My May Trip Report; day 1
It’s time for a Trip Report from my 4 day visit to Walt Disney World earlier this month. We spent some time talking about the planning phase, so now I’ll tell you how it all worked out. We’ll split this into 4 posts, one for each day…
We arrived in the middle of the afternoon on Sunday and boarded the Magical Express. Once again, this process was quick, easy, and free. I’ve heard many criticisms about the Express, but I’ve never experienced anything remotely unsatisfactory. (The only thing I don’t like is that you get back to the airport on your way home about 45 minutes too early. There’s nothing I hate more than sitting in an airport.) We got to the Saratoga Springs quickly, and hopped the bus to Epcot.
I knew Spaceship Earth was going to be closed for the remainder of my trip, so that was my first stop. To my disappointment, I could see Cast Members stopping people from entering as I approached. Luckily, they told me it was only temporary and they expected it to open soon. So instead we decided to go to our favorite attraction in Epcot…the Rose and Crown. Nothing starts a vacation like a pint and a show from Off Kilter!
As the night came, we decided to give Spaceship Earth another try, but first we went to the Seas pavilion to see Crush’s new theater and the changes they’ve made in the post-show area. This pavilion is really coming together well. The line for Turtle Talk is no longer taking up space right in the middle of the lobby, and the added capacity is making it easier to experience. Also, some of the new exhibits are rather well done.
Spaceship Earth was open, and we got to see it for the last time in its current form. I have always loved this ride, and I am very excited that it is finally getting an update and some TLC. We also got to see the new post-show area, check out my full review if you haven’t already. When we finished here, we did some Mouse Gear shopping, looked at the new pins behind the “wait times” board, and then headed back to the World Showcase.
Dinner was approaching fast, and we had reservations at Alfredo’s, which I also wanted to see one more time before it changed. But neither my wife nor I felt hungry enough for a full meal. So I cancelled and went to see the Flower Power concert playing at the America Gardens Theatre. It was the band Nelson, made up of two sons of Pop legend Ricky Nelson and was a former 80’s hair-band one hit wonder as well. My wife thought it was hilarious, but after hearing one of the brothers telling me he turned down a gig playing with Avril Lavigne’s band just to be here at Epcot…I felt I had enough nostalgia.
We strolled at leisurely pace around the promenade and made our way out to the bus stop to take us back to the Saratoga Springs Resort. It was about 9:30 and now we were hungry. We got something quick at the Artist’s Palette and then went back to the room. It was an early night, because we were planning on hitting the Animal Kingdom for an 8am rope drop.
Matt said,
May 21, 2007 @ 6:19 pm
I agree with you Dave that DME is good, it’s just a whole lot faster to drive yourself. But I would recommend DME to anyone who don’t want to rent a car for whatever reason.
Eric said,
May 22, 2007 @ 1:49 am
Dave - one tip on DME (which I like to use as well): you can actually ask to be picked up later, if you’re sure you’ll be on time. We’ve always had a good 30-45 minutes to kill at MCO, but we grab a bite to eat and do some shopping at the Earport. But you can call and try to get a later pick-up, if available.
David said,
May 22, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
I did call and try just that. What I was told by the CM is that “the computer won’t let us do that. But you can show up and hope the bus has room.” Now, many people will tell me that the bus almost always has room, but I have been on full DME busses before, so this is a risk.