We had a wonderful trip to Disney World this June. Here is a trip report and as always you can visit our gallery for pictures!
June 15th 2009 - On the way
Our flight took off from Salt Lake City at 10:00 a.m. It was a bit delayed but the pilot made up the time in the air and actually got us to Orlando early. My brother Mike and his family were on the same flight as us and ended up being in the row behind us. Once we landed we made our way to the Magical Express shuttle service and after a 40 minute ride we were at our destination: Coronado Springs Resort. Check in was quick - no line - and we were soon walking to our room. The grounds are beautiful and the room was perfect. After getting settled in we walked around and checked out the cool pool and playgrounds. We ate dinner at the Pepper Market where the food was good but pricey. After dinner we went to the gift shop and bought some milk, juice, and donuts for breakfast (we had packed cereal). We headed back to our room and got on our swimsuits and spent the rest of the evening playing in the huge pool and sliding down the waterslide. We showered and called it a night so we could get plenty of sleep for the next day.
June 16th 2009 - Magic Kingdom
We woke up early (7:00 a.m.), got ready, and had breakfast in our room. We were at the bus stop by 7:45 and at Magic Kingdom by 8:30. There was no line to get into the park and once inside we got to meet Snow White. We walked down Main Street and through the castle to fantasyland where we rode Peter Pan's Flight with a 20 minute wait (although the sign said 40 minutes). We walked right onto It's a Small World and then made our way over to Toontown to meet the fairies. We waited for an hour (our longest wait) but Sadie really wanted to meet them. We met Tinkerbell, Iradessa, and Rosetta (my favorite fairy). We then went on Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster which Sadie loved. Jim took Sadie on Dumbo (they waited 50 minutes!) while I ran over to Splash Mountain for fastpasses. We were getting hungry so we stopped in at Colombia Harbor House and picked up some mac'n'cheese, chicken strips, and fish & chips. The lunch was good and the room was air-conditioned (it was Hot & humid). We jumped in line for Haunted Mansion next - Sadie acted scared at first but she was fine later. It was almost time for our fastpass to Splash Mt. so we went over to Tom Sawyer's Island and explored a bit and then went on Splash Mountain. Fastpass is a wonderful thing - the wait was up to 110 minutes but by using fastpass we were on in less than 15. This ride was Sadie's favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom. We got fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMR) next and headed into Adventure land. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean, had popsicles while watching the Tiki birds, and rode the Jungle Cruise. We headed back over to BTMR and rode using fastpass so again waiting less than 20 minutes. After BTMR we went down Main Street to Tony's Town Square restaurant where we ate some good Italian food. While in the restaurant it started to rain - then it started to really rain. When we left the restaurant it was really coming down! Sadie and I put our ponchos on (Jim just winged it) and we walked/ran over to Buzz Lightyear. The line wasn't very long (everyone was out of the rain) and we got on in less than 20 minutes. After that we decided to call it a night, since we were all pretty wet, and caught the bus back to Coronado Springs. By then it was 8:30 p.m. We changed pants and walked over to my mom & dad's room to say hi to them and my sister Lori who just got into Florida. It was a very busy day.
June 17th 2009 - Disney's Hollywood Studios
We got up early and met my parents, Lori & Travis, and Mike’s family at the bus stop for Disney Hollywood Studios at 8:30 a.m. The first thing we did at DHS was to get fastpasses for Toy Story Mania and then my Dad, Lori, Travis, Jim, and I headed over to Tower of Terror while my mom took Sadie to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Tower of Terror was a lot of fun and not as scary as I thought it would be. After that we met up with my mom and Sadie and went on the Studio Backlot Tour. When we were done with that we met the pink Power Ranger and Sadie got an autograph. We wondered around a bit and looked in some shops and then headed back to Toy Story Mania for our fastpass return. We all enjoyed this ride – it is a family favorite. Jim and Travis then ran over to Rock'n' roller coaster to get fastpasses and then we all headed to lunch at 50's Prime Time Diner. The Diner looks like a 1950’s kitchen and everyone is family – your waiter, the people in the booth next to you. Lunch was good and our waiter was funny. After lunch mom & dad decided to go back to the hotel and we stayed with Lori & Travis and got into the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular just in time for the show. After the stunt show we went over to the Muppets 3D show and then got some popsicles to cool off and caught the Jedi Training camp where we got to see Darth Vader. While Jim and Travis went and rode the roller coaster I took Sadie to the High School Musical pep rally. Sadie was picked to dance around with the dancers and she really enjoyed that. She was starting to get hot & tired so when the boys came back Jim, Sadie, and I went back to the hotel for a quick rest and some good pool time. After the pool we decided to catch a bus down to downtown Disney and got some good food at Paradiso. By the time we got home it was 10:00 p.m. and we were all very worn out.
June 18th 2009 - Animal Kingdom
We got up our usual time and met Lori, Travis, and Mike's family at the bus stop at 8:40 a.m. and headed to the Animal Kingdom. Once we got there we headed straight to Expedition Everest to get fastpasses and then made our way over to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Mike wasn't feeling well so he sat out. The Safari was great with lots of cool animals. After the Safari Mike called and said he was going to the hospital to get checked out - he was okay but better safe than sorry. I told Jennifer that it's not a trip to Disney until someone goes to the hospital - I'm just glad it wasn't me this time. We went back over to Expedition Everest and rode it. I was proud of Sadie for riding it and even though she was scared and didn't like it too much she didn't cry or throw a fit. She simply said that she didn't want to ride it again - ever. We had lunch reservations at Yak & Yeti - the food was good, Sadie and I had the Chicken Lo Mein and Jim had the lettuce wraps. After lunch we went to get fastpasses for Kali River Rapids but the line was only 45 minutes so we decided to ride. Unfortunately this time the sign was waaay wrong and we were in line for over an hour! Ugh. Usually the wait times are better than posted but not in this case. On the ride Lori and I got soaked, and I mean soaked! Jim, Sadie, and Travis got quite wet as well. I never did fully dry out the rest of the day. We then caught the Flights of Wonder show that featured many different types of birds. We lucked out at It's Tough to be a Bug and waited only ten minutes for the show. Sadie wasn't sure if she liked this show or not. I will have to ask her again about it later. After the show we walked around a bit and realized it was about to rain so we ducked into Pizza Safari and got some breadsticks, drinks, and chocolate chip cookies and watched the storm. The rain let up a bit until it was just a small drizzle and Jim, Sadie, and I went to the Pangani Forest Trail and saw more animals. We rode the train out to the conservation station and back and decided to call it a day. We got back to the resort at about 5:30 and picked up a sandwich, chips, and a rice crispy treat to share and headed back to our room. The rest of the night was spent relaxing in our room and getting to bed early.
June 19th 2009 - Epcot
We woke up the usual time and met everyone (Mike's family, Lori & Travis, and Mom & Dad) down at the bus stop at 8:30 a.m. We went to Epcot for the day. It was my parent's official 50th Anniversary. The first thing we did was to get fastpasses for Soarin' and then we went and rode on Fast Track. Sadie was a bit scared at first but this ride ended up being her favorite ride at Epcot. I picked up some Anniversary badges for my parents to wear so everyone would know it was their Anniversary. We went over to ride Soarin' and on the way my parents were stopped and handed a phone - it was Mickey Mouse wishing them a happy anniversary. We all rode Soarin' and it was definitely a favorite for everyone. Afterwards we ate lunch at the Sunshine Fair right outside of Soarin' and then went over and rode The Seas with Nemo and Friends and saw Turtle Talk with Crush. Turtle Talk was just as fun as it was years ago in Disneyland. We walked around the aquariums looking at all the fish and parted ways with everyone. Jim, Sadie, and I walked over to Spaceship Earth that was just re-opening after being shut down for a while and got on with hardly any wait. We had fun in the interactive area after the ride. Jim wanted to ride Mission: Space and the line was only 30 minutes so while he did that Sadie and I grabbed some popsicles and sat in the shade. We headed over to the World Showcase at that time. We hit Mexico first – rode the Gran Fiesta ride and Sadie went to the Kidcot station and got a mask to color and collect tags for from all the countries. We went over to Norway next and rode Maelstrom and Sadie added to her mask. We walked though a few countries and made our way to Morocco where the Restaurant Marrakesh was. Sadie collected the tag from the kidcot station and we walked around the shops for a bit. We bought Sadie a shell necklace with her name written in Arabic - since her formal name Sadah is Arabic. We then met everyone at the restaurant for my parents 50th Anniversary dinner. The food was great and the service was wonderful. After we had eaten the meal the waiters all came out clapping and brought my parents a dessert with a lit candle in it. They put red fez hats on my parents and congratulated them on their Anniversary. After dinner we hung out in Morocco with my family for a bit and then everyone went their own way. We visited Japan, Germany, and Italy before staking out a good spot for the fireworks. Meanwhile my parents went over to the American Experience and got the royal treatment. Someone had spotted their Anniversary badges and when they found out it was their 50th they gave them a certificate and took them to the front of the show and had everyone clap for them. Then they were taken to a special VIP section to sit and watch the fireworks (they were also given another free dessert). After the fireworks we made our way out of the park and ended up on the same bus as my parents. Sadie promptly sat on Grandma’s lap and fell asleep. We all had a terrific day.
June 20th 2006 – Resort & Carbone visit
This morning we slept in a bit and went to the Mayan Grill for a breakfast buffet. After filling ourselves with tasty food we hung out at the pool for a while and then our friend Tom Carbone came and picked us up so we could spend the afternoon at his house. The rest of the day was filled with playing volleyball (house rules: one bounce is in) in their pool, catching up, and eating lots of good food--delicious prime rib, excellent potatoes, fresh bread, ripe watermelon, and Florida special Key Lime Pie . It was great to see Tom & Tina and their kids Simon & Olivia (Tommy is away at college), plus Tom “Magnum” Angus and his wife and son, “Magnum Jr.” Later Tom took us back to our hotel and we called it a night.
June 21st 2006 – Magic Kingdom + home again
We got up early this morning (7:00 a.m.) and packed up all our stuff. We said goodbye to Lori and Travis who had an early flight and met my parents at the front of the hotel to check our bags and have them hold onto our other bags while we went to the park one last time. We caught a bus to Magic Kingdom and strolled down Main Street and then made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean ride which we walked right on. We parted ways for a while with my parents so we could ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again. We walked back to Main Street just in time for a party/parade where Sadie and I danced in a conga line with Woody (from Toy Story). After watching the other floats go by with Mickey and the gang aboard we went to the Main Street Bakery and had lunch with my parents. We said goodbye to Disney World and headed back to our resort to catch our Magical Express bus to the airport. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare so we visited some more with my parents who were on the same flight as us. After an uneventful flight we finally arrived home at 8:00p.m. and called it a day. Our trip was a fun, exciting, awesome (Sadie’s word) trip! Disney does a good job and I give them high marks. We can’t wait to come back (maybe in five years)! For more pictures visit our gallery.
Our flight took off from Salt Lake City at 10:00 a.m. It was a bit delayed but the pilot made up the time in the air and actually got us to Orlando early. My brother Mike and his family were on the same flight as us and ended up being in the row behind us. Once we landed we made our way to the Magical Express shuttle service and after a 40 minute ride we were at our destination: Coronado Springs Resort. Check in was quick - no line - and we were soon walking to our room. The grounds are beautiful and the room was perfect. After getting settled in we walked around and checked out the cool pool and playgrounds. We ate dinner at the Pepper Market where the food was good but pricey. After dinner we went to the gift shop and bought some milk, juice, and donuts for breakfast (we had packed cereal). We headed back to our room and got on our swimsuits and spent the rest of the evening playing in the huge pool and sliding down the waterslide. We showered and called it a night so we could get plenty of sleep for the next day.
June 16th 2009 - Magic Kingdom
We woke up early (7:00 a.m.), got ready, and had breakfast in our room. We were at the bus stop by 7:45 and at Magic Kingdom by 8:30. There was no line to get into the park and once inside we got to meet Snow White. We walked down Main Street and through the castle to fantasyland where we rode Peter Pan's Flight with a 20 minute wait (although the sign said 40 minutes). We walked right onto It's a Small World and then made our way over to Toontown to meet the fairies. We waited for an hour (our longest wait) but Sadie really wanted to meet them. We met Tinkerbell, Iradessa, and Rosetta (my favorite fairy). We then went on Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster which Sadie loved. Jim took Sadie on Dumbo (they waited 50 minutes!) while I ran over to Splash Mountain for fastpasses. We were getting hungry so we stopped in at Colombia Harbor House and picked up some mac'n'cheese, chicken strips, and fish & chips. The lunch was good and the room was air-conditioned (it was Hot & humid). We jumped in line for Haunted Mansion next - Sadie acted scared at first but she was fine later. It was almost time for our fastpass to Splash Mt. so we went over to Tom Sawyer's Island and explored a bit and then went on Splash Mountain. Fastpass is a wonderful thing - the wait was up to 110 minutes but by using fastpass we were on in less than 15. This ride was Sadie's favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom. We got fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMR) next and headed into Adventure land. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean, had popsicles while watching the Tiki birds, and rode the Jungle Cruise. We headed back over to BTMR and rode using fastpass so again waiting less than 20 minutes. After BTMR we went down Main Street to Tony's Town Square restaurant where we ate some good Italian food. While in the restaurant it started to rain - then it started to really rain. When we left the restaurant it was really coming down! Sadie and I put our ponchos on (Jim just winged it) and we walked/ran over to Buzz Lightyear. The line wasn't very long (everyone was out of the rain) and we got on in less than 20 minutes. After that we decided to call it a night, since we were all pretty wet, and caught the bus back to Coronado Springs. By then it was 8:30 p.m. We changed pants and walked over to my mom & dad's room to say hi to them and my sister Lori who just got into Florida. It was a very busy day.
June 17th 2009 - Disney's Hollywood Studios
We got up early and met my parents, Lori & Travis, and Mike’s family at the bus stop for Disney Hollywood Studios at 8:30 a.m. The first thing we did at DHS was to get fastpasses for Toy Story Mania and then my Dad, Lori, Travis, Jim, and I headed over to Tower of Terror while my mom took Sadie to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Tower of Terror was a lot of fun and not as scary as I thought it would be. After that we met up with my mom and Sadie and went on the Studio Backlot Tour. When we were done with that we met the pink Power Ranger and Sadie got an autograph. We wondered around a bit and looked in some shops and then headed back to Toy Story Mania for our fastpass return. We all enjoyed this ride – it is a family favorite. Jim and Travis then ran over to Rock'n' roller coaster to get fastpasses and then we all headed to lunch at 50's Prime Time Diner. The Diner looks like a 1950’s kitchen and everyone is family – your waiter, the people in the booth next to you. Lunch was good and our waiter was funny. After lunch mom & dad decided to go back to the hotel and we stayed with Lori & Travis and got into the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular just in time for the show. After the stunt show we went over to the Muppets 3D show and then got some popsicles to cool off and caught the Jedi Training camp where we got to see Darth Vader. While Jim and Travis went and rode the roller coaster I took Sadie to the High School Musical pep rally. Sadie was picked to dance around with the dancers and she really enjoyed that. She was starting to get hot & tired so when the boys came back Jim, Sadie, and I went back to the hotel for a quick rest and some good pool time. After the pool we decided to catch a bus down to downtown Disney and got some good food at Paradiso. By the time we got home it was 10:00 p.m. and we were all very worn out.
June 18th 2009 - Animal Kingdom
We got up our usual time and met Lori, Travis, and Mike's family at the bus stop at 8:40 a.m. and headed to the Animal Kingdom. Once we got there we headed straight to Expedition Everest to get fastpasses and then made our way over to Kilimanjaro Safaris. Mike wasn't feeling well so he sat out. The Safari was great with lots of cool animals. After the Safari Mike called and said he was going to the hospital to get checked out - he was okay but better safe than sorry. I told Jennifer that it's not a trip to Disney until someone goes to the hospital - I'm just glad it wasn't me this time. We went back over to Expedition Everest and rode it. I was proud of Sadie for riding it and even though she was scared and didn't like it too much she didn't cry or throw a fit. She simply said that she didn't want to ride it again - ever. We had lunch reservations at Yak & Yeti - the food was good, Sadie and I had the Chicken Lo Mein and Jim had the lettuce wraps. After lunch we went to get fastpasses for Kali River Rapids but the line was only 45 minutes so we decided to ride. Unfortunately this time the sign was waaay wrong and we were in line for over an hour! Ugh. Usually the wait times are better than posted but not in this case. On the ride Lori and I got soaked, and I mean soaked! Jim, Sadie, and Travis got quite wet as well. I never did fully dry out the rest of the day. We then caught the Flights of Wonder show that featured many different types of birds. We lucked out at It's Tough to be a Bug and waited only ten minutes for the show. Sadie wasn't sure if she liked this show or not. I will have to ask her again about it later. After the show we walked around a bit and realized it was about to rain so we ducked into Pizza Safari and got some breadsticks, drinks, and chocolate chip cookies and watched the storm. The rain let up a bit until it was just a small drizzle and Jim, Sadie, and I went to the Pangani Forest Trail and saw more animals. We rode the train out to the conservation station and back and decided to call it a day. We got back to the resort at about 5:30 and picked up a sandwich, chips, and a rice crispy treat to share and headed back to our room. The rest of the night was spent relaxing in our room and getting to bed early.
June 19th 2009 - Epcot
We woke up the usual time and met everyone (Mike's family, Lori & Travis, and Mom & Dad) down at the bus stop at 8:30 a.m. We went to Epcot for the day. It was my parent's official 50th Anniversary. The first thing we did was to get fastpasses for Soarin' and then we went and rode on Fast Track. Sadie was a bit scared at first but this ride ended up being her favorite ride at Epcot. I picked up some Anniversary badges for my parents to wear so everyone would know it was their Anniversary. We went over to ride Soarin' and on the way my parents were stopped and handed a phone - it was Mickey Mouse wishing them a happy anniversary. We all rode Soarin' and it was definitely a favorite for everyone. Afterwards we ate lunch at the Sunshine Fair right outside of Soarin' and then went over and rode The Seas with Nemo and Friends and saw Turtle Talk with Crush. Turtle Talk was just as fun as it was years ago in Disneyland. We walked around the aquariums looking at all the fish and parted ways with everyone. Jim, Sadie, and I walked over to Spaceship Earth that was just re-opening after being shut down for a while and got on with hardly any wait. We had fun in the interactive area after the ride. Jim wanted to ride Mission: Space and the line was only 30 minutes so while he did that Sadie and I grabbed some popsicles and sat in the shade. We headed over to the World Showcase at that time. We hit Mexico first – rode the Gran Fiesta ride and Sadie went to the Kidcot station and got a mask to color and collect tags for from all the countries. We went over to Norway next and rode Maelstrom and Sadie added to her mask. We walked though a few countries and made our way to Morocco where the Restaurant Marrakesh was. Sadie collected the tag from the kidcot station and we walked around the shops for a bit. We bought Sadie a shell necklace with her name written in Arabic - since her formal name Sadah is Arabic. We then met everyone at the restaurant for my parents 50th Anniversary dinner. The food was great and the service was wonderful. After we had eaten the meal the waiters all came out clapping and brought my parents a dessert with a lit candle in it. They put red fez hats on my parents and congratulated them on their Anniversary. After dinner we hung out in Morocco with my family for a bit and then everyone went their own way. We visited Japan, Germany, and Italy before staking out a good spot for the fireworks. Meanwhile my parents went over to the American Experience and got the royal treatment. Someone had spotted their Anniversary badges and when they found out it was their 50th they gave them a certificate and took them to the front of the show and had everyone clap for them. Then they were taken to a special VIP section to sit and watch the fireworks (they were also given another free dessert). After the fireworks we made our way out of the park and ended up on the same bus as my parents. Sadie promptly sat on Grandma’s lap and fell asleep. We all had a terrific day.
June 20th 2006 – Resort & Carbone visit
This morning we slept in a bit and went to the Mayan Grill for a breakfast buffet. After filling ourselves with tasty food we hung out at the pool for a while and then our friend Tom Carbone came and picked us up so we could spend the afternoon at his house. The rest of the day was filled with playing volleyball (house rules: one bounce is in) in their pool, catching up, and eating lots of good food--delicious prime rib, excellent potatoes, fresh bread, ripe watermelon, and Florida special Key Lime Pie . It was great to see Tom & Tina and their kids Simon & Olivia (Tommy is away at college), plus Tom “Magnum” Angus and his wife and son, “Magnum Jr.” Later Tom took us back to our hotel and we called it a night.
June 21st 2006 – Magic Kingdom + home again
We got up early this morning (7:00 a.m.) and packed up all our stuff. We said goodbye to Lori and Travis who had an early flight and met my parents at the front of the hotel to check our bags and have them hold onto our other bags while we went to the park one last time. We caught a bus to Magic Kingdom and strolled down Main Street and then made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean ride which we walked right on. We parted ways for a while with my parents so we could ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again. We walked back to Main Street just in time for a party/parade where Sadie and I danced in a conga line with Woody (from Toy Story). After watching the other floats go by with Mickey and the gang aboard we went to the Main Street Bakery and had lunch with my parents. We said goodbye to Disney World and headed back to our resort to catch our Magical Express bus to the airport. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare so we visited some more with my parents who were on the same flight as us. After an uneventful flight we finally arrived home at 8:00p.m. and called it a day. Our trip was a fun, exciting, awesome (Sadie’s word) trip! Disney does a good job and I give them high marks. We can’t wait to come back (maybe in five years)! For more pictures visit our gallery.
1 comment:
I'm glad you guys had a wonderful trip! Hope you aren't too stressed getting ready to move!
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