"Our TR - Now with 100 % less POFQ!" - Nov 10th-20th(3/5-Last Day & Final Thoughts!)

[skier_pete]

That's a great first hour to get 6 Fantasyland rides done!

And with Adventure calling your name....I can't wait for the next update.

Coming soon...I promise.

Wow - what a great first morning! I love it when the park is so empty!

See picture in the next post to see how really empty it was!

Wow you guys did a LOT in that amount of time! I was pretty impressed with all we got done on our 9 am rope drop morning at MK, but y'all definitely have us beat. I guess as hard as it is for some people to be there early enough for a 9 am opening, it is even harder for them to get to an 8 am one. Very impressed that y'all made it after a day of traveling!

Side note, I love your DD's Minnie jacket!!

It was pretty sweet, especially compared to the insanity at MK just 8 days later. The Minnie jacket is DD's favorite. DW bought her a new larger one on this trip because it's the only thing she'll wear.

 

[skier_pete]

My mom sent me her pictures - so here's a few from what we've done so far:

Us riding on Dumbo:

Us on the teacups:

Heading over to our next destination - adventureland. This shot I think really shows how uncrowded the park was around 9:15 AM:

A nice shot my mom took of the partners statue:

Some of the holiday Pointessas:

Yet another shot of the castle, this time one of mine:

More to come

 

[joy13]

Great pictures - it looks deserted! I have pictures like that from our 2009 trip, but we never got anywhere early enough to get them this trip.

 

[FosterA]

Love the pics!
I wish I had taken more of the crowd/non crowd shots for my TR.

I love those poinsetta trees!

 

[skier_pete]

Great pictures - it looks deserted! I have pictures like that from our 2009 trip, but we never got anywhere early enough to get them this trip.

Love the pics!
I wish I had taken more of the crowd/non crowd shots for my TR.

I love those poinsetta trees!

I know, I never think to take crowd shots either, it's really just a coincidence if I get them. I wish I had taken one showing the crowd at opening on the 11th and the 19th. There was maybe a couple hundred people on the 11th, on the 19th at rope drop the entire corral past the turnstyles was PACKED with people. Ugh...I'm still kicking myself for doing MK that day....but I'm getting ahead of myself...

 

[skier_pete]

Before I start the "Adventure keeps calling my name" is a reference to the Adventure's Club and one of the Library Shows with Samantha Sterling would sing this song. If there are any AC fans reading in: Kungaloosh, and stay tuned later in the report for addition AC references.

I still couldn’t get more FP since the PP one was for 9:40 AM, we decided to head over to Adventureland and another DD favorite, the Jungle Cruise.

Good skipper, good ride. Favorite (semi-new) joke of the ride “These cliffs here on the right are sandstone. I point them out because some people take them for granite. Either way – they ROCK!” Just the last part I hadn't heard before. I'm always amazed how unresponsive people are on the JC...DW and I were groaning loudly throughout the ride - really getting into it. At one point the skipper asked us "Are you people all right over there?"

It was now time to get those next FP. I left the family driving one of those RC Jungle Cruise boats....the single biggest ripoff in all of Disney World. So I headed across to Tomorrowland for some Buzz passes. I was back in < 10 minutes, and they were snacking on a package of grapes. It was not yet 10 AM, but we decided to do the Tiki Room next. I was SO looking forward to this. The OLD Tiki Room. Back as it was. I was sure I was going to break down and bawl once the show started, but I didn’t. I did get a little misty eyed when the moment passed when Iago would have normally come out of the ceiling. It's been 13 years and 6 months since I last saw my beloved Tropical Serenade. I didn’t take pictures or video, I just sat and enjoyed. It was like watching a old movie you’ve seen a billion times but not in a long time. Like comfort food. Truthfully, the show is really not that great, and it’s actually been shortened in spots (the final sing-a-long verse of “Let’s all sing like the birdies sing” is gone), but its such a piece of my childhood (my absolute favorite as a kid) and such an original Walt Disney creation that I am glad they brought it back.

We were heading for pirates next, but we stopped and watched the Tutorial first with Captain Jack. DD was worried about being "volunteered" but I told her they would only take you if you wanted it, so she was happy to sit and watch. After that show we tried to ride Pirates – no good it was down. DD wanted to look in the store as she likes Pirate stuff (she tends to more like the boy stuff than the girl stuff) but she didn’t find anything she really wanted except a gun, and I convinced her to hold off on that. On the way out, the ride was STILL down, so we decided to head back through Fantasyland to ride PP again and then head over for lunch. I detoured by Space Mountain for Fastpasses, and then we hit Peter Pan.

After PP – we next saw Mickey’s Philharmagic. Again, DD put up a stink (#2) she doesn’t like the 3D stuff shooting at her, but again she’s seen it half a dozen times, so we made her sit through, even though she hid for ½ of it. (Remember – she’s an 8-year old!) DM really liked the show. Her biggest comment from the morning was “I can’t believe how empty the park is!” and “You told me we wouldn’t be waiting in lines, and I didn’t really believe you, but so far we aren’t.” and I replied “That’s right, and you won’t either!”

It was approaching lunch-time now (around 11:30 AM) so we decided to stop for lunch. The original plan was Cosmic Ray’s, but DD wanted Pinnochio Village Haus, and since everyone saw something on the menu they liked, we went with it. The restaurant was actually very crowded for so early in the day. DW and DM had a salad, I had the chicken Parm, and DD had pasta with meatballs. The salads were quite good, the chicken as well. The pasta sauce was rather spicy, and I made the mistake of not ordering it on the side for DD. She got an order of breadsticks with it, and mostly ate those. The meatballs were bad, and she didn’t like the sauce. Overall, I give the meal a 7/10.

Our final destination of the day was (can you guess from this?)...

...Tommorowland. Look I finally pulled the camera out again!

On the way over, we were lucky to have a run-in with “Push” the talking trash can. DD is fascinated with “Push”. One previous trip she had just bought a stuffed bat (don’t ask) and saw him – “Push” told her to put the bat on his lid. Then he started rolling around with it saying “Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Bat-Can!” Too funny!

We were going to hit Buzz first, but for some reason there was a huge line for FP people sticking out the door, so we decided to see the Monster’s Inc laugh floor. DD had just pulled this movie out the week before, and was high on seeing them. I like this show a lot, but I still missed out on being “That guy!” Best joke of the day, which DD kept repeating the whole trip:
“What did Darth Vader say to Obi-Wan Kenobi when he served him some toast?”
“What?”
“It’s a little on the dark side!”

We then rode through Buzz.

I love the big veiwmaster for the briefing. Reminds us that they're all just toys!

I rode with DD while DM and DW rode together. I beat DD, but DW won the group. DD got upset that I beat her, I told her next time she should ride with Grandma.

Next up – fourteenth if you are counting – was the Peoplemover, formerly the TTA, formerly the Peoplemover (they seem to change this one all the time). Don’t know why, but the peoplemover is just awesome. Maybe because you can really get off your feet in some super comfy seats.

Next – Carousel of Progress, another thing DM saw back at the 1964 World’s Fair. I’ve seen this one enough lately since DD likes it a lot, but sitting through it once a trip isn’t terrible. Another classic that should be kept forever, regardless of what I think of it. DW likes this one to take a nap. I don't find the seats comfortable enough - but we've seen this one enough times lately.

Our final ride before returning to our room – space mountain! DD had promised she would try it, but backed out at the last minute. I had four FP so DW and I rode it. Love this ride, but again once a trip is enough to satisfy me. Gave DW bunny ears in the redneck ride photo!

So, at this point, it’s a little after 2 PM – the crowds are still relatively small (Standby at Space Mountain was like 30 minutes, but didn’t look that long inside) but we had a dinner ADR for late, and wanted to spend some time at the resort. We’d seen 16 rides/attractions at MK – and the only biggies we hadn’t hit were Pirates, HM, BTMRR and Splash Mountain. We hadn't waited more than 5 minutes in line for anything yet - that was Space Mountain FP line. Honestly we could've finished the park today if we stayed. (I also stopped getting FP at noon.) I was figuring we’d save these for our other day, so we decided to head back to the room. We didn’t need to switch rooms, but we did need to finish unpacking, and really were hoping to get in a swim and a change of clothes for dinner.

Up next - dinner @ the California Grille.

 

[skier_pete]

So – we went back to the hotel. After we made her work on her homework a bit, DD and I went for a swim. It was cold though – a little too cold. She LOVED the pool. There are two slides, one a little bigger and in the dark. After about an hour of swimming, I insisted we go in the hot tub, which was nice and warm. We had to then get dressed for dinner at the California Grill. We took the bus to MK and then went on the monorail to the Contemporary. This turned out to be the only monorail ride we took the whole trip, and it was very crowded because the park was "closing" for MVMCP.

OK – I’ll say it right now – I wanted to do the CG / fireworks for my daughter and mom – and this was really the best night on the schedule to do it. It really wasn’t worth it. DD was tired and spent most of the dinner whining.

DM thought the restaurant was too loud and crowded for what it was worth (which she was right about). On top of that, by the time came around for the fireworks, it was FREEZING outside, and none of us had clothes warm enough for the weather. So, other than me, everyone just stayed inside. And it seemed like DD never fully recovered from this too long day with enough sleep to catch up – she just seemed tired and cranky most days of the trip, moreso than in more recent trips. It was a LOT of money, and I feel like it was a bit of a waste to spend it, though a portion of that was due to the weather and outside of my control.

DW keeping DD entertained with bunny ears!

All that said, the food was indeed fantastic, and I don’t think the prices are really out of line for the level of service and cuisine. The atmosphere was very noisy, much more noisy than I remembered from our first time there. Perhaps because it was a Friday instead of Tuesday, I don’t know.

Here comes the food porn:

Triple Cheese Flatbread (Appetizer) - this was very good.

Hearts of Romaine Salad (DM) - Also good - but basically a Caesar Salad

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli - with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil - This was one very large raviloli - and very tasty.

My DM had what I can't recall exactly was a vegitarian Lasagna with butternut squash or something. She said it was really good.

I had the All Natural Duck Two Ways - seared breast, potato rosti, cherry demi, confit leg, pomegranate gastrique. The leg itself was very plain, but the breast and potato rosti were fantastic.

DW I think had the Florida Snapper - dungeness crab risotto, Zellwood corn, snap peas and sauce choron

DD had a Pizza - which was slightly above the quality of the typical Disney pizza. (I didn't take a picture of it.) She also had ice cream for dessert.

We were all pretty full, but split an order of Heirloom Apple Bread Pudding - brown butter and candied bacon ice cream, Jack Daniel's Anglaise

The fireworks were "Christmas Wishes" and I was the only one that stood outside to watch. It said it was 54 degrees out, but felt colder. The good news was they did dim the lights inside and play the music, so the rest of the family did get to see the show. DD spent the whole night saying she wanted to go home and she didn't want to see the fireworks.

Anyways, I wish I could say this was a highlight of the trip, but it really wasn’t. We took a taxi home afterward rather than trudge back to MK for a bus, and collapsed into bed about 10:30 PM. With the taxi ride it ran about $250, too. Fortunately, this evening came out of a special fund I of extra money I set aside over the year - which I consider "free" money. Good thing - or I would've been really upset.

Overall, the day at MK was wonderful, the evening was not great, and it is something I will not repeat until DD is much, much older. Next time we go for a nice meal at WDW, we will find a kids club to put her in. I give the food a 9/10 but the experience a 6/10.

Day 1:
Characters Met: 0
Rides/Attractions seen: 17 (including Christmas Wishes)
Waits of > 5 minutes: 0

Up next - Day 2 @ AK - it DOES get better!

 

[FosterA]

Great update with lots of good details!

First and foremost, I want that ravioli right now!

Secondly, that is AWESOME how many attractions you guys got accomplished! Plus you are dealing with a grandma and a little one. very impressive.

Too bad that DD had her cranky pants on at that dinner. I hope she was able to bounce back and get some rest so she was ready for the rest of your days!

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[skier_pete]

Great update with lots of good details!

First and foremost, I want that ravioli right now!

Secondly, that is AWESOME how many attractions you guys got accomplished! Plus you are dealing with a grandma and a little one. very impressive.

Too bad that DD had her cranky pants on at that dinner. I hope she was able to bounce back and get some rest so she was ready for the rest of your days!

Can't wait to hear more.

The good thing is while she lets me lead - DW is pretty much in sync with me at Disney...which is why I try to say "us" instead of "me". DM was pretty much willing to go along for the ride, and though DD has plenty of protest in her, she did GREAT really. This was her first trip without a stroller, and she hardly complained about the walking, though I was very careful to minimize the backtracking when I could. You notice we did Fantasyland - Aventureland - Fantasyland - Torrowland - not a lot of skipping back and forth.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wow! That's a full day. Pity about CG and Wishes....I've vaguely thought about doing it but I'm not sure that CG pricing is worth it for me.

 

[skier_pete]

Wow! That's a full day. Pity about CG and Wishes....I've vaguely thought about doing it but I'm not sure that CG pricing is worth it for me.

So are you saying the average dinner in Australia won't be as expensive as the California Grill?

We really enjoyed it a lot the first time when it was just DW and I. It really can be fun, but the combination of things worked against us:

1) The early opening @ MK meant for an extra early rising...really only affected DD.
2) We weren't really prepared for how cold it was - this was really the only evening we had this issue the whole trip.
3) I thought with only spending 6 hours in the park and then having a bit of down time at the hotel would work in our favor - however, I think the swimming helped tire DD out even more.
4) Last trip DD tolerated a few late nights pretty well (we were out until Midnight twice) so I thought she would handle 10 PM OK.

Oh well, live and learn. It wasn't a horrible night by any means - if we let DD whining at us ruin things we'd never do anything..the kid has a stubborn streak a mile long...it just wasn't great is all.

 

[Pre]

I came over from FosterA's TR and am loving your TR! I'm excited to hear what you thought of CBR over POFQ! I'm thinking of POFQ for my next solo trip and have stayed at CBR before though so am wondering if sticking with what I know would be better.

 

[khertz]

What a great MK day! I'm glad y'all got to experience a day of low crowds there, because we didn't have the same luck. Looks like we should have spent Friday there instead of at DTD! Oh well, there's always next time. Too bad such an expensive meal was a disappointment. Hopefully your DD was not ruined for the rest of the trip after the late night!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Still here... finding little DIS time lately with all of the holiday hussle & bussle! Sorry Cali Grill didn't live up to expectations. I've considered getting a late meal to see Wishes or Illuminations somewhere but I always change my mind knowing the boys will be too tired to sit in a restaurant. Maybe when they get older...

 

[skier_pete]

I came over from FosterA's TR and am loving your TR! I'm excited to hear what you thought of CBR over POFQ! I'm thinking of POFQ for my next solo trip and have stayed at CBR before though so am wondering if sticking with what I know would be better.

We liked both, but if I was going for an adults only/singles trip, I would pick POFQ every time. The smaller size makes it a very quiet resort. CBR is probably better with kids because of the new pool and all the activities they do for them. Of course, CBR does have the quiet pools with POFQ does not have, but there never seemed to be a ton of people around at POFQ. Plus I still like the less walking and the way the busses work there (first on, first off every time). Especially since you haven't been there - I would say try POFQ.

What a great MK day! I'm glad y'all got to experience a day of low crowds there, because we didn't have the same luck. Looks like we should have spent Friday there instead of at DTD! Oh well, there's always next time. Too bad such an expensive meal was a disappointment. Hopefully your DD was not ruined for the rest of the trip after the late night!

Hey yeah-you should've joined us! Who needs DTD!

Still here... finding little DIS time lately with all of the holiday hussle & bussle! Sorry Cali Grill didn't live up to expectations. I've considered getting a late meal to see Wishes or Illuminations somewhere but I always change my mind knowing the boys will be too tired to sit in a restaurant. Maybe when they get older...

I agree - wait until they are older and can appreciate the meal as well as the fireworks.

 

[PrincessInOz]

So are you saying the average dinner in Australia won't be as expensive as the California Grill?

We really enjoyed it a lot the first time when it was just DW and I. It really can be fun, but the combination of things worked against us:

1) The early opening @ MK meant for an extra early rising...really only affected DD.
2) We weren't really prepared for how cold it was - this was really the only evening we had this issue the whole trip.
3) I thought with only spending 6 hours in the park and then having a bit of down time at the hotel would work in our favor - however, I think the swimming helped tire DD out even more.
4) Last trip DD tolerated a few late nights pretty well (we were out until Midnight twice) so I thought she would handle 10 PM OK.

Oh well, live and learn. It wasn't a horrible night by any means - if we let DD whining at us ruin things we'd never do anything..the kid has a stubborn streak a mile long...it just wasn't great is all.

Pete - It depends on where you eat. I like 'Cheap Eats' and you'll see from the link that I'm not the only one who does. The Age newspaper in Melbourne issues this publication every year....as it does the Good Food guide. Establishments listed in Cheap Eats might set you back about $10 - $15 per person, entrees only.
And the Cali Grill pricing for entrees is maybe about $5 - $10 more per dish than entrees in Oz.

But this was about "When in Rome". I look at the Cali Grill pricing compared to other establishments in the US and I think they are a tad overpriced.


Its a pity that your DD was a bit whiney this trip. It's amazing how it changes from one trip to another, isn't it?

 

[skier_pete]

Pete - It depends on where you eat. I like 'Cheap Eats' and you'll see from the link that I'm not the only one who does. The Age newspaper in Melbourne issues this publication every year....as it does the Good Food guide. Establishments listed in Cheap Eats might set you back about $10 - $15 per person, entrees only.
And the Cali Grill pricing for entrees is maybe about $5 - $10 more per dish than entrees in Oz.

But this was about "When in Rome". I look at the Cali Grill pricing compared to other establishments in the US and I think they are a tad overpriced.


Its a pity that your DD was a bit whiney this trip. It's amazing how it changes from one trip to another, isn't it?

Well, we are definitely going to be going with "cheap eats" when we visit. I keep telling people it's weird that I am planning the most expensive vacation I've ever taken while at the same time trying to plan it as a "budget" vacation. But we'll be up for trying one of those "cheap eats" from the book when we meet you!

Actually though - Cali's prices are I feel more typical for that level of food at a good US restaurant than when you pay $30 to eat the lousy food at Chef Mickey's. As I said, the food was actually quite wonderful, and prevented the meal from being what could've been a total bust. Not quite the best food of the trip - but a close 2nd.

 

[Moodyzblu]

Joining in !

I'm SO not an early riser and a lucky to get to the parks by lunch time. I can't get over how EMPTY the park was though .. that's awesome.
My boys are 7yrs old and although they aren't big whiners .. but there are certain rides that they refuse to do which irritates me since I don't ask them to do anything really wild (like TOT or Mission Space) but fun things like Splash Mountain and It's Tough To Be a Bug ! I'm hoping bribery might work our next time around.

Great report so far .. can't wait to read more !! Great pics too .. your dd is adorable.

 

[skier_pete]

Joining in !

I'm SO not an early riser and a lucky to get to the parks by lunch time. I can't get over how EMPTY the park was though .. that's awesome.
My boys are 7yrs old and although they aren't big whiners .. but there are certain rides that they refuse to do which irritates me since I don't ask them to do anything really wild (like TOT or Mission Space) but fun things like Splash Mountain and It's Tough To Be a Bug ! I'm hoping bribery might work our next time around.

Great report so far .. can't wait to read more !! Great pics too .. your dd is adorable.

Just so you know, I love you and all the other late risers like you! You make our trips so wonderful.

Thanks for the compliments. We haven't solved the "get her to ride it" part yet. She totally refused some things, like Splash Mountain which she has ridden at least 8 times before. But she did try Mission Space and liked it quite a bit (the green side).

 

[Moodyzblu]

Just so you know, I love you and all the other late risers like you! You make our trips so wonderful.

You're welcome !