8 Glorious Days at WDW

[brenda1966]

8 Glorious Days at WDW: Oct 27, 2007 – Nov 3, 2007

The set up: Me, DD age 5.5 and referred to as “T”, the Grandparents.

The Caribbean Beach Resort: I’m spoiled now! I want to stay at a moderate every time I go. I loved the landscaping and layout of this resort. We were in the Jamaica buildings and I think they were the prettiest of all. I had feared it would be way too large, but I found the bus stops were convenient and the walk to the main pool was so beautiful it didn’t feel long at all. (I’ve found the walk through Pop Century to the food court felt longer). I liked the double sink and curtain to create a dressing area -- loved the size of the room and bench for sitting or storage. I found the food court to be a bit lacking, but we only ate there twice. We used the mini-fridge to store milk and ate cereal in the room each morning (delivered by GardenGrocer.com). The hotel walls were thick and we never heard other guests coming and going (unlike Pop Century where we regularly hear guest walking to their room). The main pool and slide were great for young kids and the hot tub was perfect too – we took a dip each night! I would certainly stay here again. T was so thrilled when Mousekeeping left a new towel animal each night. She wanted to smuggle one home but I finally convinced her we could make our own so we disassembled one until I learned how to fold it properly myself.

We had one bus snafu, but overall the bus service was very good and reliable. One morning we were the first stop and the bus said “epcot” but he evidently changed his sign when he went to the next stop and took us all to Magic Kingdom. Everyone who got on at that first stop was told to take the monorail to epcot. I’m not really satisfied with his solution to his error, but at this point what are you going to do? This cost us 30 minutes and instead of arriving at opening we arrived at 9:30. Next time I’ll ask each time I get on the bus and won’t just assume the sign on the bus is correct.

Saturday: we arrived at CBR and checked in around 2pm. Our room was ready and we got our requested location of Jamaica! We head over to Epcot to meet some local friends. Epcot is packed – all fastpasses are gone as I had expected. We ride Ellen’s Energy and come out to find rain – a common theme during our stay. We head over to ride Nemo and see Turtle Talk. It keeps raining so we need to find indoor seating for dinner and decided on the Land. We eat and then catch nearly the last ride of Living with the Land prior to its closing – but you can’t see much in the dark. We then head back into a very packed World Showcase. We ride Mexico and Norway, standing in the longest lines I ever have for these rides. We make it about as far as China when it’s time to find an Illuminations spot. We find a perfect location and the rain holds off ending the evening on a good note.

Sunday: We spent the first half of the day swimming at the CBR pool with our friends. T loved the slide and the water was warm and the day was bright and sunny. It was a perfect pool day. We left the pool around 2 pm to get ready for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party that evening.
MNSSHP:
We arrived shortly after 4, dark clouds looming in the sky most of the evening, but not a drop of rain! It was really a perfect night. I’m dressed as a Mouseketeer, T is dressed as Ariel, Grandma’s wearing a pumpkin t-shirt and Grandpa is wearing an orange t-shirt that says “I don’t do Costumes”. Everyone loved and commented on Grandpa’s shirt which made us laugh! There is SO much to do during the party and we ended up staying until midnight. We went back and rode Jungle Cruise, Pirates and Haunted Mansion. We got our picture taken by Cinderella’s coach. We grabbed a bite to eat at Cosmic Ray’s and then T met the step sisters and step mother. We stood in a rather long line to do this, but she was determined to meet them. T was dressed as a mermaid and the step mother told me I needed to get her back into water as she was starting to sprout legs.

We watched the early parade and since there was no rain the headless horseman came running by and the horse was huge and fast and ran really close to us -- it _was_ scary because we were sitting on the ground. We rode the carousel and Peter Pan and stopped at some of the dance parties and trick or treated a bit (the lines for this were long and I didn’t want to waste time on it). We saw the fireworks which were wonderful and then hung out in front of the castle for the villain show. T decided she wanted to meet Maleficent and she did. She also met Frodo (from Hunchback) and Captain Hook. By this time the second parade was getting ready to start so we watched just long enough to see the headless horseman run by again and then headed back to Toontown. I wanted T to meet a Prince. Both Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty were back there with their Princes. It was very cute as T said she was “very nervous”. They took a lot of time talking with her and it was really worth it.

We then went down the Alice in Wonderland trick or treat trail that leads from Toontown to Tomorrowland. It was the perfect time to send the grandparents over to ride Space Mountain while T and I rode Buzz. (The grandparents thought space was too rough – didn’t like it nearly as much as Disneyland’s and wouldn’t ride it again.) We all then rode TTA and headed out of the park. It was really a fun night seeing some of the rarer characters and also seeing so many people in their costumes. We really lucked out on the weather because the next MNSSHP was on a night that rained most of the night. I would do a ticketed event again as long as I had the time and energy to stay late.

Monday: We slept in until almost noon and then headed to MGM. It rained off and on most of the day so we did indoor things like the Great Movie Ride, Little Mermaid, Rock N Roller coaster (both grandparents rode), Star Tours and Tower of Terror. T now likes Star Tours! She rode without even holding my hand. We saw the Beauty and the Beast show and then went into the Fantasmic theater early enough to get good seats. By this time the rain had gone and it was a great evening. That night we snuck over to the pool to get into the hot tub. The swimming pool was really, really warm. Too bad it wasn’t this warm each night and too bad T was already in bed. It would have been the perfect night for a swim.

Tuesday: Time to get up early and head to MK and Fantasyland and ride everything there. As we got off the bus a Cast Member was taking pictures of princesses so T got hers taken and then we were given a fast pass certificate we could use later in the day. Nice little perk! We rode everything in Fantasyland -- grandma loved Philharmagic. We hit all the major rides in the park and watched the 3pm parade. We ate lunch at Harbor House were Grandpa really liked the clam chowder. T now loves Big Thunder Mountain railroad – what a relief. I knew she’s eventually like it and since she hasn’t been on it for 2 years I knew it was time to try again. Due to crowds we only got to ride once, but it was a fun one. The park was closing at 7pm and the rains were coming. We ate dinner at the hotel food court and then headed to the pool, in the rain. It was cold in the main pool, but we then sat in the hot tub, in the rain, before heading to bed. T had lost a baby tooth this evening and was excited for the tooth fairy to visit her at Disney World.

Wednesday: We arrived at Epcot for opening and T got hugs and kisses from many of the characters. We grabbed fastpasses for Soarin, rode, ate a snack, rode Living with the Land again, and rode soarin again. We grabbed a test track fastpass and stopped at mission space. T was tall enough so we tried the green side. What a disappointment. Maybe if you’ve never tried the orange it might seem exciting, but there’s very little sensation. The Grandparents tried the orange side and were impressed. Grandpa, who doesn’t ride the teacups, said he couldn’t feel any spinning. Later I went back and rode the orange side and it is just amazing to watch the difference in the crowd as they leave the green versus the orange side. On the green side people just get up and walk out without saying anything, on the orange size they are smiling and laughing and saying “wow!” We headed back into the countries prior to our lunch reservation. We ate at Le Cellier and thought it was very, very good. I was a bit hesitant because Grandpa can be a picky eater (well, so can I), but we all thought it was great, except for the cheese soup everyone raves about. We thought that was yucky. We each had steak and it was one of the most tender, flavorful steaks I have ever eaten. Mine came with mashed sweet potatoes that were just divine. We ate the mixed green salad and the dressing was heavenly. For dessert: crème brule, which never disappoints. I would eat here again.

T reluctantly rode Test Track (she complains it’s too fast) and this time loved it. I now have a wild ride fan! While we were walking through the car show room a CM gave her a pass to go up into the top of the building to GM’s hospitality suite, get a beverage, look out the windows, and then ride again. She was so tickled. We went up and checked out the view (both of the ride and the park) and then went back for our second ride. We then headed back into the countries to do a mask and take a walk through them all. We hadn’t planned to stay all evening, but Grandma wanted to ride Soarin again, so by the time we were exiting the park Illuminations had just finished! No pool tonight for T – she had been ornery and disobedient all afternoon. Taking away her pool privilege for the night turned out to be a good thing because her behavior was golden for the rest of the trip. I managed to slip out to the hot tub after she fell asleep. That hot tub really helps ease the aches and pains of all that walking.

Thursday: we slept in a wee bit and spent a little time in the morning playing on the sandy beach. It’s gorgeous and I wish we’d had more time to spend there. Today we’re going to MGM in the morning to see all we didn’t the first time: Indiana Jones, Lights Motor Action, and the backstage tour, Muppets 3D and another ride on Star Tours now that T is a fan. Imagine our surprise when we see MGM is all decked out with Christmas decorations! Even the Osborne lights had all been hung – but I asked when they’d be lit and it wasn’t for a few more weeks. It rained a bit in the morning but luckily didn’t rain for the car show. In the afternoon we head over to the Magic Kingdom to catch Spectromagic and Wishes – one of the few nights Spectromagic is being held this week so I expected it to be busy. We eat again at Harbor house and the Grandparents like the ham sandwich and cole slaw. By this time we are all getting a bit tired of counter food. We watch Philharmagic again at Grandma’s request. We close out the evening with a chilly dip in the pool and a soak in the hot tub.

Friday: Animal Kingdom today! We had a bit of a late start so went straight to the first Lion King show, saw Pocahontas and then back to the Safari where it was a 40 minute wait. We grabbed fastpasses for Everest and then caught the Nemo show. We ate lunch, grabbed fastpasses for Dinosaur, rode Everest and then rode Dinosaur. T was determined to ride. She kept asking if it was scary. I told her it was scary! And dark! And the dinosaurs growl at you. She still wanted to ride and surprisingly was not traumatized by it. Overall, I think it’s a rather weak ride. I’m just glad she’s being adventurous. We caught the parade and then hopped some buses to Down Town Disney for a quick dinner and a bit of shopping. It was another chilly night but we went back to the pool for a longer swim and more hot tubbing.

Saturday: It’s our last day and we’ve all agreed that we could use 3 more days! We have done and seen everything we really wanted to so on T’s request we head back to Epcot so she can ride Ellen’s Energy again and see some more dinosaurs. This is good because Grandma’s favorite ride is Soarin. We also make it onto Test Track and have lunch in Mexico before heading back to the hotel for another swim in the pool. The rain clouds are gone and the sky is very blue, but it is windy and a cold front has moved through so our swim is once again chilly. Soon we are on the Magical Express and headed home after a wonderful vacation.

The Haunted Mansion: I have yet to read what the enhancements were and I can’t keep straight what Disneyland’s has that is different, so I’m not sure yet what they borrowed from Disneyland, but I can tell you that it looked really good. There are some new effects and a “new” room at the beginning that I really liked. The graveyard at the end seemed like it was really spruced up with some new characters. I need to go read about the specific changes.

Some funny kid stuff: a couple of cast members asked for T’s autograph which thrilled her to no end. She wanted a lot of people to ask! At one point we were waiting for a bus and someone commented “oh, there’s Cinderella!” because she was wearing her princess dress. She then asked if they had an autograph book so she could sign. She got so embarrassed when we told her you have to wait until someone asks. The family was so kind they offered their book for her to sign and then we had T give them her book to sign.

The weather: It was more rainy than I had hoped it would be and the last few days, especially the evenings, were cooler than I expected, but Grandma was relieved it wasn’t hot and miserable. The weather cooperated when we needed it to for our pool day and the Halloween party and our cheap ponchos worked out great. The Grandparents were impressed with the parks and talked about coming back when they are retired. I was impressed with how well they kept up the pace and how daring they were at trying all the rides! Now I’m going through Disney withdrawal and need to start planning my Disneyland trip!

 

[OhMari]

I wonder why the parks were crowded. I do know WI had teachers convention the Thurs. & Friday, before you went down. I wonder if other scools were off for fall.

Thanks for sharing, glad you had a great time.

 

[brenda1966]

The Food and Wine festival had a very obvious impact on Epcot, especially on Saturday night. It was packed.

The other days the crowd were not heavy, but they weren't light either. Disney is doing a good business, even in the off season!