Goofmeister
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2003
- Messages
- 213
This is a test or an experiment if you will.
I am partway through a trip report, my first, and I am having trouble getting motivated to finish it. So, I'm hoping that I will not fall flat, and be encouraged by positive responses.
If you like it I'll keep posting. If you don't well, that'll be the excuse I need to stop trying.
Here goes:
Cast:
Sam (30) - the Planner, (1985,1987,2000) Trip # 4
Angie (30) - Eeyore nut and researcher, (2000) Trip # 2
Samantha (3.75) (2000) Trip # 2
Transportation: the family roadster, Angies beloved Santa Fe: 3 days to Florida and 2 days back to Oklahoma.
Dates: 11/26-12/10, (11/28-12/3 ASM, 12/3-12/9 WL) 2002
Pre-trip:
We planned on having our honeymoon at Disney. Eight years later, we finally had the opportunity. I found out after the trip that Angie wasnt as excited about it as I was. She told me that she worried that we were spending too much for an amusement park. But when she saw the castle for the first time, she knew that this was much more than an amusement park. Our 2000 trip awoke in me an obsession about Disney. It ignited a dream to work for the company. After all, Im and engineer, and I have imagination. I know that Id be a great Imagineer. Ill just submit my resume along with the other 75,000/yr hopefuls. You know what Disney says you need to be an Imagineer? Imagination, (and some contacts, and it sure helps if you already live in Orlando, and that they are hiring, and that you are very lucky.) Sorry, we got sidetracked there, and so soon too.
It was hard to leave the world in 2000. To console ourselves we began planning our next trip for the fall of 2002. That would be autumn, not the defeat of 2002. <Ahem>. Which brings us up to date. So far weve learned, we love Disney, want to go back, and Im easily sidetracked talking about myself or being goofy.
Officially, Angie is the Internet aficionado, the trip report reader, tip finder, poster of posts. She has become a full Disney nut convert. She even at times manages to surpass my love (and obsessions for) WDW (but just barely). She is also very patient indulging my various plans, countdowns and musings. Our first trip could easily be described as two wide-eyed novices with a guidebook. We had a great time but missed a lot of things we wanted to see, either because we didnt know about it or didnt have time with an almost two-year-old. Accordingly, my goals for this trip are to see more of the parks, and to avoid heat, hurricanes and crowds. After 9/11 I also added to defy those whod makes us afraid to travel. Take that you terrorists were going to Disney.
We decided we really liked the autumn weather in Florida. I cant imagine being in the Magic Kingdom packed like a sardine in the middle of the summer.
Sweat dripping down your back, come on guys if we ride Small World again we can grab a few precious minutes of cool breathable air.
Im convinced that part of the success of indoor rides is the excitement of being out of the weather.
Man it sure is cool in here. It feels good to be alive. Oooh look! Black lights make my socks glow. This ride is awesome!
I decided that I also wanted to see what Disney did for Christmas decorations. Disneys reputation for detail and a few trip reports I read made me really excited to see what the fuss was all about. According to various internet sources, the week after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the lowest attendance times, has pleasant weather, and Christmas decorations. We bought it. And I booked the All-Star Movies (ASMo) resort for 11/30-12/8.
Well, Angie wanted a full weekend, so I added a couple of days to the end. Then, my company announced it was going to be closed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Instead of visiting family, we decided to brave the crowds and start our trip earlier. Yea! This meant, however, we would be spending Thanksgiving at Disney. Im not so sure our family was crazy about this plan, but they were good sports.
I love the Wilderness Lodge (WL). I think it is all the wood. We wanted to stay there but spending that kind of money seemed foolish. Especially given the amount of time we would be in the hotel (excuse me resort). However, we could swing it for a few days. And it would be a great way to celebrate Angies birthday. Who knows when we will come back? After rationalizing splitting up our stay. I booked ASMo from 11/28 to 12/4 and the WL from 12/4 to 12/9. Ah, now we have added balance to our Chi.
We decided to purchase Annual Passes (APs). Because, somewhere around 7-8 days it is cheaper to get APs than it is to do the length of stay passes (UPH to you). I was also hoping this would be a good excuse for another trip in 2003.
Then some great WL rates came out for Disney Club members that let us upgrade our room, save money, and add a day at the Lodge. In the end, we settled on 11/28-12/3 ASMo (Toy Story or Dalmatians) followed by 12/3-12/9 Wilderness Lodge (Courtyard view, MK side).
We went to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party on our last trip and had a great time despite the oppressive crowds that night, and the missed MNSSHP T-shirts. For some reason we were really miffed about the T-shirts. Putting that aside, we decided to take the high road and attend Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. I purchased the tickets the day they went on sale just in case it was a sell-out. Expecting to get ahead of the hordes, we made a priority seating (PS) for Liberty Tree Tavern just before the party started.
(I like to call this section: planner goes mad with too much time between trips. Here is where I describe all the various places we made PSs. Its a pretty dull list, try to read it in a fun way, or skip it.)
We also decided to do a dinner package for the Candlelight Processional at Le Cellier.
At exactly 120 days (at the crack of dawn) we made the following PSs: Chef Mickeys (traditional first meal), Princesses breakfast at Epcot, Coral Reef Lunch (we wanted to eat there on our last trip but were too exhausted to make the PS), 1900 Park Fare dinner (Tigger and Eeyore!), Ohanas dinner, Rainforest Café (big hit from last trip), Nine Dragons, Chef Mickeys breakfast for Angies birthday, Wonderland Tea Party for Samantha, Hollywood and Vine, Whispering Canyon, Donalds Breakfastasaurus, and 50s Prime Time Cafe. I may have broken the redial on our phone, but I hope it will hold out because the 60 day PSs were rapidly approaching: Cinderellas Royal Table (CRT) breakfast, Tonys Town Square for Angies birthday lunch, and a newly decided upon traditional CRT farewell lunch. The original plan was one PS per day, which would be 11 total. However we added two dinner packages and a princess breakfast and a CRT lunch that we just couldnt live without. Angie really likes Chef Mickeys so I added that PS to her birthday. Then, I think we just went nuts because the count is now 19! Most days are pretty good. We have lots of digesting time between PSs. However, there are a couple of days where I wonder if well hold to my ambitious eating plans. We certainly didnt on our last trip, but I suspect well cancel less this time around. I am fighting the commando in me. But I think Im losing.
As far as touring goes, the general plan is to take it easy but minimize traveling around the property. We hopped around on our first adventure and felt we lost a lot of valuable time. The elimination of early entry has simplified our planning. Our touring follows our priority seatings and our anticipation of the crowd levels. Weve identified the special events we want to go to and when we want to go to them and set our PS around those days. (Shortly after I wrote this Disney decided to revive early entry (EE) and of course gave it a new, Disney-fied name, Extra Magic Hour. I dont think that EMH is magical enough. It doesnt convey the magnitude of the magic. How about Super-cali-fragi-listic-Magic Hour or Walts Extra Magic Hour of Dreams? Anyway, this caused us to shuffle a few days and PSs around to allow us to attend as many EE days as we wanted. We really took advantage of EE on our last trip, but Im wondering if well need it for this one? It is value season after all.
All the planning took most of two years; we filled in the time with some Play Station Disney World Driving, and with various countdowns. I decided to start a collection of some sort while we were on our trip, but I couldnt decide between books about Disney and Disneys theme parks or imagineering or collecting pieces of the monorail train that I can put up around the house. So I did neither, but thats later. In retrospect I should have done both.
Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9a. Part 9b. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13/14/15.
I am partway through a trip report, my first, and I am having trouble getting motivated to finish it. So, I'm hoping that I will not fall flat, and be encouraged by positive responses.
If you like it I'll keep posting. If you don't well, that'll be the excuse I need to stop trying.
Here goes:
Cast:
Sam (30) - the Planner, (1985,1987,2000) Trip # 4
Angie (30) - Eeyore nut and researcher, (2000) Trip # 2
Samantha (3.75) (2000) Trip # 2
Transportation: the family roadster, Angies beloved Santa Fe: 3 days to Florida and 2 days back to Oklahoma.
Dates: 11/26-12/10, (11/28-12/3 ASM, 12/3-12/9 WL) 2002
Pre-trip:
We planned on having our honeymoon at Disney. Eight years later, we finally had the opportunity. I found out after the trip that Angie wasnt as excited about it as I was. She told me that she worried that we were spending too much for an amusement park. But when she saw the castle for the first time, she knew that this was much more than an amusement park. Our 2000 trip awoke in me an obsession about Disney. It ignited a dream to work for the company. After all, Im and engineer, and I have imagination. I know that Id be a great Imagineer. Ill just submit my resume along with the other 75,000/yr hopefuls. You know what Disney says you need to be an Imagineer? Imagination, (and some contacts, and it sure helps if you already live in Orlando, and that they are hiring, and that you are very lucky.) Sorry, we got sidetracked there, and so soon too.
It was hard to leave the world in 2000. To console ourselves we began planning our next trip for the fall of 2002. That would be autumn, not the defeat of 2002. <Ahem>. Which brings us up to date. So far weve learned, we love Disney, want to go back, and Im easily sidetracked talking about myself or being goofy.
Officially, Angie is the Internet aficionado, the trip report reader, tip finder, poster of posts. She has become a full Disney nut convert. She even at times manages to surpass my love (and obsessions for) WDW (but just barely). She is also very patient indulging my various plans, countdowns and musings. Our first trip could easily be described as two wide-eyed novices with a guidebook. We had a great time but missed a lot of things we wanted to see, either because we didnt know about it or didnt have time with an almost two-year-old. Accordingly, my goals for this trip are to see more of the parks, and to avoid heat, hurricanes and crowds. After 9/11 I also added to defy those whod makes us afraid to travel. Take that you terrorists were going to Disney.
We decided we really liked the autumn weather in Florida. I cant imagine being in the Magic Kingdom packed like a sardine in the middle of the summer.
Sweat dripping down your back, come on guys if we ride Small World again we can grab a few precious minutes of cool breathable air.
Im convinced that part of the success of indoor rides is the excitement of being out of the weather.
Man it sure is cool in here. It feels good to be alive. Oooh look! Black lights make my socks glow. This ride is awesome!
I decided that I also wanted to see what Disney did for Christmas decorations. Disneys reputation for detail and a few trip reports I read made me really excited to see what the fuss was all about. According to various internet sources, the week after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the lowest attendance times, has pleasant weather, and Christmas decorations. We bought it. And I booked the All-Star Movies (ASMo) resort for 11/30-12/8.
Well, Angie wanted a full weekend, so I added a couple of days to the end. Then, my company announced it was going to be closed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Instead of visiting family, we decided to brave the crowds and start our trip earlier. Yea! This meant, however, we would be spending Thanksgiving at Disney. Im not so sure our family was crazy about this plan, but they were good sports.
I love the Wilderness Lodge (WL). I think it is all the wood. We wanted to stay there but spending that kind of money seemed foolish. Especially given the amount of time we would be in the hotel (excuse me resort). However, we could swing it for a few days. And it would be a great way to celebrate Angies birthday. Who knows when we will come back? After rationalizing splitting up our stay. I booked ASMo from 11/28 to 12/4 and the WL from 12/4 to 12/9. Ah, now we have added balance to our Chi.
We decided to purchase Annual Passes (APs). Because, somewhere around 7-8 days it is cheaper to get APs than it is to do the length of stay passes (UPH to you). I was also hoping this would be a good excuse for another trip in 2003.
Then some great WL rates came out for Disney Club members that let us upgrade our room, save money, and add a day at the Lodge. In the end, we settled on 11/28-12/3 ASMo (Toy Story or Dalmatians) followed by 12/3-12/9 Wilderness Lodge (Courtyard view, MK side).
We went to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party on our last trip and had a great time despite the oppressive crowds that night, and the missed MNSSHP T-shirts. For some reason we were really miffed about the T-shirts. Putting that aside, we decided to take the high road and attend Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. I purchased the tickets the day they went on sale just in case it was a sell-out. Expecting to get ahead of the hordes, we made a priority seating (PS) for Liberty Tree Tavern just before the party started.
(I like to call this section: planner goes mad with too much time between trips. Here is where I describe all the various places we made PSs. Its a pretty dull list, try to read it in a fun way, or skip it.)
We also decided to do a dinner package for the Candlelight Processional at Le Cellier.
At exactly 120 days (at the crack of dawn) we made the following PSs: Chef Mickeys (traditional first meal), Princesses breakfast at Epcot, Coral Reef Lunch (we wanted to eat there on our last trip but were too exhausted to make the PS), 1900 Park Fare dinner (Tigger and Eeyore!), Ohanas dinner, Rainforest Café (big hit from last trip), Nine Dragons, Chef Mickeys breakfast for Angies birthday, Wonderland Tea Party for Samantha, Hollywood and Vine, Whispering Canyon, Donalds Breakfastasaurus, and 50s Prime Time Cafe. I may have broken the redial on our phone, but I hope it will hold out because the 60 day PSs were rapidly approaching: Cinderellas Royal Table (CRT) breakfast, Tonys Town Square for Angies birthday lunch, and a newly decided upon traditional CRT farewell lunch. The original plan was one PS per day, which would be 11 total. However we added two dinner packages and a princess breakfast and a CRT lunch that we just couldnt live without. Angie really likes Chef Mickeys so I added that PS to her birthday. Then, I think we just went nuts because the count is now 19! Most days are pretty good. We have lots of digesting time between PSs. However, there are a couple of days where I wonder if well hold to my ambitious eating plans. We certainly didnt on our last trip, but I suspect well cancel less this time around. I am fighting the commando in me. But I think Im losing.
As far as touring goes, the general plan is to take it easy but minimize traveling around the property. We hopped around on our first adventure and felt we lost a lot of valuable time. The elimination of early entry has simplified our planning. Our touring follows our priority seatings and our anticipation of the crowd levels. Weve identified the special events we want to go to and when we want to go to them and set our PS around those days. (Shortly after I wrote this Disney decided to revive early entry (EE) and of course gave it a new, Disney-fied name, Extra Magic Hour. I dont think that EMH is magical enough. It doesnt convey the magnitude of the magic. How about Super-cali-fragi-listic-Magic Hour or Walts Extra Magic Hour of Dreams? Anyway, this caused us to shuffle a few days and PSs around to allow us to attend as many EE days as we wanted. We really took advantage of EE on our last trip, but Im wondering if well need it for this one? It is value season after all.
All the planning took most of two years; we filled in the time with some Play Station Disney World Driving, and with various countdowns. I decided to start a collection of some sort while we were on our trip, but I couldnt decide between books about Disney and Disneys theme parks or imagineering or collecting pieces of the monorail train that I can put up around the house. So I did neither, but thats later. In retrospect I should have done both.
Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9a. Part 9b. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13/14/15.
