TR: Walt Disney World

[Movieguy]

I have returned from my solo trip to WDW. And this was indeed an experience I won't soon forget. I've never been to that park during the Summer, and something tells me I'm going to wait until one of the Winter months to try this again if I ever get another chance.

 

That's not to say I didn't have fun, though. I just had to stay one step ahead of the crowds.

 

Monday: This day was the roughest, not because of WDW, but because of the travel down there. The remnants of Dennis were still in parts of the Southeast, including the area of Atlanta, which was where my first stop was to be. Consequently, my flight, which was supposed to leave at 8:25 AM, left after 10:00 AM instead, because the airport in Atlanta grounded us in Syracuse, because of all the rain. As a result of this, I missed my scheduled flight to Orlando that left at 11:35 AM, when I finally arrived in Atlanta. Instead, I got on the 2:35 PM flight to Orlando, that the automatically re-booked me for.

 

I finally arrived in Orlando around 4:00 PM, and took the magical express bus to the All-Star Music resort. I discovered that my room was in the Country Fair section, which was all the way in the back, so walking back and forth from there and the lobby was a bit of a chore.

 

I then got settled, and later walked back to the front, where I got on the bus to EPCOT. Once I arrived in EPCOT, I headed right for Spaceship Earth, for the sake of an old favorite I hadn't ridden in years. I made it through the entire ride without making one stop, not minding the noises it made underneath one bit, as I got off...

 

...That was when the rains came.

 

It rained, and it rained, and it rained. It did not stop for the entire night, but I endured it. I walked over to the Mexico Pavillion for dinner. After realizing that trying to get dinner at The San Angel Inn without a registration is no good, I settled for the San Angel Cantina outside, where I ate my food out in the rain. I went back inside, and rode El Rio Del Tiempo, before going up and seeing another old favorite of mine, The American Adventure. After seeing that delightful old show, I grabbed a snack at the Liberty Inn, and headed out just in Time for Illuminations, walking back to Future World quickly as I watched, knowing the park would be closing soon.

 

Soaking wet, I made the bus trip back to my resort, and headed back to my room, where I got right into bed.

 

Tuesday: I got up and prepared myself for this morning, heading right out to the bus without any breakfast (not the best idea, but I was still confused about meals here). I went to the Magic Kingdom on this morning, and arrived just in time for the opening, heading right for Space Mountain afterwards.

 

I decided to try out the Fastpass with Space Mountain, while I went and rode Buzz Lightyear and the TTA. I then went back to Space Mountain, used my fastpass, and got right into the main boarding area with it.

 

Things were going smoothly until the lights on the ride suddenly turned on. Something had happened on the ride, and they had to reset the whole thing apparently. But, some good came of it. I was standing behind a nice family from Tennesee that I chated with, and they told me how to make reservations for restaurants among other things, being Disney vets themselves. After that assistance, the ride went back into Operation, and within minutes, I was onboard.

 

Space Mountain is still a grand old ride, and while it may need some refurbishment in some areas now, it's still one of my all-time WDW favorites.

 

After my adventure on Space Mountain, I headed right for the Haunted Mansion, where, to my surprise, no one was in line except for one or two couples. So I was able to get right on the ride, which is still running extremely well, and is a timeless Disney classic, as far as I'm concerned.

 

It was after this and some more sightseeing that I began to feel hungry. I grabbed some popcorn and a soda to tide me over, as I decided to head back to the resort for some lunch. I took the bus back to the All-Star Music resort, and promptly got in line for some counter service.

 

After that, I decided that I had been out baking in the sun long enough, and needed to get some place where I could cool off. After making dinner reservations with the Concierge, I took the bus to Downtown Disney, where I promptly got a ticket for the AMC movie complex, and bought myself a big soda to sip on. I went to see The Fantastic Four, which I thought was a lot of fun, before heading back to resort and hopping on the next bus to EPCOT.

 

Spaceship Earth was my first stop once again, before I walked over to Ellen's Energy Adventure, just in time for the next showing. This is another fun attraction, but I wonder how much longer it's going to last as is, while Bill Nye the Science guy slowly passes from the American Consciousness.

 

Mexico was once again my next stop, as I came just in time for my reserved table at the San Angel Inn. That place was just a heavenly experience all around, from the complimentary Chips and Salsa, to the tasty Plato Mexicano that I had for my Entree, the San Angel Inn was the perfect capper for this day. And you can't beat the atmosphere there.

 

Once my belly was full and my tip was left, I went right on El Rio Del Tiempo again, before heading out, grabbing an Ice cream bar from a vendor, and catching my ride back to the resort for the evening.

 

Wednesday: This is where I decided to stay far ahead of the crowds. I woke up at 6:00 AM, showered, got an early breakfast, and took the bus to Disney MGM Studios, where I arrived one hour before they opened.

 

All I had to do was stand right at the gate and await the opening, as I chatted with a few other early birds. When the opening finally did come along, I got right up in front of the rope just inside, as cast members assembled to take us to certain rides.

 

I was originally going to head right for the Rock n Roller Coaster, but that was having a delayed opening, so I instead became one of the first people to ride the Tower of Terror instead. After having a wild ride on that attraction, I went right to the coaster, and got a fastpass for it.

 

Star Tours and Muppetvision 3-D were two more stops I made, before I finally headed back to the Rock n Roller coaster and utilized my Fastpass, once again getting in very quickly.

 

I was just a tad nervous about this one, since I had never been on a launched coaster before, but after that ride set off, I was hooked. Rock n Roller coaster was awesome! virtually no headbanging for me, and the Aerosmith soundtrack was a real plus. I bought an on-ride photo, which should show up here soon if my scanner cooperates.

 

After the ride, and some more shopping, along with a stop at the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular just for kicks, it was time to claim my lunch reservation at the Sci-Fi dine in. I got a nice filling meal there, and took home a souvineer cup with one of those glowing ice cubes you can switch on and off.

 

I then took the bus back to the resort for some of the afternoon, before I took another bus back to the Magic Kingdom, where I rode Pirates of The Carribean, and Big Thunder Mountain. I was going to ride Splash Mountain, but it was closed down for some reason.

 

After grabbing a Turkey Leg and A sprite for a quick meal, I headed over to Liberty Square, and caught a showing of The Hall of presidents, before finally heading out and catching a bus to a resort that was closer to Downtown Disney, which I then caught the bus for afterward.

 

I then headed right for Disneyquest, where I spent most of my time playing and replaying all those great retro arcade machines, before heading out and going to the AMC Theater once again. I had to leave Fantastic 4 a bit early last time so I could get to EPCOT in time for my dinner reservations, so I decided to watch the whole thing this time, with a big bag of popcorn.

 

After that I went back to the resort, got a few snacks, and turned in.

 

Thursday: This was an exciting day. After another quick breakfast, I got on a bus for EPCOT, and once again showed up an hour early, where I waited at the front gate, chatting with a nice young couple from Utica.

 

Then the park finally opened, and I immediately went with a cast member to Test Track, which I had never ridden before. I was once again one of the first to ride it, and I thought it was definitely worth arriving early for. Just great.

 

I then looked over at Mission: SPACE. I wasn't too sure about riding this one, after all the stories I heard, but once I made my approach, that same nice young couple from Utica showed up, and I felt that was a good omen, so I went inside.

 

Still early in the morning, there was no wait whatsoever for SPACE, as I prepared for my trip to Mars. I was given the assignment of Commander, for those who want to know. And when I was inside the capsule, the computer said the commander's pulse rate was a little high, while the guy at headquarters reassured me. I don't know if it's supposed to say that on every ride, but I thought it was pretty cool.

 

The ride itself was incredible! In the end, I was glad I convinced myself to go on it, not feeling even the slightest bit queasy as I got off.

 

I know in the past, I've had my misgivings about EPCOT adding more thrill-oriented attractions, but after riding Test Track and Mission SPACE, I can now see how Disney is trying to keep this park fresh and exciting for new generations of visitors, and I can certainly appreciate that, which is why, despite all the changes, EPCOT is still my favorite Disney park.

 

Anyway, I bypassed Soarin since the line had grown too long, and visited the Living Seas next, where I decided to witness Crush's Turtle Talk, which is quite an amazing innovation to say the least. Seeing Crush actually interact with all those children is an experience that I bet none of those kids will soon forget. I know I won't forget it.

 

After observing some more of The Living Seas, I headed right to World Showcase, and claimed my reservation for Lunch at the Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada. The food was exquisite, and the service was even better.

 

My belly full once more, I headed out to leave EPCOT for the last time. It would be the last park I'd visit, since I decided I wanted to see some more of Downtown Disney. That place had really pulled me in.

 

I arrived by bus once again, and walked around all the shops and stores, before going to AMC one more time and seeing Batman Begins. I then went over to the Wolfgang Puck Cafe for my reserved table, and had a tasty and memorable last dinner.

 

I decided against visiting any other parks from here on, since I needed to get ready to leave, make arrangements with the Airline Limousine back home, and talk to my parents, and the parks were all so far away from my Resort anyway, and I could not trust the buses. It had taken almost an hour for the bus to come and get me from EPCOT earlier.

 

You may also notice no mention of the Animal Kingdom. Well, I just wasn't interested in visiting, and with the crowds the way they were at the other parks, I didn't want to take a chance anyway.

 

But that was fine by me. I had seen most of what I wanted to by now anyway.

 

Friday: Fairly straightforward, had breakfast, checked out, checked my luggage and got my boarding pass at a special area to save time at the Airport, and left WDW.

 

This time, my flights back home, which stopped in Cincinati before finally going to Syracuse, went off without a hitch, and I got at home right at the time I expected.

 

So that was my trip to WDW. Overall, it was a good experience, with just a few minor quibbles that I'll live with. I'll definitely consider visiting again if I have the time or the money. But I think I'll make the following changes.

 

1. Visit during the winter or early spring.

 

2. Book a resort that's closer to the parks, even if it does cost a bit more.

 

 

.

[maliboomer]

Haha, I visit in January...

[RCTfan]

Was it this past Thursday? If so, did you see a Soarin' Cast Member and a Living Seas Cast Member playing a hand game just before the rope dropped before the park opened? If so, that was ME! Huzzah!. I was at Soarin' until 5:55 before going over to the Seas until 12:30 AM.

 

Glad to hear your vacation was magnicient! I'm SO glad you loved Turtle Talk! YAY.