A Tale of 3 Duffys - a March 2011 TR - update 8/11: Finished!

[ksl5f123]

I am glad I am not the only one not that impressed by WL. I would pick POR over WL if those were my only choices. Everytime we went to RF, I missed the food court at POR.

I wasn't overwhelmed by the lobby either. I thought it was nice, but nothing special. At least you can save some money by staying at POR next time. I can't wait to see what the rooms are going to look like. It is going to be tough not going back, but there are still so many other resorts to try.

I really wanted to love WL. I thought it was going to be my favorite resort. I don't want to put it down because it wasn't "bad" in any way. It just didn't blow me away like I expected.

I can't wait to see the princess rooms. I know we will stay there!

I have to say sometimes I forget that Duffy is narrating and not Mama bear. When the CM said to put you in the storage compartment I thought he said Mama bear had to go under the seat. That would have been interesting.

The mental image of me trying to climb into that little net
Sorry about the confusion.

Good Job Papa bear for remembering that the fairies were ending soon. I can't believe someone's DH actually listens to things their wives say in Disney.

The fairy meets look fun. Vidia seems like she would be a great fairy to meet.

I love the Fairy borders on PP too. So cute.

He saved the day on that one. I completely forgot. Vidia was awesome and she played off of Rosetta really well. They were some of the best characters we have seen in a while.

I totally forgot to watch the EWP while at WL. Oh well. We say it last year when we were on the Pirates and Pals cruise, but I really wanted to be able to sit on the beach and see it.

Since you have already seen it, you didn't miss much. It is pretty far off of the beach.

 

[ksl5f123]

Love the pictures with the faries, yet more characters we had to pass up! I'll get into that more on my TR though.

Glad you and DH got some alone time, we've wanted to see the water parade for the past couple of trips but never make it in time.

One of the best parts of having MIL & FIL along is getting to get away for an evening. Usually, we go to dinner, but since this was a quick trip we just enjoyed an evening on the beach.

Sorry you missed the fairies. They were great fun!

 

[ksl5f123]

Grandma bear and grandpa bear had never been to DHS (they had ticket issues on our trip last June) and we think they thought we were exaggerating when we stressed the need to arrive early.

Friday morning (March 25), we checked out of WL and loaded into Grandma and grandpa bear's minivan for the ride to DHS. We parked and decided to take the tram to the gate (although we probably could have walked faster). We arrived at the gate just as they unlocked the turnstyles! Oops – that was a little later than we were planning. We all went through and we handed everyone's tickets to papa bear who was giving being the fastpass runner another shot. Mama bear told him to GO! The rest of us walked at a normal pace up to the rope and were probably about 10 people deep back from it. Papa bear did a great job of getting close to the rope and you can see him here in the blue hat next to the tree.

Then, mama bear turned her attention to the cubs. They didn't do DHS rope drop last year because we had the GAD fastpasses. She made sure that the girl cubs understood that they must hang on to an adult until we were in the Toy Story Mania line (the youngest cub was in the stroller). Grandma bear rolled her eyes. She seemed to think that mama bear was scaring the kids.

We saw the rope drop show here for the first time. The last time we were here, it was Star Wars Weekend, which may be why they didn't do it then. When the rope dropped, we walked at a reasonable pace straight to the standby line. Despite holding tightly to mama bear, the princess cub did get stepped on once. Luckily, since she was holding on, she didn't fall. As we arrived at TSMM, papa bear had already gotten our fastpasses. He was 2nd in line at his machine and got a 9:40 return time. We got into the standby line which was just starting to form outside of the building. We had never done the standby line before (only with fastpass) so we enjoyed taking a few pictures as we walked by. There was no time to stop and take any pictures as the line was in constant motion until we reached the stairs. We boarded the ride at 9:13 AM. Not too bad given we were TSMM rush 1st timers! Everyone loved the ride!

 

[TinksThree]

I have yet to make it to WL. I always thought it would be my dream resort (or one of them) but with the reviews I keep hearing, I believe when I go Deluxe it will be at AKL!!

TSMM is crazy! We usually have success doing what you did...sadly my story this year is not so happy!!

 

[ksl5f123]

I have yet to make it to WL. I always thought it would be my dream resort (or one of them) but with the reviews I keep hearing, I believe when I go Deluxe it will be at AKL!!

TSMM is crazy! We usually have success doing what you did...sadly my story this year is not so happy!!

I liked WL, I just wasn't "wowed". AKL is fantastic.

Uh-oh. I am looking forward to hearing your TSMM story.

 

[Becc1]

Love the pics of TSM standby line. We've never stood in the standby line but I almost want to so we can see all of the things in the line!

 

[ksl5f123]

After riding Toy Story Mania, we went straight to the Disney Junior show arriving just as they opened the doors. We were seated in the very back of the middle section. We liked the addition of Jake and the Neverland Pirates and the cubs loved collecting gold doubloons.

Next, we went and did the animation class. We were the next to last family let into the waiting area and had about a 10 wait before going into the class. Somehow, this 10 minute wait felt like an hour. They were out of places to sit, so the cubs were on the floor and they were squabbling as little cubs are ought to do. Mama bear couldn't wait for the doors to open. Finally, we were let in and learned we would be drawing Pluto. The youngest cub was with grandma bear and he was being an energetic little cub (i.e. he was restless and getting into things) so she took him out within the first 3 minutes. Mama bear felt bad that she missed the drawing, but grandma bear could have sent him to mama. The princess cub messed up on her drawing and had a small meltdown but eventually decided that she could either do it with an error or have a fit. She smartly chose to just finish the drawing.

It was now about 10:20 AM and we decided to head off on a character hunt. First, we found a green army man. He was a lot of fun. We hadn't met one before. Mama bear loves this picture of him talking to the youngest cub and really wishes she would have heard this “conversation”.

Then we found Mike and Sully with nobody around! We had them all to ourselves. I have to say it really isn't surprising that there was no one around - they were not easy to find. I don't know what the area is called, but it is across from the HISTK playground. During SWW, Darth Vader meets in the front of this area, but Mike and Sully are WAY in the back.

And some shots from the Photopass photographer:

Hey Grandma Bear! You are blocking Mike! Actually, I love how the youngest cub is looking at Mike and the princess cub is wrapped around Sully's arm.

And finally, we found Lightning McQueen and Mater who had about a 5 minute line. The youngest cub loved them. He wanted to look them over from every angle – walk around them, look under them, etc. We let him go for a minute or two, but then we had to move him along since there were other people waiting. He was very upset until grandma bear bought him a new set of Cars (Lightning, Mater, Doc, Sally, and Luigi) – look for these later.

Photopass!

Look! I made it in this picture - the youngest cub's Woody had been stealing my shots all morning.

 

[ksl5f123]

Sorry that I have been a little AWOL on this TR. We are getting ready for our trip next week and I am not sure that I will able to update until after it is over. So, look for more later in the month.

 

[TinksThree]

I need to locate this hidden spot with Monstor's Inc! Madison is a huge Mike fan!! Animation is also still very illusive to me! I just don't seem to have success at DHS sometimes!!

I hope you have an awesome time on your trip and safe travels on the road!!

 

[Becc1]

I love that the Monsters Inc locale is hidden, we never have to wait very long over there Unfortunately on our last 2 trips though Sulley hasn't been out, only Mike.

Also love the Green Army Men, one of my favorite pictures of my DH and DS was taken years ago with one of the guys!

 

[ksl5f123]

I need to locate this hidden spot with Monstor's Inc! Madison is a huge Mike fan!! Animation is also still very illusive to me! I just don't seem to have success at DHS sometimes!!

It really is hidden, but it makes for a great meet & greet. I love the animation studio. It is a big favorite for me.

I can understand - DHS is still the only park where I get lost.

 

[ksl5f123]

I love that the Monsters Inc locale is hidden, we never have to wait very long over there Unfortunately on our last 2 trips though Sulley hasn't been out, only Mike.

Also love the Green Army Men, one of my favorite pictures of my DH and DS was taken years ago with one of the guys!

Too bad about Sulley. I really liked him as did my kids.

We had never met a Green Army Man before. He was really cool!

 

[ksl5f123]

It was now approaching 11:20 AM and we had done everything on our “must do” list except see Beauty and the Beast and use our TSMM fastpasses. We decided to head for the group of restaurants directly across from BatB so we could get in line for the 12:45 show as soon as we were done with lunch. We all had the standard Disney cheese pizzas which come with salads. This was another beautiful day and it was great to sit outside and eat. Last year, we ate at Pizza Planet and it was crowded and loud. In the future, anytime we are there when it isn't oppressively hot, we will eat near BatB instead – same food, much less noise!

After lunch, we walked over to BatB and were met by a CM who informed us that the show was having technical difficulties and the 12:45 show was canceled. He suggested that we check the tip board before the 2 PM show.

With that plan thwarted, we decided to go to Starring Rolls for some dessert. Mama bear got the peanut butter cupcake and it was the perfect amount of food – for 6 people! Wow! That thing is HUGE and RICH. It is good that we had so many people to share it. If mama bear had gotten it just for herself, a large portion would have gone in the trash can.

Next, we headed off to Toy Story Mania to ride with our fastpasses. Everyone enjoyed the ride again and now mama bear wished that we had pulled another set when we walked past in the morning. Oh well.

We still had some time before the 2 PM Beauty and the Beast, so we went on the Great Movie Ride. Mama bear warned the cubs about some of the things they would see. They were a little nervous on this one. The princess cub didn't care for the part where the mobster dies and the youngest cub didn't really care for any of it, but he was quiet. He just hid when he didn't like it.

The entry to this ride is just beautiful!

A few ride pictures.

After the Great Movie Ride, mama bear hurried back over to the tip board. There was a CM standing there and mama bear asked if they had heard any word from Beauty and the Beast. She said, “No, I don't expect the 2 PM show to happen.” Mama bear thanked her and headed back to the family.

We were now done with everything we had planned. We asked the cubs if they were ready to leave and they said, “NO! We want more characters!” So, we went back toward the Animation Courtyard where we found the Little Einsteins with no line

A hug for Quincy

And one for June

Dancing with June

Some bonus shots from the Photopass disk:

and Handy Manny with only about 2 people in front of us.

The youngest cub enjoying the new toys he got to console him when leaving Lightning and Mater.

Then we went into the Animation Academy where we found Lotso with no line.

All week, mama bear had been promising the youngest cub that he could meet Mickey Mouse and here we were on our last day about to leave the park and we still had not met Mickey! We got in the line for Sorcerer Mickey which was about 10 minutes long. He was great!

Here I am!

The eldest cub was suddenly uninterested in Mickey, so papa bear joined in.

It was now 2:36 PM and we had done everything on our list and it was time to leave DHS. We stopped for a Photopass picture on our way out.

 

[Becc1]

Glad to see you back! I read over on your PTR that you'll be starting your next TR soon so I can't wait for that

What a bummer about the BatB show, that's one of my favs. I am jealous about you guys seeing Lotso, I was so hoping he was going to hang on there for our visit but Pooh came a week or 2 before we were there. I'm going to have to get myself to Starring Rolls for a cupcake, I can't believe that I've never been there after all of the great things I've heard about it.

 

[ksl5f123]

Glad to see you back! I read over on your PTR that you'll be starting your next TR soon so I can't wait for that

Thanks! I am almost done here, so I will start that one soon.

What a bummer about the BatB show, that's one of my favs. I am jealous about you guys seeing Lotso, I was so hoping he was going to hang on there for our visit but Pooh came a week or 2 before we were there. I'm going to have to get myself to Starring Rolls for a cupcake, I can't believe that I've never been there after all of the great things I've heard about it.

I was really upset about Beauty and the Beast since we had never seen it before, but you can't do anything about technical problems.

I am happy we saw Lotso too. He was there when we were last June, but the movie wasn't out yet so the kids didn't know who he was.

You really do need to try the cupcake - just bring several people along to help you eat it.

 

[ksl5f123]

First, a couple of notes that I forgot in the previous post – the matching shirts were a BIG hit. Lots of cast members and several random strangers commented on them. One CM asked if we had them made in Downtown Disney and was impressed to learn that mama bear made them.

Also, since the youngest cub got the Cars toys, grandma bear had to maintain equity and the girl cubs got more stuff. The princess cub got the Jasmine doll she can be seen holding in the previous pictures and the eldest cub got a Cinderella music box. In the end, each of the cubs received $90 worth of souvenirs from grandma bear.

After leaving Hollywood Studios, the plan had been to take the friendship boat to the Swan for our ADR at Il Mulino. However, without thinking, mama bear went straight to the van. Oops. When everyone was loaded, Grandma bear asked her where to go and mama bear said, “I don't know. We weren't supposed to be in the car.” That made grandma bear REALLY mad. Oops again.

We went ahead and drove to the Swan. The adults found some lounge chairs in the shade while the cubs played on the playground.

The cascading fountains down the front of the Dolphin are so pretty

After a few minutes, mama and papa bear took a walk down the Boardwalk. We had never been here before and it is really pretty. Now mama bear want to stay at one of the Epcot resorts.
So cute how this sign looks like a postcard

The boat ride that we missed.

We wandered through several stores. This one is great “Houseware and Mouseware”

Soon, it was about 4:45 and we had a 5 PM ADR, so we took the cubs inside to get washed up for supper. We arrived at our ADR at 4:50 and had to wait until 5 PM as that is the 1st seating of the day.

This restaurant was nothing like we expected. Mama and papa bear ate at bluezoo last year and it was very upscale and refined. Perhaps because we had the first seating of the day at Il Mulino, we got a server who could have worked at Wilderness Canyon Cafe! He was hysterical! My girls were laughing throughout the meal. It started when he brought the eldest cub's drink out with this straw.

The princess cub trying to use the big straw:

When she asked for a smaller one, he brought out one about 2” long. At various times he would appear and stand out of the eye-sight of the adults and hold two plates up to his head like Mickey ears. At one point, the princess cub asked for something and he headed into the kitchen dragging her (still in her chair) behind him. Then he stopped and “chastised” her for following him.

With the eldest cub's ice cream, he brought her this spoon:

At some point, he reminded her that this was an upscale restaurant and young ladies needed to use their napkins:

All the joking aside, both the food and the service really were excellent. The cubs had the pizza margherita and the fettuccini alfredo. Mama bear would love to tell you what she ate here, but to be honest, it has been 4 months and she has no idea.

After supper, we bid farewell to grandma and grandpa bear and headed to the Best Western Downtown Disney. We spent $80 for this room. Unfortunately, the one we got was right behind the elevator and quite noisy. The room was fine, certainly no better than a Best Western in any random city in the US. Would we stay here again? Probably not there are way to many other good options in the area. It wasn't bad - like dirty or anything - it just wasn't great enough to earn a return trip.

Once we were checked into the room, there was one last mission. The princess cub had not yet spent any of her own money. So, she and mama bear went back to Downtown Disney to the World of Disney store. After much looking around, she decided on a Snow White outfit for her American Girl doll. After completing our shopping we returned the room and went to sleep. The next morning we left for home.

Up next, some final thoughts.

 

[ksl5f123]

Mama bear's final notes: Well, we have come to the end of another trip report. What began with a Christmas morning surprise

and developed into a new love

has ended. However, before we part, let's look do a little summary:
During our four day trip, we experienced 38 attractions, 10 meet & greets (all with characters we hadn't met before!), 5 table service meals, MSEP, Memories, Wishes, and the Electrical Water Pageant. We rode the bus, the boat, and the ferry.

Since we had the wonderful gift of MIL and FIL paying for all of our Disney meals, we came in well under our $3000 budget spending only $2408.30 on 3 nights at WL, park tickets, 3 other nights in hotels, meals while traveling, tolls, and gasoline.

The highlights of Day 1:

• 
  Everyone got to ride Kali River Rapids together.

• 
  A yummy lunch at Tusker house which redeemed this restaurant in my eyes.

• Getting upgraded and connecting rooms at Wilderness Lodge

• Surprisingly short lines
  
  

• 

• Duffy Love
  
  

The highlights of Day 2:

• Bonus Winnie the Pooh fastpasses

• 

• 

• An excellent lunch at Crystal Palace

• Kind and generous people around us at the parade and fireworks

• 

The highlights of Day 3:

• The Flower and Garden Festival
  -
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Meeting Duffy
  
  

• The funniest fairies
  
  

The highlights of Day 4:

• Fastpasses retrieved and Toy Story Mania ridden before 9:15 AM

• Great Character meets -
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Unexpected fun at Il Mulino
  
  

Were there lowlights? Well, sure.

• Wilderness Lodges is no longer my dream resort. It was good, but not as awesome as I had built it up in my mind.

• Lunch at Akershus wasn't as good as last year and certainly not worth the price.

• As much as I like planning our trips, I find “herding” everyone around the park to be rather stressful. I realize that I was the one with the touring plan, but every time we finished an attraction I had 6 people simultaneously asking me what to do next. This made me feel like I couldn't be spontaneous. I couldn't spend any time smelling the roses. I just had to keep everyone else happy. I didn't like that feeling. I left wanting a different kind of trip next time.

As we drove away Saturday morning the DD5 made one last observation, “Mommy, I am happy at Disneyworld.” This comment turned into a whole new trip! To read about that, join me on my new TR, 5 Days on $1300?!? Did we do it?

 

[pinkxray]

Il Mulino looks like a very nice surprise. I wish we had made it there.

I hated that feeling of being in charge of what to do next. I wanted to just go with the flow but that didn't mean I didn't want to do anything. I just want to take it all in. I want a different trip next time, but I'm not sure how to get there. Hopefully you figured it out on your recent trip.

 

[Becc1]

Sad to see your report end. Glad that you guys had a wondeful trip and even better came in under budget Can't wait to hear about your July trip!

 

[TinksThree]

I love how you ended your report! on an $80 Best Western room!!! I am sad to see this report end but happy that I am just moving into "phase 2" for 2011!!