[brebre_51]

OUR DISNEY TRIP-MAY 2005

FRIDAY NIGHT-May 19th

Babets, her DH, her DS (8) & DD (4), my DH (64) & I (54) have made vacation plans for WDW. On Friday night we are surprised by my other DD (Gem), her DH & their DS (12). They live hours away on the other side of our state. Without our knowing it, Babs' DH & Gem have made arrangements for all of them to join us on our trip to WDW! It was a really nice surprise!


SATURDAY- May 20th

We aren't to leave until very early Sunday morning. Being excited, we throw caution to the wind; we call & make 3 reservations with a motel near WDW. We jump in our packed vehicles & leave. DH & I in one vehicle. Babs, Gem & their families in another. We have our cell phones & walkie-talkies on so we can communicate as we follow one another. We get down there, check in, & go eat. We are so excited!

SUNDAY-May 22nd

We get up, checked out and ate breakfast at IHOP. Then we head for Pop Century. We got there around 9 A.M. & checked in. The clerk helping us to check in was very nice. They got us three, ground-floor rooms in the '80's themed building very near to one another. This motel was buzzing with people everywhere. (We couldn't actually go to our rooms until after 3 PM, but that was ok, we had a park waiting for us) Bab's hubby as RSD so he has to have a scooter.

EPCOT HERE WE COME!

We head over to the bus stops in front of the resort.Being Babs' DH has to use a scooter, he goes to the handicap section of the bus stop where he is the first to load. The rest of us get in the regular line. We didn't know we were supposed to stay with him. Thank goodness there weren’t many people in line and we were able to get on bus with him. The bus driver told us then that we were to stay with him. There on out, when he loads, we load.

We were dropped off near Epcot. After having our fanny packs searched, we insert out ticket/motel key cards into a machine; after which we place our first two fingers onto a machine. (like that at the driver’s license place) We enter EPCOT.

Everyone (but grand-daughter [4] & I ) got fast passes for Test Track. Then we head for Spaceship Earth; & the Living Seas. We enjoyed them both. It was getting time for their Fast Passes. They go ride Test Track. Grand-daughter & I stayed at the water gusher fountains where she played in the water along with other small children. We took a break from the water just long enough to share a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. Then, back to the water she went. Everyone loved Test Track. Babets screamed through the whole ride. (so I was told)

After that, we called Pop Century to see if our rooms were ready. They were. We leave Epcot for our PC resort. A nap is what we need. The one thing we found that we did not like was that the Pop Century bus stops were the farthest & longest walk away from all of the Disney Parks. A long, long, long walk away!

Nine weary vacationers arrive back at their resort. We couldn't find our rooms. When we finally located them, our feet hurt. It was a very long walk to & from the food court.

Everyone but Babets' DH & their kids decide to walk to the food court to get food. We get our food & start back to our rooms. We can't find them! 30 minutes later, we finally stumble across our rooms. At this point, we are hot, tired, and hungry, not to mention extremely irritable!! The layout of this place must have been designed by a deranged baboon! It is easy to get lost amid the '50's, '60's, '70's & '80's! There are few signs to help you find your way to or from the food court & bus stops! I remember the clerk telling us at check-in that there was nearly 3000 rooms. They were in the process of building even more rooms. That will make them the largest resort motel in the USA! We, also, learned that on our return trips from any of the parks, the POP CENTURY bus stop line was ALWAYS the last as well as the longest!

After our nap, we head back to Epcot. We stop at ICE STATION COOL by Coca Cola. We try all these different Coke’s from all over the world. We like most of them. But one was absolutely awful!! Even now the very thought it..........ewwww!

After that, we are off to visit the World Showcase. We walk around the World Showcase. It’s packed with people everywhere. We split up into 3 parties. We had our walkie talkies and our cell phones. DH & I ate at a restaurant with counter service in Mexico. The food was reasonable & tasty.
We were all tired. We head out of the park to the buses for our resort. We will come back to Epcot on another day. DH really liked this park.

That night, as I lay in our bed, I am unable to sleep. I have shooting pains running up & down my legs. I toss & turn. Finally, I get up & take some Tylenol. It kicks in & I finally fall asleep. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[We had a refrigerator in our rooms @ $10.00 a day. We kept a 1/2 gal. of milk, water, drinks & leftovers (from our food court) in them. We had cereal & coffee all but one morning in our rooms. The majority of our meals inside the parks ran about $10.00 EACH or less. DH & I spent about $40.00 a day on food. We could have spent more but why? All the food we ate in WDW was good.]

MONDAY-May 23rd

We are going to spend it in the Magic Kingdom! We awake early and call one another’s rooms. We eat breakfast & have our coffee. Donning our sun screen & our hats we head out the door. Gem & family go to Epcot. Babs, her family, DH & I catch our bus for the Magic Kingdom.

First thing we do is head over to City Hall where Babs gets her birthday button. We go to Tomorrowland’s Indy Speedway. We just walk right on which was nice. Grandson (8) drove his own car. Babs & her DD was behind him. Papa & I were behind all of them. Grandson was going so slowly that he ended up picking up a hitchhiker aka an Indy Speedway CM. The CM saw that he wasn't quite tall enough to see and push the gas at the same time. The CM jumped onto the outside side of the passenger’s side of the car. He worked the gas peddle while Grandson steered.

Next, we head over to the Tea Cups which Papa rode with kids. Next, Winnie the Pooh's Hunnypots.

Babs, the children & I waited in line to ride Dumbo while Papa & Babs' DH sat at a table under a canopy by Ariel’s grotto eating a hot, soft pretzel filled with sweet cream cheese. They sipped on cold drinks while we stood in a long, hot line for a 3 minute ride! Afterwards, we joined Papa & Babs' DH at their table. There we shared a hot, cream cheese pretzel and a drink while an instrumental quartet entertained us with Disney tunes.

Following a short rest, we went over to Philarmagic. We were able to walk right in. It is a 3-D cartoon. The 3-D cartoon complete with all the effects; the smells, the sprinkling of water, etc.... very nice!

Sadly, we walked by Peter Pan's flight. It was closed for refurbishment. Excuse me while I wipe away a tear & stifle a sob.

We were going to do It's a Small World but the line was long, long, long and it was quite sunny; not to mention HOT, HOT, HOT! We decided to catch that later. Did I mention it was hot?

Practically dragging the children, we walked over to the Haunted Mansion.
One of my favorite rides.

Exhausted, we decided to go back to resort for a swim and nap. Gem & son met us at the pool. One grandson & Papa swam while the other grandson did cannon balls. My DD's & I just sat around in the pool while 4 yr old grand daughter sat on steps where she sat splashing & playing UNTIL.... her one foot slipped off the step and her lower face got wet. Then she screamed! She cried! She yelled, "ME DROWNEDDID! ME DROWNEDDID!" What was hysterical was the fact that she didn’t even get her hair wet! We knew it was nap time for sure!

After our R&R, while at the resort, Babets' hubby bought her a tall, birthday hat from the gift shop, which looks like a tall birthday cake complete with candles that light up! With it on her head and her birthday button on, we went back to the MK. Gem & family head to MGM.

We went straight to Tomorrowland and fast passed Buzz Lightyear. Hopped on over to the Carousel of Progress. This is a must for me. We have always enjoyed & loved this ride. IT’S A GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW! (I am singing) Sadly however, I did find out that this is the last summer it will be in operation. (Bet Walt wouldn’t have been pleased with that fact! This attraction was Walt's very own idea. He presented it to the World's Fair in the early 1960's where it won.) It was pretty packed when we were there. In it’s place will be something to do with The Incredibles. That’s what the CM said. Once we were seated inside, the CM came and asked Babs to stand up. She asked her name. They all yelled Happy Birthday to her. Made her feel really special. It's a great big beautiful tomorrow......

Now, it was time for our fast passes. We went to the FP line. The CM stopped Babs' and made all the people in the stand-by line tell her Happy B-Day! It was embarrassingly nice for her. We got on Buzz Lightyear Ride. After Buzz's we go check out Space Mountain. We forego that! Whew!

On to Adventureland: The Pirates of the Carribean. (loved that movie) We practically walked right on, which was nice.

Being hungry, we decided to eat at the Columbia Harbor House which serves chicken and fish basket meal deals. It was pretty good & the food was reasonably priced.

It's a Small World, here we come. There was little line. It was refurbished & very nice. It’s a small world after all..... (everyone sing).... It’s a small world after all..... It's a world of.....

It was too late to try to get a good spot for the Spectromagic Parade; we decided to head back to our resort. It was a good plan EXCEPT.... we got stopped by the crowds and the parade. We sat under a canopy and watched it from afar. We caught glimpses of it here & there.

After the parade was over, we fought the body-to-body CROWD back to the bus stop. DH & I were separated from the others. Babs & her DS who stopped to buy a drink, got separated from her DH & DD (she was riding on his lap on the scooter). The only thing we knew for sure was that we were all going back to the bus stop to PC. We held hands as we literally fought the crowds. I felt like a salmon swimming against the currant. The crowds of people was unbelievable. We promised ourselves never to be caught like this again! We get to the bus stop and wait. The bus comes & we load up as Babs & her DS make it to the bus stop. We leave them behind. We are so tired.

Back at the bus stop, Babs looks back and spots her DH with their DD in this long, long line with this HUGE Tinkerbell balloon. She sends her DS under the rails to get his sister, that way they could go ahead and get on the next bus while her DH waits to catch another bus. She didn't feel too bad leaving him behind. They waited for him at the food court at the resort.

In our room, having showered, we relax with a cup of coffee and a snack. It’s late. (Every night there, it is 11 PM or later before we reach our rooms or go to bed.) Before bed, I call the girls rooms to make sure everyone made it back. You know how we old mama's are. It was a good day!

TUESDAY MORNING-May 24th:

We all get up early. We drive to the Contemporary Hotel where we have 8:00 A.M. reservations at Chef Mickey’s. The restaurant is located on the 4th floor.

In my haste to catch the elevator up to Chef Mickey’s, I accidentally cut in front of a handicapped man. My family force me off the elevator so he could get on. They proceeded to poke fun at me. I really did not see the gentleman. This is the only expensive meal we ate while down there. Papa & I ate a $44.00 buffet breakfast with the Disney Characters; Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Chip & Dale, etc. Gem's family was over $60.00. Babs' family was about $60.00. Tips not included. Gem bought their Chef Mickey pictures. Babs & I didn’t.

After breakfast, I had to GO! Gotta go, gotta go, GOTTA GO RIGHT NOW! I asked the receptionist where the facilities were. "At the bottom of the back stairs." Fine, off I go. None of my family knew where I was. Babs went looking for me while everyone else sat in the waiting area of the restaurant. In the mean time, I am acting like that guy in the movie who has a pain hit him at his ‘girlfriend’s’ house. He uses and uses the facility much to his relief. Only to be heart broken when she shouts through the door, "DON’T USE THE TOILET! IT’S BROKEN!" I was gone a pretty good while. Much relieved, and hands washed, I make my way upstairs, find my family & then we find Babs. Yes, they did chew me out. But when you gotta go.....

With breakfast over with, We go back to the Pop Century Resort to park our vehicles. Gem & family went to the Animal Kingdom. The rest of us caught a bus for MGM. We went to see Drew Carey’s Sounds Dangerous. That was a big waste of time. It was like watching TV with your eyes closed. It was like radio back in the 30's & 40's. No big deal. For us, it was the worst attraction at all four parks.

We are on our way to watch Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. It was filled with different scenes of people performing difficult stunts. It was really good, plus, it was very funny.

After that was the Lights, Motor, Action Extreme Stunt Show. While most people have to walk, we ride up the elevator with Babs' DH . In her hurry to get a seat, Babs forgets about him, he is left alone in the elevator where the doors close on him. BAD, BAD WIFE!! I hang my head in shame. This show was good, also. It had car & motorcycle stunts & such.

Our men decided to go back to the resort early. Babs' DH's leg was hurting him. Papa was tired. Papa ended up taking a 2 ½ hour nap!

Grandson & I went to Pizza Planet where we played games. Babs & DD left to rent a stroller. When they returned, the kids & I walked upstairs to find a table while Babs ordered our personal pan pizzas. No table was open so I looked for one where the people where nearly finished eating. I found one where everyone was done except for one man eating a salad. I very nicely ask them if they were about done with the table. The man eating raised his hand & said, ‘Just 5 minutes.’ I say, ‘OK, take your time. We will just stand behind you until you are through; but don’t rush. No, really, we are fine.’ The man begins to wolf down the remainder of his salad while his wife begins to clean off the table. As they are leaving, we & I sit down & wait on Babs with our pizza. In no time at all, she appears. We eat. We leave.

We are off to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It was cute. The kids enjoyed that. Our final show there was Beauty & the Beast. They had a pre-show which was cute. It began with a singing comedy quartet. Their singing was excellent; plus, they were extremely funny. When they were done, Beauty & the Beast came on. It was a miniture musical play. It was quite good. I even got misty eyed. (On the outside, I am OLD but inside I'm still young at heart!)

Hot and tired, we left MGM. Back at the resort, everyone (except the girl’s hubbys & Babs) went for a swim. After which, I laid down for a quick nap. Feeling rested, Gem & her family, Papa & I head back to the Magic Kingdom. Babs' DH's leg was aching, so she & kids opted to stay at the resort with him to rest & swim.

As we leave Main Street, we separate. Gem & family go do their thing while Papa & I head to Frontierland. We have a turkey leg on the brain!
We get to Frontierland & locate the turkey leg vendor. We buy 1 hot turkey leg ($5.50), a charro with chocolate dipping sauce $1.75>I think, & 2 waters ($1.25 each). One turkey leg will feed both of us. We locate a bench close by. We are ready for the Spectromagic Parade to begin in about an hour from now. It begins on Main Street at 9 PM. It will not reach us ‘til 9:20 in Frontierland.

The parade route is roped off. People are all around but we have the best seats. We see & can hear the parade coming. It is brilliant, bright and beautiful! The floats are big and small. White lights change to colored lights! They are all there: Cinderella, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Pinnochio, Bambi, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Sleeping Beauty & her Fairies, Chip & Dale, Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, the Fantasia characters, & many, many more. It was one of the best I have ever seen.

After the parade passed by, the ropes are immediately taken down. The crowd began to head out. We stayed put! We didn’t want to get caught up in that mess again. In 20 minutes, ‘Wishes’, the Fireworks would begin. I have never stayed to see the fireworks. I was always leaving the park during that time so we always saw them from afar off. Tonight, we were staying to watch them. As we wait, here comes Gem & family. They sit with us & wait.
‘WISHES’, the fireworks display was wonderful. They incorporated music along with a story to go with the fireworks. It truly was a work of art. I told Papa that I just can’t see how I could ever watch regular, old fireworks again!

The MK was going to have the parade again at 11 PM. After the fireworks was over, all of us rode the PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN. There was hardly anyone riding. After that, Papa & I left the park post haste! We certainly did not want to be caught up in a crowd like we were before. Everyone trying to leave at the same time! No thank you!! Once we reached the beginning of Main Street, we relaxed. The parade, when it began, would be behind us. We were safe.

We walked to the PC bus stop. There was oodles & oodles of people waiting there. It had the longest line of all the bus stops there. We took our spot in line & waited. One bus left. We waited and waited and waited some more. Buses came & went for other resorts. Where was ours? Finally when 2 PC buses did appear, a cheer went up from the maddening crowd. The bus filled up. They left. Our line moved up. IF 2 more buses came, we might make it onto one of them.... maybe. You see, these buses don’t just carry seated people. NO, after the seats are taken, they cram as many people on there to stand as they can! We played the waiting game again as we waited for a PC bus to arrive. All the while, we watched other buses coming & going. Our feet hurt. We were so tired.

As we are standing in line, someone runs up & taps my shoulder, it’s Gem. Papa yells, "BREAKER! BREAKER!" Everyone looks. She turns red. I laugh. She runs back to where her family is waiting, all the while yelling, “I’m not a BREAKER! I’m not a BREAKER!”. They are 3 lines away from us. After a while, still no PC bus in sight, I hear ‘GRANNY! GRANNY!’ I KNOW THAT VOICE! I look around. Coming up to the handicap loading dock is Babs, her DH
& their kids! They had gone out to eat at the Whispering Canyon Café at the Wilderness Lodge. Gem doesn’t know Babs is there in the handicap loading dock. I get Gem’s attention. I motion with my hand .... call Babs' on your cell phone.

‘WHY?’

‘JUST DO IT!’

A PC bus arrives, Papa & I watch as Babs & her family board the bus. The inside lights of the bus is on so we can see them. Gem, still bewildered as to why she is calling her sister, calls her on her cell phone. Papa & I watch as Babs answers her cell phone. Laughing, we watch Gem as Babs tells her where she is. Gem looks up and SEES her on the bus now. The bus loads. The doors close. The bus departs. We are left standing once more. Not too long after that, 2 PC buses arrive. Papa & I get to sit. We wave bye to Gem & her family as they are still waiting in line. We arrive back at PC, find our room & collapse. It is close to midnight.

WEDNESDAY MORNING - May 25th

Our last day here. All of us nine of us go to the Magic Kingdom. The goal: to ride SPLASH MOUNTAIN. Which everyone did except Babs' DH & Gem's DS.
Papa, 4 yr old grand-daughter, & I in one seat, Babs & her DS was right in front of us. Gem & her DH were several 'cars' behind us. Once inside the mountain, the story was all about Brair Rabbit. Everything was going along fine except that I knew there was a 5 story drop off coming. Talk about your panic attack! I knew that we were close to it when we began to slowly crawl upwards. At the top, the sun was shining brightly. I shut my eyes, gritted my teeth, braced my body & hung on tight. We shot down & out faster then the speed of light! My head flew back. My mouth opened wide in a blood curdling scream that left my voice hoarse for days to come. We were down before you could snap a finger. As we got off the ride, I swore that I would NEVER, EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN!

Babs & her family went to Toon Town. The characters were there waiting to pose with the children. I told her that Papa & I was going with Gem to Epcot. I called Gem on my walkie-talkie. We met up the front entrance of the Magic Kingdom. We took the monorail from there to EPCOT. When we got to Epcot, we stood in the sun in a long, hot line to get our tickets swiped. Gem & her family was in another line. They got in long before we ever did. We waited what seemed like forever to get into EPCOT! I think something was wrong with our swiping machine.

Once we were inside, Gem took all of our tickets & left to fast pass them for all SOARIN. The four of us waited for her under a shade outside the Electric Umbrella Restaurant. Gem called us via the walkie-talkie. She was on her way back. Being hungry, I said I would find us a table inside the restaurant. I walked inside, upon spotting an empty table, I motioned my fellows to come inside. As they came into the restaurant, my empty table was 'stolen' right out from under me. However, a couple was just fixin to leave another table nearby. I sat down & wave the guys on over. We called Gem & told her where we were. It wasn’t long before she was seated along with us. Everyone ate a double hamburger except me. I ate a hot roast beef with provalone sub. It was um-um good.

Papa said after he road Ellen’s (Degeneris) Universe of Energy (with Bill Nye the Science Guy) and Soarin, that he was going to go back to the resort. Gem's DH & DS said they were, too.

It was then that Gem gave me the bad news. Papa & my ticket cards would not work in the SOARIN Fast Pass machine! She said the CM said they had gotten demagnitized. He had issued us a temperary Fast Pass which Gem
had. Papa & I were upset. Demagnitized? How did THAT happen? Did it happen at the ticket machine when she swiped our cards when we entered EPCOT? It worked fine up until then. She had swiped mine, then Papa's & then mine again. If they wouldn’t work as tickets anymore, would they no longer work as our room keys, too? We were understandable upset. Papa said if it wouldn’t let him in our room when he went back, he would use his vehicle keys to take him back to the house! Gem said we had to go to the Customer Relations Center. We went to find it while the boys stayed put.

The Customer Relations Center was just around the corner. We walked inside and stood in line. There were 2 CMs (a man & a woman) busily working at the counter. I went to the first one who was free. That was the woman. She had motioned to this other person who came in after me, but I walked on over to her. I was that upset. Gem was behind me saying, ‘Mama? Mama? Mama!’ I ignored her as I walked on over to the CM. (Gem quietly apologized to the other CM who she claims was free to serve me first and the people waiting in line). I was that upset!)

I explained to the CM about our ticket cards. She was polite & soft spoken. She explained that it was not uncommon for the cards to become demagnitized. I stated that they worked fine up until today! Would we be able to use our cards to access our room or would we be locked out? WHAT ABOUT THAT?!

[Now here I have to stop & explain something. I was not angry. I was perplexed & upset. When I get upset or excited, I have a tendency to raise my voice with each sentence. Without realizing it, that was exactly what I was doing.]

Gem took hold of me by my shoulders, looked squarely into my eyes and said in a gentle but stern voice, ‘Mama, calm down. It will be ok. The lady is going to help us." I apologize to the lady who was extremely patient with me.
Gem begins dragging out her families own ticket cards. She wants to explain to the CM what she did when she Fast Passed them. Out comes her DH's card. Out comes her card. Bewilderment showing, she searches her purse. She seems to be having trouble locating her DS's card. "It should be with our cards" she mutters more to herself then to us. "It always is. Where is HIS card? I can’t find it!" Upset & excited, her voice grows louder with each word."I CAN’T FIND HIS CARD!! IT’S NOT HERE! WHERE IS IT?? OH NO!! WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IF I CAN’T FIND HIS CARD? DID YOU TAKE IT!!" She glares at the CM. At this point, I take hold of her by the shoulders and said in a gentle but stern voice, "GEM! Calm down. It will be ok. The lady is going to help us." We both stopped talking. We stood there looking into one another’s eyes. Then, we burst into hysterical laughter! When we finally got control of ourselves, we turned and apologized again to that young women who has been trying her best to help us. She gave us temporary cards for EPCOT. Explained to us that our cards would still work as our door keys. She told us that when we got back to our resort, where we needed to go to get it corrected. We thanked her, apologized once more and left. She probably thought we were a couple of LOONS for sure! No big deal, right?

Gem, Papa & I rode Ellen’s Universe of Energy. We really liked it. It was informatively entertaining & funny to boot. I would watch it again. Time to ride SOARIN. All five of us rode it. We were lifted off the ground as if we were parasailing. We soared over mountains, the ocean with people surfing below, caravans crossing the desert, people golfing on a fairway, etc. It really made you think that you were up in the sky parasailing. It was pretty good. After this, our fellows went back to the motel room.

Gem & I caught the bus to MGM. We rode The GREAT MOVIE RIDE. It was ok. We ate an ice cream & churro. Walked inside the Sci-Fi Drive-In Theater Café. People were eating inside ‘convertibles’ while they watched a black & white ‘B’ movie.

Exhausted, we went back to the motel to rest.

WEDNESDAY EVENING:
All nine of us went back to the Magic Kingdom via the Epcot bus. Gem & her family leave first. Babs, her family, Papa & I follow them in the next bus to Epcot. The monorail was closed so we had to take a ferry from EPCOT to the MAGIC KINGDOM.

We head straight to Frontierland but stop just short of it in Liberty Square. Here there is a section roped off for the disabled and their families. We all stop here to watch the Spectromagic Parade. It was just as lovely & beautiful as the night before. We ate hot turkey legs & water as we watched the parade pass by. We stayed put until 'WISHES' the fire works display was over at 10 PM.

After the fireworks, we weren’t in any hurry to leave. Tonight, the Magic Kingdom had extra hours for Resort Guests. It was staying open until 2 AM. While everyone else was off doing their own thing, Papa & headed over to Toon Town. The gifts were less expensive there. Papa waited outside on a bench while I browsed around. I bought some gifts.

Papa & I left the park at 12:30 AM. No room to sit on the bus ride back. These two younger men stood up to let us sit down. We didn’t argue. We couldn’t. We were exhausted. We did thank them for their kindness. We departed and head for our room. We collapsed in bed. It was nearing 1:30 AM. As you can see, I did not wait up to see if everyone made it back to their rooms.

Babs & family got back to their room about 2 AM. Gem & family returned at 2:30 AM.

THURSDAY-May 26st:
We all slept in. PC left an itemize bill hanging on our door by 8 AM. If it was correct, we didn’t have to go back to the courtesy desk or do anything but leave. We had to be out of our rooms by 11 AM.. I asked for extra Mickey Mouse soap. I packed, gathered our belongings, looked around-once, twice, three times before closing the door. We loaded our belongings into the SUV and drove away from the Pop Century Resort. Leaving behind the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM, Chef Mickey’s, the Spectromagic Parade, ‘Wishes’ the wonderful fireworks display, the pools, and so much more.

We were already reminiscing about our days there. What fun we had. The things we did! The rides we rode! The miles we walked! Our aching legs! Our bandaged toes & heels! (take band-aids) Would we do it again? You betcha!

We stopped to eat breakfast/lunch at Denny’s.

We should have gassed up closer to Disney as the prices ran about $1.97a gal. Further up the rode & away from Orlando, the prices jumped to $2.19 & up. We arrived home.

Home....awe.... the peace.... the quiet.... awe....

Can't wait for our next Disney trip!

[wdwspider]

OMG! I will have to come back and read this later. WOW!

[EmpressJenny]

Originally Posted by Brebre

After our nap, we head back to Epcot. We stop at ICE STATION COOL by Coca Cola. We try all these different Coke’s from all over the world. We like most of them. But one was absolutely awful!! Even now the very thought it..........ewwww!

Wow, just when I thought I knew everything, something like this comes along. I had no idea you could try Coke from around the world!!!! That's so cool!

[wdwspider]

Originally Posted by EmpressJenny

Wow, just when I thought I knew everything, something like this comes along. I had no idea you could try Coke from around the world!!!! That's so cool!

Are you kidding? You don't know about Ice Station Cool?

[Cosmicwaves]

Originally Posted by EmpressJenny

Wow, just when I thought I knew everything, something like this comes along. I had no idea you could try Coke from around the world!!!! That's so cool!

You mean you've never met Beverly?? You have to meet her...wonderful!

[Amelia's Man]

Beverly would be perfect in a cup of espresso!

[mickaholic4077]

Actually,the PC bus in MGM is one of the first buses after you come out of the gates.

[BDavis932]

Ice Station Cool closed for refurbishment on 5/27.

We got there too late on 5/26 to go in to Ice Station Cool and the next day it was boarded up "for our future EPCoT enjoyment"

[Dopey]

Originally Posted by wdwspider2005

Are you kidding? You don't know about Ice Station Cool?

I was thinking the same thing. She has got to be kidding...

[BDavis932]

Originally Posted by Dopey

I was thinking the same thing. She has got to be kidding...

She just HAS to be kidding, right?

[DisneyTeacher]

It sounds like you had a great trip, your family sounds so fun!

[Kippage]

Wow, all this is making me feel really dumb. I didn't know about Ice Station Cool either.

I only read 1/2 the report. I'll come back and read the rest in a little bit!

[Erin]

I finally finished it. This is the kinda trip report I LOVE!! Details, details, details!

IT was a PERFECT report! You are such a creative, funny, imaginitive story teller!! You had me laughing, reminiscing, wishing I was there!

Great JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT was a GREAT VACATION!

[brebre_51]

Thank you. Would you believe that I actually cut my report down because it was so long! It was still long. I write a summary of most trips we take. Then I print them out. I like to remember how it was, when it was and what it was like when we went. I figure our children/grandchildren will read them again one day and recall the good times we had together. We had such a good time inside WDW.

[Allyson]

This is the first I've heard about COP closure...am I in a hole?? I knew it's been talked about for quite some time, but is this definite??? anyone??? will it still be there Labor Day or in October???