ImagiAsh
07-23-2007, 04:50 PM
Lead Roles of Cast:
Ashley (20): Me
Alex (17): Brother
Donna (she'd kill me): Mom
Mike (48): Dad
Supporting Roles:
Carol: Aunt
Frank: Uncle
Brittany (13): Cousin
Jessica (19): Friend
Now that we got the cast cleared up...shall we? You may be wondering why I posted a non-Disney vacation in the Trip Reports section FOR Disney vacations. Well, allow me to clear things up. A few months ago my brother announced that he wanted to look at colleges in Florida. We live in NY, so traveling to Florida would obviously need to be a planned trip. We quickly realized that the only week we would all be able to go was from July 12th-July 19th. My Mom turned to ask me: "Do you mind being in Florida for your birthday?" (Note: my birthday is July 14th) To which I replied: "Of course I don't mind being in Disney for my birthday." :thedolls: And so the planning began. While it was once a serious statement, it quickly became the family joke, as we all made it a point to say "this is not a Disney vacation" throughout the entirety of the planning process.
DAY 1: My birthday!
Well,technically this is already day 3. We flew into Orlando Thursday evening and toured colleges all day Friday. We made it onto Disney property Friday evening to eat at our ADR at the House of Blues (highly recommend it! :thumbsup:), but no parks that day. So, let's fast forward to the fun stuff!!
Today was the day I'd leave the teen years behind. Kind of scary, but mostly exciting! We left our off-property timeshare (Marriot Grand Vista on International Drive) at around 9AM so we could head over to Shades of Green to pick up our park tickets before our 10AM breakfast ADR at Cape May. My Dad gets his usual government discount on park tickets there, so I've been to this resort multiple times before. The line wasn't bad. We managed to be in and out within 20 minutes time. The drive from there to the Beach Club was very quick.
And, oh, how I miss the Beach Club! I have to say... this resort really is my favorite place to stay. I have memories from my early childhood up through years as recent as three years ago. I really think of it as my home within Disney. Dorky? I know. I was happy to see Art the Greeter there. Some may know him from visits to the Beach Club, while others may recognize the name from Samantha Brown's Great Hotel episode there. He is probably the friendliest person I have had the honor to meet--always smiling and geniunely interested in making your stay a memorable one. I made it a point to walk up and say hello. :mickey:
The breakfast at Cape May Cafe is one of my favorite character dining experiences. I have never been let down with the guest interaction there. I think the usual character list includes Goofy, Minnie, and a rotation of Chip and Dale. The buffet food is always very delicious. Of course, you can't go wrong with Mickey Mouse waffles and very yummy banana bread. (Speaking of: I need to check out InfoCentral after this and see if they have that banana bread recipe. My craving for it is coming back!) While we were eating I saw my mom not-so-subtly motion to the waitress to tell her it was my birthday. Minutes later Goofy and the waitress come clapping over with a chocolate chip muffin topped with Mickey sprinkles and a candle, as well as a birthday pin with my name on it. (Those pins must be somewhat new, because I don't recall them ever having a space to put your name on it). Our waitress--who was very kind. I wish I could remember her name-- announced to the entire restaurant that I was turning 20. Goofy proceeded to hit on me shortly after. :laughing: He signed his name on the envelope of a card my aunt and uncle gave me and proceeded to write: "one more year" and put his arm around me. I told him we'd go out partying to Pleasure Island for my next birthday. At that moment, Dale heard and came running over. Him and Goofy got into a fight and I assured Dale that he was invited too.
We arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 11:30 and immediately made our way to Splash Mountain to grab a fastpass. With 95 degree heats, this seemed more necessary than breathing. From there we walked to Pirates. I was really excited to go on this with my family, because they had not seen the new Jack Sparrow and Barbossa editions to the ride. (I had the opportunity to see them in Disneyland last November). Well, my Mom and Aunt were beside themselves when they saw Jack Sparrow. My Mom kept exclaiming: "It's really him! Oh my god... that looks just like him. I think it's him pretending to be an animatronic. No way!!!" She was especially freaked out when his eyes followed the boat as it passed by. Dad and Alex were also impressed, but weren't as in love with Johnny Depp...ehem...Jack Sparrow... as my Mom was.
Of course there were a few purchases made in the Pirates store, but it was nearing our fast pass time at Splash and we decided to head that way. I was very relieved to get absolutely soaked on this ride, but my aunt and Mom were not so happy. Ah well, they should have known LOL. Now, maybe someone can answer this question: Have they always had that water cannon that shoots at the boats rounding the front of the drop as another boat goes down? I know they have the cannon that shoots the guests on the bridge, but the water cannon that shoots the other boots has never been more obvious to me than on this past trip.
Next up, my family (as well as my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin) walked over to Pecos Bill. My Dad reminded us that we needed to hold to our tradition of eating lunch there everytime we are in Disney, but I can only recall going twice before. It's either me losing my mind or him. Who knows? After we finished, we waited around for the 3 o'clock parade to start. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, but I felt bad, because the weather had been questionable for the hour or so beforehand. Right when the music started and the first float emerged, there was a tremendous downpour. Poor Mickey was out there happy as ever, but he was getting soaked. Luckily the rain cut back about 10 minutes later, but by that point, everyone's already soaked. Regardless, it was a fun parade to see!:thumbsup: A small shout out to my birthday pin is in order at this point. Throughout the entire day, I had people coming up to me saying "Happy Birthday Ashley", which freaked me out 1) how did they know it was my birthday and 2) how did they know my name? I had to glance down at my pin a few times to be reminded that, that information was, indeed, pinned onto my tanktop. :laughing: Lastly, we covered It's a Small World and Mickey's Philharmagic before deciding to head back to our hotel and get ready for dinner. (Side note: I am in love with Mickey's Philharmagic. We had a great audience this time. Everyone was so energetic and clapping after every song, which makes for a really fun show. If you haven't seen it yet, you must!!)
After a quick shower and change (a must after sweating in the heat all day), it was time to head off to our 7:45 ADR at the Coral Reef in EPCOT. Now, if you're hoping to make it out in time for Illuminations, I would make the ADR around 7:15. We had no wait to be seated, but the bill was paid at 9:05 and Illuminations started at 9PM. About the restaurant though, Mickey was not scuba diving at all when we were there, but we did get to see lots of cool fish. We were on the second level of the restaurant. No matter where you sit, you are pretty much gauranteed a good view of the tank, or so it seems. The food is excellent! I had a shrimp pasta...which was a little difficult to order after I saw live shrimp in the Living Seas..err...Nemo and Friends? I moved past the fact and ate it: delicious! Our waiter spotted my birthday pin and brought out a warm piece of chocolate cake for me. Heaven. I really enjoyed sitting with my family and extended family. It makes me happy to see all of them happy and enjoying themselves. After an exhausting day in the heat, it was nice to go into an air-conditioned restaurant and have a relaxing, enjoyable dinner. As soon as the check was paid, we bolted out the door to catch Illuminations. This is the only fireworks display that can actually move me to tears. I hold it back, but at least I'm admitting that I tear up.:blush: The music is overwhelming and the timing of the fireworks is impeccable. We made it over to the World Showcase in time to see the globe moving (which, frankly, I wish it would move a little bit faster sometimes :laughing:). With EPCOT closed after Illuminations, it was time to head home. I wish they would keep that park opened later. On the way out, we noticed that they had already begun to tear down the word EPCOT on top of Spaceship Earth. There was one lonely E up there... everything else was gone.
My Mom, being a mom, felt bad that my birthday celebration was ending at an early 9PM--she offered to go to Pleasure Island with me, but I laughed and politely declined. Nothing is more magical than celebrating your birthday in Disney. I got to do what I hoped to do... be in Disney World for my birthday.
Ashley (20): Me
Alex (17): Brother
Donna (she'd kill me): Mom
Mike (48): Dad
Supporting Roles:
Carol: Aunt
Frank: Uncle
Brittany (13): Cousin
Jessica (19): Friend
Now that we got the cast cleared up...shall we? You may be wondering why I posted a non-Disney vacation in the Trip Reports section FOR Disney vacations. Well, allow me to clear things up. A few months ago my brother announced that he wanted to look at colleges in Florida. We live in NY, so traveling to Florida would obviously need to be a planned trip. We quickly realized that the only week we would all be able to go was from July 12th-July 19th. My Mom turned to ask me: "Do you mind being in Florida for your birthday?" (Note: my birthday is July 14th) To which I replied: "Of course I don't mind being in Disney for my birthday." :thedolls: And so the planning began. While it was once a serious statement, it quickly became the family joke, as we all made it a point to say "this is not a Disney vacation" throughout the entirety of the planning process.
DAY 1: My birthday!
Well,technically this is already day 3. We flew into Orlando Thursday evening and toured colleges all day Friday. We made it onto Disney property Friday evening to eat at our ADR at the House of Blues (highly recommend it! :thumbsup:), but no parks that day. So, let's fast forward to the fun stuff!!
Today was the day I'd leave the teen years behind. Kind of scary, but mostly exciting! We left our off-property timeshare (Marriot Grand Vista on International Drive) at around 9AM so we could head over to Shades of Green to pick up our park tickets before our 10AM breakfast ADR at Cape May. My Dad gets his usual government discount on park tickets there, so I've been to this resort multiple times before. The line wasn't bad. We managed to be in and out within 20 minutes time. The drive from there to the Beach Club was very quick.
And, oh, how I miss the Beach Club! I have to say... this resort really is my favorite place to stay. I have memories from my early childhood up through years as recent as three years ago. I really think of it as my home within Disney. Dorky? I know. I was happy to see Art the Greeter there. Some may know him from visits to the Beach Club, while others may recognize the name from Samantha Brown's Great Hotel episode there. He is probably the friendliest person I have had the honor to meet--always smiling and geniunely interested in making your stay a memorable one. I made it a point to walk up and say hello. :mickey:
The breakfast at Cape May Cafe is one of my favorite character dining experiences. I have never been let down with the guest interaction there. I think the usual character list includes Goofy, Minnie, and a rotation of Chip and Dale. The buffet food is always very delicious. Of course, you can't go wrong with Mickey Mouse waffles and very yummy banana bread. (Speaking of: I need to check out InfoCentral after this and see if they have that banana bread recipe. My craving for it is coming back!) While we were eating I saw my mom not-so-subtly motion to the waitress to tell her it was my birthday. Minutes later Goofy and the waitress come clapping over with a chocolate chip muffin topped with Mickey sprinkles and a candle, as well as a birthday pin with my name on it. (Those pins must be somewhat new, because I don't recall them ever having a space to put your name on it). Our waitress--who was very kind. I wish I could remember her name-- announced to the entire restaurant that I was turning 20. Goofy proceeded to hit on me shortly after. :laughing: He signed his name on the envelope of a card my aunt and uncle gave me and proceeded to write: "one more year" and put his arm around me. I told him we'd go out partying to Pleasure Island for my next birthday. At that moment, Dale heard and came running over. Him and Goofy got into a fight and I assured Dale that he was invited too.
We arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 11:30 and immediately made our way to Splash Mountain to grab a fastpass. With 95 degree heats, this seemed more necessary than breathing. From there we walked to Pirates. I was really excited to go on this with my family, because they had not seen the new Jack Sparrow and Barbossa editions to the ride. (I had the opportunity to see them in Disneyland last November). Well, my Mom and Aunt were beside themselves when they saw Jack Sparrow. My Mom kept exclaiming: "It's really him! Oh my god... that looks just like him. I think it's him pretending to be an animatronic. No way!!!" She was especially freaked out when his eyes followed the boat as it passed by. Dad and Alex were also impressed, but weren't as in love with Johnny Depp...ehem...Jack Sparrow... as my Mom was.
Of course there were a few purchases made in the Pirates store, but it was nearing our fast pass time at Splash and we decided to head that way. I was very relieved to get absolutely soaked on this ride, but my aunt and Mom were not so happy. Ah well, they should have known LOL. Now, maybe someone can answer this question: Have they always had that water cannon that shoots at the boats rounding the front of the drop as another boat goes down? I know they have the cannon that shoots the guests on the bridge, but the water cannon that shoots the other boots has never been more obvious to me than on this past trip.
Next up, my family (as well as my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin) walked over to Pecos Bill. My Dad reminded us that we needed to hold to our tradition of eating lunch there everytime we are in Disney, but I can only recall going twice before. It's either me losing my mind or him. Who knows? After we finished, we waited around for the 3 o'clock parade to start. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, but I felt bad, because the weather had been questionable for the hour or so beforehand. Right when the music started and the first float emerged, there was a tremendous downpour. Poor Mickey was out there happy as ever, but he was getting soaked. Luckily the rain cut back about 10 minutes later, but by that point, everyone's already soaked. Regardless, it was a fun parade to see!:thumbsup: A small shout out to my birthday pin is in order at this point. Throughout the entire day, I had people coming up to me saying "Happy Birthday Ashley", which freaked me out 1) how did they know it was my birthday and 2) how did they know my name? I had to glance down at my pin a few times to be reminded that, that information was, indeed, pinned onto my tanktop. :laughing: Lastly, we covered It's a Small World and Mickey's Philharmagic before deciding to head back to our hotel and get ready for dinner. (Side note: I am in love with Mickey's Philharmagic. We had a great audience this time. Everyone was so energetic and clapping after every song, which makes for a really fun show. If you haven't seen it yet, you must!!)
After a quick shower and change (a must after sweating in the heat all day), it was time to head off to our 7:45 ADR at the Coral Reef in EPCOT. Now, if you're hoping to make it out in time for Illuminations, I would make the ADR around 7:15. We had no wait to be seated, but the bill was paid at 9:05 and Illuminations started at 9PM. About the restaurant though, Mickey was not scuba diving at all when we were there, but we did get to see lots of cool fish. We were on the second level of the restaurant. No matter where you sit, you are pretty much gauranteed a good view of the tank, or so it seems. The food is excellent! I had a shrimp pasta...which was a little difficult to order after I saw live shrimp in the Living Seas..err...Nemo and Friends? I moved past the fact and ate it: delicious! Our waiter spotted my birthday pin and brought out a warm piece of chocolate cake for me. Heaven. I really enjoyed sitting with my family and extended family. It makes me happy to see all of them happy and enjoying themselves. After an exhausting day in the heat, it was nice to go into an air-conditioned restaurant and have a relaxing, enjoyable dinner. As soon as the check was paid, we bolted out the door to catch Illuminations. This is the only fireworks display that can actually move me to tears. I hold it back, but at least I'm admitting that I tear up.:blush: The music is overwhelming and the timing of the fireworks is impeccable. We made it over to the World Showcase in time to see the globe moving (which, frankly, I wish it would move a little bit faster sometimes :laughing:). With EPCOT closed after Illuminations, it was time to head home. I wish they would keep that park opened later. On the way out, we noticed that they had already begun to tear down the word EPCOT on top of Spaceship Earth. There was one lonely E up there... everything else was gone.
My Mom, being a mom, felt bad that my birthday celebration was ending at an early 9PM--she offered to go to Pleasure Island with me, but I laughed and politely declined. Nothing is more magical than celebrating your birthday in Disney. I got to do what I hoped to do... be in Disney World for my birthday.