Janmac
09-17-2012, 01:27 PM
The Epcot Flower & Garden Show DBF Cousins Amtrak POR VWL April Experiment
Friday – Day 5
Cast of characters
>From Missouri – 15 – 22 April, Sunday to Sunday
Me – [ineffective] OCD planner
DH – my dear husband, almost immune to Disney magic
Eeyore - my dear sister
Tink - Eeyore's daughter
Pluto - Tink's 7 year old daughter
DBF – Tink's significant other & sorta newbie (visited almost 20 years ago as teen)
>From Illinois - 17 – 22 April, Tuesday to Sunday
Remy - my dear cousin
Pirate – Remy's DH
Wall-e – 7 yr old son of Remy & Pirate
The Plan:
MK for Crystal Palace, followed by Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Mickey's Philharmagic, Pooh and/or the Teacups, Buzz Lightyear, and Space Mtn. Lunch at Cosmic Ray's, resort time, supper at Coral Reef, trying for Soarin' at about 8:30 followed by Illuminations.
What really happened:
We arrived again at the turn styles early enough to be right at the rope when we were allowed through. This made Wall-e first into the Magic Kingdom which Remy, if not Pirate, thought was really cool. She had Pirate take photos of herself and Wall-e with the Castle in the background – with few other folks. We were not first family at the Crystal Palace today but we had a good breakfast anyway. Wall-e was getting into the spirit of things, hugging all the Pooh characters with no sign of distaste. Attractions were fairly successful as we did most of what we wanted to do. Again, first up was Aladdin, complete with camel spritzes. Eeyore and I took photos and looked at the treasures embedded in the pavement while everyone else rode. As we hoped, Remy and Pirate got spritzed by a camel. :D At PotC, Pluto did not bail this year, tho she said it still freaked her out a little. She says she might ride PotC again. Everyone except Pirate and me rode Splash Mtn, and it was only after they were well under way that I remembered Remy had said she was not getting wet again. Pirate and I kept watch to see our group come down the water slide but missed them somehow. And Remy didn't get drenched. Pluto again managed not to bail at Haunted Mansion but she said she is not riding this again. How this is scarier than ToT, I don't know. Even tho it was quite hot we had a good time going through the interactive queue.
We hit a snafu at the Pooh attraction with the line being so long that Eeyore and Tink figured maybe next trip, which is something, because they love Pooh. DBF took Pluto and Wall-e on the Tea Cups. At this point it was getting close to noon, so we went to Cosmic Ray's for lunch. By the time we all navigated the lines at our respective food choices and got tables near each other, Remy was good and hungry. Timed that better today than Wednesday. We did Buzz Lightyear after lunch and here we didn't do so good. The Fast Pass return was for later than we thought we'd be at MK, so we got in the standby line, which was long. Once on Buzz, I again outscored Eeyore – she says her gun must have been misfiring. ;) MK was crowded and hot so we headed for our resorts.
DH was up and about when we got to Oak Manor. He said he felt well enough to join us for supper at Coral Reef. We were seated at two of the half round banquette tables, next to each other, which worked out well. A chef came out to speak first with Remy and then with Tink, who said that thanks to the chef, her meal at Coral Reef was one of the best she had all week. One take away from this week for her is to avoid the sauces. This is something she can use at restaurants outside of Disney as well. Onion hides in so many things. Recently she had an appetizer of fried calamari and before her entree arrived, she realized the breading must have had onion powder in it. Back at Coral Reef, our table got a basket of gluten free rolls which tasted like rolls to me. After reading about gluten free options at Disney World I was looking forward to trying some. I don't really care much for breads, rolls, etc., but Remy – who naturally loves gluten stuff since it's not kind to her – said the rolls were merely ok.
We explored the rest of the Seas pavilion and Wall-e and Pluto got to see Crush. This time Crush didn't talk to Pluto or Wall-e but they enjoyed Turtle Talk. Pluto enjoyed the hands on exhibits more this year as she can read better.
Next up was Soarin' but the standby line was long, so we passed. DH was getting tired and Soarin' is his favorite ride. He used to say, about Disney, been there done that, why do I need to do it again but Soarin' has fixed that for him. He first rode this in 2008 and has looked forward to every time he gets to ride it again. We figure we can try it again in the morning, since we'll be here for breakfast with the Princesses.
Tonight was the night we were going to do Illuminations. It was slightly misty as DH and I went to the bus stop so I was wondering if the fireworks would get cancelled. The rest of our group headed toward the Lagoon area to watch Illuminations. Remy, Pirate and Wall-e stopped while still in the walkway to the World Showcase. Pirate is tall, so with Wall-e on his shoulders, they had a good view, even from that far back. As the finale music began, they headed toward the exit far enough ahead of the crowds to miss dealing with a crowded bus. They got back to Riverside right behind us.
Tomorrow is a later than usual morning with a 9:15 am ADR for the Storybook Princess breakfast at Akershus, in Norway, at Epcot. Followed by, we hope, Soarin'.
Oops!
I'm not remembering now what the standby wait time was but we waited nearly an hour and it was hot. It never occurred to me to have someone go on down to Buzz for FPs while we were getting our lunch. I know I've thought of that on previous trips.
Surprise:
I don't know if there is a surprise today, unless it's how much influence the World is having. Wall-e is looking forward to hugging characters. DBF is riding rides with Wall-e and Pluto – leaving Tink to visit with others. DH is happy to be well enough to join us in the parks. Something he hasn't looked forward to in a long time. Really helps to have new knees. And new people to show around, too.
At the end of the day - DH is getting better. Pluto got to ride Splash Mtn which she had missed in January 2010. She's still not sure about PotC and HM. Wall-e likes them all, especially Buzz Lightyear. Tink and Remy had great meals at Coral Reef. It was a pretty good day.
Jan
Friday – Day 5
Cast of characters
>From Missouri – 15 – 22 April, Sunday to Sunday
Me – [ineffective] OCD planner
DH – my dear husband, almost immune to Disney magic
Eeyore - my dear sister
Tink - Eeyore's daughter
Pluto - Tink's 7 year old daughter
DBF – Tink's significant other & sorta newbie (visited almost 20 years ago as teen)
>From Illinois - 17 – 22 April, Tuesday to Sunday
Remy - my dear cousin
Pirate – Remy's DH
Wall-e – 7 yr old son of Remy & Pirate
The Plan:
MK for Crystal Palace, followed by Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Mickey's Philharmagic, Pooh and/or the Teacups, Buzz Lightyear, and Space Mtn. Lunch at Cosmic Ray's, resort time, supper at Coral Reef, trying for Soarin' at about 8:30 followed by Illuminations.
What really happened:
We arrived again at the turn styles early enough to be right at the rope when we were allowed through. This made Wall-e first into the Magic Kingdom which Remy, if not Pirate, thought was really cool. She had Pirate take photos of herself and Wall-e with the Castle in the background – with few other folks. We were not first family at the Crystal Palace today but we had a good breakfast anyway. Wall-e was getting into the spirit of things, hugging all the Pooh characters with no sign of distaste. Attractions were fairly successful as we did most of what we wanted to do. Again, first up was Aladdin, complete with camel spritzes. Eeyore and I took photos and looked at the treasures embedded in the pavement while everyone else rode. As we hoped, Remy and Pirate got spritzed by a camel. :D At PotC, Pluto did not bail this year, tho she said it still freaked her out a little. She says she might ride PotC again. Everyone except Pirate and me rode Splash Mtn, and it was only after they were well under way that I remembered Remy had said she was not getting wet again. Pirate and I kept watch to see our group come down the water slide but missed them somehow. And Remy didn't get drenched. Pluto again managed not to bail at Haunted Mansion but she said she is not riding this again. How this is scarier than ToT, I don't know. Even tho it was quite hot we had a good time going through the interactive queue.
We hit a snafu at the Pooh attraction with the line being so long that Eeyore and Tink figured maybe next trip, which is something, because they love Pooh. DBF took Pluto and Wall-e on the Tea Cups. At this point it was getting close to noon, so we went to Cosmic Ray's for lunch. By the time we all navigated the lines at our respective food choices and got tables near each other, Remy was good and hungry. Timed that better today than Wednesday. We did Buzz Lightyear after lunch and here we didn't do so good. The Fast Pass return was for later than we thought we'd be at MK, so we got in the standby line, which was long. Once on Buzz, I again outscored Eeyore – she says her gun must have been misfiring. ;) MK was crowded and hot so we headed for our resorts.
DH was up and about when we got to Oak Manor. He said he felt well enough to join us for supper at Coral Reef. We were seated at two of the half round banquette tables, next to each other, which worked out well. A chef came out to speak first with Remy and then with Tink, who said that thanks to the chef, her meal at Coral Reef was one of the best she had all week. One take away from this week for her is to avoid the sauces. This is something she can use at restaurants outside of Disney as well. Onion hides in so many things. Recently she had an appetizer of fried calamari and before her entree arrived, she realized the breading must have had onion powder in it. Back at Coral Reef, our table got a basket of gluten free rolls which tasted like rolls to me. After reading about gluten free options at Disney World I was looking forward to trying some. I don't really care much for breads, rolls, etc., but Remy – who naturally loves gluten stuff since it's not kind to her – said the rolls were merely ok.
We explored the rest of the Seas pavilion and Wall-e and Pluto got to see Crush. This time Crush didn't talk to Pluto or Wall-e but they enjoyed Turtle Talk. Pluto enjoyed the hands on exhibits more this year as she can read better.
Next up was Soarin' but the standby line was long, so we passed. DH was getting tired and Soarin' is his favorite ride. He used to say, about Disney, been there done that, why do I need to do it again but Soarin' has fixed that for him. He first rode this in 2008 and has looked forward to every time he gets to ride it again. We figure we can try it again in the morning, since we'll be here for breakfast with the Princesses.
Tonight was the night we were going to do Illuminations. It was slightly misty as DH and I went to the bus stop so I was wondering if the fireworks would get cancelled. The rest of our group headed toward the Lagoon area to watch Illuminations. Remy, Pirate and Wall-e stopped while still in the walkway to the World Showcase. Pirate is tall, so with Wall-e on his shoulders, they had a good view, even from that far back. As the finale music began, they headed toward the exit far enough ahead of the crowds to miss dealing with a crowded bus. They got back to Riverside right behind us.
Tomorrow is a later than usual morning with a 9:15 am ADR for the Storybook Princess breakfast at Akershus, in Norway, at Epcot. Followed by, we hope, Soarin'.
Oops!
I'm not remembering now what the standby wait time was but we waited nearly an hour and it was hot. It never occurred to me to have someone go on down to Buzz for FPs while we were getting our lunch. I know I've thought of that on previous trips.
Surprise:
I don't know if there is a surprise today, unless it's how much influence the World is having. Wall-e is looking forward to hugging characters. DBF is riding rides with Wall-e and Pluto – leaving Tink to visit with others. DH is happy to be well enough to join us in the parks. Something he hasn't looked forward to in a long time. Really helps to have new knees. And new people to show around, too.
At the end of the day - DH is getting better. Pluto got to ride Splash Mtn which she had missed in January 2010. She's still not sure about PotC and HM. Wall-e likes them all, especially Buzz Lightyear. Tink and Remy had great meals at Coral Reef. It was a pretty good day.
Jan