Thursday, October 8, 2009
Disney 2009: Day 8
Today was an Epcot day and deTag's birthday. The gifts started early. Zach brought him two beautiful Cast Exclusive posters depicting the Animation History of Disney. Steve and Liz had gotten him a set of Disney PVC figures that had some of deTag's Disney favorites: Figment, Big Al and Ezra.
Darrell and I went into the park around 11a. We had been out late the night before and I had to put some last minute touches on deTag's birthday card.
We arrived at Epcot and stopped by the Animation Gallery to look around. One of the Disney Artist Larry Dotson (http://larrydotson.com/Walt%20Disney%20World.htm) was appearing and signing his prints.
What was the first print we see walking in the shop?
...and the second?
After a nice conversation with Larry and his wife, Darrell and I had both of our prints personalized and sent to the front for package pick-up.
The next order of business was to finish the last piece of deTag's birthday card. I stilled needed to get 'Happy Birthday" messages from Morocco, Japan, France and Italy. I started in France, then to Morocco. It was amazing to watch the Cast member write 'Happy Birthday Brain' in Arabic - from right to left. Next was Japan and finally Italy. Darrell finished it up with a drawing of the Spaceship Earth. We called it "Happy Birthday from around the World!" In Italy, we found a corner table in the shade, sat down and wax sealed the envelope.
We called everyone else to let them know we where in the park. We walked around to Norway for a ride on the Maelstrom and then over to Mexico. After a ride on 'Grand Fiesta', we met up with Jesse and deTag. After some window shopping, we walked outside and hooked-up with Steve, Liz and Stuart. Steve and Liz decided to walk over to the UK while the rest of us walked back to over Norway for another Maelstrom ride. We explored China and Stuart showed where to stand so that when you spoke, you could hear yourself. That was kind of neat. Next, we made a stop in Japan to rest and have some pre-dinner sushi.
We took our time and walked around to Canada. Our dinner was going to be at Le Cellier. Unfortunately, it was another long wait - nearly an hour. Luckily, most of us were too tired to care. We found different ways to occupy the time.
Dinner was superb. After the meal we gave deTag his birthday card and Jesse gave him a personalized Haunted mansion print from Larry Dotson. Desert was as good as the meal. DeTag's desert had "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate on the plate and Darrell and I ordered the Chocolate Moose...
With dinner being so late, we were in a practically deserted park when we left Le Cellier. The park had been closed for 45 minutes. We took our time walking to the front and took in all the beauty of Future World without any crowds.
We slowly made our way back to the front of the park and headed back to the resort. deTag had his last birthday surprise waiting in his room. Housekeeping had left a washcloth cake with pipe cleaner candles, some Celebrate buttons and balloons.
Zach came over to the resort to pick up a few things and say good-bye. It was late and we were tired but everyone packed up as much as they could before going to sleep.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Disney 2009 - Day 4
I woke up this morning to a huge crop of painful fever blisters. Great! I’m glad we had told the rest of the crew to go on to the park without us. The blisters were painful and I didn’t feel good – they were still growing. I knew the heat and sun would only aggravate them so I decided to stay in the room as late as possible. Darrell was sweet enough to go get us both lunch at the food court and we just chilled in the room. It wasn’t long after lunch that my body decided it needed another nap. I admit it made me feel much better.
By 3pm, we were dressed and ready to slowly make our way to the Epcot. We arrived after a crowded but pleasant bus ride. We met Jesse, deTag and Zach near the Character Spot. Jesse wanted to ride Mission Space again, so he and Zach headed off while Darrell, deTag and I went to ride ‘Journey to the Imagination”. After our Figment fix, we walked around to the World Showcase. We started our journey in Mexico. I love the Mexican Pavilion. Inside it is always a nice, cool night time. We walked around the Marketplace and rode Grand Fiesta.
I started my secret project deTag in Mexico. We had a scrapbook card for deTag to present to him Friday night at dinner. Since we would be celebrating it in Epcot, I decided to try one of the birthday ideas from the DisBoards. I fixed up a blank page for the card, started in Mexico and had a cast member write ‘Happy Birthday Brian” in Spanish. I did this in Norway, China and Germany too. That is when I ran out of room on the card. I will bring another one with me on Friday and get Happy Birthday’s from Morocco, France, Italy and Japan.
From Mexico, we headed to Norway to ride the Maelstrom, the best ride in the World Showcase. We wandered through Japan and Germany before we noticed it was getting close to our dinner reservation. We headed straight over to Japan to check-in at Teppan Edo, a Japanese Hibachi grill restaurant. It was a fabulous meal and we had a wonderfully entertaining chef named Akayo. Darrell, Jesse and Liz started the meal with sushi appetizers. We all ordered combinations of beef, chicken, scallops and shrimp. For desert, the two popular items were Green Tea Pudding and Chocolate Ginger cake. I ordered one and Darrell ordered the other then we shared.
We walked out of Teppan Edo about 15 minutes before Illuminations. We sent Zach and Stuart a text that we were going to watch the fireworks from the deck around the Japanese restaurants and soon everyone was there. It was a nice viewing area. We couldn’t sit but we had a rail to lean against and were high enough to see over everyone on the ground watching.
Jesse got some beautiful night shots around Epcot
After Illuminations, Jesse, Darrell, Stuart and I continued walking around the World Showcase. The air had really cooled off and it was a beautiful walk. Once we got around to the UK, we said good-bye to Stuart until later in the week and wandered through the shops.
While Darrell and I headed back to ‘Journey to the Imagination’, Jesse decided to head back to the resort. Darrell and I strolled through Mouse Gears and decided to call it a night as well. While we were in Mouse Gears, we met a Cast Member who educated us on the Mickey Vinylmations. She was explaining what each of them represented. It was pretty interesting and figuring out what each piece represented was not the easiest thing to do.
Once I was back at the resort, it was time to get a shower and hit the sack. The plan was to get up in the morning and get breakfast at the Pepper Market over at Coronado Springs, do some laundry and get ready for costume night!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Disney 2008 - Day 7
Day 7 is a sad day. It is check-out day. We are checked-out and have the luggage loaded in the car before noon. Today was also Halloween pod shirt day since we were going to MNSSHP tonight.
We started today at Epcot. It was the first day of the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot and it was packed. Our first mission was to get a fast pass for Soarin'. Accomplished.
Next, back to Spaceship Earth for a final ride. Then over to Nemo & Friends and Journey to the Imagination. That pretty much finished up Future World. Liz wanted to pick up something in England and boy was I glad. We found Darrell a great Welsh t-shirt. Our next stop was Mexico, then on to China and Norway. We were going to ride the Maelstrom but it was shut-down. We grabbed fast-passes in hopes it would be open later. We wanted to make it to America before 5pm because Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy was giving a concert - BONUS! When we got to the amphitheater, Darrell and I decided to grab some seats in the shade since it was filling up fast. The show was great. As soon as I get some of Darrell's pictures, I'll post them.
After Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy, we went straight to Tokyo Dining for dinner. It was our first time at this restaurant and it was fabulous.
After dinner, it was time for our last visit to the Magic Kingdom. We were attending our 2nd MNSSHP party. Tonight was all about soaking up the Halloween atmosphere.
As before, we arrived just as the parade was starting. We couldn't believe how few people were there - we walked right up to the rope. I got some great video of the Grave Diggers. After the parade, of course, we headed to the Haunted Mansion.
We headed over toward Adventureland to watch Hallowishes - the fireworks. The soundtrack is infectious. I love it! It was a windy night and the fireworks were spectacular but the smoke patterns left behind were equally as interesting. Since we were close, we run over to Pirates of the Caribbean for our finally ride of the visit. Darrell and I looped back for another ride on the Mansion. Are you noticing a pattern here?
On our way to the front of the park to make my special Halloween pin purchase, we stopped to watch the second parade. I grabbed my special edition Halloween pin and we decided to get an ice cream at the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street. It was a nice break. It was getting close to midnight, so we all reconvened at The Haunted mansion for our final midnight ride.
As the park closed, we made our way to the front and reluctantly took our bus back to the Pop to our car.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Disney 2008 - Day 5
Today was another Animal Kingdom (AK) and Epcot day. At Animal Kingdom, we headed straight for 'It's Tough to be a Bug' to see Stuart.
We all headed to Kilimanjaro Safari to get a fast pass. Next, we split up. Darrell, D-Tag and I walked down to Expedition Everest. Darrell and I rode and D-Tag hung out in the gift shop. After that, we slowly walked back to the safari to met up with Steve and Liz. After the safari, Darrel, D-Tag and I headed to Epcot. Steve and Liz stayed behind to take in a little more in the Animal Kingdom.
Epcot was fantastic! There were minimal lines and good strong breeze. We walked on to Spaceship Earth, Nemo and Friends, and Journey into the Imagination. It was perfect considering Monday at Epcot was such a washout. We were able to stroll through Mexico, ride the Maelstrom and peruse the store at Japan. We met up with everyone and headed to the Polynesian for dinner at O'Hana's. D-Tag ate a quick dinner and headed out to Hollywood Studios to catch Fantasmic. We left O'Hana's about the same time the Magic Kingdom was closing so we decided to hang around the Poly and let the bus crowd clear out before going that way. We checked out all the gift shops and spent some time on the beach. It was almost chilly out. It was perfect night. When we decided to head back to the Pop, it could not have been timed better. The monorail was waiting for us when we got there and so was the bus.
Disney 2008 - Day 3
Today, Steve & Liz met some friends over at the Animal Kingdom (AK). Darrell, D-Tag and me decided to sleep in a little and meet up with everyone for lunch in the AK at the Flametree BBQ. We arrived a few minutes early and walked down to the Expedition Everest Gift Shop to look around. I took my “must” yeti pictures of Darrell.
Lunch at the Flametree was great. The food was good. The company was good. The seating was exceptional. To look at it from the front, you think it was going to be a hunt to find anywhere to sit much less getting 8 people to sit together. Looking closer, you notice there is a pathway that leads behind the Flametree into a maze of paths and sitting areas. We found plenty of sitting with the most amazing view of Expedition Everest in the background.
After lunch, it was off to Epcot. We all went for a fast pass for Soarin’ and then went our separate ways. Darrell, D-Tag and me cruised around the Land. After that, we noticed the clouds were getting dark. I wanted to try the free Disney Visa Character Meet & Greet at Innovations West, and headed in that direction. The bad news was line was long and took awhile to get through. The good news was it was poring outside. At least we were in out of the rain.
The Meet & Greet was pretty awesome. Your party gets a private audience with 2 Disney characters. What they won’t tell you in advance is which characters are behind the blue curtain. When our turn came, we were pleasantly surprised to see Mickey, Minnie and Goofy waiting for us. There were hugs all around. We took individual shots and group shots. It was great to be able to pose and play without the pressure of someone giving you the “get a move on it” look. D-Tag picked-out a great shot of him with all three characters and Darrell and I did the same. A free 5X7 is a great souvenir. I think we are going to check it out on Friday too!
The rain wasn’t stopping so we darted across to Innovations East to the Mouse Gears gift shop. We looked around and played with the potato heads.
After that time killer, it was time to ride Soarin’. Soarin’ is wonderfully relaxing ride. As we were leaving, we saw Steve, Liz and there party boarding the ride. We waited for everyone at the exit to re-group.
Since it was raining and D-Tag and I needed to pick-up our free photos, we decided to take the bus to the Boardwalk resort rather than walking back to France. Well, unbeknown to us, there is no bus to Boardwalk. We re-entered Epcot and walked over to Boardwalk. We arrived at Spoodles 40 minutes late and wet! The dinner was good but the noise level was crazy. It was louder than Chef Mickey’s. We couldn’t believe it.
After dinner, we Quickly scampered through Epcot hoping to get to the bus back to the Pop before Illuminations was over. I think we barely made it. Luckily our bus was not packed and it was a fun ride home singing ‘YMCA’ complete with arm letters!
Since we were back to the resort at a decent hour, Liz, Steve, Darrell and me decided to go for a swim. All I can say is that we laughed and laughed and laughed! It was a great way to end the night.
Some random Day 3 photos. There is always time for funny hats and Baloo!
