addot
06-27-2002, 03:01 PM
In case you missed days 1-3, here is a recap: I traveled with wife (DW), son 15 (DS), daughter 14 (DD1), daughter 10 (DD2), and sister-in-law (DSIL). Stayed off site (Residence Inn, LBV) and drove our own car (1300 miles in two days). The WDW part of the trip lasted from Tuesday, June 11 to Saturday, June 15. This is our second trip to WDW. The last visit was five years ago. Day 1 was AK with Dinner at Boma and evening at Fantasmic. Day 2 was Epcot with Lunch at Norway. Day 3 was MK with dinner at Margaritaville and parade and fireworks at MK.
Day 4: This was our non-Disney day. We had 4 day park hopper passes and took one day to recover after three days of touring. We considered going to the beach (by Cape Canaveral), but decided we could stop there on the way home (via Charleston, SC). Besides, it was pretty rainy and we were dodging showers all day. So instead we just slept late, and then went shopping. First we went to Downtown Disney and shopped the Marketplace. I found the seltion to be a bit disappointing. Sure it's great if you want something with mouse ears, but there is not much else to look at. It was now lunch time and so we went to the Kona Café at the Polynesian. Here's a tip for off-site guests. You can go to a Disney resort restaurant for lunch without a parking pass. Just tell them at the gate and they will give you a temporary pass. PS was not needed and lunch prices are quite reasonable. The Kona Café was a big hit. I loved the light, pacific rim food and the Koko puffs were the number one dessert of the trip. DS's wings were everyone's favorite. The waiter brought the recipe on request. As with lunch at Norway, we found service to be too slow however. After lunch, we went to the upscale outlet mall in LBV along the highway (forgot the name). The shoppers thought it was OK but I was rather bored. Nevertheless, the Disney store at the mall had very good prices. We then went back to the hotel pool to relax and get caught up on the laundry. It was nice to have a day off to relax. We snacked so we wouldn't get too hungry at the 6 PM Cirque de Soliel show. CdS is a most amazing show and everyone was thrilled. There is much discussion of whether the show is worth the 70$ admission. YOUR answer will depend on YOUR situation, but WE thought it was worth it. The kids were a bit shocked we spent that much for 90 minutes of entertainment, but I think they were enriched by the experience (I know I was). It is certainly more enriching than other things you can spend $70 on at WDW! After the show we went back to the hotel and cooked a simple meal in our room. We did a bit of packing since we knew our last day was going to be busy. Bottom line for Day 4: A day off from the parks is a needed break. You can still get your Disney fix at a resort restaurant. Save money by eating lunch out and dinner in your suite. Spend the money you save and SEE CIRQUE!
Day 4: This was our non-Disney day. We had 4 day park hopper passes and took one day to recover after three days of touring. We considered going to the beach (by Cape Canaveral), but decided we could stop there on the way home (via Charleston, SC). Besides, it was pretty rainy and we were dodging showers all day. So instead we just slept late, and then went shopping. First we went to Downtown Disney and shopped the Marketplace. I found the seltion to be a bit disappointing. Sure it's great if you want something with mouse ears, but there is not much else to look at. It was now lunch time and so we went to the Kona Café at the Polynesian. Here's a tip for off-site guests. You can go to a Disney resort restaurant for lunch without a parking pass. Just tell them at the gate and they will give you a temporary pass. PS was not needed and lunch prices are quite reasonable. The Kona Café was a big hit. I loved the light, pacific rim food and the Koko puffs were the number one dessert of the trip. DS's wings were everyone's favorite. The waiter brought the recipe on request. As with lunch at Norway, we found service to be too slow however. After lunch, we went to the upscale outlet mall in LBV along the highway (forgot the name). The shoppers thought it was OK but I was rather bored. Nevertheless, the Disney store at the mall had very good prices. We then went back to the hotel pool to relax and get caught up on the laundry. It was nice to have a day off to relax. We snacked so we wouldn't get too hungry at the 6 PM Cirque de Soliel show. CdS is a most amazing show and everyone was thrilled. There is much discussion of whether the show is worth the 70$ admission. YOUR answer will depend on YOUR situation, but WE thought it was worth it. The kids were a bit shocked we spent that much for 90 minutes of entertainment, but I think they were enriched by the experience (I know I was). It is certainly more enriching than other things you can spend $70 on at WDW! After the show we went back to the hotel and cooked a simple meal in our room. We did a bit of packing since we knew our last day was going to be busy. Bottom line for Day 4: A day off from the parks is a needed break. You can still get your Disney fix at a resort restaurant. Save money by eating lunch out and dinner in your suite. Spend the money you save and SEE CIRQUE!