faline
09-21-2008, 03:51 PM
Date: Sunday, August 31, 2008
Plan for the Day:
Disney Studios
Magic Kingdom after dinner for Extra Magic Hours (Open until 3 a.m.)
50’s Prime Time Café for lunch
Bistro de Paris for dinner
Intercot Meet at Casey’s in the Magic Kingdom at 9:30 p.m.
Mileage: 6.54 miles
What Actually Happened:
It’s mostly cloudy this morning but it is not raining. We follow the pattern we’ve settled into and make breakfast from the Concierge Club offerings.
Today, there’s an Epcot bus sitting at the bus stop and waiting to load when we arrive. Sort of figures since that’s not our destination for today. An Animal Kingdom bus is there is well. Nope. Not our bus. Yippee! The Disney Studios bus pulls in just as the Epcot bus pulls away.
We’re inside Disney Studios just before rope drop. I tell Gene we are heading directly to Toy Story Mania first which is likely the same destination as most of these folks. He grumbles the whole way there, afraid we’ll be waiting for “hours” to ride. We bypass the extremely long fast pass line and join the standby line which already extends out into the street. Despite this, the actual wait time is about 20 minutes – most of which we spend enjoying the wonderful queue area (http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/40705/2733003200104031159S600x600Q85.jpg). Very fun ride! This certainly lives up to all its hype!
When we emerge, standby is listed as 80 minutes! The line to get fast passes is at least 20 minutes long – it’s clear that if we joined that line we’d probably end up with a fast pass time that was later than we plan to be in this park – if we were able to get a fast pass at all! Satisfied that we’ve gotten to ride it, we leave the fast pass line behind and Gene has to admit there was wisdom in my actions!
Tower of Terror has a 30 minute stand by wait so we grab fast passes and head to the Great Movie Ride which only has a five minute wait. Before heading back to Tower of Terror, we get fast passes for Rock n Roller Coaster.
As we trek by the very long Tower of Terror standby line, I’ve very glad we have those fast passes! We had a great drop sequence and front row seats! Our Rock n Roller Coaster fast pass times are still more than ½ hour away so we spend time browsing through the shops in the area. Following our limo ride to the concert, we head over to Disney Animation. Cute, but such a poor substitute for the real working studio that existed here in the past.
There’s a 12:30 showing of Indiana Jones. When we enter the theater around 12:10, it’s already ¾ full. Disney Studios is quite busy today!
When we file out after the show, we head to the 50’s Prime Time Café. While we’ve been to the Tune In Lounge before, we’ve never before eaten at this restaurant so this is a new experience for us. We sit in the lounge until we’re called. The person who seats us asks where we’re from and tells us he’s from Bar Harbor, Maine! Another New England neighbor!
Other than a mild admonishment to Gene for having his elbows on the table, we have a very calm meal which appears to be true for everyone in our general area. Whew! I really was a bit nervous about eating here! I have the fish sandwich with fries while Gene orders the meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Gene really cleans his plate but my portions are too large to finish. Again, no major admonishment!
After lunch, we head to Drew Carey’s Sounds Dangerous and then visit one of the little sound booths outside the theater.
The Jedi Academy is in session. Star Tours has a posted 25 minute wait so we pass it by. Muppet Vision is mobbed. We don’t get to see any of the pre-show at all as we’re stuck around the corner from the tv sets. We stay behind as everyone else files into the theater. A cast member seems surprised to see that we have not gone into the show but is fine when I explain we wanted to watch the pre-show. Initially, we were the only ones there (http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/6790/2367583970104031159S600x600Q85.jpg)and we do get to watch the entire pre-show from start to finish.
Once inside the theater, we enjoyed this really fun show. One little girl in our row had clearly seen it before as she began to point out Bean’s location before he even appears in the balcony!
We shuffled out of the theater at the end of the show and checked the wait time for Star Tours once again. Nope! Still too long – not waiting in a line like that! Instead, we browse shops between there and the park exit.
Our bus is at the stop when we arrive. While we’ve experienced a few droplets now and then, we’ve avoided having any rain showers so its’ been a pretty good day though it is not sunny.
Once back in our room, we take quick showers and dress for our evening dinner which will be another new experience for us. When the mousekeepers knock on our door to do the turndown, we abandon the room and go sit in the lounge area for a bit.
We get to the bus stop around 5:30 and wait approximately 15 minutes for an Epcot bus to arrive. Once there, we walk directly to France for our 7:00 p.m. reservations at Bistro de Paris. We’re about a ½ hour early but are seated within a few minutes of checking in.
For appetizer, we ask to split crab but first we’re served a small scallop accompanied by something (not sure what but it is good). The crab is interesting – served with a proscuitto and provolone slices. Gene’s not crazy about it. We both have beef for dinner which is quite good.
During our meal, two young, French speaking women are seated at the table next to us. I thought our server said one of the young women was his wife but I may have misunderstood. He said he’d been in the U.S. for thirteen months now and this was his last day of work at Disney World, but, before returning to France, he was going to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
Following dinner, I have a cognac coffee while Gene selects a press pot of coffee along with a chocolate dessert. We’re also presented with a plate on which “Happy Anniversary” (http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/40953/2469312550104031159S600x600Q85.jpg) has been spelled out in chocolate along with some mini treats such as really yummy tuffles! Quite yummy even though I was already stuffed!
By the time we’ve settled our bill Illuminations has ended and it’s clear we will not make it to the Magic Kingdom in time for a 9:30 p.m. Intercot meet! We slowly make our way out of the park towards the tail end of the mass exodus.
When we reach our bus stop, a very full bus has just left. We wait 10-15 minutes before another comes along. We arrive back at the Wilderness Lodge just after 10 and just as the Magic Kingdom fireworks have started.
I had considered going to the Magic Kingdom even though I was sure I would not stay until 3 in the morning. Instead, we head to Territory Lounge where “my” couch is occupied by a man who appears to be on a business trip. He’s got books and a computer spread out around him – far too much work for someone at Disney World! As we settle into the comfy chairs near the couch, he packs up and leaves. I hope we didn’t drive him away but he assures us he had already paid up and was getting ready to leave when we arrived. The couch is mine once again!
That’s when I notice that the Nascar race is on so Gene gets repositioned so he can see it. After a bit, we return to the room. It’s lights out when the race is over!
The rain held off today. I didn’t feel as tired as I did our first few days. Overall, it was a very good day!
Plan for the Day:
Disney Studios
Magic Kingdom after dinner for Extra Magic Hours (Open until 3 a.m.)
50’s Prime Time Café for lunch
Bistro de Paris for dinner
Intercot Meet at Casey’s in the Magic Kingdom at 9:30 p.m.
Mileage: 6.54 miles
What Actually Happened:
It’s mostly cloudy this morning but it is not raining. We follow the pattern we’ve settled into and make breakfast from the Concierge Club offerings.
Today, there’s an Epcot bus sitting at the bus stop and waiting to load when we arrive. Sort of figures since that’s not our destination for today. An Animal Kingdom bus is there is well. Nope. Not our bus. Yippee! The Disney Studios bus pulls in just as the Epcot bus pulls away.
We’re inside Disney Studios just before rope drop. I tell Gene we are heading directly to Toy Story Mania first which is likely the same destination as most of these folks. He grumbles the whole way there, afraid we’ll be waiting for “hours” to ride. We bypass the extremely long fast pass line and join the standby line which already extends out into the street. Despite this, the actual wait time is about 20 minutes – most of which we spend enjoying the wonderful queue area (http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/40705/2733003200104031159S600x600Q85.jpg). Very fun ride! This certainly lives up to all its hype!
When we emerge, standby is listed as 80 minutes! The line to get fast passes is at least 20 minutes long – it’s clear that if we joined that line we’d probably end up with a fast pass time that was later than we plan to be in this park – if we were able to get a fast pass at all! Satisfied that we’ve gotten to ride it, we leave the fast pass line behind and Gene has to admit there was wisdom in my actions!
Tower of Terror has a 30 minute stand by wait so we grab fast passes and head to the Great Movie Ride which only has a five minute wait. Before heading back to Tower of Terror, we get fast passes for Rock n Roller Coaster.
As we trek by the very long Tower of Terror standby line, I’ve very glad we have those fast passes! We had a great drop sequence and front row seats! Our Rock n Roller Coaster fast pass times are still more than ½ hour away so we spend time browsing through the shops in the area. Following our limo ride to the concert, we head over to Disney Animation. Cute, but such a poor substitute for the real working studio that existed here in the past.
There’s a 12:30 showing of Indiana Jones. When we enter the theater around 12:10, it’s already ¾ full. Disney Studios is quite busy today!
When we file out after the show, we head to the 50’s Prime Time Café. While we’ve been to the Tune In Lounge before, we’ve never before eaten at this restaurant so this is a new experience for us. We sit in the lounge until we’re called. The person who seats us asks where we’re from and tells us he’s from Bar Harbor, Maine! Another New England neighbor!
Other than a mild admonishment to Gene for having his elbows on the table, we have a very calm meal which appears to be true for everyone in our general area. Whew! I really was a bit nervous about eating here! I have the fish sandwich with fries while Gene orders the meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Gene really cleans his plate but my portions are too large to finish. Again, no major admonishment!
After lunch, we head to Drew Carey’s Sounds Dangerous and then visit one of the little sound booths outside the theater.
The Jedi Academy is in session. Star Tours has a posted 25 minute wait so we pass it by. Muppet Vision is mobbed. We don’t get to see any of the pre-show at all as we’re stuck around the corner from the tv sets. We stay behind as everyone else files into the theater. A cast member seems surprised to see that we have not gone into the show but is fine when I explain we wanted to watch the pre-show. Initially, we were the only ones there (http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/6790/2367583970104031159S600x600Q85.jpg)and we do get to watch the entire pre-show from start to finish.
Once inside the theater, we enjoyed this really fun show. One little girl in our row had clearly seen it before as she began to point out Bean’s location before he even appears in the balcony!
We shuffled out of the theater at the end of the show and checked the wait time for Star Tours once again. Nope! Still too long – not waiting in a line like that! Instead, we browse shops between there and the park exit.
Our bus is at the stop when we arrive. While we’ve experienced a few droplets now and then, we’ve avoided having any rain showers so its’ been a pretty good day though it is not sunny.
Once back in our room, we take quick showers and dress for our evening dinner which will be another new experience for us. When the mousekeepers knock on our door to do the turndown, we abandon the room and go sit in the lounge area for a bit.
We get to the bus stop around 5:30 and wait approximately 15 minutes for an Epcot bus to arrive. Once there, we walk directly to France for our 7:00 p.m. reservations at Bistro de Paris. We’re about a ½ hour early but are seated within a few minutes of checking in.
For appetizer, we ask to split crab but first we’re served a small scallop accompanied by something (not sure what but it is good). The crab is interesting – served with a proscuitto and provolone slices. Gene’s not crazy about it. We both have beef for dinner which is quite good.
During our meal, two young, French speaking women are seated at the table next to us. I thought our server said one of the young women was his wife but I may have misunderstood. He said he’d been in the U.S. for thirteen months now and this was his last day of work at Disney World, but, before returning to France, he was going to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
Following dinner, I have a cognac coffee while Gene selects a press pot of coffee along with a chocolate dessert. We’re also presented with a plate on which “Happy Anniversary” (http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/40953/2469312550104031159S600x600Q85.jpg) has been spelled out in chocolate along with some mini treats such as really yummy tuffles! Quite yummy even though I was already stuffed!
By the time we’ve settled our bill Illuminations has ended and it’s clear we will not make it to the Magic Kingdom in time for a 9:30 p.m. Intercot meet! We slowly make our way out of the park towards the tail end of the mass exodus.
When we reach our bus stop, a very full bus has just left. We wait 10-15 minutes before another comes along. We arrive back at the Wilderness Lodge just after 10 and just as the Magic Kingdom fireworks have started.
I had considered going to the Magic Kingdom even though I was sure I would not stay until 3 in the morning. Instead, we head to Territory Lounge where “my” couch is occupied by a man who appears to be on a business trip. He’s got books and a computer spread out around him – far too much work for someone at Disney World! As we settle into the comfy chairs near the couch, he packs up and leaves. I hope we didn’t drive him away but he assures us he had already paid up and was getting ready to leave when we arrived. The couch is mine once again!
That’s when I notice that the Nascar race is on so Gene gets repositioned so he can see it. After a bit, we return to the room. It’s lights out when the race is over!
The rain held off today. I didn’t feel as tired as I did our first few days. Overall, it was a very good day!