The "And Now For Something Completely Different" Trip (COMPLETE) About This Page:

[Disneyphile's Wife]

Adventurers Information and April 8-9, 2004: The Trip Down



Date: April 8—18, 2004

Adventurers: Me (41) (10 visits), DH (39) (13 visits), DS (9) (9 visits)

Resort/Hotel: Holiday Inn Express and Suites

Celebration: Spring Break



Both DH and I were able to leave work a little early on Thursday, in the hopes that we would be able to start early on the drive. DH went to the pharmacy to pick up DS’s prescription (we couldn’t get it filled earlier and we can’t get it filled out of state). Unfortunately, it took over forty minutes for the pharmacist to fill it, instead of the fifteen it should have taken. He picked up DS, we finished packing up the car, and we were on our way.



Traffic was very heavy in New Jersey; instead of two hours, it took four to get through the state. Traffic was heavy the entire way down. Instead of the six hours the first day’s drive should have been, it took us ten. We didn’t reach the hotel in Virginia until 4:30 Friday morning.



Friday’s drive was long but uneventful. We got on the road at about 11 in the morning and finally reached the hotel about 2 Saturday morning. We had plenty to entertain us on the drive. In addition to talking with each other, we also have an in-car DVD player and we brought lots of DVDs, a Playstation 2 and books. Mostly we watched DVDs: both of the Harry Potter movies, Oliver!, Hello Dolly and some others that DS watched with headphones on.



Our hotel was a Holiday Inn Express and Suites. Our room was a King Suite: it had a king-sized bed, a couch that folded out into a queen-sized bed, a microwave oven and a refrigerator. The room was very nice and we were quite comfortable while we were there for a very reasonable price.

[Disneyphile's Wife]

Saturday, April 10, 2004: Day One—Disney-MGM Studios

After getting up and having a light breakfast, we got to Disney-MGM Studios. After spending a long time in the car, DS needed some time to run around and work out the “wiggles”, so we headed over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure and let him romp. This allowed me to fight the migraine I had begun the day with. We had an early lunch seating at the 50’s Prime Time Café, one of our favorite restaurants at the World. Cousin Topher took good care of us. As he’s from Wisconsin, he is of the opinion that it’s never too early for a drink; unfortunately, my migraine disagreed—loudly. DH had his favorite fried chicken, I tried the salmon for the first time there, and DS had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He also tried a PB&J shake, but decided it wasn’t something he much cared for. After finishing our lunches, where Topher accused me of leaving tongue marks on the plate and gave last rites to the bones DH left, DH had cheesecake, I had the cobbler, and then we were ready to actually hit the park.

We went to see the Beauty and the Beast show, something we haven’t done in quite a while and which I wanted to do. Seeing it reminded me of why we hadn’t seen it in a while; this is not one of our favorite shows. We then listened to Sounds Dangerous, a show DH particularly enjoys. Then we rode one of our favorite rides, Star Tours. By this time, it had come to be time for our dinner seating, our Fantasmic! Package, at Hollywood & Vine. We enjoyed the buffet, trying all kinds of dishes. We then headed back the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure to give DS a little more run-around-time. We watched Muppet Vision 3D, rode on Star Tours again. It was then time for Fantasmic! This is a show we always enjoy and this time was no exception.

The weather today was . . .hot and sunny.
The best thing today was . . . being in Florida (DS added getting souvenirs).
The worst thing today was . . . the traffic from the hotel to the park. (This problem continued throughout the week; we got used to it.)
The funniest thing today was . . . Cousin Topher from Wisconsin.
Today we tried . . . Beauty and the Beast and the result was mixed (DH liked it; DS and I were unimpressed.)
The most magical moment today was . . . Fantasmic!.

[Disneyphile's Wife]

Sunday, April 11, 2004: Day Two—Adventures The First



For several years now, DS has wanted to go to a water park; however, we have told him he had to be able to swim first. Since he had passed the Y test at summer camp last year, we told him that, after we did our own test, this would be the year. DH took him to the hotel pool and tested him. He passed and the two of them proceeded to Blizzard Beach. Our start was late enough that morning that it was closed, so they went to Typhoon Lagoon instead. They came back late in the afternoon having had a great time.



Although I am able to, I don’t enjoy swimming or water play, so today was my day off from the boys. I slept in very late, then pulled out my book to read until they got back. This is also why the water park report is so short: I wasn’t there and didn’t get notes from them. (Since then, DH has told me that they did each of the slides at least once.)



Once they got back, we proceeded to Magic Kingdom. We had dinner at the Columbia Harbour House, then headed over to Tomorrowland. Since they are no longer consistently open, we decided to visit The Timekeeper. DS used to consider this attraction pure torture; it bored him and, since you’re standing, he would get himself into trouble. Age, however, has made it at least mildly interesting, and he does want Mom to enjoy herself, too. After we enjoyed Timekeeper, Nine-Eyes and Monsieur Verne, we went to the Carousel of Progress, one of DH’s favorite attractions. DS is now old enough to find it interesting/appalling how things used to be. We left to discover that the threatened rain had arrived with a vengeance! It wasn’t raining; it was pouring! We dashed over to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, getting completely drenched in the process, and blasted Zurg and his minions. I didn’t save DH’s or DS’s scores, but I achieved a respectable 93,100 points.



It was finally time for our Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue seating. A little background: DH and I came here on our first trip and, although we don’t make it for every trip, we do try to return most of the time. DS’s first time was when he was 3 ½; unfortunately, he didn’t enjoy it that year. The next year, we went again, this time with my mother, DH’s brother and his girlfriend (now wife). DS got a huge kick out of Six-Bits getting into trouble over the Clementine song and being “put into time-out”, something he could certainly relate to. He now enjoys the show as much as we do. Now that my mother is dead, we talk about those things she enjoyed and that we enjoyed doing with her. Hoop-Dee-Doo is one of them; she enjoyed the show but enjoyed even more watching her grandsons (my sister and nephew came with us in 2002) enjoying it. On this trip, we decided that Nanny was watching the show, as she was watching us, and enjoying it and us. We certainly enjoyed it.



The rain had continued since we were at Magic Kingdom; when we got to Fort Wilderness, it looked like a tornado had hit it. There were branches and leaves down everywhere and one tree looked as if it had been hit been lightning.



Back to the hotel and to bed to get ready for Day 3.



The weather today was . . .hot and sunny, then stormy.

The best thing today was . . . DS: a water park for the very first time; Me: getting to sleep in.

The worst thing today was . . . the “monsoon”.

The funniest thing today was . . . Daddy walking around Typhoon Lagoon without his glasses.

Today we tried . . . Typhoon Lagoon and the result was DS loves water parks.

The most magical moment today was . . . watching DS giggle his head off at Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue.

[Colexis Mom]

Great start to your report Looking forward to more

[Anne's Family]

Wonderful trip report so far! Tell us how the crowds were over Spring Break. One of these days, I think we might chance it!

[Disneyphile's Wife]

Monday, April 12, 2004: Day Three—Magic Kingdom



We had asked for a wake-up call but we either slept through it or it didn’t come. I woke up and almost fell over when I saw that the clock read 10:24. I got DH awake and DS even woke up pretty easily.



Since we had a late start, we decided to head over to Wilderness Lodge. DS had been telling his teacher about the Grand Canyon fireplace and the geyser and she had asked him to bring back pictures. Plus, we love it there; when we went in December, DH said he wants to live there. (If only . . .) We were seating at the Whispering Canyon Café, where DH and I both had the All-You-Can Eat skillet and DS had a grilled cheese sandwich. We then went to the gift shop. I’d been looking for a more comfortable bag than the backpack I’d been using; the backpack is comfortable to carry, but difficult to get into. I’d been hitting every shop we passed since we hit Florida looking for the “right” bag; I finally found it: a shoulder/over-the-neck bag which could hold plenty of stuff and DH would be willing to carry if I got tired. We then took the photographs for DS and headed back to Magic Kingdom.



DS decided he was navigating (he’s into maps these days) so we went first to Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade. Then we backtracked back to Pirates of the Caribbean, where we got a picture of all three of us in front of the ride in our Pirates of the Caribbean T-shirts. We had a lot of people asking where we got them; unfortunately, we got them from our local Disney store when the movie came out. Then we watched the Country Bear Jamboree and rode The Haunted Mansion and watched the Hall of Presidents. DS seems finally to have gotten over his fear of the dark; he will now willingly ride both Haunted Mansion and Pirate of the Caribbean not only without complaining, but enjoying them. DH and DS then went to ride Splash Mountain, which I won’t (I really don’t like heights). Then we went to ride the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. DS then wanted to ride the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. I’m not actually sure if he still enjoys this ride, but it was the last one he rode with Nanny, so now he has to. We rerode Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, where I racked up 138,700 points and made Planetary Pilot.



The park had closed by now. We stopped at Perkin’s for dinner, then headed back to the hotel and to bed.



The weather today was . . . comfortably warm, but drizzly.

The best thing today was . . . getting 100,000 points with one shot.

The worst thing today was . . . missing the wake-up call.

The funniest thing today was . . . lunch at the Whispering Canyon.

Today we tried . . . nothing new.

The most magical moment today was . . . finding a bag for Mommy.

[Disneyphile's Wife]

Tuesday, April 13, 2004: Day Four—Epcot

In order to prevent yesterday’s problem, we not only requested a wake-up call, but also set the alarm. Neither worked, but we got up in time. Unfortunately, it was a struggle to get out the door in time to get to Epcot in time for my tour; by the time we got to the car, we were all ready to kill each other. We’d all mostly calmed down by the time we got to Epcot but it wasn’t a good omen for the day.

One of the “new” things we had decided to do on this trip was for me to take one of the tours: the Hidden Treasures of the World Showcase tour. I had no idea what to expect. DH and DS dropped me off at the entrance and went on their way.

I can now honestly highly recommend, rave about, whatever, the World Showcase tour. It was wonderful! Our guide was Camilla, and she certainly knew what she was doing. There were nine of us in the group: two groups of three (Mom, Dad and child), one group of two (husband and wife) and me. Camilla started us off by giving us some background on the park, then we headed back to World Showcase. The tour is held as soon as the park opens, but before World Showcase does, so we had the area to ourselves—and the cast members finishing what needed to be done before the area opens.

The tour takes you all around the World Showcase and goes into each pavilion. Camilla explained the thinking behind the buildings in each pavilion, the feel that was intended, and some of the thinking behind the shops in the pavilions. She also described all of the restaurants (she laughed that she could give a tour on Eating Around the World Showcase), showed us a few hidden Mickeys, including one unofficial, not really one, and took us backstage in two places. This surprised me: for whatever reason, I had thought the “stage” continued a little beyond the Cast Members Only doors, but it doesn’t. You walk through one of those doors, and you’re back in the real world. Immediately.

That is a very brief description of the tour. It was wonderful, I highly recommend it, and if permitted, I could go on for twenty or thirty pages on it. Next trip I plan on doing at least one more tour; I very much enjoyed this one.

While I was on the tour, DH and DS did some thrill riding. They rode Test Track, Mission Space, where DS spent some time in the post-attraction area having fun and the shop drooling over the toys. Then, since the wait was up to two hours on Test Track, they decided to use the pass they got last year when the ride broke down while they were on it. They were able to go in the back door, with the GM employees, and ride with a minimal wait.

DH had tried to make PS’s for us for Restaurant Akershus for lunch and Le Cellier for dinner; however, Le Cellier was booked for the night so he reversed them. He also discovered that the tour wasn’t two hours, as I had thought, but three. They checked with Guest Services, though, so they weren’t too worried. We met and headed over to Le Cellier for our lunch. DH had the French Dip, I had the Beef Tips and DS had a cheeseburger. It was very yummy, but I wasn’t able to get my Mushroom Filet Mignon.

We spent the rest of the afternoon heading around the World Showcase, discussing my tour and working on our masks. DS had decided for this trip that he didn’t need a passport, but I wanted a mask and he enjoys working on them. I didn’t do the decorating, too many kids, but I did get all the charms and stamps. DS did a wonderful job on his. We watched Off Kilter and got to enjoy watching a girl a little older than DS stepdancing to the music. The band seemed to get as big a charge out of watching her as us guests. We also stopped at the American Adventure for the show.

After a leisurely walk around the World Showcase, we went for our dinner at Restaurant Akershus. This was another experiment, but not one of our more successful ones. We all discovered that, although we could find things to eat, none of us are big on Norwegian food. It was then time to head back to the hotel and bed.

The weather today was . . . comfortable and cloudy.
The best thing today was . . . DH: girl stepdancing to Off Kilter; Me: tour; DS: Mission Space.
The worst thing today was . . . getting to the park.
Today we tried . . . Hidden Treasures of the World Showcase tour and the result was wonderful.
The most magical moment today was . . . watching two little kids dancing to the Beatles (British Invasion).

[luvnwdwgal]

Great trip report!! Looking forward to more!!

[pawla68]

Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun, but also sounds very relaxing!! Can't wait to read more!! Remember to bring that Passporter from work so you can finish this for us!!!!

[Grammy Grumpy]

Thanks for the TR and the review of the tour. DH and I have been on the "Behind the Magic" tour (3 parks-8 hrs!), and Keys to the Kingdom (MG only). Both were wonderful and I highly recommend them. We will be there in June, maybe I'll see if we can get into the tour one of our days there.

Can't wait for more!

[Mel & Richard]

Great TR! It's nice you all had such a wonderful time together.

Mel

[Colexis Mom]

More great updates Glad you enjoyed the tour in Epcot. Looks like a great one

Keep it coming

[Tara O'Hara]

What a nice trip report! It sounds like you guys are having a great time! Can't wait to read more!!

[Disneyphile's Wife]

Wednesday, April 14, 2004: Day Five—Adventures The Second

This morning we got the alarm clock figured out and we got our wake-up call, so we were able to get up when we planned. Fortunately, that was the last problem we had with getting up for the trip. Unfortunately, although we thought we had left plenty of time, traffic conspired against us and we got to the Magic Kingdom just at 10, when our Family Magic Tour was supposed to begin.

(If you don’t want to be spoiled for the Family Magic Tour, skip down to the ***.)

This turned out not to be a problem. Although there was another group scheduled to be with us and they had checked in, they had gone to get something and hadn’t made it back when we checked in for the tour. Our tour guide for the morning was Mandy, who told us she had only been working there a week and that, although she had been trained, a lot of her training had consisted of “they’ll know what they’re looking for”. Then she got a phone call and we she got back, she told us she would have to cancel the tour. Her boss, Mickey Mouse, had called and told her they had a “situation”. Peter Pan had stolen Captain Hook’s favorite hook and he was going to close Magic Kingdom if it couldn’t be found. Then it occurred to her that maybe we’d like to help. Of course, we did. We then proceeded on the tour. (The other family, six of them with two kids, two parents, an aunt and a grandfather, joined us shortly after we began.)

The tour takes you through the entire park, looking for various assorted things. You are not ever permitted to walk normally and we were frequently making funny sounds, too. This is NOT a tour where you get to pretend to any kind of dignity, but it was loads of fun. We finally wound up in Liberty Square where Peter Pan and Wendy showed up . . . with Captain Hook’s favorite hook. Peter asked us if we enjoyed following his map and if we’d done all the things we were supposed to do. He then talked to the three kids, asking about their favorite rides and so forth. When DS said his favorite is Splash Mountain, Peter started discussing all the places you get to see Brer Bear’s bum, for which rudeness Wendy scolded him. After several more minutes of this, each of the groups got a picture with Peter and Wendy. For ours, we all had to say “Brer Bear’s bum”. (DH scolded Wendy for saying it merrily along with us.)

Then, we all trooped over the Peter Pan’s Flight to get to the front of the line (45 minutes long) to ride. The two boys got to ride with Peter and the little girl got to ride with Wendy. Peter told the boys as they were heading into the ships that people would wonder what they had done to get this special attention and they should just smile and enjoy it. DS loved this and very much enjoyed his time with Peter. After the ride, Mandy took Peter and Wendy off to other things and so did we.

**********

For anyone wondering whether or not this tour is worth it: the answer is Yes! The answer is even louder if you have children old enough to enjoy character interactions and young enough not to feel like a fool doing silly things and young enough to still believe. I don’t know if we’ll do this again but it was worth every penny.

We then went to have lunch at Tony’s Town Square. DS wasn’t hungry enough for more than one plate of spaghetti, but he still says it’s the best he ever had. When we went in December, he had eaten two bowls and we weren’t sure he wasn’t going to go for a third. He will tell you this is the best food in the World. I enjoyed my Chicken Parmesan and DH endured his Panini sandwich (DH doesn’t care for Italian food, to put it mildly.)

After lunch, we went over to Animal Kingdom for a bit. DS got to spend some time in The Boneyard, working out his wiggles. Although he very much enjoys the thrill rides, he also loves the playgrounds. While he was running around there, I went over to watch Tarzan Rocks!, which I enjoy. I’m not much of a ride person; I love the shows. DH likes both. Then DH took DS over to Chester and Hester’s so DS could win a stuffed animal. (We’d forgotten to pack one, and he needed something to sleep with.)

It was now time for the carrot (or, as Walt would have said, the wiener) DH used to get me to come along on this trip: Cirque du Soleil. I have wanted to see this show, La Nouba, for a long time. DS was not looking forward to it, but he had been threatened with what would happen to him if he ruined it for me. DH got us great tickets: fourth row, dead center. I had been worried that we might be too close; for anyone else who is worried about this, stop! The seats were terrific!

A couple of minutes before the show was scheduled to begin, two clowns came out. The routine was a traditional-style routine, but it was wonderfully done. And DS started giggling. We then spent two hours enthralled in the show. The typical circus acts were there—without the animal acts—but it is done in what I can only call “performance art”. There was as much dance as circus act to what they were doing. There was a storyline of sorts, the show is a cleaning woman’s dream, but that’s secondary. The performances are what keep your attention. I can’t really describe it but I enjoyed every second of it. And DS, who we were so worried about, enjoyed it thoroughly—especially the clowns and the bicycles.

We had dinner priority seatings for Fulton’s Crab House, which we always enjoy. Unfortunately, tonight that wasn’t to be. I had the salmon and ordered a glass of wine with it, DH had the surf and turf and DS, as his tradition in a seafood restaurant, had a hamburger. DH and DS both had good meals, but my salmon, although moist, was flavorless. And I never got my wine. A disappointing meal, but we tried to put it behind us. Certainly, the rest of the day had been magical.

The weather today was . . . perfect.
The best thing today was . . . Cirque du Soleil.
The worst thing today was . . . dinner.
The funniest thing today was . . . clowns.
Today we tried . . . Cirque du Soleil and the Family Magic Tour and the result was much fun was had by all
The most magical moment today was . . . watching DS walk through the park with Peter Pan.

[Disneyphile's Wife]

Thursday, April 15, 2004: Day Six—Here, There and Everywhere

Today was supposed to be our last full day in Florida. As such, we decided to try to fit in at least three of the four parks, planning on heading over to Epcot tomorrow. We started with Animal Kingdom, which we had only visited briefly the previous day. We did get in to watch Festival of the Lion King, which is one of the best attractions in all of the World. Then DS wanted to spend some time at The Boneyard. We had lunch at the Flame Tree Barbeque, which was adequate. DH and DS then went to Kilimanjaro Safaris; I stayed put because my feet were really hurting me. We got back together and headed over to Disney-MGM Studios.

DH wanted to try the Animation Tour again. When they changed it several years back, he felt they had ruined it, but now they give you the opportunity to do your own drawing. DH enjoys doing this and has actually created several cels at home, just to enjoy it and for others: he did one with the Disney short characters for DS when he was born and has done one with the Fantasia flowers for me. So, we did. He drew Stitch and got a “Well done” from the animator for it. We then went for another ride on Star Tours, one of our favorite rides.

I had been pretty grumpy all day, and DH wanted to cheer me up and get me in a good mood. He and DS were also campaigning to stay an extra day, which he knew I wouldn’t go for in the mood I was in. As it was now dinnertime, we tried for 50’s Prime Time Café, but they were booked solid until much later than we were planning on staying. After discussing our options at Magic Kingdom, our next stop, we decided to give Hollywood Brown Derby another try. We had eaten here before; the food is good, but the service is a little slow and the ambience not conducive to small boys sitting still. We decided to give it another try.

It was a success. DH and I both had the filet mignon and DS had a hot dog, and I had a glass of wine with dinner. I finally started to relax and get into a better mood. This was increased with dessert: DS had Gummi worms, DH had chocolate cake and I had cheesecake with a glass of port. Now, although I very much enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, I don’t drink much. Two glasses of wine and I was pretty darn tipsy. So, DH got me drunk and had his way with me. At least, he got me to agree to stay an extra day.

In the parking lot, we had forgotten which row we were parked in. Fortunately, we remembered which lot and we were close. As I said, I was a bit tipsy: I was walking through the lot calling “Here car car, here car car!” DS thought Mommy calling for the car in the parking lot was great fun!

We then proceeded to Magic Kingdom where we headed back to watch Wishes. We had seen this when we were there in December and were unimpressed but DH wanted to give it a second try. We decided not to try for the 3D effects by watching from in front of the castle, but went back to our old spot in Fantasyland by Dumbo. We were much more impressed this time; DH thinks it was a different show. It was impressive.

We then watched Mickey’s Philharmagic and rode The Haunted Mansion. DH noticed a new hidden Mickey, in an empty tomb on a pole, so we rode it again so I could spot it. Then, they rode Splash Mountain several times while I took a ride on It’s a Small World. DS now retches at the mention of this ride, but he required it at least once a day the first time we took him to the World. In fact, it was perhaps his favorite ride on that trip; something DH and I took great pleasure in reminding him of.

It was now time to head back to the hotel for some sleep. Tomorrow would be Moving Day.

The weather today was . . . hot and sunny.
The best thing today was . . . Wishes.
The worst thing today was . . . DS and Mommy break-down.
The funniest thing today was . . . Mommy calling for the car in the parking lot.
Today we tried . . . Hollywood Brown Derby and Wishes and the result was good for both.
The most magical moment today was . . . being surrounded by fireworks.