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Old 06-02-2005   #1 (permalink)
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Phayes' TRIP REPORT

Yes, indeed it is. Sorry for the lateness of this report, but things at home piled up while we were away at WDW for 11 days! Well, here goes with the first two days...

TODAY'S CAST MEMBERS: ASHLEY as Darling Daughter, LUCY as her college roommate from England, and ME - dedicated Disney Dad and all-around good guy and trip planner...

DAY ONE/FRIDAY
TRAVEL - DD, her college roommate (from England) and I left on time from STL Lambert Airport on good ol' Southwest Airlines. Rooomie had never been to FLA, much less WDW, so I had her watch the planning DVD on my laptop en route. By the time we landed, she was pumped up for some Disney!
MAGICAL EXPRESS - We were leery of Magical Express, since it had just started a week earlier and we had heard all kinds of horror stories. Well, from our point of view, it couldn't have been better! We were met by the ME greeter (wth the giant "Mickey" glove), directed down to the ME arrival area, and were on the bus to Port Orleans Resort in less than 10 MINUTES from the time we arrived.
Here's how quick it went: We arrived at Orlando International at 5:55 p.m. and we were IN OUR ROOM at POR at 6:53 p.m. LESS THAN AN HOUR. We couldn't have gotten there any quicker if we had rented a car! I could not believe how smoothly it went. The bus ride was first-class. We dropped some follks off at Saratoga Sps. and at POFQ first.
One minor snafu was that we had requested a room in Magnolia Terrace. The CM placed us in Alligator Bayou, but I asked to please be put in the "mansions" section. DD had always wanted to stay there. He found us a room, but it was in Parterre Place - a good long walk. But all in all, it turned out fine. We got used to the walk.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY - We changed clothes (having packed a change in our carry-ons) and took the boat from POR to DTD. We ate dinner at Planet Hollywood (a first-nite tradition for our family) and showed Lucy (DD's roomie) around DTD. even though she's 19, you would have thought she was a little kid. Her mouth was wide open in awe as she walked aroud DTD. At PH, we were seated fairly quickly, had a great meal and topped it off with the best (and hugest) strawberry shortcake you ever saw! One dish, three spooons, full bellies! (burp.)
When we finally got back to our room at POR, our luggage had been delivered, safe and sound!
So far, so good.... and good nite.

DAY TWO/SATURDAY
WHAT TO DO? - Since Lucy's family from England was picking her up Saturday nite and they had already purchased her Park Hopper in England, we were faced with a sort of "free day" with her. DD (Ashley) and I told Lucy she could pick any park she wanted and we'd spring for her one-day ticket. DD and I had 10-day Park-Hoppers, so whatever Lucy picked, was fine with us.
She said she wanted to "save" going to MK until her little brother and she could do it together, so she picked MGM. Good choice (my favorite park, anyway).
After breakfast at the food court (excellent, by the way), we bought Lucy's one-day MGM ticket at the POR concierge and boarded the bus. The Tower of Terror and RnR awaited...
MGM...AND OOPS - Well... as we were waiting to go through security at the MGM entrance, Lucy got a scared look on her face. Somehow in all the excitement, she had LOST her admission ticket! We went over to Guest Relatations at MGM, waited in line for about 10 minutes and voila! She had a replacement ticket. And for her trouble, they gave her an MVP pass for RnR, good for any time that day. Wow, that would save us lots of time waiting in line. Just like a Fast Pass.
Little did we know....
WAIT? WHAT WAIT? - Our plan has always been to head to ToT & RnR, check the wait times, get a Fast Pass for the longest wait ride and then wait in line fo rthe other one. HA! The wait time listed for ToT was 5 MINUTES! The wait time for RnR was about 10 minutes! And it wasn't even very early! The park had already been open more than an hour when we finally got in. But that's the way it was all day - and for most of the trip. We didn't even NEED a Fast Pass at all the first day. The biggest crowd we saw was at Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.
Needless to say, it was a very relaxing day. The weather was nice - mid 80s with what seemed to me like fairly low humidity.
OUR DAY AT MGM - After riding ToT and RnR over and over (about three straight times each) like little kids at the county fair, we headed for the Great Movie Ride. I know it seems lame after ToT and RnR, but I like the chance to relax a little.
After a wait of about ZERO minutes, the ride started. They had changed it a bit from the last time we rode it (Aug. of 2003). Instead of our "host" being replaced by a cowboy in the old west scene, he was replaced by a gangster in the "Jimmy Cagne" mobster movie scene. Of course, he stil returned at the Egyptian movie scene, as usual.
One complaint: Many of the CM's who served as a "hosts" on a ride or attraction were less-than-enthusiastic. Many were hard to understand and didn't pull off their roles very well...
After the GMR, we headed to One Man's Dream. DD and Lucy rolled their eyes, but I LOVE that show. following that, we hit Little Mermaid. Again - no Fast Pass needed and we got to the que just as they were seating. DD and Lucy like dthe Little Mermaid, while I rolled MY eyes (just kidding).
LUNCH at 50s PRIME TIME: We thought Lucy would enjoy eating at the Prime Time Cafe. I inquired about seating. Since we didn't have a PS, I didn't know if we could get in. Again - HA! We waited about 10 minutes.
Our server/"mom" was great. DD and I had heard most of the "show" before, but it was still funny. And Lucy loved it (even though she had to have some of the American humor explained to her). The food was top-notch.
BACK TO THE FUN: We enjoyed the rest of the day at MGM. We did Star Tours a couple times (that ride needs updating), saw the new Stunt Show from Disneyland Paris (it didn't do too much for me), shopped some and rode ToT and RnR again. It was plenty of fun - that is, until about 4 p.m.
That was when Lucy got a text message on her cell phone from her mum. They had arrived at the airport. She text-messaged back (evidently their cell phones wouldn't connect in the U.S.) and asked when they would be ready to meet up. (They were staying at an off-site condo). Lucy told mum to give her a time to be back at POR. Evidently something was "lost in the translation." Lucy got an angry phone call about an hour later from her mum (on her brother's cell phone which for some reason worked there - I give up). They wanted to know why we weren't at POR waiting for them.
Having never been to WDW, they had no idea of the layout (or enormity) of the place. They assumed you could walk from one "amusement park" to the other or to the "motels," as they called them. We got it all figured out eventually and Lucy was picked up at POR.
GOOD NITE - Now on our own for a few days, DD and I decided to chill out the rest of the day. We went to the "quiet pool" near our room at POR and swam for a while. Then we had dinner at Boatwrights. Again - great food (burp again, excuse me). The next day: Magic Kingdom

TOMORROW: Days 3-5.. (Betcha can't wait - lol)

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Last edited by phayes93; 06-08-2005 at 02:46 PM.
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Old 06-02-2005   #2 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

Great TR...I love the part in the beginning about Lucy acting like a child when first encountering the magic of WDW...it is neat to hear about those "1st" times, funny thing is I get that way whenever I listen to the Disney music, watch a Disney movie, go to the Disney stores, Plan the next trip, come here to DC...oh i could just go on and on!!! Anyways, more...more...more...please.
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Old 06-02-2005   #3 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

Weren't those wait times just great?
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Old 06-02-2005   #4 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

That's great about the wait times. I've never seen them that short. Sounds like a great beginning of your trip. I'm glad ME worked out for you.
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Old 06-02-2005   #5 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

Sounds great so far. Can't wait to read more!
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Old 06-02-2005   #6 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

great trip report so far
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Old 06-02-2005   #7 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

Keep it coming. We need more.

Great trip report so far !!
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Old 06-02-2005   #8 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

OOOOOh, I cannot wait for the next installment. I love your report!
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Old 06-02-2005   #9 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

Well worth the wait ! Great TR so far! Can't wait to read more!!
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Old 06-02-2005   #10 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

I am so glad the ME worked out well for you. I have been really worried since I am using it in a few weeks, but with more success stories lately, I am much less worried. Keep the trip report coming--I am really enjoying reading it!
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Old 06-02-2005   #11 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

All these positive reviews of ME lately are making me want to try it. Free trasportation is sounding really good...especially since I added an extra night. Day one and 2 sound great. I look forward to reading the rest.
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Old 06-02-2005   #12 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

What a great start to your trip! I can't believe you were in your room in an hour using ME, that's awesome! Beautiful weather and no waits on your first day, what more could you ask for?
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Old 06-02-2005   #13 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

I love your trip report, it sounds alot like mine! We must have been on RRC and TOT at least 20 times. Isn't it great when there are no lines?
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Old 06-02-2005   #14 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

Sounds like an awesome start! I can't wait for the rest!!!
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Old 06-02-2005   #15 (permalink)
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Re: Could this be Phayes' TRIP REPORT? Yes siree!

Your TR is great so far! Hurry with more!!
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