January 2009. . . Calling all Snowbirds ~ Part V

So Jen, how many Snowbirds did you meet???

I only met 3. Katiebugsmom and I were on the same flight. I met Dundeehunter briefly at the entrance to DHS. And I met Trixie and her family - we bumped into them several times!

The CBR meet was a bust. Where was everybody???:confused3 We were at the Jamaica beach playground from 8:30 until after Illuminations was over, but nobody showed.
 
So Jen, how many Snowbirds did you meet???

I only met 3. Katiebugsmom and I were on the same flight. I met Dundeehunter briefly at the entrance to DHS. And I met Trixie and her family - we bumped into them several times!

The CBR meet was a bust. Where was everybody???:confused3 We were at the Jamaica beach playground from 8:30 until after Illuminations was over, but nobody showed.

Actually I only met one!! Somehow I couldn't remember if I was supposed to call Kayte or she call me LOL!!! (I should have just called) and I didn't see anyone at the Haunted Mansion at midnight!!

However I did get to spend time with Kim and her family (NorthernDisneyGirl) and that was fabulous it was so great to finally meet her and talk to her for awhile, we met up twice!!!
 
Yeah, I should have called Wendy (Maggied) from the beach Saturday but I had left my cell phone (with her # in it) in the room. I don't know what happened to her. Maybe she was on another beach ???

And at DHS last Thursday it was SO crowded that there could have been 20 Snowbirds at the parade and we would have never found each other.

Oh well, I'm glad I met some Snowbirds anyway! My boys and Trixie's girls had a blast together! I sure hope they are having a safe trip home today in this nasty snow/ice storm.
 
We also found a few of the tour groups disturbing at times, and in particular, while waiting in the line for Pirates. The whole set-up of that waiting area is very poor, with people just jammed in every corner and cranny. I don't know how many times we were stepped on, pushed, and at one point - shoved out of the way by a group of teenage girls (in bright yellow sweatsuits, for those of you who may know who I mean!) I told DH and DD that I was really sorry that I never learned Portuguese, which is the native language of both sets of my grandparents, because I would have been able to give them a piece of my mind in a way that they could understand! I am all for international tourism, but when it impacts the enjoyment of others and impedes safety, then enough is enough. Of course, my DH also had his foot run over by an American tourist wielding an out-of-control stroller directly at him.:lmao: (and, not even an apology from her, sad to say).

Our day at Hollywood Studios there were a couple groups running around. One of the groups spoke Spanish. While we were waiting in line for the bathroom one lady comes out and starts to tell the rest of them (in Spanish) to come ahead of everyone else...I WAS TICKED! So I proceeded to explain to her that they were behind the rest of us in line and needed to wait, just like everyone else. She said something about "stupid americans" and tried to say (in english even though I was speaking spanish to her) that it was an "emergency". So when we finally got into the bathroom there was at least 15 of them standing in front of the mirrors fixing their make-up and hair. Oh I did not say nice things to that lady. After we walked out, I found a CM (who also spoke spanish) and explained to him what happened and he said something into his little walkie-talkie thingy and a minute later some guy in a suit came over and the two of them went to talk to the group. So I don't know what really happened, but I'm now very thankful that I apparently know enough Spanish to hold my own in a conversation.

XXXXX
Welcome back to those of you returning now. Apparently some of you are getting pelted with some nasty weather :scared: . Can't wait to hear all about your trips!
 


:grouphug: Welcome home Shelly. I was hoping all this white stuff was gone before you got back here to Pa.
Cant wait to hear about your trip. I am still editing pictures from my trip today, since I am home.

Thanks! :goodvibes

Yes, this weather makes coming home even more unpleasant. :sad2:

I am working on my pics today too. I'm having a little trouble loading them right now. :badpc:
 
Our day at Hollywood Studios there were a couple groups running around. One of the groups spoke Spanish. While we were waiting in line for the bathroom one lady comes out and starts to tell the rest of them (in Spanish) to come ahead of everyone else...I WAS TICKED! So I proceeded to explain to her that they were behind the rest of us in line and needed to wait, just like everyone else. She said something about "stupid americans" and tried to say (in english even though I was speaking spanish to her) that it was an "emergency". So when we finally got into the bathroom there was at least 15 of them standing in front of the mirrors fixing their make-up and hair. Oh I did not say nice things to that lady. After we walked out, I found a CM (who also spoke spanish) and explained to him what happened and he said something into his little walkie-talkie thingy and a minute later some guy in a suit came over and the two of them went to talk to the group. So I don't know what really happened, but I'm now very thankful that I apparently know enough Spanish to hold my own in a conversation.

XXXXX
Welcome back to those of you returning now. Apparently some of you are getting pelted with some nasty weather :scared: . Can't wait to hear all about your trips!

Good work! I was regretting not studying Spanish and Portuguese!
 
Hi Drakes and everyone,
I am more of a reader than a post-er. We're leaving for DisneyWorld on Friday, and according to the weather report, it'll still be fairly chilly. I'm packing layers, but I have to tell you THANK YOU for mentioning the mini-gloves! I have several pair of the stretchy little things, but I never would have though to pack them. Great idea! :thumbsup2

I've been wracking my brain to figure out which restaurant is "DHS" to find the Grapefruit Cake? I need to know this because, I too, must try a peice of Grapefruit Cake! Sounds gooood.

Hope your sinus situation clears up soon ~ I know that airplane "head exploding" feeling. Ugh.
Mini Gloves were $9.00 at the parks. we got ours for 49 cents at walmart! We packed extra socks in our park bags as well and DD had to add these as they acted more as mittens. :)
Grapefruit Cake is at Brown Derby but I was told you can ask for it at Starring Rolls, they will go next door and get a piece? I was going to ask but didn't find the time. I bought DH the Disney Cookbook and the recipe is in their so he said he'd make it for me!

Other tips- I packed every imaginable medicine - I didn't do this past trips and we were ok, but I was worried with the reports of disney flu bugs. I think if I didn't pack this stuff I would have needed it.
The other good news was my luggage coming home was over weight and I didn't get charged for it!
We got hoodies, scrapbooks, the DVD box set, every park cd we could find, a hardcover souvenier type book, princess costumes, pins pins and more pins.

Have lots of fun, and relax. Unfortunately I was a commando and the last day I cried in Frontierland because I had 3 people asking me to fit in so much more... I planned this trip and I wanted everyone to be happy. I forgot about myself. My sweet dd stopped begging for the pool and compromised with a late night swim. I laugh now but I sat on this bench in Frontierland fighting the tears, dd begging for the pool, DH wanting shade, and DM forgetting why we skipped lunch. When they saw I was upset, they calmed down and asked me what I wanted to do. I said "right now anything, even the Country bears is better than this!" so sure enough we walked right on in to the CBJ. :lmao:

Everything was much better after that.

So moral of the story is... knowledge is power, but it also can cause a great magnitude of stress.:upsidedow
 


Not meeting Snowbirds... I didn't see a single LGMH let alone a snowbird:sad2:

I was amazed at how much I knew- like I said knowledge is power. When we got off the monorail at the contemporary my DD wanted to find the 5 legged goat in the mural... so we found, everyone there subsequently pointed and talked about it... even DH was in awe I knew about it... I quickly reminded him... everytime we turn on the TV there is that girl jabbering on about these hidden secrets- how can we knot know, I've heard her a million times...:rotfl2: and that was just background noise in the am while getting ready!

Boy I also just realized this morning the alarm clock in Disney was set a half hour earlier than what I normally wake up! Uggghhhh ! some vacation... currently looking at Disney Cruises:beach: ... I was told by a fellow traveller the cruise was far more fun if you're into characters and shows- that would be me!!!!!
 
Our day at Hollywood Studios there were a couple groups running around. One of the groups spoke Spanish. While we were waiting in line for the bathroom one lady comes out and starts to tell the rest of them (in Spanish) to come ahead of everyone else...I WAS TICKED! So I proceeded to explain to her that they were behind the rest of us in line and needed to wait, just like everyone else. She said something about "stupid americans" and tried to say (in english even though I was speaking spanish to her) that it was an "emergency". So when we finally got into the bathroom there was at least 15 of them standing in front of the mirrors fixing their make-up and hair. Oh I did not say nice things to that lady. After we walked out, I found a CM (who also spoke spanish) and explained to him what happened and he said something into his little walkie-talkie thingy and a minute later some guy in a suit came over and the two of them went to talk to the group. So I don't know what really happened, but I'm now very thankful that I apparently know enough Spanish to hold my own in a conversation.

XXXXX
Welcome back to those of you returning now. Apparently some of you are getting pelted with some nasty weather :scared: . Can't wait to hear all about your trips!
We ran into the same thing.

Thanks! :goodvibes

Yes, this weather makes coming home even more unpleasant. :sad2:

I am working on my pics today too. I'm having a little trouble loading them right now. :badpc:
I was having trouble also. I am waiting on my photopass CD. I am giving everyoen in the share till Friday to edit their photos. Hopefully it does not take long to come in.
 
I'M BACK!

I got back this afternoon - it had been 65 in Memphis when we left on Friday and we return to upper 20s and snow today. Woo-hoo! [Unlike you Northern snowbirds, snow is such a rarity that it is a treat so I was excited].

I planned and planned and planned -- for myself and everyone on the trip. I was sure that, despite how much people all over the world love WDW, I would be disappointed - I mean, just how could anything live up to those kinds of expectations?

I was wonderfully wrong - Disney was all that I wished for and more. I am officially a fan - I knew I had been completely smitten when I saw Mickey by himself at a character viewing and just had to get my picture taken with him. [I HATE getting my picture taken!] Not only that, but the consensus of everyone else was the same - the trip exceeded their expectations. They loved the restaurants where we ate and loved almost all the rides/shows I had planned for us to see. I haven't taken an official survey but I do think we did a lot in a relatively short time.

I was disappointed in just how crowded it was - zowie! Epcot was packed on Friday [evening EMH], DHS was slow during Saturday morning EMH but picked up pretty quickly by early afternoon and MK was packed that evening - throngs of people. AK was busy on Sunday but the lines were fairly quick [and we had the added bonus of the birthday fast passes] and MK was busy, too. Monday was the first day that, back at Epcot, I thought - 'these look like what I would have thought January crowds would have looked like.' Tuesday was still pretty busy at DHS and MK -- I guess the secret is out about the low crowds for January!

I didn't see any LGMHs either - I was doing pretty well to keep up with my crew much less try to find any other people. During shows/bus rides, I did look for anyone who resembled the snowbirds but had no luck.

I had wonderful experiences with Disney's customer service which truly added magic to our trip. I'm trying to get brave enough to write a trip report - in a burst of emotion and creativity, I started one on a napkin [who was the great writer who did that, too - Steinbeck?] - it'll be interesting to see if that materializes.

I'm excited to read others' TRs - I've always loved them before but now, I'll know what people are talking about.

And I am that much closer to getting an AP - how much fun would that be to go in early December [are the Christmas lights up yet?]. I know that I could never go in the summer/early fall - I had a hard enough time with the crowds in the beautiful weather we had [70s and 80s]- I'd hate to see what would happen with larger crowds and higher temperatures - :crazy2:

:grouphug: to everyone and a big box of these
puffs_plus.jpg
for the sad ones just coming back. I'll sniff along with y'all.
 
Actually I only met one!! Somehow I couldn't remember if I was supposed to call Kayte or she call me LOL!!! (I should have just called) and I didn't see anyone at the Haunted Mansion at midnight!!

However I did get to spend time with Kim and her family (NorthernDisneyGirl) and that was fabulous it was so great to finally meet her and talk to her for awhile, we met up twice!!!

I tried to make it by midnight, but our Peter Pan ride took a little too long. I got in line at 12:05, I just missed you.
 
I tried to make it by midnight, but our Peter Pan ride took a little too long. I got in line at 12:05, I just missed you.

Oh No!! I should have waited a few more minutes than!!! AWWWW...and yes Peter Pan was crazy the entire time I was there...holy moly!!!!
 
I'M BACK!


I was disappointed in just how crowded it was - zowie! Epcot was packed on Friday [evening EMH], DHS was slow during Saturday morning EMH but picked up pretty quickly by early afternoon and MK was packed that evening - throngs of people. AK was busy on Sunday but the lines were fairly quick [and we had the added bonus of the birthday fast passes] and MK was busy, too. Monday was the first day that, back at Epcot, I thought - 'these look like what I would have thought January crowds would have looked like.' Tuesday was still pretty busy at DHS and MK -- I guess the secret is out about the low crowds for January!

We were disappointed in the crowds too. Never expected that for January. Honestly our May trips have been less crowded.

We arrived on Tues the 20th. We went to MK around 3:15 or so. It was packed. We got on one ride before our 5:30 dinner. After dinner we went back to MK for Wishes. Wall to wall people.

Wed the 21st - the only day we experienced low crowds. We were at MK from open until we left for dinner around 5:00. Got a lot done, some lines were still long, but nothing like we saw the night before.

Thur the 22nd - DHS :scared1: :eek: WOW!! If they continue to only show Fantasmic 2 nights a week we will definitely skip it and go to DHS another day. Everybody was at DHS Thursday. We were there from open to close and did not get to do everything. Luckily we ran to TSM at opening because that was the only time we got to ride it. The lines just to get fastpasses were humongous! Most waits were over an hour for the big attractions. We even waited 30 minutes for Star Tours. :sad2: That ride is always a walk on.

Fri the 23rd - We got to AK just after opening. The lines weren't too bad. We only do a few things at this park, so we were done by 1:00. I could see the lines and crowds were really picking up by then.

Sat the 24th - We went to MK for an early dinner at 4:30. I planned it that way so when we were done we could grab a spot on Main Street for Spectro. Well when we got out of the Plaza it was 5:45 and the streets were lined and packed already. Luckily I spotted a small spot and we grabbed it. We sat there and watched the crowds walking up and down Main Street for the next hour and 15 minutes. It was shoulder to shoulder.

Sun the 25th - We spent the day at the resort/DTD/Boardwalk. After dinner we walked over to Epcot around 5:45. It was packed!! We thought maybe we could do a couple of rides. Soarin said 60 minutes. TT said 30. We got in line for TT and waited over an hour. After that we just left.

Mon the 26th - We got to Epcot just after opening. It wasn't too bad at opening, it got more crowded as the day went on. We did get a lot done that day though.


Well there you have it - my crowd report. :rotfl: Wasn't really what we were expecting. I'm wondering if there is ever a slow time at WDW??? We did really enjoy the January weather though! It was nice to not be sweating the whole time we were there!!

Weather report -

Tues 20th - 55 and sunny. We froze that evening at Wishes!
Wed 21st - 51 and sunny. We froze that morning at MK, but it did make for lower crowds!
Thur 22nd - 64 and sunny. Chilly morning, nice afternoon.
Fri 23rd - 74 and sunny. Went swimming!
Sat 24th - 76 and sunny. Perfect!
Sun 25th - 78 and sunny. Perfect!
Mon 26th - 82 and sunny. Perfect!
Tues 27th - it was warm and partly cloudy when we got on the ME bus at 10:00am.
 
wow I can't believe the crowds I've been in jan/feb 4 times now never heard of crowds like that. maybe the word is out that its a good time to go.
 
wow I can't believe the crowds I've been in jan/feb 4 times now never heard of crowds like that. maybe the word is out that its a good time to go.

Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!
 
Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!

or maybe it depends on the resort - our buses were pretty crowded and the food court and pool was always brimming with people [All-Stars Music]. And these all weren't folks part of the tour groups. The buses were less busy going into the parks but packed leaving them. The restaurants were busy but the service was quick.

I'm really thankful I avoided DHS on a Fantasmic day - the crowds I had experienced were large enough.
 
I am wondering if maybe that "only at 30%" is at the mods & delux cause it seemed like the values were full.

I am going to try to convince Chuck to try late Sept. or early Oct. for a couples only get away. I know he really wants to do that Halloween Horror nights at Universal. Who knows I might even get him to fly.:rotfl2: :rotfl:
 
wow I can't believe the crowds I've been in jan/feb 4 times now never heard of crowds like that. maybe the word is out that its a good time to go.
Me neither. I thought after the NYE, it would be less crowds for all you.
It has to be the 4 for 3 deal. DH said he knows four people at work who are going now with the deal. DIsney stock must still be doing well...:thumbsup2

Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!


or maybe it depends on the resort - our buses were pretty crowded and the food court and pool was always brimming with people [All-Stars Music]. And these all weren't folks part of the tour groups. The buses were less busy going into the parks but packed leaving them. The restaurants were busy but the service was quick.

I'm really thankful I avoided DHS on a Fantasmic day - the crowds I had experienced were large enough.

When we were there it still seemed busy for magic hours.

I am wondering if maybe that "only at 30%" is at the mods & delux cause it seemed like the values were full.

I am going to try to convince Chuck to try late Sept. or early Oct. for a couples only get away. I know he really wants to do that Halloween Horror nights at Universal. Who knows I might even get him to fly.:rotfl2: :rotfl:
We want in 05 the sencong week of Sept. It was the first year they had the free dinning promo. It was walk on for every ride but soarin.
I have to agree though I really dont think there is a slow time at WDW anymore. It use to be Oct. till they started the MNSSHP, but now they run that so long.

I'M BACK!

I got back this afternoon - it had been 65 in Memphis when we left on Friday and we return to upper 20s and snow today. Woo-hoo! [Unlike you Northern snowbirds, snow is such a rarity that it is a treat so I was excited].

I planned and planned and planned -- for myself and everyone on the trip. I was sure that, despite how much people all over the world love WDW, I would be disappointed - I mean, just how could anything live up to those kinds of expectations?

I was wonderfully wrong - Disney was all that I wished for and more. I am officially a fan - I knew I had been completely smitten when I saw Mickey by himself at a character viewing and just had to get my picture taken with him. [I HATE getting my picture taken!] Not only that, but the consensus of everyone else was the same - the trip exceeded their expectations. They loved the restaurants where we ate and loved almost all the rides/shows I had planned for us to see. I haven't taken an official survey but I do think we did a lot in a relatively short time.

I was disappointed in just how crowded it was - zowie! Epcot was packed on Friday [evening EMH], DHS was slow during Saturday morning EMH but picked up pretty quickly by early afternoon and MK was packed that evening - throngs of people. AK was busy on Sunday but the lines were fairly quick [and we had the added bonus of the birthday fast passes] and MK was busy, too. Monday was the first day that, back at Epcot, I thought - 'these look like what I would have thought January crowds would have looked like.' Tuesday was still pretty busy at DHS and MK -- I guess the secret is out about the low crowds for January!

I didn't see any LGMHs either - I was doing pretty well to keep up with my crew much less try to find any other people. During shows/bus rides, I did look for anyone who resembled the snowbirds but had no luck.

I had wonderful experiences with Disney's customer service which truly added magic to our trip. I'm trying to get brave enough to write a trip report - in a burst of emotion and creativity, I started one on a napkin [who was the great writer who did that, too - Steinbeck?] - it'll be interesting to see if that materializes.

I'm excited to read others' TRs - I've always loved them before but now, I'll know what people are talking about.

And I am that much closer to getting an AP - how much fun would that be to go in early December [are the Christmas lights up yet?]. I know that I could never go in the summer/early fall - I had a hard enough time with the crowds in the beautiful weather we had [70s and 80s]- I'd hate to see what would happen with larger crowds and higher temperatures - :crazy2:

:grouphug: to everyone and a big box of these
puffs_plus.jpg
for the sad ones just coming back. I'll sniff along with y'all.

LOVE THE TISSUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lmao:
 
Yeah, I don't know if it was the 7 for 4 deal or if there are just a lot more people staying offsite and all this stuff you hear about how the Disney resorts are only at 30% capacity for January really doesn't matter then. . . I don't know how full CBR was, but the buses were rarely crowded, the food court was not crowded, and the pool was not crowded. But the parks WERE CROWDED!!!

On those warm days our pool at WL was crowded. the hot tub was full- of KIDS!!!! Dd always wanted to go back and swim, so we did make the time and I felt more crowded at the pool than the park. This Jan 2009 was definitely more crowded than 2007.

TT said 30 minute wait and was about an hour. TSM - yikes, we rode with a fast pass and the fastpass line was 20 mins.
We luckily went to DVC on our off day- this too took too much time, but we got the VIP fastpasses- we used them at MK and got on SM, WTP, and PP at the current FP wait time. Other rides were 10-15 minutes. We just missed the Mad Tea Party with the Mad Hatter, the wait time was 0 minutes! We did meet and greet after he got of the ride- I guess we didn't run fast enough to Fantasyland. At 9:45 we headed to Toontown to meet Tink. The wait said 15 minutes- as soon as we walked under the arch way the CM changed it to 45! Yikes! The wait was about 20 minutes, but the CM there were really chatty and the time flew by.
 
We were disappointed in the crowds too. Never expected that for January. Honestly our May trips have been less crowded.

We arrived on Tues the 20th. We went to MK around 3:15 or so. It was packed. We got on one ride before our 5:30 dinner. After dinner we went back to MK for Wishes. Wall to wall people.

Wed the 21st - the only day we experienced low crowds. We were at MK from open until we left for dinner around 5:00. Got a lot done, some lines were still long, but nothing like we saw the night before.

Thur the 22nd - DHS :scared1: :eek: WOW!! If they continue to only show Fantasmic 2 nights a week we will definitely skip it and go to DHS another day. Everybody was at DHS Thursday. We were there from open to close and did not get to do everything. Luckily we ran to TSM at opening because that was the only time we got to ride it. The lines just to get fastpasses were humongous! Most waits were over an hour for the big attractions. We even waited 30 minutes for Star Tours. :sad2: That ride is always a walk on.

Fri the 23rd - We got to AK just after opening. The lines weren't too bad. We only do a few things at this park, so we were done by 1:00. I could see the lines and crowds were really picking up by then.

Sat the 24th - We went to MK for an early dinner at 4:30. I planned it that way so when we were done we could grab a spot on Main Street for Spectro. Well when we got out of the Plaza it was 5:45 and the streets were lined and packed already. Luckily I spotted a small spot and we grabbed it. We sat there and watched the crowds walking up and down Main Street for the next hour and 15 minutes. It was shoulder to shoulder.

Sun the 25th - We spent the day at the resort/DTD/Boardwalk. After dinner we walked over to Epcot around 5:45. It was packed!! We thought maybe we could do a couple of rides. Soarin said 60 minutes. TT said 30. We got in line for TT and waited over an hour. After that we just left.

Mon the 26th - We got to Epcot just after opening. It wasn't too bad at opening, it got more crowded as the day went on. We did get a lot done that day though.


Well there you have it - my crowd report. :rotfl: Wasn't really what we were expecting. I'm wondering if there is ever a slow time at WDW??? We did really enjoy the January weather though! It was nice to not be sweating the whole time we were there!!

Weather report -

Tues 20th - 55 and sunny. We froze that evening at Wishes!
Wed 21st - 51 and sunny. We froze that morning at MK, but it did make for lower crowds!
Thur 22nd - 64 and sunny. Chilly morning, nice afternoon.
Fri 23rd - 74 and sunny. Went swimming!
Sat 24th - 76 and sunny. Perfect!
Sun 25th - 78 and sunny. Perfect!
Mon 26th - 82 and sunny. Perfect!
Tues 27th - it was warm and partly cloudy when we got on the ME bus at 10:00am.


Welcome back!! We were there the 18th-25th. We also were disappointed with the crowds! There seem to be a lot of tours and just all around a lot of people. We also froze during the evening most nights we were there. We had a nice time even though the crowd level but it made for less rides for us. The only place we did not think was bad was AK. We had a great day there!

I think we have decided to try the level of crowd in end of August. Maybe it will be less crowded than January. I think a lot of it had to do with the promo though!
 

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