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

[lauren-roxy]

Great update Dawn! Sounds like a good dinner at Coral Reef!! What a nice husband to buy you the album! Can't wait to read more!!!

[Tara O'Hara]

Wow, what an awesome hubby you have there Dawn! Your dinner sounds wonderful and your pictures are terrific!! I can't wait to see those in person!!!!

[Jillybean]

Those roses are gorgeous!

You two are great shoppers - - and your DH is still spoiling you with presents! Lucky girl!

I love reading about your end-of-the-evening talk. DH and I have some of our best conversations on vacation too - - the relaxation just brings it out in you!

Can't wait to read more!

Jill

[Cinderbrella]

Dawn-your pictures are beautiful!! All of the topiaries, roses, legos and character shots turned out so nice!! It's wonderful that you guys are enjoying each other; your husband is definitely a keeper. Can't wait to more!!

[luvnwdwgal]

Wow, what an awesome hubby you have!! I love the picture you took in Canada and the 2 of the roses! Beautiful!!! Can't wait for your next installment!

[kimdisneynut]

Great Report

Thanks

Kim

[DawnDenise]

[b]Day 3: Typhoon Lagoon, Our first of Three Trips to the MK, and Do I See an Angel????

<font color="red">Yet another day has arrived and it is going to be a relaxing day. We had decided before we left to go to Typhoon Lagoon as this is probably our favorite water park. After getting on normal wake-up call, we just could not get up. We end up missing our PS for Spoodles and go to the Food court to grab breakfast. We then hop a bus to Typhoon Lagoon.

Luckily, I had gone to the tanning bed before left on the trip, so I was not worried about getting burned (except for my nose). Chuck on the other hand is really white. Now he packed the backpack before we left this morning and as I am going though it on the bus, I realize he did not pack the sunscreen for him.

We arrive at TL and as soon as we enter the park, I head for a cart to buy some. There went $10 really quickly but it is worth it. Being sunburned is miserable. We find a fairly secluded spot and set our chairs. I get chuck all protected with sunscreen and we head off to explore. The first thing we do is climb into the creek and make a few relaxing laps. I can spend all day here but we want to try out the new Crush n Gusher. We head over in the direction and have a little problem finding it as we have to go through the locker area but we succeed.

(I have pictures of Typhoon Lagoon but I have to scan them as they were taken on a waterproof disposable camera.)

Anyway…Crush n Gusher is awesome! We go down Banana and Pineapple. One word of warning. Keep your behind lifted. At the bottom of every hill, there are the rolling bars to keep you moving that really hurt. Other than that, it was totally wicked!

After we ride it two times, Chuck is hungry and we head to the Leaning Palms and pick up something to eat. We both get a combo meal. Now, as we are sitting in the shade enjoying our burgers, the birds come and surround us in hopes of getting a French fry or two. Apparently, one is not happy with Chuck and he poops on Chuck’s head. Being the loving wife that I am, I get him cleaned off first before I bust out laughing. We finish up eating quickly and head to the wave pool as Chuck still doesn’t feel clean.

The wave pool is awesome. We get there just in time for the big waves. I get a picture of Chuck getting hit just before it hits me. It’s actually pretty cool. We wade around the pool a little while longer and then head back to the creek for a couple more laps. As we are floating along, Chuck decides we need to go to the Magic Kingdom today. Who am I to disagree? We had spent about 4 hours at TL so we finish our lap and go to get our stuff. Our bus arrives about 2 minutes after we get to the bus stop and we are on our back to CBR.

We get back to CBR around 2:30 and we both get cleaned up. While I am waiting for chuck to get finished, I am lying on the bed watching Toon Disney. I fall asleep and before I know it, I wake up @ 4:15 with Chuck asleep next to me. Guess we needed the nap but we get up and head out to the bus stop to go to MK.



We get through security and I run and get a picture of the train station. I run back in line and we get through the ticket line and walk under the tunnel. I am so happy. Magic Kingdom is my favorite park. I walk to the hub and just look down Main Street. Some tears form as I see the Castle. We start walking up Main Street and looking in the store windows. I take my first pictures of the Castle



We head to Tomorrowland and get a Fastpass for Stitch and then stand in line for Space Mountain. It is posted as a 30 minute wait so no biggie. The wait is pretty accurate and we climb aboard our ship. Yeeeeehaaaaawwww! It is not one of the intense roller coasters but we still love it. After we exit, we have about 20 minutes before our posted time for Stitch. We wander around the Merchant of Venus and I buy a Stitch for Chuck, the one in the hula skirt. We get some water and just people watch until out time arrives.

We get right in and take our seats for Stitch’s great Escape. We never rode Alien Encounter so we don’t have anything to compare it to. I especially enjoyed when you felt Stitch on your head. Chuck said I giggled like a little girl. We leave the ride and need to head out to the boats to take us over to Ft. Wilderness for the Hoop Dee Do Revue. As we are leaving , we run into Launchpad McQuack. Now Chuck watched Ducktales religiously as a kid and gets in line immediately to get his picture with him.



This is the first we have used the boats in Disney and I am looking forward to it. I snap some pictures of the other resorts as we go along.





We make to Ft. Wilderness and another blonde moment occurs. I totally forgot to go to Guest Services and pick up my tickets for this dinner. Luckily the ticket office is able to help me and we get it taken care of. We check in and get in line for our picture. The picture comes out well and we end up buying it. We look at the little shop outside of Pioneer Hall and then I see some people gathering down the road a bit. Well, I have to go check it out. It is a peacock just making itself at home in the middle of the road.



I think these are some of the prettiest birds and I just watch it for awhile. Since the seating is assigned, I am not in that big of a hurry to get in line when they announce “Dinner is served.” We finally get in line and we are taken to table 21 which is the second row back from the stage on the lefthand side. We had front row seats the last time we came but we are not disappointed. We get to eating the salad and bread (I that bread!) and the show begins.



Isn’t He just Yummy?!?!?!?

They bring out the main course of ribs, fried chicken and corn. I love it. Chuck REALLY loves the ribs. My man is a little hungry I guess because he only leaves 4 of the ribs and ate 2 pieces of chicken. I barely finish off two chicken legs and some corn.



Now anyone who has been to the HDDR knows that they have a lot of audience interaction. The last part of the show they take 4 volunteers out of the audience for the Ballad of Davy Crockett. They get the first three pretty quickly but are having a ahrd time getting the fourth. Jokingly, I point to Chuck as the girl walks past. Well, she does not hesitiate and pulls him up on stage. At this point, I am sure Chuck will be asking for a divorce but I am laughing to hard to care.



They go through the story and we have the Indian brave, the Texas Ranger, and the Can-Can girl. For the big finale, they are mourning Davy’s death.





Do I see an angel twirling on stage???? Why yes I do!!!! There’s my darling husband dressed as Davy Crocket’s angel. I am able to get two pictures before I just lose it.



He comes off stage after he receives his certificate for his participation. He comes down with smiles and actually thanks me for getting him involved. OK…my mouth hits the ground in complete surprise. We leave Pioneer Hall and everyone is making comments to him. I cannot stop laughing. Apparently, Chuck likes being the center of attention. We hop the boat back to MK. We are getting ready to dock the boat when Wishes start. We enjoy the view for a few brief moments. MK is open until midnight tonight so we head back in. I have never seen Wishes in its full glory and didn’t want to spoil it for Wednesday night when we were spending the day in MK, but it entrances me. Chuck keeps pulling me through the crowds and we head into Fantasyland. We ride Cinderella’s carousel and then head over to Frontierland. The waits are equal for Splash Mountain and BTMR, so Chuck decides Splash. We get up to the boats and there is a group of 5 girls in front of us. The CM starts pointing to what gate we go to and the girls refuse to go to gate 1. Well, ok….we volunteer and off we go. Yeah…big mistake! We get drenched!!!!!!!! Well, you can imagine that I am freezing at this point and we head to the Emporium. First impulsive buy of the trip: Happiest Celebration sweatshirt. At this point, I am beginning to drag.

We head to the buses and I think there is a longer line at our stop then there was for Splash Mountain. We go through 3 buses before we make it on one. No big deal! We make it back to CBR and literally fall into bed.</font>

NEXT: Animal Kingdom, Yachtsman Steakhouse, and exploring the Boardwalk.

[Tara O'Hara]

Great update Dawn!! Your pictures of Chuck as an angel are hilarious!!

[zacksmom_1993]

Dawn,

I all of your pictures!! It sounds like you are having the most wonderful, relaxing, and magical trip. We saw Hoop Dee Doo in December, and we laughed so hard at the angel in the end. If it was someone in our party, I would have wet myself! So glad Chuck was up for it! Can't wait to read some more.

Karen

[Cinderbrella]

Great update, Dawn. Your husband looked like he enjoyed his stage debut! HDD is one of our favorite shows!! My kiddos loved it on our last trip, too. Looking forward to more!!

[Leah's Dad]

Great report. I really have to PS for that show next time.

Leah's Dad

[DopeyGirl]

Oh my GOODNESS Dawn!!! We saw HDDR in March and thought it was HILARIOUS . . . I thought for sure DH was going to point me out and try to get me pulled up on stage, but thank goodness he didn't! We had some of the same cast as you guys did . . . and yes, the guy who played Jim Handy was just too good looking for words!!! And he could SING!

Looking forward to more . . . now that I am totally caught up!!!

[Annabel]

Oh my You sure had a good time and I love your photos of Chuck as the angel, how funny I'm sorry but I did giggle when you told us Chuck got pooped on by a bird - no doubt the next time we go to Typhoon Lagoon, it will be my turn because I laughed More please!

[DawnDenise]

[b]Day 4: Animal Kingdom, Yachtsman Steakhouse, and exploring the Boardwalk.

<font color="red">Yet another beautiful day begins and we get up on time and head to the Animal Kingdom. We have PS for Donald’s Breakfastosaurus. This is our first character meal, so I am pretty excited. We catch the bus and make it with no problems.

Chuck is wielding the camera today and he wants a picture right as we get off the bus.



We go to the line where they are letting people in if they have a PS for breakfast. We check in with the CM and patiently wait. As we enter, we go through the Oasis and see our first glimpse of the Tree of Life. The tree is totally amazing. We get a picture by the Disney photographer.



We head over to the restaurant and we check in again. They take our picture again (this one my eyes are closed) and walk us right in. We get a seat near the main door. Our waitress comes over and lets us know that the character will be hitting our table section first. She gets our drink order and says that she’ll come by and let us know when to head to the buffet.

Well, she is not wrong when it comes to the characters. They come right up behind me every time and three out of the four tickle me to get my attention. We have a mini-photo shoot.







The buffet is good. Chuck loads up as this is his favorite meal of the day. I stick with the basics of a bagel and some sausage and I cannot resist a cinnamon roll. We finish our meal pretty quickly. Our waitress gives us To-Go cups for our drinks and we are off. The park is not officially open yet, so we are pretty much stuck in that one place until it does. Once it does, we immediately hit It’s Tough to Be a Bug. We are excited to see this for the first time. As a kid, I could never watch 3D movies because I always got headaches. I am a little apprehensive but really want to see it. We walk right in as there is no wait and grab our glasses.

The show is GREAT!!!!! No headaches and we love the effects. Chuck really thought the bugs leaving the theater first was the best. We next head to Camp Minnie Mickey to check out the characters. The guide states that they a start at 10:00am so we wait the five minutes. Donald comes out first and Chuck grabs a great picture of him just walking by. We get in line for Minnie as the line for Mickey was huge!




I do not want to take away from all the kids that are standing in line (there were tons) so we head over to Africa to get a Fastpass for the Safari. We grab that pretty quick and swing over to Asia for Kali River Rapids. The wait was 30 minutes and goes by pretty quickly. Chuck is the sucker and the one that gets soaked. I get some of the after effects but come out pretty dry. We still had time and went through the Jungle Trek.

After we view all the animals the Trek has to offer, we head back over to Africa. I didn’t take any pictures during the trek because I didn’t bring enough film with me that day. I needed to save it for the Safari. We head over to the queue for the Kilamajoro and get on our Jeep within 5 minutes. Chuck and I are in the first row. Like always, it is one of the most amazing rides. I know it is just animals but I can’t help but love it.

As we are on our ride, we get stopped about half way through because there is an ostrich in the middle of the road. We are probably stopped for about 10 minutes until finally we see a 4x4 come through and finally gets it to move somehow. We are too far back to see how but I get a picture of the infamous ostrich on our way through.










We get off the Safari ride and look at the time. It is 3:00 Wow…time goes by pretty quickly. We had PS for Yachtsman at 5:30 and decide to head back to CBR to get cleaned up.

After getting all beautified, we catch a bus to MGM to get a boat to the Yacht Club. Another enjoyable boat ride. I have decided that I love this kind of transportation. It is so relaxing. We get off at the Yacht Club and are running a little late.



We check in but do not have to wait too long. We are taken to a table for two and look over the menus. About 10 minutes pass and we still have not seen our waitress. They are extremely busy so we don’t get upset or anything. Finally after about 5 more minutes pass, our waitress shows up and takes our drink and appetizer order. Now…I do not have the receipt for this meal. I am not sure what happened to it. I know I ordered a Caesar salad again, but have no clue what Chuck ordered. We get our drinks fairly quickly, and our appetizers are delivered by another waiter. The meal is enjoyable at this point. Susan takes our entrée order and then disappears. We get our meals quickly once again delivered by another waiter. We have the Yachtsman Filet Mignon -- 8 oz. filet with mashed potatoes and a red wine sauce. This is probably one of the most tender steaks that I have ever had. Highly recommend!!! Now, by this time our drink glasses are empty, our plates are empty and our waitress is nowhere to be found. Chuck and I are not ones to complain when dining in restaurants because we have both waited tables and try to cut them some slack but 20 minutes went by and we never saw our waitress. Chuck is livid at this point. He thinks it is because we are on the Gold Plan and the tip is a standard percentage. I disagree with him because everywhere else, we have excellent service. Well, our PS was for 5:30 and at 6:45 we are still sitting there. We finally wave done the manager and ask what is going on. He goes to find Susan and poof here she appears with quite an attitude. At this point, we skip dessert because Chuck refuses to sit there any longer. I am completely disappointed because I wanted the Key Lime Pie so bad. So, we sign the receipt and off we go.

I want to say that the other servers looked excellent and I have never heard anything bad about the Yachtsman Steakhouse. I think we just had someone on a bad night. That’s just my opinion.

Anyway, we catch the boat over to the Boardwalk and explore.


We ended spending most of the night at Jellyrolls. Now that is a fun place! I keep the camera in the bag the rest of the night and I try my hardest to get chuck out his sour mood. I get a couple of beers down him and he seems to mellow out. We spend so much time at the Boardwalk, we miss the boat back to MGM. We find our way around which was a task in itself and find the bus stops. We catch one to Downtown Disney and then hop one back to CBR as it was close to 11:00pm.

We get ready for bed and turn on Toon Disney. We fall asleep and wait for the morning to arrive.</font>

NEXT: Magic Kingdom All Day Long!!! A full 15 hours in the park.

[lauren-roxy]

Dawn, I am really enjoying your trip report!! Your pictures are just awesome!! I love Typhoon Lagoon too, and we are always exhausted after going there!! Can't wait to read more!!!!!