Romance in the World~~ Day 4 All Star Music, MGM and MK
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Jammers · 04-25-2005, 11:01 AM

Cast of Characters
Jamie(Jammers) certifiably Disney Crazy, trip planner
Matt(dh)also certifiably Disney Crazy, trip financer
Reason
End of tax season celebration

We left the room at 5 for our dinner at Boma. We drove over and I just love that first glimpse of AKL. We arrived at 5:15 and we were seated immediately. Dinner was every
bit as good as we remembered it. Of course my favorite part was the desserts. Zebra Domes, Banana Bread Pudding with vanilla sauce and pineapple cheesecake are just a
few of my favorites, but to me nothing could compare with the passion fruit tarts. We saved $10.00 using the DDE. Saving money always puts a smile on Matt's face. We left
the lodge around 6:30 and knew the Adventurer's Club wouldn't open until 9 so we went back to the room. Matt watched cartoons and I worked on my notes so far. We left the room around 7:30 and caught the bus to DTD. it was about a 20 min ride to get to Pleasure Island. Once there we went to buy our admission. 20.95pp with 1/2 off for
DDE! So it was 20.95 for both of us. We then added 5 days for $5 each. It was still to early to get into AC but Comedy Warehouse was open for their 8:30 show.
We walked right in and were seared in the top row. The show was pretty funny. If you like improv comedy like Who's Line, you will like CW. There were quite a few
Pope/College of Cardinals jokes tonight. After the show it was straight to Ac for us. Kungaloosh! We got there at 9:15. I looked for Dawn but never saw her. I had to have the club signature drink, Kungaloosh. Matt had a Long Island Iced Tea. You have got to love having a Disney bus to drive you home. We saw the Balderdash Cup and the Radiothon. Mostly the same as last year but it is so much fun you don't care. I also tried a drink called a Pamelia's Punch.
After the Radiothon we spoke to the bartender about club merchandise. I already have the watch, and we each have a pin. We bought a club pen and a copy of the club creed for
a total of $3.
By now it was 11:30 and we were fading fast. So it was time to head back to the Movies.
As were walking out of PI we stopped at Sosa Cigar shop and Matt bought a Tatiana Vanilla cigar.
We didn't have long to wait for a bus and it was pretty chilly. I thought we were in Fla?
We were back in our room in our beddy-byes by 12:30.
About the beds: I have never seem beds at value resorts like these. They were pretty high off the ground and very comfy. Matt and I each slept in a different bed and sprawled out.
So much for romance....
Total saved with Disney Dining Experience today-$31.73
Weather-Perfect, a little cool at night
Best thing today- DDE almost paid for itself today-Jamie
Soarin- Matt
Worst thing-Being so tired, paying $1.79 for Sprite-Jamie
Getting up at 4:30- Matt
Funniest thing-Adventurer's Club-Both
Today we Tried- Soarin and loved it-Jamie
Boma Mustard, spicy and good-Matt
Most Magical Moment-Going under the WDW arch-Jamie
Just the two of us-Matt

**Caldercup** · 04-25-2005, 12:04 PM

Great updates - I'm loving your writing style!! I can't wait for more....
Eileen

**Colexis Mom** · 04-25-2005, 01:11 PM

Great start Jamie

Soarin' was AWESOME, wasn't it

More please

Stephanie P. · 04-28-2005, 09:03 PM

I wish my DH would give me an end of tax season trip to WDW!!!

luvnwdwgal · 04-29-2005, 08:12 AM

I'm really enjoying your trip report Jamie!!

Jammers · 04-29-2005, 12:34 PM

Cast of Characters
Jamie(Jammers) certifiably Disney Crazy, trip planner
Matt(dh)also certifiably Disney Crazy, trip financer
Reason
End of tax season celebration

April 18

I woke up at 5:50. I tried to go back to sleep but it was no use. I don't sleep well on vacation. I don't know why but I just don't. Could it be the adventure that lays ahead? Maybe it is the excitement. Or could it be the strange bed? What ever the reason I finally gave up and got up at 6:30. I was showered and dressed by 7:45. I went to get breadfast while Matt got in the shower.
First stop though was the gift shop because I needed sunglasses. Seems someone(Matt)forgot their sunglasses at home and had borowed their spouse's(mine) while they were
driving . And that someone's big old melon bent the frames so their spouse(me) needed new sunglasses. So $16 later I went to the food court for breakfast. Matt wanted another
bagel and cream cheese and I got a lemon poppyseed muffin, DDE savings $.92
I got back to the room as Matt was getting out of the shower(he likes long showers). We ate breakfast together and headed to the MK at 8:30. We were suppose to check in for the Keys to the Kingdom tour at 9:15. Should be plenty of time, right? I didn't think we would ever get there. We finally got to the park gate at 9:00 and the line at the turnstiles was crazy. I guess we are spoiled by the fall/winter crowds, but this was incredible. We finally got to the tour garden at 9:20. When we checked in we each received a nice nametag, a 'Guest' lanyard that allowed us
back stage and a radio receiver with an earpiece. That made the tour so much nicer because we could hear everything the guide had to say without crowding in or her
needing to yell.
Our guide was Cheryl. She was especially perky and fun. She asked for a couple of volunteers and Matt volunteered to be the doorman. His job was to hold the doors open
while te group went thru and then make sure it shut securely behind us.
Our tour started on Main Street USA. She talked about staging the show that is the Magic Kingdom. She talked about the turnstiles being the ticket counters, walking thru
the tunnels and seeing the posters and the smell of popcorn. She compared the signs on the upper level of the Main Street buildings as the credits. It was all very interesting. She also told us about the Imagineers and how they helped acquire and design the MK. Then she spoke about forced perspective. Did you know that the railing above the shops would only come up to your knees?
Then on to the hub. She explained thet the MK was laid out like the spokes of a wheel. I thought everyone knew that. Then she went on to talk about the Partners statue. I love
the Partners statue. I have the postcard on my dresser mirror. To me it represents a father and son looking off into the future with anything possible. But then again I have been known to be overly sentimental.
Next we walked over to Adventureland. She explained the transition between lands and how the foliage gradually changes. We stopped for a bit and she started going thru the Disney timeline, a little history. Aloha Isle wasn't open yet so I didn't feel deprived not getting a Dole Whip.
Next we went on the Jungle Cruise. No corny jokes this time, just lots of fun info and trivia. 'I Love Disco' Do you know what that is/means? Guess and I will tell you in the next post. The captain told us that in the Hong Kong Disneyland the Jungle Cruise will be offered in 3 languages Mandarin, Cantonese and English. You will just get in the line that has the language you speak, the captains have to speak all 3 languages because you don't know which group you will get each time. Imagine having to tell those corny jokes in 3 languages. I hope they get paid well.
After the Jungl Cruise we made our way over to Pirates. She talked about how that ridecame to be and the 64 World's Fair.
Then we got our first look backstage. We saw the garbage disposal system(which she seemed overly excited about) some Pirates' boats being maintanced and a few parade floats. I
can see why the tour is only open to those over 16. Even at 39 Matt was a little disillusioned at the off stage view of the Pirates ride. By now it was almost 12:30 and my muffin was long since gone. Thankfully it was time
for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. We had already ordered at tour check in so it was on the table waiting for us. Matt had the chicken strips with french fries and lemonade. I had the Starboard ham and cheese sandwich with broccoli slaw, chips and Coca-Cola to drink. It was either very good or we were very hungry, I think a little of both. There were place cards on the table telling us where to sit and attached to the card was a gold 'Key'pin, a new jewel in our pin collection. When Matt was done he dashed to get us FP for the Stitch ride we could use after the tour.
Once the tour resumed Cheryl took us to Liberty Square and explained some about the symbolism of each of the buildings. Then to the Haunted Mansion. This part was exp interesting. Gracie was the name of one of the Imagineers and Leota was a real person! She told some to the true story about how the HM came to be and then she told the legend of the Haunted Mansion. It was really cool. She told us about the Hidden Mickeys in the mansion and we were to look for them on the ride. We got to take a 'shortcut' to the stretch room, and off we went. Matt and I found the Hidden Mickeys,so neat. After the ride she showed us the rings in the cement and the pet cemetary. Matt had never noticed the cemetary before.
After haunted Mansion we went to the Utilidors. They were very interesting, but a little to 'real' for me.
A little past 2:30 we turned in ourradios and lanyards and bid Cheryl goodbye. This whole tour was so interesting and gave you a wealth of information. I would say it is
a must for anyone who loves the whole Walt Disney story. It is definitely a good investment of time.
Now it was off to Stitch. When we got there we were very glad we had FP. The posted time was 30min but we know that had to be off. While we were in the FP line it changed
to 65 min. More like it.
We rode and I am glad we did, but to be honest I liked Alien Encounter much better. I know though that Stitch will be more family friendly and therefore it fits into the MK better.
We were both really tired and so we dicided it was once again naptime. We got back to the room and laid down about 5. We intended to get up at 6 but that didn't happen. At
7:30 we dragged ourselves out of bed to get ready for dinner.
We had never been tot he Boardwalk so we decided to go there. We thought we would get something to eat at one of the restaurants. Big River wasn't on the DDE so no go.
ESPN had a huge line. Spoodles or Flying Fish didn't appeal to Matt. So we will eat someplace else. While we were walking around Matt played the basketball game. He won me a stuffed ram. The whole boardwalk was so crowded it was unpleasant. Surreys were going up and down and it was just to congested for me. We decided to leave after about 30-45 min.
Since neither of us was really hungry we decided to visit DTD for some shopping. Our first stop was World of Disney where we bought some guilt presents for the kiddos. Next
was Team Mickey where we bought Mattie a Goofy basketball bobblehead. I took it to the Christmas shop to get it personalized with his name, basketball number and date. it was going to be a special present for him because he played on the basketball team at his school for the first time and he really hung with it. Wven when it was difficult he stuck it out. We wanted to honor him in a special way.
After that we went back to the resort. We got back at 10:30 and Matt went to the food court to get us dinner. He had the meatball sub(which he loves) and I had a Chicken
Quesadilla. DDE savings $3.05
DDE savings today $3.97
total so far $35.70
Weather was sunny and warm
Best thing- KTTK tour-Jamie
Winning game at Boardwalk-Matt
Worst thing- Lines at turnstiles at MK-Jamie
Line at ESPN club-Matt
Funniest Thing- I Love Disco-both
Today we tried-Stitch result So So-Jamie
Stitch result a little below average-Matt
Magical Moment- talking about the Partners statue-Jamie
New Hidden Mickeys at HM-Matt

**Colexis Mom** · 04-29-2005, 12:41 PM

Another great update Jamie

Fascinating about the Jungle Cruise in Hong Kong

More please

Jillybean · 04-29-2005, 01:09 PM

Another great day!

You guys did a little bit of everything!

Jill

lauren-roxy · 04-29-2005, 02:32 PM

Wonderful trip report Jamie, especially about the KTTK tour! Can't wait to read more!!!

poohsgirl · 04-29-2005, 02:32 PM

<font color="purple">Jamie, so far you've given me 2 helpful tips. I didn't know about the merchandise for AC, so now I'll know to ask for it, and I didn't know that you could personalize those bobbleheads!

I've gotten my son that Goofy playing basketball & the one playing baseball. If I would've known back then, I would've had his name put on. Oh, well, there's always the next bobblehead I buy! Can't wait to

more! </font>

Cinderbrella · 04-29-2005, 04:50 PM

Great TR so far, Jamie. Looking forward to more.

Jammers · 05-01-2005, 11:25 AM

Cast of Characters
Jamie(Jammers) certifiably Disney Crazy, trip planner
Matt(dh)also certifiably Disney Crazy, trip financer
Reason
End of tax season celebration

April 19

As I have said before I just don't sleep well on vacation, that is all there is to it. I wish I knew why but it is a fact that drives Matt crazy. I started waking up at 3:30 and I woke up every 1/2-3/4 hours after that. I finally gave up at 7:30 and got up. After showering and getting dressed I was itching to get out of the room, but Matt was still asleep. I took the cell phone and told him to call me when he got up.
First stop was the food court for some coffee. It was quite possibly the worst coffee I ever had. But hey I was drinking it at WDW so it was all good. I then started to look around the gift shop. About 5 min later Matt called, I guess the thought of me unsupervised in the gift shop woke him up!
After he was up and around we decided to drive to EPCOT. We got to the parking lot around 10. We went straight to the Living Seas pavilion to see the remodel. On the way there'Coral' was out doing her thing. It is fun to just hang out and watch people get 'caught' by her.
The first thing we did once inside was Turtle Talk with Crush. Let me tell you that is just the coolest show. The technology involved is something else. We liked it much better than Stitch. But how do they do that?
After Living Seas we went to Journey Into Your Imagination. I think that ride is so fun. Figment is so cute, and how can you top Eric Lidel. The best part is I found 2 new Hidden Mickeys . The worst part is the song gets stuck in your head worse than It's a Small World.
We decided to skip Honey I Shrunk the Audience and go to World Showcase.
We browsed and meandered around until our PS at Chefs du France at 12. I had lobster bisque and Matt had the French Onion soup. His soup was so good he talked about it the
rest of the trip and STILL talks about it. He also had the Quiche Lorraine and I ordered the meat and cheese appetizer for us to share. and since we were in France I HAD to order
a glass of wine, Chardonney. DDE savings $9.16
After lunch we took our time around WS. We saw the last part of Miyukis show. She is so talented. I, of course, spent a lot of time in the China pavilion.
On our way out we stopped at Mousegears.
~~vent alert~~
As many of you know my daughter is Chinese, and she is on a personal mission to wear out our Mulan DVDs. I looked in almost every gift shop we came to for ANYTHING Mulan. We have the doll and all the pins I have seen. I did not see one new thing Mulan until our last day there, a beanbag doll. It was ugly and if it had not been for the tag 'Mulan Beanbag Doll' we would have thought it was Lilo. Why is it so hard to find Mulan items? The sequal just came out in Feb, why aren't they promoting her? All I want is a plate, a cup, a towel, maybe a shirt. Is that too much to ask?(I do get a towel later in the trip but $$$)
~~vent over~~
I did stop at guest services to inquire about Mulan merchandise. The CM called merchandising and had a few sugestions but nothing new. Oh well, he tried.
Hot, tired and disappointed(at least me) we decided it was nap time. We stopped at the food court for refills and were back in the room at 3. zzzzzzzzzz
We left the rom at 6:30. We were still not hungry after our big lunch so what would any responsible adult do? We had ice cream for dinner. Matt had a chocolate waffle cone and I had a Hot Fudge Mickey Waffle Sundae. Why did we have ice cream for dinner, well, there was no one big enough to stop us. DDE savings $3.10
After 'dinner' it was off to PI via bus. We arrived around 8 and headed straight for AC. At one point we went to the CW fr one show and it was much funnier this time. After the show we went to investigate some of the other clubs. We walked thru 8-Trax, Mannequins and Motions. But we are Adventurers at heart so we ended up back there. We started
talking to some nice folks from Conn, Ed and Julia and one of the club 'regulars' Hal. We stayed until the last show and then back 'home'. Of course now we are starving! Hello Dominos! After pizza it was lights out around 2. Maybe I will be able to sleep better tonight.
DDE savings today $12.26
so far $47.96
Weather HOT, HOT, HOT
Best thing- Turtle Talk-Jamie
French Onion Soup-Matt
Worst thing- Not feeling well because of this could/ No Mulan-Jamie
Jamie having a bad cold-Matt
Funniest thing-Crush telling the kids to use the word Duuuude alot today because you
parents will love it.-Jamie
Coral at Living Seas startling people-Matt
Today we Tried-Ice Cream for Dinner, fun but we gt hungry later-Jamie
Turtle Talk- Totally Awsome Dude-Matt

PS I love Disco is what one of the 'natives' on the Jungle Cruise shouts. One of the
imagineers working on Jungle Cruise was very into Disco in the 70's so he wanted to
leave his signature on it, hence the I Love Disco Hidden Mickey.