Back to Neverland!

Around 9pm on July 19th we jumped into a car with two of our friends and started the sixteen hour trek to the Happiest Celebration on Earth! It was our third trip to Disney World--once a year for the past few years. We love Disney, but this trip was different. Whitney is pregnant and we knew that was going to change everything.

The drive down was pretty uneventful. We (Whitney and Jacob, Ashley and Kolbein) got reasonable gas prices, the car worked fine, we didn't get caught in any construction.Kolbein and Jacob drove most of the way.

We stayed in the 1950's building of the resort. This was outside of our room.

 

July 20, 2008

We got to our hotel, the Pop Century Resort, around 2pm or so the next day and just relaxed. For dinner we rode the bus down to Downtown Disney and ate at the Rainforest Cafe. We were all starving. Jacob got a burger and promptly forgot what that meant so when he dropped his fork on the floor he asked the waiter for another one--even though he didn't need one. Embarrassed, he ate his whole burger with the replacement fork. Naturally, Whitney laughed and made fun of him and probably called him a "dork."

After dinner we made our way over to EPCOT to watch their firework show, IllumiNations. We got there a little late and so the best spot was sitting on the ground behind several large groups of tourists. Naturally, when the show started they all stood up so we couldn't really see anymore. Unfortunately part of Disney is having to accept that you aren't there alone. Oh well. We still had fun.

 

We slept well that night and got ready for the next day--the first full day of our adventure!

 

July 21, 2008

First on the schedule was going to Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney MGM Studios). Even though we'd been here several times before, this was one of the most enjoyable days we'd ever spent there! Once we arrived we headed straight over to Toy Story Mania, the newest Disney ride, to get fast passes. Then on to the rest of the park.

We did some of the classics like The Great Movie Ride and Muppet Vision 3D. While watching the 3D show Jacob was careless with his sunglasses and ended up leaving them behind. Someone found them and asked Kolbein if they were his. He didn't know Jacob had lost them, so he said no and they were lost in time. Jacob tried to find them, but no luck. We'd end up getting him new ones later.

After some shopping we went on to the Back Lot Tour. As we stood in line we were asked to be part of the special FX show. Jacob and Kolbein agreed and were taken back stage. As part of the show they dressed us up as crew members of a boat that was about to be attacked. They call this show, "Harbor Attack." Kolbein and Jacob played the Wild and Crazy Tech Crew. Our job was simple: react when water cannons shot up around us representing bombs and bullets, and then point to what was supposed to be a torpedo. We had a lot of fun, and got soaked enough to enjoy ourselves despite the heat.

One thing we wanted to do on this trip that we hadn't done before was eat at some of the nicer restaurants. For lunch we had a reservation at 50's Prime Time Cafe. The idea for this place was really fun. The place is designed so that every group feels like they're eating in their own kitchen and the servers are supposed to treat you like an overbearing parent. Whitney wanted me to encourage our waitress so I intentionally didn't eat the "greens" on my plate. After a few cracks, she finally got the attention of everyone around us and asked for their help. She asked everyone to make airplane noises as she flew the food around and into my mouth--like an airplane. It was fun and Whitney got a good laugh at it. The fried chicken wasn't that bad either!

To be continued ...