Trip Report 6/14-6/22/03

WDW1971 · Jun 25, 2003

Thanks for the report...keep it coming!

LouDisney · Jun 25, 2003

I love reading trip reports!!
Makes me want to jump in the car and leave today.

justynsaunt · Jun 25, 2003

Concierge food service

When you get a moment could you please comment about the concierge food service? What kinds of food did they serve? Was it plentiful etc.

Nansafan · Jun 26, 2003

Monday, 6/16/03

Monday - We had an 8:10 PS for Cindy's breakfast. There were supposed to be 5 of us but due to a death in my neices' family, they didn't fly with us on Saturday. They joined us late Monday night.

Anyway, we got a 7:00 AM wake-up call from Mickey (why people use the alarm clock I'll never understand). My bro and I were up at 6:30. We showered etc and then woke up my son. We went to the monorail stop at the GF and waited. While waiting, my bro asked the CM "how wide is the monorail rail?" She said that she didn't know. She then called the monorail garage and asked them. We waited a few minutes and they called back. The report was 24". We were told they sent someone out to measure it.

When the monorail arrived, we jumped on and headed to the MK. It's really cool being only one stop away. After checking in, we waited at the front gate. It was so much fun seeing all the little "princesses" all dressed up for the breakfast. At precisely 8:00 AM we were allowed in and we proceeded down Main Street. We took some video footage of the semi-deserted park. We got to the castle and after a few minutes were taken to our table, right near the windows. After coffee and juice, the room was a-buzz. All of a sudden, we were swarmed by princesses. In order of appearance, Belle, Aurora, Mary Poppins, Cinderella and finally Snow White. The food was fine but we were really there for the princesses. Each one signed autographs, spent time at the table and were generally gracious and regal in nature. The whole thing was very magical. While leaving the castle, a father was carrying a little girl and they were heading to the stairs for their breakfast. The little girl said, "are we going to see Cinderellella now?" Her father said, "Yes". For the rest of the trip, Cinderella's name was now Cinderellella.

After breakfast, we waited at the rope to Fantasyland for 10 minutes while 4 CM's sized up the crowd. They chose 1 girl and 1 boy to officially open and welcome us to Fantasyland. My son was the first person to step into Fantasyland that morning. (He thought it was cool!) We darted off to Peter Pan and the 3 of us were the very first Peter Pan riders of the day.

We headed off to Big Thunder and had to enter through the exit. Something was wrong at the entrance and we were directed to enter through the "back door". Either way, it was still pretty cool.

Today was scheduled to be spent at Typhoon, so we headed back to the GF to change clothes for the park. Jumped on the bus and spent a beautiful day at Typhoon. Over an hour just splashing in the wave pool. Back to the hotel, change again and we waited out some rain at the hotel.

We then headed back to the MK for a bit. I left the boys at the MK and came back to the GF. I was going to go to the airport to meet my neices, 15 and 12. This was their first time flying alone. Yourride picked me up and took the 3 of us back. While waiting at the GF, I received a call from my son, they were on the TTA and it was pouring. They decided it was raining too hard so they went to the Contemporary to hang out at the food and fun center.

They were waiting for us when we got back from the airport. We went to the snack shop at the hotel (very late, concierge food service was over by then) and then brought the girls to the room.

Off to work now, c'ya real soon!

careship · Jun 26, 2003

Thanks!! Nice report. May I ask how old your boys are? I have 2 boys of my own and they want to hang out at the arcade etc without me. They are at that age now. (I think they are still too young.) So I'm trying to find from others what age is ok.

WDW1971 · Jun 26, 2003

Originally posted by careship
Thanks!! Nice report. May I ask how old your boys are? I have 2 boys of my own and they want to hang out at the arcade etc without me. They are at that age now. (I think they are still too young.) So I'm trying to find from others what age is ok.

I may be mistaken, but I think when she said "the boys" she was referring to one son and her brother.

By the way, great report! I feel like I'm there watching the whole thing!

careship · Jun 26, 2003

My mistake....

Nansafan · Jun 27, 2003

Tuesday, 6/17/03

First off, "the boys" I was referring to were my 16 yr.old son and almost 40 yr. old brother. Sorry for the confusion. I also use this term when referring to son and 45 yr old husband. Back to the trip.

After a light breakfast at the Concierge Lounge (fresh melon, pineapple, muffins, bagels, cold cereal, croissants, coffee and assorted juices.), we were off to the Animal Kingdom. We hit our favs, Dinosaur (10 min. stand-by), Primeval Whirl (20 min. stand-by) then to get a FP for Kali. We opted to go stand-by for the Kilimanjaro Safari (about 45 min.) then it was off to Kali. Kali was very refreshing. There are only a couple things that I think IOA does better than Disney and this ride is an example. Kali is way too short of a ride. The Bluto/Popeye version of this type of ride is much longer, wetter and pardon my grammar, funner. We did some shopping at the park, had lunch and then decided we were still too wet for comfort.

We headed back to the GF to change, swim, snack. When we got back, the Concierge Lounge was set up for tea. There was English Trifle, scones, cookies, jellies etc. We tried out the water slide pool but decided it was too crowded. We walked back to the larger pool and hung out for a bit. Time for me to have a cocktail, froxen pina colada by the pool while the boys and my neices swam some more. Back to the lounge where hor d'oeuvres (sp?) were being served. Assorted cheeses, crackers, dips, marinated vegetables this night. There was coffee, tea, bottled water, iced tea, pink lemonade and regular lemonade. As a side note: regular lemonade is a big plus for my bro. For years, all you could get at the MK was pink lemonade and this, in his opinion is wrong. To quote: "Have you ever seen a pink lemon?"

Everyone then got dressed to head to MK. It was E-Ride night and we had dinner at the castle. We got our wristbands and proceeded to Tomorrowland for the TTA. Walked around a bit then moved to Fantasyland to hit the attractions that wouldn't be open later. Went to Adventureland for Pirates and the Jungle Cruise then it was time for dinner, as always a pleasure. My nieces and brother ordered the drinks that came with the souvenir glasses. When my niece told the waiter she had a lot of them he said he'd be right back. He came back with 2 champagne flutes wrapped up and boxed for her so that she'd have something different to add to her collection. My brother said something about it being his birthday week and look who gets presents. (He had been telling us it was his birthday week all week). We just finished up as the fireworks were starting. We went down to watch them. We got a locker to hold the souvenir mugs and then went off to Space. Rode Buzz, then Space again then moved on to Frontierland.

After Big Thunder-2x, on to Splash. At Splash, I needed to leave line. After a comfort stop, I waited for them at Splash Down pictures. It was good I got out of line because the ride had a minor breakdown. We finally hooked up and I told them that I needed to go back to the room. There was still an hour left of E-Ride. They stayed. After getting pointed in the right direction (before anyone says anything, I am legally blind in one eye and have a cataract in the other. I could have found my way out eventually but I needed to get back to the room as quickly as possible.) I headed off to the exit. Ten minutes later I'm at the monorail just missing one. Out of line and back to the rest room. Back in line and finally on a monorail. The train stopped halfway from the station to the Contemporary. We sat about 10 minutes. When we arrived at the Contemporary, I almost left the train there but I hung on. It took me an hour to get from Splash Mountain where I had left my family to get to the GF lobby. They joined me about 1/2 hour later.

It was a great day, a tiny bit of inconvenience in the late evening but all in all, another magical day.

More later...

WDW1971 · Jun 27, 2003

Just curious...are you typing all this from memory, or do you keep a journal? I'm enjoying reading it. I wish we could go this year!!!!

misskat · Jun 28, 2003

We went to the monorail stop at the GF and waited. While waiting, my bro asked the CM "how wide is the monorail rail?" She said that she didn't know. She then called the monorail garage and asked them. We waited a few minutes and they called back. The report was 24". We were told they sent someone out to measure it.

wow, disney service at its best! they really do everything they can to please don't they!?

thanks for the report!

Disneyanna0521 · Jun 28, 2003

great report

cant wait to read more

Nansafan · Jun 28, 2003

Wednesday, 6/18/03

I'm typing mostly from memory although I do keep a small journal, mostly just jot down notes/highlights of the day.

Since last night was E-ride, we correctly assumed that the kids wanted to sleep in. By the time all were up and dressed, the concierge breakfast service was over and they were preparing for afternoon snacks. We went to the Gasparilla Grill and Games for something to eat then headed off to Epcot. We arrived after 12:00 at Epcot and went to check out Test Track. All FP's had been given out and the stand-by line was 180 minutes long. My niece, 12 yrs old. said "why don't we get in the single rider line?" We checked with a CM and were told the single rider line was about 30 minutes long. We got in. The line moved right along. Every now and then they would announce that those in single rider line would be split up. We didn 't care, we just wanted a ride. When we got to the doors just before the briefing room, an announcement was made about inclement weather and something about you getting soaked. We put Pal Mickey in his rain poncho (plastic bag) and stuck him in my nieces purse. After the briefing room we moved to the loading area. The couple in front of us got split up and the five of us ended up riding together. What awesome luck! Michelle won the award for smart thinking that day!

After TT, we wondered around Future World dodging the rain. We hit Cranium Command, Body Wars, Ellen Energy, Spaceship Earth and then went to check out The Land. The line was too long and the FP was too late for us to make our dinner PS at Germany so we had a snack and then went off to see the countries.

Norway, Mexico, then time for dinner. Ate at the Biergarten. We love the show and the food isn't bad either. Shopped a little on our way out of Epcot as we went off to Downtown Disney.

My brother has a tradition that has been continuing since 1993. Everyone who travels with him gets a "last night" gift. In 1993, on our last night at WDW, he bought my son (6 at the time) a Peter Pan cup that Bobby had picked out. My bro has visited WDW at least once a year every year since. He doesn't want to break the chain. My nieces, son and bro picked out their "last night" gifts that night at Downtown Disney. It took me a couple more days to find mine. It started to pour when we were leaving DD. We were quite lucky and found a cab waiting so we headed back to the hotel. Blizzard Beach tomorrow.

Sally_doll · Jun 29, 2003

your trip sounds amazing! Can't wait to read more

Nansafan · Jun 30, 2003

Thursday, 6/19/03

Thanks Sally, it was.

Today was Blizzard Beach day. I awoke to find a snag in the plan. Without getting too detailed, I opted not to do a water park today. I rode with the group to Blizzard Beach. They headed off for fun while I visited the shop. My morning was full of trying on clothes and wondering aimlessly. I finally decided to walk around and of course, it started to pour. I bought a rain poncho and headed off. I thought it would look stupid but not as bad as I thought. There were many of us, non-swimsuit attired people walking through BB with rain ponchos on while the others splashed in the water park. I don't know what the rest of the group did but when I caught up with them getting out of the lazy river, they said they were having fun. I gave them the water proof camera and they took pics in the wave pool.

Sidebar: I was sitting at a picnic table for a bit, minding my own business when 2 men behind me were talking. One said to the other, "that is the dumbest thing I ever saw, a rain poncho at a water park." People sure can be ignorant.

We ate lunch and they went off again. At some point in the afternoon, they decided they were done so we went back to the GF. We got back in time for tea. There were scones, assorted cookies, English Trifle, a selection of hot teas and lemonade and iced tea. We snacked and then changed clothes. We didn't have a PS for dinner tonight so we discussed our options. We decided on the ESPN club.

We headed for the Boardwalk. There was a line at the ESPN club because they were filming something for ESPN with a Chicago Bulls basketball player. We were told that if we wanted to siit on the bar side, we could be seated right away. Everyone was hungry so that's what we did. Great burger for me and a Fosters, the rest of them had milkshakes and chicken sandwiches. We were sitting in a booth which had a Playstation hook-up. The waitress said we could get the controllers from the store next door. The kids took turns playing golf while we enjoyed the ESPN club. When all were done, the kids played a couple video games in the store and we then did some shopping on the Boardwalk. It had finally stopped raining and the evening was very pleasant.

There was a performer doing a balancing act with all sorts of things, sword, golf club, big knife. Very good, but I don't remember his name. The kids played a few of the games of chance. My son won a basketball. We visited all the stores along the Boardwalk. When we reached the end, they decided they wanted to do mini golf. We walked to Fantasia Gardens, my son dribbling the whole way. While walking, my bro spotted a basket-ball hoop. We were on the Swan/Dolphin grounds. Son ran off, shot a couple and rejoined us. They went off to play golf and I sat down to update my notes. Before I knew it, they were done. Son won a free pop because he got a hole in one at the "mystery hole". We walked back to the Swan to get transportation to the MK so we could monorail back to the GF. The whole night was pleasant and then it started to rain as we got to the lobby of the Swan. We opted for a cab to take us back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, we snacked again. My cousin was arriving tonight to stay with us through the weekend. Her plane was due in at 11:49 PM. We hung out at the room until 12:15 or so then went to meet her at the lobby. My bro had pre-checked her in earlier. She just needed to get her key once she arrived. For my brother's birthday, her mom was flying down also as a surprise for my bro. Yourride finally dropped them off. My bro is watching them get out of the van and he had this really puzzled look on his face. Finally, Beth yelled "surprise!". My bro was floored. It was perfect. After 1:00 AM now. I took the kids back to the room and my bro helped the others get settled in theirs.

MK tomorrow for "John's 40th Birthday Extravaganza!"

Nansafan · Jul 1, 2003

Friday, June 20, 2003

Today's my bro's 40th birthday. Last night, I herded the kids together into the dressing area of the room and gave them the T-shirts I had ordered from the Disney Catalog. the ones you can have personalized. I bought the one with Mickey on it. We always title our trips. This year's trip was called "WDW2003: A Magical Birthday Adventure." Our shirts had that on them. My bro's said, "Hi, I'm John. Today's my 40th birthday. WDW2003: A Magical Birthday Adventure." We came back into the room wearing our shirtsI had written to our family and friends and requested they send me birthday cards for my brother so I could bring them down. My goal was 40 cards which we made. He and I were up early, as usual. After he got in the shower, I got the cards out and dumped them on his bed. He came out of the shower and said "what's this?", my answer, "I don't know." (Original I know) Then he started opening them. There were cards from co-workers of his, friends, relatives and even a random stranger. While opening the cards, he started chuckling over the funny ones. The kids woke up.

We got a call from my cousin and her mother that they were up and dressed so we told them to come over. They brought over more cards with them. After the kids got dressed, we went to get something to eat then headed off to the MK. It was raining so we raced through the stores, then past the Plaza Pavilion to Tomorrowland. When we got there my neice remembered we forgot to stop at Town Hall for a birthday button. She and my bro headed back and took our passes with them. They went to get Peter Pan FP's for the group while we rode the TTA. When we got off, they were waiting for us. Buzz was short so we went Stand-by then moved off to Fantasyland. We rode Snow White, Small World then FP Peter Pan. Heading to Frontierland, we made a beeline for Haunted Mansion. It started raining harder. Of course my poncho was back in the room so we bought more.

All but my 16 yr old donned ponchos (he was too cool) and we trudged off. My bro put his birthday pin over his poncho so it could still be seen. The CM's were great who saw it, chatting and offering birthday wishes. We did Pirates. Criss-crossing the park, dodging rain, shopping, had a snack at Pinocchio Village Haus. (the Figaro fries are fantastic!!!) We had a PS at 1900 Park Faire for Cinderella's Gala Feast for my bro's birthday dinner and we needed to head back to the GF. We stopped and got our e-ride wristbands and took the boat back to the hotel.

After cleaning up, we went to dinner. Very nice buffet with Roast Pork, Turkey, Lasagna, assorted salads, potatoes, vegetables, desserts etc. There was plenty of food for everyone. Characters at the dinner were Cinderella, Prince Charming and Suzy and Perla mouse. Minnie made a lobby appearance. After dinner, my bro changed back into his birthday t-shirt and we went back to the MK.

We visited the non-eride attractions while waiting for the park to close. Once e-ride started, we were off, Space 3X in a row, Buzz twice (no matter how many times I play, I still stink). Off to Frontierland for Splash and BTMRR with a stop at the Haunted Mansion. My son was carrying Pal Mickey. While walking out of the stretching room just before you board your doom buggy, a CM says "Is that My Pal Mickey?" My son replied, "NO, it's mine!" We got a kick out of that. CM's in all the parks were asking our opinion of Pal Mickey. We loved him. His jokes are corny, there are games to play and the park info is great. Definitely worth the money.

After our 1st ride of Splash, there was nobody in line. The CM asked if we wanted to stay on so we did. It finally stopped raining as we headed to BTMRR for 3 rides. Back to Space for few more rides. The CM's started to recognize our matching shirts and would say "all white shirts to the right..." then he would look for my bro, "here's my birthday guy" and high five him.

Finally the day was over. A nice day and my bro said, a great birthday.

Disneyanna0521 · Jul 1, 2003

great report!

Nansafan · Jul 3, 2003

Saturday, 6/21/03

Birthday surprises weren't over yet. Today we headed for MGM. Waiting at the bus stop was Jane from Gifts Of A Lifetime (GOAL). We had used her in December for an event which was great, so I booked her for my bro's birthday. Since our favorite TV show is the Amazing Race, she planned an "Amazing Birthday Race" for my brother. He was given his first clue a disposable camera, an Epcot passport and an autograph book.

We took to boat to Epcot (we had never done this before) and entered through the International Gateway. The first stop was to go to Ice Station Cool to taste Beverly. Unfortunately, Ice Station Cool was closed. After calling Jane, he was directed to see Figment. Rode JIYI and then proceeded to the gift shop where my bro held a Figment stuffed toy and someone took his pic. Like this show, he made an error. He had left his bag with the clue in it on the ride. We raced back to the exit of JIYI and the CM handed him his bag. (We always poke fun at people who do things like this so it was perfect that my brother made this mistake.) The next stop was to go to Mouse Gears to find and price 3 items and have his pic taken with them. He was then directed to Norway to the Viking ship where the clue was hidden.

He found this clue quickly which sent him to Mexico to have his picture taken with 8 pinatas. He found a place where they sold Mini Pinatas and his pic was taken. Off to China to have his passport stamped and he was also instructed to have someone write "Happy Birthday John" in Chinese in his book. Next he headed to Germany to find his clue hidden in a Christmas tree. He found this clue and was sent to the American Pavilion to count the columns in the rotunda that went from the first floor to the second. Next he had to go to Japan to find Jane.

At this point he was given a Detour. People who watch the show know that a Detour is a choice between 2 tasks. He either had to go to Morocco and catch the boat to Germany and have someone sign his autograph book in German, he was also given $5.00 to purchase something from a Germany store. Then he was to ake the boat back to Morocco and return to Japan or he could walk to Canada and have his passport stamped and book signed. He was to take one of the group with him. He chose walking to Canada and took our 15 yr old neice with him (she's the fastest). They were back very fast. Next task was to taste 3 things from Japan. My bro had been having a weak stomach all trip so this was very difficult for him. He choked the stuff down and was given the next clue which was a Roadblock. He chose a person to do this task. His goddaughter had to go through a bunch of teapots in the Japan store and find an Alabama quarter which had been hidden there. She returned with the quarter.

His next clue was to go to Morocco and purchase something from the food place and consume it before leaving Morocco and have his passport stamped and book signed in Moroccan. He was then directed to France to get 3 samples of perfume. After the perfume, he was given a picture and told he had to find the person in the picture. It started to pour. Up till now, the weather was pretty nice. We headed back to the International Gateway and there the person was waiting for us. He gave her the stuff he had collected and showed her his passport and autograph book and then he was presented with his birthday present. It was a book I had purchased and sent down to them. This whole thing took just under 2 hours. It was a blast.

We waited out the rain in the shop at the International Gateway then took the boat back to MGM. Started pouring again. My bro's stomach was bothering him so he went back to the hotel and we sloshed our way through MGM. After GMR, it had cleared up a bit so we headed to RnR. Stand-by was short and we rode. Afterwards my neices wanted to to ToT and I wanted to check on my bro. I headed to Guest Relations and they road ToT. I couldn't get a hold of him and I was getting a bit concerned. My neices and cousin stayed at MGM and my son and I headed back to the GF.

As it turns out, my bro had gone to the snack shop for a sandwich when I called. We hung out in the room a bit and then went to the pool. After a pina colada and a sit by the pool, everyone was feeling better. My son and bro swam while my cousin and I had a chat. They went to the hot tub while I had another pina colada. We called my neices cell phone and found that they were heading back to the GF. They met us at the pool and told us that my 12 yr old neice had made the "hot seat" at Millionaire. She got to 1000 point level. We then went to eat, and start packing. We were leaving the next day.

If you ever want to add something to a trip, I strongly recommend calling/contacting Jane at GOAL. The 2 events we've used her for were awesome. Check out her website
http://www.giftsofalifetime.com

Disneyanna0521 · Jul 3, 2003

great report!

WDW1971 · Jul 10, 2003

That was a great report. You made me feel like I was part of your family along for the trip.

Trip Report 6/14-6/22/03

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