My Surprise Disney Trip: Wrap-Up TR COMPLETE 5/19/05 About This Page:

[SHEANA1226]

I just got caught up on your TR. The ring, what a wonderful surprise!!

[lauren-roxy]

What a wonderful surprise from your husband!!! Sounds like you had a pretty spectacular day!!! Your ppictures are gorgeous!! Hurry back with more!!!

[loobyoxlip]

Oh, how exciting. What a great hubby. I can't wait to see a photo.

I love that picture of the Aladdin crew. I always love when the characters are in a group rather than just one.

[SuperKate]

Great report so far!

[MegglesMom]

What a great first day! Can't wait to hear more...

[DawnDenise]

[b]Another Day @ EPCOT with the emphasis on Future World

<font color="red">Day 2 begins without any mishaps. We get our morning wake-up call from Mickey interrupted by Stitch @ 7:00am. Chuck gives a little laugh and rolls out of bed to hit the shower first. I follow suit, and we decide to look like twins today and wear our Dale Earnhardt Jr. jerseys to support our favorite since we won’t be able to watch the race. We didn’t have breakfast Ps so we head to Old Port Royale and eat in the food court. Chuck gets one of the breakfast platter combos, and I choose the Mickey waffle with sausage. We both grab some OJ, pay, and grab a seat. We work on a plan of attack for the day. I realized before we went to bed the night before that we didn’t get 4 of the countries in the WS on the passport. Have no idea why, we visited every country, but no matter, we know we have to hit the World Showcase again. First and foremost though, we are hitting Mission Space and Test Track.

We throw away our trash and head to the bus stop. We wait for about 10 minutes and our bus arrives. Pretty uneventful. Everyone is quiet as if they are not awake yet. Chuck and I are still just full of energy. We make it through security and head in to EPCOT for Day 2. We stop and get some pictures of the topiaries right before all the Leave a Legacy columns.



We hit Test Track first and get a Fastpass. We dart over to MS and see there is only a 5 minute wait. Very cool!



Now, I am a little nervous as I have read all the horror stories associated with this ride but I do not want to miss out. We get into line for Loading Zone 4. As we load, my stomach is a little jumpy but I trek on. Chuck, who never rode a roller coaster before he met me, is showing his excitement. I am the navigator on this mission. All I can say about this ride is AWESOME!!!!! No after effects for either of us and we vow to get another Fastpass after lunch. We have some time to waste before out Fastpass time for Test Track and go into Mousegears. Like most Disney fanatics, this is a dangerous store. I see many, many things that I want but decide to wait a little bit. Chuck forgot his watch so he heads in that direction and finds a Stitch watch that he could not resist. He goes to make his purchase as I see a guy in a sweatshirt that becomes the quest of the trip to find.

The sweatshirt is gray with WDW embroidered across it with the American flag in it. At the bottom, “An American Tradition Walt Disney World” is stitched on it. Now, I find a denim shirt with the logo on it and a hat in Mousegears. I ask a CM if they had any and she states, they are not making any more of them and going with the other design of Mickey’s head with the flag in it. Now, I like that one too but I was determined. There will be many references to this quest throughout the rest of the TR.

Now back to the action. Out time arrives and we go to Test Track. I love Fastpass. I do not gloat, but I love just bypassing the long line and seeing the looks on people’s faces as they try and figure out why we are just jumping ahead. We wait for about 5 minutes and in we go. We love the ride and enjoy it every time. We especially like going through the car showcase and checking out the cars and trucks. We snap a pic of the car of the future.



We go through the shop and of course find Dale Jr. jerseys in white like the ones we are wearing. Oooooohhhhhh…I want to buy them but at $65 a pop, I am a good girl. We browse a little more and head back into the WS to finish up the passport and for lunch @ Le Cellier.

We need the following countries: China, Italy, Germany, and Japan. We head to china first. We are doing the speed walking thing because the WS is a lot of ground to cover quickly, and I now we will get sidetracked somewhere. We get the Passprt signed in China and as we are walking out of the store, I see Mulan standing all by herself in the corner. Who am I to bypass a character. We get a couple of pictures and Mulan whispers to me that I should market my autograph books. So Sarah (DopeyGirl), you are one step ahead of me!!



We go through Germany and Italy quickly and hit Japan. We find the Kidstop location quickly then chuck wants to wander though the toy store. Low and behold, chuck hits the jackpot. Chuck builds model cars and his favorite brand Tamiya is hard to find in the US since these models have a hard time getting through customs. (Don’t know why, it’s plastic, but hey, I am not customs.) He buys about 5 of them and we have them delivered to the resort.




We take it a little slower around the rest of the countries as we head to Canada for lunch. We check in to Le Cellier and get our buzzer. They advise that they are a little overbooked but should not be more than 10 minutes. Not a big deal. We step outside and I take this picture, one of my favorites.



We have Daniela as our waitress and she is from British Columbia. She is very nice. We order our drinks and our Cheddar Cheese Soup. (YUMMMMMMM) She returns with our soups and our bread and takes the rest of our order. Chuck orders the Prime Rib Sandwich and I order the Petit Filet. The meals are wonderful. Not only does Chuck finish hi, he finishes mine. With the plan, we get dessert as well. We just ordered the dessert trio to share. Total bill with tip: $76.95



With our bellies full, we head back to Future World. We notice the time and know that the Characters Holiday Bus will be showing up in about 15. We sit down one a bench and wait. As we sit there, a lady sits down next to us and states that she is a huge Dale Jr. fan too. She decides to call her husband while we are waiting to find out how he is doing in the race. We find out that he is running 15th at the time but with a lot laps to go. Not too bad. We thank her for the update and before we know it the characters arrive.






After our adventure with the characters, we head to see if Soarin’ is opened for previews. Nope….just for annual passholders. L I am disappointed but we go ahead and go in to Journey into Our Imaginations. Corny but I love it. It’s one of the things I remember from my family trips. It seems we are walking the same line over and over again as we head back to Mission Space. Only a 30 minutes wait, so we tough it out. Another spectacular ride. We go through Innoventions, Universe of Energy, and then head over to the Living Seas. We stop and get a pic with the Nemo crew.

</font>

NEXT: Dinner at Coral Reef and Impulsive Trip to DTD.

[Colexis Mom]

What great updates Dawn Can't wait to see the picture of the ring, how lucky you are And glad you you enjoyed Le Cellier

More please

[lauren-roxy]

I am so enjoying your trip report Dawn!! Your pictures are just awesome!!!! Can't wait to read more!!

[Jillybean]

What a great trip! Watching Illuminations with a margarita is wonderful in itself, but to also have your husband give you a beautiful ring! Wow!

That dessert sampler at Le Cellier looks fantastic!!!

Jill

[SHEANA1226]

Great update Dawn!! More please!

[loobyoxlip]

That Mulan looks so much like the cartoon character WOW!! Great installment!!

[Tara O'Hara]

Great update Dawn!! Your pictures are wonderful and I the part about the ring!! Your hubby is a definite keeper!!

[MAria R]

Just catching up with your TR, I love your pictures and the ring what a great start to your trip, can't wait to read more.

[DawnDenise]

[b]Dinner at Coral Reef and Impulsive Trip to DTD.

<font color="red">We have about 45 minutes before we are to check in @ Coral Reef. We just walk around and take in the scenery. We run into some more topiaries and these are incredible.







Right behind the topiaries are just hundreds of roses. Trying to use my “professional” photographer techniques, I snap a couple pictures of the roses.



Next, we hear the music start up for the fountain show. I know it has a name, but it is escaping me at the moment. I LOVE THIS SHOW! I love anything to do with fountains. I am a little photo happy and just snap away. I take about 9 pictures of the show but only 3 are really good.





As Chuck drags me away from the fountain, we head into the Coral Reef. This is the one restaurant that Chuck requested immediately when we started planning this trip. How can I refuse a man that just gave me a trip as a Christmas gift. I am not a big seafood fan but will tough it out. We check in and not 3 minutes later, someone comes up to us, asks if we are the Ericksons, and off we go. I have the same feeling as Marnie (Colexi’s Mom) had. Of course, with Chuck and I in our matching jerseys, we are hard to miss….lol.

We walk down the steps and are presented with a table for two in front of the aquariums. There is a group of divers in the tank and we just sit there in amazement watching them. I get excited seeing the HUGE sea turtle. Michael, our waiter, comes and introduces himself. He talks to us a bit about how he is a big Matt Kenseth fan. We tell him that he’s a good guy and can’t fault him for it. We order some water, diet cokes, and our appetizers. Chuck goes with the Shrimp Cocktail, and I go with the Caesar Salad. Our first course arrives and oh my goodness. I wish I would have taken a picture of both of the appetizers. Chuck’s shrimp are GIANT. Where do they breed these things? He loves it. My salad is a Caesar salad, but it is just 5 huge leaves with the dressing and parmesean, and crutons. Ok, I feel like I am a little uncultured, but I go with the flow and just cut the leaves up. Next round, I cannot decide on what to eat. I really do not want to do the steak thing or the chicken thing. Chuck schools me on the different fish and gets me to try the Grilled Mahi - roasted garlic mashed potatoes, shiitake sauce. Chuck gets the same. I am a little nervous as the plate is set in front of me. I cut and take the first bite as Chuck watches intently. Wow…..it’s a very mild fish that does not have the fishy taste that I was waiting for. I give it two thumbs up and continue on. Now I get full pretty quickly and leave a portion (not big but enough) of my meal. Chuck cleans his plate again. Michael comes by and recommends the Chocolate Wave. Can I say oh my again? We split it and devour it without thinking twice. Again, forgot to get a picture. Total cost of meal: $83.48 with tip.
Now, we have the night open to do whatever we wanted. Even though he enjoyed it last night, he doesn’t want to stay for Illuminations. I am bummed because I was hoping to get pictures. He then says the magic words. “You wanna go shopping???” Hmmmmm…I have not bought one thing yet and I am already 36 hours into my trip (a new record for me BTW). Downtown Disney it is then! We had planned to go on Tuesday night but why not? We head back to CBR and get cleaned up and grab a bus.

I love DTD. If only they had a place like this back home. The first stop is Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories. I am psyched. I haven’t been to DTD since this store opened, and I couldn’t wait to explore all the scrapbooking supplies. I am on a search for an album and cannot seem to find on that I want. As I am sifting through the kits, Chuck brings over a brown leather 3 ring tyupe book. It has the castle in gold. I look at the price and it is $32.00. I put it back on the shelf not knowing if I want to spend that much. I pick out a few of the kits and wander a little more. I go up to the register and start to check out. Chuck gives a nod to the counter girl and she pulls up the album. He just smiles and pays for it all. Next….Pooh’s Corner and Tails. It takes me about 3.5 seconds to find new Eeyores for my collection. I buy two more beanies and then see that Pooh’s Corner goes into Tails. Well, I have to get something for my baby girl. I pick up a bandana that says, “My human went to Walt Disney World and all I got was this lousy bandana.” It was a must. Next, had to get her some Mickey ears. (The pictures are on the one roll of film that is not complete yet.) I pay for those purchases and we are off to the next store. We waltz into Team Mickey and Chuck is on the search for a huge hoodie. He is not particular of what he wants on it, but he just want is a big hoodie. Nothing pops out at him. I see the cutest little baseball outfit for my godson but refrain from buying at it as he is growing so fast.

Finally we hit the World of Disney. I am like a kid in the candy store. So, my first search is for the sweatshirt I saw previously. Again, I find the denim shirt and the hat, and now a sun visor. Time to ask a CM. He knows what I am talking about and thinks they are sold out. He states they get new shipment in every day and to check back. Disappointed again. Chuck picks out one of the Happiest Celebration on Earth polos for himself and a Lilo and Stitch bobble head for his desk at work. We see a sign that if we spend $75 or more, we can get a limited editon lithograph for $5. Well, ok. Chuck tells me to get the other sweatshirt with the Mickey head with the flag design. I pick it up and we check out. The litho is cool. I took a picture of it (on the same roll as Ana’s pictures with her gifts). I’ll post once I finish off the roll.

Next on the agenda, we head to Legoland. Chuck loves his Legos. We are amazed at what they can do with Legos. I am particularly impressed with the skylines of the different cities.





We grab a drink and people watch for awhile as our arms are full. (And why didn’t we get the stuff sent to the resort????) We head back to the resort around 9:45pm, drop off our packages, and head to the Banana Cabana to have a frozen beverage and enjoy the night. It is a very enjoyable time as Chuck and I talk about all of our family trips when we were kids and how lucky we are to have taken the trips we have since we have been married. We talk about where we want to go and possibly when we will come back here (2007 after he graduates from college). I have to rank our little talk as on of the best we have had in our 5 years of marriage. We finish off another drink and head back to the room.

When we walk into the room I see my first ever towel animal. I have head all about them but have never been blessed with one. I cannot believe I missed it when we dropped off our bags. I set it on the nightstand and we head to bed. Another wonderful day @ EPCOT and looking forward to tomorrow.</font>

NEXT: Typhoon Lagoon, our first of three trips to the MK, and Do I see an Angel?????

<font color="blue">The weather today was: high 70’s in the day and 50’s in the evening.
The best thing today was: Mission Space
The worst thing today was: Can't think of anything
The funniest thing today was: My excitement over my towel animal
Today we tried: Coral Reef
The most magical moment today was: Our poolside chat back at CBR.
Number of photos taken: 72

[Annabel]

I'm loving your trip report so far, and your photos are great - I especially love the ones of the Aladdin crew and Mulan. I can't believe how gorgeous those topiaries are, they are incredible. Looking forward to more of your report.