peabody58
I'm just a drummer in a R&R Band!!
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2010
- Messages
- 1,403
Just back from our 2 part vacation, and wanted to share our experiences as many of your posts and tips helped us out a lot.
First part of the vacation was an impromptu CCL cruise addition a week before our real WDW vacation. Since we already factored in driving expenses for the WDW portion, this was an opportunity not to pass up. CCL Fascination 5 night cruise out of Jacksonville with stops in Key West and Nassau was an enjoyable time. Nassau was the pits overly expensive and dirty; only saving grace was a fantastic Segway tour with only DW and me in attendance as the other 7 riders canceled. We over spent on souvenirs in Key West, but justified them as Mothers/Fathers Day gifts. We also went on the ships Behind The Fun tour which was great!! As were both Navy vets, so seeing the real workings of the ship is always a thrill. Highly recommended on any cruise line youre on.
A quick drive down to Ft. Pierce to visit with my aging mom, and again over spent on taking them out for dinner, but whats a good son to do with Mothers Day coming up soon?
The next day we started Part 2 of our vacation with a stay at OKW. Our excitement level escalated 10 fold just arriving at WDW. Dont get me wrong, the cruise was nice, but we really didnt feel like we were on vacation until the WDW signs appeared. Check in was easy with our 3rd floor studio building 14 ready at 12 noon. We donned our bathing suits and enjoyed the pool while doing 6 loads of laundry. We made it to EPCOT to see Paul Revere and the Raiders Flower Power show excellent!!
Weather was perfect the entire trip, crowds manageable, and most rides were 20 minutes or less wait. I really did try to slow down and relax more this trip. The previous weeks cruise took a lot out of us, and I dont think well be doing that again anytime soon. We got pool time every day and I even finished my book. Id rather have extra days at WDW. Dining was as usual a treat. Our only ADR was at Le Cellier. OMG the Filet Mignon melted in your mouth. DW says that she now has a new favorite restaurant. We did Chef de France on the last night, and the food and service was excellent.
We really enjoyed OKW. When we add on, this will be at the top of our list. We finally did a Kim Possible adventure. 1 down, 6 to go!! DW convinced me to join her on Space Mountain. Well she has now come to the realization that roller coaster thrill rides are no longer in the cards for us. Dinosaur at AK was fun though. Our two favorite attractions as evidenced by use seeing them several times each trip are: The Laugh Factory and Turtle Talk w/Crush. Im 4 for 5 getting spot lighted at LF as Sully or Mike. We just love how each show is different and especially how Crush interacts with the kids at sub level Dude.
Ive always been a die hard bus rider; especially since we usually dont have a car with us. However, this trip we decided to try to drive to the parks. Wow, have I ever been missing out on a great thing. It was so quick and easy to drive around WDW. The directional signs are great, traffic manageable, and the time savings and convenience to die for. With the exception of the MK, getting into/out of the park was a good 30 40 minutes quicker than using WDW transportation. Having an AP to get free parking was a huge plus. With our driving down on our next 2 vacations, we will be driving to the parks more than ever. It was so much fun driving around WDW, and having the top down didnt hurt either.
So heres some travel stats: 2521 miles; 83.5 gal gas; $4.13 gal ave (premium gas), 30.2 mpg ave (return trip from Macon to Central IL we averaged 34.2 mpg); $345 gas; Tolls $25. Total travel costs including food and 3 hotel nights: $749. Bear in mind these costs include our side trip to Ft. Pierce and extra meal costs; so we still saved a couple hundred over flying.
Now time to do the final planning for our Sept 2011 trip yippee!!
First part of the vacation was an impromptu CCL cruise addition a week before our real WDW vacation. Since we already factored in driving expenses for the WDW portion, this was an opportunity not to pass up. CCL Fascination 5 night cruise out of Jacksonville with stops in Key West and Nassau was an enjoyable time. Nassau was the pits overly expensive and dirty; only saving grace was a fantastic Segway tour with only DW and me in attendance as the other 7 riders canceled. We over spent on souvenirs in Key West, but justified them as Mothers/Fathers Day gifts. We also went on the ships Behind The Fun tour which was great!! As were both Navy vets, so seeing the real workings of the ship is always a thrill. Highly recommended on any cruise line youre on.
A quick drive down to Ft. Pierce to visit with my aging mom, and again over spent on taking them out for dinner, but whats a good son to do with Mothers Day coming up soon?
The next day we started Part 2 of our vacation with a stay at OKW. Our excitement level escalated 10 fold just arriving at WDW. Dont get me wrong, the cruise was nice, but we really didnt feel like we were on vacation until the WDW signs appeared. Check in was easy with our 3rd floor studio building 14 ready at 12 noon. We donned our bathing suits and enjoyed the pool while doing 6 loads of laundry. We made it to EPCOT to see Paul Revere and the Raiders Flower Power show excellent!!
Weather was perfect the entire trip, crowds manageable, and most rides were 20 minutes or less wait. I really did try to slow down and relax more this trip. The previous weeks cruise took a lot out of us, and I dont think well be doing that again anytime soon. We got pool time every day and I even finished my book. Id rather have extra days at WDW. Dining was as usual a treat. Our only ADR was at Le Cellier. OMG the Filet Mignon melted in your mouth. DW says that she now has a new favorite restaurant. We did Chef de France on the last night, and the food and service was excellent.
We really enjoyed OKW. When we add on, this will be at the top of our list. We finally did a Kim Possible adventure. 1 down, 6 to go!! DW convinced me to join her on Space Mountain. Well she has now come to the realization that roller coaster thrill rides are no longer in the cards for us. Dinosaur at AK was fun though. Our two favorite attractions as evidenced by use seeing them several times each trip are: The Laugh Factory and Turtle Talk w/Crush. Im 4 for 5 getting spot lighted at LF as Sully or Mike. We just love how each show is different and especially how Crush interacts with the kids at sub level Dude.
Ive always been a die hard bus rider; especially since we usually dont have a car with us. However, this trip we decided to try to drive to the parks. Wow, have I ever been missing out on a great thing. It was so quick and easy to drive around WDW. The directional signs are great, traffic manageable, and the time savings and convenience to die for. With the exception of the MK, getting into/out of the park was a good 30 40 minutes quicker than using WDW transportation. Having an AP to get free parking was a huge plus. With our driving down on our next 2 vacations, we will be driving to the parks more than ever. It was so much fun driving around WDW, and having the top down didnt hurt either.
So heres some travel stats: 2521 miles; 83.5 gal gas; $4.13 gal ave (premium gas), 30.2 mpg ave (return trip from Macon to Central IL we averaged 34.2 mpg); $345 gas; Tolls $25. Total travel costs including food and 3 hotel nights: $749. Bear in mind these costs include our side trip to Ft. Pierce and extra meal costs; so we still saved a couple hundred over flying.
Now time to do the final planning for our Sept 2011 trip yippee!!
Glad you had a great time!
Yes, it is long, but it does allow us to have a multi-stop trip. We are going to VB, WDW, and visiting friends near Tampa. We will also be able to pick up DMIL from the Sanford airport for the WDW portion. Works for us
