After months of waiting and seeming as though the big day would never arrive, we were packed and ready for another trip to our favorite vacation destination. Going on the trip were myself, my wife, our son and the in-laws.
Our flight on the 8th was at 7:00am and the airport is an hour away, so I got up around 3:15 to get things going. To help awake our 11 year old, I had recorded the Mickey wakeup call from the resort, which I played for him, along with the theme song to "Remember the Magic". I used that one because that was the theme in 1997 when he went to WDW for the first time. We had returned in 2000 and 2004, but 1997 was a special year for him.
We always have a limo carry us to the airport to add a little fun to the trip and it was arriving at 4:45. Before it got there, I gave mom and son little gifts I had bought--Mickey Mouse watches already set MMT (Mickey Mouse Time).
We arrived in Orlando at 9:20 and went via Mears to All Star Sports, our hotel of choice since we spend so little time in the room. )Why pay more for a room that you are not using?) We checked in, then went to Downtown Disney, had lunch ar Rainforest Cafe, went to Disney Quest and shopped a little. By that time it was 3;00, so we returned to the hotel to get our room assigments and get settled in.
We ate a quick bite in the End Zone Food Court, and were ready to take on Mission:Space at EPCOT. We hopped on the the bus and rode M:S twice. I was a little anxious about the ride. I have never had a problem with getting sick or dizzy, but with all the hype I was not sure about this one. I think Spiderman may still be my favorite Orlando attraction, but M:S is now my favorite WDW ride. (Sorry TOT). Rode Spaceship Earth, but by now, it was approaching 9:00 and it had been a long day, so we went back to the hotel.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9
Usually, our first park is Magic Kingdom, but we went to Universal Studios instead. We rode Jummy Neutron, which was a lot of fun, then Shrek. I was a little disappointed in Shrek--guess I was expecting more unexpected things to happen. I got amused at a sign in the preshow area which welcomed us to "The Happiest Totalitarian Dictatorship on Earth (Well, second happiest." Wonder who that little dart was intended for!
Twister was next, followed by ROTM which was a great ride. The Mummy animatronic was really good, but I wish the ride had been a little longer. Rode Earthquake, MIB (L O N G line) BTTF, then headed back to the hotel. We had plans to play a round of mini-golf and our son wanted to have a quick dip in the pool, so we swam for about an hour, then got ready
to play a round at Winter-Summerland. We had never played the mini-golf courses, and we enjoyed it a lot. Our plans are to make a WDW Calendar using photos from around the parks as stocking stuffers, so we took pictures of us around the Christmas Tree for our December photo.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 10
Extra Magic Hour at MK, so we left at 7:30 and arrived 8:00 We had picture made on Main Street in front of castle. Then rode Peter Pan’s Flight, which is always a favorite with us. Afterwards we went over to Mickey's Philharmagic. That is a GREAT show and a lot of fun!
Dumbo line was too long, so we went to Snow White to ride, then rode Pooh. Those two are not my favorites, but the lines were not long, so we went ahead and rode them. My son and I rode Teacups while others went to get snacks.
We rode Indy Speedway, which had a 20-minute wait then rode Buzz Lightyear, Carousel of Progress and TTA. It was 11:45 so we walked to castle saw last 10 min of Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration, Due to the show, we could not go inside the front of the castle, and had to walk around back for our Priority Seating for Cinderella’s Royal Table. That was a lot of fun and the food was good., and wonderful atmosphere.
We then got FP for Mickey’s Philharmagic and while waiting rode Cinderella’s Carousel, walked through Swiss family Robinson tree house and rode Pirates of the Caribbean. We used our FP for Mickey’s Philharmagic, and decided to not watch Share a Dream Parade, but went to Jungle Cruise. Had a 20 min wait, riding the “Nile Nellie” with Pat as guide. Same tried and true great puns,
Hopped on the “Roy Disney” train at Frontierland for a 1 3/4 trip around the parks, getting off at Main Street,
Walked to Casey's, got hot dogs and listened to pianist play ragtime on the piano outside. He was very talented.
Next was a visit to Tommorowland. I asked a CM about seeing a Stitch preview but no go. Timekeeper was closed so we never got to see it this trip.
Rode TTA again then went to Toontown, stopping to take picture beside Mickey pumpkins at entrance (October Picture). We rode Barnstormer and walked through Mickey and Minnie’s houses, taking picture in gazebo out back of Minnie’s house.
Rode train to Frontierland. My son had never written Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so I told him there were no big drops so he decided to give it a try and LOVED it. Got a FP for later but walked to Haunted Mansion so everyone could do something together. Walked on HM, then rode Riverboat, which was nice at night. Back to BTMR and rode it two more times. We then went to Main Street and claimed a spot on the curb just north of Plaza cafe to watch Wishes, which was beautiful. Stayed to watch kiss goodnight at the castle. I thought it was beautiful, but by now, it was getting late and the others did not share my enthusiasm!
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
Our trip plans had us scheduled to go to AK, but theforecast predicted rain. We bought Mickey ponchos and went to EPCOT instead. It was misting when we got there and went to SE. Walked over to Test Track for our son's frist go at that ride ride on that. He loved it and wanted to ride again. But when we came out it was pouring rain so we got FP for later. Went inside Mouse Gear and looked around but it was still raining when we finished so we got lunch at Electric Umbrella.
Still raining after lunch so we headed to World Showcase. We rode River of Time in Mexico, Maelstrom in Norway, bought candy in Germany, listened to Voices of Liberty, and watched Spirit of America, which is always enjoyable.
Completed walk around WS, then watched Circle of Life and Living with the Land. Both were very nice shows/rides., then had lunch at Sunshine Food fair. Spencer and I did Mission:Space again, then we walked to crosswalk to WS to watch Illuminations. Caught the bus back to hotel immediately after the first portion of Illuminations.
It had been a fun day, but the rain really slowed us down,. The change in plans upset our schedule for the rest of the week, too, but at least we were at WDW!
TUESDAY OCTOBER 12
Extra Magic At MGM. Misting when we arrived. I went to ToT but had long line already, so I got a FP and we all rode Great Movie Ride. My son had a blister on his foot so I used FP for TOT while DW took him to first aid. TOT was great, and I videotaped it, which turned out OK but not great. I met them afterwards and we went to Indiana Jones. There was a full house for show.
Went to Star Tours. Had a 30 wait, but we made it in time for 12:10 PS at 50's Prime time cafe. Uncle Tom was our server. He was nice but no cutup.
After lunch went to One Man's Dream, and watched film as well. We then played Millionaire, watched Muppets, and then went back to hotel to get ready for MNSSHP. Got to MK around 5:45 and were told to go to Tomorrowland which was opened from 6-7 for ticket holders only. All others had to leave MK. We rode Buzz, Astro Orbiter, Indy Speedway, Teacups 2 times, Cinderella’s Carousel, Mickey's Philharmagic, Peter Pan then walked to Frontierland. My son and I rode BTMR 3 more times then rejoined others. It began to rain so we got under ledge at Pecos Bills then it began to POUR rain. The in-laws decided to go back to hotel. We rode HM, POTC, JC then caught last of parade which had been delayed due to the rain then MP one more time. After that, we caught the bus back to hotel around 12:00 but it was hard to wind down. Even with the rain, the party had been fun.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11
The rain on Monday had changed our plans, so we went to DAK instead of using EE to Epcot. We arrived at opening, had our picture made then went to KS. Saw a lot of animals, including baby elephant. Walked Paganini forest, then went to Camp Minnie Mickey and watched Festival Of the Lion King then Pocahantes before having lunch at Pizzafari. Went to It's Tough to Be A Bug then to Kali River Rapids and got a little wet, but not as much as my son would have liked. We used tickets to get 4 FP for KRR then walked to Dinoland. My son and I rode PW 2 times. As we headed back towards KRR it was announced Tarzen Rocks was about to start, so the wife and in-laws went to see that while we rode KRR 2 more times, and got soaked. We met others, and walked to front of park, got our picture from that morning, and left for hotel. Because the rain had dampened Tuesday MNSSHP, decided to go again on Thursday. Went to DD and had dinner at Planet Hollywood, then returned to hotel.
THURSDAY
Slept in a little but up in to be at Blizzard Beach when it opened at 10:00. Our son had a great time on the slides. We joined him on most of them with him, including taking the chair lift for the family raft ride. You have a great view of construction on EE at DAK. Left around 3 to get ready for MNSSHP. As on Tuesday, we went to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz--which had a delay as we were about to get on, then rode Astro-Orbiter. I rode Space Mountain while DW and DS rode Indy Speedway. I had my first Turkey leg bought at The Launching Pad and met them at Cosmic Rays. Watched MP, then HM walked to BTMR and rode twice. I rode Spash Mountain and all three rode POTC, walked around a little, got snacks and Cokes at Casey's, and then headed to hotel at 12:00. Got bags ready to check out on Friday morning.
FRIDAY
Up at 6:30 to check out at 8:00 and head to MK for last day. Got stopped by CM to take part in survey. Took pictures of characters in town square, had picture made on Main Street. Saw Dapper Dans and sang a song with them, which is always fun. As we walked toward castle, we noticed they were filming a commercial and you could not go through castle, but I got a picture with no one in it. Quite unusual to see it without anyone on it and the picture is nice.
Rode Buzz, TTA, BTMR, walked to POTC, but it was not operating. Went to Jungle Cruise. It began to rain lightly and announcement was made they have to stop, but we were allowed to board. We rode and it began to pour. We had checked backpack with ponchos at Train Station because rain was not forecast. Before ride ended, the rain had stopped, so we walked to the train station to get ponchos, just in case. Shopped as we walked back down Main Street to Tomorowland. Rode TTA,
We shopped in the Castle, then rode Buzz and COP. Afterwards, we claimed spot in front of Main Street Cinema to watch SADP.
My son and I have a tradition for the last thing to do before leaving. We nd I walked back to castle for traditional last picture at photo spot on bridge to Tomorowland, then we had a hug and promised to come back again. Left Main Street at 3:45, took pictures in front of floral Mickey face in front of train station, went back to All Star Sports and back to reality all too soon.
It was another great trip and one full of memories. Now we have begun our countdown to June 15, when we will go to Disneyland for our first trip there.
Only 240 days to go!!
Our flight on the 8th was at 7:00am and the airport is an hour away, so I got up around 3:15 to get things going. To help awake our 11 year old, I had recorded the Mickey wakeup call from the resort, which I played for him, along with the theme song to "Remember the Magic". I used that one because that was the theme in 1997 when he went to WDW for the first time. We had returned in 2000 and 2004, but 1997 was a special year for him.
We always have a limo carry us to the airport to add a little fun to the trip and it was arriving at 4:45. Before it got there, I gave mom and son little gifts I had bought--Mickey Mouse watches already set MMT (Mickey Mouse Time).
We arrived in Orlando at 9:20 and went via Mears to All Star Sports, our hotel of choice since we spend so little time in the room. )Why pay more for a room that you are not using?) We checked in, then went to Downtown Disney, had lunch ar Rainforest Cafe, went to Disney Quest and shopped a little. By that time it was 3;00, so we returned to the hotel to get our room assigments and get settled in.
We ate a quick bite in the End Zone Food Court, and were ready to take on Mission:Space at EPCOT. We hopped on the the bus and rode M:S twice. I was a little anxious about the ride. I have never had a problem with getting sick or dizzy, but with all the hype I was not sure about this one. I think Spiderman may still be my favorite Orlando attraction, but M:S is now my favorite WDW ride. (Sorry TOT). Rode Spaceship Earth, but by now, it was approaching 9:00 and it had been a long day, so we went back to the hotel.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9
Usually, our first park is Magic Kingdom, but we went to Universal Studios instead. We rode Jummy Neutron, which was a lot of fun, then Shrek. I was a little disappointed in Shrek--guess I was expecting more unexpected things to happen. I got amused at a sign in the preshow area which welcomed us to "The Happiest Totalitarian Dictatorship on Earth (Well, second happiest." Wonder who that little dart was intended for!
Twister was next, followed by ROTM which was a great ride. The Mummy animatronic was really good, but I wish the ride had been a little longer. Rode Earthquake, MIB (L O N G line) BTTF, then headed back to the hotel. We had plans to play a round of mini-golf and our son wanted to have a quick dip in the pool, so we swam for about an hour, then got ready
to play a round at Winter-Summerland. We had never played the mini-golf courses, and we enjoyed it a lot. Our plans are to make a WDW Calendar using photos from around the parks as stocking stuffers, so we took pictures of us around the Christmas Tree for our December photo.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 10
Extra Magic Hour at MK, so we left at 7:30 and arrived 8:00 We had picture made on Main Street in front of castle. Then rode Peter Pan’s Flight, which is always a favorite with us. Afterwards we went over to Mickey's Philharmagic. That is a GREAT show and a lot of fun!
Dumbo line was too long, so we went to Snow White to ride, then rode Pooh. Those two are not my favorites, but the lines were not long, so we went ahead and rode them. My son and I rode Teacups while others went to get snacks.
We rode Indy Speedway, which had a 20-minute wait then rode Buzz Lightyear, Carousel of Progress and TTA. It was 11:45 so we walked to castle saw last 10 min of Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration, Due to the show, we could not go inside the front of the castle, and had to walk around back for our Priority Seating for Cinderella’s Royal Table. That was a lot of fun and the food was good., and wonderful atmosphere.
We then got FP for Mickey’s Philharmagic and while waiting rode Cinderella’s Carousel, walked through Swiss family Robinson tree house and rode Pirates of the Caribbean. We used our FP for Mickey’s Philharmagic, and decided to not watch Share a Dream Parade, but went to Jungle Cruise. Had a 20 min wait, riding the “Nile Nellie” with Pat as guide. Same tried and true great puns,
Hopped on the “Roy Disney” train at Frontierland for a 1 3/4 trip around the parks, getting off at Main Street,
Walked to Casey's, got hot dogs and listened to pianist play ragtime on the piano outside. He was very talented.
Next was a visit to Tommorowland. I asked a CM about seeing a Stitch preview but no go. Timekeeper was closed so we never got to see it this trip.
Rode TTA again then went to Toontown, stopping to take picture beside Mickey pumpkins at entrance (October Picture). We rode Barnstormer and walked through Mickey and Minnie’s houses, taking picture in gazebo out back of Minnie’s house.
Rode train to Frontierland. My son had never written Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so I told him there were no big drops so he decided to give it a try and LOVED it. Got a FP for later but walked to Haunted Mansion so everyone could do something together. Walked on HM, then rode Riverboat, which was nice at night. Back to BTMR and rode it two more times. We then went to Main Street and claimed a spot on the curb just north of Plaza cafe to watch Wishes, which was beautiful. Stayed to watch kiss goodnight at the castle. I thought it was beautiful, but by now, it was getting late and the others did not share my enthusiasm!
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
Our trip plans had us scheduled to go to AK, but theforecast predicted rain. We bought Mickey ponchos and went to EPCOT instead. It was misting when we got there and went to SE. Walked over to Test Track for our son's frist go at that ride ride on that. He loved it and wanted to ride again. But when we came out it was pouring rain so we got FP for later. Went inside Mouse Gear and looked around but it was still raining when we finished so we got lunch at Electric Umbrella.
Still raining after lunch so we headed to World Showcase. We rode River of Time in Mexico, Maelstrom in Norway, bought candy in Germany, listened to Voices of Liberty, and watched Spirit of America, which is always enjoyable.
Completed walk around WS, then watched Circle of Life and Living with the Land. Both were very nice shows/rides., then had lunch at Sunshine Food fair. Spencer and I did Mission:Space again, then we walked to crosswalk to WS to watch Illuminations. Caught the bus back to hotel immediately after the first portion of Illuminations.
It had been a fun day, but the rain really slowed us down,. The change in plans upset our schedule for the rest of the week, too, but at least we were at WDW!
TUESDAY OCTOBER 12
Extra Magic At MGM. Misting when we arrived. I went to ToT but had long line already, so I got a FP and we all rode Great Movie Ride. My son had a blister on his foot so I used FP for TOT while DW took him to first aid. TOT was great, and I videotaped it, which turned out OK but not great. I met them afterwards and we went to Indiana Jones. There was a full house for show.
Went to Star Tours. Had a 30 wait, but we made it in time for 12:10 PS at 50's Prime time cafe. Uncle Tom was our server. He was nice but no cutup.
After lunch went to One Man's Dream, and watched film as well. We then played Millionaire, watched Muppets, and then went back to hotel to get ready for MNSSHP. Got to MK around 5:45 and were told to go to Tomorrowland which was opened from 6-7 for ticket holders only. All others had to leave MK. We rode Buzz, Astro Orbiter, Indy Speedway, Teacups 2 times, Cinderella’s Carousel, Mickey's Philharmagic, Peter Pan then walked to Frontierland. My son and I rode BTMR 3 more times then rejoined others. It began to rain so we got under ledge at Pecos Bills then it began to POUR rain. The in-laws decided to go back to hotel. We rode HM, POTC, JC then caught last of parade which had been delayed due to the rain then MP one more time. After that, we caught the bus back to hotel around 12:00 but it was hard to wind down. Even with the rain, the party had been fun.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11
The rain on Monday had changed our plans, so we went to DAK instead of using EE to Epcot. We arrived at opening, had our picture made then went to KS. Saw a lot of animals, including baby elephant. Walked Paganini forest, then went to Camp Minnie Mickey and watched Festival Of the Lion King then Pocahantes before having lunch at Pizzafari. Went to It's Tough to Be A Bug then to Kali River Rapids and got a little wet, but not as much as my son would have liked. We used tickets to get 4 FP for KRR then walked to Dinoland. My son and I rode PW 2 times. As we headed back towards KRR it was announced Tarzen Rocks was about to start, so the wife and in-laws went to see that while we rode KRR 2 more times, and got soaked. We met others, and walked to front of park, got our picture from that morning, and left for hotel. Because the rain had dampened Tuesday MNSSHP, decided to go again on Thursday. Went to DD and had dinner at Planet Hollywood, then returned to hotel.
THURSDAY
Slept in a little but up in to be at Blizzard Beach when it opened at 10:00. Our son had a great time on the slides. We joined him on most of them with him, including taking the chair lift for the family raft ride. You have a great view of construction on EE at DAK. Left around 3 to get ready for MNSSHP. As on Tuesday, we went to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz--which had a delay as we were about to get on, then rode Astro-Orbiter. I rode Space Mountain while DW and DS rode Indy Speedway. I had my first Turkey leg bought at The Launching Pad and met them at Cosmic Rays. Watched MP, then HM walked to BTMR and rode twice. I rode Spash Mountain and all three rode POTC, walked around a little, got snacks and Cokes at Casey's, and then headed to hotel at 12:00. Got bags ready to check out on Friday morning.
FRIDAY
Up at 6:30 to check out at 8:00 and head to MK for last day. Got stopped by CM to take part in survey. Took pictures of characters in town square, had picture made on Main Street. Saw Dapper Dans and sang a song with them, which is always fun. As we walked toward castle, we noticed they were filming a commercial and you could not go through castle, but I got a picture with no one in it. Quite unusual to see it without anyone on it and the picture is nice.
Rode Buzz, TTA, BTMR, walked to POTC, but it was not operating. Went to Jungle Cruise. It began to rain lightly and announcement was made they have to stop, but we were allowed to board. We rode and it began to pour. We had checked backpack with ponchos at Train Station because rain was not forecast. Before ride ended, the rain had stopped, so we walked to the train station to get ponchos, just in case. Shopped as we walked back down Main Street to Tomorowland. Rode TTA,
We shopped in the Castle, then rode Buzz and COP. Afterwards, we claimed spot in front of Main Street Cinema to watch SADP.
My son and I have a tradition for the last thing to do before leaving. We nd I walked back to castle for traditional last picture at photo spot on bridge to Tomorowland, then we had a hug and promised to come back again. Left Main Street at 3:45, took pictures in front of floral Mickey face in front of train station, went back to All Star Sports and back to reality all too soon.
It was another great trip and one full of memories. Now we have begun our countdown to June 15, when we will go to Disneyland for our first trip there.
Only 240 days to go!!
