A few hours into our trip to Walt Disney World, I pulled out the ol' iPhone and began taking notes of the rides, meals and entertainment we experienced during what we are calling, a "Delayed Honeymoon." Whereas most honeymoons are relaxed, we chose not to relax, but to do a "commando-style" touring of all parks. That commando-style is also referred to as "Dumbo or Die!"
We are not much of scrap bookers so an online journal is much more up our alley. Please enjoy our trip report from Walt Disney World from our trip May 18 - 21, 2008.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Day One - Arrival / Animal Kingdom / Magic Kingdom
We got up at 3:30 a.m. Sunday, May 18, 2008, and got out the door to Midway Airport by 415. We passed through security with no issue and got breakfast in the empty terminal. The flight left ontime, but we felt like cattle as it was packed. Beth used her "Ear Planes" with great success, as she did not have any headaches or pressure she had in the past.
We arrived at Orlando International and got in the long line for Disney's Magical Express. Magical Express provides transportation from the airport to Walt Disney World resort. After waiting in line for 20 minutes we made our way to the coach bus for the 40-minute ride to Disney's Pop Century Resort.
We checked in and had to change our room from one with two full size beds to one with a king size bed. We received our "Just Married..." buttons and had to recreate "the kiss" in front of the check-in line.
So we dropped off our one carry-on bag with the bellhop and got on the Disney transportation bus to Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is broken into several sections including Discovery Island, Asia, Africa, Dinoland U.S.A. and Camp Minnie-Mickey.
We arrived and immediately went to Expedition Everest in Asia and got fast passes. It was in the lower 90s when we arrived with some humidity, but the breeze kept it from being unbearable. 
In the meantime, we made our way to Dinoland U.S.A. to have lunch at Restaurant-osaurus. I had a burger/fry combo and Beth had a chicken nugget/fry combo. The original plan was to see Finding Nemo: The Musical before using our FP at Expedition Everest, but time was not on our side so we went to explore "Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama" which is a kiddy-land type carnival in Dinoland U.S.A.
We explored and waited less then five-minutes to go on Primeval Whirl, a spinning roller coaster with corny themeing. It was fast and a whole lot of spinning-ness. It was a fun ride, but maybe too soon after lunch for Bethy's stomach. We continued to explore, I took the first pictures on my old Mamiya film camera. 
We made our way over to Asia and used our fast pass on Expedition Everest. We were on the ride in less than five minutes and it was amazing. A very fast coaster with some great twists and a portion that goes backwards that definitely lives up to the hype. After getting off Everest, we explored Asia taking in the theming and shops.
We then made our way over the Maharajah Jungle Trek where we walked and saw Tigers, Deer and Bats...oh my? The Tigers were sprawled out on the ground sleeping - much like the three dogs in the Bort house would. The weather was starting to get to us as we crossed over a bridge and got to the Finding Nemo: The Musical about 50 minutes before the 3:00 show. The sun was getting to us so we utilized our umbrella for some shade. Thankfully we made our way into the air-conditioned theater soon thereafter. Luck was on our side as a cast member pointed out the "best seats in the house" to us and boy was he right. We had a good view of the stage and when characters and scenery came out into the audience and stopped right in front of us. Beth sneaked a little nap in towards the end of the show.
After Nemo, we made our way to the exit of the Animal Kingdom and back onto a bus to the Polynesian Resort for our dinner at 'Ohana. We got to the Polynesian early so we explored the resort and figured out that we had stayed at the wrong resort. So what if it was $400 a night! It's like being in Hawaii with your own white sand beach and water view over to the Magic Kingdom. We checked in early for 'Ohana on the upper level of The Great Ceremonial House and got drinks at the bar where Beth got Sangria and Scott got a Pina Colada.
The food at 'Ohana was outstanding and our seat looked over the little harbor in the resort. We started with coconut bread and a mixed green salad with a delicious honey-lime dressing. As we finished our salad, our waiter arrived with Pork Dumplings in Sweet n Sour Sauce, Honey-Coriander Chicken wings, Maui Scalloped Potatoes and Stir-Fried Vegetables. The only thing that we didn't care for was the Honey-Coriander Wings because the coriander seasoning was a bit over-powering. During the meal, there was Ukulele music and traditional songs were sung followed by a childs coconut race and mini-tiki parade of sorts. It was very cute and provided a nice distraction. As the skewered meat that was prepared over an oak fire began to circulate, three dipping sauces: a peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and sweat and sour sauce, arrived at our table. The skewers had Asian Barbecue Pork Loin, Spicy Grilled Peel-n-Eat Shrimp, Marinated Sirloin Steak and Mesquite Grilled Turkey. The first pieces of steak were a little undercooked for us, but the next pieces we had were very good. Scott enjoyed the turkey and steak while Beth preferred the Pork and the steak. Neither of us like shrimp so we didn't take any shrimp. As we sat there stuffed, our waiter brought out dessert, the 'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce.
Although we were stuft, the dessert was delicious. After all that food, we took a few minutes to relax look out over the water, take a moment to rest during our long day and finish our drinks.
After waddling out of 'Ohana, we made our way to the dock to take the boat to the Magic Kingdom. We just missed one boat so we took a seat on a nearby bench to look out at the Seven Seas Lagoon, the Magic Kingdom, the Grand Floridian Resort, the Contemporary Resort and the nearby Wedding Pavilion. The next tugboat arrived and we cruised in to the Magic Kingdom around 7:00 pm.
After grabbing a map and taking in the awe that is Main Street, U.S.A. and Cinderella's Castle, we made out way to Liberty Square. The Magic Kingdom is broken up into several lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventure land, Frontier land, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Mickey's Toontown Fair and Tomorrow land.
Once we got to Liberty Square we made our way to the Haunted Mansion where we walked right on to the recently refurbished ride. It looked better then we remembered, but we found it not too scary. We then ventured over to Frontier land and walked onto Big Thunder Mountain. Very tame when compared to Expedition Everest. The skies were beginning to grey as we made our way to the line for Splash Mountain. After about 20 minutes we talked with a Cast Member who gave us expired fast passes to use at Space Mountain once "the rain starts" and he sent us off on a log of our own. Stupidly we sat in the front row – a mistake we would live to regret. As we started on the ride the rains began and then the ride started to have some "hiccups." We were stuck outside waiting to go up the first chute and then the ride stopped. And then the rain really began. So after some hurried discussion, Beth pulled out our emergency umbrella and we huddled under it until the ride suddenly started and I broke down the umbrella
before the next drop. We then kissed on the five story drop and got DRENCHED! The now dripping wet we then proceeded to spend the $20 (WTF!) on the picture.
We then may our soggy way over to Pirates of the Caribbean and literally walked through the queue and right onto the ride. The new Jack Sparrow animatronics figures and new effects looked cool, but we got stuck in the final scene, the "Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A Pirate's life for me" scene. I tried to keep my sanity while Beth found that it was a great time for a nap. It's like being trapped on "Its a Small World" but with more pirate noises and less homicidal tendencies.
We then walked over to the parade area to see if there was space still for the SpectroMagic parade and Wishes fireworks show. There wasn't so we headed home. I was depressed not to keep it going, but nagging foot pains and a rapidly crashing Beth forced us on the bus back to Pop Century.
We got back to our room that was five minutes from the bus stop and found that our bags had magically appeared in our room. We showered off the sweat and suntan lotion and collapsed in bed around 11:30 pm.
Total hours awake: 19
We arrived at Orlando International and got in the long line for Disney's Magical Express. Magical Express provides transportation from the airport to Walt Disney World resort. After waiting in line for 20 minutes we made our way to the coach bus for the 40-minute ride to Disney's Pop Century Resort.
We checked in and had to change our room from one with two full size beds to one with a king size bed. We received our "Just Married..." buttons and had to recreate "the kiss" in front of the check-in line.
So we dropped off our one carry-on bag with the bellhop and got on the Disney transportation bus to Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is broken into several sections including Discovery Island, Asia, Africa, Dinoland U.S.A. and Camp Minnie-Mickey.
We arrived and immediately went to Expedition Everest in Asia and got fast passes. It was in the lower 90s when we arrived with some humidity, but the breeze kept it from being unbearable. 
In the meantime, we made our way to Dinoland U.S.A. to have lunch at Restaurant-osaurus. I had a burger/fry combo and Beth had a chicken nugget/fry combo. The original plan was to see Finding Nemo: The Musical before using our FP at Expedition Everest, but time was not on our side so we went to explore "Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama" which is a kiddy-land type carnival in Dinoland U.S.A.
We explored and waited less then five-minutes to go on Primeval Whirl, a spinning roller coaster with corny themeing. It was fast and a whole lot of spinning-ness. It was a fun ride, but maybe too soon after lunch for Bethy's stomach. We continued to explore, I took the first pictures on my old Mamiya film camera. 
We made our way over to Asia and used our fast pass on Expedition Everest. We were on the ride in less than five minutes and it was amazing. A very fast coaster with some great twists and a portion that goes backwards that definitely lives up to the hype. After getting off Everest, we explored Asia taking in the theming and shops.
We then made our way over the Maharajah Jungle Trek where we walked and saw Tigers, Deer and Bats...oh my? The Tigers were sprawled out on the ground sleeping - much like the three dogs in the Bort house would. The weather was starting to get to us as we crossed over a bridge and got to the Finding Nemo: The Musical about 50 minutes before the 3:00 show. The sun was getting to us so we utilized our umbrella for some shade. Thankfully we made our way into the air-conditioned theater soon thereafter. Luck was on our side as a cast member pointed out the "best seats in the house" to us and boy was he right. We had a good view of the stage and when characters and scenery came out into the audience and stopped right in front of us. Beth sneaked a little nap in towards the end of the show.
After Nemo, we made our way to the exit of the Animal Kingdom and back onto a bus to the Polynesian Resort for our dinner at 'Ohana. We got to the Polynesian early so we explored the resort and figured out that we had stayed at the wrong resort. So what if it was $400 a night! It's like being in Hawaii with your own white sand beach and water view over to the Magic Kingdom. We checked in early for 'Ohana on the upper level of The Great Ceremonial House and got drinks at the bar where Beth got Sangria and Scott got a Pina Colada.The food at 'Ohana was outstanding and our seat looked over the little harbor in the resort. We started with coconut bread and a mixed green salad with a delicious honey-lime dressing. As we finished our salad, our waiter arrived with Pork Dumplings in Sweet n Sour Sauce, Honey-Coriander Chicken wings, Maui Scalloped Potatoes and Stir-Fried Vegetables. The only thing that we didn't care for was the Honey-Coriander Wings because the coriander seasoning was a bit over-powering. During the meal, there was Ukulele music and traditional songs were sung followed by a childs coconut race and mini-tiki parade of sorts. It was very cute and provided a nice distraction. As the skewered meat that was prepared over an oak fire began to circulate, three dipping sauces: a peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and sweat and sour sauce, arrived at our table. The skewers had Asian Barbecue Pork Loin, Spicy Grilled Peel-n-Eat Shrimp, Marinated Sirloin Steak and Mesquite Grilled Turkey. The first pieces of steak were a little undercooked for us, but the next pieces we had were very good. Scott enjoyed the turkey and steak while Beth preferred the Pork and the steak. Neither of us like shrimp so we didn't take any shrimp. As we sat there stuffed, our waiter brought out dessert, the 'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce.
Although we were stuft, the dessert was delicious. After all that food, we took a few minutes to relax look out over the water, take a moment to rest during our long day and finish our drinks.After waddling out of 'Ohana, we made our way to the dock to take the boat to the Magic Kingdom. We just missed one boat so we took a seat on a nearby bench to look out at the Seven Seas Lagoon, the Magic Kingdom, the Grand Floridian Resort, the Contemporary Resort and the nearby Wedding Pavilion. The next tugboat arrived and we cruised in to the Magic Kingdom around 7:00 pm.
After grabbing a map and taking in the awe that is Main Street, U.S.A. and Cinderella's Castle, we made out way to Liberty Square. The Magic Kingdom is broken up into several lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventure land, Frontier land, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Mickey's Toontown Fair and Tomorrow land.
Once we got to Liberty Square we made our way to the Haunted Mansion where we walked right on to the recently refurbished ride. It looked better then we remembered, but we found it not too scary. We then ventured over to Frontier land and walked onto Big Thunder Mountain. Very tame when compared to Expedition Everest. The skies were beginning to grey as we made our way to the line for Splash Mountain. After about 20 minutes we talked with a Cast Member who gave us expired fast passes to use at Space Mountain once "the rain starts" and he sent us off on a log of our own. Stupidly we sat in the front row – a mistake we would live to regret. As we started on the ride the rains began and then the ride started to have some "hiccups." We were stuck outside waiting to go up the first chute and then the ride stopped. And then the rain really began. So after some hurried discussion, Beth pulled out our emergency umbrella and we huddled under it until the ride suddenly started and I broke down the umbrellabefore the next drop. We then kissed on the five story drop and got DRENCHED! The now dripping wet we then proceeded to spend the $20 (WTF!) on the picture.
We then may our soggy way over to Pirates of the Caribbean and literally walked through the queue and right onto the ride. The new Jack Sparrow animatronics figures and new effects looked cool, but we got stuck in the final scene, the "Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A Pirate's life for me" scene. I tried to keep my sanity while Beth found that it was a great time for a nap. It's like being trapped on "Its a Small World" but with more pirate noises and less homicidal tendencies.We then walked over to the parade area to see if there was space still for the SpectroMagic parade and Wishes fireworks show. There wasn't so we headed home. I was depressed not to keep it going, but nagging foot pains and a rapidly crashing Beth forced us on the bus back to Pop Century.
We got back to our room that was five minutes from the bus stop and found that our bags had magically appeared in our room. We showered off the sweat and suntan lotion and collapsed in bed around 11:30 pm.
Total hours awake: 19
Friday, September 26, 2008
Day Two - Hollywood Studios / Epcot
We slept in a bit and got up around 8 am and made our way to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM-Studios) by 10am. On the way we had a breakfast of pop tarts and granola bars. Disney's Hollywood Studios is not laid out as well as the other parks but is divided into different sections.
After getting our bearings, we made our way down Sunset Boulevard toward Rock N' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Beth got a fast pass at Rock N' Roller Coaster while I took pictures of the Tower of Terror. 
We met up and waited the 20 minutes to go on the Tower of Terror ride. While in line we adopted two small children; their mom couldn't go on the ride because she was pregnant. We were to keep an eye on the two girls. One was named Ally. Ally's mother quickly updated her request, we were only to watch Ally because Ally's sister freaking out about going on the ride. Ally's other and sister used the "chicken" exit and we were onl our way on the ride! All had a good time. We made our way back to the main hub and went behind the large Sorcerer Mickey hat to the replica of Mann's Chinese Theater to ride The Great Movie Ride. It was okay - nothing special when compared to the other rides.
After The Great Movie Ride, we split up. Beth used her fast pass on Rock N' Roller Coaster while I held her bag and meandered around in the park. I spotted Stitch taking pictures with guests but wasn't willing to wait in line, but I then realized it was 5:30 somewhere and found a large $6 beer and wandered over to Pixar Place to see if the new Toy Story Midway Mania ride would be having a "soft" opening today (it wasn't). I meandered some more before finally settling on a bench in the shade. I cooked up one of my schemes to fix some dining reservations and after talking with Beth made changes.
I then realized that I made a BIG mistake and needed to change it again. After spending a half-hour on the phone with Disney Dining I got everything figured out and all was right with the world for now. We were going to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, but hunger kept us going elsewhere. We grabbed fast passes for Star Tours. While Beth grabbed a table near the Jedi Training Academy show; I got burger/fry/drink/cheesecake meals from Backlot Express. We watched little kids learn the way of the force and battle Darth Vader. So cute in a Jedi sort of way.
After the meal and the show, we used our fast passes on Star Tours which is a bumpy and jerky simulator ride. 
After the ride, Beth restrained me from buying any geeky Star Wars-related stuff. We then made our way over to the Muppet*Vision 3D. The show was cool and I cheered on the Swedish Chef while Beth shook her head disapprovingly. If Mike Shake asks, we rode the ride 12 times. After exiting the ride, I wandered over to the gift shop and bought a plush Swedish Chef that now resides either on my desk or in my car. I did a lot of wandering didn't I?
Rain and long waits forced us to bail out on Disney's Hollywood Studios and get on the bus for EPCOT around 3:00pm. At this point, it's about 90 degrees and 110% humidity; however, there was a nice breeze that kept us from dying out there. Needless to say, we made our way to the air-conditioned rides/areas with a quick step.
We arrived at EPCOT around 3:30 and picked up a map. EPCOT is divided into two distinct areas. Future World focuses on technology of the past, present and future in many different pavilions. World Showcase features 11 different country pavilions with their own architecture, food and culture around the large lagoon.
We first made our way to Club Cool for free Coca-Cola products from all over the world. I particularly enjoyed the "Smart Watermelon" beverage from China. We then made our way to the Land Pavilion to pick up fast passes for the ever popular Soarin' attraction. The time worked out as our fast passes were for 7:09 and our dinner seating wasat 7:30 at The Garden Grill in the Land Pavilion.
We then took a moment to walk on the Living with the Land ride which showed well...umm... hydroponics plants and the other gardens Disney keeps in the back. It was about as exciting as it sounds-Beth took a nap.
We then made our way over to the Seas with Nemo and friends. We were greeted by seagulls squabbling out "MINE!"
We walked onto the Nemo and Friends ride and boarded the "clam-mobiles." The ride was cute, but really short. We then walked over to Turtle Talk with Crush and got in almost right away. Turtle Talk was cute and all, but we don't have kids and our obsession with Nemo has waned somewhat in the past few years. We then wandered around and enjoyed the A/C before leaving the Seas Pavilion. Our new destination was Test Track.
But of course there was time for a detour at the Mouse Gears shop where we wandered a bit. We found an Xmas ornament and Bethcontinued her search for the perfect picture frame. We sent the ornament and the Swedish Chef back to the resort and then made our way toward Test Track.
But we again got detoured stopping off for a Coke Slurpee before entering the single rider line at Test Track. The regular line was 50 minutes and the Single rider line was 20 and seeing that we had done our own version of Test Track some years ago in my 1985 Chrysler LeBaron ragtop, we thought the single rider line would be a good choice. We only spent about 10 minutes in line and still got to ride in the same car. After exiting Test Track we made our way to the World Showcase.
We made our way to Mexico and Beth had to keep a close eye on me because we all know what I'm looking for...the extra large sombreros. And trust me no one wants to see me in a four-foot-wide sombrero - especially Beth. We made our way to the Cantina de San Angel where I grabbed two partially frozen Margaritas while Beth grabbed an order of Cantina Nachos. We then found a slightly shaded table overlooking the Lagoon and enjoyed the view and breeze. I got some bad news as a friend and subject from back in Elgin died a few days prior. I toasted Art, a purple-heart veteran of World War II and a good friend, and quietly reflected looking over the water for a few minutes.
After the nachos were gone and the margaritas were finished, we made our way to the boat launch to take us to Germany. Once we arrived in Germany, Beth made her way to the shops and I made a beeline right to the stand with the word "Bier" atop it.
I bought a souvenir mug of Spaten Optimator and found Beth. Maybe tipsy, maybe just very happy, I had Beth take a picture of me with the beer and sent out a mass picture message with the message: "Going to Germany via....Florida???"
If you don't get it, don't worry; it's an old joke from a long time ago. This really began my quest to drink around the world. The rules were simple. 11 countries, 11 alcoholic beverages that were distinct to that county. Although this quest is usually done in one day, I opted for a two-day three-eight country split just to be on the safe side.
We then made our way back to the boat to take us back to Mexico around 6:45. We wanted to show up at our fast pass for Soarin' right at 7:09. We walked in right on time and walked into a 20-minute fast pass line-or as we called it the not-so-fast pass. We got on Soarin' right at 7:30 and this time it got mixed reviews. I thought it was incredible and Beth thought it was cool but the fan/scent blower thing didn't work right and caused Beth to sneeze as we got the Orange scent as we glided over the Orange fields.
We ran upstairs to The Garden Grill and got seated fairly quickly even though our reservation could not be found. The restaurant is served family-style in an "All you care to Eat" way. It does have characters in farmer clothing and most importantly, according to Beth "It spins!" As it spins, one gets a look at the Land Pavilion and the ever-exciting Living with the Land ride (it was a boat ride through the hydroponic gardens in EPCOT - it was so exciting beth was fast asleep in under two minutes.)
So as we ate dinner characters came around and visited us. First the meal. It was good. The Honey-Orange Blossom butter on the biscuits and rolls was good. I thought the cornbread was very good. We both enjoyed the flank steak and turkey with cranberry relish, but we avoided the fried catfish. Yuck! The pastry dessert was quite enjoyable as well.
As for the characters - We were first visited by Chip (of Chip N' Dale) and chip tried to steal Beth away, but I, without even leaving the table, called out, " Go ahead and keep her, she can't cook anyways!"
Next Pluto came by and we had a dance with him. 
Beth thought the dancing was a little intense. 
Then Dale came by and we took some more pictures.
Finally Mickey came by and Beth took a picture of "her plaid boys." 
The characters kept coming by and waving to us as we finished our meals. After dessert, we booked out and tried to get a seat for EPCOT's nightly fireworks, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.
Beth was in charge of finding a spot while I went to Canada and found a Canadian beer….eh? By the time I came back, he was none to happy with the spot Beth found because it was an obstructed view of the sky. So they walked back to near the connecting walkway between Future World and World Showcase. Ooooh ! Ahhhh! That's my favorite!
After the fireworks ended, we took a seat near the lagoon and rested. We also planned our next 24 hours.
We left EPCOT and found a taxi to take us to a Walgreen's just off property to get some medical supplies for Scott. $38 later we arrived back at the Pop Century resort around 10:45 p.m. Sore and tired we make our way to the room to shower. I realized he had one frame left on his roll of film and that he needed to shoot more
pictures. Went to bed around 11:40 p.m.
Hours Awake: about 15 hours
After getting our bearings, we made our way down Sunset Boulevard toward Rock N' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Beth got a fast pass at Rock N' Roller Coaster while I took pictures of the Tower of Terror. 
We met up and waited the 20 minutes to go on the Tower of Terror ride. While in line we adopted two small children; their mom couldn't go on the ride because she was pregnant. We were to keep an eye on the two girls. One was named Ally. Ally's mother quickly updated her request, we were only to watch Ally because Ally's sister freaking out about going on the ride. Ally's other and sister used the "chicken" exit and we were onl our way on the ride! All had a good time. We made our way back to the main hub and went behind the large Sorcerer Mickey hat to the replica of Mann's Chinese Theater to ride The Great Movie Ride. It was okay - nothing special when compared to the other rides.After The Great Movie Ride, we split up. Beth used her fast pass on Rock N' Roller Coaster while I held her bag and meandered around in the park. I spotted Stitch taking pictures with guests but wasn't willing to wait in line, but I then realized it was 5:30 somewhere and found a large $6 beer and wandered over to Pixar Place to see if the new Toy Story Midway Mania ride would be having a "soft" opening today (it wasn't). I meandered some more before finally settling on a bench in the shade. I cooked up one of my schemes to fix some dining reservations and after talking with Beth made changes.
I then realized that I made a BIG mistake and needed to change it again. After spending a half-hour on the phone with Disney Dining I got everything figured out and all was right with the world for now. We were going to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, but hunger kept us going elsewhere. We grabbed fast passes for Star Tours. While Beth grabbed a table near the Jedi Training Academy show; I got burger/fry/drink/cheesecake meals from Backlot Express. We watched little kids learn the way of the force and battle Darth Vader. So cute in a Jedi sort of way.
After the meal and the show, we used our fast passes on Star Tours which is a bumpy and jerky simulator ride. 
After the ride, Beth restrained me from buying any geeky Star Wars-related stuff. We then made our way over to the Muppet*Vision 3D. The show was cool and I cheered on the Swedish Chef while Beth shook her head disapprovingly. If Mike Shake asks, we rode the ride 12 times. After exiting the ride, I wandered over to the gift shop and bought a plush Swedish Chef that now resides either on my desk or in my car. I did a lot of wandering didn't I?Rain and long waits forced us to bail out on Disney's Hollywood Studios and get on the bus for EPCOT around 3:00pm. At this point, it's about 90 degrees and 110% humidity; however, there was a nice breeze that kept us from dying out there. Needless to say, we made our way to the air-conditioned rides/areas with a quick step.
We arrived at EPCOT around 3:30 and picked up a map. EPCOT is divided into two distinct areas. Future World focuses on technology of the past, present and future in many different pavilions. World Showcase features 11 different country pavilions with their own architecture, food and culture around the large lagoon.
We first made our way to Club Cool for free Coca-Cola products from all over the world. I particularly enjoyed the "Smart Watermelon" beverage from China. We then made our way to the Land Pavilion to pick up fast passes for the ever popular Soarin' attraction. The time worked out as our fast passes were for 7:09 and our dinner seating wasat 7:30 at The Garden Grill in the Land Pavilion.We then took a moment to walk on the Living with the Land ride which showed well...umm... hydroponics plants and the other gardens Disney keeps in the back. It was about as exciting as it sounds-Beth took a nap.
We then made our way over to the Seas with Nemo and friends. We were greeted by seagulls squabbling out "MINE!"
We walked onto the Nemo and Friends ride and boarded the "clam-mobiles." The ride was cute, but really short. We then walked over to Turtle Talk with Crush and got in almost right away. Turtle Talk was cute and all, but we don't have kids and our obsession with Nemo has waned somewhat in the past few years. We then wandered around and enjoyed the A/C before leaving the Seas Pavilion. Our new destination was Test Track.But of course there was time for a detour at the Mouse Gears shop where we wandered a bit. We found an Xmas ornament and Bethcontinued her search for the perfect picture frame. We sent the ornament and the Swedish Chef back to the resort and then made our way toward Test Track.
But we again got detoured stopping off for a Coke Slurpee before entering the single rider line at Test Track. The regular line was 50 minutes and the Single rider line was 20 and seeing that we had done our own version of Test Track some years ago in my 1985 Chrysler LeBaron ragtop, we thought the single rider line would be a good choice. We only spent about 10 minutes in line and still got to ride in the same car. After exiting Test Track we made our way to the World Showcase.
We made our way to Mexico and Beth had to keep a close eye on me because we all know what I'm looking for...the extra large sombreros. And trust me no one wants to see me in a four-foot-wide sombrero - especially Beth. We made our way to the Cantina de San Angel where I grabbed two partially frozen Margaritas while Beth grabbed an order of Cantina Nachos. We then found a slightly shaded table overlooking the Lagoon and enjoyed the view and breeze. I got some bad news as a friend and subject from back in Elgin died a few days prior. I toasted Art, a purple-heart veteran of World War II and a good friend, and quietly reflected looking over the water for a few minutes.
After the nachos were gone and the margaritas were finished, we made our way to the boat launch to take us to Germany. Once we arrived in Germany, Beth made her way to the shops and I made a beeline right to the stand with the word "Bier" atop it.
I bought a souvenir mug of Spaten Optimator and found Beth. Maybe tipsy, maybe just very happy, I had Beth take a picture of me with the beer and sent out a mass picture message with the message: "Going to Germany via....Florida???"If you don't get it, don't worry; it's an old joke from a long time ago. This really began my quest to drink around the world. The rules were simple. 11 countries, 11 alcoholic beverages that were distinct to that county. Although this quest is usually done in one day, I opted for a two-day three-eight country split just to be on the safe side.
We then made our way back to the boat to take us back to Mexico around 6:45. We wanted to show up at our fast pass for Soarin' right at 7:09. We walked in right on time and walked into a 20-minute fast pass line-or as we called it the not-so-fast pass. We got on Soarin' right at 7:30 and this time it got mixed reviews. I thought it was incredible and Beth thought it was cool but the fan/scent blower thing didn't work right and caused Beth to sneeze as we got the Orange scent as we glided over the Orange fields.
We ran upstairs to The Garden Grill and got seated fairly quickly even though our reservation could not be found. The restaurant is served family-style in an "All you care to Eat" way. It does have characters in farmer clothing and most importantly, according to Beth "It spins!" As it spins, one gets a look at the Land Pavilion and the ever-exciting Living with the Land ride (it was a boat ride through the hydroponic gardens in EPCOT - it was so exciting beth was fast asleep in under two minutes.)
So as we ate dinner characters came around and visited us. First the meal. It was good. The Honey-Orange Blossom butter on the biscuits and rolls was good. I thought the cornbread was very good. We both enjoyed the flank steak and turkey with cranberry relish, but we avoided the fried catfish. Yuck! The pastry dessert was quite enjoyable as well.
As for the characters - We were first visited by Chip (of Chip N' Dale) and chip tried to steal Beth away, but I, without even leaving the table, called out, " Go ahead and keep her, she can't cook anyways!"
Next Pluto came by and we had a dance with him. 
Beth thought the dancing was a little intense. 
Then Dale came by and we took some more pictures.
Finally Mickey came by and Beth took a picture of "her plaid boys." 
The characters kept coming by and waving to us as we finished our meals. After dessert, we booked out and tried to get a seat for EPCOT's nightly fireworks, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.Beth was in charge of finding a spot while I went to Canada and found a Canadian beer….eh? By the time I came back, he was none to happy with the spot Beth found because it was an obstructed view of the sky. So they walked back to near the connecting walkway between Future World and World Showcase. Ooooh ! Ahhhh! That's my favorite!
After the fireworks ended, we took a seat near the lagoon and rested. We also planned our next 24 hours.We left EPCOT and found a taxi to take us to a Walgreen's just off property to get some medical supplies for Scott. $38 later we arrived back at the Pop Century resort around 10:45 p.m. Sore and tired we make our way to the room to shower. I realized he had one frame left on his roll of film and that he needed to shoot more
pictures. Went to bed around 11:40 p.m.
Hours Awake: about 15 hours
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Day Three - Magic Kingdom / Epcot / Magic Kingdom
We woke up at 6:00 a.m. to shower and prepare to be on the bus by 7:25 to the Magic Kingdom for the rope drop for extra magic hours. At 8:00 am the park opened for Extra Magic Hours with some fanfare and we made a beeline for Space Mountain. For the morning Extra Magic Hours, only Tomorrowland and Fantasyland is open.
We walked right onto Space Mountain and really didn't enjoy it as much as we hoped. It was too dark for us to really enjoy the ride, we had to brace ourselves for the hard turns we couldn't see coming. We then walked over to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and walked right onto the ride. That was a lot of fun, but my fierce ray-gun skills dominated Beth.
As we exited the ride, we spotted Stitch and had to take a picture of Stitch taking Beth away from me.
We took the long way around to Fantasyland and got our picture taken in front of the Castle.
We took a lot of pictures of the castle as we walked through it. We sent evil looks towards "It's a Small World" as we made our way to Mickey's PhilharMagic which is a 3D movie. This really battled Muppets for our favorite 3D movie as we watched a little kid that fell out of her seat while trying to grab everything that came off the screen. We then walked over to Snow White's Scary Adventures, but it was in the process of being evacuated at the time because it was broken down. Boo.
We walked right onto Space Mountain and really didn't enjoy it as much as we hoped. It was too dark for us to really enjoy the ride, we had to brace ourselves for the hard turns we couldn't see coming. We then walked over to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and walked right onto the ride. That was a lot of fun, but my fierce ray-gun skills dominated Beth.
As we exited the ride, we spotted Stitch and had to take a picture of Stitch taking Beth away from me.
We took the long way around to Fantasyland and got our picture taken in front of the Castle.
We took a lot of pictures of the castle as we walked through it. We sent evil looks towards "It's a Small World" as we made our way to Mickey's PhilharMagic which is a 3D movie. This really battled Muppets for our favorite 3D movie as we watched a little kid that fell out of her seat while trying to grab everything that came off the screen. We then walked over to Snow White's Scary Adventures, but it was in the process of being evacuated at the time because it was broken down. Boo.We then backtracked to Tomorrowland (the quick way this time) and waited 10 minutes to go on the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.
The show was funny, but not that funny. We then made our way up to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and rested for a few minutes as we zipped around Tomorrowland.Adventure land was our next target. We just missed a show of the Tiki Room so we grabbed a Citrus Swirl (like a Rainbow Cone) andwatched kids have fun at Woody's Hoedown show next door in Frontierland. We then saw the TIKI TIKI TIKI TIKI ROOM show and I wanted to steal some of the decorations off the wall.
We then wandered Frontierland and Liberty Square as I took some pictures with my camera and Beth took pictures of me taking pictures.
As it started to drizzle, we escaped to the Haunted Mansion. We stayed dry and cool on the not-so-scary ride. One tip that saved us some time on this ride: when you go into the "stretching room" go towards the wall where there is a eye-level red light (its under the picture of the lady with the umbrella) that door opens to get to the ride and if you are right there, you'll get on first before the rest of the room.So we decided the day before that one umbrella was not enough for us. That being said, we walked out the Haunted Mansion and busted out both of our umbrellas. We windowed shopped around Liberty Square and checked in for our ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern at 11:30 and was seated promptly.
I had the William Penn Chicken Pasta which featured apple wood smoked bacon, marinated chicken, and basil with a creamy marinara. Beth had the New England Pot Roast that featured braised beef in a cabernet wine and is served with mashed potatoes and garden vegetables. We loved our dinners: the Pot Roast was very tender and delicious and the pasta had excellent flavor and texture. For dessert, we had Three-Chocolate Brownie and the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake that was rich and delicious.
Our server was from Pittsburgh and was very cordial. After lunch it stopped raining and we made our way down Main Street to do some shopping, including getting a set of ears for our buddy named Guy.From the Magic Kingdom, we took the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then took another monorail to EPCOT. While I found the bathroom, Beth got fast passes for Soarin'. We then made our way to World Showcase and started touring it in a counter-clockwise fashion. This then begins my final chance at drinking around the world.
We skipped over Canada (just like life...eh?) and made our way to the UK.
I grabbed a pint of Bass Ale and we wandered the shops and gardens in the UK and saw Mary Poppins in the process. We then made our way over to the France. I stopped to ponder a non-functioning camera before we made our way to the alcohol stand.
I grabbed a Kronenbourg 1664 and Beth got a Grand Mariner Orange Slush. We had a nice picture taken at the fountain but the shopping in France was not too cool. 
So we finished our drinks and made our way over to Morocco. Morocco was a really cool place, but they were out of beer! So we got the "Sultan's Coloda" and the both of us split it. The shops in Morocco were cool and the architecture was very interesting. They even have a fez house.
We then made our way to the Japan pavilion. We took some time to look around the shops and displays here because of the crazy Japanese toys. We rested to watch the drummers because I needed to nurse my Kirin beer a bit and Beth needed to get off her feet.
After the drummers, I stumbled with Beth over to the American Pavilion. We both relaxed in the air conditioning as Scott had a Sam Adams (worst beer of the day). We sat around as I sobered up a bit. He was beginning to get tipsy after a few beers in the heat. We then made our way to Italy and I had a Moertti beer and watched Sergio the Juggler and was thoroughly entertained.
We then walked over to Germany where I had already been the previous day. Beth bought a wonderful engraved glass for her Dad for father's day.We then made the long walk to China. The architecture was very beautiful and the shopping was interesting.
I bought a Tsing Tso beer and some egg rolls. As we sat there near the pond, a lady walked up to me and said, "Oh no, it looks like a bird pooped on you." A bird poop streaked down my back. But would a little bird poop stop me from finishing my challenge? Hell no! So we got up and Beth walked while I shambled my way to Norway. We looked for some type of Viking Mickey shirt or something cool, but nothing even remotely close to our price range. So I bought a Carlsberg beer and stared at the beautiful Stave Church and gave Beth photo advice. 
At this point, I'm drunk-ish. Eight beers in about three hours in the heat took its toll on me. 
We went back to Mouse Gears in Future world, but after not being able to find a male pink shirt (damn you gender stereotypes), I got a "retro" Mickey shirt.With a clean shirt on my back, I shambled less now as I walked with Beth to Soarin'. This time we waited 20 minutes in the not so fast pass line. However, Beth got a seat with a working fan/scent thing and she smelled the ride the way it was meant and didn't sneeze once.
We then got to the monorail and hurriedly took some pictures of the big beautiful ball.
So we took the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center and then onto the Magic Kingdom. I changed out to a faster speed film for the evening and we made our way and grabbed some curb around 7:30 pm outside the Emporium on Main Street. I grabbed some hot dogs from Casey's Corner for dinner and we had a nice romantic dinner sitting on the curb of Main Street USA. We took turns taking pictures as the other saved the space on the curb.
Cast members brought out games and hula-hoops to help keep kids occupied as they waited for the parade and fireworks. We were hanging out with some young families that were seated around us. I tried to do the hula-hoop, but got showed up in a big bad way.SCOTT fails VIDEO
The SpectroMagic parade was as cool, if not cooler, then we thought. The floats are lit up with dancing lights and they dance down Main Street.
At the end of the parade, we jumped in behind it and walked to basically right in front of the castle so we can watch the Wishes fireworks show. We sat our butts down and waited for a fewminutes before it started up. It was as awesome as we heard. Very moving.
After the show, we just hung out at the castle and relaxed. We had nowhere to be and we didn't care to fight the crowds. We saw the "Kiss Goodnight" and just soaked in the Disney magic, among the vacuums clearing the streets.We took a bunch of pictures and Scott started talking with the Disney photo CM named JC. He struggled to shoot with my old film camera for a frame. We walked down Main Street illuminated by these great white lights. I wondered if this is what was like to walk around the White City back in the worlds fair in 1892.
With our feet in some serious pain, we both shambled out of the Magic Kingdom, just missing the bus back to Pop Century. 15 minutes later and we are getting on the bus for a nice quiet ride back to the hotel.
We were surprised by balloons and a card signed by Mickey and Minnie congratulating us on our wedding.
I showered and Beth began to pack up the room. We collapsed in bed around 12:45.Hours awake: 18h:45m
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