MONDAY
We (me, a 28 year old Disney fanatic, my friend Chad, a 25 year old guy looking for a good time whereever he can find one, and his mom, a 50 something year young lady who couldn't wait to ride the rides) flew out of Cincinnati on Monday morning. Had a nice Delta flight, and my friend's mom was waiting on us when we landed. We stopped at Winn-Dixie on the way to AKL and picked up a few grocery items before heading over to check-in to the hotel.
We had the valet park the car (my reservation info from Pam said free valet parking, but all the signs said $7 per day.) I had my friend and his mom look around the vast lobby while I dealt with the cast member, Paul, at the desk. He wasn't unfriendly, exactly, but was a little too matter-of-fact for my liking. I'm glad my friends weren't at the counter with me as this was one of the first Disney employees we encountered and he wasn't up to par with others. I asked about an upgrade and Paul said I'd have to pay for it. I said that was fine, and then he checked and all the Savannah Rooms and Deluxe Savannah Rooms were booked!! I couldn't believe it. So, we got Room 5101, right off the elevator on the 5th floor overlooking the lobby. It was a bit small, but we weren't planning to spend that much time in the room anyway, and it was worth what we paid, I figure. Anyway, the room wasn't ready at check-in so we had bell services allow us to get into our luggage to get some different clothes and we headed over to the Animal Kingdom.
We tried to get a table at the Rainforest Cafe, but there was a 30 minute wait, which wouldn't have been bad, but we were starving. So instead, we had the Flame Tree Barbecue, which we all highly recommend for value and quality. Then we rode Dinsoaur, which was a walk-on. My friend and his mom both loved it. I love it, too, and was so glad they thought it was a good thrill since that seemed to be their goal throughout the parks - finding the biggest thrills.
After Dinosaur, we hit It's Tough to be a Bug, which we enjoyed, and then hotfooted it to the Legend of the Lion King, which my friend's mom liked and my friend said, "I appreciate their performances," but it wasn't his kind of thing. It was my first time seeing it, and I'd heard so much about it that I don't think it lived up to the hype. It was good, but I wouldn't rank it as the best show in WDW.
We then went over and stood in the Standby Line for Safari. It was long and very slow moving. We did manage to get on a little faster, because I was paying attention and the wheelchair car needed a few more guests to fill up from the line so I volunteered us to go. The other people in line were not very happy. Sorry, you snooze, you lose.
We walked on the jungle trail and saw the gorillas and the hippos, and got some good pictures like this one:
<img width=400 src="http://www.footinmouth.net/disney/2005/gorillas.jpg">
We headed back to the hotel at this point, since the park was getting near closing time. We got up to our room, and my friends went out to the mammoth pool. They were very impressed with the pool and hot tubs and fitness center. We drover over and had dinner at the ESPN Club that night, which was busy but well worth the trip to the Boardwalk.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was Magic Kingdom day for us, and the bus was very crowded in the morning. The park felt extremely crowded, too, especially on Main Street, USA. We rushed to Space Mountain, grabbed a FastPass, and then went back and did Stitch's Great Escape. My friends never experienced Alien Encounter, and I only did one time. We all HATED Stitch. The pre-show was excellent, we thought, but the actual part where Stitch got loose and was running around was stupid and way too long. Plus, my friends are a bit claustrophobic, and the stupid head gear thing that came down was annoying. My friend's mom just kept saying how much she missed Mission to Mars.
We rode Space Mountain and I was in the front car. Never again. I don't know what it is about this ride, but it terrifies me and I was so motion sick when I got off the ride, I vowed never again. Of course, I know I'll go on it again next time I'm there and will swear it off again then. My friends both agreed this was THE RIDE at the Magic Kingdom. FastPass is AMAZING, as we waited maybe 2 minutes to get on board while we watched the standby line virtually stand still to our left.
We then headed through Fantasyland, surveyed the line for Phillarmagic and decided not to wait (we had dinner plans with my friend's mom's cousin who works in purchasing for WDW so we had limited time) and hit the Haunted Mansion. We then went over and grabbed a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain and got in line for Splash Mountain. Splash was about a 5-10 minute wait in the Standby line, which I thought was pretty durn incredible at noonish. They liked Splash Mountain, but weren't really into the storyline too much until I explained it to them. We grabbed a quick snack from an ice cream vendor and waited for our turn on Big Thunder Mountain. Again FastPass saved us so much time. I'm not entirely sure, but it felt like they've either toned Big Thunder down since I was there last or it was broken, because there were times when it was slowing wayyyyy down when I didn't think it should be. Anyway, they thought this was a little lame.
We walked back and watched the Hall of Presidents, which they thought was fine, and then we ventured into Adventureland for Pirates of the Carribean. Chad HATED this and thought it moved way to slow. His mom said she had fonder memories of it than this experience and I have to agree that it hasn't aged very well. Hopefully a new rehab can give it a little more zip that it needs. We did the Jungle Cruise, and the skipper, Crystal, was pretty funny. Finally, it was time to head over to the Castle for our 2:40 PS (I called the night before and it was the last table available). Lunch was GREAT - I had Prime Rib, which was some of the best I've ever had, Chad had the salmon sandwich, and his mom had a salad. We also got the Castle Fries, which came with a really awesome cheese sauce. I highly recommend lunch here. Service was very good, as well.
We left the park and went back to the room for a nap before dinner at Bahama Breeze off property. Got to hear some interesting info from my friend's cousin who has worked for Disney for a long time. He also talked about the hurricane damage his neighborhood suffered last year. Very interesting info.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday was Epcot, and by now we were all dragging a bit. We went in immediately and grabbed a FastPass for Test Track before going over to Ellen's Energy Adventure. Suprisingly, my friends really enjoyed this, though Chad thought the part with the radio antenna was lame and needed something else. He's right. We went back over and did Test Track, which we enjoyed, but they felt like it needed to be longer. They weren't ready for it to be over. We debated and decided that Mission:Space was not going to happen, due to the warnings about motion sickness and all of our tendencies to avoid feeling naesous. Maybe on my next trip.
We walked over and did Honey I Shrunk the Audience, another attraction which is showing its age. Compared to It's Tough to be a Bug, this really doesn't hold a candle anymore. After this, walked up to Le Cellier on the off chance that we could get a lunch table, but they were all booked up. So, we took the boat to Morocco and had lunch at the American Adventure. Here's where our weariness really started to show. Chad ordered the Turkey Sandwich combo, which comes with a salad. The cast member taking orders barely spoke English, and so when he asked, "Does that turkey sandwich come with a salad," it was translated back, "You want American cheese?" It was ridiculous and if everyone hadn't been a little testy, we would have laughed about it. Instead, I finally snapped when the lady behind the food counter would NOT talk to us about the order and instead insisted on talking to the non-English speaking cashier. I said, "Um, maybe you could ask us about the order, since we actually speak ENGLISH!?" I was completely ignored by both of them, and we finally got our food and sat down. We rested for a few and headed out to the rest of the World Showcase. We walked through Germany, Italy, China, and rode Maelstrom in Norway. By this point, we were done. We walked through Mexico, and decided that was enough. After a quick stop at Ice Station Cool (and yes, they hated the Beverly . . but I still say MezzoMix is pretty good) and we went back to the room for naps and the pool. We got up and went over to Downtown Disney for dinner, and we put our names in at the Rainforest Cafe. An hour and twenty minutes went by before we got seated, but that was OK because we browsed the shops and walked around Pleasure Island. Dinner was pretty good, and I'm glad we were able to see the area.
THURSDAY
Our best day was MGM, without question. We were finally recharged and read for the biggest thrill rides in the parks. We grabbed a FastPass for Tower of Terror, and watched the Indiana Jones show, which we all enjoyed. We then went back, grabbed a FastPass for RockNRoller Coaster and rode Tower of Terror. They LOVED it, and I've always been a huge fan. We grabbed lunch (pizza), and we then rode RockNRoller Coaster, and loved it, as well. I was surprised how much fun it was, but we were all a little dizzy afterwards. We grabbed another FastPass for the Tower of Terror, and decided we needed something a little calm after this, so we did The Great Movie Ride, which has lines that are way too long for an attraction without FastPass. Why does Indiana Jones need FastPass and this doesn't? I've always loved this ride, since the first time I was there as a kid, but I think it could stand to move a little faster and they could really get the cast members some acting lessons. The last two times I've been on it, I've felt like the script was too stilted. It could really use updating.
We went back and did Tower of Terror and RockNRoller Coaster again, and without FastPass this wouldn't have been possible. We watched the Muppets, tried to get on the Backlot Tour, but it closed at 5:30, so we did the last showing of Millionare, before heading over to Fanastmic. We had standing room only, and it was FREEZING. Chad was sooo cold.
<img width=200 src="http://www.footinmouth.net/disney/2005/chadfreeze.jpg">
It was Extra Magic Hour evening, so we did The Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and decided it was too cold so we headed back to the hotel for dinner at Mara. They had really good Buttersquash soup, according to Chad's mom.
Friday, we drove to the airport and headed back home.
All in all, it was an amazing trip and I highly recommend AKL and using FastPass whenever you can. A good strategy to see the parks can really help get everything in that you care about. Thanks for reading!
We (me, a 28 year old Disney fanatic, my friend Chad, a 25 year old guy looking for a good time whereever he can find one, and his mom, a 50 something year young lady who couldn't wait to ride the rides) flew out of Cincinnati on Monday morning. Had a nice Delta flight, and my friend's mom was waiting on us when we landed. We stopped at Winn-Dixie on the way to AKL and picked up a few grocery items before heading over to check-in to the hotel.
We had the valet park the car (my reservation info from Pam said free valet parking, but all the signs said $7 per day.) I had my friend and his mom look around the vast lobby while I dealt with the cast member, Paul, at the desk. He wasn't unfriendly, exactly, but was a little too matter-of-fact for my liking. I'm glad my friends weren't at the counter with me as this was one of the first Disney employees we encountered and he wasn't up to par with others. I asked about an upgrade and Paul said I'd have to pay for it. I said that was fine, and then he checked and all the Savannah Rooms and Deluxe Savannah Rooms were booked!! I couldn't believe it. So, we got Room 5101, right off the elevator on the 5th floor overlooking the lobby. It was a bit small, but we weren't planning to spend that much time in the room anyway, and it was worth what we paid, I figure. Anyway, the room wasn't ready at check-in so we had bell services allow us to get into our luggage to get some different clothes and we headed over to the Animal Kingdom.
We tried to get a table at the Rainforest Cafe, but there was a 30 minute wait, which wouldn't have been bad, but we were starving. So instead, we had the Flame Tree Barbecue, which we all highly recommend for value and quality. Then we rode Dinsoaur, which was a walk-on. My friend and his mom both loved it. I love it, too, and was so glad they thought it was a good thrill since that seemed to be their goal throughout the parks - finding the biggest thrills.
After Dinosaur, we hit It's Tough to be a Bug, which we enjoyed, and then hotfooted it to the Legend of the Lion King, which my friend's mom liked and my friend said, "I appreciate their performances," but it wasn't his kind of thing. It was my first time seeing it, and I'd heard so much about it that I don't think it lived up to the hype. It was good, but I wouldn't rank it as the best show in WDW.
We then went over and stood in the Standby Line for Safari. It was long and very slow moving. We did manage to get on a little faster, because I was paying attention and the wheelchair car needed a few more guests to fill up from the line so I volunteered us to go. The other people in line were not very happy. Sorry, you snooze, you lose.
We walked on the jungle trail and saw the gorillas and the hippos, and got some good pictures like this one:
<img width=400 src="http://www.footinmouth.net/disney/2005/gorillas.jpg">
We headed back to the hotel at this point, since the park was getting near closing time. We got up to our room, and my friends went out to the mammoth pool. They were very impressed with the pool and hot tubs and fitness center. We drover over and had dinner at the ESPN Club that night, which was busy but well worth the trip to the Boardwalk.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was Magic Kingdom day for us, and the bus was very crowded in the morning. The park felt extremely crowded, too, especially on Main Street, USA. We rushed to Space Mountain, grabbed a FastPass, and then went back and did Stitch's Great Escape. My friends never experienced Alien Encounter, and I only did one time. We all HATED Stitch. The pre-show was excellent, we thought, but the actual part where Stitch got loose and was running around was stupid and way too long. Plus, my friends are a bit claustrophobic, and the stupid head gear thing that came down was annoying. My friend's mom just kept saying how much she missed Mission to Mars.
We rode Space Mountain and I was in the front car. Never again. I don't know what it is about this ride, but it terrifies me and I was so motion sick when I got off the ride, I vowed never again. Of course, I know I'll go on it again next time I'm there and will swear it off again then. My friends both agreed this was THE RIDE at the Magic Kingdom. FastPass is AMAZING, as we waited maybe 2 minutes to get on board while we watched the standby line virtually stand still to our left.
We then headed through Fantasyland, surveyed the line for Phillarmagic and decided not to wait (we had dinner plans with my friend's mom's cousin who works in purchasing for WDW so we had limited time) and hit the Haunted Mansion. We then went over and grabbed a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain and got in line for Splash Mountain. Splash was about a 5-10 minute wait in the Standby line, which I thought was pretty durn incredible at noonish. They liked Splash Mountain, but weren't really into the storyline too much until I explained it to them. We grabbed a quick snack from an ice cream vendor and waited for our turn on Big Thunder Mountain. Again FastPass saved us so much time. I'm not entirely sure, but it felt like they've either toned Big Thunder down since I was there last or it was broken, because there were times when it was slowing wayyyyy down when I didn't think it should be. Anyway, they thought this was a little lame.
We walked back and watched the Hall of Presidents, which they thought was fine, and then we ventured into Adventureland for Pirates of the Carribean. Chad HATED this and thought it moved way to slow. His mom said she had fonder memories of it than this experience and I have to agree that it hasn't aged very well. Hopefully a new rehab can give it a little more zip that it needs. We did the Jungle Cruise, and the skipper, Crystal, was pretty funny. Finally, it was time to head over to the Castle for our 2:40 PS (I called the night before and it was the last table available). Lunch was GREAT - I had Prime Rib, which was some of the best I've ever had, Chad had the salmon sandwich, and his mom had a salad. We also got the Castle Fries, which came with a really awesome cheese sauce. I highly recommend lunch here. Service was very good, as well.
We left the park and went back to the room for a nap before dinner at Bahama Breeze off property. Got to hear some interesting info from my friend's cousin who has worked for Disney for a long time. He also talked about the hurricane damage his neighborhood suffered last year. Very interesting info.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday was Epcot, and by now we were all dragging a bit. We went in immediately and grabbed a FastPass for Test Track before going over to Ellen's Energy Adventure. Suprisingly, my friends really enjoyed this, though Chad thought the part with the radio antenna was lame and needed something else. He's right. We went back over and did Test Track, which we enjoyed, but they felt like it needed to be longer. They weren't ready for it to be over. We debated and decided that Mission:Space was not going to happen, due to the warnings about motion sickness and all of our tendencies to avoid feeling naesous. Maybe on my next trip.
We walked over and did Honey I Shrunk the Audience, another attraction which is showing its age. Compared to It's Tough to be a Bug, this really doesn't hold a candle anymore. After this, walked up to Le Cellier on the off chance that we could get a lunch table, but they were all booked up. So, we took the boat to Morocco and had lunch at the American Adventure. Here's where our weariness really started to show. Chad ordered the Turkey Sandwich combo, which comes with a salad. The cast member taking orders barely spoke English, and so when he asked, "Does that turkey sandwich come with a salad," it was translated back, "You want American cheese?" It was ridiculous and if everyone hadn't been a little testy, we would have laughed about it. Instead, I finally snapped when the lady behind the food counter would NOT talk to us about the order and instead insisted on talking to the non-English speaking cashier. I said, "Um, maybe you could ask us about the order, since we actually speak ENGLISH!?" I was completely ignored by both of them, and we finally got our food and sat down. We rested for a few and headed out to the rest of the World Showcase. We walked through Germany, Italy, China, and rode Maelstrom in Norway. By this point, we were done. We walked through Mexico, and decided that was enough. After a quick stop at Ice Station Cool (and yes, they hated the Beverly . . but I still say MezzoMix is pretty good) and we went back to the room for naps and the pool. We got up and went over to Downtown Disney for dinner, and we put our names in at the Rainforest Cafe. An hour and twenty minutes went by before we got seated, but that was OK because we browsed the shops and walked around Pleasure Island. Dinner was pretty good, and I'm glad we were able to see the area.
THURSDAY
Our best day was MGM, without question. We were finally recharged and read for the biggest thrill rides in the parks. We grabbed a FastPass for Tower of Terror, and watched the Indiana Jones show, which we all enjoyed. We then went back, grabbed a FastPass for RockNRoller Coaster and rode Tower of Terror. They LOVED it, and I've always been a huge fan. We grabbed lunch (pizza), and we then rode RockNRoller Coaster, and loved it, as well. I was surprised how much fun it was, but we were all a little dizzy afterwards. We grabbed another FastPass for the Tower of Terror, and decided we needed something a little calm after this, so we did The Great Movie Ride, which has lines that are way too long for an attraction without FastPass. Why does Indiana Jones need FastPass and this doesn't? I've always loved this ride, since the first time I was there as a kid, but I think it could stand to move a little faster and they could really get the cast members some acting lessons. The last two times I've been on it, I've felt like the script was too stilted. It could really use updating.
We went back and did Tower of Terror and RockNRoller Coaster again, and without FastPass this wouldn't have been possible. We watched the Muppets, tried to get on the Backlot Tour, but it closed at 5:30, so we did the last showing of Millionare, before heading over to Fanastmic. We had standing room only, and it was FREEZING. Chad was sooo cold.
<img width=200 src="http://www.footinmouth.net/disney/2005/chadfreeze.jpg">
It was Extra Magic Hour evening, so we did The Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and decided it was too cold so we headed back to the hotel for dinner at Mara. They had really good Buttersquash soup, according to Chad's mom.
Friday, we drove to the airport and headed back home.
All in all, it was an amazing trip and I highly recommend AKL and using FastPass whenever you can. A good strategy to see the parks can really help get everything in that you care about. Thanks for reading!
