3 WDW Trips in 6 months: August, October and December Reports *Completed*

[Lady Lallie]

I'm caught up! All three of your trips sound great.

 

[meeko_33785]

I'm caught up! All three of your trips sound great.

Thanks! Glad you found the report and are all caught up. Hopefully the trips turn out great too.

 

[meeko_33785]

Since we’ve made reservations for Port Orleans Riverside for the summer, it only seems fitting to take a look back on the last time we stayed there. These photos are from 2003. These were the days back when I still was using film cameras so the quality of the photos isn’t that great. Hope you still enjoy them.

A look at the outside of the lobby.

A gazebo in the Magnolia Bend area of the resort. I like the detail on the weathervane.

One of the mansions. I can’t remember which one it is though.

Looking down at one of the Sassagoula Steamboats as it heads towards Downtown Disney.

This one might be my favorite. They’ve got a couple of these displays in the gift shop of the resort. Hopefully they’re still there. I would love to get some more photos of them.


I have some more photos from other years as well. I was thinking about doing a 10-year flashback trip report to 1999 when we also stayed at Riverside (or “Dixie Landings” as it was called at the time). I’ll have to do some more scanning photos before I can start on that though.


Back to planning. We’re hoping to get the ADRs taken care of this week. Hopefully we’ll be able to get into the restaurants we want.

 

[meeko_33785]

I’m happy to report that the ADRs have now been made for two of our meals during the August trip. The ADRs we have are:

• Yak and Yeti at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Lunch)- 1st time there
• Chefs de France at EPCOT (Lunch)- with Chef Remy from Ratatouille

We are also planning on having dinner at Bongo’s Cuban Cafe at Downtown Disney, but apparently they do not accept advanced reservations (which we did not remember from when we ate there about 6 years ago). Apparently we can call the restaurant the day and get put on a priority list, so I think we’ll end up doing that. The rest of our meals will be counter service either in the parks or at Riverside and French Quarter depending how late we stay in the parks.


I’m pretty happy with the dining plans so far. Now that we’ve got these meals set, we can start planning the rest of the days around them. More planning ahead!

 

[Lady Lallie]

I’m happy to report that the ADRs have now been made for two of our meals during the August trip. The ADRs we have are:

• Yak and Yeti at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Lunch)- 1st time there
• Chefs de France at EPCOT (Lunch)- with Chef Remy from Ratatouille

We are also planning on having dinner at Bongo’s Cuban Cafe at Downtown Disney, but apparently they do not accept advanced reservations (which we did not remember from when we ate there about 6 years ago). Apparently we can call the restaurant the day and get put on a priority list, so I think we’ll end up doing that. The rest of our meals will be counter service either in the parks or at Riverside and French Quarter depending how late we stay in the parks.


I’m pretty happy with the dining plans so far. Now that we’ve got these meals set, we can start planning the rest of the days around them. More planning ahead!

I really enjoyed my lunch at Les Chefs in May. I had the Chef's Selection Menu and it was delish. They have a lot more options on it now, including the lobster bisque!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

The photos from POR look lovely and it would be great to see more! I'll need to keep an eye out for all the little details to see if I can spot them too! The wee statue of Donald is really cute!

Your ADRs look great - Yak & Yeti is lovely.

As for Beaches and Cream and the Kitchen Sink - I say go for it! It's a birthday after all! (just make sure to have the ambulance on standby outside!)

Di x

 

[jenn-]

Wow 3 trips by the end of the year! That is going to be a blast. I would be in planning overload though. I really enjoyed Chefs de France last trip, but we went at dinner. Can't wait to see how your trips pan out as they get closer.

 

[meeko_33785]

I really enjoyed my lunch at Les Chefs in May. I had the Chef's Selection Menu and it was delish. They have a lot more options on it now, including the lobster bisque!

We all love Chefs de France. Really looking forward to going there again. They've got so many good things on the menu that it will be hard to choose.

The photos from POR look lovely and it would be great to see more! I'll need to keep an eye out for all the little details to see if I can spot them too! The wee statue of Donald is really cute!

Your ADRs look great - Yak & Yeti is lovely.

As for Beaches and Cream and the Kitchen Sink - I say go for it! It's a birthday after all! (just make sure to have the ambulance on standby outside!)

Di x

over the Kitchen Sink comment. We shall see. We really should have some dessert to commemorate our birthday though. We’ve still got plenty of time to decide though.

Wow 3 trips by the end of the year! That is going to be a blast. I would be in planning overload though. I really enjoyed Chefs de France last trip, but we went at dinner. Can't wait to see how your trips pan out as they get closer.

Hi! Welcome to the report. I feel a little like I'm in planning overload, but it's great. Hope you'll enjoy the report as it progresses.

 

[meeko_33785]

I’ve been trying to get farther along in planning lately, trying to get some sort of itinerary and feel of what the family wants to do while we’re there. Usually for each trip, we try to see at least a few attractions, shows or other things around WDW that either we’ve never done before or haven’t done in years. Here’s a look at some of the things that me might be doing that fall into those two categories.


Firsts

Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure- This is probably the new attraction I’m looking forward to the most for this trip. It really looks like fun and it should spice up our World Showcase time a little. I get the feeling that Mom and Dad aren’t really that excited about it. I've heard that it's a lot of fun whether you're familair with Kim Possible or not, so hopefully that will be the case since Mom and Dad know next to nothing about the show. Mom loves World Showcase though and Dad loves gadgets, so I have a feeling they'll like it.


New O Canada movie- We haven’t seen this since it’s been redone with Martin Short. This was on our list for last year too, but we never made it. Canada turned out to be the last country we visited in World Showcase and by then it seemed like the majority of the family would rather go back to the hotel and relax instead of standing through a CircleVision movie. This time, it looks like we’ll be hitting Canada first before we’re too tired from Walking around the “world”.


Characters In Flight Balloon- This one is still a big maybe for us. I wouldn’t mind doing it, but I’m not sure if we’ll have time. Plus, it apparently does not fly if there are higher winds or lightning. Since this will be August, I’d be willing to bet that at least one of those things will be an issue while we’re there. We’ll see though.



Re-Discoveries

Festival of the Lion King- I feel like such a bad Disney fan saying that we haven’t seen this show in five years! Between skipping AK on a few trips and passing on it last time we were there to see Finding Nemo (which was great!), we just haven’t been back. It will definitely be a top priority.



That’s about it for now. More planning ahead, plus I should be getting to work on the Flashback trip report to 1999 pretty soon. I’m hoping to get part of it up by the end of the week.

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

I've heard the Kim Possible adventure is good fun, and we never saw the O Canada film either, but we do want to next year. We sat through the Norwegian film and it was actually really enjoyable, we'll probably do it again as well.

Still to see the American film too - Epcot is one of those parks where is always lots to see and do!

As for the balloon ride - well you know my thoughts on that! But I hadn't thought of the weather in August, you'll just have to wait and see.

We missed Lion King last year and saw Nemo instead as well, but with show times and parades etc, it can be difficult fitting them all in!

Won't be long now before you have to tie down ADRs and a more solid itinery - the time just flies! I can't believe we're in July now!

Di x

 

[jenn-]

In my 4 trips there, I have yet to see Lion King, although I did get to see Nemo and Beauty and the Beast the last trip. I can't wait to watch more of the shows this time. What is the Kim Possible thing you are talking about?

 

[meeko_33785]

I've heard the Kim Possible adventure is good fun, and we never saw the O Canada film either, but we do want to next year. We sat through the Norwegian film and it was actually really enjoyable, we'll probably do it again as well.

Still to see the American film too - Epcot is one of those parks where is always lots to see and do!

As for the balloon ride - well you know my thoughts on that! But I hadn't thought of the weather in August, you'll just have to wait and see.

We missed Lion King last year and saw Nemo instead as well, but with show times and parades etc, it can be difficult fitting them all in!

Won't be long now before you have to tie down ADRs and a more solid itinery - the time just flies! I can't believe we're in July now!

Di x

The American Adventure show is really amazing. There's lots of animatronics and special effects. Noway's was pretty cute. We haven't seen that in a while though. The last few times we've done Maelstrom, I think we've skipped it. Did you see the one in France, Di? I think that's my favorite. Beautiful film with a beautiful soundtrack.

I'm so glad that we have all the ADRs set (well two out of three since we can only make the Bongos ADR the day we get there) so we can finally solidify the itineraries. Can't believe we only have one moth to go!

In my 4 trips there, I have yet to see Lion King, although I did get to see Nemo and Beauty and the Beast the last trip. I can't wait to watch more of the shows this time. What is the Kim Possible thing you are talking about?

Hi! I love Nemo and Beauty and the Beast. I think they're my favorite shows in the park (along with Fantasmic). Lion King is pretty different from them since it isn't trying to tell the story; it's more of a celebration featuring the music and a few of the characters on the Lion King. It's pretty fun.

The Kim Possile Adventure is a new interactive attraction in World Showcase. From what I've read, you get a "Kimmunicator" that directs you to clues in order to help Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable save the world. Wish I could explain it better, but I'm still trying to figure out how it works myself. There's a bunch of threads about it on the DIS if you want a better explination.

 

[jenn-]

The Kim Possile Adventure is a new interactive attraction in World Showcase. From what I've read, you get a "Kimmunicator" that directs you to clues in order to help Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable save the world. Wish I could explain it better, but I'm still trying to figure out how it works myself. There's a bunch of threads about it on the DIS if you want a better explination.

Sounds fun. I will have to search for some threads about it.

 

[meeko_33785]

Sounds fun. I will have to search for some threads about it.

Cool.

 

[Lady Lallie]

The Festival of the Lion King is just a fun show. It always makes me want to go tumble with those monkeys, they are so talented. I was able to see it on my last trip and I just really watched the performers, simply amazing.

I tacked on a night at Riverside on my fall trip and I am super excited to be staying there. For some reason that resort really calls to me.

I haven't seen any of the other movies in Epcot except the France movie, it is such a beautiful movie. I love the music, I have it on the 4 Parks 1 World CD I picked up and it's one that I like to listen to frequently.

 

[meeko_33785]

The Festival of the Lion King is just a fun show. It always makes me want to go tumble with those monkeys, they are so talented. I was able to see it on my last trip and I just really watched the performers, simply amazing.

I tacked on a night at Riverside on my fall trip and I am super excited to be staying there. For some reason that resort really calls to me.

I haven't seen any of the other movies in Epcot except the France movie, it is such a beautiful movie. I love the music, I have it on the 4 Parks 1 World CD I picked up and it's one that I like to listen to frequently.

I didn't realize you were going to Riverside soon too. Did I miss that or is that a new development? Hopefully I'll come back with photos of the resort and get them posted for you before you leave to help get you in the spirit.

I love the music from the France movie. I don't have the CD but Buzz does so I hear it occasionally.

 

[meeko_33785]

I thought that we’d take a little break from planning for a little while and take a look back ten years to another family vacation at Port Orleans Riverside (or Dixie Landings as it was called at the time). To set a little context to the report, Buzz and I were “tweens” at the time, Tarzan was the newest Disney film in theaters, and the year 2000 and Disney’s Millennium Celebration was right around the corner. Perhaps that helps paint the picture. To go along with the report, I’ve included a few photos. Just keep in mind that they are ten years old and scanned so the quality isn’t fantastic. Still, I hope you enjoy it.


Day One:

Mom, Dad, Buzz and I arrive at our resort, Dixie Landings (which I will from this point on call “Port Orleans Riverside” to alleviate confusion since that’s what it’s called now- gotta love name changes). Once we’ve checked in and take a first look around the gift shop, it’s time for lunch at the Colonel’s Cotton Mill (which I will from this point on call “Riverside Mill” to also alleviate confusion since that’s what it’s called now- name change #2 and counting).

After lunch, we head to our room in the Magnolia Bend area of the resort. Eventually we head back to the Mill for an early dinner. Tonight, we would begin the trip with a visit to the Magic Kingdom- the first time we’d spent an evening there in five years. Mom and Dad aren’t fans of a lot of the food at Magic Kingdom so we eat before we head over there. If only we had known about the Plaza Restaurant back then! It could have saved us some trouble. By 5pm, we’ve eaten dinner and are on the bus heading for the Magic Kingdom. It was looking like it would be a rainy evening, but that didn’t stop us. It did stop me from taking any photos though (sorry, the camera I had then didn't work well in the rain or at night).


First attraction- Pirates of the Caribbean, which we hadn’t done in a long time. We were going to do Big Thunder next, but it had closed due to lightning in the area. Instead, we headed off to Fantasyland to ride the new Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction that had just replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. It was fun, but the line was longer than expected. I knew it would be popular, but had no idea just how popular it would be. After that ride, we headed off to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz Lightyear. When we went to Magic Kingdom the previous Christmas, nobody else seemed to know that Buzz was even there and the lines were fairly non-existent. By now the word was out and people were lining up for it!


After Buzz, I wasn’t feeling very well. Looking back, I blame it on a combination of feeling excited, eating a late lunch and early dinner, large refillable mugs of Coca Cola and then going on a number of bouncing, spinning, dropping, over-stimulating attractions. Let’s just say, I wasn’t feeling like jumping onto Big Thunder Mountain. After resting a little, I felt up to it and had a blast. This was actually my first Disney Mountain. I used to be a big chicken when it came to thrill rides, so this was definitely a turning point for both me and Buzz. Now I’ll do just about any thrill ride at WDW (except Kali River Rapids, but only because I don’t want to get soaked).


We took the train to Toontown and walked to Tomorrowland for another first- our first ride on the TTA. This has to be one of the coolest experiences I can remember at Disney. That year, SpectroMagic was on hiatus and they had brought back the Main Street Electrical Parade. Well, when we were on the TTA and came to the park where you pass over the Tomorrowland entrance and can see Main Street and the Castle, we could see all of the floats from the Electrical Parade filling Main Street. It was so incredibly beautiful. When the ride was over, we headed back to Main Street and caught the tail end as it passed by the Castle. Amazing! We ended the evening with a little browsing through the shops on Main Street and watching the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks for what would be the last time before it was replaced by Wishes.




Day Two:

Today we got up early and headed to Disney-MGM Studios (Disney’s Hollywood Studios- name change #3). We began the day with MuppetVision 3D. Next, we went to try some of the new attractions that had just opened. We tried Sounds Dangerous for the first and what will probably be our last time. I’m not a big fan of it. The Soundworks exhibit at the exit is kind of fun though (is it still there?)

Next we saw the first performance of the day for Disney’s Doug Live, which was where the American Idol attraction is now. It was a pretty good show- live singers, original songs, interesting special effects- but if I remember correctly, the show only lasted about a year. Apparently the Doug TV show was losing it’s audience by that time. Too bad. It was a lot better than Sounds Dangerous. We walked around Hollywood Boulevards and checked out the shops until it was time to go to the 50s Prime Time Café for lunch. We don’t seem to eat very much since we’re not really into the whole shtick of the comical servers and their shenanigans, but the look of the restaurant is cool and watching the classic TV clips is fun. We did the Magic of Disney Animation tour next (this was back when there was actually an animation studio there to tour).

We headed to Sunset Boulevard next. We got some snacks at the food court and looked around the shops there before heading to Hollywood Boulevard to get our spots for the Mulan Parade since Mom had loved it so much when we saw it the year before year. While we were waiting, it started pouring down rain. It was a little disappointing, but we did get to see it the next year before it was replaced. We broke out the ponchos and ducked from shop to shop until we got to the AFI Showcase. They had an exhibit of puppets and miniatures which made Dad happy since there was a number of Nightmare Before Christmas puppets. The thing I remember most were some of the miniature models of Dickensian London used in the opening shots of The Muppet’s Christmas Carol. Turns out they were just crates with really amazing paint jobs on front. It was really amazing.

The rain let up and we headed back to New York Street (now Streets of America- name change #4). We looked in Pizza Planet for a little while, but decided to have dinner at the ABC Commissary. Back then, this was actually a pretty good place. Didn’t really have a great time when we were there last and haven’t heard much good word about it since, but at this point, it was the best counter service at the Studios. After dinner, we headed back to the bus stop and returned to “Riverside”.



Next: EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and more changed names 

 

[Lady Lallie]

I didn't realize you were going to Riverside soon too. Did I miss that or is that a new development? Hopefully I'll come back with photos of the resort and get them posted for you before you leave to help get you in the spirit.

I love the music from the France movie. I don't have the CD but Buzz does so I hear it occasionally.

I'm staying at OKW for 4 nights and then 1 night at Riverside on my next trip. I am really excited about it!

Your mini-trip sounds fantastic so far! I never caught the Doug show which is sad because I grew up on Doug. It was one of the best cartoons on tv back then! Now I have the theme song stuck in my head.

I'm also super jealous you caught the Mulan parade! I bet it was wonderful, that is such a great movie.

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

The American Adventure show is really amazing. There's lots of animatronics and special effects. Noway's was pretty cute. We haven't seen that in a while though. The last few times we've done Maelstrom, I think we've skipped it. Did you see the one in France, Di? I think that's my favorite. Beautiful film with a beautiful soundtrack.

I'm so glad that we have all the ADRs set (well two out of three since we can only make the Bongos ADR the day we get there) so we can finally solidify the itineraries. Can't believe we only have one moth to go!

Ashamed to say I didn't even know there was a French movie! Will need to check that out next year!

Your first trip to POR sounds good, and it's nice to see photos from back then! Hearing about all the old parades and attractions is great!

For a month to go!!!!!

Di x

 

[meeko_33785]

I'm staying at OKW for 4 nights and then 1 night at Riverside on my next trip. I am really excited about it!

Your mini-trip sounds fantastic so far! I never caught the Doug show which is sad because I grew up on Doug. It was one of the best cartoons on tv back then! Now I have the theme song stuck in my head.

I'm also super jealous you caught the Mulan parade! I bet it was wonderful, that is such a great movie.

Awesome! I didn't remember seeing that about Riverside in your pre-trip. Very cool.

The Doug show was really fun. Wish it had stayed longer. Buzz and I were big fans of Doug growing up too.

The Mulan Parade was good. It was really different from any other parade I can remember. Very iteresting floats, very Chinese New Year Parade-ish. It's Mom's all-time favorite I think. She still talks about it.

Ashamed to say I didn't even know there was a French movie! Will need to check that out next year!

Your first trip to POR sounds good, and it's nice to see photos from back then! Hearing about all the old parades and attractions is great!

For a month to go!!!!!

Di x

Oh, you've got to see the movie in France next time you're there. We really love it.

Glad you're enjoying the report. There's more to come. Actually, though, this was our third trip to POR/ Dixie Landing, not our first. This year's trip will be our 5th. I think we've stayed there more than anywhere else at Disney.