Joshua's First Trip COMPLETE *** Conclusion added 1-16-06 *** About This Page:

[Happymommy]

Great update, Christie!!!!!!! I love your Trip Report-- I have to ask (I feel really stupid), but what's a dolly???

[PrincessSharon]

Great updates, Christie! More, please!

[christiejay]

A dolly, after I thought for a moment about how best to describe it, is one of those wheeled things that people use to move things with. Like the UPS guys and other delivery companies use when they have lots of boxes to take to one place. Or, if you've ever rented a moving truck, there is usually a dolly inside to help you move.

[christiejay]

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



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DAY 5 (TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2005)

Part One - Big Rides at Epcot

We received a wake-up call from Stitch and Mickey , then got dressed and ate breakfast in our rooms. After catching a bus to Epcot we made our way to the gates and security checkpoints. We were let through the gates shortly after arriving, but I was disappointed to see that we would be left waiting in the sun again for the rope drop, which now takes place in Spaceship Earth Plaza. After a few minutes a double-decker bus full of characters came around, accompanied by music and lots of cheers. There was a brief show, then the bus pulled away and shortly afterwards we were let into the rest of the park.

Just Follow the Crowd ...

Again today we were following one of the touring plans from the Unofficial Guidebook, slightly modified for our park-hopping desires. This morning's plan called for riding the "big" rides in Future World before heading over to World Showcase. So we were going to start with Soarin'. And it looked like everybody else in the park had the exact same idea! Jay was pushing Joshua in the stroller, and they got a little bit ahead of me and Melanie. Then once we turned to walk through Innoventions, I decided they were all walking a little too fast for me, so I was lagging a little behind. I was beginning to have my doubts about riding Soarin' first, since it looked like there was going to be quite a crowd by the time we got in line. But I didn't say anything and we kept going. But it sure was tempting to be the only people heading over to The Living Seas.

Once inside The Land, it looked like some people were getting FastPasses for Soarin' and planning on coming back later. Joshua just met the height requirement to ride (they checked him before they let us get in line), so we all went in together. I was a little concerned about letting him ride, but Jay wanted to let him try. And since there wasn't a lot of motion involved, I decided to play along this time and see what happened. We walked through the line, which wasn't very long, considering the huge crowd that made it here before we did. We waited a few minutes in the room with the trivia questions about the different environments, but not long enough to be able to read everything on the screens. We waited for a total of about 10 minutes. We were able to "break" line a little bit when they called for a party of four. I don't know why so many of the people in front of us couldn't go ahead, but that was okay by us. We were directed down the hallway to the left and took the last few spaces in the second row. I love the cast members' uniforms here - very spiffy looking!

After a few minutes it was our turn to board. We got Joshua strapped in with the special strap to keep him from slipping out of the seat, and I explained to him that we were going to watch a movie, but that first our seats would be pulled up high. He did fine and really seemed to enjoy it. On the other side of Melanie was a family that had seen Soarin' at Disneyland, so they were telling her what to expect. Even with that, she was quite surprised by the golf ball. We all really liked this ride, but unfortunately we never got the chance to ride it again because the lines were so long every time we checked, and FastPass wasn't convenient at those times.

Wheels, Wheels, and More Wheels

We left The Land and crossed over to the other side of Future World. We got a child-swap fastpass at Test Track - Jay waited with Joshua while Melanie and I rode first. The line wasn't very bad (I think it was posted about 15-20 minutes), but about halfway through the line we experienced quite a delay. I don't know if a lot of FastPass people came through all at once, or if there were some technical difficulties. Eventually we started moving again, we probably waited about 30 minutes total. We sat in the front seat of the car, and Melanie loved it! A few months before the trip, she had been involved in a car accident, and she had told me that she might not feel up to riding this. But by this time she was okay with things, and I'm glad she was able to ride. When we exited we found the boys waiting for us, looking at all the cars and trucks on display. Joshua was really getting a kick out of this since he loves anything with wheels on it. We checked the details on the child-swap FastPass and read that up to three people could be admitted, so Melanie decided to ride again with Jay.

While they rode, I stayed with Joshua. He was having a blast sitting behind the steering wheel of all those vehicles. I kept trying to move him along so that other people could have a chance too. We also watched the "robots" at work over at the exit of the ride. We got one of those "Are You an Instant Winner" tickets at the center kiosk, but I never finished the process once I found out you have to give all your information first. I didn't want them calling me about buying a vehicle! After a little while Jay and Melanie came through the doors and we left the building. (I still want to call it World of Motion!)

Blast Off!

We quickly went next door to Mission:SPACE, and I sent Jay and Melanie ahead while I pushed Joshua in his stroller. I didn't want to ride, and I figured the line would be so bad that they would need to get a FastPass anyway. Lo and behold, there was only a 5-minute wait - at 10:30 in the morning! I don't know if that was due to the little boy's recent death and the bad publicity, or maybe Soarin' has taken over the popularity contest since it is so new. But we didn't question our good fortune, and Jay and Melanie went on inside. Once I found the stroller parking I took Joshua in the back way so that he could play on the playground. He liked it, but was a little shy and didn't want to crawl through by himself. I couldn't get too involved helping him out because I didn't want Jay and Melanie to miss us on their way out. This area was fairly dark and very congested, so I was really watching for them. They arrived shortly, reporting that they liked the ride but didn't love it. Maybe their hopes were a little too high? That happened to me the first time I rode Test Track!

Next on the agenda was Living with the Land, but with the unexpected long wait at Test Track we scrapped that and decided to go ahead and eat lunch instead since it was after 11:00. Since we weren't going back to The Land, and their food court had changed their menu anyway, we decided to eat at Electric Umbrella. I know, I know, how boring! Jay and I each got the chicken strip basket with Coke, and got Joshua a milk. He ate off our plates. We sat on the lower level of the restaurant, right in the center which is slightly elevated. We had a pretty good view of the fountain in the Plaza outside.

Next up: More Day 5 - World Showcase and Magic Kingdom

[KandJluvdisney]

keep em coming!!
gret job

[lauren-roxy]

Another great update Christie!!! Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time at Epcot, you got to go on a lot of things!! Glad that Joshua liked Soarin!! Can't wait to read more!!

[Colexis Mom]

What a great morning at Epcot More please

[Happymommy]

Great Update, Christie!!!! Thanks for the Dolly explanation!!!!!!!

[PrincessSharon]

Sounds like a fun morning at Epcot! Can't wait to hear about WS & MK!

[debsta922]

Great update

[Tara O'Hara]

Great updates Christie!! Glad you guys are having a terrific time!!

[christiejay]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the Dolly explanation!!!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

You're welcome!

-----------------------

Oops! I was just getting ready to post another update, and I was busily adding smileys when I realized I left out part of our afternoon! I'm not real sure how that happened , but I'll get it fixed and be back next time with the whole story! My internet time for today is almost over, so I'll see you hopefully on Friday ...

[Caldercup]

Just catching up!

[ QUOTE ]
I had brought along my Hidden Mickey book, and thought I would try to find the one that was supposed to be at Toy Story. I saw the mouse ears on all the checkers, but I was sure that was not it - surely it had to be hiding on the walls, or on Buzz or Woody. I never did see one, so I looked at the hint, and sure enough, it said - look at the checkers. I mean, come on people, humongous mouse ears surely can't be considered a hidden Mickey, can they?

[/ QUOTE ]
My DH would agree with you wholeheartedly. The "obvious" HMs he calls "decorative Mickeys" and will not agree that they are hidden. He classes the HMs in the coat rack at the PO resort rooms as a "decorateive Mickey" and will not budge in his classification!

Love all the detail in your report! Keep it coming....
Eileen

[christiejay]

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 Two - Another Hot Afternoon

Previously: Lunch at Electric Umbrella

After a quick restroom break we went outside and watched the last couple of minutes of the fountain show. Then we headed into World Showcase, going first to Mexico. Joshua really liked the pyramid. Once inside we gave Melanie a few minutes to look around and take pictures, then we took the boat ride. Joshua liked this, although I was a little worried during the part where you go through the fog into the pyramid. But he took everything in stride. Yay! After the ride, I sent Jay and Joshua ahead to get the stroller and meet us in Norway, while I took Melanie out the side door and down the pathway where we each took a few pictures.

Arriving in Norway, we heard Spelmans Gledje performing and stopped to listen to them. We were standing at the very corner of the shop and I kept hearing a bird chirp. Finally I looked around and saw ... not a bird, but a speaker! Funny how many little things you notice when you're being still. We looked at the stave church exhibit, then got in line for Maelstrom. There was absolutely no line so we boarded the next boat. Again I was nervous about how Joshua would react to this ride, with the dark and the trolls and the hills, but he enjoyed it. We decided to wait for the next movie (I think it's kind of rude not to) and sat down. But we waited so long for it to start that we almost did leave. They must only show the movie half as often now, in the hopes that by the time it starts there will be enough people in the theater to watch it.

Moving right along we traveled to China. I saw that we had about 10-15 minutes until the next show started so we looked at the Hong Kong Disneyland display while we waited. I enjoyed looking at everything, especially the large horse carving and the picture of what their castle will look like. Our wait time was almost over so we walked back toward the theater entrance and sat down on one of the benches. I was a little disappointed when, instead of the theater doors opening, the musician (I can't remember her name) came out to perform. I guess they only show this movie half as often now, also. So we waited again and listened to her perform. She did a very good job, but I got a little tired of listening to her give instructions like please pay attention, please be quiet, please stay seated, etc. in between each song. I wonder, is it just her culture, or have people been so rude that this is now necessary?

Finally we were able to go in and see the movie. I had heard that there was a new movie, but boy did it seem the same to me. There is still the narration by the older man (I can't remember his name), and all the scenes looked pretty familiar, even after five years. Maybe only parts of the film have been updated? Joshua spent most of the film sitting on Jay's shoulders. He liked it okay but was starting to get a little restless by the end.

Movie over, it was now time for us to split up, since Melanie had decided that she would stay in the parks today instead of napping. Jay volunteered to take Joshua back for his nap, so they left while Melanie and I looked through the shops in China. I love shopping here, although I didn't buy anything this trip. Melanie found a few things though - a fan (which tore up by the end of the trip she had fanned herself with it so much! ), a necklace charm with her name and something else with her name on it, maybe it was a keychain. We took a few pictures outside and then walked on.

We stopped a few minutes at the Outpost area, where I took a picture of a man carving a walking stick. It was a very involved process, and he was working so quickly. You could tell he was very experienced. Melanie decided she'd rather ride a FriendShip back to Future World instead of walk, so we headed up to the dock in front of Germany. When our ship arrived at the other side of the Lagoon we headed toward the entrance so we could hop over to Magic Kingdom, but Melanie passed a refreshment stand and decided to buy a frozen drink. While she did that I looked around inside the gift shop. Once she paid for her drink, the character bus came by and stopped in the plaza. She was wanting to get autographs, so this was the perfect opportunity. I took her picture with about 4 or 5 characters before a line ever developed. And she still had time to wait in line for 2 or 3 other autographs before the characters had to leave. She was excited about that!

On our way through Future World we stopped at Mouse Gear where I bought the Epcot Independence Day pin. The cast member at the register had an Owl pin that I wanted, so I traded for it. I was disappointed to find out that it was one of the cheap kind that they're actually not supposed to accept. But I kept it, and figured on my next trade I would try to get rid of it if they would take it. Then we checked the tip board to see how long the wait was for Soarin', but it was too long, so we kept walking.

At this point I wasn't sure what to do. I had planned for all of us to head back to the hotel for a break today, but Melanie surprised me by saying that she was doing fine and didn't need a break. So I didn't have anything planned. If I had known how many things we wouldn't get done by the end of the trip, we could have found something to do, but at the time I thought we were doing good on time. So I proposed to Melanie that we swing back by the Wilderness Lodge, since I had forgot to get the pressed quarter I wanted when we were there yesterday. She agreed, so we headed over to the bus stop area. We waited at a picnic table until the next bus came along, then went in search of the pressed quarter machine - it was a design of Mickey dressed as a park ranger. Melanie waited for me in the lobby while I searched the gift shop, arcade and every corner of the lobby. I never did find the machine, so we rested for a while longer before walking out to the boat dock. Instead of going out the main doors, though, we walked down to the end of the corridor to delay by a few minutes our wait in the sun.

For some reason, Melanie was upset to find out that we'd have to take a boat to get to the Magic Kingdom. I told her that was the only way to get there. Seems she had taken a quick dislike to the boats, as they are hot on the inside instead of air-conditioned. We waited in the shade at the boat dock until we saw the next boat coming our way. A family came up after a couple of minutes - they were all dressed in swimsuits with pool toys for the kids to play with. I'm not sure what that was all about, as I thought you couldn't pool-hop. I guess that rule is not very well enforced. Pretty soon a boat came along, and we were finally able to take a boat over to Magic Kingdom, where we had planned to meet the boys around 5:00.

When we arrived at Magic Kingdom we had some time to spare so we looked around some of the shops on Main Street. When we came out of the Athletic Shop we saw the band, split into two groups, facing off against each other on Main Street. It was then I realized that they did not lead off the afternoon parade when we were here Sunday. So we listened to them play for a few minutes, then crossed over Main Street to look at more shops. I bought the Magic Kingdom Independence Day pin at Uptown Jewelers. Melanie decided to buy a few things at the kitchen store - I think she got the mouse ears egg cooker and something to eat - maybe Mickeyroni? While waiting for her to pay for her purchases I noticed that the cast member had a Mike pin, and I knew Melanie loved Monsters, inc. so I gave her my free pin that I got at World of Disney last night so that she could trade for it. I knew she wasn't going to be buying much of anything for herself during the trip, and I didn't really need that pin, besides it was free! I also traded a couple of pins in some of the shops on Main Street - I traded my cheap Owl pin to get a Woody pin for Joshua. Unfortunately, the Woody pin was a cheapo too! But I still gave it to Joshua, because I knew he wouldn't care. I also got a Tigger and Eeyore pin for myself.

We headed back toward the train station to meet the boys, and Melanie got a few more autographs as there were several characters in the plaza area. She saw Pinocchio and Gepetto, and a couple of the Country Bears, although I can't remember which ones. Then we went upstairs at the train station and sat down. I took a couple of pictures of the castle during the Cinderellabration show, again playing with my zoom! Soon Jay and Joshua arrived and we took the train around to Frontierland. Jay reported that the room had not been cleaned when they arrived, and he put the do not disturb tag in the door. So our rooms didn't get cleaned today, but we did receive a bag of clean towels when the mousekeeper came by - she left them hanging on the doorknob. (I put the tip envelope away to use for tomorrow, and added today's tip money to my pin-buying stash.) Jay also reported that again, Joshua fell asleep within five minutes of laying down.

Next up: End of Day 5 - We Lose Melanie

[TroianRae]

[ QUOTE ]

Next up: End of Day 5 - We Lose Melanie

[/ QUOTE ]

Now, Christie, I know she was driving you a WEE bit bonkers at times, but to lose her intentionally?? Shame on you!!
Can't wait to hear about it!!