Mr. Toad's Trip Report (Live from WDW)

Mr. Toad · May 17, 2004

Day 2

Early morning at AK so we headed over there. Headed straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris. Had a really good ride. The Bongos came about as close as they could to the side of the vehicle. The Black Rhinos were also out and active (one was pushing around some dirt with his/her horn), both the male and female lions were out in plain sight and we even got a good view of the baby elephant.

Since we had spent some time to look at the small critters that the CMs had in little boxes on the way to the safari (a scorpion, a spider (I couldn't look) and several types of cockroaches) we had to go straight back out of the park and over to AKL for breakfast at Boma. I love the buffet here. Lots of great stuff to eat and then there's the Frunch to drink. After eating my fill (I was surprisingly hungry) I filled out a survey card requesting the recipes for two of the sauces they had at the ham station. I never knew you could do this so I should be receiving them by email. Wonder if they will give the Zebra Dome recipe? Then we headed back to AK and got Fast Passes for Kali River Rapids.

While waiting we went on the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the Tigers and the Bats. Got a great view of the Komodo Dragon which I firmly believe was due to the fact that I left my camera at the room. Finally our time had come and we hit the rapids. Actually it would be better to say that the rapids hit us (me in particular). I have gotten wet before but this time my lower half was completely soaked. We decided to head back to dry off so I took everyone the long way past Expedition Everest. After seeing the construction up close I am not sure if I will be able to convince myself to go on this ride. It looks like it could be very mean :lol: . OK, maybe I will try it once. As we were passing Chester and Hesters my wife decided she wanted to win a frog so we sat down to play the water pistol game thingy...whatever it's called. We lost

. I convinced her to try one more time and with an almost full crowd she won. They tried to give her a snake (the large prize) and I asked if we could have the smaller frog instead. The lady said "sure - matter of fact the snake is worth 3 frogs so which ones do you want". Now we have three tree frogs (say it 3 times fast).

Once we got back to the room I decided to try to get the High Speed Internet up and running. It had previously insisted on giving me an Access Denied error. Tech Support had said yesterday that it was a problem with the room credit card info having not synched with their system and that it should clear up in a few hours and if not to call back. I tried again today and got the same message so I called back. They said that the servers seemed to be running the syncs slowly and then showed me how to get to a secret access screen where they gave me a code to get in. They said by tomorrow I should have no problems. I have to say the High Speed access is very nice and is worth the $9.95 for 24 contiguous hours to me.

After that was straightened out some of us went for a walk around cresent lake. I stopped in Seashore Sweets for some candy (which I just finished as I was writing this) and then came back to the room. This will be a slow night with a late dinner at Jiko and then some miniature golf I think.

Observations for today:

Expedition Everest looks cool and frightening all at the same time. I can't wait to see it once the themeing is in place.

I love all of WDW but it still doesn't seem like we are here yet since we somehow have managed to not get to MK yet. Maybe we will go tomorrow night.

That's it for today (unless something comes up tonight). Tomorrow we will venture off property (a rare occurence for us) and check out Discovery Cove at SeaWorld.

Mr. Toad · May 19, 2004

Day 3

Got up early, and headed to Discovery Cove. Felt really odd to leave the property. The Dicovery Cove complex was beautiful. They keep the attendance down to 1000 guests/day and this makes the place seem like it is never crowded. The Tropical Lagoon was great with lots of beautiful fish to see everywhere. The Ray Lagoon was also cool. The rays feel really wierd - people say they are velvety and silky but to me they still feel slimy. However, they are really cool to watch swim. The river that surrounds the place is very warm (almost too warm after the lagoon water). Not much to see in the river, just some sunken urns, cannons and other the like. They could have more in there I think.

The river takes you into the aviary (you can walk in also) where there are all sorts of tropical birds and you can get food to feed them. They will come down and sit right on your hand while they eat. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me since I love birds.

There is also a free lunch included and the food was really good. I had pineapple teriyaki salmon with rice and some chocolate cake. I was really surprised at the quality.

Finally, the true highlight of the day was the swim with the dolphins. We got to meet Rascal who was 5 years old. If you've never felt a dolphin's skin it is very interesting. Kind of like a wet watermelon I guess. We got to give him hand signals, feed him fish and ask questions about him and then each of us got a short dolphin ride. At one point he decided he didn't want to give rides any more so they sent him to another group and they sent us their dolphin. He gave two rides at the other group and decided he wanted to come back to us. They really get to run the show it seems.

Discovery Cove also lets you tie a credit card to your park ID and then you can just use that for all in park charges. If you want they will even hold off giving you a copy of the receipts and then when you leave the registration desk will give you a print out of all your charges.

Discovery Cove is a really well run park and you I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in this sort of thing. The only downside is that it is a fairly expensive day (especially with the dolphin swim as that costs more). Also, they take photos of your dolphin swim and they are not cheap to buy (but we bought some anyway). The nice thing with the photos is that you can get them on CD if you want.

After we got back we were pretty exhausted so we all got some rest. Since MK was open until 10 we headed over there around 7 to get some food and a few rides. We ate at the Plaza Restaurant (mmm milkshake) and then then walked off to Tomorrowland. We walked right on to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (I got a 174,900 which is not bad for me). As we exited the ride/gift shop I noticed that COP was open so we had to go on it since it had been a long time since we caught this ride. I forgot how much I loved it.

Finally, with park closing approaching, we headed to Fantasyland to catch Mickey's PhilharMagic since my parents had never seen it. They loved it (especially the apple pie smell) and when it was over the park was closed. We did catch the end of Wishes and then hit the stores on Main Street on we left the park.

imamouse · May 19, 2004

At the risk of being tacky...just how much did everything cost at Discovery Cove? Admission is so high that I thought the dolphin swim was included! What else did you pay for (other than the pix) if lunch was included? How much was the pix?
I've always wanted to do this, but so far haven't been able to plan far enough in advance to get a reservation. How far out did you have to make yours?
Thanks and have a magical day :wave:

speck76 · May 19, 2004

They have two levels of admission (well, more actually)

non-swim $129-$149

with swim $229-$249

pocahontas79 · May 19, 2004

How long do you actually get to interact with the dolphins? Obviously that is the highlight of the day and I wonder if that price for admission is really worth it?
That is my dream to swim and touch a dolphin...someday I'll do it!:sohappy:

speck76 · May 19, 2004

The actual dophin swim is about 30 minutes, plus 15 minutes of in-water orientation.

This is what the pkg includes:

An experience like no other, this exclusive package allows you to take part in every attraction Discovery Cove has to offer.

Reserved dolphin-swim experience
Unlimited access to the Coral Reef
Unlimited access to the Ray Lagoon
Unlimited access to the free-flight aviary
Unlimited access to the Resort Pool and Tropical River
A freshly-prepared meal
Mask, snorkel, swim vest, towel, locker, sunscreen and other amenities
All day self-parking
Admission to either Sea World Orlando or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay* for seven consecutive days** or admission to both parks for 14 consecutive days for an additional charge
A complimentary photo portrait of you and your party as you enter Discovery Cove
*Passes valid for either Sea World Orlando or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for up to seven consecutive days before or after your Discovery Cove visit. Combination park passes valid up to 14 consecutive days before or after your Discovery Cove visit.

**Promotional packages do not include seven-day Sea World Orlando or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay passes or option for combination park pass.

Price for All-Inclusive Admission
Jan. 1 through March 21, 2004: $229 plus tax
March 22 through Aug. 31, 2004: $249 plus tax
Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, 2004: $229 plus tax

imamouse · May 19, 2004

How much for the picture with the dolphin?

speck76 · May 19, 2004

I don't know, but the video is $60

Disneyfalcon · May 20, 2004

Thanks again for the info on Discovery Cove. I too have wanted to go there since it opened. We just haven't been willing to spend the extra money yet.

Mr. Toad when you get back to your room tonight, please do tell us how much the pictures are.

Thanks for the updates!

Mr. Toad · May 20, 2004

We got an internet discount from a Florida radio station that my wife came across (even though we are in NJ - isn't the internet wondeful) which made the price with the Dolphin Swim $199/person. However, the discount package did not include the SeaWorld admission. Since we were not planning on going to SeaWorld it was a good deal for us.

The photo packages varied but we went with the 10 photo CD which includes 10 photos from your dolphin swim and a video (not your swim video) that gives a decent overview of Discovery Cove. I think there are some other stock Discovery Cove photos included on the CD also. The cost for the CD was $150 (at least they give you the rights to the photos for you to do with as you please for personal use which I guess means something).

I would definately go to Discovery Cove again and do the Dolphin Swim (as long as I could afford it) but I doubt I would get the photos a second time since we now have pictures of my wife and I with a dolphin.

Mr. Toad · May 20, 2004

As Speck76 said the dolphin swim is about 30 minutes or so.

First there is a short video they show the whole group and then you are broken out into groups (ours was 8 people) and assigned a trainer. The trainer takes you to the water where you meet his assistant trainer (she had the fish and did most of the actual "talking" to the dolphin). At this point you go out to about waist deep, kneel down to get you on the dolphin's level, and the dolphin comes over.

There was quite a bit of group interaction with the dolphin such as he would swim by so we could feel his skin, he would roll over so we could see his belly, they pointed out where his ears were, etc. We also had one on one interaction with the dolphin (Rascal). Everyone got to give him a kiss, I made him sing, my wife made him wave, others got him to spin around, "walk" on the water, etc... Even when one person was interacting with the dolphin we were always within 5-6 feet of him.

You could always put your ear to the water to hear the dolphins that were underwater and if you brought your mask with you (I left mine at the towel) you could look under water anytime you wanted to.

The last bit of interaction was the dolphin ride where you went to the deep water and then he would let you hold on to him and he would swim you back to the shallow water. It was truly amazing how easily a dolphin can move you through the water. They tell you not to try to help by kicking and they weren't kidding.

I really liked the fact that it was up to the dolphins if they wanted to participate. They can stop anytime they want (ours did for a short time) and they just get another dolphin that is interested in interacting. I think this is why it seems the dolphins are having as much fun as the people. When Rascal came back to our group he seemed like he really wanted to be with our group again. The trainers said this is typical and he probably saw something/someone in one of the other groups that he wanted to investigate and once he had checked it out he was ready to be with us again.

Not only has this been the highlight of the trip but it is one of the best vacation experiences I have ever had.

Mr. Toad · May 21, 2004

Oh yeah, my wife thinks the 5x7 was around $25 and I know that the 2 keychain package was $15 (you get two keychains with a photo of your choosing sized about 1.5"x3")

Mr. Toad · May 21, 2004

Day 4

An odd start to the day as we did not go to any of the parks. We slept in and had a late breakfast at Spoodles. The my wife, mother, and myself walked to Fantasia Gardens and played a round of miniature golf. Alas, gone are the days when I would always win. In one of my worst performances ever I came in dead last with my wife coming in first. Still, we had a lot of fun and then we stopped at the Dolphin Fountain for ice cream on the way walk back to the Boardwalk. We opted to play a short game of Disney Monopoly (at least I won that) and then we decided to hit the pool. After swimming for a while we headed back to the room and got ready for dinner.

We walked to EPCOT and ate at Chefs de France. The meal was very good (usually it is) and I had some very nice wines with my meal. After dinner we walked around World Showcase and then hit the monorail to MK since it was open until Midnight due to the Extra Magic Hours program. We got to MK around 9PM and had to fight our way against the crowds that were leaving. Main Street was a mess with half the people trying to head towards the gate and the other half trying to make it to Fantasyland it seemed. We finally got through to Tomorrowland and worked our way around to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It already had a decent line so we decided to skip it and head to the Haunted Mansion. We picked up FastPasses for Peter Pan along the way. The FastPass said we could return to ride in 10 minutes which was interesting since the ride had a 20 minute wait. One Doom Buggy ride later we exited the Mansion and headed back to Peter Pan. The flight to Neverland was uneventful with the exception of a few cannon balls being shot at us by Captain Hook. Luckily, Peter saved the day and we made it back to Fantasyland in one piece.

Looking for something a little more adventuresome we headed to Adventureland to get Jungle Cruise FastPasses. This was made difficult due to the fact that the FastPass machines were covered and the line at JC was non-existant. So we rode through the jungles of the world. Our skipper on the Jungle Cruise actually made a reference to when they used to shoot the hippos with the gun and how they can only tell bad jokes about the hippos now. He was very funny (even got laughs from some of the old, corny jokes) but I think he may have deviated slightly from the script. When we got back to port we headed off for a relaxing Caribbean cruise. Wouldn't you know it, we ran into MORE pirates. I guess Captain Hook was still sore about the Neverland incident and made a few calls. Again we found no line at POTC so we had a quick ride and then it was off to Frontierland. BTMRR had a short wait so we took a spin and then we headed back to Fantasyland to try Winnie the Pooh again.

On the way we were able to walk on to Snow White's Adventure, ride Cinderalla's Golden Carousel and still catch a honey pot to the 100 Acre Woods. The weather there was horrible as usually with strong, gusting winds and heavy, flooding rains. We drifted out just in time to grab a quick ice cream cone before the park closed.

Today's Observations:

FastPass is your friend and some people still don't use it.

Having 3 extra hours at night to wander MK with only resort guests is great. I hope they decide to keep this program going.

Oh well, so much for Day 4.

Mr. Toad · May 21, 2004

Day 5

Got up and headed to MK for breakfast. Dined at the Crystal Palace which still has one of the best buffets around. I ate way too much of the French Toast but it was worth it. After breakfast we went to do a little shopping and somehow ended up in the Hall of Presidents. I always forget how much I like this attraction.

Afterwards we headed to the Haunted Mansion (the family has a hard time getting past it when I am around since I will always suggest riding it). I am not sure why after all these years I still find this ride so entertaining but I just love it.

The shopping continued (although nothing was actually purchased except a few pins) until we ended up in Tomorrowland. Since we all thought it would be good to get off our feet we took a ride on the TTA (we all know it is really the WEDWay People Mover).

When the ride was done we decided to head back and go swimming. We got back to the room OK but everyone fell asleep but me. I didn't feel like swimming alone so I did some reading and watched some old Disney cartoons on TV.

Finally I woke everyone up to remind them that we had to make our dinner reservation. Dinner was at the Kona Cafe. I had Seared Scallops and Tempura Shrimp for dinner and it was excellent.

Afterwards, we rode the monorail to the Contemporary and wandered around a bit. We got to watch the fireworks from the 4th floor (Concourse) outside deck and then we headed to Downtown Disney to wander around the shops. We browsed and shopped until 11PM when everything closed up and then we came back to the room and called it a night.

Today's Observations:

The french toast at the Crystal Palace is really good.

Disney really knows how to do a fireworks show.

The french toast at the Crystal Palace is really good.

Tomorrow,another Star Wars weekend begins...

Mr. Toad · May 23, 2004

Day 6

Started the day off with the opening at MGM. This was the first time we had been to the actual park opening on a Star Wars Weekend. It was neat to see the Stormtroopers on top of the gate making comments at the crowd.

Once in the park my mother got Tower of Terror FastPasses for my wife and father while my wife, father and I went on the Rock N Roller Coaster. We walked right in and got on the second car of the day (and the front seat too). When we got off we met my mother and then realized that the wait for TOT would get them in and out before their FP time so they just went on while my mom and I shopped. After their ride they gave away their FastPasses to some people on line and we grabbed a bite to eat at the bakery.

My mom and dad went back to go swimming while my wife and I hit the Great Movie Ride. Again we basically walked right on the ride. After this we hit Tatooine Traders to check on the new Star Wars pins. They didn't really thrill me so I didn't bother buying any.

We finally headed back to the hotel. We watched the boat leave the dock as we exited the park so I convinced my wife to walk back to the Boardwalk. It really isn't that far to walk. We relaxed for a little while and then my wife, mother and I went for massages. Massages are so good. I highly recommend them.

After a little relaxing we headed to EPCOT for dinner at China. On the way my wife bought a small elephant topiary and did some pin trading. Dinner was good but not as good as last year's lunch in China. After dinner we walked around World Showcase and then headed over to Downtown Disney to walk around the shops. I somehow started this tradition a few years ago of buying a different Disney watch each year I come down here. I had hoped to get a Pluto watch this year but they don't seem to make one unless you want one of the custom art work watches but that was a bit more than I wanted to spend. So I ended up getting a Roger Rabbit watch at the Marketplace for this year's watch. Maybe they will have Pluto next year.

After returning to the hotel we went to Seashore Sweets on the Boardwalk and got some ice cream and then called it a night.

Mr. Toad · May 23, 2004

Day 7

Woke up feeling awful due to my allergies attacking me. But since I hadn't ridden Mission:Space yet I refused to give in to them. We headed over to EPCOT for the opening and went straight to Mission:Space. Since there was no line we were on our way to Mars in no time. I was concerned about riding due to the fact that I was congested and feeling blah but I had absolutely no problems and think I actually felt better after the ride. I really love this ride but part of me wishes they would make it a little more intense.

Upon our return to Earth we headed out and examined the flowers in the Flower & Garden Festival. They really do make some amazing displays with the flowers. We asked a few questions and learned a few things and then headed over to Beaches and Cream to get some lunch.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel and I decided to lie down for mintute before going swimming. About 3 hours later my wife woke me up when she came in from swimming. Oh well, guess I needed the rest. I did feel a bit better but I was still groggy from the allergy medicine. We got ready and headed over to the Polynesian for dinner at O'Hana's. Dinner was fantastic as usual and I ate my fill of the various meats and shrimp. I made sure to save room for the Beach Bomb (big bucket of flavored ice).

We headed over to MK and it was crowded. Even the Haunted Mansion had a 25 minute wait so we got FastPasses for it and then walked around a bit. When our time came we went back to the Haunted Mansion and I spotted a hidden Mickey on the ride I had not seen before (I had heard about it). Now it was parade time so we took advantage of this and saw Mickey's Philharmagic. We got lucky and walked in just as they were letting people into the auditorium. After the show we headed to
Tomorrowland. Everything had a line of at least 20 minutes so we rode TTA and called it a night since I was starting to feel blah again.

Went to bed hoping I would feel better in the morning for our last day at WDW.

chotasahib · May 23, 2004

Re: Day 7

Originally posted by Mr. Toad
Woke up feeling awful due to my allergies attacking me. [...] I was concerned about riding due to the fact that I was congested and feeling blah [...] Oh well, guess I needed the rest. I did feel a bit better but I was still groggy from the allergy medicine. [...]
Went to bed hoping I would feel better in the morning for our last day at WDW.

Toad-san,

Off topic, but what allergy meds do you use? I'm a big fan of Claritin-D...it never seems to bother me with any side effects. If you haven't tried it before, I would recommend doing so when you get home.

Here's hoping the nasty allergens go easy on you tomorrow!

-- A fellow sufferer

speck76 · May 23, 2004

I have used in my life

Claritin
Clartin-D
Allegra-D
Zyrtec
Flonase
Nasacort

and a few others.

I must say, the Claritin-D works the best for me. The bad part is since it went over-the-counter, Aetna no longer covers it, what use to cost be $5 a month now costs $30+

Disneyfalcon · May 24, 2004

Mr. Toad, since you said you were looking at star wars pins, I have a question. I really love the logo pin this year, mickey and minnie as luke and leia. I have tried to order two but I guess they just hold my card number until after star wars weekends are over and if they have any left they charge my card and send them to me.

I'm just curious if you noticed any around? A lot of them hopefully?

Thanks for the reports!

Mr. Toad's Trip Report (Live from WDW)

Mr. Toad

Active Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

imamouse

Well-Known Member

speck76

Well-Known Member

pocahontas79

Member

speck76

Well-Known Member

imamouse

Well-Known Member

speck76

Well-Known Member

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

Mr. Toad

Active Member

chotasahib

New Member

speck76

Well-Known Member

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member