SSR in the Summertime, a TR by wdrl and denlo

[wdrl]

Day 11 - Wednesday, 8/08


Today, we took a Disney bus to the Magic Kingdom. Our luck with Disney transportation has been very good on this trip. The longest we've waited for a ride was 18 minutes, but 95% of our waits have been well under 8 minutes.

Due to the construction at the main entrance (which is suppose to be completed by August 16), the Paddock is the 4th of 5 bus stops within SSR. We got seats, but it was standing room only by the time we left SSR around 8:40 AM.




The bus driver proceeded to play several preprogrammed announcements as we made our way to MK.


Attention Passengers: Be on your best behavior today because we have a Disney Princess riding with us today!


then:


Attention Passengers: Lets wish happy birthday to one of our fellow passenger who is celebrating their birthday today!


And another one:


Attention Passengers: Lets wish a Happy Anniversary to a couple of passengers who are celebrating their anniversary today!


And still another one:


Attention Passengers: One of your fellow passengers is riding a Disney bus for the very first time. Lets wish them a magical day!


And still another one:


Attention Passengers: Lets obey the Code today because we have a Disney Pirate aboard our bus.


But this last one got everyone's attention:


Attention Passengers: We are sorry to inform you that the Magic Kingdom is closed because it has reached maximum capacity. Please contact a Cast Member for further information.


That is when the bus driver said "Oops, I pushed the wrong button." Sort of scary that Disney has a preprogrammed announcement for that situation. I have never heard any of these announcements before, and I hope I never get to hear that last one again!


It took us only 15 minutes to get to MK after we left SSR. We walked up Main Street and watched the street dancers perform the Welcome Medley.




I also took a photo of the trolly horse because of the Mickey on the horse's harness.



It wasn't until after we looked at the photo on our camera that denlo mentioned that not everyone would notice the Mickey first. I thought that the Mickey would be the only thing noticed. But hey, I'm someone who never notices the BLT parking lot when I look toward MK from BLT.

Merida is a new addition to MK. She does a meet & greet with guests from 9:15 AM to 6:30 PM at the Fairytale Garden, which is between the Castle and the Teacups. Inside the Garden, the theming is really nice and they have an area where kids can color pictures of Brave characters while they wait to meet Merida.







Merida is very exuberant and went out of her way to welcome her guests. This photo is out of focus, but it still captures Merida's spirit!



We got several photos with Merida. I'm glad we did this meet & greet!








We rode the new Dumbo Ride in the part of the New Fantasyland that is already open. Although I've always wanted to do it, I don't think we've ever ridden Dumbo. The new Dumbo queue has a play area to keep kids occupied while they are waiting their turn. The entire area is very well done. We can't wait to see all the new additions to Fantasyland which, by the way, is scheduled to open December 6, 2012.



Dumbo's play area:




After riding Dumbo, we went to the Philharmagic show, and then got a bite to eat at Columbia Harbour House. I don't think many people know about all the seating CHH has on the second floor. We got a table by a window and had a good view of the Liberty Square riverboat and the Haunted Mansion.




After lunch, we rode the Haunted Mansion and walked around some. It was getting hot (or hotter), so we headed over to Tomorrowland and rode the Wed Way People Mover. This is probably the most underrated attraction at MK.

A view from the People Mover:




We decided to head home, but stopped first for some ice cream on Main Street. Denlo and I ordered the Kids Mickey Cone, thinking it would be small. Wrong. Those cones are huge! While we were in line ordering our ice cream, the Mayor of Main Street and his wife came in and said today was Free Ice Cream Day. The CMs quickly pointed out that Free Ice Cream Day was Yesterday. Oh well, can't have everything.




After resting in our villa, we couldn't think of what we wanted for dinner. Finally, I suggested we get in the car and drive to the food court at the Art of Animation. While driving, I saw the road sign for the Boardwalk, so I suggested we go to BWV and check out the boardwalk. It was a beautiful night on the boardwalk. Turns out we weren't hungry and just got a snack at the bakery. Unfortunately, I forgot our camera so I don't have any photos to post.


Coming Up: Our Last Full Day at WDW.

[drcoulsey]

I didn't see soy milk at either location. A trip to the grocery store might be needed.

Thank you, Denise, for checking this for me. I guess that means we will now need to rent a car for part of our stay.

[lllovell]

Thank you, Denise, for checking this for me. I guess that means we will now need to rent a car for part of our stay.

I would make a few calls to WDW to double check. I have a son with gluten allergies and Disney is one of the best at accomidating what we need.

LLL

[denlo]

I am late to the party but great trip report - sounds like you are taking it easy which is great. Denise glad you are relaxing.

Thanks Minne. We've basically used my body as a guideline. When it tells me it's time to return home we leave the parks. DH is great about it too.

[wdrl]

Day 12 - Thursday, 8/09


This was our last full day at Walt Disney World. We decided to go to Hollywood Studios, partly because it didn't have morning Extra Magic Hours and partly because it has very convenient parking for guests, like us, who have a disabled parking placard. We drove to DHS because we thought we might drive to Disney's Animal Kingdom later in the day.

Donald and Daisy were outside of DHS having photos taken with guests. Minnie was there, too.




DHS was suppose to open at 9:00 AM, but when we got there at 8:35 AM they were already letting people into the Park. We did our usual DHS routine of getting a FastPass and riding TSM, then headed over to Star Tours. I've lost track how many times we rode Star Tours on this trip, but we saw all six destinations and all the messengers. Next, we got a FastPass for the Tower of Terror before watching the Beauty and the Beast show.



The night before we made an ADR for lunch at Mama Melrose's. We had never eaten there before and were pleasantly surprised. The place was packed but we were seated within 5 minutes of our ADR time. Denlo had the mahi mahi over a bed of wheat pasta; the fish was good but the pasta just so-so. I had the grilled tuna, which I liked. We each had a dessert which we both liked. We agreed that we will come back to Mama Melrose's on future trips.

The Grilled Tuna at Mama Melrose's



The Mahi Mahi entree:



Tiramisu dessert:



Chocolate Cannoli Cake. Don't ask me to explain the presentation:




When we started our day, we thought we might drive over to Animal Kingdom after lunch. But we still had to pack, so we decided to go back to SSR. We went to the Paddock pool and did a couple loads of laundry. I had planned on going to the High Rock pool at some time during our stay, but never got around to it.


Once again at dinnertime, we were at a loss what to do. We didn't want to go to Artist's Palette and we weren't hungry enough to go to the Tuft Club. So around 6:00 PM we hopped in the car and drove over to Downtown Disney. Big mistake. After driving around the parking lots at DTD for 10 minutes trying to find a space, we gave up and headed to the food court at Pop Century. We got something light to eat and noticed that Pop had a dessert called Tie-Dyed Cheesecake. It was cheesecake over a red velvet cake. Actually, it was pretty good -- I'd get it again.




We headed home and finished our packing. Here are some of the Disney pins we traded for during our trip.



And here is the droid army we assembling, courtesy of the Droid Factory at Star Tours:






Hard to believe we have been at WDW for 12 days and we wish we had a few more days to go.


Coming up: Checking out the new Lion King Section at the Art of Animation and heading home.

[drcoulsey]

We drove to DHS because we thought we might drive to Disney's Animal Kingdom later in the day.

Do the resorts have a map of the back roads of WDW so you can quickly travel from park to park or do you just know how to get to each of them?
I've really enjoyed your comprehensive TR. Have a safe journey home.

[idratherbeinwdw]

Do the resorts have a map of the back roads of WDW so you can quickly travel from park to park or do you just know how to get to each of them?
I've really enjoyed your comprehensive TR. Have a safe journey home.

One of the best maps for driving around the WDW resort area is found at the DVC kiosks believe it or not. I have a friend who lives close by to the parks and she swears by those maps. She's only lived there for a couple of years, and that's the map that helped her acclimate to driving around on WDW property.

[denlo]

We've been driving to WDW for the last 4 yrs. At first we used a map that is included in one of the brochures they give you in your Welcome packet. Here's a poor quality of the map:



I love maps and when we road the buses, I would noticed the routes they took and looked it up later. My advice, if you can, avoid driving in front of DTD. Those lights are poorly timed for the traffic. There are back roads that come in handy, Vista Dr., Vacation Club Road, Backstage lane and Overpass Rd off of Bonnet Creek.

Now we use our navigation system in our car. I would expect that the concierge would be able to give you advice on the back roads.

[wdrl]

Day 13 - Friday, 8/10


A friend once said that she spent two days at Disney World and saw everything there was to see. Not us. We've been here since July 29 and we still haven't seen everything we want to see. But it was time for us to pack up the car and drive home.


However, before leaving WDW, we made another visit to the new Art of Animation Resort. Those of you who have been following our trip report know we visited AofA on Day 2 and checked out AofA's Cars section and the Big Blue Pool. Today, AofA was opening its Lion King section. Like the Cars section, the Lion King section includes only family suites that sleep up to six. Here is a map that shows the layout of the Resort:



A CM said there was no special opening ceremony for the new section, but that there were guided tours of the lobby scheduled for 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. The lobby is worth a tour:






We walked around the Lion King section and even went into one of the buildings. All the locks at AofA use the new RFID technology. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to look inside one of the suites.

The Lion King section is the only section at AofA that does not have a pool. Instead, characters from The Lion King look over the 'savanna' between the two buildings:














The Lion King buildings, like the Nemo and Cars sections have charactered embossed on them. They also have specially themed staircases:








The carpet in the hallway of one of the Lion King buildings:

The only section not yet open at the Art of Animation Resort is the Little Mermaid section, which will be the only section at AofA with regular hotel rooms. A construction fence kept us from getting close to the buildings, but we could still see some of exterior features in this section. The Little Mermaid section from a distance:



Ursula will be overlooking the pool. . .



. . . and so will Ariel and Flounder:



After doing our photo tour, we had lunch at Art of Animation's food court, which is called Landscapes of Flavors. Just like the Resort itself, the seating areas of Landscapes of Flavors are themed after Nemo, Cars, the Lion King, and the Little Mermaid.






After lunch, we got in our car and headed home.


Only five more weeks before we check into Aulani and only 13 more weeks before we return to Walt Disney World!

[denlo]

Still. Last lap to home. We're outside of Baton Rouge, LA. Spent the night there. We're sort of mixing up our usual drive taking two half days of driving with one full day. We'll be home early this afternoon. Still wish we were in WDW. But we'll be back in 92 days! That's exciting, we've only returned this quick once before. I like these short countdowns.