MKCP's February Escape

MKCP's February Escape (Photo Report)

Our adventure began on Saturday, February 25. Arriving in Orlando with four teenagers means there has to be a little Universal time to go with a big heaping helping of Walt Disney World.

We arrived in Orlando in the late late morning. Fortunately, Universal is right at the junction with the Turnpike and I-4. We were greeted by a huge traffic jam at the parking lot and inside the parks it stayed crowded all day, until and including park closing time. Everything we wanted to do was a 60 minute wait. This would have been the day to buy the express pass.

I forgot all about the long lines when I met this guy, because he and I go way back. Too bad my mom threw out all his comic books:

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If only he could have used his shield to get us through the lines quicker!

Last year at Mardi Gras, we went through both parks and did everything we wanted to do in half a day. No joke. This year, we only had half a day and it was clear we weren't going to get it done, so after covering the essentials at Islands of Adventure (Hulk, SpiderMan and Dueling Dragons (ice)), we said good-bye to Islands and headed for Universal Studios and the mummy. I'm not going to complain, but if you wonder why so little was done at Islands of Adventure, the answer is breakdown after breakdown! :rolleyes: We would have taken the Jurassic Park Raft Adventure, but after 45 minutes in line, with the load area in sight, the ride broke down and after another 20 minutes waiting for it to come back online, we had to bail because we were running out of time. Spider Man also broke down and added 15 minutes to what was already a posted 45 minute wait.

Saying goodbye:

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MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Over at Universal Studios, we felt we "had" to try our skills at Men in Black and then experience the Mummy. Walking over to MIB, this Van Helsing marquee caught my eye:

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Those ladies are real heart-breakers.

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We did get onto both MIB (which had been delayed due to a breakdown) and the Mummy, and it was time for the Mardi Gras parade. Now, we had gone to Orlando to escape Mardi Gras, so two-thirds of our party wanted to skip the parade and the other 2 decided to stay. So we waited for them at my favorite Universal Watering Hole and Restaurant:

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After a big meal at Margaritaville, we headed to Coronado Springs and got checked in at around 11:00 p.m.

We settled into our rooms and prepared for a big day of mountain expeditions and Magic Kingdom.

(Coming Next: Sunday at Disney Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom)
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DDuckFan130 said:
Aww that picture of you and Captain America (right? :lol: ) is adorable! My sister thought you were in your 20s :p
Click to expand...
I love your sister! :lol: (Yes, that is Captain America)
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
warning: this post has a photo of a depiction of a YETI

Sunday, February 26

We started with a big BOMA breakfast at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

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Sunday morning was a rainy morning, so we loaded up on Mickey Mouse ponchos, because we were not going to be slowed down by rain! Afterwards, we were on to Everest! Here's a picture in the queue area for Everest:

WARNING: The next photo contains an artist's depiction of what may or may not be a YETI. It may be a bear. Or a monkey. Or a tourist. Or a Yeti. Or any combination of the above.





Go away now if you don't want to see it. . .




Okay, I warned you. . .



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After riding the Expedition Everest twice, then purchasing the requisite tee shirt, sweat shirt and photo frame in the gift shop, we decided we could try and do some other things.

In Dino-land, we saw this guy:

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After going for Dinosaur a couple of times, we decided to explore the Tree of Life and its Bug Show. Here's a photo of the most photographed tree-like structure in Central Florida. See how many animals you can identify, if you feel like it:

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And my favorite ant, with regrets to any relatives who may read this (I'm only JOKING! :lol: :lookaroun ):

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After saying goodbye to Flik, we headed to the Magic Kingdom, which was having extra magic evening hours. By the time we left the Animal Kingdom, the rain had gone away and did not return for the rest of our trip.
 
stranger

stranger

New Member
DDuckFan130 said:
Aww that picture of you and Captain America (right? :lol: ) is adorable! My sister thought you were in your 20s :p
Click to expand...


He does, doesn't he? I can't wait to read the rest!! :sohappy:
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
One more Animal Kingdom photo before we leave:

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That depicts the way a lot of us have felt since the hurricane hit. It really feels like the end of the Earth over here sometimes.

Anyway, we went on to the Magic Kingdom and arrived at about the same time as the afternoon parade was getting ready to roll through the park. So of course, we went to Tomorrowland!!! :lol: I didn't mention it before, but the wait times at the Disney parks were nothing like at the Universal parks. Probably because the Disney rides weren't constantly breaking down. (hey, it is true - I like the Universal rides, but the breakdowns were ridiculous!)

In Tomorrowland, it didn't take long to spy aliens hiding in the trees:

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It was fun watching the spinning planets over the spinner Astro Orbiters.

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We were able to ride what we wanted in Tomorrowland and in other parts of the park before our big evening meal at Cinderella's Royal Table. While waiting for all our group to assemble, I played with taking some photos of Cinderella's Castle.

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Have you noticed there aren't as many decorations on the back side of the castle? I zoomed on Tinkerbell and got this beauty:

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It wasn't until the next day when I was able to view the photos on the computer that I realized I'd snapped her backside! :lol:
:lookaroun

(more to come later . . . )
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
some parade photos before I say good night:

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These guys still creep me out, every time I see them!

Not Mickey, though!

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We'd had a peacock over our head earlier at DAK while waiting for Tough to be a Bug. Here's his electric cousin:

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Butterflies:

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Fairies:

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an Octopus and a Mermaid:
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MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After the Spectromagic parade and wishes we enjoyed the extra magic evening hours until close to 1:00 a.m. I had told a friend earlier in the day that if I was trying to board Peter Pan at 1:00 a.m., shoot me because I was clearly off the deep end. Yet, there we were boarding Pooh well after midnight. :lol:

Here's the courtyard at Splash Mountain with zero wait time (maybe this makes up for all the summer days I've sweated and waited for an hour or more to board!):

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Night overlooking Liberty Square:


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Back in Tomorrowland:

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We walked over to Timekeeper's home to see if he would take us on one last trip, since the 26th was reportedly his final day. The doors were closed and locked. :(
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Then, while walking back over to Main Street, we saw another old friend!

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We visited a little bit with Roy and Minnie before calling it a night:

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Next: Monday, February 27 at the Disney-MGM Studios!
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Monday February 27: Disney-MGM Studios

I took this photo outside the gate because I was surprised to see from that location, you can actually see (1) the Sorceror's Hat; (2) the "Mickey on the Globe" and (3) the Earffel Tower. I don't think there is any place inside the gates where all three are visible at the same time.

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For me, the Studios begins and ends with the Tower of Terror. Is this statue staring at you?

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The lobby suggests possibly something is out of sorts.

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We survived the Tower! To relax, we decided to walk over to the G-Force Records where Aerosmith was in town recording their next CD. We were in luck - they were in the studio and we got these photos of the recording session:
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They were on their way out of the studio as we were going in, but they gave us a ride to their concert. That was anything BUT relaxing! :lol:

(to be continued)
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
At the Great Movie Ride, the vehicle stopped at Casablanca so I was able to get these shots without using the flash:

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Lunch time came around, so we headed for my favorite: The Sci-Fi Drive In Restaurant:

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I was pleased to see they have some cars with three rows of seating, to accomodate a party of six.

After lunch, we stopped by the animation studio to check in on our newest Disney friends:

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Mr. Incredible? :lol:
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Walking out of the animation building, we almost got up close and personal with MommytoMJM, walking in. (Sorry, no photos of that!)

Here's the "new" San Francisco back drop.

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Can you see the difference between it and the "old" S.F.? This photo is from 2005:
San_Fran.jpg



(more later. . . )
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Like I said, every trip to the Disney-MGM Studios begins and ends for me at the Tower of Terror, so here are just a few more photos of my favorite attraction in all of Walt Disney World:

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Statue outside Right Library (I'm thinking he didn't get a restful night of sleep here):

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and a great tee-shirt in the gift shop:

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The queue for Rockin Roller Coaster stayed at one hour all through the extra magic hours, so we passed it by. . . :(

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And leaving the park around 10:00 p.m., here's a favorite dog:

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(coming up next . . . Epcot!)
 
TurboCaroline

TurboCaroline

Is it 5:00 yet?
You didn't want to stay in town to see the Krewe of Gemini parade??? WDW vs Gulfport parade..hmmm decisions:rolleyes: . The parade wasn't all that bad. I stood in front of Firestone(my husband works there) and caught a ton of beads. The crowds were very small. I then caught the parade again by walking over to City Hall and got a ton more!! Oh well I would have chosen WDW too! Glad you had fun!:wave:
 
MommytoMJM

MommytoMJM

New Member
MKCP 1985 said:
Walking out of the animation building, we almost got up close and personal with MommytoMJM, walking in. (Sorry, no photos of that!)
Click to expand...

:( I'm sorry, were we rounding the corner? I try very hard never to run into people....call out and say hi next time you are around!
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
EPCOT:

Our last day in the parks was Tuesday, February 28. We wanted to go Soarin' so, that took us to the Land where these guys were flying high:
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One used fast pass later, we were
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I love the way the Monorail comes through Epcot and frames Spaceship Earth in the background. I tried several times to get the perfect photo. I didn't get it, but I got these:
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We enjoyed Imagination with Figment and Dr. Nigel Channing and were pleased to recognize the original "Imagination" tune as we explored the ride.
Over at Test Track, something sinister was going on. As I took this photo, I heard a dad tell his inquisitive son, "That's where the people are reprogrammed, son." :lol:
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Epcot had a good crowd, but it wasn't terribly busy. Single rider lines at Mission: Space and Test Track were 5 to 10 minute waits, and the only outrageous lines were at Soarin and Turtle Talk with Crush, each of which were one hour most of the day.

(next. . . World Showcase)
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Over in the World Showcase, we saw a 3 headed troll:
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We wanted to get on the River of Time in Mexico for one last ride before it gets converted to the Three Caballeros! This was a mystical journey:
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where we saw a musical band of skeletons:
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I know, I know - no flash photography allowed. :o I just thought you'd enjoy seeing these photos, so . . .

We were also happy to catch a performance of the Voices of Liberty:
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After a full day of exploring the park, we went to France for an evening meal.
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My daughter is in her second year of taking French classes, so we made her converse in French with the waitstaff, and she did all our ordering. She did a really good job, and the waiter presented her with a menu to take home as a reward for her efforts.
Here's a shot of the desserts being prepared and ready to be delivered to hungry patrons.
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We left the park after supper to go over to Downtown Disney for a little shopping. The next morning it was time to go home!

I hope you enjoyed the report!
 
MKCP 1985

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
ksccar said:
You didn't want to stay in town to see the Krewe of Gemini parade??? WDW vs Gulfport parade..hmmm decisions:rolleyes: . The parade wasn't all that bad. I stood in front of Firestone(my husband works there) and caught a ton of beads. The crowds were very small. I then caught the parade again by walking over to City Hall and got a ton more!! Oh well I would have chosen WDW too! Glad you had fun!:wave:
Click to expand...
It isn't that we don't like the Mardi Gras festivities, it is just that this break is the only time we can take the kids out of town. Baseball games are in full swing during Spring Break and the season goes all the way into July. By August 1, football practices start, so the choices are February (nice and cool with manageable crowds) or July (hot and crowded) :lookaroun

I'm a sometimes customer at your husband's store. My daughter and her friend attended the Universal Studios Mardi Gras parade and said it was nothing compared to the parades on the coast, much less New Orleans. They caught several beads and gave them all away to young children. I thought that was sweet of them. :)
 

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