Grand Duo Birthday Trip: COMPLETE 2/5/09 About This Page:

[mcc0313]

What a great start to your trip Dawn...loved the birthday gifts, the rings are beautiful, what a surprise . So glad that you were able to get all your room requests...the view looked amazing.

What a wonderfully relaxing dinner to celebrate...your meals sounded delicious and getting to see the fireworks must have been a great way to end the evening.

What a great day to hit the MK...it looks totally empty. Breakfast with the Pooh gang sounded like fun as usual, but wow - did you guys get so much done within a few hours.

Can't wait to hear all about your afternoon...

[chezp]

What a fun time with our donkey pal - and how great that the Magic Kingdom was that quiet!

[DawnDenise]

20 Minutes is a Long Wait and Chuck is “THAT” guy!

So we headed into Fantasyland and first made yet another potty break. The main difference between going when it’s hot and when it’s cool is when it’s cool; there are more potty breaks as I’m not sweating everything out. Anywho, first stop was IASW even though this is Chuck’s least favorite ride.



After IASW, we headed over a grabbed a FP for Peter Pan. The stand-by time was showing 20 minutes, but we figured we could ride some other rides in Fantasyland and come back. We looked at the line for Dumbo and decided to hold off on that one until the MVMCP. We decided on Mickey’s Philharmagic. I tried not to hold up the line as I was taking pictures of the signs in the queue. Since there was no wait, picture taking was cut short. We headed into the waiting area and had 5 minutes before being let into the theater. They didn’t tell us to move across the theater as there weren’t enough people to even come close to filling half. Chuck and I got a semi-center seat and traveled with Donald. Definitely my favorite 3D/4D attraction.



I was getting kind of hungry so we stopped by Pinocchio’s Village Haus and got a small snack. Figaro Fries and a drink for me; Chocolate Cake and a drink for Chuck. Now that tummies were satisfied, we headed back over to Peter Pan and took our tour of Neverland. I wanted to take some pictures of the mosaics in Cindy’s Castle but never got there because I got distracted again. Yep, another character sighting. This time it was the Fairy Godmother. After getting some birthday wishes and her remarking on my Prince Charming, we stopped long enough to try and get an artsy shot of the back of the Castle.



Next on the agenda was the Many of Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh. Yes, we could have done a FP on this attraction but it wasn’t fitting into our overall plans so we went stand-by and had about a 20 minute wait. Yes, in comparison of the rest of the rides and attractions we did so far, this as a long wait. On a normal day this would be nothing. We had an enjoyable time in the Hundred Acres Woods as always.


At this point in our day, I was trying to decide on heading over to Toontown and to Pixie Hollow to meet Tink, or just head over to Tomorrowland. We were standing there in front of the Teacups when I saw Scrooge McDuck go waddling by and I got distracted for the 3rd time again today. We got to the line quickly and were the 4th group in line. So, after about 5 minutes, I added another new character to my collection.



After meeting the elder of the Duck family, we headed over to the Teacups to take a spin. Like normal, I just kept my eyes directly on Chuck while he spun the thing as fast as he could. We left the teacups behind and headed over into Toontown. We headed over t the Character Tent and saw the absolute, ridiculous line. They were quoting about 45 minutes to an hour to meet Tink. Didn’t take a second thought for us and we headed into Tomorrowland via the back walkway. We grabbed a FP for Space Mountain, and Chuck asked for his picture with Pleakley.



Imagine my surprise when Chuck said he had never been on the Carousel of Progress. I know the first two times we cam it wasn’t operating, but I could have sworn we had taken in this attraction on our most recent trips. Well, we walked right into the theater and got in the center of the row for full enjoyment. I did warn Chuck that I cannot stop myself from singing along. He was warned. I also gave him a quick history of the attraction so he understood what it was all about.






Chuck really enjoyed the CoP and realized the importance of that attraction. He loves Disney…he really does. We headed over to the Laugh Floor as I had only done this attraction once and it was new for Chuck. I told him to think Turtle Talk in a bigger scale as they interacted with the audience. As we entered the theater I didn’t even pay attention where we were seated. As we were waiting on the show to begin, I realized that at least once during the show, the spotlight was going to be on Chuck or myself. As the show continued, there were several times were Chuck was referred to as “THAT” guy. The best was at the end when Roz was talking about promotions and she told Mike that she gave his promotion to “THAT” guy. Funnier if you were there but Chuck actually loved it. They gave him a sticker to remember his moment of fame.





Next, we went and used our FPs for Space Mountain. We were on the right side and in the front car. it as always.


Nest it was time for some serious shooting skills on Buzz. It was a five minute wait at most and we were off saving the galaxy before we knew it. Chuck drove our vehicle and then used that to state why he had a bad score. Mine wasn’t great but at least I beat him. Mine was 80,000 and his was 32,700. Not wanting to be outdone, we immediately rode it again. I drove this time and still won. I cracked 100,000 and he was around 44,000. I didn’t take pictures but you can trust me. But don’t worry about Chuck’s ego. I might have become Buzz champion, but he kicks my behind later on.





It was about 3:30pm and we needed to head back to the resort to get ready for dinner. We passed the Rose Garden and saw a Photopass photographer there. Not wanting to pass it up, we stopped for some pictures. However, the sun was in our eyes so you get the squinty versions of us.



We made it down Main Street, headed out of the exits, and decided to take the boat back to the Grand Floridian. We waited about 10 minutes and a boat arrived. We had a relaxing ride back to the resort. A beautiful afternoon.



We got to our room, and Chuck ran down to get our mugs refilled as I took my shower. We turned on the TV to catch up on our football and NASCAR addictions. We were having dinner at a restaurant there at the resort, so we had a little time to relax.

Coming Up: Citricos and DHS at Insane Levels

[Colexis Mom]

Great update!! Glad the crowds were low in MK and you were able to do everything (except meet Tink)!! Great pictures too!! Congrats to Chuck for being "that guy" !! More please

[Wendyismyname]

Great update!

I swear, taking the boat to the GF is so much more magical than the monorail!!

[KMB733]

Great Update! I the pictures! I can't believe there was hardly anyone in MK! That's awesome for you though. And Congrats to Chuck for being "that" guy! Hurry back with more!

[mcc0313]

What a great morning over at MK...low crowds and lots of character interaction. Glad that Chuck had fun being "that guy"...he was a star at his first showing

Looking forward to hearing about dinner at Citricos....

[wayneava81]

You got a lot done in one day! Love all the character pics!

[lauren-roxy]

What a great morning and wonderful photos!!!

[chezp]

You did get a lot done - and how cool that Chuck was "that guy"!

[DawnDenise]

Just got an email from the California Grill with a picture of the two of us. I totally forgot they took a picture of us as well. So...I gotta share it even though this meal has already taken place in the trip.

[KMB733]

Nice Picture!

[Wendyismyname]

Great picture Dawn!!

[Colexis Mom]

How great that they sent you a picture!!

[disneydani]

We love "That Guy"....never knew they gave out stickers, very cool. Glad you had a great day at MK, nice cool temps and mostly short lines. Looking forward to hearing about your dinner and evening plans.

danielle