a small line and when we got in there we found Mickey, Pluto and Donald. They were all very cute and the photographer took three poses. Mickey kept making kissing noises in my ear. We stopped at the Epcot photo center on the way out and choose our photo. We had it shipped to our resort. The best part is it was free for a nice 5x7 picture.

We left Epcot to catch a bus to the AK. There was an AK bus waiting for us at the stop and about 50 people in line. We assumed we would have to wait for the next bus. Well as it turned out, the 50 people were in a group and they wanted to wait for the next bus so they could all go together. They let us pass them up and we were on our way. We did see the group later at AK.

We arrived at AK about 4:00. The parade was going on. We have never seen the parade at AK mostly because we are not parade kind of people. We did view it somewhat as we were fighting our way through the parade crowd. I really cannot count this as a VE (virgin experience) since we really didn't stop to watch.

Of course we were headed for Asia to ride EE. We ended up taking the path through Dinoland which worked well. It was impossible to go around the other way because of the parade. When we arrived at EE, the wait was 50 min and the FP's were gone for the day.

Virgin Experience #6. We were more than willing to wait the 50 min to ride EE. We wanted to see the much talked about que area in the daylight. It was a very nice stroll. The excitement level in the line was very high. I absolutely loved the ride and so did DH. When the coaster goes backwards in the dark was my favorite part. What an amazing sensation. We actually went back through the line and did EE again. The second time was about a 40 min wait. Well worth it. (THIS WAS OUR MOST EXCITING VE OF THE TRIP) It was extended hours at AK so the park was open until 9:00

After that we did the River Raft two times. The second time we did not even have to get out of the raft. I did wear a rain slick. When exiting the ride I offered the slightly used rain slick to people waiting. A woman actually took it from me. Then over to Dinoland to do Dinosaur. We always wonder why we do this ride once it's over. It it very loud and jerky. But I guess you have to do it once each trip. Then TTBAB. We exited the park with our goal being to reach DTD.

We decided to take whatever resort bus was there. It happened to be CBR. We rode to CBR and got off at the first bus stop which was Jamaica. We sat on the bench and waited about 30 seconds for a DTD bus. DH was very proud of that since this transportation plan was his idea and it worked so very well. We got off the DTD bus at the Market Place. We were going to attempt to have dinner at Earl of Sandwich.

Virgin Experience #7 Dinner at Earl of Sandwich. This place was a zoo. The CM's working the counter looked tired and frazzled. They could barely hear our order because the place was so packed. After ordering, I went to find a table while DH waited for the food. It was a struggle, but I found one. We both had the Caribbean Jerk Chicken sandwich. It was very good. Since I am a potato lover, I had to try the potato salad. A whole $1.10 out of pocket. But it was worth it. The dining plan also includes non-alcoholic drinks and of course dessert. We both had a large Choc Chip Cookie. DH ate his and I took mine back to the room. The food was good, but the atmosphere was hectic. I would really like to try it again. Total bill was $18.00 for this counter service meal.

We caught a boat from the Market Place back to SSR arriving about 10:00pm. It was a long day but a productive day.

 

[LYNSUE]

Double post, deleted with permission from OP!

 

[OhMari]

Hi, fellow Wisconsite here. Are you from the Appleton area or where? I saw you flew out of Milwaukee. I am trying to get a decent fare for next April with Midwest, or NWA for about the same time. The fare keeps increasing, but I am watching.

You made a double post, either you can go in and edit it or I can, let me know?

OhMari
Co-moderator Trip Reports

(If you are from the Appleton area, I live on 41, south of FDL by all the road construction).

 

[TLinden16]

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Saratoga is huge! I stayed there for one night last year, and my building was probably a good 10-15 minute walk from the main building.

 

[LYNSUE]

OhMari

Thank you for the reply. Sorry about the double post. Would you please edit it for me. I am not exactly sure how to do that.

I have seen your signature many times showing Lomira, WI. Made me very curious about another DisBoard fan so close by.

We always fly Northwest. DH is the flight price guru. In fact we really were not planning on going in May unless he could find a fare under $200. DH gets e-mail alerts from Northwest on low fares. One came through at $190, so we just had to go. The low fares are rare now with the gas prices.

Our home town is a small berg (Shiocton about 900 people) just 20 min from Appleton. In fact DH works in Appleton. I work in Little Chute. I know exactly where all the road construction is on HWY 41 as we travel to Milwaukee very often. We are big Brewer fans.

I will wave next time I drive by.

 

[LYNSUE]

TLinden16

I consider it an honor that you replied to my post. I find your TR's so very interesting. I love to read them. You find the most interesting characters (and I don't mean disney characters). Just unusual people.

I hope to someday meet you in person at JellyRolls. We will be staying a few nights in October at BWV. Maybe then?

 

[cherokeemamma]

Greetings from GA!
I am really enjoying your TR.
My family ate at Alfredos last year and we loved it as well. I was thinking of cancelling our ADRs for Sept since I had also read many bad reviews (my DS would be soooo sad) but your review confirmed it for me...we keeping em'!
I am also looking forward to EE.

Looking forward to the rest....

 

[LYNSUE]

Thursday 5-18-06.

Up at 7:00am. Wanted to make early entry at MK. Had breakfast in the room and we were at the bus stop by 7:45. (did I mention it was a very long walk to the bus stop...grrrr) But wait, I forgot, I am no longer beating myself up about that. We waited 10 min for the MK bus so we did not get there until 8:15 so we missed the opening. We have seen it before, so it was not a big deal. And besides, you miss the hugh cattlelike rush through the gate and onto Main Street. The weather was perfect....Life was good.

We did Buzz 2X and then some of Fantasyland. We actually walked on the Pooh ride with no wait. Next was Liberty Square for HM and Hall of Presidents. (just a small nap was taken during the president's performance).

We then walked back through the castle.

Virgin Experience #8 I was determined to find Cinderella's wishing well. Read about it on these boards many times, but never stopped to look for it. We tried on our own for a bit, but could not find it. So contrary to DH's male beliefs, we asked for directions. It was simple to find and we had actually passed by it once in our search. It was a very pretty area and we each through a coin in to make a wish. Mine was more of a statement, as I just was thankful for the opportunity to be at WDW.

We had an early lunch at Columbia HH. We eat there often and it is always very good. I had the fish and DH had a sandwich/soup combo. With drinks and dessert,(grapes were an option for dessert, so I took that) the total bill was $20. Love the dining plan. We wandered down Main Street and rode the train the entire loop. We left the MK at about 1:30. We waited about 30 min for the bus back to SSR.

We stopped at the SSR store/food service area to pick up the photo we had shipped there the day before. I am really unimpressed with Artist Palette. The All-Stars food courts are superior in my opinion. I hope they make some improvements to it soon. We then headed back to the room for a rest.

Virgin Experience #9. Dinner was at Captain Jacks in DTD. They do not take reservations, so we knew we would need to be there early. We arrived there a little after 5:00pm and were seated right away. This place rocks! We were seated at a table by the windows and we had a lovely view of the water. Again I am glad I did not pay too much attention to bad reviews. We both had the crab cakes for an appetizer. For an entree, DH had steak and I had the twin lobster tails. DH had dessert, but I really don't remember what. I was still to busy basking in the remaining glow of my twin lobster tails. All the food was fantastic. I could not believe that the lobster was included in the dining plan. I asked twice just to make sure. I think Captain Jacks is possibly the only place that does include lobster. My entree alone was $31.00! Talk about maximizing the dining plan. We absolutely did that at this restaurant. DH did have a glass of wine for an OOP expense of $8.00. As with all of our table service dinners, we left extra for a tip. The total bill for the dinner items included in the dining plan was $99.92. We were once again rolling out of the restaurant very happy. (This dining experience was our second best VE. As you recall, EE was the first). Just a note on our travel to DTD. The Market Place end of DTD was just a short walk from our building at SSR. It was nice to discover this.

After dinner, we took a boat from DTD to OKW.

Virgin Experience #10. We had never been to OKW before. We wanted to check out this resort as we will be staying there during our October visit. It was very nice and I loved the beautiful landscape. We will probably request building 13 or 14 for our October visit. And if I'm lucky enough to get it, I will stick with the location.

We then went to the bus stop at OKW with the intention of going back to MK. It was extra magic hours. However, the Epcot bus came first so we got on that one instead. Gotta have some spontaneity in your life. And besides, we all know how crowed extra evening hours at MK can be. Once we arrived at Epcot, we did Spaceship Earth and then Soarin with a 30min wait. Then onto the American Theater in World Showcase and saw the Tokens perform their 8:15 show. They did the original version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonignt". They are a bit of a "one hit wonder". This show was part of the Flower and Garden Fesitval activities at Epcot. These guys were great. I was very entertained and so glad the Epcot bus got to OKW first. I would not have wanted to miss it.

We left Epcot during Illuminatons. I know some of you just don't understand how we can do this. I must regretfully admit, Illuminations is not our favorite. When we got to the bus stop, our SSR bus was waiting and we were back home (at SSR) at 9:40.

Today was a rather relaxing day. A much needed relaxing day.

VE count is 10

 

[OhMari]

I edited your double post.

I think I will try Captain Jack's when we go in April. I am making my husband take a vacation-he works for Michel's Corporation-they do Quarry Quest in Neenah. My husband runs the whole yard down in Brownsville and he works insane hours taking care of all equipment, employees, etc. I'm not telling him of all my plans, just that everything will be paid for. We haven't had a vacation in 4 years.

Enjoying your report.

 

[LYNSUE]

Sometimes these guys don't even realize how much they need a vacation. You are a good spouse for pointing this out to him. You go girl....and suprise the heck out of DH with all of your plans.

 

[LYNSUE]

Friday 5-19-06

Once again we had snack type breakfast in the room. At 8:20 we went to the far away bus stop and waited 25 minutes for the MGM bus. It was definately hotter today, so the wait seemed extra long. We arrived at MGM at 9:15. It was Star Wars weekend which made things a little crowded. The extra characters around MGM were very interesting. There were storm troopers on top of the entrance and also roaming some of the streets. Several people on the bus to MGM were also in costume. This was our first visit during Star Wars weekend, so count that as Virgin Experience #11.

First we got a fast pass for TOT and then we did TOT 2X. There was really no wait in standby. Then over to RRC which we only did once. Then back to TOT to use our FP.

At 11:30 we stopped for lunch at the Studio Catering Company. It was just ok counter service. I'm not a big fan of counter service meals. That is one draw back of the DDP for me. I am forced to eat counter service. We both had the Chicken Ceasar Wrap and a bottle of water. Dessert was one fruit eclair and one panna cotta (custard type thing). The total cost was $25.00. I never would have paid that much out of pocket for the quality of the food we received there. MGM is notorious for poor quality counter service meals. I do have to count this as Virgin Experience #12. This is certainly our least favorite VE.

After lunch we did Muppets, GMR and Beauty & Beast. We got into BATB only a few minutes before it started. I did get to see the last few minutes of Four for a Dollar. What I heard was very good. Like the parade in AK, I cannot count Four for a Dollar as a new experience since I only caught the end of it. We will save that for next time. I thought we had pretty good seats considering we entered the show a little late. However, there was a family behind us, mom dad and a 2 year old boy. Dad must not have been very interested in the show since he had a loud cell phone conversation during the first 10 minutes of the show. Several people turned around and gave him looks, but he couldn't care less. Absolutely rude! To top it off, the child sitting on mom's lap and leaning forward on the back of our seats kept screaming in this high pitched tone. I could not tell if the child was happy or unhappy. It was just annoying. Mom did nothing to stop the screaming. So this lovely family really ruined the B&B show for us. I could not wait to get out of there.

We did one afternoon show of the Millionaire. Now Millionaire is DH's favorite and we play it many times each visit to MGM. We both usually make a showing in the top ten and DH has been in the hot seat on two previous visits Because it was Star Wars weekend, the two morning shows were all StarWars related questions. DH was not interested in that. But the afternoon and evening shows were just regular questions. So the one show we did see that afternoon was fun but neither one of us did very well. We need to get warmed up a little and then we do better in the later shows.

After Millionaire, (about 3:30) we took the slow boat ride to Epcot. We waited in a rather lengthy line to see Turtle Talk w/Crush. I really like this show because it is different each time. I was amazed how many people actually fit in that small looking theater. Even if the wait seems long, do this show, you won't be sorry.

Dinner ADR's were for Coral Reef in the Living Seas. It has been years since we ate here. The atmosphere is unbeatable, but the food is still mediocre. The total for dinner was $106.00. (thank goodness this was on the dining plan). The best part was the dessert which I only had a bite of. My entree was flounder fillets with a sauce and augratin potatos. I have made much better flounder at home. The potatos were ok. I would have rather had two servings of the potatos and skipped the fish. DH had mahi-mahi which he said was ok. For an appetizer I had cream of mushroom soup and that was pretty good. The portions were small and really lacked presentation. I can only describe it as very blah! I really hate to trash a restaurant, so please note that this is just my opinion. I don't want to scare anyone off of their ADR.

After dinner we did the boat ride in the Land, imagination ride, HISTA. After that we walked to the Boardwalk to ESPN Club. We wanted to catch some of the Brewers/Twins baseball game. There was a long line outside the door on the left for people waiting for tables. The line on the right for just sitting in the bar area was non-existant. So we entered the bar and found a tv with the Brewer game. The bar was extremely crowded due to playoff basketball. We were lucky to find a bar stool to sit on. Forget about a table. DH went to the bar and got himself a drink and brought back some ice water for me. We were content enough to be able to see the baseball game. It was wall to wall people but most of them were watching the big screens with basketball. A young couple with a two year old (mom was about 8 months PG) came into the bar pushing a stroller. That was quite a trick pushing a stroller in that crowded bar. It was evident that mom was expecting a chair and considering her condition she really needed one. The family stood practically on top of a table of people who looked like they were finishing up. Others had had their eye on that table, but the new comers took it over first. Now the tables are the high ones that a stool is used at. Well mom got a waiter and asked for a high chair for the child. So the waiter manuvers back through the crowd with the high chair. They put the child in it and her head is still below the table top. It was kind of entertaining to watch. If it were me, at this point, I would have realized that this was a bad idea and left the bar. Why would you want your child and very pregnant wife in this noisy crowded bar. Thank goodness it wasn't smoky. People watching can be interesting.

About 10:00 the bar cleared out some and we were able to get a table. Since we didn't have much for dinner at Coral Reef, we decided to have some loaded nachos. We always feel guilty if we sit at a table and don't order anything. So the nachos eased our guilt. The game was getting out of hand so we left ESPN. We walked to the Boardwalk bus stop to catch a bus to DTD and then catch another bus to SSR. We waited about 20 min and then gave up and took a cab back to SSR. The cost was $12 including the tip. Well worth it.

Only two VE's today and one was very disappointing. What a shame to have two bad dining experiences in one day. What are the chances?

VE count 12

 

[LYNSUE]

Saturday 5-20-06

Up at 7:00 and had breakfast in the room again. Out to the bus stop by 8:15 and only had a 3 min wait for the AK bus. At AK by 8:30. We did EE four times in a row. The first three times we waited in line about 10 min each time. The fourth time was a fast pass. It was absolutely fun, fun, fun each time. DH and I decided four times in a row was enough. We were getting slightly woosie.

Next we got in line for the Safari ride. We were behind a young family with three children. Mom pushed a single stroller and Dad pushed a double stroller. The three children were very well behaved and polite. They talked to each other in quiet voices. At one point mom handed the oldest child a small bottle of water. He took a drink and politely passed it on to the next child. It was almost errie. When we got to the place where the strollers are parked, the oldest child got out and helped the younger kids get out of their stroller. After observing this for a while I commented about it to DH. He watched for a while and he also felt these kids were to good to be true. We came to the conclusion that the parents must have given the kids some cold medications before coming to the park. Just kidding! I actually did comment to the parents how well behaved the kids were. What a nice experience.

At 11:00 we went to Tuskar House for Lunch. The total cost was $25.00. The counter service food here is very good and the portions are hugh. I had the chicken sandwich and was very happy.

Virgin Experience #13. After lunch we went to see the Flights of Wonder Bird Show. Been to AK a few times but never saw this show. I am not that fond of birds. The show was very good and I am glad we stopped to see it. I have to confess that AK is our least favorite park. On more than one of our trips we skipped the AK entirely. DH considered it a glorified zoo and he does not like zoos. With the addition of EE, I think we will be visiting AK more often (twice already this trip). I really think the more we explore the park the more we will get to like it. It will never be like the MK, but then again it is not suppose to be!

After the bird show we left the park and caught a bus back to SSR. The SSR bus pulled up just as we were walking to the bus stop. We were very lucky with buses today. We went back to SSR to rest. The heat was oppressive today.

Virgin Experience #14. Golf reservations at Lake Buena Vista Golf Course. The course was adjacent to SSR so we we were able to walk there. DH had golfed at WDW many years ago when our kids were young teens. They did one of the smaller courses. I did a tour at Epcot while they golfed. But this was major adult golf at one of the best courses at Disney. DH would golf and for the small fee of just $15, they let me ride along in the cart. Our tee time was for 3:00 and we started right on time. We were teamed up with two other guys in their early thirties. One guy was a pretty good golfer and the other was about the same level as DH. Boy were those two other guys relieved when they found out I was just along for the ride. Both guys were very nice and I did enjoy the course with them. The course was absolutely beautiful. It ran all through OKW and part of SSR. The OKW part was more developed and better landscaped. SSR part was still growing. The players on the course were moving very slow and we had to wait at every tee. It was nice to zip around in the golf cart because the breeze felt good on this hot day. The cost to golf after 3:00 is just $25 which is a good deal. DH was not able to finish all 18 holes since we had an ADR for 8:00. We would have finished on time if the course hadn't been so slow that day. We left with three holes remaining. We rode back to the club house to turn in the equipment. The guy in the clubhouse offered us a complimentary cab ride to where ever we wanted to go. DH was very impressed with that. I am sure we will be golfing again in October.

Virgin Experience #15. We had the cab take us to the Contempory for our ADR at Concourse Steakhouse. We were actually a little early since we were figuring an hour for transportation from the golf course. But the cab ride cut the travel time down considerably. We checked in at the restaurant and had time to do a little shopping. I purchased three charms for my Italian charm bracelett. All disney charms of course. They make a nice addition to the bracelett. Our ADR was for 8:00 and we were called into the restaurant at 8:03. Of course we both had steak since we were at a steak house. I had fillet mignon and DH had prime rib. I did order the shrimp skewer on the side and also mushrooms for my steak. The mushrooms were a little garlicy. I had also ordered a sugar free anniversary cake through Disney Private Dining as this dinner was our anniversary celebration. The food was good but not great. I think being out in the heat all afternoon at the golf course did not really help our appetites. We really had way too much food. I think on a better day, I would have appreciated the food a little more. The total bill was about $100 and it was worth it. The waitress was very nice and included the shrimp skewer and mushrooms in the dining plan since we didn't get dessert. I had already prepaid for the anniversary cake. I would definately give the Concourse Steakhouse another try.

We took the monorail to MK to catch Wishes at 10:00. As always the fireworks was fantastic. We had a 20 min wait for the bus back to SSR. Yes we left with the masses after the fireworks. It was pretty hectic, but I have seen worse.

This was the second day in a row that we did not use our snack credits. We have some catching up to do on the snack credits.

VE count 15.

 

[OhMari]

I know for sure my husband won't go in the Flights of Wonder Show. You should see him at the Milwaukee CO. Zoo, he just about sprints through the bird house, we find him all the time sitting outside waiting for us everytime we go down there. I like the comments about your Dining Plan, I can't wait to try it next April.
OhMari
aka Marisa

 

[LYNSUE]

Sunday 5-21-06

I woke up at 7:00am. The heat and the running around were starting to catch up with us. So we layed around until about 7:50. That's when my mom called to just say hi. I talked to her for about 15 min and she let me know how things were going back at home. We were finally ready to leave the room about 8:30. It was still really hot today so we were going to take it easy. On this wonderful Sunday morning we discovered another bus stop that was actually a little closer to our building. We had been using the Paddock bus stop. The newly discovered stop was Congress Park. We actually had to cross a lawn area and a paved road to get there but it was closer. Why didn't we look at our resort map, or why didnt the CM who checked us in mention this. For goodness sake, will I ever let it go???? As we were walking to the bus stop we saw the MGM bus approching. We actually ran (in the heat) to catch the bus. The driver was very kind to wait for us.

We got off the bus at MGM and walked (slowly) to the Dolphin.

Virgin Experience #16 Breakfast at Fresh in the Dolphin. This restaurant is not on the dining plan. The total cost for two buffets was $40.00. I know it seems expensive but the breakfast was very nice. I am reluctant to call it a buffet. There are some items that you just put on your plate, but all of the hot items are prepared "fresh" while you wait. Eggs any style, omletes with a wide choice of items to add in, pancakes, waffles and french toast all prepared to order as you watch them cook it. There was a meat carving station where they had rotissari turkey, ham and a chicken sausage. There were also breakfast potatos at this station. It was all very good. Toast, juice and milk can be ordered at your table. First time through the line, I put breakfast potatos on my plate and ordered two eggs over medium and had the chef put the eggs right on top of the potatos. I also tried the chicken sausage. Loved it all. The second time through I had to try the carved turkey (never had turkey for breakfast before, very mini VE). DH enjoyed all of the above plus some very tasty danish. I give this place Also this was our first breakfast of the trip that we ate out. All prior were just a snack/breakfast in the room. I'm sure that made it taste even better.

After breakfast we took the boat back to Epcot. We got a fast pass for Sorin and used 2 snack credits for water. Did I mention it was still hot? Next we went to guest services to change our dinner ADR. We were scheduled for Ohanas. After the large breakfast we just had, Ohanas no longer seemed that appealing. Too much heavy meat. So we changed dinner to Chef De France 8:00pm.

Did TT 2x. We did the single rider line both times. Both times DH and I were in the same vehicle with one in front and one in back. The first ride, we were with a group of four people from our home state. I mentioned the name of our home town (which is very small). The lady knew exactly where it was since she grew up in the next town over, just 9 miles away from us. It truely is a small world after all.

As part of the Flower & Garden celebration at Epcot, there was a special display called Minnie's Butterfly Garden. Virgin Experience #17. We toured the garden. It was very small and very crowded. Nice, but I don't ever have to see it again. Yes, there were a lot of butterflys.
Next we did Universe of Energy. Nice cool place to take a nap. And I did snooze through a lot of it. Then we did Sorin with our FP.

At 2:40 we left for MGM. Did TOT and then 2 Millionaires in a row. The second show DH got in the hot seat. He missed the 16,000 point question which was a disney question. "In what Disney movie is the line "you will not see your mother again" spoken. He used the 50/50 and narrowed it down to Bambi and Dumbo. I knew the correct answer all along, but I just could not cheat and signal him the answer. (although it crossed my mind). So anyway he used the call a complete stranger option and the woman said 100% certain it was Dumbo. I knew she was sooooooo wrong. So DH said Dumbo and of course it was wrong. Oh well, that was his third time in the Hot Seat. Maybe he will do better next time. So once you get in the hot seat there is no reason to play any more games. You can't be in the hot seat again for 30 days. So we were free to leave MGM. If he had not got in the hot seat, we would have stayed for the rest of the shows. (heck, we might still be there).

At 5:15 we took the boat back to Epcot. We wandered around a while and then went to our ADR in France about an hour early. They had no problem taking us early. The total bill here was $85.00. I had the potato wrapped cod and DH had I can't remember what? I have to tell you, it seems that the meals we have later in the vacation get poorer reviews than those meals early in the vacation. I just get plain sick of restaurant food and actually crave a home cooked meal. So any time I read dining reviews on the Disboard, I always try to determine at what point in the vacation the meal was. If it's near the end of vacation and the review is mediocre or poor, I really take this factor into consideration. Chef De France was good. My timing was just bad. Also, at this point in the trip I was getting homesick. I know, ridiculous for a grown woman to be homesick, but it happens to me. I was missing my kids. That definately had an effect on the food review.

After dinner we went back to the American Garden Theater and saw the 8:15 show of BJ Thomas. He did a good job but boy does he show his age. Well the MK was having extra evening hours and would be open until 1:00am. All during the planning we had every intention of being there until late. But instead we just left Epcot and went back to SSR. We did not want to fight any more crowds. (talk about showing your age). The bus was waiting for us when we got to the bus stop. Back at SSR we did some packing as we were leaving the next day. I was having a wonderful time but I was ready to go home also. (see above paragraph). It's easier to go home when you know your coming back in just five months. That's the beauty of DVC ownership.

VE count 17

 

[LYNSUE]

Monday 5-22-06

This is our departure day.... but our flight was not leaving until 6:30pm so we have some hours to play in the parks yet. Got up at 6:50am and finished packing. Same old breakfast in the room again. At least we had some left-over anniversary cake to enjoy today. Had that along with the last of the milk. Having a DVC studio is great. We did make use of the mini kitchenette area. We gathered all of our belongings and made the long walk to the main building at SSR. It has a fancy name something like the Carriage House. It is very nice. The temp is lower today and there is a little breeze. I am enjoying that. So we checked our airport luggage and attempted to get boarding passes printed. The CM behind the counter was not able to get them to print. This made us very nervous only because we had had a very bad airport experience back in March at O'hare in Chicago. It involved us not being able to print boarding passes before we left home but we assumed every thing would be fine at the airport. Well it was not and we had a very tramatic experience. No way do I ever want to repeat that. So we gave our carry-on bags to SSR to hold and decided we would hope for the best.

We went to the bus stop to wait for the MK bus. We only waited about 5 min and got to MK at 8:40. So we had 20 min to spare before the opening. We had seen the opening before, but it is always nice to see it again. While we were waiting we were witness to this lovely couple each pushing a stroller. They literally used the strollers as weapons to work their way to the front of the crowd. I have no idea how far back they started from but they were making steady progress. There were a lot of rude excuse me's and heavy sighing if people did not get out of their way fast enough. Mom lead the raid with Dad trailing behind with a sheepish look on his face. I was astounded that someone would actually do this. Not one person, including myself, had enough courage to stop them and just say no.

Remember me telling you that the previous evening the MK was open until 1am. Well we all know the morning after extra magic hours is the best time to go to that park. This theory held very true this morning at MK. We walked on everything in Fantasyland. Then did the HM with a 5min wait. We had 4 snack credits left and they needed to be used. So DH had an ice cream bar. We then had a 5min wait for splash mountain. Next was thunder mountain 2X. We stopped and got a FP for Buzz.

We also had counter service credits left. We stopped at Cosmic Rays for burgers. Although I am not fond of counter service, Cosmic Rays is not too bad. We did catch a glimpse of Sonny Eclipse but only briefly. The total cost was $25. That was the last of our dining credits except for 3 snack credits. We saw an amusing contrast in parenting skills while we dined. Couple A went to the counter with their three year old and asked the child what do you want. The child choose something that was not on the childrens menu for the dining plan. Of course when Dad said you can't have that, the child through a fit. Now couple B went to the counter and said to their child do you want X or Y. Both of the items offered to the child were on the childrens menu. So the child still had a choice but the parents knew there would be no disappointed tantrums. Couple B was very wise. For some reason this amused me.

I will continue our last day later this evening.....

 

[LYNSUE]

Monday 5-22-06 continued....

After lunch we rode Buzz with our fast pass. I really really suck at Buzz. On our way to Adventureland, DH stopped to get a DoleWhip.
Virgin Experience #18. I did have a few bites of DoleWhip and it was wonderful. Can't believe I did not try any before. Besides we had those darn snack credits to use. We are down to two snack credits now. This day was turning into a total junk food day. Oh, and it gets worse! We rode the Jungle Cruise and that turned out to be our last ride at MK. We started walking toward Main Street and on our way we passed by Casey's. A trip to WDW would not be complete without a Casey's hotdog. We thought maybe a hotdog would be considered a snack. No such luck, but we got the hotdogs anyway. We did use one snack credit for a bottle of water, so we were down to one remaining. After the hotdogs we were really stuffed.

We left the MK at 1:30. DME would be picking us up at 3:30 (three hours ahead of your flight) Because you can never be sure on transportation time, we left a full two hours to get back to SSR.

We waited for our SSR bus for about 15 min. When we got to the bus stop, there was a lady and her young son. We chatted for a while and then I noticed she had a lime green mickey head sticker. I asked about the DisBoards. Turns out I was chatting with FRAN9999. We had a very nice time waiting for the bus. FRAN9999, hope you had a wonderful time on your three day cruise. We were back to SSR by 2:15.

We collected our carry-on luggage and waited in the nice cool lounge. This is located right next to the check in area at SSR. I went to the SSR food court to see if I might be able to use the last snack credit. I found a mickey rice krispie bar which I brought home. While I was doing that, DH went to the SSR counter to see if he could get those boarding passes printed. This time the CM knew what she was doing and they printed. I was very relieved. We still had a little time to kill before the DME bus was to arrive, so we just lounged and waited.

While I was sitting there on this very comfortable sofa I was looking at the coffee table in front of me. The table had a line of small drawers running along the length of it. I assumed the drawers were fake. So I tugged on one and it actually opened. They were real drawers. Well I must have been a little bored because I got this crazy idea. I took a penny out and placed it way in the back of one of the drawers. I really want to see if that penny is still there when we go back in October. It sounds crazy, but I sort of created a little adventure for myself on the next trip.

The DME bus was right on time at 3:30. We had a very uneventful return to Milwaukee. No strange people to report on in the airport. I did see a little girl about age 10 saying good bye to what appeared to be her grandmother. Both were sobbing. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. The girl sat near us on the plane. It took her about an hour before she calmed down. We got to Milwaukee about 8:30 and had a two hour ride home. So another WDW vacation was in the books. I had a great time but was ready to come home. See you in October.

I am putting the VE count at 18.5 I am considering the AK parade and the viewing of Sonny Eclipes at Cosmic Rays as a quarter point each making up for the .5. For veterens, 18.5 is a very good count. Next time will be a bigger challange to find more VE's. I will do my best.

Thank you to all who stuck with this report to the end. I do worry I might be boring. But then again, the reader has the option to close the thread.

MY LOVE OF ALL THINGS DISNEY BRINGS JOY TO MY HEART.

 

[averill94]

I LOVED your report. Thank you for posting. It is great to know that after going so many times you still have new things to experience! Wow you guys go go go! I am envious- I just dont have that stamina. We are going in Oct and cant wait.
That little girl cryiing at the airport made me sad. That really stinks. Had to go out west to visit my Dad when I was younger and I did the same thing it was horrible!

Thanks

 

[cherokeemamma]

Hi LYNSUE,

I loved your TR and did not find it boring at all. I appreciate you posting. So excited to know Dole Whips are now a snack on DDP!!! I also can't wait to hear if your penny is there in Oct.
I do have a question for you... When you said it was hot could you tell me how hot was the warmest day. What about humidity? I have never been that time of year and I am curious. It is already very hot here in GA...YUK! We are going to WDW in Sept. and I know we will wilt for sure. Went last year first of Oct and it was extremely hot and oh so humid.
But who cares...we're goin' to Disney!!!