MGM
Early that morning the girls and I got ready for a day at MGM. TJ and Trice planned to head for Tower of Terror as soon as we hit the park. This would be a busy day so we all rode in the van. The ride to the entrance on the trolleys was windy and cold. After making sure TJ and Trice made it on to TOT we headed towards the big "hat" to catch some of the characters. We had a chance to take pictures with Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger. I love the fact that I can play with my favorite characters at the park. And because it was the holidays our friends were decked out in their winter finery. Marc snapped a few pictures and then went off to get some coffee and hot chocolate to surprise us with. It was very cold that day so the hot chocolate was a nice surprise and very much appreciated. As we sat at the hat entrance the little green men ( soldiers ) pulled up. Perhaps to take me away ? It was fun watching the little children become a part of the military ( lol ). Once Trice and TJ caught up with us we all headed towards Sounds Dangerous ( I thought this ride would be gone by now, we have never had to wait very long in line for it ). Its a funny experience, but boy could they use some new chairs in this place. We also checked in at the Hall of Fame for a fast picture with our "cousin" Cosby ( long story, short version is supposedly our family is kin somehow, so Nicki the "star" always takes a picture with his bust when we go to Disney ). We hit several rides that morning including The Great Movie Ride, The Lil Mermaid, and The Magic of Disney Animation. The clip with Eddie Murphy is very cute, and now that the Incredibles have taking up residence it is worth it to take the tour again. We had skipped this area many trips after our first visit back in 98. We also caught the special Christmas version of the Star's and Motorcar's parade before heading out of the park to catch the boat to Epcot. We used the gateway entrance and headed straight for World Showcase ( if you haven't figured it out by now, my family loves this palace ). TJ headed to Japan and Marc searched for the nearest kiosk that sold Turkey Legs. I even took pictures this time, so family and friends could see what a Disney turkey leg really looks like ( do they really grow them that big anywhere else ? ). We ended the day in the park with great Christmas music from the Candlelight Processional ( one day I will actually sit down and get the full effect of this show ) and a quick trip to Mexico for some window shopping. Quisha decided to make the mask in the kid zone area. She looked cute among all of the "kids". I guess the future teacher in her decided to come out. I think she was able to visit several sections of Epcot to get her mask stamped , but we ran out of time before she finished walking the world. Before leaving for home I picked up one of the big blankets from Mexico , so now each day I have a reminder on my bed of my trip. I am hoping to pick up a doll from China in May to add to my "Around the World” collection. I also have my eyes on a caftan in Africa and a gorgeous top in Morocco. Dinner that evening was fastfood, a little shopping at the outlets and back to the Pop Century Resort for some much needed rest. I once again got to see the fireworks from Epcot that night before going to bed. One of the best perks for staying at Pop Century.
Tomorrow Animal Kingdom
Once again we rose bright and early to hit the parks. At least the girls and I did. Marc planned to join us later and TJ wanted to rest until close to time for opening of the World Showcase area at Epcot. So the girls and I took advantage of the buses at Pop ( gotta love the fact that they have their own buses, the downside is that they are way back on the line at the parks ). We made it through the gates after a short stop out front to see the entertainment of a great group of young people. Nicki of course had to cut up, and had Quisha and Trice dancing and singing. After going through the turnstiles we headed towards the Tree of Life. The photographer's didn't stop us for a pose , so I asked one of them if they would snap our picture. With the new photopass at WDW I was able to view the pic's after we got home from vacation. The cost was a little steep, but months later they were running a special and I ordered one of the pictures and a couple of wallets to share with the girls. Of course TJ never made it to AK, so he was once again absent from the pose. We headed straight for Its a Bug's Life ( not a very long wait at all ), and then headed to Kilimanjaro Safari to get a fastpass. We then went to catch a showing of the Lion King Show. This is still one of my favorite shows at WDW. And Tricie agreed, AK became her favorite Disney park that day. Walking through Africa we bonded with the natives and checked out the shops before heading over to ride on the Safari. I missed the tour guide from our last trip, the guide this time was not as animated. But it was still fun to see the animals up close and personal. Several years ago I rode Dinosaur and vowed never to get on it again. The girls convinced me to give it another go. And I must say something must have changed or I am getting more courageous with age. We laughed and cried and had a great time all around. But once was enough for me. I was still glad to get my feet back on the ground.
The last time we were at AK it was way to hot , so we ended up leaving early that day and never had a chance to go back. Thus , we missed checking out Dinoland. The girls thought they would give it a try, so off we went. They rode Primeval Whirl , while I tried to track down Marc on the cell phone. It was getting late and we we're starting to get hungry. We text messaged him asking him to bring us Chick-fi-la sandwiches. We called us to let us know he had sandwiches in hand and was heading into the park. We met him in front of one of the stores while we waited for the Jammin Jungle Parade to begin. Boy, did those sandwiches hit the spot. Several people asked us where we got them. We had to give them the disappointing news that they were not from the park. We picked up a conversation with a very nice lady and her son ( actually Marc did, he tends to make friends wherever we go ) and passed the time talking until the parade begin. Marc pulled me away from my spot briefly to show me a hat in one of the shops with a Mickey logo and leopard print. Needless to say that hat has become one of my favorites, and I have practically worn it out wearing it all winter wherever I went. I love the parade at AK, but the next time I will go back to my favorite spot at the end of the parade near the exit for the Kilimanjaro Safari. After the parade we made our way out of the park and caught the trolley back to the van. I still have not gone on Kali River Rapids, but as where before it was too hot in August, it was too cold in December to get wet.
Later that evening we headed to the outlets for some shopping ( the girls had been itching to shop ) and then to Downtown Disney to hit the World of Disney Store, Once Upon a Toy , and Wonderful World of Memories . I had originally planned to purchase the Mister Potato Head at Once Upon a Toy but was disappointed to find that the price had gone up, and the boxes for the parts were smaller then the first time we had seen them. I did pick up a few things from the scrapbook store. After we collected everyone who had gone off in different directions ( thank goodness for two-way radios we headed to Ohana’s ( by monorail of course ) for dinner. We had to postpone dinner at Ohana’s earlier in the week due to car problems. Nicki was able to call and get new reservations, they just happened to be at 9 pm. This has always been my family’s favorite place to eat dinner, so we were eager to enjoy great food, great fun and fireworks display from MK. Several years ago when we ate at Ohana’s they piped in the music from the park so watching the fireworks from the Poly’s windows is a added treat. This time we were not near enough to the fireworks area to get a good view, and the music was not piped in. It was a disappointment to say the least, not to mention the fact that our server’s were not as friendly as some we have had. We left having enjoyed the food, but with a little less magic then we usually get after being there. I am sure we just happened to have an off night, and the kids were tired so I will chalk it up to that. We headed back to Pop Century for the night.
Tomorrow Epcot ( Wednesday )
By Wednesday you could tell that the troops were chomping at the bit to slow down. My children have gotten use to taking there time at the parks enjoying the rides as well as the atmosphere. But I worried that Trice would not get to see as much if we slowed down to much. She had already missed several rides that she was interested in because they were down at the time’s we were in the park . Which for us was a first , but was especially not good for a first time visitor. After a while I figured out that she was even becoming overwhelmed by all that we had seen and done, so I finally gave in and let everyone go there own way. We hit Epcot to check out parts of World Showcase that we had missed before. We even caught a ride on the friendship boats. Originally I had planned for us to hit MGM one last time before we departed for home. But that never happened. Neither did a trip back to MK to ride the Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki room or Aladdin’s Magic carpet. We did hit several of the Character Warehouse shops, and briefly headed into to pick up a monogrammed hat at the Chapeau shop. After our last trip and the problems with the fireworks, my girls wanted to make a beeline out of the park before the fireworks began. I determined that the best plan of action for me was to try and check out those special “must do list” on my next trips. We started packing that night and for the last time I watched the fireworks from my balcony at Pop Century.Tomorrow Departure Day!
