Cast:
DW (me, mid forties, Disney planner and former WDW commando)
DH (spouse, late forties, "let's do something new every day" guy)
DS (12, Disney vet)
DD (9, trip planner in training)
DGM (my mom, seventies, loves Disney)
DGD (my dad, seventies, loves Disney if he is there with DD and DS)
Day Five:
EMH at MK for DH, DD, DS and myself and then off to Disney Quest. DGM and DGD decide to skip early rising and the whole Disney Quest experience. They end up relaxing all day at the Poly, taking long walks on the beach, reading in the hammocks, relaxing by the pool, reading and napping. We get to MK at 7:45 am and are towards the front of the crowd. Our plan is simple: ride Dumbo with no wait. Once the crowds are let in, we walk quickly to Dumbo and make the second flight of the day. Then it's PP, MAWtheP, Tea Cups, Snow White, Small World, Buzz and Stitch. It's 9:45 and time to head to Disney Quest, we walk to the Contemporary and catch the bus. We get to Disney Quest, buy tickets and are in by 11:00 am. We do PotC, Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, PotC (again, my favorite) and then eat lunch. After lunch the kids do Buzz Astroblasters twice while I play Ms Pacman (after 25 years, I still stink at it). DH just waits around. We do the Pinball thing twice and I win the first time, Yay (okay, I watched the game before us and figured out it's 10 in the chute and it worked). Then the kids play all manner of video games and simulators for the next two hours while DH and I try to look interested and happy. After five hours we leave, DS asks why he has to leave "paradise". Back to the Poly to meet the grandparents and change for dinner at Citrico's. Dinner is great and we only wait five minutes to be seated, a welcome change. While at GF, DGM talks with the chef about High Tea the next day, she is lactose intolerant and diabetic and the combo can cause interesting problems with menus. After dinner we stroll back to the Poly and take an evening swim before watching Wishes from the beach.
Day Six:
It's back to the MK in the morning as we have 10:25 AR's at CPR. We arrive by opening and then ride PP (again), Haunted Mansion, IASW, MAWH (third time), Carousel, Philharmagic ( a new favorite). Have breakfast with Pooh, still good, but characters come around too slowly and too many people don't understand the concept of waiting at your table for characters. We head back to Poly for pool time and a break. At four we have High Tea at the GF. After talking with the chef yesterday, DGM has a special set of sandwiches and a fabulous fruit pyramid waiting for her. DGM and DGD have lived in England at two different times, so tea is a great treat for them. After tea we walk back to the Poly. If we did anything else that night, I can't remember, must be the post-trip letdown. Remember, this is a group that wakes up at 6 am on a regular basis, so we tend to turn in earlier than others might.
Day Seven:
It's off to EPCOT. We walk over the TTC from the Poly and catch the monorail. Get to Epcot as it opens. I walk very quickly over for Soarin fastpasses while DGD, DH and DS head to Test Track. I get into the single rider line and end up riding just after them. We meet up with DD and DGM and head over to "Ellen" (our name for Universe of Energy) because we all love the show. After "Ellen" it's time to ride Soarin, the show is great but too short. The line was at 60 minutes for standby but it only took us five minutes with fastpass. We head to Living Seas. That has not held up well, we are bored in a few minutes and with the long Turtle Talk lines, skip that and head out. Everyone is hungry and DGM wants something she can eat without too much trouble, so we try Le Cellier. There is no wait, so we sit down and have a great lunch. The 9% beer was a real treat. We answer most of the trivia questions right and have great time with our server Claude and the hostess Jenna. After lunch we start back around World Showcase, do a little shopping and finally see the American Adventure: kids are bored and DGD and I nap, we skip Maelstrom, line too long and decide to head back to the Poly as it's about 3 pm and we are tired. Another pool break and then off to Kona for dinner. After dinner DH, DD and I head to the MK to do a little shopping and catch the parade. Everyone else decides to rest in the room.
DW (me, mid forties, Disney planner and former WDW commando)
DH (spouse, late forties, "let's do something new every day" guy)
DS (12, Disney vet)
DD (9, trip planner in training)
DGM (my mom, seventies, loves Disney)
DGD (my dad, seventies, loves Disney if he is there with DD and DS)
Day Five:
EMH at MK for DH, DD, DS and myself and then off to Disney Quest. DGM and DGD decide to skip early rising and the whole Disney Quest experience. They end up relaxing all day at the Poly, taking long walks on the beach, reading in the hammocks, relaxing by the pool, reading and napping. We get to MK at 7:45 am and are towards the front of the crowd. Our plan is simple: ride Dumbo with no wait. Once the crowds are let in, we walk quickly to Dumbo and make the second flight of the day. Then it's PP, MAWtheP, Tea Cups, Snow White, Small World, Buzz and Stitch. It's 9:45 and time to head to Disney Quest, we walk to the Contemporary and catch the bus. We get to Disney Quest, buy tickets and are in by 11:00 am. We do PotC, Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, PotC (again, my favorite) and then eat lunch. After lunch the kids do Buzz Astroblasters twice while I play Ms Pacman (after 25 years, I still stink at it). DH just waits around. We do the Pinball thing twice and I win the first time, Yay (okay, I watched the game before us and figured out it's 10 in the chute and it worked). Then the kids play all manner of video games and simulators for the next two hours while DH and I try to look interested and happy. After five hours we leave, DS asks why he has to leave "paradise". Back to the Poly to meet the grandparents and change for dinner at Citrico's. Dinner is great and we only wait five minutes to be seated, a welcome change. While at GF, DGM talks with the chef about High Tea the next day, she is lactose intolerant and diabetic and the combo can cause interesting problems with menus. After dinner we stroll back to the Poly and take an evening swim before watching Wishes from the beach.
Day Six:
It's back to the MK in the morning as we have 10:25 AR's at CPR. We arrive by opening and then ride PP (again), Haunted Mansion, IASW, MAWH (third time), Carousel, Philharmagic ( a new favorite). Have breakfast with Pooh, still good, but characters come around too slowly and too many people don't understand the concept of waiting at your table for characters. We head back to Poly for pool time and a break. At four we have High Tea at the GF. After talking with the chef yesterday, DGM has a special set of sandwiches and a fabulous fruit pyramid waiting for her. DGM and DGD have lived in England at two different times, so tea is a great treat for them. After tea we walk back to the Poly. If we did anything else that night, I can't remember, must be the post-trip letdown. Remember, this is a group that wakes up at 6 am on a regular basis, so we tend to turn in earlier than others might.
Day Seven:
It's off to EPCOT. We walk over the TTC from the Poly and catch the monorail. Get to Epcot as it opens. I walk very quickly over for Soarin fastpasses while DGD, DH and DS head to Test Track. I get into the single rider line and end up riding just after them. We meet up with DD and DGM and head over to "Ellen" (our name for Universe of Energy) because we all love the show. After "Ellen" it's time to ride Soarin, the show is great but too short. The line was at 60 minutes for standby but it only took us five minutes with fastpass. We head to Living Seas. That has not held up well, we are bored in a few minutes and with the long Turtle Talk lines, skip that and head out. Everyone is hungry and DGM wants something she can eat without too much trouble, so we try Le Cellier. There is no wait, so we sit down and have a great lunch. The 9% beer was a real treat. We answer most of the trivia questions right and have great time with our server Claude and the hostess Jenna. After lunch we start back around World Showcase, do a little shopping and finally see the American Adventure: kids are bored and DGD and I nap, we skip Maelstrom, line too long and decide to head back to the Poly as it's about 3 pm and we are tired. Another pool break and then off to Kona for dinner. After dinner DH, DD and I head to the MK to do a little shopping and catch the parade. Everyone else decides to rest in the room.
