First let me say we had a great time. DD(5) and DS(3) plus DW. We used Dreams Unlimited for reservations - 2nd time we have used DU and everything turned out perfect.
Left Charlotte on late afternoon flight - never did receive bag tags from Disney - ended up not being a problem. Arrived at ORL and went straight to ME counter. They took our claim checks, asked for some info on each bag, and off we went ot board the bus for the Polynesian - No wait! Bus ride was approx 30 minutes with one stop at WL. Major negative was no video on the bus. The driver gave us some excuse about the previous driver not leaving one behind. Anyway, arrived at hotel at 8:00. Check-in was great - no line. CM was very helpful - I inquired about possibly upgrading to CL and she said "you have a great room" and it wouldn't be worth the cost in her opinion. She was right - we were in Tuvalu in a rehabbed room looking straight out at the MK. (See my review of the Poly in Disney Resort thread). Made a call to Garden Grocer to finalize delivery (AWESOME SERVICE) and then off to CC for a light dinner. Arrived at room at 9:30 and bags were waiting for us. Groceries arrived 10 minutes later and we were in bed by 10:15!
Day 2: MK. No lines and beautiful weather. Also noticed a lot of cheerleaders / dancers. There was evidently some type of dance team contest at WDW - must say it didn't bother us at all. No complaints at all on Day 2. Ate dinner at Kona's - great food and great service!
Day 3: AK. Had character breakfast at GF - Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland characters - great food! Took bus from GF to AK - waited over 30 minutes for bus - was annoying! Once again no lines and great weather at the park. Rode EE and it "broke" on the first incline. We literally sat there for 15 minutes and they finally came and had us get off and walk back to the loading dock. Gave everyone a Fast Pass good till end of Feb. Never did hear what happened. Tarzan show not longer being done - was disappointed as my DS was really looking forward to it. Saw a neat Birds of Wonder show and as always enjoyed the Lion King. Watched the 3:00 parade and went back to hotel. Took short nap and headed over to MK for a few rides and Spectromagic parade. It was awesome.
Day 4: Rain Rain Rain. We were told to go to Vision Quest and that the kids woudl love it. WRONG. Probably the most disappointing part of the trip. Suprisingly it was not crowded. However, there are not enough games for very young ones to enjoy to make it worth the $130+ it cost. Oh well, live and learn. We decided to do dinner at the CR and kids ended up going to arcade and having a great time - wised we had gone to that arcade during the day versus VQ.
Day 5: Overcast and chilly. Took bus to MGM for about two hours (Playhouse Disney & Beauty and the Beast) and then took bus back to TTC and headed back to MK. Spent rest of day at MK and had a great time.
Day 6: Sea World: Took cab to SW - about $40 each way. I debated about renting a car but decided we woudl be better off with a cab. Sea World was busy but we did all the usual things. Sea lion and Dolphin shows were the bet. Jack Hanna show as pretty cool as well. Shamu was most disppointing - it was a short show - they are redoing the whole set and creating a new show that opens in the Spring. Also, SW is developing a new kids areas that will have many more things for kids to do during the times you are waiting for shows to begin. Should be nice. Dinner back at Kona's for another great meal!
Day 7: ME pickup at 7:30. Since we flew US Air we could not check in at hotel. Therefore, had to have a luggage guy help us at the airport - ended up not being a big deal though.
Feel free to ask any questions - this was our fourth straight year with the kids so we are becoming quite the experts on how to survive with small children.
Left Charlotte on late afternoon flight - never did receive bag tags from Disney - ended up not being a problem. Arrived at ORL and went straight to ME counter. They took our claim checks, asked for some info on each bag, and off we went ot board the bus for the Polynesian - No wait! Bus ride was approx 30 minutes with one stop at WL. Major negative was no video on the bus. The driver gave us some excuse about the previous driver not leaving one behind. Anyway, arrived at hotel at 8:00. Check-in was great - no line. CM was very helpful - I inquired about possibly upgrading to CL and she said "you have a great room" and it wouldn't be worth the cost in her opinion. She was right - we were in Tuvalu in a rehabbed room looking straight out at the MK. (See my review of the Poly in Disney Resort thread). Made a call to Garden Grocer to finalize delivery (AWESOME SERVICE) and then off to CC for a light dinner. Arrived at room at 9:30 and bags were waiting for us. Groceries arrived 10 minutes later and we were in bed by 10:15!
Day 2: MK. No lines and beautiful weather. Also noticed a lot of cheerleaders / dancers. There was evidently some type of dance team contest at WDW - must say it didn't bother us at all. No complaints at all on Day 2. Ate dinner at Kona's - great food and great service!
Day 3: AK. Had character breakfast at GF - Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland characters - great food! Took bus from GF to AK - waited over 30 minutes for bus - was annoying! Once again no lines and great weather at the park. Rode EE and it "broke" on the first incline. We literally sat there for 15 minutes and they finally came and had us get off and walk back to the loading dock. Gave everyone a Fast Pass good till end of Feb. Never did hear what happened. Tarzan show not longer being done - was disappointed as my DS was really looking forward to it. Saw a neat Birds of Wonder show and as always enjoyed the Lion King. Watched the 3:00 parade and went back to hotel. Took short nap and headed over to MK for a few rides and Spectromagic parade. It was awesome.
Day 4: Rain Rain Rain. We were told to go to Vision Quest and that the kids woudl love it. WRONG. Probably the most disappointing part of the trip. Suprisingly it was not crowded. However, there are not enough games for very young ones to enjoy to make it worth the $130+ it cost. Oh well, live and learn. We decided to do dinner at the CR and kids ended up going to arcade and having a great time - wised we had gone to that arcade during the day versus VQ.
Day 5: Overcast and chilly. Took bus to MGM for about two hours (Playhouse Disney & Beauty and the Beast) and then took bus back to TTC and headed back to MK. Spent rest of day at MK and had a great time.
Day 6: Sea World: Took cab to SW - about $40 each way. I debated about renting a car but decided we woudl be better off with a cab. Sea World was busy but we did all the usual things. Sea lion and Dolphin shows were the bet. Jack Hanna show as pretty cool as well. Shamu was most disppointing - it was a short show - they are redoing the whole set and creating a new show that opens in the Spring. Also, SW is developing a new kids areas that will have many more things for kids to do during the times you are waiting for shows to begin. Should be nice. Dinner back at Kona's for another great meal!
Day 7: ME pickup at 7:30. Since we flew US Air we could not check in at hotel. Therefore, had to have a luggage guy help us at the airport - ended up not being a big deal though.
Feel free to ask any questions - this was our fourth straight year with the kids so we are becoming quite the experts on how to survive with small children.
