|
Day 1
okay seeing lori's report got me off my duff. denise and i decided to do alternate days so i am doing day one. will only comment on
denise's reports if i have something to say that was separate or not of note to her and i am sure she will do the same.
the cast: laura c - have made several visits to the world, always with niece or nephew in tow. my first all adult trip, a lot of new
experiences this trip.
denise (dislov2000) - a lot of trips - she can give the details
how we got together: as many of you know from reading the list, denise and i met on the list when she wrote an email looking for a
travel companion late january. we corresponded back and forth for months, met in august and decided it could work. the odd part is she
lives 1/2 hour from where i lived in PA for 15 years. 2 1/2 yrs ago i moved back to CT.
the plan: 10 days for me, 11 for denise from 11/29 - 12/9
day 1-well thanks to the events of 9/11 it's arrive 2 hours early for your flight so out of bed at 4:13 a.m. (only for WDW) to leave by
5a.m. and arrive at bradley at 5:45. well i got checked in and thru security in 10 minutes so almost 2 hours waiting to board the plane.
flight took off on time and actually arrived in charlotte 10 minutes early - had to wait for the plane ahead to leave the gate before we
could pull in. have about an hour to wait for the flight to orlando so found a sports bar where i could have a sausage and egg biscuit
and a cigarette (yes i am one of those). shared the table with a woman heading to orlando to visit family and the time flew.
they got us on the plane in time and then we waited-and waited- they kept telling us "we're in line for take-off" didn't see any
other planes in line either in front or in back of us. finally we are off and arrive in orlando about 1/2 hour late. it was great to
see denise and brian, our tiffany town car driver waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator. stopped at publix for bottled water,
some juice and snacks to keep in the room (i did not look at prices because we were buying so little) and then to the hotel. for anyone
who has never used tiffany -we decided to splurge on this trip and boy is it a nice way to come and go. i got the return trip cause i
had to leave on the 9th much earlier than denise but not lifting the suitcase and the grocery stop were wonderful.
check-in at port orleans riverside went smoothly - we did not get alligator bayou but i was very satisfied with the room we did
have. we were in magnolia terrace - a straight line from food court, past main pool, then over another bridge to our building. it was
beautiful and being a gone with the wind fan i loved it.
spent just a few minutes refreshing in the room and then we were off to MGM. took just about 10 minutes for us both to activate our
AP's and headed to the prime time cafe. had priority seating for 4 o'clock but as we got there about 3:30 we got dinner at lunch prices!
i had an open face steak sandwich which was excellent - chewy roll, tender steak with mixed greens topped by a roasted tomato vinaigrette
( i had my doubts about the vinaigrette but it was excellent) gorgonzola cheese and fried onion straws. denise and i shared a
milkshake which was a smart move cause neither one of us would have come near finishing a whole one. then we hit the park.
i had promised myself to hit RRC or TOT first so i could scream and to be honest cause i was slightly nervous about the roller
coaster. so we did them in that order. 10 minute wait for the first, about 5 minutes for TOT. in fact did TOT 2x's. i absolutely
loved the roller coaster-in fact we rode it a lot during our 10 days there.
now it was about 5:20 so we headed over to fantasmic and got great seats. pochahontas section about 1/2 way down. discovered it
was much better to sit up a bit than as close as i did the first time i saw fantasmic - and since that time i was also off to the side more
i got to see so much more detail this time.
we lagged the crowd leaving fantasmic (my wanting to stop for a smoke helped) and then headed to osborne family lights. waiting a
bit helped in that we had room to see everything and pause if we wanted to enjoy the details. no description can do this justice.
did our good deed while walking thru - there was a family next to us at one point who had no idea what the glasses were for. so we each
let them look thru ours and then let their 2 boys do likewise. they vowed at that point that they were going to do it again with the
glasses.
by now the long day was catching up with us so we headed out to the bus stop - a 5 minute wait and back to PO. stopped at the food
court to get our refillable mugs and tried the hot chocolate. every bit as good as this list said! (lori -i kept looking for you with
your marshmallows but my timing must have been off)
sat out in the rose garden for a few minutes just cause it was 68 degrees and i was in shorts on 11/29 and then hit the bed for some
well deserved sleep around 9:30/10:00
laura c
bristol CT
Day 2
It was a long day...we got back to the room at 11 at night...It was a long exciting day, considering we started out at 8:00am having
breakfast at Boatwrights..It was a great breakfast! Stuffed banana French Toast with Ham and hot tea 21.00 included tip(just my tab) We
should have shared this breakfast considering I only ate 1/2 the amount they gave you. From there we went to MGM and got our bags
checked and waited until 9 for the Park to open. They we headed right up to the hugh hat and bought the "Magic Moment Pin" and turned
in our certificate for the free pin...Then we left that park and jumped on to the ferry that goes from MGM to Epcot with stops at Y&B
Club and Boardwalk this is nice slow ride and takes about 35 minutes..there is also a walking path for those who want to "Power
Walk". Once we docked we got our bags checked again. Then waited until 10 for the park to open. The first thing we did was "Honey I
shunk the Audience,(waited 5 minutes for doors to open) Then we sent e-mails to friends and family...which my family never got!! From here
we walked towards "Universe of Energy" ..went through "MOuse Gears" and picked up a few things..Perfect timing Less than 2 minutes
to "Universe of Energy"...Low crowds, From here we did "Body Wars" there again perfect timing step up and in the ride!! Cranium Command
step in pre show and on with the show...then we went to "Mexico" and had a great lunch..inside the building where you take the boat ride.
I had a Margarita Mango flavor and soft taco's with grilled pork 24.00 for me..plenty of food. After lunch we jumped on the monarail
to the ticket center and then to the resort monarail and went to the Grand Floridian Were we met up with my friends I met over the
internet Lori and her family We have been e-mailing each other for over a year and we were finally meeting today!! We got to see
a "Grand Floridan" room wow what a view!! but I would swear that Riverside rooms are a lot bigger, just my opionion. Ok so after we
left them, we went back to Epcot and walked to Mexico and walked right onto the boat ride then again we walked right onto the boat
ride in Norway, now mind you we have been wearing out "Magic Moments Pins" all day & they have been going off randomly all day!! After
Norway we grabed a bench (20 minutes)to parade time!! Tapastry of Dreams I like it and right at the end our Pins went Crazy!! and
right at the end Laura got her hand shook and it was a "Magic" moment from there on...We stopped at Germany and shopped...and then we just
worked our way to the "Rose & Crown" for dinner at 7:30. We got seated outside about 7:50 we did request outside but it just wasn't a
great view. But, it was a great Prime Rib dinner!! We started with a drink then the fruit and Cheese Platter, We both had the Prime Rib
with Baked Potato & Yourshire Pudding (This tasted like stuffing to me) we ended with tea...With Tip it was 60.00 total, then we took off
to find a better spot for Illuminations. Wow! It was great and everything I remembered it to be, from here we are off to catch a
bus, the bus driver was "very entertaining" and made the ride go fast!! He was playing the "millionare" game...funny!! back to the
room at 11:00 at night and I checked my little device that said we walked 9 miles that day!!
Ok Laura your turn!! I hope I didn't forget anything??
Day 3
we had another awesome day. dawned bright and sunny (our entire week was sunny and low 80's)
started our day with breakfast at cinderellas. this was another first for me-i had never had the experience. we saw snow white,
cindy (of course), sleeping beauty, and belle. i will be honest and say i will not likely do this again 'cause the little ones i may take
in the future are boys and more likely to enjoy chef mickey or donald's restaurantsaurus (sp?) but the chance to enter the park
before it was open was worth it in itself. as someone else on the list mentioned main street empty was really beautiful - we got pix at
the roy and minnie statue and the partner's statue without having to wait in line or have a half dozen strangers in the shot.
we finished breakfast and got out to the rope just as they were ready to drop it. i have never seen that up close before. can you
tell i am not one of those folks missing early entry :-) i got to do a lot of things back here that i have not done before because fantasy
land is usually so crowded it makes me claustrophobic. any ride followed by an asterisk was a first time ride for me. did snow
white*, winnie the pooh*, the carousel*, peter pan, small world, haunted mountain, splash mountain, and thunder mountain all by
10:30.(magic moment: the winnie the pooh ride was just beginning and we got to ride in the car with tigger. this was so neat and we got a
great picture of the 3 of us. this made my 19 year old niece so jealous cause tigger is one of her favorites.)
back to the rides - next was pirates of the caribbean, and jungle cruise. this one was or first wait - all of 10 minutes. next
we caught the cinderella's surprise show at the castle.enjoyed that and then decided to catch the diamond horse shoe musical revue. i
did not chime in on the food question for this 'cause we did not eat - but really enjoyed the show. hokey, corny, old jokes - yes. at
the end though when the room stood to sing "God Bless America" it was one of those goose bump moments we have all experienced since 9/11.
headed to columbia harbour house for lunch - my favorite. i decided it was too hot out for the chowder in a bread bowl so had the
fried fish and a cold soda. by the way, i want to mention - i did not keep strict tabs on meal costs - i allot a budget for my food and
each day travel with that amount. if you want to ask me personally any questions about what i thought of a restaurant's prices i can let
you know but cannot give you $ amount i spent.
we picked up our main street picture taken when we entered and then staked out our spot for the share a dream parade right on main
street. truly enjoyed all the new parades at the four parks but i think this was my favorite.
now we were off to country bear jamboree christmas show which was new to me cause i had only seen the non christmas version before.
and then a spot for spectro magic. after the parade we left to catch the boat for fort wilderness as we were meeting lori and her family
there at whispering forks for dinner. got to see the MK fireworks from the boat which was a beautiful sight.
now, whispering forks was another first for me but from this list i know not to request ketchup. luckily the kids that were with
friends of lori's did NOT know and the guys got one of them to request that taboo item. also not only did the kids participate in a
stick horse race but lori was even more dastardly :-) she let them know about denise's b'day and denise got the honor of riding a stick
horse around the room. i have to give denise credit cause i am not sure i would do it! little giovanni is a master napkin twirler - in
fact it was tough to get him to NOT twirl his napkin at other restaurants - but he did get our poor besieged waiter in a bit of hot
water. we were a big group and when they grouped the tables together someone had put the extra bundles of silverware on the ledge behind
us. in his travels up and down the bench giovanni knocked some of these bundles over the ledge. we had thought it was just a food prep
area behind there and did not panic - until the diner seated behind the ledge let us know she was getting hit by the incoming silverware.
at the very least i hope they got a fee meal for that one.
we dined on the all you can eat which we truly did - eat all we could. ended the meal with just a taste of the apple pie - chuck had
gotten some and shared it with the adults at our end of the table.
just want to say i can understand all the fans of the wilderness lodge. it is beautiful and the decorations were lovely. i have read
on some other sites that folks who have been there during christmas before feel there are not as many decorations this year. i only know
as a "first timer" i found it lovely.
we all piled into chuck and lori's van for the ride back to POR and denise and i wrote in our trip reports and hit the bed.
laura c
bristol CT
Day 4
First of all before I begin I would like to add the Wispering Cayon where we ate dinner on day 3 of our trip was a hoot!! The waiters
were rowdy and rude and lots of yelling!! and yes I did take the horse stick and ride all around the room while everyone hooted and
hollered!! But I was celabrating my birthday and the fact I lost 56 pounds to go on this trip!! So, I was more than willing to show the
room I had a lot of energy!!
Ok...day 4 Dec2nd Sunday...Got up around 6 ran and got hot water for our Hot Chocolate ...had to be at Guest Services at 7:00am to pickup
Hoop Dee Doo tickets.(for another night)..we have been getting in too late to pick them up at night...so I didn't get out till 7:25. Caught
the Bus to Animal Kingdom this took about 20 minutes for they did a loop around Key West to pick up guests...Got to Animal Kingdom around
7:55 got in Line for Donals's Breakfast ...had a great breakfast and I got "Taken" by one of the prank's! I didn't know anything about it
and I won't spoil the fun! From there we did Countdown to Extintion the line wasn't very long and it kept moving so then we went over to
Camp Mickey & Minnies to see the Lion King show this is not to be missed!! I love this show! From here we met our friends and did it's
tough to be a bug we had seats at the end of the row...I feel I didn't get the full effect of the show so..we will try again. But
being with a group of 11 and only 3 of us have seen it before it was a hoot to watch and hear there reactions!! From here we worked our
way to the Safari Ride but did stop a bit to watch a street Perforers..then we hopped on the safari ...it was a quite day and not
much happening...it was getting hot also. After the safari we took a walk around one of the walking trails and decided to go back to the
hotel...even though it was only 82 it felt like 90!! Very nice bus driver on the way back stating all sorts of interesting satitics...so
he did make the ride back go very fast...So we decide to go to the pool only a handful of people there Ok...so then we got changed and
headed for Epcot. the crowds were building around "sercurity" we took our time and listned to the music in front of the tree that they
light everynight...from there we went to Norway for dinner...I enjoyed this and found plenty of food to try and pick from yes they
had fish items but I found enough to get me full! I enjoyed the pick and peel shrimp and the Turkey bites in a gravy and the mashed
rutabaga and breads were good...from here we watched the Tapestry Parade ..then waled down to "American Adventure" listen to the
Candlelight Processional for awhile ...then we walked towards the "The Mouse For less " meet ...Great Desserts...Plenty of Friendly
People and I have to say the "Smores" were my choice!! I have to say we had a super viewing spot of the Illumanations!! I would do that
again in a heartbeat!! So close and nothing to block your view!! then we left with an uneventful ride home and arrived back to our
room around 11:30 and walked 10 miles for the day!!
OK Laura...hope I got it right...sorry it took so long!!
Denise Nguyen
dislov2000
Day 5
this is a short day report wise - we went shopping. a group of us had gotten together via this list and made plans to hit the outlet malls
today. we included judimouse, lori (briar rose), amy bianca, lori (from california), denise and i, and a couple who i can see in front
of me as i type this but cannot remember the names of for the life of me. to the husband and wife who went shopping before having to catch
your plane i humbly apologize!
the shopping trip was very successful from my point of view - i had wanted to get sweatshirts for christmas gifts for my 4 smallest
niece and nephews. and i did - for $6.99 each. had to dig a bit to get the 4 different sizes in different shirts 'cause i knew for
example that the 2 who are brothers wouldn't necessarily want matching shirts. first outlet i got 2 shirts for myself - one marked
down from $23 to $12 and one that i paid $15 which i later saw in resort gift shop for $35. only bad part was knowing how much the
christmas stuff would be marked down AFTER the holidays (it wasn't at this point).
originally we had planned to dine at emrils but elected to spend more time shopping and then return to WDW. denise and i scheduled
the "fun" task of laundry so we headed to the quiet pool with wine coolers and quarters and relaxed and got the chore out of the way.
we did try a trip to the hot tub by the main pool to soak the sore muscles but there were too many unsupervised kids - it was like being
in the kiddie pool cause they were trying to swim rather than sit. the mom of denise's friend lori often said during her stay down there
that disney world should be adults only :-) well this was one time i wanted to agree with her.
we then went back to the room to get ready for our hoop dee do revue. we got to fort wilderness early and sat out on the beach to
watch the magic kingdom fireworks which were beautiful of course. also loved the way the bus into the resort kept having to stop for
the peacocks. the driver said there are times when the peacocks attack the busses. (i will leave it up to denise if she wants to
tell you what she asked me about the birds :-) )
we had wonderful seats right down front and i found the show to be as good as i remembered it to be- yes it is hokey and silly but
it is fun and when i take my nephews in a few years i hope it is just as hokey and silly.
there was one disappointment and i wonder if anyone reading this can answer this for me - it has to do with the strawberry shortcake -
i remembered it as being real shortcake, real strawberries and good whipped cream in individual dishes. am i remembering correctly?
this was serve yourself from a bucket like the earlier food came in, with i believe angel food cake and obviously frozen berries- you know
those mushy, sugary ones. i was disappointed cause i have and still am doing weight watchers, i did not want to gain back too many hard
lost pounds on vacation and had been saving up for this dessert. and then it was mediocre at best.
after the show we headed back to the hotel to jot down trip notes and hit the bed.
laura c
bristol CT
Day 6
Before I start I do want to add that we had breakfast at the Swan and I really enjoyed the service and the omlets made ot order!! They were
so good plenty of choices and I loved the great seats we had at the Hoop Dee Doo. right in front next to the piano.
Day 6th Got a late start took our time getting up and we had breafast at our resort at Boatwrights...we were meeting my friends but they
never showed up they slept right through breakfast...anyway I ahd the French Toast with Ham 13.00 dollars with tip...from there we went to
MGM we did the Great Movie Ride then the muppets then we went and got a fast pass for Rockin Roller Coaster.. then went and saw Beauty and
the Beast...I loved the preshow and the show itself was great just like I remembered it. From there we went on the Rockin Roller Coaster
2 times then we took the Boat over to Epcot and had a fabulous lunch at the Living Seas I had a mixed drink while waiting for my Chicken
Breast with Chunky mango sauce and Laura and I shared the Chocolate wave for dessert...40.00 with tax & Tip a little expensive but the
chicken was hot and juicy and I love the atmosphere and sitting there watching the fish and turtles and such swimming around right in front
of you. From here we went to the tickey center and hoped on a bus for downtown Disney and did some shopping ...around 6:30 we left to
go back to our resort to change our clothes and our friends came and picked up up for dinner at the animal Kingdom Lodge.. The food was
great and everything and more what people on this list have been talking about...the menue changes and some things that were here
tonight were not here on another night when we went...but don't miss the ribs and try a taste of each of the soups...I loved the coconut
curry seafood!! Sooooo tasty!! After dinner we took a walk around the outside and sat by the fire for a little while then our friends
drove us back to our resort...9.4 miles walked today. Like I said before I dieted before this trip and lost 56 pounds and I ate a lot
during this trip and didn't really "snack" during the day but ate my fill during our meals and right now I am only up 2 pounds from
comming back Dec 9th...considering Christmas...I think this is great...if anyone wants help with there diet or support or a diet pal
just e-mail me privatly...dislov2000@aol.com I am working on 20 more pounds before my next trip...around Mothers Day...yes Laura I am
working on getting back together with Lori and her family...I need a countdown to keep me motivated!!
Denise
Day 7
this was a day of ups and downs.
we started the day early at animal kingdom - did the safari first to see if there were more animals than the last time. and boy were
there. this, i think was the best safari i had been on yet in all my trips down there. there were many animals close to the road and for
the first time i actually got to see the lions on pride rock.
got off the safari and there was a surprise early running of the jammin jungle parade - the last day we were here the heat got to us
before the parade time rolled around so we enjoyed this a lot. grabbed a quick bite for a late breakfast/early lunch at tusker
house. just a sausage and egg biscuit and oj for me but hit the spot. after that we headed over to "it's tough to be a bug" - we
wanted to see it again cause last time both denise and i had been at the end of the row. now i know they SAY that all seats are good but
i have hit the end of the row 2 times and do not feel the 3-D effects are as effective at the end of the row. we got much more center of
the theater this time and loved it. had some newbie's around us so enjoyed their surprise at the effects.
after bug it was over to asia to see tarzan rocks. this was another new show for me - the last time i was down it had not yet
started and the first time i was at AK there was the jungle book show. enjoyed the show and especially enjoyed tarzan's physique ;-)
from here we decided to walk the maharajah trail. another one i had yet to do - got to see a lot of animals and the tigers alone were
worth it. they were close up and awesome. due to the partly cloudy skies and it getting a bit breezy we decided to pass on kali river
rapids - did not feel we would be too comfortable walking around wet today.
headed back to our hotel to regroup after hunting down a zebra and giraffe ornament. my great niece and nephew took a trip to
sesame place this summer and we had nicknamed my nephew jacob giraffe and julianna loves anything zebra. well found the zebra right away
but had a tough time finding the giraffe. they were either too expensive or way too stylized for a 5 year old to recognize as a
giraffe. but it was in this trek that we had our disney luck.
we were in the last store we were stopping in on out way out of the park when i was near a register and overheard a woman asking the
cast member about her free lanyard. after she was done i said to him - "i am an annual pass holder also - am i eligible for one of those?"
he said sure and denise and i got our lanyards with the AP pin on it. we had asked about these earlier in the week and been told the
promotion was over. so word to the wise - do not stop asking. if one spot is out another may not be and you never know.
did find the giraffe at a gift stand on the way to the bus and later on was very glad i did. when i returned to CT it was to the
middles of the family december birthday party. (we have gotten so big we just do one party a month for all the folks who have a birthday in
that month) well jacob couldn't understand why everyone was getting gifts but him (we have a bunch of decembers- and he knew it wasn't
his sisters b'day yet cause hers actually falls on the 25th). well i went and got his giraffe and boy did that light him up. for $3.95 i
made a little boy very happy.
met up with lori and her family at epcot at 5:00 - it was our night for candlelight dinner package. rode spaceship earth and then
saw the tree lighting which was lovely but we should have skipped to head to canada for our dinner PS. got to canada at 6:15 and did not
get seated till 7:15. you add up we were late and they were over booked and we were a large group and you have a recipe for trouble.
as you regulars may have guessed there was no way we could eat a full 3 courses in that amount of time. now i will give kudos to the
manager of le cellier. outside they just kept telling us "tell your server you have the 8:15 seating for CP and they will be able to take
care of it." well of course there was no way - the manager offered us another night's seating but we already had the remaining nights
booked with other things and we ended up getting our dinner prices returned. we got a couple bowls of soup and dipped our pretzel
breadsticks in it - got our dinner served post haste and got some cake in to go boxes.
the sin about this was i had a filet mignon that was to die for. i mean you could practically eat it without teeth it was so tender.
that is not the kind of thing you want to scarf down without pausing. we then had to power walk to CP with some of our party running ahead
to save us seats. got there just before it started and did get to relax and enjoy this. the music is just awesome and if you are not
able to do a dinner package i would still advise to find a spot outside and just listen. it is well worth it. if you are doing a
dinner package my tips are as follows: get as early before the show you are scheduled to see as possible; get to your selected restaurant
early for your seating time, or go to dinner after the show you are seeing. and remember if traveling in a big group it can take longer
to get from point a to point b so take that into account!
when the show ended denise and lori and her family were heading to a particular spot to watch illuminations - and denise did say it
was awesome - but i will have to leave it to her to tell you where that was cause i decided i did not want to do another power walk. i
stopped and bought the CP CD and then strolled out of the park. one cute thing i saw was a gentleman who was a dead ringer for santa -
just a bit more slender - dressed in red shirt and pants. as he walked out of the park he would stop and talk to the small fry
waiting for illuminations - in full santa mode. brought looks of wonder to more than one face.
got right on a bus and back to the hotel to put my feet up. denise got in just a little while after i did and we hit the hay.
did decide while i was relaxing that le cellier deserved to be savored and since we did not have lunch plans for friday i wanted to
go back there for a meal. was glad denise agreed with this one cause it was worth it as you will hear about soon.
laura c
bristol CT
Day 8
Before I start I would like to say there is a great spot for viewing illumanations...its'sit down only...(on the ground) and it opens 5
minutes before the show starts...as you walk into world show case it's straight dead ahead right at the fence.it was right behind the
Christmas Tree that they light everynight and right between the two shops...it was sooooooo great I just couldnot get over how perfect
the spot was and it was well worth power walking from the Candelight Processional all the way around to this sight.
Ok..Dec 6th the 8th day of our 11 day trip. Had breakfast at Cinderella's Castle..she loved my shirt which I
bought years ago...it's all hand beaded of Cinderella and her slipper and pumpkin with the clock striking 12...I love this shirt and I wear
it to Cindys Breakfast everytime I go...and she signed another Cindy shirt I had...sorry I just love Cinderella...from there we saw a
special preview of the Christmas Parade because Kelly and Regis was down on main street and taping for the Christmas show..this was nice
and we were over in Libery Square so we got a lot of attention from the CM's in the Parade...from here we took the mona rail to the
ticket center and jumped a bus to MGM when we got there we did Walt Dream then when we came out of there we did "Millionaire" our
list "MOM" Binnie got in the hot seat...she said she was nervous but I didn't notice...I just thought it was so much fun to be in the room
when she was in the hot seat. She got the hat & 5 pins..then we went on the "Back Lot Tour" then after that we grab a pretzel and a seat
for the afternoon parade which was super!! Then we headed back to our hotel to change for "Mickey's Christmas Party " ....we got back
from this around Midnight...so...tired...we saw the tree lighting then we had dinner at the crystal place.....after dinner we got a
seat for the parade then watched the fireworks ....all around you!! soooooo amamzing!! we did buzz lightyear and finally space
mountain..then the flying carpets then the Pirates of the Carribbean. got our pictures taken . then we walked out of the park ..very
tired..the park was totally packed tonight but the rides we went on we didn't have to wait long because it was around 10 at nigh so a
lot of people were waiting for the second parade ...so we got a ride back to the resort ...walked 11 1/2 miles today...all in all it was a
super day and I am so glad I can say that I did Mickey's Christmas Party and Laura got a great picture of main street snow!!! Thanks
Laura!!
denise
Day 9, Part I
Laura and I decided to each tell there version of day 9..since we went our own way this day....
Slept in a little today and just grabbed a pastry at the food court with oj...less than 5 dollars. Then went to epcot to meet friends
over there we went right into Honey I Shrunk the... then the character bus came by and they were dressed for the Holidays so we
got some pictures..after this I walked over to Canada and Met Laura for lunch..I had the beef and barley soup and a 10 ounce New Yourk
Strip steak for 30.00 dollars this includes tip and tax...It was great just relaxing and enjoying lunch. Then Laura and I went
different ways for the afternoon...I went over to test track and got right on using the "singles" lane then I went over to "the land" and
I got a fast pass for the boat ride...there was a 30 minute wait..so I checked out the the "circle of life" film and then I did "food
rocks" I know this is a corney show but I do like it. then I got in line for the boat ride..from here I did the test track ..this time I
had to wait a big 4 minutes...in the "singles" lane...no big deal. Then I did body wars which was a walk on and then I did space ship
earth ...walking towards the gate and saying goodby to the park, I don't think I will be going back since there are only 1 more full day
in Disney...I have to say I feel this trip went so fast everyday was packed with stuff to do...So, I left Epcot and as I was leaving a CM
stopped me and asked me questions...like How many times I have been to Epcot and do I plan on comming back ..did I have a great time do
I like the land scaping? did I have any problems with CM's? and did I like the hours? I said No to the hours!! she told me they are
getting plenty of complaints about the hours!! ..from here I jumped on the monarail and met Laura for dinner at O Hana's and we had a
great dinner ...everything tasted to fresh and we had a table with a great view all around...we could see the castle and the fire pits
where they were cooking the meats. Then we walked around and waisted 2 hours before we were to meet our "The Mouse For less" group for
the "Fireworks" cruise...This was great and I would recomend this to anyone!! We didn't just sit in the boat...we got driven around and
saw some sights and the weather was perfect!! and the fireworks..WOW!! they were everywhere!! so crisp and clear...a
memory I will treasure forever!! Primiter fireworks!! and we even got to see the water pagent parade which was an added treat. so after
that we headed back to the room...another late night and 13.5 miles of walking for me...
Denise
Day 9, part II
okay here is how i spent this friday. as denise said we grabbed a quick bite at the food court - think i did cinnamon bun and oj.
was a bit disappointed that the hot choc machine was empty (and remained empty the next 2 mornings-think it was all the cheerleader
volume?) headed over to epcot to meet up with denise's friend lori and her family. we met and headed back toward the living seas. we
had gotten in line when lori remembered the character caravan she wanted to see with giovanni so they went out and exit door as we came
to it but i decided to stay and see the fish. saw the movie first cause i was not real sure i had seen it before (am still not sure)
and then took the "hydrollator" to the main area. wandered around a bit and even got to see the manatees before heading out. strolled to
the land to take the boat ride - there was a 15 minute wait which wasn't too bad - spent it reading the quotes on the wall and then
relaxed and enjoyed the ride. came outside and strolled through the rose gardens over toward canada to meet up with denise. the rose
gardens, even this late in the year were beautiful and i was talking to chuck (lori's husband) who denise said hat some major rose gardens
at home about when the "peak" time for the roses might be. i would love to see them at that time - they must be awesome!
i WAS looking for the roasted pecan stall cause i hadn't gotten any yet but either i was too early or they were not where i had
remembered them from from the night we went to candlelight processional cause i didn't see or smell any. met denise at le
cellier and savored the cheddar cheese soup and a steak the way nature intended it to be savored. left there and once again denise
and i separated after making plans on where to meet up for dinner.
i sat on a bench outside canada and got into a really nice conversation with a couple who were on there 21st trip in 21 years.
they even one year footed the bill for all their kids and grandkids to join them down there. he was telling me how all the kids want to
come again but he let them know dad paid for his first and last family outing :-) we got into the conversation because i am trying
to convince my brother and his wife they would enjoy WDW from an adult standpoint even if they (especially my SIL are not big ride
people) it turned out we had both also just lunched in canada so we talked a bit about the food in the world too. very pleasant.
decided now it was time to head back to the hotel and chill at the pool for a while. it felt sooo good to take a dip and then relax in
the sun even though the pool did have a rather boisterous group of cheerleaders in the water. read and dozed and then it was time to go
back to the room to get ready to meet up with denise.
took a bus to MK and then monorailed to the polynesian for ohana. this was another first for me and i enjoyed - we got a
tropical drink at the bar while waiting for our table and no sooner did we get served than the pager buzzed. the food from start to
finish was good - a bit well done (especially the beef) for my tastes but i recognize they have to cook for a wide range of people
so i mainly did the shrimp which were awesome. also really enjoyed the views from the windows and the dessert of pineapple with the
caramel dipping sauce. just enough of a sweet to top off the meal
we then had some time to kill while waiting for the time to meet the fireworks cruise group so we wandered the shops a bit and sat
outside. now i know some folks love the poly but i found the inside to be fairly noisy and the tropical aspect a bit too jungly for my
taste. my feelings may have been skewed by the fact that sitting outside meant you were fodder for numerous mosquitoes (even with
stuff to deter them on) and please do not get mad but hawaiian christmas music was just a little weird for my new england ears :-)
"i'm dreaming of a white Christmas" with ukuleles and "the 12 days of christmas" with 6 hula dancers and a pineapple in a coconut tree"
just sounded so odd.
it was finally time for the cruise and oh boy was this ever worth it! i am hoping whenever i go down again there will be some
folks from this list who are interested in this because i would love to do this again. seeing the fireworks - especially the perimeter
ones from the lagoon was unreal and seeing the castle and other resorts was also beautiful. the water pageant was neat because this
was another first for me - had never been at the right place at the right time on any of my other trips. and the patriotic ending just
gave me goosebumps. the company was fun and our boat skipper was full of interesting info as well. like denise said - if you get the
opportunity to do this it is worth it. i know there are not always perimeter fireworks but the view and the atmosphere are always there.
we then grabbed a monorail back to MK and a bus to port orleans to hit the hay for the night. i do not know my miles walked cause
denise wore the pedometer but i thoroughly enjoyed the day.
laura c
bristol CT
saturday - 12/8
now you will get this as best i can remember cause that night i did not write any notes. i am going by memory and my pictures from the
trip. we started the day with breakfast at park faire in the GF. i enjoyed this a lot and as i have said before, breakfast is one of my
favorite meals to eat out so i definitely felt this was worth it. it was also neat to see giovanni with the characters. that is truly
part of the magic - the look on little ones faces when they see a character in real life.
from here we went off to the studios. i can remember some of the highlights - we specifically wanted to see the hunchback of Notre
dame show. this had not been playing the other days we were here and was high on my list of "want to dos" as i had not seen it before. it
was everything i hoped and the entertainer before the show was a lot of fun as well.
i don't remember the specifics between that show and lunch - i do know we went to sci-fi for lunch had a burger and fries and
lori's dad was generous enough to treat us to that. after lunch chuck, denise, and i headed to rockin rollercoaster to take our one
last ride. had to wait about 30 minutes but it was worth it and the fastpasses were just too late for us to take advantage of. at this
point denise and i said bye to lori and chuck and family till dinnertime and planned the rest of our afternoon.. we got fastpasses
for tower of terror and then headed to see the little mermaid. another show i had not seen before and will not likely do on next
trip because i plan to do that one with nephews who will definitely be "too cool" to do that show :-) when we got out of the little
mermaid it was time to use our TOT fastpasses so denise decided to head quickly over to star tours to see if we needed fast passes for
that one. i headed to the designated meeting spot and had a truly disney moment. while we had been in the show it had rained and was
just stopping as we got out. heading towards TOT put me in the perfect spot to see the most gorgeous rainbow. while enjoying the
sight i hear a mom behind me pointing the rainbow out to her young daughter. the daughter's response "is that REAL or did disney do
it?" denise met up with me and we headed in to TOT. after that we headed over to star tours (the fast pass machines were not open) so
we did have a bit of a wait but that was our last "to do" so we considered it worth it. at this point we headed out of the park to
freshen up for dinner. had one last experience which led to my own adventure back at home.
after all week seeing the santa goofy hats i had decided to get one for my nephew steven. steve and i have a special relationship
and he was the first nephew i took to WDW. at the time he could do an awesome goofy impression and he became my "goofman" and still is.
at christmas he always helps distribute the presents at our family party and wears a santa hat while he does. decided i had to get him
one as we walked out of the park. the adventure came when i got home! he tried on the hat and loved it but suddenly said "there's
something weird in the back" took it off and discovered they had never removed the security tag thingy. the kind that says "contains
ink..." i had bought it from an outdoor stand and i guess there wasn't a detector to go off. well i took it to the nearby disney
store and they calmly informed me that they don't do sensors so they couldn't remove it. did tell me i could take it to the store across
the mall and they could take care of it. i am not saying WDW does this often but as soon as i walked in carrying the disney bag the
saleslady says "i know what you are here for" and gets the sensor remover out.
denise and i headed back to POR and got ready for dinner which we did with lori and her family at boma! getting ready mainly
involved putting on my "expandable" pants :-) stretchy and elastic waist and wonderful for this buffet. different stuff this time but
as wonderful as the last time. this WILL be one of my must returns restaurants on any trip. anyhow, we changed and headed over to MK to
meet lori and family and catch one last viewing of spectromagic before dinner. got there a bit late so did not have the best spot
but got to see everything and most importantly from my point of view got to see chernabog open this time. then took the boat over to
chuck and lori's resort to get her dad and the van and head to AKL.
had a bit of a wait for dinner - the place was much busier saturday night than it had been earlier in the week - i hope that
means locals as well as travelers are enjoying it and it stays popular and therefore profitable and well run. after dinner it was
back to the hotel and final prep for departing.
day 11 - laura has to go home :-(
had made arrangements the night before for luggage to be picked up at 7:30 and they were right on time. the poor baggage guy told us
some horror stories about the groups of football players and cheerleaders leaving en masse. mostly had to do with the sheer
quantity of small items these kids had. denise and i said our good-bye's, then i headed over to boatwrights for a simple sausage
and egg breakfast while denise headed off to meet up with lori's family. after breakfast sat outside reading the sunday paper and
people watching till it was time to meet my tiffany driver - brian was there early and i got there a few minutes early so we got my
luggage into the car (after i warned him it was a bit heavier this time ;-) and the he took me to the airport where thanks to curbside
check-in i never had to touch my suitcase! it did take a half hour to get thru the security line to the gates - due to volume on a
sunday afternoon. i got thru and we took off on time.
sign of the new times - we stopped in philly and while we did not have to change planes had enough time to get off and grab a quick
bite. then were let on with the first group of those boarding in philly. heard a guy a couple of rows behind me call the flight
attendant to let her know "someone left a package here in the overhead compartment - hadn't you better get someone to check it
out?" well the crew was new in philly as well so she seemed to be a bit nervous too - till she checked up front and found out the plane
was 1/2 full of people from orlando continuing to hartford. in normal times the disney bags in every overhead would have been a dead
giveaway.
got in a few minutes early and then had to wait for my nephew to pick me up. unfortunately he thought i was coming in on american
airlines instead of usair and was in the wrong terminal. and that meant he had to carry drag my suitcase a loooooong way to where he
was parked. but the trip was a success.
now this is long so i will close and will try to get some final thoughts about this trip and its magic in the near future.
laura c
bristol CT
Day 11 of Denise's & Laura Carnien's 11 day trip at Disney World...December 9th Denise's birthday..First of all I would like to
say say right here that I am deeply sorry for not doing this faster...ok here it is...Dec 9th we got up and had the bags picked
up...sooooo heavy!! Then I said good bye to Laura as she had an ealy flight and was having breakfast at Boatwrights...I jumped on a Magic
Kingdom bus and Met my friend Lori over there..she suggested I get a birthday pin and off we went ...had breakfast at the bakery and then
headed over to snow white ride...got right on and then did Pooh ride walk on...ran over to Peter Pan and the womam stopped us...said I am
letting you guys walk right on...!! there was a 15 minute wait!! but she picked us out and let us walk right on...faster than the
FastPass!! and she didn't even see my birthday pin!! That was the start of a very magic birthday!! then we did "it's a small world"
and tea cups it was getting hot...then we went over to BarnStormer..and Lori mention it was my birthday...and goofy was
getting off the ride...but .....he turned around and got right back on with me....to ride the ride because it's my birthday!! front row
seat with goofy!! I was soooo happy!! Then we went to adventure land and did the Pirartes of the Carribean and the Jungle Cruise...then we
stopped at Casey's and they bought me lunch...those hotdogs were good and fries...I didn't have fries for months!! I lost 56 pounds for
this trip...and just a side note...I am now down 60!! for my next trip in May!! May 9th till May 16th!! ok..now after lunch Lori and
her husband dropped me off at the resort and I just read a little bit till Mears picked me up at 2:30 and when I got at the airport I
booked and earlier flight...first they weighed my bag and I was 1 1/2 pounds over the limit of 70 pounds for 1 bag!! I was told that they
could make me pay 83 bucks fine...but she said she was just giving me a warning next time think about getting 2 bags...Ok so I am
telling everyone on the list...make sure your bags are not too heavy !! then I got a new ticket for my flight change and I got an S
on it!!! S means SEARCH!! so then when they were boarding the flight...I got picked to empty everything out of my carry on and they
looked at everything...camera ...made sure they could look look it...my certs containers...made sure certs were in it...everything
was taken and fingered and proded and poked at...but I felt better getting on the flight...and my big bag was carried away and sent
right through the X-ray machine...other than that the flight went well and I got home safe and sound..I do want to say that I had a
great time in Disney World and if Laura ever wanted to go again I would take her as a roomate...I think we got along great and had no
problems we got to do things that each of us had on our To Do list and we even got time apart to do things alone and we even had some
pool time which I never did on any of my trips!! More relaxing and easy pace. and I am so glad that I asked for a roomate when I signed
up for The Mouse For less!! It was a great trip with lots of fun memories!!
Denise Nguyen
dislov2000
|
