A "Just Got Back" post....

C.C. Langley

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Apr 19, 2015
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Well, we just got back from our first trip to Disney. We were there May 16th-21st, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. I was so surprised just how large the property was, I had read that it was huge, but still it shocked me. We stayed at the Art of Animation resort, and I never even saw the entire property of our resort. I really liked our resort though, we had a great pool and the theming was adorable. We had picked it solely for the fact that my little girl loves Ariel, and we got a Little Mermaid room. The room was clean and comfortable, nothing special really, it was just the theming that made it so fun.

We had excellent luck with buses, never waiting more than 10 minutes for one at any given time. Our magic bands worked great, we never had any issues. My favorite park for was Magic Kingdom, suprise surprise. Haha. My least favorite was Epcot, not sure why, maybe it was all the walking! ;)

My favorite meals were Ohana, BOG, Askershus, and California Grill. Wasn't as impressed as I'd expected with Hollywood Derby, CRT, and Le Cellier. They weren't bad, I was just expecting a lot based on reviews. I probably wouldn't ever do CRT again unless I was on a dining plan.

I did both the Illuminations and the Wishes dessert party, and found the Wishes party to be a lot better. Illuminations party wasn't bad, it was just pricey for what you got and there were just so many good places to stand, I'm not sure it was worth it. Still, I don't regret doing it, and I did like being at the front of the world showcase as we made a quick escape and beat the majority of the walking traffic to the exit.

My favorite rides were Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, and the Test Track. My least favorite were Spaceship Earth, Pirates of the Caribbean, Stitch's escape,and Kali River rapids. The first two just because I found them a little boring, but I admittedly would probably ride them again. LoL Stitch's escape was just not fun to me, but my daughter loved it. Kali River Rapids I didn't like because the only fun part was the one drop where you get soaking wet. I probably wouldn't do that one again. We had a fast pass and still waited a while, and it just wasn't that fun, to me anyways... again though, my 5 year old loved it.

As far as ADR's, never waited more than 5-10 minutes to be seated.... except at Ohana. They were behind for our breakfast and our supper, and we waited >than 30 minutes for both, but to me it was worth it. I did use the touring plans website for itineraries, and found them very useful. However, I didn't like being on such a strict schedule, and really used them more as a guideline for what areas of the park to hit at what time. I made a lot of decisions on the fly and based more on TP's wait time app.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, I didn't do half of what I meant to accomplish. Part of that was because I got sick on day 2 of the trip, and required a lot more rest than I had scheduled in our touring plans, so we had to cut a lot of things. Also, I didn't plan adequate time for the World Pavillion, or for character meets. Next time, I will use kenny the pirarte's stuff to do a little better of a job with these things. Can't wait to go back!
 
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Great report and congrats on a successful first trip! We've got the wishes dessert buffet scheduled as well so if you could elaborate on your experience there, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!
 
we got a Litter Mermaid room.

So, you went for the litter box over a bathroom? How'd that work out?

It was a typo, I know! It just made me bust out laughing. It's a good thing I work from home!

Thanks for the detailed post. Keep in mind that some things you think you didn't like, will grow on you as you remember the trip. If pain is involved (sore feet, sick, headache, etc) that memory needs to fade before the really great things you saw can surface.
 
What a super report, C.C. Sounds like you guys had a wonderful time. You made many of those first time, life long family memories. Nice. Thanks for sharing.
 

Congrats-you will never forget that FIRST trip no matter how many times you go!:)
 
Great report and congrats on a successful first trip! We've got the wishes dessert buffet scheduled as well so if you could elaborate on your experience there, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

Of course I will elaborate! : ) To check in we went to the podium at the tomorrow-land restaurant, we had brought our confirmation number, but they had our name on a list and just checked it off and gave us bracelets. They had a plethora of sweet treats to enjoy including chocolate covered strawberries, fruit tarts, ice cream treats with toppings, etc... The full menu is on the website so I won't waste your time, but I thought that the desserts were delicious. They have tables with chairs at this event, unlike Illuminations where you have to stand the entire time; however, I was told when I was escorted to my table that the seating if for convenience while eating, and that we were welcome to walk to the restaurant's balcony for better viewing when the show started. This is a must, as everyone goes to the balcony; however, there is more than enough balcony space for everyone to get a good view. We watched wishes from 3 different places during our trip, at the dessert party, directly in front of the Castle, and from Ohana's restaurant. The dessert party was my favorite. You are close enough that you still feel very "involved" in the show, tinker belle seriously flies right over your head, but far enough back that you could see the show in it's entirety. We got there only 15 minutes before the show started and there was plenty of treats left. It was nice to not have to shove and push to find a good spot on main street. I would definitely do this again, even though the price of the event is going up soon. It is worth it for the view alone and being able to do things right up until the show starts. We didn't rush out once Wishes was over either, we stayed and watched Celebrate the Magic and enjoyed some more treats. It was a wonderful experience, and one I plan to repeat. Hope that helps!
 
So, you went for the litter box over a bathroom? How'd that work out?

It was a typo, I know! It just made me bust out laughing. It's a good thing I work from home!

Thanks for the detailed post. Keep in mind that some things you think you didn't like, will grow on you as you remember the trip. If pain is involved (sore feet, sick, headache, etc) that memory needs to fade before the really great things you saw can surface.

Hehe, glad I could amuse. I'm well known for constant typos. LoL
 
Glad to hear you had a good time! I could tell from some of your pre-trip posts that you were well prepared and excited about the trip. Heck, you must have been well prepared even to get into Ohana...and I agree its worth the wait. Sorry you had a little unexpected down time during the trip...more incentive to go back!
 
Thank you! This is exactly what I was hoping you would say! We are so tired of fighting the crowds and the pushy people that we decided we'd give this a shot. Sounds perfect!

Like you, we've done the Illuminations dessert buffet and were completely unimpressed with it.

Thanks again, I really appreciate the details.
 
Glad to hear you had a good time! I could tell from some of your pre-trip posts that you were well prepared and excited about the trip. Heck, you must have been well prepared even to get into Ohana...and I agree its worth the wait. Sorry you had a little unexpected down time during the trip...more incentive to go back!

I'm actually thinking of making just a weekend trip next month. LoL We were going to go to the beach, but I saw they had some Annual Passholder discounts for through June, and I'm sort of leaning toward "forget the beach!" LoL I think the experience might be even better whilst healthy, and like I said, there are so many things I didn't get to do. It will be busier, but I think with a good touring plan we could still get a lot done.
 
Can you please separate some sentences / paragraphs with spaces so I can read it easier.

I started to but it's just so much text together it was straining my poor eyes - please as Id love to read it!
 
Can you please separate some sentences / paragraphs with spaces so I can read it easier.

I started to but it's just so much text together it was straining my poor eyes - please as Id love to read it!

I edited and put some spacing, see if that helps, otherwise let me know. : )
 
Thanks for elaborating on the Wishes dessert party! We are going in a couple weeks, and I've been getting a bit discouraged with all the negative reviews I've read. I'm happy to hear you had a good time, and that you stayed and enjoyed more treats and the castle show after Wishes (some people have said tables are cleared quickly during fireworks or desserts ran low, etc) We also have our expectations in check about the crowd standing at the railing, which I think is what surprises and frustrates some people. So happy they still have chocolate-covered strawberries too!
 
I'm actually thinking of making just a weekend trip next month. LoL We were going to go to the beach, but I saw they had some Annual Passholder discounts for through June, and I'm sort of leaning toward "forget the beach!" LoL I think the experience might be even better whilst healthy, and like I said, there are so many things I didn't get to do. It will be busier, but I think with a good touring plan we could still get a lot done.

And with an AP, the more you go, the less you'll feel the need to "get a lot done" and you'll be able to take in the beauty of all those square miles and start noticing the little things.
 
Sorry to hear that you got sick during your trip. However, it sounds like you still had a wonderful time. Thanks for your information about Wishes Dessert Party. I will be there in December; and I'm trying to convince everyone to do it. But the price and reviews have everyone less than thrilled. I love Wishes and I love dessert so it's a no-brainer for me.:)
 
Thanks for the report. Always love reading first trip reports. Glad you had a good time. Just remember "my daughter loved it" is what's most important about the rides you weren't crazy about. Time to start planning your next trip.
 

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