FLSharon
05-05-2003, 11:55 AM
Mini, Mini Trip Report for May 2 - May 4, 2003
Cast: Me: Disneyholic age53
DH: 47 yr old Disneyholic
Friday, May 2...
This was spur of the moment... We had considered an overnite trip to WDW on Sat, however DH decided he wanted to leave Fri nite and get home early Sun. I was caught a little off guard and had a lot of prep work to do . We didn't out on I 75 until 4:30. Even with just two of us, it takes me awhile to get work finished, line up a dog/house sitter, and get a room reserved. I was so disappointed b/c with the closure of FQ, POR was booked with no last min openings. We've never had a problem getting in POR at the min even with FQ closed.
Fortunately I got rooms at the Radisson which is actually my fav offsite resort. When we arrived at Radisson at 6:30 there were 2 huge busses full of kids. We quickly checked in and found our room and headed to Epcot to see Illuminations and the concert. I was starved by the time we walked around to World Showcase. So we grabbed some food at the Liberty Tavern and sat outside to watch Mickey Thomas in concert. After we finished eating we were able to get a seat for a better view. These are such fun concerts to watch. And what a bargain. No wonder Epcot was just voted #1 theme park by Consumer Reports. Just a few minutes after the concert was over, the fireworks started and we were ready for the show. . However as the globe moved out, we could tell something was wrong. They never could get the movie part running.. The last time we were there in March, the globe didn't rotate. I really felt sorry for all the folks who were experiencing this for the first time cause they were really missing one of the neatest shows at Epcot and many didn't even realize it.
Saturday, May 3
Up early for breakfast and off to Walgreens for a disposable camera (my precious little Elph Cannon was stolen last month). We were heading first for just a couple hours at Magic Kingdom. (yes MK on Sat again!) I've just got to see the little opening show. This time when riding on the monorail (must have been around 8:40) I looked to the right and I could see the train with the characters waiting to make their arrival. Well, we got in just a couple minutes before the mayor came out to welcome us. One of these days, just maybe I'll get there real early to get picked to ride the train! Once, inside we decided to head to Splash Mt. It was already hot enough to get wet. We walked right on and we were lucky enough that they let us go again without getting off. That was a first for us at SM. I bought our pic b/c it only had DH & I in the log. Next we walked onto Big Thunder Mountain. When we got off the ride, we saw several little groups of teenagers with CM's doing something that looked like a tour. Turns out they were participating in the YES program... Youth Educational Series... I think that's it. They had little cards to fill out at each ride .. This one was on BTM and was a physics lesson. How neat is that? Before we headed for a walk thru the castle we rode thru the Haunted Mansion. We noticed Master Gracie's Grave had the dirt dug up and fresh rose petals were laying on the dirt. When we walked out of HM, it was 10:15 and the lines at Fantasyland are up to around 20 min. I knew we couldn't walk right on, but was curious as to how long the wait would be. Opps, we almost forgot that DH is celebrating his Bday so we headed back to Main Street. We got his badge then I took his pic with the mayor. We had some postcards stamped with the Disney stamp since I forgot the addresses. We're anxious to get to Epcot, but before we could leave I still had two stops. One at the Market House to listen on the old tyme phone...this is such fun.. And the second stop was for the watch shop to got some more inexpensive Italian Charms. The ones I bought the last time are just fine so I got some for friends. They don't have as good a selection tho as the expensive ones. I bought some initials, Cindy,Pooh, a mickey, and minnie. Well one more thing to do..... we had to ride the train clear around the park. While riding, we met two gals on their first trip each with one child. And you guessed it... didn't know a thing about the park. Asked DH for some tips.. Yeh.. How do you tell them how to do MK in 2 min or less...LOL..
Epcot is so cool..I love the F & G Show. Ofcourse, Mickey and Minnie topiaries greet us and it just keep getting better the more you walk around. I almost missed the Dog Gone Maze.. All the Disney Canines were there... They were so so cool. We spent most of our time in Future World since we had walked around the World Showcase last night. We did take some time to see a few things we hadn't been in for awhile.. HIStA , Figment's Imagination thingie and Universe of Energy. We sent our picture home via email in the Kodak Building. I was happy to see that they have improved the quality tremendously. Always thought this was strange to have such weird coloring when it was sponsored by Kodak. At Innoventions West, I bought some plumerieas (www.justplumerieas.com) at one of the display booths. I visited them last year and forgot to go back and buy them. If they grow as promised all four sticks should have pretty smelly flowers sometime soon.
A CM told DH to go to guest relations to get a Bday badge there with happy bday in several languages. This was a first for us. I also picked up some fact sheets on WDW there. They have a list from which to pick. Around 4, I got pooped, really hot and was ready for a swim. The lake around the WS was looking real inviting so off we went by monorail to Mk to retrieve our car. Wow, it sure isn't a fast process getting around the world. We were at the pool around 6 and it was still great but the clouds rolled in and chilled the air so we tested the hot tubs too. Soon we were ready to hit the premium outlet mall for the character warehouse. I didn't find what I was looking for but that's ok, I always like to check. They had tons of sweatshirts and long sleeve merchandise. I decided to drive down International Drive to Beltz outlets. It had been quite awhile since I had driven Int'l Dr. What changes... I couldn't believe the huge additions to the Convention Center. The place is unbelievable. It was a fun, fun drive.. Wow, the road is really long now. We headed to the end to Beltz, but it took a couple stops to find the right mall.. #2. I was lucky cause we walked into the store at 8:45. I purchased a hardback 100 Years of Magic book for 10.99 and The Magic of Christmas at WDW CD for 9.99. I was really glad we found the store.
Sunday, May 4
Well, this is the day to sleep in before we head back home. The restaurant was packed with a huge line waiting to get in (remember the two bus loads of kids???) Well we decided to just pack up, leave, and get a bite elsewhere. Well, by the time we checked out , the line was gone so we had breakfast here. This restaurant makes the VERY BEST OMELETS.
After eating we decided to stop at the farmers market in Celebration. Lots of activity due to some dog event going on (I even saw a booth for a paw reader!) , people were jogging around the beautiful lake in the middle of town, and some were on bikes. This town seems a little surreal to me. I always feel like I'm watching a movie when I'm here. Anyhow, back to the market again to buy a Buddha's Hand, www.elementalnursery.com I'm a sucker for new easy care plants like the lucky bamboo. I was wishing after I got home that I had bought one of the beautiful orchids. After a quick stop at the outlet mall in Ellenton (Coastal Cotton... for sundresses) , we headed home. So Sad to have this wonderful weekend come to an end. But there will be another!!!!
PS. I thought the crowds were heavier than I expected this weekend. Several special events were happening all over the place. It was actually good to see more people around. A few times we've been in the area, it looked rather deserted.
Cast: Me: Disneyholic age53
DH: 47 yr old Disneyholic
Friday, May 2...
This was spur of the moment... We had considered an overnite trip to WDW on Sat, however DH decided he wanted to leave Fri nite and get home early Sun. I was caught a little off guard and had a lot of prep work to do . We didn't out on I 75 until 4:30. Even with just two of us, it takes me awhile to get work finished, line up a dog/house sitter, and get a room reserved. I was so disappointed b/c with the closure of FQ, POR was booked with no last min openings. We've never had a problem getting in POR at the min even with FQ closed.
Fortunately I got rooms at the Radisson which is actually my fav offsite resort. When we arrived at Radisson at 6:30 there were 2 huge busses full of kids. We quickly checked in and found our room and headed to Epcot to see Illuminations and the concert. I was starved by the time we walked around to World Showcase. So we grabbed some food at the Liberty Tavern and sat outside to watch Mickey Thomas in concert. After we finished eating we were able to get a seat for a better view. These are such fun concerts to watch. And what a bargain. No wonder Epcot was just voted #1 theme park by Consumer Reports. Just a few minutes after the concert was over, the fireworks started and we were ready for the show. . However as the globe moved out, we could tell something was wrong. They never could get the movie part running.. The last time we were there in March, the globe didn't rotate. I really felt sorry for all the folks who were experiencing this for the first time cause they were really missing one of the neatest shows at Epcot and many didn't even realize it.
Saturday, May 3
Up early for breakfast and off to Walgreens for a disposable camera (my precious little Elph Cannon was stolen last month). We were heading first for just a couple hours at Magic Kingdom. (yes MK on Sat again!) I've just got to see the little opening show. This time when riding on the monorail (must have been around 8:40) I looked to the right and I could see the train with the characters waiting to make their arrival. Well, we got in just a couple minutes before the mayor came out to welcome us. One of these days, just maybe I'll get there real early to get picked to ride the train! Once, inside we decided to head to Splash Mt. It was already hot enough to get wet. We walked right on and we were lucky enough that they let us go again without getting off. That was a first for us at SM. I bought our pic b/c it only had DH & I in the log. Next we walked onto Big Thunder Mountain. When we got off the ride, we saw several little groups of teenagers with CM's doing something that looked like a tour. Turns out they were participating in the YES program... Youth Educational Series... I think that's it. They had little cards to fill out at each ride .. This one was on BTM and was a physics lesson. How neat is that? Before we headed for a walk thru the castle we rode thru the Haunted Mansion. We noticed Master Gracie's Grave had the dirt dug up and fresh rose petals were laying on the dirt. When we walked out of HM, it was 10:15 and the lines at Fantasyland are up to around 20 min. I knew we couldn't walk right on, but was curious as to how long the wait would be. Opps, we almost forgot that DH is celebrating his Bday so we headed back to Main Street. We got his badge then I took his pic with the mayor. We had some postcards stamped with the Disney stamp since I forgot the addresses. We're anxious to get to Epcot, but before we could leave I still had two stops. One at the Market House to listen on the old tyme phone...this is such fun.. And the second stop was for the watch shop to got some more inexpensive Italian Charms. The ones I bought the last time are just fine so I got some for friends. They don't have as good a selection tho as the expensive ones. I bought some initials, Cindy,Pooh, a mickey, and minnie. Well one more thing to do..... we had to ride the train clear around the park. While riding, we met two gals on their first trip each with one child. And you guessed it... didn't know a thing about the park. Asked DH for some tips.. Yeh.. How do you tell them how to do MK in 2 min or less...LOL..
Epcot is so cool..I love the F & G Show. Ofcourse, Mickey and Minnie topiaries greet us and it just keep getting better the more you walk around. I almost missed the Dog Gone Maze.. All the Disney Canines were there... They were so so cool. We spent most of our time in Future World since we had walked around the World Showcase last night. We did take some time to see a few things we hadn't been in for awhile.. HIStA , Figment's Imagination thingie and Universe of Energy. We sent our picture home via email in the Kodak Building. I was happy to see that they have improved the quality tremendously. Always thought this was strange to have such weird coloring when it was sponsored by Kodak. At Innoventions West, I bought some plumerieas (www.justplumerieas.com) at one of the display booths. I visited them last year and forgot to go back and buy them. If they grow as promised all four sticks should have pretty smelly flowers sometime soon.
A CM told DH to go to guest relations to get a Bday badge there with happy bday in several languages. This was a first for us. I also picked up some fact sheets on WDW there. They have a list from which to pick. Around 4, I got pooped, really hot and was ready for a swim. The lake around the WS was looking real inviting so off we went by monorail to Mk to retrieve our car. Wow, it sure isn't a fast process getting around the world. We were at the pool around 6 and it was still great but the clouds rolled in and chilled the air so we tested the hot tubs too. Soon we were ready to hit the premium outlet mall for the character warehouse. I didn't find what I was looking for but that's ok, I always like to check. They had tons of sweatshirts and long sleeve merchandise. I decided to drive down International Drive to Beltz outlets. It had been quite awhile since I had driven Int'l Dr. What changes... I couldn't believe the huge additions to the Convention Center. The place is unbelievable. It was a fun, fun drive.. Wow, the road is really long now. We headed to the end to Beltz, but it took a couple stops to find the right mall.. #2. I was lucky cause we walked into the store at 8:45. I purchased a hardback 100 Years of Magic book for 10.99 and The Magic of Christmas at WDW CD for 9.99. I was really glad we found the store.
Sunday, May 4
Well, this is the day to sleep in before we head back home. The restaurant was packed with a huge line waiting to get in (remember the two bus loads of kids???) Well we decided to just pack up, leave, and get a bite elsewhere. Well, by the time we checked out , the line was gone so we had breakfast here. This restaurant makes the VERY BEST OMELETS.
After eating we decided to stop at the farmers market in Celebration. Lots of activity due to some dog event going on (I even saw a booth for a paw reader!) , people were jogging around the beautiful lake in the middle of town, and some were on bikes. This town seems a little surreal to me. I always feel like I'm watching a movie when I'm here. Anyhow, back to the market again to buy a Buddha's Hand, www.elementalnursery.com I'm a sucker for new easy care plants like the lucky bamboo. I was wishing after I got home that I had bought one of the beautiful orchids. After a quick stop at the outlet mall in Ellenton (Coastal Cotton... for sundresses) , we headed home. So Sad to have this wonderful weekend come to an end. But there will be another!!!!
PS. I thought the crowds were heavier than I expected this weekend. Several special events were happening all over the place. It was actually good to see more people around. A few times we've been in the area, it looked rather deserted.