Disneyworld Trip Report - Day 1, Flight & Zombies
Day 1 - Tuesday/Wednesday, December 9/10 - Travel & Feeling like a Zombie
Cast: Me, a 30-something girl whose geeky boyfriend doesn't share the love of Disney, so I'm solo!
This trip was really blessed - there were a few hiccups, but for the amount I did, and what could have gone wrong, I've escaped miraculously unscathed. My first major trip inside the country alone, and only my second trip to WDW at all. The flight to LAX from SFO was earlier than I expected, but even with running a few minutes late, I got on with plenty of time to spare. I got lost in LAX,a and called Dan to help me muddle through it - my flight was out of the same gate that Dan and I had for our Disneyland adventure. The flight itself was good - no turbulence, no one in the middle seat on both flights, so I had plenty of room. Well, there's never enough room to open your laptop with the pitch of the seat in front of you, but beggars can't be choosers. I tried to sleep on the flight, but that was not happening - I can't sleep under perfect conditions, so attempting to sleep while sitting up and leaning against a vibrating bulkhead wasn't cutting it. Never again will I do a redeye!
Touched down on Wednesday at 6am, at the hotel by 6:30am (got the whole bus to myself), and after a bit of a wait for the merchandise card, I was off exploring (no, the room wasn't ready - of course!). Started at Epcot, checked out the monorail hotels (and got to ride in the front of the monorail!), went to Magic Kingdom for rope drop, and after Buzz, Stitch, the Peoplemover (I don't like calling it the TTA), I started crashing, hard. I almost nodded off in Carousel of Progress, and I LOVE that show! Ok, time to accept defeat and call it a morning at 11.
Back to the hotel to see if the room is ready, and it is! Perfect location, in the 60's building on the ground floor, right behind the big blue yo-yo, and just about the closest room to food, shopping, and busses. ROCK ON! I got food (my first Dining Plan meal, $18 for a counter service meal) & took it back to the room to nosh and crash.
I was unconscious almost immediately - the last time I did that was the flight to London, and I crashed for 14 hours straight. This time, it was only a few hours until I was woken up by the luggage arriving - Magical Express is a fully awesome service. My bag was searched on the first leg of the trip, but nothing was mucked with, so it was all good. I decorated the window and mantle with Christmas decorations, and it was rockin' - almost everyone who passed by stopped to look.
Back out to Epcot for rides: Did Mission Space before anything else. I'm glad I didn't have any food - it made me queasy, but it didn't last long, and I was forewarned about it (I did the more intense ride). It was ok, but not a ride I'd do again - I'm not really one for simulators. Ellen's Energy Adventure was cute, but I like hokey - the corny dinosaurs, huge Pirates-like land yacht ride vehicles, and the cheesy jokes she did was right up my alley. It's a time commitment at 38 minutes running time, though.
~Rant on~ I noticed a lot of behaviours on this trip, like the lemming tendencies of people. Half the ride was packed, since people would just follow the people in front of them, and I walked right past the crowd trying to squeeze into 3 rows to the completely empty rows right next to it. People, look around and notice your surroundings. That goes for the people who walk halfway up a row in a movie-type theater and stop in the middle, contrary to the 19 million announcements and the common sense that if you don't want to be on the end, don't push and fight to be the first ones in the door. If you hang back, you'll naturally be ~gasp~ right where you wanted to be in the first place! And if your child isn't behaving, don't try and scare them with empty threats. "You better stop that.", "That's enough, I mean it." "If you don't stop, I'll....." What? Plead with your child to do what you ask? What's going to happen if they don't? You'll still take them to Magic Kingdom and buy them stuff to try and bribe them into being good? Show some cojones, people. While they're screaming/running around/being out of control, everyone else's park experience is being negatively affected. No, I'm not talking about babies crying (but if they're in the theater, take them outside, genius); I'm talking about the kids who have been going since 6am, and it's 11:30pm with no naps who are just plain worn out, or who throw tantrums because they know it intimidates their parents into getting what they want. You're in charge, not your children; act like it. Sure, you may miss out on some stuff too, but consistent discipline and a more moderate schedule is much more important than not getting your money's worth in WDW. Ok, rant done.
Innoventions was pretty much an interactive infomercial, I only used it as a shortcut to get to other places. Figment ride was cute, but I'd probably have preferred the original, if it was as hokey and magical as everyone says it is. The Seas with Nemo was cute, and I loved the aquarium. I could have spent hours in there trying to get shots of the manatees, dolphins and turtles. The videos underwater was stupid - why do they ruin what otherwise is a good ride with cheap screens that have no innovation, and would be more at home at Universal? I admit, I've got high expectations for Disney, and it just seems like a shortcut to creativity. I liked Spaceship Earth, but again, not a ride I'd do over and over again; the interactive bit at the end was really cute.
Then over to eat at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian - the gingerbread house was impressive, even belching real smoke from the chimney! Good food, atmosphere was nicer than I remembered, and the characters were very interactive. The evil stepmother and I both crooked our eyebrows at the camera. My first table service restaurant! After that, I headed home @ 11, hopefully to sleep in for Mousefest tomorrow.
End of Day One/Two
Cast: Me, a 30-something girl whose geeky boyfriend doesn't share the love of Disney, so I'm solo!
This trip was really blessed - there were a few hiccups, but for the amount I did, and what could have gone wrong, I've escaped miraculously unscathed. My first major trip inside the country alone, and only my second trip to WDW at all. The flight to LAX from SFO was earlier than I expected, but even with running a few minutes late, I got on with plenty of time to spare. I got lost in LAX,a and called Dan to help me muddle through it - my flight was out of the same gate that Dan and I had for our Disneyland adventure. The flight itself was good - no turbulence, no one in the middle seat on both flights, so I had plenty of room. Well, there's never enough room to open your laptop with the pitch of the seat in front of you, but beggars can't be choosers. I tried to sleep on the flight, but that was not happening - I can't sleep under perfect conditions, so attempting to sleep while sitting up and leaning against a vibrating bulkhead wasn't cutting it. Never again will I do a redeye!
Touched down on Wednesday at 6am, at the hotel by 6:30am (got the whole bus to myself), and after a bit of a wait for the merchandise card, I was off exploring (no, the room wasn't ready - of course!). Started at Epcot, checked out the monorail hotels (and got to ride in the front of the monorail!), went to Magic Kingdom for rope drop, and after Buzz, Stitch, the Peoplemover (I don't like calling it the TTA), I started crashing, hard. I almost nodded off in Carousel of Progress, and I LOVE that show! Ok, time to accept defeat and call it a morning at 11.
Back to the hotel to see if the room is ready, and it is! Perfect location, in the 60's building on the ground floor, right behind the big blue yo-yo, and just about the closest room to food, shopping, and busses. ROCK ON! I got food (my first Dining Plan meal, $18 for a counter service meal) & took it back to the room to nosh and crash.
I was unconscious almost immediately - the last time I did that was the flight to London, and I crashed for 14 hours straight. This time, it was only a few hours until I was woken up by the luggage arriving - Magical Express is a fully awesome service. My bag was searched on the first leg of the trip, but nothing was mucked with, so it was all good. I decorated the window and mantle with Christmas decorations, and it was rockin' - almost everyone who passed by stopped to look.
Back out to Epcot for rides: Did Mission Space before anything else. I'm glad I didn't have any food - it made me queasy, but it didn't last long, and I was forewarned about it (I did the more intense ride). It was ok, but not a ride I'd do again - I'm not really one for simulators. Ellen's Energy Adventure was cute, but I like hokey - the corny dinosaurs, huge Pirates-like land yacht ride vehicles, and the cheesy jokes she did was right up my alley. It's a time commitment at 38 minutes running time, though.
~Rant on~ I noticed a lot of behaviours on this trip, like the lemming tendencies of people. Half the ride was packed, since people would just follow the people in front of them, and I walked right past the crowd trying to squeeze into 3 rows to the completely empty rows right next to it. People, look around and notice your surroundings. That goes for the people who walk halfway up a row in a movie-type theater and stop in the middle, contrary to the 19 million announcements and the common sense that if you don't want to be on the end, don't push and fight to be the first ones in the door. If you hang back, you'll naturally be ~gasp~ right where you wanted to be in the first place! And if your child isn't behaving, don't try and scare them with empty threats. "You better stop that.", "That's enough, I mean it." "If you don't stop, I'll....." What? Plead with your child to do what you ask? What's going to happen if they don't? You'll still take them to Magic Kingdom and buy them stuff to try and bribe them into being good? Show some cojones, people. While they're screaming/running around/being out of control, everyone else's park experience is being negatively affected. No, I'm not talking about babies crying (but if they're in the theater, take them outside, genius); I'm talking about the kids who have been going since 6am, and it's 11:30pm with no naps who are just plain worn out, or who throw tantrums because they know it intimidates their parents into getting what they want. You're in charge, not your children; act like it. Sure, you may miss out on some stuff too, but consistent discipline and a more moderate schedule is much more important than not getting your money's worth in WDW. Ok, rant done.
Innoventions was pretty much an interactive infomercial, I only used it as a shortcut to get to other places. Figment ride was cute, but I'd probably have preferred the original, if it was as hokey and magical as everyone says it is. The Seas with Nemo was cute, and I loved the aquarium. I could have spent hours in there trying to get shots of the manatees, dolphins and turtles. The videos underwater was stupid - why do they ruin what otherwise is a good ride with cheap screens that have no innovation, and would be more at home at Universal? I admit, I've got high expectations for Disney, and it just seems like a shortcut to creativity. I liked Spaceship Earth, but again, not a ride I'd do over and over again; the interactive bit at the end was really cute.
Then over to eat at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian - the gingerbread house was impressive, even belching real smoke from the chimney! Good food, atmosphere was nicer than I remembered, and the characters were very interactive. The evil stepmother and I both crooked our eyebrows at the camera. My first table service restaurant! After that, I headed home @ 11, hopefully to sleep in for Mousefest tomorrow.
End of Day One/Two