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imported_PolyGirl40
02-22-2002, 02:55 PM
PolyGirl40’s Escape From New York; The 2002 Sequel -- Day Three
Monday; February 11, 2002

Cast of Characters
Carol -- PolyGirl40 -- Disney Vacation Commander in Chief
Tony -- Dear Husband & Dad -- Advisor on Fiscal Affairs.
Jeremy -- #1 Son (15)
Shayne -- #2 Son (7)

Princess Breakfast, Share a Dream and the British Invasion.

Mickey called us at 5:30 a.m. - Of course I was already up. We had to be at the bus stop by 7:00 a.m. to meet the Character Breakfast bus. I didn’t even think about this bit of information when I lengthened our Animal Kingdom Lodge stay. However, it was not a problem at all.

We were all up and out of the door by 6:45. As we approached the bus stop the bus pulled up. What great timing. The only down fall to this was we had to stop at all of the All Star resorts. This did not take very long. It more then filled the bus to standing room only.

It was unbelievable how uninformed guests were. So many people tried to board the bus in route to various resorts. One couple got dreadfully rude when the driver tried to explain why he could not take them to Cape May. graemlins/crazy.gif My first “Ugh!” moment of the day.

We made one additional stop - to drop guests off at the Contemporary resort and arrived at the Magic Kingdom shortly after 7:30. The security tables opened up at 7:45. Bag check went very smoothly. I was the only one in our party that had a bag. I kept it limited to a small camera case that goes over the shoulder. It has two zipper compartments and can be easily viewed. I was always waved through very promptly. I did see people with large bags. They were inspected more intently. In fact one Mom was asked to open her wipe container - that was found in her diaper bag. Security check was never a hindrance to me.

We waited at the turnstiles until we were allowed in. They began filing breakfast guests through at 7:55. Of course we had to have our name checked off at the clipboard station. No one is allowed in early without a PS or a tour appointment. We headed right to the castle. How cool to be one of a few people strolling down Main Street. I paused for a few pictures then scadaddled to the podium. This is our first date with the Princesses. I’ve tried a few times in the past to medal in the Cindy Olympics but always failed. It never bothered me - as I have 2 sons and it was not high on their list of priorities. This year we were fortunate enough to have the Concierge Staff make our 60 day priority seating arrangements for us. I know - I cheated and was disqualified from medaling. But - Hey I’m eating at the castle. tongue.gif

What a wonderful experience, Lords and Ladies! We were called immediately upon our arrival and escorted up the spiral staircase. Shayne thought that was waaaaay cool :cool: . Our table was fantastic. We were seated right by the window - overlooking Fanstasyland and the carousel. Crescents, coffee and juice were presented instantly. For those of you that have never eaten breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table; it is a pre-plated, all you can eat meal. You are given 3 options. A kids plate, healthy choice and the traditional style. Shayne had the kids plate and dined on waffles, pancakes and fruit. The rest of us ordered the traditional breakfast. It was very good. We were served eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, potato casserole and fruit. One serving was very plentiful. Tony asked for seconds on the stuffed French toast. graemlins/tasty.gif As we dined Prince Charming and the Princesses made their rounds. We had some great interaction. The ladies were extremely personable and accommodating. What a great way to start our morning.

As we exited down the same set of stairs we were greeted by the Fairy Godmother. What a lovely woman. She spent time with both of my children. She was so very nice. A genuinely warm personality. I highly recommend this breakfast and experience. It’s great for all ages.

We lined up for rope drop at Fantasyland. I knew it was a perfect way to get those popular attractions out of the way without waits. What baffles me are the guests running and hurrying their family. I mean; Are they really accomplishing anything? We walked right onto Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan, Dumbo and It’s a Small World. One of our *must does* this morning was to see our last ever Lion King show. I was saddened by the lack of viewers. The theater was nearly empty. I really enjoy the puppets and will miss this attraction. However, I do understand the need for change.

It was only 11:00 a.m. and we had completed Fantasyland. Our next stop was the Haunted Mansion. This is a favorite for all of us. We dragged our bodies right in and had our first Doom Buggy ride of 2002. graemlins/thumbsup.gif Love it, love it, love it! Of course Frontierland would be next on our agenda. I looked at my watch and realized there was no way I wanted to leave our first Magic Kingdom day to make our PS for lunch at the Wilderness Lodge. I discussed it with my guys and we all agreeed. I slipped into the Liberty Tree Tavern to make new plans and cancel the originals. I made a PS for 1 o’clock. Off to Frontierland.

Shayne is the only one crazy about Splash Mountain. Don’t get me wrong; I love the attraction. I just do not like walking around fully clothed and wet. Jeremy is the same way. Tony goes with the flow. It was decided that Tony would ride with Shayne if Mom went on the Tower of Terror with him later in the week. Ugh! Okay! Deal tongue.gif They grabbed fast passes and we headed for Big Thunder. This is another favorite. The line wait was only 20 minutes. It went very quickly as we visited with some nervous first timers. As luck would have it, we rode with them. Success. They loved it too. Jeremy and I headed for the Splash drop area to watch Tony and Shayne touch down. graemlins/laughing.gif They got drenched. We ducked into the Country Bear Jubilee show before checking into the Liberty Tree Tavern. Boy - times sure does fly when you are having fun.

This was another dining first. We had to wait for 20 minutes. It was more then a pleasure. We snagged 4 rocking chairs on the front porch and watched the crowds go by. When our name was announced we were lead to the Betsy Ross Dining Room. A simply decorated and colonial style area with replicas of the era. We were all fairly hungry as we did not stuff ourselves at Cindy’s.

imported_PolyGirl40
02-22-2002, 02:58 PM
I ordered the “Today’s soup kettle”. Which was a wonderful creamy potato and bacon soup. For my entree I had the “Benedict Arnold” sandwich. Which consisted of corn beef and Swiss cheese on homemade molasses bread. Tony ordered the “Old Glory”. This sandwich was a beef patty with bacon, provolone and mushrooms. Both sandwiches were served with cole slaw and tavern chips. Shayne had the “Little Patriot’s Hot Dog” while Jeremy selected the New England Clam Chowder and an order of crab cakes from the appetizer menu as his entree. Everything was wonderful and fresh. Another great Disney restaurant experience! We passed on dessert. There was a Dole Whip stand in Adventureland calling our names for that.

We exited the Liberty Tree just in time to catch the next show at the Hall of Presidents. From there we went to Adventureland and had our Pineapple Dole Whips. graemlins/tasty.gif Tony and Shayne took a spin on Aladdin’s Magic Carpets. The wait for Jungle Cruise was 35 minutes. Nope. Not going to do that. It was only an hour before parade time. This was first and foremost on my itinerary.

We nabbed a corner spot near the Liberty Tree and awaited 3 o’ clock. The parade is spectacular! Certainly worth the hour wait. The floats and characters were great. Shayne was selected twice to participate. He was brought out to assist the Fantasia brooms with their buckets and once again to tease Captain Hook with the Lost Boys. Needless to say; He loved it. The Villain float was my favorite. ;)

It was rapidly approaching 4 o’ clock. We had PS’ at the Rose and Crown for dinner. We were all tired and in need of freshening up. The temperatures have been in the mid 70’s. Very comfortable. But - even that takes it’s toll on you after 8+ hours. Plus it we did not get to visit with the animals.- As we had to leave so early in the morning. We exited feeling like we accomplished a lot and knew we could hit Tomorrowland and the things we missed later in our trip. The Animal Kingdom Lodge and some relaxation sounded good.

A quick stop at the Marketplace for a few pins. Did I mention Shayne loves the pins? Off to our room. We arrived to find Shayne’s stuffed animals on our bed watching television. graemlins/laughing.gif The mousekeeping staff has been great. Our room always found tidy and restocked. The animals were out in abundance. Late afternoon is a very active time. Once again - our timing was perfect. Isn’t it great when a plan comes together? After an hour of animal watching we went our separate ways. Tony took the boys to the Arcade while I headed for the gift shop to pick up our purchase from MGM yesterday and to take pictures of the resort.

I was a bit disappointed in my Lodge pictures. It is very hard to get good interior shots. The lighting is so dim. Oh well - they are posted. If anyone cares to see them - just click my profile. I met up with the guys at 6 o’ clock as planned. Shayne wanted to see his T-shirt from Rock n’ Roller Coaster before we left. He found a treasure! Inside of the bag was an 8x10 laminated award for his first ride accomplishment. It says; “Across the miles and over the years, you’ll always remember this magical moment from the Walt Disney Resort”. It has the 100 years of magic logo on it and is personally signed by a Staff member. He was thrilled. You’ve got to love that aspect of Disney, huh?

We grabbed a bus for Epcot - again without hardly any wait. Upon arriving we noticed there was no line for Spaceship Earth. We quickly went aboard. Another favorite! It was now nearly 7 o’ clock. Our PS was for 7:50 p.m. We decided to head over to the World Showcase to wait. Again - fantastic timing! The British Invasion were about to start their next set. We propped up against a front railing and engrossed ourselves in the entertainment. What can I say? They are simply grand. Jeremy - yes Jeremy, my alternative/punk music lover thoroughly enjoyed the performance. There were 2 couples in the midway doing the jitterbug. graemlins/laughing.gif This was one of our trip highlights. We savored the entire set before heading to the Rose and Crown podium at 7:30.

Tony did the usual spiel at the podium, requesting a terrace table and offering to wait. We waited almost 30 minutes before being buzzed. The time went fairly quickly. They gave us a hand-held contraption to play with. It passed the time for the kids.

I think we ended up with the same table as last year. Dead center- next to the water. Great spot. I ended up being a bit disappointed in my food choices. The meal was great. I just wished I had made different selections. I strayed from what I had last year. (Ugh! moment) I had the lamb barley soup for an appetizer. Tony had the mushroom melody - while the boys shared a fruit and cheese platter. My soup was very good - but I longed over Tony’s mushrooms. graemlins/laughing.gif Dang - I wished I had ordered that again.

As an entree I had the Bangers and Mash. Tony chose the Fish and Chips. Jeremy ordered the Macaroni and cheese and Shayne had a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Everything was delicious. However - I felt the Bangers and Mash was more of a lunch meal. Weird, I know but - that was my opinion. We ordered dessert while Illuminations started. I did not take pictures this year. I missed most of the show last March trying to snap photos. Again - we loved it.

Dessert was very good. I missed the Guinness cake. :( Why was it removed from the menu? The boys both ordered the “Crown Jewels”. This is basically a candy platter. A big hit. Tony had the mousse parfait. I chose the sticky toffee pudding. Wow! Did I get over the lack of Guinness cake real fast. Yumcity! Two big thumbs up for the sticky toffee pudding. It was well after 9:30 before we finished dinner.

We started our trek to the main gates - all totally exhausted. We had been going nonstop since 6 a.m. I decided right then and there we would have no wake-up call in the morning. We would be leaving the Animal Kingdom Lodge and did not want to rush our departure or crawl out of bed early.

We literally fell out of our clothes and hit the sack. I don’t think we watched a morsel of the Olympics. graemlins/sleepin.gif Our bones were whipped.

Today’s Spending;
Cinderella Breakfast: 3 Adults, One Child $70 w/tip
Liberty Tree Tavern Lunch: $70 w/tip
Aloha Island: Dole Whips $10
Zawadi Marketplace: 3 Pins and a Coke $27.83
Rose & Crown Dinner: $100 w/tip
Day Three Total: $277.83

Next Up; Day Four -- More Frunch, Honey - I’m Home, A Trip Around the World, and Our Best Meal Yet.

dlpmikki
02-22-2002, 03:23 PM
Your reports are such fun to read graemlins/mickey.gif

They really make me wish I was there so i could go and do some of the fun things you have been up to :D

ChipDale
02-22-2002, 03:28 PM
Wow Carol, what a full and fun day! smile.gif I know how much you were looking forward to breakfast with the Princesses - I'm glad you weren't disappointed. I would have cancelled Wilderness Lodge and gone for the Liberty Tree Tavern too - that's one of my favorites. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

And, you got to see the British Invasion! Love 'em! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Your whole days sounds wonderful - thanks again for another terrific report. smile.gif

LottaLubes
02-22-2002, 03:53 PM
Thanks for the fix! Like everyone else, I'm *really* enjoying these! Thanks for putting so much thought and detail in them!

WDWFanatic
02-22-2002, 04:20 PM
WooHoo! Another report from Carol. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I wish I could be a detailed with my vacations. Now not only will you have the pictures to remember your vacation but also a very detailed report.

I'm guessing we'll have to give you the weekend off and wait until Monday for your next day ;) .

Have a great weekend and we'll all be waiting here Monday!

EvaBryan
02-22-2002, 05:03 PM
Another great report Carol. I can't believe you guys managed to eat so much in one day!!!!! :eek:

It sounds like you were able to fit so much activity into your day - and the weather cooperated.

Can't wait to read the rest. I assume the homecoming means the Poly.....

Narcoossee'sFan
02-22-2002, 05:58 PM
I give this trip report... graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif
I am very impressed with your ability to fill your day. smile.gif I can't wait to read about day four! graemlins/muscles.gif (Please don't wait until Monday to post... ;) )

MKPlutoGuy
02-22-2002, 07:58 PM
Your reports are always so creative Carol! You guys sure did a lot for one day, that was quite an accomplishment! Its great to hear you enjoyed the parade, I can't wait to see it myself. smile.gif Can't wait for day 4!

TiggerRPh
02-23-2002, 01:42 AM
Another great Polygirl report!

Can't wait until Day 4 arrives!

graemlins/mickey.gif

imported_PolyGirl40
02-23-2002, 11:32 AM
Originally posted by EvaBryan:
I can't believe you guys managed to eat so much in one dayEva tongue.gif

I was thinking the same thing when I typed up my report. If you put it into a 14 hour time span as opposed to 2 posts it really was not very much. We don’t snack and usually eat dinner very late. Ya gotta love Disney dining. graemlins/silly.gif

Jeff
02-23-2002, 11:43 AM
Carol, Thanks for the awsome reports. Great details.
graemlins/thumbsup.gif

harlowandthemermaid
02-23-2002, 07:56 PM
Another great report! thanks for the great description of the princess breakfast, it sounds very cool!

Jennib
02-24-2002, 12:02 AM
Thanks again....This day sounded even better than the rest!! Glad to hear about the great breakfast with the princesses!!!

Dopeysfriend
02-24-2002, 04:45 PM
Thank you for another great installment, Carol! :D

Sounds like another fun-filled day!

Can't wait to read the rest! graemlins/muscles.gif

Jared
02-24-2002, 09:51 PM
Carol, I'm loving your reports!! smile.gif I really feel like I'm right with you and your family. Moving on to day 4! graemlins/mickey.gif

Disneywarrior
02-25-2002, 11:38 AM
Isn't CRT fabulous! My family loves it! I especially love the french toast and you know how good WDW bacon is. This year we will have a 5 month old Prince dining with us. I can hardly wait to share the magic with him!

wendy*darling
02-25-2002, 03:44 PM
Hmmm.... so the guys enjoyed the princess breakfast?? Maybe I'll have to re-think one of our breakfasts for June... I do love eating in the castle!

Another great day- although I am no longer hungry just reading about your wonderful meals ;)

roses
02-26-2002, 11:47 AM
you make me miss Disney so much! your trip reports are great, I'm on to the next one! graemlins/muscles.gif

J.C.&ALI'SMOM
02-26-2002, 08:46 PM
PolyGirl40! :D We had a PS at CRT on this same day! And went on to spend the day at MK. We probably walked right past each other a couple of times! I'm glad you had a great time, we did too. I was really surprised about the number of people that we there on this trip. It was a lot more crowded than the last two years! graemlins/mickey.gif

Martino
02-28-2002, 09:54 AM
These reports are really enthralling.

Brings back all the memories of my last visit in March 2001.

Zooming straight to part 4

MnDloveDisney
02-28-2002, 09:54 PM
That's it...next Disney trip it's breakfast with the Princesses...If your guys liked it, so will my guy! ;)

Can't wait to find out what the "best meal yet" is!

imported_PolyGirl40
05-14-2002, 03:03 PM
*Bumping up as per requested.* :cool: