Cast: Julee, 27 (AKA Happy) 1st trip to WDW. John, 29 (AKA Grumpy) 1st trip to WDW
Monday Nov. 13 (Day 2)
Remarkably enough when I told John we would need to leave the hotel by 7am for early entry to Magic Kingdom he didnâÂÂt complain. As I mentioned before neither of us are morning people. We missed early entry by about 3 hours every day at Disneyland so I figured WDW would be no exception. Surprisingly when the alarm went off at 6am we both got up. We were out the door by 7:15 and headed towards the bus. The bus stop wasnâÂÂt crowded (in fact I think we were the only people there) and the bus to Magic Kingdom came in about 5 minutes. It was a bit chilly and it looked as if it might rain. I ignored that fact and took in the sights as we headed towards Dixie Landings.
When I was planning our trip I couldnâÂÂt decide between Dixie Landings and Port Orleans. After seeing Dixie Landings I was kind of sorry I went with PO. DonâÂÂt get me wrong, I like PO a lot. There was just something about Dixie that seemed a bit more âÂÂspecialâÂÂ.
As we made our way to Magic Kingdom we passed the Contemporary and the Polynesian. It was so weird finally seeing all these places that I had read about for so long in person. I wasnâÂÂt that impressed with the Contemporary. It looks much cooler in pictures. We could also see the Grand Floridian across the lake. All I can say is this place is gorgeous. It looked so majestic! As we pulled up to the gates my heart sank when I saw the crowds. As we entered the park it was more crowded than I expected, but not as crowded as it looked from the gate. As we walked toward Main Street I held my breath as I expected to be awestruck when I got my first glance of the castle. Unfortunately it didnâÂÂt have the effect I expected. Yes it was bigger than the one in Disneyland, but it still wasnâÂÂt Disneyland. It wasnâÂÂt the castle that brought me to tears on the last night of our vacation when I was 9.
We decided to head to Tomorrowland until our 10:15 reservations at Crystal Palace. IâÂÂll have to admit the Tomorrowland at DL is much neater than the one at WDW since they remodeled it. John wanted to go to Alien Encounter since he is a huge sci-fi fan. Again I felt totally disorientatedâ¦just like at DTD. I was looking at the map and according to it, AE should be right in front of us but I couldnâÂÂt find it. At Disneyland I can navigate with my eyes closed, but this was a whole new world to me (no pun intended). We hopped on Buzz Lightyear since there was no line. I was a bit disappointed with this ride. Yeah it was fun that you get to shoot at things, but by the end of the ride it gets kind of old. Finally we spotted Alien Encounter and I felt really stupid when I realized that we were standing right outside of it looking at the map. This was a lot of fun. Both John and I enjoyed it and we left the ride with goosebumps on our neck. If youâÂÂve been to AE then you know what IâÂÂm talking about. I did think it was a bit strange that an attraction like this was at the Magic Kingdom and not at MGM.
Next we decided to get a Fast Pass for Space Mountain (my first Fast Passâ¦how exciting!). John thought this concept was really cool. We had time to kill so we rode TTA. Now this brought back great memories! Last time we were at Disneyland, this ride was gone so IâÂÂm glad I got the chance to ride it at WDW, although it moved much faster than I remember. I wanted to ride Astro Orbiter but John refused since when we were at Disneyland we got stuck in the ride (HINT: DONâÂÂT TRY TO FIT 2 ADULTS IN ONE ROCKET).
By this time we were both really hungry and we still had over an hour until our PS at Crystal Palace. We decided to go see if we could get in early. HA! One look at the huge line and we kept moving onto Adventureland. I couldnâÂÂt believe John actually suggested we go pay a visit to the Tiki Birds. He hated this attraction at DL, but the building looks much cooler at WDW. I was a bit disappointed with this as well. It seemed a lot shorter than the one at DL and you only get about 15 seconds of the popular Tiki theme song.
When the Tiki Birds were done singing it was time for our Fast Pass at Space Mountain. By this time the park was starting to get crowded and the normal Stand By line was up to 45 minutes. I couldnâÂÂt believe how great the feeling was to walk past all those poor souls who were standing in line glaring at us and we breezed by them happily grasping our Fast Pass. We only had to wait about 5 minutes. Again both John and I were a bit disappointed with Space Mountain at WDW. When they remodeled the one at DL they added loud spacey rock music which really adds to the feeling of speed. DonâÂÂt get me wrong, it was fun. I just like to one at DL better.
After Space Mountain it was FINALLY time for our PS at Crystal Palace. It was 10:00 and John and I were sure they could hear our stomachs growling all the way over in Fantasyland. We sat on the porch and waited for them to call our name. John seemed to be getting really cranky. I kind of was too. I thought that this was supposed to be the slow season and the park was really crowded. I was hoping it was because it was early entry day. They finally called our name about 15 minutes after our PS time. The breakfast buffet at Crystal Palace is really good and started a buffet trend that would last us throughout the trip. The French toast is outstanding as is just about everything else. The only problem was that they couldnâÂÂt fill up JohnâÂÂs glass of orange juice fast enough (as I said before, he drinks like a fish). Finally the server surrendered and brought him a large glass.
I got nervous when I saw Tigger at the table next to ours. I didnâÂÂt know how John would react to the characters. We got visited by all the characters (Piglet, Eyeore, and Tigger) and John behaved. He even laughed and posed for a few pictures with them. For some reason throughout the trip all the characters we encountered seemed amused by JohnâÂÂs hair. ItâÂÂs really nothing that out of the ordinary, itâÂÂs just short and spiky. All the characters liked to touch it.
John was in a much better mood after we ate. We decided to go back to Adventureland and ride Jungle Cruise. We thought weâÂÂd get a Fast Pass but quickly changed our minds when we saw the FP line was longer than the regular line. We skipped Jungle Cruise and headed over towards Pirates- MY FAVORITE!!! The wait was about 20 minutes and was much longer than we thought it would be. At DL when you enter the building you pretty much get right on the ride. Here there are a bunch of corridors to go through. For some reason, again I was disappointed. I liked the one at DL a lot better. I miss the drop at the beginning and the incline at the end. By this point IâÂÂm really beginning to feel let down.
When we left Pirates, John and I both agreed we needed a nap. We decided to grab a Dole Whip and head back to the hotel. They are really yummy. I had a pineapple-vanilla swirl and finally something lived up to my expectations.
By the time we got back to the hotel my feet were killing me. IâÂÂm used to wearing some sort of heel and now I was wearing gym shoes so I guess my feet didnâÂÂt like the change. I couldnâÂÂt believe we had only been here a day and already I wanted to chop off my feet. How was I going to make it another 8 days?
I had originally planned to visit MGM later that evening for the Fantasmic Dinner Package, but we couldnâÂÂt get PS so we decided to head to Epcot instead. However first I was in desperate need of sleep. John said he wasnâÂÂt tired and that he wanted to watch TV and relax. Again I fell asleep for my nap without setting the alarm. You can probably guess what happened.
Monday Nov. 13 (Day 2)
Remarkably enough when I told John we would need to leave the hotel by 7am for early entry to Magic Kingdom he didnâÂÂt complain. As I mentioned before neither of us are morning people. We missed early entry by about 3 hours every day at Disneyland so I figured WDW would be no exception. Surprisingly when the alarm went off at 6am we both got up. We were out the door by 7:15 and headed towards the bus. The bus stop wasnâÂÂt crowded (in fact I think we were the only people there) and the bus to Magic Kingdom came in about 5 minutes. It was a bit chilly and it looked as if it might rain. I ignored that fact and took in the sights as we headed towards Dixie Landings.
When I was planning our trip I couldnâÂÂt decide between Dixie Landings and Port Orleans. After seeing Dixie Landings I was kind of sorry I went with PO. DonâÂÂt get me wrong, I like PO a lot. There was just something about Dixie that seemed a bit more âÂÂspecialâÂÂ.
As we made our way to Magic Kingdom we passed the Contemporary and the Polynesian. It was so weird finally seeing all these places that I had read about for so long in person. I wasnâÂÂt that impressed with the Contemporary. It looks much cooler in pictures. We could also see the Grand Floridian across the lake. All I can say is this place is gorgeous. It looked so majestic! As we pulled up to the gates my heart sank when I saw the crowds. As we entered the park it was more crowded than I expected, but not as crowded as it looked from the gate. As we walked toward Main Street I held my breath as I expected to be awestruck when I got my first glance of the castle. Unfortunately it didnâÂÂt have the effect I expected. Yes it was bigger than the one in Disneyland, but it still wasnâÂÂt Disneyland. It wasnâÂÂt the castle that brought me to tears on the last night of our vacation when I was 9.
We decided to head to Tomorrowland until our 10:15 reservations at Crystal Palace. IâÂÂll have to admit the Tomorrowland at DL is much neater than the one at WDW since they remodeled it. John wanted to go to Alien Encounter since he is a huge sci-fi fan. Again I felt totally disorientatedâ¦just like at DTD. I was looking at the map and according to it, AE should be right in front of us but I couldnâÂÂt find it. At Disneyland I can navigate with my eyes closed, but this was a whole new world to me (no pun intended). We hopped on Buzz Lightyear since there was no line. I was a bit disappointed with this ride. Yeah it was fun that you get to shoot at things, but by the end of the ride it gets kind of old. Finally we spotted Alien Encounter and I felt really stupid when I realized that we were standing right outside of it looking at the map. This was a lot of fun. Both John and I enjoyed it and we left the ride with goosebumps on our neck. If youâÂÂve been to AE then you know what IâÂÂm talking about. I did think it was a bit strange that an attraction like this was at the Magic Kingdom and not at MGM.
Next we decided to get a Fast Pass for Space Mountain (my first Fast Passâ¦how exciting!). John thought this concept was really cool. We had time to kill so we rode TTA. Now this brought back great memories! Last time we were at Disneyland, this ride was gone so IâÂÂm glad I got the chance to ride it at WDW, although it moved much faster than I remember. I wanted to ride Astro Orbiter but John refused since when we were at Disneyland we got stuck in the ride (HINT: DONâÂÂT TRY TO FIT 2 ADULTS IN ONE ROCKET).
By this time we were both really hungry and we still had over an hour until our PS at Crystal Palace. We decided to go see if we could get in early. HA! One look at the huge line and we kept moving onto Adventureland. I couldnâÂÂt believe John actually suggested we go pay a visit to the Tiki Birds. He hated this attraction at DL, but the building looks much cooler at WDW. I was a bit disappointed with this as well. It seemed a lot shorter than the one at DL and you only get about 15 seconds of the popular Tiki theme song.
When the Tiki Birds were done singing it was time for our Fast Pass at Space Mountain. By this time the park was starting to get crowded and the normal Stand By line was up to 45 minutes. I couldnâÂÂt believe how great the feeling was to walk past all those poor souls who were standing in line glaring at us and we breezed by them happily grasping our Fast Pass. We only had to wait about 5 minutes. Again both John and I were a bit disappointed with Space Mountain at WDW. When they remodeled the one at DL they added loud spacey rock music which really adds to the feeling of speed. DonâÂÂt get me wrong, it was fun. I just like to one at DL better.
After Space Mountain it was FINALLY time for our PS at Crystal Palace. It was 10:00 and John and I were sure they could hear our stomachs growling all the way over in Fantasyland. We sat on the porch and waited for them to call our name. John seemed to be getting really cranky. I kind of was too. I thought that this was supposed to be the slow season and the park was really crowded. I was hoping it was because it was early entry day. They finally called our name about 15 minutes after our PS time. The breakfast buffet at Crystal Palace is really good and started a buffet trend that would last us throughout the trip. The French toast is outstanding as is just about everything else. The only problem was that they couldnâÂÂt fill up JohnâÂÂs glass of orange juice fast enough (as I said before, he drinks like a fish). Finally the server surrendered and brought him a large glass.
I got nervous when I saw Tigger at the table next to ours. I didnâÂÂt know how John would react to the characters. We got visited by all the characters (Piglet, Eyeore, and Tigger) and John behaved. He even laughed and posed for a few pictures with them. For some reason throughout the trip all the characters we encountered seemed amused by JohnâÂÂs hair. ItâÂÂs really nothing that out of the ordinary, itâÂÂs just short and spiky. All the characters liked to touch it.
John was in a much better mood after we ate. We decided to go back to Adventureland and ride Jungle Cruise. We thought weâÂÂd get a Fast Pass but quickly changed our minds when we saw the FP line was longer than the regular line. We skipped Jungle Cruise and headed over towards Pirates- MY FAVORITE!!! The wait was about 20 minutes and was much longer than we thought it would be. At DL when you enter the building you pretty much get right on the ride. Here there are a bunch of corridors to go through. For some reason, again I was disappointed. I liked the one at DL a lot better. I miss the drop at the beginning and the incline at the end. By this point IâÂÂm really beginning to feel let down.
When we left Pirates, John and I both agreed we needed a nap. We decided to grab a Dole Whip and head back to the hotel. They are really yummy. I had a pineapple-vanilla swirl and finally something lived up to my expectations.
By the time we got back to the hotel my feet were killing me. IâÂÂm used to wearing some sort of heel and now I was wearing gym shoes so I guess my feet didnâÂÂt like the change. I couldnâÂÂt believe we had only been here a day and already I wanted to chop off my feet. How was I going to make it another 8 days?
I had originally planned to visit MGM later that evening for the Fantasmic Dinner Package, but we couldnâÂÂt get PS so we decided to head to Epcot instead. However first I was in desperate need of sleep. John said he wasnâÂÂt tired and that he wanted to watch TV and relax. Again I fell asleep for my nap without setting the alarm. You can probably guess what happened.
