Walt Disney World 2007

Welcome!

2007-05-10T20:27:00.000-06:00

Welcome to our Disney Trip Report!

The good news is that we've included almost every little detail of our trip here for you to enjoy.

The bad news is that stupid blogger formatting keeps this thing in reverse chronological order.

I encourage you to start from the beginning... er... the end...

For easier viewing, you can manually click on the days in our Trip Archives on the right sidebar. Maybe soon I'll figure out some fancy code that will automatically flip this thing around.

Enjoy!

California Grill

2007-04-24T22:10:00.000-06:00

Sorry again for the poor lighting! Darn these fancy restaurants and their mood lighting. Dimming the lights for the fireworks is nice, but not so much for taking pictures. Oh well.

Here is a view of the lounge area. It was very busy and people were fighting for the precious seating.

Here's the even busier bar.

We had a while to wait so I stepped out on the scary observation deck and snapped a few photos of MK.

This is Carrie's sushi appetizer, the Spicy Sensation.

My Goat Cheese Ravioli

Carrie's Belle Rouge Chicken

Pork Tenderloin

Carrie enjoying her dessert and a rare cup of coffee.

Carrie's Butterscotch Buzz Dessert

Strawberries and Creme Dessert

Pop Century

2007-05-10T20:00:00.000-06:00

Homeward Bound

2007-04-25T22:06:00.000-06:00

In my original itinerary, I had planned for us to spend our last morning in one of the parks. But in my original itinerary, I hadn't really accounted for both of us getting SICK during our trip.

The last few days of our stay at Disney have been pretty uncomfortable, but I'm glad they came at the end of the trip, rather than the beginning.

Needless to say, we spent our last morning in bed, rather than in the parks. On top of our sinus problems, we were a bit leery of taking the buses into the parks and were worried about getting checked out and dropping the fridge of for the next Swap participant, and making sure we were back at POP in plenty of time to catch our Magical Express bus.

In retrospect, I wish I'd gone with Carrie's preference of leaving on an earlier flight (so we wouldn't get home at 9pm). But I honestly thought we'd have plenty of time to hang out before we left.

Check-out was at 11am and after leaving our room, we took our bags and the fridge to the front, then headed to the food court to write postcards and eat lunch. We used up the last of our counter service credits and found that we still had 4 snack credits to use. I wanted to get some more of the tasty gummy candies from Goofy's Candy Company but there weren't any available in the food court or gift shop, so we settled for some turkey jerky for me, a few boxes of cookies (for the kids back home), and some cookies for Carrie. Here is a picture of Carrie's lunch from the POP food court, some sort of mediterranean chicken flatbread and fruit:

I also had some money left on my Disney Rewards card, so I wandered around in the POP gift shop and settled on a few more souvenirs to take home.

We had a few minutes left before we were supposed to meet for the bus, so I ran outside and took some pictures of POP Century (which I had neglected to do before).

We got out to the bus stop and there were about four or five other families waiting. Luckily, we were able to snag a bench.

The bus was a little bit later than we thought it would be, but once we got on, it was straight to the airport. They showed another little movie on the way back which I thought was funny since it was talking about all the new upcoming rides they were working on like... "Expedition Everest."

It was just a little outdated... but still helped to pass the time and we were at the airport before we knew it.

Security is just crazy in Orlando and there were so many people trying to file through the security checkpoints that I was suddenly very glad that the ME bus got us to the airport so early. We still had a bit of a wait before we got on our short flight to Miami, and I enjoyed a pretzel with processed cheese while I waited. The flight to Miami was crowded and kind of sucky. I didn't have window to look out which made me kind of sick. My sinus problems didn't help and I felt incredibly ill.

In Miami, we had another long layover and we ate some gross Chinese food and passed the time with knitting and staring off into space. At one point, I attempted to sleep under Carrie's legs on the yucky carpeted floor of the airport but deemed it too sketchy and uncomfortable and moved back up into the chair.

The flight to St. Louis was better but a little more turbulent. We had another person sharing our row this time but thankfully he wasn't loud or smelly and didn't try to talk to us. We watched episodes of The Office on the laptop and the time passed pretty quickly. The next thing we knew, we were grabbing our bags off the luggage carousel, hopping on the MetroLink and homeward bound.

Day Five: Keys to the Kingdom and Typhoon Lagoon (Porkchop)

2007-04-24T19:02:00.000-06:00

This morning we got up early and headed over to the Magic Kingdom for our 8:30am Keys to the Kingdom tour.

The KTTK tour is a walking tour through the Magic Kingdom that lasts about five hours and costs $60. It is only open to those over the age of 16, so we enjoyed a nice morning without kids hanging around.

Here's me in front of an empty Main Street USA with Roy Disney and Minnie:

And here is Carrie before the tour:

We met at City Hall 15 minutes before the tour to check in, get audio headsets, and place our lunch order.

Claire was our tour guide and she was fantastic! At first, I was somewhat disappointed when I found out that Matthew wouldn't be our guide, as I'd heard so many good things about him. But now I can't imagine the tour without Claire. It was great and we were both sad when the tour came to a close.

I won't spill any of the secrets, but we basically just walked down Main Street USA, headed over to Adventureland and rode on Pirates of the Caribbean, visited Frontierland and Liberty Square. We went backstage and saw the trash system and reservoir for Splash Mountain and also went down into the Utilidors under the park. For lunch we ate in a private dining room at the Columbia Harbour House. Our lunch was good and we were seated with the tour guide and another CM who was training for the tour. My favorite part was seeing a video clip about the laundry facilities for Walt Disney World. It's incredible. Also, when down in the utilidors I caught a glimpse of the Pin Replenishment counter. It was pretty neat.

We had taken our swimming suits with us to MK so that we could head to Typhoon Lagoon immediately after the tour. To catch the bus to Typhoon Lagoon, we walked to the Contemporary Hotel, then took a Downtown Disney bus. The bus took a while to come and it was around 3:00 before we finally arrived at TL and got our swimming gear on.

Our first stop was the Crush n' Gusher watercoaster ride and it was a great way to get soaked right off the bat! We also tried one of the body slides, the family raft ride, and another single rider tube slide. We got waffle cones and dried off a bit in the sun before going back to POP to get ready for dinner.

We got all prettied up and returned to the Magic Kingdom to catch a monorail to the Contemporary. I was going to make Carrie walk over there again until she revealed that she'd never been on the monorail before! For some reason I just assumed that she'd been on one before. The ride to the Contemporary from MK is short, but I'm glad Carrie got to experience the monorail. I guess when you're in your late twenties, it's not quite as exciting as when you're a little kid, but oh well.

We got to the Californa Grill early and were seated about 15 or 20 minutes after we arrived. I was hoping for a seat on the MK side of the restaurant so that we could see the fireworks better, but we were seated in the back with a obstructed view. We still opted to remain at our table during the fireworks while everyone else ran out onto the observation deck.

Our waiter's name was Walter and he was spectacular. Dinner was very good as well and one of my favorites of the trip. I enjoyed the Goat Cheese Ravioli, Pork Tenderloin, and Strawberries and Creme dessert. Or as Walter put it, "Signature dish on top of signature dish."

Getting back to the hotel after dinner proved to be a challenge. They wouldn't let us on the monorail to go to MK or Epcot because they said no more resort buses were running from the parks (around 10pm). So we had to wait for a bus to Downtown Disney and then transfer to a bus to POP. It took nearly two hours for us to get home after dinner. I was very frustrated but tried not to get too angry. Lots of other folks on the bus were really angry about the situation, especially after we had to stop and let two weelchairs on! The crowd grew more and more angry as we headed to Downtown Disney, and our bus driver, Maurice (who looked like Lando Calrissian), pacified the crowd with singing on the bus speaker. He was great and made everyone laugh and cheer up a little bit.

All in all, it was a great day. I loved the tour and I loved the waterpark and I loved my dinner and Lando's singing. We're not really sure what we're going to do tomorrow. The Magical Express bus is coming at 1:15pm, so that doesn't give us a lot of time to work with in the morning.

Day Four: Disney-MGM Studios (Porkchop)

2007-04-23T18:08:00.000-06:00

This morning, all of the excitement of our Disney vacation hit us like a ton of bricks. When the wake-up call jolted me out of bed at 6:45am, it felt more like a dreaded workday than a fun vacation day. If I were at home I would’ve hit the snooze button. Instead, I just set the alarm for 8:45 and went back to sleep.

I don’t know what it was about today. Maybe those three early mornings and late nights at the parks finally caught up with us. Or maybe it was the sinus congestion (me) and sinus drainage (Carrie) that is sapping our strength. Or maybe… just maybe… it was the fact that we were headed to Disney-MGM Studios today. Maybe I was just trying to avoid going on Tower of Terror just a little bit longer.

Yes… the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The first few times I was at MGM after it opened, the rest of my family was uninterested and I was able to avoid the ride without really thinking about it. The last time I went, I was able to use the excuse of keeping an eye on my niece while my brother and his wife rode. But this trip, I knew it was finally time to face my fear of falling and get on ToT.

I am definitely not the biggest fan of falling rides. I don’t know if something traumatic happened when I was a baby or something. Maybe my Dad dropped me at some point. Normally, I avoid bigger coasters with sizable drops. I scream like a little girl during the little drops in Space Mountain and I get shaky-nervous before Splash Mountain. But Tower of Terror is a different beast. The whole point of the ride is that it drops you.

I’m not sure what convinced me that I finally needed to go on Tower of Terror but when we got to the park today, that was the first thing I headed for.

After sleeping in and eating breakfast, we rolled into the park around 11:00 this morning. The crowds were starting to get heavier and we decided to get a Fast Pass for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster before tackling the 30 minute standby wait at Tower of Terror.

When we finally snaked into the building I had watched several dozen groups go up and scream their way down the elevator shaft. My heart was beating fast, but I wasn’t as sickly nervous as I thought I’d be. I think it helped that I watched a few versions of the ride on YouTube. It helped me a bit to know what was going to happen and at what point the big drop would take place. Here's a picture of me while I was waiting in line for the ride:

I was surprised how quickly the cue for the drop came. I clutched the handles and closed my eyes and off we went. Up and down several times before we finally rested at the bottom and the elevator door opened. It all happened so quickly that I barely had time to feel bad during the drops. Honestly, they didn’t seem that bad. Dare I say that it was almost…. fun?

Here's a picture of the triumphant Porkchop after ToT:

Carrie was a little disappointed with the tame nature of our drop sequence, but I thought it was perfect for my first ride. When we got to the gift shop, I finally got to buy myself a Tower of Terror pin as a reward for my accomplishment. It’s a pin of the elevator with little doors that slide open and Stitch dressed as a bellhop inside.

At some point we stopped in at the ABC Comissary and shared the Curry Chicken bowl and some fruit.

In addition to food, they also had some stuff from LOST on display there:

Because of our late arrival at the parks, we were pretty much screwed for the rest of the day in terms of lines and waits. We tried to stick to the UG itinerary, but there were many things that we either didn’t care to do or didn’t have time to do. Neither of us had seen the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, so we made that a priority.

We also took Carrie’s favorite Backlot Tour and rode on the Great Movie Ride. After ToT, we used our Fast Passes on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. We were in the very last seats in the limo and it was a rough ride! Both of our heads hurt afterward and I think it detracted a bit from the excitement of Carrie’s first RnRC ride.

The sun was blazing today with no clouds in sight and we got fairly hot and uncomfortable in the shadeless streets of the Studios. We were desperate for some sort of frozen drink and wandered around until we found a frozen lemonade stand. With our drinks in hand, we hurried back to The Muppet 3D Show which let out just in time for our 5:40 ADR at Mama Melrose’s.

The dinner at Mama Melrose’s was quick and tasty, but I was so worried about getting an upset stomach that I wasn’t able to enjoy my meal as much as I would have liked. I had the bruschetta for an appetizer, the chicken flatbread for dinner, and the spumoni for dessert. By the time dinner was over, we were able to check out a few shops before getting our seats for the 8:30 Fantasmic show.

We had used the Fantasmic Dining package for dinner and got a voucher to get reserved seats at the first show of the evening. While the seats were on the far right side of the theater, I thought they were pretty good. We were about six rows back and had a good view of the characters as they came by on their boats.

The only bad thing about the show was the swarms of gnats circulating through the crowd. It wasn't pleasant.

They were having Extra Magic Hours at MGM tonight, but we opted to leave after Fantasmic ended. Tomorrow morning we have our Keys to the Kingdom tour and we don’t have the option of sleeping in late! I’m excited for the tour and for the possibility of going to Typhoon Lagoon in the afternoon.

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano

2007-04-23T22:09:00.000-06:00

Exterior view of Mama Melrose's

Inside Mama Melrose's

Tomatoes and Mozzarella Appetizer

Bruschetta Appetizer

Some sorta chicken flatbread

Pork Marsala with Mushroom Risotto

Spumoni

Warm Chocolate Cake with Raspberries

Boma

2007-04-22T22:13:00.000-06:00

Dining Area

Carrie's first trip to the Buffet

Carrie's second trip to the Buffet

Hummus Plate

Different Salads

Desserts (including Zebra Dome)

Tusker House

2007-04-22T22:10:00.000-06:00

Vegetable Sandwich with Grapes

Turkey Wrap with Corn Chowder and Cheesecake

Day Three: Animal Kingdom (Porkchop)

2007-04-22T21:30:00.000-06:00

Without really intending to, it just so happened that we ended up at the Animal Kingdom even earlier than before. We got to the AK bus stop and just seconds later a bus pulled up. The guy waited about thirty seconds, then went ahead and whisked us away. There was only one other family on the bus. The driver was talkative and we learned that his all-time favorite TV show was "Dallas" and that his hero was J.R. from "Dallas". He admitted to watching the show every single day after he gets done driving buses.

I've been enjoying getting to the parks before they open, but I hate all the rushing that is involved in getting to your desired ride after the rope drops. People get all crazy and start running with strollers and dragging their kids behind on leashes. Traveling in a party of just two adults certainly makes things easier, but I wish there was a way we could avoid the mess altogether. But then I guess I wouldn't get to see the early-morning park opening shows.

We got over to Asia as quickly as our non-running speed-walking legs would take us and got a fastpass for Expedition Everest. The mountain was still under construction when I was last there and it was exciting to finally see it on the AK skyline. It made for some really beautiful pictures and the blood-curdling screams emanating from the mountain got you excited for the ride.

I was a little nervous at first, but ended up having a blast on Expedition Everest. We went on it twice and thought about going a third time before we left but were worried about making our dinner at Boma.

I think that Animal Kingdom was my favorite park of this trip (so far). Maybe it's just because it's still so new to me or maybe it's just the relaxed pace of the park, but I really like it a lot.

Finding Nemo wasn't as super-great as I'd hoped. It was still great, just not super-great. I still think that Festival of the Lion King is more entertaining, but I mostly just like the little guys dancing around dressed like animals. Those guys really seem to enjoy their job.

Earlier on in our day at Animal Kingdom, we rode Kali River Rapids. When I went with my brother last time, we wore ponchos but barely got wet. This time, I skipped the poncho but was wishing that I'd had it. Within the first thirty seconds of the ride I was completely soaked, and I continued to get splashed throughout the rest of the ride. I think I was in the worst spot on the raft! Here's a picture of me afterward:

Animal Kingdom closed at 6pm and we went straight over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our 6:30pm ADR at Boma. We explored the hotel a bit before going down to eat. It was neat to see giraffes milling about outside the rooms, but it really seemed wrong somehow. I just think that giraffes in a safari ride are one thing...

But having them penned in near a hotel is just strange.

In order to get back to our hotel after dinner, we had to hop a bus to one of the other parks and then switch to a bus to POP. The Epcot bus came first and when we got on we made a last minute decision to stay at Epcot for the Illuminations show.

We positioned ourselves strategically near Mexico and the bridge that goes back over by Test Track. We had a good view of the fireworks and right before the grand finale, we slowly backed out onto the bridge and got ready to scramble back out to the buses ahead of the crowd. I'm glad that we stayed for the show, since we missed it the other night, but I was also very glad to get back to the hotel.

Today was great, but tonight turned out to be pretty "crappy"... and I say that quite literally. I won't go into the details but let's just say that the Disney Dining Plan has messed up my fragile digestive system a little bit. My body isn't used to three meals a day, let alone three giant bad-for-you meals a day. *sigh*

Now that I'm all cleaned out and ready to go, I can ride Tower of Terror in the morning without having to worry about soiling myself. I hear that one really scares the crap out of you! Har Har Har...

[Thunderous laughter]

No, Thank you.... Thank you, really! You're too kind.
I'll see you tomorrow at Disney-MGM Studios!

Day Three: Animal Kingdom (Carrie)

2007-04-22T20:32:00.000-06:00

Like the other mornings here, the only time for resting is while standing by a park's turnstiles, waiting to get in. We beat our other arrival times by stepping off the bus at Animal Kingdom at around 7:55.

For a little bit, things weren't looking so hot. The park staff were trying to be tricky by just having 2 sets of turnstiles open at the beginning. Around 8:30, they started opening others. So, this was the first day for us to NOT be first in line. To top it off, we were behind 2 very annoying families who were traveling together. And, AND, they were also following the Unofficial Guide's itinerary! Argh!!

We got away from them during the rush to the rope near the Tree of Life. However, I ran into the dads at the Expedition Everest fastpass distribution center, and then we couldn't shake them in Dinoland (where we rode the Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur, both of which I enjoyed).

We finally lost them somewhere in Asia, where we rode the Kali River Rapids before Everest. While walking to the rapids, Porkchop mentioned how she forgot to suggest taking our ponchos today. But, since she didn't really get wet the first time she rode a couple of years ago, she wasn't worried. Ha!! I'll let her tell her own story, but I will say I was quite soggy after the ride. Murrr!

Expedition Everest was great fun, and we ended up riding it twice.

We also did the following:

Saw the Flights of Wonder show. Great birds!

Watched It's Tough to be a Bug! Disney loves sensory-filled, 3-D things.

Rode the Kilimanjaro Safari and walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. On the safari ride, we saw a baby giraffe, a baby rhino, and a baby elephant.

Watched Festival of the Lion King. Since I don't like the movie, I was surprised to enjoy the show. Give me music and acrobats, and I'm set!

Watched Finding Nemo: The Musical. I liked the premise and design of the show (actors with giant puppets), but the filling of the theater made me tired, and I found myself bored during the show.

Traded pins. I traded with 2 cast members, picking up a Magical Express Bus pin and an Animal Kingdom pin.

Overall, I liked Animal Kingdom the best because there's so much vegetation and shade is plentiful. Also, since there's not as much to do, the pace is more relaxed.

The park closed at 6:00, and we made it to the Animal Kingdom Lodge before 6:15. The AKL is nice!

Boma was pretty good, but I wasn't super-impressed by its attempt at any sort of authenticity. I liked the ginger carrot soup the best, and I don't know if that's really "African" (especially since it was loaded with cream and more of a sweet bisque). The papaya, grapefruit, and avocado salad was tasty, as was the hearts of palm and lentil salad.

After Boma, we headed to (surprise!) Epcot for Illuminations. We contemplated going to Magic Kingdom, but the 10:00 fireworks show seemed SO LATE. We were happy with our choice of Epcot. In addition to Illuminations, we picked up a quick Test Track ride by taking the single rider line.

Tomorrow is MGM, and Porkchop can't wait to ride the Tower of terror!

Day Two: Magic Kingdom (Porkchop)

2007-04-21T22:42:00.000-06:00

Once we got into the Magic Kingdom, our first stop was Space Mountain, which is one of my favorites. I just like that it’s mostly in the dark and you never know what’s coming next. We spent a good a part of our day in Tomorrowland. There are so many good things to do there, especially now that they’ve added the Laugh Floor Comedy Club. Carrie surprised me by not hating Stitches Great Escape… and we both enjoyed Walt’s favorite- The Carousel of Progress. We rounded out our visit to Tomorrow land with a relaxing ride on The Tomorrowland Transit Authority.

Can I just mention here how much I love love love Fastpasses? I can see not using them first thing in the morning, as there’s no need. But after the first hour or two of the day, when rides are 30-50 minute waits, why would you not use a fastpass? Seriously, there’s nothing better than hopping in a fastpass line and passing up people who have been waiting for 45 minutes or so for a 2 minute ride. It almost doesn’t seem fair. But anyway…

Following the UG Two Day Magic Kingdom itinerary, we were able to get quite a bit done. We skipped Country Bear Jamboree, the Riverboat, and Tom Sawyer’s Island and added an extra trip on Space Mountain, the Carousel of Progress, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We sprinted out of Main Street USA, just as the parade was getting close, and we were back at the hotel by 4:15pm.

Here's a great picture of us on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Carrie was afraid I was going to lose the camera.

After a rest, we cleaned up and headed to the Flying Fish. I had never been to the Boardwalk area and enjoyed seeing the different performers and musicians.

We arrived at FF about 15 minutes before our 7:30 ADR and had about a 5 minute wait. Our server was friendly and attentive and the food came very fast. I am not a big fish person and was hoping for some sort of shrimp entrée, but settled for a shrimp appetizer and the strip steak for dinner. I really really wanted to the love the Flying Fish, but I must say I wasn’t 100% dazzled by it. The atmosphere was nice and I think if you like fish it is a top notch place to go. But if I hadn’t been on the dining plan, I think I would’ve been a little disappointed with my dinner for the price I (would’ve) paid. The highlight for me was dessert. I was full from my drink (Red Snapper alcoholic beverage) and from the steak and potatoes, so I settled for an assortment of three sorbets. They were pretty tasty and a great way to finish off the meal.

Here's me and my Red Snapper.

As Carrie mentioned, I totally rocked the Fantasia Gardens golf course.

We were near MGM and were able to clearly hear Fantasmic as we played the tail end of our 18 holes. We even got to see the ending fireworks as we finished up.

We had taken the bus from POP to MGM and then a friendship boat over to the Boardwalk for dinner, and planned to return the same way we came. But we got stuck behind a group of six people on the golf course and our round lasted longer than expected. I figured we could just walk along the boardwalk path back to MGM and requested directions from a knowledgeable looking gentleman who worked at the golf course. He gave us crazy directions and luckily we were intercepted by the MGM security guard who drove us back to POP in his sweet convertible.

Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom and I am excited to try Expedition Everest and to see the new Nemo musical. Also I am excited for Carrie because she’s never been to AK. Our Boma reservations are at 6:30 and depending on how exhausted we are, we may go over to the Magic Kingdom to see the Spectromagic Parade and Wishes before we turn in for the night.

Departure

2007-04-19T19:26:00.000-06:00

Today has been the longest day EVER, but oddly enough, I don’t feel that tired. This makes me think that I must only receive four and a half hours of quality sleep regularly. Heck, I guess we could have gone to the Magic Kingdom’s extra magic hours! Except for a few things….

First, I really am tired and will be extra tired tomorrow if I don’t get at least seven hours of sleep tonight.

Second, we needed to get back to POP to pick up our fridge from the most recent person in the refrigerator swap that Porkchop signed us up for. We also had to buy breakfast items in the food court for the week (soymilk and bananas for me, powdered donuts for Porkchop).

Third, we cut our Disney Quest time short after Porkhop became sick during the virtual reality game. She has very sensitive equilibrium, and the stupid game made her break out into a sweat and feel generally yucky.

Before the VR game, I managed to beat a handful of 8-year-olds on the Daytona USA racing game. Yes, victory is mine!

Here are other highlights from our day:

The enchanted phone call that I received from Mickey Mouse at 6:45 this morning. Porkchop arranged this a couple of months ago, and last night she programmed the phone number into my cell phone so that “Mickey Mouse” appeared on my caller ID. So tricky! Anyway, it was quite funny to receive a call from Mickey while we were waiting for our flight.

The yummy salmon cobb salad from the Wolfgang Puck Express at Downtown Disney. I think I’ll be quite surprised by the food selections that Disney has to offer now. From what I recall from my 1997 trip, I was lucky to shell out $8 for a measly baked potato with broccoli-cheese sauce at Epcot. I was vegetarian at the time, but food choices overall seemed a bit meager.

Buying two pins at Downtown Disney. Yes, I voluntarily selected two pins for my lanyard! One is Spring 2007 with Flower and Thumper (my favorite Bambi characters when I was a kid). The other is Tax Day 2007 with Stitch at a calculator. Because I’m nerdy like that. Tax Day.

The awesome gift basket waiting in our hotel room when we finally returned to POP after a 45-minute bus wait. Porkchop told me that she had arranged for the delivery of a 12-pack of water, so I was expecting something in our room. However, I didn’t expect the water to be accompanied by dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, English Breakfast tea (in a decorative tin), pretzels, snack mix, gummy characters, and a plush Stitch. Fun! I feel bad for not arranging anything for Porkchop. I just didn’t know these services exist. Murrr!

Off to bed! We have a big day planned at Epcot tomorrow! Hopefully Porkchop won’t get motion sick!

Tommorrowland Terrace Noodle Station

2007-04-21T22:48:00.000-06:00

Here's our lunch at the Tomrrowland Terrace Noodle Station:

Tofu Noodle Bowl with Iced Green Tea

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

And we both had Nestle Crunch Ice Cream bars for dessert! Yum Yum!

Wolfgang Puck Express

2007-04-19T23:18:00.000-06:00

Here's what we ate at the Wolfgang Puck Express:

Tomato Basil Garlic Linguini

Cobb Salad with Salmon (and Creme Brulee for dessert)

Sunshine Seasons Food Fair

2007-04-20T23:14:00.000-06:00

Here's what we got at the Sunshine Seasons Food Fair:

Two Entrees and Two Sides (Sweet & Sour Pork with Rice and Broccoli)

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad and Fruit Tulip

Flying Fish

2007-04-21T23:06:00.000-06:00

The interior of the Flying Fish restaurant

Carrie's Yellowfin Tuna Appetizer

Porkchop's Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer (with Fennel Slaw and Sauce)

Carrie's Alaskan King Salmon

Porkchop's New York Strip Steak

Carrie's Chocolate Valrhona Galette

Porkchop's Sorbets

(Sorry for the bad lighting. The lights were down low and the tables were close together. I didn't want to annoy everyone around me with a flash.)

Day One: Epcot (Carrie)

2007-04-20T20:00:00.000-06:00

It’s 8:00 Friday night, and we are back at our hotel room. We just picked up a turkey sandwich and grapes to share from the POP food court. In a little bit, I think we’re going to hit the swimming pool.

Today was an excellent Epcot day, even if we’re missing Illuminations. We decided it’s more important to maintain our energy and sanity than to see a fireworks/laser show that we’ve both seen before.

Anyway, the morning started with us rising at 6:45 to get to Epcot a little after 8:00. We were first in line at one of the turnstiles. Awesome! During the 45 minute wait before entering the park, we chatted up a Dream Team member and traded pins with him. At 8:45, we were allowed into the park, where we waited at a rope near Innoventions West. Again, we got to chat up some cast members and Porkchop was hugged and high-fived by many cast members.

Our first stop after the rope drop was picking up Soarin’ fast passes. After that, we rode Test Track and Mission Space (green team). After Soarin’, we ate lunch at the Seasons Grill (seared ahi tuna salad and a fruit tart for me) and then rode Living with the Land.

Living with the Land is definitely my favorite ride at Epcot. I love the crazy horticulture projects! Tomato trees, giant hanging pumpkins, and squash grown in the shape of Mickey ears!

Before heading to the World Showcase, we also did the following:

Had a character picture taken at Innoventions. Since we have a Disney Visa, we were able to get a free 5x7.

Sampled sodas of the World at the Coke pavilion place.

Scoped out the Flower and Garden festival displays. Very nice living topiaries.

Rode the other usual rides, such as Spaceship Earth, Journey into the Imagination, and Universe of Energy.

Saw Turtle Talk with Crush. I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much, but I did because of the live improv, interactive performance.

So…the World Showcase…

The World Showcase always disappoints me. It makes me embarrassed because of the superficial look at different cultures. I don’t want the international cast members think that I just want to buy their goods. Overpriced goods at that. For example, the Japanese candy is WAY overpriced (no surprise), but why would I spend $5.00 on candy that I can get for a $1.00 at the international grocery in our neighborhood?

Anyway, the World Showcase makes me feel weird.

We did, however, catch an acrobatic performance at China, and it was the best thing ever.

Also, last complaint about the World Showcase, it’s always really HOT over there. And crowded.

After “visiting” Mexico, Porkchop and I decided to skip Illuminations and head back to the hotel. But before leaving, we stopped back at Innoventions and took a Segway for a spin. So much fun!

Two Memories
This is where I reminisce about a previous trip to Disney World.

When the Disney bus pulled into the Epcot parking lot this morning, my mind flashed back to pulling into the same parking lot with my dad and sister back in 1993. My dad is someone who doesn’t think rules and regulations apply to him, even simple etiquette guidelines. If there is a rule to break, he will do it. If you’ve ever driven to Disney World, you might recall that Disney staff members guide you into the parking lots so that the furthest spots are filled first. My dad decided that wasn’t going to walk across the parking lot to the tram, so he pulled out of the line of cars and piloted us to a closer spot. As we were walking to the tram, staff members were chasing us and yelling at my dad.

It was embarrassing.

Things improved once in Epcot. You might remember that Spaceship Earth was once sponsored by AT&T. If you used a lot of long distance minutes like my parents did, you received some special promotional things, like getting to ride a secret elevator inside Spaceship Earth and enjoying light refreshments in a secret AT&T reception area. Afterwards, you were ushered down to the part of the ride where people were exiting the cars. So, you were already seated in a car when it came up to the loading area. Awesome!

Day Two: Magic Kingdom (Carrie)

2007-04-21T22:00:00.000-06:00

The family from Pennsylvania WAS the best family ever. My favorite part was when the spitting snotty girl from the UK was crawling around on the sidewalk picking up Mickey pixie dust and Andrew said, “That’s right, you have to get all the magic you can here.”

They were so perfect and nice.

But enough about that….

We did SO MUCH today at the Magic Kingdom, and all before 4:00! The only thing we didn’t do that we wanted to do was ride Splash Mountain (technically, Porkchop doesn’t want to ride it but will). We totally covered Tomorrowland (with two rides on Space Mountain), Fantasyland, Liberty Square, and Frontierland. We will catch Adventureland and Splash Mountain after our Keys to the Kingdom tour on Tuesday.

Since we had a few things lined up for tonight, we left MK around 4:00 and napped a bit at the hotel. For dinner, we headed to the Boardwalk for our reservation at the Flying Fish.

For a starter, I had the Tuna Tasting, which was yellowfin prepared a couple of ways accompanied by sesame crackers. My main course was an oak-grilled Alaskan King salmon with potato-chive gnocchi, spinach, ramps, and a garlic-butter sauce. Dessert was my favorite – a warm Valrhona galette with raspberries and gelato. Throughout dinner I sipped on Eroica Riesling, which really hit me right before dessert.

After the Flying Fish, we walked over to play miniature golf. Porkchop beat me of course, but I had a few good holes. After finishing golf around 10:30, Porkchop asked the counter guy how we should walk back to MGM to catch the bus to POP. He gave us totally whacked out directions that began with us cutting through the golf course. Right…

Our trip was cut short the entrance to the MGM security entrance. A security guy leaving the park stopped us and ended up giving us a lift back to POP. This was muck quicker than the bus, but it made us feel quite sheepish.

Stupid miniature golf counter guy!

I’m looking forward to tomorrow since I’ve never been to the Animal Kingdom. I think the Finding Nemo musical will be neat, and I can’t wait to eat at Boma. Yum!

The Best of Families, The Worst of Familes (Porkchop)

2007-04-21T17:00:00.000-06:00

This morning we once again arrived at the parks nearly an hour before opening and were first in line to the turnstile.

Unfortunately, instead of being surrounded by attentive cast members and witty characters, we got stuck next to the most horrible family ever.

The family was British and consisted of two snotty girls (roughly 5 and 7) and one snotty little boy (8 or 9). I was first put off by the way they were complaining about everything. They didn’t understand why some other guests got to go in the parks early (for character breakfasts) or why they had to wait until the rope dropped to get in. To make matters worse, while the parents were busy complaining about their wait, the children were knocking into each other with their stroller and kicking and hitting each other and crying. A cast member tried to pacify the youngest girl with “pixie dust” and stickers but she found fault with both and continued with a rampage that culminated in spitting on her older sister. The parents ignored this activity for the most part, only occasionally threatening to “beat the bloody hell out of” them if they didn’t straighten up.

Thankfully, the horror of this family was soon buffered by the best family ever. This family was from Pennsylvania. The parents were wearing coordinated canary colored polo shirts tucked into their neatly pressed khaki shorts. The kids, a boy around 12 years old and a girl around 5 years old, were wearing matching Disney t-shirts. It was their first trip to the Magic Kingdom and their excitement was contagious. The boy quizzed a nearby cast member about operating times and suggested educated amendments to their five page printed out itinerary. It was refreshing to listen to the family chatter about their upcoming day and my biggest excitement came when I overheard the mother praise her son:

Andrew, I am SO glad that you and Tiffany wore your matching t-shirts today. You look so fantastic. This is just wonderful.

Day One: Epcot (Porkchop)

2007-04-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

Note to self:

Never go to Disney Quest again. Especially the very first night that you arrive at Disney World. The “rides” will make you so sick that you break out into a drenching sweat and throw up in your mouth. You will be dizzy and sensitive to light and noise, both of which are in abundance at DQ.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

I woke up this morning to a slight disappointment. The phone rang at 6:45am and I grabbed it, anxious to hear my pal Mickey wake me up. Instead of Mickey, I was greeted by the sound of silence. Murrrrr…

This morning we looked fresh and ready to go, all bright-eyed and clean out of the shower with our matching trip shirts on. Inside, I felt more hung over than I have in a long time. Much like German beer and French wine, Amanda and Disney Quest just do not mix well together. I was definitely still feeling the effects this morning.

We were early to the bus stop and within 15 minutes we’d arrived at Epcot. While first in line at the turnstile we made conversation with a CM named Robert and my DQ hangover was temporarily eased with the delight of watching Carrie voluntarily whip out her pins and start trading with the CM. Here's a picture of me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the turnstile.

After getting fast passes for Soarin’, our first ride was on Test Track and it was a lot faster than I remembered. Our next stop was Mission: Space and I was hesitant about whether or not I should go on it after last night’s virtual reality fiasco. Thankfully, they’ve developed a less intense version of the ride so I was able to go on it without too much trouble. I did close my eyes in a few parts, just because the motion was starting to get to me.

Little did I know that I would spend a good portion of the rest of the afternoon closing my eyes and putting my head between my legs. Since when did Epcot become an acronym for Every-Place-Causes-Offensive-ThrowUp!?!?!?! Maybe I was just a little extra sensitive today because of last night, but it seemed like so many of the rides involved some sort of gigantic screen with loud noises and lights and larger than life images.

In no specific order, here are the rides that I went on and had trouble with: Nemo, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Mission: Space, and Soarin’. Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom, and Journey into the Imagination were also a little troublesome but more because of jolty motions than anything else.

The only ride that I was able sit back and fully enjoy was “Living with the Land.” Yay for hydroponic plants and for fish farms.

Also enjoyable today were the flowers all around Epcot. Very very pretty. Here are a few more pictures for you.

We ate lunch at the Sunshine Seasons Food Fair and had snacks in the World Showcase. I attempted to use some dining plan snack credits at the Boulangerie Pattiserie in France but after I already had my croissant in hand and was at the cash register, the French girl told me that only their drinks counted as snacks. Pptpththhh! That’s what I think about that.

We loosely followed the Unofficial Guide’s one day itinerary today but kind of lost track of it a couple of hours into the visit. I was surprised though by how quickly we knocked out the main attractions. By 7:00, we were both exhausted and ready to get out of there.

It’s 9:00 now and Carrie is fast asleep. We might go down to the pool for a little bit… but judging by the way Carrie is snoring, we might not. Probably better to rest up for our big day at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow. Another early arrival is planned and we’ve got a lot to do before our Flying Fish reservations at 7:30pm.

Good night!

Wake Up Call

2007-04-19T16:27:00.000-06:00

The past few months, I’ve had this game I like to play called “Pretend-we’re-at-Disney-World”. The game mostly consists of me and Carrie lying on the bed pretending to be asleep. I make a noise like a phone ringing and then reenact the typical Mickey Mouse wake-up call. Rubbing my eyes sleepily, I roll over and give Carrie a few quick shoves.

“Wake up,” I say. “It’s 4:30 in the morning and time to get ready to go to the Magic Kingdom.”

It’s at this point that Carrie breaks out of the role-playing and snaps at me…

I am NOT getting up at 4:30 in the morning while we’re at Disney World.

Finally, all those hours of preparatory role-playing paid off. When the alarm really did go off at 4:30 this morning, we jumped out of bed and were on our way.

In my pre-trip fantasy about this morning, I imagined a long lonely walk to the bus stop, where we would wait alone in the cold darkness for an empty bus to pull up and whisk us away to the MetroLink train.

In reality, the walk was loud with the sounds of rolling baggage on pavement. The bus stop was shared with a couple of other people and the bus was crammed so full of people that I wondered if we’d even be able to squeeze on with our luggage. The train ride was spent in separate seats. And when we arrived at the airport, I sprinted ahead of Carrie, my eyes set ahead on the ticket counter.

During my brisk walk through the terminal, I turned and caught sight of Carrie lagging behind and had to stop and laugh at myself. I’ve waited so long for this trip to get here that I figure I’d better slow down and actually take the time to enjoy it.

Ready to Roll

2007-04-18T21:54:00.000-06:00

The bags are packed, the yellow Magical Express tags are on, we're pre-checked in for our flight and we're ready to roll!

Hopefully we'll be successfully reunited with our bags at our hotel tomorrow evening. In the meantime, we made sure to pack a carry-on bag with necessary toiletries and a change of clothes just in case.

While scrambling to finish our last-minute preparations, we took the time to watch American Idol and LOST. This is not Disney related, but I must say I am incredibly grateful that Sanjaya is no longer on the program. Despite the fact that I got teary-eyed during his final performance, I think it's finally time to get down to business on American Idol.

Now we're off to grab a few hours of sleep before our early early flight and even earlier bus and train ride to the airport. We're going to attempt to get out of bed at 4:30am to catch a 5:30 bus to a 5:45 train to a 7:25 flight to Disney World. Carrie is worried about not getting enough sleep but I don't think I'll sleep too well tonight, even if I tried.

We're going to write about our adventures nightly but may not be able to update the blog quite that often. While we'll be taking the computer with us to WDW, internet access is costly and, after all, we're on vacation! You can expect several updates over the next week, so stay tuned...

And have a Magical Day!

Carrie's Disney History

2007-04-03T19:12:00.000-06:00

I've been to Disney World twice - once when I was fourteen and again when I was eighteen. Unlike Porkchop, I'm not a big fan. I would rather be camping in nature or traveling the back roads through a place I've never been.

Also, I think the Disney empire is a bunch of heteronormative, consumerist hooey.

If you're here from the Disney boards, you probably hate me now.

My family never had a family vacation until I was 26, so I don't have any sunny childhood Disney memories to look back on. My first trip to Disney World included my dad, my sister, and me. For most of the trip, my dad stayed at the off-site hotel, trying to take care of business problems from afar. On the second trip, I went with a high school friend with whom I've since lost contact.

Neither trip was very well planned, which gives me hope for this trip. Porkchop started planning last summer and has an excellent itinerary drawn up.

Even though Disney makes my head hurt, I will enjoy this trip for Porkchop. Also, I'm ready for a vacation ANYWHERE. Unlike Porkchop, who doesn't mind going on a trip when we don't actually have the resources, I can't. I haven't gone on an honest-to-God vacation in FOREVER. Since I'm going to be paid while I'm at Disney World, it's almost okay.

I'm going into this trip with a positive, can-do attitude. I will have fun and enjoy Disney World with Porkchop.

One thing that I'm truly looking forward to is the restaurants. We have reservations lined up for the Flying Fish, Boma, and the California Grill. I can't wait to have a good meal and a glass of wine every night. This, my friends, is exciting for real.

Don't worry, I'm not going to turn off my inner critical monologue while at Disney World, I might just not speak my criticisms. This isn't selling out, this is self-protection. I've read the Disney boards...hardcore Disney World fans can be dangerous. I will keep my mouth closed and my pin lanyard on and blend in.

Countdown

2007-04-17T23:00:00.000-06:00

Here is a look at the countdown calendar which I have been diligently marking off daily since November 2006.

I can hardly believe it!

In just forty short hours, we'll be preparing for landing in Orlando, Florida, and within spitting distance of the Happiest Place on Earth.

I've been packed for at least a week now, but Carrie resisted until this weekend. Although originally reluctant to pack, she was glad that she didn't wait until the night before. When laying out potential outfits, it was discovered that Carrie was in need of a few essentials. Tonight after work, we did a little last minute shopping in preparation for the trip.

Other than that, I think I'm pretty much all ready to go. The only thing I really had left to do tonight was finish up my many trip-related craft projects.

First of all, a disclaimer: I have two masters degrees in art and also work at a UPS Store where I have access to lots of fun things like colored papers and color copiers and laminating machines and binding equipment. My job also offers a lot of down time, so I've been able to make a lot of ridiculous things for this trip. Here are a just a few of them:

My favorite project was a little pocket sized organizer to carry with me in my bag. In addition to important numbers, airline information, and reservation numbers, the book has a page for each day of our itinerary and maps of POP Century and Walt Disney World. As an afterthought, I also added lots of plain note pages throughout to jot down my reminders and observations. Carrie makes fun when I write things like: Sit at the front of the Magical Express Bus! But we'll see who's laughing when I'm the first one off the ME bus to make it to the check-in counter at POP.

For my trip two years ago, I made matching shirts for myself, my brother, and his family. I kind of did it as a joke... but had so much fun with it that I decided to make me and Carrie shirts for our trip. I drew a picture of us. (Guess which one is Carrie.) For this image I pasted it on to the Year of a Million Dreams castle background. Yes, I know... the background is stolen... but I'm not selling these, so hopefully the Dream Squad won't pull me behind the castle and dump my bludgeoned body in the Seven Seas Lagoon.

For our shirts, it's just the two of us on plain backgrounds. Mine is the reddish shirt and Carrie's is the black.

Since the discovery of quality ink-jet, iron-on transfers, I pretty much make most of the t-shirts (designs) that I wear. In addition to the Amanda/Carrie shirt, I'll also be sporting a Carousel of Progress image that my brother "re-drew" in Illustrator for his recent trip.

I will also be taking a Kidney Donor t-shirt that I made in celebration of my October donation to my father. Don't mean to toot my own horn... but kidney donors are awesome. Might as well make a shirt for the occasion.

I also salvaged a toddler's Mickey Hockey t-shirt and used it as a sewn patch on a shirt for me. So much fun!

If only I had more time for more crafty-fun... but I'm leaving in forty hours!