September 8, 2011

Disney World - Day 2 (part 2)

Exhausted from our time in Epcot, we decided to head back to Pop Century for some pool time to recharge. And to be quite honest, I wanted to have a look around the resort to check out all the cool theme pieces they have.

I love relaxing pool time as much as the next person, but I get bored with it pretty quickly. So after about an hour of getting in and out of the pool, alternating between actively pursuing sunburn and then taking a quick dip to cool off, we set off on a tour around the resort.

Our room was in the 90s, so we began there. Other than a giant computer and cell phone (with a number on the display screen that I really wanted to call), the 90s didn't really have much, so then it was on to the 80s. My favorite part of the 80s was the giant Walkman. It didn't look that big at first, but once we posed with it, you can really see how it dwarfs you.


After the 80s, it was over to the 70s for photos with numerous toys - in gigantic form of course. If you ever want to pretend to be part of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, you need only visit a Disney resort. My favorite part of all: the giant foosball table. Admittedly, I didn't know what the giant A-tracks were at first, but hey, they were before my time.


 


We continued across the main pool/lobby area to the 60s and then the 50s. I thought the 50s would be really cool, but other than a giant jukebox and a pool shaped like a bowling pin, it was a bit meh. Luckily the 60s were home to a giant Play-Doh. Awesome! (See if you can spot Jackie hiding amongst it.)



As you may be able to see in the pictures, by the end of our walk around the resort, storm clouds were a'brewing. We sought sanctuary in the main building where we got dinner in the food court. I was pretty impressed with the options available, too. There were four different "hot" stations where you could get your typical burger and fries, Mexican, pizza, or even Asian. Then of course there were desserts galore. Jackie and I may have gone a bit overboard around that much food. But you know what? It was vacation (that was our motto for the trip). 

When we were done gorging ourselves, we ran back to our room and waited for the storm to finish. Finally the clouds had no more rain to give, so we ventured back out to the Magic Kingdom for evening Extra Magic Hours. Having essentially struck out our last time in MK, we went in with a clearer plan this time around. I'm proud to say we executed it pretty well, too. 

We headed straight for Frontierland and after assessing the wait times for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder, got FastPasses for Big Thunder and then hopped in line for Splash. It took hardly any time at all and soon we were free-falling and drenched. I remember the drop being longer/bigger, but I guess that's what happens when you ride something as a kid and come back as an adult. 

After our ride, we went next door to Big Thunder, which was broken... again. So off we went to Tomorrowland - elbowing our way through the ridiculous parade crowds (seriously people? not exciting. move.) - and got in the queue for Space Mountain. That line was insane with a side of INSANE. Disney is the master of disguising how long a queue actually is, and nowhere is this demonstrated better than in Space Mountain. Fortunately, Space Mountain is one of the best rides Disney has to offer, so it was worth it. 

When we made it through that experience, we went all the way back to Big Thunder for one last try. And what do you know! It was running! We flew through the queue and soon found ourselves on a train. We were originally assigned the very front car, but Big Thunder is terribly lame when you sit in the front, so we moved to the back. Disney, again, was very accommodating. Keep that little nugget with you, kids: Disney lets you sit wherever you want. Twas a good decision because the ride was awesome. We got nice and jostled. 

With just three rides under our belts, we bailed on the park. The exhaustion caught up with us and we were looking at another early morning. We headed for the busses where we waited in the longest. queue. ever. EVER! Our resort filled the entire queue and then ran the length of the bus stop. Other resorts were looking at us with pity and appreciation that they weren't in our line. It was terrible. We weren't waiting quite as long as I thought we'd be (I was having nightmares about a 90 minute wait), but it still took us 45 minutes to an hour to get on a bus. I was not feeling the magic. 

But eventually we made it back and poured ourselves into bed, where we got a few hours of sleep before we once again rose early for a fun-filled Day 3!

1 comment:

  1. You seriously had the best day ever, aside from the unsparkly queue. My faves from the resort-roaming are the play-doh and foosball massiveness. I'm glad you had such fun on the rides and I really love you for using the word "jostled." I already know Disney is pure magic (duh), but reading about your experiences make it even amazing... thank gosh you're blogging.

    Speaking of which. Where's Day 3?! Hop to it! I need more. :o) <3

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