Joshua's First Trip COMPLETE * Conclusion added 1-16-06 *
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DawnDenise · 10-11-2005, 08:32 AM

Another great update Christie!!!!

lauren-roxy · 10-11-2005, 09:47 AM

Great update Christie!! Sorry you couldn't find the pressed penny machine at WL. Can't wait to read more!!

**Colexis Mom** · 10-11-2005, 12:20 PM

Great update Christie

christiejay · 10-12-2005, 05:02 PM

Cast:

Me, Christie, 34, stay-at-home mom and the trip organizer.
My husband, Jay, 35, production line worker at Nissan, the funding source of the trip!
Our son, Joshua, 3
Jay's sister, Melanie, 34, casino money counter and sometime cashier

Experience:
Very experienced (me)
Pretty experienced (Jay)
Might-as-well-be newbie, only 1 trip in 1991 (Melanie)
First trip (Joshua)

Dates: July 1-9, 2005

Lodging:
EconoLodge North, Lake City, Florida (1 night)
Pop Century Resort (7 nights)

Transportation: Titan crewcab truck, 12 hours from Clinton, Mississippi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAY 5 (TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2005)

Part Three - Our Evening at Magic Kingdom

Previously: Boarded train at Main Street Station

The train arrived in Frontierland after a few minutes and we boarded a raft to go to Tom Sawyer's Island. When we arrived we walked through the windmill and the caves. Then we headed up the hill to cross the bridge to the Fort. But Melanie was so tired she didn't make it that far.

She waited for us on a bench near the bridge. The rest of us went to Fort Sam Clemens and looked around for a while, then took the escape tunnel out and went back to get Melanie. We all headed toward the barrel bridge, but Joshua decided he didn't want to go across so he went with Melanie the other way around.

We met back up and went through the mill, then back to the dock to wait for a raft.

Back on the mainland, Jay decided we should see Country Bear Jamboree before eating supper, so that's where we went. A show had just started, so we had to wait the full time, but at least we were able to wait inside on a bench.

We all had a great time during the show. Joshua enjoyed getting to clap along, and loved the little teddy bear that squeaks on the Five Bear Rugs stage (doesn't everybody?

).

After the show we went next door for supper at Pecos Bill's. Jay had a cheeseburger basket and I had the always healthy chili-cheese fries.

We each had a Coke, and Joshua again ate off Jay's plate. As you can tell, Joshua didn't really eat during our mealtimes.

I anticipated that and packed plenty of snacks for him for each day to help keep the cranky's away!

It was really crowded in here as we were eating fairly late but we finally found a table and enjoyed our meal.

After another bathroom break we walked back to the Frontierland Railroad Station and rode the train around to Mickey's Toontown Fair. We visited Minnie's House first, then Mickey's House, but did not wait in line to meet Mickey since the line was so long.

We got in line for the classic characters at Toontown Hall of Fame, but after quite some time the line never moved. We decided that we could be making better use of our time, so we left.

We went across the street and got in line for Goofy's Barnstormer. This was going to be Joshua's first ride on a roller coaster, and I had been talking about it for some time with him to get him ready. He wasn't scared by watching the coaster go around the track over our heads, so I thought all would be okay.

When it was our turn to board, Joshua and I got the last car of the coaster and Jay got in the seat in front of us (Melanie had the front car of the next coaster), and turned the camcorder around to videotape us. Joshua was fine as we headed up the hill, and was just beginning his "having fun scream"

at the top of the hill, when ... it got a little bit faster than he was expecting!

He quit screaming and got real quiet. I could tell he wasn't having a great time so I just kept my arm around him and told him it was okay. Thank goodness this ride is so short! Watching the video of this is really funny - watching the expression on his face change once the car picked up speed!

So it wasn't what he expected, but he still says he's going to ride it again next time.

We waited for Melanie, then walked toward Donald's Boat. However we lost Melanie at this point, as she decided she'd had enough for one day. She took the train back to Main Street and headed back to the room.

The rest of us walked through Donald's Boat. I was surprised that Joshua wanted to go in here, since he doesn't like getting splashed with water.

But once we walked through, I realized he must have just been curious about the colorful structure, as he made sure that we dodged all the squirts of water.

From here we watched Melanie leave on the train, and gave her a very hearty Bon Voyage! She was waving and calling to us too, and she said people on the train were looking at her like she was crazy! When in Disney World, you kind of lose some of your inhibitions! I mean, when are these people ever going to see you again anyway, right?

Now that we were on our own, I felt kind of bad because according to our schedule, Melanie would be missing Small World, PhilharMagic, Haunted Mansion and Wishes, among other things.

But because Joshua was getting such good naps, our evening schedules every day kept getting pushed further back, and we quickly ran out of time to do the things we had planned. As for tonight, we headed back to Fantasyland as planned and stopped in at Mickey's PhilharMagic since another show would be starting in just a few minutes. We picked up our 3-D glasses and waited for the doors to open. I was a little concerned about Joshua's reaction, since this would be his first 3-D movie. But I had read that this one was the most kid-friendly in the parks and it did work out fine.

I let him sit on my lap so he could see better. He seemed to enjoy it and reached out at the screen a few times. I don't know if that's because everybody else was reaching out, or if he really thought he could grab something, but it was cute anyway.

After our movie we rode It's a Small World. We had a little bit of a wait, maybe 15 minutes but the line moved along quickly as it usually does.

Joshua liked looking at everything in here and it was fun to point things out to him. We got to sit in the front of the boat and therefore had a great view of everything. You could really tell that all the figures had been repainted.

Exiting here, we realized that we didn't have time to make it to Adventureland as planned, because the 9:00 parade would be blocking our path. So instead we went back to Toontown Fair, and stood in line for character autographs again. I thought that the parade would have drawn away most of the crowds by now, but I was so wrong! The lines were just as long as our earlier attempt, and they still weren't moving.

So we changed our minds again and left to go to Tomorrowland.

The Speedway was pretty crowded, and we had already ridden it anyway, so we passed it up. Jay's favorite ride is Carousel of Progress, so we tried that instead. We were able to enter the theater after only a few minutes. Joshua liked how we traveled around the stage, constantly moving to a new room.

I hope they keep this attraction open for a long time, it is one we all enjoy. Once the show was over, we came out to see that Wishes had just begun. We sat down on a nearby bench and had a pretty good view. Unfortunately the bench was under the Transit Authority track, which continues to operate during the fireworks. This means that we couldn't hear the soundtrack for Wishes because the soundtrack for the Transit Authority kept repeating itself every couple of minutes.

But we managed, although Joshua didn't like the loud noises at first, he got used to it by the end of the show and talked about all the different colors of the bursts.

After Wishes we started walking back toward Main Street to leave, but noticed that there was only about a 5 minute wait for Buzz Lightyear. So Jay and Joshua decided to ride one more time. While they were riding I walked over to the Merchant of Venus shop and got Joshua the three Toy Story pressed pennies that are available there. Then I walked into the Buzz Lightyear shop and started looking around while I waited for them to exit. Since our Buzz Lightyear photo did not come in a specialized (ride-themed) folder, I thought it would be nice to buy a Buzz picture frame for it. So when they finished their ride I let Jay decide which frame to get. I kind of liked the one with all the little green men, but he decided on the one with Buzz and the ride logo on it.

Jay said that Joshua managed to hit a few targets that time through the ride.

Well, that was about all we could pack into one day since we weren't going to stay for the late parade. So we headed back to the bus stop (the last bus stop!

) to begin another long Magic Kingdom wait for a Pop Century bus. While in line, somebody noticed Jay's Nissan shirt and commented on it. Turns out they were from Mississippi also! You always run into somebody, even if they're a stranger! We were actually expecting to run into several people from Nissan. Since the plant was on a shutdown this week, Jay said he heard lots of people talking about going to Disney World. But we never did see anybody he knew.

After finally making it back to the room we got ready for bed, I updated my PassPorter, got our things ready for tomorrow, and laid out our next Mousekeeping tip envelope.

Next up: Day 6, A Change of Pace

**Colexis Mom** · 10-12-2005, 05:52 PM

Another great update Christie

I know that "face" on the coaster, as Colin had the same experience on one we went to in NH! Poor Joshua

More please

lauren-roxy · 10-12-2005, 08:06 PM

Great update Christie!! The lines at Toontown are always long unless you get there when it first opens, at least that is how it has been for us, Can't wait to read more, your report is so much fun to read!!

dsnytina · 10-13-2005, 04:40 PM

Christie:
Lovin' this TR!

So glad you were able to squeeze so much in!
Tina

christiejay · 10-19-2005, 06:25 PM

Thanks you guys (gals) for sticking with me - we're past the halfway point of the trip now!

christiejay · 10-19-2005, 06:40 PM

Cast:

Me, Christie, 34, stay-at-home mom and the trip organizer.
My husband, Jay, 35, production line worker at Nissan, the funding source of the trip!
Our son, Joshua, 3
Jay's sister, Melanie, 34, casino money counter and sometime cashier

Experience:
Very experienced (me)
Pretty experienced (Jay)
Might-as-well-be newbie, only 1 trip in 1991 (Melanie)
First trip (Joshua)

Dates: July 1-9, 2005

Lodging:
EconoLodge North, Lake City, Florida (1 night)
Pop Century Resort (7 nights)

Transportation: Titan crewcab truck, 12 hours from Clinton, Mississippi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 6 - Wednesday, July 6

Part One - A Morning at Animal Kingdom

Once again, we received a wake-up call from Stitch and Mickey. I had hoped that on some days we might receive a call from a different character, but that didn't happen.

After a quick breakfast, we headed out to the bus stop. Today we were going to have a complete change of scenery, as we were headed to the two theme parks we hadn't all visited yet - Animal Kingdom first, then the Studios.

I used to love "The Awakening" show that Animal Kingdom did at opening time, so we were trying to make sure to get there in time to see it. But wouldn't you know it, opening and rope drop is handled differently here now too.

The show no longer takes place at the entry area, but on Discovery Island, which of course I still want to call Safari Village.

So we made our way through The Oasis and stood in the hot sun on the bridge to Discovery Island. We were too far back in the crowd to see or hear any of the show, so we basically just stood there fanning ourselves. We did see Mickey at the Tree of Life, and Joshua still remembers that part.

Africa

Once the park opened we headed toward Africa with everybody else to take a safari. But when we got there it was so crowded that I asked the others if they would rather get a FastPass and walk the trail first. They agreed, so we picked up the FastPasses and entered the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. It was the perfect time to walk the trail, because everybody else in the park was on the safari, or else waiting their turn for it.

The trail was relatively uncrowded so we were able to make our way through pretty easily. Joshua enjoyed walking through the aviary and looking at the hippos. He also liked opening all the cabinets and drawers in the research center, since that was something hands-on.

The gorilla viewing window wasn't very lively this morning, so we walked on around the corner and were able to see several gorillas eating along the hillside. As we neared the exit of the trail we realized we still had a few minutes until we could use our FastPasses, so we sat down to rest. It was very hot today and we were already getting cranky and tired. Well, mainly it was me getting cranky because Joshua was being cranky.

Anyway, we had a brief rest and then went to get in line for our safari. It wasn't long before I realized we shouldn't have gotten a FastPass, because it doesn't save you any time here unless the line is extremely long, which it wasn't.

So we still had to wait in line for a while, maybe about 20 minutes.

Soon, however, we were able to set off on our adventure. We had good seats right up front, so we had a great view. Joshua enjoyed looking at the animals, and thankfully didn't get scared on the bridge that "collapses" under the truck.

We saw the lions laying down, but there didn't seem to be too many animals on the move in the savanna area. We saw some giraffes at a distance, but didn't get any up-close animal views this time. Usually our truck will have to stop because a giraffe or ostrich is in the road, but not this time. I think we just missed the ostriches, because they were all walking off when we drove by. I think this is one of the few attractions in all of Disney World that all of us really and truly enjoyed together.

Dinoland

After our safari ended, we crossed the park and headed to Dinoland so that Jay and Melanie could ride Dinosaur. Once we arrived in the area I sent them on ahead to get in line, while I pushed Joshua in his stroller at a slower pace. We made our way toward Dinosaur and stopped to look at the replica of Sue as well as the dinosaur in front of the ride. There didn't seem to be much of a wait, so we went ahead and walked over to the exit area so that Jay and Melanie would see us when their ride was over. We sat down in the shade and Joshua ate a snack while we waited. After a few minutes Jay came out and said that Melanie was buying their picture (She liked the ride!).

Once we all got together, we were in agreement that we should go ahead and eat. The heat and the walking had combined to make us all very hungry. It was 11:00, so we walked over to Restaurantasaurus, but because of the character breakfast at this location, they wouldn't be serving lunch until 11:30. We didn't want to wait that long, so we walked back up to Flame Tree Barbecue, which had been our original choice anyway. We had never eaten here before, so I didn't realize how confusing the seating area was.

Melanie got her food first and went to find a table. Then when Jay brought our food out, we walked down the path to look for Melanie. We didn't see her at the seating areas we passed, and when we got to the pavilion by the water we decided to sit there. Jay walked around and found her, but we ended up eating separately. I was being kind of crabby this morning, so I'm guessing she wanted a little peace and quiet.

Time to Split up Again

We enjoyed the view from our table, we had a perfect view of the construction of Expedition Everest across the water. Jay ate the chicken meal, Joshua had a hot dog, and I had a chicken sandwich even though I told Jay to get me the chicken meal.

Joshua drank milk, while Jay and I each had a Coke. I know everybody seems to love this place, but I really wasn't impressed with it.

Maybe it had something to do with me not getting the food I wanted. I just really didn't like the taste of the chicken. The beans and corn were good, though. And I liked the ducks that were waiting for a handout. Melanie came down to our table when she finished her lunch and we made our plans for the afternoon. As we walked back up the sidewalk I also saw a rabbit, which hopped across our path.

I originally had planned for us to see the Lion King show and the Maharajah Jungle Trek this morning, but we spent too long in Africa to have time for either of those things.

It's Tough to be a Bug was also on the itinerary, and since I didn't think Joshua would like it, I told Jay and Melanie to go ahead and see the movie, then head over to the Studios. Once there, they should have time for Sounds Dangerous (which I didn't think Joshua would handle very well) and the Indiana Jones show (which I thought Joshua would get too restless in, seeing as how I do!

) before our priority seating for the Fantasmic Dinner Package. In the meantime, I would take Joshua back to the room for his nap.

Next up: Bumps and Bruises

lauren-roxy · 10-19-2005, 07:58 PM

Another great update Christie!! For some reason, AK always seems to be hotter than the other parks to me. The next installment does not sound good.

**Colexis Mom** · 10-20-2005, 06:01 AM

Great update

christiejay · 10-21-2005, 04:54 PM

[ QUOTE ]
For some reason, AK always seems to be hotter than the other parks to me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, Jana (TroianRae) and I discussed that when we met at Fort Wilderness on the 4th. There seems to be less air conditioning at Animal Kingdom. But I still love it! I'm looking forward to the day when it expands. I hope they eventually add another land, instead of just a new attraction here and there.

christiejay · 10-21-2005, 05:16 PM

Cast:

Me, Christie, 34, stay-at-home mom and the trip organizer.
My husband, Jay, 35, production line worker at Nissan, the funding source of the trip!
Our son, Joshua, 3
Jay's sister, Melanie, 34, casino money counter and sometime cashier

Experience:
Very experienced (me)
Pretty experienced (Jay)
Might-as-well-be newbie, only 1 trip in 1991 (Melanie)
First trip (Joshua)

Dates: July 1-9, 2005

Lodging:
EconoLodge North, Lake City, Florida (1 night)
Pop Century Resort (7 nights)

Transportation: Titan crewcab truck, 12 hours from Clinton, Mississippi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 6 - Wednesday, July 6

Part Two - A Rough Nap and a Yummy Meal

Previously: We just finished lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue

So they (Jay and Melanie) headed to the Tree of Life to see the bugs, and I slowly pushed Joshua in his stroller back toward the entrance of the park. However, as we were making our way through Discovery Island, I looked around for the Animal Kingdom Independence Day pin, and sure enough I found it at a cart outside Island Mercantile. So I picked that up and then we headed out to the bus stop.

I Finally Find a Shortcut

It was when we arrived back at Pop Century this time that I decided to go a different way to our room. The two "Kingdom" bus stops were at the far end of the main building, so when we disembarked, I walked to the end of the building and across the service drive to the 80's parking lot. From there a sidewalk led to our building, and it was shorter than going through the lobby, at least from those last two bus stops. I only wish I had discovered that earlier in the week!

When we arrived at our room it had not been cleaned yet, so I put out the "Do Not Disturb" tag. Once Joshua went to sleep, I also put our dirty towels and our garbage outside the door. When our Mousekeeper came around later, she left us some clean towels, as well as a fresh garbage bag. (Again, I put away the tip envelope for tomorrow, and added the tip money for today to my pin-buying stash.) While Joshua napped, I sat at the table and tried to organize all of the papers and guidemaps we had picked up so far, and worked on my PassPorter a little bit also.

Oops!

After about an hour, I looked up to see Joshua on the edge of his bed, half awake, and realized he was losing his balance and was going to fall off the bed. I hopped up, but I couldn't get there in time, so he fell.

At least his rear end went first.

The only problem was that we had been putting the collapsed stroller on that side of the bed, so he scraped his arm against it when he fell. It wasn't bleeding, just a long scratch down his arm, so he was okay once I held him for a few minutes.

Then I laid him back down and he fell right back to sleep.

Another thing I did while he napped was to write a note to Annabel.

She was going to be arriving at Pop Century tomorrow, and we had planned to meet up the following afternoon. So I wrote her a quick note to let her know what room we were in, in case she needed to get in touch with me before our meet.

I didn't want to wake Joshua up, because he hadn't been asleep for two hours yet (his general nap length), but if we didn't get moving soon, we would miss our priority seating for the Fantasmic Dinner Package, and I didn't want to run that risk.

Especially since it is a real reservation and they charge a cancellation fee to your credit card if you don't show up! So I coaxed Joshua awake and we headed out.

We had to stop in the lobby first, though, so I could leave Annabel's note at the front desk. While I was there I also requested that a bed rail be sent up to our room so that we didn't have another incident.

The cast member said he didn't know if any were available, but that he would check on it.

If they didn't have any he would leave me a note. I was sure they had some, though, so I just said OK.

Then Joshua and I went out to the bus stop area and waited for a ride to the Studios.

Fantasmic Dinner Package - a Must-Do!

We arrived in plenty of time, and made our way around to the Echo Lake area. We sat down on a bench across from Hollywood & Vine (our supper destination) and I radioed Jay to see where he and Melanie were. They were also resting on a bench, close to the Sorcerer's Hat. I told him that we were in front of the cafeteria, and bye. I assumed that he would assume that they should come on over there and meet up with us for our meal. But you know what they say about assumptions being dangerous, and of course in a few minutes Jay radioed me back asking me where I was.

So I again told him that we were (still) in front of the cafeteria where we had a reservation in about 20 minutes, and that maybe they wanted to join us?

He got the message that time and we saw them headed our way shortly afterward. They saw It's Tough to be a Bug and liked it, although Melanie said that she didn't get stung. They also saw Sounds Dangerous, but not the Indiana Jones show. I can't remember now, but it was either too crowded or the showtimes were not convenient or something.

After a few minutes the restaurant (Hollywood & Vine) opened and Jay went up to the podium to get in line to check in. Once he got his turn in line we joined him and sat down on the porch. After only a few minutes our names were called and we went inside. After getting a table and ordering our drinks, Melanie and I headed for the buffet. On this trip, I was getting food for Joshua, then I went back again to get myself a plate. When I finished, Jay took his turn. When Melanie came back, her food was filled with nothing but dessert.

I didn't know what she was doing, that's a lot of money to pay just to eat dessert!

I think that when I told her this place was a cafeteria, she had the idea that it was your typical, bad cafeteria food. But I had showed her the list of foods that they served, and had already told her that this place gets good reviews, so I still didn't understand.

But I think once she saw what we had on our plates, she changed her mind, because on her second trip she got some "real" food, and enjoyed it too!

In fact, we all enjoyed this meal, it was our favorite of the whole trip. All the food we tried was good, and (of course) even Joshua liked the ice cream and toppings bar. We received our Fantasmic voucher and headed outside, feeling pleasantly stuffed.

Oh yeah, we went to the restroom while here, and I noticed that the restroom connected on over to the Prime Time Café. Just like Sci-Fi Dine-In and the Commissary. Pretty confusing for people who don't realize what they're doing, and leave the restroom only to find out they're in a different restaurant!

I wonder how many times that's happened?

Next up: Isn't There Anything to Do Here?