Travel dates: January 12-26, 2013
Travel method: Flying from Portland; Oregon; Rental Car
Accommodations: All Star Vacation Homes Condo at Lighthouse Key Resort & Spa
Ages Represented in Group: 33 and 54
Cast: Patty (me, 54) and Jason (son, 33)
Experience Represented in Group: This is our fourth trip. Prior trips were in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
Background:
Our last trip to WDW was in November of 2009 when we went for 10 days with my parents (Jasons grandparents). While it was fun to be able to show WDW to people who have never been before, were really looking forward to a trip with just the two of us. After multiple trips to WDW and Disneyland, weve figured out our own routine and were looking forward to a full, but relaxing two weeks.
Our last Disney theme park trip was in June 2010 when we went with my parents, my sister, and my niece and nephew to Disneyland. Ive been plagued with arthritis in my knees for quite a few years and realized during that trip that any future trips would necessitate me renting an ECV in order to avoid the constant severe knee pain I experienced. In early 2011, the arthritis progressed to the point where my doctor recommended total knee replacements. I had my right knee replaced in May 2011 and the left knee replaced in November 2011. 2012 was spent getting back into shape and working to strengthen my knees. My bionic knees and I are really looking forward to this trip.
Planning:
Travel Specialist
We used MouseFan Travel for our last two trips to WDW and it worked out beautifully. Coleen, our travel agent really went the extra mile to make sure we had a great trip. I emailed her to see if she could still book our trip for us even though we decided to stay offsite in a condo rather than on Disney property. Luckily, she was able to, so we emailed her the information on the condo we wanted and she booked it for us. The whole process was very easy.
Admission
The plan was for us to purchase annual passes so that we can get in a second trip during the first part of January 2014 just before they expire. Id been watching Mousesavers.com for any news of a ticket price increase. When Disneyland increased their ticket prices towards the end of May, I knew Disney World wasnt far behind. Five days after we purchased our APs, Disney World upped their ticket prices. This resulted in us saving just under $57 each.
Accommodations
The original plan was to stay at Pop Century in two preferred rooms so we would be close to the food court and to cut down the amount of walking. We were really spoiled by staying at Port Orleans French Quarter last time, but it just wasnt in the budget for this trip. On a whim I decided to check out the All Star Vacation Homes website since Id heard good things about them on one of the podcasts I listen to regularly. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the cost for the condo was equal to booking two preferred rooms at Pop Century with a 20% discount, assuming a discount was even available during our dates.
So after checking out floor plans and photos of many different condos, we decided on a three bedroom condo at the Lighthouse Key Resort & Spa. We decided on a three bedroom even though we only need two because that was the only way we could get two master bedroom suites. All the two bedroom condos we looked at had one bedroom with a king bed and a second bedroom with two twin beds. Neither of us wanted to sleep in a twin bed so this seemed the way to go. We also requested a late check-out since our return flight doesnt leave until 6:30pm. This way we can be as late as we want to at a park on our last night here and then sleep in the next morning, pack, and even make one last visit to a park if we choose, before driving to the airport. Thanks to a discount code from AllEars.net, we were able to save $125 off our reservation.
A few of the other great things we like about the condo are having a living room to relax in at the end of the day with a 40 TV and DVD player, a full kitchen completely stocked with all major appliances (stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, toaster, blender, microwave, coffeemaker, mixer), pots and pans, dishes, etc., a washer and dryer, high speed internet access and a private balcony. There is also a club house with a movie theater, deli and gift shop, business center, spa and a large pool.
Now if were traveling with small children where the majority of the cooking, cleaning and laundry chores fell to me, then I would be less than thrilled staying in accommodations where I was doing the same chores on vacation that I do at home. But because Jason and I are both adults and capable of taking care of ourselves, then I think this will work out just fine. I can pack fewer clothes because its easy to toss a load of laundry in the washer while we do other things. We still plan to eat plenty of our meals out, either at the parks or at off-site restaurants. It will be nice though to have a fridge stocked with beverages, snacks, breakfast items, and easy to prepare frozen meals rather than spend the money on an over-priced burger in a crowded food court.
Of course, staying off site means that we miss out on the benefits available only to those staying on property. On our first trip in 2005, we took advantage of almost all the Extra Magic Hours that were offered. We quickly discovered that it was just too difficult for us and midway through the trip we were exhausted. The next two trips we scaled back to just an occasional morning Extra Magic Hour and found it much more to our liking. Almost without exception we arrive prior to park opening and by avoiding the parks with Extra Magic Hours, visiting during less busy times, and using a good touring plan, we find we have plenty of time to see and do what we want without wearing ourselves out.
Since our flight to Orlando leaves so early in the morning, well book a Park n Fly package at the Ramada Inn near the Portland airport. At this time of year, icy roads could be an issue and I didnt want to make the 25 mile trip to the airport from the suburbs. Our return flight to Portland doesnt arrive until almost midnight, so we may decide to spend another night near the airport and drive home on Sunday morning.
Transportation
Flying is really the only reasonable option for us. We decided to use some of our Alaska Airlines miles to purchase our tickets from Portland to Orlando. Starting mid-January I checked the Alaska website daily and as soon as our departure date was available for booking we jumped on it and each booked a first class ticket using our miles. Well leave Portland at 6:30am for a 50 minute flight to Seattle, and then depart at around 9:00am for a non-stop flight to Orlando, arriving at 5:16pm.
Two weeks later it was time to book our return flight home. This time we used Jasons Alaska Visa companion fare discount which allows him to add a companion ticket for $99.00, plus tax. We booked an evening flight that leaves MCO at 6:25pm, arrives in Seattle at 9:35pm, departs Seattle at 11:00pm and arrives in Portland at 11:45pm. Total cost was $916 for two first class seats, or $458 per person. Having this companion fare discount is the absolute only way wed ever be able to afford to fly first class. Unfortunately, Alaska Airlines made a change last summer that eliminated the ability to use the companion fare on first class tickets. We each still have one more discount code that we can use for a first class fare, but after that well have to fly coach.
With the exception of our first trip to WDW when we relied solely on Disney transportation, weve always rented a car, even when staying on property. We just like the convenience of having our own transportation. Since were off-site this time, a rental car is a necessity. We had the option of adding a rental car to our All Star Vacation Homes reservation for approximately $350 for two weeks. After doing a quick check online this seemed like a good rate, since I was seeing rentals running at over $600 even with the best discount/coupon codes I could find. Thinking that our rental car was taken care of, I didnt give it another thought until I was pricing rentals online for a possible Disneyland trip in February and on a whim plugged in our January WDW dates. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Alamo had a rate of $311 for the two weeks and quickly booked it. I made a quick call to All Star Vacation Homes and dropped the rental car from our condo reservation. I must have timed it just right, because shortly afterwards the rates had jumped back up to over $700. I continued to check rates and rebooked two more times before ending up with an amazing rate of $164 from Avis for the two weeks, taxes and fees included. This was through the Costco Travel website.
Dining
We plan to eat most of our meals in Disney restaurants, although we will stock the condo fridge with snacks and a few easy to prepare meals. Most mornings well eat a light breakfast in the condo to tide us over so we dont have to use valuable park opening time to stop and eat.
Around the end of June we sat down armed with our laptops, browsers opened to Disney restaurant listings and menus, and made a list of all the eating establishments we wanted to be sure to hit on this trip including table service meals, counter service snacks and snacks. We ended up with a list of nine table service meals, which works out to a little more than one every other day. The list includes:
Activities
We plan to do the Fantasmic Dining Package. I know some people dont think this is worth it because the reserved seating area is off to the side, but we found the view to be just fine when it we did it several years ago. My main reason for doing it is so we dont have to stand in line for so long waiting for the theatre to open. I dont mind getting there early and waiting in my seat.
Another thing we really want to do is the Tomorrowland Terrace Wishes Dessert Party at the Magic Kingdom. I tried to book it at the same time as my other ADRs but quickly discovered that availability for the dessert party didnt open up at the 180 day mark, but rather at around 60 days. The first part of November came and went and Disney still hadnt released the dates for the January parties. Finally, on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, they opened up reservations for the month of January. I pounced on January 20 and booked it for the two of us. A few days later we decided to splurge and do it a second time so I was able to book the party for January 16. I absolutely love Wishes and this seems the best way to see it without the long wait and without the crush of the crowd around me.
RideMax/Touring Plans.com
As always, I created my usual array of Excel spreadsheets as a way to track park hours, best/worst days to visit each park, crowd level projections from TouringPlans.com, Extra Magic Hours, our ADRs, etc. As information was made available, I entered it into the spreadsheet. After we made our list of the eating establishments we wanted to visit, it was time to nail down the specifics of which park to visit each day. To make things a little easier, I cut squares of paper that were color-coded and labeled by park. Each park was a different color and there were colors for dining, parades/fireworks, and miscellaneous things, like grocery store visits, and Downtown Disney visits. I printed a grid onto a sheet of card stock with columns labeled with each day of our trip and each day broken down into three parts, morning, afternoon and evening. Taking the squares of colored paper, we began to fit them into the grid, arranging and re-arranging numerous time until we ended up with a plan that covered everything we wanted to do.
In the past Ive used RideMax to come up with our touring plans. Ive used it for a few years and am very familiar with how it works and how to manipulate it to get results that work best for us. But I was also intrigued by the TouringPlans.com personalized touring plans that are included with their very reasonable subscription which I already had. I begin to experiment with the two sites side by side and quickly decided that Touring Plans was the way to go. I liked being able to put the steps of my touring plan in the order that we wanted and then have the program evaluate it and give me the projected wait times. Another feature of the Touring Plans website is the ability to optimize our plans on our smart phones while were in the park so that it takes into account current wait times.
GPS
As usual Ill be bringing my GPS because I have a really terrible sense of direction. The custom POI file that Mary Waring from MouseSavers has available on her site is really helpful because all the places we plan to visit are already loaded and ready for us.
Trip Insurance
For the first time we decided to purchase trip insurance mainly because the condo was non-refundable at the 30 day mark.
Summary:
After a great deal of planning, finally everything was in place. Now all we need to do is count down the days until our vacation begins.
Day 0 Friday, January 11, 2013
Plan: Pack, relax until early afternoon, check into the Ramada, get a good night's sleep
Actual:
I was up at 5:45am, which is about 15 minutes past my regular wake-up time. Its much easier to get up when you know youre headed to Disney. Promptly at 6:30am I was checking in for our flight the next day. I was mid-way through the process when I realized that the seats for our flight from Seattle to Orlando had changed. We had selected row 2 when we booked our flight and now it showed us in row 1. We didnt want row one because you have stow your carry-on in the overhead bin rather than under the seat in front of you. I called customer service and they confirmed that our seats changed during a schedule change. Of course at this point in time, there werent any other seats available, so she noted it in our reservation and told us to check with the counter when we get to the airport. If they were unable to switch us to different seats, she said to ask for compensation and wed be given a discount code to use for our next flight. While this was a minor setback, we decided this wasnt going to mar our trip. If we end up in the first row, wed definitely have more legroom. After hanging up, we each checked in for the flight on our phones. This is my first trip with a smart phone and Im definitely looking forward to the using it extensively on the trip.
The day past quickly and I was busy the entire time. I kept thinking of last minute things to do around the house. Finally, we were packed and ready to go a little after 2:00pm. We loaded up the car and at exactly 2:23pm we headed out to the Ramada near the Portland Airport. We like to stay there because its reasonably priced, we earn Wyndham Rewards that we can use when we stay at Howard Johnsons in Anaheim, and we can park the car for two weeks with their Park n Fly package. We arrived at around 3:00pm,
After a short wait to check-in, we headed to our rooms and brought in the luggage. We decided to head out for an early dinner so that we could be back at the hotel and settled in for the night. As usual, we headed up the street to the local Elmers Restaurant where we each had the triple berry crepes, eggs and bacon/sausage. The crepes were delicious, especially since Jason and I have been watching what we eat since July and this was our first real splurge.
Dinner was quick and we were soon back at the hotel. After getting things organized, Jason came over to my room and we settled in to watch TV while we each worked on our trip reports. There was a nice HD TV in the room, but unfortunately the quality of the picture was really fuzzy. Since tomorrow was an early day, we said goodnight at 7:00pm and Jason went to his room. I puttered around for a bit before turning in at 8:00pm.
Day 1 Saturday, January 12, 2013
Plan: Travel to Orlando
Actual:
The alarm woke me at 3:00am. I hadnt slept very well, a combination of being in unfamiliar surroundings and excitement for our trip. It was easy to get up and I quickly showered and dressed. I texted Jason and he came over a few minutes later. We had brought a few things from home for a quick breakfast. After eating, Jason took a few things out to the car and then we headed up to the lobby with our two bags a piece and our carry on. I was already regretting bringing two pieces of luggage it was only going to get more difficult to maneuver around with all those bags.
We quickly checked out and joined a small group of people that continued to get larger. Promptly at 4:40am the shuttle bus pulled up. The bags were quickly loaded in the back and we all piled into the bus. The first few rows were occupied so we had to squeeze our way to the back row. Definitely not a graceful sight to behold.
The airport was a quick five minute ride away. We gathered our luggage and quickly made our way to the check-in counter. There were quite a number of people in line, but fortunately no one was in the first class line. After checking our bags, I asked about the possibility of changing our row 1 seats to row 2. She checked and although the passengers in row 2 hadnt yet checked in, she wasnt able to do anything and suggested we check at the counter in Seattle. I started to get the feeling that everyone was just passing us along to the next person because they didnt know how to deal with this.
The trip through security was quick. We were able to use the express lane, which meant that I didnt have time to get organized. Every time we go through security I vow that the next time Im going to be super organized and not end up half undressed with a big mess of my belongings in my arms. Because there was no line, I hadnt had time to take off my shoes, unpack my laptop, and put away my ID. I fumbled around for what seemed like forever and finally got everything out and in bins. Because of my two knee replacement surgeries last year I was expecting to be pulled aside for an intimate pat-down, but found that PDX uses the full body scanners. It was so quick and easy that I didnt have time to think about someone looking at me without any clothes on. We redressed and repacked everything and after a quick stop to buy a pack of gum, we headed for the Board Room. It was shortly after 5:00am and we had about an hour until our flight was due to board.
After checking in at the desk, we found a couple of seats by the window near an electrical outside so I could charge my phone. Then we checked out the food offerings. In addition to soft drinks, assorted teas and coffee beverages, there was fresh fruit, an assortment of coffee cakes, breads, muffins, bagels, cinnamon raisin bread, English muffins, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, and an automatic pancake making machine. We each took a small slice of coffee cake along with a half cup of coffee. Neither one of us wanted to load up on liquids before getting on a flight where restroom access is limited. I went back to toast a slice of cinnamon raisin bread with cream cheese, and decided to try out the pancake machine. With just a touch of a button, two piping hot pancakes were dispensed from the machine within a couple of minutes.
Sometime in the middle of all our grazing, we received a text to let us know that our flight was delayed by 29 minutes. This caused a certain level of stress. Even though we had an hour and 45 minute layover between flights, we didnt want to call it too close. Fortunately, there were no further delays. We headed to the gate at around 6:15am and boarded by 6:30am. After a short delay while they de-iced the plane, we departed close to 7:30am.
The first leg of our trip was from Portland to Seattle on a small commuter plan. The flight normally takes around 50 minutes, but for some reason this time it only took 35. I guess they were trying to make up some of the lost time. I knew we would make our connecting flight, but there were a number of people trying to make a connecting flight to Philadelphia. The captain radioed ahead to see if they would delay the connecting flight and they agreed to hold it for 10 minutes. When we reached the gate, everyone stayed in their seats to allow those with a tight connection to quickly leave the plane. I hope everyone made the flight. I know how I would feel if it happened to us.
After a brief restroom stop, we headed to the Board Room so that Jason could charge his iPhone and download an audio book to listen to later. We were there long enough for Jason to grab and quickly eat a pastry before taking the long trek to the gate for our next leg. Wed been told that boarding would begin at 8:25am so we hurried to our gate which was at the far end of the terminal. We arrived winded and just a little sweaty only to find that they hadnt yet started boarding and wouldnt begin until 8:35am, not 8:25am. While we stood there, I glanced up at the monitor above the counter and noticed a list of people awaiting seats assignments. Next to the names were the seat numbers they were assigned. I happened to notice seats 2D & 2F next to a couple of names. I was surprised as those were the seats that we were supposed to get. I stepped up to the counter to ask about it and had a long wait while the customer service rep was refilling the boarding pass printer with a new roll of paper. Finally, I was able to speak to her and explained our concern. She checked the computer and told us that those two seats belonged to a couple of the pilots who were heading back after their shift. According to their contract they are entitled to fly in first class seats and in row 2. This explains why our seats were reassigned and we were totally fine with that. I just wish someone else would have explained that to us at the beginning rather than pass us along to the next person.
A few minutes later we boarded and settled into our seats. We ended up very happy with our seats. There was a little extra legroom and no one in front of us reclining their seat back. I pulled out a few essentials to tide me over until the seat belt light was off and then stowed everything else in the overhead bin.
It was a full flight and while we waited for everyone else to get settled, our flight attendant brought us water and a breakfast menu. Todays choices were a green chili and chorizo quiche with Roma tomato and asparagus garnish, or apple and walnut strudel with scrambled eggs and chicken apple sausage. Jason and I both chose the strudel.
We left right on time for the 5 hour and 4 minute flight. Due to some tailwinds, the captain anticipated that we would arrive a little early. As soon as we were underway, we were handed our DigEplayers and then served Starbucks coffee. This was followed by a fresh fruit plate with melon, strawberry, grapes and oranges and a choice of a muffin or cinnamon scone. I chose the muffin and Jason chose the scone and then we split them in half so we could try some of each. They were both delicious. A short while later our coffee cups were refilled and the entre was served. It was an excellent meal. The scrambled eggs and the sausage were perfect and the apple strudel was delicious. By the time we finished the strudel, we were both stuffed.
The afternoon was spent reading, working on the trip report, doing a crossroad puzzle and watching a sit-com on the DigEplayer. We had a bumpy patch around Memphis that forced everyone back into their seats for about 10 minutes. When that passed we were served a bowl of warm nuts and a beverage. Shortly after that we hit a second bumpy patch that would last for about 40 minutes. This halted the beverage service to the main cabin and had even the flight attendants strapped in. Finally things smoothed out and we landed in Orlando on time at 5:25pm.
We hopped the tram and headed to baggage claim to pick up our four heavy bags. Once again I regretted bringing the extra bag. We hauled everything over to the Avis desk, where there were no lines. I had reserved an economy car because with just the two of us there wasnt any point in paying for a larger car and because Im used to driving a smaller car. The agent assigned us a red Mini Cooper. When I questioned her on whether it was a four door, she assured me it was. I dont like driving a two door because the door are usually heavier and wider, making it difficult to get in and out of in tight parking spaces. I also thought it was a really tiny car, but I couldnt complain about that because I did after all reserve an economy car. I did purchase the tank of gas so we wouldnt have to worry to refilling the tank before returning the car. The cost was $3.39 per gallon and a quick search in Gas Buddy showed me that the price per gallon at the Hess station on Disney property was $3.50.
Once again we hauled our bags down one level and across the street to the rental lot. We spotted the red Mini Cooper easily and sure enough it was a two door. It was also very tiny, and a quick look at the trunk confirmed my fears that our luggage wouldnt fit. We headed over to the nearby counter and I asked about getting a different car. Our original rental confirmation said it would be a Hyundai Accent or equivalent. I just wanted a basic car, nothing fancy. The customer service rep very graciously upgraded us to a compact at no additional charge, while explaining that the economy cars could be either 2 or 4 doors. We usually rent from Alamo and Ive always had a four door economy. With that problem solved, we headed out to find the new car and were pleased with a white Ford Fiesta. Everything fit nicely in the trunk. We spent some time taking pictures of the car, and figuring out basic things like how to turn on the headlights, connect the iPod and GPS, adjusting seats and mirrors.
The GPS was still Acquiring Satellites so we started out by using the directions provided by the vacation home people. It seemed pretty straight forwarded and after one wrong turn that took us on a second loop around the airport, we were finally headed in the right direction. Once the GPS kicked in, it tried to direct us in a direction that seemed to contradict the written instructions we eventually just turned it off. The first toll plaza a little unnerving because I had read that Avis rental cars were equipped with transponders that meant we could blow throw the toll plazas. However, the transponder from our car had been removed so the rental car rep said to just go through anyway and the fees would be the same. Still, I was more than a little nervous going through the first toll area as I half expected to be surrounded by police and wrestled to the ground like a common criminal.
The resort is located on I-192 just a short distance from World Drive. It was definitely a tourist-y area with motels, gift shops with blazing neon signs, restaurants and fast food establishments. Add to this the fact that I recently learned that the resort overlooked Raccoon Lake and bordered Yogi Bear Blvd, and I was wondering what wed gotten ourselves into. Since it was night and the sign wasnt lit, we passed right by the entrance to the resort and had to make a couple of U-Turns until we finally turned into the drive.
We were greeted at the gate by a security guard who welcomed us and checked our name on a list. He directed us to the main clubhouse to check in. We parked and entered the lobby which was beautiful, spacious and totally deserted. We walked up to the check-in desk to our right and a woman named Kim walked out from the back room. She was friendly and quickly checked us in. We were given our condo key cards, a parking hang tag and a list of amenities.
Our condo was located in building one which was next to the clubhouse. We were able to park directly in front of the building entrance. As we walked up to the building we heard people laughing and yelling, causing us a moment of concern that maybe this was more of a party atmosphere than we wanted. However, that seemed to be an isolated incident because we never encountered anything like that during the rest of our stay.
Our condo was located on the 5th floor at one corner of the building. As soon as we entered the unit, we were struck by how hot, hot, hot it was in there. It took us a minute to find the A/C controls. We could see that it was set to 73 degrees but the current temp showed 77 degrees. We turned it down to 70 and turned the fan on hoping to cool things down while we checked out the rest of the place. We soon realized that something was definitely wrong with the A/C and there was no way we would be able to comfortably sleep in that kind of heat. I called down to the front desk and she said she would send maintenance up to check it out. By the time he arrived 30 minutes later, it had climbed to 78 degrees. After checking out the a/c unit and not finding anything, he said he had to go up to the roof to see if something was wrong there. There was. The compressor was out and we would need to be moved to another room. The front desk called to say the only unit they had available was in building two. It was the same floor plan and she assured us that the A/C was working just fine in that unit. She sent someone over with new keys and offered to help us move our things to the new unit. Fortunately, we hadnt unloaded our bags as we/ve learned from past experience that its better to check things out first before hauling everything out of the car.
We moved the car over to the next building and again parked directly in front. We quickly unloaded the car and headed up the elevator, this time to the 3rd floor. Our unit was at the end of the hallway, in the same location as the first unit. It looks like there are eight units per floor and with five floors per building and two buildings, that makes 80 units total in the resort. There seemed to be plenty of parking close to the building which is really nice at the end of a long day in the parks.
As we entered the condo we could see a long, wide hallway angling out to the living area. There are two doors along this hallway. The one on the right is large coat closet with a vacuum cleaner, broom and dustpan. On the left is a laundry room with a large capacity washer and dryer, a laundry basket, bucket, ironing board and iron. On the dryer were travel size packets of laundry detergent and fabric softener.
The main living area consisted of a large kitchen to the left of the hallway, a dining area in the middle, and a living room at the far end. The kitchen was huge with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Going clockwise around the room there were two closets, one housed the water heater, the other was a panty. Along the back was a long countertop with a 4-slice toaster, 12-cup coffeemaker, a stove in the middle with a combination microwave/range hood, an electric can opener, and a blender. The next wall contained a large refrigerator/freezer with an icemaker and a closet with the A/C unit. In the center of the kitchen there was an island with the sink and dishwasher on one side and a breakfast bar with two stools on the other side.
In the dining area there was a large table with six chairs. On one wall was a cabinet with a lamp on top and additional chairs on either side. On the other wall was a buffet. The living area had a sleeper sofa with a floor lamp on one side and an end table with a lamp and phone on the other side, two armchairs and a large square coffee table. Across from the sofa were a 42 TV and a DVD player. French doors with windows on either side made up the far wall. There was a balcony with a table and four chairs, plus an overhead light and a ceiling fan. The balcony overlooked Raccoon Lake, and as of this writing, I have yet to see a Raccoon.
The two master suites, one on each side of the living area, each had a king bed, a walk-in closet/dressing area and a bathroom with a jetted tub, glass walled shower and double sinks. The toilet was located in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom. There was also a small bedroom with two twin beds and a third full bath. The condo itself was 1,937 square feet, about 700 feet larger than our three bedroom house back home. It had very high ceilings and crown molding throughout. There were light switches everywhere, and it took awhile to get used to which switch went with which light.
By now it was after 10:00pm so after taking pictures from every angle of the condo, we made a quick shopping list and headed out to the nearest Publix. We kept thinking of things that we might need and ended up with over $140 work of groceries. It seemed like a lot, especially since were eating a lot of meals in the parks, but Jason figured it ended up to just a little of $5.00 a day each, which really isnt that bad for breakfast and snacks. It was a quick drive back to the condo. Jason ran the ice up to the condo since it was still quite warm out and we didnt want it melting into a big block of ice. I grabbed a luggage cart and loaded up all the groceries. We had a large number of bags and everything didnt fit on the bottom of the cart so I ended up hanging four of the bags from the four hooks at the top of the cart. Im really glad there wasnt anyone else around because it looked really ridiculous.
We quickly put away the groceries and decided to hold off unpacking until we had something to eat. We had picked up some fried chicken in the deli at Publix and we each had a couple of pieces along with some chips. Not very healthy, but we had already decided that while on vacation we werent going to be as stringent with our eating as wed been the previous six months, while following Weight Watchers.
Not sure of what the TV offerings would be, wed brought some DVDs along just in case. In addition to a few movies, wed brought some discs with our favorite I Love Lucy episodes, a season of Monk, which weve been slowly working our way through, and the entire two season series of Sports Night, an Aaron Sorkin sitcom from the late 90s, starring Peter Krause, Josh Charles, and Felicity Huffman. It had been years since we watched this, so we popped in disc one and watched the first two episodes.
After the show ended, we decided to call it a night. I still wanted to unpack before going to bed. I always like to have everything organized and put away before I go to the bed the first night of vacation. By the time I finished unpacking and was ready to crawl into bed it was around 1:45am, which isnt too terribly late if you account for the three hour time difference between Florida and Oregon. Still, it had been a long day. It takes so long to travel here that we try to stay as long as we possibly can. Now that the traveling is behind us, we can just relax and enjoy the rest of the trip.
Day 2 Sunday, January 13, 2013
Plan: Sleep in, Lunch at Beaches and Cream, World Showcase
Actual:
In spite of only about 5-1/2 hours of sleep, it was pretty easy getting up when my alarm went off a 7:30am. I showered and dressed and headed out to the living room to find Jason already up and at the table working on his trip report. I put on a pot of coffee and realized that its possible to have too large of a kitchen. I kept going from one side of the kitchen to the other while I poured a cup of coffee and fixed a biscuit with jam. Well have to do a little rearranging to make things more efficient.
I sat down at the table with my laptop to work on the trip report. I also connected to the Wi-Fi and discovered just how slow it really was. I brought an Ethernet cable and spotted an outlet at the breakfast bar. At some point Ill plug that in and see if its any faster. For now, Ill use the slow but functional Wi-Fi.
At 9:30am we headed to the car and were soon on our way. The GPS wanted us to take World Drive, but the directions from the resort said to take Sherberth Road, which is what we decided to do. This ended up being a mistake because of the marathon going on that day. While it was fun to see all the runners, it definitely slowed things down. It took us 30 minutes to get to the Beach Club, where we planned to have lunch at Beaches and Cream when it opened at 11:00am. I showed my ID to the guard at the gate and he pointed us to the self parking area and told us to have a good day. Since we had time to kill until lunch, we decided to take a Friendship Boat to the International Gateway and exchange our vouchers for our actual annual passes. We also purchased a Tables in Wonderland card, which had increased in price from $75 to $100 just a short time before our trip. I think well use it enough this trip to just about break even, but we hope to make a second trip before our passes expire next January.
We walked over to the dock, which took much longer than we thought because the runners were heading along the path to Epcot and we had to wait for a break before we could hurry across. We just missed a boat and while we were waiting for the next one we realized that it would have been much quicker to just walk to the International Gateway. Pretty soon the boat pulled up and we were on our way. After a quick stop at the Boardwalk we headed on to Epcot.
Getting off the boat we could see the runners making a left turn just before the turnstiles, entering Epcot through a backstage area. The Fairy Godmother was out cheering everyone on. There were no lines at the Guest Relations booth and we soon had our passes in hand, as well as the Tables in Wonderland card. This time we got smart and walked back to the Beach Club instead of taking the boat.
By the time we reached the Beach Club, it was almost 11:00am so we sat outside the restaurant until it opened. We were the third party to be seated. Our server was a really nice woman named Amy. We planned to order something for lunch, but who are we kidding, we were really there for the ice cream. We settled on splitting a six-cheese grilled cheese sandwich. It normally comes with a cup of Tomato Bisque soup, which Jason isnt fond of, so we substituted French fries instead. As is our practice, we drank only water. This saves us some money and doesnt fill us up as much.
Amy brought our meal out on two plates, each with a half sandwich, a small pile of fries and a pickle spear. The grilled cheese was really excellent. We were trying to determine which six cheeses it contained, but arent really that familiar with too many different types of cheese. The fries were hot and crispy. For dessert, Jason had the No Way Jose, a peanut butter and hot fudge delight with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate morsels, whipped cream and a cherry. I had the Milky Way Sundae, which was three scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge and caramel, with whipped cream, white and dark chocolate shavings, a mini Milky Way bar and a cherry. In spite of having a small lunch, I just couldnt finish the whole thing. I was looking forward to walking some of it off. The bill, with our TIW discount, tax and tip came to $26.81.
Learning from our earlier experience, we walked back to the International Gateway rather than take the Friendship Boat. Runners were still making their way to the finish line in Epcot. There was no line at the bag check or the turnstiles and soon we were in our first park of the trip.
The plan was to make a clockwise trip around the World Showcase beginning in the UK and ending in France. We hoped to have digested enough of our lunch to have room for a trip to the newly reopened bakery in the France Pavilion. The UK pavilion was very congested. Cast members were directing everyone through the back way of the pavilion to keep the walkway clear for the marathon runners, who were making their way into Epcot between the UK and Canada pavilions. We browsed through the shops in the UK, lingering at the Twinings Tea Shop. It was challenge getting from the UK to Canada because we had to cross over to the lagoon side so that we didnt interfere with the runners. The cast members had the process down to a science. That section of the walkway was divided into two lanes. The runners were running along one lane and the people that wanted to cross were herded into the center between the two lanes. Then they diverted the runners to the other lane, leaving their recently vacated lane open for us to hurry across.
We continued along on the lagoon side of the World Showcase to Canada, passing Lou Mongello and the WDW Magic Team cheering on Lous wife who was running in the marathon. Once we reach Canada we meandered down through the gardens, taking pictures and then watched the O Canada film. After that we looked through the shops before continuing on, stopping at the Refreshment Port for a free cup of ice water. It was really a warm day and we were parched.
Somewhat refreshed by the cold water, we continued on to Mexico, where we embarked on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros without any wait. It was an enjoyable trip and I was glad to sit down for a short while. While my new knees were holding up pretty well, my feet were beginning to hurt. I guess in the past I was never able to stand up long enough for my feet to hurt. If it isnt one thing, its another.
Next it was on to Norway, where Maelstrom had a 5 minute wait. We browsed the shops before moving on to China. We took many pictures of this pavilion. Its really beautiful. We skipped the movie and just looked through the shops.
In Germany, we looked through the Karamell-Kche shop. This is something we definitely want to sample, but we were both still full from lunch and we were focused on visiting the new bakery in France. I always love looking through the Christmas shop with all the interesting ornaments. I was looking for a pickle ornament. While on Weight Watchers, Jason discovered that pickles were a zero point food and started eating at least a pickle a day. Prior to starting Weight Watchers, he had zero interest in pickles. So I wanted to get one to commemorate his new found love and appreciation for pickles. However, the prices seemed outrageously high. I guess I havent yet fully acclimated myself to Disney prices. I decided to hold off for now, but keep it in mind.
Next was Italy. There wasnt much that we were interested in here. So we took a few pictures to document that we were there and moved on to America. The Voices of Liberty were starting their performance in 15 minutes so we entered the rotunda and found an empty bench where we could watch them without having to sit on the floor. We really enjoyed hearing them. One of the singers was from Oregon. They sang a song where they mentioned all 50 states and if you were from that state you were supposed to clap and cheer. We were the only ones from Oregon and our fellow Oregonian smiled at us and nodded in acknowledgement. After an excellent performance we headed upstairs to see the American Adventure. This always brings tears to my eyes. Although I think they may have to redo the ending where they show Lance Armstrong.
We moved on to Japan and looked through the shop, stopping briefly to watch the candy artist at work. By this time we were both getting tired and decided to skip Morocco and instead go directly to France. The bakery was packed and the line was long although it moved fairly quickly. It seemed to us that there were fewer selections than before. Overall, the feel was like that of value resort food court with the screens above the counter with the menu offerings. It lacked the charm of a small French bakery. We decided to get a variety of things to try, settling on a Napolean, crme brulee, and a chocolate chip cookie. We also asked for two small cups of ice water. Taking our tray, we searched for a table with chairs but the only empty tables were a couple of high tables with no chairs. There were a few people obviously saving a table while another member of the party was in line. This probably seems like a good idea if youre the one sitting at the table, but it seems like a lousy idea if youre the one wandering around with a tray of food. We settled at one of the high tables, noting that before the bakery remodeling, wed always been able to find a place to sit in the back seating area. Even with all the changes, the desserts were still delicious and we left very full.
Next we planned to watch Impressions de France but we just missed the show and didnt want to wait for the next one. We were both really tired and paused a moment to consider our next move. It was 5:30pm at this point and we still had 3-1/2 hours until Illuminations. As much as I love Illuminations, I didnt think I had it in me to wait for that long. I was afraid Id end up on a bench somewhere sound asleep. Jason was tired too so we decided to head back to the resort.
The walk back to the Beach Club was short and peaceful. We retrieved the car and headed home, this time taking World Drive which was a much faster drive.
Once back in the condo, we showered to get rid of the sticky sun screen, settled down at our laptops for a while to transfer pictures and work on our trip reports. Later in the evening we finished off the leftover chicken and watched a couple of episodes of Sports Night before turning in.
I was asleep by 9:30pm very happy with how our first day went.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.19
Amount Saved To Date: $5.19
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 15,552
Steps: 4.90
Day 3 Monday, January 14, 2013
Plan: Disneys Hollywood Studios, Lunch at 50s Prime Time Caf, Possibly Fantasmic!
Actual:
I slept very soundly and didnt wake until my alarm went off at 5:30am. The condo is very quiet; I havent heard a peep from any neighbors. I think the way the condo is positioned we only have neighbors on one side of the kitchen wall. Jason was already up and seated at the dining table working on his trip report. I started a pot of coffee and made some breakfast, settling down at the table to continue working on my report.
At 7:45am we headed to the car and were soon on our way. There was considerably more traffic on 192 this morning due to it being a weekday. It was more difficult to make the u-turn. Today we decided to take World Drive and it was a breeze. In no time at all we were parked and making our way to the turnstiles. We stopped to take pictures of the Sorcerer Mickey topiary in front of the park. Our past two trips have been during the Christmas season and the Christmas tree was in that spot.
The bag check at security was quick, although it seemed like the guard really did a thorough check of my bag. He was digging through it to look at the bottom of the bag. I thought that they werent supposed to touch your personal belongings. Finally, he determined that I wasnt a threat to park security and he waved me on.
We arrived at the turnstiles at 8:15am, 45 minutes before the park was due to open. After waiting in line for 15 minutes we looked back at the line behind us and noticed that there really wasnt much of a line behind us. We decided that in the future we probably dont need to arrive this early. We just werent sure how long it would take us to drive in from the resort.
At 8:45am they began to let people in. I thought they would hold us at the intersection of Hollywood & Sunset but everything seemed open. We made our way slowly down the street, taking pictures as we went along. Today was the day we were using the first of the personalized touring plans Id methodically created from TouringPlans.com. I pulled up the app on my phone and got it ready to check off each step as it was completed.
Our first stop was to pick up FPs for Toy Story, with a return time of 9:55am. When we were here in 2009 the line to get FPs was almost as long as the standby line. This time we breezed up to a FP machine and were in and out in no time. Now that Disney is enforcing the return window, we wont be using FPs as much as we had in the past. Before our practice was to try to get a FP whenever we were eligible to get one and then use them throughout the rest of the day. Now, we really have to think about when the return window is and whether well be able to use it.
With FPs for later, we joined the standby line with a posted wait time of 15 minutes, but actually was less than 10 minutes. This is one of our favorite rides and if the line didnt get so long so fast, we would probably ride and re-ride until our arms gave out.
Next up was the Great Movie Ride, which was basically a walk-on. While we were sitting in the ride vehicle ready to start the ride I glanced at my phone and noticed that according to our touring plan the start time of this step was 9:22am. Then I looked at the clock on my phone and noticed that it was exactly 9:22am. So far, so good. I told myself that I wasnt going to take any pictures because they just dont turn out very good, but of course I didnt listen to myself and ended up with a bunch of blurry, dark pictures. Afterwards, we spent some time in the forecourt looking at the celebrity footprints.
Our next stop was Starring Rolls Caf, where we shared an apple-Craisin turnover and a chocolate croissant. Both were excellent. The turnover was a nice blend of sweet apple and tart cranberry. The place was packed and there was no place to sit. We were trying to figure out what to do when we noticed a family heading into the outdoor seating area of the Hollywood Brown Derby. Since the restaurant was closed, we figured it would be okay to sit there. It was a nice place to sit. We were able to watch people passing by and it was cool and shady.
After refueling, we picked up FPs for Rock n Roller Coaster. Our return time was 11:00am, which was earlier than our touring plan had anticipated. By now our FP window for Toy Story had opened up, so we headed over to ride. It was another very fun ride.
The next two steps of our touring plan called for us doing the Animation Academy, and Walt Disney: One Mans Dream. Because of the earlier FP window for Rock n Roller Coaster, we had to do a little adjusting. We decided to do the Animation Academy and postpone One Mans Dream until later. We walked over to the Animation area and waited only about five minutes until the next class began. When the cast member leading the class asked for suggestions, a little girl requested Tinkerbell, so thats who we drew. Or, at least the cast member drew Tinkerbell. I drew a slightly cross-eyed, version of something that maybe bore a slight resemblance to Tinkerbell. Midway through the class, Jason and I looked at our drawings and then at each other and burst out in a mostly silent fit of laughter. Fortunately, we were in the back row so no one noticed our mirth. We took pictures of our creations and then tossed the originals in the nearest trashcan.
We headed over to Rock n Roller Coaster and joined the FP return line. We waited 5 minutes at the most before entering the preshow area. Both of us were sick with anticipation, but we knew we wanted to ride. Soon we were loaded into our limo and were on our way. After the first loop, I knew the most intense part of the ride was over and was able to just relax and enjoy the rest of the ride.
Checking the time we knew we didnt have time to do One Mans Dream before the 12:45pm Beauty and the Beast show, so we decided instead to do a counter-clockwise loop of the shops on Sunset Blvd, ending up at the theater. At Anaheim Produce we bought pickles and sat on a bench to enjoy them before continuing on. After moving through all the shops, we ended up at the theater only to discover that the show was cancelled that day. The cast member said it was cancelled the day before as well and he didnt have any idea when it was expected to return. Well just have to see it on one of our other DHS days.
On our way over to One Mans Dream we stopped to watch some of the Streetmosphere characters doing sort of a Dating Game skit with a middle-aged woman as the Bachelorette. She was a good sport and we really enjoyed watching them.
At One Mans Dream we decided to watch the movie first and then take our time through the exhibits. The doors to the theater must have just closed because we had an almost 10 minute wait until the next show. We spent the time looking at the exhibits at the far end, including New Fantasyland. When the time came, we entered the theater and due to the perfect combination of cool air, darkness, and comfortable seats, we both had a difficult time staying awake, even though we love this movie. After the movie, we walked around to the front and made our way through the exhibit, taking tons of mediocre pictures.
We now had some free time before our 3:00pm ADR for lunch. We decided to make a counter-clockwise loop around the other side of the park. As we passed The Writers Stop, I knew there was something there that we wanted to try, but I couldnt remember what it was. We looked around and then I spotted the Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwich I had read about on the Disney Food Blog site. It was two carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese frosting filling. We decided to share one. We also asked for two cups of ice water. The cast member was able to give us two cups filled with ice, but said the only water they had was cleaning water. He said we could fill them at a drinking fountain, as he pointed vaguely across the street. We walked over to where he pointed and didnt find a drinking fountain. We ended up sitting on a bench in the hot sun, which melted enough of the ice to provide a small amount of water to sort of quench our thirst. The cookie was really good, although very sweet. We were glad we decided to share it. Up until now weve remembered to take pictures of our food, but we forgot this time until wed split the cookie in half and each taken a bite. Jason wants to get another cookie sometime before we leave, so hopefully well remember next time.
We continued on, stopping to look at the shop next to Star Tours before ending up outside 50s Prime Time Caf. It was too early to check in so we sat on a bench outside until 15 minutes before our ADR time. We checked in and were directed to the lounge to wait. There were only a few other people waiting so I took a couple of pictures. We waited for just a few minutes before being seated.
This was our first time at 50s Prime Time. Neither of us really relish the kind of interactive dining that wed heard happens at this restaurant, but we decided to give it a try because the theming looks fun and the menu looks delicious.
Our server was Cousin Donna, and she provided just the right amount of interactive experience that we were able to handle, nothing over the top. Wed checked out the menu while we were waiting outside and decided that one of us would get the meatloaf and the other the pot roast and we would share to create our own sampler plate. We also veered from our practice of only getting water, and ordered vanilla Cokes, because we were both so thirsty and it sounded so good.
Both entrees were delicious. The vanilla Cokes were also good. We quickly drained our glasses and Donna brought second glasses for each of us. Even though we were stuffed, we still wanted to try the desserts. I had the 50s Boston Cream Parfait, while Jason had Dads Brownie Sundae. The parfait was really sweet, with layers of fudge, pound cake, and vanilla cream, and topped with whipped dream. Donna brought us more vanilla Coke in to-go cups and stopped to chat for a few minutes. We learned that shes worked for Disney for 30 years and is originally from Canada. Her daughter works for Universal. We settled the check which came to $58.05 with tax, tip and after the TIW discount of $10.67.
We browsed through the shops along Hollywood Blvd and each bought a mug to drink our coffee in at the condo. After picking up a couple of cookies to take home, we decided to call it a day. We decided against staying for Fantasmic! Well be back on Friday and plan to do the Fantasmic! Dining Package, so well see it then.
We made a quick stop at the Target for a few things on the way back to the resort. Instead of going directly to the room, we toured the resort. On the ground floor we found the fitness center, which had a lot of cardio and weight equipment, the arcade and billiards room, the 52-seat movie theater, and the gift shop/grill. On the second level was the spa, business center, a couple of meeting rooms, and a model of the resort. It looks like they had planned at least 12 buildings, but for some reason stopped after building two. Im not sure how old this place is, but possible 9-11 and/or the economy is to blame.
Back at the condo we put away the few things from Target and made a pot of decaf coffee. Then we settled in to watch a couple of episodes of Sports Night and eat our cookies.
It was another great day. 50s Prime Time was a fun experience and well definitely be back in the future.
Tomorrow is our Animal Kingdom day.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $10.67
Amount Saved To Date: $15.86
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.06
Steps: 16,041
Day 4 Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue
Actual:
After another great nights sleep, I joined Jason at the dining table to continue working on my trip report. Im falling further and further behind. I usually jot notes down in a small notebook throughout the day to remind me when it comes time to write the report. However, this trip I havent felt like doing that and instead Im relying on our touring plan and the pictures Ive been taking. Its funny how details blur together after a few days.
We left the condo a few minutes before 8:00am and it was a short drive to Animal Kingdom. The parking lot was pretty empty and we were able to park very close to the park. Once they let us through the turnstiles, we took our time checking things out and taking pictures. While everyone else headed either to Kilimanjaro Safaris or Expedition Everest, we headed to DinoLand U.S.A. We walked right into the preshow for Dinosaur with only a couple of families in the room with us. When it came time to board the vehicle, we asked if we could wait for the front row and then ended up in a vehicle with just the two of us. Next up was TriceraTop Spin, where we waited in line only long enough for the current cycle to finish. When we finished our ride, we were told we could stay on for a second ride if we wanted. Once was enough for us.
Our next stop was Kilimanjaro Safaris. Normally we would grab FPs before entering the ride, but the return time would have interfered with our lunch plans so we decided to wait until after our safari. We really enjoyed the safari and saw a lot of animals. As usual, I took some really disappointing pictures. The jostling of the truck and the fact that I was in the middle of the seat, made it difficult to get any decent pictures. The next time we ride, Jason and I will switch places and Ill be on the end, so hopefully Ill get some better pictures.
After leaving the safari, we picked up FPs for later. Our next stop was supposed to be the 10:30am Festival of the Lion King show but it was already 10:35am so we decided to see a later show. We slowly made our way to Flame Tree Barbecue, which was supposed to open at 11:00am. On the way, we looked through the shops that we passed, and then ended up sitting on a bench just enjoying the morning.
A few minutes before 11:00am Flame Tree Barbecue opened up and headed over. We were greeted by a Cast Member who asked if we would help him open the restaurant. We agreed, even though we werent entirely sure what this meant. One by one he called out the different areas of the restaurant, like the kitchen, cashier, counter, etc., Jason and I would yell, Are You Ready? and each area would respond by cheering. This probably is more dramatic when there are 40 or 50 other people in line, but it was just me and Jason so it lost some of its impact. For our efforts, we were awarded a certificate and a large Mickey-shaped chocolate chip cookie.
We both ordered the chicken and rib combo, a side basket of onion rings, and two cups of ice water. The bill came to $23.67 with a $5.55 TIW discount. We took our food down to the seating area by the water with a great view of Expedition Everest. No one else was down there and it was really quiet and peaceful. Wed only been seated for five minutes when the birds started arriving. Since we were the only ones there, they all clustered around us. Even when other groups arrived, they still preferred us over them for the most part. Lunch was delicious. In addition to the ribs and chicken, the meal included beans and coleslaw. The onion rings were crispy and hot. It was a lot of food and we were stuffed.
After lunch we headed back to Kilimanjaro Safaris to use our FPs. This time we were on the other side of the vehicle, and I was in the end seat. Our vehicle was stopped at one point for a few minutes while an Ankole Cattle was standing right at the edge of the road. He was off the road, but his right horn extended out into the roadway. He just stared at us, occasionally pawing the ground and defying us to do anything. He was well aware that he had the right of way. Eventually, he moved on and we continued our trek.
We exited the safari at 12:21pm and Jason suggested that we try to make the 12:30pm Lion King show. We stepped up the pace and walked towards Camp Minnie Mickey. It was a lot further away than either of us remembered. Still we kept at it and managed to be seated just as the show was beginning. We both really enjoy this show.
We missed the 1:00pm Flights of Wonder show because we ended up seeing the Lion King show instead. The next Flights of Wonder wasnt until 2:00pm and we stopped to reevaluate our plans for the rest of the day. Other than Flights of Wonder, the only thing left on our touring plan was the parade, and it isnt a must see for either of us. We decided to leave Flights of Wonder for our next Animal Kingdom day and skip the parade entirely. We were both looking forward to heading back to the condo and relaxing.
We made our way out of the park and headed for home. Back at the condo, I took a quick shower to get rid of the sunscreen and then started a load of wash. It is so convenient having a washer/dryer in the condo. I called for maintenance because the in-room safe was locked and we wanted to use it tomorrow. Two maintenance guys came very quickly and opened it up. We then both settled down to transfer pictures from the cameras to our portable hard drives, recharge the various electronic devices, and work on our trip reports. Later on we fixed some dinner and watched a movie wed brought with us. Tonight it was the 60s comedy, Hello Down There, starring Tony Randall, Janet Leigh, Roddy McDowell, Jim Backup and a very young Richard Dreyfus.
It was another good day of vacation. We like having a well-planned out touring plan to make sure we do and see everything we want to while minimizing our wait times and steps, but were also flexible enough to stop and smell the roses along the way.
I was asleep by 9:30pm, which if I think about it, is 6:30pm at home in Portland. We have a long day tomorrow, which is our first day at the Magic Kingdom.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.55
Amount Saved To Date: $21.41
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 4.13
Steps: 13,096
Day 5 Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Plan: Magic Kingdom, Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern, Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party
Actual:
I was up at 5:15am after another good nights sleep. Jason was already up and had started a pot of coffee. We hung out at the condo working on our trip reports and watching the local news. We recognized Jason Guy, the morning anchor on WESH, as one of the houseguests from the second season of Big Brother.
Today was one of the first of three mid-stay cleans for the condo. When I was checking out the All Star Vacation Homes website it stated that there wasnt any regular housekeeping, but you could request and pay $60 for a mid-stay clean. We decided against doing this, because with just the two of us, we didnt think we needed it. But when we checked in, the woman told us that they provide a mid-stay clean at no charge every fourth day. So before leaving for the day we loaded all our valuables into the safe and tidied the place up.
We arrived at the Magic Kingdom a little after 8:00am. The monorail didnt open until 8:30am so we headed to the dock to take the ferry. We could see it approaching and within a couple of minutes we boarded. As soon as we sat down on a bench, Jason realized hed left his phone in the car. We quickly disembarked. While Jason went to get his phone, I wandered around the TTC taking pictures. By the time he returned, the monorail was open so we boarded the next one.
After going through the bag check, we made our way through the turnstiles and joined the crowd at the front of the castle. As soon as the opening ceremony was over, we made our way down Main Street to Fantasyland, stopping a few times to take pictures of the castle.
Our first ride was supposed to be Dumbo, but while in line I remembered that it had moved since we were here last, so instead we headed to Peter Pan. Before entering the ride we stopped and picked up FPs for the new Under the Sea Journey of The Little Mermaid ride. We walked through the entire queue for Peter Pan, only stopping as we neared the loading area. This is one of my favorite rides.
Next was Winnie the Pooh, then Its a Small World and Mickeys PhilharMagic, all without any wait. Our FP window for Under the Sea opened up so we headed over to New Fantasyland. This was our first glimpse of the new area and we were both impressed. Once this area is finished, it would be great if they would give the rest of Fantasyland a face lift. We made our way through the huge queue and with less than a 10 minute wait, we boarded our clam shells. The ride was very nicely done, and we definitely will ride it again.
Wed originally planned to have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and hoped to sneak in a visit before it closed for its conversion into a Starbucks, but unfortunately it closed the day we arrived. Our plan B was to go to Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, but as we passed Gastons Tavern, we decided to try this instead. We ordered a cinnamon roll and a chocolate croissant to share and then found a table inside. The food was good, but we missed the variety and atmosphere of the bakery. The bill came to $7.44 with tax.
After breakfast, we continued to explore the area. We thought there was a walkway past the Under the Sea attraction that would lead to the Storybook Circus area, but realized it was Ariels Grotto, a meet and greet for Ariel. So, we back tracked, passing the Be Our Guest restaurant and noting the huge line that had already formed even though the restaurant wasnt open yet. Wed hoped to walk through to check it out, but as busy as it was, we decided to leave it for another time.
We made our way around to the Storybook Circus area and entered the line for Dumbo. Before the expansion, the line for Dumbo would have been huge by this time of the morning. However, by the time we walked through the very long queue we were able to ride during the next cycle. While it was fun, I missed having the ride in the very middle of Fantasyland and being able to see the castle.
After browsing through the gift shop and checking out the rest of the area, we stopped to consider our next move. Not knowing how much there was to see and do in New Fantasyland, Id set aside a couple of hours to explore. We ended up not needing this much time. I suggested we head over to Tomorrowland and ride the TTA Peoplemover and Jason thought that was a good idea. There was no line and we quickly boarded. As we returned to the station after our ride, we could see that there wasnt anyone else waiting, so we asked if we could stay on for a second ride. The Cast Member agreed so off we went again. While we were on the ride, we checked wait times on Touring Plans and saw that Space Mountain had a 10 minute wait time, so we decided to head there next.
It was at this attraction that I reported my first wait time on the TouringPlans.com Lines app. There is a place on the app to report the posted wait time, the FP return time, and a time to track and record your actual wait time. This was something I continued to do periodically throughout the trip. Our actual wait time for Space Mountain was less than the 10 minutes that was posted.
Next we did Buzz Lightyear, but only because it was a five minute wait. We think the WDW version is vastly inferior to the Disneyland version. The laser guns in California come out of the holsters, making it much easier to shoot. The ride stopped twice for a few minutes and thats the only reason I had any kind of a score. Even when the ride was stopped and I was aiming continuously at a target, it only registered a score about every 5th hit. Were not likely to do it again this trip.
As we passed by the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, we decided to go in. We avoided it in the past because we didnt like the possible interaction. Now there seemed to be enough people in line that the chances we would get picked on seemed slim. We must have just missed the show, because we had to wait a long time before entering the theater. The whole experience was fun, but we were both a little on edge, sure that our pictures would flash up on the monitors. Fortunately, we managed to escape without incident.
We were headed into Stitch, which was posting a short wait, but realized that it would cut it too close to our ADR time at Liberty Tree Tavern. So we bailed on it and headed over to Liberty Square. We had a few minutes to spare so we took some pictures along the way and then browsed through the Christmas Shop.
Liberty Tree Tavern is right up our alley. Neither of us considers ourselves a foodie. We like plain, basic food, nothing fancy. We checked in about 10 minutes before our 1:55pm ADR time and within two minutes our name was called. The restaurant didnt look busy at all. There were several empty tables in our section.
Our server was named Doreen and she was very friendly and attentive. We both ordered the pot roast, which was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with carrots and onions. The pot roast was delicious, very tender and flavorful. We tried to decide whether the pot roast was better here or at 50s Prime Time. We may have to make another trip to 50s Prime Time before we can really know for sure. In spite of a very filling lunch, we decided to share the Ooey, Gooey Toffee Cake, which was vanilla cake with a gooey toffee filling, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. The bill came to $46.93 which included a $9.09 TIW discount.
We planned to finish Liberty Square after lunch, starting with the Hall of Presidents. We both enjoy this attraction, but again the combination of a dark room, cool air, a comfortable seat and a full stomach made it difficult to stay awake. We followed this up with the Haunted Mansion, again struggling to stay awake.
At this point wed finished our official touring plan and didnt have anything scheduled until the Wishes Dessert Party at 7:00pm. We decided to make a loop up through Frontierland and back down through Adventureland. We meandered along the water, taking pictures of the Liberty Belle Riverboat that was just pulling into the dock and anything else that caught our eye. We looked through the shops we passed along the way. When we reached Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we planned to ride if the wait time was 10 minutes or less. It was 20, so we passed on it for now. We rounded the turn at the end of Frontierland and continued back along Adventureland. Pirates had a posted five minute wait, so we did that. I dont think we really stopped walking until we reached the loading area. Crowds levels seemed really low. It wed concentrated just on riding attractions we easily could have done everything in one day. Pirates was fun, but so much shorter than the Disneyland version.
Jungle Cruise had only a 10 minute wait, so we hopped on. Again, we waited less than the posted wait time. We had a good skipper and I took a ton of pictures. We were at the very back of the boat, which made it easier to get pictures without other people in them.
By now we figured we should get some protein in us before the Wishes Dessert Party. We stopped at Caseys Corner at around 5:00pm and shared an order of corn dog nuggets. These are one of our favorite treats. While we ate we listened to the piano player and just enjoyed the atmosphere. The bill came to $4.79 with tax.
We still had some time to kill so we headed down one side of Main Street, looking in all the shops, and taking pictures of a few things that we might want to buy later. When we reached the front of the park, we stopped for a restroom break. I was sitting on a bench just outside the side door of City Hall, when I spotted an electrical outlet just behind the bench. We both had been using our phones a lot, but Jasons battery was well below the 50% point and he was worried that it might not last through the evening. When I showed him the outlet, he was thrilled. He plugged it in and we sat there for about 15 minutes while it charged. Every time a Cast Member walked by, he was sure they were going to bust him and eject him from the park, but no one said anything. It didnt help ease our minds that recently a homeless man was arrested and held on $500 bond for theft of utilities when he plugged his phone into an outlet in a city park.
We made our way back up Main Street and then over to Tomorrowland Terrace to check out the party location. They were starting to set up the desserts and a few people were already waiting in line. Since your table is assigned and theres no benefit to being first in line, we decided not to join the line. We wandered around taking lousy pictures of the castle and then finally settled at a table in the upper seating area of the Tomorrowland Terrace. We spotted a man sitting at a table next to the only outlet we found in the area, charging his phone.
A few minutes before 7:00pm we got up and headed over to the entrance to the party. They were letting people in and we waited in a short line before being checked in. After a wrist band was put on our wrist, we were led to our table, which was in the very front row facing the castle.
After getting settled, we headed up to the dessert tables. Even though there were many people at the party, there really wasnt much of a wait to get the desserts. The desserts are very tiny, which means you can sample more of them before filling up. My favorites were the chocolate mousse, the mango shooters, the mini cheesecake and the crme brulee. There were a variety of beverages including milk, ice tea, water, lemonade, coffee, and tea. There were so many delicious options, but we both filled up very quickly. I took a picture of my plate of desserts with the castle in the background and texted it to my friend Susan at work.
At 7:45pm, Celebrate the Magic started and everyone moved to the railing to watch. Once that was over we had just a couple of minutes before Wishes started. We were standing directly underneath the path of Tinkerbell and had an amazing view of her as she flew overhead. Even though we werent directly in front of the castle, we still had an excellent view of the fireworks and it was great not being packed together with other people.
When Wishes ended we hung out on the terrace for a short time to let the majority of the people out. We headed over to Tomorrowland hoping for one last trip on the TTA, not realizing what time the park closed. When we noticed that it wasnt running we checked and found the park had closed at 8:00pm. Instead we headed over to the castle and spent a while trying to get at least semi-good shots that werent totally blurry. We walked over toward Liberty Square to get some side angles of the castle and then made our way around by the Crystal Palace and down Main Street. We walked up to the train station and took pictures from there. After procrastinating as long as we could to give the crowds at the Monorail station a chance to thin out, we headed out of the park. We were able to get on the next monorail and were in our car in no time. Id stopped using the GPS since it seemed easier to get around staying off site than it did when we stayed on property, but for some reason we got turned around and ended up heading the wrong direction on 192. We realized our error pretty quickly and were soon heading back the right direction. We were very glad to get back to the condo. It was a long day and I was wiped out.
We watched a little TV together before saying goodnight and going to our rooms. It was another great day. We enjoyed the Wishes Dessert Party and it was great to be at the Magic Kingdom.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $9.09
Amount Saved To Date: $30.50
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 7.22
Steps: 22,877
Day 6 Thursday, January 17, 2013
Plan: Epcot in the AM; Magic Kingdom in the PM
Actual:
I was up at 5:15am and joined Jason at the table for what was becoming our morning routine of drinking coffee and working on our trip reports. We originally planned to leave 7:45am but decided that we really didnt need to leave quite that early. It wasnt taking nearly as long to get to the parks from the condo as we originally thought. We left shortly after 8:00am and were parked and in line well before the turnstiles opened.
Once the park opened we headed directly for The Land and picked up FPs for Soarin before joining the standby line. We didnt stop walking through the queue until we were in the pre-boarding area. We were lucky enough to be in the top row of the middle section. The quality of the film was really bad. There were black specks that would fly in and out and looked like a flock of blackbirds. It was really distracting.
After Soarin we headed over to Sunshine Seasons for breakfast. We split the adult bounty platter, which included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and a biscuit. We also had the blueberry croissant pudding which Id read about in Sue Rayfords trip reports and vowed that we were going to try it the next time we were here. We also had coffee. The bill came to $19.87 which was a lot more than we expected to spend, but so far it seems like were spending more on food than we originally budgeted.
Jason went to find a table while I picked up forks and napkins. He found a small table that was close to an outlet so we scooted the table over a bit and was able to charge our phones while we ate. After breakfast, we did Living with the Land and then it was time to use our Soarin FPs. This time we had the middle row of the middle section. We actually prefer this location because even though you see the feet of the people in the row above you, you dont see the top of the screen.
Wed finished everything we wanted to do in The Land so we moved over to the Imagination Pavilion, where we rode Journey into the Imagination with Figment, which was boring and then saw the Captain EO Tribute which was awesome. Even though this is the same version as Disneyland, the atmosphere in the audience was completely different. We happened to be at Disneyland in February 2010 on the day that the attraction re-opened, although we werent one of the hardcore fans that waited in line all night to get into the first show. Still, by the time we saw it in the afternoon, people still seemed excited to see this attraction, cheering when Michael Jackson first appeared, and that excitement was still evident when we returned to Disneyland that June. Well be at Disneyland in February this year and well see if there is still the same excitement as there was three years ago.
Next we headed back to France to try a couple of more desserts from the bakery. We hoped that by going earlier in the day it wouldnt be so difficult to find a table. We passed a couple of empty tables outside, but it was very windy and chilly out, plus it looked like it might rain. Jason grabbed a table inside while I went to get the food. There wasnt much of a line so I was back within a few minutes. This time Jason had a Napolean and I had the chocolate mousse. We also shared a Duo Au Chocolate, which was a dark and white chocolate mousse cake. The desserts were tasty, but we both came to the conclusion that we will probably visit again if we happen to be nearby, but we no longer feel the need to make a special trip to the World Showcase just to go to the bakery.
We decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom for a while. On our way to the front of the park we stopped to do The Seas with Nemo & Friends, which was a short five minute wait, and then Spaceship Earth. When we emerged from Spaceship Earth it had started to rain. It was just sprinkling lightly, very similar to an average day in Portland.
We decided to leave the car at Epcot and take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Our luck was with us and we boarded a waiting monorail. At the TTC we transferred to the express monorail and headed to the Magic Kingdom. It was an easy trip through security and the turnstiles. We stopped for a restroom break at the restrooms next to City Hall. Next door we noticed the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and stopped in to check it out. The Cast Member signed us up and gave us a map, a key card and each of us a pack of spell cards. We went to a station at the back of the Fire Station where she showed us how to play the game. Then we were on our own. We followed the clues to about three different portals and then we encountered a line of other players waiting to use the next portal. Some of the players were very hard core and had their spell cards in books. Once we had to stand in line and wait we kind of lost interest. Well pick up where we left off another day.
We continued on into Tomorrowland where we rode the TTA and then the Carousel of Progress, two of our favorites. I told myself I was just going to sit and enjoy the ride on the TTA and not bother taking pictures, because with the moving vehicle they just dont turn out very good. But I couldnt help myself and soon had my camera out snapping away.
The main reason for going to the Magic Kingdom that day was to see the Main Street Electrical Parade. But we were both tired and it continued to rain on and off. We werent sure if Disney would cancel a parade due to weather conditions and we didnt want to hang around if it ended up getting cancelled at the last minute. The thought of the comfortable condo and a relaxing evening won out and we decided to head back to Epcot to retrieve the car. While we were waiting for the Epcot monorail we were looking at the new all day menu for Le Cellier. We had made a lunch reservation because it was less expensive than dinner. Now that there was just the one menu, we were seriously questioning whether it was worth it to us. We came to the decision to cancel our reservation, which was difficult to do because I had waited a long time for Disney to open up availability for January. So I used the Disney app and cancelled it.
Once back at the condo we showered to get the sunscreen off and then settled down to a nice dinner and a couple of episodes of Sports Night before calling it a night.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $0.00
Amount Saved To Date: $30.50
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.82
Steps: 18,453
Day 7 Friday, January 18, 2013
Plan: Disneys Hollywood Studios, Dinner at Hollywood & Vine, Fantasmic!
Actual:
I was up at 5:15am after another good nights sleep. I joined Jason at the table where he had a pot of coffee already made. We both worked on our trip reports until it was time to get ready to leave. The temperature was in the upper 30s and it wasnt expected to warm up much today. There was also a chance of rain this afternoon/evening. I dressed in long sleeves, glad that I packed a couple of warmer shirts. It was easy to pack them when it was in the upper 20s back home in Portland, but I was questioning the need for them when we were greeted in Orlando by temps in the 80s. I also wore my windbreaker, which actually keeps me pretty warm.
The Studios is the closest park to our condo and the easiest to get to. Its about four miles along 192 to World Drive and then its the first exit off World Drive. We arrived very early and were near the front of the line. While waiting in line we decided that we wanted to eat at 50s Prime Time again. Using the Disney App I was able to book an ADR for Thursday at 12:15pm, our next DHS day.
The park opened at 8:45am and we headed directly for Toy Story Mania, where we picked up FPs and then entered the standby line. We basically didnt stop walking until we reached the loading area. Jasons score was 205,900 while my score was 151,000. This was my best score so far. While Jason may have beat me in points, I usually beat him in accuracy. Im tempted to one time just go for the highest accuracy score, maybe aim for one target per game so I can get 100% accuracy.
After Toy Story we decided to do the new attraction, The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow. Neither of know much about this, but we hoped that it was better than the Narnia attraction that was there before. That was a big disappointment. We were both pleasantly surprised to find that we enjoyed the new attraction. I dont think its something well do more than once, but we were both glad we did it.
Next up was Starring Rolls Caf, where we again shared the chocolate croissant and the apple Craisin turnover. Because it was so chilly out, we also got coffee, which brought the total bill to $11.04. We had no trouble finding a table this morning. I guess we were one of the few to brave the elements.
After breakfast we headed to Hollywood Blvd to see what they had for warm clothes. Jason was interested in getting something a little warmer than the thin jacket that hed brought. He didnt see anything that interested him. We did notice that hats and gloves were front and center and a rack of sweatshirts had been rolled out into the store.
It was time to use our Toy Story FP so we headed over to Pixar Place. When we relinquished our FPs the Cast Member directed us to the handicap loading area, rather than the regular line. There were five people, one in a wheelchair waiting to board. I think they sent us, as a party of 2, to fill the last seat in the vehicle. It was fine with us because we were able to board ahead of everyone else in line.
Jason improved his score slightly and ended up with 206,600. My score was a little worse at 147,400. But again I won in accuracy, 37% to Jasons 31%. As we were leaving the attraction we noticed that FPs were still available and decided to pick up another one for later.
Our next stop was supposed to be Star Tours, but I think we were a little behind schedule so by the time we arrived the wait time was up to 20 minutes. This isnt bad, but so far we hadnt had to wait more than 10 minutes for anything. So we decided to do Muppets instead and come back to Star Tours later.
We entered the building just as the preshow was beginning. It was a pretty full theater. I think people were looking for ways to get in out of the cold. We both enjoyed the show.
Afterwards we looked through the gift shop, noticing how expensive things are. We expected Disney prices to be high, but even so they seemed much higher than we expected. We would take turns guessing prices and found that actual prices were about 25% more than even our wildest guesses.
We circled around to Star Tours to find the wait times were still too high for us. We decided to skip this for now. We realized that if we hurried we could make the 11:45am Beauty and the Beast Show. We were seated about 15 minutes before the show started and the theater was pretty full. We were in the last few rows. We really love this show and always try to see it at least once each trip.
At this point wed finished our touring plan for the day. Other than our ADR at Hollywood & Vine and Fantasmic! we had no other plans for the day. We decided to get something to eat at Fairfax Fare. While we were in line, Susan, my friend from work texted me. My boss, Scott, had asked her to check to make sure we were having free time. Ever since our first trip to WDW in 2005, Ive created an Excel spreadsheet broken down into 15 minute increments where I color coded our plans for each day. Each park had a different color; ADRs were another color; shows & parades were a color, etc. I posted a copy of the itinerary on the bulletin board in my office during our first trip and it was such a hit that Ive done it for the next three trips. Scott was checking the schedule for today and noted that we had scheduled free time beginning at 12:28pm. He was making sure that we were sticking to the schedule. I texted back that we were ahead of schedule and yes we were having free time. We were using the free time to have lunch.
We decided to share a Macaroni and Cheese Gourmet Hot Dog, which was mac and cheese, bacon and truffle oil on a hot dog, served with chips. The total came to $9.15. We found a table and had just cut the hot dog in half when Susan texted that Scott wanted an updated schedule and a picture of our lunch. I sent her a picture of our hot dog. The hot dog was very good, but it was a small hot dog on a large bun. By the time we split it into two equal parts, there really wasnt much mac and cheese for either of us.
After lunch we headed over to The Writers Stop to share a Carrot Cake Cookie. We told ourselves that we needed to get one because wed forgotten to take a picture of it the last time, but the real reason was that it was so delicious. The cost was $4.25 with tax. This time we sat at one of the tables in the back of the shop. We were next to one of the bookshelves and we could see the Kingdom Keepers book series on one of the shelves. Even though its a childrens book, Id read the first book years ago when it first came out. Jason was interested in reading it so he ended up buying the Kindle edition of the first book from Amazon.
We decided to head over to the Animation Academy. There was quite a crowd of people waiting for the next class and it seemed like a long wait until we were finally let into the room. This time we drew Chip and learned several of the different ways to tell Chip and Dale apart. My drawing turned out pretty well. I texted a picture of it to Susan and told her to tell Scott that I was quitting my job to become a full-time cartoonist. She texted back an emphatic NO. Shes handling some of my job duties while Im on vacation and Im sure she doesnt want to get stuck with them full time.
It was time to use our FPs for Toy Story so we headed over. This time Jason scored 218,100 which was high score for the hour and I scored a dismal 130,100. Still I had a lot of fun.
We had about an hour until our ADR at Hollywood and Vine. We decided to sit on a bench near the American Idol Experience and just relax until it was time. Jason started reading the Kingdom Keepers book on his iPhone and I just sat and enjoyed the atmosphere.
We checked in 15 minutes early for our 4:00pm ADR at Hollywood and Vine. We waited about three minutes and then our name was called. We were seated at a table for two located fairly close to the buffet lines. Our server was Houria, although her name tag said Maria. When she introduced herself she didnt say Maria, so it was all very confusing. The food was good. We could see a chocolate fountain at the dessert area, which was new since wed been here last. The bill came to $77.29 which included tax, tip and a $14.40 TIW discount. We added a few extra dollars to the tip because Houria was so friendly and nice. At the end of our meal she gave us our Fantasmic! pass and offered us cups of coffee to go, which we gladly accepted.
We left the restaurant at 5:00pm and had an hour to kill until we needed to be at the theater for Fantasmic! We decided to do the Animation Academy again. This time we drew Piglet. Unfortunately, my Piglet didnt turn out as well as my Chip did, so I guess Ill keep my current job. By now it was seven minutes until 6:00pm so we had to rush over to the Fantasmic Theater. It was a long walk to the theater and our pass was checked several times along the way. The theater was very full by the time we arrived but we found a couple of seats at the end of a row about 2/3 of the way up. During the 30 minutes before the show there were a variety of group participation activities going on that just seemed loud and annoying. By the end of the long day, it would have been nice to just sit quietly and relax.
When the show started and the water screens started spraying, people in the first few rows started leaving in droves. Some found seats higher up, but many just left the theater completely. In spite of the cold mist blowing on us, we really enjoyed the show.
After the show we joined the mob of people leaving the theater and just followed along. I had no idea where we would end up and was surprised to find us back on Sunset Blvd. If I had to take a guess, I thought they would have just routed us out near Oscars Garage at the front of the park. But I guess they didnt want us to miss out on any last minute shopping opportunities.
Rather than be swept along with the crowd we hung around the Sorcerers Hat taking pictures for a while. By the time we left there were still plenty of people heading for the exits but it wasnt a solid mass.
When we arrived at the condo, I took a quick shower and then settled down at the table to transfer the pictures from my camera. Before the trip Id purchased a portable hard drive to connect to my NetBook. At the end of each day I transferred the pictures from the SD card of my camera to the portable hard drive and then deleted the pictures from the SD card. So far it was working great, so great that I also moved over some pictures from my phone that Id taken during several trips to the Oregon Zoo. However, tonight when I plugged in the hard drive, I couldnt seem to access it. I kept getting an error saying the drive wasnt accessible. I was panicky because every picture Id taking so far was on this drive. I spent the rest of the evening checking online for various solutions and trying different recovery methods. I finally was able to get the NetBook to recognize the drive. I could see that there were about 5 GB of space used on the drive, which Im assuming are my pictures, but couldnt actually access the pictures. I unplugged the drive and put it away. When I get home Ill take it to our IT guy at work and see if he can help. I decided from now on to save the pictures on the NetBook hard drive and also keep them on the SD card as a backup. While I was sad to lose all the pictures Id taken so far, we still have more than a week left of our trip and will be back to each of the parks at least once. Besides, Jason took many of the same pictures as I did and I know hell share his pictures with me.
We watched some TV before turning in for the night.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $14.40
Amount Saved To Date: $44.90
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.81
Steps: 18,415
Day 8 Saturday, January 19, 2013
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Dinner at Trails End
Actual:
Today was our second and last day planned at Animal Kingdom. Wed done most of what we wanted to do on our first day and didnt plan to be here all day. We left the condo at 8:00am and it was a short drive to the park. When the park opened we headed straight back to Kilimanjaro Safaris and grabbed FPs. Then we joined the standby line and didnt stop until we were at the boarding area. There seemed to be plenty of animals out and I took a lot of pictures.
After our safari, we stopped at the Kusafiri Coffee Shop and had breakfast. I had a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and Jason had an apple turnover. We also asked for two cups of ice water. The total came to $5.84 with tax. We took our food over to the seating area in front of Tusker House and ate, enjoying the cool, sunny morning.
After breakfast it was time to use our FPs for our second safari. This time we had a row to ourselves so we each had a good view out our side of the vehicle. Our guide was a guy named Joshua and I thought he sounded a lot like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix. We were both fascinated by his voice. I found out later that Jason had recorded a little bit of him talking and as he played it back, we were both amazed at the resemblance to Keanu.
We still hadnt been over in Asia so we made a clockwise loop around the park, stopping to take pictures along the way. When we reached Camp Minnie-Mickey we stopped at the Funnel Cake Cabin and shared a funnel cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. The total came to $6.70 with tax. The area was pretty busy until last call came for the Festival of the Lion King show, then we were left pretty much to ourselves. After we finished the funnel cake, we decided to head back to the condo to rest before our ADR at Trails End Restaurant at Fort Wilderness. On the way home we stopped at Publix to pick up more coffee and creamer, and then stopped at a Red Box outside a 7-11 to rent the movie Ted to watch later in the evening.
We arrived at Fort Wilderness a little before 4:00pm. After parking, we made our way to the bus depot. We were the only ones there initially but soon others started arriving. When a bus arrived, everyone started heading towards it. A second bus arrived right afterwards and we decided to take that one as it didnt seem as crowded. We arrived at the Settlement and then wandered around for a while, looking in the Trading Post and taking pictures. At around 4:20pm we checked in and were given a pager. While we waited we played checkers, which neither of us had done for many, many years. Promptly at 4:30pm our pager went off and we headed to the restaurant entrance.
We were one of the first guests to be seated and the first ones to hit the buffet line. I was able to get some good pictures of the food before it was mangled by human hands. I took a very tiny amount of the things I thought looked good, but even so I filled up fast. We decided take a tiny serving of each dessert and then share it so we could try a variety different things and not get so full. Even so, we ended up stuffed. We both are looking forward to getting back to eating sensibly when we get home. The bill came to $47.46 with tax, tip and a TIW discount of $9.20.
It was just starting to get dark when we emerged from the restaurant and we were anxious to get going because were unfamiliar with the area. I turned on the GPS because I didnt want to risk getting lost. When we arrived at the condo I made a pot of decaf coffee and we settled down to watch our movie. With about 30 minutes left to our movie, I started to nod off so we decided to watch the rest in the morning.
I think it was this evening that we realized that we could see Wishes from our balcony. They were far away, but we could see most of the main fireworks. Ill have to check in the morning to see if I can actually see the castle.
All in all it was a very relaxing day.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $9.20
Amount Saved To Date: $54.10
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 4.60
Steps: 14,594
Day 9 Sunday, January 20, 2013
Plan: Breakfast at Kona Caf at the Poly, Magic Kingdom, Wishes Dessert Party
Actual:
I was glad that yesterday was a very relaxing day, because today will be a long one. We were up early to watch the rest of the movie so we could drop it off on our way out. We left at 6:45am for the Polynesian with a 7:30am ADR at Kona Caf for breakfast. We werent sure how long it would take us to get there so we allowed some extra time. Turns out we didnt need to leave quite that early. We arrived about 7:15am. We took some pictures in the lobby and as soon as the restaurant opened up, we checked in. Promptly at 7:30am our pager went off and we were the second party seated. We both ordered the Big Kahuna breakfast which included French toast, pancakes topped with pineapple sauce and macadamia nut butter, eggs, home fried potatoes, ham, bacon, and sausage. We also shared a French Press Pot of 100% Kona coffee. The food was good and the coffee was excellent. The total with tax and tip came to $32.48 with a $6.29 TIW discount.
After breakfast we took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom arriving just as the opening ceremony was underway. The lines at both the bag check and turnstiles were longer than anything wed experienced so far this trip. We realized that this was a holiday weekend so things would probably be a lot busier than earlier in the week.
Today we were initially concentrating on the Adventureland and Frontierland side of the park. To save time we thought that wed hop on the train and ride it to the Frontierland station. We headed up the stairs, took some pictures of Main Street and then learned that the first train of the day wouldnt arrive for another 25 minutes. So down the stairs we went and fought the crowds down Main Street to Adventureland. We originally planned to pick up FPs for the Jungle Cruise, but wed ridden it on our first day in the Magic Kingdom so we decided to save our FP for something else. Instead we headed to our next destination which was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The plan was to ride it twice in a row before the line got too long. When we arrived the learned that the ride was down, so we picked up FPs instead.
Our next stop was Pirates of the Caribbean. There was no line at all and we didnt stop walking until we reached the loading area. We asked the Cast Member if we could wait for the first row of the next boat. She said yes but we would have to wait until other guests arrived. I thought that was strange. Why would it matter how many people were in the boat. I didnt argue with her and instead said that was fine with us. Fortunately two other people walked up just then so we boarded and were on our way.
Next was the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. I sat in the front of the carpet and controlled the up and down movement while Jason sat in the back seat and controlled the tilt forward and backward. I tried unsuccessfully to take some pictures while on the ride.
Aladdin and Jasmine were greeting guests when we got off the ride so we waited to snap some quick pictures when they were between guests. We noticed the Sunshine Tree Terrace was open so we stopped for a quick Citrus Swirl. The total came to $6.80.
After checking online we learned that Big Thunder Mountain was up and running again. Before heading over we grabbed FPs for Jungle Cruise. The posted wait time for Big Thunder was 20 minutes, so we decided to ride standby first and then use our FPs. We ended up waiting closer to 30 minutes. By the time we realized it was going to be a long wait, wed already invested so much time that we decided to just wait it out. After the ride, we immediately rode again using our FPs and the wait was much shorter. We noticed that Walt Disney World does a really good job of managing the FP lines to ensure short wait times. At Disneyland there are some attractions that even with a FP you still wait a long time. For example, at the Indiana Jones Adventure they merge the standby and FP lines so early in the queue that you end up with almost as long of a wait as if you rode standby.
Next we headed back to Adventureland and used our FPs for Jungle Cruise, boarding the next boat. After that we walked over to Frontierland and did Country Bear Jamboree. We arrived just after the show began so we found seats in the waiting area until the next show. The theater was pretty full.
Next we were back to Adventureland where we did the Enchanted Tiki Room. The theater doors were open and as we headed inside we could hear the Cast Member telling a man that he couldnt bring in whatever it was that he was eating. He asked where a trashcan was and she made him go all the way back to the entrance to throw it away.
Once inside we found seats in the very back row. This is our favorite spot to sit because you get a good view of everything without having to crane your neck up too much. Before the show started the same Cast Member gave the usual spiel about no flash photography or video lighting. The show started and we were glad to see the original show and not the Under New Management version. Shortly after it started someone took a flash picture. We watched the Cast Member march determinedly across the middle of the theater to confront the culprit. Now we dont approve of people taking flash pictures when theyve been told not to, but we were very surprised with the conviction with which the Cast Member addressed the situation. We half expected her to wrestle his camera from his hands and smash it to the ground.
After the show ended we headed over to Aloha Isle for our first Dole Whips of the trip. Weve been here a week already and this was our first chance to enjoy one. One thing we love about Disneyland is that the Dole Whip stand is right there at the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction. You are encouraged to bring your Dole Whip into the show with you. We wish they would do that same at WDW.
We both ordered Dole Whip Floats which was pineapple juice with your choice of vanilla, pineapple or orange Dole Whip. We both had the pineapple Dole Whip. There wasnt any place to eat nearby so we found a bench closer to the hub.
We walked from the hub over to Liberty Square and noticed with surprise that Sleepy Hollow Refreshments had construction walls around it. Fortunately it was still open for business. You had to walk through a small opening to reach the counter. Were not really sure what they were doing but we were glad it was open. Wed read about the waffle sandwiches they served between 11:00am and 5:00pm and wanted to try one. We ordered one Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich to share. The total came to $6.81 with tax. The line didnt seem that long, but we waited a long time for it to be ready. The Cast Member said they had nine waffles to make. Finally, it was ready and it was well worth the wait. The waffle was spread with Nutella and piled with blueberries, strawberries and sliced banana. We sat at a table with a good view of the castle.
Next we walked to Fantasyland where we did Mickeys PhilharMagic. Fantasyland was a zoo, every attraction except Mickeys PhilharMagic had very long wait times. We decided to do our old standby attraction, the Peoplemover. We fought our way through the crowds to Tomorrowland, where it was still very crowded. The line for the Peoplemover was very long and it wasnt until we got in line that we noticed that the attraction was even running. We stood there for a while not sure what to do. Eventually things started up again and the line started moving. While we rode we contemplated our next moves. We originally thought we might head back to the condo early afternoon and then return in time for the Wishes Dessert Party. However, as busy as this place was, we were afraid to leave because it could be very time consuming to get back into the park. On top of it being a holiday weekend, there were evening Extra Magic Hours which meant the park was going to be even more crowded. At one point Disney extended the regular closing time from 10:00pm to 11:00pm which was an indication of just how busy it was. So we made the decision to wait it out.
From the Peoplemover we noticed a pathway running from behind Space Mountain to Fantasyland. It seemed so empty and peaceful that we decided to check it out. We figured it would lead to the train station in Fantasyland. While we walked we decided that we would hop onto the train and ride it to Frontierland and try to find a place to sit to watch the 3:00pm parade. As we neared the station we could see a train just pulling in. We were also stunned to see a huge crowd waiting to board the train. Apparently everyone had the same bright idea that we did.
So instead, we fought our way through the crowds in Storybook Circus, through Fantasyland and over to Liberty Square. As we walked the parade route, we could see that every possible seating area was already taken. I wasnt up to standing for an hour to watch the parade so when we reached the end of Frontierland and nothing was available we decided to skip the parade. By now it was a little after 2:00pm and we knew that if we were going to eat lunch we needed to eat it soon so that we werent too full for the Wishes Dessert Party. Pecos Bills looked extremely crowded. We thought about going to Caseys Corner, but knew that would be a disaster too. We figured by the time we walked around looking for a place that wasnt crowded we could just invest in standing in line at Pecos Bills. We walked around to the entrance and followed the crowd across the front of the restaurant and into a door on the far end of the building. Once inside the Cast Member told us to go all the way back across the restaurant to one of the lines. Fortunately, at that end of the building there were only about three people in line ahead of us. It took much less time than we expected to order and get our food. Jason went to get napkins and condiments while I waited for the food. We met up and headed for the seating area. Fortunately, there was a Cast Member at the entrance to keep people from saving seats until they got their food. We waited a minute and were directed to an empty table. It was a great system.
We shared a BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries and an onion ring basket. We also asked for two cups of ice water. The total came to $14.25 with tax. The food was good and it was nice to sit down for a few minutes.
After lunch we made our way along the water trying to get out of the area before the parade started. We detoured through Fantasyland and then behind the castle to Tomorrowland, passing a huge line waiting to meet Merida from Brave. I cant even imagine waiting in a line for an hour or more to see any character. I cant imagine waiting in an 80 minute line to ride Peter Pan. It just boggles my mind that people will do that.
On the other side of the castle we walked through the rose garden taking pictures of the roses and the castle until we ended up in Tomorrowland. We decided to head for the Tomorrowland Terrace area and hopefully sit at the table near the electrical outlet and charge our phones. Id left my charger back in the room because we originally planned to return to the condo in the afternoon. Fortunately, Jason brought his. The table near the outlet was available so Jason plugged his phone in first and charged it to 95%. Then we switched places and I charged mine to 95%. We could see a man over by the Tomorrowland Terrace counter who had pulled a chair over to the outlet there and was charging his camera battery. Occasionally a Cast Member would come by to clean a table or empty the trash. Im sure she knew exactly what we were doing and was probably used to people doing the same thing.
We sat there for about an hour just relaxing while our phones charged. Jason read more of his Kingdom Keepers book. Finally, with both phones charged enough to get us through the rest of the evening, we headed to Tomorrowland for one more ride on the Peoplemover.
With 30 minutes left until we were due to check in for the Wishes Dessert Party, we whiled away the time taking pictures of the castle. It was getting dark and the castle was lit up. Finally, we headed over to stand in line to wait for them to start checking people in for the dessert party. It seemed like a much bigger crowd than on Wednesday, or at least people were lining up earlier.
We finally were checked in and given our wrist bands a few minutes after 7:00pm. We were taken to our seats which were again in the front row. We headed over to the dessert bar and decided to just take a few of our very favorites so that we wouldnt end up as full as we did the last time. The Main Street Electrical Parade was going one. While we could only see the tops of the floats, we could hear the music. After a sensible amount of desserts, we sat and drank coffee until the Celebrate the Magic show started at 7:45pm. We had talked about staying in our seats to watch the fireworks this time, but since our table was so close to the railing we knew that if anyone stood in front of us we wouldnt be able to see anything. So as soon as the announcement was made, we stood up and headed to a spot along the railing directly in front of our table. We stood there during the Celebrate the Magic show and then a few minutes later Wishes started. Once again, it was wonderful and worth battling the crowds all day.
After Wishes, we were tired and decided to just head out instead of doing anything else. You could see people pouring into Tomorrowland and I knew from checking the Lines app that lines everywhere were horrendous. We made our way slowly toward Main Street noticing the there was a line of Cast Members directing people in the opposite direction. Once we reached Main Street we overheard a Cast Member telling people that it was a shortcut to the exit. I wish we knew that before we fought our way through the crowds to Main Street. We immediately turned around and quickly made our way through the backstage area on the other side of the Plaza Restaurant. We emerged at near Tonys Town Square Restaurant bypassing the gridlock on Main Street. There was a 9:00pm Main Street Electrical Parade and I imagine a lot of people were staying put after Wishes to watch the parade.
So far wed been pretty lucky with Monorails, never having to wait for very long. Our luck with Monorails continued and we boarded a waiting Monorail back to the Poly. It was an easy drive back to the condo. We watched a little TV to unwind before saying goodnight.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $6.29
Amount Saved To Date: $60.39
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 7.24
Steps: 22,959
Day 10 Monday, January 21, 2013
Plan: Epcot, Le Cellier for Lunch
Actual:
The plan today was to do the east side of Future World. So far wed concentrated on the west side and World Showcase. While we waited at the turnstiles, we noticed a man in the line next to us putting up an umbrella. We were standing directly underneath the Monorail track so we hadnt noticed that it had started to rain. Not at lot, more like a fine mist. Once the park opened we made our way to Test Track where we picked up FPs. Then we joined the standby line, which moved very quickly. Soon we were designing our car, which was fun. We boarded the front seat of our car and hoped that it wasnt raining too much when we reached the outside part of the attraction. Theres nothing more uncomfortable than rain pelting at you when youre going 65 miles an hour. It end up being fine and we had a great time.
Next up was Mission Space. There was a 10 minute wait for the less intense, green side, which is the most were able to handle. We completed our training successfully and enjoyed the ride.
It was time to use our FPs for Test Track so we headed back over. When you go through the FP line youre kind of on your own. They dont assign you a design station you just pick up your own card and find an open station if you want to do that. Otherwise you can just continue on to the loading area. We started to design a car, but decided to just skip it and move on. The FP line is right next to the single rider line which was very long and posted a 30 minute wait time. This time we were in the back seat and we were joined by a man from the single rider line.
Our next stop was over to Ellens Universe of Energy. As we were standing in line we were trying to decide if we really wanted to invest 45 minutes of our day in this attraction. Jason didnt care and left it to up to me. I waffled and first said I didnt want to wait. As we walked away they started letting people into the preshow area. I changed my mind and in we went. We found a place to sit along the wall. When it came time to board the vehicles we hung back and let everyone else in first. As a result, we were in one of the last few rows of the last vehicle and had the row completely to ourselves. I took a few very blurry, dark pictures and then settled in to enjoy the ride. The combination of darkness and the slow moving vehicle had us both wishing we could just lie down on the seat and take a short nap. We refrained because we thought that maybe we were being monitored by video surveillance and didnt want a cast member to think wed passed out.
Jason wanted to go back to Sunshine Seasons for some blueberry croissant pudding so we headed over to the Land. We had hoped to get FPs for Soarin but the return time was too late in the afternoon and we didnt think wed be here then. As we approached Sunshine Seasons I had a thought that maybe the bread pudding was just a breakfast item. It was after 11:00am and sure enough they were serving the lunch menu. Jason was very disappointed. Well be back to Epcot at least once before the end of our trip so well have to make it a priority.
We had finished up our plans for the day so we decided to make a loop around the World Showcase so I could retake some of the pictures Id lost. We started in Mexico and worked our way around to Germany where we split a bratwurst, and pretzel and a piece of apple strudel. The bill came to $15.63 with tax. There werent any open tables in the courtyard area so we walked around to the side of the pavilion where there was outdoor seating area with a few tables. It was a nice day. Not too warm yet. We watched the meet and greet line for Snow White, again marveling how parents are willing to wait in a long line for their kids. I guess if its that important to your child, youll do anything.
We continued our tour around World Showcase and then decided to walk over to the Beach Club for ice cream at Beaches and Cream. We could be seated immediately if we wanted to sit at the counter; otherwise there was a 20 minute wait for a table. We opted for the table and were given a pager. We found a table to sit at outside and settled down to wait. It was less than 20 minutes when the pager went off and we were seated at a table in the center of the restaurant.
Jason ordered the same No Way Jose that he had last time, but I tried the Fudge Mud Slide. While we were there, someone ordered the Kitchen Sink. The server brought it to the table along with a sundae dish of ice cream. She set the sundae dish in front of one of the four people at the table and the kitchen sink in front of a second guy at the table. We noticed that there werent any small dishes on the table like they usually bring when people are sharing a Kitchen Sink, which made us think that maybe the guy was planning to eat it all by himself. Our bill came to $17.53 with tax, tip and a $3.40 TIW discount.
We wandered back to Epcot and spent a little time looking through Mouse Gears, although we didnt buy anything. We noticed that it seems to be the same merchandise everywhere we go.
We decided to call it a day. It was almost 3:00pm and we were tired. We took some pictures of Spaceship Earth on the way out and then drove back to the condo. We showered and then worked our trip reports for awhile. I was looking at our schedule for the rest of the week. Tomorrow, Tuesday was to be a Hollywood Studios day and Thursday was going to be a Magic Kingdom day. However, checking the crowd calendar on the Lines app, it looked like Tuesday would be a better day for the Magic Kingdom and Thursday a better day for the Studios. So we decided to swap days. Thursday was a morning Extra Magic Hour day at the Magic Kingdom and since we werent staying on property, it would put us at a disadvantage to arrive at the park an hour after others had already been there. I was able to move our Thursday morning Kona Caf breakfast to Tuesday and our Tuesday 50s Prime Time lunch to Thursday. Then I went online to the Touring Plans site and updated our personalized touring plans for both days.
Jason suggested that we order Flippers pizza for dinner. Wed read about Flippers in other peoples trip reports and noticed that the restaurant was just a short way down the street in the same complex as Target. I installed their iPhone app and ordered a pizza online to pick up at 6:30pm. We made the short drive and the pizza was ready when we arrived. They didnt seem to have any record that we paid for the pizza online. The manager ran our credit card through again and said that if the first transaction ends up showing up theyll just void it. Because they seemed a reputable establishment, I wasnt too worried about it. He had me forward my email confirmation to them so that they could check it out and figure out why the online payment system wasnt working. The total came to $17.09 (or it could end up being a $34.18 pizza if both transactions go through).
We took the pizza back to the condo and settled in to watch TV. Jason had taken pictures of the outside of the restaurant, the pizza box, the pizza itself and the empty plates and combined them into a photo collage using Diptic, an iPhone app, then posted it on Twitter. Flippers Pizza returned-tweeted a comment about the nice picture. The pizza was delicious.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $3.40
Amount Saved To Date: $63.79
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.20
Steps: 16,483
Day 11 Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Plan: Kona Caf for Breakfast, Magic Kingdom
Actual:
We left at 7:00am for our ADR at Kona Caf. There wasnt much traffic at this time of day so we didnt feel the need to leave quite as early as we did last time. We arrived at the Poly at 7:20am. We checked in and were seated promptly at 7:30am. Our server today was nice, but it seemed like a forced this is part of my job type of friendliness. I ordered the Tonga Toast and Jason ordered the Macadamia Pineapple Pancakes and then we split them in half to share. We also ordered the regular Kona blend coffee. When our server brought the food to our table he also dropped the check off at the same time. Although he said there was no rush and we could take care of the bill when we were ready, we felt rushed. That rushed feeling was compounded by the fact that he cleared Jasons plate practically as soon as he put the last forkful of food in his mouth. He reached for my plate, asking if I was through although Id barely taken a few bites of the pancakes. We had to ask him to leave the syrup and strawberry compote as he had snatched that up at the same time as Jasons empty plate. Its not like the place was busy, there were plenty of empty tables. I quickly finished up my breakfast and we left after settling the bill which came to $30.41 with tax, tip and a TIW discount of $5.89.
We hopped a waiting monorail and were at the Magic Kingdom in no time. What a difference in crowds between today and Sunday. We breezed through security and the turnstiles without any lines. Since wed seen the opening ceremony a couple of times this trip, we sat on the planter off to one side so we were close to the tunnel when the park officially opened.
Id updated our touring plan to take out some steps that we had already done and added some that were important to us. We both wanted to do the Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid at least a couple of times. We think it is really well done and absolutely love this attraction.
One the park opened we headed down Main Street noting that a large crane could be seen behind the castle. I was glad that I had taken plenty of pictures of it before the crane appeared. We walked straight back to Fantasyland to pick up FPs for Under the Sea. Then we decided to head back to the attraction and try to ride it before the line got too long. When we got back there we found that it was closed due to technical difficulties. So we moved on to the next step which was the Tomorrowland Speedway. The posted wait time was 10 minutes but we ended up waiting for 12 minutes. I dont know if its because I havent ridden this for a while, but it seemed like the steering was very touchy. I couldnt seem to keep the car headed straight and constantly swerved from side to side. It was quite embarrassing and I hoped no one noticed.
Next up was Stitchs Great Escape. It wasnt until the restraints started lowering that I remembered how painful this attraction is. This isnt one of our favorites and we usually just do it once per trip and only if the line is short.
Since we were in the area, we headed over to the PeopleMover. We passed Push the talking trashcan and watched him for a while. We spotted his handler nearby. After a quick trip around Tomorrowland on the TTA we then headed back to Fantasyland to do Mickeys PhilharMagic.
By the time we left Mickeys PhilharMagic it was time to use our FPs for Under the Sea so we headed over to New Fantasyland. On the way we picked up FPs for a second ride on Under the Sea and then spotted Cinderellas stepmother and two ugly stepsisters. They were interacting with the crowd and we briefly stopped to watch them before continuing on to the Under the Sea ride. The queue seems really dark, especially after being outside in the bright sunlight. I always seem to stumble through the first part of the queue until my eyes get adjusted to the dark. When we neared the loading area we could see that the ride was stopped. We waited for a few minutes until it started up again. Its a fairly fast loading attraction so it wasnt long before we boarded our clamshell. Again we both really enjoyed this attraction.
Leaving New Fantasyland, we made our way over to Caseys Corner where we shared an order of corn dog nuggets. The total for one order of nuggets was $4.79 with tax. Then we walked along Main Street to the train station. I wanted to get some pictures of Main Street and then we planned to ride the train. While we were up there we noticed a sign announcing that as part of the Limited Time Magic promotion some lost friends would be making an appearance. We waited for a while and out they came, all in a line. Friar Tuck, Robin Hood, Prince John, Scrooge McDuck, Ludwig Von Drake, Three Little Pigs, Big Bad Wolf, Clarabelle Cow, Jiminy Cricket, Gepetto, and Pinocchio to name a few. If the line wasnt so long we would love to meet Jiminy Cricket. Hes Jasons favorite character.
When the train pulled in we boarded, planning to ride at least one loop around the park before deciding where our next destination would be. When the train stopped in Frontierland we could see Pooh and Tigger in the empty queue area for the closed Splash Mountain. I zoomed in as close as I could with my camera to get as big of a picture of Pooh as possible.
When we arrived at the Fantasyland station we decided to get off and head to Tomorrowland to do the Carousel of Progress again. We normally head for the back row, but this time we sat in the second row and I really liked being that close to the stage.
Next we headed over to Adventureland where we each had a Pineapple Float. This time Jason had vanilla ice cream with his pineapple juice. The total came to $10.63 with tax. After taking pictures of it, we found a place to sit nearby. While we were eating, a woman came up to ask us if this was a Dole Whip. We confirmed that it was and directed her to the Aloha Isle.
After we finished the floats we decided to head back to the condo. As we made our way out of Adventureland, Peter Pan ran by us on his way to his designated meet and greet spot. Along the way he would stop briefly to greet small children. He was very playful and impish, a perfect Peter Pan.
We made our way down Main Street and then decided to stop in at the confectionary to get a Mickey chocolate chip cookie with ears dipped in chocolate and a couple of pieces of fudge, even though we werent at all hungry. Well take them back to the condo and nibble on them over the next couple of days. The total for two cookies and two pieces of fudge came to a whopping $20.20.
We made our way to the monorail and headed for the Poly. I had heard that you could get Dole Whip at the counter service location at the Poly and we decided to check it out. Yes, you can but well probably stick to getting it at the Magic Kingdom. It just seems more fun that way.
We headed back to the condo and settled down for an afternoon of writing our trip reports and recharging various electronic gadgets. Later in the evening we made some dinner and ate of our cookies. It was lights out for me by 9:00pm.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.89
Amount Saved To Date: $69.68
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 4.67
Steps: 14,799
Day 12 Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Plan: Downtown Disney, Lunch at Biergarten
Actual:
Today was going to be a peaceful, relaxing day. We planned to eat at Earl of Sandwich, do some shopping and then head over to the World Showcase in the early afternoon to have dinner in Germany at Biergarten.
We left the condo at a little after 8:00am and made the short drive to Downtown Disney. We parked near the T-Rex restaurant in a mostly deserted parking lot, which should have been our first clue. As we walked around we realized that everything was closed. I knew that Earl of Sandwich opened at 8:30am but I didnt check to see when the stores opened. Doing a quick check online it looked like they opened at 9:30am. We considered going to Earl of Sandwich first, but neither of us was at all hungry. It was very chilly out, even for us Oregonians, so we made a trip back to the car for our jackets. Then we decided to walk around taking pictures, which turned out to be a good idea since there wasnt anyone else around.
At 9:00am the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique end of the World of Disney Store opened up and we were able to look through that end of the store. At 9:30 there was a little ceremony to open the rest of the store. One of the little girls who had been to the boutique was chosen to do the honors of opening the rope that closed this end off from the rest of the store. All the cast members lined up on either side and clapped as we walked through them.
We made our way through the store, which isnt anywhere near as large as the World of Disney Store at the Disneyland Resort, although I couldnt really tell you what that store had that this one didnt. I had wanted to find something to give the three co-workers who were filling in for me while I was on vacation. However, everything that seemed like a suitable gift was so expensive. Multiply that by three and it adds up to a big chunk of money. So I held off for now. If I find something Ill get it, otherwise Ill pick up a box of Mickey candy for everyone to share. Ive done that in the past and people seem to enjoy it.
One thing Id been eying was the Mickey nutcrackers. Id seen them in various other places and each time they seemed to be calling me. With Jasons encouragement I decided to get one. I also picked up a few smaller items. We saw a pack of 48 paper coasters with vintage looking characters/scenes on them. Jason thought it would be great to line some of them up inside a frame for display. I thought that was a great idea too and we decided to buy one box and split them. I think it will look nice in my office at work
We took our purchases up to the counter and were able to get a 10% AP discount, which basically covers the sales tax plus a little more. We dont have sales tax in Oregon, if something is marked $20, thats what you pay so its always a little bit of shock when we shop in other states.
We decided to put our purchases in the trunk along with our jackets. It was starting to warm up and we didnt want to lug everything around with us. Wed spent over an hour in the World of Disney store and decided to head over to Earl of Sandwich to eat before it got too crowded.
There were only a couple of people in line and most of the tables were empty. We ordered our sandwiches, I had the Hawaiian BBQ and Jason had the Earls Club, we also ordered two cups of coffee and a triple chocolate brownie sandwich with vanilla cream in the middle. We were able to get a 10% AP discount which brought the total to $17.79.
We found a table inside and after taking pictures of everything, we dug in. The food was good. The brownie was outstanding, very moist and fresh. When we got up to leave we could see the line at the counter was very long and we were glad that ate when we did.
We worked our way around the various stores. When we reached Ghirardelli we were given our samples, which we saved for later. We decided to get ice cream. Wed always wanted to eat here, but the timing hadnt worked out. I ordered the hot fudge sundae and Jason ordered the brownie sundae. We sat at a table outside. Although the sundaes were large, fortunately they werent as large as the ones at Beaches and Cream. We were still stuffed when we finished. Again, we received a 10% AP discount which brought the total to $17.16.
While we ate we noticed a Guest Relations area directly next door. We had planned to upgrade our annual passes to premier passes sometime during the trip. We have a trip to Disneyland planned for February and this way we can use our passes for both trips. Before the passes expire well plan either one more trip to WDW or one or two trips to Disneyland.
The cast member who helped us was earning her ears and had another cast member helping her. She had to refund the cost of the annual pass and then apply that refunded price to the price of the premier pass. We had purchased our AP vouchers last year right before the price increase. We were pleased to see that they used the current AP price of $611.31 instead of the $552.74 that we actually paid. This saved us almost $60.
At this point we looked at the clock and realized that we had less than 2-1/2 hours until our ADR at Biergarten and there was no way wed be hungry by then. We decided to cancel our ADR and just have a relaxing afternoon back at the condo. We made a quick trip back to Goofys Candy Company to pick up a box of candy for my co-workers and Jason added a piece of chocolate nut fudge. We were glad to find that we could get a 10% AP discount here as well.
We finished our shopping and headed back to the condo. We each worked on our trip reports for a few hours and then watched some TV. Later in the evening we heated up a can of soup, but werent even the slightest bit interested in nibbling on our cookies or the fudge.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $0.00
Amount Saved To Date: $69.68
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 2.94
Steps: 9,341
Day 13 Thursday, January 24, 2013
Plan: Disneys Hollywood Studios; 50s Prime Time Caf for Lunch
Actual:
Today was originally going to be a Magic Kingdom day, but after checking the crowd calendar we decided to swap our Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom days to take advantage of lower crowd levels and avoid an EMH morning at Magic Kingdom.
As usual, we worked on our trip reports for awhile before leaving the condo at 8:15am. I missed the first exit for some reason so we took the next one and took the longer route to the entrance on the other side of DHS. Stitch was out in front of the turnstiles and even though he isnt one of my favorite characters, I took a picture of him. Because Im not willing to stand in a long line to get a picture of a character, I have to be content getting pictures with other guests in them, or try to snap a quick picture between guests. Not usually the best angles. This time I lucked out getting a photo without anyone else around.
Once the park opened a few minutes before 8:45am, we headed down the street stopping a couple of times to take pictures, especially of the Sorcerers Hat. Our first stop was for FPs for Toy Story, and then we hopped into the standby line. Jason scored 210,400 and I scored 162,800, which is good for me.
Our next stop was the Great Movie Ride. We entered the attraction and saw that there were quite a few people in line ahead of us, which we thought was unusual for this time of the morning. As soon as we joined the line, an announcement was made that the ride wasnt currently operating but should be up and running in a few minutes. The announcement caused one family to leave the line in a huff, complaining that it would have been nice to know this before theyd waited in line for a half an hour. I thought this was unusual because the park hadnt even been open for a half hour.
We waited just a few minutes before the ride opened up again and we were able to get on the next set of vehicles. We got the gangster scene again, just like we did the other time last week. Even though I knew from past experience that pictures taken during the ride dont usually turn out well, I couldnt help myself and snapped away. Mid way through the ride, I switched from my camera to my iPhone and the quality was much better. The iPhone seems to do very well taking pictures in low light situations.
Next stop was Starring Rolls Caf where we decided to sample three of the four cupcakes that were offered. One was a Chocolate Butterfinger, one a Red Velvet, and the third was a Chocolate Peanut Butter. We also got coffee as a way to cut the sweetness. All three were delicious, but extremely sweet.
We hadnt yet done Star Tours on this trip. Actually, we hadnt yet done it on any trip to WDW so far. So we headed over to pick up FPs. It was about 10:15am at this time and our FP return time was for 10:55am.
Next we headed over to Toy Story to use our FPs. Jasons score was the best in our vehicle. Looking at the time, we realized that if we hurried we could make it to the next class of the Animation Academy. We made it with a couple of minutes to spare. This time we learned to draw Pluto. I love this class and am always amazed that I end up with a drawing that is at least recognizable as the character were drawing.
It was time to use our Star Tours FPs. We moved through the queue so quickly that I wasnt able to take any pictures. Before I knew it we were loaded into the vehicle. Weve ridden this attraction many times at Disneyland although not since it was updated. I was used to putting my things in a net under the seat, much like the one on Soarin. In this attraction, everything went directly onto the floor under the seat and there was a net stretched across the front of the row of seats. It didnt seem very secure and I spent the whole ride waiting for my iPhone to slip out of the pocket of my mini backpack and slide to the front of the vehicle. Everything managed to stayed intact and I guess I worried for nothing. We both enjoyed the ride and look forwarding to riding it at Disneyland in February.
We debated what to do next. Muppets was nearby but since this attraction is also at Disneyland, we wanted to do something that we couldnt do in California. We decided on the Backlot Tour, even though it isnt our favorite attraction. We waited for less than 10 minutes and then were herded into the first part of the tour where the special effects water tank is located. There were no volunteers so the cast member basically told us how things would have been done had there been actors working. Without the volunteers, it was kind of lame. We moved on to walk through the prop area and then boarded the tram. Other than seeing a few of the Lights, Motors, Action drivers practicing in the back stage area, it was basically just something to do to fill the time. Id heard this was a possible location for something similar to Cars Land at Disneyland and that sounds like a great idea to me. After the tour we skipped the AFI exhibit as we had looked through there last week.
We still had some time before our ADR for 50s Prime Time so we decided to walk around the park taking pictures and reporting wait times. I earned a badge for reporting wait times for every attraction on Sunset Blvd., which wasnt at all difficult to do since there are just a couple of them. We detoured through the candy shop on Sunset and were given a free sample of a marshmallow dipped in colored coarse sugar. We sat down to munch on these before moving over to the Echo Lake area. We had to hustle to make it across the street before the Disney Channel Rocks float came by.
We found a bench facing Echo Lake and sat for a while just enjoying the nice day and the peaceful surroundings. At 1:15pm we headed over to 50s Prime Time to check in for our 1:30pm ADR. After waiting for about five minutes in the Lounge, we were seated at our table. This time we both ordered the sampler plate with fried chicken, pot roast and meatloaf, along with vanilla Cokes. The food was excellent, especially the fried chicken. It was a lot of food, so we decided against dessert. We settled the bill which came to $49.91 including tax, tip and a $9.67 TIW discount.
After lunch I suggested seeing Beauty and Beast again and Jason thought that was a good idea. We always this near the back of the theater and this time we wanted to be closer to the stage. We ended up maybe 6 or 7 rows from the front and it was great. We always enjoy this show, but being closer to the stage, where you really see the actors faces, made a big difference.
At this point, we decided to call it a day and head back to the condo. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on our trip reports, then fixed some dinner and watched TV.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $9.67
Amount Saved To Date: $79.35
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 3.98
Steps: 12,616
Day 14 Friday, January 25, 2013
Plan: Epcot in the AM, Magic Kingdom in the PM
Actual:
Today was supposed to be the day when we do our favorites things one more time at both Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. However, when discussing our plans the night before, we decided to just do the Magic Kingdom. Now that the bakery in France is no longer our favorite World Showcase destination, we decided that we really wanted to be at the Magic Kingdom to ride the new Under the Sea attraction at least a few more times.
We also talked about what to do on Saturday, our final day. Our flight doesnt leave until 6:30 in the evening so we had already arranged for a late check-out. Jason suggested another breakfast at Kona Caf and then a tour of the monorail resorts. I thought this was a good idea so I booked a 9:10am reservation at Kona Caf using the My Disney Experience app on my iPhone.
It was a really foggy morning. When I opened the drapes in the living room I couldnt see anything beyond the balcony. It was chilly out but we decided against jackets because it was supposed to warm up later and we didnt want to be stuck lugging them around all day.
We left the condo at 8:11am, a little later than we would have liked. Traffic was heavier on 192. We parked and headed to the TTC. I wanted to ride the ferry, because we hadnt yet done that, but as we headed that direction we overheard a cast member announcing that the ferry wasnt running, so we detoured to the monorail. We boarded the next monorail at 8:43am and were on our way. The fog was already starting to lift.
There were already more people waiting at bag check and the turnstiles than wed encountered at any other time. We decided in the future it would be worth it to arrive earlier and not deal with the crowds. Once we reached the turnstiles, we each chose different lines. The opening ceremony was underway and people were jammed into the area in front of the train station. We both made it through the turnstiles and then came to a dead stop directly on the other side. There was literally no more room for anyone to go through. We waited there until the opening ceremony ended and people started to move out into the park.
We walked briskly down Main Street. I slowed just a bit to take a picture of the row of Cast Members lined up waving at us with their large white Mickey gloves. I love that they do that.
As planned, we headed directly to Fantasyland to pick up a FP for Under the Sea. Then we walked over to ride the attraction standby. As we past the Be Our Guest restaurant Jason suggested that we should eat lunch here, waiting in whatever line there was. My first reaction was to not do that. I didnt look forward to waiting in line for an hour just to eat there. We continued on to Under the Sea where the posted wait time was 5 minutes. We actually didnt stop walking until we boarded our clam-mobile. After a great ride, we immediately got into line again and waited 2 minutes for our next ride. This time the ride stopped twice for some reason during the beginning of our ride, but we were soon on our way.
We had a few minutes until our FP window opened up so we headed for a restroom break next to Gastons Tavern. By then Id had time to digest Jasons suggestion of having lunch at Be Our Guest and was fully on board with the idea. We used our FPs for Under the Sea and then headed directly over to the restaurant.
When we joined the line at 10:00am, we were at the end of the bridge. Soon a Cast Member started urging everyone to move forward, filling in all available space, so we ended up in the middle of the bridge. I was thinking that the restaurant opened at 11:00am, but was very happy to find that it opened at 10:30am. Waiting 30 minutes in line was definitely more appealing than one hour. Soon after we got in line a Cast Member came through the line offering menus. We looked over the menu and I decided on the Steak Sandwich, while Jason decided on the Braised Pork. For dessert I wanted the Chocolate Cream Puff and Jason wanted the Triple Chocolate Cupcake. After a while the Cast Member came back through the line to pick up the menus. She and I talked for a few minutes about what we were planning to order. When I told her, she said that those were her favorites. It was then that I realized that every conversation about food that I had with a Cast Member involved them telling me that it was their favorite too. Either I have an uncanny ability to choose the best thing on the menu, or Cast Members are trained to agree with the guests choice as a way to promote good guest relations.
Promptly at 10:25am, the doors to the restaurant opened and the line began to move. As we entered the castle we were split into two lines, which moved along fairly quickly. Along the way there were menus posted between the two lines. When we reached the head of the line, a Cast Member stood at a podium. Beyond him we could see a large room with multiple ordering stations set up. We were asked how we intended to pay. After telling him that we would pay by Visa, we were handed a large round plastic rose and directed to one of the numbered ordering stations. We placed our order and then headed out to the main ballroom.
The ballroom was very large, with magnificent chandeliers and tons of tables. We stopped at the drink area to fill our coffee cups and then found a table along the wall at the far end of the room. We placed the rose on the table. I went to get silverware and by the time I came back, our food had arrived. It was delivered in a glass covered cart by a Cast Member. I imagine the rose contains an RFID to let them know where we were seated and which order was ours. It was 15 minutes from the time the restaurant opened until our food arrived.
The food was delicious and it was so fun to be there. We were very happy that we made this last minute decision. The desserts were small, which was great. Sometimes the desserts are so large that you dont have room for both an entre and dessert without making yourself sick. We lingered for awhile over our meal, really enjoying the atmosphere. There were still empty tables available so we didnt feel like we needed to rush so that someone else could sit down. We decided that we definitely need to do this again on our next trip. Next time I want to try to Braised Pork and Jason wants to try to Steak Sandwich. The bill came to $37.00. No Tables in Wonderland discount was available for lunch.
Before leaving we checked out the other rooms and took pictures. We headed out of New Fantasyland and over to Old Fantasyland. We noticed that the FP return time for Under the Sea was 12:15pm, so each grabbed one. Since Mickeys PhilharMagic was right next door, we headed over there next. Afterwards, we looked through the gift shop outside of the attraction. Then, because there was almost no wait, we did Its a Small World. We basically walked on to the ride. We asked if we could wait for the front row and the Cast Member agreed. We boarded the next boat and it was great to be able to take pictures (without a flash of course) without other peoples heads in the way. My iPhone did a really good job in the low light atmosphere, better than my regular camera.
It was time to use our FPs for Under the Sea, so we headed back to New Fantasyland, where we discovered the ride was shut down. I posted this information on the Lines app before heading over to Adventureland for one last Dole Whip Float. This time I got the float with vanilla instead of pineapple. Jason prefers this combination. It was good, but when you think about it, I can get pineapple juice with vanilla ice cream anytime. Neither of us was hungry since wed just finished lunch about an hour ago, but we knew this was our last opportunity of the trip to get a Dole Whip. The total came to $10.63.
We decided to head up to the front of the park and check out the Limited Time Magic Long, Lost Friends character meet and greet. Jason had read about it online and we wanted to see some of these characters that dont make regular appearances in the park. We joined the long line in front of the train station for I think Robin Hood and Friar Tuck. We waited in the hot sun for 15 minutes not really sure when they were scheduled to make an appearance. I was getting a little irritable and tired of waiting. I encouraged Jason to stay in line and I would just find someplace to sit down, but he was tired of waiting too. We walked over to the Fire Station and stood in the shade with a good view of the backstage area where we imagined the characters would come from. We stood there for probably another 15 minutes and were about to give up completely when they all emerged in a line and made their way to their designated greeting areas.
After quickly snapping many pictures of all the characters, we followed Jiminy Cricket over to his spot in front of Tonys and tried to get pictures in between the other guests that were waiting in line to meet him and Gepetto. Not willing to wait in the huge lines that had formed for each character, we decided to be satisfied with the pictures wed taken and moved over to Tomorrowland.
We decided on one last ride on the TTA. I took one picture of Jason while we were on the ride, but basically decided to just enjoy the view without trying to get a decent picture. While on the ride, I checked online to see if Under the Sea was up and running again. It was so after leaving the TTA we headed over to New Fantasyland. It was well past the return window for our FP so I wasnt sure how this was going to work. I started to explain to the Cast Member that we were here earlier but the ride was down. She obviously knew that and waved us through without waiting for me to finish my explanation.
It was probably around 2:00pm at this time so we stopped to regroup and figure out our next step. Wed accomplished our main goals for the day which was to ride Under the Sea multiple times, do some of our other favorite attractions and have one final Dole Whip Float. Wed also had the bonus of eating lunch at Be Our Guest, which we hadnt expected to do at all this trip. Jason had wanted some ice cream, but the lines were too long plus we were both full from lunch and the Dole Whip. We decided to call it a day and head back to the condo. I suggested that we stop at Publix on the way to pick up some ice cream and the makings for sundaes so we could have ice cream later in the evening. Jason agreed so we made a quick stop and picked up some vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce, whipped cream and then added some root beer for possible floats. While Jason looked for the fudge sauce, I picked out the ice cream. I thought Id picked up regular vanilla ice cream, but when we got back to the condo Jason noticed that Id actually picked up low-fat vanilla yogurt. We both considered that unacceptable while on vacation so we headed back out to Publix to pick up real vanilla ice cream. We both know that as soon as we get home well have to get right back to following Weight Watchers so we werent willing to compromise on this final splurge.
Finally back at the condo, we decided to make root beer floats and then did some laundry while we worked on our trip reports. I was checking to see why our ADR for Kona Caf tomorrow wasnt showing up in my reservations, even when I entered the confirmation #. Finally, I realized that when I made the reservation on my phone the day before, the date was set for Friday, not Saturday. So we had basically been a no show to our ADR that morning, which is something I really try not to do. Fortunately, I was able to book the reservation again for the correct day.
Later in the evening, we fixed some dinner, trying to use up some of the remaining groceries and then had hot fudge sundaes, which we watched more episodes of Sports Night.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $0.00
Amount Saved To Date: $79.35
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.24
Steps: 16,602
Day 15 Saturday, January 26, 2013
Plan: Breakfast at Kona Caf, Monorail Resort Tour, Pack and Fly Home
Actual:
Our reservation for Kona Caf was for 9:05am. We left the condo around 8:30am and then worried that we wouldnt make it in time but we made good time and had a few minutes to spare before our ADR time. We were given a beeper and waited just a few minutes before being seated. This time we were seated at one of the tables right along the front of the restaurant, along the railing. Normally, I do not like to sit here because I feel like people waiting to be seated stare at you whether they are aware of it or not. We sat so that our backs were to the outside of the restaurant and fortunately it wasnt crowded so no one was really waiting out there.
We both ordered the Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes, which were as delicious as always. We both ordered cups of the regular Kona blend coffee which we overheard the server explain to another table was made up of 30% 100% Kona coffee. For some reason our server disappeared part way through our meal and we waited a long time for her to bring us the check. We were anxious to be on our way so I handed her my Visa and Tables in Wonderland card when she brought the check so we could speed up the process. The total with tax and tip came to $27.83 including a TIW discount of $5.39.
After breakfast we boarded a waiting monorail and made our way to the Grand Floridian. We walked around the lobby and took pictures before moving on to the Contemporary. It was here that we realized that this tour was kind of a waste of time. Wed seen all the monorail resorts before and unless theres something special like the Christmas decorations, there really wasnt any point in make the rounds of the three resorts.
We boarded the next monorail and headed back to the Poly. We retrieved the car and headed back to the condo to pack. One of the challenges in staying in a large condo was that it took more time to pack because we had our belongings spread out over 1900 square feet of space. We had quite a bit of leftover food that we had to deal with. We filled a garbage bag with the food that had been opened, but left some of the unopened food on the counter just in case the housekeeper wanted it.
Even though I hadnt purchased a lot of souvenirs, I did have enough that I was worried that I wouldnt be able to fit everything in my suitcases. The nutcracker was well wrapped and took up a lot of space. Finally, everything was gathered up and packed. I took some time to take pictures of the condo just in case I wasnt able to recover the six days of photos that I lost. We had time to spare so we watched some TV for a while and then decided to head to the airport.
We loaded up the car and headed to the lobby to check out. Then we set the GPS for the airport and headed out. Not being familiar with the drive to the airport, it took awhile before I started to question the direction the GPS was taking us. I had a vague thought that possibly it was set to avoid toll roads but didnt realize until later that it was also set to avoid highways for some reason. I also started to worry about running out of gas. We had purchased the full tank of gas and wanted to avoid putting any additional gas in the car if at all possible. The car had a nice feature that it would display the number of miles until the tank was on empty. As we kept driving, I watched the number drop down lower and lower. I wasnt sure how accurate the number was and hoped that we wouldnt run out of gas and miss our flight. Finally, we reached the airport after taking a number of surface streets. As we pulled into the Avis return area, I noted that we had 9 miles left until the tank was empty. We really got out moneys worth out of that tank.
The return process at Avis was quick and easy. We trudged into the airport with our two bags a piece and made our way all the way down to the Alaska Airlines check in counter, which was in the opposite direction that the Avis attendant told us.
We quickly checked in and were warned that there were long lines at security. This was definitely the case. Fortunately, we knew we had plenty of time so we werent overly concerned. We lucked out and were directed to the line the seemed to have very few people and it moved quickly. I managed to get through the line quickly and gracefully. My shoes were off, bags on the conveyor, I felt completely in control of the whole thing.
We made our way to the gate and sat down to wait. Our flight boarded at 6:00pm and we settled into our seats. This time we were in row 2 so we were able to stow our carry on under the seats in front of us. As soon as we were seated, we were served a bowl of warm nuts and handed the dinner menu to peruse. The appetizer was a mixed green salad with feta, cucumbers and tomatoes, and a warm dinner roll. For the entre we had a choice of either Coq Au Vin with pearl onions and mushrooms, roasted red potatoes and broccolini, or prosciutto wrapped cod with sage, sun dried tomato tapenade, linguine, grilled asparagus and baby carrots. We both chose the Coq Au Vin. Dessert was Chuckanut Bay Very Berry Cheesecake. The food was delicious.
After dinner we spent the time reading, watching sitcoms on the DigEplayer and working on our trip reports. We were both tired. This was the first time wed taken a late flight and as nice as it was to not have to leave for the airport before dawn, it was difficult to stay awake after a busy day. I ended up dozing off and on for part of the flight.
We landed in Seattle around 9:45pm. Our flight to Portland left on time at 11:00pm and we landed around 11:45pm. PDX was deserted and most everything was closed. It felt very strange to be there when no one else was around. We retrieved our luggage and called the Ramada shuttle to pick us up. The driver was there within 10 minutes and we were soon dropped off at the front of the hotel. As we dragged our bags around the building to the back parking lot in the freezing cold I again regretted bringing this much luggage.
While Jason loaded up the car, I got in and started it up. In the back of my mind there was always the thought that after sitting for two weeks, the battery would be dead. But it fired right up.
After a slight detour after taking a wrong turn, we finally ended up on the right highway and pulled into our driveway a little after 1:00am. Its a long trip across country, which is why we try to stay at least 10 days. It was a wonderful trip, with a lot of fun times and great food.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.39
Amount Saved To Date: $84.74
Summary:
This trip was exactly what we had hoped it would be. We did a lot, but didn't feel like we rushed around. Being there for two weeks gave us plenty of time to do everything that we planned to do. We really enjoyed the condo and will definitely stay here again. It was great to have the extra space, the kitchen and laundry facilities, and the living room to relax in. The staff was super friendly and helpful and the drive really wasnt bad at all.
Our next trip will be to Disneyland the last week of February to celebrate my birthday. Were hoping to make one more trip to Disney World the first part of January, right before our passes expire. Weve talked about seeing if my mom and dad (Jasons grandparents) would like to come along with us to Disney World. If they do, well probably stay on property. With four people, its nice to have the convenience of using Disney transportation in case we want to go separate ways. Also, with the upcoming changes, like FP plus, we want to be able to take advantage of them.
By the way, when I returned to work I asked our IT guy if there was a way to recover my lost pictures from the portable hard drive. He gave me the name of some free software to download and it did the trick. I was able to recover over 1,000 pictures. I dont believe Im missing anything, at least nothing that I remember. He is a genius!
Thanks for hanging in to the bitter end of this long report. If youd like to see some of my pictures, I moved them into an album on Flickr that you can access by following this link.
Travel method: Flying from Portland; Oregon; Rental Car
Accommodations: All Star Vacation Homes Condo at Lighthouse Key Resort & Spa
Ages Represented in Group: 33 and 54
Cast: Patty (me, 54) and Jason (son, 33)
Experience Represented in Group: This is our fourth trip. Prior trips were in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
Background:
Our last trip to WDW was in November of 2009 when we went for 10 days with my parents (Jasons grandparents). While it was fun to be able to show WDW to people who have never been before, were really looking forward to a trip with just the two of us. After multiple trips to WDW and Disneyland, weve figured out our own routine and were looking forward to a full, but relaxing two weeks.
Our last Disney theme park trip was in June 2010 when we went with my parents, my sister, and my niece and nephew to Disneyland. Ive been plagued with arthritis in my knees for quite a few years and realized during that trip that any future trips would necessitate me renting an ECV in order to avoid the constant severe knee pain I experienced. In early 2011, the arthritis progressed to the point where my doctor recommended total knee replacements. I had my right knee replaced in May 2011 and the left knee replaced in November 2011. 2012 was spent getting back into shape and working to strengthen my knees. My bionic knees and I are really looking forward to this trip.
Planning:
Travel Specialist
We used MouseFan Travel for our last two trips to WDW and it worked out beautifully. Coleen, our travel agent really went the extra mile to make sure we had a great trip. I emailed her to see if she could still book our trip for us even though we decided to stay offsite in a condo rather than on Disney property. Luckily, she was able to, so we emailed her the information on the condo we wanted and she booked it for us. The whole process was very easy.
Admission
The plan was for us to purchase annual passes so that we can get in a second trip during the first part of January 2014 just before they expire. Id been watching Mousesavers.com for any news of a ticket price increase. When Disneyland increased their ticket prices towards the end of May, I knew Disney World wasnt far behind. Five days after we purchased our APs, Disney World upped their ticket prices. This resulted in us saving just under $57 each.
Accommodations
The original plan was to stay at Pop Century in two preferred rooms so we would be close to the food court and to cut down the amount of walking. We were really spoiled by staying at Port Orleans French Quarter last time, but it just wasnt in the budget for this trip. On a whim I decided to check out the All Star Vacation Homes website since Id heard good things about them on one of the podcasts I listen to regularly. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the cost for the condo was equal to booking two preferred rooms at Pop Century with a 20% discount, assuming a discount was even available during our dates.
So after checking out floor plans and photos of many different condos, we decided on a three bedroom condo at the Lighthouse Key Resort & Spa. We decided on a three bedroom even though we only need two because that was the only way we could get two master bedroom suites. All the two bedroom condos we looked at had one bedroom with a king bed and a second bedroom with two twin beds. Neither of us wanted to sleep in a twin bed so this seemed the way to go. We also requested a late check-out since our return flight doesnt leave until 6:30pm. This way we can be as late as we want to at a park on our last night here and then sleep in the next morning, pack, and even make one last visit to a park if we choose, before driving to the airport. Thanks to a discount code from AllEars.net, we were able to save $125 off our reservation.
A few of the other great things we like about the condo are having a living room to relax in at the end of the day with a 40 TV and DVD player, a full kitchen completely stocked with all major appliances (stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, toaster, blender, microwave, coffeemaker, mixer), pots and pans, dishes, etc., a washer and dryer, high speed internet access and a private balcony. There is also a club house with a movie theater, deli and gift shop, business center, spa and a large pool.
Now if were traveling with small children where the majority of the cooking, cleaning and laundry chores fell to me, then I would be less than thrilled staying in accommodations where I was doing the same chores on vacation that I do at home. But because Jason and I are both adults and capable of taking care of ourselves, then I think this will work out just fine. I can pack fewer clothes because its easy to toss a load of laundry in the washer while we do other things. We still plan to eat plenty of our meals out, either at the parks or at off-site restaurants. It will be nice though to have a fridge stocked with beverages, snacks, breakfast items, and easy to prepare frozen meals rather than spend the money on an over-priced burger in a crowded food court.
Of course, staying off site means that we miss out on the benefits available only to those staying on property. On our first trip in 2005, we took advantage of almost all the Extra Magic Hours that were offered. We quickly discovered that it was just too difficult for us and midway through the trip we were exhausted. The next two trips we scaled back to just an occasional morning Extra Magic Hour and found it much more to our liking. Almost without exception we arrive prior to park opening and by avoiding the parks with Extra Magic Hours, visiting during less busy times, and using a good touring plan, we find we have plenty of time to see and do what we want without wearing ourselves out.
Since our flight to Orlando leaves so early in the morning, well book a Park n Fly package at the Ramada Inn near the Portland airport. At this time of year, icy roads could be an issue and I didnt want to make the 25 mile trip to the airport from the suburbs. Our return flight to Portland doesnt arrive until almost midnight, so we may decide to spend another night near the airport and drive home on Sunday morning.
Transportation
Flying is really the only reasonable option for us. We decided to use some of our Alaska Airlines miles to purchase our tickets from Portland to Orlando. Starting mid-January I checked the Alaska website daily and as soon as our departure date was available for booking we jumped on it and each booked a first class ticket using our miles. Well leave Portland at 6:30am for a 50 minute flight to Seattle, and then depart at around 9:00am for a non-stop flight to Orlando, arriving at 5:16pm.
Two weeks later it was time to book our return flight home. This time we used Jasons Alaska Visa companion fare discount which allows him to add a companion ticket for $99.00, plus tax. We booked an evening flight that leaves MCO at 6:25pm, arrives in Seattle at 9:35pm, departs Seattle at 11:00pm and arrives in Portland at 11:45pm. Total cost was $916 for two first class seats, or $458 per person. Having this companion fare discount is the absolute only way wed ever be able to afford to fly first class. Unfortunately, Alaska Airlines made a change last summer that eliminated the ability to use the companion fare on first class tickets. We each still have one more discount code that we can use for a first class fare, but after that well have to fly coach.
With the exception of our first trip to WDW when we relied solely on Disney transportation, weve always rented a car, even when staying on property. We just like the convenience of having our own transportation. Since were off-site this time, a rental car is a necessity. We had the option of adding a rental car to our All Star Vacation Homes reservation for approximately $350 for two weeks. After doing a quick check online this seemed like a good rate, since I was seeing rentals running at over $600 even with the best discount/coupon codes I could find. Thinking that our rental car was taken care of, I didnt give it another thought until I was pricing rentals online for a possible Disneyland trip in February and on a whim plugged in our January WDW dates. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Alamo had a rate of $311 for the two weeks and quickly booked it. I made a quick call to All Star Vacation Homes and dropped the rental car from our condo reservation. I must have timed it just right, because shortly afterwards the rates had jumped back up to over $700. I continued to check rates and rebooked two more times before ending up with an amazing rate of $164 from Avis for the two weeks, taxes and fees included. This was through the Costco Travel website.
Dining
We plan to eat most of our meals in Disney restaurants, although we will stock the condo fridge with snacks and a few easy to prepare meals. Most mornings well eat a light breakfast in the condo to tide us over so we dont have to use valuable park opening time to stop and eat.
Around the end of June we sat down armed with our laptops, browsers opened to Disney restaurant listings and menus, and made a list of all the eating establishments we wanted to be sure to hit on this trip including table service meals, counter service snacks and snacks. We ended up with a list of nine table service meals, which works out to a little more than one every other day. The list includes:
- Sunday, January 13 Beaches and Cream (lunch)
- Monday, January 14 50s Prime Time (lunch)
- Wednesday, January 16 Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
- Friday, January 18 Hollywood & Vine (Fantasmic Dining Package)
- Saturday, January 19 Trails End Restaurant (dinner)
- Sunday, January 20 Kona Caf (breakfast)
- Monday, January 21 Le Cellier (lunch)
- Wednesday, January 23 Biergarten (lunch)
- Thursday, January 24 Kona Caf (breakfast)
Activities
We plan to do the Fantasmic Dining Package. I know some people dont think this is worth it because the reserved seating area is off to the side, but we found the view to be just fine when it we did it several years ago. My main reason for doing it is so we dont have to stand in line for so long waiting for the theatre to open. I dont mind getting there early and waiting in my seat.
Another thing we really want to do is the Tomorrowland Terrace Wishes Dessert Party at the Magic Kingdom. I tried to book it at the same time as my other ADRs but quickly discovered that availability for the dessert party didnt open up at the 180 day mark, but rather at around 60 days. The first part of November came and went and Disney still hadnt released the dates for the January parties. Finally, on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, they opened up reservations for the month of January. I pounced on January 20 and booked it for the two of us. A few days later we decided to splurge and do it a second time so I was able to book the party for January 16. I absolutely love Wishes and this seems the best way to see it without the long wait and without the crush of the crowd around me.
RideMax/Touring Plans.com
As always, I created my usual array of Excel spreadsheets as a way to track park hours, best/worst days to visit each park, crowd level projections from TouringPlans.com, Extra Magic Hours, our ADRs, etc. As information was made available, I entered it into the spreadsheet. After we made our list of the eating establishments we wanted to visit, it was time to nail down the specifics of which park to visit each day. To make things a little easier, I cut squares of paper that were color-coded and labeled by park. Each park was a different color and there were colors for dining, parades/fireworks, and miscellaneous things, like grocery store visits, and Downtown Disney visits. I printed a grid onto a sheet of card stock with columns labeled with each day of our trip and each day broken down into three parts, morning, afternoon and evening. Taking the squares of colored paper, we began to fit them into the grid, arranging and re-arranging numerous time until we ended up with a plan that covered everything we wanted to do.
In the past Ive used RideMax to come up with our touring plans. Ive used it for a few years and am very familiar with how it works and how to manipulate it to get results that work best for us. But I was also intrigued by the TouringPlans.com personalized touring plans that are included with their very reasonable subscription which I already had. I begin to experiment with the two sites side by side and quickly decided that Touring Plans was the way to go. I liked being able to put the steps of my touring plan in the order that we wanted and then have the program evaluate it and give me the projected wait times. Another feature of the Touring Plans website is the ability to optimize our plans on our smart phones while were in the park so that it takes into account current wait times.
GPS
As usual Ill be bringing my GPS because I have a really terrible sense of direction. The custom POI file that Mary Waring from MouseSavers has available on her site is really helpful because all the places we plan to visit are already loaded and ready for us.
Trip Insurance
For the first time we decided to purchase trip insurance mainly because the condo was non-refundable at the 30 day mark.
Summary:
After a great deal of planning, finally everything was in place. Now all we need to do is count down the days until our vacation begins.
Day 0 Friday, January 11, 2013
Plan: Pack, relax until early afternoon, check into the Ramada, get a good night's sleep
Actual:
I was up at 5:45am, which is about 15 minutes past my regular wake-up time. Its much easier to get up when you know youre headed to Disney. Promptly at 6:30am I was checking in for our flight the next day. I was mid-way through the process when I realized that the seats for our flight from Seattle to Orlando had changed. We had selected row 2 when we booked our flight and now it showed us in row 1. We didnt want row one because you have stow your carry-on in the overhead bin rather than under the seat in front of you. I called customer service and they confirmed that our seats changed during a schedule change. Of course at this point in time, there werent any other seats available, so she noted it in our reservation and told us to check with the counter when we get to the airport. If they were unable to switch us to different seats, she said to ask for compensation and wed be given a discount code to use for our next flight. While this was a minor setback, we decided this wasnt going to mar our trip. If we end up in the first row, wed definitely have more legroom. After hanging up, we each checked in for the flight on our phones. This is my first trip with a smart phone and Im definitely looking forward to the using it extensively on the trip.
The day past quickly and I was busy the entire time. I kept thinking of last minute things to do around the house. Finally, we were packed and ready to go a little after 2:00pm. We loaded up the car and at exactly 2:23pm we headed out to the Ramada near the Portland Airport. We like to stay there because its reasonably priced, we earn Wyndham Rewards that we can use when we stay at Howard Johnsons in Anaheim, and we can park the car for two weeks with their Park n Fly package. We arrived at around 3:00pm,
After a short wait to check-in, we headed to our rooms and brought in the luggage. We decided to head out for an early dinner so that we could be back at the hotel and settled in for the night. As usual, we headed up the street to the local Elmers Restaurant where we each had the triple berry crepes, eggs and bacon/sausage. The crepes were delicious, especially since Jason and I have been watching what we eat since July and this was our first real splurge.
Dinner was quick and we were soon back at the hotel. After getting things organized, Jason came over to my room and we settled in to watch TV while we each worked on our trip reports. There was a nice HD TV in the room, but unfortunately the quality of the picture was really fuzzy. Since tomorrow was an early day, we said goodnight at 7:00pm and Jason went to his room. I puttered around for a bit before turning in at 8:00pm.
Day 1 Saturday, January 12, 2013
Plan: Travel to Orlando
Actual:
The alarm woke me at 3:00am. I hadnt slept very well, a combination of being in unfamiliar surroundings and excitement for our trip. It was easy to get up and I quickly showered and dressed. I texted Jason and he came over a few minutes later. We had brought a few things from home for a quick breakfast. After eating, Jason took a few things out to the car and then we headed up to the lobby with our two bags a piece and our carry on. I was already regretting bringing two pieces of luggage it was only going to get more difficult to maneuver around with all those bags.
We quickly checked out and joined a small group of people that continued to get larger. Promptly at 4:40am the shuttle bus pulled up. The bags were quickly loaded in the back and we all piled into the bus. The first few rows were occupied so we had to squeeze our way to the back row. Definitely not a graceful sight to behold.
The airport was a quick five minute ride away. We gathered our luggage and quickly made our way to the check-in counter. There were quite a number of people in line, but fortunately no one was in the first class line. After checking our bags, I asked about the possibility of changing our row 1 seats to row 2. She checked and although the passengers in row 2 hadnt yet checked in, she wasnt able to do anything and suggested we check at the counter in Seattle. I started to get the feeling that everyone was just passing us along to the next person because they didnt know how to deal with this.
The trip through security was quick. We were able to use the express lane, which meant that I didnt have time to get organized. Every time we go through security I vow that the next time Im going to be super organized and not end up half undressed with a big mess of my belongings in my arms. Because there was no line, I hadnt had time to take off my shoes, unpack my laptop, and put away my ID. I fumbled around for what seemed like forever and finally got everything out and in bins. Because of my two knee replacement surgeries last year I was expecting to be pulled aside for an intimate pat-down, but found that PDX uses the full body scanners. It was so quick and easy that I didnt have time to think about someone looking at me without any clothes on. We redressed and repacked everything and after a quick stop to buy a pack of gum, we headed for the Board Room. It was shortly after 5:00am and we had about an hour until our flight was due to board.
After checking in at the desk, we found a couple of seats by the window near an electrical outside so I could charge my phone. Then we checked out the food offerings. In addition to soft drinks, assorted teas and coffee beverages, there was fresh fruit, an assortment of coffee cakes, breads, muffins, bagels, cinnamon raisin bread, English muffins, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, oatmeal, and an automatic pancake making machine. We each took a small slice of coffee cake along with a half cup of coffee. Neither one of us wanted to load up on liquids before getting on a flight where restroom access is limited. I went back to toast a slice of cinnamon raisin bread with cream cheese, and decided to try out the pancake machine. With just a touch of a button, two piping hot pancakes were dispensed from the machine within a couple of minutes.
Sometime in the middle of all our grazing, we received a text to let us know that our flight was delayed by 29 minutes. This caused a certain level of stress. Even though we had an hour and 45 minute layover between flights, we didnt want to call it too close. Fortunately, there were no further delays. We headed to the gate at around 6:15am and boarded by 6:30am. After a short delay while they de-iced the plane, we departed close to 7:30am.
The first leg of our trip was from Portland to Seattle on a small commuter plan. The flight normally takes around 50 minutes, but for some reason this time it only took 35. I guess they were trying to make up some of the lost time. I knew we would make our connecting flight, but there were a number of people trying to make a connecting flight to Philadelphia. The captain radioed ahead to see if they would delay the connecting flight and they agreed to hold it for 10 minutes. When we reached the gate, everyone stayed in their seats to allow those with a tight connection to quickly leave the plane. I hope everyone made the flight. I know how I would feel if it happened to us.
After a brief restroom stop, we headed to the Board Room so that Jason could charge his iPhone and download an audio book to listen to later. We were there long enough for Jason to grab and quickly eat a pastry before taking the long trek to the gate for our next leg. Wed been told that boarding would begin at 8:25am so we hurried to our gate which was at the far end of the terminal. We arrived winded and just a little sweaty only to find that they hadnt yet started boarding and wouldnt begin until 8:35am, not 8:25am. While we stood there, I glanced up at the monitor above the counter and noticed a list of people awaiting seats assignments. Next to the names were the seat numbers they were assigned. I happened to notice seats 2D & 2F next to a couple of names. I was surprised as those were the seats that we were supposed to get. I stepped up to the counter to ask about it and had a long wait while the customer service rep was refilling the boarding pass printer with a new roll of paper. Finally, I was able to speak to her and explained our concern. She checked the computer and told us that those two seats belonged to a couple of the pilots who were heading back after their shift. According to their contract they are entitled to fly in first class seats and in row 2. This explains why our seats were reassigned and we were totally fine with that. I just wish someone else would have explained that to us at the beginning rather than pass us along to the next person.
A few minutes later we boarded and settled into our seats. We ended up very happy with our seats. There was a little extra legroom and no one in front of us reclining their seat back. I pulled out a few essentials to tide me over until the seat belt light was off and then stowed everything else in the overhead bin.
It was a full flight and while we waited for everyone else to get settled, our flight attendant brought us water and a breakfast menu. Todays choices were a green chili and chorizo quiche with Roma tomato and asparagus garnish, or apple and walnut strudel with scrambled eggs and chicken apple sausage. Jason and I both chose the strudel.
We left right on time for the 5 hour and 4 minute flight. Due to some tailwinds, the captain anticipated that we would arrive a little early. As soon as we were underway, we were handed our DigEplayers and then served Starbucks coffee. This was followed by a fresh fruit plate with melon, strawberry, grapes and oranges and a choice of a muffin or cinnamon scone. I chose the muffin and Jason chose the scone and then we split them in half so we could try some of each. They were both delicious. A short while later our coffee cups were refilled and the entre was served. It was an excellent meal. The scrambled eggs and the sausage were perfect and the apple strudel was delicious. By the time we finished the strudel, we were both stuffed.
The afternoon was spent reading, working on the trip report, doing a crossroad puzzle and watching a sit-com on the DigEplayer. We had a bumpy patch around Memphis that forced everyone back into their seats for about 10 minutes. When that passed we were served a bowl of warm nuts and a beverage. Shortly after that we hit a second bumpy patch that would last for about 40 minutes. This halted the beverage service to the main cabin and had even the flight attendants strapped in. Finally things smoothed out and we landed in Orlando on time at 5:25pm.
We hopped the tram and headed to baggage claim to pick up our four heavy bags. Once again I regretted bringing the extra bag. We hauled everything over to the Avis desk, where there were no lines. I had reserved an economy car because with just the two of us there wasnt any point in paying for a larger car and because Im used to driving a smaller car. The agent assigned us a red Mini Cooper. When I questioned her on whether it was a four door, she assured me it was. I dont like driving a two door because the door are usually heavier and wider, making it difficult to get in and out of in tight parking spaces. I also thought it was a really tiny car, but I couldnt complain about that because I did after all reserve an economy car. I did purchase the tank of gas so we wouldnt have to worry to refilling the tank before returning the car. The cost was $3.39 per gallon and a quick search in Gas Buddy showed me that the price per gallon at the Hess station on Disney property was $3.50.
Once again we hauled our bags down one level and across the street to the rental lot. We spotted the red Mini Cooper easily and sure enough it was a two door. It was also very tiny, and a quick look at the trunk confirmed my fears that our luggage wouldnt fit. We headed over to the nearby counter and I asked about getting a different car. Our original rental confirmation said it would be a Hyundai Accent or equivalent. I just wanted a basic car, nothing fancy. The customer service rep very graciously upgraded us to a compact at no additional charge, while explaining that the economy cars could be either 2 or 4 doors. We usually rent from Alamo and Ive always had a four door economy. With that problem solved, we headed out to find the new car and were pleased with a white Ford Fiesta. Everything fit nicely in the trunk. We spent some time taking pictures of the car, and figuring out basic things like how to turn on the headlights, connect the iPod and GPS, adjusting seats and mirrors.
The GPS was still Acquiring Satellites so we started out by using the directions provided by the vacation home people. It seemed pretty straight forwarded and after one wrong turn that took us on a second loop around the airport, we were finally headed in the right direction. Once the GPS kicked in, it tried to direct us in a direction that seemed to contradict the written instructions we eventually just turned it off. The first toll plaza a little unnerving because I had read that Avis rental cars were equipped with transponders that meant we could blow throw the toll plazas. However, the transponder from our car had been removed so the rental car rep said to just go through anyway and the fees would be the same. Still, I was more than a little nervous going through the first toll area as I half expected to be surrounded by police and wrestled to the ground like a common criminal.
The resort is located on I-192 just a short distance from World Drive. It was definitely a tourist-y area with motels, gift shops with blazing neon signs, restaurants and fast food establishments. Add to this the fact that I recently learned that the resort overlooked Raccoon Lake and bordered Yogi Bear Blvd, and I was wondering what wed gotten ourselves into. Since it was night and the sign wasnt lit, we passed right by the entrance to the resort and had to make a couple of U-Turns until we finally turned into the drive.
We were greeted at the gate by a security guard who welcomed us and checked our name on a list. He directed us to the main clubhouse to check in. We parked and entered the lobby which was beautiful, spacious and totally deserted. We walked up to the check-in desk to our right and a woman named Kim walked out from the back room. She was friendly and quickly checked us in. We were given our condo key cards, a parking hang tag and a list of amenities.
Our condo was located in building one which was next to the clubhouse. We were able to park directly in front of the building entrance. As we walked up to the building we heard people laughing and yelling, causing us a moment of concern that maybe this was more of a party atmosphere than we wanted. However, that seemed to be an isolated incident because we never encountered anything like that during the rest of our stay.
Our condo was located on the 5th floor at one corner of the building. As soon as we entered the unit, we were struck by how hot, hot, hot it was in there. It took us a minute to find the A/C controls. We could see that it was set to 73 degrees but the current temp showed 77 degrees. We turned it down to 70 and turned the fan on hoping to cool things down while we checked out the rest of the place. We soon realized that something was definitely wrong with the A/C and there was no way we would be able to comfortably sleep in that kind of heat. I called down to the front desk and she said she would send maintenance up to check it out. By the time he arrived 30 minutes later, it had climbed to 78 degrees. After checking out the a/c unit and not finding anything, he said he had to go up to the roof to see if something was wrong there. There was. The compressor was out and we would need to be moved to another room. The front desk called to say the only unit they had available was in building two. It was the same floor plan and she assured us that the A/C was working just fine in that unit. She sent someone over with new keys and offered to help us move our things to the new unit. Fortunately, we hadnt unloaded our bags as we/ve learned from past experience that its better to check things out first before hauling everything out of the car.
We moved the car over to the next building and again parked directly in front. We quickly unloaded the car and headed up the elevator, this time to the 3rd floor. Our unit was at the end of the hallway, in the same location as the first unit. It looks like there are eight units per floor and with five floors per building and two buildings, that makes 80 units total in the resort. There seemed to be plenty of parking close to the building which is really nice at the end of a long day in the parks.
As we entered the condo we could see a long, wide hallway angling out to the living area. There are two doors along this hallway. The one on the right is large coat closet with a vacuum cleaner, broom and dustpan. On the left is a laundry room with a large capacity washer and dryer, a laundry basket, bucket, ironing board and iron. On the dryer were travel size packets of laundry detergent and fabric softener.
The main living area consisted of a large kitchen to the left of the hallway, a dining area in the middle, and a living room at the far end. The kitchen was huge with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Going clockwise around the room there were two closets, one housed the water heater, the other was a panty. Along the back was a long countertop with a 4-slice toaster, 12-cup coffeemaker, a stove in the middle with a combination microwave/range hood, an electric can opener, and a blender. The next wall contained a large refrigerator/freezer with an icemaker and a closet with the A/C unit. In the center of the kitchen there was an island with the sink and dishwasher on one side and a breakfast bar with two stools on the other side.
In the dining area there was a large table with six chairs. On one wall was a cabinet with a lamp on top and additional chairs on either side. On the other wall was a buffet. The living area had a sleeper sofa with a floor lamp on one side and an end table with a lamp and phone on the other side, two armchairs and a large square coffee table. Across from the sofa were a 42 TV and a DVD player. French doors with windows on either side made up the far wall. There was a balcony with a table and four chairs, plus an overhead light and a ceiling fan. The balcony overlooked Raccoon Lake, and as of this writing, I have yet to see a Raccoon.
The two master suites, one on each side of the living area, each had a king bed, a walk-in closet/dressing area and a bathroom with a jetted tub, glass walled shower and double sinks. The toilet was located in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom. There was also a small bedroom with two twin beds and a third full bath. The condo itself was 1,937 square feet, about 700 feet larger than our three bedroom house back home. It had very high ceilings and crown molding throughout. There were light switches everywhere, and it took awhile to get used to which switch went with which light.
By now it was after 10:00pm so after taking pictures from every angle of the condo, we made a quick shopping list and headed out to the nearest Publix. We kept thinking of things that we might need and ended up with over $140 work of groceries. It seemed like a lot, especially since were eating a lot of meals in the parks, but Jason figured it ended up to just a little of $5.00 a day each, which really isnt that bad for breakfast and snacks. It was a quick drive back to the condo. Jason ran the ice up to the condo since it was still quite warm out and we didnt want it melting into a big block of ice. I grabbed a luggage cart and loaded up all the groceries. We had a large number of bags and everything didnt fit on the bottom of the cart so I ended up hanging four of the bags from the four hooks at the top of the cart. Im really glad there wasnt anyone else around because it looked really ridiculous.
We quickly put away the groceries and decided to hold off unpacking until we had something to eat. We had picked up some fried chicken in the deli at Publix and we each had a couple of pieces along with some chips. Not very healthy, but we had already decided that while on vacation we werent going to be as stringent with our eating as wed been the previous six months, while following Weight Watchers.
Not sure of what the TV offerings would be, wed brought some DVDs along just in case. In addition to a few movies, wed brought some discs with our favorite I Love Lucy episodes, a season of Monk, which weve been slowly working our way through, and the entire two season series of Sports Night, an Aaron Sorkin sitcom from the late 90s, starring Peter Krause, Josh Charles, and Felicity Huffman. It had been years since we watched this, so we popped in disc one and watched the first two episodes.
After the show ended, we decided to call it a night. I still wanted to unpack before going to bed. I always like to have everything organized and put away before I go to the bed the first night of vacation. By the time I finished unpacking and was ready to crawl into bed it was around 1:45am, which isnt too terribly late if you account for the three hour time difference between Florida and Oregon. Still, it had been a long day. It takes so long to travel here that we try to stay as long as we possibly can. Now that the traveling is behind us, we can just relax and enjoy the rest of the trip.
Day 2 Sunday, January 13, 2013
Plan: Sleep in, Lunch at Beaches and Cream, World Showcase
Actual:
In spite of only about 5-1/2 hours of sleep, it was pretty easy getting up when my alarm went off a 7:30am. I showered and dressed and headed out to the living room to find Jason already up and at the table working on his trip report. I put on a pot of coffee and realized that its possible to have too large of a kitchen. I kept going from one side of the kitchen to the other while I poured a cup of coffee and fixed a biscuit with jam. Well have to do a little rearranging to make things more efficient.
I sat down at the table with my laptop to work on the trip report. I also connected to the Wi-Fi and discovered just how slow it really was. I brought an Ethernet cable and spotted an outlet at the breakfast bar. At some point Ill plug that in and see if its any faster. For now, Ill use the slow but functional Wi-Fi.
At 9:30am we headed to the car and were soon on our way. The GPS wanted us to take World Drive, but the directions from the resort said to take Sherberth Road, which is what we decided to do. This ended up being a mistake because of the marathon going on that day. While it was fun to see all the runners, it definitely slowed things down. It took us 30 minutes to get to the Beach Club, where we planned to have lunch at Beaches and Cream when it opened at 11:00am. I showed my ID to the guard at the gate and he pointed us to the self parking area and told us to have a good day. Since we had time to kill until lunch, we decided to take a Friendship Boat to the International Gateway and exchange our vouchers for our actual annual passes. We also purchased a Tables in Wonderland card, which had increased in price from $75 to $100 just a short time before our trip. I think well use it enough this trip to just about break even, but we hope to make a second trip before our passes expire next January.
We walked over to the dock, which took much longer than we thought because the runners were heading along the path to Epcot and we had to wait for a break before we could hurry across. We just missed a boat and while we were waiting for the next one we realized that it would have been much quicker to just walk to the International Gateway. Pretty soon the boat pulled up and we were on our way. After a quick stop at the Boardwalk we headed on to Epcot.
Getting off the boat we could see the runners making a left turn just before the turnstiles, entering Epcot through a backstage area. The Fairy Godmother was out cheering everyone on. There were no lines at the Guest Relations booth and we soon had our passes in hand, as well as the Tables in Wonderland card. This time we got smart and walked back to the Beach Club instead of taking the boat.
By the time we reached the Beach Club, it was almost 11:00am so we sat outside the restaurant until it opened. We were the third party to be seated. Our server was a really nice woman named Amy. We planned to order something for lunch, but who are we kidding, we were really there for the ice cream. We settled on splitting a six-cheese grilled cheese sandwich. It normally comes with a cup of Tomato Bisque soup, which Jason isnt fond of, so we substituted French fries instead. As is our practice, we drank only water. This saves us some money and doesnt fill us up as much.
Amy brought our meal out on two plates, each with a half sandwich, a small pile of fries and a pickle spear. The grilled cheese was really excellent. We were trying to determine which six cheeses it contained, but arent really that familiar with too many different types of cheese. The fries were hot and crispy. For dessert, Jason had the No Way Jose, a peanut butter and hot fudge delight with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate morsels, whipped cream and a cherry. I had the Milky Way Sundae, which was three scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with hot fudge and caramel, with whipped cream, white and dark chocolate shavings, a mini Milky Way bar and a cherry. In spite of having a small lunch, I just couldnt finish the whole thing. I was looking forward to walking some of it off. The bill, with our TIW discount, tax and tip came to $26.81.
Learning from our earlier experience, we walked back to the International Gateway rather than take the Friendship Boat. Runners were still making their way to the finish line in Epcot. There was no line at the bag check or the turnstiles and soon we were in our first park of the trip.
The plan was to make a clockwise trip around the World Showcase beginning in the UK and ending in France. We hoped to have digested enough of our lunch to have room for a trip to the newly reopened bakery in the France Pavilion. The UK pavilion was very congested. Cast members were directing everyone through the back way of the pavilion to keep the walkway clear for the marathon runners, who were making their way into Epcot between the UK and Canada pavilions. We browsed through the shops in the UK, lingering at the Twinings Tea Shop. It was challenge getting from the UK to Canada because we had to cross over to the lagoon side so that we didnt interfere with the runners. The cast members had the process down to a science. That section of the walkway was divided into two lanes. The runners were running along one lane and the people that wanted to cross were herded into the center between the two lanes. Then they diverted the runners to the other lane, leaving their recently vacated lane open for us to hurry across.
We continued along on the lagoon side of the World Showcase to Canada, passing Lou Mongello and the WDW Magic Team cheering on Lous wife who was running in the marathon. Once we reach Canada we meandered down through the gardens, taking pictures and then watched the O Canada film. After that we looked through the shops before continuing on, stopping at the Refreshment Port for a free cup of ice water. It was really a warm day and we were parched.
Somewhat refreshed by the cold water, we continued on to Mexico, where we embarked on the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros without any wait. It was an enjoyable trip and I was glad to sit down for a short while. While my new knees were holding up pretty well, my feet were beginning to hurt. I guess in the past I was never able to stand up long enough for my feet to hurt. If it isnt one thing, its another.
Next it was on to Norway, where Maelstrom had a 5 minute wait. We browsed the shops before moving on to China. We took many pictures of this pavilion. Its really beautiful. We skipped the movie and just looked through the shops.
In Germany, we looked through the Karamell-Kche shop. This is something we definitely want to sample, but we were both still full from lunch and we were focused on visiting the new bakery in France. I always love looking through the Christmas shop with all the interesting ornaments. I was looking for a pickle ornament. While on Weight Watchers, Jason discovered that pickles were a zero point food and started eating at least a pickle a day. Prior to starting Weight Watchers, he had zero interest in pickles. So I wanted to get one to commemorate his new found love and appreciation for pickles. However, the prices seemed outrageously high. I guess I havent yet fully acclimated myself to Disney prices. I decided to hold off for now, but keep it in mind.
Next was Italy. There wasnt much that we were interested in here. So we took a few pictures to document that we were there and moved on to America. The Voices of Liberty were starting their performance in 15 minutes so we entered the rotunda and found an empty bench where we could watch them without having to sit on the floor. We really enjoyed hearing them. One of the singers was from Oregon. They sang a song where they mentioned all 50 states and if you were from that state you were supposed to clap and cheer. We were the only ones from Oregon and our fellow Oregonian smiled at us and nodded in acknowledgement. After an excellent performance we headed upstairs to see the American Adventure. This always brings tears to my eyes. Although I think they may have to redo the ending where they show Lance Armstrong.
We moved on to Japan and looked through the shop, stopping briefly to watch the candy artist at work. By this time we were both getting tired and decided to skip Morocco and instead go directly to France. The bakery was packed and the line was long although it moved fairly quickly. It seemed to us that there were fewer selections than before. Overall, the feel was like that of value resort food court with the screens above the counter with the menu offerings. It lacked the charm of a small French bakery. We decided to get a variety of things to try, settling on a Napolean, crme brulee, and a chocolate chip cookie. We also asked for two small cups of ice water. Taking our tray, we searched for a table with chairs but the only empty tables were a couple of high tables with no chairs. There were a few people obviously saving a table while another member of the party was in line. This probably seems like a good idea if youre the one sitting at the table, but it seems like a lousy idea if youre the one wandering around with a tray of food. We settled at one of the high tables, noting that before the bakery remodeling, wed always been able to find a place to sit in the back seating area. Even with all the changes, the desserts were still delicious and we left very full.
Next we planned to watch Impressions de France but we just missed the show and didnt want to wait for the next one. We were both really tired and paused a moment to consider our next move. It was 5:30pm at this point and we still had 3-1/2 hours until Illuminations. As much as I love Illuminations, I didnt think I had it in me to wait for that long. I was afraid Id end up on a bench somewhere sound asleep. Jason was tired too so we decided to head back to the resort.
The walk back to the Beach Club was short and peaceful. We retrieved the car and headed home, this time taking World Drive which was a much faster drive.
Once back in the condo, we showered to get rid of the sticky sun screen, settled down at our laptops for a while to transfer pictures and work on our trip reports. Later in the evening we finished off the leftover chicken and watched a couple of episodes of Sports Night before turning in.
I was asleep by 9:30pm very happy with how our first day went.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.19
Amount Saved To Date: $5.19
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 15,552
Steps: 4.90
Day 3 Monday, January 14, 2013
Plan: Disneys Hollywood Studios, Lunch at 50s Prime Time Caf, Possibly Fantasmic!
Actual:
I slept very soundly and didnt wake until my alarm went off at 5:30am. The condo is very quiet; I havent heard a peep from any neighbors. I think the way the condo is positioned we only have neighbors on one side of the kitchen wall. Jason was already up and seated at the dining table working on his trip report. I started a pot of coffee and made some breakfast, settling down at the table to continue working on my report.
At 7:45am we headed to the car and were soon on our way. There was considerably more traffic on 192 this morning due to it being a weekday. It was more difficult to make the u-turn. Today we decided to take World Drive and it was a breeze. In no time at all we were parked and making our way to the turnstiles. We stopped to take pictures of the Sorcerer Mickey topiary in front of the park. Our past two trips have been during the Christmas season and the Christmas tree was in that spot.
The bag check at security was quick, although it seemed like the guard really did a thorough check of my bag. He was digging through it to look at the bottom of the bag. I thought that they werent supposed to touch your personal belongings. Finally, he determined that I wasnt a threat to park security and he waved me on.
We arrived at the turnstiles at 8:15am, 45 minutes before the park was due to open. After waiting in line for 15 minutes we looked back at the line behind us and noticed that there really wasnt much of a line behind us. We decided that in the future we probably dont need to arrive this early. We just werent sure how long it would take us to drive in from the resort.
At 8:45am they began to let people in. I thought they would hold us at the intersection of Hollywood & Sunset but everything seemed open. We made our way slowly down the street, taking pictures as we went along. Today was the day we were using the first of the personalized touring plans Id methodically created from TouringPlans.com. I pulled up the app on my phone and got it ready to check off each step as it was completed.
Our first stop was to pick up FPs for Toy Story, with a return time of 9:55am. When we were here in 2009 the line to get FPs was almost as long as the standby line. This time we breezed up to a FP machine and were in and out in no time. Now that Disney is enforcing the return window, we wont be using FPs as much as we had in the past. Before our practice was to try to get a FP whenever we were eligible to get one and then use them throughout the rest of the day. Now, we really have to think about when the return window is and whether well be able to use it.
With FPs for later, we joined the standby line with a posted wait time of 15 minutes, but actually was less than 10 minutes. This is one of our favorite rides and if the line didnt get so long so fast, we would probably ride and re-ride until our arms gave out.
Next up was the Great Movie Ride, which was basically a walk-on. While we were sitting in the ride vehicle ready to start the ride I glanced at my phone and noticed that according to our touring plan the start time of this step was 9:22am. Then I looked at the clock on my phone and noticed that it was exactly 9:22am. So far, so good. I told myself that I wasnt going to take any pictures because they just dont turn out very good, but of course I didnt listen to myself and ended up with a bunch of blurry, dark pictures. Afterwards, we spent some time in the forecourt looking at the celebrity footprints.
Our next stop was Starring Rolls Caf, where we shared an apple-Craisin turnover and a chocolate croissant. Both were excellent. The turnover was a nice blend of sweet apple and tart cranberry. The place was packed and there was no place to sit. We were trying to figure out what to do when we noticed a family heading into the outdoor seating area of the Hollywood Brown Derby. Since the restaurant was closed, we figured it would be okay to sit there. It was a nice place to sit. We were able to watch people passing by and it was cool and shady.
After refueling, we picked up FPs for Rock n Roller Coaster. Our return time was 11:00am, which was earlier than our touring plan had anticipated. By now our FP window for Toy Story had opened up, so we headed over to ride. It was another very fun ride.
The next two steps of our touring plan called for us doing the Animation Academy, and Walt Disney: One Mans Dream. Because of the earlier FP window for Rock n Roller Coaster, we had to do a little adjusting. We decided to do the Animation Academy and postpone One Mans Dream until later. We walked over to the Animation area and waited only about five minutes until the next class began. When the cast member leading the class asked for suggestions, a little girl requested Tinkerbell, so thats who we drew. Or, at least the cast member drew Tinkerbell. I drew a slightly cross-eyed, version of something that maybe bore a slight resemblance to Tinkerbell. Midway through the class, Jason and I looked at our drawings and then at each other and burst out in a mostly silent fit of laughter. Fortunately, we were in the back row so no one noticed our mirth. We took pictures of our creations and then tossed the originals in the nearest trashcan.
We headed over to Rock n Roller Coaster and joined the FP return line. We waited 5 minutes at the most before entering the preshow area. Both of us were sick with anticipation, but we knew we wanted to ride. Soon we were loaded into our limo and were on our way. After the first loop, I knew the most intense part of the ride was over and was able to just relax and enjoy the rest of the ride.
Checking the time we knew we didnt have time to do One Mans Dream before the 12:45pm Beauty and the Beast show, so we decided instead to do a counter-clockwise loop of the shops on Sunset Blvd, ending up at the theater. At Anaheim Produce we bought pickles and sat on a bench to enjoy them before continuing on. After moving through all the shops, we ended up at the theater only to discover that the show was cancelled that day. The cast member said it was cancelled the day before as well and he didnt have any idea when it was expected to return. Well just have to see it on one of our other DHS days.
On our way over to One Mans Dream we stopped to watch some of the Streetmosphere characters doing sort of a Dating Game skit with a middle-aged woman as the Bachelorette. She was a good sport and we really enjoyed watching them.
At One Mans Dream we decided to watch the movie first and then take our time through the exhibits. The doors to the theater must have just closed because we had an almost 10 minute wait until the next show. We spent the time looking at the exhibits at the far end, including New Fantasyland. When the time came, we entered the theater and due to the perfect combination of cool air, darkness, and comfortable seats, we both had a difficult time staying awake, even though we love this movie. After the movie, we walked around to the front and made our way through the exhibit, taking tons of mediocre pictures.
We now had some free time before our 3:00pm ADR for lunch. We decided to make a counter-clockwise loop around the other side of the park. As we passed The Writers Stop, I knew there was something there that we wanted to try, but I couldnt remember what it was. We looked around and then I spotted the Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwich I had read about on the Disney Food Blog site. It was two carrot cake cookies with a cream cheese frosting filling. We decided to share one. We also asked for two cups of ice water. The cast member was able to give us two cups filled with ice, but said the only water they had was cleaning water. He said we could fill them at a drinking fountain, as he pointed vaguely across the street. We walked over to where he pointed and didnt find a drinking fountain. We ended up sitting on a bench in the hot sun, which melted enough of the ice to provide a small amount of water to sort of quench our thirst. The cookie was really good, although very sweet. We were glad we decided to share it. Up until now weve remembered to take pictures of our food, but we forgot this time until wed split the cookie in half and each taken a bite. Jason wants to get another cookie sometime before we leave, so hopefully well remember next time.
We continued on, stopping to look at the shop next to Star Tours before ending up outside 50s Prime Time Caf. It was too early to check in so we sat on a bench outside until 15 minutes before our ADR time. We checked in and were directed to the lounge to wait. There were only a few other people waiting so I took a couple of pictures. We waited for just a few minutes before being seated.
This was our first time at 50s Prime Time. Neither of us really relish the kind of interactive dining that wed heard happens at this restaurant, but we decided to give it a try because the theming looks fun and the menu looks delicious.
Our server was Cousin Donna, and she provided just the right amount of interactive experience that we were able to handle, nothing over the top. Wed checked out the menu while we were waiting outside and decided that one of us would get the meatloaf and the other the pot roast and we would share to create our own sampler plate. We also veered from our practice of only getting water, and ordered vanilla Cokes, because we were both so thirsty and it sounded so good.
Both entrees were delicious. The vanilla Cokes were also good. We quickly drained our glasses and Donna brought second glasses for each of us. Even though we were stuffed, we still wanted to try the desserts. I had the 50s Boston Cream Parfait, while Jason had Dads Brownie Sundae. The parfait was really sweet, with layers of fudge, pound cake, and vanilla cream, and topped with whipped dream. Donna brought us more vanilla Coke in to-go cups and stopped to chat for a few minutes. We learned that shes worked for Disney for 30 years and is originally from Canada. Her daughter works for Universal. We settled the check which came to $58.05 with tax, tip and after the TIW discount of $10.67.
We browsed through the shops along Hollywood Blvd and each bought a mug to drink our coffee in at the condo. After picking up a couple of cookies to take home, we decided to call it a day. We decided against staying for Fantasmic! Well be back on Friday and plan to do the Fantasmic! Dining Package, so well see it then.
We made a quick stop at the Target for a few things on the way back to the resort. Instead of going directly to the room, we toured the resort. On the ground floor we found the fitness center, which had a lot of cardio and weight equipment, the arcade and billiards room, the 52-seat movie theater, and the gift shop/grill. On the second level was the spa, business center, a couple of meeting rooms, and a model of the resort. It looks like they had planned at least 12 buildings, but for some reason stopped after building two. Im not sure how old this place is, but possible 9-11 and/or the economy is to blame.
Back at the condo we put away the few things from Target and made a pot of decaf coffee. Then we settled in to watch a couple of episodes of Sports Night and eat our cookies.
It was another great day. 50s Prime Time was a fun experience and well definitely be back in the future.
Tomorrow is our Animal Kingdom day.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $10.67
Amount Saved To Date: $15.86
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.06
Steps: 16,041
Day 4 Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue
Actual:
After another great nights sleep, I joined Jason at the dining table to continue working on my trip report. Im falling further and further behind. I usually jot notes down in a small notebook throughout the day to remind me when it comes time to write the report. However, this trip I havent felt like doing that and instead Im relying on our touring plan and the pictures Ive been taking. Its funny how details blur together after a few days.
We left the condo a few minutes before 8:00am and it was a short drive to Animal Kingdom. The parking lot was pretty empty and we were able to park very close to the park. Once they let us through the turnstiles, we took our time checking things out and taking pictures. While everyone else headed either to Kilimanjaro Safaris or Expedition Everest, we headed to DinoLand U.S.A. We walked right into the preshow for Dinosaur with only a couple of families in the room with us. When it came time to board the vehicle, we asked if we could wait for the front row and then ended up in a vehicle with just the two of us. Next up was TriceraTop Spin, where we waited in line only long enough for the current cycle to finish. When we finished our ride, we were told we could stay on for a second ride if we wanted. Once was enough for us.
Our next stop was Kilimanjaro Safaris. Normally we would grab FPs before entering the ride, but the return time would have interfered with our lunch plans so we decided to wait until after our safari. We really enjoyed the safari and saw a lot of animals. As usual, I took some really disappointing pictures. The jostling of the truck and the fact that I was in the middle of the seat, made it difficult to get any decent pictures. The next time we ride, Jason and I will switch places and Ill be on the end, so hopefully Ill get some better pictures.
After leaving the safari, we picked up FPs for later. Our next stop was supposed to be the 10:30am Festival of the Lion King show but it was already 10:35am so we decided to see a later show. We slowly made our way to Flame Tree Barbecue, which was supposed to open at 11:00am. On the way, we looked through the shops that we passed, and then ended up sitting on a bench just enjoying the morning.
A few minutes before 11:00am Flame Tree Barbecue opened up and headed over. We were greeted by a Cast Member who asked if we would help him open the restaurant. We agreed, even though we werent entirely sure what this meant. One by one he called out the different areas of the restaurant, like the kitchen, cashier, counter, etc., Jason and I would yell, Are You Ready? and each area would respond by cheering. This probably is more dramatic when there are 40 or 50 other people in line, but it was just me and Jason so it lost some of its impact. For our efforts, we were awarded a certificate and a large Mickey-shaped chocolate chip cookie.
We both ordered the chicken and rib combo, a side basket of onion rings, and two cups of ice water. The bill came to $23.67 with a $5.55 TIW discount. We took our food down to the seating area by the water with a great view of Expedition Everest. No one else was down there and it was really quiet and peaceful. Wed only been seated for five minutes when the birds started arriving. Since we were the only ones there, they all clustered around us. Even when other groups arrived, they still preferred us over them for the most part. Lunch was delicious. In addition to the ribs and chicken, the meal included beans and coleslaw. The onion rings were crispy and hot. It was a lot of food and we were stuffed.
After lunch we headed back to Kilimanjaro Safaris to use our FPs. This time we were on the other side of the vehicle, and I was in the end seat. Our vehicle was stopped at one point for a few minutes while an Ankole Cattle was standing right at the edge of the road. He was off the road, but his right horn extended out into the roadway. He just stared at us, occasionally pawing the ground and defying us to do anything. He was well aware that he had the right of way. Eventually, he moved on and we continued our trek.
We exited the safari at 12:21pm and Jason suggested that we try to make the 12:30pm Lion King show. We stepped up the pace and walked towards Camp Minnie Mickey. It was a lot further away than either of us remembered. Still we kept at it and managed to be seated just as the show was beginning. We both really enjoy this show.
We missed the 1:00pm Flights of Wonder show because we ended up seeing the Lion King show instead. The next Flights of Wonder wasnt until 2:00pm and we stopped to reevaluate our plans for the rest of the day. Other than Flights of Wonder, the only thing left on our touring plan was the parade, and it isnt a must see for either of us. We decided to leave Flights of Wonder for our next Animal Kingdom day and skip the parade entirely. We were both looking forward to heading back to the condo and relaxing.
We made our way out of the park and headed for home. Back at the condo, I took a quick shower to get rid of the sunscreen and then started a load of wash. It is so convenient having a washer/dryer in the condo. I called for maintenance because the in-room safe was locked and we wanted to use it tomorrow. Two maintenance guys came very quickly and opened it up. We then both settled down to transfer pictures from the cameras to our portable hard drives, recharge the various electronic devices, and work on our trip reports. Later on we fixed some dinner and watched a movie wed brought with us. Tonight it was the 60s comedy, Hello Down There, starring Tony Randall, Janet Leigh, Roddy McDowell, Jim Backup and a very young Richard Dreyfus.
It was another good day of vacation. We like having a well-planned out touring plan to make sure we do and see everything we want to while minimizing our wait times and steps, but were also flexible enough to stop and smell the roses along the way.
I was asleep by 9:30pm, which if I think about it, is 6:30pm at home in Portland. We have a long day tomorrow, which is our first day at the Magic Kingdom.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.55
Amount Saved To Date: $21.41
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 4.13
Steps: 13,096
Day 5 Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Plan: Magic Kingdom, Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern, Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party
Actual:
I was up at 5:15am after another good nights sleep. Jason was already up and had started a pot of coffee. We hung out at the condo working on our trip reports and watching the local news. We recognized Jason Guy, the morning anchor on WESH, as one of the houseguests from the second season of Big Brother.
Today was one of the first of three mid-stay cleans for the condo. When I was checking out the All Star Vacation Homes website it stated that there wasnt any regular housekeeping, but you could request and pay $60 for a mid-stay clean. We decided against doing this, because with just the two of us, we didnt think we needed it. But when we checked in, the woman told us that they provide a mid-stay clean at no charge every fourth day. So before leaving for the day we loaded all our valuables into the safe and tidied the place up.
We arrived at the Magic Kingdom a little after 8:00am. The monorail didnt open until 8:30am so we headed to the dock to take the ferry. We could see it approaching and within a couple of minutes we boarded. As soon as we sat down on a bench, Jason realized hed left his phone in the car. We quickly disembarked. While Jason went to get his phone, I wandered around the TTC taking pictures. By the time he returned, the monorail was open so we boarded the next one.
After going through the bag check, we made our way through the turnstiles and joined the crowd at the front of the castle. As soon as the opening ceremony was over, we made our way down Main Street to Fantasyland, stopping a few times to take pictures of the castle.
Our first ride was supposed to be Dumbo, but while in line I remembered that it had moved since we were here last, so instead we headed to Peter Pan. Before entering the ride we stopped and picked up FPs for the new Under the Sea Journey of The Little Mermaid ride. We walked through the entire queue for Peter Pan, only stopping as we neared the loading area. This is one of my favorite rides.
Next was Winnie the Pooh, then Its a Small World and Mickeys PhilharMagic, all without any wait. Our FP window for Under the Sea opened up so we headed over to New Fantasyland. This was our first glimpse of the new area and we were both impressed. Once this area is finished, it would be great if they would give the rest of Fantasyland a face lift. We made our way through the huge queue and with less than a 10 minute wait, we boarded our clam shells. The ride was very nicely done, and we definitely will ride it again.
Wed originally planned to have breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and hoped to sneak in a visit before it closed for its conversion into a Starbucks, but unfortunately it closed the day we arrived. Our plan B was to go to Sleepy Hollow Refreshments, but as we passed Gastons Tavern, we decided to try this instead. We ordered a cinnamon roll and a chocolate croissant to share and then found a table inside. The food was good, but we missed the variety and atmosphere of the bakery. The bill came to $7.44 with tax.
After breakfast, we continued to explore the area. We thought there was a walkway past the Under the Sea attraction that would lead to the Storybook Circus area, but realized it was Ariels Grotto, a meet and greet for Ariel. So, we back tracked, passing the Be Our Guest restaurant and noting the huge line that had already formed even though the restaurant wasnt open yet. Wed hoped to walk through to check it out, but as busy as it was, we decided to leave it for another time.
We made our way around to the Storybook Circus area and entered the line for Dumbo. Before the expansion, the line for Dumbo would have been huge by this time of the morning. However, by the time we walked through the very long queue we were able to ride during the next cycle. While it was fun, I missed having the ride in the very middle of Fantasyland and being able to see the castle.
After browsing through the gift shop and checking out the rest of the area, we stopped to consider our next move. Not knowing how much there was to see and do in New Fantasyland, Id set aside a couple of hours to explore. We ended up not needing this much time. I suggested we head over to Tomorrowland and ride the TTA Peoplemover and Jason thought that was a good idea. There was no line and we quickly boarded. As we returned to the station after our ride, we could see that there wasnt anyone else waiting, so we asked if we could stay on for a second ride. The Cast Member agreed so off we went again. While we were on the ride, we checked wait times on Touring Plans and saw that Space Mountain had a 10 minute wait time, so we decided to head there next.
It was at this attraction that I reported my first wait time on the TouringPlans.com Lines app. There is a place on the app to report the posted wait time, the FP return time, and a time to track and record your actual wait time. This was something I continued to do periodically throughout the trip. Our actual wait time for Space Mountain was less than the 10 minutes that was posted.
Next we did Buzz Lightyear, but only because it was a five minute wait. We think the WDW version is vastly inferior to the Disneyland version. The laser guns in California come out of the holsters, making it much easier to shoot. The ride stopped twice for a few minutes and thats the only reason I had any kind of a score. Even when the ride was stopped and I was aiming continuously at a target, it only registered a score about every 5th hit. Were not likely to do it again this trip.
As we passed by the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, we decided to go in. We avoided it in the past because we didnt like the possible interaction. Now there seemed to be enough people in line that the chances we would get picked on seemed slim. We must have just missed the show, because we had to wait a long time before entering the theater. The whole experience was fun, but we were both a little on edge, sure that our pictures would flash up on the monitors. Fortunately, we managed to escape without incident.
We were headed into Stitch, which was posting a short wait, but realized that it would cut it too close to our ADR time at Liberty Tree Tavern. So we bailed on it and headed over to Liberty Square. We had a few minutes to spare so we took some pictures along the way and then browsed through the Christmas Shop.
Liberty Tree Tavern is right up our alley. Neither of us considers ourselves a foodie. We like plain, basic food, nothing fancy. We checked in about 10 minutes before our 1:55pm ADR time and within two minutes our name was called. The restaurant didnt look busy at all. There were several empty tables in our section.
Our server was named Doreen and she was very friendly and attentive. We both ordered the pot roast, which was served on a bed of mashed potatoes with carrots and onions. The pot roast was delicious, very tender and flavorful. We tried to decide whether the pot roast was better here or at 50s Prime Time. We may have to make another trip to 50s Prime Time before we can really know for sure. In spite of a very filling lunch, we decided to share the Ooey, Gooey Toffee Cake, which was vanilla cake with a gooey toffee filling, vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. The bill came to $46.93 which included a $9.09 TIW discount.
We planned to finish Liberty Square after lunch, starting with the Hall of Presidents. We both enjoy this attraction, but again the combination of a dark room, cool air, a comfortable seat and a full stomach made it difficult to stay awake. We followed this up with the Haunted Mansion, again struggling to stay awake.
At this point wed finished our official touring plan and didnt have anything scheduled until the Wishes Dessert Party at 7:00pm. We decided to make a loop up through Frontierland and back down through Adventureland. We meandered along the water, taking pictures of the Liberty Belle Riverboat that was just pulling into the dock and anything else that caught our eye. We looked through the shops we passed along the way. When we reached Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we planned to ride if the wait time was 10 minutes or less. It was 20, so we passed on it for now. We rounded the turn at the end of Frontierland and continued back along Adventureland. Pirates had a posted five minute wait, so we did that. I dont think we really stopped walking until we reached the loading area. Crowds levels seemed really low. It wed concentrated just on riding attractions we easily could have done everything in one day. Pirates was fun, but so much shorter than the Disneyland version.
Jungle Cruise had only a 10 minute wait, so we hopped on. Again, we waited less than the posted wait time. We had a good skipper and I took a ton of pictures. We were at the very back of the boat, which made it easier to get pictures without other people in them.
By now we figured we should get some protein in us before the Wishes Dessert Party. We stopped at Caseys Corner at around 5:00pm and shared an order of corn dog nuggets. These are one of our favorite treats. While we ate we listened to the piano player and just enjoyed the atmosphere. The bill came to $4.79 with tax.
We still had some time to kill so we headed down one side of Main Street, looking in all the shops, and taking pictures of a few things that we might want to buy later. When we reached the front of the park, we stopped for a restroom break. I was sitting on a bench just outside the side door of City Hall, when I spotted an electrical outlet just behind the bench. We both had been using our phones a lot, but Jasons battery was well below the 50% point and he was worried that it might not last through the evening. When I showed him the outlet, he was thrilled. He plugged it in and we sat there for about 15 minutes while it charged. Every time a Cast Member walked by, he was sure they were going to bust him and eject him from the park, but no one said anything. It didnt help ease our minds that recently a homeless man was arrested and held on $500 bond for theft of utilities when he plugged his phone into an outlet in a city park.
We made our way back up Main Street and then over to Tomorrowland Terrace to check out the party location. They were starting to set up the desserts and a few people were already waiting in line. Since your table is assigned and theres no benefit to being first in line, we decided not to join the line. We wandered around taking lousy pictures of the castle and then finally settled at a table in the upper seating area of the Tomorrowland Terrace. We spotted a man sitting at a table next to the only outlet we found in the area, charging his phone.
A few minutes before 7:00pm we got up and headed over to the entrance to the party. They were letting people in and we waited in a short line before being checked in. After a wrist band was put on our wrist, we were led to our table, which was in the very front row facing the castle.
After getting settled, we headed up to the dessert tables. Even though there were many people at the party, there really wasnt much of a wait to get the desserts. The desserts are very tiny, which means you can sample more of them before filling up. My favorites were the chocolate mousse, the mango shooters, the mini cheesecake and the crme brulee. There were a variety of beverages including milk, ice tea, water, lemonade, coffee, and tea. There were so many delicious options, but we both filled up very quickly. I took a picture of my plate of desserts with the castle in the background and texted it to my friend Susan at work.
At 7:45pm, Celebrate the Magic started and everyone moved to the railing to watch. Once that was over we had just a couple of minutes before Wishes started. We were standing directly underneath the path of Tinkerbell and had an amazing view of her as she flew overhead. Even though we werent directly in front of the castle, we still had an excellent view of the fireworks and it was great not being packed together with other people.
When Wishes ended we hung out on the terrace for a short time to let the majority of the people out. We headed over to Tomorrowland hoping for one last trip on the TTA, not realizing what time the park closed. When we noticed that it wasnt running we checked and found the park had closed at 8:00pm. Instead we headed over to the castle and spent a while trying to get at least semi-good shots that werent totally blurry. We walked over toward Liberty Square to get some side angles of the castle and then made our way around by the Crystal Palace and down Main Street. We walked up to the train station and took pictures from there. After procrastinating as long as we could to give the crowds at the Monorail station a chance to thin out, we headed out of the park. We were able to get on the next monorail and were in our car in no time. Id stopped using the GPS since it seemed easier to get around staying off site than it did when we stayed on property, but for some reason we got turned around and ended up heading the wrong direction on 192. We realized our error pretty quickly and were soon heading back the right direction. We were very glad to get back to the condo. It was a long day and I was wiped out.
We watched a little TV together before saying goodnight and going to our rooms. It was another great day. We enjoyed the Wishes Dessert Party and it was great to be at the Magic Kingdom.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $9.09
Amount Saved To Date: $30.50
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 7.22
Steps: 22,877
Day 6 Thursday, January 17, 2013
Plan: Epcot in the AM; Magic Kingdom in the PM
Actual:
I was up at 5:15am and joined Jason at the table for what was becoming our morning routine of drinking coffee and working on our trip reports. We originally planned to leave 7:45am but decided that we really didnt need to leave quite that early. It wasnt taking nearly as long to get to the parks from the condo as we originally thought. We left shortly after 8:00am and were parked and in line well before the turnstiles opened.
Once the park opened we headed directly for The Land and picked up FPs for Soarin before joining the standby line. We didnt stop walking through the queue until we were in the pre-boarding area. We were lucky enough to be in the top row of the middle section. The quality of the film was really bad. There were black specks that would fly in and out and looked like a flock of blackbirds. It was really distracting.
After Soarin we headed over to Sunshine Seasons for breakfast. We split the adult bounty platter, which included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and a biscuit. We also had the blueberry croissant pudding which Id read about in Sue Rayfords trip reports and vowed that we were going to try it the next time we were here. We also had coffee. The bill came to $19.87 which was a lot more than we expected to spend, but so far it seems like were spending more on food than we originally budgeted.
Jason went to find a table while I picked up forks and napkins. He found a small table that was close to an outlet so we scooted the table over a bit and was able to charge our phones while we ate. After breakfast, we did Living with the Land and then it was time to use our Soarin FPs. This time we had the middle row of the middle section. We actually prefer this location because even though you see the feet of the people in the row above you, you dont see the top of the screen.
Wed finished everything we wanted to do in The Land so we moved over to the Imagination Pavilion, where we rode Journey into the Imagination with Figment, which was boring and then saw the Captain EO Tribute which was awesome. Even though this is the same version as Disneyland, the atmosphere in the audience was completely different. We happened to be at Disneyland in February 2010 on the day that the attraction re-opened, although we werent one of the hardcore fans that waited in line all night to get into the first show. Still, by the time we saw it in the afternoon, people still seemed excited to see this attraction, cheering when Michael Jackson first appeared, and that excitement was still evident when we returned to Disneyland that June. Well be at Disneyland in February this year and well see if there is still the same excitement as there was three years ago.
Next we headed back to France to try a couple of more desserts from the bakery. We hoped that by going earlier in the day it wouldnt be so difficult to find a table. We passed a couple of empty tables outside, but it was very windy and chilly out, plus it looked like it might rain. Jason grabbed a table inside while I went to get the food. There wasnt much of a line so I was back within a few minutes. This time Jason had a Napolean and I had the chocolate mousse. We also shared a Duo Au Chocolate, which was a dark and white chocolate mousse cake. The desserts were tasty, but we both came to the conclusion that we will probably visit again if we happen to be nearby, but we no longer feel the need to make a special trip to the World Showcase just to go to the bakery.
We decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom for a while. On our way to the front of the park we stopped to do The Seas with Nemo & Friends, which was a short five minute wait, and then Spaceship Earth. When we emerged from Spaceship Earth it had started to rain. It was just sprinkling lightly, very similar to an average day in Portland.
We decided to leave the car at Epcot and take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Our luck was with us and we boarded a waiting monorail. At the TTC we transferred to the express monorail and headed to the Magic Kingdom. It was an easy trip through security and the turnstiles. We stopped for a restroom break at the restrooms next to City Hall. Next door we noticed the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and stopped in to check it out. The Cast Member signed us up and gave us a map, a key card and each of us a pack of spell cards. We went to a station at the back of the Fire Station where she showed us how to play the game. Then we were on our own. We followed the clues to about three different portals and then we encountered a line of other players waiting to use the next portal. Some of the players were very hard core and had their spell cards in books. Once we had to stand in line and wait we kind of lost interest. Well pick up where we left off another day.
We continued on into Tomorrowland where we rode the TTA and then the Carousel of Progress, two of our favorites. I told myself I was just going to sit and enjoy the ride on the TTA and not bother taking pictures, because with the moving vehicle they just dont turn out very good. But I couldnt help myself and soon had my camera out snapping away.
The main reason for going to the Magic Kingdom that day was to see the Main Street Electrical Parade. But we were both tired and it continued to rain on and off. We werent sure if Disney would cancel a parade due to weather conditions and we didnt want to hang around if it ended up getting cancelled at the last minute. The thought of the comfortable condo and a relaxing evening won out and we decided to head back to Epcot to retrieve the car. While we were waiting for the Epcot monorail we were looking at the new all day menu for Le Cellier. We had made a lunch reservation because it was less expensive than dinner. Now that there was just the one menu, we were seriously questioning whether it was worth it to us. We came to the decision to cancel our reservation, which was difficult to do because I had waited a long time for Disney to open up availability for January. So I used the Disney app and cancelled it.
Once back at the condo we showered to get the sunscreen off and then settled down to a nice dinner and a couple of episodes of Sports Night before calling it a night.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $0.00
Amount Saved To Date: $30.50
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.82
Steps: 18,453
Day 7 Friday, January 18, 2013
Plan: Disneys Hollywood Studios, Dinner at Hollywood & Vine, Fantasmic!
Actual:
I was up at 5:15am after another good nights sleep. I joined Jason at the table where he had a pot of coffee already made. We both worked on our trip reports until it was time to get ready to leave. The temperature was in the upper 30s and it wasnt expected to warm up much today. There was also a chance of rain this afternoon/evening. I dressed in long sleeves, glad that I packed a couple of warmer shirts. It was easy to pack them when it was in the upper 20s back home in Portland, but I was questioning the need for them when we were greeted in Orlando by temps in the 80s. I also wore my windbreaker, which actually keeps me pretty warm.
The Studios is the closest park to our condo and the easiest to get to. Its about four miles along 192 to World Drive and then its the first exit off World Drive. We arrived very early and were near the front of the line. While waiting in line we decided that we wanted to eat at 50s Prime Time again. Using the Disney App I was able to book an ADR for Thursday at 12:15pm, our next DHS day.
The park opened at 8:45am and we headed directly for Toy Story Mania, where we picked up FPs and then entered the standby line. We basically didnt stop walking until we reached the loading area. Jasons score was 205,900 while my score was 151,000. This was my best score so far. While Jason may have beat me in points, I usually beat him in accuracy. Im tempted to one time just go for the highest accuracy score, maybe aim for one target per game so I can get 100% accuracy.
After Toy Story we decided to do the new attraction, The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow. Neither of know much about this, but we hoped that it was better than the Narnia attraction that was there before. That was a big disappointment. We were both pleasantly surprised to find that we enjoyed the new attraction. I dont think its something well do more than once, but we were both glad we did it.
Next up was Starring Rolls Caf, where we again shared the chocolate croissant and the apple Craisin turnover. Because it was so chilly out, we also got coffee, which brought the total bill to $11.04. We had no trouble finding a table this morning. I guess we were one of the few to brave the elements.
After breakfast we headed to Hollywood Blvd to see what they had for warm clothes. Jason was interested in getting something a little warmer than the thin jacket that hed brought. He didnt see anything that interested him. We did notice that hats and gloves were front and center and a rack of sweatshirts had been rolled out into the store.
It was time to use our Toy Story FP so we headed over to Pixar Place. When we relinquished our FPs the Cast Member directed us to the handicap loading area, rather than the regular line. There were five people, one in a wheelchair waiting to board. I think they sent us, as a party of 2, to fill the last seat in the vehicle. It was fine with us because we were able to board ahead of everyone else in line.
Jason improved his score slightly and ended up with 206,600. My score was a little worse at 147,400. But again I won in accuracy, 37% to Jasons 31%. As we were leaving the attraction we noticed that FPs were still available and decided to pick up another one for later.
Our next stop was supposed to be Star Tours, but I think we were a little behind schedule so by the time we arrived the wait time was up to 20 minutes. This isnt bad, but so far we hadnt had to wait more than 10 minutes for anything. So we decided to do Muppets instead and come back to Star Tours later.
We entered the building just as the preshow was beginning. It was a pretty full theater. I think people were looking for ways to get in out of the cold. We both enjoyed the show.
Afterwards we looked through the gift shop, noticing how expensive things are. We expected Disney prices to be high, but even so they seemed much higher than we expected. We would take turns guessing prices and found that actual prices were about 25% more than even our wildest guesses.
We circled around to Star Tours to find the wait times were still too high for us. We decided to skip this for now. We realized that if we hurried we could make the 11:45am Beauty and the Beast Show. We were seated about 15 minutes before the show started and the theater was pretty full. We were in the last few rows. We really love this show and always try to see it at least once each trip.
At this point wed finished our touring plan for the day. Other than our ADR at Hollywood & Vine and Fantasmic! we had no other plans for the day. We decided to get something to eat at Fairfax Fare. While we were in line, Susan, my friend from work texted me. My boss, Scott, had asked her to check to make sure we were having free time. Ever since our first trip to WDW in 2005, Ive created an Excel spreadsheet broken down into 15 minute increments where I color coded our plans for each day. Each park had a different color; ADRs were another color; shows & parades were a color, etc. I posted a copy of the itinerary on the bulletin board in my office during our first trip and it was such a hit that Ive done it for the next three trips. Scott was checking the schedule for today and noted that we had scheduled free time beginning at 12:28pm. He was making sure that we were sticking to the schedule. I texted back that we were ahead of schedule and yes we were having free time. We were using the free time to have lunch.
We decided to share a Macaroni and Cheese Gourmet Hot Dog, which was mac and cheese, bacon and truffle oil on a hot dog, served with chips. The total came to $9.15. We found a table and had just cut the hot dog in half when Susan texted that Scott wanted an updated schedule and a picture of our lunch. I sent her a picture of our hot dog. The hot dog was very good, but it was a small hot dog on a large bun. By the time we split it into two equal parts, there really wasnt much mac and cheese for either of us.
After lunch we headed over to The Writers Stop to share a Carrot Cake Cookie. We told ourselves that we needed to get one because wed forgotten to take a picture of it the last time, but the real reason was that it was so delicious. The cost was $4.25 with tax. This time we sat at one of the tables in the back of the shop. We were next to one of the bookshelves and we could see the Kingdom Keepers book series on one of the shelves. Even though its a childrens book, Id read the first book years ago when it first came out. Jason was interested in reading it so he ended up buying the Kindle edition of the first book from Amazon.
We decided to head over to the Animation Academy. There was quite a crowd of people waiting for the next class and it seemed like a long wait until we were finally let into the room. This time we drew Chip and learned several of the different ways to tell Chip and Dale apart. My drawing turned out pretty well. I texted a picture of it to Susan and told her to tell Scott that I was quitting my job to become a full-time cartoonist. She texted back an emphatic NO. Shes handling some of my job duties while Im on vacation and Im sure she doesnt want to get stuck with them full time.
It was time to use our FPs for Toy Story so we headed over. This time Jason scored 218,100 which was high score for the hour and I scored a dismal 130,100. Still I had a lot of fun.
We had about an hour until our ADR at Hollywood and Vine. We decided to sit on a bench near the American Idol Experience and just relax until it was time. Jason started reading the Kingdom Keepers book on his iPhone and I just sat and enjoyed the atmosphere.
We checked in 15 minutes early for our 4:00pm ADR at Hollywood and Vine. We waited about three minutes and then our name was called. We were seated at a table for two located fairly close to the buffet lines. Our server was Houria, although her name tag said Maria. When she introduced herself she didnt say Maria, so it was all very confusing. The food was good. We could see a chocolate fountain at the dessert area, which was new since wed been here last. The bill came to $77.29 which included tax, tip and a $14.40 TIW discount. We added a few extra dollars to the tip because Houria was so friendly and nice. At the end of our meal she gave us our Fantasmic! pass and offered us cups of coffee to go, which we gladly accepted.
We left the restaurant at 5:00pm and had an hour to kill until we needed to be at the theater for Fantasmic! We decided to do the Animation Academy again. This time we drew Piglet. Unfortunately, my Piglet didnt turn out as well as my Chip did, so I guess Ill keep my current job. By now it was seven minutes until 6:00pm so we had to rush over to the Fantasmic Theater. It was a long walk to the theater and our pass was checked several times along the way. The theater was very full by the time we arrived but we found a couple of seats at the end of a row about 2/3 of the way up. During the 30 minutes before the show there were a variety of group participation activities going on that just seemed loud and annoying. By the end of the long day, it would have been nice to just sit quietly and relax.
When the show started and the water screens started spraying, people in the first few rows started leaving in droves. Some found seats higher up, but many just left the theater completely. In spite of the cold mist blowing on us, we really enjoyed the show.
After the show we joined the mob of people leaving the theater and just followed along. I had no idea where we would end up and was surprised to find us back on Sunset Blvd. If I had to take a guess, I thought they would have just routed us out near Oscars Garage at the front of the park. But I guess they didnt want us to miss out on any last minute shopping opportunities.
Rather than be swept along with the crowd we hung around the Sorcerers Hat taking pictures for a while. By the time we left there were still plenty of people heading for the exits but it wasnt a solid mass.
When we arrived at the condo, I took a quick shower and then settled down at the table to transfer the pictures from my camera. Before the trip Id purchased a portable hard drive to connect to my NetBook. At the end of each day I transferred the pictures from the SD card of my camera to the portable hard drive and then deleted the pictures from the SD card. So far it was working great, so great that I also moved over some pictures from my phone that Id taken during several trips to the Oregon Zoo. However, tonight when I plugged in the hard drive, I couldnt seem to access it. I kept getting an error saying the drive wasnt accessible. I was panicky because every picture Id taking so far was on this drive. I spent the rest of the evening checking online for various solutions and trying different recovery methods. I finally was able to get the NetBook to recognize the drive. I could see that there were about 5 GB of space used on the drive, which Im assuming are my pictures, but couldnt actually access the pictures. I unplugged the drive and put it away. When I get home Ill take it to our IT guy at work and see if he can help. I decided from now on to save the pictures on the NetBook hard drive and also keep them on the SD card as a backup. While I was sad to lose all the pictures Id taken so far, we still have more than a week left of our trip and will be back to each of the parks at least once. Besides, Jason took many of the same pictures as I did and I know hell share his pictures with me.
We watched some TV before turning in for the night.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $14.40
Amount Saved To Date: $44.90
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.81
Steps: 18,415
Day 8 Saturday, January 19, 2013
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Dinner at Trails End
Actual:
Today was our second and last day planned at Animal Kingdom. Wed done most of what we wanted to do on our first day and didnt plan to be here all day. We left the condo at 8:00am and it was a short drive to the park. When the park opened we headed straight back to Kilimanjaro Safaris and grabbed FPs. Then we joined the standby line and didnt stop until we were at the boarding area. There seemed to be plenty of animals out and I took a lot of pictures.
After our safari, we stopped at the Kusafiri Coffee Shop and had breakfast. I had a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and Jason had an apple turnover. We also asked for two cups of ice water. The total came to $5.84 with tax. We took our food over to the seating area in front of Tusker House and ate, enjoying the cool, sunny morning.
After breakfast it was time to use our FPs for our second safari. This time we had a row to ourselves so we each had a good view out our side of the vehicle. Our guide was a guy named Joshua and I thought he sounded a lot like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix. We were both fascinated by his voice. I found out later that Jason had recorded a little bit of him talking and as he played it back, we were both amazed at the resemblance to Keanu.
We still hadnt been over in Asia so we made a clockwise loop around the park, stopping to take pictures along the way. When we reached Camp Minnie-Mickey we stopped at the Funnel Cake Cabin and shared a funnel cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. The total came to $6.70 with tax. The area was pretty busy until last call came for the Festival of the Lion King show, then we were left pretty much to ourselves. After we finished the funnel cake, we decided to head back to the condo to rest before our ADR at Trails End Restaurant at Fort Wilderness. On the way home we stopped at Publix to pick up more coffee and creamer, and then stopped at a Red Box outside a 7-11 to rent the movie Ted to watch later in the evening.
We arrived at Fort Wilderness a little before 4:00pm. After parking, we made our way to the bus depot. We were the only ones there initially but soon others started arriving. When a bus arrived, everyone started heading towards it. A second bus arrived right afterwards and we decided to take that one as it didnt seem as crowded. We arrived at the Settlement and then wandered around for a while, looking in the Trading Post and taking pictures. At around 4:20pm we checked in and were given a pager. While we waited we played checkers, which neither of us had done for many, many years. Promptly at 4:30pm our pager went off and we headed to the restaurant entrance.
We were one of the first guests to be seated and the first ones to hit the buffet line. I was able to get some good pictures of the food before it was mangled by human hands. I took a very tiny amount of the things I thought looked good, but even so I filled up fast. We decided take a tiny serving of each dessert and then share it so we could try a variety different things and not get so full. Even so, we ended up stuffed. We both are looking forward to getting back to eating sensibly when we get home. The bill came to $47.46 with tax, tip and a TIW discount of $9.20.
It was just starting to get dark when we emerged from the restaurant and we were anxious to get going because were unfamiliar with the area. I turned on the GPS because I didnt want to risk getting lost. When we arrived at the condo I made a pot of decaf coffee and we settled down to watch our movie. With about 30 minutes left to our movie, I started to nod off so we decided to watch the rest in the morning.
I think it was this evening that we realized that we could see Wishes from our balcony. They were far away, but we could see most of the main fireworks. Ill have to check in the morning to see if I can actually see the castle.
All in all it was a very relaxing day.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $9.20
Amount Saved To Date: $54.10
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 4.60
Steps: 14,594
Day 9 Sunday, January 20, 2013
Plan: Breakfast at Kona Caf at the Poly, Magic Kingdom, Wishes Dessert Party
Actual:
I was glad that yesterday was a very relaxing day, because today will be a long one. We were up early to watch the rest of the movie so we could drop it off on our way out. We left at 6:45am for the Polynesian with a 7:30am ADR at Kona Caf for breakfast. We werent sure how long it would take us to get there so we allowed some extra time. Turns out we didnt need to leave quite that early. We arrived about 7:15am. We took some pictures in the lobby and as soon as the restaurant opened up, we checked in. Promptly at 7:30am our pager went off and we were the second party seated. We both ordered the Big Kahuna breakfast which included French toast, pancakes topped with pineapple sauce and macadamia nut butter, eggs, home fried potatoes, ham, bacon, and sausage. We also shared a French Press Pot of 100% Kona coffee. The food was good and the coffee was excellent. The total with tax and tip came to $32.48 with a $6.29 TIW discount.
After breakfast we took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom arriving just as the opening ceremony was underway. The lines at both the bag check and turnstiles were longer than anything wed experienced so far this trip. We realized that this was a holiday weekend so things would probably be a lot busier than earlier in the week.
Today we were initially concentrating on the Adventureland and Frontierland side of the park. To save time we thought that wed hop on the train and ride it to the Frontierland station. We headed up the stairs, took some pictures of Main Street and then learned that the first train of the day wouldnt arrive for another 25 minutes. So down the stairs we went and fought the crowds down Main Street to Adventureland. We originally planned to pick up FPs for the Jungle Cruise, but wed ridden it on our first day in the Magic Kingdom so we decided to save our FP for something else. Instead we headed to our next destination which was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The plan was to ride it twice in a row before the line got too long. When we arrived the learned that the ride was down, so we picked up FPs instead.
Our next stop was Pirates of the Caribbean. There was no line at all and we didnt stop walking until we reached the loading area. We asked the Cast Member if we could wait for the first row of the next boat. She said yes but we would have to wait until other guests arrived. I thought that was strange. Why would it matter how many people were in the boat. I didnt argue with her and instead said that was fine with us. Fortunately two other people walked up just then so we boarded and were on our way.
Next was the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. I sat in the front of the carpet and controlled the up and down movement while Jason sat in the back seat and controlled the tilt forward and backward. I tried unsuccessfully to take some pictures while on the ride.
Aladdin and Jasmine were greeting guests when we got off the ride so we waited to snap some quick pictures when they were between guests. We noticed the Sunshine Tree Terrace was open so we stopped for a quick Citrus Swirl. The total came to $6.80.
After checking online we learned that Big Thunder Mountain was up and running again. Before heading over we grabbed FPs for Jungle Cruise. The posted wait time for Big Thunder was 20 minutes, so we decided to ride standby first and then use our FPs. We ended up waiting closer to 30 minutes. By the time we realized it was going to be a long wait, wed already invested so much time that we decided to just wait it out. After the ride, we immediately rode again using our FPs and the wait was much shorter. We noticed that Walt Disney World does a really good job of managing the FP lines to ensure short wait times. At Disneyland there are some attractions that even with a FP you still wait a long time. For example, at the Indiana Jones Adventure they merge the standby and FP lines so early in the queue that you end up with almost as long of a wait as if you rode standby.
Next we headed back to Adventureland and used our FPs for Jungle Cruise, boarding the next boat. After that we walked over to Frontierland and did Country Bear Jamboree. We arrived just after the show began so we found seats in the waiting area until the next show. The theater was pretty full.
Next we were back to Adventureland where we did the Enchanted Tiki Room. The theater doors were open and as we headed inside we could hear the Cast Member telling a man that he couldnt bring in whatever it was that he was eating. He asked where a trashcan was and she made him go all the way back to the entrance to throw it away.
Once inside we found seats in the very back row. This is our favorite spot to sit because you get a good view of everything without having to crane your neck up too much. Before the show started the same Cast Member gave the usual spiel about no flash photography or video lighting. The show started and we were glad to see the original show and not the Under New Management version. Shortly after it started someone took a flash picture. We watched the Cast Member march determinedly across the middle of the theater to confront the culprit. Now we dont approve of people taking flash pictures when theyve been told not to, but we were very surprised with the conviction with which the Cast Member addressed the situation. We half expected her to wrestle his camera from his hands and smash it to the ground.
After the show ended we headed over to Aloha Isle for our first Dole Whips of the trip. Weve been here a week already and this was our first chance to enjoy one. One thing we love about Disneyland is that the Dole Whip stand is right there at the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction. You are encouraged to bring your Dole Whip into the show with you. We wish they would do that same at WDW.
We both ordered Dole Whip Floats which was pineapple juice with your choice of vanilla, pineapple or orange Dole Whip. We both had the pineapple Dole Whip. There wasnt any place to eat nearby so we found a bench closer to the hub.
We walked from the hub over to Liberty Square and noticed with surprise that Sleepy Hollow Refreshments had construction walls around it. Fortunately it was still open for business. You had to walk through a small opening to reach the counter. Were not really sure what they were doing but we were glad it was open. Wed read about the waffle sandwiches they served between 11:00am and 5:00pm and wanted to try one. We ordered one Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich to share. The total came to $6.81 with tax. The line didnt seem that long, but we waited a long time for it to be ready. The Cast Member said they had nine waffles to make. Finally, it was ready and it was well worth the wait. The waffle was spread with Nutella and piled with blueberries, strawberries and sliced banana. We sat at a table with a good view of the castle.
Next we walked to Fantasyland where we did Mickeys PhilharMagic. Fantasyland was a zoo, every attraction except Mickeys PhilharMagic had very long wait times. We decided to do our old standby attraction, the Peoplemover. We fought our way through the crowds to Tomorrowland, where it was still very crowded. The line for the Peoplemover was very long and it wasnt until we got in line that we noticed that the attraction was even running. We stood there for a while not sure what to do. Eventually things started up again and the line started moving. While we rode we contemplated our next moves. We originally thought we might head back to the condo early afternoon and then return in time for the Wishes Dessert Party. However, as busy as this place was, we were afraid to leave because it could be very time consuming to get back into the park. On top of it being a holiday weekend, there were evening Extra Magic Hours which meant the park was going to be even more crowded. At one point Disney extended the regular closing time from 10:00pm to 11:00pm which was an indication of just how busy it was. So we made the decision to wait it out.
From the Peoplemover we noticed a pathway running from behind Space Mountain to Fantasyland. It seemed so empty and peaceful that we decided to check it out. We figured it would lead to the train station in Fantasyland. While we walked we decided that we would hop onto the train and ride it to Frontierland and try to find a place to sit to watch the 3:00pm parade. As we neared the station we could see a train just pulling in. We were also stunned to see a huge crowd waiting to board the train. Apparently everyone had the same bright idea that we did.
So instead, we fought our way through the crowds in Storybook Circus, through Fantasyland and over to Liberty Square. As we walked the parade route, we could see that every possible seating area was already taken. I wasnt up to standing for an hour to watch the parade so when we reached the end of Frontierland and nothing was available we decided to skip the parade. By now it was a little after 2:00pm and we knew that if we were going to eat lunch we needed to eat it soon so that we werent too full for the Wishes Dessert Party. Pecos Bills looked extremely crowded. We thought about going to Caseys Corner, but knew that would be a disaster too. We figured by the time we walked around looking for a place that wasnt crowded we could just invest in standing in line at Pecos Bills. We walked around to the entrance and followed the crowd across the front of the restaurant and into a door on the far end of the building. Once inside the Cast Member told us to go all the way back across the restaurant to one of the lines. Fortunately, at that end of the building there were only about three people in line ahead of us. It took much less time than we expected to order and get our food. Jason went to get napkins and condiments while I waited for the food. We met up and headed for the seating area. Fortunately, there was a Cast Member at the entrance to keep people from saving seats until they got their food. We waited a minute and were directed to an empty table. It was a great system.
We shared a BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries and an onion ring basket. We also asked for two cups of ice water. The total came to $14.25 with tax. The food was good and it was nice to sit down for a few minutes.
After lunch we made our way along the water trying to get out of the area before the parade started. We detoured through Fantasyland and then behind the castle to Tomorrowland, passing a huge line waiting to meet Merida from Brave. I cant even imagine waiting in a line for an hour or more to see any character. I cant imagine waiting in an 80 minute line to ride Peter Pan. It just boggles my mind that people will do that.
On the other side of the castle we walked through the rose garden taking pictures of the roses and the castle until we ended up in Tomorrowland. We decided to head for the Tomorrowland Terrace area and hopefully sit at the table near the electrical outlet and charge our phones. Id left my charger back in the room because we originally planned to return to the condo in the afternoon. Fortunately, Jason brought his. The table near the outlet was available so Jason plugged his phone in first and charged it to 95%. Then we switched places and I charged mine to 95%. We could see a man over by the Tomorrowland Terrace counter who had pulled a chair over to the outlet there and was charging his camera battery. Occasionally a Cast Member would come by to clean a table or empty the trash. Im sure she knew exactly what we were doing and was probably used to people doing the same thing.
We sat there for about an hour just relaxing while our phones charged. Jason read more of his Kingdom Keepers book. Finally, with both phones charged enough to get us through the rest of the evening, we headed to Tomorrowland for one more ride on the Peoplemover.
With 30 minutes left until we were due to check in for the Wishes Dessert Party, we whiled away the time taking pictures of the castle. It was getting dark and the castle was lit up. Finally, we headed over to stand in line to wait for them to start checking people in for the dessert party. It seemed like a much bigger crowd than on Wednesday, or at least people were lining up earlier.
We finally were checked in and given our wrist bands a few minutes after 7:00pm. We were taken to our seats which were again in the front row. We headed over to the dessert bar and decided to just take a few of our very favorites so that we wouldnt end up as full as we did the last time. The Main Street Electrical Parade was going one. While we could only see the tops of the floats, we could hear the music. After a sensible amount of desserts, we sat and drank coffee until the Celebrate the Magic show started at 7:45pm. We had talked about staying in our seats to watch the fireworks this time, but since our table was so close to the railing we knew that if anyone stood in front of us we wouldnt be able to see anything. So as soon as the announcement was made, we stood up and headed to a spot along the railing directly in front of our table. We stood there during the Celebrate the Magic show and then a few minutes later Wishes started. Once again, it was wonderful and worth battling the crowds all day.
After Wishes, we were tired and decided to just head out instead of doing anything else. You could see people pouring into Tomorrowland and I knew from checking the Lines app that lines everywhere were horrendous. We made our way slowly toward Main Street noticing the there was a line of Cast Members directing people in the opposite direction. Once we reached Main Street we overheard a Cast Member telling people that it was a shortcut to the exit. I wish we knew that before we fought our way through the crowds to Main Street. We immediately turned around and quickly made our way through the backstage area on the other side of the Plaza Restaurant. We emerged at near Tonys Town Square Restaurant bypassing the gridlock on Main Street. There was a 9:00pm Main Street Electrical Parade and I imagine a lot of people were staying put after Wishes to watch the parade.
So far wed been pretty lucky with Monorails, never having to wait for very long. Our luck with Monorails continued and we boarded a waiting Monorail back to the Poly. It was an easy drive back to the condo. We watched a little TV to unwind before saying goodnight.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $6.29
Amount Saved To Date: $60.39
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 7.24
Steps: 22,959
Day 10 Monday, January 21, 2013
Plan: Epcot, Le Cellier for Lunch
Actual:
The plan today was to do the east side of Future World. So far wed concentrated on the west side and World Showcase. While we waited at the turnstiles, we noticed a man in the line next to us putting up an umbrella. We were standing directly underneath the Monorail track so we hadnt noticed that it had started to rain. Not at lot, more like a fine mist. Once the park opened we made our way to Test Track where we picked up FPs. Then we joined the standby line, which moved very quickly. Soon we were designing our car, which was fun. We boarded the front seat of our car and hoped that it wasnt raining too much when we reached the outside part of the attraction. Theres nothing more uncomfortable than rain pelting at you when youre going 65 miles an hour. It end up being fine and we had a great time.
Next up was Mission Space. There was a 10 minute wait for the less intense, green side, which is the most were able to handle. We completed our training successfully and enjoyed the ride.
It was time to use our FPs for Test Track so we headed back over. When you go through the FP line youre kind of on your own. They dont assign you a design station you just pick up your own card and find an open station if you want to do that. Otherwise you can just continue on to the loading area. We started to design a car, but decided to just skip it and move on. The FP line is right next to the single rider line which was very long and posted a 30 minute wait time. This time we were in the back seat and we were joined by a man from the single rider line.
Our next stop was over to Ellens Universe of Energy. As we were standing in line we were trying to decide if we really wanted to invest 45 minutes of our day in this attraction. Jason didnt care and left it to up to me. I waffled and first said I didnt want to wait. As we walked away they started letting people into the preshow area. I changed my mind and in we went. We found a place to sit along the wall. When it came time to board the vehicles we hung back and let everyone else in first. As a result, we were in one of the last few rows of the last vehicle and had the row completely to ourselves. I took a few very blurry, dark pictures and then settled in to enjoy the ride. The combination of darkness and the slow moving vehicle had us both wishing we could just lie down on the seat and take a short nap. We refrained because we thought that maybe we were being monitored by video surveillance and didnt want a cast member to think wed passed out.
Jason wanted to go back to Sunshine Seasons for some blueberry croissant pudding so we headed over to the Land. We had hoped to get FPs for Soarin but the return time was too late in the afternoon and we didnt think wed be here then. As we approached Sunshine Seasons I had a thought that maybe the bread pudding was just a breakfast item. It was after 11:00am and sure enough they were serving the lunch menu. Jason was very disappointed. Well be back to Epcot at least once before the end of our trip so well have to make it a priority.
We had finished up our plans for the day so we decided to make a loop around the World Showcase so I could retake some of the pictures Id lost. We started in Mexico and worked our way around to Germany where we split a bratwurst, and pretzel and a piece of apple strudel. The bill came to $15.63 with tax. There werent any open tables in the courtyard area so we walked around to the side of the pavilion where there was outdoor seating area with a few tables. It was a nice day. Not too warm yet. We watched the meet and greet line for Snow White, again marveling how parents are willing to wait in a long line for their kids. I guess if its that important to your child, youll do anything.
We continued our tour around World Showcase and then decided to walk over to the Beach Club for ice cream at Beaches and Cream. We could be seated immediately if we wanted to sit at the counter; otherwise there was a 20 minute wait for a table. We opted for the table and were given a pager. We found a table to sit at outside and settled down to wait. It was less than 20 minutes when the pager went off and we were seated at a table in the center of the restaurant.
Jason ordered the same No Way Jose that he had last time, but I tried the Fudge Mud Slide. While we were there, someone ordered the Kitchen Sink. The server brought it to the table along with a sundae dish of ice cream. She set the sundae dish in front of one of the four people at the table and the kitchen sink in front of a second guy at the table. We noticed that there werent any small dishes on the table like they usually bring when people are sharing a Kitchen Sink, which made us think that maybe the guy was planning to eat it all by himself. Our bill came to $17.53 with tax, tip and a $3.40 TIW discount.
We wandered back to Epcot and spent a little time looking through Mouse Gears, although we didnt buy anything. We noticed that it seems to be the same merchandise everywhere we go.
We decided to call it a day. It was almost 3:00pm and we were tired. We took some pictures of Spaceship Earth on the way out and then drove back to the condo. We showered and then worked our trip reports for awhile. I was looking at our schedule for the rest of the week. Tomorrow, Tuesday was to be a Hollywood Studios day and Thursday was going to be a Magic Kingdom day. However, checking the crowd calendar on the Lines app, it looked like Tuesday would be a better day for the Magic Kingdom and Thursday a better day for the Studios. So we decided to swap days. Thursday was a morning Extra Magic Hour day at the Magic Kingdom and since we werent staying on property, it would put us at a disadvantage to arrive at the park an hour after others had already been there. I was able to move our Thursday morning Kona Caf breakfast to Tuesday and our Tuesday 50s Prime Time lunch to Thursday. Then I went online to the Touring Plans site and updated our personalized touring plans for both days.
Jason suggested that we order Flippers pizza for dinner. Wed read about Flippers in other peoples trip reports and noticed that the restaurant was just a short way down the street in the same complex as Target. I installed their iPhone app and ordered a pizza online to pick up at 6:30pm. We made the short drive and the pizza was ready when we arrived. They didnt seem to have any record that we paid for the pizza online. The manager ran our credit card through again and said that if the first transaction ends up showing up theyll just void it. Because they seemed a reputable establishment, I wasnt too worried about it. He had me forward my email confirmation to them so that they could check it out and figure out why the online payment system wasnt working. The total came to $17.09 (or it could end up being a $34.18 pizza if both transactions go through).
We took the pizza back to the condo and settled in to watch TV. Jason had taken pictures of the outside of the restaurant, the pizza box, the pizza itself and the empty plates and combined them into a photo collage using Diptic, an iPhone app, then posted it on Twitter. Flippers Pizza returned-tweeted a comment about the nice picture. The pizza was delicious.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $3.40
Amount Saved To Date: $63.79
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.20
Steps: 16,483
Day 11 Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Plan: Kona Caf for Breakfast, Magic Kingdom
Actual:
We left at 7:00am for our ADR at Kona Caf. There wasnt much traffic at this time of day so we didnt feel the need to leave quite as early as we did last time. We arrived at the Poly at 7:20am. We checked in and were seated promptly at 7:30am. Our server today was nice, but it seemed like a forced this is part of my job type of friendliness. I ordered the Tonga Toast and Jason ordered the Macadamia Pineapple Pancakes and then we split them in half to share. We also ordered the regular Kona blend coffee. When our server brought the food to our table he also dropped the check off at the same time. Although he said there was no rush and we could take care of the bill when we were ready, we felt rushed. That rushed feeling was compounded by the fact that he cleared Jasons plate practically as soon as he put the last forkful of food in his mouth. He reached for my plate, asking if I was through although Id barely taken a few bites of the pancakes. We had to ask him to leave the syrup and strawberry compote as he had snatched that up at the same time as Jasons empty plate. Its not like the place was busy, there were plenty of empty tables. I quickly finished up my breakfast and we left after settling the bill which came to $30.41 with tax, tip and a TIW discount of $5.89.
We hopped a waiting monorail and were at the Magic Kingdom in no time. What a difference in crowds between today and Sunday. We breezed through security and the turnstiles without any lines. Since wed seen the opening ceremony a couple of times this trip, we sat on the planter off to one side so we were close to the tunnel when the park officially opened.
Id updated our touring plan to take out some steps that we had already done and added some that were important to us. We both wanted to do the Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid at least a couple of times. We think it is really well done and absolutely love this attraction.
One the park opened we headed down Main Street noting that a large crane could be seen behind the castle. I was glad that I had taken plenty of pictures of it before the crane appeared. We walked straight back to Fantasyland to pick up FPs for Under the Sea. Then we decided to head back to the attraction and try to ride it before the line got too long. When we got back there we found that it was closed due to technical difficulties. So we moved on to the next step which was the Tomorrowland Speedway. The posted wait time was 10 minutes but we ended up waiting for 12 minutes. I dont know if its because I havent ridden this for a while, but it seemed like the steering was very touchy. I couldnt seem to keep the car headed straight and constantly swerved from side to side. It was quite embarrassing and I hoped no one noticed.
Next up was Stitchs Great Escape. It wasnt until the restraints started lowering that I remembered how painful this attraction is. This isnt one of our favorites and we usually just do it once per trip and only if the line is short.
Since we were in the area, we headed over to the PeopleMover. We passed Push the talking trashcan and watched him for a while. We spotted his handler nearby. After a quick trip around Tomorrowland on the TTA we then headed back to Fantasyland to do Mickeys PhilharMagic.
By the time we left Mickeys PhilharMagic it was time to use our FPs for Under the Sea so we headed over to New Fantasyland. On the way we picked up FPs for a second ride on Under the Sea and then spotted Cinderellas stepmother and two ugly stepsisters. They were interacting with the crowd and we briefly stopped to watch them before continuing on to the Under the Sea ride. The queue seems really dark, especially after being outside in the bright sunlight. I always seem to stumble through the first part of the queue until my eyes get adjusted to the dark. When we neared the loading area we could see that the ride was stopped. We waited for a few minutes until it started up again. Its a fairly fast loading attraction so it wasnt long before we boarded our clamshell. Again we both really enjoyed this attraction.
Leaving New Fantasyland, we made our way over to Caseys Corner where we shared an order of corn dog nuggets. The total for one order of nuggets was $4.79 with tax. Then we walked along Main Street to the train station. I wanted to get some pictures of Main Street and then we planned to ride the train. While we were up there we noticed a sign announcing that as part of the Limited Time Magic promotion some lost friends would be making an appearance. We waited for a while and out they came, all in a line. Friar Tuck, Robin Hood, Prince John, Scrooge McDuck, Ludwig Von Drake, Three Little Pigs, Big Bad Wolf, Clarabelle Cow, Jiminy Cricket, Gepetto, and Pinocchio to name a few. If the line wasnt so long we would love to meet Jiminy Cricket. Hes Jasons favorite character.
When the train pulled in we boarded, planning to ride at least one loop around the park before deciding where our next destination would be. When the train stopped in Frontierland we could see Pooh and Tigger in the empty queue area for the closed Splash Mountain. I zoomed in as close as I could with my camera to get as big of a picture of Pooh as possible.
When we arrived at the Fantasyland station we decided to get off and head to Tomorrowland to do the Carousel of Progress again. We normally head for the back row, but this time we sat in the second row and I really liked being that close to the stage.
Next we headed over to Adventureland where we each had a Pineapple Float. This time Jason had vanilla ice cream with his pineapple juice. The total came to $10.63 with tax. After taking pictures of it, we found a place to sit nearby. While we were eating, a woman came up to ask us if this was a Dole Whip. We confirmed that it was and directed her to the Aloha Isle.
After we finished the floats we decided to head back to the condo. As we made our way out of Adventureland, Peter Pan ran by us on his way to his designated meet and greet spot. Along the way he would stop briefly to greet small children. He was very playful and impish, a perfect Peter Pan.
We made our way down Main Street and then decided to stop in at the confectionary to get a Mickey chocolate chip cookie with ears dipped in chocolate and a couple of pieces of fudge, even though we werent at all hungry. Well take them back to the condo and nibble on them over the next couple of days. The total for two cookies and two pieces of fudge came to a whopping $20.20.
We made our way to the monorail and headed for the Poly. I had heard that you could get Dole Whip at the counter service location at the Poly and we decided to check it out. Yes, you can but well probably stick to getting it at the Magic Kingdom. It just seems more fun that way.
We headed back to the condo and settled down for an afternoon of writing our trip reports and recharging various electronic gadgets. Later in the evening we made some dinner and ate of our cookies. It was lights out for me by 9:00pm.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.89
Amount Saved To Date: $69.68
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 4.67
Steps: 14,799
Day 12 Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Plan: Downtown Disney, Lunch at Biergarten
Actual:
Today was going to be a peaceful, relaxing day. We planned to eat at Earl of Sandwich, do some shopping and then head over to the World Showcase in the early afternoon to have dinner in Germany at Biergarten.
We left the condo at a little after 8:00am and made the short drive to Downtown Disney. We parked near the T-Rex restaurant in a mostly deserted parking lot, which should have been our first clue. As we walked around we realized that everything was closed. I knew that Earl of Sandwich opened at 8:30am but I didnt check to see when the stores opened. Doing a quick check online it looked like they opened at 9:30am. We considered going to Earl of Sandwich first, but neither of us was at all hungry. It was very chilly out, even for us Oregonians, so we made a trip back to the car for our jackets. Then we decided to walk around taking pictures, which turned out to be a good idea since there wasnt anyone else around.
At 9:00am the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique end of the World of Disney Store opened up and we were able to look through that end of the store. At 9:30 there was a little ceremony to open the rest of the store. One of the little girls who had been to the boutique was chosen to do the honors of opening the rope that closed this end off from the rest of the store. All the cast members lined up on either side and clapped as we walked through them.
We made our way through the store, which isnt anywhere near as large as the World of Disney Store at the Disneyland Resort, although I couldnt really tell you what that store had that this one didnt. I had wanted to find something to give the three co-workers who were filling in for me while I was on vacation. However, everything that seemed like a suitable gift was so expensive. Multiply that by three and it adds up to a big chunk of money. So I held off for now. If I find something Ill get it, otherwise Ill pick up a box of Mickey candy for everyone to share. Ive done that in the past and people seem to enjoy it.
One thing Id been eying was the Mickey nutcrackers. Id seen them in various other places and each time they seemed to be calling me. With Jasons encouragement I decided to get one. I also picked up a few smaller items. We saw a pack of 48 paper coasters with vintage looking characters/scenes on them. Jason thought it would be great to line some of them up inside a frame for display. I thought that was a great idea too and we decided to buy one box and split them. I think it will look nice in my office at work
We took our purchases up to the counter and were able to get a 10% AP discount, which basically covers the sales tax plus a little more. We dont have sales tax in Oregon, if something is marked $20, thats what you pay so its always a little bit of shock when we shop in other states.
We decided to put our purchases in the trunk along with our jackets. It was starting to warm up and we didnt want to lug everything around with us. Wed spent over an hour in the World of Disney store and decided to head over to Earl of Sandwich to eat before it got too crowded.
There were only a couple of people in line and most of the tables were empty. We ordered our sandwiches, I had the Hawaiian BBQ and Jason had the Earls Club, we also ordered two cups of coffee and a triple chocolate brownie sandwich with vanilla cream in the middle. We were able to get a 10% AP discount which brought the total to $17.79.
We found a table inside and after taking pictures of everything, we dug in. The food was good. The brownie was outstanding, very moist and fresh. When we got up to leave we could see the line at the counter was very long and we were glad that ate when we did.
We worked our way around the various stores. When we reached Ghirardelli we were given our samples, which we saved for later. We decided to get ice cream. Wed always wanted to eat here, but the timing hadnt worked out. I ordered the hot fudge sundae and Jason ordered the brownie sundae. We sat at a table outside. Although the sundaes were large, fortunately they werent as large as the ones at Beaches and Cream. We were still stuffed when we finished. Again, we received a 10% AP discount which brought the total to $17.16.
While we ate we noticed a Guest Relations area directly next door. We had planned to upgrade our annual passes to premier passes sometime during the trip. We have a trip to Disneyland planned for February and this way we can use our passes for both trips. Before the passes expire well plan either one more trip to WDW or one or two trips to Disneyland.
The cast member who helped us was earning her ears and had another cast member helping her. She had to refund the cost of the annual pass and then apply that refunded price to the price of the premier pass. We had purchased our AP vouchers last year right before the price increase. We were pleased to see that they used the current AP price of $611.31 instead of the $552.74 that we actually paid. This saved us almost $60.
At this point we looked at the clock and realized that we had less than 2-1/2 hours until our ADR at Biergarten and there was no way wed be hungry by then. We decided to cancel our ADR and just have a relaxing afternoon back at the condo. We made a quick trip back to Goofys Candy Company to pick up a box of candy for my co-workers and Jason added a piece of chocolate nut fudge. We were glad to find that we could get a 10% AP discount here as well.
We finished our shopping and headed back to the condo. We each worked on our trip reports for a few hours and then watched some TV. Later in the evening we heated up a can of soup, but werent even the slightest bit interested in nibbling on our cookies or the fudge.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $0.00
Amount Saved To Date: $69.68
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 2.94
Steps: 9,341
Day 13 Thursday, January 24, 2013
Plan: Disneys Hollywood Studios; 50s Prime Time Caf for Lunch
Actual:
Today was originally going to be a Magic Kingdom day, but after checking the crowd calendar we decided to swap our Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom days to take advantage of lower crowd levels and avoid an EMH morning at Magic Kingdom.
As usual, we worked on our trip reports for awhile before leaving the condo at 8:15am. I missed the first exit for some reason so we took the next one and took the longer route to the entrance on the other side of DHS. Stitch was out in front of the turnstiles and even though he isnt one of my favorite characters, I took a picture of him. Because Im not willing to stand in a long line to get a picture of a character, I have to be content getting pictures with other guests in them, or try to snap a quick picture between guests. Not usually the best angles. This time I lucked out getting a photo without anyone else around.
Once the park opened a few minutes before 8:45am, we headed down the street stopping a couple of times to take pictures, especially of the Sorcerers Hat. Our first stop was for FPs for Toy Story, and then we hopped into the standby line. Jason scored 210,400 and I scored 162,800, which is good for me.
Our next stop was the Great Movie Ride. We entered the attraction and saw that there were quite a few people in line ahead of us, which we thought was unusual for this time of the morning. As soon as we joined the line, an announcement was made that the ride wasnt currently operating but should be up and running in a few minutes. The announcement caused one family to leave the line in a huff, complaining that it would have been nice to know this before theyd waited in line for a half an hour. I thought this was unusual because the park hadnt even been open for a half hour.
We waited just a few minutes before the ride opened up again and we were able to get on the next set of vehicles. We got the gangster scene again, just like we did the other time last week. Even though I knew from past experience that pictures taken during the ride dont usually turn out well, I couldnt help myself and snapped away. Mid way through the ride, I switched from my camera to my iPhone and the quality was much better. The iPhone seems to do very well taking pictures in low light situations.
Next stop was Starring Rolls Caf where we decided to sample three of the four cupcakes that were offered. One was a Chocolate Butterfinger, one a Red Velvet, and the third was a Chocolate Peanut Butter. We also got coffee as a way to cut the sweetness. All three were delicious, but extremely sweet.
We hadnt yet done Star Tours on this trip. Actually, we hadnt yet done it on any trip to WDW so far. So we headed over to pick up FPs. It was about 10:15am at this time and our FP return time was for 10:55am.
Next we headed over to Toy Story to use our FPs. Jasons score was the best in our vehicle. Looking at the time, we realized that if we hurried we could make it to the next class of the Animation Academy. We made it with a couple of minutes to spare. This time we learned to draw Pluto. I love this class and am always amazed that I end up with a drawing that is at least recognizable as the character were drawing.
It was time to use our Star Tours FPs. We moved through the queue so quickly that I wasnt able to take any pictures. Before I knew it we were loaded into the vehicle. Weve ridden this attraction many times at Disneyland although not since it was updated. I was used to putting my things in a net under the seat, much like the one on Soarin. In this attraction, everything went directly onto the floor under the seat and there was a net stretched across the front of the row of seats. It didnt seem very secure and I spent the whole ride waiting for my iPhone to slip out of the pocket of my mini backpack and slide to the front of the vehicle. Everything managed to stayed intact and I guess I worried for nothing. We both enjoyed the ride and look forwarding to riding it at Disneyland in February.
We debated what to do next. Muppets was nearby but since this attraction is also at Disneyland, we wanted to do something that we couldnt do in California. We decided on the Backlot Tour, even though it isnt our favorite attraction. We waited for less than 10 minutes and then were herded into the first part of the tour where the special effects water tank is located. There were no volunteers so the cast member basically told us how things would have been done had there been actors working. Without the volunteers, it was kind of lame. We moved on to walk through the prop area and then boarded the tram. Other than seeing a few of the Lights, Motors, Action drivers practicing in the back stage area, it was basically just something to do to fill the time. Id heard this was a possible location for something similar to Cars Land at Disneyland and that sounds like a great idea to me. After the tour we skipped the AFI exhibit as we had looked through there last week.
We still had some time before our ADR for 50s Prime Time so we decided to walk around the park taking pictures and reporting wait times. I earned a badge for reporting wait times for every attraction on Sunset Blvd., which wasnt at all difficult to do since there are just a couple of them. We detoured through the candy shop on Sunset and were given a free sample of a marshmallow dipped in colored coarse sugar. We sat down to munch on these before moving over to the Echo Lake area. We had to hustle to make it across the street before the Disney Channel Rocks float came by.
We found a bench facing Echo Lake and sat for a while just enjoying the nice day and the peaceful surroundings. At 1:15pm we headed over to 50s Prime Time to check in for our 1:30pm ADR. After waiting for about five minutes in the Lounge, we were seated at our table. This time we both ordered the sampler plate with fried chicken, pot roast and meatloaf, along with vanilla Cokes. The food was excellent, especially the fried chicken. It was a lot of food, so we decided against dessert. We settled the bill which came to $49.91 including tax, tip and a $9.67 TIW discount.
After lunch I suggested seeing Beauty and Beast again and Jason thought that was a good idea. We always this near the back of the theater and this time we wanted to be closer to the stage. We ended up maybe 6 or 7 rows from the front and it was great. We always enjoy this show, but being closer to the stage, where you really see the actors faces, made a big difference.
At this point, we decided to call it a day and head back to the condo. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on our trip reports, then fixed some dinner and watched TV.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $9.67
Amount Saved To Date: $79.35
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 3.98
Steps: 12,616
Day 14 Friday, January 25, 2013
Plan: Epcot in the AM, Magic Kingdom in the PM
Actual:
Today was supposed to be the day when we do our favorites things one more time at both Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. However, when discussing our plans the night before, we decided to just do the Magic Kingdom. Now that the bakery in France is no longer our favorite World Showcase destination, we decided that we really wanted to be at the Magic Kingdom to ride the new Under the Sea attraction at least a few more times.
We also talked about what to do on Saturday, our final day. Our flight doesnt leave until 6:30 in the evening so we had already arranged for a late check-out. Jason suggested another breakfast at Kona Caf and then a tour of the monorail resorts. I thought this was a good idea so I booked a 9:10am reservation at Kona Caf using the My Disney Experience app on my iPhone.
It was a really foggy morning. When I opened the drapes in the living room I couldnt see anything beyond the balcony. It was chilly out but we decided against jackets because it was supposed to warm up later and we didnt want to be stuck lugging them around all day.
We left the condo at 8:11am, a little later than we would have liked. Traffic was heavier on 192. We parked and headed to the TTC. I wanted to ride the ferry, because we hadnt yet done that, but as we headed that direction we overheard a cast member announcing that the ferry wasnt running, so we detoured to the monorail. We boarded the next monorail at 8:43am and were on our way. The fog was already starting to lift.
There were already more people waiting at bag check and the turnstiles than wed encountered at any other time. We decided in the future it would be worth it to arrive earlier and not deal with the crowds. Once we reached the turnstiles, we each chose different lines. The opening ceremony was underway and people were jammed into the area in front of the train station. We both made it through the turnstiles and then came to a dead stop directly on the other side. There was literally no more room for anyone to go through. We waited there until the opening ceremony ended and people started to move out into the park.
We walked briskly down Main Street. I slowed just a bit to take a picture of the row of Cast Members lined up waving at us with their large white Mickey gloves. I love that they do that.
As planned, we headed directly to Fantasyland to pick up a FP for Under the Sea. Then we walked over to ride the attraction standby. As we past the Be Our Guest restaurant Jason suggested that we should eat lunch here, waiting in whatever line there was. My first reaction was to not do that. I didnt look forward to waiting in line for an hour just to eat there. We continued on to Under the Sea where the posted wait time was 5 minutes. We actually didnt stop walking until we boarded our clam-mobile. After a great ride, we immediately got into line again and waited 2 minutes for our next ride. This time the ride stopped twice for some reason during the beginning of our ride, but we were soon on our way.
We had a few minutes until our FP window opened up so we headed for a restroom break next to Gastons Tavern. By then Id had time to digest Jasons suggestion of having lunch at Be Our Guest and was fully on board with the idea. We used our FPs for Under the Sea and then headed directly over to the restaurant.
When we joined the line at 10:00am, we were at the end of the bridge. Soon a Cast Member started urging everyone to move forward, filling in all available space, so we ended up in the middle of the bridge. I was thinking that the restaurant opened at 11:00am, but was very happy to find that it opened at 10:30am. Waiting 30 minutes in line was definitely more appealing than one hour. Soon after we got in line a Cast Member came through the line offering menus. We looked over the menu and I decided on the Steak Sandwich, while Jason decided on the Braised Pork. For dessert I wanted the Chocolate Cream Puff and Jason wanted the Triple Chocolate Cupcake. After a while the Cast Member came back through the line to pick up the menus. She and I talked for a few minutes about what we were planning to order. When I told her, she said that those were her favorites. It was then that I realized that every conversation about food that I had with a Cast Member involved them telling me that it was their favorite too. Either I have an uncanny ability to choose the best thing on the menu, or Cast Members are trained to agree with the guests choice as a way to promote good guest relations.
Promptly at 10:25am, the doors to the restaurant opened and the line began to move. As we entered the castle we were split into two lines, which moved along fairly quickly. Along the way there were menus posted between the two lines. When we reached the head of the line, a Cast Member stood at a podium. Beyond him we could see a large room with multiple ordering stations set up. We were asked how we intended to pay. After telling him that we would pay by Visa, we were handed a large round plastic rose and directed to one of the numbered ordering stations. We placed our order and then headed out to the main ballroom.
The ballroom was very large, with magnificent chandeliers and tons of tables. We stopped at the drink area to fill our coffee cups and then found a table along the wall at the far end of the room. We placed the rose on the table. I went to get silverware and by the time I came back, our food had arrived. It was delivered in a glass covered cart by a Cast Member. I imagine the rose contains an RFID to let them know where we were seated and which order was ours. It was 15 minutes from the time the restaurant opened until our food arrived.
The food was delicious and it was so fun to be there. We were very happy that we made this last minute decision. The desserts were small, which was great. Sometimes the desserts are so large that you dont have room for both an entre and dessert without making yourself sick. We lingered for awhile over our meal, really enjoying the atmosphere. There were still empty tables available so we didnt feel like we needed to rush so that someone else could sit down. We decided that we definitely need to do this again on our next trip. Next time I want to try to Braised Pork and Jason wants to try to Steak Sandwich. The bill came to $37.00. No Tables in Wonderland discount was available for lunch.
Before leaving we checked out the other rooms and took pictures. We headed out of New Fantasyland and over to Old Fantasyland. We noticed that the FP return time for Under the Sea was 12:15pm, so each grabbed one. Since Mickeys PhilharMagic was right next door, we headed over there next. Afterwards, we looked through the gift shop outside of the attraction. Then, because there was almost no wait, we did Its a Small World. We basically walked on to the ride. We asked if we could wait for the front row and the Cast Member agreed. We boarded the next boat and it was great to be able to take pictures (without a flash of course) without other peoples heads in the way. My iPhone did a really good job in the low light atmosphere, better than my regular camera.
It was time to use our FPs for Under the Sea, so we headed back to New Fantasyland, where we discovered the ride was shut down. I posted this information on the Lines app before heading over to Adventureland for one last Dole Whip Float. This time I got the float with vanilla instead of pineapple. Jason prefers this combination. It was good, but when you think about it, I can get pineapple juice with vanilla ice cream anytime. Neither of us was hungry since wed just finished lunch about an hour ago, but we knew this was our last opportunity of the trip to get a Dole Whip. The total came to $10.63.
We decided to head up to the front of the park and check out the Limited Time Magic Long, Lost Friends character meet and greet. Jason had read about it online and we wanted to see some of these characters that dont make regular appearances in the park. We joined the long line in front of the train station for I think Robin Hood and Friar Tuck. We waited in the hot sun for 15 minutes not really sure when they were scheduled to make an appearance. I was getting a little irritable and tired of waiting. I encouraged Jason to stay in line and I would just find someplace to sit down, but he was tired of waiting too. We walked over to the Fire Station and stood in the shade with a good view of the backstage area where we imagined the characters would come from. We stood there for probably another 15 minutes and were about to give up completely when they all emerged in a line and made their way to their designated greeting areas.
After quickly snapping many pictures of all the characters, we followed Jiminy Cricket over to his spot in front of Tonys and tried to get pictures in between the other guests that were waiting in line to meet him and Gepetto. Not willing to wait in the huge lines that had formed for each character, we decided to be satisfied with the pictures wed taken and moved over to Tomorrowland.
We decided on one last ride on the TTA. I took one picture of Jason while we were on the ride, but basically decided to just enjoy the view without trying to get a decent picture. While on the ride, I checked online to see if Under the Sea was up and running again. It was so after leaving the TTA we headed over to New Fantasyland. It was well past the return window for our FP so I wasnt sure how this was going to work. I started to explain to the Cast Member that we were here earlier but the ride was down. She obviously knew that and waved us through without waiting for me to finish my explanation.
It was probably around 2:00pm at this time so we stopped to regroup and figure out our next step. Wed accomplished our main goals for the day which was to ride Under the Sea multiple times, do some of our other favorite attractions and have one final Dole Whip Float. Wed also had the bonus of eating lunch at Be Our Guest, which we hadnt expected to do at all this trip. Jason had wanted some ice cream, but the lines were too long plus we were both full from lunch and the Dole Whip. We decided to call it a day and head back to the condo. I suggested that we stop at Publix on the way to pick up some ice cream and the makings for sundaes so we could have ice cream later in the evening. Jason agreed so we made a quick stop and picked up some vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce, whipped cream and then added some root beer for possible floats. While Jason looked for the fudge sauce, I picked out the ice cream. I thought Id picked up regular vanilla ice cream, but when we got back to the condo Jason noticed that Id actually picked up low-fat vanilla yogurt. We both considered that unacceptable while on vacation so we headed back out to Publix to pick up real vanilla ice cream. We both know that as soon as we get home well have to get right back to following Weight Watchers so we werent willing to compromise on this final splurge.
Finally back at the condo, we decided to make root beer floats and then did some laundry while we worked on our trip reports. I was checking to see why our ADR for Kona Caf tomorrow wasnt showing up in my reservations, even when I entered the confirmation #. Finally, I realized that when I made the reservation on my phone the day before, the date was set for Friday, not Saturday. So we had basically been a no show to our ADR that morning, which is something I really try not to do. Fortunately, I was able to book the reservation again for the correct day.
Later in the evening, we fixed some dinner, trying to use up some of the remaining groceries and then had hot fudge sundaes, which we watched more episodes of Sports Night.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $0.00
Amount Saved To Date: $79.35
Pedometer Stats:
Miles: 5.24
Steps: 16,602
Day 15 Saturday, January 26, 2013
Plan: Breakfast at Kona Caf, Monorail Resort Tour, Pack and Fly Home
Actual:
Our reservation for Kona Caf was for 9:05am. We left the condo around 8:30am and then worried that we wouldnt make it in time but we made good time and had a few minutes to spare before our ADR time. We were given a beeper and waited just a few minutes before being seated. This time we were seated at one of the tables right along the front of the restaurant, along the railing. Normally, I do not like to sit here because I feel like people waiting to be seated stare at you whether they are aware of it or not. We sat so that our backs were to the outside of the restaurant and fortunately it wasnt crowded so no one was really waiting out there.
We both ordered the Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes, which were as delicious as always. We both ordered cups of the regular Kona blend coffee which we overheard the server explain to another table was made up of 30% 100% Kona coffee. For some reason our server disappeared part way through our meal and we waited a long time for her to bring us the check. We were anxious to be on our way so I handed her my Visa and Tables in Wonderland card when she brought the check so we could speed up the process. The total with tax and tip came to $27.83 including a TIW discount of $5.39.
After breakfast we boarded a waiting monorail and made our way to the Grand Floridian. We walked around the lobby and took pictures before moving on to the Contemporary. It was here that we realized that this tour was kind of a waste of time. Wed seen all the monorail resorts before and unless theres something special like the Christmas decorations, there really wasnt any point in make the rounds of the three resorts.
We boarded the next monorail and headed back to the Poly. We retrieved the car and headed back to the condo to pack. One of the challenges in staying in a large condo was that it took more time to pack because we had our belongings spread out over 1900 square feet of space. We had quite a bit of leftover food that we had to deal with. We filled a garbage bag with the food that had been opened, but left some of the unopened food on the counter just in case the housekeeper wanted it.
Even though I hadnt purchased a lot of souvenirs, I did have enough that I was worried that I wouldnt be able to fit everything in my suitcases. The nutcracker was well wrapped and took up a lot of space. Finally, everything was gathered up and packed. I took some time to take pictures of the condo just in case I wasnt able to recover the six days of photos that I lost. We had time to spare so we watched some TV for a while and then decided to head to the airport.
We loaded up the car and headed to the lobby to check out. Then we set the GPS for the airport and headed out. Not being familiar with the drive to the airport, it took awhile before I started to question the direction the GPS was taking us. I had a vague thought that possibly it was set to avoid toll roads but didnt realize until later that it was also set to avoid highways for some reason. I also started to worry about running out of gas. We had purchased the full tank of gas and wanted to avoid putting any additional gas in the car if at all possible. The car had a nice feature that it would display the number of miles until the tank was on empty. As we kept driving, I watched the number drop down lower and lower. I wasnt sure how accurate the number was and hoped that we wouldnt run out of gas and miss our flight. Finally, we reached the airport after taking a number of surface streets. As we pulled into the Avis return area, I noted that we had 9 miles left until the tank was empty. We really got out moneys worth out of that tank.
The return process at Avis was quick and easy. We trudged into the airport with our two bags a piece and made our way all the way down to the Alaska Airlines check in counter, which was in the opposite direction that the Avis attendant told us.
We quickly checked in and were warned that there were long lines at security. This was definitely the case. Fortunately, we knew we had plenty of time so we werent overly concerned. We lucked out and were directed to the line the seemed to have very few people and it moved quickly. I managed to get through the line quickly and gracefully. My shoes were off, bags on the conveyor, I felt completely in control of the whole thing.
We made our way to the gate and sat down to wait. Our flight boarded at 6:00pm and we settled into our seats. This time we were in row 2 so we were able to stow our carry on under the seats in front of us. As soon as we were seated, we were served a bowl of warm nuts and handed the dinner menu to peruse. The appetizer was a mixed green salad with feta, cucumbers and tomatoes, and a warm dinner roll. For the entre we had a choice of either Coq Au Vin with pearl onions and mushrooms, roasted red potatoes and broccolini, or prosciutto wrapped cod with sage, sun dried tomato tapenade, linguine, grilled asparagus and baby carrots. We both chose the Coq Au Vin. Dessert was Chuckanut Bay Very Berry Cheesecake. The food was delicious.
After dinner we spent the time reading, watching sitcoms on the DigEplayer and working on our trip reports. We were both tired. This was the first time wed taken a late flight and as nice as it was to not have to leave for the airport before dawn, it was difficult to stay awake after a busy day. I ended up dozing off and on for part of the flight.
We landed in Seattle around 9:45pm. Our flight to Portland left on time at 11:00pm and we landed around 11:45pm. PDX was deserted and most everything was closed. It felt very strange to be there when no one else was around. We retrieved our luggage and called the Ramada shuttle to pick us up. The driver was there within 10 minutes and we were soon dropped off at the front of the hotel. As we dragged our bags around the building to the back parking lot in the freezing cold I again regretted bringing this much luggage.
While Jason loaded up the car, I got in and started it up. In the back of my mind there was always the thought that after sitting for two weeks, the battery would be dead. But it fired right up.
After a slight detour after taking a wrong turn, we finally ended up on the right highway and pulled into our driveway a little after 1:00am. Its a long trip across country, which is why we try to stay at least 10 days. It was a wonderful trip, with a lot of fun times and great food.
Tables in Wonderland Stats:
Amount Saved Today: $5.39
Amount Saved To Date: $84.74
Summary:
This trip was exactly what we had hoped it would be. We did a lot, but didn't feel like we rushed around. Being there for two weeks gave us plenty of time to do everything that we planned to do. We really enjoyed the condo and will definitely stay here again. It was great to have the extra space, the kitchen and laundry facilities, and the living room to relax in. The staff was super friendly and helpful and the drive really wasnt bad at all.
Our next trip will be to Disneyland the last week of February to celebrate my birthday. Were hoping to make one more trip to Disney World the first part of January, right before our passes expire. Weve talked about seeing if my mom and dad (Jasons grandparents) would like to come along with us to Disney World. If they do, well probably stay on property. With four people, its nice to have the convenience of using Disney transportation in case we want to go separate ways. Also, with the upcoming changes, like FP plus, we want to be able to take advantage of them.
By the way, when I returned to work I asked our IT guy if there was a way to recover my lost pictures from the portable hard drive. He gave me the name of some free software to download and it did the trick. I was able to recover over 1,000 pictures. I dont believe Im missing anything, at least nothing that I remember. He is a genius!
Thanks for hanging in to the bitter end of this long report. If youd like to see some of my pictures, I moved them into an album on Flickr that you can access by following this link.