Coast to Coast Disney - Day Three

[ChipDale]

Cast of Characters:

Jane (aka ChipDale)
Ron (my husband)

Trip Dates:

Wednesday, September 18 – Monday, September 30

Day Three, Friday, September 20

[img]graemlins/sleepin.gif[/img] Up at 6:00am again. We had breakfast this morning at the Kona Café. Dulcee was our server and was great. Throughout our stay, we found every Cast Member at the Polynesian to be wonderful. I had fresh squeezed pineapple juice; eggs, bacon and toast, and Ron had tomato juice and the ham and cheese omelet. We also had a delicious pressed pot of coffee. [img]graemlins/tasty.gif[/img] Everything was really yummy. We were re-fortified, so we hopped on the monorail to check in for our 8:45am Keys to the Kingdom Tour. We showed our tour confirmation slip at the left gate and were allowed to enter the Magic Kingdom early. We checked in at the Tour Garden, where we had to choose what we wanted for lunch at the Columbia Harbor House. They gave us a bottle of water (they also had coffee). After everyone was checked in and ready, Anne, our Tour Guide took us over to Town Square for an orientation. We had 17 in our group. We all had to introduce ourselves, give a little background on how long we’d been Disney fans and say what our favorite character was. After the introduction, Anne told us about the four Keys to the Kingdom: Safety, Courtesy, Show and Efficiency. We walked about half way up the Main Street and sat down in the little alcove behind the silhouette booth. Here Anne explained and asked for examples of the four Keys. We walked over to Adventureland, stopping to look at the various windows on Main Street first.

Once we were in Adventureland, Anne explained all about the subtle transitions between the lands and how sight, sound, smell and visuals all vary from land to land. We then got to ride on the Jungle Cruise in our own private boat with Anne as our guide. She pointed out many hidden Mickeys and discussed the Imagineering behind the ride. We then stopped in at El Pirata y Perico for a restroom/smoke break. I’m ashamed to say that I’d never been in this restaurant before – the décor is terrific! Anne had us all sit down and she discussed Audio Animatronics. She let us choose between riding Pirates of the Caribbean or seeing the Hall of Presidents – we all chose Pirates. We rode through Pirates then headed up the path to an anticipated activity of the tour – going backstage! [img]graemlins/smokin.gif[/img] We took the backstage entrance where the parades come out. Walked back to the barn where the Spectro Magic floats and the snowglobe floats are stored and she showed us the driver’s compartment in some of the floats too. After our trip backstage, it was about lunchtime, so we hiked over to Liberty Square and the Columbia Harbor House. This is another restaurant I’d never been in (we usually don’t eat at fast food restaurants in WDW) and it was gorgeous – as beautifully decorated as the Liberty Tree Tavern is. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] We had our own private roped off area upstairs and the tables were all set with our lunch and place cards with a special Keys to the Kingdom pin. Two other Tour Guides came over and told us a little about themselves and asked if they could answer any questions. I was very impressed about the way the tour was planned and the way each of us was treated throughout the tour.

After lunch, Anne took us near the entrance to the Haunted Mansion and told us a little of the background story about the attraction. Since it was closed, we headed back down to Main Street and entered the backstage area again. We went upstairs into the merchandising offices, then back down three flights to the Utilidors. [img]graemlins/smokin.gif[/img] I don’t want to go into a great deal of detail and spoil any magic for anyone, but it was a lot of fun being down there. After our underground tour, we popped back up behind the scenes on Main Street and Anne ended our tour back in Town Square. We enjoyed the tour very much and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the daily operations of the Magic Kingdom.

We took the monorail back over to the Polynesian and freshened up after the tour. After our little rest, we walked over to the TTC and caught a monorail to Epcot. We walked right on Spaceship Earth, then wandered up to the World Showcase. I stopped for a margarita in Mexico and Ron got a Ringnes beer in Norway. We sat by the water for a while just enjoying the sights and sounds. We stopped again in Germany for a Beck’s and a pretzel, served up by Chris, a very nice CM on whom we tested our rusty German. [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] From Germany, we made our way over to the American Adventure and waited for the next show. We finished our beers outside by the fountain and were entertained by the pin auction that was going on in the American Gardens Theatre. Once we went into the American Adventure, we caught the end of American Vybe’s set – this group is excellent. We enjoyed my favorite attraction, the American Adventure, then went over to the Rose ‘n Crown Pub where one of our very favorite entertainers, Pam Brody was playing piano. We chatted with Pam for a while and grabbed a table as soon as one was free (it’s always crowded in there no matter what time of year). We got the primo table by the piano that has four seats, so we invited various people to sit with us during the course of the night and this ended up being one of our favorite nights we’ve ever spent in WDW. We met a couple of very nice ladies from St. Louis who were there on vacation without their various grandchildren for the first time and were having the time of their lives. Then some ladies from Park Ridge, Illinois sat with us for a while, then two couples from Yorkshire pulled up some more chairs and we had a wonderful time talking with them. [img]graemlins/smokin.gif[/img] Later, a couple of guys from Burbank (who also knew Pam) sat with us and we ended closing the Pub with them. We walked out during Illuminations, so we beat the crowds back to the monorail. We stopped back in our room for a minute, then went over to the Tambu Lounge where we ordered some snacks because we had skipped dinner and were starving. Sandy was our server and was excellent and very nice. We had a cheese and fruit plate, a shrimp cocktail and the buffalo wings. Everything was yummy and we enjoyed the atmosphere and the food and a couple more beers. We hit the sack hard that night (no nap for us today) by 11:30pm. [img]graemlins/sleepin.gif[/img]

[sgdisney]

Thanks for the great report. The KTTK tour sounds like it was well worth the money and your evening at the R&C sounds wonderful. Can't wait to hear more!

[imported_PolyGirl40]

What an awesome day, Janie! The Tour sounds fantastic. I must do it on my next trip. Maybe I'll come home a day later than everyone else. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I'm so glad you had such an enjoyable evening. You've got me missing the Polynesian. I could not agree more about the Staff and you know how I feel about the Kona!

[ October 10, 2002, 11:50 AM: Message edited by: PolyGirl40 ]

[MauiMouse]

After reading about the tour I definately want to take it next time. You really got me hooked. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Sounds like another fantastic day. Thanks for sharing. [img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img]

[harlowandthemermaid]

Now I really want to do the tour!! It sounds like you had such a good time, between the tour and your evening at Rose and Crown! You always know where to find the good musicians

[imported_Melanears]

What a fun evening you guys had. [img]graemlins/beer.gif[/img] It's so much fun meeting other people.

[TiggerRPh]

Wow Jane...I never knew how interesting these tours were! Sure sounds like a lot of fun.

I stopped for a margarita in Mexico and Ron got a Ringnes beer in Norway...

That's better....all is well with the world now!

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Wow!! [img]graemlins/doubleeek.gif[/img] It would be hard to have a better day at WDW. The Polynesian, Kona, KTTK, Epcot...Jane, can I go with you on your next trip to WDW??

[Dopeysfriend]

Mmmm Kona Cafe... [img]graemlins/tasty.gif[/img] I'm getting hungry!

Thanks for another great report, Jane! There's nothing better than meeting people from all over in the pub! Sounds like a lot of fun! [img]graemlins/mickey.gif[/img]