15th Anniversary Coming Up
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**Cam22** · 04-20-2014, 09:55 PM

Glad you had a full day to spend at AK! We've done the Backstage Safari Tour before and it is awesome!

**Colexis Mom** · 04-21-2014, 11:04 AM

Glad you had a great time at AK and enjoyed the tour!

klee · 04-21-2014, 08:02 PM

Day 7: Friday, April 11, 2014

FastPasses: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Peter Pan, Space Mountain

This was the last day and we were going to make it count. FastPasses were changed several times over the week due to different circumstances. We moved Space Mountain to early afternoon so we could eat breakfast at the resort. I had planned to ride first and then eat at Main Street Bakery, but we both decided that we really wanted that Big Bounty Breakfast again. We changed Under the Sea to Splash Mountain at the beginning of the week but changed it to Big Thunder Mountain after we were able to ride Splash Mountain twice earlier in the week. Big Thunder was closed the 7th through the 9th so we weren’t able to get on it and we really wanted to ride it. Peter Pan was moved from the first night to this day since we were so tired the first night. Now we were set and ready. I didn’t have any trouble changing FastPasses during our trip except for the day at Animal Kingdom because it was so late by the time I wanted to make changes. I truly love this part of the FastPass Plus system. Now if they could just offer it for more than one park in a day, I would be really happy.

We ate breakfast at the Mara and then were off to catch the bus to Magic Kingdom. I wonder how long it would take this morning. Would you believe 5 minutes? It drove up as we sat down on a bench to wait. Unbelievable! We had plenty of time before our first FastPass was scheduled. Again we were bagless so we didn’t have to go through the bag check line. It didn’t look too bad though. Just a little crowded. Once we got a glimpse of Main Street, we were shocked. It was wall-to-wall people. I got a couple of crowd shots to remember them all by. We slowly made our way down Main Street and over to Adventureland. We had passed up the tree house until now so we did that one first. I have never seen so many people. I got another picture when I was at the top of the tree house to see all of the people all around it. This was amazing. I’m really glad that we decided to go this week instead of the next week which would have been during our actual anniversary but it would border Easter and I knew better than to try that. We usually go in the off-season. We finally made it out of the tree house and went to check out a few other rides. Most of the rides had at least a 30 minute wait and the big rides had 70 minute waits so we just walked around a lot. We headed to my favorite PeopleMover and there was a long line for it too. This one moves well so we got in line and were on the moving sidewalk going up to the actual ride when it stopped. The sidewalk, not the ride. We all looked at each other for a moment like “what was that?!” and then we all walked up the sidewalk. The ride was still going but they weren’t letting anyone else on the ground floor come up. At least we got to ride. I’m not sure what was going on with this one during the week, but I hope this is not going to be a permanent problem. This is my favorite go-to ride when I’m looking to rest or fill time.

It was time for our FastPass to Big Thunder Mountain. It took us a while to get there from Tomorrowland because of the crowd in Fantasyland but we made it. There was actually a line for the FastPass. We walked a queue for about 10 minutes before we even got to the place where you scan your Magic Band. There were several in front of us that were having problems with it. One family had a different time and another family had a different ride all together. Of course they wanted to argue the point with the Cast Member and he had to keep asking people to step aside while they looked up the app on their phone to verify the time. We finally made it. The wait in total was about 20 minutes. We were placed in the front car and I misstepped getting in and scraped my leg. I didn’t raise my leg high enough. Oops. I got a picture of that too so if you were looking at the pictures and wondering why I took one of my leg, I meant to do that. It’s still healing a week later. Those are some hard steps. The ride was still fun even with a small injury.

We were determined to go over to Tom Sawyer’s Island so we headed there next. It didn’t take long before we were loaded onto the raft and taken over to the island. This was an absolute blast! It’s a lot of walking up and down hills but there are so many things to check out. The barrel bridge was closed which was disappointing. I was looking forward to it, but we’ll just have to do it next time. There are two caves to go through. They are long and really dark and there are some tight squeezes but we made it through. There is a fort on the other end of a bouncy bridge. It has guns in most of the upper rooms that make noise like they’re really shooting. A couple of them are pointed right at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. All in all, we really enjoyed Tom Sawyer’s Island. If you want to get away from the crowd in Magic Kingdom, this is the place to go. There were a lot of people but we were all spread out so it didn’t seem crowded at all. It was time for Peter Pan so we hopped a raft back to the other side.

The FastPass line for Peter Pan wasn’t too bad. It was about 10 minutes. This is my absolute favorite must-do ride. I have to ride this every trip and usually multiple times, but it was so busy this week that I only rode it this one time. Even when it rained on Tuesday, the wait was still around 30 minutes. The line is cramped and there always seems to be screaming children so it’s not ideal to wait in. This would be a great line to update with interactive sections like they did the Winnie the Pooh ride. We can only hope. Before we knew it we were off to Neverland and it was over. I could ride this one over and over and over. I have always said that if I was a Cast Member at Disney, I would end every day with a ride on Peter Pan.

Our last FastPass was for Space Mountain but instead of walking the normal route through Fantasyland, we walked the garden route behind the Great Goofini. This is a nice route to walk as it’s not very used and is relatively quiet. You can see the Speedway cars drive by along part of it. We made it to Space Mountain and used our FastPasses. Now this ride was definitely worth the FastPass. We walked right by a long line of standby riders and were directed to the right side. We were on the ride in less than 5 minutes. This one is a funny rollercoaster. It’s not really severe as far as coasters go, but you can’t see where you’re going so it seems worse than it really is. It took us a while to figure out where you purchased the pictures for this ride. You empty into the arcade/store and it’s not readily apparent where they are. We found the line and got our picture added to our Memory Maker.

We were ready to hop over to Epcot but decided to go ahead and eat at Magic Kingdom. Our dinner ressies weren’t until 6:00 pm and we were already hungry plus we had an extra Counter Service credit on our meal plan because our breakfast was provided with the tour we took at the beginning of the week. We had to enjoy the Harbor House one more time. We got a table on the top floor and watched through the windows as we ate. The seagulls were once again swooping around people in Liberty Square. This was one of the most entertaining moments of the week. People would duck every few feet as the seagulls came over them. It was hysterical.

As we left, the afternoon parade was coming through that area so we walked along the boardwalk to get around it. I took some pictures on my way. The new parade is huge so you can’t help but see it no matter where you stand or walk. It finished shortly after we got to the end of the bridge so we made our way back through Adventureland to get back to Main Street. I was trying to avoid going through Fantasyland again, but we should have gone that way. While the parade is going, the only way out of the park is down the left side of Main Street. We were on the right side where Casey’s Corner is. The parade ends on this side so you can’t get past it to the gate. We walked the sidewalk all the way to the central garden area in front of the train station. That was the end of the line. Well, I might as well get some pictures. Now we had a great view of what was going on street level. The prince was fighting Maleficent’s creatures. There were beautifully made up characters dancing around between floats. Technically I got to see the parade three times during our trek to get out, but it was okay. Sometimes I have to remember that Disney is not always about rushing around from one place to another. Sometimes you just have to stop and watch the parade.

We made it to the monorail and rode it to Epcot. First on my list was to hunt for eggs. There are several places to get the map but we found that Disney Traders was the best place to go. You have to begin here anyways. They stamp the back of the map and you’re on your way. There are big character eggs all over the World Showcase. Your map tells you which sections have one. You have to look for the egg in each section. Some are easy to find and others were fairly difficult. Once you find it, you place the matching sticker on your map and off you go to the find the next one. It took us about an hour to find them all. I had to stop and take a picture of each egg as well as place my sticker. We each got a map. They’re only $4.95 each. When you’re done simply return to Disney Traders and they will stamp the back of your map with a different stamp to show that you have redeemed your prize. The Cast Member said that the prizes were a lot better this year than last year. She said that last year’s was a vinylmation keychain, but this year’s was a character egg. I agreed. I think this is more in line with the event. I picked Chip and DH got Donald. The eggs open too so you can put something inside them. I also bought a Flower & Garden Festival pin while I was there and some Tinkerbell decorations for my Magic Band. I’ll use these next time we go. The egg hunt was a lot of fun. We saw several families around the World Showcase looking for eggs too. I highly recommend this to anyone whether you’re young or old.

Epcot wasn’t as crowded as Magic Kingdom, but there’s more space so it holds more people. There was still a pretty long line at the major attractions. We stopped in at Captain EO. I love this show even if it is incredibly dated. We got there early enough to see the preshow which shows the making of Captain EO. We danced in our seats during the show and everyone in the theater clapped at the end. We rode Journey into Imagination again. Universe of Energy looked closed.

It was finally almost time for dinner. We walked over to Mexico and decided to ride their boat ride one more time before we checked-in. This one is always a nice ride and you get to ride by the restaurant. We checked-in even though it was still early but we weren’t the only ones. We only waited about 10 minutes before we were seated. Our waitress was very nice. I asked about the Traditional Mexican Dinner and she said that we could get it as part of the Dining Plan. I would have thought that it was only for the Deluxe plan as it includes an appetizer, but she said that I could get it too so I ordered the Traditional Mexican Dinner. This includes an appetizer of pulled chicken on tostados with beans and sauce, a main course of fried fish tacos with soft shells, and a dessert of Bavarian mousse with cinnamon and berries. It was all very delicious but I could have eaten an entire meal of the chicken tostados. They were my favorite part. DH got the Pollo a las Rajas which is grilled chicken in this delicious sauce and cheese. For dessert he had ice cream. We both really enjoyed every bite. It was a wonderful last dinner to end our trip.

Of course that wasn’t the absolute end. We still had Extra Magic Hours to enjoy at Epcot. We walked around the World Showcase again and went into some of the shops. We were going to walk all the way around but they had raised the bridge to let the barges go through. We stopped to watch that for a little while and then reversed course to get back to Future World. Since it was now after official closing, we stopped to ask a Cast Member about how the EMH works now. The last time we were here they handed out wristbands to wear. She said that each ride scans your Magic Band before you enter to see that you are currently staying at the resort. We headed into the Land and walked down to Soarin’. It said the wait was 30 minutes so we walked over to Living with the Land. We walked right on and were seated in the front again. We walked back over to Soarin’ and it now said that the wait was 20 minutes. We decided to go ahead and give it a try. We were handed one of those cards to give to a Cast Member at the end of the line so they could determine the correct wait time. The wait was really about 15 minutes. We were seated in the front row of the far right section. This is a wonderful ride, but I’m still a little edgy about the takeoff and landing. I’m fine once we’re up there. It does say not to ride if you are scared of heights which I am but I’m fine for the majority of the ride. When it first moves into position and later back to the ground I am holding on to those handle bars for dear life. This is still a great ride.

We then went over to Mission: Space. DH can’t ride the Orange side so we chose the Green so we could both ride together. Honestly I think I’ll start riding the Green side from now on. I’m fine with the Orange but the Green is a much smoother ride and you can actually move your arms. Plus it was nice to ride it with DH again. It used to be okay when they had the single rider line but they got rid of that and I had to use a FastPass the last time I rode it on the Orange side.

Next came Test Track. The wait said 20 minutes but we figured it wouldn’t be that bad. Boy, were we wrong. It took every bit of that 20 minutes and then some. We went through the design part with no problem. I designed a car this time and I picked a teeny energy efficient one. It was so cute. I should have taken a picture of the screen. We made it into the cramped little line afterwards and up the ramp. Just as we were at the top of the ramp, they stopped letting people on. We waited there for about 10 minutes. The Cast Member apologized for the delay saying that she didn’t know what the holdup was. We were led onto the ride and off we went. My hair flew in my face when the picture was taken so we didn’t get this one. Again make sure you pull your hair back for this ride or it might end of in your face.

We were going to ride Spaceship Earth one last time on our way out but it was already closed. Word of advice, don’t ride Test Track for Extra Magic Hours unless you just really want to ride it. It takes up way too much time and you only get two hours. Still it was an awesome day and a beautiful end to our vacation. I always wish I had just one more day. That’s why I keep coming back time and time again.

Total Miles Walked: 13.6
What I learned this trip:
• Pull your hair back on Test Track
• Bring a poncho with you on rainy days. Don’t wait until you get there.
• When in doubt, ask a Cast Member. They’re always ready to help and will find someone if they don’t know the answer.
• If you want to be noticed, wear a celebration button. You will get congratulations from everyone even non-Cast Members. If you don’t want to be noticed, you can take off the button and melt back into the crowd. We didn’t wear ours every day because it does get tiring saying Thank You over a hundred times in a day and explaining how many years we have been married. You kind of get the same phrases over and over.
• Club Level is awesome just for the package delivery to the room, but also make sure you check with the desk if you are missing something. My purchase from Downtown Disney never showed up and I should have called the next evening as all our other purchases were delivered the very next day. Since I waited until we returned the following evening, we had to check again with the desk after breakfast on our check-out morning. They found it, but it would have been nice not to have to deal with on check-out day.
• Sometimes it’s nice just to stop and watch the parade.

That's it for this trip. I hope you all enjoyed reading it and I hope you learned something new and possibly got some ideas for your next adventure. Happy Travelling!