Cast Members:
Me (K9Disney), Disney freak, 12th visit to WDW in 8 years
Mac, slightly less of a Disney freak but closing in, 5th visit in 4 years
Thursday, December 14th Official Day 1:
We were very excited to have an extra morning at WDW and started out a little after 8:00am. Went to Beaches and Cream for a quick breakfast and decided to sit outside. We were soon accosted by birds and a particular duck that quacked at us for food and when we didnâÂÂt give any, she would go to the next table and quack at them! Reminded me of being home with my dogs!! Anyway, the food hit the spot, the bird doo hit the table and we hit the road! Off to EPCOT through the backdoor â I love that perk! â and we slowly strolled through World Showcase and admired the holiday decorations. This was our first trip during the holidays and, as I had suspected, I was not disappointed â we loved all the decorations and the holiday music playing- and the 85 degree temperature!
First stop was Test Track and was a walk on â went right into the pre-show area and had our own car. I really like this ride so we were very happy when they let us just stay in the car and ride again! After TT, we walked over to Spaceship Earth. Mac works for AT&T so we were able to go up to their lounge and have some refreshments. They also gave us a very neat special pin that was only for visitors to the lounge so we were very happy with that surprise! After a nice chat with the woman working there, she escorted us down to the ride and we walked right on â another perk that I love! Our day was starting out great!
After Spaceship Earth, we went to Imagination for the new ride â what a major disappointment! ItâÂÂs hard to believe that with the creativity that abounds at WDW, one of the lamest rides is the Imagination ride! Anyway, went to the Land as we had missed that last trip, then onto World Showcase for lunch at San Angel Inn. We didnâÂÂt have PS but were seated right away and right by the water. This continues to be one of our favorite restaurants. Had a good lunch with good service and went onto El Rio del Tiempo. Although itâÂÂs not a favorite of mine, it is a great way to help the food digest before hitting the World Showcase again!
Background note: As I had mentioned in my quick restaurant reviews, we had been trying to successfully complete a Beer around the World trip since we last stayed at an EPCOT resort four years ago and were determined to get it done this time â not all in one day of course! So after Dos Equis in Mexico, we headed to Norway to ride the Maelstrom, skip the movie, and go to the bakery for a glass of Ringnes and dessert â I know, I know, beer and sweets â gross! But all tastes good at Disney I have found and this was no exception!! We also were able to catch the holiday storytellers at numerous countries and found them very entertaining. We bypassed China on our beer tour as we still had the Ringnes but after browsing in the stores and enjoying the sun some more, we were ready when BeckâÂÂs came calling in Germany. Bypassed Italy and sat down outside of American Adventure to make some calls. Discovered that the flight that we were supposed to be on never made it off the ground so we toasted our good fortune at having flown down the night before. Went into see American Adventure â my favorite EPCOT attraction â and were thoroughly entertained beforehand by Vybe, a group of young singers who take turns doing the preshow with the Voices of Liberty. We had seen them in March and were anxious to see (hear) again. They really are very good and I recommend trying to fit them into your schedule.
After our Adventure, we grabbed a Casablanca beer in Morocco and started back towards the YC as we had PS at LTT followed by MVMCP.
We had no wait for a bus to MK and got there about 4:30. Loved the holiday decorations here â Main Street took my breath away as always! Headed over to Adventureland and rode the Jungle Cruise â always a lot of fun. Had a 5:35 PS at LTT so after roaming through some shops, we went to check in. This was my first time at LTT and I loved it. The characters were great and really made our meal a lot of fun. The food was all you can eat and very good. We both would go here again.
At about 7:25 they let us out to the party. We went right away to get our picture taken, then went off for BTMR and were the first on! What a great ride this is in the dark! Makes it even more fun as you canâÂÂt see what is coming at you next! From here we did Pirates and the Country Bear Christmas Show (very fun). As we were exiting, people were lining up for the parade so we joined in and got great spots right at the rope. The parade was wonderful but boy did the crowds swell at the end! We went from having our own park to having a full park. Oh well. We headed over to Haunted Mansion and found a pleasant surprise in the midst of the crowd. On the riverboat there were a quartet of carolers singing and maybe 25 people watching. The bears came along to add in the fun and we were so glad to spend 20 minutes or so in relative quiet and enjoying the carols. Even in a crowd you can find some Disney magic!
We then went to Fantasyland for the fireworks. Again, an incredible sight! By now the crowds were still showing no sign of dropping off so we went over and did Buzz with a small wait and then got our hot chocolate and cookies as the 2nd parade was beginning. Walked down Main Street in the snow and caught a bus for the YC with no wait. While I enjoyed MVMCP and am glad that I did it, I donâÂÂt think I would spend the money on it again. It got a little crowded for my tastes but I recommend that everyone try it for themselves at least once.
Tomorrow: AK & CP at Epcot!
Me (K9Disney), Disney freak, 12th visit to WDW in 8 years
Mac, slightly less of a Disney freak but closing in, 5th visit in 4 years
Thursday, December 14th Official Day 1:
We were very excited to have an extra morning at WDW and started out a little after 8:00am. Went to Beaches and Cream for a quick breakfast and decided to sit outside. We were soon accosted by birds and a particular duck that quacked at us for food and when we didnâÂÂt give any, she would go to the next table and quack at them! Reminded me of being home with my dogs!! Anyway, the food hit the spot, the bird doo hit the table and we hit the road! Off to EPCOT through the backdoor â I love that perk! â and we slowly strolled through World Showcase and admired the holiday decorations. This was our first trip during the holidays and, as I had suspected, I was not disappointed â we loved all the decorations and the holiday music playing- and the 85 degree temperature!
First stop was Test Track and was a walk on â went right into the pre-show area and had our own car. I really like this ride so we were very happy when they let us just stay in the car and ride again! After TT, we walked over to Spaceship Earth. Mac works for AT&T so we were able to go up to their lounge and have some refreshments. They also gave us a very neat special pin that was only for visitors to the lounge so we were very happy with that surprise! After a nice chat with the woman working there, she escorted us down to the ride and we walked right on â another perk that I love! Our day was starting out great!
After Spaceship Earth, we went to Imagination for the new ride â what a major disappointment! ItâÂÂs hard to believe that with the creativity that abounds at WDW, one of the lamest rides is the Imagination ride! Anyway, went to the Land as we had missed that last trip, then onto World Showcase for lunch at San Angel Inn. We didnâÂÂt have PS but were seated right away and right by the water. This continues to be one of our favorite restaurants. Had a good lunch with good service and went onto El Rio del Tiempo. Although itâÂÂs not a favorite of mine, it is a great way to help the food digest before hitting the World Showcase again!
Background note: As I had mentioned in my quick restaurant reviews, we had been trying to successfully complete a Beer around the World trip since we last stayed at an EPCOT resort four years ago and were determined to get it done this time â not all in one day of course! So after Dos Equis in Mexico, we headed to Norway to ride the Maelstrom, skip the movie, and go to the bakery for a glass of Ringnes and dessert â I know, I know, beer and sweets â gross! But all tastes good at Disney I have found and this was no exception!! We also were able to catch the holiday storytellers at numerous countries and found them very entertaining. We bypassed China on our beer tour as we still had the Ringnes but after browsing in the stores and enjoying the sun some more, we were ready when BeckâÂÂs came calling in Germany. Bypassed Italy and sat down outside of American Adventure to make some calls. Discovered that the flight that we were supposed to be on never made it off the ground so we toasted our good fortune at having flown down the night before. Went into see American Adventure â my favorite EPCOT attraction â and were thoroughly entertained beforehand by Vybe, a group of young singers who take turns doing the preshow with the Voices of Liberty. We had seen them in March and were anxious to see (hear) again. They really are very good and I recommend trying to fit them into your schedule.
After our Adventure, we grabbed a Casablanca beer in Morocco and started back towards the YC as we had PS at LTT followed by MVMCP.
We had no wait for a bus to MK and got there about 4:30. Loved the holiday decorations here â Main Street took my breath away as always! Headed over to Adventureland and rode the Jungle Cruise â always a lot of fun. Had a 5:35 PS at LTT so after roaming through some shops, we went to check in. This was my first time at LTT and I loved it. The characters were great and really made our meal a lot of fun. The food was all you can eat and very good. We both would go here again.
At about 7:25 they let us out to the party. We went right away to get our picture taken, then went off for BTMR and were the first on! What a great ride this is in the dark! Makes it even more fun as you canâÂÂt see what is coming at you next! From here we did Pirates and the Country Bear Christmas Show (very fun). As we were exiting, people were lining up for the parade so we joined in and got great spots right at the rope. The parade was wonderful but boy did the crowds swell at the end! We went from having our own park to having a full park. Oh well. We headed over to Haunted Mansion and found a pleasant surprise in the midst of the crowd. On the riverboat there were a quartet of carolers singing and maybe 25 people watching. The bears came along to add in the fun and we were so glad to spend 20 minutes or so in relative quiet and enjoying the carols. Even in a crowd you can find some Disney magic!
We then went to Fantasyland for the fireworks. Again, an incredible sight! By now the crowds were still showing no sign of dropping off so we went over and did Buzz with a small wait and then got our hot chocolate and cookies as the 2nd parade was beginning. Walked down Main Street in the snow and caught a bus for the YC with no wait. While I enjoyed MVMCP and am glad that I did it, I donâÂÂt think I would spend the money on it again. It got a little crowded for my tastes but I recommend that everyone try it for themselves at least once.
Tomorrow: AK & CP at Epcot!
