Rosebud
06-16-2003, 06:18 PM
Thursday, June 5 (EPCOT, Morroco, Flower Show, MK, DxL)
I picked up Valerie and we headed over to EPCOT to check out the Flower Show. We didn’t get going too – Once you embrace that lazy butt touring style, it is hard to shake it even when you don’t have a lot of time. I wasn’t real concerned because I’ve been fortunately lately with frequency of trips.
We checked out the flowers coming in the park and stopped at Guest Relations to make a reservation for Morocco. Didn’t think we would need it, but just in case. We were hungry so we made it for opening time.
Normally we would have taken the boat over, but wanted to stop and see the flowers so we walked over and visited the countries along the way. We didn’t have lots of time but enough. We got to Morocco and made our way to the restaurant. I think we were there a few minutes before opening, but they already had people in there.
It was nice to sit down and cool off. It was hot and humid – I think I said that before, but the whole time it was hot and humid. I was particularly suffering from it since it has not really warmed up at home yet. Anyhow it was nice and cool and relaxing.
They had a special here for CMs – 50% off. How can you beat that? Normally the discount is 15% or 20%, which basically covers the tip, but I guess they had the special going on to encourage people to go there. Val hadn’t convinced any of her friends to go with her, so she was waiting for me to go with her. We got a couple of appetizers and split a meal and a dessert. I think the Bill came up to a little over $20 and that included 15% tip, which they automatically add in for CM. We actually added in some more for the tip but the bill was still pretty darn cheap.
Toward the end of our lunch the musicians (or was there just one guy this day I can’t remember) came out and started playing. Then the belly dancer came out. Before when we ate here we made sure that we went in when she would be there, but this time it was sheer luck. This particular belly dancer was really good, much better than the last one we saw there. We didn’t stay for the whole show because we didn’t have enough time, but we enjoyed seeing what we did.
After lunch we continued our way around the World Showcase to check out the flower displays. I think my favorite was of the fire-breathing (really only smoke) dragon in China. While in China we decided to check out the new film too. While waiting, Val went and checked out the fashion designs in the nearby room. I saw them in December and decided to sit and rest this time. The new show was good, but I did miss them showing the beginning and ending of the Great Wall that they showed in the old film. China is so big and so much different cultures there, I would love to see a much longer movie, but not standing up like that. See DisneyPam’s review of the film for more info.
After we finished the World Showcase, we went to the garden show displays at Innoventions after first stopping at Ice Station Cool for a drink. We then made our way out of the park.
I took Valerie grocery shopping and then it was time for her to go to work. I dropped her off and made arrangements to pick her up after her shift again at 2:30 in the morning – I told you I’m a nice mom.
After I dropped her off I drove over to EPCOT and parked and took the monorail to MK. I hadn’t been here yet – had I? It was getting late and I didn’t have a lot of time, so I didn’t do much. I did get to ride Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear – there really were no lines. When I got off my last ride on Space Mountain the park was closed, but I hadn’t eaten and was a little hungry. I was hoping the bakery would still be open and luckily it was. I got my new favorite Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich and sat and watched the crowds leaving. I watched from the inside in the nice cool air conditioning.
I then made my way to the beginning of the park. Right when I got to the entrance to the train station I heard this little boy (not too little) yell to his family “quick, give me the camera Mickey Mouse is out there”. I thought he would just be there for pictures, but he was up on the train station telling everyone goodbye and what a great day it was and a bunch of other stuff. It was really cute, and I had never seen that before, so I sat down and watched him and everyone watching him for about 10 minutes and just enjoyed the scene.
I then went to the monorail to go back over to EPCOT. I just love going at that time of day near twilight because you can spot so many deer out and about. I also love the park where the monorail goes through EPCOT, but this time it got ruined. There were some boys on a walkway down below throwing rocks at the monorail and I actually heard one hit. I hope they got caught, but since we were going around a corner I couldn’t see if anyone important noticed. I was going to tell a CM when I got off in case they were still there doing it, but I forgot about it when I got off.
I did also notice 2 CMs sitting outside of MS when I was on the monorail, and knew they had CM previews that week. I thought I would just go over there and BEG for them to let me in too. But when I got to the path they had blocked the area with bushes. I figured if I climbed through the bushes they might not like that, so I didn’t get to beg. Instead I went to Test Track.
The Standby line was not too long and the single rider line was non-existent. Walked right up and into the little booth thing. I did have to wait for a little inside, but not too long. There were a brother and sister in front of me and they put the sister on one car and me and the brother on another car. So I asked them if they wanted to switch so they could at least be on the same car – of course they did. When I turned around I noticed someone must have switched seats with them because they ended up sitting next to each other – when I was there we were front and back seat, so that was nice for them.
When I got out there was no wait for either line and I started to go but then decided to just leave and beat the Illuminations crowd.
I had a conversation with Valerie earlier about DxL and how her friend said they didn’t have a slide at the pool anymore, so I decided to check it out for myself. I went and parked at DD as close as I could to the boat dock – basically behind Once Upon a Toy. I took the boat over. It is such a nice relaxing ride and was sad as I went by the Tree Houses that I never got to stay there. I assume they will be coming down soon with the coming of Saratoga Springs.
I made my way to the pool area and saw that they did have a slide, but couldn’t seem to spot the entrance for it. Since it was late and no life guards were there it was closed, but some people at the hot tub told me that it had been opened the day before and that I just didn’t go far enough back to see the entrance. I sat for a while soaking my feet in the hot tub and chatting with out people.
By the time I decided to leave I missed the last boat back to DD and had to take the bus. This is when I got the first clue that it was the beginning of Gay Days. These 3 guys came walking up to the bus stop heading for PI. I had a feeling they were gay, but not really sure. They then realized they forgot something and took off and then these 3 other guys showed up. Could have been a coincidence, but I had the feeling they were gay too. I almost asked them if they were and if it was Gay Day, but in case they weren’t I didn’t want to insult them even though I didn’t mean it as an insult.
The bus service says they run to the Marketplace until midnight, but when we got there the bus driver was saying they were just stopping to pick people up. I figured he was just telling people that so they wouldn’t bother getting off and finding a bunch of closed stores. I however got up to get off and he wasn’t going to let me off because the Marketplace was closed. I told him I knew that but my car was parked there. He didn’t care and really didn’t want to let me off. I calmly stood there and told him I was getting off and this would make up for the time they left me there before midnight one time when they should have picked me up. Finally he relented and told me he could get in trouble. If he hadn’t let me off I guarantee you someone at the PI stop would have been driving me back to my car because I wasn’t walking any extra.
I then went back to the hotel for a nap and came back to pick up Valerie at 2:30. When I was driving back I realized it definitely was the beginning of Gay Days. First I had never seen so many people walking around at the close of PI and mostly guys – there were tons of them. I
’m really glad I picked her up that night because it was a really rough night (work wise), and if I hadn’t been waiting for her they probably would have kept her working another ½ hour at least maybe more. PI had gotten so full (full to capacity) they actually expanded the area of the club. Apparently there was one club in particular most of them were at and they actually changed one of the ladies rooms into another men’s room because the men outnumbered the ladies. She had less restrooms to clean, but they added these temporary garbage cans that were overflowing and very heavy and hard to maneuver compared with the regular ones. She left work with a sore back, but luckily didn’t permanently hurt it.
Once again because it was after 2:00 am I had to drop her outside the complex, but still better than her having to take the bus. I have to mention that CPs have their own busses and don’t take Disney busses and while still not fun to take, they are better because they actually run on a schedule – just like busses should! Have I mentioned before how much I HATE DISNEY BUSSES - I know I have. I grew up taking busses because my mother didn't drive, so I'm used to it - just not used to Disney's stupid busses. OK - I'm off my soabox now.
Then back to my hotel for some more sleep. Tomorrow would be my last day.
I picked up Valerie and we headed over to EPCOT to check out the Flower Show. We didn’t get going too – Once you embrace that lazy butt touring style, it is hard to shake it even when you don’t have a lot of time. I wasn’t real concerned because I’ve been fortunately lately with frequency of trips.
We checked out the flowers coming in the park and stopped at Guest Relations to make a reservation for Morocco. Didn’t think we would need it, but just in case. We were hungry so we made it for opening time.
Normally we would have taken the boat over, but wanted to stop and see the flowers so we walked over and visited the countries along the way. We didn’t have lots of time but enough. We got to Morocco and made our way to the restaurant. I think we were there a few minutes before opening, but they already had people in there.
It was nice to sit down and cool off. It was hot and humid – I think I said that before, but the whole time it was hot and humid. I was particularly suffering from it since it has not really warmed up at home yet. Anyhow it was nice and cool and relaxing.
They had a special here for CMs – 50% off. How can you beat that? Normally the discount is 15% or 20%, which basically covers the tip, but I guess they had the special going on to encourage people to go there. Val hadn’t convinced any of her friends to go with her, so she was waiting for me to go with her. We got a couple of appetizers and split a meal and a dessert. I think the Bill came up to a little over $20 and that included 15% tip, which they automatically add in for CM. We actually added in some more for the tip but the bill was still pretty darn cheap.
Toward the end of our lunch the musicians (or was there just one guy this day I can’t remember) came out and started playing. Then the belly dancer came out. Before when we ate here we made sure that we went in when she would be there, but this time it was sheer luck. This particular belly dancer was really good, much better than the last one we saw there. We didn’t stay for the whole show because we didn’t have enough time, but we enjoyed seeing what we did.
After lunch we continued our way around the World Showcase to check out the flower displays. I think my favorite was of the fire-breathing (really only smoke) dragon in China. While in China we decided to check out the new film too. While waiting, Val went and checked out the fashion designs in the nearby room. I saw them in December and decided to sit and rest this time. The new show was good, but I did miss them showing the beginning and ending of the Great Wall that they showed in the old film. China is so big and so much different cultures there, I would love to see a much longer movie, but not standing up like that. See DisneyPam’s review of the film for more info.
After we finished the World Showcase, we went to the garden show displays at Innoventions after first stopping at Ice Station Cool for a drink. We then made our way out of the park.
I took Valerie grocery shopping and then it was time for her to go to work. I dropped her off and made arrangements to pick her up after her shift again at 2:30 in the morning – I told you I’m a nice mom.
After I dropped her off I drove over to EPCOT and parked and took the monorail to MK. I hadn’t been here yet – had I? It was getting late and I didn’t have a lot of time, so I didn’t do much. I did get to ride Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear – there really were no lines. When I got off my last ride on Space Mountain the park was closed, but I hadn’t eaten and was a little hungry. I was hoping the bakery would still be open and luckily it was. I got my new favorite Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich and sat and watched the crowds leaving. I watched from the inside in the nice cool air conditioning.
I then made my way to the beginning of the park. Right when I got to the entrance to the train station I heard this little boy (not too little) yell to his family “quick, give me the camera Mickey Mouse is out there”. I thought he would just be there for pictures, but he was up on the train station telling everyone goodbye and what a great day it was and a bunch of other stuff. It was really cute, and I had never seen that before, so I sat down and watched him and everyone watching him for about 10 minutes and just enjoyed the scene.
I then went to the monorail to go back over to EPCOT. I just love going at that time of day near twilight because you can spot so many deer out and about. I also love the park where the monorail goes through EPCOT, but this time it got ruined. There were some boys on a walkway down below throwing rocks at the monorail and I actually heard one hit. I hope they got caught, but since we were going around a corner I couldn’t see if anyone important noticed. I was going to tell a CM when I got off in case they were still there doing it, but I forgot about it when I got off.
I did also notice 2 CMs sitting outside of MS when I was on the monorail, and knew they had CM previews that week. I thought I would just go over there and BEG for them to let me in too. But when I got to the path they had blocked the area with bushes. I figured if I climbed through the bushes they might not like that, so I didn’t get to beg. Instead I went to Test Track.
The Standby line was not too long and the single rider line was non-existent. Walked right up and into the little booth thing. I did have to wait for a little inside, but not too long. There were a brother and sister in front of me and they put the sister on one car and me and the brother on another car. So I asked them if they wanted to switch so they could at least be on the same car – of course they did. When I turned around I noticed someone must have switched seats with them because they ended up sitting next to each other – when I was there we were front and back seat, so that was nice for them.
When I got out there was no wait for either line and I started to go but then decided to just leave and beat the Illuminations crowd.
I had a conversation with Valerie earlier about DxL and how her friend said they didn’t have a slide at the pool anymore, so I decided to check it out for myself. I went and parked at DD as close as I could to the boat dock – basically behind Once Upon a Toy. I took the boat over. It is such a nice relaxing ride and was sad as I went by the Tree Houses that I never got to stay there. I assume they will be coming down soon with the coming of Saratoga Springs.
I made my way to the pool area and saw that they did have a slide, but couldn’t seem to spot the entrance for it. Since it was late and no life guards were there it was closed, but some people at the hot tub told me that it had been opened the day before and that I just didn’t go far enough back to see the entrance. I sat for a while soaking my feet in the hot tub and chatting with out people.
By the time I decided to leave I missed the last boat back to DD and had to take the bus. This is when I got the first clue that it was the beginning of Gay Days. These 3 guys came walking up to the bus stop heading for PI. I had a feeling they were gay, but not really sure. They then realized they forgot something and took off and then these 3 other guys showed up. Could have been a coincidence, but I had the feeling they were gay too. I almost asked them if they were and if it was Gay Day, but in case they weren’t I didn’t want to insult them even though I didn’t mean it as an insult.
The bus service says they run to the Marketplace until midnight, but when we got there the bus driver was saying they were just stopping to pick people up. I figured he was just telling people that so they wouldn’t bother getting off and finding a bunch of closed stores. I however got up to get off and he wasn’t going to let me off because the Marketplace was closed. I told him I knew that but my car was parked there. He didn’t care and really didn’t want to let me off. I calmly stood there and told him I was getting off and this would make up for the time they left me there before midnight one time when they should have picked me up. Finally he relented and told me he could get in trouble. If he hadn’t let me off I guarantee you someone at the PI stop would have been driving me back to my car because I wasn’t walking any extra.
I then went back to the hotel for a nap and came back to pick up Valerie at 2:30. When I was driving back I realized it definitely was the beginning of Gay Days. First I had never seen so many people walking around at the close of PI and mostly guys – there were tons of them. I
’m really glad I picked her up that night because it was a really rough night (work wise), and if I hadn’t been waiting for her they probably would have kept her working another ½ hour at least maybe more. PI had gotten so full (full to capacity) they actually expanded the area of the club. Apparently there was one club in particular most of them were at and they actually changed one of the ladies rooms into another men’s room because the men outnumbered the ladies. She had less restrooms to clean, but they added these temporary garbage cans that were overflowing and very heavy and hard to maneuver compared with the regular ones. She left work with a sore back, but luckily didn’t permanently hurt it.
Once again because it was after 2:00 am I had to drop her outside the complex, but still better than her having to take the bus. I have to mention that CPs have their own busses and don’t take Disney busses and while still not fun to take, they are better because they actually run on a schedule – just like busses should! Have I mentioned before how much I HATE DISNEY BUSSES - I know I have. I grew up taking busses because my mother didn't drive, so I'm used to it - just not used to Disney's stupid busses. OK - I'm off my soabox now.
Then back to my hotel for some more sleep. Tomorrow would be my last day.