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Day 1
Well, we're back it was a very busy four days, but a lot of fun. I'll try to do as detailed a recap as I can, but there are events that are (thankfully) a blur. There were five of us on the trip, me (24) my husband Chris (23), his/our friend Jason (24) my MIL Judy (50) and her mother, Nana (72). This was Chris and my's second trip this year, my MIL's first trip in about 5 years, Nana's first in about 10 years and Jason hadn't been since he was 9. So, there was a lot to be seen by all. We stayed in All Star Music, which was a first for us, Chris and I usually stay in Movies, and I have to admit, we really like Movies better.
Everyone came down to our house on the 10th and it was sort of like a big slumber party. We got to be between midnight and 1 am, and got up between 4 and 4:30. We had a 6:55 am flight out of Allentown, (LVIA or ABE depending on who you're talking to) It was originally a nonstop but, in light of all that's happened, we had a connection in Pittsburgh. We got to the airport at about 5 am, checked in and breezed through security. They were relatively thorough, but there really wasn't anyone else there at that hour. We got breakfast, then waited to board our flight. The flight to Pittsburgh was uneventful, we waited there for about 40 minutes then boarded our flight to Orlando. That also was uneventful, and we landed around noon.
We had booked a Tiffany towncar, then when we added the fifth person, we had to upgrade to a van. We headed to the baggage claim and met our driver who told us that we were lucky, they had run out of vans, so upgraded us to a double stretch limo for free. That was nice, and it certainly made the trip more special. We got to the hotel, checked in and had two rooms waiting for us. (Nana and Judy were in one room, Chris, Jason and I were in the other). About half an hour later we were on our way to the MK.
We got to the MK, then headed up Main Street. We stopped at Casey's for hot dogs and fries. We split most of the food, and I tend not to pay for things, so my prices are guesses. Chris and I got four hot dogs, split some fries, and got a large soda for 10-12 dollars. They have the best hot dogs, their fries are really good, but the Sprite sucks. We ate in the little room off to the side with the tv screen and then headed off to Tomorrowland. Since time was so short, we had opted to go with the Unofficial touring plans. Chris and Jason went on Space Mountain and Alien Encounter. They had less than 5 minute waits both times. After AE, we headed up to the hub and got a great spot to watch the Share a Dream Come True Parade, about 5-10 minutes before it started. The parade was great, I'm not much for parades, but I loved this one. After the parade, we headed to Fantasyland and did Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan, and Small World. After finishing those, we did Haunted Mansion and toured Tom Sawyer's Island. Then, Chris and Jason did Big Thunder Mountain. At this point is was about quarter after five and we had 5:45 PS at Artist Point.
We left the park and took the ferry out to the Wilderness Lodge. That's one of my favorite resorts. We've never stayed there, but it's gorgeous. And, the food at Wilderness Lodge is incredible. Jason ordered an appetizer, the tomato mozzarella salad, and Chris and I shared the scallops in lemon butter sauce. Judy and I had the filet mignon, Jason and Nana had the salmon and Chris had the free range chicken. Then, I got the chocolate silk bread pudding for dessert, while Chris and Jason split the cobbler and so did Nana and Judy. We paid for dinner, so I know that with tip included, it was 250.00. But, it was soo worth it.
After dinner, we took a quick walk around the lobby to see the decorations, then hopped back on the ferry to head back to the MK. We got back and it was time for MVMCP. It was about 7:30, so we opted to skip the first parade and headed out to Adventureland to get our pictures taken. We got some hot chocolate and cookies, got our picture taken and then the guys went on Pirates. I found Jasmine and Alladin wandering around and took their pictures. As the guys got off Pirates, it was nearing time for the fireworks, so we headed off to the hub. They were great, as usual. Then, Judy and Nana decided they were tired, so they headed back to the hotel, while Jason, Chris and I headed back to Tomorrowland. We rode Buzz Lightyear, went to the arcade to buy the light up pins and also the special MVMCP pins (we got the one with the dangly sign held by snowflakes). Then, we went back to the hub to get a spot in front of the castle to see the parade. Chris and Jason went off because Jason wanted his picture taken in front of the giant totem pole type things in Adventureland. When they met back up with me, I realized that it didn't make a lot of sense to sit by the castle, as the "snow" is on Main Street, so we headed up there, and found a spot right on the curb, where there used to be a side street and is now a lot more Emporium. We settled in to watch the parade, and took out the Magical Moments pins. They didn't light up for the parade at all, which was sort of sad. Jason sat down and promptly fell asleep. I'm not sure how, but he slept through much of the parade, even though we kept poking him. The Christmas parade was great, even better than the afternoon parade, and we loved the snow!!!
After the parade, we headed back to the resort. We got back at about quarter of twelve, and ordered some pizza and a six pack of soda (about 25.00) and settled in. It had been a long day. The plans were to meet up in the morning to go to Epcot.
I'm going to end this one here, because it's gotten longer than I planned. I guess I'll be doing them as separate days.
Day 2
Well, day 2 dawned sort of early (felt like it anyway) I got up and called PS to make our reservation for Mamma Melrose's to do the Fantasmic package. The operator told me I had to make the reservation in park, not over the phone or from the lobby. That hadn't been the case in Sept, so I decided to check on our way out.
First thing, though, was Epcot. We made plans to be up around 8:30 and head to the bus stop between 9:15 and 9:30. I headed out for the lobby before the others to try to make the PS, everyone else was supposed to meet outside the room. I made the PS, and waited in the lobby for the others. Apparently there was a little confusion as it took a bit to find Judy and Nana, but we eventually were ready and hopped on a bus.
We got to Epcot, went through security and got into the park just as they were letting people past SE. We bypassed everything and headed right for the Land Pavilion. We had 11:00 am PS for the Garden Grill. While waiting for our lunch time, we rode Living with the Land and saw Food Rocks. As usual, we enjoyed both, and then it was time to head upstairs to check in for lunch. We were seated shortly after that, and had an incredible meal, as always. There was salad, sunflower bread, catfish, marinated flank steak and rotisserie turkey. The sides were carrots, stuffing, green beans and sweet potato mash. Dessert was a bread pudding with whipped cream. The food was great and I think it was about 17.00 per person.
After lunch, we left Epcot and headed over to MGM. At MGM, we immediately headed to Sunset Boulevard so Jason and Chris could ride ToT and Rockin Roller Coaster. I waited for them while Judy and Nana went shopping. The guys finished first and we waited while they finished taking some links out of a watch that Nana bought (it felt like it took years!!!) Then, we did the Great Movie Ride, and went to the exhibit One Man's Dream. It was really interesting and at the end there was a nice video history of Walt, done in his voice, using clips from over the years. Then, we headed out to catch the parade which was just ending. That upset me, as I had really wanted to see the "new" stuff for the 100 years celebration.
From there we headed over to the Muppet Vision show. It's always amusing, and then afterwards, we went to Mamma Melrose's for dinner. I have no idea what that meal cost, I do know that I got the chicken marsala, which was quite good and Chris got the orchiette pasta which was also good. Chris, Jason and I split a bottle of Sangria and then for dessert I had tiramisu.
After dinner, we headed out to Fantasmic, we had done the PS package, so we took our time. We got to the show, got pretty good seats and waited. Chris and I love Fantasmic and it's always great to see it with people who never have. The Magical Moments pins went off at the end, so that was cool, too.
Then, it was getting dark, so we headed to the back of the park to see the Osborne light display. I was never big on Christmas lights, so I wasn't prepared for how much I did enjoy it. I can't believe anyone had nearly that many lights on 3 houses. We wandered through the display and then headed back to the buses.
From MGM, we headed to Downtown. Chris and I had spent quite a bit of time there on our last visit, but the others had never been there. We all split up, agreeing to meet back at the entrance by the Christmas store at 9:30. Everyone wandered, except for Jason who made a brief stop at World of Disney then hiked out to the West Side and back (we were there for less than 2 hours). Chris and I wandered around before purchasing some pins, and two stocking holders. They're the Winnie the Pooh ones in the Disney catalog. We also bought a little piglet ornament. And, of course, we stopped for a (second) round of dessert at the Gourmet Pantry.
We met up at the appropriate time and headed back to the resort. The plans for the following day were Epcot again, this time to see the rest of it, and tea at the Grand Floridian. But, I'll continue in the next recap.
Day 3
Day three was supposed to start just like day 2, but nothing works quite as planned with us. I got sick that morning, so Chris and I stayed back at the resort until 11, when we met up with the others by SE. In the hour before that, they had been exploring the Living Seas. After catching up with them, we rode SE, then headed over to Ice Station Cool. Chris and I refrained from drinking anything, but did warn Jason not to touch Beverly. He tried some other stuff then said, I've got to do it, and took a shot of Beverly. His face was funny. Then, Chris decided that his mom and Nana had to try it. The problem was that unless they both drank it at the same time, one would warn the other. Somehow he managed to get them both to drink it, and his mother is still vowing to get back at him.
From there we watched Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. I hate the clone part, so I had my feet up, I was trying to keep the others from being surprised, but Judy saw and put one of her feet up. The other joined it quickly. Otherwise, it was fun.
When it was over, we headed across the way to wait for the boys to ride Test Track. When they were done, we headed into Wonders of Life and saw Cranium Command. I love that show. Coming out of it, we lost Nana and Judy for a while, but eventually found them.
We then headed out, got on the monorail and headed to the Grand Floridian. We went down to see if we could be seated for tea, but it turns out we'd have a 15-30 minute wait. Not a problem, we were exploring the large gingerbread house and other decorations in the lobby. I decided to go off by myself for a few minutes and bought the wooden cut outs of the Grand Floridian and the Wedding Pavilion. When I came back, I found Jason in a chair looking sick. Chris was off finding him some water and food, and I got him some orange juice. When I came back with it Chris was there, and the juice, water and a few cookies helped Jason perk up.
Then, we were seated for tea, and it was a lot of fun. Jason and I split a tea for two (35.00) While Chris got a pot of tea, two jam tarts and two scones (around 12.00). After tea, we shopped in the Mercantile, bought some more pins, then headed back to Epcot.
We decided to split up for Illuminations, and Chris, Jason and I headed off. We wandered as far as Germany before turning back to meet up for dinner. We did see a little of the Candlelight Processional. It looked great, but unfortunately, on this trip there just wasn't time. We met back up at about 7:30 for our 7:40 PS in the UK at the Rose and Crown.
I explained that I'd like an outside seat, and was told, as always, that they can't guarantee it, it's first available. I said that I understood, but that I didn't mind waiting if necessary. They handed me a pager, which was very different from the ones they had in Sept. Now, they're little palm pilot things, with a trivia game and other things about the country to play with while you wait. I didn't get too far into it, because it went off, so we headed over. It turns out we got a great seat on the lower terrace and settled in for dinner. Chris and I always start off with the fruit and cheese plate, and so we ordered 3 for the whole group. I ordered bangers and mash, which I shared with Jason, as he ordered the Fisherman's basket and shared the salmon cake with me. Chris and Nana got fish and chips and Judy got bangers and mash also. For dessert, Chris and I each ordered one and split it, like we always do, he got the lemon posset, and I got the sherry trifle. The food was outstanding, and the view of Illuminations is the best.
They've changed the show a little, the music is different, there's a lot more fire and a lot more fireworks, too. All in all, it was great. After the show, we wandered back down into FutureWorld and then slowly made our way back to the bus stop. We delayed long enough that there really wasn't a line for the buses and soon we were all seated and off to the resorts.
That's about it for day 3 unless you want to read about packing up. I'll end this one here, and pick up with day 4.
Day 4
Day 4 was our last day in the world. We were set to get up early and head back to Epcot to explore the rest of the World Showcase, but when the alarm went off, no one wanted to get up. Instead, we stayed in bed until 10:00, then got up, finished packing up stuff, tipped the maid (25.00) and gathered up our luggage. We dropped it off in the lobby, while Chris and Judy checked out then we headed to Epcot.
We split up again and this time Chris, Jason and I started in Mexico. We wandered through the pavilion, rode the boat ride, then got churros. While eating them, we headed to Norway and explored the church and then the boys went on the Maelstrom. While waiting for them, I wandered in the shops, and when the came out, we shared a kringla.
Then, it was off to China so Jason could get an egg roll. After China, of course, is Germany, where we watched the trains and looked in all the stores. Then we headed to Italy, where I got a cannoli and the boys wandered around. From Italy, we headed to America, we didn't stay there for long as the boys heard the drummers in Japan and decided to go check them out. I lagged behind to get Chris the funnel cake he wanted and met up with them. We watched the rest of the drummer's show, then Jason got some sushi and we took a break out of the sun.
When everyone had finished eating, we headed to Morocco and watched Mo'rockin for a bit. After that, it was France and we stopped for croissants and a strawberry tart. We hung out for a bit in the little shop off of the boulangerie patisserie and then ambled through the rest of the country. After France, we looked around the UK, and bought Judy and Nana each one of the Princess Diana tartans. Then, we wandered to Canada. Sadly, the falls weren't working, so we left there and went back down to FutureWorld.
We went into MouseGear and I wandered around looking for a watch. I had decided that I needed a new everyday watch. So, of course, we ended up spending 95.00 on a limited edition beauty and the beast watch. it's a bracelet, brushed stainless steel, with crystals set into the band. the face has Belle holding the rose, sort of towards the bottom right. The background behind her is blue and in a darker blue is an outline of the Beast. I love it, it's perfect, and I had to have it. So, we bought that, then headed to the Electric Umbrella for a cheeseburger and fries.
From there we headed to the Camera Center to meet back up with everyone and to purchase some pictures we'd had taken on the way in. After completing that, we got on a bus and went back to ASMusic. We went to pick up our luggage, and there was quite a delay, as apparently they'd mislabeled all buy one piece of it. We took turns holding down the bench, as there was a line out the door waiting to check in. Chris and I hit the gift shop to grab a drink and I saw a statue of the castle, with an ornament hook on it that holds Tinkerbell. Well, I had to have that too. Then, I had to try to fit that and the watch box into our luggage (carryon only) We had shipped the other stuff home the day before, we also bought a monorail.
Then, the driver from Tiffany's was there. This time it was only a van. We got to the airport, did curbside check in and headed for the terminal. Then, we just waited to get the boarding passes, and sat around waiting for the plane. There was a really obnoxious child behind us, who kept kicking and grabbing our seats, while her father didn't say anything, but otherwise the flight to Pittsburgh went ok. We got to Pittsburgh, go from one terminal to another and set down our luggage. Apparently everything in that airport closes at 10:00 because Chris and I were just lucky enough to grab some food. Poor Jason was a little too late. We shared our dinner with him, then waited about 15 more minutes until they boarded the plane. The ride from Pittsburgh to Allentown was fine, and we got through the airport without a lot of fuss.
And, that was it, the trip is done. It was nice in Florida, hot, though. It was in the 80's most of last week. Although it was 58 in Allentown when we got off the plane at midnight, so I guess that's not too bad. It's gotten a lot colder since then.
Well, that's about it, I'm off now to pack for our trip to Georgia, we leave tomorrow to look for an apartment.
Jessica
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