IluvKingLouis
02-17-2007, 01:26 PM
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Wednesday, Jan. 24[/b]
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Today is Linnea?a birthday and we have reservations for the Princess lunch at Epcot for 2:30. We decide to go into <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Magic <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Kingdom for the morning. She is wearing her Cinderella dress and is so excited about it being her birthday. While at the CBR food court and upon hearing it was her birthday, a CM gives her a big M&M cookie and a balloon. She was so thrilled.
When we get to MK, we swing by Guest Relations to get her her birthday pin. Then we head over to the big Disney store on the corner so she can pick out a present. She has already decided she wanted the Minnie Mouse Pirate ears. They?re very cute. Earlier in the trip she had picked out a pink princess purse, and a Tinkerbell necklace.
It?s a little chilly today and we are all wearing jackets. We head into Fantasyland. Again the crowds are light and we walk on to just about all the rides. Then it?s off to Pirates to watch the Pirate Tutorial (our second show). Again it?s excellent. It?s the same Jack, with a different sidekick. This different Mac was better then the one from the other day. We all loved the show. We rode on Pirates a couple of times and then did the Jungle Cruise.
We decide to head on over to Epcot. We had enough time to ride Spaceship Earth. It?s always a relaxing one. We did explain to Linnea that a portion of the ride would go downhill backwards and she said she?d be fine with that. I get fast passes for Soarin? so that we could do that one after lunch. Then we?re off to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Norway.
I really enjoy the food here. Before it became a character meal, we?d usually hit it twice on our trips. I think this is my favorite restaurant, food wise, in all of Disney. At the cold buffet they have a variety of salads, deli meats, cheeses and nice European style breads. For my meal I ordered the trout. Linnea had her picture taken with Sleeping Beauty upon our arrival. During our meal we met Snow White, Jasmine, Belle and Ariel. The deserts here are awesome (and included). We leave feeling very stuffed and decide to head back to the hotel for a nap (we take in Soarin? before leaving the park).
Unfortunately it?s too cold to go for a swim before our quiet time. The pool at the Caribbean Beach Resort really looked amazing, but it remained too cold on our last days to try it out. All three of us actually napped today.
We decide to go back into Epcot since we thought it was an extra magic evening. It turns out they are having a media event, so there will not be any extended hours. In fact they closed the Sea?s early and had that whole area roped off. We get our Soarin? fast passes then head over to the Imagination ride. Next it?s off to Test Track. We lucked out and it was a walk on. Glen and I love this ride. This would be Linnea?s first time. She enjoyed the entire ride except the end when the car travels quickly on the loops. Then we go on Ellen?s Energy Adventure. We all love this ride and Linnea is not at all scared of the dinosaurs. Then it?s back to the other side for Soarin, and Living with the Land (Linnea?s favorite). We finish off with the imagination ride then its back to the hotel.
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Thursday, Jan. 25[/b]
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We had no ADR?s today so we decide to wing it. We start off at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Magic <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Kingdom. We had skipped breakfast at CBR with the expectation that we would grab something at MK. Well it was 10 am and Cosmic Rays was actually serving lunch. I grab a veggie burger (not nearly as good as the one at All Star Music), while Glen and Linnea each get chicken fingers.
I insist on making the 11:20 Pirate Tutorial (I?m hooked) which gives us enough time to hang out in Fantasyland for about an hour. For the Pirate Tutorial show today there is a lot of media, and the Canadian Broadcasting Company has cameras set up to film this show. I sat next to a lady who writes travel reports for the AAA magazine and I can?t stop talking about how amazing Jack Sparrow is. Today, a different Jack Sparrow emerges, and sadly he is really not good at all. No accent and the mannerisms aren?t there either. I felt badly that the media didn?t have the opportunity to tape the real good Jack Sparrow.
We take in a few additional rides and share a bucket of popcorn. Glen and Linnea are still hungry (Cosmic Rays just did not fill us up this morning) so they share a citrus swirl (orange and vanilla soft serve). It looked good, but I?m a Dole Whip purest when it comes to Disney ice cream. It was a little too cold though, so I pass on the ice cream (can you believe it? No Dole Whip on this trip).
We head back to the hotel for a nap. Glen and Linnea wake up around 6pm and decide they want to go into Epcot. Since Linnea had a nap today, they want to stay for the fireworks, this time getting close enough to the lake so Linnea can see all the lake effects. I?m just exhausted. I think the night that I stayed up past midnight waiting (and worrying) about our luggage has caught up to me and I opt to call it a night. Glen and Linnea eat dinner at the CBR food court before heading into Epcot. Linnea?s kids meal comes served in a plastic sand bucket, which is cute considering all the beach areas at this resort. I enjoy having a nice peaceful evening by myself. Mommies definitely need their alone times too.
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Friday, Jan. 26[/b]
Today is our last full day. Since we haven?t been to Animal Kingdom we decide to head there and have breakfast at the park. We weren?t too thrilled with the food court at CBR as it was always so crowded (it?s a huge resort). I liked the one at the All Stars Music much better.
I had made ADR?s for Le Cellier for 12:30. We cancel our ressie knowing there is no way we can get there in time. From now on I think I?ll do 2:30 lunch ressies. It?s much easier to get to if you are switching parks and it becomes (for us) a late lunch/early dinner making it a good value.
Once at AK we decide to have breakfast at Rainforest Caf?. Their breakfasts are in the $8-10.00 range but they are huge. I had a breakfast pizza (thin crust pizza with scrambled egg, onion, bellpepper, cheddar cheese and fresh tomato and basil on top. It was excellent. I only ate half. This is something that could easily be shared.
It?s so cold today that I buy a sweatshirt from the gift shop. It?s very nice and marked down to $24.00 from $40.00. Linnea picks out a little white tiger stuffed animal.
We?re off to see the new Nemo stage show/musical. We do stop at the playground area (the Dig) beforehand. This has to be the best playground in WDW. It?s supper cool, but it is huge and it?s a bit challenging keeping up with your kid.
Nemo has to be the most amazing stage show I have seen at Disney. I am totally blown away. I?m a little suspicious that they are floating this out there (no pun intended) to test audience reaction. I?m willing to bet that they are looking to take this (well, an expanded version) to Broadway. We possibly had some of the worst seats in the theater but felt that we could see everything. The line for this forms very early! The theater seats 1700 (yes, we asked) so even if you are at the end of the line there is a very good chance you will get in.
From here it?s an easy trek over to Expedition Everest (now that they?ve built a connecting bridge). AK has a rather awkward layout as it is almost impossible to get from one land to another without first returning to the center. I think they are trying to work on this problem since traffic in this park is always atrocious.
Once at EE (I?m really looking forward to this one!) we discover they are out of fast passes for the day and the standby line is an hour long. We both consider taking turns on the singles line (since we?d need to take turns anyway). But we?re now burned out by the crowds and decide we will save this for October. It?ll give us something to look forward too.
The previous night, when Glen and Linnea went to Epcot, they had gone on the new Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush (these are both new attractions for us). Glen said they were both very good so we decide to head on over to Epcot so I too can experience these attractions.
First we do Nemo, which is a walk on. The refurbished queue is very cute. This is an adorable ride. We did it several times in a row. I?m not sure I?d wait more then 15 minutes to do this one, but it is very cute. Next it?s Turtle Talk. Ok, how the heck do they do this? Glen and I are techies so after the ride we?re whispering to each other our thoughts on how this is done. I don?t like it when grown ups speculate on the ?magic? loudly enough so that children can hear, so we are extra careful to speak very softly. We decide to turn around and go right back on it.
If you?ve not been on it, you sit in a small auditorium, and the kids are invited to sit on the carpet up front. There is a large screen and Crush swims up and begins interacting. The children get to ask questions and Crush responds. Some of it is canned, but not all! Crush asked one boy what his name was, and the boy states his name and then proceeds to spell it (very funny). Crush then asked where his parental units were sitting. He asks his mom what her name is. She says, her name, and Crush asks ?Are you going to spell it for us too?? The quick humor is as amazing as the technology. Don?t let the line outside this attraction deter you, since once the theater clears out almost everyone waiting gets ushered in.
We do the rest of our Epcot favorites. We always get a Soarin? fast pass upon entering the park. So after Crush it?s off to the land for Soarin?.
It?s almost 4pm and we are starved. We had our big breakfast at Rainforest and realize that we hadn?t had lunch. We decide to try <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mexico sit down which we?ve never done before. Dinner prices here are in the $20.00 range. The food was pretty good. They are refurbishing the ride so there is a large faux stucco wall where diners once overlooked the water. Normally, it?s a little like the Blue Bayou in DL atmosphere wise with a fake evening sky and boats that drift past your table. I don?t think I can recommend this for dinner, but lunch might not be bad as the lunch items are a bit less and the atmosphere is, of course, the same.
We take in a few more attractions then decide to call it an early night so we can pack up.
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Saturday, Jan. 27[/b]
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Today is our last day. Our flight leaves at 4:30. We have breakfast ADR?s at Ohana?s for the Lilo and Stitch breakfast. Amazingly, we make it to MK for the opening. We?ve never done this before. We get to help open the park by throwing Mickey glitter into the air. It was a very cool little ceremony. Next we?re off to Fantasyland to do our favorites.
Linnea decides she wants to do the Carousel. This is kind of odd since she?s not been too keen on it. Anyway I opt to wait on a nearby bench. A CM is (almost aggressively) trying to lure folks on to the ride. Most families simply walk on by saying ?No thanks, were headed over to Small World/Peter Pan/?fill in the blank?. As the ride takes off, Glen waves to me and in his hand is one of the special fast past cards that are being given out as part of the Million Dreams promotion. Immediately, I jump into the line and am lucky enough to score one of these cards as well. Ok, this was a little tacky but it?s our last few hours and I want to catch up with dh and dd, so I immediately exit the ride without doing a spin on the carousel.
We go on a few more Fantasyland rides (Peter Pan, Snow White). They are all walk ons so there is no sense in using our fast passes.
Shortly before 10 we head over to the Poly for breakfast. We decide to take the boat over instead of the monorail since it?s at the dock. It was a fun little boat ride.
Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch was great. The food is quite good. Last year we were served fresh orange juice. This year it was a blended tropical fruit drink. Sadly, it seems like every year Disney cuts back a bit on their quality. The character interaction was very nice. We heard a CM say that it was going to be a very busy day at MK. We head back over there via the monorail and are blown away by the crowds waiting to get in. Even with our fast passes, we decide it?s going to be just to crazy and we really only have a short time before we have to take the Magic Express back to the airport.
We end up spending our last hour at Downtown Disney. We visited with one of the parrot trainers outside of the Rainforest Caf?. We have a small parrot at home, and I?m convinced parrot people can exchange birdie stories for hours.
Then it?s back to the hotel and the Magic Express waiting area. This has been one of our best trips. I think the light crowds and staying on property had a lot to do with it. Trying out an after hours party (Princess and Pirates) certainly added to the magic on this trip. And the extra magic hours in the evening (at MK) were fantastic! It looks like we will be back in October, and I?m also hoping we might do an early January trip (before our AP?s expire) because I?m so sold on the crowd levels in January!
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Today is Linnea?a birthday and we have reservations for the Princess lunch at Epcot for 2:30. We decide to go into <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Magic <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Kingdom for the morning. She is wearing her Cinderella dress and is so excited about it being her birthday. While at the CBR food court and upon hearing it was her birthday, a CM gives her a big M&M cookie and a balloon. She was so thrilled.
When we get to MK, we swing by Guest Relations to get her her birthday pin. Then we head over to the big Disney store on the corner so she can pick out a present. She has already decided she wanted the Minnie Mouse Pirate ears. They?re very cute. Earlier in the trip she had picked out a pink princess purse, and a Tinkerbell necklace.
It?s a little chilly today and we are all wearing jackets. We head into Fantasyland. Again the crowds are light and we walk on to just about all the rides. Then it?s off to Pirates to watch the Pirate Tutorial (our second show). Again it?s excellent. It?s the same Jack, with a different sidekick. This different Mac was better then the one from the other day. We all loved the show. We rode on Pirates a couple of times and then did the Jungle Cruise.
We decide to head on over to Epcot. We had enough time to ride Spaceship Earth. It?s always a relaxing one. We did explain to Linnea that a portion of the ride would go downhill backwards and she said she?d be fine with that. I get fast passes for Soarin? so that we could do that one after lunch. Then we?re off to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Norway.
I really enjoy the food here. Before it became a character meal, we?d usually hit it twice on our trips. I think this is my favorite restaurant, food wise, in all of Disney. At the cold buffet they have a variety of salads, deli meats, cheeses and nice European style breads. For my meal I ordered the trout. Linnea had her picture taken with Sleeping Beauty upon our arrival. During our meal we met Snow White, Jasmine, Belle and Ariel. The deserts here are awesome (and included). We leave feeling very stuffed and decide to head back to the hotel for a nap (we take in Soarin? before leaving the park).
Unfortunately it?s too cold to go for a swim before our quiet time. The pool at the Caribbean Beach Resort really looked amazing, but it remained too cold on our last days to try it out. All three of us actually napped today.
We decide to go back into Epcot since we thought it was an extra magic evening. It turns out they are having a media event, so there will not be any extended hours. In fact they closed the Sea?s early and had that whole area roped off. We get our Soarin? fast passes then head over to the Imagination ride. Next it?s off to Test Track. We lucked out and it was a walk on. Glen and I love this ride. This would be Linnea?s first time. She enjoyed the entire ride except the end when the car travels quickly on the loops. Then we go on Ellen?s Energy Adventure. We all love this ride and Linnea is not at all scared of the dinosaurs. Then it?s back to the other side for Soarin, and Living with the Land (Linnea?s favorite). We finish off with the imagination ride then its back to the hotel.
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Thursday, Jan. 25[/b]
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We had no ADR?s today so we decide to wing it. We start off at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Magic <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Kingdom. We had skipped breakfast at CBR with the expectation that we would grab something at MK. Well it was 10 am and Cosmic Rays was actually serving lunch. I grab a veggie burger (not nearly as good as the one at All Star Music), while Glen and Linnea each get chicken fingers.
I insist on making the 11:20 Pirate Tutorial (I?m hooked) which gives us enough time to hang out in Fantasyland for about an hour. For the Pirate Tutorial show today there is a lot of media, and the Canadian Broadcasting Company has cameras set up to film this show. I sat next to a lady who writes travel reports for the AAA magazine and I can?t stop talking about how amazing Jack Sparrow is. Today, a different Jack Sparrow emerges, and sadly he is really not good at all. No accent and the mannerisms aren?t there either. I felt badly that the media didn?t have the opportunity to tape the real good Jack Sparrow.
We take in a few additional rides and share a bucket of popcorn. Glen and Linnea are still hungry (Cosmic Rays just did not fill us up this morning) so they share a citrus swirl (orange and vanilla soft serve). It looked good, but I?m a Dole Whip purest when it comes to Disney ice cream. It was a little too cold though, so I pass on the ice cream (can you believe it? No Dole Whip on this trip).
We head back to the hotel for a nap. Glen and Linnea wake up around 6pm and decide they want to go into Epcot. Since Linnea had a nap today, they want to stay for the fireworks, this time getting close enough to the lake so Linnea can see all the lake effects. I?m just exhausted. I think the night that I stayed up past midnight waiting (and worrying) about our luggage has caught up to me and I opt to call it a night. Glen and Linnea eat dinner at the CBR food court before heading into Epcot. Linnea?s kids meal comes served in a plastic sand bucket, which is cute considering all the beach areas at this resort. I enjoy having a nice peaceful evening by myself. Mommies definitely need their alone times too.
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Friday, Jan. 26[/b]
Today is our last full day. Since we haven?t been to Animal Kingdom we decide to head there and have breakfast at the park. We weren?t too thrilled with the food court at CBR as it was always so crowded (it?s a huge resort). I liked the one at the All Stars Music much better.
I had made ADR?s for Le Cellier for 12:30. We cancel our ressie knowing there is no way we can get there in time. From now on I think I?ll do 2:30 lunch ressies. It?s much easier to get to if you are switching parks and it becomes (for us) a late lunch/early dinner making it a good value.
Once at AK we decide to have breakfast at Rainforest Caf?. Their breakfasts are in the $8-10.00 range but they are huge. I had a breakfast pizza (thin crust pizza with scrambled egg, onion, bellpepper, cheddar cheese and fresh tomato and basil on top. It was excellent. I only ate half. This is something that could easily be shared.
It?s so cold today that I buy a sweatshirt from the gift shop. It?s very nice and marked down to $24.00 from $40.00. Linnea picks out a little white tiger stuffed animal.
We?re off to see the new Nemo stage show/musical. We do stop at the playground area (the Dig) beforehand. This has to be the best playground in WDW. It?s supper cool, but it is huge and it?s a bit challenging keeping up with your kid.
Nemo has to be the most amazing stage show I have seen at Disney. I am totally blown away. I?m a little suspicious that they are floating this out there (no pun intended) to test audience reaction. I?m willing to bet that they are looking to take this (well, an expanded version) to Broadway. We possibly had some of the worst seats in the theater but felt that we could see everything. The line for this forms very early! The theater seats 1700 (yes, we asked) so even if you are at the end of the line there is a very good chance you will get in.
From here it?s an easy trek over to Expedition Everest (now that they?ve built a connecting bridge). AK has a rather awkward layout as it is almost impossible to get from one land to another without first returning to the center. I think they are trying to work on this problem since traffic in this park is always atrocious.
Once at EE (I?m really looking forward to this one!) we discover they are out of fast passes for the day and the standby line is an hour long. We both consider taking turns on the singles line (since we?d need to take turns anyway). But we?re now burned out by the crowds and decide we will save this for October. It?ll give us something to look forward too.
The previous night, when Glen and Linnea went to Epcot, they had gone on the new Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush (these are both new attractions for us). Glen said they were both very good so we decide to head on over to Epcot so I too can experience these attractions.
First we do Nemo, which is a walk on. The refurbished queue is very cute. This is an adorable ride. We did it several times in a row. I?m not sure I?d wait more then 15 minutes to do this one, but it is very cute. Next it?s Turtle Talk. Ok, how the heck do they do this? Glen and I are techies so after the ride we?re whispering to each other our thoughts on how this is done. I don?t like it when grown ups speculate on the ?magic? loudly enough so that children can hear, so we are extra careful to speak very softly. We decide to turn around and go right back on it.
If you?ve not been on it, you sit in a small auditorium, and the kids are invited to sit on the carpet up front. There is a large screen and Crush swims up and begins interacting. The children get to ask questions and Crush responds. Some of it is canned, but not all! Crush asked one boy what his name was, and the boy states his name and then proceeds to spell it (very funny). Crush then asked where his parental units were sitting. He asks his mom what her name is. She says, her name, and Crush asks ?Are you going to spell it for us too?? The quick humor is as amazing as the technology. Don?t let the line outside this attraction deter you, since once the theater clears out almost everyone waiting gets ushered in.
We do the rest of our Epcot favorites. We always get a Soarin? fast pass upon entering the park. So after Crush it?s off to the land for Soarin?.
It?s almost 4pm and we are starved. We had our big breakfast at Rainforest and realize that we hadn?t had lunch. We decide to try <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mexico sit down which we?ve never done before. Dinner prices here are in the $20.00 range. The food was pretty good. They are refurbishing the ride so there is a large faux stucco wall where diners once overlooked the water. Normally, it?s a little like the Blue Bayou in DL atmosphere wise with a fake evening sky and boats that drift past your table. I don?t think I can recommend this for dinner, but lunch might not be bad as the lunch items are a bit less and the atmosphere is, of course, the same.
We take in a few more attractions then decide to call it an early night so we can pack up.
<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Saturday, Jan. 27[/b]
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Today is our last day. Our flight leaves at 4:30. We have breakfast ADR?s at Ohana?s for the Lilo and Stitch breakfast. Amazingly, we make it to MK for the opening. We?ve never done this before. We get to help open the park by throwing Mickey glitter into the air. It was a very cool little ceremony. Next we?re off to Fantasyland to do our favorites.
Linnea decides she wants to do the Carousel. This is kind of odd since she?s not been too keen on it. Anyway I opt to wait on a nearby bench. A CM is (almost aggressively) trying to lure folks on to the ride. Most families simply walk on by saying ?No thanks, were headed over to Small World/Peter Pan/?fill in the blank?. As the ride takes off, Glen waves to me and in his hand is one of the special fast past cards that are being given out as part of the Million Dreams promotion. Immediately, I jump into the line and am lucky enough to score one of these cards as well. Ok, this was a little tacky but it?s our last few hours and I want to catch up with dh and dd, so I immediately exit the ride without doing a spin on the carousel.
We go on a few more Fantasyland rides (Peter Pan, Snow White). They are all walk ons so there is no sense in using our fast passes.
Shortly before 10 we head over to the Poly for breakfast. We decide to take the boat over instead of the monorail since it?s at the dock. It was a fun little boat ride.
Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch was great. The food is quite good. Last year we were served fresh orange juice. This year it was a blended tropical fruit drink. Sadly, it seems like every year Disney cuts back a bit on their quality. The character interaction was very nice. We heard a CM say that it was going to be a very busy day at MK. We head back over there via the monorail and are blown away by the crowds waiting to get in. Even with our fast passes, we decide it?s going to be just to crazy and we really only have a short time before we have to take the Magic Express back to the airport.
We end up spending our last hour at Downtown Disney. We visited with one of the parrot trainers outside of the Rainforest Caf?. We have a small parrot at home, and I?m convinced parrot people can exchange birdie stories for hours.
Then it?s back to the hotel and the Magic Express waiting area. This has been one of our best trips. I think the light crowds and staying on property had a lot to do with it. Trying out an after hours party (Princess and Pirates) certainly added to the magic on this trip. And the extra magic hours in the evening (at MK) were fantastic! It looks like we will be back in October, and I?m also hoping we might do an early January trip (before our AP?s expire) because I?m so sold on the crowd levels in January!
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