Krank's December 15th-18th Trip Report (picture heavy)

[Krankenstein]

I had the privilege of returning to WDW for the 5th time in the last year earlier this week. This would also be my 3rd solo trip in the same time span. I have to say that this was an outstanding trip back to the House of Mouse.

I'm going to start this report by talking about the resort I stayed at. My next post will begin a day by day break down of the parks I visited.

This was my first time ever staying at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort. I was sort of worried that I would not like the resort because I have heard that it is the worse of the value resorts. However, I cannot begin to praise the resort enough. Having now stayed at all the value resorts, I place All-Star Sports #1 on my list.

I was placed in Hoops Hotel, building 3, room number 3126. Basically, it was a room that would be considered to have the longest walk to Stadium Hall, but I never found the walk to be bad at all! The refurbished rooms are extremely nice and clean. I really think everyone should give Sports a chance because I cannot begin to come up with one reason to avoid the resort.

BTW, several high school basketball teams were staying at the resort, but they never seemed to be a problem to me. It might be because I work at a high school which makes me some what immune to the way they act, but it never seemed to be a problem.

Like I said, I have nothing but praise for the resort! Some photos can be found below:














__________________

[Krankenstein]

I awoke to my alarm clock blasting Epcot's Entrance Medley at 6 am Monday, December 15th. I quickly dressed, and packed the final few things I needed and hit the road around 6:30. 5 hours and 2 stops later, I pulled into Disney's All-Star Sports Resort. I checked in, moved into my room, grabbed what I needed and headed to the bus stop. I caught a ride over to MK because I wanted to spend a night at the MK, I wasn't planning on going to MVMCP. While the event is fantastic, I didn't want to pay the $$$$ for it this year.

Once I arrived at MK, I headed directly to TL and picked up a FP for Space Mountain which had a posted wait time of 45 minutes. FP in hand, I headed to CoP for spin. It was, as always an enjoyable experience, but this attraction needs a refurbishment pretty bad.

Once out of CoP, I headed to TTA to go for a quick spin and pressed onward to Cosmic Rays for my first Disney Burger of the trip. After that my FP time had come up for SM. After a enjoyable ride on the mountain, I took the secluded path to ToonTown to see if any rare characters were in the tear drop. Sadly, I am still seeking Darkwing Duck.

A quick walk through Fantasyland and I was at Liberty Square lining up for HM. Man, I love the mansion! It is simply amazing what WDI did with this attraction. If they can pull something similar off with HoP I will be a happy man!

I went ahead to Splash and picked up a FP and headed to Adventureland because BTMRR had a 60 minute wait posted and Splash was at 70 minutes. Once in Adventureland, I decided to take in the Tiki Room because I hadn't visited it in a loooonnnng time, I quickly remembered why. They need to do some work on this attraction now!

Next, I took in the CBJ. The refurb did the bears good. The attraction is back up to the way I remember it as a child!

It was now time for my Splash FP. I headed back to Frontierland and enjoyed my visit to see Br'er Rabbit. Turned out, I got absolutely soaked even with the cannons off.

After Splash I headed to Casey's for a hot dog and took in the castle lighting show. After which I went back to Fantasyland and caught PhilharMagic which reinforced why it is one of my favorite attractions at WDW.

It was than time for Spectro, but I really wasn't in the mood for a parade or fireworks that evening...so I headed to BTMRR. After a very short ride, I had all three mountains done. I rushed over to Space because Wishes was happening right after Spectro. It was also time for EEMH to start. I didn't have the problem other people seem to have with flashing my KTW. After a VERY short wait I was on the mountain.

I went to Stitch which sucked, as usual. I ended the night with a quick ride on Pirates and some picture taking. It was a very enjoyable day at MK. I accomplished everything I wanted to and never waited longer than 20 minutes for anything. It was a great night!

Some photos:


















































I'm done for the night guys. I will try to get day 2 - 4 up tomorrow.

[mikeland]

Great report and pictures! Can't wait to see the rest.

[davewasbaloo]

Glad you had fun, I look forward to reading more.

[Krankenstein]

I, unfortunately, awoke to Stitch screaming in my ear at 7:30 am. When are they going to change that wake up call? Anything would be better than what they have presently. I quickly was at Stadium Hall before 8 to grab a quick breakfast and pressed on to the bus stop. After a short wait, I was on my way to DHS.

I arrived about 30 minutes before opening and was fairly close to the front of the line for the drop. Immediately at the drop I joined the rush to TSMM. I was one first people in line at one of the FP machine. My return time was for 9:35, but the line was still short. I quickly got my first ride on TSMM in. I still had around 15 minutes until my FP became usable, so I headed to One Man's Dream for a bit. Once I could use my FP I got back in line TSMM for another ride.

It was now time to head for Sunset Boulevard. I quickly used the singe rider line for RNRC and dropped in at TOT. I had the opportunity to meet and get my picture with TJ at TOT. For those of you that might not know him, he is the guy that stared in all the ads for the TOT back in the day. It was now 10:30 and I made my way for the exit because Epcot Center was calling!

I walked in to Epcot around 11:15, picked up a times guide and made my way to The Land. On my way to check out FP times for Soarin' I noticed something. You see, I had fully intended on heading back to DHS around 3 because I wanted to watch Fantasmic and the Osborne Lights. According to the times guide, Illuminations was being shown at 9:30 and Fantasmic was showing at 7. I made the decision to try and squeeze both shows in.

Once I made it to The Land I realized FP for Soarin' wouldn't pan out for today, I would have to save that for Wednesday. I decided since I was at Sunshine Seasons and it was close enough to lunch...why not? 1/2 a chicken later, I was Living with The Land, followed by learning about The Circle of Life.

This is where I have a confession. I had never watched The Circle of Life film...I have been missing out! I absolutely am in love with that film. It is now a permeant fixture in my lesser known WDW attraction list.

From here, I headed to IIIIIMMMMMAAAAGGGINATION! Even though I miss the old ride, I still have to visit Figment a few times every trip. After I was done with the Fig man, I headed to see what was still around of the retrospective. Once inside the building, I quickly looked around to make sure nobody was looking and opened the door for a peak (bad, I know). The signs describing the pavilions still remain, but that's it. The room looks like the Segway tours have taken it over. The only visible piece of the retrospective is the timeline.

I headed over to Club Cool for a free drink. I than proceeded to Mouse Gear because I was on the hunt for a Wonka Bar, but alas, I could not find one in EC. This was followed by TT, M:S and a spin on SE before I made my way to the exit.

After a quick ride, I was back at DHS. Once inside I headed directly to TOT. I grabbed a FP rode it 3 times and finally used the FP. 5 rides for one day...not bad at all. Once I was done with Tower, I watched Muppet Vision and took a spin on Star Tours. I was getting hungry and Pizza Planet was close. I'm not a huge fan of Disney's pizza, but it hit the spot. I noticed that Lightning and Mater did not have a line at all, so I got my picture with them.

I watched the Osborne lights come on and hung around for a bit. I slowly made my way to The Hollywood Hills Amphitheater for Fantasmic. The show was enjoyable, but I never have cared for it all that much. Once I saw the steam boat come around the bend, I took off. I was one of the first to show up at the EC bus stop.

Once I made it to EC, I rode M:S, SE, shopped and took some pictures. I finally gathered around the lagoon for my favorite part of the Christmas at WDW, Illuminations: ROE with Peace on Earth Tag. It did not disappoint at all! If you have not been to EC during the Christmas Season to see this show, YOU HAVE TO!!!!

Once Illuminations concluded, I quickly made my way to the bus stop and headed back to the resort. Overall, it was an excellent Disney day! I'll try to get Day 3 up later today, but no promises.

Picture time:





































Hidden Kermit in the line at Star Tours:












































That's it for Day 2!

[WheresMickey]

Nice report, can't wait for the rest!

[mickeylover2008]

Awesome, very detailed TR! Looking forward to more

[DonDuck]

Fantastic TR. Keep it coming!

[Krankenstein]

The phone rang at 7:30, one again. After dressing/eating, I headed to the bus stop for DAK. After a quick trip, I was in the park preparing for rope drop. I made my way to EE where I was placed in the 2nd train of the day. After my first encounter with the Yeti, I grabbed a FP and headed to Countdown to Extinction. Once I had completed my spin on CTX, I took in the Maharajah Jungle Trek and headed back to EE to use my FP. After my second trip on EE, I immediately got into the single rider line. This was when I met an awesome CM. We talked about Joe Rhode being in the park the day before until my train took off. Once I made it to the unload platform, he was standing there waiting on me. He handed me a FP that I could use whenever I wanted to on that day. I quickly got back in line and took another spin. After 4 rides on EE and my quick diversion to CTX, I slowly took in the sights and soaked up the atmosphere of the best themeing in Florida.

Eventually, I made my exit and caught the bus to TTC. After a quick spin on the express monorail, I arrived at MK. I grabbed a FP for Space and took in CoP and TTA once again. Once I was off TTA, I headed straight to Space which prompetly went 101 while I was sitting in the blast off tunnel. 15 minutes later, I was off on my trip into Space. Next, I headed to Philharmagic. Have I mentioned that I LOVE that show! Once I finished with Philharmagic, I headed to the kitchen store at Liberty Square. My Mom had a Mickey Mouse clock in her kitchen that unfortunately fell to it's doom a few weeks ago. After I bought a new one (the last one they had), I headed to Columbia Harbour House for lunch. Next, I took a spin on The River's of America, visited Master Gracey and grabbed a Citrus Swirl on my way to the exit.

After a quick spin on the monorail to TTC, I caught the monorail to EC! I quickly made my way to The Land where I grabbed a FP for Soarin'. Next, I visited Figment, went on SE, M:S, TT and M:S again. Once I finished my favorites in Future World, I made the World Showase loop stopping in Mexico to eat at Cantina de San Angel. I passed the new flower bed by Norway (may the Viking Ship RIP) and took in the sites in China. My next stop was Germany to buy a pickle ornament. Once I had the ornament in hand, I made my way to the American Adventure and finished off the loop. It was now time to visit Soarin'. Once I was done with Soarin', I took in M:S, SE and visited the Disney Gallery where David Doss was signing some of his work. It was now time to gather around the fire for my final viewing of Illuminations this trip. It did not disappoint.

Unfortunately, my camera died very early that morning. As a result, I have only 4 pictures from this day.

Thanks for all the comments! I'll probably get Day 4 up later today, but my Uncle passed away today so no promises.

Pictures:

[Kritter]

great TR!

Very much enjoying it!

[mickeylover2008]

Aww man, so sorry to hear about your uncle. My prayers are with you and your family.

[Krankenstein]

I was got up about 10 minutes earlier on Thursday. After packing/dressing/eating, I caught the bus to DHS. I once again arrived before rope drop and quickly made my way to TSMM. I grabbed a FP and got right in the standby line. After TSMM, I hit RNRC, ToT, and used my FP for TSMM. I went over to AIE and took a few shots and made my way to the Friendship cruise.

Once at EC, I made my way to SE and enjoyed a final trip through time. I shopped for a bit and slowly made my way out of EC. :cry:

Once I was back at the resort, I got my truck and hit the road. I stopped by the McDonald's next to ASR for lunch and proceeded to DtD. Once at DtD, I bought my Mom here traditional mug (which I got for 50% off) at WoD and pretty much took off from here. I stopped by the Character Outlet store where I found some of the 35th aniversery pins on sale for cheap.

That pretty much wraps up my final Disney trip of 2008. I hit the road for Georgia. 5 hours and 2 stops later, I arrived back in Savannah.

I want to thank everyone who looked at my trip report and commented! This trip was a blast...like normal!

Mickeylover2008, thanks for your prayers! His passing was a great shock. He was only 52 but massive heart attacks do not care about your age.

Take care everyone and Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Merry Kwanzaa/Happy Festivus/Happy anything I forgot!

Final group of pictures:





This will soon look very familiar to all you Californians out there:


















Kind of has an EPCOT Center feel:


Can you find the Hidden Mickey:














We will end with the retro EC symbol:


Thanks again everyone!

[JoseyDisney]

great TR!! Thanks for sharing!!

[mickeylover2008]

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear about how young he was! I know it hurts, no matter the age. That is too young. What a tragedy...Definitely praying for you all in this time of grief.

[WheresMickey]

Great report!