Pre-Trip Fractal's Aug '11 Pre-trip report & '07,09 trip flashbacks

The excitement is building!

We are closing in on 100 days until our August 8th trip back to the World! I decided it was time to start my first trip report. Actually it's a pre-trip report combined with "flashback" reports from our 2007 and 2009 trips.

Introducing the Cast...


I'm Chris and my beautiful wife of 18 years is Val. I work in the investment business and over the last 20 years have had more up and downs than the craziest roller coaster. With some sacrifices we've been lucky enough to have Val stay home with the kids. She is a homemaker and does a great job of running the house and making sure we are all on schedule and at where we need to be when we need to be. The pic is from our vacation to Wildwood Crest last year. One of us loves Disney, the other one - eh. More on that later.

and now kids... Alexandra is our oldest @ 17, Sterg is 14 and Antonia (Toni) is 9. Alex is in the middle of her high school lacrosse season, Sterg plays water-polo and Toni is our dancer. All three LOVE Disney.

Coming up next - our 2011 trip itinerary.

 

[fractal]

YAY an update!!!!!:sohappy:

Thanks for reading! Hope to add more soon.

 

[mamamouse]

why can I make sense of the longest abreviations but yet i can't figure out for the life of me what BLT is ,and I know the minute someone tells me my reaction will be "omg how stupid am i now??" :ROFLOL:

 

[bmarkelon]

why can I make sense of the longest abreviations but yet i can't figure out for the life of me what BLT is ,and I know the minute someone tells me my reaction will be "omg how stupid am i now??" :ROFLOL:

Bay Lake Tower...I do that all the time on here....no worries!:lol:

 

[fractal]

After lunch we decided to visit a galaxy far far away. My wife often calls me a Star Wars nerd - and it's pretty much true. I was 10 when Star Wars came out and the movie stayed in the theaters for years - then it was re-released several times. Overall I saw Star Wars over 50 times in the theaters. I literally was able to recite every line in the movie on demand.

This is why I love Star Tours and the area around it. The themeing is fantastic! Where else can you see a real sized Imperial Walker? I think the ride is clever, thrilling and injects the right amount of humor. Having said all that - we took absolutely zero pictures. I'm really looking forward to Star Tours 2.0.


From there we decided to go into "One Man's Dream". I'm really glad we took the time to do this attraction. I consider Walt Disney one of the Great Americans of the 20th Century and really appreciated the displays. We did take a few picture here...

I really liked these models...

At this point we almost forgot about our TSMM fastpasses. I gave Val my fastpass and she took the kids. Val really enjoyed this ride - which made me happy as I was already plotting and planning a future trip.

Some other pics we took at the "Studios"

We didn't see any shows that day. I definitely want to see Indiana Jones in August while "girls" want to see Beauty and the Beast.

Looking back at this, we really had a great time that day in DHS. We hit all the "big rides", had a good lunch, great weather and tried some new things. So what did we do next? We did some park-hopping and headed to EPCOT.

 

[mamamouse]

k nope I don't feel TOOPID now :lol: I considered BLT (LOL) part of The Contemporary and I was stumped thinking of a resort that had those initials but ,I guess if I thought of them separately then it woulda been easier to figure out,anyhow thanks for the help!!:wave:

Bay Lake Tower...I do that all the time on here....no worries!:lol:

 

[fractal]

We took the boat back to BC then walking into Epcot thru the International Gateway. We strolled thru World Showcase and we took a few pictures.

This is my favorite from the trip and I have this in my office.

and the "be goofy" version

I love the minature trains in Germany.

and I am always impressed by the themeing in Italy. This is especially well done IMO.

The kids started to get antsy and I said "How about doing a Kim Possible mission?". Something I first read about on WDWmagic. They decided to try it out.

KP Kioski sign

Getting the "assignment". The instructions self destructed after 10 seconds ( only kidding ).

All three using the same KP phone? Initially it didn't seem like a great idea ( Let me have it! ) but in the end they ended up working well as a team. Throughout the trip we would have small fights breaking out among the three - mostly between Sterg and Toni. As I said before, it's sometimes tough to be a middle child and Toni doesn't take any crap. Overall though, the kids had a great time doing things together which as a parent was nice to see.

Chasing down clues...

Up next...The mission is complete, more Epcot and a really fun dinner.

 

[fractal]

The mission took them to Mexico and Val and I followed. I never really explored the inside of the pyramid and was excited to do so. It didn't disappoint. I really like the feel of walking down the street of a village.

And how cool is the volcano?

Val and I did the boat ride for the first time. I liked it but thought that it would be more "romantic". The 3 caballeros are a bit obnoxious. After the ride we walked around some more and this is when I decided that I would like to eat at San Angel's Inn someday - that someday will be in August!

The kids finished the mission successfully and I won't spoil it but there is a neat part played by the Volcano.

From there we wandered to The Land to check out the wait time for Soarin. It was a bit long (30 mins) but we had time till dinner and wanted to check out the games in the queue line.

I know I'm getting older because I couldn't figure out how the screen games worked but the kids picked it up in no time.

Finally it was time to board our flight...

 

[fractal]

Soarin' in one of my favorite rides. I really let my imagination go and get into the feeling of flight. It's also Val's favorite ride. We always end up lifting our feet as we swoop down towards the Pacific Ocean as if we were going to hit the surfers.

After Soarin' we checked out Living with the Land - it was a walk on so we did.
This is one of the great underrated Epcot rides. Entertaining and educational.

We left the Land and started making our way back to WS for dinner in China.

Dinner was at Nine Dragons. I read mixed reviews about Nine Dragons but we like "Chinese" food so how bad could it be? First let me say that if you like your local good Chinese restaurant, you will like Nine Dragons. They even had a special that included soup, appetizer, meal and dessert that counted as 1 dining credit. The atmosphere was a bit loud and active but this was great for our family - it definitely didn't feel stuffy and for some reason we all got in a "giggly" kind of mood.

The kids had a great time eating with their chopsticks and making funny comments.

Before long, (and after a few drinks) Val & I got in on the fun.

After dinner we walked around some more but not for long. We were all pretty spent and we headed back to the BC for the night. Overall it was a great day - early at DHS, and a great time at Epcot and Nine Dragons. I wish we would have done American Adventure or the Canada Pavilion but I have it on the list for our next trip.

 

[mamamouse]

I love living with the land and the surprising thing is it's my 6 yr olds fave ride

 

[fractal]

TIME LINE - Still May 2009


The next morning: Sterg, Toni and I got up early while Val and Alex slept in.

We decided to take a stroll to Animal Kingdom again. So we grabbed some breakfast at the Marketplace and went to catch a bus. The danishes were still a hit.

We first did Dinosaur (again) then got fastpasses for EE.

From there we walked by Kali River and Sterg and Toni decided they really wanted to do this. I, on the other hand hate getting wet so I decided to let them go on their own. I made my way to the bridge after the exit in hopes of getting some pictures. That's when I thought to myself - "you let your 12 year old and 7 year old go on a ride that you won't be able to watch them on for maybe an hour?" Total "Dad" kind of thing to do. Thankfully, it was only about 30 mins later when I caught site of them barrelling down the rapids...

I do love the theming of this ride and actually regretted not standing in line with them.

They came of the ride pretty soaked, which made me glad I didn't join them on their adventure.

After Kali we wondered around to discover that the monkeys ( actually apes as we where told later by a very informative and nice CM ) were out.

Next, more wildlife, rain and lunch at one of our favorite spots...

 

[fractal]

After Kali ( which we were not "goin' back to" ) and the monkey/really apes, Toni realized that she wasn't a big fan of walking around in her clothes soaking wet...

We forged on however and decided to wander into a land filled with giant and exotic creatures, dangerous dragons, rare specimens, and man-eating beasts...

Komodo dragons freak me out. There was this place in Mrytle Beach that had a Komodo dragon - it had bit it's trainer who eventually died from the nasty bacteria in its mouth.

and talk out freaking you out. Bats should not be allow to grow to this size.

nice snake -

and the real king of the jungle...

 

[fractal]

I always thought this bike-thingy was pretty cool...

Our encounter with some of nature's deadliest creatures built up our appetite - so we head over to one of our favorite QS spots - FlameTree BBQ.

I think I ordered some sort of salad topped with grilled chicken. I recall that it was pretty good. (next trip take food pics!). Toni likely had her staple - chicken nuggets/fingers/tenders and fries. Sterg was eating some fruit in this picture while pondering the origins of the universe.

Just as we were finishing up our meals, I got a call from Val that her and Alex were on the bus heading to meet us at AK - then it started to pour like it only can in Central Florida.

I was happy we were under cover.

Val and Alex arrived just as the rain settled down to a drizzle. From there Toni and I gave up our fast passes for EE to Val and Alex. Toni wanted to go to the Dino Dig site. She remembered that from the last trip and had a great time. By the time we arrived to our archeological dig the rain stopped and I used they opportunity to snap some pictures of Toni hamming it up a bit.

She really loves this place. Maybe I have a future archeologist on my hands.

 

[fractal]

OK - so we leave the Dino Dig site (I can't wait till August to show Toni the tarp in the back that tells you not to touch or something. Didn't know about that until after our last trip) met up with the other three and head back to BC for some pool time and get ready for dinner @ Wolfgang Pucks.

We loved Wolfgang Puck's in 2007 and were excited to go back.

Tonight was the night for girls to match.

We all appreciate the look of the place - for some reason it gets us all in a "happy/funny" mode. Here we are at the bar waiting for our table.

Here are the girls posing, but not before Toni pointed out Val's sunburn.

I ordered the pistachio encrusted chicken which I loved. I do remember Toni ordering spaghetti and meatballs and when it came out she told the waiter that she wouldn't eat it because the sauce and meatball was on top of the spaghetti and she wanted them seperate. I told her that she should have told us that when she ordered and that she would have to eat it that way.

The waiter ( who was great and got a 20% tip ) said "Not a problem for our little princess" He took the plate back and brought back a plate of plain spaghetti and a seperate bowl with the meatball and sauce. We all thought it was pretty funny and Toni was beaming.

From there we order dessert. Believe it or not, I actually have a picture of Toni's make your own sundae, which she loved.

Next up - late night out.

 

[WDWFigment]

Can't wait to see your photos from the trip. Good luck with Understanding Exposure--give yourself plenty of time to read and re-read it!

 

[fractal]

Can't wait to see your photos from the trip. Good luck with Understanding Exposure--give yourself plenty of time to read and re-read it!

Thanks - and will do!

 

[fractal]

After dinner we walked around Downtown Disney. The giggles would continue as we found a fountain to take photos in front of.

Bring it in; hugs everyone!

The boys.

Val and Toni were spent so they went back to the Beach Club. Alex, Sterg and I continued on to Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios!

we found a short wait at Toy Story.

and rode it twice!

At this point we were all running out of gas; But there was one more thing we wanted to do!

Night time is the best time for Tower of Terror!

After escaping with our lives, we finally called it quits and hopped a Friendship boat back to the Beach Club. Another great day in the World had ended.

 

[fractal]

The next morning, it was the early crew again - up and ready to take on Epcot. Val and Alex slept in again.

For some strange reason, Sterg and Toni wanted Doritos for breakfast; and for some strange reason I let them. Good thing Val was sleeping.

We walked thru the international gateway and strolled around WS - this time with the camera.

I now have the phone numbers for these and I can't wait to make use of them in August!

F&G topiaries did not disappoint...

Weather was perfect - not a cloud...

I'm going to miss the whirly-thingies. (sorry purists).

We ended up @ the Seas and saw this guy get into the "diving tube". Sterg and Toni were fascinated.

Then Alex called us - she was actually awake and looking for us in Epcot. She wanted to overcome her fear of Mission Space but needed us for moral support.

 

[George]

Holy Moley! This isn't a pre-trip report. You're doing a 3 for the price of 1 deal!

I totally agree no the Tree of Life. It's my favorite icon. Unbelievably pretty. I was 7 when A New Hope came out, so I know where you are coming from on Star Wars.

 

[mamamouse]

omg I'm loving it,I keep checking back everyday:wave:

 

[Contrast]

Really enjoyed reading this!