tinksmom02
10-01-2007, 08:56 PM
Me, 31, certified Disney-holic
Mark, 37, along for the ride
Jenna, 5, Pirate Princess
Saturday, September 22
Arrival Day/MGM
Our day technically started at 1:30 am with Jenna standing next to my bed and whispering, “Mommy, is it time to get up yet?” Groan…considering I didn’t fall asleep until after midnight…no, it is not time to get up yet!! I hoisted her into the bed with us, and she tossed and turned until after 2am.
4:15...alarm goes off. I hit the snooze button for seven more minutes.
4:45...I awaken to Mark yelling at me, “Do you know it’s a quarter to five?” We had planned to be on the road by 5am. Whoops. I jump in the shower and he gets Jenna ready.
5:10...we’re on the road. Mark grumbles the whole ride to Newark airport that we’re going to miss the flight because it’s so foggy and he has to drive so slow.
6:00...arrive at Newark airport. By the time we park, get the shuttle to the terminal, check our bags and get through security, it’s almost 7am. Flight leaves at 8:05 am. Perfect timing, I think. Mark would have preferred to be there by 5:30.
OK, I’m done with the time-line. We waited until the last minute to board and then we were off! The plane ride went smoothly, and I have to say I love love love JetBlue! We’d brought the portable DVD player, but didn’t even need it (we actually checked it in our luggage for the trip back)…Jenna watched Nickelodeon for the whole trip (get it out of her system, cause Nick is nowhere to be found on Disney property!), and we scanned the news and XM radio stations. I enjoyed my Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and we had chips and cookies for a snack. I’ll tell you, the snacks JetBlue serves are way better than the meals Continental serves!
So we arrive right on time, head over to Budget to pick up our rental (Chevy Impala, nice car but Mark complains all week that it has no “get up and go”) and we’re on our way. Of course we make a few wrong turns first (blame the muddled directions we got from our Budget agent person), so it takes us a little longer to get to WDW than we would have liked, but we’re there soon enough. I get in line to check in (looks appallingly long, but I really waited only about 10 minutes), and Mark takes Jenna to explore the gift shop.
Check in goes smoothly and lo and behold, our room is ready early! It’s about 12:30 by this time. Not only that, but my room requests have been met--we’re in 5318! We drive over to the parking lot closest to our room (really only a 2 minute walk) and walk up to our room. Normally I request a first floor room, but I didn’t this time, and I’m so glad for that! Our room had a gorgeous view of the river, was very close to the elevators and stairs, and was absolutely charming! The room set up was pretty identical to our room in POR, just with different theming. Jenna found the “hidden” mickey on the bedspread almost immediately. We opened the door to find not one, not two, but FIVE towel animals hanging out! There was a small bunny on the doorknob, a duck, an elephant, a dog and a large bunny on the bed. This was especially exciting, because we didn’t see ANY towel animals the whole week we stayed at POR.
So we unpack as quickly as possible and decide to grab a bite at the food court before we head over to MGM. We walk over to the Sassagoula Food Factory (we’d visited while at POR in January, so we were pretty familiar with the location and layout). We grabbed our resort mugs, Mark gets a cheese steak, and I decide to share a CS with Jenna. We share a grilled cheese with grapes and fries, and I get her apples with caramel dip (1 snack credit). Don’t want to fill up, as we have ADR’s at Sci-Fi at 5pm.
OK, food out of the way, let’s get going! We drive over to MGM, park, and head on in. I have my touring plans for the day and my Passporter itinerary, so I pretty much know where we want to go. However, before we can ride anything, we have to stop and get Jenna her Pirate Princess ears! I forget the name of the store, but we were able to leave the ears there and have Jenna’s name embroidered on them for an additional $6...the computer stitching, not the hand-done. We grab FP for Star Tours, spot Darth Vader and a couple Storm Troopers, but the handlers stopped the line (it’s just about time for the parade by now), and walk on to MuppetVision 3D. Jenna really enjoys this attraction. I think it’s OK, but could stand to be freshened up. Then we head over the the Magic of Animation, for the sheer goal of meeting the Ratatouille characters (that’s why they stick them in there, right?) I like MOA, but it wouldn’t be on my must-do list if it weren’t for the characters afterwards, that you can only meet there.
So we suffer through MOA and then rush to the back to get in line to meet Remy. Then we run up the stairs to see Frozone (no line!) This is our second trip to MOA where we’ve been told that Mrs. Incredible (aka Elastigirl) was doing a meet and greet, and she wasn’t there. Granted, we were excited to meet Frozone, but for some reason Mark was really looking forward to meeting Elastigirl…:secret:
After our meet and greets, we head out through the really nice art gallery/store. They were having an artist signing that day, there were 4 or 5 artists sitting at a table, ready to sign. The picture that they were signing was nice (I don’t exactly remember what it was, but I liked it), but the price was a little high for me, so we move on.
Time for our Star Tours FP! We’ve never done this ride before, and weren’t really sure what to expect, but the motions seem to be similar to the SpongeBob ride at 6Flags (that used to be Mach1 a gazillion years ago), so it wasn’t too scary for Jenna. She and I really enjoyed the ride, we thought it was really fun. Of course, we exit into the gift shop, and Jenna just has to buy something. She ends up with a small Yoda figurine, and a packet of “collector’s toys” that was $5. We opened it to find 3 really tiny little toys inside, the Millenium Falcon, Darth Maul, and one more. They were pretty cute, and Jenna loves little things like that.
It’s just about time for our ADR’s, so we head over to Sci-Fi. I check us in, and Mark hangs inside while I take Jenna out to pose in the car. We spot Sulley (Monsters, Inc.) but don’t have enough time to run over to meet him, and he’s gone after dinner. Oh, well. At least we saw him!
We don’t have to wait too long for our table…er, car. Jenna is super excited when we walk into the dining area, she just stares at the cars, the stars on the ceiling, the movies on the screen. Mark graciously agrees to sit by himself in the middle of the car, so Jenna and I can sit in the front. Another couple is seated in the third row not too long after us. The thing that I couldn’t get over about this restaurant was how quiet it was! Everyone was sitting in the car, listening to the movies coming through the speakers. We didn’t hear anyone else’s conversations the whole time we were there. Mark really enjoyed the movies, especially the old cartoons. Jenna watched them a little, but she was more into coloring her menu.
On to the food…I’d prepped Mark ahead of time that the food was notoriously lousy (that’s why we ate at POFQ earlier), and this was our out-of-pocket meal, so we opted for lighter fare. I ordered the BLT soup, he ordered chili, and Jenna ordered mac and cheese. We got an order of onion rings to share. For drinks Mark had I think a root beer, I let Jenna get the Pirate’s Punch (raspberry lemonade, complete with light-up Tinkerbell!), and I tried a Space Invaders drink. Ugh…Jenna’s drink was like liquid sugar, it was soooo sweet, and mine tasted like some sort of cleaning product, I still can’t figure out which one. Ajax? Comet? Anyway, it was served in a big glass, was blue, and came with a blue light-up ice cube.
Food comes quickly (our server was very nice and right on top of things, except when Mark asked for Tabasco for his chili. That she carried around in her apron for 15 minutes.) I thought my soup was very tasty, it was just such a small serving! For the $6 or whatever I paid for it, I expected a somewhat deeper bowl. Oh, well, I had onion rings to eat, too. They were on the extra crispy side, but still edible. Jenna inhaled her mac and cheese--I tried it, not bad. Mark said his chili was terrible. I warned him!
Our bill came to $42.75. We left $8 for a tip. Seems kind of high for soup and chili, but we’re in Disney, right?
After dinner, Mark was about ready to leave, but I had so much on my list that we didn’t get to, I suggested just one more attraction before we left. He flat-out refused to sit though Playhouse Disney again, Beauty and the Beast was finished for the day, so that left the Great Movie Ride. We waited awhile for this ride, but it didn’t seem too bad because we could watch movie clips as we waited. Oh! And Jenna was excited to see Mary Poppins carousel horse in the queue! We saw Bert’s horse at the Planet Hollywood in March. The ride itself was fun, although Jenna got a little freaked out during the gangster shoot-out (she was convinced that someone really died, and kept ducking her head during the shooting!). For some reason, the montage at the end of the ride just had me wanting to veg out and watch some really cheesy 80’s movies.
But I resisted the urge to do so, and instead headed back to the resort. Jenna and I got cleaned up and ready for bed, while Mark decided he wanted a drink. So we hit the sack, and he hit Scat Cats. He said the performer there was really good (Elliot Dyson, I think?), he was really impressed that he could play so many instruments. I, meanwhile, fell asleep listening to the boats motoring to Downtown Disney, and to the clop-clopping of the horse and carriages traveling alongside the river. Not a bad way to fall asleep, let me tell you!
Mark, 37, along for the ride
Jenna, 5, Pirate Princess
Saturday, September 22
Arrival Day/MGM
Our day technically started at 1:30 am with Jenna standing next to my bed and whispering, “Mommy, is it time to get up yet?” Groan…considering I didn’t fall asleep until after midnight…no, it is not time to get up yet!! I hoisted her into the bed with us, and she tossed and turned until after 2am.
4:15...alarm goes off. I hit the snooze button for seven more minutes.
4:45...I awaken to Mark yelling at me, “Do you know it’s a quarter to five?” We had planned to be on the road by 5am. Whoops. I jump in the shower and he gets Jenna ready.
5:10...we’re on the road. Mark grumbles the whole ride to Newark airport that we’re going to miss the flight because it’s so foggy and he has to drive so slow.
6:00...arrive at Newark airport. By the time we park, get the shuttle to the terminal, check our bags and get through security, it’s almost 7am. Flight leaves at 8:05 am. Perfect timing, I think. Mark would have preferred to be there by 5:30.
OK, I’m done with the time-line. We waited until the last minute to board and then we were off! The plane ride went smoothly, and I have to say I love love love JetBlue! We’d brought the portable DVD player, but didn’t even need it (we actually checked it in our luggage for the trip back)…Jenna watched Nickelodeon for the whole trip (get it out of her system, cause Nick is nowhere to be found on Disney property!), and we scanned the news and XM radio stations. I enjoyed my Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and we had chips and cookies for a snack. I’ll tell you, the snacks JetBlue serves are way better than the meals Continental serves!
So we arrive right on time, head over to Budget to pick up our rental (Chevy Impala, nice car but Mark complains all week that it has no “get up and go”) and we’re on our way. Of course we make a few wrong turns first (blame the muddled directions we got from our Budget agent person), so it takes us a little longer to get to WDW than we would have liked, but we’re there soon enough. I get in line to check in (looks appallingly long, but I really waited only about 10 minutes), and Mark takes Jenna to explore the gift shop.
Check in goes smoothly and lo and behold, our room is ready early! It’s about 12:30 by this time. Not only that, but my room requests have been met--we’re in 5318! We drive over to the parking lot closest to our room (really only a 2 minute walk) and walk up to our room. Normally I request a first floor room, but I didn’t this time, and I’m so glad for that! Our room had a gorgeous view of the river, was very close to the elevators and stairs, and was absolutely charming! The room set up was pretty identical to our room in POR, just with different theming. Jenna found the “hidden” mickey on the bedspread almost immediately. We opened the door to find not one, not two, but FIVE towel animals hanging out! There was a small bunny on the doorknob, a duck, an elephant, a dog and a large bunny on the bed. This was especially exciting, because we didn’t see ANY towel animals the whole week we stayed at POR.
So we unpack as quickly as possible and decide to grab a bite at the food court before we head over to MGM. We walk over to the Sassagoula Food Factory (we’d visited while at POR in January, so we were pretty familiar with the location and layout). We grabbed our resort mugs, Mark gets a cheese steak, and I decide to share a CS with Jenna. We share a grilled cheese with grapes and fries, and I get her apples with caramel dip (1 snack credit). Don’t want to fill up, as we have ADR’s at Sci-Fi at 5pm.
OK, food out of the way, let’s get going! We drive over to MGM, park, and head on in. I have my touring plans for the day and my Passporter itinerary, so I pretty much know where we want to go. However, before we can ride anything, we have to stop and get Jenna her Pirate Princess ears! I forget the name of the store, but we were able to leave the ears there and have Jenna’s name embroidered on them for an additional $6...the computer stitching, not the hand-done. We grab FP for Star Tours, spot Darth Vader and a couple Storm Troopers, but the handlers stopped the line (it’s just about time for the parade by now), and walk on to MuppetVision 3D. Jenna really enjoys this attraction. I think it’s OK, but could stand to be freshened up. Then we head over the the Magic of Animation, for the sheer goal of meeting the Ratatouille characters (that’s why they stick them in there, right?) I like MOA, but it wouldn’t be on my must-do list if it weren’t for the characters afterwards, that you can only meet there.
So we suffer through MOA and then rush to the back to get in line to meet Remy. Then we run up the stairs to see Frozone (no line!) This is our second trip to MOA where we’ve been told that Mrs. Incredible (aka Elastigirl) was doing a meet and greet, and she wasn’t there. Granted, we were excited to meet Frozone, but for some reason Mark was really looking forward to meeting Elastigirl…:secret:
After our meet and greets, we head out through the really nice art gallery/store. They were having an artist signing that day, there were 4 or 5 artists sitting at a table, ready to sign. The picture that they were signing was nice (I don’t exactly remember what it was, but I liked it), but the price was a little high for me, so we move on.
Time for our Star Tours FP! We’ve never done this ride before, and weren’t really sure what to expect, but the motions seem to be similar to the SpongeBob ride at 6Flags (that used to be Mach1 a gazillion years ago), so it wasn’t too scary for Jenna. She and I really enjoyed the ride, we thought it was really fun. Of course, we exit into the gift shop, and Jenna just has to buy something. She ends up with a small Yoda figurine, and a packet of “collector’s toys” that was $5. We opened it to find 3 really tiny little toys inside, the Millenium Falcon, Darth Maul, and one more. They were pretty cute, and Jenna loves little things like that.
It’s just about time for our ADR’s, so we head over to Sci-Fi. I check us in, and Mark hangs inside while I take Jenna out to pose in the car. We spot Sulley (Monsters, Inc.) but don’t have enough time to run over to meet him, and he’s gone after dinner. Oh, well. At least we saw him!
We don’t have to wait too long for our table…er, car. Jenna is super excited when we walk into the dining area, she just stares at the cars, the stars on the ceiling, the movies on the screen. Mark graciously agrees to sit by himself in the middle of the car, so Jenna and I can sit in the front. Another couple is seated in the third row not too long after us. The thing that I couldn’t get over about this restaurant was how quiet it was! Everyone was sitting in the car, listening to the movies coming through the speakers. We didn’t hear anyone else’s conversations the whole time we were there. Mark really enjoyed the movies, especially the old cartoons. Jenna watched them a little, but she was more into coloring her menu.
On to the food…I’d prepped Mark ahead of time that the food was notoriously lousy (that’s why we ate at POFQ earlier), and this was our out-of-pocket meal, so we opted for lighter fare. I ordered the BLT soup, he ordered chili, and Jenna ordered mac and cheese. We got an order of onion rings to share. For drinks Mark had I think a root beer, I let Jenna get the Pirate’s Punch (raspberry lemonade, complete with light-up Tinkerbell!), and I tried a Space Invaders drink. Ugh…Jenna’s drink was like liquid sugar, it was soooo sweet, and mine tasted like some sort of cleaning product, I still can’t figure out which one. Ajax? Comet? Anyway, it was served in a big glass, was blue, and came with a blue light-up ice cube.
Food comes quickly (our server was very nice and right on top of things, except when Mark asked for Tabasco for his chili. That she carried around in her apron for 15 minutes.) I thought my soup was very tasty, it was just such a small serving! For the $6 or whatever I paid for it, I expected a somewhat deeper bowl. Oh, well, I had onion rings to eat, too. They were on the extra crispy side, but still edible. Jenna inhaled her mac and cheese--I tried it, not bad. Mark said his chili was terrible. I warned him!
Our bill came to $42.75. We left $8 for a tip. Seems kind of high for soup and chili, but we’re in Disney, right?
After dinner, Mark was about ready to leave, but I had so much on my list that we didn’t get to, I suggested just one more attraction before we left. He flat-out refused to sit though Playhouse Disney again, Beauty and the Beast was finished for the day, so that left the Great Movie Ride. We waited awhile for this ride, but it didn’t seem too bad because we could watch movie clips as we waited. Oh! And Jenna was excited to see Mary Poppins carousel horse in the queue! We saw Bert’s horse at the Planet Hollywood in March. The ride itself was fun, although Jenna got a little freaked out during the gangster shoot-out (she was convinced that someone really died, and kept ducking her head during the shooting!). For some reason, the montage at the end of the ride just had me wanting to veg out and watch some really cheesy 80’s movies.
But I resisted the urge to do so, and instead headed back to the resort. Jenna and I got cleaned up and ready for bed, while Mark decided he wanted a drink. So we hit the sack, and he hit Scat Cats. He said the performer there was really good (Elliot Dyson, I think?), he was really impressed that he could play so many instruments. I, meanwhile, fell asleep listening to the boats motoring to Downtown Disney, and to the clop-clopping of the horse and carriages traveling alongside the river. Not a bad way to fall asleep, let me tell you!