Arrived yesterday afternoon at WL. What a masterpiece, I think I made something similar with lincoln logs when I was a kid just SLIGHTLY smaller! Oh yes - me DH 37 spent last eleven months planning first trip to Disney World (this web site is a good substitute for coffee breaks at work), DW - 34 would go just to see Small World which she fondly remembers from childhood, DD 9 - wouldn't go on anything too scary, and DD 4 would prefer not to go on anything in the dark but that would limit her to Dumbo so she cooperated and closed her eyes and ears when necessary, and took off the 3-D glasses at times.
So Saturday morning we planned on driving our rental car from WL to the TTC and riding the monorail to Epcot after a 7:30 PS for character b-fast at Artist Point. The car looked like a Star Wars spacemobile (Pontiac Aztek) and we loved it. Sort of like an SUV but drives like a smooth car. If you need space and we did, use Avis and request this vehicle (we fit our large stroller in the back without folding it).
Anyway, we missed the signs coming from WL for the TTC because there aren't any apparently, they just say MK parking (I was a geography major in college and still couldn't find it). So we drove to Epcot and parked close enough to walk without needing the tram. Got there Saturday around 9:30. Walked right on Spaceship Earth with DD 9, then walked right into Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Enjoyed performance of alien gymnasts by Innoventions fountain.
Got fast pass for Test Track and when we used it we still waited 30 minutes - the longest wait by far we had on anything all week. Never waited more than 10 minutes if that for anything else, though we didn't do the big thrill rides. On Test Track it broke down for 5 minutes or so while we were in the room where they test a car for exposure to heat. Fortunately the heat lamps turned off or we literally would have had to escape for our lives, still it was a very warm place to get stuck. If you have been there you know what I mean.
On our crossover into World Showcase from Future World we caught a two-tiered bus that stopped with about 15 or so characters aboard. Kids got photos and autographs from about ten or eleven of them all in five or ten minutes - WOW. Esmerelda was so sweet and I'm glad I got her on video talking to the girls (she was way hot too - sorry, but she was). My co-worker had said we would not see characters much at Epcot so this was a big surprise.
We walked over to World Showcase at 11:30 and the kids started their craft at the Epcot Kidstops, starting in Mexico. They made a mask that they decorated bit by bit in each country. They also enjoyed getting their passport signed with a personalized message, mostly written in native languages. We walked right onto the boat in Mexico and this is a beautiful pavilion.
Next was Norway where we shared a great sweet pretzel with raisins inside, and icing and almonds on top - it was delicious. Everything else in the bakery at Norway looked good too, but we had a 4:30 PS at Le Cellier for CP dinner package so couldn't fill up. Skipped Maelstrom - no one wanted to go but me. Ponds in China were beautiful and kid's enjoyed acrobats there. Didn't do much in Germany or Italy except for kid's craft and passport. German band was singing a funny song about how there is no beer in heaven, so I got a cold Becks which hit the spot (I'm not joking at all about the song).
Took boat back to Canada where Santa was there for storytelling. Waited only 5 minutes for our 4:30 PS at Le Cellier. Our server was extremely pleasant and accomodating. It was a little disturbing at first when a child at a nearby table started screaming, but I am a parent too and understand things happen (albeit my kids were on their best behavior ALL week - I guess some of that Disney magic). The screaming didn't bother me much at all until they took the child outside or maybe to the front of the restaurant (couldn't see)- for the next five minutes all you heard was more screaming and the child yelling "you're hurting me!" - you can imagine how that would make anyone feel.
Aside from the brief discomfort with that moment (I certainly hope they weren't really hurting the child)the dinner was nice. The soft pretzel bread and sourdough bread sticks are terrific, the cheese soup was very good but TOO much hype, the crab cake appetizer was great, DW's filet mignon stuffed with wild mushrooms was out of this world, my salmon was cooked just right but I am not a huge fan of maple glaze (I should read the menu more carefully). Kids had pasta with fries in place of meatballs (you know you have kids like that too - right?).
After dinner walked to CP, and almost got in the VIP line by accident - you definately need to ask where the correct line is. Waited in the dinner package line (Canada side of theater) and got to see almost all of the 6:10 TON parade while waiting to get into CP. TON music is inspiring - wish I had a tape. Line for CP was fairly long even with reserved seats so we weren't up close but it was a very nice show. The narrator John Secada was NOT inspiring but the choir and orchestra were top notch. No way kids were going to make it to Illuminations at 9:30 so we headed back to our spacemobile and WL. Wish I had seen Illuminations though - I should have gone back by myself one night, and if I had taken the bus I could have had a few more Becks!
Tips from Day 1 - Tip #1 - If you have two children around 4 and 9 years old like me, buy the stroller that has a seat up front and a step for the older child to stand on the back (if you need the brand name I can check for you). First, your kids will not get tired from too much walking, it's a lot to ask for young kids to walk a whole day at Epcot or any park for that matter, it's not being lazy, it's being practical. Tip #2 - Let kids do the craft and have the passport filled out - it is very educational and gives them something to look forward to at each country. Tip #3 - Plan to spend more than one full day at Epcot. We did a day and a half and didn't have a chance to see some things and not at all because of lines, the only line we saw was for Test Track.
Every minute of our vacation was wonderful. More to come.
[This message was edited by jasper on 12-09-00 at 11:03 PM.
[This message was edited by jasper on 12-09-00 at 11:08 PM.]
So Saturday morning we planned on driving our rental car from WL to the TTC and riding the monorail to Epcot after a 7:30 PS for character b-fast at Artist Point. The car looked like a Star Wars spacemobile (Pontiac Aztek) and we loved it. Sort of like an SUV but drives like a smooth car. If you need space and we did, use Avis and request this vehicle (we fit our large stroller in the back without folding it).
Anyway, we missed the signs coming from WL for the TTC because there aren't any apparently, they just say MK parking (I was a geography major in college and still couldn't find it). So we drove to Epcot and parked close enough to walk without needing the tram. Got there Saturday around 9:30. Walked right on Spaceship Earth with DD 9, then walked right into Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Enjoyed performance of alien gymnasts by Innoventions fountain.
Got fast pass for Test Track and when we used it we still waited 30 minutes - the longest wait by far we had on anything all week. Never waited more than 10 minutes if that for anything else, though we didn't do the big thrill rides. On Test Track it broke down for 5 minutes or so while we were in the room where they test a car for exposure to heat. Fortunately the heat lamps turned off or we literally would have had to escape for our lives, still it was a very warm place to get stuck. If you have been there you know what I mean.
On our crossover into World Showcase from Future World we caught a two-tiered bus that stopped with about 15 or so characters aboard. Kids got photos and autographs from about ten or eleven of them all in five or ten minutes - WOW. Esmerelda was so sweet and I'm glad I got her on video talking to the girls (she was way hot too - sorry, but she was). My co-worker had said we would not see characters much at Epcot so this was a big surprise.
We walked over to World Showcase at 11:30 and the kids started their craft at the Epcot Kidstops, starting in Mexico. They made a mask that they decorated bit by bit in each country. They also enjoyed getting their passport signed with a personalized message, mostly written in native languages. We walked right onto the boat in Mexico and this is a beautiful pavilion.
Next was Norway where we shared a great sweet pretzel with raisins inside, and icing and almonds on top - it was delicious. Everything else in the bakery at Norway looked good too, but we had a 4:30 PS at Le Cellier for CP dinner package so couldn't fill up. Skipped Maelstrom - no one wanted to go but me. Ponds in China were beautiful and kid's enjoyed acrobats there. Didn't do much in Germany or Italy except for kid's craft and passport. German band was singing a funny song about how there is no beer in heaven, so I got a cold Becks which hit the spot (I'm not joking at all about the song).
Took boat back to Canada where Santa was there for storytelling. Waited only 5 minutes for our 4:30 PS at Le Cellier. Our server was extremely pleasant and accomodating. It was a little disturbing at first when a child at a nearby table started screaming, but I am a parent too and understand things happen (albeit my kids were on their best behavior ALL week - I guess some of that Disney magic). The screaming didn't bother me much at all until they took the child outside or maybe to the front of the restaurant (couldn't see)- for the next five minutes all you heard was more screaming and the child yelling "you're hurting me!" - you can imagine how that would make anyone feel.
Aside from the brief discomfort with that moment (I certainly hope they weren't really hurting the child)the dinner was nice. The soft pretzel bread and sourdough bread sticks are terrific, the cheese soup was very good but TOO much hype, the crab cake appetizer was great, DW's filet mignon stuffed with wild mushrooms was out of this world, my salmon was cooked just right but I am not a huge fan of maple glaze (I should read the menu more carefully). Kids had pasta with fries in place of meatballs (you know you have kids like that too - right?).
After dinner walked to CP, and almost got in the VIP line by accident - you definately need to ask where the correct line is. Waited in the dinner package line (Canada side of theater) and got to see almost all of the 6:10 TON parade while waiting to get into CP. TON music is inspiring - wish I had a tape. Line for CP was fairly long even with reserved seats so we weren't up close but it was a very nice show. The narrator John Secada was NOT inspiring but the choir and orchestra were top notch. No way kids were going to make it to Illuminations at 9:30 so we headed back to our spacemobile and WL. Wish I had seen Illuminations though - I should have gone back by myself one night, and if I had taken the bus I could have had a few more Becks!
Tips from Day 1 - Tip #1 - If you have two children around 4 and 9 years old like me, buy the stroller that has a seat up front and a step for the older child to stand on the back (if you need the brand name I can check for you). First, your kids will not get tired from too much walking, it's a lot to ask for young kids to walk a whole day at Epcot or any park for that matter, it's not being lazy, it's being practical. Tip #2 - Let kids do the craft and have the passport filled out - it is very educational and gives them something to look forward to at each country. Tip #3 - Plan to spend more than one full day at Epcot. We did a day and a half and didn't have a chance to see some things and not at all because of lines, the only line we saw was for Test Track.
Every minute of our vacation was wonderful. More to come.
[This message was edited by jasper on 12-09-00 at 11:03 PM.
[This message was edited by jasper on 12-09-00 at 11:08 PM.]
And he loved making his mask and adding all the neat things from each country.
