imported_PolyGirl40
02-22-2002, 02:55 PM
PolyGirl40’s Escape From New York; The 2002 Sequel -- Day Three
Monday; February 11, 2002
Cast of Characters
Carol -- PolyGirl40 -- Disney Vacation Commander in Chief
Tony -- Dear Husband & Dad -- Advisor on Fiscal Affairs.
Jeremy -- #1 Son (15)
Shayne -- #2 Son (7)
Princess Breakfast, Share a Dream and the British Invasion.
Mickey called us at 5:30 a.m. - Of course I was already up. We had to be at the bus stop by 7:00 a.m. to meet the Character Breakfast bus. I didn’t even think about this bit of information when I lengthened our Animal Kingdom Lodge stay. However, it was not a problem at all.
We were all up and out of the door by 6:45. As we approached the bus stop the bus pulled up. What great timing. The only down fall to this was we had to stop at all of the All Star resorts. This did not take very long. It more then filled the bus to standing room only.
It was unbelievable how uninformed guests were. So many people tried to board the bus in route to various resorts. One couple got dreadfully rude when the driver tried to explain why he could not take them to Cape May. graemlins/crazy.gif My first “Ugh!” moment of the day.
We made one additional stop - to drop guests off at the Contemporary resort and arrived at the Magic Kingdom shortly after 7:30. The security tables opened up at 7:45. Bag check went very smoothly. I was the only one in our party that had a bag. I kept it limited to a small camera case that goes over the shoulder. It has two zipper compartments and can be easily viewed. I was always waved through very promptly. I did see people with large bags. They were inspected more intently. In fact one Mom was asked to open her wipe container - that was found in her diaper bag. Security check was never a hindrance to me.
We waited at the turnstiles until we were allowed in. They began filing breakfast guests through at 7:55. Of course we had to have our name checked off at the clipboard station. No one is allowed in early without a PS or a tour appointment. We headed right to the castle. How cool to be one of a few people strolling down Main Street. I paused for a few pictures then scadaddled to the podium. This is our first date with the Princesses. I’ve tried a few times in the past to medal in the Cindy Olympics but always failed. It never bothered me - as I have 2 sons and it was not high on their list of priorities. This year we were fortunate enough to have the Concierge Staff make our 60 day priority seating arrangements for us. I know - I cheated and was disqualified from medaling. But - Hey I’m eating at the castle. tongue.gif
What a wonderful experience, Lords and Ladies! We were called immediately upon our arrival and escorted up the spiral staircase. Shayne thought that was waaaaay cool :cool: . Our table was fantastic. We were seated right by the window - overlooking Fanstasyland and the carousel. Crescents, coffee and juice were presented instantly. For those of you that have never eaten breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table; it is a pre-plated, all you can eat meal. You are given 3 options. A kids plate, healthy choice and the traditional style. Shayne had the kids plate and dined on waffles, pancakes and fruit. The rest of us ordered the traditional breakfast. It was very good. We were served eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, potato casserole and fruit. One serving was very plentiful. Tony asked for seconds on the stuffed French toast. graemlins/tasty.gif As we dined Prince Charming and the Princesses made their rounds. We had some great interaction. The ladies were extremely personable and accommodating. What a great way to start our morning.
As we exited down the same set of stairs we were greeted by the Fairy Godmother. What a lovely woman. She spent time with both of my children. She was so very nice. A genuinely warm personality. I highly recommend this breakfast and experience. It’s great for all ages.
We lined up for rope drop at Fantasyland. I knew it was a perfect way to get those popular attractions out of the way without waits. What baffles me are the guests running and hurrying their family. I mean; Are they really accomplishing anything? We walked right onto Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan, Dumbo and It’s a Small World. One of our *must does* this morning was to see our last ever Lion King show. I was saddened by the lack of viewers. The theater was nearly empty. I really enjoy the puppets and will miss this attraction. However, I do understand the need for change.
It was only 11:00 a.m. and we had completed Fantasyland. Our next stop was the Haunted Mansion. This is a favorite for all of us. We dragged our bodies right in and had our first Doom Buggy ride of 2002. graemlins/thumbsup.gif Love it, love it, love it! Of course Frontierland would be next on our agenda. I looked at my watch and realized there was no way I wanted to leave our first Magic Kingdom day to make our PS for lunch at the Wilderness Lodge. I discussed it with my guys and we all agreeed. I slipped into the Liberty Tree Tavern to make new plans and cancel the originals. I made a PS for 1 o’clock. Off to Frontierland.
Shayne is the only one crazy about Splash Mountain. Don’t get me wrong; I love the attraction. I just do not like walking around fully clothed and wet. Jeremy is the same way. Tony goes with the flow. It was decided that Tony would ride with Shayne if Mom went on the Tower of Terror with him later in the week. Ugh! Okay! Deal tongue.gif They grabbed fast passes and we headed for Big Thunder. This is another favorite. The line wait was only 20 minutes. It went very quickly as we visited with some nervous first timers. As luck would have it, we rode with them. Success. They loved it too. Jeremy and I headed for the Splash drop area to watch Tony and Shayne touch down. graemlins/laughing.gif They got drenched. We ducked into the Country Bear Jubilee show before checking into the Liberty Tree Tavern. Boy - times sure does fly when you are having fun.
This was another dining first. We had to wait for 20 minutes. It was more then a pleasure. We snagged 4 rocking chairs on the front porch and watched the crowds go by. When our name was announced we were lead to the Betsy Ross Dining Room. A simply decorated and colonial style area with replicas of the era. We were all fairly hungry as we did not stuff ourselves at Cindy’s.
Monday; February 11, 2002
Cast of Characters
Carol -- PolyGirl40 -- Disney Vacation Commander in Chief
Tony -- Dear Husband & Dad -- Advisor on Fiscal Affairs.
Jeremy -- #1 Son (15)
Shayne -- #2 Son (7)
Princess Breakfast, Share a Dream and the British Invasion.
Mickey called us at 5:30 a.m. - Of course I was already up. We had to be at the bus stop by 7:00 a.m. to meet the Character Breakfast bus. I didn’t even think about this bit of information when I lengthened our Animal Kingdom Lodge stay. However, it was not a problem at all.
We were all up and out of the door by 6:45. As we approached the bus stop the bus pulled up. What great timing. The only down fall to this was we had to stop at all of the All Star resorts. This did not take very long. It more then filled the bus to standing room only.
It was unbelievable how uninformed guests were. So many people tried to board the bus in route to various resorts. One couple got dreadfully rude when the driver tried to explain why he could not take them to Cape May. graemlins/crazy.gif My first “Ugh!” moment of the day.
We made one additional stop - to drop guests off at the Contemporary resort and arrived at the Magic Kingdom shortly after 7:30. The security tables opened up at 7:45. Bag check went very smoothly. I was the only one in our party that had a bag. I kept it limited to a small camera case that goes over the shoulder. It has two zipper compartments and can be easily viewed. I was always waved through very promptly. I did see people with large bags. They were inspected more intently. In fact one Mom was asked to open her wipe container - that was found in her diaper bag. Security check was never a hindrance to me.
We waited at the turnstiles until we were allowed in. They began filing breakfast guests through at 7:55. Of course we had to have our name checked off at the clipboard station. No one is allowed in early without a PS or a tour appointment. We headed right to the castle. How cool to be one of a few people strolling down Main Street. I paused for a few pictures then scadaddled to the podium. This is our first date with the Princesses. I’ve tried a few times in the past to medal in the Cindy Olympics but always failed. It never bothered me - as I have 2 sons and it was not high on their list of priorities. This year we were fortunate enough to have the Concierge Staff make our 60 day priority seating arrangements for us. I know - I cheated and was disqualified from medaling. But - Hey I’m eating at the castle. tongue.gif
What a wonderful experience, Lords and Ladies! We were called immediately upon our arrival and escorted up the spiral staircase. Shayne thought that was waaaaay cool :cool: . Our table was fantastic. We were seated right by the window - overlooking Fanstasyland and the carousel. Crescents, coffee and juice were presented instantly. For those of you that have never eaten breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table; it is a pre-plated, all you can eat meal. You are given 3 options. A kids plate, healthy choice and the traditional style. Shayne had the kids plate and dined on waffles, pancakes and fruit. The rest of us ordered the traditional breakfast. It was very good. We were served eggs, French toast, bacon, sausage, potato casserole and fruit. One serving was very plentiful. Tony asked for seconds on the stuffed French toast. graemlins/tasty.gif As we dined Prince Charming and the Princesses made their rounds. We had some great interaction. The ladies were extremely personable and accommodating. What a great way to start our morning.
As we exited down the same set of stairs we were greeted by the Fairy Godmother. What a lovely woman. She spent time with both of my children. She was so very nice. A genuinely warm personality. I highly recommend this breakfast and experience. It’s great for all ages.
We lined up for rope drop at Fantasyland. I knew it was a perfect way to get those popular attractions out of the way without waits. What baffles me are the guests running and hurrying their family. I mean; Are they really accomplishing anything? We walked right onto Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan, Dumbo and It’s a Small World. One of our *must does* this morning was to see our last ever Lion King show. I was saddened by the lack of viewers. The theater was nearly empty. I really enjoy the puppets and will miss this attraction. However, I do understand the need for change.
It was only 11:00 a.m. and we had completed Fantasyland. Our next stop was the Haunted Mansion. This is a favorite for all of us. We dragged our bodies right in and had our first Doom Buggy ride of 2002. graemlins/thumbsup.gif Love it, love it, love it! Of course Frontierland would be next on our agenda. I looked at my watch and realized there was no way I wanted to leave our first Magic Kingdom day to make our PS for lunch at the Wilderness Lodge. I discussed it with my guys and we all agreeed. I slipped into the Liberty Tree Tavern to make new plans and cancel the originals. I made a PS for 1 o’clock. Off to Frontierland.
Shayne is the only one crazy about Splash Mountain. Don’t get me wrong; I love the attraction. I just do not like walking around fully clothed and wet. Jeremy is the same way. Tony goes with the flow. It was decided that Tony would ride with Shayne if Mom went on the Tower of Terror with him later in the week. Ugh! Okay! Deal tongue.gif They grabbed fast passes and we headed for Big Thunder. This is another favorite. The line wait was only 20 minutes. It went very quickly as we visited with some nervous first timers. As luck would have it, we rode with them. Success. They loved it too. Jeremy and I headed for the Splash drop area to watch Tony and Shayne touch down. graemlins/laughing.gif They got drenched. We ducked into the Country Bear Jubilee show before checking into the Liberty Tree Tavern. Boy - times sure does fly when you are having fun.
This was another dining first. We had to wait for 20 minutes. It was more then a pleasure. We snagged 4 rocking chairs on the front porch and watched the crowds go by. When our name was announced we were lead to the Betsy Ross Dining Room. A simply decorated and colonial style area with replicas of the era. We were all fairly hungry as we did not stuff ourselves at Cindy’s.