July 3-9 Trip Report

Hey Guys! Another trip under my belt, and there's a lot to talk about with this one. We were there from the third until the ninth and got in much of the world. What a trip this was. We did a lot of new things, yet still hit all of our old favorite traditions. So here we go. . . . .

Day One: July Third

We got to Caribbean Beach around 11 and settled in. Our rooms weren't quite ready, so we dropped off some of our valuables with bell services while we parked near where our room would be. Then we went off to Old Port Royale for lunch. We got our mugs, which were different from when my sister and my mom had been there in February. An interesting fact of note: The mugs now have 2003-2004 written on them, along with a disclaimer about using them. They are starting to crack down on people reusing mugs especially from other resorts. All mugs read in all caps, "Refillable only at location purchased Free refills until the end of your stay." It's good to see they're making strides to save money by preventing people from basically stealing drinks. I mean, I saw people fillling up all kinds of mugs, from Blizzard Beach to All Star Sports to old (and I mean really old--all blue and all coral colored) Caribbean Beach mugs. Anyway to cheat the system I guess. Another note about the mugs. They had a wide choice of colors to choose from when it comes to the tops and handles. This made it very easy to identify whose was whose in the family. For instance, I had green, my brother a blue green, my dad a dark blue, my sister orange, and my mom and other sister had red. Much less confusing.

Well, after lunch, my sister and brother didn't want to go to a park, so my parents and my other sister decided we would just get on the first bus that came. It turned out to be MGM, so off we were. Nothing really special there, except for one story. We did Who Wants to be a Millionaire twice. On the second show, I actually made it into the hot seat! The person before me, was a returning contestant, and he only answered about 6 questions. I guess I was fast enough, because when he missed, my number was up on top (seat 410)! The host I had was Dennis, and he was very nice the whole time. I was so nervous, you wouldn't believe it. I was like shaking. Of course, this was after running through the rain, so I was still a little wet and it was cold in there. Anyway, when I was on the 32,000 point question, I had to use my last two life lines--50/50 first, and then phone a complete stranger. I was very lucky to get a person, his name was Frank, as my stranger, who knew the question for sure. He knew by the date that one of the choice was impossible, as he was dead. Dennis was very impressed by this, so after I answered it correctly, he brought Frank into the studio, and I actually got to meet my stranger! It was hilarious. If any of you were in that show, you can agree to that! Well, I was out of lifelines, so I just guessed on the 64,000 point question, and missed. But I had hit the plateau, so I was happy. With the pins, and lanyard, hat and polo shirt, the total value, was $170--not bad for twenty minutes of freaking out. I had a great time. What made it even more special was that the next day, while filling up our mugs, I was recognized by this couple that had seen me win. I felt like a celebrity. What fun!
Later on in the trip, we went back, and I got a picture with Dennis, and I'll post it if I can.

After that, my other sister and brother met us at MGM, and we went to Riverside for dinner. We just love that resort.

Well those are the highlights for Day One. More to come later. . . .
 

Pippa

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the report Kev, sounds like Millionaire is great fun. I didn't get to do it on my last trip but will this time. Keep it coming!!!
 

kevlightyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Before I go on, I should have mentioned something. The question I missed (the 64,000 point question) was about none other than Microsoft. Anyone who knows me sees the irony. I'm an apple person through and through. Now. . . .

Day Two: Fourth of July

Simply because it was the fourth of july, we decided to stay away from the major crowds, and do something less hectic. We went to a water park for the first part of the day--namely Typhoon Lagoon. I would have to say this is my favorite water park of the two. There's much more shade, the theming just seems to fit better, and it's not as crowded. While it doesn't have the two large water slides, it has more of the little ones, and still has Humunga Cowabunga. The wave pool is a blast, too! We ate lunch there and left the park around one thirty.

We stayed at the hotel a little while and around 4 we left for MGM. Since this was the second day in a row we were here we didn't get in too many things. We did however stop at the GMR and took a ride on the Backlot Tour:

I have to say, the new route is much more entertaining than the old one. It's definitely a reason to go on it if you normally wouldn't, simply because of all the new things you see. In my opinion, there's a lot more "behind the scenes" stuff visible to you. And it's different right off the bat, going through the costuming department building in the opposite direction first (you used to go through it at the very end). From there, it's just a whole different route, going through some of the same places and some completely new areas. Catastrophe canyon was still there and kicking. The boneyard has been moved around a bit. They've taken some of the pieces and put them in a parking lot of all places for you to pass on your way to the Canyon. They've also moved Walt's plane from it's grassy home to the pavement. At least you still get to see it. I do have a question for you guys though. While going through the set building, there is an area where you can see sets and props used around Disney World (it was where some M:S stuff was seen). Well I noticed something that looked like a piece of stone that had words carved in it dealing with Atlantis and the Disney MGM Studios. Does anyone know what this is? I didn't get a pic, and can't remember the exact wording. Was it just used for character meet and greets when the film came out? If not, does that mean something is on the horizon? Anyway, just curious.

We ate dinner on Sunset Boulevard (I had a turkey leg :slurp: ), and then went to look for a seat for the reason we came to MGM, also known as Sorcery in the Sky. We had seen it two years before on the three years ago on the fourth, and decided to see it again this year, simply because it's so rarely shown. Plus, we hadn't seen it since the addition of the Sorceror Mickey hat. This show is fantastic! I have to say, the fireworks used are definitely superior to FITS. While they may not be as old, they sure are more original. And I have to say, the hat went well with the show. Unfortunately, the giant inflatable sorceror mickey did not make an appearance this time. I'm guessing it was taken out when the hat showed up, but the show went on fine without it. I actually didn't even realize it wasn't there until after the show when I was leaving. I have to say, though, there is a lot of pyro used in this show. I think I was just lucky, but the wind carried a lot of ash over my way. Towards the end, it was just raining ash on my mom and I and the people around us. Nevertheless, it was an amazing show, and I'm glad I saw it.

Thank goodness for Disney Bus Transportation. There was a bus waiting for us when we got there, and we even got seats. We were back in our room by 9:35 (the show started at 9:00). I'd say that's great time, but we were in Caribbean Beach, which is right next door. But this provided another opportunity for us. Illuminations along with it's Fourth of July fun didn't start until ten, so we found a good spot in the parking lot outside our room and waited to watch those. We were so close, we could even hear the Illuminations music. So basically, we got two great fourth of july shows on the same night. Good stuff!

I have pictures of both shows, and I'll pick out the good ones to show you guys.

That's enough for now, more to come. . . .
 

AdLibSean

New Member
Kev,
Wonderful trip reports as usual! I'm from the Upstate area of SC as well and would like to know what time you leave at to arrive in WDW at 11 AM!! LOL! Do you leave the night before and stay over somewhere?
 

kevlightyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Originally posted by AdLibSean
Kev,
Wonderful trip reports as usual! I'm from the Upstate area of SC as well and would like to know what time you leave at to arrive in WDW at 11 AM!! LOL! Do you leave the night before and stay over somewhere?

LOL! Yes, we usually drive about six or so hours the day before and stop at a city outside of Valdosta, GA called Lake Park. Then we drive the rest of way the next day. It just gives us that much more time in the parks to take advantage of our AP's. It works pretty well actually. You get to see the resort for the first time in the late morning instead of late evening, and you don't have to wait to go the parks, you can just jump right in. Plus, it breaks up that monotonous ten hour drive. We usually go back all in one day, but broke it up this past trip to check out a college on the way.
 

kevlightyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day Three: Fifth of July

Saturday, the day after the fourth of July, the fifth of July, otherwise known as our excuse for coming to the parks, my mom's birthday. Since we had been to MGM a lot in the past days, and hadn't gotten the E-rides we decided to take advantage of Early Entry for MGM. Nothing out of the ordinary here. We got to ride ToT and RnR twice each, I think. When that hour expired, we got in another Who Wants to be a Millionaire Play it. This was where I got my picture with Dennis, the host from my trip to the hotseat.

__hr_Dennis.gif


When time came around, we were off to Epcot to celebrate my mom's birthday. We took the Friendship boat over to the International Gateway stopping at many resorts along the way. While it was a long boat ride, it wasn't too arduous. We were early for our PS's at Les Chefs de France, but there was hardly anyone eating there, and they let us in. I have to say I love this restaurant as well. The Croque Monsieur is delicious. Plus, the fresh roles they serve you are excellent as well. It's also good to test my French knowledge--hey, I've had four years of it.

After that, we just explored Epcot for a while. We went back to Future World and did some rides there. When four o'clock came around, we headed over to Mission:Space to see if they were going to open, and sure enough, they did. That added two more rides to my resume, making four--once in each position (Commander, Pilot, Navigator, Engineer). I can't say enough what a great ride this is. It amazes me the things they can do nowadays. It's so quiet and smooth, but still packs a punch!

After waiting out a brief (less than ten minutes) rainstorm, we headed on back to CBR for dinner. After dinner, we took a quick swim, and called it a night.

Days Four through Seven coming up. . . . . .
 

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