kitkatmaddy
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2002
- Messages
- 5
Background Info:
Me (24) Only other trip to Disney was when I was 13
Husband (24) First trip to Disney
Note: All of our dining experiences are on a separate post on the Restaurant Board
6/8:
We flew from Chicago to Orlando on American Airlines with no problems. Upon arrival, we moved towards the Mears shuttle station. There was only one person working the desk. There were probably at least 20 people in line. We waited probably 10-15 minutes here. Then proceeded to an hour wait outside. Their system is completely obnoxious. We will not ride with Mears again. I think I would rather pay the extra money and do something else. They seem to randomly choose people to get on different busses. We watched many people leave sooner than we do even though they checked in later. We finally arrived at the Swan at 1:00 pm. Check in was a breeze. Room 514 was an upgrade from our standard teachers rate. This was a balcony room with a view of the dolphin and a partial view of the lake. It was really nice. We relaxed most of this day and explored the hotel before traveling to the Grand Floridian for dinner.
6/9 Magic Kingdom:
We arrived right at 9:00am and heard the opening count down. We then moved quickly towards Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. First, we stopped at Pirates of the Caribbean and rode that with only a few other people. Then we walked on both Mountain rides. We rode the Liberty Boat, saw Hall of Presidents and then did lunch. After lunch we hit Haunted Mansion (with Fastpass) and moved towards Fantasyland. We rode Its a Small World (so dated and silly), the tea cups (we got so dizzy!), saw Carousel of Progress (needs to show more progression instead of just jumping to the current day), and the ExtraTerrorestrial Alien Encounter (sooooooo scary!). Crowds were pretty good today, and we really didnt need to use fastpass. Late afternoon we went back to the hotel to cool off, shower, and get ready for an evening at Epcot. We watched Illuminations at night...good show.
6/10 MGM
We arrived at maybe 9:30, but this park was already super crowded and hot. We got a fastpass for Tower of Terror and watched the show about Walt Disney. TOT is not that scary. The drops didnt seem nearly as bad as what I thought they would be. This was probably my husbands fav. We did the Great Movie Ride (fun) and rode Rock n Roller coaster with a fastpass in the early afternoon. I dont think I will go on that ride again. The take off took my breath away literally. I was a little upset by that for the rest of the ride. Since the park was so busy, we went back to the hotel and swam in The Grotto pool. Later in the evening we went back and saw the muppet show (so cute), rode Star Tours (fun), and watched Fantasmic. This was a really good show, and I loved all the characters. Unfortunately we didnt get a chance to see a lot of the live shows that I wanted to see.
6/11 Epcot
We arrived around 9:30 and got a fastpass for Test Track (time was already early afternoon for the fastpass). We then watched the honey I shrunk the audience show..... what show! Scary yet pure fun..not like the Alien show. Then we went to The Living Seas. This is a nice aquarium, but not too exciting. Next was The Land. We waited for Living with the Land for 30 minutes. The first part through the various ecosystems of the world is a little silly, but the greenhouse is really neat. I wanted to do the Behind the Seeds tour, but my husband didnt want to spend an hour on it. We then watched the Ellens Energy Adventure show. I thought this was really neat with the moving theater. We did Body Wars which seemed a little more exciting than Star Wars. Finally, (after several rain showers and closings of Test Track) we were able to use our fastpass for Test Track. The ride was okay. The only fun part really is the fast curves. I think the bumps, heat, and cold, should all be bigger. We then moved to the World Showcase. We rode Maelstrom (kinda fun) and mainly just walked around looking in all the shops. We also rode the Spaceship Earth Ride. I found this ride quite scary. You move in very slowly moving cars up and down an incline through the Epcot ball. My husband thought that the info was outdated. He also got quite annoyed by all the advertising in the park The Land presented by Nestle Ellen presented by Exxon This day we spent the ENTIRE day at the parks. Lunch and dinner at Epcot and then spectromagic/fireworks at Magic Kingdom. By the time we got to MK, it was almost 9:00. We moved almost all the way up Main Street to the castle. We were probably 15-20 people from the street, but we were right by a roped off walkway so we could see the street in that one spot. We didnt really care but boy were people mad that their kids couldnt see. The CM kept telling the people that they shouldve come earlier and that some people started sitting there at 7:30 but they were still irate. Then we watched the fireworks. Both shows were good, but nothing to freak out about (IMO).
6/12 Animal Kingdom
We somehow lucked out on rides in this park. The park seemed crowded but we never seemed to wait long. We watched Its Tough to be a Bug first. I am a little scared of bugs, but it was just good fun. Next, we rode the Kali Rive Rapids. We waited maybe 10 minutes. We got quite wet but not soaked. We explored the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We then grabbed a fastpass for the safari and watched the lion king show. I loved this show: singing, clapping, good times. Our safari was pretty good. A giraffe came out on the road and blocked about 3-4 cars. Ours was the 3rd car back, but we could still see it. It was funny. We came pretty close to some other animals. The lions were sleeping. We rode the new Primeval Whirl. It was great fun. It is half roller coaster and half spinning ride. I loved it. My husband loved the Dinosaur ride. I thought it was a little scary but an excellent ride.
6/13 Blizzard Beach
I highly recommend you wear water shoes/socks to the water park. I am somewhat of a germ freak and couldnt believe all the people walking around barefoot: bathrooms and all. I only had to take them off on Slusher Gusher (but I didnt go on the Summitt Plummit). We got there about 15 minutes after opening (9:00) and were about to do almost all of the slides without any lines. By 11:00 though, there were lines everywhere. We ate lunch and did a few more slides before leaving. We calculated we had gone down 12 times on various slides when we left around 2:00. I thought that was pretty good. Despite having 45 spf on I was getting burned and was tired of the sun and crowds. We looked at our pictures they took on the family raft ride but the one we liked had a big camera in it..as if the photographer was standing right next to another photographer. As we were leaving, we heard this woman freaking out because they had lost her families pictures from that ride. I didnt think it was anything to get that upset about. Who really wants a 13.00 picture of yourself looking like a drowned rat? I guess that is just how I am. In the evening, we explored Downtown Disney and spent a small fortune on souvenirs at World of Disney. Make sure you use your DC card! By the time we picked everything out for people back home, we decided to skip Pleasure Island and head back to the Swan. We planned to go back to PI the next night but we were too tired to make it.
6/14 Magic Kingdom
We didnt get here quite as early as the first day and lines were already long. We took the time to get some pictures taken by the photographers on Main Street (late bought a cute one). Then rode Space Mountain (I like the space effects, but I thought this really felt like a kiddy ride). We rode the Astro Orbiter. This is NOT made for two adults. I am relatively small (115) and my husband is average but tallish...we were literally wedged in....it was sooooooo funny. We enjoyed the tour of tomorrowland on the TTA and rode around the entire park on the train. We rode the Peter Pan flight (kinda fun) and the Snow White Adventure (kinda boring). We looked at the ride for Splash Mountain but it was at 80 minutes and the fast passes were for the evening so we moved on. We did the Jungle Cruise and strolled Main Street some more. The late afternoon was spent by the pool again until it started raining and wouldnt stop.
Overall, we enjoyed the Swan and its slower pace. The Dolphin was always bustling with activity. After a long day at the parks, we enjoyed the quiet Swan. As for the walk to Tubbis, my husband timed it at 15 minutes (he walks slowly) round trip. We definitely got our money worth on the refills. Our room was right next to elevators which was convenient, but sometimes noisy. We didnt really notice it; we were too tired to! Upon check in we requested the resort fee be waved (I had also asked when I reserved the room back in Feb.), and she did it with no problem. I was quite happy. The boats were so slow at times that it was just easier to walk. I would rather walk and feel like I am doing something rather than just stand in a line waiting. It was probably closer to 30-40 minutes from the Swan to MGM and 15 minutes to Epcot (when walking). We never had a problem with the bus. Whenever we came out of the MK or from then monorail we would ALWAYS find the bus waiting. Crazy! I did have to go through a special table with my Jansport backpack, but the line was NEVER long. I carried an umbrella (I think there was almost always a brief shower), snacks, Brita water bottle, band-aids, and the camera in it. Nothing to really weigh me down.
I was able to help a family with my first aid kit of Band-Aids that I picked up for 1.50 at Wal-Mart before leaving home. Their daughter had fallen and skinned her knee. The CM (in epcot) was giving directions on the 2 minute walk to the first aid station. I quickly gave them a band aid. It wasnt anything serious, why drag the kid all the way over there?
A funny thing happened on the way home from Ohana. Two girls stared and stared at my husband and me and then followed us to the elevator. They asked their parents something who then said ask them but they never asked us. My husband thinks that they thought we were someone else. Everyone thinks he looks like Jared the Subway Sandwich guy..so maybe that. Either way it was really funny! It was a fun, tiring week. I have been home about 24 hours now, but I still feel tired.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Me (24) Only other trip to Disney was when I was 13
Husband (24) First trip to Disney
Note: All of our dining experiences are on a separate post on the Restaurant Board
6/8:
We flew from Chicago to Orlando on American Airlines with no problems. Upon arrival, we moved towards the Mears shuttle station. There was only one person working the desk. There were probably at least 20 people in line. We waited probably 10-15 minutes here. Then proceeded to an hour wait outside. Their system is completely obnoxious. We will not ride with Mears again. I think I would rather pay the extra money and do something else. They seem to randomly choose people to get on different busses. We watched many people leave sooner than we do even though they checked in later. We finally arrived at the Swan at 1:00 pm. Check in was a breeze. Room 514 was an upgrade from our standard teachers rate. This was a balcony room with a view of the dolphin and a partial view of the lake. It was really nice. We relaxed most of this day and explored the hotel before traveling to the Grand Floridian for dinner.
6/9 Magic Kingdom:
We arrived right at 9:00am and heard the opening count down. We then moved quickly towards Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. First, we stopped at Pirates of the Caribbean and rode that with only a few other people. Then we walked on both Mountain rides. We rode the Liberty Boat, saw Hall of Presidents and then did lunch. After lunch we hit Haunted Mansion (with Fastpass) and moved towards Fantasyland. We rode Its a Small World (so dated and silly), the tea cups (we got so dizzy!), saw Carousel of Progress (needs to show more progression instead of just jumping to the current day), and the ExtraTerrorestrial Alien Encounter (sooooooo scary!). Crowds were pretty good today, and we really didnt need to use fastpass. Late afternoon we went back to the hotel to cool off, shower, and get ready for an evening at Epcot. We watched Illuminations at night...good show.
6/10 MGM
We arrived at maybe 9:30, but this park was already super crowded and hot. We got a fastpass for Tower of Terror and watched the show about Walt Disney. TOT is not that scary. The drops didnt seem nearly as bad as what I thought they would be. This was probably my husbands fav. We did the Great Movie Ride (fun) and rode Rock n Roller coaster with a fastpass in the early afternoon. I dont think I will go on that ride again. The take off took my breath away literally. I was a little upset by that for the rest of the ride. Since the park was so busy, we went back to the hotel and swam in The Grotto pool. Later in the evening we went back and saw the muppet show (so cute), rode Star Tours (fun), and watched Fantasmic. This was a really good show, and I loved all the characters. Unfortunately we didnt get a chance to see a lot of the live shows that I wanted to see.
6/11 Epcot
We arrived around 9:30 and got a fastpass for Test Track (time was already early afternoon for the fastpass). We then watched the honey I shrunk the audience show..... what show! Scary yet pure fun..not like the Alien show. Then we went to The Living Seas. This is a nice aquarium, but not too exciting. Next was The Land. We waited for Living with the Land for 30 minutes. The first part through the various ecosystems of the world is a little silly, but the greenhouse is really neat. I wanted to do the Behind the Seeds tour, but my husband didnt want to spend an hour on it. We then watched the Ellens Energy Adventure show. I thought this was really neat with the moving theater. We did Body Wars which seemed a little more exciting than Star Wars. Finally, (after several rain showers and closings of Test Track) we were able to use our fastpass for Test Track. The ride was okay. The only fun part really is the fast curves. I think the bumps, heat, and cold, should all be bigger. We then moved to the World Showcase. We rode Maelstrom (kinda fun) and mainly just walked around looking in all the shops. We also rode the Spaceship Earth Ride. I found this ride quite scary. You move in very slowly moving cars up and down an incline through the Epcot ball. My husband thought that the info was outdated. He also got quite annoyed by all the advertising in the park The Land presented by Nestle Ellen presented by Exxon This day we spent the ENTIRE day at the parks. Lunch and dinner at Epcot and then spectromagic/fireworks at Magic Kingdom. By the time we got to MK, it was almost 9:00. We moved almost all the way up Main Street to the castle. We were probably 15-20 people from the street, but we were right by a roped off walkway so we could see the street in that one spot. We didnt really care but boy were people mad that their kids couldnt see. The CM kept telling the people that they shouldve come earlier and that some people started sitting there at 7:30 but they were still irate. Then we watched the fireworks. Both shows were good, but nothing to freak out about (IMO).
6/12 Animal Kingdom
We somehow lucked out on rides in this park. The park seemed crowded but we never seemed to wait long. We watched Its Tough to be a Bug first. I am a little scared of bugs, but it was just good fun. Next, we rode the Kali Rive Rapids. We waited maybe 10 minutes. We got quite wet but not soaked. We explored the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We then grabbed a fastpass for the safari and watched the lion king show. I loved this show: singing, clapping, good times. Our safari was pretty good. A giraffe came out on the road and blocked about 3-4 cars. Ours was the 3rd car back, but we could still see it. It was funny. We came pretty close to some other animals. The lions were sleeping. We rode the new Primeval Whirl. It was great fun. It is half roller coaster and half spinning ride. I loved it. My husband loved the Dinosaur ride. I thought it was a little scary but an excellent ride.
6/13 Blizzard Beach
I highly recommend you wear water shoes/socks to the water park. I am somewhat of a germ freak and couldnt believe all the people walking around barefoot: bathrooms and all. I only had to take them off on Slusher Gusher (but I didnt go on the Summitt Plummit). We got there about 15 minutes after opening (9:00) and were about to do almost all of the slides without any lines. By 11:00 though, there were lines everywhere. We ate lunch and did a few more slides before leaving. We calculated we had gone down 12 times on various slides when we left around 2:00. I thought that was pretty good. Despite having 45 spf on I was getting burned and was tired of the sun and crowds. We looked at our pictures they took on the family raft ride but the one we liked had a big camera in it..as if the photographer was standing right next to another photographer. As we were leaving, we heard this woman freaking out because they had lost her families pictures from that ride. I didnt think it was anything to get that upset about. Who really wants a 13.00 picture of yourself looking like a drowned rat? I guess that is just how I am. In the evening, we explored Downtown Disney and spent a small fortune on souvenirs at World of Disney. Make sure you use your DC card! By the time we picked everything out for people back home, we decided to skip Pleasure Island and head back to the Swan. We planned to go back to PI the next night but we were too tired to make it.
6/14 Magic Kingdom
We didnt get here quite as early as the first day and lines were already long. We took the time to get some pictures taken by the photographers on Main Street (late bought a cute one). Then rode Space Mountain (I like the space effects, but I thought this really felt like a kiddy ride). We rode the Astro Orbiter. This is NOT made for two adults. I am relatively small (115) and my husband is average but tallish...we were literally wedged in....it was sooooooo funny. We enjoyed the tour of tomorrowland on the TTA and rode around the entire park on the train. We rode the Peter Pan flight (kinda fun) and the Snow White Adventure (kinda boring). We looked at the ride for Splash Mountain but it was at 80 minutes and the fast passes were for the evening so we moved on. We did the Jungle Cruise and strolled Main Street some more. The late afternoon was spent by the pool again until it started raining and wouldnt stop.
Overall, we enjoyed the Swan and its slower pace. The Dolphin was always bustling with activity. After a long day at the parks, we enjoyed the quiet Swan. As for the walk to Tubbis, my husband timed it at 15 minutes (he walks slowly) round trip. We definitely got our money worth on the refills. Our room was right next to elevators which was convenient, but sometimes noisy. We didnt really notice it; we were too tired to! Upon check in we requested the resort fee be waved (I had also asked when I reserved the room back in Feb.), and she did it with no problem. I was quite happy. The boats were so slow at times that it was just easier to walk. I would rather walk and feel like I am doing something rather than just stand in a line waiting. It was probably closer to 30-40 minutes from the Swan to MGM and 15 minutes to Epcot (when walking). We never had a problem with the bus. Whenever we came out of the MK or from then monorail we would ALWAYS find the bus waiting. Crazy! I did have to go through a special table with my Jansport backpack, but the line was NEVER long. I carried an umbrella (I think there was almost always a brief shower), snacks, Brita water bottle, band-aids, and the camera in it. Nothing to really weigh me down.
I was able to help a family with my first aid kit of Band-Aids that I picked up for 1.50 at Wal-Mart before leaving home. Their daughter had fallen and skinned her knee. The CM (in epcot) was giving directions on the 2 minute walk to the first aid station. I quickly gave them a band aid. It wasnt anything serious, why drag the kid all the way over there?
A funny thing happened on the way home from Ohana. Two girls stared and stared at my husband and me and then followed us to the elevator. They asked their parents something who then said ask them but they never asked us. My husband thinks that they thought we were someone else. Everyone thinks he looks like Jared the Subway Sandwich guy..so maybe that. Either way it was really funny! It was a fun, tiring week. I have been home about 24 hours now, but I still feel tired.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
