Who/When/Where:
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
SB (58), my husband
Dates: March 9 14, 2016
Resort: Disneys Boardwalk Villas Resort
Experience: Very Experienced 21st stay at this resort
INTRODUCTION:
Normally I try to do a short weekend just after Flower & Garden Festival starts, and do the main trip in April when Im almost guaranteed to have pool weather then May is my Hilton Head trip. This year however, things got switched up when my sorority sisters and I decided to do a reunion trip in Hilton Head and one of us could only go the week school is out in April. So, this year my main Flower & Garden trip starts March 9th, Ill do Hilton Head in April, then finish up Flower & Garden for Memorial Day weekend. When I booked that last one, it wasnt known that F&G would still be going on then, so I booked at Bay Lake Tower in case they do the 24-hour event at Magic Kingdom. Oh well, you win some and lose some <g>.
Early March can be iffy in terms of having weather warm enough to enjoy laying by the pool. Sometimes it can be downright chilly. This year that wont be the case well have the other extreme, with temps near 90 almost every day! On the plus side, humidity should be relatively low, but even still that is much hotter than I would have liked. I like to enjoy the pool but prefer to do it without sweating like a pig.
SB has been chomping at the bit to get back to WDW, frequently asking when we (meaning he) were going back. For this trip I booked a studio, because it would be a combination couple/solo trip. He ended up taking a vacation day on Saturday, so hell drive over early Thursday morning and spend 2 nights/3 days. Anything longer than that can be challenging in a studio. I actually arrive Wednesday, and will head back to work on Monday morning. Our friend Tiana is expected to join us for Saturday, as she really wants to see Starship again.
We have fastpasses booked for each day, and I hope to have time by the pool every day. Im not sure that will happen on Saturday, with all 3 of us here though. We only booked one meal a lunch at Beaches & Cream since SB loves it there. Other than that, the Flower & Garden Festival has many food booths and several items to pick from. I cant see eating stuff thats available every trip when theres something special going on. On a recent trip both SB and Tiana absolutely LOVED the DoleWhip at the Polynesian, so we have Magic Kingdom fastpasses Saturday morning and can ride the monorail over to Poly for lunch at Captain Cooks and/or the DoleWhip place (Pineapple Promenade?). By Saturday evening theyll both head back to Gainesville, and Ill have one last day as a solo.
The plans so far are:
Wednesday 3/09: Drive to WDW, Epcot
Thursday 3/10: SB arrives, Studios, Pool, Epcot, Studios Fireworks?
Friday 3/11: Animal Kingdom, Beaches & Cream, Epcot (Starship)
Saturday 3/12: Magic Kingdom, Epcot (Starship)
Sunday 3/13: Pool, Epcot, Starship Concert
Monday 3/14: Drive to Gainesville
DAY 1 Wednesday 3/09/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
Plan: Drive to WDW, Epcot
Actual: Today started out as a somewhat difficult day. I have a new laptop, and last week had a problem with a particular malware which resulted in me uninstalling and reinstalling AOL to be able to use AOL properly. This morning I had the same issue again! It affected Firefox as well, so after some struggle I posted the problem on facebook and took the laptop to work with me. Thanks to a few of you, and my good friend Michael in person, we had the problem fixed by less than half an hour past my planned departure time. Hopefully its a more permanent fix this time, but well see how it goes. Work was also a pain, and I really hated having to leave when we had an important issue to tackle (TODAY), but it is what it is. I was sure once I got to WDW Id get over any feelings of regret, lol!
The drive was easy, but by 2:30 or so when I arrived I still hadnt gotten my room number (just an earlier message saying not quite ready). The security guy at the Boardwalk parking lot directed me to the self-parking lot on the left (past the valet parking area) and I asked what about that lot? pointing to the original parking lot. He said that was just too crowded and hard to find a spot. I told him I was going to check that one first anyway, and he said that was fine. It was pretty full, but there were a number of empty parking spaces, so I parked there.
As I approached the hill a solo guy asked if he could pull the suitcase up the hill for me, since he was going that way anyway (hed just checked in). I said sure, and he was shocked by how heavy the suitcase was saying he hoped it was full of booze, lol! Ive got my stuff, SBs stuff, 1 bottle of wine, and assorted electronics when Im solo I want it all in one suitcase! We chatted on the way up the hill, and it was nice not having to drag it up myself!
At the entrance the cast member told me housekeeping was in my room, so it should be ready shortly. Ugh I really wish it was already ready, since I indicated my arrival time would be an hour ago. I sat in the lobby to wait, since I wanted to put my stuff in the room before heading out. Im not sure Ill make my fastpass from 2:20-3:20 at this point. Just as I started to do that I got a message (email) to see the front desk for my room assignment. WTF??? I finished changing my fastpass times basically I didnt care about the 3rd one so I pushed that back and then slid my first one into that slot. Then I went up to the front desk, and got my room number.
This time I booked boardwalk view, since only having concerts on 3 nights means I can be around to sit out over the boardwalk the other nights. My studio is about halfway down the hall on the 3rd floor, and I was happy to see its a refurbished one, and its a dedicated studio (no awful connecting door to potentially noisy neighbors in a 1-bedroom villa)! Im just over some of the tables at Big River Grille, and directly across from the games on the boardwalk. Its a great spot, although it has the potential for noise until the restaurant closes and the games (especially basketball) shut down. Im also close to the boat dock, but those horns arent as loud as the ones on the ferry by Magic Kingdom!
I quickly unpacked, which didnt take more than a few minutes, and then turned the laptop back on. I decided to check our payroll system to see if the HR department had entered the actions for the new employees starting Friday, and saw they were there. I decided to review and approve them, since there are a few other approvals after me. I ended up spending a good deal of time checking and sure enough, found a couple that were wrong (numbers were transposed). Its so aggravating when people cant just do their jobs without making careless mistakes. I even checked on older email attachment to make sure it wasnt me who had transposed the numbers, but it was the HR person. Sigh. That department doesnt report to me, which is probably a fortunate thing for some of them <g>. I had a few other minor work things, and before I knew it the time was nearly 4pm!
My Spaceship Earth fastpass ended at 4:20, so I left the studio and walked over to Epcot. Its sunny and warm, but not hot, and theres a beautiful breeze blowing this is ideal weather! Too bad today is probably the only day itll be like this, lol! I entered Epcot without any real wait, as International Gateway is much more civilized and pleasant than the front entrance. World showcase seemed really congested to me, almost like a Food & Wine Festival day certainly not like a Wednesday of Flower & Garden! I guess attendance is definitely up these days. Its a shame Disney still cuts back several things to only Fri/Sat/Sun during Flower & Garden, as there are more than enough guests here! The things Im referring to is the Festival Center, the concerts, and the festival version of Streetmosphere characters all that stuff doesnt exist Monday through Thursday even though the prices arent any lower.
I walked through UK and Canada, then made my way into Future World. Along the way I checked some of the booths for any menu items that were visible. The topiaries are all pretty much the same old stuff, the childrens playground is pretty familiar, butterfly house is in the same spot, etc. In other words, theres really not much new that I could see. At Spaceship Earth there was no line at all, so I took a couple photos at the front entrance to the park, then walked back and boarded Spaceship Earth without using my fastpass. We slowed 2-3 times and came to an abrupt stop once. After a few minutes or so it started moving again.
By now I was in my window for Living with the Land so I walked over to the Land pavilion. Living with the Land is the only attraction open in here right now, and there was no wait so I didnt bother to use my fastpass. I pretty much walked right onto the boat, and nobody was seated in the couple of rows behind me. After this I headed back out towards World Showcase, starting on the Canada side. It was about 5pm I think, and time for some food since I hadnt had time for lunch (just a cookie in the car).
Id looked over the menus from the comfort of my living room, and had printed a list of the items that looked appealing to me/us. Right now I wanted the onion tart in France, hoping it would be like the one they used to have at Food & Wine Festival. There was a line here, but I joined the queue and waited patiently (it wasnt too bad). The tart didnt exactly look like Id expected, but I took it to a table and gave it a try. Its pretty good, but for me its not a WOW and not something Im likely to order again. I dont regret trying it, though.
From there I continued walking, having decided to get one of the salads somewhere before coming back for the macaron in France. Once I got further into World Showcase it wasnt nearly as busy as it had been near Future World. It was very pleasant walking around. I stopped in the wine shop in Italy to get a glass of certain prosecco (caposaldo remember it from Food & Wine) but they were only serving a different one so I passed. Outside I dealt with another work email, then checked facebook for a minute learning some distressing news.
You may remember my friends Tom & Leeanne from old trip reports turns out they both went to the hospital and both ended up in ICU. Their daughter Kim reported that Leeanne is starting to do better, but Tom is on a ventilator. Tom & I go WAY back he was in the job Im doing now, and I was in Ft Myers we were known as the 2 good ones out of our peers, lol! I called SB to let him know it was just yesterday or the day before he was asking about Tom. I started walking again and as I approached Norway I stopped to get sprayed with some of the Laila perfume. I remember Leeanne saying she loved it, but she wouldnt buy it because it was too expensive <g> - so until I shower tomorrow morning Ill wear her scent.
When I came back around I waited for the monorail to capture a photo of the flowers around the lake with the monorail passing by overhead. I must have just missed one, as it took a while! Once that shot was obtained I went to the Cider House stand in UK and got the field greens salad. It came with stilton cheese, shredded apple, and dried blueberries. It was pretty good, but also small for $3.75. This is Disney, after all and we need to pay for the entertainment and extras were not getting until the weekend <g>.
I continued walking, and in France I joined the (shorter) queue to get the raspberry & chocolate macaron. This one is $4.75 perhaps not a great value, but again, this is Disney. Its 2 pink macarons with dark chocolate in between. I went over to the same table Id used for the onion tart, and tried a bite. It didnt taste like raspberry at all, but the chocolate flavor was good. A lady passing by asked if it tasted as good as it looked, and I told her I mainly taste chocolate. We both agreed thats not exactly a problem, lol! I ate a few more small bites, and discovered the raspberry was on the chocolate and once I got there it was delicious!! Forget value, this is great whatever the price! Its pretty big, so I took more than half of it back to the resort with me. It comes in a fake newspaper pouch, so its easy to transport.
I continued walking, going as far as China before turning around to backtrack. I took a few photos along the way since Epcot at dusk is always so scenic. In Morocco I got a piece of baklava to take back to the resort, and then exited via International Gateway. As I was walking up the hill someone called out to me, and it was the guy from earlier (who dragged my suitcase up from the parking lot) headed to Epcot with his wife. It was nice to see him again, and once again I thanked him as we passed each other.
I got back to the resort somewhere around 7 or so, and decided to get to work on the trip report & emails. I put the baklava and macaron in the fridge, then went to the ice machine room to fill up my ice bucket. Its not too far away from this room, which is nice. I poured some wine (I like it to stay cold, so I add ice) and brought my personal phone and laptop out to the balcony. It was beautiful out there I love the sights and the sounds. I could hear the boats arriving and departing, the boardwalk games going on, and thankfully the people eating at Big River Grille werent as loud as they were this afternoon! Spaceship Earth and the boat dock are in my direct line of sight, and lots of people were out walking on the boardwalk enjoying the beautiful evening. This is definitely nicer than the standard view, but only worth it if youre going to take advantage of it!
At 8 my friend Michael called, and we spent the next hour on the phone discussing stuff including frustrations at work. Thats not an ideal vacation activity, but the frustrations are real and we are a team. Our relationship is stronger than most marriages probably because were not trying to be a couple <g>. We wrapped up just after 9, and I returned to the balcony for Illumiinations. Fireworks without the crowd are my kind of fireworks!
Id like to say today was a terrific day, and in some ways it was, but I am concerned about our friends in the hospital and know that the work stress/drama/******** will continue for the next couple of days (until Saturday). Part of me regrets being here instead of there, but I also realize that sounds ridiculous! I loved the weather today, enjoyed being able to walk around Epcot without being shoulder-to-shoulder, and love my boardwalk view studio. SB arrives tomorrow morning, to begin the couple portion of the trip. Weve got fastpasses at Hollywood Studios, and I desperately need some time by the pool (Gainesville is synonymous with pasty white <g>).
DAY 2 Thursday 3/10/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
SB (58), my husband
Plan: SB arrives, Studios, Pool, Epcot, Studios Fireworks?
Actual: So, after posting the report last night I came back into the studio to find both the work and personal phones had missed calls & voice mail from Michael and the personal phone had a are you ok? text from him as well, lol! Id mentioned wanting to brief SB on a change that occurred today since hed be the in charge person in his department Sunday but wouldnt be at work to learn about the change, and Michael got concerned when he sent it to me but I didnt respond. He figured I was back out on the balcony, but wasnt 100% sure. I called to put his mind at ease its nice to have people care about you, but he doesnt need that added stress right now, lol!
SB called and we talked about tomorrows plans. He had something he could do in the morning, and that would actually work better for me to get my pool time out of the way before he arrived, so we modified the original plan. We hoped to change our Studios fastpasses to Epcot and do Test Track, but those fastpasses were all gone for the day. He doesnt really care about the other stuff there (besides Soarin), so I ended up moving our Frozen and Star Tours fastpasses to early evening. Toy Story was not able to be changed, so well let that one go unused (hell miss having his butt kicked once again, lol). Ill enjoy the pool this morning, well spend some time at Epcot in the afternoon, then well finish the day at the Studios with a couple fastpasses and the new fireworks show. The rest of the macaron from France was calling to me from the fridge, and I ended up finishing that. Boy, was it good! Im sure it wont be my last one of the trip, lol!
Lights out came later than usual for me, at nearly 11:30. With all the lights outside I had to close the drapes most of the way because otherwise it was just too bright. I was awake by 5 but didnt get up until 5:45, looking forward to a nice relaxing morning. I run water through the coffee maker to make my cappuccino, and evidently the previous guest used it for coffee because the first batch of hot water came out slightly brown! I dumped that out and the next batch was fine. Id opened the drapes by now and it was pretty seeing the sky light up. Spaceship Earth is visible from my bed.
Around 8 I made breakfast an egg and slice of bacon, and figured out how to get my photos from the media card onto this computer. Its a different brand than Ive had in the past, plus Windows 10 is new to me, but I was able to download the photos without too much frustration. SB was out running his errands, and having breakfast so when he gets here he shouldnt be hungry immediately. I got up and changed into a swimsuit around 9:15 and headed down to the quiet pool.
I ended up staying by the main pool, since I easily found chaise lounges facing the sun. I also figured this would easier for SB, if he chose to join me. I spent a delightful few hours down there reading and taking care of work emails. There was an urgent issue from Tallahassee but my peer at the other facility took care of it when I sent it to him. Hes only got 2 months to go til retirement, but were interviewing for his replacement on Wednesday.
I showered and got dressed, and we left the room about 1pm. SB, in his questionable wisdom, showed up wearing a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. This is for a day that will be 88 degrees! I asked if he wanted to change into a pair of shorts, but of course he knew better than me and his jeans were just fine. He did change from black dress shoes to black sneakers. We headed out and he said his knee was hurting, so he didnt want to walk to Epcot. The boat was at the dock, so he was going to take that and Id meet him at the Epcot end. But, the boat pulled away, lol of course I made him miss the boat. Oh, give me a break. We walked to Epcot, and it was pretty warm I was warm, he had to be hot.
We entered Epcot with hardly any delay even though we arrived just after the boat unloaded. We headed left, and at times there was a breeze but at other times the air was still and it was just plain miserable! None of the food booths appealed to him, so we kept walking. We stopped in Mexico because he wanted a margarita, which means standing in a line in the direct sun (miserable)! I was on the phone with Michael at the time, but I stood by SB in the blazing sun rather than leave him sweating alone. Eventually he got fed up and left the line, saying it was moving too slowly. He was right they had 2 cast members working but they were not working efficiently, and it was taking a ridiculous amount of time to get anyone through the line. This sort of soured him from this point on, which didnt entirely surprise me.
Somewhere along the way we passed Sandi from radp and stopped to say hello briefly. We stopped a few other places but SB was never satisfied with the choices available. As we got back to the International Gateway after getting NOTHING he said he should probably just head on home he didnt want to ruin my time, but he just wasnt feeling it here. I was ready to get the hell out of the park it was way too hot to be enjoyable even with the low humidity. I suggested going off property for lunch somewhere, and he perked up.
We walked to the Boardwalk parking lot to get one of the cars, then drove over to Joes Crab Shack. This ended up being a great move it wasnt busy, it was air conditioned, and he loves seafood. We sat at the bar, and had a 2-hour lunch break. Theres not much on the menu for me, so I ordered the chicken club and was amazed by how great it was (not the traditional 3 slices of bread thing). He had a cup of clam chowder, which he said was even better than the clam chowder at Yacht/Beach Club, plus one of the steam pots with crab, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob and a whole Maine lobster. I had a couple glasses of wine and he had a couple $2 margaritas (Thursday special would have been $20 at Disney, lol). Everything was excellent, and we pretty much rolled out of there.
Once in the car Michael and another division director at work called with a $30k medical issue at work, so I was on the phone until we got back to the resort. Michael will call me later with another issue about a resident who died recently. Its a 24/7 job, regardless of being on vacation or outside of the traditional work hours.
Back at the resort we both got on our computers I updated the report and read emails. Theres some good news regarding Tom and Leeanne both are improving, athough neither are out of the woods. She may move to a regular floor soon. I need to remember to let Michael know later, as he also has known Tom for many years and Id briefed him last night.
As expected, soon SB was dozing off, and when he woke up he didnt feel like going anywhere. I was only going to see the fireworks at the Studios if he wanted to see them. I can catch them in Oct/Nov with Pete & Judy. Ill only see them when staying here or Beach Club, as Im not dealing with waits for Disney transportation to get back to my resort! SB decided to stay in for the night, with a request for an oatmeal raisin cookie and milk later. I hung around until about 6, when it was not so hot outside, then I walked over to Epcot.
By now it was beautiful outside unlike earlier when it was just plain miserable. I turned right, starting with France, and walked around the countries until I turned into Future World. I went to the location to pick up the passholder print, although it will end up with the many other prints Ive done nothing with most likely <g>. This month its Donald Duck. Next month is Goofy, then in May it will be Mickey (this is only for the Flower & Garden Festival, and only for annual/seasonal passholders). After getting the print I continued to the Land and picked up and oatmeal raisin cookie for SB. Its now up to $2.99 at Seasons, but the same cookie is $3.99 at the Boardwalk Bakery. They had some pretty big ones, too.
From there I walked back to World Showcase on the Canada side but turned left to make the longer loop around again. It wasnt too crowded, and it was perfect weather. Too bad it couldnt be like this during the day, but this trip were getting hotter than normal temperatures. Its confirmed what Id been thinking though, that I need to cancel my Memorial Day weekend trip. It is just too damn hot (and humid) then, and I simply do not want to put up with it. Plus, I booked Bay Lake Tower expecting Flower & Garden would be over, but then they extended it. Im a definite Crescent Lake Snob, and cant stand the thought of having to travel to the front entrance of Epcot. My original plan was for a BLT weekend, with maybe a quick walk into Magic Kingdom at some point, but I know Id want to catch some time in Epcot now and Id hate every minute of it <g>. So, someone waiting for a lakeview studio at BLT that weekend will have a pleasant surprise soon.
In France I stopped and bought 2 of the raspberry chocolate macarons, thinking SB might like one. I then exited the park and walked a full loop around Crescent Lake past Beach and Yacht Clubs, then over to Boardwalk. They had a private event on the beach, near the fire pit and spot where they normally show the movie. They had food, drinks, and a DJ playing music. Im not sure if it was a company event or something wedding related, but there were quite a few people there. Too bad nobody invites me to events like that, lol!
Back at Boardwalk I stopped in the Screen Door and got SB a small bottle of milk to go with his cookie, then went up to the studio. He was laying on the bed watching tv and finding a movie to watch on his computer. I cant help but think if he MOVED more he wouldnt be complaining about his toe hurting, his knee hurting, his back hurting, etc. You know the expression use it or lose it?? It makes sense to me! But, we can only make choices for ourselves not anyone else. He insists hes loving being here, so I guess thats what matters.
I finished up the report in time to watch American Idol, and will no doubt catch the Illuminations fireworks from the balcony again. SB loved his cookie, but did not really care for the raspberry macaron. Oh well, more for me <g>. Theyre in the fridge they keep well there (in a sandwich Ziploc bag).
Today flew by way too quickly! I loved my pool time, and I have to admit Joes Crab Shack was a terrific place. Well see if Pete & Judy want to try it in November. I absolutely hate this hot weather, and going over to Epcot in the early afternoon was a really stupid move. Going back around 6pm was wonderful, though! Its a shame SB isnt really seeing or doing anything so far, but he seems happy and it doesnt hold me back at all. I do look forward to Saturday when the work crap should not be an issue!
Tomorrow were headed to Animal Kingdom for the safari & Lion King show, then lunch at Beaches & Cream. After that I hope to get some pool time, and hell either join me or lay down in the air conditioned studio (probably the studio). Tomorrow night were looking forward to Starship!
DAY 3 Friday 3/11/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
SB (58), my husband
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Beaches & Cream, Epcot (Starship)
Actual: Last night I tried a couple times to cancel my Memorial Day weekend trip online, and both times it bombed out. I swear Disney IT is so lacking for such a major company. We turned in around 10:30, and other than someone snoring (not me) we slept well. We were both up by 6, puttering around on our laptops. I tried to cancel that reservation again, and this time it went through. So, no late May trip for me but I do have a concierge stay at Jambo House the following weekend (that will be a resort trip since its too hot for the parks).
For breakfast we each had an egg SB with a couple sausage patties and me with a slice of bacon. We were showered, dressed, fed and ready to go shortly after 8:15 so we walked out to the parking lot to get a car even though we knew wed be arriving before the park actually opened. Our cars were parked next to each other in the parking lot and we drove his over to Animal Kingdom. He was surprised to see parking fees are now $20 for cars (not us, since were resort guests).
We were directed down the far end of a row, but from there it was a quick/easy walk into the park. It would have been longer to walk the entire row to get to the tram and then ride in. We were just a couple rows from the handicapped parking area. All the bag check lanes were open, so I chose a line with only 1 person ahead of me. We had a bit of a line at the entry, but it moved quickly. We were inside the park before 9 and were held up by the Tree of Life until 9am.
An announcement was made and several really bright colored birds (like parrots of some sort, but I know nothing about birds) flew in to an area in front of everyones view. There was obviously food there to reward them, as they all began eating. After the park opened the announcement ended with fly away or something like that, and right on cue every last bird flew away (as a group). It was pretty cool.
We walked back to Harambe, where we had fastpasses for the safari at 9:15. That means we can enter the queue at 9:10. We got there at 9:05 and decided to just wait the 5 minutes rather than join the standby queue. That turned out to be a good move, because the standby queue filled quickly and it would have taken us longer to get onto our safari truck. We waited on a bench right near a couple fenced-in cranes. It was funny to see both cranes standing there watching the parade of humans scurrying by, lol!
At 9:10 we got the green light and joined the fastpass queue, walking past hordes of people standing on the standby side, and we walked right onto a truck without any delay. This is wonderful!
Oh, Ill also mention that today SB wore clothing appropriate to a theme park shorts, t-shirt, sneakers & socks. The morning temps were perfect warm but not too warm, and the breeze was great. It was a very comfortable time to be touring!
The safari was great, with lots of animals visible. The elephants were in short supply and we saw no white rhino or addax, but plenty of everything else. The guide/driver (Angela) did a great job, too. After the safari we passed through the Dawa Bar, where they serve an assortment of morning alcoholic drinks. None appealed to us, though. It was interesting to see Tusker listed as a domestic beer and one of the imported beer was Bud Light, lol!
We went over to the theater for the Festival of the Lion King show and the doors opened about 5 minutes later. We took seats in the warthog section, choosing the back row to have the railing to lean against. Just before the show started a woman and her daughter on the row in front of us scooted over, then switched places. That put the mom directly in front of SB and she was wearing a pair of Mickey Mouse ears. I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if shed please take them off for the show, and she very nicely obliged. They ended up scooting over the direction theyd come from when others in front of them shifted, so SB had a clear view.
The lady sort of in front of me whipped out her tablet and used it to tape the show, which I found very obnoxious. It only became a problem when she moved it out of HER way, and it was blocking my view. So, another tap on the shoulder took care of that. Then SB & I had the chance to scoot away, which was even better. I did notice the guy next to me had to tap her on the shoulder at least once when the tablet was in his way. What is it with people?? There were seats in the next section right down front, where should could have recorded it with nobody in front of her or she could have gotten her butt there earlier and took a seat in the back row & then raised it up all she wanted.
The show was great it always is! Some of the cast was different this time, and the male prince (the younger guy) had a serious case of man boobs and wasnt as lean as most of the others weve seen. But, his performance was just as good. After the show we were in our fastpass window for Primeval Whirl, so we walked over to DinoLand and rode that. SB didnt really remember it, but now he says that ride scares him to death, lol! We were seated with a younger couple, and they were laughing at SB as hed exclaim about his impending doom with every twist and drop, lol.
After this we left the park, walking out to the parking lot. When wed parked Id said it would be faster for us to walk towards the trees and take the sidewalk in, and expected him to follow me. Instead he walked in front of the car and started cutting across the parking lot. I didnt know where the hell he was, since we were parked behind other cars. Once I found him and caught up with him I pointed out that had we WALKED TO THE TREES wed know which row number we were parked in. So now, coming out to the car, I thought we were in the 2nd row, but he was sure it was further back. I let him go, and when I saw the car (in the 2nd row) I shouted out so he could hear my voice and find his way back, lol! I reminded him that Im the smart one of the couple <g>.
We drove over to Beach Club and parked in the self-parking lot. Our lunch reservation at Beaches & Cream was for 11:40, and we got to the podium right around 11:25. For whatever reason, Stormalong Bay wasnt terribly busy at all, despite being a picture perfect day for the pool! We were called to our table in just a few minutes, and once inside I remembered how LOUD this place is. But, SB loves it here and didnt seem to notice the noise so all is good. I only come here with him, as its not really my style and any of the meals are too big for me to eat alone.
He was hungry, which worked out perfectly that means he can order 2 meals and Ill just part of his stuff. I had a glass of water and he got his usual chocolate shake. I always eat some of the leftover part in the metal cup its great, but no way would I want one of my own.
For lunch we got the patty melt (burger, sauted onions & swiss cheese grilled on rye bread) with fries and a chili cheese hotdog with onion rings. We shared the fries, onion rings, and I took the smaller half of the patty melt. Everything was terrific I really liked the flavors of the rye and swiss with the burger. We were way too full for dessert, plus hed had the milkshake, so we settled the check and headed out. With Tables in Wonderland and tip it was right around $35.
Before going to the car we detoured to the Beach Club Marketplace since hed probably be wanting a cookie tonight. I got him an oatmeal raisin and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie along with a bottle of milk, and a coconut bar for myself (or us). In hindsight, I sort of realized but didnt listen to my brain telling me that buying the cookies now means theyll probably not make it to this evening. We drove back to Boardwalk, and when we went to the parking lot a cast member was standing there asking us for our event ticket. We of course didnt have one were just registered guests staying here @@. He said the lot was being used for people attending events, as they had a lot of events going on. We were not happy. We werent rude, but we were firm that this was not acceptable or appropriate, and we were not going to park a mile away from the building because convention people had events at our resort. He was apologetic but he had his instructions. I told him that he probably needed to check his watch or something and he wouldnt even see us drive on past him to park our car. He took the hint, and said oh, I need to check my watch and I told Floyd to hit the pedal and get moving, lol! I will have to bring the parking nonsense up again on my survey. I think they should build a garage behind the trees across the street and use that for cast, conventions & day visitors.
Back in the studio SB decided to stay put and look for a basketball game on tv. I changed into a swimsuit and went down to the pool, this time choosing the quiet pool. It wasnt entirely quiet, thanks to a bucket truck thing lifting workers to different balconies. Evidently this section of rooms is being refurbished now. The only kids at the pool were very quiet & well behaved, as were all of the adults. There was a little quacking from the group of ducks that flew in for a swim a few times, but they werent so rowdy I had to ask them to go the other pool <g>.
I stayed down there for about 2 hours, enjoying some sun and quite a bit of clouds. With the breeze it never got too hot, which was nice. I went back upstairs around 2:30 and surprise, surprise SB was asking for one of his cookies and the milk. Our rule is whoever is up has to get what the person whos not up wants. So, sometimes well try to outsit each other, lol but since Id just walked in and he made his request before I sat down, I couldnt really argue with him. I did though, pour HALF the milk into a glass so hed have the other half with the 2nd cookie later tonight. I got some ice and poured a glass of wine then took the wine and laptop out to the shady balcony to update the trip report. Its just gorgeous out there smells from Big River, ships horns blowing, sun reflecting off the water, etc.
Around 4 I decided to walk over to Epcot, and SB would meet me later. Hes not much into walking any more than necessary, which drives me crazy at times of all people, he SHOULD be walking. But, its his life, his choice. There was still a nice breeze, so it was comfortable walking over. I had no wait at bag check or entry, and once inside the park I walked into Future World and went to the Festival Center. It looks the same as usual, with exhibits, the caf, and the merchandise shop. It looks like they have some gardening classes also in the area they do the food and beverage seminars during Food & Wine.
In the center they were running a movie on the making of the festival, similar to the one they did for Food & Wine. I didnt stay to watch it, because if Tiana doesnt want to see it tomorrow then itll be something for me to do Sunday afternoon. I got a glass of $5 prosecco at the caf the prosecco in Italy is $9. This one was just fine. I looked at the merchandise but didnt linger too long, since I needed to head over to America. Test Track had a 60 minute wait, and 35 minutes for single rider thats too busy for me!
I turned left by Mexico and walked towards America. I could see they were letting people into the theater for the 5:30 concert and tried to call SB but he didnt answer. He called me back a few minutes later, and he said he was closer to America than I was. When I got to Germany, I was stunned to see the end of the line still extended into the edge of Germany!!! It went all the way through Italy to get to Germany, and a cast member was in the line saying that was the end for the 5:30 show and the people after her were in line for the 6:45 show! She did say to go up to the theater and wait by the ropes, so I figured wed try to sit on the side wall once we were let in.
I found SB near the rope closest to the Japan side, and within a minute or 2 they opened the rope. I was shocked to find there were still seats in the theater, and we ended up down in the 4th row great seats! It was just approaching 5pm at this point, and the singing group (I always forget their name) came out and did their show from 5 until 5:20. That helped pass the time.
At 5:30 Starship came out and did a great concert, with all songs that I really like! They did have some technical issues, with Stephanies microphone not working. She didnt realize it, but the audience did she & Mickey Thomas led off with a duet and she couldnt be heard at all. He realized it before she did, and just had her share his microphone until a bit later a guy backstage got her attention and swapped her microphone out. She commented that had never happened at Disney before. After that it was pretty much smooth sailing, and they did a great show! The audience loved it, too.
When the concert ended we walked over to Japan, where SB got a Sapporo beer at the kiosk. We took it back to America and got food from the Smokehouse (the festival kiosk). We shared the pork ribs, pulled pork slider, and warm chocolate cake w/bourbon caramel and pecans. The ribs consisted of 2 spare ribs, and I thought hed complain about the portion but he said they were so good he was happy. He loved the corn salad that it came with, and there did seem to be a lot of meat on the ribs. I had a bite or 2, and cut an edge off the pork slider. That wasnt as good as I remember from the past, but he liked it. The warm chocolate cake was REALLY good being warm is what really made it great. It was just your basic devils food cake, but having it warm with the caramel & pecans was really nice.
When we finished it was time to head across for the 6:45 Starship concert. As we approached the rope they opened it, and this time we ended up in the 2nd row, off to the Japan side. By the time 6:45 came it was getting pretty dark, and the lighting just seemed off. I dont know what Disneys problem was tonight. When theyd come towards the sides there wasnt a spotlight or anything, so theyd be singing in the near darkness. There were also sound issues with interference a couple times never heard that before. It was really odd, but the music is so good it was still a great show despite those issues.
After this show SB headed back to the resort and I stayed to walk around. In Mexico I rode the boat ride, since there wasnt much of a wait. With the time spent there, it put me on track to catch some of the final Starship concert at 8, even though that wasnt my plan. I walked over there and the ropes were already down. I wasnt sure Id stay for the whole thing, so I took a seat on one of the white metal benches along the back of the theater and occupied myself playing suduko on my old phone.
This concert was also great. Each one was a little different in terms of the songs performed, but the big ones were in every show. Every show ended with We built this city on rock & roll, which everyone loves. This time I left once that last song started, figuring Id beat the crowd getting out.
As I left Epcot I could see the 8:30 fireworks at Hollywood Studios, and took a few photos of them as I walked. There were no real clear viewing points, due to all the trees, but the high ones were visible. They continued until I got back to Boardwalk. SB called to see where I was not worried, but wanting food <g>. He was hoping for a corn dog and lemonade, which comes from one of the booths on the boardwalk.
When the fireworks ended I got him a foot long corn dog and small lemonade, then went up to the room. He was ready for bed shortly after 9, but I had stuff to do before I would turn in trip report, might download photos, watch a little HGTV. I hope he wont snore tonight, but Im almost certain he will so the ear plugs are already set out on the nightstand. He didnt take me seriously when I suggested he sleep in his car.
Today was a delightful day! I loved the weather, we had a great experience at Animal Kingdom and a good lunch at Beaches & Cream. The Starship concerts were the icing on the cake we both really enjoy them!
Tomorrow Tiana is due to arrive by 8:30, and well head to the Magic Kingdom for the morning. I dont think the weather will be decent for any pool time, so maybe she & I will wander around Epcot later before more Starship concerts. Shes coming down primarily for Starship, and will be returning home afterwards. SB will also be leaving for home at some point.
DAY 4 Saturday 3/12/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
SB (58), my husband
Plan: Magic Kingdom, Epcot (Starship)
Actual: I managed to get the ear plugs put in well, once I saw that SB almost immediately started making some snoring noises. I wasnt going to take a chance that it wouldnt get worse theres nothing more aggravating than not being able to sleep. They worked so well I didnt hear my phone ring around 1am someone called me by accident, and then texted to apologize for the mistake. I have no idea who it was, other than they were from Ft Myers Beach. I got up around 5:30 and relaxed in bed with my cappuccino while I did my morning online stuff.
I was happy to see another update on Tom & Leanne this morning, but unfortunately theres no improvement. Both are still in ICU, and it seems they have no idea whats up with her shell be having more tests done starting Monday. Their son & his family are up from south Florida, so everyone is there. Im glad Kims not having to deal with it alone her and her adult son Chris.
I discovered last night when I downloaded my photos that some appeared to be duplicates. Upon closer inspection I realized that when I changed the setting to action mode (for the safari) each time I took a photo it actually takes 2 shots, just a second apart. There were slight differences, so I was able to keep the better shot. This is a nice feature! I was also pleased to see some of the photos of the male lion sleeping on the rock came out well at the time I wasnt sure if I was seeing him or the rock, lol!
After we both showered & dressed we repeated the same breakfast as yesterday. We were discussing whether we thought Tiana would be on time, when suddenly she called. Fortunately she was on Disney property, so she was right on time. We went downstairs to wait for her by the bus stop, since shed have to drive by on the way to the parking lot. I jumped in the car with her to park the car, then we walked over to join SB at the bus stop.
I was pleased to see they have the monitors displaying bus arrival time for each park now! Tiana didnt believe it would be accurate, but the bus arrived 1 minute ahead of the time posted. It was an empty bus, so everyone got a seat and we went directly to Magic Kingdom. They had extra bag check stations open near Guest Services, so we went there rather than going all the way down to the bottom of the hill and back up through the normal entrance. Bag check went slowly, thanks to so many people bringing bags and bags of crap that they cant possibly need for a day in a theme park! Its beyond ridiculous sometimes. One family even had a plastic bag with 4 or 5 meals in it! This in addition to backpacks and tote bags with multiple smaller zippered bags and lets not forget the stuff stored under the bottom of the strollers.
Once through the bag check the entry was a piece of cake, as there were several lines with 1-2 (or no) people. We headed there instead of lining up behind a row of people for no reason. We got into the park about 10 minutes after 9. We made a quick restroom stop for Tiana (after the long drive), then went down Main Street and into Fantasyland. I thought maybe we could get on Peter Pan without too long of a wait, but missed the sign showing the wait time when we entered the queue. When it slowed down and the line ahead looked really long, I checked the app and saw it was a 35 minute wait. Theres no way Im wasting 35 minutes of the first hour of the park standing in line for a 90-second ride. Tiana didnt understand, and thought we had time and maybe it would be less than that. Shed never ridden this, so seeing it wasnt really important to her, so we left the queue.
Instead we walked onto Haunted Mansion, which is a much longer attraction. She didnt know what that was, either. I was flabbergasted, since shes come here so many times. But, she swore shed never been in there, didnt know what it was, etc. All throughout the pre shows and even into the doom buggies I kept asking if she was sure none of this was familiar, lol but she said no. I couldnt figure out how she could have missed this, but whatever. She loved the effects and thought the whole thing was really cool, and she got a big kick out of the hitchhiking ghosts at the end.
From there we were going to head to the Little Mermaid, but I mentioned that now on Small World they pick up your name from the magic band and display it near the exit. She seemed to like that, so we decided to ride it. As were going down the ramp she asks me what the ride is about. I just stared at here and didnt know what to say at first then said you havent ridden this before? Once again the answer was no, lol!
We walked right onto a boat, and were underway. Once inside she swore nothing was familiar, shed never been on this, etc. I asked what the hell she did on all those visits in the past, lol! She explained she usually came with her son and theyd do maybe 1 or 2 things and then leave. Huh???? Drive 2 hours to get somewhere and barely see anything before driving another 2 hours home? She enjoyed the ride, and commented that her grandkids would love this. SB didnt remember riding this before either maybe its contagious, lol! Maybe he really hadnt, but it seemed strange that in our 13-14 years wed never have ridden this. At the end we saw our names, but Tianas name was missing.
From there we went to Seven Dwarves Mine Train and used our fastpass. Tiana had never ridden this, but I understood that since its relatively new and she didnt learn about fastpasses until I showed her. She was shocked at the standby line! While we were inside I noticed nobody was moving. Sure enough, the ride had gone down. We stayed through a couple announcement about technical difficulties and they didnt know when it would be back up, before we finally gave up. They assured us if it came back up we could just tell them we were in line when it went down and theyd let us through.
We continued around the corner to Little Mermaid and did that as standby guests. It was posted as 20 minutes but it really only took the amount of time it takes to walk that long queue. We had a small delay at the end, but just a couple minutes. This is a cute ride, and Im pretty sure it was a first for Tiana <g>. From there we walked to Frontierland, since we were in the window for our 2nd set of fastpasses.
Tiana and I had Big Thunder and SB had Splash Mountain (at his request). He ended up decided to skip his, as he didnt feel like getting wet. I could have sworn Tiana had been on Big Thunder before, but guess what she hadnt. The standby queue was long, but with our fastpasses we were on quickly, and were seated near the back. It was a great ride, and she loved it! We met up with SB at the end and took the train from Frontierland to the next station. The train arrived within a minute of us reaching the platform, which was really nice!
We took the walking path over to Tomorrowland, which had a lot of smokers congregated in the smoking area there. It really is a bad spot, but the reality is theres probably no good spot to allow people to smoke. It just stinks wherever it is, and there arent many places that are truly out of the way. It would need to be set back in a dead-end area not on a walking path.
We had time before our Space Mountain fastpasses so we rode the People Mover. Tiana didnt know what that was either, but she enjoyed it. Id been checking throughout the morning, but Mine Train was still down. We went to Space Mountain and the fastpass return line was extended way back across the park! The standby wait was 85 minutes, so maybe it had gone down earlier. I was sure she must have ridden this before, but NOOOOOO this was the first time, lol! She told me she & her son had fastpasses for this once, but didnt make it in time & missed it, or some such silliness. I think they did something else (1 thing) and left! She says almost everything shes done has been with me she never knew any of this stuff was here. I cant imagine how you can be here and see & do nothing except walk by it all saying dont know what that attraction is, so dont want to do it.
We were in the front rocket, with Tiana in the front seat, and she loved this. I figured she would she loves rides like this, and her son would have enjoyed it too. After the ride I checked one last time on Mine Train but it was still down, so we left the park. The boat had just arrived at the dock, so we hopped on board for a delightful ride on the small boat to Grand Floridian and then Polynesian.
We walked over to Captain Cooks which was a zoo! It was really busy, and now you have to order at the register instead of at kiosks, so it seems to take longer. SB got the big kahuna sandwich, I got the kids chicken skewer meal, and Tiana ordered the shrimp & pho soup but without noodles. We sat at a table outside since it was so nice, and we waited and waited and waited for the buzzer to go off. Finally after 20 minutes or so I went inside to see what was going on, and I learned they were waiting for my skewers, which take longer. I got the other food & brought it out to SB & Tiana. She took one look at hers and said this isnt what I wanted. I told her its what she ordered, lol! Maybe she didnt know what she was ordering, but thats her responsibility. She took the container back inside and they gave her a burger & fries instead. I kept telling them what was good (the Aloha Pork sandwich), and neither of them was as happy with their choices as when they saw someone else with that sandwich. They also thought my kids meal looked better. Oh well, maybe theyll learn to listen to me <g>.
After lunch we got dole whip swirls next door, and those were delicious! Once those were gone we went upstairs and caught the monorail back to Magic Kingdom, where now Mine Train was open again. As were coming down the monorail ramp Tiana wanted to know what park this was, lol! She wanted to go in and do Mine Train, but it was mobbed at the bag checks and entry points the whole park would have been a nightmare. I told her she could, and meet us back at the resort, but I wasnt fighting that mess.
We walked over to the bus stop, where the only bus there was ours! We walked right on, and even got seats. Soon we were back at the Boardwalk and went up to relax for a bit. I updated the report, she took a catnap, and SB watched CNN. She & I headed out around 2:45 and entered via International Gateway. She was randomly selected for the metal detector, which of course she didnt know anything about. She doesnt follow any Disney stuff on the internet, and it wasnt significant enough for me to mention it while we were out walking. It only took a second, and we used the Fastpass + kiosk here to see what might be available.
Initially there were 4 choices, but then 2 disappeared before our eyes and all we had were Illuminations or Living with the Land. We took Living with the Land, for about 5 minutes from now. Shes going home after the first concert, so Illuminations wouldnt work. We walked into World Showcase and Epcot was mobbed! It really felt more like a Food & Wine weekend, from the number of people everywhere. No wonder there werent many fastpasses left!
We walked into Future World and went straight to the Land, where we avoided the standby queue and walked right onto a boat. She got a call from work and was on the phone until we were inside the greenhouses. But, the announcement was so loud I dont think other guests could hear her although Im not sure how she heard the people on the other end of the phone. It was all needless drama, too the officer was refusing to do what the supervisor asked her to do and agreed when Tiana (the Chief) called her to tell her to do so but asked if she could wait til the supervisor went off duty since she didnt want to be around him. Really people?? These are all adults, although sometimes you cant tell by their actions. Tiana will deal with it on Monday.
After the boat ride we walked over to the Festival Center and each got a glass of prosecco. They had 1 cast member waiting on people and another cast member stocking stuff. We were behind a man who I swear didnt have too many brain cells he took a ridiculous amount of time with silly questions, before ordering 2 different ciders and getting the hell out of the way. By now we had people in line behind us. We ordered the prosecco and they were about a quarter inch short for the second glass, so everyone waited while the stocker went to get another bottle and the other cast member then had to open it, etc. We do appreciate that he filled the glasses, but we had stepped completely away to the next window so the people behind us could have been waited on in the meantime, but thats not how Disney does it. By now that line was quite long, and it included the not-so-bright guy standing about 3-4 people back, holding the 2 cups of cider in his hands. Guess there was some problem, but we didnt stick around to find out!
We went to where Making of Me used to be and watched the rest of the film about the making of the Flower & Garden Festival. Tiana said she enjoyed learning about the behind the scenes stuff, and I enjoyed it too. We left there about 4 and stopped by the passholder print place where we each got one of the Donald Duck prints. I thought it was limited to 1 per passholder, but evidently its 1 at a time. When they scanned my band, there was no mention that Id gotten my print the other day. SB never made it over to get his, and this way since I had 2 I can offer 1 to each grandchild.
From there we walked back to World Showcase, on the Canada side. SB called as we were almost in UK and hed just entered and was in front of the Rose & Crown Pub. He saw us first, so he stood still until we joined him. Before we went to Epcot Id cut a piece of the macaron in the fridge and given it to Tiana to try. She loved it, so we stopped in France for her to get one to take home, and we got a Kronenbourg for SB. Tiana was hoping for a margarita, but those are in Mexico and wed gone the opposite way. It was so mobbed, the line had to be really long, too. By now it was 4:15. We continued walking, and in Morocco we stopped for what should have been frozen slushy drinks at the regular kiosk there (next to the shop not the Festival kiosk). She got the non-alcoholic blue raspberry thing, and hers was frozen. SB & I got the Sultans Colada pina colada with almond liqueur too. Ours was basically liquid. It tasted good, but it wasnt a frozen drink!
In Japan we stopped while SB got in line for the beef udon. The line was long and barely moving, since they only had 1 cash register open. When I noticed that I told Tiana that was ridiculous for them to not have 2 on a busy Saturday, and then I noticed on the other end (that we hd walked right past) they also had 1 cash register open, and there was just a single customer there. I went up and grabbed SB, and we used the other register to order his food he had it well before he even would have reached the ordering point in the original line!
I pretty much forgot about taking pictures of the food today, but this was basically a plate of noodles with some teriyaki beef on top. It didnt look like much, but it had a really nice flavor. He ate that, then we continued to America and stood at the rope. Theyd just started letting the standby line in, and being a busier day it took longer for all those people to get in. Once they did, the ropes were lowered and we got good seats down in the front section, off to the side.
The American Music Machine (I finally remembered their name) performed their 5pm show, and then 10 minutes later Starship came out. Tonight the microphones all worked <g>. The show was a little different than the first show last night, which surprised me. It was great, though. After the concert I walked back to International Gateway with Tiana and SB. They were both headed out, and would follow each other back to Gainesville.
I walked a little further, then turned around and walked back to America, this time standing behind a rope in a more central spot of the theater. Theyd just begun letting the standby people in, and then it was my turn. I ended up near the front of the 2nd section, but more towards the center of the theater. It was a great seat, and I used my phone to record We Built This City and put it up on facebook. I havent watched it yet, but Im pretty sure a guys big head is in the way for parts of it. But, the music is there! This concert was the same as the previous one, which seemed odd to me they dont usually do that. But, it was great the first time and still great an hour later <g>.
After this concert I made my way out of the park via International Gateway. Before he left SB was talking to me about how happy I am when Im here, and hes right. This is just a great place for me it feels right being here. Having to leave out the front entrance and get on a bus would really take away from the pleasure I get from being here. If I was traveling to a value or moderate resort instead of the resorts I usually stay at, that would be a huge negative as well, so Im very thankful I bought into DVC when I did! Its made a huge difference.
I was feeling hungry, and would have gone for the kids pizza at Beach Club Marketplace if I was staying at Beach Club Villas. Taking it all the way to Boardwalk made no sense, as it would be cold. According to my fitbit I was close to 25,000 steps so I walked around outside the Boardwalk, passing the different entertainment acts, and then went to the Boardwalk Bakery.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the cookies there are now $2.99 instead of $3.99! Im not sure when the change happened, but Im happy for it not that $2.99 per cookie is a steal, lol! I ordered the tomato and mozzarella sandwich and asked if they could cut it in half. Fresh Market sells a bigger one for $6.99 (Disneys is $9.95) but I knew this one was more than I wanted to eat at 1 time. It comes with chips or cucumber salad, so I chose cucumber salad, and chose for the sandwich to be warm rather than cold. The cast member said they had plastic knives at the end, but they werent allowed to use any. LOL ok. The sandwich only took a minute to heat, and it came in a nice box.
I went up to the room and then went to get some ice to keep my wine cold. According to the fitbit I did in fact exceed 25,000 steps today sure didnt feel like it, but I guess it adds up. When I opened the sandwich box I saw the cast member had split the cucumber salad into 2 smaller containers, so he must have assumed I was sharing the sandwich with someone else that was a nice touch on his part. The cucumber salad was really good, too!
I took the laptop, half the sandwich and a glass of wine out to the balcony since it was a beautiful evening. The sandwich ended up being great, and half was plenty. I still have leftover sweets in the room, and havent even touched yesterdays coconut bar, so I didnt want to be too full for a little snack later. I worked on the trip report, and at 8:30 heard all the fireworks from the Studios. At 9 I was able to watch the Illuminations fireworks, since I chose to sit in the chair facing that direction.
Today was another terrific day, with missing Mine Train the only disappointment. We really had a lot of fun in Magic Kingdom, although Im still befuddled as to how Tiana can have visited here so often over the years and basically have done NOTHING! That is just too weird for me to wrap my head around. But, many Florida resident are either clueless about WDW or never get here because they cant afford it on Florida wages. SB really enjoyed himself too, and was glad he didnt go home that first day. I enjoyed having him here for a few days, except for the snoring part. He talked about staying tonight and just leaving around 4am tomorrow, but I said NO WAY, lol I want earplug-less sleep!
Tomorrow is my last full day of this trip, and my last time here until after Flower & Garden Festival is over. My ideal day would be to spend the morning at the pool, followed by afternoon & evening rain-free in Epcot. Im not 100% sure what the weather will bring, as there may be quite a few clouds in the morning and thunderstorms late afternoon & maybe early evening. My friend Mary had contacted me before the trip to let me know she & Krista (both used to work at Comedy Warehouse) would be working at Epcot Sunday, so I hope to catch them during their final appearance in the afternoon.
DAY 5 Sunday 3/13/16
Who: Sue (57), DVC Member
SB (58), my husband
Plan: Pool, Epcot, Starship Concert
Actual: Last night my neighbors came out on their balcony during Illuminations and we got to talking. Theyre an older couple from Manchester, CT and seem very nice. They arrived yesterday, and are here for a nice long trip. Today they made a day trip to Ft Myers to watch a grandson play high school baseball small world! Theyd be the ideal neighbors if I did have a connecting door, as they seem like they wouldnt be noisy!
I turned in by 10:30, and slept really well. Amazing what a difference silence makes, lol! Id set my alarm for 5:45 and woke up when it went off. The clocks were turned ahead an hour, so it really felt like 4:45. But, I knew tomorrow would be an early morning, and Id much rather spend my time here awake instead of asleep!
I puttered around doing my online stuff while I had some cappuccino, then I finished working on the photos and captioning the ones in the shutterfly album. The weather forecast doesnt look too bad (other than ridiculously high temperatures & high humidity) it should be a sunny morning, but then showers and thunderstorms are likely during the 2-6 period. It may impact the early Starship concert, and I hope it doesnt interfere with seeing Mary & Krista. A little after 8 I cooked the last egg and slice of bacon for breakfast. By 9:45 I was out by the quiet pool, which was lovely! Everyone there was quiet, and none of the construction was happening today. A nice breeze kept it fairly comfortable, and I enjoyed doing some reading out in the sun. Just after noon I went back inside, figuring it was time to shower and clean up.
SB hadnt finished his foot long corndog the other night, so I heated that up for a quick lunch. It wasnt bad! I took my shower & dressed and checked the weather again. Now the showers/thunderstorms looks to be limited to an hour or 90 minutes between 3 and 5 mostly. I called to chat with SB briefly (he was at work), then took the rest of the macaron to snack on as I walked over to Epcot around 1:30.
Mary had texted with their expected time & location, but since theyre live entertainment things dont always run like clockwork. Theyre Mother Nature (Krista) and Blossom Daily (Mary), and they ride around on a golf cart interacting with guests sort of like Streetmosphere in the Studios. I had time so I made a loop around the countries, then settled down on a bench outside the butterfly tent. Mary texted again to say they were leaving from America, coming over from the China/Mexico side. Eventually I went up and stood in a shady spot by the DVC booth, but never saw them. They must have gone some other way, but since Id texted Mary my location she walked over and got me while Krista drove around interacting with other guests.
We had a nice visit, although I was underdressed for the occasion. Mary had a full dress, hat, etc while was just in my usual shorts & top. At least I wasnt still wearing the outfit from the other night, with the wedge boots, thigh-high stockings, etc <g>! We wandered through the butterfly tent, and then came out the wrong door and had to walk around to get back to where Krista was waiting for her. We had a guest take a picture of us with my phone, and then they had to head backstage since their day was over. Hopefully well have more time next visit.
I was in my fastpass window for Nemo but didnt feel like taking the time for the ride, so I just entered through the back door to see if the dolphins were swimming. A cast member had a stick that she held up to the glass (from the outside of the aquarium) and the dolphin came right down. She was telling a group of people things about dolphins, and although it didnt look like a private tour I wasnt 100% sure so I didnt loiter there. I took a picture of the dolphin and moved along. I went back outside and had about 10 minutes before my Spaceship Earth fastpass so I browsed through Mouse Gear.
They have some really cute baby stuff in there, but boy oh boy is it expensive! Im not going to spend $30 for a baby outfit that would last a couple months or so. I guess other people dont have that issue, or the prices wouldnt be what they are. At 3:15 I entered the fastpass queue at Spaceship Earth, although the standby wait was only about 10-15 minutes. I managed to get an ending I havent seen before, so that was nice!
From there I went to the Festival Center, where I got a glass of prosecco and caught the rest of the movie about the making of the festival. Turns out we saw almost all of it yesterday, so I didnt stay long. They have some comfortable seating in the corner where they used to have the big couches during Food & Wine several years ago, so I took my prosecco over there and did some reading for a while. When the prosecco was gone I headed back outside. I had a Test Track fastpass for 4:15 and that window had just opened, but the sky looked a little threatening and I didnt want to risk it raining when my car would reach the outside track so I skipped it.
Instead, I walked around World Showcase and then backtracked to America just before 5 to join the standby line for the 5:30 Starship concert. Today the American Music Machine wasnt doing a 5pm show, so they didnt let us into the theater until around 5. When I joined the line I was one of the last to fit in that big open area where they snake the line back & forth. People behind me stretched back and then curved into Italy and extended the length of that country.
I was able to get a great seat 2nd row of the 2nd section, but dead center. Best of all, I was between the 2 people in front of me, so no heads were blocking my view. I did some more reading, and then it started to sprinkle. It didnt rain hard, but people with ponchos pulled them out and put them on. I put up my umbrella and realized it was broken it wouldnt stay open on its own. So, I slouched down and held it partly open over my head this way it didnt hit either of the people next to me. I could see nervous Disney people checking their phones, looking for signs of lightning in the area that would cause the concert to be canceled. Right at 5:30 the light rain stopped, so the show started and I put down my umbrella. It was a great show and Im sorry Ill miss them at Food & Wine. I saw something they posted on facebook this morning, so they must have signed the contract today or yesterday theyll be there 3 nights starting September 16th. I also learned someone in the group has the flu, which is why they stuck with the same show repeating itself last night.
After the concert I started heading towards France but in Japan I turned around and went around the long way. When I got there I continued on towards Morocco but then realized I never got the watermelon salad! Thats located near the entrance to Future World, so I turned around and walked back there. I got the watermelon salad and it was excellent as usual. I ate it at a tall table, and a couple joined me to share the table. Theyd recently done the DCL Magic cruise, and loved it but said theyd never do it again because it was so expensive. I didnt tell them Ive done 13 DCL cruises I just listened (but I do agree with them). They were going on about how fabulous it was, but the stuff they were mentioning is stuff you can expect on any cruise again, I kept my mouth shut and just nodded.
Finally, I walked back to France and bought a chocolate raspberry macaron to take home tomorrow, and then left Epcot for the last time in a long time. I walked back to Boardwalk and went up the studio, where I gathered up the bag I take to the pool and loaded the cooler with leftover bottles of water and took all that down to the car. A close space was available, so I moved the car. I mainly wanted to just make sure there was nothing odd like a flat tire or anything <g>. Everything looked good, so I went up to the resort, got some ice, then prepared for dinner. Id left the photos downloading while I ran down to the car.
Dinner was out on the balcony again the other half of the tomato/mozzarella sandwich & cucumber salad and the last of the wine. It was pretty noisy out there, which was almost surprising since Epcot was definitely much less busy/crowded than it had been the last 2 days. The leftover sandwich was very good, even not heated up. I updated the trip report, then worked on the final photos for the album. Theyre out on shutterfly at
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNGTdm2bMWjN1A
Today was another great day, and the weather was SO much nicer than expected! We really never got any significant rain, and certainly no thunderstorms. Im really sorry to be leaving tomorrow, but with work I know I would be at risk for having work stuff interfering with my enjoyment here so I might as well return! Sadly this is the last trip that wont be HOT and HUMID for quite a while I can only hope that by the main Food & Wine trip (Oct 29th) its gotten better.
Overall this trip was great, even though it was a bit warmer than normal. I loved my studio and its location right on the boardwalk. Im glad I got to see Mary. It was fun having Tiana join us, but I still dont understand AT ALL how she could have come here so often and done absolutely nothing! SB really enjoyed himself, and except for the snoring I enjoyed having him here. Both of our restaurant meals - Beaches & Cream and Joes Crab Shack were very good.
My next DVC trip begins April 19th in Hilton Head 4 nights in a couple 2-bedroom villas with 6 sorority sisters, followed by 2 solo nights in a studio. SB & I have a trip home to Ft Myers the last weekend in March for the Gender Reveal party for Chris & Amandas baby.
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Sue (Holland) Rayford, Boardwalk Villas, March 9-13 2016
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