tikibird's trip report - june 22-27 2001 - ASMu - Completed About This Page:

[tikibird]

Who
Myself (tikibird, AKA Sandy), age 38 – Disney and Pooh Fanatic – 5th trip to WDW
DH (AKA Andy), age 39 – warming up to the Disney experience 2nd trip to MK, 1st to all of the WDW parks
DS#1 (Gonzo, AKA Craig), age 20 – Disney Theme Park and Muppet Fanatic – 3rd trip to WDW
DS#2 (AKA Chris), age 17, aspiring Techno DJ, not overly fond of Disney, but likes to go on vacation, 2nd trip to MK, 1st to all of the WDW parks

Day One – Waiting in line and in line and in line

It is 4:00 a.m. Time to rise and shine and tell DH (Andy) that the time of departure will be 6:00 a..m., at the LATEST. He of course, as usual when we go on trips, has not yet even begun packing. This annoys me. DSs #1 and #2 are woken up at 5:00 p.m. Well, Chris kind of lays on the couch until 5:15 a.m., until I threaten to leave him there if he doesn’t get up.

Okay, it is now 5:50 a.m. and Andy has just started the process of locking up the house. I’m not amused. He’s changing light bulbs (could this not have been done LAST night?) and announces that he must collect all of the trash from the house and put it in a public garbage can before we can go anywhere. This is another ritual that he has established in order to freak me out prior to every vacation. It works every time. We finally leave at 6:10 a.m., and make the obligatory stop at the garbage can down the street. Whatever!

We get to the extended stay parking lot at the Pittsburgh International Airport at 6:50 a.m. It takes awhile to find a spot, but we finally find one in 10B. We get to the US Airways check in at 7:00 a.m. for a 7:56 a.m. flight. The counter is incredibly packed, and I start getting nervous (is this just me, or does anyone else tense up until you finally get on the plane to Orlando)? The lady from US Airways is letting a whole bunch of people with 7:30 a.m. flights check in ahead of us. Then 7:50 flights. I tell her that our flight is 7:56 a.m. and she tells us to stay put, and lets the 7:50 people go in front of us. Now I’m getting mad. After what seems like forever, we check in at 7:30 a.m. We have just enough time to get through security, zip to the gate, and hit the ladies’ room. I squeeze in a magazine purchase, and we board.

The plane is packed. There is a woman with 3 small children that needs 3 seats together to sit with them. The stewardess asks for volunteers to give us their seats to accommodate them. We all had aisle seats, apart from each other by several rows, so Andy, who always has insisted on an aisle seat, as he has to sit on the end, gives up his seat, along with his two seat mates, for a middle seat. It’s times like this that I remember that I love him (even though he doesn’t pack on time and has to throw out garbage on the way to the airport every trip!  )

We take off and I pull out my notebooks to start taking notes for my trip report. I can’t find my pen!  I ask the stewardess, and she lets me borrow hers, but I find mine shortly after and return hers. I look through my Passporter as the kid behind me repeatedly kicks my seat! 

My seat mate notices my Passporter, and asks me if we are going to WDW. It turns out that she and her family are going to Universal, so we compare notes, and realize that we have much in common. This made for a great flight down as we talked about our kids, our love of shopping, and our shared Christian faith.

We got a “snack” on the plane (bagel), and too late, after I had started munching mine, the stewardess asked me if I had ordered low cal. Ooops! Must have been one of my dieting moments when I ordered the tickets! Fortunately, they had enough to go around, since I obviously was eating someone else’s bagel! DH got his low cal one, and his yogurt exploded when he opened it. The stewardess explained that this happens all the time, particularly to men in business suits. HMMM!

As we are about to land, the stewardess asks me if we (Andy and I) drink. I say, “No, why?” She wants to give Andy a couple of those little bottles, since he was nice enough to change seats. He occasionally drinks, so she gave him two small bottles of vodka, and hands them to me. Gonzo (Craig) wants to know what I am doing with them, as he knows I don’t drink. They ended up sitting in the hotel room and made the flight home. I don’t know what happened to them after that. I should have asked for another exploding yogurt instead. Andy would have liked that much better! 

Now we get to stand and wait for our luggage. Then off to the Dollar rental counter and another line. Twenty some minutes later, we get up to the counter. I had heard that you should book an economy car, and because car agencies rarely have any in stock, they will upgrade you for free. Didn’t inform Andy of this, and he starts looking at the car selection saying “We’ll never fit in this” and I am giving him this nasty look to keep quiet. The counter woman picks up on this and tells us we can upgrade to a brand new NEON (I own a Neon, this does not excite me!) for something like $8 or $10 a day. We also both want to drive, so they tack on another $10 a day. So, our $113 rental ends up costing $209. The counter woman also says we need to show proof that we filled up the car less than 10 miles from the airport, or they will charge us $4.45 a gallon when we come back. I’m not really happy with Dollar Rental at this point. But, I was not happy with Budget last year when we got a flat and they made us ride around on a donut, either. So, we go off to pick up the NEON.

It smells bad. It smells like someone drank too much and threw up in it. It smelled that way the whole trip. Yuck! Brand new? I don’t think so.

We drive through the toll roads (have my exact change ready) and get to the All Star Music resort. We get to the lobby, and guess what – another HUGE line to wait in – yeah! Andy and the boys check the luggage at the front door, and I wait in line. Another 20 minutes. When I finally get to the counter, they have our request – The Jazz Inn, and we get a first floor room, 9429, towards the parking lot. I’m happy with this. But I’m not happy when I ask to purchase our E tickets for that evening, and the CM tells me no, because she has never sold any before. I say “So I have to go get into the Guest Services line then?” She says “Yes.” Sigh! So much for the Disney training for this CM!

We’re all famished by this time, so we first head to the All Star Music Food Court. I had imagined more counters to be served from. But, there is a good selection of things to choose from. Craig and Chris get chicken (it’s amazing our dear Gonzo didn’t turn into a chicken by the end of the trip) fingers, I get a chicken quesedilla, and Andy gets a chef salad. Throw in some pretzels, cheese crackers, 3 drinks, and fruit, and the tab came to$38.

After lunch, I get the E tickets from the Guest Services (not quite as long a line this time, thank goodness!) and we head off in the car to MGM. The sky is looking very threatening. By the time we get there it is POURING, and I only have 2 of the 4 dollar store ponchos that I had packed. Andy insists he doesn’t need one, but I pick up a $6 poncho from the gift shop outside the park. So much for saving money there!  We get through the ticket line and Craig becomes POSSESSED! He insists we much go through this torrential downpour to get a fastpass for R-n-R, and then on to Muppets 3-D. We end up going through 2 gift shops, as it is teaming and we are getting soaked. We tell him at the 2nd one to go on himself to get the fastpasses, and we will wait there. I see a Pooh pillow. HMMM! 

It is still pouring, but Craig leads us onward to Muppets going on and on about how he has waiting so long for this, and he is going to see it NOW. He is disappointed that we miss part of the preshow, but I am glad to be inside and dryer at this point. Muppets is better than I remember, even if there is a disparaging remark about Pittsburgh in it! 

Next stop is the Great Movie Ride with a 10 minute wait. It is not raining quite so hard now, but I am having major difficulty dealing with the HAT in front of TGMR. What is up with that? It is hideous, and serves no good purpose that I can see, it only hides the beautiful recreation of Mann’s theater. The HAT makes me mad! 

On to the Tower of Terror. Neither Chris or Andy have been to MGM before, and they really enjoy the theming of this ride, even though it is still raining as we wait for it (30 min.). This ride is much better than I remember it, (although Craig did not like it at all – as you, I’m sure will hear in his trip report). We get a great picture (Andy is sitting in the middle and making this awful face), which I purchase with my room key. Uh-oh. This is going to be dangerous, and much too easy! I have the picture delivered to our resort, and pick up a floaty pen (I love those things!).

It’s now time for our FP for R-n-R. I love the preshow for this, but the ride is a bit jerkier that I remember.

Dinner time brings us to our PS for Primetime Café (4:45 p.m.). I love looking around in here, as there are some items I remember from my childhood. The food is decent. Chris has a streak, which he really likes, Craig has bbq CHICKEN, and Andy and I are not that hungry, so we get the chicken soup and small salad. We all got chocolate milkshakes, which were wonderful. Total tab was $63 plus tip. Unfortunately, our waitress wasn’t really into her role, but another waiter, waiting on a large group, was great.

After dinner, Craig informs us that it is time for Muppets, again. This time I ask the CM at the front to show us where the mat is that has the key under it. She shows us that it is off to the right at the entrance. I am impressed that we know about this!

We decide to end our MGM adventure, as we are all in the need of a rest. I stop back at the shop with the Pooh Pillow and purchase it with…..my room card!

Back at the ASMu we purchase 3 refillable mugs, as Andy insists he doesn’t want one. I keep telling him he should get one, but no, he says. Ok, I say. I get the smaller-looking one (I say this as the larger-looking ones, we discovered later, don’t seem to hold more than the smaller-looking ones), and the boys get the other kind. I am impressed that the lids come in different colors, as I thought we would have to put names on them. I highly recommend anyone that can purchase these (ours were $8.99) get them, as they were well worth it. Even though we didn't eat at the food court that often, we did stop every morning and evening for drinks.

I can’t tell you how delighted I was to have a cup of coffee at that point in time. Aahhh! It was heavenly! And I needed it! We then upack/rest for about 1.5 hours.

As for the room. I thought it was great. I don’t know why people complain about the size. Other than the beds being a bit small (Chris ends up sleeping on the floor anyways), it was fine, and really well themed. We liked the star and music-note lights. The soap/shampoo dispenser was a bit grody, as Nate had pointed out in his trip report, and there were some Mickey Mouse stickers stuck to the back of the bathroom door, that didn’t appear to suppose to be there, but otherwise, I really liked the room. Then again, I’m used to staying in Days Inns!  I can’t see spending a ton of money on a room when you plan on spending so little time in it.

After our rest, we leave at 8:30 p.m. for E ticket night at MK. We take the ferry over to the park. We wait in yet another long line to get our wristbands at City Hall. SpectroMagic is running, so we are unable to book to Pirates as we had planned. The men in refuse to stay and let me watch the parade.  When we can get through, we cut through the Emporium , and head straight to Pirates. After our December trip to Disneyland, this is very disappointing! Where are the fireflys? And the treasure room! Oh Well! It is almost park closing , and there is a very small line for Aladdin. We get on, and I am a bit sad that this is the new ride the Imagineers have come up with. Yes, it is cool to see Adventure land, the torches and the new shop area like this, but could they have come up with something better than this?  Chris is disappointed that only one camel is spitting water, and it is not coming anywhere close to us.

It’s now time for Eride night. We start with Splash. Andy has kind of a mullet thing going on with his hair, which Craig and Chris go after repeatedly. Andy and his wavy mullet get soaked. This leads to Chris’ comment: “Cost of WDW vacation - $3,000. Wet mounds of curls: priceless.” 

Big Thunder Mountain is next. This is way better than I remember. Perhaps this is because it is at night? But it was a lot of fun.

We then do HM, and agree that we like DL’s better.

Off to Tomorrow Land. I’m getting REALLY tired about now. Craig racked up 189,000 on Buzz, compared to my 3,800! I then talk everyone into going onto TTA, which turns out to be the sleeper hit of the trip! This is great! We especially like the part when you go through Space Mountain. Why didn’t I know about this before?

Our last ride is Space Mountain, which we agree is better than DL. But we are tired now,and want to go back to ASMu and go to sleep.

Main Street is quiet and beautiful. We get up to the monorail, and I ask the driver if anyone is riding up front. It was a magical moment when the conductor said “I can take up to four.” We all really enjoyed the opportunity to sit in front with the driver.

We got back to the resort, showered, and went to bed around 1:30 a.m.

It was a long, exhausting, but wonderful, day.

More to come, as soon as I get the chance to write it! Also to come – Gonzo’s own version of this trip in his trip report! Stay tuned!
[img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[ 10-24-2002, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: tikibird ]

[MagicLover]

Thanks for sharing! That was one LONG first day - but you really saw and did a lot. I even feel tired now!

[tikibird]

Day Two – Can I go live in Canada? Beaver Tails, Cheese Soup and Hockey!

We sleep in a bit later than originally planned, due to the long day yesterday. I get up at 8:15 a.m. There is this great full-length mirror on the bathroom door that enables me to just turn on the bathroom light, not the vanity one, and put my makeup on without too much disruption to everyone else still sleeping. I drink my pineapple juice (we bought a case of 6-oz cans in Pittsburgh for six bucks, and brought them in my suitcase. They were the perfect size to put in the ice bucket w/ice at night for a cool drink in the morning.) I wake everyone else up and tell them I am going to the food court to have devotions. Right before we left for the trip, a speaker at my church talked about going to WDW with his family, and making sure he had devotions first thing in the morning before he hit the parks. I’ll have to admit, prior to this trip, I hadn’t given too much thought to it while at Disney, but it was really nice to get away by myself in the morning, and still be able to have a quiet time with God in the midst of all of the people having breakfast in the food court.

Speaking of the food court, I get there and realize that I have forgotten my protein bar. Oh horrors! Whatever will I do? Perhaps, pull out my room key and get a cinnamon bun! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] They poured the icing on it while I watched, and I knew it was going to be a good day!

After coffee, cinnamon bun and devotions, I filled up the kids’ mugs and headed back to the room. We were all slow getting started, but got into Epcot, the scheduled park of the day, at 10:15 a.m. A NASTY storm was brewing, so we get in the line for Spaceship Earth and hope we get undercover before the rain starts. We do, just barely.

Craig loves this ride almost as much as Muppets. Andy and Chris are impressed with their first time on it. I enjoy it more than the only time I was on it, last May. After SE, we put on our raincoats and head for Ellen’s Universe of Energy. I dislike the reference to evolution [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] (which is all over Future World), but otherwise, find the show to be better than expected.

Yes, it is now almost 11:30 and time for our PS at Le Cellier. Cheese soup here I come! I do, however, get nervous when we see that the Beaver Tail stand is closed. I’m wondering if it will stay that way because of the weather. I will be SO sad if I don’t get to try one!

As for Le Cellier, I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. It is beautifully decorated, and the food was excellent! Our waitress, Laura, is the best. She is very informative and helpful. Craig (I think this is his only non-chicken meal of the trip), Chris and I decide on the Steakburger, and Chris and I must have the cheese soup, as well. Andy opts for the cheese soup and a salad. I am wondering what the thing in the middle of the table is that looks like a big candle holder. Turns out it is for the breadsticks Laura arrives with. 2 pretzel, 1 salt and 1 sourdough. YUM! And then out comes the soup, and we can dip the breadsticks in the soup. This is too good! We have to eat here all the time! The steak burgers are excellent, as well. It is so huge, I can’t eat the English-muffin-type bun it comes on. Great meal – everyone – make your PS now! Laura is very gracious to tell us about her hometown in Ontario when I ask, as well as about pond hockey. We are big hockey fans, so we enjoy her story. Total before tip: $57.40. Excellent meal! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

It’s still raining, so I insist on the boys ditching the 2 for a dollar cheesy raincoats from the dollar store, for 2 6-dollar Mickey ones. Andy still likes getting wet, apparently, so I leave him alone.

We head back to Future World to see the Living Seas. On the way, we hit Ice Station Cool. We almost slip and fall on the snow going in, and I wonder how many people have done so. We really enjoy trying the different drinks. I know about the nasty-tasting Beverly, so I cheerfully tell Craig to try it. Wicked face I get! “I hate you!” he says! I trick both Chris and Andy into trying it as well, but don’t get quite as passionate responses from them! My favorite is the one from Germany.

The Living Seas is boring. I feel like I’m at a field trip. I used to be a PTA president, so I’ve done more than my share of them. I do like seeing the manatees at the end, though.

Next is Living with the Land. The wait says 50 minutes, but fortunately, is only around 20. It was so cool to see cotton growing. We also have a banana plant at work that we grew from a baby, and it was cool to see other banana plants with fruit there. Andy dozes off. The CM who has been our host mentions that he put a lot of people to sleep, and didn’t expect Andy to make it the whole trip.

Next is Food Rocks. Although Chris and Andy protest, the males in the family admit it was pretty cute. We all like Pita Gabriel. Finally, it has stopped raining.

After another trip to Ice Station Cool (but no Beverly this time), we head over to Test Track. Both it, and the fast pass for it are now open (both were closed when it was raining) and we get our FP for the early evening. I now announce that it is time to try Beaver Tails (keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the stand is open). Andy, the food police, is not amused that we are eating between meals, although I remind him that I had forewarned him that we would be doing so. We pass a CM blowing bubbles near Canada. Nice work, if you can get it!  We approach the Beaver Tail stand, and yes, it is open! Craig and I get the Chocolate Hazelnut and Sugar, and Chris gets the Maple and Chocolate. Andy steams. These are good, but there is a bit too much icing, and it is a bit too sweet. Would try the cinnamon and sugar next time, but will definitely have another! Andy is now traumatized and makes stupid comments about the beaver tails the rest of the day. Sigh!
[img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

We continue our journey of the countries. I look in the Tea Shop in England. We look through Morocco, and I get a great picture of Chris wearing a fez rubbing a lamp with a genie coming out of it.

We don’t stop again until Japan’s gift shop. I see the pearls for sale and think of Major Woody’s wife, but resist the temptation to buy one myself. We glance in Yakatori House, as I had thought about going there for dinner, but it seems as though everything has veggies, which neither Craig or Chris are crazy about.

We bypass the American Adventure, as we are still tired from the day before, and I fell asleep in it the last time we were there.

Next stop – China. We look at the art exhibit, and the gift shop. We are never going to get Chris out of here! He ends up with a book, and I get a small egg with Pandas painted on it. I also enjoy the display window filled with pandas, as I have collected them since high school.

Craig wants us all to go on the Maelstrom boat ride. It is okay, but not as great as I had imagined based on reviews. Andy comments to the boys that they should move to Norway, as he has noticed all the good looking female CM in Norway.

Mexico is our next country to stop at. This is really nicely themed inside. The restaurant looks very cool also. But, the boat ride is LAME! I kept thinking, is this a joke? Who are those people in those cheesy videos? No, no, no!

We then head back to the Sunshine Food Fair for the most unremarkable meal of the trip. Craig has CHICKEN tenders and fries, Chris has a BBQ chicken sandwich, which he doesn’t finish, and Andy and I get chef salads. It has this NASTY looking ham on it. I go to the bakery to get fruit salad, and Andy has piled all of his gross-looking ham onto my salad. Yuck! I dispose of it. The salad greens are fresh, but overall the meal is very disappointing….until we get…two… are you ready Fortissimo – MICKEY BARS! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I make Andy and Craig toast Fortissimo before they dive into them, and they give the Mickey Bars two thumbs up! I have two bites of Andy’s, and I don’t know what happened, but I had Mickey Bar chocolate all over me, my raincoat, my clothes, and my waistpouch. Had to stop and get cleaned up before another ride on Spaceship Earth. Total for dinner - $43.

After SE, we go to Cranium Command, which is better than we expected it to be. It was then time for our Fastpass for Test Track. We waited about 15 minutes, and the ride broke down twice when we were on it. We were therefore not too impressed with it.

Finally, about 7:45, the sun appeared! I had started to imagine going back to Pittsburgh as white as a ghost! I insist on seeing the TON parade. Andy stays with me, and Craig and Chris go to SE AGAIN, and then get in line to go back on Maelstorm. Turns out the ride go shut down while they were in line, as a boatload of people were stuck at the edge of the waterfall for quite some time! Andy and I really enjoyed the parade, and I took a lot of pictures. We all met up in the China gift shop. I wanted to stay for Illuminations, but didn’t want to press my luck, as the family members had had enough Epcot for the day.

We head back to ASMu. I go up to Melody Hall to pick up the TOT picture from the day before and a newspaper from Maestro Mickey’s. I took an herbal tea bag with me, filled up my Refillable Mug with hot water for it, and started writing notes for this report. I really enjoyed watching all the people, and was amazed at how many people will still eating at 11:00 p.m. Good thing Andy, the food police didn’t see them!

We went to bed shortly after showers to prepare for Day Three, Animal Kingdom an’at (Pittsburgese – email me if you want to know what it means) [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Gonzo]

[img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] You've done quite a good job thus far, tikibird! I am impressed, and this trip report will aid me greatly in my own personal trip report. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Brant]

Sounds like it's shaping up to be a fun trip! Sorry I didn't meet up with ya, I did hang out by Le Cellier just before 11:30 for a bit, I was actually on a nearby bench watching for any peeps with PassPorter pins coming down the path, were ya wearing them that day? It wasn't a hassle though, I headed right into the artsy O Canada afterwards [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

-Brant

[Fortissimo]

Isn't Beverly the most disgusting thing you have ever tasted? I pulled the same thing on my husband and he made a very funny face.

I'm glad the Food Police Chief gave the Mickey Bars a thumbs up. And thanks for remembering me!

Gonzo - no cheating on your report. Oh, and Gonzo, hurry up with that report, will ya?

Can't wait to hear more!

[coffeechef]

Great Trip Report, Keep it coming. As for Beverly... I got my 7 1/2 yr old nephew to taste it & he spit it into the Tray Drain before i Could stop him. I Got it on Vidoe tape too. I was lol as I was scolding him for spitting it into the drain tray. Can't wait to do it to his Twin Brother who will be with me this Year. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[MOT]

Great Trip Report Tikibird!!

I'm looking forward to more....more.....more!
So far no takers on the Pittsburghese!! I live right outside of Pittsburgh and read right thru like I was reading a book. I'm waiting to see a "yunz" thrown into your report or maybe a "pop". LOL... [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img].....everytime I have vacationed....I'm immediately pegged as being from Pittsburgh!

[tikibird]

Hi MOT,

I just finished Day 3, and made sure to throw in a couple of "pops" just for you! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I do, however, draw the line at "yinz" and "yunz" [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Day 3 – Animal Kingdom an’at

I wake up at 6:15 a.m. Mickey calls me at 6:22 a.m. and tells me he’s happy that we’re here. This is too cool. I am so happy to be staying on property! The Mickey Soap bars make me happy, too. Being happy – that’s what Disney World is all about! [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Time for devotions and to pick up coffee for me and pop for the kids at the food court. I’m good today, and actually ate the protein bar I packed, instead of a goody from the food court.

We get to the gate of Animal Kingdom at 8:15 a.m., and head straight for the Kiliminjaro Safaris. “Follow me!” I say confidently, knowing only to bear to the left. Uh oh! They are filming in Africa, and the way there is blocked off! We are directed to Asia, so somewhat less sure of myself, I lead the charge. Fortunately, I still can figure out the way. The standby line is 20 minutes, but we only wait around 15.

We see lots more animals this time than when I was there last time. Chris loves our driver, as he makes the ride seem more real with his accent, even though it is a bit difficult to understand him. Some giraffes are eating right off of the side of the road, and I get a couple of great shots of them.

Next stop is Dinosaur, which has a 10-minute wait. It seems a bit better than last time, but I still think that the ride is way too dark. The Indy ride in DL uses the same vehicles as this ride, but is much, much better.

Tough to Be a Bug is our next stop, with around a 10 minute wait. Chris and Andy have never seen this before, and really enjoy it. Andy wants to make sure we see it again before we leave for the day.

I had wanted to see two shows at AK, Festival of the Lion King, and Tarzan Rocks (okay, no flames here, but I really like the Tarzan soundtrack, and rollerblading!) I notice this pink sparkly Mickey Head headband, that I decide I must have, before we go in for the show, and make a note to go back later and purchase one. Craig and Chris refuse to sit for this, so they go back for another ride on Dinosaur, and a trip through the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

I am very disappointed in the Lion King. I really didn’t like the movie, so that probably has a lot to do with it, but Andy doesn’t care for it either. Acrobatic monkeys just don’t do much for us.

After the show, it is time for our PS at the Rainforest Café, and we meet Craig and Chris there. We are seated shortly after signing in, at a great table in the heart of the animatronics. I have a Natural (veggie) burger, but I don’t like it as much as the one I had in Vegas. That one had a vinegar-based dressing, but this one tastes like thousand island. Not as tasty, but the waffle fries are very good and worth the extra money (I think it is $1.50) to get them instead of chips. Andy has a Buffalo Chicken salad, but the chicken isn’t buffalo. He asks for hot sauce, which he receives. Chris and Craig have the CHICKEN club, which Chris declares is “bomb!” Our waiter, Josh, is very nice when he sees Craig and Chris are filling their water bottles with the pop refills, and brings them each a glass with no ice to finish doing so. He gets a nice tip! The total, with my Disney Club discount (10%) is $49.65. I also use the DC discount (15% for merchandise) to pick up a cute RC polo shirt for $6.99 before the discount. Craig gets a squeezie something or other that is on clearance, also.

Next comes the worst part of the trip. We go to Chip and Dales to get the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich thing recommended on these boards. Andy, the food police, has decided that we should share one, which I am okay with, as I am pretty full from lunch, anyway. I give him money to get one, and head back to get the pink sparkly Mickey head headband. They are sold out of the headbands!

When I get back to Chip and Dales, all three guys are sitting on the bench, because Chip and Dales are out of chocolate chip cookies, and it will be 15 minutes for them to make some more. Craig says he does not want to wait that long, as it is really getting hot. No problem (I thought), we’ll just get an oatmeal raisin one, which I do.

Well, to make a long story short, this apparently made Andy irate(he says it's because he really wanted chocolate chip), and we got into a huge argument over this oatmeal raisin ice cream cookie sandwich, about half of which I ended up throwing out,as he refused to eat any of it(what a stupid thing to fight about!). We end up in the Maharajah Jungle Trek, and I am crying the whole way through. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] Sigh! I do, through my tears, notice how beautifully themed the Trek is.

Now, when the going gets tough, the tough goes shopping, so I determine to find the pink sparkly mickey head headband. I do, and feel a bit better.

By this time, we are all tired and hot, so we use our fastpass we obtained earlier for ITTBAB (which took longer than the standby line earlier) and head out. No Tarzan, but maybe next time (if it’s even still there – I haven’t heard a positive review yet!)

We head back to the room, but it is not made up yet (around 2 p.m.) We have noticed that the tip hasn’t been taken any of the days yet, either. Does anyone knows what Disney policy is on this? Are the CMs not allowed to take money until check out? On other non-Disney stays, we have left a tip every day, and it has been taken. We get some refills for our mugs and just rest for about an hour or so.

Now it is time for “an’at” Now in Pittsburgh, “an’at” typically means “and other stuff” For instance, “We were just chillin’ an’at.” I have my own special interpretation. My “an’at” means a great shopping opportunity. For example, every other week I tell Craig and Chris that I am going grocery shopping an’at. “An’at” in this case means hitting the Disney Store, Old Navy, GAP , and the Family Christian store before I even get near the grocery store. So, as far as I am concerned, no Disney trip would be complete without “an’at” – meaning a trip to the Belz Outlets, and Downtown Disney!

It takes about 30 minutes to get to Belz from the All Stars, and the adrenaline is flowing as we pull into the parking lot! I see, going in that there is a GAP outlet as well, but manage to stay focused on the Disney Character and Premiere stores. I briefly go into the Universal store, which wasn’t there last year, and they have great prices (half off what is marked on items, which are already reduced), but I manage to refrain myself from buying anything there. I end up purchasing 6 WDWT-shirts for my extended family for $59 total at one store, and $21 for an embroidered Pooh sweatshirt and Pooh necklace for myself at the other. I am starting to dismiss the oatmeal raisin ice cream cookie sandwich fiasco a bit now. But there is more “an’at” to do.

We stop at the Crossroads plaza Taco Bell on the way back. This is wonderful, as we are not that hungry, and only spend $15 for dinner. More money for an’at! We then leave for Downtown Disney. Andy, Craig and I get chocolate milkshakes at Ghiradellis. I think they were around $3.00 a piece. Andy, the food police now declares that ice cream is okay for consumption, but pastries are not. (Must have been that Mickey Bar influence!) Whatever! The milkshakes are taking forever to make, so I leave and get a map to show the guys how to get over to the Virgin Megastore from the Marketplace. They leave, with the Disney Club Card, and the 10% off coupon in hand. (This was dangerous, as I later discovered, as Andy also had a room card!) Andy and I agree to call each other when we’re done on our cell phones.

I enjoy the opportunity to walk around solo, and visit all the shops I’ve been wanting to see (Art of Disney, Pooh’s Corner, the Christmas Store and the Home Store). Surprisingly, I don’t buy anything, just window shop, but really have fun doing so. I see a Pooh and Tigger statue that is incredible and huge in the Art of Disney store, and consider it a bargain at $125. However, I also realize that it would probably not last long in my house, given Chris’ friends practically live there, so I make a note to self that it would be a good thing to get come empty nest time. I also notice that the Pooh’s
Corner store is much larger than last year. Did it move, or expand?

I end up in the World of Disney, and decide on a black shirt with the Mickey Head outline and Walt Disney World embroidered in the primary colors. Unfortunately,on the one on the floor in my size the embroidering is starting to ravel, but a lovely cast member named Margaret calls, and has another one for me in a few minutes. I also get a magnet with Donald looking really mad, which is now on my fridge. He looks like he had an oatmeal raisin ice cream cookie sandwich incident also!

Unbelievably, the guys take longer shopping than I do, and I end up waiting for the return of the Disney Club card to make my purchase. Turns out they have dropped $119, now charged to the room, in the record store! Oh well, guess they needed an an’at also! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

We get back to the hotel early that evening. Andy apologizes for the oatmeal raisin thing and does some laundry. I apologize for trying to punch him and almost breaking my hand on his watch – oh, forgot that part earlier! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] (Note to all the DH's out there, do NOT mess with a woman and her WDW treats!:eek [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I get refills and a paper at Melody Hall, and continue to work on the trip report. We go to bed early, as we have a big day ahead.

Don’t turn that dial – coming up next:
Day 4 – Universal Marathon – Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios in one day.

[Brant]

Tiki,
Don't feel bad...my family put the fun in dysfunctional at WDW. I remember lots of great arguments I had there. Especially when my friend and I want to do different things, you didn't need to go to Epcot to see fireworks! Ya gotta love a good WDW fight.

I also agree with Dinosaur being too dark, but it sure gives ya a real scare! I'm looking forward to your day at Universal!

-Brant

[tikibird]

Brant,

I see, so THAT's why you decided on a solo trip! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Seriously, though, I think a solo trip would be awesome. Do, eat, not do what you want, when you want. I was in Disneyland alone a couple of years ago and had an excellent time. Kind of hard to argue with yourself. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[coffeechef]

great Trip report...keep it coming. Also wqaiying for Brant's next installment. I went to Magic Kingdom, MGM & Universal alone on a trip to visit friends( I went while they were at work)
I really enjoyed the time. I could People watch (especially fun was watching couples fighting over Ice Cream Sandwichws [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] )
Mostly you could go as early stay as late with out anyone to worry about than your self

[tikibird]

Wow, coffeechef, just when I thought that we had gotten away unnoticed....... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Day 4 Universal Marathon – Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios in one day!

I get up at 7:00 a.m., as we need to ride over to IOA/US for the 9:00 a.m. opening. My trip to the food court this morning includes a Mickey Waffle, as I figure I need a little Disney Magic to get me on my way!

We get to the US parking lot around 8:45 a.m. I have flashbacks of last year when we had a flat tire and no one would respond to me as I was frantically pressing every “help” button in sight. I spent the entire hour we waited carrying on about how this would not happen at Disney!

Fortunately, this year, our tires hold up, and we park on the roof of the building. I’m a bit concerned that our tickets from last year, which have one day of “park hopping” left on them (since I insisted that I could not be in Orlando and not go to the Magic Kingdom at least one day last trip!), will not work, as they got DRENCHED, along with me, on the Dudley Do Right Ripsaw Falls the previous year. That was the low point of last year’s Universal trip, as I was miserably wet the rest of the day and cranky. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Craig was so kind as to get me a Dudley Do Right beanie for Christmas last year to commemorate. I suppose this year that I will get an oatmeal raisin cookie! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

We get to the turnstiles of IOA, and the tickets work with no problem. We head straight to Marvel Super Hero Island and Spiderman, which we all loved last year. We attempt to use the Universal Express system to get a “fastpass” for later in the day before we get in line (30 min. already!). I have to say that this system is bad. We were able to obtain two passes, and then another one printed out for several hours later. This also managed to mess up our ability to use the system as a family later in the day. And no employee in sight to help us out. Oh well, Disney it ain’t! The line for Spidey is moving pretty well, and then the announcement that the ride is having technical difficulties. We stay put, and it is around 15 minutes before we start moving again, but the total wait is only 30 minutes. I request a front row seat, and do get it. This ride is incredible! Indy in Disneyland is my all-time favorite, but this is a piece of technological wizardry. It really looks (particularly when you are in the front row) like the characters are sitting right on the edge of the car. We all give the ride two thumbs up, again.

It is now time to use the two good express passes, so Craig and Chris go on again, as Andy and I head over to Hulk, which they did not want to ride. After a 30-minute wait, we ride. This is my favorite coaster. The ride is very smooth, and I love the way you pretty much get shot out of a cannon at the beginning.

Next we head over to Seuss Landing. We had planned to do much more in Seuss Landing this year (I love One Fish, Two Fish), but for some reason, only rode Cat In the Hat once. This is a great dark ride (I love the fish), but there is a bit more spinning than I prefer. We couldn’t get Craig off this ride last year – he rode it four times! Seuss Landing, and in fact the entire park, is beautifully themed. In Seuss, you really feel like you are in a storybook, much the way Toontown in Disneyland is. After admiring our surroundings a bit, we head into the Lost Continent.

The guys all want to go on Poseidon’s Fury. I wasn’t overly impressed with this last year, so I bulk, but Craig reminds me that this has just been reopened from a rehab. The show is now much better. The story is much easier to follow and I prefer the realistic characters as opposed to the cartoon ones that were in there previously. We decide to skip the Fire and Ice coasters this year, as they made us a bit queasy last trip.

We are all now getting hungry. I had made a reservation for Mythos for dinner, thinking we would head back to Islands after Universal, but we decide to cancel that and eat lunch there, instead. I highly recommend this restaurant, as it has great theming, gourmet food, and decent prices (for gourmet food!). Justin, our server, recommends the wood fired pizza as an appetizer. Yummy!
Andy gets a chicken Caesar salad, Chris gets a steak, I have the tuna with wassabe potatoes, and Craig has, surprise, a CHICKEN club! The service was slow, but we enjoyed just kind of chillin’ here. Total, before tip, $69.91.

The next land in our adventure is Jurassic Park. We decide to go on the JP River Adventure, as we had earlier decided to just hit our favorite rides, given we were cramming two parks into one day. The wait was posted as 45 minutes. 30 minutes into the wait, I had to get out of line. Too many people crowded together and too hot. I met the guys in the gift shop at the end of the ride, and enjoyed just being off by myself for a bit. They feel the ride was updated somehow, as they like it better than last year.

At Toon Lagoon Craig plays “Fried Frog” as they have Gonzo dolls as prizes, but ends up with a lovely inflatable sword instead. Andy insists he knows how to get the Gonzo doll. He ends up walking over with another inflatable sword and says that he didn’t want Chris to feel bad because he didn’t have one. We find a really neat shirt that has a frog being a DJ on it for Chris at a cart. For some reason it takes the lady 15 minutes to figure out how to let us pay cash for this, but Chris wore it for most of the rest of the trip, so was worth it.

Craig wants to hit the Marvel gift shops on our pass back through Super Hero Island to get a video and some comics, and then uses the single express pass (he wasn’t aware of the single rider line). Andy and Chris hang out there, and I head to Port of Entry to purchase the park soundtrack, which they were sold out of last year. I end up waiting a while for them, so I take my picture at a machine that put an Incredible Hulk border on the picture, which was kind of fun. Everyone that sees it just kind of looks at me – but I like it! [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

It’s now getting well into the afternoon, so we say goodbye to IOA and head over to Universal. Chris and I sit at a station where they have misters by the Animal Actors (or whatever they call it now) show, and Andy and Craig get express passes for Men In Black. It is really hot, although I am not complaining, as this is the first day we didn’t have to use the rain ponchos at all. I put my hair in pigtails while we wait. I don’t think I have done this for quite a few years, but hey, I figure, it’s hot, I’ll soon be 39, so why not! Andy explains that they had a really hard time to get the express passes this time, but fortunately, there was an employee to help them out, so we will all be heading over there in the evening.

As we enter Woody Woodpecker’s zone, an employee with a camera actually convinces Craig to get his picture taken (not his favorite way to pass the time), along with the rest of us. I forget my hair is in ponytails, but it actually turned out pretty good. I tell Craig and Chris that I look more like their sister than their mom! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

We go on ET next, which is Peter Pan times three! Great ride! Craig entertains the entire group waiting for the preshow by doing finger puppets on the screen! We next go to see Terminator II, which was better than I remembered. Last year we sat on an end, and I don’t think we got the full effects. This 3-D is very good in this show, but I imagine it would really scare small children.

It is still really hot around 4:00 p.m. and Craig, Chris and I decide it would be a good time to get Lemon slushies. The food police reminds us that it is only an hour before dinner, but we get them anyway. Not happy, is the food police, again, but we ignore him, not wanting a repeat of the oatmeal raisin ice cream cookie sandwich disaster!

Kongfrontation has a very short (5 min.) wait. I like this ride, and the smell of banana breath! The monitor doesn’t work at the end though, which is a bit of a bummer.

Earthquake is next. I raise my hand in the preshow to be cast as a shopper, and get picked! What appropriate casting! I get to shake and scream as we pretend to be in an earthquake on an escalator. That was a lot of fun! My big dream to be an actress, finally realized! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

We head to the Monster Café for dinner – same place we ate last year. The kids have pizzas and the pudding sundaes they really liked last visit, Andy and I have chef salads, and Andy gets a small fruit salad. Total with drinks $47. I try to feel out the food police, as I would really like that piece of chocolate cake they have there. He says to go ahead, but I decide to test the “ice cream is okay route.” We go to Schwab’s Pharmacy (which is cool, as Chris’ nickname, since he was a baby is “Schwabhead!&#8221 [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] , and Andy gets another chocolate shake, and I get the best hot fudge sundae I ever had with butter pecan ice cream. I manage to drop some of it on the sidewalk, but no food police comments. It worked!

We ride ET one more time before it is time for Men In Black. This puts Buzz Lightyear to shame! I suggest we go back into the single rider line, as I noticed people walking on that way when we used our passes. We do walk right on as single riders.

Andy and Craig want to do Back to the Future. Chris and I do not, so we hang out in the International Food Fair and enjoy the air conditioning and movie clips they are showing. No one seems to care that we haven’t purchased anything. Afterwards, we think about doing Jaws, which we all thought was incredibly cheesy last year, but decide against the 25 minute wait. Craig and Andy do the MIB single rider line again, and Craig ends up being a Galaxy Defender! [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] We hear about this for the rest of the trip!

We do Kong one more time, This time the monitor works, and we see ourselves kind of just sitting in the car. We are supposed to look terrified, so it is pretty funny!

The last ride, as the park is about ready to close, is Twister. We stand in the front row this time, and the effects are really better from that viewpoint.

I go to pick up our picture from earlier in the day, and bird decides to leave a present on Craig’s shoulder, so he hits the men’s room to clean up. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Craig noticed how the roles were reversed that day – Andy led the charge, and I lagged behind. The opposite is true in the Disney parks. I mean, I like the Universal parks, but it’s just not the same. The magic is not there! They are great places to go with teenagers, though, and both Craig and Chris, as well as Andy, really enjoy the rides at both. They are Andy’s favorite parks, although he admits that the Fastpass system at Disney is much better than what they have going on at Universal.

We head back to ASMu. I go to Maestro Mickey's and pick up the All Star Music Mickey beanie I had been wanting to get, and then head to the food court for a refill and to work on this report. I am really enjoying this resort, even though we don’t spend much time at it. We go to bed, not too late, because tomorrow is my big day – don’t turn that dial – next up

Day 5 - The Magic Kingdom – Mission Dumbo, Pooh, and Mickey!