MontyMon's 4 Feb - 11 Feb report

Day 1

4 Feb

Early start, 0400 wake-up. Showered, got last minute organizing done and woke DS10 about 0530 to get ready to head to the airport. 8AM flight, on time and nice flight. Made it through Toronto smoothly, U.S. Customs had no line at all. Flight to Orlando was half-hour late leaving and fought head-winds and turbulence all the way. 55 minutes late into Orlando and the hardest landing I've ever had on a civilian plane.

DME was easy to find and although the check-in line was quite long, it went quickly. They hadn't managed to get my luggage tags to me in time, but I provided the baggage claim info and a photogragh of the bag [they were very inmpressed by that - much better than searching their chart of every bag known to man!] They checked us in and off to line up for the bus to DAKL. Our only stop on the way was Coronado Springs. Check-in to hotel was fairly smooth, we have a Savanna view of the Uzima Savanna, very pretty. A bit of emergency shopping was then in order... Being the caring father I am :lookaroun, I entirely forgot shoes for DS! Florida parks in insulated snow boots is not a good idea. Fortunately, the hotel store had some very nice sandals that fit well enough. Off to MGM!

We arrived later than originally planned, so we did a stop at the 5 & 10 to get engraved name tags and then headed for our 6PM ADR at 50's Prime Time Cafe. We were a half hour early, but checked in in hopes of eating as soon as we could. So, we ate at 6. :brick:

Dinner was great! I had onion rings, meat loaf and cheesecake, with a strawberry shake to drink. DS had chicken noodle soup, fried chicken and a hot fudge sundae with a root beer float. Neither of us could finish that much and were roundly chastised... "Mom" was gonna hear about this! DDP covered the bill... I could get used to this!

Off we went to make what we could of ur last bit of time before the parks closed. We managed a walk-on on Star Tours [which is a lot smoother ride than I remember] and then headed toward Fantasmic! On the way, we got on to the Great Movie Ride with no wait. Got to Fantasmic! in time enough that we were sitting three rows back in the "Mickey" section, great seats! The show was excellent! We were pretty tired after that and came back to the hotel. Our bag was in the room, so DME came through fine! We went an grabbed some hot chocolate in refillables and a cookie. I unpacked and wrote most of what's in this report so far, but when I clcked on "Submit", nothing happened! The connection for HSIA had timed out while I typed and while I tried to fix it, I lost all that I had done! I was exhausted, so gave up and went to bed.

5 Feb

Today started very early! We had an ADR for CRT at 0810. The front desk had said to allow at least an hour and a half for transport to the Character Breakfasts. I assumed they only had one bus that went to all the breakfasts, so we were out at the stop at 0640. The first bus we saw was a Magic Kingdom bus, we got on and the driver said the park didn't open until 9. I explained that we had an 8:10 reservation and they'd let us in early for that, so he drove us straight there. As a result, we stood outside the turnstiles at MK for about 45 minutes before they let us in. DS was not impressed! It was pretty cold out there.

The Breakfast was really good, it's AYCE with two set choices: Either "healthy" or "traditional". Healthy was yoghurt and granola cereal. Traditional was Scrambled eggs, French Toast, Potato au Gratin, Bacon and Sausage. There was a fresh fruit bowl and a basket of pastries as well. We both ordered traditional :slurp: I couldn't eat it all and they thought I didn't like it. I'm a big man, 6'3" and 250-ish pounds, but I don't eat that much food. Despite DS10 being an "Adult" by Disney standards, they gave him a sword and a flashing "Wishes" pin. Fairy Godmother, Belle, Aurora and Snow White did the rounds. Cinderella was in the lobby for photos. The photo set [included with the meal] is one 6x8 of the Castle, one 6x8 and 4 4x6 of the pic with Cinderella in a cardboard Cinderella frame. Very nice package all around. We had eaten all we could and taken pics with all the characters, so we headed out. On the way, our server asked why we weren't staying for "the show". DS wasn't interested and was tired of sitting.

The park opened at 9 and we had a good time. Rode Space Mountain and Splash Mountain twice with little or no waits. Also hit COP, Philharmagic, BTMRR, TTA and rode the train from Frontierland to Main Street. We used two of our DDP snacks for ice cream treats [got some strange looks - it was still kinda cold out]. Then we came back for a bit of a rest before we head back later for more MK.

More soon!

 

[Timmay]

Good stuff...look forward to some more. Have fun:king:

 

[jesserin]

Awsome report - sounds like y'all are having fun!

 

[Monty]

Day two - Continued

After a long nap this afternoon [we had a pretty full day yesterday and needed sleep]. we had a nice counter service at Mara, DAKL's counter restaurant. Very nice quantities, only complain, they only heard one of the two orders. DS had to wait a little longer for his shrimp dinner [not a big deal, it was ready and delivered to our table before we had collected cutlery and condiments]. I had a bacon double cheeseburger and we both had zebra domes and mousse crisps for dessert. Again, a lot of food! we couldn't finish it all [though the desserts didn't survive! :slurp:] Then, we returned to MK.

Went and rode POTC, no wait at all! After that we rode BTMRR again, this time at night with little wait time. It's a much better ride at night! Still pretty good in daylight too. We wandered around a bit and grabbed wrist bands for EMH. We decided to take advantage of everyone watching the fireworks and rode Space Mountain with only a five minute wait. Went again right away and had no wait at all! They had just started checking wristbands and nobody was riding [the fireworks were still going]. We were ready to try again, but when we came out, the lined was backed up well into the plaza. We grabbed FPs and then had a drink each while we waited. After the OJ and milk were done, we headed into SGE to kill off the last of our wait time. It's a fun ride! Then we beat it over to Space Mountain again for our last ride of the night. Wait time for stand by was about 20. We both had sore feet by this point and limped our way back to DAKL.

Tomorrow Breakfastosaurus and... hopefully... EE? :sohappy:

Off to sleep now...

More to follow.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Good report - keep it coming

 

[Monty]

Day three - Exciting Expedition!

Feb 6

Today was all Animal Kingdom. A fantastic day! Started with Breakfastosaurus, good meal, our server was really nice. The Characters were a bit rushed, but all managed to get through everyone in our room. The Photographer before breakfast took a nice shot, scanned my photo pass, but the pic isn't there yet . The other photos are, but I haven't really spent much time on photos yet. I'll post a whole gallery once I'm home.

The first order of business after breakfast was EE! We got an FP as soon as we arrived then went to the stand by line. The wait was posted as 20, but it was virtually walk-on. This is one incredible ride! DS10 got off the first time, panting for breath, and declared "I have a new favourite ride!" :sohappy:. We rode three more times before our FP time, posted as 20-min, then 20-min [but ended up almost 40 because they stopped the ride for "technical reasons" with a train mid-way up the large lift hill] and then a 30-min wait. The CMs were starting to recognise us! We rode front, back, middle - as a matter of fact, by the end of the day we'd done ten rides [Five back-to-back, then three back-to-back, then a final two - the second and third sets were later in the day...]. The back was more fun in our estimation, you are at fastest speed for the majority of the hills. The whole ride is just great, wherever you sit.

After our first set of EE, we headed to Dino Land and rode Primeval Whirl twice, then Dinosaur. Love both rides and felt they were must-do's, despite our new-found love of EE. We headed for the Kilimanjaro Safari, stoping on the way for It's Tough To Be A Bug! Wait at KS was 50, so we FP'd it and got an ice cream each. Then we headed back to EE, rode three times and returned for KS just as our FPs came into effect. The safari was great, we saw the new baby elephant and the "tippy" bridge was working! Then we decided to try Kali [we'd never been because ex-DW didn't like wet rides and refused to allow DS either], no wait to speak of, they had it posted as 10. Heard some people leaving because there were no FPs available [guess 10 min wait for stand by was too much :lookaroun]. Ended up on the lower side of the raft on the big drop and got DRENCHED! It was a great ride... a little cold though. Headed back to EE, wait was posted as 50, but wasn't, more like 20-ish. The second [tenth for the day and last] the wait was posted as 20 but was the shortest we'd had. I was amazed at the number of people wandering around talking about "they're testing it, it doesn't really open until April sometime, we'll get to ride it then". I tried explaining that it is pretty much open now with possible occasional closures, but the few times I tried, I either was told I didn't know what I was talking about or that it was just for special groups. I gave up , a little evil voice :drevil: said "more rides for us" :sohappy:.

After that, we headed for the last show of FOTLK, got good seats, centre-front of Lion section, right behind the reserved handicap group seating. Wonderful show, as always.

Park closed, so we called it a day. Back to DAKL and off to dinner at Mara [Chicken strips for DS, African stew for me - both quite good] and an early night [for a change].

 

[jesserin]

Keep it coming - the report is great!

 

[Monty]

Day Four

7 Feb

Today we were at EPCOT. Started off with breakfast at DAKL. Mara serves up a mean Mickey waffle for DS10 and I had the breakfast platter.

Got to EPCOT and rode SSE first. The ride is fairly rough, but is still a must-do.

Then we went to Mission: Space [walk-on, no wait]. I was Commander and DS Engineer. The two kids with us had ridden before and for some reason I couldn't fathom, the sister was apologizing profusely after the ride for something her younger brother did [or maybe didn't do] during the ride. I assured her it was a great time and there was nothing to worry about.

It was an exhilerating ride! They were building it when we were last at EPCOT, so WE'd never had the chance.

After Space, I killed some time until it was time for DS10's "big surprise"! I had pre-arranged an "event" with Gifts of a Lifetime for him :sohappy:. We did an "EPCOT Amazing Race". Basically, we spent two hours going through FW and WS following clues and carrying out tasks. He had a great time, though tasting "Beverly" wasn't a high point :lol:. At the end, he "won" a prize package of a pin lanyard with a pin for each WDW park and the Disney "Scene It?" DVD trivia game. It was a great idea and kudos to Jane and her crew of "Pixies" from GOAL, they did an excellent job.

We then headed for Soarin'. The posted wait said 40. We got FPs for almost three hours later, 4:54. We looked at Living with the Land, but it had a long wait, Circle of Life was roped off and there wasn't a CM there, so we left. At Living Seas, Turtle Talk was a ridiculous line, so we skipped it. We walked through everything else and headed back to M:S.

On the way, we went through both sides of Innoventions. M:S had a 10 min wait posted, it was less than 5. We rode with an older Hispanic couple, the wife held the joystick with a death-grip all the way through and the husband just didn't bother pushing buttons. I don't think either of them enjoyed the ride at all. We still did!

We rode Ellen's Energy Adventure. Good, but not great. DS enjoyed it.

It was starting to spit a little rain and had cooled off a bit. We hadn't brought jackets for the first time all trip, so... Mouse Gear and a couple of fleece hoodies it was. Then off to Soarin' for our ride. We'd been on Soarin' Over California last year and this was slightly better, only because the scents were more pronounced. Well worth the three-hour FP wait. After our flight, we headed straight for Japan for our 6PM ADR. What a great restaurant! I had the Garden Salad, Filet Mignon and Ginger Cake, DS had the Garden Salad, Shrimp & Scallops and Chocolate ice cream. Wonderful!

Then we headed next door to the American Adventure. We had a half hour before the show so we shopped. DS wanted the Bald Eagle plush [he has almost every animal known to man in or around his bed]. We then watched the show. Really incredible to watch. Although we're Canadian, the patriotic theme and overall presentation was very impressive.

We did a quick trek to Canada in search of a Mickey's head pin with the Canadian flag. They were out. The nice CM, a lovely young girl from Winnipeg, said they're always sold out quickly whenever they come in. She suggested the Pin station at the U.K. they were sold out, but the CM said to try the main Pin Central between the Innoventions. The CM THERE was actually expecting to find them, but... She said to try Downtown Disney. Sigh!

Off to find a spot for Illuminations. It was really good, but I don't think the Inferno Barge was included, there was no massive ball of fire like the pictures shown here on WDWMagic. I could be wrong. Another day over... Tommorow - AK, DTD and La Nouba!

 

[DisneySam]

Glad to hear you are having a great trip Monty! Sounds like you all need a second to catch your breath with all of the great disney stuff you are doing!

Don't forget to post us some pictures when you get back

 

[Monty]

Breathing is over-rated... Disney is ALL! :sohappy:

Now, off to AK! More tonight!

 

[Monty]

Day Five!

Day 5

8 Feb

Today we got a late start, all these late nights and early mornings starting to wear us down :snore:. We went to AK, arriving about 1030. The lines to get in were quite long. The park seemed fairly crowded, then it dawned on me - EMH tonight! We had decided to concentrate on EE, as we had a short day [La Nouba at 6]. We got an FP first, then checked stand by... 10 minutes! :sohappy: Desite the crowds, it seems people still think the ride isn't open to everyone, waits are short most of the day [at least that I've noticed!] We got in line. After that we got back in line, now posted as 30 minutes, still actually shorter than posted. Our wait time for the FP had only been 45 minutes, so we went straight back with the FP. Asked for front seats, expecting to have to wait, the CM said there wouldn't be any wait because she had been about to send us there anyway!

There was a technical problem on the ride, but we waited probably ten minutes and they resumed ops [this had happened a few times already today]. While we were waiting, DS10 was re-assuring a slightly older, very nervous boy in line that the ride wasn't dangerous or scary, just fun! The ride up front was fantastic! We had previously preferred the last row, but being right in front was much better !

After three rides, we decided to get another FP and grab some ice cream. While we were eating it :slurp:, the ride shut down. I heard people complaining about having to climb down "five floors" inside the mountain to get out [I was immediately jealous :brick: - that long inside the mountain with the lights on would have made my trip!]. So, we went and rode Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur. After that, we checked and EE was back up and our FP time was ready so we rode again. Then we decided that one more front row ride was in order, so we had one last ride in front [this time we had to wait, but only a few minutes] before leaving the park.

After ten rides the first day at AK, we've now brought our count to 15!

By the way, today the Yeti was fully functioning! I hadn't realized it wasn't working the first time! Wow!!!! What a great effect! And kudos to WDI, their back-up "Yeti not working" scenario seemed great to me [at least when I didn't know any better :lol:], but the full action Yeti blew us away!

We came back to DAKL to drop off my backpack and get a quick drink in our mugs. Then off shopping in DTD. Got most of what I wanted in World of Disney, but neither they nor the pin store had the Canadian Flag Mickey-head pin we've been looking for, we'll try ordering it by phone. On the way out of WoD, I spotted another shirt I liked, got back to the same cash and had them add it to the bag I'd already bought and shipped to the resort. Then we went to the Lego store... DS loves anything Lego makes! Bought him a few Bionicles and he was less annoyed that we were shopping. Stopped at Raglan Road and bought more shirts and hats. Then we headed for La Nouba "Will Call" for our tickets.

La Nouba was a really incredible show! DS was transfixed from the moment it started until they finished their curtain calls. I'm not sure he blinked often! I had always balked at the ticket price in the past, but never will I hesitate again! It was worth more than we paid for "premium seating"! Having experienced it, I'd say don't worry about premium seats, every seat would get value from the show.

After the show we had 45 minutes to kill, so I dragged DS into a couple more stores. Bought some more swag at HOB. Then off the Wolfgang Puck's for our ADR. Started with Crab Cakes each, DS had Three-Cheese Ravioli and I had Filet Mignon. For Dessert, DS had Tiramisu and I had Pumpkin Cheesecake. DDP covered the whole meal. It was perfect, everything exactly done to request. They cut my steak for me [long story], but when I get that done I usually either end up with chunks so large I can't chew them easily, or diced steak that could be fed to toddlers without fear of a choking hazard, they cut it just perfectly for me and every morsel was melt-in-your-mouth succulent!

We the waddled our way to the buses and back to DAKL. Tomorrow - Chef Mickey's for breakfast, quick trip to AK for early-morning EE fis and the MK.

Now... Bed time!

 

[Monty]

Day 6

9 Feb

Today was one hectic day! We had ADRs for Chef Mickey's at 7AM. Because the Character Breakfast buses start at 7, we took a cab. Chef Mickey's is a nice enough buffet, the characters made the rounds once while we were there. Nothing really stood out for us, but it was a fine experience. I think we've been spoiled... :lol:

We decided to forego MK immediately as it was Morning EMH and would be a zoo. So we headed for AK and Everest. Got FPs and just started into the stand by queue when they evaced the ride :brick:. Then we headed for MGM, figuring RnRC would salve our need for adrenaline, sadly, it was posted as "delayed start" :brick:. We did ToT back-to-back, checking RnRC in between, both times were virtual walk-ons :sohappy:. RnRC still wasn't operating. Our luck was not holding today!

We headed for Backlot Tour, figuring we'd see what had changed to put in LMA. We got to the front of the queue and were stopped to await the next sequence. Had a good CM chatting with the queue, but he snuck away when the "bad" news had to be passed along... They were experiencing "technical difficulties" and there might be a delay! Evil parks... U R Doomed! :lookaroun Well, actually, the delay was perhaps ten minutes and we had stuck it out. The tour went well but both myself and DS10 missed the old drive through the various houses. After the tour, we raced over to LMA for the 1:45 show. The seats were already about 4/5 full, but we got a reasonable spot and really liked the show!

We headed to RnRC to see if it was running and it was:sohappy:. Got FPs and headed for stand by [posted as 20 mins]. Rode in the second row, it was really great. The FPs were good shortly after we finished, so we went back on. Then it was off to MK to hopefully ride a few rides. Jungle Cruise was posted as 50 Min, BMTRR was at 30 and we didn't even look at Space Mountain. Managed to squeeze in Country Bears Jamboree, We both enjoyed it, except that there was a woman a few seats away singing along to many of the songs [my first thought was "You might be a WDW reedneck if..."], she was laughing hystericaly through most of what she didn't sing.

We had ADRs at the Liberty Tree Tavern. Very good basic food :slurp::slurp::slurp:! We both were stuffed to the gills when we waddled out to the Spectro parade! Really beautiful to watch. After that we were too tired and bloated, so we called it a night.

Tomorrow is a non-Disney day, we're meeting one of DS's old classmates, who now lives in FLA and his family and heading to he Kennedy Space Centre for the day. Not sure if I'll be able to post tomorrow night or if I'll provide a wrap-up of tomorrow and Saturday once I'm home. In case I don't get a report out tonight, Saturday we're starting at AK to hit EE a few more times if we can [and hopefully meet up with MKT!] and then likely to MK to finish up before we fly home that night.

 

[Connor002]

Wow... you actually have the time to post while in Disney.
I would usually spend every spare minute either sleeping or running over to the food court for more free soda. :lookaroun

 

[Connor002]

Great report, by the way.

 

[LouDisney]

Great report!

 

[Monty]

Day 7

Day 7

10 Feb

We met some old friends today, not as into Disney so we had breakfast and headed to the Kennedy Space Centre for the day. It was an interesting place to visit. We learned a bit about NASA's history and saw some really nice displays. The friends used to live in Ottawa and their sons went to school with DS10. Their eldest was in his class. They now live in Tampa so we had dropped them a line when we were coming and we were happy we could hook up :sohappy:. We're going to make some time next trip to go down to them for a bit.

Tomorrow we start off at AK to top up our EE fix :sohappy: :lol: :lookaroun and after a few more rides we'll probably head for MGM, since we've only spent bits and pieces of days there. Then we fly home.

DME has us boarding the bus at 5PM for our 9PM flight, so I guess the still haven't figured out that flights to Canada are considered "domestic" flights :fork:.

Anyway, I'll be packing tonight, so my next update will be a wrap-up from home. :wave:

 

[Nicole]

Great trip report Monty! I had to LOL at your "you might be a WDW redneck if..." observation!

I'm headed down to the World on Monday for a week, want me to try to find the Canada Mickey pin for you?? Send me a PM since I don't remember to check this forum every day and I'm leaving early Monday a.m.

 

[Monty]

Day 8 - We're Leaving!

11 Feb

Saturday started slow, DS10 really sluggish getting out of bed [it's been a long week!]. We headed for breakfast and I sent a text to Rob [MKT] saying we were running late. Turns out he was as well, so I was less worried. Had breakfast at the Mara again and headed for AK to ride EE yet again.

We arrived at EE and the stand by wait was 30. We got FPs and headed into the line. For the first time all week, the advertised wait was accurate. Got out and had about 20 minutes until our FPs, so decided to get a pop and relax. I texted MKT again and he was just arriving at the park, so we arranged to meet. Ron and his friend John found us and we chatted a bit while my son and I drank our drinks and then we headed to EE. This time the line extended behind the FP distribution and was posted as 70 minutes! Thankfully, MKT has friends in all the right places and a CM [Suzanne, to whose aid he had come recently] spotted him, asked how many were with him and gave us four FPs that were good right away :sohappy:. The four of us rode together, chatted some more [Rob admired the painting of the Yeti, wondering aloud how well it would fit in in his bedroom - I half think he was serious :lol:!]. We chatted a bit more after the ride and then DS and I went through using our FPs. It was great to meet up with a fellow WDWMagicer and put a face to the name!

After accomplishing our 18th EE ride in the week, DS figured that was enough for this trip, so we headed to MGM for more RnRC. We got there and the posted wait was 60, so we got FPs again. This time we went on ToT first. It had a posted wait of 35, but was more like 10. For someone who claims he doesn't really like the ride, DS certainly had fun all three times this trip! My only disappointment was we didn't see the infamous "TJ"...

We decided to go back and ride RnRC while we waited for our FP time, the time was now 70! We went in line anyway, the wait was more like 20. We were put in the very last row of the limo and WOW , great ride! We had time for another before our FPs, this time the stand by queue was actually a shorter line than the FP queue, not quite walk-on, but close! We got back row again, without asking [we were going to, but they put us there before we could]. Then we did our FPs and got the second row from the front. also pretty cool!

Having ridden EE three times, Tot once and RnRC three times, it was time to eat. We headed to Sci-Fi Drive-In and asked for a table for two. The CM outside said if we didn't have ADRs, he couldn't seat us, they were booked solid for the night. He sent us inside to CM Shannon to check other table service availability. She started asking what we wanted and where and when I said any table service [other than Brown Derby, we only had two TS coupons left on DDP] that could seat the two of us within the hour, she said no problem, they could fit us in shortly right there! I mentioned that the CM outside had said there was no hope of a table, she just laughed and said he was full of B-S as usual. We were seated about 10 minutes later :sohappy:. While we were waiting, she went on break and he took over and I watched him turn away everybody that didn't have ADRs, glad our timing got us Shannon!

DS had Onion Rings, Shrimp Penne and Cheesecake, I had BLT soup, the American Cheeseburger with sauteed onions, mushrooms and bacon, and the Apple - Pecan Crisp. A delicious finish to our DDP meals!

Sadly, we really didn't have much time left after eating, so we headed for DAKL to retrieve our luggage and head for MCO on DME. The driver was nice, took care of everybody well. We stopped at Pop Century before heading for the airport and still arrived with over three and a half hours to wait for our plane. We checked in and headed for the Red Carpet Lounge [one very nice advantage to flying Executive Class] and settled in for the long wait. DS had a couple of hot chocolates, I had a coffee and then switched to Rye and Ginger, the bartender was a really pleasant, out-going guy. While we were waiting, Terri Garr [the actress] came into the lounge, a number of people asked for autographs and talked with her, she was very pleasant to them, but I thought she deserved some privacy, so we left her alone. The lounge closed at 8:30, so we went to our gate. They didn't have the flight posted yet, which I found odd, we were supposed to take off at 9. When they did post it, it said 10:05 departure! :brick: So, instead of arriving in Ottawa near midnight, we were going to be after 1AM!

Anyway, we made it home in one piece, cleared Canadian Customs without a problem [thankfully, my Ex had signed and notorized a letter saying she knew and approved of DS traveling with me]. We got home, I tucked DS in and my head finally hit the pillow about 3AM. Whew!

A very successful trip! We are exhausted, but had loads of fun.

Pictures to follow once I've sorted them and downsized to a reasonable size for posting...

 

[LouDisney]

Monty, loved your trip report. Can't wait to see your pics

 

[jesserin]

awsome trip report monty - glad you guys got home okay!