Em's LONG awaited Trip Report

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Vettelover's picture
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Great report, I love the fact that you are very detail oriented, because it's more to read, and it makes us feel even more like we are there. Keep it up.

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emmaanne wrote:
Good Morning!! So i guess i should warn you before I start my reports that I am a VERY detailed oriented person and will probably give some long day reports, so I apologize beforehand Smile Brandon is stil snoozing so I figured I would update all if you before I drag him out if bed.... Yesterday was so much fun! Last I left off we were headed to Epcot....

So we got to Epcot and had about 3 hours before we had to leave for our dinner reservations. We stayed in future world and did all of the rides that didn't have a long wait (so everything but Soaring, Test Track, Misson Space and Ellens Energy Adventure). We didnt wait in line at all! It was so awesome to just walk onto every ride... We also hit club cool. I made Brandon try the Beveryly first.. He almost spit it across the room! Haha! I took a sip and almost gagged! It was HORRIBLE!!!! So we left Epcot and headed to O'Hana for dinner. I was not expecting it to be as incredible as it was..... WOW is all I can say... I could definitely eat there again.. I was not excited about the dessert because I'm not a big fan of bread pudding, but oh my gosh it was the greatest thing I have ever eaten in my life!!!!!!!!!! O'Hana is definitely on our list of must do resturaunts every time we come back!

MK had EMH hours until 2am so we headed there after dinner... I was so excied when we hit Main Street and turned the corner to see the castle.... It was beautiful!!!! Our plan was to ride a coulple of rides and head back to the room because we were cold (it was freezing last night, I'm sure they sold the heck out of some sweatshirts!!!) and exhausted.... But we would pass a ride and just had to do it! Haha! We did the Laugh Floor, Carousel of Progress, jungle cruise, Pirates of the Carribean, & Splash Mountain (my favorite!!!).. I had promised Brandon we would go after that but decided we should do Space Mountain since the lines were short and all... On our way there we found the Haunted Mansion and did that instead. The we headed back to the hotel and got to our room about 12:45...

Whew!! It was a fun eventful day!!! We are off to Animal Kingdom today and the weather here is PERFECT!!!!

Im not one for bread pudding at all... and that was AMAZING! It is hands down my favorite place to eat at now in Disney! So glad you guys enjoyed it!

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Wow that sounds amazing! Are you planning on heading to EPCOT to hit the other rides? I personally haven't done EMH but it sounds great to go when less people are there. These trip reports always make my stomach growl! I love bread pudding and for someone who didn't like it before and it be the best... That is a must! Hope you have a great time at AK! My fingers are crossed for more warm weather! Big smile

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Awesome report so far. I am glad and jealous, of course, that you guys are having so much fun. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

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JoAnn C's picture
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Can't wait to hear more.

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Day 2.......

So we left about 10 this morning (after eating our Micky rice crispies for breakfast, I might add) for Animal Kingdom. Our first stop was Expedition Everest (the only ride we had to wait for...about 30 minutes). It was my most favorite ride of the day... So much fun! I loved the drops and unexpectedness of the ride. The we did Dinosaur and Nemo the Musical... That was Brandons favorite thing of the day.

For lunch we had Yak and Yeti counter service. I had the honey chicken and B had the sweet and sour... And whoever recommended the egg rolls, I LOVE YOU they were awesome!

After lunch we did It's Tough Being A Bug (so cute!), mickeys jammin parade (I got my picture made with Timon!!), the safari (got some great pics that I will put up later) and The Lion King.

Then we headed to dinner at Whispering Canyon. It was hilarious. I hadnt read much about it and had thought our waitress was being a little rude.. Then I see a guy just throw down the desserts at the table next to us.. B asked if they were supposed to be rude so I of course googled it! Haha! About that time our waitress finally brings my drink, or should I say 3 drinks.. Hahaha!!! The food was wonderful. I had the pot roast and B had the skillet. For dessert, cheesecake and white chocolate bread pudding.. Yumm!!

It's been a long day, but we are having an awesome time... Headed to Universal/IOA tomorrow!!

Goodnight!

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March 2-10, 2012 | Pop | Trip Report - http://www.wdwforgrownups.com/forum/ems-long-awaited-trip-report

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Sammy Bizzle wrote:
Are you planning on heading to EPCOT to hit the other rides?

We are.... Going in the morning on Wdnesday and afternoon/night on Friday

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I will be very interested to read your impressions of Universal after being in WDW for two days. That's all I will say so not to influence you in any way.

Have a great time! So much fun to read about someone's first visit.

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~'70 When Magic Kingdom was a trailer visitor center, ~'76 Polynesian Resort, ~'83 Disneyland, ~'85 Dixie Landings, ~'98 Boardwalk Villas, ~'99 Boardwalk Villas, ~'99 Disneyland Hotel, '00~ Disneyland Hotel, ~'03 Port Orleans French Quarter, ~'04 Animal Kingdom Lodge, ~'04 Caribbean Beach Resort, ~'09 Port Orleans Riverside, ~'09 Boardwalk Inn, ~'09 Beach Club Resort, ~'10 Double Tree WDW, ~'10 Wilderness Lodge Villas, ~'10 Hilton Parc Soleil, ~'12 Wilderness Lodge, ~'12 Grand Californian Resort... more to come as I try to remember more visit details...

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Great trip report! I can't wait to hear more! Keep those updates coming! And most importantly....KEEP HAVING FUN!

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We are in the room for a bit to rest so thought I would update everyone....

Day 3... Universal and IOA

We got to universal about 8:30. Did that park until about 12:30ish. Had lunch at Margarittaville then headed to IOA and stayed there until 3... Yep enough about that!

So.. First, here are the things I liked about Universal
1. The wait for the rides were awesome... They would immediately take you into a room as a crowd to watch a video... Then another interactive group room and finally the ride. It just made you feel like you werent really waiting.
2. The lockers for your stuff were really awesome! They use your fingerprint to open them.
3. Yep that's all I liked....

Here is what I didn't like
1. We got there when the park opened since we were doing both parks but half the rides didn't open for another hour and NONE of the shops/resturaunts were open
2. The people shoving clipboards in your face to take surveys were EVERYWHERE!!
3. The staff were not nearly as friendly as the cast members at Disney
4. No free fast passes
5. Too many rude people (because its mostly teenagers and adults that act like teenagers)
6. Harry Potter World (which was the main reason I wanted to go) was crazy packed... And hour wait just to get butter beer and go to the wand shop!
7. Such big parks with very little rides!

So that about sums that day up.. Needless to say we left at 3.. I was sick of being in crowds and waiting in line for rides that werent even that fun....

When we got back to the resort we napped and then had quite the little accidental 2 hour tour of Disney!! Haha!! We had to take our rental back to Enterprise on property to the Royal Plaza hotel. The plan was to take a bus to DD and then back to the resort. Well the DD bus had just left and B didn't want to wait so he thought it would be a great idea to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom.. Which would have been fine and dandy but that bus went to the T&TC... So we took a monorail to MK then walked to our bus and took the long bus ride back to Pop.. It seriously took us about 2 hours in all! Hahaha! Oh well it was a little adventure Smile

We had dinner about 9 at the food court.. I had a cheese steak wrap and it was yummy!!

DAY 4...

This morning we got up and got to Epcot right at they were opening. We headed straight for soarin'. The line was only about a 20 minute wait. It was a BLAST!!!!!! we got the front row (yay!). I loved how you could smell the pine in the forrest and the oranges.. It was so great!! The we went and did test track... It was a long wait, 45 minutes, but well worth it! We then had lunch at the Biergarten. It was so delicious and the German band was awesome! My crazy husband got a sweatshirt that has a little pouch on the belly for your beer! Hahaha!!!

We then rode the boat rides in Mexico and Norway, and made our way around the world showcase.... Now we are back at the room resting.

The plan is to go back to Epcot about 7 and have dinner and grab a seat to watch illuminations.

Tomorrow is Hollywood Studios... I'm excited!!

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emmaanne wrote:
We are in the room for a bit to rest so thought I would update everyone....

Day 3... Universal and IOA

We got to universal about 8:30. Did that park until about 12:30ish. Had lunch at Margarittaville then headed to IOA and stayed there until 3... Yep enough about that!

So.. First, here are the things I liked about Universal
1. The wait for the rides were awesome... They would immediately take you into a room as a crowd to watch a video... Then another interactive group room and finally the ride. It just made you feel like you werent really waiting.
2. The lockers for your stuff were really awesome! They use your fingerprint to open them.
3. Yep that's all I liked....

Here is what I didn't like
1. We got there when the park opened since we were doing both parks but half the rides didn't open for another hour and NONE of the shops/resturaunts were open
2. The people shoving clipboards in your face to take surveys were EVERYWHERE!!
3. The staff were not nearly as friendly as the cast members at Disney
4. No free fast passes
5. Too many rude people (because its mostly teenagers and adults that act like teenagers)
6. Harry Potter World (which was the main reason I wanted to go) was crazy packed... And hour wait just to get butter beer and go to the wand shop!
7. Such big parks with very little rides!

So that about sums that day up.. Needless to say we left at 3.. I was sick of being in crowds and waiting in line for rides that werent even that fun....

That's about how we felt about universal/IOA. We got tickets from a friend as a wedding present. If i had to pay I would not have been happy. I enjoyed Harry Potter, but the rest of the rides were boring. Half the restaurants weren't open. So we wanted to grab an early lunch so we could head back to WDW early. Nothing was opening until like 1pm. We ended up getting some awful pizza. They need to update the food situation.

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Thats a shame with Universal but also not too surprising on top of it. I know eventually were gonna have to go over there. Especially to Harry Potter because our son just started reading the books and watching the movies and enjoying them highly. Im worried that place will never ease up........

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When I was living in Orlando I had a annual pass to Universal, so we would go every couple weeks or so...and it always annoyed me. Service was horrible. Food was gross. Rides had crazy long waits. We usually ended up going to SeaWorld instead. Not that SeaWorld had the best service, but it was the lesser of the two evils, and they had good burgers.

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I think it's clear from when I went to Universal that the big difference (that I noticed)... Universal and IoA are looking to make money. Disney is looking to make the customers happy! The only reason we went is because we got free tickets. Ill admit I wasn't miserable or anything at Universal, but I don't think there is even a comparison. Disney hands down is more fun, and an all around better time!

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All I know is... follow her on Facebook... she has a VERY busy day today. I want to shout it out whats going on but want her to tell... so if someone knows...... shhhhhhhh.... just check out her Facebook awesome

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Ok... got permission...

Welp.... Em entered the American Idol thing yesterday and she got a call back for today. So she was a bit excited. She then got to perform in front of everyone, and some of her family came in and was able to get into the park for free to watch her sing as well. Here is her Post:

Quote:
Today is going to be such an amazing end to an awesome trip! Get to work with a vocal coach, get hair and makeup done and then perform in the American Idol show at Hollywood Studios!!!! My aunt and cousins are even coming and get in the park free! What an amazing treat!!!!

Well... here is the latest update:

Quote:
I won I won!!!!!! Gonna be in the finale show at 7 tonight!!! Wooohoooo!!!

So there ya have it! She wanted to post it but she is barely able to post on FB... lol

clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping clapping

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WOW!!! What a fantastic feeling that must be and what a wonderful experience to have. crossfingers crossfingers
Here's hoping for a victory tonight. You Go Emmaanne, Break a leg!!!

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That's awesome. What an amazing addition to a Disney Vacation! GOOD LUCK!

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If I knew earlier, we would've gone and watched her tonight! Too bad I am reading this now at 6:40. That would be so cool to see someone I (kinda) know (of)!

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Wow thats great!

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Omigosh! How awesome! Absolutely memories of a lifetime. I can't be eloquent...that's just so amazing.

AOT, Em! I am sooooooo happy for you!!! It sounds like you have had a truly fantastic trip with your hubs Smile

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What a great experience. How did last night go?

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Em,
Sorry we missed our meet up. I called you from Pop Century and got your voice mail. I left you a message but I guess you didn't get it or were to tied up at the parks.
Joe

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Hey everybody!!! We are back home and getting ready for work! Promise a full trip report soon!!!

Joe, I didn't get your voicemail Sad so bummed we didn't get to meet up!!

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Sorry I kind of left you all in the dust...I just never could find a time to update y'all!

So where did I leave off?? Oh yea, Day 4, we were going to head back to Epcot. Well that didn't happen. We decided to go to DTD to do a little shopping and also to eat dinner AGAIN at Earl of Sandwich. That place is just so yummy!! Brandon had gotten a bad blister right by his toes our first day, so we didn't stay there long. Headed back to the room because I wanted to be at HS when it opened.....

Day 5....

We got up and go to HS about 8:30. We headed straight for Toy Story Mania. Got a fast pass for 10:00 and jumped in line (the wait was only about 10 minutes at that point). The queue for this ride is AWESOME!! This had to have been one of my favorite rides the whole trip... I am so glad we were able to ride it twice!! Then we hit The Voyage of The Little Mermaid, walked around for a few and then did Toy Story Mania again! After that we did Muppets 3D, Star Tours, and The Great Movie Ride. Then it was off to lunch at the Sci-Fi Dine In.... their spinach dip is AMAZING!!! We both got a burger and a chocolate shake... no room for desert!!

After lunch we went to the Indiana Jones show. After that we were walking towards RNRC & TOT and I saw this American Idol mic that I wanted! B said he wouldn't buy it for me unless I tried out. I really didn't want to try out, but I figured what the heck. So I did... the first producer loved me and said they didn't have a spot for me that day but would love to bring me back the next day. Then I had to try out for the actual producer. He said I was amazing and wanted me to come back the next day. Then he asked if we had any friends/family in the area. They gave us 6 free passes for our family for the next day!!!

After my audition we went and watched one of the shows to get a feel of how it worked... then headed back to our hotel to rest. We were supposed to have dinner at 50's prime time and do MK the next day, but that obviously wasn't going to work out. Im glad now that we did the EMH on Sunday so we hit all the big stuff at MK. We rested for a bit and then went to MK about 6. We got to see the parade, memories & you, and Wishes. It was spectacular!!!! Then we did Buzz Lightyear, (didn't get to do space mountain, it was a 90 min wait!!!), Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Snow White, and It's a Small World. By then it was 10 and we were exhausted!! So back to the room we went!!!

Day 6...

Had to be at the park at 9 to meet the AI guys... My aunt, cousin, her hubby, and their little boy came to join us! We went to the AI building and they shot some cut away's of me (kissing the AI sign, trying to steal the golden ticket, coming out of the audition room).. then they got my whole family dancing! We filmed for about 30 minutes. It was SO FUN!! I had to be back at 11:20, so we took Legend (my cousins 1 year old) to see the Cars, some other characters and play in the Honey I shrunk the Kids play area. And grabbed some fast passes for 5pm to Toy Story Mania... Then I had to head back to AI. They did my hair and makeup and then I worked with a vocal coach. We rehearsed on stage and then it was time to perform. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! As real as you could get!! And I WON!!!! It was crazy, I did not expect to win... I had kids coming up to me all day wanting pictures and for me to sign their autograph books! So cute!!!

Winning meant I was back for the finale show at 7.. so we went and grabbed lunch, the guys did Star Wars and we watched the Pixar parade. The family wanted to see Indiana Jones so we went there again. And my cousin Seth was picked as an extra!! TOO FUNNY!!!!!!

We then took Legend to see Disney Jr. Live! (and it POURED down raining while we were inside...his stroller was soaked!! So they were ready to go). By this time it was time for our fast passes... we got there and the ride was CLOSED!!! =( We saw them taking a stretcher in, but never found out what happened. We ended up giving out FP's away because we had to get back to AI (had to be there at 6)...

Did the finale' show, it was all females! SO FUN!!! I didn't win, but it was SO worth it!!! I had a blast and it was a great end to the trip!!

Day 7....

Got up and got our bags to luggage services... the headed to Cape May for breakfast. We took a bus to HS and then a boat to the Beach Club. I was so excited to see that area. The boardwalk is BEAUTIFUL! And the Beach Club is an awesome resort. B said he wanted to stay there next time, I looked its about $8000... so not happening! HAHA! We had a great character breakfast with Minnie, Donald, and Goofy and the food was awesome!!

Then we headed home...

So sad our trip is over but we had a WONDERFUL time!!!! I'm ready to plan our next trip! Haha!!

So.... Questions for me???????

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Kris1971's picture
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Wow Em, what a great trip! So exciting!

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Just too cool... all of it. Its so much fun reading these and just imagining in my head all of the fun you had. Thanks for the trip report and all of the FB updates! Glad your hubby has turned into a Disney fan! Especially a fan of Minnie... he he he awesome muchlove

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Mase wrote:
Glad your hubby has turned into a Disney fan! Especially a fan of Minnie... he he he awesome muchlove

yes, he cheated on me with Minnie AND Daisy!!!! What am I gonna do with him!! haha! I am trying to get him to get on here, he cracks up whenever he asked me who a person on facebook is and i say "oh they're from WDWFG.." he says I have a secret life he knows nothing about! hahaha!!

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emmaanne wrote:
Mase wrote:
Glad your hubby has turned into a Disney fan! Especially a fan of Minnie... he he he awesome muchlove

yes, he cheated on me with Minnie AND Daisy!!!! What am I gonna do with him!! haha! I am trying to get him to get on here, he cracks up whenever he asked me who a person on facebook is and i say "oh they're from WDWFG.." he says I have a secret life he knows nothing about! hahaha!!

AND DAISY! I just saw the Minnie one! Your acting all happy while he is smooching Minnie... that was hilarious! Also... gotta love the secret lives... lol

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Wow! Glad you had such an awesome trip. Now you can start the fun of planning the next one.

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