TCups4Me
DIS Article Contributor
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
- Messages
- 469
Heres a quick report on our stay from October 24-29. The trip was me (21 weeks pregnant), DH and DS2. DH and I have been to WDW 4 times and this was our first trip with DS. We booked using a 40% pin so we did not have the dining plan and that was great for us.
Overall, the crowds were low and we never needed an ADR. The service was great everywhere we went, it was hot and humid but not unbearable, the transportation via buses and boats was quick.
Saturday October 24 - We landed at MCO at 1:30pm and were at our resort by 3:30 using Magical Express. ME was great as always with our bags in the room within a few hours. We would have arrived at the resort sooner but we got to the check-in area just as a bus was leaving so we had to wait for the next one.
We stayed at the Yacht Club and did on-line check in. That was awesome. We booked a standard room with a request for a courtyard view and we got exactly what we wanted. They gave DS his first visit button and we were on our way in just a couple minutes. It was a fantastic room on the 2nd floor overlooking the wedding gazebo.
The first night we just strolled the grounds and went to Big River Brewery on the Boardwalk for dinner. No wait at all there and good food. We caught a glimpse of the F&W crowds from the bridge after dinner and it was wall to wall people.
Sunday October 25 - Unfortunately, we did not sleep well. We had an obnoxious neighbor and DS was having trouble sleeping in the same room as us. We were still exhausted in the morning so we scrapped our MK plans and hung out on the beach and at the pool. We all had a blast at the pool and had lunch at Hurricane Hannahs.
After a nap, we went to Epcot at 5:00 and went to the Seas with Nemo, which was a walk-on. We heard that this was a totally innocent ride and expected it to be so since it is the only way into the aquarium but the dark loud movie with the sharp-toothed fish scared my poor son to pieces. I still havent gotten over the guilt of putting him through that. Fortunately, he got over it pretty quick and enjoyed the dolphins and other fish. We skipped Turtle Talk because we did not think this was a good time to risk a complete disaster.
We did a few things at Innoventions, watched the fountains and then grabbed some food at the festival. DS is an adventurous eater so he enjoyed it too and we only waited behind a couple people. It seemed crowded but there were no waits. We then headed back to the hotel around 7pm to get DS to bed.
Monday October 26 We took the boat to DHS for rope drop and rode TSM with only a 20 minute wait. The posted time was 30 minutes. This was really fun for all of us and the queue area is certainly an attraction in itself for a 2 year old. Then we stopped by Sci Fi to make an ADR for lunch (no problem!) and met Mater & McQueen, whom DS adores but he didnt get too into it. He seemed exhausted so we just strolled around NY Street, the gift shops, watched the animation movie and then went to Sci-Fi at 11:15. He loved Sci Fi as much as we do and it was great as always. Then we caught the boat back to the hotel.
After a nap and a swim, we went to the Boardwalk Pizza window for dinner. Not impressed with this pizza at all but it got the job done and we enjoyed the Boardwalk before calling it a night.
Tuesday October 27 This was supposed to be our 2nd MK day but we had to scrap it again because DS woke up with a cold and a slight fever. And to top it off, I only slept about 3 hours that night. Not sure why, but the insomnia stuck with me most of the trip.
We just took it easy we threw in a load of laundry, ate breakfast at Ale & Compass and went for a walk. I must say that we would have gone insane without the beautiful grounds to walk in the Epcot Resort area. Between our son being sick and my insomnia, we were unable to tour the parks as planned and it was so nice to have this area as our retreat. We had enough to eat and keep us entertained without travelling to the parks.
After an early nap, we went to the ESPN Zone for lunch/dinner. This was pretty good. Then we went to the arcade at our hotel to use our voucher and had ice cream at Beaches & Cream. I have to note that B&C was empty at 6:00pm. I frequently read on these boards about how packed this place is but it was empty at peak dinner time.
Wednesday October 28 We all slept pretty well and DS was feeling a little better so we decided to hit the MK. Finally!!!! We arrived at 9:30 to a mob on main street and our first stop was the Speedway so DS could drive a race car. That was the longest wait of the day at 15 minutes. I grabbed Pooh fastpasses while the boys were on that ride and we then did Dumbo (10 min), Carousel, snack, Small World, Pooh and met Mickey & Minnie in Toontown. Then we took the train back to Main Street and were on our bus at 12:30 back to the hotel. We wanted to stay but DS was looking exhausted and we didnt want to push him since he wasnt feeling great.
We are so glad we made it to the MK because DS just ate it up! He had so much fun and DH & I got to do things we had never done before such as Pooh, Dumbo and Toontown. The only thing that made me sad was knowing that we could have spent so much more time here had we all been well. Oh well, at least we got to experience it together.
That evening, we went to dinner at Captains Grille (walked in) and DS got sick just as dinner came. We have no idea what caused this because he was fine as soon as DH got him out of there. The restaurant staff boxed up dinners for us and DS ate an entire chicken nugget meal that night and really perked up. So strange. No fever either.
Thursday October 29 Our ME bus was scheduled to pick us up at 1:30 so we had our usual slow morning. Breakfast at Ale & Compass, a walk, packing and lunch from the Marketplace. We considered a park that morning but we really didnt want to push it with DS. I also have to add that the Yacht Club staff was phenomenal on this trip. They granted our every request and went above and beyond numerous times. Such great people.
Obviously, we didnt have the vacation we anticipated but we still had a great vacation together. It was really relaxing, even though I was stressed a bit about DS getting sick and me not sleeping. The only bad thing is we likely wont return for at least 3 years so all the things we couldnt do will have to wait. In the meantime, we get to look forward to going back.
Hope this helps some of you with your planning!
Overall, the crowds were low and we never needed an ADR. The service was great everywhere we went, it was hot and humid but not unbearable, the transportation via buses and boats was quick.
Saturday October 24 - We landed at MCO at 1:30pm and were at our resort by 3:30 using Magical Express. ME was great as always with our bags in the room within a few hours. We would have arrived at the resort sooner but we got to the check-in area just as a bus was leaving so we had to wait for the next one.
We stayed at the Yacht Club and did on-line check in. That was awesome. We booked a standard room with a request for a courtyard view and we got exactly what we wanted. They gave DS his first visit button and we were on our way in just a couple minutes. It was a fantastic room on the 2nd floor overlooking the wedding gazebo.
The first night we just strolled the grounds and went to Big River Brewery on the Boardwalk for dinner. No wait at all there and good food. We caught a glimpse of the F&W crowds from the bridge after dinner and it was wall to wall people.
Sunday October 25 - Unfortunately, we did not sleep well. We had an obnoxious neighbor and DS was having trouble sleeping in the same room as us. We were still exhausted in the morning so we scrapped our MK plans and hung out on the beach and at the pool. We all had a blast at the pool and had lunch at Hurricane Hannahs.
After a nap, we went to Epcot at 5:00 and went to the Seas with Nemo, which was a walk-on. We heard that this was a totally innocent ride and expected it to be so since it is the only way into the aquarium but the dark loud movie with the sharp-toothed fish scared my poor son to pieces. I still havent gotten over the guilt of putting him through that. Fortunately, he got over it pretty quick and enjoyed the dolphins and other fish. We skipped Turtle Talk because we did not think this was a good time to risk a complete disaster.
We did a few things at Innoventions, watched the fountains and then grabbed some food at the festival. DS is an adventurous eater so he enjoyed it too and we only waited behind a couple people. It seemed crowded but there were no waits. We then headed back to the hotel around 7pm to get DS to bed.
Monday October 26 We took the boat to DHS for rope drop and rode TSM with only a 20 minute wait. The posted time was 30 minutes. This was really fun for all of us and the queue area is certainly an attraction in itself for a 2 year old. Then we stopped by Sci Fi to make an ADR for lunch (no problem!) and met Mater & McQueen, whom DS adores but he didnt get too into it. He seemed exhausted so we just strolled around NY Street, the gift shops, watched the animation movie and then went to Sci-Fi at 11:15. He loved Sci Fi as much as we do and it was great as always. Then we caught the boat back to the hotel.
After a nap and a swim, we went to the Boardwalk Pizza window for dinner. Not impressed with this pizza at all but it got the job done and we enjoyed the Boardwalk before calling it a night.
Tuesday October 27 This was supposed to be our 2nd MK day but we had to scrap it again because DS woke up with a cold and a slight fever. And to top it off, I only slept about 3 hours that night. Not sure why, but the insomnia stuck with me most of the trip.
We just took it easy we threw in a load of laundry, ate breakfast at Ale & Compass and went for a walk. I must say that we would have gone insane without the beautiful grounds to walk in the Epcot Resort area. Between our son being sick and my insomnia, we were unable to tour the parks as planned and it was so nice to have this area as our retreat. We had enough to eat and keep us entertained without travelling to the parks.
After an early nap, we went to the ESPN Zone for lunch/dinner. This was pretty good. Then we went to the arcade at our hotel to use our voucher and had ice cream at Beaches & Cream. I have to note that B&C was empty at 6:00pm. I frequently read on these boards about how packed this place is but it was empty at peak dinner time.
Wednesday October 28 We all slept pretty well and DS was feeling a little better so we decided to hit the MK. Finally!!!! We arrived at 9:30 to a mob on main street and our first stop was the Speedway so DS could drive a race car. That was the longest wait of the day at 15 minutes. I grabbed Pooh fastpasses while the boys were on that ride and we then did Dumbo (10 min), Carousel, snack, Small World, Pooh and met Mickey & Minnie in Toontown. Then we took the train back to Main Street and were on our bus at 12:30 back to the hotel. We wanted to stay but DS was looking exhausted and we didnt want to push him since he wasnt feeling great.
We are so glad we made it to the MK because DS just ate it up! He had so much fun and DH & I got to do things we had never done before such as Pooh, Dumbo and Toontown. The only thing that made me sad was knowing that we could have spent so much more time here had we all been well. Oh well, at least we got to experience it together.
That evening, we went to dinner at Captains Grille (walked in) and DS got sick just as dinner came. We have no idea what caused this because he was fine as soon as DH got him out of there. The restaurant staff boxed up dinners for us and DS ate an entire chicken nugget meal that night and really perked up. So strange. No fever either.
Thursday October 29 Our ME bus was scheduled to pick us up at 1:30 so we had our usual slow morning. Breakfast at Ale & Compass, a walk, packing and lunch from the Marketplace. We considered a park that morning but we really didnt want to push it with DS. I also have to add that the Yacht Club staff was phenomenal on this trip. They granted our every request and went above and beyond numerous times. Such great people.
Obviously, we didnt have the vacation we anticipated but we still had a great vacation together. It was really relaxing, even though I was stressed a bit about DS getting sick and me not sleeping. The only bad thing is we likely wont return for at least 3 years so all the things we couldnt do will have to wait. In the meantime, we get to look forward to going back.
Hope this helps some of you with your planning!
