Trip Report 8/15-8/21(Hot and Bothered)

Ok, so let me re-introduce the cast. There's myself and my beautiful girlfriend(Allison) of 2.5 years...

And there's the other couple Ron and Cass...

Our flight was leaving from Philly International Airport and 7:00 AM so we were up at about 3:30-4 in the AM. This doesn't suit me well at all but for Disney, anything. After a short drive to the airport we were through security no problem and quickly found our gate. With time to kill, we grabbed a quick breakfast from the grand-daddy of fine cuisine...McDonalds. After a filling and nutritious breakfast we were ready to get to Orlando.

Some people can sleep on a plane. I cannot. Luckily my friend Ron can...

No problems with our flight. After 2 of the longest hours anybody can expierence we were landing in Orlando. The Orlando airport itself could be a vacation destination in my opinion. But after going to the wrong end of the airport for Disney Magical Express we found ourselves at the end of a huge line for the DME. I've never actually had to wait for the DME or seen this much of a crowd at this time in the morning so this kind of shocked me but that would be the theme of the week.

Even though I complain it wasn't actually that long a wait for us. Soon enough we were at the Port Orleans FQ to begin our truely magical week. Check-In was smooth which was crucial for four 18 year olds on their first real trip alone. We got to our ice cold room which was as we wanted on ground level. We quickly got out of there and headed for Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The original plan was to go to DHS first in order to ride TSMM and OM'sD during their last day of operation before refurbishment. However, plans would change. By the time we were in the park TSMM had a 2.5 hour wait which none of us would sit in for one ride. TSMM would end up being a no-go for us due to this. I've been on it before so it wasn't a terrible loss for me. In the mean time we did Star Tours (Can't wait for the new one), Lunch at the Backlot Express, The Great Movie Ride, and Muppetvision 3D.

This would conclude our day as DHS. On to dinner at Captain Jack's.

 

[David Roberts]

After a trip back to the resort to get freshened we were on a bus headed for Downtown Disney. We had a 6:10 reservation for Captain Jack's. After making a few stops in stores like The Art of Disney store(This is where I spent most of my $$$), we arrived at our restuarant. We were seated almost immediately and with a table right next to the water. Our waitress was very helpful although I don't remember her name.

My meal: The Shrimp Pasta with Lobster sauce.

Ron's Meal: The crabcake's

The meal was very good and a good start to our vacation. For about 9 months I thought about the crabcakes I would have that first night but once there I opted for the pasta. According to my friend Ron this was a horrible mistake.
After dinner we were heading straight for Magic Kingdom for EMH till 2 I believe (We wouldn't last that long).
That first night we accomplished a good amount due to the lower crowds. We headed straight for Tomorrowland, which is my favorite land. I was ready to ride Space Mountain after not having ridden it since 2006. We did Space Mountain, The Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress(which suprisingly was one of Ron's favorite's and this was his first visit to the world), and Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin.

After that we got caught up watching Wishes. The girls loved it and I admit it's one of the best firework's shows I've ever seen. After that we jumped on Winnie the Pooh which had no wait. We made our rounds around fantasyland except for Philhar which we'd do later and Peter Pan cause of a ridiculous wait. We made our way over to my favorite ride of all, The Haunted Mansion. I think if Disney ever did get rid of the mansion I would quickly purchase it so I could use it as my private home. After that we did Pirates of the Carribean before calling it a night around 12:30 (Give us a break...it was the first day.)
Tomorrow morning we'd get a little extra sleep before our 10 AM reservation at Chef Mickey's.

 

[KnK]

Great start, looking forward to the rest.

 

[foreverbelle]

I agree with PP great start. I love the picture of your friend Ron sleeping. Classic. Those early morning flights are sometimes so dreadful but you are absolutely right for Disney, anything.

Keep it coming!

 

[David Roberts]

Thanks for all the support guys. This is my 1st report so I'm trying to do my best. Waiting for these pics to upload so part 2 will probably be posted tomorrow

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Awesome start! Lovin' the report. Can't wait for more!

 

[mickeysshoes]

great report so far...cant wait to read the rest to see if we were in any other parks on the same day!! We were there the same time...we were at HS on Sunday for the exact same reason..but we got in Sat so we got right on TSM and also had FP so we could ride it again. You started your trip with Cap Jacks and we ended ours with lunch there!!!! Very small world. Hope the rest of the week went as well as the first day!!

 

[mouselvrmom]

I love the title of your report! We were there at the same time so I can totally relate! :lol:

You got a lot accomplished on your first day! Keep it coming!

 

[David Roberts]

How much can you eat???

We were about to find out as we started day 2 of our trip. We had two ADR's for this day. First, was Chef Mickey's. The day would be capped off with dinner at Boma (A first for me both to the restuarant and to AKL). We slept in a little later but even the extra sleep couldn't help Ron's condition...

Anyway the ADR was for 10 and we made it promptly. We had to wait awhile though as it was very busy. This would actually be the longest wait we had (it still wasn't long). So when ya go to chef Mickey's everyone knows that you get the...

Mickey Waffles.
In all seriousness even for people of our age Chef Mickey's is just a delight and in my opinion the best of the character meals. We had a ball.

Donald is by far my favorite.

After pushing our waistlines as far as they could go we decided to hop on my favorite mode of transportation, the monorail. By the way, how come this hasn't become standard transportation in the real world? I mean it is so relaxing. Anyway, we hopped on and went back to MK not having gotten our fill the night before. Ron and I were clearly ready to conquer the park.

Now is the time for me to ________ and moan. I'm no stranger to the World. I've traveled there over many seasons and have seen the parks at it's highs and lows for attendence but I didn't expect the crowds on this trip. Last year I went in mid July and the crowds were about what you'd expect but this entire week the crowds were by far way worse than when I went last year. Lesson Learned. NEVER underestimate the FREE DINING PLAN. Needless to say I could be a little grouchy and irritable at times. Anyway we got a few more attractions done that we hadn't the night before and did some of our favorites again. We finally got into Philhar Magic which is a personal fave of mine and a great way to beat the heat.

 

[David Roberts]

Basically our days were go to the park as early as we could get up, do some rides, get hot and tired, go back to resort, recharge, dinner, accomplish alot at night. We did this very thing before making our way to Boma.
Once we got to Boma we were actually the first to check in for dinner. They were so nice and the atmosphere was great. Also, you guys might have noticed in alot of the pics I represent my Philly teams (Go Flyers, Phillies, Eagles!). Well anyway, one of the cooks noticed my Flyers shirt and asked if I was from the area and I replied I lived ten minutes outside of Philly. He himself was from the area and I explained I was going into Hospitality Mgmt. this fall with the hopes of working at Disney eventually. He was so nice and helpful so shoutout to Frank(I believe it was) if he ever sees this. Anyway the food was great but Boma would not end up being a favorite of mine.

After dinner it was a short drive over to AK to accomplish the 3 or 4 total rides we had to do during the EMH. Once we got into the park we hopped onto the Kilimanjaro Safari for our two week expedition:lol:. Seriously though we ended up seeing alot of cool animals. I even got this gem of a pic myself.

After that we traveled to a far off place in Asia. It's a place that is said to be ruled by a Mythical Beast. One who is fierce but can't move properly and will occasionally stare at his own crotch. I am of course referring to the Yeti. I realized on this trip up the mountain the only people who notice that the Yeti doesn't work are the Disney nuts such as ourselves on this board. Anywho, We got the front two cars so, Ron and I pouted until the let us ride the very front:drevil:.

After conquering the Yeti we moved on even higher up the food chain. Dinosaur. Something you should know about me and Dinosaur... I get into it and needless to say we had to purchase this picture with us four in the front (myself closest to the camera). PRICELESS.

Anyway, after recovering from the ride on Dinosaur it was on to the Tree of Life where I had hard to come by tickets to a show hosted by BUGS!!! Actually, I love the Bugs Life movie but this is my least favorite of the 3-D attractions(Keep in mind its competing with Muppets and Philhar).

That would conclude our Day 2 in The World. Day 3 will be Epcot with a trip to ITALY and Dinner at Kona. Thanks Guys:wave:

 

[foreverbelle]

Lovely.

I have never eaten at Chef Mickeys but have to say it is fabulous to see teens enjoy themselves and get into the magic.

About the Yeti you are completely right we took my family back in July who had never been on the ride and they too didn't notice or seem to make it such a big deal as the rest who were absolutely nuts.

And I am glad to see I am not the only one who loves Philharmagic. I just which I got to see it this past go around. Ah next time.

 

[David Roberts]

Philhar Magic is great. Out of all the 3D shows it best captures the essence of Disney and manages to incorparate some of the best Disney movies.

As for Chef Mickey's I was a little hesitant at first but we got caught up in it...That's Disney for ya.

 

[blackthidot]

Thanks for the food pics! Hahaha

Hey man where did you get that Phillies shirt? Its pretty dope bro.

 

[allycat27921]

Crowds in May

I am thinking of booking a trip at the end of may. Can anyone tell me how the crowds are then just so i get an idea if thats when i wanna book for. Appreciate the help.

 

[Septemberman]

Thanks David...

Thanks for taking the time to post your trip report. Looks like you all had a wonderful time. You are doing a GREAT job on your first report, the text and pic's are really nice.

 

[David Roberts]

Thanks for the food pics! Hahaha

Hey man where did you get that Phillies shirt? Its pretty dope bro.

Actually my girlfriend purchased it down in Wildwood(NJ). Their pretty popular down there. And thanks for all the positive reviews.

The poster Allycat happens to be my girlfriend as seen in the pictures and thank her for trying to jack my thread:ROFLOL:

 

[David Roberts]

Day 3... Better and Better with age.

I'm sure nearly everyone who "grew up" going to Disney can agree that when your young EPCOT is just not that appealing but with every trip and year of "maturity" ( I have almost none) it appeals to you more and more. Anyway, this is how EPCOT grew on me. We got our butts in gear and got over to EPCOT as early as possible for us(Not that early).

SpaceShip Earth was mobbed but every well knowledge Disney traveler knows ya never start with SE:animwink:. Instead we made our way over to Test Track with a stop along the way at the pin station(I'm addicted to pins but I only buy them). We got fastpasses for Test Track while they were still available and than left for Soarin.

Does anyone else notice that when you walk into Mouse Gear it smells like bad eggs??? I don't get it

Once we got to Soarin we found the wait was 70 minutes and whatever the wait time is for Soarin...that's how long you're waiting...if not even longer. Begrudgingly, I got into line with the rest of my part timing our wait. Ron wasn't thrilled about the wait either.

So after almost 70 minutes to the mili-second we were on Soarin. Everytime I have to wait in that line I mope and complain but once I get on that hangglider it all melts away. As I said when I was riding Soarin..If California smells like that than I wanna live there. Seriously Soarin is a great ride I just wish the wait time could be shortened and it would be cool to see a new video soon.

After Soarin our bellys were aching and we planned to take a trip over Italy. Allison fell behind a little as she took photos and I videotaped.

We soon reached our destination Via Napoli (Allison insists I pronounce this wrong). Anyway, the place looks beautiful and I really think it's the perfect addition to the World Showcase. So the wait wasn't nearly as long as I thought. We waited about 5 minutes and were quickly brought to our table. Our server was very nice and told us about each oven and about the restaurant. As if I cared!!! I'm kidding of course. I have the utmost respect for Italian geography and their famous landforms but I was here for pizza and for the price we were paying. It better be good.
We started out with drinks. Aqua Frescas. Everyone but me had a strawberry but me being the oddball had the lemonade. For the appetizer(sorry I have no pics! That's how hungry we were) we had two order of the fried rizotto balls (someone will correct that). Anyway they were fried balls filled with cheese and meat sauce. AMAZING but they only came with four. For the main course we opted for a large Quatro Formag pizza.

Before...

After...

It was gone in an instant...Musta been that Disney magic. My verdict: Via Napoli was great. It was certainly pricey but what isn't in the World. If ya like pizza it's a must and certainly surpasses Pizza Planet which we also had on this trip. It'll probably be a must do for me...at least for lunch during most my trips back to the World and I hope next time to try a pasta dish.

Enough food talk... for now. We left Italy determined to conquer the rest of the world.

 

[David Roberts]

It was slow moving around the World cause a couple of young adult girls had caused a sensation when the took Snow White hostage and forced her to pose for pictures.

So side story here. Allison has never been to Club Cool. I said we gotta go cause you have to try this amazing soda they have there, it's called Beverly. So we went and I handed a dixie cup full telling her to drink up cause it was some of the best soda I had ever tasted. She did so and tried to play it off saying things like Mmmm and uh huh. I replied are you serious? I went on to explain how people joke about how bad the soda is and she sorta conceded. I think it's a funnier story if you had been there but maybe some of you can appreciate it none the less.

We made our way over to Journey into Imagination, another first for allycat. I always enjoy the ride but must admit that I'm no Figment nut. After playing with the instruments on the way out we made our way over to Nemo. All the girls love Nemo, apparently. Not my favorite but where there's air condition there's a happy Dave.

Ron couldn't contain his excitement.

Remember those fastpass tickets to Test Track??? Oh yeah it brokedown. When we returned to the site I stood there jumping up and down yelling I knew it! Last year when I was there in July I managed just one ride on Test Track due to breakdowns and backups when it was actually running.
We had a reservation at Kona so we had just a little more time for rides. We did the Sum of All Thrills for the first time. It was thrilling but very short lived. Than we managed to hit up my favorite in EPCOT which is Spaceship Earth.

http://www.facebook.com/DavidRoberts319#!/video/video.php?v=432091698952&subj=614888952

The link above is our video from SE... It's a must watch if ya wanna take the minute and half. After our return journey to Earth it was time for Kona Cafe. I was hosting a steak showdown of my own this week. The returning champ Le Cellier vs. the challenger Kona Cafe.

 

[David Roberts]

The Polynesian Resort is beautiful. I love all three of the monorail resorts that I'm sure it'll break my bank one day. The wait for Kona was enjoyable with so much cool stuff to look at. But once we were buzzed I was more than ready to eat. And for the food pic fans I've got the WHOLE table.

Al's the Pork Chop

Mine the Teriyaki NY Strip

Cassandra's The shrimp and scallops

Ron's Mahi Mahi (He was hungry so he decided to have both:ROFLOL

The Kona Cone's

So the steak was AMAZING. I loved it, LOVED it. But would it be enough to beat my long time favorite Le Cellier? I can't tell ya now or ya'd stop reading so you'll have to wait till the last day of this TR to find out:zipit:. After dinner it was time to go back to Epcot. We returned this time accomplishing Test Track and some others such as the Mexican Boat ride and catching the tail end of Illuminations. What a great show. We tried to avoid the stampede on the way out so we slowly made our way to the exit which unfortunately led to this cheesey picture...

What a romantic.

The rest of the night was pretty ordinary. We made our way back to the Resort and had got some sleep.

I'll post Day 4 either later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[Rach&Eric]

You guys are awesome and such lovely couples! Loving the TR, keep it coming