Anniversary trip 07 - March 8-12

The trip was FANTASTIC. Unfortunately, the day after we got home we both got REALLY sick. We’ll call it the flu, but whatever it was, it was no fun whatsoever, and since it hit us both at basically the same time, we obviously picked it up somewhere on our vacation.

Day 1 - After rising at 4 A.M., leaving the house at 5, to be ready for our flight departure time of 7:05, we were on our way. We arrived at Orlando International Airport at about 10:20, got our luggage and headed for the Disney’s Magical Express pick up location. All went amazingly well. After a short wait, we were soon on the bus headed for our destination, Port Orleans Riverside. By about 12:30 we were checked in, our luggage stored, and ready to head into the parks.

Or first stop would be to Disney/MGM Studios. After a quick lunch at Toy Story Pizza Planet, we enjoyed a slow paced afternoon on the “left side” of this lovely park. We took in Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show for the first time ever ( we had tried in July, but it was rained out after we sat in the rain for 45 minutes). We also hit The Great Movie Ride, Muppet Vision 3D, did some shopping for the new grandson. Soon it was time for our dinner reservation at Hollywood and Vine. Our wait was no more than 5 minutes. We both really enjoyed the food at Hollywood and Vine and will probably return. Following dinner we had time to catch a ride on Star Tours before heading to seating for Fantasmic. Turns out, despite what seemed to be a light crowd at MGM, the Fantasmic theater was nearly full. We were glad we had taken advantage of the Fantasmic Dinner Package. We were shocked during Fantasmic when 2 of the boats collided, the ones carrying dancing Snow White and Ariel hit as they passed. No disaster, the actors maintained balance kept on dancing. At the conclusion of the 7 pm show, it was still early, but as our day had started quite early, and we had yet to actually see our room, we headed back to the resort, found our room, and had our luggage delivered. Day 1 was done, and was a fantastic start to our vacation.

Day 2 began as our days often do at WDW, I woke early, showered and was out of the room before DW ever stirred. Since the Riverside food court was closed, there was limited selection available for breakfast. I chose a bowl of cereal and coffee in a refillable mug. About the time I was finished, my wife joined me, and off we went to Animal Kingdom. First things first, grab a fast pass for EE. Again, the crowds were light. We strolled the park, hitting our favorites including It’s Tough To Be A Bug, and Kali River Rapids, grabbed lunch at Pizzafari (yes, pizza again, although DW had a delicious looking Hot Italian Style Sandwich, me being a good Catholic boy on Friday in Lent, I had cheese pizza). Following lunch we headed for our FastPass to EE, then a quick ride on Dinosaur. At point, DW decided to head back to the room to clean up some before our dinner reservation at Coral Reef. I headed to see the new Finding Nemo – The Musical (loved it). Following the show it was off to EPCOT.

We met back at EPCOT for our dinner at Coral Reef. Unlike the reports I had read, our wait was again only about 5 minutes. They had some special menus printed with our name and “Happy Anniversary” on them. The meal was good, but I won’t give it any more than that. DW had a steak which she described as just ok. I had the Grilled Mahi Mahi, it was good, but not special. We enjoyed the place, we’re glad we saw it, but probably won’t choose it again anytime soon.

Following dinner we road the NEW Seas with Nemo & friends, I really liked this. Then took in Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Journey Into Imagination, and Spaceship Earth. We then headed to find a spot to watch Illumination. We ended up on a bench in Norway and had a great view of the show. Following Illumination, we had a snack at Kringla Bakeri og Café. We then took a ride on Maelstrom, before calling it a night. Again, another great day.

DAY 3 – Again I woke early, and headed out the door. This time back to Disney MGM Studios for Extra Magic Hour. The place was literally swarming with cheerleaders, apparently there was competition that day. I headed straight down Sunset Boulevard, the area we had not visited on day 1. I managed 4 rides on Tower of Terror and 3 on Rock N Roller Coaster. I also kept a fresh supply of Fast Passes to Rock N Roller Coaster for when DW joined me (it’s her favorite ride). DW called to say she was on her way just as I sat down to watch the Beauty & the Beast stage show. Worked out great, the show let out about 5 minutes after DW had arrived. Turns out, they had some trouble with the line at RnRC, and were going to honor my expired Fast Passes. So when DW arrived, we rode together once, and she rode on her own all with no waits thanks to those Fast Passes. We grabbed a quick burger at Rosie’s All-American Café, then headed for Downtown Disney to do some shopping (especially for our new grandson).

From Downtown Disney, DW headed back to the room to clean up for dinner, I decided I’d head straight over to EPCOT. The trip to EPCOT was and adventure of it’s own. Discovering there were no busses from Downtown Disney to Epcot, my first thought turned to the Ticket and Transportation Center. But alas, there were no busses to there either. So, I caught the first resort bus I saw. It turned out to be Old Key West. A find opportunity to see that resort I thought. Getting off at the first stop, I waited for a bus for either EPCOT of the TTC. I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally, a bus bound for the TTC. On the way from OKW to TTC, we were lucky enough to get in a traffic tie-up. Meanwhile, DW called to tell me she was on her way to EPCOT already. Finally, I reached the TTC, made my way to the EPCOT monorail, and was on my say. DW beat me there. She had gone back to the room, freshened up, and still made it before me. And I thought I was going to have some time to kill.

Anyway, we went to check out the FP time at soarin’, before dinner. NO MORE FAST PASSES. We did ride Living With The Land though, an old favorite that is often overlooked. Then on the LeCellier. What a fantastic dinner. They gave us buttons that said “Happy Anniversary”. Our wait was again just a few short minutes. We both had the Mushroom Filet, and were both delighted. The steak was wonderful. The cheese soup was wonderful as usual, and the raspberry sorbet finished off the meal in style. This is still my favorite place, and has yet to disappoint.

Following dinner, having already seen Illumination, we headed for Soarin’. We had probably our longest wait of the entire trip, and it was only about 25 minutes.

Day 3 was another wonderful Disney day, and a super anniversary.

DAY 4 began, with DW wanting to relax and take it easy, maybe do a load of laundry. So as is typical, off I went. This time to the Magic Kingdom. What a beautiful day. I headed for the back of the park, making IASW my first stop, followed my all my favorite dark rides. I decided to take in the Hall Of Presidents. I haven’t seen that in years, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Just as I was about to eat lunch, DW called and wanted to meet at the Earl Of Sandwich in Downtown Disney. Time for some serious shopping. So, after being told that there was a stop at Saratoga Springs that was only a short walk to Downtown Disney, I was off to Saratoga Springs. As luck would have it though, as we pulled to one of the stops, a Downtown Disney bus was right behind us. So off of one bus, onto the other, and on to meet for lunch. DW was right, it was serious shopping time, and I cooperated. Seems when you have a new grandson, you don’t mind the shopping quite as much.

After a few hours, she decided it was time to head back to the room before dinner at ‘Ohana. I, on the other hand, headed back to Magic Kingdom. We met on the way to the Polynesian, on the platform of the monorail. Again, only about 5 minute wait. They were prepared with "Happy Anniversary" buttons but we were already wearing ours from the night before. They threatened to make us sing (lucky for everyone they didn't). Dinner was wonderful, a carnivore's feast. I also had a beverage called a "Backscratcher", I still have the backscratcher that came with it here on my desk. I think we’ll do ‘Ohana again.

After dinner we caught the boat back to Magic Kingdom. We made it back in time to watch Wishes. Deciding to try watching from the deck of the train station, a group from Canada offered us 2 seats with them, and we had a great view, and some fun people to chat with while we waited. I will say, that was not my favorite place to watch Wishes. I was surprised that they didn’t turn the lights off on that end of Main Street. While the viewing was great, I didn’t feel as much a part of the show. Following Wishes, we worked our way through some of the Main Street shops before sitting on the curb to wait for SpectroMagic. What a wonderful parade, and we didn’t even have anyone crowd us this time. Following the parade, we had our picture taking with the castle in the background to make use of the free 5x7 that came in our package. Then DW was headed back to the room, but not me. Extra Magic Hours go the better of me, and I was there until 2 a.m. when they kicked me out. Riding all the favorites, with only 5 minute or less wait. The longest was maybe 10 or 15 at space mountain. Another great day.

DAY 5 – Go home day. We took out time getting up, getting ready and packing. Our flight was at 5, so the bus would pick us up at 2. I called to see if I could get a late check out so maybe we wouldn’t have to store our luggage. They gave me until 12:30. That actually worked out great. Turns out, we had done so much shopping we had to buy a suitcase to get it all home. We got pack, wandered the grounds a bit, went for a swim and relaxed in the sun. As 12:30 approached we got our bags out of the room and grabbed a real nice lunch (had to pay for this on ourselves, DDP was used up) at Boatwright’s. As we were waiting for the bus, it suddenly occurred to me because I overheard someone else talk about checking in with the airline, that I had failed to get my Southwest boarding passes 24 hours in advance. It was time for the bus to arrive, and a minor panic set in. The bus was not there yet, so I headed inside, along with the lady I overheard talking about it, to see if we could get boarding passes. No problem, the concierge handled it quickly, and we had “B” passes, not bad. As it turns out, the flight was not full anyway. When the bus did arrive, the driver could not get the video to play, so he entertained us with a game of Disney Trivia ( DW and I kicked it, we answered far more than the other passengers). Needless to say, we got to the airport in plenty of time, made our flight, and were home again in no time.

The next morning, I was sick, followed a day later by DW. We were both sick for a few days. Heck of a way to conclude our vacation.

So in summary…. Crowds were low the entire weekend. Lines were short. Weather was near perfect. We didn’t wait more than 5 minutes or so for seating at any of our reservations. It was a FANTASTIC trip, and the new grandson got lots of goodies, including his first set of ears.

:mickey: Marker sounds like a great trip.

Glad you enjoyed so many of your meals and that they made such a fuss over you and your wife.

And how cool to get all that stuff for your new grandson as well.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us and I hope you and your DW are feeling better.

Well, if you had to get sick, it's good that it waited until after you returned home!

Sounds like you had an excellent trip and that grandbaby gots lots of new goodies! Guess you'll have to plan a trip to introduce that grandbaby to Disney!

Well, a bug/virus wouldn't be my choice of a suvenear to bring home, but at least it waited until you got home to show itself! Sounds like you had a WONDERFUL anniversary! Very magical! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing your report.

What a wonderful trip !:cloud9:

I love to read trip reports from the pro's !:thumbsup:

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. :D

Thanks for the report! :smickey:

What a GREAT trip! You have one lucky grandson, getting all those goodies when you two got home. It's too bad you had to get sick, but at least it wasn't while you were actually on your trip. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, you sure can do a lot in such a short time! EMHing it up until 2AM, I am impressed!