EJ4Disney
06-12-2008, 11:08 AM
Travel Dates: May 25 - 31, 2008
Travel Method: Delta Airlines
Resort: Pop Century
Players: Ellen (me) & Doug - veterans with many trips experienced
Where: Pop Century 50’s building with Disney Dining Plan & DDE card – I will have a very detailed report at the end of my trip report on how this worked for us.
Why: Because we can & because we SO deserve this!!
How this came about: Doug and I married very young and started our family while we were still in our teens. We literally grew up with our kids. We had our 2 girls first and then 8 years later we were truly blessed with Matthew our “Gift from God”. The girls are all grown, and out of the house, with lives of their own. Our oldest, Elizabeth, is married (Jay) and has given us our 1st grandbaby boy, Ethan, who is now 3. Stephanie is soon to be married to Marty and they live close by also. Matthew, our “baby” graduated from high school on May 18th. Oh Boy, that was hard to deal with. We have always said that when our last one leaves home that we are going to Disney World. Just the 2 of us. So here we are!! The kids truly think we are nuts, but oh the fun we will have. I don’t feel too bad about leaving them at home as in July we are taking the whole family back. This is just for us. I have fought this “Empty Nest” thing long enough and as long as it IS going to happen, we might as well as get it started off right.
Day 1 - Sunday May 25th
Up early for me at least. We had a wedding and reception to go to last night and we had a ball. Stayed out way to late but we all had a great time. I was packed and ready to go so no harm done. Doug happened to be on call this week and didn’t even think about this till last Monday that he was going to have to find somebody to take this call day for him as we were leaving. UGGGGH!!! MEN!! Now mind you this is Memorial Day weekend. Finally on Friday – yes just on Friday - he got one of his men to take it over but not until 4:00 this afternoon. Double GRRRR!!! So we just took our time getting the car packed and just spent some time with Matthew. I didn’t think 4:00 was EVER going to come.
Finally we are on the road and we pulled out of the driveway at 4:15 p.m. We stopped and got the car washed, got a quick sandwich and sweet tea and hit the interstate at 4:45. Not bad so far. The trip into Omaha is about 3 ½ hours and it was a beautiful day and we were on our way to Disney. YEA!! Life is good. We stopped about ½ way to stretch and right back on the road. To the south, the sky was starting to look a bit nasty. The further we got, the worse it looked, but it was staying to the South of us, so we weren’t too worried. We decided to stop in Lincoln to get sandwiches to go and take them to the room with us. We got off of the interstate and got to the Mall and realized that it was closed. Yep, it is Sunday and they close at 6:00. DARN! So plan B. We go across the street and park a ways away – we need the walk – and go to a favorite place for a salad and sandwich. Well we no sooner had gotten in the door that it started to storm. Really bad lightening, straight-line winds, torrential rain and the lights were flickering. I guess that nasty sky caught up to us very quick. We ate and overheard that part of the city was without electricity and parts were flooding. Great!! And remember the nice walk we felt we needed so we parked a ways away, yea right; we are going to be soaked. LOL After we ate Doug went for the car. My hero. He pulled it right up to the door of the restaurant. I didn’t have far to run but I was still soaked like I had just rode Kali River Rapids. We took off for Omaha (about 50 miles) in this downpour. We really thought that we would drive out of it, but no such luck. I think we followed it the whole way. I know I did not breath till we got to the Hotel. Finally about 9:00 p.m. we pull into the Hotel and it is just a drizzle now. We check in, unload the car with what we need and watch a bit of TV. We have a wake up call for 3:30 a.m. so at 9:30 we turned the lights out to try to get a bit of sleep with vision of Mickey in our heads.
Day 2 – Monday May 26th
I had set my phone as well as a wake up call and they both went off at the same time. Doug up and in the shower first and I followed. Packed up what little we got out and out the door by 4:30 a.m. Drove to the airport and parked in long-term parking. The shuttle was waiting for us and 5 minutes later dropped us off at the Delta door. Even at this early hour the airport was buzzing. We got checked in and through security with an hour before our flight. We went and had some coffee and milk. We bought 2 muffins to eat later. Boarded on time and we were pulling out of the gate 10 minutes early. WooHoo!! Here we go.
Got into Atlanta on time. Changed terminals, got a quick Starbucks and potty break****don’t tell Doug – but . . . I went into the bathroom, and as I was walking in there was this person walking out and I thought that lady sure looked very masculine. I rounded the corner and there was a man at the mirror and I thought – oh, that poor man is in the wrong place and then all of a sudden I saw another man coming in and I realized I was in the wrong bathroom. Yikes!!! There is a first time for everything. The man at the mirror just laughed, but I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Oh MY!! ***** Anyway, we sit for a bit at the gate and soon we board.
Next stop –MICKEY! Not the best of flights. Thank goodness it was just over an hour. We said a prayer when the tires hit the pavement.
Took that wonderful first monorail ride over to the terminal. Now, that is when I know my vacation has started. My first palm tree sighting is always a thrill. Went down to baggage claim and Ray from Quicksilver was waiting for us. Our luggage was out fast and we were off. We stopped at the Publix for some water and Pepsi. We pulled up to Pop Century at 12:45 p.m. Check in was a breeze. Margaret had requested the 70’s building and a king bed. Well the CM was such a sweetheart and really did her best to make us happy. We could get a king in the 70’s later or a king in the 50’s now. Let’s see what shall we do? LOL I’ll take the king in the 50’s thank you very much. It was perfect. We were ground floor, poolside and it was ready. Yea! We practically ran to the room we were so darn excited. Doug was putting the key into the door and Margaret called. Wow, what timing is that? She welcomed us home and wanted to know what we were doing. Doug tried to explain our view to her. Thanks sweetie, you did good.
I unpacked and Doug went to get some ice for our drinks. He rested while I got everything situated. He knows I always feel better when the suitcases are empty and put away and it feels like home. We were really getting hungry so we changed clothes real fast and headed for the bus stop. In less that 5 minutes a MK bus pulled up and we were off. We were walking down Main Street at 2:40. They were lined up for the 3’oclock parade. We joked that they were all just waiting for us and were welcoming us. LOL We went straight for Casey’s for a hotdog and a coke. We used our first Counter Service credits for this. ****I will put all of our totals at the end of the report to see how we fared***. Doug went and got us a table while I waited for the food. We should have known what was in store right away as there were many tables available at 3 p.m. The crowds were nowhere. We had perfect seats to eat and watch the parade. As Mickey went by he waved to me. I know he was as glad to see me, as I was to be there. We sat and watched the whole parade and then the Castle forecourt show. Already we are seeing BIG differences in this “Empty Nest” thing. We actually sat and didn’t feel we needed to rush anywhere. We really missed the kids, don’t get me wrong, we REALLY did and we talked about them all of the time. This was just different.
After lunch we decided to start off with a ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean. We had a slow 10 minute walk on. Great as usual. We then went over and got Fast passes for Splash Mountain. From there we walked over to the Haunted Mansion and walked on. I noticed the footsteps on the steps for the first time. We still had 20 minutes till our FP was ready for Splash so we went and rode It’s A Small World. That used to always be the first ride we rode in the MK when my Momma was with us. So it was time to ride now. We always get a bit sad on this ride and don’t say a whole lot. We just held hands and enjoyed our memories of my Mom. As we got off, we noticed that Peter Pan had only a 10 minute wait. WHAT!!! I have never seen a 10 minute wait for Peter Pan, 60 or 90 maybe, but never 10 minutes. LOL So in line we went as we may never see such a short wait again. Loved it. It was now time for Splash Mt. so over we went. The parade was over by this time and the wait time was over 90 minutes. With FP’s in hand we bypassed all of the people in line and literally walked on. WooHoo. We got soaked, but it was really hot so it felt pretty good to us. After this we were a bit hungry so Dole Whips it was. ****We used 2 snack credits for this.**** We sat and enjoyed them and each other. We actually talked like grown ups do. Now don’t laugh at me, but I was just a bit worried that Doug and I wouldn’t talk much. But we did, a lot. I bet we sat there for an hour just talking and people watching. I could feel the tensions of the last month fall away. It was a great feeling.
We decided that we had done what we wanted to at the Magic Kingdom and wanted to go to Epcot. So we left and took the monorail to the Contemporary. Now for those of you who don’t know, the Contemporary is our “Home” resort. We have been staying here for 15 years. The first year we returned after my Mom died I couldn’t bear to stay here so we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But since then we have been back. I had heard and seen that there were changes in the Lobby and on the 4th floor so we were really anxious to see for ourselves. Well I HATE it. We walked in and it just doesn’t feel like home anymore. We usually stay Concierge and last year the changes up there and to the room was a BIG difference, but what they have done to the Lobby and the 4th floor is just awful. We really tried to be objective but it just didn’t work. For all of you that thought the Contemporary was too Futuristic, well it isn’t any different now than your run of the mill upscale Hotel. YUCK!! We will be meeting Janet, our favorite CM from Concierge, on Wednesday, so I will hold the rest of my opinions until then.
We got on the monorail and changed to the Epcot one at the TTC. As we entered we noticed that the topiaries for the Garden and Flower Festival were almost non-existent. We are always here at this time of the year and we were a bit disappointed with the arrangements. Not near as elaborate as usual.
As we went past we realized that Space Ship Earth had no line, so in we went. We hadn’t seen the improvements yet and we were very anxious to see them. We LOVED it. This ride so needed an update. I loved the old one, but the improvements are great!!!
Afterwards we just walked around the countries. We started in Mexico and made our way around to China and decided we were a bit hungry. So we went to Lotus Blossom and got an order of egg rolls, pot stickers and a child’s order of chicken and rice and shared. It was very good. It is a beautiful night and the sun was just setting and the lights of Epcot were coming on. Life is Good.
We walked back towards Mexico and stopped between Norway and Mexico and watched Illuminations. They are my favorite and so beautiful. It was so good to see them again. We slowly walked out to the bus. We waited about 15 minutes and then it was a Mears bus that took us back to Pop Century. We got home at about 10:00 p.m. We watched some TV but not for long as our early morning (3:30 a.m. our time) was catching up to us. Lights out by 11:00 and asleep soon after.
12989 steps walked today
Day 3 - Tuesday May 27th
We were up at 7:00 a.m. Our usual time we get up at home, I guess habits are hard to break. I jumped in the shower and got ready real fast as I needed some coffee. While Doug got ready I went to the food court and bought a mug, we had brought one with us. It was a beautiful morning with people everywhere. The food court at Pop Century is a bit overwhelming to me. With coffee in hand for both of us, I headed back to the room. Doug was ready, so we took our coffee out by the pool. There was the nicest CM there that we got to talking to. There was 50’s music playing and as we walked up we were dancing a bit and she started in also. Only in Disney!! What fun – our kids would have been mortified at us. LOL We were in no hurry and it was so nice to just sit and start our day like this. We took our mugs back to the room and headed out for the bus stop.
We were going to the Magic Kingdom today. As we walked up, there was a bus waiting for us. We walked in at 9:00 and the Trolly Street Performers were just starting a show. We watched them for a bit then shopped up Main Street. I got a few postcards for Ethan, as I want to get them autographed by the characters to send to him. Our first stop was Buzz Light Year. The line was 20 minutes so we got a FP and headed to the Transit Authority. Margaret had given Doug a new Hidden Mickey book so he had that in hand as we set off on our hunt. We were able to find all of them on the ride and noticed that the Carousel of Progress was letting people in so that was next. I just love this ride as it so reminds me of the true Disney and the way Walt wanted it. We took a quick bathroom break and as I was waiting for Doug I noticed the talking trash can. I had a ball watching the people with looks of surprise on their faces. We ducked into Star Traders to find the Hidden Mickey’s there. It was time for our ride on Buzz, so in we went. I beat Doug – 305,300 to 270,100. He was not a happy camper and of course I rubbed it in bad. I never beat him, so I wasn’t going to let it go. LOL He wanted a rematch but the line was just too long. We had a 12:00 p.m. ADR at Tony’s for lunch so we started our way to the front of the park. As we were walking past Snow White, we realized that the standby time was for 10 minutes. That doesn’t happen often, so we got right in and had a great ride. We went and got FP’s for Winnie the Pooh for after lunch and was given a surprise FP for Mickey’s Philharmonic as a bonus.
We got to Tony’s just as they were opening and was seated on the patio. Our server was Nick and he was great. I needed to use the restroom and as I came out there was a little girl throwing a terrible tantrum out in the lobby. I really felt bad for her. I went back in and was telling Doug about her when here they came and were seated right next to us. This family was the little girl, Mom and Dad and Grandparents. The poor little girl, maybe a year old, cried the whole time. And not once did the parents or grandparents try to console her. Needless to say, our lovely lunch along with everyone else’s was ruined. Now mind you, I love kids – ran an in home daycare for 12 years – but this was awful. I wanted to smack these parents for the way this little girl was treated for the 45 minutes we were sitting next to them. We shared the tomato and mozzarella salad, and Doug had the Spaghetti with meatballs and I had the shrimp pasta. Both were very good. For desert I had the pistachio crème brule and Doug had the cheesecake. We both had a cup of coffee also. This was one place that we had really looked forward to. The service was perfect, the food delicious, the view wonderful. I just wish that the screaming child would’ve been a little happier.
After lunch we walked into Mickey’s Philharmonic. There were quite a few
1st timers and I had a ball watching them. We then went over to Winnie the Pooh and used or FP. We again were behind a screaming baby. I hope this doesn’t become a trend for the vacation. We even asked to not be put in the same car. It was that bad! We were finished with Magic Kingdom at this point so made our way to the front. The Main Street Family Fun Day Parade was going on so we stopped to watch for a bit. We decided to take a ride on the train. We got on at Main Street and did a full loop. We made the first stop at Frontier Land and yep, you guessed it, a screaming baby got on right next to me. I think the parents were fighting, as he wouldn’t even sit with her and the screaming baby. She was so upset that she just let her cry and cry and cry. We rode like this all the way back to the front of the park. Oh my!!
We wanted to go see our good friend Janet at the Contemporary so we just walked along the path. It was still a beautiful day with low temps and a slight breeze. I called her and she said she would meet us in the Lobby. Gee it was so good to see her. We were able to talk for almost an hour. She had lots of news to tell us. We went and looked at all of the changes and again I don’t like what they are doing. But I think the kicker for me was that Janet isn’t working Concierge anymore. She just couldn’t stand what was going on up there and has moved to Concierge at the front desk. So as far as we are concerned, we probably will NOT be staying at the Contemporary anymore. We had such a nice time with Janet and can’t wait to see her again in July. We went up to the 4th floor and got a cool drink at the new Grab ‘n Go. Looked at the menu for the Concourse Steak House and sat for a bit in the Outer Rim. Oh the memories we have here but with all of the changes it is getting harder and harder to see them.
We got on the monorail and decided to go over to the Grand Floridian to see if Dotty, our other favorite CM was working. She wasn’t but would be tomorrow so we decided to make an ADR to have tea with her tomorrow. I wanted to go and check out the new menu at the Grand Floridian Café. It looks yummy and there are a few things I would like to try. We sat down on one of the benches right inside the back door and just people watched. We had so much fun watching the people. One of the banks of doors was automatic and the other was manual. It was hilarious to watch them walk up to the door and just stand there, waiting for it to open and then realize that they had to do it. LOL It doesn’t take much to entertain us, huh? Doug was really fighting the sleepies so we decided to go into the lobby and sit on the couches. The orchestra was playing, the couches were soft, the air was cool and Doug was down for the count in 2.2 seconds. I called home and talked to Elizabeth for about a ½ hour. Wow, now this is vacation. Doug woke up and we decided to go to Epcot. We got up and looked through the shops and went out and caught the monorail to the TTC and then on to Epcot. And guess what?! No screaming babies. WooHoo!! But they did have to shut down the monorail for about 15 minutes. It was so hot and very quiet. Actually it was kind of freaky.
We got to Epcot and our first stop was Ice Station Cool. Just the break we needed. I love trying all of the different flavors. Doug hadn’t ridden the new ride in Mexico so that is where we headed next. There was even a line, can you imagine? He liked it and we both said that Ethan will love it. We continued on around to America and stood in line for the 7:00 p.m. Cowsills show. We were in line between 2 couples, that started talking between us. Good grief, were they braggers. They were trying so hard to out beat the other one. They got to be kind of funny. We were finally able to be let in and we got right down in front. They were pretty good. I actually knew a few of the songs. Afterwards we knew we had just enough time to get to the UK for the next show of the British Invasion, so off we went. We called a good friend, Danny, to share the concert with but he wasn’t home. I guess we will have to wait until July to enjoy it together. I don’t think Doug and Danny missed a show when we were in Epcot last year. We really enjoyed these guys.
We were a bit hungry so we walked over to the Boardwalk and each got a piece of pizza and a beer at the Spoodles (they don’t honor the DDP so this was on our own) take out window and sat by the lake and ate. I bet we sat there for almost 2 hours. The sun was setting and the lights around the lake were coming on. It was beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed this.
We walked back in through the International Gateway and got our EMH bracelets and headed for Soarin’. There were no more FP and the standby time was 50 minutes. Usually there is no way we would stand in a line that long, but there really wasn’t anything else we wanted to do so we got in line. It took us exactly 50 minutes, but it was worth it. We loved it. As we came out Doug asked if I was tired and I said “Yes, exhausted.” I guess while standing in the line we both sort of hit the wall. We were finished. We headed out and hiked to the bus stop. Good grief, I think the bus for Pop Century is 10 miles away. There was a bus there but we were too tired to run. But we kept walking and happened to be the last 2 to be let on it. We had to stand but we were back in the room within 20 minutes, and lights were out by midnight.
14647 steps walked today
Day 4 – Wednesday May 28th
I again was the first one up. We slept in till 8:00 this morning. I got in the shower and got ready. Doug was just starting to stir as I left for coffee. I looked around in the gift shop for a bit and saw a few things I wanted to get later. Got our coffee and headed back to the room. Doug was just getting out of the shower. We both were a bit hungry so we decided that breakfast in the Food Court sounded good. We both had omelets with potatoes, juice and coffee. This place was bustling this morning. We filled our mugs up and headed back to the room. The maid was cleaning our room, so we just sat out by the pool until she was finished. We dropped our mugs off and headed for the bus stop. As our luck was again, a bus for the Animal Kingdom was there. We did run a bit to make it. We even got to sit down.
As soon as we got into the park, Doug went over and got us FP’s for the Safari. We only had a few things we wanted to do here today. I went over and waited for him on a bench back by the Festival of the Lion King show. We got right in and was in the Lion section. I was tickled, as we are always in the warthog section. This show is a favorite of ours and it was great as usual. After the show we walked over to the Safari and the standby line was 90 minutes, but with FP’s in hand we walked right on. This was the first time I have ever seen the cheetah. Many of the animals were out and about. We never tire of this ride, it is always so different. Doug wanted to check to see how long the wait was for It’s Tough To Be A Bug so off we went. The stand by was only 10 minutes so in we go. I love the walk around the tree. It is so pretty now, but I remember the first time we waited in that line 10 years ago. It was during the soft opening for only Resort guests and it was hotter than heck. The trees have grown up and it is very shady now. It was a great show and again we had fun watching the 1st timers. I just love the butterfly curtain. We had done all that we wanted to, but there was no way I was going to leave without eating at Flame Tree BBQ. We decided to share a ½ chicken, corn muffin, corn on the cob and a drink. We ate down by the waters edge. We had a perfect view of Everest. When you are down there you are so far away from the crowds that you almost forget where you are. So cool and relaxing. After lunch we were now finished with Animal Kingdom.
We headed out for the bus to the Grand Floridian. We waited for almost ½ hour when a Contemporary/Polynesian bus came, so we got on. It stopped first at the Contemporary so we got off, walked through the Lobby and said hi to Janet again and went up to the 4th floor and took the monorail over to the Grand Floridian.
We checked in and were seated in Dotty’s section. She had no idea we were there, but when she spotted us she screamed. It was priceless!! We had an absolutely perfect time. We talked and talked and she wanted to know all about the family. We were seated next to 2 men, Stacey and David, who are also good friends of Dotty’s. They both are CM’s. Stacey is in management at Fultons and David is over at the Studios. It was David’s 30th birthday and they were celebrating. We sat there talking for over 3 hours, we actually closed the Tea room down. We had a BALL!! Probably one of the highlights of the trip.
We did a bit of shopping before we left and grabbed the monorail to Epcot. We walked through the park to the Boardwalk as I was looking for some of the H20 lip balm. When I was there in October I had bought some and needed more. They were out, so we left empty handed. We went down and waited for the Friendship boat to Hollywood Studios. We love this ride, it is so peaceful, but today it was really hot. We checked in for our ADR at the Brown Derby. Dinner was wonderful as usual. It was 2 sit down credits each and even though it was great I truly don’t think it was worth 4 credits. We took our time and finished up with a cup of coffee.
We went and got our EMH bracelets under the Big Blue Hat. I really wanted to see if Toy Story Midway Mania was still having a soft opening. We walked over and it was. The stand by was 45 minutes and we really didn’t have anything else we wanted to do so we decided to just stand in line. It is soooooo cute in there and cool. About 20 minutes into waiting, I started to not feel well, so I left Doug in the line and went to the bathroom. Feeling better I went to the exit to wait for Doug. About 30 minutes later, here comes Doug with a grin a mile wide. He LOVED it!! He took one look at me after finding out if I felt better and said, “You gotta do this, come on!”. So in we went again. I got all the way through this time and I totally agree with Doug – this is my new favorite ride. Doug was so excited that he had bettered his score and he beat me, so that was an added bonus. We took one look at each other and got right back in line. The stand by was only 40 minutes at this point. He beat me again but I got closer.
We walked over to the Great Movie Ride and walked on. They only had one car going and we got the gangster side. From there we saw The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It had been awhile since we have seen this so it was nice. From there we were finished so we left and headed for the busses. There was one waiting so we jumped on. Again we had to stand, but we were back in the room by 1:15 and lights out at 1:30 a.m.
15347 steps walked today
Day 5 – Thursday May 29th
We slept in this morning till 9:00 a.m. Doug was up first and in the shower. I followed and went to get the coffee. It was already hot, hot, hot!! The weather so far has been comfortable, not miserable and the humidity has been low. But that was to change today. We headed out the door at 10:30 a.m. We were off to Downtown Disney. Today was Doug’s choice. I had done everything that was on my must do list so today was up to Doug. He wanted to shop. Oh the Man is mine, all mine!! He can shop me under the table. LOL So DTD was our destination of the day.
We waited about 10 minutes for the bus. We stopped at Blizzard Beach first and then DTD. We ducked in to Ghiradelli’s for a chocolate sample. It was the new peanut butter one. We then went right to the World of Disney store. I had seen a few things I wanted earlier, but decided to get it all here and use my 10% AP discount. We had a ball watching all of the little princesses going into and coming out of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We both remarked that our girls would have loved this and it would have been a must do for them. We got our purchases made and decided we were hungry so we went over to Earl of Sandwich. There was quite a line but it moved along very fast. We sat inside as it was just to hot outside. We saved some room for dessert and of course Ghiradelli’s was the choice. Doug had a Chocolate Peanut butter Sundae and I had a Hot Fudge Sundae. There are no other words besides, Pure Heaven. We then went next door and bought some chocolate to take home for the family. Team Sports was next as we always check out their mini helmets for Matthew. They had the new Ohio State one so of course we had to get it. There was a man that was lacing baseballs. It was so interesting watching him. Next was the Lego store. Oh my, there were a bunch of mad, angry, crying, throwing fit kids in there. We just kind of stood back and watch it all unfold. It must have been naptime or something because I bet there were 4 or 5 kiddos all melting down. We got out of there real fast. LOL We walked down to Fulton’s and looked at their menu and just walked around for a bit. It was very hot and humid and we were getting a bit tired so we decided to call it a good day of shopping and head back to the Hotel.
We waited for about 10 minutes for a bus. As we got on I remember thinking, wow it is hot in here. We sat and waited for others for about 10 minutes and then we were on our way to Blizzard Beach. It was like an oven in there. We asked if he would put the air on but he said no. Disney was trying to cut down on fuel prices. OK could we open the windows to which he again said no. That was not true as there was not another bus the whole trip that didn’t have the air on. As you will recall it was a very HOT day out. If we would have been smart we would have gotten off at Blizzard Beach, but we didn’t. And by time we got back to the room we both were half way sick.
We laid down for a bit and I fell asleep and Doug talked to Matthew. This is the first time that we have left Matthew home alone. He has done a wonderful job getting chores done, the lawn mowed and getting himself up for work. I really think he has missed us though. We have 3 kids and they all love Disney but Matthew, well he “gets it”.
After our little break in the cool room we were feeling better and decided to go pick up our packages we had sent to the resort yesterday and get something cool to drink. Wow, that Food Court is completely different at 3:00in the afternoon. There were only 5 other people in there.
At about 4:00 p.m. we left the room and grabbed a bus for Epcot. This bus was almost cold. But we weren’t complaining at all. We entered the park almost by ourselves. I don’t think there were 10 other people in sight, but there was a wait of 25 minutes at Space Ship Earth. We were so glad that we had done it the other day. Walked straight back to World Showcase. We took a left toward Mexico and just walked slowly around. Stopped and watched the Chinese acrobats for a bit. We stopped in Germany to see if they had any little animals that Ethan didn’t have. Nope, he had them all. We had an ADR at Rose and Crown for 6:00 so we weren’t in any big hurry, so it was great just taking our time at each country.
We were passing Japan and Doug wanted to go up and see the new refurbishment of Teppan Edo. We had tried for months to get in here but they were booked solid. We asked if we could just come in and look around and they said sure. It is just beautiful. You never really know how bad an upgrade is needed until it is done. Wow, what a difference. They really haven’t changed the rooms where you sit, except they do have new tables and chairs and they have painted. But the real change is when and how you walk up the stairs and the waiting area. It is huge and the table service part is much bigger. As we were looking around I asked if there was any way that we could get an ADR for two and they said sure. WOOHOO!!!!! We were so excited. I used my cell phone to cancel our ADR at the Rose and Crown. We waited about 20 minutes and were seated with a family of 2 daughters, a father and 2 young boys, and I was seated next to a man from Tokyo Japan. He was a hoot. We had so much fun. We had a great chef and she was a woman. We have always had a man so this was pretty neat and she was very good. I had the Sirloin steak and shrimp and Doug had the Chicken and Shrimp. For dessert Doug had the Ginger cake and I had the Green Tea pudding. The man from Japan was next to me, was just flabbergasted with my dessert. He had never ever heard of such a thing. He ordered one just to see what it was. The best I can say is that it was like a green flan/custard. It was very good. The man just looked at it and said, “Only in America”. LOL He was here for a Technical Convention over at the Contemporary. This was his 5th time in America and while he does love it here he was ready to go home. We all paid up and were on our separate ways. What a nice surprise this dinner was, we really enjoyed it.
We walked into the next show of Tony Orlando. I was really looking forward to this show but was a bit disappointed. He sang many songs of other people/groups and only 2 of his that I knew, Knock 3 times and Tie A Yellow Ribbon. He was very chatty and really full of himself. He let every member of his band sing a song and even though it was okay it was not at all what I expected. Oh well.
When we got out of the show I noticed that I had missed 7 calls on my phone. I had 5 calls from Stephanie and 2 calls from Elizabeth. I just knew in my gut that something was wrong and, oh my gosh – yes it was. Stephanie lives in Kearney and they had just had 3 tornados go through and she was scared to death. One completely destroyed the airport, one destroyed the fair grounds and the other went through and destroyed an apartment that Jay and Elizabeth lived in after they got married. She was under her desk as they still hadn’t gotten the all clear. Just what parents want to hear when they are a thousand miles from home. She talked to her Daddy and he was able to calm her down some. We then called Elizabeth and she was freaking out as she had heard about the tornados and couldn’t get a hold of Stephanie. Good grief, as we were talking to her Matthew called all upset as well. We each were talking to a kid on 2 different phones with 2 on one line. After about 20 minutes and spent nerves we all calmed down and were very thankful that everyone was alright.
By the time we got off of the phone the next Tony Orlando show was about to begin so we decided to give it another try. Big mistake as it was just as bad as the first one. I am sure others loved it but not us. I wanted to hear his songs, not him singing other peoples or his band singing. Oh well, live and learn.
We decided to continue walking and stopped between Morocco and Japan to watch Illuminations. Not the best place to stop but it was okay. We strolled on around and got our EMH bands on the bridge past France. We stopped in Canada for a cup of coffee and sat on a bench waiting for the crowds to leave and to sit and watch the people. The world is sure made up of all kinds. We sat for almost 45 minutes and just listened to the soft music and talked. It was so nice.
We then decided to go see Nemo and Friends. Somehow Doug had never seen this before and he really liked it. From there we went to the single rider line for Test Track. I was in the front car and Doug was right behind me. We looked and dreamed at he cars in the showroom. We decided to end our evening with a ride on Soarin’. The standby line was 50 minutes, but oh well we joined the line. We had a blast with the people around us and before we knew it we were on. They have games and trivia on huge screens to play while you are waiting. This was a lot of fun. We also had 3 line jumpers. We all got a bit huffy about this, and a man in front of us a ways made a big deal out of the last one and made the lady turn around and go back. The whole line erupted in applause. Somehow this habit needs to be stopped. As usual the ride was wonderful. What a way to end an evening.
At this point we called it a night, as it was close to midnight. We hiked to the bus stop and there was one waiting, we had to run but we did get on. We had to stand, but oh well. We were back in the room by 12:30 a.m. and lights were out by 1:00 a.m.
Walked 13758 steps today
Day 6 – Friday May 30th
I had just woken up at about 8:00 a.m. and my phone rang. It was Elizabeth, and I just knew, again, that something was wrong. It was only 7:00 a.m. at home. And, yep, I was right. Jay, our Son in Law, was activated at 1:00 a.m. They are a military family and those are words you never want to hear. He is an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad and was out on a run when he got the call. The railroad went to get him and he left his train at 3:00 a.m. was home by 5:00 a.m. and was already reporting for duty. With the tornados that had hit Kearney last night they were calling all the National Guard in. Ok, my heart is now slowing down a bit – we can handle that. They have declared Kearney as a Civil Defense Emergency. WOW! We talked for a bit more with strict instructions to let us know what was going on. As we hung up, a part of us wanted to be home, but we also knew there wasn’t a thing we could do if we were. We still had a whole day left and by golly, we were going to have a good time. LOL
I got in the shower first and went on the coffee run while Doug got ready. We decided that we weren’t going to be back till late so we did our packing. We finally left the room at 11:00, and walked to the bus stop. As our luck would have it again, the bus was waiting for us. We were going to Epcot for lunch. We took a right at the World Showcase and headed right for Canada, as we were looking for some “Roots” clothing. Our kids love this brand, as we do also. We found none! Canada doesn’t carry any “Roots” things anymore, they were all hockey and sports things. Oh, how disappointing. Oh well, we saved a nice little bundle of money – too bad Canada.
We slowly walked around to France. It was another beautiful cool morning. We checked in and waited for about 15 minutes. We were shown in right at 12:00 to a nice little window seat. Shortly after we sat down, the show (I forget what he is called) with the chairs started. We had front row seats. He just amazes me. Our server was Mileki and he was a cutie. We both ordered the short ribs and I didn’t like mine at all. In hindsight, I should have sent it back and got something else, but I didn’t. Doug enjoyed his, so I guess it was just me. I did have the French Onion soup, so I didn’t starve. LOL As we were eating our dessert, we decided to go to the Studios and ride Toy Story Midway Mania again. We settled our bill and left. Boy was it hot now. It had been such a nice morning but it was really hot out now.
We walked to the International Gateway and waited for a boat. One came within 10 minutes and we were able to sit outside. We thoroughly enjoy this ride. We entered the park and walked right back to TSMM to get a FP. The return time was for 7:45 p.m. and we really wanted to spend the evening in the Magic Kingdom so we decided that we really didn’t have anything else to do, so we entered the stand by line for a 50 minute wait. It is so cool in there and the time does go by fast. Doug beat me the first time – Big time! We got off and got right back in the line - 60 minutes was posted. I beat Doug the second time – WOOHOO! And you know, Doug wasn’t going to leave with me winning so – yep you guessed it – back in line we went, 45 wait at this point. Well it was getting kind of late so I LET Doug win this time. LOL Oh my goodness we had so much fun. We felt like 2 little kids riding this ride. We just love it and can’t wait to bring the family back next month.
We grabbed 2 cokes and a package of glazed cashews and sat on a bench to decide what to do next. A nice young man sat down beside us, and of course we started talking. He is a CM there at the Studios and was there picking up his paycheck. He is on the college program and when he graduates he wants to be an Imaginer for Disney. He told us that at age 8 he came with his parents and saw Fantasmic and was hooked. From then on he has done nothing but dream of being an Imaginer. I hope someday he sees his dream come true. He was a fine young man.
They were starting to rope off the area where we were sitting. We were never asked to leave but ended up being the only people in the area. Pretty soon here came the High School Musical parade and float. We had front and center seats. I only wish it would have been something we would enjoy, as it was, we sat for a bit longer and then left. We shopped a bit, as Ali (Matthew’s girlfriend), wanted us to look for The Lion King on DVD. No luck, we never did find it.
We headed back to the boat for Epcot. I wanted to take the bus to the MK but Doug wanted to walk through Epcot one more time. We waited for that darn boat for over ½ hour. Grrr!! On the boat over I discovered that my backpack had gotten a hole in it. I was so glad that I hadn’t lost anything, but it was close. So we headed to Germany, as a few days ago, I remembered seeing one that I thought was cute. So now I have a new backpack and was a happy camper. We walked on around and stopped in Norway for Doug to get a Rice Cream. While he was enjoying his treat I switched backpacks. When that was done we kept walking out. When we go to Space Ship Earth there was no line, so we decided for one last ride. It was great as usual.
We took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. It was around 7:00 p.m. and we walked in and had our picture taken by the photopass guy. The sun was just setting and the lights were just coming on. After we got our picture taken we went right to Buzz Light Year. We walked on and I womped Doug. When we got off, all I heard was, it was because he had to steer and on and on. So I said, let’s do it again and I will steer this time. We were off! I have never steered before so it was a wild ride, but guess what? Yep, I beat him again. WooHoo!!! But I learned a lesson here . . . it is true what my Momma always said to me. NEVER beat your man!! LOL was she right. He pouted for about 10 minutes and had every excuse in the book. I just laughed at him – what a baby. LOL To make him feel better we went and ate at Pecos Bills. On the way I stopped at Casey’s and got some corndog bites to share. We both got our dinner and sat next to a window and watched the parade as it went by. I like this parade but I wish the Main Street Electrical Parade would come back. I love that one. The park was open tonight for EMH so we went and got our armbands and rode Pirates of the Caribbean. We walked right on and never stopped until we boarded our boat.
We realized that it was almost time for the fireworks so we scooted as fast as we could to the Castle Forecourt, our favorite place to watch. They were so pretty. I never watch the fireworks that I don’t think of my Mom, and know that she has the best view of all and gets to see them every night.
Next was the Hunted Mansion. Each time I go on this ride I see something new. We walked over to see the wait time for Splash Mountain and there was none, so in we go. Again we didn’t stop until we boarded our log. I really didn’t want to get wet, as it was late and not that warm out. But Doug really did, so on we go. I used my backpack over my head when we went down the drops and really did stay pretty dry. As soon as we came down the last drop we rounded the corner and stopped. The lights came on and an announcement to stay put. We sat there for almost 20 minutes. I just knew they were going to evacuate us, but they didn’t and all of a sudden we were on our way again. I have no idea what happened, but it was a little strange.
It was now after midnight and as much as we didn’t want to admit it, it was time to go. Our vacation was over – man I hate that feeling. We slowly walked down Main Street, turning to look at the Castle one more time. We hugged each other, reminding each other that 8 weeks from that exact time we would just be arriving with the family. So that helped a bit turning around and walking away.
We did stop in the Exposition Hall and picked up our one and only photopass picture. It turned out pretty good. We left the park and truged all the way out to the Pop Century bus stop. This is the one time I miss staying at the Contemporary. We usually just have a short 10 minute walk back to the room. They had 2 busses there and we got on the last one and even got to sit down. As we walked through the Lobby we decided to go ahead and check out now, as we were to be picked up at 5:00 a.m. by QuickSilver, for our 7:00 a.m. flight. I didn’t want my express bill hanging on my door all morning until someone realized we had already checked out. The bill was spot on, so no worries there. We set a 4:00 a.m. wake up call and headed for the room. I set the alarm on my phone as well and laid my head down at 12:45 a.m.
Walked 16519 steps today
Day 7 – Saturday May 31st -------or actually 3 hours later
I did not sleep at all. I think I was worried that we would over sleep. Doug on the other hand was snoring within seconds of laying his head down. The alarm and phone both rang within seconds of each other. Doug was up, and in the shower first and then me. We packed up what little we had left, and left our room for the last time. It was a warm morning, and the sun wasn’t even up yet. We went down and waited for QuickSilver to get there. We sat in the golf cart to wait. He was right on time and we were off. I don’t remember his name, but he was a very nice young man. We were able to check in curbside, which was great and a real time saver, as even at this hour the airport was busy. We got through security with no problems. We had about 45 minutes to wait at the gate. We boarded on time and the flight was nice and uneventful. At least I think it was, as Doug and I slept the whole way. Didn’t even wake up for our snack. LOL We had about a 2½ hour layover in Atlanta so we went and got breakfast. Again we slept the whole way to Omaha and landed about 15 minutes early. Our luggage was the first out – what luck. We loaded up and hit the road. We thought about stopping in Kearney to see all of the damage, but most of the city was shut down to visitors so we just kept on going. We pulled into our driveway at 7:15 p.m. The kids were all there to welcome us home. They even had dinner waiting for us. What a wonderful time we had, but it was good to be home.
Final thoughts and some observations
Doug and I had a ball!! Did we miss the kids – something fierce - Would we do it again – You BET!! On the first day, Margaret called, and she said that we would probably have so much fun alone that we wouldn’t want the family or them around any more. Not true!! We can’t wait to take the kids back and to see Margaret and her family. But that being said, it was so nice just the 2 of us. We went where WE wanted to, when WE wanted to, we sat, ate, slept, stayed out late and shopped when and where WE wanted to. It was so different. This won’t be the only time it will be just the 2 of us. We loved it!!
We both remarked bout the line cutters. I don’t know how many times we would be in line when someone would start working their way up the line. “Excuse me, my -------- is up there” Yea right. My Uncle John is too. The one time I needed to get out of line I stayed out of line. It would have been so easy to jump back in the line until I found Doug. No way. If you ALL don’t get in line at the same time, then wait your turn.
I don’t think I have ever, in all of the time I have been to WDW, ever seen so many crying children and parents not doing a thing about it. Good grief parents, if your little one is crying, something is wrong. FIX IT!!! If they are tired, take them home, if they are hot, get them cool, if they are cranky maybe they are thirsty or hungry. Whatever it is, people don’t just cry for nothing. It is up to us to make them happy. Enough said!!
A real first for me this trip, and any of you that truly know me, will be shocked, but. . . . I took no pictures. I had forgotten my camera in the room the first day and then decided there really wasn’t much I wanted to take a picture of. We were a bit disappointed with the topiaries for the Flower and Garden Festival. Don’t get me wrong they were nice, just not very many of them or the ones that there were weren’t very elaborate. As in years past they have been beautiful, but they were a bit sparse to me this year. And where it was just Doug and I, I didn’t feel a real need to take any. Sorry!
I am following this report with a detailed report of our use of the Dining Plan. Was it worth it? Yes, we saved a bit. But I truly don’t know if I would use it again for just the 2 of us. We felt to constricted by where we needed to be and at what time. Plus, we found it to be way too much food. We just don’t eat 3 big meals a day. But with that said, I do think I will add it to our family vacation in July for at least one room. We will have 3 big eaters and the rest can share. I do love the fact that it is easier to budget and it is paid for by the time we get there.
Walt Disney is an expensive place to visit. And with the economy the way that it is, it makes it even more so. But all in all I am glad to report it is still the “Happiest Place on Earth” I love it and God willing I will return.
Meal Plan – May 26th – 30th
10 snack credits
10 Counter Service credits
10 sit down credits
May 26th
2 Snack credits
$7.14 - used 2 snack credits – 1 Dole Whip & 1 Pineapple Float
2 Counter service credits
$19.46 – used 2 counter service credits – Casey’s – hotdogs, drinks & desserts
2 Sit down credits
didn’t use
Amount used = $26.60
May 27th
2 Snack credits
didn’t use
2 Counter service credits
didn’t use
2 Sit down credits
$53.29 – used 2 sit down credits – Tony’s Lunch
Amount used = $53.29
May 28th
2 Snack credits
$5.57 – used 2 snack credits – 2 cokes
2 Counter service credits
$24.44 – used 2 counter service credits – Everything Pop breakfast
$14.63 – used 1 counter service credit – Flame Tree BBQ – shared Lunch
2 Sit down credits
$90.08 – used 4 sit down credits – Brown Derby – dinner
Amount used = $134.92
May 29th
2 Snack credits
$4.88 – 2 snack credits used – Norway/Rice Creams
2 Counter service credits
$18.86 – 2 counter service credits – Earl of Sandwich - lunch
2 Sit down credits
$72.96 – 2 Sit down credits used - Teppan Edo – Dinner
Amount used = $96.70
May 30th
2 Snack credits
$4.23 – used 1 snack credit – glazed cashews
$5.57 – used 2 snack credits – 2 cokes
2 Counter service credits
$8.80 – used 1 counter service credit – Casey’s shared dinner
$24.76 – used 2 sit down credits – Peco’s Bills shared dinner
2 Sit down credits
$64.22 – used 2 sit down credits – Chefs de France - lunch
Amount used =$107.58
Sit Down meals - $280.55 - all 10 credits were used
Counter Service - $110.95 - all 10 credits were used
Snacks - $27.39 - only 9 credits were used
Total cost = $379.90
Total used = $418.89
Total saved = $38.99
Travel Method: Delta Airlines
Resort: Pop Century
Players: Ellen (me) & Doug - veterans with many trips experienced
Where: Pop Century 50’s building with Disney Dining Plan & DDE card – I will have a very detailed report at the end of my trip report on how this worked for us.
Why: Because we can & because we SO deserve this!!
How this came about: Doug and I married very young and started our family while we were still in our teens. We literally grew up with our kids. We had our 2 girls first and then 8 years later we were truly blessed with Matthew our “Gift from God”. The girls are all grown, and out of the house, with lives of their own. Our oldest, Elizabeth, is married (Jay) and has given us our 1st grandbaby boy, Ethan, who is now 3. Stephanie is soon to be married to Marty and they live close by also. Matthew, our “baby” graduated from high school on May 18th. Oh Boy, that was hard to deal with. We have always said that when our last one leaves home that we are going to Disney World. Just the 2 of us. So here we are!! The kids truly think we are nuts, but oh the fun we will have. I don’t feel too bad about leaving them at home as in July we are taking the whole family back. This is just for us. I have fought this “Empty Nest” thing long enough and as long as it IS going to happen, we might as well as get it started off right.
Day 1 - Sunday May 25th
Up early for me at least. We had a wedding and reception to go to last night and we had a ball. Stayed out way to late but we all had a great time. I was packed and ready to go so no harm done. Doug happened to be on call this week and didn’t even think about this till last Monday that he was going to have to find somebody to take this call day for him as we were leaving. UGGGGH!!! MEN!! Now mind you this is Memorial Day weekend. Finally on Friday – yes just on Friday - he got one of his men to take it over but not until 4:00 this afternoon. Double GRRRR!!! So we just took our time getting the car packed and just spent some time with Matthew. I didn’t think 4:00 was EVER going to come.
Finally we are on the road and we pulled out of the driveway at 4:15 p.m. We stopped and got the car washed, got a quick sandwich and sweet tea and hit the interstate at 4:45. Not bad so far. The trip into Omaha is about 3 ½ hours and it was a beautiful day and we were on our way to Disney. YEA!! Life is good. We stopped about ½ way to stretch and right back on the road. To the south, the sky was starting to look a bit nasty. The further we got, the worse it looked, but it was staying to the South of us, so we weren’t too worried. We decided to stop in Lincoln to get sandwiches to go and take them to the room with us. We got off of the interstate and got to the Mall and realized that it was closed. Yep, it is Sunday and they close at 6:00. DARN! So plan B. We go across the street and park a ways away – we need the walk – and go to a favorite place for a salad and sandwich. Well we no sooner had gotten in the door that it started to storm. Really bad lightening, straight-line winds, torrential rain and the lights were flickering. I guess that nasty sky caught up to us very quick. We ate and overheard that part of the city was without electricity and parts were flooding. Great!! And remember the nice walk we felt we needed so we parked a ways away, yea right; we are going to be soaked. LOL After we ate Doug went for the car. My hero. He pulled it right up to the door of the restaurant. I didn’t have far to run but I was still soaked like I had just rode Kali River Rapids. We took off for Omaha (about 50 miles) in this downpour. We really thought that we would drive out of it, but no such luck. I think we followed it the whole way. I know I did not breath till we got to the Hotel. Finally about 9:00 p.m. we pull into the Hotel and it is just a drizzle now. We check in, unload the car with what we need and watch a bit of TV. We have a wake up call for 3:30 a.m. so at 9:30 we turned the lights out to try to get a bit of sleep with vision of Mickey in our heads.
Day 2 – Monday May 26th
I had set my phone as well as a wake up call and they both went off at the same time. Doug up and in the shower first and I followed. Packed up what little we got out and out the door by 4:30 a.m. Drove to the airport and parked in long-term parking. The shuttle was waiting for us and 5 minutes later dropped us off at the Delta door. Even at this early hour the airport was buzzing. We got checked in and through security with an hour before our flight. We went and had some coffee and milk. We bought 2 muffins to eat later. Boarded on time and we were pulling out of the gate 10 minutes early. WooHoo!! Here we go.
Got into Atlanta on time. Changed terminals, got a quick Starbucks and potty break****don’t tell Doug – but . . . I went into the bathroom, and as I was walking in there was this person walking out and I thought that lady sure looked very masculine. I rounded the corner and there was a man at the mirror and I thought – oh, that poor man is in the wrong place and then all of a sudden I saw another man coming in and I realized I was in the wrong bathroom. Yikes!!! There is a first time for everything. The man at the mirror just laughed, but I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Oh MY!! ***** Anyway, we sit for a bit at the gate and soon we board.
Next stop –MICKEY! Not the best of flights. Thank goodness it was just over an hour. We said a prayer when the tires hit the pavement.
Took that wonderful first monorail ride over to the terminal. Now, that is when I know my vacation has started. My first palm tree sighting is always a thrill. Went down to baggage claim and Ray from Quicksilver was waiting for us. Our luggage was out fast and we were off. We stopped at the Publix for some water and Pepsi. We pulled up to Pop Century at 12:45 p.m. Check in was a breeze. Margaret had requested the 70’s building and a king bed. Well the CM was such a sweetheart and really did her best to make us happy. We could get a king in the 70’s later or a king in the 50’s now. Let’s see what shall we do? LOL I’ll take the king in the 50’s thank you very much. It was perfect. We were ground floor, poolside and it was ready. Yea! We practically ran to the room we were so darn excited. Doug was putting the key into the door and Margaret called. Wow, what timing is that? She welcomed us home and wanted to know what we were doing. Doug tried to explain our view to her. Thanks sweetie, you did good.
I unpacked and Doug went to get some ice for our drinks. He rested while I got everything situated. He knows I always feel better when the suitcases are empty and put away and it feels like home. We were really getting hungry so we changed clothes real fast and headed for the bus stop. In less that 5 minutes a MK bus pulled up and we were off. We were walking down Main Street at 2:40. They were lined up for the 3’oclock parade. We joked that they were all just waiting for us and were welcoming us. LOL We went straight for Casey’s for a hotdog and a coke. We used our first Counter Service credits for this. ****I will put all of our totals at the end of the report to see how we fared***. Doug went and got us a table while I waited for the food. We should have known what was in store right away as there were many tables available at 3 p.m. The crowds were nowhere. We had perfect seats to eat and watch the parade. As Mickey went by he waved to me. I know he was as glad to see me, as I was to be there. We sat and watched the whole parade and then the Castle forecourt show. Already we are seeing BIG differences in this “Empty Nest” thing. We actually sat and didn’t feel we needed to rush anywhere. We really missed the kids, don’t get me wrong, we REALLY did and we talked about them all of the time. This was just different.
After lunch we decided to start off with a ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean. We had a slow 10 minute walk on. Great as usual. We then went over and got Fast passes for Splash Mountain. From there we walked over to the Haunted Mansion and walked on. I noticed the footsteps on the steps for the first time. We still had 20 minutes till our FP was ready for Splash so we went and rode It’s A Small World. That used to always be the first ride we rode in the MK when my Momma was with us. So it was time to ride now. We always get a bit sad on this ride and don’t say a whole lot. We just held hands and enjoyed our memories of my Mom. As we got off, we noticed that Peter Pan had only a 10 minute wait. WHAT!!! I have never seen a 10 minute wait for Peter Pan, 60 or 90 maybe, but never 10 minutes. LOL So in line we went as we may never see such a short wait again. Loved it. It was now time for Splash Mt. so over we went. The parade was over by this time and the wait time was over 90 minutes. With FP’s in hand we bypassed all of the people in line and literally walked on. WooHoo. We got soaked, but it was really hot so it felt pretty good to us. After this we were a bit hungry so Dole Whips it was. ****We used 2 snack credits for this.**** We sat and enjoyed them and each other. We actually talked like grown ups do. Now don’t laugh at me, but I was just a bit worried that Doug and I wouldn’t talk much. But we did, a lot. I bet we sat there for an hour just talking and people watching. I could feel the tensions of the last month fall away. It was a great feeling.
We decided that we had done what we wanted to at the Magic Kingdom and wanted to go to Epcot. So we left and took the monorail to the Contemporary. Now for those of you who don’t know, the Contemporary is our “Home” resort. We have been staying here for 15 years. The first year we returned after my Mom died I couldn’t bear to stay here so we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But since then we have been back. I had heard and seen that there were changes in the Lobby and on the 4th floor so we were really anxious to see for ourselves. Well I HATE it. We walked in and it just doesn’t feel like home anymore. We usually stay Concierge and last year the changes up there and to the room was a BIG difference, but what they have done to the Lobby and the 4th floor is just awful. We really tried to be objective but it just didn’t work. For all of you that thought the Contemporary was too Futuristic, well it isn’t any different now than your run of the mill upscale Hotel. YUCK!! We will be meeting Janet, our favorite CM from Concierge, on Wednesday, so I will hold the rest of my opinions until then.
We got on the monorail and changed to the Epcot one at the TTC. As we entered we noticed that the topiaries for the Garden and Flower Festival were almost non-existent. We are always here at this time of the year and we were a bit disappointed with the arrangements. Not near as elaborate as usual.
As we went past we realized that Space Ship Earth had no line, so in we went. We hadn’t seen the improvements yet and we were very anxious to see them. We LOVED it. This ride so needed an update. I loved the old one, but the improvements are great!!!
Afterwards we just walked around the countries. We started in Mexico and made our way around to China and decided we were a bit hungry. So we went to Lotus Blossom and got an order of egg rolls, pot stickers and a child’s order of chicken and rice and shared. It was very good. It is a beautiful night and the sun was just setting and the lights of Epcot were coming on. Life is Good.
We walked back towards Mexico and stopped between Norway and Mexico and watched Illuminations. They are my favorite and so beautiful. It was so good to see them again. We slowly walked out to the bus. We waited about 15 minutes and then it was a Mears bus that took us back to Pop Century. We got home at about 10:00 p.m. We watched some TV but not for long as our early morning (3:30 a.m. our time) was catching up to us. Lights out by 11:00 and asleep soon after.
12989 steps walked today
Day 3 - Tuesday May 27th
We were up at 7:00 a.m. Our usual time we get up at home, I guess habits are hard to break. I jumped in the shower and got ready real fast as I needed some coffee. While Doug got ready I went to the food court and bought a mug, we had brought one with us. It was a beautiful morning with people everywhere. The food court at Pop Century is a bit overwhelming to me. With coffee in hand for both of us, I headed back to the room. Doug was ready, so we took our coffee out by the pool. There was the nicest CM there that we got to talking to. There was 50’s music playing and as we walked up we were dancing a bit and she started in also. Only in Disney!! What fun – our kids would have been mortified at us. LOL We were in no hurry and it was so nice to just sit and start our day like this. We took our mugs back to the room and headed out for the bus stop.
We were going to the Magic Kingdom today. As we walked up, there was a bus waiting for us. We walked in at 9:00 and the Trolly Street Performers were just starting a show. We watched them for a bit then shopped up Main Street. I got a few postcards for Ethan, as I want to get them autographed by the characters to send to him. Our first stop was Buzz Light Year. The line was 20 minutes so we got a FP and headed to the Transit Authority. Margaret had given Doug a new Hidden Mickey book so he had that in hand as we set off on our hunt. We were able to find all of them on the ride and noticed that the Carousel of Progress was letting people in so that was next. I just love this ride as it so reminds me of the true Disney and the way Walt wanted it. We took a quick bathroom break and as I was waiting for Doug I noticed the talking trash can. I had a ball watching the people with looks of surprise on their faces. We ducked into Star Traders to find the Hidden Mickey’s there. It was time for our ride on Buzz, so in we went. I beat Doug – 305,300 to 270,100. He was not a happy camper and of course I rubbed it in bad. I never beat him, so I wasn’t going to let it go. LOL He wanted a rematch but the line was just too long. We had a 12:00 p.m. ADR at Tony’s for lunch so we started our way to the front of the park. As we were walking past Snow White, we realized that the standby time was for 10 minutes. That doesn’t happen often, so we got right in and had a great ride. We went and got FP’s for Winnie the Pooh for after lunch and was given a surprise FP for Mickey’s Philharmonic as a bonus.
We got to Tony’s just as they were opening and was seated on the patio. Our server was Nick and he was great. I needed to use the restroom and as I came out there was a little girl throwing a terrible tantrum out in the lobby. I really felt bad for her. I went back in and was telling Doug about her when here they came and were seated right next to us. This family was the little girl, Mom and Dad and Grandparents. The poor little girl, maybe a year old, cried the whole time. And not once did the parents or grandparents try to console her. Needless to say, our lovely lunch along with everyone else’s was ruined. Now mind you, I love kids – ran an in home daycare for 12 years – but this was awful. I wanted to smack these parents for the way this little girl was treated for the 45 minutes we were sitting next to them. We shared the tomato and mozzarella salad, and Doug had the Spaghetti with meatballs and I had the shrimp pasta. Both were very good. For desert I had the pistachio crème brule and Doug had the cheesecake. We both had a cup of coffee also. This was one place that we had really looked forward to. The service was perfect, the food delicious, the view wonderful. I just wish that the screaming child would’ve been a little happier.
After lunch we walked into Mickey’s Philharmonic. There were quite a few
1st timers and I had a ball watching them. We then went over to Winnie the Pooh and used or FP. We again were behind a screaming baby. I hope this doesn’t become a trend for the vacation. We even asked to not be put in the same car. It was that bad! We were finished with Magic Kingdom at this point so made our way to the front. The Main Street Family Fun Day Parade was going on so we stopped to watch for a bit. We decided to take a ride on the train. We got on at Main Street and did a full loop. We made the first stop at Frontier Land and yep, you guessed it, a screaming baby got on right next to me. I think the parents were fighting, as he wouldn’t even sit with her and the screaming baby. She was so upset that she just let her cry and cry and cry. We rode like this all the way back to the front of the park. Oh my!!
We wanted to go see our good friend Janet at the Contemporary so we just walked along the path. It was still a beautiful day with low temps and a slight breeze. I called her and she said she would meet us in the Lobby. Gee it was so good to see her. We were able to talk for almost an hour. She had lots of news to tell us. We went and looked at all of the changes and again I don’t like what they are doing. But I think the kicker for me was that Janet isn’t working Concierge anymore. She just couldn’t stand what was going on up there and has moved to Concierge at the front desk. So as far as we are concerned, we probably will NOT be staying at the Contemporary anymore. We had such a nice time with Janet and can’t wait to see her again in July. We went up to the 4th floor and got a cool drink at the new Grab ‘n Go. Looked at the menu for the Concourse Steak House and sat for a bit in the Outer Rim. Oh the memories we have here but with all of the changes it is getting harder and harder to see them.
We got on the monorail and decided to go over to the Grand Floridian to see if Dotty, our other favorite CM was working. She wasn’t but would be tomorrow so we decided to make an ADR to have tea with her tomorrow. I wanted to go and check out the new menu at the Grand Floridian Café. It looks yummy and there are a few things I would like to try. We sat down on one of the benches right inside the back door and just people watched. We had so much fun watching the people. One of the banks of doors was automatic and the other was manual. It was hilarious to watch them walk up to the door and just stand there, waiting for it to open and then realize that they had to do it. LOL It doesn’t take much to entertain us, huh? Doug was really fighting the sleepies so we decided to go into the lobby and sit on the couches. The orchestra was playing, the couches were soft, the air was cool and Doug was down for the count in 2.2 seconds. I called home and talked to Elizabeth for about a ½ hour. Wow, now this is vacation. Doug woke up and we decided to go to Epcot. We got up and looked through the shops and went out and caught the monorail to the TTC and then on to Epcot. And guess what?! No screaming babies. WooHoo!! But they did have to shut down the monorail for about 15 minutes. It was so hot and very quiet. Actually it was kind of freaky.
We got to Epcot and our first stop was Ice Station Cool. Just the break we needed. I love trying all of the different flavors. Doug hadn’t ridden the new ride in Mexico so that is where we headed next. There was even a line, can you imagine? He liked it and we both said that Ethan will love it. We continued on around to America and stood in line for the 7:00 p.m. Cowsills show. We were in line between 2 couples, that started talking between us. Good grief, were they braggers. They were trying so hard to out beat the other one. They got to be kind of funny. We were finally able to be let in and we got right down in front. They were pretty good. I actually knew a few of the songs. Afterwards we knew we had just enough time to get to the UK for the next show of the British Invasion, so off we went. We called a good friend, Danny, to share the concert with but he wasn’t home. I guess we will have to wait until July to enjoy it together. I don’t think Doug and Danny missed a show when we were in Epcot last year. We really enjoyed these guys.
We were a bit hungry so we walked over to the Boardwalk and each got a piece of pizza and a beer at the Spoodles (they don’t honor the DDP so this was on our own) take out window and sat by the lake and ate. I bet we sat there for almost 2 hours. The sun was setting and the lights around the lake were coming on. It was beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed this.
We walked back in through the International Gateway and got our EMH bracelets and headed for Soarin’. There were no more FP and the standby time was 50 minutes. Usually there is no way we would stand in a line that long, but there really wasn’t anything else we wanted to do so we got in line. It took us exactly 50 minutes, but it was worth it. We loved it. As we came out Doug asked if I was tired and I said “Yes, exhausted.” I guess while standing in the line we both sort of hit the wall. We were finished. We headed out and hiked to the bus stop. Good grief, I think the bus for Pop Century is 10 miles away. There was a bus there but we were too tired to run. But we kept walking and happened to be the last 2 to be let on it. We had to stand but we were back in the room within 20 minutes, and lights were out by midnight.
14647 steps walked today
Day 4 – Wednesday May 28th
I again was the first one up. We slept in till 8:00 this morning. I got in the shower and got ready. Doug was just starting to stir as I left for coffee. I looked around in the gift shop for a bit and saw a few things I wanted to get later. Got our coffee and headed back to the room. Doug was just getting out of the shower. We both were a bit hungry so we decided that breakfast in the Food Court sounded good. We both had omelets with potatoes, juice and coffee. This place was bustling this morning. We filled our mugs up and headed back to the room. The maid was cleaning our room, so we just sat out by the pool until she was finished. We dropped our mugs off and headed for the bus stop. As our luck was again, a bus for the Animal Kingdom was there. We did run a bit to make it. We even got to sit down.
As soon as we got into the park, Doug went over and got us FP’s for the Safari. We only had a few things we wanted to do here today. I went over and waited for him on a bench back by the Festival of the Lion King show. We got right in and was in the Lion section. I was tickled, as we are always in the warthog section. This show is a favorite of ours and it was great as usual. After the show we walked over to the Safari and the standby line was 90 minutes, but with FP’s in hand we walked right on. This was the first time I have ever seen the cheetah. Many of the animals were out and about. We never tire of this ride, it is always so different. Doug wanted to check to see how long the wait was for It’s Tough To Be A Bug so off we went. The stand by was only 10 minutes so in we go. I love the walk around the tree. It is so pretty now, but I remember the first time we waited in that line 10 years ago. It was during the soft opening for only Resort guests and it was hotter than heck. The trees have grown up and it is very shady now. It was a great show and again we had fun watching the 1st timers. I just love the butterfly curtain. We had done all that we wanted to, but there was no way I was going to leave without eating at Flame Tree BBQ. We decided to share a ½ chicken, corn muffin, corn on the cob and a drink. We ate down by the waters edge. We had a perfect view of Everest. When you are down there you are so far away from the crowds that you almost forget where you are. So cool and relaxing. After lunch we were now finished with Animal Kingdom.
We headed out for the bus to the Grand Floridian. We waited for almost ½ hour when a Contemporary/Polynesian bus came, so we got on. It stopped first at the Contemporary so we got off, walked through the Lobby and said hi to Janet again and went up to the 4th floor and took the monorail over to the Grand Floridian.
We checked in and were seated in Dotty’s section. She had no idea we were there, but when she spotted us she screamed. It was priceless!! We had an absolutely perfect time. We talked and talked and she wanted to know all about the family. We were seated next to 2 men, Stacey and David, who are also good friends of Dotty’s. They both are CM’s. Stacey is in management at Fultons and David is over at the Studios. It was David’s 30th birthday and they were celebrating. We sat there talking for over 3 hours, we actually closed the Tea room down. We had a BALL!! Probably one of the highlights of the trip.
We did a bit of shopping before we left and grabbed the monorail to Epcot. We walked through the park to the Boardwalk as I was looking for some of the H20 lip balm. When I was there in October I had bought some and needed more. They were out, so we left empty handed. We went down and waited for the Friendship boat to Hollywood Studios. We love this ride, it is so peaceful, but today it was really hot. We checked in for our ADR at the Brown Derby. Dinner was wonderful as usual. It was 2 sit down credits each and even though it was great I truly don’t think it was worth 4 credits. We took our time and finished up with a cup of coffee.
We went and got our EMH bracelets under the Big Blue Hat. I really wanted to see if Toy Story Midway Mania was still having a soft opening. We walked over and it was. The stand by was 45 minutes and we really didn’t have anything else we wanted to do so we decided to just stand in line. It is soooooo cute in there and cool. About 20 minutes into waiting, I started to not feel well, so I left Doug in the line and went to the bathroom. Feeling better I went to the exit to wait for Doug. About 30 minutes later, here comes Doug with a grin a mile wide. He LOVED it!! He took one look at me after finding out if I felt better and said, “You gotta do this, come on!”. So in we went again. I got all the way through this time and I totally agree with Doug – this is my new favorite ride. Doug was so excited that he had bettered his score and he beat me, so that was an added bonus. We took one look at each other and got right back in line. The stand by was only 40 minutes at this point. He beat me again but I got closer.
We walked over to the Great Movie Ride and walked on. They only had one car going and we got the gangster side. From there we saw The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It had been awhile since we have seen this so it was nice. From there we were finished so we left and headed for the busses. There was one waiting so we jumped on. Again we had to stand, but we were back in the room by 1:15 and lights out at 1:30 a.m.
15347 steps walked today
Day 5 – Thursday May 29th
We slept in this morning till 9:00 a.m. Doug was up first and in the shower. I followed and went to get the coffee. It was already hot, hot, hot!! The weather so far has been comfortable, not miserable and the humidity has been low. But that was to change today. We headed out the door at 10:30 a.m. We were off to Downtown Disney. Today was Doug’s choice. I had done everything that was on my must do list so today was up to Doug. He wanted to shop. Oh the Man is mine, all mine!! He can shop me under the table. LOL So DTD was our destination of the day.
We waited about 10 minutes for the bus. We stopped at Blizzard Beach first and then DTD. We ducked in to Ghiradelli’s for a chocolate sample. It was the new peanut butter one. We then went right to the World of Disney store. I had seen a few things I wanted earlier, but decided to get it all here and use my 10% AP discount. We had a ball watching all of the little princesses going into and coming out of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We both remarked that our girls would have loved this and it would have been a must do for them. We got our purchases made and decided we were hungry so we went over to Earl of Sandwich. There was quite a line but it moved along very fast. We sat inside as it was just to hot outside. We saved some room for dessert and of course Ghiradelli’s was the choice. Doug had a Chocolate Peanut butter Sundae and I had a Hot Fudge Sundae. There are no other words besides, Pure Heaven. We then went next door and bought some chocolate to take home for the family. Team Sports was next as we always check out their mini helmets for Matthew. They had the new Ohio State one so of course we had to get it. There was a man that was lacing baseballs. It was so interesting watching him. Next was the Lego store. Oh my, there were a bunch of mad, angry, crying, throwing fit kids in there. We just kind of stood back and watch it all unfold. It must have been naptime or something because I bet there were 4 or 5 kiddos all melting down. We got out of there real fast. LOL We walked down to Fulton’s and looked at their menu and just walked around for a bit. It was very hot and humid and we were getting a bit tired so we decided to call it a good day of shopping and head back to the Hotel.
We waited for about 10 minutes for a bus. As we got on I remember thinking, wow it is hot in here. We sat and waited for others for about 10 minutes and then we were on our way to Blizzard Beach. It was like an oven in there. We asked if he would put the air on but he said no. Disney was trying to cut down on fuel prices. OK could we open the windows to which he again said no. That was not true as there was not another bus the whole trip that didn’t have the air on. As you will recall it was a very HOT day out. If we would have been smart we would have gotten off at Blizzard Beach, but we didn’t. And by time we got back to the room we both were half way sick.
We laid down for a bit and I fell asleep and Doug talked to Matthew. This is the first time that we have left Matthew home alone. He has done a wonderful job getting chores done, the lawn mowed and getting himself up for work. I really think he has missed us though. We have 3 kids and they all love Disney but Matthew, well he “gets it”.
After our little break in the cool room we were feeling better and decided to go pick up our packages we had sent to the resort yesterday and get something cool to drink. Wow, that Food Court is completely different at 3:00in the afternoon. There were only 5 other people in there.
At about 4:00 p.m. we left the room and grabbed a bus for Epcot. This bus was almost cold. But we weren’t complaining at all. We entered the park almost by ourselves. I don’t think there were 10 other people in sight, but there was a wait of 25 minutes at Space Ship Earth. We were so glad that we had done it the other day. Walked straight back to World Showcase. We took a left toward Mexico and just walked slowly around. Stopped and watched the Chinese acrobats for a bit. We stopped in Germany to see if they had any little animals that Ethan didn’t have. Nope, he had them all. We had an ADR at Rose and Crown for 6:00 so we weren’t in any big hurry, so it was great just taking our time at each country.
We were passing Japan and Doug wanted to go up and see the new refurbishment of Teppan Edo. We had tried for months to get in here but they were booked solid. We asked if we could just come in and look around and they said sure. It is just beautiful. You never really know how bad an upgrade is needed until it is done. Wow, what a difference. They really haven’t changed the rooms where you sit, except they do have new tables and chairs and they have painted. But the real change is when and how you walk up the stairs and the waiting area. It is huge and the table service part is much bigger. As we were looking around I asked if there was any way that we could get an ADR for two and they said sure. WOOHOO!!!!! We were so excited. I used my cell phone to cancel our ADR at the Rose and Crown. We waited about 20 minutes and were seated with a family of 2 daughters, a father and 2 young boys, and I was seated next to a man from Tokyo Japan. He was a hoot. We had so much fun. We had a great chef and she was a woman. We have always had a man so this was pretty neat and she was very good. I had the Sirloin steak and shrimp and Doug had the Chicken and Shrimp. For dessert Doug had the Ginger cake and I had the Green Tea pudding. The man from Japan was next to me, was just flabbergasted with my dessert. He had never ever heard of such a thing. He ordered one just to see what it was. The best I can say is that it was like a green flan/custard. It was very good. The man just looked at it and said, “Only in America”. LOL He was here for a Technical Convention over at the Contemporary. This was his 5th time in America and while he does love it here he was ready to go home. We all paid up and were on our separate ways. What a nice surprise this dinner was, we really enjoyed it.
We walked into the next show of Tony Orlando. I was really looking forward to this show but was a bit disappointed. He sang many songs of other people/groups and only 2 of his that I knew, Knock 3 times and Tie A Yellow Ribbon. He was very chatty and really full of himself. He let every member of his band sing a song and even though it was okay it was not at all what I expected. Oh well.
When we got out of the show I noticed that I had missed 7 calls on my phone. I had 5 calls from Stephanie and 2 calls from Elizabeth. I just knew in my gut that something was wrong and, oh my gosh – yes it was. Stephanie lives in Kearney and they had just had 3 tornados go through and she was scared to death. One completely destroyed the airport, one destroyed the fair grounds and the other went through and destroyed an apartment that Jay and Elizabeth lived in after they got married. She was under her desk as they still hadn’t gotten the all clear. Just what parents want to hear when they are a thousand miles from home. She talked to her Daddy and he was able to calm her down some. We then called Elizabeth and she was freaking out as she had heard about the tornados and couldn’t get a hold of Stephanie. Good grief, as we were talking to her Matthew called all upset as well. We each were talking to a kid on 2 different phones with 2 on one line. After about 20 minutes and spent nerves we all calmed down and were very thankful that everyone was alright.
By the time we got off of the phone the next Tony Orlando show was about to begin so we decided to give it another try. Big mistake as it was just as bad as the first one. I am sure others loved it but not us. I wanted to hear his songs, not him singing other peoples or his band singing. Oh well, live and learn.
We decided to continue walking and stopped between Morocco and Japan to watch Illuminations. Not the best place to stop but it was okay. We strolled on around and got our EMH bands on the bridge past France. We stopped in Canada for a cup of coffee and sat on a bench waiting for the crowds to leave and to sit and watch the people. The world is sure made up of all kinds. We sat for almost 45 minutes and just listened to the soft music and talked. It was so nice.
We then decided to go see Nemo and Friends. Somehow Doug had never seen this before and he really liked it. From there we went to the single rider line for Test Track. I was in the front car and Doug was right behind me. We looked and dreamed at he cars in the showroom. We decided to end our evening with a ride on Soarin’. The standby line was 50 minutes, but oh well we joined the line. We had a blast with the people around us and before we knew it we were on. They have games and trivia on huge screens to play while you are waiting. This was a lot of fun. We also had 3 line jumpers. We all got a bit huffy about this, and a man in front of us a ways made a big deal out of the last one and made the lady turn around and go back. The whole line erupted in applause. Somehow this habit needs to be stopped. As usual the ride was wonderful. What a way to end an evening.
At this point we called it a night, as it was close to midnight. We hiked to the bus stop and there was one waiting, we had to run but we did get on. We had to stand, but oh well. We were back in the room by 12:30 a.m. and lights were out by 1:00 a.m.
Walked 13758 steps today
Day 6 – Friday May 30th
I had just woken up at about 8:00 a.m. and my phone rang. It was Elizabeth, and I just knew, again, that something was wrong. It was only 7:00 a.m. at home. And, yep, I was right. Jay, our Son in Law, was activated at 1:00 a.m. They are a military family and those are words you never want to hear. He is an engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad and was out on a run when he got the call. The railroad went to get him and he left his train at 3:00 a.m. was home by 5:00 a.m. and was already reporting for duty. With the tornados that had hit Kearney last night they were calling all the National Guard in. Ok, my heart is now slowing down a bit – we can handle that. They have declared Kearney as a Civil Defense Emergency. WOW! We talked for a bit more with strict instructions to let us know what was going on. As we hung up, a part of us wanted to be home, but we also knew there wasn’t a thing we could do if we were. We still had a whole day left and by golly, we were going to have a good time. LOL
I got in the shower first and went on the coffee run while Doug got ready. We decided that we weren’t going to be back till late so we did our packing. We finally left the room at 11:00, and walked to the bus stop. As our luck would have it again, the bus was waiting for us. We were going to Epcot for lunch. We took a right at the World Showcase and headed right for Canada, as we were looking for some “Roots” clothing. Our kids love this brand, as we do also. We found none! Canada doesn’t carry any “Roots” things anymore, they were all hockey and sports things. Oh, how disappointing. Oh well, we saved a nice little bundle of money – too bad Canada.
We slowly walked around to France. It was another beautiful cool morning. We checked in and waited for about 15 minutes. We were shown in right at 12:00 to a nice little window seat. Shortly after we sat down, the show (I forget what he is called) with the chairs started. We had front row seats. He just amazes me. Our server was Mileki and he was a cutie. We both ordered the short ribs and I didn’t like mine at all. In hindsight, I should have sent it back and got something else, but I didn’t. Doug enjoyed his, so I guess it was just me. I did have the French Onion soup, so I didn’t starve. LOL As we were eating our dessert, we decided to go to the Studios and ride Toy Story Midway Mania again. We settled our bill and left. Boy was it hot now. It had been such a nice morning but it was really hot out now.
We walked to the International Gateway and waited for a boat. One came within 10 minutes and we were able to sit outside. We thoroughly enjoy this ride. We entered the park and walked right back to TSMM to get a FP. The return time was for 7:45 p.m. and we really wanted to spend the evening in the Magic Kingdom so we decided that we really didn’t have anything else to do, so we entered the stand by line for a 50 minute wait. It is so cool in there and the time does go by fast. Doug beat me the first time – Big time! We got off and got right back in the line - 60 minutes was posted. I beat Doug the second time – WOOHOO! And you know, Doug wasn’t going to leave with me winning so – yep you guessed it – back in line we went, 45 wait at this point. Well it was getting kind of late so I LET Doug win this time. LOL Oh my goodness we had so much fun. We felt like 2 little kids riding this ride. We just love it and can’t wait to bring the family back next month.
We grabbed 2 cokes and a package of glazed cashews and sat on a bench to decide what to do next. A nice young man sat down beside us, and of course we started talking. He is a CM there at the Studios and was there picking up his paycheck. He is on the college program and when he graduates he wants to be an Imaginer for Disney. He told us that at age 8 he came with his parents and saw Fantasmic and was hooked. From then on he has done nothing but dream of being an Imaginer. I hope someday he sees his dream come true. He was a fine young man.
They were starting to rope off the area where we were sitting. We were never asked to leave but ended up being the only people in the area. Pretty soon here came the High School Musical parade and float. We had front and center seats. I only wish it would have been something we would enjoy, as it was, we sat for a bit longer and then left. We shopped a bit, as Ali (Matthew’s girlfriend), wanted us to look for The Lion King on DVD. No luck, we never did find it.
We headed back to the boat for Epcot. I wanted to take the bus to the MK but Doug wanted to walk through Epcot one more time. We waited for that darn boat for over ½ hour. Grrr!! On the boat over I discovered that my backpack had gotten a hole in it. I was so glad that I hadn’t lost anything, but it was close. So we headed to Germany, as a few days ago, I remembered seeing one that I thought was cute. So now I have a new backpack and was a happy camper. We walked on around and stopped in Norway for Doug to get a Rice Cream. While he was enjoying his treat I switched backpacks. When that was done we kept walking out. When we go to Space Ship Earth there was no line, so we decided for one last ride. It was great as usual.
We took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. It was around 7:00 p.m. and we walked in and had our picture taken by the photopass guy. The sun was just setting and the lights were just coming on. After we got our picture taken we went right to Buzz Light Year. We walked on and I womped Doug. When we got off, all I heard was, it was because he had to steer and on and on. So I said, let’s do it again and I will steer this time. We were off! I have never steered before so it was a wild ride, but guess what? Yep, I beat him again. WooHoo!!! But I learned a lesson here . . . it is true what my Momma always said to me. NEVER beat your man!! LOL was she right. He pouted for about 10 minutes and had every excuse in the book. I just laughed at him – what a baby. LOL To make him feel better we went and ate at Pecos Bills. On the way I stopped at Casey’s and got some corndog bites to share. We both got our dinner and sat next to a window and watched the parade as it went by. I like this parade but I wish the Main Street Electrical Parade would come back. I love that one. The park was open tonight for EMH so we went and got our armbands and rode Pirates of the Caribbean. We walked right on and never stopped until we boarded our boat.
We realized that it was almost time for the fireworks so we scooted as fast as we could to the Castle Forecourt, our favorite place to watch. They were so pretty. I never watch the fireworks that I don’t think of my Mom, and know that she has the best view of all and gets to see them every night.
Next was the Hunted Mansion. Each time I go on this ride I see something new. We walked over to see the wait time for Splash Mountain and there was none, so in we go. Again we didn’t stop until we boarded our log. I really didn’t want to get wet, as it was late and not that warm out. But Doug really did, so on we go. I used my backpack over my head when we went down the drops and really did stay pretty dry. As soon as we came down the last drop we rounded the corner and stopped. The lights came on and an announcement to stay put. We sat there for almost 20 minutes. I just knew they were going to evacuate us, but they didn’t and all of a sudden we were on our way again. I have no idea what happened, but it was a little strange.
It was now after midnight and as much as we didn’t want to admit it, it was time to go. Our vacation was over – man I hate that feeling. We slowly walked down Main Street, turning to look at the Castle one more time. We hugged each other, reminding each other that 8 weeks from that exact time we would just be arriving with the family. So that helped a bit turning around and walking away.
We did stop in the Exposition Hall and picked up our one and only photopass picture. It turned out pretty good. We left the park and truged all the way out to the Pop Century bus stop. This is the one time I miss staying at the Contemporary. We usually just have a short 10 minute walk back to the room. They had 2 busses there and we got on the last one and even got to sit down. As we walked through the Lobby we decided to go ahead and check out now, as we were to be picked up at 5:00 a.m. by QuickSilver, for our 7:00 a.m. flight. I didn’t want my express bill hanging on my door all morning until someone realized we had already checked out. The bill was spot on, so no worries there. We set a 4:00 a.m. wake up call and headed for the room. I set the alarm on my phone as well and laid my head down at 12:45 a.m.
Walked 16519 steps today
Day 7 – Saturday May 31st -------or actually 3 hours later
I did not sleep at all. I think I was worried that we would over sleep. Doug on the other hand was snoring within seconds of laying his head down. The alarm and phone both rang within seconds of each other. Doug was up, and in the shower first and then me. We packed up what little we had left, and left our room for the last time. It was a warm morning, and the sun wasn’t even up yet. We went down and waited for QuickSilver to get there. We sat in the golf cart to wait. He was right on time and we were off. I don’t remember his name, but he was a very nice young man. We were able to check in curbside, which was great and a real time saver, as even at this hour the airport was busy. We got through security with no problems. We had about 45 minutes to wait at the gate. We boarded on time and the flight was nice and uneventful. At least I think it was, as Doug and I slept the whole way. Didn’t even wake up for our snack. LOL We had about a 2½ hour layover in Atlanta so we went and got breakfast. Again we slept the whole way to Omaha and landed about 15 minutes early. Our luggage was the first out – what luck. We loaded up and hit the road. We thought about stopping in Kearney to see all of the damage, but most of the city was shut down to visitors so we just kept on going. We pulled into our driveway at 7:15 p.m. The kids were all there to welcome us home. They even had dinner waiting for us. What a wonderful time we had, but it was good to be home.
Final thoughts and some observations
Doug and I had a ball!! Did we miss the kids – something fierce - Would we do it again – You BET!! On the first day, Margaret called, and she said that we would probably have so much fun alone that we wouldn’t want the family or them around any more. Not true!! We can’t wait to take the kids back and to see Margaret and her family. But that being said, it was so nice just the 2 of us. We went where WE wanted to, when WE wanted to, we sat, ate, slept, stayed out late and shopped when and where WE wanted to. It was so different. This won’t be the only time it will be just the 2 of us. We loved it!!
We both remarked bout the line cutters. I don’t know how many times we would be in line when someone would start working their way up the line. “Excuse me, my -------- is up there” Yea right. My Uncle John is too. The one time I needed to get out of line I stayed out of line. It would have been so easy to jump back in the line until I found Doug. No way. If you ALL don’t get in line at the same time, then wait your turn.
I don’t think I have ever, in all of the time I have been to WDW, ever seen so many crying children and parents not doing a thing about it. Good grief parents, if your little one is crying, something is wrong. FIX IT!!! If they are tired, take them home, if they are hot, get them cool, if they are cranky maybe they are thirsty or hungry. Whatever it is, people don’t just cry for nothing. It is up to us to make them happy. Enough said!!
A real first for me this trip, and any of you that truly know me, will be shocked, but. . . . I took no pictures. I had forgotten my camera in the room the first day and then decided there really wasn’t much I wanted to take a picture of. We were a bit disappointed with the topiaries for the Flower and Garden Festival. Don’t get me wrong they were nice, just not very many of them or the ones that there were weren’t very elaborate. As in years past they have been beautiful, but they were a bit sparse to me this year. And where it was just Doug and I, I didn’t feel a real need to take any. Sorry!
I am following this report with a detailed report of our use of the Dining Plan. Was it worth it? Yes, we saved a bit. But I truly don’t know if I would use it again for just the 2 of us. We felt to constricted by where we needed to be and at what time. Plus, we found it to be way too much food. We just don’t eat 3 big meals a day. But with that said, I do think I will add it to our family vacation in July for at least one room. We will have 3 big eaters and the rest can share. I do love the fact that it is easier to budget and it is paid for by the time we get there.
Walt Disney is an expensive place to visit. And with the economy the way that it is, it makes it even more so. But all in all I am glad to report it is still the “Happiest Place on Earth” I love it and God willing I will return.
Meal Plan – May 26th – 30th
10 snack credits
10 Counter Service credits
10 sit down credits
May 26th
2 Snack credits
$7.14 - used 2 snack credits – 1 Dole Whip & 1 Pineapple Float
2 Counter service credits
$19.46 – used 2 counter service credits – Casey’s – hotdogs, drinks & desserts
2 Sit down credits
didn’t use
Amount used = $26.60
May 27th
2 Snack credits
didn’t use
2 Counter service credits
didn’t use
2 Sit down credits
$53.29 – used 2 sit down credits – Tony’s Lunch
Amount used = $53.29
May 28th
2 Snack credits
$5.57 – used 2 snack credits – 2 cokes
2 Counter service credits
$24.44 – used 2 counter service credits – Everything Pop breakfast
$14.63 – used 1 counter service credit – Flame Tree BBQ – shared Lunch
2 Sit down credits
$90.08 – used 4 sit down credits – Brown Derby – dinner
Amount used = $134.92
May 29th
2 Snack credits
$4.88 – 2 snack credits used – Norway/Rice Creams
2 Counter service credits
$18.86 – 2 counter service credits – Earl of Sandwich - lunch
2 Sit down credits
$72.96 – 2 Sit down credits used - Teppan Edo – Dinner
Amount used = $96.70
May 30th
2 Snack credits
$4.23 – used 1 snack credit – glazed cashews
$5.57 – used 2 snack credits – 2 cokes
2 Counter service credits
$8.80 – used 1 counter service credit – Casey’s shared dinner
$24.76 – used 2 sit down credits – Peco’s Bills shared dinner
2 Sit down credits
$64.22 – used 2 sit down credits – Chefs de France - lunch
Amount used =$107.58
Sit Down meals - $280.55 - all 10 credits were used
Counter Service - $110.95 - all 10 credits were used
Snacks - $27.39 - only 9 credits were used
Total cost = $379.90
Total used = $418.89
Total saved = $38.99