brownie
08-06-2012, 09:12 PM
I finished up my week of work in Florida on Friday, August 3 and returned to Orlando Friday evening. My work partner and I stayed at the Country Inn & Suites by Orlando International Airport. My work partner flew home Saturday morning while I headed to All-Star Music to check-in after working out, running, and eating breakfast.
I got to All-Star Music at about 9:20am. Our room was ready. We were in room 7346 (building 7, 1st floor). It's about as far away from Melody Hall as you can get; since we didn't walk there it wasn't a problem. It was also very quiet around our room. I got some work done and then left at about 10:30am to pick up my bride, Sharon, from the airport. Sharon's flight was on time so I only had to wait in the cell phone lot for a few minutes. I picked Sharon up from terminal B arrivals and we headed to Epcot.
We arrived at Epcot at 12pm. We got Fastpasses for Soarin' (4pm-5pm) and then headed to Future World East to catch the JAMMitors perform at 12:15pm (we missed a little bit of their opening number).
After watching the JAMMitors, we got in line for Mission: SPACE. We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes; a cast member made periodic "unexpected delay" announcements for the orange team. We got into the briefing room at about 1pm. This was Sharon's first time riding Mission: SPACE and she enjoyed it.
We picked up a F.O.N.E. (field operative notification equipment) for Agent P's World Showcase Adventure, selected China for the first mission, and then headed to China to grab lunch at the Lotus Blossom Cafe. This was the first time we've eaten here and it was really good. We both had the orange chicken with rice and split an egg roll appetizer. It was a good value for theme park food. It was nice to be without our boys since we probably would not have eaten at the Lotus Blossom Cafe if they had been with us.
After lunch we completed the China mission for Agent P's World Showcase Adventure and then went to Germany to complete that mission. I wanted to see Dr. Doofenshmirtz on the clockenspiel. We turned in our F.O.N.E. and then headed to Norway.
We got in line for the Maelstrom at about 2:55pm; we waited in line for about 10 minutes.
After riding the Maelstrom we headed to Canada to listen to Off Kilter perform at 3:30pm. Just as we got to the Canada stage, it started to rain. We got under one of the umbrellas at the stage and put on our rain jackets as it started to pour. We stayed but mostly dry but Off Kilter's performance was canceled due to the rain.
We head to the Imagination pavilion and rode Journey into your Imagination at about 3:40pm. We then used our Fastpasses to ride Soarin' at 4pm. While waiting in line, we decided to try to make an advance dining reservation for breakfast on Sunday morning at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I used the Mobile Magic Android app to make the reservation for Boma (at 8am Sunday, August 5).
After we rode Soarin', we rode the clamshells in the Seas with Nemo & Friends at about 4:35pm. We didn't spend any time looking into the aquarium after riding the clamshells.
We did some shopping in Mouse Gear and then rode Spaceship Earth at about 5:25pm. After riding Spaceship Earth we caught part of the Fountain of Nations show and then sampled some Coca-Cola in Club Cool. I really liked the Mexico cola. The German one was okay. I think the one I didn't like was from Costa Rica. And, no, I didn't try the Beverly. I've tried that one before and won't do that again.
At about 6pm, we took the Monorail to the Transportation & Ticket Center and walked over to the Polynesian. We had an advance dining reservation for Kona Cafe at 6:50pm. We were a little early so we sat in the lobby until about 6:40pm. We checked in and were seated a few minutes later. I had the Coconut-Almond Chicken but substituted mashed potatoes for the salad. I also ordered the Kona Salad and the Kilauea Torte. Sharon ordered the Chicken Pan-Asian Noodles, Pot Stickers, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. We shared the appetizers and sampled each others entree and dessert. Both appetizers were good. The Coconut-Almond Chicken was better than the noodles and, although we both love chocolate, we felt the pineapple upside down cake was better than the kilauea torte.
After dinner, we walked back over to the Transportation & Ticket Center. We skipped the first Monorail back to Epcot so we could get some pictures of the Avenger-rail. I like the overlay so it was cool to be able to get some pictures of it.
We took the Monorail back to Epcot. It was about 8:15pm. We headed to Germany to get a hot pretzel and then picked a spot by the Port of Entry to watch Illuminations, which went on at 9pm.
After Illuminations, we headed to All-Star Music. We checked out the food court and gift shop before calling it a night. We scheduled at 6:30am wake-up call.
At 6:30am on Sunday, August 5, the phone rang. We answered to hear music, then Stitch telling us "No sleeping," and the Mickey. We got ready and got everything packed. While we were getting ready, Delta notified us that our flight was delayed. We would get 2 more delay notices and ultimately our flight would be delayed 2 hours. We were able to spend a bit more time before heading to the airport, but I had a deadline on the rental car; I would hit the end of 1 week at 11:19am and would be responsible for charges beyond that point (work was picking up the rental for the week).
We walked around our area of All-Star Music and took a bunch of pictures. I really like the details they put into the theming. The guest laundry and restrooms by the piano pool is made to look like a car stereo with a tape deck. On the back side of the building, they have include the terminal connections.
After taking our pictures we headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and checked in at Boma. We really enjoyed the breakfast buffet. Great atmosphere and very relaxing. The food was really good, too.
After breakfast, we walked around the resort, checked out the savanna, and browsed the gift shop. After we left Animal Kingdom Lodge, we stopped at Downtown Disney Marketplace since we had some time before we needed to head to the airport. We spent some time in World of Disney and then went to Goofy's Candy Company. I was looking for Mickey icon cookies with the ears dipped in chocolate that I had seen in the coffee shop at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I found them. We also found rice krispy treat cakes! They have Mickey and Minnie versions and cost $49.99 each. Unfortunately, Sharon would not let me get one to take home. I had to settle for the cookies, which were still good.
We headed to the airport, returned the rental car (before my 11:19am deadline), and spent almost an hour going through security. I'm not sure why they have expert traveler lines if they mix everyone together after checking our ID and boarding passes. It should not have taken that long to get through screening! Our flight took off about 2pm and we arrived back in Detroit just after 4pm.
It was a good trip, although short (and really short for Sharon who left the airport at 11am on Saturday and returned at just before 11am on Sunday!) We're looking forward to getting back to Walt Disney World for INTERCOT 15 in October, although there's still the possibility that I'll have to come back to do more work in Florida!
I got to All-Star Music at about 9:20am. Our room was ready. We were in room 7346 (building 7, 1st floor). It's about as far away from Melody Hall as you can get; since we didn't walk there it wasn't a problem. It was also very quiet around our room. I got some work done and then left at about 10:30am to pick up my bride, Sharon, from the airport. Sharon's flight was on time so I only had to wait in the cell phone lot for a few minutes. I picked Sharon up from terminal B arrivals and we headed to Epcot.
We arrived at Epcot at 12pm. We got Fastpasses for Soarin' (4pm-5pm) and then headed to Future World East to catch the JAMMitors perform at 12:15pm (we missed a little bit of their opening number).
After watching the JAMMitors, we got in line for Mission: SPACE. We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes; a cast member made periodic "unexpected delay" announcements for the orange team. We got into the briefing room at about 1pm. This was Sharon's first time riding Mission: SPACE and she enjoyed it.
We picked up a F.O.N.E. (field operative notification equipment) for Agent P's World Showcase Adventure, selected China for the first mission, and then headed to China to grab lunch at the Lotus Blossom Cafe. This was the first time we've eaten here and it was really good. We both had the orange chicken with rice and split an egg roll appetizer. It was a good value for theme park food. It was nice to be without our boys since we probably would not have eaten at the Lotus Blossom Cafe if they had been with us.
After lunch we completed the China mission for Agent P's World Showcase Adventure and then went to Germany to complete that mission. I wanted to see Dr. Doofenshmirtz on the clockenspiel. We turned in our F.O.N.E. and then headed to Norway.
We got in line for the Maelstrom at about 2:55pm; we waited in line for about 10 minutes.
After riding the Maelstrom we headed to Canada to listen to Off Kilter perform at 3:30pm. Just as we got to the Canada stage, it started to rain. We got under one of the umbrellas at the stage and put on our rain jackets as it started to pour. We stayed but mostly dry but Off Kilter's performance was canceled due to the rain.
We head to the Imagination pavilion and rode Journey into your Imagination at about 3:40pm. We then used our Fastpasses to ride Soarin' at 4pm. While waiting in line, we decided to try to make an advance dining reservation for breakfast on Sunday morning at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I used the Mobile Magic Android app to make the reservation for Boma (at 8am Sunday, August 5).
After we rode Soarin', we rode the clamshells in the Seas with Nemo & Friends at about 4:35pm. We didn't spend any time looking into the aquarium after riding the clamshells.
We did some shopping in Mouse Gear and then rode Spaceship Earth at about 5:25pm. After riding Spaceship Earth we caught part of the Fountain of Nations show and then sampled some Coca-Cola in Club Cool. I really liked the Mexico cola. The German one was okay. I think the one I didn't like was from Costa Rica. And, no, I didn't try the Beverly. I've tried that one before and won't do that again.
At about 6pm, we took the Monorail to the Transportation & Ticket Center and walked over to the Polynesian. We had an advance dining reservation for Kona Cafe at 6:50pm. We were a little early so we sat in the lobby until about 6:40pm. We checked in and were seated a few minutes later. I had the Coconut-Almond Chicken but substituted mashed potatoes for the salad. I also ordered the Kona Salad and the Kilauea Torte. Sharon ordered the Chicken Pan-Asian Noodles, Pot Stickers, and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. We shared the appetizers and sampled each others entree and dessert. Both appetizers were good. The Coconut-Almond Chicken was better than the noodles and, although we both love chocolate, we felt the pineapple upside down cake was better than the kilauea torte.
After dinner, we walked back over to the Transportation & Ticket Center. We skipped the first Monorail back to Epcot so we could get some pictures of the Avenger-rail. I like the overlay so it was cool to be able to get some pictures of it.
We took the Monorail back to Epcot. It was about 8:15pm. We headed to Germany to get a hot pretzel and then picked a spot by the Port of Entry to watch Illuminations, which went on at 9pm.
After Illuminations, we headed to All-Star Music. We checked out the food court and gift shop before calling it a night. We scheduled at 6:30am wake-up call.
At 6:30am on Sunday, August 5, the phone rang. We answered to hear music, then Stitch telling us "No sleeping," and the Mickey. We got ready and got everything packed. While we were getting ready, Delta notified us that our flight was delayed. We would get 2 more delay notices and ultimately our flight would be delayed 2 hours. We were able to spend a bit more time before heading to the airport, but I had a deadline on the rental car; I would hit the end of 1 week at 11:19am and would be responsible for charges beyond that point (work was picking up the rental for the week).
We walked around our area of All-Star Music and took a bunch of pictures. I really like the details they put into the theming. The guest laundry and restrooms by the piano pool is made to look like a car stereo with a tape deck. On the back side of the building, they have include the terminal connections.
After taking our pictures we headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge and checked in at Boma. We really enjoyed the breakfast buffet. Great atmosphere and very relaxing. The food was really good, too.
After breakfast, we walked around the resort, checked out the savanna, and browsed the gift shop. After we left Animal Kingdom Lodge, we stopped at Downtown Disney Marketplace since we had some time before we needed to head to the airport. We spent some time in World of Disney and then went to Goofy's Candy Company. I was looking for Mickey icon cookies with the ears dipped in chocolate that I had seen in the coffee shop at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I found them. We also found rice krispy treat cakes! They have Mickey and Minnie versions and cost $49.99 each. Unfortunately, Sharon would not let me get one to take home. I had to settle for the cookies, which were still good.
We headed to the airport, returned the rental car (before my 11:19am deadline), and spent almost an hour going through security. I'm not sure why they have expert traveler lines if they mix everyone together after checking our ID and boarding passes. It should not have taken that long to get through screening! Our flight took off about 2pm and we arrived back in Detroit just after 4pm.
It was a good trip, although short (and really short for Sharon who left the airport at 11am on Saturday and returned at just before 11am on Sunday!) We're looking forward to getting back to Walt Disney World for INTERCOT 15 in October, although there's still the possibility that I'll have to come back to do more work in Florida!