Aug 18-24 Our first trip to WDW together - UPDATED 10/19
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**Jookiba** · 10-05-2007, 09:26 PM

Thanks for another great update!!

**DyanKJ130** · 10-05-2007, 10:35 PM

Sounds like a great day at the Studios! Can't wait to hear more

x2qwk2cx · 10-05-2007, 10:51 PM

So glad I found your report!! Love it!! Can't wait to hear more!!!

mcc0313 · 10-06-2007, 02:41 AM

Great updates....more soon please....

tammyd_rn · 10-08-2007, 04:57 PM

Great updates. Looking forward to more.

**Colexis Mom** · 10-09-2007, 07:23 AM

What a great day at MGM

And how great you were picked for the show

More please

Mares75 · 10-09-2007, 02:33 PM

Day 3 - Aug 21 Epcot Day

It's another early morning for us waking up at 7:00 again. We stopped by the smoking area and caught up with our Pennsylvania family friends. We opted for the cheese omelets this morning since we had decided we had to eat something other than Mickey Waffles. I decided to try some motion sickness pills this morning. I'm fine on roller coasters and things like that. I just can't handle rides that spin a lot or some of the motion simulator rides. DBF really wanted to go on Mission Space but I was nervous after reading many reports of people feeling sick after that one. So we decided I'd try Soarin' first. If that went ok I'd consider MS. I was looking forward to seeing Epcot. I'd been there once before but after looking at maps, I had to wonder what exactly I did there for the day. I don't remember going on or seeing most things there so I have no clue what the heck I did while there before - walked around a lot I guess.

We arrived and headed off to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. I wanted to wait for Soarin' until I was sure my motion sickness pills would be working to full effect. No line at all so we walked through the queue area and got right on. We really enjoyed this one and loved the effects.

While looking at the aquariums, a diver was feeding the fish in the large tank. I don't think I've ever seen so many fish around a person before. The CM explained to us the stingray is trained to swim up and nose the food container. Once it does this, the diver will then feed it. We stood and watched that little stingray bumbing into that container until the diver moved on.

There's a diver in there somewhere

We headed over to Soarin', got our fastpass, and then back to The Land. We took the Living with the Land boat tour. It really didn't sound all the fascinating but I should've known better. We thought it was very interesting and we enjoyed seeing all the giant vegetables. By now it was time to head back to Soarin.

I was kind of nervous and hoping I wouldn't get sick. I've been extremely sick after a couple rides before and it just plain sucks to be at a theme park sick. Some motion simulators are ok, others are very much not ok.

I have to say we had a blast while waiting in line. If you've never been on Soarin', there are 4 giant screens on the wall along the queue. You get to create a picture with everyone else in line while you're waiting. They show you how to make the motion on the screen, then give you a while to create that part of the picture. First was making mountains and valleys. Eventually it was growing seeds and trees. The funny thing was everyone seemed so confused at first. But once a few brave souls decided to wave their arms around and things started happening on the screen everyone got into it. The next thing you know people were jumping up and arms were flailing every which way. When the 4 parts are done they are combined into one panoramic picture. I'd go on Soarin' again just to play in the line. Soarin was great. Only one part did I feel queasy but I just looked down at the floor. I can usually get the queasy feeling to go away if I can get my bearings on something concrete. I definitely would go on Soarin' again. I decided against Mission Space though since I felt a little nauseous on Soarin'. I don't want to know what would happen in an enclosed space where I can't see anything that isn't moving with me. I told DBF I'd wait for him if he wanted to do MS but he said no, it's not that big a deal.

We wandered through Innoventions and made the mistake of going through the house of tomorrow. While it was interesting to see some of the products (and we really wanted that bathroom shower for ourselves) it basically felt like a giant commercial. We made a quick stop by Club Cool. Some of the drinks are pretty good but others were horrible. I was trying some drinks and I must have made a horrible face after Italy. The couple next to me started laughing and said together "Italy?". We all had a pretty good laugh and waited to see DBF's reaction since he hadn't tried that one yet. I think next time I'll skip the Italy sample. I bought a coke there simply to get that taste out of my mouth.

We were getting hungry so made our way over to Electric Umbrella for lunch since I knew I could get a veggie wrap there. I bought a passport for us to do on the way and we watched the fountains while I happily put all the stickers on my passport. I know it's probably meant for kids but we had a great time stopping by the tables getting it signed, having our names written in different languages. I have to say I wouldn't recommend the vegggie wrap to anyone.

This is the only thing I ate the entire trip that was not good. I was excited to find something that had hummus on it. It was edible but not at all tasty. I ate mostly the fries that came with it.

We walked past a man with an ankle length sleeveless coat on covered - and I mean covered - in pins.

All the way down this coat, front and back, pins were everywhere. We thought it must be the most expensive coat we've seen in a long time. This guy was getting all sort of looks. When we were chatting with someone later in England, he asked us if we'd seen the man with the coat full of pins.

We stopped by Test Track to get our fastpasses, then did the second part of Innoventions. Back to TT - my favorite Epcot ride. By now it was noon and we were pretty much done with Future World so on to World Showcase.

We decided to take a boat over just for the fun of it. We started at Germany and made our way clockwise.

View from near Germany boat dock across WS Lagoon.

We had read about the Kaki Gori and were on the look out for it. Besides it was so hot out shaved ice sounded like heaven. We eventually made our way to Japan and opted for the honeydew. I'm sure we'll be stopping by here next time!

We wandered Morocco which became our favorite world stop.

We both loved the atmosphere of the outdoor market. The detail and tile work here is amazing. DBF was so fascinated looking in a case in the 'museum' building that he whacked his head smack into the display case. We continued our journey of the world after DBF waited for me to stop laughing so hard I could walk again.

England - notice no crowds the 3rd week of August

Next up France with a quick stop at the pastry shop. Who can visit France and not eat some sort of pastry. We did some shopping and stopped by El Rio del Tiempo and Maelstrom - both cute rides. Dinner at Lotus Blossom Cafe which was delicious. Then we staked out our viewing spot for Illuminations. DBF really liked Illuminations while I, sorry to say, was kind of disappointed in it. I liked the version I saw years ago much better. This one was still good, it just felt like it was missing something to me.

Earlier we had decided to wander to the Boardwalk for the night. Looking back it was not a good idea. Waaaayyy too much for one day. But like I said before I feared DBF was going to want to squeeze in as much as possible

. I guess one of us should've checked the map because we walked all the way to the front before we realized we needed to go through the International Gateway to get to the Boardwalk. Now we had to go all the way back and our feet were already getting tired. Epcot was by far the worst as far as walking goes. Of course the boat had just left so I suggested we walk - it can't be that far. DBF was not thrilled with this idea but he said ok. Besides if we hadn't walked we would've missed out on the chorus of singing frogs in the trees.

Finally we arrived at our destination - Jellyrolls. DBF is a musician so I thought this was something he'd enjoy. We had no idea this was the only place at the Boardwalk that has a cover charge. We headed in and it was entertaining but overall not something I plan on doing again. I'm sure we would've left earlier if we hadn't paid a cover charge. We had never been to the Boardwalk before so decided to give it a try, but I doubt we'll be going back anytime soon. By now our feet felt like they were ready to fall off so we went back to ASmu. Tomorrow is amEMH at AK, our visit with a yeti, and my long awaited return to the Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island!

mcc0313 · 10-09-2007, 02:42 PM

Great updates....

**Colexis Mom** · 10-09-2007, 07:13 PM

Sounds like a great day in Epcot! Glad you enjoyed Soarin' but sorry about your veggie wrap

More please

mickeycrazy · 10-09-2007, 09:18 PM

Great so far! More please!

**DyanKJ130** · 10-10-2007, 08:27 PM

Sounds like you had a wonderful day at Epcot!

to hear Jelly Rolls was a bit of a disappointment. Can't wait to hear more

ACampbell · 10-11-2007, 11:10 PM

Great job! I can't wait to see more pictures. You guys seem to be getting a lot accomplished in one day

! Well keep it coming!

bau8 · 10-11-2007, 11:58 PM

Great update! Can't wait to hear more. The Italy coke sample gets everyone. My oldest DD went to Italy last year and she said that they had soda one day and they all spit it out!! LOL She said it actually tastes worse in Italy then it does at Club Cool.

Mares75 · 10-19-2007, 02:44 PM

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this....it's been kind of crazy around here lately.

Aug 22, 2007 - Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, and Pleasure Island

It was another early start to catch amEMH at AK. Looked like it was going to be another hot and sunny day. Plus after alll that walking at Epcot yesterday, our feet were not happy and we both had a couple of small blisters. It was going to be a much slower pace today.

First stop was to catch up with our PA friends. They went to Epcot the day before too. They told us how they got a fastpass for Soarin around 1:00 and the return time wasn't until 7:30! Good thing we got ours when we did - at 12:00 the return time was the standard 2 hours later. They were heading to AK today too, so we planned on meeting up later at our usual spot and trade stories. Off to the food court to get some Mickey Waffles

, then catch a bus to AK.

I love AK, it's one of my favorite parks. Then again I work with animals at an ER vet and majored in Biology so that might have something to do with it. We got in line to get our camera bag checked and I saw our PA friends in line ahead of us. "Look! There they are!" I told DBF. Funny how out of all those people out there we see them. We'd have to tell them later we saw them in line.

DBF was amazed when you first walk into the park. It's so pretty with all the trees, then you walk out into the open and see the tree of life. We can never quite get over the amazing attention to detail everywhere you turn at Disney - right down to creating a certain feeling when you enter. Sounds cheesy I know but I'm willing to be some PP's out there know exactly what I'm talking about

.

We headed off to Expedition Everest to get that one done before the lines got too horrible. When we got to EE, we planned on getting a fastpass but the sign said a 20 min wait. We learned earlier this week when the sign says 20 min, it's often much shorter anyway. About 10 min later and we were ready to go. We loved EE but DBF had a moment during the dark part where he said he didn't feel so good.

Yeti Shrine in queue area

We headed over to Kilimanjaro Safaris for a fastpass. Along the way, we ran into DeVine! I was excited since I'd never seen her and it seems you just have to be in the right place at the right time. We stood there watching reactions of people walking by, looking at their maps, talking to their families, not realizing she was there. I can't tell you how many people we saw jump when she started moving. It was very cool and amazing how well she blends in.

DeVine

We grabbed our fastpass, then wandered through Pangani Forest. There was still no one in the park yet so it was a great time to walk through. Last time I was here there were so many people you couldn't really see the animals very well. We got some great pictures this time and could take our time. Back to KS which DBF had really been looking forward to. No lions this time but lots of other animals. I couldn't believe how well the pictures came out since it's so bouncy. Afterwards we grabbed a fastpass for Kal River Rapids, then back to Africa to catch the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch.

I'd never been back here either so this was new for both of us. We both ended up finding things we liked at RPW. I was surprised because I've read lots of opinions where people feel it's definitely something you can miss. I was interested in their veterinary equipment and had quite the conversation with a CM about the types of anisthetics they used. I was curious if it's the same things we use on cats and dogs. DBF encouraged me to ask which I'm glad I did. Very interesting - turns out it's the same things.

Then I saw Rafiki without any line! I love Lion King and Rafiki was always one of my favorites. I had to get a quick picture of us together and it turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of myself on this trip. (So much so that it's now one of my standard pictures on here.) I was just about ready to leave and head back when DBF looks at me and says "Didn't you want to go in there?" - the petting area. DBF loves petting zoos, more so than the kids you see there I think.

DBF in the Affection Section with his new goat friend...notice the big smile on his face

We hung out, pet some goats, then back on the train and over to KRR. I missed KRR last time I was here because by time we realized we hadn't been on it, we were completely on the other side of the park and flat out did not have the energy to walk all the way back. Of course we ended up going down the big drop backwards and ended up being that couple on the raft that gets completely drenched - we were literally dripping water. It was fine with us though since we were so hot.

We were getting hungry and AK is the one place at Disney where it seems to be a little more difficult to find vegetarian food. We ended up at Pizzafari - Flame Tree Barbeque was closed for some reason this day so options were limited. DBF went to get the food while I waited for a table. Myself and a couple of other people looked like vultures, scanning the tables seeing if someone was going to be done soon, trying to postion yourself nearby without hovering over them so you can pounce once they get up. I finally snagged a table for 2.

After we ate, we stopped in a smoking section since we're both smokers. We were sitting there with a couple other people when a CM named Terry walked over. "Are you all aware of the new Disney smoking rules?" he asked. We all looked at each other slightly worried. We were in the right place weren't we? What did we do wrong? We all started babbling like 9 year olds who've been caught doing something they shouldn't. "Oh you're in the right place, I'm talking about a different rule" he says. "The one that says whenever you have a cigarette you have to have one for me too. Now this rule just started at about 2:00 when I got here". We were all dying laughing

and relieved we weren't all about to get kicked out.

We walked over to It's Tough to Be a Bug. On the way we happened to pass Terry who asked if we remembered the rule. We laughed and said yes. There were walls up all along the queue area so you couldn't really see the tree of life carvings up close- kind of disappointing for DBF. I couldn't wait for DBF to see this one. I've been on it before so I know what's going to happen. He on the other hand had no idea and jumped 20 feet when the bees start 'stinging'

. Too funny.

The only thing left at this point was DinoLand, USA. This place had changed so much since I saw it last. I was last here in 1999, not too long after AK opened. There was still a lot of construction going on then. I couldn't believe how much different it looked.

Neither of us can handle Primeval Whirl - way too much spinning around

. We got in line for Dinosaur which was again only 20 minutes. I told him before we left home that ride terrified me the first time I went on it. He had been laughing at me about it - "How can it scare you? They're not real or anything ha ha ha". Yeah just you wait buddy. He ended up taking back all the times he made fun of me. I tried to tell him.

By now we were pretty much done. We had planned on trying to catch Festival of the Lion King. I've never seen it and really want to. But the time for the next show was pretty far off so we skipped it....oh well guess we'll just have to go back

. We went back to ASmu and ran into the PA family. We told them we saw them in line. They then told us they had been walking around and saw us across the way, saying to each other "Look! There they are!".

They had been predicting rain Friday night so we had talked about trying to catch Wishes tonight. Well we weren't tired at all so might as well head over now. This was our longest bus ride yet so therefore it was also our longest "I can't believe this is all Disney's" conversation. Once we got into MK and DBF stopped gawking at everything, we went to Tomorrowland. It was only about 6:00 at this time so might as well knock a few rides off our list while we're here. Absolutely no line for Buzz Lightyear so off we went. Unfortunately I lost. I dragged DBF onto the people mover which he couldn't understand why I wanted to go on it so much. I love the people mover, don't ask me why. And who wanted to go on it again later? I think he was surprised he liked it that much to want to go again.

We thought we might as well check out Space Mountain - another 20 min wait?! Hop into line for this one too. By this rate, we'll be done with Tomorrowland tonight

. We'd been in line about 10 minutes when a message came across. The ride was stopped and everyone was to exit the line through the regular exit - not jumping out of line and going out the entrance. DBF wanted to head back out the entrance as many people were. I'm one of those people that will wait 15 minutes to see if it gets up and running again. Most people won't wait so your actual wait time in line gets cut drastically. No such luck this time. But we had to walk through the ride area to get to the exit and all the lights were on inside! This was very cool and not a frequent opportunity I'm guessing. I have to say SM in the bright light so not very impressive at all - just a lot of metal and steel. We tried to snap a couple of quick pictures but it was hard to do.

Inside Space Mountain with lights on

While walking out DBF commented he wondered if they'd do something, it is Disney after all and they like to keep you happy. I said I doubted it, rides break down, what are you going to do? Well on the way out, a couple CM's were handing out special something. We got up to them and they explained they are special fastpasses. They could be used anytime over the next week for any FP ride at any park! I couldn't believed they actually did give us something. It was like a golden freebie fastpass

. On top of that we got to see the inside of SM - well worth our wait! We stopped for dinner at Cosmic Ray's for a couple of veggie burgers. After that it was time for Wishes which was great! Then off to Pleasure Island. We took a monorail to the Polynesian since DBF really wanted to ride the monorail at some point, then a bus over to PI.

I had told DBF about the Adventurer's Club but it's awfully hard to explain it to someone. Once inside there was no getting him out to visit another club.

Adventurer's Club lobby

We also discovered the Kungaloosh this time. So tasty!

But dangerous. Let's put it this way, about halfway through my second one - my feet sure didn't hurt anymore. The AC was a riot, we were crying we laughed so hard. At one point when we were all exiting the library, the CMs in the lobby area started singing and commenting on everyone coming out - kind of like narrating a parade. DBF became "Mr Plaid" due to the plaid shirt. One woman had this horrible floral one piece pantsuit like thing on so she was "Ms. Garden Pants". In the trophy room, we heard all about the wooden snake ("Be careful" said the CM, "It spits") and the helmeted warrior (CM: "his helmet covers everything but one eye"). Wow Disney goes adult!

Nearing the end of the night DBF asked if I wanted the rest of his second drink. Not unless he wanted to carry me back to our room! We finally got back to our room around 2:00am - exhausted but happy. Tomorrow we're off to MK, our last full day.