M I C K E Y mouse ears!

Memories- reading “The Funnies” with Grandpa. Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Walt Disney World Tidbits

I named my blog “What Time Is The 3:00 Parade” because it was so characteristic of us. None of us could keep track of time, recall the time when we just checked it, or remember when something was due to start, be it a Fastpass or a show time. I am normally pretty aware of what time it is.  I guess it is just the emotion of Walt Disney World.

What totally surprised me,  is that apparently Bobby’s GPS in his phone, car and boat have completely ruined his sense of direction. I am not joking!!  He was always wrong about where we were, or what direction we needed to go in, even walking back to our resort room. It was quite comical to me.  To his credit, he was correct about two times, at the very end of the trip, when I was wearing down. Maybe.

Disney gives you special celebration pins if you ask. We requested “1st Visit”  and “I’m Celebrating” for graduation.

We carried nuts and granola bars in our backpack. Well, to be fair, Bobby carried the backpack. But, since there weren’t many long lines to get through, or hot weather to endure, there really were no worries.

My very best tip that I got from reading a blog, was that you can ask for free ice water with your meals or whatever.  I think I mentioned earlier that we wanted to be budget minded with food and drink. We didn’t want to have big meals anyway, because then you don’t feel good, and we had alot of theme park to cover! Nevertheless, a fountain soda costs nearly $2.50-$3.00 and I consider that reasonable. Have you seen the price of a soda at the movie theater??

Another good tip I got from my book was do not “follow the masses,” which I guess is just human nature.  Even though we generally had a plan, I was conscious of this tip and corrected us a few times.  It also came in handy when I would catch us following Bobby, and then realized we were heading in the wrong direction!

Also, as far as security checking bags, they move from right to left (each side) or maybe it is left to right. I have trouble with left and right.  Regardless, once you recognize the procedure, you can always get through quicker by looking for a shorter line. One day,  I saw a very long, single line of people on one side until someone figured out they could use the other side, as well.

We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort. I liked the idea of the easy boat ride into Downtown Disney.  Plus, my friends, Kathleen and Pat, and some of Bobby’s coworkers, had stayed there. It is a moderately priced resort (the next up from value.) It rates high with guests, according to my book. However, I really did not like having to pay an extra $25 each night just because we had a 3rd adult, Elizabeth, in our room (that sleeps four anyway!) Regardless, the resort had a gorgeous setting and was meticulously maintained, as is everything in Disney World, even the trashcans. You could eat off of the trash cans. Really. Obviously, we didn’t spend anytime in our room, other than to sleep and shower.  You can sleep at a lesser priced resort, and still have dinner or visit the higher priced resorts.

I would have liked to check out the Carribean Beach Resort. We almost stayed there. I would have also liked to check out the value resort, Art of Animation, because it is newly themed with Cars, The Little Mermaid, Nemo and The Lion King. Elizabeth really wanted to stay there. No Surprise.

We didn’t ride any “wet rides” and one of the big water parks was closed. I wouldn’t have minded checking out the opened one.  In addition, the resorts have fun pools and activities.  Our resort food court is highly rated too. The create your own pasta was good. They also had create your own omelet or yogurt parfait.

The book I purchased was awesome for reference! Initially, I loved the idea of using their “touring plans” and had planned to do so.  But, the book also stated that a touring plan really isn’t necessary during the off season and suggested  following the touring plan the first 4 hours or so.   The idea is to get the most rides and attractions in without long waits. It’s based on research, crowd levels, how rides load and unload, etc. There are numerous plans, based on who you are touring with, whether you are staying a half day, whole day, two days, etc.  For me, it simplified learning about which rides or shows we would like. Obviously, anything with a FastPass.  But, I had always considered Disney World to be a complex place, expensive place.  I didn’t want regrets, not knowing if we’d go again, and I also didn’t want to spend alot of time planning the vacation. I HATE THAT. That’s work.  I just want to get there & go! This book had put it all in my fingertips.

Although we did visit during the off season, there were indeed lines! Some popular rides would be an hour or two hours long! I don’t want to mislead you. We didn’t have those issues because we arrived early & familiarized ourselves with, but didn’t necessary follow exactly, the tour plans. The kiddo rides are indeed long–Peter Pan, Dumbo, Pooh. I have no idea why parents and children want to endure that– for a 2 minute ride. But, that seems to be the situation. The Pooh ride was adorable though.

Probaby most importantly, because of the book, we had very little, “well, what ride should we do now?  or “where should we eat?” For us, I just think thats a good thing. Before our vacation started, I decided which park we would visit each day, based on crowd levels and Extra Magic Hours. It worked out perfectly, Super Heros mid week, the slower paced Animal Park at the end. But, I’m sure it would have worked out perfectly regardless. It is Disney World, afterall.  At the parks, we always knew our next 3-4 activities, a ride, a show or meal. I also knew where we (okay, I mean where I)  wanted to eat at each park before we left home. That may sound silly but it was real easy. I wanted to stick with what is referred to as quick service dining (no waitress basically) and I used my book to note lower priced places and to see where people liked to eat. So, I would know of 2-3 eateries in each park. In my opinion, it’s more overwhelming to be there and be surrounded by choices and not know what is good or what things cost or what may be around the corner. No problems. Elizabeth would ask, “Where are we eating today?” The other wonderful thing about the book was that it lists how long the ride or show is ( it could be 2, 8, 18, 30 minutes) That helps with the planning, obviously.

The book also has a website and a mobile app, not surprisingly. So, your touring plan can be on your phone, as well as how long the wait in line is and other helpful information. For example, a ride was down and we used the app to find out when it was working again and also to find out Fastpass return times, even show times, etc. Most of the time, since we were visiting during an off season anyway,  we just used it out of curiosity to keep up with how lines were doing.  I know there are lots of similar apps, but I’d say this is the best. Touring Plans .com and the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2013.  A new book is released every Septemeber, I think.

As far as food (why do I always want to talk about food?) with the quick service dining eateries, I’d say everything was about $10.  Somethings may have been $8 or $12, but $10 seemed typical. There are also dining plans based on points, I think I mean credits, that I just didn’t have the energy to deal with or learn about. I hear there are lots of choices and plenty of food, but I just want to do what I want. I guess people like them because they have their food plans/expenses paid for ahead of time. I know of a blogger that evaluated it and determined she was no better off. Perhaps that blogger was misguided. Supposedly, the quick service dining plan amounts to about $40 day. I do see alot of dining plan “sales” that seem like good deals if you have younger children in your group.

Same food experience at the Universal Parks, which my book also covers. I’m pretty sure eveyone of Disney’s menus is online. I feel like when you use the Disney’s travel company, they like to make you think you need park hopper tickets and that you have to get those dinner reservations made. But, you may not need park hopping and you can eat all week long without any dinner reservations!  Reservations are for what is considered table service, which you may indeed prefer.  But, we still sat at tables.

You already know we did have other dining experiences, like the fine dining with fireworks, Be Our Guest Restaurant, Pastamore before Blue Man Group, Raglan Road Irish Pub,  and the princess breakfast. By the way, Elizabeth bought her boyfriend, Bryan, a cookbook. It turned out to have the recipe for the goat cheese ravioli she ordered at the restaurant, which made her mouth water.

I’d say the shops were expensive, but lots of cute stuff, naturally.

Thanks for reading and have a magical day.

In closing, I’d like to say

I B U P R O F E N

Refill Mug & Empty Bottle of pain killers

The Castle and Walt Disney World was Elizabeth’s dream, but the trip was magical and magnificient (super fun) for us, too. I loved looking over at Bobby and seeing him smile with amazement, too. I really didnt know if he was going to be able to put up with me for 9 days of non stop activity.

Close to the end of the trip, he looked at me blankly and somewhat concerned, and whispered, “I’ve taken so much Ibuprofen that I don’t know if I have taken some or need to take some.”

Out of curiousity, I checked the ibuprofen bottle as we were leaving. The 100 tablet bottle was very nearly empty! But, Bobby was very glad that Elizabeth’s Uncle Dennis suggested taking lots of ibuprofen. And I was glad that her Uncle Dennis reminded me to change shoes everyday. Not because I have stinky feet, because I do not, but because it helps to prevent blisters. I grabbed another pair of shoes as we were packing. Elizabeth & I wear the same shoe size, so we could trade off.

Day 9 Friday Going Home

Snow White at breakfast

Ariel- The Little Mermaid- at breakfast

Polynesian Resort

Polynesian Resort

Have you seen Woody or Buzz?

Magic Kingdom Welcome Show

Magic Kingdom Welcome Show

TestTrack

Check out day.  I called the front desk to make sure all we had to do was leave.  I asked if we were all clear as far as check out procedures and they said “Yes, you have a zero balance.”  I guess that is some sort of Magical Disney Language which means everything you did all week with that room card– parks, food, shopping, is all on your credit card invoice.

We finished up the rest of our groceries by eating PB & J sandwiches for breakfast.  We still had bagels and cream cheese, so I’m not sure what prompted Bobby to make PB & J.  It was all good, nevertheless.

Then we checked our bags at the resort and received our boarding passes. This is equal to doing it at the airport.  No one is more organized than Walt Disney World. They also held our carry-ons so we could continue to explore Disney World.

We opened Magic Kingdom and enjoyed another Welcome Show and singing Good Morning. It was nice not to feel like we had to “race in to get to the rides before lines start.”  Instead, we went straight to Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street so that Bobby could get groomed before having breakfast with the princesses. His moustache had not been trimmed since we left Cincinnati for Peter & Laura’s wedding a year and a half ago.  They did a great job and Bobby got a Mickey sticker for being a Good Boy and not crying.  Evidently, the place keeps busy and we were lucky to get there when we did. A little guy was getting his first hair cut, so he got a Mickey certificate and special Mickey Ears.  The little boy was so good and happy.

We visited the nearby Polynesian Resort.

We took the monorail to Epcot about 11:45am. (I guess the nurse in me wants to document the times things occurred.) We had reservations for breakfast with the princesses in Norway. Lots of food, herring and salmon and mackeral not withstanding, I mean,  we are in Norway afterall.  I did not try any. As a courtesy to the other passengers, I didn’t want to hurl on the flight.  We enjoyed the company of 5 princesses. We were excited and surprised to see Cinderella and Ariel at the breakfast.  Snow White & Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Belle were there as well. It would have been awesome if Merida, from the movie Brave, could have been there. Previously, we did see Merida and her long, red, curly hair from a distance.

We passed live entertainment in Mexico on the way out of the World Showcase.  We concluded that we had time to ride Test Track, a high speed car ride, before we left.

We went back to our resort, picked up our carry-ons, and filled up those refillable drink mugs, again. You may remenber we paid $15 for them on arrival day and they include free refills, but only at your resort. We rested while we waited for our Magical Express Bus to return us to the airport.

Muffin was at home waiting for us and no doubt in need of a bath after all of her fun at doggy day care.

Miles: 4

Day 8 Thursday Free Day January 10

Disney’s Boardwalk area

Merida from BRAVE

Since we had pretty much covered the parks, today became “open.”  We determined that we should  SLEEP!

So, we slept in until 9am as opposed to 6am. I was always the first up to shower, but typically needed to hit snooze a few dozen times first. I’m that girl.

The alarm mistakenly went off at 6am and I jumped out of bed & shouted “I’m up!” Bobby said. “I thought we were sleeping in?!!” I said, “Oh, yeah.” Then I laid back down and slept hard for 3 more hours. Guess I was going a little cray cray. Another morning, after I was already up but Bobby & Elizabeth were sleeping, the alarm, loud rooster crowing sounds, went off and Bobby couldn’t figure out how to shut it off (or shoot? the rooster.) We heard some foul language early in the morning. I was awake, so I quietly enjoyed the spectacle.  I knew Bobby would figure it out.

So, we slept in with a plan for a resort breakfast of Mickey Mouse shaped Waffles.

Bobby wanted to see the Main Street Electrical Parade again, in Magic Kingdom; we love the music.  Elizabeth wanted to shop. I wanted to visit some of the other Disney resorts, each with its own theme.  We put together a plan based on location and ease.  We started out in Epcot. It was our 3rd day of warm sunhine.  This time we entered near Canada & the United Kingdom. We were pleased  to see more of these countries since last time it was after dark when we made our way to this side.  Of course we had to go to nearby France for creme brulee. (The line was toooo long when we were here before.)  We also watched a beautiful film on France and met up wit Belle & Sleeping Beauty again (she & I discussed remedies for waking up.)

Then, we walked the passageway into the Boardwalk area (resorts, shopping, dining.) I really wished Jelly Rolls was opened so I could show Elizabeth how much fun dueling pianos and sing alongs are.  I had no idea the passageway was there, even though I did notice the turnstiles when we were in Epcot before.  We had a hot walk around the beach setting. The area was very quiet & empty.  We took a boat ride back to Epcot instead of walking.  We walked through the World Showcase again, and watched a belly dancer in Morocco. I’m shocked  that I passed up Morrocan Hummus. So unlike me.  I think I tried to get some,  but was steered away by the prince and princess travelling with me.

Just like creme brulee was on my agenda, so was stopping at Coca Cola’s Club Cool for free samples of Coke products in other countries. Perfect timing because we were hot & thirsty. Have a coke and a smile. I’ve always loved that.

We had lunch at Seasons in Epcot and then went to the Magic Kingdom & hopped on the railroad. We had to quickly hop off because Bobby was bored to tears. We passed through the Circus area, with the extremely popular Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, and then settled in for the Electrical Parade & the fireworks show at the Castle. We happened to arrive in time for the celebration dance parade. Everyone dances! The characters even come off of their floats into the street. This all occurs on Main Street, so Elizabeth could continue shopping as well.

We were back in our resort by 9pm. We packed and relaxed and were in bed at 10:30pm.  I would have also liked to make a trek to Hollywood Studios to find the Wreck it Ralph gang or get in line to meet Merida from the movie Brave, but we never managed that.  We saw those movies with our sweet little friends, Abbey & Alivia.  We also saw Parental Guidance with them.  All are great movies.

Miles: 5

Day 7 Animal Kingdom Wednesday January 9

at the bus stop, waiting for the bus in the morning

We opened up Animal Kingdom at 8am.

We enjoyed the open air safari ride and planned to ride it again later.  Lots of active animals to see. We rode the Everest roller coaster.

We saw Festival of the Lion King which was spectacular and I thought to myself, “We don’t even need to see Cirque Du Soleil now.” It was cool.

We had BBQ for lunch, watched It’s Tough to Be a Bug 3D, and saw Finding Nemo,  the 30 minute Musical. I thought the show was amazing!! The singing and acting and “puppets” were brilliant!  Scenes appeared just as in the movie…the shark, the manta ray, all the sea creatures, the fish tank. I imagine this must be a shortened version of the broadway show, but the same quality.

Like I noted earlier, we hoped to do a second safari and would have liked to do some animal viewing and even character greetings. But, we were all getting drowsy ( I think Bobby was asleep with his eyes opened during Nemo.)

I knew we had to get some naps in or we would not be awake to enjoy our plans for dinner at Raglan Road, an Irish Pub, or the performance of  Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba both in Downtown Disney.

We went back to the resort and snoozed for 2-3 hours.  Raglan Road was fantastic, yummy and fun.  Even though we were on a schedule, and they were very busy, we got the table we had hoped for.

We had not planned to see Cirque Du Soleil,  but Bobby saw the ad and really wanted to go. He told me, “even more than the Blue Man Group.”  Go figure. I had no idea. It was an outstanding show. It is truly amazing what some people can do with their bodies. Seriously. Seriously.

Downtown Disney is pretty cool too. Live entertainment around every corner. I was amazed all week by the many, many talented people we saw throughout our trip.

We had to stop back at Raglan Road so Bobby could get another beer, Magners Irish Cider.

Miles: 6

Harry Potter pics from Day 6 Universal’s Islands of Adventure

HoneyDukes & Three Broomsticks in background. I did not get to feast at the rustice tavern.

wands for sale

the Wandkeeper inside Ollivanders

the Owl Post (a functioning post office where you can mail postcards stamped with a Hogsmeade postmark

Honeydukes (candy shop)

Butterbeer

Pumpkin Juice

Day 6 Universal’s Islands of Adventure Tuesday

The Incredible Hulk Coaster

christmas decorations in Seuss Landing

I knew we were visiting the Sunshine State but this was our first day without rain, even though Florida rain really doesn’t seem like rain to me. It had been more like a mist. I never felt like my clothes or hair were wet. Although plenty of other folks were wearing ponchos.

So we enjoyed our first day of warm sunshine and opened Universal Studios Islands of Adveture, racing towards the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Duh. We had a 10 minute wait for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. That makes us golden. The ride was another one of those motion simulator rides that make you feel like you are in the movie, flying (on a broom stick?)  with the characters and encountering creepy things. Amazing adventure.

The castle in the Harry Potter area is awesome. I later read that you can ask to do a castle only tour, taking time to visit & explore the features of the castle.   The village/landmarks/shops seem inline with the books/movies…of which I am not super familiar, actually. I didn’t even know that Honeydukes was a candy store from Harry Potter. Duh. But we definitely spent alot of money there. And I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere of the village (or maybe it was just the Florida sunshine?)   The shops are small (like in the movie) and were soon crowded, and the lines for Butterbeer became long quickly, even though I am sure this was a day of lower attendance.

After the Harry Potter ride, we went back towards The Incredbile Hulk Coaster (still fun. I remember loving it when Bobby & I went in 2001.)  There was actual signage to secure any prosthetic limbs. I’ve never seen that before. The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman was still awesome, too. The Marvel Super Hero area is just a fun twist anyway, loud music playing and the noise of coasters soaring by. And those Super Heroes are just too cool on their motorcycles.  A good place for Bobby to be in case he became overwelmed by fairytales & princesses.  Not. He has 8 sisters.

We went back to Harry Potter so we could eat lunch at Three Broomsticks. I desperately wanted to order “The Feast” but was out voted. Boo. We did get pumpkin juice & Butterbeer. And then more Butterbeer.  Its like a butterscotch cream soda. Mmmmmm. Wish I had some now.

We also did the 2nd most popular attraction at Harry Potter: Ollivanders, the shop stacked with magic wands.  A small group at a time of park visitors enter the tiny shop. The wandkeeper gives someone a wand/ or the wand picks the person kind of thing, similar to the book/movie. A young girl was picked during our time. She was real cute and spoke very little English. Of course you could buy a wand for about $30 if you desired.

As we moved on through the park, ELizbeth could not resist a psychic reading….and then when she was done, I wanted one too! But Bobby made me keep walking.

Our bus ride home was great. Comfy, just the right temperature and good music.  I snoozed for about 20 minutes.

We made it to our resort before 7pm. Bobby tended to his blisters and had his own siesta. Elizabeth & I did some on-site laundry. Along the way, we discovered a marshmellow roast. Gotta love Disney World.

Elizabeth was shocked and deeply saddened to learn that her high school, St. Elizabeth Academy, is closing. Huge loss to the community and for some girls who have a hard time fitting in elsewhere, for whatever reason.

I read up on Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the next day. My guide book also mentions what I had heard a few months back, plans for adding an Avatar area (based on the movie.)

And being that Walt Disney World is like Las Vegas and doesn’t sleep, even in the off season, we had dinner at our resort (gotta use those free refillable mugs) and then took a boat ride (a very large pontoon) to Downton Disney. We passed the Disney Treehouse Villas  (yep, up in the tree) along the way.  We browsed shops and admired all the Lego displays. Incredible.

We went to bed at midnight

Miles: 5

Day 5 Universal Studios Monday January 7th

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

nice abs

Christmas Tree at Universal

We arrived at Universal Studios at 8 am and opened it up at 9am. The place was empty. EMPTY.

Shrek 4D (so funny), Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and the Simpson Ride (also funny) were very cool. Its like you are literally in the cartoon or movie: slipping, sliding, crashing, climbing, flying, whatever is going on, somekind of motion simulator and advanced technology. Bobby loves those little yellow minions, by the way.

Today, the 5th day, I finally remembered to bring my cheater glasses so I could read schedules, etc. But I quickly lost them first thing, riding the Rip Ride Rockit Rollercoaster.  Perhaps if you need cheater glasses then you are too old to ride coasters? Not.  On the Rockit Rollercoaster, you select what music you want to listen to as you ride. Bobby chose ZZ Top, I picked Limp Bizkit, and Elizabeth picked Fergie.

We saw Marilyn Monroe, Shrek and Spongebob and friends, and the Despicable me gang.  We saw McQueen and Tow Mater.

During the Animal Actors show, Bobby was asked to hold out a dollar bill while a large white cockatoo flew to him  and landed on his arm. The bird took the dollar and left.  He then returned as instructed and landed on Bobby again, placing the dollar bill, now with a hole in it, back in Bobby’s hand.  Muffin is not even that smart.  Celebrity dogs were also in the show; Beethoven, the Men in Black dog, etc.

In the evening, we went to Universal City Walk (night life venue) and had dinner at Pastamore, Elizabeth’s choice. Not only was our waitress from St. Louis, but she was well versed in RANGER and bass fishing. After wearing his Ranger hat all week, Bobby finally encountered someone who understood. She got a big tip.

We passed a shop and Elizabeth purchased a Vera Bradley backpack that she was ver excited about.  She fretted over whether or not to buy the older pattern that was half priced. I think Bobby was just lost in the whole process and a little dismayed that a back pack that is nothing but “pretty” would cost an easy $100.

Then we hurried and  moved on to see the Blue Man Group at 8pm. Oh my gosh was that fun. We had an empty seat next to us and really wished Bobby’s sister, Barb, near Daytona, could have met us for the evening. Bobby has always loved the Blue Man Group (they are blue and bald and mute) for years but had never seen them live. The music/show is for all ages and includes audience participation, and can involve PVC pipe, twinkies, marshmellows, paint, etc. A good time.

Miles: 5