We crushed our schedule! A May 2011 TR (Completed and new TR started)

[Chaitali]

This was Thursday and a morning extra magic hour at the Magic Kingdom, so it opened at 8am. We were out the door of our room a bit after 7 and on the bus by 7:15. We were past bag check by 7:45 so we had a pretty good spot in line to get in before much of the crowd. It was an ok spot to watch the rope drop show.


Edited IMG_0445 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Magic Kingdom rope drop show by Chaita_1, on Flickr

A greeting from Mary Poppins, Alice and Pluto by Chaita_1, on Flickr

The show was pretty cool and it was nice to see how excited some of the kids were to see the characters. Once we were in the park we headed straight down Main Street to Fantasy Land. Alice walked by us on her way to fantasy land too! We rode Peter Pan's Flight and the Winnie the Pooh ride both with no line at all. Snow White wasn't on our original plan but we rode it as well since there was no line and Mike had never ridden it. Plus, it may be our last chance. Then we did It's a Small World and Philharmagic. We did all this by 9am! Morning EMH rocked! This was the first time Mike turned to me an declared that we were crushing our schedule And this was with the extra ride of Snow White thrown in.


Getting in line for the Winnie the Pooh ride by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Snow White's Scary Adventure by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Mural at Snow White's Scary Adventure by Chaita_1, on Flickr

It's a Small World by Chaita_1, on Flickr

The Sword in the stone by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We went over to Tomorrow Land and walked right on to Space Mountain. I didn't remember this ride being as uncomfortable and jerky before. Of course, it might just be because I'm older now. After the ride, we took a breakfast break on a bench in tomorrow land. We had brought along the orange/cranberry bread from Victoria and Albert's, and it made a nice little snack/breakfast. We walked over to Buzz Lightyear which was also a walk on. I sucked unfortunately I couldn't tell which red dot was mine but I'm determined to do better next time! Since it wasn't even 10am yet, we decided to deviate from the plan and run over to Liberty Square for another ride on the Haunted Mansion since we loved it so much. It was equally enjoyable this morning. There was a little bit of a line but not more than 15 minutes. We went back to tomorrow land for Stitch's Great Escape (I love Stitch but wasn't a big fan of this ride) and Carousel of Progress (dated but a classic).

We stopped for an early lunch around a bit after 11 at Cosmic Ray's. It wasn't overly crowded but it certainly wasn't empty either. Still, I think early lunch was a good strategy and we had no problems finding a table. I had the veggie wrap with fries, and it was huge! It also tasted really good and I was able to get nacho cheese from the topping bar for my fries. I was only able to eat half of the sandwich due to the size. Mike had a burger and thought it was pretty good, especially with the additions from the topping bar.

We went on the People Mover next. We were done by 12. That's 11 attractions by noon! It was obviously not a very high crowd level but the EMH was key. And the touring plan helped. It was useful to have a plan which kept us from looking at each other and saying “so... what do you want to do?” And of course, we deviated when we wanted to but the general plan was a good idea. As we were on our way to leave tomorrow land we saw Push, the trash can. He harassed Mike a little bit and then sang Happy Anniversary to us! It kind of made our day


Push, the trash can by Chaita_1, on Flickr

The TTA People Mover by Chaita_1, on Flickr

View from the People Mover by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Gateway to Tomorrow Land by Chaita_1, on Flickr

The park was definitely beginning to get more crowded at this point. I had downloaded the Star Tours App for my phone and had received a text which said that Star Tours 2 was running for a soft opening so we decided to hop over to Hollywood Studios. Here are a couple photo pass pictures taken as we were leaving the park.


Photo0065FourBySix by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Photo0056FourBySix by Chaita_1, on Flickr

 

[lbuzz52]

that's is one of the funniest Sword pictures I've seen! Mike was really putting some muscle in it lol

you did crush your schedule! What day was this?

I feel te same way about space. Way too rickity for me!

 

[aprilisis]

Sounds like a great morning! I love Cosmic Ray's, too- I've never had the wrap, though. I'll have to try that! I'm with you on Stitch's Great Escape- I love him, but hate that attraction.
I can't wait to hear what you thought of Star Tours!!!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Wow at how much you managed to get though at MK on that morning! Will def have to remember to try and hit the parks as early as possible, even though I am not normally an early riser!

I laughed out loud at the pic of Mike trying to get the sword out of the stone - hilarious!!

 

[Chaitali]

that's is one of the funniest Sword pictures I've seen! Mike was really putting some muscle in it lol

you did crush your schedule! What day was this?

I feel te same way about space. Way too rickity for me!

Mike loves hamming it up for the camera! It was Thursday, May 19th.

Sounds like a great morning! I love Cosmic Ray's, too- I've never had the wrap, though. I'll have to try that! I'm with you on Stitch's Great Escape- I love him, but hate that attraction.
I can't wait to hear what you thought of Star Tours!!!

It's such a shame because he's such a great character. He definitely deserves better And the wrap was definitely worth trying.

Wow at how much you managed to get though at MK on that morning! Will def have to remember to try and hit the parks as early as possible, even though I am not normally an early riser!

I laughed out loud at the pic of Mike trying to get the sword out of the stone - hilarious!!

I know it doesn't seem like vacation if you have to get up early! But the parks were certainly emptier in the mornings. Hollywood Studios was the one place where it seemed like almost a necessity if you want to do Toy Story Mania without waiting too long in line. I don't think it was a necessity at MK, especially if you're going at a less crowded time and are spending all day in the park. We just spent half a day there that morning.

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Great update!
I love PUSH....how lucky you are that he sang to you!!!

Thats quite a height difference between you and your husband!
I'm 5' and my husband is 6'....but I think you have us beat!

 

[ksl5f123]

Eleven attractions by noon is awesome! I think Magic Kingdom is the easiest park to do that, but you really fit in a lot.

I love PUSH, too. It must have been very funny to hear him sing to you.

 

[Chaitali]

Great update!
I love PUSH....how lucky you are that he sang to you!!!

Thats quite a height difference between you and your husband!
I'm 5' and my husband is 6'....but I think you have us beat!

It's the first time I've seen Push and we loved him too! Yep, my husband and I do have a pretty big height difference. I'm 4'11 and he's 6'2. It can make pictures awkward sometimes, as I'm sure you know I usually wear heels but that wouldn't have been very practical at Disney World.

Eleven attractions by noon is awesome! I think Magic Kingdom is the easiest park to do that, but you really fit in a lot.

I love PUSH, too. It must have been very funny to hear him sing to you.

Yeah, it would be pretty difficult to get that much done that quickly at any of the other parks. It really helps that the attractions in Fantasy Land are all so close to each other.

 

[Chaitali]

We were planning to go to Hollywood Studios later in the week for Star Wars Weekend but I figured it would be a good idea to see some of the park on a normal (and less crowded) day. The initial plan was to go back to the hotel for a bit, then head over to HS around 3 or so, and leave for dinner at the California Grill around 7. But we saw that Star Tours had a soft opening so we decided to go straight to HS from the Magic Kingdom. Mike had also wanted to ride the monorail during our trip, so we took the monorail over to the Contemporary Resort and then the bus to HS. The monorail trip was relaxing and we didn't have to wait too long for it to show up. But the monorail boarding area at the Contemporary was pretty crowded, even at this time of the afternoon. And we only had to wait 10 minutes for the bus.


VIew from monorail by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Once we got to HS, we went straight to Star Tours 2. We loved it! The posted wait time was 45 minutes but it only took about 30 minutes. The new queue was interesting (though we weren't allowed to take photos) and it was one of my favorite rides. I think this refurb was very successful. We thought about riding again but the line was long and we were going to be back later in the week anyway.


Star tours line by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We went over to the Muppets because Mike is a giant muppets fan. I thought it would feel dated and old, but I actually ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. The theming in the pre-show area is phenomenal.


Edited IMG_0486 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Muppetvision pre show theming by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Muppets in space! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Muppet theater by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Mike in a Kermit hat by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We took random photos around the Streets of America and decided it was time for a snack. We stumbled upon a little coffee shop and I had a carrot cake cookie, which was absolutely giant. But it was definitely worth the calories Mike had a peanut butter cookie.


Streets of America by Chaita_1, on Flickr

New York in Orlando by Chaita_1, on Flickr

San Francisco by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We're on Coruscant! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

The Writer's Stop snacks by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We decided to head over to the Great Movie Ride and we got there right as Winnie the Pooh and Piglet showed up for photos. So we were able to get a photo with 2 more of my favorite characters with no line. We then went into the Great Movie ride with a minimal wait. Talk about dated! I really think this attractions needs some sort of face lift.


Getting ready for the Great Movie Ride by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Edited IMG_0504 by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Pooh and Piglet with no line! by Chaita_1, on Flickr

A carousel horse from Mary Poppins by Chaita_1, on Flickr

My feet were beginning to hurt at this point but I really wanted to see One Man's Dream so we decided that would be our last stop before heading back to the resort. I wish we had spent more time here and I'm really looking forward to seeing it again in October. The little film about Walt Disney and all the artifacts on display were very touching and I loved learning more about Disney history. I think Mike might have known most of what was shown in the film but a lot of it was new to me. Apparently I was so enthralled with looking at all the artifacts that I forgot to take any photos!

We took the bus back to the resort around 4 and napped for an hour once we got there. We then got up and ready for our California Grill dinner.

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Hi!
How lucky you got to do Star tours! too bad you couldn't take pics
hopefully you went again and will post those!! Did you find the ride "smoother" this time?

I love the Muppets! I used to watch them on TV all the time. My favorite segment was 'Pigs in space" LOL

Can't wait to hear how dinner at CG was!!!

 

[lbuzz52]

I'm really jealous you got to ride star tours. We went home the night before.
Can't wait to hear about your meal. I want to do a signature every trip and have no idea yet what our next one will be.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love the DHS review!

The new Star Tours line looks cool - can't wait to experience it!

Yay on meeting Pooh and Piglet with no line! Have read other great reviews of One Man's Dream recently and can't wait to spend some time here.

Am glad you thought the Carrot Cookie Cake was worth the calories as I am soo trying one in Sept!

 

[Chaitali]

Hi!
How lucky you got to do Star tours! too bad you couldn't take pics
hopefully you went again and will post those!! Did you find the ride "smoother" this time?

I love the Muppets! I used to watch them on TV all the time. My favorite segment was 'Pigs in space" LOL

Can't wait to hear how dinner at CG was!!!

I don't really remember the old star tours but this one was amazingly smooth. They did a great job! And the Cali Grill review is coming up

I'm really jealous you got to ride star tours. We went home the night before.
Can't wait to hear about your meal. I want to do a signature every trip and have no idea yet what our next one will be.

That sucks you weren't able to make star tours but I'm sure that it will be there for a long time to come The idea of a signature every trip is great. And so many of them seem to be good so there's plenty of choice!

Love the DHS review!

The new Star Tours line looks cool - can't wait to experience it!

Yay on meeting Pooh and Piglet with no line! Have read other great reviews of One Man's Dream recently and can't wait to spend some time here.

Am glad you thought the Carrot Cookie Cake was worth the calories as I am soo trying one in Sept!

If you like carrot cake, this is a great snack to try! I didn't realize at first that it was a sandwich cookie so I was surprised by how huge it was. And definitely save time for One Man's Dream. I think a lot of people may pass it by but it's definitely worth it.

 

[Chaitali]

Since we had time, we decided to take Disney transportation to our 7:45 California Grill dinner. We left around 6:30 to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom. We then hopped onto the monorail to the Contemporary. We were there pretty early so we took some time to check out the stores. Mike had bought a blind box muppet vinylmation while we were at Hollywood Studios so I decided to buy one here. I bought a blind box Disney character vinylmation and ended up with Phil from Hercules. The blind box was a marketing stroke of genius. I have no idea why but I was so excited to open up the package and see what I got.


Vinylmation by Chaita_1, on Flickr

I decided to take some photos around the hotel while Mike went to check out the arcade. We went to check in at the desk around 7:30 and were headed up to California Grill shortly thereafter.


Fantasia at the Contemporary by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Space Mountain and the monorail by Chaita_1, on Flickr

More artwork at the Contemporary by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Artwork at the Contemporary by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We did have to wait for a little bit to be seated once we got upstairs, and it was very crowded in the lobby up there. I can certainly see why they have the check in downstairs. We were probably seated very close to our ADR time of 7:45. I had read a lot on here about how the window tables are very hard to come by so I decided to not even bother with asking. I figured we would take whatever we got since we were planning to go out to the observation deck to see the fireworks. We ended up with an amazing table right by the window. We could see bay lake when we looked one way and the castle when we looked the other way. We had a great view of the sunset and we were able to see the Electrical Water Pageant with our dessert.


The view from our table at the California Grill by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Setting sun by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Magic Kingdom from our dinner table by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Our service was phenomenal. I don't remember our waiter's name but he was friendly and casual, but very efficient. We decided that we didn't really want any of the entrees (one of the advantages to not being on the dining plan). We each started with a flat bread, barbecue chicken and the vegetable flatbread.


Vegetable flatbread at the California Grill by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Barbecue Chicken Flatbread by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Mike then had the tuna three ways which he loved) and I asked if it was possible to have veggie sushi, though it wasn't on the menu. It was just avocado and cucumber rolls, but it was pretty good. The rice was seasoned really well, the vegetables were fresh and the avocado was at the perfect level of ripeness.


Veggie sushi by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Tuna three ways by Chaita_1, on Flickr

I had the bread pudding for dessert (amazing) and Mike had the chocolate cake with strawberries. The chocolate cake and the strawberries complemented each other really well but the bread pudding still won! I had tea with my dessert, and it was lovely. It was loose leaf, which I love. I'm a little picky about my tea and not a fan of tea bags.


Tea service at the California Grill by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Chocolate and strawberries by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Caramel bread pudding by Chaita_1, on Flickr

The restaurant was definitely crowded and loud. There was constant bustle while we were there and the waiters all seemed very busy. It felt like a popular and trendy restaurant, which I enjoyed. But I don't think it would have been a good choice if we were looking for romance. Thankfully we had plenty of romance the night before at Victoria and Albert's

We paid up around 9:30 and headed out to the observation deck to enjoy some time outside. The view was of course beautiful and the deck never got very crowded. We were able to see the lights on the castle for the Magic, the Memories and Me castle show but of course we were way too far to see it properly. Then they piped in the music for Wishes and we watched the fireworks. It was an interesting perspective on the fireworks since we were watching from the side and could see the distance between the castle and various fireworks. It wasn't the way to show was meant to be watched, but we still enjoyed it. And it was much easier than dealing with the crowds or staking out a spot in advance. The photos aren't that good since I didn't have a tripod with me and my hand isn't that steady I didn't even try to take firework photos and just enjoyed watching them.


From the California Grill patio by Chaita_1, on Flickr

Right before Wishes by Chaita_1, on Flickr

The Magic, the Memories and You by Chaita_1, on Flickr

We left as soon as Wishes was done and there was a taxi right in front of the Contemporary. He was wonderful and we were only charged around $13. We left him a big tip because honesty deserves to be rewarded!

 

[aprilisis]

Great photos!! I'm glad you liked CG. It does get pretty loud in there, though.

 

[pinkxray]

Geez, somehow I missed the last few updates.

I have never seen Push. I have been on the lookout, hopefully one of these days we'll came across him.

I love the Muppet show. It is one of my favorites. I don't care how old it is, I insist we see it every trip.

California Grill looks so good.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Thanks for the review of CG! Yay on getting a window table without even asking - the view looks great!

I will also know now not to go there expecting it to be a romantic setting as that is what I would have expected otherwise

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Thanks for the Cali Grill update....the food looks wonderful...
You had 2 great nights of meals!! What a wonderful trip your having!

Looking forward to more!!

 

[itsalebeau]

I'm envious of your views! How beautiful! We ate at The Wave, so we were in the dark underbelly of the Contemporary (though the food and service was really good, and the dark and cool was nice after the heat of the day!).

 

[lbuzz52]

What a perfect table and perfect view! Your food looks really tasty too!
I love your photo with space and the monorail!
What does blind box mean with Vinylmation? Are they all blind box because you don't know what you are getting?