2 Adults, 2 Days, 2 Parks

[duffy]

My husband and I just got back last night from a 3-night stay. Here's a report:

We used Starwood points aquired from my AMEX card with spg.com to aquire enough points for a brief stay at the Swan hotel! Yay! An adults only trip!

We flew out of Johnstown, Pa.'s airport, which is only a few miles from our house. It was very nice to only have to drive 5 minutes to the airport, instead of the usual 2 or 3 hours to Pittsburgh, Washington or Baltimore!

We rented a car from Avis, using Priceline, and got a winning bid of only $10/day. I'd booked a car at $17/day, and kept trying Priceline until I won. My bid of $10 was finally accepted on the day before we left! If it hadn't been, well, we had the $17/day deal. Of course, I cancelled the more expensive one after my Priceline bid was accepted.

We got checked in at the Swan, finally! I do not like that the Swan and Dolphin both have a "resort fee" of $10/day, that cannot be waived. For the $10, you get unlimited use of the health club, phone calls (can't remember the details) and 2 bottles per day of water. I'd rather skip all that and keep the $10! Or, simply raise the price $10 and include all that in the price. Parking fees are an additional $11/day. Again, I'd rather that was included in the price.

Aside from that, the Swan is a lovely, lovely hotel. For those who love Epcot the best-that's us-it's fantastic. The beds are to die for!

We walked over the the Boardwalk, we were so hungry! We enjoyed great burgers, and I got a beer sampler, which was very nice. My husband is a home-brewer, so he really enjoyed the atmosphere, and his oatmeal stout.

Saturday was our first full day. Now, we had purchased 10-day, non-expiring tickets a few years ago, with no hoppers. We wanted to see the Food and Wine Festival the most. We understood that Saturday would be very very crowded there, so we decided to have a "no park" day first!

We first drove to the Polynesian for Tonga Toast at the Kona Club. Awesome! I haven't had it for 15 years!

After breakfast, we visited the bathroom, and when I came out, who did I see but Mickey Mouse! Of course I had to hug him!!

We then walked around the hotel a bit, rode the monorail to the Grand Floridian and explored it a bit.

I tried trading pins with some kids and had a few amusing transactions. Each time, I made sure to ask loudly enough so their parents would hear me, so they wouldn't be too concerned about a strange woman speaking to their kids. One I thought was funny, a young boy was willing to trade but his mom wouldn't let him. I don't know if she understood the concept, but I didn't press him. Another little girl looked terrified, I think she was thinking "stranger danger!!", so I just said, "that's fine, we don't have to trade," and left her alone.

Back to the Polynesian, and we then drove to the Disney Nature Preserve, south of Kissimmee. What a nice place this is! We enjoyed a few peaceful hours walking the trails there.

Next, a total contrast: Downtown Disney! It was packed! I introduced my husband to the Earl of Sandwich's Holiday sandwich-it was so delicious!!

Next to Goofy's Candy Co., and a Rice Krispie treat for me, and pretzels for our daughter. That's right: WE LEFT OUR DAUGHTER AT HOME! Before you feel too bad, she's going on a trip in a few months, with her school. She was also there a year ago, and in 2008. She should have a great time with her friends next spring.

Okay, more later!

 

[enyaj40]

Subscribed! I'm always curious how people do a lot in a couple of days.

 

[duffy]

We left Downtown Disney and just drove around for a while. We drove through Fort Wilderness, and agreed that a stay in the cabins would be a great time. Our next trip will probably be with our granddaughter, who is only 3 1/2 months old now!

That reminds me of a funny incident at the bathroom at the Polynesian: I had promised our daughter that we will someday take any and all grandchildren to Disney someday, but haven't made any firm plans. Hey, we only have one grandchild right now!

So, I'm in a stall, and I hear a mom in the next one say this to her child: "Honey, do you have to go pee pee or poo poo? Because mommy has to make a poo poo. If you have to just pee pee, you pee pee first, so mommy can poo poo after you're done, ok?"

I came out, hugged Mickey, and met my husband. I told him that I decided one thing about that trip with a grandchild: either we will wait until AFTER potty-training, OR at least one of her parents is coming with us! My potty-training days are over!!

Anyhow, after a bit of resort-hopping, we went back to the Swan for a break. Then we walked over to the Fantasia mini-golf course and had so much fun there! There was a family with 3 small girls and another family with a pre-teen in front of us. The family with 3 girls took a loooong time on each hole, so that gave us the opportunity to go back and do some holes again. Whee!

We walked back to the Swan, and by now we were thinking of supper. We walked all around the Boardwalk, the Yacht and Beach Clubs, before deciding on Beaches and Cream.

I had previously thought that either one of these hotels would be my dream resort, because they're so close to Epcot, have such a great pool and are so close to the Boardwalk. Strolling around the area on a Saturday evening made me change my mind, I think. I don't think I'd care to be swimming in such a public area! There were lots of people gawking. The swimming area at the Swan and Dolphin is much more private.

After dinner, we walked over to Jellyrolls, and enjoyed a few hours there. And thus ended Saturday: we'd packed in a breakfast at the Polynesian, explored its grounds, and the Grand Floridian, and drove through some of Fort Wilderness. We shopped very briefly at Downtown Disney. Mini-golfed. Walked extensively around the Boardwalk and all the other Epcot resorts.

Sunday was our Epcot Food and Wine Festival day!

 

[Disneychix]

Wow, what a huge day you had! I love the Swan/Dolphin area. The beds are the absolute BEST!

I have that same feeling about Storm Along Bay. Much to public for my taste, but I do love that area too.

 

[duffy]

Subscribed! I'm always curious how people do a lot in a couple of days.

It helped that we didn't have any kids with us. My husband and I are very efficient.

Wow, what a huge day you had! I love the Swan/Dolphin area. The beds are the absolute BEST!

I have that same feeling about Storm Along Bay. Much to public for my taste, but I do love that area too.

Yes, realizing how public the pool is saved us thousands of dollars on our next trip!

 

[duffy]

Sunday we finally hit a park! We were both anxious to get to the Food and Wine Festival. Now, a few years ago, we stayed at the Dolphin and had an unfortunate incident at the International Gateway. We'd arrived there before the park opened, to be at rope drop, but the employees would not let us through the turnstiles until exactly at opening. That meant that by the time we got through, we missed rope drop at the main entrance. They even told us that we should have taken a bus to the main entrance! What's the point of the International Gateway at opening for the Epcot resorts, then?

Anyhow, this time, all went as it was supposed to happen: Epcot was scheduled to open at 9. We arrived at the back entrance before 8:30. Hey, what can I say-we are morning people!! Awake at 6:30, dressed, fed and ready by 8, and that's taking our time.

At about 8:45, they let us through the turnstiles. I'd made a big transition this year: no purse/backpack/fanny bag at all! I had my AMEX card, room key and a few other important plastic cards in my pocket, a 3-oz. bottle of sun lotion, a tiny tin of lip balm and my cell phone-that's it. I did regret only slightly my decision to leave the camera at home. No autograph books, no Sharpies for the books, no M&M tubes with quarters and pennies for the pressed penny machines, no bandaids, none of the usual stuff. Oh, I forgot- a few pain relievers in a baggie in my pocket too. (it was supposed to be chilly enough to warrant jeans and a hoodie, so I had plenty of pockets.) Yay for not having to go through bag check!

We were the first 2 through the turnstiles, and walked briskly to the main entrance. Rope drop could not have gone smoother. It was interesting to see the hordes of people on one side and only a dozen or so on our side!

My husband and I were on the very first Soarin' flight of the day. We then got Fastpasses and went over to Mission: Mars and TestTrack. Both were walk-ons. We would have gone on Ellen's Energy Adventure, but it was still closed. We rode Spaceship Earth and killed some time in Innoventions, then the World Showcase opened!! Finally-our reason for being there!!

We started eating with Puerto Rico. I enjoyed the medianoche sandwich, it was very good. We both enjoyed a lettuce wrap from South Korea, which I thought was one of the best offerings we tried all day. It had a filling of roast pork and kimchi slaw. Delicious!

Singapore's shrimp cake with noodle salad was good too, a bit hot for me, but I still ate every bite. My husband liked his too. He wanted to get a lobster roll from the Hops and Barley booth, but the cash register went down and he decided to try something else. He got the bison chili instead and loved it.

We both got the seared barramundi from Australia. This was, I think, the best food we tried.

I got a waffle from Belgium, while my husband enjoyed a Stella Artois. Later in the evening, he got a waffle, because he thought mine had looked so good.

Up till now, we'd really concentrated on the food, not the attractions. So we decided to turn around and go back the way we came. LOL! We first watched the French film, which we've seen numerous times but still enjoy. We also saw the French "waiter" act, which was great.

We took our time retracing our steps through the other countries back to Mexico, really taking our time to see everything. We did get a FastPass for Maelstrom while waiting to see the Chinese movie. Maelstrom had a 20 minute standby wait, because by now it was the middle of the afternoon and getting quite crowded. After the film in China, back to Norway, and the line for Maelstrom was crazy long! I believe it was still a 20 minute wait, or perhaps it was 30.

We both like Maelstrom, though, mostly because of the narrator at the beginning: "Yooo are not deee fuuuurrrst...nor vill yooo be deee laaaasst. BORK BORK BORK!!" Okay, he doesn't really say that, but we always add it. LOL!

My husband teased me because in Norway, I said that the fastest way to get to Mexico is to go through the chapel. "You just want to hear the music from 'The Lord of the Rings'", he said, because I am a big LOTR geek. Well, he's right, but...it really IS the easiest way to get through the crowd! The Norwegian chapel is almost always deserted, and by now the World Showcase was really busy. And I DO like to check out the exhibits inside too. The music is just a nice bonus.

Before leaving the World Showcase to use our Soarin' Fastpass, we had to stop and see Duffy! Now, Duffy IS my name, not just my user name. It's not my legal name, but I've been called "Duffy" by friends and family since I was a baby. I would not wait in line to see any character, but my own namesake? Of course I had to see her! (And since I'm a female, I've decided that Duffy the Disney Bear is a female too!) Duffy's handler told me that I was the 4th Duffy that day! We bonded, and I got an "I hugged Duffy" sticker. I also dropped many hints to my husband about how I'd like a Duffy in my stocking at Christmas time!

While on the subject of Duffy, I should mention that I had been collecting Duffy stamps from all the Kidcot stations too. Kidcot isn't just for kids!

A brief stop at the Desserts and Champagne booth. My husband doesn't like chocolate, so he just got the strawberry verrine, but I got all 3 desserts. They weren't bad, but they weren't great either. The verrine was the weakest, and the pear pudding cake was the best.

We made our way back into Future World. First we stopped at Club Cool. I missed a perfect opportunity to prank my husband with the Beverly! He isn't a reader and only read the names of the countries. He said, "I guess they got rid of the Beverly, huh?" and I SHOULD HAVE SAID, "I guess so. Here, try this one from Italy!" Instead, I stupidly said, "No, it's right here!" Duh!

We used our Soarin' Fastpasses, by now standby for it was 60 minutes and all Fastpasses had been distributed. But, why did the woman next to me have to answer her phone while on it??

We rode the boat ride, which I love, with no wait. We visited the Living Seas, where we got an unexpected laugh during Turtle Talk with Crush: a little girl with the tiniest, most timid little voice had not a question, but a concern. It seemed that her "mommy took away...she took away...uh...she took away my CRIB!" Poor little thing-she's at Disney World, and the fact that her crib is gone at home is just eating away at her!!

Clearly, we hadn't walked enough!! Back to the World Showcase, we wanted to get French pastries for breakfast the next day. We stopped for Canadian cheddar cheese soup-oh, my, it was delicious! We did see the film, but we skipped my favorite country-wee Britain!!! (Fans of the tv show "Arrested Development" will know why we call it that.) We got our pastries, and then just sat, too tired to visit wee Britain, and waited for Illuminations. After all, we'd be back the next day and could see Wee Britain then, right?

Sunday night was quite chilly. So chilly, that I warmed up with a Grey Goose slushy! I'd read about how good these were, and I wanted to try one. It really was yummy, and I found myself not minding the cold weather one bit.

After Illuminations, we walked over to the International Gateway and a boat was waiting. Its route is first the Boardwalk, then the Yacht/Beach Clubs, and then the Swan and Dolphin, so we just went as far as the Boardwalk and figured we'd walk from there. Somehow, the Big River Brewing Co. called us in, and we both enjoyed the beer sampler again.

I forgot to mention that my husband and I both tried several varieties of beers throughout the day, but I can't remember which now!

So, we packed in quite a bit on our Epcot day. But we didn't see Ellen's Energy Adventure, or the Imagination pavilion, most of Innoventions, Wee Britain and we also missed most of Canada. We hadn't seen the British Invasion, or Off Kilter, or the World Showcase Players, or the mime act in Italy. But, we were going to return the next day, right? Or would we....

 

[enyaj40]

I would like to believe I could go to the park with no bag. I'm not sure I could do it, though!

 

[Deon.Newmankgyxc]

wow that's very funny

 

[duffy]

While enjoying our beer samplers at Big River Brewing Co., we talked about the next day. We had to leave to catch our plane no later than 4, our flight was at 7. Which park would give us the most bang for our limited day? Remember, we had 10-day, no expiration, but also no hopper passes. We could go to Epcot and finish what we hadn't done...or what the heck! Let's just go to the Animal Kingdom! We knew that we could do all that we enjoy and be done by 4 easily!

Now, the Animal Kingdom is a great park. Really. It's just that of the four major parks, it's our least favorite. Not to say that it sucks, but...it has its weaknesses. For us, the worst aspect of it is that the best parts are widely scattered. This means lots and lots of backtracking in a park with a confusing layout. Well, not so much as a "confusing layout", as a place with a lack of good signs and little paths with no clear indication of where they lead.

But, it does have two of my all-time top attractions: Expedition Everest and the Festival of the Lion King. So, we decided to go for it!! Monday morning we checked out of the Swan and away we went.

Naturally we arrived for rope drop! We walked over to Expediton Everest, and were on the very first run of the day!! Wow! That's never happened to us before! We knew we wanted to go on the Kilaminjaro Safari, so we had to decide: Fastpasses for Expedition Everest or for the safari? We decided the safari would be a better choice to Fastpass, so we then walked over to Africa, and first got Fastpasses. The standby line was only 10 minutes. The safari ride was great, especially the giraffes. The baby giraffe was trying to scratch his/her back on a tree, and was adorable, and an adult was eating off of a tree only inches away from the road.

We had skipped the Kali River Rapids-we hadn't brought ponchos and it was too chilly to get soaked, which we knew was very likely to happen.

We liked the Flights of Wonder, which we'd never found time to see before, and the different walking trails. I especially liked the bats.

After Flights of Wonder, we ate lunch at Yak and Yeti. A few amusing anecdotes: the cashiers of course, have those signs that say to form a line on both sides. There were 2 cashier stands open, and each had a line of people at least 10 deep, but on only one side. I, of course, knew from past experience, and walked right over to the front of the other side! A tip learned years ago on the DIS boards!!

Second, the family being waited on before us had the dining plan. I recognized those pale blue cards from when we had it. They were trying to come up with the money for all their orders-there were about 6 or 7 people, from 3 generations, it seemed, and they were trying to share the cost-and the cashier asked if they wanted to use their meal plan. One woman said, "but we checked out this morning! They're no good any more, right?" The cashier told her that if they still have credits, they're good through midnight of the day they check out. A quick swipe to see if they had any left, and yes, they still had credits! I wonder how many they had after their lunch? And how can they go without knowing how to use the plan to the fullest benefit??

We walked back to Expedition Everest, and this time, we had to wait about 15 minutes before getting on. I didn't mind, because the theming of this ride is so great, I was fascinated with all the accessories in the line.

Afterwards, back to the safari with our Fastpasses. This time, we got "stuck" twice! Our driver told us that an ostrich was stubbornly refusing to leave the road. The drivers kept each other informed of the darn bird, so they all stopped. Luckily for us, we stopped just as we were entering the savannah, and we sat there for about 5-10 minutes and enjoyed watching the different activities. Finally, the driver got the word that the ostrich had moved, but the ostrich later made the whole safari halt again. This time, we spent about 5 minutes next to some elephants. Thanks, ostriches! I'm sure the people waiting to get on weren't happy, but it worked out great for us.

We saw It's Tough to be a Bug, which always has much screaming and sobbing of terrified small children. We walked over to DinoLand, which is totally skippable for us, other than Dinosaur! It's a good ride, but not in the same league as Expedition Everest.

By now we'd seen the attractions that we wanted to see, all but Finding Nemo, or The Festival of the Lion King, but not enough time to see both. We'd seen both already, and agreed that by far, the Lion King show was much, much better. I wanted to end our trip on a big high too! Usually, I think the best, best way to end a Disney World trip is with Fantasmic! on the last night, but obviously, that was out. So, The Festival it was! We strolled over and sat with an ice cream watching the hordes stream out from the previous show. Then we went in, and were seated with the elephants! Yay!

I was amused by the 2 young men seated beside me. They were at that emo, angst-y stage of adolescence. The stage where they try so hard to be cool that they end up having absolutely no fun? Well, they sat with sullen faces all through the show! Poor things.

My husband and I left humming, "I just...can't WAIT! To be kiiiing!" and by now, it was just about time to leave for the airport.

And thus ends our whirlwind trip! We used up 2 days of our 10-day tickets. We thoroughly enjoyed the Swan, and really got to know the whole Boardwalk area. And I would highly recommend going in early November. Yes, we had chilly evenings and mornings. Very light crowds made it sooo worth it!

 

[duffy]

Notes about airports:

We flew from Johnstown, Pa.'s very tiny airport. It has only one gate and 3 flights daily! Now, that's small. Going through security was a snap because there were so few people. So few, in fact, that while boarding, the attendant told us we had to sit in rows 5 or back, to balance the plane!

Orlando's airport is about as opposite Johnstown's as can be. The security line stretched on and on. But they run it very efficiently. A TSA agent walked the line, offering tips and answering questions. That helped things go smoothly.

I am a huge fan of Lush handmade bath and body products. They have a shop in MCO, so I browsed before hitting the security line. I bought some Jasmine and Henna Fluff Ease hair treatment. But, oh no! It won't go through security!!

But, this shop ships everything for free! So, I bought it! Yay, and it should arrive here at home any day! I love this company.

Well, that's it! Next trip won't be for several years, and it will probably be with at least one grandchild and my daughter and her husband. Time to start planning!