We arrived in Orlando 2 hours after we left Bradenton Beach. I was so excited the moment I saw “ Walt Disney World” sign from the road and driving under the Walt Disney World archway. I was taking pictures through the windshield of our vehicle. Then we arrived at the gate....ah the magic.
But wait! We lost our way to the hotel! Sheeshh! The driver too, must have felt the magic that he turned too soon to get to Port Orleans Resort French Quarter. Indeed, driving around Walt Disney World needs so much attention, as there are a lot of fascinating scenes to catch your attention.
We were at the front desk trying to check-in about 1:30PM. We were housed at Building I. First thing we did was to locate the room and checked if we would liked it or not. We're so glad we left our stuff at the vehicle because they gave us two single beds! We went back to the front desk and asked for another room with 1 Kingsize bed. Luckily, there was 1 room left at building 4 but they had to clean it first and it won't be ready until 5-6PM.
We looked for Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory for our lunch. I had Chicken Quesadilla, an orange juice and chips. Hubby had pizza and bought this Refillable Mug for $10.00 which has Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort logo on it. It has free refills of beverages throughout our stay. Good deal huh?
After that, I asked hubby if we could go check out a Filipino Store just to kill a time. I already had the map printed out, so it was easy for us to locate it. By 5PM I was done grocery shoppin'. We then head back to Walt Disney World. While on our way, I called Walt Disney Information to check about our room. Darn! I had to call them back again 'coz our room wasn't ready yet.
We decided to checked out DOWNTOWN DISNEY. This place is the epicenter of excitement. The be-all, end-all of the big-city fun. Here you can find blocks and blocks of shops you've dreamed about.
First off we started at the West Side particularly in Planet Hollywood. Inspired by the glamorous world of film and television, they serve lunch and dinner. We saw Jenny shrimp boat from the movie Forrest Gump. DisneyQuest Emporium, its where a cool collection of Disney merchandise can be found. For music, movie and multimedia there's this Virgin Megastore. They also have Guitar Gallery store, Magic Masters, Sosa Family Cigars which is a premium smoke shop. Sunglass Icon that sells sunglass fashion from around the world. Disney's Candy Cauldron, Magnetron which is a collector-quality magnet shops. Man, this is where I saw thousands of magnets, decorated wall to wall. Hubby bought a few including a crab magnet. He bought it for me because I love crabs. He also bought a wheel of food magnet. It would be useful when he is undecided what to eat, and some picture magnets. We walked down to House of Blues, they serve a southern-inspired cuisine for lunch and dinner. They also have an indoor interactive theme park called DisneyQuest and Cirque du Soleil La Nouba which is mostly for acrobatic entertainment.
We walked through the Pleasure Island. It is mostly for adult entertainment. Here you will see outrageous clubs and wild entertainment that lets you rock the streets until the wee hours. Moving on to the MarketPlace. We had to pass into a small bridge and here we saw the beauty of the Sunset from the Village Lake. First thing we saw was this giant seafood riverboat restaurant called Fulton's Crab House. We almost ate here if only not for the priority seating wait. Next we went to LEGO Imagination Center. A lot of interesting stuff you can build while you are here. Kids are everywhere trying to make their own Lego creation. By the lake we saw this giant sized lego dragon. I say its pretty cool how they could make it looked like real. Very impressive. Next shop is the World of Disney. It holds the most unique collection of Disney merchandise. Hubby bought me a Mickey Mouse here and I love it! You want italian cuisine and award-winning list of wines? Portobello Yact Club is what you are looking for. McDonald of course is here. Then there is this store full of chocolatey goodness and exceptional ice cream called Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. It is actually pretty full of customers waiting in line. They also have Earl Sandwich Restaurant featuring gourmet sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages. After that we hop in into a california cuisine called Wolfgang Puck Express but nothing seems interesting so we checked out Rainforest Cafe. We are pretty hungry that we could not wait for our turn in the long line. John had to buy a VIP membership for $15. Its a wild place to shop and eat. Inside was an indoor rainforest creation with lush sorroundings, waterfalls, elephants and big acquariums...fake of course!
After that sumptous dinner, we headed our way home to the hotel. We are super tired but its worth it. At least our day was not a waste because we get to see Downtown Disney. Blessed the hearts of the Walt Disney staff's...our room is finally ready!
May 11, 2005
Good morning! It's a little late after 9am. I am so excited knowing I am about to be given a million things to do today. I am getting that “feeling” that I have left the real world and to enjoy everything I possibly can. I am grinning ear to ear as I was taking my shower. As usual Mr. Sleepy head was lazy to get up. I was about to get my breakfast at Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory when he just took his shower. I had Mickey Waffle with strawberries and my hubby's own concoction of coffee. A combination of real coffee, hot chocolate, and creamer. Weird or shall I say unique? It actually taste good.
Everything was ready with the camcorder and digital camera, disney attraction map's, and times guide we hop in into one of the disney's bus going to the MAGIC KINGDOM. I could not forget the feeling while we were walking through the gates of the Magic Kingdom. I have felt Walt Disney's spirit inviting us to come, enjoy and play. I was like, “wow, i am at the walt disney world!”. I don't wanna go home...flashing my big 'ol smile.
I could see the monorail carrying guest from Magic Kingdom to the Epcot parks. At the Main Street, USA was the Walt Disney World Railroad wherein one could ride an authentic steam train that stops at Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown Fair. We first enter the Town Square with The City Hall (guest services), Main Street Vehicles (horse-drawn trolley), Fire Station, the Exposition Hall hosted by kodak which is the best spot to get camera supplies. One of the packages that hubby bought was the Photopass where a professional photographer is found throughout each of the theme parks. We have them capture photos of US together and they gave us a a photopass cards. They will have the photos organized and i just have to log-on to their website and then i can view and share it online. Downside is that the photos are so pricey to order.
In one of the kiosks I saw some of the characters. Mickey is the only one I am crazy about falling in line to have a picture taking. A lot of shops on the block. Entertainment along the way is also provided by Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet.The street ends at the plaza where we can see the breathtaking Cinderella Castle. We stayed here for few minutes waiting for the live show at the Castle Forecourt Stage. It was Cinderellabration! Here, Cinderella is crowned a princess on a sparkling coronation pageant with guests princesses – Snow White, Princess Aurora, Belle and Princess Jasmine with Fairy Godmother overseeign the event. This show is adapted from a popular production created for the 20th anniversary celebration of Tokyo Disney Resort in 2003.
We moved on to Tomorrowland. First we rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA). It is a seated , slow paced continuous loading ride located above the ground in Tommorowland. We first rode up a stairless escalator to board this attraction. This ride takes guest on a scenic tour of all the attractions in Tomorrowland like Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Carousel of Progress, the Arcade, Galaxy Palace Theater, The Timekeeper, and the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. It is also a narrated journey..uhh...how could we forget the paging...”Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow." and... don't forget to "keep all forward facing tentacles inside the vehicle!"
Next we rode into a fast, bone rattling roller coaster called the Space Mountain. We reach the loading platform, we boarded a six-passenger rockets, seated single-file. I remember we entered into a tunnel of strobe lights and colors then we were thrust into the darkness of space via a roller coaster and it dips and swerves through the galaxy, shooting stars and glowing planets. It was pretty cool....although I admit I was screaming the whole time. :o)
And finally we rode the Carousel of Progress. We were seated into a rotating carousel theater which carries us into the homes of four generations of the same family from the days before the electricity to the present day. I personally liked the theme music “ There's a great big beautiful tomorrow.” played everytime the theater rotates again.
We are on our way back to to the Main Street USA when we saw this sassy moving and talking garbage can. It follows the guests and interacts with kids. The name is Push She and it looks very identical to the normal garbage cans seen in Tomorrowland. Im sure there is one person operating it. :o)
Back to the Main Street USA, we grabbed some food for a late lunch and checked out some disney shops. Finally its 3PM, the much awaited “Share a Dream Come True Parade” has started. The street sides were pretty full, and it was hard to get a good spot to take videos and photos, nevertheless we tried the best we could.
But wait! We lost our way to the hotel! Sheeshh! The driver too, must have felt the magic that he turned too soon to get to Port Orleans Resort French Quarter. Indeed, driving around Walt Disney World needs so much attention, as there are a lot of fascinating scenes to catch your attention.
We were at the front desk trying to check-in about 1:30PM. We were housed at Building I. First thing we did was to locate the room and checked if we would liked it or not. We're so glad we left our stuff at the vehicle because they gave us two single beds! We went back to the front desk and asked for another room with 1 Kingsize bed. Luckily, there was 1 room left at building 4 but they had to clean it first and it won't be ready until 5-6PM.
We looked for Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory for our lunch. I had Chicken Quesadilla, an orange juice and chips. Hubby had pizza and bought this Refillable Mug for $10.00 which has Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort logo on it. It has free refills of beverages throughout our stay. Good deal huh?
After that, I asked hubby if we could go check out a Filipino Store just to kill a time. I already had the map printed out, so it was easy for us to locate it. By 5PM I was done grocery shoppin'. We then head back to Walt Disney World. While on our way, I called Walt Disney Information to check about our room. Darn! I had to call them back again 'coz our room wasn't ready yet.
We decided to checked out DOWNTOWN DISNEY. This place is the epicenter of excitement. The be-all, end-all of the big-city fun. Here you can find blocks and blocks of shops you've dreamed about.
First off we started at the West Side particularly in Planet Hollywood. Inspired by the glamorous world of film and television, they serve lunch and dinner. We saw Jenny shrimp boat from the movie Forrest Gump. DisneyQuest Emporium, its where a cool collection of Disney merchandise can be found. For music, movie and multimedia there's this Virgin Megastore. They also have Guitar Gallery store, Magic Masters, Sosa Family Cigars which is a premium smoke shop. Sunglass Icon that sells sunglass fashion from around the world. Disney's Candy Cauldron, Magnetron which is a collector-quality magnet shops. Man, this is where I saw thousands of magnets, decorated wall to wall. Hubby bought a few including a crab magnet. He bought it for me because I love crabs. He also bought a wheel of food magnet. It would be useful when he is undecided what to eat, and some picture magnets. We walked down to House of Blues, they serve a southern-inspired cuisine for lunch and dinner. They also have an indoor interactive theme park called DisneyQuest and Cirque du Soleil La Nouba which is mostly for acrobatic entertainment.
We walked through the Pleasure Island. It is mostly for adult entertainment. Here you will see outrageous clubs and wild entertainment that lets you rock the streets until the wee hours. Moving on to the MarketPlace. We had to pass into a small bridge and here we saw the beauty of the Sunset from the Village Lake. First thing we saw was this giant seafood riverboat restaurant called Fulton's Crab House. We almost ate here if only not for the priority seating wait. Next we went to LEGO Imagination Center. A lot of interesting stuff you can build while you are here. Kids are everywhere trying to make their own Lego creation. By the lake we saw this giant sized lego dragon. I say its pretty cool how they could make it looked like real. Very impressive. Next shop is the World of Disney. It holds the most unique collection of Disney merchandise. Hubby bought me a Mickey Mouse here and I love it! You want italian cuisine and award-winning list of wines? Portobello Yact Club is what you are looking for. McDonald of course is here. Then there is this store full of chocolatey goodness and exceptional ice cream called Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop. It is actually pretty full of customers waiting in line. They also have Earl Sandwich Restaurant featuring gourmet sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages. After that we hop in into a california cuisine called Wolfgang Puck Express but nothing seems interesting so we checked out Rainforest Cafe. We are pretty hungry that we could not wait for our turn in the long line. John had to buy a VIP membership for $15. Its a wild place to shop and eat. Inside was an indoor rainforest creation with lush sorroundings, waterfalls, elephants and big acquariums...fake of course!
After that sumptous dinner, we headed our way home to the hotel. We are super tired but its worth it. At least our day was not a waste because we get to see Downtown Disney. Blessed the hearts of the Walt Disney staff's...our room is finally ready!
May 11, 2005
Good morning! It's a little late after 9am. I am so excited knowing I am about to be given a million things to do today. I am getting that “feeling” that I have left the real world and to enjoy everything I possibly can. I am grinning ear to ear as I was taking my shower. As usual Mr. Sleepy head was lazy to get up. I was about to get my breakfast at Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory when he just took his shower. I had Mickey Waffle with strawberries and my hubby's own concoction of coffee. A combination of real coffee, hot chocolate, and creamer. Weird or shall I say unique? It actually taste good.
Everything was ready with the camcorder and digital camera, disney attraction map's, and times guide we hop in into one of the disney's bus going to the MAGIC KINGDOM. I could not forget the feeling while we were walking through the gates of the Magic Kingdom. I have felt Walt Disney's spirit inviting us to come, enjoy and play. I was like, “wow, i am at the walt disney world!”. I don't wanna go home...flashing my big 'ol smile.
I could see the monorail carrying guest from Magic Kingdom to the Epcot parks. At the Main Street, USA was the Walt Disney World Railroad wherein one could ride an authentic steam train that stops at Frontierland and Mickey's Toontown Fair. We first enter the Town Square with The City Hall (guest services), Main Street Vehicles (horse-drawn trolley), Fire Station, the Exposition Hall hosted by kodak which is the best spot to get camera supplies. One of the packages that hubby bought was the Photopass where a professional photographer is found throughout each of the theme parks. We have them capture photos of US together and they gave us a a photopass cards. They will have the photos organized and i just have to log-on to their website and then i can view and share it online. Downside is that the photos are so pricey to order.
In one of the kiosks I saw some of the characters. Mickey is the only one I am crazy about falling in line to have a picture taking. A lot of shops on the block. Entertainment along the way is also provided by Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet.The street ends at the plaza where we can see the breathtaking Cinderella Castle. We stayed here for few minutes waiting for the live show at the Castle Forecourt Stage. It was Cinderellabration! Here, Cinderella is crowned a princess on a sparkling coronation pageant with guests princesses – Snow White, Princess Aurora, Belle and Princess Jasmine with Fairy Godmother overseeign the event. This show is adapted from a popular production created for the 20th anniversary celebration of Tokyo Disney Resort in 2003.
We moved on to Tomorrowland. First we rode Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA). It is a seated , slow paced continuous loading ride located above the ground in Tommorowland. We first rode up a stairless escalator to board this attraction. This ride takes guest on a scenic tour of all the attractions in Tomorrowland like Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, Astro Orbiter, Carousel of Progress, the Arcade, Galaxy Palace Theater, The Timekeeper, and the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. It is also a narrated journey..uhh...how could we forget the paging...”Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow." and... don't forget to "keep all forward facing tentacles inside the vehicle!"
Next we rode into a fast, bone rattling roller coaster called the Space Mountain. We reach the loading platform, we boarded a six-passenger rockets, seated single-file. I remember we entered into a tunnel of strobe lights and colors then we were thrust into the darkness of space via a roller coaster and it dips and swerves through the galaxy, shooting stars and glowing planets. It was pretty cool....although I admit I was screaming the whole time. :o)
And finally we rode the Carousel of Progress. We were seated into a rotating carousel theater which carries us into the homes of four generations of the same family from the days before the electricity to the present day. I personally liked the theme music “ There's a great big beautiful tomorrow.” played everytime the theater rotates again.
We are on our way back to to the Main Street USA when we saw this sassy moving and talking garbage can. It follows the guests and interacts with kids. The name is Push She and it looks very identical to the normal garbage cans seen in Tomorrowland. Im sure there is one person operating it. :o)
Back to the Main Street USA, we grabbed some food for a late lunch and checked out some disney shops. Finally its 3PM, the much awaited “Share a Dream Come True Parade” has started. The street sides were pretty full, and it was hard to get a good spot to take videos and photos, nevertheless we tried the best we could.
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