Took a little while, but here is my trip report from last month's jaunt down to WDW. A little backgound..... I traveled alone but was meeting several friends there. My primary friend's wife and her sister were running in the Goofy Challenge and we were there for "support". And a week in WDW. My girlfriend is a wonderful person and I love her very much. However, she just doesn't view WDW as I do. Much as I don't view being on a sail boat for ten days with five other people the same way she does. I took her about three years ago and she really didn't leave the pool at the hotel very much. She liked World Showcase and showed some interest in AK. But anyway, on with my latest trip.....
Day 1:Up at 4:30 to leave at 5:00 for the airport. I drove myself while my GF had her coffee to wake up for the return trip to the house. Only about a 20 minute ride to the airport. We live in Dedham, MA which is right outside Boston. My GF was nice enough to give me a weather update for Boston and Orlando. 23 in The Hub, 25 in the Happiest Place on Earth. Then she proceded, with a sinister giggle, to tell me it was supposed to snow in Orlando on Saturday. I assured her that I had packed warm clothing despite the shorts I was wearing. Flight left on time, got in on time. Pretty much walked right on to the Magical Express Bus (walking right on will become a theme during the week. Cold weather=no waiting!) and was at Old Key West before I knew it. Checked right in at noon (used the online check in which really didn't speed anything up as I was the only one in the lobby at the time) and went to the room to change into some pants. This was my first time at OKW. I liked it except for the five bus stops. My original choice was Boardwalk (that's where my friends were staying) but between marathon weekend and the renovations I got shut out of there and the Beach Club. I caught a bus to Epcot to change for the monorail. I wanted to visit some resorts while I had the time to myself. I went to the Polynesian and GF with a stop at the golf course pro shop to pick up a shirt. From there went to the MK to do a few rides. Zero wait times. It was great. Finally got to see the new Hall of Presidents. From there it was monorail back to Epcot. I met my friends parents who were already down, for a couple of beers at ESPN. Then it was back to OKW where I had dinner at Olivia's. It had been a long day so I was sacked out by 10.
Man, that was longer than I thought...... Day 2 in a bit.
Weather's here, wish you were great: Jan 6-13 trip
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kcarts
- Flight to the Moon Flight Director
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On to day 2.....
Woke up early. Out of habit I guess. Made coffee in the room and watched some news and checked in on-line to see what was up in the world. Ended up leaving the room around 7:30 to head over to Epcot. My friends were arriving on the same flight I came in on just a day later. So I was expecting to hear from them around noon. Got to Epcot around 8:15 and had to wait to get in. It was cool but this would be the warmest day of the week by far. It would get into the low 60s. The gates would open at 8:30. I was happy to see that the Christmas decorations were still up. I love how the place looks at Christmas. However, I could have done w/out the music. I love the atmospheric music in Epcot. Of course there was nothing but Christmas music until my last day there. Watched the rope drop and then headed over to Soarin'. Figured everyone would be heading over there so my plan was to grab a fast pass and then have some breakfast, do a few other things and head back. So, I grabbed a fast pass and went over to the Garden Grill for breakfast. It was quiet. I ate and on the way out noticed that the stand by wait for Soarin' was five minutes. So I went on it. Walked right on. After that I hit SSE. The last time I was down it was still Jeremy Irons. I like the changes but I still miss the old version. After that I did the single rider on Test Track. All of this and it was only 9:30. Took a walk through Mouse Gear to see if they had anything interesting. Then walked the bridge pathways around the old Odyssey. I sat on the benches over looking WS Lagoon near Disney Traders. It had warmed up a little. Walked as far as I could (Norway) on one side and then back. I noticed that as you enter Mexico from Future World, it was a little tight b/c of the construction on the Cantina. I strolled around just killing time until WS opened. Once it did I made my way to the American Adventure. In the middle of the show, I got the call from my friends (I had the phone on vibrate). After leaving the attraction I called them back and we met on the Boardwalk. It was nice having the day and a half to myself and do the things I wanted but it was even better to see some friendly faces. My friend, his wife, her sister and another couple with there three kids were there grabbing a bite to eat. They needed to get over to the sports complex to pick up their packets and sign in for the races. My friend had rented a car so we got over there quickly. After the girls signed in for the Goofy, we headed over to the expo. It was packed. And that might be an understatement. My friend and I noticed a vendor that was selling Bud products. So we told the girls we'd meet them on the patio outside the building in an hour and sat out there and enjoyed a beverage. After that we went to a Publix to pick up some supplies. Just some snacks and some breakfast foods as we were both staying in DVC rooms. Oh, and some beer. They dropped me off at my room around 3:30. We had reservations at T-Rex for 7:15. My intention was to grab a quick nap. I didn't. I watched some TV, freshened up and then walked to the boats and took a ride over to Downtown Disney around 5:00. I did some shopping, not much. Called my buddy and left him a message that I would be at the bar at T-Rex at around 6:30 if he was interested. They got there around 6:45. We had great dinner. With all of us there were 12 total around on table. One thing I didn't have to worry about was eating. My friend's wife had made ADRs for everyday we were there. I just had to show up! It was great! We finished dinner and went back to the Boardwalk for a night cap. After walking through Epcot to get to a bus (this would be a recurring theme) I was back at the room at 10:30.
Woke up early. Out of habit I guess. Made coffee in the room and watched some news and checked in on-line to see what was up in the world. Ended up leaving the room around 7:30 to head over to Epcot. My friends were arriving on the same flight I came in on just a day later. So I was expecting to hear from them around noon. Got to Epcot around 8:15 and had to wait to get in. It was cool but this would be the warmest day of the week by far. It would get into the low 60s. The gates would open at 8:30. I was happy to see that the Christmas decorations were still up. I love how the place looks at Christmas. However, I could have done w/out the music. I love the atmospheric music in Epcot. Of course there was nothing but Christmas music until my last day there. Watched the rope drop and then headed over to Soarin'. Figured everyone would be heading over there so my plan was to grab a fast pass and then have some breakfast, do a few other things and head back. So, I grabbed a fast pass and went over to the Garden Grill for breakfast. It was quiet. I ate and on the way out noticed that the stand by wait for Soarin' was five minutes. So I went on it. Walked right on. After that I hit SSE. The last time I was down it was still Jeremy Irons. I like the changes but I still miss the old version. After that I did the single rider on Test Track. All of this and it was only 9:30. Took a walk through Mouse Gear to see if they had anything interesting. Then walked the bridge pathways around the old Odyssey. I sat on the benches over looking WS Lagoon near Disney Traders. It had warmed up a little. Walked as far as I could (Norway) on one side and then back. I noticed that as you enter Mexico from Future World, it was a little tight b/c of the construction on the Cantina. I strolled around just killing time until WS opened. Once it did I made my way to the American Adventure. In the middle of the show, I got the call from my friends (I had the phone on vibrate). After leaving the attraction I called them back and we met on the Boardwalk. It was nice having the day and a half to myself and do the things I wanted but it was even better to see some friendly faces. My friend, his wife, her sister and another couple with there three kids were there grabbing a bite to eat. They needed to get over to the sports complex to pick up their packets and sign in for the races. My friend had rented a car so we got over there quickly. After the girls signed in for the Goofy, we headed over to the expo. It was packed. And that might be an understatement. My friend and I noticed a vendor that was selling Bud products. So we told the girls we'd meet them on the patio outside the building in an hour and sat out there and enjoyed a beverage. After that we went to a Publix to pick up some supplies. Just some snacks and some breakfast foods as we were both staying in DVC rooms. Oh, and some beer. They dropped me off at my room around 3:30. We had reservations at T-Rex for 7:15. My intention was to grab a quick nap. I didn't. I watched some TV, freshened up and then walked to the boats and took a ride over to Downtown Disney around 5:00. I did some shopping, not much. Called my buddy and left him a message that I would be at the bar at T-Rex at around 6:30 if he was interested. They got there around 6:45. We had great dinner. With all of us there were 12 total around on table. One thing I didn't have to worry about was eating. My friend's wife had made ADRs for everyday we were there. I just had to show up! It was great! We finished dinner and went back to the Boardwalk for a night cap. After walking through Epcot to get to a bus (this would be a recurring theme) I was back at the room at 10:30.
Great stuff, kcarts, thanks for sharing - looking forward to reading the rest. Man, your GF must really like you to be up at 4:30am to take you to the airport! Hope you picked her up something nice from the trip (although if she isn't into Disney then I guess it might not help!).
On a side note, I would love to spend a day by myself when in WDW - there are so many little things I would like to do (that my wife/family aren't into) so that must have been a great way to kick off the week.
On a side note, I would love to spend a day by myself when in WDW - there are so many little things I would like to do (that my wife/family aren't into) so that must have been a great way to kick off the week.
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kcarts
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Thanks, Soulz. My GF was well compensated! I think she was looking forward to a week alone as much as I was to a week in WDW! I had a couple days to myself there. It was nice. But you feel kind of self conscious going on rides alone. I got over it quickly!
Day 3 was supposed to be the warmest. The weatherman the day before said low 70s. I didn't crack 55. The clouds kept it cool. Got up early. Again. Had coffee and bagels in the room. My friends were doing the 5K around Epcot that morning. I grabbed a bus over to Hollywood Studios at about 7:30. From there I walked the pathway over to the Boardwalk to meet my buddy. I was there a bit early as they hadn't finished the 5K yet. I just hung out in the lobby, read the paper and had a coffee. The Christmas decorations that were there the night before were gone. After they came back from the race, they freshened up (read:showered) and he we headed over to the MK. It was me, my buddy his wife and her sister. We went right over to Tomorrowland and to do Space Mtn. I skipped it on Wednesday so this was the first trip on it since the refurb for all of us. We liked it. Darker, smoother but otherwise unchanged. The wait was only five minutes so we didn't get a chance to check out the new games in the queue. After that we did the TTA. Always have to ride that. After that we hit Buzz Lightyear (I stink at that ride). We were getting a little hungry so we decided to have lunch at Cosmic Ray's. It was only 11:15 but we had ADR for Cape May at 7:00. So an early lunch didn't hurt. After that we took a walk through Fantasyland. This was only place where there were any lines. We wanted to do Peter Pan but it was a 45 minute wait. So we passed and went on Haunted Mansion. I had been on it Wednesday when I first got there. You could tell it had been worked on. I like that they can update a ride without taking away from the classic ride that you remember. After that we went over to Adventureland after walking through Frontierland. We went on Pirates and then decided to head back to the hotel. It was chillier than predicted and we weren't really dressed for mid 50's temps. The girls were going to rest a bit (they still had 42+ miles to run the next two days). My friend and I went downstairs to Big River for a couple of beers. It ended up being a few beers and a plate of nachos. It was during this time that the first "getting on my nerves" incident happened. About an hour after my friend and I got to the bar his wife texted and asked if she could join us. We said sure. She came down and was full of p*** and vinegar about her sister. Her sister had friend she had met through Disney running chat rooms and was meeting him. They had met the night before and he apparently came over while they were trying to rest this particular afternoon. My friend's wife had already had it with him coming by the room. Anyway, she actually only stopped by for five minutes (I think just to vent) and was off to meet some other friends of hers she had met down there at other running events. My friend and I decided to finish off our beers and nachos and then headed over to Epcot to walk around. We did a couple of rides and then it was time to eat at Cape May. May I just add that Cape May is my favorite buffet on property. I must have had seven or plates of the little necks/muscles/crab legs. I can't help myself. After dinner we went back over to Epcot to Rose and Crown to meet some of the running crowd and have a couple more beers. We watched Illuminations and then called it night. I caught the bus back to OKW and crashed. These were long days for me! Usually we have a break in the middle of the day where we catch 40 winks.
Day 3 was supposed to be the warmest. The weatherman the day before said low 70s. I didn't crack 55. The clouds kept it cool. Got up early. Again. Had coffee and bagels in the room. My friends were doing the 5K around Epcot that morning. I grabbed a bus over to Hollywood Studios at about 7:30. From there I walked the pathway over to the Boardwalk to meet my buddy. I was there a bit early as they hadn't finished the 5K yet. I just hung out in the lobby, read the paper and had a coffee. The Christmas decorations that were there the night before were gone. After they came back from the race, they freshened up (read:showered) and he we headed over to the MK. It was me, my buddy his wife and her sister. We went right over to Tomorrowland and to do Space Mtn. I skipped it on Wednesday so this was the first trip on it since the refurb for all of us. We liked it. Darker, smoother but otherwise unchanged. The wait was only five minutes so we didn't get a chance to check out the new games in the queue. After that we did the TTA. Always have to ride that. After that we hit Buzz Lightyear (I stink at that ride). We were getting a little hungry so we decided to have lunch at Cosmic Ray's. It was only 11:15 but we had ADR for Cape May at 7:00. So an early lunch didn't hurt. After that we took a walk through Fantasyland. This was only place where there were any lines. We wanted to do Peter Pan but it was a 45 minute wait. So we passed and went on Haunted Mansion. I had been on it Wednesday when I first got there. You could tell it had been worked on. I like that they can update a ride without taking away from the classic ride that you remember. After that we went over to Adventureland after walking through Frontierland. We went on Pirates and then decided to head back to the hotel. It was chillier than predicted and we weren't really dressed for mid 50's temps. The girls were going to rest a bit (they still had 42+ miles to run the next two days). My friend and I went downstairs to Big River for a couple of beers. It ended up being a few beers and a plate of nachos. It was during this time that the first "getting on my nerves" incident happened. About an hour after my friend and I got to the bar his wife texted and asked if she could join us. We said sure. She came down and was full of p*** and vinegar about her sister. Her sister had friend she had met through Disney running chat rooms and was meeting him. They had met the night before and he apparently came over while they were trying to rest this particular afternoon. My friend's wife had already had it with him coming by the room. Anyway, she actually only stopped by for five minutes (I think just to vent) and was off to meet some other friends of hers she had met down there at other running events. My friend and I decided to finish off our beers and nachos and then headed over to Epcot to walk around. We did a couple of rides and then it was time to eat at Cape May. May I just add that Cape May is my favorite buffet on property. I must have had seven or plates of the little necks/muscles/crab legs. I can't help myself. After dinner we went back over to Epcot to Rose and Crown to meet some of the running crowd and have a couple more beers. We watched Illuminations and then called it night. I caught the bus back to OKW and crashed. These were long days for me! Usually we have a break in the middle of the day where we catch 40 winks.
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MmeLeota
- Pack Mules Wrangler
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Wow! Great stuff so far!!! I know what you mean about spending a day alone in the parks. I had an opportunity to spend a day alone at DL since my hubby had work related business to attend to one day while we were there. I was a little nervous at first since it was my first time alone in the park, but like you said...it went away quickly and I could enjoy the little things I like to do.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip!!!!
I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip!!!!
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kcarts
- Flight to the Moon Flight Director
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Thanks, Madame.
Here's day 4. By far the most miserable day weather wise I have ever experienced in WDW. It was half-marathon day. I was up real early. The race was starting at 6ish. I was going to meet my friend and then head over to the finish line to meet his wife, sister in law and two other friends that were running. We were going to grab our friends three boys and head out. But the traffic would not allow it. I went to the Hospitality House at 7:30 and the special bus for the marathon was there. At this point it was sleeting with some snow mixed in. The temp was around 25. I got on the bus and then the fun started..... A little digression here... whoever was hired to drive the buses were not clued in on where they were supposed to drop people off. After an hour on the bus (for a ride that went to Sarasota Springs and then down Buena Vista Drive, up World Dr. and through the main gate at Epcot) our bus pulled into the regular drop area for WDW resort buses. After waiting 15 minutes for a bus in front of us to move, we backed up, pulled around only to be told by Disney security that this was not the area for the Marathon buses. Lovely. We pretty much told the driver that we were getting off here. He could go where he wants afterward. My friend told me a similar story. It took him an hour to get from the Boardwalk to Epcot. Apparently they weren't letting anyone in through the International Gateway at that time. His ride included a trip over a median to get to the parking lot. Anyway, I made my way to the finish line and found my friend and the boys. It had warmed up to 30 at that point (so the PA person said) but it was still sleeting. We missed his wife and her sister finish but the boys got to see their Mom and Dad finish. That made up for it. After leaving the boys with their Dad, my friend and I headed back to the Boardwalk. It was 9:30 and we had an ADR at Boma for 10:15 for breakfast. We had to hustle which helped warm me up a bit. The girls were ready to go. Looked amazingly fresh for just running 13.1 miles. We hopped in the car and drove over to AKL to meet my friend's parents. My goodness. What a breakfast. It was my first time eating at Boma. I was very impressed. I especially liked the corn beef with onion and I think some kind of potato. I think it was called boboti. The whole thing was fantastic. I had four or five plates. There was so much to try. It had also been about ten years since I had been over to AKL. I forgot how beautiful that place is. The lobby is on par with the Wilderness Lodge. After breakfast we decided to hit Animal Kingdom. We were in the area and figured we could at least do Everest. It was still brutally cold and windy and still raining at this point. The place was empty. Not just people but the animals too. Walking up the oasis, we didn't see a single animal. We headed straight for Everest, past the TOL, into Asia. The monkeys weren't out, the tigers weren't out, nothing was out. We rode a very cold Everest. Still fun! But on that main drop, man was that wind and rain or sleet biting. After we got off we talked about doing the trails with the animals on them but decided against it as we didn't think there would be enough if any out to make it worth while. So we headed over to Dinosaur and did that (more to warm than anything) and that was it. I think we were in the park for a total of 45 minutes. We went back to the Boardwalk for a few minutes and then headed over to Epcot. We rode a few rides in the afternoon. Tried to keep it all indoors. Most of Epcot is anyway. The temp never got to 40 that day. We hit SSE, and then headed to World Showcase. We ended up meeting our friends and their sons just before the headed into Germany for dinner. They were both sore from the race. It was about 5:30 at that point. We were freezing. My friend's wife and her sister wanted to take it easy as they had the marathon the next day. They were going make themselves a spaghetti dinner for the carbs. We headed back to the Boardwalk to thaw out. My buddy and I stopped and got a pizza to split from the pizza window. We got the pizza and headed back to his room for pizza and beer and the girls had spaghetti and salad. After eating dinner the girls were readying for bed (marathon starts at 6AM) and my friend and I headed down to his parents room for some chit chat and a scotch. A great way to end a really, really cold and raw day.
Here's day 4. By far the most miserable day weather wise I have ever experienced in WDW. It was half-marathon day. I was up real early. The race was starting at 6ish. I was going to meet my friend and then head over to the finish line to meet his wife, sister in law and two other friends that were running. We were going to grab our friends three boys and head out. But the traffic would not allow it. I went to the Hospitality House at 7:30 and the special bus for the marathon was there. At this point it was sleeting with some snow mixed in. The temp was around 25. I got on the bus and then the fun started..... A little digression here... whoever was hired to drive the buses were not clued in on where they were supposed to drop people off. After an hour on the bus (for a ride that went to Sarasota Springs and then down Buena Vista Drive, up World Dr. and through the main gate at Epcot) our bus pulled into the regular drop area for WDW resort buses. After waiting 15 minutes for a bus in front of us to move, we backed up, pulled around only to be told by Disney security that this was not the area for the Marathon buses. Lovely. We pretty much told the driver that we were getting off here. He could go where he wants afterward. My friend told me a similar story. It took him an hour to get from the Boardwalk to Epcot. Apparently they weren't letting anyone in through the International Gateway at that time. His ride included a trip over a median to get to the parking lot. Anyway, I made my way to the finish line and found my friend and the boys. It had warmed up to 30 at that point (so the PA person said) but it was still sleeting. We missed his wife and her sister finish but the boys got to see their Mom and Dad finish. That made up for it. After leaving the boys with their Dad, my friend and I headed back to the Boardwalk. It was 9:30 and we had an ADR at Boma for 10:15 for breakfast. We had to hustle which helped warm me up a bit. The girls were ready to go. Looked amazingly fresh for just running 13.1 miles. We hopped in the car and drove over to AKL to meet my friend's parents. My goodness. What a breakfast. It was my first time eating at Boma. I was very impressed. I especially liked the corn beef with onion and I think some kind of potato. I think it was called boboti. The whole thing was fantastic. I had four or five plates. There was so much to try. It had also been about ten years since I had been over to AKL. I forgot how beautiful that place is. The lobby is on par with the Wilderness Lodge. After breakfast we decided to hit Animal Kingdom. We were in the area and figured we could at least do Everest. It was still brutally cold and windy and still raining at this point. The place was empty. Not just people but the animals too. Walking up the oasis, we didn't see a single animal. We headed straight for Everest, past the TOL, into Asia. The monkeys weren't out, the tigers weren't out, nothing was out. We rode a very cold Everest. Still fun! But on that main drop, man was that wind and rain or sleet biting. After we got off we talked about doing the trails with the animals on them but decided against it as we didn't think there would be enough if any out to make it worth while. So we headed over to Dinosaur and did that (more to warm than anything) and that was it. I think we were in the park for a total of 45 minutes. We went back to the Boardwalk for a few minutes and then headed over to Epcot. We rode a few rides in the afternoon. Tried to keep it all indoors. Most of Epcot is anyway. The temp never got to 40 that day. We hit SSE, and then headed to World Showcase. We ended up meeting our friends and their sons just before the headed into Germany for dinner. They were both sore from the race. It was about 5:30 at that point. We were freezing. My friend's wife and her sister wanted to take it easy as they had the marathon the next day. They were going make themselves a spaghetti dinner for the carbs. We headed back to the Boardwalk to thaw out. My buddy and I stopped and got a pizza to split from the pizza window. We got the pizza and headed back to his room for pizza and beer and the girls had spaghetti and salad. After eating dinner the girls were readying for bed (marathon starts at 6AM) and my friend and I headed down to his parents room for some chit chat and a scotch. A great way to end a really, really cold and raw day.
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kcarts
- Flight to the Moon Flight Director
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Day 5 was marathon day. Got up fairly early and hopped on a bus to the Magic Kingdom. I wasn't going to go through the same fiasco as I had the day before trying to get over to the finish line. I asked the driver if traffic was bad heading over to MK. He said no but he could only get me to the TTC because of the runners. That was even better. Total time of the trip to Epcot, via the TTC, was a half hour. And more scenic. I got over to Epcot around 8:40. There was no rope drop today b/c of the race so the gates opened at 9:00. I walked over to the Boardwalk to meet my friend. We grabbed a bite at the bakery and a coffee and started toward Epcot to watch his wife come through England. I was sending a text and had my bagel in my other hand. For a short time. A seagull came from behind and swiped the bagel right from my hand much to the amusment of my friend. We went over to watch the race and saw the girls come into to Epcot through England. they looked fantastic for two people that were coming up on mile 41 of 42 for the weekend (they ran the 5K Friday too). We met them at the family meeting place and walked back to the hotel. We got back there around 11:15. It was still quite cold. The temperature was around 40 at the time. Not sure how much warmer it got as we spent much of that day indoors. The girls did some post race stretching and my friend and I headed down to ESPN to watch the Patriots playoff game. They got smoked, we got buzzed. We had an ADR at Chef Mickey's for 6:00 so we went from the game pretty much right over to the Contemporary. I hadn't eaten at CM's in a while. I forgot how great it was. We had a nice dinner, watched Wishes from one of the end balconies and then headed back to the Boardwalk. A quiet day, but I think that every trip I take down there needs one day away from the park madness.
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heaven2dc
- Main Street Horse Car Coachman
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Aug Tue 25, 2009 8:03 am
- Location: Virginia
Really enjoying your trip - that was too funny about the seagull! I love the Boardwalk atmosphere and haven't stayed anywhere else. I'd like to try OKW maybe for the Fri and Sat at the tail end of our trip this year but since I rented points to get a boardwalk view, I wonder if I'll be even able to rent points at OKW this late in the game. 
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kcarts
- Flight to the Moon Flight Director
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The seagull was humorous. A couple days later I saw someone else's snack fall prey to a gull. I pointed the guy out to my friend and said "he's gonna lose that sandwich." and sure enough, he did.
Outside of Saturday, the weather was just cool. But Saturday with the sleet and rain was just unbearable. It really wasn't that bad otherwise.
Day 6. Wasn't sure what to expect on this day. Wasn't sure how the girls would feel after the marathon and half-marathon. I was up early, again. Was getting bored in my room so I went out and hopped on a bus to Epcot at around 7:15. I think the driver thought I was nuts. I transferred at Epcot to head over to the Wilderness Lodge. Just wanted to walk around over there and hang in that fantastic lobby. I got there around 8:15. Did my walk around and had a coffee in lobby. I got a text from my friend around 8:45. I was surprised (pleasantly) that they were ready to roll and do something. I met them at the Land and had breakfast with them at the Garden Grill. Before we got the food we grabbed a Fast Pass for Soarin'. The time on the ticket was for an hour later. So we ate and then rode Living With the Land (I hadn't been on that ride in about 20 years) and then went over to Soarin'. I have been quite lucky in my experiences on Soarin'. Every time I have been on that ride, I have always been in the front row. I have heard that if you are in the other rows you can see feet hanging in front of you at times and that takes away from the experience somewhat. Anyway, I love that ride. After that we went over and did SSE and then headed of to the Studios. We walked over there along the path from Epcot. We met some other people that my friend's wife knew from running. For people that ran a marathon and a half over the past two days, well, they looked remarkably fresh. I couldn't believe it. We went over to try to get a Fast Pass for Toy Story but they were all given out for the day. Stand by was well over an hour. So, maybe next time I visit. We walked around for bit and after going through the streets of America area we hit the Muppets. From there we headed to Star Tours. And from there over to Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. Before waiting in line for that we grabbed Fast Passes for TOT. I grabbed one without really thinking much about it. As we talked while waiting to go on the coaster, I got to thinking..... I hadn't been on TOT in the past five visits, quite frankly because it scares me to death. We rode the coaster (great as always) and then off to TOT. I told my friend that the last I rode it was with him (and several of our college friends) way back during Winter Break in 1994. He looked mildly surprised. I reminded him further that I screamed like a little school girl during that ride and at that time, they only dropped you twice. He got a good laugh and then warned the rest of our traveling party about my probable screaming. And of course, I did scream. Loudly. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but man does that ride frighten the s... out of me! After that we looked again at Toy Story and the wait was 90 minutes. We passed and went for a walk to kill some time before our ADR at Sci-Fi. We bid adieu to our new companions and myself, my friend, his wife and her sister went to dinner. It was my first time at Sci-Fi. It was fun but I don't know that I would do it again. After that we headed back over to the Boardwalk and then on to Epcot to just walk the World Showcase and have a couple beers from a couple different countries. After Illuminations, I caught a bus back to OKW and called it night. Just one day was left for me. My friends were leaving the next day. I was starting to get that "last day" feeling. The kind where your mind is telling you that you're ready to go home you've had a fantastic week and your heart just doesn't want to leave.
Outside of Saturday, the weather was just cool. But Saturday with the sleet and rain was just unbearable. It really wasn't that bad otherwise.
Day 6. Wasn't sure what to expect on this day. Wasn't sure how the girls would feel after the marathon and half-marathon. I was up early, again. Was getting bored in my room so I went out and hopped on a bus to Epcot at around 7:15. I think the driver thought I was nuts. I transferred at Epcot to head over to the Wilderness Lodge. Just wanted to walk around over there and hang in that fantastic lobby. I got there around 8:15. Did my walk around and had a coffee in lobby. I got a text from my friend around 8:45. I was surprised (pleasantly) that they were ready to roll and do something. I met them at the Land and had breakfast with them at the Garden Grill. Before we got the food we grabbed a Fast Pass for Soarin'. The time on the ticket was for an hour later. So we ate and then rode Living With the Land (I hadn't been on that ride in about 20 years) and then went over to Soarin'. I have been quite lucky in my experiences on Soarin'. Every time I have been on that ride, I have always been in the front row. I have heard that if you are in the other rows you can see feet hanging in front of you at times and that takes away from the experience somewhat. Anyway, I love that ride. After that we went over and did SSE and then headed of to the Studios. We walked over there along the path from Epcot. We met some other people that my friend's wife knew from running. For people that ran a marathon and a half over the past two days, well, they looked remarkably fresh. I couldn't believe it. We went over to try to get a Fast Pass for Toy Story but they were all given out for the day. Stand by was well over an hour. So, maybe next time I visit. We walked around for bit and after going through the streets of America area we hit the Muppets. From there we headed to Star Tours. And from there over to Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. Before waiting in line for that we grabbed Fast Passes for TOT. I grabbed one without really thinking much about it. As we talked while waiting to go on the coaster, I got to thinking..... I hadn't been on TOT in the past five visits, quite frankly because it scares me to death. We rode the coaster (great as always) and then off to TOT. I told my friend that the last I rode it was with him (and several of our college friends) way back during Winter Break in 1994. He looked mildly surprised. I reminded him further that I screamed like a little school girl during that ride and at that time, they only dropped you twice. He got a good laugh and then warned the rest of our traveling party about my probable screaming. And of course, I did scream. Loudly. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but man does that ride frighten the s... out of me! After that we looked again at Toy Story and the wait was 90 minutes. We passed and went for a walk to kill some time before our ADR at Sci-Fi. We bid adieu to our new companions and myself, my friend, his wife and her sister went to dinner. It was my first time at Sci-Fi. It was fun but I don't know that I would do it again. After that we headed back over to the Boardwalk and then on to Epcot to just walk the World Showcase and have a couple beers from a couple different countries. After Illuminations, I caught a bus back to OKW and called it night. Just one day was left for me. My friends were leaving the next day. I was starting to get that "last day" feeling. The kind where your mind is telling you that you're ready to go home you've had a fantastic week and your heart just doesn't want to leave.
Last edited by kcarts on Jun Sun 27, 2010 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kcarts
- Flight to the Moon Flight Director
- Posts: 1209
- Joined: May Tue 29, 2007 2:42 pm
- Location: Boston
Day 7. I had the dining plan for the week and still had two sit downs to burn through before the end of the day. I decided to go have breakfast somewhere but couldn't think of anywhere. I knew I wanted to head over to MK for the morning so I decided on Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. Had a nice breakfast and got a call from my friend as I was finishing up. They had checked out but didn't have to leave for the airport until 12ish. So we decided to meet on Main Street. We did and then did a few last rides in the MK. Space Mountain, Peter Pan, Big Thunder, lunch at Pecos Bill's and then a last walk through Adventureland. I always find that on the first and last day there I always take and extra minute or two and really take everything in. I always tell myself when I get there to take my time and drink it all in and then after a day or two I just forget that and go with the flow. Until the last day and I realize I wont be back for a year or two and start to drink in all the atmosphere again. Anyway, we took the walk down Main Street and out the gate. I rode the monorail with my friends back to the Polynesian where they were parked. We said our goodbyes and said we'd see each other back in Boston and that was it. I was on my own for the rest of the day. I went over to Epcot to take a last walk around and do a few more things there. Rode SSE again. Then went over to the Land to see what the wait for Soarin' was. And it was long. So I headed over to France and watched the film on France. I walked through Morocco and Japan and started toward America. The show had just stated so I decided against waiting to see it again. I went out through the International Gateway and strolled the Boardwalk. From there I caught a bus to DTD to grab some gifts. I walked through a bunch of stores, got a couple of coffee cups and a t shirt. I went through Pleasure Island and walked through the West Side. That week was kind of windy too so the Characters in Flight was only operating one day that I was there. I wasn't able to do it this time. I walked to the bus stop near Planet Hollywood and caught a bus back to the Swan. Form there I walked along the Beach and Yacht club back into Epcot and out the front to a bus back to OKW. One last time. It was about 7:00 when I got back to the room. I was beat. I went to Olivia's for dinner. Dinner on the last night where I had it on the first night. Like I was wishing it take me back to Day 1. I walked back to the room and started to pack. I still had a couple of beers left in the fridge. I sat on the patio (still cold) and the wind was blowing just right and I could clearly hear the music and fireworks from Illuminations. I finished packing and went to bed. I watched the channels with the park info one last time. Magical Express would be there at 7:30. And it was right on time. My flight was on time too. Left at 10:50, got into to Logan at 1:10. To keep with the theme of the week, it was 30 degrees when I left Orlando and 27 when I got into Boston.
It was a great week. I did a ton of stuff that I hadn't done in several years and wouldn't have done without my friends being there. I ate at bunch of different places that I wouldn't have unless my friend's wife made the ADRs. She is fantastic! All I had to do was show up and the good times took care of themselves.
I want to thank you for reading and especially thank this site for letting me indulge myself and relive my vacation. It's funny, but as I typed I felt the same emotions I felt when I was down there. Excitement upon going and getting there and a little melancholy here at the end.
It was a great week. I did a ton of stuff that I hadn't done in several years and wouldn't have done without my friends being there. I ate at bunch of different places that I wouldn't have unless my friend's wife made the ADRs. She is fantastic! All I had to do was show up and the good times took care of themselves.
I want to thank you for reading and especially thank this site for letting me indulge myself and relive my vacation. It's funny, but as I typed I felt the same emotions I felt when I was down there. Excitement upon going and getting there and a little melancholy here at the end.
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Amy
- Submarine Voyage Captain
- Posts: 18543
- Joined: Dec Wed 12, 2007 1:41 pm
- Location: the flooded, flooded mitten
kcarts wrote:We grabbed a bite at the bakery and a coffee and started toward Epcot to watch his wife come through England. I was sending a text and had my bagel in my other hand. For a short time. A seagull came from behind and swiped the bagel right from my hand much to the amusment of my friend.
I wouldn't have thought they would do that! I'll have to be more mindful of my food the next time I am there. What a fun memory though. It's good that your friend was there to see it or they might have thought you were making that up! It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation with a nice mix of old friends, new friends, and some alone time to explore. You really move around a lot while you are there ~ my feet were a little tired after just reading all the traveling around you did!