Trip Report - See my "Pre-Trip" report in an earlier post for other details.

Day 1 - Thu. Sept. 4
After a night of very little sleep because of the excitement of going, we woke up around 3:30 am (just before the alarm went off), to catch our 6:00 am flight from the west coast. All of our flights were on time and the trip was uneventful. At least waking up that early helped a little with the jet lag. We arrived at MCO around 5:30 pm.

One of the many changes we made from the Pre-Trip Report was that we decided to rent the car from Alamo. I found a better deal from Costco.com, and Alamo is in the terminal instead of off-site like Payless. I had also read on some of these board that there was a high level of dissatisfaction with Payless. So, our rental was $88.28, I didn't have to ride a shuttle to the lot, and I was able to drop it off at the Disney Car Care Center. Easy decision to change. I drove to POR while DW rode ME with our luggage.

One comment about driving on Disney Property. I borrowed my dad's GPS and I was glad I did. Renting one from Alamo would have cost $12.95/day. It was really helpful though and I don't know if I'd try and drive there w/o one again. The biggest confusion and difficulty I had was that if you miss your exit, it may be another 3-5 miles before you can turn around. It got better after a few days. Back to our report...

DW was almost done checking in when I arrived at POR. Let me just say how beautiful the grounds are :D. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and could have easily spent the entire week w/o leaving. The CM was doing her first check in so it took a little while partly because of her heavy accent. She was very nice though and helpful. She wished us a happy anniversary and me a happy birthday as we headed off. We were given a room in Magnolia Bend on the 2nd floor that faced the river. Our building was a short walk across the bridge to the main office and large pool on Old Man Island. It was also a short walk to the bus stop. Since we had a rental car we only used the bus once from DTD after we rode the boat there.

After we dropped our carry-ons in the room, we freshened up and headed for MK. I've read about how impressive it is to see MK as you approach on the ferry and it lived up to expectations :eek:. It was dusk and the castle was starting to light up. We also had wonderful views of DCR and DGFR.

It was around 8:00 pm and neither of us realized that the last time we really ate was around 11:00 am. I was craving noodles but sadly the Terrace Noodle Station was closed :confused:, so we settled on Cosmic Rays where we shared the rib & chicken platter. One counter service credit down, 11 to go.

The food was very good. I'm a sucker for rotisserie chicken and this was excellent. Juicy and flavorful. I had eaten ribs two other times in the week before we got here, and these were by far the best. A good BBQ flavor and not too spicy. We followed another tip we found on the internet and used the fixin' bar to make a salad to go with dinner also.

We finished dinner and headed for Space Mountain where the wait was only 10 minutes. I assume that since we were in between TS Hannah and hurricane Ike, attendance was down. It was interesting to see the difference between SM here and at DL.

After we rode on SM, we had a good laugh at the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor :D. This was one of our favorite attractions that we saw all week and we didn't even have our kids with us. I loved how the cartoons are able to interact and improvise with the audience.

We saw that the Haunted Mansion was "newly updated" so I wanted to get on before the park closed at 10:00 pm. Unfortunately, what we found was the same old Haunted Mansion that we've seen several times at DL :rolleyes:. Oh well, you can't win them all. Wishes was in progress as we exited, and I had a sense of deja vu as I remembered exiting the Haunted Mansion as fireworks were starting at DL before. We watched wishes from the lake area and then headed for the ferry boat with everyone else. I'd hate to see what it's like when the park is busy.

We stopped for snacks at the Riverside Mill before heading to the room. DW grabbed a yogurt and fruit for breakfast the next day. I had a 3-scoop, hot fudge sundae :p. 3 snack credits used.

Our luggage was at the room when we got there so we unpacked and hit the sack, hopeful that the weather would hold up enough for me to drive the race car tomorrow.

:eek:you checked out just as i arrived . the "port is the only resort i will stay at.it was just to BLOODY HOT.

Great start :D

Sounds like you're having a "grand ol' time" (as we say in the South).

Looking foward to reading more. :)

yee haw! Looking forward to more!

Sounds like a great start to your trip. :)

TS Hannah was off the east coast of FL so there were bands of moisture hovering over The World. We woke up to an overcast and humid day. Humidity in FL, what a surprise.;) We had to be at Disney World Speedway by 7:30 am because DW bought me a Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) for my 40th.

After we arrived at the track, the RPDE staff took us through the training which also included a sales pitch to upgrade or add extras to our drive for an additional fee of course. Since the track was wet, we were able to see the garage and ask questions in order to kill time. During a normal weather day, the garage tour would not happen so that was a nice little perk. Unfortunately the trick would not dry enough for us to drive today.:( We’d try again tomorrow. The staff was super accommodating and really tried hard to fit us in whenever we were able to return. If it wasn’t going to work out on this trip, they would also have given me a rain check to use at a later date, even at another track if I wanted.

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We left the track and headed for the Walmart Super Center in Kissimmee for groceries. We also found a decent sized souvenir section that included Disney stuff. We were able to stock up on Disney stuff without having to pay Disney markup.:)

It was our EPCOT day and we arrived there a little before 11:00 am. We followed the blue line after the tollbooth to the AAA parking area. It was about 400 yds from the gate.:p I almost missed it because I didn’t see the “AAA/DDE/Kennel Only” painted on the spaces.

The thing I just could not get over about EPCOT is how big it is.:eek: There is so much to see and everything is so spread out. We definitely weren’t in CA anymore.

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We pre-ordered the Photopass PhotoCD so we were on the lookout for photographers. We took several pictures in front near the ball and several at the fountains. However, because of the rain, it was hard to find photographers at other places in the park.:(

We rode the Test Track first. It was really fun and if that speedometer is correct, it reaches a speed of around 65 mph before whipping into a turn at the end. I see why it’s one of the more popular rides here. The timer said that the wait was 20 min, however, we were probably finished with the ride in 15. The line was very short.:D

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Next was Mission:Space. DW & I don’t usually do very well on simulator rides so we went with green. And by then end of the ride we both felt a little nauseous. It was fund though and I like how interactive it is.

We decided to walk across FW to The Land, but stopped at Innoventions first. We were initially just looking for the Visa cardholder’s picture area, but ended up staying and trying out some of the exhibits that were here. Next we rode on the Nemo ride before we finally got to The Land.
Because of the rain The Land was crowded. It was hard to even get in because of all the strollers that were parked outside. With all the people there it also made the Soarin’ line one of the longest we had all week. I shouldn’t complain though since it was only about 40-45 min. The nice thing about Soarin’ is that they have those cool interactive displays on the wall for people waiting in line to play. It makes the wait seem a little shorter. We also got lucky because the CM saw our Anniversay, Birthday, & First Visit buttons so he let us go even though he had stopped the line just in front of us.

I have previously ridden Soarin’ in CA Adventure & to me it looked exactly the same. However, due to DW’s motion issues with simulator rides she passed on it last time. I convinced her to try it this time. I don’t think she liked it very much though. She like the scenery but the motion was a little too much for her. I have to admit, I was a little queasy afterward. I didn’t have that last time.

By the time we got off Soarin’ it was way past noon so we decided to grab some lunch. While I was in the planning stagaes of this trip, I found Tangerine Café and really wanted to try it so we headed for Morocco in WS. Tangerine Café certainly did not disappoint and it was one of the best meals that we had all week.:fez: I had the lamb & chicken platter while DW had the chicken wrap. Both came with sides of couscous, lentils, & tabouli. We topped it off with baklava for dessert. There was so much food we could barely finish it all. 2 more counter services used. 9 to go.

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After lunch we backtracked through the countries we missed on the way to Morocco then got our picture at the Visa spot. It was then time for a break so we headed back to POR for a nap. I couldn’t really sleep though so I checked out the pool and walked through our resort.

It was the first time I’d seen our resort in the light of day and I was thoroughly impressed.:D I really think that I would have been completely content if we had not left POR the entire week. We really picked the best place to relax and unwind. I finally did take a later nap before we headed back for round 2 of EPCOT.

It was dark by the time we returned to EPCOT but the skied had cleared and the weather was really nice. We perused more countries and had dinner at the Yorkshire Co. Fish Shop. We had previously cancelled an ADR at the Rose & Crown. We decided that it wasn’t worth using 2 TS credits just for the chance of a better view of Illuminations. I was going to have fish & chips anyway. Yorkshire Co. Fish’s food was OK, but the portion was extremely small. I was a little disappointed with the 2 small pieces of fish. It would have taken another meal to match what we got for the same CS credit at Tangerine Café. We shared it because we planned on getting something else later. 1 more CS credit down.

We found a place on the patio to watch Illuminations with an unobstructed view. It is a really neat show and a must see I believe. Unfortunately the ball was being refurbished. I’m sure it’s even better with the ball adding another dimension.

We headed back to POR after Illuminations as the park was closing. We had to rest up for Hollywood Studios, the race car, and Narcoossees the next day.

:eek:you checked out just as i arrived . the "port is the only resort i will stay at.it was just to BLOODY HOT.

And on your recommendation we visited Bob Jackson. He was very entertaining and funny.
We loved the "Port" as well.

Thanks. :D

PS - Yes is certainly was "Bloody Hot". :)

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Dyan---I went to your Flickr page and just looked at all 222 pics. They are so fun! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your haircut!!

:D that bob jackson is a very talented man ! and very funny glad you were able to see him.:p

Day 3 - Sat. Sept. 6
Sunny & hot today. Highs in the 90’s.

This will likely go down as the best day of the trip. It was our Hollywood Studios day and the only thing disappointing was that for some reason they cancelled the AAA parking for the day. It turned out to be the only day that we had to use any trams for parking. It actually worked out better for us though as the tram stop was really close to our parking space. We got to the park a little late but still during EMH and went straight to Rock N Roller Coaster. The sign said the wait was 20 min. but it was really more like 10. We zoomed through. All I can say is that it is a great ride.:D Fast and smooth with a great theme. I doubt that I have ever ridded a smoother riding coaster in my life. We loved it.

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During the planning of this trip I kept hearing and reading about he famous Grapefruit Cake at the Brown Derby. I also read on a message board that they will sometimes serve it at the Starring Rolls Café, so we stopped in right after RnRC and asked if they had any Grapefruit Cake. The CM asked around and another CM asked us to wait a few minutes as he went out the back door. He returned with a large slice of the cake that I assume he had to walk across the street to the Brown Derby to get. I really liked it by it was too sweet for DW.:) It was a nice breakfast treat for me though. The only drawback was that it was $6 and they wouldn’t let me use a Snack credit for. No biggie.

We perused the animation store then it was on to Toy Story Midway Mania where we waited for about 45 min. to ride. It was worth the wait though. It’s a really fun and different ride. My arm got really tired though from all the shooting.:p I think that this turned out to be DW’s favorite ride.

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We spend the rest of the morning just looking around the park and taking Photopass pictures when we could. We also circled back around to get Fast Passes for Toy Story and RnRC.

For lunch I really wanted a turkey leg so we headed for Toluca Leg’s where the CM noticed the birthday button and offered me a dessert on the house.;) Thank you very much. DW & I split a turkey leg. Delicious. DW doesn’t even like turkey and she was ready to have another one. One more counter service used, seven to go.

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I rescheduled the Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE) for 12:30 this afternoon so we left HS and headed for the track. We had to sit through instructions again which was OK since you can never get too much instruction in an activity that could kill or maim you.;) The difference between today and yesterday was that the first thing we did was put on the driving suit since we knew we were getting the car today. It’s really fun the way they go about everything before they strap you in. After instructions you have a driver meeting then they play music and they introduce each of the drivers over a loud speaker as you get up to get your helmet and HANS device put on. In addition, there is an awards ceremony after everyone is finished driving where they present your completion certificate in front of everyone and you get to thank all the instructors. We didn’t participate in the closing ceremony however. There were so many drivers, we would have had to wait about 2 hours for them all to finish. RPDE was nice enough to let me be one of the first ones out since we were rained out before.

An interesting story was that one of the men who drove that day was also rained out with me the day before. It was the 3rd time he had been rained out. He had been trying to drive for about a year and each time he came it would rain. He finally got to drive today and he loved it.

Once I was in the car, I was concentrating so hard on my instructor who was in the car in front of me I really don’t know what else was going on. I never really took my eyes off his trunk other than to see the cones on the track and the flagman.:eek: You are instructed to stay within 3 car lengths of the instructor – no more, no less. I don’t know if I ever got within three car lengths. I was trying to keep up with him though. It takes less than 10 minutes to go the 8 laps then you are done.:crying: It really gave me an appreciation of the concentration it takes to handle those cars. I can’t imagine having to do that for hundreds of laps for hours at a time. Not to mention having to deal with 30 or so other cars.

My goal was to reach 120 mph. My final results were that I reached a top speed of 121.1 mph and my fastest lap was about 42 seconds with an average speed of a little over 86 mph.:D If I ever get the chance to do it again, I’m shooting for a sub 40 sec. lap.

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Since we didn’t stay for the closing ceremony we got out of there about 3:00 pm. We bought our souvenirs and then headed back to HS where we took more Photopass pix and rerode RnRC & Midway Mania. We used a fast pass on Midway Mania this time. Nice.;) It was the first time we ever used a fast pass. Never even used one at DL.

We went though the Prince Caspian show, which was basically a long commercial for the movie. We took the Backlot Tour which was a little boring but a nice break from walking around. Having been to Universal Studios in CA several times, it wasn’t anything special. I did enjoy the first part of the tour where the four audience members filmed the movie. That was fun to see. We also took the Great Movie Ride which was also a nice rest in air conditioning. Nothing really spectacular here either.

The last attraction we took part in before leaving was Sounds Dangerous starring Drew Carey. This was a really different experience as most of it is in complete darkness. When I say complete darkness, I mean dark like you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. You are warned several times that it will be dark during this show. Despite the darkness, I found this show to be pretty funny and entertaining. Drew Carey is hilarious.

Having gotten our fill of Hollywood Studios we headed out to rest a little and wash up for dinner later at Narcoossee’s. Our ADR was for 2040 and we arrived about 2015. We were seated at 2030 at a requested window seat. Our waitress immediately offered us a glass of champagne to celebrate our anniversary, “on Mickey Mouse.” Then she gave us personalized menus with congratulations and happy birthday printed on them. Very nice touch.:D

We decided on the crabcake appetizer, and I ordered the surf & turf while DW chose the swordfish. All of it was scrumptious. I had the key lime creme brulee and DW had the cheesecake for dessert. We were just finishing dessert and it was fireworks time so we headed out to the balcony to watch. Narcoossee’s plays the music from the show and the view was completely unobstructed over the water. The entire experience was well worth the 2 table service credits.

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It was just an adrenaline rush kind of day with all the rides and driving the stock car. Topping it off with a great meal and the fireworks was the perfect end to a perfect day in "The World".

Can’t wait to visit Cape Canaveral tomorrow.

Another great installment! You looked so happy on the racetrack! Thanks for posting...

congrats ! narcoossees is one of my fav. me & the dumplin always try & get to the grand floridan about one hour early for the piano player & the little band that plays on the 2nd floor& people watch. crab cakes are wife fav . the shrimp appt. mine, geesh 15 dollars for 3 tiger shrimp but oh so good

Day 4 - Sun. Sept. 7
Kennedy Space Center day.
More heat and humidity today.

We booked a tour for Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for today, but first we had to get to the Swan to be picked up. We found out that even though it’s called the “Disney Swan” it’s not really a Disney hotel. I think I knew that before but conveniently blocked that out expecting that Disney guests would be given the same courtesy that Swan guests get when they go to Disney things. I was wrong. So we had to pony up $10 to park in the Swan parking lot.:mad: I guess that’s OK considering Greyline would have charged us $25 to pick us up at POR.

Greyline picked us up a little before our 7:50 am assigned time. The van took us to a shopping center where we waited outside of a grocery store for the bus to arrive. It was a very nice bus driven by “Mr. Clean”. I can’t remember his real name but the van driver appropriately called him Mr. Clean, so that’s how I’ll remember him. We had booked ahead so we just boarded, but there were others who still had to pay, etc., so after Mr. Clean checked them in we headed east.

After hitting it hard the last three days, we were just plain tired. So we used the 90 min. bus ride to sleep even though a KSC video was playing to get us ready for our day. It was the first of many videos about the space program we would watch today. Occasionally Mr. Clean would get on the horn and point something out or give us an overview of what we’ll see.

Our first stop was the Astronaut Hall of Fame about 10 min. west of the KSC visitor’s center. Upon exiting the vehicle we (all 40 or so of us on board) noticed that there was white smoke coming from the right rear wheels.:eek: Being at KSC I couldn’t help but recall the scene from Apollo 13 where Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) tells Houston that they are, “…venting something into space.” Which occurred right after he said, “Houston, we have a problem.” We headed into the Hall of Fame, hoping this would be fixed.

We spent about an hour here and saw lots of history and information about the beginning of the space program. There were interactive displays and the hall where the astronauts are enshrined. We also watched the second video of the day before we entered the Hall. The MO of the NASA tour appears to be, watch a video then look around. It would be repeated over and over as we continued on our tour.:rolleyes: We reboarded the bus, hoping the smoking had stopped, and drove over to the visitor’s center where we would spend the rest of our day.

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The KSC visitor’s center is like a small theme park. On the main grounds is an area called the Rocket Garden where there are full size models of various rockets. One of the best displays for me though was the memorial wall. It’s a large black mirror wall that has the names of all the astronauts who were killed in the line of duty. The unique thing about it was that unless you were in front of the wall, you couldn’t see the names. As you walked up to the wall, the names would jump out. It was a really powerful effect.

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We boarded another bus with…you guessed it…another video, and headed for the launch pad 39 observation gantry. You could see the two pads that encompass 39 from here and the Shuttle Atlantis was on 39A awaiting an October launch. We stayed here for a few minutes and watched another movie before boarding another bus with another movie that was bound for the Saturn V rocket building.

We spent the majority of our time at the Saturn V/Apollo building. But before we could enter the building we waited to, yes, watch a video. This is a massive building that encompasses a full scale Saturn V rocket with all the prerequisite displays, gift shop, restaurant, & of course a theater to watch another video. It was here that we also took a break and ate the lunch that we bought from Wal-Mart the night before.

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After another bus ride & video, we visited the International Space Station (ISS) Center. Here was where you could learn all you wanted to know about the ISS and even watch as people worked on different parts of the station. However, since we were there on a Sunday, no one was at work. We looked around a bit then boarded the bus for our last of the KSC videos.

We spent the remainder of our time walking around the visitor’s center & seeing the many different displays. There are just too many to mention so I’ll just refer to you their website. We did skip the Shuttle Launch Experience because we were just too pooped to ride any rides today. One of the more exciting things we did was to attend the Astronaut Encounter where we listened to Bill Pogue talk about his time on Skylab & answer questions. We also got to have our picture taken with him. It started out as a way to get into a building with a controlled climate, but turned into a nice treat, besides being nice & cool.;)

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Having exhausted ourselves we headed for the bus about 30 mins. Early just so we could nap in some AC. The last video we would watch was Mr. Deeds, starring Adam Sandler. Mr. Clean seems to like this movie so he played it for us on the way home. I had nearly forgotten about the smoking wheel until I noticed Mr. Clean constantly checking his mirror. Apparently he spoke with the driver of another bus and asked him to follow us for a while to make sure there weren’t any flames coming from the bus. I assume everything was OK since we all got back safely. In addition, the other driver gave Mr. Clean a nod as he passed us before he sped off. Mr. Clean dropped us at the Gaylord Palms where we caught our van back to POR.

Our ADR for the California Grill was for 2140. We arrived around 2115 and were seated around 2200. The place was packed. I didn’t realize that today “The World” would switch to off-season hours, so Wishes started at 2100 and we missed it.:( They told us we could come back tomorrow & show our receipt and we watch Wishes from their deck. The view from the top floor of the Contemporary is pretty spectacular. You can see all of the MK lights and most of the other resorts around the lake.

For dinner I had the grouper and DW had the fillet. For dessert DW ordered the Year of a Million Dreams cake (to go) and I had some kind of molten chocolate brownie/cake thing. A very nice touch that the CA Grill does is the chocolate wafer that has “Happy Birthday” & “Happy Anniversary”. Since we were celebrating both, our waiter put both wafers on my dessert. The food and the service were adequate but there was nothing that stood out other than the mediocrity of it all. The restaurant reminded me of the many trendy places we see out here in Cali. Hence the name. Had we not been on the dining plan, I’d have been disappointed. Not worth 2 TS credits, but we had free dining.

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It was a great day to have the KSC tour as it allowed us a day of rest half way through our trip. After 3 non-stop days, it was a welcome day to relax a little. We’d get back at it again tomorrow at Animal Kingdom.

Dyan---I went to your Flickr page and just looked at all 222 pics. They are so fun! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your haircut!!

Thanks for the complement.:D My hair is one of those things that gives me the most trouble.

Another great installment! You looked so happy on the racetrack! Thanks for posting...

It really was exhilarating. I really hope I get another chance to do it again someday. But it's a little pricey.

But man, what an adrenaline rush! :D

Jeff, another great installment. I'm sorry you were disappointed in the Cali-Grille. It's one of my favorites. Did you end up going back the next night for the fireworks???? I guess I'll have to wait and read about it!

Day 5 – Mon. Sept. 8
Animal Kingdom day
Hot & humid…again

We were so exhausted from our first few days, we cancelled our 7:55 am Boma ADR to get a little more sleep. We were also not hungry from all the food we’d been eating. It turned out well as we had trouble using all the QS credits we had even after using some on this day that we had not planned to use. We stopped at Pizzafari where I just had their breakfast plate.

One thing I noticed right away was that this park seemed to be much busier than the others. Maybe it was because the hours of this park are much shorter so people plan their mornings here and go to other parks later. Just a theory. Being so worn out, we spent the day doing low-key activities. We rode the Kilimanjaro Safaris, looked at animals, took in shows, & took more Photopass pix.

Kilimanjaro Safaris was fun but I think we were a little late as there weren’t too many animals that were around.:( The line to the ride was surprisingly long also, but not so long that it would deter anyone. It was probably about 30 min. I don’t want it to sound like there were no animals around. We saw several of them, but many were off in the distance. We did get a few up close photos though.

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We stopped in to watch the It’s Tough to Be a Bug, Nemo, & Lion King. We really enjoyed them all. It’s Tough to Be a Bug could really be scary for little ones though.:eek: Think twice before you take them into that one. Our little one would have freaked out and been begging to get out of there. I think our favorite by far was the Nemo show. It’s really amazing how you completely forget about the person controlling the puppet during the show. As far as the Lion King show goes, we were constantly telling ourselves how much our 5 year old would have loved this. Especially if she could have been doing the instruments during the audience participation.

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As I said we were looking for low-key things so we skipped Expedition Everest, a decision I regret now.:( I’ll have to ride it twice next time to make up for it. The Kali River Rapids was as exciting as we were willing to go today. It’s not really that exciting, but we did get soaked. Probably wetter than any ride I’ve ever been on, anywhere. I guess we were just in the “lucky” seats. It was scorching again today, so the wetness wasn’t that bad. It was kind of refreshing for a while. However, the wet socks got a little uncomfortable after a while.

One last thing we did was take in the Flights of Wonder show. I was struck by how well the actors/trainers/CMs were able to adjust & ad lib through the show. It was fun just to see their reactions when the animals weren’t cooperating. They did a great job keeping everyone entertained & educated. They really seemed to be having fun too.:D

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We got a take out rib plate from Flame Tree BBQ before we left. The CM was really nice to give us some foil to wrap it in. Then we headed to the photo center where we used our coupon to get the photo we took at the gate, then it was back to POR for a swim & nap. After today we still have 5 QS credits to use in 1.5 days. Yikes.:eek: With all the food we have available, the extreme heat & all the walking are the only things keeping us from putting on 10 lbs. this week.:p

Our dinner ADR was at Chefs de France. We arrived very early for our 7:10 pm reservation, and we were seated at around 6:30 pm.:D The restaurant was pretty packed so I was very surprised at how early we were seated.J Our server, Lisianne, looked very young and very nervous. After some conversation we found out that she’d only been in the US for about 2 weeks.:eek: Talk about trial by fire. She was clearly a little over matched but I’m sure she’ll do fine after a couple more weeks. DW ordered the tuna, which was decent, and I had the short ribs. The ribs were very good and perfectly cooked. The dish was a little like beef stroganoff using short ribs. Very tasty. It was nice since I wanted to change my order as soon as she left to place it, but I was too late. Dessert was the sorbet assortment for DW and an apple crepe for me. Both were very good. Two more TS credits used. Two left.

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We had time so we headed for the Monorail (got to ride in front for the 1st time ever) to get to the Contemporary to view Wishes for the 3rd time. It was great and the view from the 15th floor is unbelievable. However, if I had it to do over again, I’d have just stayed at EPCOT for Illuminations. Not because there was anything bad about Wishes or the view, but because it was our 3rd time seeing it on this trip & we only saw Illuminations once from the Fish Co. patio. Looking back it would have been nice to see Illuminations from a different angle. Oh well. Hopefully I'll get another chance to see it again.

Pictures from the inside the Monorail are a little blurry because it was so dark.

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After Wishes we got back on the Monorail & headed back to EPCOT where the car was. Tomorrow will be our last full day here.

Jeff, another great installment. I'm sorry you were disappointed in the Cali-Grille. It's one of my favorites. Did you end up going back the next night for the fireworks???? I guess I'll have to wait and read about it!

Thanks. I was also sorry about the CA Grill because I was really looking forward to it. But the experience wasn't horrible by any means. It just didn't knock my socks off.

congrats ! narcoossees is one of my fav. me & the dumplin always try & get to the grand floridan about one hour early for the piano player & the little band that plays on the 2nd floor& people watch. crab cakes are wife fav . the shrimp appt. mine, geesh 15 dollars for 3 tiger shrimp but oh so good

I wish we would have known about the band. We didn't spend too much time inside the Floridian other than to look at the giant bird cage.:confused: We did walk the grounds and were utterly amazed.:eek: That place really lives up to its name.

Sounds like a really relaxing day, but holy cow, I can't handle ITTBAB and I'm almost 39!!! LOL:p

LeChefs is one of my favs!

Great Trip Report! :)

The last time we were in the World, we rented a car and drove to KSC. We are considering not renting a car this time. Do you remember the name of the bus company you used to get to KSC, and approx. how much it cost? We may decide to do that next year. :)

Can't wait to read the rest.:)

Great Trip Report! :)

The last time we were in the World, we rented a car and drove to KSC. We are considering not renting a car this time. Do you remember the name of the bus company you used to get to KSC, and approx. how much it cost? We may decide to do that next year. :)

Can't wait to read the rest.:)

Mrs. Grumpy,

We used Grey Line. My cousin is a travel agent so she booked it. The total for the two of us was $160.20. That included transportation and admission tickets. It also included a 10% AAA discount. The non-discounted price is $89/person. You can see it on greylinetours.com. It is Tour 1.

Thanks for reading.;)

Sounds like a really relaxing day, but holy cow, I can't handle ITTBAB and I'm almost 39!!! LOL:p

LeChefs is one of my favs!

I was pretty OK in ITTBAB until that stinger got me in the back. I thought it drew blood for a second there.:eek: I think hearing all the screaming was as entertaining as the show. LOL ;)

Mrs. Grumpy,

We used Grey Line. My cousin is a travel agent so she booked it. The total for the two of us was $160.20. That included transportation and admission tickets. It also included a 10% AAA discount. The non-discounted price is $89/person. You can see it on greylinetours.com. It is Tour 1.

Thanks! I just looked into it. Since there will be four of us, it will probably be more cost effective to rent a car. I appreciate the info. :)