This was the last day of our vacation. We have had a great time and are sad to see the end come. We had breakfast outside before heading to the gift shop for a last minute look at the same merchandise we’ve seen all week.
After returning to our room, we opened the blinds to discover that it was raining. And this wasn’t a light rain like the ones we had had throughout our stay. This was a steady rain that continued as we got ready. In fact, it didn’t stop raining even as we left the Wilderness Lodge and went to the Polynesian Resort to pick up more guests. It continued raining as we ate lunch and looked at the various shops. It rained as we waited for our plane to land and as we took off.
In fact, it kept raining even as we landed in Dallas. Of course, for some reason, our plane (despite landing a little bit early) decided it needed to sit on the tarmac for almost forty minutes afterward. This was not very pleasant as plenty of people had connecting flights at DFW. It rained and rained and didn’t stop. As we flew through the storm, it seemed to stay around all through Texas and New Mexico and even into Arizona. But, naturally, the storm clouds disappeared as we neared the California border and gave way to the sunshine that we were used to.
When we finally returned to California, we were greeted by Auntie Pam and Uncle Kevin, who were kind to pick us up and take us home. Our cat was so happy to see us that she meowed when she saw us. We had a great vacation and unfortunately it had to end and therefore, so must this blog. At least until the next trip. Not sure when that will be, but if you keep an eye on this space, you’ll find out when we do.
Until then, safe journeys.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Day Eight: Midnight Madness (9/11/09)
We checked the times for Epcot and saw that it didn’t close until midnight. Midnight? And it opened at nine? There was no way we were going to spend fifteen hours at that park, so we decided to sleep in. Once up, we watched tv and checked email and the news to find out what was going on in the real world.
Showered and ready, we were out of the room by noon. Why not? Epcot wouldn’t close for twelve hours. We took it into consideration even more as we decided to take the Monorail to the Polynesian Resort. Walking around the Polynesian Resort brought us back to our honeymoon in Hawaii. It was a nice treat, even if it was a day AFTER our anniversary. We wandered around and found a restaurant with a Polynesian flavor and ordered a pork sandwich. It was very good and both Joanna and I were glad to have chosen that place to eat. Stomachs full, we ventured onto the property and found the pools, boat rentals and other areas that all reminded us of Hawaii.
We hopped onto the Monorail and headed for the next stop – the Grand Floridian. Again this hotel is modeled after the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, but don’t mention it or someone might take offense. Having been inside (and stayed there) before, Joanna wanted to show me different aspects of the main building. I can honestly say that the beauty on the outside is nothing compared to the beauty and design of the inside. Definitely a magnificent work of architecture.
After the Grand Floridian, we needed to get all the way around the monorail system to the Transportation Station where we would get on another monorail that would take us directly to Epcot. Despite the stops, it didn’t even take that long. Not like we had to hurry, though. It was open until midnight, remember?
While waiting for the monorail to Epcot, there were several family members singing “It’s a Small World” over and over. Not that it’s a terrible song, but after a while, it does seem to start to annoy people. Well, the person that seemed the most annoyed was the youngest boy in this family group as he yelled to his siblings and parents to “Shut up”, which immediately got them to stop singing the song. It was rather comical, actually.
When we got on the monorail for Epcot, we lucked out as someone left several Fast Pass tickets on the seat. That allowed us to enjoy Test Track and Soarin’ a few times without having to wait when we got there. We did end up getting another Fast Pass for Test Track to use later, but that’s because it is really cool. We took our time, though, at both Epcot and through the World Showcase.
During our time in the World Showcase, Joanna and I decided to play the Interactive Game “Kim Possible”. Basically, you get a cell phone (that only works in the parks and can’t be used for phone calls) and wander the various countries helping “Kim” and her team save the world. Once you get through one mission, it opens up several other missions. This is a great interactive game for kids (and adults, of course) because it allows them to learn about different cultures/countries at the same time they are having fun trying to catch the bad guy or girl.
We rode Soarin’ a couple of times to remind us what California looked like for when we returned. After that, we started walking toward the Nemo ride. On our way to Nemo, there was a family stopped in the middle of the path. I noticed and started to move around them. However, I was paying more attention to the large lightning show that was happening at the time around the parks. What I didn’t notice (and the family and others did) was that there was a large snake (yes, a snake) moving across the path in front of me. I noticed just in time before I stepped on it (that would have been gross) and jumped over it. Joanna – once she realized what was going on as well – took off running down the path a little. I had also run slightly away from the snake but turned around to see what it would do next. Eventually, the snake made its way into the bushes and we made our way to our original destination – the Nemo ride. We did mention the snake to a cast member, though, to make sure that they were aware of the extra guest in the park.
After the snake incident (and the actual ride) we looked around the aquarium one more time before wandering about the park once more. Our next stop was dinner (since it was nine o’clock). Fed again, we chose to ride the Maelstrom Troll Viking Ride and visit Norway a final time and then wandered back to Test Track. Here’s a helpful hint: if you and your child are going to ride a scary ride, don’t make them ride it alone. We saw a little girl who was in the single rider line and had to get on the ride without her dad. She looked terrified and we felt bad for her as she climbed into the car and strapped herself in. Poor kid. We saw her at the end and she still looked a bit scared. We hopped on the ride and zoomed around the track with no rain in our faces (which was a good thing). There was still plenty of lightning that could be seen, even at 60 mph.
Lastly, as a way to close out our Epcot experience, we decided to go for a ride in the Golf Ball on Spaceship Earth. There was very little crowd as we walked to the ride. So few people were riding that I’m sure we could have asked to go on again and they would have allowed it.
Our final day finished around eleven fifteen. Guess we needed those extra magic hours after all. We took the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom and saw it lit up for their Halloween celebration that happens on Friday nights in September and October (this happens at Disneyland too). At the Magic Kingdom we got onto a boat and headed back to our hotel for one last night of sleep before we headed out.
23,532 steps = 12 miles.
Showered and ready, we were out of the room by noon. Why not? Epcot wouldn’t close for twelve hours. We took it into consideration even more as we decided to take the Monorail to the Polynesian Resort. Walking around the Polynesian Resort brought us back to our honeymoon in Hawaii. It was a nice treat, even if it was a day AFTER our anniversary. We wandered around and found a restaurant with a Polynesian flavor and ordered a pork sandwich. It was very good and both Joanna and I were glad to have chosen that place to eat. Stomachs full, we ventured onto the property and found the pools, boat rentals and other areas that all reminded us of Hawaii.
We hopped onto the Monorail and headed for the next stop – the Grand Floridian. Again this hotel is modeled after the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, but don’t mention it or someone might take offense. Having been inside (and stayed there) before, Joanna wanted to show me different aspects of the main building. I can honestly say that the beauty on the outside is nothing compared to the beauty and design of the inside. Definitely a magnificent work of architecture.
After the Grand Floridian, we needed to get all the way around the monorail system to the Transportation Station where we would get on another monorail that would take us directly to Epcot. Despite the stops, it didn’t even take that long. Not like we had to hurry, though. It was open until midnight, remember?
While waiting for the monorail to Epcot, there were several family members singing “It’s a Small World” over and over. Not that it’s a terrible song, but after a while, it does seem to start to annoy people. Well, the person that seemed the most annoyed was the youngest boy in this family group as he yelled to his siblings and parents to “Shut up”, which immediately got them to stop singing the song. It was rather comical, actually.
When we got on the monorail for Epcot, we lucked out as someone left several Fast Pass tickets on the seat. That allowed us to enjoy Test Track and Soarin’ a few times without having to wait when we got there. We did end up getting another Fast Pass for Test Track to use later, but that’s because it is really cool. We took our time, though, at both Epcot and through the World Showcase.
During our time in the World Showcase, Joanna and I decided to play the Interactive Game “Kim Possible”. Basically, you get a cell phone (that only works in the parks and can’t be used for phone calls) and wander the various countries helping “Kim” and her team save the world. Once you get through one mission, it opens up several other missions. This is a great interactive game for kids (and adults, of course) because it allows them to learn about different cultures/countries at the same time they are having fun trying to catch the bad guy or girl.
We rode Soarin’ a couple of times to remind us what California looked like for when we returned. After that, we started walking toward the Nemo ride. On our way to Nemo, there was a family stopped in the middle of the path. I noticed and started to move around them. However, I was paying more attention to the large lightning show that was happening at the time around the parks. What I didn’t notice (and the family and others did) was that there was a large snake (yes, a snake) moving across the path in front of me. I noticed just in time before I stepped on it (that would have been gross) and jumped over it. Joanna – once she realized what was going on as well – took off running down the path a little. I had also run slightly away from the snake but turned around to see what it would do next. Eventually, the snake made its way into the bushes and we made our way to our original destination – the Nemo ride. We did mention the snake to a cast member, though, to make sure that they were aware of the extra guest in the park.
After the snake incident (and the actual ride) we looked around the aquarium one more time before wandering about the park once more. Our next stop was dinner (since it was nine o’clock). Fed again, we chose to ride the Maelstrom Troll Viking Ride and visit Norway a final time and then wandered back to Test Track. Here’s a helpful hint: if you and your child are going to ride a scary ride, don’t make them ride it alone. We saw a little girl who was in the single rider line and had to get on the ride without her dad. She looked terrified and we felt bad for her as she climbed into the car and strapped herself in. Poor kid. We saw her at the end and she still looked a bit scared. We hopped on the ride and zoomed around the track with no rain in our faces (which was a good thing). There was still plenty of lightning that could be seen, even at 60 mph.
Lastly, as a way to close out our Epcot experience, we decided to go for a ride in the Golf Ball on Spaceship Earth. There was very little crowd as we walked to the ride. So few people were riding that I’m sure we could have asked to go on again and they would have allowed it.
Our final day finished around eleven fifteen. Guess we needed those extra magic hours after all. We took the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom and saw it lit up for their Halloween celebration that happens on Friday nights in September and October (this happens at Disneyland too). At the Magic Kingdom we got onto a boat and headed back to our hotel for one last night of sleep before we headed out.
23,532 steps = 12 miles.
Day Seven: Happy Anniversary (9/10/09)
We would like to apologize to all of our fans who were not able to finish our journey because we up and stopped posting. Something about purchasing a new home and packing up an apartment and everything in between seemed to push blogging aside for a little while. But fear no more, happy campers, here are the final three posts from our trip to Disney World way back at the beginnng of September (hence the current title).
***
Yes, today is our actual anniversary. Four years ago today, Joanna and I walked down the aisle and have loved every minute since. This trip was a combination Anniversary, Birthday and Christmas gift all rolled into one. It’s a good thing we both like Disney.
Today, since we had already been to the Magic Kingdom, we decided to take it slow. We slept in, got online, added blog posts, checked email and eventually got ready for the day. We walked out and got to the boat just before it left the dock and headed over to the park.
We had done almost everything at the Magic Kingdom that we had wanted on our first day, so today was spent revisiting some of our favorites, such as Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Mickey’s Philharmagic, the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and many others.
Despite everything we had done the other day, we still found a few things we had missed. Our first thing to do was ride the railroad. Very similar to California, but only three stops instead of four, forcing us to get off sooner and walk (the horror).
We zoomed through Toon Town and parts of Fantasyland on our way to the attractions there. We also went to the Tomorrowland Speedway, which is similar to Disneyland’s Autopia. The only difference being the scenery is better at Disneyland and our car was REALLY slow. After the slow ride around the track, we walked around the different areas stopping at a ride here and there for the memories.
We had a great actual anniversary and thank you to all who left us messages, texts or emails congratulating us.
With our tour of the Magic Kingdom at an end and our feet feeling weary, we called it a night to rest up for our last full day at Disney World.
20,236 steps = 10.3 miles.
***
Yes, today is our actual anniversary. Four years ago today, Joanna and I walked down the aisle and have loved every minute since. This trip was a combination Anniversary, Birthday and Christmas gift all rolled into one. It’s a good thing we both like Disney.
Today, since we had already been to the Magic Kingdom, we decided to take it slow. We slept in, got online, added blog posts, checked email and eventually got ready for the day. We walked out and got to the boat just before it left the dock and headed over to the park.
We had done almost everything at the Magic Kingdom that we had wanted on our first day, so today was spent revisiting some of our favorites, such as Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Mickey’s Philharmagic, the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and many others.
Despite everything we had done the other day, we still found a few things we had missed. Our first thing to do was ride the railroad. Very similar to California, but only three stops instead of four, forcing us to get off sooner and walk (the horror).
We zoomed through Toon Town and parts of Fantasyland on our way to the attractions there. We also went to the Tomorrowland Speedway, which is similar to Disneyland’s Autopia. The only difference being the scenery is better at Disneyland and our car was REALLY slow. After the slow ride around the track, we walked around the different areas stopping at a ride here and there for the memories.
We had a great actual anniversary and thank you to all who left us messages, texts or emails congratulating us.
With our tour of the Magic Kingdom at an end and our feet feeling weary, we called it a night to rest up for our last full day at Disney World.
20,236 steps = 10.3 miles.
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