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Wednesday, June 4, 2003
(Magic Kingdom, MGM, Downtown Disney)
Before I left Michigan I made a list of all the things I wanted to do at the Disney Parks. I listed favorite rides as well as rides I had
not been able to ride on previous trips. Since I had never seen Stars & Cars at MGM or Mickey's Jamming Jungle Parade at Animal
Kingdom I put those on my list.
We left the condo at about 9:00 and parked in Pluto 27. I thought that was cool because Pluto is my second favorite character after
Simba. The Magic Kingdom was open until 9 on June 4 so we decided to make that our first park. We took the tram to TTS and then the
monorail to MK. We actually got to sit in the front! It was very cool. I made sure I got my co-pilot's license for my scrapbook. As
soon as we got to MK I went to guest relations and got my birthday button. We then rented a locker and made our way to Tomorrowland. I wanted to do Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Since it was so
busy at Christmastime we did not get a chance to ride this ride. We got FP and then boarded the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I had
never been on this ride. It went right through Space Mountain and Space Ranger Spin! We checked the time for our FP when we got off.
It still wasn't our time yet so we looked around in the arcade and played a couple of video games. We joined the FP line and waited
about 10 minutes. I forgot that ride was so much fun! Sandy got a huge score of over 100,000 and I got about 65,000.
After Tomorrowland we ventured over to Fantasyland. I wanted to ride the Pooh ride but it was closed for reconditioning. L We then made
our way to Adventureland. We decided to ride Jungle Cruise because I had heard somewhere that it may close in the near future. The line
was pretty long we waited about 30 minutes. Thank goodness they had air conditioners and fans to keep the crowd cool. When we boarded the boat the greeter wished me a happy birthday. As we left the dock the boat captain said, "I see someone on this boat is celebrating a birthday!" then he asked my name and proceeded lead the other passengers in a chorus of Happy Birthday. It was cool and really made me feel special!
We walked around Adventureland into Frontierland where we decided to get a bite to eat before the parade. Since we had such good luck
with Paco Bill's in the past we decided to eat there again. Sandy went and got the burgers while I found a table outside. We wanted to
be somewhat close to the road so we could get a good seat for the parade. Our burgers were great. I love the fixing bar where you can
top your burger with sautéed onions and mushrooms along with a whole host of veggies and condiments.
Nemo made his appearance at the beginning of the parade. He was "swimming" around with some walking seaweed! He was very cute! This parade was not much different from the parade for Walt's
Birthday celebration. I love the water globes.
After the parade we took the train to Toon Town. I wanted to look around and get some photos of Minnie's house and Mickey's house.
They were very cool with a lot of hidden Mickeys. A cast member in the gift store gave use a demonstration of how Pal Mickey works.
Next time I go to WDW we are going to rent one and get a taste of how he works.
It started to sprinkle as we boarded the train back to Main Street USA. We were heading to MGM next so we hoped the rain would hold
off. Minutes after we got to the station and got off the train it started down pouring. We sat in the train station until it let up a
bit. We went to the monorail station and caught a train back to TTS so we could board a bus to MGM. We decided to go on Tower of Terror
first. We didn't even need a fast pass we just got into line and were on the elevator 5 minutes later. They have changed this ride a
great deal since I had been on it in May of 2001. There isn't just a couple of predictable drops there are several random drops! It was
scarier then I remember!
The Stars and Cars parade started at 5:30 so we made our way back to Hollywood Boulevard to see the parade. The parade had already
started so we missed some of it. I could not take pictures because I was too far back. It was a cool parade though. I love the way they
announce each car and who is riding in it! Next trip I will make it a point to get a good seat for the parade at MGM.
We held FP for Rock & Roller Coaster but we didn't need them. The wait was about 10 minutes so we decided to save them and ride again
after if there was a line. R & R C is one cool ride! I forgot how fast it starts out….wow!! We ended up riding it again. By the time
we got off it was down pouring. We went back to Magic Kingdom because we were not sure we would be back to see the parade. We
wanted to go back to Sandy's Condo in Kissimmee and change because we were soaking wet. We were not even sure if they would have the SpectroMagic Parade.
After changing we headed back to WDW. Because of the rain on the drive we knew there was no way we were going to make it back to MK in time for SpectroMagic. We decided to go to Downtown Disney instead and do some shopping. I quickly found the scrapbook store. I was not impressed with the selection of products. I bought a couple
packages and a box of stickers and a scrapbook kit. . I spend a ton of money at The World of Disney. I purchased a stencil book that
came with markers and paper, some post cards, a Disney screen saver, a Disney character CD ROM and a couple of magnets. We decided to go to Ghirardelli's and have some ice cream before heading back to the condo. I had the Stake It Rich Sundae and Sandy had a strawberry & chocolate sundae. They were great but not as good as Ben & Jerry's (but who is?). Once I got through the whipped cream there was about an inch of air before the ice cream started. For $6.50 you think they would fill up the sundae dish! After a very long day we headed home.
Thursday, June 5, 2003
My 30th Birthday
(Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Chef Mickey's)
Our first stop on Thursday was Epcot. We went over to Test Track to get a FP but were surprised to find there was only a 5 minute wait
for single riders. While we were in line an announcement was made that there were thunderstorms and rain in the area and they may have
to close the ride. We were on and off before it started to sprinkle.
Since rain was threatening we decided to tour the Flower & Garden Festival exhibits before we went on any more rides or buildings. The
doggie maze was very cute! They didn't seem to have as many topiaries as there were last year but the ones they had were well
done. My favorite was Lady & the Tramp in the doggie maze.
We went to The Land and got FP for Living With The Land. While we waited we decided to watch The Circle of Life movie. I love the
movies because the story is told by characters from The Lion King which is my favorite movie. We checked our FP when the movie let
out. We still had 15 minutes until we could Living With The Land. Since we weren't eating dinner until late we split a Double Chocolate
Brownie Sundae at Bakery & Ice Cream Shop in The Land. It was the best brownie sundae I have ever had. The brownie was rich like fudge
and the ice cream was so creamy! We washed it down with a large soda! We headed over to Living With The Land. It is so nice to be
in a cool air-conditioned ride while it is so warm outside. Living with the Land is one of my favorite rides at Epcot, just because it
is so quite and relaxing. Living Seas was next on our list. That had a ton of Finding Nemo merchandise. I ended up buying a Dora &
Nemo beanbags for my bathroom and Sandy and I purchased a limited edition Finding Nemo pin. We had them sent to the gate so we wouldn't have to carry them around all day.
My favorite Celtic Band Off Kilter was playing in Canada at 1:30 so we headed toward the World Showcase to see them. We watched Off
Kilter for about fifteen minutes or so and then headed off to tour the countries. It was very hot and humid so staying in the shade and
taking it slow was the order of the day. We were very happy to find a flavored shaved ice. The tangerine shaved ice cones really hit the
spot!
We left Epcot at about 2:45 via boat so we didn't have to walk all the way to the entrance of the park. We took a bus from the Swan
Hotel to Animal Kingdom. I thought we were going to miss the parade at Animal Kingdom. For some reason I thought it was at 3:00. When
we first caught site of Discovery Island we noticed that people were lining up on the pathway. We hadn't missed the parade it was at 4:00
not 3:00. Even though we were late I still found a good spot and got some photos. Out of all the parades I think the one at AK is my
favorite. I loved the petal powered floats and puppets. Since on my last couple of trips we had not gone to Dinoland, USA we
decided to concentrate on that section of the park. Sandy wasn't feeling well so she decided to find a bench and sit while I rode the
rides. There was no wait at Dinosaur so I walked right onto the ride. I love being scared out of my seat! I love that ride. Primal
Whirl is a fairly new ride so I decided to try it. I don't really like "spinning" rides so I wasn't all that impressed with PW. I will
probably not go on that one again.
Our priority seating at Chef Mickey's was at 6:30 so we decided to head over to the Contemporary Hotel. We arrived at about 5:45 so we sat in the lobby and cooled off a bit. We made our way up the stairs at about 6:15. We were given a lighted coaster and ushered off to get our "family" photo taken. There were just two of us (my sister
and I). We were seated about 6:30 where the protocol was explained to us. Neither my sister nor I had ever been to a character dinner.
Since it was my birthday I got a button (like the one I got at MK) and a placemat with signatures from Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Donald,
Pluto and Chip & Dale. At the end of the meal I also got a cupcake with a candle on it.
The waitress got our drink order and we headed for the buffet. The food was wonderful. They had prime rib, chicken, pork in sweat &
sour sauce and turkey. For the little ones they also had chicken fingers, hot dogs & mac & cheese. For sides there was California mix
veggies in feta cheese, salad, mashed garlic potatoes, red potatoes & French fries for the kids. Peel and eat shrimp was also available.
Dessert consisted of make-your-own-sundae & a verity of pies and cakes. I found dessert kind-of disappointing but dinner was
wonderful!
I was not sure how much interaction I would get with the characters seeing there were only two of us and we were both adults. In the
table next to us there was a family with two teen-age daughters and one daughter who was maybe 11. Goofy had fun with the oldest
daughter. He pulled her out of her seat and proceeded to "propose" marriage and then he gave her a basket with "flowers" (which was the
basket on the table for the salt/pepper and sugar packets) and made her a "Vale" out of a napkin on the table. He then grabbed my arm
and gave me the little girl's autograph book; I was to "marry" them. It was so funny this poor girls mom was laughing so hard she was
crying. Goofy marched her out of the restaurant arm and arm and presented his new "bride" to everyone in the lobby. Mickey came over
shaking his head over Goofy's antics! All the characters were wonderful. I had them sign a map of the Magic Kingdom for me.
Minnie even wrote "Happy Birthday Robin Love Minnie"! Mickey even gave me a birthday kiss. The characters at the dinner were, Mickey,
Minnie, Chip & Dale, Goofy and Donald. I was alittle disappointed that Pluto wasn't there (I was told he would be). I took a ton of
photos. My camera shy sister even posed for some pictures. The picture taken before dinner by the Disney CM was so good we actually
bought the package. We both kept the 8 x10, and are going to share rest with our parents and grandparents. At the end of dinner I was
presented with a cupcake with a candle on it. The whole room twirled their napkins in the air and sang the special Chef Mickey's
Celebration song for me and another girl who was celebrating her birthday. The experience was well worth the money we spent.
After dinner we went back to Epcot for Illuminations, get the car and our things from the locker. We caught the last quarter of the show
and then headed back to the Contemporary to see the Electric Water Pageant. I was disappointed to hear the music to the water pageant
was no long the same music as the Main Street Electric Parade. Maybe it wasn't the same all along but from what I remember from when I was child the music was the same. Anyway the parade was cool and I am glad we got to see it. It was the perfect ending to another
wonderful Disney day.
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