Wilderness Lodge, Here We Come!!! Updated - Final Thoughts, Page 10

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

That's a really sweet and thoughtful present your daughter bought you! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Renee1061]

That's a really sweet and thoughtful present your daughter bought you! Can't wait to hear more.

Yeah, she's pretty sweet most of the time.

 

[Renee1061]

Day 3, Part 2

At 7:45, we rode the boat to MK and caught the monorail to the Poly. Lindsay & I took pictures of each other on the boat.

This was the night for our Wishes cruise. About three months before our trip, a poster on the TGM Community board offered two spaces on their Wishes cruise. As I have said before, Wishes is very special to both Lindsay and I. I contacted Kim and told her I wanted the spaces. She and her family were going to be celebrating the renewal of their wedding vows. We met them at the marina at about 8:45. Our boat arrived around 9:00. We went over first and cruised around Bay Lake. Our skipper showed us the shoe tree and River Country. Then we stopped in front of Wilderness Lodge and watched the Electric Water Parade. This was the first time I had ever seen it and was the only thing I took pictures of that night. I decided I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the cruise.

There were several boats out on the lagoon. One was pretty large and Captain Hook and Smee were the hosts! They were singing and sounded like they were having a great time.

The weather was perfect…just a little breezy…temps probably in the mid to upper 60s. Lindsay and I wrapped up in a blanket. Then it was time for Wishes!! Our boat had the music piped in. The fireworks looked so much bigger from this perspective. It was so nice and relaxing without all the crowds. I hated to see it end. We made our way back to the Poly and said goodbye to Kim and her family. It was so nice of them to share what was a very special time for them with two total strangers.

Lindsay and I looked around the Poly for a few minutes. She decided she wanted to stay there next time. On the monoral, I also noticed her eyeing the Grand Floridian. She has very expensive taste. I'm afraid the values just aren't going to cut it for her any more.

We got back to WL at about 11:00, had a snack, and went to bed.

 

[zdad]

Renee....you're making me tear up !!! It's extra special reading this having met you two, and seeing the bond you have up close.

 

[KathyRN137]

What a lovely day! I am especially glad you had the opportunity to do the Wishes Cruise---so magical!

Looking forward to more,

Kathy

 

[Renee1061]

Renee....you're making me tear up !!! It's extra special reading this having met you two, and seeing the bond you have up close.

Aww, thanks. We're not always that close. After all, she is 14. But for the most part, we are very close.

What a lovely day! I am especially glad you had the opportunity to do the Wishes Cruise---so magical!

Looking forward to more,

Kathy

Thanks, Kathy. The cruise was very magical indeed!

 

[Renee1061]

Day 4

We got up at 7:00 and made it to Magic Kingdom in time to see our very first opening ceremony.

You really can get a lot done if you get there early. We rode Splash Mountain, BTMRR, Pirates, Space Mountain, then picked up fast passes to ride Space Mountain again.

We went to the bakery on Main Street for breakfast and stood in our longest line of the day. Seriously, it took about 30 minutes. Lindsay got a breakfast sandwich and I had a cinnamon roll (yummmm).

We went back and rode Space Mountain with our fast passes. The standby line wasn’t very long, so Lindsay rode it again by herself. I was all “spaced” out by now and didn’t want to ride it again. We rode Buzz Lightyear, then made our way back to the castle. I got this good shot of Lindsay on the way.

We watched the last half of Dream Along With Mickey.

This is one of my favorite pictures:

After that we headed back for Splash Mountain again. The line was pretty long, so we got fast passes. It was a warm day, which sounded like a good excuse for a Dole Whip! It’s no longer just a tradition, it’s a necessity!!

After we finished our Dole Whips, we decided to ride Jungle Cruise. This ride can either be good or bad, depending on the skipper you get. I guess you could say that this one was in between. Oh well, it passed the time until we could ride Splash with our fast passes. On the way to Splash, we saw Captain Jack!!

We still hadn’t seen Fantasmic, so at about 3:30, we decided to go to MGM and finish our day there. We rode the bus back to WL and caught the bus to MGM. First, we stopped in at Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater to see if we could get in without ADRs. We were able to get right in with no wait (this should have been our first clue that something was wrong). We both got burgers, which were very good. We overheard our waiter tell someone that the park closed at 7:00 that evening for a private party. That meant no Fantasmic. That’s what I get for not checking the updated schedules before I left home. Oh well, we were flexible.

We rode RNRC a couple of times and I rode Tower of Terror by myself once (Lindsay still wasn’t budging).

We had actually never seen Illuminations before, so we decided to do that. At about 7:00 we rode the boat from MGM to Epcot. It was a slow ride because we stopped at all the Epcot resorts, but we weren’t in any hurry. It was good to just slow down a little and relax.

When we got to Epcot, we went to check on the wait time for Soarin’. It was 55 minutes and all the fast passes were gone by then, of course, so we decided not to wait. We walked over to Mexico and rode the boat ride. I was okay with the changes. From there, we stopped in at the Kringla Bakery in Norway. I had heard all the rave reviews about the schoolbread and I wanted to try it. We also got some lefse. The schoolbread was incredible! I am a coconut lover, so I was in heaven. The lefse was okay, but kind of bland after the richness of the schoolbread.

We had found a spot to wait for Illuminations, then I realized that there was going to be a tree right in the way, so we moved & found another spot. We actually managed to find a bench to sit on (near China, I think).

We enjoyed Illuminations, but it will never be as special as Wishes in my eyes.

On our way out of the park, we stopped in at Mouse Gear. Lindsay had been looking for some pink Disney crocs and finally found them in here.

The bus stop was very crowded and we had to wait for the third bus back to WL. It was another long day, and we fell into bed when we got back to our room.

 

[Jillnkids]

Renee,

I'm thoroughly enjoying your TR! It sounds like you and your DD had a magical vacation! We'll be at WL in October. Your report is really getting me excited!

 

[PinkDaisy8844]

I love reading your trip report...I can't wait to see the pictures! I'm also waiting to hear if your daughter actually gets on the tower of terror! I'm like her though...a big chicken when it comes to that ride, I stay far away!

 

[Renee1061]

Renee,

I'm thoroughly enjoying your TR! It sounds like you and your DD had a magical vacation! We'll be at WL in October. Your report is really getting me excited!

Thanks! I would love to go in October, when it's not quite so crowded.

 

[Renee1061]

I love reading your trip report...I can't wait to see the pictures!

Thanks!

I'm also waiting to hear if your daughter actually gets on the tower of terror! I'm like her though...a big chicken when it comes to that ride, I stay far away!

LOL! Stay tuned.

 

[Renee1061]

Okay, I am officially freaking out. I sat down to upload some pictures and there are about 40 pictures missing from my computer. I didn't start totally freaking out yet. I have all the pictures on CD also, so I went out to my car to get the CDs. CD#2 and #3 were there, but #1 wasn't, and that's where the missing pictures are!! I am hoping that the missing CD is at work.

 

[Renee1061]

Well, since I don't have the pictures that I was going to update my trip report with, I will post a few random photos.

 

[Renee1061]

Okay, I am officially freaking out. I sat down to upload some pictures and there are about 40 pictures missing from my computer. I didn't start totally freaking out yet. I have all the pictures on CD also, so I went out to my car to get the CDs. CD#2 and #3 were there, but #1 wasn't, and that's where the missing pictures are!! I am hoping that the missing CD is at work.

Yay!!! The missing CD was at work, so I can calm down now! I will be able to update my trippie with pics tonite.

 

[Renee1061]

Day 5, Part 1

We drove the rental car today and stopped for breakfast at McDonalds on the way to Animal Kingdom. As we were driving down the road, all of a sudden, Lindsay said, “I’ll ride it.” It took me a second to realize that we had just passed the big Tower of Terror sign, and that’s what she was talking about. I started to turn around right then and go to MGM before she could change her mind, but I didn’t.

At AK, we rode EE one last time. Even though AK is probably my least favorite park, EE is one of my favorite rides. After that, we decided to ride Kali River Rapids. We had never ridden this before, mainly because I knew I would get soaked. I am a water magnet! But it was early in the day and it was warm, so I figured I would have plenty of time to dry off. Sure enough, guess who got soaked? But I did enjoy the ride. Actually, I thought it was a little short. It ended before I expected it to.

I wanted to get some tiger pictures, so we went on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We saw the Komodo Dragon and the Tapir. We decided to skip the bats. It was nappy time for the tigers, but I did get a few pictures.

We then left AK and went to Downtown Disney. Lindsay bought some souvenirs for Josh. She got leather bracelets for both of them, with his name on her bracelet and her name on his. Then they broke up less than a week after we got home. It's a long story.

Totally OT here: When I typed the word souvenirs, my spell checker kept telling me it was spelled wrong. I kept switching letters around and finally Googled it. I would have bet money that it was spelled souveniers.

We ate lunch at McDonalds in DTD, then it was on to MGM.

Coming up in Chapter 12: Will Lindsay actually ride Tower of Terror?

 

[IluvXU]

Your pictures are great.. what camera do you have! Also what a sweet M.Day gift from you daughter.

 

[Renee1061]

Your pictures are great.. what camera do you have! Also what a sweet M.Day gift from you daughter.

I have a Sony DSC-H2, and I love it. I took most of my pictures in automatic mode. I used the macro setting for the close-ups of flowers. I would like to learn to use the manual settings for fireworks & other night shots.

 

[mrp4352]

Day 2, Part 2
I know I really need a tripod, but I did end up with a few good ones.

Y'know, it was Wishes that made me go buy a little collapsable one!

BTW - Hi!! Fun report - awesome pics! My Mom's a lurker and told me how pretty your pictures were. Can't wait to continue!

 

[Renee1061]

Y'know, it was Wishes that made me go buy a little collapsable one!

Where do you set up?

BTW - Hi!! Fun report - awesome pics! My Mom's a lurker and told me how pretty your pictures were. Can't wait to continue!

Thanks!

 

[mrp4352]

Where do you set up?



Thanks!

On any still surface I can find... I've held the legs together and used the top of a baby stroller before; set up on a garbage can; for one GLORIOUS evening, I was able to sit on the ground and set up like a real person for Hallowishes!

My tripod is small, fully extended it's only2-3 feet tall, so it gives me a little more flexibility, I think. That and it collapses small enough to fit inside my camera bag (only increasing the weight by about 15 tons...)