Day 1 - Monday, May 21, 2012
Our first Walt Disney World Vacation together began on Sunday, May 20th, 2012. Due to the fact that we booked this trip somewhat last minute (a month prior) we didn't have ideal flight options and ended up having an eight, yes you read that right, eight hour layover! We flew in Toronto and managed to pass the time by browsing the shops and reading books. Thinking back, it wasn't so bad but we definitely do not recommend it!
We arrived in Orlando, Florida around 1:00am and headed straight to our resort via the Magical Express - a great free shuttle bus feature for guests staying on resort that takes you right from the airport to your hotel. On this trip we stayed at Disney's All Star Movies Resort! With this being our first trip staying on-site, we had no idea what to expect but we were thoroughly impressed with the resort! We aren't fancy people so we didn't look for or miss out on any of the bells and whistles that the moderate and deluxe resorts have. As long as there is a bed & pool we're happy! The room was clean, the resort had a fun theme (great for photo opps) and the food court was tasty and had a variety of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Our first day began at 6:30am. We got ready, had a quick breakfast at the resort, and headed to Disney's Animal Kingdom! This trip was before the arrival of the FastPass+ system so we strategically mapped out our plan of getting our fast passes for the morning. We left the resort by 7:30am and headed straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris. It's recommended that you visit the Safari early in the morning when it's cooler - the animals are more likely to active, so better chance of seeing them out in the open! This giraffe came right up to the vehicle and posed for some pictures.
Next we headed over to Kali River Rapids. Ellen remembered loving this ride as a kid and couldn't wait to go on it again as an adult. While it wasn't the thrilling ride she remembered, it was a fun & wet start to the day! So much fun, we went on it twice!
After the River Rapids we headed over to Expedition Everest - one of our favourites at the Animal Kingdom. This ride features a Yeti and an unexpected twist that is tons of fun! We rode this ride three times that day!
Before heading back to our resort for lunch, we rode Dinosaur! (Ellen's favourite at Animal Kingdom!) We headed back to our resort for some lunch and a swim in the pool.
On this trip we didn't opt to have the Hopper Pass - a feature you can purchase to your park tickets that allow you to visit multiple parks per day. We stuck to one park per day and sometimes went back to the same park in the evening. We made our way back to Animal Kingdom at 3:30pm. We rode Dinosaur! again, went to It's Tough to be a Bug! and watched Finding Nemo - the Musical, which is a fantastic show! We also saw The Festival of the Lion King for the first time and have been completely in love with it ever since! We rode Primeval Whirl and called it a day a great first day.
Animal Kingdom is generally the earliest park to close (except for the Water Parks) so it's good to plan accordingly. We took advantage of the early night and relaxed at our resort and got ready for our next day at Disney - EPCOT!
Day 2 - Tuesday, May 22, 2012
After Soarin’ & Nemo we checkout Living with the Land - a slow-moving ride that explores a variety of agricultural farming methods for growing food in various greenhouses and maintaining viable sources of food (i.e. fish).
Spaceship Earth was next on the list. This is a great ride to rest your feet and take an air conditioned break. We rode Spaceship twice this day – the interactive nature of this ride is super fun too!
We were pretty curious about Mission: Space and were determined to try every attraction so we headed into Mission: Space Green. The green team is a less intense version of the ride with less dramatic effects. Having survived the green team we decided to try out the orange team. The orange team is a more intense version of the ride with more spinning and dramatic effects. I came out of the orange pretty unscathed but Ryan, on the other hand, wasn't overly enthusiastic about it and felt nauseous immediately. Ellen’s (not this Ellen, Ellen Degeneres!) Energy Adventure was next followed by Captain EO Starring Michael Jackson.
We headed back to our resort around 1:30pm for some lunch and an afternoon swim. We also made a pit-stop at Downtown Disney for the first time and did some shopping!
Again, because we didn't opt to add the Hopper Pass to our tickets, we had access to one park per day. We decided to make the most of the day and headed back to Epcot to view the Epcot World Showcase. We wandered the pavilions & of course checking out Canada. We wished there was more representation from the East Coast of Canada but were pretty enthused nonetheless! Within the Pavilions, we rode Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros which is similar in design to It’s a Small World.
We stayed at Epcot and watched the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth firework show, which was a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
Next we headed over to the Enchanted Tiki Room which is a show-type experience with animatronic tropical birds singing a few songs.
Ryan insisted we see the Country Bear Jamboree and while I was appreciative of the ten minute rest & air conditioning, I made note that this probably isn't an attraction I’d be dying to see next time. But Ryan enjoyed it, so that’s all that matters!
We saw the Astro Orbiter and wanted to try it, as we were determined to ride pretty much everything. Both full grown adults and neither of us particularly small for our age, we awkwardly & embarrassingly crammed ourselves into the seats and enjoyed the ride.
We rode Peter Pan’s Flight before calling it a night. Magic Kingdom was a great day, full of magic and memories. We went all out and dedicated ourselves to riding as much as possible! Unfortunately, Big Thunder Mountain was closed for construction so we didn't have the chance to ride it. We left the park 11 hours later at 7:00pm and called it a night!
Day 3 - Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Magic
Kingdom Day! Magic Kingdom is usually a big hit with both new and
returning guests – and this was certainly the case for us! We wanted to get to
the park to see rope drop, a show put on every morning at The Magic Kingdom that officially
opens the park. It’s a short show but embodies everything Disney – so it’s a
must! We left the resort around 8:00am & arrived in time for rope drop
and then headed straight for frontier land!
We
rode Splash Mountain first (and again a second time) before heading over to The
Magic Carpets of Aladdin. The line was extremely short and we pretty much
hopped right on – with the "real" Aladdin and Jasmine which was pretty cool!
Next we headed over to the Enchanted Tiki Room which is a show-type experience with animatronic tropical birds singing a few songs.
The
Jungle Cruise followed the Tiki Room. Our “guide” was hilarious - so many good
puns! After we got off the Jungle Cruise we decided to head over to the Pirates
of the Caribbean and adventure with Captain Jack – does anyone else who’s been
on this ride think the animatronic Jack Sparrow looks incredibly realistic?!
Ryan insisted we see the Country Bear Jamboree and while I was appreciative of the ten minute rest & air conditioning, I made note that this probably isn't an attraction I’d be dying to see next time. But Ryan enjoyed it, so that’s all that matters!
We
visited The Haunted Mansion which was an instant hit that we still look forward
to riding each visit! Before lunch we hit up Snow White’s Scary Adventure which
has since been closed and replaced with Princess Fairytale Hall.
We
ate lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe, which has really good
burgers and a condiments bar! After a brief panic that we had lost each other
in the restaurant, we enjoyed our burgers and got back to the fun!
We
rode Prince Charming Regal Carousel and took some more pictures! We were
pretty thirsty at this point and Ellen was dying for a frozen lemonade. We
couldn’t find any nearby so we decided to ride The Mad Tea Party in the
meantime. The Tea Party always seems to have a fairly short line so we decided
to do it twice!
It’s
A Small World is a must! And while some don’t enjoy the repetitive song, we
love resting our feet, sitting back and enjoying the classic ride.
Up
next –The Barnstormer! This attraction is in the Storybook Circus part of
Fantasyland and is a great junior roller coaster. It reminds us of an old
roller coaster we have here at home.
With
a Fast Pass in-hand, we headed over to Space Mountain. Ryan remembered this
ride as a kid but it had been under construction when Ellen first visited so
this was a first for her! SO. MUCH. FUN. We really love this ride - the dark
twists and turns are exciting and unpredictable – Ellen laugh’s the whole way
through. We rode it twice this day, one with a fast pass, one without - the
Fast Pass was definitely appreciated!
We saw the Astro Orbiter and wanted to try it, as we were determined to ride pretty much everything. Both full grown adults and neither of us particularly small for our age, we awkwardly & embarrassingly crammed ourselves into the seats and enjoyed the ride.
Buzz
Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin was up next! This is fun, interactive ride where
you shoot lasers to defeat Zurg! Having both visited the parks as kids we
remembered seeing ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter and being pretty scared
and excited by it. We realized that this ride had been replaced in 2003 with
Stitch’s Great Escape. While the Stitch ride is probably a better fit for the Magic
Kingdom, we missed the Alien Encounter for sure.
We rode Peter Pan’s Flight before calling it a night. Magic Kingdom was a great day, full of magic and memories. We went all out and dedicated ourselves to riding as much as possible! Unfortunately, Big Thunder Mountain was closed for construction so we didn't have the chance to ride it. We left the park 11 hours later at 7:00pm and called it a night!
Day 4 & 5 - Thursday, May 24, 2012 & Friday, May 25, 2012
Before moving on to Day 5 of our 2012 trip, you may be
wondering what happened to Day 4?! We decided to take Thursday, May 24th
as a “day off”. If you've ever been on a Disney vacation and enjoy doing as
much as possible like us, you know that a vacation day on your vacation is
sometimes necessary! We had been waking
up early and staying out late with little rest in between so we figured this
would be a great mid-point refresher.
We slept in... a bit before heading to an outlet mall in the
area around 9:00am. We arranged for a taxi to take us to the Lake Buena Vista
Factory Outlet stores. This mall was smaller than its counterpart across the
street and didn't have as many top-brand stores. We visited Old Navy, Fossil,
Reebok and the Gap along with a Disney Outlet store that wasn't anything to
write home about.
We took another taxi over to the Walmart Super Centre. At
that point, our city didn't have any super centres so we were impressed with
the sheer size of the store. We enjoyed the fact that the Walmart’s in America sell
alcohol (where we’re from, alcohol is sold in its own store). We picked up a
few Disney items and found the Red Ryder BB Gun from A Christmas Story!
When we got back from shopping, we hung out by the pool and
went for a swim. Later that evening, we hit up Downtown Disney for some more
shopping and exploring!
After our low-key day we were re-charged and ready for Universal Studios Orlando! We had a 2-day pass for both Universal Parks – Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios but after our “day off” we had to jam both parks into one day! It was a busy, exhausting day but was filled with excitement and adventure! We did almost everything we wanted to in one day!
We had scheduled the same taxi from our shopping trip to
pick us up at our hotel Friday morning to take us to Universal Orlando. We've since learned that there are shuttles (such as Mears) that can be arranged to
take you to and from Disney parks and attractions at a lower cost.
We began our day in Islands of Adventure. First up – The
Incredible Hulk. We’d be lying if we said we weren't slightly nervous about
these coasters as they’re a big step up from the majority of Disney’s. While
Disney has some fast and exciting coasters, many of Universal’s, like the Hulk,
are on a much larger scale. We got in line and had a minimal wait. It was so
much fun! Being outside and seeing your surroundings while looping around and
ducking under things is a thrill!
After the Hulk we headed over to Doctor Doom’s Fearfall.
Similar to the Tower of Terror, you’re strapped in a seat awaiting the clock to
tick down before you’re shot up almost 200ft. You get a great view from the top
before you plummet back down. While the ride doesn't last all that long, it’s
definitely a fun thrill.
We decided to head over to The Amazing Adventures of Spider
Man. This was definitely a highlight ride for us. It’s a 3D type ride that has
you sitting in a motion vehicle while you dodge explosions. It has a great mix
of 3D and actual effects (like fire and water).
Next it was time to get wet. We started at Popeye and
Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. After getting soaked on the Kali River Rapids at
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Ellen decided to sit this one out and avoid being
soaked... which, if you keep reading, didn't last too long. So Ryan took one
for the team and rode it solo. Since we were in the area, we decided to do
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. We love
that this flume ride features a Canadian Mounty! Oh, did we mention we got
SOAKED?! Ellen’s plan to avoid being dripping wet didn’t last long after this
ride.
Our last ride before heading over to The Wizarding World of Harry
Potter was the Jurassic Park River Adventure. We were in line to be in the
second row but after a few the ladies in front of us saw the returning riders,
they asked if we would switch with them in the hopes of not getting too wet. We
were already pretty wet so we gladly accepted the front row seats!
After Jurassic Park, we excitedly headed over to the Wizarding
World of Harry Potter. First up – Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This
is a simulated ride with a lot of thrills and suspense. While we both felt fine
after riding, some people find it to be a little nauseating with all the
screens and twists and turns.
After riding (and surviving) the Incredible Hulk earlier
that morning, we were completely stoked to do the Dragon Challenge and because
Ellen is awful at directions and paying attention, we ended up in the line for
front-row seats. This a great roller coaster full of suspense and anxiety!
We built up a solid appetite from all of our excitement and
before heading over to Universal Studios, we stopped in Seuss Landing and had
some lunch at Circus McGurkus.
Refueled and ready for our next adventure, we headed into
Universal Studios. This park’s attractions are centred on various movies and
the entertainment industry. The first attraction we visited was Shrek 4-D. This
is a theatre-style show, similar to It’s Tough to be a Bug at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom. It’s funny, interactive and tons of fun.
At this point, we were looking for a little more thrill so
when we spotted the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket, we knew we had to get on this
one. The scariest part of this ride of us is the ascent - you climb almost
vertically before you drop and pick up speed all while listening to your
favourite song!
Ryan had done Twister...Ride it Out when he was younger and
remembered how... uneventful it was, so much so that he insisted I experience
it too. So we headed into the queue and experienced a “Twister”. We talked
about it with friends who went in 2013 & loved it but we feel it could be
so much better.
Next up was the Revenge of the Mummy. This is an enclosed
roller coaster ride with a bunch of thrills and twists. I didn't have high
hopes for it but it was a lot of fun! Next we did Disaster! which is part
interactive tour and part ride where volunteers from the group create a movie
scene that is then played out while you’re on a subway that experiences a
disaster!
After Disaster, we did the Men in Black: Alien Attack which
is similar in style to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Disney’s Magic
Kingdom. We finished off our jam-packed day at Universal with the Simpsons Ride
which is a simulated rollercoaster and one of our favourites from the day!
Our trip to Universal Orlando was a busy non-stop adventure.
We were exhausted by the end of the day but were impressed by how much we
accomplished and all the fun we had. We would recommend taking the two days,
one day for each park – which we did on our most recent trip. With decently
easy transportation from Walt Disney World to Universal Orlando, so many thrill
rides and roller coasters, Universal Orlando is a great addition to a Disney
vacation and a part of our trips that we really look forward to.
Day 6 Saturday, May 26, 2012
The last day of our 2012 Disney World Vacation came wayyy too
fast. We visited Hollywood Studios on Saturday before departing early Sunday morning.
The first ride we did was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
This is such a fun attraction and a must-do at Hollywood Studios. The queue is
elaborate and the build up throughout adds to the excitement. The rising and
dropping of the elevator cart is such an exhilarating feeling making this
attraction one of our favourites at Hollywood! Working the wait times and Fast
Pass system effectively, we managed to ride this attraction 3 times that day!
We had picked up some Fast Passes when we first got into the
park for the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (this was when Disney World was still
using the old Fast Pass system). The speed, darkness and music in this ride is
a ton of fun and we absolutely loved it -so much so we managed to get on it
twice!
We decided to slow
things down a bit and visited the Great Movie Ride next. This is a slow moving,
indoor ride that showcases classic movies and movie scenes. Next, we visited Star
Tours – The Adventure Continues. While Ellen found this ride to be less than
thrilling on this trip, we’d have a much better experience in 2014.
We decided to watch Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage as it’s
Ellen’s favourite Disney movie. It was an amazing show and lived up to everything
you’d expect – original songs, characters and dancing!
After watching the show, we decided to grab some lunch at
Rosie’s All American Cafe. The food was pretty good but what we hadn't considered was the environment. All tables were outside and it was a very hot day. Neither of us had a huge appetite
because of the heat and felt like our experience at this restaurant wasn't as positive as a result.
To cool down after lunch we decided to take in the Muppet's Vision 3D show. While neither of us are huge Muppet's fans, we found this attraction
to be pretty funny and would definitely do it again (even if only for the air conditioning and chair!)
Next up – The Studio Backlot Tour. This attraction is a mix
of walking and a tour on a “tram”. After watching a water show with fire and
explosions reminiscent of movie effects, we were taken through a huge warehouse
full of old movie props – it’s pretty cool to see, especially for big movie
buffs like Ryan.
Our time at Disney’s Hollywood’s Studios was bittersweet. We
were so excited to be there and experience all the thrills and attractions but
we were sad it was our last day at Disney. We hung around the park until we
were exhausted and decided to make the trip back to our hotel to pack up our
suitcases - we had a 4:00am flight to catch the next morning.
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