Just back...my thoughts!

[perla06]

I appreciate the information that I have learned on these boards so I wanted to give my "just back" thoughts and information. We just returned from a WONDERFUL trip (June 24-30) that included DD4, DD 8 months, DH, and my parents.

1. The crowds: It was VERY crowded, especially at MK. However, the longest we waited for any ride was 30 minutes for Peter Pan, and I should have gotten FP. I felt the crowds walking around did take away from the overall experience, however, with a proper plan and strategy, we were able to see and do everything that we wanted.

2. The heat: The heat and humidity were definitely there, but we were not bothered by it at all. We even needed sweaters some evenings after rain. The heat did not detract us from our plans at all.

3. Transportation: EXCELLENT! We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus, and most of the time our transportation was 1-3 minutes. Man, do they have that down to a science.

4. Going with an 8 month old: She totally didn't really get it, but had fun looking around. She really was inquisitive with the characters, which was cute. She was very easy to deal with in the parks. One second she would be looking around, the next she would be asleep in the stroller. I loved the baby centers, and really loved the one in AK to buy a bottle after I left mine in our room.

5. POFQ: This place was beautiful. The grounds are lovely, the food was good, and the pool is perfect. They started rehab on the playground so was not open during our stay.

6. California Grill: This was a treat for my DH and me. It exceeded our expectations. I am still dreaming about that view!

7. Garden Grocer: Loved it for diapers, wipes, baby food, but I bought too much stuff. Keep that in mind when placing your order. I got pulled into the "spend $200, no delivery fee." I definitely recommend Garden Grocer for anyone staying with a baby in Disney.

8. Packing: I WAY overpacked. I had too much stuff in the hotel room, and it was crazy with all of our bags at the airport. I'll tell myself next time, "less is more, less is more, less is more."

I would be happy to answer any questions!

 

[Planogirl]

How hot did it get? The last I checked it was 94-95 in the daytime. Is that what you saw?

 

[perla06]

I believe it was in the low 90's while we were there. It was pleasant in the morning, and the humidity and heat grew as the day wore on. It rained almost every day (typical Florida thunderstorm) and was pleasant again after the rain cleared.

 

[aheaviside]

Thanks for info. We are going with DS 4 who will have just turned 4 in late Jan. A few questions about 4 yr old.
Did you take park days off? Did you take breaks during the day at resort and for how long? I'm a little nervous scheduling 4 park days in a row...I think he's going to be a grumpy mess by day 3 or 4. Any advice?

 

[DisneyOHFan]

I'm glad you had a wonderful time and that the transportation went well. The last couple of times we went this year, so buses were early some we had to wait 25 minutes to come.

I use to ALWAYS over pack. I now take advantage of the washer/dryers and plan on doing laundry once during the trip while everyone is swimming

 

[ericalynn1979]

Thanks so much! I'm going in September with a 7 month old and a 3 1/2 year old. We're staying with my parents in a 2 bedroom villa, so I'll have laundry.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our trip report board.

 

[dudelydude]

Thank you so much for your report, Perla06. I was just feeling kind of bad after reading and responding to a couple of crappy, negative threads and your thread put things into perspective for me and brought me back to the realization that WDW is my happy place.

 

[dudelydude]

I'm going to move this to our trip report board.

I know its your job, but I wish you hadn't done that. We need more happy threads on the theme park board to help offset some of the negativity there. Not nearly as many people go to the trip report board.

 

[perla06]

My DD4 just turned four in June, and I was pleasantly surprised by her endurance on this trip. Definitely needed a stroller. I just got the Maclaren Volo (steers well and lightweight) and it worked out really well. It seemed like everyone had a Maclaren down there, so I put princess ribbon on ours to differentiate it.

We left for the parks at 8:30ish (If I were to do it again, I would leave by 8:00 for a 9:00 opening) and came back around 2:00 to rest. However, my DD4 and DH usually took that time to swim instead of rest. The only nap she took during our trip was on Magical Express back to the airport. She was definitely tired and a few times cranky, but managed to power through nicely. We returned to the parks around 5:00 for a few hours, until maybe 8:00PM.

We did NOT see any of the late night shows because of the ages of my kids, so we were able to get DD4 to bed by 9:30 each night. For this reason, we did not need an "off" day. It was a sacrifice not to see these amazing shows, but it will be a great reason to return when our kids are older!

 

[perla06]

Thank you so much for your report, Perla06. I was just feeling kind of bad after reading and responding to a couple of crappy, negative threads and your thread put things into perspective for me and brought me back to the realization that WDW is my happy place.

I had a conversation about this with my mother as we walked down Main Street in Magic Kingdom. IMHO, it is very easy to go down the "negative" route in Disney. You must make a conscientious decision to make it magical and happy.

 

[mlittig]

Great report So glad you had such a magical time

 

[aheaviside]

Thanks so much. Your posts were very helpful to me.
We won't be staying at parks late either as both are kids go to bed early so 800 would probably be the latest park night for them.

1 more question and I promise the last- why did you recommend leaving at 8 vs 830? Did you not make rope drop from your hotel by leaving at 830?

 

[perla06]

Thanks so much. Your posts were very helpful to me.
We won't be staying at parks late either as both are kids go to bed early so 800 would probably be the latest park night for them.

1 more question and I promise the last- why did you recommend leaving at 8 vs 830? Did you not make rope drop from your hotel by leaving at 830?

We did not make official rope drop leaving at 8:30 from POFQ with the exception of at Epcot. In Epcot, they release the masses through the gate slightly before park opening, but then do another block just past Spaceship Earth. We sent a "runner" to Soarin' to get FPs, then we walked into Character Spot with no wait. However, the runner (aka DH) missed pictures with the characters.

We left at 8:30 for DHS but the traffic filtering into DHS was very heavy and missed rope drop. It seems there is less car lanes to enter DHS than the other parks.

The bus from POFQ to Animal Kingdom stopped at Blizzard Beach beforehand so again missed rope drop.

Lastly, at Magic Kingdom, we were pretty darn close. We missed the little show on the train platform. (Love that show!) I knew we were close because the cast members were still waving hello to everyone as we walked along Main Street. (Love that too!) Just that few minutes delay after rope drop left us waiting for Dumbo for 10-15 minutes. Minimal still in the grand scheme, but more and more people have Disney knowledge and know what to hit first.

Long winded answer!! Hope it helps...so maybe 8:00 might be a little early, but 8:30 was too late if you specifically want rope drop. I would recommend rope drop if you are going at a busy time.