Disney Water Parks and more ……….. Part 1

The day of our first experience at a water park had come. They offered Morning Extra Magic Hours at Typhoon Lagoon, so we were up at 6.30am, had some breakfast, consisting of Boursin cream cheese spread onto soft bread, some pepperoni sausage and some “bread and butter” pickles.

We had some tomatoes to go with it and some Diet Coke to wash it down. By 7.30am we were out the door and on our way to Typhoon Lagoon. Since it was so early we still got a parking spot in the front row, but there was already a long line for the turnstiles. Some Cast Members were handing out wristbands and right on time the turnstiles were opened and the line started to move. We had no idea what was in store for us and were swept inside the park with the rest of the guests.

First of all we rented a locker to put away our valuables and then we went to find some deckchairs. We walked around the lagoon and had a fun little conversation with a Cast Member before we made our way over to the Wave Pool, where we found some chairs right at the edge of the pool. We put our towels on the chairs and put on some sun screen and off we went into the Surf Pool. The water was warm and the first wave hit us while we were still in knee deep water.

Once we were in deeper and the waves came in we could feel their force. I got completely swept over, but it was real good fun. We kept jumping into the waves for about 20 minutes and then we went to check out the rest of the park. Since it was still Extra Magic Hours we decided to try out one of the water slides. Storm Slides was our first choice. We climbed up the steps and finally got on the slide. It was a lot of fun and we decided that we could try Crush’n’Gusher now.

Before we got on the ride we watched guests arrive at the “finish line”. We finally picked up an 8 shaped tube and walked up the stairs to the starting point. It didn’t take long and it was our turn. This water coaster is so much fun, but the best part came when we shot down a tube and finally ended in the pool. I must have let go of the tube, as as soon as we hit the pool I went under the tube! I came up laughing and so did Tom.

We actually thought about doing it again, but there were already so many people in line that we decided to try lateron, but never got around to it. Next up was the lazy river. We picked up another tube, tried to get on, which I finally managed with Tom’s help and off we went. One of the most relaxing experiences ever. It took quite a while to float around the whole park and by time we got off it was way past 10am.

The park had filled up considerable, so we went to our chairs, dried off and went back to the locker to get the camera and walk around the park and take some photos. On the way to the lockers we picked up a Diet Coke, which we paid for with a snack credit and then we explored the park. There were lots of fun things to explore and it took us about an hour until we finally returned to our chairs for a little rest. So we sat and watched people in the surf pool and after a little while we got antsy and went into the surf pool as well. It was much harder now, to NOT bump into someone, as the pool was packed.

After about 15 minutes of jumping and trying to avoid bumping into someone we left the pool and went in search of some lunch. After consulting a map we realized that Typhoon Tilly’s was our best bet. Once we had found it we got in line, which didn’t seem to move at all. Well, it actually didn’t move as nothing was coming out of the kitchen. We were waiting for about 5 minutes when a manager came out, checked how long the people at the front of the line had been waiting and refunded their money.

After about 10 minutes in line food started to come out of the kitchen and we were finally handed our lunch tray. I had decided to try the Grilled Italian Sandwich, which turned out to be very greasy. Tom ordered the Barbeque Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries and we both got a Fruit Cup for dessert. We easily found a table on a little platform overlooking the dining area and had lunch. By the time we had finished lunch the park had become really crowded and we decided it did not make much sense to stay any longer. So after one last visit to the surf pool we left the park and drove back to Old Key West. We both had a shower and chilled a little in our villa and then decided that we could hit the quiet pool at the resort for a while. So we walked over to the quiet pool, got into the pool and enjoyed the leisurely time there. Before we left the pool area we went into the hot tub for a while. Since we still had a lot of snack credits to burn we decided to get some snacks for the walk back to our villa.

I got a Mickey Bar and Tom got a Smoothie. It was such a hot afternoon that my Mickey Bar melted faster than I could eat it. After another shower and a little rest, we made our way over to Epcot for our reservation at the Rose and Crown. We arrived a little early and were handed the usual buzzer, so we walked down to the lagoon and sat down at a table by the water. A few minutes later our buzzer went off and we returned to the check in desk.

We had asked for an inside table and we were let to a table inside the restaurant! Score! Tom ordered a Black and Tan, Half Bass Ale and Half Guinness and I ordered an English Rose - Beefeater Gin, Apricot Brandy, Sweet Vermouth, Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, and Cranberry Juice served in a Souvenir Cup. We decided to share starter and ordered the Yorkshire Dales - Yorkshire pudding served with mushrooms and cream and Toad in a Hole, which were served shortly after our drinks had arrived.

After we had finished our starter the server brought out some Rolls and Butter. Tom had decided on trying the special, the Seafood Stew, clams, mussels, shrimp and lots of pieces of fish in a spicy broth, served with garlic bread. I stuck with their traditional menu and ordered the Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Potatoes, seasonal Vegetable, and Shallot Gravy. Both portions were huge, but we were set to order dessert.

We both had the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which was nice, but not as fluffy and heavenly as I remembered it. When we had finished dessert the server brought out my souvenir glass and we settled the bill and were out to explore the parks a little more. We walked through England, tried the quiz and browsed the shop. Then we walked towards Canada and Futureworld.

We had reservations for the Preferred Fireworks Viewing of Illuminations at 9 and there was quite some time left, so we went and tried some rides. Mission Space said 10 minutes, so we decided to get in line. Well, the wait was more like 30 minutes and once the ride was over we walked towards The Land to check the queue for Soarin'. Too long. Why not getting on Living With The Land? The line was closed.

So we walked outside and towards Journey into Imagination when we remembered about Captain EO. We walked over and they were just telling people to quickly come in as the next show was about to start.

Now, that is my kind of a wait. We picked up our 3D glasses and sat down. Even though this is a nice show, now that we have seen it, we both don’t feel any overpowering urge to go back and see it again. When we left Captain EO we realized that we still had more than an hour’s wait for Illuminations and we were done. We didn’t really want to wait around any longer, so before we left the park we decided to both have a drink. Canada was close, so Tom got a Moosehead, while I had a Diet Coke. Once we had finished our drinks we walked back to the car and drove back to Old Key West. We spent a little time in front of the TV, then watched Illuminations from our balcony and called it a day. We had another water park to conquer the next day.