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I did a short report for a work trip down in May, I'll try this again...
Left the greater Columbus area on 8/10 about 8:30 PM and drove straight through to WDW. Arrived just after noon, so the Mrs and I pulled off the trip in about 15.5 hours, a new record for us.
First couple nights were at the POP. Not our favorite resort, we're spoiled by the DVC resorts, but it did the trick for a couple of nights. The only big issue with the POP on this trip was that the vending/ice room on our floor smelled HORRIBLE the whole time. You had to hold your breath to get ice. We were in the 50s closer to the parking lot and facing the pool, don't remember the building number.
After a swim, we headed for AK to get our AP vouchers traded in for real tickets, and hopefully catch Everest. We got there around 3:30, so only a couple hours left before closing. The guy at guest services wrote us out two insant fast passes for whatever we wanted to use them for...so we rode Everest and the Safari with no wait, very nice way to start the trip.
The next day we went to Epcot in the morning, rode all we wanted, then to the MK for the evening for dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern...that's when the fun started. Seems the LTT didn't have a reservation for us, though I'd made it in February and confirmed it a few times since then. They made room for us though, and we had a pretty nice meal. (Good food there, enjoyed it quite a bit.) They did pull up our other ressies, and it seems there were a few conflicting entries...I grew concerned. We were supposed to be at Teppanyaki the next night, and they had us listed for Spoodles...not a big change, so we went with it.
Next day...moved from the POP to the VWL in the morning and just laid around the pool and resort until 3-ish when we headed back to Epcot. Started to drizzle in the afternoon, so on with the ponchos for the walk to Spoodles. Arrive at Spoodles around 6:30 for our 7PM meal...they don't have us down for a reservation either. They found us a table pretty quickly, and we ate a good meal...but it took two hours for the meal, those FPs for Soarin' were going to be cutting it close. Also found out that thanks to the free dining deal, the menu was pared down quite a bit. We got what we wanted after some upcharging and paying for it, but that wasn't a big deal for us. After we finally got out, with our waiter being a little short with the kitchen for moving so slowly, we made it to Soarin' at 8:50 to redeem our FPs. Missed Illuminations, though...
Next day in the room, I confirm all other reservations, and everything was as expected. I still don't know what was up with the whole LTT/Teppanyaki/Spoodles thing. I have a feeling we no-showed for our Teppanyaki seating.
So, highlights the rest of the way....
Wilderness Lodge was awesome. That was our first stay there for more than an evening, and it was just so relaxing. The setting and the music just seemed to take you even further away from real life than Disney itself usually does. We also had dinner at the Whispering Canyon one night, but our waiter was less than fun. Watching the other waiters was great, but ours was only into embarassing teenage girls in a loud voice...and since we have two sons, we weren't getting most of his attention. After seeing how the ketchup thing went, my oldest was DYING to ask for ketchup even though he didn't need it. My wife finally caved, and we ended up with about 8 bottles on the table and a 7 year old with a huge grin.
Made park opening or within a few minutes of opening almost every morning, made for very nice days. Everything ridden by 11:30, then grab lunch and head for the pool. Lay around for a few hours, then head back around 4 or so each day for a few more rides and dinner. If there were crowds (and they seemed moderately heavy), we had zero problems with them. Good use of FP and some touring plans and we rode/saw everything we wanted multiple times. (Soarin', M:S, Splash at least 5 times each. )
We also did the DDP this time. We paid, though, as we were staying on DVC points. For the four of us, it was $480-ish, I think...and for us well worth it. We always have a TS meal each day we're there, so we made out pretty well. It was a LOT of food, though, so we stacked up some snacks and stuff to eat in the room and/or on the way home. We'll likely do the DDP again on our next stay, also. Our meals were at the aforementioned LTT, Spoodles, and Whispering Canyon, and also at Crystal Palace and Marrakesh. No complaints about the food at any of the meals. The service was good, too, except for the guy at WC chasing the teenage girls.
We did do one thing that probably classifies us as "One of THOSE Parents!" Our youngest is 3, and we were concerned he wouldn't meet the magical 40" mark in time for the trip, but our last measurement before leaving had him at almost 41" with his shoes on, so we didn't worry. Apparently the yardsticks used in Disney use bigger inches, in shoes he was about 1/4" too short. So, we did what any practical parent would do...we folded up 4 park maps, put them under his insoles, and VOILA! 41 3/4" tall! [Feel free to insert your unsafe-make-his-feet-hurt-horrible-parent rants here]
We also extended our trip by a day, thanks to driving down, and stayed at the Grosvenor Resort by Downtown Disney. It was a nice place, but just didn't have the Disney "feel" to it that we're used to. It did the trick of having two beds, a TV, and a bathroom, though. Oddly enough, the only things available through Disney was back to the POP, which we'd already done, or a suite at the GF, which we couldn't afford. So, whipped out the UG, and the Mrs found a room at the Grosvenor.
About the only downer from the trip was the number of rude, inconsiderate guests there with us. Normally we let it slide, and for the most part did this time,too, but it seemed we ran into more than our fair share on this one...and almost all of them were from Brazil. (Not tour groups, didn't see many of them, mostly families.)
The greatest example was the night we set up for Wishes right outside the CP following dinner with Pooh. I was going to try to snap some pictures of the fireworks, which meant long exposures and a clear line of sight for my mini tripod. I did a few test runs on the castle (turned out great, BTW, have a great one when it's colored orange. ) by setting the tripod on top of a trash can. Worked like a charm. Wife and kids had a nice spot to sit on a concrete ledge, too. So, 15 minutes before the show, I head for the restroom only to return to find a family from Brazil standing directly in front of my family and leaning on my trash can of choice. The smoke from my wife's ears was threatening to block the show for those around her. This nice family acted as if we didn't exist, even when turning around to smile at us for some unknown reason. The did leave a small space by the trash can so my kids could see, but as the show went along they even closed that up. Thankfully, we did see the show pretty much in the clear, but were still irritated beyond belief that they just showed up and stood in the way. I didn't get any shots of the fireworks, either. (Got a few at Illuminations a couple nights later, but need to practice some more. )
Other things I learned from these lovely guests:
- Smoking sections are for wusses. If you need to light up, do it anywhere you please.
- Deodorant is optional. Yes, it's 90+ degrees and we're in Florida where the humidity is 140%, but that bath I took before I left home should do the trick.
- The middle of the road is the only place to hold conversations. I don't mean abruptly stopping to look at the map, I mean just standing in the middle of the road talking.
- If you have a party of 5 or more people, make sure to walk shoulder to shoulder down any and all pathways, and under no circumstances should you move for oncoming traffic, even if the oncoming traffic is already single file and turning sideways against the bushes to avoid you.
- Regardless of party size, walk down all paths looking in another direction, not the direction you're headed. If there's somebody there, they'll move, it's not your problem. Afterall, you paid a lot of money to be here!
And my new favorite...
- If you are a party of at least 8, send the two fastest people in the party to get in line, then have them put one hand on the queue railing and extend their other arm to hold off the rest of the guests so the 6 or so other people can catch up and get in line with them. Afterall, being in row 3 rather than row 4 or Star Tours will make or break your vacation.
Follow up to that one...
- Failing to do the arm/queue/hold-off-crowd thing, go ahead and have the two speedsters get in line. When the other 6 people make it in line, have the first one say, "I'm with them," and point ahead. When the kind guest(s) in front of you step aside, have your 5 compadres crowd past with you. Taking a picture of the bewildered looks on the faces of the guests you're going around as the 9th person crowds past makes for a good vacation keepsake, also.
Follow up to THAT one...
- After crowding past in line and settling in, try to have two people not want to ride the ride. BUT, don't make that decision until you're at least within sight of the CM letting you in and then have those two people crowd their way backwards out of the queue line.
I think that about covers it. Questions and comments are welcome.
Left the greater Columbus area on 8/10 about 8:30 PM and drove straight through to WDW. Arrived just after noon, so the Mrs and I pulled off the trip in about 15.5 hours, a new record for us.
First couple nights were at the POP. Not our favorite resort, we're spoiled by the DVC resorts, but it did the trick for a couple of nights. The only big issue with the POP on this trip was that the vending/ice room on our floor smelled HORRIBLE the whole time. You had to hold your breath to get ice. We were in the 50s closer to the parking lot and facing the pool, don't remember the building number.
After a swim, we headed for AK to get our AP vouchers traded in for real tickets, and hopefully catch Everest. We got there around 3:30, so only a couple hours left before closing. The guy at guest services wrote us out two insant fast passes for whatever we wanted to use them for...so we rode Everest and the Safari with no wait, very nice way to start the trip.
The next day we went to Epcot in the morning, rode all we wanted, then to the MK for the evening for dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern...that's when the fun started. Seems the LTT didn't have a reservation for us, though I'd made it in February and confirmed it a few times since then. They made room for us though, and we had a pretty nice meal. (Good food there, enjoyed it quite a bit.) They did pull up our other ressies, and it seems there were a few conflicting entries...I grew concerned. We were supposed to be at Teppanyaki the next night, and they had us listed for Spoodles...not a big change, so we went with it.
Next day...moved from the POP to the VWL in the morning and just laid around the pool and resort until 3-ish when we headed back to Epcot. Started to drizzle in the afternoon, so on with the ponchos for the walk to Spoodles. Arrive at Spoodles around 6:30 for our 7PM meal...they don't have us down for a reservation either. They found us a table pretty quickly, and we ate a good meal...but it took two hours for the meal, those FPs for Soarin' were going to be cutting it close. Also found out that thanks to the free dining deal, the menu was pared down quite a bit. We got what we wanted after some upcharging and paying for it, but that wasn't a big deal for us. After we finally got out, with our waiter being a little short with the kitchen for moving so slowly, we made it to Soarin' at 8:50 to redeem our FPs. Missed Illuminations, though...
Next day in the room, I confirm all other reservations, and everything was as expected. I still don't know what was up with the whole LTT/Teppanyaki/Spoodles thing. I have a feeling we no-showed for our Teppanyaki seating.
So, highlights the rest of the way....
Wilderness Lodge was awesome. That was our first stay there for more than an evening, and it was just so relaxing. The setting and the music just seemed to take you even further away from real life than Disney itself usually does. We also had dinner at the Whispering Canyon one night, but our waiter was less than fun. Watching the other waiters was great, but ours was only into embarassing teenage girls in a loud voice...and since we have two sons, we weren't getting most of his attention. After seeing how the ketchup thing went, my oldest was DYING to ask for ketchup even though he didn't need it. My wife finally caved, and we ended up with about 8 bottles on the table and a 7 year old with a huge grin.
Made park opening or within a few minutes of opening almost every morning, made for very nice days. Everything ridden by 11:30, then grab lunch and head for the pool. Lay around for a few hours, then head back around 4 or so each day for a few more rides and dinner. If there were crowds (and they seemed moderately heavy), we had zero problems with them. Good use of FP and some touring plans and we rode/saw everything we wanted multiple times. (Soarin', M:S, Splash at least 5 times each.
)We also did the DDP this time. We paid, though, as we were staying on DVC points. For the four of us, it was $480-ish, I think...and for us well worth it. We always have a TS meal each day we're there, so we made out pretty well. It was a LOT of food, though, so we stacked up some snacks and stuff to eat in the room and/or on the way home. We'll likely do the DDP again on our next stay, also. Our meals were at the aforementioned LTT, Spoodles, and Whispering Canyon, and also at Crystal Palace and Marrakesh. No complaints about the food at any of the meals. The service was good, too, except for the guy at WC chasing the teenage girls.
We did do one thing that probably classifies us as "One of THOSE Parents!" Our youngest is 3, and we were concerned he wouldn't meet the magical 40" mark in time for the trip, but our last measurement before leaving had him at almost 41" with his shoes on, so we didn't worry. Apparently the yardsticks used in Disney use bigger inches, in shoes he was about 1/4" too short. So, we did what any practical parent would do...we folded up 4 park maps, put them under his insoles, and VOILA! 41 3/4" tall!
[Feel free to insert your unsafe-make-his-feet-hurt-horrible-parent rants here]We also extended our trip by a day, thanks to driving down, and stayed at the Grosvenor Resort by Downtown Disney. It was a nice place, but just didn't have the Disney "feel" to it that we're used to. It did the trick of having two beds, a TV, and a bathroom, though.
Oddly enough, the only things available through Disney was back to the POP, which we'd already done, or a suite at the GF, which we couldn't afford. So, whipped out the UG, and the Mrs found a room at the Grosvenor.About the only downer from the trip was the number of rude, inconsiderate guests there with us. Normally we let it slide, and for the most part did this time,too, but it seemed we ran into more than our fair share on this one...and almost all of them were from Brazil. (Not tour groups, didn't see many of them, mostly families.)
The greatest example was the night we set up for Wishes right outside the CP following dinner with Pooh. I was going to try to snap some pictures of the fireworks, which meant long exposures and a clear line of sight for my mini tripod. I did a few test runs on the castle (turned out great, BTW, have a great one when it's colored orange.
) by setting the tripod on top of a trash can. Worked like a charm. Wife and kids had a nice spot to sit on a concrete ledge, too. So, 15 minutes before the show, I head for the restroom only to return to find a family from Brazil standing directly in front of my family and leaning on my trash can of choice. The smoke from my wife's ears was threatening to block the show for those around her. This nice family acted as if we didn't exist, even when turning around to smile at us for some unknown reason. The did leave a small space by the trash can so my kids could see, but as the show went along they even closed that up. Thankfully, we did see the show pretty much in the clear, but were still irritated beyond belief that they just showed up and stood in the way. I didn't get any shots of the fireworks, either. (Got a few at Illuminations a couple nights later, but need to practice some more. )Other things I learned from these lovely guests:
- Smoking sections are for wusses. If you need to light up, do it anywhere you please.
- Deodorant is optional. Yes, it's 90+ degrees and we're in Florida where the humidity is 140%, but that bath I took before I left home should do the trick.
- The middle of the road is the only place to hold conversations. I don't mean abruptly stopping to look at the map, I mean just standing in the middle of the road talking.
- If you have a party of 5 or more people, make sure to walk shoulder to shoulder down any and all pathways, and under no circumstances should you move for oncoming traffic, even if the oncoming traffic is already single file and turning sideways against the bushes to avoid you.
- Regardless of party size, walk down all paths looking in another direction, not the direction you're headed. If there's somebody there, they'll move, it's not your problem. Afterall, you paid a lot of money to be here!
And my new favorite...
- If you are a party of at least 8, send the two fastest people in the party to get in line, then have them put one hand on the queue railing and extend their other arm to hold off the rest of the guests so the 6 or so other people can catch up and get in line with them. Afterall, being in row 3 rather than row 4 or Star Tours will make or break your vacation.
Follow up to that one...
- Failing to do the arm/queue/hold-off-crowd thing, go ahead and have the two speedsters get in line. When the other 6 people make it in line, have the first one say, "I'm with them," and point ahead. When the kind guest(s) in front of you step aside, have your 5 compadres crowd past with you. Taking a picture of the bewildered looks on the faces of the guests you're going around as the 9th person crowds past makes for a good vacation keepsake, also.
Follow up to THAT one...
- After crowding past in line and settling in, try to have two people not want to ride the ride. BUT, don't make that decision until you're at least within sight of the CM letting you in and then have those two people crowd their way backwards out of the queue line.
I think that about covers it. Questions and comments are welcome.
)
