Kirk's Third Trip This Year and Ethan's First Trip Ever Report! 9/13 - 9/17

9/13 – 9/17 – Pop Century

WHO’S GOING: Kirk, a veteran Disney traveler, and Ethan, a first time Disney guest

DAY ONE: ARRIVAL, DOWNTOWN DISNEY, MAGIC KINGDOM

I picked up my friend Ethan from his home about 5:15 AM, which was very early for us both. We needed to stop at a Walgreens to pick up a few things (hair gel, toothpaste, and so on) and discovered that none of the Walgreens that we passed on the way to the airport were open 24 hours like we had thought. Oh well, we were not to be deterred and headed on our way with or without the proper hair care products.

We arrived at the long term parking lot and were able to park quickly before the bus came to pick us up to take us to the terminal. We checked in with Delta, handed over our bags, and made our way to security. We made it through security without incident and headed to McDonald’s for breakfast. I was sad that it was a Sunday, which meant no Chik-Fil-A, but I was hungry so I settled for Mickey-D’s.

It wasn’t long before we were up in the air and on our way to my second home – Walt Disney World. Ethan had never been to Orlando or Disney World at was excited, but I’m not sure he fully understood the vastness of where we going and just how big the property is.

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We landed in Orlando on schedule and found our way to the Magical Express. We did not have to wait in the line because we had our vouchers out and ready to go and so we were checked in quickly and only waited about 5 minutes before boarding the bus to the Pop Century resort. We were also the first stop the bus made so we were at the hotel in record time.

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The cast member who checked us in was pleasant and helpful and when she heard me say this was my 3rd trip this year, she speeded up the process and explained less than she would have normally. I was completely fine with this. We were in the 70’s section, which was great as I’d not stayed in this part of the resort. It was close enough to Classic Hall for my taste but also we were on the backside facing Hourglass Lake, which was peaceful and relaxing.

We dropped off our stuff and headed to the buses for Downtown Disney. It started to pour and I forgot my umbrella was still in my suitcase, which had not yet been delivered. It didn’t matter, though, because I was in Disney World and nothing was going to bother me!

We got to Downtown Disney and walked through the Marketplace on our way to T-Rex. We both had a hamburger and waffle fries and it was very good.

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We took some pictures here and walked over to the Characters in Flight tethered helium balloon, but it was closed due to the rain and the threat of thunderstorms rolling in. We walked back to the bus stop and took a bus to the Contemporary so we could get to the Magic Kingdom.

I will say this about the bus service: they are fairly efficient, but you cannot be in a big hurry as we found out later on. After the bus stopped at Typhoon Lagoon, it was on to the Contemporary. There was a couple who had just arrived on the bus with us and they had no idea how to get anywhere or what to do. I took them under my wing and helped them get to the monorail so they could go to the Magic Kingdom.

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We walked right into the park as the parade was ending at Main Street. We quickly headed down Main Street and I think Ethan was awed by the castle. We went to Pirates, as I think it is the first thing I remember riding ever and I wanted Ethan to have that same experience. He loved it and we were able to walk right on with no wait. I was very pleased through the entire trip about the crowds as they walkways seemed a bit crowded but the lines were short, if there were any at all. We went over to Splash Mountain and pretty much walked right on. I was smart this trip and told them “one and one” instead of two on rides like this because with our long legs (I’m 6’4 and so is Ethan) it is uncomfortable trying to fit in some of these tight spaces.

We got wet but it was so hot that it felt good. After this we decided to go to the Haunted Mansion as Big Thunder Mountain had a 30 minute wait. We walked on HM, but the after the stretching room was ridiculously slow I think due to slowing or stopping the conveyor to board a wheelchair.

We walked back to Big Thunder and were able to walk on and get seated in the front car. We were both having a great time; Ethan was impressed and I was glad that the hype hadn’t ruined the experience as I’d been talking about Disney so much lately.

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We walked up by the castle on our way to Fantasyland, as I wanted to get a better look. We walked into Mickey’s Philharmagic and again Ethan loved this. I have seen this show maybe 20 times and it still makes me smile. I can’t wait for my soon to be 6 year old niece to see it when my family goes back in December.

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After Philharmagic, we went up to the castle hub to get ready to watch the “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” Street Party. The cast members still seem to be having a ball during this and the guests really get into it, as well. After this we headed to Tomorrowland, watched Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor (I was Mike Wazowski in the abbreviated story on the screen) and then we walked on Buzz Lightyear. I killed Ethan on this with a score of like 300,000 to 3,000 or something. Then we rode the TTA.

I was so happy that this had been closed and was hopefully getting some much needed TLC. Well, our car’s seat had a tear in it and the track didn’t seem repainted or anything. And when we got inside Space Mountain I was horrified that they were allowing guests to see the mess. The Skyway to Tomorrowland station was half-way a pile of rubble and it was just bad show all the way around. They should have kept the TTA closed so that people didn’t see this stuff.

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We were exhausted from being up so early so we headed back to the hotel about 7:30. We got some food at the food court but it wasn’t so great. Plus it was super crowded, so we learned our lesson there.

TOMORROW: ANIMAL KINGDOM & DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
 

kirksheppard

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
DAY TWO: Animal Kingdom & Disney's Hollywood Studios

We were up early and arrived in time at Animal Kingdom just as the opening show was ending. I gave Ethan the choice and he said he'd rather do Kilamanjaro Safari first. I don't think he was quite woken up enough for Everest just yet.

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There were a lot of animals out and we had one of the best driver's I've ever experienced. Her name was Sue and she was a "mature woman driver" as she said. She was great!

We grabbed a quick bite to eat (I had a cinnamon roll and Ethan had a cheese danish) and we headed over to "It's Tough to Be a Bug." It wasn't crowded at all and we were able to sit in the middle of the theater with room on both sides of us. I love this show and its a blast with people who've never been before.

After that it was time to head over to the first showing of "Festival of the Lion King." This is probably my favorite show at WDW and might be ranked in my top 5 attractions overall. It gives me goosebumps during "Circle of Life" especially as the close to the finale.

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After this, we walked over to Expedition Everest and essentially had a 5 minute wait. I decided to try to wear those acupressure wrist bands to assist with my motion sickness - and it seemed to work! I wasn't nearly as woozy after the ride as I usually am. Ethan loved this ride and so far was having a great time. We rode Dinosaur next and both agreed that getting up early hadn't agreed with us so we headed back to the hotel for some rest.

We had to wait a little longer for the bus than I like to and we had our first encounter with wheelchairs getting priority seating. I have no problem with people in wheelchairs getting loaded first if the bus only takes one or two - but I can't stand that their entire party of 17 family members gets to get on first and take all the seats. There should be some sort of limit. And that's all I'll say on the matter.

After our break, we headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Our bus driver spoke with a very thick accent and kept hyping Fantasmic - which wasn't happening until Friday night. It was funny watching everyone around us strain to understand her and figure out what she was talking about.

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We headed straight to the ABC Commissary because we were starving. It was almost time for the Block Party Bash and we headed over and rode Tower of Terror with absolutely no wait. Ethan had fun though he was a little scared about what was going to happen and flailed his arms a bit during the drop sequence.

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After this we walked to RNRC, but it had a 30 minute wait time so we grabbed FastPasses. Ethan's room key got stuck in the machine because he aimed to high on the machine and I had to get the CM to open the box and fish it out.

We headed back towards the giant hat and encountered these two hilarious Streetsmophere characters.

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Ethan ended up being part of the show by assisting the aging movie star into her vehicle. After this, we went over and saw the 4 o'clock showing of American Idol and honestly none of our singers were very good. The winner was a nice middle aged guy, though, who I think won because he wasn't as annoying as the two girls that sang.

We headed back and used our FPs and I asked for an odd numbered seat due to our long legs. We were accomodated by the CM without incident and had a great time. After this we watched Beauty and the Beast. It just wasn't as good without Four For a Dollar warming up the audience.

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We randomly took our pictures by the cab parked next to the DVC stand.

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After this we watched the finale show of American Idol. All the singers were great except for the guy who won our hour, who was just a little better than average. My favorite was the lady from Nashville who sang "Independence Day" and should have won. The winner was this 33 year old guy who was having a birthday and his overly obnoxious wife was running around begging everyone to vote for him. I tried to vote her out of the theater but was unsuccessful.

Finally, it was time for our 7:50 PM ADRs at the Sci-Fi Dine In.

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We both had the Butcher Steak, and it was decent. I would say it was better than the burger's I've had here before. Our server was a little slow on the refills but otherwise, we were satisfied. Ethan had the cheesecake for dessert and I had the chocolate peanut butter cake.

After this, we decided to call it a night and headed back to the Pop Century on a very crowded bus. I hate standing but at least it is a fairly short trip back to the hotel from DHS.

TOMORROW: EPCOT and MNSSHP!
 

disneygirl1

Well-Known Member
Great report so far!!! it is so much fun going with a newbie!!! We leave Tuesday for POP and my friend, who hasn't been there in like 10 years is going with us and I am so excited for her!!! :sohappy:
 

kirksheppard

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day three: Epcot & mnsshp!

We decided to sleep a little later today as we anticipated being out late for the Halloween Party. We made it over to Epcot in pretty good time and were able to walk right in thru the turnstiles.

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We immediately headed for Soarin, which had a 20 minute wait. It felt more like 10 and we were able to be in the front row, which I was glad about for Ethan's sake since it was his first flight. He enjoyed it a lot.

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We then walked over to Test Track, which had a 25 minute posted wait time but we were in a car in about 10 minutes. I requested the front row again for our legs and had no problem with the cast member accomodating us. Ethan liked this, though I think he was expecting a little more wild ride.

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We walked back over and rode Nemo before checking in for our lunch reservations at The Coral Reef. We were seated at a table right by the windows. I had the New York Strip steak, which wasn't quite as good as I remembered from the last trip. It was certainly not bad but I've had better. Ethan had the mushroom lasagna and said it was good but not great. I had the creme brulee for dessert and I was very impressed with this; Ethan had a sugarfree cheesecake with raspberries and said it wasn't so good.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel knowing we'd be back again tomorrow night. We wanted to rest up good for the Halloween party.

After a few hours, we headed to the Magic Kingdom. There were a ton of people in costumes - some better than others. There were another 3 wheelchairs boarding before we could get on, which was really starting to annoy me.

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom and took a few pictures around the hub.

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We ate dinner at Pecos Bill's; I used the automated kiosk but it did not print out my receipt, which concerned me. I had to explain it to two or three cast members behind the counter so that we could get our burgers. I do love the toppings bar and the hot melted cheese!

It started to rain pretty hard and we got some umbrella's as it didn't feel like it was planning to let up anytime soon. We walked on Peter Pan and then saw Philharmagic again. After that, we decided to walk to Toon Town and see Mickey & Minnie's houses.

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We walked on the teacups and then walked on Snow White. Then we went and rode Pirate's followed by my a DoleWhip break. Ethan had a root beer float and we watched the people go by. We went into the character greeting area in Adventureland but it was Timon, Baloo, and Turk - none of which I really cared about getting a picture with. We walked up to the castle hub to get ready for the first villain's show of the evening, but they cancelled it due to the wet stage. So, we decided to go get a spot for the parade in Frontierland. We sat for quite awhile here waiting but it was fine to conserve some energy.

We got to see a Barbershop Quartet dressed like dead men as well as two different versions of the woman who tells the ghost stories in front of the Haunted Mansion walk by.

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The parade came by and it was fantastic, though no Headless Horseman due to weather, I assume.

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We decided to go grab a spot in front of the castle for the next Villain's show and then the fireworks. These were wonderful and I love the soundtrack.

Then, we walked over towards Tomorrowland and ended up heading up into Fantasyland instead just in time to get in line for the "Treat-and-Greet" with the Tremain family. My pocket was wet from my umbrella leaking.

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After this we rode the Haunted Mansion and then walked up for the second showing of the parade. We tried to make our way up towards the exit once the parade passed by, but it was difficult on the side we were on. We ended up stopped in Liberty Square and then again on Main Street.

I went in and inquired about upgrading my 5-Day PH to an Annual Pass at Guest Relations and she told me I should wait til tomorrow since it would mess up my dining plan.

We headed to the bus stop and waited while the slowest bus driver in the world loaded another 2 wheelchairs. While we were waiting a second bus pulled up and loaded some more chairs until a THIRD bus pulled up and boarded the rest of us.

We headed back to the hotel and called it a night!

TOMORROW: DHS & EPCOT!
 

Shere_Khan

Well-Known Member
I was at all of the same parks as you during those days! And at the same Halloween party.

I totally agree with you about the mess you can see from the TTA. I was really surprised they would let that be seen.
I thought the park looked crowded in the walkways as well, but the rides were not bad at all.
Omg was it ever hot.
 

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