Disney245 - October 2003

Saturday, October 25, 2003 - Disney Studios and Haunted Mansion Movie Set

We got up again today without an alarm. We love to hear Mickey in the morning, but we also love to sleep. DH got up first, got ready and went to Captain Cooks to bring back breakfast while DW got ready. While getting breakfast DH heard a Mother ask her ~3 year old Daughter what she wanted for breakfast. She proudly announced, "Skittles and Bacon". Ah, the breakfast of champions. Once we completed breakfast we took the bus to the Disney Studios (DS). We did some shopping, what a surprise, and then rode the Great Movie Ride. After leaving the ride we bought a pumpkin cookie and then strolled down NY Street. We got a photo with Sorcerer Mickey and then went to see the Haunted Mansion movie set exhibit. No photography or video taping was allowed. We saw many drawings, photos, plans and models of the Ghosts and Sets used in the movies. The highlight of the tour was seeing the Grand Ballroom. When you enter the display, on the right is a huge fireplace that has cob webs all over it. At the end of the room is the Grand Staircase with an organ in the middle. To the fight of the staircase is the dining room table. They show a movie, with close captioning on a special screen, of the making of the movie. It was well worth seeing. They might allow photos once the movie opens. After seeing the Mansion it was time for lunch. We ate lunch at the ABC Commissary. DH had the Tabbouleh Wrap ($6.59) and DW had the Feijoada Stew ($5.29). Dh also had a beer. He said that they poured a good beer. Next stopped was Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We only had to wait for five-minutes before we walked into the next show. We enjoyed it as always. After exiting we looked in the Animation Studio Store. We did more shopping on Sunset Boulevard and then it was time for DH's FP to the Rock and Roller Coaster (RNRC). He got off just in time to get into the Beauty and the Beast (BAB) show. We had great seats. We were in the very back in the right side bleachers. We could see above everybody's heads and see the show. After the show was over we went on the Backlot Tour. We got picked to be the deck hands (comic relief) on the PT boat show at the start of the tour. This was really fun. We then saw the rest of the Backlot Tour. They moved some of the props and took a different route for the tour. Even without Residential Street, the tour was still fun. We then went to the Indiana Jones Stunt show and walked in with only 15 minutes until show time. We have not seen this show in years and it was pure enjoyment. It was now time for dinner. We had dinner on Sunset Boulevard. DH had the double hamburger ($6.59) and DW had the barbeque pizza with salad ($7.99). The meals was good. We rested on Sunset Boulevard and noticed that the Tower of Terror (ToT) was not running for a while. It was back online in about 10 minutes. We think that only the left side was working. The doors on the right side were stuck open. We then got in line for Fantasmic 1.1 hours before the show. This was our first time seeing Fantasmic without the Fantasmic Dinner Package (FDP). We wanted to experience it without the FDP. When we went to get in line, they were letting people into the stadium. We walked right in and were seated in the Pocohontas section in row U and got to sit all of the way to the right. We chose to sit up high to get a better view. We were next to the Mickey section. The seat was almost dead center. The aisle between the Mickey and Pocohontas sections is the very middle of the seating. We did pretty well with our seating selection. We have always sat in the Witch section before. We thought the addition of the refreshment stands in the Fantasmic seating area was a nice addition. At the present time they can only take cash. All they need now is to add restrooms. This time they had the Witch and Ursula sections roped off for the FDP. At 15 minutes before the start of the show, the two end seating sections were still open. They just about filled up when the show began. The show was fantastic. We were getting misted in our seats. We were near the top of the amphitheater. Mickey won! The only part of the view that was better here than in the Witches section, was when the princess floats came by and they played the different movie music. The music matched the float that is at the center of the stage. After the show ended we headed back to the PR. PM was been very informative all day today. When we got back to the room, we had a message reminding us that tonight was the end of Daylight Savings Time and to remember to turn back the clocks. Ah, an extra hour of sleep.

Sunday, October 26, 2003 – Animal Kingdom and MNSSHP

We woke up again without an alarm. They were calling for our first moisture of the vacation, but it never materialized. It was humid all day. Today is our second MNSSHP day. We arrived at the AK at 9 am. Our first stop was… yes you guessed it… the store. After a quick shopping trip, we walked on the Dinosaur ride. After bringing back "Our Dino" we bought some small dinos for our WDW display. We then walked on Triceratops Spin (TS). After TS, DH and PM rode Primeval Whirl with only a five-minute wait. We went to the Tarzan show next. We got into the theater about fifteen-minutes early. DH did not like this show that last time we saw it. He had forgotten what he did not like about this show, well he now remembers what he dislikes about this show. He likes the monkeys and the aerial portions, but hates the rock band. We will wait for many years before seeing it again. Lunch was at the Flame Tree Barbeque. DH and DW split the Meal Deal ($11.99). We had one-half rack of St. Louis Ribs with large soda ($8.49 & 2.29). Later we got a popcorn ($3.00) and bottle of soda ($2.50). The meal deal saved us almost $5.00. It is a great deal. We left the AK after getting our popcorn and soda and went back to the PR. It was again time for a nap. We had a 3:45 pm wake up call set. At 3:30 pm, PM started to giggle. He told us that the AK parade started in 30 minutes and that we should be staking out a place now if we wanted to see it. What a fun way to wake up. Fifteen minutes later Mickey called us on the phone. We got ready and took the boat to the MK. As we got to the end of Main Street, Cinderella's Surprise Celebration was just starting. This was a great show. Now it was on to Liberty Tree Tavern (LTT) got our Halloween Dinner. We saw Chip, Dale, Meeko, Pluto and Minnie. All were dressed for Halloween. Since we were one of the first to be seated, every character came by our table twice. DW and DH got their pictures with all of the characters. Dinner was great ($21.99 per adult). After leaving LTT we were off to Tomorrowland. We got the MNSSHP pin for this night and then DH rode Space Mountain (ScM). Another turn on the TTA was in order and then we got our photos taken. Next it was off to Liberty Square and we got a spot for the first parade of the evening. Dedrick Knickerbocker told the Legend of Sleepy Hollow again in front of the Liberty Bell. We were just to his left and on the opposite side. The Ride of the Headless Horseman and the parade were great again. After the parade we walked onto the HM. The CM who lets you in was exceptional. Our next stop was the Country Bear Jamboree (CBJ). We both thought it was different from the last time that we saw it. When we exited the CBJ the Halloween Fireworks were just starting. Many were in the round. Next we rode the Haunted Riverboat. A band played and then a dead woman told a story. We exited by the right side walkway. As we got of we got to see the ride of the Headless Horseman. The view is very different from a distance. In a way it is spookier. After seeing the Headless Horseman, we looked down into the water and saw an alligator. He was slowly floating around. Then we saw a fish splashed and he went after it but missed. We walked the river walkways toward Adventureland and stopped by the pretzel/churro cart and watched the parade. We stood on benches and had a great view. We then walked on the POC and the Jungle Cruise (JC). The JC is very different in the dark. DW stopped to trick or treat before we caught the boat back to the PR. Another great day at WDW.

Monday, October 27, 2003 – EPCOT and MK

Today is our last full day at WDW. Tomorrow we have to get up early and drive all the way home. We decided not to set an alarm and slept in. We set out for EPCOT via the monorails to see more of the Food and Wine Festival. DW got up first and got most of the luggage packed so that we could load the minivan later in the day. This would limit the amount of bags we had to carry out tomorrow morning. We got ready, ate some fruit in the room and then headed out to the PR monorail station. Upon arrival in EPCOT, we got a FP for Test Track (TT) and then DH rode MS in the single rider line. This time DW played the game as a Mission Controller for team Triton. Our team lost with 95% efficiency, but DW was the Mission Controller who uploaded the most number of fixes. Yes, DW does enjoy video games. We then walked to World Showcase (WS) and took the boat from Mexico to Morocco. DH wanted to eat at the Tangerine Café. DH had the Tabouli wrap ($6.95) and DW had a side of Saffron rice ($1.95). DW then had a few more samples around the world.
American – Corn and Lobster Chowder
Then we went into the American pavilion to see the performance.
Australia – Shrimp on the Barbie
Scandinavia – Ricecream
Off we then went to use our now expired TT FPs. We were about 50 minutes past our date when we arrived, but they still let us on. It was as exhilarating as ever. We then took the monorail back to the PR, dropped off our stuff and then took the boat to the MK. We had hamburgers at Pinocchio's. Love those mushrooms. After lunch we rode on Pooh again and then took a spin around the MK on the WDW RR before it had to stop running before the fireworks. Next we saw MP again and then the HM. As we came out of the HM the MK fireworks began. We could see that they were watering down the building roofs in Liberty Square (LS). We worked our way over to the bridge into LS and watched the fireworks from there. We then headed out and said goodbye to WDW and went back to the PR by boat. We saw the Magic Fireworks from a few different places and feel the best view is from about half way down Main Street. Once we got back to our room, we called Bell Services and loaded everything that we did not need into the minivan. On the way back from the minivan, we stopped by the front desk to check out and then rested in our room. We set up a wake up call for 5 am and then went to bed.

Tuesday, October 28, 2003 – Trip is over

Mickey woke us up at 5:00 am. We find it easier to leave from Mickey's House when it is still dark. We were ready and out of the door in 45 minutes. We took the last of our things with us and drove to the Crossroads McDonalds to get breakfast. Now we are officially on our way. We had a very good vacation indeed. We drove the entire way home. We left Florida at 9:00 am just as DW woke up from her first nap of the trip. Now it was time to watch TV. We switched drivers every few hours. It began to rain in SC and never let up. We stopped by the Disney Catalog Outlet at the Potomac Mills for our last "Disney Fix" and arrived home at 11 pm. Now it was time to plan the next WDW vacation.

Final Thoughts and Observations

·We had great weather all week. We never had any rain, except when we were driving down and back. Every day the highs were in the mid 80s and the lows were in the mid 60s. We only encounter humidity on our last two full days. We were able to wear shorts and tee shirts all day every day.

·Pal Mickey is well worth the money. As the trip progress, DH wanted to carry him and enjoyed his bad jokes. If PM appears to be getting quiet, change his batteries. Even though he can still tell jokes when you press his hand, he many not have enough power for his receiver.

·You cannot send food back to your resort with the express resort shipping.

·MNSSHP is a must see. It is fun to trick or treat as an adult and the parade should not to be missed. Be sure not to miss the man in Toontown making the balloon animals. Listening to Dedrick Knickerbocker tell the Legion of Sleepy Hollow and then the ride of the headless horseman is a must do.

·Don't miss Mickey's Philharmagic show and be sure to look in the gift shop at the MK. The store walls are very decorated and worth seeing.

·We had many magical moments. Especially when we repeatedly would arrive at a location at the perfect time. Such as to get on the boat and see fireworks, walk out a presentation just as the parades was arriving, etc.

·A very relaxing vacation. No commando touring. Many naps and days we slept in.

·Not feeling that we missed any of the magic, but will need to be returning soon.

·We had much better luck getting a Mickey wake up at the Polynesian Resort than we did at the All Star Music Resort.

·Loved taking the boat to the MK.

·Every Bass caught was at least 12 inches long. All were of legal length. Fishing at Disney is only catch and release. No dock fishing is allowed.

·As you can see from our activities, there is way more to do at WDW than just the parks.

·Sea World is a great addition to any WDW vacation.

·If you have a car, great deals can be found at the outlets.

·We saw the Magic Fireworks from a few different places and feel the best view is from about half way down Main Street.

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